I meant to have this up on Friday but I had to plan for a social gathering and then I had to get everything ready on Saturday. I hope you guys like the chapter. Homework also got in the way but I managed to get this up in some kind of timely manner, right?

Chapter Seventy: Froze

[Kari's P.O.V]

"How long is this hallway?" I looked at Takuya, I had to agree with him though.

"How long have we even been walking?" Wizardmon's question disturbed me a bit because I didn't know how long we've been walking down this windowless hallway that also had an absence of doors.

"Great, did we walk into some kind of loop?" Koji muttered it.

"I don't think we did." Nori glanced around the hallway as she spoke.

"There would be signs of a loop, besides the floor has a slow decline." Nori's partner, Babydramon commented well he wasn't Babydramon anymore but he didn't exactly tell us what his name was as a rookie.

"So we're going down?" I was somewhat happy to know that because this place didn't seem large enough for this continuous hallway but if we were going down then it would explain it but it did disturb me a bit.

"Yeah." Gatomon didn't sound happy.

It was just us seven down this hallway. When we had entered the building we found two hallways, one was a hallway that Tai had been down before since apparently he had come here with the imposter who had turned out to be an evil DigiDestined. Tai had led the others down the other hallway while for some reason we had chosen the unknown hallway.

"Do we want to go down?" Takuya stopped and I noticed that the hallway had actually come to a stop but there was a door way yet there was no door, revealing that there was a staircase that lead downwards.

"The answer is probably not but considering why we're here, we might have to." Nori's words came out begrudgingly and I gulped.

"We probably do have to go down." I hated the thought but Nori was right, my mother and Takuya's father could possibly be down there.

"That doesn't seem like a good idea though Kari." Wizardmon sounded almost afraid for some reason.

"Fighting Myotismon wasn't a good idea and we still did it. Sometimes we just have to go forwards and not worry about if something is a good or bad idea." I was a bit surprised by Gatomon's words, I thought she would side with Wizardmon.

"That's true." He muttered it but gripped his staff.

"I take it we're going down the dark stairwell?" Koji walked forwards, towards the stairwell as he spoke.

"Yelp, down the stairwell that hopefully has some rewards for descending." Takuya didn't even wait for anything else before he started down the stairs.

"You should be careful since there seems to be no lights!" Koji called it after Takuya and actually went after him down the stairs.

"Dracomon, think you can pull up the back?" Nori asked the question as she looked at her partner and he nodded.

"Yelp; Gatomon, Wizardmon do you two mind pulling the end up with me?" They shook their head and Nori started down the staircase.

I followed after her even if I hesitated. The staircase wasn't straight down so it was worrisome. I placed my hands on the walls so I would be able to better follow the curve of the stairs, it seemed to zigzag almost and that combined with the darkness was disorientating.

"Shit!" Takuya's words echoed and I was worried.

"What happened?" I called out, worried since him and Koji weren't saying anything and they were probably ahead of us.

"The walls around the stairs disappear leaving a major drop on both sides and no way to tell where the next step is." Koji's voice as strained and I was worried.

"We need a light to go any farther." Takuya's voice echoed back to us, this would certainly be the perfect place to hide our parents.

"Darkness, darkness go away please." Nori muttered the words as suddenly there were bursts of light.

After my eyes adjusted to the sudden light it turned out that the lights were actually balls of flickering fire that seemed to be made of data and just imitating fire. I pulled my hands off of the walls quickly once I saw the walls. The walls were splattered with dried red stains, I didn't want to know what it was even though I had a feeling I knew what they were. There were claw marks as well along with pictures carved into stone, some depicted things that I couldn't even make out or make sense of. There was also Digital Script scrawled messily across the walls, telling some kind of story or something.

"Those have gone down have never returned the same. If you can, turn around now and leave if you desire to live." I looked at Dracomon, he stared at the Digital Script that was nearly level with the ground.

"Uh, guys, you might want to see this." Koji's voice was edged with disgust which both confused and surprised me.

Nori and I took the stairs as fast as we dared and then we came to where they were. I stared at what was revealed. The room that these stairs led into was a laboratory. Lining the walls were various tubes that had Digimon floating within, some weren't even there and slowly disappearing into data while others were filled with things that I couldn't tell you if they were Digimon or not. One thing stood out though, there was a computer that showed the image of a Digimon silhouette and a human silhouette, between the two was a plus sign and the equation was followed by a question mark.

"Oh god, that's sick." Nori sounded sick and she covered her mouth.

The whole room wasn't illuminated and I was glad about that. I was actually almost afraid to know what the rest of the room would contain. The computer shut off and suddenly lights came on. I closed my eyes because even if my eyes had adjusted to the light that the computer screen and the fire had given off the bright light from the lights that were affixed to the ceiling was nearly blinding. Especially since we were so close to the ceiling lights.

"Looks like some mice have wondered into my lab." The voice echoed, projected through something.

"Who's there!?" Takuya called out the words and I opened my eyes.

"Oh, that wouldn't be any fun if I told you." The woman started to crack up laughing and that's when I noticed that speakers were in the walls, she was using some kind of broadcasting system then.

"Also, if you want your parents back then you have to come find me." I curled my hands into fists, she had my mother then.

"You'll have fun getting to me, bye-bye." The speakers let out some kind of funky noise before going silent.

"Looks like we're going the right way at least." Koji spoke as he walked down the stairs, careful probably expecting some kind of trap.

"Yeah but it's now a nice big maze since this place is obviously not as small as it looked." Wizardmon pointed it out and I curled my hands into fists.

"We have company!" Gatomon shouted the words and I looked behind us.

A cage lined the other wall and there were different kinds of Digimon trapped within. They all looked rather feral in truth. The cage doors were opening and letting out the feral Digimon though. I stared at the Digimon that were emerging from the cage. There was a total of three that were released but I noticed that the other Digimon in the cages didn't move. I knew all three of them though.

"MetalEtemon, Puppetmon, and LadyDevimon." A part of me had to wonder if they were same ones that I faced but I knew we defeated them.

"They look less friendly than they did in the past." Gatomon growled the words out.

"Well we just have to defeat them and if your group defeated them in the past I think we can handle them now. If they're the same Digimon you fought." I almost questioned Takuya how he knew I fought them but then I remembered that I told him along with Koji and Koichi about my adventures in their entireties.

"Let's go!" I looked at Dracomon, he jumped from the stairs laughing.

"Um, Nori." I looked at her and she shook her head.

"I know, my partner's crazy. You don't have to tell me." Dracomon caught himself using his stubby wings before he breathed out, the air that he breathed made the air shimmer as if a sudden heat wave hit.

"Oh that's foul smelling." I felt bad for Koji who had reached the ground, Takuya stepped beside him.

"Well, we should join in." I yelped because suddenly I floating.

"No fair, that's cheating!" Takuya shouted it as we landed but I laughed, Wizardmon had used his 'magic' to float us down to the ground instead of making us walk down the stairs.

"We don't have time for that." Koji pulled out his D Tector as he spoke, the Fractal Code surrounding his hand.

"Yeah, we have some people to fight." I pulled out my D3 and glancing at Gatomon, she nodded.

"If it's alright with you guys I don't want to use the Card unless I have to." I gripped my D3 tighter and it started to glow, Gatomon was surrounding by a light as well.

"Execute: Spirit Evolution!" As Koji said that all attention shifted to him but Takuya got ready as well.

"Lobomon!" Koji rushed forwards as Lobomon, pulling out his beam swords.

"These guys shouldn't pose much threat since Nori's partner is doing well as a Rookie." Takuya spoke as he started to scan the Fractal Code around his hand.

"Execute: Spirit Evolution." I looked at Nori when I saw movement.

"Gatomon Digivolve to Angewomon!" Gatomon charged but my attention was on the thing that Nori held, it was glowing brightly.

"Agunimon!" Takuya rushed into the battle and I watched Nori grin.

"Dracomon Digivolve to Coredramon!" The light died away the moment her partner called it out and I caught sight of her Digivice.

"Is that a Digivice?" She looked at me and she held the Digivice in her hands.

"Yeah, it's different than what my other friends have though." She looked at it and she seemed melancholy as she spoke suddenly.

"Pyro Darts!" I looked back in time to see Takuya's attack crash into Puppetmon, setting him ablaze.

"Lobo Kendo!" Koji's attack grievously damaged LadyDevimon, enough so that some data was leaking from her already.

"Blue Flare Breath!" Coredramon's attack crashed into MetalEtemon and when the flames vanished all that was left was data in the shape of MetalEtemon.

"Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon's arrow tore through MetalEtemon and the data started to slip away.

I stood there stunned as I watched three enemies that I remembered struggling with years ago just slip away. Puppetmon hadn't managed to put himself out so he had burst into data but he hadn't seemed to really put up a fight either. LadyDevimon lost her form without another attack needed. MetalEtemon was taken down in two attacks, as if it was nothing. I remembered the fights with Puppetmon and MetalEtemon so how easily they went down stunned me.

"That was too easy." I wasn't sure where my words came from.

Was it because of the fact that they had been so easy that I couldn't figure out how my group hadn't defeated them so easily? Was it just unsettling to know how easily they were defeat after watching so many of my friends perishing in the fight against them? Why were they so easy to defeat? Why had it been as if they had wanted to get defeated?

"You're right, that was too easy. It's unsettling that whoever that lady was thought that they would stop us." Koji didn't revert back to human as he looked around, his words gave away that he was expecting more.

"Either she seriously was looking down on us or that wasn't the only road block she had in place." Takuya was on edge, his words distracted and tone tight.

"Crystal Freeze!" The temperature dropped suddenly and I tried to find where the unknown attack came from.

I froze in place and I shivered. I stopped looking around and looked down. Ice had covered the whole floor and my feet were frozen to the ground. So there really was more enemies, enemies that we hadn't seen. I looked to Koji and Takuya but found that they were surprised. Neither of them were moving or trying to break the ice that kept them grounded.

"Thunder Fist!" Lightning sparked across the ground and was coming towards us.

"Hurricane Wave!" A sudden gust appeared and it felt like the air was being sucked out of me thanks to how fast the air was spinning.

Nori and I screamed, the lightning had reached us and unlike the others we weren't covered by armor or had a stronger resistance to attacks. Between the powerful winds and the charge of the lightning I sunk to my knees, the best I could at least. Ice cut into my legs and this made the chill even worse.

"Kari/Nori!" Our partners called our names at the same time.

"Slide Evolution." Takuya and Koji's voices resounded, they almost sounded hallow but I could tell that they were both angry.

"BurningGreymon/KendoGarurumon!" Ice shattered probably from their form and size changing.

Fire traced the ground, quickly melting the ice. The fire was leaking from Takuya and that gave away the fact that not only was he angry but he had tapped into his Beast Spirit more than what I knew he could at least which wasn't actually much.

"This time, even knowing you're controlled, we have to fight." I was confused by Takuya's words, did they know the Digimon that have yet to show their selves?

"Lupine Laser!" Koji's attack crashed into something and something wavered before three Digimon sprung from wherever they had been hiding.

The three Digimon were in the open now and I took in their appearance. One was a humanoid beetle that had blue and yellow armor but there was a dark tint to it that seemed a bit unnatural. There was also a bear made of snow yet the snow wasn't white like it usually was and it too had a darker tint to it than what seemed natural. The last one was a girl, she was a fairy yet she too had a hint of the unnatural dark tint to her.

"Why are you guys here?" Takuya growled the words out and I held my hand to my side with the palm facing the ground, my card appeared.

"Slide Evolution." My eyes widened, the three Digimon in front of us was swallowed by Fractal Code that had black streaks in them.

"MetalKabuterimon!" The beetle was now a tank beetle, bigger as well.

"Korikakumon!" The snow bear turned into a creature reminiscence of a yeti.

"Zephyrmon!" The fairy turned into a bird woman.

"They did the same thing that Takuya and Koji did." Nori was stunned but I gripped my card and raised it.

"The only Digimon that can Slide Evolve are the Legendary Warriors." I remember Takuya telling me that their friends were being controlled by the Demon Lords.

"Does that mean that?" Nori didn't finish her words but no one was moving, it was like neither side wanted to attack first.

"Their friends were taken control of by the Demon Lords." The moment I mentioned the Demon Lords it seemed like the temporary cease fire was gone.

"Frozen Arrowheads!" The hair came towards and it grabbed Takuya and Koji since they reacted too slowly.

"Bolo Thunder!" The balls of electricity charged before firing at them.

"Why aren't you two moving?!" I shouted the words but it was like they couldn't hear me.

"Hurricane Gale!" The gust that carried the probably razor sharp feathers mixed with the electricity balls.

"Magical Game!" Wizardmon managed to stop the combined attacks for a moment but it was worthless, the attacks got through and slammed into Takuya and Koji.

Why weren't they moving? Why hadn't they done anything to fight? It wasn't like them to stop or freeze up. Takuya said that they had to fight even if they were controlled. Why hadn't they lived up to his words? Very rarely did they not find a way to battle through anything. Koji managed to fight Takuya when Takuya was being controlled.

"Avalanche Axes!" Korikakumon jumped at them and was coming down with its axes.