Meanwhile as the Children and guardians ascended towards the Digiworld, they were unaware of the pair of eyes watching the Earth.
"All those human fools wear masks of fear as they wait an eternity in vain for peace and order to return. It's a wonderful sight. Truly wonderful." This was said a jester who was observing Earth and the frightened inhabitants through an enormous telescope.
Out from the ground nearby, a long sea creature burst out. "I don't agree to these pathetic methods," growled the sea beast. "We ought to finish them all with one blast."
"Their flow of time is different from ours." A sinister looking puppet commented. "We should use it to them off slowly one by one."
The jester hovered over. "The guardians, chosen children and Sirene's child will be returning soon. Our time of boredom is over."
"And best of all, our beautiful mother will be returning to us," A large, Machine like beast remarked. "We should have a spectacular welcome for her, show that we've been dutiful all this time."
"Oh boy, I can't wait to see how she reacts to all the miserable digimon and the pain we've inflicted," The Puppet laughed gleefully.
"Yeeees. And with those children arriving, we will have a grand feast of pain and terror to let her glut herself to her heartless body's content!" The Jester laughed wickedly. "Now let us leave the dressing room the stage curtains are rising."
Spotlights shone down on all four of them. "The title is, 'The End of the chosen ones!'"
Something strange hung in the sky like a mirage, replacing the stars. It was land and sea reflected but it was the Digiworld itself. Just then, on it flashed one point of bright light. It was a rainbow light. It flew from the air towards a strange looking mountain, falling to the ground like a comet with a long tail. It was the Digital World's last hope.
The trip back to the Digiworld had gone from a gentle ascension through a rainbow of colors to an abrupt fall down onto a grassy forest at what felt like dawn. It had to be the Digiworld for up in the sky Hokkaido, the North Island of Japan was reflected in the sky above their heads just as they were able to see the Digimon world from Earth.
"Anyway, what is this place? Is it close to File Island?" Zaira asked.
Haruna worried. "What do we do? If we are to think that the world floating in the sky is Earth, then this place we're in should be the Digital World…"
Izzy booted up his laptop, thinking that he might learn something. When they were falling within the rainbow, he had seen that there was an ocean beneath them and had hurriedly pushed his laptop into Tentomon's arms so that his laptop remained safe.
"Did you find something?" Matt asked.
But, unable to find any clues, Izzy said "No" and shook his head.
"It feels weird, though, doesn't it?" Patamon piped up.
"What's weird?" T.K. asked.
"I'm not exactly sure, but it doesn't feel like the Digital World."
"Now that you mention it…" Kylie asked the question that had been on her mind. "When we were falling, the landscape looked like it was twisted up into a spiral. Or was that an optical illusion?"
"Oh, I saw that too. I thought I was seeing things, but you saw it too, Sora?" Piyomon said.
The others also said, "Come to think of it, me too!" "Me too!"
But none of them could explain why that was. Everyone's gazes naturally turned to Izzy. "I–I don't know either…"
There was sound of rustling leaves where Joe was and he turned to the pile of grass. "Gomamon? What are you doing down there, Gomamon?"
Only for his digimon partner to poke his head out of Joe's duffel bag. "Joe! I'm over here!"
"Eh? Then who's this?"
As if answering, a small pinkish mouse that jumped out, hit him in the face as it scurried away. The ground suddenly gave away right by him and caused him to fall and hang on off the edge of the crevasse.
"Joe!" Gomamon yelled as he and the rest of the Digimon ran towards him. Those still in baby mode digivolved at once.
"Wait!" Kari stopped them. She stopped by the bush where the mouse was hiding fearfully. "Don't be scared. There's nothing to be scared of. I won't hurt you, so come out."
Slowly the mouse-like digimon walked forward before he collapsed.
"It's Chuumon!" Palmon gasped.
"You're right! He's the Chuumon we saw on File Island!" Mimi recalled.
"Wasn't that that same one with that weird yellow thing that tried to ask you out on a date?" Beth wondered.
"Not a good time."
"Oh, Sacred Lady, you've returned!" Chuumon cried on seeing Kylie.
"What happened while we were on Earth?!" Kylie asked in concern. "Is it true, did Lady Despair's children do this?"
"Oh, those monsters, they're so terrible. They are the opposite of you," Chuumon sniffled. "And they defile the sacred temples, all images of Sirene are defaced or utterly destroyed, erecting statues instead to that horrible witch!"
Chuumon's eyes then landed on Mimi and Palmon. "Mimi? Palmon? Thank goodness… You came back…"
As they looked over the exhausted mouse digimon, the others went to help Joe who was clinging to a cliff. Strangest yet was that part of the cliff itself was crumbling but instead of a bottom there was a dark abyss. How bad had things gotten in their absence?
"He looks more relieved after seeing your face and Kylie's, Mimi." Palmon expressed.
Chuumon was now lying in Mimi's lap. "He must have struggled a lot to survive." Piyomon guessed.
"Poor thing." Sora sympathized.
Chuumon awakened. "Mimi… It's really you and with Sirene's daughter!"
"Yes. What happened here?" Mimi said holding him up by under the armpits.
"Where's Sukamon?" Palmon asked.
"The poor guy… he's dead." Chuumon closed his eyes and started tearing up. "So sad! After you all left File Island, we continued spending our days together peacefully as usual… Then one day, just out of nowhere…"
He explained that the island had begun to rumble, causing them both to run. Then the ground opened up behind Chuumon, causing Sukamon to fall to his death in the abyss.
"The powers of darkness enveloped the world. Those evil forces reshaped the world in such a way so that it'd be easier for them and that evil hag to control it!" Chuumon finished.
"They reshaped the world?" Tai questioned.
"But how?" Izzy inquired.
Chuumon let out a cry of fear and misery. "Some places here and there are ruins of what they had once been, but most of it has been twisted up into that mountain."
Everyone followed his gaze to a towering mountain but it had several landmass and a watery section twisted around. The boundaries between strips was evident, like single lines dividing them.
"So that's what I spotted!" Kylie gaped.
"It's called 'Spiral Mountain.'" Chuumon explained.
"Spiral Mountain, whoa." Matt said dumbfounded.
"I never imagined the Digiworld would change so much…" Joe whined.
"What happened to the other Digimon that lived around here?" Tai asked. "Like Leomon."
"I'm not sure." Chuumon whimpered. "But I've heard that anyone who goes against them is defeated!"
"Against who?" Sora questioned sternly.
"The…Dark Masters."
Beth looked to Chuumon. "Aside from Despair, are they the ones responsible for all this and wrecking half the stuff honoring Kylie's mom?"
"It's terrible! They say their mother is worth a thousand Sirene's and Kylie!" Chuumon wailed. "Those who protested...they all adore her, but the Dark Masters you definitely DO NOT want to insult Lady Despair in front of are Piedmon and Puppetmon." He shuddered. "Death is too quick for those sadists. Puppetmon uses them as toys, and Piedmon, he puts on...'Shows.'" Chuumon screams, and covers his ears, crying as Kylie tries to pull his hands off, before he tears off his ears.
"OH SIRENE, THE SCREAMS! THE HORROR!" Chuumon cried. "WHY WEREN"T YOU HERE!? WHY DID YOU ABANDON US!?"
Chuumon's hysterical crying has Kylie misting up in sympathy, and she hugs the pink mouse close, cradling him like a child, shushing him.
"Shhhh~ Calm...I'm here now, we all are." Kylie reassured, even as her own tears fell.
"Which means they're stronger than Myotismon…" At Zaira's words, everyone nodded silently.
"If we're comparing strength…" Gatomon added, "Then yes, they rival in power to the four Holy Beasts. The Dark Masters managed to seal away the four Holy Beasts, after all."
"What are the four Holy Beasts?" T.K. asked curiously.
"They refer to Qinglongmon, Baihumon, Xuanwumon, and Zhuqiaomon…" Gatomon paused just then because her knowledge on the four Holy Beasts was obscure.
"So, these four Holy Beasts…" This time, it was Joe. "Are they our friends? And if that's the case, are they the ones that chose us?"
"I don't know that. I was on the opposing side when I learned of them. They would certainly be the enemy of our enemy, but whether that makes them our allies… I'm not sure…"
"Then it sounds like those so-called Dark Masters are the ones we have to fight next." Tai said determinedly
"You're going to fight them?!" Chuumon cried. "Don't do it, you'll never be able to beat them!"
"Just so you know, we'd just defeated Myotismon!" Tai answered full of confidence.
"It'll be okay! As long as all Guardians and Chosen children are together, we can save the world!" Mimi assured Chuumon.
"This fight is going to be tougher than anything we've ever faced before, but let's do our best!" Beth said confidently.
However they were interrupted by the sound of malicious laughter.
"Guardians, Chosen Children! I've been waiting for you!"
Right in front of them the ground exploded and a great sea serpent breached out.
"I-It's MetalSeadramon!" Chuumon screamed.
Metal Seadramon had a gold head, underside and fins and reddish brown eyes, the rest of him appeared to be a silvery in color with a body that easily exceeded two hundred meters in length.
The group began to run from the sea serpent, then he sailed through, several of the children and guardians just barely avoiding him. However the sudden movements had caused the heroes to stumble on the forest floor.
"Even as large as he is he can move quickly." Matt comments.
"Let's go, Agumon!" Tai ordered, holding out his digivice.
The Digimon digivolved while the eight guardians took on fairy form.
"Mega Flame!" Greymon's trademark attack hit MetalSeadramon right in the face to no avail and he was merely knocked aside. The same happened to all the others even to the last two. Angemon was swatted aside and Gatomon was nearly eaten (much to Kylie's distress) before she was tossed down next to Angemon.
"Angemon!" T.K. cried.
"Gatomon…" Kari whimpered worriedly.
"C'mon girls, let's give him the old convergence cannon!" Beth urged the other guardians.
"As if you can win against me." MetalSeadramon mocked.
The Fairies however, gathered together, and unleashed their attack, but MetalSeadramon managed to take the hit, though a second hit did cause him to waver in his swimming through the air.
"Impossible. He took two convergence cannon attacks!?" Yui gasped.
"Why!?" Mimi cried out in dismay. "It's 14 against one!"
Izzy was looking at his laptop, and gasped in shock. "I knew Lady Despair's black blood created powerful digimon, but this is a Mega level!"
"Mega?" Tai asked in shock.
"No matter how many adult digimon we throw at him, and it seems the fairies' magic is ineffectual against them either!" Izzy informed them.
"Why does our first opponent have to be a powerful one? It's not fair!" Joe whined.
"No, we just need to pour more into it," Zaira stated. "We had an effect, we dinged him up, look!"
She points to a gash in MetalSeadramon's side, but that was quickly overlooked, when the beast began to power up his nose canon.
"You wretched Pixies. Mother was right to tell us not to hold back," MetalSeadramon growled. "ULTIMATE STREAM!"
"LOOK OUT!" Kylie cried out as she flung herself over Kari and Gatomon, Zaira did the same for Izzy, Dana with T.K. and Angemon, and so did the others.
The fairies glowed brightly, and their magic poured forth to shield them as a massive blue beam shot out of the nose canon.
And it hit, it hit with a devastating force, the kids all shouted in alarm, and fear, though the fairies shield's held, they were shuddering as it was being depleted greatly by the force of the attack. And worse, they were sent flying away by the kinetic strength of the attack.
The force had blasted them back into another section, one covered in white mist. Beth stood up on shaky legs, removing her arms from around Sora and Birdramon's leg.
"Sound off, who's here? And only the live ones." she called.
Everyone responds with moans and groans of pain. Good, that meant they were all together and not separated.
Dana opened her eyes, looking left and right, as she breathed heavily. "T.K...? Angemon... are you two alright?"
Angemon nods once then looked to his human partner. "Never mind me, T.K.?"
T.K. blinked up at Dana and at Angemon with a warm smile. "I'm okay. Thanks."
"We're fine thanks to you." Dana gently touched Angemon's face, the angel digimon didn't even pull away. However the silent tender moment was interrupted by a peculiar sound. It was like growling only robotic.
Angemon stood up, shielding Dana and T.K. with his wings, and looked around in concern. Kylie stood up over Gatomon and Kari, and was startled when a metal claw lashed out from the mist and she barely dodged it with a shriek.
"So, this is the one that our brother would have betrayed Mother for?" A voice spoke, it was low, empty and sounded like coming from a metal pipe.
"Something's there. I'll go take a look." Angemon flew up only to be struck by two giant blasts of energy.
"Angemon!" T.K. and Dana cried.
As Angemon fell, he changed back to Patamon and fortunately landed into T.K.'s arms.
"Patamon! Patamon, hang in there!" T.K. pleaded.
Dana patted the brave little digimon and turned in the direction the blasts came from with a glower. "You'll pay for that you - uhm, whatever you are!"
Their opponent came out of the fog, it was a giant mechanized Dinosaur with two large cannons on its back.
"He's another Mega-Level Digimon! Machinedramon!" Izzy cried out, "He wields unbelievable power and his special attack is Mugen Cannon!"
To be clear, the word Mugen was Japanese for infinity. And of course, this meant the others would have to amp up their game. So the Digimon digivolved except for Patamon once more thanks to the power of the crests.
"Then we go full Digix mode!" Theo declared.
"Right!" The guardians cried.
A blaze of multicolored magical energy coursed through the air, encircling the guardians. Each fairy was surrounded by a brilliant swirl of mystical force that filled her with intense power and changed her into her battle form, with a sleek outfit and shimmering wings. One by one, they called out their names and powers as the transformation reached a fever pitch.
"Go get him! Fight! Fight!" Tai yelled out.
"But we can't win." Kari muttered, surprising her brother.
"Mugen Cannon!" Machinedramon roared.
"Pixel Protection!" Zaira conjured up an electronic wall, which blocked the attack. But several cracks appeared on its surface.
The giant metal dragon growled lowly, and primed his canons again to fire.
"Starlight Flash!" Yui calls out.
She holds up her palm, and a blinding flash of starlight causes Machinedramon to veer off course when he fires. Yet Machinedramon did not let up he kept firing, knocking the Digimon back and then fired at the ground, which crumbled right under the group and sent them falling into a dark crevasse.
Except they fell for what felt like five minutes and then they were all floating in midair.
"We stopped." said Izzy.
"Where are we? What's going on?" Mimi asked with Chuumon in her arms.
Theo checked around the kids, "Alright. I get us since we've got wings, but how're you all just hovering there?"
"I haven't a clue."
Then WereGarurumon and Garudamon started to punch each other.
"What are you doing, WereGarurumon?" Matt yelled.
"Stop, Garudamon! You're both friends!" Sora shouted.
"I'm not doing this on purpose!" Garudamon cried.
"My body… It's moving by itself!" WereGarurumon claimed
"They're being moved around by something." Sora guessed then her arms moved to form a box shape.
It wasn't long before they all started moving without them doing anything.
"Aah! What's going on here?" Joe's legs kicked back and forth as he clung to Zudomon's horn.
Just then Izzy shouted out. "I've got strings attached! And they're controlling us!"
Kylie was being moved like a ballerina, she looked at her arm and saw strings just like he said! "We're being moved like puppets on strings!"
"Hehehehe. So, you finally figured it out?" a childish voice snickered.
They looked up to see a Pinocchio like wooden puppet creature with a large hammer staring down at them.
"Who are you?" Zaira called out.
"Why not ask the little nerd there's computer? Do it!" The creature held out his hand, and moved his fingers to move the strings so Izzy was forced to type on his computer.
"He's also a Mega Level!" Izzy exclaimed.
"Puppetmon is his name." Zaira said looking over his shoulder.
"Yes, I am. Mama ranked me NUMBER 1 Bad Personality of my I guess I see why Myotismon liked fooling around with you, Sirene's Heir." Puppetmon sneers as he floats, like a marionette, in front of Kylie, who yelped in surprise. "You're pretty, so you would be fun to play around with," Puppetmon frowns. "But he could've already gotten a new you, if he just let mama break you."
"Mama...Lady Despair!?" Yui called out.
"Of course! Stupid empty head, why else would there be digimon as powerful as me?" Puppetmon scoffed.
"Why do these wretched children of that horrible witch keep appearing one after another?" Mimi asked incredulous. "It's really annoying!"
Lilymon touched Mimi's shoulders with both hands in comfort. "Mimi!" She exclaimed.
"HEY! Watch what you say about Mama!" Puppetmon growled. "You're needed on the final stage, anyway!"
He lifts his hand, and all the kids were sent flying, though the digimon, and fairies remained.
"As for you, Miss Goldie locks." Puppetmon growled. "You'll go with the others, but you oughta pay for giving our Mama such trouble!" He swings his hammer at Kylie and the others. "BULLET HAMMER!"
The fairies and digimon screamed as balls of yellow light shot from the holes in Puppetmon's hammer, and the digimon went back to their rookie levels, as the girls were de-transformed back to their human forms.
When they all got their bearings straight, they noticed that they've fallen somewhere else. This time they'd landed into a coliseum of some sorts. Much like Greymon suffered his Dark Evolution, only smaller.
From behind one of the pillars, a clown rolled in while balancing on a large red ball. It wore a lime green suit with pink polka dots and a matching hat. "Hello, good children, and a warm greeting to the lovely ladies!"
"Now what?!" The eight guardians said in exasperation.
The clown merely pulls a few tricks. Instantly three bouquets appeared, then handing one to Beth, Kylie and Zaira. Beth's was roses, the other two got simple wildflowers.
Zaira rolled her violet eyes. "It'd feel short changed, if romantic gestures from strangers meant nothing to me."
"Today I'm going to tell you all an interesting story." The clown began. He pulled out a childish crayon drawing of the group. "A long, long time ago, there were eight Chosen Children and their Digimon that met eight magical maidens." He pulled the picture to show another one of us climbing up Spiral Mountain. "They were all foolish enough to climb up Spiral Mountain and since they were so weak, they were killed by the Dark Masters."
"Are you kidding me?!" Theo spat.
T.K. scoffed. "That story wasn't interesting at all!"
"Yeah, that's not a story: that was dumb!" Dana snapped.
The clown was barely fazed. "All I did was merely show you your destiny. On the contrary, you should be grateful."
His visage suddenly began to vanish, only for his place to be replaced by a chuckling jester armed with four large swords. He then flew up and stood upon one of the pillars. The sudden change caused the group great alarm, and Chuumon wailed. "It's Piedmon!"
Kylie then shrieked as a blue spitting cobra burst out of the wildflower bouquet! Tai slaps the bouquet out of her hands and immediately, Theo scorched the serpent to ashes.
"Hahahaha! A personal gift from your 'almost-mother in law.'" The clown laughed.
Kylie looked at the clown in growing fear. 'Almost Mother in Law? What did...no, did he mean?'
Zaira actually hollered as the flowers she'd been holding had withered to ashes. While the flowers remained unchanged, Beth threw the rose bouquet down in disgust.
"We're not gonna lose to clown like you!" Tai declared. "Agumon!"
"Gabumon, I'm counting on you!"
Tai and Matt held out their digivices for their digimon to reach mega level.
"Agumon, warp-evolve to… WARGREYMON!"
"Gabumon, warp-evolve… METALGARURUMON!"
"Then this should also be our cue, right Kylie?" Beth said.
"It's you and them against that joker!" Kylie nods.
In a flash, they reach their Enchantix level.
"Go, WarGreymon! Show him what we're made of!"
"MetalGarurumon! Take him down and we save the world!"
"You too!" The boys urged Kylie and Beth.
"We're on it!"
"Gaia Force!" WarGreymon threw his massive attack but Piedmon leapt out of the way.
"Cocytus Breath!" MetalGarurumon blew forward his icy attack, but Piedmon pulled out one of his swords and sliced it in mid-air.
The two Enchantix fairies were next but as Kylie got closer she suddenly stopped. In her mind's eye, she saw a vision.
Sirene the nymph, turning away from her infant daughter... as fire rages all around her... A familiar jester pulling out a sword…
The fairy snaps out of her vision, stunned. Beth turns and is shocked to see Kylie staring back, making no move to attack.
Kylie gasped. "You... you were there."
"He was?!" MetalGarurumon cried, shocked.
Piedmon actually chuckled balefully. "Indeed, I was. I'm flattered. You remembered." He said before pulling out two more swords and throwing them. "Trump Sword!"
WarGreymon got one in the chest armor and MetalGarurumon in the neck area, they fell back to the ground in child level.
The two Enchantix fairies used their respective elements on Piedmon, only that he came out unscathed! He merely smirked and threw several more swords at them – while they didn't break the skin or garments, it was still a painful impact that pushed them back to the ground and forced them back to civilian mode.
"N-No way!" Joe croaked.
"We can't win even with two Megas or Enchantix fairies on our side?" gasped Sora.
"He's also a Mega, isn't he?" Mimi asked.
"Even if we are at the same level, you have only recently gained your new powers." Piedmon explained. "You are greatly mistaken if you think that is all it will take to win."
"I'm sorry, Tai." Agumon apologized.
"Permit me now to introduce the members that make up the Dark Masters, the better for you to recognize us." Piedmon gestured as if he were a performer on stage introducing the cast. "MetalSeadramon!"
The metallic sea serpent burst from the ground and began to hover in the air.
"Machinedramon!" The mechanized beast just crashed through the building's walls before stopping a few feet from them.
"Puppetmon!" The marionette digimon appeared hanging upside down with a malicious giggle.
"Too bad, because I wanted to have a little more fun with you." The puppet said a little disappointed but his voice was laced with sinister intentions.
"And myself, Piedmon. And in the box seat, watching this fabulous play is our Grand Dark Mistress!"
The jester gestures up to a box seat covered with a blood red curtain, and reveals Lady Despair, dresses in a blue oriental like dress, and holding a black feather fan with a black, crystal skull on the center, of the bottom of the fan.
"Bravo! Bravo! Encore!" Lady Despair cheers.
"Why does this not surprise me?" Dana asked sarcastically.
"We are our mother's children, for five thousand years in the digital world we've honed our powers," Machinedramon proudly proclaimed.
"And we'll wash you away with the tide, before you can blink an eye." MetalSeadramon bragged with a laugh.
"Now I'm afraid the fun is over. Let's… Which one of you would like to die first?" Piedmon said with mock thoughtfulness.
Everyone froze in fear. Mimi began to wail, "No… I don't want to! I'm only in the fourth grade! Why do I have to die here? It's not fair!"
Sora tried to comfort her. "Mimi…"
The older girls were all trying to shush her but the younger girl continued weeping. "I wanted to dress up in fashionable clothes, and eat more yummy things, and then maybe go on a trip abroad, and…!"
"Your incessant whining grows tiresome." Piedmon remarked. "You obviously want to be the first to die."
Mimi stopped crying at once and gaped. A small dagger was tossed out from Piedmon's right sleeve towards her but Chuumon jumped right out of her arms, causing the blade to strike him in the chest instead.
"NO!" Kylie screamed in horror.
Mimi quickly picked up the mouse digimon, as Kylie rushed to the side, and looked at the mouse in despair.
"Chuumon, hold on!" Mimi cried.
"NO! Not him too!" Kylie was covering her mouth, tears in her eyes.
"Mimi...when I'm reborn...go on a date with me..." Chuumon said weakly.
"Chuumon!" Mimi wailed. She shut her eyes, hugging the little critter, but he gave up his last breath and turned into data.
"NO! Oh By the Three Brothers, no!" Kylie gasped, almost hysterical over the death.
"Oh, that brave little mouse!" Sara G. said solemnly.
"He was right up there with Hannah in mice I respect, to save Mimi." Dana said just as overwrought.
"What a foolish Digimon." Piedmon jeered. "There's no need to rush in choosing death."
"Ahahahaha!"
The group all turned with a sneer on their lips, as Piedmon floated over with Lady Despair, holding her hand in his left, as Lady Despair waved his fan to cover her smile.
"Oh, what delicious misery, such utter, gratifying despair, and hot sticky pain," Lady Despair trills. "It's true, I cannot perform my sorcery without my boys as a focus, but the time I've spent here before you got here, and now? It's more than restored my powers to beyond their zenith, I've fully recovered from using so much magic, and my blood in reviving Myotismon, and fighting the Dark Spectre Queen."
Lady Despair lowered her fan, and snaps it shut to point at the group with an angry stare.
"Three...I have lost THREE children because of you, and that Sea Hag can't protect you here," Lady Despair hissed. "I will see you all suffer for my pain, and my powers will grow and expand."
Sierra turns, and cups Piedmon's chin affectionately, who lifts his chin up with an amused chuckle and smile as Lady Despair stroked his soft under chin with her silver finger talon.
"I'm quite proud of my boys," Lady Despair brags. "They've accomplished so much for me, as Kylie will attest as witness. Though she was but a babe, at the time of her mother's death."
Kylie looked up, eyes wide, as a feeling of horror overcame her, and a memory.
~SHE'S COMING! She's going to kill you, Sirene~
~I don't care about my life, only Kylie matters, and our home. She will return and protect this world~
~A sad shame, Nymph. But this little battle between us has gone long enough~
~Find that baby, find me Sirene's Heir!~
"Their ONE tiny mistake," Lady Despair said lowering her hand. "But I forgave them, and despite the fool mouse shielding, you will all perish now."
"We'll never let you get away with this!" Tai yelled.
Beth stepped forward aggressively. "Now you look here! I'm not gonna let you or anything else hurt our friends!"
However the Dark Masters just laughed as their leader observed Beth as though she was an intriguing work of art.
"Beguiling little thing, aren't you?" Piedmon smirked, "Tell me, Keeper of the Heart… how you would you like to join us?"
I'm pretty sure there was a record scratch somewhere. On the viewing balcony, Lady Despair actually facepalmed.
The heroes stopped long enough to stare in helpless disbelief as if he'd just grown two heads. Did they just hear that right? Was Piedmon trying to swoon Beth?
"A beauteous empyrean bloom such as yourself should be on the arm of a powerful lord."
He was. Naturally, Beth was both disgusted and outraged. "Well, you know what I got to say? FORGET IT!"
The other three Dark Masters sounded amused. "Ooh…!"
Lady Despair actually raised her eyebrows. "Hmmm, he picked himself an aggressive one."
However Beth's unwanted suitor looked more captivated than displeased. "Feisty and striking… but believe me, dear, you will be mine, no matter what it takes." He'd said the last part in a foreboding tone.
"ENOUGH OF THIS FOOLISH, FLIRTING!" Lady Despair booms.
Lady Despair was transformed, and to everyone, minus the Dark Masters, shock. She'd turned into Myotismon, though as Vanessa had warned before, her eyes remained the same.
"A familiar face, don't you agree, Kylie?" Lady Myotis declared, waving out her arms. "I'll never see my son again, unless I gain enough power to do so. And that won't happen, as long as you're alive."
S/he sneered as they held up a gloved hand, where a long, crimson bolt of lightning appeared. "Fortunately, I can rectify that little problem. CRIMSON LIGHTNING!" Lady Myotismon cracked the whip down towards the nymph, who Beth had barely pushed out of the way.
The crack of the whip left a huge hole, which made everyone stumble and cry out in alarm.
"You will not escape me again, child!" hissed Lady Myotismon. S/he crossed her arms to prepare another attack.
"Pit Bomb!"
Suddenly a projectile was hurled in her direction, and exploded in front of Lady Myotismon, who being in vampire form was blinded painfully by the blast.
"AHHHHH!" Sierra screamed as she turned back to her real form, and fell to the stadium floor, clutching her eyes. "MY EYES! MY EYES!"
"Mama!" Puppetmon shouts rushing to her side.
"Oh, Dear, Mother Dearest!" Piedmon was by her side with a moistened handkerchief.
"Mother..." Machinedramon growled.
"Huuh!?" MetalSeadramon looked around. "THEY'RE GONE!"
"WHAT!?" Lady Despair pushed herself up, and shoved her boys aside to look through bleary eyes, and saw that the fairies and others were truly gone.
Be it luck or divine intervention, when the heroes opened their eyes they were in a bubble flying away from the coliseum and Piximon fluttering before them.
"Piximon, I'm so glad to see you!" T.K. cheered.
"Me too, pi!" The pixie smiled.
"And in the nick of time!" Beth nodded.
"You were able to approach us by creating a barrier that the enemy couldn't see!" said Izzy.
"That's right pi!"
"Piximon! We came all this way believing that as long as the nine of us are together, we could save both our worlds! And yet…!" Tai tried to explain.
"It's true that all of you are together pi, but that's not enough to win pi!"
"Then we'll fight!" Kylie said to stand up, only to be poked down by Piximon.
"No, you are the last hope for our world, you are the last bloodline of Sirene." Pixiemon looked sadly at Kylie, who looked back in surprise.
"You knew?" Kylie said.
"Yes, I knew, Pi. Your mother entrusted me with this," Pixiemon hands over a necklace, a mask like ornament hanging from it. "This was her most prized possession, besides her daughter, Pi. With it, you will one day awaken your blood, and become the Guardian Nymph as she was once, Pi."
Kylie held the necklace in shock.
"But if you die now, then there's truly no hope for our world, and Lady Despair will win, Pi!" Pixiemon carried on.
Just then, the whole bubble began to rock and flash.
"Found you." MetalSeadramon's voice sneered.
"I'll stop them pi! You head towards Spiral Mountain while I keep them busy pi!"
"You stop them?" Matt questioned incredulously. "But they're all Ultimate-Levels!"
"I know that pi! Even if I can't win, I can still put up a fight pi!"
"Then I'll fight with you!" Tai volunteered.
"Don't be a fool! You're all the last hope for his world pi!"
"Ahahaha! THERE, MY GREAT BEAST OF A SON!" Lady Despair laughs, riding on MetalSeadramon's head, clinging to his metal dorsal fin.
The sea serpent unleashes his powerful nose canon blast, but the force field holds and Piximon flies out.
"I'm sure you'll be able to find, pi, what you are lacking and help Kylie attain her inheritance." Piximon declared.
The little fairy digimon felt compelled to act. He wanted to teach the children to never give up on their dreams. What he was going to undertake might appear to them like a foolish, reckless act. But his message ought to reach them. No, he had to believe that it would.
"When you do, you will be invincible pi! Now go, Chosen Children, Fairies of Magic, and Daughter of Sirene, Future mother of us all!" Piximon then smacked them with his spear, and sent them flying.
"You are Pixiemon, are you not?"
Pixiemon turns with an irritated grunt to see the Dark Masters, up front, and Lady Despair, floating in the air as she crosses her legs, and taps her scepter in her hand.
"You're that miserable little creature that hung around that foul nymph in the past," Lady Despair glared. "I'll bet you are responsible for her daughter escaping me that day."
"No, that was the work of fate, pi! As it was not her destiny to die so young at your hands-pi!" Piximon carried on.
"Ahahahahaha!" Lady Despair laughed into the back of her hand. "Oh, you believed I wished to KILL 'Kylie?'" Lady Despair smirks. "Oh hardly, I planned to corrupt her, and use her to control this world and all of the other infinite dimensions. Soon, she would steer the ship that would free me trapped in this sphere of reality. BUT I WAS FOILED, AND NOW SHE IS FAR FROM MY TOUCH!"
Lady Despair lashes out, and her scepter shocks Pixiemon painfully.
"But it matter not, as you are here for me to vent my frustrations, and soon the rest of those miserable Earth-Pukes will be too!" Lady Despair hissed.
"A perfect level like you, believing you stood a chance against us, the children of our Dark Mother?" Piedmon laughed. "Now THAT is true comedy."
"Say what you want..." Pixiemon cried out in pain. "She will win, Sirene's soul still dwells in this world, and she will guide Kylie to her ascension!"
Lady Despair's eyes widen, before they glow red, and she reaches out to Piximon.
Far from the coliseum, a massive explosion lit up the building, and shook the area, where even the heroic group felt it. And that left no doubt on Piximon's fate.
"Piximon's dead…" Kari sadly stated.
They've been in the Digiworld for less than a couple of hours and already two digimon have sacrificed themselves to save them. How many more must perish before the Dark Masters can be defeated?
To be continued…