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The Keeper of Worlds) Well, which one else did you expect?

The Digimental of Miracles is the strongest one, save the Digimental of Fate, so it would make sense for Merukimon to entrust that one to Keenan and Falcomon.

With nothing to do but think on their flight towards this BanchoLeomon, whoever he or she was, Thomas realized just how risible the situation had become.

Here they were, a small group of humans, in another dimension, flying across the sky in the hands of a giant mutant-rabbit, to find a total stranger, who apparently lived by the oceanside.

They were doing this, in order to locate a man who had disappeared into this dimension over a decade ago, without any clues as to whether this man was dead or alive.

Strangest of all to him, however, was the fact that he himself was the only one who thought it unwise to heed Merukimon's suggestion, when they knew too little about him to trust him so easily.

Privately, he was a bit worried, as while someone as undeniably powerful and experienced as Suzie and Lopmon would be of help, he couldn't help but wonder who was taking care of their world?

While Thomas was deep in thought, Marcus was getting antsy. They had been flying nonstop for what felt like twenty minutes, with no oceanside yet in sight. Though he wouldn't mind either if Antylamon would fly a bit faster; he could literally walk faster than this pace.

Yoshino couldn't help but wish that they'd walked, rather than fly with Antylamon. In case of an attack, they'll be sitting ducks up here. She knew that with Arresterdramon and Kristy circling above them, anything lower than a Mega-level would likely hesitate to do so, but given that none of those nine Armor Digimon looked to have fired those blasts that had destroyed their supplies, she deemed it best to be cautious.

Suddenly, Suzie spotted something a good distance ahead, a small cottage on an oceanside cliff, which she surmised to be where Merukimon had specified for them to go.

Atop the roof of his cottage, BanchoLeomon's meditations were interrupted abrubtly, by the soft sounds of footsteps on the bedrock below him. He smirked widely, knowing the situation, wondering how Merukimon had sent to his dojo for training this time around.

He didn't need open eyes or even to look in their direction to know that at least one of them was a human; he'd recognize the footsteps of a human anywhere. Opening his eyes, he saw a human that he recognized almost instinctively. At least, he thought that he did...

Marcus inspected the humanoid lion sitting on the roof. He had a muscular, heavy-set build, with short golden fur that accentuated his well-built physique, and unkempt white hair, falling back his back to his shoulders. Covering his abdomen was an large, pink X-shaped scar. He wore a large black leather jacket, as a makeshift cape, with a matching pair of pants.

"I know why you have come," BanchoLeomon gruffly spoke to the group. "If you seek the overwhelming strenous training of BanchoLeomon, you must first Digivolve your partners with your DNA-Charge."

"We don't care about your training!" Marcus hollered at him, instinctively clenching his fists. "We just want to hear if you know where my dad is!"

BanchoLeomon would've blinked, if the act didn't signify a lack of composure and dignity. So he hadn't known why they had sought him out, it hardly mattered. "Your dad?" He echoed dubiously.

"Yeah, Spencer Damon," Marcus clarified. This time, his words elicited a noticable reaction from BanchoLeomon as his expression turned nostalgic at the mere mention of the name.

The adventures he'd had with the man... Scaling Spiral Mountain, cementing their legend through-out the Digital World... Searching everywhere for the fabled King Drasil, or Yggdrasil, or ENIAC, as he was referred to in some parts of the Digital World, and aiding Digimon in need as they went...

"Alas, I can do nothing to do help you," BanchoLeomon spoke morosely, much to Kristy's dismay. Had they really come all this way, just to return home empty-handed? She didn't want to believe that, but she seemed to have no choice. "However, you may be able to help yourselves, and mayhap help this world as well..."

"What're you talking about?!" Thomas exclaimed, bewildered by his enigmatic words. BanchoLeomon glared down at him when he finished. If this Digimon thought himself intimidating with a simple glare, Thomas decided that he had a surprise for him.

"I know not of Spencer's whereabouts," BanchoLeomon told them. It wasn't a lie, technically. Likely, Spencer was still captive by King Drasil, in the server tree, but it was impossible to assert concretely that he was still there.

Thomas really wished that he would get to his point. He'd flat-out admitted that he didn't know either, so why was he still talking?

"However, a legend claims that those who ascend to the very peak of Spiral Mountain will have a wish granted by King Drasil," BanchoLeomon recounted to them. Kristy visibly perked up at his words. If that was true, then that meant- "You may be able, human and Digimon together, to tap into that venue, and locate Spencer Damon."

"Let's go then!" Marcus and Kristy enthusiastically hollered in unison. "We're here to bring dad home, and we aren't leaving without him!"

"Then, before I take you all to Spiral Mountain, you must first Digivolve your partners to their strongest levels," BanchoLeomon reiterated. The group looked up at him skeptically, wondering why that was relevant, but acceded to his command regardless, seeing no harm in doing so.

With a tri-colore blaze of DNA-Charges and a pair of exclamations of Digi-Modify, GeoGreymon, Gaogamon, Sunflowmon and Arresterdramon stood before him, backed by Cherubimon in all her effeminate glory.

Four students, BanchoLeomon noted. That Cherubimon would keep the other four from getting stronger if it was allowed along on their ascent, and in case of King Drasil not letting Spencer go, they would need the strength to fight, which they utterly lacked, from what he could see. "Then, let us make haste. The journey to Spiral Mountain begins now."

With that declaration, BanchoLeomon leapt off the roof, doing a flip in the air, landing on his feet. How his coat managed to not fall off during that display of acrobatics, Thomas, Yoshi, Kristy and Suzie had no idea.

"Come along now," BanchoLeomon glanced back at them, before continuing his stride away from them.

On their walk to Spiral Mountain, they passed by several Digimon, who looked at them curiously, due to both the oddity of seeing real-life humans in the Digital World other than Spencer Damon, and from knowing by the presence of BanchoLeomon that these humans and Digimon had apparently, willingly, signed up for the nightmarish experience that the lion-Digimon called training.

Just when Yoshi and Kristy were about to drop from exhaustion, they spotted a small cottage, that was in front of a huge jet-black mountain. Kristy really hoped that this was their destination; she couldn't bear to go any longer.

"How're you holding up, kid?" Gumdramon asked his partner, audibly concerned. Thomas looked upwards, trying to see how tall the mountain was, only to find that the peak, or an area close to it, was surrounded by clouds.

It was definitely a huge mountain, looking to be about twice as tall as the norse Jotunheimen, by his estimate. It shimmered like an obsidian diamond in the setting sun.

His curiousity was piqued by the fact that on a cliff a good distance was a cottage identical to the one at the foot of the mountain.

"That's... Really big," Yoshino chuckled nervously at the notion of climbing the whole thing. It looked like it could take weeks, and they only had a few hours left before they had to return to the human world. "Has anyone ever managed to climb the whole thing?"

"Climb?" BanchoLeomon quizzically asked. "The challenge lies not in climbing Spiral Mountain from the outside."

"Then, what're we supposed to do?" Marcus asked, puzzled. BanchoLeomon answered his inquiry by pointing a clawed finger to a wide opening in the mountain beside the cottage, that looked to be able to accomodate even GeoGreymon.

"You are to scale the hundred-fold floors of Spiral Mountain," BanchoLeomon told them sternly. "You are to brave the trials within. And you will emerge all the stronger for it, both you and your partners. You will emerge, unbreakable or broken."

Kristy cringed inwardly, doubting her own readiness for something like that. Yoshino sighed inwardly at how difficult things had become so quickly.

"In regards to your question, young lady, only twelve, out of thousands of Digimon, have succeeded in reaching the top. Spencer Damon, and myself, in the record of twenty-two hours, followed by ten others, who took over two weeks," BanchoLeomon spoke.

Thomas gasped at hearing him. Twenty-two hours? They had less than six hours in this world, before their time was up.

Regardless of whether the group had any apprehensions or misgivings, Marcus simply charged into the tunnel, while Agumon ran after his boss. Thomas grumbled in frustration. As always, Marcus was a reckless idiot. Didn't he realize that this could be a trap, by BanchoLeomon or even Merukimon?

Though, he supposed that given everything BanchoLeomon had said about the place, they might be better off, if it was a trap...

Yoshino shrugged her shoulders, figuring that if nothing else, Marcus would need some back-up, and that Spiral Mountain was their only option to find doctor Damon.

Entering the cavern after Marcus, Lalamon was mildly surprised at what exactly was inside. From BanchoLeomon's description, she had expected strenous conditions, with a wide assortment of Digimon to take down, before one could progress further.

However, nothing of the sort was present. It was a simple, straight-forward, surprisingly well-lit tunnel, that took a slightly-curving left turn from where they had entered. By Thomas' estimate, the circumference was about twenty meters from ceiling to floor, and between each of the walls.

Yoshino hadn't been inside a lot of mountains, but she still thought it odd for a sealed-off mountain to be so well-lit, given that there was no visible source of light. Still, she chalked it up to another of the Digital World's oddities, and it did come in handy, she supposed, chuckling that a bed-and-breakfast was probably too much to hope for.

Besides, they had other things to worry about, they knew, as a distance ahead, loud noises, and the voice of Marcus could be heard. Deciding it best to catch up with him, the others Digivolved their partners to Champion, and in Suzie's case Ultimate, in case of an attack on this floor.

To Kristy's relief, there were no Digimon to be found, even after they had completed what felt like a whole lap around the mountain. From where they had arrived, the only way forward was a sharp right turn that led further into the mountain, where they spotted Marcus and GeoGreymon fighting a large insect-like Digimon.

Thomas reached for the portable version of the DATS database, while Kristy's D-Arc manifested the hologram to provide the same information. Suzie and Lopmon, though, recognized the Digimon on sight; Kabuterimon, a Champion-level, and an easy-enough fight for GeoGreymon.

Sure enough, one final Mega Burst from the dinosaur ended the battle. While Kabuterimon's egg fell to the ground, the group re-joined Marcus and GeoGreymon on the second floor.

"Marcus, what were you thinking?" Thomas angrily demanded, as Agumon reverted to normal. Marcus sighed inwardly, though Thomas being his uptight self really shouldn't surprise him at this point. "We can't just rush in without a plan! What if there had been more than one Digimon, or even an Ultimate-level?!"

"In that case, we'll just take them down like we did this one," Marcus grinned, eliciting a frustrated groan from Thomas and Yoshino. Why did Marcus have to be so reckless? Didn't he realize that his sister was here too?

"He's right, Marcus," Suzie added, pausing to formulate a plan. After half a minute, she spoke again. "In case of another Digimon attacking us, me and Lopmon'll handle it, so you can move forward."

"But, Suzie, splitting up is what gets people killed in horror movies," Lalamon nervously pointed out, fidgeting. She didn't exactly want to run into the Demon Lords, or worse yet, Dagomon, the lord of the Dark Ocean, the Depraved Monk of the Deep.

"How do you even know what a horror movie is?" Gaomon questioned. The bud Digimon didn't seem the type for such interests, but then, looks could be deceiving, he knew all too well.

Deciding him right, Yoshi gave her partner a curious look. "I... Might have found a library in Shinjuku that didn't bar me from renting movies..." Lalamon shiftily admitted. Thomas stared skeptically at her, wondering what sort of librarian would allow Lalamon to rent anything.

"You found my library card?!" Yoshino incredulously asked, having thought it long since lost in her not exactly spotless apartment.

Lalamon shook her head, dismissing that as a lost cause, beyond even the power of a Mega-level. Suzie and Lopmon could only agree with her assessment. "I borrowed Marcus'."

Agumon and surprisingly Gaomon as well failed to suppress a snicker at the statement, while Marcus gave her a displeased look. "We'll have this talk later. Right now, we've got ninety-eight floors to go."

Thomas supposed that there was no reason to continue the argument; if Marcus wanted to be a reckless idiot and get himself killed, so be it. They wandered a distance further, where the tunnel of the second floor diverged into two. A distance into both forks, a sharp turn upwards was visible.

Without hesitating to think about which path to take, Marcus took the left path, Agumon following behind him enthusiastically. To Thomas' bewilderment and slight discomfort, the next several floors of the mountain didn't pose much of a challenge either, with no Digimon present, worrying him slightly, as with no Digimon to fight, what exactly had BanchoLeomon meant by them have to brave the trials within?

1) Yes, I decided to have Spiral Mountain in this story. Yes, I decided to give it an upgrade. But be honest, what sounds better as an exercise, a hundred mentally and physically taxing floors, or fighting a few wooden figures and screaming like a Super Saiyan...

2) Ah, Thomas... Still so young. You'll find out soon enough.