A/N: Happy 2nd Anniversary Digimon TCG: Cyber Drive!

(Announcement at the end!)

"Are you ready?" Morris asked as he sat on the display before us.

I nodded with confidence. It was time to put a stop to Sorin once and for all.

While having coffee, Mr. Whitaker and I updated everyone about our discussion and plan. I, Director Jones, and Mr. Whitaker were going into Omnia under Dr. Morris' direction. Dr. Morris had a particular reason for wanting Director Jones to join us.

After all, was said and done, Dr. Morris typed away on his end, and in moments, across from us in the room, the Digital Gate appeared. Director Jones, my Dad, and my Uncle were shocked by the display, whereas Mr. Whitaker and I were unfazed.

"We'll be back soon," I told them.

"You better. Your Mom will kill us both if you don't." Uncle Darren said, offering a fist bump.

I smirked and bumped him, then turned to my Dad, who was still taking it all in. He finally acknowledged me and held his hand out. A firm handshake, his hand on my shoulder, and a glare that could kill indicated that he was both proud and scared for my well-being.

"Be careful," he said. His hesitation to let go lingered in the air a second longer.

"I will." I nodded, going into to hug him on top of it. After that moment, I looked to Mr. Whitaker and Director Jones for support, and they backed me, reassuring my Father to step back. We three turned to the gate, and one by one, we took turns walking through it.

In seconds we appeared on the other side. The atmosphere shocked us as we switched scenery, going from a somewhat dim basement to the pocket world that was Dr. Morris' workspace.

Dr. Morris, who was directly in front of us on the other side of the room, spun back in his chair. "All made it in one piece, I hope?"

We three checked ourselves. All limbs accounted for.

"What is this place?" Director Jones asked.

"Think of it like a border between our world and Omnia. The Doctor is the Caretaker of Omnia, and he's been aiding us from behind the scenes for a while now." I explained in more detail.

"Pleasure to meet you in person," Dr. Morris approached, "I didn't get to say it earlier, but your daughter has told me quite a bit about you."

"My daughter?" Director Jones furrowed his brow. "How do you know my daughter?"

"He was my old science teacher," Megan suddenly appeared in a stream of binary, dressed in more casual clothing. Her curly black hair fell on her shoulders, and she wore a white long-sleeve under a green short-sleeve and ripped jeans. This went along with the green beanie on her head and the rose pendant she wore around her neck. "Not only that, but we've been through a lot together."

It's been so long since I saw any of the Beta Testers in casual clothing that I forgot that she dresses like a skater chick.

Dr. Morris allowed that statement to be vague enough to get a side-eye from Director Jones before he clarified. "Miss Jones and the other Beta Testers have been under my guidance in the past, both in an academic setting and in matters like this."

Following that explanation, the others began to follow suit. Ivan appeared first, followed by Layla, Emily, Tyrone, Trevor, and Adam. Ivan was also dressed casually, in a printed black T-Shirt with Zubamon and Ludomon on the front of it and jeans with a chain on his side. Tyrone was a tall, built man with a similar complexion to Megan, wearing an olive-green hoodie under a black bubble jacket and matching black pants and boots. Trevor had his black hair in a side part and blue sunglasses on his head. He wore a blue dress shirt, a black waistcoat, matching khakis, and sneakers, going for a smart-casual appearance. Finally, Adam wore a red-sleeved white jacket and a red polo underneath, along with jeans, his short brown hair spiking a bit.

It was surreal to see all the Beta Testers standing before me like this once again.

"Long time no see," Trevor saluted toward me.

"Hey!" I said, rather excited to see them. It also felt reassuring that they all seemed to have their memories intact as well, likely Dr. Morris' doing.

After a minute of reuniting with the Beta Testers, I noticed Mr. Whitaker approaching them. I saw the subtle change in their demeanor, which he also picked up on.

"We may not have met before, but I can tell by your expressions that you know who I am."

"Vantus is still alive, so I didn't inherit the animosity you grew in him," Trevor replied, speaking for the group. "But I do know who you are."

Mr. Whitaker was silent. That comment surely stung in some way. "Whether or not you trust me, I assure you that everything I've done in the past and this moment was for my daughter. This world has given me a second chance at a peaceful life with my family, and I refuse to let my sins rob that from me."

"I'm willing to back him on this, guys." I supported. "He knows Sorin better than any of us, and with that info, we can predict how he will act."

Trevor pondered that for a moment. Adam said, "If you trust him, then I'm willing to bet on him as well."

Trevor side-eyed him, "there you go with your blind faith."

Adam snickered, "It takes an honest person to know one."

Mr. Whitaker seemed happy to hear that. "I appreciate it very much."

"However," Adam's tone changed, "I'm banking on the idea that you're not dumb enough to cross us either."

Mr. Whitaker nodded, "After we rescue my daughter, I will disappear from your lives. You won't have to worry about what I may or may not do after that."

"Then we agree," Trevor chimed. "We'll trust you for the time being."

"That's all I ask."

"Rosebud," Director Jones said, turning our attention to him. "What's the status of the agents on duty?"

"Dad...!" Megan growled in embarrassment. Upon realizing this, some of us couldn't help but chuckle, especially given that Director Jones was stoic in his question.

"Well?"

Clearing her throat, she answered, "After rounding everyone together, we helped mitigate the chaos. The mayor of Cisco City issued a lockdown, which didn't help if I'm being honest."

"We also have Nick helping Dion out," Emily added, catching me by surprise.

"But Mikayla's missing too; why did he hang back?" I asked, not expecting that."

"He's entrusted you toward saving her, apparently," Emily explained.

"Aww, that's cute; her knight in shining black armor." Megan chimed, a mischievous grin replacing her embarrassment from before.

"Yeah...I can't transform into Alphamon. Don't know if anyone mentioned that." I replied, disrupting the embarrassing moment with that significant factor.

"We likely won't need Alphamon when dealing with Sorin," Mr. Whitaker reassured.

"Are you sure?" I inquired.

He nodded. "I'll be the one to handle him, so you all need not worry."

I'm already worried. Mikayla was able to beat Sorin before, but that was by the skin of her teeth, not to mention that Sorin likely threw that match as it was a 'test.' Then again, Mr. Whitaker beat me, so maybe he is more powerful than I give him credit.

In the meantime, Dr. Morris was busy typing away at his console. "Axel was not too far from where Ivan encountered Eve. Going by those coordinates, I've determined that Sorin's base of operations is within that vicinity.

"It's not like we can just drop in, though," Trevor pointed out.

"I agree. One Evil Eve is enough for a lifetime," Ivan commented.

"I don't detect anything of her caliber. However, we can't assume that there won't be other threats besides Eve. We still do not know the whereabouts of Arylide and her role in everything."

"Can we split up?" Layla asked. "Cover more ground and our bases."

Trevor agreed. "Once we touch the ground, we can split into groups.'

"Before we do so, Director Jones..." Dr. Morris called, rising from his chair.

Director Jones perked and turned his attention to Dr. Morris as he approached the group. "What is it?"

Opening the palm of his hand, a spiral of green binary began to generate from thin air, and after a few moments, it formed into a ball the size of a softball. With a quick thrust, the data ball was shoved into Director Jones' chest, causing the man to stagger from the unexpected hit. We all jumped back as he dropped to a knee, grunting and panting.

"Time waits for no one," Dr. Morris stated. "If we had time, I would've opted for a less abrasive method, but this will suffice.

"What did you do to him?!" Megan exclaimed, rushing to her father's side.

"Helping him regain his memories and powers," He answered.

A confused Megan looked back at her father, his grunts turning into growls. Seconds later, the same green binary began to materialize around him, only increasing in intensity as the seconds progressed. We all stepped back when he got back on his feet, and a mighty roar unleashed the stored power from within him.

We were all taken aback by the torrent of green binary, the force of it causing us to shield ourselves from the windstorm he was creating. Lowering my arm slightly, I could see Director Jones physically transform into silhouettes of Leomon, GrapLeomon, and BanchoLeomon. Director Jones stomped the ground, extinguishing the storm instantly, unveiling his completed transformation into BanchoLeomon. Everyone but myself was left astonished by the change, and I felt my chest grip from the overwhelming excitement of seeing him again.

Once the transformation ceased, BanchoLeomon cracked his neck and snarled a bit as his body readjusted. He slowly opened his eyes and examined the stares locked onto him.

"...What the...HUH?!" Megan exclaimed. "Since when was my dad a—! WAIT! Were you the same—! Oh my god...!"

"Mind someone explaining what's going on?" Ivan beat me to it with the question.

"AEGIS lured Morris into being an undercover agent for them under the pretense that SAIBA was keeping you alive," Layla explained.

"Yeah, I watched the recap video on that," Ivan replied.

"I was working with Morris, thinking my dad somehow survived too..." She added. "But I gave up that idea, not realizing that he—or another version of him, has been with us this whole time."

Adam perked upon hearing that. "There was a Leomon that saved me while protecting a little girl during Millennium Day..."

"And the GrapLeomon that saved Megan when she was knocked off Imperialdramon during Ragnarök," Trevor brought up. "That was Director Jones this whole time?"

"And he saved Morphomon from AEGIS and met me, setting everything in motion," I added.

"Fate seems to have a sense of humor," Mr. Whitaker commented.

"Indeed, it does..." Director Jones said, stretching and cracking his knuckles. "Speaking of, how long will you keep hiding in there, Darkdramon?"

I turned to Mr. Whitaker, already en route to summoning Darkdramon, the cyborg appearing before us. The reunion dragged on longer than intended, but I didn't care. Little by little, the reward was becoming more worth it.

Now all that was left was Melanie and the others, and then it'd be perfect...

Dr. Morris teleported us to the world's surface when all was said and done. The transfer seemed no different than performing a typical Cyber Drive. When I opened my eyes, the wide-open field and starry night sky made threw me for a moment.

I dreamt of this place…

What I mean is that just before we went to the future, I had a dream where I encountered my future self, though I didn't know it at the time. This was the place where it took place.

I knelt and felt the tips of the grass grazing my palms. It was damp with dew. The air was crisp and cool. It smelled clean.

This world…it didn't feel like a digital world at all. It felt as real as anything else.

"Everyone here?" Trevor announced, snapping me out of my trance. I spun around, reminded of the massive group with us. Director Jones and Darkdramon returned to my and Mr. Whitaker's D-Streamers, leaving us two and the six Beta Testers together. Once Trevor did a quick headcount, he pulled up the description of the base that Morris supplied for us. Ivan was quick to react to the structure.

"It's a freaking castle!" He exclaimed. "Since when was this a thing?"

"His full name is Matthias Von Sorin, or so he says," I pointed out. "Guess he's some kind of ruler in this world."

"That's not the point," Ivan insisted. "That castle literally just popped up out of nowhere."

"Dr. Morris did mention that time moved differently," I added. I turned to Layla, "Do you think it works the same as it did in Arcadia; a day here is a minute in the real world?"

"I feel like you'd know that better than me." She answered. I could see her point, but I can't confirm that personally until we meet up with the others.

"Gotta admit, it's kinda on the nose to add the 'Von' part to his name," Megan commented.

"It'll make sense once you see him," I noted before turning to Trevor. "Anyway, the pairs?"

"You and Mr. Whitaker are one pair," Trevor responded. "With BanchoLeomon and Darkdramon, it might work itself into a miracle when facing Sorin.

"Understood." I nodded.

"Megan and I will take Imperialdramon and provide Air Support. If things get dicey, we can rely on Ceresmon for cover."

"Gotcha." Megan gestured OK.

"Adam and Emily will focus on grunt control. Keep the Troopmon from coming after Layla and Ivan, who'll locate the captives inside."

Emily and Layla nodded together, agreeing with that.

"All right; any questions?"

"I got one." Ivan raised. "Don't you think the pairings are a little too specific?"

"You, Adam, and I each possess Level 7s," Trevor noted.

"Yeah, cool, but two of these are literal pairings," he motioned to Trevor, Megan, Adam, and Emily.

"I only did the pairings like this because it's synergistic."

Ivan scoffed, "sure, okay."

"How do you explain Mr. Whitaker and Zack then?" Trevor mentioned.

Ivan got quiet. "My point is—!"

"Ivan's afraid I will be tough on him like Arylide is," Layla commented, implying slight offense.

"That's not true!" Ivan snapped.

"Oh no, it is. You can't stand to be around me, either in this world or the next." Layla insisted. "We'll keep in touch, so you guys do your best."

Trevor shook the brief awkwardness and agreed. "Yeah. Let's do this."

Two of Adam and Trevor's Ace Digimon, ShineGreymon, and Imperialdramon, were then summoned, with most of us hopping into ShineGreymon's palm while Trevor and Megan boarded Imperialdramon. Ivan had a look on his face, and I had a sneaking suspicion that it would be a long mission. Though I wasn't paired with him, he and Layla were going into the castle itself along with us.

Now wasn't the time to think about stuff like that. I need to stay focused on the task at hand.

With our mission set, we took toward the night sky and blasted forward toward our destination...

The crisp night air blew against us as we zoomed through the starry sky. While beneath us was an endless sea of trees and shrubbery, the castle stood out like a sore thumb in the distance, more grandiose than the depiction made it seem, with its two skyscraper-like watchtowers towering over the trees, connected by a bridge between them. The rest of it was hidden underneath the treetops. It reminded me of some of the structures back in Arcadia, such as Eve's Citadel. After a minute or two, as we came closer, we could see glimmers of something beginning to appear in the air, like stars rising into the sky before us.

"Looks like a welcoming party," Mr. Whitaker noted.

"I was looking forward to a warm-up," Darkdramon replied. "A bunch of small fries'll make excellent target practice."

"Some things never change," Director Jones said from my D-Streamer.

"You say something, furball?"

"Thinking out loud." He chuckled.

I couldn't help but smile, feeling a tickle of nostalgia from that brief back-and-forth. That said, there was something I needed to know. "Hey, Darkdramon?"

"What is it, kid?"

"What did you mean before when you took down Eve?"

"Exactly what I meant. Eve was corrupted, and I put her out of her misery. Better she regenerates than be a puppet for that freak show."

"'Regenerates?' What do you mean?"

"Per the Laws of Omnia, the cores of fallen Digimon here in Omnia regenerate into Digi-Eggs." Dr. Morris explained. "It seems it follows the same protocols that define Alphamon's power. It's the same power used to turn Leonardo Jones into a Digimon and Nidhoggmon back into a Digi-Egg during the conflict with Reseda, the Green Pillar."

"The same goes for when my future self transformed me into Alphamon, right?"

"Precisely," Mr. Whitaker pointed out. "Digimon that regenerate also seem to factory reset, so to speak. That's the extent of our knowledge of regeneration in Omnia. Any further information requires more in-depth research."

"Okay, but then why did Darkdramon retain his memories, assuming he regenerated? And while we're at it, why did you end up with Mr. Whitaker, and how did you know about the Tsumemon?"

"Eyes up!" Trevor announced. "Incoming forces twelve o'clock!"

"Showtime!" Darkdramon roared to life, materializing beside ShineGreymon. As the enemy Digimon began to charge us, Darkdramon rushed back, excited to fight like a kid to candy. "Dark Roar!"

"It seems your questions will have to wait until things settle..." Director Jones said as we slowed to give Darkdramon room to fight.

Yeah...no kidding.

As we maneuvered around and got closer, we could make out the Digimon Darkdramon was cutting through. They resembled Vilemon, Devidramon, and others classified as evil beast Digimon. From below, we can see more humanoid and beast Digimon, such as Meramon, Youkomon, and Devimon, to name a few.

The area reeked of Purple Faction territory, even if it weren't so.

Megan summoned Lotosmon for additional cover, allowing Darkdramon and our group to dive in the direction of the castle. Ivan, Layla, and Emily all stood, summoning their Aces: RagnaLoardmon, Bellestarmon, and Raiselmon, an angelic feline-like Digimon with pink ornament and claws. The Digimon used their powers to clear the enemies near the ground, giving ShineGreymon a safe place to land.

We quickly departed our transport, allowing ShineGreymon and Raiselmon to gear up for the troops responding to our intrusion. Darkdramon, Beelstarmon, and RagnaLoardmon conjured energy into their weapons and unleashed it on the large double doors before us, blowing the thick, wooden barrier entirely off its hinges. In response, we encountered several Wizardmon who fired various elements toward us. Director Jones, as BanchoLeomon emerged from my D-Streamer, punching the air and shooting forth a lion head made of light into the group, dispersing them and clearing the path.

From there, we broke from the others and dove headfirst into enemy territory, determined to save everyone and end this nightmare…

With Ivan's Legend-Arm Digimon taking point for us, we managed to cut through the Troopmon and lower-level Digimon that began pouring out of the hidden entryways in our path. At the same time, we tried looking to see if said paths led anywhere. So far, they were just hidey holes for the enemy.

After a few minutes, we approached the first opening, where we slowed to catch our breath for a second. RagnaLoardmon returned to Ivan, and we allowed the silence to take over for a moment. Meanwhile, taking note of the overall interior, the gothic aesthetic radiated from the ceilings to the balcony and the paintings on the walls. Dim, candle-holding chandeliers hung overhead, and portraits of powerful Purple Digimon lined the walls. It was clear that there was history within this castle, and going by what Ivan mentioned before, one could only wonder what the story was of this place and Omnia itself.

Digimon can regenerate, so there's a chance that 'death' doesn't truly exist. Did this apply if one's Core was also destroyed? Did we have to take the extra step to ensure that Sorin would genuinely be dealt with? And on the note of Sorin, he had roughly a day IRL to do what he needed. What has he done since? Also, if he was here plotting underneath the noses of everyone, how much time was that here? Weeks? Months? A whole decade even?

We've gotten so far, but if I was being honest, Omnia itself was Sorin's playground. And knowing him, he was going to exploit that factor.

"How do you think the others are doing?" Ivan asked curiously.

"They're fine," Layla answered with confidence. "With our memories intact, we know what we're doing."

"Blind faith… all right, bet."

Ignoring him for a second, I looked over to Mr. Whitaker. He noticed my brief staring and figured out why. He pressed a button on his D-Streamer, summoning Darkdramon, his size adjusted to be closer to eye level without being overwhelmingly huge.

"Are we really doing this?" Darkdramon crossed his arms in annoyance, realizing why he was pulled out.

"We got a minute, so why not?" I answered back. "Start talking."

"Or what?"

I answered that by summoning Director Jones, his BanchoLeomon form allowing him to make eye contact with Darkdramon.

"I'll make you talk," He snarled in support.

The staring contest lasted another few seconds before Darkdramon scoffed and conceded. "I'm a fragment, all of the, and above; happy?"

I blinked. "What?"

"The reason Darkdramon retained his memories is that he himself is a fragment," Mr. Whitaker explained. "As for being in my possession and his prior knowledge, that is because he's my fragment."

"In other words?" Ivan tried to piece it together.

"In other words, Darkdramon is a variation of Mr. Whitaker." Layla clarified for him.

I was left speechless. "This whole time? But how?"

"You really think I know the answer to that?!" Darkdramon barked.

"Eve." Mr. Whitaker answered. "Similar to what Alphamon did to Director Jones, in transforming him into BanchoLeomon, Eve did the same to me. However, I deduce that rather than a complete transformation, only part of me could be converted; The 'aggressive side,' it seems."

"But AEGIS created the D-Brigade, didn't they?"

"However, information on Darkdramon and the rest of the troops were classified information, to which even Darkdramon didn't have access." Director Jones reminded. "Likely, he was an AI, and Darkdramon and the D-Brigade were built around it."

"So, like Sorin, she didn't want me to know…" I couldn't help but facepalm. "God, what else is she hiding from me?"

"We know Eve to have contingency plans for every situation. Let's settle on the idea that saving Talbot and turning him into a hero was part of it. She naturally saw something in him before the rest of us, and while difficult to get along with, he's proven to be a valuable asset when it came to stopping the Liberators."

I couldn't argue with that. Still, though we're connecting threads in an overly-complicated spider web, questions remain unanswered. Well, at least I got that one out of the way for now.

Layla jumped a little, jerking around and looking toward the balcony. That's when the sound of heels registered in my ears, making me grow defensive. From the shadows above appeared Ciel, her sword drawn and eyes glowing a deep crimson.

I felt a sudden spike of adrenaline in my stomach. "Ciel! Where's Mikayla and the others?! What's Sorin doing with them?"

She pointed her blade at me from a distance. "Master Sorin has requested your presence."

Her tone sounded so robotic that it was bothersome. "Didn't you hear me? I said, what did you do with Mikayla?!"

"Do not let her silence rile you," Director Jones warned as she hopped over and landed before us. "Remember, she's as much a victim as the others under Sorin's control."

He was right. Yet I was still growing agitated. "No offense, but that's the last thing on my mind right now."

"I understand, but until we know how to proceed, we best not—!"

"BEHIND YOU!" We heard Layla scream, followed by the sudden eruption of the tiles beneath our feet.

I was thrown in the air, safely tucked in the Digimon's arms while we flipped. My flipped vision quickly caught a glance of Garretson as the source, bent down, his fist a half inch through the floor, surrounded by fractures. The second we landed, Ciel appeared before us, her blade pulled back and ready to be swung. Her speed was too much for either of us to block it.

But just then, a monstrous roar suddenly erupted from my D-Streamer. Dorugoramon exploded from the small screen, pushing us back as it launched and latched onto Ciel's blade just as she struck. I watched as we hit the ground as Dorugoramon snapped her blade in half with one flaming claw and latched onto her throat with the other. The sudden anger was replaced with terror, while her emotionless expression was replaced with the same fear.

"Dorugoramon!" I exclaimed reactively, attempting to stop it.

Dorugoramon turned to us and, with no effort, threw Ciel into an adjacent wall, fracturing it on impact. She peeled out of her imprint and collapsed on the floor, debris blanketing her afterward.

"…Ciel?" I found myself uttering as fear silenced the others. Dorugoramon made its way over to her, seemingly going to finish his handiwork.

Her body, though, twinged a bit, then began to glitch. An eerie, pained cry came from her, and that's when black binary poured out of her back and formed into a writhing Eyesmon, crying out like a bizarre parasite. When Ciel's body broke apart, it was revealed that the Eyesmon was holding onto her glowing, white Core for dear life.

Dorugoramon snarled, raising its claw to do away with it. Naturally, I reacted.

"DORUGORAMON, DON'T!"

Just as Dorugoramon went to crush the core, something swooped from underneath and grabbed it as the former pulverized the ground. We all shifted and saw Jesse hugging the core, his crimson eyes staring down at Dorugoramon with intense fury.

Dorugoramon hissed and turned its attention to Jesse, only for Garretson to send it flying with a flying kick across the spacious room. We silently watched as the pair ignored us and began making their way toward the recovering dragon.

Jesse cracked his neck, and Garretson threw his jacket off, revealing his chiseled arms. Both erupted with power and transformed into their respected Digimon forms: Gankoomon and Jesmon, two members of the Royal Knights. The room was soon chaotic as Dorugoramon clashed with its two opponents, leaving us in awe.

"What's happening…?" Layla stated the questions on our minds.

"Why question things when we can run?!" Ivan retorted, making a valid point.

Questions could wait; we needed to get gone.

So, without looking back, we narrowly escaped the room and whipped around the nearest corner, continuing this trend for a while. Because of this, we were getting deeper into the castle, losing our sense of direction amid the chaos.

"We need to be careful not to get separated from everyone else!" Mr. Whitaker pointed out as we leaped down a staircase and into the adjacent hallway.

"I'd argue we need to survive to get lost." Ivan countered, leaning up against a wall. "Man, I'm out of it…"

I had to take a breather myself. We were likely getting deeper underground because the shockwaves lessened over time. To confirm, I checked my D-Streamer; there was no signal. I even tried reaching out to the others and Morris, and nothing.

"We can't… stop," Layla pointed out in between breaths. We still have Blanc to worry about."

I paused. "She wasn't there with them, was she?"

Layla shook her head. I took a deep breath. This wasn't the time to panic, yet here I was, growing anxious. I mean, truth be told, Blanc is a cinnamon roll factory compared to the others, but…under Sorin's control, she's as dangerous as the others. And if she wasn't with them, then there's a chance we may run into—!

The clanging of metal resonated through the corridor, silencing my thought. Something sharp began to scrape the walls, and it got louder as the seconds dragged. Eventually, Blanc emerged, her trident leaving marks against the wall next to her while her cursed eyes locked onto us.

"Just lovely…" Ivan quipped.

Sentiments exactly, though I could've done without the auditory reminder.

Just as Blanc was about to launch towards us, she paused. We noted her expression shift, and she reactively stepped back. Going by what we saw crawl out of Ciel, this wasn't Blanc being afraid…

…it was the Eyesmon.

Before I could turn around to see what was spooking her, she screamed and ran back in the direction she came from. Glitter invaded my space, and a pale hand came in between us.

"Transcendent Cannon." The familiar voice spoke, followed by the hand firing off a glittering ball of energy that beamed Blanc right in the back, dropping her face-first.

Silently the silver-haired Adam pushed through us as Blanc, like her older sister, dispersed, leaving the agonized Eyesmon holding onto her core for dear life. The individual knelt, ripped the Eyesmon off, and burned it with the same white energy. As for the Core, he held it over his D-Streamer, and it flowed into it.

"Axel!" Layla exclaimed, sending a wave of relief through all of us. His eyes were the same steel color I had seen before, which meant he was still on our side.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

We could ask the same. What are the chances we'd find him so far down like this?

"We're here to stop Sorin and rescue the captives," I answered.

"Morris sent you?"

I nodded. "Have you been here long?"

"Long enough," he answered. "Arylide and her posse screwed me royally and got Garretson and the others turned into Sorin's puppets. Once I get their cores, I'm gonna give her a piece of my mind."

"Do you know why she's working with Sorin?" I asked.

"She may be quiet, but she's a shrewd woman. She's playing Sorin like a fiddle to get whatever she's after."

The question is, what exactly is she after…?

"It's been quiet for some time," Mr. Whitaker noted. "You were collecting the cores of your subordinates; I take it?"

Axel nodded.

"What of Dorugoramon then?"

Axel's eyebrow rose. That wasn't a good sign.

The dragon and two Royal Knights burst from the ceiling on the other side of us as if on cue. Dorugoramon was on top of an unconscious Gankoomon, with its claw around Jesmon's held on its side. Both glitched and dispersed in a binary shower, giving Dorugoramon a menacing look. Axel reacted to the surprise, transforming into Omnimon to steal the cores. Dorugoramon roared and whipped its tail reactively, smacking Axel so that he staggered. Axel likewise drew his Garuru Blade and tried again, forcing Dorugoramon to react in kind with its flaming claws. The two locked together again, sparking our instinct to break for it again.

"The captives are just below us!" Axel claimed. "At the end of this hall…! There's a gate that will take you there directly!"

Dorugoramon tripped Axel, causing him to fall on his back and for the dragon to get on top. Axel turned its Grey Cannon on it and fired a plasma shot, sending Dorugoramon back through the hole where it came from.

"Get moving; I'll hold it off as long as I can."

With that, he dove upward, sending remnants of debris raining down. We were left with the instructions, and without arguing, we followed them.

"Seriously, what's up with Dorugoramon?!" Ivan asked as we sprinted.

"I wonder if this castle has anything to do with it," Mr. Whitaker noted. "There's still quite a bit we don't know about this world, so likely there's something here that caused a trigger from within."

Isn't that great? One more thing to stress about—wait…

I slowed up, thinking about it a bit more. "Is it reacting…to my stress?"

"Zack!" Layla called to me, snapping me out of my thought.

I left the thought on the back burner for the moment and caught up to the others. By the time we reached the end of the hallway, we didn't find a gate but a dead-end.

No branching paths.

No secret buttons.

Just a wall.

Ivan groaned, "Bro…we just got played! Are you serious!"

"Don't panic," Layla said. "We just need to—!"

"Do you ever shut up?!" I suddenly snapped. "We'll get through this, so stop complaining!"

"…my bad." Ivan meekly apologized.

Upon realizing what I had just said, I retreated myself. "Sorry…things were going so well, and now they're not…" I took a deep breath and thought for a moment. Axel said there was a gate here. Now there's not. Sorin obviously knows we're here, and he knows we're way below, thanks to Blanc finding us. If we backtrack, we'll be caught in Axel and Dorugoramon's fight. If we don't, we're facing a dead end.

"What do we have here…?" Mr. Whitaker said, examining a slab of the wall. We all went over to him and saw what he was studying. A group of bizarre characters lined up next to one another, the group about a paragraph's length.

"Some sort of language…?" Layla deduced, judging the odd characters.

"The Omnian Digimon are so intelligent to create their own alphabet?" Mr. Whitaker said out loud. "Fascinating."

I took a look at it myself. "What if it's instructions to open the gate?"

"It's possible…" he said. "The only issue is, do we have the means or time to decipher it?"

I continued to stare at it for a few more minutes. It was weird; the longer I stared, the more familiar the letters became.

Why did it feel like I knew what this said…? My hand found its way to the wall, and slowly they dragged to my right, underlining the text.

"Aloof is the hermit whose seat remains empty. Silent is the maiden who awaits his return. Time and space flow at their command, bent in servitude. Creation and destruction give rise to rebirth…"

I turned to the others, silently staring at me. I looked back at the odd letters and back at them. "It's a poem."

"Yeah, we got that, but how did you know what that said?" Ivan pointed out.

I shrugged in honesty. "I don't know; my brain just translated it. It uses the English Alphabet for each letter, I think." I pointed to the first word, a group of five symbols, then separated the pair by a space. "Aloof-is-the-hermit-whose-seat-remains-empty; see?"

Mr. Whitaker took another look at it and muttered the poem, seeing what I was getting at. He fished a piece of paper from his pocket and separated each line into a separate stanza while copying each letter and matching it with its English counterpart.

Aloof is the hermit whose seat remains empty.

Silent is the maiden who awaits his return.

Time and space flow at their command, bent in servitude.

Creation and destruction give rise to rebirth.

"Now what?" Mr. Whitaker asked while staring at what he wrote.

Ivan and Layla leaned in and looked at themselves. At the very least, it was apparent that the poem referred to Alphamon and Eve, especially in the last line. And assuming that ate opens via a password, it would have to be hidden somewhere in the cipher itself.

"Each line has 12 syllables…" Layla pondered. "but that's likely just a trend to keep it consistent."

"Who's the hermit with the empty seat?" Ivan asked.

"Me," I answered. "When Vantus set the mass attack that kickstarted everything in motion, I was forced to go into hiding to keep the illusion that I was killed. In that time, Eve must have been awaiting my return."

"Was she ever one to be into poetry?" Layla asked.

"Not that I knew of," I crossed my arms. "She was learning to be human, so maybe this was part of it…?" I read the lines a second time over and noticed something undeniable. "It's an acrostic poem!"

Mr. Whitaker looked at it once again and noticed it as well. "Ah, I see."

Ivan and Layla watched as he wrote the first letter of the stanza vertically, filling in the missing words for each. Once they realized it, we all rose to our feet and exclaimed the secret code triumphantly.

"ACHIEVE SALVATION THROUGH CHAOS!"

Our cries echoed down the hall behind us. It was a few seconds later that we looked around. Nothing was happening.

"Um…that didn't do anything." Ivan pointed out after a minute.

Sorin's voice startled us with a chuckle, "Oh, I assure you, it did something all right!"

The walls then suddenly turned black, with eyes surrounding us all over. Shadow hands ran up our legs and latched on to each of us, causing us to react naturally. The more we struggled, the tighter the grip became; before we knew it, we started sinking into the floor.

"It's a trap!" Ivan exclaimed.

Thank you, Captain Obvious.

I scrambled to access my D-Streamer, but hands from the adjacent walls grabbed my arms and held me as the lower ones pulled down. The lower we sank, the more frantic we became. However, just as we were about to go under, we heard metal jingling, followed by the sight of purple light. The shadows hissed before being blasted away, the floors vomiting us back onto the solid ground.

"The heck was that?" Ivan groaned.

"I don't know, but whatever it was, it saved us," Layla replied, rubbing the back of her head.

We soon got our answers in the forms of Sakuyamon and Mastemon, both of whom were in their Saibatar forms, AEGIS uniforms and all. The silver-haired woman had her signature golden staff, the rings jingling with each step.

I got on my feet and stood before the others in defense. "What are you two doing here?"

"We came to escort you to Sorin's chamber," Mastemon answered.

Similar to what Ciel said before. "Where's Arylide?" I demanded. "Is she too much of a coward to show her face? Just what is it you three get out of helping Sorin?!"

They ignored my question, with Mastemon flexing her palm outward, triggering a gate to appear behind us against the wall. "We've gained what we needed from him. It is now up to you to do away with him."

"And what would that be exactly?" I pushed further. "We've all suffered because you three kept secrets, and for what? What's so important that you've lied to us and had people killed?!"

"Go now." Sakuyamon insisted. "Everything will be made clear in time."

I grit my teeth, obviously unsatisfied with such an answer. Mr. Whitaker tapped me on the shoulder and motioned to the gate. "Let's focus on one thing at a time."

With the odds against me, I reluctantly joined the others entering the gate. Upon crossing over, we found ourselves in a spacious ballroom, the gothic aesthetic more pronounced than in the various hallways we crisscrossed. Sure enough, Matthias Von Sorin stood on the other side of our entrance, staring daggers at us. Admittedly it was unusual to see this clown do anything but smile.

Ironically, I felt empathetic; Arylide was screwing all of us in one way or another. That said, I had plenty of anger myself, and I had every intent on taking it out on him.

"Where is everyone?!" I demanded to know.

Sorin wagged his finger. "You may be a guest, but you have no right to demand anything of me. Especially when your intrusion had something valuable of mine stolen from under my nose."

"Well, whatever it was, it probably served you right!" Ivan remarked.

Sorin turned his attention to Ivan and gave him a look. The next thing I knew, Layla was flying across the room, blocking Ivan from a stream of fire that stopped inches from where he stood.

Her crash knocked sense into him. He turned and saw Layla wincing from the burns she had suffered. He looked horrified. Before I could say anything, Sorin had effortlessly caught RagnaLoardmon's blade.

"Ivan, don't!" I exclaimed, finding the guy charging Sorin with intense fury. As expected, Sorin blasted Ivan back with the same attack he did me before. Eyesmon erupted from beneath each of them and captured them, the same as it did Ciel and me before.

"Sorin, stop this!" I exclaimed.

"Not until I get what's mine back!" Sorin roared, transforming into Murmukusmon to match RagnaLoardmon's size. Sorin opened its mouth, charging an energy blast between his jaws. However, RagnaLoardmon released its sword, and it transformed into Durandamon, catching Sorin off guard. Durandamon forced Sorin to recalculate, and RagnaLoardmon used this to set a ring of fire around us in the room. RagnaLoardmon's dragon shield gathered the flames to itself, and with immense power, RagnaLoardmon blasted Sorin across the ballroom, knocking Sorin out of his transformation.

"End it!" Ivan exclaimed, his fury erupting. "Duel Edge-Flowsion!"

Durandamon converted back into its sword form and returned to the navy-colored knight. Gathering the flames again, RagnaLoardmon ignited the blade and followed it by charging with all its might.

What came soon after was a blinding light. Then heat.

And finally, silence for a moment…

A/N: Hey, Readers, it's Shuriken16 here to highlight that this weekend, December 17th, will mark the 2nd anniversary of my Digimon TCG Cyber Drive series! It's been a crazy ride through two series, a 'movie fic,' and this current mini arc/movie/epilogue fic to close out the story that started with two random kids chosen to be beta testers. I've had plenty of ups and downs with this fic (lots of which will be revised for real this time, I promise), and I wish I weren't stuck in BT7 when here in NA, we just got EX3, and Japan is en route for EX4. With that in mind, I've been racking my brain practically all year long about whether I would continue going forward or work on something else. It's between burnout and just getting older and having less time for things like writing. In any case, 'hypothetically' if I were to continue, consider this a formal announcement for the Digimon TCG Series 3!

Digimon TCG: X-Stream

Going by the title, it's obvious what one of the main focuses is. As for the set coverage, I'll figure that out as I plan on taking a different approach compared to Cyber Drive and Generation Burst. More details later on towards the end of TBPO. With several chapters remaining, I want to say once more, THANK YOU for all of the support you readers have given, be it reviews (Thanks especially Zoicite23 for the essay reviews, lol) or just checking for curiosity's sake. My dedication to this series is only due to the support keeping me going, and I'll continue to deliver to the best of my ability. That's all; I'm done rambling; take care, everyone, and Happy Anniversary!