Chapter 20

They soon found themselves in a forest, and Yumi was holding Iinomon in her arms. "We're back in the Digital World." Yumi said in awe. Iinomon looked around, and noticed that Joe was looking around for Gomamon. She sniffed the air, and saw a pink blur push past Joe and nearly make him fall off an edge. He held on by his elbows, and Gomamon and the others, in their Rookie forms, but Kari stopped them. She said, "You can come out. We won't hurt you." Chuumon came out of the tall grass, and Mimi went over to him. He fainted, and Mimi held him in her arms. Iinomon went over to Joe, asking if he was all right. "Of course I'm not alright!"

He said. "Now help me up!" Tai and Matt went to help him up, and Yumi saw Chuumon wake up. He explained how he lost his friend Sukamon when the Dark Masters took over. He showed them Spiral Mountain, and Iinomon said, certainty in her voice, "Then we'll destroy the Dark Masters and save the Digital World! And I won't rest until I do!" A voice said, "A little puppy won't be able to stop us!" The ground shook as a huge Digimon shot out of it. Iinomon jumped to the ground, Digivolving to Miharumon, and snarled, saying, "Well, this 'puppy' is about to throw you into the trash heap!" Yumi nodded, holding her Digivice in a fist.

All the Digimon Digivolved to their Champion forms, but he swatted them aside. "Kazumamon!" Obana cried out, running to her partner's side. Haramon struggled to her feet, and Yumi ran up to her, when Metalseadramon shot a blast at them, and everyone seemed lost to a blinding white light. Yumi woke up gripping Haramon's fur tightly, and stood up, her legs wobbly. She saw Angemon fly off, but he was shot, and Dedigivolved back to Patamon before hitting the ground. Haramon shot up, snarling, and Yumi's crest began to glow. "Let's finish this, Haramon!" Haramon nodded as she Digivolved to Endohmon, and the other Digimon also Digivolved to their Ultimate forms.

Endohmon used Leaf Hurricane, and barely dodged a powerful blast from Machinedramon. Before she could do anything, he shot her with a powerful beam, making her fly back. She was about to attack when the floor shattered, and she jumped down to catch Yumi. Suddenly, they stopped falling. Endohmon was holding onto Yumi, and Yumi asked, "Why aren't we falling?" She noticed Weregarurumon and Garudamon fighting, but they couldn't control themselves.

Endohmon took out a shuriken and was about to throw it when Yumi hugged her arm, saying, "Stop! Endohmon, don't!" Endohmon started taking more control of her body, and she threw the shuriken at Puppetmon. "Got a bad temper, I see." She caught the shuriken as it returned to her. He moved the kids out of the way, and used Puppet Pummel, hitting them so hard that they all Dedigivolved. Yumi caught Iinomon protectively, and Obana held Akiramon, asking if he was all right. That's when they fell out of there and landed in a strange coliseum. A clown came up, and Iinomon instinctively snarled, bristling.

He started telling them a story about how the Digidestined tried to stop the Dark Masters but had failed. "Like that's actually going to happen! I'm going to defeat every Dark Master myself!" Iinomon snarled, sounding certain. The clown laughed, saying, "What a spunky little Digimon! I will enjoy seeing what you can do!" He showed that he was Piedmon, and Iinomon jumped to the ground, snarling. "Stay away from them!" She snarled, Digivolving to Miharumon. She shot a Howling Inferno, but he cut it in half, and it missed him. She snarled, and he said, "And I thought you would have done better than that."

The snarl shot up in her throat, and she turned her head towards Yumi. Yumi nodded, and held her Digivice to her heart. Miharumon Digivolved to Haramon, and shot a Howling Tornado, but he cut it in half. She jumped at him, using Slashing Fangs. He dodged, and Haramon shot another Howling Tornado at him. It hit him dead on, but it didn't do much. Yumi said, "Haramon, you need to Digivolve again!" Haramon nodded, and Yumi grasped her crest. Haramon Digivolved to Endohmon, and used Leaf Hurricane. It hit him hard. It did more damage than her last attack had. She stood in front of everyone protectively, saying, "Prepare to die!"

She took out some exploding tags, did a hand sign, and the tags started to glow. When they pinned his arms to his side, she said, "This is the end for you, Piedmon." She did another hand sign, and used Exploding Purification.

The dust settled, and she saw Piedmon, almost completely unharmed, smiling, "Damn you, Piedmon." She growled, letting her hands fall to her sides. She turned to Matt and Tai, and said, "It's time that Agumon and Gabumon showed what they're made of." They nodded, and Agumon and Gabumon Warp-Digivolved to Wargreymon and Metalgarurumon. They attacked him, but he used Trump Sword, making them Dedigivolve again. "NO!" Endohmon was angry now. But she was hit by a sword, Dedigivolving back to Miharumon, and Yumi caught her before she hit the ground. Metalseadramon, Machinedramon, and Puppetmon appeared, and Piedmon said, "Now we need some audience volunteers. Who wants to be the first to be destroyed?"

Yumi and Miharumon glared at him defiantly, when Mimi started crying, and saying how she didn't want to have to have such a big responsibility. He threw a dagger at her, but Chuumon took the blow. Mimi held him, and he disintegrated. Yumi was frozen, and she whispered, "We lost him. We lost a friend and we couldn't do anything…" Her crest glowed as she said, "I won't let him get away with this!" She glared at him with all the anger and defiance she could muster. "Mark my words, we will stop you!" Miharumon backed up her words with a snarl. Suddenly, a bomb blew up and Yumi found everyone in a barrier. "Piximon!" She cried out in joy, standing.

"Why can't we defeat them? You said we could if the eight of us were all together!" Tai said. "I did, but there's something else you need." "Then tell us!" Sora said. "This is something you must find out on your own. I'll hold them off while you go to Spiral Mountain." "I'm not leaving you behind! You'll never make it!" Yumi cried, and Miharumon stood, agreeing with her. "No, you all are needed at Spiral Mountain. Now go!" He was outside of the barrier and smacked them away.

Yumi asked, holding her crest, "Do you really think he can do it?" "I hope so." Miharumon said, leaning her head on Yumi's waist. They soon found themselves at the beach, where they had first been when Shellmon attacked them. They were resting, when they heard screaming from the water, and splashing. While the Digimon stayed on the beach, the kids went onto a boat to help whoever it was. It turned out to be Shellmon, and he didn't seem any friendlier. Obana yelled, "Akiramon!!" Akiramon ran so fast that he stayed on top of the water, and used Jackal Kick. Yokomon, Motimon, Bukamon, and Tanemon Digivolved to Biyomon, Tentomon, Gomamon, and Palmon.

The others were too tired to help. Akiramon jumped onto the edge of the boat, and asked, "Are you guys okay?" Everyone nodded, and he jumped off, delivering another powerful Jackal Kick as Gomamon used Marching Fishes to help get them back to land. When Shellmon left, Miharumon nuzzled Yumi, wanting to make sure she was really okay. Suddenly, the delicious aroma of food came to Miharumon's sensitive nose, and she looked down the beach to see a snack bar. Obana said, crossing her arms, "I think it's a trap. I don't trust it." Yumi nodded, agreeing, but everyone ran. Everyone ran in, and Yumi was about to follow when she saw sand cover the entrance.

Miharumon snarled as she heard Metalseadramon and Scorpiomon. Yumi grabbed her by the neck and grabbed Obana's wrist, dragging them into the safety of the trees. She saw him check on the others, and he sent Scorpiomon to find them. He found them, and, much to Miharumon's annoyance, they ran. He chased them for quite a while before Miharumon turned on him, snarling, and shot a Howling Inferno. He stopped, but the attack did little damage. Miharumon was too weak to Digivolve again, so Akiramon stepped forward, and Digivolved to Kazumamon. He shot a Piercing Arrow, but it didn't do much damage. Yumi said, "Obana, you need to help him Digivolve!"

Scorpiomon was trying to hit Kazumamon with his spiked tail. "But, I can't! My crest never glows!"
Yumi turned to her, saying, "You can do it!" "But, will it work?" "Just trust me!" Obana nodded, saying, "I-I trust you." Suddenly, her crest glowed, and Kazumamon Digivolved to Takumimon. Takumimon looked like Kazumamon except that he wore a jacket with out sleeves and he didn't have a bow and quiver of arrows. The slit where his eyes used to show was zipped closed. Scorpiomon, still seeing no threat, attacked. Takumimon held onto the flute hanging from his neck, and used Freezing Song.

Scorpiomon froze, unable to move, and Miharumon jumped at him, hitting him in the neck with a Howling Inferno. He was knocked out, and Takumimon lifted him onto his back as they raced to save the others. They saw Metalseadramon about to torch the snack bar, so Yumi raced in, Miharumon and Obana at her heels, and they started waking everyone up and helping them out of the building before it was torched. Takumimon left Scorpiomon in the burning building as he lifted Obana and ran out. They were at the beach again, and Miharumon smiled, saying, "At least we got out of there." Takumimon nodded, until Metalseadramon appeared.

Gomamon Digivolved all the way to Zudomon, and everyone got on his back. Takumimon said, "I'll hold him off." He ran at Metalseadramon, and jumped to the side as he tried to swat him. He saw them trying to escape on Zudomon, but, before he could shoot them, Takumimon used Sonic Sonnet. Metalseadramon was getting annoyed, and flicked Takumimon aside with a powerful flick of his tail. Takumimon was hit so hard that he flew at Zudomon, Dedigivolving to Tsubasamon, a small, furry head with a ball of fluff for a tail. Obana caught him, and he said, softly, "Sorry…I couldn't do more." "There's nothing to forgive." Obana said, smiling.

Suddenly, Metalseadramon rammed into Zudomon, making everyone fly off. Miharumon swam to the surface, coughing, and looked around to see that Yumi hadn't surfaced. Miharumon, out of fright, whimpered audibly before swimming down to look for her friend…her best friend. She saw Yumi, unconscious, still slowly sinking, and grabbed her by the shirt, pulling her up. Once at the surface, she fixed Yumi onto her back as Metalseadramon used River of Power, making Zudomon Dedigivolve back to Gomamon. Miharumon snarled, but she didn't dare attack, for fear that Yumi would get hurt. What do I do now? She thought.