Disclaimer: Digimon Adventure 02 and its characters were created by Bandai, not me.

Author's Notes: This is set two years after the defeat of Belial Vamdemon, known to those who have only seen the dub as Malo Myotismon. I also base this on the information that since this season took place three years after the first season (summer 1999) in 2002, and the assumption that the overall storyline progressed through the course of a year ending a little ways into the start of 2003. That makes this 2005.

The 2005 Age Chart

12 Hida Iori (Cody)

14 Ichijouji Ken, Motomiya Daisuke (Davis), Takaishi Takeru (T.K.), Yagami Hikari (Kari)

15 Inoue Miyako (Yolei)

16 Izumi Koushiro (Izzy), Tachikawa Mimi

17 Ishida Yamato (Matt), Takenouchi Sora, Yagami Taichi (Tai)

18 Kido Joe

The Daemon Chronicles: The Dark Digivice

The sound of waves beating against a sandy shore was relaxing as Ken strolled down an unfamiliar length of beach. The landscape shifted, becoming more familiar. The surrounding beach began to look as though it had been taken from a negative photograph. An ominous shadow rose from the water, the towering form of Dagomon. Ken had been to this place before, the Dark Net Ocean.

There was silence for a moment. Then without warning the water began to rush away from shore, forming into a series of massive waves. If Ken recalled correctly, this was the start of Dagomon's Thousand Waves attack. He looked around frantically, but couldn't find Wormmon anywhere nearby.

"I need that one! Flame Inferno!" The silence was broken as another familiar form came into view a short ways down the beach. All at once Ken watched in terrified fascination as the flame attack totally overwhelmed Dagomon. After all, it was a perfect level against an ultimate level, so there had been no contest. Dagomon, the lord of the Dark Net Ocean, shattered into useless fragments of data.

The other digimon, Daemon, began slowly walking toward him. Again Ken searched around frantically for his partner digimon, but Wormmon was still nowhere to be seen. Daemon didn't seem to be in much of a hurry to approach him, so Ken opted to make a run for it. When he'd turned around to start running, Daemon was only inches away, reaching out a clawed hand. Then Ken was dangling several feet in the air as Daemon had lifted him by the collar of his shirt, with no means of escape.

"Release me from this prison!" Daemon demanded harshly.

Wormmon... Daisuke...

A new sense of boldness came over Ken as he thought about how Daisuke would have confronted Daemon. He stared down at Daemon and spoke defiantly. "I won't."

Ken sat bolt upright in his bed, drenched in a cold sweat. He was shaking visibly and as Wormmon observed him, still looked positively terrified.

"Ken-chan? Was it another nightmare?"

Ken seemed to relax considerably hearing the voice of his partner digimon there to comfort him. He stopped staring blankly at the wall on the other side of the room and turned to look at Wormmon, nodding confirmation as he did so. That was when a loud series of beeps started from his digivice, which felt like it was on fire.

Ken hurriedly pulled the digivice out of his pocket and cast it to the floor so as to avoid getting burned as it continued beeping frantically while emitting crimson sparks. Ken watched all of this with that same fascinated terror that had come over him upon seeing Daemon in his dream. Was it possible for a digivice to short out?

Wormmon was watching too. Once the light show was over, the digivice came to a halt on the floor with a blank, static filled screen. Wormmon was about to crawl down from the bed to investigate, but Ken grabbed him and shook his head. The digivice, as if in response to Ken's actions, slowly shattered into fragments of useless data and vanished just like Dagomon had in his dream. After a moment, still trembling nervously, Ken seemed to reach some kind of internal decision. "I have to talk to Daisuke."

"It's 3:00 a.m." Wormmon pointed out the clock on Ken's desk.

"He'll understand," replied Ken as he hurriedly descended from the bed.

Daisuke woke with a start as his older sister, Jun, casually thrust the phone at him where he had been snoring soundly in his bed. He glared sleepily in the direction of his bedroom door and grumbled to himself, still half-asleep. "Hn... she didn't have to throw it so hard..."

"Daisuke!" Ken's voice filtered through the phone that was still nestled in Daisuke's lap.

Daisuke stared down at it blankly for a moment before the voice finally registered and he was finally summoned into complete wakefulness, despite it being so early. He lifted the phone to his ear, having already concluded from the desperation in his friend's voice that this must have been something serious. "Ken? What's the matter? You sound like you just saw a ghost."

"... it's worse than a ghost. I think Daemon escaped." Ken explained from the other end. He began to describe the nightmare to Daisuke in full detail, including what had happened after he had woken up. Daisuke could tell from the nervousness in Ken's voice that his friend was still very afraid of what had happened.

"Do you want me to come over with V-mon?" asked Daisuke seriously, glancing to the sleeping dragon at the foot of his bed. He gave V-mon a slight nudge with his foot. V-mon blinked the sleep out of his eyes and gave Daisuke a questioning look.

Ken couldn't seem to keep the surprise out of his voice. "It's barely past 3:00 a.m. How do you plan on getting here?" Then it dawned on him and he didn't have to see Daisuke to know that the other boy was smirking.

"Lighdramon can get me there in no time," Daisuke spoke with enthusiasm. V-mon, who had only just started paying attention to the conversation could already guess who Daisuke was talking to.

"Leave it to me," the blue dragon yawned.

Ken began to protest from the other end. "It isn't that big a deal... there's no need to rush over just yet..."

"I insist," Daisuke grinned before hanging up the phone.

"Digimental Up!" Once outside, Daisuke held out his D3 directing it at V-mon. His d-terminal reacted by releasing the Digimental of Friendship from storage.

"V-mon Armor Shinka!" V-mon began to glow and expand in size along with the digimental which was quickly spreading about his new form as armor. When the light of evolution faded, Lighdramon was standing in his place. "The storm of friendship, Lighdramon!"

Without hesitation, Daisuke mounted his digimon and they were off to pay Ken a visit.

Ken decided he would wait for Daisuke outside so as to avoid waking up his parents. He didn't want to worry them, especially not with the possibility of there being another evil digimon on the loose. And of course if Daemon had gotten out of the Dark Net Ocean, he could once again travel freely between the real and digital worlds without a gate. This didn't settle well with Ken, considering what had just happened to his digivice.

"Ken-chan?" As always, Wormmon was concerned for Ken.

Ken looked down at his partner and attempted to provide a reassuring smile. "Once Daisuke gets here, we'll think of something."

Lighdramon came to a halt, skidding dramatically, in front of Ken and Wormmon. Daisuke leapt down from his back just as the digimental returned to his d-terminal and Lighdramon's form shrunk down to the small blue dragon that was V-mon.

"Shall we investigate?" asked Daisuke.

Ken looked positively confused. How could Daisuke be so energetic this early in the morning and on such short notice? He remained silent for a moment in an effort to think it over, but he still wasn't sure what Daisuke was talking about. "Investigate what?"

"You said your digivice was sparking and stuff before it disappeared, right? I wanna see if there was any damage," replied Daisuke helpfully.

Ken nodded. Of course, that made perfect sense.

To Be Continued...

The Dubbed Digimon Terminology Guide

Dagomon -- Dragomon

Perfect Level -- Ultimate Level

Ultimate Level -- Mega Level

V-mon -- Veemon

Lighdramon -- Raidramon

Digimental -- Digiegg

Shinka -- Evolve -- Digivolve