Digimon World Tour Chapter 21: Dark Side of the Moon, a digimon fanfic

Digimon World Tour

Chapter 21: The Dark Side of the Moon

Gabumon

One of the great things about this new Digivice was that it hooked up to the Internet, so we could all hang out with each other wherever and whenever we wanted to. The night before Matt and the others went to Stuttgart, I set up a hangout in my Digivice. The others came by themselves electronically.

The hot topic that night was Rika and Marcus. Gaomon took a sip from his cup of tea. "What I don't understand is why Marcus would be so unfaithful to his romantic partner. After all, the two engaged themselves in coitus-" "Huh?" Agumon asked. "Intercourse, Agumon." "Oh yeah... thanks. Boss doesn't use those kind of words." "What words does he use?" "Uh, something starting with the letter 'f' and rhyming with 'truck'." Gatomon quickly covered Patamon's ears. "Agumon! You ought to wash your mouth out with soap," she said, glaring at Agumon.

Gaomon took another sip. "So this begs the question, Renamon. Why did you attack Marcus?" "Rika asked me to do it, and I followed her orders. I did tell her how much it hurt me afterward, though." "Very good. Just make sure it doesn't happen again. It would set a bad precedent." Veemon swallowed what was left in his mouth. "Yeah. I'd never be able to forgive myself if Greg asked me to kill somebody and I went through with it. Ya gotta have some common sense." We nodded at that.

I was next. "I have something to say. Matt was there that night, and from what I could see, he was with this strange girl in strange clothing. I think it's Gothic." "Where's Matt now?" Patamon asked. "Let's see..." I pulled up the live feed, and after just a few moments, Gatomon covered Patamon's eyes. "I know I shouldn't watch this, but...I can't take my eyes off!" Agumon confessed. "Oooh yeaaah!" Veemon commented. Even with her short, stubby arms, Lalamon managed to facepalm. "Boys..." Renamon sadly shook her head. Gaomon turned off the feed and slapped us back to our senses, making sure to put the cup and saucer down first. Then, he walked back and went to sipping his tea.

T.K.

The next day, we traveled by tour bus to Stuttgart, Germany. Matt was quiet and brooding, but paced back and forth on the bus like a wild animal locked in a cage. "Are you OK, Matt?" I innocently asked. He didn't answer, but sort of scowled at me.

We arrived at the Le Méridien Stuttgart hotel, and wandered around the city after we unpacked. We toured the Mercedes-Benz factory, the Porsche Museum, and the Wilhelma zoo. Kari took plenty of pictures, and we even ran into a few hundred fans. One local even managed to arrange "I Turn Around" into a polka, with translated lyrics and everything. Matt didn't like it.

We did some soundchecks and rehearsals at Mercedes-Benz Arena, with a capacity of 60,441 people for league matches. "Stupid Kazuki, stupid label. What do they think we are, a soccer team?" Matt grumbled. Marcus went right in front of him. "Hey look, man, you need to settle down. You've been on edge all day." "Shut up! I'm fine! And the next person who says otherwise is gonna answer to me, you got that!?" We just nodded.

Greg

I paid attention to what happened during lunch and dinner. Here's some things I found out. Groups of diners will usually receive their orders individually when the food is ready, rather than all together. We found that out the hard way when Tom's order came before Matt's. And all those people were there taking video of it with their phones. Between Marcus getting attacked by Rika and Renamon, Marcus and Thomas fighting over a BMW, and an irate Matt throwing a very masculine hissy fit at a waitress, I thought we'd never be allowed in Europe again. Also, many fruit juices are packed with multi-vitamins, giving them a cloudy/opaque appearance and a somewhat silty texture. I learned that not only from personal experience, but also from Tom.

One delicacy I really liked was the butterbrezel, this soft pretzel sliced horizontally and buttered. They weren't like the regular small Rold Gold pretzels you got at the supermarket, no sir. This was actual bread, the real deal.

Not much happened that night. Our concert wasn't until the 14th, so things went about as smoothly as expected the next day, once you factored in Matt. This is where I really felt my responsibilities kick in. Again, he was silent, distant, and brooding. Once you crossed him, you were shut down.

It all came to a head on the 12th. We decided to eat a late dinner after doing some publicity interviews for a local radio station. All the other restaurants were busy, so Thomas suggested we try a local biergarten. Turns out they had some very decent food, and I mean excellent. There was an uneasy silence throughout the meal. As we finished, Matt finally decided to speak. His voice was calm, like the calm before a storm. "I'm done with you guys." "What?" we asked in confusion. "I'm serious. This just hasn't worked out. In fact, there are a certain number of you that I want dead." Then, he pointed to T.K. "You, in particular." T.K. just laughed uneasily. "Ha ha ha, you're joking, right?" Matt just shook his head. "I've been thinking it over, and you've been a thorn in my side my entire life. You've always been holding me back. In fact, I bet Gabumon and I could've reached Mega level by ourselves if I hadn't wasted all my time looking for you." "And you want to kill me because of that?" "Oh no. Not just that. I didn't appreciate your trying to upstage me." "But Matt, I- I thought you forgave me for that." "I never said I forgave you, Takeru. Those words 'I forgive you' never came out of my mouth. I said 'That's all I needed to hear.'" "But it was implied, wasn't it?"

Then, he got up. "All right, enough talk. You and I are going to settle this, man to man. And soon, you will be lying on the floor. Dead." Fortunately for us, our Digivices went off. I answered mine. "This is Greg, come in." "Gregory. This is Commander Sampson, we have a Digimon sighting at the Schlossplatz. Infermon, Ultimate-level. Get there on the double!" "Um, sir... one of our team has become fratricidal." "And who is that?" "Well, you're never going to believe this, but it's Matt." "I'll fix this. Yamato, come in!"

Matt picked up his Digivice and responded. "Commander Sampson, sir!" "What's this I hear about you becoming fratricidal?" "None of your business, sir!" "Yamato, this is urgent! Are you emotionally stable?" "Yes, sir!" "Hmm... I've decided to call you off this mission. Get help." "Nothing doing!" He hung up and rushed off. "We better suit up, guys," I suggested. But T.K. ran after him. So, we decided to follow him without suiting up.

Eventually, we found the Schlossplatz, or Palace Square. A long-legged spider with a red body and silver legs was terrorizing the square, destroying everything it could. It was just a mess. Rika looked him up on her Digimon Analyzer. "'Infermon, Ultimate-level. He is able to penetrate every Network, despite the strength of their security. If Infermon is released from the Network, the world will probably then collapse into chaos.'" "Collapse, eh? That's just what I want you to do... dear brother," Matt declared. T.K.'s eyes widened. "Not again..."

He brought Gabumon out of his Digivice, and when he saw Matt, he had the same reaction we did. "Oh no! Matt! What's happened to you?" There was no doubt about it, Matt Ishida was possessed by something. "Nothing. Two nights ago, I was given a gift. One I fully intend to use on all of you!" He let out a primal roar and it looked like a twisted Super Saiyan transformation sequence as he became covered in a dark purple aura. "Matt! Please! Snap out of it!" T.K. pleaded, but to no avail. Marcus went for a punch, but Matt caught his fist in his palm and threw our bruiser to the ground.

Matt posed with his Digivice, violently posing with his arms. "Gabumon! It's time!" "Time for you to get help?" his partner asked hopefully. "No! Time to kill the DigiDestined!" Gabumon violently shook his head. "No, Matt! I won't do it! I refuse to hurt my friends." "Grrr... you'll do as you're told!" He then spiked up his aura, then raised up his Digivice. "Dark DigiSoul... Full, CHARGE!" He violently and menacingly scanned his hand along the Digivice. Gabumon screamed as the power hit him. All of a sudden, the sky grew darker and gloomier. The clouds parted to reveal a full moon, except it was an illuminated blood red. Gabumon was forced to howl at it, then started a painful transformation. He became a werewolf type commando, an anthropomorphic black Garurumon wearing punkish clothes. Finally, it was done. This new Digimon was ready to kill. "ShadowWereGarurumon! Aroooooooooooooooooooooo!"

We stared at what Matt had wrought. Marcus looked it up. "'ShadowWereGarurumon, Ultimate-level. The corrupted Ultimate-level Digivolution of Gabumon. His kicking techniques, which he unleashes using the leg strength he inherited from Garurumon, are quite strong, so his jumping ability contends for first or second place among other Digimon. His thirst for blood is...' uh, what's this word here, Kari?" "Insatiable." Marcus never got a chance to finish reading, because ShadowWereGarurumon started attacking. Most of us started running towards our mission and dodging our newest enemy, but not Marcus. No, he tried taking ShadowWereGarurumon on himself. "I'm not gonna let some black wolf in camo pants scare me!" For a while, the two were matched, but the black wolf soon made it a losing fight with his spiked brass knuckles. He drew some of Marcus' blood from his arm, and it was up to Thomas to make sure he didn't get killed.

We brought our Digimon and quickly brought ourselves to a point where we could Digivolve them. Kari rallied us. "All right, guys. We have two threats. Let's just focus on Infermon for now. Defend yourself against ShadowWereGarurumon if you must, but don't kill him." "Sounds like a plan," I said. The brunette led us into battle. "Ready?" "Ready!" We flipped up our sensors and ignited our DigiSoul. "DigiSoul... Charge!"

"Patamon Digivolve to... Angemon!"

"Gatomon Digivolve to... Angewomon!"

"Veemon Digivolve to... Veedramon!"

"Renamon Digivolve to... Kyubimon!"

"Gaomon Digivolve to... Gaogamon! Rawr!"

"Agumon Digivolve to... GeoGreymon!"

"Lalamon Digivolve to... Sunflowmon!"

"Greg, go find a tourniquet!" Thomas called. So, I went searching for one, and cut past the bushes to a cafe. "Excuse me, do you have any strong, absorbent cloth? A young man is bleeding." The manager and barista were more than happy to help. They cut a tablecloth and made a bandage for him. I thanked them and ran back.

"I don't need it," Marcus insisted. Thomas struggled to get the patient's arm under the water fountain so he could clean the wound. "Yes, you do, you're bleeding. You were dealing with an Ultimate-level. Marcus, how can you afford to be so reckless like this?" "Because I'm a fighter, that's what I do! Now back off!" "Marcus, you're a fool. Now hold still!" And as if things couldn't get any worse, Matt found a lead pipe, and he was planning on using it.

T.K.

Matt found a lead pipe lying on the floor, and he'd gone berserk. Whatever had happened to him also made him incredibly powerful. He dashed from side to side, swinging away with precision. I started running just to get away from him until I could come up with a strategy. I stopped for a second to give Angemon a direction. "Angemon! You stay here and help the others!" But I narrowly dodged another swing, and my partner decided enough was enough. "T.K.!" So, he rushed in front of me, deflecting the pipe. That didn't stop Matt, as he just kept going. "We'll have to settle this elsewhere. If you're still alive, meet me by the TV tower. ShadowWereGarurumon... make sure he doesn't get there!" he ordered. "Yes, master!"

["Hungry Like the Wolf"

Written by Duran Duran

Performed by Yamato "Matt" Ishida (Michael Reisz) and ShadowWereGarurumon (Kirk Thornton)]

Matt runs off and finds a Porsche Boxster S. He knocks out the driver, steals the keys, and drives off, despite not having many chances to drive before. It's now up to T.K. to find transportation, but that won't be easy with ShadowWereGarurumon on his trail. T.K. runs through the market in search of a weapon or a bicycle, with SWG destroying everything in sight.

Matt: (VO)

Dark in the city, night is a wire
Steam in the subway, the earth is a fire

SWG:

Do do do do do do do do do do do do do, do do

Meanwhile, Kyubimon, Veedramon, and GeoGreymon decide to turn up the heat by sending their fire from three different directions. Infermon assumes a cocoon form, with his limbs retracted into his body. When he goes into his cocoon form, his defensive power is raised such that every attack is deflected, but he can only go forward in a straight line, and the fact that he cannot modify his trajectory is a clear weakness. It's up to strategist Thomas H. Norstein to figure this out. Sunflowmon attacks with her Sunshine Beam.

Matt: (VO)

Woman you want me, give me a sign
And catch my breathing even closer behind

SWG: (VO)

Do do do do do do do do do do do do do, do do

Matt: (VO)

In touch with the ground, I'm on the hunt I'm after you
Smell like I sound, I'm lost in a crowd

And I'm hungry like the wolf
Straddle the line, in discord and rhyme
I'm on the hunt I'm after you
Mouth is alive with juices like wine
And I'm hungry like the wolf

T.K. borrows an arming sword of his own from a museum SWG has trashed, but only uses it in self defense, blocking an attack from SWG. He eventually borrows a bicycle and gets directions to the TV tower, then speeds off as fast as he can pedal into various neighborhoods. SWG chases after him, bringing destruction in his wake. Would you believe the lyrics to this song were inspired by Little Red Riding Hood?

SWG:

Stalked in the forest, too close to hide
I'll be upon you by the moonlight side

Matt: (VO)
Do do do do do do do do do do do do do, do do

SWG:

High blood drumming on your skin, it's so tight
You feel my heat, I'm just a moment behind

Matt: (VO)
Do do do do do do do do do do do do do, do do

SWG:

In touch with the ground, I'm on the hunt, I'm after you
Scent and a sound, I'm lost and I'm found
And I'm hungry like the wolf
Strut on a line, it's discord and rhyme
I howl and I whine, I'm after you
Mouth is alive, all running inside
And I'm hungry like the wolf

Meanwhile, Matt parks "his" Porsche at the Fernsehturm Stuttgart, the world's first TV tower built from reinforced concrete and prototype for all modern TV towers, with a beautiful view over Stuttgart. It's been recently closed for safety reasons. We get a head shot as he hungrily stares at the camera like a man possessed, growling "Hungry like the wolf". Yes, there is something definitely wrong with Matt. Marcus tries to help by kickiing one of Infermon's legs away. Meanwhile, the rest of the team, aside from Marcus, works together to defeat Infermon, mainly by exploiting his weakness of only being able to move in a straight line. They surround him and then all release coordinated attacks, finishing him off.

Matt: (VO)

Burning the ground, I break from the crowd

Matt/SWG: (VO)

I'm on the hunt I'm after you

Matt: (VO)

I smell like I sound, I'm lost and I'm found

Matt/SWG: (VO)

And I'm hungry like the wolf

Matt: (VO)

Straddle the line, in discord and rhyme

Matt/SWG: (VO)
I'm on the hunt I'm after you

Matt: (VO)
Mouth is alive, with juices like wine

Matt/SWG: (VO)

And I'm hungry like the wolf

SWG: (VO)

Burning the ground, I break from the crowd

Matt/SWG: (VO)

I'm on the hunt, I'm after you

SWG: (VO)

Scent and a sound, I'm lost and I'm found

Matt/SWG: (VO)

And I'm hungry like the wolf

SWG: (VO)

Strut on a line, it's discord and rhyme

Matt/SWG: (VO)

I howl and I whine, I'm after you

SWG: (VO)

Mouth is alive, all running inside

Matt/SWG: (VO)

And I'm hungry like the wolf

As the song continues to fade, T.K. finally arrives at the tower and spots Matt's "car". He pants to catch his breath, then parks the bicycle. Angemon is close behind him.

T.K.

It took me all that pedaling, but I finally made it to the TV tower. I'm just glad there were signs. Angemon caught up to me, but so did ShadowWereGarulumon. I looked around the base, but he wasn't there. "T.K., go in and save your brother. I'll hold off his corrupted Digimon," Angemon assured me. "All right. Be careful!" I rushed inside, stopping to read a sign in German. Another sign was written in English on the side, saying the tower was closed to the public until further notice because of a review of fire safety regulations. That didn't matter, it couldn't. Matt was up there, and I knew what I had to do. So, I went in with my new sword by my side. "Note to self, return the sword when you get back to the city."

I took the elevator up 138 meters to the base and looked around. "Hey, Matt? Matt? Where are you?" No answer. "It's me, T.K. Your brother. The one you want to kill for some strange reason." I kept walking around until I found some stairs. I climbed them and found Matt looking out over the distance.

I joined him to get a view. He finally spoke. "It's beautiful, isn't it? I read somewhere that with good visibility, you can see as far as the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb. Of course, it's at night, so it's a bit different. ...On the other hand, it won't matter, because you're going down." He drew out a kitchen knife. "Bet you didn't know this place had a restaurant, did ya?" I drew out my sword. "Don't make me have to use this." And with that, the battle began. None of us had any training with weapons, but whatever possessed Matt made him go berserk. I did whatever I could to defend myself, and even had the lead at one point, but my brother turned it back around. I looked over my shoulder, and ShadowWereGarurumon was overpowering Angemon, even with their relative size differences. When Matt's kitchen knife didn't work, he tried using his feet instead. I couldn't slash at them because of what might happen, so I threw my sword over the barrier. Matt just smirked at me. "You idiot!"

I shook my head. "No, Matt. I'm not going to fight you. I can't. I can slay an enemy Digimon, I can punch out the Digimon Emperor, but I can't hurt you." "Go ahead, say it." "Say what?" "Those six words that tell me what you really think. Come on, say it!" "All right... I know you're in there somewhere." Then, he laid a beatdown on me and forced me back against the edge of the platform. "It's not gonna matter. Once I finish with you, I'm going back for the others. You had your chance, and you blew it." Then, he pushed me over the edge. I started falling again. "MAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!"

It took me a while to wake up, but when I did, I was in that void of nothingness with Patamon again. "T.K.! Oh, thank goodness you're all right." "Huh? What are you talking about, Patamon? I just fell 138 meters off a condemned television tower." "But at least you're not dead!" "...I'm not dead?"

Just then, another familiar voice came in. "Nope, you're not dead!" I turned around, and there was my younger self again. "Me." "What happened out there?" "We fought on the observation deck, I threw down my sword, and Matt pushed me off the edge." "No, man. You lost your nerve. You let fear get in the way. I'm disappointed." "All right, what would you have done?" "Burst into tears and given Matt a hug, letting him know how sad I was because he'd been possessed." "Yeah, Matt would've stabbed you with a knife." "Well, I'd have waited until he dropped it." "Then he'd have kicked you down." "All right, all right, that's beside the point! The point is, the Bagra Army did this to try to break the group up. The odds are completely stacked against you, but that's exactly when you can't give up hope. You've got to want your brother back, and you've got to want it bad." "I thought I did!" "Then you should've fought him with everything you had and not thrown your sword over the edge."

I had to think about it, and when it hit me, I dropped to my knees. "You're right, T.K. I gave up! I promised him I'd never give up the fight, and I let both of us down! Rrrgh!" I pounded the ground with my fist once and started crying with my head down. After a few minutes, I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Hey... it's not over yet. You still have a chance to save him. 'As fear is the belief of imminent demise, hope is the belief of imminent success.' At least, that's what the DC Comics Wiki says. It's not the end of the world. You just forgot, that's all. You've just got to get back up on that horse, ya know?" I wiped away my tears and looked up. "Yeah, you're right. I'll never forget that again." I clenched my fist. "Patamon, we're going to save Matt if it's the last thing we ever do!" "Yeah!" my partner cheered.

That brought a big smile to my younger self's face. "All right! In fact, because you're realizing you have to do the right thing, Patamon's gonna be the first to Digivolve to Ultimate!" "I am?" Patamon eagerly asked. "Yep!" "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy!" "Huh? You mean... Patamon gets to be the first this time?" I asked. "That's what I said." My face lit up, and the three of us celebrated.

I got back on my feet. "All right, now check this out. You'll get back on the lower observation deck safely. When you get there, charge up your DigiSoul to the max. Then, call out 'DigiSoul Full Charge'. That'll Digivolve Angemon, and he'll deal with ShadowWereGarurumon. In the meantime, you just let the Crest kick in and follow your heart." "Got it." We fist bumped, and then I got ready. The younger me had some last words. "Good luck, me. And just remember this: 'In fearful day, in raging night, with strong hearts full, our souls ignite!'" At that point, I felt a spark of green and cerulean DigiSoul shoot from my heart and go all over my body. The younger me finished quoting the Blue Lantern Corps oath. "'When all seems lost in the War of Light, look to the stars, for hope burns bright!'" Everything went white...

Then I opened my eyes again, and I was falling. But then, Angemon caught me just in time and brought me back to the lower observation deck safely. Matt was shocked, to say the least. I just grinned. I hadn't felt this ready since I punched Ken when he was the Emperor. "Hi, Matt." "You! I thought I pushed you over the edge!" "Well, I guess fate intervened. Matt... I've let you down before..." I let my DigiSoul ignite and finished. "...But I won't fail you now!"

I flipped open the sensor on my Digivice and expanded my Goseiger transformation sequence a little, making it look a bit more dramatic. "DigiSoul!" Then, I raised my free hand up and in a quick motion after "Full", swept it down and scanned my hand along my Digivice. "Full... Charge!"

The energy went to my partner, and he once again Digivolved. "Angemon Digivolve to..." He gained more armor, another pair of wings, a Holy Ring on his right wrist, Excalibur on his left wrist, and the Crest of Hope on his forehead, which was covered up by his purple helmet. It was hard to believe that all that power came from me, even though I had the Crest of Hope. "MagnaAngemon!"

MagnaAngemon

I am MagnaAngemon, the speaker for the "light" of the Digital World, although I now extend my responsibilities to the Human World. When darkness threatens either world, I consign the opponent to oblivion. I faced ShadowWereGarurumon, who was corrupted beyond compare. ShadowWereGarurumon just made a slitting motion across his throat, signifying he wanted me dead. I'd fix his little red wagon. "Shadow Claw!" He tried to cut me apart with the sharp talons on both of his hands, but I deflected it with my shield. We fought for a few minutes until I could wear him down. My Magna Antidote would normally work on him, but he needed something stronger. When he was tired, I charged up my wrist device and aimed it at him. "Soul Vanisher!" Then, I fired, and a beam of patented purifying energy hit him. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" It was too much for his evil self to take, so he reverted back to Gabumon.

T.K.

Matt just stared in shock at what had just happened. MagnaAngemon had done his job, and I was glad about that. Now, it was my turn. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, exhaled, and allowed my heart to activate my Crest. All of a sudden, I swung my right hand up so my palm was facing inward. The Crest of Hope insignia stenciled itself in light. I brought my hand down and gave what had to be the cheesiest one-liner ever. "With the power of hope, I'll make the darkness depart...and break the chains that bind your heart!" I charged up a purifying sphere in that hand, pouring in my DigiSoul. I took the hand and drew it back up to my side. "Esperanza... Soul... THERAPY!" I thrust my extended right hand forward, firing the attack like a Mind Crush. The image seemed to go negative, while the sphere hit Matt in the center of his body. Then, his negative image shattered and he fell to his knees as the image went back to normal. I brought my hand down and fell to my knees as the insignia disappeared. That purification took a whole lot out of me. Minutes later, MagnaAngemon picked Matt, Gabumon, and me up and held us as he created his Gate of Destiny. We flew through it, and ended up back at our hotel. I helped Matt back to my room, and even put Gabumon back in his Digivice.

Thomas

When Matt finally came to, we had explained what he'd done and what had happened. T.K. then explained what had happened to him and Matt. The older Ishida immediately apologized and asked the label to pay for the bike and any damages. The events in the Schlossplatz had not gone unnoticed by the media. RTL Nachtjournal once again had late breaking coverage on the incident, and once again Commander Sampson had to deal with the backlash. In fact, we had to cancel our stop at the Mercedes-Benz Arena because of what had happened. Mr. Oakenfold agreed to take our place.

Kazuki called and gave us a tongue lashing via speakerphone. "Look, fellas, you don't seem to be hip. We can't afford to be doing this, we're losing bread! The Lama's giving knuckles to any creep, Drummer Boy and Samurai Hair Chick are jazzing, and it's a small wonder none of you cats have made the Squaresville peep. Are you taking thrill pills or something, man?" "No, Kazuki, we're just dealing with an army that wants to take over both worlds. Maybe you'd like to try it some time," I flatly suggested. "Oh no, man, that's not my beat. Anyway, just go back to Paris, and try not to get in any trouble. Why don't you start recording that album? I booked Acousti Studio." My eyes slightly widened in joy. "Do you mean the same Acousti Studio where The Alan Parsons Project recorded The Turn of a Friendly Card?" "The very one!" "Excellent! You have very good taste, Kazuki. Send my compliments to Commander Sampson." "Right. Adios."

The next morning, we issued an apology on TV and even performed a song live. Then, we flew back to Paris.

Izzy

I looked over the video footage again with Commander Sampson. "The Bagra Army is getting stronger. That cannot be denied," the commander said. I nodded. "Exactly, sir. But what astounds me is that the first time we went to the Digital World, T.K. was the last to have his Digimon reach Ultimate. And now, he's the first. Prodigious. He certainly is stronger than I realized." Kudamon spoke up. "They're all strong, and they're all capable. And not just the Teenage Wolves, but everyone at DATS. From Tai down to Cody, everyone has proven they have what it takes. But what will happen next?" All I could come up with was, "Only time will tell, Kudamon."

Matt

On the plane ride to Paris, I had a private conversation with Gabumon. "Gabumon, I'm really sorry about what happened and what I did. I didn't know what I was thinking." I scratched behind his ears. "Aww don't worry about it, Matt. You really didn't know what you were thinking. I forgive you." "Thanks, buddy. You're a really good friend." "And so are you. Although, when I think about it, that Duran Duran cover was kind of fun." "Yeah, it was. Hey, what do you say we try that again?" "Oh boy!" So, I blew the right key into my harmonica and we started again.

Author's Notes:

I based some aspects of "Evil Matt" off Wolverine. Not all, but some.

The reason I split "Hungry Like the Wolf" up for Matt and ShadowWereGarurumon was basically for a laugh, but also to create a legitimate battle/image song in the spirit of "Oretachi no Melody" from Best Partner 2 Ishida Yamato & Gabumon.

Why is it that T.K. always has to plunge to his death before Angemon Digivolves to MagnaAngemon? My best guess is that falling gives him plenty of time to hope he doesn't die.

Yes, T.K. is using the "Esperanza Soul Therapy" technique from Digimon Savers International. How else was he going to save Matt?

I tried my hardest not to use the phrase "I know you're in there somewhere." but I couldn't resist. I even had the TV Tropes page open just to get references for it.

This has been one of my favorite chapters to write, and I'm surprised I was able to get it out so quickly. Yes, it largely does borrow concepts from my other works, but that's only to maintain continuity. Plus, it's so doggone cool.

The reason Patamon went to Ultimate first here is because he was last in Adventure. I mean, how fair is that? I'll admit, I don't even like him that much, but I just feel sorry for him. Even Kari got her Digimon to Ultimate before he did, and when the Sixth Ranger gets a power upgrade before you... oh boy...

There's one Digimon reference I've hidden in the scene inside Gabumon's Digivice. Can you find it?

Who should be next? I'm open to suggestions.