The two enemies faced one another. Holy Angemon, sword pushed to its full power, snarled; he had been tracking this digimon for some time now. His opponent, Cerberumon, returned the expression, bits of green flame coming out of his mouth. This particular evil digimon was one of a pack of such digimon said to be serving Cherubimon; one of them had been killed, but the rest of the pack had gone right on destroying all that was in their path.

"Your evil ends now." Holy Angemon said, readying for a final attack.

Cerberumon smirked. "I am much stronger than my brethren. Hellfire!" Green fire shot at Holy Angemon, blackening the ground it passed over.

The angel's sword gleamed in the light. "Soul...BANISH!" Swinging his sword, Holy Angemon cut the gout of flame in two, dispelling the fire. "Now I will remove your evil from this world! HEAVEN'S GATE!" He traced a circle in the air, forming a portal into another dimension, one that was sure to destroy any digimon sucked in.

Cerberumon felt the energy from the portal pulling him in. In desperation, he tried his other ability, hoping to counter the gateway that signaled his doom. "Inferno Gate!"

However, when the two attacks intersected, they did not cancel. The two portals tried to suck each other in, creating a significant warp in the area between the gates. "What have you done?" Holy Angemon cried, a spike of fear chilling his heart. He watched as the portals tried to draw more power, and then exploded. Both combatants were thrown back several yards.

When they recovered, the saw that something had, incredibly, come out of the two portals. He, and it was clearly a he, was humanoid, and was dressed in tattered clothes, wore a mask over the top half of his face, and had what looked like a pair of swords sheathed on his back. Holy Angemon could feel the evil coming from this newcomer. The clown looked up, saw Holy Angemon, and his expression twisted. "YOU!" he shouted, drawing a sword. Holy Angemon parried it, but was already backing away, sensing that he was no match for this opponent. "You thought you could throw me into that gate and forget about me? When I finish pulling your wings off, I'll bury you beside your little human friend!"

Holy Angemon had no idea what this digimon was talking about; the newcomer was clearly insane, so he discounted most of it. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I will send you back to where you came from! Heaven's-"

"TRUMP SWORD!" Instantly, Holy Angemon was transfixed by several swords. The attacker stepped forward, pulling out a small square of cloth. "Now I will have the revenge I have waited three decades for. Clown Trick!" The cloth square flew out, expanded, and wrapped around the angel, squeezing the life out of him. "How does it feel, wings? Will you call out for that insolent little bra....what?" Suddenly, the angel's body went black, as his digicode came out, and immediately drained into the newcomer's body. Gasping, he watched as his clothes were repaired, and a new strength flooded into him. Knowledge came, too. The attacker stood there, stunned.

Cerberumon decided that it was a good time to leave. Quietly, he tried to sneak away, hoping that the digimon that just destroyed one of the strongest digimon in the area wouldn't notice him.

"Heel!" the newcomer said. Horrified, Cerberumon found himself obeying, padding over to the garishly-dressed digimon's side. "Good boy. Now play dead." Gasping, Cerberumon toppled over, his digicode draining into the clown's body.

"So, this is where I wound up." the newcomer said. "Well, look out, Digital World. You've had your fun, but now it's time to pay the Piedmon!" Cackling, the former Dark Master walked off, planning his next act of terror.

Digicross Frontier Episode 9

'Crimson warrior of the storm, Jet Sylphimon!'

Sneasel's arm shot out, claws fully extended. The shopkeeper, a Shamanmon, cowered, terrified. "I'll only ask once." Sneasel growled in a low voice. "Where did you get that badge?" He glanced at a small silver badge, with the image of a feather, split at the top. Just behind Sneasel, a large Ogremon lay there, knocked unconscious. That digimon had tried to forcibly remove Ryoko and Sneasel when they had tried to ask where Shamanmon had found the Silver Wing Badge, which Hiroki had given to his friend Tomoki, now missing.

"I'd tell him." Ryoko said quietly. "That badge belonged to a friend of ours."

Shamamon trembled, frightened. "I found it!" he shouted. "It was lying out on the plains east of here, about three day's travel. I swear, I just found it! Please, call off that little-"

"Little what?" Sneasel asked, eyes narrowed. Snorting, he picked up the badge, and strode over to Ryoko. "Well?"

"Do I look like Hitomi?" Ryoko replied. "Come on, Izumi and Hiroki are waiting for us." The two left.

A few minutes later, They got to where the rest of the group was waiting. "Plains east of here." Ryoko said, a bit wearily. "He said he just found it."

"Then we should get going." Izumi said, standing up. She didn't look well. The others could see rings under her eyes, and her sleep had been very poor lately, owing to recurring nightmares of the other chosen children she had been forced to leave behind. Actually, none of the children there looked in good health, all of them having spent much of their time searching, sleeping only when they had to.

"No." Armadillomon said suddenly. "Look, I want to find the rest off our friends too, but you're all a mess! Look at yourselves!"

"There's no time!" Izumi snapped.

"Make time!" Sneasel replied, tone equaling Izumi's. He stopped, forcing himself to calm down. "Look, we have a lead, yes. But if we try to take on Duskmon like this, we'll surely lose. We're all exhausted, Izumi. You know it."

"But-" Izumi protested weakly. "How can we stop when...?"

"By reminding ourselves that we'll have to be in top form when we catch up with Cherubimon's forces." Armadillomon replied. "We'll be ready. Just one day, that's all we need."

"Alright." Izumi agreed.

"There's an inn nearby." Hiroki said after a minute. "Maybe we should get a room or something?"

"No money." Izumi reminded them. "They don't take yen, or lira, for that matter."

A small digimon spotted the humans, and scurried over to them. "Izumi? Tomoki? It IS you!" The digimon resembled a bear with a baseball cap on.

"Bearmon!" Izumi shouted. "How did you get here?"

"I came with Grizzmon to get some supplies for our town! What happened? Where's everyone else?"

==

Bearmon and Grizzmon sat at a table in an inn while Izumi related the story. "I see." Grizzmon rumbled. "I'm so sorry for you. If anyone at our village can help, we will do so."

Izumi smiled. "Thank you. How is everyone there?"

"There's still the odd fight, but everyone's getting along fine now." Bearmon said. "And Kotemon came back, too!" Ryoko, Hiroki, and their partner monsters followed the conversation as best they could, but still looked a bit lost. "Are you legendary warriors, too?" Bearmon asked.

Hiroki shook his head. "No. Ryoko and I are digidestined, and these are our partners; this is Armadillomon, and Ryoko's partner is Sneasel." Both monsters nodded.

"So you've met Izumi before?" Ryoko asked.

"Yes. Her and the other Legendary Warriors saved our two villages from Dalcmon and Ornithmon. It's a long tale, I can tell you tomorrow." Bearmon snickered as Hiroki yawned.

"It is past your bedtime, young man." Armadillomon commented. Hiroki groaned, a bit embarrassed. Izumi and Ryoko chuckled.

"We'll take care of your rooms." Grizzmon said, getting up (a very imposing sight -ed). "After all you've done for us, it's the least we can do. One room, or two?"

"Um...maybe I'd better sleep in a separate room." Hiroki said.

"Aren't you the little gentleman." Ryoko said, grinning. "Why don't you stay with Bearmon and Grizzmon? I think you're a little young to be having your own room, young man."

"Yes, mom." Hiroki replied, bowing for effect. Ryoko smacked her forehead, while Izumi stifled a laugh. "I'll see you tomorrow. Come on, Armadillomon."

"I hope they don't snore." Hiroki's partner muttered.

==That night

"So, your two cities were split up?" Hiroki asked.

Bearmon nodded. "Yeah. All the humanoid digimon, like Kotemon, were in one village, while all the beast digimon, like me, were all in a separate village; what's more, there was some weird space warp around our two villages that kept us separated. It was about that time that Murmuxmon started masquerading as both a beast and humanoid digimon, trying to resurrect Ornithmon. If it wasn't for Izumi and her friends, we might have destroyed each other." Hiroki nodded. "So, what's it like where you come from? Are there lots of digimon where you live?"

Hiroki nodded. "Yes. My father and the other digidestined from our world saved the digital world and helped to bring the three worlds together."

"Three?"

Hiroki nodded. "The digital world, where all the digimon are, the human world, where humans live, and the pokemon world, where pokemon live. Remember Sneasel? He's a pokemon." Beside Hiroki, Armadillomon snored quietly. "A lot of the Japanese digidestined moved to the pokemon world. My family lives there now."

"Enough, you two." Grizzmon rumbled. "Sleep. That's an order."

Next door, Ryoko stepped out of the small bathroom, ready for bed. Izumi was already changed, and lying on one of the two beds in the room. "I can't remember the last time I was in a bed, much less wearing a nightgown." Sneasel was asleep in a corner of the room.

"Thank my mom." Ryoko replied, smiling. "You're just lucky our sizes match." Ryoko's hair was loose, hanging around her shoulders.

Izumi looked at Ryoko, noticing that her bandanna was on the small night table. "He never did forget you, you know." she said suddenly.

"Hm?"

"Kouji." Izumi whispered. "We all found out about that picture. We ragged on him a bit, but it was a sweet thing to do." Ryoko blushed a little. "I remember, just after you left, some Toucanmon stole the boys' D-Scanners."

"Really?" Ryoko gasped.

"I know, you turn your back on them for a second, and they just go all to pieces." Izumi answered, chuckling. "I just remember, Kouji looked for that picture first, then his D-Scanner. You should have seen his face when he found your picture. He just looked so relieved." Izumi sighed. "It's weird. I know I should be feeling horrible about sleeping in a hotel, but I don't for some reason."

"This isn't some hopelessly clichéd story." Ryoko answered. "I think they'll understand. Did Kouji..."

"No, he never said anything." Izumi said. "But we all could see it. There was another time we saw a Black Tailmon. We all thought it was Sneasel for a second. Well, we should go to sleep. Good night, Ryoko."

"Good night." The two fell asleep almost as soon as they hit their beds. And, contrary to what Izumi was expecting, she had one of the most restful nights ever since she first came to the digital world.

==

Opossumon looked around. The circus was, in her expert opinion, a total waste. What few rides they had were dilapidated, and only kept in a laughable state of repair by a Nanomon who, she believed, was missing a few chips in the brain.

"Excuse me, are you hiring?" a voice asked. Opossumon spun around, startled. "Who...?"

The stranger, wrapped in a worn gray traveling robe, bowed. "I have had some experience with the circus, and felt I should offer my humble talent to this fine...well, this circus." the stranger said, looking around.

Something about this newcomer set Opossumon's fur on edge. "We're not hiring right now." she replied evenly.

"Oh? Too bad. For you." With a flourish, Piedmon flung the robe aside, letting loose a mad cackle. Opossumon stepped back, and the whole world went black...

==

The next day, all the digidestined got up, washed, and checked out of the hotel. They bade farewell to Bearmon and Grizzmon, who were on their way back to their village, which was in the opposite direction to the path the digidestined were taking. "If we see anything, we'll let you know!" Bearmon shouted.

"Thanks! Say hello to Kotemon and Dinohumon!" Izumi shouted back.

"I hope we can see their village sometime." Hiroki said, watching the two digimon leave.

"Well, once we beat Cherubimon, perhaps we will." Armadillomon said.

"We?" Izumi asked, a bit surprised.

"Well, of course!" Armadillomon said. "We've faced down giant evil digimon before. And we're a lot stronger now!"

"Right." Sneasel muttered. "And WHO got his tongue stuck to an Ice Devimon?"

"He was just starting out." Hiroki replied, defending his partner. "But we've gone this far, and I know we can help you, Izumi. If you'll let us."

"How can I refuse." Izumi replied. "Especially coming from such a charming young man like yourself."

"Hey, Hiroki." Ryoko stage-whispered. "Don't let Hitomi hear that, she might get jealous." Hiroki, face bright crimson, said nothing.

"We should be moving on. Is there anything ahead of us?"

"Well," Ryoko said, checking a map she had picked up at the hotel they slept at, "there's a small town a few days travel that's east of here. After that, it's about a two-week journey back to the Dark Continent. Though it looks like there are a few Trailmon lines along the way. That might speed things up for us."

"I could almost believe we're on a pokemon journey." Hiroki said. "All we need are the pokemon centers and an Officer Jenny along the way to check on us."

"It should be that easy." Sneasel commented. "We should get going."

==

The group had been traveling for about four hours when Sneasel spotted it. "I'm not sure, but I think we're being watched." he whispered to Ryoko and Izumi. "Something in those trees there. Whatever it is, it's very good. Keep walking." Ryoko nodded, and kept up her pace, as did Izumi and Hiroki. Armadillomon slowly fell behind, then picked up his pace, bringing up the rear of the group.

"Should we try to approach it?" Hiroki asked. "It might be a digimon that knows something. Or just too scared to approach us."

"Or an enemy." Sneasel pointed out. "We're coming near the end of the forest. If they're planning to attack, they'll do it soon. Get ready to digivolve me to Yashamon. Fairymon and I can handle any initial attack. Hiroki, We'll need Chameleonmon; he's better for fighting in this terrain." Hiroki nodded.

"Just say the word." Izumi whispered, grip on her D-Scanner tightening.

The attack came about three minutes later. "Digi-Armour Energize!"

"Sneasel, Armour digivolve to...Yashamon, swordsman of light!"

"Armadillomon, Armour digivolve to...Chameleonmon, Kindly forest spirit!"

"Spirit Evolution...Fairymon!" The three warriors quickly saw off the first five attackers, before Chameleonmon made a startling discovery.

"We're fighting...CLOWNS?" Indeed, their opponents were all garishly dressed, from large baggy red and black pants to white gloves and full face paint. "I don't recognize them."

Ryoko checked her pokedex. "Scanning...They're Clownmon."

"How apt." Fairymon called, kicking a third attacker, wielding a giant cartoon mallet.

"Champion level, special attack is Clown Hammer." Ryoko went on. Chameleonmon was defending her and Hiroki, roasting any attacker that came too close.

"Maybe you should rethink that offer you made to Hitomi." Chameleonmon said, beating back another Clownmon. "At least these things aren't armoured. Plenty of them, though."

Fairymon stepped back. "Balle delle Spade!" she shouted, powering up. She ran forward, did a forward flip, came up in a handstand, and then yelled "Tornado...GAMBADA!" The remaining attackers were pulled in by the windstorm, then sent flying. "I never get tired of that." Fairymon said, standing up.

"Fairymon." Yashamon called, waving for her to come over. "Do all digimon release a digicode ring when they are defeated?"

"When they've taken enough damage, yes." Fairymon answered, walking over. "Why?"

Using one of his swords, Yashamon indicated a pile of clothing. "When I beat that one, it hit this tree and disintegrated. No digicode, not even an egg. If it were 25 years ago, I'd say it was a digimon made from a control spire, but those things aren't even here."

==

The few Clownmon that escaped hurried back to their master. "There were five of them," one said to the figure sitting in the ornate throne, "three humans and two digimon. The two digimon were able to digivolve and defeat our brethren. However, one of the humans was also able to digivolve."

Piedmon leaned forward. "Really? This world is so full of surprises. A human digivolving... How utterly bizarre. I must meet these fascinating people. You, die." Piedmon indicated one of the remaining Clownmon, who promptly discorporated.

"Time to set the stage."

==

The rest of the day was quiet, though everyone took turns sitting watch that night. The next day, the five travelers set out again. "Say, Hiroki? What did Armadillomon mean by an offer you made to Hitomi?"

Hiroki blushed. "Ahhh...it's nothing, really!"

Armadillomon piped up. "Oh, he just offered to take Hitomi to a circus when they were both home. Kind of a first date thing."

Ryoko grinned. "You never told me this."

Izumi shared the expression. "Aww, that's so adorable."

"Come on, knock it off already." Hiroki stammered, face redder than ever.

"Well, well..." Sneasel said, squinting into the distance. "I believe I see a circus."

Izumi and Ryoko looked up, the connection not lost on them. "Are you sure?" Ryoko looked ahead. "I can make out some buildings...no, they're tents!"

"I'll check!" Izumi said. She evolved to Fairymon and flew up. A few minutes later, she came back. "It's a circus." she said, switching back to Izumi. "It looks pretty large. Should we go around?"

"They may be the reason those Clownmon attacked; we could backtrack and find a different route." Armadillomon said.

"That'd take too long." Sneasel replied. "And I don't like putting an enemy behind us. If we're careful, we may be able to go through without drawing any undue attention."

"That might be a problem." Ryoko responded. "Izumi can go as Fairymon, but we're kind of stuck as humans. We'd wind up drawing attention no matter what happened."

"Point." Sneasel replied.

Hiroki was about to say something when there was a sudden explosion. Jumping back, everyone got ready to fight. However, there was only one digimon there, looking like a fat black cat with red boots, gloves, and a hat. "Welcome one and all to the greatest show in the digital world! I, Opossumon, am here to invite you, Legendary Warriors, to try out our rides and games for free. Free!" She produced several balloons. "Follow me!" she called, waving to the digidestined.

"It's probably a trap." Izumi muttered, a bit fatalistically.

"We don't have a choice. They know we're here now." Sneasel said, looking at the vanishing figure of Opossumon.

"Well, then we might as well go in." Hiroki sighed.

"Yeah. You can pick which rides to take Hitomi on." Armadillomon joked, getting a laugh out of Ryoko and Izumi.

==

Opossumon led the group through the fair. "Yes, I know about the Clownmon." she said, a bit sadly. "We were running a bit short of helpers, so we tried to create some extra hands to entertain the crowds. Nanomon tried making the Clownmon out of old puppets and some robotics, but they all went nuts and left. They've been keeping customers away ever since. How did you get through them?"

"We kinda beat them up." Armadillomon said.

"WHAT?" another voice screamed. "Those creations were perfect realizations of my genius!"

"Datamon?" Hiroki whispered. Ryoko shrugged.

"Nanomon, please!" Opossumon said, pleading. "They were driving away our business!"

"Those Clownmon took me forever to build!" Nanomon stormed.

"They were defective!" Opossumon answered, getting mad.

"They were works of inspired genius!"

"We were losing money!"

Nanomon stopped. "Oh. Well then, that's OK. Please, humans, digimon, have a look around. This place is a marvel of automation, thanks to me!"



"Uhh..." Hiroki gasped, not liking this bit of information.

"It's OK!" Opossumon half-shouted, desperately. "The staff here have extensively tested every ride and game here! As sure as this hat is red, all the rides are safe!"

"I don't see why you insisted on testing everything." Nanomon grumbled. "I know everything works, I built it all myself."

"And we spent about four months rebuilding it all ourselves! Why do you think everyone left?" Opossumon hissed, getting impatient. "Please," she said to the digidestined, "come in!"

It was apparent that the circus was in fairly good repair, despite their misgivings about Nanomon's technical skills (real and imagined -ed).

"Hey, there are some Tsunomon!" Hiroki exclaimed, pointing. Several of the in-training digimon were lined up, waiting for a ride. "I thought other digimon couldn't get here because of the Clownmon."

One of the Tsunimon jumped up. "We've been here for the last month and a half." he complained. "And all this time, they've been trying to fix this ride. Now it's ready to go, and we're going to go on it!" The ride that Tsunimon spoke of was a large Ferris Wheel, ornately decorated. Near it was a merry-go-round, and the five spotted a bumper car tent a short distance away. Izumi and Ryoko glanced at each other. Ryoko, grinning, nodded.

Hiroki watched as the Tsunomon all piled into the seat, easily large enough to seat them all., then the Ferris Wheel started, carrying the Tsunomon up, around, and back down. On the second loop, Izumi walked over. "Why don't we go on?" she whispered to Hiroki, ignoring Ryoko's attempt to restrain her giggles. It didn't help that Hiroki had stated to blush already.

"I-Izumi?"

"I know I'm not Hitomi, but a young lady like myself shouldn't go on a ride unescorted, right?" Hiroki nodded. "Just think of it as a practice for when you ask Hitomi out, alright?" She knelt down, whispering "here's a hint: say 'yes'."

"Y...yes."

"Now was that so hard? Come on, let's get on."

==

"They're in." a Clownmon reported.

"Excellent. Now to start the show." Piedmon considered his next move. It would be risky; his control over the people in the circus would have to break, in order to put his plan into effect. Still, the slip should be only momentary, and the terror it would cause would be more than worth the trouble. "Clown trick." he said, snapping his fingers. Ahh, if only Puppetmon had survived to see this...

==

Izumi had to fight to restrain a laugh. Hiroki had brought Armadillomon along, and had placed his partner between himself and Izumi. Face bright red all the while, of course. Still, Izumi felt she had to get the boy to relax. No need for him to turn into another Junpei, she thought with a faint pang of sadness. "So, tell me about Hitomi?"

"Like what?" Hiroki asked.

"Oh, anything." Izumi replied. "Why do you like her so much? I never met her when I went to your world."

"Well, she's really nice, and pretty, and she's always kind to everyone she meets, and..." he trailed off, then looked at Izumi, suddenly mortified. "Not that you're not, I mean, you are too, but...I...oh, I don't know. I just really like her, and I like how I feel when I'm with her..." He trailed off again.

Izumi smiled again; she couldn't imagine Tomoki in this state, as hard as she tried. "I'm sure you'll be fine. As long as you don't freeze up when you talk to her. Is anyone else going to go with you?"

"Well, Armadillomon and Eevee, her partner, probably will. And I guess Mr. and Ms. Motomiya will have Scizor go with us too."

"A Scizor as a chaperone?" Izumi asked, amused by the idea.

"Yeah. He used to be Kyle's pokemon, but he got really powerful, and now he's helping Mewtwo guard part of the digital world (Yes, that means that Scizor is, technically, a Deva, in service to Mewtwo. Neat, huh? -ed). They really care for Hitomi."

"Well, it sounds like she's a really special person. I hope I can meet her someday."

"Izumi? Thank you." Hiroki said. "I know you'll like her."

==

Ryoko and Sneasel found a bench, and relaxed. "Weird. With Cherubimon and the other hybrids wrecking everything, I'm surprised that there's still a place like this. I'd have thought that people would be too scared to go to a circus."

Sneasel shrugged. "Who knows? Even digimon need a break. And they might not have reached here yet."

"But the pin we found..."

"I know." Sneasel narrowed his eyes. "Tomoki might have lost it by accident, or even left it as a marker for someone to follow. We'll know soon enough."

Opossumon strolled over. "Enjoying yourselves?" she asked.

Ryoko nodded. "Yes, thank you. It was really nice to let us in for free."

"Oh," Opossumon said, waving her arms, "it's no problem at all, I-" She stopped, then slumped forward. "R-Run!" she gasped, then passed out.

All around the two, parts of the circus went gray, and seemed to melt. Ryoko and Sneasel got off the bench as it seemed to degrade right in front of the two. "What's going on?" Ryoko gasped, looking around. There was a hideous screech. Ryoko and Sneasel looked and saw that the Ferris Wheel had stopped, parts of it falling off, the motor sparking madly.

"Trouble." Sneasel growled, extending his claws. Several creatures started appearing around them, all of them seeming to ooze out of the ground. "More Clownmon. Great. I'd better digivolve. Hiroki and Izumi will be fine, they can fly out of the ride they're stuck on."

Ryoko nodded. "Digi-armour energize!"

"Sneasel, armour digivolve to...Raidramon, the storm of friendship! Ryoko, get on!" Raidramon yelled, as his jaws snapped out, tearing into the nearest Clownmon. He shook the attacker twice, then flung him aside. "Thunder Blast!" he called, firing a bolt of lightning.

Ryoko took out her pokegear. "Hiroki!" she said into the speaker. "Meet us outside the park! Raidramon and I are going to make a break for it!"

Up in the Ferris Wheel, Hiroki nodded. "Ryoko's leaving on Raidramon; she said for us to fly out of here and meet them outside the park."

Izumi nodded. "Spirit Evolution...Fairymon!" The hybrid warrior flew out, then glanced up. "Hiroki, those Tsunomon are trapped in the car above us; can you get them out? I'll go check on Ryoko!"

"Leave it to us!" Armadillomon called. "Armadillomon, armour digivolve to...Pteramon, the wings of love!" Pteramon hovered outside the car, allowing Hiroki to climb on, then the two flew up to help the Tsunomon.

Fairymon glanced at the grounds, and saw several blasts of lightning. Mentally preparing herself for battle, she flew towards them.

Raidramon was snarling now; for every Clownmon he destroyed, two more appeared to take its place; and they still did not release any digicode when defeated. "I think they're herding us!" he growled. "Towards that tent there." He indicated a large tent, that was still in good condition. One of the Clownmon leaped, and managed to knock Ryoko off of Raidramon's back.

"Get off me you creep!" Ryoko shouted, punching and kicking. Several more of the attacking digimon closed in.

"RYOKO!" Raidramon yelled, charging. "Lightning Claw!" Raidramon's attack dispatched several of the Clownmon, allowing Ryoko a chance to get back on Raidramon. "I'm going to make a run for it." Raidramon said. "Get ready."

"Brezza Petalo!" Fairymon shouted, her wind attack scattering the attackers. Seeing the chance, Raidramon shot forward, Ryoko holding on and keeping her head low. "Are you alright?" Fairymon asked, flying cover for Raidramon and Ryoko.

"Yeah!" Ryoko answered. "But this place is crawling with those weird digimon. Can you help us get out of here?" Raidramon fired a bolt of electricity, scattering more Clownmon. "Aren't there any real digimon here anymore? Where's Hiroki?"

"He and Pteramon are flying those Tsunomon we saw earlier out of here; he's going to meet us outside." Fairymon answered. She indicated Pteramon, flying away, Hiroki holding onto several digimon. She pivoted in midair and sent another Clownmon flying with a well-timed kick. "This is taking too long! Fairymon, slide evolution!" As she spoke, Fairymon was surrounded by a bright blue glow, and Ryoko and Raidramon saw her form change slightly. "Shutumon!" Shutumon flew ahead of Raidramon, arms out. "Wind of Pain!" A wave of wind, with small blades of energy inside it, blasted more Clownmon. "Go!" Shutumon yelled, flying ahead.

Raidramon started to run, but stopped as suddenly, barely avoiding a rain of daggers that would have impaled him and Ryoko. "Now what?"

Another figure advanced, clapping his hands. He was tall, and dressed in what looked like a ringmaster's outfit, complete with a top hat. "Marvelous performance." he said. "And here I thought I would only get what I paid for. You digidestined do know how to make an entertaining spectacle."

"Who are you?" Shutumon demanded. Raidramon backed away slowly, sensing this newcomer was very, very dangerous. "Did you create all those clowns?"

"Well, this IS a circus." the digimon replied caustically. "What did you expect, Vilemon? Digidestined today are so hard to please." He shrugged, apparently unconcerned. Then he glanced at Ryoko. "Don't I know you? You do seem familiar, but I can't recall ever meeting you before. Of course, I do wind up killing everyone I meet."

"Ryoko." Raidramon whispered. "Get off." Ryoko did so, though she was reluctant. When she was clear, Raidramon stepped forward. "NOW! Lightning Claw!"

"Gilgamesh Slicer!"

"Cute. TRUMP SWORD!" Ryoko fought the urge to scream. Her mother had told her of a digimon that used that attack. Horrified, she watched as both Raidramon and Shutumon were blasted away, Raidramon switching back to Sneasel, Shutumon becoming Izumi again. Both were unconscious.

"Piedmon." Ryoko gasped, frightened.

"You do know me." Piedmon said, leering. "We simply must get acquainted. I haven't talked to another human in, oh, decades."

"No...you were destroyed." Ryoko answered. A Dark Master, here of all places!

"Now you're just teasing me." Piedmon replied, dismissing his ringmaster costume with a flourish. He stepped forward, then stopped as several missiles slammed into his back. Unconcerned, he turned and saw Pteramon, Hiroki holding on, coming towards him. "Something you'd like to say? Now that I'm facing you that is?"

"Yeah! Leave her alone!" Pteramon shouted, launching another volley of missiles.

"RUN!" Ryoko screamed. "Get out of here now!"

Piedmon smirked, ignoring Ryoko. "Clown Trick!" he said, flinging a white cloth at Pteramon and Hiroki. Just before everything went black, Hiroki gasped, recognizing the attack and its user. The cloth wrapped around the two, and then vanished.

"No!" Ryoko yelled.

"Oh, don't fret, they'll be about again. Wouldn't do to finish them off in the first act, now would it. I haven't had this much fun in 30 years. And as for you...Clown Trick!"

==

When Sneasel came to, he saw Izumi and Hiroki by him, still passed out. Armadillomon was trying to wake up Hiroki. "Ryoko?" Sneasel gasped. "Where is she?"

"Piedmon took her." Armadillomon said, still a bit unsteady. "When I came to, the circus was gone, except for that." He indicated a multicolored tower, twisted like a rope. It stretched up towards the sky, as tall as an office tower.

Sneasel looked at the building. "When Ryoko and Kyoko were young, Kari told them a story..."

"The Dark Masters." Armadillomon interrupted. "Yeah, Hiroki was told that story too. So that was Piedmon. But I thought TK and MagnaAngemon destroyed him. Where are you going?" he asked as Sneasel got up and walked towards the building.

"Ryoko's in there. I'm going after her."

"Not without us you're not." Armadillomon said. "We're going to need all our strength to rescue Ryoko, and we won't do her any favors wearing ourselves out fighting through whatever traps are in there."

"But Ryoko-"

"She'll be OK." Armadillomon interrupted. "She's tough, and Piedmon won't hurt her. Yet. Besides, there's a quicker way to get up there than going through the building, floor by floor."

==

When Ryoko came to, she thought that the whole day had been some very nasty dream that she couldn't remember. It was when she tried to get up, and found that she was unable to move, that it all came back to her. She was trapped under a sheet of cloth that was secured tightly to the sides of a hard piece of wood. Looking around as best she could, she saw that she was in an ornately decorated room, a huge room, with more tacky art pieces lying around than she thought possible.

"Ah, you're awake." Piedmon said, appearing by her. "Fascinating, the things that happen when you're out of the loop after being tossed into a dimensional warp." In one hand, he held Ryoko's pokedex. "So, this is the sort of thing they're giving digidestined these days. Very interesting lock."

"What do you want?" Ryoko demanded.

"My, aren't you feisty. You do look familiar, I could swear that I've met you before." There was a ringing sound. "Oh, don't worry, I'll get it." Piedmon made a hand gesture, and Ryoko's pokedex appeared in his hand.

==New Bark Town

Kari Kamiya went to the lab to call Ryoko. Izzy was out, and Ken was celebrating his anniversary with Yolei. Emiko was being watched by Takeru, leaving Kari with very little to occupy her mind. Gatomon, her partner, walked with her to the lab.

She wasn't sure why she was so worried. Maybe it was Kyoko. She was acting like nothing was wrong, but Kari knew that her daughter was taking the absence of both her twin, Ryoko, and her 'unofficial' sister Hitomi, very hard. The other children had noted it too; Asuka and Akira had taken Kyoko out for a day in town, hoping to cheer Kyoko up a bit.

And yet, for some reason, she was very worried. "Call them." Gatomon said. "I'm sure there's nothing wrong."

"All right." Kari replied, keying in Ryoko's pokegear number. "Ryoko? Hello?" she said into the microphone.

==Digital World

Piedmon listened for a few seconds, then covered the speaker. "Well, that explains a lot." He said to Ryoko. "So, you're Kari's little brat. Did you know you have your mother's eyes? Very charming." Ryoko's only reply was to snarl and struggle even more.

"Ryoko?" Kari's voice came over the speaker. "What's happening?"

"Why, Kari Kamiya, as I live and breathe. How is every little thing?"

The phone was silent for a second. Then, "Who is this? Where's Ryoko?"

"You don't remember me? I'm crushed. I do remember you. Tell me, how is Gatomon? Had her fixed yet?"

"This isn't funny!" Gatomon's voice came over the line. "Who are you?"

"Oh, come now. Perhaps a little rope trick will jog your memory? Maybe a little key chain?"

==New Bark Town

Kari stepped back from the console, shaking. "Piedmon..."

"Oh, goody! You do remember!"

"It can't be! We destroyed you 30 years ago!" Gatomon yelled.

"Ahh, lovely little Gatomon. Angel-boy sucked me into that gate of his, but he couldn't quite finish the job. It took another Gate of destiny and a cute little black puppy to free me, and just look where I wound up. So, tell me: who's the father?"

"Piedmon..." Kari growled.

"Hmm...It can't be that little boy TK you were with, Matt was never your type, not four-eyes...the computer geek! Why, you little scamp! I never saw that coming. But don't worry. Now that I know she can come here, I can easily come there and pay you a personal visit. A sort of thank you, for tossing me into oblivion for three decades. And don't worry. I'll take good care of sweet little Ryoko for you."

"You lay one hand on her and I'll hunt you down myself!" Gatomon screamed, wishing she could go through the microphone right now and do just that. "If Sneasel doesn't finish you first!"

"That little black kitty cat? Friend of yours? Don't worry, I crossed his path." There was a blast in the background. "Well, some more lambs have arrived, must go. See you all later."

Kari stumbled back. Piedmon...he was back and had Ryoko...she passed out. Gatomon ran over to her, trying to revive her.

==

"Now, who could that be?" Piedmon wondered, putting the pokegear down. "I wasn't expecting anyone to come for hours." He wandered over to the door of the room. Ankylomon's head burst through, sending the Dark Master flying.

"Ryoko!" Ankylomon yelled. Sneasel darted through the opening, running to his partner. Shutumon flew in after him, barreling towards Piedmon, who was already getting up.

"My, you're eager." Piedmon said, drawing a sword. "Love the outfit, by the way. Ever consider a career in the circus?"

"Consider this! Gilgamesh Slicer!" Shutumon's attack cut the sword in half.

Piedmon was unconcerned by this, and batted Shutumon away. "Tell me, how did you ever get through my Spiral Tower? I'd have thought the alligator pit would have finished you. And I was really proud of that part."

"We flew up the side and came in through the roof." Ankylomon roared, forcing his body into the apartment.

"Oh, forgot about that." Piedmon muttered. "I'm surprised your mother didn't suggest that when they went up Spiral Mountain." he said to Ryoko. "Oh, it's you again." Sneasel finished freeing Ryoko, then faced Piedmon. He extended his claws, small flecks of ice forming on them. He didn't say anything, simply waited for Piedmon to make the first move.

Ankylomon charged, drawing Piedmon's attention. As he did, Shutumon swung around, trying to get an attack in. Piedmon took out another square of cloth, and it extended. "Toro! Toro!" he called, taunting Ankylomon. The dinosaur digimon roared, dashing towards Piedmon, intent on impaling the clown on his horns. At the last second, Piedmon dodged to the side, and wrapped the cloth over Ankylomon's head, blinding him. Ankylomon hit the far wall, and shook his head, trying to remove the blindfold.

Shutumon flew in, hands and feet glowing with orange energy. The first kick missed, Piedmon parried the two punches, but Shutumon managed to get lucky with her second kick, leaving a nasty cut on Piedmon's face. She dodged a second sword slash, and fell back. "Shutumon, slide evolution...Fairymon!" Fairymon ducked a second attack, got behind Piedmon, and opened up with every kick attack she knew.

"Not bad." Piedmon growled. "I'd say you'd be about Lillymon's power level. You're certainly as annoying as she was. Clown Trick!" Another cloth appeared, this one wrapping around Fairymon, covering her whole body. Screaming in pain, Fairymon fell to the ground.

"Sneasel, digivolve to...Sorcerimon!" Sorcerimon charged, focusing his power on the end of his staff. "Hyoretsu-ZAN!" he shouted, driving the ice spear at Piedmon, aiming for the digimon's stomach.

"Hel-LO!" Piedmon taunted. "I'm a mega level digimon! Do you really think a pair of Champion digimon are a match for me?" As he spoke, he parried Sorcerimon's attacks. He dodged to the side, and took a swing at Sorcerimon. The strike was blocked, but Sorcerimon's staff fell to the ground, cut in two. "Trump Sword!" Piedmon yelled, pinning Sorcerimon's cloak to the floor with a dagger. He then formed a ball of energy, and shoved it in Sorcerimon's face. Sorcerimon was sent flying, and landed near Ryoko and Hiroki. He twitched, then became Sneasel again.

Ankylomon finally freed himself and swung his Tail Hammer. "This has been very amusing." Piedmon said, catching the attack in his hand. "But it is time to put an end to this farce. Now you see him," he snapped his fingers, and Ankylomon vanished in a puff of smoke. "And now you don't."

"Ankylomon!" Hiroki gasped.

Grinning, Piedmon produced a black top hat. "Now, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat." He reached in, made a show of searching for something, then produced Armadillomon, with a set of rabbit ears clipped on his head. "Hmm. Must be the runt of the litter." Idly, he tossed Armadillomon, the rookie digimon landing by Sneasel. "Now, where was I? Ah, yes. I was about to take out my frustration at being confined in an alternate dimension on the daughter of one of the brats responsible. How simply cathartic."

"N...No..." Armadillomon said, getting up. "If you want them, you'll..."

"Have to go through us." Sneasel completed, staggering.

"Fine, great, whatever." Piedmon sighed. He dashed forward, arm extended, hand grasping.

"Armadillomon!" Hiroki cried, running forward. At the last second, he knocked his partner clear, and Piedmon grabbed Hiroki instead.

"Well, might as well start with you." Piedmon mused, then slowly began squeezing. Hiroki struggled, but couldn't escape.

"Let him go!" Ryoko shrieked. The two digimon watched helplessly. A short distance away, the cloth holding Fairymon lay on the ground, now still.

"Oh, you'll get your....huh? What's happening?" As Piedmon watched, Hiroki's digivice started to glow. The light began to hurt Piedmon. "Nrr...rrr....GAHH!" Piedmon yelled, releasing his grip. Ryoko stepped forward, then saw that her digivice was glowing as well. She watched as the two digieggs she had appeared, as did the two Hiroki had as well. The floated over to Armadillomon and Sneasel, forming a circle of energy.

Sneasel and Armadillomon stood, feeling the energy flow into them. The four digieggs formed a ring around the two digimon. As Ryoko and Hiroki watched, a fifth digiegg appeared. It was gold, and had a small sphere on it, with a single wing on it. "Destiny?" Hiroki guessed, glancing at the symbol.

"How apt! Trump Sword!" Piedmon threw a barrage of swords at the digimon, hoping to stop them from powering up. For Sneasel and Armadillomon, time seemed to slow down. They felt themselves being lifted by the golden digiegg, and pulled into it. The four digieggs vanished, and the swords struck where the digimon were only a moment ago. The digiegg of destiny hovered there, then it flashed, and a new digimon appeared. It had black skin, ending in claws, and the majority of its body was encased in golden armour. The forearm guards had silvery blades extending from them, and Ryoko and Hiroki could make out small indentations in the armour.

Magnatar stepped forward. "You won't hurt Ryoko, or Hiroki!" he shouted. "HYPER JIHAD!"

==

Izumi's eyes snapped open. She looked around, but couldn't see anything except for a wide expanse of gray. If she didn't know any better, she would swear that she was stuck in a fog bank.

Or a cloud...

"Izumi.." a voice called. Izumi whirled around, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. It seemed to be all around her, soft and light, and oddly familiar.

"Who's there?"

"You know me. You have worn me many times since coming to the digital world." the voice replied.

Before her, a figure appeared; Izumi thought it was Shutumon for a second, then realized that this digimon held a rapier in her hand, and her armour and wings were more ornate. "Ancient...Irismon." Izumi gasped, not knowing how she knew that name.

==

Piedmon grimaced, getting to his feet. "Not bad, goldie, but you're still no Mega digimon. Not even Wargreymon could beat me without help. And even then, they could not finish the job."

"Then we'll have to ourselves." Magnatar replied. Yelling, he leaped forward, blades extended. The two digimon dueled for several seconds, Magnatar's blades against Piedmon's swords. Then, the armoured digimon forced Piedmon's swords up, out of position. "Devil Shot!" he called, firing a wave of missiles at Piedmon, at point-blank range.

"Did that do it?" Hiroki gasped.

"No." Ryoko replied, as the smoke cleared. "But it did hurt him." The two humans watched as Piedmon pried himself out of the large dent he made in the wall, and make a show of dusting himself off. "Keep hitting him!" she yelled at Magnatar. "Don't give him a chance to recover!"

Magnatar nodded, and flew at Piedmon again. "I could use a new key chain!" Piedmon snarled, and hurled another cloth, aimed at Magnatar. However, it was shredded before it could wrap around him.

"So go to the store." Magnatar snarled. "Your tricks are of no use."

"Oh? Then how about a balancing act?" Piedmon replied, sick grin on his face. "Can you defend your humans and fight me at the same time? ATTACK!" Nanomon came through the wall, arms reaching for Ryoko and Hiroki. Reacting instantly, Magnatar pivoted, jumped, and did a flying kick, sending Nanomon flying.

But the move left him open for Piedmon's next trick. With a gesture, several threads leaped from Piedmon's hands and entangled Magnatar. "Just a little trick I picked up from Puppetmon. Your folks thought it was a blast! Magnatar, destroy them!"

==

"But...I thought you and the other legendary warriors vanished after Lucemon was sealed away." Izumi said, remembering Bokomon's stories. "Does that mean...am I dead?"

"Not yet." the digimon said. "You're still needed, now more than ever. Your friends are brave, and have managed to slow the darkness spreading over the digital world." Ancient Irismon shook her head. "I can do little from here except advise. Only you can help them."

"How? Piedmon was too strong for me, even as Shutumon." Izumi felt a strange tingle, and looked over her shoulder. A part of the world she was in shimmered, and she saw Ryoko and Hiroki dodging an attack from a strange armoured digimon. "I want to help, but I'm not powerful enough!" she said.

"Do you see that digimon there? That was formed from the combination of Sneasel and Armadillomon, and the four Spirits the two humans that came with you carry."

"Their digieggs?" Izumi asked. Irismon nodded. "You mean...I can do that too?"

"Yes, for the two Spirits of the wind are formed from me. Izumi, let my spirits unite, so you can fly free...." Ancient Irismon flew forward, embracing Izumi. The last thing Izumi felt before blacking out again was a rush of air, then a bright flash of crimson.

==

"Oh, hold still. It can't hurt THAT much, can it? Look at me, after all!" he cackled, still controlling Magnatar, guiding him around the room. Frustrated, Ryoko grabbed a small statue and hurled it at Piedmon. "HEY!" the clown roared. "I paid good money for that. Now the two of you just hold still! Magnatar, finish them!"

The armoured digimon struggled against Piedmon's control, but it was no use; "Ryoko, Hiroki, I'm sorry!" he yelled.

"Touching. Now finish it!" Piedmon brought his hands together, forcing Magnatar to use the Hyper Jihad technique.

It was a blast of wind that severed the cords before Magnatar could attack. Piedmon stumbled back, almost falling over. "What did that?" he snarled.

Ryoko and Hiroki saw the white cocoon that held Izumi float up, then fly off of her. Izumi hovered in the air, glaring at Piedmon. "Double Spirit Evolution!" She yelled as the power ripped through her, coming from both her H- and B-Spirits. She could feel the armour forming around her, and, for a second, she saw Ancient Irismon, smile clear even behind her mask. "...Jet Sylphimon!"

Ryoko gasped. "Double Spirit..."

"Evolution?" Hiroki completed.

The new hybrid was clad in a crimson bodysuit, with a white-trimmed skirt going halfway down her thighs. Her arms were bare save for the form-fitting gloves she wore, each one with a gem with the symbol for wind on it. Her face was half-covered by a loose red cloth, only her eyes were visible. On her back were a pair of wings, matching the red and white colour scheme. Knee height boots completed the outfit. In her right hand was a fencing sword, a rapier, blade seeming to have been formed out of crystal.

Piedmon hurled a pair of daggers at Jet Sylphimon, hoping to kill this new digimon before she could start attacking. However, her wings seemed to stretch, and covered the hybrid, blocking the two daggers. Jet Sylphimon then vanished, and reappeared right in front of Piedmon, rapier flashing in the light. Part of the clown's mask fell off, and Piedmon clutched his head with his free hand.

"You'll pay for that!" Piedmon snarled.

"Not before you pay for all those digimon you destroyed." Jet Sylphimon replied. "How many, here and in Ryoko and Hiroki's home?" Her eyes narrowed. "But you know what the sad thing is? After Duskmon, you're nothing."

"Rrrr....TRUMP SWORD!"

Effortlessly, the hybrid parried the attack. "I guess my sword trumps yours." she remarked, unconsciously repeating what MagnaAngemon had said to Piedmon, some three decades ago.

This was not lost on the Dark Master. "No...NOT AGAIN! CLOWN TRICK!"

Jet Sylphimon thrust a hand forward. "Diamond Scourge!" she called. A translucent chain shot out, ripping through the square of cloth, and wrapping around Piedmon. She yanked the chain, and Piedmon fell over, struggling to free himself.

A pair of hands picked Piedmon up, then lifted him up, and smashed him through the roof of the tent. "Wh...who?"

"Remember me?" Magnatar asked. "Didn't you ask me to use my Hyper Jihad attack? Well, here you go...HYPER JIHAD!" There was a bright globe of golden light, which Magnatar descended from, landing by Ryoko and Hiroki. Jet Sylphimon spread her wings, and flew up. The globe dissipated, and Piedmon was left there, barely aware of what was going on.

He came to, using the last of his power to sustain his altitude, hoping to get away. Instead, he found his way blocked by the crimson hybrid. "I...came back before..." Piedmon gasped.

"It won't happen again." Jet Sylphimon promised. She held her rapier up, as if saluting Piedmon, then traced a half-circle with the blade, starting from above her head, and ending just before her feet. "Di Massima...DIVIDASI!" she yelled, flying forward and slashing Piedmon. She continued past him, and stopped, still floating in midair.

"It...It can't end this way." Piedmon shouted, watching his arms and legs go black. He felt the data he had absorbed since coming here start trying to get out.

"It can." Jet Sylphimon replied calmly. "It's time to bury the past. Permanently. Digicode, SCAN!" Piedmon's code was scanned, the former Dark Master shrinking, and turning into a digiegg, which then fell back into the tent. "Next time, stick with balloon animals." She flew down, to where Ryoko, Hiroki, and Magnatar were waiting.

"Izumi?" Ryoko asked. "How...?"

"Long story. I'll tell you about it tonight when-" the whole room shook.

"I guess when Piedmon was defeated, the power holding this place together was destroyed." Hiroki observed brightly. Everyone nodded, letting it sink in. Then:

"LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!"

==

Izzy worked the controls of the communicator madly, trying to get in touch with Ryoko. He had come in to find Kari passed out, Gatomon frantically trying to revive her. He helped, and Kari had told him about the conversation she had with Piedmon. Izzy had worked on trying to get through to someone in the digital world Ryoko was in, while Kari had gone to get all the adult digidestined together. Now, all four Motomiyas were in the room, as well as Cody, Matt, and Tai. The rest were on the way.

The screen flickered. Izzy blinked. He wasn't expecting a call from Hitomi. Then the screen cleared, and he saw Ryoko, Hiroki, and Izumi. "RYOKO!" he shouted.

"Dad!" Ryoko answered, relief clear on her face.

"What happened?" Kari asked. "Where's Piedmon?" Smirking, Izumi held up a digiegg. "You mean..."

"It was incredible!" Hiroki exclaimed. "First Armadillomon and Sneasel DNA digivolved to become Magnatar-"

"GWAH?" Kyle and June gasped. "They what?" Izzy sat down.

Ryoko nodded. "Our digieggs appeared and combined to create the digiegg of Destiny. That's how our digimon were able to combine. And Izumi was able to evolve again to Jet Sylphimon. That's how she was able to beat Piedmon."

"It wasn't all me." Izumi said. "But this digiegg didn't fly away like the others do, normally."

Izzy and Kari looked at each other. "You realize you're holding a digiegg from one of the Dark Masters. I don't know how digimon are reborn there, but I don't know if he'll be good or evil when he hatches. Or even if; Piedmon isn't native to your digital world." Izzy said. "God, Ryoko, your mother and I were so scared..."

"I was too. But we did it." Hiroki said. "And we freed the digimon he had under his control. There's a Nanomon here who built this viewer we're using to talk to you right now. Uh, I mean, Datamon. But they're called Nanomon here."

"How are Sneasel and Armadillomon?" Cody asked.

The two digidestined bent down and picked up their partners. "We're just peachy!" Armadillomon said, waving.

"None the worse for wear." Sneasel added. "Though this was a difficult battle."

Kari and Izzy glanced at each other, wondering if they should go in and get their daughter out of there; Cody was wondering the same thing. At the same time, they knew that would be impossible; even if they could get there, it was doubtful Ryoko and Hiroki would leave willingly.

"Uh, mom?" Ryoko asked. "Dad?"

"Yes?" Kari answered.

"Umm...are there any other former enemies of yours that we should know about?"

Next Episode:

Following a rumour of hybrids being spotted nearby. Izumi, Ryoko, and Hiroki come across the ruins of the Forest Terminal. There, they find a cryptic message, apparently from Bokomon, and directing them to go to the Autumn Leaf Festival, across the ocean. But before they can go, they are confronted. The rumours are true; Grottomon and Arbormon have returned, and are attacking the travelers. Next time on Digicross Frontier:

'The return of Grottomon and Arbormon!'

Also: Takuya returns to the digital world, and comes across Togemon-sensei's school, Bokomon, Neemon, and learns more about the history of the digital world. But when the school is attacked by Mihiramon, corrupted by Cherubimon's power, he is forced into battle, still trapped as Flamon. How can he hope to beat this opponent?