We Meet Again

The Big Five learned of Myotismon's defeat. "So Myotismon was defeated by the Digidestined," said Neptunemon.

"That means that those children have already met up with the Digimon sovereigns," said Beelzemon.

"We have nothing to worry about," Duftmon assured his comrades. "Their Digimon may now have the power to digivolve all the way to mega level, but they don't know how."

"Still, the time has come for us to make our move," said Machinedramon.

GigaSeadramon agreed. "As the old saying goes: 'If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself.'"

Neptunemon agreed with his comrades. Even he was ready to face the heroes again.

Meanwhile, out in the plains, the heroes continued to think about what the divine Digimon told them. Yugi looked down at his digivice. "Azulongmon said our hearts had to be connected with the hearts of our Digimon in order for them to digivolve to their mega forms."

"Like with Pokémon and their method of Mega Evolution," Tristan asked.

Guilmon looked at his partner and asked, "Mokuba, are our hearts connected?"

The raven-haired boy couldn't give a direct answer because he wasn't too sure himself. All he could say was, "Well, we've become close friends and we understand each other. But I guess we'll discover the answer when the time is right."

"Another thing," Bakura was wondering, "how are we going to find the Big Five?"

"We don't have to," Kaiba answered. "They'll come looking for us." He was sure that the villainous group had been observing him and his friends just like the Digimon sovereigns and had a feeling that they would come seeking the heroes eventually.

Mokuba began accessing the database on Digimon on his laptop. Noah was kind enough to install a Digimon analyzing software to keep record of the Digimon he and his friends met since their first day in the Digital World. He was looking for information on the Digimon they were warned about. "Here we are," he said out loud. "Neptunemon, GigaSeadramon, Duftmon, Machinedramon, and Beelzemon. It's a good thing our Digimon are now capable of digivolving all the way to the final stage, because they're going to need to. These guys are all mega Digimon."

"What does it say about their strengths and weaknesses?" Max asked.

Mokuba started with Machinedramon's information. "Well, it says here that Machinedramon is a tank of a Digimon and he has the power to obliterate an entire city with his Giga Cannon. It also says his body is made of Chrome Digizoid, the firmest and most impenetrable metal in all the Digital World."

His older brother analyzed GigaSeadramon's information. "It says here that the armor surrounding GigaSeadramon's body is also made of Chrome Digizoid. He's like a battleship of a Digimon and he can hose down his enemies with his Sea Destroyer."

Max looked at Beelzemon's information. "That one's a regular creeper. It also says he's a lone Digimon who doesn't like to rely on the help of others and would rather do things his own way." This confused Max and caused her to wonder, "Why would a member of the Big Five be reconfigured as this kind of Digimon?"

Emily turned her attention to Duftmon's information. "This one looks very formidable. It's like a holy beast Digimon. It doesn't strike me as evil, but I guess I shouldn't be quick to judge."

The last Digimon was Neptunemon. "I suppose this Digimon represents Neptune from the real world, considering that his information says he's the ruler of the oceans of the Digital World and his scales are as tough as armor," Mokuba analyzed. "Even the trident he carries has tremendous destructive power. It can unleash lightning and control the waters." He closes his computer and says, "These guys are going to be hard to contend with."

Yugi agreed. "We've never fought the Big Five as Digimon before, so we don't know what to expect."

"We should do what we do best," Joey advised. "Stay together, trust in each other, and believe in our power."

"You make it sound so easy, Joey," said Max. "But we have to be realistic."

Kaiba agreed. "This is serious. We don't know what these guys are capable of as Digimon."

"Perhaps you would like to know," a sinister voice offered, and his laughter filled the air. Flying in the sky and approaching the heroes was Duftmon. "Hello, Mr. Kaiba and Mokuba. And to your friends as well. It's been a long time."

"It's Duftmon," gasped Mokuba.

"Yes, Duftmon is my name in this world, but back in your world, I went by a different name. Can you guess which of the Big Five I used to be?"

"No, and quite frankly, I don't care," Kaiba barked. "All that matters is that my friends and I are going to defeat you just like before."

"You may defeat one of us, but you'll still have another one of us to contend with," said another voice, and Beelzemon appeared, followed by Machinedramon, Neptunemon, and GigaSeadramon.

"The Big Five," gasped Bakura.

"Yeah, but like Duftmon said, back in our world, they were once humans who went by different names," Mokuba reminded him.

Neptunemon cackled. "Hello, Yugi. I don't suppose you would remember me. Well, I suppose I have changed some since our last encounter."

Yugi did remember. "Well, I had hoped I would forget about you, but I guess that's impossible."

"Yugi, have you met him before?" Tokomon asked.

He nods and explains, "Back then, he was Gansley. He and I had an unfriendly duel back in Noah's virtual world."

"Téa, Emily," GigaSeadramon called to the girls. "It's been a while."

Téa gasped and whimpered, "It can't be."

"I'm afraid so, Téa. GigaSeadramon is Crump," Emily told her. The last time the girls met Adrian Randolph Crump III was back in the arctic landscape of Noah's virtual world. They barely survived their duel with him and were almost covered in ice from head to toe. But the girls pulled through and managed to put Crump on ice.

Duftmon cleared his throat. "Well, Kaiba, you didn't seem to care to identify me." He turns his attention to Joey and inquires, "Perhaps you would like to take a guess, Joseph?"

The blonde lad gasped and asked, "Is that you, Johnson?" Joey remembered Johnson from their duel back in the virtual world. Back then, Johnson cheated throughout the duel to make sure the outcome would go out of Joey's favor and guarantee the former legal advisor's victory and escape into the real world.

It pleased Duftmon all the same that his last opponent would remember him. It would make his vengeance all the sweeter.

Machinedramon announced himself. "I suppose it's my turn to take the next part of the pleasantries. I shouldn't be that hard to recognize; escpecially for the three of you," he said, pointing his claws to Duke, Serenity, and Tristan.

Tristan groaned and said, "I was afraid so."

Duke agreed. "It's Nesbitt, and I must say, I'm not surprised to see him in the form of a Digimon like Machinedramon."

In the real world, Nesbitt used to design weapons and vehicles for war and destruction. But when Seto turned the company into a gaming corporation, he felt disgraced with what he had been reduced to. He hated designing gaming software, but what really infuriated Nesbitt was when his factory was destroyed and all of his weapons and vehicles destroyed with it. But Nesbitt also caused Duke, Tristan, and Serenity a lot of misery as well, such as taking over Tristan's body and trying to use it to escape into the real world. Tristan remembered and that gave him all the incentive he needed to want to get back at Nesbitt.

The last Digimon was Beelzemon, meaning that he was Lechter, the last member of the Big Five. As loyal as Lechter was to his superiors, he felt left in the dark and underappreciated. Perhaps it was his desire of wanting to be recognized and proving he could do things his own way that made him the Digimon he is.

"I'll bet these guys are up to their old tricks," Yugi assumed. "They want to get back to the real world."

"How bold of you to assume that, Yugi," Neptunemon commented.

"Well, the Digimon sovereigns did warn us that it might be your ambition," he replied.

"And they were right," said Duftmon. "But you see, Yugi, here in Digiworld, we have all sorts of powers and advantages that we didn't have in the virtual world."

"What are you saying?" Emily asked.

Neptunemon decided to explain. "In the virtual world, we couldn't leave without a physical body connecting us and being our links between worlds. However, here in Digiworld, that doesn't apply to us. We can come and go between the Digital World and the real world at will."

"And once we find a way to cross over into the real world, we can dominate it as the Digimon we are," Beelzemon said and laughed.

"We won't let you do that!" Joey shouted.

"I'd say you're in no position to be making any declarations," Machinedramon warned. "You have no power over any of us."

Duftmon agreed and said, "You may have defeated us in the virtual world, but I'm afraid you don't stand a chance against us here in Digiworld. You don't even know how to use your full power here."

"But we will be sure to prevent you from figuring it out," said GigaSeadramon. "And with you kids out of the way, there'll be no one to stop us from taking over your world and the Digital World."

Serenity faced her brother and asked, "Joey, we can stop them, right?"

He didn't want to discourage his sister, but he didn't want her to sense his fears either, so he answered, "Of course we can, but it's not going to be easy."

Duke agreed. "Right now, we don't stand a chance against five mega Digimon."

"And if they attack us now, it's over," said Bakura.

Unfortunately, the Big Five were getting ready to unleash their attacks on the heroes. Suddenly, a blue light came by and began carrying the heroes away.