YuYuGiDigiMoon: The Wrath of Pharaohmon

by Kanius

This is a crossover series putting the YuGiOh, Digimon Tamers, Digimon Frontier, Sailor Moon and Yu Yu Hakusho into an arc series. Update 09 13 05: Finally, the The Wrath of Pharaohmon is over! Come and read the finale! Our heroes return home!

29. Return to the Darkside, Duskmon Returns!...

Hey, everyone! It's good to see everyone still showing support for this series. I apologize for the previous long delay. I don't know when I'll have a chance to catch up, but I hope I will be able to catch up faster than thought. In the meantime, this gives me time to finish through my D-Fusion series.

As I promised, here's Chapter twenty-nine. Consider this as a Christmas gift to everyone who has been reading this series. Can Jeri manage a good duel out of Seto Kaiba? Does she even stand a chance? How will Loweemon resolve his differences with his darker half: Duskmon? You will just have to read on to find out. Until then, enjoy the chapter!

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Return to the Darkside, Duskmon Returns! The Ambition of Duelists, Jeri vs. Kaiba!

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Phoenix Arena

The mood of the audience was still awe struck from the previous matches. Their intermission period had ended and preparations were being made for the set Duel/Battle Royale matches. Lillymon returned to her announcer position and looked across to find Etemon standing at the ring's center.

"I take it we're ready for the next round, Lillymon?" Etemon asked.

"Yep. Intermission period is over. Let's get the show on the road."

"Got it."

"Ladies and gentlemon! Sorry for the brief intermission, but we needed some time to get ourselves some refreshments. Those matches can really bring it out of you, not to mention announcing straight through some competitive fights. With that said, we're getting ready to proceed with round four in both the Duel Monsters Tournament and Battle Royale matches! We will now be seeing Jeri Katou dueling with Seto Kaiba! Our fourth Battle Royale will consist of Loweemon, Duskmon, Wolfmon and Piedmon! All the participants that I have announced please report to the stadium stage."

Once hearing upon her name being announced, Jeri Katou lets out a deep breath and takes her card deck. She examined the set of powerful cards she had gained with the help of Yugi and her fellow Tamers. Felinismon approached her partner.

"You ready to duel, kiddo?"

"A little. I'm kind of nervous since I'm dueling with a guy who has been proclaimed a world champion."

"Ah, don't let his former status intimidate you. Just duel your hardest."

"I will."

"Jeri. Good luck," Yugi said as he shook Jeri's hand. "I've dueled with him many times and I can tell you that he's the best opponent I've ever had. However, I believe you can give him a good duel. Just remember everything we taught you."

"Yes. Too bad I don't have god cards to save me."

"Ah, c'mon. You don't need god cards to be considered a worthy duelist," Joey chuckled. "Don't let the smug creep scare ya."

"Kick some butt, girl!" shouted Duke.

"Give him a good duel, Jeri," Takato said to his friend. "We're going to be supporting you from the stands."

"Whatever you do, don't let him or any of us throw you off your game. This is your chance to show Kaiba what you're made of," Rika said. "Jeri, you're lucky. I wish I were the one dueling him. I've always wanted to have a match with him, but... that honor goes to you, Jeri."

"Thank you, Rika."

However, Seto had heard enough of their "friendly pep talk" and walked off towards the steps leading to the ground level. Mokuba waves out to his departing brother.

"Good luck, Seto! I'm looking forward to the duel!" the younger Kaiba calls out to his elder.

The cold-hearted Kaiba Corp president turns to give Mokuba a slight smile. Then, he started walking down the stairs.

"Once I deal with those kids' friend, I'll be waiting for a real duelist to step up to the plate. Yugi, don't think you're off the hook already. If we ever cross paths in this tournament, I promise that the result shall be different. Not only will I regain my status as the World's top duelist but I will soon take those god cards from your possession."

After giving her farewell to her friends, Jeri Katou headed down the same stairs that Seto had taken. Before she even had a chance to take the steps, Himura calls out to her.

"Jeri! Hey, Jeri!"

"Oh, Himura. What is it?"

"I... I just wanted to wish you luck on your duel."

"Thank you. Don't worry. I'll just be fine. You don't get these many opportunities like I have now. I'm dueling the former World champion."

"Yes, but I hear he's a very ruthless duelist. He doesn't plan on holding back just because this is your first duel. Remember that, ok?"

"Don't worry. Yugi has been telling us about him and I should know what to expect."

"Oh, before you go... I wanted to give you this."

Himura reached into his pocket and pulls out golden arm bracelet. He places it into Jeri's hand and clasps her hand over it.

"What is this? A bracelet? I can't take it."

"Please, for good luck... I wore this during my times of depression after Kotori's death. I want you to have it for a while. You can return it whenever you want."

"Himura... Thank you. I'll gladly accept it."

As Jeri placed the bracelet around her left wrist, she gives Himura a light hug and starts walking down the stairs. They waved off towards each other.

"Give a good match, Jeri... Hope that bracelet at least gives you some luck. I always wore it as a reminder of my friendship with Kotori. Now I'd like you to share it with me."

"Now, let's get started with the introduction of our two duelists! First, making his way through the entranceway, please give it up for Seto Kaiba! According to reports I'm receiving from records of the human world, Seto Kaiba is the president of a company called Kaiba Corp, which currently is the top gaming company in the human world. He has also developed some of the top technological gaming devices, including the dueling disks. In addition, he's a former World champion duelist with an amazing winning record. This guy has an amazing background. I didn't know there were any humans like him. Boy, I wish he would bring some of his gadgets to our world. Oh! Speaking of the former champ, here he comes, my fellow digi-peeps! Seto Kaiba!"

The digimon crowds erupted with massive cheers for the arrival of the former duelist champion. Seto looked across the stadium and was a bit surprised by the many varieties of digimon species that have gathered from all corners of the digital world to attend the event. Normally, he wouldn't show any interest to anything out of the ordinary, but he was quite fascinated with the digital world itself.

He was beginning to seek interest in investigating the digital world a little further and compare it to his virtual world. Kaiba just may eventually see some good use of the digital world for his future projects.

"This place, the digital world... I didn't think it would be real. I thought it was nothing more than just an urban legend spread by those buffoons at Hypnos. At least this is more believable than any of Yugi's fairytale nonsense. It's more lifelike than all the virtual games I've designed. I just may further study this place and eventually invest my projects in this world. It could be possible for my technology to intertwine these two worlds to create my Kaiba Land project. Mr. Yamaki and I will have to further discuss the matter. He knows more about this place than I currently know. But, first things first... Time to send a message to these inhabitants and let them know first hand about my global reputation."

Once Seto Kaiba stepped inside the duel dome, Etemon checks over the set up of the dome's controls. Lillymon was set to introduce Kaiba's opponent, Jeri Katou. Kaiba couldn't be anymore upset as he already is now.

"Now to bring out his dueling opponent! Unlike the former duelist champion, this is her dueling debut! Please welcome the partner of Felinismon, Jeri Katou!"

Once Jeri made her way through the entranceway, the crowd once again erupted heavily for the young girl. Her friends were giving her the support she really needed. After all, her first duel was against the former world champ. Jeri will probably never get another opportunity like this ever again. She had better make it count.

Jeri waves out to her friends and knew she had their full support. Kaiba simply grunted to himself in disappointment.

"I take it you're disappointed with the opponent of choice," Etemon said.

"More than just disappointed, monkey boy. I wanted a real duelist. Not some rookie kid who only just started playing the game. Now, why don't you do me a favor and bug off."

"Boy, you sure have an attitude. Don't see how anyone would want to get along with you..."

"Please, I don't need anyone. Not even Yugi..."

Jeri stops as soon as she steps into the duel dome's passageway front door. Waiting for her inside like a patient snake was Kaiba. Her eyes locked onto the former champion and she manages to let out a sigh.

"I still can't believe I'm actually doing this. Ok, calm down, Jeri. You can do this. Just because he's the former champ and a company owner, that doesn't mean I'm going to let him intimidate me."

"Let's go. I don't have all day."

"Oh, sorry, Mister Kaiba. This is just my first match."

"Nervous, are we?"

"Maybe just a little..."

"Well, don't expect me to go easy on you. I play to win and nothing is going to hold me back. I don't plan on making it easy for you, got it?"

"Crystal clear. Besides, I really didn't expect you to show me any mercy. Yugi's told me everything about you."

"Oh really? What did he have to say about me?"

"That your reputation precedes you. From what I hear, you have mastered nearly every game there is to know."

"Yes and I doubt you're a master at any game."

"Believe me when I say this! I've been training hard for this whole week under Yugi and Himura's watchful eyes. I've been trained by the best."

"But will it be enough? Let's see what you're made of, rookie. Show me that you're even worth my time."

Jeri had heard enough of Kaiba's arrogant taunts and stepped inside with determination. Both duelists shuffled their decks and placed them in their cardholders. The dueling dome was just moments from being levitated towards the stadium's ceiling.

"Wow, I can't believe that girl is actually going through with this," Mai said. "She must be crazy or brave enough to stand up to Kaiba."

"Well, she did give him the slap," Tea said. "So that qualifies for 'brave'."

"Serves that rich creep right," Joey scoffed.

"Still bitter, aren't we?" Tristan teased.

"Of course!"

"Now we'll see her put her dueling skills to the test," Yugi said.

"One week of training... She was sure a quick learner, but she's going up against Kaiba," Takato said. "She would have to pull off a miracle to win."

"She has no chance against my bro," Mokuba said. "Seto may not have been dueling lately, but he can study an opponent."

"Now, allow us to bring out the competitors for the Battle Royale!" Etemon announced. "First, give it up for two of the legendary warriors! The brothers of light and darkness! Loweemon and Wolfmon!"

As the brothers emerged through the damaged entranceway, the legendary warriors cheered on for their fellow comrades. Omegamon nods his head proudly to see his prodigies about to enter the next Battle Royale match. Thus far, only Fairymon had managed to advance to the next round. He hoped that either or both of them entered the next round. However, they must go through Loweemon and Piedmon to do so.

"Go, Kouichi! Go Kouji! We're rooting for you all the way!" Neemon cheered.

"Don't let us down, boys!" exclaimed Bokomon. "Oh, poor Kouichi. Not only does he have to worry about fighting his own brother but that monster Pharaohmon has managed to revive Kouichi's darkest half, Duskmon."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" asked Neemon.

"What do you think, dolt?! Use your head!"

As soon as he said that, Bokomon immediately pulls on Neemon's pants and watches then snap at his side. The rabbit shrieked as he felt his rear being whipped by the pant slap.

"Yeow! I never get used to that..."

Loweemon and Wolfmon entered the ring. They knew full well that their worst enemy would be in the same match. The brothers have full history with Duskmon. It was Kouichi who once held possession of the 'false' spirit of darkness and inherited Duskmon's powers. As Duskmon, Kouichi nearly succeeded in killing the warriors. He would never forgive himself for being forced to kill his brother, Kouji. It was Kouji who saved Takuya from being slain by Duskmon during their first encounter.

"Kouichi..."

"Yes?..."

"Whatever it takes, we must defeat Duskmon. Do not let his mind games get the best of you. While it's true that he was once apart of you, but not any longer. You are Loweemon. Don't forget that."

"Right, but let's not forget. We have another opponent to deal with."

"Piedmon. I know. You leave me with him. You can take Duskmon. How's that sound?"

"Perfect. I like how you think, Kouji. Let's pull through this and both move onto the next round to join Fairymon."

"I'm counting on it. Whenever you need, I'll be there for you."

"Thank you, Kouji."

"All right, ladies and gents! We've already brought out the brothers! Let's now continue on and introduce their opponents! First up..."

Suddenly, the lights within the arena quickly went out. The audience crowds wondered as to what had just transpired. Perhaps, it was a power shortage within the arena.

"Well, this was sure unexpected! The lights in the arena just went out and we're stuck in the darkness! I can barely see myself speak!" Lillymon announced.

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?!" exclaimed Kenta.

"Something tells me Pharaohmon's decided to cut the lights and eat us when we're not looking!" Kazu panicked.

"Can it, you two! It's just a power outage," Rika sighed. "Stuff like this happens. So don't panic."

"Rika's right. There's nothing to worry about," Takato assured the scared boys. "They'll just fix the problem."

"Gee, Renamon. Seems you already what's going on," Guardromon said to the vulpine.

"I already know," Renamon stated. "There is no power outage. The next opponent turned out the lights to..."

"Make his dramatic entrance?" Guilmon asked. "Because I can already see him standing at the center ring!"

As soon as Guilmon pointed him out, the lights immediately came back on and Duskmon was kneeling in the center of the ring. He rises up slowly and looks around the stadium. The brothers stood their ground and controlled their emotions. Their worst enemy was standing before them with dark, sinister intentions. Duskmon was not just cunning but very unpredictable.

"Kouichi. We have to play it cool. Don't let your emotions get the best of you. I know you can defeat this creep."

"Just leave him to me..."

Duskmon listened to the siblings' conversation and made eye contact with them. The dark warrior chuckled to himself rather calmly.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Kouichi?"

"Too long. I hoped I would never see your face again."

"Pharaohmon has made me reborn and better than ever. The question is, can Loweemon withstand the might of my dark powers? I shall put you to the test, Kouichi."

"I shall defeat you, Duskmon!"

"We'll see about that, Kouichi. This will be an interesting match."

Finally, the last participant started walking out through the entranceway. He was a jester-clown with a sinister appearance, a red suit, yellow pointy shoes, an orange hair top over his face mask and red lips. A pair of swords were sheathed behind his back. This was the leader of the once dominant Dark Masters faction. The digimon is identified as Piedmon.

The Tamers immediately recognized him as a top villain from the television series. They never hoped to see a real Piedmon in action. But they weren't planning on finding out either.

The legendary warriors know little to nothing about Piedmon except through word of mouth. However, Omegamon was very familiar with him and the other three Dark Masters.

Emerging out of his skybox, Anubimon started heading off to witness the upcoming Battle Royale match. It was only a matter of time before his match would start. He could very well compete in the next match if his specific match was drawn.

"Now we shall see another of Pharaohmon's top selected warriors. I had hoped Piedmon wouldn't be amongst those to escape from the Dark Area. I hope either one of those warriors, Loweemon or Wolfmon, triumphs over him before he advances to the next round. We can't allow too many of Pharaohmon's selected henchmen to gain an upper hand over our warriors. Pharaohmon, our paths will cross once again and I will bring you down to the Dark Area where you belong."

Back at the ring center, Piedmon steps in and looks around to notice the crowds giving him a negative reaction. He merely shrugged off their threatening gestures and makes contact with the brothers.

"This should prove to be interesting. These three combatants share quite a history according to what Lord Pharaohmon has informed me. I take it the warriors of darkness will settle their dispute. That just leaves you with me, warrior of light."

"I'm hoping you were just mentioning me," snapped Wolfmon.

"Yes, you are the only one who possesses the powers of Wolfmon. What do you say we settle this in a good old-fashioned sword duel? It's time I show you my brilliant expert swordsman skills."

"Bring it on."

"Um, fellas? You might want to simmer down," Etemon pleaded to the four combatants. "Man, such hostility! Ok, Lillymon. Looks like everyone is ready and set to go!"

"Good. You heard our good monkey colleague! The fourth round matches shall get underway!"

"Duelists! Competitors! Take your places!" announced Etemon. "We're getting set to get our fourth set of our first round matches!"

As the four competitors took different angles of the ring, Kaiba and Jeri set their duel disks. The girl was only visibly nervous but wasn't about to show any fear to the former champion.

"Little girl, I'm going to crush you. Just so you know that."

"Well, I'm full of surprise, Mister Kaiba. I just hope my slap was enough to wake you up out of reality."

"That's it. You'll regret saying those words."

"Duelists! Take your positions! Are you ready?!"

"SET!"

With that said, Etemon raises a hand signal to allow the duel dome to close its doorways tightly. The structure was slowly being risen up towards the arena's ceiling platform. The digimon audience gazed up to watch the dome structure being elevated up into the ceiling level. It was floating up at a great altitude. Meanwhile, inside the dome, Seto and Jeri were prepared to get their duel underway.

"It's just you and me. You won't have your friends to provide you the support. Heck, you can't even hide behind them. You're all on your own."

"I'm prepared to take that approach, Kaiba. May the best duelist win!"

"Best duelist? You? Bah! What a joke. You're joking right? I see only one great duelist and that's me, but, whatever. Let's get this duel over with."

"All right! This is your lovely announcer, Lillymon, speaking! You two should know by now that we'll be sending you to a different section in the digital world like the three past duels you've just witnessed. We have set the coordinates for Rapid Falls Heights!"

"Rapid What-now?!" Kaiba exclaimed. "Hey! What's going on here?!"

"Looks like we're getting set to be transported to that Rapid Falls Heights place..."

Seto and Jeri saw themselves being swallowed through a bright light aura. Both screamed out as their bodies were immediately digitized. They were being sent into the dangerous waterfall canyons better dubbed as the Rapid Falls Heights, which were only miles away from the battle site of Gallantmon and Beelzebumon. This certainly would bring some painful memories back for Jeri.

"As the duel concludes, both duelists will be transported into the duel dome. We shall then call for the dome to be lowered to the bottom of the stadium. Fortunately, for those of you begging for full coverage of the duel, we have our big screen to provide you the action while the Battle Royale is in session. We should all be thankful for my colleague, Floramon, for risking her time and effort to bring you the live action! Back to you, Etemon!"

"Thanks again, little lady! Looks like our four boys are ready to get this started and so am I! Seto Kaiba and Jeri Katou are ready! By my official authority, let the matches begin!"

With the official call announced, the sound buzzers set off from across the speakers to signify the start of the matches. Wolfmon started things off as he slowly walked to the ring center and points out to Piedmon. The jester clown hops onto the center and stand by towering over the light warrior.

"Wolfmon. This will prove to be quite amusing."

"I don't find this or you funny for that matter. I'm here to win."

"Oh, but that certainly is not fun. Let's make these interesting. We have a wide range audience waiting for a good show. Let's not go and disappoint them."

"I've heard enough out of you!"

Wolfmon quickly pulls out his light saber and jumps away from his adversary. The clown jester pulls out his double swords from his sheaths. The weapon-wielders encircled each other like predators.

"You won't succeed, Piedmon. I'll make sure you don't even advance to the next round."

"I can certainly guarantee that one of you will not make it period. Don't forget. Your brother is facing off with the darkness."

Wolfmon turns around to see his brother, Loweemon, stepping around Duskmon.

"Don't let him off your eyesight, Kouichi. We have to succeed. Both of us must advance to ensure victory for our side."

Duskmon started chuckling as he was starting to play with Loweemon's emotions. This was exactly what he was aiming for. He aimed at breaking down Loweemon's mentality.

"Kouichi. Why don't you separate yourself from these petty attachments you call 'friends'? The same goes for your worthless brother. Think about it. Before you broke ties away from me, we were invincible. If we continued to be apart of one another, we would have easily been the most powerful legendary warrior the digital world had ever seen. We could have slain those wannabe warriors. Our power would have eventually grown above Cherubimon's. You made a big mistake when you separated yourself from me. However, I'm going to give you a second chance. Kouichi..."

"Stop it."

"Kouichi. You can redeem yourself by reuniting with me. Abandon that counterfeit spirit of darkness. I'm the real representation of darkness. So, what do you say? Shall we reunite and do the right thing? Together, we will become Pharaohmon's most efficient warrior."

Omegamon was listening to their conversation from a far distance. He was able to inform Agunimon and the others on insight of the conversation.

"What?! He intends to have Kouichi reunite with him?!" Agunimon asked.

"So, it isn't so?!" exclaimed Blitzmon. "He better not reunite with Duskmon! We've had trouble with him in the past!"

"Don't worry. I know deep down that Kouichi will not fall for Duskmon's mind games. Kouichi has matured since then. Take my word for it," Omegamon stated.

"I agree. Kouichi's too smart to fall for another one of Duskmon's mind tricks," replied Agunimon.

Back inside the ring, Loweemon merely nodded his head and chuckled. This did not amuse Duskmon as he wondered what his lighter-dark counterpart was thinking.

"Please, don't think I'm going to fall for another of your mind games, Duskmon. Cherubimon's been purified. Your spirit was transformed into the spirit of Loweemon. So you're the fake! I don't see why you even bother attempting to convert me. Give it up, Duskmon. You can't win with just mind games. Pharaohmon should have thought of something more original to kill me. I hardly call you original."

"Kouichi. You are making a big mistake. Don't you realize you are throwing an opportunity this great away?! I can't believe this is the same me that first inherited the true spirit of darkness."

"That's enough, Duskmon! Let's settle this one on one! Warrior versus warrior! Honestly, I was hoping to face you again."

"We were fated to meet again, Kouichi. You chose sympathy, weakness and light over greatness. You shall regret your mistake, Kouichi. You shall pay for it dearly with your life."

Duskmon unsheathed a red blade from out of his right hand. The 'eyes' across his body emitted red streams of light. Loweemon puts out his right hand and summons forth his battle staff. The dark warriors circled one another and were ready to tear each other apart limb by limb.

"Kouichi! If this is your choice, then I have no choice! I slay you and reclaim my position as the true warrior of darkness! Die, Kouichi!"

Quickly going airborne, Duskmon leaps up and points his blade directly at his target. He dives down towards Loweemon and slashes through at him. Loweemon manages to sidestep the warrior's offensive attack. Duskmon turns around and once again slashes at his adversary. Loweemon dodged each slash attempt with agile maneuvers.

"Not bad, Kouichi. You have really strong reflexives. But, I myself have been upgraded thanks to Pharaohmon's influence. Allow me to demonstrate."

With that said, Duskmon quickly phases out from Loweemon's sight. He was caught off guard once he turned to find Duskmon standing behind him. He takes his blade and slashes across at Loweemon. He puts out his battle staff to defend himself from Duskmon's offensive.

"So you have been upgraded. I'm impressed."

"You should be."

Duskmon runs off towards one side of the ring with Loweemon following his very direction. They both stopped and collided with one another. They traded blows against each other with the blade and staff slamming together. Loweemon quickly saw an opening on Duskmon and goes for a standing front kick, but Duskmon saw it coming. He leaps away and once again phases out. Loweemon was once again caught off guard.

"Damn! He's fast!"

"What are you looking at?!"

Suddenly, Loweemon stopped frozen as he felt the tip of Duskmon's blade towards his neck. The dark warrior stroked the blade slowly over where Loweemon's jugular was positioned. One slit and Loweemon would be bleeding to death.

"One false move and you can kiss it goodbye, Kouichi. I'll slit your throat."

Loweemon's body quickly emitted an aura, which sent Duskmon flying back. The warrior stopped himself from falling out of the ring. The two digimon faced each other off while giving themselves time to strategize their next attacks.

"He's good. Duskmon's gotten faster. He certainly will be tough to beat. But, I know him too well. After all, we were once a part of each other. I know his strengths and weaknesses."

"Kouichi. You're making things very difficult for us. You should have made the right choice and gone back to the dark side."

Back on the other side of the ring, Piedmon and Wolfmon were engaged in a brilliant display of swordsmanship. The audiences were awe-struck by the clash of the weaponry used by the two digimon. Wolfmon's laser sabers only managed to protect him from the onslaught of Piedmon's sword slashes.

Wolfmon charges ahead and goes for a spinning saber slash. However, Piedmon leaps up over Wolfmon's head and delivers a kick to the back of his head. The warrior of light is sent skidding across the ring with a throbbing head.

"Damn! He's attacking from behind my back. My sabers aren't even cutting through his swords."

"That's because my swords are made out of chrome digizoid, the strongest metal in the digital world. Or make that in any world. I'm surprised you haven't heard anything about it."

"Personally, I couldn't give a damn."

"Now, let us stop this verbal chit-chat. There's an audience waiting for a good show. Let's give it to them, shall we?"

"I've had it up to here with you!"

"Now, that's more like it. Let's give them a good show!" Piedmon laughed.

The warrior of light springs forward and goes to stab a laser saber through Piedmon's chest. The clown jester managed to sidestep his adversary's offensive attack and delivers an elbow shot to his back. Wolfmon lets out a painful cry and staggers forward. Piedmon phases behind Wolfmon and slashes his twin swords across his back. With Wolfmon struggling to withstand the threshold, Piedmon phases in front of Wolfmon. He slams a fist against Wolfmon's gut to knock the air right out of him.

One single punch from the mega forced Wolfmon nearly to both of his knees.

"Well, isn't this amusing? One blow and I already have brought you down to your knees, Wolfmon? How disappointing..."

"Trust me. There's more to me than you know."

"Care to elaborate?"

"What you want is what you'll get..."

"We're off to an awesome start with our fourth Battle Royale match!" Lillymon announced. "Loweemon and Duskmon plan on resolving their personal issues while Wolfmon's in a tight pinch with Piedmon's swords! As these four gladiators resume with the action, let's take you straight to the duel match! Seto Kaiba and Jeri Katou are ready to go! Floramon, that's your call!"

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Digital World Section 12-3A. Rapid Falls Heights

The landscape was set miles away from the site where Gallantmon and Beelzebumon engaged in their first encounter. This was also the area where Leomon was murdered by the demon. Jeri wouldn't exactly want to be reminded about the painful memories of her lost partner. The land was basically barren with beautiful, lush waterfalls down pouring into deep ditches. Digimon would still have a chance to inhabit this environment since the Devas were said to once live at these exact coordinates.

Jeri and Seto looked around their surroundings. However, they weren't alone. There was a crowd of feral digimon cheering on the duelists. Floramon managed to arrive in time to find the duelists to begin her live coverage.

"Thanks again for giving me the time to present to you adoring fans of mine! We're here live at Rapid Falls Heights and many miles away from the domain of Lord Zhuqiaomon. I'm sure he, too, is staying tuned for our live coverage. You have to wonder what the sovereigns do on their free time... Anyway, Seto Kaiba and Jeri Katou are set to begin their duel! Can Jeri the rookie manage to hold her own and give a good fight to the former earth champion? We'll find out as soon as they start! Duelists, are you ready? Set your duel disks! Get ready..."

Both duelists activated their duel disks and their life points were now both set at 8000 each.

Life Points

Jeri: 8000

Kaiba: 8000

"Set and begin!!"

"DUEL!!"

The duel finally got underway after both have stalled for time. Seto and Jeri each picked out five cards from the top of their decks.

"Kaiba. If you don't mind, I'll start off," Jeri said, while drawing a card. "What do you say?"

"Fine. I don't care. It's not like it will make a difference," Kaiba snorted.

"Ok! I draw out and activate Pot of Greed. This allows me to draw two cards to my hand. Next, I set one card facedown in defense mode. Next, I'll set two more cards facedown. That ends my turn."

There were three cards set across Jeri's side of the field. Each one was concealed from Kaiba's sight. With experience on his side, Kaiba knew very well that Jeri possibly had set a trap and/or magic cards across the field.

"If you had just set trap and magic cards, then your luck just ran out. I will now activate this card!"

Kaiba reveals a card in his hand known as the Harpies Feather Duster. This was the exact same card Mai used in her duel with Henry earlier on. Kaiba used the card to his advantage and destroyed Jeri's facedown cards.

"Now, I've gotten rid of your facedown cards. Neither one of them were even worth enough to save you."

"I would look again, Mister Kaiba. You've just activated a trap card of mine! Do you seem to know the card called Magic Jammer?"

"Magic Jammer? You had that in your disposal?!"

"That's right. With Magic Jammer, I have to discard one card from my hand to negate the activation of a magic card. Looks like your Harpies Feather Duster has been negated."

"Lucky move, little girl. Now, I'll set four cards facedown. That ends my turn. Now make your pathetic move."

Jeri takes a card from her deck and places it into her hand. A card had caught her attention and she takes it.

"Now, I'll activate Nobleman of Extermination. This allows me to destroy one facedown magic or trap card and remove it from play."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. If it's a trap card, both of us must remove all trap cards of the same name from their decks and remove them from play. The decks are then shuffled."

"Good, then I know what I must do! I'll use it to remove that card on the left!"

"Ha! Nice try! You've just activated my trap! An eye for eye, little girl! I'll use my own Magic Jammer to discard a card from my hand to negate the activation of your card. Your Nobleman of Extermination has been negated. Ah, too bad."

"If you think I'm going to go down that easily, then you are mistaken! I now activate another one of my cards! Ookazi!"

"No! Not Ookazi!"

"With this card, I can lower my opponent's life points by 800! What's the matter? Upset that I, a rookie, have inflicted damage on your life points first? You can't always get your way, Mister Kaiba."

Kaiba

Life points: 7200

"Don't celebrate too soon, brat. The duel is far from finished!"

"I agree. I'll save my celebrations after I beat you. Now, I'll flip summon my Skelengel!"

Jeri summoned forth her Skelengel, which was an angel that was invisible except for his boots, gloves, belt and halo.

Skelengel

900/400/2 star

"This monster also has an effect. It allows me to draw an extra card from my deck to my hand. Next, I'll set a card facedown. Now, my Skelengel! Attack his life points directly!"

As soon as Jeri sent out her monster to attack, Kaiba quickly intervened and retaliated by activating one of his cards.

"Amateur! Now I'll activate this! My Mirror Force! When your monster attacks this, it negates the monster's attack and destroys all my opponent's monsters in attack position. Since you only have your Skelengel, he's the only one that goes. Your Skelengel is history."

Jeri gasped as she witnessed her first attack monster destroyed before her own very eyes.

"Darn. That's fine. I'll end my turn there."

"Is the pressure getting to you, brat? Since my hand is empty, I'll just draw a card and end my turn."

"Fine. I'll just draw another card to my hand. Then, I'll set a card facedown. That ends my turn."

Kaiba immediately draws another card from his deck to his hand. After that, he places a card facedown.

"That ends my turn. Make your move, kid."

"I now start off by activating another Pot of Greed."

"Another one?"

"You know what that means. That allows me to draw 2 more cards."

"Is that all? I'd like to get this over with and just wipe away the rest of your life points."

"No. My turn isn't done yet! Now I'll activate the Graceful Charity. I can draw three cards and discard two to my graveyard. I then activate another Nobleman of Extermination! I'll use it to destroy one of your facedown cards!"

With that said, Kaiba witnessed as one of his facedown cards was revealed to be Torrential Tribute. That card was quickly destroyed.

"I just revealed your Torrential Tribute. Now we must remove all cards of that same name, remove them from play and shuffle our decks! Since I don't have any Torrential Tributes, I take it you have plenty in your deck?"

Kaiba removes the remaining Torrential Tributes in his deck and discards them. As a result of the card's effects, the duelists shuffled through their decks.

"That ends my turn, Mister Kaiba."

"I'll use this turn to draw a card to my hand and that ends my turn."

"Now, I'll draw a card to my hand. Like you, I will end my turn from there."

Kaiba takes another card from his hand and adds it to his hand. He puts a card facedown. Once ending his turn, Jeri adds a card to her hand and puts down a card facedown. There was a good chance that these facedown cards were magic/trap cards. Jeri ends her turn and prepares for Kaiba to make his next play. After drawing another card to his hand, the former champion brings out a monster card from out of his hand.

"Now, I summon this! Alpha the Magnet Warrior!"

Kaiba brings out one of his rival's favorite monster cards. Levitating before Kaiba is an intimidating silver warrior with magnets on his head, hands and sword.

Alpha the Magnet Warrior

1400/1700/4 star

"I'll then activate a trap card. Call of the Haunted! With this card, I can take a monster card from my graveyard and special summon it in attack mode. Now, you do recall me discarding a card when I played my Magic Jammer?"

"Yes, what of it?"

"Well, one of those cards happened to be a monster card. I'm going to special summon it to the field! Now I bring forth my Gadget Soldier!"

Now being special summoned to the field, a silver robot, with gold sprockets on his back and shoulder, wielding a rocket launcher, was set in attack mode.

Gadget Soldier

1800/2000/6 star

"Now, Alpha the Magnet Warrior! Attack her life points directly!"

The magnet warrior dashes forward to Jeri's field and slashes across. Jeri is knocked back from the force of the monster's blade swipe. Fortunately, a wind force rather than an actual sword swipe only struck Jeri. On the contrary, she lost 1400 of her life points.

Jeri

Life points: 6600

"But, my onslaught doesn't end from there, little girl! Gadget Soldier! Attack more of her life points!"

Once the Gadget Soldier charged forward, Jeri immediately responds by activating a trap card on her field.

"You've just triggered my trap card! It's called the Magic Cylinder! With this, it can negate the attack of one of your attacking monsters and decrease your life points by an amount equal to that monster's attack points!"

"What?! Oh no! I lose 1800 of my life points!"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it. Too bad for you, Mister Kaiba."

Kaiba seethed once he witnessed more of his life points dropping. He, like Mai, was already being overcome by another rookie. However, the former champion wasn't prepared to take any more of this.

Kaiba

Life points: 5400

"You little brat! Don't think that you have more life points that make you invincible. It will eventually cost you. I end my turn now. Make your next move!"

"Geez, you take these games seriously. Lighten up and have fun. It's not all about winning."

"Just keep your mouth shut and make your move. Unless, you want to pass?"

"No, thanks. I just might have some cards worth while to play."

However, Jeri decided to play it safe. She draws a card to her hand and places one card facedown in defense.

"I end my turn."

"And you said you had cards worth while to play? What's the matter? Didn't find any cards that will save your pathetic hide?"

"Well, then. Why don't you go ahead and attack me directly?" Jeri taunted the former champ.

Kaiba draws a card to his hand and a smile crosses his cold, calculated chagrin.

"It if means to shut your mouth, then with my pleasure. Now, I sacrifice both my Alpha the Magnet Warrior and my Gadget Soldier to summon this to the field! Ryu-Ran!"

Replacing both warriors was a red dragon hiding inside a blue-spotted egg. This was Ryu-Ran and it possessed a greater attack power than the monster just sacrificed.

Ryu-Ran

2200/2600/7 stars

"I'll send my Ryu-Ran to attack your facedown defense card! Destroy it, Ryu-Ran!"

Once the egg dragon slashed through the facedown card, the defense monster was revealed to be a sad, white faced nun. This was The Forgiving Maiden.

The Forgiving Maiden

850/2000/4 star

Once Jeri's monster was destroyed by Ryu-Ran, she panicked until she remembered that defense monsters don't affect the player's life points. She lets out a sigh of relief as her life points remained as they were.

"Luckily, my monster was in defense mode."

"Yes, you are lucky. You're lucky that you are even in the lead as far as life points are concerned. I'll end my turn from there."

"All right, now I'll just draw a card and add it to my hand. I'll activate this card! Ground Collapse! With this, I can select two unoccupied monster zones on the field. Those selected zones cannot be used as long as this card remains face-up on the field! With this, I select two of your monster zones, Mister Kaiba!"

"Grr... Is that all?"

"That's it. It's your turn."

"Good! Now, I'll add a card to my hand and what do you know?! I get to summon this to the field! Spirit of the Harp! I'll put it in attack mode!"

Kaiba brings out a yellow-robed musician with a golden harp.

Spirit of the Harp

800/2000/4 star

"Now, Spirit of the Harp! Attack her life points directly!"

The musician quickly plays a note on the harp and sends a powerful vibration note towards Jeri's side field. The musical vibrations greatly affected her. That alone implemented damage on her life points.

Jeri

Life points: 5800

"But, don't think my turn ends there. I'm sending my Ryu-Ran to attack more of your life points. Let her have it, Ryu-Ran."

The dragon blows a heavy dosage of smoke through its nostrils and damages more of Jeri's life points. She gasps at the amount she had just lost from the dragon's attack. 2200 was deducted from her life points.

Jeri

Life points: 3600

"I'll end my turn there, but the onslaught will continue."

"I'm not afraid of you! Now, I'll set a card facedown in defense mode. I end my turn here for now."

"Hmmm, I wonder what she set in place for a facedown card? I'll have to know for myself."

The former champion takes a card from his deck, adds it to his hand and brings out yet another monster to the field. This time it was a horde of green goblins.

"I now bring out my Goblin Attack Force!"

Goblin Attack Force

2300/0/4 star

"Spirit of the Harp! Attack her directly and wipe out yet more of her life points!"

As soon as the musician was ready to play yet another painful note, a trap was immediately triggered on Jeri's side field. It was the trap card, Negate Attack.

"Sorry, Mister Kaiba, but you've just activated my trap card! Negate Attack! Since your Spirit of the Harp is implementing an attack, your attacks are negated and your battle phase abruptly ends."

"Another lucky shot, but that won't save you. Fine, I end my turn there."

Jeri takes a card from her deck and adds it to her hand. Suddenly, she caught glimpse of a very powerful card and takes it out from her hand. She plays it out onto the field.

"I summon the Goddess with the Third Eye!"

Being summoned on Jeri's field was a brown-haired elf with a vertically opened green eye in the middle of her forehead. This is the Goddess with the Third Eye.

Goddess of the Third Eye

1200/1000/4 stars

Next, Jeri flipped summoned a facedown card to reveal a brown fur ball with tiny eyes and limbs.

"Now I flip summon to reveal my Kuriboh! Yes, I'm playing out your favorite monster, Felinismon. I won't let you down."

Kuriboh

300/200/1 star

However, Seto was taken back by the Kuriboh being summoned to the field and saw this as nothing more than a lame joke. He certainly did not take Yugi seriously about this tiny fur ball and he wasn't going to accept it in his duel with Jeri. Everything Kuriboh represented, Kaiba hated with a passion.

"You mean to tell me that you're going to rely on that fur ball to save you? Doesn't surprise me. Little girls like you would go for that kind of thing. So you can remove that stupid grin off your face, because I'm wasting it away!"

"Not so fast. I'm going to equip my Kuriboh with this! I activate Multiply!"

"What?! Not that card!"

"I'm sure this will bring back memories, Kaiba. Yugi's played this same strategy to throw you off your game many times before and I plan to do the same."

One Kuriboh immediately multiplied into a large horde of them. This was exactly what Kaiba loathed more than anything in duel monsters.

"Damn Kuribohs! Those little things piss me off! This girl isn't even taking this seriously..."

"Now I sacrifice one face-up Kuriboh to place a Kuriboh Token in defense position on each of my open Monster Card Zones! Now I summon forth four Kuriboh tokens in defense mode!"

Kuriboh Token

300/200/1 star

"Pathetic! What can 4 furballs do to me? You're nothing without your friends!"

"Mister Kaiba, you've mocked my friendship for long enough! It's time I showed you the true power of friendship! I activate United We Stand! With this card I can increase the attack points of my Goddess of the Third Eye by 800 points for every monster I control! Thanks to Multiply, I now have 5 monsters on the field. See? It pays to have friends. "Now, my Goddess of the Third Eye! Attack his Spirit of the Harp!"

"Not so fast! I activate my trap card! Negate Attack!"

"You have your own Negate Attack?!"

"That's right. So, your monster's attack is negated."

"Not as long as I play this! I activate my other trap card! Seven Tools of the Bandit! But it has its consequences. I have to pay up 1000 of my own life points to negate the activation of your trap card, and destroy it in the process! So that means your Negate Attack has been negated! Kind of ironic, don't you think?"

Jeri

Life points: 2600

Kaiba lets out a sigh of frustration and realizing that Jeri was holding her own in her first duel. He had greatly underestimated her but he wasn't going to be educated on the matter of duel monsters by a rookie. He would not accept it.

"Now my Goddess of the Third Eye! Attack his Spirit of the Harp! Your attack points have been raised to 5200 because of the five monsters I have in play! Say adios to a major chunk of your life points, Mister Kaiba!"

The Goddess of the Third Eye sends out a devastating attack directly at Kaiba's Spirit of the Harp. The former champ gasped in utter disbelief as he witnessed 4400 being subtracted from his life points. He had just dropped his guard and allowed a 'rookie' to take a large chunk of his life points. Kaiba felt even more insulted than Mai did. He wasn't prepared to take this lying down.

Kaiba

Life points: 1000

"That ends my turn, champ. Oh, excuse me... Former champion," Jeri giggled.

"What is this?! Pee-Wee's Playtime?! I'm the former World champion of Duel Monsters! Now I'm being reduced to struggling with a rookie! Worse, a little girl who plays Kuriboh of all monsters! I've been insulted for the last time! I'd rather be dueling with Wheeler than this prissy girl! If it weren't for her Nobleman of Extermination, I wouldn't have shuffled my deck. I would have had my Blue-Eyes White Dragon to wipe away her cutesy pet monsters. It's time to get serious and regain control of this duel!"

The duelists faced each other off as Jeri pet her Kurbiohs one by one. The former duel monsters champ was ready to strike back and take control of the duel once again. He wished to have his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons in play right about now.

"Jeri has taken the lead! Those Kuribohs are just simply adorable, Lillymon! Oh, I wish I had one! But, let's give a round of applause for Jeri! She has managed to turn this duel to her favor! She's reduced Kaiba to the last of his 1000 life points! If she keeps this up, she'll pull the biggest upset of the entire duel tournament! Lillymon. I take it the competition is going well back at Phoenix Arena? Please, give me the full scoop! In the meantime, Jeri and Kaiba will resume their duel!"

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Phoenix Arena

Meanwhile, back in the Phoenix Arena, the four-way Battle Royale was still underway. The crowds were getting into the action transpiring from the four competitors. Lillymon was announcing the intense Battle Royale match.

"This Battle Royale has definitely made a turn around! Wolfmon has turned up the notch by evolving into his Advanced Hybrid mode: Beowulfmon! He's holding his own with Piedmon! As for Loweemon, he's been on the defensive with Duskmon! This is what I call all-out action!"

Beowulfmon charged across the ring center with his sword intact. He stopped and was preparing to attack Piedmon once again. The A-Hybrid was contemplating his decision on how he should hold off Piedmon and see if he can aid his brother deal with Duskmon. Gripping the handle of his sword, Beowulfmon swung it overhead and slams the blade against the concrete to send out a powerful blade swipe. The clown jester quickly sidesteps the attack and lets it skid across the ring. There was a long trail across the ring from the impact of the blade's strike.

"Ah, you only missed me by this much," Piedmon taunted the A-Hybrid warrior. "You're going to have to do much better than that if you want to catch me."

"Piedmon. You won't be laughing for long once I smack that stupid grin off your pasted face."

"Blah, blah. Beowulfmon, you're nothing but talk. Why don't you prove your worth to me? C'mon, I know you can do it."

"If only you didn't move around so damn much! Now hold still!"

"Kouji!" Loweemon called out to his young sibling.

"Keep your eyes on me, Kouichi!"

As soon as he heard Duskmon's warning, Loweemon turns around and realizes that Duskmon was standing behind him. The darker warrior placed the tip of his blade over Loweemon's neck and chuckled to himself.

"What's the matter, Kouichi? Am I too fast for you? Perhaps I should go a little easy on you."

"Get away from me!"

Loweemon quickly turns around and attempts to knock Duskmon away with his staff. However, the darker individual leaps overhead swiftly and lands on his feet. He took his crimson blade and slammed it against his adversary's staff.

"I know you better than even your own brother, Kouichi. I know your strengths and weaknesses. You're holding back because you fear for your brother's survival."

"My brother will take care of Piedmon! Just you wait and see!"

"Oh, and does your brother being dominated by Piedmon qualify?"

Loweemon looks back to the other side of the ring to see Piedmon unleashing a relentless assault on Beowulfmon. The wolf man leapt up for an airborne strike on the jester clown. He took his sword and aimed to stab it through Piedmon. The mega quickly leaps away to the side and manages to let Beowulfmon slip by. Beowulfmon was thrown off his game at the moment and realized that Piedmon was preparing to unleash a deadly attack.

"Take this, Beowulfmon! Clown Trick!"

The jester sends out a magical energy wave through his gloved hands and successfully uses it to knock Beowulfmon away. The warrior goes skidding across the ring with his body already heavily damaged by Piedmon's attack.

"Kouji!!"

"Your guard is down!"

Loweemon immediately turns around to find Duskmon phasing out from his sight. He looks up to find Duskmon diving down for an airborne strike of his own. The true warrior of darkness rolled away swiftly from being targeted by Duskmon's assault. Loweemon retaliates as he gathered energy from the lion head embedded on his chest.

"Shadow Meteor!!"

The warrior unleashes a dark blast through the lion's mouth and watches as it slams against Duskmon. The energy attack was enough to send Duskmon hurtling across the ring.

"Good... That ought to slow him down!"

Duskmon is slammed against the ring concrete while leaving a small crater from the impact of his fall. Some parts of his armor were already damaged from his lighter counterpart's attack.

"Loweemon is making a comeback against his darker counterpart! But just how long will his second wind last?! I mean, Duskmon has already proven too much for Loweemon to handle!" Lillymon announced. "Meanwhile, Piedmon is already starting to dominate his conflict with Beowulfmon! You've got to wonder how long will the brothers of light and darkness last?"

"C'mon, Kouji! Go Kouichi! You've got to pull through for us!" Bokomon cheered from the crowds.

"That Duskmon is sure a tough fellow."

"Oh! It's not like you haven't forgotten about him already?! He was once a part of Kouichi, you dolt!"

"Hmmm... Oh yeah! Him!"

"Ugh, sometimes I just want to take my book and smack it across your face."

"Lookie!"

"What? Oh, my... That's going to leave a mark!"

Looking on from afar the other side of the stadium, Omegamon and the other legendary warriors were looking on. They feared for the worst considering the fact that Loweemon and Beowulfmon were in a tight struggle.

"Kouichi's managing to hold his own out there," Blitzmon said.

"But Kouji's struggling! I'm not sure if even Beowulfmon is enough to fight a mega that strong," Agunimon said. "But we need to be together in order for him to evolve into Magna Garurumon."

"That won't be necessary," Omegamon informed the warrior of flame. "By undergoing my week-long training, your powers have grown to the point where evolving into your Z-Hybrid forms will be easier. You won't require the need for all of you warriors to remain together."

"Is that true?! Then I can evolve into Kaiser Greymon when I want to?!"

"Only when necessary. In this case, Kouji might want to evolve into Magna Garurumon. However, I strongly believe he can hold his own even as Beowulfmon. You will just have to trust me on this, Takuya."

"I just hope you're right, Omegamon. Fairymon's still not back yet."

"Remember, she's still with Ranamon in the infirmary. They'll be back."

"I can't believe Ranamon's actually the sister of that Henry kid. That family must put up with a lot of digimon in their lifetime."

"Actually, you are right, but that is a whole different story."

"Have you heard anything from Mercuremon and the others, yet?" Blitzmon asked the royal knight.

"Considering that they left in quite a hurry, I don't have any conclusive updates on their well beings. I assume they would have found those Sailor warriors by now. By tomorrow, they should already have found what they are looking for."

"What exactly are they looking for?"

"Takuya. Even I don't hold all the answers to your questions. That is a mystery in itself. Perhaps, it could be a secret weapon from ancient times that may hold a key to Pharaohmon's past or even weakness."

"That's a pretty accurate assumption if I do say so myself."

"Let's hope that I'm correct, Takuya. For our sake..."

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Outside on the Digital World's Deserted Regions

"So, that's our side story," Arbormon said. "Now, if you can just accept us into your group, we can find that sword sooner."

"You're right. I can foretell the events are set to take place," Pluto replied. "Pharaohmon will be sending a horde of monsters to hold us back. Even Saturn, Mercury and I will not able be to fend off these enemies. And no, Saturn, your planet-destroying powers do not count."

"I was just going to say that..."

"Wow, that girl can destroy a planet?" Grottomon asked.

"She's the Senshi of Destruction."

"But, I only destroy and spread death upon the enemies who stand in our way."

"Why not try it on Pharaohmon? It'll throw him off guard and it makes it easier for all of us," Arbormon suggested.

"You heard them, Arbormon. Her powers would also kill us in the process," sighed Mercuremon. "Thou need to use your head more thoroughly."

"Hey, I'm a brawn kind of guy. I'll use my head when need be."

"So, you three are really Sailor Senshi, too?" Grottomon asked the three untransformed girls.

"Yeah, but we just lost our powers to that monster," Makoto sighed. "But, we were told if we take the sword, then our powers would be restored to us."

"Let's just hope we find that sword soon. I'm sick of not having my powers. Though, I'm should consider myself lucky with the training I got when I was Sailor V..."

"Minako. That was a long time ago. Do you even remember the basics?" Artemis said.

"What did I just do out there?! I knocked down that bugger with a takedown!"

"With the help of my seals no less," muttered Rei.

"Yeah... Ok, I had your help, too..."

"C'mon, guys. You did a really good job," Cammy said while trying to lighten up the mood. "We should be thanking these guys. They saved my life. I'm grateful for that."

"It's no problem, kid," Arbormon replied. "Just don't stay out in the open like that. You're a heavy target for those punks."

"Please, you three haven't really told us about yourselves," Mercury asked. "How well do you know Agunimon and the others?"

"Just for a while," replied Arbormon. "We've been training with Omegamon to prepare for the tournament. Since we were screwed from taking tournament spots, we decided to give you guys a hand."

"How did you know we would be here? We are many, many miles from the stadium," Saturn said.

"I have a sixth sense when it comes to feeling out presences," the warrior of wood stated. "It's sort of a talent I have."

"What he's trying to imply is that he sensed out your energy signals," Mercuremon implied.

"That's quite a talent," Rei said. "Similar to my spiritual reading. I can sense the presence of evil auras."

"Yeah? How come you weren't able to sense those creeps from finding you?" wondered Grottomon.

"That's just it. They keep on concealing themselves and their auras. It's hard to find cloaked enemies."

"That must be hard for you."

"It is, Mercuremon."

"Um, Mercury. I have a question," Arbormon said.

"Yes, what is it?"

"You really do trust us, right? I mean, we might not look like trustworthy fellas, but we're really good, loyal warriors. We shall accompany you along the way."

"Appearances do not always determine a personality," Mercury said. "That would be called stereotyping. You saved Cammy from being killed and we're grateful for that. I'm very grateful for it."

"But, what about your friend there? She doesn't seem to be giving us the welcome treatment. She's looking at us as if we were monsters ready to take away her sister."

"Don't worry. She'll eventually come around to put full faith into you. But, really... She's very thankful for you rescuing Cammy."

"I see. That's good. Hey, whatcha got there? Looks like one of those handheld computers you carry around."

"Actually, this is an important utensil. I use it to scan the perimeters of an area we are currently positioned at. It usually helps us to find hidden items we're looking for. But, I'm not picking up anything when it comes to the sword's location."

"Might be a glitch. After all, this is a world made entirely out of data."

"That's what fascinates me about this place. It's quite unique."

Minako looks across to find a pink data ball rolling by her.

"You can say that again. All I'm seeing are those pink balls," Minako said. "I just touched one just a moment ago and it burned my finger! Nasty little suckers..."

"I'd like to have a chance to explore this world further and study it," Mercury said. "Arbormon. You told me you were not familiar with this place?"

"That's right. I've never been here before."

"Something tells me you're not like any ordinary human. I mean you have the ability to sense energy signals from far distances."

"Like I said, it's a rare talent."

"I see..."

Sailor Pluto looks out towards the mountainous region ahead from the canyon ridge. The view was magnificent and full with brightly illuminating streams of light.

"We still have ourselves a long way ahead, everyone," Pluto informed the group. "After we rest up for a few minutes, we shall proceed onward."

"Ah, but my feet are killing me!" Minako whined.

"Quit your complaining. My feet hurt too, but we still have to go on," Makoto said.

"Just make sure not to get struck by those streams of light," Grottomon warned the senshi.

"Why? What will happen?" wondered Saturn.

"They transport digimon somewhere. We saw some getting zapped by those stream things," Arbormon said. "My guess is to another part of this place."

"Thou is correct. We can not become split," Mercuremon replied.

"Thanks you for the warnings, warriors," Pluto said. "We will know for sure what lies ahead as far as danger is concerned. Shall we proceed onward, everyone?"

"Let's get going," stated Mercury.

"Yes! We've gone so far. We can't quit now," Cammy said with glee. "Right, Rei?"

"You've got that right. We'll follow your lead, Pluto."

"Good. Let's go."

With that said, the two sides managed to resolve any differences and pressed onward towards the mountainous range up ahead. According to Pluto, there would be unsuspecting dangers ahead to be dealt with. Arbormon and his crew have volunteered to assist the Senshi in anyway they can. They only had one day and a half to find the sword's location before the tournament drew towards its conclusion.

In the meantime, Scorpionus and his Scorpionite army were now watching them from afar. The Scorpionite leader looked across towards the Senshi team with interest.

"We've found them at last, my Scorpionite army. They shall be easy pickings once they cross past the Great Phoenixmon Mountain range. There's yet another desolate landscape on the other side where we shall attack them en masse."

"General Scorpionus."

"What is it my subordinate?"

"If I'm not mistaken, the great dragon beast lurks within those regions."

"Yes, I know... Wait, you've just given me an idea, soldier. It looks like we won't even have to get our own hands dirty. I shall revive that monster using the dark magic Pharaohmon has bestowed upon me. Those Sailor Senshi and their allies will not expect it. Then, we shall intervene and finish what's left of them."

"That's brilliant, general."

"Thank you for the compliments. Now, fall out, men! The Great Phoenixmon Mountain range will be our next destination!"

After calling out their pre-victory war cry, the Scorpionite army traveled onward but distanced themselves away from the Sailor Senshi group to the other side of the mountain range. If their assumption is correct, then they will find the dormant dragon beast and reawaken him to finish off the Sailor Senshi.

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Phoenix Arena

With the Battle Royale still in session, the crowd was still buzzing over the turnabouts of the match itself. All four combatants have been displaying quite a brilliant match with many 'close calls'. The brothers of light and darkness were considered the favorites to emerge victorious.

The Tamers and the Duelists were astonished by the sudden turnaround performed by Jeri. She not only was performing well in her first official duel, but she's been holding her own against Seto Kaiba. Even Yugi was surprised. He never thought that his training would ensure better results from out of the Tamers. Takato has already defeated Duke Devlin and Henry came close to knocking Mai out of the first rounds.

"Wow, could Jeri actually pull off the upset of the century?" Joey wondered. "Ha! That will serve Kaiba right for ever looking down on others!"

"You've got that right!" said Duke.

"Wow, I must say I'm impressed. She's already making Kaiba sweat?" Mai wondered. "These kids have been better trained than I thought."

"The duel is not over," Rika said. "Yeah, its true Jeri is in the lead, but if she's not careful, Kaiba will strike back."

"I believe in Jeri," Himura said. "I know you're holding onto that bracelet I gave you. Looks like it's giving you better luck than I thought. I put all of my blessings on that item. It's all up to you to use your skills to beat Kaiba."

"Hey, guys!" Inumon calls out. "How are the matches turning out?"

"Where have you two been?" Felinismon asked. "Jeri's kicking some serious butt out there! She's even using my favorite cards, the Kuribohs."

"Sorry, but Inumon needed some time alone. I had to talk some sense into him," Seadramon courted to the group. "So that Jeri girl is winning?"

"Yeah. She's holding her own. We're so proud," Guilmon replied. "Hey, Renamon. Look who's back!"

"I know. I smelt him coming."

"Hey, there, Renamon..."

"Feeling any better?"

"You could say that. I needed some time to cool off."

"Understandable. You should see this Battle Royale contest. Those two warriors, Loweemon and Beowulfmon, have been performing quite well."

"I can tell, but they're facing some tough competition. But if they can knock those two off, then we'll have fewer of Pharaohmon's minions to worry about."

"For our sake, let's hope so," Guardromon replied.

"Wow! Who would have thought Jeri would lead the former Duel Monsters champ?!" Kenta exclaimed.

"You better believe it!" Kazu said. "She's doing the unthinkable!"

"Pi! Pi!" cheered Marine Angemon.

"Let's give her our full support. Go, Jeri!" Tristan cheered.

"Shoot, I'll cheer her over that pompous jerk any day. Especially after the way he's treated me," Joey stated.

"Um, Inumon. Don't you think we should tell them about Witchmon?" Seadramon whispered in the canine's ear.

"Not just yet."

"Hey! Who's this Witchmon I'm hearing about?" Dark Gabumon asked.

"Hey! Where the heck have you been?" Inumon said to the dark canine.

"I've been raiding the snack bars."

"Bring me back anything?"

"Mutt, get yourself something to chow down on!"

"Shut up!"

"No, seriously. Who is this Witchmon?"

"A walking disaster," Seadramon sighed. "You don't want to know her."

"I'm actually kind of curious."

"You don't want to know her!!" the duo screamed out in front of Dark Gabumon.

"Ok! Geez, say it, don't spray it!"

Renamon had overheard their conversation and was beginning to wonder whom this 'Witchmon' they were speaking of.

"I wonder what this big fuss over Witchmon is all about. She must be trouble. Inumon and Seadramon seem to know her quite well. We'll just see what she's really like in person."

"Ladies and gents! According to a report from Floramon, the duel between Seto Kaiba and Jeri Katou seems to be back on track! For those of you interested, you can take a look on the big screen. So far Jeri's leading the former champ in a sudden turn of events. Can Kaiba turn the duel back to his favor?"

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Digital World Section 12-3A. Rapid Falls Heights

Seto focuses his attention on the duel and takes a look at his life points. They were down to 1000. He couldn't stand to know that a rookie was leading him by a large number of life points. He was set to regain his momentum.

"All right, little girl! It's time for me to take back control of this duel!"

"Oooo! Now take a look on the intensity on Kaiba's face! If I were Jeri, I'd start worrying what I should do next."

"It's my move!"

Seto takes a card from his deck, adds it to his hand and examines his cards in hand. There was a card that caught his attention.

"Heh. I'll save this for later," Kaiba thought. "That United We Stand card is pretty impressive, but there's a drawback, you know. Your monsters attack is dependant on how many monsters you control! Now I'll teach you the cost of aligning yourself with weak friends. Ryu-Ran, attack one of those Kuriboh Tokens!"

"Ah, no! Not Felinismon's favorite!"

"Say goodbye to your furballs!"

The Ryu-Ran charges across to Jeri's field and unleashes a nostril smoke blast to destroy Jeri's Kuriboh token. However, since it was in defense mode, no damage was done to her life points.

"But, that's not all! I'll send my Goblin Attack Force to demolish another Kuriboh token!"

The Goblin Attack Force ganged up on the single Kuriboh token. The Kuriboh was destroyed in the process.

"Since my Goblins attacked, they will then be switched to defense mode at the end of my battle phase. That ends my turn."

"Fortunately for me, I don't lose any life points. You have 1000 life points. You should worry about what I might have in store for you, Mister Kaiba. Now, I'll send my Goddess of the Third eye to attack your Ryu-Ran!"

Once Jeri drew a card to her hand, her Goddess launched an attack on the dragon. However, Kaiba activated one of his facedown cards.

"You've just activated my trap! Negate Attack! That means your Goddess' attack is cancelled out. My Ryu-Ran is safe from your attack. So much for your plan, kid."

"Great move, Mister Kaiba. I didn't expect you to have another one of those cards. Ok, then. I end my turn."

Seto takes a card to add to his deck and brings out a monster card to the field. Appearing before him was a green-skinned warrior wearing pants and an open vest. Three horns were sticking out of its head.

"I summon my Vorse Raider in attack mode!"

Vorse Raider

1900/1200/4 star

"Now, my Ryu-Ran! Attack another one of her pathetic fur balls!"

Ryu-Ran sends out another smoke fire blast to completely dissolve another Kuriboh token. This one, like the previous two, was in defense mode and Jeri's life points were once again safe.

"She won't be relying on those damn Kuribohs to save her life points."

"Whew, it's a good thing Felinismon suggested these cards. They've been saving my life points, but will it last in the long run?"

"Vorse Raider! Go and demolish her fourth Kuriboh token!"

The mighty beast launches forward and stomps out the fourth Kuriboh. Since it was in defense mode, the girl's life points were still intact.

"You're only down to your last pathetic fur ball, kid. They won't save you for long. I end my turn there."

Jeri draws a card from her deck, adds it to her hand and examines her cards. A smile crosses her face while playing out a monster card.

"I summon a Kuriboh!"

Once again, Kaiba's face became perplexed. He was beginning to loathe the girl and her Kuriboh hordes.

"Damn it! Why don't you play a decent card for once?!"

"My, my. What a potty mouth. We're playing a good game here. You could at least acknowledge my dueling skills. You need to lighten up. Now, I'll send my Goddess of the Third Eye to attack your Vorse Raider. I have two monsters on the field and I'll use them to increase my Goddess' attack points to 2800. Say goodbye to your Vorse Raider!"

The Goddess launches an attack on the mighty beast and instantly destroys it. Since it was in attack mode, Kaiba was forced to watch his life points delete all the way down to a measly 100 points.

"NOO!! This can't be!! How could this happen?! Me, the former Duel Monsters champion?!"

Kaiba

Life points: 100

"Wow... I actually did it! All I need is to attack his life points and I'll win. I'll actually have beaten the former champion! I'm really incredible!"

"My, my. What am I seeing here, people?! Will we actually witness the biggest upset in duel history?! Considering that Kaiba has a reputation to maintain, this will really damage his status. But Jeri... In only her first match is moments from clenching victory! All she needs is to destroy Kaiba's remaining life points and she will advance in the next round!"

"Mister Kaiba. My turn isn't through yet. Now I'll proceed to send my Kuriboh to destroy your Goblin Attack Force! Go, my Kuriboh!"

The cute, ferocious little fur ball launches it itself forward and claws its way through the tiny Goblin horde. The Goblins were in defense mode and did not damage to Kaiba's life points.

"You can sigh a big relief, Mister Kaiba. But in just one more turn, I'll destroy your last 100 life points and advance to the next round. Too bad you won't even make it. I feel really bad for you."

"Quiet!"

"No, I'm serious. I feel terrible for being this good. I just hope there was another way we can have a good duel without resorting to insults. I'd like that. Well, I end my turn here."

"You can save your victory speeches for another time, little girl. Now, I'm going to regain my momentum."

Kaiba draws a card to his hand and examines his deck. He catches glimpse of a card and chuckles.

"I summon my Gemini Elf to the field!"

Appearing before Kaiba were two elves. These two elves attack and defend together.

"Now, my Gemini Elves! Attack her Kuriboh!"

With that said, the Gemini Elf pair launch out and double team on the single Kuriboh to a pulp. Jeri witnessed as 1600 of her life points dropped.

Jeri

Life points: 1000

"Oh no!"

"Oh, but it is. My turn isn't over. Ryu-Ran! Attack her Goddess of the Third Eye!"

The dragon charged forward and unleashed a fiery blast to completely incinerate the Goddess into debris. More of Jeri's life points were dropping like flies.

Jeri

Life points: 800

"Ha! So much for your monsters! Now, I'll end my turn. What else do you have in your pathetic deck? I didn't even have to draw out my Blue-Eyes. You should consider yourself lucky."

As Jeri drew another card to her hand, she realized that she had no other card that will defend her life points. The rest of her monsters were mainly weak fairy types. Plus, if she drew this duel out any longer, there was a good chance Kaiba will use his Blue-Eyes to destroy her remaining life points.

"He's right. I have nothing else. No monster in my hand will do anything. Oh well, I gave this my best shot... I nearly had this in my grasp. Here goes..."

The girl puts out a card on the field and placed it facedown in defense.

"I'll place this facedown in defense. I end my turn."

"Well, it seems you've run out of your artillery! Too bad. You could have wiped out the last of my life points. You blew it. How disappointing."

"This was my first duel. I should be proud of my valiant efforts. I came close to defeating you. Now my friends will remember me as the one rookie duelist who nearly toppled the great Seto Kaiba."

"Hmmm... What a shame. I must end this."

As soon as Kaiba drew a card to his hand, he looks across towards the girl and grins.

"Now, my Gemini Elf! Attack her facedown card!""

The elf pair flies out towards Jeri's field and stomp away at her facedown card. It was revealed to be a monster card known as Skelengel. The monster card had a flip effect and that allowed Jeri to draw one card to her hand. Unfortunately, this wasn't going to save her.

"Time to finish you off, rookie! Ryu-Ran! Attack her life points directly!"

Following his master's orders, Ryu-Ran launches itself across and shoots out a fiery smoke blast towards Jeri's side field. The force of the blast sends Jeri skidding back. The damage had resulted in Jeri's last 800 life points to be depleted. Seto Kaiba had won the duel.

Jeri lets out a sigh of relief as her duel disk deactivated. Floramon immediately faced the camera to inform the crowd at Phoenix Arena.

"We have ourselves our winner! Seto Kaiba has made a triumphant comeback and wins the duel! But what a valiant effort by Jeri Katou! I'd really like to get her autograph..."

Seto Kaiba snorted as he started walking across past Jeri. However, the girl lightly grabbed his arm.

"What?"

"Thanks for dueling me, Mister Kaiba. It was an honor to duel a great champion. I almost had you beat, but you're the better duelist."

"Just brush up on your skills, kid. You'll never become that great of a duelist as me, but who knows? You just might be better than Wheeler if you keep it up."

"Um, thank you... That was a compliment right?"

"All right, it's time to get you two back to the arena. What do you say?" Floramon asked the duelists."

"Sure," Jeri replied. "Guys. Here I come. I know you're still proud of my efforts. Yugi, Himura, Takato... You three molded me into a really great duelist. I thank you..."

Kaiba and Jeri made their way through the doorway to be transported back into the virtual dome. Floramon waves out before entering through the doorway to follow them out.

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Phoenix Arena

Moments later, once entering through the doorway, Seto and Jeri found themselves back inside the duel dome transporter. Floramon gave the signal to the arena staff to lower the transporter dome from the ceiling. Jeri looks down to find the Tamers and the Duelists waiting for them.

"Way go to, Jeri! You put up a great duel!" Takato calls out to his long-time friend.

"What a duel! You had it won!" Kazu and Kenta cheered simultaneously.

As the dome lowered, the doorways opened to release the duelists. Jeri rushes out to greet her friends.

"Jeri, that was an awesome duel," Himura praised the girl. "You nearly won."

"I know, but I was running low on good monsters at that last turn."

"Consider yourself lucky that you didn't have to put up with Kaiba's Blue-Eyes," Joey said. "You don't know how much I had to deal with them."

"So Yugi's training really did work out," replied Tea.

"It's no wonder Takato was able to defeat me," Duke stated. "We better be careful, because on day these kids might turn out better than us."

"Seto! That was a close one, but you've managed to pull through!" Mokuba exclaimed.

However, the elder Kaiba simply walked out through the dome and towards Mokuba. He did not reply to his brother's question.

"Kaiba! You ought to at least acknowledge her dueling skills! She almost kicked your butt!" Joey snapped.

"I already have, idiot. Let's go, Mokuba. I'll be ready as soon as my next opponent is ready for the next round."

"Yeah! Walk away! If you and me duke it in the next round, I'll humiliate you! Just you wait and see."

"Joey. Save it for the duel," Tristan sighed. "Geez, we know you're annoyed by Kaiba, but really..."

"So, has anything changed so far? How's the Battle Royale going?" Jeri asked.

"Take a look for yourself, but we should get ourselves away from here," Felinismon suggested. "We'll only get in the way."

"Right. C'mon, everyone. Let's get back in the crowd stands," Takato suggested to his group.

Meanwhile, back at the battle ring, Beowulfmon held his sword overhead and gathered a swelling surge of energy. The sword itself became coated with powerful flame energy and condensed into the shape of a wolf.

"Piedmon! Get ready to eat this! FROZEN HUNTER!!"

The A-Hybrid sends out the mighty wolf blast directly towards Piedmon. As the wolf came ever so closer, the jester clown barely managed to sidestep it. The blast slipped past Piedmon. It aimed directly for Loweemon and Duskmon.

"Missed me!"

"Damn! Loweemon! Move away!"

"What?!"

Loweemon looks on ahead to find the flaming wolf hurtling aimed directly for him. He jumps away with Duskmon following along. The Frozen Hunter went directly for the audience. Everyone within the crowd, including Neemon and Bokomon, panicked.

"OH NO! OH NO! WE'RE GOING TO DIE!!" Bokomon freaked out.

"BOKOMON! HOLD ME!"

"GET OFF OF ME! YOU'RE CHOKING ME!!"

Beowulfmon quickly raised his blade sword and called back his Frozen Hunter as if it were a boomerang. The blast came hurtling towards Piedmon, whose back was turned. The jester turned around and was shot back out of the ring.

"AWESOME!! Now that's what I call a curve ball!" Lillymon exclaimed. "What a brilliant counter by Beowulfmon! Piedmon's being sent right out of the ring! For a minute there, I thought we would have ourselves causalities from that blast. Thank goodness."

"That was too close for comfort! Hey, Kouji! Next time, warn me before you pull that off!"

"Sorry, Kouichi, but I didn't have enough time to strategize. I had to do it to take Piedmon out. I wonder if my Frozen Hunter did any damage."

Suddenly, there was a sinister laughter echoing from outside the ring. Etemon tried to start his count but leaped back as Piedmon rose up from the debris. The jester was nearly unscathed from his opponent's devastating attack.

"Now, that was a great display of talent, dear Beowulfmon! I applaud your efforts! However, it was lacking in style."

"That didn't do any damage to him!"

Piedmon jumps out of the debris and swiftly lands inside the ring swiftly. With Beowulfmon preoccupied with Piedmon, Duskmon took advantage of Loweemon and ferociously slashed him with his blade.

"Don't take your eyes off of me, Kouichi! I am your shadow!" Duskmon roared. "I am your dark side! Your worst nightmare manifested into physical form! Now, make it easy and give yourself up. Perhaps, I'll make you my slave!"

Loweemon couldn't even put up his defenses as long as Duskmon continued to slash at the warrior.

Omegamon, Agunimon and Blitzmon gasped in utter horror to witness their comrade being dominated by Duskmon.

"C'mon, Kouichi!" cried Blitzmon. "Put up those defenses!"

"Doesn't look like he's about to do so," Agunimon replied. "C'mon, Kouichi... You've got to pull through. Don't let Duskmon win!"

Duskmon phases out and reappears above Loweemon with his blade sword intact. He raises it overhead and attempts to strike down at his vulnerable adversary.

"Kouichi! Your life ends here!"

Just as Duskmon came closer to strike his sword through Loweemon, Beowulfmon looks on in horror. The warrior of darkness was just moments away from meeting's death's doors.

"KOUICHI!!"

"It's over, Kou-"

Before Duskmon could even finish, Loweemon made a sudden comeback from all adversity and slammed the tip of his staff into Duskmon's gut. The false dark warrior lets out a deafening gasp until he falls to the ground. This allowed Loweemon time to recover and catch his breath. Beowulfmon lets out a deep sigh of relief.

"Kouichi... Don't scare me like that again..."

"What...?! My body... You just damaged my body? But how...?!"

Suddenly, Duskmon took into realization of what had just happened. Loweemon used the tip of his staff and rams it through his chest at a high-speed velocity. He couldn't even pick up on Loweemon's sneak attack. Duskmon stared down at his chest and gasped at the gaping hole. His body slowly started to break down.

"No... How could you...?!"

"It's such a shame. You said you knew me better than I knew myself. Didn't you say that you knew my strengths and weaknesses? You didn't see what I just did."

"Enlighten... me..."

"Just at the last moment, you were going to stab me with your blade. I saw an opening and managed to take my staff. I used the tip of its end to puncture a large hole through your chest. I've incapacitated you. There's nothing more you can do to me now."

"No...? Think again! SLIDE... EVOLUTION!"

Duskmon quickly took to the air and his humanoid form underwent a quick transformation. In place of Duskmon was a brown-feathered bird beast with sinister yellow eyes. It lets out a horrifying demonic cry and swoops down to attack Loweemon.

"VELGEMON!!"

"Two can play it that game. SLIDE EVOLUTION!! Kaiser Leomon!!"

"You're mine, Kouichi! Your fate has been sealed!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!"

As the two mighty beasts collided with one another, their clash resulted in a massive explosion that caused a bright light to engulf nearly the entire stadium. Fortunately, the light was relatively harmless and was treated as if it were a spectacular light show.

"The light is overbearing! I can barely see through this thick light!" Lillymon announced. "Duskmon and Loweemon just turned it up a notch! The crowd is going wild! This is what they paid to see! Good, butt-kicking action and light shows to kick things up a notch!"

"Look at them go!" exclaimed Blitzmon. "But, you've got to wonder who will end up on the winning end."

"Loweemon... He's... He's going to make it! Look!"

Everyone looked up to see Kaiser Leomon unleashing a deadly claw slash through Velgemon. The counterfeit warrior of darkness screamed out before breaking down into a stream of data. Kaiser Leomon lands back onto the ring floor with fatigue.

"Now to finish this. Kaiser Leomon! SLIDE EVOLUTION! Loweemon!"

Loweemon held out his D-Scanner and immediately scans through Velgemon's data.

"Duskmon, may you rest in piece and never haunt my nightmares ever again. Digi-code scan!"

"Kouichi! You did it!" Beowulfmon exclaimed.

"Kouichi! This isn't over just yet! You haven't seen the last of me! I, Duskmon, will haunt your soul until the day you die... Until the day you die... You die. You die."

"Since Duskmon has been killed and it would be pointless to make a count-out, I have declared that Duskmon has been eliminated!"

"With Duskmon out of the picture, we're down to our three competitors! Loweemon, Beowulfmon and Piedmon. Looks like Piedmon has his work cut out for him."

"Ha! I beg to differ, miss! Beowulfmon, take a look at what I'm about to do to your precious brother."

As Piedmon phases out from Beowulfmon's sight, Loweemon found himself confronted by the jester clown. The dark warrior was still fatigued from using up most of his energy on Duskmon. He has becoming easy pickings for Piedmon.

"I'll make certain that one of you doesn't make to the next round. Loweemon, I have a little present for you. CLOWN TRICK!"

Piedmon's energy blast slams into Loweemon and sends him flying out of the ring. The warrior of darkness lands outside and left completely unconscious from the devastating blow received from the Dark Master leader.

"No! Kouichi!"

"Ah, but the fun doesn't stop there. Have some more while you're at it! CLOWN TRICK!"

Piedmon sends out yet another energy blast directly towards Loweemon's unconscious form. He sends out yet another blast and another for good measures. Beowulfmon's body trembled as his eyes fueled with fire.

"STOP IT!! HE'S HELPLESS!"

"Fine, you've convinced me enough. You've just ruined my fun. Oh well. I've just ensured a victory. Etemon, I demand you start the count. Loweemon is clearly outside of the ring."

"Um, right! I'm on it! One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Six!"

The monkey referee jumps out of the ring to find Loweemon buried under a pile of debris. Beowulfmon charges forward and throws his blade sword towards Piedmon. The jester quickly sidesteps it. Beowulfmon attacks Piedmon head with a flurry of fists.

"I'll get you for what you've just did! Cheap shooting and trying to kill my brother, you clown bastard!"

"Come on now. Let's just be friends. I was only playing around."

"Well, I'm not playing your sick games anymore!"

Beowulfmon ducks under and delivers an elbow shot into Piedmon's gut. The force sends Piedmon hurtling back into a stadium wall.

"Seven!"

Suddenly, Loweemon slowly started to move about from the pile of debris. The audience gasped in shock over the dark warrior's resilience and refusal to forfeit. He struggled to stand on his two feet.

"Oh, my... Take a look at this! I don't think I've seen anything like this! Loweemon is attempting to get back up on his feet! All he has to do is beat the count! If he isn't fully on his feet by the ten count, he will be eliminated!"

"That's it, Kouichi! Stay up! You can do it!"

Piedmon stared across at Loweemon and was trembling angrily. He wasn't exactly hoping for Loweemon to display any show of resiliency.

"Damn you, Loweemon! Why don't you just stay down?!"

"Eight!"

"Kouji... I've defeated Duskmon for now. It's all on you. I don't have enough energy, as it is to fight on... If you end up fighting Piedmon in the next round, please... avenge me, brother..."

As soon as he gave a long sigh, Loweemon falls backwards and becomes unconscious. Etemon was already on his final two second counts.

"Nine!"

"NO!! KOUICHI!!"

"Ten! Lillymon! That's it! Loweemon couldn't fully stand up before the ten count! As a result, Loweemon has been eliminated! The winners of Battle Royale #4 are Wolfmon and Piedmon!"

"No! Kouichi!" Agunimon calls out. "He came so close to staying up!"

"His body gave out on him at that last moment. He had exerted himself to bring down Duskmon," Omegamon stated. "He sacrificed his spot to ensure that Kouji survives. What a noble act..."

"Don't tell me he's..."

"No. There's nothing to fear. Kouichi is simply exhausted and needs to be taken to the infirmary."

"Great! Things just aren't looking too well for our side!" Agunimon snapped as he slams his fist on a wall. "First, Tomoki gets turned into stone by Basilikmon! Ranamon's out for the time being with injuries! Now, Loweemon was just nearly killed by two nasty digimon! We also can't forget about Mercuremon, Arbormon and Grottomon on a temporary leave."

"Calm down, Takuya. As I said, the wounds will heal," Omegamon replied. "Ranamon and Loweemon will be back on their feet in no time. As for Tomoki, we will just have to put faith in the individual who has to face the sinister serpent."

"I'm sorry, Omegamon. I just overreacted. This just isn't a good time to be a legendary warrior."

"On the other hand, Fairymon and Wolfmon have advanced," Blitzmon reassured the flame warrior. "Plus, you still have a match ahead."

"You're right and I'm not going to let you guys down! I'll see to it!"

Meanwhile, back down in the stadium, Beowulfmon scared away the medical team as he carried Loweemon out of the arena. Before he made his way down to the infirmary hall, he turns to make eye contact with Piedmon.

"Piedmon. Listen up. If we manage to meet up in the next round, I can promise you that I'll tear you apart worse than you will ever imagine. I'll never forgive what you've just committed. You will pay dearly..."

"Such idle threats. Just pray that we do meet in the next round. Until then, cry me a river and treat your weak brother's wounds."

Just as Beowulfmon was ready to pounce on the jester, he held back his frustrations and continued his way down the hall. He would find the infirmary to have Loweemon treated by the arena's finest medical team.

"Blitzmon. Let's go see Kouichi and Kouji," Agunimon said.

"Right. Coming along, Omegamon?"

"I'll catch up a little later, warriors. Please, go see your friends."

"Ok. C'mon, Blitzmon."

The warriors departed from the scene and left Omegamon to contemplate over what had just transpired. Tomoki's been turned to stone and two of the warriors are out with injuries.

"Takuya. I just wish I could have been in this tournament. I myself would have handled Wardevidramon myself without you having to worry about him. However, that's the way the tournament has been played out. Too many so far have gotten hurt. I at least feel partially responsible. I'm dearly sorry for this. You're the last remaining warrior I have available in the Battle Royale. It's all on you to emerge victorious. But, you will need to really get serious since Pharaohmon will be involved in your match. If only I would have taken your place..."

Meanwhile, within the crowd audience, the two stooges were saddened over the events that had just transpired.

"Bokomon. Will Kouichi be okay?"

"For once you ask a reasonable question. I have no idea. I hope for the best. Poor, Kouichi... Don't worry, you have your brother to help you."

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Infirmary Room

With the fourth set of first round matches finally wrapped up, this meant that the medical staff would have to work overtime to help heal more competitors' injuries. Pharaohmon's tournament has already proven that the ruthless and brash run the show considering the amount of injuries and damage inflicted on two of the legendary warriors.

Beowulfmon had managed to carry Loweemon into the infirmary for the medical team to look after. The warrior of light turned the other corner to find Fairymon walking out of a room.

"Fairymon? How's Ranamon doing?"

"Jaarin...? She should be doing fine. All she had was a hurt back."

"That's a lot better than what Kouichi had to endure."

"I know. I just saw the match. What a creep Piedmon really is! I'd show him a thing of two!"

"You just leave that clown bastard with me, Fairymon. He won't get away for what he did to Kouichi."

"You'll get your chance."

"I hope so."

"Hey, guys! How are those two holding up?!" Agunimon exclaimed as he came walking in.

"Ranamon's going to be just fine but needs to rest her back," Fairymon explained. "But Kouichi's..."

"In bad shape."

"I'm sorry, Kouji," Blitzmon said.

"Don't worry, because I'm planning to get that clown back. Wait until he sees when I'm really serious."

"So, you're going for Magna Garurumon?" Agunimon said.

"You bet... It's been a while since I've had to use that form in an actual urgent situation."

"It'll be good to become a mega again."

"Come on. Let's go and discuss this further," Agunimon said. "Besides, I don't think those docs are going to let us see Kouichi yet. Come on, Kouji."

"I'll stay here for a while until I get an update on him. You three go on without me."

"All right. Come on, Fairymon. Blitzmon."

As Agunimon led his two teammates out the door, Beowulfmon sits down to wait for reports on his brother's condition.

"Kouichi. I just hope you'll pull through, brother."

Meanwhile, back inside the other closed room, Jaarin was lying down on a white sheet bed. She needed to lie down since her back was in pain from the falls she took. Sitting by her bedside were Henry, Suzie and Lopmon.

"Big sister Jaarin, how's your back feeling?"

"Oh, it hurts but it's getting better. This bed is really comfy."

"Jaarin. I just find it difficult to believe that you... you are a legendary warrior. Father is going to flip when he founds out you can turn into a digimon. How does it feel to digivolve?"

"You mean spirit evolve? It was a weird feeling, but I got used to it. I feel pretty powerful and can pretty much defend myself. Besides, you two can't always hog the action."

"Guess you got fed up with sitting at the sidelines, then?"

"You got that right."

Henry lets out a depressing sigh, which Jaarin took to heart.

"Henry. I'm sorry about Terriermon. I really am."

"It's all right. Whoever defeats that snake will have my blessings. I don't care who it is, I'll be thankful."

"What about Inumon, Henry?" Lopmon asked.

"He and Basilikmon have been enemies for a long time. I'm sure he's bound to be the one that puts him out for good."

"Yay! My sister is a super hero!" Suzie giggled. "Jaarin's a digimon!"

"May I have a look at your digivice, Jaarin?"

"My D-Scanner? Sure... Here."

Jaarin reached into her side pocket and hands her D-Scanner to Henry. The boy examined it closely and peered through its screen to find the two spirits of Ranamon.

"Whenever I evolve, I say 'Execute! Spirit Evolution!' That's how I evolve into Ranamon. Whenever I want to become Calmaramon, I'll simply have to say the command 'Execute! Slide Evolution!'"

"Sounds pretty simple."

"It is when you use it more often."

"I see. Well, it's great to have you fighting for our cause, Jaarin. It's dangerous though. You sure you can handle it?"

"Hey, I just kicked some butt out there. I can take care of myself."

"Just don't go hurting your back more often."

"Ha. Ha. This is nothing compared to the injuries I get during basketball season."

"How long are we going to stay in here, Henwy?"

"As long as we want..."

"You three don't have to stay here. I can get some rest for the time being."

"No, we're going to stay until you get better. Don't worry we won't wake you. I brought my cards to play with."

"You dueled really well out there. You almost had it won, Henry."

"Oh, you're just saying that. I got a little too cocky out there."

"But you did really well. We tried our best and that's all that matters."

"Yeah... When you were Ranamon, you were fighting well out there. How did you all of a sudden learn how to defend yourself?"

"Um, dad's been teaching me some self defense."

"Oh, I should have figured..."

"And the spirits also give me a surge of energy that I've never felt. I feel more powerful and ready to go. It's like my heart and soul was reawakened."

"Incredible. Maybe I should find a spirit for myself one day."

"Maybe, but just stick to being a partner to Terriermon. You're a dynamic duo."

"Like Batman and Robin, right?"

"Yeah, you could say that," giggled Jaarin.

"We'll let you rest for now, Jaarin."

"Oh, but you're still going to stay in here?"

"Yeah, but I'll be shuffling through my deck and showing Suzie my cards. We'll keep quiet."

"Thank you."

With that said, Henry sat down on the floor and displayed his duel monsters deck to Suzie. He also managed to bring his digimon cards. Jaarin closed her eyes and used the time to rest.

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Marine Devimon's Room

Marine Devimon was gathering a box of chocolates in his hand and started walking out the door. Skull Satanmon, who was continuously consuming several cheeseburgers, suddenly stopped him.

"Hey, where you going, Romeo?"

"What does it look like? I'm going to find that human girl and ask her to change into Calmaramon. It's time I get to know her a little."

"Are you crazy?! Do you know what's going to happen if they see you?! Oh well. You can go and get yourself killed for all I care. Just don't come crying back to me."

"I'll wait until those kids leave the infirmary. Ooo, I'm so excited!"

"The ladies are so going to kill you for this."

"So, I'm not allowed to find a lady of my dreams and you get to eat those cheeseburgers everyday. You can't even digest them! You're a walking bag of bones!"

"So? I love the taste."

"Well, I have every right to find myself a woman. Now if you'll excuse me..."

As Marine Devimon walked out the door, Skull Satanmon was left to finish his cheeseburgers.

"That Marine Devimon... One of these days... He's going to get what he deserves and he won't come crawling back to me for help. You're on your on, pal."

Meanwhile, just outside Skull Satanmon's door, Kuzuhamon was glaring at several pictures of Inumon. She slightly giggled and hugged the pictures as if they were her prized possessions.

"Inumon, my hunk of a mongrel. Soon I will win your love and rid myself of that Renamon. She's no good for you. Dump her and go with me."

"Talking to yourself, are we?" Piedmon's voice echoed through the hallways.

Kuzuhamon immediately sprang forward and found Piedmon walking past her.

"If I were you, I'd get ready for your match. You never know when you'll be up to compete. Make Lord Pharaohmon proud."

"Yes, Master Piedmon..."

Once Piedmon stepped inside his dressing room, Kuzuhamon brought her pictures out and plants a kiss on an Inumon picture.

"Just you wait... I'll defeat Renamon and you shall become my new man. Besides, I've already reserved a room for us two beforehand. Tee-hee! This is going to be so exciting!"

With that said, Kuzuhamon starts walking down the hall while fantasizing herself in a hot spring with Inumon.

Marine Devimon sneaks across the hall and immediately spots the infirmary room. He peeks through to find Jaarin. However, Henry, Lopmon and Suzie were in the room as well.

"Guess I'll have to wait this one out. That's fine. I'll wait and then that girl will become Calmaramon. My one true love... My Calmaramon. You shall be mine."

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Inside the Arena

The Spirit Detective crew had already grabbed themselves some food to keep their stomachs in check. Well, except, Hiei. He chose not to consume any food since he doesn't entirely trust food produced by neither human nor demon.

"Aw, why didn't you eat anything, Hiei?" Botan asked. "You know you can't live on an empty stomach."

"As I said, I refuse to eat anything produced by anything foreign from either human or demon."

"Well, you don't really consider eating our food," Kuwabara snorted. "This food basically tasted the same as ours. It's no different."

"You chose to eat, fool. I'm in no position to do so."

"sigh Will those two ever pipe down?" Yusuke sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't have eaten those hot dogs. What if my match comes next and I get punched in the stomach?"

"Well, you'll do your opponent a favor and force him to forfeit because of the foul stench of regurgitation," Kurama chuckled.

"I didn't need to hear that, even after eating. Geez, this place smells like ass."

"Well at least we're not outside walking through a forest," Botan told the brash spirit detective.

"That reminds me to never walk through another crappy desert again. How long did it take us to get here?"

"Those certainly were an interesting set of matches," replied Kurama. "The Battle Royale was indeed intense."

"So, are you actually considering fighting that Brimstone guy again?" Kuwabara asked. "I wouldn't trust the guy."

"He kindly asked me for a rematch since we were being interrupted by those two lady fighters. So, I agreed and told him I would give him a rematch in the event I lose in the next round."

"Looks like I'm going to have to wing it all," Yusuke said. "I'm ready to kick some serious ass. My opponents are this Guil-whatever his name is, then Demon and some Machinedramon?"

"It's 'Guilmon'," said Botan. "And I wouldn't take it too lightly. They could be very tough opponents."

"Hell, I'm ready to go at it with Pharaohmon! I just want to see what he's made of."

"Consider yourself lucky, detective," Hiei said. "That committee had better find me a suitable opponent for the next exhibition match."

"Yeah, same here," Kuwabara replied.

"You won't be needed since it's most likely we'll be paired as a tag team. You just sit back and let me handle it."

"It's called team work, shorty. Oh, I forgot. You've never really had a teammate before."

"There they go again," Botan sighed. "We should get going. They're getting ready to announce the next set of matches."

"Twenty yen says I'm one of those competitors," Yusuke thought.

The detectives and their female spiritual advisor set off out from the lobby towards the arena area. Yusuke was getting anxious and wondered if he would be one of the four competitors set for the next Battle Royale.

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Phoenix Arena

With the crowd settling down from the last Battle Royale, Takato and his crew had just finished praising Jeri's efforts. She may have lost the duel, but she will be remembered as the one who nearly defeated Kaiba on her first duel.

"That sure was a great effort, Jeri. Sorry about the loss," Himura said.

"It's okay. It didn't matter to me. All I wanted was a good, honest duel. I got one."

"But my Kuriboh idea sure came in handy, huh?" Felinismon asked.

"It sure did. Thanks."

"Hey, Inumon. I'm curious. Who is this Witchmon? You and Seadramon keep mentioning her," Renamon asked the dark canine.

"Believe me, Renamon. She's trouble and even you will learn the hard way."

"Yes! She's put us through enough hell as it is," Seadramon sighed.

"I'd like to meet this Witchmon just to see that stupid look on your face, mutt," Dark Gabumon chuckled.

"It's not funny!"

"Himura. What the heck are they talking about?" Takato asked.

"Oh, are they talking about her again?"

"Her, who?" Kazu wondered.

"WELLL!!! HELLLLLLLLLLO THERE, MY DEAR FRIENDS!"

This loud, child-like voice immediately caused Inumon, Seadramon and Himura to freeze like statues. The voice had brought chills down their spines. As the trio turned around, they saw a little lady wearing a red witch's outfit and a large witch hat. Her face was plastered with an innocent chagrin.

"It's been a while my friends!" Witchmon giggled.

"Whoa, wait a second. That's Witchmon?" Dark Gabumon asked.

"Um, yeah. That's her," replied Inumon.

"I thought she would be a little scarier than that, mutt. She doesn't seem too bad."

"Looks can be deceiving, Dark Gabumon," sighed Seadramon. "Everyone. Allow us to introduce to you, our old friend Witchmon."

"Hi, everyone! You seem like great people! I just got done speaking with Anubimon and he's allowed me to visit you all."

Witchmon turned to find Seadramon attempting to slither away into the hallways. She quickly ran up to Seadramon and applied a tight hug on him.

"Oohhh, Seadramon! It's been such a long time! When's the last time we saw each other?!"

"ACK... You can let go of me... Need breathing room!"

"Witchmon seems to have a liking for Seadramon," Renamon whispered to Inumon.

"You have no idea..."

"Great, just what we needed. Another nutcase," Rika said.

"Let's be nice, Rika. Let's give her a welcoming gesture. What do you say, Guilmon?"

"Yeah!"

"Hey, where did Yugi and the others go?" Kenta wondered.

"They just went down to see what's available at the snack bar," replied Himura. "They'll be back. Though, I wonder who will duel next?"

"We'll know once they make the announcement. In the meantime, let's be sure to introduce ourselves to Witchmon," the goggle head leader said.

However, Inumon and Himura weren't too sure if they could trust Witchmon after the 'trouble' she had caused them. She's in no way affiliated with any wicked, vile group, but she has a reputation for being accident-prone especially when it comes to her magic.

"This is going to be quite an experience," sighed Inumon.

With the fourth of the first round matches complete, the next matches are set to begin. But who is set to duel next?

"Ladies and gentlemon! If I may have your attention, please? Can Kazu Shiodaand Joey Wheeler step up to the dueling platform? They will be set to duel next!"

It comes down to Joey and Kazu in the next round. How will Kazu manage to use his new Duel Monsters skills to overcome Joey Wheeler? It's the duel of wise cracks!

"Can I have the following enter the battle ring for the next Battle Royale? Guilmon! Yusuke Urameshi! Demon! Machinedramon!"

The fifth Battle Royale features Demon, Guilmon, Yusuke Urameshi, and Machinedramon. Will this one manage to top the last intense Battle Royale?

Meanwhile, the Sailor Senshi and their new allies travel their way to the Great Phoenixmon Mountain range. Little do they realize that the Scorpionite armies are on their way to awaken the dragon beast? Who exactly is this dragon beast?

How will the warriors manage to recover from their losses? It's up to Agunimon to bring more wins for his team.

Plenty of action is still to come!

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(Preview)

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TK: Hey, guys! Like Tai before me, I'm not in this story but I feel it's my job to make the announcement for the next chapter. The next sets of matches are about to commence. Kazu and Joey will duel next and talk about a duel between two wise cracks.

Tea: I don't know who's more embarrassing...

Rika: You're telling me.

Kazu: In case you don't know, I'm Hirokazu! I've mastered digimon cards and my next goal is to master Duel Monsters. Joey, you're just going to be another casualty on my list.

Joey: Just keep dreaming, pal!

Takato: If that wasn't enough, wait until you see Witchmon stir up trouble.

Witchmon: Whoops, I guess I need to work on my magic a little more.

Renamon: You just did not turn my fur purple! You're dead!

Rika: This Witchmon is nothing but trouble!

Inumon: sigh I told you guys.

Rei: Meanwhile, we make our way into the Great Phoenixmon range and the Scorpionites awaken the great dragon beast.

Scorpionus: Yes, awaken great dragon beast, Ryuukoutsuseimon!

Arbormon: Great, now we have a dragon to deal with if we hope to cross to the other side of these damn mountains?!

Yugi: The Battle Royale will be just as intense!

Demon: In the name of Pharaohmon and my Demon Corps, I shall clench victory!

Yusuke: You'll have to go through me, freak.

Guilmon: Time to put Anubimon's training results to the test! Heads up, Machinedramon!

Pharaohmon: Surely, you don't want to miss out on this chapter. By the way, it's entitled...

The Brash Duelists Meet, Joey vs. Kazu! Guilmon and Yusuke Take it Up a Notch!

Botan: You don't want to miss out on this! Because this is where the fun begins!

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We've just had ourselves another completion of another epic-long chapter. These duels and battles are getting more intense. Sorry for those of you expecting for any Blue-Eyes White Dragons, but LazerWulf's the one who writes out the duels using his Yu-Gi-Oh games. At least we still received a good duel. At least, I expect the Blue Eyes to be played out in Kaiba's next duel.

Now we have the arrival of Witchmon. By the sounds of the preview, looks like Witchmon will be stirring up trouble for our team. Not in a sinister way, of course...

Up next, we'll be seeing Kazu and Joey dueling. I can tell it will be a match between corny one-line jokes and cocky attitudes. Which brash duelist will come out on top? Plus, we'll get to see Guilmon and Yusuke taking part in the tournament. Don't worry, I will find something for Hiei and Kuwabara to do on their free time since they are not in the tournament. I promise! Until then, be sure to check back for anymore updates. Happy holidays and a happy new year! Ciao!