Chapter 25—Under the aurora—

When I was back at home, I got a few more things done before I went to sleep for the night. When I woke up next morning, I got ready to go to school before I made my way through my classes until the lunch hour came.

As I got seated, my mind raced back to all of the fun I was having on Digimon View… and I wondered how Zachary was doing. Given how close we were to getting our last badges, it might be fun to have another trip through Amaterasu Server before we would have to start getting serious about training… I thought I'd ask him about it. When he came by, I said: "Hey, Zachary!" and he turned to me before he said: "Ah, Mark! Do you have a new accomplishment you're itching to tell me about?" "Nah, I just was hoping to check in. Is that alright with you?" I asked. "Of course!" Zachary said as he sat across from me.

He then went on: "So how's Arukenimon doing?" and I smiled and said: "She's doing fine. I originally digivolved her into a Parasimon, but… she didn't seem very happy about it, so now I de-digivolved her into a Budmon. Now I'm trying to digivolve her into a different mega Digimon that she selected." Zachary looked a little surprised before he said: "Parasimon… yes, that was the only digivolution I saw for her too. But she never did anything like that when I digivolved her—" and then I sighed and said: "Yeah, I guess I should have seen it coming. At least I'm redeeming myself—" but then Zachary said: "No, no, mark. I didn't mean that to be critical of you. What I was saying is that she never requested that I digivolve her into something different… I think you might be bringing out a new side of her. She clearly trusts you too." I smiled back before I said: "I certainly hope so. I always do everything I can for my Digimon."

And then I went on: "But she'll be all digivolved up soon, I know it! In the meantime though, how are you doing with your badges, Zachary? Have you got 'em all?" "No, not yet. I still need my last one and I'm training for it." Zachary answered. I grinned and said: "Yeah, I know the feeling—I'd like to be a little more prepared before I make my challenge too." and then I went on: "Well as long as we're both training, do you want to explore Amaterasu Server again? I only need one more piece of a treasure to complete a second one, so it would be a good opportunity!" and Zachary smiled before he said: "Sounds good! I'll prepare and let you know first thing!" and I grinned and said: "Right on! I'm looking forward to it!"

And then we talked about some other things before Zachary went off to his next class and I walked around the campus a little before I went to mine. From there, I made my way through the rest of my classes before I went home and did all of my homework. Then I was all ready to log in to Digimon View, but then I stopped and thought for a second… I had agreed to help Irene with her plan to access the site developers' confidential data… if they had found out about that… I shuddered as I hoped I could still log in…

I then tried to… and succeeded! I was back in my Digihome and saw my Digimon ahead! I gave a sigh of relief before I said: "Hey guys!" and they turned around before they came up to me (while Budmon hopped over) and when they all arrived, Budmon said: "Welcome back, Mark! It's good to see you again!" "Yeah! We're glad to see you made it back so soon!" RiseGreymon said. I laughed and said: "Yeah, I am too…" and then Crescemon said: "So what shall we do today? Are we going to another island, Mark?" "Well actually, I might be getting a call from Zachary, so I don't want to take off too soon…" I said. And then I went on: "Why don't we see if any of you can digivolve first? You've all been working hard and it wouldn't surprise me if more than one of you could." RiseGreymon grinned before he said: "Hey yeah, let's do it!" and I smiled and said: "Great! Then let's go!"

And then we all headed into the house before I booted up the computer and checked it to see if anyone could digivolve… and I saw RiseGreymon and Crescemon both could! "Yes! I knew I was right!" I said. "Then someone really can…?!" Crescemon began before I said: "Yes! RiseGreymon and you are both ready to digivolve, Crescemon!" RiseGreymon grinned as he said: "Right on! At last, it's my time to shine!" and Crescemon said: "Splendid! I've been looking forward to this for a while now." and I smiled before I said: "Well of course! You both have every right to feel proud and excited! And now it's time to reap the benefits of your hard work!" and then I went on: "RiseGreymon, would you care to go first?" "Would I ever!" he said back. And we all laughed.

I then digivolved him into a ShineGreymon—he was humanoid, had 2 legs and his entire body was covered in armor. His armor from the waist down was white (although he had some red-colored vein-like streaks on his legs, pelvis and feet with silver spikes coming out of the front of his knees) and had yellow-orange ankle armor with 3 long, thin toenails of the same color coming out of the middle of the front of each foot. His arms were also white and he wore yellow-orange greaves on his forearms with red lines on them—he also had a long, white tail with red lines down the sides that had a yellow-orange tip with a valve at the end. He wore red armor over his torso (with a light blue orb over his navel) and had red, circular shoulder armor that had 4 silver spikes protruding out of the front of each one. His neck and jaw were colored white with red stripes and he wore yellow-orange armor from the nose up on his face, with red stripes under and over his eyes. He had curved, silver horns coming out of his head with red tips and a silver nose tusk coming out of his head armor. He had wing-like adornments—like when he was RiseGreymon—but now there were 6 of them. They were colored red and red-orange and had cyan spheres with yellow borders on the front of the top wing-like adornment. He looked 8'6 tall.

When the process ended, I said: "And there we go! You're a mega Digimon at last! Congratulations, ShineGreymon! I guess you were right to say it was your time to shine!" and he and I laughed before he said: "So it seems! Well you can leave it to me, Mark—I'll take down anyone in our way, rest assured!" and then he went back with the others.

Crescemon then approached me as I said: "Looks like this is it… you ready?" and she smiled before she said: "Absolutely! Go on, Mark!" and I nodded before I digivolved her into a Dianamon—she now floated above the ground and wore white armor (although her skin was also white, making it hard to distinguish some of it from the armor) with a blue sash around her waist, gold bangles around her wrists that had blue sleeves that went up to her elbows behind them, blue crescents coming out of her shoulder armor and she had a white helm that had blue curved blades attached to the top and white curved blades attached to the sides. She had a blue mouthguard, a hot pink scarf that went down to her feet, a white ruffled skirt with blue undershorts and white boots that had crescent moons with faces drawn on them on the front. She had a giant dual-edged scythe that looked as tall as she was and she looked 5'10 tall.

I smiled before I said: "And that's it! Congratulations, Dianamon—you really digivolved into a great Digimon!" and Dianamon smiled before she said: "Thank you, Mark. I appreciate your praise, but I'm not the only one to acknowledge—you really did an excellent job raising me, and that played a big part in my digivolution. And that fills me with hope too—even though I am fully digivolved now, I know I will always get stronger with you at my back!" I smiled when I heard this. Dianamon had always been so sweet and good to all of us… so I suppose it was just like her to say something like that! "Thank you, Dianamon. That's really sweet of you and you can absolutely count on me to help you every step of the way!" I said. Dianamon smiled again before she floated back to the others.

And I smiled before I said: "Well this is certainly going great—now almost everyone's in their final form! You're all coming along nicely!" and everyone smiled before Budmon said: "Except for me… but I don't mind. I know when I catch up, I'll be even better off than I was before!" "Got that right! I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll grow into!" Hudiemon said. Then they giggled together before we all headed outside. When we were back on the shore, BanchoLeomon said: "Well that was great, although it didn't really last long…" and then I said: "Yeah… I guess we'll need to plan out our next move—"

But then I felt my digivice vibrate! I checked it and saw Zachary was calling! "It's Zachary! Hang on guys—I'll be back!" I said as I ran back into the house. I then switched my digivice to the hologram mode before a hologram of Zachary appeared and I said: "Hey, Zachary! Excellent timing! We were hoping you were going to call!" and then Zachary chuckled before he said: "Glad to hear I picked the right time, then!" and then he went on: "So since it sounds like you're all ready, I'll get straight to the point: I was calling to let you know that I found another location here where a Digimon's handing out treasure… although I suppose it wouldn't be accurate to say a Digimon, because there are actually 2. Their names are BlackWarGreymon and BlackMetalGarurumon. They live in some arctic icecaps known as 'Aurora Icecaps' and hand out treasure to anyone who can defeat them both. So how about it? Are you up for it?"

I grinned and said: "Sure. That sounds like a neat place to explore!" and Zachary said: "Great! Now normally it's only accessible by ship and they have to check your digivice to see if you have the right number of badges to go there, but since your digivice also has what server you're from programmed into it, I think it'd be best if I headed there first and snuck you in by sending you a password and a link to come there… given the circumstances." "Sure. That sounds like a fine idea to me." I said back. "Great! Luckily, I'm already on the docks to sail off there now, so I'll be there in a few minutes. But before I go, let me say one more thing: everyone who fights them recommends that you bring extra holy Digimon with you, so keep that in mind when you prepare your Digimon." Zachary said. And I said: "Okay, I'll remember that. Thank you, Zachary!" and he said: "No problem. Alright, see you in a few minutes!"

And then he ended the call before the hologram vanished and I headed back outside. When I arrived, Gryphonmon said: "It looks like you and Zachary are all set, Mark?" "Yup, that's right!" I said back. "So who shall stay behind this time, Mark?" Dianamon asked. I paused and thought for a moment before I said: "Hudiemon and Gryphonmon… would you be willing to?" "Yes, of course! At least I got to go last time!" Gryphonmon said. "Alright, I will. See you when you get back, Mark!" Hudiemon said. I smiled before I said: "Good. Thank you both for being so flexible. Now—" but then I felt my digivice vibrate! I checked it and saw Zachary had sent me the link and password! "And it looks like we decided just in time! Alright, Sakuyamon, Mastemon, BanchoLeomon, ShineGreymon, Dianamon and Budmon—gather 'round!" I said. And they all moved in before I copied the password and pasted it into the link before we were teleported away!

A few moments later, we were standing on top of an island with ice and snow everywhere—and a beautiful aurora was in the sky, stretching around for miles! And Zachary was here too! I then approached him and said: "Heyy, Zachary! Good to see you!" and then he said: "Same to you, Mark!" and my Digimon came up behind me before Zachary looked at them and then saw Budmon before he said: "It's good to see you again, Arukenimon… or I guess it's Budmon now." and Budmon smiled and said: "It's good to see you too, Zachary!" and then she looked confused before she said: "But how did you know I de-digivolved?" "Mark told me about it when we were at school." Zachary answered. Budmon then turned to me and said: "Oh, is that it? You talk about me even when I'm not around, huh?" and she giggled before I said: "Well we do care about all of you a lot. That and you were his Digimon, so of course he'd be interested in knowing how you were doing."

And my Digimon smiled before I went on: "And this place is amazing! This was an awesome site for an outing, Zachary!" and Dianamon said: "Yes, I agree… the sky is so beautiful…" Zachary grinned before he said: "Good! I'm glad you're enjoying it. You sure are tougher in the cold though… maybe it's all that time you're spending in the warm part of Ikaruga Server that's given you that pent up warmth." and we all laughed before Budmon said: "I have to agree with you, Zachary—this place is frigid." and then I turned to Budmon before I said: "Are you going to be okay, Budmon?" and she shivered as she said: "Of course. I'll… make it…" and I picked her up before I said: "Stop trying to put on a tough front. Here, let me help you…" and I tucked her inside my jacket, next to my side (with her head poking out) and said: "How do you feel in there?" "A lot better! Thank you, Mark—that's so nice that you'd do this for me. And getting to ride around and see the sights is going to be great too!"

And then we all laughed before Zachary said: "You're a great team already…" and then he went on: "Well according to my digivice, it says that BlackWarGreymon and BlackMetalGarurumon are straight ahead from where we are, so we'd better start going—even though it's not a very big icecap, it'll still be a bit of a walk." and I said: "Sounds good to me! Let's get to it!"

And then we started to walk across the icecap. We kept going for a bit, but we never saw any Digimon, so eventually I turned to Zachary and said: "It's sure beautiful here! Does all of this area of Amaterasu Server look like this, Zachary?" "Pretty much, although most of this area consists of snowy mountain ranges and forests." Zachary answered. "Wow, that's really something. Although I can't help but wonder…" I began and then Zachary said: "Hmm?" and I went on: "Once you get your last badge, are you going to get to leave this area?" Zachary then grinned before he said: "Thankfully I'll be able to! Once I get my last badge, there won't be any reason to stay here over any other place and when this year's tournament comes, I'll have to head back to Amaterasu City to participate! That's how it works on all servers, so you'll be headed to Ikaruga City on your server when the time comes." "Wow. That's really something…" I said.

I then went on: "Still, to think that we're so close to getting our last badge… it'll be so exciting to enter the tournament!" "Yeah, it will be! Although since we're from different servers, there's always the chance that we might get matched to each other as opponents." Zachary said. "Yeah… that would be a little sad… but even if it does happen, I'll look forward to seeing your strength." I said back. Zachary grinned before he said: "Yeah…"

I then looked down at Budmon and asked: "How are you holding up in there, Budmon?" "Just fine, Mark. Thank you for asking." She answered. We kept going until soon we saw 2 Digimon in the distance… we approached them and could see them in more detail;

One looked almost exactly like the WarGreymon I had fought recently, only it had black skin, dark yellow hair and black and gray armor. The other was a giant wolf Digimon that walked on 4 legs. It was entirely covered in black metal, and its paws were black to match. It had metallic wings on its back and a red nose. It looked 5'2 tall. I turned to Zachary and said: "Is that them? BlackWarGreymon and BlackMetalGarurumon?" Zachary nodded and said: "Yeah. That's them." I shook my head as I said: "No way… we actually made it to them without any encounters?" and then Zachary said: "Yeah, well look where we are. This is a pretty remote region with a difficult climate. That being said, it doesn't surprise me that it's pretty much uninhabited." I chuckled and nodded before Zachary said: "Besides, it makes our job easy enough, so let's just count our blessings. Come on, let's get your last treasure!" "Yeah!" I said.

And then we went up to them. When they saw us, the Digimon that looked like a black equivalent of WarGreymon said: "Well this is a rare sight. Humans? We see even less of you than Digimon!" and then the metallic wolf Digimon said: "Not that we mind of course. We're always happy to meet a worthy opponent… or 2, I suppose." and then he went on: "Since you're all the way out here, I'm assuming you came for the treasure we hand out, right?" "Yup! Right you are!" Zachary said. The Digimon like a black equivalent of WarGreymon said: "Great! You must be pretty good if you made it out here! I'm excited to see this!" and then Zachary said: "I'd say so. But all the same, I can't help but wonder… why hand out treasure in such a remote spot?" "Why? Because we've been training here." The Digimon like a black equivalent of WarGreymon said. "You train all the way out here? Why would you do that?" I asked.

"Why? Look who you're talking to! We're Digimon! The urge to get stronger and become better is a natural impulse that is felt by all Digimon—we're not happy resting on our laurels. That's why we train out here on this frozen island—only the strongest Digimon can survive here and we're going to grow the most if we challenge opponents like that under harsh conditions like these!" The metallic wolf Digimon said. The Digimon like a black equivalent of WarGreymon nodded and said: "Right. We've been at this for a while, but because of the low population out here, training isn't very… consistent. And then it hit us—rather than waiting for opponents to come out, we could hand out treasure to attract strong challengers to come to us! And we'd get to broaden our skills more if we fought different kinds of Digimon! So we got straight to work making this our site to bring in challengers to help us grow… and to help the challengers grow as well."

I smiled when I heard this and the Digimon like a black equivalent of WarGreymon went on: "So now that you've come, let's get this started… I'm BlackWarGreymon…" and the metallic wolf Digimon said: "And I'm BlackMetalGarurumon." and then he went on: "Since there are 2 of you and 2 of us, how do you want to do this? 2 one-on-one fights, one of you against one of each of us? Or one two-on-two fight where we fight in teams?" "Let's fight in teams. That's how we've been doing it for a while." Zachary said. "Great! It's not often we get to fight a human challenger this way!" BlackWarGreymon said and BlackMetalGarurumon said: "Right! Alright then—as long as we've decided the way the battle is going to be done, let me tell you the conditions: we'll let you fight us both with 4 Digimon each. You can switch them out as you see fit and we'll even let you use 3 items each, too! So what do you say? Are you up to it?"

Zachary and I exchanged glances for a second before we looked back at them. I wasn't expecting conditions that sounded so one-sided, and in our favor no less… nonetheless, I said: "Sure, we'll take you on!" and BlackWarGreymon said: "Good men! Alright, let's do it!" and BlackMetalGarurumon said: "That's the way! I like having gutsy opponents who come to quick decisions! Now let's go!"

And I felt my digivice vibrate before I checked it. It said: "Left to right: BlackWarGreymon scan data: 5%, BlackMetalGarurumon scan data: 5%". It also said that BlackWarGreymon was a darkness elemental Digimon while BlackMetalGarurumon was a machine elemental Digimon, so BlackMetalGarurumon could protect BlackWarGreymon against holy Digimon… luckily, I was ready for them both!

I then turned to my Digimon and said: "BanchoLeomon, you're up! Go get 'em!" and he came in as he said: "Leave it to me! They'll never know what hit 'em!" and Zachary said: "Go Titamon!" and he called out a humanoid giant that walked on 2 legs. It was muscular and had green skin on its upper body with green shoulder armor (and of almost exactly the same color, which made it hard to tell apart) that had orange stripes and hollowed empty spots like eyes, as well as 3 spikes on them. Its arms were massive and it had yellow, spiky forearm guards on them with black segments on them—it even had a sword in its left hand that was almost as tall as it was! It had a yellow tasset around its waist and more green leg armor with orange stripes on it. It had yellow and green greaves and spiky yellow boots. It had a yellow helmet with 2 sets of yellow horns that had orange stripes, one set in front and one set in back (the set in back was much taller) and had gray dreadlocks. It was ridiculously tall at 10'9 tall.

I then said: "Let's get this started off right, BanchoLeomon! Here!" and I used a defense booster on him, increasing his damage resistance against physical attacks. BlackMetalGarurumon then said: "Ice wolf claw!" and all kinds of metal plates on his body got lifted up, revealing ports to fire projectiles from! He then shot several small missiles that bombarded our Digimon! BlackWarGreymon followed through before he said: "Tigerclaw!" and he rushed up to Titamon before he swiped at him with one of his claws! BlackWarGreymon then ran back as Zachary said: "Titamon, get them back! Use mudslide!" and Titamon said: "Mudslide!" and a massive torrent of mud, bark, dirt, rocks and debris appeared and came flying at BlackWarGreymon and BlackMetalGarurumon! It slammed right into them before they got up—BlackMetalGarurumon took it pretty hard too!

BlackWarGreymon then said: "Tigerclaw!" and he once again rushed up to Titamon before he swiped at him with one of his claws. BlackMetalGarurumon tilted his head back a little before he said: "Metal wolf claw!" and then he attacked BanchoLeomon with a full-on blast of icy breath! BanchoLeomon was shivering after the attack, but he still looked okay. "BanchoLeomon, it's time to fight back! Use mudslide!" I said. And BanchoLeomon said: "Mudslide!" and he summoned a torrent of earth as Titamon had before him and it slammed into BlackWarGreymon and BlackMetalGarurumon! Zachary then said: "Titamon, you too! Mudslide!" and Titamon attacked with it as well.

BlackMetalGarurumon was starting to look hurt now as he said: "Ice wolf claw!" and he bombarded our side with missiles again! Zachary then said: "Titamon, show them what you can do! Use soul core attack on BlackMetalGarurumon!" and Titamon said: "Soul core attack!" and then he slashed at BlackMetalGarurumon with his sword… and that was all BlackMetalGarurumon could take! He was down! But Titamon also looked exhausted after the attack… BlackWarGreymon quickly turned his head to BlackMetalGarurumon before he looked at us and frowned before he said: "Tigerclaw!" and he attacked Titamon with it again. "BanchoLeomon, time to switch it up! Use flashy boss punch on BlackWarGreymon!" I said and BanchoLeomon said: "Flashy boss punch!" and a half-circle of light formed in front of him before he ran through it and slugged BlackWarGreymon with a powerful punch—BlackWarGreymon took it hard too!

Titamon still looked too tired to do anything and then BlackWarGreymon said: "Dark terra force!" and he leapt into the air and conjured a crimson colored sphere between his hands which grew to enormous proportions and then he threw it at our Digimon! Even though I had boosted his physical damage resistance, BanchoLeomon still took it hard, but he could still stand… but Titamon couldn't say the same. He collapsed from the attack! But now BlackWarGreymon was the one who looked exhausted after he had attacked…

Zachary called Titamon back before he said: "Go for it, Magnamon!" and he called out a humanoid Digimon… it had blue arms, hands, thighs and a blue torso with a white underbelly and everywhere else was covered with gold armor. This included a gold mask, a gold chest plate, 2 gold wings coming out of its shoulders, gold forearm guards, a gold tasset and gold boots. It was floating above the ground, but overall looked 5 feet tall. Zachary then went on: "Magnamon, use falling star!" and Magnamon said: "Falling star!" and then he sent a black line into the air… and then the entire area above us turned into a starry sky! Magnamon then leapt up and eventually went so high, he was no longer visible… and soon we saw a white streak through the sky coming down! It descended very fast until soon it was getting close and we saw it—it was a smaller falling meteor, and Magnamon was riding it! He steered it towards BlackWarGreymon and then dismounted it before it crashed into him—he took it really hard too! I then said: "BanchoLeomon, you follow up! Use flashy boss punch!" and BanchoLeomon said: "Flashy boss punch!" and he once again slugged BlackWarGreymon with a punch!

BlackWarGreymon then rose as Zachary said: "Let's finish this Magnamon! Shining gold solar storm!" and Magnamon said: "Shining gold solar storm!" and he conjured a massive blast of golden light! It engulfed the entire area and when it subsided, BlackWarGreymon was down!

"Alright!" I said as Zachary and I high-fived each other. BanchoLeomon and Magnamon smiled as BlackWarGreymon rose into a kneeling position (and BlackMetalGarurumon could barely stand up) as BlackWarGreymon said: "Yes… excellent! We don't normally see challengers as talented as you! What an excellent battle!" and Zachary and I smiled before BlackMetalGarurumon said: "…But just so you know… it's not over yet." and then he went on: "You didn't think we were giving you such a one-sided advantage just for that, did you? That was just a warm-up. The real battle begins now!" And then he turned to BlackWarGreymon and then said: "BlackWarGreymon!" and then BlackWarGreymon said: "I'm on it! Let's go!" and then they turned to face each other… and then particles of data flew from one of them into the other… and then there was a flash of light!

When we could see again, we saw a different Digimon standing where they had been! It was a humanoid Digimon who stood on 2 legs and wore black armor all over. It had 2 arms with different looking shoulders—the left one was black and like a shield while the right one was black and spiky—but one arm ended with what looked like an enlarged version of BlackWarGreymon's head, with the same shape, horns, eye holes and mouth and the other arm ended with an enlarged version of BlackMetalGarurumon's head with the same mouth and eye holes. On its head it also had 2 eyes of its own and it had a giant maroon cape bound around its back. It looked a whopping 12'4 tall.

I was surprised when I saw this as Zachary said: "What…?!" and I said: "No way… they DNA digivolved?" the Digimon shook its head as it said: "No… it wasn't DNA digivolution. BlackWarGreymon and BlackMetalGarurumon were good, but they never reached that point yet… they only worked up enough power to DNA digivolve into me for a short period of time." and then he went on: "Nonetheless, it will be enough for this fight! I am Omnimon Zwart and I will be your ultimate test!"

And then I felt my digivice vibrate and I checked it. It said: "Omnimon Zwart scan data: ERROR." It did say that Omnimon Zwart was a darkness elemental Digimon though. It also said that he was an ultra Digimon, so he was going to be a very dangerous opponent… Zachary then said: "Alright then, let's go! Magnamon, use shining gold solar storm!" and Magnamon said: "Shining gold solar storm!" and once again he caused a massive blast of golden light! It engulfed the entire area before Omnimon Zwart didn't look too hurt from the attack. He then said: "Supreme cannon!" and the mouth at the end of his arm that looked like BlackMetalGarurumon's head opened, revealing a small cannon! He then fired a cannonball out of it, which crashed in between BanchoLeomon and Magnamon, causing a massive explosion! When the explosion subsided, Magnamon looked like he had taken the hit a little hard (but he was still ready for more) while BanchoLeomon looked ready to drop! I then said: "BanchoLeomon, use flashy boss punch!" and BanchoLeomon said: "Flashy boss punch!" and he attacked Omnimon Zwart with it.

Zachary then said: "Magnamon, get Omnimon Zwart! Use falling star!" and Magnamon said: "Falling star!" and he once again turned the area above us into a starry sky before he leapt up and rode a meteor down into Omnimon Zwart—he took it really hard, too! "BanchoLeomon, give him all you've got! Flashy boss punch!" I said. BanchoLeomon then said: "Flashy boss punch!" and he hit Omnimon Zwart with it again. Omnimon Zwart recovered before he said: "Tigerclaw!" and he rushed up to BanchoLeomon before the mouth at the end of his arm that looked like BlackWarGreymon's head opened, revealing a long sword! He then swung his sword in a horizontal cutting motion at him! BanchoLeomon fell into a kneeling position before I said: "Great job, BanchoLeomon! Now leave the rest to the others!" and BanchoLeomon grinned and said: "Thanks Mark… heh. Yeah, I did better than I thought I would with you helping with that defense booster. Go get 'im!"

And I smiled and called him back before I called in Mastemon. I then said: "Mastemon, show him what you've got! Use chaos degradation!" and Mastemon said: "Chaos degradation!" and in one of her hands a baby blue-colored light emerged, and in her other hand a pink light emerged. Mastemon then brought them together and the result was not a purple-like light, but instead a small swirling ball that looked more like a tiny black hole… Mastemon then sent it at Omnimon Zwart and when it made contact with him, it swirled into a giant black hole that hurt him before it disappeared! It looked like it worked well, too! Zachary had Magnamon use falling star on Omnimon Zwart again before Omnimon Zwart said: "Transcendent sword!" and he made a sword come out of the mouth of what looked like BlackWarGreymon's head on one arm before he rushed up to Mastemon and swung it at her 3 times before he ran back!

Mastemon got up before Omnimon Zwart said: "Cry in the night!" and the entire area went pitch black before several giant bolts of white lightning zapped Magnamon! Magnamon cried out before the area returned to normal. Zachary had Magnamon attack with falling star again before I said: "Mastemon, get him! Use almighty sun!" and Mastemon said: "Almighty sun!" and she sent a yellow line up into the air… before it suddenly turned into a giant, yellow-orange sun! The sun then came down on Omnimon Zwart and he started to tremble from the heat and he put his arm with the end that looked like BlackMetalGarurumon's head in front of his eyes before the sun flashed and it disappeared!

Zachary had Magnamon once again attack with falling star before I said: "Mastemon, keep going! Use almighty sun!" and Mastemon said: "Almighty sun!" and she sent a yellow line in the air that turned into a giant yellow-orange sun that came down and then flashed before it was gone. Omnimon Zwart then said: "Supreme cannon!" and he fired another cannonball that caused a big explosion, hitting both Mastemon and Magnamon!

By now, Omnimon Zwart was starting to look like he was in trouble… but so did Mastemon and Magnamon. Zachary had Magnamon attack with another falling star before Omnimon Zwart said: "Supreme cannon!" and he attacked with it again… and then they went down! "Good job, Magnamon!" Zachary said as he called him back. Mastemon looked up at me as she said: "I'm sorry, Mark—" and then I said: "About what? You did great!" and I called her back before I said: "Go Sakuyamon!" and she ran in before Zachary said: "Finish him off, Kentaurosmon!"

And he called out a Digimon like a centaur who walked on 6 legs. Its midsection on the lower, horse-like part of its body was gray and had a black and yellow saddle. Its legs had red and blue armor with gold rings above its black hooves and it had a long, white tail. On its humanoid upper body, it wore a white cloth and a red, animal-shaped breastplate like a face with green eyes, a gold muzzle and a purple nose. It also wore a black belt. It had gray shoulders with gold antler-like objects coming out of the backs of them and a gray neck. Its face was gray and red and it had a purplish-pink mane. Its arms had black and red armor and it had a crossbow bound to its right arm and held an enormous, red and blue shield (with 2 eye-like patterns painted on) in its left arm. It looked 7'5 tall. Zachary then went on: Kentaurosmon, blast away! Use bifrost!" and Kentaurosmon said: "Bifrost!" and he fired a bolt of energy from his crossbow at Omnimon Zwart! "Sakuyamon, you help too! Use almighty sun!" I said. Sakuyamon then said: "Almighty sun!" and she attacked with it.

Omnimon Zwart was breathing hard now and he said: "Supreme cannon!" and hit them with the cannonball's explosion. Zachary and I then had Kentaurosmon and Sakuyamon attack with bifrost and almighty sun… and we finally got him! Omnimon Zwart was down!

Zachary and I celebrated while Kentaurosmon reared up and Sakuyamon pushed her ponytails back as she said: "How excellent!" we then heard Omnimon Zwart say: "That was really something… good job to you both. You and your Digimon both demonstrated great stamina to have stood up to my power and win 2 back-to-back battles with such style." and then we both looked at him before he rose into a standing position and said: "Well done. This time it truly is over and now it's time for you both to claim your prize…"

And then he conjured a stone block in front of the ends of each of his arms and then approached us. I then took out the other 2 stone blocks I had collected before Omnimon Zwart said: "Ah, I see you've already been collecting these… well congratulations, then! You're going to receive something even better!" and then the stone blocks combined into a single slate before they shrunk down to a smaller size and descended into my hand. I smiled before Omnimon Zwart said: "That charm will bring you protection and good luck. I'm sure you'll find it useful." and I nodded and said: "I agree! Thank you, Omnimon Zwart!" as I put it away. Omnimon Zwart then turned to Zachary and said: "And you… you haven't claimed yours yet. What's the matter?" and Zachary chuckled and said: "I don't need it… I've already got one—and he does too, actually. I just came by to help him complete his."

Omnimon Zwart looked perplexed before he said: "That's honorable of you… but from someone like either of you, I'd expect as much." and then he made the stone block at the end on his other arm shrink until it vanished into nothing. Omnimon Zwart then turned to me and said: "Still, I've got to wonder… if you have already completed a charm, why go to all the trouble of completing a second one?" "I'd already amassed some extra pieces from helping friends, so I thought I might as well finish this one—the stone blocks wouldn't go to any good use otherwise." I said. Omnimon Zwart chuckled before he said: "You're an odd one… There are types who have a little of everything, I suppose."

And then he suddenly paused before there was a flash of light—and Omnimon Zwart was gone! Now BlackWarGreymon and BlackMetalGarurumon were standing where he was! "Wow… so that digivolution really did wear off…" Zachary said. "Yup! It gave us a lot of power… but it's good to be back to ourselves too." BlackWarGreymon said. "You certainly seem accustomed to this… have you done this often?" I asked. "Of course! We do it anytime we're threatened, or whenever a challenger defeats us together before we hand out treasure!" BlackMetalGarurumon said. "So you've been doing it a lot… and yet that makes me wonder… do you ever want to DNA digivolve someday?" I asked.

BlackWarGreymon and BlackMetalGarurumon looked a little surprised before BlackMetalGarurumon said: "As awkward as it is… we haven't really thought about it." and then BlackWarGreymon shook his head before he said: "It is true that we want to get stronger and become the best we can be… but DNA digivolution is permanent, so we would cease to be individuals and become 2 parts of a completed Digimon… we aren't sure if we want that yet… it's something we'll need to think over."

"I suppose that makes sense… after all, humans can't combine into a single person, so that seems out of our element to even consider and like it would be a weighty decision to us, too." Zachary said. BlackMetalGarurumon laughed before he said: "Looks like we're not so different in how we think about it then, even though we come from 2 different species…" and BlackWarGreymon said: "So it seems. But I guess that's enough for one day. Goodbye, humans—have a safe trip back home!" and then Zachary waved as I said: "You bet!"

Zachary and I then went back across the icecap and closed in on where we started, once again without any encounters! Once we made it, I said: "Well, it looks like we got back safely… I know what you, BlackWarGreymon and BlackMetalGarurumon said, but this still seems like a deserted island!" and then he and I laughed before Zachary said: "At least it allows us easy and free movement."

And then he went on: "Well as long as the dock to return back to the shore is coming up soon, do you want to head back, Mark? Just in case?" and I nodded and said: "Yeah. I think that's a good idea. But before I go…" and then I went on: "Good luck in this year's tournament, Zachary. I'll be pulling for you, even though you're in a different server!" and Zachary smiled and said: "Yeah, I feel the same. Goodbye, Mark! See you next time!" and I smiled and nodded before I returned to the Digihome!

When we were back on the shore, I set Budmon down and called BanchoLeomon and Mastemon out before Budmon hopped forward as she said: "Whew! Back in the sun, at last!" and we all laughed before Hudiemon and Gryphonmon noticed us and Hudiemon said: "Mark!" and she flew up to us with Gryphonmon running behind. When they arrived, Hudiemon said: "Welcome home! So how'd it go?" and I smiled before I said: "It was a complete success, Hudiemon! I got the last piece!" and Gryphonmon smiled before he said: "ALRIGHT! Now you've got another protective charm for your collection!" and we laughed together before Dianamon said: "Do you know what you're going to do with it, Mark?" and I shook my head as I said: "Not yet… but I'll think of something. I know it'll come in handy." and then I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder… I turned around to see it was Mastemon and she said: "I know you will. Even if it's unclear how something will work out, is usually does for the best… and I know you'll make it work out the right way, Mark." I smiled before I said: "Thanks, Mastemon. I have to agree with you too—even if you can't see it or how it will happen, things usually end up working out eventually."

And we all smiled before I said: "Well now that we're back, you'd all better get rested up—you'll need to be in top condition for our next adventure!" and BanchoLeomon said: "Sounds good to me! I'm looking forward to it after that battle!" and he went over to his hammock and collapsed in it. I chuckled before all of my other Digimon (except for Hudiemon and Gryphonmon) went to theirs and dozed off too… Hudiemon then turned to me and said: "So what should we do while they're resting?" "Let's head into the house and talk for a bit. At least we can catch up with each other while this is going on." I said. "Great idea! Just like last time, Mark!" Gryphonmon said.

And then we went in and enjoyed our company for a while… until I saw everyone else stirring outside! I then said: "Oh! It looks like everyone else is up!" and then I went on: "We'd better check on them. Thank you though, Hudiemon, Gryphonmon—it was great getting to talk to you." Hudiemon smiled before she said: "I agree! I enjoyed getting to talk to you, Mark." and Gryphonmon said: "Same here! Now let's do it!" and then we all went outside.

When we arrived, I approached my Digimon and said: "Hey everybody! Did you sleep well?" "You bet! I'm all ready to go now!" BanchoLeomon said. "Yes… I know how you feel. My energy has returned as well." Mastemon said. Sakuyamon then turned to me and said: "So where are we headed now, Mark? Off to another island?" I then stopped and thought for a moment… come to think of it… Budmon had been with us when we had defeated BlackWarGreymon, BlackMetalGarurumon and Omnimon Zwart… maybe she could digivolve now!

"Well let's put that on hold for a moment, hmm? Why don't we go check to see if Budmon can digivolve? She did get experience from those last 2 fights after all." I said. And Budmon smiled before she said: "Hey, yeah! I'd love to get back to having legs and being a normal height! Let's do it!" and I smiled and nodded before we went to the house.

When we arrived, I booted up the computer and used it to check to see if Budmon could digivolve… and she could! "Alright! I knew I was right!" I said before Budmon said: "Then I can really…?!" and I said: "Yes! You're all ready to digivolve, Budmon!" and Budmon smiled before she said: "Awesome! It's good to be getting such quick results, too! Go on and make it happen, Mark!" and then I nodded and digivolved her into an Aruraumon—she was a lot like Irene's Palmon that we had fought so long ago, only the flower on her head was lavender, her eyes were a darker shade of green and her feet were tan. It also said that Aruraumon was a nature elemental Digimon, so her element hadn't changed. When the process ended, I said: "And there we go! Congratulations, Aruraumon—you've taken the next step to digivolving the way you want!" and Aruraumon smiled before she said: "Yeah! It was good timing too—I'm glad to be walking again instead of having to hop everywhere." and then Hudiemon smiled before she said: "Looks like you're growing fast already! You'll be up to the mega level in no time!" and then Aruraumon chuckled before she said: "Thanks, big sis."

And then she and Hudiemon giggled together before I said: "Exactly right, Hudiemon! Well now that everyone's as digivolved as they can be, I guess we'd better get back out on the shore!" and everyone nodded before we headed out of the house. When we were outside, Mastemon turned to me and said: "Well now that Aruraumon's digivolved, what's our next move?" and I paused before I said: "Well we've been going places with someone else for a long time lately… it feels like it's been a while since we all went somewhere by ourselves. That's why I was hoping we could go on an adventure somewhere, just by ourselves—" and then Gryphonmon said: "Hey yeah! That sounds like a great idea Mark!" and then Mastemon said: "…Although 2 of us would have to stay behind, due to the team size." and I nodded and said: "Yeah… even so though, I think it'd be nice to do." And then I went on: "Although I don't have an idea of where to go right now… I guess I'll need to look it up on my digivice…" and then I went on: "You all can take a load off in the meantime. Just make sure you don't fall asleep—it won't be too long before we depart!" "Sounds fine with me!" Hudiemon said before she turned to Sakuyamon and Dianamon and said: "Sakuyamon, Dianamon, do you want to play volleyball?" "I am all for it!" Dianamon said. "Me too! I might be a little rusty, but I'd be happy to!" Sakuyamon said.

And then Hudiemon and Sakuyamon giggled together before Dianamon said: "Still… it is a shame that we cannot all play together… if we had one more player, we could play in teams of 2—" and then Sakuyamon said: "Well… what about BanchoLeomon? He could play easily." and then she turned to him and said: "How about it, muscles? Do you want to join in?" BanchoLeomon laughed before he said: "You bet! I'll spike that ball halfway across the shore!" Hudiemon smiled before she said: "That's the spirit! It looks like we've got our fourth player!" and then she turned to BanchoLeomon and went on: "But you'd better not underestimate us just because we're girls! We're not going to go easy on you!" and then BanchoLeomon grinned before he said: "Not easy? That's just the way I like it!"

And then they all ran off to the court while ShineGreymon, Gryphonmon, Aruraumon and Mastemon all began talking together and I smiled before I started looking up islands where we could go.