Darkness Reborn

by Silver1

The Digidestined are horrified to learn that a new Digimon Emperor has arrisen with three Chaos Generals under his command. The secrets this new Emperor holds will push the Digidestined to their limits and test the bonds of friendship between them.

2. Power Resurrection

Darkness Reborn

Chapter 2: Power Resurrection

by Silver

*Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon's creatures or characters. ChaosWarGreymon is partially my own design, but is also inspired by the Digimon World 2 video game.*

Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took forever to publish. I've been busy getting back to college and setting up my new house.

There are some special thanks to give out. I'd like to give extra special thanks to ChrsDud, DaisukeFire, and Josh the Critic, all of whom have helped me improve my skills as a writer. ChrsDud has helped me by checking the spelling on my stories (no small task, I assure you). Josh the Critique recommended that I work on my descriptions and creative language, so I asked DaisukeFire (a very talented writer that is listed on my favorites list. Please check out his stories, they're wonderfully written) to be my beta reader. This chapter wouldn't be possible without their collective input. It's my hope that my stories will improve with their advice.

Since I'm trying to improve my writing style, don't be surprised if this chapter is a little different from my earlier works. I hope everyone still enjoys it, and I'd welcome any constructive criticism and advice. I need all the help I can get.

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Davis had never been a huge fan of bugs, but he'd never imagined that he'd actually run away from one. Then again, he'd never even imagined being chased by a 15-foot beetle either! Yet that was what he and his friends were doing. He heard a crash just a few feet behind him, signaling that their pursuer was still following them. Davis risked a glance back. The monstrous creature's face was contorted into a snarl, and small pools of drool fell from the gaping maw of its mouth. Its claws flung about wildly, as if they were controlled by a will of their own; namely, the will to slice open the nearest living creature. Davis suddenly wished he'd kept looking forward.

As Davis, Ken, and their Digimon fled through the forest, Kuwagamon cut down tree after tree as it pursued them. Several tree trunks exploded into shards of wood when Kuwagamon's claws smashed against them. Other trees were uprooted and flick aside by the massive pincers that enclosed around Kuwagamon's mouth. Davis knew that Kuwagamon were ill tempered by nature, but they were downright ferocious when a dark ring was clamped around one of its claws.

"Duck!" Ken shouted as he dove to the ground. Davis jumped forward and lay sprawled. His blue jacket was flipped over his face as a whirlwind passed overhead. Kuwagamon was now ahead of them. Davis barely had a chance to roll out of the way of a falling tree trunk. This is nuts! If only Veemon could digivolve.

Ken wrapped an arm under Davis' arm and hauled him to his feet. "Come on! He's coming back!" Kuwagamon was looping around for another attack.

Wormmon called, "Everyone, this way!" He indicated a path through the forest. Davis and Ken sprinted after their Digimon towards a large oak tree that stood slightly independent of the surrounding foliage.

Davis shouted, "You want us to hide behind a tree? That's a genius move! Kuwagamon'll just smash it down!"
Wormmon didn't slow down to look back, "Trust me. Just run strait for that tree and don't slow down, no-matter-what!" Wormmon put all his strength into bounding across the forest floor.

Thump.

Davis looked up to his right and saw a flash of blue streak by. Veemon had tripped and fallen. A small cloud of dust had kicked up around his friend. Davis skidded to a stop and doubled back for his partner.

Ken called, "Davis!"

"Keep going!" Davis shouted over his shoulder. He knelt down and scooped Veemon up. "I gotcha, buddy."

"Thanks, Davis."
"GWROOOAA!" Davis looked up to see Kuwagamon diving towards them. Davis started to run again towards the tree Wormmon had indicated. Ken and Wormmon were nowhere to be seen. They were probably hiding out of sight behind the tree.

Veemon ordered, "Just close your eyes and run strait for that tree!"

Am I the only one who has a problem with that? Davis didn't understand why everyone was so eager to have him break his nose, but it was probably better than being caught by Kuwagamon. Davis shut his eyes and charged forward.

Kuwagamon's roar thundered in Davis' ears as he put all his strength into running. His heart thrashed against his ribs while his lungs screamed for more air. He ran in darkness for what seemed like an eternity. Davis' foot snagged on something, and he began to stumble forward. He braced himself for collision with the ground, but instead he rebounded off something soft and warm, with a muffled beat nearby. A loud "off" sounded from whatever he'd just hit.

Davis opened his eyes and half-expected to see a sneering Digimon looming over him, but instead he saw Ken lying sprawled on top of Wormmon. Ken groaned, "Nice entrance."

Wormmon moaned, "Ken, please get off me."

Davis surveyed the situation. Veemon was unharmed, but he was lying dazed on Davis' chest after being sandwiched between Davis and Ken. Davis' head was soar from the fall, and his heart felt like it was going to give out.

It was then that Davis had noticed that he had been transported from the forest to some kind of strange cylindrical room. It was large with smooth metallic-blue panels segmented with a white gridline. The walls were warm to the touch. They were as firm as metal, but had a plastic sensation to them.

"GROOOAAA!" Davis scrambled to his feat in a chaotic frenzy at the ear-splitting sound of Kuwagamon's scream. Had they been followed? He was about to shout a warning to the others when Ken placed his hand over Davis' mouth. Ken pressed a finger to his lips to signal for silence.

Davis' heard Kuwagamon's roar several times, accompanied by crashing sounds. Davis heart pounded with every second while he expected Kuwagamon to rip through the blue wall. But, after several moments, Kuwagamon's roars faded into the distance. Davis' muscled relaxed and his slumped back onto the floor.

Ken took his hand off Davis' mouth. "We should be safe here for a little while."

Davis asked, "Where the heck are we?"

Wormmon said, "This is a 'hiding tree.'"

"Hiding tree?"

Veemon nodded, "It's a hollow tree that looks solid from the outside. Small Digimon can hide in these whenever they need to get away from larger Digimon."

Ken nodded, "Or when they're being chased by a horde of controlled Digimon."

Things hadn't gone well for their small group after escaping from ChaosWarGreymon. They had stumbled through the forest until they were sure that they weren't being pursued. ChaosWarGreymon must have gone after the others instead. That wasn't a very comforting thought. Unfortunately, just as they had stopped to rest, several Floramon had ambushed them. Veemon and Wormmon had dealt with them easily enough, although they hadn't been able to get the dark rings off the captive Floramon. They had been forced to flee once again when Kuwagamon had appeared. Now, Davis didn't have the slightest idea where they were.

He pulled out his D3. "Let's see where the others are." He activated the detect feature, but the screen remained blank. "What the?" Davis gave his digivice a shake.

He was about to try whacking it when Ken said, "The Digimon Emperor is probably blocking the signal." He too had been checking his D3.

Davis sighed, "So now we can't even find the others. This new Emperor really has us on the ropes."

"Heh, heh…" Davis looked over at Ken who was staring at the ground and chuckling to himself.

"Um, Ken?"

Ken tilted his head back and began to laugh hysterically, "Ah ha ha ha ha!" His mouth pulled back in a wide gaping smile, and his eyes had shrunk to tiny beads. His gazed seemed to drift about without focusing on anything near him. Rather, he seemed to drift about, lost.

Oh, great. Now Ken's lost it. Davis knew he should be sympathetic, but he was tired, hot, and worried. He didn't have time to put up with this nonsense. He glared at Ken. "Am I gonna have to slap you? Get with it, Ken!"

Wormmon placed a small paw on Ken's knee. "Ken, please calm down."

Ken raised his fist and slammed it down on the ground with such force that Davis, Veemon, and Wormmon all jumped back in surprise. "This is so ironic," Ken shook his head, "Here I am, the former Digimon Emperor, outdone by a newbie." He looked up with tears in his eyes. "Why do I feel like this is all my fault?" The tears poured down along his cheeks in small rivers, and his lip trembled. Ken sat down and wrapped his arms around his legs.

Wormmon said, "It's not! Don't say things like that!"

Ken insisted, "But if I had never become the Digimon Emperor, if I had never abused my knowledge, this new Emperor wouldn't have so many tools at his disposal. It's as if I created this new Emperor, just as I created Kimeramon."

Davis snapped, "Don't start that again! You got over your guilt years ago, Ken. Don't start blaming yourself for everything now. You don't know what might have happened if you hadn't become the Digimon Emperor. This new guy might still have caused trouble, with or without you. Besides, we don't have time for a guilt trip right now!"

Ken took several deep breaths, then dried his eyes and stood up. "You're right. The most important thing now is to find the others and defeat the Digimon Emperor."

Veemon suggested, "Let's go outside and see what's going on." He crept up to the wall of the hiding tree and slowly poked his head out. After a few moments he pulled his head in and said, "It looks like Kuwagamon left. I don't see him anywhere"

Davis nodded, "Let's head out. No point in waitin' around." He stepped through the wall back into the forest. Several nearby trees had been uprooted, and many more were sliced in half. Kuwagamon had definitely left his mark, but there was another feeling seeping through the forest.

There were no sounds at all. The Digital World had no birds to sing, but there weren't any other sounds that Davis usually heard within a forest. No Digimon called out or roared, water from streams trickled only in some mute zone far from Davis' ears, and it seemed as if even the wind was forbade from blowing. The entire forest was hushed, controlled, and oppressed. Even though he wasn't there physically, Davis could feel the Digimon Emperor's hand reaching out to snatch up everything in sight.

Davis looked back at the hiding tree. Large and thick with many branches stretching out from its top, it still held no unique traits in contrast to the other trees. He asked Wormmon, "How'd you know the hiding tree was here?"

Wormmon said, "You can recognize a hiding tree if you know what to look for. And since I'm a small insect Digimon, I often need a good hiding place."

Ken patted Wormmon's head, "Lucky for us you knew what to do. Thank you, Wormmon. You did an excellent job." Wormmon blushed.

"Help! Help!" A voice cried from farther into the forest.

Davis looked at Veemon. "Let's go!" They took off, weaving through the trees.

Ken called, "Davis, wait! Have you forgotten that our Digimon can't digivolve? Davis!" Davis didn't slow down; he continued to dodge past trees as he charged forward. Ken sighed and ran after them. Head strong and heroic, the worst and best combination.

They ran through the trees to a large clearing. Davis and Ken instantly spotted the source of the trouble: a DarkTyrannomon with a dark ring around his neck. Near the DarkTyrannomon's feet was a small Digimon, probably an In-Training. The short Digimon's body was round with a bright green body and two pudgy feet, Ken recognized the Digimon's color and shape. "Is that...?"
Davis noticed it too, "Datirimon?"

Datirimon ran away as fast as he could, but one step from DarkTyrannomon covered leagues more than Datirimon could ever dream of.

Davis ran forward with Veemon. "V-head-butt!" Veemon banged his head against DarkTyrannomon's leg. The Dinosaur-like Digimon looked down at his new assailants and roared angrily.

Davis scooped up Datirimon and ran back towards Ken. "Long time no see, Datirimon."

Datirimon replied, "Hiya! I've been looking all over for you." He was surprisingly happy for an exhausted Digimon that was about to be stomped on.

Ken shouted, "Davis, hurry! He's going to use his Fire Blast!" DarkTyrannomon was opening his mouth. Flames could be seen glowing in the back of his throat.

"Sticky Net!" Wormmon fired a ball of silk at DarkTyrannomon. The ball struck against the Digimon's eye. He roared in confusion and anger as he clawed at his left eye, trying to get the sticky silk off.

"Let's get outta here!" Davis signaled a retreat, his least favorite activity. He might have been headstrong, but Davis definitely wasn't suicidal. Veemon and Wormmon didn't stand a chance against a Champion-level Digimon.

"GRAWOOO!" An all-too-familiar roar came from behind the trees. Kuwagamon cut a path into the clearing in front of Davis and Ken.

Ken said, "He's got the worst sense of timing!"

"Not to mention bad breath." Davis ordered, "Head the other way." They turned to run, but a massive black leg descended to block their path. DarkTyrannomon glared down at them with both eyes shinning red.

The situation was obvious to both boys. They couldn't run and they couldn't fight. In sort, they were trapped. Ken looked at Davis with defeat in his eyes, "It's been great knowing you, Davis. Thanks for everything."

Davis' response was less gentle, "Don't talk like that! We're not finished yet. There's no way I'm gonna give up now!"

Datirimon hoped down from Davis' arms. "Davis is right. You can't quit now! We gotta beat the Digimon Emperor!"

Wormmon asked, "But we can't even digivolve; how are we supposed to fight?" Kuwagamon and DarkTyrannomon advanced ever closer.

Datirimon said, "I'll help you fight." He closed his eyes and set his face to a look of deep concentration. Datirimon's body began to glow a blindingly bright white. The light expanded into a shinning dome that encompassed Ken, Davis, and their Digimon. Kuwagamon and DarkTyrannomon roared and staggered back from the blinding light.

Davis squinted in the white glare, but he didn't seem to be hurt like the controlled Digimon were. The only discomfort he felt was a little ploom of heat on in his chest. Must be something I ate. What a time to have heartburn…

"What?" Ken looked down at his waist. The crest of kindness glowed light red as it floated out of Ken's pocket and into the air. Davis could feel the energy pouring off of it. The heat Davis felt emanating off the crest was the same as the heat in his chest.

Davis looked down at his chest. "Whoa!" The crests of courage and friendship shown over his heart. Their light was strong enough to be seen clearly through his black shirt. "These… these are…" Davis had never expected to see the crests of his digieggs ever again. The crest symbols floated off of Davis' chest and hovered next to the crest of kindness.

Datirimon's eyes snapped open and flashed white as he stared at the crests. Several balls of light began to grow from the crests. Flaming streaks of orange surrounded the crest of courage, navy lightning emerged around the crest of friendship, and the crest of kindness produced a light crimson sphere.

In a final flash of brilliance, the energy spheres resolved into three digieggs. Datirimon said, "These are your digieggs, created from your own crest power. They're the digieggs of courage, friendship, and kindness." The digieggs of courage and friendship looked the same as Davis remembered them. The digiegg of courage was round with flames curving up the shell and a spike protruding out near the top. TK's past description of the black-colored digiegg of friendship, "a flip-flop with a bent nail in it," still fit best. The third digiegg, the one created from the crest of kindness, was carved like the closed petals of a rose. It was pink with red crests of kindness displayed on the outer petals.

Ken's first reaction upon seeing the digiegg of kindness was to snatch it and hide it from view. If Davis saw that Ken had gotten what would be considered a "girly" digiegg, he'd probably never hear the end of it. But, instead, Ken just stared in wonder. No matter how embarrassing it might look, this new digiegg was a way to have Wormmon digivolve again. Pride could be sacrificed in exchange for a fighting chance.

The digieggs floated to their respective owners. Davis smiled at Ken, "Ready to give your digiegg a try?"

Ken nodded, "I remember watching you use these things. If you can do it, then so can I!"

Datirimon said, "Yep! You can do it. Wormmon has the power to armor digivolve, just like Veemon."

Davis said, "Dibs on Kuwagamon!"

"Alright." Ken allowed himself a sly smile. "Wormmon and I can deal with DarkTyrannomon."

Davis looked at his partner. "Just like the old times, right, Veemon? Which one do you wanna use?"

Veemon smiled, "Courage!"
Davis held up the digiegg of courage. "Digiarmor energize!" Orange light flashed out from the egg.

"Veemon armor digivolve to… Flamedramon: The Fire of Courage!"

Ken looked at his digiegg. "Here goes… Digiarmor energize!" Red light burst out and surrounded Wormmon.

"Wormmon armor digivolve to… Puttimon: Cute Kindness!"

Ken's mouth fell open when he saw Wormmon's new armor form. Puttimon was a short impish Digimon that looked nothing like an insect. He wore a white body suit with red oversized boots and gloves. On his head he wore a red hood with two long tendrils arching back and ending in heart-shaped points. His face was round and pudgy with a button-like nose and round black eyes. Ken looked from the dragon-man Flamedramon to the sprightly Puttimon and wondered how his armor Digimon could look so…so… cute. "W-Wormmon?"

Puttimon smiled, "I'm not Wormmon anymore. I'm Puttimon! I use the digiegg of kindness to armor digivolve. But don't think I'm just another cute face. My heart beam will make my enemies ache." Even his voice was energetic and almost child-like.

Ken shrugged. He's my partner. That's all that matters. "Go get him, Puttimon!"

"Right!" Puttimon bounced towards DarkTyrannomon, making leaps that were impossibly high for a human. "Heart Beam!" A pulse of red energy gathered around Puttimon's extended forefinger and shot out at DarkTyrannomon's head. The blast of energy collided with the creature's head and sent him staggering back. DarkTyrannomon let out a small yelp in protest, but quickly recovered.

Enraged, DarkTyrannomon took a swipe at Puttimon with his right claw. Puttimon giggled and leaped over the claws as a child would skip rope. DarkTyrannomon continued to swing at his small opponent in a continually failing attempt to knock him off balance. Puttimon continued to laugh and jump. This wasn't a battle to him, it was a game.

Finally, DarkTyrannomon's patience gave out. "Fire Blast!" Red flames erupted from his mouth and cascaded down toward Puttimon.

Seeing the danger approach, Puttimon leaped high into the air as the flames burned the ground beneath him. "Ohh… You've done it now!" Puttimon extended his forefinger again. "Heart Beam!" Another bolt of red energy struck DarkTyrannomon in the head and knocked him backwards.

"Heart Beam!" A second shot struck the dark ring around DarkTyrannomon's neck, shattering it. DarkTyrannomon slumped to the ground as his eyes changed from burning red to deep blue. He let out a small groan and his body went limp.

Davis looked to Flamedramon. "Let's show 'em how the pros do it!"

Flamedramon nodded and turned to face Kuwagamon. "Come on, buggy."

Kuwagamon roared and brought one claw down at Flamedramon. The Armor Digimon leaped high into the air, past the claws, and flipped onto Kuwagamon's back. He raised a clawed glove to strike at the dark ring, when, suddenly, Kuwagamon unsheathed his wings and knocked his opponent off. Flamedramon turned his fall into a graceful back flip and landed on the ground.

Kuwagamon was in the air again and circling around for another attack. Flamedramon stood his ground with his right fist cocked back. Bright yellow sparks formed around his claws as Kuwagamon drew ever closer. "Fire Rocket!" Flamedramon thrust his fist forward, sending out several fireballs. The spheres of heat struck Kuwagamon in the head, burning his exoskeleton. Kuwagamon screeched and tumbled to the ground.

Not loosing a chance to strike, Flamedramon encased his body in a flaming aura. "Fire Rocket!" He propelled himself forward at the dark ring. With a loud crash, the spike on Flamedramon's head shattered the slave collar broke into tiny splinters, which then dissolved into broken data.

Kuwagamon had no visible eyes to change color, but he let out a slight groan as he staggered back to his feet. Kuwagamon looked at Flamedramon, then spread his wings and leaped into the air. He soared off into the distance without a sound.

Davis let out an undignified grunt, "He could have at least said thanks."

Flamedramon shrugged, "Kuwagamon aren't too social. The fact that he didn't attack us or cause a scene is his way of saying thanks." Davis shrugged and nodded.

Ken looked at DarkTyrannomon. "Is he…" A content snore erupted from DarkTyrannomon's throat and he rolled over into a more comfortable position.

Puttimon said "Don't worry. My heart beam not only knocks bad guys out, but it fills peoples hearts with love and peace! He'll wake up feeling like a million dollars."

Ken muttered, "That's… that's…" Puttimon said.

"Corny?" Davis said as he and Flamedramon tried to control a fit of snickering. Ken glared daggers at the two of them and they had enough sense to shut up. Puttimon just looked at them confusedly, oblivious to the others' reactions to his words.

"You guys were great!" Datirimon cheered, "Way to go!"

Davis smiled at the small Digimon. "We couldn't have done it without you, Datirimon. Thanks for your help. But, how did you recreate our digieggs?"

Datirimon replied, "Like I said, I made 'em from your crest power."

Davis frowned, "Well, Ken has the crest of kindness, but do I have crest power too?"

Datirimon gave Davis a humoring look. "Of course you do, Davis. Why do you think you, Cody, and Yolei were chosen to be the new Digidestined out of all the children in the world?"

Davis shrugged, "We all lived in Japan?"

Datirimon said, "Nope. You and the newer Digidestined have crest power, but the Digidestined in other countries don't. They don't have your kind of power. That's why you were chosen instead of them. You have the power of the crests of courage and friendship. That is why you can use the digieggs. I created them from your own power."

Davis scratched his head, "I always figured that I had inherited the crests from Tai and Matt."

Datirimon said, "Nope. They're your own crests powers. You didn't inherit them from anyone. Same goes for Yolei, Cody, and Ken."

"Then what about TK and Kari?" Asked Ken, "Were they chosen because of their crest power as well?"

Datirimon nodded, "Yep. The powers of hope and light are very hard to find in the human world. Large concentrations of courage, friendship, love, sincerity, knowledge, reliability, and kindness are hard enough to find, but hope and light are practically impossible."

Ken frowned, "That doesn't say much about humans."

Datirimon said, "It's not as bad as it sounds. All humans have light and hope in their hearts, no matter how bad they may seem, but it's difficult to find a concentration of that energy. TK and Kari were reenlisted because they were the only ones who could help."

Datirimon's expression saddened, "But there's something else you should know. I think ChaosWarGreymon has crest power too."
Ken asked, "Is that possible? Does that mean that ChaosWarGreymon is someone's partner?"

"I dunno. Crest power can be split between several Digimon if a person knows how. ChaosWarGreymon is only one of three Chaos Generals. I haven't seen the others."

Davis asked, "Do you know which crest power it is?"

Datirimon said, "I don't. When I sense it, it feels familiar, but there's a dark shadow over it. I can't tell which crest gives ChaosWarGreymon his power."

Flamedramon asked, "How do you know all this?"

"Yukio told me."

Davis blinked, "Oikawa?"

"Yeah. When Yukio became the guardian spirit of the Digital World, he became really smart and learned a whole bunch of stuff. He's spends all his time exploring the Digital World while trying to understand its secrets. It gets lonely sometimes, so I tag along and tried to be there for him. He's shared a lot of info with me. Just before he left, he told me how to recreate the digieggs by using the Digidestined's crest power."

Puttimon asked, "Where is Oikawa now?"

"He used up the last of his energy distracting ChaosWarGreymon."

Flamedramon's face fell, "Does that mean he's… dead?"

"No, no, no!" Datirimon apparently wanted to make his point very clear. "You can't kill a guardian spirit that easily. But without his power, Yukio couldn't resist the control spires anymore. He's been sealed away, just like the Azulongmon and the Guardian Digimon."

Davis huffed, "Great. Just great. We're right back where we started five years ago."

Ken pointed out, "But at least our Digimon can armor digivolve now. That gives us a slim chance."

"But first," Datirimon said, "we have to get the digieggs back to the other Digidestined. Where are they?"

Davis said, "We lost sight of each other after escaping from ChaosWarGreymon. They could be anywhere and we don't know how to find them. Our D3s don't work right now."

Ken added, "And ChaosWarGreymon didn't follow us, which means he followed the others. If no one else can digivolve, then our friends are in even greater danger than we are."

Datirimon frowned, "That's bad… But I think I can fix things."

Davis said, "Don't keep us hanging, spit it out!"

Datirimon said, "It's hard to describe without actually doing it first, but I think I can recreate the other digieggs if we knock down one control spire."

Flamedramon said, "We can knock down a spire easily enough, but ChaosWarGreymon will notice it and come."
Puttimon nodded, "We're tough, but we're nowhere near as strong as a Mega."

"Oh," Datirimon sounded more excited, "I forgot to say something. Yukio mentioned that Ken's digiegg is different. Since it was made from a physical crest, it can do more than the other digieggs."

Ken's eyebrows furrowed, "Such as?"

Datirimon answered, "I dunno." The others groaned. All this mystery was getting to be too much. "Yukio just said that it'd be the key to defeating ChaosWarGreymon."

Davis nodded, "But before we can whoop on him, we've got to help our friends. Let's find the nearest control spire and knock it down. Then Datirimon can do his voodoo, and then we high tail it outta there before ChaosWarGreymon arrives. Sound good?" Everyone nodded. "Alright then. Let's get to it."

Flamedramon reverted back to Veemon. His armor flashed orange and dove towards Davis in a narrow beam of light. The light settled into Davis' pocket, where his d-terminal was stored. Veemon said, "We can get there faster if I armor digivolve into Raidramon."

Davis nodded and held up the digiegg of friendship. "Digiarmor energize." Blue lightning leaped from the digiegg.

"Veemon armor digivolve to… Raidramon: the Storm of Friendship!" Davis picked up Datirimon and mounted his Digimon. Ken stepped forward to get on as well.

Puttimon said, "Hey, Ken! Why are you getting on Raidramon? I'll take you."

Ken said, "But… Raidramon's four-legged, so I can-"

"That's not a problem. Just give me your hand and I can take you anywhere!"

Davis said, "Hmm. Not a bad idea." He grinned mischievously.

Ken glared at Davis. He said in a quiet voice, "I'd rather ride on Raidramon."

Davis said, "But you two would look so cute together." He could hardly contain his laughter.

"This isn't funny. How would I look hanging on to a little imp? It'd be humiliating."

Davis replied, "You worry too much. Who's gonna know besides me and Raidramon? Besides, you shouldn't favor my partner Digimon over your own, right?"

Ken hated to admit it, but Davis had a point. "I'll get you for this. Mark my words."

Davis laughed. "Bring it on! Let's get going, Raidramon!" Raidramon jumped forward and bounded towards the nearest control spire.

"Let's go, Ken!" Puttimon grabbed Ken's wrist.

"Wait, I'm not- YAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Ken cried as Puttimon pulled him up into the air far above the treetops. If it was possible to develop acrophobia in a second, then Ken had definitely added a new fear to his list. Davis, if I live through this, I'm gonna kill you!"

* * * * * * * *

It didn't take long for them to reach the nearest control spire. It was only about two miles away, which was no problem for Raidramon and Puttimon. Davis thought that strange, because, when Ken had been the Digimon Emperor, he'd usually set up control spires at great distances from one another. It was only when the Digidestined had come close to his base that they'd found larger numbers of control spires grouped together.

Davis, Datirimon, and Raidramon arrived first. It was disturbing to look at the control spire, black and imposing with smooth sides and sharp angles while being surrounded by vibrant round trees. The control spire looked completely unnatural and out of place. It'd be a public service to remove this obscenity. Davis slid off Raidramon and set Datirimon down. "Should we start without Ken and Puttimon?"

Datirimon replied, "No. We should wait. I can't hide the power I'm gonna use, so ChaosWarGreymon will see us. We need to run as soon as I'm done." Davis nodded in understanding.

"Davis!" Ken and Puttimon came bounding in from the sky. As they came closer, their descent seemed to slow so that Ken's feet touched down gently just before Puttimon's. Puttimon could apparently achieve brief moments of flight, but he preferred to use that power to augment his jumping capability.

Ken stumbled forward on shaky legs. Davis grinned, "Fun ride?"

Ken shot Davis a look that would have made a Dark Master cringe, then said, "There's something you need to see."

"What?"
"The control spires!"

"I can see them just fine. Look, there's one now." He pointed to the one they were going to blow up.

"NO! It's not the control spires themselves, it's how the Digimon Emperor arranged them. I saw it from the air while Puttimon was bouncing me up and down like a yo-yo." Ken smirked, "In fact, Puttimon, why don't you show Davis what we found?"

"Right!" Puttimon stepped forward and held Davis by the wrist. "Hang on."

Davis could see Ken's revenge taking shape. "Now, wait a minute. I-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" That was all he could get out before Puttimon rocketed up above the tree line. They continued to soar up miles above the ground. Even Flamedramon couldn't jump this high!

For a short bit, Davis spent his time controlling a sudden feeling of vertigo and the desire to reach terra firma again. The high altitude brought with it a small chill, not to mention a terrifying lack of security as he felt his feet dangling helplessly above the ground. "Look at all the spires, Davis." Puttimon pointed at the dark towers jutting up from the green forest roof. "Look at the pattern."

Davis forced himself to look out over the landscape. His first impulse was a fear of heights when he saw how far up they were, but then he focused on the black monoliths jutting up from the landscape. It was amazing how many spires had gone up in such a short amount of time. The Emperor and the other Chaos Generals must have been working while ChaosWarGreymon distracted us. At the rate they were going, it was fully possible for the Emperor and his generals to conquer the Digital World in a single day. There were so many control spires, all clumped together.

And that's when Davis saw the pattern. The controls spires were clustered into unusually close and organized groups. They were still a few miles apart from one another, but they were nowhere near as far apart as Ken's control spires had been. All the spires were arrayed in diamond formations that wove together like a tiling pattern on a floor. Some spires were located at the tops of mountain peaks, while others were in small valleys. Some of the spire locations were difficult to reach, which made Davis wonder why the Emperor had gone to so much trouble when there were easier places to set up the spires. It seemed that the new Digimon Emperor was more focused on organizing the control spires in a pattern rather than finding convenient locations. Davis knew he wasn't the master strategist for the group, but he did know that this new Emperor wasn't so foolish as to exert that much energy without some purpose in mind. This pattern could mean something big. But what?

His thoughts broke off as Puttimon descended back to the ground in another rush. Davis swore he'd never ride a roller coaster again. As soon as they touched down, Davis wobbled back towards Ken.

Ken smiled, "Fun ride?"

Davis grimaced, "I saw what you meant. That's a pretty weird set up for the spires."

Ken nodded, "I think the Emperor has something bigger in mind that just control rings and blocking digivolutions. There must be a larger purpose for those spires."

Davis took a deep breath to get his knees to stop shaking and stood upright. "We'll worry about that later. Right now, we have to help our friends. Raidramon, Puttimon, take that spire down!"

A rustling in the bushes caught the group's attention. Puttimon and Raidramon jumped forward to challenge the oncoming threat. Davis expected to see Kuwagamon again, but, instead, a short green Digimon stepped into the sunlight. It was vaguely reptilian with a yellow belly and head and a short tail. Other features, however, gave it a plant-like quality. It's feet looked like a collection of green roots, its hands looked like purple tulips, and rose petals caressed the curves of its round head. A dark ring encircled its neck, just above a small cluster of rose petals. Davis recognized this Digimon as one of the three Floramon that they had evaded earlier. Normally very gentle and feminine, the fierce expression on this Floramon's face contrasted her petite form. Two other Floramon emerged from the bushes and took positions aside their comrade. They too wore dark rings.

"Okay," Davis smiled. "This is nothing. After Kuwagamon and DarkTyrannomon, these three'll be nothing."

"Wait," Ken held up a hand. "Let's just knock down the control spire, then the Floramon will be free and we won't have to fight at all. Raidramon, Puttimon, go for it!"

"Thunder Blast!" Blue lightning shot out from Raidramon's spikes.

"Heart Beam!"

Raidramon and Puttimon's attacks lashed out before the Floramon could even react. The blasts of energy converged on the base of the spire and demolished it in an explosion of fire. The smell of burnt grass and smoke filled the air as spire tumbled down, but burst into a cloud of data before it could strike the ground. The Floramon winced and clutched their heads while their eyes went from crimson to a deep shade of blue. "Where are we?" The Floramon looked around in confusion.

Datirimon ran towards the spot where the spire had been standing a few moments ago. "Gotta hurry, gotta hurry, gotta hurry!"

Davis leaned towards Ken, "What's he doing?"

Ken shrugged, "I don't know, but he'd better be fast. I'm sure ChaosWarGreymon knows we've knocked down a control spire."

* * * * * * * *

There was nothing like the thrill of the hunt. ChaosWarGreymon could almost smell the fear oozing off his victims as he stalked them through the forest. The scent of two humans, a Gatomon, and a Patamon was strong. He was close, so deliciously close.

For a moment, ChaosWarGreymon considered how he should go about executing them. Who should die first and who should have the pleasure of seeing the others die before his or her fate was delivered? Ah, decisions, decisions.

He could just envision the voices of the Digidestined rising together in a choir of screams as he pushed his claws through flesh, tissue, and bone. The vision of blood dancing down his claws sent a shiver through his body. The joy of torture would help to compensate a little for the simplicity of this task. Tracking rookies was no challenge.

A tingling in the back of ChaosWarGreymon's mind brought him to a halt. The control spire in grid 32 lambda was down. Odd, any Digimon with the power necessary to destroy a control spire should be under the control of a dark ring by now. No rookie could destroy a control spire easily, and ChaosWarGreymon was positive that the Gatomon was close by. Furthermore, two units had been freed from their dark rings. ChaosWarGreymon hadn't paid that event much mind. He'd simply attributed it to luck on the part of the Digidestined, but the loss of a control spire changed things.

The hunt had just become more interesting. ChaosWarGreymon would have to leave the Gatomon and the Patamon to his servants for now. It was important that he discover the rogue element interfering with his master's plans. The loss of one control spire was insignificant and easily remedied, and yet the control spire count had to be at 100% for the operation to be successful. The paradox of easily replaceable yet vital elements would be baffling to most creatures, but the Digimon Emperor and his Chaos Generals understood more than most creatures would ever know. At least, other creatures would not know until it was too late.

And it would soon be too late for those who were so audacious to destroy a control. They'd quickly learn that losing one spire wouldn't reprieve them from the slave units that pursued.

ChaosWarGreymon leaped into the air and flew towards the newly liberated sector. Its new freedom would be short-lived, as would be the interlopers who dared to defy the Digimon Emperor.

* * * * * * * *

Davis and Ken approached the Floramon with comforting smiles on their faces. "Hey, are you guys okay?"

One of the Floramon looked at them. "Yeah, we're—Uhnnnn!" The three Floramon sank to their knees and clutched their heads. Their squeezed their eyes shut in pain.

Ken stepped forward, "Are you okay?"

"Grrr…" The Floramon's eyes snapped open. All three of them looked at the Digidestined with the color of blood shinning bright in their pupils. One of the Floramon pointed her tulip-shaped hands at Ken. "Rain of Pollen!" A cloud of yellow dust shot with a loud poof.

"Watch out!" Davis lunged forward and knocked Ken aside. The attack dove past Davis and Ken and struck a tree at the edge of the clearing. The pollen circled around the oak. The tree's limbs began to sag and fall, until it looked completely limp and even asleep.

"No fair!" Davis protested. "Ken, how come they're acting bad again?"

"How should I know? It must be some new function of the Emperor. Puttimon!" Ken's partner leaped to their side and scooped up both humans under his arms.

"Rain of Pollen!" Puttimon jumped just in time to avoid a joint attack by all three Floramon.

Raidramon came running in and spun on his front paws. His tail lashed forward in a blue blur and struck the center Floramon's neck with a loud crack. For a moment, Davis feared that Raidramon had killed the Floramon, until he saw small black debris fall to the Floramon's feet and her eyes returned to normal. "We need to destroy the other dark rings."

Puttimon set down with Davis and Ken. "Wait here. I'll get 'em!" He skipped forward with his forefinger extended. "Heart Beam!" Ruby streams of energy lanced out and struck another Floramon, breaking her dark ring.

"Thunder Blast!" Raidramon quickly dispatched the other collar and freed the last Floramon. All three of them slumped to the ground. "Ohh… are we free yet?"

Davis chuckled, "Yeah. This time, you're free for real. We got rid of the dark rings."

Ken added, "You'd better get out of here. ChaosWarGreymon could arrive any time now."

"CHAOSWARGREYMON?" The Floramon instantly stood up and spun around. As they sprinted into the forest, they called over their shoulders, "Thanks for the rescue!"

"Good luck!"

"Nice knowing you!"

"That last one wasn't very encouraging." Raidramon frowned.

Just then, a bright light sprung up behind Davis and Ken, casting long shadows along the forest floor. Datirimon was standing where the control spire had been, his body once again illuminated with pure white light. "Please, Yukio." He called, "I need more power. Help me to save the Digital World!"

For a moment, nothing happened. Davis and Ken fidgeted nervously. They could almost feel ChaosWarGreymon bearing down on them. He had to be close. Davis said, "This isn't working. We have to go!"

Puttimon pointed to Datirimon's left side. "Look, there!" A sliver of rainbow-colored light began to shimmer in the air, then it burst open into the shape of a butterfly. Several other lights glistened to Datirimon's right. Then there was an entire cloud of butterflies floating around Datirimon. With one burst of speed, they all dove in at Datirimon and encased him in a sphere of multi-colored light.

Davis and Ken closed their eyes as the sphere grew outward until it passed over them and soared outward into the far-reaching landscape. Davis slowly opened his eyes and blinked away the light-ghosts dancing before his vision. The field remained unscathed, as if that burst of power had never happened. Davis could see the residual shimmering of the blast near the horizon, but the initial pulse had faded. Datirimon lay slumped on the ground, completely exhausted.

Davis ran forward and cradled Datirimon in his arms, "You okay?"

Datirimon whispered, "I'm tired. That… took a lot out of me."

Davis couldn't control his curiosity. "What just happened?"

"Destroying the control spire created a small area where Yukio could still use his power… H-he gave me power to send out a pulse of energy that creates digieggs. When the light hits the other Digidestined… their digieggs will be recreated."

Davis nodded, "Thanks, Datirimon. You probably just saved everyone's lives. Get some rest." Datirimon was asleep before Davis could even finish his sentence. Davis ran towards Raidramon and climbed up while balancing Datirimon with one arm. "We need to get going."

Ken ran up, "Wormmon and I should ride with you. Puttimon jumps too high and might be seen by ChaosWarGreymon while we're trying to escape."

Davis knew Ken had an ulterior motive behind his reasoning, but it did make sense. "Climb on." He helped Ken up with his free hand. Puttimon reverted back to Wormmon and jumped onto Ken's back where he clung tightly. "Let's go, Raidramon!" Raidramon took off at top speed through the trees.

Ken asked, "Hey, Davis?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think the others will be alright?"

Davis nodded, "Yeah. Now that they're about to get their digieggs, we have a fighting chance again!"

Ken arched an eyebrow, "Six Armor Digimon against a Mega? Aren't you being a little optimistic?"

Davis smiled, "Probably, but that's because I know what this team can do. We've made it through some tough fights before and we'll do it again. Just you watch, Ken, we're gonna win and send the Digimon Emperor packing!"

Ken said, "You're right! We'll do it!" Raidramon continued to run past the tress towards an unknown future.

* * * * * * * *

The treetops melted into one green carpet as ChaosWarGreymon zoomed past them. Every muscle in his body tensed at the exhilaration of being close to his prey. He would be upon them soon, and then he could claim two humans as trophies. He wondered which part of them he would display to his master. Head? Heart? Eyes?

Suddenly, a burst of white light sprung up from the treetops and swelled out to engulf ChaosWarGreymon. His eyes burned in pain as the blinding glare passed around him. A trap! ChaosWarGreymon held his claws up and attuned his other senses to detect the next attack. The "next attack" never came. ChaosWarGreymon opened his eyes, only to see a blurry green mess. His first impulse was to fear the loss of sight, but panic was the first step towards death. He blinked a few times to clear his vision. The world returned to its normal view. To his moderate surprise, the pulse of energy had not harmed a single leaf in the entire forest. Had it been a blinding attack to slow ChaosWarGreymon's approach and buy his prey a little more time? No. His prey would have been caught in the light as well, so they would be blinded too, and no one could effectively flee through a forest without eyesight. There must have been another reason behind it. He knew that any clues would be found where the control spire had been.

A small patch of burnt grass was the only indication that a control spire had ever existed. It must have been a small explosion that collapsed the spire, possibly only one or two attacks. Their power was still negligible, but ChaosWarGreymon felt that his prey was slowly regaining its claws. I may yet get some sport out of them.

ChaosWarGreymon touched down in the clearing and walked over to where the control spire had been. He was impatient, but his master's plan demanded that he take the utmost care with this task. The control spire had to be placed exactly where its predecessor had been; otherwise, it would be useless. After a few calculations and adjustments ChaosWarGreymon waved his claw and a new control spire materialized into the air. The Digidestined's small retaliatory strike had been for nothing. Or was it?

ChaosWarGreymon had initially suspected that the two lost units, Kuwagamon and DarkTyrannomon, had been the ones to destroy the control spire, but ChaosWarGreymon could not smell either Digimon close by. There was, however, a scent of Veemon and Wormmon in the air, as well as humans. The scent of the Digimon was different somehow, almost as if they had digivolved. But that was impossible. Even if the Digidestined succeeded in destroying a control spire, they would still be unable to reach Champion form. The Emperor had factored in the loss of one or two control spires into his plan, and the armor digieggs were gone.

ChaosWarGreymon considered his options. He had no way to contact his master presently, and he could not afford to wait. I will extract the information from the Digidestined when I capture them. That meant changing his hunting plans. He still needed to dispose of the Gatomon, the strongest current challenge, but it was more important to learn what tricks the Digidestined had. He could chase after the Veemon and Wormmon, but that would take him farther away from the others. Besides, the Digidestined were far too loyal to one another to abandon each other in hostile territory. The Veemon and Wormmon Digidestined would have to double back eventually.

A mental signal pinged within ChaosWarGreymon's mind. One of his servants was engaged with two Digidestined. Wonderful timing. ChaosWarGreymon took to flight once again and headed back the way he'd come, towards the signal. This had been only a minor setback. He still held the edge in this hunt, and there was no safe place where his prey could hide.

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ChaosWarGreymon is in for more surprises than he realizes. There's much more to come in the next chapter of "Darkness Reborn."

Author's Note: I'm afraid that this story is taking too long to write, because I'm splitting my attention between this fic and "The Outcast." I thought that dividing my attention between two stories would prevent me from getting bored with one plot line, but the truth is that neither story is proceeding as quickly as I had hoped.

Now that I'm back in college and working on new writing styles, I won't have as much free time. I've decided to focus my attention on finishing "The Outcast" first, then I'll double back and wrap up "Darkness Reborn." And, if I do start to get a little tired of "The Outcast's" storyline, I may type up another chapter to this fic. We'll see.

In the meantime, please review my work and let me know what you think. Even more importantly, please let me know what you think I can improve upon, because I'll never become a better writer if I don't have something to focus on.