"BAROMON!"
All the warriors gaped at the new arrival. Exhausted, the small group of warriors fell onto the ground to rest, the digimon warriors returning to their spirit forms.
"I was wondering when you would show up," Lowemon said as he and Kouichi walked over to the others with Baromon.
"I'm not sure I want to ask this, but what is going on?" Agunimon questioned from his place on the ground.
"I am sure you have many questions, and I have many answers. Now, come with me. The enemy will recover soon," Baromon explained, turning around and walking off down the corridor.
"Hey!" J.P. groaned. "Haven't you ever heard of resting?"
"No time. No time," Baromon's voice floated down the corridor from where the warriors could no longer see Baromon's body.
"I really didn't miss this part of our digital world adventure: never ending moving," J.P. muttered.
"Need help?" Kouichi asked quietly, extending his hand to Kouji, who was trying to catch his breath on the ground.
"Thanks," Kouji responded softly, grabbing Kouichi's hand and standing up.
The twins proceeded down the cave, followed closely by their partner digimon.
"I guess, it's time to get moving," Agunimon cheered, a slight waver in his normally confident voice.
"Come on, little buddy," Takuya said, helping Tommy to his feet.
"Need some help, Z," J.P. said, trying to sound smooth, as he jumped up and offered a hand to Zoe.
"I'm fine, thank you," Zoe replied, using her wings to fly to her feet. She floated down the cave, without looking back at J.P. causing said boy to whimper.
Within minutes, all the warriors were trudging down the cave, following Baromon, who seemed unaffected by the massive battle that had taken place only a few miles from his house. The walk to Baromon's dwelling was consumed by silence.
Finally, the small, but growing group, arrived in front of a stone door covered in carvings. Baromon inched up to the door and touched a carving near the middle, then a carving towards the top left, then another near the bottom, then another and another. The warriors lost track of the location of all the symbols Baromon was touching, but eventually, he stepped back and the door began to shake.
The rumbling worried the group, but because of Baromon's unfazed expression, they did nothing. The door collapsed to the ground, falling away from the warriors with an echoing crash.
"Is … that normal?" Takuya asked, eyes wide.
"Quite," Baromon responded, flippantly, as he walked over the stone door now acting as an entryway. "Come along."
Takuya glared in annoyance at the complete disregard Baromon was showing him, but followed anyway, showing the maturity he had gained during his last excursion in the digital world. The others followed behind, trusting more in Takuya than Baromon. At the edge of the stone door, Baromon stopped abruptly.
"What is wrong now?" Takuya groaned, bumping into the back of Baromon.
"I have much to show you," Baromon said, annoying all the warriors with his vague statements. Baromon placed two fingers upon the red gem on his forehead, which began to glow causing the door to shake and to float upwards. "We will start with your questions."
Silence.
"Huh … was that a question?" J.P. asked, hesitantly.
Baromon did not respond.
"What … what happened that made the digimon disappear?" Kouji asked, gaining courage from his loss of patience with the cryptic Baromon.
"Yes, yes, important question," Baromon muttered, directing the stone platform towards one of the floating cylinders that filled the grotto. Upon passing through the stone cylinder, the group was surrounded by the image of an unknown digimon surrounded by trees.
The digimon appeared mostly human with pale white skin, but with eight large black bat wings protruding from his back. Deep black hair spiked randomly atop his head and fell across demonic red eyes. A glossy black fabric wrapped around his body in a similar fashion to … Lucemon, who stepped into the scene just as the thought crossed their minds.
"Alphamon," the Lucemon from the scene called.
"Lucemon," 'Alphamon' called back in annoyance. "What are you doing here? Don't you have some poor sap you have to order around to feel powerful?"
"Quiet, you fool," Lucemon commanded, frowning.
"Don't try and manipulate me, little brother," Alphamon growled. "Go play your little mind games elsewhere!"
"My little mind games will allow me to rule the world, what are your little toys going to do for you!" Lucemon yelled back, kicking a black statue sitting near Alphamon's feet.
"My clone digimon will become mindless soldiers, who will do anything I say. I can create an army of elite digimon with only a handful of followers, while you have to manipulate thousands to get an army large enough to do anything," Alphamon explained, turning away from Lucemon to scoop up the discarded statue.
"We will see who ends up ruling the digital world in the end, my dearest older brother," Lucemon retorted, sarcastically. "It will take you decades to perfect your little toys, while there are plenty of 'saps' willing to do my bidding now."
"Perhaps," Alphamon replied, mysteriously, "but how long will they follow you? How long before they turn on you? My 'toys' will never disobey me. I will have complete control. What will you have?" Alphamon finished talking and walked away without another word to the now growling, frustrated Lucemon.
"Have your moment of glory, little brother? I will rule the world, some day."