Disclaimer: I do not own any of the anime or Japanese classics involved in this story.

I do, however, own the ADI, Otaku, the Blackhearted, and Lord Diabolus.

***********************************************************************************************************************

UNITED WE STAND AS ONE

Attack on Home Base

"To a job well done, people," said Otaku.

"HAI!" said the others simultaneously as they clanked their drinks together. The ADI was celebrating its current victory, mainly for two reasons. The first was for accomplishing four tasks at once. The other was to welcome the new additions.

"On behalf of everyone, I welcome you to the Anime Defense Initiative," Otaku said to Kaze and Kite.

"We're glad to be here," said Kite. Kaze just nodded his thanks.

"So, how did your mission go?" asked Takuya as he took a sip of Orange Crush.

"Well, Trunks finished off Cell in the end. But I managed to use one of the summon gems," said Li, who had changed out of his battle costume and was now wearing a simple yellow-sleeved, yellow-collared green T-shirt and blue jeans.

"You used a summon gem?" Takuya asked and Li nodded.

"It wasn't easy, though," said the young warlock, "It tends to take a lot out of you."

"I can guess," said Takuya as Li took a sip of his root beer.

"So your friend was actually turned into the spirit for your stone?" Diago asked Link.

"Apparently so," the Hero of Time answered.

"Gotta go for a bit, guys," said Jim as he got up from his seat with his drink in hand, "There's something I gotta take care of." And with that, he walked away.

"Everyone seems to be pretty cheerful," said Kai as he stood to the side.

"It's because they've accomplished so much," said Otaku, "Even in these dark times, they're in high spirits. It's that shred of light within their hearts that's our key to defeating the Blackhearted."

"I see your point," the silver-haired Beyblader said, "As long they're happy, or feeling any other good emotions, the light will always shine through the darkness."

"Not exactly the words I was looking for, but they'll do," said Otaku.

"Anyway, if you need me, sir, I'll be in the security room on the first night shift," said Kai before turning around and disappearing through the door.

* * *

"Wind, Moon, Fate, and Time. The spirits of these four stone have already awakened," said Diabolus, "Malik already plans to destroy the ADI from within. But ensure that his plan does not destroy the stones." The figure standing before Diabolus' flame nodded before turning around and disappearing into the shadows of the corridors outside the chapel.

"Can you really trust him?" asked Riku as he leaned against the wall with his arms cross over his chest.

"We'll have to this time," said Zechs.

Lord Diabolus has made his decision. We must follow his orders, Mewtwo added.

"Yeah well, I'm going to bed," said Riku as he got off the wall and turned to leave for his quarters. Upon arriving there, he removed the Shadow Stone from around his neck and placed it around that of a small statue before throwing himself back first onto the bed.

Why am I here? thought the silver-haired teen as he placed his arms behind his head without removing his eyes from the ceiling, I could've just as easily been carried off to some other world. So why was I brought here in particular? He suddenly realized that the thoughts he just had were not unlike the one he used to ponder about before he left his home on the Destiny Islands. He sighed. Turning his head, Riku's eyes fell upon the Shadow Stone. He could sense the spirit within moving about. Whether he realized it or not, darkness had once again claimed him.

* * *

"Our numbers are dwindling," said Cherubimon, "The ADI's stone holders are clearly stronger than we anticipated."

"Soon, we'll be far weaker than they are!" added Dr. Meda-Evil.

"How much more can we do if there's just the four of us left?" asked Zirconia.

"We don't need to face them head-on," said Yami Malik, "We can strike from within. As we speak, Bakura is preparing to infiltrate ADI headquarters. When we deposited that boy in Hyrule, we also planted a tracer on his person. Now we know exactly where our enemies lay. Zirconia, are the new minions ready?"

"They are indeed," said the evil circus master, "As per your orders, they have been designed to specifically suit Bakura."

"Excellent. Now it is only a matter of time before our foes fall," said Yami Malik as he clutched the Millennium Rod tightly in his hands.

* * *

Night soon befell ADI headquarters. Security was as tight as usual ready to stun any intruders, allowing everyone to get some sleep. Takuya lay asleep in bed wearing his T-shirt and boxers while the Pyro Stone hung from the hook right next to his headboard. In the room next to his, Yomiko slept fully clothed, as usual, her glasses still fixed to her face. Meta Knight slept facing the ceiling, his eyes dimmed. Kaiba's coat hung on the hook on the door while his deck rested on the desk next to the Blitz Stone as the Duelist got some rest. Li slept peacefully, wearing a set of green silk pyjamas. Ami sat in bed for a while reading before she turned out her light, put aside her book, and laid down to sleep. With no need for a bed, Rokusho sat in a chair deactivated, his eyes dimmed like Meta Knights. Daigo lay on his side in bed while his GUTS uniform hung from the hooks on the wall. Link's weapons, gauntlets, and cap rested on the table in his quarters as the hero, himself, got some rest of his own. Trunks had fallen into a deep sleep, as had Shinji in the next room. Ashitaka was sleeping soundly.

In another part of the HQ, the ADI staff as also enjoying a good night's rest, those who weren't on nighttime duty or doing something else. Sora lay under the covers of his bed, his back turned towards the door. The light in Ryo's room was still on, seeing as the Legendary Tamer had fallen asleep at his desk. Albert turned around in bed mumbling something about new omelette recipes. Kaze's bed lay empty while Kaze himself sat in a nearby chair. Duero sat awake in the infirmary tending to a boy who had been attacked by the Blackhearted not too long ago and had been transported to ADI headquarters by mistake. On the other side of the room, Jim was working on some sort of small blue device. Squall was in the training hall, practicing in the simulation room against a projection of his rival Seifer. Kite lay in bed staring up at the ceiling thinking about what had happened to everyone else when "The World" had been attacked. Kai, sat in the security room monitoring the status of all the worlds while the seat next to him was occupied by none other than Otaku, himself, which came as a surprise to the Bladebreaker when he came in.

"Nothing yet," said Kai as he pulled his keyboard closer to him and recorded the events that had occurred in the past hour, which was usually filled with all sorts of made-up crap since no one ever usually cared about what was recorded into the security log, but in this case mattered since Otaku was right there in the room.

"I know you guys always talk about how tedious this job is," said Otaku.

"Wouldn't it be better just to automate the whole thing?" asked Kai, which was a point all the ADI staff members tried to make.

"It IS automated. That's why it only needs two people," said Otaku.

Kai sighed.

* * *

Sparks flew from the portal system in the portal room. Electricity began to crackles as the portal came to life and an evil-looking figure with long white hair dressed in blue jeans, a blue and white striped T-shirt, and an unbuttoned green T-shirt overtop stepped through.

"So this is the ADI headquarters," Yami Bakura said smugly, "Can't say much about the décor. Well, time to get started." And with that, he strapped on his Duel Disk and several Shadows appeared around him. The Millennium Ring glowed brightly around his neck.

* * *

"He's in," Yami Malik said aloud so that the others could hear him.

"Now we shall see the fall of our rivals," said Cherubimon.

Unbeknownst to Yami Malik, Zirconia, Cherubimon, and Dr. Meda-Evil, Diabolus' stone holders stood by the doorway watching them.

So Bakura made it in, after all," said Zechs, "I give him 2 hours."

I give him one, said Mewtwo before turning around and leaving.

"I give him nine minutes," said Riku as he followed Mewtwo.

Meanwhile, the former four were discussing amongst themselves.

"I'm giving him thirty minutes," said Dr. Meda-Evil.

"I'm giving him fifteen," said Zirconia.

"Five," said Cherubimon.

"Fifty-nine seconds," said Yami Malik.

* * *

"I can't sleep," said Kite. He got out of bed and dressed before opening the door to his quarters and stepping out. Just as he did with the different areas in "The World", he began to explore the entire ADI headquarters.

"I wonder where meals are eaten," the red-clad Twin Blade whispered to himself, so as not to wake anyone up. As he wandered the corridors, he thought he heard a low voice up ahead. Quickly ducking behind a wall, Kite glanced around the corner and saw a white-haired individual walk by.

He's up to something, the .Hacker thought to himself. Making a quick decision, he followed. As he did so, he sent a silent alarm message to the security room.

* * *

"Sir, we've got a Code Three," said Kai.

"Who sent it?" asked Otaku.

"The new guy, Kite," answered Kai, "According to the map of this headquarters, he's in sector 24."

"Get a visual immediately," ordered the leader of the ADI.

Kai quickly switched on the cameras in sector 24 and looked up at the monitors. In one, they saw Kite.

"There he is," said Kai, pointing at monitor five, which showed Yami Bakura walking down the corridor.

"Who else is up at this time?" asked Otaku.

"Just Duero, Jim, and Squall," answered the silver-haired Beyblader.

"Duero and Jim are currently busy with jobs at hand. Send Squall and see if you can wake the rest of the ADI members. If necessary, we'll wake the stone holders," Otaku ordered.

"Yes, sir," said Kai.

* * *

Sora moaned as he fastened on his belt and put on his jacket.

"I can't believe this," he muttered, "And I was having a good dream, too." He paused for a moment to reflect back on his dream involving him and Kairi, the girl of his dreams, together again. Sighing, he pulled on his gloves, slipped into his shoes, put on his chain and necklace, and grabbed his Keyblade before heading out.

"What's going on?" asked Albert as he approached Sora.

"No idea, but from what I heard it's an intruder alert," answered the Keyblade master.

"Then we better be ready," the blond chef replied as he withdrew his Meal Tickets from his pocket.

* * *

"Looks like everyone's in bed," Yami Bakura muttered to himself, "With no one to stand in my way, destroying this place will be easy."

"Three problem," a voice called out.

"Who's there?" Yami Bakura demanded, "Show yourself!"

Kite stepped out from behind Bakura. "One, not everyone's in bed," he said as he held his swords ready.

"Two, we're standing in your way," said Kai as he appeared in front of Bakura with his Beyblade aimed right at him.

"And three, no one's going to be destroying this headquarters!" said Squall as he appeared behind Kai with his Gunblade in hand.

"Huh. You're threatening me?" Yami Bakura scoffed, "Do you not realize what you are up against? I have the powers of the Blackhearted at my disposal!"

"Exactly what we thought," said Kai.

"Shadows arise!" shouted the spirit of the Millennium Ring. Dark shapes appeared in the darkness and from the walls melded out several Shadows.

"Let it rip!" shouted Kai as he pulled back his ripcord and sent his Dranzer into action.

"Vak Rom!" shouted Kite as he conjured up a tornado of fire up from underneath one of the Shadows.

"Take this!" said Squall as he slashed two of the dark minion simultaneously.

"You can't last forever against the Blackhearted. Soon, your hearts will be infected by their evil. It's useless to fight!" said Yami Bakura.

"Nothing is impossible!" came a new voice as Albert arrived with Sora right behind him.

"Go Spaghettaboutit!" He threw his Meal Ticket forward and it transformed into the yellow-clad giant-fork-carrying spaghetti-headed creature.

"Spaghettaboutit!"

"And he's not the only one who's going to help," said Sora as he held his Keyblade in his hands.

"It's going to take more than that!" said Yami Bakura, "Soldiers!" Upon command, dozens of Blackhearted Soldiers appeared alongside the Shadows. "Take care of them. I must find the core to this place." And with that, he left leaving the five ADI members to take on the dark creatures.

"How many do you think there are?" Kite asked.

"Around twenty-five in total. That's five each," said Squall.

"Try to take out more than that if you can," said Kai, "Go Dranzer!" The blue Beyblade spun towards a Shadow, leapt off the floor and smacked right into the creature's head.

* * *

"Those fools can't stop me from completing my mission," said Yami Bakura as he continued down the corridors. As he rounded a corner, he was suddenly struck by a thunderbolt. He recovered from the shock and looked around.

"Where did that come from?" he muttered.

"Right over here," said Richie as he stepped out from around another corner. Sparky jumped onto his shoulder and "Pika"-ed.

"You insolent brat! I'll deal with you and your electric rodent later!" said Yami Bakura as he sicked more Shadows on the Pokémon trainer.

* * *

As the ADI tried to deal with the intruder, Otaku was in his office trying to obtain whatever information he could find on him.

"Got it!" he finally cried, "Bakura Ryou. World of origin: Domino City. Looks like we've got ourselves the world rival of Kaiba." He quickly left his office and went immediately to Kaiba's quarters. Upon his arrival, however, he saw the Duelist had already left.

"Damn, that was fast," the leader of the ADI muttered. He clicked on his wrist com and tuned into Ryo's frequency.

"Akiyama. What is it?" came Ryo's voice.

"He's headed your way," said Otaku, "Be ready."

"Cyberdramon and I are already waiting for him," said Ryo, "If we have to, we'll Matrix Evolve."

"Alright. Make sure he doesn't get to the core," said Otaku.

* * *

"Ready, Cyberdramon?" the Legendary Tamer asked. His only reply was a snarl.

"I know you're there," Yami Bakura's voice rang out, "Just come out and face me."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you," Ryo muttered, "Go Cyberdramon!"

"ERASE CLAW!" shouted Cyberdramon as he flew out from around the corner and fired a deadly energy beam at Yami Bakura.

"Just as I expected," said the evil Spirit as he withdrew a card from his deck and slapped it onto his Duel Disk, "Waboku!" Three women in blue cloaks suddenly appeared in front of Bakura and took the full force of the attack while leaving him unharmed.

"Damn," muttered Ryo.

"My turn!" said Yami Bakura, "Millennium Warriors, attack!" Right upon his command several white humanoid Blackhearted emerged. Their only feature was the Eye of Anubis right in the center of their heads, making them look somewhat like Ancient Egyptian cyclops.

"Damn," Ryo muttered again. He quickly whipped out his D-Arc and held it out in front of him, "MATRIX EVOLUTION!"

"Cyberdramon Evolve…JUSTIMON!"

"CRITICAL ARM!" shouted Justimon. His right arm morphed into a metallic rectangular prism tipped with a glowing red energy blade and he dashed over to the Millennium Warriors, slashing them as he passed.

"Now let's get him while we can!" said Ryo. Justimon turned around and saw that Bakura had disappeared.

"Damn, he's gone," said the scarfed Digimon.

"Keep on him," Otaku's voice came through the intercom speaker on the wall next to him.

"We're on it," said Ryo, "Justimon, let's go."

"Right!" the Cyberdramon half of Justimon replied before heading after Bakura.

* * *

"Duero! Jim!" Status report!" Otaku ordered as he checked up on the two.

"The patient is nearly ready," said the doctor.

"And so's his…" Jim took a look a the object he had been working on, "thing."

"Is the other device finished, Jim?" Otaku asked.

"Yes, it is," the eleven-year-old mechanic replied.

"Then hurry things up. We haven't a lot of time," the ADI leader said before signing out.

* * *

"With the Millennium Warriors at my disposal, nothing can stand in my way," Yami Bakura thought aloud as he continued down the corridors of the ADI headquarters, "And soon, the ADI will be finished. Once I locate the core, I'll summon my deadliest monsters to destroy it, taking out everyone with it!"

"I don't think so!" Bakura turned around and saw Sora standing behind him. Clutched in his hand was a blue stone.

"Hmph. I admit you got out of that battle faster than I'd anticipated. But you cannot escape this one!" said the evil spirit as several Millennium Warriors launched themselves at the Keyblade Master.

"Give me strength!" shouted Sora as he threw the orb into the air. He caught it in his Keyblade before slamming it into the ground and summoning a giant blue dragon. Pointing his weapon at the cycloptic Blackhearted, he issued the command to attack. The dragon immediately went in and flew past the Millennium Warriors, slashing with its claws in passing.

"What is this?" Yami Bakura gasped.

"Dragoon, attack!" commanded Sora.

"Try my Man-Eater Bug!" said Yami Bakura as he drew a card from his deck and slapped it onto his Duel Disk. The card appeared n their air and instantly transformed into the giant insect. Dragoon swooped in for an attack only to have Man-Eater Bug latch onto it and instantly self-destruct, taking the blue dragon spirit with it.

"Well, that was easy," said Yami Bakura, "I'm surprised you fools have actually been able to put up a fight until now."

"You'd be surprised," said Sora, "FIRE!" Aiming his Keyblade at the evil spirit, a burst of fire shot out form the tip of his weapon and hit the white-haired individual in the shoulder.

"Not bad!" Bakura commented. He quickly turned and ran as more Millennium Warriors attacked Sora.

"Thun…" The Keyblade Master never finished as he was attacked before he could complete the incantation. A few gunshots rang out and Sora turned around and saw Kaze holding a smoking gun in his left hand.

"Tray to aim for the eyes!" said Kai as he entered the scene, "Let it rip!" He pulled the ripcord out of his launcher and sent his Beyblade right at the eye one of the Millennium Warriors. They made contact and the chalk-colored creature vanished.

"We gotta hurry or we'll lose him," said Sora as he jabbed his Keyblade into a Warrior's eye.

"Too late," said Kai, "We already have." Wordlessly, Kaze walked in the direction that Bakura had disappeared in.

* * *

"What's all the commotion?" Takuya asked yawning as he stepped out of his quarters pulling on his gloves.

"It seems that someone's here," said Rokusho.

"Then I say it's time we helped out," said Trunks.

"Let's go!" said Link as he headed towards the sounds of battle followed by the other three stone holders.

* * *

"I'm getting there. I can almost sense the power," said Yami Bakura as he walked into a large circular room. The only other door was on the other side and standing between him and it were Li, Meta Knight, and Kaiba.

"You just keep on insisting on getting in my way, don't you? Alright, it will only make my victory sweeter," said the dark spirit.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," said Kaiba as he activated his Duel Disk, "Prepare to be defeated!"

"Heh, exactly what I expected from you, Kaiba," said Yami Bakura, "But if you insist, I'd be more than happy to deliver punishment unto you." Holding up his arms, Shadows, Soldiers, and Millennium Warriors emerged from the shadows.

"Is that all you've got?" Kaiba questioned, "Because if it is, it's not going to be enough."

"But this isn't all I've got," said Yami Bakura, "However, this will be all you get to see!" And with that, he disappeared behind the army of dark creatures.

"Leave these to me," said Kaiba just as Li and Meta Knight were drawing their swords. He extracted one card from his deck and placed it onto his Duel Disk. Instantly, a powerful lightning bolt struck the center of the room and wiped out all the Blackhearted.

"Now that was powerful," said Li, "What was that?"

"It's a card called Raigeki," answered Kaiba, "In a duel, Raigeki eliminates all of your opponent's monsters."

"That's handy," the young warlock replied.

"But now we have lost our target," said Meta Knight as he surveyed the room.

"Then we'll just have to get to his target before he does," said Kaiba.

* * *

"Any sign of him?" asked Richie, who had been standing guard of the doorway leading to the core of the ADI headquarters all night.

"He's definitely coming this way," answered Kite as Albert arrived with Justimon.

"He's already gotten through our major defenses," said Sora as he approached with Kai.

"Well, this is our last chance to stand up to him," said Squall upon his arrival, "Once he gets past this point, it's all over."

"We can't think like that," said Ryo from within Justimon.

"Ryo's right. No matter what happens, we have to give him everything we've got," said Kai, "Even if we have to risk our lives."

"The fate of all the worlds rides on this battle," Kite added in.

"Someone's coming," Kaze whispered. The ADI staff took up their respective weapons and stood ready. Shadows and Soldiers clambered down the corridors as they approached their destination. Sora tightened his grip around his Keyblade, Richie placed his hands over his Poké Balls, Albert had Crab Quake and Spaghettaboutit on standby, Kaze checked on his Demon Gun, Justimon took up a battle stance, Squall took up his Gunblade and rested it on his shoulder, Kai loaded Dranzer into his launcher and stood ready with one hand gripping the handle and the other on the ripcord, and Kite stood with both of his swords ready for anything.

"Let's go!" shouted Sora as he ran forward followed by Kite. Swinging his Keyblade, the mystical weapon struck all of its targets and destroyed them. Beside him, Kite was slashing with both blades at the Blackhearted.

"STACATTO!" shouted the blue-haired Twin Blade before he started slashing wildly on a single Millennium Warrior.

Meanwhile, Squall was down another corridor defending the core entrance from more Blackhearted.

"There's sure a lot of them!" he said as he decapitated two Soldiers simultaneously.

"Well we gotta keep them from getting inside," said Richie, "Zippo, use your Flamethrower!" He threw one of his Poké Balls forward and his Charmeleon appeared. Zippo muttered a low "char" before opening its mouth and unleashing a powerful stream of flames down a third corridor.

"You're doing quite impressively," said Yami Bakura as he approached from the middle corridor, "But let's see if that will be enough when I unleash a monster attack! Meet my Headless Knight!" Slapping a card down onto his Duel Disk, a knight clad in silver armor and a cape armed with a sword and a shield appeared. However, there seemed to be nothing resting on its shoulders.

"This can't be good," muttered Kai.

"But it only gets worse," said Yami Bakura, "Headless Knight, cut them down to size!" The Fiend-type monster acknowledged its master's order and rushed towards the ADI forces. Raising its sword over its head, it brought it down on its nearest target, Kite, when Squall blocked it with his Gunblade.

"Thanks," said the .hacker.

"Don't mention it," the Gunblade wielder replied.

"You can't last for very long against my onslaught," said Yami Bakura, "Now watch me as I summon Sangan!" Placing another card onto his Duel Disk, a brown three-eyed furball with sharp claws appeared.

"You expect us to be afraid of that thing?" Squall scoffed.

"You won't be so confident once you see what I'm about to do with it," said the evil Duelist, "For I now sacrifice it for a more powerful monster: The Earl of Demise!" At once, Sangan dissolved into nothingness as a green-skinned creature dressed in a red waistcoat and armed with a rapier appeared in its place.

"And, Sangan allowed me to draw one monster from my deck with an attack of 1500 or less upon discarding it from the field to the Graveyard," added Yami Bakura. Removing his deck from his Duel Disk, he fanned it out and selected a card before reshuffling the rest and putting them back into place.

"He's summoning another one," muttered Kai.

"How right you are! Meet The Portrait's Secret!" A framed painting appeared in the air in front of Bakura only to have a fiend monster emerge from it and join his already-powerful Earl of Demise on the battlefield.

"Things are getting ugly here," said Richie from the back.

"And it will only keep on getting uglier for you," said Yami Bakura, "Now let's see how you'll react when I add my Souls of the Forgotten and The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams to my forces!" He placed the cards on his Duel Disk the collection of dark ghosts appeared among his monsters, as well as a bed from which a ghost rose up from the head of the person sleeping in it.

"That's a lot of monsters," said Albert.

"Actually, it's only five," Kai corrected, "But you're right about one thing. How can we defeat them all?"

"You can't!" said Yami Bakura. A flash of red suddenly struck his Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams, Portrait's Secret, and Souls of the Forgotten, destroying them.

"What was that?" asked Sora.

"Just a little something, or rather someone, that just came out of recovery," said Jim as he and Duero stepped forward. Behind them was a boy about eleven years of age with black and white hair and blue eyes wearing a black shirt with a yellow collar and bottom seam, a red vest, black shoes, and camouflage pants. In his hand was some sort of device with a red covering, which was open at the moment. On the lower center of the covering was some sort of symbol, which was a black and white circle, both colors separated by a small zigzag.

"Who is he?" Kite asked.

"Just call me Chaud," said the boy, "ProtoMan, are you ready?"

"Of course," said ProtoMan. He was a fairly tall figure wearing a black and purple bodysuit, as well as red boots, gloves, and armor. Long silver hair flowed out from underneath a red helmet sporting a black sunglasses-like visor and a horn in the front center. His right hand, unlike his left however, was a blazing pinkish-red beam sword.

"What's with the thing on his waist?" asked Kai.

"ProtoMan is what Chaud calls his 'NetNavi'," Jim explained, "They can only be used inside computers and not out here in real life. However, that device on Chaud's waist lets him jack in his PET, which is that object in his hand, allowing him to use his ProtoMan out here. I call it a Life Projection Unit, or LPU for short."

(A/N: I own the LPU, as well.)

"I don't care what it's called! I can and will destroy you all!" said Yami Bakura as he drew another card from his deck.

"Easier said than done," said Chaud, "But by all means, try."

"Don't worry. I intend to finish the job," said Yami Bakura. But then a grin crept onto his face. "But I thank you for vanquishing those monsters for me."

"Hmm? What does he mean by that?" wondered the NetBattler.

"Be ready for anything," said Kai.

"Thanks to you, I can now call forth my strongest monster!" said Yami Bakura, "I shall now remove Souls of the Forgotten, The Portrait's Secret, and Sangan from my graveyard in order to summon Dark Necrofear!" He placed his card onto the surface of his Duel Disk and the blue-skinned doll-carrying monster appeared between The Earl of Demise and Headless Knight, its body radiating with a dark aura.

"What in the world is that?" asked Kite.

"It's his rarest card," said Kaiba as he approached, "Dark Necrofear."

"Correct," said Yami Bakura, "And now you'll see what power truly lies within my deck!" He drew yet another card and looked at it.

I can use this later, thought the Duelist as he placed it with the rest of the cards in his hand and pulled out another.

"And just to ensure my victory, I activate this card: Ouija Board!" announced Yami Bakura. He placed the card into his leftmost Magic/Trap Card slot and the board appeared over his head.

(A/N: I know it's called Destiny Board in the dub, but I prefer the original name & message)

"What does that card do?" asked Sora.

"In a duel, Ouija Board will slowly spell the word DEATH over the course of five turns," answered Kaiba.

"Correct. But since this isn't a duel, but rather a battle, the powers of the Blackhearted have allowed me to form the message within five minutes," said Yami Bakura.

"Five minutes?! That doesn't give us a whole lot of time to stop this guy!" Richie exclaimed.

"Then we'll make it," said Kaiba.

"I'd say it's hopeless for you," said Yami Bakura, "Now stand aside as I make my way to the core!" Slapping down his Man-Eater Bug onto his Duel Disk, the Insect-type monster appeared and immediately latched itself onto the blast doors that separated the corridor from the ADI headquarters' core chamber.

"It's going to explode!" Kaiba shouted. And explode it did, taking down the door with it.

"Note to self: reinforce doors," Ryo said from within Justimon.

"And just to add some extra firepower for your destruction, I'll sacrifice my Headless Knight in order to summon Dark Ruler Hades!" Yami Bakura removed the 1450-attack monster from his Duel Disk and replaced it with the menacing 2400-attack fiend. "Now I shall advance into the core chamber!" With his three monsters in front of him, the evil spirit walked forward through the blasted-down doors into a large dimly lit circular room. In the center was a massive machine composed of two parts, one attached the ceiling and the other bolted down to the floor. In between the two was a giant glowing blue sphere.

"He's made it," said Sora.

"Well we're not going to let him destroy it! LET IT RIP!" shouted Kai. He pulled back his ripcord and his Beyblade flew out of its launcher and headed straight towards Bakura.

"A fat lot that will do you!" Yami Bakura taunted. The Beyblade suddenly leapt off the floor and flew straight up towards the white-haired Duelist's face.

"What?!" He dodged to the side, but just barely. Kai's Beyblade was able to leave a cut on his left cheek before landing behind him.

"A fat lot indeed," Kai said with a smirk. Holding out his hand, his Beyblade zigzagged across the floor and jumped back into its owner's palm.

"Insolent pest. No matter, for soon I shall destroy this entire headquarters! Dark Necrofear! Dark Ruler Hades! Earl of Demise! Strike the core with your deadliest assaults!" Yami Bakura shouted.

"Happy! Kruz! Help Zippo stop them!" Richie commanded as he threw two Pokéballs and from them emerged his Butterfree and Pupitar, respectively.

"We're all in this together!" yelled Kite as he ran to join the frontlines.

"We'll work as a team!" Sora concurred as he shouldered his Keyblade and stood with Richie and Kite between Bakura's monsters and the core.

"ProtoMan."

"Understood." ProtoMan leapt over Yami Bakura's head and landed in front of the Earl of Demise.

"Don't forget about us," said Justimon.

"Or us," Albert chimed in, "Go Crab Quake!" Throwing out another Meal Ticket, he summoned his massive red cannon-studded crustacean.

"There's no one better suited for this battle than I am," said Kaiba, "I place Lord of Dragons onto the field and activate The Flute of Summoning Dragon in order to summon two of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons." Placing the said cards onto his Duel Disk, first the dragon armor-clad spellcaster appeared, followed by the dragon-shaped horn, and then the two massive dragons.

"Your persistence is admirable, but it cannot save you! Blackhearted arise!" shouted Yami Bakura. Raising his arms over his head, several Millennium Warriors, Shadows, Soldiers, and a new type of Blackhearted emerged from the darkness. The newest minions were dressed in black flight suits and equipped with clawed gloves, wings, red scarves, and World War I flight helmets.

"What are those?" Li asked with a raised eyebrow.

"These are one of the newest types of Blackhearted," Yami Bakura explained, "We call them Air Raiders."

"We don't care what you call them. We're going to defeat you and your Blackhearted minions and defend this base with everything we've got!" said Sora.

"Then prepare to die!" said Yami Bakura as the letter E appeared to the right of his D, "ATTACK!" Holding his hand forward, his battalion of Duel Monsters and Blackhearted launched themselves forward.

"Let's go!" shouted Kite as he, Sora, and anyone else with close-range weapons ran towards the oncoming evil creatures, slashing at every chance they had.

"Happy, use Whirlwind to blow them away from the core!" Richie ordered.

"Freeeee!" Happy answered as it flapped its wings vigorously, conjuring up a powerful wind. An Air Raider suddenly flew in and slashed the Butterfree across the chest.

"Happy!" Richie cried.

"Heh, the Air Raiders were designed to fly against strong winds, making them one of the deadliest Blackhearted ever to exist," Yami Bakura said with a smirk.

"Then let's see how they stand up to this! FORCE!" Casting Graviga, Sora formed a black sphere over the Air Raiders, which forced them down to the floor followed by Meta Knight slashing them all with his sword until they disintegrated into thin air.

"Kruz, Tackle attack!" Richie commanded.

"Pupitar!" Kruz shot forward and struck several Soldiers in the Blackhearted insignia in passing.

"There's still too many of them!" said Kai.

"Just keep fighting! ACCEL. ARM!" shouted Justimon.

"BRAHMA SUTRA!" Several fireballs suddenly flew into the chamber and struck down several of the Blackhearted as Ardhamon flew in.

"Sorry I'm late," said the A-Hybrid Digimon, "Looks like I made it in time."

"It's not over yet!" said Kaiba as he summoned one of his Blue-Eyes White Dragons, "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, destroy Bakura's Earl of Demise with White Lightning!" The winged behemoth let out a mighty roar before unleashing a powerful blast from its mouth, taking out the 2000-attack monster.

"Not bad, but you still cannot win," said Yami Bakura as an A appeared to the right of his E.

"ProtoMan, get in there," Chaud ordered.

"Right away." The silver-haired NetNavi ran towards a group of Millennium Warriors and swung his sword as he passed between them, destroying all of his targets at once.

They're doing better than I first thought, Yami Bakura thought, No matter, I will still be victorious!

"We've only got two minutes left to finish this battle. We have got to hurry!" said Li.

"There is no escape! ATTACK!" Bakura's monsters and his battalion of Blackhearted minions converged on the ADI members and four stone holders, who braced themselves for impact.

A blur suddenly rushed into the room and deflected all the attacks right back at their sources, taking out the Air Raiders, Shadows, Soldiers, and Millennium Warriors, as well as the two remaining Duel Monsters on the field.

"OTAKU!" The ADI members were relieved to see their leader down on one knee with his arm extended out to the side. In his hand on the same arm was a sword with a brilliant red hilt, a blade glowing a gentle orange, and a long tassel made of phoenix feathers trailing from the end of the hilt.

"Sir, are you alright?" Squall asked.

"I'm fine," the ADI leader replied as he stood up.

"I see you decided to use the Phoenix Blade, sir," Kai observed.

"The Dragon Sword is much too powerful to be used in here," Otaku explained, "Now, what say we finish this battle."

"Let's," said Chaud, "WideSword Battlechip in, download!" He entered the Battlechip into the slot at the top of his PET and the WideSword appeared on ProtoMan's left arm while keeping the sword on his right intact.

"Swordstalker!" Kaiba slapped the monster onto his Duel Disk and the sword-wielding monster appeared.

"Do you all really think you stand a chance?" asked Yami Bakura, "Look. My message is nearly complete." And indeed, it was true as a T appeared next to the A, spelling D-E-A-T.

"We can and we will," said Otaku, "Attack!"

"Take this!" shouted Squall, "ROUGH DIVIDE!" Leaping up, he slashed once at Dark Necrofear once with his Gunblade, and brought it back down on it upon landing, destroying it.

"Swordstalker and Blue-Eyes, go!" ordered Kaiba. His mighty dragon opened its gaping maw and unleashed a powerful attack at Dark Ruler Hades, obliterating it. Swordstalker moved in next and delivered a powerful blow from its sword at Yami Bakura.

"Damn you, Kaiba!" the white-haired Duelist growled as he grabbed his shoulder. No soon had he spoken, Sora flashed right by him slashing with his Keyblade in passing followed closely by Meta Knight.

"Our turn!" said Ryo. Justimon held out his right arm and it transformed into his blade arm.

"CRITICAL ARM!" The glowing red energy blade burned through skin and tissue as it cleaved its way through Bakura's flesh. Otaku went next and slashed Bakura with the Phoenix Blade, spilling the Duelist's blood onto the floor. Kite followed and his blades went deep into his body.

"Let's end this," said Chaud, "LongSword Battlechip in, download!" ProtoMan, who had been holding his swords at his sides, brought them both in front of his chest and then over his head. His Sword and Wide Sword glowed brightly as, with the power of the LongSword, fused together. His hands returned to normal as a massive sword made of pure energy erupted over him.

"Go, Program Advance!" Chaud ordered.

"BETA SWORD!" ProtoMan grasped the hilt of the Program Advance and, with all his strength, brought it down forward and sent the blade streaking towards Yami Bakura.

"No, this can't be!" the Duelist exclaimed wide-eyed. The Beta Sword struck him with full force and he screamed out in agony as he was engulfed by the brilliant light.

That should've finished him off, ProtoMan thought as the blinding radiance reflected off his visor. The light died down in time and no sign of Yami Bakura was seen.

"It looks like we got him," said Squall. A clang echoes through the chamber as the Millennium Ring clattered to the floor. The ancient relic split into two pieces and finally came to rest. Otaku walked over and picked up the two halves of the golden item.

"I'm sensing a dark presence leaving this object," he said coolly, "The presence of Blackhearted influence."

"At least it's over. Now we can go back to dealing with the Blackhearted in other worlds," said Ryo after he and Cyberdramon split from Justimon.

"Yeah," Richie said with a nod. A loud explosion suddenly erupted from somewhere else in the base.

"What the…" Kaiba began.

"It came from the transporter room!" Sora shouted.

* * *

Fires burned fiercely in the transporter room as equipment exploded and consoles erupted into flames. A single man stood amidst the destruction. Shrouded in a long black coat, he swung his insanely long sword at several computers, leaving a large gash in them before they exploded. His long white hair whipped around him as the door to the room opened and all the ADI staff and stone holders entered.

"Look at all the damage!" Richie gaped as he stared at the scene.

"Who the hell are you?!" Jim asked. The man slowly turned around and faced them. Everybody gasped. Around his neck on a silver chain was a crystal a chaotic mix of constantly-shifting black and red.

"It's the sixteen stone holder!" Albert exclaimed.

"And that's the Stone of Chaos!" said Otaku.

"Just who are you?" Takuya demanded. The man did not reply. He simply held out his sword and with one stroke, destroyed the transport gate.

"He destroyed the gate!" Jim ran over to the controls to try to fix whatever he could, but to no avail.

But the man was not finished. Holding his sword under his arm, he muttered something and a second later, several bolts of lightning rained down and struck the rest of the equipment, completely decimating the transporter room.

"That does it!" said Takuya, "We're gonna get you…" Takuya never got to finish his sentence as the man swung his sword and sent him and the rest of the ADI backwards injured.

"My work here is done," he said softly as he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Takuya called out as he crawled forward along the floor, "Just who are you?" the man stopped in his tracks, turned his head, and looked down at Takuya.

"Sephiroth." And with that, he disappeared through a dark portal.

TO BE CONTINUED…

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

NEXT TIME:

Without a transport gate, the ADI stone holders have no way to reach other worlds. While they try to figure out this problem, more arise in other worlds as the number of Blackhearted attacks increase thousandfold per minute. Will the ADI find alternate means of interdimensional transportation before all the worlds are destroyed at the hands of the Blackhearted?

***********************************************************************************************************************

At last, the Warrior of Chaos has finally been revealed! Yeah folks, it's Sephiroth, the main villain from Final Fantasy VII and by far my number one favorite anime character.

Please review, folks.