The Dark Ring
Chapter 10

"You guys know the plan."

"Yeah, we are staying here until we find the Kaiser and defeat him for the last time."

"This is it. No more games."

"And by his defeat, we will recover Miyako-san."

"Let's go."

~*~

"What do you want, Wormmon?" Dark Holsmon eyed the worm digimon in front of him.

"I was just wanted to talk to you." Wormmon weakly responded.

"What makes you think I have anything that I want to talk to you about?"

"I just wanted to ask if you are worried about what the Kaiser and Kaiserin are planning."

"Why should I be worried?" Dark Holsmon snapped.

"Clearly, they are planning something. I...I have some concerns about Ken-chan."

"What did you say?!?" Dark Holsmon bellowed out. "You are only to address by his right title which is the Digimon Kaiser. Do you understand?"

"Y...yes...yes." Wormmon nervously muttered.

"Now, get out of my sight!!" Dark Holsmon bellowed causing Wormmon to roll a few feet away.

"Very well." he sulked off leaving Dark Holsmon who rested his head again.

~*~

"Your perfect creation. It's almost complete, right?" the Kaiserin asked.

"It is almost complete but there is just one thing I need." He then pointed at a map. "It is right there. The Dark Pool is our next destination."

"And may I asked what is there?"

"When I was scooping the digital world for parts for my perfect creation. I came across. I believe I can get the soul for my digimon."

"It sounds great."

"Move forward."

~*~

Meanwhile in the corner of the room, the bright eyes of Wormmon were watching every move. "Ken-chan, what are you doing?" he began to speak. "Surely, you're not thinking of actually trying to create a digimon now, are you?"

~*~

The Kaiserin left the Kaiser's presence and Wormmon crawled toward the Kaiser's presence.

"...Sir."

The Kaiser looks at him with disgust and snapped at him. "What do you want, you miserable excuse for a digimon?"

"S...sir...I was wondering about your plan. Are you going to go through with this?"

"Of course I am. What do you think?"

"But it just...It just....."

"It just what?!"

Wormmon cringed and whimpered for a few moments.

"Now if you are finish sniveling, I have things to take care of right now."

"But sir...."

"I said, 'BEAT IT!" the Kaiser swiftly kicked Wormmon away from him.

~*~

"Hey Tentomon!" Takeru shouted out as he saw the bug digimon flying toward him.

"Takeru-san, I have some information for you."

"Well, what is it?" Daisuke quickly asked.

"Well, I did see the Kaiser's base a short distance away from here."

"That's great. The sooner we find him. The sooner we can defeat him and stop his reign."

"And the sooner, we can get Miyako-san back from his control." Hikari softly added.

"Then let's hurry up and let's go!" Daisuke shouted.

~*~

"We have company." the Kaiserin softly cooed. "Should we give them our little present?"

"I seriously think that is a wonderful idea."

"Allow me to show them their brand new gift."

"Very well."

"I'll be right back." She blew a kiss and then walked away into the darkness.

~*~

"Look something is heading our way." Takeru said as he pointed out to the distance.

"What is it?" Hikari asked. However, quickly her question was answered as the Kaiserin on top of Dark Holsmon appeared in front of them.

"Fancy to see you fools here again." she said while briefly laughing for a little while. "So, have you fools received a brain as of yet and is ready to surrender?"

"No way." Daisuke sternly answered.

"That's a shame." she coolly replied. "Oh, I almost forgot. We have a nice little gift for each of you." She pushed a button and after a brief moment, a shadow was looming in the distance. After a while, a disturbing figure appeared in front of them.

"What is that?!?" Iori demanded.

"Meet our new little pet, Kimeramon." An evil smirk was on her lips. "While, I was having fun toying with you sorry saps, my love the Digimon Kaiser was busy creating his perfect digimon.

"While we were fighting you, the Kaiser was busy playing Dr. Frankenstein?" Daisuke sneered.

"Don't you EVER talked about him like that." she haughtingly brushed her hair back and simply said. "Kimeramon, attack them."

The multi-parted digimon launched toward the others. After a hard fought battle, the Chosen Children fell back.

"Guys, he's too powerful." Hikari shouted toward the others.

Daisuke frowned. He didn't want to give up and proclaim the Kaiser as the supreme winner but what could he do at a time like this.

"Is that all?" the Kaiserin simply said before waving her hand. "Kimeramon, finish them off. I am sick of watching them."

Kimeramon hovered over the wounded group before looking at the Kaiserin and sent a blast toward her way. Dark Holsmon got out of the way in the nick of time.

"HEY!!" the Kaiserin shouted. "What's the big deal? Attack them! Not me!"

Kimeramon didn't listen but flew off. The Kaiserin looked at the departing figure and turned toward the others. "Consider yourself lucky." After saying that, she left them.

~*~

"What are you saying?!?"

"I told you what happened, didn't I?"

The Kaiser roughly grabbed the Kaiserin by the arm. "Are you telling me you lost my creation? If you weren't such decent help, I wouldn't have lost my patience with you."

She managed to get the Kaiser to lose his grip on her. She watched her sternly. "Fine, I'll go get him." She left his presence.

The Kaiser grumbled to himself and looked away. Meanwhile in the corner, bright eyes were watched the whole scenario. "I knew that this would happen." Wormmon sadly said to himself. "Why wouldn't Ken-chan listen to me at all?" He frowned. "I have got to do something to show the errors in his ways."

~*~

"Daisuke, you're still awake?"

"I couldn't sleep knowing that beast Kimeramon is still out there." He turned toward the others who were sleeping. "I can't just sit here." He got up and looks at V-mon. "I am going to look for him."

"But what the others?" V-mon asked him.

"Takeru can take care of Hikari-chan and Iori." Daisuke simply replied. "Now come on."

~*~

"Daisuke-san? Where did Daisuke-san go? You guys, wake up!"

Takeru opened his eyes. "Hikari-chan, what's wrong?"

"Takeru-kun, its Daisuke-san. He's no where to be seen."

"What? Where did he run off to?"

"I don't know. But, we have to find him."

"Okay, okay. Let me just wake up Iori and we'll be on our way."

~*~

"Where is he?" the Kaiser muttered to himself.

"Master?"

The Kaiser turned and frowned. "What do you want?"

"Sir, I told you that this wouldn't be a good idea." Wormmon began to speak.

"Just shut up!"

"I'm sorry Ken-chan, but I won't." He crawled up closer. "I didn't say anything but I stayed by your side. Now, I'm begging you to stop this madness."

The Kaiser simply looked at Wormmon before walking away from him. "I don't have to bother with someone like you."

Wormmon looked at the departing Kaiser. "Ken-chan, I vowed that I will always by your side and if you don't want my help voluntarily, I guess I'll have to help you without your consent."

~*~

"Where is he?"

The other kids searched high and low for Daisuke before eventually finding him.

"Daisuke-san, why did you run off like that?" Hikari asked him.

"I just couldn't sit there just waiting for the Kaiser, Hikari-chan." Daisuke replied. "Besides, look over the hill."

The others did and they were amazed at what they saw.

"Isn't that...." Iori began.

"The Digimon Kaiser's base?!" Takeru asked in amazement.

"Yep, pretty good of me to find it."

"Are you through inflating your ego, Daisuke?" Takeru asked. "We got to find a way to sneak into the base."

~*~

After a while, they managed to find their way to enter the base. Now, the question was what to do where do they go from here. Amazingly, the answer to their problems was going to appear right in front of their very own eyes.

"......I'm begging you to help my master."

"Why should we?" Iori demanded.

"Because, I know that this isn't the real Ken that I know. I know that you can do something to stop him."

"Wait a minute, the Kaiser's real name is Ken."

"Yes, Ichijouji Ken."

"Wasn't Ken the other kid that mysteriously disappeared as well as Miyako?" Takeru asked.

"Yes, Takeru-kun is right." Hikari added.

"If that be the case, then I'm willing to help you." Daisuke turned toward the others. "You guys stay here and if the Kaiser sends any of his goons or even the Kaiserin herself, cover my back."

The others nodded and Daisuke quickly made his way after Wormmon deeper inside the base.

~*~

"This is the engine room. The main battery is inside there." Daisuke and Wormmon walked inside the main engine room and they both saw a black box sitting on top of a pedestal.

"So what do we do with it?"

Before Daisuke can receive an answer, the black box started to lift and shed its covering exposing a golden case in its place.

"Its a......digi-mental?" the box floated toward him and a great and powerful light engulf them all. After the light faded, Daisuke looked up and saw a figure he never saw before. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I am Magnamon."

Before Daisuke can responded, he heard two voices talking to him.

"Well, well, well. Looks who's here."

"Its the head cockroach himself."

Daisuke looked up and saw the Kaiser and Kaiserin watching him.

"Did you enjoy your little exploration of our little base?"

"That's none of your business!" Daisuke shouted to them.

"What's the matter, Daisuke?" the Kaiserin smugly began. "You are all angry because you got a wedgie in your pants." she tittered at her little joke.

Daisuke frowned and noticed his terminal was reacting. He opened and read the message.


Daisuke, Kimeramon is coming!


"What the?" Before Daisuke can finish the comment, a loud crash was heard as Kimeramon came storming inside the room.

"Daisuke, get down!" Magnamon pushed Daisuke out of the way.

"Daisuke, let me handle this." After saying that, Magnamon immediately took off after Kimeramon. Daisuke clearly taking Magnamon's advice took off to meet up with the others.

~*~

"Crush him like a bug!!" the Kaiserin shouted out to Kimeramon while the two fought against each other.

"KEN!! MIYAKO!!" the duo turned to see the four Chosen Children facing them.

"Have you behold our power yet, you Chosen fools?" the Kaiser mockingly told them.

"We are not going to surrender to you!" Takeru told them.

"Face it, no matter what Kimeramon will defeat your golden flashlight." the Kaiserin snapped back at Takeru's proclamation. No sooner did those words came out of her mouth, a hard jolt was felt.

"This place is going to go done if we don't get out of here!" Hikari blurted out to everyone.

"Well, we can always build a new base now can't we?" the Kaiserin turned and ran off into the darkness. "I'll see you outside." She blew a kiss to the Kaiser and continues to enter further into the darkness. The Kaiser then turned to the others. "And now I' bid you farewell."

"Hey get back here! KEN!!" Daisuke shouted out but another jolt shook through the base.

"We have to get out of here!!" Iori said.

~*~

"Extreme Jihad!"

Magnamon sent a ferocious blast of energy toward Kimeramon. However, it didn't even phase the mutated beast. Panting, he looked at his foe. "It's no use…!" he said through pained whispers. "I can't muster any more power…" No sooner did those words came out of his lips, Kimeramon grabbed him and held him a deathlike vise grip.

Riding on top of a hovering Dark Holsmon, the Kaiserin smirked at what was going on during this battle.

"That's it! Get him, Kimeramon!!" the Kaiser was totally pleased at his creation.

"You can do it, Magnamon…" the Kaiser couldn't believe what he heard. Wormmon was there and he was rooting against him? "What!?" he snapped and cracked his whip hard across Wormmon's back.

"Ken, don't you see yet?" Wormmon painfully whispered.

"Wha…!?" the Kaiser didn't understand what Wormmon was talking about. "The old you never would have done this! The Ken-chan who first traveled with me in the Digital World would never have done something like this."

"What was going on down there?" the Kaiserin made Dark Holsmon hovered the conversing duo.

"We laughed together… And cried together… You were the normal, kind Ken-chan!"

The Kaiser stood there in silence as Wormmon continued with tears running down his cheeks. "And then… The next time we met you told me to call you the Digimon Kaiser! …I can't do that. Even though you look different you're still Ken-chan! That's why no matter what horrible things you did as the Digimon Kaiser, I always thought you'd eventually return to being the old Ken-chan… I always believed that!"

~*~

"Huh…wh, what's this?" Magnamon felt an outward presence coming from somewhere.

"I'll always believe in you Ken-chan. The real Ken-chan isn't the Digimon Kaiser. The real Ken-chan is…" Wormmon didn't finish but rammed the Kaiser off the Devidramon that they were riding.

The real Ken-chan is kind!!

He then took off toward Magnamon."

"Of all the nerve!" the Kaiserin couldn't believe what she saw. Immediately, Dark Holsmon took off after the Devidramon that Wormmon was riding. However, a swift swish of the tail causing the dark armor digimon to fall back his steps.

"Wormmon! You…!" Magnamon couldn't believe what was going on. It was Wormmon who was giving him this power.

"Please save Ken-chan…" was the next few words that escaped his lips as the Devidramon collided with Kimeramon thus Magnamon were freed.

"Wormmon!" Magnamon shouted. "Please, Magnamon! Save Ken-chan!"

"Wormmon's power is flowing through my body…" the extra energy surged through his body and with a final shout.

"Extreme Jihad!"

Kimeramon, the synthetic beast was blown to pieces.

~*~

"I can't believe they defeated me." the Kaiser sunk to the ground in defeat. "It isn't fair."

"Life isn't always fair." Takeru sternly replied.

"Your conquest game is far cry from what really was happening." Iori began to speak. "You were hurting real and living creatures. Creatures that can feel hurt as well love."

"Say what?" The Kaiser looked at the others. "Is this true?"

"Yes, it is." Hikari answered his question.

"I never thought of this. Why didn't I? I was nothing....more....than a mere monster." Screaming in agony, he threw away the raiment of the Kaiser to reveal his true self.

"Wormmon!"

Ken looked up and saw Wormmon barely breathing. "Wormmon...." With the watchful eyes of everybody, Ken picked up the wounded digimon. "Don't leave me."

"Sorry, Ken......" Wormmon said through painful gasps. "But, I must. Good-bye.....Ken-chan."

~*~

"No, I've lost everything. I lost Wormmon. It is like when I lost my brother! Why must this happen to me?"

The others just stood there in silence unable to say anything to comfort him. However, the words of comfort came from another figure.

"Ken-kun....." The other kids in defense as the Kaiserin walked slowly toward him with a probably sleeping Hawkmon in her arms.

"Careful guys." Daisuke whispered to the others.

"Wait a sec, look!" Iori pointed toward her. The others look and they saw it too.

Tears were falling down the Kaiserin's cheeks as she knelt down besides him. Looking at him and then at the ring on her finger, she immediately threw it away thus resulting in her to return back to....

"Miyako!!" They all said in unison. Ignoring everyone around her, she cradled Ken in her arms. "It is alright, Ken-kun. I will always be here by your side." With those words coming from her lips, a bright line shone by her side and out from the sands an object appeared. The object shone for a moment before releasing a smaller light toward something nearby. A small item was picked up and it was brought toward the kneeling duo. Ken opened his eyes and saw the smaller object land in front of him.

"It's a crest...." Takeru said as he recognized the item.

"But what crest is that?"

"The crest of kindness...." Ken muttered through his lips. "But, I don't deserve it after what I did."

"Look if you have a crest than that means you are a Chosen Child yourself Ken." Daisuke told him. "You can be a help to us."

Ken rose to his feet and looked at everyone. "I'm sorry but I have to go. I don't deserve to be with you guys for what I did" He turned around and began to walk away from the others.

"Ken-kun! Come back!!" Miyako shouted out toward the departing figure. But he didn't listen. Miyako closed her eyes and allowed the tears to flow freely from her cheeks. After a while, that same light reacted again. However, this time an another item landed in front of Miyako. After the light cleared, the other figure was revealed.

"The Digimental of Purity...." Hikari whispered. "It finally reacted and it chose Miyako-san."

"Me?" Miyako couldn't believe her eyes. "But, after what I did I am anything but pure in heart."

"It doesn't matter. As long as you're back everything is fine." Iori extended his hand toward her.

Miyako looked at everyone who was there. She then spoke. "I can't join you guys. I.....I....need some time." She picked up Hawkmon and with her new digimental, she walked away from her friends.

"Miyako-san!" Iori shouted. "You don't have to do this. You are one of us. Can't you see?" But his words were in vain. All they could do was watch as Miyako walked away into the sunset.

After several months, the two missing children Ichijouji Ken and Inoue Miyako have mysteriously returned to their own homes. Police are baffled about this mystery but their families are glad that they have returned home.

~*~

"Takeru-kun...."

"Yes, Hikari-chan?"

"It's been at least three days that Miyako have returned to the real world but all she does is come to school by herself and then just leaves by herself. I try talking to her but she just ignores me."

"Give her some time, Hikari." Takeru answered her. "She'll come back to us."

"I really hope so."

~*~

Another Dark Tower fell toward the ground as two digimon flew toward another one so it can be destroyed.

Ken sat down watching the demolition. He looked at who was sitting to next to him. "I hope that we can right the wrongs that we had inflicted."

"I sincerely hope so."

"Miyako-san, I'm sorry for what I did. Manipulating you to do what I wanted."

"It's okay, Ken-kun." She tried to smile as she spoke. "What you did is dealt with and it is the past. Remember..." she placed her hand on his. "....I'll be here for you. Every step of the way."

The End