Mew flew around, enjoying the simple pleasure of a warm day. It had gotten a

bit cold in the Kanto region, so he decided to check out a different area. The

Oore region sounded interesting. He didn't bother teleporting, preferring to

simply go underwater, meeting all the pokemon that lived in the oceans along the

way.

:Mew: a voice said. :Your help is needed:

"Mew?"

==15 minutes ago

Tai and Matt looked around the wreckage of Primary Village, watching as the

guardians used their power to rebuild it. "It must have been some battle." Matt

said, awed by the power being used.

"Yeah." Tai replied, not really paying attention.

"Hey, she'll be fine." Matt place a hand on Tai's shoulder. "She's got Gatomon

with her. And Izzy." he added with a smirk.

Gennai came over. The two boys still took a second to recognize him; they

always had the image of a wizened old dwarf when they thought of Gennai, not a

tall, slim human capable of opening his eyes. "It's ready. But I have to warn

you, the power won't be stable in your world, if it comes to that. Remember,

Imperialdramon will have the advantage."

"Not for long, with this little baby." Matt said. "Hey, we took care of

Diaboromon, right? We just have to finish the fight quickly."

"He'll be powerful, more powerful than Diaboromon." Gennai replied, face dark.

"Hey, remember that Sora's going to be there. Phoenixmon will help a lot too."

Gennai nodded. "I almost forgot that Biyomon learned how to warp-digivolve at

Mount Moon. You're right, we just might-" Gennai stopped, looking at the

draconian form of Azulongmon. He and the other two guardians had stopped work,

and were roaring in anger. "Baihumon." Gennai said, a bit sadly. He then got a

hold of himself, and held his hands out. In them appeared a small digicore,

glowing with energy. "This has all the power Azulongmon can spare. Careful

with it."

"We will. Agumon, you ready?" Tai called.

The small yellow dinosaur ran over. "You bet!"

"Gabumon! We got to go save the world, you ready?"

"I'll be all over it, Matt!"

"DIGIVOLVE!"

==Now

Omnimon glared at Imperialdramon. "Let's dance."

==

Digimon: Digicross Episode 34

'Baihumon's Legacy 3 - Mewtwo, Guardian of the Digital World.'

==

==Pallet Town

Davis came to, feeling something shaking him. Opening his eyes, he saw that it

was Melody. "Wake up! Please, Davis, wake up!"

"M...Melody...?"

"Davis!" Melody sobbed, nearly crushing him in a fierce hug. "We saw the blast,

and..."

"Kyle? And...JUNE!"

"They're fine." Ken said, standing. Davis saw a small flying cat hovering over

Kyle and his sister. All three were glowing with a faint white light.

"Azulongmon sent for Mew to come and heal us. All the ones he could, anyway..."

Davis blinked, confused. Then he saw the fossilized remains of Baihumon, small

shards of crystal lying around him. "It can't be."

"It is." Ken said sadly. "He's dead. All that's left is this. One of his

digicores survived. I found it underneath him, just lying there."

Getting up, June walked over, placing a hand on the stone digimon. "I became a

digidestined because of him..." Davis went over and held his sister.

"This is not over." Mewtwo growled, standing up.

"No it isn't." Elecmon added. "I say we track down Imperialdramon."

Growlithe nodded. "He can't be that hard to find."

"What then?" Ken asked.

TK, holding Tokomon in his arms, shrugged. "I don't know. But I think Tai and

Matt had something in mind..."

==Tokyo

Sora looked out the window in her room, picking out the occasional flash of

light as Omnimon battled.

"Sora! Come on, we have to get going!" her mom said. "Your father's going to

meet us and...No, you can't be thinking-"

"I am, Mom. I have to go. Biyomon and Tai need me." Sora hugged her mom,

grabbed a jacket, and headed for the door.

"Sora? Sora, wait! Please, don't go there! I almost lost you last time to

those digimon things!"

"Mom, please! I have to go, I'm one of the only ones who can fight this thing.

Please?" Sora's mom nodded. "I promise, Biyomon and I will be careful. Tell

dad that-"

"I think he'll understand. Good luck, Sora." Her mom kissed her, and Sora left.

She found Biyomon waiting outside. "I didn't want to come in." Biyomon

explained.

"I know. But Tai needs us now."

"What about Matt?" Biyomon asked.

"That's Mimi's job. Ready?" Sora held up her digivice, which started glowing.

"Biyomon, warp-digivolve to...Phoenixmon!"

Inside the house, Sora's mom watched Phoenixmon appear and carry her daughter

towards the fight. "She's been hanging around with that Kamiya boy too much."

she whispered, than went to get her things, as well as Sora's.

==Outside Professor Oak's lab

Scizor blinked at the object in his claws. His last clear memory was of Scyther

charging in and attacking Devimon just before he hit. Then he felt...something

come out of him, and then he passed out.

In his travels, he had seen one or two of these particular digimon, but not

quite this colour. Or under these circumstances. "Will someone," the grass-

green Tentomon demanded, looking around, "PLEASE tell me what's going on?"

How am I going to explain this to Tracey, Scizor wondered.

==Real World

Imperialdramon lurched back, ducking a blast from Omnimon's Supreme Cannon.

"Hasty shot. Hope you can aim better than that." To accent his taunt, he moved

himself between Omnimon and Tokyo itself, preventing Omnimon from using his

ranged weapon again.

Along the seawall, Tai and Matt watched the battle. "He's using us as a

shield!" Matt snarled. "That coward!"

"Transcendent Sword!" Omnimon roared, summoning up the blade from his Wargreymon

arm and swinging it at Imperialdramon. Startled, the dragon pulled back, the

blade grazing his forward left shoulder. "A bit at a time, if that's what it

takes!"

"You won't have the time! Giga Death!" Swinging his blade again, Omnimon cut

the energy ball in two, destroying the attack, then dashing forward again,

trying to impale the evil dragon. "You won't get me like that!"

"Starlight Explosion!"

"WHO DARES-" Imperialdramon bellowed as the flames washed over him. He felt a

stab of pain, then another as the captured Destiny Stone energy started to

rebel. With an effort, he brought the power back under his control. "So, they

sent the Christmas turkey early, eh?"

Phoenixmon ignored the jibe. "You're not welcome here, Imperialdramon. Leave

now."

"Or what? My pokemon DNA allows me to stay in this world indefinitely with no

ill effects. What of you two? I bet your strength is already failing."

"It will last long enough to end you! CRIMSON FLARE!" Wrapped in flames,

Phoenixmon charged at Imperialdramon. She crashed into him, the explosion

shattering windows over several blocks.

Sora ran over to Tai and Matt. "Phoenixmon! Try to take the fight out over the

ocean!" she called.

"Yeah!" Matt added. "He can't use the city as a defence then!"

Imperialdramon drew back. He could sense that these two were pure digimon, and

that they could not last for long in the Human world. So how had they stayed

hidden without him knowing it? Focussing, he got his answer. "I smell

Azulongmon's stench on you, Omnimon. So that oversized snake can't fight his

own battles anymore? And you...Ah, you are touched by my home dimension. Well,

this should be fun. I might not even have to hold back this time."

"Hold back?" Tai gasped.

"He's just bluffing!" Matt replied. "Omnimon, take him apart!"

"You too, Phoenixmon!"

Around the city, those who had not evacuated yet saw the three Digimon battling,

either on the news, or with their own eyes.

"Hey, isn't that...?"

"I saw it too. Just like four years ago!"

"Omnimon, wasn't that his name?"

The residents quickly moved as close as they could towards the battle-zone,

confirming what they had suspected. After four years, Omnimon had returned to

save them. "Omnimon! Omnimon! Omnimon!" the chant went.

"Hear that! They're cheering for you!" Tai yelled.

"How touching. POSITRON LASER!" Instantly, Omnimon parried the blast. As he

did, Phoenixmon flew behind Imperialdramon, intending to attack the dragon's

blind spot. Imperialdramon broke off the attack, twisted, and tried to catch

Phoenixmon with another energy blast.

==Professor Oak's lab

"You're in no condition to fight." Kyle said, looking at Mewtwo. "Even with

Mew's help, you still burned up a lot of your energy."

Mewtwo glanced at Kyle. It was not so long ago, he thought, that I would have

burned him to ash for that. "Energy or not, I cannot let Baihumon's death go

unavenged."

"What about this?" Ken asked, holding up the digicore taken from Baihumon's

body. Curious, Mewtwo went over and touched the artifact. Instantly, it lit

up, flew into Mewtwo's hand, and locked the pokemon in a crackling energy field.

"Mewtwo!" everyone said, running over. Ken stopped them, holding a hand up.

Mewtwo's eyes opened, seeing only a dark-grey, featureless plain. "Where am I?"

he asked, wondering if this was some last trick of Imperialdramon's. As he

looked, he spotted a faint grey figure approaching. It was translucent,

humanoid, but moving towards him.

"We have a lot to do, and not much time." Baihumon's ghost said urgently.

==Real World

Matt winced as Imperialdramon's tail snaked around and struck Omnimon, throwing

the digital warrior back. His head whipped around and tried to bite Phoenixmon,

who only barely got her wing clear in time. Intent on his prey, Imperialdramon

kept pushing his attack on Phoenixmon.

Omnimon saw the opening that Phoenixmon provided. He took aim, knowing that,

now that Imperialdramon was above him, he had no need to fear of harming Tokyo.

"Supreme Cannon!"

Imperialdramon broke off the attack, and quickly summoned up his power to defend

himself. The attack struck him, sending the dragon a good half-mile straight

up. He reproached himself for making such an elementary mistake. "Time to show

them my real power."

"A few more like that, and we'll have him beat!" Omnimon said, getting ready

for the next attack. "You ready, Phoenixmon?"

"I should hope so." Imperialdramon said, appearing right in front of Omnimon.

"How-?"

"My might is only half of my power. The other half-" as he spoke, he vanished,

reappearing right in front of the digidestined, "is my speed!" He reared up,

ready to strike Tai, Matt, and Sora.

Omnimon shot down, clubbing Imperialdramon with his gun-arm. "RUN!" Omnimon

yelled. "It's too dangerous here!"

"That's the first smart thing you said! DEVIL BITE!" Imperialdramon's teeth

locked onto Omnimon's leg, allowing the dragon to hurl Omnimon away, over the

city. "Now for you, Phoenixmon."

"RUN!" Sora screamed. "Phoenixmon, get out of there!" Sora was sure that the

battle had suddenly turned against them. However, her partner ignored her,

focussed on the fight.

"I'd listen to her. Without that tin can, you'll fall soon enough."

"We'll see. RRARRR!" Phoenixmon charged again, as did Imperialdramon.

==Pallet Town

Kari and Izzy were staring at Baihumon's remains when Gennai appeared, Gennai

nearly fainting when he saw what was left of Baihumon. "So it's true. What

happened?"

Davis looked at the statue. "Baihumon and Mewtwo fought Imperialdramon. Mewtwo

survived, but something happened when he touched one of those blue thingines

that Baihumon left behind."

Gennai looked at Mewtwo. "His digicore!"

"His what?" Cody asked, cradling Upamon.

"Digicore. It's...well, it's like a Digimon's soul. The four...three remaining

guardians all have multiple digicores to hold their power in check. They can

use it to help other Digimon as well; Azulongmon just used one of his digicores

to help Tai and Matt power up their Digimon."

"Why?" TK asked, certain he'd hate knowing the answer.

"Because Imperialdramon just appeared over Tokyo, and Omnimon and Phoenixmon are

fighting him."

"Then let's go!" Veemon said. Amazingly, he, Elecmon, and Wormmon had managed

to remain in their rookie forms. "We can't let what happened here happen to

Tokyo! There's too much neat stuff there!"

"Childish, but true." Growlithe agreed. "Can we use one of those digicores as

well? We might be able to help."

"We have to!" Wormmon said suddenly, startling Ken. "If we lose Tokyo, it would

be a disaster!" He glanced at Ken, who nodded.

"There's not much power left, but I'll get what I can." Gennai replied. "What

wasn't spared to help Agumon and Gabumon, the other guardians are using to

repair Primary Village and compensate for the lost Destiny Stone." He closed

his eyes for a minute, then opened them. He put his hands together, and another

digicore appeared, this one not glowing as brightly as the first one. "There's

not much power here. I can get you back up to your DNA forms with it, but

little more."

"It'll have to do." Kyle said, June nodding. "Growlithe?"

"I can feel it. We'll need a portal, too."

Izzy nodded. "Ready when you are, guys. Good luck."

Gennai looked at Mewtwo. "I'll see what I can do for Mewtwo." He looked again

at the inert pokemon, wondering what was happening to him.

==

"Little time for what, Baihumon?" Mewtwo asked the ghost. "Are you not dead?

And am I also struck down?"

"No. I transferred the last of my spirit into the digicore you are now holding.

I did it so I could explain some things to you. You know that I've been leading

up to something." Mewtwo nodded. "When the Dark Masters trapped us, I tried to

break out. One of my attempts led to your world, as you know. My first thought

was, on seeing all the pokemon trainers here, to draw the digidestined from

here. Then I made the very foolish attempt of trying to contact a pokemon

directly." In his hand, an image of a small green pokemon appeared.

"Celebi." Mewtwo answered. "You saw this event coming?"

"Not in any detail. But I was aware that my days were numbered. Mewtwo, I want

you to take over as the guardian of my realm."

"What?" Mewtwo gasped.

"It's a big request, I know. But I also know that you can do it. Even if we do

defeat Imperialdramon, the Dark Ocean will be with us for a very long time, if

not forever. The Digital World needs a guardian, and I believe that you can do

that job."

"What else could there be, besides Imperialdramon?"

"He's acting on his own. When he blasted me, I was able to touch his mind,

briefly; I could use the power he had taken from the Destiny Stone to read his

thoughts. He killed Demon, or so he thinks, and set off a riot in the Dark

Ocean."

==Dark Ocean

Arukenimon had run out of places to run to. Sneasel stood beside her, glaring

defiantly at Murmuxmon. "My love..." Murmuxmon moaned. "Join me."

In an instant, Arukenimon shifted to her spider form and hurled a web at the

insane Digimon. Following her lead, Sneasel digivolved to Lady Devimon and

unleashed a wave of blackness at Murmuxmon as well. Both attacks were stopped

well short of the target. With a wave, Murmuxmon sent Lady Devimon flying,

slamming into a wall, and reverting to Sneasel. "Now, it is just you and me."

"Get away from me!" Arukenimon shrieked, spitting a greenish cloud of acidic

poison. Murmuxmon ignored it.

"You know, the lady did say no."

Murmuxmon stopped, and slowly turned around. At the entrance of the hallway,

Demon stood there, regarding Murmuxmon calmly. "I remember you." Was all

Murmuxmon said.

"And I you. I see your confinement has increased your powers. It is a shame

that your mind has not similarly improved. Perhaps I will have to seal you away

again."

"You won't take me away from my love!" he raised his arms, summoning an attack

spell.

"Chaos Flare." As before, the flame covered Murmuxmon, though it did little

damage. "Arukenimon, Sneasel, please leave us."

"M...Master?"

"Go." Nodding, Arukenimon grabbed Sneasel and left. "Now, how shall we

proceed?" As he spoke, Demon's amulet fell to the floor. A second later, so

did the ornate robe.

A half minute after that, the hall vanished, ripped apart by an explosion.

==Human World

Omnimon pulled back. Both he and Phoenixmon were battered, unable to keep up

with Imperialdramon's speed. "It's no good; he's forcing us back to the city!"

"We have to keep fighting!" Phoenixmon retorted. "If we lose, he'll destroy

everything!"

Appearing in front of the two Digimon, Imperialdramon smirked. "Good idea.

Let's start with you!" Both the cannon on his back and his mouth started to

glow. "FATED RUIN!" The two blasts shot at Omnimon and Phoenixmon.

Omnimon fired his cannon, trying to stop the blast. Phoenixmon added her

flames, trying to help. Slowly, the energy blast crept towards them. Dimly,

Phoenixmon heard Sora screaming for the two Digimon to move.

"Elemental Bolt!"

"Celestial Edict!"

"Oh, you two again." Imperialdramon said wearily, looking at Komainumon and

Paildramon, who rushed to join the fight. "Hmm, four of you against one of me.

You lose."

==

"So you think?" Mewtwo asked Baihumon. He arched an eyebrow. Was it him, or

was Baihumon's image fading, just a bit. "Is Demon destroyed or not?"

"Probably not. If I know him, he's got an out somewhere. Look, I don't have

much time left. The digicore can only hold my spirit for so long."

"It seems I have little choice."

"Bull. If you don't wish to become a guardian, just tell me now. But I do

think that you're the best one suited for the job."

"Why?"

"Look, ever since the Digital World contacted the Pokemon world, both have been

irrevocably changed. Our world's geography mirrors yours now. Every week,

another pokemon gains characteristics of Digimon. I think I felt one more

pokemon change just before Imperialdramon's blast finished me off. It would

comfort me to know that a pokemon is present in the Digital World, able to make

sure that the two worlds can live in harmony.

"The day is coming, Mewtwo, when everyone will have a partner on the Human

world. Maybe not now, but soon, I can feel it. And I think that will happen on

the Pokemon world too. And you're better equipped to handle it than that stuffy

old codger Ebonwumon."

Mewtwo narrowed his eyes. All his life, he had been searching for some meaning

to his life, a purpose. Could this be it?

"This is not, then, merely an attempt to annoy the northern guardian."

Baihumon smirked. "Call it a pleasant bonus."

Mewtwo returned the expression. "Then I accept."

"Good. Okay, now the hard part. This will feel a little...weird."

==Real World

Tai, Matt, and Sora ran over to the four digidestined who had just arrived.

"How did you get here?" Tai asked.

"Power boost from the other guardians." Davis explained. "And I think you could

use all the help you could get."

"What about the others?" Sora asked.

"There was only enough power to bring back Komainumon and Paildramon." June

replied. "Everyone else is too worn out. In other words,-"

"We're it." Kyle completed. A short distance away, the four Digimon attacked

Imperialdramon, all of their attacks striking the dragon.

"This isn't working." Davis growled.

Ken nodded. "He's right. We need more power. Imperialdramon is too powerful

for our normal attacks to do any good."

"Tai!" Omnimon said. "If you have a plan, now's the time! I think I'm losing

my strength."

"After a power boost from Azulongmon?" Davis blurted.

"It's harder for Digimon to exist here, especially when they digivolve.

Imperialdramon must be using part of his power to keep the digiports closed.

It's like cutting off your air supply." Tai looked grim.

"He has the power to warp space and time like that?" Ken gasped. Sora gasped;

looking up, everyone saw Phoenixmon fall, struck by Imperialdramon's Positron

laser. There was a bright flash, and Biyomon appeared, still unconscious. Sora

ran over to her.

"No!" Tai yelled, running after her. Imperialdramon saw the opening, and flew

at the two humans. Omnimon twisted, dropped, and drove his sword into the

dragon's cannon. The blade punched through the armour, and struck

Imperialdramon's back. Howling, Imperialdramon's neck bent around, bit into

Omnimon's gun-arm, and pulled the warrior off, slamming him into the harbour.

"You die! FATED RUIN!" Desperately, Omnimon swung his blade up, trying to

block the attack. He disrupted the blast, but smaller arcs of energy shot out

into the city. Matt winced, hearing the sound of buildings explode. He hoped

everyone was evacuated by now.

==

"Focus!" Baihumon's ghost implored Mewtwo, writhing as energy surged through

him. "If you cannot control this energy, then it will destroy you!"

"All my life, people have tried to make me call them master. This energy shall

be no different!"

"It's not about mastery! It's not about power! The guardians are not the most

powerful Digimon in the digital world!" This revelation nearly startled Mewtwo

out of his trance. Baihumon went on. "We forgot that, and tried to match the

Dark Masters. We lost, too proud to admit that we might need help!

"We were the guardians because we were wise. We advised others, never trying to

rule them. If mastery is your only goal, then you'll never survive the

transformation! Mewtwo!"

Mewtwo withdrew into himself. Until now, his whole life had been survival, by

either hiding or taking control of the situation. To let go of that now was the

hardest thing he ever had to do.

Somewhere inside of himself, Mewtwo heard a small voice, telling him to let go.

"Is that your influence, Mew?" he asked no one, remembering his travels with his

'brother'. "Is this what it is like to be you? Is this why you have always

remained so innocent?"

Baihumon's eyes went wide for a second, then closed. "It is done. Farewell

Mewtwo. I know that you will do well." With that, the spirit of Baihumon

vanished, as light filled the featureless void he and Mewtwo had so recently

shared.

==Pallet Town

Kari stepped back. "What's happening?"

Gennai looked at Mewtwo, dumbfounded. "I...I don't know!" His eyes went wide

as the glow around Mewtwo increased. "GET DOWN!" Everyone there ducked, as a

flash of energy washed over everything in the area. When they got up a second

later, Mewtwo was gone.

==Primary Village

Azulongmon felt it first, followed by the other two guardians. He spotted the

beam of light shooting to the location of the destroyed Destiny Stone, and was

able to see the formation of a small crystal, weak now, but quickly gathering

power, stabilising that part of the Digital World. For a second, he thought

that Baihumon had survived, then saw that the power's form was subtly different.

==Real World

With a last gasp, Omnimon fell, becoming Agumon and Gabumon, both overcome by

the beating that Imperialdramon had delivered to them. Komainumon and

Paildramon stood between the two rookie Digimon and Imperialdramon, bracing for

the next attack.

"Please, is this really necessary?" Imperialdramon asked. "Omnimon and

Phoenixmon were unable to defeat me, and they were Mega level Digimon. What

hope do a pair of puny DNA Digimon stand?"

"Won't know until we try." Paildramon grunted, aiming his cannons.

"We're fighting to defend this world from you." Komainumon added. "Losing is

not an option."

"Pathetic."

"Shows what you know!" Davis yelled. "If you ask me, you're the pathetic one!"

"He's right!" Ken added. "What will you do when you've destroyed everything

here? There's no point to this!"

"There is." Imperialdramon replied. "There are worlds which you have not

imagined out there, countless other realms to conquer and rule. Once I claim

the power of the Digital World, I shall use it to travel where and when I will,

and usher in a reign of darkness over everything!"

"You're nuts!" June cried.

"I can't believe that anything that came from a pokemon could be so monstrous!"

Kyle yelled.

"And you're one to talk, Ellison?" Imperialdramon taunted.

"YES! Arcanine and Eevee help fight for a better world, and I'm proud to stand

with them! When it's all over, who do you have to turn to?"

"I need no one." Imperialdramon aimed at the humans, deciding to shut them up

by simply evaporating them.

"What you need is a good sized boot to the head!" Paildramon yelled. "Desperado

Blaster!"

"And we're the ones to deliver it! Dragon Fang!"

Imperialdramon simply took the blows, feeling nothing. "Is that what your

righteous fury has to offer? Hmph." He sent two low powered blasts at the DNA

Digimon, wounding them but not quite knocking them out. He then aimed a Giga

Death blast at them, deciding to end it now. "Well, I may be in danger of being

bored to death, but I think I am willing to face that hazard. Farewell."

"Farewell." Mewtwo said, appearing in-between the two DNA Digimon.

"Oh, come now. What is the point of..." Imperialdramon stopped, staring at

Mewtwo. "You've grown stronger."

"In some ways."

"It doesn't matter. I am a Dark Type pokemon! Your psychic powers mean nothing

to me! But if you're so eager to die-"

"Enough have died." Mewtwo interrupted. "And I am aware of your Dark nature.

So I will simply allow those who can fight you to do so more effectively."

Mewtwo held a paw out, concentrating. A moment later, a small crystal appeared.

Imperialdramon gasped, recognising it.

A digicore. Suddenly, everything became clear to Imperialdramon. "He knew..."

he started to say, but got no further. The digicore ignited, beams striking the

digivices of the the two DNA teams, as well as their Digimon.

"My digivice!" June gasped, looking at Kyle.

Davis looked at Paildramon, instinctively aiming his digivice at the DNA

Digimon. A second later, the other three kids did as well. Imperialdramon's

cry of denial went unheard.

"Komainumon...Paildramon...Mega-Jogress Digivolve to...IMPERIALDRAMON!"

Everyone watching the battle gasped as a second dragon appeared. It was similar

to the first Imperialdramon, but this one's lines seemed sleeker, and the skin

was light blue, not the dusky colour of the evil Imperialdramon's.

"Mega...Jogress...?" Matt and Tai gasped.

"I think we just got upstaged." Agumon said, looking at the new dragon. Then

everything else was lost as the two dragons went at it, biting and clawing.

Such was the evil Imperialdramon's rage at this turn of events that he did not

bother with energy attacks; he went straight in with teeth and claws. The

second Imperialdramon was only too eager to respond in kind.

The first round of fighting involved the evil Imperialdramon trying to hurl the

good one into the ground. However, the second one managed to reverse the hold,

converting it into what Kyle recognised as a Seismic Toss, driving the evil

dragon into the ground. The shock nearly knocked over the digidestined watching

the battle, and caused a few already badly damaged buildings to collapse. The

evil one recovered, vanished, and tried to blindside the good dragon with a

tackle, but the second dragon vanished, evading the attack.

After another few minutes of mid-air wrestling, the second Imperialdramon pulled

back. "Guys, this is nuts!" Exveemon's voice said inside Imperialdramon's mind.

"There's four of us in here, we should be able to take this creep!"

"He's right!" Leomon's voice replied. "There is something inside of us that can

help! Everyone, focus your power! For Tokyo!"

"For the Digital World!" Stingmon called.

"For Baihumon!" Arcanine roared. Suddenly, the good Imperialdramon glowed

white.

"Imperialdramon, mode change to...Fighter mode!" The good Imperialdramon

suddenly stood upright, its rear legs lengthening, and its forelegs

reconfiguring themselves into arms. The back-mounted cannon vanished, and

reappeared on his right arm. The neck seemed to vanish, and atop the torso, a

stern face appeared. "Four on one, Imperialdramon!" Fighter Imperialdramon

challenged. "You lose!"

"Giga Death!" The evil Imperialdramon launched an attack.

"Positron Laser!" Fighter Imperialdramon's attack stopped the energy ball,

punching through it and nearly striking Imperialdramon.

"He stopped that attack without any problem!" Ken gasped. "Fighter Mode must

increase Imperialdramon's power to incredible levels!"

"Meaning he's more than a match for that oversized jerk! GO GET HIM!" Davis

shouted. "Send that wannabe reptile packing!"

"I'll assume you meant him." Exveemon's voice came from Fighter Imperialdramon.

"Okay, you can leave quietly, or you can be made to leave." This time, it was

Leomon's voice.

"You...you...YOU SELF RIGHTEOUS POSER! NO ONE ORDERS ME AROUND!" The evil

Imperialdramon was nearly incoherent, as he saw victory slowly slipping away

from him. "DEMON DID NOT, AND NEITHER WILL YOU!" he thundered. "Try and

survive my ultimate attack! Fated Ruin!"

Fighter Imperialdramon nodded, and his arm-cannon vanished, reappearing as a

larger cannon, gripped with both his hands and braced against his chest. "Giga

Crusher!" he called, as he released a ball of energy similar to Imperialdramon's

Giga Death.

The two blasts met, each warring against the other, both Digimon pouring all the

energy they could, as the light from the attacks grew brighter. Finally, it

reached a breaking point, and exploded, throwing Imperialdramon away. "That

must have done it..." he gasped, drained of energy. As he spoke, he shuddered,

the remaining power of the Destiny Stone rebelling again, breaking his

concentration. It proved fatal, as Fighter Imperialdramon, unscathed by the

blast, flew right at Imperialdramon, massive energy beam coming out of his arm

cannon.

"Positron...Saber!" The blast sliced right through Imperialdramon, throwing

Imperialdramon into such agony as he had never felt before. He seemed to

explode, though Kyle and Davis could just make out Magnatar appear, and vanish

just as the light faded.

As the light cleared, Fighter Imperialdramon glowed, and broke into four spheres

of light. Growlithe, Elecmon, Veemon, and Wormmon all appeared in the arms of

their human partners. Unable to hold it in, Davis let out a wild whoop. Kyle

and June joined in.

"We saw everything!" Yolei called, running to the group with Kari, TK, and Izzy.

"That was incredible!" Ken, caught up by Davis' mood, turned, saw Yolei, walked

up and kissed her. It lasted for half a second before he broke off, stammering

apologies.

Yolei pushed Ken away, face red. "If you're going to kiss me, Ken Ichijouji,"

she said fiercely, "you could at least do it right!" So saying, she went on to

demonstrate the proper technique. They broke after a half-minute. "See?" she

whispered. Dumbly, Ken nodded, speechless.

A low moan snapped everyone out of their mood. They ran over to Kari, who was

staring in mute horror down the road. The apartment that Kari and Tai lived in

had been leveled, by one of the stray energy blasts from Omnimon's battle with

Imperialdramon.

==2 hours later.

As ideas went, it was one of the odder ones that the digidestined had, and Davis

hadn't even suggested it.

"Your place?" Tai asked, staring at Kyle.

Kyle nodded. "Sure. We can bring your parents through, just like my dad did."

Miraculously, there had been no fatalities, everyone near the battle-zone having

enough sense to get clear of the city; Venom Myotismon's rampage had not been

forgotten. There had been a lot of property damage, and all the shelters had

been full.

Tai's father looked at Kyle. "I thought you needed a digivice to go to the

digital world."

"No." Izzy replied. "Kyle's world is like ours, with smaller monsters."

"There's plenty of room, and Dad won't mind. I'll go set it up with him."

Tai's father nodded, and Kyle left.

Mrs. Kamiya looked up. "Well, when we saw that giant dragon appear, we knew

that this might happen, so we grabbed what we could and took it with us. It's

mostly clothes and a few books, though."

Tai nodded. "I wish we could have done more." Davis said, depressed.

"You saved the city." Tai's father said. "And probably the whole world, too.

We'll just have to rebuild." He looked around. "Has anyone seen Kari?"

"She's with Izzy." June answered. "I think she's...still in shock over this."

==Stone Town

"Sure, bring them over." Mikhail Ellison said to his son. "Plenty of room.

Just give me a half hour to get the guest room ready. Uh, what about Tai and

Kari."

Kyle shrugged. "Well, Tai and I can share a room, and the living room sofa is a

fold-out, right? I'm glad you didn't listen to me when I said not to get it."

"Always look for the sale item." Mikhail said philosophically. "Alright, we'll

do that. At least you won't be able to sneak June in here anymore."

"I don't!" Kyle protested.

"Sure son, right. Oh, you got a call. Someone named Jensen?"

Kyle blinked, then recognized the name. "Right, him. I'll take care of it,

don't worry."

"Sure, he said any time this week. What's up?"

"It's...personal, dad."

"Ah, June. Okay then, you go back and tell everyone, and I'll start

straightening things up here." Kyle nodded and left for the pokemon center

computer. Mikhail sighed, and picked up the phone, dialing a number. "Yeah, I

told him. Look, when he shows up, don't tell him I covered half of it, alright?

Yeah, he would break himself to get it. Just tell him it was on sale. Right.

See ya later."

==That night.

Kari looked out the window, still not sure how she felt. She had, with the

exception of two books and a suitcase of clothes, lost everything she ever

owned. In a corner of the room, Gatomon slept quietly, exhausted by the day's

events.

She shivered a bit. Right now, she was wearing one of Kyle's dad's old painting

shirts and a worn-out pair of sweatpants. It went down to her knees, was dark

blue, and had small splotches of paint on it. She didn't have anything else for

pajamas. Sora had promised that she'd talk to Mimi and that the two would get

some extra clothes for her together, but that could take a day or two.

Someone put a blanket around her shoulders. Turning, she saw who it was, even

in the dim light. "Izzy?"

"Mr. Ellison gave me a key, and my mom said it would be okay if I stayed here

tonight. Everyone's worried about you."

"I'm fine. Really."

"Kari." Izzy said firmly. "What is it?"

"Nothing. It's just...I can't. I don't have the right to feel bad." Kari

started sobbing a bit. "How many Digimon lost everything because of our fight?

Or people in our world, Izzy? Because we couldn't keep all the evil Digimon

away?" She sniffed. "It's never going to end, is it? Oh, you must think I'm

horrible, talking like this."

"Not at all. When you've saved the world at least twice, I figure you've earned

the right to be a little selfish. Just let it out. You know Tai can sleep

through anything."

Kari managed a half-laugh, half-sob at Izzy's joke, and the two just held each

other for a while.

It was Izzy that heard the footsteps. Kari picked it up a second later.

"Hide!" she hissed, getting back into the fold-out bed. Izzy hid behind a

recliner a few feet from the bed.

Kyle, carrying a pillow and what looked like a dark green dressing gown, trudged

down the stairs, still half asleep. "Chainsaw Kamiya my foot...I'll give him a

chainsaw tomorrow..." he muttered, going down to the basement.

Kari watched Kyle go down the stairs, then looked up the hallway. Faintly, she

could hear Tai snoring away, unaware of anything. She glanced at Izzy, and the

two shared a smile. Despite everything that had happened, it was good to know

that some things never changed.

==Dark Ocean

Magnatar pulled himself towards the throne room, still wincing from the

injuries. Surprisingly, it was quiet, there was no sign of anyone. It was

clear that there had been a terrific battle, even from the outside of the

castle. Something had torn off part of the wall, making getting into the castle

a challenge.

"I will recover. And when I do...they'll pay." Magnatar muttered.

A figure strode towards him, slowly clapping his hands. "Fine sentiment." Demon

said sarcastically.

"D-Demon...How?"

"I merely used a control spire to make a duplicate of myself. Did you really

think I didn't know of your thoughts of treachery? Now, let's see what you

managed to accomplish." He started counting off points on one of his hands.

"The pokemon Mewtwo is now a guardian, the digidestined are able to summon

Imperialdramon, all of the guardians are now aware of your power, and my forces

have been decimated by your attack on the pokemon world. Oh, and Arukenimon and

Sneasel are most vexed with you.

"Now, how to discipline you...?"

==Next Episode

Davis Hey, Davis here! Matt's throwing a big concert to help rebuild part of

Tokyo, and Ken's throwing a Christmas get together at his place, and all the

digidestined are invited. Too bad Ryo's not going to be there, as he's

drumming. What, Kyle and June aren't going to be there either? Huh? He...He's

WHAT? I'll kill that jerk!

June Davis, you leave Kyle alone! I haven't even heard what he's had to say

yet!

Matt Hey, it's the big Christmas bash next time on Digimon: Digicross, episode

number 35

'Matt goes old-school!'

Tai Gee, self-promote much?

Matt Hey, sit back and watch the master!

Mimi I hope you will, Matt.