Author's Notes: I'm wondering if I can find original Japanese Digimon music on the net. Recently, I've been enjoying several songs on Real Player and MIDI and I'm hoping that there's some good Digimon music out there. On with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Digimon belongs to Bandai, Fox, Saban and whoever else owns it.

Ascension – V 1.0

"Now his house should be here if I recall correctly…" Taichi Yagami looked at his older counterpart in disbelief. "You mean he lives underwater? What type of guy is this Gennai anyway?" The older boy didn't respond as he had noticed a tiny message sign. "So he's at Primary Village, huh? Let's go."

Zero and Taichi blinked in confusion before they started walking. "Primary Village? What is that place?" Tai kept his gaze forward on the road ahead. "Primary Village is where Digimon usually go to get reborn into digieggs after they get deleted by who knows what. You see, when they die, they dissipate into data. That data naturally goes back to Primary Village to be reintegrated as a physical being again."

The champion level Digimon gave a groan. "I don't really get it. And just how do you keep bad Digimon from being reborn?" "Gennai says that higher powers prevent any dark Digimon from being reintegrated into the digital world. I'm not totally sure about that. Maybe we can contact these higher powers and find out what the heck is going on!"

When the trio arrived at the village, Gennai and Elecmon were busy at work, trying to gather the data from the Omega Sword and reintegrate it into two digieggs. He noticed Tai out of the corner of his eye. "If you're here to see if we made any progress, then I'm afraid you're wasting your time." But the response he got was rather unexpected. "Oh, man!! Check out this killer sword!!"

Both Zero and Taichi were examining the sword carefully. "The craftsmanship is just unbelievable!! By the design, I would say that it is just more than a cool looking weapon. I'm going to sketch this into my notebook. This may come in handy in a future battle." As the small boy began drawing, Tai forced Gennai to turn his attention to him. "Can you tell me what the higher powers know about recent events and more importantly…tell me about him!!"

"Azulongmon told me was that the Digidestined had to go solve this mystery in the tamers world with the events happening there. He also explained that this already happened in your counterpart's world and that nothing could be done there. So they've been sent here not only to prevent the tower's construction in this realm but to gather information about it that would eventually lead to a way of safely dismantling the tower in the other world." Tai raised an eyebrow as he saw Zero and Taichi drooling over the sword. "They're gathering information?"

"Gee, if you're gonna handle a weapon like that, you would probably have to digivolve to Imperialdramon Fighter Mode!!" Zero scoffed. "Yeah, right!! I can probably handle it right now!! I got the skills and the warrior stuff right here!! I don't need to digivolve just to handle something like that!!"

Elecmon started to panic. "Don't be crazy!! In fact, don't even think of touching that sword!! It's the only chance that Agumon and Gabumon have of coming back!!" Tai walked over to the duo who were by the sword. "That sword formed as a result of Omnimon's arrival. When they died in the fight, their data was transferred to the sword. Then Imperialdramon picked it up and he transformed into Paladin Mode. You see, Omnimon is the DNA digivolved version of Wargreymon and Metalgarurumon, who are the mega forms of Agumon and Gabumon respectively. And I didn't really see the Paladin Mode coming but apparently that's who you get when you combine the powers of both Omnimon and Imperialdramon."

"Paladin Mode? Sounds intense and cool!! Man, I've got to see how I would look!!" Zero started to daydream as Taichi just grinned. "Well, with Zero able to digivolve to Imperialdramon and the Omega Sword, you now have Imperialdramon Paladin Mode at your disposal. With my Digivice, I can scan stuff in here and Zero would get the result!! Even though I have a rough sketch, I should get as many details in before…"

The group gave a simultaneous gasp when they saw the Omega Sword vanish without a trace. Gennai checked his readings. "That was all the data we could get out and so that means the Omega Sword has finished its business here and went back to…wherever it came from." Tai quickly took a look at the drawing that his younger counterpart had created. "Judging from that drawing, I don't think I'm ready to count on Imperialdramon Paladin Mode coming to the rescue just yet."

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Suzie watched in amazement as the battle kept raging on in front of her. However, her partner had her mind on something else. Lopmon decided to try and talk to her tamer about her idea. Kari quickly checked on the duo who were talking…actually, Suzie was having trouble what Lopmon was saying but she eventually understood in a way.

Megagargomon started running scans on the new holy knight. "Gallantmon Crimson Mode…his power rivals that of Imperialdramon Paladin Mode himself and his aerial speed and maneuverability increases by a factor of ten!! Specialty attacks are Invincible Sword and Final Justice…" Terriermon took this opportunity to add something to Henry's analysis. "So now he's one hot tamale that all the lady Digimon are going to drool over?!? That is so not fair!!"

Gallantmon continued to try and attack Diaboromon but he kept teleporting out of the way. "While Gallantmon distracts Diaboromon, I'll try and destroy that tower. You better guard the Digidestined in case Diaboromon tries a sneaky tactic." Sakuyamon nodded silently before moving away.

The vaccine mega Digimon prepared to attack the gigantic structure. Terriermon started to worry. "Wait a second…Diaboromon is the one who planted this thing. Won't he try to stop us if he sees us trying to nuke this thing?" Henry prepared the missiles. "If he does, then Gallantmon would be able to take him out. He's four times as fast as Sakuyamon, if not faster. If Diaboromon doesn't even care, then there may be more to this tower than what Azulongmon had suspected." Megagargomon set his sights on the tower. "Gargo Missile!!"

As the two missiles flew towards the structure, a forcefield popped out of nowhere and deflected the missiles into another direction. Megagargomon gave a frown. "We can deal with this later. Now let's see if Diaboromon can keep teleporting out of the way when he has several dozen missiles after him! Mega Barrage!!" Several smaller green missiles were fired towards the other mega but he quickly noticed their presence and teleported away to safety. "That's it!! I can't just sit here while those two have all the fun!!" Sakuyamon moved some distance away from the Digidestined, enough to get closer to the fight but close enough in case Diaboromon tried to attack their friends. "Amethyst Wind!!!" Diaboromon barely dodged out of the way before teleporting again.

"Does this guy have three sets of eyes or something?!?" yelled Gallantmon in frustration. "I guess this is what he meant when he said that he got an upgrade..." murmured Megagargomon. Diaboromon paused to quickly consider his options while keeping focused on the three mega Digimon. Had he been smart, he would have considered retreating, as his main objective had been completed.

'It will only be a matter of time until they have exhausted their energy. But with this little trinket, I don't have to use up as much energy.' Diaboromon stared at the other three Digimon coolly, as if daring them to attack. Moments later, someone did take up that dare but the trio standing in front didn't do it. The demon Digimon whirled around to see a large pink rabbit Digimon. This gave Gallantmon a rare opportunity to strike. He flew towards the other Digimon with his sword raised high. "Invincible Sword!!!"

For anyone seeing the battle from a different view, they would have seen a red shape streak across the hovering black one. At the moment they intersected, a small slashing noise could be heard. As soon as the red object got away, the black one exploded into data. (AN: This sequence is similar to when Tallgeese was destroying one of the carriers containing a whole bunch of Serpent troops in GW: Endless Waltz) 

Just as Sakuyamon caught the fallen chess piece that Diaboromon had dropped, Imperialdramon came out of nowhere and landed on the ground, being careful not to squish the other Digidestined. Moments later, Ken and Davis were dropped off from the mega Digimon's back. "There you are!! I've been trying to reach you guys on the D terminal for the past few minutes!!" exclaimed Davis in an irritated tone. Cody gave the other boy an apologetic look. "Sorry that we couldn't set aside some time to look for you but we decided to try and resolve the tower mystery first. And with everything that's been happening around here, we never got a chance to sit down and check the terminals."

 "Now that Diaboromon no longer presents a problem, maybe we can deal with this tower." Before Gallantmon could try anything, he heard Sakuyamon call out to him. "Catch!!" She tossed him the Goliath Knight piece. "Oh, right…this thing gives me a bit of a power boost and we'll need all the power we can get."

Megagargomon considered their options. "Maybe if we combine our powers, we can overcome the forcefield being put up by the tower. Imperialdramon…you in?" The other mega Digimon had already powered up his cannon so it was obvious what his answer was. Then Megagargomon focused his attention to the pink rabbit Digimon who had assisted them earlier. "I don't know why you decided to help us but are you willing to help again?" Before the other Digimon could give a reply, Gallantmon started to speak in an impatient tone. "We should attack as soon as possible!! The more we wait, the more power it could gain!!"

That was when the pink rabbit Digimon spoke…and the voice that came out was completely foreign but hauntingly familiar. "You know, being angwy all the time isn't healthy for you." Gallantmon was lucky that he was wearing a face mask because his face had completely twisted in pure shock. Henry on the other hand didn't seem to notice his friend's reaction until he saw the holy knight just floating there. "So you know who she is? Is she good? Is she evil? Is she stronger than all of us?"

"Uh…she's your little sister, Suzie." "SAY WHAT?!?!?!?" Gallantmon could have sworn that both Terriermon and Henry's voices came out at the same time. Kerpymon gave a giggle before moving quickly to glomp Megagargomon's head affectionately. The others couldn't help but laugh at this adorable scene even with the shocking revelation that Suzie could biomerge.

"I hate to interrupt this special moment but we should focus our energies on taking down that tower. Hopefully, the forcefield will collapse due to our combined might," stated Imperialdramon after morphing into Fighter Mode. The other mega Digimon prepared themselves to strike the structure. Takato barely noticed that Guilmon's presence and attention had been diverted to something else within. "Positron Laser!!" "Dragon Helix!!" "Lightning Spear!!" "Gargo Missile!!" "Final Justice!!!" All five attacks concentrated on the same spot but when the smoke cleared, the forcefield remained in place.

Imperialdramon had a small shocked look after pouring every ounce of strength into his shot. "Unbelievable!! Just how is that thing still standing?!? Now what?!?" Nobody could give an answer. But Gallantmon hadn't even heard the question as Takato was trying to make sense of what Guilmon is screaming about.

"B-but how is this possible? Didn't Grani self-destruct to save the others in order to avoid a collision or something?" Takato could feel his partner shaking him…not in a physical sense of course but Guilmon's franticness was apparent. "No, no!!! Grani said that he grafted…I think that's the word…himself onto our pattern but if we wait for too long, he'll be stuck inside us forever!!"

Guilmon started relaying Grani's instructions to his tamer. Takato didn't really have a clue on how he was going to force both digital patterns apart but he owed Grani that much. Gallantmon closed his eyes and focused on separating himself from Grani. "I guess that settles it. Lopmon is going to lead us to the Sovereign himself…" Yolei trailed off as she saw what was happening to Gallantmon. Moments later, the holy knight Digimon stood in his normal armour with Grani right in front of him. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!!"

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Inside every demon lord and evil Digimon lies a consciousness called the evil intent. (AN: this is somewhat based on the evil intent story for Akuma and Ryu in the Street Fighter games) This contains the very core of evil that makes these Digimon so diabolical and dangerous. And should someone lose focus on their goal, the evil intent reinforces that darkness. Right now, it was berating a certain demon lord Digimon named Beelzemon.

'You're such an idiotic asshole, you know that? What's so hard about killing these two human brats who caused you so much grief in the past? Just toss them somewhere, take out your shotgun, point and shoot!!' Beelzemon  brought Behemoth to a stop and took Ai and Mako out. After placing the still unconscious children on the ground, he took out a shotgun from his back and aimed it at the two. But he hesitated on whether to pull the trigger.

'They deserve this for treating you like a toy in the past. Besides, you were willing to kill the younger tamer with those other three tamers in the past few weeks. What's the damn difference? Demon lords are supposed to be causing chaos and destruction, not babysitting!!' Beelzemon didn't respond as he was lost in his own thoughts. He didn't even hear someone shout "Guardian Barrage!!" and "Pu!" The next thing he knew, a small explosion hit him on the side, not causing serious damage but his vision had been temporarily compromised. Then his shotgun got trapped in a heart shaped bubble. Moments later, the bubble exploded, deleting the gun.

"So much for staying out of danger…instead of worrying about that army out there, we worry about this mega Digimon right here," mumbled Kazu. Guardromon armed another batch of missiles. "We must protect those two children from that demon lord!! And with our numbers, we can surely hold him off while Leomon and Dobermon rescue the children!!"

Beelzemon tried to turn back to check on his former tamers but two other Digimon had gotten there first. Leomon had both children under his arms while Dobermon appeared to be covering for them. Alice whipped out a card and her D-Ark. "Digi Modify!! Metalgarurumon's Metal Wolf Claw Activate!!" Dobermon fired the attack but Beelzemon blocked the shot with his arms. "Now you've gone and done it. It's time for all of you to die!!!"

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For this Digimon, his life was simple. Upload data, get stronger. It's all he has done since his birth. His strength seemed to increase dramatically every time he uploaded the data of a stronger Digimon. Like when he deleted that Piedmon in his earliest form. Strange how a mega could fall to an in-training Digimon so easily. But things have changed…especially when he found that weird rift near a temple where a giant turtle Digimon had formerly inhabited.

There appeared to be some sort of barrier but it was weak. It could not compare to his great strength all thanks to his current body. When he went through, he found himself trapped in a fog before feeling the whole world spiral out of control. It wasn't long until he found himself in some sort of desert, somewhat similar to the digital world he knew but not as much. But it wasn't the scenery that captured his attention. It was the other Digimon and that white haired boy who were trying to destroy him. Of course, they stood no chance but there was something familiar about them. He vaguely remembered seeing their faces just as he hatched. Actually, only the boy looked familiar. His Digimon just took on the form of that other familiar Digimon but otherwise, there was nothing interesting about him.

Neo Saiba watched as the gargantuan Digimon, which had a green body with red parts on his legs, giant red claws and toes as well as a pair of medium sized demonic wings,  deleted his partner and absorbed his data right in front of him. So this was it…he knew that by taking this road that he may run into an obstacle that cannot be overcome or avoided. When he first confronted this Digimon, he could not find out much except his weight and that did jack squat if they didn't know anything else about the enemy they were fighting. The boy closed his eyes and waited for death to come.

"Why do you look so familiar?" Neo opened his eyes to see the other Digimon with a look of curiosity on his face. He wasn't sure if the other Digimon was toying with him but he decided to play along for now. "How am I supposed to know? Maybe I resemble your tamer or something…as if you really need one considering how strong you are now. Just what type of Digimon are you anyway?" The Digimon then recited the only words he knew of his identity. "I am the super ultimate Digimon…ArcaDemon."

That wraps up the First Arc!! I guess the combination of lack of time, my somewhat high literary standards and a small bit of writer's block led to this being late. I have a good reason for resurrecting Grani so stay tuned. Over the past few months, I've posted chapters in html format instead of text. Is it easier to read? Or would you prefer for me to go back to the way I used to write? Let me know when you review.