Hey everyone. Here's chapter 32. I actually can't believe how many reviews I've got so far for this story. I never imagine I'd get over 400! I just wanna say thank you everyone, especially to the ones who review every chapter and stuck by it since the beginning, I really appreiate it! :)
Sweet Cari: Yeah, I just had to bring Wizardmon back :)
Keyblade King 12: Thanks ^^ Partly the reason for Zudomon was because he was the only water type Digimon I could find that matched close enough to Armadillomon's champion form.
Sync The Dragon Tempest: I wanted something that separates Fernanda's Zudomon to Joe's so I made him smaller XD Oh thanks for the spelling tips :) When I was writing just 'Seadramon' I was referring to when he was Seadramon before he digivolved if that makes sense lol sorry if it got a little confusing.
Aldamonburst: Sorry, it was just Zudomon was the only ultimate I could find that came close to a suitable form from Archelomon.
09Stewie'sHenchwoman09: It's gonna be a big shock when Myotismon finally comes face to face with Wizardmon, I've already got that bit planned out :)
WhiteWolfPrincess95: I haven't really supported any Digimon couples, but I do think Wizardmon and Gatomon are cute together ^^
owwebernd: Some more information on the spirits stones are revealed in this chapter
Digifan103: Aww thank you :) Sorry if this has been a really long wait. Myotismon's identity will be coming up very soon!
FFnetfanHANNAH: Yep, some more faces from the past will be showing up :)
Kitsunelover300:Don't worry Willis and his kids will be making an appearance later on :) Also Stacey's mother will be making an appearance too, but I'm not giving too much away XD
Thanks again for everyone else who reviewed!
Digimon 2.5 "Digimon Adventure 03"
Episode 32: "The Hunt for the Spirit Stones Begins"
.:Infinity Mountain, File Island, Digital World:.
Leomon was stood at his usual place at the Peak of Infinity Mountain, watching over File Island. He looked to his left and looked down on the small Yokomon village. He could just make out the small in-training Digimon playing happily.
He then caught a glimpse of the Undead King's X army out of the corner of his eye. They were flying over the Native Forest and towards the ocean, probably en route for another island.
The lion Digimon sighed sadly. He just hoped they hadn't found another Spirit Stone. At the moment the DigiDestined had one, and so did the Undead King. If he were to find another he would take the advantage.
Just then, a sound of a twig snapping was heard from behind him. Leomon twitched a little before turning around. "Wizardmon?" he spoke, only slightly startled.
"You don't seem all that surprised to see me Leomon." Wizardmon said as he walked over.
"To be honest, no I'm not. I knew one day you would return, but I am surprised the children have figured it out so quickly."
"Figured what out so quickly?" Wizardmon asked curiously as he stood beside him. "If it has something to do with the Digital Emeralds the children have spoken about then that is the reason why I am here. I have some questions."
"I knew you would." Leomon quickly said. "I'm guessing the children have some questions as well." He paused and looked beyond the wizard Digimon. "I'm surprised they aren't with you, actually."
"I wanted to come alone."
"You know, it's not safe to be returning to the Digital World, especially alone. There are still a select few of Myotismon's followers from twenty five years ago. They saw you as a traitor and wouldn't hesitate to attack if they knew you had returned."
"I can protect myself." Wizardmon replied plainly. "But please, tell me more about these Digital Emeralds. The children say they are protecting the Digital World and earth and if any of their powers are used for evil it could have disastrous effects."
Leomon sighed a little. "That is partially true." He said. "But there is slightly more to them than that. You see, the Digital Emeralds are really called Spirit Stones and they possess a lot more power than I originally told the children. Releasing the full energy from the stones will increase the Digital World and earth's defensives, making them almost invincible towards future threats."
"If that is the case then why hasn't the powers from the stones been released sooner? From what the children told me, there is a threat right now to both worlds. Releasing the power could have prevented this threat."
Leomon nodded. "Yes, the Undead King." He muttered under his breath. "Gennai created the stones twenty five years ago and wished their powers should only be fully released as a last resort. I spoke with Centarumon recently and he believes now is the time as he thinks the Undead King is plotting something that could seriously harm both worlds and he wants the defences strengthened before it's too late."
"So where do I come into all of this?" Wizardmon questioned, looking up at him. "I still don't understand how I was able to be revived after all these years."
"Your spirit was stored inside the stone, as are seven other Digimon who have lost their lives on earth."
"What?" Wizardmon gasped quietly.
"Gennai was very clever in achieving this and no one knows how he did it, but yes. The eight Spirit Stones hold the life of a Digimon and that Digimon's spirit has been helping protect the Digital World for twenty five years." The lion Digimon explained. "Gennai always felt a lot of sorrow for the good Digimon who were unable to be reborn in Primary Village."
Wizardmon nodded. "And I will continue to protect the Digital World." he vowed. "To show my gratitude towards Gennai I will help fight alongside the DigiDestined and restore peace to both worlds in his memory."
.:Tokyo Government Headquarters, Shinjuku, Tokyo:.
Izzy walked quietly, but quickly as he tried to keep up with his escort. The only sound was their footsteps echoing as they made their way down the large empty corridor.
It was a dull Monday morning and he had been summoned to the Governor's Office in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo. It had been a long journey from Odaiba and he was a little tired from being up so early. He had been told to be here for 10am sharp and he knew the Governor was not a man who liked to be kept waiting.
Even though Izzy hadn't been told the exact reason for his appointment, he had an idea it was something to do with the Digimon attacks that had happened recently. The two attacks from Saturday had been all over the news and papers.
They finally reached their destination, which was a set of large wooden double doors. The escort paused for a second before standing up straight and opening both doors at the same time, stepping inside.
Izzy slowly followed. The room was large and the Governor's desk was at the far end of the room, in front of the window. As the bearer of Knowledge walked closer, he noticed the desk was littered with every Japanese newspaper and on every front page were pictures of MegaSeadramon X and Okuwamon X.
After the escort had announced Izzy's presence and left the room closing the doors behind him, The Governor of Tokyo, Hoshu Ishikawa, slowly rose from his chair with his hands behind his back. "I'll come straight to the point Mr Izumi. These 'Digimon' attacks are getting out of control." He said bluntly.
Izzy bowed his head a little. "I know sir."
"When you and your team were hired twenty years ago, under the cover of computer research, your job was to keep these attacks out of the public eye. Not have them splashed all over every single newspaper in the country!" Ishikawa exclaimed. "It's becoming more difficult now they are happening more frequently. There are only so many times you can use the excuses 'It's a movie shoot' or 'a publicity stunt' or 'a gang's practical joke'."
Izzy hesitated for a moment. "… I admit there have been some… glitches in our system lately. But we are working on repairing that."
The Governor collapsed back in his chair, sighing loudly and rubbing his temples. "Can I trust you and your team to set all of this straight?" he responded before he leaned back in his chair. "Because I have the Prime Minster of Japan breathing down my neck demanding to know what is happening and if he doesn't see any improvements soon he will be forced to take matters into his own hands."
"W-what?"
The Governor leaned forward, resting his arms on his desk. "He's thinking of bringing in armed forces and the Japanese army if these attacks continue to increase."
"Sir that could cause more harm than good." Izzy protested. "If the army attacks, then the Digimon will attack them and most likely kill them and possibly cause a rampage throughout the city."
Ishikawa sat up straight, grabbing one of the newspapers and thrusting it in Izzy's direction. The image showed a picture of MegaSeadramon X and the damaged water bus before it sank. "And what do you call this?" he exploded. "These monsters aren't exactly sight-seeing are they?"
Izzy took in a deep breath. "What I meant to say sir is that we, the DigiDestined, are the main focus of these Digimon. They will not go attacking and killing innocent people if they're not provoked. They are only interested in us. Please, leave this to us to handle. We know what we are doing and know how to handle the Digimon appropriately."
The Governor slouched back in his chair, rubbing his right temple. "I'm starting to highly doubt that at this moment, Mr Izumi."
.:Odaiba Elementary, Odaiba, Tokyo:.
It had just turned noon and students were out for their one hour lunch break. The DigiDestined were all gathered at the far end of the bleachers next to the soccer field, away from the majority of the rest of the students. The soccer field still showed its damage from where Okuwamon X had appeared two days ago.
"Wait… so the Digital Emeralds aren't really called Digital Emeralds after all… they're called Spirit Stones?" Dan asked a little bemused.
MJ nodded. "They store a spirit of a Digimon who has been unable to be re-born in Primary Village as well as having way more power than Leomon first told us."
"Huh? Then why didn't he just tell us all of this in the first place?" Dawn questioned from the top bleacher. "We had no idea what was happening when Wizardmon re-appeared."
"Maybe he didn't think we were ready to know just yet." Stacey muttered a reply from the seat below.
"That's right." MJ added. "Apparently Leomon didn't think we were ready but Centarumon said we had to know what sort of power we were going to be dealing with."
"So what's happened to the Emer- I mean Spirit Stone of Light?" Tricia asked, getting confused at first.
"Its power has now repaired part of the barrier to the Digital World as well as boosting both our worlds' defences and continues to protect them. Wizardmon says if we find all eight of the Spirit Stones and release their powers both worlds will become almost invincible to current and future threats." MJ explained.
"So you never lost it?" Tricia asked turning to look at Margaret.
The Kimura girl shook her head, smiling a little. "No. I have to admit at first I thought something bad had happened to it when it disappeared. But Wizardmon says the Spirit Stone of Light is still there, just not in a physical form."
"That's all fine and dandy but do any of us know how to release the power from the Spirit Stones?" Dan asked, slouching back.
"Leomon said only Gennai knew the answer to that question." Margaret sighed. "I don't even know what happened up on the roof of the TV Station. I couldn't tell you what I did to release the Spirit Stone's power."
"But the good news is Leomon doesn't think the Undead King knows about their true powers." MJ added. "He still thinks they're just emeralds storing digital energy."
"But he will find out once he uses them." Jonathon stated.
"No." MJ replied. "The only way he'll ever be able to use their full powers is if he finds out the secret to unlocking them as well."
"He'll find out one way or another. Trust me." Stacey comment, folding her arms. "Hardly anything gets passed him.
Dawn stood up on the top bleacher and picked up the school's soccer ball that had been resting in her lap. She swiftly booted it clear across to the other side of the field. "We need to go to the Digital World." She said. "We need to find these Spirit Stones, and fast."
"What? Now?" Jonathon asked, raising an eyebrow.
Dawn walked down, before jumping off the second to last bleacher. She landed on gravel, in front of the group. "No. But school's out for a week next week right? That'll give us the perfect opportunity to look for the stones. We can spend the whole week there."
Dan grinned. "It'll be just like camping!"
"But I hate camping." Tricia half whined.
"You sure our parents will be okay with it?" Margaret asked.
"Of course they will. They used to do stuff like this all the time when they were our age." Dawn replied. "C'mon, since finding out about the Spirit Stones we've not had chance to look for them. We need to kick start our search and shift it into high gear!"
"We'd have to split up into groups…." Jonathon pondered aloud. "There's File Island, the Server Continent and the Folder Continent to search… Not to mention the Net Ocean and smaller islands surrounding the main lands."
"And Dawn does have a point." MJ added. "Whilst we've been at school the Undead King's army has been searching non-stop for the Spirit Stones. For all we know he may have found another one."
Dawn grinned. "Then it's settled. First thing Saturday morning we're packing up and heading to the Digital World!"
.:Izzy's Laboratory, Minato, Tokyo:.
Izzy entered his lab a little sluggish and partially tired. He closed the door behind him, alerting Jim and Haruhiko, who were busy at their desks, to his presence. They both stopped what they were doing and looked up.
"How did it go?" Jim asked.
Izzy sighed as he hung up his jacket. "Not good. The Governor is getting irritated by all these attacks and the amount of press attention they're getting, as is the Prime Minister. If they continue like that he said the Prime Minister will want to bring in the armed forces and the army to deal with the problem."
"What?" Haruhiko gasped, standing up. "But that will cause more harm than good."
"That's what I told him." Izzy said as he headed over to his own desk. "Anyway, enough of that. Any developments whilst I've been away?"
"There's been a significant drop in the amount of Digital Splits appearing over Tokyo since that incident on top of the TV Station." Haruhiko commented as he sat back down at his computer. "According to our figures the barrier is almost fully restored."
Izzy collapsed in his chair. "Well that's a relief."
"Both of the world's defences have taken an extra boost as well. Whatever was in that emerald seemed to have been the cause for the sudden repair." Haruhiko added.
Izzy sat up and began to type at his computer. "I'm still trying to figure out the answer to that. Still, we also need to figure out is how Seadramon X managed to digivolve to the ultimate level as well as bypassing our DDS for so long."
Jim stood up from his desk and walked to the plasma screen that was on the wall. "I think I've already solved that. Take a look at this." He picked up the small controller and pressed a button.
The screen turned on and there was a list of data, HTML codes and encryptions that to anyone else apart from Izzy's team would have looked like a jumble of letters and numbers.
Izzy stood up and joined Joe's brother in front of the screen. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked, pointing to the lower part of the screen.
Jim nodded and pressed another button, zooming in on the area in question. "Yes. First thing this morning I began working on fixing the DDS. I knew it wasn't just a glitch in the system otherwise we would have been alerted to it. Anyway, I dug deeper into the system's data and files and found this." He said, highlighting the section of data. "I don't know who, but whoever it was, was sneaky. They managed to bypass our security system and set up a virus in our DDS and disabled its detection signal without us being none the wiser. All this time we thought the DDS was working perfectly when in fact it had been shut down."
"It had to be a Digimon." Haruhiko spoke up. "No one else who knows about our line of work could be smart enough to do something like that."
"But it's up and running again now right?" Izzy asked.
Jim nodded. "Yes. I managed to remove the virus from the system and its fully functioning again."
"That's good. The last thing we need is more unnoticeable attacks." Izzy said with a sigh.
.:Thunder Mountain, File Island, Digital World:.
The Undead King slowly walked up to the wooden table that the eight metal tripods rested upon. He gradually paced along, passing the seven empty tripods before he came to a stop in front of the only occupied one. His blood red eyes fell upon the Emerald of Love.
The room was dark and cold with only the moon light shining through the window, which was in fact a small hole in the stone wall. The light from the moon hit the emerald and it shimmered a little.
The Undead King exhaled before reaching out and grasping the emerald in his gloved hand. He held it for a moment before lifting it out of the tripod and bringing it closer to his body. "What powers do these small but great emeralds possess?" he muttered to himself. He continued to stare at it, imaging the power and destruction he could cause with such power. As he got lost in his thoughts, he brought the emerald closer to his chest…
On the opposite side of the room, on another small wooden desk, lay an open book. The pages were old and yellow with a few tears in them. The pages were full of Digi-codes that had been printed in red ink, which were starting to fade. One of the pages fluttered in the breeze…
"Not yet, my lord." A quiet and soft toned voice echoed through the room.
The Undead King hesitated, but his fingers tightened their grasp around the emerald.
"It is not time yet. You know very well you require four of the Digital Emeralds."
The Undead King snarled under his breath. "I know that. But I'm starting to grow impatient. My army have been searching for the emeralds for five days now and all they have to show for it is one emerald?"
"But we cannot rush things my lord. Your army will come good and bring you the three more you so greatly desire. Then, will you be able to progress to the next stage of your plan."
"But I need all eight. Only the powers of all eight will give me the strength to finally eliminate those DigiDestined for good, along with their world and any Digimon who stand by them."
"You must not be greedy." The voice warned. "Find all eight will need a lot of hard work and patience. Be realistic and focus on the prospect of the four you need first."
The Undead King placed the emerald back in the tripod, grunting as he did. "But the DigiDestined are getting stronger. Every X Digimon I throw at them they defeat it and after every battle they grow more powerful."
"But their powers will not match up to a fraction of yours once you have the four emeralds. Once you return to your former self you will be almost unstoppable."
The Undead King smiled smugly to himself at the thought. He was right. All he needed was three more emeralds to complete the next stage of his plan. Then after that, he would finally be able to unleash his full wrath on the DigiDestined….
.:Kamiya Apartment, Odaiba, Tokyo:.
It was early Saturday morning. It had just turned fifteen minutes past seven and Dawn was already up, dressed and ready. She quickly checked over the contents of her backpack before swinging it over her right shoulder. She strapped her D-Watch to her left wrist and grabbed her D-Power from her bedside table before she and Agumon walked out of her bedroom.
The Kamiya girl quickly rushed over to the sofa and scooped up her red goggles she had left lying there last night. "Hey Mom." She greeted her mother as she placed her goggles around her neck.
Sora, who was in the kitchen making breakfast, turned around a little surprised. "You're up early." She commented as her daughter walked into the kitchen.
Dawn opened up the fridge-freezer and quickly took a swig from the orange juice carton, a habit she had picked up from her father. "I don't wanna miss the train." She replied as she put the carton back.
Sora didn't have time to scold her as Dawn quickly swiped four pieces of toast from the plate at the end of the breakfast bar, two for her and two for Agumon before shoving a piece in her mouth.
"See ya in a week, bye Mom!" she said through a mouth full of toast as she left the kitchen in a hurry.
"Wait, aren't you going to say bye to your father? Are you sure you've got everything you need?" Sora called as she turned around and poked her head out of the kitchen.
The answer to her question was quickly answered with the sound of the front door slamming shut, telling her Dawn and Agumon had already left the apartment.
"You can't blame her for leaving in a hurry." Biyomon said from the breakfast table. "She's been excited about this trip all week."
"No kidding, she doesn't even get up this early for school." Agumon added.
.:Izzy's Laboratory, Minato, Tokyo:.
Roughly an hour later, the children were all gathered in the main room of Izzy's laboratory. They were all stood in front of the large plasma screen, which at this current moment had a portal to the Folder Continent loaded up and ready. Izzy had briefed them on all the information they needed to know and reminded them that they could only travel through the three portals he had opened up, as travelling through any others could lead them being transported back somewhere else other than his laboratory.
"Okay, the first portal is ready to go." Izzy said as he stood up from his chair and walked around his desk to join the children. "Dawn, you're group's up first."
Dawn, along with Stacey, Dan and Tricia stepped towards the screen, their digivices out and ready.
"I've opened your portal on the outskirts of the wood on the South Beach. Try and remember where it's located but if not I've installed the co-ordinates of the portal in to your digivices." He explained.
"Gotcha." Dawn replied before she held up her orange D-Power towards the screen, along with the others. In a flash, they disappeared through the portal.
Once they were safely through, Izzy walked back to his computer and loaded up the next portal. "Alright son, you're next. You portal's located in Toy Town. It's central to File Island and you'll arrive inside Pandamon's workshop."
"Thanks Dad." Jonathon smiled as he stepped up to the portal along with Margaret, MJ and their Digimon. They held up their digivices and were sucked through into the Digital World.
"Okay so that just leaves you three." Izzy smiled to James, Fernanda and Katie. "I've set up your portal in the Koromon Village. It's one of the safer places on the Server Continent and the Koromon even promised to help with your search."
The three remaining children stepped up with their Digimon partners. James held his sister's hand before they raised their black, white and brown digivices up to the screen. Once they were safely through, Izzy removed the portal from the large screen and re-loaded it up on one of three computers screens where the other two portals were.
"You sure they're up to such a huge task?" Haruhiko asked, from the back of the room where he had been watching.
Izzy nodded. "Of course they will. They've showed they know how to take care of themselves, some in worse situations than others. They'll be fine."
.:Koromon Village, Continent of Server, Digital World:.
James, Fernanda, Katie and their Digimon arrived on the Server Continent with a thud, landing behind one of the small huts at the back of the Koromon Village. James groaned and pushed himself up into a seated position, resting most of his weight on his hands.
"That hurt…" Katie pouted, rubbing her head.
"You think Mr Izumi would have set up the portals somewhere a little softer to land." Armadillomon commented as he helped Fernanda sit up.
"Wait!" Wormmon suddenly hissed, jumping up onto his human partner's shoulder. "Do you hear that? I can hear voices."
Everyone fell silent, and sure enough, voices could be heard not too far away. They sounded as if they were inside the village.
"Those don't sound like Koromon voices to me." Hawkmon stated, folding her wings across her chest.
James quietly got to his feet. Slouching down, he crept over to another hut and crouched down behind it. Katie, Fernanda and their Digimon soon followed and knelt down beside him. James slowly peered out from behind the hut. But just as he did, there was an explosion that caused him, and the others, to jump.
Throughout the village were the Undead King's X army; Rhinomon X, Thundermon X, three Betamon X and two Gazimon X. They were currently trashing the place, destroying everything. Some of the huts had been demolished, trees uprooted and the ground had been dug up in places and there was no sign of the Koromon.
"It's the Undead King's army." The Ichijouji boy muttered as he turned back to look at the others.
"They must be looking for the Spirit Stones." Wormmon whispered.
James nodded in agreement before he stuck his head out a little again, watching them.
"So much for the portal being placed in a 'safe area'." Armadillomon grumbled under his breath.
"Urgh… not so much as a break." Rhinomon X grumbled before he set off on a charge, ramming straight through a small hut, destroying it completely with the sword on the front of his face. "We bring him back an emerald and how does he repay us? By sending us straight back out to look for more! This is supposed to be the flying army's territory not ours."
Thundermon X fired a huge lightning bolt that tore through the small water fountain in the centre of the village, obliterating it into nothing more than a huge gaping crater. "They've moved onto the Folder Continent. The boss wanted this area covered immediately before the DigiDestined arrive here. Whatever the flying army have missed, we can take the glory for it." He said before destroying another hut with his lightning attack.
"Those poor Koromon…" Fernanda mumbled, as she bravely poked her head out to take a peak. "I hope they're alright."
"They probably escaped into the forest to hide." Armadillomon replied in a hushed tone as he too sneaked a look underneath Fernanda.
They continued to watch the army for a few more minutes, until a Gazimon X turned in their direction. The children and their partners quickly darted back behind the hut, hoping he hadn't seen them.
James frowned a little. "Let's get outta here before we're caught." He muttered, grabbing his little sister's hand and ushering the group away from the village by disappearing into the forest behind.
Fortunately, Gazimon X hadn't seen them, and the X Army continued their destructive path through the village.
.:Folder Continent, Digital World:.
BurningGreymon flew high over the treetops as they passed over the mountains area of the Folder Continent, with Dawn sat on his back. Just behind BurningGreymon was Cyberdramon who was carrying Dan in his arms.
Down below, Garurumon was following close behind carrying Stacey, SnowAgumon, Tricia and Palmon X on his back, running along the small dusty paths that led through the mountains and valleys.
"Man, we've been searching for hours and still nothing." Dawn groaned.
"Don't forget the Folder Continent is twice the size of File Island." BurningGreymon replied gruffly. "We're just gonna have to be patient. We've got a lot of ground to cover."
"This is gonna be tough." Dan admitted. "With no clues what so ever to where these Spirit Stones are it could take us forever to find them all."
"We're just gonna have to try our best Dan." Cyberdramon replied. "We're just gonna have to try and think like Gennai and try to work out where he would hide such a thing."
"Thinking like a genius? Urgh that's gonna give me a headache." The goggle boy grumbled, resting his chin in the palm of his hand.
Garurumon jumped clean over a small stream that was running down the side of the mountain before landing safely on the other side. As he did, Tricia's digivice began to beep.
"Huh?" The young girl unclipped her D-Power and looked at the screen. "Hey Stacey, my digivice is reacting to something." She spoke up, tapping the blonde haired girl on the shoulder.
"It could be an emerald…. Hey Guys!" she shouted up to Dawn, Dan and their Digimon. "Tricia's got something!"
Dawn and Dan both glanced at each other. "Well, that was quicker than I thought." She admitted before BurningGreymon and Cyberdramon turned and flew down to join Garurumon.
.:Net Ocean, Folder Continent, Digital World:.
Just on the outskirts of the beaches, the Undead King's flying X army arrived at the Folder Continent. The army, led by Puteranomon X flew in formation, with Kuwagamon X and Buraimon X behind him and the smallest members of the team, the three Flymon X and the four Mothmon X at the very back.
"There's got to be an emerald on this island." Kuwagamon X grumbled, irritably. "We've been searching for days and still have found nothing."
Puteranomon X looked on ahead and saw the mountains in the distance. "We'll start in the mountains." He commanded in a raspy type voice. "There are plenty of caves and rocks where the old man could have hid an emerald."
They flew further in land, dropping down a little in the air with some of their bodies brushing against the tops of the trees.
Buraimon X descended down to the ground and landed in a small clearing in the middle of the wood. As he observed his surroundings, he noticed a few rookie Digimon dart behind the trees in fear. He rolled his eyes before his attention fell to the ground in front of him. There were a collection of footprints that suddenly came to a stop at the edge of the clearing.
He knelt down on one knee, and traced over the footprints in the mud with his right hand. He looked up just in time to see Puteranomon X and Kuwagamon X flying down towards him. "These are human footprints." He said as the two Digimon landed on the ground.
"Are you sure?" Kuwagamon X growled.
Buraimon X nodded, standing up. "Positive. No Digimon I know make these types of footprints. But these footprints here…" he paused as he withdrew his sword from its case that was strapped to his belt and pointed the blade at another collection of footprints. "These are definitely Digimon tracks. Rookie, judging by the size of them. By the looks of things they walked to here…" he paused as he followed the footprints. "Then digivolved before leaving." He finished pointing at the larger footprints.
"We can't let those kids steal another emerald from the boss." A Mothmon X spoke up from above the three larger Digimon.
Puteranomon X smirked a little. "We won't. Don't worry about that. We'll just let the DigiDestined do all the hard work for us."
.:Dragon's Valley, Folder Continent, Digital World:.
The DigiDestined came to a stop at the edge of a very steep and rocky drop as the path they had been following had gradually disappeared from erosion. The kids stood at the front of the group, looking down at the vast landscape, with their Digimon behind them.
Dragon's Valley was a rock-strewn V-shaped valley that had steep ledges and cliffs. At the very top of the valley was a large waterfall that descended down into a small river that gradually grew wider as it ran through the mountains and was surrounded by greenery such as plants, grass and trees as well as loose rocks and stones that had broken away from the cliff edges over the years.
Tricia gasped a little, as she gazed around the valley taking a step forward. "This place is rather beautiful."
"Yeah, the sound of the waterfall is really soothing." Palmon X added, closing her eyes for a second and listening to the falling water.
"Well, according to Tricia's digivice the Spirit Stone is somewhere in this valley." Dan commented.
"This is going to be like finding a needle in a haystack." SnowAgumon said with a small groan from on top of Garurumon's back.
Dawn stepped to the very edge of the cliff and crouched down. She sat down, her legs hanging over the edge.
"What are you doing?" Stacey questioned, folding her arms across her chest.
"Well I'm not going to stand around here for the rest of today and admire the scenery." The goggle girl replied sarcastically.
"Are you stupid? You can't climb down there. One slip and you will probably fall to your death!" Stacey exclaimed.
"I didn't know you cared." Dawn said, about to push herself down onto the rock that was sticking out of the Cliffside just below her.
"I don't." Stacey grumbled. "I just like to keep reminding you of how stupid you are sometimes."
"Hey!" Dawn protested, suddenly jumping to her feet and clenching her fists angrily.
"Don't start fighting you two." Garurumon interrupted from the back of the group. "Remember what we've come here to do."
"Besides, we can get you down there safely." BurningGreymon said.
Dawn gave the Ishida girl a quick glare before she climbed onto the back of her Digimon partner. "The signal is too weak to be anywhere near here. I think we should head further down the valley."
Stacey mounted Garurumon before helping Tricia and Palmon X up. Cyberdramon picked Dan up before he leapt into the air with BurningGreymon before flying down to the bottom of the valley.
Garurumon jumped off the edge and began to jump from ledge to ledge, slowing making his way down the side of the cliff. Tricia gulped and clung on tightly to Stacey's waist with her eyes tightly shut.
Once they reached the bottom, the signal on Tricia's digivice began to pick up. "Hey the signal's getting stronger." Palmon X stated.
"We must be getting closer." Garurumon said before he jogged alongside the river, catching up with BurningGreymon and Cyberdramon.
About half a mile down the valley, where the river grew wider and the cliffs opened up a little more, the signal started to become stronger and the beeping became louder.
"Wait!" Tricia suddenly cried out. "I think this is it."
Garurumon came to a stop and crouched down allowing the girls, SnowAgumon and Palmon X to climb down. BurningGreymon and Cyberdramon both landed either side of him and Dawn and Dan both jumped onto the ground in unison.
Dawn looked around her surroundings. There weren't many places to hide something like a Spirit Stone. "This may take a while." She muttered under her breath.
SnowAgumon walked over to the greenery at the side of the lake. He pushed apart the tall grass, scanning the ground for anything. "Hey Spirit Stone, come out come out where ever you are." He said to himself as he turned over a large rock. A few insects crawled out from underneath, causing him to jump back in fright.
Tricia decided to take a look further down. Keeping her digivice in her right hand, she wandered over to the side of the cliffs. Piles of stones and pebbles mounted up alongside the edge from where they had fallen over the years.
As she walked along, following the side of the cliff, the signal on her digivice began to grow stronger.
"Hey I think I've got something Palmon X." she said, smiling. Tricia stopped in front of the cliff side. The signal on her digivice was at its strongest by this point. The beeping was so quick you could hardly hear the break in between each one.
In front of her was a large pile of boulders and rocks that seemed to act as a sort of set of steps up to the side of the valley. Tricia tilted her head, a little puzzled. "Is it inside the rocks?"
"By the looks of things I'd say it is." Palmon X said. "I think we'll need Togemon X for this."
Tricia nodded and released her Digital Ring before handing it down to her Digimon partner.
"PALMON DIGIVOLVE TO… TOGERMON X!"
Once she had digivolved, Togemon X withdrew her right arm before thrusting it forward and punching the rocks with all her strength, causing the cliff edge to rumble from the force.
A large crack appeared and spread outwards into smaller cracks as a few loose stones and pebbles began to fall from above.
Togemon waited for a second for things to settle down before she retracted her left arm and again punched the rocks. This time, the rocks broke away completely and fell to the ground, leaving a gaping hole in the cliff side.
The children all grinned as once the dust had settled and disappeared they saw a small green gem poking out from the rocks, wedged firmly inside and glowing brightly. It was the Spirit Stone of Sincerity.
"Awesome, we got another one." Dawn beamed.
"I believe the score for today is now 2-1 to us." Dan added, grinning before he and Dawn shared a high five.
"Go ahead Tricia, you found it." Togemon X urged.
Tricia smiled and took a step forward, about to retrieve it.
"I wouldn't put that down as the final score just yet!" a voice echoed across the valley.
The DigiDestined and Digimon all jumped and spun round at the sound of the new voice.
Suddenly, Puteranomon X, Buraimon X, Kuwagamon X and the Flymon X and Mothmon X all flew up into the air, revealing themselves from their hiding places over the tops of the valley.
Stacey narrowed her eyes. "It's the Undead King's army."
Togemon X gasped. "How they did they find us?"
BurningGreymon growled. "They must have followed us here."
Dawn quickly pulled up her goggles, resting them on top of her head as she jumped up onto a large rock. "Get them, BurningGreymon!" she commanded, pointing up at the X Army.
BurningGreymon leapt up into the air as the three Flymon X descended down towards him, their wings buzzing frantically. "Pyro Barrage!" he pointed his Rudori Tarpana upwards and fired a stream heated energy bullets.
The first bullet hit the front Flymon X, destroying him straight on impact. But the next few bullets missed their target as the two remaining Flymon X dodged the attack. Their luck soon ran out as the last two bullets fired struck them both head on, also obliterating them.
Dawn grinned confidently as she watched their fragments of data burst like a firework into the air, mixing with the dust clouds.
Garurumon sprinted back, leaping up onto the rocky ledges of the cliff side as he climbed up it.
A single Mothmon X broke away from the pack and soared down towards him. "Multiple Blaster!" Mothmon X thrust his body frontwards and fired bullets of energy from the gun that was attached to his abdomen.
Garurumon jumped up onto a larger ledge and spun round to face the on-coming attack. "Howling Blaster!" he opened his mouth, releasing his famous blue flame attack. The flames instantly disintegrated the energy bullets before they engulfed Mothmon X, burning him away to a crisp.
Cyberdramon sprung up into the air and swiftly swiped both of his claws releasing two waves of devastating energy. "Desolation Claw!"
The energy waves spun through the air like a pair of boomerangs before slicing straight through the middle of two of the Mothmon X, killing them both and leaving just one left.
"Good job, Cyberdramon." Dan grinned, giving his Digimon partner the thumbs up.
BurningGreymon quickly appeared behind the last remaining Mothmon X and simply blasted him with his Rudori Tarpana, destroying him within a second.
"Well, that was easy." Dawn boasted, showing off the Kamiya grin. She then turned to the three remaining X Digimon. "You're next!"
Buraimon X retreated a little and landed on the ledge of the highest cliff top. "You may have defeated our weakest members easily but believe me, you will not find us easy to dispose of."
The Kamiya girl clenched her fists, glaring at them. "You just try it." She threatened as their Digimon returned to the ground next to their respective partners.
"You will regret that human." Puteranomon X growled.
"That emerald is ours!" Kuwagamon X roared before he flew down at high speed towards the huge gap in the cliff side.
"Oh no you don't!" Togemon X charged forward and swiftly punched Kuwagamon X in the face, sending him flying backwards and crashing into a couple of large rocks. "Lightspeed Jabbing!" the cacti Digimon closed in on him at the speed of light and jabbed him multiple times.
Kuwagamon X grunted and cringed as he felt every blow across his entire body. He snarled and then lunged forward opening his pincers. "Power Guillotine!" he snapped his pincers shut around Togemon X's body, squeezing as hard as he could.
"Togemon X!" Tricia cried out helplessly. "Let her go!"
Kuwagamon X spun round, releasing the cacti Digimon as he did, sending Togemon X flying high into the air and crashing into a pile of boulders and sharp rocks before landing in the cold river.
Kuwagamon X chuckled satisfyingly to himself before he slowly turned around to face the young Kido girl. "Now, for the emerald."
Tricia gasped in horror and began to back up as the gigantic bug Digimon began to approach. She quickly spun round and ran towards the Spirit Stone.
Cyberdramon came to her rescue and lunged past her through the air and towards Kuwagamon X. "Desolation Claw!"
Kuwagamon X growled and snapped his pincers shut, acting as a shield. The two energy waves struck them, but simple repelled off in different directions with one blasting into the side of the cliff whilst the other landed in the river causing a huge splash.
"What?" Cyberdramon gasped in shock as he skidded to a halt in awe.
Puteranomon took this chance to attack. He dropped from the sky vertically and pierced the ultimate Digimon's back with his beak.
Cyberdramon cried out in agony as he felt his energy drain from his body. He collapsed to his knees and fell forward, reverting back to Veemon before he hit the ground.
Dan gawped in horror. "Veemon!"
Tricia scrambled up onto some boulders and stretched her arm out to grab the Spirit Stone from inside the rock. But before she could grab it, Buraimon X appeared and shoulder barged her out of the way. She screamed as she fell from the boulders and landed painfully on the ground.
Stacey narrowed her eyes as she quickly released her Digital Ring and placed it inside her D-Watch. "Take care of this jerk you two!"
"GARURUMON… SNOWAGUMON… DNA WARP DIGIVOLVE TO… ICELEOMON!"
IceLeomon charged forward, pulling out his small sword from its steal casing as he did. With a roar, he brought the sword high above his head, ready to plunge it into Buraimon X's back.
But as he brought the sword down, Buraimon X suddenly pulled out one of his own swords and spun round, blocking IceLeomon's attack with it.
IceLeomon jumped back, skidding against the gravelly ground, his sword still raised high just in front of his face defensively.
"You can never match up to my swordsmanship skills." Buraimon X bragged as he pulled out his other sword from his left side.
"Well, let's just see shall we?" IceLeomon replied with a growl.
They both lunged forward and began fighting in sword combat. Their sword's made a 'clanging' noise each time they made contact with each other and at first; Buraimon X had the upper hand.
IceLeomon stumbled back and tripped over, landing on his back. He quickly brought his small sword up, blocking Buraimon X's sword that was intended for his face. He grunted and struggled as the X Digimon pushed all of his weight down on his weapon, trying to break IceLeomon's defence. But as Buraimon X was stood, leaning over him, IceLeomon brought his knees up and swiftly kicked the bird Digimon in the stomach, sending him falling backwards.
In the air, BurningGreymon was fighting Puteranomon X. "Pyro Barrage!" he fired five energy bullets, each of them hitting their target. But they bounced off the X Digimon's body, hardly even grazing him.
Kuwagamon X also joined the fight and head butted BurningGreymon from behind, catching him off guard.
Whilst they continued to fight, Dawn took this chance to rush over and climb up on to the boulders to retrieve the Spirit Stone. As she stood up, she looked back to see her Digimon partner was outmatched two to one. "Hang in there BurningGreymon." She muttered before she reached for the emerald.
Puteranomon X noticed the goggle girl out of the corner of his eye. He spun his body around and fired a single missile from his right wing. The missile whistled through the air before it exploded into the cliff side just to the right of Dawn.
"Yah!" The force from the explosion caused her to fall backwards off the boulder, and it also loosened the Spirit Stone from the rocks. The green gem fell from its enclosure and bounced down off of the boulders and rocks, landing a few yards from Dawn.
Dawn immediately sat up and gasped. She scrambled to her feet and sprinted towards the Spirit Stone, as did Stacey from the other side.
Puteranomon X fired two more missiles, which hit the ground meters from where the two girls were. The force sent them falling to the ground and dust began to rise into the air, clogging their view.
"Argh… I can't see a thing!" Stacey exclaimed as she tried to squint through the dust.
Puteranomon X simply chuckled as he turned in the air and charged at BurningGreymon. "Wild Thunder!" the barrels on his wings opened up and he fired six missiles at the Ultimate Digimon at point blank range.
BurningGreymon cried out in pain as the blast threw him back. He crashed into the side of the cliff before collapsing to the ground in a heap. The impact from BurningGreymon then caused an avalanche of boulders and rocks to come tumbling down on top of him, burying him underneath.
Dawn coughed and spluttered as the dust got caught at the back of her throat. "B-BurningG-Greymon!" she cried out after hearing her Digimon's cry. She stumbled over to where he had fallen.
Buraimon X quickly swiped his sword across IceLeomon's stomach and shoved him away once the lion Digimon was hunched over in pain. Then, as quick as a flash he turned and dived for the Spirit Stone, which had now re-appeared now the dust cloud had vanished.
Stacey gasped, seeing what he was about to do. She too lunged forward, her arm stretched out in front of her.
But Buraimon X got there first. He scooped the Spirit Stone of Sincerity up into his hand before rising up into the air to join Puteranomon X and Kuwagamon X.
Tricia, who was on her hands and knees, gasped under her breath. "Oh no…" she whispered.
"Hey give that back!" Dan shouted, glaring up at the X Digimon.
Puteranomon X smiled as he flew beside the bird Digimon. "Good job Buraimon X. Now we have what we came for, let's report back to base."
The three of them turned their backs on the DigiDestined and began to fly away.
"Hey come back!" Dawn tried to sprint after them but she had only ran a few hundred yards before they had disappeared completely over the tops of the mountains. She came to a stop, her fists clenched and shaking a little with anger. Turning around, she kicked a stone in rage as she let out a frustrated and fury-filled cry that echoed across the valley.
To be continued…