The wind whistled in their ears as Birdramon soared through the air. Sand rushed past them in a blur of yellow and beige. Of the seven riding on Birdramon's back, the three Digimon were focusing on the ground below them for any signs of the Digimon they were currently after. Judai, too, was leaning to the side in order to look. The other three were going between searching and looking at each other as they talked. They had been speaking of Beelzemon, only to switch to discussing what strategy they would be using in the approaching fight. One of their goals was to avoid any major injuries. The only problem was a lack of information.

"Without knowing who we're up against, or their numbers, it's hard to make an actual plan of attack," Tadashi stated. "We know that a Mega is leading them, which Sakuyamon will have to deal with. Other than that, we know nothing."

"So we'll have to come up with a plan once we find them. Sounds good to me," Shizuka said. A grin spread across her face when her brother frowned at her.

"It's better if we go into this with an actual plan. You know that."

"You're the one who said we don't know enough to even make a plan."

"That doesn't mean that we can't be prepared—"

"You two need to stop arguing," Daiki interrupted. "Do any of you have any suggestions?"

Pausing in their search, Dorumon and Gabumon turned to Daiki.

"They're both right," Dorumon said.

Gabumon nodded. "We can't make a real plan, but we can decide how we want to approach this. Then we can make a plan when we find out who we're fighting."

"If we are outnumbered, then would be best that we focus on getting rid of the weakest before taking on the stronger enemies." Renamon tilted her head to look at the twins. "Sometimes I wonder if you both enjoy arguing considering how often you do so."

The two were ready to snap at her, only to look at each other and turn away with irritated huffs. Thankful that the two were being quiet, Daiki shifted to stare down at the desert below. Dorumon and Gabumon let out sighs as they turned their attention back to searching.

A long period of silence followed.

"Hey, look down there!" Judai shouted. Birdramon slowed so he could point to several imprints in the sand. "Aren't those footprints?"

One by one everyone moved to see what Judai was pointing at. Sure enough, there were four different sets of footprints in the sand. Smiling, Daiki gently jabbed Judai in the side with his elbow.

"Good catch."

"Looks like they had a change of plans. The tracks head off to the east," Birdramon said. Tilting her body to the right, she adjusted her flight path.

Daiki narrowed his eyes. The tracks led to an oasis in the distance. There were enough trees there that it would be dangerous to go charging in. They needed to be on guard. "We should be careful. They're probably going to use those trees for cover."

Pulling his Digivice from his pocket, Tadashi looked at each of their partners. "Everyone should Digivolve before we head in just to be safe. If we're caught off guard, Sakuyamon can shield us with her barrier."

Birdramon landed and waited for all of them to jump down before folding her wings to her sides. All four Digimon began to glow as they Digivolved. Just when the glow faded, fire spewed forth from between the trees. Garudamon dropped down to one knee to place her hands around the four humans. A large spherical barrier formed around them in time to stop the fire. The moment the fire died down, Sakuyamon dropped the shield. With a single flap of her wings, Garudamon caused a burst of wind that shook the trees and startled those hiding within them. The wind gust came to an abrupt stop and four Digimon stepped out into the open.

The first was a rather bulky bipedal bull. Where his hand would be, there was a weapon that seemed to be a cross between cannon and a gun. Beside him was a lanky red devil dressed in black. In his right hand he held a crimson pitchfork. On the other side of the bull was a large skeletal Digimon with glowing yellow eyes. It had two large pinchers and a long tail ending with a metal blade. Standing in front of the trio was a tall humanoid wearing pieces of greenish-gold armor. Large red leathery wings were partially outstretched behind him.

Judai looked down at his Digivice.

"Minotaurmon, Phelesmon, and Scorpiomon. All Ultimate Digimon. The one in front is a Mega called Murmukusmon." Raising his head, he looked at his friends. "They sound tough."

"If it isn't the DigiDestined. What a pleasure to meet you all," Murmukusmon said with a smirk. He crossed his right arm over his chest and bowed. "Truly an honor."

"Cut the crap. What you doing here?" Daiki asked.

"Following our leader's orders, of course. Though we no longer have to search, as you've brought yourselves to us." Pausing, Murmukusmon swept his gaze over the group. "Though I see a few of your friends aren't here. No matter. We'll find them once we deal with you."

Popping her knuckles, Shizuka glared at him. "You sound pretty damn cocky. Guess we'll have to knock you down a notch or two."

"You're welcome to try."

A few tense moments passed before the two groups launched themselves at each other.

WereGarurumon swung a fist at Phelesmon. The demon leaned to the side to dodge it. Growling, WereGarurumon began a series of punches and kicks. Despite his best efforts, Phelesmon dodged every attack. He leapt into the air and threw his pitchfork down at WereGarurumon. WereGarurumon back-flipped out of the way, but the moment he was on his hind feet, Phelesmon was in front of him and aiming a kick at his head. Raising one arm, WereGarurumon blocked the attack and then grabbed the leg with his other paw. He shifted his footing and spun around to slam Phelesmon into the ground. When Phelesmon pushed himself to his feet, WereGarurumon kneed him in the stomach.

Close by, DoruGreymon lowered his head and charged Scorpiomon. To stop the dragon, Scorpiomon grabbed hold of DoruGreymon's horn with his pinchers. The skeletal scorpion did his best to hang on when DoruGreymon began to swing his head around, but was eventually thrown to the side. As DoruGreymon began to charge again, Scorpiomon raised his tail up to point it forward.

"He can poison you with his tail!" Judai shouted.

Just as Scorpiomon lashed out with his tail, DoruGreymon narrowly dodged by flying upwards. He circled around and shot a metal sphere out. It hit Scorpiomon in the chest the same moment Phelesmon was thrown into him. When Scorpiomon hit the ground, Phelesmon was catapulted into the air and landed face first in the sand. WereGarurumon was on him immediately, slamming both heels into Phelesmon's back. DoruGreymon stepped up to Scorpiomon and locked his jaws onto the skeleton's spine. There was a sickening crunch as he bit down, snapping the spine and destroying the Digimon at the same time that WereGarurumon finished off Phelesmon.

Garudamon was busy trying to land a hit on Minotaurmon. Despite his bulk, the bull was surprisingly quick, hopping out of the way of each of her punches. Her fist slammed into the ground, and he retaliated by punching her with his gun hand. A blast of energy came from it that made her screech in pain. She finally managed to catch him off guard by swinging her entire arm at him. It hit him in the chest and sent him skidding through the sand. Before he could get up, she grabbed hold of him and tossed him into the air. Then she hit him in the back with her fist, sending him crashing back down. She wrapped both hands around him to crush him.

Flames burst into the air from Murmukusmon, but Sakuyamon threw up a temporary barrier to shield herself as she descended. The barrier disappeared when the fire stopped. She jumped forward and kneed Murmukusmon in the face. She flipped, landing on her hands while swinging her legs upwards to kick his jaw. Using the momentum, she did another flip to right herself. Murmukusmon stumbled back with his hands on his face. Unable to see her, he couldn't avoid several additional kicks to the stomach and chest that sent him sprawling across the sand. Four spirits of various colors formed around her and then slammed into the downed Digimon.

Everyone gathered around.

"Tell us what your real orders were," Sakuyamon said with a glare.

A light chuckle turned into laughter as Murmukusmon stared up at the group. "To distract you and stall for time."

They turned away as Sakuyamon finished him.

"Why would they need to stall? Is it possible there were more of them that we didn't see?" Tadashi wondered.

Judai's eyes widened. "Are Mikami and Yoko safe?"

"We need to head back to check on them," Shizuka said.

"Right. Let's get—"

A sudden noise from the communication in his pocket cut Daiki off. He fished it out and turned it on. The hologram that appeared from the device was of Gallantmon. Before he could ask what was going on, Gallantmon began to talk, breathing heavily.

"I need back-up immediately. We underestimated the strength of the enemy force. I can hold them off for a bit longer, but—"

The transmission erupted into static as the hologram cut out. Daiki winced and turned off the device.

"Damn it," he muttered. "Let's head over to help them. I'll call Yoko to see if everything's alright. Are you guys okay to stay Digivolved?"

Each of their partners gave an affirmative nod. While Tadashi, Shizuka, and WereGarurumon rode on Garudamon, Judai, Daiki, and Sakuyamon rode on DoruGreymon's back. Daiki started trying to contact Yoko the moment DoruGreymon was in the air, but found himself having no luck. His heart began to beat faster the longer it took for anyone to pick up. Why weren't any of them answering? What if something had happened to them? Had they been attacked while Daiki and the others had been busy fighting? He was sure he was going to have a panic attack while how much his chest was starting to hurt.

Then a hologram of Yoko appeared.

"Sorry about it took so long! We were all outside playing tic-tac-toe in the sand when Salamon said she heard this making noise," she said with a laugh. The smile faded when she saw the concerned look on his face. "Are you okay? Is everything alright? No one got hurt, did they?"

He let out a long breath. "No. I was just a bit worried, that's all. We're heading to the Rock Zone to help Gallantmon, so it'll be awhile before we get back. Think you'll be alright waiting a little longer?"

"We'll be fine! We'll just keep playing tic-tac-toe. Purimon is really good at it."

"Did you teach her how to play?" When Yoko nodded, Daiki laughed. "That's not surprising. Is Beelzemon behaving?"

"Well, he hasn't even left the room once," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "He just sits in there and doesn't say a word. I can't tell if he's moping or if he just likes to be alone. I think he's moping, but Mikami says he just wants to be alone with his thoughts."

For moment he wasn't sure how to respond. He cleared his throat. "That's good, I guess. Stay safe, okay? We'll be back as soon as we can."

"Don't worry about us! Focus on beating up the bad guys."

Daiki grinned. "Will do. Bye, Yoko. Tell Mikami I said hi."

"Okay. Bye!"

He shut off the device and jumped when Sakuyamon lightly touched his shoulder. She gave him a quizzical look and then pointed to where their friends were looking at him. A simple thumbs-up satisfied them. With their worries resolved, they focused on the coming battle.

~0~

A sword swung into view from his left, forcing Gallantmon to turn and raise his shield to block it. He braced both hands against his shield as Gaiomon swung both of his swords repeatedly at Gallantmon. With all of his focus on protecting against the onslaught, he was unable to avoid a punch from Darkdramon. It hit him directly in the chest, sending him slamming into a nearby stone pillar. He fell to the ground, pieces of rock dropping around him as the pillar shattered from the impact. Gripping his hands into fists, he struggled to push himself up. A foot stomped onto his back, shoving him back down and making him groan.

"You just don't know when to stay down, do you?" Darkdramon asked. "Not that I mind. It just means we get to throw you around some more."

Triceramon stared at the group leaders in annoyance. "Why haven't you finished him and his underlings off yet? The sooner we're through with this, the sooner we can get on to doing what we're supposed to be doing."

"We're enjoying ourselves," Gaiomon said. "Unless you plan on joining them, I suggest you don't question us."

Due to the reprimanding, Triceramon lowered his head and glared from the corner of his eye when Vermilimon laughed. Even SkullBaluchimon chortled. As Gaiomon approached, he stopped and glanced down. At his feet was a device. He picked it up and started at it with a scrutinizing gaze.

Darkdramon noticed. "What is it?"

"A communication device." Crushing it in his hand, Gaiomon looked at Gallantmon. "Our toy probably called for help."

Scoffing, Darkdramon stepped away from the knight. "Get ready, then. I doubt we'll be fighting anyone stronger than Gallantmon. We'll wipe them out and then finish off the rest of these annoyances."

"What a shame. I was hoping we could have more fun."

Just when the five Digimon gathered together, a golden blur dropped down in the middle of the group.

"Amethyst Wind!"

A storm of cherry blossoms burst outwards from Sakuyamon, knocking back the three Ultimates. Both Darkdramon and Gaiomon raised their arms to defend against the attack. While the Ultimates picked themselves up off the ground, the two Megas looked up. WereGarurumon leapt down to stand beside Sakuyamon. Garudamon and DoruGreymon circled around to land near Gallantmon, letting the four humans jump down before joining their two friends.

"Why am I not surprised that he called the DigiDestined for back-up," Darkdramon said. "Do you expect to beat us with only one Mega?"

DoruGreymon looked over his shoulder. "You'd be surprised."

With a shout, Darkdramon lunged forward. Sakuyamon leapt into the way and knocked him back with a kick to the chest. As he slid back, Gaiomon charged with both swords raised above his head. He swung both swords downwards at Sakuyamon. She jumped back to avoid the blades and then jumped over him. Gaiomon shifted when she landed, and Darkdramon raced towards her, forcing her to throw up a barrier. They continued to push in the hopes of breaking the barrier. Just when cracks appeared in it, Sakuyamon dropped it and leapt back. The two stumbled and had to regain their footing.

Darkdramon moved back as Gaiomon charged Sakuyamon, swinging his swords around with incredible speed. Strange lights came from the tips of his swords and stayed in the air. Sakuyamon eyed them as she ducked and weaved between each swing of the swords.

"Don't touch the lights!" Daiki shouted. "They'll cut you!"

Sakuyamon nodded. She was so focused on Gaiomon's actions that she failed to notice Darkdramon come up from behind her. By the time her partner yelled to warn her, there wasn't enough time to dodge. The only thing she could do was move so that Darkdramon's claws cut through her side instead of impaling her. Off balance, she had to take a few steps back and lean to the side for a few seconds with her hand pressed against the wound before she could stand straight again. Darkdramon looked at Gaiomon and tilted his head to the side. With a nod, Gaiomon turned to run to where the DigiDestined were gathered. Sakuyamon moved to stop him, only for Darkdramon to jump in front of her.

It was then that DoruGreymon flew past the two, having abandoned his fight with Triceramon. The dragon slammed his side into Gaiomon to knock him aside. When DoruGreymon attempted to ram into Gaiomon again, Gaiomon moved out the way and swung both of his swords to leave two large cuts in DoruGreymon's right wing. Roaring in pain, DoruGreymon came to a stop. He twisted to look at the wounds and then turned around to glare at Gaiomon. The draconic samurai was spinning his swords around in his hands, staring at DoruGreymon with the kind of confidence that made him snarl.

His damaged wing made it impossible for DoruGreymon to get airborne. Gaiomon was stronger and faster than him. What was he going to do?

With Sakuyamon toe-to-toe with Darkdramon, and Garudamon and WereGarurumon preoccupied with their own fights, there was no one who could help him.

As he watched the two, Judai couldn't help but think back to what happened in the fight against Majiramon. Not once but twice they had almost lost that fight, with DoruGreymon barely being strong enough to subdue Majiramon and win.

This fight wasn't the same. Even though DoruGreymon was bigger than Gaiomon, there was no way for him to beat a Mega; the difference of power between them was too large.

Just like then, he felt completely useless.

He raised his head, his eyes meeting his partner's. There was such strong determination in his eyes even though he knew he couldn't win.

Judai's grip on his Digivice relaxed somewhat. Both of them were thinking the same thing. They were stronger than before. They had the strength to fight back. All they needed to do was dig down to find the strength that had helped them win before.

DoruGreymon focused on Gaiomon, calmer than before.

"You certainly seem more confident. Almost as if you believe you can win against me."

"It doesn't matter if I can or can't. I just have to try."

Gaiomon stopped spinning his swords. "Oh, please. Spout such nonsense all you want; it won't make it true."

"Maybe not for you. But it's true for me!"

They both ran forward.

As the two charged at each other, DoruGreymon began to glow. His body started transforming, becoming smaller and more humanoid. Gaiomon swung his swords down, only for his arms to be pushed outwards. A strike to the stomach made him drop his swords and skid backwards. The light disappeared to reveal a silver, blue, and gold bipedal dragon with large wings and a tail with a blade at the end. He stepped forward and picked up the swords, then tossed them at Gaiomon. Gaiomon caught the weapons and narrowed his eyes.

"It wouldn't be fair if you didn't have those," Dorugoramon said.

"Are you implying you're stronger than me?"

"One way to find out."

Gaiomon rushed forward and aimed a swing at Dorugoramon's midsection. Dorugoramon leapt into the air, kicking Gaiomon in the back of the head to propel himself, and landed. As Gaiomon spun around, Dorugoramon dropped to his knees to avoid the attack. He sprang forward and rolled out of the way when Gaiomon stabbed the swords downwards into the ground.

A low growl came from Gaiomon as he pulled the weapons out. Furious, he began to wildly swing in the hopes of landing a hit, but Dorugoramon proved to be too quick. He slid between the swords and the trails of light.

Huffing, Gaiomon stopped and threw down his swords.

"Sure you don't want to use those?" Dorugoramon asked. "You might need them."

The only response was a growl as he lunged. When he threw a punch, Dorugoramon stepped to the side and elbowed Gaiomon in the face. He followed it up with a series of punches. Gaiomon raised his arms to shield against the onslaught, but Dorugoramon pulled Gaiomon's arms down and kneed him in the stomach. He then grabbed hold of Gaiomon's right arm with both hands. Spinning around, Dorugoramon gained momentum and then threw Gaiomon into the air. As Gaiomon flailed, Dorugoramon flew up over him. With a heavy kick to the chest, Dorugoramon sent Gaiomon crashing down. The rocky ground cracked under the force.

Dorugoramon landed beside him and folded his arms.

"Guess I was stronger than you."

His tail lashed around to plunge into Gaiomon's chest.

He turned his attention to his friends. WereGarurumon had finally managed to take down Triceramon and Vermilimon, and was helping Garudamon deal with SkullBaluchimon, who was fast enough to avoid both of them. A short distance away, Sakuyamon was still struggling against Darkdramon. It wouldn't be long before the Mega managed to wear down Sakuyamon enough to beat her; he needed to be dealt with.

Shooting through the air, Dorugoramon reached them just as Darkdramon was about to land a blow. One leg outstretched, Dorugoramon aimed a kick at Darkdramon. Darkdramon noticed and blocked the kick by turning and crossing both of his arms. As he landed, Dorugoramon looked at Sakuyamon.

"Let's take him down."

"I am going to rip you apart!" Darkdramon roared.

While Sakuyamon moved into defensive position, Dorugoramon move into a fighting stance. Blue energy flared to life behind Darkdramon, propelling him towards the duo. As he neared them, Dorugoramon swung a punch. Darkdramon shifted to the right to avoid it and slammed his fist into Dorugoramon's chest. Sakuyamon attacked with a flaming kick to Darkdramon's side. Darkdramon retaliated by knocking her aside with his arm.

Dorugoramon leapt forward then to punch Darkdramon across the face. Darkdramon reared back his right arm and drove his Gigastick Lance into Dorugoramon's stomach. Sliding backwards, Dorugoramon dug his claws into the ground to slow himself, then stabbed his tail into the ground to come to a stop.

Before Darkdramon could reach him, Sakuyamon dropped down beside him. A barrier formed around the two, cutting off Darkdramon's attack.

He jumped back and then charged forward. Just before he hit the barrier, Sakuyamon dropped. She dodged to the side while Dorugoramon leapt over Darkdramon. Cherry blossom petals surrounded Darkdramon in a spinning pink vortex. Dorugoramon rose up into the air, energy building around his fist. As Darkdramon started to head upwards, Dorugoramon shot downwards to intercept him.

The moment his fist connected, a shockwave blasted outwards. It sent Darkdramon crashing into the ground. The vortex collapsed in on itself, covering Darkdramon. They scattered as Dorugoramon came down, slamming both feet into Darkdramon, and then stabbing his tail through Darkdramon's neck.

Dorugoramon stepped to the side as Darkdramon faded, hands on his hips. "That's finally over."

He and Sakuyamon looked over to see Garudamon crushed SkullBaluchimon. She then scooped up an exhausted WereGarurumon's into her hands just as he reverted to Gabumon. She approached them and blinked when Sakuyamon shrank to Renamon. Garudamon lowered her to Renamon, who gave the bird a grateful look as she climbed.

Dorugoramon approached Gallantmon with an outstretched hand. After a moment, Gallantmon took Dorugoramon's hand to be pulled to his feet. Though unsteady, the knight was able to remain standing.

"Are you gonna need help getting everyone back to the castle?" Daiki asked. "It looks like everyone got hurt pretty badly."

"Despite some of them having more serious injuries, everyone should pull through. Though I hate to say it, we were lucky that Darkdramon and his goons were too focused on enjoying themselves to cause any deadly injuries." He paused to glance around. When he didn't find what he was looking for, he sighed. "May I borrow your communicator?"

"Sure thing," Daiki said, handing it to Gallantmon.

Tadashi looked at Daiki. "Since he doesn't need any help, we should head back."

"I hope everything is okay with the others," Dorugoramon said.

Judai raised his head to look at his partner. "So, uh, are you gonna stay like that for a while or…?"

"Huh?" Blinking, Dorugoramon glanced down at himself and chuckled. "Oh, right."

A brief glow surrounded him as he shifted into Dorumon. Smiling, Judai reached down to rub his partner's head.

"You were amazing, buddy!"

"I couldn't have done it without you!" Dorumon replied with a grin.

"Alright, everyone, climb on," Garudamon said, lowering both of her hands. "We need to get going."

As everyone climbed on, Daiki stopped to turn to Gallantmon. "You absolutely sure you don't need any help?"

"We will be fine."

Nodding, Daiki jumped onto Garudamon's hand. "Alright. See ya."

With everyone safely in her hands, Garudamon flew off.