Digimon Adventure Tamers

by DigimonAT0318

A retelling of 02 and a sequel to Tamers, set in the year 2003. The Digidestined and the Digimon Tamers, heroes of two worlds, join forces to face their greatest challenges yet. What's more, Davis has been to the Digital World before with Ryo and Ken to fight Millenniummon. Under the leadership of Tai, Davis and Takato, along with Ryo, can they prevail? Elements of tri. later on.

17. Chapter 17: Witchelny, Land of Magic

Digimon Adventure Tamers

Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon

As I'm sure you're aware by now, we lost a legend early this week. His name was Stan Lee, and he was without a doubt the greatest comic book writer of all time. The characters he created, like Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, will live forever in comics thanks to him. He was a great man who inspired millions, and was funny as well. There's nothing more to say, as his legacy is one that speaks for him. I said before that Stan Lee is a legend, and while legend is a word that's tossed around a lot, it's a word that perfectly describes him. He is indeed a legend, a Marvel...an Avenger.

Rest in peace, Stan Lee. We will see you in the stars.

Excelsior!

(Play The Biggest Dreamer TV Size)

(Play Digimon Tamers: Aban)

A blackout in Tokyo prevented the Digidestined and Tamers from going to the Digital World to fight the Digimon Emperor and MagnaAngemon. But a disturbance at the TV station brought everybody to the ghost of Gatomon's friend Wizardmon, who was also Ai and Mako's missing partner, Impmon. Thanks to Ai and Mako's D-Arc and Kari's Crest of Light, Impmon was able to return to life, his Tamers, and his best friend.

(Play Digimon Tamers: Subtitle 2)

Witchelny, The Land of Magic

(Play Digimon Adventure: Hashiru Senritsu)

The damp sand could be felt on Kari's bare feet, and the cold, salty air left goosebumps on her arms and legs, which were covered in thin pink pajamas. And the stench of death filled her nostrils, making her want to vomit. But she couldn't.

Kari stood again on the empty, dark beach, unable to move or speak. Whether she didn't want to or something was keeping her from doing so, she could not tell. She had hoped after last night she would never find herself back here again. But she found herself here in the strange beach again and she could only shiver as she knew what came next.

As if on cue, the giant black creature emerged again from the violently-churning sea, much closer than the last few dreams.

"Come to me…" the creature said in its dead voice, and Kari's face turned white when she stared into the blood-red eyes again. With every ounce of strength she had in her, the bearer of Light forced herself to look down at the ground.

"No…" she croaked. "I won't!"

"You must!" the creature said in an annoyed growl. "You are not strong enough to oppose me!" Five black tentacles suddenly burst from the ground around Kari and wrapped around each limb as well as her neck. She was helpless as she was dragged to the ground and forced to look into those red eyes again.

"Soon, you shall be mine."

Kari could only scream as she struggled in the tentacles, but the tentacle around her neck moved up and covered her mouth, cutting off her scream and air. The girl continued struggling and pulling as the creature came closer to her. A sixth tentacle burst from the ground in front of her, aiming its tip at her face like it was a knife. It pulled back, and Kari could only continue giving off a muffled yell through the tentacle as the sharp appendage pulled back, and…

"Kari! Wake up!"

Her eyes suddenly flew open and she shot up in bed with a gasp. Her clock read 4:00 in the morning, and in the dark she could make out Tai, Gatomon, Takato, Agumon and Guilmon beside her bed, worried expressions on their faces.

"Are you okay, sis?" Tai asked his sister. "Gatomon said you were having a nightmare, but she couldn't wake you up. And Takato could hear you yelling from the living room. What's wrong?"

Kari shivered and took a deep breath as she remembered the tentacles coiled around her body. Several times now she had dreamt of that place, but the dream she had just now was scarier than the last few ones. Kari could only groan and hug her legs; she wished she knew what they meant. She looked over to the small crowd in front of her and didn't know what to say. She wanted to tell them, but she didn't want to bother them much, especially since she was having trouble understanding it herself. "I…I'm fine, it was…just a bad dream."

"Kari, are you sure?" asked Takato. The brown-haired girl nodded before lying back down in bed.

"Do you want something, like some water?" asked Tai.

"Maybe just some fresh air," Kari muttered, getting out of bed and stepping out to the balcony. She sighed as she leaned against the railing and took in the sight of Odaiba, where everybody else was sleeping peacefully…unlike her.

(Play Digimon Tamers: Kawari Nante Inai)

"Takato…" Tai whispered to the goggled Tamer. "I know I shouldn't be asking this…but did anything like this…"

"Yes," Takato nodded. "She did have these dreams in the show."

"But what are they about, and why can't she tell us?" Gatomon asked sadly. "Why can't she tell me?" She remembered shortly after they defeated Machinedramon on Spiral Mountain. It was the time Kari fell seriously ill, and Tai was worried like Hell, not that she blamed him. During a brief time to recuperate, Tai had told her how she nearly died once from a serious illness when she was young, and kept the illness from everybody. Kari had always kept quiet whenever something made her feel unwell or uncomfortable because she didn't want to upset anyone…but it always ended up hurting her and those around her. Perhaps if she spoke to someone, maybe Davis, about it, they could get Kari to open up.

"She may not fully understand what the dreams are about," said Takato, "…and to be honest, I don't understand them either. The writers never really went into full detail about her dreams."

"Can you at least tell us what you know about them?" Tai asked with a frown. Takato hesitated, wondering if he should tell about the Dark Ocean, eventually deciding.

"I'm sorry Tai…but I can't exactly say much right now. We have to let Kari tell us first herself before I can really say anything."

"I just hope she does tell us," said Tai, looking at his sister sadly. "I hate it when she does this; keeping things to herself and never telling me…even if it kills her."

"Don't," said Takato. "Don't keep beating yourself up over that, Tai. I know what happened when Kari was five, the whole pneumonia thing…and she doesn't hate you for it, and your parents don't either. The only one who's still blaming you is yourself. You need to get over it."

"I have," Tai said sincerely. "It's just…when she does this…"

"I know," said Takato. "I've had that sort of experience with Jeri." The two goggled boys soon went back to bed, and Kari returned to her room, lying down and trying to get two more hours of sleep before she had to get ready for school. She could only hope she didn't have that dream again.

---

TK lay on his hands and knees, watching in despair as his friends fell one by one, his brother Matt being the last to fall with a giant slash in his chest, a very fatal wound. The blond-haired boy looked up at Matt's killer: MagnaAngemon, his sword dripping with blood and the Dark Spiral shining black on his left arm. Behind the eight-winged angel, the Digimon Emperor stood, chuckling with pleasure at the scene.

"Damn you…Ichijouji…" TK cursed angrily, tears falling out of his eyes. Ken laughed at TK's misery.

"Finish him, MagnaAngemon. I think he deserves a special death. Do it!" MagnaAngemon flew into the air, and held his sword high. TK's blood went cold when he realized what his partner was about to do.

"MagnaAngemon…please…don't do it!"

"HEAVEN'S GATE!" TK's plea fell on deaf ears as the circle was drawn, and the golden gate appeared in midair and opened up, revealing the white void that lay behind it.

TK gasped as he felt a force pull him towards the gate. The blond-haired boy scrambled to grab something to keep him from being sucked into the void, but it was useless. The force of the gate was too strong for TK to resist, and he could only give a muted scream of terror as he was sucked into the dimension that the gate led to.

The last thing he saw was the dead bodies of his brother and friends, and the last thing he heard was the Digimon Emperor laugh in triumph…

"AGH!"

TK sat upright in bed, sweat pouring down his face and soaking his shirt. His breath came out in short, ragged breaths as he looked around at his surroundings.

He was staying the night at Matt's apartment, and was sleeping in his brother's bedroom. He was still home…but he still did not have Patamon.

'Damn blackout…' he thought. The power had come back on at 5:00 pm yesterday, and he was hoping to go to the Digital World, but it was deemed late enough, but the others reassured him they would go to the Digital World tomorrow to fight and save Patamon. But it wasn't enough for him to not have the nightmare that just plagued him.

"TK…are you okay?" Matt asked, sitting up in bed. His brother's yell of terror had woken him up, and he looked down at TK in worry.

"Yeah…I'm fine…sorry Matt, I just…had a bad dream…" TK breathed as he lay back down on the air mattress. Matt looked at his brother with a sad smile and got out of bed, placing a hand on TK's shoulder.

"Don't worry bro…we'll get him back tomorrow."

"Yeah…we will…" the bearer of Hope said with a little smile of his own before he turned on his side and went back to sleep.

---

It was 6:30 in the morning as two winged figures flew high above Tamachi and landed on the balcony of a specific apartment they were searching for. Davis and Ryo slid off the backs of ExVeemon and Cyberdramon, who reverted to Veemon and Monodramon as the two boys slowly slid open the balcony door and stepped into Ken's bedroom, which was completely dark and deserted.

"Are you sure we'll find what we're looking for here, Ryo?" asked Davis.

"I'm sure we will," said Ryo. "We have to end all of this today, and maybe, if we have Ken's Crest with us, we can end it faster."

"Yeah," the burgundy-haired boy sighed defeatedly. Stress and anger had been building up in him ever since this entire mess began back in April. It was now the middle of May, and the fight against Ken in the Digital World was still going on…and Davis wanted it to end sooner rather than later.

"All right, search the place," Ryo said to Davis and the two Digimon. "And try not to make much of a mess."

"Yes!" nodded the three other members of the group. As Davis checked a closet and Ryo checked the desk, Veemon and Monodramon checked out the bed, seeing if the Crest was there. As the two dragon Digimon searched the sheets, Monodramon froze up slightly and let out a small grunt of pain.

"Monodramon, are you all right?" Veemon asked, noticing his friend's distress.

"Yeah…I'm fine…" Monodramon hissed. "Probably just the sword wound from the other day…I'll be fine, though. It still hurts when I move suddenly."

"Well, watch it then," Veemon said before going back to his search. Monodramon nodded and continued looking for Ken's Crest, feeling the jab in him again. He knew it wasn't the stab wound he received from MagnaAngemon, but something far worse…

'Damn it…what's the deal with this happening right now? Does it have to do with when I touched Ken during our fight? If that's the case, then I need to be careful if I get close to Ken today. There's no telling how Millenniummon's data will react again!'

Ryo huffed as he noticed Ken's desk did not have the Crest of Kindness in any of its drawers. Was it even here in Ken's bedroom at all, or was it tossed away somewhere in the Digital World when Millenniummon corrupted Ken?

'It has to be here somewhere,' he thought irritated as he closed another drawer. Looking around the computer desk, his eyes were diverted to an old photo on the desk that was covered in a thick layer of dust. Most of the things in Ken's room were covered in dust due to Ken abandoning it a week ago, but the picture was obviously the most ignored of everything. Taking the picture in hand and blowing dust off it, the Legendary Tamer sighed sadly when he saw that the picture was of Ken and his older brother Sam. Ryo stared at the picture as he remembered the day he first met the Ichijoujis.

---

FLASHBACK

Eight year old Ryo Akiyama was led down the hall by his mother. The Akiyamas had recently moved to Tamachi, and his mother wanted Ryo to try and make new friends. His mother rang the doorbell of the apartment they were in front of, and the door opened to reveal a brown-haired woman with a kind-hearted face. The woman let Ryo and his mother in, and Ryo was greeted with the sight of two boys in the living room. One was wearing glasses and obviously Ryo's age, and the other boy may have been five years old.

"Ryo, I'd like you to meet Sam Ichijouji and his brother Ken," said Ryo's mother. "I met their mother at the store yesterday, and I thought you'd like having a play date with them." Ken was looking up at Ryo with an excited look on his face, while Sam was eyeing him critically.

Ryo could only smile wryly at the two siblings. He could tell they could be good friends in the future.

END FLASHBACK

---

Ryo's mind drifted off to several memories he had of the two brothers, before they shifted to a few months after he went to the Digital World and helped the Digital World fight Millenniummon.

---

FLASHBACK

(Play Digimon Tamers: Akogare)

"So Sam, you said you wanted to see me about something?" Ryo asked, stepping into the bedroom with one of his friends.

"I did," Sam said, his face serious. "Ryo, do you remember when you told me about going to that strange world on New Year's?"

"Yeah, the Digital World," Ryo nodded with a confused look.

"And you said you had a device when you went there, yes?"

"Yes…" Ryo said slowly, pulling his Digivice out of his pocket and showing it to Sam, still looking confused. "Why are you asking me this?"

"Well…" Sam hesitated before going over to his desk and opening a drawer, pulling something out. "I think you should take a look yourself." Ryo walked over and looked at the object in Sam's hand, and he gasped in surprise when he saw what it was. There, lying in Sam's hand, was a Digivice.

"Where…where did you get that?!" The brown-haired boy asked in surprise. "And when did you get that?"

"Yesterday, when Ken and I were in the room together," answered Sam. "The computer just lit up and spat this out."

"That's exactly how I got mine," said Ryo, taking the device from Sam and looking it over. "Then that means…it has to be for you or Ken."

"I think it may be for Ken. You said when you got your Digivice, it reacted to only you and nobody else," explained Sam.

"Did it do anything when you held it or pressed the buttons?"

"No," Sam said with a shake of his head and an uneasy look on his face. "I told Ken not to touch it, because I remember you telling me how dangerous the Digital World was…and I didn't want him to go there alone. I left for a couple of hours, and when I came back, I saw him on the floor, playing with it."

"Did he go to the Digital World?!" asked a concerned Ryo.

"I don't know. When I left he was still in the room, and when I came back, he was in the room…but the computer looked like it had just been used."

"Oh, my…" Ryo said in worry.

"He didn't look hurt, but I was still worried…except I didn't show my worry the right way. I freaked out on him when I saw him with it and I yelled at him," the purple-haired boy said with a look of regret. Ryo sighed at that, knowing that Sam was never exactly good with people.

"I feel bad for what I did; I'm just…not good at being a brother. It would have been easier if you were with us. You're better with Ken than I am."

"You're not bad either," Ryo assured his friend. "You just need to get your head out of the books once in a while."

"I try," Sam said with a dry chuckle. "Ryo, I need you to promise me something. I have a feeling that this Digivice is Ken's, and he'll want to go to the Digital World. I'll try to keep him from going, but I don't think I can stop him forever. If he does go, promise me that you'll be with him as well and you'll protect him." The boy's eyes were filled with genuine worry, and Ryo was worried as well. Ken was like a brother to him, and he couldn't bear someone like him being exposed to the dangers of the Digital World. But if he was chosen, then it would only be a matter of time before Ken went to the Digital World…and Ryo would have to be there to ensure his protection.

"I will," the bearer of Destiny said with a determined nod. "I'll make sure nothing happens to him."

"Don't say that nothing will happen," Sam shook his head. "Maybe it's the genius in me, but nothing is ever guaranteed, including somebody's safety."

"But I promise…I will protect him…even if it costs me my own life," Ryo said, his eyes filled with determination.

END FLASHBACK

---

Ryo sighed as he looked around the room again. He remembered the last time he was in this room, which was also the last time he had ever been in the Human World of this dimension, which was a week after the Diaboromon crisis. It was also the first time he and Ken had met Davis…

---

FLASHBACK

"Ken's still upset with you?" Ryo asked Sam as the two boys sat in the living room of the Ichijouji apartment together.

"Yeah, he is," Sam said, looking grumpy. "I said I was sorry, and it was a month ago! I still can't believe he's mad at me…"

"Maybe I should talk to him," said Ryo. "I really haven't had much of a chance to talk with him ever since the school year started…"

"Yeah, it would be best if you did," Sam sighed. "You're better with people than I am."

"Hey, what can I say?" Ryo chuckled. "You're gifted with brains, and I'm gifted with social skills." The two boys laughed as Ryo walked down the hallway and into the bedroom, closing the door behind him for privacy.

(Play Digimon Tamers: Kage no Yasashisa)

"Hey, Ken?" Ryo called softly to the bed above, where he knew the younger Ichijouji sibling was. "Can I come up?"

"Yes," a small voice said, and Ryo climbed up the ladder and sat down on the bed, where Ken lay curled up into a ball, a sad look on his face.

"Hey, buddy," Ryo rubbed Ken's back soothingly to get the young boy to brighten up a little. "Are you doing okay?"

"I still don't understand Ryo," said Ken. "Why did Sam get so mad at me for playing with what came out of the computer? I just wanted to see what it was and what it did. I didn't do anything wrong."

"I know Ken, but you should have asked Sam before you took it," said Ryo. "Besides, Sam wasn't trying to be mean with you. You know what he's like. He's just thinking about you and your safety, like I am; we just have different ways of showing it." The older boy sat Ken up on the bed and gave him a warm hug. "You know, Sam's actually outside worry about you. He thinks you hate him."

"I could never hate Sam!" Ken gasped, pulling away from Ryo. "He's still my brother and I love him."

"Well, you should tell him then," Ryo said, climbing down from the ladder before letting Ken climb down. Before the two boys could walk for the door, the computer screen suddenly lit up and began flashing different colors of its own accord. Ryo and Ken stared at the computer in shock as the screen began fizzling with static, a purple face with yellow eyes appearing distorted.

"R…Ry…o…Ryo!"

Ryo froze as the face called out his name. He knew that voice…

(Play Digimon Tamers: Blue Card)

"Woah!" Ken gasped as he looked at the computer. "Ryo, check it out! There's a Digimon on the computer!"

"D…Digimon?!" Ryo asked in shock. "Ken, you know about the Digimon?"

"Yeah, I've been to the Digital World…once," Ken said with a nod. "I didn't stay long, though." So Sam had been right. Ken had been to the Digital World. Of all the times, did this have to happen now? The older boy sighed as he placed his hand over his face.

"Ryo!" the voice called out, clearer than before. The face had also cleared up, and Ryo could see that it was his partner calling out to him.

"Monodramon!" the brown-haired boy called out, running over to the computer. "What's wrong, buddy?"

"Ryo…we need you here back in the Digital World! We're in grave danger!"

"Danger?" Ryo asked, concerned. "What's this danger?"

"…It's Millenniummon, Ryo. He's back." Ryo felt his blood run cold at the mention of the name. Millenniummon had been a terrible Digimon, and a difficult one to beat, and now he was back. He could still remember the final battle with the mad Digimon.

"Millenniummon's back…have Tai and the others been called in?" Monodramon looked uneasy, and Ryo's bad feeling grew more.

"Just get here fast. I can't hold the connection for long. Hold up your Digivice to the screen and you'll be brought to Primary Village." Ryo nodded, knowing that he couldn't ignore call for help from the Digital World. Raising his Digivice to the computer screen, Ryo was sucked into the Digital World and landed in Primary Village, where Monodramon was waiting.

"Ryo!" the purple dragon laughed as he jumped into Ryo's arms, nearly knocking him off his back. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"Hey, easy buddy! I'm glad to see you too!" Ryo laughed, happy to see his partner again. But the happy feeling evaporated when he looked up to the sky and saw Ken fall towards the ground, landing on the bouncy grass of Primary Village.

"Ken!" Ryo dashed forward and looked over the younger boy. Fortunately, since Primary Village's ground was rubber, Ken had no injuries to himself.

"Ken, what are you doing here?" Ryo asked worriedly.

"Well, it sounded like you needed some help," Ken explained sheepishly while holding his Digivice in his hand, "so I thought I would come with you."

"Ken, I don't think this was a good idea," Ryo said sternly. "The Digital World is in a crisis right now, and I can't worry about protecting you and the Digital World. Sam will kill me if anything happens to you."

"You don't have to be so mean," Ken said with a frown. "I can take care of myself."

"And to be honest Ryo, we'll need his help," said Monodramon. "We're in a bad situation."

"How bad is it?" asked Ryo. "And where are Tai and the others?"

"They're not coming." Monodramon delved into a quick explanation of Millenniummon accelerating time in the Digital World again and the other Digidestined Digimon being turned to stone.

"So, it's just you and me now against Millenniummon?!" Ryo said, aghast at the information that was just dispensed in front of him.

"Not exactly." Monodramon turned around and whistled loudly. "Come on out, little guy! Your partner's here!"

(Play Digimon Adventure: Saikai)

A nearby bush rustled, and a small Digimon that looked like a pinecone with a caterpillar's head and small stubby arms burst out of the bush, dashing towards Ken with an excited squeal.

"Ken! You finally made it! I can finally meet you!" Ken yelped in surprise as the pinecone leapt into his arms.

"W-who are you?" Ken asked in surprise.

"I'm Minomon, and I'm your Digimon partner, just like Monodramon is to Ryo!"

"Minomon…" Ryo muttered before looking over to Monodramon. "Does he have a Crest?"

"Yes," Monodramon held up his arms to reveal two Tags with Crests inside them, one golden with an M, and a dark pink one with a rose design on it. The purple dragon walked over and gave the pink one to Ken.

"Ken…this is the Crest of Kindness that is meant for you," said Monodramon. "You've been chosen to become a Digidestined, and like Minomon said, he is your partner." Ken stared at the Crest in awe and looked it over.

"Does this mean I can help you, Ryo?" the boy asked with pleading eyes. Ryo sighed, knowing he had little to no choice in this matter. If Ken was meant for this, then he would have to do this.

"All right. But you have to promise me that you'll stay by me while we're in this world. Minomon is obviously In-Training level, so he won't be able to do much right now. I'll have to tell you what I know about Digimon when we have a chance."

"Okay!" Ken said before looking at the golden necklace in Monodramon's hand. "So, is that your Crest Monodramon has, Ryo?"

"What?" Ryo looked down and saw the Crest in Monodramon's hand, seeing that while it was gold like his Crest of Destiny, it had a different design.

"No, I already have mine," he showed the Crest around his neck. "Monodramon, is that for another Digidestined?"

"Yeah, he landed not far from here," Monodramon gestured to a nearby forest path. "His partner went over to greet him."

"Can you take us to him?"

"Follow us!" Monodramon and Minomon led the two boys down the road, and after several minutes, they heard nearby voices.

"Come on Davis, don't be afraid of me! I'm your friend!"

"I'm not afraid, I just…I don't get what's going on here! One minute I'm in my room, then this device comes out of my computer, and then I get sucked into my computer, and now I'm in a forest where some blue teddy bear…"

"I'm a dragon!"

"Where are your wings, then?"

"Hey, not all dragon Digimon have wings!"

"Digi…mon…?" Ryo and Ken came into clearing where they saw two figures in front of them; the smaller of the two was a small blue-and-white dragon Digimon, and judging from his size and stubby limbs, he was obviously at the In-Training level like Minomon. The other figure was a boy who, judging from his size, may have been Ken's age. The boy had burgundy-colored hair and mocha-colored eyes, lightly tanned skin, and he wore square goggles that hung around his neck. Ryo chuckled lightly when he saw the goggles, which reminded him of Tai. The boy looked down at the dragon and then around the forest with a look of confusion on his face before he saw the two boys in front of him.

(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Adventure Heart ~Daisuke no Theme #2~)

"Are…are you humans?" the boy asked before noticing Minomon and Monodramon, yelling in surprise as he jumped back. "There's more of them!"

"Woah, easy there, kid!" Ryo walked over and bent down in front of the boy. "It's all right, they're not going to hurt you!"

"Yeah!" said the mini dragon. "If I wanted to hurt you, wouldn't I have done it already?" The boy looked down at the dragon and contemplated the answer before he said, "Well…I guess so."

"It's all right, we're not going to hurt you," Ryo said softly, holding out his hand. "What's your name, kid?"

"D…Daisuke Motomiya. But everybody calls me Davis. What is going on here, exactly? Where am I?"

"You're in the Digital World, Davis," said Ryo. "I need to know something. You said a device came out of your computer. Do you have it?"

"Yes, it's right here," Davis reached into his shorts pocket and pulled out a Digivice much like Ryo's and Ken's. "What does this mean?"

"It means," Ryo said with a sigh, "that you have been chosen to be a Digidestined to protect the Digital World and the Human World…"

"And I'm your partner Digimon, Davis!" said the dragon. "I'm DemiVeemon!"

"Digimon…" Davis muttered. "Do you mean those strange monsters that appeared in Odaiba last year when that strange fog showed up?"

"Yeah, those guys," Ryo nodded. "You saw them?"

"Yeah…I saw them," Davis said with a dark look as he grabbed his shirt and pulled it up, showing a scar on his side. "One of them, a vampire bully, gave me this when I decided to kick him."

"Holy…" Ryo stared at the scar in shock and Ken could only gasp in horror. Davis merely nodded as he dropped his shirt back down and covered the scar up.

"Don't worry Davis, I won't hurt you!" DemiVeemon hopped over to Davis and jumped in his arms, the burgundy-haired boy yelping as he caught the little dragon. "I'll protect you from anybody that wants to try and hurt you!"

"I…I don't understand this…" Davis said, confusion all over his face and in his eyes.

"Don't worry," Ryo placed his hands on Davis's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "I've been through this before Davis. I promise, I'll help you and Ken get through this. We're Digidestined, and we're more than a team. We'll be friends."

"Yeah!" said Ken, smiling to Davis. "You look like someone that could be a good friend!"

"You…you really think so?" asked Davis, surprised at Ryo and Ken's insistence to be his friends. "I've never really been good at making friends…"

"Then I can be your friend!" DemiVeemon looked up to the burgundy-haired boy. "I promise I'll be the best friend you've ever had!" The little dragon snuggled into his chest and purred happily. Davis looked down and couldn't help but smile. From what he saw of DemiVeemon, as well as the other two Digimon, they were completely unlike the vampire that hurt him last year, as well as the ghosts and the ball-shaped bat. Rather, DemiVeemon reminded him very much of the white cat that was being forced to go through all the children at Big Sight, a friendly Digimon that looked like he would never hurt a fly.

"Well…if you guys do want to be my friends…I guess I could give it a chance…"

"Yay!" DemiVeemon cheered as Ken, Ryo and Minomon looked happy, Monodramon walking forward with the golden necklace in his hands.

"What is this?" Davis asked, taking the necklace in hand and examining it.

"It's your Crest," Ryo answered, showing his own Crest to the young goggled boy. "As a Digidestined, you have not only a Digivice, but a Crest as well to help DemiVeemon Digivolve if you're in trouble."

"This is the Crest of Miracles," said Monodramon. "It's a powerful Crest that could come in handy if we need it."

"This looks cool," Davis said, placing the Crest around his neck. "So what does it mean, exactly, to be a Digidestined?"

"I'm wondering that as well," said Ken. "Ryo, if you've done this before, can you tell us what you know?"

"Sure," Ryo said with a small smile. "Let's get settled first before we explain everything." Ryo led the younger boys back to Primary Village, Monodramon by his side, and Minomon and DemiVeemon riding on their partners' heads. The bearer of Destiny sighed, realizing how hard this would be for him. Not only would he be the only experienced Digidestined fighting Millenniummon, but he would have to take charge of two boys younger than him, and one of them was his close friend.

'Man, I wish Tai was here…'

END FLASHBACK

---

"Ryo….hey, Ryo!" The Legendary Tamer jolted a little hearing Davis's voice. Pulling himself out of his past memories, Ryo looked over to see Davis holding something in his hands.

"Did you find it?" Ryo asked, looking at Davis's closed hand. The burgundy-haired boy nodded and held out his hand, revealing the Crest of Kindness.

"It was in his closet…"

"Good," Ryo took the Crest from Davis and placed it in his pocket. "This could help us when we go to the Digital World today."

"Yeah," Davis nodded, holding the same hopes as well. "By the way, Ryo…are you okay? You were looking off when I was calling out to you."

"Huh? Oh…yeah, I guess I was," said Ryo. "I was just remembering…do you remember the day we first met?"

"Yeah…I do," Davis said as he walked out to the balcony with Ryo, Veemon and Monodramon. "I was a little scared and confused at first, but I later warmed up to it, and you and everybody…" his face dropped down sadly. "I just wish it ended better than it did."

"Sometimes, I do as well…" Ryo sighed as their partners Digivolved and carried them back to Odaiba in the skies. "But we can't dwell on the past forever Davis. We have to stay in the present and focus on the future…"

"Right…" Davis said quietly, looking at the blue sky while wondering what Ken was doing to the Digital World right now.

---

(Play Digimon Tamers: Yukikau Hitobito 2)

In the desert village of Saint Arugula, a green-skinned dragon man Digimon was going about the early morning grind, walking about the village and cheerfully watching as various Digimon wandered the streets, from Floramon to Mushroomon and many others. Younger Digimon tagged along with their older companions, laughing and playing. The Digimon, known as Dinohyumon, smiled at scene before him. Although the Digimon Emperor caused trouble elsewhere in the Digital World, life was still going well in his village…but one was always cautious.

Dinohyumon continued walking through the village until he came upon two towering Digimon that appeared to be made out of yellow rocks held together with white rope. The rock Digimon, known as Golemon, stared out at the desert with red eyes that poked out from their iron helmets.

"Golemon, have there been any sightings of the Digimon Emperor?" Dinohyumon asked. The rock Digimon grunted with a shake of their heads, and the dragon man sighed in relief. Word spread fast in the Digital World, and rumors came yesterday to the village that the Digimon Emperor had recently managed to acquire a powerful Ultimate level Digimon, and was taking over areas at a fast pace, enslaving most of the Digimon while killing others. It unnerved Dinohyumon a little. From what he had heard, the Emperor had only been enslaving Digimon since he started taking over the Digital World, but the fact that he was killing Digimon now was unsettling.

Dinohyumon turned back to the village to get some breakfast, when the Golemon grunted again, pointing to something in the distance.

"What is it?!" he asked, turning back to the Golemon and drawing out a sword. The Golemon pointed to a small shadowed figure in the distance. Dinohyumon locked eyes with it and held his sword steady as the figure came closer.

"Dinohyumon! Dinohyumon!" the figure yelled, and the dragon man relaxed a little when he noticed the Digimon was a Kiwimon, one of the residents of his village. The small bird Digimon continued sprinting towards Dinohyumon until he was right in front of him. Kiwimon breathed heavily as he tried to talk.

"Dino…hyumon…Emperor…not far…"

"Easy, Kiwimon," Dinohyumon dropped down to one knee and looked at Kiwimon. "Breath first before you tell me what's wrong."

"The Digimon Emperor…" Kiwimon said after breathing deeply. "I saw him not far from here. He's coming…" Dinohyumon grew rigid upon hearing those words. The dragon man stood back up and ran back to the village, where Digimon were going about their business.

"Everybody, run for it!" Dinohyumon yelled to the villagers. "The Digimon Emperor is coming here!" The villagers gasped and screamed upon hearing the warning, but before anybody could move, a rushing wind was heard and two figures dropped down. Dust was kicked up, and when it cleared, Stingmon and MagnaAngemon were revealed, the latter carrying the Digimon Emperor on his shoulder.

(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Ankoku no Hohoemi ~Digimon Kaiser no Theme~)

"You…" Dinohyumon growled, drawing his sword out upon seeing the young tyrant before him.

"Yes…me," the Digimon Emperor said with a chuckle as he looked at all the Digimon villagers, who had looks of fear on their faces. "As you can tell from my presence here, your village is now under my control. I'd advise you surrender now to my rule. If any of you dare to resist, I will not hesitate to have Stingmon and MagnaAngemon strike you down. Do you understand?"

"Oh, they do…" Dinohyumon gestured to the villagers with a smirk, "but I don't…and they certainly don't." A loud roaring caused the Digimon Emperor to turn around, and the boy yelled in surprise when he saw the two Golemon charge for him, raising their arms to strike him.

(Play Digimon Adventure: Tatakai no Toki)

"MOON SHOOTER!" Stingmon acted fast, shooting the needles from his arms at the Golemon. The rock Digimon's hard bodies were not affected by the needles, but they were annoyed nonetheless and charged for the green insect Digimon. The Golemon closest to Stingmon went to punch him in the chest, but Stingmon blocked the punch and slid back in the sand before spreading his wings and extending the spikes on his arms, engaging the two Golemon in battle. As Stingmon and the Golemon fought, Dinhyumon charged at MagnaAngemon, swords gleaming brightly in the sunlight.

"LIZARD DANCE!" The dragon man began moving around like he was dancing while swinging his sword and the blades on his arms at MagnaAngemon. The winged Digimon expertly blocked the blades with Excalibur and his beam shield before swing hard with his sword and knocking the sword out of Dinohyumon's hands. The dragon man was undeterred and delivered a flurry of punches and kicks to bring down MagnaAngemon. Strong as Dinohyumon was, he was only a Champion level Digimon against an Ultimate level. The Digimon Emperor watched the fight with a smirk, as if he was enjoying the fight.

"MagnaAngemon…don't hold back." The angel Digimon nodded to the Emperor and suddenly grabbed Dinohyumon's arm, flipping him over and throwing him into a building. MagnaAngemon spread his wings and flew at Dinohyumon, sword held out front. Dinohyumon managed to roll out of the way and avoid being stabbed, before grabbing the large knife on his back, the Akinakes, and swinging it at MagnaAngemon, but was shocked when the corrupted angel Digimon swung his sword and sliced the Akinakes in two.

"Impossible!" MagnaAngemon took advantage of Dinohyumon's shocked state to kick him in the chest, knocking him down. He brought his sword down again, but Dinohyumon dodged again and kicked at MagnaAngemon's leg, hoping to knock him down, but the angel barely felt the kick as he grabbed Dinohyumon's leg and flew upwards before throwing him down. Dinohyumon grunted as he landed hard on the ground.

"CRIMSON CURSE!" Hot, black gas erupted from the Golemon's backs and mouths, flying at Stingmon with the intent of burning him. But Stingmon was a seasoned and experienced fighter. Spreading his wings, Stingmon flapped them furiously while standing in place. A cloud of sand was kicked up and hit the black gas, solidifying to glass. The Golemon were confused at what they just saw, and Stingmon took advantage, flying into the air before dropping down on the Golemon.

"SPIKING FINISH!" The purple spikes slammed into the Golemon's chests and knocked them on their backs, but the attack didn't kill them.

"Excellent!" the Digimon Emperor chuckled at the sight of the fallen Digimon before pressing some buttons on his gauntlet. "Now for a Control Spire…"

"You haven't…won yet!" Dinohyumon grunted, standing back up with the Golemon. The Emperor looked up at them with a smirk.

"So you still have some fight left, huh? MagnaAngemon, finish them off."

"HEAVEN'S GATE!" The golden gate appeared from MagnaAngemon's sword and opened up, the air rippling around it as Dinohyumon and the two Golemon felt their feet leave the ground. The three Digimon tried to fight off the attack, but they could only roar in anguish as they were sucked into the dimension behind the gate, resulting in their deaths. The villagers could only watch in horror at the scene that unfolded before them.

"Yes…" the Digimon Emperor chuckled as he pushed a button on his gauntlet, and the ground burst apart to reveal a Control Spire that shot into the sky.

"And now, you fools shall become my new slaves!" the Emperor called out to the villagers, and a shower of Dark Rings erupted from the Spire. The Digimon screamed in horror as they began running, but they knew it was useless to try and run from the Digimon Emperor. Nobody could save them now…

"PIT BOMB!" A tiny voice suddenly rang out through the area, and a small black bomb with bat wings and an evil smile on it flew out of nowhere and hit a nearby Dark Ring, creating an explosion that wiped out a number of the descending Dark Rings.

"What?!" the Digimon Emperor yelled in surprise as more small black bombs appeared from out of nowhere and exploded, creating a blinding light that forced the Emperor, Stingmon and MagnaAngemon to cover their eyes. Once the explosions stopped and light died down, the three lowered their arms and opened their eyes to see all the villagers had vanished.

"What happened? Where did they go?!" Ken asked in bewilderment. Stingmon stared at where the villagers were before intently.

"There's only one Digimon that I know with that attack and the ability to make an entire village of Digimon disappear in an instant," said the green insect man.

---

"Is everybody okay?" The villagers looked up at their savior, who was none other than Piximon, a small, yet powerful, Ultimate level fairy Digimon shaped like a small ball with pink fur, arms and legs. Four wings enabled him to fly above everybody and his right hand held a small spear with three spikes on the side of the handle. Piximon had used his magic to create an invisible barrier that allowed him to sneak into the village and save everybody. His only regret was not moving fast enough to save Dinohyumon and the Golemon from dying, but this was no time to mourn.

"We're fine," said Kiwimon, "but Dinohyumon…"

"I know," Piximon said with a frown. "But there'll be time to mourn later. My Pixie Barrier will take you straight to my home. It's protected by a powerful barrier, so the Digimon Emperor will not find you there."

"But what about you?" asked a Gotsumon. "Are you going to try and fight the Digimon Emperor and his slaves?"

"I would, but he's too strong right now for me," said Piximon. "I'm going to try and call in the Digidestined. They're the only ones that can fight the Digimon Emperor right now." The small Digimon flew out of the barrier and smacked it with his spear. The barrier gained speed and headed for where Piximon's house was. Once he was sure the barrier was safe, Piximon created another one around himself and flew into the sky, his eyes sweeping the landscape until he found what he was looking for: a television set, which sat in the forest and a good distance away from the Digimon Emperor.

"Finally," he breathed in relief, dropping his barrier and flying down in front of the TV, pressing a button on it.

"Come on, my friends…I know you can hear me. We need your help," Piximon muttered into the screen, hoping for his old students to get the message in the Human World. From what he had seen in the last two days, the Digidestined were the only ones that could stop the Digimon Emperor from taking over the entire Digital World.

---

(Play Digimon Adventure: Toki no Sugiyuku Mama ni…)

The sun shone brightly in Odaiba on a warm spring day, a sign of the summer that would come in June. The Digidestined and the Digimon Tamers were busy in school as their Digimon waited patiently for them to finish the day. Most of the smaller Digimon sat out in the trees in the courtyard as the day was pleasant.

However, one Digimon was not with the others. Impmon was in another tree that was situated near the second grade classrooms, where he could get a full view of Ai and Mako sitting together, learning their school lessons for the day. The purple devil looked on with an almost bored look, but deep in his thoughts, he was thinking about personal things.

Yesterday had been a crazy day for Impmon, as he had been fully returned to life after four years of being a ghost haunting the Fuji TV Station, and he was surprised at first, but he later became overjoyed as well, now that he could finally be with Ai and Mako again, as well as Gatomon. The rest of the day, the twins and Impmon caught up with each other, Ai and Mako telling him what had been happening since he was gone. Impmon was surprised when he learned two years had passed by in their home dimension while he had spent four years in the Digidestined's dimension, which led him to believe the time portal he and Leomon went through took them back in time to 1999.

Throughout most of last night, Ai and Mako played with Impmon and slept with him, and for the most part, he enjoyed it, but he still felt unsure of all of this. He was still not sure if he could be the Digimon partner they saw him to be, the Digimon he wanted to be for them.

He had been told how Ai and Mako insisted on coming here to this dimension to find him and be with him again, despite having no Digimon partner with them and needing to be protected by the other Tamers while here. He was surprised at how dedicated they were to being Tamers, how much they cared for him. But could he possibly care that much for them as well, so much for him to be able to Digivolve and protect them?

"Thinking about old times of your own?" Impmon was pulled out of his thoughts at the familiar voice, and he turned to see Gatomon standing on a branch in front of him. The white cat leapt forward and landed next to the purple demon, who suppressed a smirk toward his old friend.

"Oh, so you can read minds now?"

"No…I just know you that well," Gatomon smiled. Impmon chuckled before looking back to where the twins were, a slight frown on his face.

"I guess I've just been thinking about this whole thing with Ai and Mako," he answered. "From what I've understood about human-Digimon relations, they rely on each other for strength. Digimon rely on humans for strength and Digivolution, and the humans rely on Digimon for protection. I haven't known Ai and Mako long enough to rely on them, though they rely on me. I want to be able to be the Digimon they want…but I still don't understand it yet."

"Then why not ask for someone to help you out?" asked Gatomon. "Like me."

"You? Really?" Impmon asked, surprised. "You'd be willing to help me out?"

"Of course. You're my friend, after all," the white cat said with soft blue eyes. "You helped me unite with Kari all those years ago, Impmon. I'd be glad to help you out with Ai and Mako." Impmon was taken aback by Gatomon's genuine and sincere offer. He had been alone for most of his life in either dimension, never really sticking close to anyone. But Gatomon was the first true friend he ever had, as she had been alone most of her life due to abuse at the hands of Myotismon. She was right. Impmon did help her remember Kari, as a way to repay her for helping him out, and she seemed intent on repaying her own debt.

The purple devil smiled softly at his old friend. "I…I'd really…like that."

"Thanks," Gatomon said before her ears drooped. "At least I can help you, unlike Kari…"

"Huh?" Impmon raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Something hasn't been right with Kari lately," the white cat sadly. "She's been having really bad dreams lately. She wakes up, screaming and sweating. Last night, I couldn't wake her up myself. I had to get Tai…"

"What's she dreaming about?" asked Impmon, concerned for her friend's partner.

"I don't know," said Gatomon. "She won't tell me or anybody. Takato may have an idea, but he says we have to let Kari tell us herself…but Kari's usually one to keep things to herself so she won't burden anyone else with her problems."

"That's stupid," Impmon scoffed. "I get she doesn't want anyone bothered by her problems, but you think she'd accept some help from her friends."

"I wish she would," Gatomon said. "She wants to become stronger so she won't have to be protected and rescued all the time, but she can't do it alone."

'Can't do it alone…' Impmon thought as he looked back to the classroom, where Ai was helping break up an argument between two second graders.

---

An hour later, Izzy had called everybody to his apartment, and he meant everybody. It was a tight squeeze, but the crowd of forty-two, twenty-one humans and twenty-one Digimon, managed to fit into the apartment.

"You know, if we're all going to be meeting like this, we need to find a bigger place to hold these meetings," Gomamon said, looking at the gathering.

"So I take it this meeting is about getting MagnaAngemon back?" TK asked immediately once everybody had settled in.

"Yes," Izzy nodded. "And thanks to an old friend of ours, we have an idea of where he currently is with Ken."

"What old friend?" asked Sora. Izzy turned the computer around and Tai's group of Digidestined gathered around the computer when they saw the familiar face on the screen.

"Piximon!" Mimi said in happiness. "It's really you, I can't believe it!"

"Man, we've missed you!" said Joe.

"I missed you kids as well," Piximon said with a laugh before turning serious again. "As I'm sure Izzy's told you already, I have information regarding the Digimon Emperor. If you come through the Digital Gate I'm at, I'll be able to tell you more."

(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Saa, Digital World e Ikou!)

"All right," Tai nodded. "Piximon, you might want to move back, we don't want you to get squished when we come through."

"Gotcha!" Piximon flew away from the television screen until he was a good distance away.

"All right, you can come through now!"

"Let's move it!" TK said, eager to get his partner back. "Digital Gate, Open!" The light flashed open, and everybody held on tight as they entered the Digital World, finding themselves in a lush forest that led into a desert.

"OW! Get off me!" Impmon yelled, struggling in the pile of limbs. "Does this happen to you all the time?!"

"Usually, yes," Elecmon groaned, feeling Guilmon's elbow digging into his ribs.

"All right, hang on." Piximon flew over and grabbed Tai's hand, pulling the bushy-haired boy free with surprising strength. After several moments, everybody was free and were standing up, Tai and his group gathered around Piximon, who they were happy to see was reborn.

"Easy, easy!" the small Digimon laughed as he flew upwards. "I'm happy to see you all again, but I'm not one for group hugs. I'm too small for that!"

"Right, sorry," said Biyomon embarrassedly.

"Piximon, you said you had information on the Digimon Emperor and MagnaAngemon," said TK, turning serious. "Can you tell us what you know?"

"I will, but first…" Piximon motioned to Davis's team and the Tamers. "Who are these guys?"

(Play Digimon Tamers: Shutsugen)

"I'm Davis," the burgundy haired boy introduced himself, as well as his other two teammates. "And this is Yolei and Cody."

"And I'm Takato, and these are my friends," Takato introduced himself and his friends. "We're Digimon Tamers."

"Digimon…Tamers?" Piximon asked confusedly. Izzy and Henry gave the fairy Digimon a fast tale of the Tamers, and Piximon was astonished.

"Amazing! Humans and Digimon from another dimension…I'd certainly love to know more!"

"Know more later," said Ryo. "Piximon, what do you know?"

"Right, this is what I know," said Piximon. "The last two days the Digimon Emperor has been taking over more areas in the Digital World at a faster pace than he usually does, thanks to MagnaAngemon. Any area he takes over, he takes out the defenders before conquering the area with a Control Spire and Dark Rings. Any Digimon that opposes him, the Emperor has MagnaAngemon use Heaven's Gate on them."

'Damn it…Ichijouji…' TK thought angrily.

"Do you know where they are now?" asked Renamon.

"I do," said Piximon. "They've been in this part of Server Continent lately taking over areas. I've been rescuing as many Digimon as I can from the Emperor, offering them sanctuary in my house, which is still protected by my Pixie Barrier, stronger than before I might add."

"Well, he's not lying," Izzy looked at the Digital World grid map, which showed a number of black squares around their current location. "Ken's been on a rampage."

"If he finishes taking over the Digital World, there's no telling what he could do next," Matt said gravelly.

"He could try and take over the Human World," said Kazu. "With MagnaAngemon alone…"

"Which is why this has to end today," said Davis. "Now that we're all together, we need to come up with a plan."

"Then let's go over what we know already," said Henry. "We're up against an Ultimate level Digimon that, at his strongest, can stand up to Mega level Digimon."

"And his attack can suck up his enemies like a vacuum cleaner, sending them to another dimension," added Davis.

"Not to mention it can also fire powerful blasts of energy," said Veemon.

"And there's also his Magna Antidote ability," said Takato. "Not only can he use it to restore people who have been cursed, but it also works has a healing ability."

"So he can heal if he gets damaged," said Izzy, looking up MagnaAngemon's profile on his computer. "Hmm…this could be a challenge."

"Well, we could have those that can, go to the Mega level," suggested Matt. "If MagnaAngemon's that powerful…"

"That'd be a little overkill," said Rika. "We should fight him with Ultimate levels only. Mega level will be our trump card if it comes to it."

"So that means everybody except Jeri, the twins, Yolei and Cody will be able to fight him," Ryo summed up.

"Hey, what does that mean?" Yolei asked, slightly offended. "Are you saying we shouldn't get involved in this fight?"

"Yes, because your Digimon aren't strong enough," said Rika. "Angel and Demon-type Digimon are in a completely different league than the Digimon you've been facing yet. You wouldn't last five minutes against an Ultimate, let alone a Mega, in your current form!"

"Hey! Are you saying I'm weak?!" Yolei snarled at the red-haired girl.

"Yolei, I don't think that's what Rika's saying at all," said Cody. "We are strong, but not strong enough to fight a Digimon that powerful."

"Rika's right Yolei," said Jeri. "I may not like it much, but unless we had the right kind of card combination, or some kind of powerful weapon to use on MagnaAngemon…" The brown-haired girl trailed off and Elecmon rubbed his partner's leg as a show of comfort.

Impmon had been quiet for most of the meeting, but Jeri's words sparked a memory in his mind, a memory from his time in Witchelny.

"MagnaAngemon may be strong, but he's still a Vaccine attribute Digimon," said Kazu. "We could use that to our advantage as best we can."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Tai.

"Oh, I got it!" said Kenta. "In the Digimon video games, Digimon usually had an edge based on their attributes. Let me show you." The glasses-wearing boy positioned Betamon, Kokuwamon and Terriermon in a triangle before drawing lines connecting the Digimon together.

(Play Digimon Adventure: Digital Scratch ~Koshiro no Theme~)

"Okay, so here's how it goes. Betamon is a Virus attribute," he gestured to his partner, "Kokuwamon is a Data attribute and Terriermon is a Vaccine attribute." Kenta motioned to the other two Digimon. "Now, as a Virus, Betamon has an advantage over Kokuwamon, a Data attribute, but not so much against Terriermon, who is a Vaccine. And while Terriermon has an advantage over the Virus attribute Betamon, he's not so lucky against Kokuwamon, who is a Data attribute." The Digidestined listened intently to this information.

"So, it's Virus over Data, Data over Vaccine, and Vaccine over Virus," Izzy mused as he typed on his computer.

"Oh, I get it!" said Yolei. "It's like Rock-Paper-Scissors, right?"

"Something like that, yeah," said Kenta. Izzy typed intently on his computer, bringing up all the Ultimate level Digimon the Digidestined had in their arsenal currently.

"Hmm…" the red-haired boy grimaced slightly. "According to this, the only Ultimate levels we have that are Data attributes are Lillymon, Antylamon and Taomon. Kazu, Kenta, do your partners have Ultimate levels?"

"Yeah, Kokuwamon can become Andromon, and Betamon can become Whamon," answered Kazu. Izzy pulled up Whamon and Andromon's profiles, and grimaced again when he saw they were classified as Vaccine attribute Digimon.

"Okay, so we only have three Digimon with an attribute advantage against MagnaAngemon," said Davis, "but the rest of us can do as much damage as well. We can't give up that easily."

"He's right," said Tai. "We've been through worse than this, far worse. We can't hold back like when we fought MetalGreymon. Patamon is our friend."

"TK…are you okay with this?" Matt looked over to his brother. He knew TK had been traumatized when he saw Angemon die four years ago, and he was still feeling the scars to this day. "You know…we may have to do this…"

"I know…" TK muttered. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it…" The bearer of Hope wondered if they could save his partner without killing him. He wouldn't take it well if he had to see his partner die a second time in front of him.

"All right…if that's our battle plan, then let's get out there and find Ken," said Ryo. Everybody nodded and prepared to set out, when…

"Hold on!" Impmon called out, getting all eyes on him. "I may have another idea that could work as well."

"What is it, Impmon?" asked Ai.

"Do you remember the place I showed you in my memories yesterday, Witchelny?" Impmon received nods from everybody to answer his question. "Well, there's a weapon in Witchelny that's said to be able to cause great damage to Holy-type Digimon, which could give us an advantage against MagnaAngemon."

"Really?" asked Renamon. "What is this weapon?"

(Play Digimon Adventure: Iya na Yokan)

"It's a sword called the Dashenbian," said Impmon. "It's said to be in the mountains of Witchelny, and, like I said before, it can give the wielder an incredible advantage over Holy-type Digimon, no matter the attribute."

"That does sound like a useful weapon, but do we have time for a scavenger hunt?" asked Terriermon. "Time is ticking!"

"I know that, Helicopter-head," said Impmon. "That's why we'll split up into two groups. I'll take Ai and Mako with me, along with Jeri, and the kids who are partnered with Feather-Brain and Shell-head, since they'd be targets for MagnaAngemon, and we'll go to Witchelny to get the Dashenbian, while the rest of you find Emperor boy and his pet bug and slave angel."

"I beg your pardon, but I prefer not to be called Feather-Brain," Hawkmon said indignantly.

"And I don't like Shell-head," Armadillomon said with a huff.

"He gives nicknames to most of us Digimon, just go with it," said Guilmon.

"But how are we even going to get to Witchelny?" asked Yolei. "I don't think it's on the grid map from what I've seen of it."

"That's because it requires a complex spell to go there," said Impmon. "I'll have to become Wizardmon and perform the spell in a different location. Then we'll get the sword and come back here."

"Are you sure about this?" asked Palmon.

"I think we should go for it," said Takato. "I trust Impmon on this."

"If it will help us fight MagnaAngemon, then what choice do we have?" replied Davis. "So it's agreed."

"Not just yet," said Rika. "I know Taomon is a Data attribute, but I think it'd be best if I go to Witchelny as well. I trust Jeri to help out the twins, but not the two rookie Digidestined."

"Hey!" Yolei and Cody said, annoyed at Rika insulting them again.

"If it's all the same, I think I'll come along as well," said Gatomon. "Impmon is my friend, and I wish to help him in any way I can."

"Can I come, too?" Calumon asked excitedly.

"Hey, I don't mind the extra company," Impmon shrugged before turning to everybody else. "So, are we agreed?"

"If it will help us greatly, then I guess so," said Izzy, getting nods from everybody.

"Hurry back as soon as you can," Tai said to the group heading for Witchelny.

"I promise we will," Kari said, giving her brother and boyfriend a quick hug before following after the small group breaking off for Witchelny.

"All right Piximon, show us the way to the Digimon Emperor," Takato said once Impmon's group was out of eyesight.

"Right this way!" Piximon flew off into the desert, the Digidestined and Tamers following right behind him.

---

"So where exactly do we need to open up a portal to Witchelny?" asked Mako after several minutes of walking in silence.

"Shouldn't be far from here," answered Impmon. "During my time in Witchelny, I developed a special sense that the Digimon from Witchelny possess. We can sense a strong magical energy in certain areas, and we can use our power to amplify that energy to create a portal to Witchelny. Where I'm sensing the energy is not far from here. We're almost there…" The purple demon felt something inside of him, and it was growing much larger by the moment before they came upon an opening in the forest.

"Here. This is where the energy is at its strongest," Impmon said, spreading his arms to show the place to everybody.

"An empty field?" Yolei asked skeptically.

"Yes," Impmon ran his hand over the grass before standing back up. "Ai, Mako…this is where you come in. In order for me to open a portal, I need to become Wizardmon. And in order for me to Digivolve, one of you has to use a card that will enable me to Digivolve."

"But…what card do we use?" Ai asked, looking through the small batch of Digimon cards that were in her pocket, unsure of what card to use. Mako looked through his own cards, but didn't have much luck.

"Here, use this card." Jeri offered a card from her deck. Written on it in kanji was 'Super-Evolution Plug-In S'. "This is the card we use to Digivolve our Digimon to Champion level. I have a lot more of these, so you can keep it."

"And this card will work?" asked Ai, taking the card from Jeri.

"It will work," said Rika. "You just have to believe it will work, Ai. And you too, Mako." The twins were silent as they looked up to Impmon, their partner giving an encouraging nod.

"All right. If you say we can do it…" Mako pulled out the D-Ark and offered it to his sister. Ai took the device in her free hand and held it up while holding the Digivolution card in the other hand.

"Here it goes…" Taking a deep breath, Ai swiped the card through the D-Ark's slot, while yelling out the words.

(Play Digimon: SLASH!)

"DIGI-MODIFY! DIGIVOLUTION…ACTIVATE!"

As the screen of the D-Ark lit up, the red mark on Calumon's forehead flashed brightly as well before a beam of light flew from the D-Ark and hit Impmon, who felt a familiar energy building up within him.

"IMPMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…WIZARDMON!" The light faded, and Impmon landed on the ground, once again in his Champion level. Wizardmon looked himself over before turning to his Tamers with a soft smile.

"Ai, Mako. Thank you. Now I can do this!" Raising his staff in the air, Wizardmon chanted a language that was unintelligible to everybody else, but they guessed it was a magical spell. As Wizardmon chanted, the staff's sun-shaped headpiece glowed golden, and a white ripple appeared in the air before tearing open wide, showing a giant green valley before everybody.

"The portal is open. Everybody, follow me!" The group nodded and walked through the portal. Once everybody had gone through the portal and were in the valley, Wizardmon waved his staff again and the portal closed.

(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Sorosoro Yuuhan da ne)

"So…is this…Witchelny?" asked Cody, looking around the valley.

"This is merely a valley of green pastures," said Wizardmon. "Follow me, and you'll see it for yourself soon enough." The group nodded and began following the mage Digimon, Ai and Mako right by Wizardmon's side. As Jeri walked, she looked back to see Kari trudging slowly, a tired look on her face.

"Kari, are you all right?" the brown-haired Tamer asked, concerned for her friend's well-being. "You don't look like you've been sleeping well."

"No…I haven't…" Kari muttered. "I've…been having bad dreams lately…and I can't seem to tell what they are."

"Nightmares…I see," Jeri nodded sadly. "I've had my fair share, believe me…" The caramel-eyed girl repressed a shudder as she remembered an occasional nightmare she would have every now and then regarding her time as a captive and battery for the D-Reaper. While these nightmares happened occasionally, she had been getting through them with help from Takato, Rika, Calumon and her family. "If you ever need help, you don't have to keep it to yourself. You can come to me or anybody else…we'd be willing to help you. I know Tai and Davis especially would like to help you."

Kari smiled softly at the friendly gesture. "Thanks Jeri…but to be honest, I'm not sure if anyone can help me out yet. I don't fully understand them myself…" Jeri merely nodded and let her mind wander. As she heard Kari talk about her nightmares, she couldn't help but think about a similar situation in the alternate TV show. Could these nightmares possibly be the same?

---

The group followed Wizardmon for a few more minutes before they came upon a hill going down, and what they saw at the bottom surprised them.

(Play Digimon Adventure: Kanshou)

Down below was a village filled with numerous houses that were a mix of cottages and modern-day living places. Several farms were peppered around the landscape, and they could make out several Digimon below.

"That's it," said Wizardmon. "That's Witchelny."

"Wow…it's amazing," Gatomon breathed in slight awe.

"Ooh, look at all the pretty houses!" Calumon said excitedly.

"Is that where the sword is?" asked Yolei.

"No," Wizardmon said with a shake of his head before reverting to Impmon. "The Dashenbian resides in the mountains, like I said before. But we cannot fly there without special help. The path to the mountains of Witchelny is a treacherous one. We are here to acquire proper transportation to the mountains."

"Let's go then," Cody said immediately. "We're wasting time here. The others have probably engaged Ken by now."

"If they have, then they can hold out long enough," Rika said, taking the lead with Impmon. "You really shouldn't be so cynical and underestimating our friends all the time."

"I'm not…" Cody started to say, but Rika was already going down the hill.

"Well, that's just rude," Yolei said with a huff. Cody nodded in agreement, glaring at Rika's back lightly. What was the deal with Rika, and why did she seem to have it out for him and Yolei? She didn't seem this rude to the other Digidestined, so why them?

"The place we're looking for is several miles from here…" Impmon started before the temperature suddenly dropped down to freezing and the winds kicked up slightly. Most of the group shivered slightly and hugged themselves from the sudden cold. Impmon sighed however, knowing what this meant, while Calumon laughed at the falling snow.

"Yay! Snowball fight!"

"What's going on here?! Where did this snowstorm come from?!" asked Yolei.

"Calm down. It's not the first time this has happened," Impmon said calmly. Seconds later, everybody was ankle-deep in snow, and the white stuff covered the tops of their heads and bodies once the mini storm died down. A chuckle from the side made the group of children and Digimon look over to see a white-robed Wizardmon holding a snow staff leaning on a nearby building, his staff held out and an amused look on his covered face.

(Play Digimon Tamers: Impmon no Theme)

"You still playing blizzard pranks on people, Sorcerimon?" Impmon asked, shaking snow off his head before lighting up his finger on fire and moving the flame around, melting the snow on his Tamers.

"No, I've gotten out of that," Sorcerimon said, pushing himself off the building and walking over to the small group. "But when I sensed your entry in the valley nearby, I thought I'd give you a welcome back present after being away from Witchelny for so long, brother. Besides, you should be glad it was me. FlameWizardmon sensed your presence a wanted to give you the gift, but I insisted on giving you the gift."

"Well, in that case I'm glad it was you," said Impmon.

"What would FlameWizardmon's gift have been?" asked Jeri.

"He would have lit all your asses on fire…literally," Impmon answered, making the girls' faces redden with embarrassment and Mako and Cody look uneasy.

"Anyway, we need a few Hippogriffomon to ride up to the mountains," Impmon turned back to Sorcerimon. "We're here on very important business."

"Ah…I see," Sorcerimon nodded, his expression turning serious. "I can take you to the stables where the Hippogriffomon reside, but first, I think there are a couple of people that want to see you Impmon."

"Right now?" asked Impmon, unsure about what Sorcerimon was saying. "We're on a bit of a time crunch here."

"I can tell, but I promise you it shall not take long." Sorcerimon turned around and began leading the group towards a small cottage near the barns. In a garden that was near the cottage, a human-looking woman wearing red clothing and a red hat, with a black cat by her side, was tending to the mass of land when she looked up and saw the small group walking forward, and her face lit up when she saw Impmon. The woman ran over and scooped up the purple demon in her arms, surprising everybody except Impmon and Sorcerimon.

(Play Digimon Tamers: Itsumo no Seikatsu)

"Oh, my son! I can't believe you're back after so long!" the woman said happily, squeezing Impmon and eliciting a few chuckles from those who knew Impmon well.

"Could you please take it easy…Mother?" the imp asked, wriggling out of Witchmon's grip. "I have an image to maintain in front of my friends and partners!" Impmon jumped on the ground and looked over to the snickering group.

"Not one word of this to the others, or I'll light a real fire under all your asses!" he said, getting more chuckles.

"Since when do you light people on fire?" a red robed Digimon identified as FlameWizardmon rounded the corner of the hut and smirked at Impmon. "I thought that was my schtick."

"Hey, I can make fire as well!" Impmon said, lighting a fireball on his finger before snuffing it out again. "Plus, my Champion level is skilled in fire magic as well as earth magic!"

"Really? Then why do you shoot lightning out of your staff?" FlameWizardmon asked with a smirk. Impmon and the flaming wizard glared at each other before Impmon began laughing, much to the confusion of his friends.

"Man, I missed you!" the little demon said between chuckles.

"Okay…I'm confused," Armadillomon looked up to Sorcerimon, who chuckled at the interaction between his two brothers.

"They like to have a good laugh at each other's expense."

"Oh…" Hawkmon said, looking at the two Digimon before asking, "So how are they brothers if Witchmon found Impmon in the desert?"

"Witchmon adopted me into her family," explained Impmon. "They took care of me while I lived here and trained in Witchelny."

"Impmon was definitely a rambunctious little Digimon when he was in our family," Witchmon chuckled as she rubbed Impmon's head, much to his chagrin. "You must be his friends. Come in, come! You look like you could do with some food."

"Witchmon, we appreciate the offer, but we are on a very important job here," Cody said immediately. "We don't have time right now to eat food…"

"Actually Cody, I am pretty hungry," Armadillomon interrupted, holding his growling, empty stomach. "I haven't had much to eat since you gave me some of your lunch."

"As have I," said Hawkmon, imitating Armadillomon's movements. "Yolei did not seem to have her usual sack of food for us."

"Sorry about that," Yolei said sheepishly. "We were really busy today after yesterday's blackout."

"Oh, do come in!" Witchmon opened her door and gestured for everybody to enter. "It does look like you're in the middle of something important, but it would be best for you to eat first, and maybe talk a little. If you tell us what's going on, maybe we can help you."

"You wouldn't mind helping us?" asked Gatomon.

"Not at all," said Sorcerimon. "It has been a long time since we've last seen Impmon, and we'd definitely like to know you all."

"Okay, but let's make it fast then," said Rika. The children followed Witchmon into the hut and FlameWizardmon and Sorcerimon were the last ones to enter, the latter closing the door so the group could have some privacy.

---

"SOUL VANISHER!" MagnaAngemon's purple sword glowed right as he swung it around, releasing blades of energy that tore through a number of Digimon that were trying to attack the Digimon Emperor. The Digimon were all Bakemon and Vegiemon, with a few Tyrannomon, but they all fell easily to the angel Digimon's power, dissolving to data as the Emperor laughed at the scene.

"You fools want to oppose me, I see. Then die like the fools that you are!" The Digimon Emperor laughed evilly as MagnaAngemon sliced the head off a Tyrannomon before destroying the last of the opposing Digimon. Once MagnaAngemon finished off the resistance, a Control Spire appeared several feet away.

(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Yogiru Fuan)

As the Spire went up, Stingmon could only watch in sorrow as Ken laughed evilly at the slaughter.

'Ken…you've got to stop this,' he thought. He knew he was to blame for this. All this time, he believed since he was Ken's partner, he was to stand by him and assist him, no matter what his partner did. He had done nothing to prevent Millenniummon's control over Ken grow stronger. Rather, he only accelerated Ken's fall into darkness.

His mind went back to two days ago when he confronted Renamon in the base, and the golden fox's words still rang fresh.

"Being a partner is about more than just standing by them and fighting for them. It's also to keep them from doing what you know is wrong. If you know what Ken is doing is wrong, then you need see to it that you do something to return him to who he was."

Seeing what was happening now, Stingmon finally understood. He had always wanted to show his love for Ken by doing what was best for him…and now…he had to do what was best for Ken, no matter how much Ken would disapprove of it. What he was about to do would very much lead to his end, but if it would help Ken see the light, then so be it.

"Ken…we need to talk," the insect man said, walking forward.

"Not now Stingmon, I need to figure out where we should go next to put a Control Spire," Ken snapped, looking down at the map on his D-3. "Let's see…there's a massive village over there…"

"DESOLATION CLAW!" A loud draconian roar tore through the area and a beam of energy flew out of the sky and hit the Control Spire, which disintegrated from the powerful attack.

"That attack…!" Ken growled as he looked up to see Cyberdramon and Paildramon land several feet away from him, Ryo and Davis on their shoulders.

"That's enough Ken!" Davis yelled, jumping off Paildramon and glaring at his old friend. "You're going to stop this crap right now and come home with us!"

"Are you still going on that?" Ken asked with a scoff as he walked forward. "I told you, this will not stop until I have the entire Digital World in peace, and I have your heads under my boots, begging me to show you mercy for leaving me alone!"

"No Ken, you're not bringing peace at all, and we will not surrender to you. You know us too well," Ryo said, pulling out the Crest of Kindness and holding it up for Ken to see.

"Where…where did you get that?!" Ken gasped, recognizing his old pendant. "How did you get that?!"

"From your room this morning," said Ryo, holding the Crest out pleadingly. "Ken…this isn't you, and you know it. I didn't want this to happen to you. We didn't want this to happen."

"You have every right to be angry at us," Davis said solemnly. "We did leave you alone, but we never meant to. You risked your life to save us from Millenniummon's Dark Spore, and it hit you instead of us. Maybe if we had been there for you, none of this would have happened. Ken, please stop this. We're trying to save you…" The burgundy-haired boy's voice cracked as he finished talking, but he did not dare to let any tears fall. He had to be strong for his team and for his friends, especially for Ken.

"Ken…it's over," Ryo said, holding out the Crest again for Ken to take, a rather defeated look on his face. "Please come back." Ken's eyes couldn't be seen through his glasses, but the expression on his face made it seem like he was letting Ryo and Davis's words sink in.

"I told you…it's too late," Ken said softly with a glare. "There is only one way this all ends."

"…I guess so," Ryo sighed, knowing what was coming next. "Cyberdramon! Paildramon!" Both dragon Digimon stepped forward, prepared to fight.

"You actually think your partners stand a chance against Stingmon and MagnaAngemon?" Ken asked skeptically as his own Digimon stepped forward. Davis couldn't help but smirk a little.

"Come on Ken…did you really think we would come alone?"

(Play Digimon Tamers: Theme Action)

"FLOWER CANNON!" The voice rang from above and green energy shells slammed into MagnaAngemon. The winged Digimon yelled in surprise from the surprise attack, and Lillymon flew down, continuing the assault on MagnaAngemon. Stingmon attempted to stop Lillymon with his Moon Shooter, but the fairy Digimon rolled out of the way before kicking MagnaAngemon back.

"He's all yours, Rapidmon!"

"All right!" A blur of green appeared in front of MagnaAngemon, and Rapidmon raised his arms in the air.

"TRI-BEAM!" The green laser blasted MagnaAngemon further back, but the green cyborg was not done yet.

"MIRACLE MISSILE!" The missiles flew from the revolver on Rapidmon's back, and engulfed MagnaAngemon in an explosion of fire and smoke.

"SOUL VANISHER!" The blades of energy flew from the smoke, but Rapidmon expertly dodged every one of them with his speed.

"Okay Antylamon, get the drop on him!"

"As you command, Rapidmon!" Antylamon dropped down from the sky and landed in front of MagnaAngemon, who had emerged from the smoke and gasped when he saw the Deva in front of him, her hands becoming giant axes.

"BUNNY BLADES!" The axes made deep cuts in MagnaAngemon's chest, and the Ultimate level screamed in surprise and pain before Antylamon followed it with a massive punch to the face, disorienting him.

"DESPERADO BLASTER!" Paildramon leapt up and fired his bullets at MagnaAngemon, hoping to hit the Spiral, but the black device was protected by the beam shield on his left arm.

"Agh! I forgot about his beam shield!" Davis cursed to himself, realizing the Spiral was in a difficult place to be broken.

"WarGrowlmon, drop him now!" called Cyberdramon. A large shadow appeared above the dazed MagnaAngemon. The angel Digimon looked up in surprise to see Whamon, the Ultimate level of Kenta's partner land on top of him. WarGrowlmon landed next to Whamon, and the whale's mouth opened up to reveal the other Digidestined and the Tamers inside.

"We've had it up to here with you, Ken! You're finished!" yelled Tai.

"On the contrary," Ken said with a smirk as he pulled out his whip. "MagnaAngemon may be powerful, but I know he's still just one Ultimate level!" The whip snapped in the air, the ground began rumbling before five columns of sand burst into the air, revealing five Digimon all wearing Dark Spirals: A black and grey dinosaur with metal pieces all over his body, a giant yellow and white teddy bear, a small grey ball-shaped Digimon with arms and legs, a white skeletal Digimon that looked like a scorpion, and a tall man with grey skin and black pants, blue flames rising off his body and chains wrapped around his body.

(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Aku no Butai ga Yatte Kita)

"Monzaemon and SkullMeramon!" Mimi gasped, recognizing the teddy bear and flaming man instantly. "But who are the other Digimon?"

"Bad news all around," Takato grimaced, pulling out his D-Ark to scan the three Digimon the Digidestined did not know.

"MetalTyrannomon. A Virus attribute Cyborg Digimon, Ultimate level. He was designed for anti-ground interception, and his offensive power is terrifying. His special attacks are a missile from his right hand, Giga Destroyer II, and a beam from his left hand, Nuclear Laser."

"Mamemon. Mutant Digimon, Data attribute. Ultimate level. He looks small and cute, but he's a very powerful Digimon. His special attack is Smiley Bomb."

"SkullScorpiomon. Insect Digimon, Data attribute. Ultimate level. He's a deadly Digimon known as the Assassin of the Desert. His special attacks are Blackout, a mist that blinds his opponents, and Poison Pierce, where he attacks with his tail, which is laced with extreme poison!"

"You are right Ryo," said Ken. "This will end today, but not in the way you think it will!"

Everybody in Whamon yelled in surprise as they felt Whamon shake and be lifted off the ground.

"Whamon, what are you doing?!" Kenta called to his partner. "Why are you floating off the ground?!"

"It's not me!" said Whamon. With incredible strength, MagnaAngemon threw the massive Digimon aside, the whale's passengers falling to the sandy floor of the desert.

"MAGNA ANTIDOTE!" MagnaAngemon glowed brightly as he crossed his arms in front of him, and the wound he received healed, his energy returning as well.

The Digidestined and the Tamers could only grimace at the Digimon that surrounded them. This battle would not be an easy one.

---

"…and so, we need to reach the mountains here so we can get the Dashenbian," finished Gatomon. The Witchelny team were seated around a table where Witchmon offered them a vegetable stew with bread, made with food from Witchmon's own garden. The group was amazed by the delicious taste of the food. As they ate, they explained their reasons for coming to Witchelny, as well as the Digimon Emperor.

"Ah…I see…" Witchmon said with a nod, her face showing a tired look. "Some of the Digimon here in Witchelny often go to the Digital World, and they find out a great many things while there. So is it true that a human is taking over the Digital World?"

"Yes, but not of his own free will," said Jeri. "The Digimon Emperor has had a tragic life, and dark forces have taken advantage of his sadness and are controlling him for their own purposes."

"That is truly unforgiveable," FlameWizardmon said with a growl. "To take advantage of one's misery…"

"And you are saying that he has a powerful angel Digimon as his newest slave," said Sorcerimon. This was not said as a question, but as a statement.

"Yes. Which is why we have come here," said Elecmon. "Impmon said the Dashenbian is effective against Holy-type Digimon."

"He is correct, but it is not easy to get to it," answered Sorcerimon. "Are you sure you want to get the sword?"

"We are sure," said Gatomon, a determind look on her face. "That sword could give us the upper hand against MagnaAngemon." Sorcerimon looked over to the rest of the group, who shared Gatomon's determined look.

"Very well then," the white-clothed Digimon said, standing up from his seat. "I'll see what I can do about getting some Hippogriffomon for you to ride on." Sorcerimon walked out of the hut and the rest of the group began talking amongst themselves. As they talked, Witchmon looked over to see Impmon laughing at a joke with Ai and Mako, and the sight made the red clothed woman smile lightly.

(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Ie ni Kaerou ~Target Instruments~)

"So…you took in Impmon as your own son when he came here to Witchelny," Gatomon said, sitting down next to Witchmon.

"Yes…just seeing him in that condition he was in when I found him in the desert made me want to care for him like I did Sorcerimon and FlameWizardmon, and I was impressed by his fortitude to continue even when he was hurt. He also stayed at my house and I cared for him and helped him when he needed it. Eventually, he became like my son. It's good to see Impmon truly happy now."

"What does that mean?" Gatomon asked curiously. "Was he never happy during his time in Witchelny?"

"Oh, he was happy," Witchmon rephrased her earlier saying, "but he never seemed truly happy. While he would have a good laugh over something, like pranking someone or eating good food, or learning more about Witchelny…it always was a bit of a mask. Impmon was always frustrated over not being able to remember his past, especially whatever it was he was looking for. Because of it, he felt he never truly belonged here."

"Oh…that's so sad…" Kari said with a sad frown, looking over to the laughing Impmon. "But…he doesn't look like he's faking his happiness now."

"No, I suppose not," Witchmon said with a chuckle. "I guess regaining your memories and reuniting with who you're finding can do that do you."

"I suppose so…" Gatomon said, looking over to her friend as well. It truly did warm her heart to see Impmon with his partners again after so long. It reminded her of her search for Kari, and forgetting about her in the process while working for Myotismon. Thanks to Impmon, Gatomon remembered Kari and finally united with her. The white cat would always be grateful to Impmon for that.

"I managed to get you some Hippogriffomon," Sorcerimon said, walking back into the hut. "They're ready whenever you are."

"Well…shall we go, then?" Impmon asked, receiving nods from everybody.

"It would be best that we go now," Cody voiced as everybody left the hut for where Sorcerimon said the Hippogriffomon were.

---

As the name suggested, the Hippogriffomon, which Rika noted were Ultimate level Digimon, bore a resemblance to the mythical creature the Hippogriff. Their bodies were entirely white, with purple stripes on their torsos and legs, and golden pendants around their necks. The children mounted the winged Digimon with help from the Hippogriffomon's caretakers: Goblimon, green Digimon that looked like mini Ogremons with orange mohawks, and Candlemon, small Digimon that resembled a living candle.

(Play Digimon Adventure: Wonderland)

"Now you want to have a firm grip on his neck, and tuck your legs behind his front legs," one Goblimon instructed Rika, the red-haired girl following the instructions carefully. "This way, you'll be able to fly easily without worrying about slipping."

"I think I got it," Rika said, feeling Renamon climb on board.

"Okay…okay…WOAH!" Yolei yelped as she attempted to mount her Hippogriffomon, but slipped and fell on her back. The Candlemon helping Yolei could only groan in embarrassment. This was the fifth time in a row this had happened.

"Hey, grape-head! Quit monkeying around!" called Impmon, who had already mounted and was making sure Ai and Mako were secure on the Digimon's back.

"I'm not monkeying around, this is just a little harder than riding Halsemon!" Yolei called back, finally mounting her Hippogriffomon, only to turn around when she realized she was on backwards.

"If we are all mounted safely then, let us away!" Elecmon said once everyone had seated on the Hippogriffomon.

"All right, you boys are ready to go!" A nearby Goblimon said, throwing a fireball in the air from his club that exploded in the air. The Hippogriffomon screeched loudly and charged forward, their passengers yelping in surprise from the acceleration. The white feathered Digimon spread their massive wings and flapped them, taking off for the mountains where the Dashenbian was.

"Good luck, my son…" Witchmon whispered as she watched the Hippogriffomon with Impmon and the twins fly farther away from her distance. She failed to mention that receiving the Dashenbian would be a difficult challenge, but she knew her son had the strength to get the sword. He was not alone, and surely, he knew that as well as she did.

(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Power of Earth ~Iori no Theme~)

The Hippogriffomon flew high in the skies to reach their destination. The mountains of Witchelny were among the tallest mountains anybody saw. While their height couldn't compare to the height of Infinity Mountain, they were still certainly tall enough to make their passengers feel slightly woozy from the thinning air.

"Are we there yet…?" Ai asked the age-old question after ten minutes of flying, feeling light-headed. "I feel funny…"

"We're high up in the air, so you're probably feeling funny from the thin air!" Kari called out. "Trust me, I feel that way when I'm on Nefertimon!"

"Don't worry!" called the Hippogriffomon carrying Cody and Armadillomon. "We're almost there!" Before long, the winged Digimon dropped down on small rocky field on a mountain. The field was large enough for all the Hippogriffomon to land and walk around while waiting for their charges to return. Upon dismounting, the group noticed a rocky road leading to a large set of metal doors.

"That's it," Impmon pointed to the doors. "That's where the Dashenbian is." The demon Digimon took the lead, and the group walked down the path. Once they reached the doors, Impmon walked over and knocked on the doors, hollow banging coming from the knocking.

"Hello! Open up in there! We're here for the Dashenbian!" Impmon called out. No answer came out and after several minutes, Yolei let out a groan of frustration.

"Agh! I can't believe it! Those Hippogriffomon took us to the wrong place!"

"No, they didn't," Impmon said as he tried to open the doors, but they refused to budge. "This is the right place. But nobody seems to be answering us!"

"Maybe…they went out to lunch?" Armadillomon joked. Nobody laughed, and the yellow mammal Digimon took that as initiative to quiet down.

"Hello in there!" Ai called out. A loud rumbling suddenly sounded from the doors, and everybody backed away when the doors opened up, revealing darkness inside. Everybody stood tense for a moment until a pair of yellow orbs appeared in mid-air. The orbs came closer, and they were soon revealed to be eyes belonging to a Digimon whose face was hidden by a yellow hood he wore on his head. He wore a red cloak over his body and yellow wings sprouted from his back. All of the Digimon partners except for Impmon stood protectively in front of their partners.

(Play Digimon Tamers: Kyodai Kuukan)

"Relax, it's Wisemon," said the small demon. "He's more a scholar than he is a fighter."

"Greetings, Impmon," said Wisemon. "Greetings, all of you."

"You know why we're here, don't you?" asked Renamon.

"I do," Wisemon nodded. "You seek the Dashenbian sword."

"Yes," said Elecmon. "And it's imperative that we get the sword as soon as possible. Do you know where it is?"

"I do know where it is," Wisemon nodded. "I am one of the Digimon that guard the Dashenbian sword. But I cannot simply give it to you." The scholar Digimon then turned his gaze to Impmon. "If you wish to wield the Dashenbian, then you must accept the price for it."

"What is this price?" Gatomon asked with narrowed ears.

"You must pass a test," said Wisemon, still looking at Impmon as he spoke, "if you are to prove yourself worthy of the sword."

"A test?" Cody asked in slight annoyance. "We don't have time for tests. Our friends are in trouble as we speak right now…"

"And I am sure they can handle themselves," Wisemon cut him off, "but this test is important. The Dashenbian is a sword that cannot be wielded by just anybody. It can only be wielded by somebody who is of strong heart and mind, and to prove it, they must pass a test."

"How long will this test be?" asked Kari.

"As long as it is necessary," answered Wisemon. "I have to ask you Impmon…will you do this?" The purple demon sighed and thought it over. He wasn't sure if this test would be short or not, or how long the others would be able to fight off the Digimon Emperor and MagnaAngemon, but the sword was important and they needed it. And if Impmon had to take a test to get it, then he would do it.

"All right, I'll take the test."

"Excellent," Wisemon stepped off to the side and gestured to the inside of the hallway. "Come this way, then." The group began walking forward with Impmon, Ai and Mako in the lead. Before they could enter the hallway, Wisemon stepped between Impmon and the twins, and the rest of the team.

"I am sorry, but this test is for only Impmon, so therefore, only his partners can come in with him," the scholar stated. "The rest of you will have to wait out here."

"Are you serious?" asked Yolei. Rika and Jeri nodded to acknowledge Wisemon, and stepped back with their partners. Yolei and Cody moved back as well with Hawkmon, Armadillomon and Kari, but Gatomon stayed where she stood.

"I'm coming in as well," the white cat said with a glare sent to Wisemon. "Impmon is my best friend. He has helped me in the past, and I vowed to help him as well. Either you let me in, or I make you." Wisemon merely looked down at Gatomon, his expression hidden by his darkened face.

"Gatomon…" Impmon breathed, touched slightly by Gatomon's display of friendship.

"Your words ring true, and I admire your loyalty," Wisemon finally said. "Very well, you and your partner shall come as well."

"Good," Gatomon turned to her partner. "Come on, Kari." The bearer of Light nodded and walked forward. Wisemon stepped aside so the chosen ones could enter the hallway. Once Kari was in, Wisemon floated back into the hall, and the doors swung shut of their own accord.

"All we can do now is wait," Renamon stated. The kitsune walked over to a tree and sat down cross-legged in the shade, closed her eyes, and began to meditate.

"Is she serious? All we can do is wait?" Yolei asked, slightly annoyed.

"I believe so," said Elecmon. "If this sword is as important as Impmon says it is, then we must be patient and have faith in our friends. This Dashenbian sword sounds like a weapon of great power that must not be used so recklessly."

"But are you sure this is the right idea?" asked a skeptical Cody. "Can we even trust Impmon to get the sword?"

"Of course, we can trust Impmon!" Jeri said, offended at Cody's lack of trust in Ai and Mako's partner. "He's a partner Digimon!" Cody merely grunted a little before walking away. Finding a stick on the ground, he picked it up and began swinging it like a shinai.

---

(Play Digimon Tamers: Ankoku~Kibou)

Wisemon led Impmon, Gatomon and their partners down the hallway, which had lit up the moment the doors closed. Lightning up the hallway were Mokumon, small Digimon that looked like puffs of smoke with small flames on their tops, and DemiMeramon, small fireball-shaped Digimon that were the evolved form of Mokumon.

"So, where do we take this test?" Impmon asked after several minutes of walking.

"Almost there," Wisemon said simply, leading the group into a room filled with books and other stuff, such as beakers, serums and more.

"Is this a library?" asked Ai.

"Seems appropriate. I mean, we have to take a test, right?" asked Mako. "What kind of questions are on this test?"

"I don't think it's that kind of test," Gatomon told the twins, both looking confused at the white cat.

"She is correct." Wisemon pressed his hand on a bare wall in the room, and wall vanished, revealing a dark tunnel inside. "This tunnel is where your test will happen. In this test, you shall be confronted by three memories from your past. They will simply be memories, but they will be like real Digimon. In order to defeat these memories and pass the test Impmon, you must do it with a strong heart and with those by your side." Impmon looked over to Ai, Mako, Gatomon and Kari with a set look on his face.

"Okay then…let's do this." Impmon took in a deep breath and was the first to enter the tunnel, Ai and Mako following close behind, and Gatomon and Kari taking up the rear.

"I bid you good luck." Those were Wisemon's final words before the wall rose up again, plunging the tunnel into pitch blackness.

"Well, here goes nothing," Kari said, getting unseen nods from everybody. Impmon continued leading the way down the tunnel, unsure but prepared for whatever memories the test had for him.

---

"Everybody," Tai pulled out his Digivice and everybody else whose partners hadn't Digivolved yet mimicked his movements, "Digivolve now!"

(Play Digimon: EVO)

Six flashes of light filled the area, and MetalGreymon, WereGarurumon, Garudamon, MegaKabuterimon, Zudomon and Andromon stood ready for battle.

"I'll take care of Mamemon! You guys take care of the other Digimon!" Piximon broke off from the group and began fighting Mamemon, who was roughly the same size as the small winged Digimon. Piximon swung his spear around, and Mamemon deflected the strike with his red gloved hands. The small Digimon punched Piximon in the face, but the experienced fighter regained his balance by spreading his wings and taking flight, ramming into Mamemon and flying into the air. The fairy Digimon threw Mamemon down to the sandy floor, but received a surprise when Mamemon stopped falling about three feet above the ground and flew right back at him, his fist glowing brightly.

"SMILEY BOMB!" Mamemon swung his arm around and released a red ball of energy at Piximon, who countered with his own bomb attack.

"PIT BOMB!" The two attacks collided in an explosion that knocked both Digimon for a loop, but they both regained their balance and continued clashing in the sky, Mamemon's fists meeting Piximon's spear with every strike.

---

"GIGA DESTROYER II!" MetalTyrannomon raised his right arm in the air and fired a massive shark-shaped missile at the Digidestined and Tamers, forcing them to scatter.

"GIGA DESTROYER!"

"SPIRAL SWORD!"

MetalGreymon and Andromon's attacks blasted MetalTyrannomon back, but it was clear from the smoke clearing, the cyborg dinosaur would be a challenge. MetalTyrannomon roared at the two opponents and charged forward, clashing his claws with MetalGreymon's and pushing him back, but MetalGreymon planted his feet firmly in the ground as Andromon leapt up and wrapped his arms around MetalTyrannomon's neck in an attempt to pull him away from MetalGreymon.

---

"Lillymon, Rapidmon, take care of Monzaemon!" WereGarurumon called as he ran over to help Paildramon, Antylamon and Cyberdramon fight MagnaAngemon. "I can help with – UGH!" The werewolf was suddenly knocked off his feet by a hot piece of metal. Sitting up with a groan, WereGarurumon saw SkullMeramon running towards him, his chain swinging around in his hands, blue flames flying off it.

"HEAT CHAIN!" The chain came swinging down, but WereGarurumon was prepared this time and rolled out of the way of the flailing weapon. The beast man growled, realizing he would have to fight SkullMeramon first if he wanted to get to MagnaAngemon.

"HEAT CHAIN!"

"GARURU KICK!" WereGarurumon swung his powerful leg around as the chain came swinging again, and he kicked it aside before charging forward and knocking SkullMeramon back with his Wolf Claw. He landed on the ground, grunting in pain from the flames he touched when he attacked SkullMeramon.

"HORN BUSTER!" MegaKabuterimon flew down and rammed his horn into SkullMeramon, knocking the flaming man away before he could strike WereGarurumon again.

"Let's double team him!" the massive red insect said to his friend. "When I give you the signal, go for the Spiral. My shell can take the heat of the flames for a short time!"

"I gotcha," WereGarurumon grunted, turning his sights back for SkullMeramon.

---

"HEARTS ATTACK!" Monzaemon crossed his arms in an X-formation in front of his chest before extending them, releasing a number of pink hearts at Lillymon, Garudamon and Rapidmon. Garudamon held up her arms in front of her face to protect herself, as her size made her unable to move fast enough to dodge the hearts, while Lillymon and Rapidmon used their smaller size and rapid speed to weave and dodge their way through to the teddy bear. Rapidmon fired his missiles to take out any hearts protecting Monzaemon, allowing Lillymon to kick him in the head.

"You really want to go a second round with me, Monzaemon?" Lillymon asked with a smirk, remembering the last time she fought Monzaemon. It was the first time she had Digivolved to the Champion level and she fought Monzaemon, who was controlled by one of Devimon's Black Gears, and despite the fact that she was a Champion level going up against an Ultimate level in the form of Monzaemon, she won the fight by herself, knocking the Black Gear out of Monzaemon's body. "I should let you know, it will be worse than last time!"

"BOOM-BEAR PUNCH!" The teddy bear swung his paws at Lillymon in an attempt to knock the fairy Digimon to the ground, but Lillymon dodged the attack and flew up, allowing Garudamon to strike with her Shadow Wing, the flaming bird knocking Monzaemon off his feet. The yellow bear Digimon stood back up and growled at the three opposing Digimon, intent on taking them down for his master, the Digimon Emperor.

---

"POISON PIERCE!" SkullScorpiomon lashed out at WarGrowlmon with his pointed tail, which was laced with poison. The cyborg dinosaur grabbed the stinger and held it at arm's length with the skeletal Digimon snapped at him with his pincers. Fortunately, Whamon was on hand, thanks to a levitation card from Kenta that allowed Whamon to battle without needing to be in water.

"JET ARROW!" A stream of water flew out of Whamon's blowhole and blasted SkullScorpiomon away, saving WarGrowlmon from being poisoned.

"Now, WarGrowlmon! While he's disoriented!" called Takato. WarGrowlmon nodded and began charging up his cannons. However SkullScorpimon managed to shake off the water attack and opened up his mouth.

"BLACKOUT!" A black mist flew from his mouth and enveloped WarGrowlmon and Whamon. WarGrowlmon yelled as the effects of the mist took him over, destroying his sight temporarily. All he could see was black nothingness. He couldn't see, but he could still hear everything going around him.

"Takato, I can't see!" the cyborg Digimon yelled to his partner. "It's all dark!"

"It's only temporary WarGrowlmon, but be careful!" Takato called out, seeing SkullScorpiomon vanish into the sand. "He may be coming around to attack you from behind!"

"Behind?" WarGrowlmon turned around to the sound of the sand behind him shuffling, but because of the mist, he was still blind. He could hear SkullScorpiomon burst from the ground and Takato telling him that he was right in front of him, but he could tell he wouldn't move fast enough to strike back…

"JET ARROW!" Whamon's voice sounded, and WarGrowlmon could hear SkullScorpiomon yell in surprise as he flew away from him, and WarGrowlmon knew that Whamon had managed to save him from being stabbed.

"Whamon, how were you able to hit him?" Kenta asked in surprise as his partner rammed into the skeletal insect. "I thought he hit you with his Blackout attack."

"He did, but technically, I don't have eyes!" Whamon said as he swung around and smacked SkullScorpiomon with his massive tail. As the sea animal fought SkullScorpiomon, WarGrowlmon blinked rapidly as his vision began clearing up. A few moments more, and he would be able to see what he was doing again.

---

"BUNNY BLADES!" Antylamon charged for MagnaAngemon again, her arms once again sharp axes. The Deva Digimon slashed and hacked at her opponent, but MagnaAngemon was able to block and parry the blows with his sword and shield before unleashing a Soul Vanisher that caught Antylamon in the eyes, temporarily blinding her and allowing MagnaAngemon to knock down the Deva with a punch.

"STING STRIKE!" Paildramon extended the blades on his wrists, slashing and stabbing at MagnaAngemon in an attempt to get the Dark Spiral, but the angel Digimon moved fast and parried each strike, though Paildramon was able to get in several cuts on his foe. Paildramon then leapt back as Cyberdramon flew around and bit MagnaAngemon, his teeth sinking into his left shoulder.

"ARG!" MagnaAngemon roared in pain from the bite and flapped his wings to fly, rolling around in an attempt to throw him off. Eventually Cyberdramon was thrown off, but a chunk of MagnaAngemon's shoulder was ripped off, and he was bleeding. The wound proved a minor annoyance as the angel Digimon healed himself again with Magna Antidote. Unfortunately, this exposed him to Cyberdramon's next attack.

"DESOLATION CLAW!" The energy blast hit him right in the chest and knocked him down into a sand dune, and MagnaAngemon could not be seen.

"Did that get him?" Paildramon's question was answered moments later when MagnaAngemon burst out of the sand dune, all eight wings extended as he attacked with his sword again. Paildramon managed to block the sword strike with his lances and kicked the angel Digimon back.

Ken smirked as he watched MagnaAngemon fight. As he thought, Paildramon and Cyberdramon were as powerful as ever, but he knew it was only a matter of time before they fell to MagnaAngemon's power. 'This is actually amusing…but they will soon fall like dominoes…'

---

(Play Digimon Adventure: Brave Heart)

"Get ready, WarGrowlmon!" Whamon yelled to his comrade. WarGrowlmon, whose vision was becoming clearer now, nodded his head as he could see the blurred shape of SkullScorpiomon leap up at Whamon, who slammed his tail into the ground, creating a fissure and making a wall of water rise up from the crack.

"TIDAL WAVE!" The massive wave engulfed SkullScorpiomon, and the insect Digimon thrashed and flailed wildly in the torrent of water before crashing down into the ground. SkullScorpiomon coughed loudly and shook his head to get the water out of his head, but it exposed him to WarGrowlmon's attack.

"He's in range, WarGrowlmon!" called Takato. "Hit him now!"

"ATOMIC BLASTER!" The red energy blast tore through the air and hit SkullScorpiomon, who flew further back and hit the sand, losing consciousness as the Dark Spiral broke off from the attack.

---

Nearby, SkullMeramon continued whipping his chains at WereGarurumon, but the wolf man punched and kicked the chains away, and the metal weapons were grabbed by MegaKabuterimon, the red insect pulling the chains tight and preventing SkullMeramon from moving. Unfortunately, he forgot about SkullMeramon's other attack, which came from his mouth.

"HEAVY METAL FIRE!" MegaKabuterimon gasped as the blue flames flew at him, and he bent down at the last second, yelling out as the flames hit his shell.

"MegaKabuterimon!" WereGarurumon called out to his friend.

"Don't…worry…about me!" the red beetle said in a strained voice, his grip on the chains never weakening. "Get…the Spiral! Now!" WereGarurumon nodded and ran forward, using his leg strength to leap high into the air, clearing MegaKabuterimon's shell and having a clear shot at SkullMeramon.

"WOLF CLAW!" The energy slash flew from WereGarurumon's claws and hit SkullMeramon in the face, stopping the fire attack and allowing MegaKabuterimon to attack.

"HORN BUSTER!" The red insect released SkullMeramon's chains and flew forward, snaring him in his horn. "Break it now!" WereGarurumon leaped up again and released a Garuru Kick followed by another Wolf Claw. The attacks hit the Dark Spiral back to back, and the dark device shattered from the two strong consecutive attacks. Once SkullMeramon was free, MegaKabuterimon threw him off his horn.

---

"HEARTS ATTACK!" Monzaemon's hearts flew out again, but Garudamon was prepared this time as she flew forward.

"SHADOW WING!" The flaming bird cut through the hearts and blinded Monzaemon in a fiery flash, allowing Lillymon and Rapidmon to fly in with a flurry of punches and kicks. Rapidmon swung low and hooked the teddy bear's legs, sending him flying on his back. Lillymon followed this up by picking up Monzaemon and throwing him forward before preparing her attack.

"FLOWER CANNON!" The energy shell flew forward along with Rapidmon's Rapid Fire, and the Dark Spiral was shattered by the two attacks. Monzaemon was thrown back further, and he landed in an unconscious heap.

"Geez, talk about embarrassing," muttered Rapidmon. "We had a hard time trying to take down a teddy bear. A freaking teddy bear!"

"Yeah, and he's not even the toughest," Lillymon grimaced as she flew back to fight MagnaAngemon, Rapidmon and Garudamon following behind her as well.

---

"TRIDENT ARM!" MetalGreymon's arm flew forward, and MetalTyrannomon sidestepped the clawed hand, grabbing the arm and pulling hard on it, sending MetalGreymon off his feet and into the sand dunes.

"SPIRAL SWORD!" Andromon attacked next with his energy blade, but MetalTyrannomon blasted it with his Giga Destroyer II before firing his Nuclear Laser again, hitting Andromon in the chest and making him slide back. The humanoid cyborg stood his ground and attempted to push forward, but the heat and energy from the laser beam was slowly cracking his armor in several places.

"Kazu…I need…help!"

"Hang on!" Kazu reached into his pocket and pulled out a card to swipe. "This will do the trick! DIGI-MODIFY! DEFENSE PLUG-IN Q!" Andromon's entire body became a hard stone-like material, giving him better resistance against the Nuclear Laser attack. Andromon continued pushing forward before he was finally facing MetalTyrannomon's left arm. Grabbing it with his still stony hands, he forced the arm upwards, making the laser fly into the sky above where Piximon and Mamemon were continuing their battle.

---

"STRIKE UPPER!" Mamemon's gloves glowed red again, and he began delivering punch after punch to Piximon's spear, forcing the fairy Digimon back.

'This guy is tougher than he looks…I'll need a new plan if I want to…!' The fairy Digimon's thoughts were disturbed when he saw the laser beam of MetalTyrannomon shoot near them. A new idea forming in his head, Piximon swung in a circle and smacked Mamemon with his spear before firing his Pit Bomb again, blasting Mamemon into the path of the laser. The small Digimon yelled in pain from the heat of the laser. Once the laser stopped firing, Mamemon lost consciousness and fell to the ground below.

Taking careful aim, Piximon threw his spear downwards. The pointed weapon soared down and hit its target, the Dark Spiral on Mamemon's arm, true on spot, breaking it and releasing Mamemon from the nightmare of enslavement.

---

"Come on Andromon! You got this, buddy!" Kazu yelled to his partner. Andromon's stone defense still held as he pushed back MetalTyrannomon before swinging him into MetalGreymon, the orange cyborg dinosaur headbutting the Virus Ultimate before jumping back and spreading his wings to fly.

"GIGA DESTROYER!" The missiles soared and hit the disoriented MetalTyrannomon, knocking him out in an explosion. The Dark Spiral cracked from the attack, and Andromon finished it off with his Spiral Sword.

"This changes nothing," Ken sneered as he looked on and saw his five slaves being freed, Stingmon looking on feeling hopeful and nervous. "MagnaAngemon! Blast them again!" MagnaAngemon leaped back from Antylamon's axe hands and flew into the air, moving his sword around into a circle.

"HEAVEN'S GATE!" The gate opened and began charging energy for another blast.

"Oh man…he's going to blast us again!" Joe groaned, remembering what happened two days ago when MagnaAngemon used his Heaven's Gate on him and his friends.

"I may have an idea," Davis said before looking over to the Digimon, who were now fully drawn to MagnaAngemon. "Everybody, combine all of your attacks together!"

"All of them?!" Antylamon asked in surprise.

"What do we have to lose?" Paildramon shrugged. "Everybody, attack now! DESPERADO BLASTER!"

"DESOLATION CLAW!"

"GIGA DESTROYER!"

"WOLF CLAW!"

"SHADOW WING!"

"HORN BUSTER!"

"FLOWER CANNON!"

"VULCAN'S HAMMER!"

"ATOMIC BLASTER!"

"RAPID FIRE!"

"SPIRAL SWORD!"

"JET ARROW!"

"BUNNY BLADES!"

A massive ball of pure white energy was formed from all thirteen attacks coming together, much larger than the blast of energy coming from MagnaAngemon's gate. The two attacks collided, and the ball was pushed back by the stream of light before pushing back the stream. The Digidestined and Tamers stared in awe as the ball of energy charged for the gate and MagnaAngemon, Ken and Stingmon equally shocked as well.

'This…cannot be!' Ken thought as the energy ball broke through the gate and crashed into MagnaAngemon, driving him across the desert and creating a massive ditch. The smoke from the resulting explosion reached nearly twice the normal height of a Control Spire.

"YA-HOO!" Davis cheered wildly. "Now that's what I'm talking about!"

"Please be okay, Patamon…" TK whispered softly, hoping that massive attack was enough to shatter the Dark Spiral.

"Man, that had to have gotten him!" Kazu said with a confident look on his face. "It looks like we don't need that sword Impmon was talking about!"

"Uh, I hate to break the bad news, but he's still standing…and the Spiral's still on!" Kenta pointed out. Sure enough, MagnaAngemon emerged from the massive crater and used his Magna Antidote again to heal the injuries, and the Dark Spiral still showed no signs of damage. The eight-winged angel managed to protect the Spiral by raising his arms up and letting the beam shield take the brunt of the attack.

"What's it going to take to beat him already?!" Rapidmon yelled out.

"Let's try combining our attacks again!" Paildramon suggested. "Get ready!"

"I don't think so!" Ken snapped his whip in the air. "I have to admit, that was certainly impressive, and you did come close to breaking the Spiral. But let's see what happens when you have to break more than one Dark Spiral!"

(Play Digimon Adventure: Kuroi Inbou)

"Wait, what is he…" Matt began to ask, but was cut off when three more Dark Spirals dropped down from the sky and attached themselves to MagnaAngemon's right arm, right leg, and left leg.

"Aw, come on!" yelled Davis. "That's not fair at all, Ken!"

"I haven't been playing fair ever since this all started, Davis," Ken replied as MagnaAngemon began glowing dark from the extra power. The winged angel grew several feet, and his appearance began changing. His silver wings became black like raven's wings, his white suit became a light shade of black. The golden bands on his chest became a dull blue. And the sword, helmet and beam shield turned a blood red color.

"Oh, great..." Matt groaned at what he saw. "It's just like with Devimon's Black Gears in Leomon!"

"Magna…Angemon…" TK breathed in horror, seeing what had become of his partner now. The others looked worried about this new development, but Tai, Davis, Takato and Ryo stood their ground.

"Come on guys, we can't let this slow us down!" said Davis. "We can still take him on!"

"He's right," Tai said, sweat running down his brow as Piximon flew down to join the children. "We're not done yet!"

"Impmon will be back soon, I just know it!" said Takato. "We just have to buy him more time!"

"Then that's what we'll do!" said Ryo, turning to the small fairy Digimon. "Piximon, get the Digimon that are not part of this fight out of here! This is going to get ugly, and we don't want any innocents caught in the crossfire."

"All right then. Good luck, my friends." Piximon flew up into the air and swung his spear around his fingers, creating a magical powder that spread around on Monzaemon, MetalTyrannomon, Mamemon, SkullScorpiomon and SkullMeramon. The five Digimon vanished along with Piximon, leaving the Digidestined, the Tamers and their Digimon standing against Ken, MagnaAngemon and Stingmon.

"We're not going to let you go down this dark path any further, Ken!" Davis said. "We came here to save you, and that's what we're going to do today!"

"You will try," Ken said.

(Play Digimon Adventure: Shuugeki! Soshite…)

"HEAVEN'S GATE!" MagnaAngemon drew the circle again, and this time the gate was a pitch black as it opened up.

"Everybody, now!" Paildramon yelled. The Digimon fired off their special attacks again, and like before, the white ball of energy flew at the gate. But everybody was shocked when they saw the ball suddenly stop in front of the gate before being sucked into the gate.

"Oops. I guess I forgot about that!" Paildramon said with a nervous look on his face. Ken smirked at his enemies' shocked faces as the gate suddenly began glowing brightly, and Davis and TK's minds both flashed back to the battle at Full Metal City.

"Everybody, hit the deck! He's going to send the attack right back at us!" yelled Davis.

"With that much power, we'll still be knocked back, even if we get out of the way!" said WereGarurumon.

"Now who's finished?!" Ken laughed evilly. Takato grimaced as he looked at the charging gate, and then to WarGrowlmon. The red cyborg dinosaur turned his head to look down at his Tamer, and both of them looked at each other with a look of understanding.

"Ryo. Hand me the King Device card," the goggled Tamer said to his elder teammate. Ryo looked at him with surprise.

"The King Device card?" Ryo pulled out the card Takato requested as he looked unsure. "Takato, do you think this is a good idea?"

"What choice do we have?" Takato asked with a pleading look. "WarGrowlmon may be a Virus attribute taking on a Vaccine attack, but his armor and defense is higher than any of our other Digimon right now. With the card, he may be able to take the full force of the attack for us."

"But there's no telling what taking that amount of damage will do to you!" Henry said apprehensively. Takato steeled himself and answered, "We'll make it out. We will. I believe it!"

Ryo breathed in as he handed the card to Takato. "All right, go for it!"

"Fire on them, MagnaAngemon! Do it now!" called Ken.

"Patamon, stop this!" TK called out, but his plea was ignored as the attack was fired, and the energy ball began sailing towards its target. The Digimon moved close together to protect their partners, and were surprised when WarGrowlmon landed in front of them with his back turned on them.

"WarGrowlmon, what are you doing?!" asked Antylamon. The Deva's question was answered by a yell from Takato.

(Play Digimon: SLASH!)

"DIGI-MODIFY! KING DEVICE ACTIVATE!" To the surprise of the Digidestined, WarGrowlmon grew to twice his normal size, big enough to protect everybody from the attack. The energy ball collided with WarGrowlmon, and everything went white for a few moments as the shock waves created from the explosion sent everybody off their feet.

When the white faded, Davis looked up to see his friends and the Digimon were picking themselves up off the ground, separated by the explosion. A moan of pain made him turn his attention to see WarGrowlmon back to normal size, battered and bruised from taking the full force of the attack. Takato was also banged up as well, and was being supported by Henry and Sora.

"So this is…the full power…of MagnaAngemon…" Takato breathed. "It's terrifying…"

"…Yet impressive…" continued WarGrowlmon.

"You only delay the inevitable, WarGrowlmon," Ken said with a sneer. "You're all dead meat! MagnaAngemon, finish them off!" The winged angel took flight and charged at WarGrowlmon with a yell. WarGrowlmon roared at the challenge and fired up his jet boosters, charging for the corrupted angel. He knew he was a Virus attribute against a Vaccine attribute, and he knew he was hurting from the attack he just took, as well as the effects of the King Device card, but for his Tamer Takato, for Davis and Ryo, and for TK, he would fight until the bitter end. And the other Digimon, jumping back into battle to aid WarGrowlmon, were determined to fight to the end as well. They could only hope they could win, and if they couldn't, then it would be all down to Impmon.

But they would not stop until the end…

(Play Days: Aijou to Nichijou: TV Size)

END CHAPTER 17

Quite some action in this chapter, huh? I decided to incorporate the attribute advantage in this story, and it will be brought up during some moments. We also got a glimpse of Ryo's past with Ken and Sam, as well as Davis's first day in the Digital World.

Next time, the battle against MagnaAngemon continues, as well as Impmon's test. What will happen?

Minor spoiler: Nothing good.