Tapirmon let out a short breath, his forearms shackled tightly to a wall that suspended him about thrice his height off the ground.
"Of all my servants, I never suspected you, Tapirmon, to turn traitor."
"Well, you didn't expect Gatomon to betray you either, we see how accurate your judgement is," Tapirmon replied, forcing out a cocky smile that was immediately wiped off as Myotismon's Crimson Lightning attack struck him right on the symbol of his helmet. He shook it off, head throbbing with pain.
"You should be begging for mercy right now, not making smart comments," Myotismon warned him. Tapirmon snorted.
The virus vampire sighed. "What happened Tapirmon? I thought you enjoyed serving me."
"No, I hated it. Just like Gatomon, you didn't give me a choice. I was captured at a young age and forced to work for you! Well guess what? I've had it, I'm done being you're minion. And I don't care if I die here, at least I can rest knowing that the Digidestined are free from your clutches, as am I free of your control." And saying those words, he held his head high, completely ready to be silenced.
But Myotismon only glared at him. "Your end will come soon enough, but first, I think I'll dispose of those meddlesome children." Shock rushed into Tapirmon's body. "Come Phantomon, we have unfinished business. Oh, and Tapirmon. Don't even think of trying one of your silly little illusions, it won't work." He laughed and the two ultimates excused themselves from the room.
They're still in danger! Tapirmon screamed in his head, frantically pulling at the chains that bound him to no avail. He paused, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. The symbol on his forehead, a small golden circle with an arc with four points to the left and right, began to glow. A dark mist crept out from the symbol, branched off into two streams, and crawled it's way into the keyhole of each shackle. The cufflinks unlocked and Tapirmon dropped to the floor.
"Now who said a thing about illusions?"
---
"I hope Tapirmon's okay," Yolei muttered, running down the corridor.
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Ken assured her.
"He's right, Tapirmon's a tough digimon, I can tell. He just doesn't act it," Wormmon added. She smiled at Ken and his partner. They always had a way of being right about these things.
"Come on guys, stop dallying and hurry up. Phantomon could come after us at any moment!" Davis called behind his shoulder, right before crashing into a wall due to looking in the wrong direction. He looked up from his position, seated on the ground, and noticed a rusted handle hanging down form the ceiling. "This must be the way out!" He looked out about, noticed wooden planks nailed to the wall like stairs and began to climb.
Davis reached up and pushed open the hatch, light radiated down the tunnel. "Woo-hoo! We're home free!" He pushed himself out of the hole, shortly followed by Veemon, then the rest of the Digidestined and Wizardmon.
"Whew! We've finally escaped," Armadillomon exclaimed, rolling over onto the soft grass.
"Oh really? Have you know?" questioned a familiar voice.
They all spun around. "Myotismon! Phantomon!"
"Did you really think it would be that easy to get away from me, children? And Gatomon, you've been lucky so far," he said, directed his attention to Gatomon, still held by Kari, "but you shall not escape a-" Myotismon froze in mid-word, noticing for the first time the mon standing right beside them. "Wizardmon?! You're not supposed to be alive!"
"Surprised to see me? Well, I have you to thank for my prolonged death."
"What's he talking about, Davis?" Veemon questioned, tugging at the boy's pant leg.
"How should I know?"
"Digimon can never really die, no matter where they are, that's why Phantomon is here, and you knew that Myotismon."
"That's right. When I planned to kill Gatomon and the eighth Digidestined those many years ago, I knew the girl would be gone forever, but her partner would return someday, I didn't want that happening, especially after she turned against me. That's why, when I sent my final attack, the attack meant to kill them, I designed it especially to keep any digimon it hit trapped in the real world, with no way of returning to the digital world to be reborn. But you go in the way of that, so you shouldn't be here!"
"Never underestimate the power of good, Dracula," Yolei teased, sticking her tongue out to him.
"Insolent human, you will be the first to die. Phantomon!"
"Yes, my lord," the phantom answered, swinging his scythe forward as he charged head-on at Yolei.
---
I've got to find them! thought Tapirmon as he bounded down the hallway in a hurry, hoping to reach the digidestined before he did.
"Hey you, Tapirmon! Aren't you supposed to be locked up in the dungeon?" Tapirmon froze, faced with a Bakemon that was eying him suspiciously.
"Uh... no? That's the other Tapirmon." The ghost blinked, shrugged it off and kept on his merry way. "There's a reason Bakemon sounds so similar to baka," he sighed under his breath. He kept going until something caught his eye.
A light in the middled of a darkened hideout?
Curious, he strayed off his path for a moment to pursue the strange item. Following the light into a new room, he spied something strange and glowing sitting on the desk, under a glass case. He carefully removed the glass, peering at the strange object, but at the instant he got a good look at it, he knew what it was. Tapirmon glanced about, then snatched it from the table and ran.
---
Yolei screamed as the scythe swung down towards her, but a connection was never made. She looked up to find herself shelter by Aquilamon, his horns locked with Phantomon's weapon. Phantomon glared and swung the chain around, the mace at the very end striking Aquilamon in the chest and knocking him to the side.
"Aquilamon!" She called to her digimon. The maroon eagle stood and took to the skies.
"We've gotta help him, he doesn't stand a chance against Phantomon, and Gatomon's too weak to DNA digivolve," Patamon said. T.K. nodded and pulled out his digivice. the next moment Angemon was flying to Aquilamon's aid.
"I have a score to settle with you," he called to the virus.
"Bring it, angel-boy. You won't defeat me so easily this time."
"Hand of Fate!" Phantomon easily dodged that energy beam and parried with his own attack.
"Shadow Scythe!" Angemon swung out of the way, only to barely miss Phantomon as he tried to slice him. "I'm going to clip your wings!" Another swing and miss.
"Angel Rod!" There was the clang of metal hitting metal as staff and scythe locked together. Angemon brought his free hand forward to launch another Hand of Fate, which successfully hit him. Phantomon went soaring to the ground, both of their weapons free falling to the dirt. "Hand of fate!" he yelled again, getting a clear shot to the chest before the ghost had a chance to retaliate. Phantomon's data quickly broke apart.
"Crimson Lightning!" Angemon felt the energy rope suddenly tightening around his body as he as flung into Aquilamon. "Impressive, I must admit, but you're forgetting about me," Myotismon said. He raised both hands in the air. "Pandemonium!" A dark mist surrounded them all, so thick that no one could see more that a foot around them.
"What's going on? This is MaloMyotismon's attack!" Cody observed.
"You'll all shall find that I am must stronger than our last encounter, with all the powers of my three forms. Myotismon laughed as horror reached the faces of all his enemies. "I can assure you that none of you will be getting out of this..."
He chuckled and grinned. "...alive."