My name is Adan Silvano, and I am a Chosen, and I used to be a Hunter. After me and my brother got our digimon partners, we had no idea what to do, by the Hunters came for us, and without anywhere else to turn, we joined them. We were with them for almost three years before Lord Sentry started his plans, and we were forced to attack DATS. Bolades and Ines and me didn't really want to, but my brother hated them because of what happened to my half-sister…I never even knew her, but he missed her so much.

But the Hunters had a plan to free Dagomon so they could find Yddrisil. While DATS was recovering from their battle with Dagomon, my brother went back to the Hunters. He found out that Lord Sentry was planning to use Yddrisil's power to bring GranDracmon back to life. He tried to find Sentry, but he was no match for him. Me, Akira and Kasumi rescued him, and now he's finally ready to help DATS.

-----

Twilight of the Heroes:

Chapter 2

-----------

The Hunters had assembled on the Island of Fortuna in Neodigital, this island was at the center of the newest version of the Digital World, it was this place that d'Arcmon once prophesized, it was this place that contained a gateway to an ocean where Dagomon was once imprisoned, a place that Dagomon called to with his dying breath. Now, the Hunters were once again standing before the strange tree at the island's center that stretched to the heavens. They were all straining their necks to see to the top.

"To think," Lord Sentry grinned, "It was here the entire time, it seemed so simple."

"Man," Nanook whined, "We hafta climb all the way up there?"

"No," Lord Sentry chuckled, "There is no need." He walked towards the tree and removed a black glove, revealing his mechanical hand. "With Dagomon's data, it should be a simple matter to…." He placed his hand on the trunk of the tree and grunted slightly. A wave of energy erupted from his hand and flowed through the massive circumference of the tree. A moment later, a large, square section simply vanished, creating a perfect doorway into the darkness of the center of the tree.

He mentioned to the others and laugh, "Come! It is time to let the world know of our ascendency!"

-----

The three leaders of DATS were in the hospital's conference room, in a tele-conference with the Prime Minister, along with the members of his cabinet. "I had just spoken to the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdoms, and a special session of the United Nations is going to be assembled in a few hours. Because we are the leading experts in…shall we say, 'digital' phenomenon and digital threats, they are waiting for any information we came give them."

Taichi nodded at the Prime Minister, "Okay, but what's going on?"

The Minister of Defense coughed before speaking, "We received a transmission earlier today…from the Hunters."

"Great," Yamato muttered, "What do they want now?"

"It's not good, not good at all," Minister Watanabe continued, "They sent a message to the leaders of the world…all the leaders of every nation on Earth, demanding that unless we surrender our armies to them, they're going to take this world by force."

"I wouldn't worry too much," Mitsuo said, "They don't have the resources for something like that."

"Schmidt's not stupid, you know," Taichi said, "And despite everything, he's not really a boaster, he wouldn't have said something like that unless he really had the capability to do something like that." He lightly rubbed his chin, then gasped.

"What?" Yamato asked.

Taichi stared at Japan's leaders, "You said that Schmidt sent a message to every nation?"

"Yes," Watanabe nodded.

Mitsuo stared at his brother-in-law, "What are you getting at?"

"Don't you get it?" he asked, "Even with the state of technology, there's really no way he could do that. How many nations are there on Earth? No, he couldn't do that unless…"

"He had Yddrisil?" Yamato asked.

"Yes, he's got to have found Yddrisil."

"Yddrisil?" the Prime Minister asked.

"We believe it to be the main computer of the Digital World," Mitsuo explained, "If Schmidt has control of the Digital World, then he could very well have control over all of the computers on Earth." He clenched his fist, "Damn it! If he has control over all of Earth's technology…"

"We're not out yet," Taichi interrupted, "The very fact that nuclear bombs aren't falling down on us right now means that probably they don't have full control over Yddrisil…which gives us time to act."

"A strike force?" Yamato asked, "But, we don't know where they…"

"No, but we have an idea, don't we?" he eyed the other two men.

Yamato and Mitsuo stared at one another with a questioning expression in their eyes. "What?"

"Fortuna!" Taichi exclaimed.

"In Neodigital?" Mitsuo question, "That was where Dagomon was imprisoned!"

"Yeah, exactly."

"B…but why would the First Chosen put him right where his power was?"

"Best guess, they were trying to imprison Yddrisil too, and for whatever reason, they didn't have enough power to seal both separately. It doesn't matter why, okay?"

Mitsuo still did not look convinced, "All right, fine, go and research it, but we don't have much time, okay?"

The Prime Minister spoke, "Shall I assume then that you will handle this?"

Taichi nodded, "Yes sir."

He nodded, "Then that is what I will tell the rest of the United Nations assembly today. Good luck."

------

"Mo-om!" Gabe sighed, pushing his mother's hands out of his face, "I'm fine, okay! I can feed myself!"

Mimi pulled the soup away from her son, who was still seated in the hospital bed. "Okay, okay." She put the bowl down on the tray, "Here."

Gabe sighed and began to eat the miso soup. "Where's Lizzie?"

"She's with Asami," Mimi answered.

The teenage boy dropped the bowl back on the tray, "Asami's out already?" He pushed the tray aside and was about to get up, but Mimi pushed him back.

"Asami was not injured," his mother said, "And you need to worry about yourself. Eat, okay?"

He grumbled as he pulled the tray back and continued to eat. He noticed that she was still staring at him, "I don't need to be supervised."

"Well I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, "I haven't seen you in months, and when I do see you, I had to fight you!"

Gabe sighed and rubbed his forehead, "Mom, I really can take care of myself you know…"

She sighed, "You want me to leave, is that it?"

"Just give me some space, okay?"

She grinned, "I can't do that, I'm your mother." She reached over and hugged him so tight that he couldn't move.

"Mom you're embarrassing me!"

She only chuckled.

-------

Kasumi was staring through the glass window into Mixcoatl's room-no, into Lino's room, she had to remind herself. He was sleeping in the bed, with Adan asleep in a small cot, and Ines in one of the chairs. She did not know if the Brazilian girl was asleep or not, but she was actually quiet, so she suspected as much.

"How are they?"

She turned to see her mother standing beside her in the hall. "Okay I guess, they're sleeping right now."

"Making sure they don't escape?" her mother said with a smile.

"Y…yeah, something like that. I'm just glad he's here."

"You are?"

"Yeah, I made a promise to save him, and I'm happy that he's finally here, rather then with the Hunters again." She sighed, "He…he….he was just lost, ya know? He didn't have anywhere to go, and the Hunters came for him, he was practically alone, what else was he gonna do? He had to worry about his brother…" She stared at the floor, "I probably would have done the same…" She raised her head with a smile, "But he's here….he's here with us…"

Sora stared at her daughter, then started to chuckle. "What?" Kasumi asked.

"Nothing, nothing," she replied quickly. She placed her hand on the girl's shoulder, "I'm very proud of you, and so's your father."

The girl began to blush, "M…mom!"

The redhead smiled, and mother and daughter hugged one another.

------

Shiro was doing sit-ups in his room when Yasu and Noriko entered. "Oniichan!" the blond girl cried, tackling him, "What are you doing? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I'm fine," he laughed, "I'm fine." He rose to his feet and looked at his mother, "How's Dad?"

"He's good," Noriko answered with a nod, "He and Mr. Yagami are talking to Mr. Yamaki."

"Really?" her son asked, raising an eyebrow, "What's going on?"

Yasu cringed her nose, "They're always having a meeting."

Shiro chuckled, "Yeah, I guess they do."

A voice came over the speakers in the PA system, "All DATS personal report to the briefing room on the fifth floor, All DATS personal report to the briefing room on the fifth floor."

Noriko sighed, "Well, whatever they were talking about, looks like we're going to find out."

-----

A few minutes later, all of the DATS agents, along with their partners, were seated within an auditorium room, with a simple stage in the back and chairs lining up the floor. Taichi, Yamato and Mitsuo were standing on the stage, with Taichi resting against the podium. He saw that Hikari and Asami had brought Miayag and Masa with them, as the mother and son were seated between mother and daughter, Akira had brought Adan, and it seemed that Eliane had brought Ines and Bolades. He was not really surprised that they would have brought the former Hunters, he knew his sister, he knew his niece, and it seemed that Akira and Adan were becoming close friends. He looked to his daughter, only to see her sitting with Sora and Yuki Agumon-was Lino not coming, or was he still too injured to move?...And why did he think that Lino would be sitting with Kasumi…?

He cleared his throat, "All right, we'd better get started. A few hours ago, every nation on Earth received a video message from the Hunters, stating that if they didn't surrender, then the Hunters were going to take this planet by force. The fact that every nation received this message all at the same time, says that the Hunters probably have control of Yddrisil."

Gabe snorted, "They can destroy us without a sweat now, and they're bragging about it, jeeze…"

"Actually," Taichi continued, "Because we're all still here probably means they don't have full control over Yddrisil yet." He mentioned to Mitsuo.

The blond man nodded, "Yes, we reviewed our sensor readings over the past few days, and discovered that a transmission was sent to the Island of Fortuna at the exact moment Dagomon was killed. Based on the information we have from that fight…" He eyed Masa and Asami, "..we think he was trying to contact Yddrisil with his dying breath. Most likely, the Hunters knew he would do this, and that's what they were waiting for."

"Then what are we sitting around here for?" Kasumi asked, "We're going to stop them, right?"

"Yes," Taichi said with a slight smile, happy that his daughter was not acting like the moody and depressed girl she had been over the past few weeks. "But, only the Royal Knights."

"What?" Jyou asked, "Are you sure? That really doesn't seem like a good idea."

Miayag raised her hand as she stood, "But, what about the Ancients? They wish to fight you and Yamato in six hours."

"Yes," he frowned, "I know, but the Hunters have the entire world in their hands, we have to stop them, right now, they're the bigger threat. That is why the majority of you have to stay here, you will need to stall the Ancients-reason with them-and if you need to, fight them. Either get them to leave the Earth once and for all, or destroy them, and right now, I really don't care which." He sighed, "We can worry about them later."

Miayag frowned, "I did promise them…"

"You're not breaking that promise," Yamato added, "We'll fight them, just…something more important came up."

She nodded as she sat back down, "I only hope they will listen."

Taichi nodded, "Okay, time's running out, so we gotta move. Kasumi, Shiro, Gabe, Kenji, Asami, Masa, be ready to leave in one hour."

"Wait!" his daughter shouted, "You want the Royal Knights to go, right? So what about…"

Taichi answered her, "If you can get him to come, then fine."

The girl grinned, "Oh, I think he'll wanna come."

-------

Lino raised an eyebrow as Kasumi came charging into the room, "Don't worry," he said, "I'm still here."

Kasumi stared at the boy lying in the bed, "Well, you're not going to be for much longer."

He stared at her, "What?"

"We're gonna go fight the Hunters, you wanna come?"

"The Hunters? What's going on?"

"I'll explain to you on the way." She ran over to the closet and threw some clothing onto the bed. "There, hurry up and get dressed."

He eyed her suspiciously as he threw off his sheet and rose to his feet. She was staring right at him. "How about a little privacy?"

She rolled her eyes and turned around so she was facing the door, "I do have a brother you know."

He dropped the gown to the floor and pulled on the pants, "Yeah, well my sister's dead, so you might be comfortable watching a guy change, but I'm not, alright?"

Kasumi sighed, letting her head drop, "Why do you always do that?"

"Do what?"

"The first thing you always think of is your sister, isn't it? She's your entire reason for…for everything, isn't she?"

He was buckling the pants, "Yeah, well, if you suddenly died, what do you think Akira would do?"

She chuckled, "Probably steal my video games."

"Well, let me rephrase that, what if your parents were never there, what if you did everything for Akira that your parents were supposed to do? Huh, what if Akira's was who he was because you practically raised him, what then?"

Kasumi slowly turned to face him, "I…I had no idea that…."

He sighed and slightly waved his hand, "M…my father worked two jobs, and my mother had a part-time job. They had to work all the time to support us, it wasn't that they didn't want to be there, they just couldn't be there." He looked to the ground, "Maria's mother wasn't my mother, her mother had moved back to Mexico, and she was still living with our father when he remarried. My mother-Maria's step-mother, loved her just like she was her own daughter, and she worked just as hard to support her, even though she didn't need to."

He turned and walked towards the window to stare at the city, "Maria practically raised me until I was around 4 years old, then…then she got sick…"

"BD-2," Kasumi said slowly.

"Yes, that's right. She wanted to stay with me, she really did, but…but that damn…damn plague was killing her. She thought-just like a lot of other infected Chosen did, that if she was in the Digital World, it's energy could help her. I guess it did, the infection wasn't spreading as fast, but…but then she got caught up in your father's war against GranDracmon!"

"It wasn't just my father's way!" Kasumi protested, "He, and all the other X-Chosen, was doing it to save the Digital World!"

"I know that!" he shouted back, still staring out the window, "But it didn't make it hurt any less when your mother came to tell me that she was dead. My sister was a part of my life, everyday until I was four, I remember her everyday. I thought I had gotten over it, but then I got my Patamon, my…those feelings just came rushing back, I couldn't handle all that pain. I knew that DATS was out there, they could help them, why didn't they try to find me? Why didn't they try to help me? My sister was gone, I had a digimon partner that I couldn't train, I was alone, abandoned, forgotten. Then, Adan got one too. How could I teach him about Gotsumon, when I didn't know anything about Patamon." He sighed, "I think….I think there were just too many emotions, too many problems, that I just started hating your parents, hating your organization, hating them, for reason that weren't even clear to me. I even helped Lord Sentry to bring back the same fucking bastard that killed my sister…" He took a deep breath, "And now…."

Kasumi ran over and placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned slightly to face her, "It's not too late," she said, "One thing I've learned, it's never too late." She gripped his hand with hers, "I know what you're going through, I've been there. When all those bad emotions and thoughts, when you can't control it…" She coughed slightly as tears formed in her eyes, "I…I even tried to kill myself…I had to go through hell-literally, to save myself." She suddenly embraced him, wrapping her arms around his body, burying her face in his chest, "I know that dark place you're in right now, please, let me show you the way out."

Lino was unsure of what to do with the weeping girl hugging him. He slowly raised his arms, then wrapped them around her back. He was surprised to find that tears were in his eyes too. He squeezed her tightly.

She pulled away to stare at him in the eyes. They were motionless for a moment, before their heads moved together, and their lips embraced. They pulled back, staring at one another as they did. Suddenly, they both began to blush and they jumped apart.

"I…I'm going to finish getting dressed," he said, grabbing the shirt.

"R…right," the girl nodded quickly, "I'll, um…I'll meet you outside the…um, in, in the, um…the basement parking lot." She quickly ran from the room.

----

"Are you okay?" Yuki Agumon asked when she saw her partner run through the elevator doors and onto the hard concrete of the parking lot.

"Y.., I'm fine, I'm fine," she breathed out through her lips, "Yup, I'm fine."

The dinosaur stared at her strangely.

Taichi walked over, "Did you talk to him?"

"Talk!" she exclaimed, "Y..yes, I..I talked to him, yup, we talked, yes…yes we did…"

Her father was staring at her, "…and?"

"And?! Right, and…and…and..and…"

The doors to the elevator opened and Lino exited slowly.

"And he's right there!" Kasumi said with a slight chuckle.

The former Hunter walked slowly towards the group of DATS agents. Adan, Gotsumon and Patamon charged over. "Lino!" Patamon called, fluttering over, "Lino, are you feeling okay?"

"Yes," he replied simply, "Yes, I am."

"You're going to help them, right brother?" Adan asked excitingly.

He nodded as he ruffled the top of his brother's hair, "Yes, I am."

He continued walking until he was facing the group. "I….would like to…apologize, for my actions. Everything I did…I did…willingly, but....it was…"

Taichi walked over and placed his hand on Lino's shoulder, "It's all right, we know. And thank you, for your help."

Lino looked over to Kasumi, who blushed slightly and looked away.

Gabe sighed and crossed his arms, "I don't know about this, can we really trust him?"

Shiro gave him a glance, "You trusted Masa, didn't you?"

The American boy mentioned to Kenji, Asami and Akira, "They trusted him, I…I just kinda got roped into it."

"Kasumi trusts him," Asami mentioned.

"Yeah," Gabe replied, "What's up with that?"

"What do you mean?" Shiro asked.

"She couldn't stand him a couple weeks ago, and now she's got his back?"

The two looked at him questioningly. "She's vouching for him," he clarified.

"Maybe they've got something in common," Shiro suggested.

Gabe crossed his arms, "I thought we had something in common."

"Well, don't worry," the blond boy said, "I'm sure you'll meet someone else you can't stand and then make up again."

He glared at him, "A joke from you? Well, will wonders never cease?"

Lino walked through the group until he approached Masa. The two former Hunters simply nodded at one another. "Looks like we'll be fighting on the same side again," Masa said.

"Yeah, for now anyway."

------

Once they group had made it to the DATS building, they immediately marched down to the room that housed the Digital Gates. Reika had already activated the gateway, which was a swirl of colors and odd shapes. "We are primed and ready for the dive."

Miayag hugged her son, "Be careful, do you understand me?"

"Yes, Mom," he said.

Michael and Mimi each took a turn hugging their son, "Be strong, and be cautious," his mother said.

"Just come back," Mimi said, "Okay?"

Lizzie punched her brother in the arm, "Owe!" he snapped, "Stop doing that!"

"You'd better come back, understand? I don't want to be an only child!"

Jyou was trying to speak to his son, but Kikku was hugging him too tightly. When he was finally able to pry her off, he placed a hand on Kenji's shoulder, "Be careful, and remember to watch out for your teammates."

"Yes, Dad."

Hikari was hugging her daughter and husband, "You're my family, my little girl, my love, just don't leave me alone, okay?"

Norko was practically shaking her husband, "If you don't come back, I'll hunt you down and drag you back, understand?"

Yasu was clinging to Shiro, "I don't wanna lose you, Oniichan!"

He smiled as he bent over to stare in her eyes, "You're not going to lose me, understand? No matter what happens, I'll always be watching over you, understand?"

The girl began to cry as she hugged him.

Sora kissed her daughter on the forehead, "You kick some butt.." She embraced her husband, "And you do your usual thing, understand."

"Usual thing?"

"You know," she smiled, "Save the world, beat the bad guy, that kind of thing."

Taichi chuckled, "Sure, I'll do that for you."

Adan was hugging Lino, while the older boy was address the two teenage girls. "Ines, Bolades, th…thank you fo…for standing by me…a…and…."

Ines chuckled, "No problem boss."

Lino stared down at his brother, "And you, do your best if those Ancients show up, understand?"

The boy nodded quickly, "Yeah, I will."

The group began to part, and they walked towards the gate. As they did, Bolades grabbed Masa's hand, "I just wanted to wish you luck, a…and I hope to see you when you return."

The boy gave a quick nod, "Yeah, I'll be back." He ran to join the others as they stood in front of the gate.

Taichi took a deep breath, "Alright, everyone ready?"

They all nodded.

The brown-haired man smiled, "Then let's go!" He jumped through the swirling colors, followed by Agumon X, then Yamato and Gabumon X, then the rest of the group dove through the gate.

"Digital dive complete," Reika said from her consol.

"And may heaven watch over them," Miayag nodded.

--------

Lord Sentry smirked and he began to chuckle. "What is it?" Orion asked.

"DATS has arrived," he snickered, turning to face Orion and Artemis, "When they arrive, keep them busy, I need to concentrate on the revival of GranDracmon and the Demon Lords."

Both Hunters nodded, "Yes sir!"

-------

When the Knights arrived in Neodigital, the skies were surprisingly dark, the green grass was a dull brown, the leaves were dull. "Is this Fortuna?" Asami questioned.

"Those were the coordinates," Mitsuo answered.

"She's right, though," V-mon added, "This place looks like a typhoon hit it."

Shiro examined his surroundings before speaking, "Actually, if they have control of Yddrisil, I suppose their very personalities could affect the reality of the Digital World."

Kenji gaped at his friend, "S…so, you mean that they could destroy the Digital World just by thinking of it?"

"…Yes, I suppose…"

"Oh crap," Gabe's Kotemon mumbled, "That's just great."

"Keep it together," Agumon X ordered.

The group continued to walk in silence up the mountain trail. Gabe and Asami were standing next to one another, but did not speak to one another, neither could bear to speak, not knowing if they would survive the upcoming battle. Kasumi and Lino were standing as far from each other as they could, keeping their attention focused firmly forward. However, they kept glancing at the other when the other was not looking. They both turned their heads at the same time, their eyes meeting. They quickly twisted their head, their cheeks blushing.

They arrived at the massive tree that was stretching into the heavens, far higher then any could see. Their eyes drifted to the large opening in the trunk of the tree that was gapping at them. They all nodded at one another, still silent. They each took a deep breath and stepped inside.

They instantly found themselves walking through a dark tunnel, with darkness so thick they could barely see one another. Kenji's Otamamon, who was in the rear, glanced over his shoulder. Instead of the opening leading to the Island of Fortuna, there was nothing but a long black emptiness. "Uh, I think we've got a problem!"

The others turned as well. "That's just great!" Kasumi grumbled, "This gets better and better."

Gabumon X frowned, "I guess there's nothing left to do but keep walking forward."

Shiro's Psychemon glanced around the blackness, "How do we even know we're moving at all? We could have been walking for hours, but not moved anywhere, everything looks the same."

"And where are the Hunters?" Asami questioned.

"Yeah," Lino said, "You would think they would be here waiting for us."

"You think they're afraid of us or something," Gabe said, crossing his arms.

"Don't taunt them," Yamato cautioned.

"Why not?" the boy questioned, "I'd rather face whatever they have to throw at me then stand here in the dark!"

Shiro, meanwhile, had been examining the blackness surrounding them. While it seemed to them they were walking in the midst of a void, his hand brushed up against a solid surface-a wall. They were not in total nothingness, they were walking through a tunnel. He used the LCD screen of his digivice as a flashlight to examine the wall. It was not brick-it was tree bark! He ignored the arguing of his teammates scanned the wall. There were symbols etched into the surface, symbols he theorized to be some kind of programming language, but language he did not understand, but he came upon five characters he knew to be letters of the English language. "E-N-I-"

A loud voice suddenly erupted, "So, you would rather face us, would you?"

"Schmidt," Taichi and Yamato said in unison.

Kasumi smacked the back of Gabe's head, "Nice job!"

Before he could argue, the voice continued, "If you are so ready to meet your deaths, then so be it!"

The darkness was instantly overcome by a bright flash of light, and when it faded, the DATS Agents were no longer inside a black void, but standing on a tree branch, stretching at least a mile in all directions. Behind them was the massive trunk of the tree, with a path etched into the side, winding up to the sky. The Agents had also been cut in half-only Taichi, Kasumi, Asami, Lino, Gabe and their partners were standing there.

"What happened to the others?" Asami gasped, "Gabe, Daddy, Masa!"

"Calm down!" Taichi ordered, "Just stay calm."

A cocky voice spoke, "If ya worried about yer family and friends, don't worry, they're bein' entertained somewhere else."

Kasumi growled, "Artemis…"

The voice did indeed belong to the archer, and she was floating down from the sky to land on the branch a few feet in front of the Agents. With her was: Araki, Rudra and Hoakah, and each Hunter snickered and laughed at the Agents.

"Where's Sentry?" Lino demanded.

Rudra mentioned to the top of the tree, which stretched far above the clouds, "Up there. We are supposed to entertain you while he gathers the necessary energy to revive GranDracmon."

Asami stared at Araki, "Where is your partner?"

The other girl held out her left hand and summoned a glowing scythe, while she lightly tapped her stomach with her right hand. "Metal Phantomon is now in here, his power is now mine."

Kasumi glanced at the Hunters, then at the Agents. She turned to her father, "Dad, you'd better go."

"What?"

"Lord Sentry, you've gotta stop him!" She turned to glare at the Hunters, "We'll take care of them."

"We can't!" Agumon X protested.

"You have to," Lino argued, "As much as I'd love to finish him off myself, you're the only one that stands a chance." He clenched his fists, "Just be sure to give him one of each of us."

Asami nodded quickly, "Yes, and good luck."

Taichi hesitated, staring at each of the teenagers. "Damn it!" he swore, then jumped onto the path and began to run up the winding trail, heading for the top of the tree. Agumon X hesitated for another moment, then followed his partner.

Artemis gave a shrill laugh. "Just wait until what you see what we can do now."

The four Hunters tensed their muscles, and then began to grow! They expanded, growing higher and bigger until they towered over the Agents.

"Is that supposed to scare us?" Asami's Leormon shouted.

"Get your weapons, now!" Kasumi ordered.

"All right," Gabe grinned, "Let's get this started." He called for the Gauntlets of Water that appeared around his arms. The others called for their weapons as well: Kasumi the Claymore of Wind, Lino the Spear of Earth, and Asami the Flail of Chance.

Kasumi swung her blade in front of her, "All right, attack!"

The Agents all ran forward, evolving together with their partners.

Kasumi and Yuki Agumon evolved to Alforce V-dramon X and tackled Artemis, they both went flying down the length of the branch, attacking one another as they did. Their mysterious growth had now given the Hunters the same size as the Knights.

Lino and Patamon evolved to Craniummon and swung his spear at Rudra, who quickly darted through the air, drawing the Royal Knight off to the right. Gabe and Kotemon jumped into the air, evolving quickly to Dynasmon X. The Royal Knight cracked his fist across Hoakah's face, throwing them both down to a lower branch. Asami and Leormon evolved to Rhodo Knightmon and stood in place as she stared at Araki. "I really don't want to do this," the Royal Knight declared, "But you've hurt my family and friends, I can't forgive you for that."

She smirked, "I am not here to ask for your forgiveness."

Rhodo Knightmon fired her ribbon at her opponent, who blocked the weapon with a scythe that appeared in her hands.

-

On another massive branch on the Great Tree, Yamato, Shiro, Kenji, Masa, Mitsuo, and their partners were facing: Orion, Nanook, Dexmon and Flidais. Orion pointed his finger at the Agents, "This will be our last encounter."

Yamato cracked his knuckles, "That's fine with me."

"No!" Shiro shouted, turning to his father, "You need to leave."

"Leave?"

"You have to go and stop Lord Sentry."

"Save yourself the trouble," Dexmon roared with laughter, "My father is unstoppable!"

Masa glared at his double, but said nothing.

Mitsuo nodded, "We can handle things here, Sentry is the bigger issue, go!"

The blond man nodded and turned to leave. He and Gabumon X began the climb the twisting path around the tree trunk as well.

"You shouldn't have done that," Nanook said, "He probably could have saved you."

"We can take care of ourselves!" Kenji shouted.

"One moment," Orion said, "There is something we must do first."

Nanook and Flidais nodded. Then those two, along with Orion, began to grow large and bigger, taller and taller, until they were the same size as Dexmon.

"Big deal!" Masa shouted, "You just got bigger so you'd stand a chance against our Royal Knight forms! Otherwise, you're just too small, aren't you?"

Flidais growled, as she stared down at the boy, "Shut your mouth! This is Yddrisil's gift to us! Die now!"

Kenji and Otamamon evolved to Sleipmon and galloped towards Nanook. The Hunter's boil-induced hands were glowing with evil purple energy, which the Royal Knight was sure to avoid. Flidais's tongue shot at Mitsuo and V-mon, but the partners evolved to Dukemon and blocked the biological whip with his shield. He fired a blast of energy from his shield, which threw the Hunter tumbling down the branch. The Knight charged after her. Shiro and Psychemon evolved to Duftmon X and slashed his saber, which Orion caught in his hand. He threw both he and the Royal Knight off to the right. Masa and Dorumon evolved to Alphamon but just stared at Dexmon.

"I don't know want to fight you, you're my brother!" he protested.

Dexmon growled with insane rage, "And I don't care! If you don't fight, then you die!" He swung his clawed arms, which Alphamon batted aside with his sword.

---

Back on Earth, the DATS Agents were pacing the floor in front of the Digital Gate, waiting for any word from their family and friends. Their attention was completely focused on their teammates, that is, until the alarms began to blare.

"Oh, now what?" Noriko exclaimed.

"The Ancients?" Miayag asked, her face pale.

Reika was examining her computer terminal, "No, it's Sakumi and Orochimon."

Noriko nodded. "Well, with so many of us, she doesn't stand a chance."

"I don't think you guys should come," the redheaded boy said, simply.

"What?" Sora asked, "Akira, what are you…?"

He turned to her, "Mom, she's strong, really strong. If we want to have a decent chance, then only the Fully Evolved digimon should come."

His mother glanced at Piyomon, "Well, I have a Fully Evolved partner, so…"

"Yeah, but Mom, it takes a lot of your energy for that." He mentioned to Adan, We have BD-2 too, but it doesn't drain our energy to have our partners as Fully Evolveds."

Bolades spoke, "I believe it is because our partner Jogress, rather then evolve."

"Yeah yeah, okay," Akira waved his hand, "But the point is…um…y…you'll just get in the way!"

He quickly braced himself, sure his mother was about to slap him for that comment. However, after a moment without any retaliation, he cautiously glanced back at his mother; she was smiling. "You're acting more like your father every day."

Piyomon glanced at her, "You mean Taichi when he was 10, or Taichi after he grew up?"

"Both," Sora said with a smile. She nodded at her son, "Okay, you're in charge right now, who do you want to go?"

Akira mentioned to the other Children of the First, "Them, Aunt Hikari, and Mr. and Mrs. Barton, because they have X-digimon. Dr. Kido should stay because he's the 'healer,' and everyone else can be the back-up team."

Hikari smiled, "Yes, now that sounds like Taichi."

Lynna sighed, "Well, I was really ready for some action, but I'll be here waiting for when ya need me."

Her husband nodded, "Ditto."

Noriko looked to Sora, "Are you sure you want to…?"

She nodded, "I think he's right, we'd probably just get in the way."

"Hey!" Noriko's Plotmon snapped, "We stood up to Omegamon X, remember?"

"That's true," she replied, "But, I think they'll be way too many of us on the battlefield, we'd just be stepping on each other's toes."

Hikari, Michael, Mimi, Ines, Bolades, Joey, Aleksey, Yasu, Eliane, Adan and their partners stood beside Akira. "All right boss," Joey grinned, "We're ready."

Akira smirked, "Perfect! Time for round two!"

--------

Outside the DATS building, the Demon Princess was standing atop her Orochimon as the Demon Dragon used her right-most and left-most heads as legs to crawl along the ground. Sakumi had her arms crossed, a smirk on her face as they approached the building. "Well, I'm surprised we made it this far, this might be easier then I thought. Orochimon, time to bring this place to the g…."

She stopped abruptly when most of the DATS Agents came charging out of the door. "Well," she smirked, "Looks like I spoke too soon. Let's see who we've got…" Her eyes focused directly on Akira, "Well, little brother, leading the assault, huh?"

The redheaded boy glared at her, "You are not my sister!"

Hikari, Michael and Mimi all suppressed a shiver. "It's the Demon Lords all over again," Mimi gasped.

Hikari nodded slowly, staring at the Demoness, "I….it's Kasumi all right." She shook her head quickly, "No, it's not. Hikari, you've dealt with this before, that's not your niece."

Sakumi smirked as she flexed her arms, "Yes, that's right, I am a Demon Lord, the Demon Princess to be precise, and while I don't see the shattered mirror of my mother here, I'll kill her once I'm through with you! Once I wipe you all from the face of the Earth, my family will be the real ones!" She glared at Akira, "And my Demon brother needs to be freed!"

One of Orochimon's heads sped towards the redheaded boy. His Falcomon instantly leapt into action, quickly evolving to Diatrymon and batting the head aside. However, it quickly recovered and shot back at him.

"Hold on!" Adan cried as his Gotsumon evolved to Monocromon. The digimon galloped to stand beside Diatrymon, and their bodies began to glow in unison.

"Diatrymon…."

"Monocromon…."

"…Jogress evolve to…Rizegreymon!"

The towering dinosaur digimon pointed his gun barrel-arm at the in-coming head and fired. The snake's head twisted to avoid the blast of energy, and would have struck the cyborg digimon, except Lillymon X blasted it with her Flower Cannon attack.

"Nice job!" Mimi cheered.

Lillymon X was about to give her a girlish wave, when another head shot up from beneath. "Watch out!" Megaseadramon X cried, firing a bolt of lighting from his horn, striking the snake's head. "What are you doing, trying to get killed?"

Before she could answer, another head hit them from behind, but Nefertimon X blasted it with her Rosetta Stone. Another head wrapped itself around her hind legs and threw her aside, but once it released its grip, Rizegreymon appeared, smacking it with his gun barrel.

While Rizegreymon, and the three X-digimon dealt with Orochimon's four left heads, Yasu and Eliane's Machgaogamon, Bolades and Ines's Deramon and Joey and Aleksey's Shawujinmon each jumped in to deal with Orochimon's four right-most heads. The wolf-man was attempting to execute one of his physical attacks, but could not make contact because the heads would appear before him, then dart away before he could attack. Deramon was having more luck standing firmly in place and unleashing nuts from his mouth, but his Royal Smasher was only so effective. Shawujinmon could only take a defensive stance, whacking aside the heads with his staff when they came too close.

While the DATS digimon were busy attacking the heads, they failed to notice the tail, which shot into the air before striking the ground between Orochimon and the attacking digimon. "Gathering Clouds of Heaven!" The tail sent a wave of energy exploding in all directions, sending the DATS digimon smashing into one another.

Sakumi smirked, "Is that the best you've got? Wait, it probably is, you can't beat me, after all, I am the greatest!"

Joey snorted, "Sounds just like the real Kasumi, if ya ask me."

"No one did!" Yasu shouted.

Aleksey shook his head, "Remember what we were told, that is just a representation of Kasumi's dark side."

The Australian boy frowned, "Yeah, yeah…jeeze, just trying ta make a joke…"

"You should enjoy a laugh before you all die!" Sakumi shouted, as Orochimon's heads wiggled in the air.

Rizegreymon rose to his feet, "I'll laugh when I rip you apart!" He pointed his gun arm at the Demon Dragon, "Trident Revolver!" Three quick blasts of energy exploded from his weapon, and one of the Orochimon's head batted it back. The dragon dropped to the ground, allowing the deflected energy to fly over his head, exploding into the ground.

The eight heads flew to attack once again. Shawujinmon leapt in front of the others and began to spin his staff quickly. "Whirlpool Formation!" A tornado of water erupted from his spinning staff, catching the heads within its swirling water. The heads all began to twist and moved in odd patterns, each one completely dizzy. Machgaogamon dove through the heads, his fist ready for a direct assault to Sakumi. Before he could land a successful attack, Orochimon's heads recovered and based him repeatedly, forcing him to jump back.

"Damn it," Yasu swore, "You almost got her."

The three X-digimon shot forward in a three-manned attack. The snake's heads blasted out a stream of foul-smelling air, "Sake Breath!"

The three digimon were enveloped by the toxic breath and began coughing, their eyes watering. One head each in their torsos was enough to subdue Lillymon X and Nefertimon X. Another head grabbed Megaseadramon X by his snout, swung him around and another head grabbed his tail. Orochimon lifted him above her head, then threw him into the in-coming Rizegreymon and Shawujinmon.

Sakumi roared with laughter, "This is just too easy! You're no threat at all!"

Eliane shook her head, "I am getting tired of her mouth!"

Yasu chuckled, "She's so bad, she's even making Eliane angry."

"You think I really care?" the Demoness snapped.

"We have to take her out, now!" Michael shouted, "We've got to work together."

"If you've got a plan, let's hear it!" Mimi shouted back.

"Keep the heads busy, then when someone spots an opening, go for it."

"That's your plan?" his wife gasped.

"It's the best we've got," Akira called, "Do it!"

Joey sighed, "Isn't that what we were doin' before?"

Aleksey gave his friend a sympathetic glance, "They are in charge."

"Yeah, yeah…Shawujinmon, go for it!"

The three X-digimon charged at the four right heads, while Shawujinmon, Deramon and Machgaogamon attacked the three left heads, Rizegreymon stood in the middle, waiting for a perfect opportunity to decimate the middle head, on which was standing the Demon Princess.

Nefertimon X fired her Curse of Queen into one of Orochimon's head, but another wacked into her underside. Lillymon X dove dangerously close to the inside of Orochimon's reach in order to blast the lower neck of the same head that attacked Nefertimon X. That head instantly stiffened and Nefertimon X twisted around and fired a massive Rosetta Stone that at such close range surely fractured the skull in that particular head.

Another head moved to attack, but Lillymon X appeared directly in front and fired a Flower Cannon into its mouth. It screamed in pain and fell to the ground, smoke billowing from the jaw.

Megaseadramon X dropped to the ground to avoid one of the heads, but another head anticipated his move and rammed into his body. He curled his serpentine form to help cushion the blow, then whipped his head around, using his horn to tear through the head's skin. When the other head came to attack, he flicked his head quickly, and both heads became twisted and tangled. The serpent flung his head forward, sending out a bolt of energy that coursed through both heads, causing them to shake and spasm before falling to the ground.

The other three heads were engaged in battling the three Jogressed digimon. Machgaogamon ducked to avoid two of the heads, but managed to grab the third in a headlock, smashing it into the ground. It leapt back to life, knocking him over. He rolled along the ground before jumping back to his feet. The head was still flying straight towards him. He pulled his fist back, then threw it forward with all of his might, "Winning Knuckle!" The powerful jab impacted deep into Orochimon's head, sending a shockwave down the neck before he fell to the ground.

He turned his attention to the other heads, but saw that Deramon and Shawujinmon were already engaging them. With only one head to concern him, the Deep Saver was easily leaping and twisting through the air, avoiding the strikes and jabs of the demonic head. He allowed the head to come in close before whacking the top with his staff. He landed on the ground, and watched the head squirm above him in the air.

He turned quickly when he heard Deramon cry out. The Wind Guardian had been firing super-dense nuts from his mouth at the head that was attacking him, but his strength was at its end. He had stopped to catch his breath, but that's when the head attack, jabbing into his stomach with the same force as a speeding train. That head was now about to finish his attack, but Shawujinmon dropped in front of the fallen Wind Guardian and batted the head aside with his staff.

However, by that time, the other head had recovered and now both were flying in to attack. The Wizard Digimon held his staff above his head, "Waterfall Formation!" He jabbed his weapon into the ground, and two might geysers of water erupted from the ground with enough force to tear through the chins of the attacking heads and out the top of their skull cap.

Sakumi gasped in horror upon seeing her digimon's heads lying sprawled out about her-only the middle head on which she was standing was not har-

She instantly remembered Rizegreymon. She stared straight ahead to see the dragon digimon pointing his gun arm directly at her, "Trident Revolver!"

Three quick powerful blasts shot into Orochimon, sending her tumbling over backwards before resting in a pile of garbled heads, Sakumi was trapped beneath her immobile digimon. Rizegreymon shot into the air and the ten missile chambers on his wings and the two on his chest, raining down flaming projectiles into the Demons; he finished his combo with another Trident Revolver. When he landed once again, Orochimon and Sakumi were covered in a thick cloud of billowing smoke.

"All right!" Akira grinned at his partner. He glanced over at Adan, "Hey man, we just won, why aren't you celebrating?"

The Latino boy shivered slightly, "Because, I don't think we did win."

They all twisted back around and stared into the billowing smoke. As the smog began to dissipate into the air, they were now able to see what Adan had seen-Sakumi and Orochimon were still very much alive!

The Demoness was screaming in rage. "No, no, no, no!" She was throwing her arms in frustration, "I am the greatest, I am a Demon Lord! I am the child of Cahiti and Asro, the King and Queen of the Demon Chosen! You can't beat me, you won't beat me!"

Her body began to glow in a strange, intense light that filled the battlefield. "Oh shit!" Machgaogamon screamed, "She's evolving!"

"Evolving?" Rizegreymon questioned, "But…if she evolves to Mega without a weapon, won't she go nuts like all the others?"

"She's a Demon Lord," Hikari answered, "They're…different…"

Orochimon's heads all began to curl into her body, enveloping Sakumi in black energy. Orochimon's curled body began to grow, four legs emerged from the ball, a snarling head jutted from the front, while a massive cannon appeared on the back, and black fur grew all along her new body.

"Imperial Dramon!" the DATS Agents all shouted.

"No," Nefertimon X said, her eyes narrowing, "Black Imperial Dramon."

Sakumi was seated atop the cannon, her eyes red with rage, "Imperial Dramon, kill…them…all!"

The viral Mega screamed aloud with enough force that the ground shook. "This just gets worse and worse!" Michael exclaimed.

Black Imperial Dramon fired a ball of red energy from her mouth that shot across the battlefield and once it was close enough to the DATS digimon, it exploded with such force that the agents were scattered about, becoming tangled with one another. The evil mega shot to the air, pointed her back-based cannon down and fired. A blast of black energy exploded into the ground, causing a slight earthquake and throwing up a mushroom cloud of smoke and dust. When it finally settled, a massive crater now comprised the ground in front of the DATS building.

Black Imperial Dramon hovered above the crater, examining the destruction. The digimon and humans were scattered around the crater walls. They were all slowly rising to their feet, the humans were clearly injured, while the digimon had all regressed to their Child-forms.

"I…is everyone okay?" Bolades asked.

"I've been better," Mimi said with a slight chuckle.

"Taking two consecutive hits from a Mega," Plotmon X said, "We're lucky we're not dead."

Ines moaned loudly, as she struggled to stand, "Yeah, well, with how I feel, I think I'd be better off dead…"

Black Imperial Dramon hovered over them, Sakumi stared down at them, "Well, I think we can help you with that…"

"Trident Revolver!"

Sakumi jerked her head back up in time to see Rizegreymon, hovering in front of them, fire his attack, which once again, struck Black Imperial Dramon three times in the head. The Mega recovered quickly, and the Demoness glared at the Dragon Man, and the two boys that were standing on his shoulder. She smirked, "So, you saved yourself by sacrificing her friends? How much of a leader is that, huh, Little Brother?"

"Stop calling me that!" Akira screamed, "You are not my sister!"

Adan narrowed his eyes, "Rizegreymon, it's time to destroy that imposter."

"I am not an imposter!" Sakumi screamed, "I am the real Kasumi Yagami! The other, she's the imposter! She's the one that turned her back on her true self!"

"A…akira," Rizegreymon's voice quivered, "W…what if she's telling the truth?"

The redheaded boy spun his head, "What?!"

"Well, I know your sister, and…ya know…she acts a lot more like Kasumi then…then…"

Akira was quaking with rage, but managed to control it, "She changed, she's different, but Kasumi is still Kasumi! Don't you think I know my own sister, damn it! Rizegreymon, just destroy them!"

Black Imperial Dramon chuckled, while Sakumi crossed her arms, "Come and get us."

"Rising Destroyer!" the dragon man shouted, unleashing all of his gun turrets at once, showering the Mega digimon with a barrage of firepower.

"That won't stop us!" the Demoness shouted, "I have a Mega!"

Rizegreymon shot over her head, pointing his gun barrel arm directly at Black Imperial Dramon's back, "You're a Mega pain in the ass!" he shouted, "Trident Revolver!"

His attack struck the Mega's back, and she moaned in pain. The Dragon Man was intending to fire another Trident Revolver at her backside, but as he moved into position, Black Imperial Dramon's tail smacked his head with such force that it sounded like a thunderclap.

"Are you okay?" Adan gasped.

"My head is ringing," he replied, shaking off the pain.

Black Imperial Dramon twisted around, then head butted his stomach before slashing his legs with her claws. Rizegreymon cracked his gun barrel arm across Black Imperial Dramon's head, then punched her with his normal hand. He flipped in the air quickly, his feet hitting her chin before his tail did the same. However, Black Imperial Dramon twisted her wing, slashing into his back. Both digimon jumped apart, glaring at one another, both were panting heavily.

Sakumi laughed, "I don't think you can keep this up for much longer."

Adan glared at her, "Your partner looks like he's injured too."

"Just give it up already," she sighed, shaking her head, "You can't beat me, I am the greatest! I am Sakumi, the Demon Princess!"

Akira clenched his fist, "I am going to enjoy shutting your fucking mouth!"

She smirked, "I'd like to see you try. Imperial Dramon, I'm getting tired of them, wipe them from the face of the Earth!"

Black energy began to gather within Black Imperial Dramon's cannon. Down below, the other agents all braced for the impact of another Positron Cannon. Above, Akira and Adan held tightly to their Jogressed partner. "It's been an honor to fight alongside you!" Adan shouted.

The redheaded boy nodded, "Y…yeah, likewise!"

Rizegreymon snorted, "We're not done yet!" He suddenly shot forward, flying head-first towards the glowing cannon. He pointed his gun barrel arm in front of him and actually shoved it deep within the glowing cannon. He ignored the pain that was ripping through his body as he struggled to stay conscious.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sakumi laughed, "If you wanted to die that quickly, you should have just said so. Imperial Dramon!"

The demonic dragon growled, "Positron…"

Rizegreymon suddenly screamed, "Trident Revolver!"

His trio of energy blasts proved incompatible with the dark energy that was already gathered in Black Imperial Dramon's cannon, causing a massive explosion. Rizegreymon and his two passengers were thrown into the ground, but Black Imperial Dramon had no where to go, and her body was torn apart by the explosion. Sakumi was thrown from her partner's back, but at such close range, she took the full brunt of the force wave. She screamed as her body was ripped to shreds before disappearing in a blast of dark light.

Once Rizegreymon had hit the ground, he regressed to Falcomon and Gotsumon. Akira and Adan lay in the dirt, unmoving. The DATS Agents ran to them, and while Bolades and Ines tended to Adan, Hikari rushed to the side of her nephew, but before she could, Yasu pushed past her and collapsed atop the redheaded boy.

"Akira!" she screamed, "Akira!"

He slowly opened his eyes, staring at her face, "Y…yasu…did…did we…"

She nodded quickly, "Y…yeah, she's gone…for real this time…"

He smiled, "Oneechan…that was…for you…."

His head rolled to the side, his eyes closed. "Akira!" Yasu screamed, shaking him as hard as she could.

Hikari pulled her back, "Yasu, you're just making it worse!" She quickly looked him over, "I think he'll be okay, but let's get Jyou and Kikku out here."

The blond girl nodded quickly, using her sleeve to wipe the tears away from her eyes. She sniffled as she stared down at the red-haired boy, "Akira…."

To be continued…….