What happened to Tsukaimon sent a signal to all of their Digivices, like a warning of some kind.

"Kotemon," Kai said as he looked to his partner, who was already staring off at the dark clouds in the distance. The one's that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, "Lets go."

The little guy nodded, drawing his kendo stick. "I'm right behind you!"

While Thomas was in the middle of setting up a good booster to try and track the signal coming from the other side, "Guess we'll have to do this later." He sighed, looking to Kokuwamon. "You ready? I figured we'd take the scenic route." Holding up his Digivice as the screen began to glow.

Kokuwamon held up his hands, clicking his metal pincers together. "One digi-transport coming right up!"

And on the ground, Samantha and Cody were already running back towards the warehouse as fast as they could. "I've never seen a warning signal like this before!" She stated, the clouds spreading above telling her something bad must be happening.

"But where did it come from?" Cody questioned, watching as Darcmon swooped by overhead racing towards the scene. "We didn't get any warning about a breach, and the only data signals on the map are Shamanmon and Tsukaimon!"

Samantha narrowed her eyes, fearing what that might mean. The most logical solution was, of course- "If it isn't the Digimon the escaped last night, it could be one of them..."

"What do you mean by that?!" Cody demanded, as if offended, "You think Shamanmon or that adorable little-" Catching his words before shaking his head. "No, no way!"

"I see them!" Darcmon spoke through Sam's Digivice, "And- That thing is huge!"

Another terrible scream echoed through the area, causing Sam and Cody to stop in their tracks, watching the dark digimon rising from the ruined warehouse up ahead. Where Darcmon hovered overhead, "Do you see the others!?" Sam questioned worriedly, fearing they could have been buried in the rubble.

"Yes! There's Shamanmon and Madison!" She answered, "But no Tsukaimon, I fear this thing really might be-"

"Don't say that!" Cody cut her off, "We don't know for sure, she could be buried or- or, I don't know..." Before shaking his head, "Ah whatever, I'm gonna go get Shamanmon and make sure they're okay!"

Devidramon didn't seem to notice them yet, body trembling as she struggled to handle the power flowing through her. Turning slowly, all four eyes landed on Madison, her partner. Growling lowly, unable to communicate any other way, she slowly lumbered forward. The ground trembling beneath her weight, as she slowly reached out with one hand towards her partner.

But Madison stepped back out of fear, and why wouldn't she? Her partner's vile, monstrous visage was incapable of displaying anything but malevolent intent.

This reaction however, was not what Devidramon wanted. And she flinched back as well, body starting to shake uncontrollably, before bringing both elongated arms to her head. Nails digging into her skin before she started to scream once more, the shockwave sending cracks through the earth beneath her feet, making the nearby warehouses shudder as well while windows were shattered.

Before the wave could reach Shamanmon and Madison, Darcmon appeared between them. Raising her staff, she created a barrier of light to shield them from the blast, "Hang on!" She cried, gritting her teeth as her shielding began to crack, the hastily made barrier not her finest work. Thankfully, the sonic assault on her shield faded out before it could shatter. "She's strong, and can't control herself!"

"We've got to turn her back to normal," Samantha replied, keeping a safe distance from the action. "Or she'll tear the entire city apart!"

"And how the hell do we do that!?" Cody demanded, continuing to charge forward in an attempt to reach his partner.

"We'll have to knock her out." Darcmon surmised. "And if we can't do that..."

"Fine by me," Cody replied, his partner in sight, "Shamanmon! You ready!?" Holding up his digivice.

The green goblin digimon nodded his head, "Always!"

Digivolution

His body engulfed in light, growing rapidly in size, "Shamanmon Digivolve to..." Emerging from the light as a large golden ape, taking his position beside Darcmon and brandishing the large bone club as a weapon. "Apemon!"

"Come on!" Darcmon took flight, sword and staff in hand, while Apemon jumped as well. "Heaven's Thunder!" Calling forth a great bolt of lightning from her staff, it crashed against Devidramon making the dark digimon cry out in pain.

"Furious Spike!" Apemon cried, unleashing a hailstorm of his sharp quills, adding to Devidramon's torment.

The screams seemed to snap the monsters partner out of her fear fueled stupor, and what was happening before her eyes suddenly became all too apparent. "Wh-What are you doing?" Madison muttered, watching as her partner weathered the assault, "Stop!"

"They can't!" Cody said as he reached her, "The only way we can stop this is if we knock her out, according to Darcmon anyways..."

Devidramon lashed out at her attackers, one long arm grabbing Apemon out of the air and slamming him hard into the asphalt. Before opening her maw wide, releasing a vile blast of black miasma, Darcmon tried to raise her barrier in time but it was shattered in an instant. Sending her hurtling through the air, the angelic digimon only just barely managing to recover before she hit the ground.

"Come on!" Cody grabbed Madison's arm, "We've gotta get out of here!" Pulling her along as he started to run.

"W-Wait! No!" She tried to fight it, but he was much stronger than her. "There has to be another way!"

Devidramon noticed them running, snarling in anger as her eyes locked onto Cody. "HRAAAGH!" Her scream resounding as she lunged for the two of them, one massive arm outstretched with claws ready to rend the boy apart.

He could see the attack coming, and quickly pivoted on his feet, "RUN MADDIE!" Pushing her the other way with all his momentum, forcing himself to stop. He covered his face and upper body, as if it would do him any good.

Before a flash of movement dashed across the way, a blue blur lashing at her outstretched hand, causing her recoil while shrieking in pain. As a masked digimon wielding two wooden blades slid to a stop. "Go! I'll cover you!" Yasyamon shouted.

"Thanks, whoever you are..." Cody nodded, looking back to Madison to see Kai was by her side, giving him a firm nod before he started running as well.

"Come on," Kai urged, trying to help Madison up. "It's not safe here with that thing!"

"Th-That thing is-" Madison could barely even say it, "Its Tsukaimon..." Her heart gripped with fear as she watched the fighting continue.

Yasyamon dashed forward while Devidramon opened her maw, firing another wave of that black miasma. The speedy blade wielding digimon dashed around, before jumping high into the air, "Twin Stri-" His words hitching as Devidramon's tail met him in the air, its end opening up as if it were a third claw, grabbing him and stopping his attack before it could truly begin. "Uh oh."

With a brutal whip, the black dragon slammed him through the walls of the nearest building. Dragging his body through entirety of its outer wall before releasing him to slide to a stop outside of the rubble. Just as Apemon jumped for the creatures face, "You have to stop!" His bone club in hand, he swung it with all his might, "Please Tsukaimon!" Slamming it into the side of Devidramon's face, causing her to stumble back, before Apemon followed up by delivering a brutal uppercut to her lower jaw making her head snap back.

Before she could respond, a second attack came from behind. A beam of light crashing into her back just between her wings, causing her to lurch forward onto her elbows and knees. A robotic digimon hovering in the air behind her, using a thruster to stay up. "Sorry we're late!" Thomas called over the machines apparent loud speakers. Shoulder silos opening before unleashing a hail of exploding discs that engulfed Devidramon in fire and smoke.

"Is he inside his own digimon?" Sam blinked as she watched, "You know what? Sure why not, today's been wild anyways..."

"Samantha," Darcmon said through her digivice, wincing as she landed nearby. Nursing the wounds that miasma had left her with, "This isn't going well." As Devidramon rose from the smoke with renewed fury, spinning in place her massive tail slammed into Apemon sending him flying. "She's not slowing down!"

Before the demonic dragon jumped at Mekanorimon, "All power to thrusters!" Thomas barked at the controls, attempting to escape her grasp with a sudden boost. Succeeding in flying right over her head, before that pesky tail grabbed Mekanorimon by the leg.

"Hang on Thomas!" The machine cried, attempting to brace himself.

Devidramon slammed them straight down into the loose earth below, smashing them into a crater before she came crashing down with her full weight. Driving them into the earth with a brutal impact, before throwing her head back and screaming to the heavens, releasing another shockwave of dark energy that ripped through the streets. Every old warehouse within a two block radius was reduced to shattered windows and walls barely holding together.

"Damn, she's a real beast," Cody said as he rejoined the others near Sam, "Any ideas?"

Kai joining with Madison as well, "Is that thing really Tsukaimon? How did this happen?"

"She was corrupted, I think..." Madison answered, "There was this evil Digimon, Devimon, she called him..." Shaking her head, "He did something to her... Awoke something and... She just went berserk!"

Samantha narrowed her eyes, "Then this wasn't some freak accident, Tsukaimon's always had this sleeping inside of her and that's why she was targeted..." Before scoffing, "This is why she didn't want to fight, she knew!"

"Wh-What!?" Madison stepped back in disbelief, "No... No she wouldn't lie about that, she couldn't have known!"

Kai folded his arms over his chest, "Whether or not she knew is not important right now, we need a way to stop her."

"Yeah we're kinda getting our asses kicked right now," Cody pointed out, "I'm starting to think brute force ain't gonna work."

Samantha looked down briefly at her digivice, "If we don't do something, we might lose all of our Digimon."

Prompting a moment of silence between the four of them, each one silently coming to terms with that possible reality.

"What are you suggesting?" Madison questioned fearfully.

"No more screwing around," She stated simply, "It's Devidramon or us."

"Whoa!" Cody held up his hands, "Don't you think that's a little extreme?"

"What choice do we have?" Kai questioned, staring down at the ground as his hands clenched. "If we're all wiped out, this monster continues rampaging, and no one is left to stop it." He didn't like it, he knew it was wrong but...

"B-But that's not-" Madison stammered for the right words, tears welling up in her eyes. "You can't just-"

"We aren't gonna kill her!" Cody argued against them, "No way, not happening!"

"And what's the alternative?!" Samantha barked back at him, "If this thing makes it to a populated area hundreds of people will die!"

Kai nodded, despite his own doubts about this. "We can't let that happen." Holding up his Digivice, "Yasyamon, you alright out there?"

"Ngh! N-Never better," He grunted in response, "You guys got a plan yet?"

"Coordinate with Darcmon, we need to destroy this thing before it hurts anyone else." He said sharply.

"WHAT?!" Yasyamon replied, suddenly wide awake despite his beating. "B-But isn't this Madison's partner?! We can't just-"

"I know it's wrong... But we're running out of options." Before lowering his head, looking to Madison's horrified face. "I am sorry, but Samantha is right, its her or us..."

"Bullshit!" Cody argued, slashing a hand through the air. "You're just taking the easy way out!" He grabbed Kai by the shirt, "You damn coward, its easy to make the choice when it isn't your partner on the chopping block!"

Devidramon was blasted from below, Thomas firing up Mekanorimon's weapons on full power. The blow sending the demonic dragon stumbling back, holding her burning chest. While Darcmon flew overhead, raising her staff and unleashing more lightning to stun the beast, not holding anything back. At the same time, Yasyamon dashed around her perimeter, looking for an opening to strike.

His heart filled with doubt, even as he saw his opening, dashing in towards Devidramon's back. With a silent step, he was in the air above her head. "With a single, swift strike I could-" But even imagining it, cutting the head from this beast. He remembered seeing Tsukaimon and Madison together, how happy they looked. He grit his teeth beneath the mask, fingers gripping the blade tighter.

"Let me go," Kai scoffed, shoving Cody back. "You know we can't just let this continue, don't be stupid!"

"Both of you stop!" Sam tried getting between them before someone started throwing punches.

"I can't- No, I won't do it!" Yasyamon's voice sounded through Kai's Digivice.

"What!?" His partner staring back at the device in disbelief.

Devidramon was finally made aware of the masked digimon's presence, turning on him with a mighty crimson claw. Slashing at him, while Yasyamon tried desperately to defend himself. But the claws slashed his body across the surface, before she turned and slammed him with her mighty tail knocking Yasyamon from the sky and sending him grinding against the unforgiving asphalt. The champion sliding to a halt before de-digivolving to Kotemon, looking battered and beaten.

"Kotemon!" Kai cried, rushing towards him.

Madison wasn't watching them however, her eyes focused on her partner as the tears rolled down her face. "How did I let this happen?" She wondered, eyes drifting down to her digivice, watching its screen flicker weakly. "You were in pain, you reached out for me... Just like she did, and just like before I didn't-" Clenching her eyes shut tight, "Please!" She cried out, on her feet in an instant, "PLEASE STOP!" The screen on her device blinking to life with renewed vigor.

Cody spotted this, and narrowed his eyes. "We haven't lost Tsukaimon yet," He said, eyes darting to Sam. "You said it yourself, if the partner Digimon was gone, if their connection was lost, the Digivice wouldn't work anymore right?"

Madison looked back at him, and then to Sam. "Is that true?"

"Technically... Yes," Samantha admitted begrudgingly. "But at this point-"

"Maddie," Cody ignored Sam and focused on Madison, "You're he friend right? And you made her a promise didn't you?"

"A promise?" She repeated, before remembering the words she'd said in a moment of levity. Words that maybe meant more to Tsukaimon than she realized.

"I won't let anyone hurt you or send you back to the Digital World, I promise."

Cody could see the recognition in her eyes and nodded. "Well? You're not gonna brake that promise are you?!"

Her grip tightened on her digivice, "N-No! I WON'T!"

"Then get out there!" He said passionately, "And bring her back!"

She didn't need any more encouragement, and wasn't going to wait for Kai or Samantha to talk her out of it. Turning on her heels, she ran into the chaos. Forgetting all about her own safety, as lasers flashed and thunderous crashes sounded across the area.

"This is insane!" Kai argued as he watched, "She's going to get herself killed out there!"

But Kotemon, even in his weakened state, sat up. "N-No... She can do this, I... I believe in her."

Dust billowed past Madison as Apemon was slammed into the ground, forcing her to shield her eyes, making her stop her sprint for a split second. While Thomas and Mekanorimon flew around Devidramon peppering her with more explosive discs.

"I can't- I won't just watch again!" She told herself, gritting her teeth and continuing to run. "TSU!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Devidramon managed to get ahold of Mekanorimon once again. Slamming him into the earth in the direction of the familiar voice she'd heard. The impact was close enough, carried enough force that Madison was thrown off her feet by the shockwave. Tumbling across the ground and hitting her head. It hurt, she could feel something hot and wet running down her face from a gash on her forehead. But still, she forced herself up, "I won't... I won't break my promise!"

She continued onward, catching all four of Devidramon's eyes. The monstrous Digimon staring down at her, roaring in anger and pain, backing away at the sight of her wounded partner.

Madison slid to a halt, staring up at her with only one eye, her other blinded by blood. "Tsu! I'm here!"

The beast barred her fangs, snarling at her and spreading her wings like some kind of intimidation display. Casting a massive shadow over Madison, four blood red eyes glaring down at her.

It made her hesitate for a single moment, "No, I won't be scared away." She told herself, clenching her hands into fists. "I'm not leaving you again! You can't chase me away! Because I know its still you in there Tsu!"

Devidramon snarled showing her fangs, shaking back and forth, before releasing another violent scream at Madison. This one carried no power however, it was desperate, begging her to run away. She dragged her claws through the earth, tearing up loose dirt and dust in Madison's direction.

Samantha watched with baited breath, "We have to stop this, one wrong move and that thing will kill her!"

Maddie shielded her face for a moment, a few stones grazing across her arms and body scraping her skin. But still she held her ground, "Yeah... You're pretty scary," She muttered, thinking back to that cold winter night, the one that ruined her life. "But even if I'm scared..." She took a deep breath, and meeting her eyes with an unflinching gaze. "I won't let you suffer alone!" She took a step forward.

Devidramon recoiled back, as if she were frightened by Madison's advance.

She brought her Digivice up to her lips, "It's okay," She muttered into it, knowing Devidramon could hear her. "I'm here, and I won't break my promise."

Something seemed to get through, her clawed hands reaching up and grabbing her head. Screaming as she shook her head back and forth, whatever the source of this terrible power was, Madison could tell she was fighting it!

"You're safe now," She assured, "No more fighting... No more pain, its just me..."

Something finally snapped inside of Devidramon's mind. She collapsed around Madison, long arms encircling her as her head lowered between them. All four of her eyes clenched shut tightly as tears rolled down her long snout. Unable to speak properly, releasing low guttural whimpers.

Madison stepped forward, breathing out a sigh of relief as she wrapped her arms around her snout, "Please come back to me."

Light erupted from her Digivice, coating Devidramon's body. Rapidly she began to shrink back down, reverting to her rookie form. And when the lights finally faded, in the center of the ruined streets and destroyed warehouses, Madison was the only one left standing. Holding Tsukaimon in her arms, while the tiny Digimon buried her face in shame, whimpering, "I'm sorry." Over and over again.

Madison felt a sudden wave of exhaustion, falling to her knees. "It's okay..." Petting Tsukaimon gently, trying to comfort her from what was no doubt a traumatic experience. "I'm not mad at you, it's not your fault..." Her eyelids were so heavy, was this the concussion? She knew she hadn't lost that much blood...

Either way, she couldn't stop herself from collapsing on the ground, passing out as the others ran towards her. When they reached the duo, careful not to spook Tsukaimon as she cowered under her partner, they were all perplexed to see their unconscious friend wearing a gentle smile on her face.

They said nothing, but quickly hurried to recover their Digimon and get Madison to a hospital.

. . .

While on the other side...

Devimon returned to his lords court, "The mission was a success, our little dark one has been awakened."

"Good, very good..." The dark digimon lord nodded, "Give our undersea allies the go ahead, tell him the way has been paved and the fight should be easy."

"Of course, do you plan on sending any of us to join in the attack?"

"Ha! Of course not, invading the human world is not our goal, save that for the fools."

Devimon chuckled in amusement, "Yes of course my lord."

The defenders would have little time to rest, as the threat they'd been fearing loomed on the horizon...