Arceus' apprentice proved to be a shock to the team and more than a match for Ein. Having learned the location of Ben and Summer our heroes prepare to storm The Under.

The returning team approached the HQ Lab. "I don't know what shocks me more." Kate muttered. "That Purple Eyes is back or that he's supposably on our side this time."

"My name is Blade."

Lunick whispered to Kyoko. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"He provided us with Ben and Summer's location and stopped Ein from escaping and flooding the island with lava. That means something."

They approached the large Ranger helicopter and opened the door. "Alright, chump, get in there!" Date roughly shoved the handcuffed Ein inside with Venus and slammed the door shut.

"Ein? How did they get you too?!"

The man growled. "If it weren't for that meddlesome stranger, I wouldn't be here right now."

"H-how strong are they?! They aren't going to beat the Grandmaster are they?! Then who's going to let me out?!"

"Will you stop your panicking? The Grandmaster has the most powerful Shadow Pokemon ever created. Those brats will soon learn true fear."

Outside the helicopter the team went up the steps to the HQ Lab. And it wasn't long before someone impatiently waiting at the front door to run out and hurried over to them. "Kellyn! Kate! Keith!"

Kellyn stopped in his tracks. "Rythmi?" The operator tackled him to the ground in a hug. "Oof!"

"I'm so glad you're okay…" Rythmi was in tears.

"Rythmi, what are you doing here?" Kate asked.

"She's our backup." Wendy replied.

Rythmi helped Kellyn up as she looked at Kate and Keith. "Did they hurt you? Are you three okay?"

"We'll be fine." Keith replied.

Kellyn put a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry for worrying you." Rythmi looked at his smile then turned away with a blush. Kate and Keith chuckled.

Rythmi looked around. "Huh? Where are Ben and Summer?"

"Pichu…" Ben's Pokemon whimpered.

"I'm sorry Pichu." Takumi sighed. "We let them slip through our fingers again."

"We'll save them." Rand replied. "But first things first. Kellyn, Keith, Kate, about your partners…We know how to fix them up."

The helicopter reached its destination, with Ben and Summer who were still blindfolded and bound in rope. They were prepared to be forced to march again, but then one of the Ciphers each brought out a Pokemon while the others tied Ben and Summer's legs together and the shins, mid-thighs and ankles leaving a theater of rope dangling from their feet. The Bewear that was brought out picked up those tethers and Ben and Summer yelped as they were held upside down, dangling from the ropes around their ankles. The Peons laughed as they struggled while the Bewear started carrying them into this new hideout. Blindfolded, they had no idea where they were, but something about the atmosphere gave them chills. Eventually they were carried inside somewhere. The clanking sounds of their escort's shoes made against the floor told them it was made out of metal, but really that was all they could figure out about this place. Eventually they were brought into a room.

Now they each were laid down on a metal table. Iron clamps held their arms and legs spreadeagle. Long given up on trying to break free, they laid on the hard, cold surface. They had no idea how much time had passed between their arrival and when the door to their new cell opened. "So, these are the heroes themselves, hmm?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

"Indeed." It was Ardos' voice they heard reply. "Are you certain you can extract the info we need from them?"

"But of course. Evreything, I need is right here in this room. I shall find out the mystery of their power."

"Good. Let me know the moment you learn how they acquired the Guardian Signs. I must foresee the progress of our plans."

"I look forward to the festivities my friend. Cipher will accomplish something great soon."

"Indeed." Ben and Summer heard the door open and shut as Ardos left.

"Alone at last." The voice said. Suddenly the tables Ben and Summer were bound to started to move. They rose up until they were vertical. "Oh, let's get those silly things off you."

Ben was blinded by the light at the ceiling as his blindfold was removed. Then Summer's. Ben squinted as his eyes got used to the brightness at who was looking at them. It clearly wasn't human. It was clad in black and gold with a pale face and golden mask. It had blue pants, two normal arms and two longer arms and what appeared to either be a cape or wings. "Who…what are you?" Ben asked.

"Me? Think of me as a traveler looking for fun things to do."

"It talks." Summer muttered. "Are you a Digimon?"

It pointed at her. "Bingo! Aren't you a smart one!"

"So, you're this "Malevolent Fist we've been hearing about?" Ben asked.

"Ah! Heard about my little nickname, did you? But come now, the whole point of bringing you here was so we could all get to know each other. Just call me…Boltboutamon."

"Bolt…boutamon?"

"Like the name? Came up with it myself."

"How did you come here from the Digital World? What do you want from this world?" Summer asked.

"Didn't I tell you? I'm just a man looking for fun. But enough about me, let's talk about you!"

Ben glared at the Digimon. "Whatever you want to know from us, we're not telling you."

"Yikes, what a sourpuss. Is this how you treat all your hosts when you're invited to a party?"

"Most hosts don't bind us, threaten our friends or torture us!" Summer retorted.

"Wow. Is that what Ardos and his friends did to you? Didn't even offer something to drink? Sheesh, no wonder you're both so grumpy. They aren't much for parties, are they? But don't worry." Boltboutamon went over to a computer. "What I'm doing will be quick and…relatively painless."

Something landed on top of Ben and Summer's heads, covering their eyes. They were like helmets made of metal with all sorts of wires attached. "Hey!" Summer jolted, getting frightened as her sight was enveloped in darkness again.

Ben grunted as he tried to shake it off, but it was locked in place and wouldn't even let him move his head. "What is this?!"

"Shhhh!" Boltboutamon put his hand on the device. "It'll be over soon."

The screen glowed as the headgear on Ben and Summer made strange noises. "Ngh!" Ben writhed and grunted as a sharp pain filled his head. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Tears fell from Summer's eyes as she screamed.

Boltboutamon closed his eyes as he linked with the computer. He started seeing things Ben and Summer saw. Hearing things Ben and Summer heard. Through all their lives, he peered through their experiences. "I see…! So that's it then!"

When the machine stopped, Ben and Summer were left panting. "Uhh…Ah…What…" Ben groaned. "What did you…?"

"Hmm? Oh, don't mind me. Just looking into your memories. So, you inherited the Guardian Signs from the Hero of Oblivia himself when you were infants."

"That's right…" Ben grinned. "And he went home…You'll never replicate that power…"

"Meh. Sucks for Ardos, but I was never all that interested. I just discovered something far, far more interesting…Those friends of yours. They got their Digimon from the Digital World…but not my Digital World…"

"Your" Digital World?" Summer asked.

"And this world these humans themselves are from…" Boltboutamon cackled. "Oh, I just figured out the most brilliant part plan of all time! I better get the preparations for the bash! In the meantime…" The headpieces lifted off Ben and Summer and the tables they were strapped to were tilted back horizontally. "Kick back and relax. I hear Ardos is starting up a party of his own." With that, they watched him disappear and stared at the wall of bars separating them from the outside of this cell.

Kellyn, Keith, and Kate's Stylers looped around Pachirisu, Buizel, and Starly. The three Pokemon glowed. "…Pachi?"

"Bui…"

"Sta…"

Kellyn slowly approached them. "Pachirisu? Do you remember me?"

"Pachi!" Pachirisu jumped into Kellyn's arms. "Pachi, pachi!" Buizel hurried to Keith's side as Starly flew to Kate.

Michael smiled as he looked at them through his Aura Reader. "All three are purified."

"Thank goodness." Kate smiled as she hugged her partner.

"We put the normal Shadow Pokemon we caught in the Purification Chamber. But the Legendary Pokemon tied to the Dark Bond…"

"We need to get Ben and Summer back to purify them." Rand said. "So, Wes, what can you tell us about The Under?"

Wes folded his arms and leaned against a wall. "It's an underground city directly beneath Pyrate Town. It was completely run by Cipher, and Venus ruled it with an iron fist. It's also where Rui and I met Perr, his grandfather, and the Kids Grid. We worked together to drive Cipher out of there."

"One day, after Cipher fell, we got a message from Secc." Rui continued. "He said Chief Sherles decided to move all the citizens out of The Under and bury it so villains like Venus couldn't use it to hide out."

"Well, I'd say that plan backfired." Kyoko replied. "Because it was buried, nobody thought Cipher would try to use it again. That's how he was able to restore it under everyone's noises."

"But…they couldn't have fixed all of it, could they?" Michael asked.

Wes looked down. "I…I don't know."

Ryuji sighed. "Blade, what else did you pull from Ein?"

"Not much. Apparently neither he, nor Venus have been to their facility in The Under. But interestingly, Ardos, and The Malevolent Fist weren't the only names I pulled form his mind when I discovered their location."

"Who else is down there?" Fei asked.

"The man in charge of training the rest of Cipher's troops. A man named Dakim."

"Figured he'd show up as well." Wes scowled.

"Another Admin from when you and Rui went against Cipher?" Arata asked.

"That's right. Any other places Cipher could be hiding?"

"Not according to Ein's thoughts, no." Blade replied.

"Maybe Ein isn't the only one we should be doubtful of." Rand replied.

"Rand…" Yuugo muttered.

"Wes, Rui, how do we reach The Under?" Yuugo asked.

"Well…there were two entrances." Rui replied. "One was demolished, and the other was part of a building owned by Cipher that got remodeled into the ONBS building soooo…."

"Cipher had to have gotten in there somehow!" Yu retorted.

"But there's not telling how long it'll take to find their entrance." Lunick replied.

"Then we take the direct route." Takumi replied.

Everyone looked at him. "The direct route?" Sven asked. "What are you talking about?"

"When Ami and I went to go meet Red Eyes and Blue Eyes at Pyrite Colosseum, we crossed a bridge built over a chasm."

"That's right…" Ami replied. "It was pretty deep…If The Under really is directly under Pyrite City, it might lead there…"

"That sounds…dangerous." Nokia murmured.

"We have enough flying Digimon to get us all there." Chitose replied. "It'll be fine. The problem is, what do we do when we get there. We don't know where Ben and Summer will be held, or where Ardos and the Malevolent Fist are hiding."

Wendy sighed. "It doesn't help that we still know nothing about the Malevolent Fist."

Palmon looked at Kyoko. "Has Alphamon heard from the Royal Knights yet?"

Kyoko was about to reply when she heard her Digivice beep. "Hold that thought." She took it out and a monitor with Alphamon appeared. "Any response?"

"I'm receiving a transmission from Kentauros. I'll put it through." Alphamon's image shrunk into the lower left corner of the screen showing an image of Kentaurosmon. "Go ahead."

"So…" the knight sighed. "About this "Dark Bond" or whatever, your new group of troublemaking humans invented…"

"Please tell us you found something." Date groaned.

"Want me to give it to you straight?"

Everyone went quiet at first. "…You found nothing, did you?" Keisuke asked.

"Me, and the rest of the knights have absolutely nothing. We questioned countless locals, searched all facilities and labs, scanned through all sorts of records, and nobody has any data showing an attempt to experiment with the power forged by humans bonding with Digimon."

"You gotta be kidding me." Terriermon sighed. "How well is this guy hiding his secrets?"

"So, what now Alphamon?" Guilmon asked.

The knight thought for a moment. "Widen the search. We know Digimon are starting to remember their lives before what happened with the Mother Eater. Even before Crusadermon's Paradise Lost Plan, countless Digimon have been sent to the EDEN. Search for every Digimon to ever be in EDEN or the human world and question them to find any clues."

"Wait, what?" Kentaurosmon asked.

"You heard me."

"Alphamon do you have any idea how many Digimon that is who are undoubtably now scattered throughout our vast, vast Digital World?!"

"I know it's a tall order, but as Royal Knight's it's our duty to make sure any wickedness in our world is found and stopped. No matter the cost. I'm counting on you and the others to narrow this down."

The knight groaned. "Alright, fine, we'll get on it. This lunatic better not slip through your fingers over there."

"We'll do our best." Ami replied. The monitor then closed.

"So, in the end we still know absolutely nothing about this guy." Gonzap said. "Let alone, how we're going to confront him."

"Well…For now, you should all rest tonight, the sun's already set." Lily said.

"Agreed." Rand replied. "Tomorrow, we'll go to Pyrite Town, and investigate this chasm and try to find The Under. We'll rescue Ben and Summer, defeat Ardos and The Malevolent Fist and stop Cipher. They have nowhere to run this time."

Michael took out his PDA. "Better call my friend and tell him where we'll be so he can find us. With luck he should be there tomorrow."

"You still haven't told us much about him." Ryuji said.

"He's one of the strongest Pokemon Trainers I ever meet. Probably good enough to rival Wes' level of skill."

"Interesting." Wes smiled.

"That is reassuring." FanBeemon said.

"Well, let's rest for today." Rythmi said. "I'll report our progress to the professor."

"Thank you Rythmi." Rand said. "Well…Dismissed."

Red Eyes and Blue Eyes approached Gonzap and Wakin outside. "You boys fitting into this group?" Blue Eyes asked.

"Kinda." Gonzap replied "They're a…peculiar bunch."

"Yeah, but you guys adapt quickly." Red Eyes said. "You know…You fought well back there. And from what I saw…Your men respect you."

"Of course, we do." Wakin replied. "We'd be lost without the boss."

"We could use that ability to lead…"

"You're talkin' about that wild dream of yours?" Gonzap asked. "To start a Pokemon League in Orre?"

"We'll need many Trainers for Gyms. But the leader of those Gyms can't just be anyone." Blue Eyes replied. "They need to have a great battle ability, and leadership skills. Red Eyes and I agreed that you and your men would be prime recruits."

Gonzap folded his arms. "Hmm…I dunno. Working as part of a big group didn't serve us well in the past. Then again, you guys are clearly different from Cipher. Plus, me and the boys need to do something with ourselves. I'll talk it over with the team and get back to you."

"Take your time." Red Eyes replied as he and Blue Eyes left.

"I didn't think they were serious about it when they told us at first." Wakin said.

"Me neither." Gonzap replied. "But you know…I'm starting to think they might be able to pull it off."

Wes watched the duo from a distance. "Things got crazy at Citadark. I hate to admit it, but we probably wouldn't have pulled if off without Snagum."

Ryuji approached him. "Still bitter about that?"

"Betrayal does that to a man."

Ryuji leaned back against a wall. "You're not wrong. I've been there before." Wes looked at Ryuji which he took as a sign of interest. "A while back, Chitose, Arata and I formed a team called Jude. It got pretty famous. It became a place where we belonged. Then one day we made a stupid attempt and went over our heads. People in our group lost the will to go on and left. Arata, who I put in charge left the team and it disbanded. I used to hate him for that."

"Really? All seems fine between you two now."

"One day he told me his side of the story. And why he did it. I started to see that it wasn't entirely his fault, and I was just pinning blame on him to let my anger out on the kid."

"And?"

"A friend told me that being bitter over it forever wasn't going to help me at all. So, I talked it out with Arata. And well…Surprisingly it wasn't that hard to reach out. Maybe our friendship isn't what it used to be. But that doesn't mean it can't be good again." Wes looked at the ground. "Like you said, we needed their help before, and we'll need it again. What's more important to you? You're pride? Or this world?"

Wes only glanced away.

Inside, Rand looked out the window and sighed. Michael walked up to him. "Rand? Are you still bothered working with Blade?"

"I can't help it."

"Okay look, I can tell you don't trust him, but don't forget, he saved all our lives by stopping Ein."

"That may be true, but I still can't trust him."

"Why? You trust Red Eyes and Blue Eyes even though they were your enemies! Besides can it be any harder than it is for Wes to trust Gonzap?"

"Did Gonzap kidnap Wes' wife and daughter and use them for his evil schemes?! Don't pretend to understand!"

Michael was shocked at both the outburst and the truth. Falcomon tapped the Ranger's leg. "Rand…"

Rand looked away ashamed. "S-sorry…I didn't mean to-

"It's fine." Michael replied. "But Rand…Blade's reformed now. Don't you think everyone deserves a second chance? Even Wes was a criminal in the beginning, now look at him." Rand didn't know how to reply. He just looked back out the window.

Blade was in an empty room meditating when Keisuke and Erika walked in with their Digimon. He opened his eyes. "Keisuke, Erika. May I help you two?"

The two looked at each other. "…I wanted to see your Digimon for a moment." Erika said.

"Dracmon?" Blade took out his Controlvice and let his Pokemon out.

"Heya! What can I help with?"

"We're working on bringing Digimon to our world and wondered if you had any opinions. Could you come with me for a moment?"

"Sure thing!" Dracmon followed Erika and Wormmon out.

Blade looked at Keisuke. "You have something to ask me about Dracmon, don't you?"

Keisuke looked at him in surprise. "How did you- Oh right, you can read minds."

"I can, but I make a point to do so only when necessary. I doubt Erika really needs Dracmon's opinions on a world he's never been to. It's obvious you just wanted to talk to me alone about him."

"Erika felt something was familiar about him…And it's strange for you to have a Digimon when you just got out of a world with no Digimon. Then Erika told me and the others from my world a theory about him…There was one Digimon that Arceus could give you. A Digimon he took back to his world along with you. Dracmon, is he…?"

"Indeed." Blade replied. "He reincarnated from the GranDracmon you and Takumi defeated in Oblivia."

Keisuke froze. "…Does he remember any of that?"

"No. After Master Arceus convinced me to reform, he asked for my help in caring for the Digi-egg holding him since I'm familiar with Digimon. Like he did to Takumi and Ami, he tried dispelling the evil within the egg, while I made sure it's memories were deleted. After the egg hatched, Master Arceus decided I should raise it along with a Ralts he once saved."

"I see."

"I can understand that Digimon put you through a lot. I cannot force you to believe me, but he's changed now. Just as I have."

"We talked about you too. I…trust you Blade. So do Takumi and Ami."

"Thank you. That is all I can ask."

"Erika looked up your Guardian Sign Pokemon and told us their history."

"Ah. You mean how when humans started a war in ancient times, and how the Swords of Justice protected innocent Pokemon from the chaos."

"And since then, they avoided humans. Yet they trust you."

Blade stood up and drew his Sword of Order. "One of the many trials my master put me on was to gain the trust of the legendary Pokemon that lost faith in mankind. And they didn't make it easy for me. They put me through test after test to earn their trust…Now I want to show them that not all humans are as evil as I once was. It'll be a long struggle to get them to respect humans, but it's what I believe must be done."

Keisuke looked down. "Just like us trying to earn the trust of Digimon…"

Inside a house a Jijimon watched a Taomon and a Kuzuhamon chant. Nearby a hologram of a woman with purple hair was typing into her laptop. "Let's hope this works…" The elderly looking Digimon sighed. "That ruffian already got a good head start on us."

Nearby were a handful of humans. A tall one in yellow with a black beanie cap. A small girl in white, a blond boy with formal looking a blue and white top next to a Gallantmon, a girl with black hair in purple and white with a Magnadramon, a girl with a white, black, and blue top with black hair in a ponytail with a Hououmon and Rosemon, a boy with a grey coat over a red shirt with greyish blue hair with a WarGreymon and MetaGarurumon and in front of them a boy with blond hair and a black coat wearing headphones standing with a dark, tall armored Digimon. The hologram of the woman turned to them. "The link has been established." She looked at a white and black Digimon nearby. "Mastemon, open the gate."

"This all seems pretty radical." The boy with the beanie hat replied. "You sure you know what you're doing?"

"Of course. Done it before." The woman's Digimon held her hands out and a giant hole in space appeared. "There. That should be stable enough to get one Tamer and their Digimon to the dimension Boltboutamon escaped to."

The girl with the ponytail looked at the boy with headphones. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"The Malevolent Fist got away because I was slopy with our initial plan to stop him the first time. Please…let me make it right."

"Just…just be careful, okay? We have no idea what it's like in there."

The hologram woman smiled. "Relax, I told you he's not alone, didn't I?"

"Right…these…acquaintances you mentioned?" The blond with the Gallantmon asked. "Takumi, Ami, and Keisuke, you said their names were?"

"Indeed. It seems they already crossed over to that dimension. They'll surely be of great help. They have power that surpasses even my ability to predict."

"Alright, well…Here goes." The blond boy stepped forward. "Let's go Noire."

The Digimon followed. "Of course."

"Come back safely!" The little blond girl said as she and her friends waved. The boy tuned around and gave his friends a smile and a wave before stepping into the portal.

This may be more obvious to some people than others, but this story is also a tie-in to a losse end from another Digimon game. Learn more as we move forward!