Digital Phantom

by ZAFT Convoy

Three worlds coexist side by side yet never interacting; one of life, one of death, and one artificial. Twins Andy and Danny are roped in when an accident occurs and a relative returns from Japan. But the twins are on opposite sides; Danny on the world of death, Andy on the artificial. Can they find out how the three worlds rely on each other? Or will they fall to an enemy in wait?

37. A Nightmare Long Forgotten

ZAFT: Another update, another week. :P

DarkFoxKit: Yup. I'm… well, I want to say almost done with my treatment, but I still have 5 more to do. I THINK they said it's twice a week though, so it should go by quicker than the 28 days I had to do, but it will still feel like a long time for me, not to mention the recovery period after that. But I'm getting there, I just have to take it. And hopefully, we can finally get back to our normal writing schedule.

ZAFT: True.

DarkFoxKit: We were supposed to update yesterday, but my brain kinda got fried and I fell asleep too early. I left poor ZAFT here waiting, and I apologize for that. I'll let you borrow Andy for the day to make up for it.

ZAFT: Nah, it's fine. :3 I understand you were not feeling well, so that takes priority. :P

DarkFoxKit: Yeah, but hopefully I can avoid doing that next time. Anyways, let's get into the chapter!

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(Two symbols, one red, and one blue, spin before colliding and flaring with light as they do so, showing the title)

Digital Phantom!

(Shows three forms in shadow before they are revealed to be Danny Fenton, Sam Manson, and Tucker Foley)

Three worlds, connected side by side

(A swirling green portal is shown, followed by the sky cities of the living world before a computer monitor is zoomed in on, revealing another world of lush greenery through that)

Connections, with many secrets to hide

(Andy Fenton is shown with a small purple fox-like creature, Dorimon, in his arms as Takuya Kanbara appears behind him, a form in shadow behind Takuya himself)

Is one always chosen by fate?

(Danny is shown transforming into his ghost form, Danny Phantom, flying towards a vampiric looking ghost, Vlad Plasmius)

Or can one make their own destiny?

(Andy is shown looking on as his cell-phone transforms into a Digivice, the D-Arc)

Digital Phantom!

(Andy holds up his D-Arc as a heart symbol appears on the screen)

The power is deep inside!

(Takuya holds up his D-Tector before fractal code surrounds him, dissipating as fire erupts from it, revealing him as Agunimon, lunging out from the fire just as Dorimon glows and becomes Dorumon, firing off a metal ball into the distance)

Digital Phantom!

(The metal ball blasts past Vlad Plasmius as he fires off a ghost ray at Andy, who blocks it with his Fenton Rod)

Destiny is unbound!

(The Fenton Rod is smacked away by Vlad, going spinning before Sam, with a small puppy-like creature next to her, reaches up and catches it, a shadowed form with wings appearing behind her, transparent in appearance)

Digital Phantom!

(Sam throws the Fenton Rod to Tucker, who spins it before throwing it at Plasmius, a big bunny-like being with gun-hands appearing behind Tucker, transparent in appearance)

Fight on, without regret

(Shows Takuya looking up from his D-Tector as he makes eye contact with his Human Spirit of Agunimon, who give a smile back and reaches out a hand as Takuya takes it)

Two sides never rest

(Danny is shown reaching for a glowing Digi-Egg, with a shadowed form above it just as an evil version of the shadowed form appears beside Vlad, both transparent in appearance)

Digital Phantom!

(Jazz is shown with the form of Lopmon beside her, a larger, shadowed form behind them both)

Never regret or look back

(Takuya is shown looking up as a ball of fractal code covers his hand, surrounding him before it dissipates to reveal his Fusion form of Aldamon)

Fight on, with victory

(Aldamon fires off a slew of fiery bullets from his cannons, each of those bullets hitting Plasmius before the ghost teleports away, revealing a shadowed form behind him)

Nothing will stand in our way!

(Andy, Dorimon, Danny, Tucker, Terriermon, Sam, Salamon, Jazz, Lopmon, and Takuya all appear with Vlad above them, sneering evilly as all ten look on defiantly)

Digital Phantom!

---

Chapter 37: A Nightmare Long Forgotten

BurningGreymon was carrying Tommy and Dash through the air. Kazemon, Zoe's Digimon form, was flying alongside him.

"It's been a while since we came to the TV Forest," Tommy noted. "It almost feels nostalgic."

Dash looked at Tommy. "Why is it called the TV Forest?"

"Well… I'm not entirely sure of all the details, but at some point in time of the forest, when the clouds cover up the moons, and it's at its darkest, the tree trunks will start showing bits of the real world, kind of like a TV. I've only seen it once though, so I'm not too sure on how it works," Tommy explained.

"So you can see into the human world? That's awesome!" Dash exclaimed. "I have got to see this myself!"

"That's only if you're lucky. Though right now it is pretty dark, so maybe we will get to see it," BurningGreymon stated.

"We're coming up on it now. Hey Dash, ever tried meat apples?" Kazemon asked.

"Meat apples?" Dash asked with a chuckle. "Wow. The Digital World has some strange foods."

"You have no idea," Tommy laughed.

BurningGreymon and Kazemon landed into the forest. BurningGreymon put Dash and Tommy down before both he and Kazemon surrounded themselves with fractal codes, changing back to their human forms.

Takuya, now human again, looked around. It felt like just yesterday he and his friends had entered this very forest. "Wow… I feel like we just entered this forest yesterday, even though it's been four years already since we were last here."

"I know what you mean, it's almost like we never left," Zoe agreed as she looked around as well. "Though… it's kind of creepy being here at night…"

"Is it because of what happened?" Takuya asked Zoe quietly.

"Shh! Don't say anything," Zoe hissed, looking over at Tommy, who wasn't paying attention to them. "I don't want Tommy to remember what happened."

Takuya nodded. "Yeah… I don't want him feeling bad about it…"

Dash raised an eyebrow at the way the two were whispering, but he brushed it off for now.

"Hmm… seems the moons are too bright for the rips in reality to appear," Tommy remarked.

"Maybe we should have a small snack of meat apples, we might get lucky and see them again," Takuya suggested. "Besides, I am pretty hungry."

"We're here to investigate, Takuya, not to eat." Zoe frowned before her own stomach began growling.

Takuya laughed. "Remember our evolutions take a lot of energy?" He joked as Zoe blushed at her stomach giving away her hunger.

Zoe was blushing hotly. "Y-yeah… I guess…"

"Besides, I'd like to try some of these meat apples," Dash chuckled.

Takuya grinned. "They each taste like a different meat flavor." His eyes then went wide as he remembered a fact about Tucker. "Aw man! Tucker would go nuts if he found out about meat apples!"

"And Sam would like it because it's not from animals," Dash added.

Zoe looked at the two. "Who?"

Takuya looked back at Zoe. "Tucker and Sam are friends of my cousins."

Tommy remembered them, but he looked over at Takuya. "Oh, that's nice. They sound like they would be nice people."

Takuya laughed, not catching Tommy's expression. "Yeah, they are. But Sam is a bit pushy, and Tucker is like a nerd who is super obsessed with anything technological in nature."

"Sounds like he would love it here," Zoe chuckled.

"So where do we find these meat apples?" Dash questioned.

"There's a big tree on top of a hill that grows them," Tommy answered. "Zoe, do you remember where that tree is?"

Zoe nodded. "I do. In fact, I saw it as we came in." She then smiled. "I'll race you there!"

Zoe laughed as she ran ahead.

"H-hey! No fair! You got a head start!" Tommy yelled as he ran after her.

"I guess that means we're in charge of the firewood," Takuya said to Dash. "Meat apples don't taste very good if you eat them raw."

Dash blinked before chuckling. "I see. Despite the fruity name, it's like a real meat that has to be cooked."

"Yeah. Think of them as real meat in the shape of apples… and that they grow on trees," Takuya remarked before he and Dash began to gather up some firewood.

Tommy and Zoe ran up the hill, seeing the big tree that grew the meat apples. Both of them panted when they reached the tree.

"Let's… call that… a draw…" Tommy panted.

Zoe laughed a bit. "Yeah… I think… we should…" She then looked up at the tree. Sure enough, there were meat apples on the branches. "I'm starving. Let's get some apples and get back to the boys."

"Yeah," Tommy agreed. "Heh, doesn't this feel familiar?"

Zoe laughed as she agreed, and the two of them started picking apples. Then Tommy heard something moving in the bushes. The boy stopped and looked over. What the…? Wait… didn't something like this happen last time?

Tommy brushed it aside, figuring it was a one time thing, only for an apple to bop him on the head. "Hey!"

"Oops! Sorry, Tommy!" Zoe exclaimed from up on the branch she was sitting on. "I dropped one on accident!"

"It's a good thing I'm wearing a hat," Tommy pouted.

Zoe gave a sheepish grin. "Sorry…" She then hopped down, holding a good amount of meat apples. "So, do you think this is enough for us?"

"Yeah, I think so. Ah, we really need to bring a basket with us," Tommy chuckled as he carried a lot of meat apples too.

Zoe smiled. "Then let's get back. I'm sure the others have a fire going by now." She began to walk back down the hill, Tommy right behind her.

When the two got back, they saw that Takuya and Dash already had a campfire going.

"Heh, looks like you've gotten used to making campfires," Dash chuckled.

"Yeah, we had to camp out a lot," Takuya agreed.

Zoe walked up with Tommy. "Hey, boys! We got the meat apples!"

"Awesome! I was getting hungry," Dash drooled.

"But didn't you eat before?" Tommy asked.

"Spirit Evolving takes a lot of energy." Dash replied. "And I had to fight that Drimogemon before I got to the castle, so that took a lot of my energy." Dash then blinked. "Wait… How did you know I ate before I met up with you guys? Calumon was the one with me when that happened."

Tommy stiffened as he started to sweatdrop. Zoe and Takuya blinked.

"Ah, well Calumon actually told me how he met with the new Warrior of Wood when he came to get me, so… that's how I knew about it," Tommy quickly explained before he laughed nervously.

Dash blinked. "I… guess that makes sense…" I don't know how true that explanation is though… It's like the kid is hiding something...

"Well, we got the meat apples and the fire going. Let's start cooking." Takuya smiled.

Dash helped them put sticks through the meat apple and placed them by the fire to cook them. Then they waited as they sat around the campfire.

"This really feels just like old times." Zoe smiled.

"Yeah. All we're missing is JP, Koji, Koichi, Bokomon, and Neemon." Takuya joked.

"Well, Koichi wasn't with us at the time, but it would be nice if he was here too," Tommy chuckled.

Takuya smiled. "Yeah, it would be." He then looked up at the starry sky above. "It's hard to believe things are so peaceful right now here in this forest, what with what is going on and all."

"This is probably not the best spot for an investigation. Nobody seems to live out here," Dash noted. "But it is a good spot for relaxing. If Fenton was here, he would be in awe at the stars, not to mention the three moons. He's a bit of an astronaut nut."

Takuya laughed. "Yeah. My cousin Danny is a bit of a space nut." He explained to his friends.

"That's not a bad dream to have though." Zoe smiled warmly. "I hope he makes it into space one day."

Takuya smiled as he looked down. "Yeah… I hope he does too…" But his smile was more wistful than it was happy. I don't know how Danny will get into space as a half-ghost though, what with his grades as low as they are and all...

Tommy was having similar thoughts about Danny. He's half ghost, isn't he? I wonder how that would affect his life…

"I think the meat apples are cooked," Takuya noted. "Don't want to burn them."

Takuya reached out and took two meat apples before handing one to Dash. "Here. Try it."

Dash took the stick holding the meat apple while Zoe and Tommy were taking their own meat apples. Dash took a small bite. "Wow! It tastes like ham!"

Takuya smiled as he bit into his meat apple. "I'm eating roast beef!"

Tommy began to munch on his. "Mine is a hot dog!"

Zoe smiled in delight as she ate her apple. "I got sausage!"

"Wow, they really do taste like different types of meat," Dash marveled. "Foley is going to be so jealous!"

Then the clouds began to cover up the moon, making the forest darker. Light began to appear on the tree trunks around them. Dash gasped in surprise as images showed up on the tree trunks.

Takuya looked around, seeing the TV Forest was indeed now living up to its name. "Hey… The trees are showing the real world now!"

"Wow! I see Amity Park in one!" Dash smiled, looking excited.

"There's my hometown," Zoe pointed out.

"I see my cousin's house, looks like they're sleeping right now," Takuya noted, seeing Fenton Works.

Tommy was looking at one tree in particular, there was a teen who looked to be a bit older than Takuya on it.

Takuya looked back. "Tommy?"

"Ah, that's my older brother, Yutaka Himi," Tommy explained. "I didn't expect to see him in one of the tree trunks."

Takuya blinked. "Wow…" He then put a hand on Tommy's shoulder once he walked over to the younger boy. "He looks a bit like you."

"Heh… well we are brothers," Tommy chuckled sheepishly. "He's been kinda acting weird lately though. Or maybe it's just me, nobody else seemed to notice."

"Huh? How has he been acting weird?" Takuya asked as Dash and Zoe came over as well.

"He keeps looking at me like I might disappear at any moment, or he would suddenly show up at my school, or at the park where I'm playing. I don't know, it just feels like he's been a bit too protective lately. It's not like him though, before I came to the Digital World, he was always telling me to not act like such a spoiled little kid," Tommy sighed.

"Maybe he's just concerned about you." Takuya said, trying to reassure Tommy. "I mean, that's what big brothers do."

"I guess… though I never told him what happened in the Digital World, so I don't know why he became so protective…" Tommy sighed. It also makes it harder for me to get back into the Digital World when he decides to breathe down my neck...

Takuya frowned. "Yeah… I can understand why. I never told my own brother Shinya about what happened here either."

"Maybe he subconsciously knows something happened to you, and he's worried about what it was," Dash offered. "I know someone who's like that with his own brother after something happened to him."

Takuya gave a wince at that. Yeah… I did something similar, but with Jazz...

"Cheer up, I'm sure things will work out," Zoe spoke up, hoping to cheer the boys up.

Takuya gave a smile at Zoe. "Yeah… It will, I'm certain of it."

Tommy nodded, though he wasn't so sure, he decided it wasn't the best time to worry about it right now.

After a while, the clouds parted from the sky, bringing the moons back. The TV images in the tree trunks all disappeared as well.

Takuya looked at Fenton Works one last time as the image faded. Be safe, you guys...

"It's getting awfully late… maybe we should turn in for the night and start the investigation in the morning?" Zoe suggested.

Takuya yawned at that point. "Yeah… That sounds like a good idea. We won't be able to see much in this darkness, even with the three moons out."

"Aren't you worried that our folks will be worried about us if they don't see us in the morning?" Dash asked Takuya.

"I'm sure Andy will come up with an excuse. He… ah… caught me before I could come here, so I had to explain to him why I was coming." Takuya admitted sheepishly. "I told him about you too."

Dash sighed. "Andy's probably going to make us owe him one for this."

Takuya gave a cringe. "Yeah. He can get scary when he needs something done…"

Zoe and Tommy both couldn't help but laugh, Tommy more so since he actually met with the boy already.

"We shouldn't all fall asleep though. In case there is something dangerous in the forest, we should have someone keep watch," Zoe suggested.

"We could do it in shifts." Takuya offered. "One of us takes first watch, then someone second and so on."

"I could take the first watch," Tommy volunteered.

"Actually, maybe I should," Takuya said. "You're still young, Tommy, it's not good for you to stay up too late."

Tommy sighed. You have no idea how late I stay up. Besides, weren't you about my age right now when you had to take the first watch? "Fine."

Takuya smiled. "Thanks. Don't worry, you will get the next watch."

Zoe looked at Dash. "I guess that means one of us will get the third and fourth watches."

Takuya used a bit of his Spirit power to put out the campfire, leaving the moonlight as their light.

As everyone was settling down, Tommy heard a noise in the trees. He looked up. What was that? … Okay, I don't think we're quite alone here… but I can't be too sure.

Tommy looked over at Zoe, who finished setting up her makeshift bed out of leaves, and laid down. Then he looked at the firewood that was still smoking a bit. Tommy suddenly had the memory of grabbing one of those sticks for some reason.

Did I actually grab one of those sticks before? … Did I hit anyone with it? Tommy frowned. No… I think I would've noticed if someone had a burn mark on them.

Takuya moved around off to the side, settling down on a rock to watch over his friends as Dash joined Zoe on a similar makeshift bed of leaves, but his was next to her leaf bed.

Tommy frowned, knowing he had to check out the area to make sure there wasn't someone else here. He didn't want to worry the others if it was just nothing. The boy put some rocks under his makeshift bed of leaves, hoping the darkness would be enough to keep Takuya fooled into thinking he was sleeping. Tommy quietly snuck off into the bushes.

Tommy couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu, as well as danger. Something had his Spirits agitated, warning him if he stayed where he was, he would be in danger. Tommy held out his D-Tector, an upside-down red triangle appeared on the screen. Fractal code surrounded his hand and he swiped the D-Tector over it. But he didn't call out an evolution cry this time. "Execute!" His form shrank down as his hair disappeared, and his arms and legs shrank as well, while his ears became larger and moved to the upper part of his head. The coding faded, revealing Calumon again.

Now as Calumon, he could move around freely, as well as fly. Calumon jumped up into the trees and began to look around carefully. He knew something was out here, but it was trying to be sneaky. If he had alerted anyone, it would've run away or attacked one of them quickly. Where are you?

Calumon stayed close to the camp, knowing whatever was sneaking around was likely to attack one of his friends while they were unaware.

Dash was still awake with Takuya. "So what do you see Tommy as? I notice that you seem to treat him as a little brother than just a friend."

Taukya smiled a bit. "Yeah… I kinda do treat him as a little brother. He was about the age of my own brother when we first came here. He was so scared when I first saw him, so I felt it was my job to look after him." He then looked down. "I guess I never stopped seeing him as a little brother."

"I don't think that's a bad thing. Tommy seems to look up to you too," Dash remarked.

Takuya smiled at Dash. "He does, huh? That's good to hear. I was kinda worried I was acting too much like a big brother."

"Nah… you do that enough with your cousins," Dash laughed.

Takuya gave a fake pout. "I do not!"

Calumon put a claw over his mouth to try to keep from laughing. Then he heard movement, snapping his attention. I heard it again. Where is it?

Calumon slowly flew under the trees to avoid rustling the leaves. His eyes scanned around, knowing it was nearby. Calumon stopped and landed on a stone. He looked over at Zoe, worried that the thing might try to attack her since she was the only one asleep right now.

However, it was not Zoe who was the target. The shadow came up from behind Calumon instead. Calumon suddenly felt danger. "Nightmare Syndrome!"

Reacting quickly, Calumon laid flat on his stomach, having a dark purple and black energy thing go just over his head. That was too close!

Calumon turned around, seeing the silhouette of a Digimon. "How did you dodge that?"

Calumon's eyes widened, seeing the Digimon was a Tapirmon. "What are you doing? You could've hit me with that just now!"

Tapirmon frowned. "How did you dodge it? I was sure you weren't aware of me."

"It's a little skill I picked up. I've learned having a fast reaction time is good to have for sneaky Digimon like you," Calumon replied. "Now what are you doing? You're obviously not a fighter."

"What I am doing is none of your business." Tapirmon countered with a sneer.

"It is my business since you nearly hit me with your attack!" Calumon snapped. Could this Tapirmon also have that weird illness Sorcermon was talking about?

"I'm not finished yet. Don't expect to be able to dodge the next one," Tapirmon remarked as he started to float back.

"Oh no you don't!" Calumon jumped at Tapirmon, headbutting him in the stomach.

The two Digimon went rolling around, both trying to punch or scratch the other, while also trying to pin down the other.

Off in the distance, Takuya and Dash perked up at the sounds. "Huh? Do you hear that?" Dash asked.

"I definitely did." Takuya frowned.

Unlike last time, the sound wasn't subtle, it sounded like a scuffle actually. Takuya got up and started running to where he heard the scuffling. Zoe woke up too.

"Hey… what's all the noise?" Zoe rubbed her eyes sleepily.

Takuya looked back at Zoe. "Something's wrong. We need to move."

Zoe frowned before she got out of her bed. "We better wake Tommy before-"

Suddenly, the two Digimon came rolling out of the bushes. Takuya could see a white Digimon, and a darker brown Digimon rolling on each other. Both were flailing around. The white Digimon scratch and bite at the darker Digimon, while the darker Digimon was trying to punch or headbutt the white Digimon.

Takuya didn't want to stand back, but Sorcermon's words about only evolving in self-defense came back to him. Realizing he was a bit crazy, Takuya ran and jumped, grabbing the small white Digimon from the darker brown Digimon. "Gotcha!"

Takuya lifted the white Digimon to his face so he could see it better. To his shock, it was Calumon.

"No! You're going to let him get away! We'll all be in danger!" Calumon frantically said.

Takuya looked back at the Digimon he had saved Calumon from. He could see it barely, but it was visible nonetheless. "Huh? A Tapirmon?!" He then remembered the one time Tommy had been influenced by Tapirmon's Nightmare Syndrome. "Oh… crap!"

The Tapirmon flew back into the trees before Takuya could do anything.

"What was that?" Dash asked, running up to them. "Calumon? What are you doing here?"

"That's not important right now!" Calumon frowned. "We have to move, that Tapirmon is trying to hit us with his Nightmare Syndrome!"

Takuya looked back at Dash. "It's a nasty attack that makes humans or Digimon dream terrible dreams and they lash out." He then gritted his teeth. "I would like to say we should Spirit Evolve but…"

"Tapirmon hides in the shadows. He doesn't fight us himself, he wants us to fight each other," Zoe paled, seeming to remember all too well what happened last time. "Takuya, we need to get Tommy and get out of here!"

"No wait!" Calumon spoke up as Takuya put him down and hurried to the bed Tommy was supposedly sleeping in.

However, when Takuya reached the makeshift bed, he only saw rocks.

"Tommy's gone!" Takuya exclaimed as he looked at the rocks.

"Oh no! Did that Tapirmon get him again!?" Zoe gasped in horror.

"What do you mean again?" Dash frowned.

Takuya looked back at Dash again. "Tapirmon hit Tommy with his Nightmare Syndrome once before." He then looked down at the rocks again. "If that Tapirmon got him… then…" He gripped his D-Tector tightly.

Calumon didn't like seeing Takuya worried like this. He then looked at the bushes before he hurried into it. With everyone worried about his human self, nobody paid any attention to him, which made it easy for him to slip away. Fractal code surrounded the little Digimon, quickly changing him back to Tommy.

"Hey, what was that light?" Dash asked.

"Was that Tommy?" Zoe asked. "Did he Spirit Evolve?"

Takuya looked over. "Tommy?!"

Takuya was about to run to where they saw the flash of light, but Zoe quickly grabbed his arm. "Wait! If Tommy was hit by that Nightmare Syndrome, he'll attack you!"

Takuya growled to himself. "Yeah, but…"

Suddenly, Tommy came running out of the bushes. "Hey! Sorry, I had to use the bathroom, what's all the ruckus?"

Takuya saw Tommy, and seeing he was still awake, sighed with relief. "Tommy… I was worried…"

Zoe almost collapsed in relief when she saw Tommy was still himself. "We were so worried, Tommy."

"What were you worried about? Are we under attack?" Tommy frowned.

"Yeah… A Tapirmon is attacking us." Takuya said grimly.

Tommy blinked.

"You don't remember much about Tapirmon, do you?" Zoe asked.

"Um…" Tommy hesitated, he didn't have the memory, but his Spirits did tell him about what happened. "No, not really."

"Nightmare Syndrome!"

Tommy gasped before he tackled Takuya down, barely avoiding the dark purple and black energy.

"What the heck was that!?" Dash yelled.

Takuya looked up. "That, Dash… is a Nightmare Syndrome attack." He was so tempted to Spirit Evolve, if not to defend himself, then to defend his friends.

"We need to leave, now," Tommy said.

"What if it follows us?" Dash asked.

"In the air. I doubt it'll come after us with no cover," Tommy pointed up.

Takuya looked up. "So we take flight?"

"Unless you have a better idea." Tommy frowned. "This is a risk, I know, we'll be easier targets while we take off."

Takuya frowned to himself. "Well, we have no better ideas. Flight it is."

"We better hurry before that Tapirmon decides to attack again," Zoe said, holding up her D-Tector.

Takuya did the same as Zoe. "Let's go."

Zoe held up her D-Tector. The magenta outline of her Spirit appeared visible on the screen of her D-Tector as she held it up. Fractal coding appeared on her left hand and she slammed the D-Tector against it as she brought the two together. Zoe then called out the familiar phrase she knew by heart. "Execute! Spirit Evolution!" Her body became data as her clothes ripped away. Coding surrounded her in a cocoon of sorts and the power of her first Spirit flowed into her. Her hair became longer, flowing past her waist and turning a purple color. Her body grew in height, increasing her strength and speed. A bikini-like outfit appeared on her body as gloves, and high boots formed on her arms and legs, with shoulder guards appearing as well as a visor that covered her eyes. Butterfly-like wings appeared on her back and she landed, letting out a cry as she unleashed a kick before she came to a stop and said her name. "Kazemon!"

Takuya invoked the power of his Beast Spirit. The red outline of his second Spirit roared and appeared on the screen of his D-Tector as he invoked a ball of fractal coding on his left hand. Takuya swiped the D-Tector over the coding and called out the phrase he knew by heart. "Execute! Beast Spirit Evolution!" He felt the primal power of his Beast Spirit flowing into him as his clothes ripped away and his body became surrounded by the coding. Takuya cried out as the power flooded into his body. His body grew in strength and power as well as size, with red, yellow, black, and white armor forming on his body. A tail extended out from the base of his spine as two large orange wings appeared on his body. His head became like a dragon's almost, but not exactly, and the top of his head was white. His eyes turned sky blue, but had a feral edge to them as well. He landed, crying out his name. "BurningGreymon!"

Now as Kazemon and BurningGreymon, the two Legendary Warriors took off, BurningGreymon taking Dash and Tommy with him as they did so.

"Be on the lookout, that attack could come from anywhere," Tommy warned.

BurningGreymon couldn't help but notice that Tommy seemed different, it had been 4 years since their adventures in the Digital World, but they usually kept in touch. Tommy seemed to know more about the Digital World than even he did.

Why does it seem like Tommy knows more than I do about the Digital World? Has something happened while I was in America? Or was it before then…? BurningGreymon wondered, confused now.

"Look out!" Dash called out frantically.

BurningGreymon snapped to attention quickly, seeing the ominous purple energy coming at them. BurningGreymon quickly moved out of the way, thankfully dodging it.

"That was a close one," BurningGreymon remarked.

Kazemon and BurningGreymon kept moving around, trying to avoid the Nightmare Syndrome as they flew higher.

"We should almost be out of range soon," Tommy noted.

"Oh good, I don't think I could stand another minute in that forest anyways," Kazemon said as she flew on ahead.

BurningGreymon frowned. "We should probably stick together." He said seriously.

"You worry too much, we're already pretty much home free," Kazemon chuckled.

Then suddenly, a dark energy came up from one of the trees in a completely different direction. It was so quick and sudden that nobody had time to react.

"Kazemon! Behind you!" Tommy yelled.

BurningGreymon saw that. "Get out of there!"

But it was too late, as the cloud enveloped the Warrior of Wind.

"Oh-no, she got hit!" Dash yelped.

"Zoe!" BurningGreymon and Tommy both shouted.

The dark clouds around Kazemon disappeared, but she had the same kind of dark aura around her body.

"W-what happened to her?" Dash asked worriedly.

BurningGreymon looked on with worry. "She's in a nightmare state. That happens when one gets hit by a Nightmare Syndrome attack…"

Kazemon groaned and grabbed her head, she suddenly let out a scream.

"W-we need to help her!" Dash yelled.

"How?" Tommy asked before he looked up at BurningGreymon. "Would knocking her out work?"

BurningGreymon felt torn. It showed in his eyes clearly. He didn't want to hurt her, but at the same time, he wanted to help her. "I… I don't know… I don't want to hurt her, but…"

Kazemon suddenly looked at BurningGreymon. Her eyes were covered, so it was hard to tell exactly, but BurningGreymon figured that she was really angry, and not in a caring way.

"You… how dare you… you burned my friends!" Kazemon snapped.

BurningGreymon gaped. "Wait!" He saw her getting ready to attack and flew up to avoid it.

"Hurricane Wave!" The pinkish colored wind attack came at him, but BurningGreymon dodged it by flying up and away from the attack.

Tommy and Dash hung on to BurningGreymon tightly to avoid falling. Neither of their Spirits could fly, it would be a long way down if they fell now.

"Zoe! Please stop! You're in a nightmare!" BurningGreymon shouted, hoping to get Zoe to snap out of it like he was able to with Tommy before.

Kazemon didn't listen though, which was surprising to BurningGreymon. What's going on? Is the Nightmare Syndrome stronger somehow? Why isn't it working?

"I won't forgive you, you monster!" Kazemon growled venomously.

BurningGreymon gulped at hearing her voice and how filled with malice it was. "Zoe, stop! I didn't do anything!"

Kazemon spun around with her feet. "Tempest Twist!"

BurningGreymon covered Tommy and Dash with his wings, protecting them from Kazemon's kick. Kazemon wasn't the most powerful when it came to physical attacks thankfully, but even so, her kick had more power behind it due to her intent to kill. She wasn't going easy on him, that was for sure.

"We're going to have to Spirit Evolve and knock her out!" Dash spoke up. "It doesn't look like she can be reasoned with."

BurningGreymon looked down at Dash. "Neither you or Tommy can fly in your evolutions. I'm the only one who can."

"I can never forgive you," Kazemon hissed.

"I can never forgive any of you!" Tommy shivered as he remembered saying that 4 years ago.

BurningGreymon paid no attention to Tommy's shivering, instead focusing on Kazemon before him. "Listen, I need to set you two down so this way she won't hurt you. I can't fight against her or focus on snapping her out of it and keep you safe."

Kazemon's fingers then created thin tornadoes. She gritted her teeth. "Hurricane Wave!"

Kazemon caught BurningGreymon in a twister she made. Tommy hissed before he started climbing up on BurningGreymon's shoulder, going up to his head.

"I'm sorry…" Tommy apologized before he pulled out his own D-Tector. The light green digital form of his first Spirit appeared on the screen of his D-Tector and he formed the familiar ring of fractal coding around his left hand. He swiped the D-Tector over the coding, calling out the familiar phrase he knew by heart. "Execute! Spirit Evolution!" His clothes ripped away as his body became digital and the process began. Coding surrounded him as the power of the Spirit flowed into his body. He lost his hair and his body became white as snow. His fingers became like paws almost and he gained a more cub-like appearance to his body. Green chest armor formed on his body and his feet gained green and red boots. A headband that had the image of a bear on it formed on his head, and he gained a shoulder pad on each side, but one was red while the other was grey in color. He slid down and landed as a mushy pile before he reformed and grinned, calling out his name. "Kumamon!"

"Kumamon?" BurningGreymon questioned. "What are you doing?"

"If you won't stop her, Takuya, then I will," Kumamon said before he took out his Launcher. "Blizzard Blaster!"

Kumamon fired snowballs rapidly from the Launcher at Kazemon. Kazemon yelped as her own tornado attack was interrupted by the sudden cold snowballs that were pelting her body.

Now's my chance! Kumamon stopped his attack before he took a deep breath, expanding his body a bit. "Crystal Breeze!"

Kumamon blew out a mini blizzard from his mouth at Kazemon. Kazemon shivered from the cold, but her wings began to freeze up quickly, and she started falling.

"Catch her, BurningGreymon!" Kumamon yelled after he stopped his attack.

BurningGreymon didn't need any coaxing as he dove down as fast as he could, catching Kazemon in his arms. "Got her!"

"Wow, that was some quick thinking," Dash noted, looking up at Kumamon. Heh, for a Legendary Warrior, his form is really cute. I mean he looks like a teddy bear.

"Kazemon is a fairy-like Digimon, their wings don't normally do so well in the cold unless they're ice elementals," Kumamon explained.

Kazemon appeared to be unconscious, her body was wrapped up by fractal code until she reverted back to Zoe, still seeming to be asleep. Zoe let out a small whimper, clearly showing she was still having a nightmare.

"What should we do? She still seems to be affected by the Nightmare Syndrome," BurningGreymon asked in concern.

"Let's get her back to Seraphimon's castle, maybe someone over there can help her," Kumamon suggested.

BurningGreymon nodded. "Good idea." He then turned and flew back towards the castle, not exactly happy with the way things had turned out.

The ride back to Serpahimon's castle was quiet. Kumamon had already reverted back to Tommy. Zoe was still asleep, tormented by her nightmares. Tommy and Dash were unable to wake her either.

Could I wake her if I used my healing powers as Calumon? Tommy wondered to himself.

Thankfully, it wasn't long until BurningGreymon made it to Seraphimon's Castle. Sorcermon wasn't there to greet them this time, instead it was Kyuubimon.

"Welcome back, Warriors," Kyuubimon bowed her head. "How did your investigation go?"

BurningGreymon landed and gently put Zoe down.

"We ran into some trouble," BurningGreymon explained. "Zoe was hit by a Nightmare Syndrome, and we can't wake her."

Kyuubimon frowned as she studied Zoe, seeing that she was asleep, but also moaning a bit. She didn't look to be at peace either. "You say she was hit by a Nightmare Syndrome?"

"Yeah. We couldn't snap her out of it no matter how hard we tried." Dash frowned.

"What Digimon hit her with Nightmare Syndrome?" Kyuubimon asked.

"We… didn't exactly see it…" BurningGreymon admitted. "All we saw was the cloud coming from the trees. We did encounter a Tapirmon, so it may have been that Digimon, but I'm not sure…"

"A Tapirmon? Impossible, its Nightmare Syndrome shouldn't be anywhere near strong enough to keep someone like a Legendary Warrior locked in a nightmare." Kyuubimon frowned.

BurningGreymon frowned. "But I know it was a Nightmare Syndrome attack. What other Digimon could use that move?"

"There are a few known Digimon that are able to use that move," Kyuubimon answered. "Tapirmon is the most well known for it. The other Digimon able to use Nightmare Syndrome is Digitamamon, an Ultimate level Digimon."

Dash blinked as he looked at BurningGreymon. "Do you think that could be strong enough to take down a Legendary Warrior?"

BurningGreymon frowned. "I'm not sure. I never faced a Digitamamon before…"

"I've met with one before," Tommy said, tapping on something on his D-Tector. "Digitamamon is a Perfect Digimon. An ultimate Digimon which has the appearance of a "Digi-Egg", the beginning and end of all Digimon. It's Ultimate level, and a Data type."

BurningGreymon looked at Tommy. "You met a Digitamamon?" Confusion was apparent in his voice.

"Oh yeah… I uh… sometimes come into the Digital World, just… you know, check things out from time to time. I met with a Digitamamon who owns a pretty good restaurant," Tommy sheepishly grinned.

BurningGreymon was surprised, but didn't question it. "That explains it… I guess…" Hold on… He has been coming to the Digital World since that day? I had no idea we could return until recently.

"We should get Zoe into the Medical Bay to try to get her out of the Nightmare Syndrome. If this goes on for too long, it could damage her psyche," Kyuubimon warned.

"I'll help carry her," Dash volunteered.

"Do you think Calu-..." BurningGreymon started to say before he remembered seeing said Digimon back at the TV Forest.

It was then he remembered. "Aw… shit! Calumon! He was back at the TV Forest!" BurningGreymon exclaimed. "He may still be there!"

"Wah? How did we forget about him!?" Dash yelped.

Tommy sweatdropped.

"Fear not, Calumon has ways to get around the Digital World," Kyuubimon reassured before she used a few of her tails to pick up Zoe and put her on her back. "For now, I will take Zoe back to the medical room."

BurningGreymon nodded. "Thanks. And… let us know when she wakes up… Please…"

"Of course. Would you like for me to send a messenger to your friends, who are in the Autumn Leaf Fair, about this?" Kyuubimon inquired.

BurningGreymon frowned as he looked down. "It would probably be best…" He admitted. "Just so they know something is going on."

"Alright. I will send a messenger to them," Kyuubimon remarked. "For now, perhaps you three should stay here for the night. It's already almost dawn."

BurningGreymon looked back and sure enough, he could see the three moons were lower in the sky. "Yeah… I guess we should. That would be best, given what we went through." Fractal code surrounded him as he reverted back to his human form.

"You are free to stay in the medical room with your friend if you prefer," Kyuubimon offered. "But we may need to create a barrier around her in case she tries to attack again."

Takuya nodded. "Sure. That would be great."

Kyuubimon began walking to the castle. Dash, Takuya, and Tommy following after her.

"Hey… Takuya?" Tommy spoke up as they were walking.

Takuya looked back at Tommy. "What's up, Tommy?"

"I'm sorry… about having to attack Zoe before," Tommy apologized. "But it was the only way I could see us taking her back here to heal."

Takuya sighed. "You did the right thing. I was the one who hesitated when I shouldn't have."

Takuya remembered hesitating when Tommy was in the same situation. How he refused to even Spirit Evolve to hurt Tommy. They got lucky when discovering Tapirmon, but there was a real possibility that Tommy could have frozen them all that night.

"I knew someone who once told me that sometimes when having to fight a reluctant battle, you still have to fight to defend yourself. But that doesn't mean you have to fight to the death, there are ways to end the fight peacefully," Tommy stated.

Takuya looked back, surprised at Tommy's words of wisdom. "That's… quite mature of you to say."

Tommy blushed. "Heh… well I had a pretty good teacher. Come on, let's go make sure Zoe wakes up okay."

---

Andy grumbled as he dialed Dash's home phone number. "The sun's not even up yet and already I have to cover for Dash..."

A female voice answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello, Mrs. Baxter, this is Andy, one of Dash's friends," Andy said as calmly as he could over the phone.

"Oh, good. Do you know where Dash is? He hasn't been home for a while now." Mrs. Baxter explained, sounding a bit worried.

"Yeah, don't worry, he's staying over at a friend's house. He lost track of time though, and I figured you were worried, so I thought I should call you up and tell you," Andy smoothly stated.

"Oh, that's good news!" Mrs. Baxter sighed with relief. "I was worried something had happened to him."

"I'll see if I can talk to him about letting you know he's fine at school," Andy promised. "I should go now, I need to get ready for school."

Mrs. Baxter replied at once. "Thank you, Andy. And tell him to come home soon."

"I will be sure to do that, Mrs. Baxter," Andy said before hanging up and let out a sigh.

Footsteps echoed behind Andy. "Hey, who were you talking to just now, bro?"

Andy nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden voice behind him, and spun around. "Danny!? I thought you were still asleep!"

"And I thought you'd still be asleep," Danny pointed out. "Dorimon is still in bed though. Why are you up at this hour, making phone calls?"

"That's none of your concerns, bro, go back to bed," Andy sighed. "We have about an hour before we have to get ready for school."

"I woke up because I heard your voice on the phone." Danny said. "And now that I am awake, I can't get back to bed."

Andy grumbled a little. "What do you plan to do then? Go out on early morning patrol?"

"Yeah. I was thinking of it." Danny admitted. "I sometimes do go on patrol in the morning if I can't get back to bed."

Andy looked at Danny for a moment. "... Have you been having trouble sleeping at night lately?"

"No." Danny said, raising an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering…" Andy didn't look at Danny. Just in case your ghost nature prefers being awake at night.

Danny looked at Andy for a moment, before shaking his head. "You could come with me if you want, bro. I'm sure Dorimon would like a morning flight."

"Nah, I'm going to get an extra hour of sleep in," Andy stretched his arms up. I have a feeling I'm going to need it soon.

Danny nodded. "Okay, bro." He then grinned mischievously. "Just don't sleep in too late, or I may have to get Bearbert~"

"You do that, and Dorimon is kissing you all day," Andy hissed.

Danny rolled his eyes, but didn't tease Andy anymore about it. "Okay… no Bearbert…"

---

When the morning sun came, things weren't all that much better. One of the rare times the Fentons decided to eat together at the table just had to be this morning. Andy was trying not to look nervous while Maddie, Jack, Danny, and Jazz were eating breakfast, yet there was one member of the family who was currently missing.

Don't mention it yet… see if someone brings it up first… Andy kept telling himself, trying not to drum his fingers on the table.

Dorimon frowned, sensing his partner's anxiety.

Jazz finally looked up, noticing one member was not there. "Hey… Where's Takuya? Did he sleep in or something?"

"Now that you mentioned it, Takuya has been quite late today. He's usually pretty punctual," Maddie noted.

Jack looked up from his pancakes. "Say, where is that boy anyway? Do you kids know?"

Danny frowned. "Why would we-"

"Takuya did say he needed to stay over at a friend's house. They were studying all night for a big test," Andy spoke up, interrupting his twin.

Danny blinked as he looked at his twin. "He was at a friend's house? Takuya never mentioned that to me."

"I'll explain later," Andy whispered to Danny. "Just help me out here, please?"

Danny blinked again, but nodded. "Sure, bro." Danny whispered back.

"Yeah, we'll be sure to tell Takuya to call you later," Danny spoke up.

Jack gave a nod. "You had better make sure he does. Takuya should be home next time, or at least let us know where he is next time."

"I'm sure Takuya has his reasons," Jazz stepped in. "Let's just finish up our breakfast. Danny, Andy, I'll be driving you to school today."

Andy sweatdropped, knowing Jazz wanted to drive them to school so she could interrogate him to what was really going on.

Danny looked at Andy, noticing his twin's nervous look. "Um… That's nice Jazz, but is it really necessary…?"

"Yes, Danny. Allow me to drive you two to school," Jazz gave Danny a fake smile, but Danny could see that spark in his sister's eyes. She was going to have them in her car one way or another.

"O-okay…" Danny gulped.

After breakfast, Jazz all but pushed the boys into her car. She had Lopmon on the passenger seat, while Andy, Dorimon, and Danny were in the backseat. As soon as Jazz had all the doors closed, and drove off, she began to speak. "So Andy, what's really going on? Where is Takuya?"

Andy frowned. "I'm sorry I haven't told you guys about it yet, but you were all asleep at the time. Takuya said he was needed at the Digital World… so that's where he is right now."

Danny's eyes lit up in realization, though Jazz was confused.

"Why is Takuya needed in the Digital World?" Jazz asked. "It's not like he has a Digimon partner… Or does he? I saw he had an odd D-Arc last time we were there…"

"I don't know why he's needed there," Andy honestly answered. "But Takuya… has something unique from us. He'll be able to handle himself just fine, I promise. The only problem is covering for him from Mom and Dad until he gets back."

Jazz blinked. "Okay, Andy. I'll trust you on this one."

"Thank you, Jazz," Andy sighed in relief.

"I may have a feeling…" Lopmon muttered.

"So what do we do now?" Dorimon asked. "Should we go to the Digital World too?"

"No… not unless Takuya calls us or something," Andy answered. "The Digimon seem to run on their own kind of politics there. We shouldn't interfere unless absolutely necessary."

Jazz frowned, but nodded. "Yeah… I can understand where you're coming from, Andy. I don't want to get the Digimon running the Digital World upset if we interfered with something we were not asked to help with."

"But we should at least know when we should go into the Digital World in case something does happen to Takuya and he wasn't able to call us," Danny pointed out.

"Yeah… I would say if we don't hear anything from Takuya by tonight, we'll go to the Digital World to look for him," Andy stated.

Jazz nodded. "Good idea. That will give him some time to contact us, and it gives us some wiggle room so we don't worry too much."

"And hopefully talk to Mom and Dad so we have proof he's alright," Danny added.

"I wonder what's going on in the Digital World though…" Dorimon frowned in concern.

"I hope that Sorcermon, Kyuubimon, and Mercurymon, if they were able to get him, would be able to handle it…" Lopmon said, a little worriedly.

Jazz gave her partner a smile. "I'm sure they can. It probably was just something simple."

"Maybe…" Lopmon gave Jazz a small smile, though inwardly he was still worried. But they wouldn't call just for the Legendary Warriors for something small or simple...

Andy just hoped that nobody would ask him about Dash, he was going to have a much harder time explaining him going missing. This might be a very long day...

---

Takuya didn't know when he had fallen asleep, but he knew he must have at some point, because he was waking up back in the medical room in Seraphimon's castle. He was surprised to see more Digimon were being brought in, all of them didn't appear to be injured, but they looked like they were being tormented. Takuya looked at Zoe, who he was sitting next to. Zoe was still asleep, groaning, tossing and turning. She had a magical barrier around her bed, as did the other sleeping Digimon that were brought in.

"Holy sweatsocks! I need to call my parents before they worry about me!" Dash suddenly yelped.

Takuya then snapped out of his sleepy state. "Ack! Aw man! I need to call my aunt and uncle too! They probably think a ghost kidnapped me or something!"

"We better make it quick," Dash gulped before pulling his D-Tector out from his pocket.

Takuya took out his D-Tector. He paused, frowning. "Wait… can we even call them with these?"

"Uh… maybe call one of the other people with these devices?" Dash suggested.

Takuya then remembered Andy. "Andy! He has a D-Arc! We can call him!"

Takuya pushed a button on his D-Tector, and a heart-shaped symbol appeared on the screen.

"Andy? Can you hear me? It's Takuya." Takuya said as he saw the symbol.

There wasn't a voice answer, but Takuya heard what sounded like a door slam. Then, all of a sudden… "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU AND DASH BEEN!? IT'S ALREADY MORNING AND I'M AT SCHOOL!"

Takuya and Dash each winced. "Hey, just calm down!" Takuya exclaimed. "Dash and I went to the Digital World because we were needed."

"Yes, I know that, Captain Obvious, but why have you been there all night!?" Andy snapped, still clearly ticked off.

"It wasn't like we intended to!" Takuya exclaimed. "We had an issue come up and we wound up staying the night."

Dash then spoke up. "It's not like we can just leave. I mean, Digimon are being affected by something, and are reportedly attacking each other for some reason unknown. Sorcermon called all active Legendary Warriors to the Digital World to help solve this crisis."

There was a sigh coming from the other line. "Okay, I get it. But I can't keep covering for you two forever. If neither of you are back home by this evening, your parents, and my parents, are going to start worrying about you."

Takuya sighed as well. "We will try to be home by this evening, but given what we are dealing with, that may not be for a while…"

"Look, we'll figure something out, alright?" Dash spoke up, taking Takuya's D-Tector for a moment. "If nothing else, you could possibly use your D-Arc to have us talking to my parents and your parents, so they know we're at least alright."

"... Okay…" Andy finally relented. "But if you two don't answer my D-Arc by then, we're going to go into the Digital World to find you."

Takuya nodded. "That's a good compromise. Okay. We'll try to stay in contact. Just be careful yourself, Andy."

Takuya took back his D-Tector from Dash, and heard Andy mumbling something. "What was that, Andy?"

Andy didn't answer, but Takuya heard Dorimon's voice instead. "Andy is mumbling about how the next training session may be a bit tougher than usual."

Takuya paled. "Oh… Ah, crap… Andy can get a bit evil when he wants to…"

"Oh no, if you want evil, you haven't seen anything yet," Andy replied. "I'll, hopefully, see you and Dash again soon."

With that, Andy hung up.

Takuya sighed. "I hope we get a lead on this problem soon. But we have none so far…"

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be able to think of something… Want something to drink? I can go get us some water," Dash offered. "I know you're really worried about Zoe. I'm worried too, but you two are definitely a lot closer."

Takuya blushed at Dash's comment. "Err… I… Yeah… We are… And… yeah, a drink would be good..."

Dash chuckled. "I'll be right back then."

Dash left Takuya alone with the still sleeping Zoe. It was then Takuya realized he didn't see Tommy anywhere.

Takuya frowned. "I wonder where Tommy is…" He stood up and stretched. "Maybe I can go look for him…"

Takuya needed the distraction from all this worrying anyways. He gave Zoe one last look, giving a promise he would find a way to break her out of the Nightmare Syndrome, before he walked out of the medical room. Takuya decided to walk around, and started calling for Tommy.

"Hey, Tommy? Are you here?" Takuya called, hoping for a response.

There was what sounded like a yawn. "What…?"

Takuya stopped, blinking when he saw Calumon groggily walking over to him.

"Wait… Calumon?" Takuya asked. "What are you doing here? How did you get out of the TV Forest? Are you okay?"

Calumon blinked for a moment, before seeming to realize something. "O-oh… uh… well, I just flew back here. I've been working pretty much all night long on Zoe since you brought her in here. Unfortunately, I'm not skilled enough to chase away nightmares yet. Trust me, I've been trying all night."

Takuya sighed. "I was hoping you could help, but I can't blame you for not being able to. It sounds like this is a strong Nightmare Syndrome attack."

"It's… unusual," Calumon admitted. "It doesn't feel like it's a Nightmare Syndrome from a Rookie Digimon. There's something else too. The other Digimon being brought here… they're all trapped by a Nightmare Syndrome as well."

Takuya frowned at that news. "Huh… So it's not just Zoe… Every Digimon affected is under the influence of Nightmare Syndrome…" He then perked up in realization. "That Drimogemon Dash brought here… Maybe she is also under the Nightmare Syndrome attack."

"When I asked Sorcermon to check her, yeah, we can confirm she is." Calumon nodded. "Koji… that is, the other group that I heard was sent to the Autumn Leaf Fair, sent a message back just before dawn. They're still investigating, but what they're hearing is… similar to what happened with Zoe. Digimon that are attacking each other, were knocked out by the Digimon's equivalent to the authorities. They were soon diagnosed with Nightmare Syndrome as well. And it's still spreading to other Digimon."

"And we have no leads on what is going on…" Takuya growled. "Aside from the fact that this Nightmare Syndrome is too strong to be a Rookie level attack. This couldn't possibly be from that one Tapirmon."

"You're right, it's not. We were just… well… unlucky that one Tapirmon was there at the time," Calumon sighed. "But until we have more information, we won't be able to wake up those poor Digimon who were hit by these powerful Nightmare Syndromes."

Takuya sighed. "But where can we look for more information? It's not easy to work on such little information." Then an idea hit him. "But maybe we can look in Seraphimon's library for information!"

"There is information on dream Digimon. It's said that the more they gather, the stronger they become," Calumon spoke up. "If they unite under a Digimon capable of using dream power, then their own dream powers could increase tenfold. Of course, this is something that was outlawed long ago, because when it happened before, it nearly caused the entire Digital World to be put to sleep and caused it to be trapped in a dream world."

Takuya blinked as he heard this information before he frowned. "Wow… That sounds bad. No wonder we Legendary Warriors were called upon to help with this crisis."

"Yeah, but… would that be enough?" Calumon asked. "Look at what happened to Zoe. It could happen to all of u- you. And if that were to happen…"

Calumon frowned, seeming to be a bit lost in memory for a moment, before turning to Takuya. "Wouldn't we have to worry about being attacked by the Legendary Warriors then?"

Takuya paled at hearing that. "Oh… Wow…" He ran a hand through his hair. "I… never thought of that…"

"I know you would do your best to resist the Nightmare Syndrome," Calumon remarked. "And maybe you were able to last time. But this Nightmare Syndrome is much stronger and more potent. Once you're hit, you may not be able to tell the difference between reality and dream. All you know is what's happening in your nightmare, and will react according to whatever the Nightmare Syndrome user wants you to react."

Takuya frowned at hearing that. "That… doesn't sound good…" He put a hand on the back of his neck. "Wow… just what have we gotten ourselves into here?"

"For now, be aware of any Digimon that might be looking at you funny. Be especially careful around Tapirmon and maybe Digitamamon too," Calumon warned. "Perhaps, if it's at all possible, find a Tapirmon that's alone, knock it out, and bring it back here for study. If we can figure out what amplified its Nightmare Syndrome, we may be able to make a cure."

Takuya nodded. "Okay. That shouldn't be too hard." He then looked down. "At least, I hope it isn't…"

Calumon frowned a little before he flew up to Takuya's hand and patted it with his claws. "Hey… don't look so worried. You are supposed to be strong after all, like a big brother… um… that is to say, like a Legendary Warrior."

Takuya mentally frowned at what he heard from Calumon. Why would he say 'like a big brother'? Just who is Calumon? However, he didn't show his thoughts on his face. Instead, Takuya smiled. "Yeah, you're right."

Calumon then gave a yawn. "I'm going to ask Sorcermon for some energizing pills…"

"Wait, before you go," Takuya spoke up. "You wouldn't happen to know where Tommy is, do you?"

"Uh…" Calumon hesitated. "He… um… went… somewhere, I guess?"

Takuya frowned. "Calumon… Where is he?"

"How should I know? I was busy with patients all night! I don't have time to keep track of where one little kid went!" Calumon snapped, then he frowned. "Sorry… I'm just a bit grumpy from the lack of sleep. I'm sure you'll see Tommy again in the medical room later."

Takuya frowned, but brushed it off. "Okay… I'll go back and check on Zoe then. You… take care of yourself, Calumon."

"Yeah… you too," Calumon replied, sighing before he walked off down the corridor.

Takuya sighed as he made his way back to the medical room, his hands behind his head. What's with Calumon? Who is he? And why is he so familiar? Not to mention Tommy has been disappearing lately… What is going on?

Takuya felt like he was missing an important piece of the puzzle, just like with Danny before.

Takuya went back to the medical room and sat down by Zoe's bed again. She still didn't show any signs of waking up.

He reached out towards the barrier and put a hand on it. Takuya wished he could find a way to wake Zoe up, as he hated seeing her like this. Hang in there, Zoe… We'll find a way to fix this...

"Hey… I got you some water," Dash spoke up, holding out a cup of cold water to Takuya.

Takuya looked back with a smile. "Thanks, Dash." He said as he took the water and took a sip of it, cooling his dry throat. "That's just what I needed."

"Hey…" A familiar voice spoke up.

For a moment, Takuya thought it was Calumon again, but when he looked at who was speaking, he saw it was Tommy. Tommy looked pretty tired, and Takuya could see some bags under the kid's eyes. Takuya frowned, his big brother instincts kicking in.

"Tommy, are you okay?" Takuya asked in concern. "You look like you didn't sleep at all."

"Ah… well, I was too worried to sleep," Tommy answered. "I decided to go out for a walk… try to clear my head and all."

Takuya frowned a bit more, but he accepted that explanation for now. "Okay…" He then ran a hand through his hair. "Well, after what we went through, I guess I can't blame you for not being able to sleep…"

"I'm surprised any of us were able to sleep," Dash sighed.

"Oh, Tommy, perhaps you should go back home for a bit. You should get some sleep, and your folks might be worried about you, especially your brother," Takuya said to the younger boy.

"No…" Tommy frowned. "I mean, no need. Sorcermon is taking care of that."

Dash and Takuya blinked. "Huh?"

"You… didn't know that Sorcermon could make fake versions of you in the real world?" Tommy inquired.

"No…" Takuya replied before an idea struck him. "Wait… If Sorcermon can do that…! I think I have an idea that will solve our problem of worrying our folks back home."

"Yeah! This will make things so much easier!" Dash smiled.

Takuya then looked at Tommy. "Do you think you could take us to Sorcermon? I want to explain the situation to him and what we need his copies for."

"Yeah, I was just talking to him," Tommy replied.

Takuya and Dash followed Tommy to another room in the castle. They saw Sorcermon in Seraphimon's room. Sorcermon looked like he had been meditating until he heard footsteps approaching him. "Ah… Takuya, Dash, and Tommy. What can I do for you three?"

Takuya walked up. "We heard you can create copies of us to send to the human world. Well, since we Warriors may be here a while, I was thinking maybe you could do the same for the rest of us so our parents back home, or in my case my aunt and uncle, don't get worried about us being missing."

"Ah, yes of course. I should've offered this to you two much sooner, I apologize," Sorcermon bowed his head. "I had forgotten that you didn't know that I could do that."

Takuya smiled. "That would be most helpful. I mean, my cousin Andy was in a mood when I called him to let him know where I was, so I think that the copies may be helpful."

"Yeesh… I'm worried what Andy plans to do with us later…" Dash shivered.

Sorcermon chuckled. "Don't worry, I will create copies of you two in your houses. Though I will need to see into your minds to know exactly where you live and how you usually are at home. I will warn you though, the copies aren't perfect. If someone gets too close to them, or if they start asking too many questions, they're likely to be found out."

Takuya blinked before giving a shrug. "Well, it's better than nothing I suppose."

"Yeah, my parents won't care, as long as I'm home," Dash replied.

"Very well then," Sorcermon said. "I will need a minute to scan both of you then."

Takuya and Dash both stood still so Sorcermon could do his scans of them. Sorcermon waved his staff at them, creating some sort of magical light that scanned Takuya and Dash's bodies. Takuya could feel the scan was also going through his mind.

"Here we go," Sorcermon's wand glowed before Takuya and Dash were suddenly staring at themselves.

"Whoa! It's like a clone of me!" Dash exclaimed as he looked at his copy.

Takuya looked his copy over. "Wow. It's almost like looking in a mirror, only without the mirror part."

"I dunno, I feel like I'm buffer than that," Dash remarked, studying the supposed clone.

"They're made out of magic and data, but they should be able to sustain themselves in the real world, as long as they're around technology," Sorcermon explained.

"Heh… No problem there, since we have all sorts of technological equipment back home." Takuya joked with a grin.

"Yeah, and I'm not short of technology myself either." Dash grinned.

"That's good. Now, before I send them to your homes, let's test their voices as well. Takuya 2, Dash 2, say something to your original counterparts," Sorcermon stated.

"I'm Takuya Kanbara. Nice to meet you." Takuya 2 said with a grin.

"I'm Dash Baxter. I play football, basketball, and all sorts of other sports," Dash 2 remarked, flexing a little.

"Wow, their voices sound spot on," Tommy complimented.

Takuya grinned. "Yeah. Now we don't have to worry our folks anymore!"

"My voice doesn't sound that high pitched, does it?" Dash frowned.

Takuya looked at Dash. "Um… maybe it does, maybe it doesn't?"

Dash pouted a bit.

"I'll be sending these to your houses now. What they do is up to them. I've created them to be as close to your personalities as possible. Let's hope that will be enough," Sorcermon stated.

"Yeah… Let's hope so too." Takuya said, but he had a feeling things would work out. Or will they go downhill…?

"Hey, no getting yourself flattened during practice. I can't look bad after all, or I would get demoted from captain," Dash said to his clone.

Takuya looked at his clone. "And don't do anything that would put my cousins in danger please."

"Of course, I won't let anything bad happen to them," Takuya 2 promised.

"I'll be sure to be the best you could be during practice," Dash 2 stated.

Sorcermon's staff glowed before a portal opened under Takuya 2 and Dash 2 and they fell through. "There we go. Is there anything else?"

"No. That's good." Takuya replied. "Now we can focus more on our mission without worrying our folks. Thanks!"

"I'm glad to be able to help," Sorcermon chuckled.

"Yeah, you've always been a great help," Tommy agreed.

Dash raised an eyebrow. "By the way, how did you already know all this, Tommy?"

"I made the offer to him before," Sorcermon spoke up.

Takuya looked at Sorcermon. "You did? That's… surprising, since we didn't know about this before."

"It's not that important," Tommy quickly said.

"But-" Takuya began to say before a Biyomon came flying in suddenly, carrying some kind of scroll or rolled up paper in its talons.

"Message from the Legendary Warrior of Light from Autumn Leaf Fair," Biyomon stated, giving the rolled up paper to Sorcermon.

Takuya raised an eyebrow as Sorcermon took the scroll and opened it. "Hmmm… It would appear Koji's group is requesting your help."

Takuya blinked. "Huh? They are?"

Dash frowned. "I wonder why they want us to meet up with them."

"Guess we better go and find out," Tommy remarked.

"But… What about Zoe?" Takuya asked in concern.

Dash put a hand on Takuya's shoulder. "She will be fine here. The Digimon here seem to know what they are doing. Besides, if we go now, we may find a cure to save her faster."

Takuya sighed. "Alright… We'll go."

"Don't worry, Takuya, I'm sure we'll be able to find a cure for her soon," Tommy said, hoping to reassure someone he saw as a big brother.

Takuya smiled. "Thanks, Tommy, Dash. Alright. Let's go to the Autumn Leaf Fair!"

---

"Brrr… it's so cold out here!" Dash shivered, wrapping his arms around himself as BurningGreymon was flying over a place covered in snow. "I should've worn a thicker jacket!"

"It's not that bad," Tommy, or rather, Kumamon said.

"Easy for you to say, Mr. Warrior of Ice! Try being in your human form and say that!" Dash snapped.

BurningGreymon chuckled. "Now, now, no need to argue." He teased. "We have a mission to complete, remember?"

"I know! I just wish it wasn't so cold out here!" Dash shivered. "Can't you use your fire or something to keep us warm?"

"You probably don't want him to do that. You'd be burned to a crisp," Kumamon sweatdropped.

Dash paled at that. "Oh… Right… Warrior of Flame…"

BurningGreymon chuckled again. "We're almost there, so just hang in there, okay?"

"Why is this place called Autumn Leaf Fair? If it's in the middle of a snowy mountain, why not call it Winter Snow Fair?" Dash asked.

"That's… a good question…" BurningGreymon sweatdropped. "They didn't explain why it was called that when we were last there…"

"I think it's because of the giant heater. It makes it warm enough for the snow to melt, but it's still cool enough for it to be considered Autumn," Kumamon guessed.

"Giant heater?" Dash questioned.

Kumamon smiled before pointing with one of his fingers. "See for yourself."

Dash looked ahead, indeed seeing a giant heater. "Wow… You weren't kidding. That thing is big!"

"And there's an entire town down there too," BurningGreymon chuckled as he started coming in for a landing.

Dash could see there was indeed a town around the heater. "Wow. This place looks bustling."

As soon as BurningGreymon landed, he put Dash and Kumamon down before fractal code surrounded him, and began to shrink him. Kumamon had fractal code surrounding him as well. The two of them soon reverted back to their human forms.

Takuya looked around. "Now where are the others? They said they were waiting for us."

"TAKUYA! OVER HERE!" Someone shouted.

Looking back, Takuya saw it was Koichi who had shouted his name. Koichi was waving at them.

"Hey, there's Koichi." Takuya smiled before he, Dash, and Tommy walked over to the Warrior of Darkness.

"Hey Koichi, good to see you again." Takuya grinned.

"Where are Koji and JP?" Tommy asked.

Koichi frowned a little. "They're waiting in the inn. Come on, we shouldn't talk out here."

Koichi gestured for them to follow. The three boys followed after Koichi.

Tommy couldn't help but notice strange and gloomy vibes coming from all over the place. The youngest member of the group looked around, noticing how many Digimon were looking warily at each other. Some even hurried into their doors and shut it, locking it with a CLICK. Some pulled curtains over their windows as well.

"Takuya…" Tommy frowned. "Have you noticed that the Digimon here look… scared?"

Takuya had indeed noticed that. "Yeah… It's odd…"

"What are they afraid of?" Dash questioned.

"It's been like this when we came too," Koichi explained. "They're scared because they don't know what's causing their friends and family to suddenly start turning on each other. They don't want to be next."

Takuya could understand that to an extent; given how he had reacted to his family being threatened by ghosts, he was now wary of being around them himself to an extent. "That's… probably harsh to experience…"

"Yeah… it isn't fun…" Koichi frowned.

Takuya then remembered that Koichi had, at one point, fought to kill Koji, his own twin brother, 4 years ago.

"But we did figure a few things out while we were here," Koichi continued. "But we shouldn't discuss it out here. You never know who could be listening in."

Takuya nodded, pursing his lips at the thought of being overheard. "Yeah… let's get to the inn then."

When the group reached the inn, Koichi led them inside. They were surprised to see a Datamon there.

"Welcome to the Subzero Inn!" Datamon greeted. "Ah, oh, I see you're back. So these must be your friends… oh?"

Datamon looked at Tommy. "Hey! It's you, the kid who got that high score in the game, isn't it?"

Tommy blinked, surprised for a moment. "Huh?"

"Don't you remember me? I was the Datamon who gave you your Beast Spirit after you won that game." Datamon smiled.

Tommy's eyes widened. "It's really you?"

Datamon chuckled. "It is. It has been quite a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, it has." Tommy smiled. "I didn't know you ran this inn."

"I don't normally. Frigimon was supposed to be running it, but… well, he fell victim to whatever's been going on, so I took his place for a while," Datamon explained. "Someone needed to keep this inn running for those who want to stay hidden from what's been going on."

Takuya frowned a bit. It seems another Digimon fell victim to this crisis then… He then looked at Datamon. "Would you please show us where our other friends are? We have some stuff to talk to them about."

"Yes, of course." Datamon smiled. "If anyone can solve this problem, it's the Legendary Warriors."

Datamon led the group upstairs, showing them to a room that was further back in the hallway. "They're staying right here."

Takuya nodded. "Thanks." He and the others walked to the door and opened it. Inside the room were Koji and JP.

"Hey, glad you could make it," Koji greeted.

"Is it true!?" JP demanded as he ran up to Takuya. "Has Zoe really fallen victim to this Nightmare Syndrome that's been going around?"

Takuya sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. She has." He hated himself for not seeing the attack coming sooner. "I hate this… whatever is going on… And what's worse, we have no leads right now!"

"Calm down, both of you!" Koji spoke up. "Datamon, please leave us alone."

"Right, right, just come and get me if you need something," Datamon said as he walked out of the room.

Koichi closed the door behind them. Koji made sure all the windows were closed, and the curtains covered the windows.

Takuya and JP sat down on some chairs. Koji and Koichi sat down on the bed. Tommy and Dash sat down on the floor.

"Alright then… now that we're all here, there is something we need to tell you," Koji said in a serious tone. "From what we've gathered from the witnesses, there's an invasion happening."

Takuya gasped. "What?! An invasion?! What kind of invasion?!"

"Keep your voice down! We don't want others to hear us," Koichi whispered.

Takuya lowered his voice. "What kind of invasion are we talking about?" He whispered.

"An invasion of nightmares," Koichi said.

"Get this," JP spoke up. "It started out with one Digimon. They were friends with a Tapirmon, who they went to talk to before heading to work for the day. But they never came to work. Hours later, they were found to be in a trance of some kind, and they suddenly started attacking everyone. A few days later, more Digimon began to go into these trance-like states, then they suddenly started yelling nonsense about wanting revenge or hating someone before they started attacking them. Witnesses claim that if you look into their eyes, they seem to be glazed, like they're not all there, or are half asleep."

"That already tells us they've all been victims to these Nightmare Syndromes," Koji added. "But even after they've been knocked out, they're either stuck in their nightmares, unable to wake up. Or they get up, and start attacking again."

Takuya remembered how Zoe had acted upon being hit with the purple and black haze. "That happened with Zoe as well…"

"And we saw her get hit by a Nightmare Syndrome," Tommy added.

"Yes, but that doesn't answer the questions to why or who," Dash spoke up. "How do you know this is an invasion exactly and not some kind of nightmare illness?"

"Because these Nightmare Syndromes are being casted by many Tapirmon," Koichi stated. "There isn't just one or two, there's many, hundreds of them possibly. Hiding, biding their time before they strike their next victim. The fact that there's so many is probably why their Nightmare Syndrome is so powerful."

Takuya shivered. "Oh boy…" He then perked up. "Wait… I remember there was a Tapirmon in the TV Forest last night! It was there for some reason, but I don't know why."

"Tapirmon usually live in forest areas like the TV Forest. A few were probably waiting there for travelers or investigators, like us," Tommy guessed.

Dash looked around at his fellow Legendary Warriors. "We need to find out the who and why parts of this mystery, but where can we start for that? If there are as many Tapirmon as you say, we may be in for a rough fight."

"I'm not sure if this is something we can fight, not in a traditional sense anyways." Koji frowned. "Tapirmon are passive Digimon. They don't fight directly, they hide, they use dream powers to attack, they gather in groups or packs to make themselves stronger. Fighting them would only lead us to being trapped in an endless nightmare."

"But what should we do? We can't just sit by and do nothing!" JP frowned.

"The way I see it, the best thing we can do is to find one Tapirmon alone, knock it out, and bring it with us to Seraphimon's castle," Tommy spoke up. "Some of the Digimon there could analyze its Nightmare Syndrome and develop a cure for it."

Takuya blinked as he heard that and frowned. Wait… Calumon said the same thing when we were back at the castle. How is it that Tommy knows that as well? Is this a coincidence? No… It can't be… can it?

"As much as I hate to admit it, Tommy's idea seems to be our best bet here," Koji sighed. "Until we have a cure for these Nightmare Syndromes, it would be suicide to go into battle with whoever is in charge of this invasion of nightmares."

Takuya nodded. "Yeah. I agree. But how are we going to find a lone Tapirmon and get it knocked out? They must be traveling in groups of three or four at the very least."

"What about that one in the TV Forest?" Dash asked. "There was only one Tapirmon there, wasn't there?"

"There may have appeared to only be one there, but there were likely more hidden," Tommy frowned. "When we were flying away from the TV Forest, one Nightmare Syndrome came out of nowhere and hit Zoe. That couldn't have come from the Tapirmon we were flying away from, it came from a completely different direction, which was why it caught us off guard."

Takuya had to admit, Tommy made some excellent tactical point. "Tommy's got a point. That Nightmare Syndrome did come from another direction. But that makes things more confusing. How many Tapirmon were there? How many are often in hiding in certain areas? That is what we need to know."

"There's also one other question," Tommy spoke up, looking up at Takuya. "If there were more Tapirmon, why didn't they hit us with their Nightmare Syndrome when we were distracted with Zoe?"

Takuya blinked in confusion. "That is odd… Maybe they were not expecting the Legendary Warriors and figured only one of us would be sufficient to attack?"

"They were likely playing with you," JP grumbled.

"Or were testing us… maybe to see what we could do…" Tommy frowned.

Takuya shivered at that last possibility. "I don't want to consider that as a possibility…"

"Regardless of the reason, we should count it as a blessing. If all of you were trapped in a nightmare, our numbers would be cut by more than half, and we might even have to fight with you," Koichi pointed out.

Takuya paled at that. "That wouldn't be good."

Dash frowned. "Yeah, that would be bad."

"Great, so we look for one Tapirmon alone and capture it," JP remarked. "Shouldn't be too hard."

"It might be more difficult than you would think. I doubt they would be alone without a good reason since their powers increase when they're together," Takuya pointed out.

JP frowned at that. "Oh yeah… That is a good point…"

Koichi snickered as Koji smirked at the response.

"I wish Andy was here, he might be able to think of a way to catch one of the Tapirmon." Dash frowned.

Tommy crossed his arms as he thought for a moment. "Well… if you want to catch a rat, you have to lure it out with some bait."

Takuya looked down as he thought as well. "But who would be the bait?"

At that, the room got silent. All of them would be an irresistible bait to the Tapirmon. After all, why wouldn't they want to have more Legendary Warriors under their control? Whoever would be bait would be put in danger of being trapped in a nightmare, and possibly turned against the group.

"It certainly can't be you or Koji," Koichi spoke up, looking at Takuya. "You two are our strongest warriors. If either of you two fall, we're not very likely to win this battle."

Takuya frowned. "Yeah, but…"

Koichi shook his head. "No, you and Koji are out for this. You two may be the only ones who could stop this crisis if the rest of us fall victim like Zoe did."

"So that would mean either Koichi, Tommy, Dash, or myself would be the potential bait," JP noted.

Dash frowned. He wanted to help his friends, and this world, but the thought of being thrown into unending nightmares terrified him more than ghosts ever did.

Koji looked at his twin brother. "Are you sure you want to be the bait, Koichi?" He was worried about his brother since his accident that also took him to the Digital World four years ago.

Koichi frowned. "Not really… I probably should, but… after what Cherubimon did, I worry about suddenly reverting back to Duskmon."

Koji sighed. "That… no, I rather we don't chance that."

"I'll volunteer to be bait," Tommy spoke up.

"No! Tommy, you can't! Takuya immediately shot the idea down.

"Why not? We need someone to be bait, Takuya. And… let's face it, I'm not exactly the strongest one here. If I fall, you could easily take me out," Tommy pointed out.

Takuya frowned. Tommy does have a point… But… he… went through this before. I don't want him to go through it again… He can't… he's just a kid. He shouldn't have to go through this!

"I'll be the bait," JP suddenly spoke up, catching everyone's attention. "Sorry, Tommy, but it would be better if you let the older kid handle this. Besides… it looked like Takuya was about to have an aneurysm."

"But JP…" Tommy frowned.

"I've made up my mind. It doesn't matter who's the bait, as long as it's not Takuya or Koji, right? Those Tapirmon will want to have another Legendary Warrior no matter who it is," JP stated.

Takuya sighed. "JP is right. They don't care who they get." He then looked at Tommy. "Besides, your Beast Spirit is quite strong, so we may need you."

Tommy sighed, but he decided not to argue. "Alright…"

Takuya was actually relieved. He didn't want JP to be used as bait, but he rather Tommy didn't have to go through those horrible nightmares again if he could help it. If Takuya could, he would've volunteered himself to be bait in a heartbeat.

"So what do we have to do to lure out one of the Tapirmon?" JP asked.

---

Titanic X: DarkFoxKit: Glad to see you're excited, hope you enjoy this chapter too.

ZAFT: You will see more in the future~! :3

GirlFish: DarkFoxKit: Yeah. I always had this idea about Tommy being Calumon since I watched Digimon Tamers and Digimon Frontier. I'm happy to see it coming into fruition in this story. As for how it happened, that's a backstory that'll be told eventually, just not now. There will be hints about it though. Calumon is pretty powerful, though I am also basing him off of Digimon World Dawn/Dusk, where he is a powerful supporting and healing Digimon, not just used for Digivolutions.

ZAFT: The big bad will be revealed eventually, but for now, just enjoy the chapters. We will get to that in time. ^^'

Luna Lillyth: DarkFoxKit: You're pretty close actually, but let's see if you're right. A good mystery deserves a good guess.

ZAFT: You never know what we will do~! :3