A Bigger Threat
Episode 8:
"The Deciding Battle"
By: Shmeilia
* * * *
Daisuke closed his eyes. "That's it, Garzie, I'm through playing with them. Send in my warriors."
"Right away, SIR!"
* * * *
Kari burst into the Throne Room. Now, she didn't have to enter so dramatically, but as Ken found out, it was kinda fun. Every one of the Megadigidestined gasped. "You're back!"
"They let me go!" She announced and jumped around in a little circle.
"Kari!" Gatomon leaped into her arms.
"Oh, I missed you, Gato."
"I missed you too. We had a battle with Kimeramon, and I couldn't do anything! I felt so helpless."
"I'm sorry. I wished I could have done something to help."
"Aww!" Yolei clasped her hands together. "What a sweet reuion!"
Even Cody couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, this is great."
"I hate to rain on the fun here, guys, but something about that doesn't feel right."
Cody frowned. "Lighten up, Ken. Something never feels right to you."
"No. Why would they just let her go like that?"
"We made a deal," Kari told him. Gatomon climbed ontop of her head and stared down at her with big kitty eyes. "If you guys won the battle, Keesma said she'd let TK and Davis go, and if you lost I had to give up my crest. You won, but she refused to let them go. She let me go instead."
Cody's eyes went wide. "You were willing to bet your crest on us, Kari?"
"I have faith in you guys."
"B-But it was Kimeramon!"
"You won, didn't you?"
"True."
"Doesn't anyone else feel that foreboding of approaching doom?" Ken was getting really nervous now. "Something's coming!"
"We feel it too, Ken," Patamon said. "It's evil, and it means business."
A chill suddenly ran through Kari. "You're right. Something's definately amiss here. And I don't think we have much time."
"What are you guys talking about?" Yolei asked, extremely confused.
"DEMONS!" Cody yelped, then clamped a hand over his mouth. Suddenly, from the walls and out of the floor came hundreds of demons. Cody smacked his forehead. Talking to the Powers, he complained, "Thanks for the warning on that one, guys. Really, we had loads of time to prepare."
In seconds they were swarmed by the nasty demon underlings.
Yolei shreiked as they pulled her dress and her hair. "Okay, now I really miss my helmet!"
Hawkmon's mouth dropped open. "Don't worry, Yolei, I'll-" A demon tackled him. "Ugh! Come on, Yolei! Let's go!"
Yolei grabbed her D-3, but one of the demons raked it out of her hand. It threw the Digivice across the room, and it hit the wall. It shattered into a thousand pieces. Everyone gasped. "No!"
"Impossible!" Ken had had a theroy that the Digivices were indestructable. So much for that.
"What do we do now?" Yolei would have been crying if she wasn't fighting off the demon horde.
"Wormmon, buddy, you ready?" Ken reached for his D-3, but discovered it missing. "Ah, crap! Where'd it go?"
One of the nasty things had pick-pocketed it. It laughed minacally and swallowed it. Ken glared like he wanted to reach down the demon's throat for it, but he wasn't that desprate. Well, okay, he was, but he couldn't get to it. It slipped away into the crowd.
"Hurry, Kari, Digivolve!" Gatomon cried.
CRUNCH! Too late!
"Oh, that does it," Kari growled and blasted away about a dozen of the disgusting creatures with her pink laser.
Cody was the only one who still had his D-3, and that was because he was the only one who actually managed to fight the demons off. Those years of Kendo finally paid off. He whacked one of the bigger ones on the head, right between the eyes and it went poof. But it didn't seem to matter, as soon as it was gone, another replaced it. "Go, Armadillomon!"
"Right! Armadillomon digivolve to Ankylomon!"
"A little help, please?" Veemon shreiked as the demons surrounded him. Patamon had wings, so he just flew away. That was totally not fair.
"Don't get your ears all in a twist," Ankylomon said, picking him up. He placed Veemon on top of his head, then stomped on the demons that had surrounded Veemon. "I got ya."
Veemon sighed, "Thank you!"
About ten demons tackled Yolei from behind, and she toppled over. They covered her like a pride of lions after a kill.
"Yolei!" Cody yelled, his eyes frantic. But he was too far from her to do anything about it.
Ken, however, was right next to her. He smacked several of the demons off of her. "Are you all right?" He had to yell over the noise of the little monsters. He reached out and took her hand. Their eyes met.
A light flooded the room, and most of the demons screamed. In a flash, both Hawkmon and Wormmon digivolved to their Champion forms-even though it was supposed to be impossible without their Digivices-and then DNA Digivolved into "Quellermon", a Digimon with spikes, green armor, two sets of wings (one set from Stingmon and one set from Aquillamon), and twisted horns coming out of its head.
"Wow," Ken and Yolei said in the same awed tone. They both hopped to their feet, closed their eyes, and clasped hands. The time was right, now. "Morph Digivolve!"
Yolei suddenly went limp, like she'd fainted. Ken made sure she didn't injure herself as she fell to the ground. At the same time, Quellermon broke up into a trillion pieces that fell over Ken like confetti.
Then the voices came, screaming, to the surface of his mind. They wanted control of his body, and he wasn't going to let them have it. He fell to his knees and put his hands over his ears like that would block them out.
Ankylomon picked Cody up and bounded over to protect Ken and Yolei in their vunerable states.
"What's wrong, Ken?" Cody asked, dropping to the ground next to him.
"The voices," he whispered. "They...It's too much! I can't take it!"
* * * *
Izzy: And now, as if the announcer-guy at the end wasn't bad enough, it's time for a commercial break!
Matt: Life for the Digidestined never was easy.
Tai: Yeah, being constantly attacked by evil Digimon, Control-Spire Digimon...
Izzy: Dealing with Black Gears, Dark Rings, Dark Spores...
Matt (shakes camera): So how could it possibly get any worse?!
Izzy: Oh, but it does!
Tai: Who would ever thought that the Digital World would be invaded by demons?
Matt: I feel sorry for the poor Megadigidestined.
Izzy: I'm just glad that's not us!
Matt and Tai: Izzy!
*Whack*
Izzy (rubs the side of his head): Sor-ry! Now back to the program.
* * * *
"The Powers wouldn't have chosen you to do this if they didn't think you could handle it."
Ken shook his head. "No! I can't! They're too strong!"
Cody didn't know what to do. Talking about things never had been easy for him. He took a deep breath and prayed that he could say the right thing. "They're your friends. You know, Yolei? Hawkmon? Wormmon? They don't want to hurt you, or control you. They just want to help."
"Help?"
"They're only doing this because you're fighting them. Calm down, Ken, and they will stop."
"I can't!" Ken was shaking with the effort of fighting them back in his mind.
"Yes, you can! Just accept them."
There was a pause. He let his mind go, and let the others have control. Their minds merged with his, along with their memories and powers. His eyes popped open, glowing with an intense blue-green light. Quellermon's armor replaced his Megadigidestined armor. He stood up slowly and looked around the situation with a new perspective.
"What just happened?" Kari asked, blasting a path through the demons and trotting over to stand next to Cody.
"I'm not totally sure," Cody admitted.
Ken simply told them, "Stand back."
They backed into the nearest corner of the room.
Immediately, all the demons attacked Ken. He held out his hand, and a very large bubble of golden energy surrounded him. The demons at the front of the swarm ran into it and disappeared, instantly dead. With a wave, the sheild exploded and destroyed all the demons in the room. He turned to Cody and Kari and said, "I will bring TK and Davis back. You stay here."
They nodded nervously.
Stingmon's wings suddenly sprouted from his back and he flew across the room. When he reached the door, the energy sheild blasted it to microscopic pieces.
After he'd left, Cody let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad I don't have to do that. I'm not sure I could handle it."
"Oh, sure you could, Cody," Ankylomon told him.
"Thanks for the vote of confedence."
"Well," Kari said, plopping down on the ground. "It's all up to him now."
Cody walked over to Yolei's lifeless body and gathered her into his arms. He carried her back over to where Kari was sitting.
"Is she dead?"
He ran his fingers gently through Yolei's lavender hair. "No, she's still breathing. But she's not in there any more, if that's what you mean."
"I'm afraid I don't quite understand."
Cody smiled weakly. "She's helping Ken and Quellermon by giving them her strength. This is just a shell. A demon could come along any minute now and take her body as it's own, but I won't let that happen."
* * * *
"What happened to my army?" Daisuke roared. "They just dropped off the face of the universe!"
"Shall I check it out, Master?" Garz asked.
"Go."
Garz left. Daisuke paced around the room, muttering to himself about those stupid, goody-goody Megadigidestined. Then he stopped, sensing a great energy close by. He teleported out of the room.
* * * *
Garz stepped inside the Throne Room and examined the door frame. "What happened here?"
"You!" Kari hissed.
"You," he responded with a mocking laugh. "Were you the one who wiped part of my master's army off the map?"
Kari crossed her arms and turned up her nose at him. "I'm not saying anything."
"Weren't, huh?"
"What do you want?" Cody demanded, leaping to his feet and grabbing his fighting staff.
"I don't want anything, except maybe to play with Light. What's it to you, little boy?"
"Don't call me that!"
"What? Little boy?"
Cody growled in frustration, "I am not a kid any more, okay? Why doesn't anybody get that?!"
"Woo-hoo, I'm so scared," Garz waved his hands in mock-surrender. "Please, I have shoes that are older than you!"
Cody'd had enough, and charged at Garz. Garz didn't actually believe Cody would attack him, so it came as quite when Cody whacked him on the side of the head. Garz fell over, stunned. Cody stood over him and tapped him with his staff. "Don't make me do that again."
Garz snapped out of his daze and kicked Cody across the room. "You underestimate me, kid."
Cody hit the floor, rolled, and bounced back to his feet. He'd landed on his shoulder, and it hurt like heck, but he wouldn't let it show.
Garz waltzed calmly over to Cody and shoved him against the wall. "Give up now, kid, before I have to get serious with you."
"You know what your problem is?"
"What?"
Cody looked beyond him. "You're evil. And evil doesn't have any friends."
Garz laughed scornfully, "What do I need friends for, when I have power?"
Just then, Ankylomon picked him up by his cape. He flailed around hopelessly. It was Ankylomon's turn to laugh at Garz, "It's always nice to have friends."
Five minutes later, Garz was also tied to a chair and stuck in the corner with Chaos.
* * * *
"Oh, my...Did you lose a fight with a blender, or is it just my imagination?"
"Let Davis and TK go." Three other voices echoed behind Ken's, giving an impressive, but desturbing impression of the power backing him up.
Daisuke snorted, "And do what with them? Their bodies are currently inhabited at the moment." He tried to get closer to Ken, but smacked into the now invisible energy bubble. He cursed the day, and growled, "Why hide behind that sheild? Why don't you fight me for their souls, if you want them back so much?"
Ken tilted his head, thinking over all the possiblities and consequences. Already his super-mind was about twenty steps ahead. He lowered the sheild. "Fine."
Daisuke blasted him with dark energy that knocked him off his feet. He used his new wings and just floated there.
"Cute trick," Daisuke said, and charged another ball of dark energy. At the same time, Ken charged some of his abundant golden energy. They both fired and the two blasts collided. A giant explosion of light ignighted and then quickly snuffed itself out. Daisuke then decided not to try that trick again and charged at him. Ken tried a spinning kick aimed at his head, but Daisuke caught his foot and yanked him to the floor. They matched each other in physical ability and skill, and neither one could do much harm to the other.
"Wait," Ken held up his hand, and Daisuke stopped. Ken reached inside of him and drew out a glowing sphere about the size of a basketball. (Now how it got inside of Daisuke, and how Ken knew it was there, I don't know.) "This does not belong to you."
"My Power-Orb!" Daisuke shreiked. The Orb had been keeping him strong, but now that it was gone, he felt as weak as a kitten again.
"No, not yours," Ken corrected, powering it up. Before Daisuke realized what he was about to do, Ken fired it at him. Now remember that the Power-Orb can create or destroy entire worlds, so that blast easily over-took the demon.
"I'll fry you for this, Kindness," were Daisuke's final words before Keesma was forced from Davis's body. Davis fell to his knees, and his clothes faded back to his Real World clothes. Besides Keesma, two crests popped out of his back. One immediately leaped back inside of him, but the other one hovered over him, confused. Before Keesma could recover enough to re-possess Davis, Ken wrapped part of the golden chain around his neck and sealed it into a necklace.
Ken absorbed the Power Orb, then took the other crest and teleported to the Throne Room.
"Oh, back so soon?" Garz mumbled.
"Leave."
"What? You want me to leave this body? No way! You can't make me!"
"I won't," Ken responded, opening his hand. The crest of Hope flew quickly back to its body, forcing Garz (who wasn't even a fraction as strong as Keesma) out in a blast of golden light. Little Garz jumped from TK's body and dived into the floor. Ken left again.
TK blinked a few times. "Why am I tied to a chair?"
Kari leaped over to him and begun undoing the knots that bound him to the chair. "You were possessed, and we had to keep the demon under control."
Ken returned carrying Davis, who was asleep. He laid the sleeping boy on the ground and told the group, "Someone else will have to carry him back to the castle."
"That's okay," Cody said, knowing what he meant.
Just then, the voices, along with the last of Ken's energy left him. The armor faded, the wings disappeared, and he collapsed, unconcious.
Cody rubbed his hands together, "Well, who wants to help me carry these three to Light Castle?"
"I think I can carry myself, Cody," Yolei said, rubbing her neck.
"Oh, good, you're awake."
"I'll carry Ken," TK volunteered.
"Are you sure you're strong enough for it, TK?" Kari asked.
Now Kari was just concerned, but that question didn't sit right with him. "I'll be fine."
Yolei stared at Ken and shuddered. She now shared all his memories, from his brother's death to Ken's experience as the Digimon Emperor. It seemed so weird seeing herself from someone else's perspective, and now she knew just how much he still loved her. Everything was so vivid, it was almost like she had become Ken for a moment. In a way she had, during the battle their minds were one. But it wasn't just Ken's memories she'd shared, she'd also combined with Hawkmon and Wormmon. Oh, how Hawkmon cared about her. Now he was gone, but she could still feel him in her heart. He would always be there, in case she needed him.
"Are you okay, Yolei?" Cody asked.
She snapped out of her thoughts and smiled weakly, "I'm fine, thanks." Her voice sounded weak and uneasy, even to herself. "So what do we do now? Is it all over?"
Cody picked Davis up. "Unfortunately, this is not the end. There's a long journey head and our quest has just begun. Let's get outta here."
And they left.
"I get the weirdest feeling like we're forgetting something," Kari commented as they left the castle.
"But what about me?" Poor Chaos. They'd just left her there, tied to a chair!
She felt the ropes loosen, until she could wiggle free. "My dear servant, I hope they didn't hurt you."
Chaos dropped to the floor. "Oh, Master!"
Keesma, though still incredibly weak, managed to project her human form. It was transparent and ghost-like, but that didn't matter. She lifted Chaos's chin, so the young girl had to look at her. She whispered in a smooth voice, "I need you, Amy."
Chaos gasped. Her Master had just called her by her real name! She gulped and studdered, "W-whatever you need, Master, just ask! I will be happy to fulfill your wishes."
"Would you lend me your body?"
Chaos's bright emerald eyes lit up. "It would be an honor! Take me!"
Keesma ran her long fingers through her feathery purple hair and muttered to herself, "Boy, that was almost too easy. I didn't think she'd give in so easily."
"Why not, My Leige?"
"Oh, never mind."
Chaos crawled closer to Keesma, "My I ask you something, before you possess me?" Then, before Keesma could respond, "Why me?"
Now, Keesma didn't want to admitt the truth: She didn't have anyone else. Her Dark Digidestined were milling around somewhere in the Real World, and Chaos was the only one who'd actually showed up. No, she wouldn't tell the darling girl that. "Well, if you must know...If things had turned out differently, you and Davis would have met a year from now, fallen in love, and eventually gotten married and had children. Wether he realizes it or not, you should have been his soul-mate."
Chaos blushed at the idea of knowing who her soul-mate was, but then wrinkled her nose in disgust. "But I didn't even like him!"
"I know. I said, 'if things had turned out differently'. Now you're my servant and you don't need him any more."
"Oh! Okay!" She laid down on the ground and wiggled around like she was making snow angels. "Take me, Master!"
What is the next step in the journey for the Megadigidestined?
Find out in Episode 9:
"The Return of Davis"
Episode 8:
"The Deciding Battle"
By: Shmeilia
* * * *
Daisuke closed his eyes. "That's it, Garzie, I'm through playing with them. Send in my warriors."
"Right away, SIR!"
* * * *
Kari burst into the Throne Room. Now, she didn't have to enter so dramatically, but as Ken found out, it was kinda fun. Every one of the Megadigidestined gasped. "You're back!"
"They let me go!" She announced and jumped around in a little circle.
"Kari!" Gatomon leaped into her arms.
"Oh, I missed you, Gato."
"I missed you too. We had a battle with Kimeramon, and I couldn't do anything! I felt so helpless."
"I'm sorry. I wished I could have done something to help."
"Aww!" Yolei clasped her hands together. "What a sweet reuion!"
Even Cody couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, this is great."
"I hate to rain on the fun here, guys, but something about that doesn't feel right."
Cody frowned. "Lighten up, Ken. Something never feels right to you."
"No. Why would they just let her go like that?"
"We made a deal," Kari told him. Gatomon climbed ontop of her head and stared down at her with big kitty eyes. "If you guys won the battle, Keesma said she'd let TK and Davis go, and if you lost I had to give up my crest. You won, but she refused to let them go. She let me go instead."
Cody's eyes went wide. "You were willing to bet your crest on us, Kari?"
"I have faith in you guys."
"B-But it was Kimeramon!"
"You won, didn't you?"
"True."
"Doesn't anyone else feel that foreboding of approaching doom?" Ken was getting really nervous now. "Something's coming!"
"We feel it too, Ken," Patamon said. "It's evil, and it means business."
A chill suddenly ran through Kari. "You're right. Something's definately amiss here. And I don't think we have much time."
"What are you guys talking about?" Yolei asked, extremely confused.
"DEMONS!" Cody yelped, then clamped a hand over his mouth. Suddenly, from the walls and out of the floor came hundreds of demons. Cody smacked his forehead. Talking to the Powers, he complained, "Thanks for the warning on that one, guys. Really, we had loads of time to prepare."
In seconds they were swarmed by the nasty demon underlings.
Yolei shreiked as they pulled her dress and her hair. "Okay, now I really miss my helmet!"
Hawkmon's mouth dropped open. "Don't worry, Yolei, I'll-" A demon tackled him. "Ugh! Come on, Yolei! Let's go!"
Yolei grabbed her D-3, but one of the demons raked it out of her hand. It threw the Digivice across the room, and it hit the wall. It shattered into a thousand pieces. Everyone gasped. "No!"
"Impossible!" Ken had had a theroy that the Digivices were indestructable. So much for that.
"What do we do now?" Yolei would have been crying if she wasn't fighting off the demon horde.
"Wormmon, buddy, you ready?" Ken reached for his D-3, but discovered it missing. "Ah, crap! Where'd it go?"
One of the nasty things had pick-pocketed it. It laughed minacally and swallowed it. Ken glared like he wanted to reach down the demon's throat for it, but he wasn't that desprate. Well, okay, he was, but he couldn't get to it. It slipped away into the crowd.
"Hurry, Kari, Digivolve!" Gatomon cried.
CRUNCH! Too late!
"Oh, that does it," Kari growled and blasted away about a dozen of the disgusting creatures with her pink laser.
Cody was the only one who still had his D-3, and that was because he was the only one who actually managed to fight the demons off. Those years of Kendo finally paid off. He whacked one of the bigger ones on the head, right between the eyes and it went poof. But it didn't seem to matter, as soon as it was gone, another replaced it. "Go, Armadillomon!"
"Right! Armadillomon digivolve to Ankylomon!"
"A little help, please?" Veemon shreiked as the demons surrounded him. Patamon had wings, so he just flew away. That was totally not fair.
"Don't get your ears all in a twist," Ankylomon said, picking him up. He placed Veemon on top of his head, then stomped on the demons that had surrounded Veemon. "I got ya."
Veemon sighed, "Thank you!"
About ten demons tackled Yolei from behind, and she toppled over. They covered her like a pride of lions after a kill.
"Yolei!" Cody yelled, his eyes frantic. But he was too far from her to do anything about it.
Ken, however, was right next to her. He smacked several of the demons off of her. "Are you all right?" He had to yell over the noise of the little monsters. He reached out and took her hand. Their eyes met.
A light flooded the room, and most of the demons screamed. In a flash, both Hawkmon and Wormmon digivolved to their Champion forms-even though it was supposed to be impossible without their Digivices-and then DNA Digivolved into "Quellermon", a Digimon with spikes, green armor, two sets of wings (one set from Stingmon and one set from Aquillamon), and twisted horns coming out of its head.
"Wow," Ken and Yolei said in the same awed tone. They both hopped to their feet, closed their eyes, and clasped hands. The time was right, now. "Morph Digivolve!"
Yolei suddenly went limp, like she'd fainted. Ken made sure she didn't injure herself as she fell to the ground. At the same time, Quellermon broke up into a trillion pieces that fell over Ken like confetti.
Then the voices came, screaming, to the surface of his mind. They wanted control of his body, and he wasn't going to let them have it. He fell to his knees and put his hands over his ears like that would block them out.
Ankylomon picked Cody up and bounded over to protect Ken and Yolei in their vunerable states.
"What's wrong, Ken?" Cody asked, dropping to the ground next to him.
"The voices," he whispered. "They...It's too much! I can't take it!"
* * * *
Izzy: And now, as if the announcer-guy at the end wasn't bad enough, it's time for a commercial break!
Matt: Life for the Digidestined never was easy.
Tai: Yeah, being constantly attacked by evil Digimon, Control-Spire Digimon...
Izzy: Dealing with Black Gears, Dark Rings, Dark Spores...
Matt (shakes camera): So how could it possibly get any worse?!
Izzy: Oh, but it does!
Tai: Who would ever thought that the Digital World would be invaded by demons?
Matt: I feel sorry for the poor Megadigidestined.
Izzy: I'm just glad that's not us!
Matt and Tai: Izzy!
*Whack*
Izzy (rubs the side of his head): Sor-ry! Now back to the program.
* * * *
"The Powers wouldn't have chosen you to do this if they didn't think you could handle it."
Ken shook his head. "No! I can't! They're too strong!"
Cody didn't know what to do. Talking about things never had been easy for him. He took a deep breath and prayed that he could say the right thing. "They're your friends. You know, Yolei? Hawkmon? Wormmon? They don't want to hurt you, or control you. They just want to help."
"Help?"
"They're only doing this because you're fighting them. Calm down, Ken, and they will stop."
"I can't!" Ken was shaking with the effort of fighting them back in his mind.
"Yes, you can! Just accept them."
There was a pause. He let his mind go, and let the others have control. Their minds merged with his, along with their memories and powers. His eyes popped open, glowing with an intense blue-green light. Quellermon's armor replaced his Megadigidestined armor. He stood up slowly and looked around the situation with a new perspective.
"What just happened?" Kari asked, blasting a path through the demons and trotting over to stand next to Cody.
"I'm not totally sure," Cody admitted.
Ken simply told them, "Stand back."
They backed into the nearest corner of the room.
Immediately, all the demons attacked Ken. He held out his hand, and a very large bubble of golden energy surrounded him. The demons at the front of the swarm ran into it and disappeared, instantly dead. With a wave, the sheild exploded and destroyed all the demons in the room. He turned to Cody and Kari and said, "I will bring TK and Davis back. You stay here."
They nodded nervously.
Stingmon's wings suddenly sprouted from his back and he flew across the room. When he reached the door, the energy sheild blasted it to microscopic pieces.
After he'd left, Cody let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad I don't have to do that. I'm not sure I could handle it."
"Oh, sure you could, Cody," Ankylomon told him.
"Thanks for the vote of confedence."
"Well," Kari said, plopping down on the ground. "It's all up to him now."
Cody walked over to Yolei's lifeless body and gathered her into his arms. He carried her back over to where Kari was sitting.
"Is she dead?"
He ran his fingers gently through Yolei's lavender hair. "No, she's still breathing. But she's not in there any more, if that's what you mean."
"I'm afraid I don't quite understand."
Cody smiled weakly. "She's helping Ken and Quellermon by giving them her strength. This is just a shell. A demon could come along any minute now and take her body as it's own, but I won't let that happen."
* * * *
"What happened to my army?" Daisuke roared. "They just dropped off the face of the universe!"
"Shall I check it out, Master?" Garz asked.
"Go."
Garz left. Daisuke paced around the room, muttering to himself about those stupid, goody-goody Megadigidestined. Then he stopped, sensing a great energy close by. He teleported out of the room.
* * * *
Garz stepped inside the Throne Room and examined the door frame. "What happened here?"
"You!" Kari hissed.
"You," he responded with a mocking laugh. "Were you the one who wiped part of my master's army off the map?"
Kari crossed her arms and turned up her nose at him. "I'm not saying anything."
"Weren't, huh?"
"What do you want?" Cody demanded, leaping to his feet and grabbing his fighting staff.
"I don't want anything, except maybe to play with Light. What's it to you, little boy?"
"Don't call me that!"
"What? Little boy?"
Cody growled in frustration, "I am not a kid any more, okay? Why doesn't anybody get that?!"
"Woo-hoo, I'm so scared," Garz waved his hands in mock-surrender. "Please, I have shoes that are older than you!"
Cody'd had enough, and charged at Garz. Garz didn't actually believe Cody would attack him, so it came as quite when Cody whacked him on the side of the head. Garz fell over, stunned. Cody stood over him and tapped him with his staff. "Don't make me do that again."
Garz snapped out of his daze and kicked Cody across the room. "You underestimate me, kid."
Cody hit the floor, rolled, and bounced back to his feet. He'd landed on his shoulder, and it hurt like heck, but he wouldn't let it show.
Garz waltzed calmly over to Cody and shoved him against the wall. "Give up now, kid, before I have to get serious with you."
"You know what your problem is?"
"What?"
Cody looked beyond him. "You're evil. And evil doesn't have any friends."
Garz laughed scornfully, "What do I need friends for, when I have power?"
Just then, Ankylomon picked him up by his cape. He flailed around hopelessly. It was Ankylomon's turn to laugh at Garz, "It's always nice to have friends."
Five minutes later, Garz was also tied to a chair and stuck in the corner with Chaos.
* * * *
"Oh, my...Did you lose a fight with a blender, or is it just my imagination?"
"Let Davis and TK go." Three other voices echoed behind Ken's, giving an impressive, but desturbing impression of the power backing him up.
Daisuke snorted, "And do what with them? Their bodies are currently inhabited at the moment." He tried to get closer to Ken, but smacked into the now invisible energy bubble. He cursed the day, and growled, "Why hide behind that sheild? Why don't you fight me for their souls, if you want them back so much?"
Ken tilted his head, thinking over all the possiblities and consequences. Already his super-mind was about twenty steps ahead. He lowered the sheild. "Fine."
Daisuke blasted him with dark energy that knocked him off his feet. He used his new wings and just floated there.
"Cute trick," Daisuke said, and charged another ball of dark energy. At the same time, Ken charged some of his abundant golden energy. They both fired and the two blasts collided. A giant explosion of light ignighted and then quickly snuffed itself out. Daisuke then decided not to try that trick again and charged at him. Ken tried a spinning kick aimed at his head, but Daisuke caught his foot and yanked him to the floor. They matched each other in physical ability and skill, and neither one could do much harm to the other.
"Wait," Ken held up his hand, and Daisuke stopped. Ken reached inside of him and drew out a glowing sphere about the size of a basketball. (Now how it got inside of Daisuke, and how Ken knew it was there, I don't know.) "This does not belong to you."
"My Power-Orb!" Daisuke shreiked. The Orb had been keeping him strong, but now that it was gone, he felt as weak as a kitten again.
"No, not yours," Ken corrected, powering it up. Before Daisuke realized what he was about to do, Ken fired it at him. Now remember that the Power-Orb can create or destroy entire worlds, so that blast easily over-took the demon.
"I'll fry you for this, Kindness," were Daisuke's final words before Keesma was forced from Davis's body. Davis fell to his knees, and his clothes faded back to his Real World clothes. Besides Keesma, two crests popped out of his back. One immediately leaped back inside of him, but the other one hovered over him, confused. Before Keesma could recover enough to re-possess Davis, Ken wrapped part of the golden chain around his neck and sealed it into a necklace.
Ken absorbed the Power Orb, then took the other crest and teleported to the Throne Room.
"Oh, back so soon?" Garz mumbled.
"Leave."
"What? You want me to leave this body? No way! You can't make me!"
"I won't," Ken responded, opening his hand. The crest of Hope flew quickly back to its body, forcing Garz (who wasn't even a fraction as strong as Keesma) out in a blast of golden light. Little Garz jumped from TK's body and dived into the floor. Ken left again.
TK blinked a few times. "Why am I tied to a chair?"
Kari leaped over to him and begun undoing the knots that bound him to the chair. "You were possessed, and we had to keep the demon under control."
Ken returned carrying Davis, who was asleep. He laid the sleeping boy on the ground and told the group, "Someone else will have to carry him back to the castle."
"That's okay," Cody said, knowing what he meant.
Just then, the voices, along with the last of Ken's energy left him. The armor faded, the wings disappeared, and he collapsed, unconcious.
Cody rubbed his hands together, "Well, who wants to help me carry these three to Light Castle?"
"I think I can carry myself, Cody," Yolei said, rubbing her neck.
"Oh, good, you're awake."
"I'll carry Ken," TK volunteered.
"Are you sure you're strong enough for it, TK?" Kari asked.
Now Kari was just concerned, but that question didn't sit right with him. "I'll be fine."
Yolei stared at Ken and shuddered. She now shared all his memories, from his brother's death to Ken's experience as the Digimon Emperor. It seemed so weird seeing herself from someone else's perspective, and now she knew just how much he still loved her. Everything was so vivid, it was almost like she had become Ken for a moment. In a way she had, during the battle their minds were one. But it wasn't just Ken's memories she'd shared, she'd also combined with Hawkmon and Wormmon. Oh, how Hawkmon cared about her. Now he was gone, but she could still feel him in her heart. He would always be there, in case she needed him.
"Are you okay, Yolei?" Cody asked.
She snapped out of her thoughts and smiled weakly, "I'm fine, thanks." Her voice sounded weak and uneasy, even to herself. "So what do we do now? Is it all over?"
Cody picked Davis up. "Unfortunately, this is not the end. There's a long journey head and our quest has just begun. Let's get outta here."
And they left.
"I get the weirdest feeling like we're forgetting something," Kari commented as they left the castle.
"But what about me?" Poor Chaos. They'd just left her there, tied to a chair!
She felt the ropes loosen, until she could wiggle free. "My dear servant, I hope they didn't hurt you."
Chaos dropped to the floor. "Oh, Master!"
Keesma, though still incredibly weak, managed to project her human form. It was transparent and ghost-like, but that didn't matter. She lifted Chaos's chin, so the young girl had to look at her. She whispered in a smooth voice, "I need you, Amy."
Chaos gasped. Her Master had just called her by her real name! She gulped and studdered, "W-whatever you need, Master, just ask! I will be happy to fulfill your wishes."
"Would you lend me your body?"
Chaos's bright emerald eyes lit up. "It would be an honor! Take me!"
Keesma ran her long fingers through her feathery purple hair and muttered to herself, "Boy, that was almost too easy. I didn't think she'd give in so easily."
"Why not, My Leige?"
"Oh, never mind."
Chaos crawled closer to Keesma, "My I ask you something, before you possess me?" Then, before Keesma could respond, "Why me?"
Now, Keesma didn't want to admitt the truth: She didn't have anyone else. Her Dark Digidestined were milling around somewhere in the Real World, and Chaos was the only one who'd actually showed up. No, she wouldn't tell the darling girl that. "Well, if you must know...If things had turned out differently, you and Davis would have met a year from now, fallen in love, and eventually gotten married and had children. Wether he realizes it or not, you should have been his soul-mate."
Chaos blushed at the idea of knowing who her soul-mate was, but then wrinkled her nose in disgust. "But I didn't even like him!"
"I know. I said, 'if things had turned out differently'. Now you're my servant and you don't need him any more."
"Oh! Okay!" She laid down on the ground and wiggled around like she was making snow angels. "Take me, Master!"
What is the next step in the journey for the Megadigidestined?
Find out in Episode 9:
"The Return of Davis"