Dagomon, you assigned me the task of hunting the boy you brought here. He failed you, joined them instead in favor of companionship, in favor of defying your future rule over this world. I will make him pay, Sire. I'll show him what happens to those that defy your orders. He will grovel at my feet as he watches the horrors of his friends being dismembered one by one in front of him...then, when he wishes for it all to stop, I will slay him. Only then will I deliver to him the cold embrace of death. There will be no hope for any of them. None.
Digimon Generations
Created by: Frankie Holzwarth
Written by: Mike Reynolds
Episode 19: Enter the Dark Dimension!
Opening: Precious Time, Glory Days by Psychic Lover
Insert: Fire by Koji Wada
A week had passed since the cataclysmic events involving Grimmon. The wounds, both physical and emotional, suffered by his wrath were still healing. Time could heal many wounds, but there was one that still felt fresh in Sasuke's heart. The thought of losing Darcmon to that vile devil was painful to bear. More time would have to elapse before that would erode away from his mind. Since the incident, the leader found himself sleeping less, and thinking more. Yet, this was disguised with happiness and determination for the rest of Team Boost Soul. Sasuke understood that showing any weakness would only drain the morale of the team, and he would sooner let himself suffer than have that. It felt nearly impossible at times, however, to show strength when, at his very core, the leader was at his weakest. Only at night was the weary teen granted freedom. While others slept, Sasuke would journey off for a mere solitary moment to fully express the many emotions he held within. Yet, his burdens did not go unnoticed. Ronald experienced the same lonely, sleepless nights from time to time, and on some nights, he was a witness to seeing his Leader drift away for awhile as others carried on sleeping. Though Ronald knew that, at any given time, he could easily tell the others of what went on in the night, he understood why Sasuke kept that to himself. He was putting the team before him, and Ronald knew that his leader would want it to stay that way. Yet, the quiet teen hoped that Sasuke would tell the other soon of his burdens, lest it fester and slowly unravel him as time went on.
A week away from the desert, and Team Boost Soul still felt traces of the exhaustion experienced just after their long, hard fought battle with Grimmon. The teens and their digimon still had no knowledge of what to do now that Grimmon was defeated, so they merely journeyed to see sites they had once missed. They were making their way into a set of woods, seeing trees that were brittle and skinny, and therefore easy to maneuver around. The sun easily pierced through the weak branches covered in leaves, giving plenty of light for the teens to see in their journey to nowhere. Animals stirred all around, with many running away as the Team passed by. Birds happily chirped as if praising the heroes for their good deed of ridding the Digital World of Grimmon. Twigs and branches snapped under everyone's weight, causing Indaina to jump at the sound of some that he stepped on due to the past experience with Dokugumon. Kamemon merely gave his friend an odd look, but no words were shared amongst anyone due to how tired they actually were. Emma wondered when Sasuke would call for all of them to rest, knowing that, surely, Sasuke knew they all needed it. Yet, she was afraid to say anything to him, feeling a sense that, despite appearing chipper, there was something that he was hiding.
"Man, we've been going for hours, are we gonna stop?" Mikey broke the silence among them. Indaina fired a shocked looked to him. He was surprised that someone was brave enough to fire a complaint off.
"Yeah, Sasuke, maybe we'd better take a break," Patrick said soon after Mikey. He figured that it was a good time since the silence among them was broken. He was not alone, as others soon joined in to voice their agreement. Even Ryudamon, who would normally be more than willing to continue onward in their journey, felt compelled to voice a need to stop and rest.
"Alright, alright," Sasuke turned to his team, having been beat by popular vote to stop. "We'll stop. Guess it wouldn't hurt."
"Whew," Indaina was the first to express his gratitude.
"It's about time," was all Mikey could say, taking it upon himself to find a seat the moment they were given the okay.
"Why didn't he have us stop earlier?" Minato asked, crossing his arms once he stopped walking. "You knew that everyone was tired, and yet you still decided it was best. Why?"
"Hey, can it," Patrick quickly interjected. "No one needs to be hearing your crap right now. I know that everyone remembers how you acted during the fight with Grimmon!"
"Guys, let's just settle down. Haven't we done enough?" Sasuke asked them. He found himself firmly planted on a tree stump feeling weak, but doing his best to not show that. Emma seemed to notice, however, and both her and Floramon went to Sasuke's side.
"Sasuke, are you alright?" a concerned Emma asked. "You're shaking. Is there anything we can get you?"
"Wh-what?" Sasuke hadn't noticed it at first. Yet, after Emma pointed it out, he was quick to notice. Then, his stomach growled, which set off a chain reaction of other stomachs sounding their alarm. "I guess we all just need some food. Time to round something up."
Ronald knew it was more than that, but he sat by his lonesome with Labramon. Labramon could see that there was something on Ronald's mind. The boy held an odd stare on Sasuke from afar, which was uncommon for him to do. Though he wanted to ask, however, Labramon held the silence among them, until he heard that there would be a food run.
"I'll go help them gather food," Labramon said. "When we get back...perhaps you'll talk about what's up?"
"We'll need to speak about that in private," Ronald mumbled to Labramon. "Go help for now."
Another night was beginning to set in for the Digital World. It was nothing new to the tamers, and if anything, it was beginning to grow old. Many nights being here without much hint as to what they were to do, especially with Grimmon gone. No one wanted to address it mainly because no one knew how to. For all intents and purposes, Team Boost Soul was stranded here, forced to wait for a sign or a direction to be sent. They gathered together, save for Ronald, all of them retaining the silence they had before.
But, they were not alone.
I see you all, you all think you're safe... thought a digimon from afar, hiding and merely watching all of the Tamers with a strange delight. This digimon could see a fire that was burning bright, and all were huddled around it save for one individual – the individual that he had come for. Ronald felt a cold chill work its way up his spine, which compelled him to look around. Something was not right, but given that he was still getting over the battle with Grimmon, Ronald attributed his feelings to mere paranoia. Until he heard something stir from afar amidst the stray leaves and bushes. Quickly turning to look in the direction of the sound, he swallowed hard in looking for the creator of the sound. Yet, he saw nothing.
"Labramon, can you smell anything unusual?" Ronald asked his faithful companion.
"No, I can't. Are you alright?" Labramon asked in return, beginning to get concerned. Ronald was acting odd now. Normally quiet and good at holding emotion from his face, Labramon could see true fear in the boy's eyes. "That fight with Grimmon really messed with you, didn't it? You're not alone on that, ya know."
"I-I know...maybe that's all it is."
"Say, Sasuke," Patrick began. And when he did, he felt the tense gazes of the others. "Think you can come up with a reason for why we're still here?"
"I've been wondering about that," Sasuke told Patrick. "It's weird. I thought that, once we defeated Grimmon, we'd be out of here."
"Wisemon said that you guys had some kind of purpose, maybe it just hasn't been completely fulfilled yet?" Mikey chimed in.
"Well, he did say that we were supposed to help Chronomon, at least if I remember right," Patrick thought aloud.
"Whatever it is, I know we'll find it," Emma gleefully said to all of them. "I have faith in everyone that we can do it. After all, we beat that nasty Grimmon!"
"We got lucky to do it," Indaina said, though he began shaking once Emma mentioned Grimmon. "I thought we were goners for sure!"
"Oh, Indaina, I always had hope," Emma then looked to Sasuke with a smile. "Sasuke always knows how to pull it out when the chips are down. And this was no different."
The group continued to talk. Anything that would ease the tension of their current predicament was more than welcomed. One member, however, saw it fit to stay silent as they continued to talk through the night. Minato merely glared at everyone else that was around the fire. All the attention Sasuke was getting only made Minato nauseous. Ryudamon saw the bitterness locked away in his companion and knew that they would discuss that later. Hours passed, and everyone was once again asleep – save for Sasuke and Ronald.
Sasuke looked around to make sure that all the other Tamers were asleep, though he did not know where Ronald was at the time. Once he felt safe, their leader began walking for some time alone, to fully express himself. In these lonely sessions, Sasuke expressed both sadness and anger, one waned in favor of the other on a given night. Some nights, anger won, and Sasuke would alleviate it anyway he had to. Other nights, immense sadness merely caused the teen to stay in one spot, sometimes tears followed, and other times all he could do was stare outward to the sky in search of an answer. The loss of Darcmon, though he had only known her for a short period, was a lot to bear on his weary mind. It was the first time Sasuke truly understood what was at stake with failure. In knowing that, he felt immense pressure and stress in making sure everyone else was safe. The fear of the others dying was now a visible idea, and that frightened him.
Meanwhile, Ronald tracked his leader. Normally not one to question or investigate, there was an urge to satisfy. He needed to understand just what Sasuke had in mind from this point onward. If he was to continue in a secret pain, then he would ask if someone else would need to lead the team. And if Sasuke would finally tell his Team everything, when would he? Labramon wanted to follow Ronald, to guard him from any potential dangers, but he was instructed to stay behind. As the silent boy made his way to find his leader, he heard the hurried shaking of fallen leaves not far from him, and stopped dead in his tracks. Someone was nearby. The question was, who?
Oh yes, Ronald, I see you. And I know you can see me...at least, you'll be able to soon. When you least expect me, I'll be there. I will be what forces you to stay up in the darkest hours of the night. When you sleep, you will know that there is a creature that bumps around just waiting ever so patiently...
Ronald looked to his right, and believed he saw a devilish looking creature, more so than Grimmon. Sweat ran down his forehead as he looked around with his wide eyes. His heart began to pound against his chest, and his hands began to show signs of trembling. Someone was around, but in the darkness, Ronald could not see who it was. Twigs and branches snapped to his right, and Ronald snapped his head to look toward the noise. He saw small wings, a staff with three pointed tips at one end, and a golden broach that reflected in the moonlight. More twigs snapped, but the sound became more distant with each passing second.
"Who's there!?" Ronald shouted, holding no regard to the possibility that he might wake the others. "I know someone's out there, who is it!?"
Oh child...your fear is so intoxicating. I can barely handle myself.
Maybe I'm just going crazy, Ronald thought to himself as he wiped some of the sweat from his forehead. But, before he could continue walking, that presence from before snapped a twig just behind him. Ronald twirled around to see who was behind him, and saw the creature with the golden broach. It was shaped like a bat. The creature, a digimon, looked like a devil incarnate with his black boots, his trident, his small red horns on his head, his pointed red tail, and his eyes. Ronald stared into those terrifying yellow irises that rested in blue pupils. A demonic digimon, but Ronald had no recollection of who it could be.
"We never met," the digimon began, walking slowly around Ronald. "But, Dagomon sends his regards. You've come a long way, kid."
Ronald's eyes, just when he thought they could not become any wider, grew more so when this new devil mentioned Dagomon. That menace. Ronald thought that he was rid of that being, that he would never have to deal with him again. His heart, once thudding against his chest, soon sank into his stomach in fear.
"Wh-what do you want with me? Wh-who are you," Ronald asked weakly.
"You had a job to do, don't you remember?" the digimon began. As he circled around Ronald, one gloved hand with long claws touched Ronald's face gently, trailing downward before arriving back at the digimon's side. "And you failed to do it. You were so determined then...what happened, kid? Got twisted just like Dagomon twisted you? You truly did seem so easy...as for who I am...I'm Phelesmon, a loyal servant for Dagomon."
"I was do-done with him. You can't make me serve him again!"
"Oh child, who says you'll ever get that chance again? You'll be begging for death before you beg to serve by his side again...don't worry, though, that won't happen tonight."
"Wh-what!?"
"I have so many plans in store for you."
Phelesmon began to walk away from a trembling Ronald. His work was done for the time being, but a chill ran through him at the thought of what was to come. Ronald merely watched Phelesmon leave, powerless to actually stop him. I have to tell Sasuke and the others, he thought to himself. They have to know what's coming. Without hesitation, he ran through the woods as fast as his legs would carry him. Fear pumped through the entirety of his body when he considered what Phelesmon – or worse, Dagomon – had in store for his friends. He brushed by the many skinny, weak trees, gaining good ground before tripping on a large log hidden in the darkness. After the initial pain, he slowly began to rise. I have to get to him. I have to warn him.
"Darcmon," Sasuke began in prayer like fashion, speaking out to Darcmon wherever she might have been in the afterlife. "You said you were sorry you failed me…but, it…it was m-me who…"
A tear escaped the lonely leader's right eye as he tried to mumble his sentence without his consent. On his knees, fixed and unmoving like a statue, Sasuke could only stare outward to a field just beyond the woods. That single leak from his eye was soon followed with a light drizzle. He felt overwhelmingly exhausted in both body and spirit. The sleepless nights were catching up to him, slowly zapping him of his strength after each night. Yet, tired as he was, Sasuke's sleep was riddled with nightmares of Darcmon's death. The scene continually played out every time he attempted even a semblance of sleep, forcing him awake. He understood that the next day would only prove more challenging than the last, but with such a restless mind, what was one to do?
"Even after defeating him, I don't feel like we've achieved anything…we lost more…"
The mourning for the lost Darcmon continued. The sky was slowly brightening from the oncoming sun. Sasuke looked at the creeping rays of light, and allowed a heavy sigh to escape him. Another day of endless nothing.
"Sasuke!"
The leader heard a voice yell out to him. He wanted to express surprise, but he was not done mourning. The more the rays of light crept onto the land, the closer Ronald was to finding his leader. When the Sun was high in the sky, Sasuke stood from his spot, and made his way back to camp. It was then that Ronald ran into him, causing both teens to crash into the ground.
"Ronald, what the hell are you doing!?" Sasuke yelled to his comrade.
"Sasuke, I had to find you," said an out of breath Ronald. "I came to find you in the night, but someone found me…someone that worked for Dagomon."
"Are you sure you're getting enough sleep?"
"There's no time for this! We need to get back to the others, it's important. We have to keep our guard up for whatever gets thrown at us!"
"Did this new threat have a name?"
"It was Phelesmon. I didn't know who he was at first, but he knew me. I'm telling you, Sasuke, Dagomon is planning something big. We need to be careful."
"Alright, alright, let's just get back to camp in decent shape first."
The two were fortunate to get back to where everyone slept just before any souls had awoken. Ronald and Sasuke agreed that they needed to act natural and pretend that they were asleep. Labramon was the only witness to anyone leaving, but Ronald knew that his silence was guaranteed. It was not long before everyone began to awaken from their slumber. Emma was the first to rise, and after she did, Sasuke soon stood from where he lay, acting as though he was just waking up as well. Floramon then awoke, and looked to Sasuke.
"You have some dark circles under your eyes," Floramon pointed out to Sasuke. It was the first thing the plant noticed. Emma felt compelled to look once the observation was made.
"She's right. Sasuke, are you alright," asked a now concerned Emma.
"Guys, I'm fine. You don't gotta worry about me," in his best efforts, Sasuke tried reassuring his close teammates. They could not know. Not now.
With the sun creeping through the heavy gray sky, peeking through the clouds at different times, everyone knew that they would soon be heading out on their journey through the Digital World again. But, there would be a shadow and a threat following their weary travels. Unbeknownst to them – save for Ronald – Phelesmon watched intently from afar, still fantasizing over the many tortures that he had in store for each one of them. They would aid in creating a masterpiece of horrors that would last the devilish foe for eons. And dear, unsuspecting Ronald, will know the price of betrayal then.
"Alright guys, let's move out," Sasuke commanded the rest of his team. "We got another long day ahead of us. The sooner we get moving, the better."
Ronald shot Labramon a look of concern when Sasuke did not mention a word about what they discussed just hours before. Labramon, though unknowing of what troubled Ronald, gave him a small nod in support in voicing a concern.
"Sasuke," Ronald began, addressing his leader as politely as he could. "What about what we discussed last night? That thing that I saw out there?"
"If we see it, we'll deal with it just as we always do."
"What the heck did he see last night!?" Indaina, without thinking, shouted in fear to Sasuke. Then, he began to shiver. Kamemon went to Indaina to, once again, try to comfort him.
"Yeah, uh, I'm with the scared little guy on this one, just what the heck did that dude spot?" Mikey echoed a similar fear to Indaina, though he kept calm on the matter.
"Just a wild digimon out in the woods, that's all," Sasuke did not want to cause any panic in Team Boost Soul. He would barely withstand the oncoming day of traveling that was planned. But, a day of traveling with panic? Sasuke could not handle that.
"And you were going to mention that to us when!?" Minato lashed out to Sasuke, even pushing past Patrick to face the teen directly himself.
"Sorry, it slipped my mind. We've had some busy days, you know."
"That's no excuse. You know that!"
Ryudamon slowly prepared himself for a battle. Fear was on the rise, much to the dismay of both Sasuke and Ronald. The tension between the two teens continued to elevate as they stared off to one another, each trying to hold their own in their battle of wills. Meanwhile, the rest of Team Boost Soul waited for the two to resolve this difference. Phelesmon found the bickering splendid. Now he nested in a tree just behind Team Boost Soul – one close to Ronald – taking in the show they were putting on. Hysteria – that was the beginning, and a marvelous one at that. It would make the moment that much better.
"Isn't it wonderful," the devil said, as though thinking aloud, to Ronald. "They fight and fight, not knowing what's to come…"
Ronald looked to where the voice came from, looking above to a particular branch on a tree just behind him. Shooting that monster a glare, he could feel his hands ball up into fists. His blood began to boil with rage – a feat that not many achieved.
"You're going to die today, you monster!" Ronald shouted to Phelesmon. In surprise, everyone turned to look to Ronald's almost crazed yelling.
"Ronald, what's wrong?" Emma was the first to ask. She went to him, and put a hand on his shoulder in support. It was very unusual to hear Ronald speak much at all, but to hear such a frenzied, hateful sentence from him shocked everyone. "Are you alright?"
"It's that Digimon from last night! He's come to try and take us down for Dagomon! He means to murder us!"
"Yes, Ronald, I do. Keep yelling, please, it's like music to my ears," Phelesmon said, even jumping down to face Ronald directly. He leaned against the tree very casually, chuckling to himself at this latest development.
"Great, just when we didn't have it bad enough between these guys," said a very annoyed Patrick. "Guys, can't we all just get out of here already? I think these woods are making everyone crazy, especially Ronald here."
"What do you mean? Don't you people see!? He's right there in front of all of you!" Ronald pointed in the direction of Phelesmon. "How can you all be so blind?"
"Ronald…there's no one there," Labramon said it before anyone else could. Much as he wanted to believe his friend, even he saw that no one was in sight save for the members of Team Boost Soul.
"I'm scared, and that should be saying something," Dracmon mentioned to Patrick. "It seems like everyone's unraveling here…"
Mikey, in being around Patrick, whispered a question to the second in command. "This isn't a normal thing, is it? This isn't what I signed up for…"
He was merely met with a dark glare from Patrick. Mikey quickly knew that it was best to shut up, lest he add more gas to the fire. He looked down to the book that held Wisemon, and though he wanted to interrupt Wisemon's studying with hopes of some answers, he figured it best to wait on that.
"Enough of this. Everyone, we need to go. Now. These woods are screwing with our heads, so let's just go already," Sasuke finally said. Dorumon looked to his companion, seeing him grasp his head just before the others looked to him. A small moment of weakness, and that's all it took for Dorumon to see that something was wrong. But, before they could address that, they needed to leave these woods.
"Let's go. Now," Dorumon growled to the rest of the group. "We've been here long enough."
The anger of Dorumon motivated everyone to quiet down their hysteria for the time being, and begin making their way out of the woods. The air was thick with tension still, but the silence needed to remain intact until they exited. Everyone bore their own worried expressions concerning the current state of Team Boost Soul. They were unraveling due to being lost without a purpose, most understood that. Yet, they did not know how to best address it – if they could. In their silent trek through the woods, they were watched with dubious eyes that followed them to the fields that lied just ahead. Phelesmon wanted to continue to plague Ronald, it was amusing to see the teen's reaction to him. Ronald merely glared as Phelesmon followed beside him, seeing the creature hold a maniacal grin. The creature then wandered Emma, even touching her face with one of his claws slowly. She did not feel a thing.
"How would you feel about this?" Phelesmon asked Ronald. "If I just…cut her up slowly, dispensing from her a limb of my choice at a time of my choosing? Would you cry out futility? Would you make idol threats? Would you cry and appeal to some humanity?"
Ronald knew that he could not answer him. Every fiber of his being wanted to show Phelesmon to his grave, but that would require tremendous power. Power that, Ronald did not possess. The troubled teen understood that he was not strong enough to take on the threat alone, but the task felt hopeless. Even still, Ronald merely hoped that he was going insane, that the many nights that only contained hints of sleep were merely getting to him, and that Phelesmon was only an illusion. He wanted to be that fortunate, but he did not trust that hope, either.
The silence, impressively, was held as Team Boost Soul crossed into a large, blooming field. Before them, there were many green mounds just down the steep hill that they would need to descend. It had been sometime since the team had seen such tranquil beauty, but they gladly welcomed the change of scenery – especially Emma and Floramon, who both had large smiles in seeing the flowers. Team Boost Soul stopped for now, taking in the peace the field offered.
"Come now, Ronald," Phelesmon began again, egging on the introverted teen. "Talk to me. Show me, in your own words, how disgusted you are in my ideas…"
Now the ghoul shifted himself over to Indaina, resting one of his hands on the very apprehensive boy. He ran one hand over Indaina's head, caressing the hair gently with each claw. Back and forth, ever so slowly, Phelesmon continued to sway his claw in Indaina's hair. It was now that Ronald was glad Indaina could not feel what that demon was doing, otherwise, he would be traumatized.
"It's amazing how easy it is to kill you humans. If any vital organ goes, your clock stops. And it's so simple to end a life by simply destroying the heart, the brain – even severing a vein will cause you to die. It's all a matter of how fast you want one to die. If you want to truly savor the final moments, as anyone should to know their prey, you damage the human just enough to allow them to speak before they die. The blubbering, the tears of defeat, the sadness of those around…truly, it's intoxicating."
"You're sick! You filth!" Ronald could not contain himself any longer. His blood was boiling at what Phelesmon was going. Yet, though he wanted to believe he could kill him, Ronald feared him.
The rest of Team Boost Soul looked to Ronald with a variety of gazes. Emma projected a concerned look, but held her tongue because she did not know what to say. Patrick held a look of awe, wondering if perhaps Ronald was truly showing signs of insanity now. He worried about the safety of the rest of the team since Ronald was not himself. Sasuke showed a dual glance of concern, but also of troubled thoughts. Indaina, much to no one's surprise, held a frightened look at Ronald's behavior. Mikey, worried but trying not to show it, merely gave Ronald a stern look of surprise. It was Minato, in his rash behavior, however, that broke the silence imposed by everyone else.
"What the hell has gotten into you?! Have you lost your damn mind!?" Minato yelled at Ronald, but before he could unleash anymore fury, Patrick stepped in his way.
"We're all tired. We're all going stir crazy being in the Digital World. We all know it. Our digimon can even sense it, much as they'd like to not say it," Patrick held a very controlled tone, but the anger was present in it. "And worse yet, we haven't tried to say anything about it. We've just been ignoring it, haven't we!?"
The company's digimon all looked on with worry at the Team. But, they were not well equipped to help handle the many emotions coming swirling about the teens. None of them could find the right words to say, but none of them wanted to fight, either. Yet, Labramon stood fiercely by Ronald's side, perhaps being the only one with enough indignation to voice his opinion.
"You people don't get it, do you?" he asked of everyone else. "Ronald has had many nights where he hasn't been able to sleep. Unlike you people, who were chosen by that damned Chronomon, Ronald did not have that same path. You all know that. He was not blessed with having this holy cause right out of the gate. It's troubled him ever since he decided to be a part of the Team. He's been afraid to say anything, and his thoughts have gotten to him because he didn't think he could trust any of you."
Ronald shot Labramon the coldest glare when he decided to speak on his condition. He wanted to keep that to himself. He did not want to show weakness in complaining about what he was feeling, there was no time to do that when there were more important matters to attend to. The other members, however, were forced into silence again at Labramon's testimony. Before long, there was a burst of clapping to tear through the silence.
"All of this has been wonderful," said a voice only familiar to Ronald. "Truly, the division and angst you all display is such a beautiful thing, much as this field here. Because I am so merciful, I have allowed you all to enjoy something beautiful before you go to your graves…"
"Wh-who are you!?" Sasuke shouted at the new presence. Yet, Ronald knew, and he found fear quickly seeping into him.
"Someone already knows, but all of you were too intent on thinking he was insane. It was a good show, though, so I thank you."
"It's…Phelesmon," Ronald said. When the team looked to him, they saw wide eyes on his face, and a body that was riddled with fear with its shaking. "I tried to tell you all!"
Before anyone could act on the new threat, something began to glow between all of them. Phelesmon, in his exceptional glee, began to laugh hysterically as there opened up a portal that glowed purple. It soon became much bigger in diameter, and all of Team Boost Soul could feel themselves being sucked in by the strong gravitational pull that the portal had. They had no hope of escape. Soon, they came to a world dark and terrible. The sky was black, but riddled with lightning stretching out in a variety of shapes, many of which resembled branches of a tree. There were no structures to be seen for miles. Much like the beautiful field that Team Boost Soul inhabited, there was nothing to be seen in every direction the heroes looked. The ground they stood on held many different, dead flowers, each black with decay and neglect. The mounds just ahead of them were the same way, merely black, rounded parts of the ground. Dark creatures flew through the dangerous air, braving the lightning and high winds to some new and menacing place. But, what could be worth seeing here?
Stray lightning whipped against the rotten Earth that the heroes stood on, creating a fire that began to spread throughout the field of decayed flowers with no intent of stopping. Sasuke looked to that spreading flame, seeing that, before long, it blocked the path behind them, then proceeded to spread out to surround them entirely. They were trapped for now. A digimon parted the flames just long enough to enter in the hot cage – it was Phelesmon.
"Hello, my captive audience," Phelesmon said, eying all of them with a sick glee. "Tonight, you will perish. But, do not fret, for you will help in creating the best masterpiece that I can make. Tonight...you will be a part of something spectacular before your spirits leave your bodies from all the agony they will endure."
Sasuke stepped before him, intent on stopping this mad creature before any more chaos was to be had. He was going to show Phelesmon the critical error in his ways. Yet, when he tried to speak, there soon appeared the same scene that played in his head from those long nights before. The day Darcmon died was as clear as the day it occurred, and without mercy. Sasuke's eyes grew wide as he felt he was reliving Darcmon being sliced into two by Grimmon again, as if he had gone back in time for that one moment.
"Sasuke...I-I-I failed you...pl-please forgive m-me..." and then her body was slashed in two. But, there was something different about this memory, something more haunting when Sasuke looked to the pain-filled eyes of Darcmon. Her lips began to move, but it was Grimmon's voice that she projected.
"Sasuke...why did you let me die? Why didn't you try save me? You let him kill me, didn't you? You couldn't stand the sight of me..."
"No! No! Darcmon, that's not it at all! I was powerless!" now on his knees, unable to bear this vision, Sasuke cried out.
"You wanted me to die...but, you couldn't do it yourself. You lacked the courage to go through with it...that was the easy way out..."
"No! God damn it, no!"
"Well, that's a shame, he's out before he could make a move. Guess he just couldn't handle this world," Phelesmon chimed in and followed it with a chuckle.
"Sasuke, snap out of it! We have to beat this guy! It's our only chance!" Dorumon shouted to Sasuke. "Please! I can't do this without you, you know that!"
"Hey, stop it! Leave him alone!" Patrick shouted to Phelesmon.
"It's not me that's doing it, you half-wit," Phelesmon mentioned to Patrick. "Though I could drive him insane with ease, it's simply the strain of this world. But, since you won't believe me, allow me to demonstrate."
"No...NO!" Ronald shouted at the top of his lungs to Phelesmon. "He can't be allowed to do anything! We have to stop him in Sasuke's place!"
Patrick looked to Ronald in fear of what he said. If that was true, he knew that they did not have much time. Quickly, Patrick motioned for everyone else to prepare for an attack against this new threat, urging everyone to Digivolve at once. There was no hesitation, and multiple flashes of light could be seen as everyone began to digivolve into their next forms.
"Sangloupmon, Sticker Blade now!" Commanded Patrick.
"Dobermon, Schwarz Strahl!" Ronald shouted.
"Kiwimon, Little Pecker!" Emma cried.
"Kamemon, DJ Shooter now!" Indaina screamed.
"Ginryumon, Tekkoujin!" Minato yelled.
Mikey, while he would have liked to have participated in the battle, knew that Wisemon was not a fighter. Still, he knew he needed to call out Wisemon. They needed all able bodies to fight against this new threat. He summoned Wisemon, who looked to Mikey and shook his head.
"There's nothing I can do here. I have read on this digimon, and unfortunately, his power is just short of Grimmon's. If they're going to beat him, someone will have to rise above what they have for power now."
"How did you come by this guy? And I wish we would have known that sooner!" Mikey asked his friend.
Yet, before Wisemon could give an answer, all the attacks hit their intended target. Ash and dust swirled about to obstruct the view for Team Boost Soul. They could not see what damage had occurred, and thus were forced to wait. They quickly learned, however, that their opponent was not easily silenced. There soon came a demonic shout from the shrouded digimon, sounding terribly evil in its tone. The minds of Team Boost Soul's humans were infiltrated without any power to stop it.
Indaina was the first to collapse to his knees with new and fear driven thought. He saw himself now on a branch just above a rushing river, with the rapids beating against many different rocks. These currents rushed off in a single direction – a waterfall. Indaina clung to the branch as best he could, holding on for his own life. The vision had other plans. The branch broke, and Indaina was in those rushing waters without a sliver of hope. Kamemon was nowhere to be found to save him. Indaina flowed with the water toward the inevitable – and final – fall. An ear shattering scream erupted from the teen.
Minato's fear manifested in a different way. He was not greeted with a trial like Indaina. Instead, he found himself seeing a vision that looked to play out normally. He was walking through a forest with the rest of Team Boost Soul, and they were soon to arrive near a volcano. When they did, the stopped at the foot of it, and all turned to look at Minato. The only thing Minato saw was the white in their eyes, their irises were gone. And they spoke with low, evil tones.
"You have no place with us, Minato…you're useless," Sasuke was the first to speak. "All you do is slow us down."
"I'm better than you! I'm more fit to lead this team! You see me as a threat, though, don't you!?" Minato shouted back with enraged fervor.
"He's right," Emma said with that same monotone. "You only want to lead…your pride won't allow you to follow."
"Your time has come," Patrick interjected next. "And you only have yourself to blame."
Similar dialogue was shared with the rest of the team, each having their own thing to say concerning the failure of Minato to help the team progress further. Save for one member, Ronald, who merely looked to Minato with judging eyes. Sasuke ordered Dorumon, and some of the other digimon, to exile Minato the only way they could – by throwing him into the volcano. The teen looked to his companion, Ryudamon, for help. But, he was nowhere to be found.
"He's been taken care of…and now, it's your turn." Sasuke said, and began to cackle. The rest of the group joined him, creating an evil, harmonic laugh.
Emma found herself the next unsuspecting target of the vision that induced insanity. When she turned away, holding her ears in hopes of not hearing the awful shout, she saw Sasuke far away from her. She cried out his name, and soon began running to him with all her strength. Yet, the more she ran, the further away she became, being unable to reach him. Again, she cried out his name, and this time, he turned to face her. He had melancholy eyes when he looked to Emma, and tears had already run their course.
"Emma...I wish you could be here right now. I wish I hadn't let you get killed…it's my fault…"
Emma's eyes widened at what Sasuke was saying. She soon looked to her hands, and saw that they were pale white. But, her body was slowly beginning to wither. She could feel her existence beginning to end with each passing second, and she was powerless to stop it.
"Sasuke! No! Help me! I'm right here!" her cries for help went unheard.
Mikey looked to Wisemon, and as he did, he saw his companion turn to him. Yet, when he did, he was met with the gaze of a zombie that was now in a hood. He stepped back in fear as Wisemon was slowly coming for him. He looked around in hopes of finding help, but was only met with more undead forces. All of Team Boost Soul was converted to mere dead flesh walking without a single thought of anything. They only craved the meet from Mikey's bones, and they were coming for him.
"No…No! Please, no!" Mikey yelled, trying to back away from all of them, even running away. But, he was met with the wall of fire.
Patrick found himself caught in the chaos that the Demon's Shout laced with this evil place produced. The boy was falling through the air, faster and faster, without any chance of stopping. He knew he was high up, but in a matter of moments, he would be dead. And, worst of all, Patrick was alone in this free fall. He cried out in hopes that maybe he would be heard.
"Sasuke, if you can hear me, help!" Patrick cried out futility. Falling through the clouds, he soon saw the ground that he would crash into. It was the field from before the one of flowers. Before his eyes, however, the ground soon alit with miles of flame, burning bright and spreading throughout that once beautiful field. Patrick found that he was soon frozen in one place in the air, and a voice could be heard – it was booming with a god like speech.
"You all failed me. I, a once proud god, entrusted all of you to save the world when I could not. And, instead, all of you have chosen a path of failure. Now this world will only know plague and suffering, and both you and your friends will be the reason…"
Ronald was the next unlucky soul to be caught in the hysteria. He looked to Dobermon, but he was on the ground with a large hole in his side. He made no move. He lay on the black ground peacefully. Ronald ran to his companion in hopes of helping him, but he was too late. Brought to his knees, he began to weep once he understood. The damage was done, and Dobermon was dead. Ronald looked around, crying for help, but around him were the dead bodies of all his teammates. Everyone of them had suffered a severe injury of some sort, leaving them to rot without a grave. Ronald stood up and looked to the culprit – Phelesmon.
"It was a hopeless endeavor, you knew that," Phelesmon said confidently to Ronald. "I'm sorry it had to end this way."
"Why? Please, tell me why…" Ronald begged of Phelesmon. "I knew I had no hope, but why did all of them have to suffer? Why couldn't you have just picked me?"
"Because, before you died, you needed to see what your betrayal would accomplish…nothing, by the way."
Ronald fell to his knees again. He felt so very powerless right now. So very helpless and weak. But, he heard a voice in the distance. Looking up, it was Sasuke – but, he was found dead. Ronald questioned how he could hear his voice right now when the boy lay dead in front of him.
"Ronald…you have…to take….a stand," Sasuke said. "Please, I know you can do this. For the Team. I can't win this one for us…it has to be you."
"Sasuke…how am I able to hear you right now!?"
"It's a vision, it's a hoax. I can't find the courage to evolve Dorumon, though. My mind is too crowded with different thoughts, and I can't help everyone. You have to be the hope that I can't be. You have to defeat this new enemy…no one else is ready like you are."
"I can't! I'm too powerless to help. It's no use, there's no hope left for us."
"You have to dig down and find something worth fighting for. You have to find a hope worth preserving. Don't give in like I did…please, help us."
Ronald looked to Dobermon, who now seemed to be moving again. He looked to the rest of the team, all of whom appeared trapped in their own minds. But, for Ronald, he seemed to be freed of this mind cage. He looked to Phelesmon now, his fists shaking with rage.
"Are you ready to begin round 2, then?" Phelesmon asked the boy.
"I have to be the one to give all of them hope right now," Ronald mumbled slowly to himself. "I have to be the one to rise and guide them. I have to hold hope in Sasuke's place…and so…"
"Hm? I'm not hearing you very clearly…"
"I will hold this hope! I will defeat you once and for all, Phelesmon! It's time you found out what pain is really like! Dobermon!"
Dobermon found himself beside Ronald now. Though weak from trying to overcome the Demon's Shout, he growled at Phelesmon. It was time to rise.
(Insert: Fire)
"Dobermon! Super Digivolve!"
There shout out a ring from Ronald's digivice, which surrounded Dobermon. It glowed a passionate pink color, circling around Dobermon slowly. Soon, Dobermon was engulfed by the energy ring, and floated above the black ground as a giant orb of energy. Phelesmon, amused by this new development, made no effort to stop this. The left leg thrusted out of the energy, now a black armored leg, with traces of red behind it, and with claws just above the paw. At the shoulder of that leg, there was a head with teeth and yellow eyes, but it was a part of the armor. Then came the tail, long, black, and containing armor of its own. Then, Cerberumon's head sprouted from the energy, and the yellow eyes glared at Phelesmon.
"Perfect Level: Cerberumon!"
"Cute dog, but I'm afraid that won't be enough to stop me," Phelesmon laughed, but he could feel a sense of fear when he looked into the eyes of his new threat. "Black Statue!"
There fired off a beam from the trident of Phelesmon toward Cerberumon. Yet, the devil dog did not move right away, making Phelesmon laugh as the beam became closer and closer to his opponent. There came a collision, and debris filled the air again. But, Cerberumon was not found converted into a statue like Phelesmon would have hoped. Instead, he was charging for the devil, who now took to the air with his wings. But, that would not save him.
"Cerberumon, give him a volley! Emerald Blaze!"
Intense flames, far more scorching than the flames that trapped the team, launched for Phelesmon before he could comprehend what had happened. He was sent barreling downward for the dark ground, soon crashing hard into a bare mound. Getting out of the mound, he rushed for his opponent behind the flames, and when he did, he was met with something he did not expect.
"Inferno Gate, Cerberumon. Send this creature into the abyss…"
There opened a gate on the ground, traces of hellfire blazing out of it. Phelesmon tried to get away, but the pull of the gate was too strong for him to get away. Black hands reached out to grab Phelesmon, numbering as many as one-hundred. They trust the devil into his rightful place, and the gate closed once he was completely taken by the dark forces he once loved.
The fires around Team Boost Soul soon faded, and the minds that were once in considerable disarray began to see the black world as it was instead of their own hells. They all looked to one another, each trying to understand what had just happened, and then to Ronald. Cerberumon stood beside Ronald with joy that the new enemy had been vanquished, converting back to Labramon in a matter of minutes. Sasuke was the first to make his way to Ronald, knowing that he had not only managed to break through his own barriers, but also inspired Ronald to rise above.
"Well done, both of you…" Sasuke said, shaking Ronald's hand before collapsing out of exhaustion. Ronald managed to catch Sasuke before completely falling, and slowly laid him down. Everyone else was shocked and afraid that their leader might die.
"Don't worry, he's just exhausted, you guys," Ronald said, taking a seat himself. "…we all are. But, we have a new purpose – kill Dagomon and get out of here."
(Next Episode Preview)
"Welcome to my world now, humans."
"So you're Dagomon, huh?"
"Prepare to drown in Darkness!"
"Digimon Generations - Episode 20: Sasuke's Redemption! You can't turn your back on us!"
Ending: Touchousha Tachi