Hey, sorry I'm gonna be rushing this little bit here but I wanted to get this chapter uploaded before I get to bed hehe. I finally completed it earlier today but didn't have chance to upload it until now. So I'm squeezing it in now, I've made you guys wait long enough for it XD Anyway enjoy!
Flurry of Freezing Flames: Thanks! Glad you're liking it. Don't worry, they'll be more of Stacey in the next few chapters.
Aster Selene: Hehe, thank you
Sithking Zero: Yeah it won't be long until the Undead King's indentity is revealed. BurningGreymon is seen in Digimon Frontier. I haven't watched that season in a long time so I hope I got him right there XD Garurumon X won't be a jerk for much longer hehe he'll be back where he belongs.
LoneWolfVampire13: I'm glad you're liking it :) Hehe yeah Tai and Dawn are very similar that way
GammaTron: Thought it would be a nice change instead of MetalGreymon. The Undead King isnt finished just yet XD
Sync The Dragon Tempemt: You'll find out what happens to the others in Star City in this chappy hehe
Dragongirl19510: Thank you :)
Sightbent: Thanks. Yeah BurningGreymon looks very cool
FFnetfanHANNAH: Thank you, glad you're enjoying it :)
Amethyst-Love: Thanks!
Copycat-The-Unknown: Thanks. I thought I did give the Undead King's description back in chapter 2 I think, can't remember that far back XD Anyway there's more about his appearence in this chapter.
Digimon Season 2.5 "Digimon Adventure 03"
Episode 17: "Showdown in Star City"
.:Native Forest, File Island, Digital World:.
The atmosphere was tense in the Native Forest as BurningGreymon and the Undead King stared each other out, neither one making a sound or move. Dawn was stood behind her Digimon partner, clutching her new crest in her right hand.
The Undead King was the first to break the silence. He opened his mouth but hesitated a little before chucking slightly. "You'll have to go one step further than that if you want to have any sort of chance of competing against me." He taunted.
BurningGreymon narrowed his eyes. "Do not misjudge my power. I might just surprise you." And without hesitation, he charged forward letting out a thunderous roar that echoed throughout the forest. Bringing his right arm back, he prepared to strike and release a strapping punch. But just as he did, the Undead King jumped up into the air, spreading his arms out and glided a little above. BurningGreymon ended up punching his fist into the ground as he missed his target.
Still in the air, the Undead King formed a dark sphere of energy in between his hands before thrusting it down with full force. BurningGreymon jerked his head up and quickly leapt out of the way. The attack slammed into the ground forming a large crater in the middle of the clearing.
Tai pushed his wife back a little as they felt the force from the blast. He glanced over at their daughter. She was stood completely still with both of her fists clenched tightly. She wasn't showing any signs of backing down and Tai was slightly worried as she was still far from fully recovered from her fight with Datamon.
"Wildfire Tsunami!" BurningGreymon surrounded himself in an aura of fire before he released it as a tempest of flames and wind. The attack flew through the air like a hurricane. The Undead King lifted his arms up in a cross like shape, masking his eyes with the sleeves of his cloak. Just as the fiery attack was about to strike him, he swiped both arms out to the sides breaking the attack up into nothing.
Dawn growled under her breath. "You're gonna have to try harder BurningGreymon." She commanded. She glanced over to the hooded being at the opposite end of the clearing. "Who is this guy? He looks human but surely he's a Digimon..."
BurningGreymon charged forward once more. Mirroring his first attack he brought his right arm back to strike another punch. And just as he hoped, the Undead King leapt up into the air once more. This time BurningGreymon was prepared. He also jumped up and catching his foe off guard he dealt a punch right to his chest.
But everyone gawped as they watched the ultimate thump his fist into what was supposed to be the Undead King's chest. Instead, his fist seemed to pass right through like there was nothing but air underneath the cape.
"Impossible! What is this guy?!" Agumon gasped in disbelief as he and Biyomon watched on.
BurningGreymon landed back on the ground, also in disbelief. He had felt nothing when he just dealt that punch. Like there was no one underneath the black cape. But there was. And it was staring right back at him with his dark blood red eyes.
The Undead King chuckled darkly. "It looks like I am the one giving out the surprises huh?" he taunted a little.
Dawn was still gawping at what she had just witnessed. "B-b-but how?" she stuttered.
"I have the ability to create forces that act like arms, hands, legs and so on when I desire as you have just seen. But apart from that I have no physical form... as of yet. So it makes it all that more difficult for you to attack me." The Undead King explained.
BurningGreymon growled angrily and charged forward with rage. "We'll just see about that!" he roared.
Just as he was about to strike, the Undead King held up his hands, creating some sort of barrier in front of him that prevented the ultimate Digimon from touching him. BurningGreymon struggled against the strong barrier. He grunted and jumped back skidding backwards across the ground before lifting his arms up. "Pro Barrage!" he roared as two solar heat wave lasers were fired from the cannons on his arms. The attacks curved a little in the air before joining as one huge laser beam and struck the ground directly where the Undead King was stood and smoke and dust clouded the air.
Dawn grinned. "Alright, you got him!" she pumped her fist up in the air.
But as the smoke cleared around the clearing, the DigiDestined saw that the Undead King was stood in the same position, unhurt from the blast. His eyes were narrowed in a seemingly mocking gaze.
"No way!" Tai gawped in shock.
"There's not a scratch on him!" Biyomon exclaimed.
BurningGreymon's eyes widened in astonishment. That was his strongest attack and it had left the Undead King without a single mark on him. Not even his cape was damaged.
"Try all you want. Your pathetic attacks are useless against me. There is no way you can win." The Undead King mocked.
Dawn clenched his fists even more. She was getting a little tired of his arrogance. "That's what you think!" she shouted before she bolted towards him.
The Undead King raised one of his arms and with one quick downward flick of the wrist he sent a telepathic force towards the young Kamiya girl.
Dawn immediately froze on the spot. She tried to move but she felt this strong force keeping her muscles from working. She was then thrown back a few yards and skidded backwards across the grass. "Yah!!"
"Dawn!" Sora raced towards her daughter with her husband close behind.
The Undead King turned his body a little to the left as he was about to leave. "I've had enough of your foolish games." He narrowed his blood red eyes as he stared at the Kamiya family. "I'll let you go free this time. But the next time we meet I won't hesitate in destroying you all." He then turned his back on them and disappeared into the darkness of the forest.
"Hey come back you coward!" Dawn jumped to her feet. But she only managed to run a few steps before she cringed and arched over from the pain in her ribs. She glanced up to see the Undead King had now vanished.
BurningGreymon began to glow as he de-digivolved back to Agumon. He walked over to his human partner.
"Who was that creep?" Biyomon wondered.
"I have no idea...but he gives me a strange feeling." Sora admitted. She then caught sight of something. "Huh? Tai you're bleeding again." She added.
Tai glanced down at his leg to see blood had seeped through the bandage and his pant leg. "Oh, I just caught it on a thorn back there. I'm okay."
"But Tai it could get infected. We need to get it cleaned up."
"Sor' I'm fine."
As her parents continued to talk, Dawn glanced back to where the Undead King had disappeared. She narrowed her eyes at the thought of him. That coward. She nudged her Digimon in the side before motioning silently for him to follow her....
"Tai, we're going to get that wound cleaned up. It'll only get worse." Sora continued to argue to her stubborn husband.
"I'm sure someone who lives in those houses back there will have some fresh bandages we could use." Biyomon added.
Agumon then looked around the clearing. "Hey wait a sec, where did Dawn and Agumon go?"
.:Fileville, File City, File Island, Digital World:.
Garurumon X let out a loud grunt as he used all of his strength to push the large tree trunk off his body. He staggered to his feet and shook the dirt and leaves that were stuck to his fur. Glancing around, he saw no sign of WarGreymon.
He growled and trotted into the middle of the road. He looked to his left and then to his right. No one was in sight. Suddenly he heard the rustling of leaves from behind him. He spun around only to see the Undead King emerge from the bushes of the Native Forest. His master elegantly glided over the wooden fence and landed on the ground.
"Sir? What are you doing here?" Garurumon X asked walking towards him.
"I decided to check out the strength of those brats and give them a small taste of my power."
Garurumon X growled under his breath. "I just encountered WarGreymon. I have to admit him and his partner are tough."
"So is the daughter." The Undead King muttered spitefully. "And she is continuing to get stronger and stronger. If we want any chance of defeating these DigiDestined we must take those two out first. With the two strongest destroyed, the others will start dropping like flies."
At this point, Dawn and Agumon had sneaked up on them and were hidden behind a large tree in one of the gardens. The Kamiya girl slowly peeked her head out to see what the two were talking about.
BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP!
"Huh?" The Undead King glanced down and revealed a small pocket sized communicator from within his cloak. He held it in the palm of his hand and flicked the lid open with his thumb, accepting the call. "This had better be important Sharmamon." He muttered.
On the small screen, Sharmamon bowed apologetically. "Sorry to bother you sir. But we have just received confirmation that the leader of Star City Starmon has captured some of the children and is planning to destroy them."
"Star City? On the Folder Continent?" the Undead King questioned with a small hint of astonishment.
Dawn's eyes widened. How did her friends end up on the Folder Continent? She hadn't a clue where it was located but it was definitely nowhere near File Island.
Once Sharmamon confirmed his question, the Undead King paused deep in thought. "Hmmm..... Maybe we could strike a bargain with Starmon..." he said out loud. "Sharmamon, keep Starmon's contact details. I'll be back at base in half an hour." Before Sharmamon could reply, he shut the lid down on his small communicator immediately ending the call.
Garurumon X watched the rookie Digimon leave before turning to his master. "And what are my orders sir?"
"I have a personal mission for you Garurumon X." He turned around and looked at the champion X Digimon. "I want you to track down Stacey." He spoke darkly. "Find her. And when you do, I want you to kill her."
Garurumon X nodded, although a small part of him had this strange feeling deep down and he couldn't explain to himself what it was. "Yes sir."
Dawn had her back pressed up against the tree trunk. Her breathing was a little heavy than usual as she took in what she had just heard. Sure she and Stacey never got on and she had been working for the enemy but she didn't deserve to die. "The others are in danger." She mumbled looking down at her Digimon partner.
"We've gotta help them!" Agumon exclaimed.
Dawn peeked back around the tree trunk only to see the Undead King had vanished and Garurumon X disappearing down the far end of the empty street. "Huh? Where did he go?" she stepped out from her hiding place and scanned the area for any sight of the Undead King.
"Dawn!"
"Huh?" Dawn turned around to see her parents and their Digimon emerge from the outskirts of the Native Forest. She immediately ran over to them. "Mom, Dad! The others are in danger! So is Stacey, we've gotta help them!" she explained rather quickly as she ran up to meet him.
Tai blinked a little confused. "Huh? What?" at this point his wife and their Digimon had walked up from behind and joined him.
"We overheard the Undead King and Garurumon X talking. Some of the others are on the Folder Continent and have been captured by Starmon of Star City, and Garurumon X has set out to track down Stacey and kill her." The small Agumon explained more slowly.
"And the Undead King is trying to strike a deal with Starmon to get him to hand them over." Dawn added.
"Wait, what are the others doing in the Digital World anyway? Especially on the Folder Continent." Sora asked only for her daughter to respond with a shrug.
"Folder Continent is 1,000 miles away from here. We wouldn't be able to make it in time anyway." Biyomon replied. "Travelling across the vast ocean would take days."
"But we have to get to the others before the Undead King does." Dawn's Agumon said looking up at the pink bird. "There's gotta be a fast way to the Folder Continent."
"Umm. excuse me...?" a timid voice was heard from behind the Kamiya family.
Everyone turned around to see a strange looking Digimon staring back at them from in one of the small gardens. She had a plump figure and was wearing a purple dress. Her head seemed to be shaped like an onion.
"I couldn't help but overhear, but do you want to travel to the Folder Continent?" she asked politely.
Dawn stepped forward. "Yeah! Do you know a way to get there?" she asked. "We need to get there fast!"
The Digimon smiled warmly. "Then you're in luck. Come with me." She pushed open the white garden gate and motioned for them to follow her.
Dawn and Agumon grinned and ran ahead following the friendly Digimon through her garden and into her small home. Tai and Sora glanced a little uneasy at each other. "Let's go." The bearer of Courage sighed before they followed their daughter into the house.
As they stepped in, it led straight into the living room with the kitchen seen at the back end of the house. It was smaller than their apartment and it had a homely feel to it. The couple then spotted their daughter knelt on the floor talking with three tiny Digimon that looked similar to the bigger one they had met. The small Digimon were a light brown colour and were all wearing hats that looked similar to the top of a burger bun.
"Come on in. Don't worry, we won't hurt you." The female Digimon noticed the couple's uneasiness. "Sorry, I should introduce myself. I'm Burgemon." She smiled. "And these are my children, also called Burgemon."
One of the small Burgemon walked up to them. "Mommy says you need to get to the Folder Continent. Our Daddy works there."
Dawn grinned, still knelt in between the other two Burgemon. "They've been telling me they have a special portal that can take you straight to the Folder Continent in seconds!"
"Is it safe?" Tai asked, glancing at Burgemon.
She nodded with a smile. "It's perfectly safe. My husband works for Starmon at Star City as his chef and he travels to and from work via the portal he built specially for. At first he was gone months on end due to the long distance he had to travel but now it's just as if Star City is down the street." She explained.
Sora smiled. "That's perfect. Star City is exactly where we need to be."
Dawn nodded and turned to the female Burgemon. "Yeah. Some of my friends were captured by Starmon and he's planned on killing them."
"My husband mentioned something last night about how Starmon had caught four humans. He has a very strict rule there. He has a strong hatred for humans after an incident years ago caused half of his city to be destroyed so any humans caught there are captured and destroyed." Burgemon explained.
Dawn clenched her fists. "Well once I get there I'll destroy him!"
Burgemon smiled. "I'll load the portal up for you soon. But right now you must be hungry, right? I'll make you some lunch. Travelling through the portal can be quite exhausting at first so you'll need all the energy you can get."
Agumon stepped forward. "Hey, first off have you got any bandages we could use?" he asked.
Burgemon nodded and then noticed Tai's injured leg. "Oh that must be painful. Just go on up to the bathroom. It's the first door on your right. The bandages are in the top cupboard above the sink."
"Okay, thanks." Tai left his wife's side and walked up the small stairs.
Burgemon turned to the others. "Well c'mon in to the kitchen and I'll make us all some lunch."
.:SC Headquarters, Star City, Folder Continent, Digital World:.
"Master Starmon, we have an in-coming call from File Island." Kamemon spoke up from his position in front of the computer system.
"What? From who?" Starmon demanded spinning round to look at the many computer screens that currently had 'In-coming call' displayed on all of them.
"It's an unknown signal sir. Do you want me to receive the call?" Kamemon asked, pressing a few buttons.
"Do it." His master muttered his response.
Kamemon typed a few things on the keyboard and an image of the Undead King appeared in front of them, stretching over the whole of the screens. Kamemon was taken back a little by the appearance of the unknown caller and moved back a little in his chair.
"Greetings Starmon."
Starmon walked over to the computer system, narrowing his eyes doubtfully at the figure on the screens. "Who are you?" he demanded.
"I am the Undead King. I have been informed you have a few hostages. Some children I believe?" The Undead King spoke with a slight chuckle. Starmon continued to eye him suspiciously. "I'll just cut right to the chase.... I want them. Those children are an important factor in my plans so perhaps we could come to some sort of a deal?"
Starmon scoffed a laugh. "No can do spooks. They're my prisoners and they trespassed on my land. Those brats are my property now."
The Undead King gritted his teeth but remained calm. "Might I mention that I am prepared to offer a very handsome price for them?"
"There's a rule here in Star City. Any humans caught on my streets will be captured and destroyed. And not for all the money in the Digital World will make me hand them over to you."
The Undead King growled. He was starting to lose his patience. "Let me say, you have no idea who you are dealing with here. Whether we make a deal or I take those brats by force. I will get what I want."
Starmon showed a small smirk. He wasn't intimidated by the Undead King's threat. "Very well. Let's make a deal." He spoke. "The children are scheduled to be executed just before sunset today. If you can make it here before then, you can have them. If you don't, then they are mine to destroy."
The Undead King thought for a second before replying. "It's a deal."
Starmon's smirk grew. "Pleasure doing business with you." He then hit the off button and the screens went blank, ending the video call. He then burst out laughing.
Kamemon glanced to his right. "Are you sure that's a good idea Master Starmon? What if he actually makes it here before sunset?" he asked.
Starmon continued to laugh. "Fat chance of that. He obviously doesn't know his geography. File Island is 1,000 miles from here." He glanced up at the clock. "Sunset is five hours from now. There is no way he can make it here before then."
.:Fileville, File Island, Digital World:.
When Tai came back down from the bathroom he saw everyone was now in the kitchen sat around the large dining table that had a huge spread of food across it. His stomach growled a little as he looked at the delicious looking food. He had only had a small breakfast back at the hospital so by this point he was already quite hungry.
The table was full with burgers, fries, salads, cupcakes and rice balls. Tai walked into the kitchen and sat down in the spare seat in between his wife and Agumon.
Sora took a sip of her lemonade before smiling at her husband. "How's your leg?" she asked.
Tai began to help himself to the food. "Better now I've changed the bandage. I've kept some with me just in case I need them later." He took a bite out of his cheeseburger. "Wow, these burgers are good."
Burgemon smiled as she watched them eat. "Those are my husband's special recipes. His burgers are the best in the Digital World and also have special healing powers. So that cut on your leg should heal right up."
Dawn glanced at her father. "Dad, whilst you were gone we were talking and we think its best that me and Agumon go to rescue the others whilst you and Mom go find Stacey." she began to explain.
Tai blinked and gulped down his food. "Huh? What?" he demanded. "Dawn you're not fit to go off and battle Starmon."
Dawn grinned a little. "I will be if I carry on eating this food." She replied before shoving a handful of fries in her mouth.
"Dawn, I'm being serious. You're not going." Her father replied sternly. "Didn't you hear what Mr Kido said at the hospital? You're not supposed to get involved in any fighting until you're injuries are fully healed."
Sora glanced at her husband. "Honey, it would be best if Dawn goes."
"You're agreeing to this Sora?" Tai asked. "You were there when Joe told her she had to rest and you want to send her to a different island and battle some crazy Digimon who hates and wants to kill humans?"
"But do you really think if Dawn goes to find Stacey she'd be able to persuade her that Garurumon X is after her? They'd just end up breaking into a huge argument and fight each other. You know how much they don't get along." Sora replied.
"But Sora-"
"Taichi..." Sora said a little firmly but also smirking a little at the same time.
"But...I... she-" Tai stuttered lost for words. He knew whenever Sora called him by his full name he shouldn't argue with her. He then groaned in defeat and continued eating. "Fine."
Dawn finished off her drink and jumped off her chair before grabbing a cupcake. "Well I'm ready." She stretched her arms out. "I feel better already. Those burgers must really have healing powers."
"We'll contact Izzy and get him to locate Stacey's whereabouts. Do you have a computer we can use?" Tai asked looking over at the mother Digimon.
Burgemon nodded. "Yes. It's upstairs in the study. The portal is there too. We'll all go up now." She led the group out of the kitchen and through the living room to the stairs. Tai's Agumon quickly paused and darted back to the table and grabbed a few cupcakes and rice balls before hurrying to catch the others who were half way up the stairs.
As they entered the small room, Burgemon and her children walked over to the opposite side where there was a large machine, which the Kamiya family guessed was the portal. The Burgemon family began to load it up by pressing various buttons and flicking switches.
Burgemon turned to face the humans and other Digimon. "It'll take a few minutes to fully load. But you can contact your friend whilst you wait and I'll contact mu husband to let him know you'll be coming." She said motioning to the computer in the other corner of the room.
.:Freezeland, File Island, Digital World:.
"We're here!" SnowAgumon's cheery voice chirped and he did a little jump with excitement.
Stacey glanced up at the surroundings in front of her. She had been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't realised they had entered the outskirts of the Freezeland and had been walking through the thick snow that covered the ground.
They were stood at the top of a small slope, looking over at the majority of the snowy land. There was a frozen lake at the bottom surrounded by pine trees that were covered completely in snow. In the background was a thick forest and behind that were tall mountains with the tops sheeted in snow. The place looked rather beautiful and peaceful.
"You live here?" Stacey asked, a little amazed.
SnowAgumon nodded proudly. "Uh huh. All this land is ours." He grinned and looked up at her. "C'mon, I'll give you a guided tour and then we can sit down and have some lunch."
Stacey couldn't help but smile. "That sounds perfect. I haven't eaten in days." She admitted.
SnowAgumon showed a toothy grin. "Don't worry. We'll soon settle that. We have some of the best fruit here that grows in the Digital World." He bragged. "So let's go." He led her down the small slope that brought them to the frozen lake.
It was glistening as the sun shone down and a few birds had landed on the ice. As they walked around the lake, Stacey moved towards the edge and stared down at her reflection as she continued to follow SnowAgumon. Her hair was slightly messy and her eyes looked weary. The snow crunched underneath her weight, and although she was wearing her thick black boots, her feet were starting to feel a little numb from the cold.
They left the lake and entered the forest. There wasn't as much snow on the ground as most of it was settled on the tree tops. The two friends followed the small dirt path deeper into the growth. But SnowAgumon took a turn left away from the path and through a small gap between two tree trunks. Stacey followed, wondering if he was leading her someplace in particular.
But her question was soon answered when they reached a small opening in the trees where the ground was covered in mud, a little snow and rocks. And just ahead of them was a large wall of rock with a dark hole in the centre.
"My home!" SnowAgumon grinned with glee before darting ahead across the rocks and into the entrance of the small cave. "Hey you guys I'm back!" his voiced echoed as he disappeared into the darkness.
Stacey heard more voices from inside and edged closer to the cave. It was dark inside but she could just make out a small group of familiar shadows. It was a whole group of SnowAgumon. They were jumping up and down and talking all at once.
She could make out questions like; 'Where have you been?' and 'What happened to you?'
The young girl let a small smile slip across her face as she leant against the entrance to the cave. She watched as the group of SnowAgumon hugged and huddled around their missing family member. But the smile soon disappeared as she cast her thoughts back to her own family. She kinda missed the love and warmth over the past six months that the SnowAgumon were currently giving to each other.
And for the first time in a while; she missed her father.
.:Izzy's lab, Minato, Tokyo:.
There was a sudden beeping noise coming from Izzy's computer and the bearer of Knowledge snapped out of his thoughts and skidded across on his chair so he was in front of his screen. "We've got an in-coming call from the Digital World." He called to Jim and Haruhiko who were at the other end of the room. "I really hope this is Jonathon.." He began typing on his keyboard and brought up the location of the call. "Fileville?" He clicked the receive button and an image of Tai appeared on the screen. "Huh? Tai?" he said a little surprised.
"Hey Iz'. Listen, we need a favour, and we need it quick." Tai replied sounding a little serious.
"Wait, is Jonathon with you? We haven't heard from him or the others since they left without a word. You haven't seen them have you?" the bearer of Knowledge asked.
"Huh? You mean you don't know they went to the Digital World?" Tai asked a little surprised.
Izzy shook his head. "No. Jonathon, along with Dan, Margaret and MJ snuck out the other night with no explanation where. I just guessed they went to the Digital World. But we've been worried since we haven't heard from them. I've had Mika over here almost constantly demanding where her son is. Davis eventually managed to drag her home only a few hours ago." He explained with a sigh. "Have you heard from them?"
.:Fileville, File Island, Digital World:.
Tai glanced quickly at his wife before looking back at the bearer of Knowledge on the screen. "Uhh.. No. But we do know where they are. Don't worry about them right now."
"Don't worry about them?" Izzy gawped a little on the screen. "Tai, my son's been missing for over two days and I haven't heard from him at all and you tell me not to worry about him right now? You obviously know something that we don't."
Sora stood beside her husband. "We'll explain everything when we get back okay Izzy? The reason we called is because we need Stacey's location."
"Huh? Stacey's location? What for?" Izzy blinked, puzzled. "It won't be easy you know when she hasn't got her digivice on her. I won't be able to get an exact location but I suppose I could try searching for human data in the programme. But why do you need to track her down? Is she in trouble?"
"Just do it Izzy." Tai demanded. "We'll explain when we get back home."
Izzy sighed and scratched his head. He sat up in his chair. He would just have to trust his friends at the moment. "Okay. I'll do my best. But like I said, it won't be that easy. Once I get her location I'll download it to your own digivices alright?"
Dawn and Agumon were stood just in front of the portal with the Burgemon. She watched as her parents ended the call with Izzy and turned to face her. "Well, I'm ready to go."
Tai sighed. "Just be careful okay kiddo? Remember we won't be able to help you if you get into any trouble. Once you get there you and Agumon are on your own so don't do anything stupid alright?"
Dawn had to stop herself from rolling her eyes and sighing. "Don't worry Dad. We'll be fine. I'll be back with the others before you know it."
"We don't know how long it will take us to find Stacey so once you and the others get back to File Island, find the nearest portal and head straight home okay?" her mother added.
Dawn nodded as she and Agumon took their positions inside the portal. "Got it." She replied.
"You ready?" the mother Burgemon asked. She got a nod from Agumon and a thumbs up from Dawn. She turned to the keypad and pressed a couple of buttons.
There was a faint whooshing sound as the portal gathered up energy and the two lasers that were either side of Dawn and Agumon began to glow. Once the portal had gathered up maximum power, Burgemon pressed down on the green button and two bright yellow beams shot out of the lasers and hit the human and Digimon disintegrating them into pieces of data...
.:SC Headquarters, Star City, Folder Continent:.
There was a flash of light from within the portal and Dawn and Agumon suddenly re-emerged in the centre of it. They swayed a little due to the motion sickness from travelling through the gateway.
Waiting in front of the portal was Burgemon's husband. He looked similar to his wife, except he wore a white chef's outfit. "Why hello there. You must be the visitors my wife told me about." He spoke a little quietly.
Dawn and Agumon jumped out of the portal. "Where are we?" the Kamiya girl asked, glancing around the room, which had shelving and cupboards everywhere that were stocked with food.
"You're in my pantry at the back of Star City Headquarters." Burgemon still spoke softly. "Forgive me for talking quietly but as my wife probably mentioned, I work as Starmon's personal chef. If he knew I was helping you he would take no hesitation in destroying me."
"We understand." Agumon replied. "Do you know where our friends are being kept?"
Burgemon nodded. "I'm afraid I can't escort you there though. But I can give you directions. From what I have heard your friends are being held in Starmon's private room on the top floor."
"Great!" Dawn grinned. "Let's go!" she was about to head for the pantry door when Burgemon stepped in front of her.
"Wait, you can't go out the front or you'll be seen for sure. Starmon always patrols the hallways and has guards everywhere."
"Then how do you suggest we get up there?" Dawn sighed, crossing her arms.
Burgemon thought for a second before he smiled slightly. His eyes fell upon his food cart in the corner of the room. "I think I have an idea."
The elevator doors pinged before they slowly opened upon arriving at the top floor of the building. Burgemon stepped out from the lift pushing his food cart along that had a long white cloth draped over it and food on top.
He began to walk down the long corridor towards Starmon's private room, greeting each guard he passed with an innocent smile.
Unknown to the guards, Dawn and Agumon were currently hidden underneath on the bottom part of the food cart. They were both squashed up against each other. Although they were both small, there wasn't much room.
Agumon grunted as he shifted uncomfortably. "I think you ate too many cheeseburgers." He muttered.
"Hey shut up. You're not exactly small." Dawn muttered as she elbowed him, which resulted in him shoving her back.
Burgemon coughed loudly to signal them to be quiet. He then checked both ends of the hallway before he pulled the cart up to a blue door. He knelt down pretending to fix something on his cart in case someone came by. "Okay we're here." He whispered. "I'm gonna take this food to Starmon in his office. I'll try and stall him as much as possible."
Inside, the children and Digimon were all slumped in their cages. They had been informed of their plans and knew sunset was only a few hours away. Dan sighed loudly and fiddled with the lock on his cage jingling it about and getting an irritated look from Jonathon.
Just then, the sound of the doorknob turning caused the goggle boy to stop and everyone tensed up as the door opened up. They expected to see Starmon enter but got the surprise of their life when Dawn and Agumon entered, closing the door behind them.
"Dawn!" Dan grinned widely as he saw his best friend enter the room.
"Hey guys, just hangin' out?" Dawn joked as she looked up at her friends in their cages.
Gatomon scowled at the girl's joke as Margaret beamed as she looked down at her cousin. "How did you find us?" she asked. Her smile soon faded when she saw the cut above the girl's eye, and the bandage around her wrist. "And what happened to you? You're covered in cuts and bruises."
Dawn grinned sheepishly. "It's a long story. I'll tell you later. Right now, let's get you outta those cages. They don't look that comfortable."
"Starmon has the key. He keeps it attached to his belt. How will you get it?" Veemon asked.
Dawn thought for a while before glancing at her Digimon partner. "Hey Agumon, think you can break those locks with your claw upper cut attack?"
Agumon nodded. "I can try." He looked up at the kids and rookies. "Stay back everyone." He was about to leap up, when all of a sudden the door flew open, crashing against the wall.
Dawn and Agumon flinched from the sound and spun round to see the leader of Star City stood in the doorway, his eyes burning with rage and his fists clenched.
"More humans?!?!" he boomed causing the windows to rattle slightly. "How did you get in here?!"
Dawn clenched her fists. "Hey wise guy! You let my friends go right now! They haven't done anything to you."
Starmon growled loudly as he gritted his teeth. "I'm not about to take orders from a tiny human! You made a terrible mistake entering this city and my headquarters!"
Dawn stiffened up confidently. "I'm not leaving until you release my friends."
"I wasn't planning on letting you leave anyway. You will be the first to die." Starmon snarled.
Agumon stood protectively in front of his human partner. "Word has it you like to strike a good deal." He commented a little slyly.
Dawn narrowed her eyes and grinned a little. "Yeah. How about we strike a deal right now? Why don't we fight for it?"
"Huh?" Starmon demanded through his rage. "What are you talking about?"
"Simple. I challenge you to a battle right now. If I win, you let my friends go free."
Starmon's mouth turned into a sly smirk. "And what if I win?" he asked with a chuckle.
Dawn paused for a moment. "If you win... they stay your prisoners, along with me and Agumon." She replied.
"W-what?!" Margaret exclaimed in horror. "Dawn! Don't do it! You don't stand a chance against him, he's a strong experienced Digimon!" she cried down to her cousin.
Dawn ignored her cousin's pleas and continued to stare Starmon in the eyes. "So do we have a deal or not?" she asked confidently.
Starmon grinned a little sadistically. "Oh we have a deal. We meet outside in ten minutes." He commanded before he turned and left the room. As he walked down the corridor towards his office, he grinned to himself. "This should be a walk in the park. That brat doesn't know what she's letting herself into."
Outside in front of the City Headquarters at the bottom of the steps Dawn and Agumon took their positions in the middle of the road. At the top of the steps stood Margaret, Dan, MJ, Jonathon and their Digimon. Their hands were cuffed and had a guard assigned to each of them, a Mekanorimon. The pavements surrounding the headquarters were packed with Digimon who had come to witness the battle.
Starmon calmly exited the main doors of the building and strolled confidently past his prisoners and guards. Pausing at the top of the steps, he grinned slyly before making his way down to the bottom.
As Dawn waited for him to arrive, she could hear Digimon behind her whispering to each other. She heard comments like 'I've got money on Master Starmon', 'That kid won't last one minute.' And 'Master Starmon is gonna make dust outta them.' Dawn growled under her breath and clenched her fists.
Starmon finally reached the bottom of the steps and strode out into the middle of the road, taking his position. He chuckled lightly. "As host let me be the first to get this battle underway." He grinned and with a quick movement with his wrist, he prepared a Digital Ring in his hand.
The captive DigiDestined and rookies all gasped. "He's got a Digital Ring!" Dan exclaimed in shock.
Starmon closed his eyes and pressed the ring against the front of his body, absorbing the energy from it. He began to glow and grew a little in size. Once the light had faded his new form was shown. His star shaped body was now gold and his boots and gloves were now white, with long tassels on the back. His eyes were now covered with a pair of black shades.
"SuperStarmon..." Gatomon murmured. "He digivolved...He's at the ultimate level now."
Dawn remained still and flashed the famous Kamiya grin and pulled her goggles up onto her forehead. "Nice trick. But I already know the secret to it." She whipped her orange D-Power off her belt. SuperStarmon eyed her as she held up her digivice in the air. "Digital Ring Release!"
The leader of Star City watched as a small Digital Ring emerged from her digivice and floated down to where Agumon had his arm stretched out to catch it in his claw.
"AGUMON DIGIVOLVE TO GREYMON!"
The whispers from the crowd grew louder once the light had faded revealing the dinosaur Digimon. There were a few laughs and giggles amongst them too. Dawn could hear them, but she still grasped her digivice in her right hand and was fiddling with her crest in her left.
SuperStarmon laughed himself. "This is going to be easier than I thought. A champion Digimon to me is a walk in the park."
Dawn narrowed her eyes, still grinning. "I haven't finished yet." She replied. She brought her digivice up and selected the ultimate ring that was stored inside. "Digital Ring Release!" This time she caught the ring in her hand. She clipped her digivice back on her belt before taking hold of her crest.
"Huh? What is Dawn doing?" MJ wondered as she watched what the younger girl was doing.
Dawn held up her crest in her right hand and the ring in the left. She then merged the two by pressing the ring into the small slot just around the crest of Courage. Both the ring and crest burst into a bright light with the sun symbol glowing orange.
"GREYMON DIGIVOLVE TO... BURNINGGREYMON!"
As the light faded everyone, including the DigiDestined and SuperStarmon gasped in astonishment as BurningGreymon was revealed.
"Whoa.... how did she do that?" Dan gawped, his jaw dropping. "Greymon can digivolve to ultimate now..."
"It must have something to do with that thing around her neck." Jonathon replied. "Where did she get it?"
Dawn grinned. "Still think this is gonna be a walk in park? It'll be more like a walk through a minefield with BurningGreymon here."
SuperStarmon growled. "Don't get too cocky brat. I am a very experienced fighter. You armatures won't be able to match my ability."
BurningGreymon narrowed his eyes. "Just try it."
SuperStarmon sprinted forward, followed by BurningGreymon and the two ultimate Digimon charged towards each other. As the leader of Star City seemingly glided across the ground, he formed two large spheres of energy in his hands before thrusting them towards the warrior Digimon.
BurningGreymon slipped to the left before leaping to the right and dodged both attacks easily and still continued on his charge. "Pro Barrage!" he stuck his arms out and fired continuous energy bullets from the cannons on his arms.
SuperStarmon yelped as he jumped, dived and dodged each bullet which blasted into the ground causing holes in the road. He grew more frustrated as more bullets were released and showed no sign of stopping. "Argh... enough!" he roared before charging forward. He tore through the attack punching the energy bullets away like they were tennis balls.
Both Dawn and BurningGreymon flinched in surprise as SuperStarmon reached them. "Look out!" the young Kamiya girl hollered. But SuperStarmon dealt a strapping punch to the warrior's chest sending him skidding backwards, his heels sinking into the concrete of the road.
BurningGreymon grunted as he pushed against the smaller Digimon. He jammed his right cannon into SuperStarmon's stomach. "Pro Barrage!" he fired a laser beam of energy but SuperStarmon leapt up into the air, resulting in the attack blasting across the road and exploding into a nearby building.
SuperStarmon soared down from the air and raised both his fists before slamming them down into BurningGreymon's head sending him crashing into the ground, landing on his stomach. The leader of Star City landed confidently on the ground just behind the warrior. He held up both his arms pointing them up to the reddening sky. "Halley Squall!" There was a flash of light in the sky and every looked up to see white comets appear in the cloudless sky.
The comets began to grow bigger and glow as they hurtled towards the ground like a hailstorm. They homed in on BurningGreymon and struck him hard. Smoke rose from the impacts as the comets hit him and the road. The warrior gruffly cried out in pain as each golf ball sized comet hit him like countless knifes stabbing him all over his body.
"Get up!" Dawn demanded as she watched helplessly. She squinted to try and see through the thick dust that was clouding the air. "You can do it!"
BurningGreymon shakily pushed himself up against the force from the never ending attack. He grunted and turned to glance over his shoulder. He could just make out SuperStarmon standing a few hundred feet away. The warrior slowly raised his left arm pointing it behind him. Aiming it directly, he fired a solar beam of energy from his cannon.
SuperStarmon chuckled to himself as he watched his attack at work. But the smirk soon was wiped from his face when a beam of energy burst through the smoky air taking him completely by surprise. It exploded against his body and he was thrown across the road. Bystanders quickly separated and SuperStarmon crashed into a building, the glass from the window shattering around him.
BurningGreymon was now on his feet and the imprisoned DigiDestined all cheered when they saw him standing once the smoke had cleared. Dawn cheered also and pumped her fist in the air. "Alright!"
SuperStarmon coughed and spluttered, partly winded from the attack and partly due to the dust in the air getting in his throat. He staggered to his feet and brushed the rubble and shards of glass off his body. "Why you sneaky, no good, extinct fool!"
BurningGreymon remained still and silent, awaiting SuperStarmon's next move. A small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Dawn was also grinning, her arms were folded across her chest. "Ya give up?" she called over with a smirk.
SuperStarmon growled and gritted his teeth. "Never!" he hollered before charging once more towards BurningGreymon screaming in frustration. But as he reached him, SuperStarmon was met with a powerful blow to the face, which sent him crashing to the ground landing on his back.
The warrior Digimon stepped forward and grabbed hold of SuperStarmon's legs before he leapt up into the air. He soared higher and higher, passing the heights of the tallest buildings in the city until he was no more than a small speck in the sky to the Digimon and DigiDestined below.
SuperStarmon screamed as he was taken even higher. His sunglasses fell from his face, revealing his terrified bulging red eyes. "Yahhh!" he thrashed about violently in BurningGreymon's grip as the view from below became clearer once his shades had gone.
"Do you surrender?" BurningGreymon demanded with a hint of amusement in his voice as he finally came to a stop in the air, his orange wings flapping to keep him airborne.
SuperStarmon hesitated a little as he continued to struggle. "I will never surrender to a chump like you!" he finally replied stubbornly. He grunted as he tried to kick his legs but BurningGreymon tightened his grip.
"Very well." The warrior Digimon replied coolly. "Maybe this will change your mind." He added before he released his grip from the leader's legs.
SuperStarmon screamed at the top of his lungs as he felt himself falling. He plunged towards the ground waving his arms and legs frantically in a desperate and unsuccessful attempt to slow his fall down.
Digimon on the ground held their breath as they watched their leader fall. He seemed to gather up speed and with a thunderous and earth-shattering crash, he hit the hard concrete in the middle of the road. Smoke rose from the large crater that had been caused from the impact.
Everyone was silent as BurningGreymon landed back down on the ground, just at the bottom of the headquarters' steps. The Digimon of Star City had their eyes in the middle of the road where the smoke was still lingering.
There was a small and shaky grunt from within the crater, and SuperStarmon's hand was seen being raised into the air through the smoke. "O.... okay...." his stuttering voice was heard as he waved his hand weakly. "I s-surrender....."
Dawn pumped her fist in the air once more and cheered along with her friends at the top of the steps as the crowds of Digimon around stared in awe. BurningGreymon smiled before he began to glow and de-digivolved back to Agumon.
Kamemon gawped, his jaw wide open with shock. He seemed to be frozen in that position for a few minutes before he finally bowed his head in shame and waved his left hand at the four Mekanorimon. "Release the prisoners." He murmured.
The children and Digimon grinned as their handcuffs were unlocked and Dan sprinted down to meet his best friend half way on the steps. They both shared a high five before he hugged the Kamiya girl tightly. "Way to go Dawn! You were awesome out there!"
Dawn cringed a little as the goggle boy squeezed a little too hard on her bruised ribs. "Ouch." She murmured.
Dan quickly pulled away. "What's wrong?" he asked.
Dawn shook her head with a smile. "Nothing. You were just squeezing my ribs a little too hard that's all." She replied. "Anyway, how did you end up in this mess?" she asked a little curiously.
Dan smiled a little sheepishly. "Heh...it's a looong story."
The others had joined them at this point on the steps and Margaret stepped up to her cousin smiling widely. "How did you ever get here and find us?"
Veemon then jumped up and asked; "And when did Agumon start digivolving into BurningGreymon?"
"And what's that thing around your neck? Where did you get it?" Jonathon also questioned.
Dawn smiled as her friends continued asking her question after question. She giggled as she pulled her goggles back down around her neck and glanced up to where Burgemon was stood at the doors of the headquarters. She smiled and gave him a thumbs up. "Hey that's all a long story too. But I can't wait to tell you."
The others grew silent as they noticed the de-digivolved Starmon limp up the stone steps. He was covered in dust and his body was covered in scratches. His eyes were narrowed as he approached the DigiDestined.
Dawn turned around and smiled triumphantly. "Well you put up a good fight Starmon."
Starmon stopped a couple of steps below the kids and Digimon. He gritted his teeth. "Just get outta my city before I change my mind."
.:Digitama Desert, Folder Continent, Digital World:.
Half an hour later the children and Digimon were now exiting the outskirts of the city, following the large tarmac road that would lead them out into the desert. The sun could be seen just touching the edge of the horizon as it continued to set. The sky had turned a beautiful red and orange colour and their air was slightly cooler.
"So are you gonna tell us what happened to you when we got split up at High Falls?" Gatomon asked the Kamiya girl as she perched on her human partner's shoulder.
Dawn, who was in the middle and leading the group, came to a halt and turned to face her friends. "Just hold on a second. Let's concentrate on getting off this continent first."
"We just fell from the sky so we have no idea how we were transported here and I doubt there are any portals continent." Tentomon spoke. "How did you get here?" he asked.
Dawn turned back around and the group continued walking. "I got a little help off Starmon's personal chef. He has a portal that takes him to and from here and File Island. It was lucky we stumbled upon his family in Fileville." She explained.
The others stopped once more and just stared at the brown haired girl. "Wha?" Both Dan and Veemon gawped.
"Why didn't you tell us that back there? We could have used that to get back home." Jonathon commented, sighing.
Dawn turned to face the older boy. "Because it's inside Starmon's headquarters. We couldn't have gone back in that building otherwise Starmon would have known. And if he knew Burgemon helped us then he would have destroyed him too."
MJ sighed and pushed her hat up a little, which Patamon was currently sat on. "So how do we get home?"
Jonathon got out his laptop and walked over to a large rock and sat down placing the portal computer in his lap. "I'll contact my father. He might be able to figure a way to get us home. And I'm sure he'll be relieved to finally hear from us."
.:Star City, Folder Continent, Digital World:.
Starmon growled and clenched his fists as he surveyed the damage that had been done to his city. The road was almost completely destroyed, three or four buildings were damaged with smashed windows and everything in the vicinity of the area was covered in dust.
The place was now deserted, apart from Kamemon who was stood at the top of the headquarters steps watching his master.
The leader of the city scanned the destroyed area for another time. "Ignorant humans." He snarled under his breath. "Again they enter my city and destroy it. If I ever see another human again I won't hesitate in destroying them."
He kicked a large slab of concrete in anger and watched it hit the curb of the pavement. He glanced up at the sky. "If I still had those brats right now I'd be taking the pleasure of executing them at this very moment."
Just then a large dark shadow loomed over the leader of the city, startling him. "I made it Starmon." The owner of the shadow spoke sinisterly. "Where are the children?"
To be continued...