Naruto Shippuden: Millennium Wars

Chapter 11: Sabaku no Gaara

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon and Naruto. I also do not own any piece of content that is a reference to an actual organization body, comic, cartoon, anime, etc. Though I do wish I did own them. I do own this story.

Tanigakure-Kaze no Kuni border, Elemental Nations

The day the sun rose, the three chakra using Tamers and their Digimon had left with their nuke-nin guide towards Suna. Unfortunately, Takato, Rika and Henry had been traveling with their Digimon for a total of four days. The Log Village had been located near the border of Kusagakure and Hi no Kuni, and upon looking at a map, the shorter path to get to Sungakure no Sato would have been to pass through Ishigakure no Sato, as well as Amegakure no Sato. However, due to the fact that Ame had locked out everyone from entering and exiting its borders the Tamers were forced to circle around, taking the long- four day long- way and go through Tanigakure.

Their guide came to a stop, allowing the small group to gaze upon the drastic shift in climate and geography, their edge of the dirt path and whatever vegetation being lost beneath the wildly whipping winds, scorching heat of the sun and the burning sands that comprised Kaze no Kuni.

"It's probably just me, but..."

"Terriermon, if you think it's just you then it most likely is just you." Henry told the small Rookie Digimon. The former Pwincess Pwettypants pouted at his Tamer's interruption.

"Interruptions are rude Henry." Terriermon stuck his tongue out at the blue haired teenager like the mature Digimon he was. "Anyway, like I was saying, but I think that every time we need to go on some long trek to find someone we always have to traverse a desert in some way or another."

"The only time we did that was when we had to go and rescue Calumon." Renamon spoke up, raising a non-existent eyebrow. "You make it seem as if we've done it more than once."

"Well this time will make it the second time, so technically, it is more than once." Terriermon argued.

"I hate sand. Gets in my nose and it itches." Guilmon grumbled as he snorted forcefully.

"At least you don't have a coat of fur. It will be extremely hot for me." The blue eyed fox Digimon frowned deeply.

The three Tamers turned to their guide, ignoring their Digimon partners and their current string of complaints about the desert.

"So how long will it take to reach to Suna?" Takato asked.

"Well, given that I am a former shinobi of Suna, I know the easiest and fastest way to maneuver through the desert. As long as the sandstorms don't get too rough, we should reach Sunagakure by sunset which will be really ideal since it gets bloody cold at night in the desert and you'll freeze your asses off." Replied Taiyou.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Terriermon pointed a claw towards the sandy expanse. "We're burning daylight. Let's move!"

"Terriermon." Henry groaned, glaring lightly at the little Rookie Digimon that sat atop his head. "Don't be rude to the man who can actually kill us." Terriermon chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head while looking to the green eyed nuke-nun.

"Oh, hehe...sorry." He muttered meekly. Taiyou smirked at the rabbit-eared dog Digimon before waving off his words.

"It's nothing to worry about, but he is right." Taiyou said as he took his position at the head of the group of world jumpers. "It's October so the days get shorter and the sun sets earlier. We need to pick up the pace a bit more, so let's go."

The group nodded to the former Suna shinobi. Taiyou served to supply the small group with a cloaks to protect them from the wild winds and the biting sands that would buffet them on their journey. Once the three humans and two Digimon were cloaked, Terriermon having hidden in Henry's hood, the small group followed Taiyou's lead and began their journey across the desert lands of Kaze no Kuni.

As they ran along the sands, Taiyou slowed himself down a bit to keep pace with the small group of Tamers and their Digimon. "So tell me, how do you guys know Namikaze-san?"

"Namikaze-san? Oh, you mean Naruto!" The goggle-wearing Tamer realized. Henry and Rika rolled their eyes at their leader's moment of stupidity. "Well, we met him when we were younger. He had only been banished from Konoha for a few days I guess, but he had also been fighting Digimon. After a while of fighting alongside us, we started to get a bit closer until we reached the point that he wanted to teach us how to better defend ourselves when we battled the Digimon."

"So he's not only your friend, he's your sensei? At thirteen?" Taiyou asked. "He taught you everything you three know?"

"Well, only for a few months. He taught us the basics." Henry spoke this time. "I already knew how to fight, but he helped me work on what I already know. Rika and Takato had to learn from scratch, but they've come a long way over the past few years."

'He's acting like he's so superior to us.' Takato and Rika glared at the blue haired boy.

"He also got us to unlock our chakra and gave us a few jutsu to learn. Once he...left...we were basically on our own for the past three years."

"Well, from a former shinobi, I must say that for your age and for the little amount of training you've had, you've done really well for yourselves. You're nowhere near Jounin level, obviously, but personally, I'd say you guys are around..." He waved his hand in a so-so manner. "...mid-Chunin level."

"Well we did practice every day after school for hours on end to get to where we are. There are no shortcuts to getting strong." Rika said. "That's what Naruto-kun taught us."

"A fine philosophy to follow." Taiyou agreed. "I don't if Digimon follow the same set of rules as us humans, but there are people who are regarded as geniuses, people with extremely high levels of natural talent. They excel and make us normal people feel inferior at times, but I've seen many people in Suna who work hard to reach where they are and it has paid off. You three are geniuses of hardwork, I'm sure of that."

"Thanks, Taiyou-san." Takato grinned toothily. "Even though you're a nuke-nin, it means a lot to hear this kind of stuff from an experienced shinobi."

"You're most welcome, Takato-san." Taiyou replied before he turned to Rika. "Rika-san, may I ask a question of you?"

Rika raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Shoot."

"You referred to Namikaze-san as 'Naruto-kun'. Were you two lovers?" Rika's eyes widened and her face turned cherry red. Her face felt hot from the amount of blood rushing to her face. She nearly tripped and lost her balance, but she managed to recover.

"Uh, well...we were together, yeah, but not to that extent. I mean, sure we kissed and stuff, but we weren't going to do stuff like that when we were older. I mean, I was 13 and he was 14." Rika reasoned. The Digimon and the two male Tamers sweatdropped as they watched their fiery haired companion begin to go through a miniature mental meltdown.

"If she were in an anime, I'm sure steam would rising from head due to how red her face is." Takato whispered to Henry.

"I won't doubt you there, buddy." He replied as he watched Rika grumbe to herself.

The former Suna-nin tilted his head in confusion at how Rika was suddenly rambling about things, eventually making her speech degrade into nonsensical mumblings due to the wild thoughts she was having. Over the course of the three years, she was obviously becoming an attractive woman and well...a young woman such as herself would be bound to have needs. Due to being a teenager though, well...she needed certain 'motivation' to commit a certain activity that most, if not all, teenagers her age had participated in when they were experiencing hormone spikes. Naruto just happened to be a part of those motivational fantasies so she would be lying if she said she hadn't thought about what she and her boyfriend-lost-to-time-and-space would have gotten into when they got older.

"Forgive me, Rika-san, but I've known many of my friends and family members whom have been engaged and/or married at those young ages. I don't exactly see the problem that would lead to your level of embarrassment." The follower of the Log stated.

"Shut up!" Fire blazed in her eyes and Taiyou sweatdropped.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Henry decided to take the wheel as Rika retreated into her mind, this time mumbling curses towards their guide. "What Rika means to say is that they have dated, but they weren't lovers. They could have been before we lost him, but even then, Naruto would have been 17 while Rika, like us, is 16. They would have still been far too young to do the deed to be official lovers. "

"Why? Like I said earlier, people have married at ages younger than yours."

"Were they part of prominent shinobi clans or higher class members of society?"

Taiyou paused in thought before nodding. "Yes, they were."

"Then that's probably why." Henry stated. "For the clan and for the family are usually the main reasons for a lot of arranged marriages. Even in our society where we come from, a lot of cultures still follow the arranged marriage acts."

"Still confused here." Taiyou said, pointing at himself. Henry sighed as he racked his brain looking for the right words to explain the new type of marriage laws of the 21st century.

"Well, I won't lie to you. In the early days of our society's upbringing, marrying young was actually welcomed." Henry began with a shrug. "However, times changed and society evolved to suit the needs of the people that grew up in it. People ended up living longer, emotions such as love, admiration and what not became a larger factor in the setting up marriages and so in the end, independence was given to people when they chose their lover. Also, in our modern society, people aren't allow to marry at such a young age anymore as they usually marry at the age of 18 which is the age at which most of the world sees fit to recognize children as being seen as an adult."

"Oh, I see." Taiyou nodded in understanding. "It's the same as our own modern marriage laws as well then. People here also follow the belief that ones feelings dictate whom should they marry and whatnot, freedom of association and all that jazz, but the clans and even those of high social standing still follow the arranged marriage acts."

"Exactly!" Henry exclaimed. "Man, I have a way with words."

"Vanity is rude, Henry."

"Shut up, Terriermon."

"Insulting your best friend is also rude."

"I thought I was your best friend." Takato said as he turned to the half-Chinese Tamer. Henry looked at Takato before glancing up at Terriermon.

"Are you proud of yourself?" He asked. The tiniest of the three Rookie Digimon smirked with an evil glint in his eyes.

"Very much so, my dear Henry." The rabbit-dog Digimon spoke with a fake British accent. "Very much so."

"Henry! You still didn't answer me!" Takato shouted. "Henry? Henry?! HENRRRYYYYYY!"

"Solid Snake reference?" Guilmon asked.

"Technically, it would be a Metal Gear Solid reference since the game is named that, not Solid Snake, but yeah...and also because he's not answering me." The brown eyed teenager replied. "Tell me I'm your best friend, damn it!"

Henry continued to remain silent. Rika and Renamon looked at each other before turning back to the scene. They didn't like drama, but when it occurred in front of their eyes, it was always amusing to see. Especially when Takato was involved. Their smirks of amusement only grew when Henry's grey eyes met their own gazes. They gave him a small wave and he gave them a middle finger in return.

"I hate you all." Henry muttered. "With all of my hate."

"Love you too, Henry!" The other two Tamers and the three Digimon chorused.

"ALL OF MY HATE!"

After much amusing bickering between Terriermon and Takato about how Henry's best friend was, a conversation that suddenly got Guilmon involved since Henry decided to bite back and say that if Takato was his best friend, then that would mean the feeling would be mutual. Guilmon did not take kindly to that piece of information. Rika, Renamon and Taiyou had moved off to the side to watch the figurative fireworks go off as the four males were now locked in verbal combat about who was the best friend to whom.

Unfortunately, that battle would remain unsettled as they had arrived at their destination. They were quite a few kilometres away, but this was mainly for Taiyou's benefit since he was a former Sunagakure shinobi.

"Thank you for taking us here, Taiyou-san." Henry said. The Digimon, Takato and Rika bowed their heads alongside the blue haired teen, and Taiyou returned the gesture.

"You are most welcome." Taiyou smiled as he looked upon the towering walls of his former village. "It's not everyday I get the chance to gaze upon my homeland." The silvery moon bathed the area of Suna in its light, giving it an outline that made the shinobi village's walls obtain an almost surreal green eyed man sighed. It was a shame he had been a part of the plot to assassinate the Yondaime Kazekage with Orochimaru four years ago. The blasted snake had done something because the day after the invasion on Konoha had failed, Baki had somehow managed to find a way to find the rats...himself included. Thank the Log his successful escape.

"Have a safe journey back to the Log Village." Takato said as he held out his hand. Taiyou nodded and firmly shook the goggle-wearing Tamer's hand.

"I hope you three will be successful in finding Namikaze-san soon. I'm sure he will be very glad to see the faces of his students and friends again." Taiyou smiled before turning around and taking off across the sands once more. The three Tamers and their Digimon kept watching Taiyou until his form was naught but a dot in the distance. Damn he moved faster when they weren't holding him back.

The party of six then made their way over to the pride and joy of Kaze no Kuni before they came to a stop. They all gazed up in awe at the massive walls of desert stone and sand that surrounded the village. They couldn't even see the village itself, the walls were so high.

"Well guys...you know the drill." Takato stated as he turned to the Digimon. "Hide, stay here, and we'll call you in case we need you."

"Or we can call you to tell you about impending danger like we did last time." Terriermon said as he jumped off of Henry's head and landed on Renamon's.

"We need snacks, Takatomon."

"Yeah, yeah...you gluttonous bastard." Takato rolled his eyes at the red scaled Rookie before removing his backpack and dropping it into the claws of his Digimon partner.

"Renamon, make sure he doesn't eat all of it." The blue eyed fox nodded to the reddish-brown eyed boy before leading them away into the nearby shadows of the walls. With that, Takato led the way into the wide passageway before them. The shadows of the passageway to Suna were a welcome change due to having spent so many hours in the blazing hot sun, said shadowy area being much cooler.

They then came to a stop when a trio of Jounin guards emerged from the darker parts of the passageway.

'We didn't even sense them.' Henry thought. 'And their chakra signatures are huge, just like all of those people back in the Log Village. So these are actual shinobi.'

"What is your business here?" One of the Jounin asked.

"We're just travelers." Henry said as he raised his hands in a placating manner. The guard's eyes narrowed with obvious mistrust.

"Travelers with chakra signatures." The Jounin took out a kunai and the three Tamers gulped audibly as they stepped back from the sharp and pointy weapon. "Now I won't ask you again. What is your business here?"

"We're sorry, we don't want any trouble." Henry replied. "But it is the truth, we are just travelers, but we happened to be picked up a shinobi and he taught us how to use chakra and defend ourselves. He only took us in for a year and we had to build ourselves up from that point on so we're pretty much the definition of amateur hour. Once we got good enough he gave us some advice that if we ever needed a friend in the Elemental Nations it would be here in Suna."

"He said we were supposed to look for a guy named Sabaku no Gaara." Rika added. The three guards raised their eyebrows at that piece of information before glaring at the trio of amateur shinobi.

"And how would your friend know him?"

The Tamers went through the memories of Naruto's stories about his days before he came to the Real World. The ones involving Gaara were the Chunin Exams, the invasion on Konoha and though he had already went off to fight Sasuke, he had been informed that Gaara and his siblings had come to their aid against the members of the Sound Four during the retrieval mission.

'That last one seems to have the least amount of trouble, so...option number 3 it is.' Takato thought. "Our friend told us how Gaara-san helped him during the retrieval missions involving Sasuke Uchiha." The Jounin all had their eyes wide at the mention of the traitor before they nodded their heads.

"Very well." The lead Jounin answered. "You will be allowed into Sunagakure, but you will be escorted by Tohru." The one to the left of the head Jounin guard stepped forward before gesturing for the trio to follow him. "But know that should you pose a threat to the village or its people...it matters not that you are mere children, we will kill you."

"U-U-Understood, sir." Takato replied.

Kazekage's Office, Sunagakure no Sato

The young seventeen year old sighed as he adjusted the green and white robes that served to mark him as the Godaime Kazekage of his village, his hat set off to the side of his desk. His pupil-less green eyes stared disdainfully at the piles of paperwork that surrounded him. He wanted to become Kazekage to gain the acknowledgement and adoration of his people, to not be seen as the jinchuriki of the Ichibi...but as someone for people to look up to. He succeeded, but over the past two years since he had become the Kazekage, he found himself regretting the decision every time he picked up a piece of paper. Now he had a legitimate reason to be an insomniac instead of still being on bad terms with Shukaku.

He was thankfully distracted from his paper-filled hell when a knock came at his door. "Enter." Gaara's raspy voice had an edge of authority to it. The door opened and Tohru poked his head in.

"Kazekage-sama, there are three young travelers that have come from beyond Kaze no Kuni to meet with you." The tanned skin man spoke. Gaara's eyes narrowed at Tohru, the man gaining a chill that raced down his spine as his superior's icy glare seemed to stare into his soul.

"And why, pray tell, did you let them into my village?" The Ichibi jinchuriki asked.

"They said their sensei knew you as they were told of you had helped with the retrieval mission concerning Sasuke Uchiha four years ago." Tohru replied. Gaara's expression was replaced by one of confusion now and he raised an eyebrow.

"I see..." Gaara muttered. "Very well, send them in."

"Yes, Kazekage-sama." Tohru then opened the door wider and allowed for Takato, Rika and Henry to enter the office. The three sixteen year old glanced around the office with childish curiosity, their wide eyes trying to soak in every detail of the kage's office. Gaara then cleared his throat and the three Tamers were snapped out of their stupor, Takato blushing in embarrassment as he scratched the back of his head with a nervous smile on his face.

'It's odd how that is exactly the same thing that Naruto would do.' Gaara thought. "Alright." Gaara leaned forward, his elbows resting on his desk and lacing his fingers together. "You have my curiosity. Who are you, and what is your purpose in my village? I've been informed that you three were mere travelers. If it is supplies you require then I can have Tohru escort you to the nearest shop."

"I'm Takato Matsuki and these are my friends, Henry Wong and Rika Nonaka." Takato gestured to the two as they bowed to the red haired kage. "And actually, we don't need supplies. We're fine, but we have a few questions we want to ask you. It's a pretty sensitive issue so if you can't answer them then it's no trouble."

"What do you wish to ask?"

"Uh, right. Anyway ummm...well the thing is..." Rika rolled her violet-grey eyes in exasperation as Takato fumbled over his words. She slapped the boy upside the head, earning a yelp of pain from the brown haired boy. Gaara raised an eyebrow while Henry planted his face in his hands.

'I'm going to die here in another dimension.' He thought.

Rika gained a determined look on her face before she stepped forward and looked Gaara straight in the eyes. "We want to know if you know anything about where Naruto-kun is." Rika stated. A deafening silence filled the office as Gaara's stoic face became one of pure shock, his jaw agape and his eyes wide. However, he quickly overcame the shock and it was replaced with an air of seriousness. He shifted his to Tohru and the Jounin flinched under the intense gaze.

"Tohru, leave the room."

"Kazekage-sama?"

"Now."

"As you wish, Kazekage-sama." The Jounin quickly complied as he noted the annoyance in his leader's voice, shutting the door behind him as he took his leave. Gaara then looked back to the trio before him, his gaze seemingly to amplify his intimidation factor as he rose from his seat.

"You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention. Answer me truthfully this time." Gaara ordered. "Who are you?"

"We are who we said we were." Rika replied.

"We're looking for him." Takato added.

"Aren't we all, Matsuki-san?" Gaara smirked in amusement. "How exactly do you know the man I call my best friend?"

"He taught us for a year when we met him. He taught us how to use chakra and how to fight?" Henry answered. This earned a very surprised look from the Godaime Kazekage as he looked at the half-Chinese Tamer.

"Naruto? Teaching?" Gaara asked.

"Yeah, but after the year, we were fighting someone...pretty strong." Rika replied, her mind's eye summoning forth the image of Lucemon. "We thought he had died in that fight because we hadn't heard anything from him or about him in three years. So, we hoped that you would know something seeing as how he told us how you were his friend."

"However, I am sorry to disappoint you three. When Naruto was banished four years ago, it was quite shocking to be honest and the day I took the seat of Kazekage I let my anger towards Konoha show by only giving the minimum amount in terms of trade supplies." Gaara sighed as he glanced out the window, looking over his village. "A single day had passed after his banishment from Konoha and from then on, it was if he had vanished from the face of the Earth." The Tamers' faces twitched as they fought to hold back their amusement as the Godaime Kazekage had no idea how right he was. "Jiraya-sama of the Sannin has contacted numerous times with the hope that I may eventually turn up with something. I do not possess any information regarding Naruto's whereabouts."

"Damn...so even you guys don't know where Naruto is." Takato muttered.

"It is rather unfortunate." Gaara nodded in agreement. "But it is best that he remain in obscurity."

The three stared at the Kazekage in shock.

"What?!" Rika exclaimed, her violet-grey eyes widening. "Why you even say that?! He's your friend, why would not want to find Naruto-kun?!"

"Watch your tongue, Nonaka-san. You are in the presence of the Kazekage, not a friend." Gaara's gaze hardened and a flare of killing intent immediately had Rika backing away. Though, he was impressed that her anger filled eyes remained. Not many had that strong a will to stand up to the killing intent of a kage such as himself, and after being a psychopath killer for most of his childhood he could honest say he was a master of utilizing it. "I trust you are aware of Naruto's entry in the Bingo Book and that a bounty has been placed on his head?" The three nodded in confirmation with deep frowns on their faces. "It is for that very reason that it is best he lay low. He is not a simple missing-nin. His profile in the Bingo Book revealed his heritage, his jinchuriki status, everything."

"Of course." Henry interrupted. "But these factors also place an intimidating persona for Naruto. We know who he really is, how he really acts...but the aforementioned details will give him some protection as people who are unaware will deem him a monster and not someone you can look to fight unprepared. You'd have to be pretty crazy to think about going up against the jinchuriki of the strongest of the Bijuu."

Gaara raised an eyebrow at Henry. "Wong-san, we are a land of mercenaries and assassins, we are not all that right in the head. If Naruto has told you about me, I'm quite sure he informed you of my traits." The Tamers glanced off to the side, not wishing to look the slightly calmed version of a psychopathic jinchuriki with insomnia. "Every bounty hunter and any shinobi that is worth their salt will be wanting a piece of him should they come across him. They will kill him and there are people out there that are just as, if not far more dangerous than the Kyuubi jinchuriki who is the son of the Kiiroi Senko and the Chishio no Habanero."

Takato gained a confused look at that. "But Naruto's pretty strong, almost god-like if I wanted to exaggerate. When he left Konoha, he said that he learned every single jutsu and fighting technique he could from the scrolls given to him by Jiraya and his parents. We saw what he could do and it's pretty damn impressive, and I'm not just saying that because I'm his student and his friend. I'm saying this because it's true. What could be more terrifying than that?"

"The Akatsuki." Gaara answered simply.

"Akatsuki?" Henry asked. "What's an Akatsuki?"

"The Akatsuki are a group of S-Rank missing-nin, all capable of taking on even a kage. Their uniform consists of a black cloak with red clouds decorating it and they are a very real threat to the Elemental Nations. Itachi Uchiha is said to be a member of that group, so you can use him as a way to measure the calibre of shinobi they possess." The Tamers gulped audibly as they remembered what Naruto told them about Itachi. The man who had led to Sasuke becoming a power-craving maniac and someone who could practically kill you with a look. A Genin at 6, Chunin at 8, ANBU member before he even hit his teens and became an ANBU captain by 13.

"That's...That's pretty strong." Takato said. Gaara snorted.

"That is an understatement, Matsuki-san. The Akatsuki's objective is to collect all nine jinchuriki and extract the Bijuu from them." Gaara informed them.

"But wouldn't that just make you a normal guy in the end? Wouldn't that kind of be a good thing?" Takato asked. Gaara sighed as he looked at the innocence in the younger male's eyes.

"You said he only taught you for a year and as far as jinchuriki go, Naruto was by far the most innocent. He didn't even know he he had the Kyuubi until he turned 12 and he didn't even know the definition of the word jinchuriki from what I gleaned when I first met him." Gaara chuckled before he glanced down at his belly, placing a hand over it. "When a jinchuriki is made, the Bijuu's chakra is tightly bound to that of its host and the two literally fuse into one being. The jinchuriki grows and develops with the Bijuu's own chakra mixing with its own and due to that, should the Bijuu be forcibly removed from the body...then the jinchuriki dies."

"What?" Rika whispered, her shocked look being mirrored by Takato and Henry.

"Die?" Takato asked. "But..."

"There is no 'but', Matsuki-san. Once a Bijuu has been removed, it is inevitable for the host's life to be lost." Gaara stated with an even tone. "Akatsuki will hunt the nine of us down for reasons we are still unaware of. World domination, destruction of the world itself...whatever the reason may be, once they take the Bijuu out of our bodies, we host bodies will be tossed aside. Our corpses will be left to rot and the Akatsuki will do unspeakable acts..." Gaara paused in his speech and the three Tamers gained a look of confusion on their faces. Gaara's green orb shifted from side to side before they widened in shock as he felt a pulse of chakra above him. He immediately rose out from his chair and threw off his cloak to reveal his battle clothing underneath.

The red haired Kazekage wore full-length dark trousers, with a pair of laces on each leg, respectively a few inches below the waist and the knees, a long-sleeved crimson coat with flaring hemlines and slits down on the lower half of the front and the back, a grey holster vest held in place by a single strap over his left shoulder and by two buckled belts which he used to carry his gourd as he strapped said sand carrying weapon to them. He also wore another pair of casually worn belts around his waist.

"You three, stay in my office." He pointed an authoritative finger at the trio. "Do not come out under any circumstances, do you understand me?"

"Why?" The mixed blooded Tamer never received an answer as Gaara vanished in a swirl of sand.

Shinjuku City, Japan, Real World

"The silver moon shone brilliantly off of our protagonist's back, the dazzling glow of the moon serving to further enhance the majestic, amazing, superlative, badass image that was our hero. With his ever watchful eyes, he looks over his home, the city he has always sworn to protect and serve. He will deal out justice to the wicked with his fists of fury and all shall kneel before Zod!"

"Kazu, you're monologing again." Kenta stated with a bored tone as he dangled legs off the edge of the building he and his best friend were standing atop of. MarineAngemon and Guardromon stood beside their respective Tamers before Guardromon looked at the visor-wearing boy.

"Kazu, while your monolog was indeed impressive, worthy of a tale of the knights of old...but why reference Zod?" The Champion Digimon asked. "Is Zod not a villain? One that is seen as the Kryptonian nemesis of Superman, alongside Brainiac?"

"Well...yeah." Kazu answered. "But, every hero has a dark side."

"And why would you have a dark side?" Guardromon asked. Kenta and MarineAngemon sighed as Kazu grinned toothily.

"Because I'm Batman." He stated with his best gruff Christian Bale impression of the Dark Knight.

"I thought you just said you were Zod." Guardromon was becoming exceedingly confused as he tried to comprehend his Tamer's oddness.

"You need to stop watching those 'How it should have Ended' videos on YouTube." Kenta muttered.

"You know they're awesome."

"They are, but saying 'Because I'm Batman' every minute of every day is gonna ruin it for me whenever I go to watch the videos!" Kenta exclaimed. Ryo and Monodramon watched the interaction before the brown haired boy cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Ummm pardon my intrusion, but...does Kazu do this a lot?" He asked. Kenta looked at Kazu out of the corner of eye.

"Unfortunately, yes." He said. Ryo patted Kenta on the shoulder before turning to the Tamer of Leomon.

"And you've had to deal with this boy for most of your life?" He asked. Jeri chuckled nervously as she registered the hurt look on the visor-wearing Tamer's face.

"W-Well...Kazu and Kenta have always been good friends ever since I got to know Takato-kun better and we became Tamers." Jeri then turned and smiled at the brown haired boy. "But despite his more annoying traits, we could always count on him to have our backs. His unwillingness to leave any of us alone kind of registers as extreme levels of loyalty I guess."

"Jeri..." Kazu blubbered as he hugged the brown haired girl. "...I love you. You're my best female friend ever! Don't ever leave me!"

"Hai Hai, Kazu." She patted the much taller boy on the head. "Now please remove your face from my breasts before I have Leomon gut you." The bipedal lion growled menacingly as he reached for his sword. Kazu was quick to back off and hit behind Guardromon. Laughing at Kazu's expense was always a good past time, but that soon became boring as well.

Due to the autumn weather, the skies were pretty cloudy, covering the stars, but the moon's silvery-white visage managed to remain visible to provide light for those who didn't have it. Silence reigned supreme among the group of Tamers and their Digimon. Kenta dangled his feet off the edge of the building they were surveying Shinjuku from before looking up at the crescent moon.

"How long has been since the others left?" He asked absentmindedly.

"Chumley left a few days ago, Kenta." Kazu muttered to himself as he counted on his fingers. "It's been about three days I think. Once it hits midnight, it'll be four."

"What time is it now?" Monodramon asked. The Tamers whipped out their D-Arks and looked at the clock features, the holographic numbers blowing up in front of their faces.

"About ten o' clock." Jeri replied.

"It's past dinner time." Kenta stated. "Things have been quiet for these past few days. You sure we should be scouting out for Digimon so often after school? I mean...it is Friday."

"Takato gave me the job of being in charge of you guys and watching over Shinjuku while he, Henry and Rika left to go look for Naruto." Ryo replied with a serious look. "I know I've done my fair share of bad shit, especially since you guys still haven't forgiven me for cheating on Rika, but I want to make it up to her and the rest of you. I can't let this city go down in flames on my watch just because I decided to slack off for one night."

The others looked at each other and then back to Ryo with raised eyebrows.

"Dude...you're probably the only one here that hasn't stopped caring about that." Kenta said. "I mean, yeah, you cheated on Rika a few years ago, but she's actually mellowed out over that. She just wants to be bitchy about it because she's too stubborn to let it go ever time she sees you."

"...What?" Ryo blinked owlishly.

"Yeah man." Kazu jumped in. "You got nothin' to prove. Sure, you did that stupid thing and it pissed us all off, but you guys were what...eleven? Nobody can have a stable relationship and actually know what they want to have with another person when they're that young. You'd have to be childhood friends and pull off a romance manga thing for that to happen, and last I checked, Rika never had friends before us."

Jeri glared at Kazu for the jab at Rika's former social life, but she had to agree with the boys. "Kazu and Kenta are right. We've all forgiven you for that already, so there's no need to put any amount of focus on that anymore."

"Really?" Ryo asked with wide eyes.

"Really." Jeri answered with a nod. Ryo paused and a playful look appeared in his eyes as he saw an opportunity.

"Really Really?"

"No!" Kenta pointed at Ryo with an accusing finger. "We are not doing the Spongebob thing!"

"Damn." Ryo muttered. The others laughed at their temporary leader's misfortune, but all amusement was lost as Leomon's ears twitched. The anthropomorphic lion's blue eyes scanned the skies above while he sniffed the air.

"Quiet." He ordered.

"What's wrong Leomon?" Jeri asked her Digimon.

"I heard something." Leomon replied. "But I don't see anything."

"Gotcha covered, Leo." Kazu turned to his partner. "Guardromon." The Champion level Digimon nodded and he tilted his head skyward. His optics whirred as he activated his telescopic vision. The world turned into a mixture of black and white before his eyes as he then began to scan the skies for any data. His eyes then registered a large patch of the digital substance within the clouds as a Digital Field.

"Found it." The robotic Digimon informed his friends as he pointed in the direction of where the moon was. "It's a pretty big Digital Field. Unless the Digimon is an Ultimate level or higher, then that means there's more than one Digimon that bio-emerged."

"Are the Digimon near to wherever the Digital Field originated from?" Ryo asked. Guardromon's body released another series of whirs as he focused on the Digital Field, but then shook his head.

"No. The Digimon that came out of it aren't nearby, but...there are trails of data moving through the clouds. One...two...five." Guardromon followed the trails through the clouds. "I count five individual data trails that came from the Digital Field's origin."

"Do you see the path they were headed?" Ryo asked. Before Guardromon could answer that, the deafening sound of an explosion went off. The Tamers and their Digimon had their eyes wide with shock as they heard the screams of terror, a pillar of black smoke mixed with orange-yellow embers rising into the autumn sky. The bestial roars that sounded afterwards immediately snapped them out of their stupors.

"Let's go!" Ryo ordered. MarineAngemon quickly summoned forth a massive heart bubble beneath their feet before they took off through the city at a rapid pace. As they were on their way, Ryo's D-Ark went off. The brown haired Tamer glanced down and saw it was Yamaki calling him. He pressed the small orange button on the D-Ark and the holographic image of the blonde man's face appeared before him and his friends.

"Already on our way." The scarf wearing Tamer stated.

"Good." Was the immediate reply. "We looked through the traffic cameras on that area of Shinjuku. Five Devidramon are there, so it should be no problem for you guys since they are just Champion level Digimon."

"Alright. Thanks for the update, Yamaki."

"I'll call in some extra emergency response teams to handle the civilians once you get them to safety. Good luck." The call ended and Ryo looked up from his D-Ark upon hearing the much closer sound of the Devidramon's roars. MarineAngemon moved their heart-shaped mode of transportation down to the ground where they all jumped off in time to see the five draconian beasts tearing through the city.

"Alright boss. What's the plan?" Kazu asked.

"Like Yamaki said, get the civilians out of here and then we beat the Devidramon." The others nodded to their substitute leader and did their assigned jobs of taking any and all civilians in the area away from the large junction area of the street. The five Champion level Digimon then paused in their acts of destruction before turning to the Tamers, their snarls becoming toothy grins.

"Just as the Master expected." One of the Devidramon chuckled. "His want to be a hero would draw him to us."

"Well we found him." Another Devidramon raised its claws menacingly, the sharp weapons glowing with crimson light. "...Time to kill him. Crimson Claw!" The Devidramon rushed towards Ryo and Monodramon with the intent to tear them apart, but the brown haired Tamer was saved by the heart-shaped bubble that came to his rescue. The Devidramon's eyes widened as its attack bounced off the surprisingly durable bubble shield. The bubble then began to stretch across the black scaled Digimon's hand and MarineAngemon's sadistic grin came alive as she clapped her fins together.

"Pretty Heart!" The Devidramon then released a loud cry of pain as the hand was crushed. Red data flakes flowed from the hand-less limb and the Devidramon turned to MarineAngemon who gave it a teasing wave. The Devidramon was then caught off-guard when Leomon took off, his powerful legs allowing him to clear the distance between himself and his opponent in mere seconds.

Fiery orange energy cloaked his fist as he leaped into the air, the energy turning into the shape of a roaring lion's head. "Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon roared before punching the dragon Digimon directly against its snout. The Devidramon released a roar of pain as it was sent stumbling backwards.

"How's it going with those civilians?!" Leomon called back as he landed on the ground. The blue eyed Digimon glanced back to see his Tamer pushing a father and his young daughter along. The female Tamer gave a salute to the police officers who had arrived per Yamaki's orders. Having set up a perimeter, the police then began to usher along the civilians, some aiding the wounded into getting into ambulances to take them to the nearest hospital. Once she was sure that there was no one left in the newly formed battlefield, she got a thumbs up from Kazu and Kenta before turning to her Digimon partner.

"All civilians are evacuated!" She informed before turning to the officer before her. "Keep all news cameras away from here. I know they want a good story, but if they want to stay alive tell them to stay away from here."

"Yes ma'am." The officer saluted before moving alongside his companions to secure the perimeter.

The Tamer Digimon all nodded before they took their stand. MarineAngemon quickly summoned up a heart bubble to protect the humans on the battlefield while she hovered beside her friends. The five Devidramon growled at their foes before their red eyes focused on Ryo.

"Ryo Akiyama." The one with a lost hand snarled.

"H-How do you know my name?" Ryo asked with a surprised look on his face.

"It's not that we know who you are, boy...but rather our Master, and our Master requires your death." The Devidramon answered.

"You claim to be a hero, saving the Digidestined of the Eastern Quadrant, but you got lucky." The second Devidramon spoke.

"No." Ryo's eyes widened along with the others as they glanced at him. "No one knows that! How do you know that?!"

"Eastern Quadrant?" Kenta asked. "But...that's Azulongmon's turf."

"The television show is the parallel Earth that coincides with the Eastern Quadrant. With Tai, Matt, Izzy..." Kazu muttered. "How can you be from the Eastern Quadrant's Earth?"

"Oh?" The third member of the enemy group chuckled. "So you told no one of your origins, boy? Well...you'll never have a chance to tell that story once we kill you!" The dragon Digimon roared before the one with a missing hand charged. It opened it jaws to bite down on the Digimon in its path only for its eyes to widen and take on an evil shine.

"Red Eyes." Muscles spasmed and the Tamer Digimon suddenly found their bodies frozen.

"I can't...move." Leomon grunted in an effort to override the Devidramon's attack, but it was no avail. The Devidramon then moved to jump into the air as the second Devidramon was suddenly there to take its place, spinning around to lash out with its strong tail. The powerful rear appendage crashed against the four Tamer Digimon and sent them flying back.

"Demonic Gale!" The one-handed Devidramon was joined by its two brethren as they flapped their wings harshly. A rush of ebony winds generated a powerful shockwave that sliced through the very air itself as it slammed into the smaller Digimon. They crashed into the streets below them, cratering the earth from the force of the impact. One of the airborne Devidramon then dove down with its arms reared back, its claws shining with a crimson light.

"Crimson Claw!" The dragon-like Digimon then smashed its claws down upon its foes and a powerful flash of red light became accompanied by a powerful shockwave and a large dust cloud. The dust cloud then dispersed and the Devidramon's smirking visage was replaced with one of surprise as Guardromon stood with his hands holding back his fellow Champion level Digimon's attack.

"You forget that I am a Champion level Digimon as well." Guardromon stated as his mechanics whirred. "Kazu, my liege, if you would be so kind."

"Digimodify...Power Activate!" Kazu slashed the card through his D-Ark and an aura of red outlined the mechanized Digimon before it pushed back the Devidramon's claws, sending it back a few feet.

"Beware of the Iron Knight, evildoers!" Guardromon announced as he took to the air with his rocket thrusters. "Grenade Destroyer!" He held out his arms and a pair of literally whistling missiles, were launched from the compartments in his arms.

"Demonic Gale!" Aiding its own, one of the other Devidramon saved its companion from being reduced to data flakes as it flapped its wings harshly. A rush of black wind sent the missiles off-course, and a pair of explosions occurred as the missiles impacted with the sides of some buildings. Glass shattered and concrete was blasted apart to leave sizable holes in the infrastructure. The five Devidramon then raised their arms high into the air before slamming them down on the ground.

"Crimson Claw!" A burst of crimson energy rocketed out from the point of impact, tearing a massive trench in the asphalt as it streaked towards the smaller Digimon.

"Digimodify...WarGreymon's Brave Shield!" Ryo swiped his card and Monodramon took to the front before slamming his knuckles together. Golden data flakes swirled to life before solidifying as the golden shield, the crest of courage emblazoned proudly on its surface. The blast was split down the middle as the shield deflected the energy strike to create two smaller, but still powerful, explosions on either side of them.

"Digimodify..." Jeri swiped the card through her yellow D-Ark. "...Callismon's Deep Forest!"

"Deep Forest!" The Brave Shield vanished and Leomon leaped over Monodramon. Leomon then slammed his fist down on the ground as he landed, the ground rupturing as cracks spread out from the point of impact between his fist and the street. The ground quaked and the Devidramon were all sent off-balance by the literally earth-shaking strike.

"Digimodify...Speed Activate!" Ryo exclaimed. Monodramon's form became cloaked in an aura of white before his legs muscles tensed. With a roar, the purple scaled Digimon shot off across the battlefield and slammed into one of the Devidramon's chest. The Devidramon released a gasp of pain as the wind was driven from its synthesized lungs, but the Rookie Digimon was quickly slapped away before he could finish the job on ending his foe when another of the five lashed out with a Crimson Claw attack. Monodramon quickly raised his arms and blocked the strike, but the force still sent him rocketing backwards before he landed, digging a pair of trenches in the ground with his talons as he skidded to a halt.

"Why is this taking so long?" Kenta asked. "These guys are just Champion level. We should have been finished since the fight even began."

"...It's because they're smart." Kazu answered.

"What do you mean?" Jeri asked.

"Digimon are sentient beings, thus they have some level of intelligence that makes more than just a wild beast of data. However, not a lot of Digimon, especially Devidramon, are smart enough to fight and utilize coordinated strikes." Kazu's point was made when one of the Devidramon had dug its claws into the ground to raised up a piece of rock to use as a shield against Leomon's Fist of the Beast King. The explosive result had the Devidramon skidding backwards, but it kept the dark scaled dragon alive as it countered by slapping Leomon with its tail. The lion Digimon raised his arms and blocked the strike as he was then sent tumbling through the air. He landed deftly on his fight, like any feline should, and raced back into the fray.

"Now that you mention it...there are a lot of tactics being employed in their fighting style." Ryo stated. "I remember when Takato told us when Guilmon first digivolved to Growlmon, that the Devidramon he fought was pretty strong. However, from what he described, that Devidramon was not as intelligent as these five."

"Exactly and...wait, you said five right?" The closet genius asked. Ryo nodded. "There are only four out there." The Tamers' eyes all widened as they took a head count of the enemy Digimon, and there were indeed only four of them there. Where the fifth one should have been, there was now a gaping hole in the ground.

"Fuck." Kenta summed up their thoughts with that single word.

Their eyes widened even further when the earth beneath their feet rumbled. The stone and asphalt burst apart as the one-handed Devidramon erupted out of the ground with its jaws wide open, biting down on the heart-shaped bubble that shielded them. The four eyed Digimon snarled as it bit down on the dense bubble, but it was obvious from the amount of pressure its powerful jaws were exerting that said defensive barrier was not going to hold up for much longer.

"SHIT!" Ryo's eyes widened as small cracks began to stretch across the crimson heart. "MONODRAMON!" Ryo called out to his partner. The purple scaled Digimon's eyes duck under the swipe from one of the other four Devidramon before turning around. His eyes widened as he saw his Tamer in peril. He immediately took off and looked to the bipedal lion he called his friend.

"Leomon, throw me!"

"Gotcha!" Leomon picked up the dragon-like Digimon before hurling him through the air with the speed of a bullet.

"Beat Knuckle!" Monodramon's drill-like claws clenched into a tight fist. With a roar, the purple scaled Rookie slammed his fist against the Champion Digimon's skull, the force traversing through said skull. The Tamers were released from the Devidramon's jaws. Leomon then took off and with one slice of his sharp blade, had decapitated it. The Devidramon's head fell away as red data flakes burst forth from its neck like blood from a living organism, its body cratering the street beneath it as it fell. The Devidramon's head and body then vanished from view as it burst apart into red data flakes.

"You guys ok?" Leomon and Monodramon asked as they caught the bubble encapsulated humans.

"Yeah." Jeri gasped out, her near-death experience being far too near for her liking. However, they weren't given the luxury of being able to catch their breaths as the other four Devidraman roared in annoyance as MarineAngemon was holding them all back with a bombardment of Pretty Heart attacks, Guardromon helping out with his Guardian Barrage. The dragon-like Digimon slapped aside the hearts that could crush their synthesized flesh while sending Guardromon's missiles off-course with their tails.

"Hey uh, guys...as much as we're glad that you're alive...kind of need some help over here!" MarineAngemon grunted out as the Devidramon were quickly making their way towards her and Guardromon.

"Digimodify...Speed activate!" Ryo and Jeri gave the boost to their Digimon partners before they took off across the street and tackled MarineAngemon and Guardromon out of the way of the very organized group of opponents.

"You two, separate the Leomon and the MarineAngemon from the group and handle them. We'll take the Monodramon and the Guardromon." The Devidramon squadron nodded to each other before rushing towards their opponents. Two of them then split off and slammed their glowing claws into the asphalt.

"Crimson Claw!" A powerful shockwave of crimson energy ripped the ground asunder as it slammed into the Tamer Digimon, only for one of the two to then rush forth and backhand MarineAngemon before wrapping its tail around Leomon's waist. The lion Digimon was tossed through the air, slamming into the tin Mega level Digimon with enough force for them to crater the ground when they slammed into it.

"Leomon!"

"MarineAngemon!" Jeri and Kenta cried out in alarm at seeing their Digimon being beaten back.

After having taken care of the first part of their strategy, the other two Devidramon then thundered towards Monodramon and Guardromon. They lashed out with their claws, tearing trenches in the ground as they missed their agile targets. Monodramon quickly hopped into the air and landed atop the hand of one of Devidramon before racing up the length of the limb.

"Beat Knuckle!" Monodramon jumped and delivered a powerful strike to the nose before firing off another harsh blow that had the Devidramon stumbling backwards. Monodramon was quickly slammed into the ground as the other Devidramon slammed its clawed hand down upon him, cratering the earth from the force. It then snarled as it shifted its wings, roaring in pain as Guardromon's missile bombarded it. Guardromon's mechanics then gave off an audible whir before the thrusters activated and sent him rocketing across the battlefield, a trail of dust and stone marking his path before he slammed into the Devidramon's chest. Spittle escaped the damaged draconian Digimon's lips as the powerful shoulder strike dug into its body. Time seemed to slow down as the force registered with its body before the Deivdramon flew through the air and slammed into the one Monodramon had punched earlier. However, the two had rolled with the force of their collision and one of the Devidramon quickly grabbed its partner and swung it around in a circle before hurling it towards the two.

"Crimson Claw!" Guardromon and Monodramon had their eyes wide at the sudden move and their shock left them unable to dodge as the Devidramon's strike slammed down upon them. However, the Devidramon did not stop as it flapped its wings and sped across the street, carving trenches in it before it began to climb, rising into the air while this time, dragging them against the side of a building. Shards of glass and metal scraped against their scales and armour respectively, causing the two Tamer Digimon to release grunts of pain. The Devidramon then went into a loop-de-loop, letting go of its two captives as it reached the peak of the aerial maneuver and then flapping its wings harshly.

"Demonic Gale!" The burst of black wind slammed down on the two descending Digimon and sent them rocketing towards the ground at a fast pace.

"Kazu, digivolve!" Ryo ordered. The visor wearing Tamer nodded and quickly took out his Blue Card and swiped it.

"Digimodify...Matrix Digivolution Activate!" Guardromon was quickly wrapped in an egg of spiraling purple data as his similarly coloured D-Ark spoke the magic words.

Matrix Digivolution

"Guardromon Matrix Digivolve to...Andromon!"

Andromon's form burst out of the egg of data before he latched onto Mondoramon and flipped to right himself. He landed in a kneeling position and the force of his impact caused a powerful shockwave as he was now within his own personal crater. However, as Andromon had jumped out of the large crater and set Monodramon down, they had found that they were given no time to breathe as the two Devidramon they were fighting had already moved to attack.

The Devidramon in the air then dove down like a falcon and barely even touched the ground as it pulled up. The ground cracked from the force of its pushing off and it raced towards them while the other Devidramon thundered across the streets with its jaws wide open in preparation to rip them to shreds. With the two Champion Digimon attacking from two different sides, they had effectively created a pincer attack as Monodramon and Guardromon were now a bit boxed in by the fast moving dragons, their jaws wide and their claws poised to strike.

Andromon's bionics quickly sent a rush of data through his digital brain, calculating the speed of the wind and the Devidramon and other random sets of information. Because of this, Andromon deduced that the one flying towards them was moving at a much faster pace. Andromon quickly looked to Monodramon.

"Duck." He said. Monodramon nodded and dropped down, covering his head. Andromon then dug his feet into the ground before his now more powerful mechanized arms latched onto the jaws of the incoming Devidramon. His eyes shone with a powerful blue light as his fingers dug deeply into the Devidramon's flesh. The Devidramon's eyes then flashed with a bright crimson light as it used Red Eyes.

Andrmon's bionics shuddered from the attempt to freeze its body, but the Ultimate level merely smirked back as he skidded backwards from the momentum of the attack.

"Your eyes are no match for my override codes!" His grip then tightened and the Champion Digimon's eyes widened as the android Digimon quickly moved with the momentum of him being pushed back. With the power that could only come from an Ultimate level Digimon- or a giant Champion level - Andromon swung the Devidramon over his head. Earth met sky for the four eyed dragon before it was slammed down harshly atop the body of its companion. The two Devidramon roared in pain from the counterattack, and the earth shuddered from the force before it caved inwards to form a massive crater.

With MarineAngemon and Leomon

"Crimson Claw!" The Devidramon pair lashed out with their glowing red claws. Their wild slashes were easily deflected by the heart-shaped barriers from MarineAngemon, but the Mega level was sweating from having to react so quickly.

"MarineAngemon, why don't you just catch their arms like you did with the first one?" Leomon asked as he leaped and ducked under a few slashes aimed at him.

"That one was stupid and caught off-guard, but now they know better." The pink Mega replied. "Not to mention I have to block all of these attacks. Man, I liked these guys better when I could have killed them with a lot more ease."

"Well, we're going to have to deal with it." Leomon said. "Give me a boost."

The Mega nodded and allowed the feline Champion to hop onto a small, but very bouncy heart bubble. The lion Digimon shot through the air and reared back his fist as it was coated in orange energy.

"Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon slammed his fist against the cheek of one of the Devidramon, but he was quickly slammed down to ground zero by the tail strike it used to counterattack. Leomon quickly rolled out of the way before its claws could tear him apart and he drew his sword as the Devidramon lashed out with its glowing claws.

"Crimson Claw!"

"Beast Sword!"

Claws and blade collided with a resounding CLANG, and a powerful shockwave raced from the point of contact sending the two Champion Digimon skidding away from each other, but the other Devidramon quickly slapped its tail against the lion Digimon's airborne form, sending him spiraling into a street lamp, denting the dense metal.

"Digimodify...Power Activate!" Jeri swiped the card as she saw her partner in danger. Leomon growled as he held his damaged side before gripping the street lamp and ripping out of the ground with the aid of his enhanced strength. With a roar, the bipedal feline swung the street lamp like a baseball bat. The Devidramon ducked under the strike, but then Leomon adjusted his swing to a downward vertical one. However, the Devidramon leaped back before flapping its wings alongside its compatriot.

"Demonic Gale!" The two red eyed Digimon sent forth a powerful burst of black winds that ripped apart the ground, but Kenta quickly acted as MarineAngemon flew in front of his fighting partner.

"Digimodify...WarGreymon's Brave Shield activate!" The golden shield appeared in the flippers of the tiny Mega Digimon and with a cry of effort, she closed the shield and pushed against the powerful typhoon of black winds. Once the attack came to an end, the Devidramon were shown to have vanished from view as there now two large holes in the ground.

However, Jeri and Kenta had been watching the battle and saw the fake-out attempt as they Devidramon had dug deep holes in the street before taking to the skies and going into a dive bomb.

"Above you!" Jeri called out to the pair. Their eyes widened as they heard Jeri's words and looked to see the two rapidly falling dragons with their claws held at the ready.

"Thank you new booster pack." Kenta muttered as he swiped the card through his rose coloured D-Ark. "Digimodify...Paildramon Activate!"

MarineAngemon's eyes gained a malicious look in them as a wide, toothy grin stretched across her face. She held out her fins and the large clawed arms of Paildramon replaced them. "Cable Catcher!" The sharp claws shot out from the hands, cables attached to the root of said claws as if they were makeshift harpoons. The Devidramons' eyes widened, but those eyes were now lost as some of the claws impaled them. They roared in pain before MarineAngemon swung her newly made arms back before turning to the pair that Monodramon and Andromon were fighting.

"HRAAAAAH!" The puny Mega swung her arms down and the Devidramon were thrown through the air, their eyes literally being torn out of their skulls as the momentum of the swing detached MarineAngemon's claws from their sockets and sent them flying. They crashed into the crater with their two already downed brethren.

"Now!" Ryo called out. Following the temporary leader's command, Kazu, Kenta and Jeri moved in tandem with Ryo and they swiped a modification card through their respective D-Arks.

"Digimodify...Garurumon Activate!"

"Digimodify...Paildramon's Desperado Blaster!"

"Digimodify...Greymon's Nova Blast!"

"Digimodify...Omnimon's Supreme Cannon!"

MarineAngemon opened her jaws to reveal a mouthful of raging blue fire as Leomon raised his arms up, the Desperado Blasters now held tightly in his hands. Monodramon opened his jaws as wide as he could while Andromon raised his right arm. A massive spheroid of orange-yellow flame swirled to life within the Rookie Digimon's jaws while a flash of data surrounded Andromon's limb it as it then became a powerful cannon in the shape of a MetalGarurumon's head. The jaws of the head opened to reveal the massive cannon inside, ice blue energy already charging with an audible hum.

"Howling Blaster!"

"Desperado Blaster!"

"Nova Blast!"

"Supreme Cannon!"

The four attacks raced across the battlefield before unleashing a deafening explosion upon making contact with the downed Devidramon. The crater they lay in grew in size and was now filled with fire and sparkles of energy that wafted through the air along with the numerous flakes of red data that came with the deletion of the invading Digimon. The smoke cloud dispersed to to reveal the empty crater and the Digimon all panted in exertion as they moved back to their Tamers.

The police whooped and cheered for the Tamers for their victory, but the sounds of happiness were merely white noise to the them as Ryo and Monodramon found themselves under the intense gazes of six pairs of eyes.

"Ummm...good job?" Ryo chuckled nervously.

"We're going home now." Jeri stated. "I'm tired, I'm hungry and I'm dirty, but do not think for even a second that we forgot what just happened here."

"And don't even think about trying to hide." Kazu added. "We know where you live and we can have Yamaki get you to come to Hypnos with a bit of force if need be."

"You've got quite a bit of explaining to do, Mr. Eastern Quadrant." Kenta said as he adjusted his glasses.

(A/N: I know this is a very slow chapter with nothing progressing other than that they met Gaara, and Ryo about to give himself and the Master some backstory as to how he got to the Southern Quadrant's parallel Earth. I would have honestly liked to have written more for this chapter, but I can't really write anymore because I've hit a bit of a block concerning Gaara. In his fight against Deidara that will happen in chapter 13, I plan to have him pull out his Digimon partner to fight once he and Deidara start taking their battle to the air, but I don't know what Digimon would suit Gaara. So when you guys post your reviews, please add in what Digimon you think would match up with Gaara. If you don't have anything that can match with Gaara, don't worry as I can just as easily make the fight scene without a Digimon.

Thanks in advance for your eventual contributions and your attempts to help. I'm already starting on chapter 12, so I hope I can bring it out quickly. Hope you all still liked the chapter and remember to review, review, review!)