Seth stomped into the house, shaking off the remains of the iceballs that were thrown at him just seconds before

Seth stomped into the house, shaking off the remains of the iceballs that were thrown at him just seconds before. The boy looked down at his broken glasses as he entered the house, sighing at the broken lens.

"Guess I shouldn't have let it hit my face." said Seth to himself as he marched down the stairs to his basement room.

"How was your day, Seth?" said a voice from upstairs as she passed the stairway entrance.

"Oh, it was fine Grandma. Just a little accident with my glasses." Seth said, holding up the broken spectacles.

'Grandma' took the glasses, saying "Don't worry. I'll have Grandpa take these to the base and get them fixed."

Seth nodded. "Thanks. I'd better go get started on my homework." he said, hugging his grandmother as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes, so I'll ring the bell when it's ready." she said, walking into the kitchen to continue making her tasty Tomato Macoroni.

"Okay, I'll come up when you ring the bell then." said Seth as he walked into his room and closed the door downstairs. Dropping his broken backpack onto the nearby couch, Seth immediately walked to his computer and pulled up the Fanfiction.Net internet site.

Taking a look at his favorite authors list, Seth nodded as the names displayed the new fics for today. "Hmm....Hikari Takaishi...Worldwalker...ArcAngemon...yep, new stories today." he said, sitting down and reading them as he warmed up by the heater.

After reading the fics he had been following, along with some others that caught his eye, Seth looked at the next item on his itinerary. "Hmm...finish Satellite Delta 2 junction. Okay, time to head into the Construct." Holding up his Watch, Seth dematerialized and downloaded his biological energy into his computer modem, taking him to the section of the internet where all the FF.net authors stored their Constructs. As Seth rematerialized in his lab, the digital representations of his mega-computer hummed to life.

/Good evening, Seth Turtle./ said the computer voice as the satellite readings appeared on the screen.

"Computer, what is the current situation with the Digital World Satellite?"

/Delta 2 hacking procedures are 81% complete. The satellite will begin projection of signal 'Rage' in 4 hours, 39 minutes./

"Good. Are all the cambots ready to record the battle data?" Seth asked, sitting at the chair in front of the computer.

/All cambots are in assigned positions, and ready to transmit data at your command./

"...good. Looks like this will work. I just hope my 'masters' consider this conclusive evidence. This is about as conclusive as you can get." This reminded Seth that he hadn't checked the reviews yet on his most recent experiment reports from his cambots, so the boy loaded up his e-mail to find out what his 'masters' think so far.

As Seth looked down the list, it became painfully obvious what they were thinking. "...They actually agree with Mewtwo? That's impossible! I thought there'd be more of them on my case to hurry up with my experiment."

Seth punched up the commands and scanned down the list. "Somebody even complained about Bahamon!" Seth said, clenching his fists. "...well, I'd have to agree there. Bahamon was the only person that didn't assume I was a geek just because I look like one."

Seth deleted the e-mail alerts for the reviews, and switched to his Digimon program. Looking in the files, he found the satellite hook-up and downloaded the information to update his current files.

Seth punched up the current data on Primary Village for use with the Fanfiction authors. "Wormmon came back to Ken...and really quickly I might add." Suddenly Seth was struck with a thought. "Computer, locate 'Bahamon' digital file. Scan all possible folders."

/Digimon identified as 'Bahamon' is nowhere in the Digital World, Real World, or D-World Recycle Bin. Failure to terminate in the Digital World is the most probable cause of this./

Seth tapped the terminal in front of him, getting a worried look on his face. "I never should have done that to him. It's worse than Hell to be trapped in the limbo of the Internet. Seth, you dick, why'd you delete such an innocent creature?!" Seth said, falling back in his chair. After a long, quiet moment, Seth whispered to himself as he looked at his reflection in the screen before him.

"What's happened to me these past few days?" he said to himself, letting his head fall on the keyboard. "I have to stop this now. I don't care what the reviewers think anymore. I can't let this happen any longer. Screw the whole flame war! If they think that one world is better than the other, there's no way I can change their mind with more fighting. Nobody listens to me anyway..." Seth looked at the screen as the search program and the satellite data flashed by. He thought for a moment and finally grunted in approval at his new plan as he tapped his computer keyboard rapidly. "Computer, end the hacking procedure."

/Unable to comply./

"What?!" Seth said. "Close file 'Delta 2', now!"

/Delta 2 is outside your jurisdiction. *zchczhzz* Signal 'Rage' will commence in 4 hours./

"Grr....'user friendly' my ass." Seth grumbled. "Looks like I'll have to hit the source of the problem. But how can I do it by myself?..." Seth stood up and punched a button on his Watch, instantly disappearing in a flash of blue light.

****

Bahamon floated silently, wondering where he had fallen to. The last thing he remembered was seeing his own body splinter into hundreds of bits of information. The 'death' was painless...at least physically. The thought of Seth deleting him was too much for the little digimon to accept.

"...I didn't mean to fail you, Seth." Bahamon cried. "I'd do anything to make you happy. Anything. Your happiness is more important than my life."

"Those words sound familiar." a voice said from the limbo around Bahamon.

"Who's there?!" the little digimon whimpered. "Please! Leave me alone!"

"Don't worry little one. I understand how you feel."

"...What? How could you understand? And better yet, what are you doing here?"

The voice echoed from nowhere, but it sounded very close to Bahamon. "I too have been deleted like you. I lost my life outside the Digital World..." said the voice. "I too am looking for Seth. I understand he is your friend?"

Little Bahamon frowned and started to cry. "Se-*sniff* Seth doesn't like me anymore."

A reassuring hand fell on Bahamon's shoulder...a gloved hand that reminded the digimon of the black gloves Seth wore, now that it was winter. "Don't cry little one. I know it seems that way, but trust me...it's not."

Bahamon wiped the tears off his eyes, looking down at the stranger's face. "It's not?"

"No. Seth may have deleted you, but not because of your actions."

"Not-*sniff*-because of me?"

The stranger shook his head no. "Seth is afraid."

"H-huh? He's scared?" Bahamon whimpered.

"Yes. He's afraid that he's doing all this for nothing." the stranger replied.

"What do you mean?" Bahamon said as he started to calm down.

The stranger floated around until he was suspended a few inches in front of Bahamon. "Seth is trying to prove something to others like him. He want's to make them happy, but he doesn't know how. The conflict is starting to influence his actions...like when he deleted you out of spite."

"...why?" Bahamon said, although he knew the answer already.

"Because Seth feels compassion...more compassion than normal, but is not capable of talking to people, because of his personality."

"Com-compassion?" said Bahamon, not being very good with big words.

The stranger nodded. "Compassion. It is the feeling of deep sympathy for others' misfortune and suffering." The blank look on Bahamon's face told the stranger the little digimon failed to understand. "Let me reword it. It means that Seth hates to see others feel sad or be in pain. Thus, Seth is willing to do whatever it takes to make them happy again...even at the cost of his own life, or his own sanity...like you and me."

"You mean, Seth is trying to make people happy?" Bahamon asked.

"He thinks that if the whole idea of whether pokemon or digimon are better each other were solved, then there would be less arguing among his fellow humans, and less hurt feelings. Although the answer may mean the loss of Seth's sanity from all the pain he must cause us, or the loss of his life at the hands of Mewtwo, he wants this feud to stop."

Bahamon looked down at his feet as the weight of the situation sunk into his naive mind. "So...Seth is trying to find answers."

"Exactly. If Seth can show the people an answer...any answer that would make the fighting stop, he would do anything to get it. Unfortunately, he has forgotten the true answer that he knew all along."

"What answer?"

"That pokemon and digimon are just another species of life. They aren't meant to compete with each other. They weren't meant to be the same. Neither one is a copy of the other. They just happen to be similar, yet the opinions of humans have warped their similarities into a huge argument about which one is a copy of the other...which is better..."

"Then that means that Seth is doing this for nothing?" Bahamon asked the stranger.

"Basically, that's the case. Seth knows it deep inside that even if both worlds were to destroy each other, nobody will accept the answer he gives. People won't change their opinions, since almost everybody thinks they're right. Seth, however, can't stop it now."

"Why not?! He can do it!" Bahamon said, getting defensive of the only human he has ever known.

"Not really. He may have started this all with his little programs, but now that the process is started, he can't stop the countdown. The satellite won't let him. He has tried to stop it while we have been talking."

"How do you know that? And who are you?"

The stranger held out a small, glowing object that bore a strange symbol on it. "Seth and I are both linked to the Crest of Compassion. That is how I can sense him and what he is doing. We are destined to be together."

Bahamon gasped in disbelief, as everything he thought of being true for him and Seth suddenly was destroyed. "Then I'm not his digimon?!" he cried, stepping away from the strange digimon.

"No. I'm sorry, but you weren't meant to be his digimon...at least, not in the way he and I will be." Again, tears welled up in Bahamon's eyes, as he suddenly felt uselessness creep into his heart.

The stranger held his hand out to the little dragon digimon. "Maybe there's something I can do." Bahamon looked up. "Remember when we talked about compassion just now?"

"...*sniff*...yes."

"You are a symbol of compassion too, you know. Just like me, you'd lay down your life for a friend. You hate to see people of any species suffer, but you would fight to alleviate that suffering. Even though Seth mislead you into battling the good guys, you and he both feel compassion for all living beings."

"...I guess." the little digimon said, still not fully understanding everything that the digimon was saying. "*sniff*- What does that mean then?"

The stranger held Bahamon's claw, and their clenched hands started to glow. "That together, we can both become the digimon of Compassion, and we can both save Seth before he is lost forever."

****

/Error. Error. Computer error 910. Memory capacity overloading./

Seth looked down at his Watch as he flew towards Mewtwo's island. "What?! What is causing the overload?!"

/Two program files have begun reintegrating themselves in the main Construct./

"What files?! Who's causing this!" Seth yelled.

/Digimon files 'Bahamon' and 'Wizardmon' are attempting to integrate into one digital being so that they can have enough energy to cross the barrier into our existence. It will be a permanent Jogress digi-volution./

"...Bahamon?" Seth said with watery eyes. "He's coming back? Man, now I understand how Ken felt when Wormmon came back."

/The integration will be unsuccessful as long as the main Construct's data is diverted to the Delta 2 satellite. If the satellite projects the signal, they will be absorbed into the matrix and permanently rewritten./

"Then we've got no time to waste! How long until they can leave the Construct?"

/Approximately four hours until the necessary energy from the Construct can match that of the Primary Village Recycler./

"What about the satellite?!"

/Three hours, thirty minutes until the signal 'Rage' is activated./

"No!! I've got to get to Mewtwo before it's too late." Seth said, pushing the limits of his Flight junction on his Watch as he zoomed over the ocean as fast as possible.

****

Ash grumbled as he scrubbed his face with all his might. Meanwhile, Tai, Matt, Davis, and TK couldn't stop laughing at the results of Ash's "torture". The warm bath water in the pool they used as a tub was doing little to get the make-up off Ash's face.

"This is all your fault!" Ash yelled at Davis as the trainer washed his face more than he ever had before. "If you hadn't dared me to steal their stuff, I wouldn't smell like a dead skunk."

"I believe they call it 'Odor le Barf'." laughed Tai.

"Man, this stuff isn't coming off!" Ash yelled as he scrubbed furiously at his eyes. "This mascarra junk is really in there."

"Oh, I think you look sexy 'Ashley'." laughed Davis. Ash started growling and would have tried to drown the younger leader of the digi-destined had the others not separated the two.

"You got what you deserved Ash." Brock said from the other side of the bath pool. "It just goes to show you that he- or she- who laughs last, laughs best."

"Whatever, Brock." said Ash. "I just know that I'm going to get those girls back for this!"

"What are you going to do? Beat them at a beauty contest?" joked Matt. The laughter resumed once more, until Pikachu stuck his tail in the water and gave a shock to all the loud kids in the pool, followed by laughter from the pokemon and digimon outside the pool.

****

Cody silently read the book that he had borrowed from Mewtwo's library downstairs. Finding an interesting little book called 'Animal Farm', Cody decided to read it, thinking it would be a nice little children's book about farm life. He was wrong, much to his surprise.

"Who would've thought they'd make a book about a communist farm of talking animals." Cody said, placing the book on the nearby table in the center of the bedroom. Feeling boredom start to creep in, Cody looked around for a stick so that he could practice his Kendo.

"Cody?" said a sweet, innocent-sounding voice.

Cody looked in the direction of the sound, and saw Yolei standing in the doorway. Walking in slowly, she looked around to find the room completely empty. "Where's Hawkmon and the others?"

"They're all taking a bath. I took one last night before going to sleep, so I'm just sitting here right now." the little boy said.

"Oh...then could you help me with something?" Yolei asked, smiling sheepishly and batting her eyes.

"Uh....what do you want me to do?" Cody said, surprised at the way that Yolei was acting.

Yolei sat down next to Cody, wrapping her arm around the little boy's shoulders and pulling his head towards her body. She patted his head and held him close when he tried to struggle out of her hug. "You know Cody, I've always known you were to smart one in the group."

Cody looked at the wall across the room as she swayed back and forth with his head. "Well, um...that is why I have the crest of Knowledge, Yolei..."

Yolei sighed. "Yeah, I know. You're also have the crest of Reliability, so I know I can count on you if I need to find out about something important, right?"

Cody didn't like where this was going. "Um....right."

"Well..." Yolei said, letting him go a little as she twirled a few strands of Cody's short hair around her fingers. "Would you be the kind, sweet, and smart little cutie pie that me and the girls know you are, and answer a really important question for us?"

The eight-year-old groaned as he realized what the question was. "I can't tell you anything. The guys would kill me."

"Oh, pleeeeeeeease?" said another voice. Misty sat down and ran her finger along Cody's chin, making the little boy smile. "We really want to know..."

Kari kneeled down behind him, wrapping her arms around Cody from behind, and leaning her head on his shoulder. "Pretty please, Cody? With a cherry on top?"

Cody was starting to feel like he was in a James Bond movie. "Well....I guess if you don't tell the guys that I told you."

Yolei smiled. "You've got a deal!" she said as she, Kari, and Misty each kissed the little guy on the cheeks. Cody blushed furiously as they helped him stand and led him to towards the bedroom door to spill the beans on what the guys have been saying.

Izzy walked out of the bathroom and toweled off his hair. Making sure his clothes weren't wet or stained, the boy headed towards the boys' room where Cody was hanging out by himself. As he was about to enter, the door opened with Cody walking out, surrounded by Kari, Misty, and Yolei- each rubbing the boy's hair, or holding his hand, and otherwise being much more friendly than Izzy would expect them to be.

"Uh...hi Izzy." Cody said as they all passed, with him following their every move in one long stare. Cody and his 'harem' entered the girls' room a few doors down, leaving a very stunned Izzy staring at the door even after they closed it.

"Now THAT'S the way the child of the Crest of Knowledge should be treated." Izzy said as he walked into the bedroom to finish drying his hair.

****

Mewtwo watched as the screen flashed with the current news broadcast from CHANNEL 45.

/Good Evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is with a heavy heart that I say, there is currently no signs of any pokemon left on our planet Earth. With the massive anomaly gone, scientists believe that the pokemon race is now classified as... 'extinct'./

"What are you watching?" said Biyomon as she walked into the lab room where Mewtwo was sitting.

/I repeat. As of 6:10 AM today, the species known collectively as pokemon have become extinct. Thus, immediate precautions are being taken to ensure the survival of the human race, however any conclusive procedures haven't been made as of yet. Please do not panic, and continue on with your normal routine. Thank you./

The signal went off, and the screen was filled with static. Mewtwo deactivated the link to the TV stations, and stood up. The pokemon walked towards a nearby machine that connected to the main computer, and began to remove and replace parts of the machine. Biyomon walked up next to him and flew up to the top of the massive terminal, so that she would be sitting next to Mewtwo. The pokemon looked over at the little pink bird, who smiled when he did so. Mewtwo returned to his work while Biyomon watched.

"You don't like to talk, do you." Biyomon stated rather than asked.

"..."

"Why won't you talk to me?" the digimon asked. "Is it because you don't like me or something?"

"What is it that you want, Biyomon." Mewtwo said in an annoyed tone.

Biyomon sighed sadly. "I just want to find out why Sora likes you." Mewtwo stopped his rummaging through the machine, and turned towards the little bird. "Oooh...touched a nerve, did I?" she said jokingly.

Mewtwo glared at the little digimon. "Don't annoy me. I'm not in the mood to deal with you. Besides, I'm trying to get the amplifier to work, so that I can try to teleport all of us to the Digital World without the portal."

"I know you're busy, but it won't hurt you to talk. You're always so sad...and I wonder why."

"Sora knows the answer to that. She knows that it is a sadness I feel, and me alone."

"But why? We can help you..."

Mewtwo clenched his fist. "You can't help me. Unless you know how to turn back time, you can't help me." the angry pokemon returned to the machine, grunting in annoyance as the parts failed to meet the required specifications for what he needed.

Biyomon stared at the pokemon, finding herself at a loss for words. The bird decided to remain silent, hoping that Mewtwo would talk on his own. She didn't have to wait too long.

"I was built to destroy anything that got in the way of my master." Mewtwo said softly as he tampered with the machine. "Upon my awakening, the only memories I had were disjointed pieces of my life as Mew."

"Mew?"

"...an ancient, extremely rare pokemon that lives in the remote corners of the world, spending its time playing in the clouds and frolicking with the creatures of sea and sky. I am a clone of that creature."

"A clone? You mean like a copy?"

"...No. My basic DNA is Mew's, but the human scientists that created me spent years trying to find a perfect combination of cells that would create a pokemon with power unmatched by anything else in existence. That is me."

Biyomon looked at him in awe. "So you're the strongest pokemon ever, then?"

Mewtwo frowned at the machine, but mainly from the memories of his past. "They said I was. I wasn't so sure. I threatened the entire planet as I attempted to prove the superiority of not just me, but all clones that could be created with the same technology used on me. That was when I met Ash and his friends for the first time."

"What?! You mean they know you from some other event?"

"They don't remember that time. I erased the memories from their minds, to prevent anyone from following my clones and I to this new island. It was for their safety as much as ours."

Biyomon nodded in understanding. "But what does this mean? Why are these memories so painful to you? Didn't Ash and his friends help you?"

Mewtwo looked outside at the blue, cloudy skies. "They showed me my true purpose as a pokemon, but they didn't help my sadness...". The pokemon looked down at his three-fingered hands, and his eyes closed as a tear escaped his cold exterior, much to Biyomon's surprise. "I hate myself, more than any human I've ever met."

"How can you say that?! Why would you hate yourself?!"

"I'm a weapon, pure and simple. As long as I exist, I'll cause pain and suffering to those I meet."

Biyomon jumped to her feet. "You're wrong, Mewtwo. You may be a super-clone, or whatever, but you're still that little, innocent, playful creature that flew through the clouds and played in the wind..." The digimon hopped onto Mewtwo's shoulder and held his head reassuringly. "So don't say that you hate yourself...please?"

Mewtwo picked up Biyomon and put her back on the ground softly. "...I wish I could say yes...but I don't know what to say anymore. I need to be alone."

"You've been alone for most of your life." Biyomon said. "I think the time for you to be alone is over." she said. The little digimon hopped towards the balcony that stretched her wings. Turning to Mewtwo, she said. "I'll help you remember what you really are. Let's go play...you and me."

Mewtwo lifted an eyebrow suspiciously. "I don't have time to play."

"Pleeeease? I promise not to bother you anymore if you play for just ten minutes." the little digimon said as she smiled. Mewtwo stood silently for several seconds, until finally he relented.

"Very well. Just for ten minutes. Then you'll never bother me again." Mewtwo said, calling on his telekinetic powers to fly.

"If you want. Now for ten minutes, you're mine!" she said, ramming into him with surprising speed. "You're it!" she said, dashing away at high speed.

"Grr..." Mewtwo charged after Biyomon, who dashed through the massive fans that spun over the New Island lab. Her size and speed were enough to give Mewtwo a run for his money, but after a clever feint by Mewtwo, the pokemon managed to tag the little bird.

"Rrr!..." she growled playfully. Biyomon charged after Mewtwo, who dashed along the beach of the island, making water spray everywhere as he skimmed the surface, with Biyomon in hot pursuit.

[A FLASH OF MEMORY: Mew dashing over the water, giggling with childish glee just before flying towards the clouds above...]

Mewtwo smiled and shot upwards, creating a small geyser of ocean water as he raced higher and higher towards the sun-filled skies. Biyomon laughed as Mewtwo did a loop-de-loop through a cloud, catching some of the white fluff along the way in his whiskers. Mewtwo sneezed as the cloud fluff tickled his nose, making him falter in his flight.

"Gotcha!" cheered Biyomon, playfully smacking the pokemon. Biyomon laughed and dashed off as Mewtwo pursued her. Biyomon was amazed when she heard Mewtwo laughing with her. The two dashed through the clouds, oblivious to the rest of the world as their little game continued.

[A FLASH OF MEMORY: Mew playing with a Pidgey. Mew flew backwards along the surface of the water, laughing as it teased the bird playfully with its tail, like a dancing worm...]

"Catch me if you can!" Mewtwo laughed as he lay back as if he were floating on his back in a pool. He slowed enough that Biyomon could easily catch up, but kept her at arms length as he dashed along the ocean surface backwards. Waving his tail in front of the digimon, Biyomon playfully swiped at it, but each time she missed.

"Now I know why I hate cats!" Biyomon said as she managed to lightly bite Mewtwo's tail. Mewtwo turned right-side up as the digimon raced off towards the island.

[A FLASH OF MEMORY: Mew pouncing on the Pidgey and playfully wrestling with it as they roll into a nearby pile of leaves...]

Mewtwo dashed ahead towards the island, where Biyomon was heading, but suddenly saw a black-clad person stop in front of him. Mewtwo quickly halted so as not to run into the last person he expected to see.

"Seth?!"

Seth nodded. "Mewtwo, we have a problem....and I need your help."

****

"Joe said THAT?!" shouted Kari.

Cody nodded. "I promise."

Mimi sat down to try and gather her thoughts. "Matt AND Joe?"

"That's what they said." Cody said from his spot on the bed.

"I can't believe Tai and Matt would be so mean!" Sora said with clenched fists. Mimi said nothing in response. Her face showed the deep thought she was in.

"Well Cody, I'm glad you came to us about this." Yolei said. "We knew you'd be a nice boy." she said, hugging the little guy fiercely.

"No problem...just let go so I can breathe." answered Cody.

A loud knock on the door interrupted the chat. Cody and the girls gasped when they heard Tai's voice.

"Uh oh! Quick, act casual!" whispered Yolei to the others.

"Hey girls?" Tai said as he opened the door. "Biyomon says...". Tai didn't finish his sentence when he saw Cody sitting amongst all the girls. Sora and Mimi lay on the ground in front of him; Kari and Misty sat beside him, hugging him and playing with his hair, and finally Yolei sitting behind him with a string of grapes in her hand. Tai stared in total disbelief, with his jaw hanging open.

"Um...what were you saying Tai?" Cody asked in his whisper of a voice.

Tai slowly shook himself out of his shock. "Uh...oh yeah, Biyomon says to meet on the beach. Seth is asking Mewtwo for help, and he has come to the island."

"Okay, we'll be there Tai." Kari said, tickling Cody's chin. "You ready Cody?"

"Uh...yeah. After you." he said, bowing politely as the girls stood and headed out the door. Tai watched as they went past, but stopped Cody as he passed.

"Hey Cody?"

"Yeah Tai?" answered the boy.

"Would you mind giving me some tips?" the older boy asked.