To all who asked about the gem:
It is an artifact that is vital to the Digital World, as will be shown in this chapter.
AnT:
Things are growing quite ugly in this chapter. I'm not sure if I will include Ruby/Sapphire Pokemon. There isn't very much information about them.
Epsilon:
I understand what you are saying. If I do make any trainers become Digidestined, it would be very late in the story (if at all). I personally feel that the connection and synergy of the 01/02 Digital World and Real World is part of the reason for the creation of Digidestined. The problem is, the Pokemon World doesn't have this influence over the Digital World as the Real World does.
Disclaimer:
Toei and Bandai own Digimon. Nintendo owns Pokemon.
The Stones of Doom
By: RB3
Chapter 4: Jewel of Denial
Two days later, Ash was hard at work training his Pokemon for an upcoming Gym battle. His opponent would be Mondo from the fair two days ago. That day, Ash took the opportunity to challenge Mondo to an exhibition match for entertainment. The Gym was closed for a day, pending a massive clean up and preparation after the matches of the fair. The Gym reopened its doors, and Ash was among the first trainers to challenge for a Badge.
Ash stood opposite his opponent Mondo on the field of battle. The time had arrived for Ash to give all that he could, as a Badge was on the line. Misty and Brock sat in the front row of the bleachers and cheered Ash on. The match was a three-on-three team battle. Each trainer fielded a team of three Pokemon of their choosing, and substitutions mid-fight were not permitted. Ash's team consisted of Pikachu, Cyndaquil, and his newest addition, Muk. Mondo fielded a team of Porygon 2, Wartortle, and Ivysaur.
"Porygon 2, Psybeam Muk! Wartortle, Water Gun Cyndaquil!"
"Pory!" replied Porygon 2 in affirmation.
"War!"
Porygon 2 fired a series of beams made up of psychedelic colours. One grazed Muk's head painfully, hitting him despite his compliance with Ash's order to evade. The same happened with Cyndaquil, who took a clean hit from a jet of pressurized water. Unlike Muk, Cyndaquil was hit in the right side of his body. He was dazed from being thrown around by the water jet. Fortunately, the Fire Mouse was tough and managed to recuperate from the blow.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt Wartortle! Muk, help Pikachu and Sludge Bomb Wartortle!"
Bolts of lightning arced from the electricity sacks on Pikachu's face, but Wartortle dodged as his trainer commanded. However, Wartortle had overexerted himself and left himself open to the Sludge Bomb. Muk's ball of thick slime slammed into Wartortle's head and knocked him unconscious. The ball of sludge burst into several smaller blobs that splattered all over the ground. The judges declared Wartortle eliminated from the battle.
"Go Ash! You can win it!" cheered Misty.
"Don't give up Ash! You got him down one Pokemon!" added Brock.
"We can come back! Ivysaur, use Vine Whip to pin Cyndaquil down! Porygon 2, Psybeam the other Pokemon!" ordered Mondo.
Cyndaquil dodged the Vine Whips as best he could, but was soon overwhelmed and caught. Ivysaur tripped his victim and kept him pinned down. Cyndaquil was struggling to free himself, but the vines were too strong. Pikachu and Muk went to free Cyndaquil only to have Porygon 2's Psybeams cut them off. Mondo soon sicced Porygon 2 onto the trapped Cyndaquil.
"Porygon 2, Psybeam Cyndaquil!" ordered Mondo.
Through two Psybeams, Cyndaquil was knocked out and thus eliminated. Mondo's fans cheered as the tide turned with his comeback. Now, both contestants were down by one Pokemon. Mondo ordered Ivysaur to Razor Leaf Pikachu and Porygon 2 to assist with a Tri Attack. Ash responded by telling Pikachu to use Agility to dodge, and then Quick Attack Ivysaur. Muk was to attack Ivysaur in tandem with his own Tackle attack.
"Ivy?" asked Ivysaur in confusion.
As Ash predicted, Mondo's Pokemon couldn't track Pikachu's movements. Pikachu looked like a blur as he darted from place to place. Pikachu scored a Quick Attack on Ivysaur, which was followed by a swift Tackle from Muk. This one-two combination flipped Ivysaur onto his back and eliminated him from the battle. Brock, Misty as well as Ash's fans cheered from the sidelines.
"Just a little more and you've got the match in the bag!" shouted Brock with a fervour of excitement.
"Yeah, Ash! It's just your two Pokemon against Porygon 2!" continued Misty.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Muk, Sludge Bomb attack!"
Pikachu and Muk both aimed their attacks at the lone Porygon 2. Mondo ordered his Pokemon to activate Conversion 2 and then dodge. Porygon 2 changed type to the Ground type briefly, and shrugged off Pikachu's electricity. However, his new type didn't completely stop Muk's Sludge Bomb, and he was toppled by the attack. Porygon 2 managed to stand up after a brief struggle and used Recover to heal some of the injuries.
"Pikachu, Muk, keep the pressure on! He can't Recover forever!"
Porygon 2 returned fire with a barrage of Psybeams under his trainer's command. Mondo's fans cheered him on as his attack came on strong. Pikachu employed his Agility again to dodge the beams. Muk however, wasn't as fast as Pikachu and was hit. Muk wobbled around as though disoriented by the attack. Ash ordered Pikachu to put the pressure on Porygon 2. Muk needed the heat off of him in order to have time to recuperate.
Muk was flat on his face and struggled to move. Pikachu came in with a swift and effective Quick Attack. Porygon 2 was shoved back and momentarily disoriented. Pikachu was dodging the Psybeams until Porygon 2 managed a key hit on Pikachu. Pikachu struggled to get up, but his wounds made it difficult. Porygon 2 closed in preparation for the finishing blow.
"Well, Ash, looks like the score will be even now," commented Mondo.
"Don't get too cocky! Pikachu can still get up and fight. He won't back down now when he could still win," replied Ash.
"Porygon 2, finish Pikachu off with a Tri Attack!"
Just as Porygon 2 was preparing for the attack, he was blindsided by a wad of sludge. Porygon 2 and his trainer turned their attention to Muk and instead aimed the Tri Attack against Muk. This attack was what put Muk down for good. He was splashed against the floor, and eliminated. Mondo and Porygon 2's momentary lapse of attention gave Ash and Pikachu the opening they needed.
Ash capitalized. "Pikachu, Quick Attack!"
"Pika!" said Pikachu as he rammed Porygon 2 hard.
"Poryyy..." gasped Porygon 2 as he was dashed into the ground.
Porygon 2 fell unconscious and the referee announced his decision: "Porygon 2 has been eliminated! Ash Ketchum is the winner!"
"Alright, Ash!" cried Brock and Misty in exuberance.
Mondo approached Ash and handed him a badge that resembled a planet. Mondo congratulated Ash on winning the World Badge. Ash was ecstatic and held the badge before him triumphantly as if showing the world his accomplishment.
Ash struck a victorious pose and held the badge for all to see. "Yeah! I won the World Badge!"
****************************************
In his own home, Gennai communed with the Sovereigns of the Digital World again. As usual, they manifested themselves as six nimbuses of light of different colours. This meeting was dominated by an argument between Zhuqiaomon and Azulongmon about a rash of thefts in the Digital World. The stolen items were a set of artifacts called the "Destiny Stones." Each Destiny Stone was an artifact of great power and necessary for the continued existence of the Digital World. The Destiny Stones preserved the balance of the Digital World, and should they be destroyed, the Digital World would be as well.
Each sector of the Digital World had seven Destiny Stones. The Destiny Stones came in many shapes and sizes. Some were made of pure, valuable gemstone, while others looked like ordinary boulders. However, all of them had one distinguishing feature; a ring of pure gold engraved with a scripture written in Digital World syllabary. In order to protect the stones, the Sovereigns used a variety of methods. Some of the stones were hidden in remote, difficult to access areas. Local Digimon placed other Destiny Stones under guard.
The golden nimbus began. "Gennai, our world is now in great peril! Several of our Destiny Stones have gone missing! Already, two stones in both the North and South Sectors are gone. Their link to Ebonwumon and Zhuqiaomon were severed!"
"Just recently, two more have disappeared in the East Sector. I am still linked to one of them, but the other's link was completely severed," informed the blue nimbus. "I can sense that the Stone is very close to Silph Town."
"Only my Destiny Stones have been untouched," reported the white nimbus.
"This is not good," commented Gennai. "Who could have done this?"
"I know who! It was the humans!" accused the red nimbus. "They trespassed into my domain and had the audacity to steal my Destiny Stones. I say, NO MORE! Death to the humans!"
The blue nimbus, Azulongmon, felt that his Sector was threatened. "You have no right to enter and wage war in my domain! This is nothing but a senseless war. I can not stand by and watch you butcher countless innocents!"
"This was nothing but pay back for the blatant desecration of our world!" stated the red nimbus. "The humans started this, but I shall end it!"
"This bloodlust will solve nothing. All it will do is lead to suffering and death!"
"Spare me your rhetoric, Azulongmon! I shall see those humans pay for what they have done!"
The blue nimbus made an ultimatum: "...Then you leave me little choice. I must take up arms. This is madness and I'm going to stop it, one way or another."
"Go ahead! Try to stop me, if you can!" retorted the red nimbus before finally vanishing.
The blue nimbus sighed. "I sorry you had to see that, Gennai..."
"I don't want the Digital World sucked into a war, but it's evitable that that is what will happen," commented the green nimbus.
"Gennai, tell the people of Silph Town what has transpired in our meeting. We need the Digidestined!" commanded the black nimbus.
"Tell the Digidestined to help me guard my Destiny Stones," finished the white nimbus. "These are pictures and the former locations of the missing Destiny Stones. Use them to see if you can find any leads. Enlist the humans' help in tracking them down."
Gennai got up and bowed before his masters. A disk filled with the information appeared in front of him. Several other spare copies appeared before him, and Gennai gathered the information and vanished in a burst of rainbow-coloured light.
**************************************
Back in Silph Town, it was nighttime. Ash was admiring his new World Badge in his room in Whitney's ranch. Ash was feeling good and on top of the world. He gazed at his Badge, studying every little intricate detail there was on it. When he had his fill, he tucked it safely away and fell asleep. The next morning, Ash, Brock, and Misty made a quick jaunt to Professor Oak's lab.
Meanwhile, at Professor Oak's lab, he was observing the Pokemon in the fields. Oak frequently employed the two Digimon, Palmon and Gatomon, as translators due to their comprehension of Pokemon language. Their translations were a boon to Oak's research, enabling him to reach a deeper understanding of the workings of Pokemon. At the same time, he was also observing how the Digimon got along with the Pokemon. So far, the Digimon were fairly well received, though the Pokemon were a little cautious at first. Gatomon, Palmon, and Ash's sidelined Pokemon were being fed.
Palmon was chowing down on some fruit she got from Oak. "Hey, this apple is great Professor! It's so sweet!"
"Hera, Hera! (Oh, yeah!)" said Heracross between bites.
Gennai knocked on the door and Tracey led him to the Professor. "Professor, Gennai is here to see you!" Oak greeted the approaching Gennai. "Oh hi, Gennai! What brings you here, today?" "Bad news, Professor. There is trouble brewing in the Digital World," warned Gennai. "It began with the break down of a discussion between the Sovereigns..." Gennai continued his story about the reasons for his current visit. He began with a summary of the Sovereigns' discussion and how it subsequently broke down. Some human hoodlums had stolen valuable artifacts called the Destiny Stones. This act had caused the Digital World to become unbalanced. The Sovereign Zhuqiaomon of the South denounced this act as a blatant desecration of the Digital World. He blamed the humans of Silph Town for this act. A war was going to break out soon if the situation was not resolved in a timely fashion.
"So you see, Zhuqiaomon is furious. He wants to wipe out Silph Town as retribution! Many people, Pokemon, and Digimon are going to die unless we resolve the situation soon!"
Oak listened with concern very evident on his face. "Hmm... I see. Talk of war is never a pleasant thing."
Azulongmon in turn, denounced the war as a slaughtering of innocents. He has mobilized his followers to defend the East Sector and Silph Town by extension from attack. Such was the severity of the situation that Gennai was dispatched to gather the Digimon of the Digidestined. Gennai was preparing to summon the Digidestined back to the Digital World to resolve the situation and stop the robbers.
"I have already spoken with the authorities, but they don't have any clues yet. Professor, would you lend me your help as well?"
"Of course!"
Tracey offered his help as well: "You have my help too, Gennai. If we hear or find anything, we'll let you know."
"Thank you very much, it means a lot to me, and the Digital World. Here, take a copy of this disk. It contains a picture and information on the Destiny Stones." Gennai handed a disk to Gennai and turned to the Digimon. "Gatomon, Palmon, I'm sure you know what to do."
The two Digimon nodded. "Okay Gennai, lead the way."
Just then, the doorbell rang and Tracey moved to answer. "I'll get it!"
Tracey returned with Ash and his friends in tow. "Hi Professor, hi Gennai!" greeted Ash.
"Why's everyone so glum?" asked Misty.
Gennai recounted his story, and the trainers were shocked.
Brock gasped. "A war? Oh no!"
"This is bad... Very, very bad!" commented Ash.
"Who could've done this?" asked Misty.
"No one knows. All we know is that we must find out who is doing this before things get worse," said Gennai.
"I'd like to help, Gennai," offered Ash.
"Here, take this information." Gennai waved his hand and magically loaded the contents of the disk into Ash's Pokedex. "If you are going to search for the Destiny Stones, Azulongmon said that one was hidden near Silph Town. Search for that one first. Anyways, thanks guys, I really appreciate it."
"No problem, Gennai," replied Ash.
"Yeah, we're glad to help," affirmed Misty.
"I taking Gatomon and Palmon now. I need them to be there once I summon the Digidestined back to the Digital World. We need their help. Please cooperate with them, the fate of the Digital World is at stake."
"We will Gennai!" said the trainers as they waved to Gennai.
****************************************
In the Real World, summer vacation had begun for middle schoolers. Izzy was on his computer as usual, playing a computer game. He was playing a first person shooter game based on a fictional World War III. The goal of the scenario in his game was to capture the enemy's base. On his monitor was his avatar, an assault rifle-toting commando in camouflaged army fatigues. Izzy's character had respawned after being shot up and killed by the opposing team. Izzy hid himself in ambush behind the window of a small house.
The house was part of a Mexican town in the desert. A sandbagged machine gunner's nest was visible outside of the window. Izzy was prepared to pop off whoever was foolish enough to take cover in the nest. Sure enough, five members of the enemy passed by, carelessly forgetting to inspect the house. The five got sucked into a firefight with Izzy's other teammates and they took cover in the nest. There were bullets flying everywhere, with bullets ricocheting off walls every few seconds. Izzy sprang his trap and lobbed a fragmentation grenade.
The grenade exploded with a BANG! The first three enemies went down without even realizing what had happened. The two survivors were still unaware of Izzy, being too preoccupied with Izzy's teammates. Izzy peeked out of the window and unloaded his gun's magazine into the remaining two enemies. Izzy managed to kill a fourth enemy and wound the fifth further before he ran out of ammo and had to reload. As luck would have it, the fifth guy stood up to return fire only to be picked off by an enemy sniper.
"w00t w00t! Prodigious One j00 r0x0rz!" wrote one of Izzy's teammates.
After a few more minutes of playing, the game ended. One of his teammates had broken past the other team's frontline and captured the enemy base. Thus, Izzy's team won the game. Izzy closed the game and went to check up on his E-mail. A message had come in from Gennai, and stirred a memory in Izzy's mind. The last time Izzy had ever spoken to Gennai was during Diabolomon's attack on the world's computer systems. It was a close, desperate race against the clock.
An American Digidestined named Willis, created a new Digimon to be a new friend out of loneliness. This Digimon was somehow "infected," becoming a personification of the Y2K bug. The Digimon proceeded to disrupt the world's computers and databases, consuming data like a hungry locust. Agumon, Gabumon, Tentomon, and Patamon went to battle the creature unsuccessfully, even going as far as Digivolving to match the Digimon's own Digivolution. The creature beat his assailants back every time, fleeing all the while. The creature soon reached its Mega form of Diabolomon, named after "diabolo," a game which was derived from the Italian word for "devil."
Eventually, Tentomon and Patamon were taken out of the fight. Agumon and Gabumon, as their Mega forms of War Greymon and Metal Garurumon, were wounded and crippled by a flood of E-mails. Diabolomon fled and began to multiply unchecked like a spreading virus. He then initiated a countdown for the detonation of a pair of nuclear warheads, with one aimed at Izzy's neighbourhood. Despite their wounds, War Greymon and Metal Garurumon gave pursuit, only to be gunned down by the Diabolomon clones. Through what seemed to be a miracle, Tai and Matt were drawn into the Internet itself to tend to their wounded Digimon.
"...Feel their hope! Feel their strength!" pleaded Tai.
Drawing strength from the flood of E-mail, another miracle occurred. War Greymon and Metal Garurumon transformed into a pair of arms. Apparitions of the E-mail senders merged together with the arms to form the body of a new Digimon! Thus the mighty holy knight, Omnimon, was born. In a twist of poetic justice, Omnimon proceeded to unleash "nuclear destruction" of his own, wiping out the clones with barrage after barrage of Supreme Cannon fire. With a final Transcendent Sword, he impaled the real Diabolomon in the head, ending his threat and averting nuclear annihilation.
====================Gennai's E-mail====================
Izzy, get all the Digidestined together. There's a problem in the Digital World and I need you to come back. Don't worry about Mimi. Let me take care of her. I'll tell you more when you arrive here.
-Gennai
==================================================
Izzy promptly called Tai and told him the bad news. The two spread the news to the rest of the Digidestined. At TK's home, his mom was concerned about TK being called back into action in the Digital World.
"I don't know how long I'll be there, but you I have to go back, Mom. They need me there!" stated TK.
"I don't want you to go," admitted Nancy. "But I know I can't stop you. It seems like only yesterday you were just a little baby. You've grown up so fast... Please stay safe."
TK and his mother hugged. "I will Mom, I promise."
TK packed his bag with provisions and travelled to the gathering in front of the TV station. It was a tall building, and a product of modern engineering. The most notable traits of the building were a large globe-like structure on the top, and the bridge-like upper floors. The silvery windows gleamed in the afternoon sun. This was where TK's dad worked, and also the past site of a fierce battle to save Kari's life. Looking at this place was like a glimpse of the past.
All of the Digidestined, save Mimi, were gathered there. Mimi and her parents had moved to America after the school year ended and summer began. They did so out of fear of being caught in the middle of another Digimon attack upon Odaiba. With all their members save one present, the Digidestined raised their Digivices to the skies. A rainbow descended from the heavens, guiding them to their new journey in the Digital World.
****************************************
Back in Silph Town, Ash was visiting the local Pokemon Centre for a routine check up to energize his Pokemon. While they were there, Misty and Brock took advantage of the Centre's facilities as well.
Nurse Joy returned Ash's Pokemon. "Here you go, Ash. All of your Pokemon are in peak condition. They're ready for any challenge!"
"Thanks, Nurse Joy!"
"Here Brock, Misty. Your Pokemon are done too, no problems at all. They are ready for your next battle."
"Thanks!"
The trainers stepped out of the Pokemon Centre to discuss plans.
"Okay, now that we're ready, we should begin our search," urged Brock.
Ash brought out his Pokedex, and sifted through Gennai's information. He brought up a picture of the linked Destiny Stone on the Pokedex's screen. It was a large and diamond-shaped gemstone made of pure blue sapphire. Wrapped around this gemstone was a ring of the purest gold with an etching on it. Invoking a close-up, the etching was a scripture in an alphabet unknown to Ash and friends. From the information, the alphabet was in actuality the Digital World syllabary. Ash, Misty, and Brock took a good, long look to memorize the Destiny Stone's appearance.
Ash admired the beauty of the Destiny Stone. "So this is the Destiny Stone?"
"It's so beautiful," sighed Misty. "I can see why someone would want to take it."
Brock stroked his contemplation as he looked at Ash's Pokedex. "Bring up that map, Ash."
Ash pressed a few buttons and brought up a map showing the Destiny Stone's former location. It was further north of where the trainers had met Gatomon initially. That area was mountainous and perfect for concealing a sacred artifact like the Destiny Stone from prying eyes. Brock looked on the map and came up with a lead for their search.
"Why don't we look in the northern area first? The Destiny Stone was located in the north. The thieves might have used some services like a gas station or rest stop. Someone might have seen something."
"Good idea, Brock!" cheered Ash. "Let's call those gas stations and rest stops."
"Once we find a lead, why don't we ask Professor Oak to drive us there?" suggested Misty. Ash and friends agreed and returned to tell Oak their plan. "So can you take us there?"
"Hmmm... Alright," agreed Oak. "Tracey, if Ash and his friends find anything, I would like you to watch my lab while I drive them to the Destiny Stone."
"Sure Professor. Good luck!"
It is an artifact that is vital to the Digital World, as will be shown in this chapter.
AnT:
Things are growing quite ugly in this chapter. I'm not sure if I will include Ruby/Sapphire Pokemon. There isn't very much information about them.
Epsilon:
I understand what you are saying. If I do make any trainers become Digidestined, it would be very late in the story (if at all). I personally feel that the connection and synergy of the 01/02 Digital World and Real World is part of the reason for the creation of Digidestined. The problem is, the Pokemon World doesn't have this influence over the Digital World as the Real World does.
Disclaimer:
Toei and Bandai own Digimon. Nintendo owns Pokemon.
The Stones of Doom
By: RB3
Chapter 4: Jewel of Denial
Two days later, Ash was hard at work training his Pokemon for an upcoming Gym battle. His opponent would be Mondo from the fair two days ago. That day, Ash took the opportunity to challenge Mondo to an exhibition match for entertainment. The Gym was closed for a day, pending a massive clean up and preparation after the matches of the fair. The Gym reopened its doors, and Ash was among the first trainers to challenge for a Badge.
Ash stood opposite his opponent Mondo on the field of battle. The time had arrived for Ash to give all that he could, as a Badge was on the line. Misty and Brock sat in the front row of the bleachers and cheered Ash on. The match was a three-on-three team battle. Each trainer fielded a team of three Pokemon of their choosing, and substitutions mid-fight were not permitted. Ash's team consisted of Pikachu, Cyndaquil, and his newest addition, Muk. Mondo fielded a team of Porygon 2, Wartortle, and Ivysaur.
"Porygon 2, Psybeam Muk! Wartortle, Water Gun Cyndaquil!"
"Pory!" replied Porygon 2 in affirmation.
"War!"
Porygon 2 fired a series of beams made up of psychedelic colours. One grazed Muk's head painfully, hitting him despite his compliance with Ash's order to evade. The same happened with Cyndaquil, who took a clean hit from a jet of pressurized water. Unlike Muk, Cyndaquil was hit in the right side of his body. He was dazed from being thrown around by the water jet. Fortunately, the Fire Mouse was tough and managed to recuperate from the blow.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt Wartortle! Muk, help Pikachu and Sludge Bomb Wartortle!"
Bolts of lightning arced from the electricity sacks on Pikachu's face, but Wartortle dodged as his trainer commanded. However, Wartortle had overexerted himself and left himself open to the Sludge Bomb. Muk's ball of thick slime slammed into Wartortle's head and knocked him unconscious. The ball of sludge burst into several smaller blobs that splattered all over the ground. The judges declared Wartortle eliminated from the battle.
"Go Ash! You can win it!" cheered Misty.
"Don't give up Ash! You got him down one Pokemon!" added Brock.
"We can come back! Ivysaur, use Vine Whip to pin Cyndaquil down! Porygon 2, Psybeam the other Pokemon!" ordered Mondo.
Cyndaquil dodged the Vine Whips as best he could, but was soon overwhelmed and caught. Ivysaur tripped his victim and kept him pinned down. Cyndaquil was struggling to free himself, but the vines were too strong. Pikachu and Muk went to free Cyndaquil only to have Porygon 2's Psybeams cut them off. Mondo soon sicced Porygon 2 onto the trapped Cyndaquil.
"Porygon 2, Psybeam Cyndaquil!" ordered Mondo.
Through two Psybeams, Cyndaquil was knocked out and thus eliminated. Mondo's fans cheered as the tide turned with his comeback. Now, both contestants were down by one Pokemon. Mondo ordered Ivysaur to Razor Leaf Pikachu and Porygon 2 to assist with a Tri Attack. Ash responded by telling Pikachu to use Agility to dodge, and then Quick Attack Ivysaur. Muk was to attack Ivysaur in tandem with his own Tackle attack.
"Ivy?" asked Ivysaur in confusion.
As Ash predicted, Mondo's Pokemon couldn't track Pikachu's movements. Pikachu looked like a blur as he darted from place to place. Pikachu scored a Quick Attack on Ivysaur, which was followed by a swift Tackle from Muk. This one-two combination flipped Ivysaur onto his back and eliminated him from the battle. Brock, Misty as well as Ash's fans cheered from the sidelines.
"Just a little more and you've got the match in the bag!" shouted Brock with a fervour of excitement.
"Yeah, Ash! It's just your two Pokemon against Porygon 2!" continued Misty.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Muk, Sludge Bomb attack!"
Pikachu and Muk both aimed their attacks at the lone Porygon 2. Mondo ordered his Pokemon to activate Conversion 2 and then dodge. Porygon 2 changed type to the Ground type briefly, and shrugged off Pikachu's electricity. However, his new type didn't completely stop Muk's Sludge Bomb, and he was toppled by the attack. Porygon 2 managed to stand up after a brief struggle and used Recover to heal some of the injuries.
"Pikachu, Muk, keep the pressure on! He can't Recover forever!"
Porygon 2 returned fire with a barrage of Psybeams under his trainer's command. Mondo's fans cheered him on as his attack came on strong. Pikachu employed his Agility again to dodge the beams. Muk however, wasn't as fast as Pikachu and was hit. Muk wobbled around as though disoriented by the attack. Ash ordered Pikachu to put the pressure on Porygon 2. Muk needed the heat off of him in order to have time to recuperate.
Muk was flat on his face and struggled to move. Pikachu came in with a swift and effective Quick Attack. Porygon 2 was shoved back and momentarily disoriented. Pikachu was dodging the Psybeams until Porygon 2 managed a key hit on Pikachu. Pikachu struggled to get up, but his wounds made it difficult. Porygon 2 closed in preparation for the finishing blow.
"Well, Ash, looks like the score will be even now," commented Mondo.
"Don't get too cocky! Pikachu can still get up and fight. He won't back down now when he could still win," replied Ash.
"Porygon 2, finish Pikachu off with a Tri Attack!"
Just as Porygon 2 was preparing for the attack, he was blindsided by a wad of sludge. Porygon 2 and his trainer turned their attention to Muk and instead aimed the Tri Attack against Muk. This attack was what put Muk down for good. He was splashed against the floor, and eliminated. Mondo and Porygon 2's momentary lapse of attention gave Ash and Pikachu the opening they needed.
Ash capitalized. "Pikachu, Quick Attack!"
"Pika!" said Pikachu as he rammed Porygon 2 hard.
"Poryyy..." gasped Porygon 2 as he was dashed into the ground.
Porygon 2 fell unconscious and the referee announced his decision: "Porygon 2 has been eliminated! Ash Ketchum is the winner!"
"Alright, Ash!" cried Brock and Misty in exuberance.
Mondo approached Ash and handed him a badge that resembled a planet. Mondo congratulated Ash on winning the World Badge. Ash was ecstatic and held the badge before him triumphantly as if showing the world his accomplishment.
Ash struck a victorious pose and held the badge for all to see. "Yeah! I won the World Badge!"
****************************************
In his own home, Gennai communed with the Sovereigns of the Digital World again. As usual, they manifested themselves as six nimbuses of light of different colours. This meeting was dominated by an argument between Zhuqiaomon and Azulongmon about a rash of thefts in the Digital World. The stolen items were a set of artifacts called the "Destiny Stones." Each Destiny Stone was an artifact of great power and necessary for the continued existence of the Digital World. The Destiny Stones preserved the balance of the Digital World, and should they be destroyed, the Digital World would be as well.
Each sector of the Digital World had seven Destiny Stones. The Destiny Stones came in many shapes and sizes. Some were made of pure, valuable gemstone, while others looked like ordinary boulders. However, all of them had one distinguishing feature; a ring of pure gold engraved with a scripture written in Digital World syllabary. In order to protect the stones, the Sovereigns used a variety of methods. Some of the stones were hidden in remote, difficult to access areas. Local Digimon placed other Destiny Stones under guard.
The golden nimbus began. "Gennai, our world is now in great peril! Several of our Destiny Stones have gone missing! Already, two stones in both the North and South Sectors are gone. Their link to Ebonwumon and Zhuqiaomon were severed!"
"Just recently, two more have disappeared in the East Sector. I am still linked to one of them, but the other's link was completely severed," informed the blue nimbus. "I can sense that the Stone is very close to Silph Town."
"Only my Destiny Stones have been untouched," reported the white nimbus.
"This is not good," commented Gennai. "Who could have done this?"
"I know who! It was the humans!" accused the red nimbus. "They trespassed into my domain and had the audacity to steal my Destiny Stones. I say, NO MORE! Death to the humans!"
The blue nimbus, Azulongmon, felt that his Sector was threatened. "You have no right to enter and wage war in my domain! This is nothing but a senseless war. I can not stand by and watch you butcher countless innocents!"
"This was nothing but pay back for the blatant desecration of our world!" stated the red nimbus. "The humans started this, but I shall end it!"
"This bloodlust will solve nothing. All it will do is lead to suffering and death!"
"Spare me your rhetoric, Azulongmon! I shall see those humans pay for what they have done!"
The blue nimbus made an ultimatum: "...Then you leave me little choice. I must take up arms. This is madness and I'm going to stop it, one way or another."
"Go ahead! Try to stop me, if you can!" retorted the red nimbus before finally vanishing.
The blue nimbus sighed. "I sorry you had to see that, Gennai..."
"I don't want the Digital World sucked into a war, but it's evitable that that is what will happen," commented the green nimbus.
"Gennai, tell the people of Silph Town what has transpired in our meeting. We need the Digidestined!" commanded the black nimbus.
"Tell the Digidestined to help me guard my Destiny Stones," finished the white nimbus. "These are pictures and the former locations of the missing Destiny Stones. Use them to see if you can find any leads. Enlist the humans' help in tracking them down."
Gennai got up and bowed before his masters. A disk filled with the information appeared in front of him. Several other spare copies appeared before him, and Gennai gathered the information and vanished in a burst of rainbow-coloured light.
**************************************
Back in Silph Town, it was nighttime. Ash was admiring his new World Badge in his room in Whitney's ranch. Ash was feeling good and on top of the world. He gazed at his Badge, studying every little intricate detail there was on it. When he had his fill, he tucked it safely away and fell asleep. The next morning, Ash, Brock, and Misty made a quick jaunt to Professor Oak's lab.
Meanwhile, at Professor Oak's lab, he was observing the Pokemon in the fields. Oak frequently employed the two Digimon, Palmon and Gatomon, as translators due to their comprehension of Pokemon language. Their translations were a boon to Oak's research, enabling him to reach a deeper understanding of the workings of Pokemon. At the same time, he was also observing how the Digimon got along with the Pokemon. So far, the Digimon were fairly well received, though the Pokemon were a little cautious at first. Gatomon, Palmon, and Ash's sidelined Pokemon were being fed.
Palmon was chowing down on some fruit she got from Oak. "Hey, this apple is great Professor! It's so sweet!"
"Hera, Hera! (Oh, yeah!)" said Heracross between bites.
Gennai knocked on the door and Tracey led him to the Professor. "Professor, Gennai is here to see you!" Oak greeted the approaching Gennai. "Oh hi, Gennai! What brings you here, today?" "Bad news, Professor. There is trouble brewing in the Digital World," warned Gennai. "It began with the break down of a discussion between the Sovereigns..." Gennai continued his story about the reasons for his current visit. He began with a summary of the Sovereigns' discussion and how it subsequently broke down. Some human hoodlums had stolen valuable artifacts called the Destiny Stones. This act had caused the Digital World to become unbalanced. The Sovereign Zhuqiaomon of the South denounced this act as a blatant desecration of the Digital World. He blamed the humans of Silph Town for this act. A war was going to break out soon if the situation was not resolved in a timely fashion.
"So you see, Zhuqiaomon is furious. He wants to wipe out Silph Town as retribution! Many people, Pokemon, and Digimon are going to die unless we resolve the situation soon!"
Oak listened with concern very evident on his face. "Hmm... I see. Talk of war is never a pleasant thing."
Azulongmon in turn, denounced the war as a slaughtering of innocents. He has mobilized his followers to defend the East Sector and Silph Town by extension from attack. Such was the severity of the situation that Gennai was dispatched to gather the Digimon of the Digidestined. Gennai was preparing to summon the Digidestined back to the Digital World to resolve the situation and stop the robbers.
"I have already spoken with the authorities, but they don't have any clues yet. Professor, would you lend me your help as well?"
"Of course!"
Tracey offered his help as well: "You have my help too, Gennai. If we hear or find anything, we'll let you know."
"Thank you very much, it means a lot to me, and the Digital World. Here, take a copy of this disk. It contains a picture and information on the Destiny Stones." Gennai handed a disk to Gennai and turned to the Digimon. "Gatomon, Palmon, I'm sure you know what to do."
The two Digimon nodded. "Okay Gennai, lead the way."
Just then, the doorbell rang and Tracey moved to answer. "I'll get it!"
Tracey returned with Ash and his friends in tow. "Hi Professor, hi Gennai!" greeted Ash.
"Why's everyone so glum?" asked Misty.
Gennai recounted his story, and the trainers were shocked.
Brock gasped. "A war? Oh no!"
"This is bad... Very, very bad!" commented Ash.
"Who could've done this?" asked Misty.
"No one knows. All we know is that we must find out who is doing this before things get worse," said Gennai.
"I'd like to help, Gennai," offered Ash.
"Here, take this information." Gennai waved his hand and magically loaded the contents of the disk into Ash's Pokedex. "If you are going to search for the Destiny Stones, Azulongmon said that one was hidden near Silph Town. Search for that one first. Anyways, thanks guys, I really appreciate it."
"No problem, Gennai," replied Ash.
"Yeah, we're glad to help," affirmed Misty.
"I taking Gatomon and Palmon now. I need them to be there once I summon the Digidestined back to the Digital World. We need their help. Please cooperate with them, the fate of the Digital World is at stake."
"We will Gennai!" said the trainers as they waved to Gennai.
****************************************
In the Real World, summer vacation had begun for middle schoolers. Izzy was on his computer as usual, playing a computer game. He was playing a first person shooter game based on a fictional World War III. The goal of the scenario in his game was to capture the enemy's base. On his monitor was his avatar, an assault rifle-toting commando in camouflaged army fatigues. Izzy's character had respawned after being shot up and killed by the opposing team. Izzy hid himself in ambush behind the window of a small house.
The house was part of a Mexican town in the desert. A sandbagged machine gunner's nest was visible outside of the window. Izzy was prepared to pop off whoever was foolish enough to take cover in the nest. Sure enough, five members of the enemy passed by, carelessly forgetting to inspect the house. The five got sucked into a firefight with Izzy's other teammates and they took cover in the nest. There were bullets flying everywhere, with bullets ricocheting off walls every few seconds. Izzy sprang his trap and lobbed a fragmentation grenade.
The grenade exploded with a BANG! The first three enemies went down without even realizing what had happened. The two survivors were still unaware of Izzy, being too preoccupied with Izzy's teammates. Izzy peeked out of the window and unloaded his gun's magazine into the remaining two enemies. Izzy managed to kill a fourth enemy and wound the fifth further before he ran out of ammo and had to reload. As luck would have it, the fifth guy stood up to return fire only to be picked off by an enemy sniper.
"w00t w00t! Prodigious One j00 r0x0rz!" wrote one of Izzy's teammates.
After a few more minutes of playing, the game ended. One of his teammates had broken past the other team's frontline and captured the enemy base. Thus, Izzy's team won the game. Izzy closed the game and went to check up on his E-mail. A message had come in from Gennai, and stirred a memory in Izzy's mind. The last time Izzy had ever spoken to Gennai was during Diabolomon's attack on the world's computer systems. It was a close, desperate race against the clock.
An American Digidestined named Willis, created a new Digimon to be a new friend out of loneliness. This Digimon was somehow "infected," becoming a personification of the Y2K bug. The Digimon proceeded to disrupt the world's computers and databases, consuming data like a hungry locust. Agumon, Gabumon, Tentomon, and Patamon went to battle the creature unsuccessfully, even going as far as Digivolving to match the Digimon's own Digivolution. The creature beat his assailants back every time, fleeing all the while. The creature soon reached its Mega form of Diabolomon, named after "diabolo," a game which was derived from the Italian word for "devil."
Eventually, Tentomon and Patamon were taken out of the fight. Agumon and Gabumon, as their Mega forms of War Greymon and Metal Garurumon, were wounded and crippled by a flood of E-mails. Diabolomon fled and began to multiply unchecked like a spreading virus. He then initiated a countdown for the detonation of a pair of nuclear warheads, with one aimed at Izzy's neighbourhood. Despite their wounds, War Greymon and Metal Garurumon gave pursuit, only to be gunned down by the Diabolomon clones. Through what seemed to be a miracle, Tai and Matt were drawn into the Internet itself to tend to their wounded Digimon.
"...Feel their hope! Feel their strength!" pleaded Tai.
Drawing strength from the flood of E-mail, another miracle occurred. War Greymon and Metal Garurumon transformed into a pair of arms. Apparitions of the E-mail senders merged together with the arms to form the body of a new Digimon! Thus the mighty holy knight, Omnimon, was born. In a twist of poetic justice, Omnimon proceeded to unleash "nuclear destruction" of his own, wiping out the clones with barrage after barrage of Supreme Cannon fire. With a final Transcendent Sword, he impaled the real Diabolomon in the head, ending his threat and averting nuclear annihilation.
====================Gennai's E-mail====================
Izzy, get all the Digidestined together. There's a problem in the Digital World and I need you to come back. Don't worry about Mimi. Let me take care of her. I'll tell you more when you arrive here.
-Gennai
==================================================
Izzy promptly called Tai and told him the bad news. The two spread the news to the rest of the Digidestined. At TK's home, his mom was concerned about TK being called back into action in the Digital World.
"I don't know how long I'll be there, but you I have to go back, Mom. They need me there!" stated TK.
"I don't want you to go," admitted Nancy. "But I know I can't stop you. It seems like only yesterday you were just a little baby. You've grown up so fast... Please stay safe."
TK and his mother hugged. "I will Mom, I promise."
TK packed his bag with provisions and travelled to the gathering in front of the TV station. It was a tall building, and a product of modern engineering. The most notable traits of the building were a large globe-like structure on the top, and the bridge-like upper floors. The silvery windows gleamed in the afternoon sun. This was where TK's dad worked, and also the past site of a fierce battle to save Kari's life. Looking at this place was like a glimpse of the past.
All of the Digidestined, save Mimi, were gathered there. Mimi and her parents had moved to America after the school year ended and summer began. They did so out of fear of being caught in the middle of another Digimon attack upon Odaiba. With all their members save one present, the Digidestined raised their Digivices to the skies. A rainbow descended from the heavens, guiding them to their new journey in the Digital World.
****************************************
Back in Silph Town, Ash was visiting the local Pokemon Centre for a routine check up to energize his Pokemon. While they were there, Misty and Brock took advantage of the Centre's facilities as well.
Nurse Joy returned Ash's Pokemon. "Here you go, Ash. All of your Pokemon are in peak condition. They're ready for any challenge!"
"Thanks, Nurse Joy!"
"Here Brock, Misty. Your Pokemon are done too, no problems at all. They are ready for your next battle."
"Thanks!"
The trainers stepped out of the Pokemon Centre to discuss plans.
"Okay, now that we're ready, we should begin our search," urged Brock.
Ash brought out his Pokedex, and sifted through Gennai's information. He brought up a picture of the linked Destiny Stone on the Pokedex's screen. It was a large and diamond-shaped gemstone made of pure blue sapphire. Wrapped around this gemstone was a ring of the purest gold with an etching on it. Invoking a close-up, the etching was a scripture in an alphabet unknown to Ash and friends. From the information, the alphabet was in actuality the Digital World syllabary. Ash, Misty, and Brock took a good, long look to memorize the Destiny Stone's appearance.
Ash admired the beauty of the Destiny Stone. "So this is the Destiny Stone?"
"It's so beautiful," sighed Misty. "I can see why someone would want to take it."
Brock stroked his contemplation as he looked at Ash's Pokedex. "Bring up that map, Ash."
Ash pressed a few buttons and brought up a map showing the Destiny Stone's former location. It was further north of where the trainers had met Gatomon initially. That area was mountainous and perfect for concealing a sacred artifact like the Destiny Stone from prying eyes. Brock looked on the map and came up with a lead for their search.
"Why don't we look in the northern area first? The Destiny Stone was located in the north. The thieves might have used some services like a gas station or rest stop. Someone might have seen something."
"Good idea, Brock!" cheered Ash. "Let's call those gas stations and rest stops."
"Once we find a lead, why don't we ask Professor Oak to drive us there?" suggested Misty. Ash and friends agreed and returned to tell Oak their plan. "So can you take us there?"
"Hmmm... Alright," agreed Oak. "Tracey, if Ash and his friends find anything, I would like you to watch my lab while I drive them to the Destiny Stone."
"Sure Professor. Good luck!"