"When last we left, an army of robotic digimon swarmed us. They were being controlled by Wrathmon, so it wasn't an easy battle. This all turned out to be a distraction so that the rest of the bad guys could capture the Keepers, but they turned out to be more powerful than Pridemon thought. Oh, did I forget to mention that ALL of our digimon reached their Mega levels? Man, it just can't get batter than this! …Or, can it?"

-Cody

DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA

Book Fifteen: "Do The Evolution"

While the battlefield was still fresh with ash, debris and leveled ground, the young heroes were celebrating their newest victory over evil. Those that were once massive heavyweight Megas were now pint-sized babies, innocent as newborns.

The youngest- Cody, Kari, and TK- were celebrating the loudest by congratulating their digimon as best they could, with shouts of joy and hugs.

The older teens, however, stared into the mist left behind by the chaos and destruction that had befallen the land. What was once green was now brown and black with ash.

No one was more disturbed by this than Tai and Matt, the main leaders.

"Look at this place…" Matt muttered first; "We were sent here to protect this world, not help destroy it." "Yeah," Tai agreed; "But it's not like we meant to do this. I mean, it could've been a lot worse. You know? …If we weren't here, the bad guys would've destroyed everything."

Then they looked beyond the battlefield, and saw lush green trees and towering mountains in the farthest distance. That's when it hit Matt like a rock; what Tai had just said was true. After the enemies leveled this land, they would have moved on to those forests, those mountains, and beyond. "Then it's settled then." Said Matt; "We have to keep moving on, and stop them before they do wreck this place completely."

Overhearing their little conversation, Davis and the others looked on in curiosity. Davis asked, "So we're all gonna split up?" "I don't see any other option, do you?" answered Matt. Tsunomon then stepped forward loyally and smiled, "I'll go with you to the mountain region, Matt." Koromon then hopped over to Tai's side and smiled, "We can't let them go alone. Let's go with them!"

Tai nodded to his little partner, "Okay. We'll go in groups of two. It'll go like this: me and Matt, Cody and Mimi, Davis and Ken, Sora and Yolei, TK and Kari, and Izzy with Joe All agreed?"

"That's all well and good," Davis already protested, "but what about my sister? How are we going to find her, anyway? She's all alone out there!" "Don't worry, Davis," replied Ken; "I'm sure our crests will lead us to her." Davis was usually the most laid back of the group, but it was obvious that he was becoming more and more concerned about his lost sister; "…Fine," he muttered; "We'll use the crests to find her." Ken then smiled, "And who knows? Maybe she already met up with her digimon by now, so she's not completely alone."

All of this positive energy coming from Ken was beginning to feel eerie to Davis; he pouted, "It still doesn't make me feel better. Let's just go right now! Come on, DemiVeemon!" Bouncing up and down excitedly beeped his baby digimon partner, "I'm right behind ya!" The four of them had already started off, toward the deserts of the southwest.

There was only one thing left for one particular digi-destined to do, and that was for him to say one last word to Mimi; "Uh, Mimi?" asked Joe; "You sure you'll be alright with Cody?" Mimi just brushed her hair, which was already starting to frizz from humidity. "Oh sure," she smiled; "We'll check out all of the cities by the ocean. Right, Cody?" Cody laughed, "I'll bet you just said that just to find yourself some hairspray… But yeah, searching the cities sounds like a good idea."

Joe then warned them, "Just be careful, you two. I don't wanna think anything bad's gonna happen-" "Oh, don't be such a worry wart, Joe!" Mimi huffed; "We're big kids now." Joe replied with a puss, "…Well, alright…" So Mimi and Cody, along with their digital partners, went off in the east.

Next went Sora and Yolei's team; they've decided to head northeast closer to Polarimon's territory.

Soon afterwards, Izzy informed Joe that they too should head into Oceanamon's territory, but not so closely to Mimi and Cody's team; they then took off for the southeast.

And finally, TK and Kari, who were most comfortable with each other's company more so than anyone else, headed out west to cover more ground in Gaiamon's jungle land.

All the while, they have been watched under the careful eyes of two characters: Gennai, their true friend and confidant; and Daru, their adversary.

"Are we there yet?"

Someone just had to say it, and this time, it was Agumon. "No," growled an already-irritated Tai; "Just a little further…" Gabumon then asked aloud, "Where exactly are we going?" Matt replied, "We're going back to the mountains where we first saw the Sin Digimon. If they tried to capture the Keepers, they'll try it again. And the only way to get to Polarimon is to reach the highest level." Then, for a few minutes, there was silence…

"I'm hungry," moaned Agumon. Tai sighed, "I'm hungry too, Agumon, but we can't stop to eat. We've got a long journey ahead of us." The little yellow dinosaur protested, "Can't we stop for just a little snack? …And maybe we can talk about all the things you've been up to while you were away."

Tai smiled, "Well, if it's any wonder, not much. I mean, Matt and I are in college right now, and I'm working on becoming a professional soccer player."

Gabumon frowned, "You're all growing up so fast… When you do grow up, are you still going to visit us?" Suddenly, Matt came to a stop. He turned around to face his digimon partner, who looked up at him with his big puppy-dog eyes. Matt smiled calmly, "Of course I'll see you again when this is all over! You know you're more than just my partner, Gabumon; you're my best friend." The little digimon blushed, "Aww… That's so sweet, Matt. And here I was beginning to believe that you were too old to go soft."

Matt usually was the manly type, but to Gabumon's comment, he just laughed. All of a sudden, he and Tai felt like kids again, like this was their first trip to the digital world.

Tai smiled, "It has been a while since we've been here. And it does seem like the only times we are here, something bad happens and we've gotta fix it." Matt nodded, "Yep; that's us, the great Fixer-Uppers." Tai added, "And we never get a chance to have fun around here. I mean, look at this place! Blue sky, warm air; it's like paradise!" "Yeah," Agumon smiled.

Then he changed his pace, "…Wait. Didn't Gaiamon say that this world was meant to be a paradise?"

Matt made a face; "She did, but I got the feeling like she left a lot of details out. It felt vague to me." "Yeah," Tai agreed; "Real vague…" "Maybe she forgot all the details," Gabumon theorized; "I think being a Keeper for too long made her forget her human life a little." "Whatever the reason," Matt answered, "I just can't help but winder what the new crests can do. It just feels like they're used for more than just helping our pals digivolve…"

"Yeah," Tai nodded, "but let's stop talking and start walking! We've got a Digi-Keeper to protect." They resumed their walk as Agumon smiled, "Yeah! …And maybe on our way, we can grab a bite to eat!"

Elsewhere, similar ideas were popping up in the heads of Cody and Armadillomon, as they led Mimi and Palmon on the road to the cities of Oceanamon. As Cody focused on the bracelet, which held his new crest, he pondered aloud, "I wonder how these new crests work. And I wonder why mine is on a bracelet, while yours is on a necklace."

He was, of course, addressing Mimi, but she was too busy trying to brush her hair to notice his question. Then it hit her; "Hm? I'm sorry, Cody; were you talking to me?" He just hummed as she took to her medallion and smiled, "Isn't it beautiful! I wonder what this new crest does. It's much, much bigger than the last one, so it's gotta do something, right?"

Slightly irritated with his friend's ignorance, Cody changed the subject; "So, what do you think Joe's problem is?" "Huh?" blinked Mimi; "I didn't know he had a problem." Cody explained, "He seems awfully worried about you. Is he always like that?" Mimi frowned as she turned away, "Hmm… Funny, I never noticed."

Then Palmon jumped into the conversation and replied, "Well, I've noticed! He's been like that for a long time; I think he's worried about her because he cares so much." Cody smirked at this thought; "I'll never understand boy/girl feelings." Armadillomon then jumped into the conversation by simply saying, "Well, maybe when you're older…"

"Oooh… They're making this too easy!" Daru grinned, while overlooking each individual group of heroes through a crystal ball. Actually, it wasn't the classic fortuneteller's ball; more like a monitor that shared the same purpose as a computer screen. With it he could check on the progress and location of every human and digimon he wanted to, and he had been watching the digi-destined intently.

But he wasn't alone; two Sin Digimon were watching them alongside the human. Pridemon and Greedmon.

"Yes," agreed the dark dragon with multiple hands and faces; "too easy…" Pridemon, whose face remained in the dark, said, "All I'm concerned about are those two young ones, TK and Kari. They and their digimon are key to unleashing the strongest power the forces of good have to offer. You do know about their past, don't you?"

He thought it over, then Greedmon nodded, "Yes… Why were they the only two members of the original group allowed to have their 'pets' armor digivolve in the past? And why did the little girl receive power from Polarimon in her youth?" Pridemon added, "And how did her crest end up in the other world in the first place?"

"Pridemon! Greedmon…" interrupted the calm voice of the human Daru; "Don't you see? There are other powers at work here. One in particular was my rival, Gennai. HE was the one who sent the eighth crest to the real world in the first place."

"WHAT?" Greedmon and Pridemon shouted in unison.

"Yes!"

"How do you know that!?" growled the dragon; Daru grinned, "I make it my business to know everything that the old fool is up to.

"He's made many things possible for these children. He was the one who designed those crests, and those digi-mentals as they're so called. He took advantage of the fact that those two children, TK and Kari, were the youngest of the original group. He took advantage of their innocence and indomitable spirits.

"Which leads me to the first part of my plan. All we need to do is draw out Gennai, then I'll keep him busy while you and my Shadowmon take care of those little brats!"

"…It still doesn't explain why those two are so favored!" Pridemon hissed, as if out of jealousy. Daru calmed her by saying, "It doesn't matter right now! …Or maybe it does." "Hm?" hummed the shadowed Sin Digimon. Daru then instructed her, "If you're so concerned about their inner strength, then why don't you handle them yourself, personally?"

She liked the sound of this plot; "You mean, tempt them into tapping into their dark sides?" "Envymon tried it once already with that Yolei girl," Daru reminded her; "She nearly succeeded too!" "You have a point," whispered the plotting Pridemon; "Perhaps I can take advantage of them without them even knowing it. I'll make them think that they're SO powerful, that nothing can stop them… Yes… I'm liking this idea very much." With that comment, her eerie smile started to show through the darkness.

"I'm glad we're finally on the same side," Daru commented. He then moved away from the monitor and into another room, with Pridemon and Greedmon following behind, to check on his great machine, which stood against a wall like a monstrous spider web: the Shadowmon formatter. Daru explained, "I already have a plan on how to keep those brats occupied, and it won't even matter if they win this next battle." "What do you mean?" asked Greedmon, with his eyes all fixed on the great machine ahead.

Daru explained, "I plan to force these children into tapping into their greatest power; the power that has not yet been tapped. …Oh yes, I am very well aware of those battle crests that the children are wearing-"

"Battle crests?" again, Greedmon and Pridemon spoke in unison.

Daru continued, "Yes, battle crests. I know what they are, and I know what they do… In fact, I intend to make the children use them! As soon as possible!"

"But why?" asked Greedmon, who seemed concerned with the results of this plan.

Daru replied as he stared proudly at this great machine, "You ask that question as though you're worried about the results, Greemon. Trust me, you'll like the results. It will look like the heroes will get stronger. And they will, physically… but deep down, they're still adolescent children; inexperienced and naive. They'll have no idea how to control that power.

"And while we take care of them… I must find Gennai, before he interferes again."

"Well, here we are," Matt sighed in relief; at least it felt like relief, as he and his team reached the mountain ranges at last.

Tai and Agumon stared bleakly at the towering mountains, almost fearful of climbing them again. They were actually separated from the mountains by a barren field, which was faintly painted in snow thanks to the near-freezing temperature.

"I'm almost excited to see 'em again," Tai said, referring to the mountains ahead; "Do we really have to go all the way up there without flying?" "Well, I guess we could fly," Matt replied; "It'd sure take a load off our legs." "Speak for yourself!" huffed a tired Agumon; "My legs are so shaky, I doubt I could digivolve." Gabumon also looked tired from all of the walking; "Maybe we could just sit here and wait for our legs to stop shaking," he suggested softly.

Matt seemed the least bit tired; "Come on, you guys; I know it was a long walk, but we can't just quit now…" He then glanced up at the sky and said, "Look, it's about to rain. Do we really wanna be caught in it?" "Yes!" cheered the two digimon, who both looked forward to be cooled off by rain. Tai then looked up at the sky and began to say, "I could use a nice drink of…."

Then he stopped talking altogether; his mouth, however, remained open. Curious of his friend's sudden fall of silence, Matt turned to Tai and hummed, "Hmm?"

"…matt…"

"…What?"

"…That's not a rain cloud…"

Matt took a closer look at it, and then his mouth began to drop; "…oh, no…"

It was happening again; the sky was being plagued by Shadowmon.

They came by the millions this time, over the mountains and then spilling out onto the open field. There was no end to them, no end in sight. Both the land and the sky started turning black, and it was all flying towards the young heroes. They felt like they were being denied a chance to even breathe; the sight of this ambush was as breathtaking as it was unexpected.

It was happening almost everywhere- all of the places that were inhabited by the digi-destined were now swarming with Shadowmon. Like wildfire, they had spread, blackening the ground. They were like a sea of fangs, claws and eyes; all cackling in an infinite chorus of harsh howls and insane laughter.

Terror struck the hearts of all who had seen and heard them coming. Even the children and their digimon partners shook with fear for a moment.

"I was afraid of this," uttered Gennai as he was watching the action take place from within his own secluded tower. He was not alone; Kellen and Culumon were present with him, and both looked more worried than even he was.

The youngsters watched as Gennai had fallen into a meditated state; his eyes had been closed and his mind cleared, and his body frozen with concentration. He was like this for some time now, and those very few words that just came out of his mouth were the first words he'd spoken in hours.

"G-Gennai," stuttered Kellen, "what do we do?" Then behind him, a dark voice answered, "There's nothing you can do."

Kellen and Culumon gasped and whirled around, and there hovering above them was Daru. "Gennai!" he roared; "I've found your little hiding place at last; let's finish this now!" The old man was still for a moment, but then he opened his eyes and replied, "As you wish."

All at once, the chiseled writings of a language unknown to any from another dimension, which were carved on all of the walls of that dark hall, started to shine. This was just the place where Gennai wanted to be, the place where he could tap into his own powers. Then all at once, the glow from the writings on the wall shot out beams of light, and struck Gennai almost like lightning.

"What's happening to him!?" gasped the alarmed Culumon; Kellen took to this sight calmly and answered, "…He's reformatting his own data."

It was true; this hallway was designed to store Gennai's own data that had kept him alive all these years. Within a matter of seconds, he who was once an old man was now in his prime, a young man.

At this, Daru grinned; "So, you've decided to strengthen your power to challenge me, eh?" The young man turned to his adversary and hissed, "It is you who is challenging me." Daru, whose body had stayed young all this time, was all too excited to see that he would finally get his duel. He bared his teeth and summoned a digital staff; "Let's begin then," he hissed.

"Not here!" demanded the youthful Gennai; he was concerned for the safety of his young pupil and his digimon friend. But for their safety, Daru could care less; "Don't worry about them," he warned, "worry about yourself!" And with that, he charged.

The two of them crashed through a wall, and into an abyss of nothingness. Kellen, with his digimon friend, ran to the hole that was made by the force of Gennai and Daru's clash; "GENNAI!" was all he could shout, and his voice echoed into the nothingness.

Wherever they were, digimon evolved from Rookies to Champions, and from Champions to Ultimates. They waged a great battle with the on-coming Shadowmon, who had shown no signs of surrender at all.

And with each and every attack given to them by their enemies, they just kept coming. And coming, and coming!

Time was running out fast for the heroes; their digimon partners were strong, but their strengths had limits. Eventually, Metal Greymon and WereGarurumon were starting to wear down and show bruises on their bodies. They were exhausted.

"Come on! Change to Mega!" commanded Tai, but his partner was weakened enough to say, "…I… can't." With that, Metal Greymon shifted back into his rookie form, and collapsed. Mimicking him soon afterwards was WereGarurumon.

"Tai!" Matt gasped; "…We're surrounded! They just keep coming!" "I know," Tai replied as his glistened eyes focused on the sea of on-coming Shadowmon.

All this time, the children were powerless to help their friends; never before have they needed the aid of their human partners so badly; it was beginning to sink in now; not just to Tai and Matt, but to all of the digi-destined. At this moment, being human just wasn't enough anymore.

Tai spoke on behalf of every human in the digital world when he said, "…I wish we could do something…"

That's when his crest started to glow.

Somewhere, in another place, where all other life forms are forbidden to step in, Polarimon opened her eyes, reacting to the glow of the crests.

"This was the day I feared," Gaiamon frowned; Oceanamon replied to her, "We should have expected this. It's a cheap shot, but should have been expected."

Polarimon crossed her arms; "We have no choice but to unleash the powers of the battle crests, sisters. Gaiamon… are you ready?" Gaiamon replied reluctantly, "Yes…" "Then let us begin," commanded the oldest sister, Polarimon.

The three of them joined hands in a circle, and each was soon coated in a colorful aura. They began to chant in perfect unison, and as they did so their dark plain started to illuminate with prismatic colors. They spoke these words:

"Out of the thirteen, we have chosen ten;

Among children we call forth women and men.

As our powers align, so theirs do as well,

We call forth Heaven to take on Hell.

So now we call these virtues by name:

(Gaiamon) Courage!

(Oceanamon) Friendship!

(Polarimon) Love!

(Gaiamon) Kindness!

(Oceanamon) Knowledge!

(Polarimon) Faith!

(Gaiamon) Sincerity!

(Oceanamon) Reliability!

(Polarimon) Hope!"

Then, as their chant continued, a great orb of pure energy emerged from the center of their circle. They went on…

"The crests are open; their powers revealed;

Let them now storm the battlefield!

BATTLE DIGI-EVOLUTION! BEGIN!"

SHOOM!!!

In a blaze of glory, the orb, which was centered by the Keepers, now burst into a stream of colorful light, like a rainbow just starting its course across the sky.

This rainbow light did indeed cross the sky; the entire sky. Everyone from all places and from all walks of life stopped everything they were doing in that one shining moment. All eyes were on the sky; it didn't matter whom they were- good or evil, they all stared at the rainbow.

But as Matt and Tai watched this phenomenon, Matt's eyes started to gravitate towards his own chest. There, he noticed that the medallion around his neck was copying the same swirl of colors that were jetting through the sky.

"…Tai?…" he muttered fearfully.

Tai wasn't paying attention, so again and all the louder Matt called out, "Tai! …Something's happening!!"

"What!?" Tai gasped, and as he turned towards his friend he started to notice the glow of his own medallion. It too was illuminating in a swirl of color, like the stream of color in the sky.

Everyone, from all places, that had a battle crest was beginning to notice the same thing, and feel the same power.

And then… it happened.

------------ Vision: Digivolution- Battle Gear ------------

"Tai Kamiya …Battle Gear digivolve, based on …"

(His crest of Courage lights up and opens a vortex of orange data. Tai jumps into this vortex, and passes through an image of War Greymon. The image then digitizes, surrounds Tai, and starts to take shape of his special armor. Piece by piece, he earns his armor until it is complete. Then, like any evolved digimon would, he makes a landing and strikes a pose.)

"WAR GREYMON!"

"Matt Ishida …Battle Gear digivolve, based on…"

(Same action, only with blue light and Were Garurumon passing through Matt in the vortex)

"WERE GARURUMON!"

------------ End Vision ------------

Even the Shadowmon were stunned at this. Before them stood the same two teens, but this time they were completely transformed. Well, not completely; they were still human, but their outfits were completely reformatted.

Tai's battle gear did in fact resemble WarGreymon; he had golden armor from shoulder blades, kneepads, to boots; with a silver mid-section, and the rest of his body was clothed in black. There was a shield attached to his left arm while his right one was armed with a lance.

His helmet copied WarGreymon's own head almost to a tee, horns and all. But underneath that helmet with the fold-up face glared the bright human eyes of Tai.

Matt had his own change of outfits; like WereGarurumon, his clothes of midnight blue were tattered and torn; underneath his open blue shirt was plated black armor. His hands and feet were covered in armor as well; armor that appeared to be the robotic version of WereGarurumon's own hands and feet.

As for his face, he was scarred with a blue mark running down his right side, while his right eye was patched with a cyborg-like red eye. And the look in his eyes- though they were still human- looked absolutely feral.

Elsewhere, Mimi went through her own change of clothes as well; her new battle gear echoed the look of Rosemon. Her hair, wreathed on roses, grew a great length, all the way down to her feet; her outfit was a one-piece with patches of plated green armor (designed like leaves) running down her mid-section, all the way down to her legs (which twined like vines).

She was even equipped with her very own whip, spiked in rose thorns. And her green high-heel boots made her grow a whole foot, making her taller and much mature-looking than ever.

"I don't… believe it!" was all Sora could say, after changing from ordinary girl to Birdramon look-alike. Her arms were plated with metal, orange wings; her helmet resembled Birdramon's own head, with an extended beak section that could be used as a spear.

The talons on her boots looked like they could tear through anything. Most of her torso and pants were black, but her mid-section was plated with orange feathers.

And to top it off, she had a torn cape attached to her shoulders which, when picked up by the wind, flowed like Birdramon's tail.

And Yolei next to her was quite the sight as well; her bodysuit was mostly brown with a tan, feathery underbelly, and in fact it was dressed in the style of a Native American princess. But where Sora had a cape, Yolei had Aquillamon wings.

Her helmet, which was more like a headband, didn't have a beak, but it did have a crown of Aquilamon feathers that fell back like an Native American chief's signature crown. And while Sora only had talons on her boots, Yolei had talon gloves as well as boots.

"Gracious!" flapped Hawkmon; "you two look like digimon!" "Not just any digimon," added Biyomon, "Us!"

"But how?" Yolei wondered aloud; Sora wondered, "You think the Digi-Keepers did this?" "Who else could be responsible?" was Hawkmon's reply.

In another place, Izzy was digging his new armor, which in the back almost completely echoed that of MegaKabuterrimon's massive shell. He too could take flight if he wanted to, but other than that, he looked rather slow. But he could make up for that with his double-headed spear, which had on its ends electric horns like that on the Ultimate digimon's head.

His mid-section was armed in red, and his gloves and boots echoed the claws of the digimon. Like Tai, his face was masked as well.

Next to him stood Joe, who was very startled by his new outfit. Where his glasses once were stood a single blue lens. It seemed like he lacked armor, but the thick tan fur that started from his helmet (which echoed the face of Zudomon- tusks and all) snaked down his back like a cape, looking thick enough to be invincible. In one hand he held his own silver hammer, in the other, a long shield.

As for the rest of his suit, it was gray and plated silver to match the coloring of his digimon counterpart; and his gloves and boots echoed the digimon's own claws and feet. The only extra attachment he had were the spiky suspender-like plates that ran over his shoulders and down his torso.

And for this new suit of armor, he could only say this: "Mommy."

Where Kari stood, TK stood as well, but he resembled the Champion form of his own digimon partner, Angemon. He had the wings, helmet, boots, gloves, and sash. In fact, if it weren't for his face and small body, one could easily mistake him for the digimon- except that his body wasn't white, it was only plated white on his torso, legs and arms.

At this sight, Patamon was overjoyed; he cheered, "Wow! Now I really am beside myself!" TK laughed, "Uh-heh-heh… Yeah, sort of."

Only one other digi-destined stood in battle gear, and that was Ken. It was strange enough that his armor echoed that of the Mega form of his partner, GranKwagamon… What made it even more eerie, was the fact that out outfit looked all too familiar…

Davis blinked thrice before he blurted out, "…Ken… You're… You're… The Kaiser!!" "…What?" muttered Ken, turning to his friend with a stunned look on his face. "Look at you, man!" shouted his friend; "You're like… evil again!" Ken gasped, and took a good hard look at himself.

No, he didn't look evil, but that suit of his, which he was donning at that moment, looked very much like the same one he donned as the Digimon Kaiser of not so long ago. He didn't have the same spiky hair though; it was his normal straight hair. And he didn't have the same glasses anymore either, but he did have a new pair of red ones.

To mirror GranKwagamon's coloring, he was now jet-black where Kaiser was blue; now silver, where he was streaked yellow. His mid-section was plated silver, which was a new element to the familiar-looking suit.

His cape was colored to match the wings of GranKwagamon. And his right arm was now plated with a long scythe, to match one of GranKwagamon's long and merciless pincers.

He, Davis and their digimon partners were all speechless.

"It is done," Polarimon said in the secluded area of her and her sisters; "The Digi-Destined have now become one with their crests at last. Now their power echoes that of their digimon partners, whether they are Champions, Ultimates, or Megas."

Gaiamon still felt uneasy by all this, but she replied with, "We have had this planned for a long time, sisters; let's hope it works."

From where they stood, Tai Matt and their digimon all looked impressed with the new upgrades. The only ones that trembled at this sight were the Shadowmon, much to Matt's delight. "…Tai?" he spoke.

"Yeah?"

"I dunno know about you… But I think I'm starting to like this."

"…Yeah!"

And so, the battle continued; Tai jumped into the fray with Matt soaring behind. While their digimon partners looked on, bruised and weakened by the fight, the humans were now picking up right where they left off.

Before long, the population of the Shadowmon was already halved. In fact, some of them began to run; it was at this moment when Tai and Matt tried out their new attacks:

"ICI-CLAW!"

This was Matt's new gift; a powerful swipe from his metal-clawed gloves that can slice and dice any enemy from any distance, in a blue-lit rush.

"TERROR BALL!"

This was Tai's attack, which looked like a much smaller version of WarGreymon's "Terra Force." He launched it at his enemies like a softball, and it tore right through every Shadowmon that dared to escape destruction.

Elsewhere, other attacks were being tested for the first time…

"RAZOR PETALS!"

This was Mimi's attack; from her gloved hands sprayed metal rose petals that slashed through enemies with the force of a hurricane.

"KAISER WHIP!"

Ken's new suit came with its own bullwhip, the kind he used to drive digimon slaves with; now it was used on the swarming Shadowmon.

"HAWK EYES!"

This was Yolei's new attack, which unleashed a laser beam straight from the violet lens that covered her real eyes.

"SWAN DIVE!"

Sora shouted this as she swooped down from the sky on Shadowmon, and with her spear-like beak, she pummeled them.

"THUNDER SPEAR!"

Izzy twirled his new weapon, which conducted electricity through friction, and with it he gave off a deadly shockwave on Shadowmon.

"…Uhh… F-Frozen Waste?"

"Come on, Joe! Give it more feeling than that!" cheered Gommamon.

"Okay…FROZEN WASTE!"

With his hands stretched out, Joe was able to trap his on-coming enemies in a tomb of black ice.

And last but certainly not least…

"ANGEL'S CALLING!"

With this attack, TK was able to produce a halo around his body, which gave him ultra-sonic speed- speed that literally cut through all of his attackers.

Nine digi-destined with newfound power; nine, which started out as mere, defenseless children, now stood tall and proud atop mountains of deceased Shadowmon, which would eventually fizz away into dust.

There was great rejoicing everywhere for yet another victory for the heroes.

But still within the tower which kept its address a mystery, Kellen and Culumon stayed huddled, scared and confused. The young boy could hear the calming words of Gaiamon; "Fear not, Kellen; Gennai will return when he was finished dueling Daru. Until he comes back, you are in charge of this tower."

But the boy was in doubt; he frowned, "But… I'm still just an apprentice. I know nothing of taking care of the digital world all by myself." Again, he heard her voice; "You are not alone, child; my sisters and I are everywhere. We will help you secure this world, for as long as you need us."

The boy wanted to be calmed by her words and pleasant tone of voice, but still he and Culumon remained huddled. Kellen asked, "Should I just wait here? Or do expect much more of me?" Gaiamon's voice replied, "We will call on you when we need you. Until then, wait for Gennai's return."

And then the hall fell silent. Kellen and Kulumon had their nerves calmed for a moment, to let the reality that they were alone again sink in.

It was a fast-paced day, and night fell faster than anyone could expect. The Keepers were all relieved that their chosen ones were strong and stable enough to handle their new battle gears. So for now, they rested.

Standing on a cliff, at the very edge of a great barren desert, Davis and his team were setting up camp for the night. In the sky, they could see the constellation that was Polarimon.

As she made herself known to them, she began to speak: "As you have witnessed today, children, my sisters and I have planned on giving you your own ways of digivolving from the beginning of this quest. Ten of you have received battle crests, which will be called upon whenever you need them now.

"Granted, you were not official digimon, but the concept of humans and digimon uniting as one is not entirely new. Never forget, there are other plains of existence. Other digital worlds, like this one, have their own heroes, and they all have been given a chance just as you have today. The chance to take forms of their own, as digimon."

Davis looked up at her and asked, "Is that what that was? You're saying we had the power to become like digimon, and you tell us this NOW?" Polarimon just smiled, "We weren't sure you were ready for this challenge… And challenged you will be once again. I fear mostly for you, Ken."

"Me?" Ken looked up at the stars, which made up the Keeper of the Sky.

"Yes… Gaiamon fears for your safety, for thanks to the dark core that lies in your body, your battle gear may not be fully stable. Fortunately, you were spared from any pain today… But we anticipate discomfort in the future. So please… be careful."

"I see," Ken muttered as he bowed his head. "That's why I looked like the Kaiser; I was meant to be a warrior from the beginning, but the dark core made it a dark power."

Davis added, "I remember when we first came to this world, our outfits changed from the ones we wore in the real world. I thought that was all a part of wishful thinking." Polarimon explained, "It was, and it wasn't.

"Children, this digital world was meant for you. All of you; every dimension where children live has access to this world, in one form or another. We have intended this place to be a world where children could decide what to wear, how to behave and decide for themselves what makes them happy.

"We never intended there to be violence in this world; that is why our powers need to expand, so that you could use your own hearts to fight evil. We hope to expend on this in the near future… But for now, you children should rest. I have a feeling that tomorrow will be even tougher on you."

Every digi-destined heard this, and understood it well. For some, a lot of questions had been answered, but for others, the mystery lingered on. But as Polarimon had advised, nearly all of them took this time to get ready to rest for the night.

But in their territory, in the far off regions of the forest, TK and Kari kept their guard up. Gatomon and Patamon rested very early, near the campfire that their human friends set up.

But the young humans couldn't sleep a wink; it was as if they felt something bump in the night, though it was quite peaceful.

Kari sat up on a tree root that arched its way high above the ground, while TK paced back and forth near her.

She could see that he was deep in thought, so she decided to break the silence by saying, "Isn't it neat how you much you looked like Angemon?" Taken slightly by surprise, TK looked up at her, then smiled, "Yeah… I thought for a minute there everything was gonna go bad, and then that happened. It was like a miracle."

Kari then smiled sweetly, "It wasn't a miracle; it was fate."

TK gave her a nod, "Yeah," then decided to calm his nerves by jumping onto the tree root to sit beside her. The two of them looked up at the stars, and all at once, they were at peace. TK then said, "You know, Kari… I really am glad I was able to get that battle gear, and save your life." "Hey!" she elbowed him in a seemingly friendly manner; he reacted with a chuckle as she replied, "I wasn't completely helpless, you know; Angewomon was there to protect me…"

"Yeah, I know…"

All of a sudden, it started to get darker around the two of them.

"…And even if she was there, I could have handled things all by myself."

"Sure, you would."

"No, I'm serious; I'm the eighth digi-destined. Polarimon's power came over me, even when I was very little. She came to me in her spirit form to help everyone else. I'm sure I could handle anything by myself."

There was a slight pause, until TK added, "Yeah, well, I'm pretty gifted too. I mean, I've got the crest of hope, and that's gotta count for something… Plus, my digimon can turn into an angel in his Champion mode, and yours can only do that in her Ultimate mode."

Kari then calmly argued, "Well, you have to admit, Mangadramon is much cooler looking than Seraphimon." TK's eyes then lit up; "Hey! Wait a minute…" Then a calm overpowered him, and he sighed, "…What are we arguing about? You and me are both equally powerful." All at once, Kari felt the same calmness and agreed, "Yeah." TK added, "We were both here from the beginning, and we're going to be here until the end."

"Right."

"And none of the others would even be here without us."

"True."

"Yep… We're the tops."

"I couldn't agree more."

The more they spoke, the darker it got around them, and the darker it became, the more their eyes dilated. It was as if they had been engulfed in a great dark fog; every other corner of their camp was illuminated by the moon and stars. And strangely enough, neither TK nor Kari noticed this eerie atmosphere. They were too busy praising themselves to notice anything at that time.

Somewhere in the darkest region of the forest, Pridemon was smiling.

TO BE CONTINUED