Me: Somebody call the cops and tell them to get down here fast because I believe I just updated after a seven month absence from this fic. I believe I should spare you all my reasons for not updating because...hey I updated didn't I? Anyway, I have a final to study for and it's 3:00 AM right now so be happy! I don't own Digimon, Pokémon, and the following songs: the Battle theme from Super Smash Bros. Melee, and "The Pokémon Theme" from Pokémon 2.B.A. Master (and the opening). Oh yeah, in my story, when Missingno uses Reflect, he can reflect anything. You smart people out there have probably figured out why I chose so many Pokémon songs so I'm not going to delay anything any longer for you. It's time to fight, Pokémon style!

Chapter 12- The Pokémon Showdown

"All of my Pokémon are my friends. We all work together, like a family,"—Ash Ketchum, Pokémon 3 the Movie: Spell of the Unown

"If it frightens the Sovereign it is not to be taken lightly,"—Renamon
"It can't be taken lightly; it's the size of a house!"—Terriermon

"We know so little about it,"—Rika Nonaka
"Yeah, except that it can destroy us all,"—Takato Matsuki, Reunion

Digital World
Sovereign Realm

The Missingno Virus loomed in front of the four Pokémon trainers. He rippled with laughter. "Trying to stop me are you? You don't stand a chance."

"That's what you think!" snapped Brock angrily.

"Oh I'm so scared. How about I just give you a punch for good luck?"

Ash glared right into the virus's pixel eyes. "You do that and we'll shove it right back up your—"

"Ash!" Misty exclaimed warningly.

He looked at her oddly. "I didn't say anything. Besides, he doesn't have one…does he?"

Chloe and Brock sweatdropped. "Oh I really didn't need to hear that," Chloe moaned softly.

"Yes you were going to say something."

"I almost said something but I didn't say it."

"Almost is just as bad as saying it."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"IS NOT!"

"IS TOO!"

"Will you guys quit arguing?" Brock cut in. "We're supposed to fight Missingno, not each other."

The two looked sheepish. "Sorry."

Missingno rippled with laughter again. "You know, this isn't fair. Four against one."

"Life's not fair," snapped Ash. "Get used to it."

"I meant it's not fair for you. I'm so much stronger," the virus said, and then smirked. "Let's see if I can help."

For a minute there was nothing but silence. Then Missingno began to glow a bright electric blue. The long bolts of electricity shimmered around him and one of his arms shot towards Chloe. Before she could do anything, it inserted itself into her head, right through her brain. She began to shriek.

"CHLOE!" yelled Ash. "LEAVE HER ALONE!" He grabbed onto Missingno's disgusting arm and began yanking it away from her brain. Chloe's screams increased in volume.

"Stop it Ash! You're making it worse!" cried Misty, horrified. Ash reluctantly let go, but he was still indignant.

Tai, T.K., Rika, and the rest of the other kids emitted cries of shock and alarm at the horrific sight. Rika balled up her hands, restraining herself from running out there and jamming her fist into Missingno's pixilated face.

Chloe fell to her knees and grasped her head tightly. Her eyes began to give off their deadly psychic blue color but the light seemed to be fading away from the center of her irises. Her breath came out in quick short bursts.

"Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!" Jeri yelled, hands pressed over her mouth to muffle her screams. She looked like she was going to be sick.

"You heard Ash!" Tai cried out with angered distress. "LEAVE HER ALONE!"

Finally, Missingno actually seemed to take pity on the psychic trainer—or maybe it was because his goal appeared to be complete. The long tentacle arm extracted itself from Chloe's head and floated back to the virus. Missingno laughed softly under his breath (A/N: Uh…if he has breath anyway) as Ash put an arm protectively around her.

"Are you okay?" he asked her hurriedly. "What did he do to you?"

Chloe looked at Ash in a glazed sort of way before widening. "Ash…I…I don't feel so good. I feel…different."

"Like how?" he asked her.

Chloe looked over at T.K. His eyes widened with shock as he stared at her. She moved her head away from Ash and tried to concentrate on moving a stray pebble into the air. Nothing happened. She tried again. Nothing happened.

What? Oh no. It…it can't be… She closed her eyes as a fresh wave of nausea swept over her. Keep breathing…just keep breathing…you can do this! She paused. What are you thinking! You just lost a part of yourself! She raised her lapis eyes to Ash's face. "I…Ash…I don't have my powers anymore."

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!" Ash, Misty, and Brock yelled so loud the place was filled with echoes. Missingno merely smirked. Their friends stared.

"Chloe," said Ash once he finished. "Are you serious?"

She nodded and shakily got to her feet. "Well that's what you've always wanted isn't it?" Brock pointed out. "You were forced to have those powers and now that they're gone, you're free."

Chloe shook her head hard. "No, you don't get it. Those powers were and are a part of me. I'm not 'Chloe' without them. I'm…" She scrunched up her face and wailed, "I don't know what I am!" Another wave of nausea swept over her. "I…I think I'm gonna be sick." She pressed a hand over her mouth and struggled to keep from retching on the spot.

Misty gave the ghost of small gasp and Brock sucked in his breath sharply. Pikachu turned towards Missingno and began speaking to him in Pokémon language. "Pika Pi. Pi. Pikachu. Pi Pi Chu. Pika. Pikachu Pika. Pika Pika Pikachu!" (What you did was cruel! You knew Chloe's powers are vital to us!)

"Of course I knew that," said Missingno carelessly. "Why else do you think I took them from her? I've made things more fair."

Chloe took a deep breath and looked up at Missingno angrily. "Give them back to me! Give them back now!"

"No."

"I said, give them back you hideous, lousy, cheating, data-stealing, son of a—"

"WHOA! Okay," said Brock, clamping a hand over Chloe's mouth just in time. "That's going a little too far."

Chloe pushed his hand away roughly while Ash glared at Missingno. "So that means we can't have Chloe's psychic powers on our side. That's okay. At least you can battle Chloe."

She nodded firmly and her eyes darkened. He will not get away with this.

"Well if you're so strong, let's begin. Once I destroy you four, I'll delete your friends. That shouldn't take very long."

"Be quiet!" Misty snapped.

"Hmmm…since you're all so eager to fight, why don't I make sure your so-called friends don't interfere?" said Missingno. He began to glow and shimmer with energy. A colossal beam of light shot out of his body and climbed up to the skies above. The beam divided into several more beams, which arced over the skies; forming a clear dome. The sides of the dome expanded until it was roughly larger than a baseball stadium. "Think of this as your own arena. As long as we're up to battling, no one can get in or out. The shield will only dissolve if I win or, by some miracle, you defeat me. Oh and I wouldn't touch it if I were you. The thing is made of electricity and data. Understood?"

The Pokémon trainers stared in fright at the walls of their global "arena". Behind it, the Tamers and the Digidestined had pressed their hands against the sides of the dome and were peering in. They immediately leaped away as the sparks began to fly from the circular dome. Most of the kids looked afraid while a few others were glaring at the Missingno Virus.

Pikachu leaped to the front of the group, growling under his breath. Chloe unzipped her blue jacket, revealing a sleeveless white T-shirt and black fingerless gloves that went up just above her elbows.

"Why'd you take your jacket off?" asked Misty curiously.

"I can't battle well with this thing on," she answered. "A trainer needs to be maneuverable." She tossed the jacket aside.

Ash looked over at Izzy's laptop. In his haste, the computer genius had abandoned the computer while attacking Piedmon. Ash flipped open the laptop and searched around on it for a few minutes.

"Ash, this is no time to be playing video games!" said Misty in an exasperated voice.

"I'm not," he answered her. "Just a minute…I…got it!" He pressed the Enter button on the keyboard and jumped to the side of the computer. "Stand back guys."

Before anyone could comprehend those words, Poké Balls came shooting out of the screen faster than bullets. They landed (slammed) into the ground and lay there, ready for use.

"I thought we'd need some more backup," said Ash confidentially. "Now let's get ready to battle!"

The others nodded.

"Pikachu…Charizard…Venusaur…Meganium…Muk…Feraligat or…Donphan…Tauros…Typhlosion…Kingler…Tyranitaur…Sn orlax…Heracross…NoctOwl…Espeon…Sceptile…Torkoal…Cr awdaut…Swellow…Glalie…I CHOOSE YOU!"

"Corsola…Staryu…Starmie…Politoad…Seadra…Golduck…Lu vdisc…Azumarrill…GO!"

"Onix…Golem…Foretress…Crobat…Ludicolo…Marshtomp…GO OOOOOOOOOO!

"Dragonite…Alakazam…Arcanine…Amphorus…Gyrados…Jump luff…Steelix…Scizor…Blissey…Piloswine…Umbreon…Meta gross…Slaking…Altaria…Flygon… Salamance…I CHOOSE YOU!"

Beams of light shot from the Poké Balls as they opened, and flashed in all directions. The lights writhed and formed into more than a dozen Pokémon. They stood (Well, those that are able to stand anyway) before their masters, ready for orders.

However, two Poké Balls did not open at all. Chloe picked them up and grinned. "Sorry, I forgot about them." She handed one Poké Ball to Brock and the other to Misty. "These are for you."

"Huh?"

"These are for you," Chloe repeated. "You could use some more Pokémon couldn't you—no offense."

Her friends shrugged. "None taken." They took hold of the Poké Balls and, without much hesitation, threw them. "Poké Ball GO!"

Out of Brock's Poké Ball came a stone gray creature with one red eye. Out of Misty's came a small round balloon. The "balloon" had big blue eyes, a small curl, and was holding a microphone. In other words, it was—

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! JIGGLYPUFF!"

"Did you hear something Kazu?" asked Kenta from behind the barrier.

"Who me? Nah. Hey check out the trainers! They seem to be dancing around like crazy."

Kenta blinked. "Weird. Must be a Pokémon thing."

"Jigglypuff Jiggly…puff. Jigglypuff Jiggly."

At once, the Tamers and the Digidestined started to feel sleepy and stupid. "What the heck is…going…on?" asked Tai sleepily.

"I…dunno…" mumbled Takato. "But…I hear someone singing…such a soothing song."

Suzie conked out in front of her brother. Henry rubbed his eyes. "Well…it's not…too bad…right?"

Jeri blinked rapidly. "I…I don't know."

Sora slumped against Matt's shoulder. Mimi yawned openly. "This…is…so…relaxing. I feel like all of my worries are being gently wiped away."

"I feel so sleepy," whispered Guilmon. "So…sleepy…nighty-night Takatomon." He slumped down with Calumon snoozing peacefully on his head.

Davis shook his head, trying to keep awake. "Anyone besides me…fancy a (yawn) nap?"

Rika blinked rapidly. "Must try to stay awake…must try to stay awake…must resist stupid song…must…resist…"

"Hey Jigglypuff, quit it," Chloe commanded firmly.

The little Pokémon lowered its microphone obediently and closed its mouth, bowing. Slowly, the trainers lost their glazed looks and shrugged out of their sleepy stupor.

"Chloe, are you nuts?" Ash demanded once he'd been able to compose himself. "You caught Jigglypuff?"

The dark-haired girl laughed. "What's the problem?"

Ash, Brock, Misty, and Pikachu didn't know exactly how to tell her how much trouble the little pink balloon had caused in the past.

"Look, this Jigglypuff is loyal to me and I've grown immune to its singing…sort of," Chloe explained. "So don't worry. Its song won't affect Missingno so just don't tell it to use its song. That's all."

The others nodded. "We have your word for it Chloe," Misty said.

She inclined her head in return—and sweatdropped heavily as Ash's Torkoal began to weep emotionally and blow black steam from its nostrils. "Uuuuh…Ash? I thought steam usually came from a Torkoal's back. So what the heck is it blowing steam from its nose for?"

Ash laughed nervously and placed a hand behind his head. "Uh actually he's just really emotional. That's all. I honestly don't know why he doesn't blow steam from his back."

"I see."

Normally, the Digidestined and the Tamers were accustomed to the term that "looks could be deceiving." However, the sight of the Pokémon the trainers had unleashed did send a flicker of worry through their stomachs. After all, the Digidestined hadn't even seen the Hoenn Pokémon before, not even from Chloe, so they weren't sure about how the outcome would turn out.

"Is that a bean?" Rika uttered, gesturing at Misty's Luvdisc in disbelief.

Henry shook his head. "That's no bean Rika. It actually resembles more of a sideways flat heart that from the front looks like a…well…a…"

"It's a bean Henry."

Tai, meanwhile, was having his own skepticisms about the Pokémon. He was used to Chloe's usual supply of creatures from the Kanto and Johto regions, but nothing had prepared him for the Hoenn ones. "That thing is so not funny."

"Uuuh, which one Tai?" T.K. asked him curiously.

"The one that looks like a gorilla with a tomato for a nose," said Tai, pointing at Slaking. The creature was snoozing a safe distance away from the rest of Chloe's Pokémon partners. "It looks like it'd rather sleep than fight."

T.K. laughed. "Oh come on Tai. I'm sure it's just for appearance. Chloe wouldn't have a Pokémon out here that's completely useless." Slaking yawned hugely and turned over. "Uuuh, at least I don't think so."

"I agree with Tai on the Pokémon," said Jeri apprehensively. She pointed at Brock's dancing Ludicolo. Even Jumpluff looked at it in bewilderment. "That one looks like it'd rather spend time doing the Mexican Hat Dance."

Davis glanced at Ash's confused Crawdaut. "And what's with that one? Is it a crab or an oversized lobster?"

"Maybe it's a crabster!" said Kazu jokingly. The others glared at him, including Alice and Ai and Mako.

"I don't think they thought that was very funny," Guardromon whispered to his Tamer under his breath.

Kari gazed at the rest of the Pokémon, from Ash's weepy Torkoal to Chloe's over-excited Altaria. "Can they actually beat him?" she wondered out loud. "With these guys?"

"It's not a question of whether they can beat Missingno or not," said Takato slowly but seriously. The darkening sky clouded his red-brown eyes. "They have to."

Izzy nodded, his dark eyes narrowed. Unlike the others, he wasn't at all doubtful about the trainers' skill with their Pokémon. I believe they can pull through though. Ash is one of the strongest Pokémon masters in their world. Misty's an excellent trainer of Water Pokémon. Brock is an expert breeder and a good battler on the side. And Chloe, with or without her psychic powers, is a formidable and skilled master.

Albeit their Pokémon were a bit strange and some of them didn't look strong, but he knew enough about them to know that they always were filled with surprises.

That's the way to be a good Pokémon trainer. You have to be unpredictable.

The two teams watched as the trainers turned to face the deadly virus. With their Pokémon by their side, they recalled the times they'd had together and the challenges they'd faced in the past. None of them had prepared them to face against a "Missing Pokémon", but for some reason, they felt no fear—okay, not a lot of fear.

(Play Kanto Skies: Poké Floats—Battle Theme)

Missingno reared back and shot his scythe-like tentacle arms in the trainers' direction.

"Venusaur, Meganium!" yelled Ash. "VINE WHIP ATTACK!"

The virus dodged the long vines trying to wrap around him and fired an Ice Beam. "Arcanine, Fire Blast!" shouted Chloe. The human-shaped wave of fire melted the blast of ice. "Okay Steelix, Iron Tail!"

Steelix roared as his tail glowed with crystal light. He raised it and slammed it against Missingno, who flew backward. Snorlax waited on the other side of the spherical wall. "Snorlax, Mega Punch!"

One of the heaviest Pokémon in history reared back his fist and—POW!—managed to score a direct hit on Missingno. Pikachu cheered.

Missingno's eyes narrowed and his tentacle arms spiraled around in front of his pixilated body. They continued to contract and spiral before forming a powerful pulse of water. "HYDRO PUMP!"

As one, the trainers countered the blast of H20 with a blast of their own: fight Water attack with Water attack.

"Feraligator, Kingler!"

"Corsola, Golduck, Starmie, Staryu, Seadra, Politoad, Azumarrill!"

"Marshtomp, Ludicolo!"

"Gyrados!"

"HYDRO PUMP!" They chorused in unison.

The combined jets of water fused into a single entity as it zoomed straight at the virus. SPLASH! When the ripples died down, Missingno emerged with his body slightly more staticky and discombobulated than before.

The virus's eyes flashed and his body became snowy and out of focus. He split into about ten more copies before clearing up again.

"This looks like Double Team," said Ash darkly. "But I can take care of that. Venusaur, Meganium, Sceptile…use Razor Leaf!"

"You too Jumpluff," added Chloe firmly.

The five Grass-Types shot a storm of razor sharp leaves at the duplicates. Nearly all of them vanished, leaving the real Missingno easy prey. "Gyrados, Dragon Rage!" cried Chloe.

Gyrados let loose, shooting a whirlpool of blue fire at the virus but he merely swiped at it. "Too easy to counter."

"Just call it a diversionary tactic!" Misty laughed. "Golduck, Ice Beam!"

"GOOOOLDUUUUUUCK!" shouted the blue kappa-like duck. He shot a beam of frigid ice from the ruby on his forehead. Missingno cast a glowing shield around his body and sent the beam back at Golduck. The Pokémon dodged it just in the nick of time.

Brock blinked. "That move's Reflect."

"We know Brock," said Chloe flatly. "I have that move remember?"

"Oh right," he responded. Shaking his head, he commanded Golem to use Rock Throw.

"Golem," mumbled the giant boulder. He started pounding the ground and (for some strange reason) a shower of rocks fell from the sky onto Missingno.

The virus looked up at the rocks and slid smoothly to one side, causing them to dent the ground instead of him. He laughed evilly. "You meddlesome trainers are getting annoying and if you must know, I still have several tricks up my sleeve." He conjured a large protective shield around his body and began blasting at the kids with electric blue beams.

"Look out!" Brock shouted.

Chloe, who was riding on Dragonite, saw the beams heading her way. "Dodge 'em Dragonite!"

The dragon flew around the beams in a zigzag pattern. Chloe glanced at the barrier shield. I can use Alakazam to shatter that thing but I'll need someone to distract Missingno. "Hey Ash!"

"What?"

"Is there any way for you to distract Missingno? I mean, I don't want you to be bait but…"

Ash grinned. "Got just the thing." He raced up to Missingno. "Hey you phony blue excuse for a Pokémon. Come on and get me!"

He jumped onto Charizard's back and the lizard flew into the air. Missingno began blasting beams in their direction, but Charizard just dodged them. "Is that the best you got? You should take aiming classes," Ash laughed.

Chloe looked at the trainer in disgust. This is his idea of a distraction? She sighed. Oh well, at least it's working. She commanded Dragonite to fly towards Alakazam.

"Come on! Come and get me!" called Ash from above. He knew he shouldn't provoke the virus for too long unless he wanted to become digital hamburger. Hurry up Chloe!

"Alakazam, Psybeam!"

The psychic Pokémon concentrated on its brainwaves and shot a beautiful green, yellow, and magenta beam from its two spoons. It crashed into the barrier shield surrounding Missingno and shattered it.

"Bull's eye!" Ash cheered…but his smile faded when he noticed Missingno was glowing faintly. A strange force emitting from him caused boulders to rise from the ground and hurtle towards Ash's Heracross who was too busy staring at Venusaur's bulb hungrily to notice. "Heracross!"

Just in time, Misty's Starmie floated over to Heracross and pushed it out of the way of the Ancient Power. Ash sighed in relief. "Thanks Misty."

"Anytime," she replied with a smile. "Okay Starmie, Thunderbolt!"

Starmie spun around, sending a stream of thunder-laden rods at Missingno. The virus slid in and out of the attack before his eyes glinted as a ray of eerie purple light descended upon the star shape. "Confuse Ray."

Starmie spun around, totally confused. It started smacking at Golduck and Staryu. "Starmie, what's the matter with you?" demanded Misty.

"It's confused," Brock noted. "You better return it before it causes more trouble for us."

"Good idea," Misty commented, pulling out Starmie's Poké Ball. "Return!"

While Misty dealt with her Pokémon, Ash commanded Donphan to use Rollout. The gray elephant tucked itself into a tight ball before rolling towards Missingno, its speed increasing as the rollout continued. The virus rolled his eyes.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" he asked lazily before forming a glowing shield around himself. "Barrier." Donphan bounced off the shield and began rolling backwards.

Ash winced while the others facevaulted. Um…sorry?

Brock rolled his eyes and took charge immediately. They couldn't afford to let Missingno see them falter. "Marshtomp, use Mud Slap!"

"Marshtomp!" The blue tadpole scooped up handfuls of dirt and washed them up with water. Using the mud, it flung it straight at Missingno's eyes. SPLAT!

"Now Heracross, use Megahorn while he can't see!" yelled Ash.

Heracross dashed up to Missingno, its head bent. "HERACROSS!" It rammed its horned head against the viral hazard, sending him up into the air.

"Okay Luvdisc, it's your turn!" Misty pointed straight at the flying Missingno. "Use your Water Pulse!"

Luvdisc blinked its large eyes and shot a stream of shimmering large bubbles from its mouth. As the bubbles descended upon the virus, his pixilated skin started to fizzle slightly.

"Nice job Misty," Chloe commented brightly. "Now it's my turn. Alakazam, Seismic Toss!"

Alakazam focused his psychic brainwaves upon the two spoons he was holding. Both spoons bent and a glowing red light surrounded Missingno, lifting the virus up into the air. "Kazam!" Missingno slammed against the ground, then up in the air, then back down at the ground again.

"Excellent Chloe," Ash said with a smile.

Missingno used his tentacle arms to latch onto the ground like tight cords. With the tight grip, Alakazam could not Seismic Toss him again. He used his other tentacle arms to wipe away the mud from Marshtomp's earlier attack.

"Flygon! Salamance! Earthquake!" yelled Chloe determinedly.

The two dragons flew into the air and then hurled themselves to the ground, sending shockwave from the crumbling earth. The shockwaves all hit Missingno, making him lose control of his hold on the ground.

"Not bad trainers. But see if you can handle this! DRAGON CLAW!"

The Missing Pokémon's arms spread out like wings and the ends transformed into razor-sharp claws that glowed a steady pure white. They lashed forward to strike. Quickly, Chloe commanded Metagross to take the attack head-on. SLASH! SLASH! The claws hacked away at the Pokémon but they could not penetrate through its thick outer exoskeleton.

Ash grinned in approval at his friend's quick thinking. "Espeon, use Psybeam!"

The lavender creature nodded slowly and began to sway its strange tail back and forth in a trancelike motion. The beautiful psychic beam of energy charged up within its red center jewel and fired up at Missingno.

"Help them out Staryu!" Misty commanded. "Rapid Spin Missingno from behind and knock him into the path of that beam!"

Staryu did as it commanded and spiraled around Missingno, ramming him repeatedly until it knocked him into the Psybeam. SCHEOW! The beam struck the virus and sent him to the ground, a fizzling hole where it had hit him.

"Good job you two," commented Brock. "…Huh?"

The virus's many arms lifted into the air as if he were summoning something from the heavens even while lying like a wilted flower on the ground. Instead, his body began to glow in a rainbow of colors, healing his wounds and injuries; including the hole the Psybeam had made through his middle. "Recover."

"That's…not cool," Ash muttered.

He and Chloe landed their Pokémon and proceeded to stare at the virus as his eyes narrowed into slits. "You will never destroy me. You children are doomed!" A dark haze surrounded the viral hazard and his many arms spread wide. Before the trainers could comprehend what was happening, Missingno split himself into three other shapes. "Meet the causes of your destruction!" They writhed and formed into…living duplicates.

"Holy…" Ash began but no other sound emitted from his mouth.

Misty glanced at her friends. "Any ideas Ash?"

"Ummm…surrender?"

"Any other ideas?"

Brock gulped. "I have one but it involves a lot of running, quite a bit of screaming, and a whole load of yelling."

"In other words we're screwed," snapped Chloe.

"Um…yeah that sounds about right."

"Uuugh."

(Stop Kanto Skies: Poké Floats—Battle Theme)

Takato gulped as he stared through the shield separating them from the trainers. "Uh guys, is it just me or did Missingno suddenly have triplets?"

"I'd say it's just you and you've completely cracked but Henry wouldn't like that."

"Terriermon!"

"What? What?"

Rika pounded one fist against the barrier. "If only we could reach them."

"But Rika, we can't."

"Way to state the obvious Gogglehead."

"Hey, I'm just telling the truth."

"Well it's not working is it?"

"Will you guys shut up?" demanded Henry in exasperation. "You're acting like a married couple."

Jeri stepped between them. "Look, arguing is getting us nowhere. We need to give the Pokémon trainers as much support as we can. Even though we can't reach them, we can't lose hope."

Kazu grinned. "Ash has the Crest of Faith. He didn't get it for no reason. They won't give up."

Tai nodded slowly. "They better not give up. T.K., how do you think they're holding up in there?"

T.K. closed his eyes. When he opened them, he said, "They're still willing to keep fighting even though it's gonna be harder with three Missingnos instead of one."

"Did Chloe tell you that?"

"Yes."

"How did she do that when she doesn't have telepathy?"

T.K. sighed. I think this would be a good time to tell them what Chloe did to me. "Remember when I told you that Chloe transmitted the prophecy to me before she died? Well, that wasn't the only thing she transmitted. She gave me a little of her psychic powers."

Bombshell! Everybody stared at him, including Rika…especially Rika. "What?" asked T.K. sulkily.

"You're psychic?" Tai muttered incredulously.

T.K. exhaled slowly. "No. I'm telepathic, not psychic. She gave me the ability to use read minds and speak inside peoples' minds but that's it."

Kari was silent. She knew there was some sort of link between Chloe and T.K. but now it was too confusing to understand anymore—not to mention, unbreakable.

Tai was thinking along the same lines as Kari. He wasn't entirely sure about the special relationship between T.K. and Chloe. They had always insisted they were platonic, but their actions were by far the strangest platonic ones he'd ever seen. Was their love truly spiritual…or something more?

Rika stopped paying attention to her friend and focused instead on the growing battle within the spherical dome. Somewhere in there, the trainers had sealed their fate.

"I've got an idea," said Chloe finally. "And it's a better one than running. Each of us should take a clone to battle. Use as little Pokémon as possible because we still need to keep some in reserve." She glanced at Misty. "I think you should take my Piloswine with you on this one. It's just so you have a little more variety like Ash, Brock, and I."

"But there's four of us and three of them," Misty protested.

Chloe nodded. "I know that. One of us will have to battle Missingno." She looked around at her teammates. "So who's gonna do it?"

In response, Brock and Misty both pointed at Ash.

"Hey! I can't destroy Missingno on my own! He's the original and the most powerful of the four!"

"Good luck then," said Misty promptly. She took off to the right, leading her Pokémon to M-1.

Brock nodded. "We'll be giving you a free way," he said cheerfully before going to the left towards M-2.

Ash gulped. Oh thanks guys. He looked at Chloe uneasily. "I really don't think I'm cut out for this Chloe."

She smiled at his nervous expression. "Oh don't worry Ash. I never said you had to destroy Missingno, just stall him. Keep him busy until we get back." She reached over and patted his shoulder. "You can do it Ash. I believe in you, if no one else does." Without another word, she got on Dragonite's back and commanded him to fly to M-3.

"Looks like we better get to work," Ash muttered under his breath.

"Pikachu."

M-1 didn't wait for Misty to get the first strike in. He immediately summoned a Thunder attack on her. "Watch out!"

Her Pokémon did their best to dodge the powerful lightning streaks. How can I beat this guy if he keeps using Electric attacks? Misty wondered.

Jigglypuff sucked in its paunch and rushed to attack the virus head-on. "PUFF!" Using its Double Slap ability, it struck M-1 once, twice, three times across the face and middle. M-1 pried it off of him and flung him into the nearest rock jutting from the ground.

"Corsola, Golduck, Luvdisc, Politoad, Staryu, Azumarrill, use your Hydro Pump!"

All five Water Pokémon, full and half, shot the powerful jets of water at the viral clone. He managed to maneuver around most of them, but the last administered a hefty load of damage to his circuitry.

"THUNDERBOLT!"

"Dodge it you guys!" Misty called to her Pokémon. He has to stop using Electric attacks! My Pokémon will be finished if he doesn't. "Corsola, use your Spike Cannon! Golduck, use your Ice Beam!"

"Corsola," the Pokémon chirped as it sent a storm of shimmering white needles at M-1.

"GOOOOLLLL…DUUUUUUUCK!" Golduck opened its beak and shot a powerful blast of glacial ice.

M-1 slid past Golduck's ice attack whereas Corsola's Spike Cannon had no impact on him. They felt like nothing more than tiny pinpricks on his body. "So weak, so pathetic."

"Let's try that again," Misty muttered under her breath. "Corsola, Spike Cannon!"

"Weren't you listening you silly girl? Your attacks are pathetic.

Misty grimaced. If at first you don't succeed…try, try again.

M-1 chuckled quietly and grabbed Corsola through its attack and flung it backwards. "SOLA!"

"SHADOW BALL!"

"DODGE IT!" Misty commanded and her Pokémon rushed to obey frantically. The colossal energy ball smashed against the ground, sending dirt and chunks of rock flying everywhere. "(cough) Everyone okay?"

Corsola and Golduck appeared from behind a nearby boulder and Jigglypuff nodded and chirped excitedly. Politoad clapped its hands beside Seadra and Luvdisc while Piloswine sniffed around. Staryu did nothing.

Thank goodness. Misty let out a cloud of breath before facing the virus once more. "All right! Luvdisc, I want you to use your Water Pulse. Try to confuse him."

Luvdisc bobbed up and down. "Luvdisc." The beautiful sparkling spheres of water floated around its body. Blip. They soared away and circled around M-1.

"Oh…Water bubbles…how…predictable." M-1 sunk below the bubbles as they attempted to splash against his pixilated body. "Interesting though." His eyes seem to smirk at the bubbles. "THUNDER!"

"NO!"

Piloswine and Golduck noticed this and quickly took cover once again. The electric strikes bounced off of the water bubbles and allowing the water to absorb them. M-1's eyes flashed as he controlled them to hone in on Misty's Pokémon, shocking them senseless.

As Seadra, Staryu, and Luvdisc flew weakly through the air, Misty enlarged their Poké Balls and threw them in the air. "Return!" Red lights shot from the balls and secured the duos safety.

But the viral clone was not done yet. He raised his tentacle arms into the air. "THUNDER PUNCH!" At once, all of the arms began to crackle and sizzle. "KYYYAAAAAAAAAA!" SLASH! M-1 slashed at the rest Misty's partners with the electric tentacles, sending them flying through the air and landing on the ground with a sickening SMACK!

"CORSOLA!" Misty raced over to her Rock/Water Pokémon and picked it up. Corsola's eyelids fluttered closed. "Oh my poor Corsola! Return to your Poké Ball." She held out two more for Seadra and Luvdisc. "You'd better return too."

Golduck and Piloswine seemed to be fine enough, and Jigglypuff seemed a little more insulted rather than hurt. Politoad struggled to its feet, barely standing after taking the Electric attacks.

If I don't do something quick, he's going to kill us…or at least try to make another clone, Misty thought to herself darkly. The problem is he keeps using Electric attacks and I have Water Pokémon. None of them stand a chance except—wait. Her oceanic irises zeroed in on Chloe's Piloswine. Of course! A Ground Type would be strong against Electric attacks!

Feeling like Ash on his impulsive moments during trainer battles, she quickly began calculating a strategy in her head. Okay…I hope this works. Licking her lips, she yelled, "Golduck, Azumarrill use Hydro Pump!"

The two Water Types opened their mouths wide and the colossal streaks of water shot towards the virus. M-1 seemed to smirk and dodged around the water blasts. Golduck and Azumarrill followed him but couldn't land a hit.

"Worthless human," the viral clone hissed before the tentacle arms spiraled out in front of his body. "Ice Beam!" The glacial blue beam formed in the circle his arms created and smothered the water blasts, transforming them into bits of crushed ice that skittered across the ground.

"Piloswine, Golduck, Politoad…get in real close!" Misty commanded. "And Golduck and Politoad…use your Hydro Pump again!" This time try to land it.

Jigglypuff sucked in air and floated around M-1, distracting him from the other Pokémon. As the virus followed the pink puffball, the other three dashed forward, Golduck and Politoad running and shooting their powerful water blasts once more. Both slammed into M-1's body, causing it to spark and fizzle from the water.

M-1 was livid. "THUNDERBOLT!"

NOW! "Piloswine, jump in front of the others!"

The miniature woolly mammoth grunted and sniffed as it bounded up in front of Misty's Water Pokémon. The lightning crackled as it struck the Pokémon repeatedly but Piloswine merely shook away the effects from its shaggy fur.

"Use your Blizzard!" Misty shouted vociferously.

The air surrounding the Pokémon became very cold and swirls of icy wind spiraled out from around its fur. Piloswine let out a howl as the freezing snowstorm spread over M-1, successfully freezing him in a block of ice.

At a nod from Misty, Golduck suddenly jumped on top of Piloswine's back and over the last strikes of lightning from M-1's attack. It pressed its hands tightly to the jewel in the center of its forehead and charged up a Hyper Beam. "GOOOOOOOOLLLL…DUUUUUUUUUUCK!" The beautiful orange beam of light soared from its jewel and seared through the trapped M-1, slicing up the block and shattering him into pieces.

Misty smiled. One more thing to wrap this up. He's still pretty damp from the water and ice. She threw out the Poké Ball for her previously confused Starmie. "Go Starmie! Use your Thunderbolt!"

"HA!" The star-shaped creature spun through the air rapidly and concentrated electricity on the points at its sides before letting them all loose to target the downed pieces of M-1. The virus let out a hisssssssssss as he dissolved into lost particles, no longer a threat.

PHEW! Misty sighed and sank to her knees. She smiled at her partners. "Good job you guys." Politoad smiled weakly at her—and fainted on the spot. "Oh great." She retrieved him and Starmie and stood up. "C'mon, let's go help Ash."

Brock surged forward, ready to take out the clone…or at least keep him distracted. "Onix, use Earthquake!"

Onix roared as it slammed its boulder tail against the ground. The earth began to shake and rumble, while a numerous amount of shockwaves slammed against M-2. M-2 grunted in fury and let loose with a Hydro Pump.

"Onix look out!" cried Brock in alarm. "Dustclops, Shadow Punch!"

The strange Ghost Pokémon held out its arms and conjured an array of glowing blue flames. The flames flew at M-2, distorting his body slightly.

M-2 skidded away from Dustclops. "PSYCHIC ATTACK!" A blue beam of light issued from two of his tentacles and blue brainwaves outlined his body.

Dustclops couldn't move away in time, but Golem jumped in front and took most of the blast. "Golem get up!" The Rock-Type got up—with great difficulty. "Use Body Slam!"

Golem leaped into the air, intending to land on M-2. The attack was fairly successful but M-2 flattened himself as Golem fell onto him. He slid out easily.

"Ludicolo, use Water Gun!"

"Pathetic," muttered M-2 as he bent back to avoid the jet of water. "Swift attack!" The viral hazard shot an array of tiny yellow stars at Golem, Onix, and Ludicolo. Swift, being the most accurate of all Pokémon attacks, made contact easily.

Brock gritted his teeth. His friends were counting on him. Better not mess this up. "Crobat, Supersonic!"

Crobat made small sounds as it concentrated on sending supersonic waves at M-2. Brock knew the viral clone could probably not be confused, but the attack was better than nothing. This is just the beginning. I have to keep fighting, Brock thought. "Crobat, Quick Attack!"

The purple bat zoomed at M-2 in a streak of white light. M-2 caught the bat with one hand and tossed it aside.

"Foretress, Spike Cannon!"

The strange Steel/Bug-Type Pokémon moved in for the kill. Glowing a blinding white, he sent a stream of tiny spikes at M-2. M-2 barely flinched but he did manage to grab Foretress. "This is going to be quick."

He's got a good point, thought Brock but he set his jaw firmly. Mustn't give up. He looked around at his arsenal of Pokémon and chose the best move that seemed possible. "Foretress, use Explosion!"

Foretress took advantage of M-2's grip on it and did what it did best: it exploded. Brock and his team shielded their faces as smoke billowed around them.

When the smoke cleared, Brock was shocked to see that M-1 was still alive! Foretress, as usual, had fainted from the explosion.

"Du-oh!"

"Spike Cannon!" shouted M-2. He began using the same attack that Foretress had used on him.

Brock aimed his Poké Ball at Foretress. "Return!" The Poké Ball enclosed Foretress safely inside before M-2's attack could destroy it.

"Marshtomp! Ludicolo! Use Hydro Pump!"

"MARSHTOOOOOOOOOMP/LUDIIIIIIIIIIIII!" The blue tadpole and the sombrero duck jumped into the air and shot powerful jets of water from their mouths.

M-2 wasn't all too impressed, even when the water blasts flung him backward and caused his body to short-circuit and spark. He lifted himself and charged up a spherical ball of electrical energy. "Zap Cannon!"

Onix leaped in front of the two Pokémon and took the Zap Cannon blast. It made contact with it, but did not affect it due to the advantage of being a Rock Pokémon.

"Dustclops, use your Willow Wisp!"

Dustclops held out its stony fingers and chanted under its breath. Small blue flames materialized around M-2's body, spinning in time to the chants. Dustclops red eyes flashed and the flames sank into the virus, injuring him from the inside out.

"Good job Dustclops. Ludicolo, use Mega Drain!" Brock commanded firmly.

Greenish light surrounded Ludicolo as it sapped some of M-2's energy for its own. M-2 growled and moved in for the kill.

Brock sighed. I'm really starting to hate that move. "Is there no end to this?"

"You can die." M-2 powered up his Recovery move.

"That's not what I was thinking," the Rock trainer muttered. "But you can take over in that department. "Onix and Golem, use Fissure!"

Onix and Golem emitted loud roars and pounded the ground as hard as they could. A stream of light emitted from the end of Onix's tail at the same time as streaks of light zoomed out from under Golem's feet towards M-2. Come on. Don't miss, thought Brock. Fissure was one of the most inaccurate moves alive and if it missed—well let's just say things weren't going to be too pretty.

The streams of light blasted forward…closer…closer…and they slammed into their target! "YES!" Brock shouted as Fissure caused M-2 to sink below the depths of the earthen ground. "ONE HIT K.O.!"

Once Fissure was—uh—finished, the earth closed up, splurging bits of pixels and data in the process. They shot up into the air like a geyser before raining down around Brock and his team of Pokémon.

With M-2 gone, he knew his part of the fight was almost over. "Come on! Let's get to Ash!" I hope Misty and Chloe are doing all right. These guys are tough!

"Psybeam!"

"Psybeam!"

Both psychic beams collided in midair and exploded on impact, sending light and force in all directions. They were, undoubtedly, equally matched.

Chloe glared at M-3 through her deep blue eyes. This guy's almost as powerful as the real Missingno. I guess this goes to show you…like original, like clone.

"HYPER BEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAM!"

The powerful orange beam jerked Chloe out of her thoughts as she urged Dragonite to dodge it. I better stop thinking about useless stuff and start acting like a Pokémon master. She raised her eyes to Umbreon. "Umbreon, bite that poor excuse for a Pokémon!"

Umbreon latched his fangs onto the viral M-3. For some strange reason, they actually hooked onto the pixilated freak. M-3 fought to shake him off. "Jumpluff, Razor Leaf!"

"Jumpluff, Jumpluff," chirped the tiny Oddish-lookalike. It started dancing around, sending a storm of Razor leaves in the process.

M-3 glowed and he resembled a humanoid more than ever. "So you think you can take any attack do you? I'll show you an attack."

"Bring it on," Chloe hissed.

"Very well." He hurled the dark purple sphere at her. "SHADOW BALL!""Alakazam, Reflect now!"

Alakazam concentrated once again and formed a glowing orange shield around Chloe and the other Pokémon. "Kazam." The dark sphere rebounded off the shield and crashed into the side of the spherical wall separating the trainers from the outside world.

Chloe grinned. "Nice work Alakazam. Dragonite, Dragon Breath!"

Dragonite opened his mouth and fired a stream of green flames at the Missingno clone. The flames made contact with him but he didn't become paralyzed due to his ability to manipulate some effects of the attack.

"Steelix, Iron Tail!"

Steelix's tail glowed with white light and became even harder than most diamonds. It raised it up and smashed it into M-3's side. However, the steel snake made sure not to hurt Umbreon.

M-3 moved forward with Umbreon's fangs still attached to his body. There were no bruises lining his pixilated body but a large gouge mark from the Iron Tail was pressed into his side. "Worthy trainer though you are, I will still defeat you." He summoned dark clouds from the sky. "Blizzard!"

Aw crap, thought Chloe. Alakazam, Dragonite, and Jumpluff were thrown back from the blast of snow and wind. Umbreon managed to hang onto M-3—with great difficulty. Two can play that game. "Scizor, distract him!"

The red insect obeyed and zoomed around the virus, making sure he followed its path across the dark sky. Chloe grinned and called out, "Okay Jumpluff, use Sunny Day!"

Jumpluff began to dance again, waving its puffball arms back and forth like a cheerleader. The darkening clouds parted, letting a stream of golden sunlight peek out. "SOLAR BEAM!"

"Juuuuumpluuuuuuff!" cried the little Grass Pokémon. It opened its mouth wide and shot a blast of golden sunlight at M-3 who had hardly any time to react.

WHAM!

The Solar Beam sent M-3 (and Umbreon who was still attached to him) flying. Chloe wasn't finished. "Gyrados, Hydro Pump!"

Gyrados let loose with a powerful blast of water from his gaping mouth. M-3 narrowed his pixel eyes and dodged the water blast. "If you think I'm going to let you hit me twice in a row, you're sadly mistaken." He began to glow with outrageous energy. "HYPER BEEEAAM!"

"Dodge it!" commanded Chloe.

Most of her Pokémon were successful in dodging the colossal orange beam of light but Jumpluff was still exhausted from using Solar Beam. The Hyper Beam smashed into it and sent Jumpluff soaring through the air, battered and severely weakened. "Pluuuuuuuuuuff!"

"JUMPLUFF!"

Dragonite flew over to the Pokémon and managed to catch it before it hit the ground. "Return!"

M-3 began to laugh and vibrate as Chloe returned Jumpluff to its Poké Ball. She glared at him. "Why you little…Umbreon let go of him!" Umbreon obeyed willingly. "Use your Hidden Power!"

Umbreon concentrated and his eyes started to glow. Hundreds of white spheres of energy flew in M-3's direction. M-3 deflected most of them by whipping them with one of his arms, but the rest didn't leave him so lucky. "THUNDER!"

Better switch to my other team for now. "Everyone except the Hoenn Pokémon and Dragonite, FALL BACK!" She threw out her Poké Balls, catching her Kanto and Johto partners in their confinements at the same time as the crackling bolts of lightning hit the ground near the others.

"Okay M-3! Let's dance!" Chloe raised her eyes to her three Hoenn dragons. "Flygon, Altaria, Salamance…use your Dragon Breath!"

All three Dragons rose into the air and released a torrent of green flames from their moves. The flames spiraled down and slammed against M-3, erupting into a single wall of fire around his body.

"Nice work you three!"

The spiraling flames began to rumble and—FWOOM!—M-3 emerged from its depths, flinging aside his tentacles to push the fire outward. His outer skin crackled and sizzled though out of injury or out of anger Chloe didn't know.

"Not bad trainer. But see if you can handle THIS!" The viral clone stretched out his body like a rubber band, electricity crackling from it. His arms stretched out tight against the sky.

What's he doing?

"FIRE BLAST!"

The human-shaped wave of fire shot from his stretched body, aiming straight for her Metagross.

It can't get out of the way in time, Chloe thought with an inward wince. "Flygon, get down here and use Sandstorm!"

Flygon flew down in front of Metagross and began to flap its wings, beating the rocky ground. Dirt kicked up and swirled around the both of them, covering them from the view of M-3 and allowing his aim to be directed elsewhere.

Phew! "Metagross, use your Meteor Mash!"

"Metagross…" The blue crab made of craggy rocks floated in the air, its red eyes glowing with cold fury from behind the Sandstorm. Summoning from the heavens pulsing red balls of earth and fire, Metagross commanded them to fall upon their intended target: M-3.

The "Pokémon" hissed as the meteors came in contact with his pixilated flesh, ripping some parts of his tissue off. There wasn't anything underneath the flesh except more sparkling data.

"Nice one Metagross. Okay Slaking, you're on!" Chloe's blue eyes narrowed. "Use your Body Slam!"

"Slaking…Sla…" The giant ape actually woke up from its boredom and lumbered over to M-3, picking up speed as it moved. With a grunt, it bounded into the air over M-3's body; its body in a perfect A-line with its feet positioned towards the ground.

M-3 dodged out of the way of the attack. "Earthquake!"

The ground began to shift up and down, taking Chloe's Pokémon on the earth with it. Then a great mass of shockwaves, larger than the one emitted from Flygon and Salamance against Missingno earlier, emerged from the center of the attack's wake, striking them several times in a row.

Darn it. Chloe called down to her partners. "Are you guys okay?"

Slaking grunted but managed to give her a thumbs-up. Metagross floated hazily in the air above the shockwaves.

Thank goodness, the girl thought as she zoomed around on Dragonite's back over the small "arena". What should I use now? "Flygon and Salamance, use your Dragon Claws! Altaria, use Wing Attack!" He won't be able to affect you with any Ground attacks.

Flygon and Salamance nodded and dive bombed M-3, slashing at him with their claws which had gone from normal to large and razor sharp in a matter of seconds. Altaria chirped and flew in as well as its puffy white cloud wings grew brighter and straightened out into daggers. SLASH! Altaria swiped at the virus's arms, severing them neatly away from its body just as Flygon and Salamance did the same to his other pair.

"Oh sick." Chloe shook her head. "Don't think I should try that again."

"Body parts are actually irrelevant Ms. Device," M-3 hissed. "At least to a being as superior as myself." The aura emanating from his body was powerful as he dismissed the three dragons with simple bolts of electrical energy. Chloe glared at him through stormy blue eyes. "Witness my power! AERO-"

"I've had enough of you! Dragonite, OUTRAGE!"

Dragonite's gentle dark eyes narrowed and grew dark with fury. A haze of powerful energy surrounded his body and he roared as he let the energy free. The potent energy took the shape of fierce dragon and overrode the powerful Thunder attack sent at it. The Dragon-Type move seemed to roar itself as it seared right through M-3's body. The viral clone let out a fresh scream as it melted away into nothingness.

"Hmmm, I guess he can feel pain after all," Chloe mused to herself.

Metagross and the rest of her Hoenn team went up to her. She hugged Dragonite and Slaking around the neck and patted each of the dragons and Metagross on the head. "You guys were great. Now let's go help Ash and finish what was started."

"Pikachu, Extreme Speed!"

Missingno slid past the speeding bullet that was Pikachu. "Nice try Speedy but wrong way."

"Muk, Poison Gas!"

"Muk, Muk," the purple sludge slurred. He glided over to Missingno and sent a strong spray of poisonous smelling gas at him. The good news was that the attack made contact. The bad news was that Missingno didn't really have a nose so it had no effect on him.

This guy doesn't know when to quit, thought Ash to himself. What is his weakness?

"PIKA!"

Missingno had grabbed onto Pikachu and Tauros with his tentacle-like arms and was jolting them with the electricity flaring from his body. "HEY!" Ash glared at the virus. "Snorlax, use your Mega Punch!"

"Snorlax," mumbled the large Pokémon. It lumbered over to Missingno and shot out with a glowing punch.

With a chuckle, the virus bent his body backward and ducked underneath the Mega Punch. "Nice try Mr. Ketchum. Ice Beam!" The blue-and-white blast of freezing hoarfrost spiraled out from the virus's center and slammed against Snorlax's oversized chest. Snorlax stumbled backwards, rubbing at the stinging ice.

Ash, noticing the level of damage done to his Pokémon, clenched his hands. The virus was tougher than any Pokémon he had ever faced before, including Mewtwo, the clone Pokémon, Dragonite, Entei, and Celebi. None of the other Pokémon he'd faced had the ability to use any attack they chose at random intervals.

"Heracross, Horn Attack!"

Heracross rammed its horn against Missingno's sides. Missingno reached out with all six of his arms and wrapped them around Heracross. He threw the bug across the ground.

"Heracross!" Ash returned it to its Poké Ball before it could get even more injured. "Torkoal, use Overheat!"

The orange turtle's back seemed to burst into flames as it charged up the powerful attack. "TORKOAL!" It opened its mouth and a devastating blast of red and white fire shot out and engulfed Missingno's body. Ash could feel the heat radiating from his position.

The flames licked at the virus's body but he appeared unconcerned. "This actually feels quite nice after that Ice Beam," he commented more to himself than to Ash. "HYDRO PUMP!"

Ash grinned, prepared to face the powerful Water attack. Knew he'd use something like that. "Okay Glalie! Freeze it with your Blizzard attack!"

Glalie floated lazily into the path of the oncoming jet of water and opened its mouth. Icy cold wind and snow flew out and surrounded the Hydro Pump, successfully reducing it to a solid chunk of ice. It fell to the floor and shattered.

"FIRE BLAST!"

Ash barely had time to recuperate before his Torkoal and his Glalie were swathed in red-orange flames. He hid his face from the heat. "Glalie!" he shouted above the roar of the wave of fire. "Use…Protect!"

Something within the flames began to glow with silver light as they slowly dissolved. Torkoal lay on the ground, its eyes dizzy and tongue flopped out. Glalie, however, had managed to protect itself just barely with the defensive attack Ash had called at the last second.

"Torkoal, return!" Ash held out the turtle's Poké Ball and secured it safely within the confines of the ball. "Take a rest buddy." He raised his dark eyes toward his Ice Pokémon. "Can you still keep going Glalie?"

The Pokémon bobbed up and down.

"You shouldn't distract yourself so easily Ash Ketchum." Missingno had chosen to use Ash's momentary lapse of concentration to heal himself from any of the injuries Ash's partners might have landed on him. His evil eyes glinted with amusement. "Are you weary of battle yet?"

"Never am!" Ash shouted fiercely. "Charizard and Typhlosion, use Flame Thrower!"

Charizard opened his mouth wide and a jet of flames issued from his mouth at the same time as Typhlosion's back heated up and it let loose its own flames. At the same time, Missingno sent his own single jet of fire to deflect them. The three met together in the center and exploded on impact.

"Sceptile, Leaf Blade!"

Both of the leaves on Sceptile's arms began to glow with bright green light and became razor-sharp. "Sceptile!" The Grass Pokémon leaped into the air, propelling itself with its legs, and brought both arms down in an oblique strike.

Missingno wasted no time in grabbing the Pokémon with his arms and securing the Leaf Blades away from his body. Sceptile growled and struggled but Missingno would not release him.

"So much for doing well against me," the virus garbled. "Flame Thrower!"

"Sceptile!" yelled Ash, but a voice rose above his.

"ALAKAZAM, PSYCHIC ATTACK!"

The Psychic Pokémon teleported above the virus and Sceptile. "Alakazam." He concentrated on his two spoons and bent them, sending a powerful wave of psychic energy into Missingno's body and releasing Sceptile from his grip.

Ash turned around to see Misty, Brock, Chloe, and the rest of their Pokémon.

"What would you do without us?" asked Chloe with a cynical grin. "Okay Alakazam, hit him with your Psybeam!"

The colorful beam of light rocketed towards Missingno, who dodged it. "Typical," he said with a snort. "It takes the entire team to defeat me."

"Shut your mouth Missingno!" Brock yelled fiercely. "Crobat, Poison Sting!"

Crobat flew higher in the air and shot a stream of poisonous needles from his mouth down at the virus. The needles drove themselves into Missingno's pixilated "flesh."

The virus flinched, but grinned wickedly. "You will never destroy me. You will never succeed in your quest!"

"SHUT UP!"

Missingno formed a vortex with his middle and sent a human-shaped wave of fire out of it. "FIRE BLAST!"

"Golduck, Azumarrill, HYDRO PUMP!" commanded Misty.

"You too Feraligator/Gyrados!" cried Ash and Chloe in unison.

The combined jets of water shot forward with such fathomless force, the Fire Blast was reduced to nothing more than steam.

Missingno chuckled. "Pathetic Water Pokémon." He shot a blast of psychic energy at them. "PSYCHIC ATTACK!"

"That didn't go according to plan," gripped Chloe darkly as the four trainers were forced to dodge the powerful psychic blast.

The viral hazard charged up another Psychic attack and hurled it in their direction. "Oh for the love of God," Misty muttered. "Golduck, use your own Psychic attack!"

"Noctowl, use Confusion!" Ash added.

"This is ridiculous," said Missingno. He cast another protective shield around himself. The attacks shattered it, but rendered him harmless.

Ash gritted his teeth in frustration. How many hits does this guy take?

We have to keep doing this. We have to win, thought Misty.

If I don't make it out alive, then at least I'll know I went out with a bang, thought Brock.

If Missingno doesn't stop taunting us, I'm gonna personally ram my fist right between those eyes of his, thought Chloe. "Piloswine, Blizzard!"

The small wooly mammoth's fur fluttered as it blew a storm from its visible mouth. The frigid snow swirled around, dropping the temperature within the dome by several degrees.

"Swellow, fly in and use your Aerial Ace!" Ash commanded.

Swellow chirped in reply and dove down in a blur of red and blue feathers at Missingno. The tips of its wings were shining with white light. SLASH! With a neat swipe of the wings, Swellow slashed across Missingno's face and managed to deliver a painful blow to his eyes. The virus shook his head, blinking.

"Does it hurt?" the dark-haired trainer asked with a smirk. "Because if it does, good!" Missingno didn't rise to his bait.

"Good job Ash," Chloe commented brightly. "All right Blissey! Egg Bomb!"

Blissey drew herself up tall and started hurling explosive eggs at Missingno who chuckled despite the stinging pain from Swellow's Aerial Ace. "Eggs? You ran out of ideas so you decided to hurt me with eggs? How sad." He raised his four whipcord arms into the air. "Well here's what I think of your move. SKY ATTACK!"

"Blissey, get out of the way NOW!" Chloe commanded firmly.

Blissey nodded and bounded out of the way of the attack, leaving Azumarrill in its oncoming path. Azumarrill stood paralyzed, staring into the blazing inferno with fear in its large black eyes.

"NO!" The sound tore from Misty's throat as a burning wave of flames, shaped like a phoenix, rocketed towards their Pokémon. Without pausing to think, she flung herself at Azumarrill, protecting it from the viral monster's attack.

"MISTYYYYYYYYY!" yelled Ash in horror.

"PIKA PI!"

"MISTY!" cried Chloe and Brock. Their eyes expanded in disbelief.

Azumarrill raised its head in shock. Misty lay there, stretched out across the ground, her face contorted with pain. "Azu? AZUMARRILL!"

"Oh how sad," Missingno muttered sarcastically. "So I guess you guys really do care about your pets."

Ash looked over at Misty's fallen form and then back at the virus. "You…" His eyes narrowed angrily. "How DARE you!" He raised his hand and pointed at Missingno. "ESPEON, PSYCHIC ATTACK!"

"ESPEEEEEEEE!" cried the lavender Pokémon. Her eyes glowed a bright blue and the area surrounding her flowed with psy-energy. The powerful blast of energy enveloped Missingno, for the first time causing him to really wince.

Ash looked at Kingler and Crawdaut. "Use Crab Hammer!"

The giant red crab and the giant red lobster gave out scuttling noises as they reached out with their massive claws and sank them into Missingno's neck…well, where his neck should have been. The virus's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Keep at it you two," commanded Ash firmly. "Tyranitaur, Snorlax, HYPER BEAM!"

Missingno laughed softly. "Heh, have a taste of your own medicine." With surprising strength, he seized Kingler and Crawdaut with his four whipcord arms and used them as a shield against the beams of light.

"KINGLER! CRAWDAUT!" yelled Ash. He watched his Pokémon crumble in a heap at Missingno's feet. "No."

"And that's not all." Missingno said with a profound smirk. "Watch this!" He began to glow with blue light. The wind let out a piercing shriek as a powerful beam of light slammed against Muk and Snorlax, knocking them senseless.

That attack wasn't anything from any Pokémon I know…it must be Missingno's original function. I gotta form a strategy of some kind…but what? Missingno can use any attack he wants and often I don't even know what he wants! Better use something expected and then attack him with something unexpected. Ash took a deep breath. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Sparks flew from Pikachu's cheeks as he leapt into the air. The sparks grew larger. "Pi...ka…CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

The lightning bolts cracked against the sky as they hurled towards Missingno. He dodged around each of them. "You're slipping."

Am I? "Venusaur, Meganium, use Vine Whip! Hold him fast!"

The two Grass-Types obeyed and lashed out with their Vine Whips. Missingno's shimmering arms met them in midair and they began to tangle.

"Good job! NoctOwl, use Confusion from above! Tauros, Donphan, use Take Down from the sides! Typhlosion, use your Fire Blast!"

Missingno's eyes darted from NoctOwl shooting its attack in the sky to Tauros and Donphan coming at him from two sides. Typhlosion charged up the human-shaped wave of fire, its back blazing. He smiled.

"Protect!"

The virus's blue body began to shimmer and shine as a dome shield surrounded him on all sides. The Confusion bounced off of the shield at the same time as Tauros and Donphan slammed into its shiny surface. The Fire Blast smashed against it, turning up the heat inside the shield but not making a mark on the virus. Missingno's stronger arms also apparently had tangled with Meganium and Venusaur's vines on purpose in order to slam them against them ground before disentangling themselves but leaving the other two with their vines twisted together.

As NoctOwl descended slightly from its use of the attack, Missingno's eyes suddenly flashed with bright light. The ground began to shake and a jagged crater opened up within the rocky earth. A tidal wave of water erupted from the crater. "SURF!"

The tidal wave rose high above the four Pokémon and crashed against them, sending their drenched bodies soaring through the air. For some bizarre reason, they were also fizzling with static electricity.

What the—?

"I added a little of my own mixture to the attack. You like?" Missingno asked cruelly.

Ash groaned and yanked out four Poké Balls. "Return!"

"And here's another thing I've cooked up especially for you trainers." A beam of blue light rocketed towards Feraligator and Swellow. BAM! It sent them flying into the air.

"No!"

Missingno's eyes flashed as another beam, similar to the first one, collided with Ash, Pikachu, and the rest of the Pokémon.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHH!" Ash let out a sharp cry of pain as his body skated across the hard ground. He came to a stop at the side of the shield, bruised and scraped.

Misty shut her eyes and turned away from the sight. She couldn't stand seeing her boyfriend getting hurt.

"ASH!" cried Chloe, horrified. She landed Dragonite and hurried over to her friend, cradling his body. "Say something. Anything!"
"Ow that hurt."

Across the "stadium", Snorlax and Muk fainted whereas Tyranitaur managed to get up—with great difficulty. Swellow and Feraligator were already down and out.

Brock gritted his teeth. I have to avenge my friends. With that thought in mind, he ran out onto the field in Ash's place. Chloe watched him from her friend's side. "Be careful!"

"Onix, use your Rock Throw!" he commanded. "You too Golem!"

Both Rock Pokémon scooped up craggy bits of the earth and tossed them at Missingno. The virus appeared to roll his eyes. "You think by now they'd try something different," he muttered under his breath. "SURF!"

A tidal wave of water loomed above Brock's Rock Pokémon and splashed against them heavily. They howled in fresh pain.

"Brock!" cried Chloe. She moved away from Ash's side to watch what the battle clearly. "WATCH OUT!"

The Rock trainer sent out Ludicolo. He didn't know how much the Pokémon would be able to stand up to Missingno's power but this was a chance as good as any.

"FIRE BLAST!"

"HYDRO PUMP!"

The water blast and fire blast met in the center of the arena, the water successfully dousing the flames and reducing them to steam. Brock sighed and ordered Marshtomp to follow up with a Mud Slap.

Missingno, however, had other plans. "You honestly don't think I'm going to fall for that again do you?" He secured his tentacle arms into the earth and dug into its soil, disappearing from the light.

Darn it, he's using Dig, Brock thought. "All of you…stay alert! He could be anywhere!"

A soft chuckle echoed throughout the dome, bouncing off its walls. "That's right. I could be anywhere!"

CRASH!

Brock felt himself being flung into the air along with Ludicolo and Marshtomp as Missingno's body erupted from the earth beneath them. Luckily, Onix managed to reach out and grab him with its mouth before he hit the ground.

"Puff," chirped another voice. Jigglypuff sucked in its paunch and raised its tiny balloon-like hand. "Jiggly…PUFF!" It ran at Missingno and started smacking him silly with Double Slap.

Missingno was not the least bit impressed. He simply grasped onto Jigglypuff with his long arms and smashed it against the ground. As for Ludicolo, he used his other arms to grab onto him.

Brock shook his head. "It's not strong enough."

"Crobat, Confusion!"

Crobat flew inward and sent a steady stream of psychic waves from his mouth. The hypnotizing waves caused Missingno to release Ludicolo, who scurried away. Crobat hissed at Missingno angrily who glared back.

"So that's how it's gonna be huh? FIRE BLAST!"

Crobat flew out of the way whereas the enormous human-shaped wave of fire hit Ludicolo. "Aw man," muttered Brock as he made his way over to his Pokémon. Big mistake.

"HYPER BEAM!"

A brilliant orange beam of light, Dragonite's trademark, illuminated the dark arena for a minute before vanishing. Brock and his partners lay on the ground, battered and severely injured.

Chloe looked at Missingno, then at her friends, and then back at Missingno.

"Oh you know this just sucks."

"That does it!" yelled Rika, angrily pounding on the barrier. "We have to get in there! We have to save them!"

"But Rika, we can't!" said Henry. "There's no way to get in."

Rika ignored him, continuing to pound her fists against the barrier. The clear shield gave off electrical sparks now and then, shocking her fingers but she disregarded the pain. Her hands became more and more bruised—until Takato pulled them away from the barrier. She whipped her head around and glared at him. "Let me go Gogglehead. I have to—"

"You have to calm down," he interrupted briskly. "There's just no way to get inside and help the trainers. I'm sorry but I can't stand seeing you get any more hurt than you already are."

"Takato!" she yelled, her eyes shining with tears. "Just—let me—do this! I—have to help Chloe!"

He shook his head hard. "No. There's nothing you can do."

"Takato!" she yelled again, her hands going limp in his grip. She gave up struggling and wilted. "Why can't you just let me go?" she whispered.

Takato looked at Rika in distress and let go of her hands. However, he placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "Rika, I feel the same way but there's nothing that can be done."

"There has to be," she said, her eyes on T.K. now. "There just has to be." She reached behind her and shoved him off. "And get off of me. You're cramping my space."

Missingno loomed over the young girl, his diamond-shaped eyes gleaming. "Well it looks like you're the only one left." He began to glow brightly. "SKY ATTACK!"

Unlike Misty, Chloe was prepared to face the burning phoenix. "Alakazam, Reflect!"

Alakazam formed a glowing shield around all of her Pokémon. The Sky Attack rebounded from the shield and ricochet off the sides of the dome.

"Scizor, Metal Claw!" Chloe commanded determinedly.

"Scizor." The red bug flew towards the virus at speed so fast he looked nothing more than a blur. One of his claws began to glow a silvery color, which he used to slash at Missingno's body.

Missingno laughed again. "Steel eh? Thanks for the idea." His arms began to glow with silver light. "Steel Wing!"

CLASH! The Metal Claw and the Steel Wing met together in the air, bright light flashing from where they struck each other. Both Pokémon, Steel and Missing, skidded back.

Missingno laughed quietly. "Impressive." He began to glow with radiant light, light that shone throughout the dome and to the skies above. The light gradually changed into golden-red flames that aimed towards the sky. "SACRED…FIIIIIIRRRRE!"

"Holy crap," muttered Chloe. "Alakazam, teleport us out of range now!" She leaned down and whispered in Dragonite's ear to fly as far away from the virus's attack as possible.

The Psychic Pokémon transported every one of her Pokémon out of range in the nick of time. A tower of blazing inferno descended from the heavens on the spot where they used to be. The flames spread around and flared against the sides of the dome. Outside the shield, their friends gaped in incredulity.

"What the heck was that thing?" Ash uttered, wincing in pain while doing so.

Chloe shook her head. "No-no idea."

"That was a move called Sacred Fire; one that none of you novices would ever be able to learn," said Missingno in reply.

Novice? Oh that lousy scumbag. Chloe nodded at Arcanine. "Take Down!"

Arcanine gave a howl as it ran across the sand and rammed its head against Missingno's gut (A/N: Well, I don't really know if he has a gut).

Missingno grabbed onto the fiery dog with his long arms, but Chloe anticipated that move. "Steelix, Iron Tail now!"

Steelix growled frightfully as its tail once again began to glow with white light. It smashed its tail against Missingno's side, forcing him to release Arcanine. Arcanine leapt backward, its hackles raised.

"Piloswine, Blizzard!"

Piloswine's curtain of brown hair fluttered around it as it let loose an icy storm. The blizzard froze Missingno to his position. "Nice job Piloswine," commented Chloe. "Okay Amphorus, Thunder now!"

Amphorus clapped its enormous flipper-like hands together and raised its tail to the sky. Showers of sparks rained down and were sucked into the glowing ball attached to its tail, which Amphorus used to force all of its electricity at Missingno.

The power of the electrical attack had a major effect on the viral hazard as his body was started to shift and alter. Missingno growled angrily and his body began to glow. "Thunder Wave!"

"Get out of the way!" Chloe shouted but only out of desperation. The move was terribly accurate and she could only watch as crackles of neon blue energy knocked most of her partners off their feet (those that had feet anyway). Volts of electricity ran down their bodies, paralysis intent from top to bottom.

Missingno allowed himself to laugh a little before proceeding with another attack while the creatures were paralyzed. "HYPER BEAM!"

The powerful orange beam rocketed towards Chloe's Pokémon and she once again shouted at them to get out of the way, coaxing them to shake off the paralysis as best as they could. Umbreon, Alakazam, Blissey, Gyrados, and most of her Hoenn companions got out of the way; but the rest weren't quite so lucky. Chloe drew out her Poké Balls. "Arcanine, Amphorus, Steelix, Scizor, Piloswine, RETURN!" She glanced at her favorite Psychic Pokémon as well. "Alakazam, I don't want you to go fight anymore. You're too tired out as it is."

"Kazam. Kazam." (Okay Chloe)

"Return."

Missingno grinned at her. "You shouldn't allow yourself to divert your focus. HYPER BEAM!"

"WHAT THE—!" Chloe had not anticipated that he'd be able to use another Hyper Beam. Usually, a Pokémon had to recharge their energy to unleash the attack since it was too powerful.

The force of the Hyper Beam struck the rest of her Pokémon along with Dragonite. The dragon began spiraling in all directions. Chloe clung tightly to him. He's not like the clone at all. He's so much stronger.

"HYPER BEAM!"

"Block it with your own Hyper Beam!"

Both beams of light collided and resulted in an enormous explosion. Smoke flew everywhere.

"(cough) Flygon! Salamance! Use—"

"I don't think so." Missingno wrapped his arms securely around the two Dragon-Types and began jolting them with the shimmering energy radiating from his body. His evil eyes seemed to laugh at the girl. "SOLAR BEAM!"

"Dodge it if you can!" Chloe cried out frantically. "Slaking, get up in the air and Body Slam him! Gyrados, stay where you are and use Dragon Rage!"

As Missingno fired the Grass attack, Slaking lumbered up and managed to put him in a strong headlock. Gyrados roared and let loose a jet of blue flames from its gaping fang-filled mouth. The attack successfully caused the virus's body to distort and blur.

Missingno laughed. "Here's a new one for you." With a small grunt of exertion, he flung Salamance and Flygon at Gyrados. WHAP! Both Pokémon slammed into the Water Pokémon and left the virus's hands free to attack again. He snacked them around all three at once and lifted them into the air. "SEISMIC TOSS!"

"Let them GO!" Chloe shouted angrily, her dark hair billowing around her. If she still had her powers, she'd have done it in a second. "Metagross use your Psychic and catch them!"

"Metagross." The half Psychic and half Steel floated up, red eyes glowing a steady blue. The same blue aura surrounded Missingno's arms, forcing him to lower the Pokémon gently to the ground instead of the smash that he'd intended.

"Altaria, use your Blizzard to freeze him!"

"SACRED…FIIIIIIRRRRE!"

The blue bird opened its mouth at the same time as Missingno unleashed another tower of glowing red-orange flames from above. It shot through the blizzard, reducing the snow to mere trickles of water, and slammed against Altaria's smooth blue body.

"Altaria!" Chloe watched the bird slowly plummet to the earth. She screwed her eyes shut and threw out its Poké Ball to retrieve it.

Missingno suddenly let out a cry that echoed throughout the corners of arena and even outside it. The aura of power surrounding his power was so thick it shimmered like heat waves. "AEROBLAAAAAAAST!"

Chloe's eyes shot open as soon as Altaria's Poké Ball was back in her hands. Aero…blast?

A gigantic blue, orange, and white beam of light zoomed at Chloe's Pokémon before dispersing into multiple, but only slightly smaller, beams that struck every single one before scoring a critical hit on Dragonite. "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH—UGH!" Chloe and her faithful dragon Pokémon flew backwards and slammed against the side of the shield before plummeting to the ground below.

"CHLOE!"

Chloe raised her head slightly and turned her eyes on Missingno. A bruise was rising out of her cheek and her T-shirt had a long tear on one side. She also had a massive headache and scraped legs to complete the ensemble.

She and Ash looked at each other grimly. This is not good.

"Well trainers, it appears that you have been beaten. Why don't you make it easier on yourselves and just surrender?" Missingno suggested with a seemingly visible smirk. "You can't destroy me. You'll never win."

The trainers dared to look at the sky. It was churning and frothing, and seemed darker than a thundercloud. Lightning emitted from the sky and the darkness continued to spread. "See?" leered Missingno. "Your worlds will be momentarily covered in darkness before all life forms are destroyed. Oh yes, as for your unsuccessful attempts, I have absorbed and downloaded them and they're only making me stronger. The end is inevitable trainers!"

I…I…he's right. We can't do this, thought Ash weakly. We've done everything we can to beat this thing.

It's hopeless, Misty thought softly. We're just not strong enough. We weren't trained for something this powerful.

All we're doing is making the virus grow stronger. We're not helping anything and our attacks aren't doing a scratch. Brock shook his head and sighed.

Chloe looked up at the sky and back down to the ground. We…must…fight…but we can't win. We don't stand a chance! No, I can't think that way…but what can we do? She shook her head. There's nothing left for us…no more chances…nothing…

"What's wrong with them?" demanded Rika. "They're giving up so easily! Are they dying?"

Izzy shook his head. "According to what I've gathered so far without my computer, they are still alive but something's wrong. Some strange force is compelling them to discontinue their discord with the virus."

"Can you put that in laymen's terms for those of us who don't speak Geek?" asked Davis with a groan.

Yolei cast him a surly look. "It means that something out of their control is forcing them to give up bonehead."

"Oh."

Kari hugged herself and shivered. "I feel…cold. Something feels like…despair."

T.K. held her close. "Fight the darkness Kari. I won't let it get to you." Inside his head he was thinking, But did it get to Chloe and the others?

The Digidestined of Hope closed his eyes and concentrated. "Chloe, are you there?"

"I'm here." Her telepathic voice sounded sad and melancholy. "What is 'here' anyway?"

"Huh?"

"No really. What is 'here'? What's the point of going on? We're all going to die anyway so let's just give in. What have we got to lose?"

T.K.'s eyes flew open. "Guys, Chloe's losing her mind."

"Say what?" Tai exclaimed. "You can't be serious."

T.K. shot Tai a Look over the top of Kari's brown hair. "Tai, would I ever not be serious at a time like this? The Pokémon trainers are in trouble and they need our support." He looked through the shield at their friends. The trainers were behaving lethargically, as if they hadn't a care in the world what was happening. "Ash, what's going on?"

"Resistance is futile," the trainer replied in a monotone voice.

"What?"

"Resistance is futile," Ash repeated.

"Give it up. It's useless. Give it up. It's useless," muttered Misty woodenly.

T.K. looked at all of them in shock, particularly at the muttering Ash and Misty. Brock wasn't muttering to himself but he was swinging his hands back and forth in a listless way. Chloe's face looked oddly slack and she was playing with her long hair.

"Uh…guys?"

Chloe turned her bemused eyes on T.K. "Hmmmm?"

"What's the matter with you?" demanded Tai irately. "You're giving up without any resistance."

Ash flinched but his face was impassive. "What's the point of continuing this tiring dribble? We can't win; we're just too weak," he said, speaking mostly to himself. "The Digital World will be destroyed…and so will our own worlds."

"Missingno will kill us all," Misty chanted quietly. "And it's our fault. We can't do anything."

The Digidestined and the Tamers widened their eyes in disbelief. This was not the normal kind of attitude the trainers usually had. The world had gone from hopeful to the color of painful red in about a second since they had spoken.

Ken gritted his teeth as the darkness continued to spread. "The darkness…is getting…stronger…the despair…from the trainers…is increasing its power…"

Kari clung to T.K.'s shirt. "I…can't…stand…this T.K."

T.K. looked at her worriedly and then at the trainers. "Don't you see? You can't let yourselves be consumed by darkness. Don't let it control you."

"How do you even know it is Takeru?" asked Chloe, her face blank and devoid of any life.

Brock nodded listlessly. "Let's just give up. We're doomed anyway. It's better to give in quietly than struggle."

Davis wrung his hands in exasperation. "You're the reason we don't have a chance! Where's that fire and faith I saw?"

"They've gone out," Ash replied in a monotone voice. "Resistance is futi—"

"Will you shut up about the 'futile' thing already?" Davis yelled heatedly, his goggles slipping forward. Catherine reached behind him and pushed them back. "Man, I didn't even know you had that vocabulary."

"You guys can't just give up," said Matt. "Are you scared or something?"

Ash shook his head. "It's not that we're scared," he murmured softly. "We just don't think we can handle it. We may be Pokémon masters but we're not meant destroy anything. We weren't trained to kill. We're not used to fighting this way, unlike you guys."

"Just go away and leave us here," muttered Brock with a wave of his hand. "Maybe if you're lucky, Missingno won't do anything to you."

Takato stared at the group without uttering a single word. Something's familiar about their behavior…it's just like what mine was. Quickly, he shouted, "Guys, you have to snap out of it! Missingno is the one that's messing up your minds! It's not you! We all have hardships, we all make mistakes, and sometimes there are things we don't want to do, but it doesn't mean we should give up just 'cause things don't go our way."

The trainers were exchanging looks helplessly but Chloe raised her eyes slightly. Takato? Is that…you?

"He's right," said Tai firmly. "Think of those Digimon who died trying to save us or their lives. All this sacrifice and pain…all the hardships we've gone through…they're not for nothing."

Almost immediately, the glazed looks on the trainers' faces vanished. Chloe began rubbing her eyes briskly and Ash stopped muttering to himself. Brock stopped swinging his hands and Misty blinked rapidly.

"We can all change our destiny," said T.K. "It's not too late to turn this battle around."

Ash, Misty, Brock, and Chloe remained silent.

Rika spoke up. "It's not about us. It's about them. The worlds and beings are counting on us and even our fate lies in your hands. Whatever happens, we'll stand by you."

The kids still said nothing.

"What if we aren't what the world needs?" Ash asked them finally. "What if we mess up from all of this? Training Pokémon and saving the world…they're both tough jobs. What if something happens?"

Chloe took her friend's hand, her expression one of worry and rare fear. "What if we…mess up? What if what we do isn't enough to stop Missingno? What if this time…this is the end of the game…and we lose?"

The words were hard to swallow. Their friends knew that the trainers were afraid. But there was still hope that they could win. As long as they were united as a team…together as one. The power of unity.

"Maybe it won't be like that," said Kari suddenly. She'd seemed to have abandoned most of her previous fear in light of the more serious situation. "Maybe…you can still win. If you believe…there's probably still a way to win."

Henry nodded slowly. "Kari's right. You guys only think you can't defeat Missingno because you believe you can't. But if you believe you can…then maybe you can still make a difference."

The kids said nothing but their faces began to look hopeful.

"Our worlds need us," said Izzy intelligently. He cleared his throat and smiled gently. "But they need you too. No one can get through anything alone in life and those who think they can are fools."

Ash allowed a tiny smile to cross his face as Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder, nodding in agreement. Misty giggled and Brock grinned.

"Everything we've done…isn't it all worth fighting for?" Rika whispered, her violet eyes shining. "So fight for our worlds. Fight for survival. Fight for us. But most of all…fight for yourselves…and for what you know is right." Wow, who knew I could be a motivational speaker.

Rika…Chloe gazed into the eyes of her young Tamer friend. In that shining moment, she knew she was right. In all this time…you've grown up so much…

"You guys are great trainers and you're even greater friends," said Takato softly. "I know you are, especially when you do whatever you can no matter how much the odds are against us. What you're doing for us is ensuring the fact that we can live to see tomorrow. Don't let Missingno control your thoughts. Choose your own destiny."

Choose your own destiny… Ash's dark eyes shone with the same clear light that they usually beheld. That same fire he'd had when he was a young trainer. There are some things that are worth fighting for.

Misty bit back a smile. And to think usually we were the ones who had to save the Digidestined and the Tamers from getting their butts kicked. But right now…they saved us from ourselves.

We can still make a difference in the world. Brock straightened up and nodded reassuringly at the Digimon Chosen Children outside the barrier. The battle hasn't been decided just yet.

As she continued to allow her blue gaze to travel over Rika and Takato and the others, Chloe finally allowed herself to smile. Thank you…without you…any of you…we'd be goners for sure. But this proves that this isn't the end. We still have dreams. We still have our teamwork. This isn't over…not by a long shot!

"Don't listen to them. What do they know? You were doomed from the start."

"You know what's really stupid?" Ash asked, turning to fixate a furious glare at the virus. "How the four of us got our minds scrambled by a thing like you. We're not giving up just because some things go wrong. It's not what we were meant to be."

"You better say your prayers Missingno," said Chloe fiercely. Her eyes were dark with anger. "This isn't over!"

"I don't need prayers to know that I will be victorious," the virus shot back, much disappointed that the trainers weren't giving in to their depression. "What hope do you have? Your Pokémon are too weak to battle."

At this, the kids couldn't help noticing that he was right. The majority of the Pokémon team had been returned to the confinements of their Poké Balls due to fainting and injury. Only Pikachu, Charizard, Tyranitaur, Glalie, Golduck, Espeon, Onix, Crobat, Dragonite, Umbreon, Metagross, Salamance, Blissey, Azumarrill, Dustclops, and Jigglypuff remained standing in the midst of the other fainted partners. Of course Alakazam was also in worthy condition having retreated inside his Poké Ball. After about a minute, Venusaur and Gyrados struggled to get up as well. All were weary and looked ready to collapse.

"What do we do?" Misty whispered. "They're exhausted."

Ash looked at the Pokémon. "It's okay guys. You did your best. We're proud of you."

"Ash is right," Brock agreed. "You don't need to do this anymore."

Dragonite raised his head weakly, still wanting to battle. Chloe looked up at him. "Dragonite, what is it?"

The Pokémon gazed at her out of his large dark eyes. Because Chloe was so bonded to him, she was able to decipher what he was saying without words. "You want…to fight…?"

He nodded. "But Dragonite," Chloe protested in alarm. "You can't…you're too weak right now."

"Dragonite…"

(I must. I'm doing this for you…not for myself. You're my master and my friend)

Chloe's eyes filled with tears, which she quickly scrubbed away. "Oh Dragonite…all right. If it's what you want then I'm not stopping you. I'll be with you all the way."

Something nudged against her leg. She shifted her gaze down to see Umbreon, nudging her. "You want to fight Umbreon?"

Umbreon nodded. "Bre."

"Okay, I'll help you too." Her lapis irises darted over Metagross, Gyrados, Blissey, and Salamance as if to ask the same silent question of them. They nodded.

Pikachu shook his head. "Pika. Pika pi."(It's not over yet Ash)

"Pikachu?"

"Pika pika pi. Pikachu. Pikachu pi. Pika. Pi. Chu. Pika chu chu. Pi." (We can't give up now. We've come too far)

Ash looked down at his best friend seriously. "Pikachu, you're tired out. I don't want you to…you know."

Pikachu looked back up at Ash, determined. "Pika pi. Pikachu. Pikachu. Chu chu. Chu Pika pi. Chu Pika. Pikachu." (Don't worry about me. I'm gonna see this to the bitter end)

Ash's eyes became slightly wet. "Pikachu…you sure buddy?" The little Pokémon nodded once. "Well then, I'm gonna see this to the bitter end too. You can count on it!"

Charizard roared next to Pikachu. Ash looked up at him. "Charizard, you too?"

He roared again. Venusaur, along with Espeon and Sceptile, murmured their approval. Glalie bobbed up and down.

Misty looked at Azumarrill and Golduck. "Azumarrill? Golduck? You too?"

They nodded, smiling amid their bruises. Brock glanced at his own remaining Pokémon. "Onix…Crobat…Dustclops…"

Onix roared and slammed its tail confidently against the earth. Crobat nodded and gave a scuttling noise. Dutclops made a rumbling sound in its throat.

Outside the shield, the Tamers and the Digidestined watched their trainer friends with pride. They were still determined to defeat Missingno even with the little energy they possessed.

Chloe's eyes filled with tears again. "I know how to recharge our Pokémons' energy." The others turned to her, eyes filled with question marks. "I…I'm sorry." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Blissey…SOFTBOIL!"

Ash realized what she was doing even before Blissey issued the move. "Chloe…no!"

"I have to Ash," she whispered sadly. "Even if it means sacrificing one of my own Pokémon."

Blissey closed her eyes and concentrated. A storm of eggs surrounded her and flew toward each of the others' Pokémon, plus Dragonite and Umbreon. The eggs swirled around the Pokémon, providing them with healing energy and strength.

Chloe gazed at Blissey with the tears still shining in her eyes. Blissey smiled faintly before collapsing at Chloe's feet. "Thank you Blissey," she whispered. Aiming the Poké Ball at her, she returned her Pokémon before looking at her fellow trainers. "Softboil probably didn't heal our Pokémon to full strength but I think it should be enough to defeat that blasted virus. And don't forget, I've still got Alakazam to use Recover on anyone if they need it."

Ash nodded. "Here we go again. One last time." And this time we're gonna make it count! Too much is at stake. We have to win!

I wanna be the very best

Like no one ever was

To catch them is my real test

To train them is my cause

I will travel across the land

Searching far and wide

Teach Pokémon to understand

The power that's inside

"Haven't you kids learned your lesson yet?" asked Missingno exasperatedly. "Seems to me you need another one."

"This time it's you who will be taught a lesson Missingno!" Ash snapped at him. "I don't give up and neither do my Pokémon or my friends!"

Pikachu nodded and spoke to the virus. "Pikachu Pika Pikachu! Pika pi! Pikachu!" (You're going down Missing Pokémon!)

"You first. HYDRO PUMP!"

Golduck raced to the front. "Golduck, counter it with your own Hydro Pump!" Misty commanded.

"Golduck!" The Pokémon concentrated and formed its own water blast, deflecting Missingno's successfully.

"Crobat, Poison Sting!" Brock ordered resolutely.

Crobat gave its usual scuttling noise before shooting a storm of tiny needles at Missingno. Missingno responded by dodging most of the needles and blocking some others with his whipcord arms. "Nice try."

Ash and Chloe made eye contact, nodded, and then called their Evolution Pokémon.

"Espeon!" yelled Ash.

"Umbreon!" shouted Chloe.

"SHADOW BALL!" they called in unison.

The two Eevee forms conjured huge spheres of dark purple energy and fired them. They combined into one and slammed into Missingno. The virus growled with rage and created an earthquake.

"DODGE IT!" shouted Ash, Brock, Misty, and Chloe altogether.

All Pokémon jumped into the air and away from the pounding earthquake rooting up the ground. "Charizard, Flame Thrower!"

"CHAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" Charizard roared while shooting a jet of red flames from his mouth. The flames seared through some of Missingno's pixels.

"Crobat, Wing attack!" Brock yelled decisively.

Crobat flew inward and slashed at Missingno with its large claw-like wings before he could put up his shield. The virus grunted with pain. "That was for our friends you Pokémon wannabe!" Chloe snapped angrily. "Dragonite, Dragon Rage!"

Dragonite roared before letting a jet of blue flames loose from his mouth. Missingno formed his shield, rendering the attack harmless. "BLIZZARD!"

"Move it Chloe," Ash told her. "Charizard, Fire Blast!"

Charizard shot the human wave of flames right through the cold storm, melting the ice and smashing against Missingno's shield, which surprisingly held.

Missingno glared at the Pokémon. "HYDRO PUMP!"

"Freeze it Dragonite!" Chloe ordered. "Ice Beam!"

Dragonite shot a jet of ice from his mouth, turning the blast of water to a frozen icicle. "Okay Umbreon, Extreme Speed!"

"Umbreon!" The Dark Pokémon dashed at Missingno's shield like a nuclear missile and properly weakened it.

"Awesome! Tyranitaur, Crunch!" shouted Ash excitedly.

"TYRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!" roared Tyranitaur loudly. The enormous (and powerful) Dark/Rock Pokémon sank its teeth into Missingno's pixilated flesh, taking a big chunk out of him.

The virus grunted and the section that Tyranitaur had taken out slowly refused itself together as if nothing had happened. "Moonlight!" The red-tinged sky above darkened even further and a glittering white beam of moonlight peeked out and bathed Missingno in its glow. It slowly healed him of all injuries, a different sort of Recovery move.

Pokémon (gotta catch em all!) it's you and me

I know it's my destiny

Pokémon...oooh you're my best friend

In a world we must defend

Pokémon (gotta catch em all!), a heart so true

Our courage will pull us through

You teach me and I'll teach you

Pokémon!

Gotta catch em all! (Gotta catch em all!)

Pokémon!

"Go Alakazam!" cried Chloe, unleashing her favorite Psychic once more. "PSYCHIC ATTACK!"

Alakazam emerged from the Poké Ball, refreshed and ready to fight. "AlakaaaaaaaaZAM!" The power of the psy-energy blew Missingno away from the moonlight but he'd already healed the worst of the damage done to his body.

Darn it! Misty thought to herself. "Azumarrill, use Bubble Beam!"

Azumarrill sucked up as much air from its surroundings as possible until its stomach inflated to the point of floating. "ZUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" It unleashed a thick stream of large bubbles from its mouth.

Missingno grabbed onto the tiny blue Pokémon but Azumarrill continued to quickly shoot a bubble barrage at him, attempting to break through the shield. "Onix, Bide!" Brock cried loudly.

Onix reached out with its long rocky tail and encircled Missingno's arms in it, making him release Azumarrill from his grasp. Azumarrill landed on the ground, its arms glowing with bluish-white light. A rainbow beam formed between its two hands.

"Aurora Beam!"

The beam pierced Missingno's already weakened shield and shattered it. Missingno growled in anger and reached out to grab Azumarrill again.

"Golduck, Surf!"

Golduck raised its eyes and formed a wall of water with its hands, blocking Missingno's attempt and washing him with water. Unfortunately, the virus couldn't drown or suck water through his lungs so all the attack did was delay him temporarily.

Behind the blue virus, Ash saw parts of the Digital World disintegrating like sugar. "Whoa. We better hurry or there won't be a fight to finish!"

"Okay," said Brock confidently. "Onix, send him flying!"

Onix tossed Missingno as far as he could with his long tail. The virus landed against the side of the dome with a sickening SMACK!

"Oh that's gotta hurt," muttered Misty gleefully.

Chloe grinned. "Dragonite, Dragon Rage!"

A jet of blue flames unleashed from Dragonite's mouth and spiraled around the viral hazard. The flames licked his sides and further damaged his pixilated body.

Missingno sprang upward, his eyes blazing. "You think that was enough to stop me children? SACRED FIIIIIIIIRE!"

"Espeon, Reflect!" Ash commanded.

The lavender Pokémon concentrated before placing a golden shield to stand up against the powerful fiery attack. However, the efforts to put up the Reflect shield proved futile, as the steady stream of fire burned right through.

"ESPEON!" Ash held onto the Eevee form gently. "Are you okay?"

Espeon nodded faintly. "You didn't get enough energy from Blissey's Softboil," Ash noted. "You should rest buddy."

Espeon raised her head but dropped it again. "Espe…Espeon…Espeon…" (Be careful Ash)

Every challenge along the way

With courage I will face

I will battle every day

To claim rightful place

Come with me, the time is right

There's no better team

Arm in arm, we'll win the fight

It's always been our dream

Ash returned his Pokémon before facing Missingno again. "Pikachu, Extreme Speed!"

"Pika. PIIIIIIIIIIIIIKA!" Pikachu dashed at the virus, slamming his head against the area where his stomach should have been. He bounced right off. Missingno chuckled.

"Such a tiny little pipsqueak like yourself can't do much damage can you?"

"Pikachu, get up and use Thunderbolt!" Ash called to him.

Pikachu raised his head determinedly, his normally adorable dark eyes shining with fury. "Pika. Pi…ka…CHUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

Missingno's digital body was flung backwards from the effort of the lightning bolts. He blinked, stunned. Pikachu smirked.

"Umbreon, use Hidden Power/Jigglypuff, use Double Slap!" cried Chloe and Misty.

"Umbreon/Jiggly!" Both Pokémon charged up to Missingno. Umbreon concentrated before unleashing the spheres from his body. Jigglypuff jumped onto Missingno's face (the part that it could reach) and began smacking him silly.

"Pests." Missingno's body suddenly sizzled as electricity ran down his circuitry and shocked the tiny pink Pokémon. WHAP! With an electrically-charged arm, he plowed Jigglypuff into the dirt.

Misty threw out Jigglypuff's Poké Ball. "Return Jigglypuff!" She gritted her teeth. "He's still not giving in so easily."

"Maybe it would be easier if someone held him down," Ash told her. He nodded at Grass/Poison Type Pokémon he still had in the fight. "Venusaur, I know you're a little tired but can you use your Vine Whip to hold Missingno down? Just give us some time to launch a few more attacks to hurt him and then you can rest."

Venusaur complied and roared as it released the network of vines at the virus. The vines tangled around the virus's body, keeping him against the ground. Missingno's eyes glowed dangerously.

"Hurry guys! I don't know how long that'll last!" Ash told the others. "Glalie, use your Ice Beam!"

"Onix, Rock Throw!"

"Gyrados, Hyper Beam!"

The beam of frozen ice soared from Glalie's mouth alongside the glowing orange beam from Gyrados's jaws. Onix dug up large pieces of the earth and fashioned them into large boulders with his tail before tossing them.

Missingno's eyes glowed and his body began to charge with electricity. Ash noticed and quickly called back Venusaur into its Poké Ball. "It's okay for you to let go. He's gonna try something on you and I don't want you getting hurt more than you already are."

Sure enough, Missingno raised up a shield to block the attacks at the same time as he conjured a storm of fireballs from the sky to rain down upon his opposition. "METEOR MASH!"

The fireballs crackled and zoomed down upon the three like a rain of fire. Not only did they sizzle and burn as they made contact with the Pokémon, but they also left pretty painful gouge marks that could be seen even from a distance. Chloe winced as Gyrados collapsed, the expression in its eyes murderous but also defeated. Salamance also looked tired out.

"Don't worry you two, you've done a lot! Return!" She shot Brock a worried glance. "How're Onix and Glalie?"

"They're okay," answered the Rock trainer. "But I don't know for how long."

"We have to destroy him now," said Ash determinedly. "Otherwise there won't be anything left to fight for. I'm not getting any strategies in my head save for one final attack. One final call for each of our Pokémon. Does that sound okay to you?" He watched Pikachu and Umbreon dodge a Sonic Boom. The sound waves rang in his ears.

Misty smiled at him softly. "It seems logical Ash. And I agree."

"You're both right. Only one more powerful attack should work," Brock agreed with the pair. Crobat fly in and out to dodge a series of Shadow Balls.

Chloe nodded slowly. "It's crazy and risky…let's try it. It's the best we have."

"Eruption!" Missingno raised his long arms and the ground beneath him opened, cracks appearing all over the surface. Molten lava shot up like geysers before spiraling out of control and honing in on the other creatures at his authority.

"Golduck and Azumarrill, use your Surf to wash away the lava!" Misty commanded.

"The rest of you, try to dodge the lava until Surf douses it!" Ash added.

Golduck and Azumarrill combined their waves into one giant tidal wave that greatly resembled a tsunami. Not only did it successfully extinguish the belching lava from the bowels of the earth but it also drenched Missingno's body. Static sizzled from the shimmering wet surface.

The virus's eyes narrowed into slits as he glowed with potent energy. The aura surrounding him began to crackle as the volts along his body tripled with intensity. "AEROBLAAAAAAAAAST!"

Not again, the kids thought. The blue, white, and orange beam of light rocketed towards them, growing larger with every pace. But they were ready for it.

This time, things are gonna be different, thought Ash.

This time, we have a chance, thought Misty.

This time, we're going to win, thought Brock.

This time, he's going down, thought Chloe.

Pokémon (gotta catch em all!) it's you and me

I know it's my destiny

Pokémon...oooh you're my best friend

In a world we must defend

Pokémon (gotta catch em all!), a heart so true

Our courage will pull us through

You teach me and I'll teach you

Pokémon!

Gotta catch em all! (Gotta catch em all!) Gotta catch em all! (Gotta catch em all!)

Yeah!

Together, the trainers' Pokémon charged up the last of the strength to fire their best attacks. Behind the dome, their friends nearly held their breath as the colossal beam zoomed ever closer.

"PIKACHU, THUNDER/CHARIZARD, FIRE BLAST/TYRANITAUR, ROCK SLIDE/SCEPTILE, SOLAR BEAM/GLALIE, BLIZZARD!"

"GOLDUCK, HYPER BEAM/AZUMARRILL, HYDRO PUMP!"

"ONIX, EARTHQUAKE/CROBAT, SUPERSONIC/DUSTCLOPS, WILLOW WISP!"

"DRAGONITE, OUTRAGE/UMBREON, SHADOW BALL/ALAKAZAM, PSYCHIC/METAGROSS, METEOR MASH!"

All Pokémon boosted up their attacks to the highest power before setting them loose.

"PIKA…CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Lightning bolts flew from the heavens at Pikachu's command.

"CHAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" The human-shaped wave of flames flew from Charizard's mouth.

"TYRAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" Tyranitaur summoned massive boulders from the ground and hurled them.

"SCEEEEEEEEPTIIIIIIIILLLLLLLE!" Both of the leaves on Sceptile's arms began to glow with bright green light and became razor-sharp.

"GLAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL!" Glalie's mouth opened up and a frigid snowstorm flew out.

"GOLLLLL…DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" Golduck focused all of its power into the center jewel and fired the renowned glowing orange beam from it.

"AZUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Azumarrill opened its mouth wide and shot the powerful blast of water.

"ROOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" The earth started to shake as Onix pounded the ground repeatedly with its boulder tail.

"CROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Crobat flapped its wings as blue soundwaves came out of its mouth.

"DUSTCLOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPSSSSSSS!" Tongues of blue fire spiraled around Dustclops and around the virus's body as well.

"OOOAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" Dragonite let out a roar as the potent energy surrounding his body transformed into a ferocious dragon.

"UUUUUUUMMMBREEEEEEEEON!" Not one, but two spheres of dark energy were conjured on the spot in front of Umbreon.

"ALAKAAAAAZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!" Alakazam connected its two spoons together to unleash its powerful psychic brainwaves.

"METAAAAAAAAAAGROOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSS!" Metagross's sunset-colored eyes glowed as it summoned the shower of flaming rocks and solar energy.

The trainers needed no persuasion. "WIPE HIM OUT!"

The Aeroblast collided with the fifteen different attacks unleashed by the Pokémon, writhing and exploding for minutes before finally their attacks overrode it with only a small amount of effort. With nothing stopping them, the powerful beams, flames, water blasts, earthquakes, spheres of energy and light, and whatever else there was to the power of Pokémon; scored a direct hit on the immense virus.

Missingno's eyes shrunk as he struggled to deal with the agonizing pain, though pain from losing or being hurt was a mystery to them. Not that it mattered. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he wailed as he slowly faded in and out of sight. "It's…not…possible. No normal Pokémon has…that…kind of…power…"

"They aren't normal Pokémon," Ash answered him seriously. "And they don't call us Pokémon masters for nothing."

"Ash, not all of us are Pokémon masters."

"Don't ruin the mood Misty."

"I…cannot…will not…be defeated…by the likes…of you…"

Chloe approached the beaten virus, her face impassive and displaying no mercy. "Accept it. We've won. Now give me back my psychic powers."

Missingno turned his diamond-like eyes on her. She folded her arms. "I'm waiting."

With a heavy sigh, the virus closed his eyes and raised one tentacle to her head. She kept her own eyes open and winced slightly as the tentacle arm drove once again into her brain. Soon the familiar neon blue color of psy-energy was once again dancing in her eyes.

With the process complete, Chloe's eyes flashed and Missingno's tentacle arm flew away from her head. She blinked and dropped to the ground before looking at the virus evilly. Raising her head, her eyes glowing, she caused him to lift into the air and slam against the ground. "It feels good to be a walking death machine again."

"So…tell me…how did…you win…? Surely…it wasn't strategy…"

Ash's piercing eyes narrowed as he gazed upon the downed Pokémon with cool pity. "It wasn't strategy. There wasn't anything but impulse. But I'll tell you why we won. It's because we have something you could never even hope to have: faith in our abilities and in our Pokémon."

"You'll pay for this children," Missingno hissed rudely. "I…assure…" Whatever else he was going to say was cut off as he oozed away into nothingness.

Pokémon (gotta catch em all!) it's you and me

I know it's my destiny

Pokémon...oooh you're my best friend

In a world we must defend

Pokémon (gotta catch em all!), a heart so true

Our courage will pull us through

You teach me and I'll teach you

Pokémon!

Gotta catch em all! (Gotta catch em all!)

Pokémon!
(song stops)

Ash blinked before collapsing. Misty sat down next to him and hugged him. "Oooohhh that was exhausting," he moaned. "But it sure beat an ordinary Pokémon battle any day."

"Speak for yourself," Brock said hoarsely. He and the others smiled at their Pokémon. "But you guys did great."

"Yeah, we're very proud of you," Ash agreed happily. "You're the best."

The clear dome surrounding the trainers vanished since Missingno was no longer there to control it. The Tamers and the Digidestined burst forward, eager to congragulate their teammates.

"That was excellent you guys!" Tai exclaimed excitedly.

Chloe looked up and smiled at him. "It should've been excellent. I was in here doing all the hard work and you weren't even playing cheerleader correctly."

Tai didn't say anything; instead, he enveloped her in his embrace. T.K. slapped Ash a high-five along with Davis and Takato. "Amazing!"

"I'm so impressed with how strong you guys have gotten," commented Izzy cheerfully. "I'll need to analyze your stats when we have the time and make a few adjustments to the ones I have."

Misty smiled. "It's not really us you should be thanking. It's the Pokémon. They did all the fighting; we just command them."

Pikachu smiled and bowed. "Pika, pika, pika." (Thank you, thank you, thank you)

Rika gave Chloe a rare smile as she handed her the blue zippered jacket. "I'm glad you're all right, but you nearly got your butts kicked out there."

"Don't I know it," muttered Chloe, but she smiled. "At least we survived right?" She took her jacket but didn't put it back on.

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "You were awesome against that virus though."

Misty, still holding onto Ash, grinned. "We all were."

The Pokémon trainers pulled out their Poké Balls and aimed them at their partners except for Pikachu. "Good job guys. You deserve a nice rest. RETURN!"

Ken and Kari were staring up at the sky, looking confused. "What's wrong you guys?" Yolei asked them curiously.

Ken pointed up at the clouds. "Look at them. They're getting darker."

"Say what?"

"Ken says they're getting darker and he's right," Wormmon explained. "They're even swirling around back and forth like soup. What was that word again?"

"I think you mean, 'churning,'" Cody whispered, staring at the black sky.

The others shifted their eyes upward as well. "What does this mean?" Renamon wondered.

"I think it means only one thing," said Davis in a surprisingly intelligent voice. "It means that sooner or later we have to fight against something else."

Ash goggled at him in horror. "I am not going to fight again after this. I can barely stand."

"Pikachu." (You weren't the one fighting out there)

"You're a Pokémon. You're built for this kind of stuff."

"Pika!" (Am not!)

Mimi looked at the sky. "I don't get it. What kind of evil being would still be alive after all this? We've destroyed Parasimon, the Dark Masters, and Missingno."

"On the contrary, I beg to differ."

The trainers blanched. "It…it can't be!" Ash muttered before shifting his body around.

"Oh it can and it is Ash Ketchum." The long blue column appeared before shifting into his viral form.

Chloe grabbed onto Tai's hand. "How is it…possible?"

Missingno loomed over the three teams, his eyes blazing with electricity. "Impressive though you Pokémon trainers were, I still have one last trick up my sleeve. Didn't I tell you not to underestimate me and my powers?"

"I thought he wasn't wearing sleeves," Guilmon mused.

Missingno constricted his body and let out a loud battle cry. Around him, ghostly images of the four Dark Masters, MaloMyotismon, Apoclamon, and Daemon appeared, floating and trancelike. Another image of Dragomon appeared soon afterward.

"Hey, those are all the Digimon we defeated before!" Davis shouted. "What's going on?"

Another image came into sight. It had dead gray skin, silvery hair, and green eyes shining out of a black face. Human-like hands ended in sharp claws. The Tamers all gave an involuntary shudder. It was the D-Reaper.

"What is that thing?" asked Mimi, turning up her nose in disgust.

Jeri began to tremble. "That…that is the Mother D-Reaper. That's the thing that made me…try to kill my friends."

Leomon leaned down to comfort her. "Don't worry Jeri. It won't harm you again."

"What's going on?" Veemon muttered.

In response, Missingno started writhing and twisting. The ghostly images changed into data particles except for the D-Reaper, which changed into bubbling chaos. The data particles and the chaos fused into Missingno's pixilated flesh, causing him to glow with blinding light. The kids and their partners shielded their faces from the glare.

The dazzling light vanished, only to be replaced by a towering, menacing, being. It had Machinedramon's cannon-sized guns resting on its shoulders. Two arms resembled Piedmon's human arms while two more behind them were the D-Reaper's clawed human hands. The last pair was Dragomon's enormous tentacle arms. MaloMyotismon's large purple wings with red tips unfurled at its back.

The torso of the creature was a full metal chest plate with MetalSeadramon's head sticking out of it like some grotesque piece of weaponry. Strapped at the sides of the waist were Piedmon's long swords. The legs were also metallic and seemed human-like but Puppetmon's wires were strung around them. Unfurling at the back was a curling metal tail.

But what caught everyone's attention was the face of the creature. Apoclamon's long silver hair swirled to its shoulders and Daemon's horns poked out of the top. The eyes were diamond-shaped and glowed blood red like garnets and flared with electricity. The creature grinned, displaying a perfect set of sharp fangs similar to the D-Reaper.

The three groups gazed at the new (and improved) viral hazard with a mixture of fear and apprehension. The creature stared back before the skies echoed with the results of his laughter.

"Houston," Ash muttered. "We have a problem."

Alexis: Man, talk about a long battle. And you thought that after all that, those guys are finally gonna catch a break? I don't think so. Stay put for the final battle that decides the fate of the universe as the Saga of Destiny continues!

Me: I actually was going to just leave it at Missingno's demise but then I remembered that the Tamers are my main characters and they barely got any action. Besides, the prophecy said that the Tamers will be the ones who decide the fate of the Digital World. So this means that the Tamers will have to defeat the new and improved Missingno while everybody else watches (hears "SAY WHAT!" in background). Well you heard Ally people! The last part of the battles up next and believe me when I say it'll be a doozy. Till next time!