A/N: Prepare for a VERY long chapter.

"Hawkmon, how long do you think it's been since Tomoya's left?" Theo asked.

"Methinks he hast been gone for over a week," Hawkmon said. "And the time of departure from our other friends is one day less. Just be glad the forest has lost all of its fog."

"Do you think that maybe…Tomoya's dead?" Theo asked.

"Doubtfully; Tomoya is much too stubborn to die like this."

"Hold on a sec; do you hear that?"

"I hear nothing, Theo. What is it you think you hear?"

"It kind of sounds like…someone's singing. And it's coming from over there! Come on!" Theo ran off in the direction he heard the voice coming from.

"Theo, wait! Oh, sometimes, you can be downright infuriating!" Hawkmon said, flying after his partner.

"It's coming from that lake," Theo said quietly, looking through the trees at a lake to see a woman swimming with an armful of treasure.

"Oh, dear, it's Mermaimon," Hawkmon said disdainfully. "Theo, do thyself a favor and stay away from that woman; she is nothing but trouble!"

"But…"

"Listen, Theodore; that woman is nothing more than a common thief who lives for the thrill of stealing what she has no right taking!"

"Excuse me!" a short Digimon said, walking up to Theo and Hawkmon. "Have either of you seen a woman with an armful of jewels and stuff around here?"

"Yes, actually-"

"No, we haven't seen anyone fitting that description!" Theo said, interrupting his Digimon.

"I see; sorry to disturb you, then!" the Digimon said running off.

"Who was that?"

"That was a Dracmon, a mischievous prankster," Hawkmon said. "But that is beside the point; why didst thou lie to Dracmon?"

"I just want to speak with that Mermaimon, ok?" Theo said, walking between the trees and through the lake to get to Mermaimon. "Excuse me, Mermaimon?"

"What do you want?" Mermaimon asked suspiciously.

"I, uh, saw that Dracmon you stole from, and I pointed him in the wrong direction for you," Theo said.

"Oh, you did? Well, that was nice of you! You got a name, handsome?"

"You can just call me Theo."

"Well, Theo, what made you decide to talk to me?"

"Well, to be honest, you kind of remind me of myself."

"Really? In what way?"

"You're a greedy thief, Mermaimon, taking only what does not belong to you. I like that."

"Well, then, how would you like to work alongside me?"

"Are you serious?! Theo asked excitedly.

"I am; as you could probably tell from my name, I don't travel well on land," Mermaimon said embarrassedly. "I'd need someone like you to help me with the land heists….someone…willing to do exactly as I say."

"I'm in!" Theo exclaimed.

"Theo, I must protest!" Hawkmon said disdainfully. "As a Digidestined, thou cannot go around stealing what doesn't belong to thee!"

"Ignore him, Mermaimon; so, when do we get started?"

"Whenever you want, Theo."

"Well, that does bloody does it! If thou want to be with this treacherous thief, go ahead, but I'll have no part in it!" Hawkmon snapped, flying away.

"Hey, where is everybody?!" Tomoya asked once he had entered Phelesmon's old hideout.

"We were only gone for about twenty minutes; they couldn't have given up on us that easily!" Candlemon said. "Unless…"

"Unless what?" Tomoya asked nervously.

"That fog that used to be covering that forest…it may have been Cherrymon's attack called Illusion Mist, making it seem like less time passed than what really did! That would explain why the fog disappeared right after I killed Cherrymon!"

"And so they've all split up to look for me for who knows how long!" Tomoya said, and then pulled out the whistle Kuwagamon gave him.

"I don't think you should use that just yet," Candlemon said as they walked out of the cave. "At least…just wait until we find at least one other friend of ours!" as soon as he had said that, Hawkmon come out of nowhere and crash-landed on top of Tomoya.

"Tomoya?! Candlemon?! Are thee real and not some mental illusion?!" Hawkmon exclaimed.

"Yeah, we're real," Tomoya said.

"Where's Theo and the others? How long have we been gone?" Candlemon asked.

"It hast been two weeks since thou disappeared," Hawkmon said.

"An entire week passed and we didn't even know about it!" Tomoya said, causing Hawkmon to gaze at him in wonder.

"Really, Tomoya; I had heard thou art unobservant, but to not notice an entire week go by?!"

"It wasn't our fault; it was a Cherrymon's Illusion Mist attack!" Candlemon said.

"Oh, I see."

"So, where's Theo?" Tomoya asked.

"Hmph, don't speak to me about that lad!"

"Why not? Did you two have an argument or something?" Candlemon asked.

"It be far worse than that; for about a week now, Theo has been working alongside a treacherous woman called Mermaimon."

"What are they doing?" Tomoya asked.

"They art acting as common criminals, stealing anything that isn't nailed to the floor!" Hawkmon said disdainfully.

"Well, Theo's sin is greed, so it does make sense," Tomoya said.

"That is what is angering me so much! It was only a week since Sanzomon told everyone of their sins, and Theo seems to have utterly forgotten everything she has said!"

"All right, I'll try and talk some sense into that kid…"

"All right, here's all the treasure you asked for this time, plus more," Theo said, dumping all of the gold treasure he had found into Mermaimon's secret stash.

"Wow, it really is more! Well done, Theo!" Mermaimon said happily. "You're learning this stuff quicker than I did!"

"Well, I did learn from the best, after all," Theo said modestly.

"AHA! Mermaimon!" a voice said from behind Theo.

"Oh no, Gargoylemon!" Mermaimon exclaimed.

"We have a warrant for the arrest of both you and the human!" Gargoylemon said. "Seize the human, Piximon!" the two small Piximon went up beside Theo and grabbed his arms, forcing him to walk where they chose.

The eyes of those Piximon…they seem darker than normal…

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney, and since there is no currency in the Digital World, one will be appointed to you," Gargoylemon read the Digital World's version of the Miranda Rights.

"Theo, what are we going to do?!" Mermaimon asked desperately.

"Don't worry, Mermaimon; I think I've watched enough Law & Order to know how to get us out of this," Theo said. At least, I hope so… Soon, Gargoylemon and the Piximon had brought Theo and Mermaimon to what appeared to be an outside courtroom.

"May I present to you the Honorable Judge Zudomon!" Gargoylemon said, motioning to the large blue walrus-like Digimon in the judge's chair.

"Order in the court!" Zudomon said, smacking the sound block (that little wooden thingy that judges hit with their gavels) with his hammer.

"Uh…Sir Zudomon, the jury has yet to arrive," Gargoylemon whispered.

"I knew that!" Zudomon said boisterously. "Bring them in already!" Zudomon roared as the thirteen members of the jury sat down across from him. Theo recognized eleven of them as the Rookie-level partners of the Digidestined from the TV show, as well as a Gatomon and the Dracmon he saw a week ago.

Strange…all of their eyes seem to be darker than normal, just like the two Piximon, and even Zudomon! Well, Dracmon doesn't seem to have eyes, but…

"On the charge of stealing from all of these innocents, how do you plea, Theo and Mermaimon?" Zudomon asked.

"Not guilty!" Theo and Mermaimon said unanimously.

"Where is your lawyer?"

"Here I am! Sorry I'm late!" a Vademon said. This Vademon was dressed in a black suit jacket, complete with a red necktie. The Vademon also had dark eyes.

"Oh, jeez, not Vademon…" Theo moaned as the Vademon, which he thought of as the most insane Digimon in the entire Digital World, approached them.

"Remember, deny everything!" Vademon whispered. "I apologize, bailiff, but how did the defendants plea?"

"Not guilty!" Gargoylemon said, rather annoyed.

"Oh, good choice!" Vademon said happily, giving both Theo and Mermaimon a thumbs-up.

"This is going to be a long day…" Theo moaned.

"So, do you guys have any evidence that my employees committed the crime that you are accusing them of?" Vademon asked.

"Yes, every member of the jury here has witnessed them," Gargoylemon said.

"Oh…well, then, I'd like to call a witness to the stand; Gatomon, perhaps?" the Gatomon in the jury did as she was told without question. "Gatomon, did you witness my clients stealing from you?"

"Yes, they stole my tail ring," Gatomon said, showing her ringless tail.

"Huh…well, does anyone else have anything else to say?" Vademon asked.

"Yeah, they stole some of my fish friends!" Gomamon said.

"They stole my fur coat," Gabumon said, trying to hide.

"MY FUCKING SANDWICH!" Agumon screamed.

"Well, do any of you have any proof that my clients stole from you?" Vademon asked. "If not, then all we have to go by is the words of a biased jury; hardly a reason to send my clients to jail, if you ask me."

"I recorded them committing the crime," Dracmon said, holding up a video camera. "Perhaps you'd like to take a look, Vademon?"

"OBJECTION!" Theo shouted.

"Overruled; Dracmon is not a lawyer," Zudomon said. "Proceed."

"Thank you, sir," Dracmon said, handing the camera to Vademon.

"Oh, my…" Vademon said with a disturbed look on his face. "Why did you steal that sandwich?"

"I was hungry!" Theo said.

"So was I," Agumon grunted.

"I guess I can't really argue with evidence like this, can I?" Vademon asked. "It seems as clears as day that Theo is the only one committing theft."

"What?!" Theo shouted in disbelief.

"I'm seeing no footage of Mermaimon stealing anything," Vademon said. "Therefore, you, Theo, shall be the only one sentenced."

"On the account of theft, how does the jury find Theo?" Zudomon asked.

"Guilty!" Gatomon said.

"On the account of theft, how does the jury find Mermaimon?" Zudomon asked.

"Not guilty!"

"Case dismissed; Vulcan's Hammer!" Zudomon slammed his hammer down with incredible force on the sound block. "Take him away, Gargoylemon!"

"Yes sir!" Gargoylemon said, grabbing Theo by the arm.

"Well, that hardly seemed like a fair trial," Tomoya said, having secretly watched the trial from a tree with Candlemon and Hawkmon.

"Well, they aren't completely wrong, either," Hawkmon said. "Theo really did commit those crimes, and so did Mermaimon."

"But they let Mermaimon go free," Candlemon said. "It's like they're trying to frame Theo!"

"Theo did greedily steal, but we cannot have him in jail if we are to save the Digital World!" Hawkmon said.

"Maybe…perhaps Mermaimon was trying to do this to Theo from the very beginning?" Tomoya suggested.

"Of course; that would explain everything! And Vademon, Zudomon, Gargoylemon, and the jury are all in on it too!" Hawkmon said.

"Well, come on; we've got to bust Theo out of jail!" Candlemon said, jumping out of the tree alongside Hawkmon and Tomoya.

"Hey, wait just a minute!" Tomoya shouted at Gargoylemon.

"Tomoya?!" Theo exclaimed in disbelief.

"That's our friend you're taking to jail!" Candlemon said.

"So what? This human thought it would be funny to try and steal from innocent Digimon and get away with it!" Gargoylemon said.

"Yeah, we know he committed a crime," Candlemon said.

"Several crimes," Zudomon corrected.

"Ok, we know he committed several crimes, but we need his help to save the Digital World!" Tomoya said.

"What an absolute joke!" Gargoylemon laughed. "Even his lawyer thinks he should go to jail!"

"Yeah, but,"

"Now, get out of my way so I can take him to jail where he belongs!"

"I don't think so! Candlemon Digivolve to, Wizardmon! Magical Game!" Wizardmon turned invisible, and then, without warning, a bolt of lightning struck Gargoylemon's back, making him let go of Theo.

"Theo, art thou all right?" Hawkmon asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine…Hawkmon, I thought you weren't going to speak to me ever again," Theo said.

"How could I not? Thou art my human partner; without you, I would not be able to soar through the skies as Thunderbirdmon!"

"Speaking of Thunderbirdmon, what say we get him to get us out of here?"

"Splendid idea; Hawkmon Digivolve to, Thunderbirdmon!"

"Anchor Blitz!" Mermaimon kissed her anchor and swung it, creating an energy wave that struck Thunderbirdmon, making him fall to the ground.

"Mermaimon, what are you doing?!" Theo asked.

"Well, my little plan to 'get you in jail' failed, so I decided to take matters into my own hands," Mermaimon said.

"Why?!"

"Isn't it obvious? I thought if you were overwhelmed with the sin of greed, you'd be unable to help out your Digidestined friends! Of course, I wouldn't have been able to do all of this on my own, so I used my Charm Plunder attack to take over the minds of Gargoylemon, Vademon, Zudomon, and every member of the jury, which turned out better than I thought until angry boy over there showed up," Mermaimon said, looking at Tomoya. "Also, I'm going to let you in on a little secret; in the Digital World, there is no need for prisons. We don't take prisoners! Anchor Blitz!"

"Thunderstorm!" Thunderbirdmon flapped his wings, sending Mermaimon's attack back at her.

"Thunderbirdmon…I'm sorry for being so greedy. Could you ever forgive me?" Theo asked.

"I will if thou promise to never wrongfully steal another thing ever again," Thunderbirdmon said.

"Yes, of course; I promise I'll never steal again!" Theo said.

"Oh, you little brat! Anchor Blitz!" Mermaimon aimed her attack at Theo, but Thunderbirdmon flew in front of him just in time to protect him.

"Thunderbirdmon, are you ok?!"

"Yeah…I am still able to fight! But…I'll need a little help. Mermaimon is an Ultimate, and I am but a Champion…"

"Gotcha; I've got just the thing to even the odds!" Theo said, taking out his key and aiming it at Thunderbirdmon, making a thin beam of light shoot out of it at Thunderbirdmon, making the Digimon become completely enveloped in light.

"Thunderbirdmon Digivolve to, Parrotmon!"

"Damn it, so you're an Ultimate now too, huh?!" Mermaimon hissed. "Doesn't matter; I can still beat you; Anchor-"

"I don't think so!" Parrotmon shouted as he punched Mermaimon in the stomach, stopping her from attacking. "Mjollnir Lightning!" from his forehead, Parrotmon unleashed a powerful blast of electricity that struck Mermaimon, instantly killing her, making her turn into data which Parrotmon absorbed before turning back into Hawkmon.

"Wow, that was a cool Digivolution!" Tomoya said.

"Ow, my head…" Gargoylemon said weakly, struggling to stand up.

"What just happened? How did I end up in this forest?" Zudomon asked.

"You were all being controlled by a Digimon called Mermaimon!" Theo said to all the Digimon, whose eyes all stopped being dark now that Mermaimon was dead.

"I've heard of Mermaimon before," Vademon said. "She's supposed to be able to sing to any Digimon and control their minds however she wants."

"Is that what happened? I don't recall that happening," Zudomon said.

"Don't worry, I have just destroyed the foul Mermaimon, so thou aren't in any danger anymore," Hawkmon said.

"You did? Well, thanks, little guy! I should be heading home now," Zudomon said, walking away, along with every other Digimon (besides Candlemon and Hawkmon.)

"Good job out there, Hawkmon. Thank you for forgiving me," Theo said.

"It is as I said; thou promised to end thy insatiable greed, so it only be natural that I forgive thee," Hawkmon said.

"Listen, Theo…there's something I need to go do," Tomoya said.

"What?"

"There's a Digimon up in the mountains called Mercurymon…he has the answers I seek, so I have to go see him."

"Ok, I'll come with you, then!"

"No; you and Hawkmon need to work toward trying to find the others, and I'll join up with you when I'm done."

"Well, all right…you are the leader, so I guess I trust you, then," Theo said.

"I wish thee luck on thy quest," Hawkmon said.

"Thanks…same here," Tomoya said, taking out the whistle Kuwagamon gave him, blowing on it, and instantly, the giant red beetle was there.

"Are you ready to go to the mountains, Tomoya?" Kuwagamon asked.

"Yes."

"All right, you and Candlemon climb on," Kuwagamon said, lowering himself so Tomoya and Candlemon could climb on his back. "And away we go!" Kuwagamon said excitedly as he took off.

"Well, there they go," Theo said.

"Theo, what is that?" Hawkmon said, pointing to something that was glowing in front of them.

"I'm not sure…" suddenly, the glowing stopped, and Theo could clearly see Sanzomon standing in front of him, although she was rather transparent. "Sanzomon?!"

"No…I am not Sanzomon, and yet I am at the same time."

"I don't understand."

"It is all right; just think of me as a hologram. Anyway, I have something for you…from the real Sanzomon. For overcoming your avaricious greed, I present to you this lock," the Sanzomon hologram handed Theo a green key lock. "You have successfully locked up your greed. That is what this lock symbolizes. If you still had the slightest amount of greed within you, you would not be able to touch this."

"Uh…thank you, Sanzomon," Theo said, but the hologram had already disappeared.

"Theo, look; there's a keyhole on the bottom! Try placing that key in it!" Hawkmon said.

"All right, here goes," Theo said, putting the key in the lock, but the key wouldn't turn either direction. "That's weird; the key fits perfectly, but it won't move!"

"Regardless, thou ought to hold on to it; it could prove to be useful in the near future."

"Well, another soldier destroyed," Dracmon said, looking at the exact spot Mermaimon was killed. "First Cherrymon, then Mermaimon…she had such a good plan, too, but it was ruined by the one Cherrymon's plan successfully worked on! How's that for irony? Well, I'd better head back to report what happened."

A/N: Sorry if I got anything a judge would say incorrect.