Chapter 9: Reunion & Retribution


The lives of 854 Pallet Town's citizens and visitors were on the line. 854, because May was back in Pallet, joining TK, Cody and the suddenly comatose Davis. Ash, traveling overseas with Yolei and Kari, had his mind set on getting to see every member of the town since hearing that news report. Riding on Nefertimon alongside Kari and having a red griffin-like creature wearing a silver helmet that had wings. A winged helmet...yeah. Yolei was riding on that with Pikachu, all approaching dry, deserting sands. "We're getting close!" Ash warned. "Keep an eye out for that wall!" That sandstorm wall, the one signifying the entrance to the Mirage Kingdom. Ash was prepared with the treasures, Energy Spheres, from the three islands adjacent to Shamouti Isle. The fliers vast over the desert when a wall of raging sand emerged upon the dunes.

"That's gotta be it!" Yolei hollered. "The Mirage Kingdom's close!" Ash nodded, confirming Yolei's understanding. The griffin had a thought about getting through that raging sand.

"Yolei, I may need to use my Tempest Wind for this," it calmly suggested. Yolei gulped, not sure about that attack being effective against that sandy wall. That, or... It's got to be something that made her turn to Ash.

"Hey, Ash! Could you loan us Charizard for a bit?! I'd rather not leave a stream of puke after the spins." The spins? Wait..this griffin spins? Not giving a second to think, Ash released Charizard, flying as if it was flying this whole time.

"Charizard, give Yolei and Pikachu a ride so that Halsemon can penetrate the sandstorm!" he ordered. Charizard listened, flying over to Halsemon. Yolei and Pikachu leaped aboard the flame-tailed Pokémon, allowing Charizard to slow down, giving Halsemon room. Maybe Charizard saw this attack and acted cautious. Three seconds until contact with the sandstorm wall.

"Tempest Wind!" Halsemon summoned. His body began to spin and twist, creating a funnel of tornado turning winds. The twisting vortex of air crashed into the sand wall, puncturing and ripping the wall apart. Safe passage. Nefertimon and Charizard followed swiftly through the broken sandstorm, verging toward the kingdom. A minute later, Ash saw egg-shaped towers over staggering mountains. Was that it? Ash knew it.

"We're here!" Ash announced. The Mirage Kingdom? Over the mountains, a town was inside, overlooked by towers surrounding the castle fortress. That's when Ash pointed to a large circular platform with an "X" in the middle. The three fliers descended onto the "X," landing without a hindrance. The four riders hopped off of Nefertimon and Charizard as Halsemon started to glow...only to shrink. It shrunk and changed...Hawkmon? It had breathed a sigh, fatigued from that whirl. Then, Nefertimon started to change too. It shrunk down, becoming Gatomon. What was up with those two? Yolei and Kari were getting their first look at this kingdom. It was a glorious place, even from the oversight platform.

"Wow," Kari awed. "It's wonderful." Ash knew the beauty of the sight, but knew better, refocused on finding Sara.

"Let's go." The group headed out, streets of the kingdom roaming. Looking through the roads that had shops selling merchandise that may be nothing more than simple trinkets, Ash kept his eyes forward on the task at hand.

"Not that I should complain, but shouldn't we head straight for the kingdom?" Gatomon offered. "I mean, since we need her and her Togepi to get to this paradise that you've been talking about." Ash knew that Gatomon was onto something, but kept his eyes peeled.

"You never know, Gatomon. We could get lucky. Besides, this is the way to the kingdom." Yeah, let the man who's toured through here lead. That's when a woman screamed...and a shrill echoed. The gang turned to find a flying spotted eggshell...with short arms, legs and and a baby-like face. By the way...it was coming at Yolei! She spotted the egg falling toward her. Plainly, she held her hands out and just like that, it plopped into her hands. Nice catch. The egg stared up at Yolei, surprised a bit. That's when it chirped, happy to see Yolei. Okay...

"This...wouldn't happen to be a Togepi, would it?" she stuttered a touch. Ash shot a glance over...a girl in blue. The girl in blue? Her redhead hair in spiraling pigtails which fluffed from out of a bonnet stirred Ash's brain...and legs to get her on her feet.

"Let me help you there, Princess." Princess, as in Princess Sara? The other girls were flabbergasted that this stumbled girl was royalty.

"How's Togepi?" she worried. Ash peered over to the egg, worried about the princess, itself.

"Yolei caught it, thank goodness." Back on her feet, Togepi was returned to the princess, handed back with care.

"Thank you for catching my Togepi."

"It's nothing, really," Yolei shyly accepted the greeting. "I mean, here we are, looking for the key to knowing where the townspeople of Pallet were." Good idea, Yolei, spill all that you need. The princess nodded, saying she did know about that.

"That's why I came to get you." The three turned to the princess, awed that she could blatantly revealed her plan. "Of course, I had to make sure that devil lady didn't find this place, otherwise this kingdom would be at the mercy of her." The devil lady again? Could this monster-raising trio have dodged a bullet? Don't hold your breath, it's still early.

"The devil lady, you say?" Kari repeated. "That's been said pretty much everywhere we've been. I have that feeling that it's LadyDevimon and that she may be here before we know it." Everyone should take cover.

"Then let's get over to the Togepi Paradise and meet up with everyone else." Not willing to argue the plan, and not because she's a princess, the group made their way through the city streets. However, Ash had to be wondering why the princess was at Pallet Town.

"Sara, what brought you to my hometown to begin with?" he asked. The princess, or Sara thought back to the moment where everyone in Pallet had vanished, leaving an Elm twigging out and Lugias in danger.

"Well, on hindsight, my father deserves some of the blame." Must people pin dilemmas on their parents when they knew that they were there and not Mom or Dad? Wait...she's a princess, meaning that her old man...

"Why the king?" The Mirage Kingdom's head commander-in-chief? No, that's the president of the United States of America. Wrong term. Sorry. Well Sara? What's the tale that dear old Dad earned the covenant "Father of the Year" award?

"It started a few years ago, so before I met you, Misty, Brock, May and Max. For generations, my family, heirs to the throne and the guardianship of the Togepi Paradise, ritually arranged marriages for when the time came for the current ruler to resign from the highnesses. Mine was suppose to be no different, and the young man I was going to marry was a very nice boy so I wasn't argumentative about family concepts. However, Miranda told me on a day that I never thought was possible that the boy had died of a rare illness. In other words, my marriage to him was null and void. Since this had never happened in the history of the Mirage Kingdom, my father gave me an option after you had visited and thwarted Hanson's diabolical schemes to go out into the world to find me a potential husband." Tell you what, the king had to be looking out for her daughter's best interests if he was going to allow Sara to roam outside of the kingdom. Let's give him kudos for that.

"But during your run to find a match, you stumbled upon Pallet, right?" Yolei guessed on the continuation. It was a pretty good guess.

"I did. Riding on Ho-oh who trusted me, I flew toward Pallet Town where that devil lady was threatening to harm the town. That's when Lugia showed up. The fiend and Lugia sprawled for a few minutes when I knew we had to rescue him. Using Togepi's Metronome, I was able to rescue the townspeople and the Pokémon." That could mean that the Pokémon and the humans were in some sort of area safe from the threat of this fiend. "I've suspended my search for a husband until this matter is concluded." Wise choice. Finally, they arrived at another platform with gates in front of another tower. "This is the gate." The gate...to what?

"The Togepi Paradise," Ash noted. "This has to be where the townspeople and Pokémon are." Reunion, set. Hold on...Sara had something to say.

"Actually, Ash, the Pokémon are in an underground vegetation area, so, they're safe from any sort of attack." Why would you want to separate humans and creatures? Suddenly, a flash lit by the gate. Everyone turned to the flash, seeing a circle of shining light from the gate.

"What's going on?" Gatomon meowed. To Ash, the light meant that the gate had opened to enter the world beyond the current one.

"Talk about permission granted," he gawked. "Let's go." The group entered the realm's door. Out the other side, there was a land with trees, marked with red and blue spots on them. There were also...people, having a grand time with a lot of Togepis flying around. Were these the citizens of Pallet Town? Suddenly...

"Ash!" that was the sound of Ash's mother. Sure enough, everyone turned to see the adult brunette. By her, Max, who also was excited to see Ash with them. Ash...yeah, he was happy to see his mother and Max again.

"Mom! Max!" He ran up, hugging his mother. Happy reunion commence.

"Man, what took you to get here?" Max joked. Hey, lay off of him. He had no idea of where to look to start with. Kari, Yolei, Sara and their creatures gathered around this happy get-together.

"Max, come on. You'd think I know where to look from the beginning?" A laugh from both signified goodness. That's when Ash's mother saw the new girls, thinking that Ash got lucky.

"Ash, it seems you didn't bring May with you," she pointed out. Ash was now clued in. May was safe, but how was she not captured in the mess?

"Wait...May's not here with the rest?" Both shook heads, saying that she wasn't there during the invasion. "Well, I kinda wished she did stop by when I came back. Could've put less strain on Caroline." Max became highly interested with that. It was his mother that got worried about him. Still, Ash's mother was more intrigued by Kari and Yolei, but Ash would help them out with introductions. "Mom, Max, this is Kari and Yolei. They helped me search for you all when I came back from the Orange Islands." Kari and Yolei stepped up, greeting the tyke and mother. Yolei seemed to take a well liking to Max. Glasses to glasses? Suddenly, a loud caw jolted Ash. That caw... something about that caw had Ash looking behind him. 'You've gotta be kidding me. Ho-oh?' He began to bolt toward the birding sound. Seeing the trainer sprint off, Pikachu, Gatomon and Hawkmon believed he was going somewhere that got his attention.

"Betcha he smells food on the horizon," Hawkmon beaked. Wrong answer, birdbrain. Despite that bad guess, the three animals pursued Ash where they came upon the sight, prompting Ash to cease feet traffic. There was a giant red bird with blond hair on its forehead which curled on top. The wings, mostly red feathered, had green tips on its white feathers and white tips of gold feathers on its tail. Even more, two men in white lab coats were wrapping bandages on its talons and white underbelly. Wounds, perhaps? Ash recognized the snow white haired and brunette stout professors.

"Prof. Oak! Prof. Birch!" The two swung their heads around spotting Ash and the creatures fast approaching, excited to see him as well.

"Ash, you made it!" Oak rejoiced. Unlike when he was reunited with his mother, Ash just approached the three.

"It's great that you two are in good shape. What about the rest of the people?" He liked the town he resided in, so no surprise that he was concern about the townspeople.

"They're actually enjoying things here," Birch laughed. "The Togepi are as cherubic as anyone you walk by." Sounded like everything was in order and not in any dire straits. Breathe a sigh of relief, Ash.

"Well, that's a good sign." That's when he gazed at the giant bird, overcome by the majesties of the winged creature. "So, I finally get to meet you, Ho-oh." Ho-oh gazed upon Ash like booty to a pirate. "Thank you for protecting everyone." Ho-oh grinned, expecting that notion from the one that he laid eyes on. It cawed so stoic, even Ash had to understand.

"Looks like I should be listening to you a lot better," Oak chuckled. "Ho-oh acts as though it's his long lost son." Okay...that would be horrifying to think that a human child could be produced between a human and a Pokémon, or Digimon. Still, Ash remained unwaivering.

"Even in Armored form, I doubt I could outsize that glory," Hawkmon shivered. Ash huffed a childish tickle, feeling overwhelmed with the power Ho-oh whaffed. That's when...

"Ash!" a female called upon the trainer...but it wasn't Kari, Yolei or even Ash's mother. Ash turned to the sound, spotting a side ponytail redhead in a yellow sleeveless t-shirt and yellow skin-tight shorts. Pikachu was ecstatic to see her while Ash stumbled to find words to use, seeing her in the same such shape as...well, pretty much everyone else.

("Misty!") Pikachu gleed as he bolted over to her. The redhead knelt down, liking the sight of Pikachu as she clung onto her, embracing it in a hug.

"Pikachu, it's good to see you okay!" This was who Ash was talking about before? Misty glared back at Ash, less than blown-out excitement, but still happy to see him alive as well. "I take it you came to take us all home, huh, Ash?" That was the plan, as long as the path home was obstacle-free.

"Let's just say that I'd rather not bear to sadden your sisters," Ash teased. Misty knew that he was joking, still huffing a good cackle.

"Ever since the princess came to our aid, Misty was frustratingly worried that maybe she wouldn't see you again," Oak explained. Ash understood where Oak was coming from, but wondered if it was what he said or what Pikachu said when he first visited the DigiWorld.

"Me, Pikachu or both?" There's a good bet that it's both.

"Ash, you know I worry about you, too," Misty hummed a more serious tone. "You're the inspiration of caring for Pokémon. I mean, so much that I would've wanted you to babysit Togepi during our trip through the Johto Region." Quite a compliment there. Ash had to feel pleased about that. That's when Misty took notice to the Digimon that were hanging around Ash. Ash saw where Misty peered, allowing himself to introduce them.

"Before you mistake it for a Spearow or Meowth, let me say that they're not Pokémon. They are Digimon, Hawkmon and Gatomon." Gatomon and Hawkmon came forward, adding to Misty's curiosity. Kari, Yolei and Max entered the sight, all with a Togepi or two swarming on them.

"I see that you two have got back together," Max teased. Yeah, they did. Ash and Misty managed to scoff before Ash recovered to introduce Misty to Kari and Yolei.

"Anyway, Kari, Yolei, this is Misty, a good friend of mine and a better friend of Pikachu." Both girls approached the redhead, who became intrigued with why they were here and how Ash was familiar with them.

"How did you guys meet Ash?" she questioned. Kari would not be the one, fearing that her kiss might send Misty over the edge. Don't worry, Yolei was the first to confront Ash, though more vicious.

"Well, let's just say we got along quickly after a little disagreement," she shuttered. "When that news report of how Pallet became something out of a city seizure, we decided to help Ash with finding you." Misty realized that Yolei meant her word. That's also when another raven-haired young man arrived with a white winged bundle of adorable. It had the same spots like the Togepi, but without the ivory skin.

"What's going on over here?" he voiced. Everyone jerked heads over to the new youngster who wore a red headband, teal t-shirt and faded orange shorts.

"Tracy," Misty recognized. "Togetic, you're in time." Togetic? "Ash made new friends while trying to find us." As Misty got to have Tracy and the Digidestined girls meet, Ash felt as though that this would end peacefully, no fighting, no dangers...the need for the Energy Spheres seemed pointless to have.

'I think we overreacted to the crisis that could've meant more lives in harm's way,' he pictured. He pulled the blue sphere, gazing at the light that swirled inside. That's when a flash from the sky erupted. To all as they looked up at the apparent storm, they felt that something bad was coming.

"Someone's at the gateway," Max figured. "And whoever it is, they want in." Then, panting sounds. All turned, seeing a panicking Sara.

"It's her!" she warned. "The devil lady!" Not good. Ash turned, seeing more flashes from the air above. So many lives were now threatened. Ash sprinted to the area, causing everyone to be panicked about the trainer.

"Ash!" Kari, Misty and Yolei shouted. Ash ignored the calls. No choice, the girls followed. Ash looked at the more lighted window, since he could see the outside or other world, eying a black winged woman with glue white skin as she wound a punch.

"Darkness Spear!" she bellowed as her arm became a giant spike. The swing...CRASH! The woman in tattered black leather from head to toe broke through the "wall" and into the paradise. "Well, that wall was tougher than I realized." That's when she saw Ash, interested with who he was. The girls got there also, knowing that this was not a good sign.

"Just as we thought," Kari acknowledged. "LadyDevimon!" LadyDevimon glared at only Ash.

"Well, you're new to me." Ash felt the evil radiating from LadyDevimon, figuring that she would be continuing her chaos here.

"What's your purpose here?" he asked. "Mayhem?" With all that he's heard about, she had accomplished that.

"It was merely curiosity when I was trying to break in my reconfigured body," LadyDevimon tried to play innocence. That's when she spotted Kari and Gatomon, causing her to seethe. "So, you brought the light with you. That makes things all the better, considering that I can fulfill my vengeance." She was still bent on vengeance? That could not bode any better.

"You really think you can finish me out of spite?" Gatomon growled. "I think you need that permanent vacation right about now and I've got the puncher for that ticket." The grit of determination unraveled from the digital cat and Kari, having Ash join with the two.

"Let's see you punch this! Evil Wing!" LadyDevimon launched burning bats at the group. Misty took action by grabbing a ball of her own.

"Wrong move, Ma'am," she grunted as she tossed her ball. "Garydos, Hydro Pump!" The ball opened up, releasing...Leviathan! No, not really, but the size of the big mouth blue sea serpent was startling. The serpent splashed a cannon of water, striking and dousing the heated bats to...where did they go?

"Nice shot, Misty!" Ash cheered. Ash knew what happened, meaning that LadyDevimon was in trouble. Garydos roared in some victory.

"This isn't over, Misty," Kari warned. "LadyDevimon is a lot tougher than that." That made Ash grit more. He was willing to avenge Silver's mother. He was willing to stop the threat that hampered the townspeople he lived alongside. It started here. It started now. It started with another attack from the eyes as LadyDevimon shot eye beams at the kids. Togetic began to glow before a light veil dome erected and just in time. The beams bounced off the veil, harmlessly flying away.

"What the-" LadyDevimon shrieked. Ash grinned, feeling safe.

"Safeguard, LadyDevimon," he sneered. "This light repels pretty much anything. Thanks, Togetic." Gatomon had a split second thought. Did Ash say something?

"Kari," she called as she turned to her human partner. "It's time to bring me out." Bring you out? Kari seemed to have acknowledged Gatomon's thoughts, bringing out her D-3.

"Bring what out?" Misty wondered. Kari grinned, ready to unveil a secret weapon.

"Watch and learn." Suddenly, the Safeguard light began to envelop Gatomon, as well as Kari's D-3. That's when Gatomon started to morph.

"Gatomon digivolve to...ANGEWOMON!" was her battle cry. The Safeguard was being absorbed. When the Digimon stopped glowing, angelic wings appeared. The wings began to have a body and a pink ribbon above it. She had blond hair, but her face was hidden by a masked helmet, which had a cross embedded on it. The body wasn't of a cat, but of a female human adult wearing a golden wing brassier attached to what seemed like a sexy white swimsuit. The left arm had an arm-lengthy glove with a wing on the wrist, while the right arm was bare, and she wore white, leg-lengthy high-heeled boots. For any man in the area, instant reaction of awe and shunned beauty, unlike LadyDevimon. Ash, Misty, Sara and Pikachu were no exception to it.

"An angel?" Misty gulped. Sara, knowing of angels, knelt to her knees, praying for sanctity to hone from Angewomon.

"Oh, lord," she murmured. "I thank thee for bequeathing us an angel to rid the evil which has plagued all lands." Someone's converting to religion. Ash tapped her on the shoulder, trying to say "knock it off."

"I don't think the heavens were that grateful in loaning us an angel," Ash doubted. Looking at the two bigger women, or Digimon, Ash fingered his pockets, itching to use the Energy Spheres in battle. There was also safety that became a problem. "Sara, get everyone out of here. Angewomon, Pikachu, Garydos and I can deal with this witch." The girls gasped, overwhelmingly worried about the raven-haired trainer.

"Ash, don't," Misty warned with a yank on his arm. "It's suicide!" Ash believed he knew what to do, but understood the outcrying concern of the ladies that surrounded him.

"I'll be fine. Besides, it's just like me and Gary at the Silver Conference." Ash, you'd better study the situation a little more closely. This isn't a battle for a winner. This is a battle to the death. "...Just that I promised Oliver to pay her back for what she did to Silver's mother." Misty was in shock. She didn't know that LadyDevimon had slain the mother Lugia. However, she realized that this was nothing new to Ash, considering the earlier statement.

"When it involves Pokémon, you never turn away." Yolei placed her hand on Misty's shoulder, having her to turn to the lavender-haired Digidestined.

"Let's give Ash some faith," she advised. Misty still felt she needed to stay, but Ash's devotion to stopping this crisis convinced her that Ash had this battle in the bag.

"Don't die on us." No movement on Ash. The girls scampered off, leaving the flying angel and devil to brawl...and Ash, Pikachu and Garydos to monitor the battle.

"It would seem that those girls really care about you, little boy," LadyDevimon scoffed. Ash turned to the woman in black, not quite appreciating her tone...but agreeing in the fact that Misty, Kari, Yolei and Sara did worry for his safety. He even decided...

"Well, it was nice of you to wait for them to leave," he mocked. "I don't think I've met a murderer with polite manners before. What, you wanted a fair fight." Now it was LadyDevimon who dissed the tone of Ash, acting as if evil shouldn't be so proper. No warning, LadyDevimon charged in, swooping down toward the group. Angewomon had enough of all the mocking, flying up to cut her enemy's path. Hands clamping, Angewomon was caught in a trap as LadyDevimon kicked her in the gut. She traveled a few feet before recovering and charging right back, landing a hook into the dark one's abdomen. Going for the knockdown, Angewomon aimed a punch to the back of LadyDevimon's head, but the fiend wanted no part of it as she flapped her wings, sending her back a good foot, good enough to evade Angewomon's strike. Off balance, LadyDevimon came forward, scoring a knee to the side of Angewomon's head. There's a few bells rung. Shaking the attack off, Angewomon refocused her eyes...well, if those eyes weren't shielded. Ash knew Angewomon was in a pickle. He pulled the blue Energy Sphere from his coat again, means of finally using it.

"Vile Wing!" LadyDevimon swooped in, faster than before. Not fast enough as Angewomon saw the attack, using the momentum from LadyDevimon by grabbing her forwarded arm and flinging it to Ash.

"Garydos, Flamethrower!" Garydos spewed fire from that enormous of its, burning close to LadyDevimon. The fiend saw the attack, straightening herself out.

"Darkness Wave!" Tossing volleys of bats, they stopped Garydos' flames. Garydos relented, realizing that it wasn't getting through. "How dare you! Vile Wing!" Another Vile Wing? This time, it was aimed at Ash, and this wasn't going to be good.

"Ash!" Angewomon yelled. "Look out!" Here she came. Ash stood his ground, still palming the Energy Sphere. At the last second, Ash flanked left, missing the sharped claws by not even an inch. An opened opportunity.

"Catch this cold!" he bellowed as he smashed the Sphere into LadyDevimon's face. That can't be good for the makeup. The Sphere shattered, but that was the bad news. The good news? VOOM! A humongous blast of icy cold winds blew into LadyDevimon so hard, she was sent flying back a handful of yards. That was no breeze. That was a wind power the force of an F-5 tornado with subzero shards of snow, ice and anything related to chilly. Angewomon was at a safe distance from the eruption, but still was awed by the energy that billowed from the breaking.

"Where did the ancestors find that power? Antarctica?" Somewhere cold and wintry, right? A few seconds wilted when the winds died down. LadyDevimon felt hypothermic, shivering from that cold air and her face coated with a sheet of ice. Ash's arm wasn't as lucky as Angewomon, since that body part was also covered in ice...at least 3 inches thick. Yikes! He was not expecting this kind of repercussion.

"Should have expected some sort of consequence. Not quite a frostbite of epic proportions." Are you sure that's a frostbite? LadyDevimon clear her eyes of the blinding snow and ice and anything else before setting her eyes on Ash, peeved but intrigued.

"I'll admit, you runt, I didn't expect you to whip up a snowstorm like that from the palm of your hand, less appreciate it," she growled. "What are you, a humanized Digimon or some perfected experiment meant to deal with the likes of us?" Ash as something more than normal?

"Well, I am more than a mere Pokémon trainer and global traveler if that's a start." Anyone say pressure? An eyebrow rose on LadyDevimon, if you could see her entire face. Could he be telling the truth?

"Well then. Let's see if you are a mere trainer." LadyDevimon began her dive, if not for Angewomon intercepting the fiend in that split second. Angewomon connected a shoulder block, knocking LadyDevimon back a couple. Enough room for Angewomon to attack. The wings lengthened out. What's going on? An arrow of light began to emit from an invisible string, pulled back.

"Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon hollered as she fired the arrow. LadyDevimon seemed eager to spot the arrow as she swatted it away like a fly.

"You haven't changed a bit since four years ago. I thought you might come out with some extra flair, but I mistook." Angewomon seethed a bit, not liking the tone she teased.

"I don't need special techniques to beat the virus out of you." Needless to say, LadyDevimon was unimpressed.

"That's ashame. I'd be having more fun with the two humans and the creatures." Two? Angewomon didn't like the sound of two.

"What do you mean two?" She peeked down. Ash, gearing his arm. No surprise there. Even Ash had to wonder who else LadyDevimon mentioned. He looked back, seeing his heart sink like the Titanic, if he knew what the Titanic was. Kari, disregarding Ash's advice, raced back to the scene. This couldn't be happening.

"Kari!" he yelled as he swung his normal arm to tell her to turn back. It wasn't going to work, since this was Kari's Digimon. To Angewomon, this was trouble. To LadyDevimon, bait.

"You're mine!" she bellowed as she swooped in to try and cut down the kids.

"Ash, behind you!" Angewomon warned. Ash twisted back, spotting the fast approaching demon. Kari coming from where she was safe, LadyDevimon flying from above...what to do?

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" he commanded as he fled to get to Kari's side. Pikachu unleashed massive jolts of lightning from the small frame but LadyDevimon was too quick, evading the electricity. Ash got to Kari's side, knowing that she could be protected...but how? His arm was sheeted in ice. Another Darkness Spear was approaching. Ash had to act, even if it meant losing his arm. He swung the frozen arm as LadyDevimon was thrusting her spear. Both met in a clash, which the ice on Ash's arm began to crack under the pressure. "Now, Iron Tail!" Pikachu leaped to the sky, it's tail glowing white and with one swing, he knocked the spear away from Ash and Kari...and left LadyDevimon wide open. With a rotating spin, Ash hooked LadyDevimon in the chin, launching her far and destroying the ice, freeing Ash's arm with normal functions. LadyDevimon felt the brunting impact while heading toward Angewomon.

"Heaven's Charge!" A cross formed in front of Angewomon as she barreled at the demonic Digimon. LadyDevimon heard Angewomon coming and fired more eye lasers. A few shots hit the cross, but one got her on the mask. She crumpled in a fall, losing her grip on the cross which dissolved. When she got to the humans, Kari was the first to give attention. "She's a lot tougher, indeed." Ash looked on, knowing how vicious LadyDevimon had been. He was also shaken with Kari's return.

"Kari, I told you to clear from here and allow me and Angewomon to take care of work." Kari eyed LadyDevimon ready to strike.

"She's still my Digimon and I've gotta help her out," she protested. Talk about gun-ho. "Here she comes!" What attack now? LadyDevimon curled her body up, wanting to unleash something big.

"Darkness Wave!" she bellowed as she fired more hordes of bats their way. Act, someone! Ash had a hold of another Energy Sphere when the bats began to circle around the group, forcing immobilization. Ensnared, the demon geared in for the kill. "This is the end! Darkness Spear!" The big spike was out once more. Ash needed to get out of the kill zone, but those bats had blocked any form of escape. Angewomon decided to make her move...and she had to time it right or it's curtains for all of them. Now!

"Divine Kick!" she roared as she jumped, flipped and got her glowing foot out to divert LadyDevimon away. In some fancy flight, LadyDevimon twisted her body, just enough to make Angewomon miss. Now there was nothing stopping LadyDevimon from reaching Ash and Kari. Left no choice, Ash clutched the yellow Energy Sphere. Angewomon feared the worst. "NO!" Ash knew the effect from the ice Sphere was a double-edged sword since it froze his arm and blew the wind and warmth from LadyDevimon, so he knew that both of them would probably feel the immense power from the other two orbs. He had no choice but to gamble.

"You're finished!"

"Not yet!" Ash grinned as he palmed the Sphere forward like a tiny shield. The spike pierced and totaled the Sphere...forwarding a shocking revelation! A voltage, 50 times stronger than what Pikachu could muster, illuminated and snagged LadyDevimon and Ash, electrocuting them and vaporizing the Darkness Wave bats. Ash was feeling the electricity coursing through his body, much like Davis did during the planning stages of the search. LadyDevimon was no exception to the pain of bolts. Ash made one roar as he "pushed" the lightning forward. The lightning fired back at LadyDevimon, sending her back a good football field onto her back. Sparks emitted from both shocked combatants. Ash collapsed to a knee, still feeling the effects. He could not be feeling any better after that. Kari and Pikachu immediately became very concerned. Ash peered forward, blood seeping from his mouth. Internal injuries?

"Ash?" Kari fidgeted at the sight of blood. Ash wiped the blood from his face, knowing that this battle wasn't done yet.

"I'm good." Don't lie, Ash. You're far from good. He unsteadily rose to his feet, still pained from all that lightning. Angewomon retreated back down, seeing Ash in a terribly different account than what Ash fibbed.

"You can't take another direct shot from LadyDevimon or those Energy Spheres," she advised. "You won't survive it." Ash was more worried about everyone in the paradise to start considering his own health. Angewomon did have the point, however. LadyDevimon rose to her feet, slowly, uneasily, but surely. Ash and Angewomon needed a plan.

"I still have one more Sphere. You need to connect that Celestial Arrow to stop her." Okay, but how?

"How?" Kari wondered about what Ash was plotting. Ash pulled the final, red Sphere from his pocket, wanting to use it. "Digimon recover pretty quickly, unlike humans." A point well taken to Ash.

"I'll get her attention. That way, you can get a clear shot. If it works, that arrow should tag both LadyDevimon and the Sphere, and knowing that this Sphere contains fire..." Ash could only picture what could be looming around in that Sphere. "I need at least a few seconds." It was then that Misty came back as well, but remained far enough that Ash wouldn't see her. He had enough on his plate to be protective about.

"Ash, don't be so stubborn," she prayed. "I could feel that power from far away and know that you're in extreme pain. Let the Digimon finish it." Ash was ready, blood still leaking from the lips. He was in pain, in anger, in determination. It was now or never. Angewomon flew high, making LadyDevimon look at her and give chase. Ash and Pikachu sprinted ahead. It wasn't long before the wingers were fist-fighting. Ash skidded to a stop, eying the flying cat-fight. You couldn't really call it a dogfight since these were women. Angewomon managed to push off LadyDevimon who came charging in with her claws, hoping to inflict harm with them.

"Heaven's Charm!" Angewomon chanted as she formed a white ring over her head. An extra large halo? Beaming a rainbow? The rainbow nailed LadyDevimon, freezing her. She wasn't moving. An open target.

"No, this can't be!" she cried in dismay. Angewomon prepped another Celestial Arrow. This was it.

"Ash, now!" The signal. Using the remaining strength he had in him, Ash chucked the last Sphere into the air. Angewomon readied the arrow. "Hit the mark!" She fired. The Sphere hooked into the arrow's path. That's when the arrow pierced the Sphere and LadyDevimon in the chest. Direct hit! LadyDevimon...

"NO!!!" she screamed before...KABOOM!!! A giant fiery explosion engulfed the arrow, Sphere and LadyDevimon. Angewomon flew upward, clear of the blast. Ash wasn't so lucky. The blast pushed him far away. He landed with a sickening thud on his head, knocking him out. The fire dissipated, no trace of LadyDevimon...except for a piece of black leather. Was she gone for good? Kari and Misty found Ash, unconscious and blood flooding out of his mouth. Pikachu, not far from Ash from the blast, got up, getting over to his master.

("Ash!") Pikachu screeched. Kari and Misty arrived, also trying to wake Ash.

"Ash, come on!" Misty tried to get her words through.

"Ash, wake up!" Kari also tried. So far, no use. The Pallet Townspeople heard the explosion, knowing full well that Ash was involved. This was one of their children. He was a son, a nephew, a brother. Could anyone wake Ash...or was this the end?


TO BE CONCLUDED...