Heh, sorry it's been a while since my last update. But this chapter really had me annoyed at some points :P I dunno if I was just suffering from the a slump in writing or something because at some points in this chapter I was re-writing it loads of times. Everytime I wasn't completely happy with it. But finally, I finished it last night So hopefully you guys will enjoy it.

Sithking Zero: Heh, you'll just have to wait and see how he came back, all will be revealed at some point Sorry I dissappointed you with Patamon's digivolution :P Swanmon seemed like the only decent one I had to pick from.
TehBot: Yep she finally got the goggles! Finally found a good spot to fit that bit in! Glad your enjoying it!
Sightbent: Thankies! Things will slowly get better for Matt and Stacey
Sync The Dragon Tempest: Thanks! Yeah, as much as I like Angemon I had to change Patamon's digivolution to something else to make it a little different.
Phillip Clark: Don't worry, Swanmon will get stronger I'd love to hear your idea btw
RainbowSprinkle: Heh, I know. And don't worry, this time will turn out good too!
Amethyst-Love: Thanks, I've gotta cut down on the cliffhangers, it's so mean to people hehe! and they'll be plently more Dawn and Tai moments for ya too
eleven minutes 2 midnight: Yeah he is, I didn't wanna say at first incase I spoiled it for others but most people have caught on who he really is heh. I'm not sure about adding more characters. Usually when I do that I lose track of how many I have and stuff :P And you'll have to wait and see if Stacey will get Gabumon back hehe sorry im cruel.

Digimon Season 2.5 "Digimon Adventure 03"

Episode 11: "Stacey's Memories"

.:Thunder Mountain, Digital World:.

Stacey knew if she had to return the Port Stone without being caught; the safest route would be to climb up and around Thunder Mountain, even when in reality, that was the dangerous way. But she knew none of the Undead King's army travelled this way and if she went south, like Garurumon X had, she would surely run into him and the army.

She had been hiking up the mountain for nearly two hours now and was a little over half way up. The wind was getting stronger and the rain that had started out as a few small droplets from the sky was really coming down now.

Stacey was starting to feel a little tired. But she knew it would be a very long journey dragging the Port Stone along; but she had to try. She knew the Undead King would not be expecting her to climb this dangerous mountain, especially alone.

Thunder Mountain was home to a few nasty Digimon who were rarely seen. And the constant storm clouds that lingered at the peak of the mountain made the conditions even worse.

Stacey gulped at the thought that she may not get across this mountain alive. If she ran into any of the Digimon that lived on here she wouldn't stand a single chance against them. She shook her head of those thoughts and continued to press on up the mountain.

But, considering she was over half way up and she hadn't seen any signs of any Digimon, she felt a little relieved and lucky.

The young blonde haired girl sighed as the events from today replayed in her mind. If she hadn't had walked over to them and tried to get them to leave, then maybe what followed might not have happened. But then again, Dawn would have probably stormed over to her anyway. "Stubborn Kamiya." She muttered under her breath.

Stacey could clearly remember the look on her father's face when he finally realised it was her. It was like he had been lost for six months and when seeing her face; it was like he'd finally found himself. To be honest, she wasn't expecting that reaction from him. She thought after all she had done, he would start off ranting and firing questions at her like; 'It was you who did all this?' and 'How could you Stacey?'

Maybe she didn't hang around long enough and she'd probably get that scolding if and when she decided to return home. That thought made her glance back and down at the Undead King's base.

She clenched her fists a little at the thought of the Undead King. He had twisted her mind to make out her friends were evil... but then again, she did feel her father wasn't paying attention to her after her mother left.

And at that time, her friends seemed to drift away too. Even though she and Dawn were friends but rarely got on, after her mother left, they were fighting a little more often than usual. And to be honest, Stacey felt a little jealous of Dawn as she had a mother and a father who were still together and always gave her attention. That's why at some points she hated her so much.

The blonde haired girl dragged the sack that contained the Port Stone up a small steep incline before coming to a stop. She spotted a large rock and decided to take a breather.

Sitting down she checked her watch. It was now 3:45am. The sky was still dark and the only light was coming from the continuous flashes of lightning above her. She sighed and stared down at the ground. A distant and unforgettable memory replaying in her mind...

Flashback

Four year old Suteishi "Stacey" Ishida was sat leaning against her bedroom door, hugging her knees against her chest. She buried her head and tried not to listen to the constant screams coming from the living room.

Her parents were fighting again. Her father had returned home late from work for the fifth time this week and her mother wasn't pleased. As soon as he had entered the small apartment she had started yelling at him.

Stacey had been playing with her toys at the time but once they started fighting, she heard every word, even words she hadn't heard before.

The little girl got to her feet and peered through the keyhole on her door. She could see directly into the living room. She could see her father bent over the dining table, probably trying to calm himself down whilst her mother continued to yell at him from behind.

It had been like this for two months now. Matt and his wife had told their little girl they were just going through a rough patch. Rough patches don't last this long do they? There were no signs of it improving and Stacey feared the worst was going to happened.

She quickly backed away from the door as she saw her mother pick up a small vase. Stacey didn't see it, but she heard the vase smash against the wooden floor before a brief pause and then she heard her parents' bedroom door slam, a few pictures in the little girl's room shook with the force.

Stacey took a few steps towards the door and reached up to grab the handle. Once she got a grip she slowly turned it and quietly pulled the door open just enough so she could squeeze out into the living room.

Her father was still in the same position as he was and didn't seem to hear his daughter come out of her room. The broken vase lay shattered on the floor. And this wasn't the first time something had been broken during one of their fights

Stacey remained in the doorway before she plucked up the courage to speak. "Daddy?" her voice cracked a little from the fear in her voice.

Matt immediately stood up straight, tensing up and turned around to face his little girl. He was smiling but Stacey knew it was fake, just for her benefit.

"What's wrong?" his little daughter asked, still standing in the doorway. She knew the question would be pointless as her father would give her the same answer as always.

"Nothing's wrong sweetie. Everything's fine." He hated lying to his daughter. Especially when it was obvious everything wasn't fine. He knew she could hear some of the arguments he and his wife had, like the one moments before.

She was right. That was the answer he'd always give. She continued to stare at her father. "I'm not stupid Daddy."

Matt sighed and was about to speak when the bedroom door opened and his wife walked out, carrying a suitcase and her jacket.

"Why don't you just tell her Matt?" she spoke, a little coldly towards him.

Stacey turned around and looked at the suitcase before looking into her mother's eyes.

Matt sighed. He walked over to his four year old daughter and bent down to her height. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and placing both hands on her little shoulders. "Stacey... now I don't know how to put this but... as you know me and your mother haven't been getting on lately... and we've decided that we can't live together anymore. We decided to give it another week, but things haven't gotten better."

As soon as her father said those words Stacey felt like the world around her had just ended. That was her worst nightmare and it had just come true.

Matt continued to look into his daughter's wide eyes. "Now we both still love you very much, that's not gonna change just because we're not together anymore."

Stacey finally averted her gaze from her father and looked up at her mother behind her. "But where are you going Mommy?" she asked quietly.

Her mother, Kana, sighed before replying; "I'm going to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Tanaka in Adachi for a while. Just until I find my own place there."

Stacey just stared up at her mother. She couldn't believe she was moving that far away from them. She had been to visit her mother's parents before and it was a very long journey to Adachi. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to fight the tears that were beginning to form.

End flashback

Stacey clenched her fists in anger. Ever since that fateful day she felt like her parents had ruined her life, especially her father. At the time she felt like he had drove her mother away due to him working long hours.

At some points she felt her parents didn't care for her anymore. Her father was always working and she had gotten a few phone calls from her mother in Adachi but after the first few months, she hadn't heard from her since.

Stacey had felt even more alone then. Whenever her father was working she would be passed between her grandparents, uncle, and Tai and Sora. Sometimes she felt like she spent more time with them than at her own home.

Stacey bent down and picked up a large stone before throwing it over the side of the mountain in frustration and placing her head in her hands...

Flashback

Five year old Stacey sat on the floor in the living room, staring up at the telephone that hung on the wall. Her new Digimon partner, Gabumon who she had received that day, was sat by her side, glancing at his human friend every so often.

It would ring. Any minute now the telephone would ring and Stacey would jump up, answer it and hear her mother's voice on the other end. It was her first birthday without her mother and she was sat patiently waiting for her to call.

Matt was stood in the kitchen, looking at his daughter from afar. She had been sat there for hours now, waiting. He sighed and muttered to himself: "She's not gonna call... How could you do this to our daughter Kana?"

Stacey remained sat there for the rest of her birthday. She only got up to go to the bathroom and eat her meals, any other time she was sat on the floor with Gabumon by her side.

And it was like that every birthday and Christmas...she would sit there, year after year waiting for her mother to call... but as Stacey grew older the disappointment grew more less each time. She was starting to realise her mother was never going to call.

End flashback

Stacey then sighed and slowly got up from the rock she was sat on. She now knew, even though she was blind towards it at first, that she had been shutting her friends out of her life after her mother left. Realising her mother didn't care for her made to believe no one else did either, except for Gabumon.

Stacey shivered a little. The jacket she was wearing wasn't that thick and she was already soaked from the rain that showed no sign of stopping. Turning around to grab the sack, her attention was caught by a large hole in the side of the mountain.

At first glance it looked like a cave, but as she stepped closer to it, it looked more like a tunnel. Peering inside, she could see it tunnelled deep into the core of the mountain, possibly coming out of the other side.

"Hmmm... maybe if I take a short cut through there I'll get off this mountain a lot quicker than going right to the top and back down again."

Stacey remained still, weighing the possibilities of what might happen if she entered that tunnel. She didn't even know if it did go all the way through to the other side. But it would shelter her from the weather, and not to mention it would be a flat level all the way.

"Okay." She said to herself. "Let's go." She picked up the sack and entered the tunnel. The sounds of the storm outside soon quietened down.

As she walked further into the tunnel, it grew darker. Stacey removed her sunglasses and placed them in her pocket. The only sound that could be heard was her own heavy breathing. As it grew darker, she felt more alone, which wasn't a new feeling.

"Man, I really wish Gabumon was here." She murmured to herself. She missed her best friend. Even though physically he had been with her, he had really been gone for six months after that night when he was turned into the ruthless Garurumon X...

Flashback

Stacey stood with her back against the stone wall of the cold room as she watched the hooded figure load up a small syringe. A tool she would later learn to use.

He tested the syringe a small bit of the liquid squirted out. The metal needle shined in the light from the moon that was escaping in through the small window.

The mysterious figure gave a sly, twisted grin and turned around to face the young girl and her Digimon partner. He slowly made his way over to them and stopped a few feet in front of them.

Stacey's eyes were glued on the syringe in his right hand. "W-what's that?" she stuttered a little, starting to feel very uncomfortable.

"Don't worry my child. This is just a small but powerful dose of the X antibody." He lifted the syringe up a little. His piercing red eyes shifted to the small Gabumon that stood beside his human partner. "Now stand still. You won't feel a thing."

With one swift warning, the mysterious figure slammed the needle into Gabumon's neck. The rookie gasped in pain, his eyes widened with the sudden shock. He remained frozen in that position as the fluid was injected into his bloodstream.

Stacey watched in astonishment as Gabumon's appearance began to change. Firstly his eyes turned a dark red before his whole body began to glow, surrounded by a dark aura. He visibly began to change in size and grew bigger.

Once the dark light had faded, the young girl saw her partner had now changed into a champion level Digimon. He looked similar to her father's Garurumon... but she knew hers wasn't the same.

"Say hello to your new Digimon partner, Garurumon X." The hooded being chuckled.

Stacey finally managed to avert her eyes away from her partner and looked into the eyes of the tall creature in front of her. "What did you do to him?" she demanded, her fists clenched a little.

"I've made him stronger my child. You want power don't you? Don't you want to be a powerful DigiDestined? Even more powerful than your father?"

Stacey didn't stop to think how he knew her father. She was deep in thought about what he had said about power. "Well... yeah..." she murmured.

"Then with your new Digimon partner, you will be my strongest henchmen. You will help me become the most powerful being on this planet, and you will finally show those so called friends of yours what you are really made of."

End flashback

Stacey couldn't believe she had fallen for that. He promised her something and he had gone back on his word. She was blinded and her mind poisoned over the six months by his constant promises of power.

But on that night when she had appeared on the top of Zepp Tokyo and fought her father, she realised she hadn't become stronger like he had promised her. And over the course of the next few weeks, it finally dawned on her that he had tricked her into doing his dirty work...

She now felt she had gotten nowhere over the past six months. She agreed to come to the Digital World to become stronger and yet, now she felt weaker than she first started out.

Heck even the others were getting stronger than her on their own. Their Digimon were digivolving and winning their battles. Yet her Digimon had been given help in the form of the X Antibody and yet when battling the DigiDestined, they were hardly easy battles.

She felt jealous.

That's when Stacey's mind cast back to the thought of Dawn Kamiya. Her friend, but at the same time her born rival. They had known each other since they could remember, but like their fathers; they had their moments when they would argue, sometimes over the silliest things...

Flashback

"That's my toy!" a five year old Dawn cried out as she tugged on one arm of her dinosaur toy.

"But your Mommy said I could keep it!" Stacey simply replied as she tugged on the other arm.

"No!" Dawn protested. "It's mine!"

"But you have lots of toys like that!" she exclaimed.. "Gimme!"

Dawn shook her head, her two small pigtails flapping from side to side as she did. "No!" she repeated again, still pulling at the toy. "Its MINE!"

The two young girls continued to fight and pull on the toy dinosaur both shouting at each other. But it was too much and the left arm snapped off and Dawn and Stacey suddenly fell backwards onto the floor.

Dawn sat up and tears appeared in her eyes once she saw the arm missing from her toy. "You broke it!" she cried angrily.

"That's your fault!" Stacey shot back. "Your Mommy said I could keep it. If you had not taken it back it wouldn't be broke!"

"You'll probably try and take my Mommy next too because you don't have one of those either!" Dawn snapped a little thoughtlessly.

Stacey was visibly hurt by this. She stood up and bolted off with tears in her eyes. She ran into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her before sliding down against the door and curling up on the floor, hugging her knees.

End flashback

She never did get an apology for that comment. Then again, she knew how stubborn Dawn was, along with selfish, thoughtless and rude. Countless time her father always said her and Dawn were like him and Tai, and most of the time he laughed their little squabbles off.

Their fights had never got that physical. They would push each other a little the odd time, but apart from that is was mostly shouting at each other. But sometimes Stacey did feel like punching the Kamiya girl. Like the time with the toy, she could be so insensitive to other people's feelings. Even if it wasn't towards Stacey, she still got angry with Dawn.

Coming to a stop, she decided to take another breather. She sighed and went down to sit on what she thought was a rock. But as she made contact, there was a sudden yelp from underneath her.

"Ahhhh!" Stacey leapt up and jumped a few feet back away from where she had sat down. She squinted in the dark to see something move and dart behind a large boulder. "Who's there?" She demanded. "C'mon show yourself!"

A quiet whimper was heard and she saw the creature move in the darkness and fully show itself.

Stacey squinted more at the shape that was moving. It looked familiar. "Uhhh... Agumon?"

"No." The little creature murmured. "I'm SnowAgumon. Even though we look similar, we SnowAgumons are very different from the usual Agumons you see." He replied quietly, still a little scared.

Stacey stared at the rookie in amazement. She had never seen another kind of Agumon before. Now her eyes had adjusted to the darkness she saw the Agumon had a white colour to it. "What're you doing in here? Apart from scaring me half to death!" she snapped a little.

SnowAgumon quivered a little. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you." He spoke. "I've been hiding in here since I got separated from my family. Please don't hurt me; you just startled me that's all. I didn't expect someone to use me as chair." He started to ramble a little.

Stacey sighed and folded her arms. "I'm not gonna hurt you. Why are you hiding in here anyway? It's dangerous."

SnowAgumon stepped out from the rock he was half hiding behind. "If it's so dangerous up here, why are you in here alone too?" he quizzed her.

Stacey huffed and crossed her arms. "That's none of your damn business!" she snapped. "Listen, do you know a way out of here?" she asked, wanting to end the conversation quickly.

SnowAgumon nodded. "Yes. This tunnel leads right out to the other side of the mountain. Then it's just a short walk down the other side and through the forest." He pointed to the direction Stacey was heading.

The blonde haired girl smiled. "I knew it." She muttered to herself. "Well, thanks for the help." She picked up the sack and continued with her journey.

"Wait!" SnowAgumon piped up. Stacey stopped in her tracks with along sigh. "Why do you want to go in that direction? That leads you to the forest, which will then take you into the desert land that is area 66."

"Because that's where I'm going." Stacey replied bluntly before moving once more.

SnowAgumon hurried after the blonde haired girl. "You're going to area 66? But that place is dangerous! Even more so now the Port Stone has been stolen. There are guards surrounding that base 24/7." He commented.

"Look, it's none of your business why I'm going there, got it?!" Stacey snapped, glancing at him for a quick second before speeding up her pace.

SnowAgumon slowed down a little so he was right behind the girl and the large sack she was carrying. He eyed it for a while before he gawped up at her. "You have the Port Stone!" he exclaimed.

Stacey couldn't help but crack a smile, but she kept it hidden from the rookie behind her. "Well you're certainly smarter than another Agumon I know." She commented.

"Why do you have the Port Stone? Were you the one that stole it? How did you do it?!" the white rookie began to question her.

"I did not steal it!" Stacey exclaimed angrily. "I'm just returning this stupid thing okay?! And believe me I can't wait to get this off my back... literally!"

"You do realise once you return it the guards will kill you whether you stole it or not. Word has it they've been ordered to destroy anyone who comes within yards of the base. You've got no chance." SnowAgumon explained.

Stacey sighed. It was just her luck to be stuck with the rookie Digimon and it seemed like he wasn't going to leave her alone any time soon. She looked ahead and could see the small light at the end of the tunnel. "I don't care right now to be honest. Once I get this stupid jewel back to its rightful place, then the portals will open back up and my dumb father and friends can go back home and leave me alone." She muttered a little harshly.

"Why would you want your friends and family to leave you alone? Aren't you going back home with them?" SnowAgumon asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

"No way! Why should I? They don't care about me at all! When I needed them the most they just abandoned me. I'll be better off without them and staying here!" she started to pour out.

"Is that why you are all alone here?" the rookie asked, quickening his pace so he was walking next to the girl. "Legend has it humans who enter the Digital World are always accompanied by their partner Digimon... how come that's different in your case?"

Stacey sighed quietly. "It's a long story." She muttered under her breath.

SnowAgumon looked up at her. "We've got plenty of time. I wanna know why you want to be alone so much. Being alone is so... well lonely." He commented.

Stacey gripped the sack tighter. "If you've lived the life I have you'd want to be alone too! Trust me; being alone is so much better. There is no one to tell you what to do, no one can let you down and you can live your own life the way you want without anyone ruining it! Believe me, six months living here is so much better."

SnowAgumon gave her a confused look. "But surely a happy life with friends and family is better. I've been stuck on this mountain for two weeks and been separated from my family and it almost drove me crazy. I can't see how a lifetime of that can be good."

"Well." Stacey began. "My mother left when I was four and my father works constantly. My friends don't seem to give a damn about me and don't even stick up for me when I get bullied by other kids. So if that is so much better than being alone, then please tell me." She explained a little spitefully.

SnowAgumon, who was trailing behind her, gave her a sympathetic look. "Gee I'm sorry... But how did you end up coming here? The portals to this world and earth have been locked until only about a month ago." he asked.

Stacey took in a deep breath as her mind cast back to that dark cold night...

Flashback

It was close to eight thirty in the evening. It was a warm August night and the sun was still setting in the sky, giving the clouds a pink, orangey look. Children were still out playing, enjoying their summer vacation as much as they could.

Stacey entered the park through the main south gate, with her Digimon partner Gabumon by her side. She had just left the train station after visiting her grandfather in the city centre and was heading home to the small apartment she lived in with her father.

The two friends followed the main path that would lead them through the middle of the park. Children were playing around them, with a large group of boys playing soccer on the grass. None of them seemed to notice Gabumon.

Stacey glanced at them as she walked past. She recognised one of them as Dan, his goggles shimmering in the setting sun's light. She quickened her pace a little as she wanted to go by unnoticed.

"Hey look its Outcast Ishida!" one of the boys taunted, as he pointed at Stacey and laughed. The rest of the boys chuckled.

Stacey paused for a second. She had endured this kind of teasing from other children most of her elementary school life. She'd never interact with any of the others. During lunch breaks she would sit by herself in the corner whilst the others would laugh and joke together. In class she would sit at the back and keep her head down.

So after a while, the other kids had picked up on this and bullied her. But she was used t it now. She sighed before continuing her way along the path, ignoring the laughter from the group of boys. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Dan staring at her.

Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning and rain began to fall from the clouds that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. The boys moaned and quickly picked up their things.

One of them picked up the soccer ball and turned to the goggle boy. "Come on Dan; don't waste your time on her."

"Yeah, all she does is dress up that stupid dog of hers, it's the only friend she's got!" another one added with a smirk as the small group ran off laughing.

Dan sighed, still looking at the blonde haired girl. If only he could tell his friends what Gabumon really was. He knew the rookie was itching to teach them a lesson. He opened his mouth to say something, but thought otherwise and turned around, heading in the direction of his friends.

Stacey caught a glimpse of him leaving and felt a little hurt. He hadn't even stuck up for her and it made her think whether or not he really was her friend...

"Don't listen to them Stacey, they don't understand you!" Gabumon protested, seeing the glimpse of hurt in his partner's eyes.

"No one does Gabumon." She muttered.

End Flashback

"Maybe the Undead King was right..." Stacey muttered to herself as she recalled that night. "If they were my friends they'd stick up for me... but it looks like they're too embarrassed to let others know they know me."

SnowAgumon gasped. "The Undead King?!" he exclaimed. "You know him? How did you ever get mixed up with that creep! He's been terrorising the Digital World since he first appeared!"

Stacey continued to stare ahead, the events from that night still playing in her mind...

Flashback

Stacey and Gabumon continued to walk in silence. But as they did, the ground began to shake ever so slightly. The two friends came to a halt and Stacey glanced down at the small puddle of water that was forming on the ground.

Ripples would appear in the puddle every few seconds before disappearing and then forming again. All that could be heard was the pounding noise of what seemed like footsteps growing ever so closer.

But whatever owned those footsteps sounded big... really big. There was a huge bolt of lightning which struck the ground, meters away from Stacey and Gabumon.

They shielded themselves as best as they could, but as the lightning hit the ground, a thunderous roar echoed across the park.

Stacey opened her eyes and looked up, gawping at the sight before her. Standing right in front of her and Gabumon was a Tuskmon.

He was a large, green Digimon that resembled a T-rex and had huge black and red horns coming out from his back and curling over.

The two friends were frozen on the spot, staring up at Tuskmon before them. Digimon hadn't appeared in the real world for 25 years, apart from the exception of the DigiDestineds' Digimon, so how did he get here?

"Let's get out of here Gabumon." She muttered, taking one step back away from the monster.

Seeing they were about to run, Tuskmon roared and with one swift move he spun around, swinging his tail around squatting Stacey and Gabumon like flies.

"Ahhh!" both friends were thrown back and hit their backs against a tree trunk before collapsing to the ground. Stacey, a little winded from the attack, tried to push herself up from the soggy and muddy ground.

Gabumon staggered to his feet. He was about to attack when Tuskmon smacked him against the trunk with the back of his hand. The little rookie moaned and collapsed in a heap next to his human partner.

"Gabumon!" Stacey exclaimed as she forced herself up and crawled over to her motionless partner Digimon. She cradled him in her arms and he let out a soft groan.

The two attacks had taken him completely by surprise; it had winded and weakened him.

Tuskmon took two stomps towards the two friends and towered over them. He growled as he opened his mouth and Stacey looked up, seeing the fireball forming at the back of his mouth.

The blonde haired girl's eyes widened as she knew what was coming next... this was the end...

Then suddenly, out of nowhere, something flew past Stacey and Gabumon from behind in a black blur. Whatever it was, jumped up and formed a large ball of black energy in the palm of his hand and released it with sheer force.

The energy ball struck Tuskmon head on in the face and his painful wail echoed across the park before he burst into tiny pieces of data.

The unknown figure landed gracefully back on the ground, his back facing the young girl and her Gabumon.

"Uhhh... thanks." Stacey said, getting to her feet and helping Gabumon up at the same time. She stared at the figure in front of her who still had his back to her. "I owe you my life."

"Don't mention it my child." He spoke, a slight chill to his voice.

Shivers ran down the blonde haired girl's spine as he uttered those words. She watched as he slowly turned around to face her. She gasped and backed up a couple of paces as all she could see were two blood red eyes looking at her. The rest of his face was shrouded in darkness from the hood he was wearing.

"Don't be scared my dear." He spoke one more as he walked towards her. "I'm here to help you, in more ways than just saving your life from Tuskmon there."

"Help me? What do you mean?" Stacey questioned.

"I don't like the look of this Stacey." Gabumon muttered to her, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the newcomer.

"I know how lonely you have been lately, even with your Digimon partner." His eyes showed a disappointed look at Gabumon.

"You don't know anything about Stacey, so just back off!" Gabumon threatened as the mysterious figure took another step forward, but Stacey was intrigued.

"I know more than you think." The figure spoke his eyes fixed on Stacey. "I can make your life so much better. Come back with me... to the Digital World."

Stacey took a step back in awe. "Wha... the Digital World?" she murmured.

The dark figure began to pace in circles around her. "There you can forget all your problems on earth. No one cares about you here. Your mother left you, your family and friends don't pay attention to your needs. Why, just before they didn't even stick up for you when others bully you."

Stacey didn't even seem to care that he had been watching her moments before. Her mind was in deep thought about what he was telling her. It was all true. No one cared for her, apart from Gabumon. Her family and friends had deserted her, which resulted in her being bullied for becoming such a loner. All this had started because of them. It was their fault she was so miserable. "What... what happens if I go to the Digital World with you?" she spoke quietly.

The mysterious figure smiled. "There all your problems will be forgotten. Never will you have to put up with the taunting from other children; you can live how you want and someday, get revenge on those pathetic friends of yours."

It sounded so tempting. In the Digital World there would be no school, no kids teasing her and certainly no let downs from her parents.

"Of course... for saving your life, I would like something in return."

Gabumon eyed him suspiciously. "I should have known there would be a catch."

Stacey sighed. "Go on."

"Agreeing to come to the Digital World with me, you must obey my orders. I have... a few things that need to be taken care of. And you are the right person for the job. Now, don't worry. It won't be forever, just a little while until you have returned the favour for me sparing your life."

Stacey stared down at the ground in deep thought. Maybe this was the answer to her problems. No one knew her in the Digital World... she could live so much better there. She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated a little before finally replying. "I'll do it."

Gabumon looked up at his human partner with a worried look. "Stacey... do you know what you're doing?"

"No one cares for me here Gabumon, expect for you. Going to the Digital World would be perfect for me. So I'll have to do a little work to repay my debt, it'll be worth it."

The hooded figure smiled. "Excellent. You've chosen wisely child." He then extended his hand outwards towards her. "Now, give me your digivice." He commanded.

Stacey put her hand onto her silver D-Power that was clipped to her belt. "Huh? Why?" she asked.

"You do not need that little useless tool." The figure put his left and in his cloak pocket and pulled out something. It was a digivice. The exact same model as Stacey's, except it was completely black with white buttons. And just underneath the screen was a small white X shape. "This digivice is far more powerful than the one you possess right now. It'll help you and your Digimon become more powerful."

Stacey hesitated a little before unclipping her silver one and slowly handing it to him.

As soon as the digivice was in his hand he simply threw it to the ground effortlessly. It bounced a little before disappearing underneath a thorn bush.

Stacey gazed up at the new black digivice that was being offered to her. She slowly extended her hand out and took it.

As soon as her hand made contact, the scenery suddenly changed around them. The trees and plants from the park disappeared and they found themselves in the middle of a dusty desert landscape. In the distance Stacey could see a towering mountain with storm clouds at the peak, and below was a tall dark castle-type building.

"Welcome to the Digital World my dear."

Stacey glanced around at her new surroundings... the place she would now call her home...

End Flashback

"And you were that stupid to believe him?" SnowAgumon questioned her. "Everyone knows the Undead King is the master of tricks and manipulation. He uses it to gain power over everyone. And you were stupid enough to fall into his trap."

As he continued to ramble on, the two had now reached the end of the tunnel and were met with the morning sun that was slowly rising in the east.

Stacey gazed ahead to her destination before glaring down at the rookie beside her. SnowAgumon were the same as ordinary Agumon in one way, they always spoke their mind before thinking otherwise. "Why are you tagging along again?" She muttered, averting her gaze from him.

"Well, if you're heading to Area 66, you'll need help. The road to the base is a dangerous one." SnowAgumon commented.

"I don't need an escort; I can do fine by myself! So just scram!" Stacey snapped.

"If a Digimon attacks you, you'll have no chance against it."

Stacey clenched her fists. "Like a puny rookie like you is gonna protect me. You couldn't protect a fly." She glanced behind to see him staring at her with a look that clearly said he wasn't going anywhere. "Alright fine!" she huffed. "You can tag along."

SnowAgumon smiled knowing he had won that small battle as they began to walk down the remainder of the mountain. "You know you should really lighten up and open up more to people. From what I've heard you have got a lot issues."

Stacey's face scrunched up angrily. "Hey I might not be able to release attacks like Digimon but I can sure as hell punch!" she threatened.

SnowAgumon just smirked. "What? I'm just stating a fact. Maybe you wouldn't be so alone and in this mess if you confided in your friends and family more, oh and dropped the attitude."

"If you wanna carry on tagging along you better shut up!"

"See? That's the kind of attitude I'm talking about."

"I'm warning you!"

The human and Digimon continued to bicker at each other as they disappear down the path of the mountain, leaving the raging storm at the top behind...

To be continued...