"Spirit Evolution...Agnimon!"

"Spirit Evolution...Wolfmon!"

Garmmon sneered as the two humans evolved. He knew that he was more than a match for the two of them; that small creature was not even worth considering. Still, this form was not the best for battling underground; Garmmon's attacks needed space to really work. He slide-evolved to his upgraded Grottomon form. It was a better form for close up fighting. If things went against him, he could simply switch to Gigasmon and bury the two humans under several tons of rock. Fighting as Grottomon was just more fun.

Tyrogue watched as the metal wolf changed into a humanoid that vaguely resembled Yashamon. As he did, his grip on his club tightened, remembering the speed and power this opponent had. He had been watching Wolfmon fight, and had picked up a few tricks from him. But he knew that the two Hybrids were at a severe disadvantage fighting Grottomon. He briefly wondered where the others were; when Garmmon had used that Solar Laser attack, the whole group had fallen through the hole; he had seen Hiroki fall one way, along with his twin, Tomoki. Ryoko, Izumi, and Junpei had fallen another way.

Digicross Frontier episode 3
'Smash the walls of the cave! Ankylomon!'

"Tyrogue? Tyrogue!" Hiroki looked around, trying to track down his missing pokemon. "Any sign of him, Tomoki?" Armadillomon was on top of one pile of rock, tring to find the infant pokemon.

"I think I saw him falling the same way as Kouji and Takuya." Tomoki replied. "I hope they're all right."

"I'm sure they're fine." Patamon said cheerfully. From his vantage point, the small digimon saw a pair of legs sticking out of the rubble. "Hey, I see something!"

The two children ran over. "That looks like Neemon." Tomoki nodded to Hiroki, and the two pulled the yellow digimon out. Clinging onto one of his ears was Bokomon.

"That was most unpleasant." Bokomon complained, spitting rocks out of his mouth. "Where are the others? Did we get separated?"

"If they're not here, they must be somewhere else." Neemon said.

"That's a big help." Armadillomon sighed, as Bokomon snapped the waistband on Neemon's pants. "Hey, can you fly up and see if there's some rope we can use to climb out of this hole?" he asked Patamon.

The other digimon shook his head. "I'm sorry." Patamon said. "But I can't see a hole above us; we must have fallen through several tunnels when Garmmon attacked; this town was built over a network of caves. The last digimon that went down here was lost for weeks before he made it out again."

Tomoki started to tremble, fear eating at him. "Then we're stuck here?"

"I'm afraid so." Bokomon said.

"Don't worry." Armadillomon replied, trying to calm Tomoki down. "If we have to get out of here, I can armour digivolve to Chameleonmon and use Dig to get us out."

Hiroki nodded. "And I can use my D-3 to find Ryoko and the others." Hiroki put a hand on Tomoki's shoulder. "Relax. Pokemon masters never give up, right?"

Still sniffling a bit, Tomoki nodded, managing to smile.

"Alright then!" Neemon yelled. "Let's get out of here!" As Neemon started off in a random direction, one of the walls cracked, then shattered. A large digimon crashed through the rubble, the monster made of stone and having very, very large hands.

"Golemon." Patamon said, recognizing the digimon. "He was one of the ones that was defending the town." Patamon flew over to Golemon. "Did Garmmon send you down here too?" Golemon snarled and took a clumsy swipe at the rookie digimon.

"He's been corrupted by Cherubimon!" Bokomon yelled, running for cover. "It must have happened when Grottomon attacked the town!"

"You mean he's going to blow up?" Neemon asked, backpedalling.

"I think he means 'corrupt', not 'erupt'." Armadillomon replied. "Hiroki?"

"Digiarmour energize!"

"Armadillomon, armour digivolve to...Chameleonmon, kindly forest spirit!"

"Spirit evolution...Chakmon!"

==

"I think he's nearby." Junpei muttered, looking around. A second later, a loud roar shook the cave he, Ryoko, Sneasel, and Izumi were in.

"What was your first clue?" Izumi asked, exasperated. "Do we even know what it is?"

"I caught a glimpse of it. Might have been a Monochromon. I think."

Sneasel shook his head. "No. Monochromon don't have sharp horns like that. I'd guess a Triceramon."

"Is that bad?"

Sneasel shrugged. "It depends." he answered Junpei's question. "Triceramon's an Ultimate level digimon, and can flatten a mountain quite easily. Monochromon is only a Champion level digimon. Tough, but not as hard to handle as Triceramon."

"That doesn't help." Junpei replied sourly. A loud noise got his attention. He spotted a rapidly growing crack on the stone wall nearest them. "Incoming!" he yelled, pushing Ryoko and Izumi clear. The wall shattered, and Triceramon charged through the opening.

"HANDS OFF!" Ryoko and Izumi yelled, both of them slapping Junpei at the same time (you had to be there -ed).

"Deal with it later!" Sneasel yelled, launching a wave of cold at Triceramon. "ICY WIND!"

"Spirit Evolution...Blitzmon!"

"Spirit Evolution...Fairymon!"

BLitzmon went in first, glowing with electricity. "Lighting Topper!" He slammed into Triceramon, knocking the digimon back. The dinosaur digimon staggered recovered, and tried to impale the hybrid on his horns.

"Brezza Petalo!" The wind attack splashed off of Triceramon's skin. "Balle del Spade!" Powering up, Fairymon used her strongest attack. "TORNADO GAMBADA!" Her feet slammed into Triceramon. The digimon was shaken by the force of the kick. Unfortunately, the recoil from the attack made Fairymon gasp in pain. She pulled back, tried to stand, and fell over. (Moral: You can't karate-kick an Ultimate digimon -ed)

Ryoko and Sneasel ran over. "Fairymon!" Ryoko called as she reached the hybrid digimon.

Fairymon tried to stand, and fell over. "I think my ankle's broken!"

Overhearing this, Blitzmon got angry. With a roar, he hammered Triceramon in the head with both of his hands clenched together. This slammed Triceramon to the ground, stunned.

Fairymon grimaced as Ryoko checked her leg. "My hero." she said with a trace of sarcasm.

Blitzmon groaned. "Why do I bother?"

"I think it's just sprained." Ryoko said, checking Fairymon's ankle. "But I can't do any more until we get out of here."

"I was afraid of that." Sneasel said. "A lot of pokemon who learn Swords Dance do that to themselves the first few times they use it. If you can hover, you might be better to stay as Fairymon, and keep your weight off your ankle." Fairymon nodded.

Blitzmon walked over. "Will she be all right?" he asked.

"I just sprained my ankle! Honestly, I don't know why you go on like that!"

"I'm just worried about you, that's all." Blitzmon protested. Fairymon started to respond, realized she was about to say something Kouji-ish, and stopped.

"Maybe we should leave you two alone." Ryoko said, smiling.

"That's not funny!" Fairymon protested. Ryoko started to chuckle, sure that, under Blitzmon's shell, Junpei was blushing.

"Get down!" Sneasel yelled, knocking Ryoko to the ground. A blast of energy shot over the girl, punching a hole through the wall behind them. Triceramon, three horns still glowing after releasing his attack, moved towards the group.

==

Wolfmon thought that their chances would be better. Even with Grottomon's upgraded powers, he and Agnimon should be more than a match for him. He was busy revising this estimate as a vicious cross cut from Grottomon slammed Agnimon into the ground. There was a brief spiral of digicode, and then he reverted to Takuya.

"Now, if there are no more interruptions?" Grottomon taunted Wolfmon. Out of the corner of his eye, Wolfmon saw Tyrogue run over to check on Takuya. "I'll deal with them after I've taken your spirit."

"Good luck." Wolfmon growled. "STRAHL!" The laser bolt slammed into Grottomon, who didn't bring his shield up in time. Grottomon, angry now, summoned up his swords and attacked. Wolfmon did likewise. The two duelled for several seconds, neither gaining an advantage.

A few yards away, Tyrogue managed to revive Takuya. "Uhh...thanks." Takuya said to the pokemon. "How are we doing?" Tyrogue pointed up to where the two digimon were duelling. "I have to go help him." Tyrogue ran in front of Takuya, trying to block him. "What are you doing?" Takuya demanded, trying not to stagger.

"Rrrr...Tyrogue!" was all the pokemon said, shaking his head.

"Wolfmon can't win on his own against Grottomon! I'm sorry, I have no choice! Spirit Evolution...Agnimon!" With a flash, Takuya digivolved into Agnimon again, and charged.

"Do you mind?" Grottomon asked, catching all of this out of the corner of his eye. "Slide evolution...Gigasmon!" Changing to his more powerful form, Gigasmon backhanded Agnimon, sending the digimon flying. "This is getting boring." Gigasmon sighed, returning his attention to Wolfmon. Almost casually, he ignored Wolfmon's attack and slammed him into a cave wall, hard enough to leave an impression on the stone surface.

"No..." Wolfmon gasped, as he felt his digivolution start to reverse. His form went black, and a ring of digicode started to appear.

"First, I take your spirit." Gigasmon grunted. "Then your life." Wolfmon found himself believing that.

Agnimon staggered to his feet, desperate to save his friend. No choice, he thought. "Agnimon, slide evolution...Vritramon!"

==

"Chameleonmon, go underground!" Hiroki yelled. Chameleonmon obeyed, digging a hole before Golemon could get to him. Chakmon distracted Golemon with a hail of ice blasts. Briefly, Hiroki thought that might have done it, then remembered that pokemon types didn't really count in digimon battles.

"Where'd he go?" Chakmon asked, dodging a swing from Golemon. Chakmon's small size worked for him in this underground battle; Golemon kept hitting his head on the ceiling.

"Wait for it." Hiroki said calmly. Having a kendo champion and a digidestined for a father meant that Hiroki often got tips on how to stay calm in crises like this. He saw a small bulge in the ground near Golemon, and knew that his partner was in position. Hiroki edged over a bit, and yelled "Over here!" in as loud a voice as he could. Golemon lumbered over, then fell to one side as the trap Chameleonmon had dug triggered. A small pit, only enough to fit Golemon's leg, but enough to immobilize the monster.

"Snow Bomber!" Golemon was buried under a small avalance of snow and ice as Chakmon threw everything he had at the monster. With a groan, Golemon fell over. "All right!" Chakmon ran over and high fived Hiroki. "Are all pokemon battles like this where you come from?"

"Nahh." Chameleonmon said confidently. "At the Johto leagues, some pokemon work up a sweat." He looked back at Golemon. "I don't think that'll hold him for long. We'd better get moving." The other two nodded, and ran down a cave, Hiroki leading the way with his D-3.

"We're getting near them." Hiroki said, as the beeping from his digivice grew louder. "Just down..." the three stopped at a dead end. "Ah nuts!"

"Don't worry," Chameleonmon said, "I can tunnel through it. It'll just take a few minutes." The digimon had started to dig when Golemon came into view.

"That was quick." Hiroki said, stepping back.

Chakmon pulled out his launcher. "Keep digging." he said, trying not to let the fear he felt show through. "Maybe I can hold him off long enough." Chakmon marched forward, hoping he could fight Golemon on his own.

==

Junpei had never considered that he would be wrestling a dinosaur when he first arrived in the digital world. Of course, he never considered that he'd gain an object that would let him turn into a humaoid insect with enough voltage to power a small village either. As Blitzmon, he had considerable strength and defensive plating covering him, all of which was being taxed as he tried to keep Triceramon at bay while Ryoko, Patamon, Fairymon, and Sneasel tried to get away.

"I'm getting tired of this!" Blitzmon yelled. "If anyone's got a plan, I'm open!"

Sneasel scowled, looking around. It was situations like this that made the loss of his digiegg all the more frustrating. If only..."Ryoko...hear that?"

Ryoko looked up, listening. "A roar. Another digimon?"

Sneasel shook his head. "No, it's a river. Come on!"

Patamon remembered. "This part of the area has a lot of underground rivers. It's where the town gets a lot of its water from."

"Blitzmon!" Fairymon shouted. "Follow us!"

"Sure, *grunt* just *oof* a *ow!* second...RrrrAGGHH!" With a shout, Blitzmon shoved Triceramon as hard as he could, forcing his head up, then gave him an electrically charged uppercut. Blitzmon took the opportunity to run, catching up with the others. "Tell me there's a plan?"

"Maybe." Sneasel replied, a bit irritiated. He led the group into a large open cavern. In the center was a large, shallow lake, with a small stream trickling out of one side of the wall. Ryoko could just make out a small opening where the lake drained. "Perfect." the pokemon said. Let's get to the other side of the lake!" The group flew over. (Fairymon carrying Ryoko; neither of them trusted Junpei's intentions at the moment. He had to carry Sneasel -ed)

"What's the plan?" Fairymon asked Sneasel.

The pokemon looked at Ryoko. "Remember the 2 on 2 battle between Loreli and Drake?"

"They're talking sports NOW?" Blitzmon asked, incredulous. Fairymon, hovering in the air, shrugged.

"Yeah but...Oh, I get it."

"Loreli?" Patamon asked. "Is she a Legendary Warrior?"

"Master class pokemon trainer." Ryoko replied. "Retired shortly after and let Caryl Kyashi take her spot in the Elite 4. But that's not important. Basically, we lure Triceramon into the lake, and freeze it."

Blitzmon looked at Ryoko. "Oh, like when Sakura caught the Watery card." he said. Fairymon just stared at the other hybrid. "What?" Blitzmon asked. "Okay, it's frozen. That'll take about five seconds to break through."

"Hel-LO!" Ryoko said. "Water conducts electricity, right?"

"Fairymon and I combine our attacks." Sneasel interrupted. "That should slow it down long enough and get it wet enough for a lightning attack to take it out."

"Actually," Ryoko added, "Prima did it with a Pidgeot and a Cloyster with Ice Beam, but it should work here." She didn't add that Prima was fighting a Dragonite at the time; she really wished she knew if Triceramon were weak against Ice attacks. Fairymon landed, wincing as she put pressure on her injured ankle. Ryoko moved over and helped Fairymon stand. They heard Triceramon approaching, moving at full speed.

With a crash, Triceramon burst into the room, and immediately charged the group. "NOW!" Sneasel shouted.

"Brezza Petalo!"

"Boom Bubble!"

The two attacks whipped the water in the lake up, soaking Triceramon. Enraged, Triceramon charged forward. Sneasel saw his chance, and used Icy Wind.

But it wasn't enough. Sneasel's plan was good, but his attack lacked the power to freeze the water quickly enough to stun Triceramon. "I need...more....." Sneasel's body glowed blue-white for a second, and Sneasel felt his Ice aspect grow stronger. "ICE BEAM!" he screamed, launcing a beam of energy at Triceramon. Triceramon felt a wave of pure cold slam into him. Instantly, his strength was sapped away as the water around him began to freeze solid.

"Thor Hammer!" Blitzmon's attack hit the immobilized digimon full force. The ice melted under his attack, conducting it all over Triceramon's body. Any opening at all on Triceramon's body instantly became a conductor, allowing the electric attack to do the maximum damage. "Yeah!" BLitzmon cried, pumping his fist, landing by the group. The ice around Triceramon shattered, and Triceramon collapsed, body blacking out as he fell. A ring of digicode appeared around him.

Fairymon flew over, digivice out. "Looks like the winds of fortune left you cold." she remarked. "Digicode, SCAN!" Fairymon scanned Triceramon's data, and flew back, nearly falling over as she did. Triceramon shrank, and reverted to Monochromon.

Patamon recognized the digimon. "He was also defending the city. How could he have digivolved and become evil?"

"Cherubimon?" Blitzmon suggested.

"Grottomon." Sneasel answered.

==

Wolfmon felt a small glimmer of hope as he saw Agnimon change to Vritramon. Instantly, the dragon hybrid charged Gigasmon and grappled the monster. That hope faded as Wolfmon realized that Takuya wasn't in control. "He's berserk." Wolfmon said. Tyrogue, who had managed to make it over to Wolfmon after Vritramon's attack, nodded in agreement. He indicated that the hybrid should get up.

"Just give me a sec, then I'll get back to the fight." Tyrogue shook his head, indicating a tunnel nearby. "I am not running." he said flatly. "I can beat him." Tyrogue's expression conveyed his doubt quite clearly. "Thanks for the vote of confidence." Wolfmon muttered.

Gigasmon tried to attack Vritramon, but couldn't. The hybrid's insane charge was too fast. Gigasmon's arms were pinned, and he wasn't given a chance to slide evolve or even attack. The only thing saving him was his rocky hide. "Get...off of..ME!" Gigasmon convulsed violently, and Vritramon's grip loosened. Gigasmon took the opportunity to get an arm free, and club Vritramon on his shoulder, forcing the attacker to disengage. "Gigasmon, Slide Evolution... Garmmon!"

Vritramon, focussed on his opponent, ignored everything else around him. He didn't hear Wolfmon's shout as his tail smacked into the wall just above Wolfmon and Tyrogue, didn't listen to Garmmon's taunts. He just levelled his arms and opened up with his arm cannons, shots hitting Garmmon, the walls behind him, anything in his way. Seeing the shots were having little effect, Vritramon growled, and charged again, teeth and claws bared. Garmmon did likewise.

The two beast hybrids battle like this for several minutes before separating, severe wounds on both of them. All Wolfmon and Tyrogue could do was sit and watch.

Inevitably, Vritramon slipped up. While Vritramon's attack was less predictable due to the berserk rage he was in, it also left him wide open for a well timed counter attack, which Garmmon was all too willing to take advantage of. Vritramon's arm reared back to try to claw Garmmon's side, and Garmmon took the opening to twist around and sink his teeth into the dragon hybrid's side.

==

Chakmon was slammed back into the wall beside Chameleonmon, who was still trying to tunnel through. "I don't know if I can hold him off much longer." Chakmon wheezed, breath knocked out of him.

"I'm doing my best," Chameleonmon replied, "but this wall is really tough. What'd they carve this thing out of, plate steel?"

Golemon steppped back, now facing away from the children. "He's going to use his Crimson Curse attack! It's a gas that can poison any living thing!" As Bokomon spoke, a venomous looking cloud came out of the holes on Golemon's back, headed straight for the small group.

Chakmon staggered up, and pushed everyone against the wall. Then, using the last of his strength, he reshaped his body into an icy dome, covering everyone and protecting them from the attack. Hiroki winced as Chakmon yelled as the attack hit him. "Chakmon, stop it!"

"K...keep digging.." Chakmon stammered. A second later, the attack dissipated, and the small bear collapsed. Hiroki saw that Chakmon's body seemed to be flickering, as if it couldn't decide whether to turn back into Tomoki or not.

"That's it!" Chameleonmon yelled, firing his Heat Eye at Golemon. The attack struck but did little damage. The armour digimon, growling, charged at Golemon, hoping he could buy time for Hiroki to get away. That move was about as effective; a second later, Golemon sent Chameleonmon flying with a swinging backhand. Chameleonmon struck the wall, glowed, and reverted to Armadillomon. That left only Hiroki, Bokomon, and Neemon concious. "If you can digivolve," Hiroki said to the three digimon, "now would be a good time."

"I don't know how." Bokomon replied. "And Neemon doesn't even know what digivolving is." he added sarcastically.

"Guilty as charged." Neemon replied.

Hiroki looked at Golemon, who was slowly approaching the group. He really wished there was someone else here. Sam and Shadramon, or Takeru and his partner Saggitarimon. Or Asuka and Mantaraymon. Kyoko and Butterflymon would know what to do. Or Hitomi...

Armadillomon staggered to his feet, barely aware of where he was. "Did we get him?"

"Actually, he's about to get us." Neemon replied. Armadilomon nodded, launching himself at Golemon. Golemon just ignored the attack, Armadillomon bouncing off the digimon's rocky hide. Tomoki got up, leaning on the wall as he did. He spirit evolved again, and fired another ice attack, which was also ignored by Golemon, who kept advancing. Now Hiroki started to get scared.

"We'll get out of this." Armadillomon said, holding his ground.

"Yeah." Chakmon said. "Pokemon trainers never give up, right? And I really want to see a Pikachu, now that I know your world is real."

"If we get out of this," Armadillomon promised, "I'll make sure you meet Ash and Misty; they'll be thrilled to know they have a fan. You hear that, Hiroki? Now we have to get out of here. For all we know, Hitomi's back by now, and waiting for you!"

The old protest came to Hiroki's mind, but it was quickly forgotten. Please, he prayed, help us get out of here.

Chakmon's digivice lit up. "Awaken." a female voice said. Hiroki's digivice glowed.

"Armadillomon, digivolve to...ANKYLOMON!"

==

Ryoko looked around, D-3 held out. "I think Hiroki's this way." she said. They had entered another large cavern, this one carved out from the stream they were following, a process that doubtless would have taken millennia in the Real World. Beside her, Sneasel walked, relieved that Triceramon had been defeated.

"You seem happy." Blitzmon remarked, looking at Fairymon.

"I finally got to beat up on an evil digimon. I hate being the 'damsel in distress'."

"That thing with Woodmon's still bugging you?" Blitzmon asked, surprised. Izumi didn't seem like the type to hold a grudge.

"Wait up." Patamon said. "I think I heard something." A second later, Ryoko's D-3 began beeping loudly.

There was a dull rumble as part of the wall on the opposite side of the cavern collapsed, as Golemon came flying through, being pushed by a giant dinosaur. "Ankylomon!" Sneasel exclaimed, recognizing the digimon. As the group watched, Bokomon, Neemon, Chakmon, and Hiroki came through the hole. Ankylomon had Golemon pinned to the ground.

"That's Armadillomon?" Fairymon asked, incredulous.

Ryoko nodded. "Champion level digimon. He's armoured like a tank, and his Tail Hammer and Megaton Press attacks hit like one too." The group watched as the two digimon battled.

"Watch it!" Blitzmon yelled, hearing another rumble from the cavern. "They're going to tear the whole cave apart if they keep this up!"

Ankylomon heard this and nodded. "Chakmon, you want to do the honours?"

Chakmon looked at Hiroki, who nodded. Then, with a huge grin on his face, yelled "Ankylomon, Take Down attack!" Roaring, Ankylomon charged Golemon, catching the digimon in his horns and slamming him into the wall. Golemon slumped down, ring of digicode appearing. Chakmon ran over, digivice out. "Digicode Scan!" Golemon's form shrank, reverting to a digiegg, which flew up, smashing through the ceiling of the cavern. "All right!" Chakmon yelled, mimicking Ash Ketchum's victory pose. "I scanned Golemon!" Fairymon and Blitzmon were trying not to laugh, while Ryoko and Hiroki looked blankly at the two, not understanding what was so funny.

There was another rumble, and several loud cracks could be heard. Sneasel saw the flow of the river had picked up. "That last fight must have caused more water to flood in; this cavern's going to be flooded any minute now!"

"This way!" Ankylomon yelled, smashing his Tail Hammer through a wall. He went through, the others following behind him. (Digimon like Ankylomon don't usually have to worry about silly little things like 'doors' or 'exits.' -ed)

==

Garmmon, Vritramon gripped in his powerful jaws, swung around, slamming the hybrid into the cavern wall several times. Finally, the dragon hybrid was thrown by Garmmon, landing near Wolfmon and Tyrogue. The pain finally managed to break through Vritramon's rage, and Takuya was able to force himself to slide evolve to Agnimon. He got up one last time, and made a desperate charge at Garmmon.

"Pathetic. Garmmon, slide evolution...Grottomon!" Grottomon caught Agnimon on one of his clubs, then pushed him back, hammering him with a Grand Cross attack. Agnimon turned jet black, ring of digicode appearing around him. Kouji could make out two spirits appearing in the ring. Smirking, Grottomon grabbed one of them, swallowing it as he had the other spirits. "I'll let you keep the Beast Spirit." Grottomon taunted. "I might want someone to play with later. If you survive." The ring faded and Takuya, human now, collapsed, unconcious and badly injured.

"Takuya!" Wolfmon shouted. In a rage, he got up, swords out. His attack, almost as frenzied as Vritramon's, managed to push Grottomon back. A savage slash with one of his swords forced the rock hybrid to hop back, allowing Wolfmon to use his laser. He fired almost indiscriminately, kicking up a cloud of dust around Grottomon. Exhausted, he lowered his arm, wondering if he had managed to finish off Grottomon.

Garmmon charged out of the dust cloud, slamming into Wolfmon. Wolfmon was knocked out, body turning black, just as Agnimon's did. Garmmon darted forward, and ate Kouji's H-Spirit of light as it appeared. Kouji collapsed, barely aware of what was happening.

"Yes...Yes....YES!!! This power is incredible! Garmmon, slide evolution...WOLFMON!"

There was a dull roar at the far end of the cavern. Wolfmon looked back just in time to see Ankylomon smash through another wall, letting the other digidestined in.

"Wolfmon!" Blitzmon yelled, moving to greet the hybrid. He stopped when he saw Kouji and Takuya a few yards beyond him. "No, it can't be..." Blitzmon whispered.

"It is! Strahl!" Blitzmon managed to dodge the laser bolt, allowing Ankylomon to deflect it on his iron-clad tail. Laughing maniacally, Wolfmon charged the other group.

"I'll take him!" Blitzmon growled. Chakmon followed Blitzmon, and the two launched every attack they had at the evil hybrid. Fairymon, Ryoko, Hiroki, Sneasel, Bokomon, Neemon, and Patamon ran to where the two hybrids were.

"Kouji, what...TAKUYA!" Fairymon shrieked when she saw the badly injured boy. "Takuya, wake up!"

Chakmon and Blitzmon heard Fairymon. "If you think that's bad, wait until I get through with you!" Wolfmon yelled, forcing the two good hybrids on the defense.

Ryoko looked at Takuya. "He's barely breathing and...oh god..." she whispered, as she saw a small trickle of blood come out of his mouth. She only knew a little first aid, mostly picked up from 'Uncle' Joe, but she knew that meant there were probably internal injuries. Ryoko looked up, not knowing what to do. Even if she called home, there was no way they could do anything; Takuya needed a hospital, even assuming he could survive being moved. Beside her, Sneasel shook, a combination of sadness and helpless rage tearing through him.

Fairymon fell to her knees, ignoring the pain in her ankle. "No, not that, please..." Her digivice was in her hand. It glowed, and a feminine voce said 'Awaken' in a soft, almost inaudible voice. Ryoko's digivice glowed a bright blue.

Suddenly, Sneasel felt the change. "Sneasel, digivolve to...Sorcerimon!" Evolved, Sorcerimon looked around, trying to adjust to his new body. He still felt the rage, and knew he could do something about it. He started to move towards the battle.

"Wait!" Bokomon yelled, getting in front of Sorcerimon.

"Out of my way." the digimon growled, staff aimed at Bokomon. "He's got to pay for what he did!"

"You don't understand!!" Bokomon cut Sorcerimon off. "If you're anything like the Sorcerimon here, then your power lies in healing, not fighting. I've seen a Sorcerimon use a power called 'Aquarius Fill' to save digimon from death! Please, you have to use it on Takuya, that will do more good than throwing your life away fighting Grottomon!"

Sorcerimon didn't bother to ask if that technique would work on humans; it had to, that was all he would accept. He stepped back over to Takuya's side, and placed a hand on the boy's body. With a sick sensation filling him, he knew the extent of Takuya's injuries. Another few minutes, and it would be too late to help him. Sorcerimon raised his staff, keeping one hand on Takuya's body, and said "Aquarius Fill!" He felt the energy drain out of him and into Takuya, knitting bones and organs back together, healing areas damaged almost to the point of death.

Ryoko held Takuya's head, watching this take place. "I think he's getting better!" she said. Checking his pulse confirmed it; it was strong, easily matching its normal rate. The other digimon fighting Wolfmon felt some of the power Sorcerimon used as well. Fairymon's ankle healed, and the injuries Blitzmon and Chakmon had received also repaired themselves. Kouji felt his energy come back, and he was able to sit up.

Drained, Sorcerimon kneeled, and reverted to Sneasel. "That...took a lot out of me." Sneasle said, kneeling.

Wolfmon stepped back, not liking this. It was just possible that Takuya was strong enough to rejoin the attack; he could allow a slight possibility that, between two human hybrids, one beast hybrid, and that giant dinosaur, he might lose. Distracted, he failed to see Ankylomon charging, and was smashed into the wall of the cavern. Now it was Wolfmon's turn to have a digicode ring appear!

"I've got it!" Blitzmon yelled, trying to get the spirits back. Wolfmon heard him approach, and desperately tried to get up, flee the area. Blitzmon managed to get one of the spirits, then Wolfmon slide evolved to Garmmon, and fled at high speed, cursing himself for letting Takuya keep his B-Spirit.

Frustrated, Blitzmon punched the wall. "I only got his Gigasmon spirit. Sorry guys."

Next episode:
As the digidestined make it to the Forest Terminal, Grottomon, angered over losing his B-Spirit, manages to unlock a more powerful digivolution from the spirits of light he has stolen: Ancient Garurumon. Can the children defeat this new menace, even if they manage to revive Seraphimon? And what does Mercuremon have planned for Grottomon? Next time on Digicross Frontier:
-'Reflections on Seraphimon.'