Standard Disclaimer: Um…uh…aw shoot, where's my cue card?!

Author's Notes: Hope you all had a Happy New Year's! As for me…I continue to write on, listening to my ripped CDs all the way (hums as he listens to FFVIII's final boss theme 'The Extreme').

To the reviews!

Miracles: Welcome back!

reviewer: What last part do you mean?

UKHoneyB: Ooh! Movie poster! :D

Oh, and I fixed the word; it should've been 'warmth'. As for Shaun's maturity, it was simple; he just didn't look at Kari when she 'dropped in'. (shot for pun) But then again, Shaun has no yearning for a woman…you'll understand what I mean after the end of this episode. ;)

As for the PG-13 rating, I think this story as a whole wouldn't be fit R; it's only within the last dozen or so chapters that things have escalated from PG to PG-13. And no, I don't think the scene of Davis' torture is too extreme for a PG-13 movie. Or it could be that I can stomach things more…or it could be because I wrote it. :P

ficmaster: …DarkTroymon? What the heck is a 'Troy' to begin with? Is he Grecian in nature, cause that's the only thing I can think of. O.o;

And Happy New Year to you to. (boots him off a cliff)

Anthony1: He reenters the scene in this chapter. And who's to say the Digidestined will only have to face one enemy when they get to the Real World? ;)

SR71will: I'll just say this; the battles that will take place in the climax will (hopefully) put the final battles of the Digimon anime to shame. :P

Ninetalesuk: You know, I wouldn't have to keep resorting to such extreme methods if you (I'm talking to you Anubismon) would just SHUT UP! Oh, and look behind you.

(behind Anubismon is RaDramon, who's giving Anubismon the evil eye)

Cloud-821: That's a pretty close guess; I hope to finish up Zero 2 before it reaches the 70-episode limit. As for Kari's Holy Armor, I'm saving it for something special (so special, it'll have its own music number! No, seriously: I'm going to have song lyrics when that 'special something' comes into play).

Oh, and I'm a guy. And mind explaining the 'written by different genders' part? Just curious…and no, I'm not offended. Hey, I go through this with my reviewers; I just take it all in good humor. To prove my point… (smashes a custard pie in Cloud's face) :P

Silver Warrior: It IS PG-13. As for Aetherdramon, I made the decision to call him a 'he' back when he was first introduced…besides, I think it's denigrating to call a Digimon (unless its clearly asexual or has no apparent gender preference, like the Mind of the Gravemon) an 'it'.

War zone indeed. Oh, almost forgot. (boots him off a cliff two times)

masamune: If you'll remember, the typhoon that now surrounds Odaiba is keeping the Americans out. They're still sending in the Marines, but they won't be able to intervene.

FusionSonicX: Welcome to Zero 2 FSX! As for the 'bad point' you mentioned…none of the Digidestined have been killed yet. I'm just making it really REALLY hard for them to get by. :P

As for Alien comment, do you mean how the Spores are similar to the face-huggers?

Salamon2: Welcome to Zero 2 S2! I'm glad this story has managed to hook you in. But seriously; me replacing the old vanguard of Digimon writers? (immediately thinks of legends such as Silver1, SSJ4Takeru, Seth Turtle, The Create Card, Hikari Takaishi, Kale, AnT, and a few others.)

……NAH. I still haven't gone as far as I can with my writing. The only way I can be convinced that my fic has become as renowned and as GOOD as some of the legendary pieces (Silver1's Crystal Digimon Saga and SSJ4Takeru's immensely vast Fusion series comes to mind) is if the authors themselves say so. Until then, I don't think I'm as good as them.

Jonathon: Welcome! I'm glad you liked the Inuyasha reference. :P

K.J: Welcome as well! Sheesh…so many new people. X.x Oh, almost forgot. (boots him off a cliff)

Begin!

----

The Gravemon have now entered the Real World.

Darkheart will soon recommence his quest for power.

There's also Demon and UmbraDevimon to think about.

Oh, and don't forget the one who's possessed Piedmon.

After all this…who wants to wager on the Digidestined's chances for survival?

----

"Hey everyone, it's Kari. Well, I had a little discussion with the Gravemon known as the Mind, but I frankly don't care. Right now, I just want to sell myself as a nightlight and eat tapioca. NOW. HA HA HA HA!!!"

(Kari runs off, then Shaun walks in)

"Apologies. I'm afraid she's gone a bit insane after all the attention evil's been giving her. Anyway, she'll be fine by the time the title comes in. Carry on!"

----

Episode 49: The Dragon's Rage

----

/Sphere Observation Deck, Fuji Television Station, Odaiba, 6:16 PM/

Jun remained silent; she was lying in Jim's arms. Now Jim was asleep…and Jun was awake.

Jun remained as still as possible while she contemplated the thoughts that now ran through her mind. She was confused…and, to be truthful, worried.

To be blunt, she was falling for Jim.

And she was frightened.

After all, wasn't she supposed to be head over heels for Matt Ishida, head of the Teenage Wolves, Odaiba's hottest teen band?

Well…yes! Of course she was! Practically every single female in the 8-20 age range had crushes on the boys of the Teenage Wolves, especially Matt in particular. It was…what…every…other girl…would do…

Jun couldn't help but sigh. Even now, she tried to fit in with the crowd.

You see, Jun had once been as unlucky as Davis when it came to the friend factor. There was a time when she had once been as rebellious and 'punchy' as Davis; she had once been a major tomboy.

Of course, it didn't take her long to discover that this way of living wasn't getting her any friends. No one was like she was…she was simply too…different, especially among the female side of things.

So she had to adapt. She became softer. She tried acting like some of the girls around her. She tried acting obsessive over the latest boy bands, which she would've never considered beforehand.

And it had worked. In a matter of days within the personality switch, Jun found herself with a friend. And the list of friends continued to grow as Jun settled down into her new role as a more feminine girl.

Now, Jun didn't up and quit her old life; it wasn't like she suddenly started taking ballet lessons. She still liked to play sports (usually soccer), but only during her free time. She would get into an occasional fight with a bully, but only when the fight took place out of sight of anyone else. In the eye of the public, she would act sweetly, feminine, and boy-crazy. Within the confines of her own house, she would allow herself to regress to her former 'punchy' self…usually when Davis was involved with something.

Even so, there were times when she questioned whether or not the 'personality cover-up' had been a good idea.

Most of those times, Jun just shrugged it off and told herself the same excuse: 'Of course! I have friends, and my social life is better than it ever was!'

However, there were a couple of times where she would regret not being true to herself…essentially, she was trying to act as someone else to become popular. She was trying to act as someone other than herself to gain friends.

And during those few times she thought of it like that, she would wonder why: she was being false. Jun's friends were friends with someone who was a mere shell; they were friends with Jun, but not the REAL Jun.

But, Jun would just look at Davis and remind herself that acting like herself would only take away her friends and bring her social status down to below sea level, like it had once been. That's how it had been for about a couple of years…and then Davis met Kari.

At first, Jun considered it a fluke. She remembered it very well; how could Davis have made a friend when he acted so…'punchy'? It had to be a fluke…it had to have been. After all, SHE hadn't made any friends when she had acted like that…so why did he?

So, the years rolled by. Yolei was added to the list of friends, and then Cody soon after…and then this new school year started. It had been rocky at first, but it was safe to assume that Davis considered TK Takaishi a friend.

Around the time Jun had been introduced to Cody, she had begun wondering if she had made a mistake in her decision to cover-up her true self. But she had come too far now…she had quite a few great friendships going (Momoe Inoue being one of them; one of the nifty things about Davis' friendship with Yolei was that it brought access to Yolei's sisters). She had been using her more feminine side for so long that it had become part of her personality; she couldn't just back out of it like that.

Even so, there were times when she regretted not being true to herself.

Now was one of those times.

Now, in all honesty, 'Tomboy Jun' had never been one for boy bands. She had thought them to be over-hyped, and most of their music didn't sit well with her. Nevertheless, as time moved on, she had forced herself to listen to them and to obsess over them like all the other girls.

And thus, she developed a forced attraction to them…and that attraction got easier to listen to and live with as time went on. That's why she had been so crazy over Matt Ishida, the Teenage Wolves, and just about every other new boy band that came along: she was simply going along with the crowd.

But when it came to someone she genuinely liked to hang around with or – if they got along well enough – date, she didn't pursue the opportunity. She feared regressing into her old self…and, as a result of that, losing her friends. She didn't want that.

But then Jim had come along.

He wasn't someone who went to her school; he was a good two years older than she was. He was a 20-year-old in college, and she was an 18-year-old in her senior year of high school. And, most important of all, he was someone that she could talk to WITHOUT the peer pressure. He was someone that she didn't have to act boy-crazy around…she could just act normally.

Perhaps that was why she was falling for him…because Jim was someone she could act as herself around. A person that would let Jun reveal her true self without any qualms about it. Oh, and saving her life from a horrible, squishy death had been a nice bonus. Even Matt Ishida couldn't attest to that. (:P)

And as she thought about it some more, Jun realized that she didn't care what anyone else thought of it. At that thought, she smiled. Yeah…it worked for Davis…it should work for me too.

"What are you thinking about?"

Jun nearly yelped out of surprise; she tilted her eyes to the left side to see Nancy Takaishi sitting beside her and Jim. Jun blinked before asking, "Huh?"

Mrs. Takaishi calmly said, "You had this deep, thoughtful look in your eyes…you were too busy thinking that you didn't notice me sit down."

Jun couldn't help but sweatdrop out of embarrassment. "Oh…heh. Well…I was just thinking about…things."

Nancy quickly asked, "Boy problems?" Jun responded with a confused stare, to which TK's mom replied, "Hey, I was once a teenager too. I remember what things were like."

"Well…thanks for volunteering to help and all," said Jun as she took solace in the arms that were around her. "But…I'm thinking about stuff that only I have answers to."

That answer seemed to please Natsuko Takaishi, who smiled as she leaned against the wall. She wore a black tank top, a pair of gray sweatpants, and a blue denim jacket was wrapped around her waist. Her gray tennis shoes were beaten and weathered down; she had covered a lot of ground that day in her attempt to reach the Television Station.

Suddenly, a male voice cut through the air.

"Perfect. JUST perfect…"

Jun and Nancy turned their heads to see a Junsa-cho – Dietz – staring out a large window at the fiery ruins of Odaiba. Specifically, his eyes were staring at the Shinbashi Station. The Junsa-bucho known as Ackerson was standing right beside him, staring out as well. Another Junsa-bucho known as Himuro was standing behind them both. Dietz muttered, "As if we don't have enough troubles…"

"I told you this was only going to get worse," sarcastically quipped Ackerson.

Nancy got up and quickly walked towards the large window. Jun got up as well; normally, she would've reconsidered moving out of consideration for Jim, but she wanted to see (say hello to the old and improved Jun. :P )!

Jim suddenly stirred as his arms no longer grasped Jun; he quickly opened his eyes to see Jun and Natsuko (FYI, Nancy's actual name is Natsuko) staring out a large window beside a Junsa-cho and a Junsa-bucho.

He slowly got up and said, "Hey, what's everyone looking at?"

The moment he looked out the window, he knew what they were looking at.

Out of the ruins of Shinbashi Station was a massive serpentine creature made of what appeared to be rotting flesh; tentacles flailed through the air as it seemed to glare defiantly at the other two major bad guys: the demon and the devil.

Jim suddenly felt his faith in the Digidestined start to falter. NOW things looked to be getting out of hand.

A hand suddenly clasped his trembling right hand; he hadn't even been aware that he HAD been trembling.

Jim looked down at Jun, who flashed a confident smile at him. It spoke volumes. Don't worry…we'll be okay.

Jim couldn't help but grin back at her. Sometimes it's the psychologist who needs help instead of the patient…heh.

Meanwhile, Dietz half-heartedly grumbled, "That's it. It's official. We are totally and completely screwed."

SLAP!!!

The Junsa-cho winced as Himuro slapped him on the back of his head. "Don't you know anything boy? You're only going to make it worse if you keep moping like this."

----

/Ruins of a Skyscraper, Odaiba, 6:21 PM/

Twenty Bakemon slowly filtered through the crumbling ruins of a fallen skyscraper; they were searching for any hostiles before moving on to the next sector; basically. Basically, they were acting as clean-up detail for the main force that was being led by the Black General Deathmon.

One of the Bakemon muttered, "Man, I HATE clean-up detail…"

"What? You'd rather be on the front lines?" replied another one of the Bakemon.

"Yeah! That's where all the action is!"

A third Bakemon quickly said, "Besides, this is boring!"

"ELECTRIC STUN BLAST!!!"

"RED THORN!!!"

The twenty Bakemon whirled around to see fifteen Gazimon and ten RedVeggiemon advance over a crumbling wall that had once been part of the building's outer surface. Orbs of electricity that were thrown by the Gazimon and the spiky limbs launched by the Champion RedVeggiemon collided with the Bakemon. Four of them were destroyed by a combined strike of electricity and spiky flesh, but the other sixteen quickly phased through the pile of rubble behind them to evade the barrage.

One of the Bakemon yelled, "Great! It's an ambush!"

"Not for long," said the lead Bakemon. "Five of you, phase through the ground and possess them from below! We'll distract them!"

With that said, five Bakemon immediately became intangible and fell into the ground. The other eleven grabbed pieces of rubble and dirt and threw them at high speed at their enemy. One rock pelted a Gazimon in the forehead, sending it flying. When the Gazimon landed, his body was utterly deleted.

"Stink Gas!" The ten RedVeggiemon expelled a pale yellow cloud of gas from their gullets, causing the Bakemon to dive for cover.

All of a sudden, five RedVeggiemon screamed as they suddenly turned intangible and were sucked underground.

Moments later, five RedVeggiemon reappeared on the side of the Bakemon…and their eyes were no longer blood red, but empty black. The possessed RedVeggiemon roared, "Stink Gas!!!" They expelled a large cloud of pale yellow gas, which caused the enemy to scatter…but only momentarily.

The RedVeggiemon and the Gazimon quickly regrouped and unleashed another salvo of attacks on the Bakemon.

The lead Bakemon roared, "Prepare to possess them again! On my mark…"

CHOOM!!!

A quake rattled through the ground as a rotting tentacle shot upward through the earth, twitching in the air. The opposing sides gazed at the tentacle with confusion…and bewilderment crossed their faces as it immediately fell back into the ground, leaving a large, seven-foot diameter hole in its wake.

One of the Bakemon mumbled, "What the heck was that…?"

All of a sudden, several dozen Spores erupted from the hole, their otherworldly chirping filling the air.

Screams came moments later. The Bakemon that possessed five RedVeggiemon immediately abandoned their hosts in an attempt to flee…but it was futile.

One minute later, ten RedVeggiemon, fourteen Gazimon, and sixteen Bakemon emerged from the ruins of the building. The RedVeggiemon were no longer red; now, they looked like nothing more than hopping sacs of flesh, complete with limbs from which thick tentacles extended. The ten RedVeggiemon were now Incubators.

The Gazimon had become Warriors; save for a few patches, their gray fur was now completely gone. Long tentacles extended from the claws on their hands, and they now walked with a strange limp to their stride. Sensory tentacles extended from their chests and dangly ears…and their eyes had rotted away.

And as for the Bakemon…the white blankets that had once covered their bodies had become their rotting, papery flesh. A number of hardy tentacles dangled from their underside, and sensory appendages were protruding from where their eyes had once been.

Then, with a howl, the infected Digimon and the remaining Spores spread out from the ruins, seeking to infect and consume other life forms.

They were now Gravemon…and they were eager to continue on.

----

/Near the Ruins of Shinbashi Station, Odaiba, 6:27 PM/

UmbraDevimon yelped out of sudden pain as Demon sent him flying with a well-placed kick to the chest. The demon roared, "I've no time to deal with you, impudent whelp!"

UmbraDevimon grimaced as he got to his feet, ignoring the fact that a group of Greymon under the control of his Black Gears were being surrounded by a number of Spores that were aided by an infected MegaDramon. He was too preoccupied with destroying the Mind, whom UmbraDevimon was rapidly flying towards. That fool…he does not stand a chance fighting the Mind one-on-one!

'That is where you are wrong.'

UmbraDevimon halted as Demon's voice was broadcasted into his mind. The demonic Mega continued to telepathically speak to UmbraDevimon. 'Even though YOU have no chance to destroy the Gravemon, my castle continues to corrupt this city with my influence. Soon, every facet of land within my barrier of fire will be tainted by my demonic aura, and my newfound power will allow me to increase the size of my barrier. That will allow me to taint even more land, and my power will continue to grow. I will be more than a match for the Mind. Oh, and unlike you…' Demon tilted his head back to smirk malevolently at UmbraDevimon. 'I have my Black Generals to aide me.' With that, Demon turned around to face the Mind.

Immediately, he sent out a telepathic message to the Demon Corps. LadyDevimon, Deathmon, and all soldiers under their command; report to me! I am heading for the Gravemon known as the Mind. MarineDevimon, you and the soldiers under your command will keep fighting in the bay. Soulmon, you and all other soldiers at the castle will remain there to defend it. You have your orders!

As for UmbraDevimon, his eyes gazed upward to see the Digimon fighting his airborne forces suddenly start moving toward Demon. He snarled out of frustration. So…he thinks he can just ignore me and fight Gravemon, does he? His pride as an evil Digimon was at stake…and thus, he sent out a mental command to all of the forces under the control of his Black Gears. All aerial and land-based Digimon…to me! All naval Digimon, continue fighting on as you were!

----

The Mind tilted its head to see the giant-sized Demon glaring at it with defiance. The massive Gravemon said, "So…you seek your grave."

Demon chuckled as the 4,981 Bakemon (including those that possessed enemy Digimon) under LadyDevimon and Deathmon's command gathered behind him. "The only one who will be sent to the grave shall be you."

LadyDevimon blinked as she looked at the Mind. "So…that is one of the Gravemon? Doesn't look as ferocious as I thought it would."

The Mind snorted at LadyDevimon. "Underestimate us all you like…it will only lead to your doom."

Demon laughed. "HAH! You may be one of the most feared Digimon in the history of time, but that shall change soon enough!!!"

"Uh…Lord Demon?" Deathmon pointed a hand toward the rear of the attack force. "We have company."

Demon tilted his head backwards to see UmbraDevimon…and, slowly forming a circle around the Demon Corps and the Mind, were the 424,935 Digimon he had gathered to face Demon and the Gravemon. The devilish Mega snorted, "And to think you considered me second fiddle to the Gravemon…a foolish mistake Demon."

Demon laughed at UmbraDevimon. "Hah! What pride…you so eagerly seek your death…I shall hand it to both you AND the Gravemon."

"Arrogant creatures…"

Demon and UmbraDevimon blanched as an earthquake suddenly enveloped the area that they and their armies stood in. With a thunderous crack, over two-dozen rotting tentacles – tentacles from the Mind – emerged from the ground in a circle that encompassed the Mind, Demon and his Corps, and UmbraDevimon and his army. The tentacles rose into the air and joined together about three hundred meters above the Mind. The Gravemon's consciousness said, "Now you are trapped…and my brethren shall consume you."

Deathmon quickly aimed his left hand at the tentacles. "Death Arrow!!!" A dark red arrow made of unholy energy shot out from the eye in his palm, roaring at the tentacles…and then it fizzled out of existence as it touched the space between the tentacles. Deathmon frowned. "That beast has assembled a barrier…I don't think we can penetrate it."

All of a sudden, the Mind roared…and from its maw came a slew of Spores. Hundreds of them.

UmbraDevimon, in the face of this new turn of events, roared out of panic. "FIGHT!!!!! EVERY DIGIMON FOR THEMSELVES!!! DESTROY EVERYTHING THAT MOVES!!!"

With that, every single Digimon that UmbraDevimon controlled roared and charged inward towards the Demon Corps and the Gravemon.

Demon snarled. "The fool…he chooses now to panic?" Demon, his demeanor cool and calm, quickly gave out orders. "LadyDevimon, lead your regiment against UmbraDevimon's army. Deathmon, fend off the Gravemon…I shall take UmbraDevimon." With a defiant yell, Demon charged towards UmbraDevimon.

Demon Corps vs. UmbraDevimon's Army vs. Gravemon.

The melee that was to come would be so great, it would make the infamous Battle of Stalingrad from World War II seem like a mere skirmish.

----

/11-011-OMEGA, Sanctum of the Hierarchs, the Forbidden City, 6:35 PM/

"WHAT?! THE GRAVEMON HAVE ENTERED THE WORLD OF REALITY?!?!" screamed the Prophet of Wisdom.

The Digidestined had all gathered inside the Sanctum of the Hierarchs after the short battle that they and the Forbidden City militia had partaken in…and Shaun had immediately explained his theory concerning the Gravemon's true intentions. The Child of Wisdom quickly replied, "I know it seems unlikely…but it's the only thing I can think of to explain their tactics."

"It…it can't be! This is unacceptable! The Gravemon cannot be allowed to taint the sacred world of reality!!!" screamed Absolution.

Reality calmly retorted Absolution's panicked words. "We cannot be sure until a strike team can be sent into the swamp's prison facility to investigate the bottom chamber. Until then, we cannot assume anything." Reality turned his gaze toward Huvo Nuvonaree, who was standing beside Commander Tusa'lamee at the door. "Special Operations Commander, you shall lead a strike force into the swamp facility. You shall lead three Shadows full of Spec Ops troops to the prison facility and investigate this matter."

The Spec Ops Commander bowed out of subservience. "Yes, noble Hierarch." With that, the white Elitemon left the sacred halls of the Sanctum.

"There…now for the last matter on our hands," said Reality as his gaze turned back toward the Digidestined. "Now it is time for you to leave our city."

"What?!" yelled Yolei. "What about hospitality?!"

"Besides, we just got here!" protested Gatomon.

Wisdom immediately exclaimed, "We do not care! The law of our city is absolute: outsiders are not permitted to stay here for an extended period of time. This even applies to the Child of Wisdom, even though he is an honorary member of our High Council." An edge of harshness filled Wisdom's voice at the mention of 'the Child of Wisdom'.

Shaun caught note of this…and so did Absolution. "Dear brother, there is no need to speak so harshly toward the boy. He has repented for his mistake."

"Mistake? What mistake? And what boy?" asked Tai, bewildered over what the Prophet could possibly mean.

Shaun – an almost sheepish tone to his voice – cleared his throat and said, "Uh…they're talking about me."

Kari tilted her head back and asked, "What mistake? What did you do?"

"Well…I was the reason that the Gravemon escaped about nine hundred years ago," answered Shaun, who started looking a tad uncomfortable. "But it WAS an accident."

"An accident that cost the lives of many soldiers! Do you know how many resources we dedicated to sealing away the Gravemon? At that point in time, it had been the worst outbreak in almost seven thousand years!!!" yelled Wisdom, who was looking a tad irate.

"It is all in the past brother. Do not dwell on it," said Absolution with a soothing tone.

As for the Digidestined, they slowly looked at Shaun and (Agumon) quietly.

(Agumon) quickly said, "We didn't know! We were just trying seek shelter from the swamp and the rain! How was I supposed to know breaking the door down would be bad?"

"Well, in hindsight, we probably should've figured something might've been wrong with breaking down a door that was locked," muttered Shaun.

"Enough of this reminiscing. It is time for you Digidestined to leave; we are fully aware of the corrupted Digidestined child that is chasing you, and we will have nothing to do with him." With that said, Reality tapped a small, unseen button near his armrest.

At that moment, the door to the Sanctum opened. Kuvo Hutalamee – the Chief Honor Guard – walked in, with eight more Honor Guards right behind him. The Chief Honor Guard asked, "What is your reason for summoning us, noble Hierarchs?"

Wisdom quickly said, "Escort the human children out of our Sanctum!"

Reality pressed another hidden switch on his floating throne. "A Shadow will be waiting at the beginning of the Sacred Path. It shall escort you to another sector before returning."

The nine Honor Guards quickly encircled the Digidestined. Kuvo Hutalamee activated his plasma sword and pointed it at Ken, the nearest Digidestined. "Forgive us if our hospitality seems lacking…but just move along quietly and we can avoid any messes."

Hawkmon frowned as he slowly began walking. "I don't know what anyone else thinks, but your hospitality leaves a LOT to be desired."

"I second that notion!" added Biyomon.

"I third it." said Sora.

"And I fourth it!" yelled Yolei. An Honor Guard lightly pushed Yolei forward. "Hey, watch it!!!"

As the Digidestined walked away and exited the Sanctum, the Prophet of Absolution sighed. "I sometimes wonder if our prejudice against the Digidestined is justified."

"It doesn't matter! We cannot allow the Digidestined to stay longer than necessary; otherwise, they might taint another one of our warriors!" exclaimed Wisdom. "Have you forgotten the Outcast? He was once one of our greatest Battalion Commanders! Even the Spec Ops Commander had trouble facing him in one-on-one combat…but then the original Digidestined came along, and he defied the prophecy by going with them into the world of reality!"

"Even so, he had a higher calling…even if his actions were cause for exile from our city, he was still the partner of a Digidestined. That is an honorable title in its own right, even if he dishonored himself in the eyes of this city." With that said, Reality leaned back into his throne. "I do not know about you, my brothers…but after the Digidestined leave, I feel like resting."

"What of the corrupted rogue? What if he tries to attack our city without knowing that the Digidestined are in the Shadow?" asked Absolution.

"Then we shall use the shield…if only until the child decides to leave."

----

"That was quick," remarked the Chief Honor Guard as a Shadow set down beside the Sacred Path. It turned around and positioned its right prong towards the walkway; it opened up moments later, revealing seats for the Digidestined.

With nowhere else to go, Tai, Sora, Kari, TK, Ken, Yolei, Cody, Shaun, Veemon, Biyomon, Gatomon, Patamon, Hawkmon, Armadillomon, and (Agumon) hopped into their own seat on the right prong. After they were buckled in, the prong closed up and the Shadow flew off.

The Chief Honor Guard sighed. "Well, that takes care of that."

All of a sudden, ANOTHER Shadow set down beside the Sacred Path. The voice of the Elitemon that piloted it suddenly came on over Kuvo's com-link. "Sir? Where are the Digidestined?"

Hutalamee blinked out of confusion. "They were just picked up. Why?"

"But…I was the one summoned to escort them away from the city!"

Kuvo went dead silent…and he immediately hailed the Shadow that was rapidly disappearing over the western horizon. "Pilot of the Shadow that is flying to the west! Respond!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice came in response. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I give any inclination that I would stay away from the city while the Digidestined were there? Oops…I lied."

Kuvo Hutalamee snarled at the voice…and then he roared out of frustration. "OUTCAST!!!!!!"

----

/11-011-OMEGA, Northern Plateau, North of the Forbidden City, 6:53 PM/

"Well, they sure cleaned up in a hurry," commented Darkheart as he stared at the cliff edge; all weapons that the Forbidden City military had hauled out here had already been returned to the city.

Voooosh…

Darkheart tilted his head to see a Shadow fly over and behind him, heading to the west. "Hmm…wonder what that thing's in such a hurry for? Ah well, none of my business." With that said, he turned his attention towards the purple city that sat in the distance.

The Digidestined were there…he was sure of it.

He stood on his hind legs and grabbed the two glaives that were clamped onto his back; he held one glaive in each pair of arms. He flipped down his visor with his upper left hand before clutching his glaive. Now, his red eyes were completely covered by a jet-black visor.

A wicked grin adorned his face as he ascended into the air. "Now…let's continue where we left off. Digidestined…you're mine." With that, Darkheart charged for the Forbidden City.

----

/11-011-OMEGA, Sanctum of the Hierarchs, the Forbidden City, 6:55 PM/

Reality, Wisdom, and Absolution faced each other; they had gathered into a circle, and they held each other's hands.

"Is the corrupt child heading for us?" asked Absolution.

"Yes…he is not pursuing the Shadow that holds the Digidestined. Apparently, he still believes that the Digidestined are here," replied Wisdom.

"Then we have no choice…we must use the shield." As Reality spoke, the prophets radiated with white light. Their hidden power began to emerge, and the entirety of the Sanctum could be seen now. It was large; multiple galleries lined the sides of the spherical Sanctum, and lining the floors and walls of those galleries were crystalline sculptures and intricately painted murals that detailed many moments in the past of the Forbidden City.

The construction of the city.

The grand battle in which the Prophet of Omniscience himself led the military in a battle against the Gravemon.

The passing away of the Prophet of Omniscience.

The shameful exile of the Outcast.

The time in which a Spec Ops Elitemon led a rebellion against the Hierarchs.

The trial of the aforementioned rebel leader, with the Prophet of Dignity acting as the judge.

The execution of the rebel leader.

The induction of the Prophets of Reality, Wisdom, and Absolution as the new Hierarchs.

The induction of the Child of Wisdom into the High Council.

Many of the crystal sculptures were of single figures; mighty warrior Elitemon, Gruntmon with bravery, and many of the Prophets.

And right now, the three Hierarchs spoke at once.

"GRAND SHIELD OF THE HIERARCHS!!!"

A massive column of light erupted from the Hierarchs, and it stretched onward toward the Sanctum's ceiling.

----

Darkheart blinked as a white column of light suddenly erupted from the spherical building in the center of the city. The three columns that supported the building glowed red, white, and violet respectively.

Then, to his great shock, the column of light became a flat sheet of energy that slowly sank downward, forming a dome over the city.

Darkheart couldn't believe it; a shield was forming over the city. "Oh no you don't!!!" He immediately poured on the speed, hoping to get under the shield before it fully came into being.

SMACK!!!

He failed.

Darkheart now looked like a bug that had just run into a car windshield, minus all of the icky splattered blood and guts.

Slowly, but surely, Darkheart slid down along the shield, making a dull whirr sound as if he were sliding down on glass.

Finally, he slumped onto the hard ground of the cliff side, his body facedown.

An angry growl escaped Darkheart's mouth. "Blasted shield…fine then!" He immediately hopped to his feet and sheathed his glaives. "I'll simply go under!" With that, he immediately dug into the hard ground of the plateau that the Forbidden City was built upon.

Several seconds later, Darkheart crawled back up out of the hole, rubbing his head angrily. "Okay, so the shield extends underground."

Frustration finally overtaking his senses, Darkheart flew away from the city and aimed his four arms at the white shield.

Suddenly, they converted into large cannons. "MAGNA CANNON!!!!!"

Four black orbs tinged with golden energy erupted from Darkheart's four arm cannons. The four orbs collided against the shield at the same time, creating a tremendous mushroom cloud of black ash.

When the cloud of ash finally cleared three minutes later…the city still stood…and so did the shield.

Darkheart howled with anger. "GAAH!!!!! HOW THE HECK AM I SUPPOSED TO ABSORB THE DIGIDESTINED IF I CAN'T GET TO THEM?!?!"

In his moment of clarity, he suddenly remembered his D-3. Darkheart opened a compartment on his thigh and pulled out his blue D-3. He set it to 'Detect'…and blinked.

The Digidestined weren't in the city. "Oh. Hmm. Well I'll be."

Darkheart immediately glanced westward. If they weren't in the city…then they had to be in the dropship. "Trying to escape, eh?"

Darkheart immediately burst off to the west.

----

/11-010-PSI, 7:02 PM/

The Shadow slowly set down in a small clearing amidst the desolate forest of dead trees. It quietly deactivated…and then the right prong opened up, allowing the Digidestined to hop out.

Moments later, the Shadow suddenly went invisible. (Agumon) yelped, "AH! I didn't know they could do that!"

"It is a special feature I put in myself."

The Digidestined turned to see a golden Elitemon hop out. At first glance, it looked like Vula Tusa'lamee…except this Elitemon had a slash mark across the crown of his helmet. The Elitemon, in a husky voice, said, "My name is Futa Ishisamee, former Battalion Commander."

Cody suddenly recognized the Digimon's eyes. "I saw you…you were being escorted by several black Elitemon to that Shadow. Why was that?"

The Elitemon chuckled. "Oh, I was merely being escorted out of the city because I was banished. Didn't stop me from bringing you out of the city though."

The Digidestined blinked out of confusion; they had been taken out of the city by an exile? Ken quietly stepped forward and asked, "So…you were banished…two questions: why were you exiled, and why did you escort us away from the city despite the fact you were banished?"

Futa smiled as he leaned against one of the dead trees. "Well…I was banished for simply going to the Real World of my own accord. Defying the Great Journey and all that."

Shaun suddenly raised an eyebrow out of realization. "Ah…you must be the Outcast. Heard rumors about you the first time I went to the Forbidden City."

"Rumors. Doesn't matter…I don't care what they think. Even if I do miss the responsibilities of being a Battalion Commander, I have a much more fulfilling existence now." Futa smiled as he gazed up into the sky. "I am the partner to a Digidestined…I can't ask for more than that."

"A DIGIDESTINED?!?!" screamed everyone out of shock. Tai yelled, "YOU'RE the partner to a Digidestined?!"

The Elitemon nodded. "Yes…he helped me to…'lighten up', so to speak."

Shaun frowned out of curiosity; none of the rumors he had heard about the Outcast involved him being the partner to a Digidestined. Hmm…I wonder who his partner is…

"Ahem…mind answering my second question? Why'd you escort us out of the city?" asked Ken.

"I simply wanted to speak with you. Is there something wrong with that?" replied Futa.

"Pardon me."

Everyone suddenly whirled around to see Darkheart standing on a tree branch. The corrupted Child of Miracles snarled. "I don't care WHO the heck you are…" His upper left arm suddenly shifted into a gun barrel. "…but I advise you move out of the way! Magna Gun!!!"

Several bullets bounced off of Futa's shield before the Mega Digimon dove away from the barrage. The Elitemon snarled as he quickly reached for a two rods clipped to the armor on his thighs.

Darkheart cackled as he jumped off the tree and flew straight toward his nearest target: Kari. "COME TO POPPA!!!"

CLONG!!!

Everyone blinked as Darkheart suddenly stopped in midair…it was as though he had rammed his face straight into something.

Seconds later, he slumped to the ground.

Silence. Finally, Armadillomon asked, "Uh…what just happened?"

"He rammed his face straight into my dropship," said Futa with a smile as his hands clutched one rod each. With a click of a button, he activated his two plasma swords. "That should buy us a little while to retreat."

"RETREAT?! WHY DO WE ALWAYS HAVE TO RETREAT?!" yelled Yolei. "I'm tired of always running!!!"

"You don't have much of a choice. If you stay here, he'll absorb you," said Futa with a matter-of-factly tone.

Yolei seethed; the Digimon had a point.

"Oy…ow…"

Everyone whirled to face Darkheart; he was stirring. Shaun and TK glanced at each other; they knew they had a fight on their hands.

"Holy Armor Energize!!!"

In a flash of blue and bronze light, Shaun and TK were both wearing their respective armors. Everyone else took this as their cue to digivolve.

Hawkmon digivolve to……Aquilamon!

Aquilamon digivolve to……Silphymon!

Armadillomon digivolve to……Ankylomon!

Ankylomon digivolve to……Stegomon!

(Agumon) warp-digivolve to……(Wargreymon!)

Patamon digivolve to……Angemon!

Angemon digivolve to……MagnaAngemon!

Gatomon digivolve to……Angewomon!

Biyomon digivolve to……Birdramon!

Birdramon digivolve to……Garudamon!

MagnaAngemon…Stegomon…DNA Digivolve to……MetalAngemon!

Veemon pouted. "Aw…no fair! I can't digivolve!"

When Darkheart finally got to his feet, he saw MetalAngemon, Shaun, TK, (Wargreymon), Angewomon, Silphymon, and Futa Ishisamee gathered around him…and beyond them was Garudamon, who was holding her hands down for the other Digidestined to get on.

Oh, and his nose was bleeding: a result of using his face as a set of brakes.

Darkheart roared with anger. "RAAAH!!! WHAT IS IT WITH ME AND RUNNING INTO THINGS?!?!"

"How should we know? Speed Spin!" Shaun curled into spiky ball and zoomed towards Darkheart.

Darkheart quickly kicked Shaun away with his muscular right leg. The Child of Wisdom was sent sailing through several trees, inadvertently severing them with his Speed Spin attack.

Futa roared as he jumped into the air and aimed his swords at Darkheart.

Darkheart responded by quickly grabbing his glaives and holding them in his upper pair of hands. He used them both to block Futa's swords. As for his bottom pair of hands, he converted the left hand into a Magna Gun. The right hand crackled with the black and blue energy of the Shadow Mallet.

MetalAngemon, Angewomon, TK and Silphymon took to the air. TK quickly prepared an attack. "Equis Be-"

"Magna Gun!!!"

TK was forced to abandon his attack as Darkheart fired a volley of bullets at him. The Child of Hope flew behind a thicket of branches, evading Darkheart's barrage of projectiles. The bullets tore through the trees, causing splinters and wood chips to go flying.

"Static Buster!" Silphymon launched an orb of static-E at the six-limbed centaur.

Darkheart aimed his lower right palm at Silphymon. "Oblivion Crush!" A black ray tinged with blue electricity tore through the electrical orb and plunged into Silphymon, sending the Ultimate flying into a nearby tree.

Had Darkheart focused all of his power into the shot, it would've gone THROUGH Silphymon…but he didn't want that. He still wanted to absorb the Digimon.

Besides, he had his hands full with Futa Ishisamee.

The Mega-level Elitemon pressed harder with his plasma swords; he had to get an upper hand against Darkheart…even though the corrupted Digidestined was a good six feet taller than him. Good grief, he's bigger than a Huntermon.

Darkheart smirked as he pressed down with his full weight behind the glaives; the Elitemon grimaced as he was pushed to his knees by the force being pressed upon him,

"Metallic Angel Staff!"

Darkheart suddenly whirled around to deliver a roundhouse kick to MetalAngemon's face. The DNA warrior howled as the kick connected to his face, sending him flying through a few trees. "Don't think you're going to get me again!"

POW!!!

Darkheart yelped as Futa hopped upward and planted both feet into his face; unfortunately for Darkheart, turning around to kick MetalAngemon away had eased the pressure on Futa. This had allowed him to take the initiative.

Darkheart grumbled as Futa's feet slammed into his already bleeding nose; he quickly tried to skewer the Elitemon, but the warrior had already hopped onto his back. After using one of the large spikes growing from the Digidestined's spine as a handhold, Futa began slashing away at Darkheart's armor with his swords, attempting to create a chink in the armor.

Darkheart would have none of that.

He turned his lower right arm backwards and aimed his palm. "Oblivion Crush!!!" Futa was sent sailing by the ray of dark energy. "Annoying pest…"

"Celestial Arrow!"

Darkheart tilted his head back around to see Angewomon launch a volley of arrows at him. The corrupted child chuckled as the arrows crashed into his breastplate, but caused very little damage. "Annoyance…take this! Magna Gu-WHOOPH!!!"

The breath was knocked out of Darkheart's lungs as a fallen tree collided with his back, sending him flying forward. The tree in question had been thrown by TK, Silphymon, and MetalAngemon. TK and MetalAngemon gave each other a high-five as Silphymon cheered, "Bull's eye!"

Before Darkheart could do anything to stop his flight, Shaun suddenly appeared in front of him.

One second before Darkheart reached Shaun, the Child of Wisdom raised his right leg.

POW!

As a result, Darkheart's face met Shaun's boot. He slumped to the ground moments later.

The corrupted Child of Miracles snarled as he got to his feet. "STOP…HITTING…MY…FACE!!!!!! MAGNA PUNCH!!!"

Darkheart quickly flew all over the place in a matter of seconds, punching the living daylights out of Shaun, TK, Silphymon, MetalAngemon, and Angewomon…with all FOUR of his arms.

After punching Angewomon through the nearest tree, he turned his attention to Garudamon…and found that she was preparing to lift off with Tai, Sora, Yolei, Ken, Cody, Kari, and Veemon. "Oh no you DON'T!!!" Several slots on his shoulder pads opened up, revealing missiles. "Magna Missiles!!!"

Ten pairs of black missiles erupted from Darkheart and surged toward Garudamon. Five of those pairs were directed at Veemon.

A costly mistake.

Suddenly, without warning, Darkheart's eyes – even though they were hidden behind a black visor – shined golden…and he screamed in Davis' voice. "NO!!!"

All of a sudden, Veemon was blanketed with light.

Veemon digivolve to……XVmon!

XVmon digivolve to……Paildramon!

The golden sheen disappeared from Darkheart's eyes. He shook his head rapidly, wondering how the heck that had just happened? What?! Don't tell me…how can that kid still be moving after I nearly killed him?!

Somehow, Davis had been able to break through…if only long enough to give Veemon enough strength to digivolve. What worried Darkheart was the fact that he had been able to do it. PERIOD.

"Miracle Blaster!!!" Paildramon wasted no time; he grabbed his hip blasters and opened fire on the missiles streaming toward Garudamon. Explosions enveloped the missiles as the golden streams of energy tore them apart. Once he finished, Paildramon smiled happily. "All right! No more sitting on the sidelines for me!"

"We're out of here! Let's go!!!" yelled Garudamon as she held the children in her massive hands. With a flap of her wings, she propelled herself into the air-

THUCK.

Garudamon gasped as the breath suddenly left her lungs; she slowly looked down to see four spikes sticking into her chest. The spikes were tethered to steel cables…and they were coming from Darkheart's palms.

The dark Digidestiend scowled as he growled, "No more games…I WILL GO TO THE NEXT LEVEL!!! HAAA!!!!!"

Garudamon howled as electricity enveloped her body, causing her to impulsively relax her hands…and thus, the Digidestined fell, screaming all the way.

That is, until they were caught. Their screaming awoke TK, Angewomon, and MetalAngemon.

Paildramon caught Tai and Sora. TK caught Kari. Angewomon caught Yolei. MetalAngemon caught Ken and Cody.

As for Garudamon, she transformed into four strands of red energy that ran across the four steel cables. Darkheart smiled as Garudamon's power was added to his own.

He was near the threshold to Stage 4. He just needed a little more kick.

His eyes glanced over to Tai and Sora. "Yes…" Without hesitation, he charged.

"RAAA!!!"

Darkheart's eyes glanced to the right to see Futa Ishisamee charging, plasma swords held forward.

Darkheart knocked him away with one blast of his Magna Ray. As dark rays sent Futa colliding with his invisible Shadow, Darkheart roared towards Tai and Sora, who were being protected by Paildramon.

"Don't come any closer!!!" yelled Paildramon as he reached for his Miracle Blasters-

"Magna Punch!!!"

Paildramon suddenly yelped as two energy-coated fists collided with his chest, sending him backwards along the crowd.

Tai and Sora suddenly froze as Darkheart's tremendous 14'6" form stood over them. The corrupted Digidestined flipped open his visor, revealing his maniacal blood-red eyes. "Now it's your turn."

Sora suddenly glared at Darkheart. "You absorbed my friend…why?! WHAT'S THE POINT OF IT ALL?!?!"

As quick as a flash, his right hands grabbed Sora by the neck and the waist. Tai was grabbed by the neck and waist by his left hands. Darkheart smiled with his sharp fangs at the two. "Simple…because I can, and because I want to."

Darkheart grinned as their bodies slowly began to dissolve into energy strands…

"LET THEM GO!!!!!!"

Darkheart tilted his head back to see an enraged Shaun Kamiya charging for his head. Apparently, the Child of Wisdom had gotten up…and Darkheart could see the rage in his eyes.

"Sorry kid," said Darkheart.

SLAM!!!

Shaun was sent reeling into unconsciousness as Darkheart SLAMMED his right foot into his face. As Shaun fell into unconsciousness, Darkheart cracked, "You failed to save them from Demon…and you failed to save them from me."

Shaun's vision became dizzy as he watched Tai and Sora dissolve into orange and red strands of energy. "No…"

And, as his vision completely blackened, he heard his parents' screams.

Darkness.

The moment Tai and Sora joined his essence, Darkheart suddenly felt the same sensation again. "Yes…I've reached the threshold!!!"

Darkheart's laughter echoed through the air as red lightning stormed through the treetops and consumed him.

TK angrily stomped the ground. "NO!!! We lost again…" TK frowned as he dismissed his Armor of Hope…things were going horribly…

They were suffering loss after loss…and even though they had won the battle against the Gravemon earlier, that had been because the Gravemon's objective hadn't been to win. Every time they encountered Darkheart, they lost more and more to his clutches…and at this rate, they wouldn't be able to survive. It was disheartening…because four years ago, even when he and Kari had been chased down by Piedmon, he had still retained hope for victory.

But now…now there wasn't much hope rely on.

"Digidestined."

As everyone (save for Paildramon) dedigivolved, Futa got into the Shadow's cockpit and turned off the invisibility cloak. "We must leave…there is nothing left for us here. Besides, I think you would rather be far away from this place when that corrupted child emerges."

There was no arguing with Futa's logic. Everyone – feeling dejected after their latest loss – clambered onto the right prong of the Shadow. Moments later, the Shadow – and Paildramon, who held the unconscious Shaun in his arms – ascended above the treetops and burst off to the southwest.

In the cockpit of the Shadow, Futa Ishisamee sighed. "Well, that didn't go well…" He quickly tapped several buttons near a holographic display; he was contacting someone.

When the connection was complete, he said, "Gennai, come in."

----

/Warehouse #7, Tokyo Bay, Odaiba, 7:30 PM/

Yuuko Kamiya sighed as she taped the bandages on Mantarou's right thigh. "There…are your new bandages comfortable?"

Mantarou nodded. "Thanks miss…"

As Gennai watched the numerous families mill around, he sighed; even though it was nighttime, it still felt like it was day…of course, that could be due in part to the flaming typhoon around Odaiba.

His eyes turned to a corner of the warehouse, where Joshua Kido was sitting. He was shaking…trembling…and his eyes were filled with shock. Even now, he could hear Mr. Kido continuously mutter, "They're not real…they're not real…"

Gennai shook his head. Poor man…he looks completely dumbstruck.

All of a sudden, a tingling sensation gripped one of the wires sticking out of Gennai's back. It snaked across the ground and connected with the warehouse's computer terminal, which – in turn – was also connected to his computer in the Digital World. It allowed him to keep an eye on things.

Suddenly, a voice came through the wire and into his mind. "Gennai, come in."

Gennai merely thought the words to use as his reply. "Ah, hello Futa. How are things going?"

"Not so well…my endeavor to honor my friend's request hasn't gone as expected so far."

Gennai frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Darkheart has absorbed Garudamon and the Children of Courage and Love."

Gennai paled. "No…"

"See? I tried to protect the Digidestined as per my partner's request, but this Darkheart is a tough one…and he's only getting more powerful."

Gennai sighed with distress. "Things are spiraling out of control…Odaiba's been gripped by a war, and now the Gravemon are here to complicate matters further."

"So the Gravemon HAVE entered the Real World…"

Gennai nodded. "Yes…that's why we need you to help them destroy Darkheart and free Davis. The Real World won't last long without help."

"…I understand. I'll try my hardest to aide the Digidestined…tell my partner that I said hello."

Gennai nodded. "Of course." With those words said, the connection was cut.

----

/11-010-PSI, 7:45 PM/

The red column of lightning suddenly changed shape…and it switched into a serpentine form that flew into the air. When the red lightning faded, Darkheart's new form could be seen.

His body was now that of a dragon; he was now two hundred feet long from snout to tail. The top half of his body was covered by impervious scales of obsidian, and the bottom half (the chest, underbelly, and the bottom of his tail) was covered by gray, leathery skin. Although it didn't have the protection of the obsidian scales, the bottom side of his body was still incredibly tough. He had no legs; all he had was a pair of muscular arms about twenty feet in length. Black, cybernetic implants were implanted into his arms, and his fingers ended in barbed claws of white. From the back of his neck to the tip of his tail ran a series of sweptback razor-sharp spikes that were colored black. A pair of wings made of gray feathers protruded from his shoulder blades, they were each fifty feet in length. His snout was long and wide, and his teeth elongated in size, becoming razor-sharp fangs. His face was covered by black, leathery skin, and his helmet had morphed into two black horns that protruded from his skull. His black hair was now a mane of thick, blood red hair, and the symbol of the Crest of Miracles adorned his head…except it was gray, and upside-down.

Darkheart snarled with an angry voice; smoke puffed out from his nostrils as he said, "Stage 4: Dark Dragon mode…" He glared down at the forest and opened his maw, revealing a bloodstained mouth. "BLOODY INFERNO!!!"

Red fire mixed with blood erupted from his gullet, tearing into the dead forest below. All of the trees erupted into flames as Darkheart's attack torched it all.

Darkheart roared with a deep, enraged voice. "I will absorb all of the Digidestined…I will become the greatest villain ever…and when I do, all shall feel my RAGE!!!"

And as the forest burned below him, staining the sky with acrid smoke, Darkheart laughed.

----

/11-110-CHI, 7:50 PM/

Shaun sat up like a shot.

"Calm yourself…you've been unconscious for about twenty minutes."

Shaun looked to his left to see Futa Ishisamee sitting beside his Shadow. The Elitemon had set his Shadow down on a forest-covered plateau; coniferous trees grew all along the plateau, which had a large valley in its center. There was a trail that led to the top of the plateau and the rocky ledges that protruded outward from it. Oh, and there were the rainbow-colored flowers growing all over the forest. Their light served to illuminate the air, which was dark in the night.

Shaun looked down at himself; his armor had automatically dismissed itself during his state of unconsciousness. He gazed around quietly; Kari and Gatomon were sitting in a small patch of rainbow flowers, sniffing the exotic plants quietly. Yolei had already fallen asleep; Ken and Hawkmon were keeping a quiet watch over her. TK and Patamon were sleeping beside a small tree, whilst Cody and Armadillomon were just staring at them all quietly…well, just Cody. Armadillomon was asleep. Paildramon was standing on top of the Shadow, keeping a watch over them all. As for his partner, (Agumon), he had fallen asleep in his seat in the dropship's right prong.

Shaun turned to Futa. "What sector are we in?"

"11-110-CHI," replied Futa. "We're only staying here for a little while to rest; we can't stay in one place for too long."

For some reason, Shaun's expression turned melancholy at the mention of the sector. "Excuse me…I'll be back shortly." With that, he set off for the trail that sat on the northern half of the valley.

Kari's eyes followed Shaun as he walked towards the path. "…wait here Gatomon. I'll be right back." With that, Kari got up and followed him up the forested trail.

After several minutes, Kari finally saw the end of the trail…and when she reached it, she was on the top of the plateau. From here, she could see the cloudy horizon for miles around. Where'd he go?

She finally saw Shaun kneeling beside a tombstone that was illuminated by a large patch of rainbow flowers that were native to the CHI sectors. Kari blinked out of confusion. …a grave?

----

Shaun frowned as he stared at the tombstone. "Hello again…sorry I haven't been here in a while, but I've been busy…I know you'd understand."

Shaun body trembled quietly as he stared at the words etched onto the tombstone.

'ELIZABETH ISHIDA'

'THE ONE WHO KEPT ME HUMAN'

"And it's still true…what memories I have of you have helped me cope with life until I could help the Digidestined…but still, I miss you…" Shaun felt a fresh stab of pain as he remember Tai and Sora's screams as they had been absorbed. "I…was unable to protect you…and I was unable to protect them from being taken by a dark enemy…"

Shaun slowly took off the white glove on his right hand…and he stared at the golden ring that adorned his wedding finger. He could never take it off…and he never would. Shame filled Shaun's soul as he…chuckled. "Heh…heh heh…is it my curse to lose those I care for? To lose those I love? Well…? Do you know the answer? Is it my curse?" A lone tear escaped his right eye.

A silent wind rushed through the sky.

"Is it?" Shaun put his glove back on as he stared at the sky, stepping beyond the grave. His words were no longer directed at the one who inhabited the grave…but at the Digital World. "Is it?"

The wind continued to flow.

"Is it?" A slight tenor of anger filled his voice.

The wind started to die.

"IS IT?!"

The wind disappeared.

"ANSWER ME!!! IS IT MY CURSE?!?! ANSWER ME!!!!!!!!!!" roared Shaun as his voice echoed throughout the night sky.

But there was no answer.

----

To be continued…

Next time…

Episode 50: The Fifth Threshold

----

Author's Notes: As of this episode, Zero 2 has achieved a milestone no other Digimon story on FFnet at the moment can lay claim to: 400,000 words…and there are more to come (of course, it's STILL nothing comparied to Digimon 02: Endgame).

Oh, and another milestone next episode is the big 5-0: the golden episode 50. What can I pull out of my hat to make it special?

How does Darkheart's fifth form sound? And if that doesn't sound tantalizing enough, it paves the way for a four-part mini-arc that will conclude the Darkheart Saga…

After Episode 50, the Battle Mini-Arc will begin.

See you soon, and please review!