A little late, but here! Enjoy all!

Dangers are all abound, but we have a chance. With each trial passed, a new power awakens. However, each and every path has a choice. One that could change the entire outcome. It is time for the trial of power.

Powers locked away inside

Step up to give the gift of divine

There is no knowing what we face

But we know it to be unsafe

The time now to find

Our guiding light

And save everything that is known

To protect our home

"Okay, I think we're getting close." Said Ford. He was still following the footprints and everybody was following him.

"How can you tell?" Asked Shun.

"I don't. I just gave the probable outcome."

"Of course you did." Complained Kenta. "Well, it could be worse. We could be doing math."

"Really? That's what's worse than this?" Asked Robbie. "I don't think so." The trail of footprints ran cold.

"And we're done here." Said Dan. "Now what?"

"Why don't we wait for him to figure out the next clue?" Asked Runo, signifying Ford.

"Let me see." He said. He began studying the area, and found what looked like a stone tablet. "I think I found something!" The entire group went over, and he began reading what was on it. "By finding this place, you've found the next clue. However it is not for you. I suggest giving it back so you may find it anew."

"So you mean we walked all the way here for nothing?!" Asked Dan.

"Not quite, Dan." Said Marucho. "We just need to figure this one out."

"Here, let me see it." Said Ryo. Ford handed him the tablet and the top of it flashed. "What the?"

"What happened?" Asked Rika.

"I don't know, but what he read isn't what's on this now."

"Well, what does it say?" Asked Julie.

"'Now you know the next path is you, so you must figure it out through and through. The symbols below are the answer, you see, for all you need is to follow with keen.' What the heck does that mean?" There were three symbols below, a hazard sign, a cube and a strand of DNA.

"Well, I'm not sure what the symbols mean, but I think it has to do with Digimon." Said Takato.

"You dufus, this clue is easy." Said Rika.

"How so?" Asked Takato.

"Those symbols are the attributes of our Digimon."

"Really?" Asked Suzie.

"I don't know." Said Lopmon. "I've never seen symbols for our typing."

"Well, the hazard sign can be talking about Guilmon." Said Takato.

"And he's a Virus type." Said Kazu.

"Any idea what they're talking about?" Asked Runo.

"If I did, I would tell you a translation." Said Ford.

"This is all too much for me." Said Stan. "Why are we out here again?"

"Well, if we want to leave this place, we have to follow the clues." Said Wendy. Up above, Cassie was watching.

"That is quite the riddle. Too bad I can't help with anything." She turned to her device she was tinkering with. "Now then, how can I use you here?" Her symbol glowed and then the device glowed. It reshaped itself into a ball, and opened. "Okay, so I just created a mechanical Bakugan. Not what I was going for." The ball closed back up. "Okay, I just need to focus." She began focusing on what she was trying to make, and the device turned into what looked like a camera. "Okay, now we're getting somewhere." She picked up the device and looked through it. She was able to see nothing. "Why does this have to be so hard?" Her hand slipped and pressed a button. A tiny drone came out of the camera and a picture appeared on its screen. "Okay then! That's better!" A small set of controls appeared on the screen and Cassie began to use them. The drone moved accordingly and the image followed. "Okay, let's see if I can use this to watch over them." She maneuvered the drone out of the cloud and into the world. "Nice and easy." The drone hovered above everybody as they began to decipher the stone tablet. "Awesome! Now I can watch them in perfect detail!"

Tom was falling towards the ground at a very high speed. "Oh no!" He continued to accelerate as the ground got closer. He positioned the Pokeball in front of him. "Fly!" Instantly, two wings came from the Pokeball and slowed his fall. He landed on the ground unharmed, but trembling. "That was far, far too close!"

"I'll say." Tom turned around to see what seemed to be a ghostly form of Slight, but scaled down. "I was worried that you wouldn't pull through."

"Who are you?" Asked Tom. He looked around a bit. "And where are Slight and the others?"

"Calm yourself. You are in the testing realm designed to push your abilities to their fullest potential."

"What do you mean?"

"I assume you remember the trials passed onto all of your friends in the past, and of the few placed upon you."

"I could never forget my trial against Atom. If it wasn't for him, I'd still be in the Doom Dimension."

"Exactly. Now, it is time for you to figure out your true power." The ground itself seemed to expand. "This is your trial. A battle." Someone appeared on the other side of the arena.

"Isn't that"

"No, it is not Ash. It is merely a version of him created for this trial."

"So, my test is to beat him?"

"Pretty much. But there is one stipulation. You are to battle him, not any Pokémon to your name. It is a five on one."

"What?" Asked Tom. "But that's unfair!"

"When you consider the advantage you wield, it is quite fair."

"You mean the Pokeball?"

"Yes. But you might want to focus on the battle." The Ash copy had thrown out a signature: Pikachu.

"Okay, this should be easy!"

"Quick Attack!" Called Ash. Pikachu dashed Tom, hitting him hard.

"Okay, that's a bit harder than I thought it was." Said Tom, shaking off his daze from being struck. "But now it's my turn! Earthquake!" The Pokeball glowed brown and the ground rumbled. Pikachu seemed unsteady but relatively unharmed.

"Let's do it again!" Said Ash. Pikachu attacked again with Quick Attack, dazing Tom again.

"This again? Earthquake!" Pikachu was rocked again and fell backwards. "Now then, let's do this! Time for me to"

"Pikachu, switch out!" Called Ash. Pikachu returned to him and Ash threw another Pokémon. "Okay Fearow, let's go!"

"Fearow." Said Tom. "Let's see what I can do." His Pokeball glowed yellow. "Thunderbolt!" A bolt of lightning came down and struck Fearow, defeating it instantly. Ash brought it back then pulled out his next one.

"Let's try this then! Fletchinder, I choose you!" He grabbed another Pokeball. "And you too Greninja!" The two Pokémon appeared.

"Two on one? Are you serious?" Asked Tom. "I guess I'll just have to be careful here. Time for me to use another Thunderbolt!" Another crack of lightning came down between Fletchinder and Greninja, tossing them both to the side.

"Greninja, Double Team! Fletchinder, Flame Charge!" The two did their moves and Tom had no idea where the real Greninja had gone to. Then he was hit from behind by Fletchinder.

"Come on! This is completely unfair!"

"Water Shuriken!" The ghostly being watched the attacks unfold.

"Tom needs to learn that there is more to his abilities than just moves. He cannot go on thinking the same way he has been." Tom got hit with another Flame Charge. "If he doesn't, he won't survive." Tom got hit by another Water Shuriken. He collapsed forward.

"I don't know what I can do." He said. "I can't combat him. Not like this." Nothing clicked in him. No ideas came to him. "It's hopeless. If I can't even defeat a goofball like Ash who takes the rules of Pokémon and turns them" something clicked in his head. "He turns them on their head and makes his disadvantage his advantage!" He was hit by another Shuriken. "I think I know what to do now! Time to try it!" He got back up, surprising the ghostly being. "It may look hopeless, but there's always a chance! I just need to try!"

"Greninja! Water Shuriken!" Greninja readied another attack.

"I cannot give up!" Greninja threw the shuriken at Tom, who focused. He brought his hands to the front, and the shuriken stopped. He moved his hands again and it was shot at Fletchinder, defeating it. "I might not be able to win with my moves alone, but I know I can beat you using yours!"

"Fletchinder, return!"

"Tom seems to have learned a little something. Let's see if he can unlock his power." Thought the being.

"Let's go Pikachu!" Pikachu again returned to the battlefield. "Thunderbolt!"

"I've got your game now! Time for me to redirect the attack!" Tom aimed one hand up and the other towards Greninja. The lightning came down and followed his arms right at Greninja. It was defeated.

"Greninja, return!" Ash grabbed another Pokeball. "Gliscor, I choose you! Pikachu, use Electro Ball!" Pikachu charged up a large orb of electricity on its tail then launched it at Tom. He held out his hand and caught it, then threw it right back. It was aimed at Pikachu, but Gliscor got in the way and fizzled the attack.

"Really?" Asked Tom. "Fine. Let's continue this dance!" Pikachu attacked again, and Tom returned it, only for the same thing to happen. Then again, and again.

"Tom is yet unable to use his powers, only able to redirect others. This is troublesome."

"Is that all you got?" Asked Tom.

"Pikachu! Use Iron Tail!" Pikachu complied and went in for the hit. Tom readied himself and stopped Pikachu's tail with his hands. Gliscor then went in and jabbed Tom in the gut. His hands faltered and Pikachu hit him. He collapsed to the ground. Pikachu and Gliscor landed nearby.

"This trial is over." Said the ghostly being. "Tom, you have lost." Then Tom did something very unexpected.

"No." He said as he got up. "It is not over."

"But how?" Asked the being. "You were defeated!"

"No, I was not. I was ready to be defeated, then something came to me. If I give up now, everything is doomed to destruction. I can't give up, no matter the risks. I can't give in, no matter the cost! If I want to help my friends, I need to fight with everything I have!" His Pokeball vanished and an image of it appeared on his hand. "No more doubt about myself! I have to continue on, otherwise I fail all Realities, my friends, and most of all, me. I will never give in!" The Pokeball on his hand lit up like a Christmas tree. "Time for me to summon my own moves!" A giant ball of water appeared over him. "Aquatic Crush!" He launched the water at Gliscor. Pikachu tried to electrify it, but didn't have enough time to. It struck Gliscor full force, defeating it. Ash recalled it.

"Pikachu! Electro Ball!" Pikachu launched an attack.

"Not this time." Said Tom. He held out his hand, and caught the ball. It grew in his hand and became brown. "This will end it! Terra Ball!" Tom launched the giant ball of earth at Pikachu. Without any time to dodge, Pikachu was struck, defeating it. Ash vanished, as did Pikachu, and then the area glowed a bright white. The ghostly being appeared in front of Tom.

"I must admit, I thought you were going to go down during this trial. I guess I was wrong. Time to return you to your friends. The area glowed brighter then dimmed. Tom was in a cloud. "Just like the others, you are to remain up here until the rest have completed their trial. From here, you can watch them freely without interfering."

"Thank you." Said Tom. "I just wish I knew who I was talking to."

"Wish granted." Said the ghostly being. The ghostly Slight vanished to reveal Arceus. "Just like the others, you have been taught by the god of your chosen Reality. I am Arceus, the tester. And you, Tom, have passed and unlocked half of your power."

"Only half?" Asked Tom.

"The rest will come in time. For now, have this." Arceus made a pure white Pokeball appear. "Just like before, you can use it to summon a Pokémon. However, it does not allow you to use Pokémon moves."

"Thank you." Said Tom. "I promise to uphold my end to the best of my ability!"

"Glad to hear it." Said Arceus. "You have given me hope yet again that we can defeat the Destruction, perhaps even eradicate it forever. However, only you and Cassie have passed your trials thus far. It is anyone's guess as to who will succeed in the end." Arceus started to vanish. "Remember. You are strong, but not strong alone. You need your friends to give you power, and you need the Realities themselves backing you." Arceus vanished.

"I will not fail." Said Tom. "None of us can fail."

Marucho began looking around. "Did you hear Tom too?" Asked Slight, floating nearby.

"I thought I did." Said Marucho.

"Two have completed their trials, and now four remain." Said Axolotl.

"Yes, but I have high hopes now." Said Arceus.

"The rest of us still disagree." Said another being. "All we see is potential, not absolutes."

"And what do you suggest?" Asked another being.

"I suggest we get the arrogant one dealt with." It stood up, revealing itself for a second. "Azion believes he can defeat anything thrown his way. It is time I corrected that." Omnimon vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Well then, he's on his way." Said Axolotl. "Any idea as to if Azion will complete his trial?"

"I say he has a low chance." Said the fourth being. "What about you?"

"He does have a low chance, but so did the others." Said the leader. "So it remains to be seen."

"I sense a darkness in him." Said a sixth being. "One that we must get rid of before it's too late." The others seemed to agree.

"However, there is still one obstacle. Azion faces power not many are capable of. Will his arrogance prove his downfall?"

"It may."

Azion fell towards the ground, and landed in a pool of water. He swam to the shore and climbed out, soaking wet. "Was that really needed?"

"Yes, it was." Azion turned around to see an Agumon. "You must forgive me, it was the only way to let you land safely."

"Okay, so where am I?"

"You are in the realm of testing. I am your tester."

"Well then, can we get started? I want to beat this thing as quickly as possible!" Azion didn't notice Agumon's change in posture.

"Very well, we shall commence immediately!" The land changed, turning into what looked like an arena. "You believe yourself the mightiest, yet you have no shame! You must learn what it takes and hold the blame!" Bellowed Agumon. "This trial is unlike any other, for you cannot win. You must fail before the fin!"

"I cannot win?" Asked Azion. "Ha! Fat chance of that! Bring it on!" Agumon shook his head.

"Fine. You will learn humility at the hands of those you have faced before!" Something began to materialize, and showed itself to be a scaled down version of Leonidas, back in his Neo Leonidas form.

"That's it?" Asked Azion. "I can take him any day!" The Leonidas attacked using his claws and Azion dodged out of the way. "You forget, I've been Bio-Merged before! I've learned agility and attacks from Dragonomon. Azion continued to dodge the Leonidas, eventually getting behind it and striking it. "Not to mention, I know his weak spot!" The Leonidas fell over and vanished.

"Let's try this then!" Said Agumon. Another being began to materialize, and showed itself to be Helios, in his Viper Helios form, once again scaled down.

"Another Bakugan? Really? I can take him down in my" Azion couldn't finish at the Helios punched him into the wall. "Okay, that one hurt a bit." Azion coughed a little. "But it's not enough to keep me down!" Azion charged the Helios and initiated the same dance as he did with the Leonidas. He struck down the Helios by hitting it on the back of its neck and then hitting its horn. It fell and vanished again. Another enemy was brought up, this time a Dharak. Azion quickly went to work again, going through his dance.

"He is too arrogant for his own good." Thought the Agumon. "That is something I need to change. It is the only way to remove the darkness within him." Azion threw the Dharak against the wall, and it vanished again. Then, a Beelzemon appeared. Azion quickly ran circles around him, and the Agumon noticed his heavy breathing. "So, he's finally wearing down. Good. He must learn that he cannot defeat every enemy he faces. Beelzemon fired at Azion, who grabbed a rock and threw it at the blaster. It got lodged in there and overloaded the blaster, making it explode and defeat Beelzemon. "However, with every foe I send his way, he knows their weakness. I guess it's time for me to step it up." From Beelzemon's defeat, another being emerged.

"I can keep going all day!" Panted Azion. "Give me your best!" However, what he found wasn't what he was expecting. It was a Dragonomon. It attacked Azion quickly, but he sidestepped the attack. Then, he hit the Dragonomon in the back, his weak spot. However, Dragonomon stayed strong and attacked again. "Wait, what? That should've taken him down!" The Dragonomon attacked with a renewed vigor, swiping at Azion and cutting his face. "Fine, I guess I'll have to try it again!" Azion again dodged the Dragonomon's attacks, and hit him again in his weak spot. The Dragonomon simply hit Azion with its tail as it began glowing. When it emerged from the glow, it was Neo Dragonomon. "Seriously?" The Neo Dragonomon attacked again, with ever stronger attacks. Azion dodged them every time, but he was running dry. "I can't keep this up forever, I need to change my tactics!" He thought. He charged at the Neo Dragonomon and hit its head, another weak spot. However, all that occurred was it glowing again and turning into Helix Dragonomon. "Again?" The Helix Dragonomon attacked yet again, and Azion was hit. He slammed into the wall hard, and fell to the floor. The Helix Dragonomon approached him, going for the kill, but Azion leapt up again and hit him in the gut, yet another supposed 'weak spot'. However, nothing happened beyond the Helix Dragonomon getting annoyed. "Oh, come on!" Azion was again hit into the wall. He slid down it to land sitting down. The Helix Dragonomon approached him again. "Okay, maybe I need to try this differently." Azion got back up, holding his arm, and went for the attack again. The Helix Dragonomon readied his own attack, only for Azion to hit him in the nose. That stunned him for a second, and Azion was able to get behind him. He quickly jumped at the Helix Dragonomon's back and started hitting every spot he could think of to take him down. However, Helix Dragonomon only got more and more annoyed and eventually slapped Azion with his tail. He was thrown up and then he fell down to the ground. Azion felt like he was on fire, and not in a good way. He slowly got back up, only to look at the Helix Dragonomon is worry.

"This is where the trial ends." Said Agumon. "Azion was unable to understand that he couldn't win with might alone." The Helix Dragonomon put its hands together and closed them into a single, unified fist. "I guess there really wasn't anything to him after all." The Helix Dragonomon swung down. "Farewell Azion, you were unworthy." The Helix Dragonomon's fists approached Azion, when they were suddenly stopped. "What?"

"I will not lose today." Said Azion. He was holding back the Helix Dragonomon's fists. "I can do this. I will not fail!" He slowly continued to get up. Then, something odd happened. The Helix Dragonomon opened its mouth and a dark smoke came out of Azion. "What the heck is that?" Agumon watched in curiosity.

"This wasn't planned." The dark smoke entered the Helix Dragonomon's body, and began to corrupt it. By absorbing Azion's darkness, it had taken the dark route to Digivolving. When the glow died down, it revealed a Vexos Dragonomon. "Oh dear! This wasn't in the plan! I need to stop this trial!" Agumon attempted to stop the trial, but was hit by the Vexos Dragonomon. He was thrown into another wall as the cage surrounding the arena broke.

"What's happening?" Asked Azion. The Vexos Dragonomon was growing to its true size instead of being scaled down to Azion's size to give him a chance. "Agumon?"

"It absorbed the darkness within you!" Said Agumon. "I'm afraid I can't stop this trial! In order for us to escape with our lives, we need to defeat that thing!" The Vexos Dragonomon roared, then launched an attack at Agumon. He jumped out of the way just in time. "What are we going to do?"

"You said at the beginning that I couldn't win this with might alone, right?" Asked Azion.

"Yes." Said Agumon. The Vexos Dragonomon fired another attack, this time at Azion. Then another at Agumon. The two dodged the attacks and landed near each other.

"I think it's time I put my brain to good use!" Said Azion. "I know his weak spots!" Azion charged at the Vexos Dragonomon.

"Wait!" Yelled Agumon. "It gets stronger the more you hit its weak spots!" Azion didn't listen and continued his charge. He struck the Vexos Dragonomon in the foot, the one weak spot he could reach. However, instead of roaring in pain, the Vexos Dragonomon roared in power. Its size increased a little and it got more powerful.

"What's going on?" Asked Azion. The Vexos Dragonomon attacked Agumon again, hitting him hard.

"The more you hit its weak spots, the more powerful it gets!" Said Agumon, in pain. "You can't beat it!"

"I can't beat it?" Asked Azion. The Vexos Dragonomon attacked again, and Agumon jumped to the side. He got hit by the shockwave of the attack.

"No, you can't! And it wants to defeat me to claim my power over this trial! It doesn't want to be erased, it wants to exist in the real world!"

"Real World?" Asked Azion. Something clicked in his head. "Maybe I can't beat that thing, but I think I know of something that can!" He grabbed his Digivice from his pocket.

"What are you planning to do?" Asked Agumon.

"This!" Said Azion. He pressed the button on his Digivice and it turned into a Fusion Loader. "Now, I just need to get closer!" The Vexos Dragonomon, wisening up to the power it had, hit itself in the foot. It roared as it got a massive power increase.

"You might want to hurry!" Said Agumon. "It's using the ability I gave it to its advantage!" Vexos Dragonomon hit itself again, and again. Azion ran up to it.

"You're going down!" He said. The Vexos Dragonomon took no notice of him. "I may not be able to beat you with might alone, but I think I can still win! Upload!" Azion held the Fusion Loader in front of him and it began to absorb the Vexos Dragonomon's data. It vanished without a trace and Azion looked at his Fusion Loader. The Vexos Dragonomon was within it, trying to get out. "I think I got it."

"Impressive." Said Agumon. He slowly got up. "Now I think I can end this trial." Agumon waved his hand, and the arena vanished. "That was a fiasco I wished had never happened."

"You and me both." Said Azion. "So, you said before that it absorbed a darkness from within me. What did you mean by that?"

"Your trial was dual pronged." Said Agumon. "The first task was to unlock your hidden power, and the other to remove the darkness that tainted you."

"Well, I think we can agree my darkness was removed." The Agumon laughed.

"Yes, I believe we can agree on that. However, the main portion of your trial, unlocking your hidden power, was failed."

"So it's only a half victory then." Said Azion.

"Yes. However, I believe you have learned a lesson that you needed to. I would say that you have passed your trial, if only barely."

"Really? That's"

"However, another trial will be waiting for you when you are freed from your next location. That Vexos Dragonomon will not remain trapped forever, as it will continue to become more powerful. You must discover a way to defeat it once and for all." The Vexos Dragonomon heard this, and stopped trying to get freed. It hit itself in its weak spots.

"I think I should thank you." Said Azion. "If it wasn't for you, I might not have learned that my arrogance had consequences." The Agumon chuckled.

"No, I should be thanking you. You gave me my lost hope of ever defeating the Destruction. For that, I give you this gift." Agumon's eyes glowed as Azion's Fusion loader did. A light came out of it and a new D-Power formed in front of Azion. It was a D-Power Ultimate. "Now, it is time for the final lesson." The entire area faded and revealed Azion in a cloud. "You and your friends are capable of many things. However, I sense a darkness will come before the light. You must be ready to oppose what lays before you and not oppose what seems to be the enemy." The Agumon began to glow.

"I'll do my best." Said Azion. "But bad habits are hard to break."

"Just as good habits are hard to form." Said Agumon. He flashed and turned into Omnimon. "You are free to gaze upon your friends as they complete their trial, however you must not intervene. Your friends Tom and Cassie have also completed their trials, and watch with you. Once all six of you have completed your trials, you will be reunited. Then, once all the others complete theirs, it will be time to do the assault." Omnimon vanished, leaving Azion is wonder. He looked at the Fusion Loader to see the Vexos Dragonomon struggling once again.

"Sorry big guy, but you aren't getting out anytime soon." Said Azion. The Vexos Dragonomon seemed to smile, then hit itself again in a weak spot. Energy flowed through it once again and its data multiplied due to how much power it had stored. The Fusion Loader began to spark. "Okay, you are not getting out yet!" Azion quickly pressed a button on his D-Power and a beam of light went between it and and Fusion Loader. It stopped sparking. "You won't escape now. We cannot interfere with their trial. Could I just ask that you try to escape later?" The Vexos Dragonomon seemed upset, but complied. However, Azion knew it wouldn't last forever. "Come on guys, hurry up!" He thought. "This guy won't stay contained forever!"

Down below, Takato thought he heard something. He looked around a little, but saw nothing. "Did you hear Azion too?" Asked Dragonomon.

"Yeah, I did." Said Takato. "So it wasn't my imagination after all."

"No, it wasn't." Agreed Dragonomon.

"You guys concerned about Azion too?" Asked Pyreon.

"Hey guys, I think we got something!" Said Henry. Guilmon was brushing away some dirt to reveal a Hazard Sign inscribed into the rock below. Guilmon sniffed it.

"It smells like bread!"

"Bread?" Asked Shun. "Really?"

"I don't know why, I just know what it smells like!" Said Guilmon. He continued sniffing around. "I think there's some kind of trail here!" He followed the scent of bread into the woods.

"Here we go again." Said Dan. He reluctantly followed Guilmon, followed by the rest of the group.

"At least we're getting closer, I think." Said Ford.

"Hey, it's better than nothing!" Said Mabel, still upbeat.

"I'm still worried about Cassie." Said Dipper.

"You and me both." Said Janthide. She had decided to stay on Dipper's shoulder for the time being.

"Think about us with Azion." Said Henry.

"I must admit, I don't know how he's doing and that is very, very worrying." Said Pyreon. He was sitting on Takato's shoulder.

"And what about Atom?" Asked Runo. "He's our oldest friend of the group and the only one who was able to truly help un in our time of need."

"Yeah!" Said Julie. "If it wasn't for him, Naga probably would've won against us and taken everything."

"I hope he's doing okay." Said Leonidas, upon Dan's other shoulder.

"I think we're all concerned about how the others are doing." Said Drago. "However, if we want to see them again, we need to push forward!"

"Then let's get going before we lose Guilmon!" Said Wendy. She broke out into a run trying to catch the red dinosaur in question.

"I smell delicious bread!" Called Guilmon, his pace increasing.

"Let's go guys!" Said Gideon. "We can't lose them!" The entire group sped up to catch them.

Three of the six are done, but that is no cause for celebration yet. We still have the one of Bakugan, the one of Magic and the one of Darkness. Each of them face a trial unlike any other conceived before. The next ones to go are quite possibly the most powerful but the most limited. We plan to correct that, being one of Bakugan myself and the other a being of knowledge. However, if we are to succeed, we must test them to their limits, and we don't know theirs. With time, I hope to discover it.