Author's Note: Well, one more chapter to go after this one. Is the suspense killing you yet? j/k. Sorry, this chapter's so short, I'm posting both it and the last chapter today since I have the time and because ff.net was down for so long, I figured I'd give everyone a break.
Rating: PG, cartoon violence I guess, but nothing too bad.
"I don't see them anywhere," Birdramon said as she swooped in for another look.
"I haven't picked anything up on my digivice," Mimi said disappointed.
"Me neither," added Izzy.
Sora, Mimi, and Palmon road atop Birdramon, while Gatomon, Izzy, and Kari road on Kabuterimon.
"We have to keep trying," Kari encouraged, "Matt's depending on us!"
Elsewhere, the others were having similar luck. T.K. and Gabumon sat and stared down at the city from atop Greymon, as if the situation was hopeless.
"Don't worry guys!" Tai shouted, "We will find them!"
T.K. sighed, but immediately perked up when his digivice began to beep.
"Look Tai! I found something!" he cried with excitement.
Tai glanced down at his digivice as well. "They're in the park!" he shouted to Joe.
"Look Fearmon! I caught that one digi-destined kid!" Maremon shouted.
"Only one?" Fearmon snapped.
"Well you didn't destroy any of them!" Maremon boasted.
He held up his dream catcher for Fearmon to see, "Look at how wonderfully miserable he is! He even wants to die!"
"Excellent, now we only have seven more to go." Fearmon chuckled.
"The best part is, we can sit and watch this one suffer for the rest of eternity! He can never escape there! Unless…" Maremon began.
"Unless what!?" Fearmon demanded. "There cannot be any flaws in our plan!"
"Well, unless hope was restored to him. You see, his brother has the crest of hope, and in the Realm of Nightmares, hope is dead to him. That's why he is unable to escape."
"We'll just have to see to it that hope is never restored to him!"
Greymon's Nova Blast attack soared through the trees and knocked the two evil digimon to the ground.
"You're in for it now!" T.K. shouted.
"Oh no! What are they doing here!?" Maremon sneered.
Patomon changed into his champion form of Angemon and Gomamon digivolved to Ikkakumon. They continued to pound the dark digimon with their best attacks, but it took the combined effort of all three just to get rid of Fearmon. Now only Maremon remained.
"Not so fast digi-destined! I still have your little friend here!" Maremon proclaimed as he held the dream catcher up for them to see.
Joe, Tai, and T.K. all ran up to face Maremon and see if he was telling the truth. They looked into the dream catcher to see the horrible image of what Matt had become.
"What have you done to him!?" Tai shouted.
Maremon only laughed. "It's not what I have done to him, it's what he's done to himself!"
"Let my brother go!" T.K. shouted and tried to rush at Maremon, who easily side-stepped the young child.
"Don't make me laugh kid!"
"Give us our friend back Maremon, you're defeated!" Tai yelled.
"Oh I'm far from being defeated!" Maremon scoffed.
He raised his blue energy ball and was about to hit Tai with his Dream Catcher attack, when T.K. ran interference.
"You're not taking anymore of my friends!" T.K. shouted as the light engulfed him.
"T.K.!!!" Joe and Tai screamed simultaneously.
Angemon morphed back into Patomon and went charging at Maremon, who knocked him back with his Nightmare Attack.
"Now what are you going to do?" Maremon taunted.
Tai clenched his fists and tears began to stream down his face. A light began to glow around Greymon.
"Greymon digivolve to…War Greymon!!!"
At the same time Ikkakumon digivolved to Zudomon.
Maremon was about to prepare for battle when he glanced over his shoulder and saw four other champion digimon headed his way. They were Kabuterimon, Angewomon, Togemon, and Birdramon.
"NOOOOOOOOO!!!" Maremon screamed as all the digimon let loose with their attacks. As he disintegrated into deleted information, all that was left was his dream catcher.
"We did it you guys!" Kari cheered.
But the celebration was cut short. None of the children knew how to get their two friends back.
"I'll ask Gennai if he knows how to work this thing," Izzy suggested, and began to type away on his laptop.
"I'm sorry children," Gennai explained, "But frankly, I have no idea how to work this thing. It is a tool of evil that only the dark digimon knew how to control."
Everyone bowed their head in disappointment.
"Thanks anyway Gennai," Izzy said before shutting down his laptop.
It seemed entirely hopeless to all the digi-destined, except for one…
Ack! Don't hurt me! I promise, last chapter is next! *ducks behind chair* Thanks to all of you who reviewed, I really appreciate the feedback!