DigimonPokemon Part 3: The Saga of Destiny

by Caro N

The final story between the crossovers. When the Missingno Virus unleashes war on all worlds and dimensions, only the Digidestined, the Pokemon trainers, and the Digimon Tamers stand in the way between victory or defeat. COMPLETE

12. Chapter 11 Corruption and Resurrection

---

Me: Thank you for my reviewers (both new and old; you know who you are) for supporting me this far. I don't own Digimon and Pokémon, along with "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence and "Going Digital" from Digimon: The Movie soundtrack. Anyhoo, when we last left off, Rika's fulfilled her role in the prophecy and Takato's gone off the deep end and created a monster hell-bent on destroying everything and anything in his way. So here we go with two battles in one and the wish for a miracle is going to come from someone pretty unexpected. Let's go!

Chapter 11- Corruption and Resurrection

"Can you ever forgive me?"—Impmon
"Of course,"—Jeri Katou, Such Sweet Sorrow

"I've got to make him understand,"—Takato Matsuki

"The heart may be weak, and sometimes it gives in, but I learned that there is a light that never goes out!"—Sora, Kingdom Hearts

"Everything that has a beginning has an end. I see the end coming, I see the darkness spreading. I see death... and you are all that stands in his way. If you cannot stop him tonight, then I fear tomorrow will never come,"—The Oracle, Matrix Revolutions

Digital World
Sovereign Realm

Darkness.

That was what was causing this right now. It was darkness. Darkness and hate had corrupted Takato's heart and twisted it into one filled with rage. He would stop at nothing to fulfill his vengeance—nothing.

"Takato!" yelled Ash angrily. "Stop this now!"

"I don't take orders from a pathetic trainer like you!" the Virus Digimon answered in reply.

"What did you just call me?" Ash yelled. Misty held him back. "If you weren't my friend and if you weren't an insane monster, ooooh you'd be dead."

LadyDevimon came to the aid of her master. "DARKNESS WAVE!" Instead of a thick swarm of bats, she shot a blast of dark energy from her clawed hand.

ChaosGallantmon blocked it simply by raising his shield. The dark energy ricocheted off his shield and headed straight for the Digidestined, the Tamers, and the trainers.

"Holy crap! Everybody scatter!" shouted Davis.

The kids and their partners raced off in different directions. Henry had to drag Jeri along with him. ChaosGallantmon pounded the ground with his sword, sending shockwaves across the earth. The Digidestined, the trainers, and his former friends were blown backward.

"At this rate, he'll kill us all!" Tai shouted, frustrated. "Why is he acting like this?"

Henry glanced at the others. "Takato's been the type to hold in his anger and he never lets it loose until some incident causes it to erupt. Last time this happened was when Leomon died." Jeri cringed and he tightened his hold on her. "We know what incident caused this blowup don't we?"

"Rika," Ash answered worriedly. "And Renamon and all the other friends we've lost." Because he loved her. No matter how much he denies it, I know he did. "We've got to stop him!"

Izzy clicked on his laptop. "Much as I agree with you Ash, there's no way unless you want to hurt him."

"We can't!" Catherine exclaimed. "Zat's Takato and Guilmon in zat thing!"

Tai gritted his teeth. "We might not have a choice in the matter Catherine."

"He's right Cathy," agreed Agumon fearfully. "He's crazy."

ChaosGallantmon's blazing eyes narrowed at LadyDevimon. "Get out of my way."

"I will not let you destroy my master. "DARKNESS WAVE!"

The Virus Digimon aimed his sword at the stream of bats. "DEMON'S DISASTER!" A thick jet of fire shot out of the sword and set every one of the bats alight. At the same time, the fire seared straight through the burning swarm and LadyDevimon's chest.

"AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!!" Her shrill scream rose above the shocked cries of the kids. "This…cannot…happen…"

As the evil Digimon dissolved into particles of data, ChaosGallantmon absorbed it all to increase his power. The Tamers cried out in alarm. Mimi screamed. "What did he do?"

"He absorbed her data," Henry whispered fearfully. "Just like Beezlemon, he didn't care as long as he had power."

"THE HORROR!" Kazu yelped in fright. "THE PURE, UNADULTURATED, PG-13 HORROR!"

"Kazu, you do realize you copied that quote off the Fairy Oddparents show?"

"It's Fairly Oddparents knucklehead, and so what if I watch Nickelodeon!"

Jeri clung to Henry. "It's…it's like Takato's not even inside there anymore. It's like he's been replaced by a demon." She showed her tears freely. "Just like last time; he's a monster!" Her voice broke into a choked sob as she buried her face into his shirt.

Calumon covered his face with his tiny fingers. "I can't believe how scary Takato's gotten. He's not fun anymore."

Although Takato was filled with rage and pent-up anger, he stopped for a minute. What…what am I doing? I'm not like this.

A voice surged Takato's brain. "No one is your ally. You are alone in this quest. Destroy whoever gets in your way."

Whoever gets in my way…? Takato shook the thoughts from his head. No…no…my friends. I have my friends to think about.

"You have no friends. You're alone. The people you consider friends; they don't care about you."

"Yes they do…they do!"

"Are you sure?"

"YES!…I think."

The voice chuckled. "All the people you relied on. They don't rely on you. They despise you."

"No," Takato thought. "No…Jeri…"

"Jeri…Henry…Kenta…Kazu…Ryo…Suzie…Tai…Davis…Kari…Ash…T.K.…Chloe…Rika…they don't need you."

"YOU LIAR!"

"Some people are better off dead. Piedmon…he's better off dead isn't he?"

Takato narrowed his eyes. "Yes."

"You want to kill him don't you?"

"Yes." The hate was so strong, so strong.

"And whoever stops you from destroying him…what will you do?"

"Destroy them."

"Are you sure?"

Takato nodded slowly. All he could concentrate on was his hatred. Hatred for those that had killed his friends…and Rika. What he wanted, what he was striving for focused around a single word: revenge.

How can you see into my eyes
like open doors
Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb
Without a soul
my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold
until you find it there and lead it back home

---

Real World
West Shinjuku District (Tamers Dimension)

The grounds quaked and the sky changed from a stormy black to a blood red. All of this was closely being viewed by Yamaki, the Monster Makers, and most of the inhabitants of West Shinjuku.

I don't understand why we can't find a clear picture on what the Tamers are doing, Janyu thought to himself. The Tamers' parents, especially Ai and Mako's, were worrying themselves sick and Rob McCoy, aka Dolphin seemed very quiet. The latest email from Alice had only increased the distress.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

Janyu stared down at the computer in shock. Someone was trying to use net meeting in order to converse with him. "What the—?"

"Janyu?" Mayumi glanced at her husband as he pressed a few keys on the keyboard. "What are you doing?"

"Wait a minute," he whispered back as he worked the mouse around the screen and then a window popped up. He enlarged it to full screen to behold a young red-haired boy with an intelligent face. "Who are you?"

The boy frowned politely. "Um…did I input the wrong code? You're not Alice."

"Alice?"

At once the other parents, plus Yamaki and the Monster Makers, gathered around the screen. Janyu felt penned in.

"Put the boy on large screen." Yamaki's calm voice rose above the others' noise.

Shibumi and Babble pulled down a large white sheet from across the room and Janyu projected the boy's image onto the screen. Then he spoke to the boy. "Alice left us awhile ago with Ai and Mako."

A flicker of uneasiness passed over the redhead's face. "Oh…I see." He tugged at the collar of his shirt. "Um well…in that case, my name is Koushiro Izumi, called Izzy. I'm one of the Digidestined children."

A sigh of relief rolled through the crowd. "How is everything with you?" Riley asked him.

"Are our children okay?" Mie Matsuki added.

Izzy's face turned pale and his eyes drew together in sorrow. "Not really."

What did he mean by not really? The adults stared at him intently, egging him to go on with his explanation.

"We've been involved in a few battles over the course of the time we've been here, but all were at a harsh price. Numerous amounts of Digimon were killed in our fights and…" Izzy's voice choked. "We've lost three teammates in our struggle as well."

"Three?" Yamaki repeated quietly. "Three kids?"

Izzy nodded, his eyes every now and then flicking towards the edge of the screen as if he was watching something behind him.

"Who?" Shibumi asked him. The others nodded, fearing the worst.

The boy hesitated and then whispered, "Chloe Device…the trainer who spoke to you the first time about the Tamers…Takeru Takaishi…the Digidestined that was next to her…and…Rika Nonaka and her partner Renamon."

A wave of silence passed over the adults, soon followed by a cry and the sound of sobbing. All eyes, including Izzy's, turned towards Rumiko Makino. She had stood up fast from her chair and was stumbling blindly towards the door.

"Rumiko!" Seiko called, but her daughter ignored her and dashed through the door, slamming it shut behind her. Shaking, she turned back to Izzy. "Koushiro…my granddaughter…didn't…"

"She gave her life for us to live," said Izzy with a sad tone to his voice. "She deliberately jumped in front of a blast to save the lives of the other Tamers and us. I…I never saw anything so selfless."

The shocking realization of Rika's death swept across the room. Izzy noticed the sympathetic looks on the faces of the adults and hastened to continue. "But we have a problem. Apparently the cause of Rika's death caused so much remorse and anger that one of the Tamers has been transformed into an inferno of pent-up rage bent on destroying anything in his path."

"And just who is this Tamer?" Yamaki asked quietly.

In response, Izzy moved away from the screen and pointed to the background. ChaosGallantmon and Piedmon were fighting against each other, their swords locked in combat. Their voices could be heard above the wind and clashing of their weapons.

"You must have cared for that young female in order to create such a monstrous thing of yourself."

"You…are gonna…PAY!"

The voice of ChaosGallantmon struck a chord. "That voice…that's Takato's isn't it?" Mie shook her head, her eyes swimming with tears.

"My God," Takehiro whispered. "What has he done to himself?"

"Your son has the kind of anger that becomes a powder keg when fully provoked. My guess is that when Rika died, he finally snapped."

Yamaki gazed at the creature in disbelief. It was hard to believe Takato was the same thing as that thing. "He's…created a monster."

Izzy nodded—and then the screen fizzled. "What?" The screen began to blink and fizzle with snow. "I…I'm sorry but something's blocking my transmission to you. I'll…try…to email…later…" His face vanished from the screen, leaving a saddened and worried group to ponder the next series of events that would pass.

---

(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside
(I can't wake up)
Wake me up inside
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run
(I can't wake up)
Before I come undone
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I've become

Digital World
Sovereign Realm

Henry closed his eyes for a brief minute. I have to stop him. He's going to destroy us all. I'm sorry Takato. He and Ryo made eye contact and nodded once. "Terriermon?"

"Way ahead of ya Henry."

The Tamer nodded before breaking away from Jeri. "Jeri, I'm sorry but I have to fight ChaosGallantmon. Before he kills Piedmon and the rest of us."

Terriermon scratched his head thoughtfully. "Uh wouldn't him killing Piedmon be a good thing?"

Henry sighed. "It would, but Takato'll turn on us afterward."

"Good point."

Jeri's light brown eyes met Henry's gray ones. "But what about Takato and Guilmon? What if you hurt them…or destroy them?"

"I won't destroy ChaosGallantmon; I'm just going to make him see reason. I have to do this…even if I have to hurt him. It's like Tai once said, 'It's not about what you want to do, it's about the things you have to do for friendship.'"

The brunette still looked troubled. "You'll be careful won't you?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Unless Takatomon up there decides to destroy us first," Terriermon cracked.

"Terriermon!" Henry groaned. "Come on, let's go!"

Jeri caught Henry by the arm. "Wait." He looked at her curiously. She stood slightly on tiptoe and kissed him quickly on the cheek. "Good luck."

Henry blinked in shock and his face flared a slight red. "Uh…thanks." Ryo grinned and Terriermon had a teasing look on his face.

"What do we have here? I think someone likes someone."

"Terriermon, I do not!" Henry flushed even redder.

"Good thing Takato didn't see you; otherwise he would've gone mad with jealousy—as if he isn't mad already."

"Terriermon!" Henry sighed. "I'll deal with you later."

BIOMERGE DIGIVOLUTION

"BIOMERGE ACTIVATE!"

Terriermon biomerge toooo…MEGAGARGOMON!

Cyberdramon biomerge toooo…JUSTIMON!

MegaGargomon and Justimon charged forward to subdue their former friend. "They'll need some backup," said Ken.

Veemon…

Wormmon…

Mega Digivolve toooo…IMPERIALDRAMON!

"Go get 'im!" yelled Davis.

Imperialdramon speeded over to the other Megas. ChaosGallantmon's eyes narrowed into slits. "I will destroy whoever gets in my way," he chanted.

MegaGargomon held up his hands. "Wait Takato!" called Henry. "It's us. We don't want to hurt you."

"Then get out of my way," the Digimon snapped ferociously.

MegaGargomon shook his head. "No way. We can't let you destroy the Digital World," said Henry.

ChaosGallantmon brandished his sword. "If you will not get out of my way, I will force you to!" He shot a stream of fire at MegaGargomon. "DEMON'S DISASTER!"

"Aw nuts!" Terriermon yelped.

Justimon and Imperialdramon pushed MegaGargomon out of the way just in time. The flames missed and destroyed two boulders instead.

I'm sorry Takato. "MEGA BARRAGE!"

Thousands of rounds rained down upon ChaosGallantmon, knocking him off his feet. His sword changed back into a hand temporarily. Inside the sphere, Takato could see his friends through the Mega's eyes. Henry…why are you attacking me?

"No one is your ally. You are all alone. You said so yourself."

"No…that can't be. Henry…he'd never—"

"Destroy all who get in your way."

The boy's vision blurred and the figures of MegaGargomon, Imperialdramon, and Justimon twisted into horrendous monsters. Whoever stops you from destroying him…what will you do? Destroy them.

Rika's last moments flashed through his brain and he flinched as he remembered the scream that emitted from her throat when she took the blast. Piedmon stood there, leering triumphantly. No…he'll pay. They'll all pay!

Shaking away from his inner thoughts, Takato focused on the monsters in front of him with his hand fusing into a sword. He charged forward. I am the Chaos. I am him, and he is me! "JUDECCA PRISON!"

Imperialdramon blocked the attack using his own powerful beam. "POSITRON LASEEEEEER!"

BAM! Both attacks collided and created an enormous explosion, hiding the Digimon from view.

"HENWY! TEWWIERMON!" Suzie screamed.

"RYO!" cried Ken. "IMPERIALDRAMON!"

"TAKATO!" yelled Tai and Davis. "PLEASE STOP!"

When the smoke and confusion cleared, ChaosGallantmon and Justimon were locked in combat. Justimon had his Voltage Blade out, and ChaosGallantmon was thrusting and parrying with his own sword.

Justimon jumped backward. "Any ideas guys?" he asked in Ryo and Cyberdramon's voices. "I can't duel forever."

"How about we make like a tree and leave?"

"Terriermon!"

"Make like a fly and shoo?"

Henry groaned. The only way to stop him is to hurt him. He glanced toward the groups and saw Jeri's expression clearer than the others. Her eyes were large and frightened. Tearing his face away from her, he gave Imperialdramon a nod.

"POSITRON LASEEEEEEEEER!!"

The rainbow beam smashed into ChaosGallantmon, who raised his shield just in time. However, the force of the blow was so strong, the shield cracked slightly.

ChaosGallantmon charged up the cracked shield to summon a beam of his own. "JUDDECA PRISON!"

Imperialdramon, being extremely fast, zoomed past the beam. It hurtled toward Piedmon. "CLOWN TRICK!" Using his reflect attack, he caused the beam to bounce off and head to Justimon.

Justimon raised his hands to block the beam, but MegaGargomon leaped in front of him, taking the blast head-on!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!"

Suzie covered her face and wailed. "HENWYYYYYYYYYYY!!"

As she watched MegaGargomon sink to his knees and de-digivolve into Henry and Terriermon, Jeri began to cry. Henry looked at her. "Jeri…"

"Henry, Terriermon, you guys okay?" It was Justimon.

Henry nodded although his eyes were on Jeri. Terriermon shook his head. "So strong…so evil…"

"Are ya talkin' 'bout me?"

Startled, the Tamers turned to see Beezlemon flying in with Ai, Mako, and Alice. They landed.

Calumon cheered happily. "Beezlemon!"

Henry stared. "Alice?" he said incredulously. "What are you doing here?"

Alice looked uneasy. "Ai, Mako, and Impmon persuaded me to come."

Ai gripped her D-Power firmly. "We came because you might need us. Miss Alice told us that our world was turning bad a'cause of something in the Digi-World."

"So here we are; ready to help," Mako finished innocently.

The other Tamers, minus Henry and possibly Takato, didn't recognize Alice. "Who's the Gothic chick?" asked Kazu.

"This is Alice McCoy. She gave us our abilities to biomerge in the Real World with the help of her friend Dobermon," Henry explained. "I thought you guys saw her already the day we left home."

"Oh yeah," said Kazu, eyeing the young blonde. "You look prettier with your hair down."

Alice blushed lightly but brushed the comment aside.

Beezlemon looked around him. "Hey, where are Pineapplehead and Dinoboy?"

Guardromon gulped. "Right there."

The Digimon took one look at ChaosGallantmon and groaned. "Oh you gotta be kidding. I've always known that kid to be crazy but this is ridiculous!" He shifted his gun. "Well, guess I gotta go." He flew off to help tame the beast.

Now that I know what I'm without
you can't just leave me
Breathe into me and make me real
Bring me to life

ChaosGallantmon swung his sword at Justimon, making contact with his arm. Ryo grimaced as the same pain seeped through his own arm. "Watch where you point that thing!" JUSTICE KICK!"

The Dark Digital Knight jumped out of the way. "You're getting to be a pest," snarled Takato and Guilmon at the same time. "DEMON'S DISASTER!"

The jet of fire was about to make contact when… "CORONA BLASTEEEER!"

Beezlemon's attack deflected the flames. "Look Pineapplehead," he said. "Why'd you suddenly decide to turn Benedict Arnold on us?"

ChaosGallantmon didn't answer. "He's hurt," said Jacqueline. "He's hurt and confused, and there's no one who can reach him inside."

The others stared at Jacqueline in surprise. "Jackie's an expert at reading emotions," Otamamon informed them.

"If he wasn't so crazy," said Ash darkly. "I'd feel more sympathetic."

Catherine gripped Davis's arm tightly. "Whot are we going to do Davis?" she quavered.

"I don't know Cathy. I just don't know."

---

"JUDECCA PRISON!!"

"POSITRON LASEEEEER!!"

"CORONA BLASTEEEER!!"

"THUNDERCLAP!!"

All four attacks collided while Piedmon looked on in amusement. The Digidestined, the trainers, and the Tamers hid their faces from the blinding light of the explosion.

When the arena became visible once more, the others saw the four Megas still standing. They were weakened and somewhat tired, but still able to go on. Jeri took out her Digivice and stared at it sadly before shifting her eyes to the battle. Oh why does this have to turn out like this? She screwed up her face. I just wish something right would happen for once!

Her Digivice's blank screen began to glow faintly.

ChaosGallantmon brandished his sword. "I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL!"

Jeri's scream rang out. "GIVE US A CHAAAAAAAAANCE!!"

Immediately, her Digivice emitted a loud shriek and a jet of white light shot out of it. Jeri gasped as her whole body froze and her eyes slowly became blank and white.

"JERI!" Henry raced over to her, grabbing her shoulders. "Jeri, what's wrong? Wake up! Jeri! Jeri!" He stared, horrified, into her white pupils and expressionless face.

Kazu joined him. "What's wrong with you girl?" he asked. "C'mon Jeri, this ain't a good time to go freaky on us."

The other kids gaped at the girl. "Jeri what…?"

"Grant my wish…" Jeri chanted, blinking her blank eyes. She turned her head to the sky. "Give us a chance to set things right. Let us reclaim what we've lost."

Instantly, beams of light shot out of her vacant eyes. Henry let got of her and backed away a step. The beams of white light arced over the kids like twin rainbows. ChaosGallantmon and the other Digimon stopped fighting to witness the strange event.

The columns of light settled in front of the groups. As they faded away, two figures could be seen lying motionless on the ground. The light in Jeri's eyes died as well and she started to slump…right on top of Henry!

The figures lying on the ground did not stir. However, there was something remarkably familiar about them.

Tai's jaw dropped. So did Ash's. "Chloe?!"

"T.K.?!" Kari, Patamon, and Matt were equally stunned.

The others, including the Tamers, gawked.

Tai raced over to the pair and lifted both of their hands. "They're not ghosts," he informed the others. He let go of their hands and lifted Chloe's body to a sitting position. She felt so limp and lifeless. "Chloe," he whispered. "If you can hear me, open your eyes."

Silence.

Kari cradled T.K. in her arms. "T.K.? Takeru?"

Still silence.

The young brunette glanced at her brother helplessly. There were tears glittering in her eyes.

"How did they come back?" asked Cody in a hushed voice. "They've been dead for almost two weeks—Chloe anyway."

"Not to mention, Chloe turned to dust and T.K. disappeared in an explosion," added Joe. "And yet here they are, perfectly intact."

Tai sighed and lowered his head. It was wonderful that Jeri had miraculously summoned Chloe and T.K., but it was too much hope if they were actually alive. At least their bodies can deserve a proper burial. He closed his eyes—and felt a soft hand caress his cheek. His eyes shot open.

"Huh?"

Chloe was sitting up straight, no longer supported by his arm. Her lapis orbs were as lovely and haunting as they'd always been. Oh how he'd missed those eyes. She let go of his cheek, pushed up her headband, and laughed, "Honestly Taichi Kamiya, I'm ashamed of you. I'm not around for a while and what happens? You turn all mushy on me."

Everybody's jaws nearly fell off. Tai's face lit up with happiness. "You're alive. You're alive!" He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "I've missed you."

"Yeah…I can tell…since you're cutting off my blood circulation."

Embarrassed, Tai withdrew from her. "Uh sorry."

Chloe smiled. "Aw, it's okay." She leaned up and gave him a light kiss. When she pulled away, Tai looked slightly dazed. "I've missed you too."

Kari smiled at her brother and his girlfriend before looking down at T.K. To her own astonishment, he coughed and opened his cobalt irises. "Kari?" he whispered in disbelief.

"T.K.!" Unable to think of anything else at the moment, Kari grabbed his head and pulled him into an intense kiss that didn't end until T.K. jerked away, approximately two minutes later. Chloe started to laugh.

T.K. blinked and sat up. "Wow," he gasped. "I don't know if my aching body was worth dying for but that sure was." Chloe laughed even harder.

Kari hugged him; tears flowing freely down her face. "Promise me you will never leave me ever again."

"I promise I won't leave you again."

"You always say that!"

"I know…but have I ever broken my promise?"

With Tai and Kari's help, the two kids managed to stand up. They no longer bore the marks they undoubtedly received before they died, but they were still shaky on their feet.

Sora, Matt, Patamon, and Ash embraced them. The prospect of having T.K. and Chloe alive was too bizarre to be real but hey, who was complaining?

(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside
(I can't wake up)
Wake me up inside
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run
(I can't wake up)
Before I come undone
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I've become

(Bring me to life)

I've been living a lie
There's nothing inside
Bring me to life

Jeri opened her eyes blearily. "Ooohh…" She raised her head slightly and found herself staring into Henry's worried gray pupils. Huh? That was when she became aware of the awkward position they were in. Henry was sitting on the ground. Her hands were clinging to his shoulders and they were so close, they were almost nose-to-nose. "Oh…Henry," she sputtered. "I—how did this happen…I mean, what happened?" Oh, why do I feel so giddy?

Henry sighed in relief. "You're okay." He too noticed their position and helped her to her feet. "What exactly did you do Jeri?"

The brunette shook her head. "I'm not sure," she replied, frowning. "I just wished for something right to happen for once and…that's all I remember. Then I woke up and I was, um, on you and you were holding me." She blushed scarlet.

Terriermon grinned. "Woo, woo, go Henry!"

Henry glared, fighting the urge to blush as well. "Look, it didn't mean anything."

"Yep, that's what they all say."

"It didn't!" he yelled before looking at Jeri. "You were falling Jeri, and I didn't really have much of a choice. It was either let you fall on me or on the ground."

Terriermon's grin broadened. "And he preferred that you fall on top of him instead of the nice, cold, ground."

Henry didn't succeed in hiding his blush this time.

Meanwhile, Chloe scanned the crowd, a frown furrowing her neat eyebrows. "Where's Rika?"

Their friends' smiles faded. "Oh…um…she's not here."

"What do you mean she's not here?" T.K. asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Well," Davis said, scratching the back of his head. "She's here but she's not here."

The other two looked perplexed. "Y'see, geographically she's here but in reality she's—"

"JUST ANSWER OUR QUESTION!"

"She's dead," Ash answered for Davis. "So are Renamon and the Digimon Sovereign."

Chloe and T.K. looked stunned for about a few seconds. Then tears filled Chloe's eyes and she covered her mouth with one hand. T.K. took her hand while covering his own eyes with his other hand for a minute. "You—you're positive?" he asked hoarsely as he drew his hand away from his eyes.

Their friends nodded slowly, feeling awful. Every one of them knew how close Chloe and T.K. were to Rika. But something was strange. Although they both looked sorrowful, the others were surprised to see the two kids didn't look very surprised. If anything, it seemed like they expected this news.

"So she did it."

"That means that she fulfilled that part of the prophecy. So what now Chloe?"

"It's up to the Tamers now. After all—wait, hold that thought." Chloe stopped talking in telepathy and narrowed her eyes around at the crowd again. "Takato? Where's Takato?"

The kids blanched. "What?"

"Where is Takato?" Chloe repeated firmly.

Tai bit his lip and pointed at the battle scene, which had resumed shortly after Jeri's "spell" had ended. The pair followed his finger as he pointed at ChaosGallantmon.

T.K. turned pale. Chloe looked puzzled. "That's a Digimon. So what?"

"Not just any Digimon," Henry informed them. "Takato biomerged with Guilmon. It's ChaosGallantmon."

"Oh you gotta be kidding me," the trainer muttered. "That…'thing' is Takato?"

The Tamers nodded. "That's how the Tamers reach Mega," T.K. explained to Chloe. "They fuse together with their Digimon and fight along with them." He glanced back at the feuding ChaosGallantmon, Justimon, and Beezlemon. Imperialdramon was off to the side, trying to get out of the way. "But why is Takato fighting against Justimon and Beezlemon? I thought we were on the same side."

"Chumly sure don't think so anymore," said Kazu. "It's like with Megidramon."

Megidramon? T.K. and Chloe thought at the same time before conception dawned on them. They remembered Rika telling them about the hideous beast.

Jeri grabbed her head and screwed up her face in pain. "Takato…please…it's not worth it…was losing Rika not enough?" Henry sympathetically placed an arm around her shoulders.

Chloe raised her face to the feuding Digimon. "He's not meant to fight…not like this," she whispered sadly. "No good will come out of it."

Kari began to shake and she grasped her head in pain. "The darkness…it's so strong…so evil…"

Ken was shaking as well. "Too powerful…too much…"

T.K. gazed at the rapidly altering world around them. The force of Takato's pent-up rage and corruption was affecting the Digital World in a drastic way. The skies rippled ever more with black and red chaos. Even the ground itself was starting to split. There was so much hatred, so much darkness.

"I've got to stop him!" he yelled fiercely. His teammates looked startled. "He has to see reason!" Without another word, T.K. took off across the rocky earth toward the battle site.

"T.K., WAIT! T.K.!" Kari and Patamon called after him.

"Hey Chloe don't you think we should—Chloe? CHLOE WHAT?!"

The trainer was hot on T.K.'s heels. "WAIT UP!"

Everybody sweatdropped heavily. "Ooookaaaay."

Frozen inside without your touch, without your love, darling
Only you are the life among the dead

---

Where am I? Am I dead? Takato wondered to himself. He knew his entire being was currently divided in two. One was filled with pent-up anger, remorse, and resentment. The other was his innocent kind-hearted self. He felt like he was floating in a pool of swirling black fog. He couldn't see anything.

Darkness. That's what he felt right now. It was everywhere; around him, inside him, even beyond him. Pain, hate, anger, suffering, despair…all were forms of darkness.

Takato blinked and forced himself to get up. He felt such emptiness inside his heart.

"Destroy all who get in your way."

It was that voice again. "Having regrets Takato?"

Takato dropped to his knees, head bowed and hands pressed on the ground in front of him. "What am I? What have I become?"

"You know." The voice chuckled.

He closed his eyes tightly, shaking. "What are you laughing at?" he demanded angrily.

"You. The way you cry and shake in remorse; it's so pathetic."

"Shut your mouth!"

"Trying to deny it aren't you?" The voice laughed again before sounding staticky and more evil. "I told you she would be the next victim."

He told me…no! Takato opened his eyes and raised his head to the inky blackness. "Missingno."

"Took you long enough."

Takato stood up, trembling and livid. "It was you," he muttered through clenched teeth. "You were the one who did this to Rika. YOU let her die!"

Missingno's voice wafted in, cold and steely. "Me? I wasn't the one who killed her. That was Piedmon."

"You knew it would happen," Takato shot back. "You planned for it to happen."

"Right on the button Gogglehead. But I didn't kill her. It's your fault. If you weren't so weak, then maybe she wouldn't have taken that attack. You broke your promise to her—just like her father."

The Tamer opened his mouth angrily but the virus propelled on. "It's amazing isn't it? That a weak, gullible, simple-minded Goggle-boy like you is actually the leader of the Digimon Tamers. You can't even keep your emotions in check let alone protect the ones you love."

"That's not true! Emotions make you stronger!"

"Yeah, this is coming from a boy who cries at the sight of a wittle scwatch."

Takato glared at the inky blackness of his sphere. "SHUT UP!"

"Even you have doubt in the little hope you possess. Do you honestly believe your friends would truly stand by you now that they've seen the power and hatred you hold? Do you think Henry will still be your best friend after everything you've done to him? Or even Tai or Davis or Ash will trust you to handle situations for your team? Or perhaps Jeri…will she still confide in you and you alone? Or maybe…" Here the virus chuckled. "That if Rika had lived, she would have appreciated you...and grown to love you...the way you love her?"

A red haze spread over Takato's eyes. My head…I feel so hot…dizzy. It was just like the time with the D-Reaper. Rika…I didn't mean to let you down…I didn't mean it.

"What makes you think that Rika can hear you now? She's dead. Accept it Takato; it's all your fault."

Takato grabbed his head and started shaking it back and forth. His face screwed up with pain. "Leave me alone. GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!"

"No," said Missingno. "Or actually, maybe I should. Yes. I should leave you alone to listen to your memories of your so-called friends and your miserable failures."

Takato's head felt hotter and he looked around his surroundings in a daze. So many memories, so many past images poured into his head.

"When my real mother died, my stepmom said she wanted to be my friend. But I never gave her a chance. You see, I'm not nice, I'm…awful."

"Please don't come near me. Guilmon was so sweet and cute and innocent, and look what you did to him." Jeri's sadness enveloped him.

The memory faded, replaced by a new one. "I feel the same way you do Takato, but if we don't leave, the world loses its only chance at survival—us!" Henry said, his voice echoing.

He dissolved and the memory became the D-Reaper. "It is to be concluded that all Digimon and humans are to be deleted immediately…. Defiance is pointless. You cannot win."

The horrific humanoid continued, "You humans and your emotions; you are confusing creatures…. These emotions of concern and compassion are only those that make you weak…. Your fears will be your downfall!"

"Digimon have but one purpose: to satisfy the human need for destruction!"

The D-Reaper changed into Rika's superior face. "What did you think Digimon were for you goofy little Gogglehead?"

"Duh, they're Digimon. When they absorb data they get stronger, and when they get stronger they digivolve."

Takato shook his head. No, no. She's not like that anymore.

"Don't think I expect any thanks. I was after the data."

"Digimon are just data."

"She's not like that anymore!" yelled Takato. "She's changed!"

Missingno's voice came back. "So you want to see her after that?"

No…I mean…

"I'll leave you alone with her."

Rika's image changed to the one on her last day alive. Did she know she was going to die the next day?

"You almost made me forget what Missingno said to me. About me being the next victim. And today and last night…you almost made me forget my father and Chloe and T.K. You almost made me forget." Those sad violet eyes touched his heart. "Was it just sympathy Takato? Was it only to make me forget?"

Takato slowly reached out to touch her but his hand passed through the ghostly image. His spirit felt heavy and burdened with so much sadness, so much pain. Missingno ceased to speak but Takato didn't need to hear the virus's voice. Missingno was right. It is my fault. Rika faded away, leaving him alone to deal with his conflicting thoughts.

Rika…my Rika…I'm so sorry…forgive me…

---

All this time I can't believe I couldn't see
Kept in the dark, but you were there in front of me
I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems
Got to open my eyes to everything
Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul
Don't let me die here
There must be something more
Bring me to life!

Justimon leaped out of the way of the Demon's Disaster attack and slammed his hand against the ground. "THUNDERCLAP!"

ChaosGallantmon jumped over the burst of energy. "You're pathetic!" he yelled in the dual voices of Guilmon and Takato. "JUDECCA PRISON!"

"Aren't you ever gonna get tired?" cried Beezlemon. He flew up into the air.

Imperialdramon dodged the burst of energy shot from the Chaos Knight. "This isn't going so well!"

ChaosGallantmon closed in on Justimon and Beezlemon. "My revenge will not be denied by the likes of you!" he yelled, swing his sword upward. "DEMON'S DISASTER!"

The powerful jet of fire slammed against the two Megas. They cried out in pain. ChaosGallantmon laughed maliciously, but inside, Takato pressed his face into his hands. Please…I can't stop. I want to stop but I can't.

"It's too late for you."

No…please make it stop! Forgive...me...everyone...

ChaosGallantmon stood over the downed Megas, a smirk twisting his face behind the mask. "Now you will feel the true taste of my vengeance." He gripped his sword and prepared to run it through them. "AAAAAAAAAAAA—"

T.K. and Chloe threw themselves in front of Justimon and Beezlemon, their arms flung out. "NO TAKATO, STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!"

His sword hit the ground about an inch away from them. The Chaos Knight stared at them. His livid red eyes blinked. "No…" he hissed in the dual voices of Guilmon and Takato. "No…this is…a lie…"

The two teens stared up at him, their eyes trying to tell him to stop. "This is not a lie Takato. We really are—"

"NO!" The Digimon reared up and pulled his sword out of the hard earth. His crimson eyes flashed in fury and he lifted his sword high to plunge it into them. "THIS ANOTHER TRICK! JUST ANOTHER TRICK!" With that, he thrust the sword downward.

Chloe's eyes began to glow and she raised her hands to form the glowing shield. "REFLECT!!"

The sharp tip of the sword thrust against the shield but it could not go through. The evil Digimon growled with effort, but the glowing force field held.

"Please…Takato," said Chloe pleadingly, her hands straining to hold the golden-orange shield. "Don't do this."

"Remember who you are," added T.K. "We beg of you. Don't let it be like this."

The Mega Digimon stopped what he was doing and stared at them in shock. When he finally did speak, it was Takato's own voice that came out.

"No way…you can't be…it can't be you…"

T.K. lifted his face solemnly. "It is us Takato. Try to remember."

ChaosGallantmon lifted his sword hand from the shield and changed it back into a normal armor-clad hand. He stared down at them with no emotion on his face but Takato continued to speak. His voice trembled. "Please…help me…I can't stop. It's controlling…help me…"

"No one can save you now!"

Chloe's eyes widened in comprehension. "Oh my God…Takato, please maintain your humanity." She shook in fury. "Leave Takato alone Missingno! You have no rights to him! NO RIGHTS!" She could feel her strength giving out.

ChaosGallantmon raised himself to his full height and began shooting beams from his shield. Beezlemon and Justimon pushed Chloe and T.K. out of harm's way.

"JUDECCA PRISON!" cried ChaosGallantmon.

"JUSTICE BURST!" Justimon shot blue spherical bullets from his large metal arm at ChaosGallantmon.

"DOUBLE IMPACT!" yelled Beezlemon. He pulled out his smaller gun and started firing.

T.K. closed his eyes and concentrated with all his might. He wasn't used to using telepathy but if Chloe could do it then so could he! "Concentrate Takato…don't use your hate. Concentrate on the good. We're here for you. We believe in you."

"T.K.…you're psychic?"

"No…I'm a telepath."

ChaosGallantmon continued to fight with the other Megas but a small voice could be heard from within. "I want to stop…I want to stop…"

"You can stop,"T.K. commanded mentally. "You can stop."

His eyes, which had been blazing with fury only moments before, were now slowly changing to Guilmon's wide yellow eyes. ChaosGallantmon stopped fighting with his former friends and slammed his sword into the ground. A wave of red light engulfed his body. The darkness was struggling to maintain its hold on him but Takato forced it out. "GET—OUT—OF—MY--HEEEEEEEEAAAAAD!!"

"TAKATO! GUILMON!"

(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside
(I can't wake up)
Wake me up inside
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run
(I can't wake up)
Before I come undone
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I've become

(Bring me to life)

I've been living a lie
There's nothing inside
Bring me to life!

ChaosGallantmon continued to smash his hand and his sword into the rocky earth, digging up large craters and dirt. When the light cleared, Guilmon stood there with a tired expression. Next to him was a weary and beaten Takato. The boy fell to his knees, his whole being shaking with the intensity of his sobs. "I'm sorry…I'm such an idiot."

T.K. and Chloe raced up to him. He bent his head so all they could see was the top of his brown hair and the edges of his yellow goggles. The tears plopped against the hard ground and his gray shorts.

"Takato…" Chloe knelt down and wrapped her arms around him. She stroked the back of his hair as she rocked him gently. "It's okay," she whispered softly. "It's okay kiddo. It's all over now." One glimmering silver tear trailed down her cheek and landed in his hair.

Takato shook his head, feeling the strength of Chloe's arms as she held him to her and the healing warmth coming from her silver tear of life. The way she held him was almost as comforting as his mother's. He kept his head pressed into the crook of her shoulder to prevent her and T.K. from seeing the raw emotion on his face.

"I can't believe I did something like that," he murmured sorrowfully against Chloe's shoulder. "I'm so (sniff) ashamed of myself. Me, running in there blindly without thinking about the consequences. I just wanted to kill Piedmon and make him suffer. It wasn't enough just to hurt him." Takato closed his eyes as more tears leaked out. "I just (sob) can't believe I let this happen. I'm so sorry Guilmon! I'm so sorry…everybody."

Chloe removed his face from her damp shoulder and tilted it up toward hers. "Don't say that. It wasn't your fault." She brushed away some of his tears but more continued to rain down.

"Yes it was," he answered back. "If it wasn't for me, Henry and the others wouldn't have gotten hurt. Jeri wouldn't have gotten so scared. Rika might've…" He shuddered. "She might've stood a chance."

Chloe shook her head and rubbed his shoulders gently. "No Takato, she wouldn't have. It was—"

"Please don't say 'it was her destiny'," Takato said bitterly. "I hate thinking about that prophecy now."

"Oh Takato."

"Don't say everything is your fault," said T.K. firmly. "Listen, we all have darkness in our hearts. There is no way to prevent the darkness from coming. But it can be fought. You don't have to let evil consume you." T.K. gazed at the younger boy seriously. "You didn't know that this would happen to you Takato. So don't blame yourself."

Takato gave a shuddery sigh. "I don't deserve to call myself a Tamer, let alone a leader. The only thing I do is put my friends in danger. Why is it that everything I do always goes wrong? I always mess up everything for my friends. And I nearly killed you too—well you'd die again I mean."

T.K. and Chloe looked at him, then at each other helplessly. Was there anything they could do to convince this boy that he was not to blame?

By now, the others had made their way over to the trio. Piedmon had mysteriously vanished.

Jeri slowly walked up to Takato. He did not look at her. "Takato," she whispered. "Don't be afraid. I know you didn't mean it. It wasn't you in there." Still he did not look at her. "Please don't put yourself down. I forgive you. We forgive you."

"I don't deserve to be forgiven."

Everybody stared at him in shock and bewilderment. What did he mean he didn't deserve to be forgiven?

Takato withdrew from Chloe's arms and stood up. When he spoke, his voice bore a hint of resentment. "I'm nothing but a crybaby." As a tear reached his eyelids again, he brushed it away angrily. He'd cried once too many times in all of their adventures to keep on crying. I'm surprised I'm not waterlogged by now.

"Don't say that," said Henry indignantly. "What would Rika say if she were here right now?"

"She'd say I'm a stupid, little, weak-minded Gogglehead," Takato replied dully.

That got everybody to shut up for a few minutes. It was true Rika would say something like that. So much for reassurance.

Guilmon looked up at his partner worriedly. "Takatomon."

"Takato," said Davis. "Don't act like this."

"Who said I'm acting?"

Ryo gave an exasperated sigh. "Takato."

Takato gripped his D-Power tightly in one hand. He trembled in anger and bitterness. "I'm a lousy Tamer and you know it." He ignored their protests. "It's my problems, my curse, and my fault so just leave me here." He raised the Digivice to smash it. "You don't need me to slow you down."

At that, Chloe got to her feet, eyes narrowed. Before anyone could comprehend what was going on, she lashed out a hand and—SMACK!

"Ouch," Terriermon winced.

The force of the slap sent Takato flying to the ground. His face stung slightly. "Hey, what did you do that to Takato for?" demanded Guilmon.

But Chloe was too busy glaring at Takato to answer the Digimon. "You're lucky that wasn't a punch," she said coldly. "What's the matter with you? TK and I didn't come back from the dead just to see you wallow away in your own self-loathing." She crossed her arms. "Look Takato Matsuki, I've had times in my life when I hated myself too. After I destroyed the Rockets, I lived in constant fear for my life and the lives of those I cared about. But I didn't back down and give up even when the odds were against me. So you shouldn't give up either."

"She's right," added T.K. "And by the way, you're wrong when you said you are not a good Tamer. You're the strongest Tamer I know and you give it your all every time. You have a good heart."

"You're an excellent leader too," Tai told the brown-haired boy. "You don't try to be better than anyone else and you don't try to boss any of your teammates around. That's the sign of a true leader."

Guilmon helped Takato to his feet. "You are the best partner I've ever had Takato," said the red dinosaur cheerfully. "Well, you're the only partner I've ever had but…you're still the best."

Calumon agreed. "You're a great friend Takato. I know you messed up bad lots of times but you've always been there for me."

Takato gazed at the group with a look of disbelief on his face. I…but…aren't they still mad at me? he wondered. "But…I nearly destroyed you all and the Digital World."

"Don't remind us," said Ryo with a groan. "It's true you did do some horrible things. But what matters is that you learned from them and you know you made a mistake. That's what's important."

"Aren't you gonna hit me for that?"

"Trust me. I think that slap was enough," said Chloe jokingly.

He continued to look around at them, still dubious. "So you're not really…mad at me? After everything I've done?"

Ash grinned. "It's too hard to stay mad at you for very long Gogglehead."

"'Course if you want us to stay mad at you, I think we can work somethin' out."

"Terriermon…"

"What? What'd I say?"

"(sigh)"

"The main thing is that you learn from your mistakes," Matt pointed out. "As long as you do, we don't think the worst of you."

Takato's face broke into a smile, the first smile he'd worn in a long time. He glanced at T.K., Jeri, and the others. "Thanks guys. You're the best."

Jeri and the others returned his smile. "Don't we know it," said Kazu boldly.

Then Takato looked at Chloe. "Thank you Chloe. If it weren't for you and T.K., I'd still be beating myself up. I needed that pep talk."

"Hey, no sweat," said Chloe, grinning. Her blue eyes sparkled as she held up her hand. "I'll do it again."

Takato laughed nervously. "That's okay, but I think I'll pass."

"Okay."

Davis scratched the back of his head. "I have a question. Aren't you guys supposed to be dead?" He shifted his gaze from T.K. to Chloe. "How'd you come back?"

"If you believe in miracles, nothing is impossible," said Chloe. "When you guys were in doubt and need, the prophecy enabled you to have a fighting chance." She smiled at the girl in Henry's protective arms. "Jeri here wished to regain what you lost. That wish was willingly granted." Her eyes glowed like moonstones and out of the blue her necklace and Digivice zoomed into T.K.'s hands.

"Rika was the one who started the chain reaction," T.K. went on. He handed Chloe her necklace. "Remember the last three lines of the prophecy? She chose to die rather than have you die."

Takato nodded, his auburn eyes suddenly sorrowful. I should've told Rika…I loved her more than anything, even myself. But I never got to say it and I probably never will. He watched the two revived children closely. Both of them seemed so strong and serious, as if they had aged a little during their deaths. They knew all along this was going to happen.

Chloe tied the gold necklace around her neck and figured the half-circle. She then placed both hands on Takato's shoulders, looking into his eyes. She could sense his sadness. He…he really cared for her…more than T.K. and I. If only she knew. "Rika meant a lot to you...didn't she Takato?"

He opened his mouth to reply but Ryo interrupted, "She meant a lot to all of us, not just Takato."

Yeah, especially to you I'll bet, Takato thought bitterly. He shook his head mentally. He couldn't dislike Ryo but he couldn't help feeling a sick swoop of jealousy. After all, Rika and Ryo had so much in common. Ryo was an expert at the card game and a Legendary Tamer to boot. Then there was the fact that he was intelligent, handsome, strategic, and levelheaded.

And what am I? A gullible goggleheaded dreamer with not enough brains to fill a plastic beaker. Of course Rika would rather be with Ryo instead of me—if she were still alive.

"She's not dead you know."

"What?" Takato looked up at the older girl in shock. "But Rika…she took the attack—"

"She may have taken the attack," Chloe interrupted briskly. She took her hands off Takato's shoulders. "But there's a way to get her back. That is,"—she paused. –"If you want her back."

Takato and Jeri nodded along Guilmon, Henry, and Ryo. The other Tamers agreed soon afterward.

Slowly, Chloe and T.K. pressed their hands to their hearts. The symbols of Life and Hope appeared on their hearts and their bodies shimmered with gentle healing light. "Make a wish," they whispered, their voices echoing.

"We wish Rika and Renamon were alive again."

A brilliant circle of light surrounded Rika's still body and imprinted itself on the ground. It was a strange symbol with at least twenty-nine stars glittering around it. As the light rose over Rika, it continued to flash and sparkle. It arced over the teams and descended upon them, strengthening them.

As the team continued to focus on the glow, Rika's arms and legs began to heal and the long gash mended itself. Her clothes became free from any blood and her bruised face became clear. Although her hair still remained loose from being pulled out of her ponytail, the rubber band reappeared.

During this time, T.K. took hold of one of Chloe's hands and squeezed it. She squeezed it back and her eyes met Takato's. "Go see her while the process is still being complete."

Not needing any persuasion, Takato raced toward Rika's body, which was pretty far away, and lifted her head. Her body felt warm with life. "Rika," he whispered, gazing desperately into her face. "Please be okay. Please."

She stirred and coughed before opening her eyes blearily. "Uuuhh?" Everything swam before her. Blinking, she forced her dizzy eyes to focus and found herself staring into Takato's face, into his eyes. "T-Takato?"

Takato's pupils widened but his face shone with happiness. She's…she's okay! Then, before she could stop him, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "Rika."

Rika's eyes dilated in shock. "Um…okay?" What…the…heck? Is he hugging me? Her face flushed red. "Uh Gogglehead, why are you hugging me?" I could and I should punch him, but I feel too exhausted. And why do I feel so hot?

"You're alive," he whispered in a choked voice. "I never thought I'd see you again. I'm so sorry."

Rika frowned. "For what?"

"Sorry for letting you down," Takato replied. "And breaking my promise to you. I wasn't there for you when you died." He shook his head. "I'm so sorry. When I thought of how we'd lost you…it's my fault. I'm just…sorry."

Rika raised herself to a sitting position and touched the side of his face. He's so compassionate. Jeri doesn't know how lucky she is. Why did Takato have to be so kind? He never cared a single bit about himself. Him and his heart. His stupid big heart. She leaned closer and whispered in his ear, "Don't be." Takato turned his head so their foreheads touched. "You promised you would never leave me and you didn't. So you kept your promise." Her rare smile and shining violet eyes made him feel startlingly warm. His auburn eyes were reflected in her gaze. "You're a good friend."

Takato bit his lip and moved his head away from hers. "Rika…I…"

"Yes?"

Here it comes. "I…I…" Sheesh, this is hard!

"What?"

"I…I want you to know that…I…uh…I lo—"

"RIKA!"

(A/N: (smirks) Don't you just hate that!)

The other Tamers, seeing that she was alive, had arrived at the place where Takato and Rika were. Ryo reached down and pulled Rika to her feet. Even though she was still unsteady, she jerked her arms away from him. "No touching Akiyama."

Ryo grinned. "Same old Rika we all know and love. And why'd Takato get to hold you?"

"Oh you're impossible!" snapped Rika but she bit back a smile. Takato sighed depressingly.

Jeri flung her arms around Rika, tears flowing from her eyes. "Oh I missed you!"

"I missed you too," said Rika, smiling at her friend.

Calumon flew into Rika's arms. "Eskimo Kisses!"

For once, Rika allowed the little Digimon to do so, but after a few seconds she pulled him off her face. "Oh Rika, Rika, I thought you were a goner," Calumon babbled, his eyes teary.

"Who me? Not a chance." She turned to smile at Henry when a wave of data particles flew by and seeped into her blue Digivice. It shrieked as the blank screen began to glow with intensity. The remaining data particles spun around beside the device before shaping into a fully restored Renamon. "Renamon!" Words could not express the joy and confusion on Rika's face at seeing her partner alive once more. She gave her a quick hug, one that Renamon returned.

"Hey, doesn't Rika want to see us?" asked Chloe, striding up with T.K. and Patamon.

The Tamer's eyes landed on them and they widened. It…it's…them! "T.K.! Chloe!" Rika threw her arms tightly around the both of them. "You came back," she whispered in a choked voice. "You came back to me."

Although surprised that Rika was so emotional, the two welcomed her embrace. They pulled away a few minutes later, eyes filled with happy tears. "You didn't think we'd leave forever did you?" Chloe asked with a smile.

Rika shook her head. "I missed you guys so much," she replied and brushed at her glittering tears. "Crap, I'm getting all soft and mushy."

T.K. grinned and smoothed back her red hair. "It doesn't matter. We missed you too."

Rika smirked and playfully socked the two kids on the arm. "Don't you ever do that to me or the rest of us again, you hear?"

"Don't worry, we won't," they chorused in unison. Rika smiled and hugged them again.

However, Renamon's data wasn't the only data floating around the Tamers. Waves of data particles were spinning and twinkling around the children. Takato glanced back at Chloe and T.K. who were once again locked in their trance-like positions. "Restore those that we have lost."

Half of the data began spinning rapidly before seeping into a surprised Jeri's blank Digivice. The screen began glowing like Rika's did earlier only instead of Renamon, a tall imperious lion rose out of the light. He had a long golden mane and large green eyes. Standing on his hind feet, he carried a large sword behind him. Jeri opened her mouth to speak—and instead shrieked.

"Le…Le…LEOMON!"

Jeri threw her arms tightly around the lion's waist. His eyes widened for about a minute before he knelt down to embrace her properly. "Jeri…you're safe."

The other Tamers' faces broke into smiles of pleasure and happiness, especially Takato's and Guilmon's. Even Ai, Mako, Ryo, and Alice, who had not known Leomon, were pleased to see that Jeri had been given another chance.

"YEA!" Calumon cheered happily. "Jeri's got her partner back and she's happier than ever!"

Speaking of other chances, Impmon walked up to the tall lion, somewhat embarrassed and ashamed. "Leomon?" he said slowly. "I just wanna…I just wanna say…I'm sorry for everything I did. You were right you know. Too much power just corrupts you, so…I'm sorry."

Jeri smiled up at Leomon as the Digimon looked down at the small Virus-Type. "I forgive you Impmon. This isn't the time to dwell on the past. Let us put that behind us."

Impmon grinned weakly at him. "Really? Aw thanks." Whew! That was easier than I thought.

By this time, the Digidestined were busy staring at the other half of data that had not disappeared into Jeri's Digivice. "Um…what about this stuff?" asked Cody, perplexed.

Alice walked up to the loose data and touched it hesitantly. Almost immediately, she felt a strange stirring in her heart.

"Alice…"

A ball of shining white light appeared in front of her startled face. The light flew into her hands before transforming into a white Digivice with black rims. "What…what is this?" she quavered.

"A Digivice," said Kazu in a hushed voice. "That means you're a Tamer Alice."

Alice shook her head. "I-I can't…believe it," she said in awe.

The spare data swirled gently around her before forming into a large black dog with slanted red eyes and a spiked collar. The dog turned to her, his eyes widening. "Alice."

"Dober…mon?" she whispered, her light blue eyes filling with happy tears. "You came back to me."

"I knew we would see each other again," said Dobermon. He allowed Alice to wrap her arms around his head and hold it close.

Takato, Rika, and Henry smiled at the sight. They knew it had been hard for Alice to give up Dobermon for their sake but he had returned to her. Even Terriermon, Guilmon, and Renamon were pleased.

Kenta looked over at Kazu. "Hey Kazu, are you crying?"

"Nope. I just got something in my eye that's all."

"Y'know, as much as I'd hate to break up this happy reunion, don't we need to find Piedmon?"

All three groups whirled on Ash in alarm. He was right.

"We still need to destroy him," said Kazu seriously. "Uuuhh, unless you still want to go on your vendetta Chumly."

Takato shook his head. Rika raised her eyebrows. "Vendetta?"

"Yeah," said Guilmon cheerfully. "Even though I don't know what vendetta means."

The kids fell silent for a couple of minutes as they gazed around the rocky earth apprehensively. Suddenly, the silence was shattered by the constant chatter of a monkey…a gray monkey with manic eyes, bat wings, and an overlarge jaw.

Rika scanned the Digimon. "Vilemon, Champion Level, Virus Type Digimon. This annoying little pest attacks his enemies with his Nightmare Shocker. Hey, I fought one a long time ago!"

"No time for strolling down memory lane Rika," warned Henry. "It's a good thing this Vilemon is small, but I think we'd better be careful."

"Aw, it's okay," said Kazu carelessly. "How bad could it be? There's only one."

The Vilemon leered at them ghoulishly as another one came from behind a rock.

"Okay, two."

Four more appeared from above.

"Make that six."

The whole sky darkened, and a cloud of chattering monkeys descended upon the rocky ground and surrounded them. There were now too many to count.

"Crap."

One, two, hey!
I'm heading off on a digital trip
And that's what I plan to do!
I'm going away to a digital plain
And I ain't coming back real soon!
The whole thing is electrical!
It's running through my veins
That everything is connectable!
Hey! Digital... Hey! Digital... World, World, World!

Piedmon appeared from behind a large boulder. His eyes glinted maliciously and an evil smile played across his face. "Ah, I see you've finally decided to stop playing around—although I'll admit it was rather entertaining to watch you destroy each other, especially the Goggle-boy."

The kids glared at him, all except Takato who stared at the ground. Chloe placed a hand on his shoulder affectionately, but her eyes darkened at the Digimon. "This is the end Piedmon," she said firmly. "It's time you were taken from this world once and for all."

"Yes, yes, yes," said Piedmon, waving a hand carelessly at her. "Well enough of your teamwork speeches young lady. It's been clear to me how you children feel. Are you sure you're strong enough to take on all of us?"

He raised one hand and the earth beneath them began to quake. As the children tried to regain their balance, something shot out of the ground: a geyser. The geyser foamed and climbed to about a 20-story building before billowing away. Standing in its place was a blue, black, and white demon with long tentacles the length of cable lines. He had large red eyes and a gaping fang-filled mouth.

"MarineDevimon, Virus Type, Ultimate Level Digimon. This guy is the reason why you shouldn't make fun of squids, especially with attacks like Dark Deluge and Evil Wind," said Kenta.

That wasn't all. Megadramon and Gigadramon, who apparently hadn't died when the teams had last fought them, flew in from the darkened sky. Their shadows blanketed over the kids.

As if this wasn't enough, IceDevimon emerged once again from beneath the ground. Rika began to shiver.

"Double crap," muttered Kazu.

The Digidestined gazed at the monsters, as they stood bunched up against the Tamers and the trainers. There were so many Digimon.

"Be on your guard guys," Izzy warned quietly. "Their attack power has no doubt been increased like the other Digimon we fought."

"I know what you mean," said Matt who was beside Sora and Gabumon. "The Dark Masters weren't that strong when we last fought them…okay, they were strong enough to take on two Megas but there's no way they could have defeated so many, plus Ultimates. And Megadramon, Gigidramon, and IceDevimon have the strength of Megas now; there's no way they could've obtained that much power."

"Maybe they took steroids," Terriermon suggested.

"Terriermon!"

"What? It's a possibility."

Brock sighed. "There's only one explanation: Missingno."

Ash frowned. "What about him?"

"Don't you get it?" he exclaimed. "Remember when Missingno said, 'Do not underestimate me. I have powers you wouldn't imagine'? My guess is that when he brought the evil Digimon back to life, he increased their power. That's why they were so hard to fight and why Piedmon can take so many hits."

Ash groaned. "So the Missingno Virus not only brought them back to life and changed us into kids, but he also increased their power? So that means Piedmon's now…higher than Mega? Or the Vilemon are now as strong as Ultimates?" He grabbed his head. "The logic is frying my brain!"

"That's what happens when you try to think," Chloe told him. Everybody laughed.

"Are you saying I'm stupid?"

"Nope, that's my job," said Misty with a giggle.

More laughter.

Piedmon rolled his eyes. "For heaven's sake, are we going to fight or not? My patience is limited."

Ken glanced at his fellow Digidestined. "If we try to fight them all, we'll lose. We need some sort of strategy."

"Ken has a point," said Davis. "I suggest that we fight the Digimon while the Tamers and the trainers stay back. That way, in case we don't succeed, we still have backup support."

Tai grinned. For once, Davis has a sensible idea. He turned to the trainers and the Tamers. "You guys better take cover," he informed them. "This could get ugly and we can't risk you getting hurt."

Ash, Brock, Misty, and Chloe (and Pikachu) nodded once to show they understood; but the Tamers looked worried. "Are you sure you guys are up for this?" asked Takato.

Sora nodded at him. "Hey, we did this before and we'll do it again."

"Just like old times," said T.K. confidently.

One, two, hey!
I'm going digital!
Completely digital!
Now I'm invincible!
Let's all get digital!

The Vilemon swarmed around the Digidestined like flies, twice as big and twice as annoying. Tai looked at the Digimon and then at the group of boulders the trainers had taken cover behind. "I think we're gonna need a little more power over here."

"Already on it," said Ash with a grin before pressing his hand to his heart. The symbol of the Crest of Faith appeared on his chest and began to give out its golden color. "GIVE THEM THE STRENGTH THEY NEED TO GIVE US A VICTORY!"

All of the Digidestineds' Digimon began to glow.

Agumon Warp-digivolve toooo…WARGREYMON!

Gabumon Warp-digivolve toooo…METALGARURUMON!

Biyomon Warp-digivolve toooo…PHOENIXMON!

Biyomon grew four large golden wings and expanded in height and breadth. A bronze metal helmet covered her head where long red-gold feathers stuck out. Matching tail feathers streamed behind her.

Tentomon Warp-digivolve toooo…HERCULESKABUTARIMON!

Tentomon's new form was even bigger than MegaKabutarimon was. He had one large pincer covering most of his head, similar to Kuwagamon's. He turned bronze and his claws increased in size. He also sprouted two more claws and his jaws displayed jagged teeth.

Palmon Warp-digivolve toooo…ROSEMON!

Palmon became a tall, beautiful, human-like creature. She looked nearly the same as Lillymon except she was all red with long blonde hair, and her rose-shaped hat covered her eyes. Thigh-length black boots covered her legs and she wore a flowing green cape. In her hand was a yellow whip covered with thorns.

Gomamon Warp-digivolve toooo…PLECIOMON!

Gomamon changed into a long white pleciosaur with blue-tipped flippers. More blue designs outlined his form, along with orange scales adorning his face. Two curved fins completed the ensemble along with a long curved mouth filled with sharp fangs.

Patamon Warp-digivolve toooo…SEREPHIMON!

Gatomon Warp-digivolve toooo…ORPHANIMON!

Gatomon was the most surprising change of all. Instead of becoming a furry pink dragon, she became a green-armored angel with blonde hair. The bottom of the armor ended below her knees to make way for a white dress. Eight golden wings curved around her back and she carried a long javelin. A green-and-gold shield covered her left arm and a matching helmet hid her eyes from view.

Veemon…

Wormmon…

Mega digivolve toooo…IMPERIALDRAMON!

Hawkmon Warp-digivolve toooo…VALKYRIEMON!

Hawkmon became his Mega level for the first time. He was now a silver-and-white human-like creature with red-tipped wings. A falcon-shaped helmet adorned his head and a miniature falcon perched on his right arm. A sword and a quiver of arrows hung from a belt around his waist.

Armadillomon Warp-digivolve toooo…VIKEMON!

Vikemon was a total surprise. Unlike Armadillomon, he was large and furry. He had a small Viking helmet on his head and two large spikes strapped to his brown furry animal cape. On both sides of the cape were two round shoulder pads.

Floramon Warp-digivolve toooo…GRYPHOMON!

Floramon digivolved into something unlike her previous stages. Gryphomon looked like the legendary griffins told in myths. She wore a helmet (A/N: Gee, what else is new?) and her body was that of a tawny lion. Wings rose from her back.

Tapirmon Warp-digivolve toooo…SKULLMAMMOTHMON!

SkullMammothmon was the final evolution of Tapirmon. Bearing a close resemblance to Mammothmon, the Mega Digimon's head was skeletal. Two bony tusks protruded from his large mouth.

Otamamon Warp-digivolve toooo…PUKUMON!

Pukumon was altogether the smallest Mega of the team. He resembled a blue beach ball with sharp spikes jutting out all over his head. He also had two muscular arms and a fang-filled mouth.

"Holy cripes on toast!" shouted Kenta.

Kazu grabbed him and pulled him away. "Dummy up you dummy," he hissed.

"How…how?" Jacqueline asked in a weak voice. The others couldn't help but agree with her.

Ash grinned. "I helped them all go to Mega! Who's the master now?"

Kari gazed at her Mega Digimon. "Okay, just one question. How come my Digimon's Mega form is Orphanimon instead of Magnadramon?"

"It's because this is my true form Kari," said Orphanimon. "Magnadramon was just a form for the golden Digi-eggs but that was it. This is my stronger form."

As for the Tamers' D-Powers…they were going crazy with information.

"Phoenixmon is a Vaccine Animal Type Digimon. This rarely seen golden bird has strong attacks like Starlight Explosion and Crimson Flame," said Takato in awe.

Henry scanned the next one. "HerculesKabutarimon is an Insectoid, Vaccine Type Digimon. Don't mess with this overgrown beetle 'cause he can fry you to a crisp with his Mega Electro Shocker or impale you with his Giga Scissor Claw."

"Rosemon is a Data Type Pixie Digimon that resembles more of a plant than a pixie. Her attacks are Thorn Whip and Rose Rapier…whatever that means," said Rika in a skeptical tone.

"Oh cool, Pleciomon! This dude's a Data Type Dragon Digimon with attacks like Water Tail Blaster and Shaking Pulse," Kazu continued excitedly.

"Wow, Orphanimon…another Angel Type like Serephimon. She's a Vaccine Type and fights for truth and justice using her Eden's Javelin and Sephirote Crystals,"Kenta noted.

Jeri's Digivice flickered to life. "Oooohh, this is Valkyriemon, a Warrior and Data Type. He's like a human bird and his attacks are Feral Sword and Lightning Arrow."

Even Suzie analyzed one of the Megas. "This one is Vikemon. He's a plushy Animal and Data Type Digimon. The attacks are Artic Bwizzard and Viking Axe. Yippee!"

"Gryphomon is a Phantom Beast Type Digimon, Data Type. Her attacks include those like Super Sonic Voice, which must hurt, and Legendary Claw," said Ryo.

"The wooly elephant's name is SkullMammothmon," said Ai, scanning for the first time. "He looks creepy, especially since he's a Data Type, Undead Digimon."

Mako took the Digivice from his sister to include his own scan. "His attacks are Charge and Spiral Bone. I'm glad he's on our side."

Alice used her own Digivice and scanned the last Mega. "This one is Pukumon, a Virus Mutant Type Digimon. He may be small but his Briten Punch and Needle Squall do just as much damage as any Mega."

I stand around at the digital land
And no matter what I see
Everything is coming at me
In a digital reality!
The whole thing's technological!
It's taking me inside
The World Wide Web collectible!
Hey! Digital... Hey! Digital... World, World, World!

"Thanks Ash," Tai called and then turned to WarGreymon. "Go get 'em!"

"TERRA FOOOOORCE!" shouted WarGreymon, forming a glowing energy ball and tossing it.

"METAL WOLF CLAW!" cried MetalGarurumon as he shot an icy blast from his mouth.

Piedmon tossed his swords at the Digimon. "TRUMP SWORD!" It was almost impossible to tell which ones were real and which ones were fake—almost.

"GIGA SCISSOR CLAW!" growled HerculesKabutarimon.

"STARLIGHT EXPLOSION!" Phoenixmon yelled.

The two Digimon destroyed the swords. "Too easy," Sora grinned.

"AVALANCHE CLAW!" shouted IceDevimon.

Joe nodded at his Pleciomon, Kenta and his MarineAngemon goggling at it. "Give him all you got buddy!"

"WATER TAIL BLASTEEEEEER!" he roared and sent a raging sea of water at IceDevimon.

Mimi glanced up and saw Gigadramon heading to Jacob and Jacqueline. "Rosemon, help them!"

"GIGA BYTE WING!" snarled Gigadramon as two beams of light shot from his cannon-sized guns.

"Not so fast! THORN WHIPPING!" Rosemon used the long vines attached to her arms to grab Gigadramon.

Catherine turned to Gryphomon. "Fight him."

"SUPER SONIC VOICE!" cried Gryphomon. Her large mouth opened and a shrill sound echoed forth from its depths. Everybody covered his or her ears.

Gigadramon flinched but grinned. "Forget about your friends?" he sneered as the others noticed the beams of light.

"Jacob! Jacqueline!" cried Cody in alarm.

Both children weren't unprepared tough. "SPIRAL BONE CRUSHEEEEEER!"

"NEEDLE SQUAAAAALL!" The two attacks from Pukumon and SkullMammothmon protected the children.

A cry of "SEVEN HEAVENS!" pierced the air and before anyone knew what was happening they saw seven golden energy spheres blasting at Gigadramon. He was deleted right on the spot. "Now, Orphanimon!" said Serephimon.

"SEPHIROTE CRYSTAL!" cried Orphanimon. The attack hit (and deleted) Megadramon. "Direct hit!"

"All right!" Cody cheered.

Some of the Vilemon smirked. "Did you really think it was over? NIGHTMARE SHOCKEEEEEEER!"

"Let's kill a whole flock of birds with one stone!" shouted Davis defiantly.

Yolei looked at him quizzically. "Uh Davis? They're monkeys."

"Whatever."

"LIGHTNING ARROW!"

"ARTIC BLIZZARD!"

"POSITRON LASEEEEEEER!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!" The evil Digimon's screams filled the air as all three attacks hit them on impact.

"All right! Great work guys!" Yolei smiled.

Ken looked up and noticed another MarineDevimon and more Vilemon arriving to aid IceDevimon. "Don't get too confident yet. We've still got company."

"We can handle 'em," Davis replied.

MarineDevimon bared his gaping fangs, his poised tentacles ready to strike. "DARK DELUGE!" he cried, spitting black liquid from his mouth at the unsuspecting boy.

"Davis MOVE!" cried Catherine. She pushed her boyfriend out of the way but the toxic liquid seared her right arm. "Aghh!"

"Catherine!" he yelled in panic. The girl dropped to her knees, clutching her arm. The black bile hissed, as it burned right through her blue sleeve and across her skin. He dashed over to her. "Cathy, are you okay?"

She grimaced, but nodded. "I'm…fine. Do not worry about me."

Davis clenched his fists in rage as he turned to look at MarineDevimon. "IMPERIALDRAMON!"

IMPERIALDRAMON MODE CHANGE TOOOO…

FIGHTER MODE!

The new and improved (not to mention taller) Digimon shouldered the cannon-sized gun attached to his wrist and fired. "POSITRON LASEEEEEEER!"

MarineDevimon took the blast head-on! However, when the smoke cleared, all he had was a large mark on his chest.

The Tamers behind their boulders except for Rika, Ryo, and Alice; dropped their jaws in shock. So did Davis.

"Okay, that wasn't supposed to happen."

Suddenly, Gryphomon and SkullMammothmon jarred the squid-like beast with their claws and tusks. Pukumon grasped onto him and injected a poisonous liquid inside. "He'll be digitized soon enough."

Pukumon's prediction turned out to be correct because MarineDevimon dissolved into data a few seconds later.

Vilemon swarmed over the teammates, more annoying than ever. "NIGHTMARE SHOCKEEEEEER!"

"Oh leave us alone," snapped HerculesKabutarimon. "You want shocks, I'll show you shocks. MEGA ELECTRO SHOCKEEEEEEER!"

The overgrown beetle couldn't have been more accurate. His large lightning attack deleted a large portion of the Vilemon and wiped out their attacks.

Izzy jumped up and cheered, which was totally unlike his normal calm and collected character. Jacob and Cody stifled a laugh. Mimi grinned and hugged the computer whiz.

Piedmon leaped into action. "TRUMP SWORD!"

WarGreymon, MetalGarurumon, Serephimon, and Orphanimon flew in to fight him. "METAL WOLF SNOUT!" Two lasers shot from MetalGarurumon's nose and dissolved the swords.

"Wipe him out!" yelled Tai.

"TERRA FOOOOORCE!" WarGreymon turned into a large brown tornado and spun at Piedmon.

Piedmon nimbly jumped out of the way and landed neatly on the ground. "CLOWN TRICK!" He shot the electrical beam at the two Megas.

Serephimon and Orphanimon blocked the electrical beam with their shining wings. The beam ricocheted off and created a large dent in the ground.

Phoenixmon flew in to help. "CRIMSON FLAME!"

Piedmon blocked the flames with his two swords. "Heh, too easy." He formed a flame hoop with his two hands and shot it at Phoenixmon. "CLOWN TRICK!"

The flame hoop twisted itself around Phoenixmon's body and began squeezing her like a sponge. "Let…go…!"

Piedmon shot an icy wind in her direction, but Vikemon blocked it just in time. It disintegrated along with the flame hoop. "VIKING AXE!" He threw one of his spike ball axes at the Digimon. Piedmon countered it with his swords. CLINK! CLASH!

It's such a digital...!
I'm going digital!
It's my digital...!
It's my digital world! World! World! World!

---

While the Tamers and the Digidestined fought, the Pokémon trainers remained behind their own boulder. Misty watched the battle with Brock and Pikachu. Ash would've done the same thing—if it weren't for Chloe fidgeting in her spot beside him.

"Uuuuhhh…Clo? You feeling okay?"

She shook her head and winced. "It's been growing worse ever since this whole fight began. I've been sensing it."

Ash looked concerned. "Sensing what?"

"Something's…coming. I-I can't tell who it is—yet."

(A/N: You know, this was really freaky not to mention kind of ironic. At this point in my story the first time I typed it, the whole thing just deleted and my PC froze. I had to type everything over again up to this sentence. Weird huh? Anyway, back to the story. Ignore me)

Chloe began to rock backward and forward, eyes shut tight in pain. Ash grabbed her shoulders and forced her to stop moving—with difficulty. "Chloe, are you okay?"

"Something's coming…so strong…so deadly."

Misty and Brock had by now turned around, along with Pikachu. They stared at Chloe in alarm. "Wow what's wrong?" Misty demanded anxiously.

Ash strained for Chloe to look at him. She did and a chill ran down his spine as she used her psychic brainwaves to tell him what she was seeing. "Oh…my…are you serious?"

She nodded, wincing in the process. Her eyes glowed with energy. "It's…it's him."

"Who?" asked Brock, having a good idea who.

"Missingno…" Chloe closed her eyes and concentrated. "He's…heading…somewhere."

Pikachu lifted his nose and frowned. He couldn't detect any scent but there was the sense of a Pokémon in the air. It felt…like the virus.

Ash gritted his teeth, feeling a strange electrical surge running through him. "He's here…right now. He's heading towards the Digidestined."

The trainers looked at each other, fully absorbing this information.

"But if Missingno's heading to the Digidestined then he'll…" Misty began and cut her sentence short. "Oh my God."

Chloe glanced frantically at the area where their friends were. "Oh no! TAI! T.K.!" She took off across the rocky ground.

"CHLOE!" yelled Ash. He darted after her.

"ASH!" cried Misty. She raced after him.

Brock and Pikachu looked at each other, nodded once, and followed their friends to the source of the danger.

---

The whole thing's interchangeable!
Wired up to my body
Anything is capable!
Hey! Digital... Hey! Digital... World, World, World!
I'm going digital!
Completely digital!
Now I'm invincible!
Let's all get digital!

(song ends)

Piedmon was still counteracting every attack sent at him using his Reflect ability. Matt gritted his teeth in frustration. "There has to be a way to get through this overgrown clown."

"If he didn't keep reflecting everything we have, he'd be compost by now," said Izzy, equally frustrated.

Davis was helping Catherine to her feet. "What we need him to do is hold still. Do ya think Gryphomon can do that for us?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Gryphomon, your stunning attack si vous plait." please

Gryphomon flew in and opened her beak. "SUPER SONIC VOICE!" she screeched. The sound waves flowing from her voice froze Piedmon in position, paralyzing him.

Rosemon decided to lend a hand. "And people say roses are harmless. THORN WHIPPING!" The long whips attached to her arms wrapped around the Digimon, further rooting him to the spot.

"NOW!"

"TERRA FOOOOOORCE!"

"METAL WOLF CLAW!"

"CRIMSON FLARE!"

"EDEN'S JAVELIN!"

"STRIKE OF THE SEVEN STARS!"

All five attacks made a direct hit on Piedmon, causing him to suffer massive damage. But that wasn't all. HerculesKabutarimon and Pleciomon charged up their own powerful attacks to send him flying.

"MEGA ELECTRO SHOCKEEEEER!"

"WATER TAIL BLASTEEEEEER!"

Both the water blast and the burst of electricity did send the Dark Master flying. When he managed to get up, there were multiple hit marks all over his body. He scowled at the Digidestined. "How did you become this strong?" he demanded.

"Simple," Tai answered firmly. "By working as a team."

IceDevimon floated over to them. "AVALANCHE CLAW!"

The freezing wind caused the majority of their Digimon to freeze in position. The Digidestined blinked in horror. They knew about this coldhearted freak from Rika.

Imperialdramon decided to dispose of him once and for all. IceDevimon may have the strength of an Ultimate, but he was still no match for a Mega. "POSITRON LASEEEEEEER!"

The colossal beam collided with IceDevimon and hid him from sight. By the time it cleared, there was nothing left—except Piedmon.

"FINISH HIM GUYS!"

Together, the Digimon surged forward to attack. At the same time, Chloe, Ash, Pikachu, Misty, and Brock arrived at the site. "No WAIT!" they shouted in alarm but to no avail.

"TERRA FOOOOOORCE!"

"METAL WOLF CLAW!"

"CRIMSON FLARE!"

"MEGA ELECTRO SHOCKEEEEEEER!"

"WATER TAIL BLASTEEEEEEER!"

"LIGHTNING ARROW!"

"ARTIC BLIZZARD!"

"LEGENDARY CLAW!"

"ROSE RAPIER!"

"NEEDLE SQUAAAAAALL!"

"SPIRAL BONE CRUSHEEEEEER!"

"SEPHIROTE CRYSTAL!"

"SEVEN HEAVENS!"

"POSITRON LASEEEEEEER!"

Every single one of the attacks combined into one beam of blazing light. The beam crashed into Piedmon, who had no time to react to the situation. The trainers ran to Piedmon's body, looking terrified. His howl of pain rose above the roar of the beam. But it was nothing compared to the other cries emitted from the trainers.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" yelled Ash in horror.

Misty covered her face in her hands. "What have you done?!"

"You shouldn't have done that!" cried Brock, alarmed.

Chloe dropped to her knees, her head throbbing from the force of her brainwaves. "Oh no! Oh no! OH NOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

Calumon peeked over the boulder. "What's the matter with her? I thought I was the only one who said that."

As the evil menace's body lay stretched out across the earth, he slowly began dissolving into fine sugar. Misty pressed a hand to her mouth, looking sick. Brock sucked in his breath sharply. It was too late.

Piedmon's thoughts dissolved along with his body, a small sick smile lifting the corners of his mouth. Now that my task is complete…the virus…will destroy…you all…

Davis blinked cluelessly. "What's the matter with you guys?"

Ash helped Chloe to her feet. She was still clutching her head, her face screwed up in torture. "You…you killed him. You shouldn't have killed him," said Ash in a quavering voice. His eyes were large with fright.

"Why?" asked Ken. Izzy nodded, perplexed.

Chloe opened her eyes, their blue orbs blazing with psychic energy. "He's here! Now!" She grabbed Ash's hand and began dragging him away from the site. "C'mon, we have to leave! He's here!"

Ash didn't need much persuasion. He motioned for Misty, Brock, and Pikachu to follow him. They, in turn, motioned for the Digidestined to follow them.

Kari froze in position, a shiver going down her spine. "What…is that…horrible feeling?"

T.K. grabbed her shoulders and kept her running. "We have to go Kari. I think I know who's coming. It's Missingno!"

No sooner had the words left his lips, and then an icy voice rose throughout the Sovereign realm. "As I have been saying to you all…I have powers you wouldn't imagine."

The three groups stopped running and turned to see the Missingno Virus sparking and floating near Piedmon's former body. He was larger than the last time they'd seen him; he was about as big as Imperialdramon. "WHOA! That thing's HUGE!" Kazu declared.

Ryo glared at Missingno. "Why are you doing this? And how did you get so big?"

A gusto of chilly laughter erupted from Missingno's depths. "While you were fighting, I was absorbing energy from evil and good Digimon. The Dark Masters you were fighting, as they got stronger…so did I. And now…I'm unstoppable." His viral eyes narrowed at the Pokémon trainers. Your little friends here figured this out and they tried to stop you from destroying Piedmon. Brave as they were, they're too late."

"So that's why you summoned the evil Digimon back from the grave," said Izzy. "You were using them as tools for power."

Davis moved forward. "We're not going to let you get away with this! You've caused us enough grief and pain."

Jacob held up his hand. "Hold on a minute Davis. We can't attack him remember? If anything made of data or digital creation touches Missingno or gets too near him, that creation will be deleted and absorbed."

"Oh great," Henry groaned from the boulders where the Tamers were. "How are we supposed to destroy him now? Our Digimon are all made of data!"
"Momentai Henry," Terriermon mumbled.

"Oh momentai yourself."

Ken looked up at Missingno nervously. "He doesn't even act or think like a Pokémon. It's so hard to believe that he is one because he's so unfeeling."

"The programmers who created me made me this way. I'm not programmed to feel emotions…they'll just disrupt my indoctrination. Just think of me as the only 'nonfeeling Pokémon'," His long scythe-like arms rose slightly. "So who wants to be first to die?"

The Digidestined and the Digimon Tamers glared at the viral hazard angrily. It was all they could do to keep from attacking Missingno head-on, even though they knew nothing of the sort would work.

Ash, unlike the others, hadn't said a word. He was too busy thinking and it looked as if the effort was really hurting him. He grunted with the effort.

"Quick, someone get a light bulb!" yelled Kazu jokingly.

Finally, an idea came to him and he opened his eyes. "Guys…?" he turned to his fellow trainers.

Misty nodded. "Yes."

"Understood," Brock added firmly. Pikachu gave his trainer a thumbs-up.

Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Geez, it took you that long to figure it out? I figured it out three minutes ago." She turned to the Digidestined and the Tamers hiding behind the boulder. "You guys better stay here. This is our fight."

"Huh? How come?" Kenta blinked naively.

"It's because Pokémon aren't made of data or anything digital you dolt," Rika retorted sharply. "They're made up of the same flesh and blood as us humans."

"But what about the time when Chloe died?" asked Takato curiously. Everybody stared at him. "What?"

Joe had an explanation for that. "She turned to dust, not data. Remember?"

"Oh yeah."

Izzy nodded once. "Then it's settled. The trainers will fight Missingno while the rest of us remain here to give them support. Good luck you guys."

Let's go then," Ash said, determined.

Chloe nodded but before she left, Tai caught her by the arm. "Promise me you'll be careful."

She smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I promise." Then she turned to T.K. and sent him a telepathic message. "I'll inform you of our progress since we can communicate with each other. Is that all right with you T.K.?"

"I guess this wouldn't be a good time to tell Tai and Kari about us would it?"

"We'll tell them after the battle—if we trainers survive."

"You guys will. I believe in you."

"Thanks."

He nodded and pulled her into a hug. "Take care of yourself."

"I will." She pulled away and bravely followed her teammates to the virus. "BRING IT ON MISSINGNO!"

Alexis: All right! Rika and the others are back from the dead and now it's a Pokémon showdown! Can the Pokémon trainers really take down Missingno or are they just in over their heads? The battles begin next so just stay put!

Me: You heard her people. The Tamers and the Digidestined aren't going to interfere so the next chapter's gonna focus on Pokémon. If you thought that this chapter was long, you haven't seen anything yet. Of course, it'll take me awhile to get it out because it's the second-longest chapter so far in the whole fic (this one surprisingly isn't the longest even though it took 35 pages when I was done). Things are going to get a little complicated, but there's no reason to give up. Until then!