Welcome back. I was rereading my story the other day, and realized I left out a paragraph or two out at the end of chapter 3. And then, I accidentally loaded one chapter twice, leaving four out entirely in all my updating and proofreading. That's fixed now, so you can check it out. I returned to the roots of the whole Impmon/Beelzemon character with his most recognizable feature, insults. While I am not good at being mean to people, I felt that I should give him the opportunity to insult his captor to the best of his ability. Hope it seems like him. Now, I return to the regularly scheduled programming.

Daylight abruptly arrived, but that wasn't what woke the sleeping digimon. Takato was yelling. Guilmon blearily opened his yellow eyes. He wished he had some bread. Not because he was particularly hungry, but because he liked to eat. He already ate all the bread, however. He raised his red snout off the smooth cave floor. Takato was talking to Renamon. He wasn't mad at her, even if he was shouting. He looked confused, a feeling his partner could relate to.

"Takato, what's wrong?" he innocently asked.

"He's gone. Again," the normally happy boy whined, "Why can't he stick for two minutes? We were too tired and surprised yesterday; we didn't even get the chance to tell him everything that happened while he was gone. And now he's wandered off again."

"What goggle-boy here is trying to say," Rika explained, rolling her eyes at the boy's frustrated rant, "is that Impmon ran off last night on his own. Ai and Renamon both saw him leave and say he looked upset."

"Really," Takato continued dramatically, "every time we come to the digital world, we get scattered to the four winds. Next time I make up a card for the D-arc, I'm making one that works like a tracking device."

Henry reasonably suggested, "You know he likes to wander around alone, especially after all that time by himself in the human world. After yesterday, maybe he just needed some solitude."

"Momentai," a certain rabbit digimon added, "Knowing him, he'll go pick a fight with someone bigger than him, get beat up, and come crawling back."

"Terriermon, you're not helping," warned Henry.

"He knows which way we are going," Renamon pointed out. "If he doesn't show up soon, Rika and I can go find him."

Terriermon mumbled, "In a repeat of your race to the Ark from last time." This earned him a glare from several group members.

"He'll be back," a confident Ai declared. "He promised he would always come back." This time, no one doubted her.


The canyon was becoming more interesting. It was widening and the sides were becoming higher. Both sides were sheer cliffs of a reddish orange color. The middle of the canyon now bared random spire-like rock formations or natural bridges overhead. As the canyon continued to broaden, the odder rock formations increased in frequency.

The most interesting one yet was a series of stair step type outcroppings from either wall. The so-called stairs were tall and wide, as if made for a giant. But apparently they were just another of the natural features of the digital world.

Manipumon grinned at her chosen battleground. Her master had lent her the use of two troops to soften up the victims first. A pair of real thugs: Gorillamon and Apemon. She enjoyed having more pawns under her control. It reminded her how she used to command armies of little pawns against their own friends and allies. Those were the days. Sadly the two monkey-boys didn't struggle vainly against her commands. They followed each one without complaint. Where was the fun in that? At least he could hear one mind yell at her.

"I'm going to pluck all eight of your legs off, one by one," Beelzemon silently screamed, unable to move or speak without her say so. "Then I'll…"

She gently chided, "My, my, aren't we a little grumpy? I'll bet it's from all this waiting around. Don't you worry your silly little head about it, my pawn. Soon you will be having all kinds of fun. And soon, all your friends will be dead. Isn't that nice?"

"I'll kill you, you hideous insect. Your face makes me so sick, I want to puke. I've seen smarter dogs. After all, you follow your master's orders like one. Funny, wet dogs smell better than you too. I've had better intelligent conversation with that pineapple-head. Kazu makes more sense than you. Someday, someone will squash you with an oversized newspaper, you cheap Arukenimon knockoff. I bet you are lonely, because no one with any brain cells would have anything to do with such a freak," Beelzemon ranted, falling back into the only option to express his hatred left to him: insults. He was a bit out of practice, but he fell right back into the stride. "Why so pale and grey? Too fat and lazy to get outside? How about the red thing on your forehead? Is that an eye or a zit?"

Manipumon laughed at his mental words, "Please, after all the pawns I've had, do you think anything you say is something I've never heard before and will bother me? I've listened to hundreds of digimon curse my name. It's music to my ears. I'm sure you will be more creative after today."

She stared off into the distance, a look of amusement painted on her delicate features. A tiny hint of raised dust in the distance suggested the approaching group's progress.

"After all," sighed Manipumon sweetly, "murder has always expanded the vocabularies of my past pawns."


The canyon had changed in appearance, but the hologram compass remained the same. What was also the same was Impmon's continued absence. Henry's earlier confidence had evaporated with each passing step. Ai and Mako's cheerful belief still burned bright, but they had the innocence of youth concerning their friend's invulnerability. Even after his earlier demise. The twins were currently balanced on Kyubimon's back with Rika on one side and Jeri on the other. They walked beside the digimon to make sure the kids would be alright. With the young pair riding instead of on foot, the group was making more progress.

There was no real warning this time. No shape spotted moments before the attack. Instead, two hunched-over forms leapt down the stair-like rock formations. One was yellow with spiky fur. Strapped to his back was a long bone. The other was white furred with a cannon for a right arm. Both were simian in appearance, but one was scarily familiar. He wasn't from the television show, but from Henry's past.

Takato checked his D-arc, "Apemon. With his Mega Bone Stick, he's one digimon you don't want to monkey around with."

"And the other is Gorillamon," whispered Henry.

"I thought we already creamed this guy," complained Terriermon. "Why won't he go away?"

Kyubimon studied their latest opponents as the twins slid off her back, "Look at their expressions. I think they are like the others."

"So we can't expect a great deal of conversation from these guys," noted Rika. "Wonder if there is another smart one like Kiwimon."

There was no more time for discussion because Apemon reached back, grasped his club, and swung it towards the closest digimon, Guilmon, with a monotonic, "Mega Bone Stick!"

Kyubimon released her own attack, "Fox Tail Infernal!"

The flame momentarily slowed the yellow primate digimon, allowing his target to get out of range of the weapon. Guilmon gave off a hostile growl at him before Takato took matters into his own hands.

"Digi-Modify! Digivolution Activate!"

"Guilmon digivolve to… Growlmon!"

Henry stared at the creature from his past. Twice now he had encountered the same Gorillamon. Once was in a video game, right before he met Terriermon. The second time was in the real world when they fought him once more as Gargomon. Was it the same digimon again? The boy couldn't be sure. It looked like a regular digimon, but it felt wrong. It felt as if the personality, the memories, and the very soul of the digimon was wiped away to leave an empty shell. If digimon have soul, which Henry strongly believed they did, this one had lost his. Even if this was the same Gorillamon as before, it was no longer him. All the emotionless digimon that had attacked them felt this way: hollow. Only Kiwimon, with his strange blood-red eye, had seemed like an alive and real digimon. The rest were simply… puppets.

Puppets… The idea nagged at Henry's mind, but he had greater concerns. He looked at his partner and nodded. Terriermon leapt off his shoulder.

"Digi-Modify! Digivolution Activate!" the boy shouted.

"Terriermon digivolve to… Gargomon!"

The rabbit, now wearing pants and armed with weaponry, faced his familiar opponent. Gorillamon raised his right arm, which did not possess a hand. Instead, Gargomon found himself facing down the barrel of a dangerous-looking piece of artillery. He had forgotten about that.

Gorillamon blankly announced, "Energy Cannon!"

Leaping to one side, the combat bunny returned with, "Gargo Laser!"

The humans had formed a clump in the middle as Kyubimon and Growlmon took on Apemon on one side and Gargomon and Gorillamon faced off on the other. The tamers dug through their assorted collection of cards for ideas, but they were having little luck so far. Their digimon were having even less. Even at three to two odds in their favor and against digimon of equal level, the strange digimon never seemed to be harmed or tired out. It was as if they kept receiving an inflow of power and strength.

Gorillamon suddenly fired his cannon, not at Gargomon, but at Growlmon. The red dinosaur had been maneuvered into position by Apemon. The blast hit dead on, causing Growlmon to de-digivolve. Guilmon sat up with a slight groan.

"These guys are even better at the teamwork thing than the last group," snarled Rika.

"Guilmon," called a concerned Takato. After seeing his friend was relatively unharmed, he declared, "Time to get serious."

"Guilmon Biomerge digivolve to… Gallantmon!"

The mega raised his shield at the enemy pair, "Shield of the Just!"

The powerful attack, that should have destroyed the champions, merely knocked them tumbling. They traveled a great distance, but they simply climbed back to their feet. They looked no worse than they did before the battle began.

"Puppets," whispered Henry suddenly, "They are just puppets. We can't stop them, but what about the puppet-master? Those two are controlled by someone. Take out the puppet-master, take out the puppets."

The pair of simian digimon halted their advance. A pair of hands started clapping. The group below looked up towards the sound. A strange digimon was up on the cliffs, applauding as if it was all some kind of drama performed on a stage.

Jeri, remembering her own D-arc was once again active, pulled it out. A picture of the creature appeared before her as well as a name.

"Manipumon, a virus type digimon. Uses her Mind Lock to get others to do her dirty work," she read. "Why is it so cryptic?"

Manipumon, her voice filled with mocking, "What a smart boy we are, figuring out those two drones are someone's pawns. The master gives command to his troops to only a few trusted members. Sadly, Kiwimon lost that right." She displayed a comically-exaggerated frown before returning to her earlier point. "I have always been good at giving orders, and they are always followed. Maybe I shouldn't tell you this," she glanced around as if she was about to reveal an important secret, and continued in a staged whispered, "But I'm supposed to kill you."

"Alright then, bug-brain," Rika taunted, "then come down here so we can squash you."

The arachnid-lady digimon gasped, "But brawling with lowly humans and their pets is so indignified. On no, a real lady," she stressed this word as she looked at Rika, "learns to influence others. You convince them to do what is needed. You guide others into the proper course of action. Let the men fight the wars while we run them."

Jeri, beginning to somewhat understand, asked, "You can't attack, can you? You're just a puppet-master, a manipulator."

The digimon laughed, but did not deny the girl's accusation. "We're going to play a little game. If you can destroy the combatant of mine, I'll let you go. Just like that. Otherwise, I will have him kill all of you until none are left. And don't worry," she waved a hand at the primate pair, who promptly dissolved away, "my choice of fighter is much more creative."

Suddenly, behind Manipumon a familiar figure approached. Jeri instantly recognized it as Beelzemon. She could also tell the spider-like digimon couldn't see him yet. Takato spotted him and proceeded to distract the enemy from their friend's presence. Jeri bent down to Ai and Mako.

"Don't worry; the guy behind her is Beelzemon. It's just Impmon turned bigger, like how the other can change," she explained quietly.

Meanwhile, Takato asked Manipumon, "So it's me and all my friends against yours?"

An evil grin spread across her face, "Precisely. A fair shot, I believe. I'll even use a regular digimon instead of one of the master's nearly invincible drones. Otherwise, where's the challenge in watching you suffer?"

The tamers and digimon were waiting for their ally to start his apparent surprise attack on Manipumon. They didn't know he was trying to warn them it was a trap and to assault the oversized tarantula already. She did and was enjoying his silent struggles. It was nearly impossible to pull free from her control. Only the strongest of will might succeed for a short time, but she would quickly regain command. All Beelzemon could do was watch as his friends accepted the offer.

"Oh goody," she squealed with nasty delight. "I wanted to take this one for a test drive. He wasn't happy about it, but no one can argue with my orders once I decide you are my pawn. No one can resist me. I suggest you start with the yellow one. The one who's partner has the big mouth."

He wanted to fight it. He wanted to stop it. He struggled against the grip she had on his mind, but it was useless. Beelzemon raised his arm and opened fire.

Cliffhanger! Everyone must not freak out. I will update as soon as I can. I am not the best at fight scenes, so I usually write around them by focusing on what else is happening at the same time. This chapter and the next I have to actually write some good combat, so it's taking a while to do right. Hope you like it but let me know how I'm doing. I'm a big girl; I can take criticism. Just not complete jerks who just want to complain. Be helpful with your suggestions. Thanks.