Disclaimer:

Nolaquen is sitting comfortably in a leather armchair, reading a book by the deep red glow radiating from the crackling fireplace.

He is also wearing a robe and puffing on a calabash pipe. A deerstalker hat hangs across the chair's arm, while a simple magnifying glass lies propped up on the table that the lamp sits on.

A knock at the door of the study rouses Nolaquen from his reading. Sighing, the author says wearily, "Come in."

Through the door steps a petite, blond, American girl, who is wearing a black dress and similarly colored shoes. In addition, a silver cross on a necklace hangs about her slim neck.

Observing her surroundings with a cool eye—and the seated author with little more interest—the girl says, "And who are you supposed to be dressed up as? Sherlock Holmes?"

Nolaquen inclines his head in affirmation. "I thought it elementary, my dear McCoy." The play-acting author then puffs on the curved wooden pipe in his mouth.

Bubbles float upward from the open end of the pipe.

Alice McCoy shakes her head in disbelief. "What have I gotten myself into?" she openly laments to herself.

Nolaquen grins as he sets the pipe aside. "It's nothing, really. You get to live in my mansion, hang out with all the other characters in my fic, etc. All you have to do is help in some of the disclaimers."

"Why? So you don't get sued?"

Nolaquen yawns tiredly and leans back in his comfortable armchair. "Yeah. That would really put a crimp in my day. And I'm already sick, so obviously, I don't want a big problem like that cropping up."

"I see," is the impassive reply.

Pausing, Alice asks, "But you already have a full cast to help you with this. Why did you call me?"

"I felt obligated," the author responds. "After all, I couldn't work you into the storyline. It just wouldn't have made any sense. So, I decided to extend you an invitation to support the disclaimers. It was the best way to allow you to partake in the great life we have here. Not to mention the barely controlled chaos," the teen adds under his breath, his mouth quirking upwards in a grin.

"Ah."

After a few moments of silence, Nolaquen snorts and lays his book over the arm of his chair. "Well? Do I have to hold up a cue card?"

Alice sighs. "Fine." Drawing herself up, and turning to face where she thinks the camera is—after all, it's invisible when it doesn't need to be seen—the blond girl says in a monotone, "Nolaquen265 doesn't own Digimon. I don't know why he's writing Digimon fan fiction, but he isn't making any money from it. So there."

Turning to the author, she asks (in a tone suggesting she couldn't care less), "How was that?"

Nolaquen rolls his eyes before picking his book back up. "Bravo. Remind me to hire you some bodyguards when you go out into public. You'll be mobbed."

Pausing, the author murmurs aloud, tapping two fingers to his chin, "On the other hand, the chances of that are actually pretty high. The neighbors probably won't cool down properly until next week, and they certainly won't have any preferences as to who they get their hands on, just as long as they're associated with me…"

Alice sighs again. "I've heard about your antics. What did you do—?"

Nolaquen shudders as he holds up a hand. "Trust me, you don't want to know. I think this cold is actually a proper punishment."

Incredulous silence.

"…okay, maybe not. Still, I can't wait until I'm back to normal health." At this, Nolaquen sets the book aside next to his bubble pipe, and grabs a soft, thick blanket from the floor next to his chair. Drawing the blanket around himself, the author yawns again before saying, "Okay, scat. I need a nap, or else I won't be able to write anything of middling quality for the next couple of days."

Alice raises a pale eyebrow before acquiescing. As the girl closes the study door behind her, she can already hear the author's snores.

Shaking her head as she walks down the hall, Alice repeats her earlier sentiment aloud.

"What have I gotten myself into?"

A/N: Yes, I was sick with a cold when I wrote this disclaimer, so it worked for the plot. If you can call it a plot.

So it was more like three months before I updated, as opposed to two. But guess what? Today's the first anniversary of Digital Realms! Feel free to send birthday presents.

Alright, things start to get more serious in this chapter, and my comments in the author's notes—not to mention the in-story jokes—are likely to gradually begin to reflect that. So, if any of you were thinking that DR was too bright and funny, you're in luck. I always planned it to be something of a darker story, action and plot wise, so…

…let's take a walk on the dark side.

As for the chapter title, it signifies the point where things begin to snowball. That will be become more obvious as we continue on.

XxXxX

Chapter Ten: Domino Theory

XxXxX

/DigiWorld Gamma. The Dungeons. 4:38 p.m./

"So…" Mako began curiously as he carefully scrutinized the stonework of the corridor, "why exactly are you still with us, Keramon? I'd have thought you'd be back at that restaurant by now."

Keramon considered the Tamer's question thoughtfully. "Well," the Rookie replied, "I guess it's because of my profession, really."

"How so?" Immediately after asking this, Mako pointed to one of the flagstones of the floor. "I don't like that one."

Keramon bent over and peered at the large, flat stone. The entire floor of the corridor was lined with similar stonework, but something about this particular area was a bit…off. Perhaps because the stone itself jutted slightly out of the ground, giving the impression that it wasn't completely stable. Or maybe it was the fact that it was a slightly different color than the rest of the stone floor.

Nodding, the blue Rookie mused, "Probably triggers more dart launchers if you step on it, or something like that. Yeah, let's not walk here."

Cautiously, the small Digimon gave the suspicious-looking slab of rock a wide berth. Mako and Cyberdramon followed slowly, each already looking for more traps.

Once they considered themselves on safe ground, Keramon said, "Well, I deal with information. Lots of it. And some of it comes in the form of stuff like riddles, amusing anecdotes…or stories." Tapping a gangly finger to his chin, Keramon continued, "I suppose…I was getting tired of hearing about all these Digimon having adventures all over the Digital World, finding fame and glory, and just having a general good time of it. Because, after all, I was just sitting at my cart, passing those stories on to anyone interested in hearing about them."

"Then, you got tired of not doing something like that yourself, huh?" Mako queried, sticking his hands into his pockets.

Keramon considered the idea before nodding. "Yeah. I suppose hearing about all those great escapades made me want to come back with a story of my own. Something I did, something grand and exciting…"

Mako nodded. "I guess I understand that. I remember reading picture books when I was little, and I always wanted to be the knight in shining armor. It just seemed so much more fun that reading about it." Musing to himself, the young Tamer added, "I wanted to live the adventure."

Keramon snorted in amusement. "Careful what you wish for. You just might get it." Glancing around at the narrow corridor—doubtless filled with more booby traps—he said, "And, to be honest, I think you already have."

Mako chuckled to himself. Cyberdramon, predictably, remained silent.

Mostly.

"How much farther?" the Ultimate growled; it didn't really seem like he was impatient, but they had been walking underground for more than half an hour. And almost half of that had been spent carefully avoiding lethal traps hidden in the endless maze of corridors.

Keramon sighed. "I've got a photographic memory, and if the map I saw was accurate, then we should be almost on top of the cell block." After a moment, the Rookie muttered, "At least, one of the cell blocks…"

"How many blocks are there?" Mako asked, not sure if he'd like the answer."Mmm…about five."

"And how far away would the rest of them be from here?"

"Let's see…the closest one would be a ten or fifteen minute walk."

Mako blinked. "That's not so bad, I guess."

"You're forgetting all these traps," Keramon reminded him.

"Oh. Yeah. This could get irritating…"

"Don't worry, we have a one in five chance of getting this right the first time." Keramon then pointed to the ceiling. "There's a very fine thread hanging from up top. I think…yes, it's attached to the floor here."

Mako frowned. "What kind of trigger is that?"

Keramon pointed again. "It's right in the middle of the corridor, and you can hardly see it. My guess is, if you run into it, you…uh…" Pondering the situation, the information broker scratched his head. "…maybe the ceiling caves in?"

"Another one of these?" Mako groaned. "The last one was bad enough." Shaking his head, the Tamer finished, "Let's just…step around it."

As they did so, Keramon remarked, "This is going to get a whole lot more fun once we find your friends."

"What do you mean?"

"Just think about it. There're three of us here, and we're skirting around these traps very carefully. And we don't always have the best of luck with that." Keramon nodded his head down the corridor. "What happens when our group suddenly triples in number?"

"…it's going to get really crowded in here. And if something gets set off…"

"It could very easily take out several of us, if not the whole bunch," Keramon confirmed. Mako just sighed explosively.

"We'll deal with that later," the young Tamer finally determined. "Cross the bridge when we come to it."

"Mm," Keramon responded absently.

The trio walked in silence, carefully making their way down the corridor. At last, they reached an intersection; straight in front of them was a solid wall, another low passageway began on the left (around the corner), and on the right…

"Bingo," Keramon said triumphantly. "I knew it was here somewhere."

Around the corner was a very small cavern; lit by several torches attached to the walls, it was basically a very big dead end.

Except for the row of barred doors on the far side…

Grinning, Mako stepped forward. "We'll check them all in order. They've got to be in some of these…"

"Who're you?"

Mako and Keramon froze in mid-step, each mentally wincing. They had failed to see that a small table and several chairs stood to the side of the cavern's entrance. And in those chairs sat four PawnChessmon, each rising to its feet and bringing its short spear to bear.

Mako's eye twitched anxiously. "Uh…Cyberdramon?"

"Covered," the large Ultimate growled fiercely as he stepped into the cavern. At the sight of the Dragon Cyborg, the PawnChessmon yelped and jumped into a line; each held their spears up and forward, creating a spiky wall of Rookies, but the spears shook slightly as their owners quivered.

As Cyberdramon snarled and took a step forward, Mako said quickly, "Don't delete them, Cyberdramon! I mean, they're just doing their jobs!"

The Ultimate snorted, but he nodded nonetheless. The next moment, Cyberdramon was in the air, above his four opponents, his face displaying an eerie grin. It appeared that Cyberdramon had merely leapt up, because he began to come back down…right on top of the line of little soldiers.

The two PawnChessmon on the end of the line gave little squeaks as they threw themselves to the side, leaving the two in the middle staring up in disbelief. This lack of motion allowed Cyberdramon to land directly on the two, his large feet planted directly on their chests. With a loud CLANK, the two fell to the ground, unconscious, with Cyberdramon standing on top of them.

Turning to face one of the remaining Rookies, Cyberdramon deftly caught the little spear which had been hurled at him—it looked ridiculously like a toy in the Ultimate's large hand—before breaking it over his knee. The PawnChessmon that had thrown the spear jumped in fright and turned to run away…

…unfortunately forgetting that there was a chair directly behind him. As such, the diminutive Rookie tripped and fell helm over heels; this motion sent the Digimon into a roll, which ended when the PawnChessmon's helmeted head crashed into the wall of the cavern. Without further ado, the Rookie slumped to the ground, out cold like its fellows.

The last PawnChessmon took one last look at the scene before he turned to flee. The little Digimon raced for the open corridor; its way was clear, except for Mako and Keramon, who both stood in front of the cavern's opening.

The PawnChessmon didn't seem to care. The small Rookie kept running, apparently intent on knocking its two obstacles aside like pins in a bowling alley.

Keramon had a different idea in mind.

"Bug Blaster!"

In the next instant, Keramon spat a small red orb of energy straight into the PawnChessmon's visor. The armored Rookie gave a cry of pain and held up both its hands to shield its hidden face, but it continued to run forwards.

Keramon and Mako both sidestepped to avoid the panicking Rookie, but Mako left his right leg extended as he moved. As a result, the PawnChessmon tripped on the young Tamer's leg, and was sent sprawling into the corridor.

Mako gestured at the fallen Rookie as he spun around to face Cyberdramon. "Grab him, Cyberdramon, before he runs and—!"

SCHICK!

Mako blanched. He slowly turned his head back to look into the corridor…

…and was dismayed to see that the PawnChessmon was impaled through the chest by a large spike coming out of the ground like a shiny stalagmite.

Suspended a foot above the ground by the spike, the Rookie struggled weakly for a moment before it burst into data particles. The formless data rose in the air for a moment before disappearing.

"—gets…help…" Mako finished in vain. After a moment, the boy swallowed. "…oops."

Keramon shook his head sorrowfully. "Poor guy. He must have triggered a trap when he fell." Shrugging, the Rookie began moving towards the far end of the cavern. "Let's hope your friends are here, because I'm not sure I want to deal with that again."

"…yeah…" Mako reluctantly replied, still staring at the metallic spike jutting from the ground.

A few moments later, the young Tamer jumped as a large hand landed on his shoulder. Turning, Mako looked up to see Cyberdramon's featureless facemask. Behind that mask, doubtless, Cyberdramon was staring into Mako's pained face.

Several silent moments passed. Eventually, Cyberdramon jerked his head to indicate the direction Keramon was walking.

Mako hesitated before nodding in understanding. Turning his back to the corridor, the young Tamer made his way to the cell doors, his back rigid and his arms stiff.

Keramon, meanwhile, was about to start looking into the cells when he heard an indistinct voice. Cocking his head, the Rookie frowned and listened carefully, his bulbous eyes drifting from one cell door to another.

"…hello?...any…there…?"

Keramon nodded in triumph. Turning to Mako and Cyberdramon, who were close by now, the Rookie said, "Found them!"

Following the voices, Keramon eventually stopped at a door almost in the middle of the cavern's wall. Drawing a deep breath, the Rookie removed the thick wooden bar lying across the door's face, and slowly pulled the door open.

Inside sat Ryo, Ken, Yolei, Izzy, and Cody. Each of the DigiDestined were chained to the wall by manacles on their wrists, but they appeared to be fine in every other way.

Cody was the first to react to their unexpected rescuer.

"…Keramon?"

Keramon grinned and thumped his chest. "Yep. That's me! Keramon, Dungeon Master and Prisoner Liberator extraordinaire!"

The DigiDestined sweatdropped.

"Well," Yolei commented, "I'd accept help from a Numemon right now, so I'll definitely take Keramon!"

Keramon blinked. "…I'll take that as a compliment, then," he said dryly, shaking his head. Then, he stepped aside to allow Mako and Cyberdramon to enter the cell before him.

Ryo grinned at the sight of his large partner. "Well, pal, looks like you managed to pull off a rescue. Nice job."

Cyberdramon inclined his head, but also pointed a clawed finger at Mako. "Mako should take credit," the Ultimate said in his gravelly tone.

Ryo eyebrows rose up in surprise. "Really?" Turning to Mako, the 'Legendary' Tamer asked, in an impressed tone, "How'd you do it?"

Mako shrugged modestly. "It was Cyberdramon's idea, really. We went to Keramon, and after I told him some riddles, he showed us the secret passageway into the dungeons, and we wound up here with you."

Ken tilted his head. "You lost me at 'riddles.'"

"Later," Keramon said as he moved to stand beside Mako. "I'd like to get out of here before someone finds out the guards are taking a little nap." Surveying the small cell, the Rookie sighed in frustration. "Your other friends aren't here?"

Ryo shook his head as Cyberdramon tested the chain binding his Tamer to the cell wall. "They got put somewhere else, I think. The last we saw of them was during the trial."

"And what a trial…" Yolei muttered.

Cyberdramon snorted before he pulled the chain out of the wall with a strong tug. Then, he carefully wrenched the manacle off of his Tamer's wrist, dropping the twisted metal onto the stone floor.

Ryo rubbed his bruised wrist with a wince, but he nodded and smiled at his partner in thanks. Nodding back, Cyberdramon moved on to help Cody out of his restraints.

Turning back to Keramon, Ryo asked, "Do you know where our partners might be?"

Keramon nodded. "Probably one of the other cell blocks." Shaking his head, the Rookie added, in a resigned tone, "Now we'll have to deal with all those traps again…"

Cody paused in rubbing his wrist and blinked. "Traps? What traps?"

Mako and Keramon looked at each other before sighing in unison.

xxxxx

Belphemon frowned as he looked into his mirror. He couldn't hear what was taking place, but it was obvious enough that the captive DigiDestined were not far from reuniting with their partners.

Sighing, the diminutive Demon Lord set his mirror aside and turned his attention to a golden chalice sitting on a table next to his chair. Lifting the chalice, Belphemon sipped the warm milk and sighed in contentment.

Struggling against the lethargy that threatened to overcome him, the Demon Lord reluctantly set the chalice down next to his mirror, and resolved to put his mind back to work.

It was obvious that his traps were turning out to be a disappointment. Admittedly, watching the young Tamer trip a PawnChessmon and inadvertently kill it with a Floor Spike had been amusing…but the traps were hardly more than an inconvenience to the Tamer and his companions. If the same held true for the DigiDestined, once they were freed, then all that effort of having the booby traps installed would be for nothing.

Belphemon instinctively growled deep in his throat—though it sounded more like a purr than anything else; Belphemon hated that, so he stopped growling with an effort. If there was one thing he reallyhated, however, it was wasted exertion. He'd much rather take a long nap than work on something that would fail.

A seed of frustration and resentment took root in Belphemon's mind, churning the Mega's thoughts like a storm. If things continued as they did, he might have to deal with things personally.

After a moment of contemplation—or maybe a minute; it was hard for the Demon Lord to keep times straight when he was tired—Belphemon then realized that such an outcome might not be so undesirable after all.

'I haven't had a good workout in years…I can't stand mustering the effort to get into it, but once I'm ready…'

'…this could be quite enjoyable, really. But, before I involve myself personally, I think I should do something about QueenChessmon. Yes, I can have some fun with that…'

Belphemon chuckled lightly. Perhaps his work hadn't been quite so wasted after all. There was still potential here…

XxXxX

/DigiWorld Delta. 4:45 p.m./

"It's nice of those Internet cafes to leave one of their terminals outside for people to glance at the news," Joe remarked as he surveyed Ren and Eric's Digital World. "I'm not sure it would have gone over well if we'd walked inside with the Digimon." Beside the eldest DigiDestined, Gomamon snickered.

"No, that probably would have been a little awkward," Ren agreed, smiling slightly. "We were just lucky that the streets were still relatively empty. From now on, though, we can go straight from the Digital World to my apartment and back again." She winked at the group, leaving her gray eye open. "No more sneaking around in alleyways."

"That's more like it," Kari said, smiling.

Eric nodded in agreement, his hazel eyes hidden by a pair of slim, dark sunglasses. He had donned the spectacles shortly after the group had exited the subway. The overall look—the blond hair and sunglasses—reminded Henry and Jeri of Yamaki.

On the other hand, the idea of Yamaki wearing a heavy trench coat in sunny weather was almost laughable.

And sunny it was. The computer terminal had uploaded them to the top of a small hill, in the middle of a lush, green meadow. It almost looked like there was farmland in the distance, with fields of some kind of golden grain. Somewhere beyond that, on the far side of a belt of trees, the group could see smoke from chimneys rising into the air.

It was a picturesque scene. Jeri in particular took great pleasure in feeling the breeze on her face, and smelling the fresh scent of the countryside.

"Ahh…" the Tamer sighed in delight. Closing her eyes, Jeri took a moment to relax in the peaceful surroundings. Staying out of sight in a city as massive as Tokyo was incredibly difficult, and the experience had been more than a little tense.

Smiling, Ren said, "I hate to interrupt your transcendent experience, Jeri, but Dorumon says the tournament is going to be starting soon. If we start out now, we may get there in time for the preliminaries."

Nodding, Jeri fell into step next to Kari as the group made their way down the hill.

Just ahead of them, T.K. and Eric were starting a conversation.

"So," T.K. began, "what exactly do you and Ren call yourselves?"

"What do you mean?" Eric asked in response. The teen's hands were in the pockets of his trench coat, and he walked casually, seemingly perfectly at home in the Digital World.

"Well, if we're DigiDestined, and Henry and Jeri are Tamers, then what does that make you?" T.K. clarified. Flying slowly beside him, Patamon nodded in concurrence.

Eric seemed to think on it for a few moments. "We never really had a name for our group," came the pensive reply. "I suppose it came up once or twice, near the beginning, but…"

A few more steps were taken in contemplative silence.

"…I guess everyone lost interest in the idea when we started training. And then…"

"…the others lost interest altogether?" Patamon prompted.

Eric nodded. "Pretty much. And since then, it's just been me and Ren." At the sound of a loud snort, the teen revised, "And Velocimon, and Dorumon."

"Thank you," Velocimon said lightly, walking soundlessly next to his partner through the tall grass.

Eric chuckled. "You're never one to be dismissed, are you, pal?"

Velocimon smiled in amusement, revealing pointed teeth. "Of course not. It's not in my nature."

"Naturally."

Velocimon's smile widened while Eric's mouth quirked upwards in one corner. T.K. and Patamon exchanged a glance and a shrug. Apparently, the banter contained a common joke to the pair.

After a moment, Eric mused aloud, "I guess if you had to call us something, we'd be…"

"Keepers."

T.K. and Eric raised their eyebrows at Ren's interjection. "Keepers?" T.K. asked, curious.

Ren nodded, looking over her shoulder as she spoke. "We might not be saving the world, but we do our best to help others when we can, and we keep the peace of the Digital World." Then she shrugged. "Not that there's much to do in that role. It's really pretty peaceful here to begin with."

Velocimon tilted his head, his facial expression showing curiosity. "Did you come up with that on the spot? If not, why haven't suggested it before?"

Ren shrugged a shoulder. "For one thing, the topic hasn't come up in almost a year and a half. For another, I was reading Harry Potter, and the Quidditch position of 'Keeper' suddenly struck me. You know how much I like reading those books."

T.K. sweatdropped. Eric simply stared at his friend from behind his sunglasses.

Ren returned the looks with a raised eyebrow. "What? I didn't think 'Duelist' would be a good idea."

"Plus, 'Trainer' is too Pokémon-esque," Dorumon inserted with a grin. "I, for one, don't want my partner to start yelling 'Go, Dorumon! Use Metal Cannon!' I'm perfectly capable of making strategic battle decisions by myself, thank you very much."

The furry Rookie received several odd looks, which he ignored blissfully.

Eric, meanwhile, seemed to be thinking it over. "Well…I guess 'Keepers' isn't too bad. There're definitely worse options out there."

"And other stuff that doesn't fit as well," Dorumon added, in a more serious tone. "I mean, 'Digimon Overlords' has a ring to it, but it doesn't really match up our line of work."

Okay, a slightly more serious tone.

T.K. and Patamon sweatdropped. "…Overlords?"

Cue flashbacks of deranged 'Digimon Emperor.'

Dorumon chortled, but Ren had a thoughtful look on her face. Tapping a finger to her slim lips, she said aloud, "I kind of like the sound of that…You know, maybe things are too peaceful around here. Some real Overlords might spice life up a little…"

T.K. facefaulted. "Please tell me she's kidding…" he said in a muffled tone, as his face was pressed against the ground.

Eric kept walking. "Don't worry. Her sense of humor is just a little…off." He seemed to have an apologetic look on his face, but it was hard to tell from behind his sunglasses.

Patamon shook his head. "There's one in every group…"

A few feet behind them, Kari was mulling over something that she had been curious about for quite some time.

"Jeri?"

"Mm-hm?" the Tamer replied, still smiling slightly.

"I was just wondering," Kari asked, her head tilted to the side. "Where's your partner?"

Jeri's stride faltered as the unexpected question left Kari's lips. Behind her, Henry and Terriermon winced; ahead, Ren sent a sympathetic glance over her shoulder.

"Well…" the Tamer replied slowly. "It's…um, a long story, but…"

Henry took a longer step forward, so that he was walking next to his friend, and set a gentle hand on her shoulder. Leaning over so he could see, Terriermon—in a rare moment of genuine solemness—gave her an encouraging look. Jeri smiled at the two and nodded in thanks.

Turning to face Kari, the Tamer replied, "My partner—Leomon—was…um, killed…almost three years ago."

Kari stumbled as she took her next step, while Gatomon's ears shot up. Just ahead, T.K. and Patamon froze before turning around in disbelief. Bringing up the rear, Joe and Gomamon took a few more steps before they realized what Jeri said.

Eric and Velocimon both shook their heads mournfully as the whole group came to a stop in the middle of the meadow.

"What?!" Kari finally blurted out, stunned.

Jeri shrugged weakly. "We were in a fight with…someone. He wanted power, and he wanted to use it. When he was fighting us, he didn't take too kindly to Leomon's explanation of what that kind of strength was really supposed to be used for. And…well, he killed Leomon at that point…and then absorbed his data to become even stronger."

T.K., Joe, and Kari stared at Jeri, shocked. They had never expected a response like that, not even remotely.

To the two teens standing rigid in morbid astonishment, the idea of losing one of their partners was…horrible beyond belief. It had come close to that in the past, but the DigiDestined and their partners had always seemed to lead charmed lives. Nothing had ever stopped them, and nothing had ever irreparably harmed them. Ken and Kari knew the most about psychological trauma, but physically…the DigiDestined had been relatively sheltered from such close personal lost.

True, friends had died before—and Wormmon had even been deleted once—but some friends had come back from that seemingly final fate. So now, the revelation that a Tamer's partner had been killed—and hadn't been reformatted—was disturbing, to say the least.

It punched another hole in the blanket of security that often seemed to be wrapped around such groups. The fight with Daemon had been bad enough, but this…this had actually happened to someone, and the evidence was right in front of them.

Kari put a hand to her mouth, mortified. "I'm…I'm sorry, Jeri. I didn't mean to…to…"

Jeri shrugged and gave her friend a small smile. "Don't worry about it. I came to terms with it a long time ago. I'm…okay, now."

The DigiDestined sighed in relief. "I'm glad…you found the strength to do that," Kari said, and a semblance of a smile appeared on her face. Still, inside, a secret anxiety—once felt far more often, when she had fought through dangerous times in previous adventures—temporarily reasserted itself. 'Could I stand to lose Gatomon like that? Tai?T.K.?Or any of my other friends?' Kari asked herself.

She didn't think that she could.

T.K. frowned, and made a tight fist at his side. "I hope this guy got what he deserved," he said in a harsh tone. "It's not right to take life just for the sake of gaining power. We've seen enough of that over the years."

Jeri looked away. "He…suffered enough afterwards."

Henry interjected forcefully, "Actually, he found that he had lost his way somewhere along the line, and he turned his back on the path that he'd chosen." Inclining his head to indicate Jeri, who was still at his side, he continued, "He even saved Jeri's life once, and he helped us fight against D-Reaper, which would have destroyed both our worlds if it hadn't been stopped." Jeri and Terriermon nodded firmly in agreement, their expressions showing all the proof of Henry's statement.

T.K. blinked, taken aback. "Well…did he really regret what he did?"

Jeri nodded again. "Yes, and he still does. And, I guess, that's made us friends."

"…I see," T.K. said quietly. Shaking his head, the blond added ruefully, "I shouldn't lash out like that. I mean, by judging others, and thinking I know them from just a few of their actions. Sorry."

Henry waved his hand dismissively. "Hey, we're all guilty of that at one time or another. I know what you mean, from personal experience." Jeri smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Same here!" Terriermon chimed in. "I used to think this girl in the apartment next door was really creepy because I saw her spying on everyone around her! Then, I thought that she was stalking Henry!" The Rookie then paused in confusion. "Wait a minute…"

Jeri giggled while Henry flushed. "Um, Terriermon…" Jeri managed to say, "she was, uh…pursuing him…"

Terriermon blinked before his dark eyes lit up in amusement. "Oh, yeah! I forgot! And the time we found her in the living room…"

"She was actually there, yes," Jeri replied, trying to hold back her giggles with a hand.

"Boy, how could I forget that? She was wearing that slinky red dress, and—"

"Okay, okay, you've made your point!" Henry burst out; his face looked like it had been badly sunburned. "But honestly, the fact that you were actually right that time sort of misses my point…" he added under his breath. Terriermon laughed uproariously at the indignant expression he wore, while Jeri finally gave up trying to control her giggles.

The others were staring incredulously; Ren and Eric perhaps more so…

Turning to Eric, Ren said mildly, "That certainly wasn't on the show."

"Not even," the other 'Keeper' replied. His mouth was twitching slightly as he added, "I'm sorry I missed that."

…but it was hard to tell.

XxXxX

/DigiWorld Alpha. 4:50 p.m./

Takato lay on his back, listening to the pounding rain outside. The roof of the small tree house was well built; it didn't leak so much as a drop, despite the sheer quantity of water pounding down on it.

Sighing, Takato turned his head to look out the open door; beyond the platform outside, the air seemed filled with water. The Tamer imagined that it was practically a swamp on the ground. It seemed strange to imagine that such a storm could come up out of nowhere, in just a few minutes. And it had raged for more than an hour, relentless in its strength.

"What wonderful weather," Takato said to himself sardonically. "It suits the mood perfectly."

There was no one to hear him—Guilmon had been shown where some food was kept, so the red saurian was obviously absent—but Takato didn't care. It felt good to vent some of his frustration.

Even if it was just a sarcastic complaint spoken to the empty shelter.

Groaning, the Tamer dropped his head back onto his hands, which he was using as a pillow. The hut's bed was far too small for the teenage boy, so Takato had opted for a blanket on the floor. It wasn't the most comfortable way to rest, but it helped keep the Tamer from losing himself in his thoughts.

Mostly.

'Of all the times for something like this to happen…' Takato lamented. 'Things are bad enough as they are. We've all been separated, we're being hunted by six of the Great Demon Lords, and now this…'

'Gaah…life must not like the word 'simple.'"

"Yo! Chumley!"

Takato sat up. If Kazu had decided to leave the shelter of his own hut, then he likely had something important to say.

Tapping his foot impatiently, Takato waited for Kazu to step inside, out of the downpour. And, indeed, the other Tamer appeared suddenly, as though he had parted a gray curtain hung outside the doorposts.

Kazu shook his head and flung his hands in a downward motion, sending fat droplets of water flying. Takato flinched as a cold globule hit him below the eye.

"Boy, this is some storm," Kazu commented as he shook the water off his visor. "Anyway, I...Takato, man, please tell me you're not crying."

"Huh?" Takato asked in surprise. "What in the world gives you that idea?" he added indignantly.

Kazu pointed.

Takato snorted as he wiped the raindrops from his face. "Next time you shake yourself like a wet dog, Kazu, do it outside."

"That kind of defeats the purpose, seeing as I'd be soaked again a second afterwards," Kazu retorted, crossing his arms. "Anyway, that Gatomon said that Rika's awake now. But, I know she hasn't fully recovered yet, because she wants you to keep her company while Renamon helps the cat make some medicine."

Takato's sigh of relief was cut off as he blinked halfway through it. "Rika wants company? My company?"

Kazu shrugged carelessly, his hands held wide apart. "Don't ask me. I think she's still loopy from whatever she caught." The Tamer twirled a finger around his temple for emphasis.

"Uh…right." Takato shook his head. 'Weird…'

As he stood, the gogglehead asked, "Have you seen Guilmon around?"

Kazu nodded. "He's chowing down with the others. The locals have a bigger hut in one of the other trees; it's like a big cafeteria. In fact, that's where I'm headed back to. They've got a load of the best fish you ever tasted, and we're taking advantage of their hospitality."

"That doesn't surprise me," Takato commented, trying to enjoy his last few moments of dryness before he stepped out into the deluge. "But who exactly are 'they?'"

"That would be the Mikemon," Kazu answered with a grin. "I tell you, Renamon wasn't kidding when she said the locals were 'interesting.'"

"Huh?"

"Mikemon, Chumley," Kazu replied, in an 'and-you-call-yourself-a-Tamer?' tone. "Alternate form of Gatomon, you know? Anyway, you've got a village in the trees full of cats, and they're all cooped up because of the rain. So, they've broken out all their balls of yarn and flashy trinkets. It's a riot in there." Flashing a grin, the visor-sporting Tamer stepped back outside and began running across the platform.

Takato shook his head in bemusement. "It's always something," he commented to himself. Then, pulling his goggles down over his eyes, the Tamer followed his friend's course and left the hut behind.

It took almost a minute to reach the hut where Rika had been left in Gatomon's care, and in that time, Takato became completely soaked. As he stepped out of the rain, his shoes made loud squishing noises. Takato winced, realizing that he was dripping what seemed to be a bucket of water on the threshold of the hut.

From somewhere in front of him, he heard Gatomon sigh. "Don't worry about the mess, just stand in front of the fire for a while. Honestly, these summer storms are so much trouble…" The cat trailed off before saying, "Now, I'm going out to mix up some medicine. Try not to tire her too much, alright?"

"Um, yes ma'am!" Takato replied instantly, snapping to attention. His goggles were fogging, so he couldn't see Gatomon leave, but he heard her laughing softly as she stepped past him.

From the blur of yellow, it seemed that Renamon had followed her. It seemed like she had stopped and nodded at him before disappearing, but Takato couldn't be sure.

"Um…right. Fire…"

Takato had taken two steps before he tripped over a small cushion. In the next instant, the Tamer was sprawled on the floor in front of the fireplace.

"Gogglehead…you're a menace…"

"Nice to see you, too, Rika," Takato said resignedly as he lifted his goggles back on top of his head.

From a pile of cushions next to the far wall—it was only a few feet away, though—Rika rolled her eyes as she laid her head back. "Why do you wear those things, anyway?" she asked in a scratchy voice. "What good are they if they fog up like that from just a little bit of rain?"

Takato pulled himself to his feet, trying to maintain what little dignity he had. "I've got an image to maintain, for one thing. And it's not just a little bit of rain, trust me."

As if to prove it, Takato's nose began twitching.

"Ah…ah…ah…"

"Oh boy…"

"AAAACHOOOOOO!!!"

"…"

Sniffle.

"…told you."

Rika just shook her head.

Takato sighed as he plopped down on the cushion he'd tripped over before. "So…how are you feeling?"

"Better," Rika replied with a scowl. "But not great."

Takato lowered his head. "I'm sorry," he said in sympathy.

The redheaded Tamer snorted. "What have you got to be sorry for? You didn't make me sick, did you?"

"Ah, no...It's just a figure of speech," Takato answered with a slight frown.

"Hmph. Coming from you, I can't always be sure," Rika said with a huff. "The responsible leader, and all that. You and your image…"

Takato stared in disbelief. "You know, for about a second, I thought it might actually be possible that, being sick, you'd retract those verbal claws."

"When did you change your mind?" Rika asked with a sly smile.

"When do you think?"

Rika chuckled, though it sounded like there was a burr in her throat. "Ooh, Takato's getting sarcastic," she said, her smile turning devious. "If I can get you like that, then I must be better."

Takato threw up his hands in exasperation. "I guess you don't need me here. You seem to be just fine."

He stood and turned to go, but stopped in surprise when a small cushion hit him in the back of his head. "Don't leave just yet, Gogglehead."

Takato slowly turned, half ready for more abuse. But, when he looked into Rika's pale face, he realized that the girl probably wasn't up for it.

Noting his gaze, Rika turned her own eyes to the ceiling. "I just hate being sick," she said in a quieter tone. "It makes me feel so weak…and helpless."

Takato sighed. Of course something like this would bother Rika. What else really could?

Besides Ryo, anyway.

But, naturally, the best way for Rika to deal with her frustration was to vent it all.

Taking a step closer to Rika's bed, the Tamer sat back down, his head titled; he appeared to be the epitome of the sympathetic listener.

Rika rolled her eyes when she glanced over. "Please. I don't need a psychologist. Because that's what you look like right now."

"Sorry."

"There you go again…"

"Gaah…"

For about a minute, the two sat in silence, simply listening to the logs crackling in the fireplace and the rain pounding down above their heads.

Finally, Rika let out a long breath. "…Renamon tells me you were worried."

"Of course. We all were," Takato responded immediately.

The redhead nodded. "Of course." She seemed about to chuckle, but after wincing, she cleared her throat instead. "I don't often end up in this sort of situation, do I?"

"You mean as the damsel in distress?" Takato replied without thinking.

Enter Rika's patented 'Death Glare.'

"…okay, I'll shut up now," the gogglehead said, wincing.

Rika blew a strand of hair out of her face with a puff of breath. "Well, you've got the idea, anyway. Next time, though, try and find a better way to say it." She then added, in an undertone, "Not that there'd better be a next time…"

Takato's lip twitched. "So, you'd prefer a euphemism?"

Rika turned her head and stared at the brown-haired Tamer. "It sounds like I'm talking to Henry. When was the last time you used the word 'euphemism?'"

Takato sweatdropped. "I guess what they say about first impressions really is true."

"Once a Gogglehead, always a Gogglehead," Rika confirmed with a smug nod. Takato simply raised his eyes to the ceiling.

When another few moments passed without speaking, Takato took the opportunity to pull off his soaked windbreaker and lay it out in front of the fire. Feeling more comfortable, the Tamer turned back to his companion. "Where were we before we got off track?"

Rika groaned quietly, but she obliged him. "When was the last time I—meaning me, and only me—was in trouble?"

Takato thought on it. "Well…there was IceDevimon. Then when you jumped off the face of a cliff right above the D-Reaper, I suppose, before you Biomerged for the first time. And…the whole Locomon deal." Rubbing his chin, the Tamer said, "I can't think of anything else offhand." He smiled slightly. "I guess that says something about your strength, huh?"

Rika snorted. "Yeah. Right." Without another word, the redhead turned on her side, facing the wall.

Takato raised an eyebrow. "What's this all about? I know you too well, Rika. You don't ask these sorts of questions if something's not on your mind."

He didn't receive an answer for a little while. Chewing the inside of his cheek, Takato decided to wait it out. If nothing else, Rika might fall asleep and get some much needed rest.

Finally, he discerned her voice from the mass of cushions. "I hate being a burden like this."

'Ah. Now I see where this is going.'

"You're not a burden, Rika," Takato replied in a gently reproachful tone. Still, he knew it wasn't going to be that simple.

'And she says…'

"I can't even stand up right now, Gogglehead. I won't be any good for anything until tomorrow, maybe, and that bugs me," Rika answered in a snappy tone.

'That's what I thought.'

"Well, look at it this way, Rika," Takato began, choosing his words carefully. "If you hadn't suddenly dropped in the middle of the forest, we probably would have been walking out there in this storm for another half-hour. At least we got here sooner, following you and Renamon."

"Hmph. Way to make me feel better, you blockhead."

Takato sighed in exasperation. "Anyway, what's there to do? It sounds like this storm's going to last for hours anyway. We don't exactly need to be in top shape right now. I expect Guilmon's too fat and round to do much except sleep this very moment, assuming the Mikemon have enough food to satisfy him."

Rika grunted noncommittally, but her tense frame seemed to relax a fraction.

Just a fraction, though.

Seeing as Rika seemed content with more silence, Takato took the opportunity to listen to a nagging suspicion in the back of his mind.

'There's something else going on here…'

Playing back their conversation in his head, Takato's eye twitched steadily as he looked for anything that might give him a clue to…well, whatever is was about Rika's behavior that was nipping at the heels of his subconscious.

''When have 'I' been in trouble'…Locomon…burden…'

'Oh. Ohhh…'

Rika must have heard him mouthing his revelation, because she looked over her shoulder at him. "What?" she asked in a cross, yet curious tone.

Takato lowered his head.

"…'promise me you'll stay for the sunset'…"

Rika flinched at hearing him say the lyrics aloud. A part of her natural fiery attitude seemed to flinch, too. "What are you thinking, exactly?"

Her tone was low, uncomfortable; almost wary.

Takato drew a breath. "This is about…your parents, right?"

Silence.

Then a low chuckle.

"Sometimes, Takato," Rika said slowly. "I don't think I give you enough credit."

The compliment, and the proper use of his name for the first time during their conversation, threw the gogglehead completely off guard…but some part of him almost seemed to have expected it; that part of him was calm, receptive. Waiting for her to continue.

Rika lay there, staring up at the ceiling. "I guess you sometimes wonder…why I don't confide in you, or Henry, or the others…about some things. Right?"

"I wonder, yeah," Takato replied. "And I know the others do, too, sometimes." He then hastened to add, "We understand, though, that you don't need to. I guess it's just one of those things that…"

He trailed off as Rika held up a hand.

"Maybe," the redhead said quietly. "Sometimes I wonder, though…if it wouldn't be better if I..."

She left her sentence unfinished, staring up at the roof of the hut.

Then, she turned on her side, and looked Takato straight in the eye. Crimson met amethyst as the two gazes connected.

"I wonder why I hold back…" Rika said softly, "…when I have so many good friends sitting right in front of me."

Takato's throat closed and he swallowed to clear it. "Maybe…" he began, looking into his companion's brightly flashing eyes, "Maybe it's old habits. They just haven't cleaned house and left yet."

Rika kept their gazes locked for another few seconds before she turned away. "Yeah. Maybe." Her tone was still soft, thoughtful.

A log shifted in the fire, but it was paid no attention.

"…Rika?"

"Mm-hm?"

"…once you're ready…you know who you can talk to."

"…thanks…Takato."

The two rested in silence, listening to the storm outside.

It sounded like it was finally quieting. If just a little.

XxXxX

/DigiWorld Gamma. The Dungeons. 4:55 p.m./

"It's about time," Yolei growled, her hands clenched into fists. Next to her, Ken winced. Somehow, despite being the object of the girl's affection, Ken was likely to be on the receiving end of Yolei's frustrations.

At least, when Davis was absent. Like now.

In this case, Yolei's aggravation was warranted. You'd be crabby, too, if you'd nearly been skewered, shot, lost to a bottomless pit, beheaded, burned alive, sawed in half, buried by half-ton rocks, etc, etc, etc…

And all in the past ten minutes, too.

Cody cleared his throat, mindful of the wrathful being that is Yolei. "Yeah…well, if our partners are here, then we can leave, right?"

Keramon nodded. "That's the idea."

Ryo looked over to Cyberdramon. "Okay, buddy. There are probably more guards in here, so you go first," the Tamer said, jerking a thumb towards the cavern's entrance.

The armored Ultimate grunted in acknowledgement, and swiftly stepped into the large grotto. Ryo, Mako, Keramon, and the DigiDestined remained in the corridor around the corner, listening intently.

It didn't take long for the sounds of frightened cries and the clash of metal to alert the group to the presence of more PawnChessmon inside. Of course, by the sound of things, Cyberdramon was disabling them without much trouble.

Ryo leaned casually against the stone wall of the corridor, his arms crossed against his chest and his eyes closed. Izzy observed this with a raised eyebrow.

"You certainly look relaxed."

Ryo cracked an eye to look at the redheaded genius. "And why not? Cyberdramon's thrashing the opposition, we're not far from freeing the rest of our friends, and then we can hightail it out of here," he stated matter-of-factly.

"It may not be as simple as that," Izzy replied cautiously.

"I know," Ryo answered, briefly turning his attention to the distant cries of "Mommy!!!" echoing out of the cavern. "But I always hope for the best, even if I'm planning for the worst."

Izzy smiled and nodded. "Very practical. I suppose that's a good approach."

"I'll take that as a compliment from the master of logic," Ryo returned with a grin.

Yolei's eye twitched. "You know, while you're both trading clever little comments, our partners are still locked up—probably in chains like we were—and Ryo's partner is in there fighting all by himself. Is there something wrong with this picture?"

Izzy and Ryo looked at each other, bemused. "You mean, besides the fact that we never should have landed in this position in the first place?" Ryo asked wryly.

Yolei fumed. "YES!"

"Okay, Yolei," Izzy said in a mollifying tone, "what's the problem?"

"THIS!" Yolei shouted, holding up her fist in front of the older DigiDestined's face. "THAT GUILLOTINE CUT OFF A BUNCH OF MY HAIR!!!"

Indeed, Yolei was holding a great handful of purple hair—each tress nearly a foot long—in her clenched fist.

And the ends were tickling Izzy's nose.

"Ah…ah…ah…"

"THE MAJORITY OF MY HAIR IS NO LONGER ATTACHED TO MY HEAD! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?!"

"No more long sessions with the hair dryer?" Cody queried in an undertone.

"AAAACHOOO!"

"NO!" Yolei shrieked like a banshee, ignoring Izzy's plight of breath. Then, abruptly, the girl burst into large, comical tears. "It means I'm no longer the…the…gorgeous beauty I was…"

The heartwrenching expression on her face made the rest of the group think she was witnessing some heartless thug drowning kittens.

Ken sweatdropped while the others stared at the girl blankly.

"Yolei…" Ken then said hesitantly, "maybe you can keep it cut short. You know, as a new look. I mean, it doesn't look that…bad…" He trailed off and gulped as Yolei's gaze turned baleful, effectively evaporating her tears. The DigiDestined cowered, half afraid of being scorched.

After a second, her expression mercifully turned thoughtful. "…you really like it?" she inquired tentatively.

Ken nodded without hesitation, a sickly smile on his face.

Yolei smiled widely and pumped her fist. "Alright! As soon as we get back home, I'm getting a stylish haircut! And it'll be shorter than any haircut I've ever had before! It's going to look GREAT!"

Cody stared at Yolei's celebrations in disbelief. "Talk about bipolar…"

Mako turned to Ryo. "Ryo? She's scaring me."

The older Tamer nodded in sympathy. "I know, Mako. I know." Addressing Ken—Yolei seemed to be busy daydreaming about her new look, so they were safe for the moment—Ryo asked, "How exactly do you manage to survive with her, anyway? I mean, 'Wildcat' Rika's one thing, but Yolei…?"

Ken blinked. "With…her?" At Ryo's nod, the blue-haired DigiDestined flushed a little, but he answered, "It's not that bad, really. You just have to…carefully navigate her most…interesting moods." Smiling slightly, and shaking his head in amusement, he added, "It's actually a lot of fun being around her. I…wouldn't give it up for anything."

Yolei had come out of her daydreams just in time to hear the last two sentences. "I LOVE YOU TOO, KEN!" She then happily wrapped her arms around the boy's neck and hugged him tightly.

"Urk…" managed Ken, whose face was slowing turning to the color of his hair.

Chuckling, Ryo turned and said, "Hey, Izzy."

"Yeah?"

"I think she's going to kill Kenny."

Izzy considered this thoughtfully. "If she does, how do we bring him back to life in time for the next episode?"

As the two boys snickered inanely—leaving Mako and Keramon completely bewildered—a Beta in a galaxy far, far away flicked his computer screen in disgust.

Some jokes just aren't fit for high quality fiction.

At this point, Cyberdramon stepped back into the corridor. The Ultimate snorted at the scene that presented itself to him, and he turned back, striding away with heavy footsteps.

Ryo shrugged. "I guess that's our cue."

After detaching Yolei from Ken's neck, the group proceeded into the prisoner's grotto. Surprisingly, there appeared to be eleven PawnChessmon scattered all over the floor, each very definitely unconscious.

A twelfth armored Rookie was pinned to the wall, surrounded by the spears of its fellow. It almost looked like Cyberdramon had been using the little Digimon as a target, and had sharpened his spear-hurling skills, like knife-throwing at the circus. At second glance, it looked like the PawnChessmon had merely fainted instead of being knocked out.

Ryo observed this with a raised eyebrow. "…I'm not even going to ask."

Probably a wise decision.

Izzy peered around the cavern contemplatively. "It appears that more guards were assigned to our partners than to us."

"Makes sense," Ken responded, squinting in the low lighting. "After all, what kind of threat do a few humans pose? Even Rookie level Digimon are usually more dangerous."

"Speaking of Rookie level Digimon," Ryo said, "let's try and find some more, shall we?"

"They should have heard a racket outside," Keramon commented, "so they probably know that someone's here causing problems for the people in charge."

"Well, if they didn't before, they will now," Yolei said determinedly. Cupping her hands around her mouth, the girl then yelled, "HAWKMON!!!"

Cody uncovered his ears a moment later. "Sure, Yolei, bring the whole castle down on top of us. Great idea…"

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Cody!"

Ryo sighed. "If you want to hear a response, then 'shhh!'"

Indeed, they heard a response.

"…do believe…Yolei…"

"…right…only Yolei…possibly…that loud…"

Yolei fumed and, after a few angry strides, banged a fist on the door separating her from the Digimon. "I HEARD THAT!"

While Yolei crossed her arms and huffed, Mako eased open the cell door. Sure enough, four Digimon sat restrained in chains, blinking against the sudden light of the cavern. "Took you long enough," Armadillomon commented, standing up.

"We had to take a few detours on the way," Cody replied, stepping aside as Cyberdramon brushed past. "Guillotines and trip wires, you know?"

Armadillomon blinked as Cyberdramon pulverized the chain holding the Rookie in place. "Actually…no, I don't know."

"Don't worry," Izzy said reassuringly. "You'll become intimately familiar with lethal snares, obstacles, and their assorted cousins by the time we get out of here. Think of it as a crash course in mortal ambushes."

"Graduates get to keep their heads," Ryo added with a grin.

"Oh," Tentomon said, tilting his head. "Sounds like fun."

Mako and Keramon exchanged a glance before palming their faces.

XxXxX

/DigiWorld Delta. Tourney Town. 5:00 p.m./

"So, what's the occasion?" Joe asked dryly as the group slowly made some progress through the crowded streets of the aptly named Tourney Town.

Ren spared a glance over her shoulder as he gracefully sidestepped a passing Ponchomon. "It's the annual Festival of Champions. It's usually pretty boisterous when it rolls around, but I hadn't expected the crowds to be so bad this year." To punctuate her statement, the girl had to leap to the side to avoid being trampled by a trotting Maildramon.

Gomamon's head swiveled on his neck as he peered in as many directions as he could. "Is there anything special going on this year that's got so many Digimon coming around?"

Ren spread her hands in a gesture of uncertainty. "I'm not sure. Dorumon went ahead to secure his place in the tournament, so he could tell us when we get there."

"Ah." Apparently content to rest in Joe's arms, Gomamon became silent, observing the vast variety of Digimon passing in all directions.

A short ways behind them, T.K. sighed as he swiftly snatched Patamon away from a stand displaying a large variety of sweets and chocolates. "No line cutting, Patamon," the blond said, allowing his partner to settle on top of his head. "Besides, with the way these crowds are moving, I could lose sight of you in a second."

Patamon gave an irritated 'hmph!' "But I'm hungry! How am I supposed to enjoy a good fight on an empty stomach?"

"Just keep your mind on the homemade dinner that Ren promised to serve us later," T.K. replied, smiling slightly.

The Rookie leaned his face against the palm of his paw. "How do we know if we'll live through that dinner? For all you know, she's got Matt's cooking skills!"

T.K. winced as the idea penetrated his mind. "Just…relax," he finally said, in an attempt to pacify his small friend. With a groan, Patamon settled more comfortably on T.K.'s hat, and proceeded to quietly grumble underneath his breath.

Stepping around a cluster of Bakemon, who had inconveniently stopped in the middle of the street for some reason, T.K.'s eyes roved over the crowd, trying to keep track of the rest of their party. Spotting Eric a few feet away, the DigiDestined commented, "You're sure we're going the right way?"

Eric nodded, surveying their surroundings through his tinted spectacles. "Definitely. The trick is getting to the arena with all of us together." As the teen weaved his way between the thick legs of a towering Bulbmon, he declared, over the noise of the crowd, "If we get separated, just head straight down this road! We'll meet at the entrance!"

"Right!" T.K. replied hastily, temporarily losing sight of the other teen and Velocimon as a juggling Piedmon passed between them. To himself, T.K. muttered, "I hate crowds…"

Some ways behind, Jeri was attempting to follow the rest of the group, uttering muffled apologies to Digimon that she bumped into. "Sorry…sorry…I beg your pardon…excuse me…sorry…"

It was only a matter of time before the female Tamer misstepped in the intricate dance of the multitude. And, sure enough, Jeri suddenly felt herself pitching forward as her feet stumbled over a soft, furry body.

Jeri hit the ground an instant later, and she groaned as a Grizzlymon carefully stepped over her prone body. 'Now, if I can just get up without becoming gum on the bottom of some Digimon's big shoe…'

As soon as the Champion had passed over her, Jeri leapt to her feet, and was nearly pushed aside as a Fangmon brushed past her. The Demon Beast turned and leered at the girl before continuing on, smoothly winding its way between the legs of other Digimon as it continued down the street.

Jeri shuddered. "This is becoming a real pain…" Then, with a start, the Tamer remembered the cause of her fall. Turning, the girl found a small Digimon with yellowish fur shaking its head as it rose to its four feet. The Digimon looked almost exactly like a lion cub, save for the tuft of reddish fur on its head and the golden collar around its neck.

"I'm really sorry about that," Jeri began tentatively, watching the cub regain its bearings. Upon hearing the human's voice, the Digimon jerked its head around and stared at the Tamer with a fiery gaze.

"If you're sorry, then just stay out of my way from now on!" the Digimon barked in irritation; its voice was slightly high-pitched, which took away some of the force behind its warning, but the look on the cub's face made it clear that it meant business.

Taken aback, Jeri blinked. "Okay…sorry…"

The Digimon—from its size, if not its attitude, it looked like a Rookie—merely snorted and turned on its heels. It vanished into the crowd a second later, leaving a bewildered Jeri staring after it.

"What was that about…?"

"You coming, Jeri?" Ren suddenly asked over the Tamer's shoulder. Jeri jumped and whirled around in surprise; she hadn't noticed the Keeper approach her.

"How did you do that?" she asked weakly after taking a deep breath.

"Do what?" Ren queried innocently. "Materialize out of thin air?"

"Um…yeah." It wasn't exactly an accurate description, but it served.

Ren smirked—a surprisingly mischievous looking expression on her fair face. "Lots of practice. I try to surprise Eric like that at odd moments, but it never works with him. Dorumon's another story, though," she added with a wider grin. Then, the girl shrugged a shoulder. "Really, it's not too difficult with this menagerie. But like I said: are you coming?"

Jeri blinked. "Ah. Well, if we can get through this crowd…"

Ren chuckled. "Just pick a big Digimon heading in our direction and follow it closely. Like that Vermilimon over there," she added, pointing out the lumbering Champion.

A few moments later, the two girls were taking long strides behind the red and black dino, now making much better progress towards the arena. The arena itself, which resembled a small version of Rome's Colosseum, was round and made of a reddish-gray stone that appeared rather porous. It seemed to be more coral-like than stone; a fact that Ren confirmed when Jeri asked. According to the Keeper, the whole area had, long ago, been underwater. At some point in the Digital World's history, though, the ocean waters had withdrawn to form a coastline some ten miles away from Tourney Town.

This left a rather impressive looking structure of coral in the middle of a great field; it seemed only natural that the town had grown up around it, especially given the area's fighting-centered lifestyle.

Jeri looked on this stadium, impressed. The street ended right in front of the naturally-grown building, with a large arch and twenty foot high corridor grandly announcing the arena's entrance. It was at this arch that the two girls stepped to the side, joining T.K., Henry, and Eric, and their partners.

Taking a quick look around, Ren said, "So we're missing…?"

"Joe and Gomamon," Henry filled in. The blue-haired Tamer paused for a moment before revising, "There they are."

Indeed, the last two members of their party quickly appeared a few moments later; Joe was breathing heavily while Gomamon had a wide grin plastered on his face. "That was awesome!" the little Rookie yelled in delight. "C'mon, Joe, let's do that again!"

Joe shook his head firmly, still getting his breath back. "No way, Gomamon. One run-in with an angry Gorillamon is enough for today…"

T.K. raised an eyebrow, but said, "It might be better if you don't tell us."

Joe nodded, a relieved look crossing his face. "Still, just so it's clear…it's all Gomamon's fault."

Before anything further could be said, Dorumon appeared from within the arena's entrance with a wide grin on his face.

"Guess what?!" the Rookie said excitedly, his eyes focused on his Keeper.

"I give up," Ren said evenly, sticking her hands in the pockets of her green trench coat.

Dorumon rolled his eyes, but he replied, nonetheless, "Today's going to be great! Paladinmon and Chasermon are both here! And they're fighting each other in the second match!"

Eric's eyebrow rose slightly while Velocimon broke into a grin. Beside them, Ren nodded, her eyes sparkling. "Well, you guys certainly picked a good day to visit," she said to the Tamers and DigiDestined.

"Are these two guys something special, then?" Joe asked.

Eric nodded. "Paladinmon's the governor of the region. He's a member of MagnaCharlemon's elite guard, and he's one of the toughest Digimon around."

Velocimon added, "And Chasermon is an acquaintance of ours. He's at about the same level as Paladinmon in strength, but he's got a fighting style that will take your breath away."

T.K. inclined his head. "Well, let's get to it, then. Where are we sitting?"

xxxxx

As it turned out, companions of tournament participants had a boxed section all to themselves, literally in the front row. It was in this box that the DigiDestined, Tamers, and Eric made themselves comfortable. Or tried to; despite the fact that the coral benches had been worn smooth by countless Digimon sitting upon them, they were still very hard, and sharp on some edges.

"So…Dorumon's fighting in the first match, huh?" T.K. asked, attempting to take his mind off his desire for a seat cushion.

"Yeah," Eric responded. After noticing the other blonde's restlessness, the Keeper said, "Don't worry. Once the fights start, you won't spare much thought for the seating conditions."

"That's good," T.K. replied. Relieved, the DigiDestined took the opportunity to look around him. As Jeri had noted earlier, the arena itself was greatly similar to Rome's Colosseum; the structure resembled a steep bowl, with a level layer of compacted dirt and fine gravel in the very center. This was obviously the area where the competitors fought, and its total surface area appeared to be that of almost two football fields. On either side of this area were two archways, each about fifteen feet tall, which—according to Eric—led to semi-underground rooms where many of the competing Digimon were waiting.

Now, Ren and Dorumon stepped out into the sun from one of these arches, and the crowd erupted into applause at the sight of the first fighter. Ren seemed oblivious to the attention, instead merely nodding to her companions in their boxed area. Dorumon, on the other hand, made a show of elaborately bowing to different sections of the colosseum.

A moment later, Dorumon's opponent appeared at the far end of the field. T.K. blinked at the Digimon, completely unfamiliar with it. He turned to Eric with a questioning gaze, which the Keeper answered by holding up his D-Platform. Above the shimmering screen of the device, a rotating, three dimensional hologram of the same Digimon materialized in the air.

"That's SkullBarukimon," Eric read aloud. "Ultimate level, Data type. Attacks are…well," he broke off with a small smile, "let's just wait and find out, shall we?"

SkullBarukimon appeared to be little more than a glowing blue skeleton; still, the way the bones melded together so smoothly made it appear that it was covered in iridescent armor. The Ultimate was a quadruped, and had a pair of wings emerging from its back. How it was supposed to fly without any sort of flesh or membrane between the wings' supporting bones, however, was beyond T.K. Finally, there was a row of imposing spikes running down SkullBarukimon's back.

The overall shape of the Digimon's body structure, as well as two long teeth jutting from the Ultimate's upper jaw bone, made the DigiDestined think of a winged saber-toothed tiger, though the three horns on its head somewhat diminished their similarity. In addition, the glowing red eyes inside the sockets of SkullBarukimon's skull leant it an unearthly air, definitely setting the Digimon in the Undead category.

Back at the other side, Dorumon took ten steps forward before stopping. Behind him, Ren calmly pushed her trench coat to the side, revealing a rectangular leather case hooked to her belt. From the small case—which was about the size of a deck of cards—the Keeper pulled out…

A Digimon playing card.

Henry chuckled. "Naturally. With the rest of the merchandise…"

Jeri smiled. "It's a little taste of home, isn't it?"

With a slight smirk, Ren turned the card horizontal, face down, and swiped the card—over her D-Platform's screen.

Henry blinked. "RFID technology…well, that's different," he murmured as Ren completed her sudden movement. The Tamer could see her lips moving, but she had spoken the words too softly to be heard from such a distance.

"Scanner, engage. Blue Card, activate," Eric supplied by way of explanation as Dorumon burst into blinding light.

From within the field of light, the group could faintly hear Dorumon's voice.

"Dorumon, Matrix Digivolve to…"

The Ultimate that appeared as the light faded took the form of a dragon covered in reddish fur, with jagged black stripes running across his back and legs. A wide swath of white fur also ran down the dragon's underbelly; a similarly colored mane ran down the back of his neck. At the end of a lithe neck, a head with pointed ears and a razor blade at the tip of the nose shook as the Digimon stretched his four wings. Golden points along the front edge of these wings reflected the bright sunlight, as did the rounded lance tip at the end of his tail.

"…DoruGreymon!"

Gatomon whistled in appreciation. "Now that's a slick form."

Kari nodded in agreement. "And he's a variety of Greymon, too! How cool is that?" she giggled, holding a hand to her mouth.

"Heh." Eric turned to the pair and said, "Just wait till you see him fight. You're in for a treat."

The two Ultimates stood at opposing sides of the arena, each staring at the other, waiting for some unknown signal.

Then, a bell rang out. The instant the clear, vibrant tones were heard, the two Digimon bounded towards each other, covering the distance between them in just a few seconds.

The fighters collided, spikes screeching on impervious bones, and they leapt back. In the next instant, they had thrown themselves at each other again; DoruGreymon had his head lowered, effectively using the blade on the tip of his nose as a polearm. SkullBarukimon, in response, was reaching out and swiping at DoruGreymon's head with a large paw.

The Digimon moved like lightning, attacking each other at one point on the field, and then another in the space of a few moments. Neither had used any special attacks yet; instead, this fight was purely physical.

DoruGreymon grunted as SkullBarukimon clipped one of his wings with a glowing blue paw. Using the momentum of the blow, the Beast Dragon rolled to the right, landing solidly on his feet some distance away. After a moment, the two Digimon began to circle each other, gauging the other's strengths and possible weaknesses.

This continued long enough for Kari to glance over at Ren. The Keeper was leaning against the wall surrounding the battlefield, her arms crossed. The girl had a serene look on her face; she made no move as her partner continued to circle his opponent.

"She looks confident," Kari said aloud. Eric nodded in response.

"Of course. We've been battling like this for years," the other Keeper explained. "It's not very sporting to use cards to upgrade our partners in a tournament, so we're used to taking a back seat. Sort of like the DigiDestined, I suppose."

"Hm."

At this instant, the two Ultimates just below sprang towards each other again; this time, however, DoruGreymon took to the air, spreading his obsidian wings wide and pushing downwards with enough force to create a blinding gust of dirt and sand, aimed right at SkullBarukimon. Added to the strength of DoruGreymon's legs—and thus, of his skywards leap—the Ultimate became airborne in a flash. The Beast Dragon flapped his powerful wings once more before diving towards his opponent, his feet outstretched, readying himself to flatten the other Ultimate.

SkullBarukimon, however, was unfazed by his sudden loss of visibility due to the cloud of dust. Instead, the Undead Digimon tensed and leapt up into the air, paws outstretched.

In the space of a second, the Digimon had struck each other yet again, and each then pushed off the other to gain some breathing room. SkullBarukimon landed gracefully, while DoruGreymon hovered about thirty feet above the ground.

T.K., who was following the action most intently—and, indeed, his previous seating discomfort was long forgotten—gave an 'ah' of understanding. "I see. SkullBarukimon can't fly, but when he flaps the wings on his back, he adds more force to his jumps. So, he can jump higher and have a stronger physical attack in midair."

Velocimon nodded, his tail twitching rhythmically. "That's what it looks like," the Rookie said, scrutinizing the two fighters.

Eric then smiled. "Well, they're about to start using their real attacks."

"Oh?" Patamon asked, turning slightly to look at the Keeper.

The teen nodded. "They've been testing each other's physical strength. How resilient the other is, what their ranges of motion are, how quickly they can move. Now that they have some basic information on the other, they'll start fighting for real."

"For real, huh?" Joe inquired in a faintly disbelieving tone. "How much stronger are those attacks going to be?"

"Deadly Fear!"

"We're about to find out," Eric said evenly.

SkullBarukimon red eye's flashed an even brighter crimson, and his glowing body suddenly became engulfed in a dancing, cobalt aura. The aura expanded rapidly…reached a size almost twice that of SkullBarukimon's body…and leapt through the air, straight at DoruGreymon.

The Beast Dragon, displaying an impressive set of reflexes, turned into an immediate barrel roll, neatly slipping to the side of the other Digimon's attack. With a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure the attack was dissipating behind him—it actually exploded forcefully in a burst of bluish haze—DoruGreymon reared his head back and roared, "Metal Meteor!"

As DoruGreymon swung his head back down to face SkullBarukimon, a huge metallic sphere suddenly appeared in front of the Beast Dragon's face; as DoruGreymon reached the end of his movement's arc, the sphere was launched towards the ground at a blistering speed. However, nearly mimicking the other Ultimate's previous maneuver, SkullBarukimon swiftly leapt to the side, landing safely just as the sphere impacted on the ground.

With an explosion of dust and compressed sound waves, the metallic sphere bit out a fifteen-foot wide crater in the battlefield, prompting some of the watching crowd to applaud slightly. SkullBarukimon surveyed the damage for a moment before turning his attention back to the hovering DoruGreymon.

T.K. whistled. "Nice attack."

"But it didn't connect," Joe stated. Eric and Velocimon nodded in response to the older boy's observation. "so it doesn't matter all that much."

"Right," Eric stated. "Even if it had hit SkullBarukimon, though, DoruGreymon is still at a slight disadvantage."

"Oh?" Kari asked, leaning over to look at the other teen.

Eric nodded. "SkullBarukimon is a Data type. DoruGreymon is a Data type as well—but he's also a Vaccine. A sort of…hybrid, so to speak. But anyway, what does that tell you?"

Henry frowned. "Vaccines have a type advantage over Viruses, and usually hold the upper hand in a fight where the fighters' strengths are equal. Viruses have a similar edge on Data types, and…those with a Data alignment trump Vaccines."

"Rock, paper, scissors," Velocimon confirmed. Eric added, "It's not the biggest factor in a fight, though some might think it is, but it definitely plays a part in how a battle plays out." Nodding to DoruGreymon, who was now diving towards the ground for another bout of physical attacks, Eric continued, "If DoruGreymon lands a successful attack, he'll have to make sure that the power behind that attack is strong enough to overcome the resistance that SkullBarukimon naturally has for Vaccine attacks. The Data aspect of any of DoruGreymon's special moves is negligible, because SkullBarukimon himself is a Data type."

"You can pound two rocks together all you want," Jeri said, her mind harking back to some of Rika's lessons in the card game, "but it's much easier to use one of those rocks on something that will actually break with one or two good strikes."

"Exactly."

Back on the battlefield, DoruGreymon was opting for a different strategy. 'This guy's fast enough to avoid my attacks from a distance,' the Ultimate thought to himself, 'so…I wonder what would happen if I hit him at point blank range?'

With a sly grin—nearly indistinguishable from a snarl in the heat of battle, and with the Beast Dragon's large set of sharp teeth—DoruGreymon batted away an offending paw before calling out "Metal Meteor!"

This time, SkullBarukimon had no time to move before the mass of silvery metal hit him full in the chest. With a pained roar, the Undead Digimon was carried across the field, straight into the wall surrounding the fighting area. A cloud of pulverized rock was thrown into the air from the impact, obscuring the Ultimate from view.

Gomamon pumped a flipper into the air. "Nice!" Turning to Velocimon, the Rookie asked, "Did that do it?"

The raptor shook his head. "Doubtful. That guy looks pretty sturdy. It might take another attack or two like that to put him down."

"Oh…"

Blinking at the cloud of debris and the fallen blocks of the wall, T.K. asked, "Hey, if this colosseum is made of coral, how can you fight in here? I mean, if this is a typical fight, then there's a lot of damage done here in the space of a few minutes, isn't there? And I doubt you can replace coral like this that easily…"

Eric chuckled. "You're right. However, this arena is lined with blocks of stone from a nearby quarry. The bench you're sitting on is the closest coral to the fight; it helps protect the colosseum, while the spectators are still allowed some exciting destruction." Sweeping his hand to encompass the whole arena, he added, "After every fight, workers come to clear out the debris and replace some of the damaged masonry. By the time the next match starts, that crater will be filled in and compacted like the rest of it was before."

Henry blinked. "Wow. That's a lot of trouble to go to just to have a single match."

"Maybe, but it's a convenient location for everyone to come to, and it keeps the area around the town pristine. No burning forests or pulverized rock scattered here and there, where there are supposed to be farms and whatnot."

"If a particularly large Digimon is fighting, then the fights are sometimes moved to a section of the quarry instead," Velocimon added. "It's hard to fit real giants inside here, as you might imagine."

"I see," Henry said slowly. The Tamer was impressed; it was certainly a different Digital World than he was used to.

SkullBarukimon chose this moment to reappear, stalking forward leisurely. The Ultimate appeared a little worse for the wear, but he still held himself erect, and his eyes glowed with a passion.

In the air, DoruGreymon nodded and prepared himself for another flurry of attacks.

"Deadly Fear!"

The dark blue aura burst from the ground, heading towards the flying Digimon above with a speed that outstripped SkullBarukimon's previous attack. Gritting his teeth, DoruGreymon tensed…

"Bloody Tower!"

…and hurtled headlong into the attack. However, the Beast Dragon himself was now surrounded by a roiling red nimbus of crimson energy.

Nearby, Ren raised an eyebrow by a fraction of an inch. "Risky," she murmured to herself before her lip twitched in amusement. "Typical."

With his nose blade thrust forward, DoruGreymon plunged at a downward angle, building momentum, and power, by the millisecond. When the two attacks—and DoruGreymon—collided, a massive shockwave of crackling energy flashed through the air, mercifully stopping about a dozen feet from the stands.

But, to the surprise of many of the spectators, although SkullBarukimon's attack was negated, DoruGreymon continued on; his own aura was blazing like an inferno, and, with a piercing cry, the diving Ultimate smashed into SkullBarukimon with a terrific explosion.

When the smoke cleared, the crowd raised an enthusiastic cheer as DoruGreymon was revealed, slowly rising to his feet. In front of him, SkullBarukimon lay prostrate, twitching. The Undead Ultimate gave an audible groan before his form suddenly pixilated. In the next moment, a smaller, less menacing form of SkullBarukimon slowly picked itself up off the ground. After giving a respectful nod to DoruGreymon—who returned the gesture—the smaller Digimon slowly made its way off the field, through the arch it had originally come through.

The DigiDestined and Tamers quickly joined in the applause, and DoruGreymon let loose an echoing roar in response. At the other end of the battlefield, Ren uncrossed her arms and smiled at her partner, obviously pleased at her partner's victory, before gesturing to him.

Nodding, the Ultimate quickly made his way over to her. When he stood before his partner, DoruGreymon knelt down, allowing his Keeper to climb onto his back. Turning on his heels, the Ultimate took a flying leap towards the box in the front row where their companions were sitting.

At last, Ren leapt lightly from her partner's back into the box, and sat down next to Kari and Gatomon with a smile on her face. Behind her, DoruGreymon swiftly de-Digivolved into Dorumon; the triumphant Rookie then took his place next to his partner as the applause finally petered out.

Eric leant forward and smirked slightly. "Show off."

Dorumon snorted. "What are you talking about?" he teased before yawning; the little Digimon was swaying slightly on his feet, as well.

"You made an effort to finish that fight quickly, and with a bang," the blond Keeper accused light-heartedly. "So, you put a lot of power into that last attack. It was a bit of a gamble, really."

Dorumon waved a paw dismissively. "I knew what I was doing. I just wanted to give my fans a good show."

Velocimon rolled his eyes. "Now he has fans…"

Ren chuckled as she scratched her partner behind his pointed ears. Next to her, Kari giggled. "Well, I thought the fight was great," she said with a wide smile. "I'm just glad that SkullBarukimon didn't seem to be hurt too badly," the girl added with a sympathetic face.

"He was a strong opponent," Dorumon replied with a nod. "It'd take a lot more than that to bother him too much for very long."

After a moment, Henry chuckled. "That was definitely incredible," the Tamer stated, looking out at the field. "I'm not really used to watching this kind of fighting as a sport."

"I know what you mean," T.K. replied thoughtfully. "For years, every fight we've been in has had something important at stake. Like lives, more often than not. To see two Digimon going at it with no intention or fear of destroying the other is…a welcome change."

Eric laughed softly. "Well, don't worry. There's a lot more where that came from."

xxxxx

Leviamon settled down at the bottom of the ocean floor and snarled; the Great Demon Lord was, to put it simply, baffled. And he didn't like that one bit.

The great crocodile had arrived in this Digital World a short while ago, and had scouted the area without much trouble. At the moment, he was in the ocean, just a few hundred feet away from the coast. In the distance, further inland, he could just barely sense the DigiDestined among the inhabitants of what was doubtless a substantially sized settlement. These other Digimon didn't worry Leviamon, though there were certainly several powerful beings in their midst.

What mystified the Demon Lord was what he sensed approaching the DigiDestined from the north. It had to be Digimon, and more than one. But the power he could feel…

Even underwater, the force of Leviamon's frustrated tail slap against the muck of the ocean bed was enough to raise a small wave—it was only ten feet tall—and send it roaring towards the beach. Several Kiwimon on this beach shrieked before sprinting away at high speed, barely managing to avoid the wall of water as it crashed down behind them. Leviamon ignored the frightened Digimon as they fled; he had bigger fish to fry, for one thing, and little time to play. And for another, he was still unsure about what was about to happen.

It was fortunate that the Demon Lord possessed the ability to so precisely gauge other beings at range. As far as he knew, none of his fellow Great Demon Lords had such a talent, which meant that it was a useful tool to hide from them. Of course, anything that Leviamon had that others didn't was good. At the moment, however, Leviamon cursed this particular gift; his spine tingled from the sheer amount of power he felt rolling towards him from the north.

It was a very irritating sensation.

Still…somehow, this promised to have interesting results, the Demon Lord decided as his great bulk slowly settled into the silt of the ocean bed. Beyond the power, he could discern a single-minded drive; an overwhelming, intensely focused hunger that very nearly guaranteed chaos. Deliciously exquisite chaos.

And if this force of nature—for that is what it felt most like—were to encounter the DigiDestined…

Leviamon clicked his great teeth together thoughtfully. If the DigiDestined were destroyed, then Leviamon's job was done. If they were not…then they would doubtless be weakened.

The perfect time to destroy them.

Chuckling deep in his throat, Leviamon shook the silt from his body and slowly made his way to the surface. He would find a body of water where he could observe the mayhem…

…and then he would join the party.

xxxxx

Glancing out at the field, Eric commented, "And there are the Golemon. Right on time."

Indeed, a large group of Golemon were entering the stadium from both of the arches on the field. Each Champion-level Digimon was carrying either a large boulder or a stack of perfectly cut stones; the boulders were quickly dropped into the large crater that DoruGreymon's first attack had created, and were efficiently pounded into gravel by the Golemon's large fists. This gravel was then trod on repeatedly as more boulders were added to the hole. Eventually, the crater was no longer a crater, and the ground became level with the rest of the field. In the meantime, other Golemon were rapidly rebuilding the broken wall, where SkullBarukimon had first fallen, with the cut stones. In less than five minutes, the battlefield appeared as it had before the fight, and the Golemon slowly lumbered back off the field.

Terriermon chuckled. "Someone's got those rock-heads trained pretty well."

"That's rude, Terriermon."

"Sorry, Henry," the terrier replied with a grin. Not surprisingly, his tone didn't sound very sincere.

After a few moments, Ren smiled. "Well, I hope you're ready, because the next match is beginning."

The DigiDestined and Tamers settled back down on the coral bench, already keyed up. Dorumon yawned once more, but then appeared alert and animated, ready for some more action.

And action soon entered the ring in the form of two new combatants.

The first stood at about ten feet tall, though the Digimon appeared incredibly robust and muscular for such a height. This was barely noticeable beneath the immense amount of plate armor that covered the being's body, but it was likely that great physical strength was needed to wear such armor.

The entire suit of armor was a flaming crimson with deep gold trim surrounding the edges of each individual piece; in addition, mysterious, golden runes that glowed faintly were etched into the armor all over the Digimon's body. The central protection of the torso and limbs was complemented by segmented gauntlets, a pair of lofty pauldrons covering his shoulders, and an elaborately worked helmet that left only two bright blue eyes visible to the world through a thin slit in the front.

At the Digimon's side, a huge war hammer—with a thick, rectangular head nearly twice the size of Terriermon's entire body—was held loosely in a single hand: a further testament to the Digimon's great strength. To Henry, he looked like a tank on two legs.

Ren pointed at the being, saying, "That's Paladinmon. Ultimate level, Vaccine type. Don't let his size fool you; he's faster than he looks, even with all that armor. His attacks are, as you might guess, primarily used with that big hammer of his." Shifting her finger to the other end of the battlefield, she added, "And that's Chasermon."

Chasermon was a couple of feet shorter than Paladinmon, but his body was comparatively leaner and more flexible. At least, that was what the tight-fitting armor Chasermon wore suggested.

The outer section of this armor was, like Paladinmon's, made entirely of plates, but Chasermon's suit seemed to take the idea of 'full body coverage' to an entirely different level. There was barely a single square inch of the Digimon's upper body that wasn't covered by the reflective gray metal. Each section of the suit was segmented in a manner that, presumably, allowed its wearer a full range of motion, with each piece smoothly sliding over another as Chasermon effortlessly strode towards the center of the field. The chest and stomach were a perfect example of this flawless design; the suit seemed almost to flow as Chasermon moved inside it.

The plates of the armor shone brightly in the sunlight, like silver-tinted mirrors. It was hard to tell if it was because of an extraordinary polishing job, or if the gleaming quality of the armor was just natural.

Below these plates, Chasermon seemed to be wearing a dark bodysuit; it was difficult to tell what it was made of—partly because of the sheer brilliance of the armor on top of it—but it might have been leather, or a smooth, flexible fabric.

The crowning piece of this suit of armor was the helmet; it was made of the same shining metal as the plates below it, and it seemed to fit over Chasermon's head tightly. The helmet seemed to have been cast in the shape of its wearer's head, with a sloping brow and a distinguishable jaw likening its resemblance to an armored skull. At the sides of the helm, where the ears of a human would be, two blade-like spikes arched up into the air, leaving one with, at first glance, the impression that Chasermon had some sort of tall rabbit ears.

Strangely, there was no visor on the helm; nor were there eye holes. How Chasermon could see out of the helmet, as it covered the Digimon's entire head, Henry wasn't sure.

To complete the image of a gallant warrior in shining armor, a cape—silver on the outside, while dark on the inside—fluttered in the air behind its wearer. The garment seemed to be made of the same material as Chasermon's body suit.

All in all, Chasermon was a sight to behold. The Digimon strode forward leisurely, yet he held himself with an untouchable air; perhaps because no one could see him underneath his armor, or because he gave no outward sign of what he was thinking. Regardless, this only served to reinforce the awe inspired by Chasermon's appearance.

Henry whistled under his breath. "He's…something else."

"He is, isn't he?" Ren replied, nodding slowly. "He's an enigma, that one. No one really knows him well, and you can never tell what he's thinking."

Joe shook his head. "Wow." After a moment, he asked, "Is he an Ultimate? That seems to be a trend so far."

"Yes, but he's strong enough to battle Megas and walk away with barely a scratch on that armor of his," Velocimon confirmed. "There aren't a lot of Digimon like him. MagnaAngemon and Grademon are two of the few at the same level who can match him in power."

"MagnaAngemon, huh?" Patamon queried with a grin.

"Don't let it go to your head, pal," T.K. said with a raised eyebrow.

Velocimon chuckled. "Still, Paladinmon should give him a good fight. There's a reason he's in charge of the region." Turning to Dorumon, the raptor said slyly, "Ten bucks says the paladin makes a crater bigger than yours."

"You're on," Dorumon replied instantly.

Over their heads, Ren and Eric exchanged helpless glances.

Meanwhile, the two armored Digimon slowly approached each other, stopping in the center of the battlefield. Then, they both stood motionless, apparently awaiting the bell to signal the beginning of the match.

Ding!

In that instant, two Ultimates dashed toward each other; Paladinmon's great war hammer was held high in preparation for an immediate attack. Chasermon, in comparison, threw back his hand and, in a flash of white light, was suddenly holding the hilt of a peculiarly shaped blade.

The two came at each other in a furious flash of motion, nearly invisible to the naked eye. Both reared back their weapons, ready to strike—

"HEEEELLLLPPPP!!!"

—and the two Digimon froze in mid-motion, mere inches away from each other. The two weapons held aloft were then slowly lowered as their wielders turned to face the disruption.

The disruption in question was a small Gazimon, stumbling down a flight of steps in the stands. The small Rookie was gasping for breath, but he continued to stumble forward, apparently intent on reaching the arena. Around him, Digimon shared confused comments and expressions.

A missed step sent the Gazimon tumbling head over heels, and he eventually landed in a heap in the box where the DigiDestined, Tamers, and Keepers were now standing attentively.

Eyes narrowing, Paladinmon began to stride towards the box; Chasermon followed behind the larger Ultimate a moment later.

Kari helped the Gazimon to his feet and set him on a bench, where he continued to gasp for breath. "Take it easy…just breathe in…and out…"

The Rookie's chest heaved as he tried to follow the DigiDestined's advice. Foamy spit slowly accumulated around the Gazimon's mouth as he panted; still, the Digimon appeared to be improving with every moment spent resting.

At last, Paladinmon stopped next to the short wall separating the box from the arena. In a deep, majestic voice, the Ultimate asked, "Now, what's the matter, little one?"

Beside him, Chasermon came to a stop; the tip of his blade was pressed into the dirt, while his hands rested on the top of the hilt. The smaller Ultimate remained silent, merely looking at the group impassively. Or, at least, it seemed as though he was looking at them; it was difficult to tell with that helmet.

The Gazimon was still breathing hard, but he managed to gasp out, "By the…northern woods…ran all the…way…" The Rookie broke off as he took a few deep breaths, his hands clenching the bench.

"…Slivermon!" he finally managed before breaking out into a wheezing cough.

A flurry of mutters and anxious conversations broke out all over the colosseum.

"Slivermon, huh?"

"This close to the town? That's strange…"

"They already raided the outer farms this season. Why are they back so early…?"

"Oh, boy! It's thumpin' time…"

"Moron…this isn't something to be excited about…"

Paladinmon cast a quick look around the stands before turning back to the Gazimon. "How many of them are there?" the Ultimate asked gently, slinging his war hammer over his armored shoulder. Around them, the crowd quieted as they listened for the response.

The Gazimon shuddered and mouthed wordlessly for several moments. In that time, his breaths again became rapid and shallow. Seeing this, Joe said sternly, "Concentrate on your breathing. Take your time, and take deep breaths." The Rookie nodded, nearly in tears.

A few feet away, Henry's brow was furrowed. Turning to Eric, the Tamer asked, "What are Slivermon?"

Eric was looking at the shaking Rookie intently, but he replied clearly, "They're a kind of Digimon that live in the wilderness, typically pretty far from here. However, groups of them sometimes move into the area to steal food, or just to cause trouble. They're tricky to fight; for one thing, they're small, and fast as whips."

Velocimon snorted. "They also have a few unfair advantages over the rest of us…" the raptor muttered under his breath.

"Repelling these raids is one of the most important things we do here in the Digital World," Ren interjected. "It's not exactly extinguishing forest fires, but stopping a single raid has much the same effect. While one attack can cause a lot of damage, they just keep coming if they think they've found a weakness…"

Henry was about to inquire further, but he was interrupted by the Gazimon.

Holding up a shaking hand, as though to emphasize his point, the Rookie slowly said, "At…at least…twelve…maybe more…" The Rookie's teeth chattered as he buried his face in his paws.

All sound in the colosseum died instantly; those who had been whispering earlier now stood as statues, their breath stolen from them by the revelation. In the deafening silence, the air seemed suddenly to become chilled, like a crisp November morning before sunrise.

Paladinmon, as still as the rest, audibly drew a long breath. With a calm voice, the Digimon asked deliberately, "How many are there?"

The question came slowly, as though Paladinmon was making absolutely sure that he would receive the right answer.

"…at least…a dozen…" came the tortured reply.

Paladinmon's eyes closed as he tapped a single finger against the shaft of his hammer repeatedly. It was obvious he was thinking hard. Next to him, Chasermon tilted his head slightly, but gave no other sign that the news affected him. It was impossible to tell if it truly had or not.

Feeling a sense of rising dismay, the DigiDestined and Tamers slowly turned to look at their local friends. Surely they knew the significance of the information that the Gazimon had relayed so fearfully…

And it seemed that they did. Dorumon and Velocimon were nearly frozen, aside from the muscle twitching spastically underneath Velocimon's eye. In the meantime, Ren and Eric's gazes were locked together; the looks on both of their faces were as serious as death.

Clearing her throat in a subdued tone, Kari ventured, "Um, guys…?"

Eric's gaze—still hidden by his sunglasses, but no less powerful for that—suddenly snapped to the DigiDestined girl. "Slivermon," he began in a low tone, "seemed to have been inspired by the saying 'There's strength in numbers.'"

"And this means…?" Terriermon prompted, his own tone now truly serious.

Ren took up the reins of the explanation, saying, "Slivermon are Champion-level Digimon. A lone Slivermon is incredibly weak; an experienced Rookie can destroy one easily. But…" she added, "two Slivermon will humiliate that same Rookie in the minute it has before it's destroyed."

Dorumon continued, "Against four Slivermon, a Champion is better off running for help than fighting. He'll lose." This statement was made with a chilling certainty, as though no other option existed.

"Six," Velocimon said, "will eviscerate your typical Champion with little more effort. At this point, you need Ultimates to stop them. Seven is usually the maximum number of Slivermon that you see together at any given time. At least, while they're raiding. No one knows how many congregate in their own territory."

The Gazimon, still seated on the bench, moaned in abject terror at the thought. Further back in the stands, those who were morbidly listening to the conversation below them shivered and shifted fearfully.

T.K.'s stomach seemed to be trying to sink into his feet. "And more than six…?"

Velocimon snorted. "The largest pack of Slivermon we've ever seen had nine. One of them jumped on a Mega, and a second later, the Digital World had one less MegaSeadramon swimming its waters," he said blackly.

Kari paled. "One…?"

"That's the Slivermon's strength, and my whole point," Eric said in a grim tone. "A being by itself in a fight is weak; it's a target surrounded by enemies. Basic strategy says that higher numbers means the group is stronger. But Slivermon take that principle a step further. As members of a group are added, not only does the group become stronger in terms of resources and bodies to use…but the individual Slivermon becomes exponentially more powerful with each new arrival to its pack."

Stunned silence greeted this announcement as the implications slowly sank in.

"…so," Henry began weakly, "what you're saying is, even if eleven Slivermon stood on the sidelines and watched…"

"The remaining Slivermon in the ring would tear apart any resistance it faced completely by itself," Eric finished with a morbid nod.

"Which is exactly why," came the suddenly booming voice of Paladinmon, "everyone here will remain in the town and attempt to fortify it!" Turning to face as much of the silent colosseum as he could, the Ultimate continued, his voice bouncing off the walls of the structure, "Even if we outnumber the Slivermon a hundred to one, we will never be able to launch an organized counterattack! The difference in power and experience from one Digimon to the next is too great to overcome in such a venture. So, I will take a few of the strongest in our midst, and attempt to hold them off! Perhaps, on seeing a truly organized defense, they will turn back to the wastelands!"

The crowd stared at Paladinmon with mouths agape. A Bakemon near the back wailed loudly and vanished; apparently, it wasn't going to stick around for the party.

A long, tense moment passed. Finally, a quavering voice said, from somewhere within the multitude, "Are you sure that will save us?" A number of voices were raised in agreement, but they died down quickly.

Addressing the voice, Paladinmon answered truthfully, "I do not know for sure. However, it may be our only option." His blue eyes hardening, Paladinmon then said determinedly, "But we have not worked our entire existences building our lives in this town to lay them before these marauders as peace offerings, nor as gifts to those who would steal them from us! We have sown and reaped these fields for ourselves for ages, free from all oppression, save for this ever-present threat of suffering and fear!

"Rest assured," he continued grimly, "I will protect this community with the very best of my abilities! And I will fall before I allow these parasites to enter…our…homes!"

At this last word, Paladinmon punched his hand into the air; held in that hand was his massive war hammer. Once held aloft, the hammer suddenly burst into blinding, golden light that saturated the colosseum in a blaze, as though the sun had come to rest directly overhead.

Slowly, basking in the light of their beloved leader, the crowd slowly raised a hesitant cheer. It began like an avalanche; with a few pebbles of applause here, and a few shouts of agreement there. Then, the air steadily became filled with enthusiastically roaring voices, each proclaiming its support of their leader and his perilous gambit.

"Inspiring, isn't he?" Eric shouted dryly over the hundreds of voices, though he nodded in approval. A small smile twisted on his face, and the teen removed his sunglasses as the golden light faded. As Paladinmon turned, and the voices faded, the Keeper said firmly to the Ultimate, while tucking his dark spectacles away, "Count us in." Ren, Velocimon, and Dorumon nodded in agreement, their faces rigid with determination.

Paladinmon chuckled. "Of course. I would never be able to keep the four of you out of this, would I?" Noting the negative headshakes, Paladinmon turned to the DigiDestined and Tamers speculatively.

Henry gulped, but after a moment, he said hesitantly, "Well…I certainly can't let you guys go out there without some help."

Terriermon leapt to his partner's shoulder and nodded firmly. "And I wouldn't miss this for the world!" Despite the light-heartened tone of the comment, it was obvious that Terriermon was as grave in intention as he would ever be.

Jaw clenched, T.K. crossed his arms, as though steeling himself. "If this fight is going to happen, then I have to be a part of it, too."

"Me too!" Kari added, though her voice shook. Eric's bleak explanation of the nature of the Slivermon scared her like she hadn't been scared since, well…Daemon. But, Kari Kamiya would never be caught deserting her friends in battle. Especially in such a battle as this promised to be.

Joe sighed, but he said, "That goes for the rest of us, I think."

Paladinmon nodded in appreciation. "Can you do this?" he asked, his eyes clearly stating that nothing less than absolute certainty would allow them to follow him into this fight.

"We'll vouch for them," Ren stated before the others could answer. "If they haven't lost their touch, they'll be a bigger help than anyone else we could possibly find."

After a moment, Paladinmon nodded again. Turning his head slightly, he said to Chasermon, who had stood mutely throughout the whole conversation, "We were a moment from becoming opponents in the ring. On the reverse side, would you care to be an ally in true battle?"

A single bark of soft laughter sounded from within the faceless helmet. Settling his blade on top of his right shoulder, Chasermon said shortly, from a hidden mouth, "Just don't get in my way."

The words were spoken lightly, but they spoke volumes about the power Chasermon wielded. That was plain to everyone present.

With a final nod, Paladinmon said, "I believe we should go now. Any more volunteers will only hinder us in a fight like this. We need to be a scalpel, cutting at the heart of the Slivermon: not a mace attempting to bludgeon them to death. Such a path would only doom us."

Turning swiftly on his heel, the great Ultimate strode away rapidly, heading for one of the arches in the arena's wall. Chasermon, blade still resting on his shoulder, followed at the same pace.

The group, beginning with Ren and Dorumon, leapt down into the arena lightly and sprinted to catch up. As they did so, Henry turned his head and began, "Jeri…"

"I'm coming," Jeri interrupted resolutely, her chin held high. "You can't stop me. Even if I can't help, I'm not leaving."

Henry opened his mouth to protest, but, a moment later, closed it. "You can be just as stubborn as Rika sometimes," the Tamer said tiredly, though he wore a small smile of understanding.

Jeri tried to grin. "I'll take that as a compliment."

At the front of the group, Ren half turned and said, "Obviously, our Digital World isn't as peaceful as it first seemed." She said this conversationally, but her tone was tight and her eyes glittered strangely with that familiar, internal light.

The glitter seemed almost…manic.

Joe gave a noncommittal grunt as he mentally tried to untie his intestines from the knot they'd gotten themselves into. Next to him, Kari said, with a pallid face, "Eric, please tell me you where exaggerating when you said that twelve Slivermon can't be stopped."

"I didn't say that, exactly. But, if it makes you feel better, yes, I was exaggerating." The blond Keeper was looking straight ahead; his hazel eyes, finally uncovered, were burning with a frozen fire that sent icicles down Kari's spine.

"…somehow, no, I don't feel any better…" the girl said weakly. Beside her, Gatomon's hair stood on end, and her teeth were just barely visible through the raised lips a small snarl.

"That's too bad," Eric answered, almost apologetically. "Because Slivermon still have a few other tricks up their sickles…and they're almost as bad, when they're all working together…"

Jeri held a hand to her mouth as her stomach lurched suggestively. 'I didn't wake up this morning thinking I was going to be thrown into a mess like this…'

As though he knew what Jeri was thinking, Dorumon said encouragingly, "Don't worry, Jeri. It's always darkest just before the dawn."

Momentarily surprised by the biting tone of her thoughts, Jeri thought sardonically to herself, 'I know another version of that saying.'

'It's always darkest just before it goes pitch black.'

XxXxX

A/N: I had an unbelievable time writing this chapter. My longest yet, and hardly anything actually happened. Sometimes my ability to create such long pieces of writing out of nothing scares me. Still, that means that you guys get more and more to read, so I guess it's worth it.

I realized, while writing this chapter, that it's likely that not all of the groups will land places in all the chapters (see Takato and Co. in the last chapter, for example). Simply because of the timing for each event in each world, it's possible to go without seeing one of the crews for a chapter or two at a time. Like now, for instance: everyone in DigiWorld Beta is busy walking in the desert…and doing nothing else of importance, so I'll instead devote time to showing what's happening to the others.

Fans of a certain video game series will have recognized one of my new OCs. You know who you are, and you know who I'm talking about.

As usual, kudos to Plasmasphere for being the Beta. He even got a few seconds of screen time today. Did you catch it?

Alright, now it's time to read and review. Please do so, as it helps reassure me that this is time well spent. Considering it's been almost three months since the last update, I hope you realize how much time I've spent on this. Still, it's been a blast the whole time. And it'll remain this way if I have anything to say about it.

Which, come to think of it, I believe I do. Heh. Lucky for all of you.