Author's Note: Again, thank you for the reviews. Some observant readers have noticed a few loopholes in my writing. I'm here to say, well, what I have to say!

1) Poetic license. I know all there is to know about the Tamers universe. However, my storyline differs from the plotline of Tamers. I allow Armor digivolution because the Digimon have not learned how to digivolve correctly…yet. So if I want Armor digivolution, I will get Armor digivolution. Please do not tell me how to write my stories. I accept constructive critisism, ideas, suggestions, and corrections. But please do not tell me that Armor digivolution does not exist in the Tamers' world, because I wouldn't be an insane Digimon lover if I didn't know that already.

2) I realize that I am using the ideas from real Digimon episodes. However, 80% of my inspiration comes from the episodes and other writers' fanfics. Again, please don't tell me how to write my story. I will use what I must. After all, the disclaimer is there for a reason. :) This chapter has been inspired by the episode "Kazu and Kenta's Excellent Adventure" with more action in it (no, not the humans fighing the humans), and…I can't tell you anymore!

3) Cards. Well…*evil grin*…you'll have to see how the Tamers get their cards…

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Chapter Six

The Canyon of Toys

"AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!"

WHUMP!

Five Tamers and their Digimon landed on a sand dune. They staggered to their feet and looked around. They were standing in a canyon with high cliff walls. The bottom was covered with sand and large boulders.

"Where are we?" Riki asked.

"Somewhere really sandy," Vipomon commented, looking at the ground.

A few balls of old data rolled away in the distance.

"What are those?" Daiki wanted to know, watching the balls of data roll away. "Are they digital tumbleweeds?"

"They're bunches of old data. Wherever we are," said Jessie, "lots of old data is collected here. Do you think it's used for something?"

Riku shrugged. "Let's keep going. Maybe we'll find a way out of this mess."

So the Tamers walked on. Eventually, they found a village…of some sort. The houses were made of Legos and looked like mushrooms. Fish flags were attached to the tops of the houses.

"Fish flags?" Compass wondered out loud. "They look like the ones we use on Children's Day."

"Is it Children's Day today?" Daiki asked his brother.

"No," Riki replied. "In the Real World, Children's Day is in five months."

"Oh…right."

A sudden gust of wind stopped the conversation. In fact, the wind was so strong it stopped the Tamers in their tracks and lifted them into the air. They were swept away towards the nearest house and landed threw a hole in the roof.

"Ugh…where are we?" Compass groaned, rubbing her head.

"Welcome to our humble abode," a ToyAgumon greeted them.

"Would you like to explain your intrusion?" a ClearAgumon asked.

The Tamers stared at them. They looked at each other in confusion.

"Uh, well, we got swept away by the wind, if that's suitable enough," Riki told the two Digimon.

The ClearAgumon glared at the ToyAgumon. "How many times have I told you to fix that roof? It's been nearly four years!"

"I'm sorry, dear. I haven't been to the brick quarry in ages ever since the wind started picking up," came the reply.

Riku pulled out her D-force and got data on the Digimon. "ToyAgumon: Rookie level. His attacks are Toy Flame and Block Punch. ClearAgumon: Rookie level. Her attacks are Precious Flame and Dream Missile. Well, whaddya know. They're married!"

ToyAgumon smiled. "Yup! For ten years!" He turned to his wife. "ClearAgumon, let's get food and a bath ready for our guests, even though they intruded on our territory."

Jessie, Riki, Compass, and Riku smiled and bowed to the Digimon. "Thank you for your hospitality!" they exclaimed.

Daiki, on the other hand, groaned. "Aw, man! A bath?"

—————

"All right, Daiki, your turn to take a bath!" Riki called out. "Come on—this bathtub is great!"

Daiki pouted as his brother ushered him into the bathroom. Daiki's jaw dropped. The bathtub was a pool in an underground cave!

The Tamers had spent a well-deserved rest that day, for the wind was still howling. Compass and Riku were sitting in front of the fire while Jessie was speaking with ToyAgumon. Riki was raiding the refrigerator of available desserts while Daiki…well, Daiki was actually enjoying his bath.

"So you're searching for Satanmon and VileDevimon?" ToyAgumon asked Jessie. "Well, we don't know much about their whereabouts, but he's somewhere west of here."

"I guess we head west, then," Compass said, overhearing the conversation.

"Yeah, we do," replied Jessie, sitting between her friends. "I wonder how the others are doing."

"Yeah," Terriermon agreed, staring into the fire. "Do you think we could contact each other?"

Riku took out her laptop. "Well, how? I mean…it's not like we've got email or Instant Messages."

Morglormon grinned. "The D-forces!"

"The…D-forces…?"

"That's right!" Compass exclaimed suddenly. She jumped up, grabbed her D-force, and attacked Riku's laptop. The computer was starting up, so Compass had to impatiently wait. When the laptop was ready, Compass tried hooking up her D-force to the laptop.

"Here, let me," Riku said curtly. She attached the D-force to the laptop and watched as a window popped up on the screen.

"You've got mail!" the annoying, over-ecstatic sound of JOL's (Japan Online) electronic voice greeted the kids.

"Stupid computer," Riku grumbled. She clicked on the mail icon, and up popped around two-dozen messages.

"Whoa, Riku, you've got a ton of email! Who emails you?" Compass cried, almost falling off her stool.

"It's just junk."

Riku scrolled down until she saw something that made her stop. She clicked on a link and another window popped up. All who were present (which included Riki, who had come in from the kitchen to eat, and Daiki, who had finished his bath and had changed to sleep clothes) stared at the screen with a sense of dread as an electronic yet clearly sinister voice said, "…I'm coming at midnight…"

"What…the…damned…hell…" Riki said slowly.

"Someone must've recorded that voice and sent it on email," Daiki observed.

"Wow, Sherlock," Riku said sarcastically.

Jessie got up and started walking to the bedrooms. "We better stay on our guard. I'm not sure what would be brave enough to attack us while the wind blows strong, but stay alert. Let's get some rest. If that email is for tonight…"

Jessie's words were drowned out as a ferocious gust of wind blew savagely against the Lego brick houses. The Tamers went to sleep without saying anything more. Outside, the wind blew and blew, heedless of any warning, and the moon shone with a red tinge.

—————

Jessie and Terriermon suddenly woke up. Having lived in the Digital World all their lives, they could sense danger when it drew near.

Terriermon's ears stood up straight as he whispered, "It's here."

Jessie scrambled out of bed and ran to the window. The only thing that was outside was the howling wind. Nevertheless, the sense of foreboding and dread was felt.

"Terriermon, go wake the boys," Jessie told her Digimon. Terriermon was off in flash.

Jessie, meanwhile, woke Riku and Compass. Neither were happy.

"What's the meaning of this?" Riku complained. "I'm trying to get my sleep!"

Compass grumbled and got out of bed. "There's nothing out there, Jessie. What's up? Why did you,"—she yawned—"wake us?"

"There's something out there. Can't you feel it?" was the reply.

There was silence in the room. Compass slowly nodded. "Yeah…"

Riku's head jerked up, then down, as if she was hesitant to agree. She then sat down on her bed and sighed. "So what is it?"

"What's what?"

"Whatever's out there?"

Compass sat down next to Riku and shrugged. "Dunno. Jessie? What do you think?"

Jessie's eyes narrowed as she stared out the window. "I think…it's whatever sent that email."

Her friends looked up at her with surprise and fear, but no one could say anything. A loud explosion at the other end of the house stopped the conversation and caused the girls to jump. They stood/sat in silence for a few minutes, then rushed out of the room. Daiki was standing in the open doorway with Tetramon and Terriermon.

"Where are Riki and Vipomon?" Riku asked Daiki. The boy pointed outside.

"What?" Petalmon screeched. "In this weather?"

Daiki nodded. He squinted into the dark windy canyon. The wind stopped suddenly and a yell emanated through the air.

"It's Riki!" Compass cried. She and Morglormon ran outside, followed by Daiki, Tetramon, Riku, Petalmon, Jessie, and Terriermon. They ran across the sandy canyon floor until they saw Riki lying flat on his back with Vipomon protecting him from…something.

"Riki!" Daiki yelled. He and Tetramon kept running, even when the others stopped at the top of a dune.

"Daiki, wait!" Terriermon exclaimed. "It's dangerous!"

"But I've gotta help my brother!"

Riki started crawling away. He looked up at the running shadow of his brother. "Daiki, stay back!"

The huge thing that had attacked Riki growled and struck the sand in front of the boy. Riki was then borne upwards into the air by a massive hand.

"Riki!" Vipomon roared. He charged upwards on large red wings and struck the antagonist. "Mega Bite!"

The huge thing growled again and madly flapped his arm to dislodge Vipomon. The Rookie Digimon was thrown against a cliff face and fell to the ground. The huge thing stooped over Vipomon and started suffocating him.

"Vi…po…mon!" Riki said hoarsely. He coughed roughly, then yelled in a clearer voice, "VIPOMON!!!"

Riki's D-force glowed. It gave off a brilliant light that brightened the scene. The Tamers saw it in a flash—a WaruMonzaemon held Riki hostage with one paw while trying to destroy Vipomon with the other.

Riki struggled to free his arms. When he did, he was grasping his D-force and the Digiegg from Devimon's old castle. He held both items tightly while yelling, "Digi Armor energize!"

Vipomon burned with such brilliant light that the WaruMonzaemon backed away.

"Vipomon Armor digivolve to…Barbarimon, warrior of Wisdom!"

Barbarimon was a blue lizard-man with a bow and a quiver of arrows. He wore gleaming silver armor on his arms, legs, chest, and shoulders. He also wore a silver helmet with a dragon as its crest. The Crest of Wisdom was painted on his chest plate. His right hand was covered with a leather glove that also had the Crest of Wisdom on it.

"Whoa…Armor digivolution!" Riku murmured, too awed to speak in a louder tone.

There was a moment of awed silence amongst the Tamers and the Digimon. It all ended when Riki ordered, "Barbarimon, get 'im!"

The Armor Digimon fitted an arrow into his bow and released it faster than the eye could see. "Lightning Arrow!"

The blue-fletched shaft, suddenly electrified, whizzed through the air and struck the WaruMonzaemon between the eyes. The huge teddy bear growled fiercely, throwing its head back.

Barbarimon's right hand—glove and all—was alight with fire. The warrior Digimon leaped at the WaruMonzaemon and struck it in the stomach. It dropped Riki, who landed on his Digimon's back and was carried to the others on the sand dune. The Tamers and their Digimon watched as the WaruMonzaemon, electrified and burned, was deleted. The remaining data was the borne away by a gust of wind.

"Are you okay?" Jessie, Compass, Riku, and Daiki asked Riki.

Riki nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." He turned to Barbarimon. "Thanks, pal. I wouldn't have gotten outta there without you."

Barbarimon smiled suddenly. "I'm your partner, Riki. That's what partners do."

—————

The next morning, the wind had stopped long enough for the Tamers and their Digimon to pack up and leave. ToyAgumon and ClearAgumon provided them enough food for their journey west.

"Thank you so much for your hospitality," Compass thanked the two Digimon.

The married Digimon smiled.

"Pleasure's all ours!"

"Yes, it is! Now scoot!"

"Dear, you don't have to be so demanding."

"Oh, I'm sorry. That's how I always say goodbye to visitors!"

ToyAgumon sweatdropped.

With their goodbyes said, the Tamers followed the canyon, heading west with their backs to the rising sun.

—————

Author's Note: Okay…you're probably wondering how an Armor could defeat an Ultimate. Well…how could Leomon defeat Kumbhiramon in "Jeri's Quest"? Besides…electrified and burned? Yikes…