Ruby groaned as she sat up, Koromon on her chest.
'Just like when we first met…'
She looked at everyone, seeing they had just woken up, and shook her head, trying to clear her muddled, sleep-filled thoughts.
"We're back, guys…"
Anna nodded, rubbing her eyes as she hugged Motimon to her chest, and Rose stood up a bit shakily, holding Tsunomon with a grumpy pout.
"Why's it so dark?"
Ruby shrugged.
"Whoa! Look up there!"
Everyone looked up at Gem's exclamation.
"It's Earth!"
"It's logical…we can see Earth from the Digital World just like we saw the Digital World from Earth."
John was looking around, probably worried about something.
"Gomamon! Gomamon, where are you?"
He was looking through some tall grass, and Gomamon poked his head out of his bag.
"I've been snoozing over here!"
"Fine, then we'll just save the world without you, then-."
He was cut short as a pink blur surprised him, knocking him over as the ground moved, and he was stuck clinging to the edge by his elbows. The In-Training level Digimon Digivolved to Rookie, and all the Digimon charged.
"WAIT!"
They all stopped, Stingmon staying back anyway. Gem moved forward, and kneeled down.
"It's okay…we won't hurt you…you can come out…"
Salamon moved to her side, just in case, when Chuumon came out, looking exhausted and beaten.
"Chuumon!"
Cathy was there in a moment, catching the poor Digimon before he fell over.
"Cathy? I'm so glad you came back to save us…"
He passed out, and Cathy had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.
'Something bad must've happened…Sukamon and Chuumon used to be inseparable…'
"WOULD SOMEONE LIKE TO HELP ME UP?!"
"Oh! I forgot all about you, John!"
Gomamon ran to him.
"Great! I'm hanging by my elbows and YOU'RE OFF IN LA LA LAND!!"
"…I wonder what it's like to have elbows…"
Ruby and Rose went to help him up, and saw the land around them start breaking apart and moving.
"Weird…"
They all went back to the others as Chuumon woke up, Cathy sympathetically asking what had happened. He explained that he'd lost Sukamon as the island had started breaking apart, Sukamon falling into a dark pit. He continued to say a dark evil had started reshaping the Digital World, so it would be easier to conquer, and had hid away.
"You mean the whole Digital World has changed? Nothing's the same anymore?" Alice questioned, looking worried.
"How's it different?"
"Everything's been taken apart and relocated way up there!"
He led them to a large mountain.
"It's called Spiral Mountain! There's nothing left except some ruins."
Ruby looked up, feeling a bit intimidated, but did her best to hide it.
"What happened to the other Digimon? What happened to Leomon?" Crystal questioned, hugging Patamon tighter.
"I don't know, but they'll destroy anything that tries to get in their way!"
"Who will?" Cathy coaxed.
"Who? The Dark Masters."
"Well, they can't be too much tougher than anyone else we've faced before." John stated.
"No way! They'll beat the pants right off of you!"
"We beat Myotismon, so we can get rid of these clowns." Rose retorted, a hand on Gabumon's head.
"Don't worry, Chuumon. As long as the eight of us are together, we'll keep those bullies away from you." Cathy promised, smiling.
A dark chuckle made everyone tense, looking for its source.
"I've been waiting for you, Digidestined!!"
A large metal Digimon burst through the ground before them, and Chuumon panicked.
"No! It's Metalseadramon!!"
They started running, but he seemed to fly right alongside them, smashing his tail down and separating them.
"If that's how you want it, we'll play rough, too!"
Rose stood up, Digivice in hand.
"Let's teach this overgrown lizard a lesson, Gabumon!"
"You too, Agumon!!"
All the Digimon Digivolved to the Champion level, and attacked. They were thrown aside easily, and Michael ran to Stingmon's side.
"What's wrong? Why is he so much stronger?"
Anna was on the Digimon Analyzer in a moment.
"He's a Mega Digimon! Even eight Champion can't beat one Mega!"
Metalseadramon used River of Power, and they all flew into a bright white light. Crystal woke up in a mist, Angemon still holding onto her, and heard Michael groan as he sat up, waking Stingmon.
There was a strange roar in the mist, and both Stingmon and Angemon went to check it out. Two blasts of light hit them, sending them flying back, and both Dedigivolved.
"Patamon!"
"No!"
They caught their Digimon, and Michael seemed worried.
"Wormmon? You okay?"
The others had woken up by now, and a strange mechanical Digimon came out of the mist.
"It's another Mega Digimon! It's Machinedramon!" Anna said as soon as she saw his profile on the Digimon Analyzer.
The Champion level Digimon Digivolved to Ultimate, and flew in to attack. Machinedramon shot them all out of the sky, sending them flying back, his shots so powerful they made the floor crumble, and they fell through, holding onto their Digimon.
When they suddenly stopped in a black void of what appeared to be nothingness, they looked around in confusion. Weregarurumon and Garudamon were punching each other, but couldn't seem to control their own bodies. Anna looked at her fingers, seeing thread attached to each digit.
"We've become string puppets! And somebody's operating us!"
"Well, aren't you a little smarty pants?!" A voice above them mocked.
"Who are you?"
"You don't know? Why don't I help you look up my profile on your special computer?"
Her fingers moved along the keys against her will, and surprise made her eyes widen.
"It's another Mega Digimon, Puppetmon!"
He pulled the kids out of the way before shooting the Digimon with Puppet Pummel, making them all Dedigivolve. They all fell down the dark pit, and found themselves in a strange coliseum. A clown rolled up on a big red ball, and Rose got an angry vein pulsing in her head.
"I HATE clowns…" she muttered, glaring.
He told a story of how the Digidestined tried to save the world, but the Dark Master's defeated them.
"Ha!!! Like THAT'LL happen!" Rose retorted angrily, and the others agreed.
"Oh, I'm sorry! Did I happen to mention that the story is true? I just wanted to give you a preview of the plot!"
The clown revealed himself to be a Digimon, and poor Chuumon panicked worse than before.
"It's Piedmon, a Mega Phantom Digimon!!"
"We'll see how great he is once WE'RE through with him!! Come on, Gabumon!!"
"Go get him, Agumon!!"
Both Digimon Warp-Digivolved, flying at the enemy.
"Show him we mean business, Wargreymon!!"
"Knock his block off, Metalgarurumon!!"
"Terra Force!!"
"Ice Wolf Claw!!"
Both attacks missed, and Ruby felt a bad feeling forming in her gut, as did Rose.
"WARGREYMON!!"
"METALGARURUMON!!"
"Trump Sword!!"
The attack made both of the Digimon Dedigivolve, and their partner's caught them before they hit the ground.
"This is bad…even two Mega Digimon couldn't bring him down…"
Gem looked worriedly at her sister.
"What now?"
"…I don't know…"
"You're Digimon are newly Digivolved! How can you expect them to fight a more skilled and superior Digimon!"
"Come down here and I'll show YOU who's superior!!" Rose growled.
Metalseadramon, Puppetmon, and Machinedramon came back, and Ruby looked around worriedly.
'What now? What now?'
She closed her eyes tight.
'It's all over…'
"Who would like to be the first to be destroyed?"
That's when the stress made Cathy snap, and tears formed in her eyes.
"I DIDN'T EVEN WANT TO GO TO CAMP IN THE FIRST PLACE!! I JUST WANTED TO STAY HOME AND READ COMICS!! I JUST WANT TO BE A NORMAL KID!! CAN'T SOMEONE ELSE SAVE THE WORLD BESIDES ME!?! IT'S NOT FAIR!!"
"Cathy…"
"You're incessant whining is getting on my nerves! You'll be the first one to go!"
A small dagger was flying at her heart, and Rose moved to get between them, but Chuumon was faster. It hit the poor Digimon in the heart, and Cathy couldn't stop the tears as she picked him up.
"Chuumon! Speak to me!! You poor thing!"
"Cathy…it's time for me…to be deleted…"
He seemed to fall unconscious.
"CHUUMON!!"
He evaporated, and the air seemed to shine around where he'd been.
"Chuumon was a fool! Who'd like to be next to make their grand exit?"
"YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR THIS TIME!!! I'LL WIPE THE FLOOR WITH THE WHOLE LOT OF YA!!!"
"Be my guest."
A bomb went off in front of the Dark Masters, and the Digidestined found themselves in a special barrier, Piximon with them.
"Piximon, why aren't we winning?! We're all together, just like you said we had to be! What's up?"
"The truth is, being together is not enough. You need something else in order to beat them."
"How are we supposed to know what if you don't help?!" Alice questioned, holding onto Yokomon.
"This is something you will discover on your own!!"
A blast shook the barrier, making a blinding white light.
"I'll stay behind and hold them!! You all make a run for it and head to the top of Spiral Mountain, but you'd better move it!!"
"But you won't make it!! Their all Mega Digimon!!" Ruby reasoned.
"I know I won't win, but I should be able to distract them long enough for you all to get away!"
"But-!"
"We need you on Spiral Mountain!! We're counting on you to beat 'em!!"
Another River of Power smashed into barrier, and Piximon flew out.
"Please go now!! You have a very important task ahead of you!! Once you succeed, no one will ever be able to stop you again!! I know you will make me proud of you!!"
He hit the barrier away with his spear, making them speed away.
"He's stronger than he looks." Michael stated, hugging Wormmon.
"He'll have to be…" John added.
'I hope he'll be okay…I'll miss him…'
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They looked around in the fog, seeing that it started clearing up, and found themselves on a beach. They were all sitting down on the sand, holding their Digimon.
"I'm tired…"
"I'm cold." Michael added to Crystal's complaint.
"Well, other than that, everyone's fine, right?" Ruby questioned, looking at each of them worriedly.
"…I feel like we've been here before…" Gem said, looking around.
"Wait…look at those smashed up phone booths!!" Anna added quickly.
"Could those be the same ones…?" Alice questioned, sitting up.
"It's like we've been traveling in one big circle!" Rose fumed.
They all continued walking along the beach, and Ruby looked up.
"Traveling in one big circle seems kinda pointless, doesn't it?"
"Wait! Maybe the pointlessness of it is the whole point!"
Everyone stared at Alice.
"Thanks for the philosophy, but I don't think it's helping…"
Screaming reached Ruby's ears, and she turned to the water to see wild splashing.
"Someone's gotta do something!" Michael looked at the Digimon.
"They're too tired. They'll be drowned themselves." Gem stated.
"Then we'll just have to go!" Michael retorted, heading to the water.
"Whoa there!"
John caught up to him, saying, "Maybe we should ALL go…we can use that boat."
Everyone got in, and left their Digimon on the shore as they paddled out. When they got closer, the high-pitched screaming deepened, and Shellmon came out of the water.
"Oh man!!!"
They started paddling as fast as their arms could go, Shellmon right behind them. Shellmon broke off the extra part to the boat, and were nearly toppled over.
"Bukamon, Digivolve to…GOMAMON!!"
"Tanemon, Digivolve to…PALMON!!"
"Motimon, Digivolve to…TENTOMON!!"
"Yokomon, Digivolve to…BIYOMON!!"
Palmon, still on shore, used Poison Ivy to grab Shellmon's head as Biyomon and Tentomon used Spiral Twister and Super Shocker. Gomamon used Marching Fishes, which helped speed the boat back to shore.
Shellmon retreated, and everyone was back on shore. The sun seemed to shine brighter, and everyone looked down the beach, seeing a snack bar.
"YEAH!! FOOD!!"
"WAIT-!!"
Ruby's warning fell on deaf ears, but she followed.
'Just to make sure they're safe…' she assured herself.
Cathy tripped, accidentally bringing John down with her, and Michael stopped to help them up.
"Hurry up, guys!! They're gonna eat without us!!" Gomamon exclaimed.
They were about to follow, when the doorway was blocked with sand.
"It was a trap!!"
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"Just GREAT!! I KNEW this was a bad idea!!"
Scorpiomon drilled through the sandy floor, and used Scorpion Storm.
"Wha-!…No…no…"
"Can't…breath…"
"Can't…stay awake…"
They all were soon unconscious on the floor, Ruby shielding Gem and Crystal.
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Cathy, John, and Michael slowly approached the snack bar, and looked in the window to see everyone was unconscious and covered in sand. They heard Metalseadramon's voice, and hid behind some trees and bushes, watching as he talked with Scorpiomon.
As Scorpiomon ate the large amount of clams, he threw the shells, and one bounced off Gomamon's head, making him cry out softly. Metalseadramon heard, but they stayed hidden, and Metalseadramon checked on the others.
"THERE ARE ONLY SIX!! GO AND FIND THE OTHER TWO NOW!!" He ordered, and Scorpiomon scurried to obey.
He found them, but they ran faster than he did, and had the stamina to keep running. They hid behind some rocks, catching their breath, and found that Scorpiomon had disappeared. Their Digimon, hungry, found clams, breaking them open and eating the insides. Scorpiomon came out of the water, angry.
"Get your mitts off my clams!!"
Gomamon and Palmon Digivolved, dodging Scorpiomon's Scorpion Storm. Scorpiomon brushed off their attacks, and Wormmon jumped forward.
"You can't pick on my friends like that!! Wormmon, Digivolve to…STINGMON!!"
He flew up, looking intimidating.
"Spiking Strike!"
Scorpiomon hit him away roughly with his spiked tail.
"Stingmon!!"
Michael's crest started to glow, and Cathy and John looked in surprise at Stingmon as he Digivolved.
"Stingmon, Digivolve to…PAILDRAMON!!"
Togemon and Ikkakumon joined in, and they all went up against Scorpiomon.
"Desperado Blaster!!"
"Flower Cannon!!"
"Vulcan's Hammer!!"
Scorpiomon was knocked out, and they were racing to get back, Zudomon pulling Scorpiomon along.
"Come on, Paildramon!! Faster!!" Michael urged.
As they got closer, they saw Metalseadramon shoot fire from his mouth, and they rushed to get in.
"Come on, everybody!! Get up!!"
Michael helped up Alice as the others were pulled to their feet.
"Just keep moving!!"
The fire had already started, and Zudomon left Scorpiomon to cook. They found safety farther off, and Gem and Crystal looked in wonder at Paildramon as the others talked.
"We may not stand a chance against Metalseadramon…but how are we supposed to save the world, then?"
Ruby wracked her brain, giving herself a headache.
"Watch out!"
Everyone jumped at Tentomon's warning, and saw a large wave, Metalseadramon plunging through it.
"We'll draw him off! Zudomon, you get the others to safety!" Paildramon ordered, flying towards the Mega Digimon with Lillymon.
As he chased them, everyone piled onto Zudomon's back before he started swimming. Michael looked back, checking if Paildramon was alright.
"He's seen us!"
Metalseadramon started swimming after them, everyone urging Zudomon to go faster, when Lillymon and Paildramon decided to attack.
"Flower Cannon!!"
"Desperado Blaster!!"
The attacks just bounced off, and Metalseadramon hit them towards Zudomon, both Dedigivolving.
"Palmon!!"
"Minomon!!"
Zudomon stopped, turning to face Metalseadramon, who sank into the water. They all looked around, the suspense making their hearts race, when Metalseadramon rammed Zudomon in the side.
They were all knocked off, and started panicking in the water. Metalseadramon used River of Power, making Zudomon Dedigivolve to Gomamon and hit John in the face.
'Oh no…what now?'