Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Ken couldn't help but smile at the newest turn of events in the battle. Sure, he had a fire-breathing dinosaur and a wolf charging at him, but this was possibly the best thing that could happen to lead to a quick victory. After all, Lilithmon hadn't brought any more reinforcements, and she was sending the two Digimon they wanted to save right at the one Digimon they had that had a chance of saving them. Sure enough, Bucchiemon jumped in front of the two charging Champions and launched his Heart Beam attack, stopping them in their tracks with a white beam of light. However, despite her apparent defeat, Lilithmon just smirked. "Oh look, the Kindness child thinks he's so clever and has taken his friends away from me. It's almost like he thinks his little Armor form's light is enough to handle my darkness. Clearly, a demonstration is in order. Black Requiem!" As darkness blanketed the immediate area, Lilithmon continued her taunting. "Seriously, what part of 'Demon Lord' don't you understand? I'm an extremely high level Mega Digimon. Your Armor form is what, equivalent to a Champion? He might be able to stop these two on his own if they were actually doing this themselves, but I'm pulling the strings here. If you really want to stop them, you have to beat me first. Of course, even if you manage to beat me with your three Champions and three Rookies, these two here would just run wild without me holding the leash. I guess your only hope of victory is reverting them to Rookie or lower and then defeating me. Not likely to happen."

Now it was Davis's turn to start smiling. "First of all, I think your counting is a bit off. Just because we only have three Rookies and three Champions now doesn't mean we can't get more. Second, I have to admit, you are right about one thing: we'd need a miracle to defeat you as we are now. Luckily for us, we're the DigiDestined. Making miracles is what we do!"

As he said the other five DigiDestined used their Digivices to channel energy towards him, resulting in five beams of light blasting into Davis's D3. After a quick "OW" from the electric shock, Davis triumphantly shouted "Golden Armor Energize!" Using the newly-formed Digimental of Miracles his partner had received, Veemon Golden Armor Digivolved to Magnamon, and the bright light radiating off of the newly Digivolved form actually dispersed the darkness that Lilithmon had just summoned, returning the clearing to its regular daytime appearance. Celebrating the success of this aspect of his plan, Davis began cheering loudly, only to notice Lilithmon looking distinctly unimpressed. Sure, he knew Lilithmon was still just as powerful, but why didn't she look worried at all? They had just pulled out a Digimon that could fight on an equal footing with most Megas and taken away the darkness on top of it, but Lilithmon just looked bored instead of worried.

"Oh, quite the flashy entrance there," she deadpanned. "You actually managed to get around my Black Requiem to get a decent fighter. But just because you got rid of the darkness I brought in with my attack doesn't mean you got rid of the effect of the attack. Besides, I'm not one of those girls who will do anything you want just because you give them something shiny." Smiling, she added, "But I guess if you would really like me to, I could turn him into a nice ring. Empress Emblaze!" Her latest attack summoned a giant, roughly hand shaped being that flew towards Magnamon and grabbed him as it continued to fly away from the scene of the battle. "Now that that's taken care of," Lilithmon smirked, "what were you saying about you beating me?"

While Davis was clearly deflated at the quick removal of his partner and trump card, Mimi snapped and shouted at Lilithmon. "It doesn't matter if you're a hundred times stronger than us! We'll never give up as long as you keep us away from our friends!" Lilithmon rolled her eyes at this. "Okay, you get points for spunk, but you obviously are lacking in the brains department. It doesn't matter how much you want to beat me. Between the six of you, you have Devimon and Gatomon for Champions, Bucchiemon as a fairly low level Armor form in terms of combat ability, and then Palmon and Biyomon as rookies. You won't be able to win."

This time, it was Sora who countered Lilithmon's statement. "And you won't be able to get away with stealing my boyfriend. You know something? We've faced opponents we had absolutely no chance of beating numerous times. Do you want to know what Etemon, Myotismon, and the Dark Masters all had in common? There was absolutely no way for us to beat any of them when we fought them. They all mopped the floor with us, only for us to come right back and beat them in the end. We've always won when the world was hanging in the balance. And I'm going to enjoy personally showing you what defeat feels like!"

At this, Mimi and Sora's Digivices both reacted, causing their partners to start glowing with a dark purple light. After the glow faded, Biyomon had grown into the same shape as Birdramon, only with an entirely black body instead of the usual fiery orange. Palmon, however, looked entirely different from any of her other forms. She now resembled a tree stump, with four root-like legs, and two pairs of arms: a large pair that resembled branches growing from the sides of her face and a smaller pair growing beneath them. While Sora and Mimi were excited at having successfully Dark Digivolved, Lilithmon just sighed. "Well, this might be a little more interesting. With Saberdramon joining your ranks, you might have enough firepower to take out BlackGreymon and BlackGarurumon if she works with Devimon, Gatomon, and Bucchiemon. But do you really expect Woodmon to help out? Let me show you exactly why evolving Palmon was a bad idea." With this, she snapped her fingers, and BlackGarurumon and BlackGreymon both launched their attacks at Woodmon. Between the blue flames of Howling Blaster and the orange flame of Nova Blast, Woodmon quickly caught fire before reverting to Palmon. Luckily, reverting back to her smaller, less flammable form allowed Palmon to escape further harm as Mimi ran forward and scooped her partner into her arms. Lilithmon then continued her conversation as if nothing had happened. "And that is why you never send a wooden creature against a fire-breathing wolf and dinosaur. But you're starting to bore me. How about we start this battle now? BlackGarurumon, BlackGreymon, attack!"

With this latest order, the two brainwashed Digimon resumed their previous attack, only for each to be interrupted by two of their former teammates. Saberdramon and Devimon both faced off against BlackGarurumon, while Gatomon and Bucchiemon were left with BlackGreymon. Both fights were relatively even, with BlackGarurumon being unable to hit his two aerial opponents but still able to use his agility to dodge a swarm of flaming purple feathers courtesy of Saberdramon's Night Roar attack on top of repeated dark energy blasts courtesy of Devimon's Death Hand attack. BlackGreymon was having a slightly better time in his fight, as Bucchiemon's Heart Beam could only immobilize him for brief periods of time, and while Gatomon's small size and quick reflexes prevented her from being harmed, her Lightning Paw attack only had enough power to slightly knock back the dinosaur instead of doing any real damage. Clearly, both of the brainwashed Digimon had received a power up in addition to their new dark forms, since they could stand equally with two Digimon of their same level when before they had only been slightly stronger than the others.

As if to prove this point further, BlackGreymon launched a Nova Blast directly at Gatomon, who jumped to avoid it. However, this played right into the hands of her enemy, as she was left open for attack with no way to dodge. Seeing her predicament, Ken immediately had Bucchiemon revert, grabbed Davis's D-Terminal, and shouted "Digi-Armor Energize!" However, it seemed to be too late, as BlackGreymon had landed a Great Horns Attack on the feline Digimon, sending her crashing into the ground. He then quickly launched another Nova Blast, threating to incinerate the small Digimon. Gatomon could only gasp at her impending doom, when another streak of fire suddenly rushed in front of her, absorbing the previous attack. When the fire died out, she saw her savior was a butterfly-like Digimon with a black body that was covered in armor that resembled Flamedramon. Despite never having seen this form before, she instantly recognized who had saved her.

"Thank you, Wormmon," she said. "If it wasn't for you, I'd probably be out three of my lives right now."

"No problem," he answered in a much more confidant voice that she had ever hear Wormmon use, even as Stingmon. "But you can call me Shadramon now. I Armor Digivolved using the Digimental of Courage. Now, what do you say we turn this fight around? Flash Buster!" Once again Shadramon cloaked himself in flames and rushed towards BlackGreymon. The butterfly Digimon scored a direct hit, knocking the dinosaur Digimon off of his feet. With BlackGreymon now fighting an uphill battle, Devimon decided it was time for him to gain an advantage in his fight as well. After briefly talking with Saberdramon, he flew down and landed near BlackGarurumon, seeming to lose the advantage he had possessed while fighting from the air. Seeing his target now in range, BlackGarurumon rushed forward and attempted to land his Freeze Fang attack, only to have his charge to be stopped by the sudden appearance of Devimon's claw springing from the ground directly in front of him. Before BlackGarurumon could react, Devimon had hit him with his Touch of Evil attack, using the exact same technique the evil Devimon had used to brainwash Leomon back when the DigiDestined first arrived on File Island. Devimon then began to shout, "Saberdramon, NOW! I can't make him go against Lilithmon's control. At best, all I can do is hold him for a few—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a black blur suddenly crashed into BlackGarurumon, with Devimon only barely avoiding the Mach Shadow attack of his ally. The black wolf was knocked backwards, finally skidding to a stop below Lilithmon, where he was joined a second later after BlackGreymon landed after taking a combined hit from Shadramon's Serrated Screw and Gatomon's Lightning Paw. The next second, a giant explosion of light flashed in the distance, signifying Magnamon had unleashed his Magna Explosion. Sure enough, the golden Digimon flew into the clearing after a brief pause. With all six good Digimon gathered together and Lilithmon's two puppets down for the count, Davis was sure they were one step away from winning this battle. However, he noticed Lilithmon still bore an amused expression, despite the army she was now facing.

"Wow, watching you kids fight for your friends so hard sure brings back memories. I haven't seen that kind of caring since the first time I met the humans who had been called into the Digital World ages ago. Still, I can't help feeling that something's missing- maybe you just aren't trying hard enough? I want to really feel the excitement, and this last go around just didn't do it for me. How about we kick it up a notch? Boys, do your thing."

With this last command, Tai and Matt snapped out of the stupor they had seemed to be in for the entire fight and pointed their Digivices towards their partners. Their Crests and Digivices both began to glow, but not in a way any of the DigiDestined had seen before. Instead of their entire Crest lighting up its usual color, they turned black, with the only light coming from the orange symbol of Courage and the blue symbol of Friendship. Likewise, the Digivices changed color, but instead of the usual orange with blue buttons for Tai and blue with silver buttons for Matt, both Digivices were now black, leaving only the buttons to change colors, with orange for Tai and blue for Matt. BlackGreymon and BlackGarurumon both started glowing dark purple, and before the glow faded, Lilithmon once again began taunting her opponents.

"I noticed you seemed to not be taking this fight seriously when it was only Champions, so I thought we needed to try Ultimates. It took a long time to be able to manipulate the feelings of those two to the point where I could get them to activate their Crests, but eventually I managed to get Tai to feel recklessness and Matt to be the type of friend who only is willing to go with others for what they could do for him. That's the kind of attitudes I needed, and I think waiting until now was the most exciting way to show off my new trick. After all, nothing says excitement like a bone monster and a werewolf. I'd like to introduce you to SkullGreymon and ShadowWereGarurumon!"

At this, both dark glows faded, revealing the new forms of the controlled Digimon. Matt's partner was once again a black version of his usual form, but a chill went down the backs of all the DigiDestined at the sight of Tai's partner. After all, everyone present had had an encounter with SkullGreymon, and those encounters had ended only when the berserk skeleton had run out of energy on his own after outright destroying anything in his way. Now, they had to face the same monster in addition to another creature whose power must be close to equal before they even had a chance to take the fight to Lilithmon. Seeing the dejection on the faces of her enemies, Lilithmon had to include one more quick comment. "What, no happiness that your friends managed to unlock a new form? I guess you aren't quite the friends you all thought you were. And bad friends really should be taught a lesson. SkullGreymon, ShadowWereGarurumon, attack!"

Yolei sighed. She had thought going to find this Minervamon and figuring out how to stop whatever Lilithmon was planning would be something important she could contribute to without having to hurt anybody, but since Centarumon had taken her into the labyrinth that served as the temple he was guarding, she had done nothing but sit and watch Izzy as he typed away on his computer. He had been spending the last ten minutes trying to decode some DigiCode written on the wall in front of him next to a creepy symbol that looked exactly like a giant eyeball. Centarumon had explained that this wall held the key to starting the "Trials of Olympus" or something like that, but he had been unable to translate the DigiCode for them, as it apparently was a different language from the code in the remainder of the temple. So, Izzy had simply pulled out his laptop, sat down, and disappeared into his own little world. Now, as somewhat of a computer enthusiast herself, Yolei could understand the thrill of trying to crack through various encryptions, but when she offered help and was repeatedly ignored, she began to lose her patience. Joe and Cody had contented themselves with discussions about their school lives, as they had no idea how to handle this complex of a computer issue, but Yolei had a hard time sitting still. She was about to try talking to Izzy again when he started talking himself.

"This is strange," he mused. "I managed to translate the first few lines, but for some reason, every time I start working on the rest, my computer just displays an error message. It's as if the text is actually encoding for a firewall of some sort. By trying to access the system, we get booted out."

"Don't get too stressed out," Joe said. "You've never let us down yet. Maybe you and Yolei can both take a crack at it next. Anyway, what do you have translated so far?"

"It really isn't too helpful," Izzy said. "It says 'Those who seek the twelve must first pass the ten divine trials. Conquer the ten guardians and the way shall be revealed.' So, assuming the twelve mentioned refers to the Olympos XII, we have to go through ten trials to meet them. However, I can't get a translation for where we have to go to start these ten trials, so knowing what we have to do doesn't help us know how to do it."

Yolei fumed. "So basically, this wall is taunting us? Well, between this freaky eyeball staring at us and the untranslatable code, I think I ought to show this wall exactly how I feel!" With that, she proceeded to do the least logical thing imaginable, and punch the wall directly in its eye. However, instead of the expected feeling of meeting a very solid object under her fist, Yolei's punch passed right through the eyeball, and in her surprise she was unable to contain her momentum and passed entirely through the eye. After an instant of shock, her friends were quick to follow her through the hidden entrance and crossed into the other side just before the eye-shaped portal closed behind them. Instead of the stone labyrinth they had been in before, they now found themselves on a red stone cliff overlooking a pool of lava. Cody looked around before he spoke. "Well, I think we all owe Yolei for finding a way past that code wall. And judging by our new surroundings, I think it's safe to say we are no longer in Centarumon's temple. We may have just started the ten challenges."

"You're welcome," Yolei said. "Though I'm not exactly sure if us starting these challenges is a good thing. We have no idea where we are. Even if we manage to get past these ten guardians we'll have to conquer, we have no guarantee that we'll even be able to get back in time now. We may have just—"

She was interrupted by a sudden explosion on the cliff below them. Before anybody could ask what had happened, they were answered by a sudden disturbance in the lava pool. A pair of white wings slowly rose from the lava, quickly followed by two black arms that belonged to a Devimon and the helmet of a Kabuterimon. Yolei and Cody both paled. They both had experience fighting with this particular Digimon. Back in their first adventure, Ken had created the same creature by somehow combining the data of numerous Digimon. That time, it had been strong enough to easily defeat Halsemon, Digmon, Raidramon, Nefertimon and Pegasusmon without taking any damage. Now, they were once again facing off against the mutant monstrosity, but there was no chance of Magnamon coming in to save the day.

"Uh, guys," Joe stammered, "what is that Digimon, and why is it attacking us?"

Izzy was the first to reply. "Right, I guess you wouldn't know about this. Short answer, he's an artificial Digimon called Kimeramon made from the data of numerous other Digimon. He's a purely destructive force, and we need to Digivolve right away if we want to win." Even this short answer proved to be a bit too long, as Kimeramon launched another Heat Viper attack towards the group, forcing them to scatter. Luckily, they had managed to avoid getting hit by the green energy burst that had melted its way through the rock where they had been standing. As soon as they were sure they were safe, the DigiDestined all reached for their Digivices. Hawkmon, Tentomon, and Gomamon all Digivolved to their Champion forms, but Cody decided to Armor Digivolve Armadillomon into Digmon. Seeing as their foe was an extremely powerful Ultimate, Izzy had Kabuterimon Digivolve again, and MegaKabuterimon blasted his foe with a Horn Buster, knocking him back. Joe was about to have Ikkakumon Digivolve as well, but Cody grabbed his arm.

"Listen, Joe, I'm not sure if Zudomon is the best option for this fight. Kimeramon will probably spend most of this battle flying over us and his Heat Viper attack will probably reduce the amount of ground we have to stand on. We need to focus on ranged or aerial fighters, and we can't have Zudomon using his Vulcan's Hammer attack here. Sure, the spark attack is a good distance attack, but we can't afford to have him destroy the cliff and send us into the lava. We'll have to rely on Ikkakumon and Digmon to provide long-range support while Aquilamon and MegaKabuterimon engage him directly. I know we aren't using our strongest forms, but we won't beat him by relying on strength alone. He's far too powerful for that."

As if to prove Cody's point, Kimeramon decided to use that moment to send Aquilamon and MegaKabuterimon flying back into the ground. Joe merely nodded and said, "Okay, I see your point. Ikkakumon, try to hit him from a distance. It might not damage him much, but you never know until you try." With this, Ikkakumon launched his Harpoon Torpedo, joined by Digmon firing his Gold Rush. Both attacks scored direct hits, but even the projectiles that didn't hit Kimeramon's metal helmet seemed to do no damage. Seeing the futility of their current attacks, Yolei decided to change tactics.

"Okay, Cody and I have fought this guy before, and I've seen enough to know that as it currently stands we don't have enough strength to beat him with standard attacks. Unless anybody can pull off a miraculous Digivolution, we'll have to think outside the box. Izzy, have MegaKabuterimon get in close. If he can get into close combat, he should be able to avoid getting hit by Heat Viper since Kimeramon would hurt himself if he used it. MegaKabuterimon will need to push him over the land and keep him there, since the next part of my plan won't work if he's flying over lava. Cody, I'll need you to revert Digmon. Just trust me on this, okay? Now let's go!"

Since Yolei was the only one who seemed to have a plan, the others agreed to follow along. Ikkakumon launched a few Harpoon Torpedoes at Kimeramon, which did no damage but did serve to obscure the beast's vision with clouds of smoke. By the time the smoke had cleared, MegaKabuterimon had flown in with his Wild Scratcher attack, which Kimeramon was forced to counter with his Scissor Claw attack. As the two opponents grappled, Aquilamon grabbed the newly reverted Armadillomon in his talons and took off into the sky. Cody started to protest, but Yolei cut him off, and just told him to have Armadillomon Digivolve when she signaled it. Sure enough, MegaKabuterimon managed to push Kimeramon over the rocky ground, and Yolei shouted out, "NOW!" At her shout, Aquilamon dropped Armadillomon, who started plummeting to the ground. Finally understanding Yolei's plan, Cody used his D3 to Digivolve Armadillomon, causing his falling partner to drastically increase in size and weight. Ankylomon curled into a ball and started spinning as he fell directly towards Kimeramon and MegaKabuterimon. Seeing this happening, MegaKabuterimon quickly released Kimeramon and flew away. Before the Composition Digimon could react, Ankylomon's spinning form released a quick combination of a Tail Hammer to its head and a Megaton Press attack to drive it into the ground. The DigiDestined and other Digimon all gathered around the newly-made crater, only to see Armadillomon splayed out over an unconscious Kimeramon. While the added momentum of the fall clearly allowed Ankylomon to finally injure Kimeramon, it had apparently injured him as well.

Armadillomon weakly mumbled, "Well that was fun. Can we never do that again, please?" before starting to crawl out of the crater. However, before he could make it out or anybody could go down to get him, the entire scenery suddenly changed. Instead of standing in a rocky area complete with lava, the DigiDestined and Digimon now found themselves in a pink, almost spongy hallway leading to another eye-shaped wall. Luckily, Kimeramon was nowhere to be found, so the Digimon all reverted to their base forms before walking towards the end of the hallway. From their experience in the labyrinth, they were not surprised to find that this particular eye also served as a portal to a new area, and found the hallway replaced with the interior of a cathedral, complete with stained glass windows on the ceiling, rows of wooden pews, and a giant organ in the center. Unsure of what to expect, the DigiDestined and their Digimon all stayed together in the center aisle, when a voice began to address them from behind the organ.

"Welcome, worthy seekers of the twelve. You have successfully passed the test of Kimeramon in the Flame Area. Now, you stand ready to face me, in the test of the Light Area." As the speaker flew around from behind the organ, he was revealed to be a familiar orange horse with golden wings and gold armor on his hooves and face. "Are you prepared to—?"

"Pegasusmon," Yolei interrupted, "what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with TK and the others? And how exactly did you even manage to Armor Digivolve without your Digimental?"

Pegasusmon actually fell a few feet in shock at the fact that this traveler was addressing him so familiarly. Trying to cover this lapse, he landed before addressing Yolei. "I'm sorry to inform you that I have no idea who you are talking about. While I have observed your battle with Kimeramon, I have not met you until just now. But enough of this small talk. Prepare for the test of Light to begin!"

Pegasusmon spread his wings, but before anybody else could react, Cody shouted out. "Stop this! We can't just destroy Pegasusmon. He's a good Digimon who isn't trying to hurt us. I know we sometimes have to fight to save ourselves or others, and Kimeramon attacked us first so we had to fight him, but we can't just kill an innocent Digimon just to get what we want. Besides, even though he isn't the same Pegasusmon, I don't know if I could ever bring myself to hurt TK's partner, and that's what this would feel like. There has to be a better way to get to the Olympos XII than this!"

Pegasusmon was once again taken aback by the outburst of one of his visitors. "Why do you refuse the test? I have not even stated it yet. While many of the tests do involve battle, mine is a test of speed and wisdom. And even if my test did involve combat, you needn't worry about harming me or any other being you encounter. We are guardians who exist solely to administer these tests. We are not truly Digimon, but merely a representation of data given form and life by the Olympos XII. When we are defeated, we merely fade away until those who are taking the tests either succeed in their quest or give up, and then reform along with our respective areas. Your desire to protect life is admirable, but you need not worry in here. Now, as a reward for your caring heart, I shall warn you about what lies ahead in my test. Outside this cathedral is a world entirely composed of light. Your task is to locate me and catch me, but be warned: as the Flying Hope, I have connections that allow me abilities beyond those of any normal Digimon in this world. Hope shall always be wherever there is Light, so how can you pin me down to one location when I can be anywhere?"

Yolei suddenly smirked and started walking toward Pegasusmon. "Well, sounds like you've got a really special connection with the forces of Light, don't you? Let me guess, you don't live alone here. I'm guessing there's a really special Nefertimon that you just love to spend time with, isn't there?"

The winged horse started shuffling his hooves along the ground, looking everywhere but at Yolei, and, if Yolei had to guess, blushing before stammering out a reply. "How did- I mean, it's not really, uh…" He was cut from his stuttering from a sudden pat on his back. Yolei was standing right next to him, arm on his back with a large grin on her face. "Don't worry about it. If you spent some time together with my friends TK and Kari, you'd know all about the whole Hope and Light interaction. After years with them, I've pretty much developed a sense about the whole 'hidden feelings' thing that goes on. But enough about my relationship radar. I believe I just passed your test, didn't I? After all, I located you inside the cathedral, and I just now caught you. So, what comes next?"

Izzy, Joe, and Cody all had to laugh at her solution to this last test. Only Yolei would think that she could possibly distract a Pegasusmon by talking about a Nefertimon, but then again, only Yolei was so determined on being a matchmaker for Kari and TK that she could pick up on the little hints signifying hidden feelings in others. After all, she had years of experience observing how much Hope and Light danced around with each other, so probably could see it in the Digimon that was an embodiment of Hope. Pegasusmon was clearly flustered at having been defeated so easily, but he quickly tried to recompose himself. "Well, I guess you have passed my test. However, I must warn you, the other tests will not be easy. In total, there are ten areas, each housing a guardian you must defeat in order to progress. You may clear the areas in any order you wish, but the tenth area must be the Darkness Area, as the portal to that realm will only open after you clear the nine others. As it stands, you have cleared two areas, those of Flame and Light. Only eight elements remain. After passing a test, you shall return to this area, where you may recover before continuing. You may now choose your next test."

As he finished explaining this, seven eyes appeared spread out across the room. The DigiDestined all looked around, but before deciding what to do next, Izzy quickly asked Pegasusmon a question. "Excuse me, but I'm a bit curious as to how this whole test thing is based. Are we teleported through various worlds as we try to pass all the tests, or are we just sent to different areas of the same world? Also, when we warp through space, do we warp through time as well? We need to talk with Minervamon as soon as possible, so I want to know if time flows normally across the worlds or if all of them occur at different rates."

Pegasusmon thought for a few moments before speaking. "I am sorry, but my knowledge of the tests is limited, so I may not explain exactly how they work. I believe time flows normally between the worlds, so if you wish to pass as soon as possible, I would recommend you split your group and take multiple tests at the same time. As long as nine areas are cleared, the portal to the Darkness Area will open, and then you may all take the final test."

Receiving this new information, Joe decided to take charge. "Okay, since time is of the essence, we should split up in order to finish this as soon as possible. However, judging by the fact that Kimeramon was the first test and the other tests should be harder, I don't think going four different ways is the most efficient option. So, I think we should split into teams of two, and take the tests separately. Now, we don't know exactly what we're facing, so I think the best teams would be Izzy with Cody and Yolei with me. That way, each team not only has access to an Ultimate, but also one marine Digimon and one aerial Digimon. So, we won't be at a huge disadvantage fighting enemies that aren't limited to life on land. One other thing: I know we have to rush, but if your Digimon is hurt, take the time to rest here in the Light area before taking the next test. One of the most important things they teach in medical school is that you can actually cause more harm than good trying to work too hard. Sure, as a doctor you need to be able to help around the clock, but as a human you lose effectiveness without food or sleep, and being tired can cause you to kill a patient instead of saving them. So, are we ready to go?"

The DigiDestined and Digimon all nodded before joining their respective teams. As Pegasusmon stayed behind in the cathedral, the others went through two different portals, determined to pass the tests on the other side and eventually gain access to the Olympos XII and find a way to save their friends and the world.

Author's Note: Well, now we're finally into the main part of arc 2 of this story. The entire thing with Sakkakumon and the Trials of Olympus was something that came to me once I realized I couldn't come up with good Dark evolution paths for Joe and Izzy, and thus they needed something to keep them busy while everybody else was working on fighting Lilithmon. I came up with four tests originally, but since I was watching Frontier while writing this and wanted to include elements from that in my story. One such element was the character tests the Legendary Warriors had to go through while fighting Sakkakumon, which I thought would be good to adapt into ten tests on the way to talk to the Olympos XII. So, I had to find six more Digimon based on Greco-Roman mythology, try to put them in an appropriate elemental sphere, and slightly restructure the tests to account for that. Well, I hope you are still enjoying the story, and please leave any questions or comments you have in a review or PM!