High over the Digital World soared a GigaDramon. Of all the Digimon one could possibly want to meet, this was not one of them. It was a nasty looking thing, a long, writhing, snakelike creature covered in sick-looking purple scales and heavy dark armor. Right now, it was flapping ponderously along with its great steel wings, watching the landscape with wicked golden eyes.
From this altitude, it could see a fair portion of the Digital World, or what was left of it. The horizon seemed to start a little sooner than it usually did, and beyond it was an empty black stretch of nowhere that melded indistinctly with the sky. All that had once been MetalSeadramon's territory, but now the golden dragon was gone. Gigadramon had heard about that, and been mildly disturbed, but as long as his master's property was safely guarded, he couldn't be too worried.
Now, though, the Gearmon guards at the border between the Forest of Gears and Machinedramon's deserts had reported seeing the Digidested hurrying through that territory on what looked like a direct path toward Multitask City. Gigadramon didn't like this at all. He knew his duty was to defend his master's interests above all else, but Machinedramon was missing, and there were whispers that he'd already been defeated by the Digidestined and they were coming to take over his holdings as their own. Gigadramon was worried, so he was going to find someone he knew would have the answers. He banked around a cloud, flapped his wings mightily before he could lose too much altitude, and set his sights on the Castle in the Air.
Meanwhile, Piedmon had secluded himself in his throne room - not that it was a difficult thing to do. The only people who had ever entered his throne room were himself and his three cohorts, but with one deleted and the other who-knew-where, there was no one to bother him as he dealt with the rogue third member of the party.
Kokuwamon was quiet now, slumped in a heap in the corner, looking more like a pile of spare parts than a former terror of the world. He had gotten to this point after a half-hour of remedial training, the same ruthless discipline that had raised him into a single-minded killing machine once. It was more difficult now, and Piedmon frowned a bit. He hadn't reckoned on just how much of a bond Kokuwamon and his human friend had formed in such a short amount of time. He had thought that by making the bindings directly to the Crest and not the intermediary human being, the bond between him and the boy would have been dissolved, but here was Kokuwamon, protesting over and over again that he'd rather die than do anything that would hurt this "JimHyumon."
"Of all the foolery," said Piedmon with quiet disbelief, staring at the pathetic little machine. "Equating some flesh-and-blood human with something as great and noble as a Digimon. I am going to have to program this foolishness out of him. His circuits have obviously been corrupted."
Kokuwamon, obviously, took no notice of him. After his recapture by the Master of Dark Masters, he'd had his past recounted for him vividly, event by event. The process of getting his memory back, especially those memories had been too much for him, and he'd shut himself down in self-defense. He would wake up soon, though. Piedmon would make sure of that, and training would resume again until all thoughts of this brief aberration had been deleted from his thoughts once and for all.
But first, Piedmon was going to have to deal with the Gigadramon. It flew in through a window with a great booming rush of steel wings, coming as close to giving Piedmon a fright as anything had in eons. While the dark clown was still collecting his wits, the Gigadramon made a clattery landing on the stone floor and coiled itself up on the ground, bowing until the tip of its nose was only inches from the floor.
"What are you doing here?" Piedmon snapped. "You are interrupting important work."
"I'm sorry, Most Majestic One," said the Gigadramon in its grating voice. "I have urgent news."
"Then shouldn't you have sent word to your superior before you come barging in on me?" asked Piedmon impatiently.
"I would have, Your Highness," answered the Gigadramon, trying to cringe even lower onto the floor - a ridiculous gesture for a creature with the proportions of a school bus, "but I normally answer directly to Lord Machinedramon, and no one has seen him in days."
"Ah, yes," Piedmon replied. "Machinedramon is currently out for repairs. He will be returned to you shortly.
"Thank you. That's good to know," answered Gigadramon, who, like any good subordinate, hated to be separated from his master. "But there's still a problem. My master's spies have seen the Digidestined trying to get to Multitask City. There is no one to organize the guards, and the machines won't act without orders. We're completely defenseless, and there are rumors that they're going to try to take over while our master is away."
"Hm," said Piedmon, trying to reconcile his brain with the fact that one of his underling's underlings had brought up a valid point. "I see what you mean... oh, what's your name? Gigadramon. It is true that the City is unstable while Machinedramon isn't nearby. Someone will need to watch over it in his absence. And since you seem to have a modicum of intelligence..."
He produced one of his swords and gave it a flourish. Gigadramon was surprised to see a ball of light rise up out of what appeared to be a perfectly ordinary Kokuwamon sleeping peacefully in a corner. The light hovered in the air briefly, then floated lazily towards Gigadramon and landed lightly in the middle of his forehead and disappeared.
"Congratulations," said Piedmon, in a most uncongratulatory tone. "You're now the ruler of Multitask City - at least until Machinedramon comes back."
"Thank you, my lord!"
"Just try not to get yourself blown up," Piedmon replied. "Now, what are you waiting for? Get out of here! Whatever you do, don't let the Digidestined make any more trouble, understand? Find a way to destroy them and you will be rewarded, but if you ruin this I'm not sure what I will do to you, but rest assured that it will be lingering, painful, and irreversible. Now get out."
Gigidramon knew a dismissal when he heard one. He made a fast slither toward the window and flapped noisily away as fast as his wings could carry him. Piedmon sighed, shaking his head. Just look what things were coming to, when he had to make deals with Ultimates! It was undignified to have to stoop so low, and Piedmon would rather be almost anything than undignified. As a matter of fact, the only thing he liked less than being undignified was being beaten, and if he was willingly bending his dignity, it was a sure sign of how out of hand things were getting.
"Confounded Digidestined," he snarled. "How could a handful of human children make things go wrong so fast?"
He took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He should not let himself get excited over such trivialities. He hadn't lost yet - nowhere near it. After all, these children had given him a trump card to play without even realizing it. Didn't he have one of their partners on his side? Once he got Kokuwamon's memory fully reinstalled, the creature wouldn't think of anything but obeying Piedmon, and the Digidestined would never destroy someone they cared about. They'd die first, so of course, Machinedramon would kill them.
Still, they had come a lot further than he'd expected of them, and it would not do to underestimate them again. They had certainly left their mark on Machinedramon, and MetalSeadramon wouldn't be back for quite some time now. And Puppetmon... where was Puppetmon? The ruler of the forest was one of the most incorrigible loud-mouths Piedmon knew. He should be here making a fuss over his successful capture of Kokuwamon and hinting for rewards. Instead, he was... nowhere. Piedmon found the silence ominous, and he frowned. Somewhere, something was wrong, and he was beginning to have a sneaking suspicion what it might be.
Jim had always believed that he was far too mature to do anything as childish as ask someone, "Are we there yet?" This little adventure, though, was thoroughly testing his resolve. He'd been walking for what felt like hours behind Puppetmon, wandering through a series of twisty dark caves that all looked the same, and he was fighting against the panicky feeling that they were trapped in an endless loop.
"Are you sure you know where we are?" he asked.
"Sure I'm sure," said Puppetmon casually, hopping over a heap of rocks. "Don't complain; this is the easy part."
"Great. That's really comforting."
"Hey, don't get sarcastic with me, kid. I can out-sarcasm anyone you wanna mention."
"Well, it's not exactly encouraging to know whatever I'm walking to is going to make this look easy," answered Jim, stumbling over a rough spot in the floor. "Where are we, anyway?"
"We're... kinda going through the back door," answered Puppetmon thoughtfully. "We could have tried climbing up Spiral Mountain on the outside, but that would have been just asking to have a million Vilemon dumped on our heads. This maze runs all through the insides of Spiral mountain and has exits all over the Digital World. I figured it was our best bet. Piedmon figures anything that wanders in here uninvited will just wander around until it starves, so he doesn't guard it much."
"Lovely."
Puppetmon stood on top of a rock, carefully balanced on one foot. "The other Dark Masters knew how to follow it from their headquarters to the Castle, but I think the only two people who know the whole thing are Piedmon and me."
"How come you know your way around so well?"
He hopped down off the rock. "It was just something I had to prove I could do, that's all... hang on, I think I see it."
"See what?" asked Jim, but the 'mon was already hurrying up ahead. Jim shrugged and followed along behind.
When he caught up to Puppetmon again, he found himself standing at what appeared to be a dead end, a large flattish rock leaning against the wall like a caveman's door.
"This is it," said Puppetmon. "The gateway to the Castle in the Air. Impressive, don't you think?"
"Yeah, sure," answered Jim, still staring at the rock. "How are we going to move this?"
"You aren't," Puppetmon replied. "It'll move, though. It recognizes me. Watch."
He reached into a pocket and took out a small, roughly carved wooden gear, which he pressed against the smooth side of the rock. There was a faint shimmer of green light, and the rock obligingly slid aside, revealing a large mahogany door inlaid with gold designs of gears and plants. Puppetmon grinned at Jim's startled expression as he put the gear away again and opened the door.
They found themselves standing in what looked like a large stairwell of some sort, a place where three hallways and a spiral staircase had all bumped into each other and decided to linger sociably a while. It had to have been something like that to have created this place, because it certainly couldn't have been planned; all the doors were different sizes, the walls of the room were set at odd angles, and the staircase looked more like it had dropped in out of the sky than been built there.
"This is where we split up for a bit," said Puppetmon.
"Huh?" Jim repeated. "Wait a minute, when you say, 'split up,' you don't mean... split up, do you?"
"What are you? Scared?" asked Puppetmon.
"Well, you're the one who keeps telling me about all the nasty things Piedmon keeps in this place. What makes you think I'm going to go wandering around here alone?"
"'Cause we don't have any other choice," Puppetmon replied. "Look. If you want Piedmon's power broken, it's got to be broken completely. That means all the powers of his followers have to be broken, too, which means I've got to break all my ties with Piedmon. I can only do that in one particular room in this palace, and he'll know when it happens, so there's no point in trying to get anything else accomplished once I've done that, because he'll have the whole palace up in arms. And you're going to have to get past Piedmon to get your buddy back, and you know he's not going to like having you here, and that will get everything shaken up, too. So the only chance to get everything done is if we do what we've gotta do at the same time. Understand?"
"I think so. I think," answered Jim. "So... how am I supposed to get Kokuwamon back?"
"Any way you can," Puppetmon replied. He began bounding towards the stairs. "If I know Piedmon, he's probably in his throne room. I'll meet you there."
"How do I get to the throne room?" Jim called after him.
"Oh, that's easy. Just always take the largest door, and that'll get you there," Puppemon said. Then he scampered up the steps and disappeared.
"Well, I guess that's that," said Jim, shrugging a bit. He looked around the room and began walking toward the largest door. It was a very slow walk.
*I'm scared stiff,* he thought vaguely, trying to keep his feet moving when everything in him was screaming that this was a very bad idea. *I have a right to be, I guess... No, that's stupid, I don't have any right to be scared. Kokuwamon's always defended me against Digimon that are bigger and tougher than he is, and I have to do the same for him. He's the best friend I've ever had, and I refuse to let anyone take him away from me, not even this Piedmon character.*
With that thought firmly in mind, he marched as bravely as he could through the shadowed hallways.
Meanwhile, Puppetmon was hurrying as fast as he could up the stairs and through the winding tunnels of Piedmon's castle. This castle had been designed by Piedmon for his own use, and as such, had been made so it was not easily accessible to anyone who was not Piedmon. Machinedramon or MetalSeadramon never could have made it through some of the narrow corridors, wouldn't have been clever enough to find the hidden doors and secret traps. However, Puppetmon was small, nimble, and above all, clever, and he had never yet encountered the obstacle that he couldn't get through, over, under, or around. He hopscotched across a tiled floor, keeping an eye out for anything that might be a trap. He stepped on one just for fun, somersaulting out of the way just an instant before a series of swords launched themselves out of one side of the hall and embedded themselves against the far wall. He carefully picked the lock on a small, insignificant-looking door and crawled through the narrow opening beyond. He made a running leap and jumped across a chasm thirty feet wide, landing lightly on the other side. Puppetmon laughed; this was more fun than he'd had in ages.
However, as he moved onward, the traps began to become more frequent, and he began to realize this game was in earnest. Finally, after much difficulty and a few close shaves, he found what he was looking for: a tiny back staircase in one of the far reaches of Piedmon's castle. He felt a small wave of relief; this part of the castle was strictly off-limits, and he hadn't even been sure he'd be able to find his way here. He'd certainly never been here before, but the view out the window was enough to tell him he was in the right place, standing at the bottom of the highest and most inaccessible tower in the whole Castle. Of course it would be the place where Piedmon kept his objects of greatest power. Moving carefully, on the alert for anything resembling a trap or alarm, Puppetmon went up the stairs.
At the top of the stairs, there was a tiny room, just barely large enough to hold one person and a small square table. On the table was a miniature model of the Digital World, wrought in minute detail, right down to the individual trees and buildings. Little statues stood on various parts of the map: a Piedmon on Spiral Mountain, a Puppetmon in the forests, and a heap of chipped ceramics that had once been MetalSeadramon. It seemed to have gone to pieces after the golden serpent's demise.
*I hope it doesn't work both ways,* Puppetmon thought. He hadn't really considered that idea before, and didn't really feel like considering it now. *Well, might as well finish what I've started.*
With that, he picked up the miniature of himself and threw it as hard as he could at the floor. There was a snap, louder than could be attributed to the breaking figurine, and a series of sparks rushed across the map. Puppetmon watched for a moment, making sure he wasn't going to go up in smoke like the broken statue seemed to be doing. When he didn't, he hurried out of the room. Piedmon was going to be angry about this, and Puppetmon didn't want to be around when it happened.
"That miserable traitor," Piedmon muttered, as he sensed the shift in the balance of power. "I knew he was up to something. I knew I never should have trusted a Digimon who's only interest in life is playing games. ... You, stay there a minute. I have something I need to check up on."
Kokuwamon nodded dully and sat back down in his corner. The light in his eyes dimmed to near-invisibility. Piedmon hurried away, taking the fastest route he knew to the highest tower.
Moments after he had gone, Jim arrived, looking around warily for any sign of trouble. He didn't see any immediately present, though he didn't see much sign of Kokuwamon, either. All he saw was a very large round room with a domed ceiling, empty except for a throne on a pedestal, with a huge telescope mounted next to it, and a large hole in the floor. Other than that, the room seemed to be empty... No, it wasn't empty. There was a very small shiny something sitting on one side of the room, half-hidden by a pillar. It was shaped like - it was - Kokuwamon. Jim almost laughed with relief. He'd found his partner and never even had to face Piedmon at all! He rushed across the room, his footsteps echoing on the stone floor.
"Kokuwamon!" he called. "Hey, are you okay?"
Kokuwamon's eyes lit up again, and Jim jumped back in surprise. They were glowing a brilliant ruby red.
The Digidestined hurried across the desert the best ways they could. Those whose partners had wings rode through the sky, while others rode across the hot sands. All of them were concerned with trying to get away from the forest as fast as possible.
Somewhere behind them came a rushing sound, like a furious wind or the crash of a wave. Matt, riding on Garurumon's back, looked over his shoulder just in time to see a cloud of dark data bits flying up into the sky and vanishing.
"There it goes!" he called.
"Looks like we made it out right on time," Izzy replied from his perch on Kabuterimon's shoulders. "A few more minutes and we'd have been goners."
"I don't even want to think about it," said Mimi. She and Palmon were sharing a perch on one of Birdramon's claws.
"Well, we're out of the woods now," said Ikkakumon as he lumbered across the desert.
"Don't make jokes," said Joe. "I'm in no mood for them."
"You're never in the mood for jokes," said Tai. "Come on, lighten up. Your brother's going to be fine. Right now, we've got to worry about getting to the cathedral in one piece so he can find us again."
"Do you think that'll be hard?" asked Kari. She was gliding along above her brother's head, cradled safely in Angewomon's arms.
Tai sighed. "Is anything ever easy?"
"Quit it, Tai," said Joe. "You're starting to sound like me."
After a few minutes fast travel, they were able to see a dark, prickly mass against the sky. Wreaths of smoke hung over it, making it appear to be some other world entirely against the bright golden sand.
"Is that it?" asked TK. "I don't like it very much."
Izzy glanced at his computer. "That's got to be it. Let's take it down and walk a while. I don't think we could ever get in there flying without something seeing us."
The rest of the group agreed that this was probably a good idea. They found a smooth stretch of highway where they could land easily, and then all the 'mons shifted back to their most comfortable stages so they could accompany their partners on the long walk. After a hot, dusty time, they neared the suburbs of the city, rows of vacant houses and front yards devoid of grass. The little group stepped off the road and began making their way between the buildings, trying to keep to the shadows.
"Take it carefully, gang," said Tai. "Remember, Puppetmon said there'd be guards. No telling what will happen if we get their attention."
At that moment, there was a whining noise, and they turned their heads just in time to see a house a short distance behind them suddenly go up in flames.
"That might happen," said Joe. "Forget secrecy! Let's run for it!"
They ran, nearly falling over each other as they fled, while small buildings blew up all around them, raining down debris. Whatever was chasing them either didn't have very good aim or was simply having a good time harrying them. Tai cast a glance over his shoulder and managed to see a dark, dragon-like creature swooping across the sky.
"Okay, anybody want to tell me what that thing is before it shoots me?" asked Tai, just barely avoiding a piece of falling lumber.
"It's a Gigadramon," answered Tentomon. "It's an Ultimate Virus type - not very coordinated, but very persistent."
"And Puppetmon said we didn't have anything to worry about!" Izzy complained. "Do you think he could have double-crossed us?"
"I wouldn't put it past him," said Joe. He winced as a shingle hit him on the head.
The houses abruptly stopped, giving way to rows and rows of skyscrapers, all jammed together to make dozens of twisty little alleyways. The Digidestined ducked for cover, rushing into the nearest building in hopes that the Gigadramon might miss them. While everyone kept their heads down, Tai peered out a window to see if he could see anything. A dark shadow rolled past and vanished. He gave a sigh of relief.
"All clear now," he informed his friends. "Not that it does us much good."
Sora nodded. "We still have to find our way to the cathedral. Anyone got any suggestions?"
Izzy checked his map. "I think I can find the way if we can just get out of this building without getting blown up. Hm..."
There was a booming noise from somewhere outside. The building shivered, and the lights flickered a bit. It seemed Gigadramon was tired of searching for them, and was now trying to destroy them by caving the buildings down on their heads.
"Think fast!" Tai told him. "Not to put any pressure on you or anything, but..."
"All right, how's this," said Izzy. "We obviously can't go aboveground and let Gigadramon hunt us like rabbits, but he can't go belowground."
"Belowground?" asked Mimi, looking worried. "But... there's nothing much under the city except basements... and subways... and the sewers."
"Exactly," said Izzy.
Jyou sighed. "Great. More sewers. We get all the scenic routes."
"Yeah, we're just lucky," Matt agreed. "What do you think, guys? I'm up for it."
"Me too," added Tai.
There was a chorus of general agreement, though not necessarily a happy one. Tai looked out the window again.
"No sign of him," he said. "Now's our chance. Let's make a run for it."
They scampered out the door again and into the streets. After a brief search, they found a manhole cover, which Tai and Matt quickly pried open.
"Okay, Mimi," said Tai, "you first."
She looked aghast. "Why me?"
"Because you're the one who's most likely to argue," answered Matt.
Mimi stared at the dark hole. "But it's dark and yucky down there!"
"For pity's sakes, Mimi!" cried Tai, rolling his eyes. "Do you want to keep your feet clean or do you want to be eaten by a dragon?"
Mimi stared at the hole, obviously thinking very hard. Joe gave a sigh of exasperation.
"I can't watch this," he said. "Here."
Much to the surprise of everyone, he scooped Mimi up and jumped down the hole. There was a bump and a squelch, and everyone peered into the darkness of the manhole. They could just barely see Joe sitting in a puddle with Mimi sitting on top of him.
"Owch," he said vaguely. "I get the feeling I shouldn't have done that."
"Thanks, Joe," said Mimi, getting up and dusting herself off. "That wasn't as bad as I thought I would be."
TK stared, wide-eyed. "That looked like fun! Me next! Me next!"
There was a distant explosion, and Tai said, "I don't care who goes next, just go!"
One by one, the group dropped down into the tunnel, urged on by the sound of crashes and booms. Once they were all safely inside, they set off, following the glow of Izzy's computer screen.
Aboveground, the Gigadramon, unaware that his quarry had fled, continued blasting at the buildings. He looked down at them with satisfaction. Most of this section of the city had been demolished completely, leaving nothing but heaps of rubble behind. He soared back to the base with a smug grin. The Digidestined never could have survived. He would call out the troops to dig up their mangled bodies to bring back to Piedmon, and he would be greatly rewarded. With that pleasant thought in mind, he flapped off into the smoky sky.
Puppetmon was giggling madly, unable to restrain himself. He always felt this way after getting away with something, and this was perhaps the biggest mischief he'd ever pulled off in his whole long career. It felt good to be done with Piedmon, better even than he'd thought it would. He hadn't realized how good it would feel to be free, with no constraints left on him at all, able to do whatever he pleased and not worry about responsibilities and making decisions. It was worth helping the Digidestined for that. It was worth even more not to ever have to look at Piedmon's self-assured smiling face again, not have to hear him gloating over how great he was...
The thought froze, half-formed, as Puppetmon realized he'd jumped the gun. The hallway he'd been dancing down was suddenly blocked by a most unwelcome personage. Piedmon gave his renegade follower a thin smile.
"Well," he said. "Might I ask just what you are doing here?"
Puppetmon made some swift mental calculations and came up with a course of action he liked. For once, Piedmon didn't hold all the cards.
"I'm resigning," he said. "I just wanted to leave you a little something to remember me by."
"Is that so?" answered Piedmon. "Well, I accept your resignation. I do this, you understand, on the grounds that you are going to expire very shortly afterwards."
"Maybe," Puppetmon answered, grinning insolently.
"Maybe?" Piedmon repeated, taken aback. Never in his career had he ever told anyone that he was going to exterminate them and get a "Maybe" in response. Most people generally accepted that when Piedmon said they were going to die, there was no "Maybe" about it. "What do you mean, maybe?"
"I mean, maybe you're going to kill me," he answered, still grinning that "I know something you don't know" grin.
"Why wouldn't I kill you?"
"Well, it all depends on your priorities," Puppetmon answered casually. "See, I brought a friend with me when I came here. You know, that Jim fella, the one who's been hanging out with Kokuwamon. He's downstairs right now getting his partner back. Now, I know you can kill me, but I also know you made me so powerful that you won't be able to do that without a long fight, and by the time you finish killing me, he and Kokuwamon will be long gone. So it all comes down to whether you'd rather have me dead or MachineDramon in captivity."
He grinned at Piedmon, and Piedmon stared back with fury glowing in his red eyes. There was a frozen moment. Piedmon threw a knife at Puppetmon, but he had been expecting it and jumped out of the way.
"Well?" he said. "What'll it be?"
Piedmon snarled; he was in a bind, and he knew it.
"I'll deal with you later," he said. "Don't forget that. I will hunt you down and take you apart splinter by splinter, no matter what it takes." And he turned and hurried down the hall on his way to the throne room.
"Whew!" said Puppetmon, wiping his brow. "That was a little too close. Good thing I'm as good an actor as he thinks he is. Oh, well, better go catch up to Jim before he gets himself hurt or something."
Then he, too, went scampering away.
Jim stared at Kokuwamon as he slowly got up and came clanking towards him. He might have been new to this Digimon thing, but he had a feeling that glowing red eyes were a definite bad thing.
"Kokuwamon, what are you doing?" asked Jim. "Don't you remember me?"
"Intruder detected," said Kokuwamon in a monotone. "Intruders will be exterminated."
"Hey, wait a second!" said Jim, hurriedly backing away. "I'm not an intruder! Kokuwamon, it's me!"
"Intruders will be exterminated. Spark Scissor!"
Jim yelped and dove out of the way as a bolt of electricity sizzled by. He hit the floor awkwardly and rolled, briefly dazed. Kokuwamon clanked slowly forward.
"Stop it!" Jim shouted. "You can't do this to me! We're partners!"
"Not anymore," said a voice.
Jim turned toward the voice. Standing in the doorway was a vaguely humanoid thing in outlandish clothing, staring at him with red eyes that shimmered with malice. It was not what he'd been expecting from the monster who's name everyone seemed to speak in whispers of fright, but he had no doubt that this was the infamous Piedmon.
"What do you mean, he's not my partner?" Jim demanded. At Piedmon's arrival, Kokuwamon had stopped his advance to watch the clown, and Jim thought he might as well prolong the diversion.
"He's mine now," answered Piedmon smoothly, "as he always should have been. I'm the one who raised him to power. I'm the one who taught him everything he knows. I'm a better master for him than any human boy."
"I never wanted to be his master," answered Jim. "I wanted to be his partner... and his friend. I taught him that."
"Lovely," answered Piedmon. "Kokuwamon, is this boy telling the truth? Is he your friend? Does he mean anything to you at all?"
"No recorded data on the subject," answered Kokuwamon mechanically.
"Ah, I see," said Piedmon. "Obviously you two are very close."
A flush of anger appeared on Jim's face. "You've done something to him! You made him forget."
"I've reprogrammed him slightly, yes," answered Piedmon. "He's been reset to run at the minimal level. He won't remember anything until I'm ready for him to remember... and some things he'll never recall at all. Like you, for example."
"I don't believe it," said Jim. "You can't make Kokuwamon forget me."
"Oh? Let's find out," Piedmon replied. From out of nowhere, he produced a sparkling amulet that caught Jim's attention instantly - the Tag and Crest! "Kokuwamon, evolve!"
There was a flash of light from the Crest, and an answering flash in the air around Kokuwamon. In a misty swirl of luminance, Kokuwamon suddenly became MechaNorimon. He stared down at Jim with malevolent red eyes.
"MechaNorimon, this boy annoys me," said Piedmon. "Remove him."
"Computed." MechaNorimon began to stomp towards Jim, who scrambled away.
"Don't do it!" Jim begged. "Come on, MechaNorimon, snap out of it! You know me. We're friends."
"That does not compute."
"Listen to me! I'm your partner. We were born to protect each other. You're supposed to be with me, not him."
"That does not compute. Twin Beam!"
MechaNorimon shot a dual blast of light at Jim, and the boy couldn't dodge fast enough to avoid getting stung on the arm. The pain made him gasp, and he crumpled to the floor.
"Oh, this is lovely," Piedmon was laughing from somewhere in the background. "More fun than destroying Puppetmon would have been any day. There's nothing like a little emotional agony, and you perform so well."
Jim gritted his teeth and tried to drag himself to his feet, tears of pain that was only half from the wound beginning to spill down his face.
"I'm not here to entertain you, Piedmon," he spat. "I'm here for my partner, and I'm not going unless he goes with me. You hear that, MechaNorimon? I'm not leaving without you!"
"That does not compute."
"Yes it does! You're my friend, the best I've ever had. I'll never let anything come between us. We're supposed to be together. Don't you know who I am? It's me - JimHyumon. Don't you remember?"
MechaNorimon paused in mid-step. "Jim...Hyumon?"
"Yeah, that's right!" said Jim. "I'm your JimHyumon, and you're my partner. That's how it works. You told me that, didn't you? It was just yesterday, when we were playing together. You told me I could call you Koku."
"I remember..."
"I am your partner, Koku. You knew that when we first met, didn't you? You said that was when you digivolved to Kapurimon, to defend me from the Gearmon. You helped me find my friends. You remember my friends, don't you? Tai and Matt and my brother Joe and everyone. They're all waiting for you to come back."
"That's right. I remember now! You were helping me look for the thing I lost."
"We were," answered Jim. "And we've found it, too. Now all we have to do is go home."
"Right," said MechaNorimon. He turned and glared at Piedmon. "I don't need you anymore. I want my Tag back so I can go with JimHyuman."
Piedmon was staring, dumbfounded. "What - but this is - this is impossible!"
"I would have said it's impossible to keep a Digidestined and his partner apart," answered Jim. "Now, hand over the Tag before this becomes a fight."
"Are you picking a fight with me?" he answered. "A Champion and a human against the greatest Digimon to ever live? You're both out of your minds."
That thought had crossed Jim's mind, too, but he wasn't about to let that stop him. The only thing in his mind at the moment was to get that Tag and get his partner away from this place, and he was not about to let anything, even impossibility, sway him from his course.
"You might as well face it - you haven't got a chance," said Piedmon. "You haven't a chance of defeating me in battle, and your little friend will never be able to leave me completely as long as I have this."
Piedmon held up the Tag dramatically. A red rope whipped in out of nowhere and tied itself tightly around the necklace, jerking it out of Piedmon's hands. Puppetmon reeled in his rope, looking pleased with himself.
"Okay, we can go now," he said.
"Good idea," Jyou replied. "MechaNorimon?"
"You got it! 'Scuse me while I flip my lid."
MechaNorimon opened his cockpit and helped Jim scramble inside.
"Come on, Puppetmon!" Jim called.
Puppetmon jumped down from his perch, just in time to avoid a dagger thrown by Piedmon, and made a dash for the cockpit. The lid flipped down, and the little group swooped out the window, leaving Piedmon to stand and fume.
And fume he did. Never, in all his long career, had he ever been so thoroughly humiliated. He'd had everything right where it should be, and he'd lost it. Not only that, but he'd been made to look ridiculous. He wouldn't stand for it. He couldn't. Piedmon walked slowly up to his throne, sat down, and began plotting revenge.
The door of the cathedral slowly opened, and Tai peeked inside. He wasn't sure what he was checking for. Maybe he wasn't checking for anything, really. He just had the feeling that cathedrals weren't places to just rush into. However, the place was serene and empty, so he pushed the door the rest of the way open and walked inside.
"It's all clear," he said. His voice echoed and magnified against the walls and high arched ceilings.
One by one, the other Digidestined tiptoed inside. This seemed to be a place for tiptoing; the floor was made of some polished stone that made footsteps reverberate, and there was a feeling of all-pervasive quiet, even of latent power. Stained glass windows filled the walls, their colors glowing softly. Kari was faintly reminded of her vision of the City of Light, and wondered what this place might have been before the Dark Masters had remade it. The Digidestined collapsed into the pews of the sanctuary in various states of shock and exhaustion.
"We should be safe here for a while," Matt commented, looking around. "It doesn't feel like anyone ever comes here. The candles aren't even burnt."
"We'll be safe long enough for Jim to come back," said Tai. He was studying the pictures in the stained glass windows. Some of them were nothing more than geometric designs, but a few featured what seemed to be picture stories of some sort. He thought he could distinguish stylize images of cities and Digimon and what appeared to be human people in white robes or long flowing gowns.
"He's not coming back," said Joe dully.
"What?" There was a general outcry.
"I said, he's not coming back," Joe repeated. "Don't you see? We've been double crossed. Puppetmon sent us here so that dragon would eat us. Isn't that what you said?"
"Well, we were really thinking of it as more of a possibility," Matt hedged. Joe ignored him.
"We've been set up," he said. "He never meant to help Jim get Kokuwamon back. He took him straight to Piedmon. He's never coming back now."
"Aw, c'mon, Joe," said Gomamon comfortingly. "You don't know that! Jim's a smart guy. He can take care of himself. Why, I bet right now he's..." Gomamon trailed off. "He's coming through the door."
"Huh?"
Everyone looked up. The door to the cathedral swung open, and Jim came in, followed closely by Puppetmon and Kokuwamon.
"Hi, guys!" called Jim cheerfully. "Why's everybody staring at me? Am I late or something?"
"You're alive!" Joe yelped. He catapulted himself forward, nearly tripping over Gomamon in the process, and ran to hug his brother.
"Easy, easy!" Jim yelped. "I'm a little sore there!"
Joe stepped back, surprised, and it was then that he noticed the scorched spot on Jim's shoulder where he'd been burned. "You're hurt! Are you okay?"
"I think I'll live, but if you're still carrying the first aid kit..."
"Oh, yeah. Hang on."
Joe went to find his bag and the first aid kit, and while he was bandaging up Jim's injury, Jim and Puppetmon gave a brief explanation of what had gone on in Piedmon's castle.
"Puppetmon was really pretty brave," said Jim, inspecting the job Joe had done with his first-aid. "I probably would have been skewered if he hadn't shown up at a good time."
"I knew you were gonna need some help," Puppetmon replied. "You were pretty stupid to go messing with Piedmon on your own like that... I kinda admire you for it."
"So... you really are on our side?" asked Joe, staring at Puppetmon.
"Sure I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
"So you really didn't know about the dragon?" asked Sora.
"What dragon?" asked Puppetmon.
"The Gigadramon," said Tai. "It was hunting us. You told us this city was safe, so when he turned up here waiting for us, we thought maybe..."
"Well, I didn't know anything about any Gigadramons," answered Puppetmon. "Or maybe I did. Lemme think. Gigadramon, Gigadramon... Machinedramon used to have a servant who was a Gigadramon, but he was a real knucklehead. He couldn't find his own tail if someone drew him a map, so unless someone told him... Hm. Well, that makes sense."
"What does?" asked Matt.
"Well, d'you think Piedmon would just leave a whole quarter of the Digital World unguarded? I don't," answered Puppetmon. "I bet he got the first big tough ugly thing he could find and told it to sit out here and watch for you. Maybe..." He thought a moment. Then he snapped his fingers. "I knew something looked wrong!"
"What?" asked everyone.
"When I went to break my ties with Piedmon," he replied. "He had a map of the Digital World with statues of the Dark Masters guarding it, and I had to break my statue to break the link. But when I was in there, I noticed there wasn't a statue for Machinedramon anymore. I thought maybe it was because he's outta commission right now, but what if it's not? What if the statue is gone because he's not in charge right now?"
"Can someone re-explain that so it makes sense to little kids?" asked TK.
"I think I see what you're getting at," said Izzy. "The Dark Masters are bound to the Digital World. Remember how everything got reconfigured when we destroyed MetalSeadramon? I bet Piedmon didn't want Kokuwamon controlling anything until he knew he would obey him, so he turned this part of the Digital World over to someone who will. That also means we won't have to destroy Kokuwamon to take this part of the world back."
"Good thing, too," said Jim. "We just have to destroy this Gigadramon character."
"Not like that's going to be easy," Matt remarked. "Steel plated dragons don't seem like they'd have a lot of weaknesses."
"They don't," said Puppetmon.
"In that case, maybe you could use a little help."
Everyone jumped. Forming in a beam of colored sunlight that fell through the stained glass windows was a cloud of sparkling lights. As they watched, the lights took on form and shape until Gennai himself was standing there.
"Greetings, everyone," he said. "I see you've made your way to the cathedral. You picked a good hiding spot. This is a place of great positive energy. Even the Dark Masters could do little to change it."
"What are you doing here?" asked Tai. "I really hope you weren't kidding about giving us help."
"Of course not! I wouldn't joke about something as serious as that," Gennai replied. "Actually, I came to give your friend Jim his Crest."
"But... I've already got my Crest," said Jim, taking it out for all to see.
"You have the beginnings of a Crest," Gennai answered. "That Crest is unfinished. Now the job that was started eons ago will finally be completed. Give it here."
Jim obeyed. Gennai solemnly took the Crest and studied it a moment.
"I'll need some help with this," he said. "Kari, would you be so kind?"
Kari nodded and stepped forward. They stood on either side of the gleaming stained glass window, facing each other. Then Gennai tossed the Tag and Crest into the air, and there was a burst of light. The Digidestined shielded their eyes from the brightness, but those who dared try to see through it swore afterwards that they saw, not an old man and a little girl, but a handsome young man in long white robes and a beautiful woman with a crown on her head. They were saying something, but it was hard to understand, something about life and power and light that slipped through their minds like water, with no trace of it remaining but leaving the hearer refreshed nonetheless. Then the moment was over, the light was only afternoon sunshine through a stained glass window, and there was only Gennai and Kari standing there, looking at the Crest.
It was obvious something had been done to it, something that was more than just the fact that it was now hovering in midair. It was glowing with a light all its own, looking somehow cleaner, more polished... finished.
"Take it," said Gennai. "It's yours now."
Jim stepped forward and took it. It did nothing, just sit there and sparkle in his hands. It felt comfortably warm. On the Crest, where there had once been nothing, there was a collection of lines depicting an arrow pushing against some force.
"You have proven yourself worthy to call yourself a Digidestined," said Gennai. "You have stood beside your partner and followed him wherever you had to go to be by his side, even when threatened by almost certain death. You've been a noble man in your life. You've stood by your family and your friends, stood up for what you believe is right, and followed your dreams. Therefore, it is my honor and duty to present to you the Crest of Dedication."
Jim didn't know what to say, so he just bowed respectfully. He heard Joe mutter, "None of the rest of us got a speech," and a muffled whap that sounded as if Gomamon had whacked him with a flipper.
Just then, there was a rumbling noise. A bit of plaster fell from the ceiling, and Gennai looked around worriedly.
"Sounds like you're going to be fighting again," he said, "and I'm not much use in a fight. I'll see you all later. Goodbye!"
He waved a brief goodbye and vanished into a swirl of multicolored light.
"Some friend," Taichi muttered.
"Well, he did at least leave us with something useful," said Jim, turning the Crest over in his hands. "This is really ours now, Koku. We really are partners now."
"We were partners all along," Kokuwamon replied. "But a Crest is still useful, and I know just who to use it on!"
There was another rumble outside, and Jim said, "I think you're right... Hey, guys, mind if we take this fight?"
"It's all yours," answered Tai. "I think you deserve it... We'll be here in case you need someone to bail you out."
"Thanks," he answered, grinning. "Okay, Koku, let's see what this thing can do!"
He and Kokuwamon hurried out into the street again.
"You know," said Matt, "on the other hand, seeing as how this place is going to go up in digital smoke if he wins, maybe we'd better be trying to get out of the city?"
"I like that idea," said Mimi, listening to the explosions. "I like that idea a lot."
"I don't," said Sora.
"Why not?" asked Joe. "It sounds like a great idea to me."
"Because," said Sora, "the ocean and the forest are already gone. Once this place is gone, there will only be one place left: Piedmon's place."
Tai nodded. "And once we go there, we won't have much choice but to fight him. I hope we're ready."
"We will be," said Kari.
"If Kari says it, it's the truth," said Tai, only half joking. Everything he'd seen on this crazy trip had convinced him that his little sister had a lot more going for her than he'd ever realized. "Come on, gang. Let's get ready to run away some more... as if we needed any more practice."
More concerned with speed than secrecy, they hurried out into the street. Just as they were doing so, something large and fast flew over their heads. Everyone ducked.
"What was that? A low-flying jet?" asked Matt.
"Hope it wasn't Gigadramon again," said Joe.
"No isn't! Look!" called TK. "It's Jim!"
"Huh?"
Joe looked. The creature that had flown past them was a thing very like Gigadramon, but with a few notable differences. It had the same long, snakelike body, the same helmet and steel claws, but it wasn't the same. Instead of Gigadramon's clumsy metal wings, this one had billowing purple dragon's wings, and its scales were bright orange. There was a quality to it that seemed more complete than Gigadramon had been, as if this were the original to Gigadramon's poor copy. Jim was perched proudly on its head, gripping its horns.
"Hi, guys!" he said. "I want you to meet my friend Mega Dramon!"
"I'm impressed," said Tai.
"I'm not," rumbled a voice.
Gigadramon was on the scene, flapping down on them on his dull steel wings. He'd had a frustrating day - his newly-acquired minions had made a systematic search of the cave-in areas and come up with nothing, and a heat-scan of the city had shown that the Digidestined were all still alive, well, and moving about. Gigadramon was furious at being bilked of his prey, and fully intended to take out his frustration now.
"There you are," rumbled Mega Dramon. "I've heard a few things about you. Thought you could move in on Machinedramon's territory, I heard."
"I'm doing a perfectly good job taking care of this territory," said Gigadramon. "I'd like to see you do a better one."
There was a low rumble of laughter. "I already have."
"Huh?"
"Just trust me on this one."
"Well, I don't know what you're talking about," said Gigadramon. "All I know is, you're intruding in my space, and that means I have to destroy you!"
"I'd like to see you try it! Bring it on!"
Gigadramon responded with a roar and a dive, flashing his steel claws at Mega Dramon, who simply banked out of the way. Gigadramon flapped his wings awkwardly, trying to regain his altitude but finding himself weighed down, as always, by his armor. His opponent rose swiftly into the air, looking back at him contemptuously.
"Kind of a klutz, isn't he?" Mega Dramon remarked.
"Don't get too overconfident," said Jim. "He's still strong, so watch yourself!"
"No problem!" said Mega Dramon - and swiftly dove out of the way again, just in time to avoid a spray of small missiles from Gigadramon. "Okay, maybe a small problem."
"Come back here!" Gigadramon bellowed. "Come back and fight!"
"Sure thing!" answered Mega Dramon. "Hold on tight, Jim!"
With no more warning than that, Mega Dramon performed a loop-the-loop, twisting upside down in midair and reversing direction, shooting back at his enemy like a comet.
"Ultimate Slicer!"
He drove his flashing claws at Gigadramon... only to have them clang off. He swooped away again, bellowing pain and surprise.
"Ow! What was that?" Jim yelped, jarred by the impact.
"The darn thing's made of metal inside!" Mega Dramon complained.
Sure enough, his claws had left a slash in the creature's skin, revealing a weird mesh of muscle and steel parts. The wound was trickling something that looked like machine oil.
"Why you...!" Gigadramon snarled. "I'll teach you to treat me like that! Genocide Gear!"
The air was filled with whirring missiles again, and Mega Dramon was forced to dodge as best he could, trying to protect his partner. A few of them struck anyway, bursting against his wings and tail, and he roared his pain.
"Mega Dramon! Are you all right?" asked Jim.
"I'll be fine," he answered. "Hang on. I'm setting you down. This is going to get ugly, and I'm not letting you get hurt."
"I'm already hurt. I'll deal with it," Jim insisted. "I'm not leaving you now."
"Fight back already!" Gigadramon growled. "Quit trying to protect that stupid human and fight me! Guilty Claw!"
Gigadramon made a dive attack, and Mega Dramon, caught off-guard, couldn't move fast enough to avoid getting a long line scored across his tail. He retaliated by ramming a claw at Gigadramon's helmeted head, making it ring like a bell.
"Never," he snarled, "insult - my - Hyumon!"
"Who's going to make me?" Gigadramon retorted.
"Is it safe to hurt him now, do you think?" asked Mega Dramon.
Jim made a few mental calculations. "The others should be well away by now. Let him have it!"
"You heard him!" Mega Dramon replied. "I hate to do this to you - well, not really. Genocide Attack!"
A volley of missiles shot through the air, propelled from Mega Dramon's chest and wings. Gigadramon shrieked and tried to dodge, but his clumsy wings wouldn't let him. He mentally cursed them - and then instantly regretted doing so, as a missile struck its mark and separated them from him. He gave one final roar as he plummeted from the sky and slammed into the street, collapsing it into the tunnels below. There was a colossal crunch, and then a soft shimmer of purple-grey light as the Gigadramon faded away.
"And that takes care of that!" said Mega Dramon. "Are we awesome or what?"
"Totally awesome," Jim agreed. "Now, let's get out of here before this whole place is deleted!"
"You got it!"
The two of them raced over the landscape, out of the city and across the desert, retreating from the wall of flashing digital bits and the black emptiness that followed. Eventually, they saw in the distance a series of flashing lights that looked a great deal like Agumon shooting his Pepper Breath attack into the sky. Jim pointed it out, and Mega Dramon made a gentle dive into a shadowless, black and white world. Upon landing, he reverted to Kokuwamon, sending his partner on an ungainly tumble across the ground. The rest of the team hurried to check on the pair of them.
"Are you two okay?" asked Matt.
"I'll be fine as soon as everything stops spinning," answered Jim, but with a small grin to let them know he was teasing.
"I'm okay," said Kokuwamon. "Just a little tired, that's all. That was more work than I thought it would be."
"Well, I'm glad that's over," said Tai, flopping down against a tree. "I was getting really tired of all that running around! Sure hope Piedmon gives us a minute or two to catch our breaths."
"You and me both," said Jim. "I met him, and I didn't like him. I would have been toast if I hadn't had some backup along... Thanks again, Puppetmon. I owe you one."
"Aw, it was nothin'," he answered. "Most fun I've had in years! Piedmon had it coming to him... You shoulda seen the look on his face!"
"Yeah, it was pretty funny," answered Jim, "but somehow... I don't think I'm going to be laughing for a while."
"Me neither," said Kokuwamon. "Not for a long, long time."
"You okay?" asked Jim, feeling a sudden stab of concern. For someone who'd just emerged victorious from a battle, Kokuwamon sounded a bit downcast.
"Well... I just thought of something," he answered. "Can we talk about it? Somewhere else?"
"Sure," said Jim, hauling himself to his feet again. "Excuse us, guys. We'll only be a minute."
Jim and his partner walked off a short distance, putting a few of the realm's pale, skeletal trees between themselves and the rest of the team. Kokuwamon stopped after a while, sitting down against a fallen log, and Jim sat next to him.
"So, what's on your mind?" he asked.
"A lot of things," answered Kokuwamon. "We really are partners now, aren't we? Not just friends. Real partners. I can feel the change. It used to be that I always had this itch inside, something that told me I had to be near that Crest or I'd never be really happy. That's gone now. Everything's come clear for me now. I know I was meant to protect you."
"And I'm here to protect you, too, you know," said Jim. "If only to talk you out of attacking things that are tougher than you... not like it usually works."
"I can't help it! I'm used to being able to take on just about anything," answered Kokuwamon. "It's a tough habit to break. But Jim... I can remember now. Piedmon showed it all to me, and I know it's not just an illusion, because I remember. I remember stuff he didn't even show me - all kinds of things I did when I was under his control. I remember being MachineDramon..." He trailed off and shivered.
"It's okay," said Jim soothingly. "That's all over now."
"No, it's not," answered Kokuwamon. "Jim, Piedmon's more powerful than any of us were. Even when I was MachineDramon, I was afraid of him. Your friends are going to need all the help they can get, and when you're in trouble, I am going to evolve. I'm going to have to be as strong as I can be if we're going to win against Piedmon, but... when I was MachineDramon, it was like... well, everything was black."
"I don't quite get it."
"I didn't care. I didn't feel anything. It's like I totally lost everything I was when I was MachineDramon, and I'm afraid to go that high again," he answered. "Do you know what they called MachineDramon? The Infinity Dragon. Once he got angry, nothing would ever stop him. He'd destroy everything in his path until he couldn't go on anymore. I'm afraid if I become him again, that will happen to me, and I won't be able to stop myself from hurting someone because I won't even be who I am anymore."
He turned to look at his partner, and even though there wasn't anything in his face that could show emotion, Jim looked into his glowing eyes and saw something he'd never seen there before: fear.
"I'm scared, Jim," he said quietly. "I know I'm going to digivolve, and I'm scared I'm going to hurt you."
"You wouldn't do that," answered Jim.
Kokuwamon gently tapped the bandage on his partner's arm. "Yes, I would."
Jim didn't say anything. He let his gaze drop again. They were quiet for a moment. Then Kokuwamon spoke again.
"Hey, Jim?"
"Yeah?"
"I'll do my best."
"I know you will."
"You've been a great friend. The only one I've ever had."
"Don't talk like that," answered Jim. "I'll always be your friend. No matter what happens, you'll always be my partner."
"Even if...?"
"Yeah. Even if."
"Thanks, Jim."
Jim sighed and leaned back against the log, looking up at the sky. He'd never seen such a sky - the weird grey cast that didn't seem to have anything to do with clouds, but as if the air itself was smudged with darkness. He closed his eyes, shutting out the sight. He didn't want to see a sky like that, or this charcoal-drawing world...
*He's right,* Jim thought. *I don't think he'll have any choice but to evolve, and in a place like this, I think anything could be filled with darkness...*
They sat there, not looking at anything outside of themselves, not seeing the dark mist that was creeping hungrily towards them, pulling them gently and silently into the shadows.