Digital Phantom: Evolution

by ZAFT Convoy

The human world, the Ghost Zone, and the Digital World all exist side by side. At the same time, new dangers arise, and to survive, Andy, Danny, and those close to them have to adapt, and evolve, to meet these new threats head on. New challenges arise, and old foes return in new ways. But can the team survive what is to come? Or will they fall to a foe waiting in the shadowy wings?

21. A Shocking News

DarkFoxKit: Yay! We didn't forget to update this time!

Andy: You almost did.

DarkFoxKit: Hush, Andy! The readers don't need to know that!

ZAFT: Yeah, we remembered for once!

Takuya: Are you sure you two still aren't into Digimon Survive?

DarkFoxKit: I'll have you know that Digimon Survive inspired a lot of ideas for the reboot, so shush.

Andy: Ideas I can guarantee Takuya and I are not gonna like.

ZAFT: It will be fun~ :3

Takuya: Why are we working with you two again?

DarkFoxKit: You literally can't leave us.

Andy: She's got a point there…

ZAFT: On to the chapter now~ :3

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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 five forms in shadow before they are revealed to be Danny Fenton, Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Takuya Kanbara, and Jazz Fenton)

Falling into destiny

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

Reaching across new boundaries

(Andy Fenton appears with Dorimon on his head, a white-haired, purple-eyed form behind him in a transparent state. Takuya Kanbara appears behind him as well, the form of Agunimon appearing behind Takuya himself)

Let our stories come together

(Danny is shown transforming into his ghost form, Danny Phantom, flying towards Vlad Plasmius, who has a shadowed form behind him)

Growing stronger

(Andy is shown looking his D-Arc glows with a light coming from it that envelopes the screen)

Our pasts intertwine

(The Legendary Warriors' symbols are shown circling around the symbols of Danny Phantom and Andy Phantom)

Showing our future

(Takuya holds up his D-Tector before fractal code surrounds him, dissipating as fire erupts from it, revealing him as Aldamon, lunging out from the fire as Plasmius fires off ecto-rays at him, only for a glowing orange orb to appear around Aldamon and deflect the beams)

As we evolve

(The blasts speed past the screen as Tucker is shown with a large shadowed form behind him and Terriermon)

Let's go… EVOLUTION

(Sam is shown with Gatomon next to her, a shadowed form with angelic wings appearing behind them both.)

As our worlds collide

(Jazz is shown with Lopmon, his Mega form of Cherubimon appearing behind them both, transparent in nature)

We stand as one

(Jack and Maddie Fenton are shown, with a shadowed form behind them both with a white cape and blue eyes looking back at them.)

Growing strong

(A shadowed form is shown with blue eyes and a glowing white blade erupting from what looks like a giant weapon in the form's hands)

As we move along

(Danny is shown walking down the street with those closest to him appearing one by one; Patamon, Andy and Dorumon, Tucker and Terriermon, Sam and Gatomon, Takuya, Jazz and Lopmon.)

CHOU… SHINKA!

(Fractal code is shown before it dissipates to reveal the Digimon partners and Takuya all evolved, with Danny and Andy in their ghost forms)

Let's go… EVOLUTION!

(The group is shown facing down Plasmius, who looms above them with hands outstretched as a dark form appears behind Plasmius himself.)

Nothing will stand in our way!

(Andy, Dorimon, Danny, Patamon, Tucker, Terriermon, Sam, Gatomon, Jazz, Lopmon, and Takuya all appear with ribbons of fractal code streaming out from behind them, a swirling green orb behind the ribbons of fractal code.)

Digital Phantom!

---

Chapter 21: A Shocking News

Dan just didn't understand what Andy had to gain from staying with him here. Dan was still trapped in this strange, fortified barrier. He was a full ghost, he didn't need to eat or sleep like Andy would. Andy stayed there, watching him.

"You know, just because we exist outside of time right now doesn't mean you won't eventually get hungry or need to sleep," Dan grumbled. "Those human needs are quite a nuisance, aren't they?"

"I'll manage," Andy replied.

Dan sneered. "Well, unlike you, as a full ghost, I don't need to eat or sleep." He taunted.

"I already figured as much," Andy said.

"How long do you plan to sit there then? Just wanted to keep an eye on the freak that your brother eventually became?" Dan sneered.

Andy didn't reply for a minute, leaving the two to sit in silence for a bit. "If you want my honest answer, I don't really know why myself. I should be disgusted or horrified of you, and in a way, I am. But… I don't want to leave you alone."

Dan just smirked. "Why? Are you too afraid of what I could do to you?" He mocked. He floated around in the barrier. "All I need is to return to my state before Clockwork turned me 14 again, and I could easily bust out of this barrier you trapped me in." He reached out to touch the barrier, but he felt the heat of the orange parts and pulled his hand back. "Or maybe not…" Dan noted with a frown. "That orange part's heat is intense."

"Apparently the barrier is made with ectoplasmic energy and digital energy, two opposite parts somehow fused together in harmony," Andy noted. "Patamon would have a field day with this."

Then Andy shook his head. "I guess I am afraid of what you could do, but… I'm also afraid for you. What's going to happen to you if you ever do get out of here and back into the timestream? Wouldn't you just cease to exist?"

Dan paused in his floating. "I… never considered what would happen if I tried to enter the timestream again." He noted, feeling a bit awkward now. He shook his head. "Stop trying to distract me!" He snapped to Andy. This kid is really getting on my nerves!

Andy rolled his eyes. "Even though you're part Vlad, you never considered that as a possibility? I guess you took on more of my brother's characteristics than Vlad's. Considering you appear to be 14 years old again and wearing Danny Phantom's hazmat suit instead of Vlad Plasmius's clothes instead of a mix between the two… yeah, it definitely looks like Danny's the dominant one between the two of you."

Dan seemed to pout like Danny almost. "Now I'm wondering why Plasmius's half never became the dominant side." He muttered grumpily.

"Plasmius is cunning and powerful, but Danny was a lot more emotional and seemed to have greater potential than Vlad," Andy theorized. "Perhaps in his grief and rage, he was able to overpower Plasimius's mind when he overshadowed him and the two of them fused. Ghosts seem to gain more power the more emotional they are, and teens are often very emotional."

Dan grumbled. "You're just as bad as my Andy, if not worse, when it comes to the psychobabble my sister used to spout all the time." He muttered.

Andy gave a small chuckle. "There's also the use of you talking about your family rather than Vlad's family."

Dan rolled his eyes.

"I'm curious though. If you are a full ghost, then why were you aging?" Andy asked. "How did you go from a 14 year old to a 24 year old?"

Dan grinned evilly. "Why, how I formed is the answer~" He taunted. "My new form, after I fused, aged up to find a balance. After all, I was a child ghost and Plasmius was an adult ghost."

Andy gave a look of interest. "And how did you talk to me in my head before?"

"Whenever you were holding onto a Time Medallion, you started to exist outside of time, making you capable of crossing through time itself. I was able to find a link with you then, using telepathy to talk to you," Dan answered. "Why am I telling you this? You don't deserve to know anything from me."

"What, would you prefer to just sit there in silence without being in the Thermos to keep you in a half conscious state?" Andy questioned.

Dan grimaced. "At least it would be better than being in that Thermos!" He snapped back. "My past self was too goody-goody two shoes to finish me off!"

Andy gave a curious look at Dan. "Then how about we make it a deal instead of an interrogation? Since I'm a different Andy compared to the one you knew, you can ask me questions I'm sure you have right now, and in return, I get to ask you questions. Deal?"

Dan grinned evilly. "Oh? I don't see why not." He replied sinisterly. I can use this to get information on these… 'Digimon', and then finish those off easily before I finish off this Andy and Mr. Time Ghost himself~

"Since I already asked you some questions, then it's only fair you get to ask me some," Andy stated. "So… what questions do you have?"

"Well, what are these… beings you have with you? You called them 'Digimon' I believe?" Dan asked, deciding to get to the point right away. "They never existed in my original timeline."

"Digimon is short for Digital Monsters," Andy began. "They're beings that were created by data, things like computer programs. Think of them as like… video game monsters that came to life and have sentience. They can evolve and get stronger. There are 'wild' ones, and ones who choose to stay with a human, which makes the human a Tamer. There are some exceptions, depending on the… Digimon's situation and relationship with the human though. Tamers get a special device called the D-Arc that links them to their Digimon, helping them use each other's strengths. It also gives energy from the human to the Digimon to help them evolve, or digivolve as they prefer to call it. It's pretty complex, but that's the simplest explanation I could give. Dorumon and the others came from another world called the Digital World. It's separate from our world and the Ghost Zone, though it's theorized humans may have created the Digital World through the use of our technology and imagination."

Dan grunted. "So Digimon are data, huh? Not surprising." He mocked before he realized something. "Wait… Digimon can evolve and become stronger?" He grinned evilly. "Well, I would like to challenge one sometime then! I wonder how strong they can get~"

"Heh…" Andy couldn't help but chuckle. "So you want to challenge one to see how strong they can be rather than destroy them just because you can?"

"Why not?" Dan smirked back. "It would show these Digimon that I am the strongest ghost in existence!"

"Until you lost to me, the 'lowly halfa', and his 'pet Digimon' and cousin." Andy smirked right back.

Dan grumbled. "You know how to ruin the mood, don't you?" He whined.

"I'm a brother, it's kind of my job sometimes." Andy grinned.

Dan huffed as he folded his arms in a pout. "You're no fun!" He pouted. Dan then realized what he was acting like and shook his head. "I am Dan Plasmius! I'm not human anymore! Stop trying to make me act like my past self!" He demanded, but his cheeks held what felt like a blush, much to his dismay.

"Come on, Mr. Grumpy-pants." Andy smirked. "I'm sure you have more questions, I'll let you ask one more before I ask one of mine."

Dan grumbled. "Fine… how can a ghost get to the Digital World, and can they survive there?" He muttered. I want to know so I can find a way to expand my influence for ghosts...

"A ghost can't normally get to the Digital World," Andy answered. "A ghost could probably survive there. But I've only known one ghost to have gotten into the Digital World, and he mutated with another Digimon. I can't say whether or not he would've survived long without fusing with that Digimon, and even then they were really unstable."

Dan felt his ectoplasm in his face fade away, looking even paler than he already did. "Forget I asked that then…" He murmured. So a ghost could possibly survive there, but not without possibly fading away as well. Yeah, I will stay away from this Digital World...

Dan then grumbled. "Okay, so you answered my questions, so I guess it's your turn to ask me questions. Although I'm not looking forward to you picking apart my thoughts." He huffed.

"Then I'll ask an easy one," Andy said. "What is it like, being a full ghost?"

Dan grinned at the question. "Ah, now that one is an easy response." He replied with his fangs showing due to his grin being so wide. "It's amazing! No need to eat and sleep, no human needs, one is more durable, and I can spook all the humans I want!" Before I finish them off anyway. He added to himself mentally. "And no human wants to mess with a ghost if they aren't a hunter!"

Andy gave it some thought. "But don't you miss it? Don't you miss having your humanity at all?"

Dan groaned. "Don't you dare go there! I am not letting you pick apart my thoughts!" He grumbled. But he was finding he was now wondering about that, much to his displeasure. "And now you're making me feel funny!" He added angrily. Sure enough, he was indeed feeling funny, like there was a warm feeling deep in his cold core. It was a feeling that was familiar and yet foreign at the same time, and he hated it.

"All I did was ask if you missed being human." Andy rolled his eyes. "Don't get all paranoid on me now."

"No, I mean it! I feel this warm feeling and I hate it!" Dan protested. I don't want it! It doesn't belong in my cold core! I am supposed to hate humans, and yet here I am, feeling all warm and fuzzy around a human!"

Andy raised an eyebrow. "You mean you're starting to feel human-like emotions? That maybe what you possibly feel could be… sibling love?"

Dan looked freaked out. "No! No, no, no, no, NO! I cannot feel love for a sibling! I cannot!" Dan panicked. He was starting to feel like he was losing his grip on his sense of self now. "I am the feared Dan Plasmius! I am not supposed to feel love! I am not!"

"Dan! Dan!" Andy called, but Dan wasn't paying any attention to him and was still freaking out. "DANNY FENTON! YOU LISTEN TO ME RIGHT NOW!"

Dan stopped freaking out at hearing his old, and decidedly human, name. He hadn't heard that name in years, centuries to be exact. So to be called that name was like a slap to the face. He was staring at Andy now. "H-huh?"

Andy let out a sigh. "Okay, even though you're a ghost, take a deep breath and let it out. Clear your mind and just relax for a moment."

Dan did as Andy instructed, despite not wanting to do so; his body was just reacting to Andy's words. He took in a breath and let it out. "Okay, you got me to do what you wanted… Now what?" Dan asked in a grumpy manner.

"Now I believe it's your turn to ask me a question," Andy replied.

Dan huffed. "How can you make me feel so much like my past self when I am not him?" He grumbled, folding his arms in a huff again.

"I can't say for sure," Andy said. "But I have a theory. You're made up of both Danny and Vlad, at least their ghost halves. Danny really cares for me, and Vlad… he at least has an interest in me. Perhaps talking to me now, after not being able to talk to me for however long it's been for you, is bringing back the emotions you've been trying so hard to bury and ignore."

Dan pouted, looking a lot like Danny when he did that. "That's not fair!" He whined. "I'm supposed to be a feared ghost! Not feeling all these sappy emotions!"

Andy couldn't help but start laughing.

"What's so funny!?" Dan snapped.

"It's just… you're starting to sound like a little kid throwing a tantrum!" Andy laughed.

Dan paled. "You've got to be kidding me!" He exclaimed. "I can't sound like that!" He whined.

"Come on, you totally do." Andy grinned. "You're just complaining about being 'the most feared ghost in the world', yet you're 'being weighed down by sappy emotions'! That's totally something a child would say!"

Dan groaned as he buried his head in his hands. "I thought I was supposed to get my kicks from being feared and having everyone scared of me!" He moaned. "I should vaporize you for this…"

"You should, but would you?" Andy questioned, raising an eyebrow, though he was still having bits of laughter.

Dan groaned as he realized he, in fact, could not bring himself to vaporize Andy. "You're lucky I choose to spare you…" He said, trying to sound like he was in control, when in fact, he was not. He hated feeling like this, as he was normally prideful and enjoyed being in control, but now that he was not, he felt so… small...

"Now I think it's my turn," Andy spoke up after calming down from his bouts of laughter. "Why did you think removing your ghost half from your human half would help you stop feeling the pain of… what happened in your timeline?"

Dan groaned. "I don't know! I just thought it would!" He then sighed. "I wasn't in my right mind when I wanted to do that, okay? You of all people should know what grief can do to a human when not checked." He then sneered at Andy. "Isn't that right? Since you seem to like picking apart my thoughts."

Andy raised an eyebrow. "I'll admit that I was feeling a lot of grief when I thought Danny… uh… my Danny died in the portal accident, though that was only for like a minute before we discovered he was alive. Otherwise, I've never really seen how much grief could mess up a person. I'm still learning these things, and, well, I'm only 14 years old. Other than Danny, I did lose Dorumon for a bit, but he turned out alright. I haven't had any real great losses yet. I would rather not have those to be honest though."

Dan grunted. "Let;s hope you don't." He said before he realized what he had said and tried to correct himself. "Although I wouldn't object, since misery loves company~" He added, trying to keep up his sadistic attitude.

But Dan became curious. "Wait a minute… did you say your grief for your Danny only lasted a minute? What about when you found out he was a ghost? … You did find out, didn't you?"

"I'll take that as your question," Andy remarked. "And yeah, I did find out. I wasn't sure what to think, I came up with all sorts of theories. Though the one I settled on was that Phantom was living in Danny's body for some reason. I didn't stick with the much darker and more probable conclusion that he was actually dead. I almost did, but Dorumon and Takuya kept me from falling too far into that thought process."

Dan frowned a little. "I see… Unlike my Andy, you had help in staying grounded mentally." He then groaned. "No wonder you're better than my Andy mentally! You had help to channel your grief!" He exclaimed.

Andy winced a little. "Really? Your Andy didn't have Takuya with him there at least? He was on his own the entire time?"

"Of course not! My Andy had no help! No Digimon, no cousin, nothing, nada!" Dan exclaimed as he rubbed the sides of his head. "He went insane thinking I, when I was still half human, was dead!"

Andy paled at the thought that he could've gone insane if Dorumon and Takuya hadn't been there with him when they discovered Danny's secret.

Dan then gave a sigh. "Most of it was my own damn fault though. I kept the secret from him when he should've been the person I trusted the most with this. I was just too much of a coward to face him, to think of what he would do or think of me if he knew I was some half ghost abomination! Even though I saw how stressed out and uneasy he was around me lately, I just pretended like it was nothing instead of trying to see what was wrong. I let it go too far, I let him fall into the abyss of insanity."

Then Dan frowned. "He almost killed me."

Andy's eyes went wide at that.

"But… he managed to pull himself back together before he did," Dan stated. "After that, we had a long talk… well, Skulker decided to be butt and kidnapped both of us into the Ghost Zone. But we did have that much needed talk. Things got a lot better since then, but I don't think my Andy really truly recovered from that. Not that I would know anymore since my Andy no longer exists."

"You sounded like you were pretty close to him until the accident," Andy noted.

Dan grunted. "I was, but then again, weren't you the same way?" He retorted, but there was less bite to the retort this time.

"Of course, we're twins after all, we share a bond not many others would have," Andy replied with a small sad smile. "... I'll take my question now… what was your life like when you were still human?"

Dan rolled his eyes. "Get comfy, it's a long story."

---

Meanwhile, 12 years in the future…

The morning sun was starting to rise in the skies of Amity Park. People were getting up and going to work, some were coming back home from a night shift. The birds were flying around, chirping. Some bird-like Digimon joined the birds, as well as the ghost birds. Things looked peaceful and serene.

That is until just about every TV in Amity Park, including the big ones on buildings, sent out an alarm that woke up everyone who was sleeping, especially those outside.

Danny yelped as he heard this loud alarm going off. "Whoa!" He jumped up from his sleeping bag.

Tucker and Sam were scrambling around in their sleeping bags, getting all tangled up. Dorumon let out a yelp as someone punched him in the nose, and he quickly curled up. Echo rolled a few feet away in his own sleeping bag as if preparing for someone to attack and he was trying to dodge.

When everyone got themselves situated, they realized they weren't in any immediate danger, just that there was a very loud and obnoxious siren going off on the TVs of Amity Park.

Danny sat up, rubbing his head. "Wow… that's a way to wake someone up." He noted as he got out of his sleeping back.

"Yeah, and very rude." Sam grumbled as she sat up as well. "That was loud."

"It still is loud!" Dorumon shouted, holding his ears.

Danny and Echo were covering their ears as well, likely because their hearing was more enhanced. Thankfully, the alarm finally stopped.

"They better have a darn good reason for waking up the whole city like this…" Tucker grumbled.

Suddenly, the building TV showed some kind of giant yeti-like monster with white fur, and wearing a blue cape of some kind. On its right arm was a gold band, and it wore a gold belt that sat above or on a blue tunic that covered its lower waist. The left arm was covered in ice, showing the bones of its arms, and it had icy horns from the top of its head as well. The irises were purple, and the yeti-like monster ghost had sharp fangs that protruded out of his mouth from his lower jaw. The beast even had a tail.

"Whoa, that's a scary looking monster," Danny commented. "Wouldn't want to cross his path…"

Echo almost broke down laughing at that comment, and had to cover his face with his hands to keep from bursting out. Danny blinked, not sure why Echo found his comment so funny.

"Citizens of Amity Park! I apologize for such a rude wake up call, but I am here to bring you news on behalf of the Great One and our beloved, benevolent, young king!" The yeti ghost spoke with pride and passion. "It is about the news of Jack Fenton and Maddie Fenton, so to anyone this may concern, I hope you are listening- what?"

The yeti ghost was looking at someone off screen. "But you wanted- … Oh… uh… my apologies… wait, is that camera still on? Citizens! I plea that you forget what you just saw for a second. I will be giving the news shortly!"

Danny blinked. "Wh-what was that about?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "That was… weird…"

Tucker grinned. "But that yeti-like monster is so badass! I wonder how strong he is!"

Sam grumbled. "Why are you fanboying over a ghost like that when something big is going down?"

Tucker pouted. "I can do that too!" He pouted.

"Shhh! This is important, it involves my parents. This is why I came back to Amity Park in the first place," Echo hushed them.

The group quieted down as they watched the screen anxiously. The yeti ghost came back on camera, and was looking at a piece of paper, likely a script.

"Jack and Maddie Fenton, former ghost hunters, have been serving under the Ancients and begging Penance for the past 10 years now. We have now reached our verdict on their sentence since they had reached the allotted time," The yeti ghost stated.

Echo felt his heart pounding in his ears, he almost felt faint. The anxiety and the suspense was starting to drive him up the wall, he wanted… he needed to know if his parents would finally be released from their ten year long sentence. Danny couldn't help but feel nervous for Echo, he could pretty much feel the anxiety rolling off of Echo. Dorumon was looking nervous too, his tail swayed back and forth. Tucker and Sam just looked at each other, both having a bad feeling about the outcome.

"It is with this day we announce… that Jack and Maddie Fenton… have not been reformed enough to be released from their sentence, and will have to beg Penance again." The yeti ghost revealed. "This is for the Great One's safety, and for the former ghost hunters' own well-being so they do not make such a grave mistake again."

Echo stood stock still when he heard that, his eyes wide, his mouth halfway open like a scream got stuck in his throat.

"That is all, please carry on with your lives and afterlives," The yeti finished before the TV went to a normal commercial.

Danny looked at Echo. "Um… Echo… are you okay?" He asked, unsure of what else to say.

Dorumon looked back at Echo. "Echo…?"

After a moment of frozen silence, Echo finally spoke. "Not… reformed enough? Ten years… ten years… TEN FUCKING YEARS! My parents didn't waste ten years of their lives just to be told they're not reformed enough because of a mistake they made TEN YEARS ago! Something that a certain someone shares the blame and the responsibility for!"

Danny blinked. Even if this was a future version of his brother, it still shocked him to hear Echo drop the f-bomb like that. "E-Echo…? I… are you okay? I…" Danny trailed off, not sure what else to say, lest Echo turn his rage towards him.

Sam whistled. "Wow. I didn't expect Echo to be one to swear like that."

Echo didn't look at the teens, his body shaking for a moment. Dorumon didn't say anything, all he could do was wait for Echo's decision.

"Echo… please, say something," Danny tried.

Echo suddenly turned to them, his eyes glowing a bright purple. He was angry. "I won't stand for this, not anymore. Ten years may not seem like a long time to those old farts, but that's a hell of a long time for humans, especially humans who were in their 40s 10 years ago! They're not going to take more time away from my parents. I don't care if I have to break every law or Taboo the Ghost Zone has, my parents are coming out of there now!"

Before anyone could say anything, Echo began running. "Dorumon, digivolve!"

"Dorumon… Digivolve to…" Dorumon was surrounded by fractal code as he felt the energy of Echo's will fill him. His skin began to peel away from his face and head, then his stomach and his tail was last to lose the skin. But as he regained his skin, his claws and legs came back first, then his wings came back with skin, flaring open to reveal their larger size, his tail swung around once as it regained the skin, and then his head and face were last to regain their skin. "Dorugamon!"

Now evolved, Dorugamon got down low to the ground so Echo could get on his back. "I'm ready, Echo."

Echo jumped onto Dorugamon's back, and Dorugamon took off into the air.

"Wait! Where are you going!?" Tucker shouted.

"Where do you think!?" Sam snapped. "We have to stop him before he does something he'll regret!"

Danny agreed. "We should. Echo is not acting rationally; he is reacting to his anger. He will do something reckless unless we go after him, like now." He said before he stood up.

"Then stop wasting time and move!" Sam frantically said.

"But he said not to go ghost here…" Danny frowned. "... I guess that's thrown out the window now."

Although Danny knew it was a bad idea, he knew if he didn't stop his future brother, Echo could get into serious trouble. Danny cared too much for his brother for that to happen, even if he was a different timeline future version of Andy. Danny grabbed onto Tucker and Sam's arms. "Hang on!"

Danny reached into his core and let himself transform into his ghost form, and he quickly took off into the sky with his friends, going after Dorugamon. Though Danny was pretty far behind.

"Faster Danny!" Tucker urged.

Danny fused his legs into his ghostly tail so he could gather speed. "I'll try, but Dorugamon is a fast flyer. I may not be able to keep up with him." He said. "But I will as heck try."

While Dorugamon was flying, someone familiar was coming towards them. Echo smiled a little, knowing who it was. Valerie was on her hoverboard, with Gomamon on it in front of her.

"We saw the news. I knew you weren't going to take that sitting down," Valerie said.

"I sure as hell wasn't," Echo agreed.

"What's wrong with these ghosts? Are they that butthurt about what happened between their precious king and the Fentons that they wanted to keep them away from him for another ten years? They do know ten years is long for humans, right?" Valerie frowned.

"Sometimes I don't think they do," Echo hissed. "Or they don't care."

Dorugamon grunted. "Makes me wonder why the Celestials haven't intervened in that area. They themselves know how long it is for humans, despite being digital data like me." He muttered.

Valerie sighed. "You know perfectly well why the Celestials can't intervene; this is outside their world, so they can't because it could mean war due to the Digital-Spectral Pact being in effect. Those eyeballs would see it as encroaching on Ghost Zone law."

Dorugamon grumbled. "Still hasn't stopped me from wondering…" He muttered.

"The why doesn't matter, what matters is how are we going to do this?" Gomamon questioned.

"Admittedly I don't think we'll be able to spring my parents without breaking some Taboos. Ghosts love their laws after all," Echo grumbled. "To the point they have ways to make their punishments literal, like with the restraining order. Valerie, I'd rather you and Gomamon didn't get involved. I don't want to give the Ancients or the factions reasons to go after you. I've already lost enough people due to them."

Valerie frowned. "But if you do go and try to spring your parents, you may need my help. I don't care if you don't want me involved. I'm helping you out whether you like it or not, Echo." She insisted.

"Valerie…" Echo sighed. "Alright, fine. I'd rather you didn't just come after me without me knowing. Have you seen Takuya at all lately?"

Valerie nodded. "I did. He came as soon as the news was mentioned. He saw it in the Digital World, and he had a feeling you might try something." She replied with a sheepish grin. "It's hard to miss that fire of his when he comes. I think he got that flashy side from observing… well… you know who."

Echo rolled his eyes.

"So what's Takuya going to do? Is he going to help us or is he going to try to stop us?" Dorugamon questioned.

"Where does he stand?" Echo added.

Valerie frowned. "Well… this is his family, so he feels he should at least help, but given how he is the representative of the Digital World to the Ghost Zone… that kinda ties his hands. He can't actually help, but he won't let you do something risky. He may try to stop you to be honest, since he is a Legendary Warrior and all, but I don't think it will be out of spite." She admitted at last. "But if he does try to stop you, I will do what I can to help you."

"We'll do what we can to save your parents, Echo," Gomamon said with determination.

"Thank you, both of you," Echo said back. I guess I should've expected Takuya would have to be against us. After all, unlike me, he, Jazz, Tucker, Sam, and… Danny all became powerful and important people. While I just ran away like a coward. Well… no more. I'm taking my parents back, they'll be coming with me. We'll travel and hide out together. Away from these ghosts who want to condemn them!

"Let's head to the portal now," Echo said.

"Stop! Please!" Someone from behind shouted.

Valerie and Gomamon turned back, surprised and confused. "What the?"

"Ignore them, they're not the same people we know," Echo quickly said. "They're just a nuisance."

Valerie frowned, but nodded. "Very well. Let's go see if we can spring your parents then." She said, but something niggled at her brain, telling her to not ignore the people that were coming up on them.

They flew to Fenton Works, going straight through the door, making a beeline for the lab. Danny, who was still struggling to catch up, turned himself and his friend intangible as he flew towards the lab himself.

"Wait, Danny!" Sam spoke up. "That's the Ghost Zone, we'll be going in there without any protection!"

Danny froze, coming to a hover. "Well, what do you want me to do? We can't let Echo do something reckless, and he is going in there!" Danny protested.

"Dude, you… you need to go on alone," Tucker said. "Sam and I will just slow you down."

"What?" Danny frowned.

"Tucker's right, Danny, you'll be faster if you fly after them on your own. The Ghost Zone is your element. Dorugamon may be fast, but you'll have an easier time to catch him in the Ghost Zone, and… just… be careful with Valerie," Sam warned.

Danny frowned, but knew his friends had a point. "I…" He sighed. "Okay… Just… find a place to hide or leave FentonWorks once I set you down. I… I will see you when I get back, and I will be careful." He promised.

"Good. And I don't think you have to worry about us," Sam said as Danny put them down on the floor. "Our Digimon partners couldn't come with us because they weren't wearing these medallions, right? So what would happen if we took them off?"

Danny grimaced. "You would go back to our time, I think." He said. "But I'm not sure that is a good idea. I don't know if that is true or not." He added.

"We have to at least try," Tucker said. "Besides, that Skulltech and Box Lunch disappeared when their medallions came off, so that should be a good sign, right? We'll see you back in our time, dude. Good luck out here."

Tucker gave Danny the thumbs up before he took off his Time Medallion. Tucker disappeared in a flash of light, and so did his Time Medallion, likely returning to Clockwork.

Sam looked at Danny. "Be careful, Danny…"

She reached up and took off her own Time Medallion, disappearing in a flash of light like Tucker did. Sam's own Time Medallion disappeared with her. Danny looked back at the Ghost Portal before he took in a deep breath and flew in after Echo and Valerie. Time to get to that hot-headed brother of mine.

Danny flew through the Ghost Portal. He couldn't see Dorugamon or Valerie, but he could sense them. Digital Beings didn't usually come in here, neither did the living, so it was easy to trace them. Danny quickly flew after them as fast as he could.

Echo shivered. He hadn't been in the Ghost Zone in a long time, he had forgotten how… different it felt here. Echo vehemently refused to acknowledge the feeling though, it was a feeling he despised, especially after what happened 10 years ago. It was the feeling of longing, of feeling right at home in this accursed place. It was a part of Echo wished he had casted away long ago.

"Being in the Ghost Zone always gives me the creeps… it's like the entire world itself doesn't want me here," Valerie shivered, having her face cover on.

Too bad it's the opposite for me. Even though I'm half human, the Ghost Zone apparently welcomes any kind of ghosts. Well, I'm not a ghost. I'm human with ghostly traits. Echo inwardly growled.

Then as they flew, they noticed something was… different about the Ghost Zone. It was a lot cooler, the green skies of the Ghost Zone shifted to a cooler blue, resembling more like the sky in the living world. The floating islands looked a lot bigger, almost like continent sized islands. Each continent was filled with something, like a city, a jungle, a forest, a tropical island, a volcano, and a snowy mountain. It was almost like Earth and the Ghost Zone were combined here. There were some places that had fractal codes surrounding it.

"Looks like the Ghost King has been busy…" Echo bitterly stated.

Valerie blinked. "This is the Ghost Zone? It looks like a combination of the Ghost Zone, Earth, and the Digital World. And yet my scanners are picking up large concentrations of ectoplasm everywhere, so it is definitely the Ghost Zone, at least based on that." She noted with some surprise and awe.

"And the feeling of unwelcomeness started to diminish," Gomamon noted.

"I hardly even recognize it," Dorugamon remarked as he looked around.

"Try to stay focused. We're here to find my parents, not to sightsee," Echo spoke up.

"But everything looks so different, do you even know where your parents are?" Valerie asked.

"Of course I do. I visited them every year, remember?" Echo reminded. "Just follow me and Dorugamon, finding them isn't going to be a problem… It's getting to them that's going to be a challenge."

Valerie frowned, but nodded. "I don't doubt it then. I will back you up the best I can." She said seriously. "I just hope your idea doesn't get us all in trouble." She added. "The last thing we need is a Digimon-Ghost war breaking out."

"Sorry, Val, but no matter how you look at it, we are going to get in trouble," Echo warned. "That's why I didn't want you coming with us."

Valerie smirked wryly. "Well, fat chance of me bailing on you now." She joked. "I said I would help you see this through, so I will."

"So lead on!" Gomamon added.

Dorugamon flew faster as Echo guided him on where to go. Echo would never say how he was able to navigate through the confusing maze of the Ghost Zone, but Dorugamon figured it was a ghost thing that Echo didn't like talking about. Echo had been shying away from his ghost half since the trial 10 years ago, finding more shame and embarrassment in anything to do with his ghost half, whether it was natural or if he willingly used his powers for whatever reason. Dorugamon couldn't blame Echo though, it was ghosts that landed his parents into trouble in the first place, and it was ghosts that took his family away.

As they were flying through the Ghost Zone, a large flare of flames bursted out in front of them. They all stopped, seeing a large ball of fire floating in front of them. Then after a second, the flames dissipated, revealing a familiar figure. It had been a long time, but Echo remembered the form well. The black bodysuit, the red armor, orange wings, golden blasters on the arms, and the white head with sharp blue eyes stood out as the red tail twitched behind him. It was BurningGreymon.

"It's been a while." The Beast Warrior of Flame noted in his gruff voice. There was clear regret in his voice as well, showing he did not want to stop Echo, but he would if he had to.

"Takuya," Echo stated, referring to the beast's true name. "Looks like you've gotten stronger and bigger since I last saw you."

BurningGreymon chuckled. "Well, you know how it is." He said sadly. "But I think you know why I'm here." He added. "I don't want to do this, but if I have to, I will stop you."

"What do you think we're doing that would require a Legendary Warrior, and the ambassador for the Digital World, to come here in person to try to stop us?" Dorugamon questioned.

"I saw the news." BurningGreymon revealed. "I knew you wouldn't take that laying down. If Dorugamon and Gomamon help you, this could be considered an act of malice against the Ancients of the Ghost Zone as well as their laws." He looked down. "I understand what you are doing and why, but this is going against the Taboos, and if Dorugamon and Gomamon are helping you, the Digital World would be considered part of it." He added.

"We can explain the situation to them," Valerie said. "And if they still call it an act of malice against the old farts of the Ghost Zone, then too bad, they shouldn't have tried to keep two parents, who aren't getting any younger, away from their families for so long."

BurningGreymon sighed. "You know how literal the Ghost Zone's rulers can act. Even if I tried to help explain it, they would still take it the wrong way." He admitted. "So, to protect the Digital World from going to war with the Ghost Zone, I have no choice but to take action. I'm sorry, I really am."

"Must it really end this way, Takuya?" Echo asked in a tone of regret as well.

When BurningGreymon didn't answer back, and instead, began to power up his flames, Echo let out a sigh. "Very well then…"

Dorugamon growled, getting ready to battle when Valerie suddenly flew in front of them. "Echo… no… Andy, there's no point in hiding your name anymore. You leave this hothead to Gomamon and me. We've had more than our fair share of battling with fiery Digimon to be able to handle this one."

BurningGreymon heard this and gave a chuckle. "It's been a while since we last fought, Red Huntress. I'll admit, under better circumstances I wish we could do this, but if we must, I will not hold back."

"Are you sure, Valerie? He's a Legendary Warrior for a reason you know," Echo warned. "You and Gomamon could get seriously hurt."

Valerie nodded. "I'm sure. I've fought enough fiery Digimon, but I also know not to underestimate a Digimon. Some of them have been stronger than they look." She then smirked. "I'll be careful, I promise."

"Don't worry, we've got this, you two go on ahead." Gomamon smiled with reassurance.

"Then we'll leave this up to you two," Echo… Andy said. "Let's go, Dorugamon!"

Dorugamon quickly flew away. BurningGreymon could've tried to go after them, and Andy knew it too, but BurningGreymon let them go, choosing to face with Valerie and Gomamon instead.

"I would suggest you start in your strongest form, because Gomamon and I won't be holding back either," Valerie stated as she held her D-Arc close to her chest.

BurningGreymon chuckled. "It's been a while since I used this form." He admitted before fractal code surrounded him and his form seemed to shrink down. The code dissipated, revealing a familiar form that looked like a combination of Agunimon and BurningGreymon. The form's lower legs were those of BurningGreymon and the form also had the same wings, tail, and armor, but the rest of the form was Agunimon. This was Aldamon, his Fusion form. "I hope you know what you are doing if we go at it like this." Aldamon warned.

"Gomamon and I have gotten a lot stronger since you last saw us, Takuya," Valerie said.

"I can't believe we're about to fight against a Legendary Warrior," Gomamon remarked before grinning. "This should be fun."

Valerie's D-Arc glowed brightly as it began to beep loudly. "BIOMERGE ACTIVATE!"

Dorugamon and Andy could see a bright flash of blue light and fractal codes behind them.

"She activated the biomerge!" Dorugamon noted.

"Keep going, don't look back!" Andy quickly said.

Dorugamon looked on ahead, still going in the direction Andy wanted him to go. "As you wish." He said seriously. Valerie and Gomamon are stronger now. They can handle themselves.

Danny himself was nearly blinded by that bright flash of light. He knew he was getting closer to Andy, but he sensed powerful beings in that flash of light. He was going to stay the heck away from them as much as he could while he continued to fly after his future brother.

Andy, I won't let you do this! You can't do this! I promise, I will stop you from making a mistake! Danny thought as he picked up speed, flying faster than he ever had before. And you can't lose me so easily!

Danny was sure he broke his last speed record with how fast he was moving. He was nearly going tunnel vision at this point. Danny then saw Dorugamon and Andy, he was quickly catching up to them.

"We should be getting there soon," Andy remarked.

"Andy… I think we have company," Dorugamon warned.

Andy frowned as he turned his head back, and saw his past brother quickly flying towards them.

"Wait! Stop!" Danny cried as he flew closer to Andy and Dorugamon. "Please, just stop!"

"Stop following me! I'm doing this for them, for our parents, Danny! Do you really want them to be stuck here against their will for another 10 years!?" Andy shouted.

Danny didn't slow down. "Of course not! But you're not thinking rationally! You need to stop and think this through!" He exclaimed. "The Andy I knew wouldn't be so reckless like that!"

"Then you don't even know me at all. I'm not the Andy you knew! It's been 12 years for me, Danny, and 10 years of hiding and running away!" Andy snapped. "You don't understand everything I had to go through! But I will never break, and I will never let my parents suffer here for any longer than they should! They've paid for their mistakes, they've been trying hard to repent, and it hurts to see the sadness and self loathing I see in their eyes every year I visit them! Punishing them further would only be the work of cruelty, not justice! So no matter what, even if I have to break the Taboos and become a real criminal in all three worlds myself, whatever I have to do, I'll give my parents the freedom they deserve in the end!"

Danny felt bad for his future brother, but he wasn't going to let him continue down this path. "Look, I may not understand you, but I do want to help you. You can't just rush in like this. You need to calm down and think about this! Would they want you to do this for them?! Would Mom and Dad want you to become a real criminal in all three worlds just to give them the freedom they deserve?!" He countered, feeling resolve building in his voice.

Andy and Dorugamon didn't seem to be listening to him as they kept going. Danny felt adrenaline coursing through him and he had a large boost in speed, he didn't know how, but he managed to overtake Dorugamon and fly in front of them. Though Dorugamon didn't stop, he did slow down a bit, surprised at the ghost boy suddenly in front of them. Andy looked surprised too, having not expected Danny to have overtaken Dorugamon like he did.

"Please listen! I know you want to save Mom and Dad from their fate, and you want to be with them again, but surely there's a better way then trying to bust them out and condemning all of you to a life of being wanted criminals!" Danny stated loudly. "Surely you can try talking or reasoning with the Ancients or the ghost king or whatever instead of hastily trying to bust them out, right?"

Andy gave an unsure look. He heard Danny's logic loud and clear, but his emotional side was yelling at him that the Ancients wouldn't listen, like they wouldn't listen to him 10 years ago, what made him think they were going to now?

Danny, seeing that Andy did at least look like he was considering what he said, tried to push the logic more.

"If you do bust Mom and Dad out, what would this lead to for Takuya and the Digital World? How would he react to this? This doesn't just affect you, you know! This affects him and Jazz as well!" Danny argued. "This may not be the only course of action! There surely must be other actions you can take besides busting Mom and Dad out of wherever they are here!" He felt a bit more hopeful that Andy would listen to him at the very least.

"Why would the Ancients and the Ghost King listen to me?" Andy asked as Dorugamon was still flying and Danny was still flying backwards to stay in front of them, it was a lot harder for someone to ignore a person if they're looking right at you after all. "I'm nothing to them, nothing but just some trash run away who couldn't even face the consequences of his parents' actions."

Danny frowned, but he didn't back down. "There is always another way. You might have run away, but you had your reasons. No one can blame you for that. You didn't want to lose your memories, that's understandable." Danny countered. "If you just explain that, then maybe they will understand why you did what you did. It can't be that hard, can it? Or is it that you just don't want to?" Danny knew he was taking a gamble here, but it was one he was willing to take.

"To face the Ancients, to talk to the Ghost King, that would mean I would have to…" Andy hesitated to end that sentence.

"Whatever it is, it surely can't be as bad as becoming a criminal in all three worlds, right?" Danny asked.

"He won't care, he won't! To him, they were just people who hurt him!" Andy snapped. "Why would he listen to me now? He likely wanted them to stay locked up so they can't hurt him anymore!"

"You don't know that!" Danny shouted back. "You don't know that! And why? Because you haven't even tried to talk to him!" He countered.

"If you were in my shoes, you wouldn't either!" Andy argued.

"That's like saying the future is set in stone, which it isn't! I was told that by my Andy, by the past version of you!" Danny countered back. "He told me the future isn't set in stone, that it is always changing! If you're so sure the Ghost King won't listen to you, then maybe your past self was wrong! Maybe the future is set in stone after all!"

"Well maybe I'd rather be on the run again than have to confront you after all these years!" Andy snapped.

At that, it felt like time just froze for both brothers, even though Dorugamon and Danny were still moving.

"... I… didn't mean that," Andy quickly said, paling at what he just said to Danny.

"Wait… confront… me?" Danny asked, confused now. Wait… confront the Ghost King… Confront me… is… is he saying that… "I'm the Ghost King in the future?!" Danny exclaimed in shock.

"No, of course not! You couldn't pull off being the king of anything, especially at such a young age," Andy quickly remedied. "I… I just meant you… uh… work… for the Ghost King!"

Dorugamon rolled his eyes, knowing the outburst couldn't be taken back.

Danny frowned. "Well… if I work for the Ghost King in the future, can't you at least talk to my future self about this and see if you can get an audience with the Ghost King then?" He asked, although he was getting the feeling future Andy was lying to him. "... Or am I the Ghost King…? And you are too afraid to face me because of that?" Danny added with a frown.

Dorugamon began to slow down and Danny also slowed down, until they were just hovering now.

"Awkward," Dorugamon commented.

"Andy… which is it?" Danny asked firmly.

"Remember what I said about the dangers of you knowing your future too much?" Andy frowned. "You should take off your Time Medallion and return to your timeline now."

"Wait… you knew I could take this off and go back to my time?" Danny asked. "Why didn't you say that before?"

"I figured Clockwork must've had some reason to send you here. Telling you take it off would just result in him dragging you back," Andy answered. "But I think you've overstayed your welcome. You should leave, now."

"No." Danny countered. "I won't. Not until you tell me if I am the Ghost King or not." He said firmly. "Because if I am, then it explains everything, even why you refuse to face me. You're afraid. You're afraid my future self won't be so forgiving, that my future self won't want to be around Mom and Dad anymore, that you would be judged as being unimportant."

Andy tried with every fiber of his being to not flinch or wince at how on the money Danny was on that. "You shouldn't be here, Danny, go home."

"No." Danny said firmly. "Not until you tell me why you are so afraid of facing my future self." He was serious about what he was saying. "You shouldn't be so afraid, Andy. You're not going to be judged harshly, nor will you not be forgiven. You know me, you know me, bro." Danny smiled softly. "When have I ever not forgiven you, bro?"

Andy couldn't even look at Danny in the eyes. "You would… but you're the 14 years old Danny, before all that's happened, before the trial, before the lair, before the shadows, before the Mortifier… 10 years is a long time, Danny. You could be a completely different person for all I know… What could I say to him? What would he see when he sees me? He's become and done many great things since that trial 10 years ago… and all I've done was hide and run away like a coward. I've tried casting my ghost half away. He would just be ashamed to be related to me at this point. Heh… maybe the Ancients even gave him something to make him forget about me too… I can't… I can't face that… I'd rather die for real…"

Danny frowned. "You don't know that… You never did know that. As I have said, the future is ever changing, never set in one path. For all you know, my future self, your brother, could just want to hug you and want to bond with you again. He may be missing you so much, he cries himself to bed at night."

"That's what I suggested," Dorugamon commented. "But…"

Andy looked down, it was true he didn't know. Even with his future sight, he could never see his brother with them. But because he didn't know, he was terrified. Dorugamon tried to tell him otherwise before, but Dorugamon wasn't Danny, how would he know? Unfortunately for Andy, he couldn't really use the same argument with Danny, because he is Dnany.

"How are you so sure? You may be Danny, but he's 10 years apart from you. How do you know that something didn't change him in those 10 years? How do you know something wouldn't change you in 10 years? How do you know that the Ancients didn't spike his drink to make him forget because he was hurting that I left? After all, they did that so he wouldn't be hurt for condemning our parents…" Andy asked in a quiet tone.

"Andy, I am Danny. Sure, I may not be your Danny, but I am still him." Danny said softly. "It's true I may not know if your version of me has changed, but you can't keep running from him forever. If you just go and talk to him, I'm sure things will work out somehow." He said reassuringly. "I mean, it can't hurt to try, right?"

"Yes, it would hurt, a lot…" Andy sighed.

Danny was about to say something when suddenly a bright blue glowing net grabbed him out of nowhere and pulled him away. Andy and Dorugamon were shocked at the rudeness of that net.

Dorugamon growled as his pupils turned into slits. "I know that kind of attack." He growled out. "It's the Guys in White!"

"Let me go!" Danny cried from within the net. "Let me go! Help!" He could not turn intangible and phase through the net, nor could he use his ghost rays to escape either.

There was a cloaked white jet that uncloaked itself as it was dragging the struggling Danny.

"To think we would run into that ghost kid of all people out here, and without any of his guards," One of the Guys in White agents grinned.

Then Dorugamon flew at the thick rope that was pulling Danny and started biting into it.

"Looks like we have a digital monster trying to break the ghost out," The other agent noted in annoyance.

Dorugamon didn't let up on trying to break the rope of the net, but then electrical energy coursed down the net from the jet, shocking Dorugamon so much that he was forced to let go of the net so as to not get hurt anymore by it. "Ow…"

"Are you oka-" Andy started to ask before fractal code surrounded Dorugamon. "Dorugamon!"

Dorugamon degenerated back into Dorumon, looking quite weak.

"I feel… numb…" Dorumon weakly said.

"That disruptor scrambles a digital monster's data for about an hour. That'll keep it from trying to take back the ghost boy." One of the agents said with a smug tone.

Dorumon gave a weak glare to the Guys in White agents. "You're lucky I'm not a Legendary Warrior…" He hissed out in between pants.

"Dorumon! Help!" Danny cried out helplessly, but it was no use; Dorumon was too weak to go after the jet, and the ket was getting further and further away. "HHHHEEELLLPPPP!"

"We'll take you back to our lab for painful experiments. We've been waiting a very long time for this!" The other agent grinned.

Andy looked at Danny as he was struggling in the net, crying out for help. Surely someone would come to Danny's call, right? Even if he wasn't his Danny, he was still Danny, the ghosts should answer his call… wouldn't they?

Nobody was coming. And Danny was getting closer to the jet. Andy knew if he didn't do something soon, they'll take away Danny and torture him. Even if this wasn't his Danny, he would never let the boy get taken away by the Guys in White. He had no idea how or why the Guys in White were in the Ghost Zone since the peace treaty between the three worlds, but he had no time to figure that out. Andy looked at the rope that was pulling Danny to the jet.

"Dorumon, I'm going to need you to stay here, alright?" Andy said to his partner after they landed on a floating rock.

Dorumon looked at Andy. "Are you sure?" He asked. "I'm not exactly sure if I can remain here. If I can, could I try to get to your parents' place? We were headed there anyway, so… if I head there, could we meet there?"

"Just stay here. I won't be gone for long," Andy promised before he stood up straight.

Andy began running across the floating rock, towards the edge, and towards Danny. Then Andy made a jump for it. Everything suddenly felt like it was in slow motion. Danny saw Andy jumping for him, but sometimes in the Ghost Zone, there was gravity for the living and Digimon. Ghosts could easily ignore it. But Andy was currently in human form. Heck, Danny wasn't sure if Andy even remembered how to use his ghost form.

"What's that kid doing?" One of the agents asked.

"Just ignore him, probably some ghost lover." The other agent grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Then Andy put his fists together, and something in his hands began to glow purple. Andy closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating. Then Andy opened his eyes as he pulled back his hand, creating a bow made of what appears to be purple ectoplasmic energy. Danny was in shock as he watched this. An arrow formed on Andy's other hand as he pulled it back, ready to launch it at Danny's direction.

Danny stared. W-what? W-wow… I had no idea Andy could do that! That's awesome! He then realized Future Andy was aiming it in his direction. Oh… Oh shit! I hope he's not aiming at me! Danny thought in alarm.

"Trust me…" Andy said before he let go of the string of the bow, launching the arrow at Danny.

Danny yelped as he saw the arrow coming towards him, though it went flying past him and hit the rope instead, cutting it easily. Not only that, the arrow kept going, and hit the inside of the jet.

Danny yelped again as he fell. "WAH!" He tried to use his flight, but he couldn't use his powers at all while in the net.

Danny never fell to the bottom of the Ghost Zone before, and he didn't want to know what the heck was down there. Andy was falling towards him as well. The Guys in White's jet was sparking, the arrow messed something up in there.

"Do something!" One of the agents screamed. "We didn't wait out here for 3 years for this to all go wrong now!"

"I can't do anything! The arrow thing got inside the jet! I don't know how a ghost was smart enough to do that!" The other agent snapped.

Because you're both bigot idiots. You wouldn't last long if you actually did catch the Ghost King with that mindset. Andy grumbled as he was falling towards Danny. It looks like I may have to do it. Danny can't seem to fly while caught in that net.

Andy tucked in his arms and fell downward, making himself fall faster. When he managed to catch up to Danny, he reached out and grabbed onto the net.

"A-Andy?!" Danny exclaimed. "T-thank you!" He then grinned. "That arrow trick was awesome!"

Then Danny realized they were still falling. "... You… uh… can fly, can't you?"

Andy gave a sigh. "I'd rather not, but… seeing how something from the mist looks ready to devour us, I probably should."

Danny blinked before he looked down, seeing a mist-like fog, and something huge with glowing red eyes staring back at them. "YES! PLEASE DO!"

There was a bright light that appeared on Andy's torso, and split itself horizontally. Danny had to shut his eyes for a moment, before opening them again to see a familiar sight carrying him away from the mist down below.

Danny couldn't help but laugh in relief; Andy was in his ghost form, flying them away from the mist. "You… you tapped into your ghost powers, bro!" He exclaimed in relief.

"Whoopie doo, I'm able to use my ghost form," Andy sarcastically replied. "I said I shied away from my ghost half, not stopped using it entirely. It's kind of impossible."

Danny laughed. "Yeah, but I didn't think you would transform into it. I just thought you would fly in your human form." He chuckled.

"It's a lot harder to fly as a human," Andy said as he flew them towards the floating rock where Dorumon was waiting. "Let's see about getting you out of that net."

However, as Andy made it to the top of the floating rock, he noticed something crucial was missing. "Where's Dorumon?"

"Looking for someone?"

Andy paled, feeling like all his blood and ectoplasm left his face when he heard that voice. He turned around, seeing the big yeti ghost who was on TV with the news about his parents earlier. The big yeti ghost was holding the weakened Dorumon in his furry arm.

"Heh… this big lovable lug couldn't resist picking me up, considering I'm tired and all…" Dorumon grinned weakly.

"It has been a long time." The yeti ghost greeted. "The Great One has been waiting for you."

Andy quickly stood in front of Danny, trying to block him from view as much as he could. "You can't make me go see him."

"He has been wanting to see you." The yeti ghost replied. "He insists. He has missed you."

"I'm sure he does," Andy replied. "Do I really have to go?"

The yeti ghost gave a reassuring smile. "I wouldn't force you to, nor would the Great One. But it would make the Great One's day to see his brother again. He has been a bit… despondent lately, and he could use the company."

"I'm sorry, but I'm no Great One's brother. The only brother I had I haven't seen in 10 years," Andy said firmly. "You can go tell your precious 'Great One' that I-"

"Hey, Andy?" Danny spoke up.

"... Just a sec," Andy said to the yeti before looking back at Danny. "What?"

"Why don't you go? I mean… this Great One may be helpful." Danny said, hoping to use this to his advantage to get Future Andy to go see the Ghost King. "It can't hurt right? It's not like you are being forced to. That yeti said it himself. Even if you go, you would most likely be allowed to leave if you couldn't take seeing him. It's not like they are saying 'The Great One requests your presence at once, you have to go.'."

"I don't know… I… I have a lot of mixed feelings with… him… I honestly don't know what I would do if I do see him," Andy warned. "You really think I should still go?"

"Well, it's up to you, but yeah, I think you should. It may not be exactly what you wanted, but… it is still polite to go." Danny replied. "As I said, if you go, and you don't feel like meeting the Great One, it is not like you are being forced to stay and see him. You would be allowed to leave if you do not want to see him."

Andy sighed before he bent down to Danny, then he made an ecto knife in his hand and cut through the ropes of the net. That surprised Danny since he couldn't even use his own ghost ray to blast through the net.

"If I promise to go meet with… the Great One… will you promise me something?" Andy asked quietly.

Danny nodded. "Of course. I promise to do whatever you ask me to do."

Andy sighed. "I think I know why Clockwork sent you here now… That sly bastard… Listen… I meant what I said about you knowing too much of your future could throw the timeline out of whack. And we don't want that. This is… the end of the line. You need to go back to your timeline now. You can't come with me."

Danny frowned, but understood what Future Andy was saying to him. He somehow knew this was the end of the trip for him. "Okay… I… I get it… Just… don't back down from going to see the Great One. Go ahead, and push through it. It will work out." He smiled. "Heh… it's ironic that I met my future brother, and I had to reassure him for once. It's normally the other way around, with him having to reassure me."

"You should make a habit out of that… Andy is a lot more stressed than he would show, and he's going to be paranoid about some things involving your ghostly side," Andy warned.

Danny reached up and grabbed the Time Medallion around his neck. Before he took it off, he smiled at Future Andy. "Good luck, bro. And don't worry, I promise I will be there to reassure my Andy about things with our ghostly sides."

Andy rolled his eyes at the word, but he did give Danny a wave of goodbye before Danny removed his Time Medallion. As soon as Danny did, he and the Time Medallion disappeared.

"Was that…?" The yeti began to ask.

"It was, Frostbite," Andy answered. "But he's back in his own time now."

"So, are you coming then?" The yeti, Frostbite, asked with a warm smile; despite being an icy ghost, he was a gentle soul deep down.

Andy transformed himself back into his human form before putting his hands into his hoodie's pockets. "I might as well. Danny already held up his end of the bargain, so I guess it's only fair I hold up mine. By the way, aren't you going to do something about those Guys in White agents? And are Valerie, Gomamon, and Takuya going to be okay?"

Frostbite nodded. "I promise that we'll take care of those agents. And I'll send someone to make sure your girlfriend, her Digimon, and your cousin are alright. As for you, we should get going. The Great One awaits your arrival." He picked up Andy as well with his icy hand before taking flight, being careful with both Andy and Dorumon as he did so.

"Your ice arm is freezing!" Andy complained as he shivered.

"Well, I can't help it." Frostbite admitted with a sheepish chuckle. "It would be freezing to a human or a ghost with a fire core."

"I do not want to talk about cores right now," Andy huffed and brought his hood up over his face so Frostbite wouldn't see him pouting.

Frostbit let out a heart laugh. "As you wish." He chuckled before he looked ahead of them and smiled. "Ah, we are approaching the castle now."

Andy frowned as he saw the continent with a large, beautiful land. Filled with beautiful farming crops, and a nice town with people, mostly ghosts, moving around. And the large, icy blue castle ahead. Andy looked down as he whispered to himself. "End of the line…"

---

In Clockwork's Tower

Takuya looked over at Dorumon, who was curled up and asleep. Takuya stretched out and yawned before getting out of the bed that Clockwork let him sleep in. However, he didn't see Andy in any of the beds.

Takuya wondered if Andy was still with Dan. Of course he would be. Takuya reminded himself as he stood up and stretched. He felt his pockets, feeling his D-Tector still in his left one. Takuya left the room, feeling much better now that he had rested somewhat. "I wonder where Clockwork is." Takuya noted to himself as he looked around.

"Ah, I see you're awake," Clockwork, as a child, appeared suddenly in front of the teen.

Takuya yelped as he staggered back. "Geez! If I had known a ghost could appear in front of me like that, I wouldn't have slept in your lair!" He exclaimed as he tried to calm his racing heart.

Clockwork gave a bit of a mischievous grin. "I just wanted to know if you'd like to watch something special with me. Who knows, it may help you with something later on."

Takuya blinked, but decided to just pass the time. "Sure, why not?" He said with a shrug. "I have nothing better to do. Who knows? Watching through time may be fun." He added with a grin.

"Then let's go," Clockwork replied before he held out his time staff, and suddenly, Takuya found himself standing in a different room.

The room had a time window, likely the same one Danny and the others went through earlier.

"Is Andy still with Dan?" Takuya asked curiously.

"He is," Clockwork confirmed. "Now listen carefully, Takuya, this is 12 years in the future from your time. Something happened that caused Andy and Danny to separate for a long time. This is the result of their reunion. Please watch until the end of the show before asking questions."

Takuya frowned, but nodded. "Sure." He agreed before turning to face the time window. I wonder what this will be like, and what caused them to become separated. The time window then showed a future version of Andy, Dorumon, and a yeti-like ghost all approaching an ice-blue castle that looked very impressive.

---

Andy had been very quiet as Frostbite was taking him and Dorumon towards the castle.

"Are you going to be okay?" Dorumon asked Andy.

"I don't know. I think it depends on what happens from here," Andy sighed.

Dorumon frowned, but gave Andy a nudge. "Don't worry, I'm sure things may work out. Don't focus too much on the past and what could be." He reassured the halfa boy.

Dorumon had always been there for Andy, even through the toughest of times, even when he chose to run away all those years ago. Dorumon, Gomamon, and Valerie. Andy didn't deserve such loyalty from such good friends. But he was grateful for it nonetheless.

"I'm… glad you're still here with me, Dorumon," Andy said softly.

Dorumon smiled. "I wasn't about to leave you, Andy. We're partners, remember? Where you go, I go."

"If it's any constellation, the Great One has been missing you," Frostbite said to Andy.

Andy didn't say anything to that.

As they were entering the castle, they were immediately greeted by a lot of different types of ghosts. Many of them were likely servants, however, as they were getting closer to the throne room, they were seeing more powerful ghosts. Two knight-like ghosts stood in front of the throne room's door.

"What business do you have with the King?" One of the knights asked.

"At ease, knights. I have brought the Great One's brother and Digimon," Frostbite stated.

The knights immediately bowed. "Lord Frostbite, the King has been waiting for you."

Dorumon rolled his eyes at the formalities, not that he wasn't used to seeing it in the human and Digital Worlds as well. Some things never change between all three worlds. He mused with a mental grin.

Frostbite gave a hearty laugh at being called 'Lord'. "It will be good to see the Great One again." He said before he reached out to open the door to the throne room.

Frostbite took Andy and Dorumon into the throne room. The throne room itself was not only huge, and long, but it was very decorative. There were banners representing the three worlds: the picture of the Earth to represent the living world. The picture of the Ghost Portal to represent the Ghost Zone. And the picture of fractal code in the shape of a cocoon to represent the Digital World. There were portraits hanging on the wall, showing Digimon, humans, and ghosts playing together, getting along. Above the throne itself however, were images of the most important people to the Ghost King; one was a human woman with black hair and amethyst eyes, one was of a human boy in a beret and glasses, and one was of a Digimon with blonde hair and blue eyes, alongside an image of a human boy with brown hair and brown eyes. And the last one was of a boy with black hair and green eyes. The throne itself was a cool blue color, with a few curves on it. The back of the throne was tall, with a curved dip in it, and two ice crystal-like formations on either end, one per side. The arms of the throne were curved and smooth, with rounded ends that his hands could rest on.

Standing to the left of the throne was the Fright Knight himself, acting as the king's closest royal knight. To the right of the throne stood a tall, majestic looking angel being that wore grey armor with gold accents. There were eight silver wings on his back, and his helmet was purple with silver accents on it. On his feet were silver boots. Grey wings extended from the sides of the helmet, and on his right arm was a purple sword while on his left arm was a purple shield. This was the Ultimate form of the Celestial Digimon Patamon, MangaAngemon.

The king himself, however, was sitting on the throne, looking more tired than regal. The king, funnily enough, looked like a teenage boy. He had hair as white as snow, his eyes neon green, that much hadn't changed. However, he was wearing a royal purple robe on his body, with gold accents. He also had a red and gold cape on him. Though he likely still had his hazmat suit under his robes, because Andy could see his white gloves and boots. The crown was an icy blue color, with the points looking like ice crystals, and his logo was in the center of the crown. There were blue, green, and diamond gems lining the crown in a ring to show all three worlds were under his rule.

Dorumon looked at the Ghost King's form and wanted to run over, but he held himself back; it would not look good if he just charged at the Ghost King suddenly. He did, however, feel a little intimidated when he looked at MangaAngemon, that Digmon just exuded power and majesty.

There was another ghost nearby, a female ghost that wore a large dress covering her feet. She had blue skin and red eyes, along with four arms. Her hair was covered by a gold helmet that had a purple flame coming from the top. Her breastplate covering her chest was gold, and her dress was black with gold accents on the ends. Her sleeves were also black with gold accents on the ends. She wore two black bands per arm, and she held in her right top hand a staff that was gold, with a gold tip on it, like a spear's almost, and she wore a purple cape spilling down her back as well.

For a long moment, it felt like time stood still. Nobody said anything, and nobody moved. Everything felt surreal, like this was a dream they would wake up from. Andy knew for a fact that was what it felt like to him currently. For 10 long years, he stayed far away from Amity Park, the Ghost Zone, and his brother. Now he was here, standing before him. Standing? When did Frostbite put me down?

Indeed, Andy and Dorumon were currently standing next to each other while Frostbite was behind them.

I guess a better question is… who's going to make the first move? Andy questioned himself.

The Ghost King looked down, seeing Andy and Dorumon before him. His green eyes, once looking somewhat dull, seemed to regain a bit of life to them as his face seemed to light up upon seeing the two before him. For a moment, the Ghost King didn't move, likely afraid that if he did, the two beings before him would suddenly disappear. But someone had to say something soon.

"I… I never thought you'd actually come…" The Ghost King said softly. "I thought you'd just disappear again…"

"Perhaps you'd rather I disappear again anyways," Andy responded coldly. "Considering I ran away, I must be an embarrassment of the family. Isn't that right, Danny?"

The Ghost King, now revealed to be Danny, gave a wince. "Andy… bro, it's not like that." He said before rubbing his face tiredly. "It was never like that…"

"Then what is it like? No matter which way you look at it, I ran away. I was a coward. I went into hiding, making damn sure you and your subjects couldn't find me," Andy pointed out.

"You shouldn't talk to the king that way," The Fright Knight began.

"No, let them talk it out. This had been a long time coming," MangaAngemon said to the Fright Knight.

Danny sighed. "I… I know. I know you ran away and went into hiding. But you don't do stuff like that randomly. You most likely had a good reason why you did what you did, and I can't say I blame you." He admitted.

"Most likely? Most likely?!" Andy exploded. "Did you forget that too!? Of course I had a damn good reason for running away! Those Ancients who believed they 'knew better' were going to make me, make us, drink some elixir to tamper with our memories. Excuse my language, but hell would freeze over before I let anyone do that to me! And yet… you let them do that to you."

Danny gave a wince. "It… it was better than Mom and Dad being killed. If I had declined it, Mom and Dad would've suffered even more." He said, but his excuse felt weak in a way.

"Like you're one to talk," Andy hissed. "Just this morning I heard the news that they weren't fit for redemption, and were going to go Beg Penance again. You're the King of Ghosts, why can't use your big, royal power over these ghosts and release them? They've served their crimes for 10 years, Danny! That may not seem a lot to you these days, but our parents aren't getting any younger! And they truly regret what they have done, Dad was actually so thin I could see his ribs! And yet you're okay with extending their punishment? And for what!? Because you only remembered them for using that accursed Mortifer on you? Is that it!?"

Danny flinched. "Andy… listen to me…" He began, but he wasn't hopeful that Andy would let him continue speaking.

"You could've come with me, Danny! You didn't have to take that elixir, you didn't have to sign that restraining order! Their sentence would've been carried out either way, but you didn't have to… it's like they didn't exist for you anymore! You couldn't see them, couldn't hear them, could even hear others talk about them, and you could barely remember them! It was like they were just a dream, or a nightmare, that was slipping away from you. Now you probably just see them as people who did you wrong!" Andy shouted, though tears were falling from his eyes as he was shouting.

Dorumon was looking at Andy in concern. All of this he was shouting, he had been holding back for 10 years. Sometimes they would surface around Valerie if Andy was in a really bad mood, but most of the time, he wouldn't bring it up. But now, here he was, in front of his Danny again after 10 years, and it was all coming out in one big explosion.

Danny didn't even protest. "Andy… Mom and Dad did do wrong, but… I do remember them as my parents, not just those who did me wrong. It… I had no idea you were holding all this in. And now I can see how much what I did hurt you." He gave a grimace. Maybe I shouldn't have pulled this stunt… Andy's really, really mad at me...

"I know they did wrong… I know they broke a lot of Taboos with their ghost weapons alone, and how they treated other ghosts, and how they treated you," Andy said, calming down a little.

Danny didn't miss the fact that Andy said 'you' rather than 'us', but he kept quiet and let Andy continue.

"That's all Mom and Dad ever talk about when I see them. They've been loathing themselves since their sentence was carried out. Of course you wouldn't know that, because you literally couldn't see or hear them," Andy snapped.

Danny finally sighed. "Andy, Mom and Dad… what you heard… it's not real. Mom and Dad… they have been deemed reformed enough. Their sentence ended as it should have. It was really close though, as many of the Observants wanted to keep the sentence going. If not for the Ancients overruling them, Mom and Dad would have had the sentence extended." He revealed at last.

Danny waited, he wasn't sure if this would help Andy feel better, or make things worse since he just made Andy worry about their parents for nothing, and Danny was already treading on thin ice with Andy.

Andy didn't react at first, but then he started giggling, and he giggled harder, until it turned into a full blown laughter.

"The boy hasn't gone mad, as he?" The giant, four armed woman asked in concern.

Dorumon looked at Andy in worry.

MagnaAngemon looked at the laughing Andy, confusion and concern visible on his lower face. Then Andy suddenly created an ecto purple bow and arrow, and was aiming at Danny with it. Immediately, Fright Knight, the large four armed woman, and MangaAngemon moved in front of their king to protect him. Frostbite looked ready to try to knock Andy out before he would fire. However, Andy created a barrier behind him as Frostbite reached for him, and it burned the yeti's claws.

"Ah-ah-ah, ice ghosts aren't allowed to touch a fiery shield~" Andy said with an insane looking grin. "Now I wonder, do you three feel confident enough in stopping this arrow? It's been designed to pierce through even the strongest of steel, and trust me, I've tested it. I wonder how many of you it would go through before it reaches the young king?~ Are you feeling lucky?"

MagnaAngemon didn't want to hurt Andy, nor did Frostbite, but they would to protect Danny. Both got ready to do just that in case Andy did fire the arrow. But before Andy could, Dorumon took action, he quickly bit Andy's arm. Andy let out a yelp, dropping his bow and arrow from the sudden bite.

"Knock it off!" Dorumon snapped to Andy. "Andy, this isn't you! You would never attack or hurt Danny, even if you're super, extra mad at him! Please, stop, think about what you're doing before you regret it. You're not a criminal, you're not a murderer, Andy…"

Andy stared at Dorumon for a moment, and he let out a sigh. His bow and arrow dissipated, and he rubbed Dorumon's head gratefully. Getting his head back together, Andy looked back at Danny again, even though he still had the woman, Fright Knight, and MangaAngemon in front of him.

"I'm sorry. I must've lost it for a moment there," Andy apologized with sincerity. "If you want to kick me out, I understand. But if you'll allow it, I'd like to continue our talk, your Majesty."

Danny swallowed at not being addressed by his name, but nodded. "V-very well." He said. "And… No need to apologize. It… was kinda bound to happen, not that I can blame you."

Dorumon nudged Andy worriedly. If he had to bite Andy again to keep him sane, he would.

"Guys, please stand down," Danny said to the three trying to protect him.

"Are you sure?" Fright Knight asked.

"Yes. He's my brother, my twin brother, if he wants to fight me then let him. It's the least I can do for him," Danny said.

"... Very well…" The woman replied before she, the Fright Knight, and MangaAngemon moved away to let Danny face his brother.

"I'm really sorry for tricking you like that, Andy," Danny apologized. "But… I did it out of desperation. I couldn't find you otherwise. I wanted… needed to see you again."

"... It wasn't just about what happened to Mom and Dad, Danny. What happened to them was only the final straw for me." Andy admitted.

Danny looked down. "It… I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you." He said sadly. "I wouldn't know, because of that elixir and all, but… I do want to say I'm sorry, even if you don't accept it." He then paused. "Wait… what do you mean by 'the final straw for you'?"

"You might see this as petty, but there had been things, little things, that had been piling up," Andy started. "First was the accident, before I became a halfa like you. You kept the secret from me. You became a hero. You became stronger and more confident. I'm always catching up to you. You had your own lair, you guided everyone to safety despite the state you were in. You had so many ghosts worried about you, coming to see you when you were taken to the ghost hospital, heck even Nocturne gave you the best dreams you could have. You saved both worlds from the Guys in White. The Ancients, and the Ghost Zone… chose you to be their new king. You're the adopted grandchild of time himself. Your partner is a Celestial Digimon. Not that I would trade Dorumon for any Digimon, but my point still stands."

Andy then pointed at Danny. "You were the best one, the golden child, the chosen one. What am I? I'm nothing. Just a forgotten brother who happened to be the king's plus one. Nobody would care if I left, why would they? They have their king, their precious chosen one. I could do whatever the hell I wanted, even if that meant leaving after that bullshit trial."

Danny winced. "Andy… I care… I was missing you, not because you're my 'plus one', but because you're my twin brother, my other half. I missed you so much…" Danny whispered. "I…" Danny closed his eyes before he looked back up at Andy. "I was literally crying myself to sleep some nights, no, most nights, because I was worried about you! I was worried I would never see you again, that you hated me!" Tears were shimmering in Danny's green eyes as well.

Andy stood there, staring at Danny in silence. Though it wasn't because he was judging Danny, but was rather surprised to hear that. "... But why?"

Before Danny could answer, Andy spoke up again. "If you were suffering because I left, why didn't the Ancients make you drink another elixir to forget about me then? It might've made things easier for both of us."

"Do you really think I would allow that? They tried, bro. They really tried to make me drink another one, but I just told them where to shove it." Danny retorted. "There was no way I was going to let them take my memories of you, bro."

"You…" Andy actually looked shocked. He thought he had everything figured out, that his brother wouldn't pay him a second thought since the Ancients would've likely had Danny drink an elixir to make him forget about him or make his memories of Andy distant like with their parents. He really didn't expect Danny to have refused that. "You didn't want to forget about me? Even though I caused you a lot of pain and grief for leaving? You chose to remember me?"

"Of course, bro!" Danny replied. "I would never want to forget you! You're my brother, my twin, my other half! I don't want to forget that any time soon! I knew I would find you again one day, even if it took me a long time. I didn't want to look for you if I didn't have any memory of why I was looking for you in the first place." Danny gave a smile. "I don't care if I suffered, because I was suffering for you, bro."

Andy tried not to look at Danny, but memories of spending time with the 14 year old Danny from the past, and seeing the Danny here now was… still the same person despite his current power and status, and being 10 years since they last saw each other, made it difficult for Andy to not want to break down and run up to his brother. Still, Andy stubbornly kept his face neutral.

"Even if that's all true, you're the king of ghosts now. Even if I hadn't run away, we wouldn't be able to see each other much. A lowly human like me has no business being in your palace, interrupting your royal duties. My point still stands, even though you care and love me, Danny, you're still the king, and I'm still the peasant," Andy stated.

Danny blinked before he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Um… yeah… about that bro? You… kinda left before you heard the full story. You see… since we both beat Pariah Dark… that kinda… makes you a prince… err… and uh… since you're my twin, the Ancients did have a meeting about that… and it was decided that… you're… well a king now… like me… Uh… so… surprise?"

One minute, Andy was looking at Danny. The next, there was nothing but darkness.

---

Titanic X: ZAFT: I'm glad you like the bonding~ X3

DarkFoxKit: Yeah, it was nice writing Echo and Danny bonding after the cold treatment Echo was giving Danny.

CT7567Rules: ZAFT: You will like the reboot, and we are keeping your idea in mind. XD

DarkFoxKit:We do plan to finish this arc at least, but yeah. As I said before, the longer we wrote this story, the messier, and more convoluted, and complicated, it got. But this does give us ideas that we can use in the sequel and clean up all the mess this story ended up becoming. But we knew people would like to read this old story too, so that's why we're keeping it on fanfiction.