Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated in memory of Mimi and Cody's English dub voice actress, Philece Sampler, who passed away suddenly early this July, two weeks shy of her 68th birthday and my heart goes out to her loved ones. Also, I'm proud to say that I now have one more chapter left (this is the longest chapter I have written!) and I'd like to thank Music Chick, DarkJanet, and dnofsunshine for reviewing!

Drowned Out

Chapter Fifteen

With Matt safely rescued, the rest of the journey back home continued at a much faster pace than before but many thoughts and questions were now running through T.K.'s head. Daemon was only Digimon that his Digidestined team failed to destroy due to his intense strength and persistence and now following his return after conquering the Dark Ocean, his power had increased tenfold.

But now Anubismon said that there is a way to defeat Daemon, T.K. thought hopefully, maybe he can provide us with more details on how we can beat Daemon, especially with Anubismon on our side, we have a better chance!

"Umm…Anubismon?" he asked, "You mentioned earlier that a vessel will help us stop Daemon, so what exactly is it and could we find it in time?"

Anubismon paused.

"I can't tell you what the vessel is," he replied, "but there several pieces needed in order for the vessel to work."

The Bearer of Hope felt his heart sink with dread.

"You mean…that when we find it, the vessel can't do it alone?"

"Precisely," responded the winged jackal, "The vessel is the key to Daemon's defeat, but its power is not enough and it needs other sources to strengthen it. Once you and your team find the crucial elements and bring them all together, they will form a catalyst. And from that catalyst, the vessel will unleash an incredible power."

T.K.'s eyes widened. "It's really that strong?"

"It is."

The way Anubismon had described the vessel and its requirements reminded the younger blonde of the crests that he, his brother, and the other five Digidestined searched for and found in the Digital World. And how using that power granted them the strength they needed to defeat their enemies.

Briefly turning to his older brother, the Bearer of Hope noticed that Matt had been eerily quiet, looking behind them periodically as if anticipating something.

"What's wrong?" T.K. asked.

Matt didn't answer.

"If you're worried about any Digimon attacking us, they won't, not with Anubismon here."

The older blonde still said nothing and kept looking back towards the bleak darkness.

T.K. grew confused and concerned at his brother's odd behavior.

Just as T.K. was about to question Matt again when a sudden strong gust began to blow causing Anubismon and Pegasusmon to sway from turbulence. As T.K. struggled to keep himself steady, he was surprised to feel his older brother wrap his arms tighter around his chest.

"We're almost there, Matt," T.K. reassured, placing a gentle hand over his brother's, "almost home."

Soon, it began to grow brighter, and as they were nearing the Dark Area's exit portal back to the Real World, they were quickly ambushed by a mob of Nightmare Soldiers. Pegasusmon was about to gear up for an attack when Anubismon attacked first.

"Amemit!"

The same demonic creature that devoured Ornismon rose out of the shadows, defeating the small horde with ease and consumed their data as its reward.

As they at last reached the exit, more Nightmare Soldiers appeared, ready to escape but Anubismon summoned another attack.

"Pyramid Power!"

His fingertips started to glow as the Dark Area's guardian traced the outline of a pyramid which created a large forcefield between them and the Nightmare Soldiers.

"Now's your chance!" Anubismon said, preparing another barrier, "Go!"

"But Anubismon, aren't you going to come with us to the Real World?" Pegasusmon asked.

The winged canine shook his head. "As much as I'd like to come and help you save your world, I can't leave my post."

"You can't?!" T.K. cried, "But I thought-"

"Hurry and go now!" ordered Anubismon. "I'll stay and hold off anymore Nightmare Soldiers that might try to escape and prevent more from escaping!"

The younger blonde opened his mouth to protest but he knew that Anubismon was right. With great reluctance, T.K. urged Pegasusmon to go on and leave their new ally behind.

"It is up to you now, Digidestined!" Anubismon called, his voice fading but resonating from within the portal, "And remember what I've told you! The vessel is the key!"

In a flash of light, the threesome flew out of the portal back to their world.

The moment Pegasusmon's hooves touched the ground, the brothers were greeted by the other Digidestined and their Digimon.

"T.K.! Matt!" Kari cried, "You're all okay!"

Davis grinned. "I knew you two would come back in one piece!"

T.K. hopped off along with his brother as Pegasusmon once more reverted back into Patamon.

"Yeah, we came back," agreed T.K., "but that's not all."

The younger blonde turned and gave Matt an encouraging look.

"H-h-hey guys." Matt said with a small wave.

Gasping, the Digidestined couldn't believe their ears.

"Matt, you can talk again!" Joe exclaimed, "That's great!"

"I'm afraid now's not the time to celebrate," Tai pointed out, "We've still got to stop Daemon and his army!"

T.K. turned to Tai. "Has there been any changes since I was gone?"

"Well, we've split into groups to keep the Nightmare Soldiers from spreading out all over the city," answered the bushy-haired brunette, "Thanks to Imperialdramon, we can get there quickly but there are still so many Nightmare Soldiers on the loose and we haven't seen Daemon since he kidnapped Matt."

"I see."

The Bearer of Hope took out his green D-3 again.

"Are you ready for more, Patamon?"

"I'm always ready!" declared the bat winged creature proudly.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Davis said, "Let's show these Nightmare Freaks whom they're dealing with!"

Both groups nodded and raced back to board on Imperialdramon. Matt was about to go and join his younger brother when he heard his name being called.

As he turned around, the Bearer of Friendship's heart started beating erratically.

"S-S-Sora?!"

Matt felt his face grow hot, embarrassed by his stutter.

The auburn-haired girl simply gave him a sweet smile. "Just come with me, and I'll explain later."

He was about to object when he turned back and saw Imperialdramon take off in the blink of an eye and was gone, taking the others with him.

"Oh, they'll come back for us." she told him in a reassuring tone. "It won't be long. Until then, we'll wait."

Once again, the Digidestined paired off with each other before being placed in a district that was crawling with Nightmare Soldiers once Imperialdramon dropped them off.

"T.K.," Kari asked, "Where's Matt?"

"Huh? He's with the others, isn't he? Didn't he get…on…board?"

"No." The Bearer of Light replied grimly, "Matt didn't."

He let out a horrified gasp as the realization began seeping in.

"Imperialdramon wai-"

But his cries came too late and the massive beast vanished from sight.

Growing frantic, T.K. quickly fished out his cell phone, dialing Davis's number, which thankfully, he picked up.

"Yo, what's up?"

"Davis!" the Bearer of Hope cried, "You, Ken, and Imperialdramon have to come back here now!"

"What for?" asked Davis, sounding a bit annoyed, "We just dropped you and Kari off."

"It's my brother, Matt, he- Davis? Davis, are you there? DAVIS!"

Looking at the phone, T.K.'s anxiety grew when he saw that the cell phone battery was dead.

Gritting his teeth and shoving the now useless phone back into his pocket, T.K. pulled off his hat and started to wring it in his hands, his body tensing up as he broke into a cold sweat.

"What-are-we-going-to-do, Kari?" T.K. asked, his words coming out fast in heavy pants, "With-Daemon-still-loose, Matt's-in-terrible-danger-and-it's-all-my-fault!"

Patamon and Gatomon looked on at the panic-stricken boy, wishing there was something they could do to help.

"Hold on, we can use the D-Terminals!" Kari said, pulling hers out. "I'll text Ken and explain what's happened!"

After trying a few times to call back his friend, Davis hung up his phone, puzzled. "What was that all about?"

Ken was about to reply when he heard his D-Terminal beeping. Opening it up, his face dropped as he read the message.

"This was why!" the Bearer of Kindness cried, showing Davis the sent text.

It read, 'Help! Matt accidentally got left behind! With Daemon looking for him, he's in great trouble! Please hurry! Come and get T.K. and me and take us back to the park where Matt is as fast as you can! There isn't much time! -Kari.'

"Let's go, Ken!" the google boy said, "We've got to save Matt!"

Ken nodded. "Right!"

But just as he was about to board his fused Digimon with Davis, Ken noticed that his black D-3's screen was emitting a faint light that gradually faded in and out, followed by him feeling a strange sensation.

Something…is growing…

Meanwhile, Matt and Sora continued to wait for the other Digidestined to return. As they waited, Sora kept looking Matt's way, causing him to grow quite flustered.

Despite secretly finding out about Sora's boyfriend, Matt still felt as though he had to let her know of his feelings for her.

"Ummm…Sora," he began, feeling his face heating up once more, "I-"

He stopped mid-sentence, when he noticed her smiling oddly at him as her pupils narrowed into slits. Suddenly, her form began to distort and change. Matt wanted to run but his legs were locked firmly in place as he watched in wide-eyed horror.

Sora was gone but in her place was a large red wolf-like Digimon, with razor sharp teeth gleaming in its protruding jaws. Its limbs were decorated with countless black belts.

"Who are you!?" Matt demanded, furious at himself for falling into such an obvious trap.

"I am Fangmon," replied the canine, "and I've been ordered by Daemon to take you back the Dark Area and to make sure you stay there."

"My friends will come for me!" the blonde said defiantly, "And when they do, you'll regret it!"

"Daemon gave me strict orders to bring you back alive," Fangmon warned, "So don't push your luck. Once I take you back to the Dark Area, Daemon said that I can have your little friends to devour as my reward!"

The red wolf licked his bared teeth in delight. "And all the better to eat once I have their Digimon for dessert!"

Seeing his would-be captor briefly distracted by his gluttonous thoughts, Matt seized the opportunity and began to flee as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Now, if you come with me willingly, I might-" Fangmon stopped once he saw that his prey was escaping him.

With an ear-piercing howl, Fangmon chased after Matt, rapidly closing the gap between him.

Matt could feel the red wolf's hot breath against his neck as he tried to run faster.

"HELP! HELP ME! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP M-"

With a swipe of his paw, Fangmon knocked the teen off his feet, pinning him to the ground under his paw.

"Hmmm, I suppose Daemon wouldn't mind if I took a little nibble from you."

Terrified, Matt screamed, shutting his eyes and braced himself for what was to come.

"Flower Cannon!"

Fangmon let out an agonized howl once the green blast struck him, knocking him off of Matt before his body disintegrated into data.

Hesitantly opening his eyes, Matt looked up, surprised to see a familiar face.

"Lillymon!" he cried, and saw that the flower fairy wasn't alone. "And Mimi too!"

Just then, Imperialdramon appeared, along with Davis, T.K., Ken, Kari, and their Digimon.

T.K. couldn't believe it when he saw Mimi. "How did you manage to fly back home through all this?"

"Well, after reading the e-mails from you guys about happened to your brother," explained Mimi, as she went to help Matt up, "I wanted to surprise him with a visit to help cheer him up. And right after my plane landed, the news was already reporting how the Digimon were attacking Odaiba again!"

"It was also a good thing that Lillymon attacked before that big, bad wolf Digimon did!" she added.

T.K. ran up to his brother and pulled him into a tight hug. "Oh Matt, I'm so glad you're safe! You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm fine, T.K." the older blonde assured. "Just a couple of scrapes."

After explaining what had happened regarding the Digimon attacks to Mimi, she offered to stay behind with Lillymon in protecting Matt if Daemon or another Nightmare Soldier would try and kidnap him again, allowing the younger four to return to their assigned locations.

Back in the ruins of the Dark Area's castle dungeon, Daemon stood silently fuming as he watched the battle taking place in the Real World.

"Fangmon has failed?!" Daemon roared, clawing the vision of Lillymon's victory, "I should've sent out a stronger Nightmare Digimon! I see now that I'm not the only one who has gotten stronger."

The demonic Digimon paused as he began to think.

His goal was now so close to fruition but again, the Digidestined continued to remain a thorn in his side.

I can't use the same tactic as I did before when I sought out the Dark Spore, the demonic Digimon thought, that was what lead to my initial defeat…

And this time, those Digidestined are now aided by their predecessors, increasing their odds against me, even if I did kill Ishida's Digimon! With their own little army, how can I-

Then, an idea struck Daemon, filling him with sadistic delight.

Army? Yes! That's it! I'll gather a new army of Nightmare Soldiers! That Anubismon may have blocked off one entrance to the Dark Area, but he can't block them all!

As Lillymon stood guard watching out for Matt, Mimi passed the time talking to him about life in America and the new friends she made over there. For Matt though, it was a bit awkward since he never had a proper conversation with the pink-haired girl during their first two trips to the Digital World.

Soon, Imperialdramon reappeared and the other Digidestined and their Digimon hopped off with Davis leading the way.

"Ha! Those Nightmare-mon didn't stand a chance against us!" the spiky-haired boy declared triumphantly.

"That's where you're wrong."

Both groups turned and saw Deamon emerge from the ground, taking flight in the air above them.

"Daemon!" Davis shouted, "So you finally decided to show your ugly mug, huh?"

Daemon briefly glared at him. "I see that you've defeated my first wave of Nightmare Soldiers so I have formed an improved army for my new Daemon Corps."

The goggle boy was unamused. "Big deal, we can just beat your gang just like we did before!"

"That is where you're wrong, foolish boy."

With a wave of his claw, a large army of Nightmare Soldier Digimon appeared in mass numbers. The new army consisted of multiple Digimon clad in black suits and wearing gas masks on their faces that were led by a sole humanoid Digimon wearing black samurai armor and wielding a large sword.

"Izzy, just what are those things?!" Joe asked nervously.

Opening up his laptop, Izzy turned on the Digimon Analyzer to read its contents.

"Those are Troopmon," the redhead stated, "they're champion level Digimon, but they can keep battling indefinitely. Their leader is called Tactimon, a mega Digimon that is brilliant in strategizing and is said to have never lost a single battle."

"If it's true that Tactimon never lost," Yolei cried out in shock, "Then how are we supposed to beat them?!"

The demonic Digimon smirked. "My new army should keep you Digidestined busy for a while."

He was about to swoop down to reclaim Matt when Patamon digivolved again, blocking the evil Digimon's way.

"You are not taking Matt again!" Angemon said firmly. "You'll have to go through me first!"

"And don't forget us too!" shouted Imperialdramon, joining the angel Digimon in the air followed by Silphymon and the others who also digivolved to their strongest forms.

"Come on, Angemon!" Ankylomon shouted from the ground, "Let's DNA digivolve and give that varmint Daemon a lickin' he deserves!"

Angemon shook his head. "No. I will fight Daemon alone."

The Digimon were shocked by their comrade's statement.

"But Angemon," protested Silphymon, "You need our help!"

"That's right," WarGreymon added, "You may be a powerful champion but Daemon is still too strong!"

"I know." Angemon said solemnly. "But this is my battle."

"Angemon…" Kabuterimon started.

"Just fight off Daemon's army, protect the others and more importantly, protect Matt."

Following a brief silence, the Digimon reluctantly agreed and turned away.

"If Daemon overpowers you," Garudamon said, "we'll be there to help."

Daemon smirked. "Well, now I'll have an even match now that I'm no longer outnumbered. And you've just sealed your fate."

Angemon was unfazed. "We'll see about that."

Just as the angelic Digimon was about to prepare an attack, Daemon appeared behind him and attacked first.

"Slash Nail!"

The claws from Daemon's elongated hand tore into Angemon's back, ripping his wings. As Angemon reeled in pain, Daemon slammed a clawed foot into the humanoid angel's midsection before punching him across the face.

"What's wrong?" taunted Daemon mockingly, "Getting tired already? Hmph, I'm just getting warmed up!"

A fireball appeared in Daemon's hand and he threw it towards Angemon. Holding out his staff, Angemon attempted to block the oncoming blaze but the minute it made contact with the staff, it engulfed it in its flames, along with its owner.

Meanwhile, the battle against the Troopmon wasn't any better. Any that were destroyed just increased their numbers while Tactimon figured out any strategy the Digidestined had made, making their plans doomed from the start.

Mimi was growing worried. "Izzy, what are we going to do? Nothing's working!"

"I'm doing the best I can!" snapped the redhead, but his anger faded when he saw the hurt look in Mimi's eyes. "I'm sorry but Tactimon keeps outmaneuvering us by being one step ahead each time."

"Then we've got to take him out then!" Tai declared, "WarGreymon, go after Tactimon!"

"You've got it!" answered WarGreymon, taking off to challenge the opposing mega.

"It's impossible!" wailed Yolei, "We're fighting a losing battle!"

"Don't give up, you guys!" Davis shouted, "We can still turn this around!"

"That's right!" added T.K., "We can do it!"

As both boys continued to encourage the group, they too began to feel the hope of making it through, gaining victory over their enemy.

But while the Digidestined began to cheer their Digimon partners on, Matt stood still, completely fixated on the two figures in the air.

T.K.'s green D-3 suddenly began to glow yellow, to which Angemon responded to and began to change.

"Angemon digivolve to…MagnaAngemon!"

Daemon merely scoffed at the transformation, "You may have digivolved to a higher level but the odds are still in my favor!"

He lunged at MagnaAngemon, only for his attack to be blocked by the armored angel's shielded arm, leaving him vulnerable.

"Excalibur!"

The purple blade slashed across Daemon's chest and he hunched over in pain as he covered the wound.

It can't be! Daemon thought in shock, He's actually rivaling me in strength! But not for long…

"Chaos Flare!"

Flames burst from the demonic Digimon's hands catching MagnaAngemon in the grip of it. MagnaAngemon winced as the fire burned but quickly dispelled it with his sword but Daemon anticipated it.

"Double Dust!"

MagnaAngemon shielded himself against the blows but the magic dust quickly obscured his vision allowing his opponent to strike again.

"Hammer Knuckle!"

The angelic ultimate attempted again to block but the strikes quickly began denting and breaking apart his armor. Daemon continued with his assault nonstop, pounding MagnaAngemon relentlessly with pieces of his armor shattering, unable to withstand it.

"So, you really thought you could beat me?" Daemon sneered, ceasing his attack, "You were wrong, no Digimon can defeat me!"

As the Demon Lord was about to deliver the killing blow, he stopped abruptly.

"WHAT?!" Daemon bellowed in horror, realizing that he was frozen in place.

Looking around them, the Digidestined observed that the Troopmon and Tactimon were also petrified by some unknown force.

Kari gasped as she took out her pink D-3, taking notice of a flickering light on the screen before sensing a wave of energy.

This power…I can feel it getting stronger!

"Now's your chance, MagnaAngemon!" T.K. called out, "Do it now!"

"Gate of Destiny!"

The golden door appeared and opened, with it came a vortex of air that quickly sucked the remaining Troopmon and Tactimon up like a vacuum.

"NOOO!" the demonic Digimon screamed as he was pulled into the opened gate, "MY POWER CANNOT DIE!"

Breaking free of his petrification, Daemon struggled to fly away from the gate but the suction was too powerful and as a last-ditch effort, the evil Digimon grabbed onto the sections of the gate, refusing to be taken.

But again, the strange power came again, paralyzing the monstrous Digimon, pulling him in thus allowing the gate to claim its prize as its doors slammed shut.

Having exerted himself from the constant fighting, MagnaAngemon de-digivolved into Tokomon. The rest of the Digimon soon followed, with the original team de-digivolving down to their in-training forms while Davis's group rendered straight to their baby forms instead.

The Digidestined ran up to their now tiny partners, cheering as they wrapped them all into warm hugs.

"You were amazing, Tokomon!" T.K. said proudly.

Tokomon sighed, "Amazing but I'm so tired…"

Kari gently scratched Nyaromon's ear while the yellow furred Digimon purred in response.

"It's over. It's finally over…"

While the Digidestined were celebrating their victory, Davis noticed that the opening to the Dark Area was still there.

"Hey," Davis stated, confused, "we stopped Daemon for good this time, why isn't the Dark Area portal closing?!"

T.K. spoke up. "Anubismon told me that the key to stopping Daemon's plan 'lies within the vessel.'"

"Vessel?" Yolei repeated, "We don't have time to look!"

Davis agreed. "Yeah, besides, none of us have a boat!"

"A vessel doesn't always have to refer to a ship," Ken pointed out, "he's referring to a container."

"But Yolei's right!" added Cody, "We can't look for it now, we've got to close that portal!"

"Hold on, guys!" T.K. said, "There's more to it than that!"

Kari gave T.K. an inquisitive look. "What else do we need in order to for the vessel to work?"

"In order to use the vessel," the Bearer of Hope stated, "we must first find the critical elements needed for it."

Davis smacked his forehead. "What kind of directions are those!? We're trying to seal up a portal, not go on a scavenger hunt for some kind of witch's brew!"

Chibomon perked up a bit. "Maybe it's a good witch brew."

"You're not helping." the goggle boy said rather dully.

T.K. gritted his teeth as Davis, Yolei, and Cody started to bicker. He had suspected that the vessel could be referring to either Kari or Ken's crests as well as their history with the powers of darkness. Kari's Crest of Light was strong enough to combat every foe they faced, but at the same time, the Dark Ocean wanted her power as theirs to wield. Similarly, Ken's D-3 was influenced by the Dark Ocean and he was the only one who could open and close the gateway to it.

As the younger Digidestined were arguing over what they should do first, Kari remained silent. She knew that Anubismon's cryptic message was holding a much deeper meaning. But as she shifted her attention towards Tai's group, realization hit her like a bolt of lightning.

"Matt! It's you!" she cried, "You're the vessel!"

Her words threw the blonde teen off guard along with the others also ceasing the argument between the three.

"M-m-me?" he answered rather stunned, "Kari, I can't be the one!"

The short haired girl shook her head. "No, Matt, you are the one! You're the chosen vessel!"

T.K. was just as baffled as his brother.

"Kari, are you sure? What if it's you?"

"It is your brother, T.K." she insisted, "I know it is. Matt is the only one who can reseal the Dark Area's portal. Not me or anyone else."

"But I," the Bearer of Friendship protested, lowering his head, "I might…end up making it worse."

"You've got to believe in yourself, Matt." Kari said, putting Nyaromon down and placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Kari's right, Bro," added T.K., "You need to have faith."

The older blonde was about to retort when he heard Tai speak.

"Your brother's not wrong, Matt," the brunette teen confirmed.

Matt remained skeptical. "What if it…doesn't work and I fail?"

"It will work." Joe assured, "You can do this."

"We all believe in you, Matt." Sora said gently.

The other Digidestined smiled and nodded in complete agreement.

After seeing the unfaltering truth in their eyes, Matt took out and looked at his broken digivice with some hesitance. As Kari removed her hands from his shoulders, Matt slowly began to walk a few paces then stopped. Mustering up his courage, he took a deep breath, and aimed the device up at the hole in the sky.

But Matt started to feel the tiny machine gradually increase with heat.

Matt gasped in shock and dropped the digivice. It fell to the ground flashing while crimson sparks flew out of it. He stared at it briefly before picking up his digivice again and almost at once he felt the hot machine start to burn against his palm. Biting hard on his lip, trying to ignore the searing pain, Matt held the device up as a red beam of light emerged from the hot machine, but the portal remained open.

Even with his free hand was supporting his wrist, Matt could feel the burning sensation spreading to that hand as well. Finally, he couldn't bear the pain any longer and he let it fall, its light dissipating as it hit the ground. It was as if the digivice now had a mind of its own, refusing to help its owner.

Matt sunk to his knees, his shoulders shaking as his breathing became labored.

"WHY! WON'T! IT! WORK!" he cried, pounding his fist in frustration.

Although his friends were watching him from behind, the Bearer of Friendship struggled to hold in his tears but his emotions were overriding his willpower and they came spilling down his cheeks in streams.

Tai's heart started to grow heavy as he watched his friend's increasing despair. Matt had been through so much and suffered one bad event after the other and yet, Tai felt that he and the others hadn't done enough for their friend in his time of need.

"Come on!" Tai told the other Digidestined, "We can't just stand around like this, we've got to do something!"

"But Tai, how?" questioned Sora, "Our Digimon are exhausted!"

Izzy rubbed his chin in thought. "Surely, there must be something!"

"Yeah," Joe agreed, "but what?"

Suddenly, the screens of their digivices started to shine. While the others looked at them perplexed, Ken and Kari quickly realized that the digivices had been reacting to Matt the entire time.

"It's us…" Kari said in a hushed tone.

"What is?" T.K. asked, "What?"

"IT'S US!" Ken shouted, "We're the missing elements! We're the key to helping Matt!"

"Quick, everyone!" Davis cried, "Hold out your digivices!"

The others obeyed and the digivices and D-3s's screens began to glow brighter and shoot out colorful beams of light. The tendrils flew straight towards Matt before they vanished into his red digivice, one by one. Matt's digivice briefly glowed with each color before resuming its corrupted state.

And at that very moment, in the Ishida apartment, the gray triangles on Gabumon's digi-egg began to gradually regain their color.

Wiping away his tears, the blonde teen reached out and grabbed the digivice with both hands. Again, the machine glowed red-hot against his skin, but Matt only tightened his grip on it. The red glow flashed angrily as Matt felt electricity course through his body, but he continued to hold on despite the escalating pain.

Then it happened.

Kari felt it first, recognizing it as the same energy from before. But now it was building up more and more strength, its last restraints giving way fast.

"Get back!" The Bearer of Light ordered, just as a wave of air knocked them down to their knees.

A blue light burst from Matt's chest, forming the Crest of Friendship and bathing the teen in its cool aura. The cracks on his digivice were sealed as the red glow was swallowed up by a deep azure color and shining even brighter on the screen was Matt's crest, eradicating the Nightmare Soldier symbol.

At that same time, Gabumon's egg glowed a brilliant blue.

When at last the light began to dim, the Digidestined couldn't believe their eyes.

Matt was now standing proudly, the blue aura still pooled around his form and when he looked back at his friends, his eyes were also glowing in the same color.

"Incredible…" Tai exclaimed.

Izzy was awestruck. "This is truly…prodigious…"

But T.K. was almost frightened by the power coming from his brother however, Matt seemed to sense the younger blonde's distress and gave a gentle smile.

"Don't be afraid," Matt said, his voice sounding distant yet mysterious. "He is fine."

"Fine!?" repeated T.K. disbelievingly, "What's happened to my brother?!"

He was about to approach the glowing figure when he was stopped by Kari.

"The vessel," Kari whispered, "the vessel within him has awakened."

A low hum filled the air and as the others continued to look on in amazement, Matt turned away, and held out his restored digivice. Once again, it expelled a beam of light, only this time, it was stronger. An enormous, bright blue light exploded from the screen, with the colors of the other Digidestined's crests swirling around it like a vortex. As it made contact with the open portal, the sky illuminated in a flash of white and both the Digidestined and their Digimon were forced to shield their eyes due to the sheer intensity of it.

"Matt!" T.K. cried out, blinding reaching out for his brother.

As the Dark Area portal closed and vanished from sight, the Crest of Friendship and the blue aura surrounding Matt gradually faded. Matt lowered his outstretched hand and as his vision grew dark, he started to collapse but his younger brother ran and quickly caught him in his arms before he hit the ground.

"Matt!" The other Digidestined and their Digimon cried as they ran towards the brothers. Joe quickly bent down and checked his friend's pulse.

"He'll be fine," Joe said reassuringly, "he's just exhausted from all of that power he used to seal the Dark Area."

T.K. smiled at his sleeping brother. "You did it, Bro. I always knew you could."

The others beamed proudly at their friend.

"There's just one thing I don't understand though," T.K. said, keeping his voice down and shifting Matt into a more comfortable position, "If my brother is the weak link like Daemon said, then why did he choose Matt?"

"I think that it had something to do with Gabumon." Izzy theorized.

Davis tilted his head. "How so?"

"When Daemon escaped and spied on us," the redhead genius explained, "he saw that Gabumon is one of Matt's biggest anchors in his life and if he got Gabumon out of the way not there to help, Matt nearly crumbled. It's also possible that he knew that Matt was the chosen vessel and was determined to keep Matt's powers from awakening."

"Well, that actually makes sense." Sora said.

"But that's not the only thing, it's Gabumon himself." Izzy stated, catching the Digidestined by surprise.

Tai couldn't believe what he'd heard. "What are you saying, Izzy?"

"Yeah!" Koromon added, "Gabumon's a good Digimon!"

Izzy paused for a moment.

"Gabumon may be on our side and is loyal to the end as Matt's Digimon but WereGarurumon is a Nightmare Soldier."

The eleven Digidestined went silent, briefly glancing at one another before turning their attention back to the sleeping blonde.

-To be continued…