After their encounter with the vicious Arcadiamon, the team pressed deeper into Faldera Volcano, despite letting the dangerous Digimon escape. For their immidiate attentions still lies with Red Eyes, who continues his operation to awaken Moltres. Our friends waste no time persuing the leader of the Pokemon Pinchers, to put an end to his plans.

As Ben, Summer, Takumi, Ami, Yuuko, Yuugo, Arata, Nokia and their Digimon ascended the volcano they were greeted by a blast of heat. "Yikes! It's even hotter up here!" Nokia said. "Frigimon, make sure you don't melt!"

"We must be getting close." Takumi looked around. "Nokia, you might be better off with Greymon and Garurumon. Meramon and Frigimon won't do much if we encounter more fire Pokemon."

"Aww, I was starting to like their new forms. *sigh* oh well." Nokia held up her Digivice and Meramon and Frigimon became Agumon and Gabumon again.

DIGIVOLUTION

"Agumon Digivolve to…Greymon!"

"Gabumon Digivolve to…Garurumon!"

"Alright." Ben looked ahead. There was a river of lava in front of them. Then he noticed a rock big enough to act as a bridge for two pieces of land. "Hey, Greymon, can you push that into the lava?"

"No problem!" Greymon rammed his skull into the bolder and it fell in.

The team crossed the bridge and saw a Shelgon. Two more were coming out of a nearby cave. "Oooh. Dragon Type Pokemon." Summer said. "They're said to be the strongest, but harder to catch. They might come in handy."

"Then let's catch them!" Ben said. "Race ya!"

"Hey, no fair!"

Takumi and the others laughed as Ben and Summer ran on ahead. "Those two are pretty excited." Takumi said.

Ami giggled. "Yeah."

Arata rolled his eyes. "Pots calling the kettles back."

"Huh?"

Yuuko smiled. "Arata's right. They do seem a lot like you."

"Do they?" Takumi asked.

After a couple of minutes Ben and Summer came back. "That cave doesn't lead anywhere. Let's go look for another route."

"Right."

They went back down the makeshift bridge they came and went along the side of the path. Then they found another rock plate at the edge of the lava. A much bigger one. "Wow. That might be a little too big." Greymon said. "Even for me."

Yuuko turned to her Digimon. "GeoGreymon, can you help him push?"

"Certainly."

"One of our Shelgon can help to." Ben said. "Okay, everyone ready?"

"PUSH!" Shelgon, Greymon and GeoGreymon rammed their heads against it and it slowly moved into the lava.

"Alright!" Nokia cheered. "Teamwork!"

"Thanks, Shelgon!" Ben waved the Pokemon off.

"Alright let's go!"

"N-Nokia! Don't run too far ahead!" Takumi yelled.

His warning was ignored and Nika went towards another cave entrance. "EEEEEEEEK!" Just as she was about to enter a Torchic and a Combusken chased her out and two Pinchers came out of the cave with them.

"Hey, Rangers! Cyber Sleuths! Playtime's over!"

"Did you make a lot of nice memories in Oblivia?"

"Let's top off your trip with bitter tears!"

Arata glanced at Takumi. "Is it just me, or are these guys getting more and more chatty?"

"Let's shut em up then. Gargomon!"

"Ripping Net!" Gargomon shot a blast of electricity at the Torchic, knocking it down. Combusken jumped up at GeoGreymon and kicked his head, knocking it back.

"D-Grenade." Guardromon shot two rockets from his arms at the Comusken, but it landed on one of them and jumped off over the next. It was now right over Guardromon.

"Nanomachine Break." The robot uppercutted it, flinging it into the air. It landed next to Torchic.

"Shelgon!" On Summer's order her Pokemon shot blue flame at both Combusken and Tochic, before she completed her capture. Happy to be free, they ran away.

One of the Pinchers backed away. "Th-these guys…"

The other stepped back as well. "The speculation was really true…"

"They are way out of our league…" They flew away on their Z.Z. Flyers.

"That's the end of that." Ben said. "Now let's get going!"

"We're going right inside a volcano." Yuugo said. "We'd better be careful."

Back on The Union, Murph wrapped a bandage around Lopmon's small arm. "There you go! Good as new!"

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. I may not look it, but I always wanted to be a doctor. Plus used to be a Ranger myself."

Fei looked sceptical. "Really? You?"

"Yup. So, I know all the first aid stuff a Ranger would. Well, it's more meant for Pokemon, but Digimon can't be that different."

Date walked over to her Digimon. "How are you feeling?"

"Better. Hey guys…Why are the Pinchers so bad?"

"Huh? Well, they kidnap and abuse Pokemon…"

"I know, but why do they do it?"

"Oh. Ummm…Can't say I know. Why are you asking this all the sudden?"

Lopmon looked down. "I don't understand. There are people like you. And then there are people like them. What are humans?"

"Well…Humans are like snowflakes." Murph said. "No two are the exact same."

"It's really not that much different from you Digimon at the end of the day." Fei added. "Or Pokemon for that matter."

"I think it has to do with the things people went through in the past." Date said. "Matayoshi once told me that the things we experience make us who we are now."

"That makes sense." Murph nodded. "I mean let's look at Ben and Summer and Takumi and Ami. They are kinda similar. So, what if Takumi and Ami were born in this world and Ben and Summer yours? Maybe they would be living each others lives right now."

Fei sighed. "This is getting out of hand. But…I guess it make sense to feel that way."

After going deeper into the volcano and dealing with a minor obstacle, the team found themselves in front of a Pincher with a Tyranitar. "Great work getting this far, but I can't let you go any farther. Your opponent's Tyranitar!"

Yuugo scanned it with his Digivice. "A Rock/Dark Type Pokemon. Overwhelmingly powerful and can even change the landscape."

The Pokemon roared as it approached. "Wow! Big sucker!" Gargomon pounded his fists. "Let's get him!"

Ben looked up and saw rocks coming down. "MOVE!"

They scattered out of the way before Ben and Summer launched their Stylers. Tyranatar roared and dark waves formed on the ground. They managed to guide them around while drawing loops around the Pokemon before they were swiped with its tail. "Man. That thing's tough." Ben growled.

"Dum Dum Uppercut!"

"Wolkenpalm!" Gargomon and GeoGreymon rammed their palms into Tyranitar, but it was only slightly knocked back.

"Hyper Beam!" On the Pincher's orders it shot a massive laser at them that blew the two Digimon away.

"Guys, we need better type matchups!" Summer said. "Fire attacks are no good. It's a Rock and Dark type so we need stuff like Grass, Fighting, Ice or Water based attacks!"

Ami looked at her partner. "Grass…" Togamon!"

"Way ahead of ya! Crescent Leaf!" Togaman threw a punch with her fist glowing green. Tyranitar knocked back.

Ben pulled back his Styler. "Summer! Secret weapon time!"

"Okay!"

Ben and Summer drew patterns on the floor.

"Go, Guardian Sign! Mankey, come forth!"

"Go, Guardian Sign! Jumpluff come forth!"

Ben's light formed a monkey Pokemon. Summer summoned three Jumpluffs. The Pincher was shocked. "W-where did those come from?!"

"Sleep Powder!" Summer's Pokemon shot green dust at Tyranitars eyes. It looked annoyed at first, then it fell asleep.

"Mankey, Karate Chop!"

Ben's Pokemon jumped up and gave Tyranitar a hand chop to the head, knocking it down on its belly.

Summer completed her capture. "Phew! That was not easy!"

"Latter, you'll surly regret not losing here!" the Pincher ran past them and towards the exit.

"Come on! We can't be far!" Ben said pointing to a nearby staircase. They hurried up it, but Ben stopped them and laid down.

"What are you doing?" Nokia asked.

"Shhh! Look. It's Red Eyes."

Everyone got down, on the stairs and peeked over the top. Red Eyes was with two Pinchers in front of a stone tablet. "L-Leader? It looks like a dead end. Are you sure this is the right place? You didn't make a wrong turn?"

"Enough. Why do you think we've been doing something as tiresome as collecting Emblems anyway?" Red Eyed took a rock fragment out of his pocket.

"Hey, isn't that what they took from the Monument at Daybreak Ruins?" Takumi whispered.

"Looks like we're about to find out what they need it so badly for." Ami replied.

Red Eyes looked at the tablet in front of him. "These Monuments were put here by someone in the past called the Hero to protect Moltres's sleep. We have the Emblem the Hero left to pass through here. I'll do it right now, so shut up and watch."

"What's he going to do?" Gargomon muttered to Togamon.

"Ya got me."

Red Eyes held up the part. "Ancient Emblem. Open a road for us!" A blue symbol appeared on the large tablet.

Ben's eyes widened. "That's…Entei's Guardian Sign!"

The tabled disappeared in a blue light, leaving a open path. The pinchers were in shock. "A-amazing! Is that formidable…thing on the other side?!"

Red Eyes looked serious for a change. "Don't get worked up. Be silent and follow me." Red Eyes entered and the two Pinchers followed. Just after they went through he tablet reappeared and blocked the path.

"Hey!" Summer ran up and banged against it. "Darn it! We're locked out! Red Eyes… He used the Emblem on the Monument…"

"Wait…" Takumi looked at Ben. "Did you say you saw Entei's Guardian Sign?"

"Yeah. It was right there on this rock before it cleared away."

"Then maybe…Maybe that's the key get in! It might not be the Emblem but maybe the Sign on it!"

Ben looked at his Styler. "So, you think if I drew it…"

"It's worth a shot." Arata said. "If we don't do something soon, Red Eyes will get to Moltres."

"Alright. Here goes." Ben fired his Styler and it stayed on the tablet. He traced the sign on it and the blue figure glowed. In a blue flash it disappeared again. "It worked!"

Summer smiled at her friend. "That was amazing, Ben! Now we can go to the other side!"

"They might have already started on their operation." Yuuko said. "Is everyone ready?"

The team nodded. "Then let's go." Ben looked on ahead. "It's time to end this." One by one they hurried through and found themselves at the peak of the volcano.

"Phew! Finally, back outside with fresh air!" Nokia gasped.

"Look!" Ami pointed at Red Eyes who was shooting purple rings from his Control Gauntlet at a ring of fire. Everyone ran over to him.

"Red Eyes!" Ben growled. "What are you doing?"

The two Pinchers were in shock. "L-Leader! It's the Pokemon Rangers and those Cyber Sleuths you mentioned!"

Red Eyes didn't turn away from what he was doing. "I know. I could hear them." Then he stopped to glance at them. "I don't know how you figured out our plans, but welcome to Faldera Volcano. I didn't think we would meet again."

Takumi glared at him. "I warned you, didn't I? I won't give up until we've stopped you."

"Yes, I shouldn't be surprised that you were able to escape the Daybreak Ruins. By the way, I have bad news for you. Moltres is about to wake up." Red Eyes smirked as he glanced back at the fiery ring. "In other words, you're too late."

Everyone looked inside the ring. They could see a large yellow bird with a flaming head, tail, and wings sleeping inside.

"Is that…Moltres?!" Yuugo asked.

"That thing's giving off a huge aura." Gargoman trembled. "If something like that gets lose…"

"Do you know the way back?" Red Eyes grinned. "I'm sure you've seen enough of Faldera Volcano by now. Watch your steps going down the mountain."

"Stop messing around!" Summer growled. "We came to protect Moltress from you!"

"Tourists should just relax and enjoy the scenery."

"Can I tear this guy apart now?!" Kurusarimon asked. "He's really getting on my nerves!"

Red Eyes signaled his Pinchers. "Hey, you guys. Give them a little tour." He then went back to his work on Moltres.

"Understood!" The two Pinchers stepped in front of them.

"Hello, we'll be your guides. Welcome to our official tour of a world of pain!"

At the sound of the words, Takumi briefly though back to darker events. Losing this body, seeing Yuuko and Arata merging with Eaters, remembering what he did and Yuuko after having forgotten him for so long. His expression became serious as two Scyther flew towards them. "Already been there."

"Bug/Flying types. They slice up their enemies with incredible speed and their scythes." Ben looked back at the team. "We need electric and fire attacks!"

"Got it!" Nokia looked up. "Greymon! Garurumon!"

"GeoGreymon!"

"Nova Blast!"

"Fox Fire!"

"Mega Burst!" The agile bugs flew around the attacks and then slashed at the two Greymon.

"Darn! They're too fast!" Nokia growled. "Just for once can we fight something that stands perfectly still?!"

Gargomon's hands glowed yellow as it watched the Scyther's movements. "Just keep attacking!"

"Heaven's Thunder." Guardromon threw his hands into the air, and a bolt of lightning shot up before coming down on the opponents.

"Pichu, Thunder!"

"CHUUUU!" Ben's partner summoned thunder bolts but both attacks were swiftly dodged by the Scyther. Ben rolled away just in time to avoid getting swiped. The Pokemon grouped together and prepared to make a u turn.

"Now! Rippling Net!" Gargomon threw a blast of electricity at them Pokemon stunning them in their tracks.

"Nanomachine Break!" Kurusarimon charged the spiked on its tendrils with sparks and thrusted them into the Digimon, knocking them both over.

"Now!" Ben and Summer launched their Stylers and drew their loops around the Pokemon catching them both.

The Pinchers stepped away. "Our Scyther were captured…" The moment Ben and Summer approached they ran over to Red Eyes.

"Leader! We are so sorry!"

"You lost, so just take a hike!" Summer barked.

Ben glared at the leader. "It's over Red Eyes."

"Ha, ha, ha. Who cares about winning or losing a battle right now? Look at Moltres. My underlings were useful for buying time."

"What?!"

Everyone stared at the sleeping bird. It lowered its head, then its eyes snapped open as it spread its wings, dispelling the ring of fire as it did so. It flapped its wings and took for the skies. "No!" Takumi growled as he shielded himself from the small embers that flew.

The Pinchers were in awe. "Fina…Finally, Moltres has awoken!"

Arata growled. "Jeez! The heat coming off this thing! How are we supposed to fight that?!"

Red Eyes grinned. "It was harder than I thought, but we finished one of our operations."

It flew right past the Rangers knocking them over.

"Aaah!"

"Eeek!"

"Ben! Summer!" Takumi ran over to them.

Red Eyes turned to his troops. "Pinchers! Time to start our next task!"

"Wait, that's it?!" Ami asked. "All that effort to go after Moltres and you're just going to let it run free?!"

"The bird isn't the big catch." Red Eyes grinned as he boarded his Red Z.Z. Flyer.

"Wait, Red Eyes!" Ben ran towards him.

"Nobody likes people who are too stubborn. Charizard! Teach these kids the meaning of the word "quit"!"

Ben stopped when he heard a roar and saw an orange flying Pokemon close in from his left. "Ben, look out!" Summer pushed him out of the way and was slammed by the Fire Type and sent hurling into a rock, screaming as she collided.

"Summer!" Ben wasted no time getting up and running to his friend. "Are you okay?!"

"Ow…I think so…" Suddenly a light came out of her Styler and her Staraptor landed on the ground. "What?! My Styler is…?!"

Ben looked at Summer's wrist and saw her gadget was split open. "With one hit?!"

"So long, Rangers!"

Takumi turned to him. "Gargomon, stop him, quick!"

"Right!"

"Oh, yeah. Got something for you kids too." Red Eyes grinned as he pressed a button on his Control Gauntlet. Five blue dragons with red wings and white skulls came out.

"Those are Airdramon!" Yuuko yelled.

"Digimon?" Takumi glared at him. "Were you the one who gave Blue Eyes the one she used at the tower?!"

"I'll see if you can figure that one out on your own "Cyber Sleuth." What kind of detective needs the bad guys to spell out the answers for them?" Red Eyes grinned before he left.

"W-wait for us! Leader!" The other Pinchers got on their Z.Z. Fliers and went after him.

"Hey, where are you going?!" Nokia yelled. "What's your next task?! Hey!"

The five Airdramon roared as they leered at them.

"We don't…have time for this!" Takumi growled. Everyone looked at him uneasily. His goggles and his eyes glowed yellow. Ami's were green.

Yuuko shuddered. "T-Takumi? Ami? What's happening?"

"If we don't stop Red Eyes now, we might never get another chance!" Ami yelled.

Both Gargomon and Togamon started to glow.

"What's going on?!" Summer asked.

Takumi and Ami put their goggles over their eyes and held up their gloved, glowing hands. "We won't let him get away with this!" A yellow and green light flew from their hands into the sky. A small text appeared in the lenses of their goggles.

DIGIVOLUTION

Back on the Union, Murph, Date and Fei looked at the peak of the volcano from the deck. "What was that burst of flame just now?!" Date asked. "An eruption?!"

"I don't know." Murph replied. "I hope the others are okay."

Suddenly they saw a green and yellow ray of light fly straight up, then turn back down.

"What's that?!" Fei asked. "What's going on up there?!"

The yellow light shined on Gargomon. The green one on Togamon. Large shells of light formed around them.

"Gargomon Digivolve to…" the first shell glowed furiously and them exploded. Gargomon was now a white rabbit, with green armor with a horned helmet and even armor on his ears with red tips, and the armor on his arms also were cannons. "Rapidmon!"

"Togamon Digivolve to…" the second shell glowed and exploded. Togamon was now a smaller humanoid Digimon with a pink dress, green boots a pink flower on her head with green hair like vines and leaf shaped wings. "Lillymon!"

Everyone was amazed. "No way…" Summer gaped. "You Digivolved your Digimon that were ALREADY Digivolved?!"

Arata scanned Takumi's "Rapidmon. Ultimate Level Vaccine. Holds the alias "Keen Hound" and is rumored to be capable of moving near light speed. It's giant ears act like radar to detect distant enemies."

Nokia scanned Ami's. "Lillymon. Ultimate Level Data. Kindly extends it's hand to the weak and emits a fresh spring breeze when it flies."

"They reached their Ultimate Level forms…" Yuuko said. "Takumi and Ami's determination made them even stronger!"

Takumi looked at the sky. "Now that we have a way to fly after them…we might be able to catch them if we go now. Can you guys handle things here?"

"Yeah! Leave it to us!" Nokia replied. "You two just catch that creep!"

"Wait, you two want to go alone?" Ben asked. "It's too dangerous! There are three of them!"

"Staaar!"

Everyone looked at Summer's Partner Pokemon as it stretched its wings. "Staraptor!" Summer went over to it. "Have your wounds healed?" The Pokemon hovered off the ground. "Ben! Go with them on my Staraptor!"

"What?"

"My Styler's broken! I can't do anything!"

"I can't just leave you here!"

"She'll be fine Ben!" Nokia said. "We aren't letting anyone lay a finger on her!"

"Ben. Go." Summer put her hands on Ben's shoulders. "You have to do this. Only you can."

"Summer…Okay." Ben hurried over to the bird Pokemon and climbed on. Takumi and Ami got on Rapidmon.

"Please take care of Ben, Staraptor."

"Once we wrap things up here, we'll head back to the Union." Arata said. "Good luck."

Rapidmon spread his arms. Green lights formed on his hands and feet that connected like a triangle. "Golden Triangle!" the triangle became a laser that destroyed one of the Airdramon, giving an opening for him, Lillymon and Staraptor to fly away. One of the remaining Digimon was about to give chase.

"D-Grenade." A rocket hit it in the back nocking it down. It glared at the others as it got up.

"Alright! Let's rock!" Arata yelled.

"There he is!" Ben yelled pointing into the distance. Red Eyes could be seen just ahead.

Takumi clutched his fist. "Come on, let's get him!"

Just then two men on Z.Z. Flyers flew in front of them. "Now you have to face us!"

"We're the Z.Z. Brothers who took second in the Z.Z. Flyer Contest!"

"Our acrobatic flying is even better than our leader's!"

"Ugh, why do they always talk so much?" Lillymon groaned. "If you want a fight, just come on already! We're in a hurry here!"

"Fine. We'll give you a special demonstration."

"Watch out for those Plasma Cannons!" Ben warned.

"Okay!"

The Pinchers shot a wave of green energy spheres at them. Ben maneuvered Staraptor under the first and over the next. Rapidmon flew around the attacks while carefully making sure Takumi and Ami didn't fall off. Being the smallest and not having passengers to be weary of, Lillymon had the easiest time, twirling around the attacks, without breaking a sweat.

They then fired red energy spheres. As Ben started moving away the blast closed in on him. "That's new."

"PI!" Pichu shot a spark at it and it exploded before it could hit Ben.

"Nice!"

Two more shots went towards Rapidmon and Lillymon. "Meteor Fall!" Rapidmon shot a red sphere from one of his arm cannons.

"Rune Forest!" With the swipe of her hand Lillymon threw a green spark that exploded. The attacks destroyed the Plasma fire.

After a few seconds of firing both Pinchers' cannons ran dry on energy. "Could this lead to the breakup of the Z.Z. Brothers?!"

"What are you saying, bro? We still have a Pokemon-based attack! Hoothoot! Go as crazy as you want!"

Ben saw three Hoothoot close in on them from the right. "Incoming!" He shot his Styler and charged it. With one big loop all three were tamed and flew away. Then another three appeared.

"PICHU!" Pichu shot a thunderbolt that struck them and weakened them enough to chase them away. Then three more came up.

"They just keep coming!"

Rapidmon closed in and punched one of them into another. Lillymon zipped up on the last one and spun upward kicking it away. Then another Hoothoot appeared with two of its evolved form. "Noctowls are joining in!" Ben said as he caught the last Hoothoot. As he did two more Noctowls emerged from the clouds and shot purple spheres from their eyes.

"We see em!" Takumi said as they evaded the attack. "Rapidmon!"

"Go, Lillymon!"

"Golden Triangle!" a green beam knocked one of them away.

Lillymon put her hands together and they became a blooming flour with a cannon. "Flower Cannon!" A green blast struck another Noctowl and exploded, sending it back into the clouds.

"Pichu, Thundershock!"

"PICHU!" With a cry Ben's partner shocked the third one and he drew charged loops with his Styler at the last one.

"There! I think that's all of them!"

The Pinchers growled. "Now we have no choice but to leave it to them!"

"I'm a little frustrated, but I guess we should."

One of them flew off. "We're going to call our rivals!"

"It's embarrassing, but I guess it can't be helped. Time to pass the baton to the Z.Z. Flyer Contest champions!" the other one said as he left.

"What are they babbling about?" Rapidmon asked.

"Who cares, let's hurry!" Lillymon replied. "We're catching up to Red Eyes!"

Just as they were closing in however a woman on a Z.Z. Flyer blocked their path from above. "Ho, boy." Ben rolled his eyes. "You got a rant of your own you want to go on?"

"Ummm, errr, well…There's this event where you compete over Z.Z. Flyer technique…"

"Spit it out already!" another girl barked as she flew in. "Basically Z.Z. champ test!"

A third Pincher flew to them making a triangle formation with their Z.Z. Flyers. "Stop abbreviating so much! Ranger! Sleuths! Prepare to be amazed!"

"I'm amazed that you people all like to talk so much, does that count?" Ben asked.

"We're the Z.Z. Flyer Contest champions, the Z.Z. Sisters!"

"Um, well, Ranger…you have to deal…Actually, what was the official name, ummm…Pokemon Ranger?"

"Hey, we're here too ya know!" Ami pouted.

"Spit it out already! Basically no p'chute skyd'ing with Plasma C's!"

"What the heck does that even mean?!" Lillymon asked.

"Stop abbreviating so much! Ranger! Sleuths! Prepare to be blown away! We'll fire our Plasma Cannons and give you a taste of what skydiving without a parachute is like!"

All three of the Pinchers dove into the clouds.

"Ooooor, you can all just run away." Ben said. "See? All talk with these people."

"Don't let your guard down." Takumi said. "They could be trying to ambush us."

Lillymon yelped as she felt something hit her back, making her spin out of control a bit. When she looked behind her one of the Pinchers flew back into the clouds. "Hey! Cheep shot coward!"

Two more flew in front of Ben and Rapidmon and started concentrating their fire. They could only dodge and didn't have time to retaliate before they hid back into the clouds. The Pinchers carefully timed their attacks in waves coming out one or two at a time firing fast and homing shots at Ben and his friends, but hey managed to evade them.

"What's that called. Ummm…"

"Spit it out already! Po-

"Stop abbreviating everything! Ranger! Sleuths! Prepare for a Pokemon attack!"

"Aye, it's like a broken record." Ami groaned.

"Incoming!" Takumi said as four Pidgy flew at them. More started to close in.

Ben caught them in groups with a charged capture line before they could make a move. After the twelfth Pidgy was tamed he heard a different Pokemon cry. Two Pidgeotto came from behind and shot whirlwinds with the flap of their wings. Ben flew to the side of the attacks, before Pichu shocked them.

Meanwhile Rapidmon and Lillymon flew towards each other with two more Pidgeotto chasing them. Just when they were in front of each other the Digimon flew straight up and their pursuers crashed into each other and fell. "Oldest trick in the book!" Takumi laughed as he and Ami high fived.

The Pinchers groaned. "As for whether we won or lost, umm, I guess we lost…"

"Loss."

"I hate to admit it, but we lost…"

"Ummmm…As for why we lost…"

"See ya!" one of them flew away before their comrade could continue.

"I think, ummm, it would be better to analyze why we lost…"

The last one sighed. "I'm stuck between a girl who takes a month to finish a sentence and one who can't finish one! Honestly, I'm sick of it!" the third one flew off leaving the first Pincher alone.

"Don't leave me, ummm…What do you call it…?"

"Alone." Ami said.

"Yeah, that! Wait up!" then the final Pincher flew away.

"Done! Now let's hurry!"

Ben and the others closed in on Red Eyes. The man pressed another button on his gauntlet and two more Digimon appeared. "Megadramon!" Takumi gasped. "Red Eyes still had more Digimon with him?!"

They roared as they flew past them. "This is bad!" Ben growled. "If those two are on the lose, innocent Pokemon could get hurt!"

"He's trying to distract us from him!" Ami said. "What do we do?!"

Takumi closed his eyes. "Ben…Go after him! Ami, Rapidmon, Lillymon and I will stop the Megadramon!"

"Okay! Be carful!"

As Rapidmon and Lillymon turned around to chase the Digimon, Ben finally got close enough to Red Eyes to get his attention. "Is stubbornness one of the qualities they look for in a Ranger? Or a Cyber Sleuth for that matter?" He turned around the face Ben.

"We're like that. Sorry Red Eyes, but you're not running off this time."

"If you want to taste defeat that badly…Fine. I'll play with you for a bit. Can you dodge my onslaught of attacks?" He fired two red plasma blasts at Ben who moved to the left.

"This won't end like last time! Pichu! Staraptor! Let's go!"

The two Megadramon roared as they flew off. One of them were stopped and looked behind them to see Rapidmon holding it by the tail. "This one's all yours!" With a few spins he swung it around and threw it backwards towards Lillymon before he flew after the other.

Lillymon charged and kicked it in the face. Kicking off it, she flipped before her hands glowed green. "Gaia Element!" She threw a green orb at it, knocking it back.

Meanwhile Rapidmon was hurrying after the other Megadramon. "Hold on tight you two!" Ami and Takumi grabbed onto him for dear life as he sped up. He flew in front of the Megadramon and rammed his knee into his face. "Nanomachine Break!" At full speed he swung his hand into Megadramon's chest, shattering the Digimon into pieces that Takumi absorbed into his hand.

"One down!" the Sleuth said.

Rapidmon flew back over to Lillymon who was dodging the other Megadramon's tail.

"Genocide Grenade!" The Digimon fired two missiles at Lillymon who flew away. But they stayed locked onto her and no matter how many twists and turns she made they started to close in.

She quickly turned around. "Flower Cannon!" She shot the missiles and they exploded. The shockwave sent her spinning backwards. Just as she managed to stop herself the Digimon came at her.

"Wind Claw!"

Lillymon yelped and braced herself.

"Golden Triangle!" A bright beam destroyed Megadramon. Its data flew over to Takumi who was still on Rapidmon. "Needed help for this one?"

"Hey, he's a Virus type and I'm a Data! Cut me some slack!"

"Forget that guys." Takumi said. "Let's see if we can catch up to Ben and Red Eyes."

Ben flew around Red Eye's concentrated shots. He jumped off of Staraptor and backflipped to avoid one of them. He landed back on it before Pichu shot another bolt. Red Eyes leaned to the left to evade it before he continued firing.

Staraptor performed a barrel roll, dodging the attacks while getting closer. Ben jumped off and landed on Red Eyes' Z.Z. Flyer. He threw a punch at the leader, but he blocked it before throwing a punch with his other hand that Ben caught. After a short grapple Red Eyes threw Ben's arms back and was about to punch him, but the Ranger backflipped off the vehicle and back onto Staraptor.

Red Eyes smirked. "You're not bad. Now I'll switch into my serious mode. This Pokemon is your opponent!" With the snap of his fingers came a roar. He flew upwards and his Charizard rushed towards Ben.

"Whoa!" Ben flew out of the way, when it tried to ram him. Then it came from behind, shooting fireballs. Staraptor franticly dodged them. Getting closer, it shot a flamethrower from its mouth. The flames were getting dangerously close.

"Flower Cannon!" A green blast hit it in the back, making it lose balance.

"Never fear, the calvary's here!" Ami sang as Ben saw Rapidmon and Lillymon catch up.

"Just in time!" Ben grinned.

"Let's slay some dragons, Rapidmon!" Takumi rooted.

"Well, technically Charizard is a Fire Flying type, not a Dragon." The Pokemon shot a huge blast of fire at Ben, who narrowly dodged it. "And apparently is very sensitive over the matter!"

Takumi scanned it. "Yup. Charizard, Fire/Flying. Seeks strong opponents with its fire said to be capable of melting anything."

"Meteor Fall!" Rapidmon shot red spheres from his cannons at Charizard, but it flew around the attacks.

"Gaia Element!" Lillymon threw Green spheres at it, but it evaded those as well. "Argh, it's too fast!"

Takumi stared at it for a bit and stood up on Rapidmon. "I think I got an idea. Rapidmon, take care of Ami."

"Um…Okay."

Ami looked at her brother. "Takumi? What are you-

The boy jumped off of Rapidmon and onto Charizard's back. The Pokemon roared as it spun out of control. "ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Ben, Ami, Rapidmon and Lillymon yelled, dumbstruck.

Takumi grunted as the Charizard tried to shake him off. "Gah! Okay…clearly not my brightest idea ever. Ben! Now!" The Ranger charged his Styler and drew rapid loops around the Pokemon until it settled down. Takumi sighed in relief.

Red Eyes growled. "Listen up, you brats! I admit you won this time. But next time will be different!"

Two Pinchers emerged from the clouds. "Leader, we have a report! We've finally located Articuno!"

Ben's eyes widened. "Articuno?!"

"According to our information, Articuno's location, which is very important is…"

"Don't say another word!" Red Eyes barked. "What are you doing giving the Ranger and his friends information?!"

"Oh no! Leader! Forgive me!"

"Oh, come on! Ever heard of sharing?!" Lillymon asked.

Red Eyes groaned. "Hey, Ranger. That Staraptor looks a little tired. I won't say anything bad. You and it should go nap somewhere. I'm going on ahead. So long!"

"Hey, we're still here!" Takumi said. "Think we'll just let you run off!?"

"Oh, right." Red Eyes pressed another button on his Z.Z. Flyer and a burst of smoke shot out of it, blinding his pursuers. He used that chance to fly into the clouds with his fellow Pinchers.

"*cough* You've got to be kidding!" Ami groaned as the smokescreen cleared up. By the time they could see, the targets were long gone.

Ben's Styler started beeping. "Ben!"

"Summer? Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Arata and the others took down the Digimon. We're back at the Union with-HEY!"

"Let me talk to them!" another voice said.

"Date? Is that you?" Ami asked.

"What's going on up there?! Did you catch Red Eyes?!"

"No…we were so close too…" Ben sighed.

"I see…I want a full report. Get back to the Union ASAP."

"We're on our way."

Once the ship was in view, Ben dropped down onto the deck. Followed by Takumi and Ami. Staraptor, Rapidmon and Lillymon landed behind them. "Thanks for the lift!" Takumi waved as the Charizard flew off with a peppy roar. "What a nice guy."

Summer smiled as she stroked her partner's head. "Thank you, Staraptor."

Date looked at Rapidmon and Lillymon. "So that's your new Digimon? This evolution above evolution?"

"Now that everyone's here, could someone give me a report about what happened?" Murph asked.

"Right…" Yuuko sighed. "The good news is that Moltres is safe. They didn't try to pinch it."

Fei raised an eyebrow. "What? I thought that was their goal."

"Red Eyes said their goal was complete just by waking the bird up." Agumon said.

"We've got more bad news." Ben said. "It sounds like their next plan has already been set into motion."

"I see." Murph mumbled. "That's not good."

"Hey, Ben?" Summer looked at him sadly. "I guess we can't really call it a Mission Clear this time, huh?"

"Yeah…"

Murph smiled. "That's not true. You managed to reveal a little of what they were doing."

"Fat load of good that does us. It was only a little, and we still don't know what their goals are…" Takumi sighed.

"Come on! The mood around here is getting gloomy. Building up little by little is important!"

"Murph's right!" Date smirked. "Didn't the fishy lady teach you anything? You don't solve a case just like that! You gather clues! Pick things up piece by piece!"

"And don't forget guys!" Nokia smiled. "Our mission was to keep Moltres from getting pinched, not capturing Red Eyes! So, seeing how they didn't pinch it, I'd say we did a good job!"

"Not to mention, Takumi and Ami got their Digimon to Ultimate level." Yuugo added. "That will play a big part in the upcoming battles."

Murph nodded. "I'm sure Prof. Hastings would say it like this. For now, it's mission Clear!"

Ben and Summer smiled as they performed their posses alongside Murph. "It's cute how you pose without thinking when you hear that!" Nokia laughed.

"I guess for now we should report to Rand and the others." Rapidmon said.

Murph turned around. "Well then, The Union is off for Tilt Village! All aboard!"

Once they arrived at the village everyone got off. "Good work, everyone." Murph smiled. "I'll stay here on The Union. It would be terrible if the Pinchers were to do something to the ship."

"Yeah, we'll be needing her." Date nodded. "Maybe Lopmon and I will guard the ship too."

"We'll go to Rand's house to report." Ben said before looking back to his crew. "Everyone ready?"

And so that concludes the Faldera mission and our first battle against Red Eyes. Stay tuned for the next mission.