Hey everyone. As you can probably guess we're getting down to the last few chapters. I can't really say how many are left as I keep playing around with ideas and such lol Roughly there are probably 3 or 4 left. I played on a couple of things in the series in this chapter to fit in with what I'm doing.
RSBCS: Aw thank you J I had fun writing those little scenes dealing with the Nightmare six.
Sync The Dragon Tempest: There's still a few more chapters to go but everything's gonna start leading to the climax :)
Sweet Cari: Aw thank you :)
ShipperOfAHundred: Yeah things definitely got worse for the DigiDestined XD
Yokai Watch: Sounds good :) I haven't got confirmed outfits for Willis' kids yet.
Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint: Thanks :D
DinoGuy2000: Thanks :D It's gonna take everything they've got to bring down this bad guy!
Dracofighter: Thank you. Yeah that would have been a good twist if Wisemon had taken the power for himself!
Enjoy!
Digimon 2.5 "Adventure 03"
Episode 53: 'Azulongmon's Confession'
.:Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo Bay, Tokyo:.
Everything seemed to come to a stop and the bay fell quiet, as ChaosGallantmon turned his back on the DigiDestined and looked over towards Myotismon's castle after he had caught a glimpse of the dark red light that had escaped through the windows. He lowered his sword and shield as he smiled pleasingly. "At last… he has returned." He said quietly to himself.
Down on the ice just underneath the bridge, the DigiDestined were looking up a little puzzled as to why the fight had come to a stop and ChaosGallantmon's attention seemed to have drifted elsewhere. Their Digimon remained hesitant and didn't move from their current positions.
BlackWarGreymon on the other hand decided to take advantage of whatever had distracted ChaosGallantmon. "Terra Destroyer!" In a flash, he formed his giant dark red sphere of energy in both of his hands and unleashed it straight at the member of the Nightmare Six.
ChaosGallantmon turned his head, and quickly spun his whole body around once he saw the powerful attack heading straight for him. But he didn't have time to defend himself as just as he raised his shield the attack struck him and he was thrown out of the air. He hit the ice, causing it to crack a little. He slid to a halt, a little dazed before he looked up to see his shield had been blown out of his grasp and had landed a few hundred yards away from him. There was a large crack running down the centre, and ChaosGallantmon gasped under his breath as he witnessed his shield burst into cloud of data. He immediately looked up at BlackWarGreymon who was still hovering in the air. Again, he looked back over towards the castle before he growled and got up onto his feet, thrusting his sword in BlackWarGreymon's direction. "This isn't over, believe me." He spat before he took a few steps back. "I'll be back… and when I am, you'll be the first to pay." He threatened BlackWarGreymon before he turned and jumped up into the air, flying back towards the castle.
BlackWarGreymon huffed under his breath before he dropped down onto the ice. The rest of the Digimon gathered around him, and they were soon joined by their partners.
"What's going on?" James wondered glancing up at Joe, who still looked as puzzled as he did.
.:No.6 Battery Island, Odaiba, Tokyo:.
"After so many years it is finally good to see you again, my lord." Wisemon said as he continued to bow before his leader.
Grandracmon chuckled quietly under his breath. "It's good to be back, Wisemon. After so long being confined in that smaller, weaker body I feel myself again." His attention then averted from Wisemon over to the DigiDestined, who were finally picking themselves up off the floor from when they had been knocked down by the shockwave that had engulfed the room earlier. He smiled as he stepped aside from Wisemon and took a few casual steps towards them, causing them to step back to keep the distance between him. "You look a little surprised DigiDestined…" he teased. "Although I must say I don't blame you… what's just happened must come as a bit of a shock…"
VictoryGreymon growled. "Not as shocked as you are about to feel when we defeat you!" he proclaimed before he lunged forward raising his giant sword above his head before he leapt up into the air. "Trident-" Before he had chance to fire the blast from his sword, Grandracmon stretched his right hand out and fired a single blast of energy from his palm. The attack blocked VictoryGreymon's before it even had chance to leave his sword, and he was thrown out of the air.
Cyberdramon charged from the left in an attempt at a surprise attack. But one of the large monster-like heads that were attached either side of Grandracmon's waist suddenly turned in his direction. It hissed before it opened its mouth wide and fired a burst of energy, taking out the ultimate Digimon.
Grandracmon chuckled to himself as he watched Cyberdramon hit the ground. He then caught a glimpse of WarGreymon gliding straight towards him picking up speed. He opened his mouth, releasing a horrible wailing sound that filled the room. The DigiDestined cringed and covered their ears as the sound wave omitted from Grandracmon's mouth engulfed WarGreymon, halting his charge.
WarGreymon cried out as he felt his energy being drained from his body. Unable to hold it any longer, he began to de-digivolve back into Agumon.
"WarGreymon!" Tai shouted helplessly.
Grandracmon smiled as he watched the mega level Digimon transform back into his rookie form. As Agumon began to fall to the ground, he formed a ball of energy in the palm of his hand and thrust it forward. It hit Agumon and the force of the blast sent him flying back straight into Tai.
Dawn, having watched her father and Agumon hit the ground, turned to her own partner. "Don't give up VictoryGreymon!"
VictoryGreymon nodded and jumped back up into the air. He flew towards Grandracmon, grasping his sword in both hands as he prepared to build up all his strength into one attack.
Again Grandracmon didn't give VictoryGreymon a chance to even release his attack. He unleashed an almighty shockwave by throwing his arms out either side. The shockwave engulfed the entire room, throwing the DigiDestined back all the way across to the other side. They all hit the wall, slumping together in a heap.
Dawn cringed as she pushed herself up, and gasped when she saw her partner lying face down a few meters away from her. "Agumon!" she scrambled to her feet and hurried over to her fallen Digimon, kneeling down over him.
"He's really strong…" Agumon muttered as he opened his eyes a little.
Dawn looked up to see Grandracmon looking directly at them, with Wisemon floating loyally beside him.
"Who is this Digimon?" Cody muttered under his breath as he held onto Armadillomon.
"I have no idea…" TK replied next to him as he held Kari close. "He can't be another digivolution line of Myotismon… can he?"
Just then, the Nightmare Six arrived, entering the room in their dark ghost like figures before transforming back into their original selves. They formed a curved line in between the DigiDestined and Grandracmon, facing their leader.
AxeKnightmon was the first to bow to their king, with the other four quickly following suit. "My lord… at last you have returned."
Tai slowly got to his feet, looking back and forth between the Nightmare Six and Grandracmon. If the Nightmare Six were now here… were the others okay?
.:Haneda Airport, Tokyo:.
"Sonic Destroyer!" Parrotmon unleashed another thunderous lightning bolt which struck Gargomon, throwing him back into one of the parked and empty airport buses.
Wendigomon attempted to attack; charging at the X Digimon from behind, but Parrotmon X spun around and smacked him away with his claw. Parrotmon X squawked and spread his wings, picking up Wendigomon in his talons before soaring up high into the sky.
"Wendigomon!" Willis exclaimed helplessly.
Gargomon ran out into the middle of the runway, watching as his friend was carried higher and higher. He knew he couldn't attack whilst Parrotmon X had hold of Wendigomon. There would be a risk he would hit him…
Parrotmon X squawked again as he finally came to a stop. Immediately he soared down, gaining more and more speed as he approached the ground… Once he was close enough he let go of Wendigomon and threw him into the unsuspecting Gargomon. Both Digimon fell into a heap on the ground. "Sonic Destroyer!" Parrotmon X wasted no time in firing another thunderbolt from his forehead. It hit both of Willis' Digimon, engulfing them in a cloud of smoke…
Once the smoke had cleared Willis gasped at the sight of Terriermon and Lopmon lying motionless in the middle of a small crater caused by the blast.
"Oh no…" Sora murmured. She then gasped as she turned to look to her right to see Parrotmon X had landed on the ground near to them, and was looking directly at her and Willis.
Parrotmon X growled as he stomped a couple of steps towards them, causing them to back away. Sparks begin to ignite between the two feathers on his forehead as he prepared to release another attack…
"Sora!"
Sora froze at the sound of a familiar voice. She looked beyond Parrotmon X to see her partner flying towards them from the direction of Tokyo Bay. "Biyomon!" she exclaimed in relief.
Biyomon flew as fast as she could crossing the runway. "Hey, leave them alone!" she shouted, catching Parrotmon X's attention. "Spiral Twister!" she fired her attack, releasing her spiral of flame energy.
It hit Parrotmon X on the side of the face, but the small attack only grazed his feathers. He growled as he turned his full attention to the rookie Digimon who continued to fly towards him. He released a counter attack, firing a bolt of lightning.
"Biyomon, watch out!" Sora cried out.
Biyomon gasped and swooped down, throwing herself out of the way and onto the ground. The lightning bolt just missed her and continued on its path before it exploded into a stationary empty airplane, setting it alight.
"Quick Biyomon! You better digivolve now!" Sora shouted over to her partner, unclipping her digivice and holding it up as Biyomon began to glow…
"BIYOMON DIGIVOLVE TO… BIRDRAMON!"
"BIRDRAMON DIGIVOLVE TO… GARUDAMON!"
Parrotmon X stepped back a little once the light had faded, revealing Garudamon who now towered over him.
Willis, who had gone to collect his partners, rejoined Sora's side holding Terriermon and Lopmon in his arms. "Your partner has perfect timing Sora." He said light heartedly.
Garudamon spread her wings and soared towards Parrotmon X a few feet off the ground. "Crimson Claw!" her right fist engulfed into flames and she unleashed an almighty punch to the X Digimon's face, knocking him to the ground. She immediately swiped at him again with her left claw, sending him skidding across the runway and leaving him in a stunned heap on the ground. Garudamon spread her wings once more and floated up into the air. "Wing Blade!" She released her signature attack, unleashing her powerful blade of energy that took the shape of a bird.
The attack soared up into the air before it swooped down, gaining momentum as it homed in on Parrotmon X. The X Digimon could only watch helplessly, and had no time to react or defend himself. The attack hit him with full force, tearing his body into pieces of data.
Once everything had settled down, and the smoke had cleared to reveal Parrotmon X had indeed been destroyed, Garudamon de-digivolved back to Biyomon.
"Biyomon!" Sora ran over as her partner flew towards her, scooping her into a hug. "Thank you… but-how did you know I was here?"
"I was watching the news channel." Biyomon said as she settled into her partner's arms. "They were reporting on Parrotmon X attacking the airport."
Sora hugged the rookie Digimon again. "Thank you. We would have been done for if you hadn't of arrived," she then pulled away a little. "What's going on here? Where's Tai? I've tried calling him a dozen times but he's not answering his phone. Is everyone okay?"
Biyomon couldn't help but avert her gaze away. "Umm… well…" she hesitated a little at first. "Myotismon invaded Odaiba again… but he's not alone. He came with a group of powerful Digimon called the Nightmare Six. We are all separated across the city when it happened. They started to capture some of the others… including Dawn…" she briefly explained.
"W-what?" Sora gasped. "Myotismon has my daughter?"
Biyomon slowly nodded. "Matt told me Izzy had come up with a plan and the others have gone to rescue them. Myotismon has demanded his chest, so they're using it as a way to try and get inside his castle on one of the battery islands. That's all I know."
"Huh? What chest?" Sora questioned.
"It sounds as if a lot has been happening whilst you've been away." Willis commented as he walked up beside her.
Sora turned around to face the younger man, still holding Biyomon in her arms. "Willis, I'm sorry to run off like this. Thank you so much for flying me here but I need to get to Myotismon's castle and help my family."
Willis nodded. "No need to apologise. I understand. You go ahead." He said. "I'll join you as soon as Terriermon and Lopmon are fighting fit again."
"You sure? Will you be okay?"
"Of course. I have plenty of supplies in my plane. It won't take these little guys long to regain their strength once they've had a good meal."
Sora smiled. "Thank you. We'll see you soon."
"Be careful!" Willis called as he, Terriermon and Lopmon watched Biyomon digivolve back into Garudamon before she and Sora left Haneda Airport.
.:Tokyo Bay, Odaiba, Tokyo:.
Out on the frozen bay, the rest of the DigiDestined and Digimon had regrouped after the Nightmare Six had returned to the castle, joining together where Izzy's group had been fighting ShadowSeraphimon.
"Izzy!" Matt shouted as he, Fernanda, Margaret, their partners and Andromon ran across the ice towards the bearer of Knowledge. "What's going on? Why have the Nightmare Six returned to the castle?" he demanded once he reached the others.
"I don't know…" Izzy admitted as he ran a hand through his hair. "They must have been summoned back by Myotismon… perhaps that dark red light was a signal to them…"
"It must have been. When the light appeared Tactimon just turned his back on us and left like we weren't worth fighting against." Lillymon said.
"The same happened with ChaosGallantmon." James added as he and Katie joined their parents.
"What do we do now? This wasn't part of the plan Izzy!" Mimi exclaimed, sounding a little panicky. "The others are still inside… I have a really strong feeling something bad is happening."
"I'm still trying to figure it out." Izzy replied as he opened his laptop. "But without the systems running properly back at my lab none of my programmes are working correctly. I can't get any readings on any of our digivices or any Digimon signals." He briefly explained as he checked his programme. "Sora's father told me there is a virus somewhere in the system and he and Jim are working as hard as they can to try and fix it."
"I think we need to retreat for now." BlackWarGreymon suggested, earning a few surprised looks from some of the DigiDestined. "I believe something has happened. Something that's more important to the Nightmare Six than fighting us. That dark red light was definitely signalling something to them."
Izzy hesitated for a moment. "I agree."
"What?!" Davis exclaimed.
"But… what about our parents? And the others?" MJ asked. "They'll be in trouble if they're still inside. We can't run away and leave them."
"Don't worry," Wizardmon assured. "Me and Piximon will go and rescue them."
"What?" Ogremon gawped in surprise. "You two? I hardly think a pixie and a wizard can take down some of the strongest Digimon in the Digital World." He scoffed.
"Do not underestimate our size." Piximon replied. "We may not be as strong as the Nightmare Six but we can be sneaky."
Pumpkinmon nudged Gotsumon in the side, winking. "Sounds like our kind of Digimon."
"We won't be engaging in battle with the Nightmare Six. We will be merely sneaking in there to rescue the others right from under their noses." Wizardmon added.
Matt looked down at his niece and saw the uneasy look on her face. He put a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be fine MJ." He said. "We're not running away. We're just going to take a step back and find out what's happened before we continue this fight."
"Exactly," Izzy nodded. "We'll be going in there blind if we were to rush in to help the others. The Nightmare Six will no doubt be at their strongest together. If we want to defeat them we need to get them to come out to where we want them. I'll admit my plan didn't go accordingly, but hopefully this is only a minor setback." He turned to Wizardmon Piximon. "We'll head over to the safe place we agreed on and meet you there. Be careful." He warned, to which the two Digimon nodded.
"Don't be disheartened." SaberLeomon spoke up; noticing a few of the younger DigiDestined and Digimon looked a little down. "We can still win. This battle is far from over."
.:No.6 Battery Island, Odaiba, Tokyo:.
"What you just witnessed there DigiDestined wasn't even a fraction of my true power. See how easily I brought down your Digimon. There is no point in fighting me. Many Digimon more powerful than yourselves have tried to fight me, and have failed." Grandracmon said with a sly smile, enjoying seeing the looks of fear on some of their faces. "Although I must say I have missed toying with the weaker Digimon." He humoured. "It wouldn't be fair to destroy you straight away as we are just getting acquainted."
Dawn rose to her feet, holding Agumon in her arms. "Who do you think you are? You're acting like you're a completely different Digimon. All you've done is grown an extra pair of legs and gotten more uglier!" she snapped.
Wisemon suddenly swooped down from beside Grandracmon, appearing almost right in Dawn's face. "I must warn you; anyone who speaks to our lord in that tone does not survive to tell the tale."
"Hey, back off!" Tai threatened as he placed himself in between his daughter and Wisemon, glaring at him.
"Calm down Wisemon," Grandracmon spoke. "There is no need to worry. The DigiDestined aren't a threat to me."
"But my lord," Wisemon began as he turned to his back Tai and Dawn and floated a little higher into the air. "May I advise you to deal with these two as quickly as possible… Remember the prophecy."
"Surely that prophecy was only meaningful when he was Myotismon," Craniamon spoke up from behind Grandracmon. "Now he has returned to his true form there isn't a Digimon anywhere in the Digital World, or any other world that can defeat him."
"What prophecy?" Tai's Agumon questioned, standing next to his partner. "What's going on? Who are you?"
Grandracmon chuckled. "I am Grandracmon; King of the vampire Digimon, and the ruler of the Dark Area. You may have been fighting Myotismon all these years but he is no longer here. You are now talking to a more powerful and supreme Digimon than that puny vampire ever was."
"He boasts such power even the Seven Great Demon Lords do not interfere with him." AxeKnightmon added.
Tactimon nodded. "And now Lord Grandracmon's reign has begun once more, your time is finally up DigiDestined."
Grandracmon looked down at Tai and Dawn, who were glaring up at him, causing him to smile to himself. "I must thank you for bringing the chest to me. This wouldn't have been possible without it." he began as he started to approach them. Tai's Agumon growled and placed himself in front of the father and daughter. "Although don't you feel the slightest bit of disappointment in your father?" he asked directly to Dawn, catching her off guard. "You risked your life to stop me from getting that chest only for your father to hand it straight back to me. His little trick didn't work and your bravery that day was in vain." He paused as he could see the Kamiya girl trying to keep her temper under control. "But it wouldn't be fair to give your father all the credit for this… You have your friend Azulongmon to thank as well."
"Huh?" TK straightened his stance at the mention of the Digimon Sovereign's name. "What do you mean?"
"He's the one who imprisoned me in Myotismon's body." Grandracmon declared smugly as he glanced over to the others. "He thought he could take me on, but he soon realised I was too powerful. The only way he could stop me was transforming me into Myotismon. But he didn't bet years later I would regain my memories from a little help from Wisemon, and return to my rightful form."
Craniamon chuckled. "It just shows you the true power of our master. Even Azulongmon, one of the great four sovereign's couldn't defeat him."
"And once I find that slithering sovereign I will destroy him for what he did to me." Grandracmon snarled. He continued to approach Tai and Dawn, forcing them to back away, away from the others. "But first I shall take care of you DigiDestined; starting with you two." He announced, causing Tai to push Dawn behind him. "I'm going to enjoy finally getting my revenge after years of losing you to humans. Once you two are out of the way, and everyone else in here, I will unleash the Nightmare Six to go and take care of the rest of your foolish friends."
Outside Garudamon was just arriving at the castle having flown across the bay from the airport. Sora, who was standing on her partner's left claw, looked on in awe at the frozen water below. It made the place she had grown up in look so different, and chilling. She looked ahead and noticed the very different looking No.6 battery island. "That must be Myotismon's castle." She spoke up. "It's so quiet…"
Garudamon nodded. "I don't understand though…Matt told me him and the others were going to distract the Nightmare Six whilst Tai and Agumon went to rescue the others… The battles can't be over already…"
Sora looked around. There were signs something had been going on… cracks and holes in the ice, part of the castle wall collapsed… but there was definitely no sign of anyone, not even any of Myotismon's guards. Unknown to her Izzy and the others had already left the area. She felt a little nervous now knowing Tai and Agumon had gone into the castle alone to rescue their daughter and the others. "Come on Garudamon, let's quickly check it out."
Garudamon swooped down approaching one of the high windows on the main part of the castle. She carefully pressed her body against the wall out of sight from anyone inside before she extended her left claw out towards the window, allowing Sora to look inside.
Sora stepped closer to the window, leaning against the wall for support. She slowly peered through gap and looked down inside. She gasped under her breath at the sight of Grandracmon. "Who is that?" she whispered to herself. She then noticed the five members of the Nightmare Six lined up behind him. "What's going on?… Oh no!" she exclaimed in horror as she saw her husband and daughter were backing away from the large terrifying Digimon. "Garudamon, they're in trouble! Hurry!"
"Tai, run!" Kari cried out as she, and the others, watched helplessly as Grandracmon cornered her brother and niece against the opposite wall.
Dan attempted to run to his best friend's aid but Cody held him back. Both of them then jumped when ChaosGallantmon's spear suddenly slammed down into the ground just in front of them.
"Don't even think about it." ChaosGallantmon growled, now blocking their path.
Grandracmon smiled to himself as he formed a small sphere of energy in the palm of his right hand. "I've waited for this day. The day the DigiDestined would look at me with fear."
"We're not afraid of you." Tai shot back calmly.
Unknown to everyone in the room; two shadows passed by across one of the high windows…
"You should be. Your courage won't save you this time," Grandracmon raised his hand about to release his attack, causing Tai to quickly turn his back on him, grabbing hold of his daughter in an attempt to shield her from the impending attack…
Suddenly there was an explosion as part of the wall near to where the others were standing blasted open and a large tornado of fire came flying in. The tornado built up more speed as it homed in on Grandracmon and slammed into him, causing him to stumble and lose his balance. His also lost his concentration as his attack fizzled out in his palm before he had chance to release it. The sound of a bird's squawk echoed through the room as Garudamon came swooping in through the hole in the wall and the smoke, and immediately fired another attack.
"Wing Blade!"
"It's Garudamon!" Gatomon exclaimed from her position on Kari's shoulder.
AxeKnightmon slid in front of his master and swung his Twin Spear down, slicing through Garudamon's attack before it had chance to strike. He then charged forward and swung his spear once more, hitting Garudamon and forcing her back.
"If Garudamon is here... that must mean-" Armadillomon wondered aloud.
Tai turned and looked across the room to see his wife standing on top of the pile of rubble that now lay in the middle of the hole in the wall. "Sora!"
Grandracmon growled as he straightened his stance; angry he had been caught out by such a weak attack. He looked down at Tai and Dawn, before turning his head in the direction of where they were currently looking. He smiled devilishly to himself as he saw Sora standing on the rubble. "How sweet… a family reunion…" he humoured. "Too bad it will be short lived!" he spat. In a flash he formed another sphere of energy in his palm and this time he took no hesitation in releasing it.
Tai reacted fast and pushed his daughter out of the way. "Look out!" He also managed to get himself out of the way in time as the attack hit the wall behind them, exploding on impact as they scrambled away.
"Tai!" Sora screamed as she jumped down from on top of the rubble and began to run towards them. "Garudamon, stop him!" she ordered as she hurried across the room, but she was stopped when Wisemon came swiftly gliding down towards her and pushed her into the wall, pinning her against it. "Hey, let go!" she exclaimed, struggling to free herself.
Garudamon tried to attack Grandracmon once more, but AxeKnightmon and Tactimon both flew in front, blocking her path. "Crimson Claw!" she engulfed her right fist in flames and swung a punch at the two members of the Nightmare Six, but they easily dodged it.
Tactimon dropped down just behind Garudamon and swung his mighty sword of storms down against her back, knocking her face down on the ground.
"Sora! Hey, let her go you creepy-" Tai shouted as he and Dawn ran towards the bearer of Love, but he was cut off when another attack from Grandracmon flew down in between him and Dawn, just missing them. The wall was blasted apart and the force from the blast sent Tai and Agumon falling back and threw Dawn and her own partner forward.
Grandracmon chuckled once the dust from the explosion had disappeared; now seeing there was a sizable gap between the father and daughter. "Don't worry, Wisemon will make sure she's next after I dispose of you two." he said as he glanced over in Tai's direction before he turned towards Dawn. "But first-say goodbye to your little girl."
Tai and Sora both watched in horror as Grandracmon formed another shot of energy in the palm of his hand…
"Pixie Bomb!"
"Huh?" Grandracmon paused just as he was about to release his attack. He looked around the room before looking up to see a shower of tiny pink bombs raining down from above. He took a step back as the bombs spread apart and landed on the ground around him and everyone else.
The bombs bounced a couple of times before they all exploded almost in unison, filling the room in a thick pink smoke. Grandracmon and the Nightmare Six growled and coughed as they squinted to see and tried to waft the air clear.
"Magical Game!"
Grandracmon froze, and he clenched his fists as he recognised the next attack that sounded throughout the room. He roared loudly as he flung his arms out either side and unleashed a powerful shockwave. The wave spread out across the entire room, dissolving the pink smoke in the process. Once it had all disappeared, Grandracmon looked down to where Dawn and Agumon had been; only to find they had now gone. "What?" he then looked across to where Tai and Agumon had been standing; and they too had vanished. Turning to the right, he saw Wisemon now floating there with his hand against the wall. Grandracmon growled, his anger rising as he finally turned to look behind him to where the rest of the DigiDestined had been only to see ChaosGallantmon standing alone…
"They're all gone, my lord…" ShadowSeraphimon observed. "But… but how have they escaped?" he wondered in disbelief.
Grandracmon narrowed his eyes. "That meddling Wizardmon…" he snarled. He turned around to face the Nightmare Six directly. "Find them." He ordered.
.:Tokyo Port, Odaiba, Tokyo:.
In an abandoned section of the Port, close to where the battle with Parasimon and Myotismon had previously taken place, a flash of light filled the sky and the DigiDestined and their Digimon all suddenly appeared outside in between an old warehouse and the edge of the dock.
Cody breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the fresh air on his face, whilst Dan looked around their new surroundings. "Where are we?" he wondered.
"You're safe now, yup, yup!" Piximon announced from behind the group, floating next to Wizardmon.
"We realised something was up when the Nightmare Six returned to the castle." The champion Digimon added. "The others retreated here," he motioned to the warehouse behind them with his staff.
TK smiled. "Thanks. You couldn't have come at a better time."
Kari also smiled before she cast a glance over to where her brother was hugging both his wife and daughter.
Sora hugged her daughter tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay." She said before she rose to her feet and turned around in Tai's arms, also hugging him. "Tai, I've been worried sick about you both. Don't scare me like that-" she stopped as she felt her husband flinch and tense his body as she hugged him. "What's the matter? Are you…. Hurt…? She paused for a brief moment as she looked up, immediately noticing the large cut on his forehead above his left eye. "What happened to your forehead?"
"Uh… nothing…." Tai replied a little sheepishly.
Sora saw straight through it and took a step back, folding her arms across her chest. "Tai Kamiya." She said sternly. "When I left the other day you did not have that cut above your eye." She then studied him a little more closely, noticing the faint bruising around his other eye. "Tai have you been fighting with Matt again?"
"What? No!" Tai protested. "Sora, it's nothing really. I'm fine. It was just a little accident…" But that didn't ease Sora suspicions as she continued to look up at him firmly.
"You better tell her Dad," Dawn said.
"Tell me what? What happened? And don't try and tell me those injuries are from just now because they look at least a couple of days old."
Tai sighed. "Alright… look Sor', the day after you left, me and Agumon got into a little tiny fight with Myotismon."
"What?" Sora gasped. "And you weren't going to tell me?"
"No-I mean yes!" Tai quickly corrected himself. "I was going to tell you… but not until after you came back from New York. You'd just got there and I knew if I told you me and Agumon had just been beaten up by Myotismon you would have come straight back home."
"Of course I would have!" Sora exclaimed. "Tai, you and Dawn mean far more to me than a bunch of fashion shows. You were just going to let me carry on with my trip without telling me you were hurt?"
"I just didn't want you to worry…" Tai admitted.
"But I did worry. I tried calling you about a dozen times Tai but you weren't answering your phone. All I kept seeing were reports of Digimon all over the city with no idea if you and Dawn were okay."
Dawn looked up at her parents. "Hey, on the bright side Mom, he's not looking half as worse as he did when it happened." She spoke up, which in turn earned her a stern glare from her father.
Sora couldn't help but smile a little before she looked up at Tai her expression softening a little. "You know, I'm just so relieved you're both okay I can't stay mad at you." She then leaned up a little on her tiptoes and gave her husband a quick kiss on the lips. "But you better promise never to keep something like this from me again, okay?"
Tai smiled slightly. "I promise." He said before he kissed her back.
Dawn crunched her face up. "Gross…"
Piximon faked a cough, catching the family's attention. "I hate to break up the family reunion, but we better get inside out of sight!"
Tai and Sora turned around to see Piximon pointing his staff towards the open doorway of the warehouse where everyone else was heading inside. The Kamiya family and their Digimon followed suit and walked over to the small pink Digimon, passing by and into the warehouse before Wizardmon closed the doors behind them.
Inside everyone was gathered together, including their Digimon friends. Izzy was sitting on a rusted oil drum at an old wooden table with his laptop open speaking to Jim, no doubt getting an update at what was happening back at his lab. Everyone else was huddled together in their respective families, whilst Leomon, BlackWarGreymon and the rest of the Digimon were standing together at the back.
"Mom!" "Dad!" Margaret and MJ bolted away from where they had been standing with Matt and embraced their parents.
"Sora!" Mimi squealed. She ran over and threw her arms around her best friend, hugging her tightly. "How did you get back? I thought all flights were cancelled into Tokyo?"
Sora stumbled back a little from the force of Mimi's hug. "I bumped into Willis at the airport in New York. He was kind enough to fly me home. Private planes can fly in at their own risk." She said as they parted. "We arrived back just in time too."
"Willis is here?" Yolei smiled.
Sora nodded. "Yeah, but he's back at Haneda airport. He said he'd catch up with us later."
As Fernanda and Dan reunited with their fathers, Izzy ended his conversation with Jim before he rose to his feet and walked over; very much relieved everybody had made it. "I'm glad everyone's alright." He said. "What happened?"
"Myotismon had the key all along Izzy." Tai began to explain. "He was able to open the chest. He tricked us into thinking we were tricking him. It all happened so fast but whatever was inside it allowed him to transform into another Digimon."
"Another Digimon..?" Mimi repeated in awe. "He's digivolved again?"
"I'm not too sure. The way he was talking I don't think he has digivolved. He's called Grandracmon now, and the Nightmare Six seem to worship him." Tai said.
"Grandracmon? Never heard that name before." Frigimon spoke up.
"He's a really big ugly looking Digimon!" Dan exclaimed.
"And powerful." Dawn added. "He managed to take down both VictoryGreymon and WarGreymon without breaking into a sweat. He calls himself the king of the vampire Digimon and the ruler of the Dark Area."
"Not only that, he told us it was Azulongmon who transformed him into Myotismon in the first place." TK also said.
Izzy sighed and rubbed his temple. "My plan seems to have drawn more questions than answers."
"Don't worry Izzy," his partner reassured. "I'm sure we can work all this out. At least everyone is safe and we're all together."
Kari left TK's side and walked over to her brother. "Tai, we heard Wisemon say something about a prophecy right before Grandracmon seemed to focus on you and Dawn. What did he mean by that?"
Tai shrugged. "Beats me… I've never heard anything mentioned about a prophecy before. It's probably one of Wisemon's crazy theories."
"I think I might know…" Gatomon spoke up, catching their attention. She slipped her right glove off a little and pulled out a scroll of paper from inside. "It might have something to do with this."
"What is it?" Biyomon asked, who was standing next to her.
"I tore it out of a book during the fight against Myotismon just before he transformed. When he threw me to the ground I landed on a large open book. It was written in Digi-code. It mentions something about courage which caught my attention."
Wizardmon took the piece of paper from his friend and unravelled it before he read it aloud. "The willingness to confront pain, fear, danger, uncertainty and intimidation will be rewarded. Although apart, they will come together and on the seventh night in the mist of darkness their courage will bind. And the ancient dragon will be unleashed."
"That sure sounds like a prophecy." Patamon commented.
"Yes but what does it mean?" TK pondered, glancing at his partner who was perched on his shoulders.
Izzy, who had returned to his laptop and had been typing up the prophecy as Wizardmon had read it out, studied the words for a few moments. It seemed quite cryptic, and at a first look seemed a little harder to figure out than the one they were given by Gennai when they were kids… if only Gennai were here now he may have been able to draw some light on it…
Jonathon walked over, standing beside his father noticing he was deep in thought. "Do you know what it means, Dad?"
Izzy sighed, shaking his head. "Not really… It's very basic, and that doesn't really help me… If it had more detail it might be a little clearer."
The young Izumi boy studied the screen. "The seventh night… today's date is the seventh… does that mean whatever this prophecy is referring to will happen tonight?"
"Possibly… if it does then it doesn't give us much time to figure out what will be happening…"
Cody leaned over Izzy's shoulder looking at the screen. "It must be referring to Tai and Dawn. Why else would Grandracmon be so focused on eliminating them first?"
"Well we've certainly been through all that pain and danger…" Tai said light-heartedly.
Sora, all of a suddenly feeling a little uneasy, slipped her hand into Tai's and squeezed it slightly. If Grandracmon was indeed focused on her husband and daughter; that meant they were still in the direct line of danger…
Izzy got to his feet and turned to the bearer of Courage. "Tai, this could be important in defeating Grandracmon and the Nightmare Six. I need you to think; is there anything in that prophecy that makes sense to you?"
"Izzy if you can't work it out what makes you think I can?" Tai replied. "Except for the fact we've probably experienced everything on that first line, none of it makes sense."
Leomon approached the DigiDestined. "If the first part has already been fulfilled… that means the rest will no doubt soon follow."
BlackWarGreymon also stepped forward standing next to the lion Digimon. "We will need to figure it out quickly. No doubt Grandracmon would have sent out the Nightmare Six to look for us. It will only be a matter of time before they find us here."
"Huh?" Tentomon's ear twitched as he heard a faint crackling sound coming from the laptop screen. The screen began to flicker and become a little hazy. "Uhh...Izzy, you better come and take a look at this." He called over to his partner.
Izzy soon appeared next to the insect Digimon, and watched the screen for a few moments. "It seems we're getting a transmission of some kind…" he thought aloud as he began to type on the keyboard.
"Let's hope it's not Grandracmon calling us again…" Tentomon humoured.
The flickering became a little worse, and the prophecy on screen began to fade, and a fuzzy image of someone else began to appear. "Is that…?" Izzy gasped under his breath. "It is… it's Azulongmon!"
The mention of Azulongmon's name caught the attention of the others. Izzy continued to type before he pressed one of the buttons and the image of Azulongmon became a little clearer; although it was still a faint image as the transmission wasn't the strongest.
"Hello DigiDestined…" Azulongmon spoke, his image flickering a little.
"Perfect timing Azulongmon; You have some explaining to do." Tai said sharply.
The old Digimon sighed. "I apologise for the weak signal but this is the only way I can get this message through. It takes up quite a bit of my strength to contact you through these channels… You have already probably guessed why I am contacting you after all these years."
"You bet we have," Tai's Agumon replied. "We've just barely escaped being obliterated by Grandracmon!"
"I'm sorry… I never thought the day would come where Grandracmon would return. I had felt the hold I had put on him through Myotismon break so I knew I had to contact you DigiDestined as soon as I could to warn you."
"Who is he?" Izzy asked. "We've never heard of him before."
"Grandracmon is a very powerful and destructive Digimon-" Azulongmon paused as his image flickered for a moment. "He's been around for many, many years. Not many Digimon know of him as he has spent his life living in a castle in the depths of the Dark Area where he ruled with the Nightmare Six at his side. He considers himself to be the King of the vampire Digimon. One day he managed to escape from the Dark Area and began to cause destruction everywhere he went throughout the Digital World. He was thirsty for more power, and more land to rule over. If I hadn't of interfered he would have certainly taken over the entire Digital World and destroyed almost all Digimon who he saw were not strong enough to serve under his rule."
"So what happened? Why did you transform him into Myotismon? Couldn't you destroy him?" Davis questioned.
"That was the only way I could stop Grandracmon. I am ashamed to admit I was not strong enough to defeat him. The only way I could stop his rampage was to transform him into a weaker Digimon where his power would be trapped within with no recollection of it. Unfortunately that kind of power used up almost all my strength and I had to summon Anubismon to send Myotismon back and lock him away in the depths of the Dark Area prison."
"What is this Dark Area? How come we've never heard of it before?" Ken asked.
"The Dark Area is an abyss… a sort of graveyard of deleted data. It's mainly located in a spatial distortion of the Digital World below the Net Ocean. It's home to some of the most feared Digimon." Azulongmon replied. "Anubismon supervises the data that arrives at the Dark Area. If he deems the data of a Digimon to be evil he will imprison them within the Dark Area for eternity. But if the data that arrives is good he will send that data back up to the Digital World where the Digimon will be reborn in Primary Village."
"So... you're saying all the Digimon we've defeated in the past… Devimon, The Dark Masters… their data is trapped within the Dark Area?" Joe said.
"Yes."
Tai folded his arms. "So, if Anubismon imprisons bad Digimon in the Dark Area for eternity; how did Myotismon escape?"
The Digimon sovereign sighed. "I'm afraid he stumbled upon a weak spot in the Dark Area's barrier and was able to escape back into the Digital World. Of course he had no memory of his past life as Grandracmon, but he began his own quest as Myotismon where ultimately he would meet you DigiDestined. Unfortunately the weak spot remains unknown to us but Anubismon is doing all he can to find out where it is and fix it."
"What?!" Tai exclaimed. "You're telling me there is still a weak spot in that barrier where potentially more Digimon like Grandracmon can simply escape into the Digital World?"
"The Dark Area is a vast stretch of space. It's almost like looking for a tiny fish in the ocean. I suspect Wisemon and the Nightmare Six used that same weak spot to also travel into Digital World. But like I said; Anubismon is working hard on sealing that gap."
"Sounds like an awfully big job for one Digimon…" Yolei commented.
Izzy scratched his head a little. "I don't mean to be rude Azulongmon; but I thought Myotismon was created when Apocalymon first appeared and caused the initial chaos within the Digital World? That's what Gennai told us."
"Apocalymon appeared around about the same time Myotismon escaped from the Dark Area. Perhaps that's why Gennai led you to believe he had been created from Apocalymon's chaos." Azulongmon replied. "I must warn you DigiDestined; Grandracmon is a Digimon you must not take on lightly. He is very powerful, as are the Nightmare Six."
"We've already taken out one of the Nightmare Six," Matt said calmly.
"That is good news but you still have a lot of work ahead of you. I suspect after you destroyed one of them that the rest will not fall as easily. This may be your toughest fight yet DigiDestined."
Gomamon jumped up onto Joe's shoulder. "What makes you think we can defeat Grandracmon if you couldn't?"
"Gomamon." Joe warned.
"What? It's a perfectly reasonable question." Gomamon protested.
"I can see why you would think that if one of the four sovereigns couldn't defeat him; what chance do you have? But you are stronger than you think DigiDestined; some more than others. You can defeat Grandracmon. And there is a way you can defeat him for good this time."
"For good?" Kari quizzed. "You mean in the past when we have defeated Myotismon and he somehow manages to return each time?"
Azulongmon gave a nod. "For years I have been wondering the answer to that very question you have probably been asking yourselves. At first I believed it was simply because some poor soul had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, like Oikawa for example. But after you destroyed MaloMyotismon I had no explanation as to how he returned years later. But I believe I now know the answer…. When I transformed Grandracmon into Myotismon I stole a piece of his data and sealed it away inside a chest which I hid on an unknown island heavily guarded by an army of Digimon."
"So that's what was inside that chest…" Tai muttered under his breath.
"Sealing away that piece of his data meant he could never return to Grandracmon as his data would always be incomplete. After talking with my fellow sovereigns I believe Grandracmon has another piece of his data sealed away somewhere; a special part of his soul that allows his data to survive, even after it's been destroyed. I believe that part to be hidden away somewhere in the Dark Area; most likely inside his castle where it would be safe."
"All this time you've helped him stay alive by sealing away that piece of data?" Agumon questioned.
Azulongmon sighed. "Yes. I confess I was unaware of that slight oversight when I stole a piece of his data believing it would only stop him from returning to his original form… but now that piece of data has returned to his body all that is left is the other piece he has sealed away."
"So… we destroy that piece of his data and we destroy Grandracmon?" Tai thought aloud.
"Not quite. Destroying that piece of his data would make him mortal enough to destroy him for good. Without that piece the rest of his data won't be able to restore itself once you have defeated him." Just then the screen hazed out, and the image of Azulongmon vanished for a brief second. "I'm sorry DigiDestined but I fear I don't have long left now. I feel the signal is getting weaker…"
"Wait!" Sora exclaimed, stepping forward. "Myotismon-I mean Grandracmon- has this prophecy he doesn't want to be fulfilled. Do you know what it means?"
Azulongmon's image faded out again before returning. "I don't know of this prophecy you speak of but if Grandracmon does not want it to be fulfilled I believe it will be of some importance to you. Remember, you need to destroy that piece of his soul if you are to stand any chance of defeating him… remember his castle is in the depths of the Dark Area… surrounded in the mist of darkness-" Azulongmon vanished as the transmission abruptly ended and the prophecy appeared on screen again.
"Well that was helpful." Ogremon huffed before he turned and wandered away from the group.
"At least we understand now why Myotismon kept on coming back each time we destroyed him." Joe said.
"What I don't understand is why Azulongmon has kept this from us all this time. Why didn't he tell us sooner there was a hidden piece of his data buried away?" Matt commented. "If Myotismon hadn't of transformed back into Grandracmon we would be fighting him for the rest of our lives."
"He must have had his reasons Matt." Gabumon replied looking up at his partner. "At least we now know how to destroy him for good."
"It's all good telling us to go and destroy that piece of Grandracmon's data but did he actually tell us how to enter the Dark Area?" Stacey spoke up, folding her arms. "He can't expect us to go and find that weak spot in the barrier in time if they haven't been able to find it in years."
"There must be a way otherwise Azulongmon wouldn't have told us to go there." SnowAgumon said.
As the others continued their discussion, Izzy was sat back down staring at the prophecy on the screen. He had been looking at it since Azulongmon's transmission had ended. "In the mist of darkness…." He thought aloud, echoing Azulongmon's last words. As he reread the prophecy over it started to become a little clearer. Azulongmon had said he didn't know of the prophecy… but it couldn't be a coincidence he had said the exact same five words that were written there? "Could it be…" he muttered before he turned around on the oil drum to face the others who were now all looking at him. "I think I may have solved it." He declared.
"I knew you would Izzy!" Tentomon cheered.
"What is it Dad?" Jonathon urged eager to know.
"Azulongmon's last words were Grandracmon's castle is located in the depths of the Dark Area surrounded in the mist of darkness… the prophecy says 'although apart, they will come together and on the seventh night in the mist of darkness their courage will bind'…. I know that Azulongmon said he didn't know of the prophecy but it can't be a coincidence he told us those words at the end. The mist of darkness is referring to Grandracmon's castle in the Dark Area…"
Matt looked a little puzzled. "It still doesn't tell us what's going to actually happen though Izzy. All it means is whatever is going to happen is going to happen in the Dark Area."
Izzy nodded. "Exactly, and I believe the prophecy is referring to Tai and Dawn… they need to go to the Dark Area and destroy that piece of Grandracmon's data."
Everything fell silent as everyone turned and looked at the father and daughter who were standing together. Tai took a slight step back as everyone's eyes were on him as he tried to take in what Izzy had just said.
Dawn simply remained still, a little shocked. "Uhh what?"
.:No 6. Battery Island, Odaiba, Tokyo:.
Grandracmon was standing outside at the edge of the battery island overlooking the bay. He surveyed the city buildings around him; knowing the DigiDestined would be hiding somewhere within them.
Wisemon floated up from behind, coming to a stop by his side. "My lord, I fear we missed our opportunity to destroy the DigiDestined."
The demon beast Digimon growled. "They may have escaped for now but they can't hide forever." He muttered. "Those fools can't destroy me, Wisemon. You know that." He looked up as he saw AxeKnightmon flying towards them. "Well?" he demanded once he had reached them.
"No sign of them yet, my lord." AxeKnightmon replied, bowing his head.
"Then keep looking." Grandracmon ordered. "They'll be here somewhere. They still have loved ones in this city so they won't run too far… and when you do find them I want you to destroy them."
"Consider it done, my lord." AxeKnightmon said with a hint of pleasure before he turned and flew off back into the Odaiba area.
Grandracmon watched him until he disappeared behind one of the apartment buildings. "We will get them Wisemon… even if we have to reduce this city to rubble. I will destroy the DigiDestined."
Wisemon nodded, although he still showed a slight look of uncertainty in his eyes; unable to shake the feeling they had indeed missed their chance at victory…
To be continued…