Okay, first of all, I'm sorry for the delay but this past week has definitely not been a happy-go-lucky kind of week. Basically migraine status has gone up a level for a bit. That and this chapter proved rather difficult to write due to the fact that this was the turning point of the whole final battle. One mess up and I'm doomed. I think I did a pretty good job of it, at the end. I even explained how Zoe could digivolve without her digivice. (Remember the Dark Ocean?)

Notes about this chapter: First up, if you have ever read Martin the Warrior by Brian Jacques then you might understand the whole daisy bit. Think of it as an honorific since I love that book. Next, I forgot to mention this beforehand, but I have no idea what cards the Tamers use beyond 'Speed Activate'. I'm just throwing in some unoriginal basics. Finally, Arukenimon's and Mummymon's spotlight is how I think Season 02 should've ended. A very big thank you to Shadypenpen for reminding me of that fact! There are some big foreshadowing in this chapter and I finally relented and gave JP something of a part…a line at least…

Also, it has come to my attention that a question mark next to an exclamation point no longer works. So whenever you come across a question that has an exclamation point at the end, it's because the question mark was deleted. Not because of an editing problem.

Reviews:

Final Genesis: Thanks for the review! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

GemmaniGirl: Yay! Someone enjoyed Davis-tug-of-war! I had a lot of fun writing that part and hoped someone would find it amusing. I hope the anxiety you suffered from last chapter's cliffhanger is sated by this next chapter. Sorry there was a delay! Thanks for the comfort you offered on the cheesy-line bit. I needed that. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

warriorseadra: Dark spore plus dark ocean equals dark tree…shrugs No idea, I've never been a math wiz. I suppose it would make sense but I've always thought of the Dark Ocean as being a very secluded alternate plane of the Digital World and thus very hard to get in and even harder to get out. So going by that, any dark spores that come from the dark tree would never be able to get out of the Dark Ocean…at least not directly. Anywho, enough of my musings, I'm sure you would rather be reading and enjoying this chapter. Hope you like it!

DragonKitsune: Not bad? Not bad! That's all you can say! Sheesh, when I read to you you can't shut up. We really need to work on your typing skills. Anyway, enjoy!

kaze karter: I'm glad you thought it fit, I reread it and want to bash my head against the wall. But as long as you find it needed I am in no position to say otherwise. As it is, I blush enough with your compliments. Thanks. I hope you like this chapter just as much as the others.

between-the-stars: As long as they don't affect the story too much…thanks for the luck! I needed it in the writing of this chapter. I took me at least a day and an half of thinking just to figure out how this chapter should go. I hope it lives up the amount of work I put into it. Enjoy!

Lady-Azura: Yay! A new reviewer! I'm so glad you like this story! Sorry for the delay in updating, I normally try to update once a week. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Gogglehead Lover: I'll take that as a compliment. As for the couples, I figured something new should be introduced to fanfiction. Sorry for the slight delay in updating this chapter, but I did as you said and worked as fast as I could. I hope this chapter lives up to all the work I put into it. (and yeah, I see what you mean with the pyro-leaders. Takuya, Tai, and Davis are downright hysterical at times but Takato's a lot more mellow) Enjoy!

Shadypenpen: Did you read the 'notes about this chapter'? If not, I suggest you do. And please do not contain your mad laughter, I very much enjoyed writing that scene and I consider laughter the highest compliment. winks I'm also glad you liked Mummymon's line, it's good to know it wasn't as half-bad as I feared. I refrained from focusing on Beelzemon's and Lucemon's fight in this chapter…simply because no one gains ground for quite some time, though I did add a little part for the fun of it, lol. Thank you for the compliments and I'll have to see if I can figure this Deviantart site out so I can read your fan-manga. It certainly sounds interesting! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! See if you can figure out what I've been hinting at for the past three chapters. If anyone can do it, it's you, since you are my most observant reviewer. grins

Firey Pheonix: lol, thanks for the endearing compliments! Sorry for the late update, but this chapter was a toughy to write. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I own nil. Nothing from Digimon and most certainly not the daisy comment, that belongs to Brian Jacques.

Chapter 20

The Sorrows of Battle

Jeri held the crying Susie in her arms. "Hush now, everything is going to be fine. You'll see."

"N-No i-i-it's n-no-o-ot!" Susie sobbed.

Jeri caught the eight year old's shoulders and forced her to look at her. Jeri smiled softly. "They beat the D-Reaper, didn't they? The fended off the Devas and held their own against the one of the Sovereigns, right? So what makes you think that some flounced up digimon can bring them down? We just need to have some patience."

Susie stared at the older girl for a moment and then nodded, rubbing her tears away vigorously. Lopmon mouthed a thank you to Jeri behind her Tamer.

"Jeeeerrriiiiiii…!" Calumon suddenly gasped out. Jeri spun around and found the little digimon with his ears tucked in and holding his head between to teeny-tiny little hands. The triangle on his forehead was glowing.

Jeri paled, "Oh no! Not again!"

Lucemon studied the digimon in front of him. "The dark spore has been removed," he stated. "Where is it now, I wonder?"

Beelzemon sneered as pulled his guns from their sheaths. "Back in the Dark Ocean where it belongs. You're going to pay for everything you've put me through. So let's get started."

The mega dashed forward, eyes gleaming hungrily. And then, to Lucemon's surprise, he started to glow.

"Beelzemon mode change to…Beelzemon Blast Mode!" Black wings sprouted from the digimon's back and with one quick beat, thrust Beelzemon into the air. If Beelzemon was shocked about the sudden digivolution, he showed no sign of it. Without hesitation, Beelzemon aimed his guns and shouted, "Corona Blaster!"

Shaken as he was by this new turn of events, Lucemon barely managed to dodge out of the way of the attack. "If that's the way you want it, then so be it! Nefarious Wrath!" Thus began the feral battle of the Demon Lords.

"Flower Cannon!"

"Positron Laser!"

"Ocean Love!"

"Bull's eye, baby!" Davis crowed exuberantly punching the air with his right fist.

The smoke cleared and MaloMyotismon's cold laugh echoed around them, unfazed by their attack. "If that's the best you've got then squashing you weaklings will be as easy as picking daisies!"

Ken stared up at the digimon in detached amusement, "You've never picked daisies, have you? If you had, then you would've known that some are pretty tough to pick. Don't expect this to be easy."

"I will take great pleasure in listening to your dieing screams, boy! Crimson Mist!" MaloMyotismon snarled.

Jeri gasped as she watched the remaining digimon and their partners battle against MaloMyotismon. They were fighting valiantly yet even Imperialdramon's attacks were just doing minimum damage. They needed help.

Takato flung himself down next to the glitch in the wall, so he could talk to his girlfriend in whispered tones. "We've got to do something or they'll be flattened!"

Jeri bit her lip and looked him over. His caramel-colored hair was in disarray and his prized golden goggles were cracked and shattered. There was a shallow cut above his left eyebrow but he was otherwise unharmed.

She turned her gaze back to the battle and flinched when Lillymon was thrown so forcefully against the stone wall that fragments of rubble tumbled down with her. "What?" she asked, her voice trembling, "What can we do? The digimon need to be at their strongest to stand even a chance at winning."

Takato gritted his teeth in frustration, "There's got to be some way to get them that powerful!"

"Lillymon!" Mimi cried out as the ultimate de-digivolved to Palmon.

MaloMyotismon took advantage of the weakened digimon and shouted out, "Screaming Darkness!"

"MarineAngemon, go!" Kenta yelled, pulling out a card.

MarineAngemon flew in front of the fallen digimon and chirped, "Kahuna Waves!" placing a barrier between him and MaloMyotismon's attack.

Kenta sliced the card through his D-Power, "Digimodify! Power Activate!"

With the added energy, MarineAngemon's shield held for a moment, and then shattered sending the mega catapulting into the wall, dazed, but Palmon was no worse for the wear.

"This isn't working, Davis!" Ken called over to the unofficially elected leader.

"Got any better ideas? Cause I can't see any other working!" Davis shot back.

"Necrophobia!"

"Acid Mist!"

The attacks spiraled towards Imperialdramon. "Look out!" Davis yelled even as Ken yanked him out of the line of fire.

Imperialdramon glanced over his shoulder to see the disturbance. MaloMyotismon, ignorant to the attacks from his servants, lashed out and threw the other digimon to the floor. Grinning malevolently, MaloMyotismon looked up and was hit full in the face with the attacks.

"Well that was smart," Mimi quipped from her position on the floor next to Palmon. Kenta sent her a look of disbelief as he cradled MarineAngemon to his chest, anticipating the oncoming explosive feud.

MaloMyotismon glared down at the duo cowering in the doorway. "Just what did you think you were trying to do?" Mummymon looked about ready to faint, but Arukenimon simply straightened her spinal chord and stared back resolutely.

"We were attacking your adversary, sir. We were helping you gain victory!"

MaloMyotismon's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Is that so? And whatever gave you the idea that I would need your help? I am more powerful than you can ever dream to be! As of the moment I gained this body, I didn't need your help! You are nothing more than annoying insects waiting to be squashed!"

Both took a stumbled step back, as though they had been physically struck. Arukenimon chanced a shocked and hurt glance over at Ken, who was watching them from a slightly safer position, his hands still latched around Davis' arm ready to pull the oblivious boy out of danger at a moment's notice.

MaloMyotismon seemed to ponder something for a minute before saying, "Since I have no further use of you, there is no point in keeping nuisances about. Screaming Darkness!"

"Spider Thread!" Arukenimon shouted, her attack aimed directly at her creator.

Mummymon came to her aid. "I've got your back! Snake Bendings!"

Arukenimon's gaze locked with Imperialdramon's. The stronger digimon nodded ever so slightly and leapt into the air. "Transic Cannon!" Imperialdramon's attack slammed in MaloMyotismon, throwing him across the room to where Beelzemon and Lucemon were having their own furious battle. The two Demon Lords to no notice of their guest and frankly, Beelzemon showed great agility by leaping upon MaloMyotismon's fallen form and jumping right back into the air above Lucemon whilst performing an acrobatic flip and showing off his expert gunning skill.

As it was, MaloMyotismon's attack continued on a direct path for Arukenimon and Mummymon. Neither made any effort to move.

"What are you doing! Get out of there!" Ken shouted.

Arukenimon paid him no heed, but instead placed her hand against Mummymon's cheek and looked deep into the other's surprised eyes. "You were always sweet to me and have stood by me and supported me in everything. Thank you, love."

Mummymon's eyes widened in astonishment before expressing his absolute joy as he swept her off her feet and into a loving embrace…and then MaloMyotismon's attack hit home. When the lighting returned to normal, nothing was left in their place.

Jeri covered her mouth with both hands, utterly horrified by the death of the two digimon. Next to her Takato gasped, half out of sitting position, frozen in shock. A battered Kouji came into view; his hand clenched around his digivice so hard that Jeri faintly wondered how much more pressure it could take before it snapped clean in two.

"We've got to do something…we've got to digivolve…we've got to digivolve now!" Jeri's eyes widened as his digivice started glowing. Behind her came a low moan. Calumon sat with a bewildered Susie and Lopmon, holding his head as the triangle started to pulse with a dim red light. Jeri took a double take at the curious situation before something clicked.

She lunged out of the hidden passageway and grabbed Takato by his collar, yanking her boyfriend fully to his feet. "The digivices! And Calumon! That's how we do it! That's how we digivolve!"

"Wha?" Takato managed to get out as he stared at Jeri in absolute confusion.

Jeri practically growled in frustration, showing she had picked up at least one of Leomon's traits. "The digivices are connected to Calumon! We just need to activate that power!"

Takato blinked blankly at his girlfriend for a quick succession of five seconds before stammering out a, "Huh?"

"Of course!" Izzy exclaimed as he stepped up to the little group, looking rather disheveled as he absently sponged at a shallow cut on the back of his knuckles. "We use the digivices to digivolve so it makes sense that they are connected to Calumon. If we could just open that connection we could digivolve to our highest and most powerful levels!"

"How do we do that?" Kouji asked attentively.

"Well we…uh…oh darn it! I knew I should've brought my laptop!"

"The same way we got our digimon, the same way we get the blue cards," Ryo answered as he limped into view leaning on a battered Monodramon for help, "the same way we Bio-Merged the first time."

Sora came up behind him and added, "The same way we activated our crests. The same way Zoe managed to digivolve without the use of her digivice. By our friendship with our digimon, or ancient digimon spirits." Her eyes flickered towards Kouji. "That's how we win this. By the power deep within ourselves."

"Then let's do it before we're too late," JP murmured as he and the rest of the children and digimon gathered together. The heavier boy was looking pointedly in the direction of the Demon Lords' showdown, where MaloMyotismon was regaining his footing, the thick black fog swirling around him almost lovingly.

Well, Chapter 20 is done, I'm sure you can feel this story beginning to close off. I have no idea when Chapter 21 will be uploaded. I haven't even started on it. But hopefully, with a bit of luck, it won't be nearly as hard to write as this last one.

Review please!