Here is chapter 8~! :3 Note: I do not own Andy Fenton, as he is used with DarFoxKit's permission.

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Earth…

The Ghost Zone…

The Digital World…

Three worlds, all interconnected. Earth and the Ghost Zone have been connected since the beginning of time. But, as humanity advanced, residual ectoplasm began to coalesce, forming around data fragments that were emitted by humanity's technology. This energy began to take on solid form, but because it was human-made, the data, the ectoplasm lost all of its ghost-like properties, taking on more human-like formation. But, because of its origins, the new world's digital DNA was more flexible, not confined to a human-like form. Thus, the Digital World was born.

The Ghost Zone's inhabitants knew of this new world, but they could not travel to it, as they wouldn't live for very long amongst the data that made it up. The inhabitants of the new world could go to the Ghost Zone however, but very few ever made the attempt.

Likewise, the Human world could not head to this new world, as they were not connected like Earth was to the Ghost Zone.

But a new foe now arises to take on the challenge of conquering all three. And only two teams of fighters stand in its way of that goal…


(Two symbols are shown, one which is blue, the other red, spinning before colliding together and flaring with light to show the title.)

Start-STAND UP from Digimon Xros Hunters

(Shows eleven kids in shadows before they are revealed to be Takuya Kanbara, Koji Minamoto, Koichi Kimura, JP Shibayama, Tommy Himi, Zoe Orimoto, Danny Fenton, Andy Fenton, Samantha Manson, Tucker Foley, Henry Green, and Dash Baxter.)

Yeah, stand up boys (Shows Dash, Takuya, Danny, Andy, Koji, Koichi, Henry, Tommy, JP, and Tucker before eight forms appear above Takuya, Koji, Koichi, Tommy, JP, Dash, Danny, and Henry, each in shadow.)

hora mae wo muite (All ten are looking forwards before they run towards a glowing light, each with a hand held out in front.)

kimi wo tsutsumu EHRU ga michibiku (Danny is shown before he turns into his Phantom form, Takuya and friends all becoming enveloped by some sort of blue coding ribbons, Dash included, Henry becoming covered in some sort of armor. All seven are in shadow, with only their eyes shown.)

asu e ikou (The light behind them flares into brightness somewhat, the forms remaining in shadow.)

Yeah, stand up girls (Shows Sam and Zoe before a form in shadow appears above Zoe.)

RIARU wo koeta saki (Zoe and Sam run towards the same light before Zoe looks back and is covered in a ribbon of blue coding.)

atsui kumo ni oowareta hikari tsukamu yo (The light behind all twelve flares brightly, covering the forms in front of it, save for Danny, Andy, Sam, and Tucker, before the screen becomes white.)

imamade no hibi ja irarenai (The light fades to show Danny looking out the window of his home, reminiscing about the past days.)

FURU SUPEEDO de (Danny then turns into his Phantom form, flying through the ceiling of his home.)

takai kabe mo (Danny emerges outside the house, seeing what appears to be a castle in the background above Amity Park.)

uchi nuite ikou (The eight forms from before appear at the base of the wall to the outside of the castle, Sam, Andy, and Tucker among them. A form in shadow with glowing red eyes and a sneer on his face appears above all twelve.)

Stand up for your dream! (All twelve charge at the form, revealed to be a vampric-looking ghost with blue skin and a white and black haz-mat suit, cape billowing out behind him.)

donna koto demo, muchuu ni natte (Danny is shown, his Phantom form beside him with the symbol next to him.)

tsuki susumeba kiri hirakerun da (Takuya is shown, a form in shadow next to him, a symbol underneath him.)

sagashi motometa kotae ga (Henry is shown, a form in shadow behind him, an odd symbol next to him.)

donna tookutemo (Koji, Zoe, Koichi, JP, Tommy, and Dash are all shown, forms in shadow behind them, with symbols next to them.)

Stand up for your dream (Sam, Andy, and Tucker are shown next to Danny, all facing down this unseen form from before.)

tatoe omoi ga (Three glowing forms appear before light fades to show a cloaked form with a scythe in hand.)

yowasa misotemo (The form spins the scythe, which takes on a beam-like shine before it flares to show another form, but with armor this time and holding a beam sword.)

chikaku de kikoeru kimi no koe ga (The form spins the sword to reveal a symbol that looks like a target almost, but is not.)

chikara to yuuki wo kureru (A dog tag is shown with a picture of an old World War II veteran from the Army next to it.)

doko mademo hashitte yukeru yo ne (Shows all twelve kids, the planet Earth behind them.)

Danny Phantom: NEW DIVIDE!


Chapter Eight: Allies and Enemies

This was… a very weird day for Andy… but he did grow up in a very weird family so he figured he was used to it by now, but this is a different kind of weird. Dash usually sent him to the nurse, not help him get there… that was his brother's job. Andy swore the world was turning upside down or maybe he was in some parallel universe and he didn't know about it. First his brother and friends ditched him, he's spending more time with Jazz nowadays instead of his twin brother, his cousin returned from Japan, he signed up to be a journalist, jumped in to 'protect' Dash and now said guy was helping him to the nurse, gently! Yeah… this had to be a parallel universe or something. There was just no other explanation for this!

"So… how's your brother been?" Dash asked him suddenly, probably to get a conversation going while they walked to the nurse.

"… I'm not really sure… he's been… busy lately. He, Tucker and Sam have been doing their own thing for a month now and I've been left to myself." Andy sighed, not sure why he was telling him this, but hey he told Andy about himself so he guessed why shouldn't he, right?

Dash didn't seem too happy about that. "Yeah… I have noticed you and your brother haven't been… really together lately and usually you two come in packages all the time. Did something happen between you two or is that too personal?"

Andy blinked. Despite his grades, Dash was a lot smarter than people, himself included, gave him credit for. "Yeah, I guess you could say that… they've been pushing me away and even though they're trying to make amends I don't think things will be the same between us again. They just keep drifting apart and no matter how I try to catch up to them they just keep moving further and further away."

"Wow, cliché much? But yeah, I get your point. No wonder you seem the 'outcast' of the loser trio lately. Oh we're here." Andy was about to protest that they weren't 'losers' to Dash but the three of them were already in front of the nurse's door.

"Well… here we are… you can get to class now Dash. I can take it from here." Andy said as he tried to swing his hand off Dash's shoulders, but to his surprise Dash still held on to his arm. Andy blinked as he looked at him.

"Sorry Fenton, you're not going to get rid of me that easily. Come on, let's get you inside."

"Uh… not that I don't appreciate it Dash, but why are you helping me?"

"Are you kidding? You helped me… and I'm hoping that maybe… we could uh… you know, start fresh?" Dash said with a red tint on his face. Takuya blinked. The red color was similar to his armor in his…He shook his head. No need for comparisons right now.

Andy blinked… and blinked again. Did Dash just say what he thought he said? "Start… fresh? Dash, are you…?"

"L-look, you don't have to agree if you don't want to. I'm just saying maybe we could… you know, hang a little bit, and maybe study biology together… I do need a tutor with my failing grades." Dash's face was redder than before. Obviously this was embarrassing for him, yet he was doing it because he 'helped' him from that man, even though he did beat the three of them up in the end. Andy guessed Dash was still shocked that he and Takuya even tried to help him in the first place rather than just let him get beaten to a pulp.

"You're asking if you want to be my friend?" Andy asked to make sure he was interpreting this right; Dash, his bully since grade school, was asking him to be his friend?

"W-well… look, this is embarrassing, but the only real friend I have is Kwan and he's not always… up there if you know what I mean. Besides, I really need someone who is smart like you to help me with my studies so maybe my aunt and uncle can get off my case." Dash said quickly, hoping this didn't make him appear weak or wimpy.

Andy still couldn't believe this was actually happening… but despite their past he was willing to give Dash a chance, plus he was still unofficially isolated from his own friends and brother anyway and he could use someone to talk to in school, while Jazz was the one he usually talked with at home.

"You really mean it Dash? You're not going to just change your mind and start stuffing me into lockers again tomorrow as if none of this ever happen, are you?" Andy wanted to be sure he was willing to be a real friend and not just drop that the second his jock status was questioned.

"If you do that, you will regret it." Takuya added with a growl that didn't sound human to Andy.

Dash gave the two a firm nod. "I mean it. I swear it on my football trophy I will not go back on my word."

Then Andy gave him a smile. "The yes, I would like to have you as a friend Dash."

Takuya wasn't so sure, but he decided to give the jock a chance as well. It would be nice to have someone to be around other than being by himself since his friends were back in Japan anyway. So, he nodded in response. "Sure."

Dash looked at Andy and Takuya, still blushing. "W-well, thanks, um… shall we open the door?" he quickly opened the door, obviously to keep the awkwardness out of the situation, but Andy still couldn't believe it. Dash… as his friend. He would need to write a full on journal for this.

They left after the nurse treated their wounds. Thankfully the injuries weren't serious enough to call each of their parents because Andy did not want them to overreact. Ever since the accident with Danny, his mom and dad tended to… go over the tops if one of them got sent to the nurse, not that he blamed them. They almost lost one of their sons and he almost lost his brother, but… lately it felt like he had anyway…

Anyway, the rest of class was boring as usual, but Dash would occasionally get the attention of Andy and Takuya to watch him do something funny and Andy had to admit the guy knew how to keep things entertaining. It was then after P.E. that something strange happened again.

Dash was flexing in front of the mirror. "You are one smooth looking dude."

Andy rolled his eyes at this. "Now Dash, don't get a bigger ego, it's already big enough as it is."

Dash pouted at him. Normally that would've earned Andy a one trip to the lockers, but now… when he or Takuya joked around he just acted like… a friend. Andy was not used to it but he was already enjoying it.

"Hey, don't ruin my fun."

"Hey Dash." Andy perked up when he heard Danny, though he still didn't know of his and Takuya's new friendship with Dash and Dash still didn't like his twin brother, though he didn't bully Danny anymore at the sake of his request. He still called Danny names and they still didn't get along… Andy was hoping he could change that one day.

"What do you want Fentoenail?" Dash glared at him.

"I'm too weak and defenseless to open my locker. Can you open it for me?" Danny asked with a grin on his face and Andy just knew he was planning something.

Takuya groaned as he slammed his head against the lockers.

"Out of the way loser." Dash pushed him aside, but knowing his brother, Danny had something set up for him and Andy was wondering if he should stop it… Being friends with Dash was still new to him and Takuya and Danny was still his brother… Apparently Andy took too long to decide because as soon as Dash opened the locker door he was suddenly thrust at the lockers covered in some blue gooey thing and blinded with a purple thing and then this cyborg ghost just appeared in front of him.

Takuya at once had that feral look in his eyes as he backed up from the ghost.

"Hmm… according to my scanners you're an average human, destined for an average life after high school." Andy was hiding at the time, but he didn't miss a single thing the cyborg said. What did he mean by 'average human'? Could it be looking for something or someone who isn't?

Suddenly the William Tell Overdell tune began playing and the next thing Andy knew the cyborg's jets came out of its back and he flew through the roof… literally. With the coast clear, Andy and Takuya hurried over to Dash… where did Danny and Tucker go? They were just in the room! Ah whatever. He needed to- ah! The things trapping Dash just dissolved! Dash fell to the floor.

"Dash… are you okay?" Andy asked in concern and Dash just groaned.

"What just hit me?" he asked the younger boy.

"Not sure. It looked like some blue goo-like thing." Takuya replied.

"I'm not sure, but some kind of floating ghost-like cyborg just flew through the roof." Andy added.

Dash blinked before looking up at the hole in the roof. "A cyborg ghost? … You sure you two haven't been watching too many horror movies lately?"

Andy sighed. "I'm sure Dash. It's what trapped you a while ago. I guess whenever it leaves, its power, trap or whatever is dissolved too. A lot of weird stuff has been going on lately anyway, which is why I decided to be a journalist for the school newspaper."

"Huh… I wonder if I could get a picture of that cyborg ghost. "

"Dash, focus! … Okay, why don't you come over to my house during the weekend and I can help you study? In the mean-time let's do a little ghost hunting ourselves."

"What do you mean? We're not actually going to hunt that thing ourselves are we? But we're just kids, we can't deal with the supernatural stuff!" Dash, despite all his toughness, was easily frightened especially with things like ghosts.

"Calm down Dash. My parents are ghost hunters. I'm sure we can use some of their equipment to protect ourselves and to locate that cyborg ghost." Andy said confidently.

"Besides, that ghost can easily be handled by Andy and his family." Takuya added, but he wasn't revealing he could as well.

So, Dash, Andy, and Takuya found themselves back at the Fenton house.… Andy never thought he or Takuya would bring DASH of all people to his home so willingly. Dash looked around. Of course, he had never been in Andy's house before so he wanted to see what was there, but it wasn't until the three boys got to the lab downstairs did he look around in awe.

"Wow, your family is so high-tech. Just look at all this stuff!" Dash said, clearly impressed by the ghost technology even if they didn't work. Then again, maybe they did, they just didn't have the right test subjects.

Andy picked up a green and silver rod. Actually, he would say almost all of the equipment was silver/gray and green.

"What's that?" Dash asked, pointing to the rod Andy was holding.

"Not really sure, I think I saw Mom used it once like a ninja and nun-chuck." Andy pushed a small button and it suddenly extended longer like a staff. "Oh, yeah. This must be the Fenton Rod. It can smack ghosts even when they're intangible and even zap them with electricity. Pretty nifty if it actually works."

"You don't even know if it works?" Dash asked, surprised that Andy didn't know for sure.

Andy shrugged. "Well, no. I mean there weren't any ghosts around for it to be used on since it doesn't hurt humans or animals, just ghosts. But now I'd say we should let this baby have a test drive on that cyborg ghost."

"Yeah, let's give it a shot, but what about taking pictures of it for your journalism report thing?"

"Dash, it's journalism, not photography, I just write it down. But I suppose a picture would give me extra credit… IF I could catch it on film, but it'll probably be invisible in the actual print."

Dash sighed after scratching his head. "Whatever, so are we going to kick some ghost butt or what?"

Andy smirked as he handed Dash and Takuya another Fenton Rod each. "Just be sure not to knock yourself out."

"Hey, I'm the star quarterback of football. I'm more worried about you. Think you can keep up with me?" Dash smirked back.

Takuya smirked as well. "I know I can."

"We'll just have to see then, won't we?"

"I guess we will. But where are we going to find him?"

"That's a good question… he sounded like he was hunting for someone. It's not human apparently, so maybe… maybe an animal at Amity Zoo?" Andy guessed.

Takuya frowned a bit. He didn't think it was that, but he couldn't outright say what he thought since Andy would ask questions about his…talent…

Dash smiled. "Great. Then let's go there." Andy got the feeling he liked the animals there. He did have that little Chihuahua dog…

Later, Dash, Andy, and Takuya were at the Amity Zoo at night. They figured the cyborg ghost would most likely show up at night since night was when ghosts usually appear, or according to his parents they did. That didn't mean they didn't show up during day time either. Trapping Dash earlier at school that day was proof.

"Okay, we're here, so now what?" Dash asked looking around, a little creeped out that they were out there so late.

"Now we wait. If that cyborg ghost is out here, then he'll let himself be known I'm sure." Andy said.

Dash scratched his head. "But if he's a hunter, wouldn't he stay hidden at all times?"

He was a lot smarter than most people gave him credit for. "True, but the hunter wouldn't care about stealth anymore once he gets his prey, so I guess you could say we'll be waiting for the hunter to show himself. Mom and Dad did say Ghost Hunting would take some patience, even if Dad is a bad example since he's gets way too excited when it comes to ghosts."

Dash chuckled. "Your parents are very… enthusiastic, aren't they?"

"They sure are and I love them."

The threesome waited… and waited… and WAITED. For how long? Probably about an hour, thankfully Dash brought some a DS with him so he could stay entertained… Takuya took out an odd device from his belt and began to mess with it as well. It looked like a cell-phone of some kind, but it was red with a black grip and had a screen outlined in a golden circle. Andy mused he should've thought of that himself before heading there. Then finally their waiting paid off. The cyborg ghost appeared but he was in the purple-back gorilla's cage, and he sounded angry.

"You were supposed to be the bait, stupid animal!" he snapped at the gorilla. The gorilla was the bait? The bait for his true prey Andy guessed. But then suddenly the 'gorilla' turned around to reveal… it was a costume… with Tucker and Sam in it… what? What were they doing there!?

"Sampson is NOT stupid!" Sam snapped. Of course, being the animal lover that she is, she WOULD say that instead of screaming and running for her life like a sane person.

"He's also not here. Want to leave a message?" Tucker said holding up his PDA… again WHAT WERE THEY DOING THERE!? They almost acted like they knew that ghost.

"You two!? You'll pay for this!" the cyborg ghost snapped… yeah they apparently knew each other.

Takuya perked up as he heard that and frowned before he crept off, but Andy and Dash didn't see it.

"What's going on? Why are the geeks talking to that ghost like they know him?" Dash was just as confused as Andy was.

"…" Danny, Sam and Tucker HAD been acting kind of weird lately, and they had been excluding him and Takuya a lot from their recent activity since the accident a month ago. Maybe… just maybe they were related? They knew this ghost and they seemed to be used to its presences…

Tucker was doing something with his PDA and the cyborg ghost suddenly… started doing push-ups? Was Tucker somehow controlling that ghost?

"Stop! Stop! I can't stop!"

Then a familiar yet unfamiliar voice spoke up. "I can help with that!" Andy nearly gasped when that ghost boy he saw in his dreams before suddenly kicked that cyborg ghost!

"Holy sweat socks! It's another ghost!" Dash exclaimed and Andy quickly covered his mouth with his gloved hands. "Shhhh! You WANT them to see us!?"

"But he has a hazmat suit like yours." Dash pointed at Andy's suit. Andy blinked. He hadn't noticed it before but the ghost boy did have a similar suit to the one he was wearing.

The ghost boy was punching the cyborg ghost, but then it blasted the ghost boy to the ground. Then Tucker put something in his PDA and the cyborg's suit suddenly began polishing his face.

"They're working together?" Andy frowned. This was getting weirder and weirder, and where was his brother Danny? Shouldn't he be with them?

"Enough fooling around Tucker." Sam hissed.

"Power him down already, now!" the ghost boy quickly said to Tucker.

Tucker just smiled and waved his PDA. "Oh relax guys, everything is under-"

Suddenly an arrow pierced the PDA into a tree. Tucker groaned. "Control… ugh… I had FOUR more payments on this one!"

"Tucker, you're fired." the ghost boy glared at him.

"That ghost boy knows Tucker and Sam… I wonder if it knows Danny too." Andy said mostly to himself.

Dash frowned at that. "The geeks actually fight ghosts? Huh, who knew they had the guts? But… what about us?" he gestured to the Fenton Rods they had been holding.

"Let's wait and see how this turns out first." Andy answered.

They heard the cyborg ghost saying that he wanted the ghost boy's pelt at the foot of his bed, which grossed the two boys out. Could one imagine having a human… err… something that LOOKED human as a pelt on a wall/bed?

"Well, ghost boy, any last words?"

To Andy's surprise the ghost kid was really clam about this. "Just this." he said before he… patted his head, waved in front of his face, beat his chest and then… scratched his butt?

"What are you doing?" the cyborg ghost demanded.

"I think he's lost it." Dash whispered to Andy and he was about to agree until the ghost boy answered. "Calling a friend."

All of a sudden, the real purple-back gorilla named Sampson came roaring in fury as he pounced on the cyborg ghost. Sam smiled. "You've learned his language?"

"Well sure, all he does is this." cue butt scratching.

Dash and Andy watched, along with Tucker, Sam and the ghost boy as Sampson began beating the bolts out of the ghost.

"Wow, that monkey can probably lift more weights than the coach!" Dash of course began seeing this as an action movie; gorilla vs. cyborg ghost, coming to a theater near you.

"Technically Dash he's a gorilla. He's not a monkey at all. Monkeys have tails, gorillas are part of the ape family." Andy corrected.

Dash blinked. "Oh right, I forgot you were into biology."

Andy shrugged, glad that since they became friends he wasn't too bothered by him correcting him. In fact, he thanked Andy for it since it helped him with his homework and tests.

Suddenly, things went downhill. The hunter ghost fired off a net that trapped Sampson against the enclosure. Sam, Tucker, the ghost boy, and an unseen Dash and Andy all looked on in concern at the sudden turn of events, at least until a form leapt in through the open door and landed a blow to the cyborg ghost.

The mechanical ghost hovered back, only for the newcomer, wielding a silvery-glowing blade of a sword, to land in front of him.

"Who dares interrupt my hunt?!" The mechanical ghost demanded before the newcomer glared with hard green eyes. He wore a midnight blue hoodie that had a covering for his mouth, wore black jeans, and white sneakers while his hair was a brown color. "Silent, eh? Well, no matter! Your pelt will make a fine addition to my collection!" The mechanical specter then fired on the newcomer, but his skill with that blade soon became apparent. He sliced through the nets with ease before running at the mechanical ghost, blade held back. With only a yell, the newcomer brought the blade down on the ghost's chest, creating a gash that sparked.

Andy blinked at this new development, as did Dash. "Wow…that guy's good." Dash remarked as Andy rolled his eyes.

Sam, Tucker, and the ghost boy began to cheer for the newcomer, who used the blade to inflict a slice to the ghost's arm as well as part of his leg. Twirling the glowing blade in one hand twice, the newcomer managed to injure the ghost on the left arm and the right leg, but before he could land another blow, the ghost fired off a net with some goo, trapping the newcomer against the enclosure wall.

"NO!" Tucker shouted. The newcomer tried to yank his blade free, but it was trapped within the goop. The blade disappeared, but the hilt remained trapped as well.

Andy didn't like the way things were going and he was seriously contemplating jumping out to help the ghost boy. Looking at Dash, he wondered if the jock would be willing to risk it like he was. Something about the ghost boy being turned into a pelt made him nervous and he didn't know why.

Looking back out at the battle Andy could see Tucker was truly scared. That was odd, as he had never seen Tucker look so scared in his life. "Now, ghost boy, your pelt is mine!" The cyborg ghost sneered with glee. Andy was seriously considering running in to help at that point, but then, something moving in the brush caught his eye. Turning, Andy could see a form crawling along the floor of the enclosure, but it was so obscured by the brush, he couldn't make out what it was. Ecto-blasts made Andy turn back to the battle at hand as he heard the two ghosts yelling to each other.

"Hey! I'm not gonna be anyone's pelt!" The ghost boy exclaimed as he flew away, trying to avoid getting caught.

"Oh, but you shall! You are too rare and unique to let escape, ghost child!" The mechanical ghost sneered as he aimed at the ghost boy again. The ghost boy just turned intangible, the next blast passing through him.

Then, Andy froze just as the ghost boy crashed to the ground, goop trapping him to the floor of the enclosure. The mechanical ghost hovered just above his head, unaware he was even behind the specters. "Now, time to claim your pelt!" The mechanical ghost sneered as the ghost boy, Sam, and Tucker, Andy and Dash were all frozen with fear.

Suddenly, the cyborg ghost seemed to stop as Andy and Dash saw two hands grab the cyborg ghost. The cyborg ghost looked down at the owner of the hands, only for fear to creep onto the ghost's face, which was even more unusual. Dash looked confused, as did Andy himself. What could make a ghost so fearful? "No…"

"Time to leave him alone, buddy!" The form remarked before the cyborg ghost was yanked back down by the newcomer just as the newcomer lashed out with a kick to the ghost's back, sending it flying away from his prey. The ghost landed on the ground as the newcomer got to his feet, revealing who it was to Andy. He gasped to himself. It was the same person who had first saved him from the meat monster!

"You…How dare you interrupt my hunt!" The cyborg ghost shouted. The newcomer didn't say a thing except for glaring back at him. Tucker, Andy, Dash, and Sam gaped at the new arrival.

"Whoa…Who's the new guy?" Tucker asked before Sam spoke.

"I don't know…" She replied, also in shock.

Dash noticed Andy's silent expression of amazement. "Andy? Dude, you okay?"

Andy snapped out of his trance and shook his head. "Sorry. But yeah, I'm fine."

The hunter ghost didn't seem too happy about the newcomer's arrival. "Well, no matter. I will just have to take you down as well!"

"What? You mean you're not going to hunt him as well?" The ghost boy asked from his spot on the ground.

"Why would I? His kind is out of my hunting boundaries!" The cyborg ghost shot back. "But you, ghost boy, are not."

"His kind?" The ghost boy, Sam, and Tucker all asked. Even Andy and Dash had to wonder what he meant by that.

The ghost didn't bother to elaborate though, as he glared back at the newcomer. To the five, it was clear this guy wasn't a ghost, but if he wasn't, then who, and what, was he?

Hoping to catch the newcomer off-guard, the cyborg ghost fired off a spat of goop, but the newcomer just turned to the left and dodged the flying goop with ease. When hunter ghost tried again, the newcomer just did the same thing, but to the right instead. "Stand still!" The hunter ghost snarled, but as he fired off even more goop, the newcomer just ducked before jumping up and flipping over the flying goop before landing and skidding, looking back up at the cyborg-like ghost with a hard glare.

"No one's claiming anyone's lives!" The newcomer snarled, his voice coming out in a growl that sounded like it could hold a bit of a feral tone to it. Sam shivered, as did Tucker and the ghost boy, but also Andy and Dash. What was it about this guy that made him so nervous? And why was he nervous in the first place when this guy had saved the ghost boy's life?

"Man…I sure hope he can beat Skulker…" Tucker murmured.

"So…you're called Skulker?" The newcomer asked as the cyborg ghost, Skulker, growled.

"What's it to you? Why don't you go back to your world?!" Skulker demanded. "Your kind isn't even allowed in Ghost World, let alone the human world!"

"How I got here is none of your business." The newcomer replied calmly. "And for the record, why don't you head back to your world instead of hunting down humans and another specter?"

Skulker just growled. "I'm not leaving here without my prey! And not even you can stop me, Digimon!" He spat back.

His blue eyes went wide as Skulker revealed him. "How did?!"

The ghost laughed. "Your kind is well-known of, even in Ghost World! I'm just surprised to see one of you here, in the human world! Your kind barely ventures into Ghost World, so that's why it's such a surprise to see you here!" Skulker exclaimed. "I'm guessing your kind never speaks of those ventures into Ghost World, so that's why you must be shocked I know what you are."

The Digimon growled as sweat ran down his exposed skin. This just made things a whole lot harder…

Andy blinked in surprise as Dash spoke what was on his mind. "A Digimon? What is that?"

"No clue." Andy replied, just as confused as his friend.

"You should be grateful I don't hunt your kind, Digimon. If I did, well, let's just say that even the Observants wouldn't be able to stop the three guardians of your world." Skulker sneered.

The Digimon seemed to become even tenser than before. "What do you mean?"

Skulker just sneered again. "Like I'd tell you! Now, killing a Digimon on the other hand…that is something I have no qualms about!" With that, he aimed his arms at the Digimon and fired off several gooey strings at him. The Digimon seemed to pick up on this though, and was able to dodge most of, if not all, the strings. Skulker smirked. "Impressive. Your superior senses are just as good as they have been rumored to be. Too bad I planned for this should I ever encounter one of you." Skulker then fired off a net, startling the Digimon and making contact.

With a yelp, the Digimon wound up pinned to the ground, the weighted net on top of his form. The Digimon tried to sit up, but he was firmly pinned on his back. "Now that I have you out of the way, I can claim the ghost boy. But don't worry. I will finish you once I have my prey." Skulker sneered as he walked past the pinned Digimon, but not before delivering a kick to his side. The yelp that followed made him laugh as he walked on towards the ghost boy.

Tucker gulped as Sam looked back at the trapped sword-wielding boy. Andy followed her line of sight as well. The sword-boy was working on trying to cut the net around him with what appeared to be an army knife, but she couldn't be too sure.

As Skulker walked towards the ghost boy, the blade-boy managed to cut himself free of the net before he pulled on the hilt of his blade again and managed to yank it free with a grunt. Igniting the blade again, he turned to face Skulker, who was shocked to see him free.

"How did you get free?!" The hunter ghost asked in shock.

"I never go anywhere without a back-up blade…" The newcomer said in a deeper voice before he ran at the ghost again. Skulker sneered and turned intangible, with the blade passing through him, or so he thought. In reality, the blade did pass through him, but the ionized blade messed with the field of energy ions around his ghostly form, thus making it possible to hit him even when he was technically impossible to hit. Skulker cried out as the blade managed to nick his form anyway. He returned to tangible form, hissing at the boy in anger.

"I'll get you for that, human!" Skulker shouted. But the boy was able to duck his blow and skid on the ground underneath him before coming to a halt near the trapped ghost boy and the ensnared Sampson.

"Let's just say you'll suffer for your crimes…" The unknown boy said before he turned to Sampson and cut the gorilla free. With a roar, Sampson charged at Skulker, only to resume the pounding that Skulker had been to receive earlier.

While that was going on, the boy managed to get the ghost boy free before things got really nasty between Sampson and Skulker. With a final blow, the ghost hunter was thrown to the ground, missing an arm. Tucker seemed to be confused as the blade-boy made his way over to the still-trapped Digimon. The blade-boy removed the net from the Digimon, allowing him to get to his feet.

"Thanks." The Digimon remarked before Sampson's yelps and growls got the attention of all six there.

Soon, after Sampson completely tore through the cyborg, Andy heard Tucker. "Still… why would a ghost need a high-tech battle suit?" That was actually a good question. Then suddenly the head was smack into the ghost boy's hands and there they saw… two little green feet and legs and a high squeaky voice.

"I am the Skulker! The Skulker! Do you hear me? Fear me!" the ghost boy took out the little thing and it turned out the cyborg ghost… or 'Skulker' as he called himself, was just a little tiny blob with eyes, mouth, hands and feet.

"Wow that is a puny ghost." Dash snickered.

Something didn't feel right… it almost felt like there was something… behind them. Andy turned around and jumped back when he saw three green wolves growling at us hungrily, but they were not normal: they were green and they were glowing!

"D-Dash… turn around."

Dash was too into what was going on behind them though. "Hey cool! They sucked him up in that thermos!"

"DASH! TURN AROUND!" Andy yelled and that got him to turn. "Wha- AH!" he yelped when he saw the three wolves.

"I-I think they're ghost wolves… get out your Fenton Rod. It's our turn to fight now." Andy said readying his Fenton Rod.

"Y-you sure these will work?" This was no time to get cold feet!

"Just fight like you've always been doing with nerds and losers!" Andy snapped at him as he swiped the rod at them. The three wolves dodged. Of course, since he was not very athletic, they were able to dodge most of his swings. He was going to need Dash's help for this one.

"But they can fly! They can bite us!" Dash yelled. He was totally losing it!

"Dash! Just fight them!" Andy yelled back before managing to hit one of them and it got electrocuted upon contact. "Sweet. It really does work! Come on Dash! Aren't you supposed to be the man between the two of us?"

Dash grumbled. "Fine, I'll go out fighting! WAAAAAAH!" he charged and whipped the other wolf ghost and caused it to be electrocuted too. "Wow, that was awesome!"

"Isn't this a lot better than bulling the weak? Come on, let's see if we can get rid of them before anyone notices them."

However, as there were three wolves and two of them, Andy found himself wishing they had some extra help. Then, he got his wish. The Digimon ran over and managed to land a punch to the closest wolf that had been about to bite Andy. Andy looked back as he, Dash, and the Digimon all stood back to back glaring down the wolves. "Thanks." Andy said as the Digimon nodded.

"No problem."

Just when Dash, Andy, and the Digimon were about to hit those ghost wolves again they were suddenly sucked by a strange light. Andy jumped back and he was sure Dash did to as they were sucked into a thermos… Was that the Fenton Thermos? Yeah and it was being held by the ghost boy himself. He must've heard them or something. How else did he know they were there?

The ghost boy looked at Andy… Andy knew he saw him in his dreams before but something about him was just so… familiar. Both of them stared at each other for hours…well it felt like hours, but in reality, it was more like a few seconds.

The ghost boy finally said. "Uh… hi?"

Dash screamed and went into hiding… Andy was going to have to talk to him about his fear of the supernatural later. "You're… a ghost… right?" Andy asked him even though it should've been obvious seeing he was glowing, his hair was way too white, his eyes were glowing and his legs were fused into that ghostly tail.

"Uh… yeah I guess I am. You should go." the ghost boy said before he flew away into the night sky.

"Whoa… cool." Dash commented as he crawled out from under the table. "You just stared him down and he flew off."

Andy looked at him. "Dash, that ghost boy… I think he knows me somehow. And there's something about him that's familiar but I can't put my finger on it. He kind of looks like me or my brother but with white hair, tanner skin and green glowing eyes."

"That and he's a ghost and you and your brother obviously aren't." Dash finished.

"Yeah… it's confusing…"

Just then, Andy looked back, only to see the Digimon and the sword-boy were gone. "Hey! He's gone!"

Dash looked around, only to see Andy was right. "Wow. Maybe a Digimon is a different type of ghost?"

Andy shook his head. "No, Dash. It's can't be that. He lacked the glowing of a ghost."

Just then, Takuya came out of hiding. "What happened?" He asked as he rubbed his head. "Something must have knocked me out."

Dash and Andy looked back at each other before looking back at the goggle-wearing boy. "We'll tell you all about it on the way home." Andy replied with a tired grin.

While they were going home after the fiasco in the zoo, Dash decided to ask Andy something. "So… you're good in biology, right? Think maybe you could tutor me a bit at your house? I've been interested in it but I never seem to have the time to really study it. And Takuya could possibly help with math."

Andy chuckled. "Sure Dash, just never thought you'd ask me something like this."

"Yeah it's kind of weird isn't it? Well I guess I'll see you two tomorrow morning then since it's Saturday." Dash said as he began walking in a different direction since his house was opposite to where Andy lived.

"Wow… I can't believe I'll be tutoring Dash tomorrow morning…" Andy said to Takuya, who laughed, but Andy was also curious about that ghost boy he only saw in his dreams before. Who was he? Why was he so familiar to him? And why were Tucker and Sam hanging around him? And where was Danny in all that? And just who, and what, was a Digimon? And was that newcomer a Digimon? Andy hoped he could figure it out soon.


And now the secrets start to come out~! Will Andy find out what a Digimon is? And how is this Digimon tied to Takuya? Read on to find out~! :3