(A/N: Got a long one here. And we'll also be getting a little more insight as to what's happening with Argomon. I won't say any more than that. Enjoy.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 50: Angels Can Be Evil

"You know," said Davis, "being a kid again was fun and all, but it's good to be my own age again."

Shoutmon snorted. "Trust me, there wasn't much of a difference."

"Hey!"

Takato chuckled. "Good one, Shoutmon."

Davis cut his eyes at him and grinned. "Well, listen to you, Mr. Big-Shot, with your new Ultimate level. WarGrowlmon, huh? That's pretty awesome."

"Yeah," TK agreed, "now our team is even stronger." He looked up at Petermon and Tinkermon with a serious look. "Now, you guys promised to behave, right?"

The two fairy Digimon lowered their heads. "Yes, we promise."

"Good," said Shoutmon. He pointed at the Champion threateningly. "And you remember what happens when you break your promises. Your rules applies to you too."

"Yes," Petermon replied, bowing his head even lower.

"And no more using your powers to tempt and control anyone," Kari told the female fairy Digimon. "You can invite them to come here, but it's up to them whether they do or not."

Tinkermon pouted. "Understood. But if they Digivolve beyond Rookie, we will still evict them."

Takato sighed. "Fine, but no throwing them off the island like you were planning on doing to me."

Petermon cocked his head to the side. "Speaking of leaving the island, are you sure you want to go back down there again?"

Takuya glanced over the railing at Argomon's jungle of vines and sighed. "Afraid so. It's not ideal, but we've got to stop Argomon."

Not understanding, the male fairy Digimon shook his head. "I don't get it, but it's your choice." He held out his hand. "Everyone link up."

They all joined hands, and Petermon took to the air. Tinkermon once again carried Oinkmon while Shoutmon clung to Kari's leg at the end of the human chain. The other Digimon cried their goodbyes as the teens were lifted off the island and brought down below.

"Where do you want me to drop you off?" Petermon asked.

TK, the fifth link in the chain, looked around. "Anywhere is fine as long as there's not many vines."

"I got the torch ready," Shoutmon called up to him. "It's a shame we can't find Argomon from the air though."

"Wait," Kari cried just above him, "what's that over there?"

Petermon squinted to see. "You mean that? It looks like some Digimon fighting. We'll avoid that spot."

"No, wait," said Davis, the third in the chain. He stared hard. "I think… I think that's Leomon. It is, it's Leomon!"

The fairy Digimon made a face. "Uch, another Champion."

"You're a Champion," TK pointed out.

"I'm the exception."

Flying beside the fairy Digimon, Oinkmon made some pig snorts. Beneath him, Tinkermon looked puzzled. "What? You want us to bring you there?"

Takato, the fourth link in the chain, nodded. "Yeah, take us… Wait, you can understand him?"

"Are you sure?" Petermon asked uncertainly. "Tinkermon and I ain't sticking around to help."

"Just do it," Takuya said beneath him.

Petermon and Tinkermon exchanged a look and shrugged. They flew over to the battle, flying directly above the two combatants. Neither Leomon nor his opponent realized the group was above them.

"Hey, Shoutmon," Takato called down the line, "who's that Leomon's fighting?"

The dragon Digimon struggled to look down. "It looks like Wendigomon. He's a Champion level beast man Digimon, and can be quite ruthless."

A smile crept up Davis' face. "Hey, guys, what do you say we give Leomon a bit of a surprise?"

The others seemed to realize what he was talking about and smiled. "Yeah, lets do it," said Takato eagerly.

Takuya looked up at Petermon. "I guess this is goodbye. You can let us go now."

The fairy Digimon raised an eyebrow, but shrugged and released him. "Tootles."

The teens dropped from the sky, pulling out their Digivices as they did so. Leomon had left them before because he had thought that they would be in danger and slow him down. Well, he was about to get a surprise.

"Fist of the Beast king!" the lion Digimon cried, punching outward.

Wendigomon just smirked and charged at him. He jumped over the energy blast shaped like a lion's head as his torso tore open. "Koko Crusher!"

Blasts were fired from the tear in his chest. Leomon raised his arms to defend himself when an angel Digimon suddenly appeared in front of him and used his Angel Staff to deflect the blasts. Leomon blinked at the unexpected save as Angemon smiled at him over his shoulder. "Surprise."

All around, different Digimon came in for a landing. Wendigomon hesitated as he now found himself confronted by BurningGreymon, Paildramon, Angewomon, Angemon, WarGrowlmon, and even Shoutmon. Then, a moment later, Oinkmon landed on his head and dropped to the ground. Growling, Wendigomon kicked the dazed pig Digimon into the air, and Angewomon quickly caught him. "I guess Tinkermon dropped you too. Are you ok?"

With dizzy swirls in his eyes, Oinkmon grunted.

WarGrowlmon took a threatening step towards Wendigomon. "A word of advice, cut your loses and run, or face all of us."

The beast man Digimon hesitated, seeming to consider his odds as he regarded the group of Digimon before him. Whether he was unintelligent, determined, wild, or arrogant, he went on the attack. "Destroyer Voice!"

The cry of his attack unleashed a powerful shockwave that tore the ground apart as it flew towards the DigiDestined. WarGrowlmon charged forward and used his large body to shield the others from the shockwave. That was when Wendigomon used his Club Arm, shooting out his cable-like arms to latch onto a series of vines behind the group and rapidly pull himself forward past the others, heading straight for Leomon.

Angewomon suddenly appeared in front of him and used Holy Slap, knocking him away. He went flying through the air, crashing into a wall of vines. As soon as he hit the ground, the vines began wrapping around him. Strangely, Wendigomon was calm, letting the vines constrict around him, and after a few moments, they stopped and unwound, leaving the beast man Digimon alone.

"Hey, what happened?" BurningGreymon exclaimed. "The vines didn't attack him."

"Wendigomon is an agent of Argomon," Leomon explained. "The vines won't go after him."

Shoutmon snorted in disapproval. "Well, that stinks."

"Koko Crusher!"

With his rapid speed, Paildramon rushed into the attack's path and fired his Desperado Blaster. Using precise aiming, his bullets collided with the blasts, causing small explosions to go off a distance from their intended target.

Roaring, Wendigomon's arms extended on their cables. Paildramon dodged the one on the left, then the one on the right. But as the arms retracted, they grabbed hold of the dragon Digimon's shoulders, allowing Wendigomon to speed towards Paildramon. It seemed he was rather resourceful with his movements.

"I don't think so." The dragon Digimon's arm came up, kicking the beast man Digimon in the jaw. Wendigomon went down. Dazed, he began crawling, and grabbed hold of some vines to climb to his feet. When he turned around, he came face to face with BurningGreymon.

"Surrender?" the dragon Digimon asked. In response, Wendigomon threw a punch. BurningGreymon easily caught his fist. He heated up his hand, and the beast man Digimon cried out and pulled his burned hand back. He backed away and hit something solid. Turning around, he found WarGrowlmon standing behind him. He immediately hopped away and fired his Koko Crusher. WarGrowlmon held up his arms as the blast exploded against his armor, the attack doing little to hurt him.

"He's certainly persistent," he said. The metal cable growing from his back wrapped around Wendigomon's ankle and lifted him in the air. "Ready, Angewomon?"

The angel Digimon smirked. "Ready." She built up her energy and launched herself in the air with her Super Jump. WarGrowlmon threw Wendigomon to her. She kicked out with her Heel of Justice, and Wendigomon went flying through the air, disappearing from view among the vines.

Paildramon raised his arms in the air. "Gooooal!"

Angemon flew over. "Nice kick, Angewomon."

"Why thank you."

He looked in the direction the beast man Digimon had disappeared in. "I do feel kind of bad for him though. He never stood a chance."

WarGrowlmon walked over. "We gave him a chance to leave, and one to surrender. He chose to keep attacking."

Paildramon crossed his arms. "Yeah, he's lucky we didn't just kill him." He turned to Leomon. "Glad to see us?"

The lion Digimon lowered his head. "You have my thanks, my friends. Wendigomon was proving to be most formidable."

Grinning, Shoutmon walked over with his hands behind his head. "Ah, it was nothing. All in a day's work."

Leomon looked at him. "Shoutmon, you came back? Did you get the humans to safety?"

The dragon Digimon blinked. "Did I get the…? Oh, ha, ha! That's right, you don't know. Guys." He snapped his fingers, and everyone returned to their human forms.

Leomon looked at the teens in surprise, clearly caught off guard. "Wait, you children…? You can…? You just…?"

TK chuckled. "Cat got your tongue?"

The lion Digimon continued to look flabbergasted. "You humans can turn into Digimon? Since when?"

"Well," said Takato, "since long before we met you."

With a frustrated sigh, Leomon palmed his forehead. "You can turn into Digimon, and nearly all of you are at the Ultimate level. I wish I had known that before. You're actually better off than I am. Better off than my group even."

Davis stomped his foot. "Speaking of which, what gives with leaving us behind like that? We said we'd help you."

The lion Digimon sighed. "Forgive me. I thought that if I left, there would be no way you could follow me, and Shoutmon would lead you out of here."

He looked at the dragon Digimon, who began waving his arms. "Hey, you try arguing with these humans and see how far it gets you."

He sighed again. "I'm sorry for leaving. I clearly underestimated you. And that makes me even more ashamed to ask this now." He got down on his knees and bowed to them. "Will you help me find my companions and defeat Argomon?"

Grinning, Shoutmon walked over and patted him on the back of his head. "Hey, no sweat. That was the plan from the get go. We'll take care of Argomon just like we took care of Wendigomon."

Kari crossed her arms. "We?" she asked playfully.

The dragon Digimon sweat-dropped. "I mean, you guys, of course."

That was when Oinkmon trotted over and began squealing. Shoutmon's smug expression became a stupefied one. "What? If Wendigomon worked for Argomon, we should have made him show us where he is?"

Silence followed. An ironic breeze was heard, and a data dust packet drifted by as if it were a cosmic joke.

"Oh…" TK muttered, "yeah… I guess that would have been a good idea. Guess that's why you're the leader."

"Lets not go through that again," Takato pleaded.

"Yeah, we all know that I'm the leader," Davis declared, puffing out his chest and placing his hands on his hips. The others sweat-dropped.

"Delusions aside," said Takuya, turning back to Leomon, "any luck finding your friends?"

With a sigh, the lion Digimon stood up. "I'm afraid not. I've actually spent most of my time going around in circles. How about you?"

Takato smiled nervously. "Oh, you wouldn't believe where we've been. A lot had happened these past few weeks. Mostly though we haven't seen anything."

"Aside from those Snimon that Shoutmon saw, Wendigomon was the first of Argomon's minions we saw." TK told him. "Unless… Shoutmon, do you think Snatchmon worked for Argomon?"

The dragon Digimon shook his head. "Not likely. Snatchmon is a loner, and doesn't take orders well. Besides, the vines attacked him, but they didn't attack Wendigomon. No, he was probably just wandering around on his own."

"Great," Davis grumbled, kicking a vine. "Our first real lead and we end up- AH!"

The vine he had kicked attacked him. Shoutmon rushed over with the torch and warded it away. TK sighed and shook his head. "So, what's the plan now? Just go back to aimlessly wandering around like we did before we went to Never-Ever Land and hope we get lucky?"

Leomon did a double-take. "You went where?"

"Never mind," Kari told him. "In any case, I don't think we have a choice." She pointed. "But I suggest heading in the direction I kicked Wendigomon in. Maybe we'll run into him again, and we can get him to lead us to Argomon."

Davis chuckled. "This'll make an interesting memory. 'Hey, do you remember the time we went searching for Wendigomon in the direction Kari kicked him in'?"

"This whole trip is one interesting memory after another," Takato pointed out. "Seriously, who goes through things like this?"

"We do," TK replied. "It seems like ever since we've got here, we've run into some evil freak trying to take over, and once we beat one, we run into another. First it was Devimon, then it was Dragomon, then Myotismon, and now it's Argomon."

Leomon was staring. "Are you serious? You've faced all these villains? Just what have you been through since coming here?"

Takuya gave a bark of laughter. "Oh, boy. Leomon, my friend, have we got a story for you."

As they walked off in search of Wendigomon, they were unaware of the flying figure overhead, watching them with a scowl on their face. "So, you're the ones that are causing all the trouble. Humans that can become Digimon, huh?" Their fists clenched. "Well, you won't stop us. We'll find what we're looking for, and you won't stand in our way."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"We really should have stacked up on food when we were at Never-Ever Land," Takuya grumbled as he gnawed on the edible plant root.

"For all the nutrition it would have given us," TK replied.

Kari nodded in agreement. "Yeah, the only thing they had was junk food."

"Hey," Davis objected, "I don't know about you guys, but I could live on junk food. Nothing like a sugar rush before a big game for an energy boost."

"Until you crash," Takato pointed out, "and then you have no energy at all. Plus, you'll get fat." He looked at Shoutmon and Leomon. "How does nutrition work with Digimon?"

"Eating healthy is important whether human or Digimon," Leomon replied.

"Yeah, we may not lose or gain muscle or weight based on what we eat like you humans do, but we still need energy, and the right kind is important."

Davis grumbled as he stared at the root in his hand. "Well, I'm not getting any from this." He tried to take a bite. "It's so tough I can't even bite the thing."

"That's because it's not cooked yet," the lion Digimon told him, taking the root and putting it back in the fire. "Let it sit a little longer."

Davis sighed. "I'm going to waste away before it's done." He eyed Shoutmon's roasted root hungrily as the dragon Digimon ate, but Shoutmon produced his mic and pointed it at him threateningly, shaking his head.

Kari chuckled and turned to Leomon. "Hey, Leomon, did you find any clues as to why Argomon is taking over this area?"

The lion Digimon shook his head. "Nothing concrete. I did discover that he's looking for something though, but I don't know what it is."

"Must be pretty important to do all this," said Takuya, looking around at all the vines. "What could he be looking for?"

Shoutmon shrugged. "It's anyone's guess. There are many mysteries in the Digital World that have yet to be known."

"Like how we got here," TK pointed out.

Leomon nodded in agreement. "Yes, that is quite a mystery. In any case, I don't know what Argomon is looking for, but I doubt it's anything good."

"Maybe he's just looking for something to eat," Davis grumbled, getting up. "I'm going to take a leak."

"Thanks for the details," Takato muttered.

Davis didn't have the energy to reply. He once again wished they had thought to stock up in Never-Ever Land. Food was scarce in this vine forest with all the green tentacles covering everything. Aside from those rough, bitter roots, they hadn't eaten anything all day.

"Maybe Snatchmon only went cannibal because he couldn't find anything to eat," he complained as he unzipped.

A sigh escaped him as he relieved himself. His business was soon interrupted from one of his friends calling to him. "Couldn't you have moved further away?"

"And get lost in this vine maze?" he responded. "No, thanks."

As he proceeded to empty his bladder, he heard movement in front of him. Frowning, he reached up and pushed aside some vines without thinking. It didn't register to him that they didn't react, but what did register was the giant face behind them.

The teens jumped as Davis came running back over to them, screaming. Kari screamed as well when she saw him and covered her eyes, but her brother's look alike didn't even notice her distress as he began pointing back where he had come from. "Face! Big! Big face! In vines!"

"Davis!" Takuya shouted. "Your pants!"

Taken aback, Davis looked down to find both his pants and his underwear around his ankles. He quickly pulled up both and pointed behind him. "There's a big face back there!"

Takato frowned. "A big face?"

"I think he means that!" TK cried, pointing.

Pushing aside the vines, Wendigomon walked into the clearing. The teens all jumped to their feet as Leomon pulled out his sword and Shoutmon produced his mic. "Well," the dragon Digimon stated, "I guess the big guy found us."

A wicked chuckle escaped the beast man Digimon as he cracked his knuckles. A smirk crept up Takuya's face as he glanced at his friends. "I think he came to get even. I guess we didn't kick enough sense into him last time."

"Well," said Kari, "at least we don't need to look for him anymore. Execute! Spirit Evolution… Amgewomon!"

"Execute! Spirit Evolution… Paildramon!"

"Execute! Spirit Evolution… WarGrowlmon!"

"Execute! Spirit Evolution… BurningGreymon!"

"Execute! Spirit Evolution… Angemon!"

Leomon stepped forward to stand beside them. "I will fight with you this time, my friends."

Shoutmon went to stand by Oinkmon. "I guess we're sitting out." The pig Digimon's ears dropped, and Shoutmon patted Oinkmon on the back. "Ah, don't worry. I don't think we're needed anyway."

"He's right," BurningGreymon insisted. "We swept the field with you last time, Wendigomon. How about you just surrender and take us to Argomon?"

The beast man Digimon just chuckled again and pointed. The group turned around to find a second Wendigomon marching out of the vine jungle. Movement to the right brought forth a third, and a fourth came from the left. They now had four Wendigomon surrounding them.

WarGrowlmon looked around at them. "I guess he brought some friends."

There was a roar from up above, and a fifth Wendigomon came down from the sky. The DigiDestined scattered as the newest beast man Digimon punched the ground where they were. The other four let them pass, chuckling as they turned to face them.

"This could be a bit of problem," said BurningGreymon.

"Why?" Paildramon asked. "We've still got superior numbers, and almost all of us are Ultimates who can fly. We got this."

"Don't be so sure," a feminine voice that did not belong to Angewomon cried out from up above. "You humans are far too ignorant to how our world works. Wendigomon, do it now!"

The five beast man Digimon gathered close together. Bands of Fractal Code emerged from their bodies and wrapped around them, becoming entwined with each of them. The five began to glow as they cried out in unison. "Wendigomon Digivolve to… Mephistomon!"

The light faded and the five Wendigomon were gone. In their place was a single Digimon that resembled a demon ram standing on two legs with a pair of bat-like wings. A sinister smile crept up the demon Digimon's face as it stared at the group hungrily.

WarGrowlmon was suddenly feeling a little less confident. "Ooook, Shoutmon, a couple of questions. First, what happened?"

"Group Digivolving," the dragon Digimon replied. "If a Digimon isn't strong enough to Digivolve on its own, it can get together with more of its own kind and Digivolve in a group to reach the next level. The more that Digivolve together, the stronger they are."

"Oh, great," Paildramon complained.

"Ok, next question." He looked up. "Who's that?"

Up in the sky was an angel Digimon with four wings, wielding a staff. "I am Darcmon, and you pests are interfering with my plans."

"Wait, your plans?" Angewomon repeated.

"I thought Argomon was responsible for these vines," said Angemon.

Darcmon chuckled. "Oh, he is, but yours truly is behind it. Argomon is a fool; so easy to manipulate. It was me who recruited him, and all those working for him answer to me."

"I see," said BurningGreymon. "It's a classic case of the servant secretly manipulating the master behind the scenes. Interesting. I guess only Argomon can do what you can't."

A smirk grazed Darcmon's face. "It certainly makes my search easier."

Paildramon still seemed to be trying to wrap his head around the situation. "Wait, so an angel Digimon is the bad guy? How's that work? Isn't she a Light type?"

"It doesn't always matter what type, species, element, or attribute a Digimon is," Leomon told them. "It all comes down to one's choices. Although it is true that certain qualities different Digimon possess in their code make them more likely to give in to the darkness. The most easily affected are the demon species, the Dark elements, and the Virus types."

Paildramon wasn't sure he caught all that. "Well, I guess it makes sense; her name is Darkmon after all."

"It's not that type of dark, you idiot," the angel Digimon in question scolded. "Mephistomon, get rid of these nuisances!"

The demon Digimon grinned. "With pleasure, my lady. Payback time."

He closed his eyes and began muttering under his breath. Shoutmon's eyes widened and his hands flew to his head. "Cover your ears!"

"Black Sabbath!" Mephistomon roared, and fired a blast of dark energy. The DigiDestined dodged as the attack cleared out a good portion of vines.

BurningGreymon lowered his hands. "Why'd we have to cover our ears?"

"Memphistomon chants a spell before using his Black Sabbath attack," Shoutmon explained. "If you hear his spell, you'll die."

WarGrowlmon blinked. "Oh… Well, that sucks."

The demon Digimon laughed. "It keeps others at a distance."

"So does this," Paildramon exclaimed. "Cable Catcher!"

His claw shot out. Mephistomon lowered his head, using his horns to knock them away. Smirking, he raised his arms. "Dark Cloud!" A black cloud exploded from his body, consuming everything around them. The DigiDestined coughed and hacked within the cloud of blackness while the demon Digimon stood unaffected. All around them, the vines began to rot, even the structures beneath them began to decay as his attack took affect.

"I'll take care of this cloud," Angemon declared. "Omni Typh-"

"Dancing Sword!"

Angemon cried out as a flying sword pierced his wing. He looked up to find Darcmon hovering just above the Dark Cloud. She motioned for him to come to her, and he took the challenge. Brandishing his staff, he flew up to meet her, but she blocked with her own staff. In a blur of movement, she pulled out another sword, swiping at the other angel Digimon. Angemon flew back, barely avoiding getting cut.

Smirking, she brought the blade up to her mouth, licking the length of it. "This is my special blade. I call it The Maiden. I'll cut you down with it."

Angemon humphed. "Not if I have anything to say about it." He flew towards her, swinging his staff, and the two engaged in battle.

Down below, Angewomon picked up where Angemon left off. Using her Saint's Air, she cleared away the cloud, but Mephistomon simply recreated it again. "Go ahead, keep clearing it. I'll just keep making a new one. You won't last. My cloud decays everything it touches."

BurningGreymon looked up. "Well, in that case," he flew up and out of the cloud, "we'll just stay above it."

One by one, the others rose into the sky. From out here, they could no longer see the demon Digimon, but they were safe from the black cloud. Even Leomon hitched a ride on WarGrowlmon.

Mephistomon joined them above the cloud, his hands behind his back. "Yes, you could certainly do that, but," he held up Shoutmon and Oinkmon, both unconscious, "you're forgetting about these guys."

"Tai!" Angewomon shouted.

"Pyro Barrage!" BurningGreymon cried, firing a heat wave of energy bullets.

"Dark Cloud!" Mephistomon countered, creating another shroud of darkness and disappearing into it. BurningGreymon's attack missed, and the demon Digimon's laughter emitted from within the black cloud. "They won't survive long in here. You'll just have to come in and save them. You wanted to find me before for a different reason, well, now the stakes are higher, and the clock is ticking."

Angewomon called upon the winds. "Saint's-"

"I'll just create another Dark Cloud if you clear this one away. And while you search for me, I'll whisper the spell for my Black Sabbath to your friends here. The choice is yours. Come in and find them before they succumb to my cloud, or as good as kill them yourself before finishing that attack."

Angewomon scowled. "There's no choice to be made," she said, and dove right into the darkness.

"I'm in on this too," Paildramon replied before diving right in.

WarGrowlmon glanced at BurningGreymon. "Can you take Leomon?"

"Are you kidding?" the dragon Digimon exclaimed. "I'm not staying here while you guys fight. I'm going in."

He did just that, leaving WarGrowlmon to hover in the air. The cyborg dinosaur Digimon glanced at his passenger. "Leomon, I can't let you risk yourself-"

"Don't worry about me, my friend," the lion Digimon interrupted. "I lost my other friends, I'm not losing you guys too."

He leapt off the cyborg dinosaur Digimon's shoulder, disappearing into the blackness. WarGrowlmon sweat-dropped. "Ooook." He extinguished his thrusters, dropping into the cloud. He hit the ground with a mighty thud that shook the ground. "I hope I don't rust too much."

Up in the sky, Angemon attempted to join the others. "I'm coming!"

Darcmon flew into his path, pointing her sword at him. "You're a little preoccupied right now."

"Hand of Fate!"

She cut the attack in half with her sword and flew at him again to resume their battle. Below them, within the Dark Cloud, Angewomon desperately sought out her brother and Shoutmon. She didn't know how long they had before this evil cloud killed them, but judging by what she was feeling from it, they didn't have long. But it was almost impossible to see in this darkness. "Tai, where are you?"

A whistle drew her attention, and she turned to just barely make out Mephistomon in the distance. She fired her Celestial Arrow, but hit nothing as the demon Digimon faded into the blackness.

A chuckle to her left startled her, and she turned to have Mephistomon's hoofed foot slam into her chin. "Consider us even from earlier." He rammed his horns into her gut. "And now I'm one up on you."

Angewomon stumbled back. The Dark Cloud seemed to amplify the pain from his blows, and she collapsed to her knees, coughing and sputtering."

"Here you are!" BurningGreymon cried, flying in between the angel and demon Digimon. "Crimson Fanger!"

Mephistomon did a backflip as the dragon Digimon stabbed forward, kicking him in the back of his head with his hoof as he did so. "Nice try, sonny."

BurningGreymon groaned, rubbing his head. "Guys, he's here!" he shouted, igniting his body. "Over he-"

The demon Digimon's leg shot out, his hoof striking the dragon Digimon in the middle of his back. The flames went out as BurningGreymon went down, moaning in agony. Mephistomon sneered down at him. "Not so tough now, are you?"

"Atomic Blaster!"

Whirling around, he witnessed WarGrowlmon fire blasts of plasma from his chest. He countered with his Black Sabbath, the two attacks meeting and exploding. The cyborg dinosaur Digimon charged at him and used Radiation Blade, swinging his arms wildly, but he was too slow, his movements slowed down even further by the Dark Cloud, and Mephistomon easily danced out of the way.

"Here, catch!" he cried, and threw the unconscious Shoutmon at him. The dragon Digimon bounced off WarGrowlmon's face, who caught him on reflex, and Mephistomon used his new free hand to punch him in the jaw.

"Sting Strike!"

Mephistomon moved. Even the speedy Paildramon had slowed down to the point where a sneak attack failed. Mephistomon knocked the lance aside, his hand shooting out to wrap around the dragon Digimon's neck. Paildramon gagged as Mephistomon forced him to his knees, squeezing tightly. "I guess our second meeting is going a little differently than you expected, isn't it? He grinned as Paildramon clawed at the hand wrapped around his throat. "And now your little pig friend is almost out of time… and so are you."

On the ground, Angewomon struggled to lift her head. She saw Oinkmon in the demon Digimon's hand, his body pixelating in warning of his upcoming demise. She reached out for him, tapping into whatever power reserves she had left. "Holy Air!"

A ring appeared around the pig Digimon, and his body recovered from the damage Mephistomon's Dark Cloud had inflicted upon him. His eyes cracked open, and he was able to make out Angewomon's form in the darkness before she collapsed.

His eyes darted around, landing on the trembling forms of his friends as they suffered the affects of the Dark Cloud, and he began squealing. Mephistomon glanced down at him and sneered. "Well, look who's awake. Just in time to watch your friends die."

Oinkmon squealed and began struggling. Mephistomon just laughed at the pig Digimon's futile attempt at freedom. Oinkmon struggled all the more, determine to save his friends, and opened his mouth to let out a loud cry. "Trident Arm!"

Mephistomon cried out as a large metal arm burst from Oinkmon's body and buried into his gut. The small pig Digimon's body exploded into data as a large glowing form emerged. "MetalGreymon!"

Mephistomon's mouth dropped open as the cyborg dinosaur Digimon's chest opened and he fired his Giga Destroyer. The demon Digimon was blown away, disappearing into the darkness as MetalGreymon roared to the sky.

Looking up, he spotted Angemon and Darcmon engaged in battle. Raising his arm, he fired his Mega Claw. It flew between the two angel Digimon, startling them both. Angemon recovered quickly and used his Hand of Fate. Darcmon was blasted back by it, disappearing into the distance as the attack carried her away.

"Angemon!" MetalGreymon shouted up to him. "Clear the area!"

"With pleasure," the angel Digimon replied. "Omni Tornado!"

The wind began swirling around them, creating a tornado. The Dark Cloud was blown away, leaving the area free of darkness, but the damage was great. The land was clearly contaminated from the decay, and the vines were brown, dried out, and rotten. The DigiDestined were still alive, but in bad shape, greatly damaged from such longer exposure to Mephistomon's Dark Cloud.

"Are you guys ok?" MetalGreymon asked.

Grumbling, WarGrowlmon struggled to lift his head. "Metal…Grey…mon…?"

"Yeah, it's me," the cyborg dinosaur Digimon replied. "I'm back to normal."

Angemon flew down beside him. "What changed you back? Was it Angewomon's healing power?"

He shook his head. "No, that just healed the damage the Dark Cloud did to me. I somehow managed to Spirit Evolve while I was still in Oinkmon form, even though I didn't have my Digivice. I don't know how I did it."

"I think I can explain," said Shoutmon as he limped over, no longer unconscious. "It doesn't matter what form a Digimon is in, all their other forms and possible forms are still written and contained in their code. Like me, even though I'm Shoutmon right now, I still have the data that makes up my In-Training and Baby forms, along with any possible forms I could Digivolve to. That's why Digivolving is a way to break free of the Oinkmon form. When Tai was turned into Oinkmon, everything for his human form, even his Digivice, was still contained in Oinkmon's code. It looks like you managed to tap into the data for your Digivice and Spirit Evolve."

"Unbelievable," the cyborg dinosaur Digimon grumbled. "So I could have become MetalGreymon all along?"

Shoutmon shrugged. "Don't know. Spirit Evolving is still a new thing. Maybe you just needed the right motivation." He collapsed. "Man, I have no energy. That cloud takes a lot out of you."

"I'll say," Paildramon agreed. "And Mephistomon's attack just made things worse. Where is that creep anyway?"

MetalGreymon looked around. "Gone. So is Darcmon. They better hope we don't run into them again. Although, since it seems Darcmon is actually the one behind Argomon's takeover, I'm sure we'll be seeing more of her."

BurningGreymon struggled to rise. "What about Leomon?" he asked. A moment later, he collapsed as well.

"He probably got lost in the darkness," Angemon replied. "We better go look for him."

"I can't even get up," Paildramon complained. "Hey, Angewomon, you think you can heal us too?"

The angel Digimon doubted it. "I don't think so. I barely have the strength to hold my Digimon form. Oh no." She suddenly reverted back to human. "Never mind."

"Hey," said MetalGreymon, "it's ok. You all deserve a rest. Angemon and I will take care of things."

"Thank goodness for that," BurningGreymon muttered and changed back to his human form. Paildramon did too a moment later.

WarGrowlmon held his form though. Slowly, he raised his arm and pointed. "MetalGreymon… Angemon…"

"It's fine," the angel Digimon assured him. "Just relax. We can handle things from here."

"No… look…"

"Yes, we'll look for Leomon too," MetalGreymon replied. "He can't have gone too far."

"No… it's… it's…"

"Black Sabbath!"

The cry came from behind. Clutching the wound in his stomach, Mephistomon fired a blast of energy. A blur of movement came from behind him, and the demon Digimon cried out, as a familiar blade buried in his head right between in his eyes. He howled and his attack went off course, sparing Angemon and MetalGreymon as Leomon landed close by, his legs giving out in his weakened state from prolonged exposure to the Dark Cloud.

Mephistomon stumbled about and reached up to tear the sword from his head. "Damn you!"

"An ironic statement coming from a demon Digimon," said MetalGreymon. "Lets finish this. Giga Destroyer!"

"Hand of Fate!"

Mephistomon's face twisted with fury as the attacks came at him. "You'll pay for thi-"

The rest of his declaration was cut off as he was obliterated. As the smoke cleared, Shoutmon eyed the lingering data that he was unable to get to longingly. "What a waste."

A cry of rage drew his attention, and he looked up to see the silhouette of Darcmon fly by. He looked to his friends, but they didn't seem to have notice. "Guys, over there!"

Angemon and MetalGreymon turned to him. "What?" the latter asked.

"It's Darcmon. She's…" He trailed off. She was already gone, and he sighed. "Never mind."

He had a feeling they would be seeing her again.

(A/N: Yay, Tai is back to normal. And our heroes have reunited with Leomon. And now they've made a startling discovery. Darcmon is the one behind everything, and she's using Argomon to find what ever it is she's seeking. But what is it, and what is her plan? And what of Leomon's friends? Things are becoming more and more complicated.)

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New Digimon that appear. Replace the DOT in the link(s) with actual periods.

digimonDOTwikiaDOTcom/wiki/Wendigomon

digimonDOTwikiaDOTcom/wiki/Mephistomon

digimonDOTwikiaDOTcom/wiki/Darcmon