When Nishi stepped through the gate, he found himself in a completely different atmosphere than in the Digital World. Everything was much darker and difficult to see through the fog. The air smelled stuffy, and everything seemed gray. Was this even still a part of the Digital World? What else had Yggdrasil created? Or was it the work of Homeostasis?
Nishi continued on his way and came to a cliff. Before him stretched a vast sea. Far off, he heard a growling and a figure with a kind of trident. Below him, he recognized several shadows crawling along the coast. There seemed to be Digimon here at least. Also, he felt that he was still in a digital environment.
He strolled along the beach, letting his gaze wander further and further. He had no idea where he should look for the entrance here. It had taken him months to find a portal that would take him to Yggdrasil's sphere. Well, this world here seemed much smaller than the Digital World, but still, he did not want to waste any more time. He had a specific goal that he wanted to reach as soon as possible.
He had now reached a dead end. The waves kept crashing towards him. Then he noticed something behind him. He turned around and recognized a round shadow in the sand. He cleared his throat.
"Uh, can I do something for you?", he wanted to know. The shadow now moved, and from it came a figure in a red robe. It seemed humanoid, especially with the chain it wore.
"Interesting. Although you are only a human, you could feel my presence. And apparently also my intentions," the figure spoke. For Nishi, there was no doubt that it was also a Digimon.
"Well, I actually need someone to show me around here. I'm looking for something. Aren't you a local?" The robed figure lowered its head.
"I am certainly not. I was banished here, by humans like you. And believe me, if I meet them again, I will take revenge."
Nishi's eyes widened slightly, and then he pointed at his counterpart.
"I see! So you're a real villain!" The figure only reacted with a growl.
"Call me what you want, human. But if you are able to open a portal to the outside, then you will do it for me now. Otherwise, I will get uncomfortable," it threatened and stormed towards Nishi. This one had already raised his finger and only lowered it slightly to hold the attacker on the ground. The latter had not expected this.
"Well... good. Apparently, you are stronger than I estimated. Maybe... we can help each other..." Nishi had no desire to negotiate, but also did not want to waste any more time.
"Nice, I'll be happy to open a portal for you. But first, when I find what I'm looking for," he offered. His counterpart agreed. Then Nishi told about Homeostasis, and the robed man thought for a moment. Then he came up with an idea where Nishi might find what he was looking for. As the latter took a step, he stopped once more.
"Oh, something occurs to me. While I'm gone, I'd still have a job for you." The robed man pricked up his ears.
"Most likely, the humans you mentioned earlier will follow me. It would be nice if you could take care of them."
A suggestion that the robed man was happy to accept. After all, revenge was the only thing that had occupied him for the last few years.
As Tai and Matt entered Gennai's sphere, the others were already waiting for them. Even Gennai himself seemed glad that they had finally arrived. Tai handed him his DigiVice so that their ally could open access to Homeostasis. Above its headquarters, a wide portal actually opened.
"Are you ready? Homeostasis is prepared for you; I think they are even expecting your help."
Matt nodded.
"Good, then Tai and I will form the front line. We'll position ourselves directly in front of the entrance to Homeostasis and stop Nishi there."
The others also thought it was a good idea.
Especially Davis and Ken were aware that Agumon and Gabumon, besides Imperialdramon, were still their strongest fighting power. They would have liked to have Amateramon available as well, but this one had only been formed by a Digi-Xros at the time. But even without it, they should be quite well positioned. With the Digi-Destined and their partners, they would outnumber the Royal Knights and have a numerical advantage. Even someone like Nishi shouldn't have it easy with a team like this.
Izzy spoke up via T.K.'s DigiVice.
"All clear. I'll stay here in my office and coordinate everything. But don't worry, I'll send Tentomon with you. He may have rusted a bit in the last few years because he's been eating nothing but snacks, but he should still be of help."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?", the insect Digimon objected.
Gennai spoke again.
"Good, then I'll bring Rurimon over to me. Then I'll open a gate to the Sea of Darkness. Look out for a lighthouse there. This represents the point of entry. The others will then go directly to Homeostasis. Get ready."
The Digi-Destined were already ready for the decisive battle.
Rurimon now reached the sphere. Hackmon had already waited for it and gave it a sign to follow him.
Then Gennai opened a portal to the Sea of Darkness. He asked Ken and Davis once more if they were really going to carry out their plan. They were determined, however. If there was a way to prevent Nishi from reaching Homeostasis in the first place, they had to take it.
The others wished the two good luck once more before they stepped through the gate.
Takeshi, Shun, and Tsubasa nodded to each other. Their Digimon were also ready. In the last battles, they had become stronger and would take advantage of this fact.
Only Izzy was left behind in his office. He kneaded his fingers and then got started. He would have liked to fight with his friends, but he trusted Tentomon completely.
As soon as Davis and Ken entered the new world, they realized that this could not be the Digital World. It seemed darker, everything was full of fog, and even the air smelled stuffy, similar to a factory site.
It lacked colors; everything seemed gray and toneless.
"So this is the Sea of Darkness," murmured Davis.
He remembered shamefully how Kari had described this place. She was the only one who had entered it so far. Gennai had described this place as an area for dead sectors; it must behave similarly to the Fragment World. Just as Apocalymon was responsible for that place, Dragomon seemed to be guarding this world. In the distance, they recognized a large figure with a trident in the sea. However, it would pose no danger to them.
They activated their DigiVices and soon climbed onto Imperialdramon's back. Gennai had mentioned a lighthouse; they had to find it. The question was whether Nishi knew about it or was still searching. If so, they had a temporal advantage over him.
Davis now observed how Ken held his head.
"Everything all right?", he asked his friend.
He nodded.
"Yes, just... a headache."
"This is really not the time for that. Please concentrate."
He didn't have to tell Ken that; he took this mission as seriously as anyone else. If not more, after all, he was now married and thinking about starting a family. Just the fact that he was involving Yolei in this matter was weighing on him. No, they had to stop Nishi on this side; he wanted to spare his wife this fight.
But... what was that in his head? It didn't feel like normal headaches. A darkness and melancholy had come over him. The last time he had felt like this... was when he had carried the seed of darkness within him. He was probably just imagining it. When Davis drew his attention to something, he became more focused.
In the distance, a lighthouse was visible. Imperialdramon landed in the valley below, and the two Digi-Destined dismounted.
"Up there seems to be the right place. I can't see if anyone is there yet. In any case, we should hurry."
Ken agreed, but after the first steps, he stopped. Once again, he grabbed his head.
"Hey, what's wrong? Headache again?"
Ken pressed his hands against his ears.
"This laughter! Don't you hear it! I can't stand this laughter anymore!"
His friend looked at him perplexed. What laughter was he talking about?
"No, I don't hear anything. What's wrong with you?"
Ken's head threatened to explode.
"The laughter! It won't stop!"
Davis wanted to try to shake his friend awake, but then he heard it too.
"Hahahaha. What a surprise, isn't it?", a voice sounded in the near distance.
Davis turned around and recognized how a figure rose directly from the ground. It reminded him of Mephismon, who could hide in shadows. This figure seemed more humanoid, however, and even wore clothing. It was a red robe with an equally red hood.
Both Davis and Ken's eyes widened.
"That... is that who I'm thinking of?", Imperialdramon was now also astonished.
"Hahahaha.", the figure continued to laugh.
Davis clenched his fists.
"Deemon. I can't believe we're running into him of all people."
It wasn't particularly surprising, though. They had only banished the leader of the Seed Cult at the time. And namely here, to the Sea of Dragomon.
The robed man ended his laughter.
"I did tell you, didn't I? That we would meet again one day."
Davis and Ken were not prepared for this opponent.
"Ah, the Digimon Emperor himself has graced us with his presence. I was always particularly proud of you; you were my masterpiece. No one could enslave Digimon as well as you," Deemon spoke.
Ken's eyes widened. There was anger and hatred in them.
"Shut up! I'm not that anymore!"
Deemon laughed again.
"Yes, unfortunately. You are such a disappointment. You could have become so much."
Now Davis also joined in.
"And that's exactly what happened! Ken became the best friend you could have. And he will be the best husband there is. He has friends and a family, something you can only dream of. He may no longer be the Digimon Emperor... but at least he's not as pitiful as you!" With that, he seemed to have made Deemon even angrier than he already was.
"As you wish. I will destroy you and thus take revenge. Then the human will finally help me get out of this dreary place. I can hardly wait to return to the Digital World and continue my research."
Davis was taken aback.
"The human? You mean Nishi? Where is he? And what did he promise you?" he demanded to know.
Deemon pointed to the lighthouse above them.
"I don't know exactly. But I immediately sensed that he is someone who has big plans. And as my reward, he will get me out of here."
Ken now stood up to him.
"Forget it! Nishi plans to destroy the Digital World and our world. He won't keep his word!"
But Deemon seemed unimpressed by this.
"Nice try. But no one is capable of destroying entire worlds. Your deception has no success."
Davis was stunned.
"The human? You mean Nishi? Where is he? And what did he promise you?" he demanded to know.
Deemon pointed to the lighthouse above them.
"I don't know exactly. But I immediately sensed that he is someone who has big plans. And as my reward, he will get me out of here."
Ken now stood up to him.
"Forget it! Nishi plans to destroy the Digital World and our world. He won't keep his word!"
But Deemon seemed unimpressed by this.
"Nice try. But no one is capable of destroying entire worlds. Your deception has no success."
Davis put a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Forget it; let's not waste any more time with him. Let's take him down and then head to the lighthouse. If Nishi is really already there, we have to hurry!"
Ken knew that his friend was right.
They made room for Imperialdramon, who switched to his fighter mode.
Deemon also got ready.
"I remember you. You couldn't do anything against me last time. And this time, I will destroy you!"
He hurled a red energy ball at the ancient dragon, which was thrown back.
"Damn! I had forgotten how powerful Deemon is," Davis growled.
"Yes, but... he's no match for Nishi. If we don't defeat Deemon, we'll have a hard time against him," Ken countered.
Davis put on a smile.
"There you go! That's what I like to see. Your wife would be proud of you."
Ken sighed but focused on the battle ahead nonetheless.
"Imperialdramon! We are stronger now than we were then. You will prove that to him!" he called up to the dragon.
The latter nodded, and Ken and Davis strengthened him once more with the help of their DigiVices. A white alloy covered Imperialdramon, and a sword formed. He had switched to his Paladin mode, which made close combat easier for him. Deemon, who attacked more from a distance, should thus be at a disadvantage. The latter launched another attack, which also hit the dragon, but his defense was now so strengthened that it bounced off him. With his sword drawn, he now attacked the enemy.
Deemon dodged and seemed not happy about the changed form. He shot another ball, but Imperialdramon split it with his sword. When the enemy noticed that he could not achieve anything this way, he began to grin.
"All right. If I can't defeat you, then I'll destroy the source of your power!" he announced and disappeared into the ground.
The Digi-Destined reacted too late. He reappeared behind Ken and Davis and was ready to strike.
"Damn!", Imperialdramon roared and rushed to his partners.
But Deemon had already extended a claw and wanted to grab Ken. But he reacted quickly and held his DigiVice against him. It glowed, and the light threw Deemon back for a moment.
"Forget it! I won't let you use me for your purposes anymore!"
The light threw back Deemon's hood, revealing a gruesome face beneath it. It was truly worthy of a demon's. Davis pulled his friend aside.
Imperialdramon attacked just in time and struck the recoiling enemy with his sword. It buried itself directly in Deemon, who screamed.
The Digi-Destined watched as the enemy dissolved into data. The horror was over. Davis put an arm around his friend's shoulder.
"Are we the best, or what?"
Ken agreed, but then he remembered that there was no time to celebrate.
"Let's hurry! We don't know if Nishi has already opened a gate."
His friend agreed, and Imperialdramon let them climb onto his hand. They flew up to the hill with the lighthouse and came to a stop in front of it.
In front of the building stood a man in a long coat, his back turned to them.
"Nishi-san!", Ken and Davis called out to get his attention.
He turned around reluctantly.
"I understand the boy. But the fact that even you are disturbing me..."
His behavior made the two visibly angry.
"What's that supposed to mean? We're here to prevent our two worlds from being destroyed! What's wrong with you?", Davis yelled.
Nishi seemed tired and grumbled unhappily.
"I've already explained myself to you. If you're not okay with my new world, that's your problem."
Ken clenched his fists.
"Yes, you're right! It's our problem, and that's why we're going to fix it. Imperialdramon!", he gave his partner the command.
The latter rushed forward with his sword drawn, but Nishi effortlessly teleported to safety.
"Now!", Davis called out, and Nishi realized too late what the Dragon Paladin had in mind.
With his sword, he struck the lighthouse in two. Now Nishi decided to take the initiative. He landed on Imperialdramon's shoulder and touched his head. The dragon screamed as he suddenly began to glow. A few seconds later, the Digivolution dissolved, and DemiVeemon and Minomon fell to the ground. Davis and Ken caught them before they could hurt themselves.
"Damn! He disabled Imperialdramon with just one touch!", Davis cursed.
Ken looked up at the enemy.
"Yes, but... Imperialdramon was able to destroy the lighthouse before that. He can forget about accessing Homeostasis!"
Nishi floated back down to the ground and approached the ruins. With his raised hand, he made the rubble fly to the side until what was buried beneath it came to light. It was the xenon lamp used to warn ships in the distance. It now turned on, and the light shone into the sky. At this point, a gate opened.
The Digi-Destined realized that they had not succeeded after all. Nishi had managed to open the gate despite everything. Desperately, they stormed towards him, but he was already floating into the sky and passing through the gate. It closed again right behind him, leaving the two behind.
Davis hit the ground with his fist.
"Damn! We failed."
Ken put a hand on his shoulder.
"Yes, but we bought the others some time at least. Maybe not much, but they should have prepared themselves by now."
His friend agreed. They could only hope that their comrades would take over from this point on.
It was already the fourth time for Takeshi that he had been digitized and transported to another world. For Shun and Tsubasa, it was the third time. However, they landed in a different place this time. It did not resemble Gennai's intermediate world or the Digital World in any way.
They were standing on a crystalline floor; everything around them seemed like space. Except that they could breathe here. Crystals floated everywhere in the void and looked like little stars. Mushrooms also grew everywhere, glittering like crystals themselves.
They were thus inside the Homeostasis. It was a fascinating place that would soon become the scene of a battle. In the distance, they recognized another group. Kari saw her brother waving to them. Next to him was a woman with orange hair, a man with blue hair and glasses, and a woman with long brown hair. Behind them were their Digimon partners.
While Tai was already known, he introduced Takeshi and Co. to Sora and Joe. The latter had only been met by Shun so far. Mimi had hugged Tsubasa right away. Palmon, Gomamon, and Biyomon were of course also present. And, of course, Gabumon, whom Matt emphasized especially to the newcomers.
Yolei and Cody were the last to arrive. Izzy maintained communication in the meantime.
"OK, I'll send you the coordinates of the entrance. You're currently near the core of the Homeostasis. That's why I recommend you don't fight there. We can't risk damaging it."
Matt agreed with him.
"All right. Tai and I will go first. We'll intercept Nishi right at the entrance. Sora, Joe, and Mimi will provide support. The rest will stay here and form a defense line in case we fail."
Tai put a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, don't be so pessimistic! We'll manage. Right, Agumon?"
The little dinosaur raised an arm triumphantly into the air.
The oldest Digimon digitized their partners to their highest level and then flew off. Tentomon, whom Izzy directed from a distance, accompanied them.
Takeshi recognized a gigantic crystal structure on the platform opposite them.
"Hey, I'll go check over there, okay?", he said without really asking for permission.
T.K. wanted to hold him back at first.
"Maybe it's better if we stick together. We don't know our way around here."
But Takeshi felt the urge to contradict him.
"I don't know why... but I feel like I should go to that crystal over there."
Of course, he received skeptical looks for that.
"Yes, I have a similar feeling. I feel... as if I've been here before.", came from Prismamon.
T.K. wanted to object, but Kari interrupted him.
"We know that the Homeostasis has a certain connection to Digi-Destined. We should let them go."
His friend finally agreed.
As Takeshi and Prismamon set off, Tsubasa and Shun exchanged glances.
"And us?", the girl asked uncertainly.
For Shun, the answer seemed clear. He would not let his friend down again. He followed Takeshi, and so did Tsubasa.
"And... what do we do now?", Yolei wanted to know.
Cody, who was just stroking Armadillomon, pulled out his DigiVice.
"I'll get us ready, of course. I don't want to believe that Tai-san and the others could lose, but just in case, we should stay focused."
The others agreed with him.
Takeshi had hopped from platform to platform in the meantime. Tsubasa had almost fallen into the depths, but Shun had managed to catch her in time.
"Takeshi, wait a moment now!", he called after his friend.
But he did not listen. He had been drawn to the crystal structure on the last platform. Finally, he and Prismamon had reached it. It was a huge dome, a construction similar to branches, only instead of wood, it was made of crystals.
"Ah, you're back.", a voice sounded.
While Shun and Tsubasa were still looking around, Takeshi immediately recognized that it came from inside the crystal. It now deformed at one point, and something detached itself. In front of the Digi-Destined now stood a human-like figure, but not made of flesh, but of glittering crystals. Tsubasa was the first to notice that the form reminded her of someone familiar. The crystal being had taken on the form of Kari. When she began to speak, they recognized that it was also the same voice.
"Prismamon. Takeshi. I've been waiting for you."
Prismamon took a step forward.
"You are... the Homeostasis, right?"
The crystalline Kari nodded.
"Wait! What do you mean by waiting? Do you know Prismamon?", Takeshi wanted to know.
Only now did he notice that the crystals on his partner's body were very similar to those of this dimension.
The Homeostasis nodded again.
"Yes, I've been observing a human named Nishi for some time now. I forbade him to enter the Digital World again, but he defied me. Since then, I've been calculating what his next steps will be. That's why I created a Digimon whose properties are best suited to get to this point."
Tsubasa swallowed.
"So this is the place... where Prismamon was born?"
The little Digimon looked at its creator.
"So I wasn't born in the Digital World? But... that's where I met Ruri."
The Homeostasis agreed with him.
"Yes, it was no coincidence that you met the new form of Azulongmon. Nor was it a coincidence that you and Takeshi met.", she revealed.
The boy looked absent-mindedly from her to his partner.
All this time, he had assumed that his and Prismamon's meeting in the subway was just a coincidence. But apparently, everything had been precisely planned.
"So you foresaw all of this? That Prismamon and I would make it this far? All the battles and dangers?"
The being in front of them confirmed it.
"Up to this point, yes. But I don't know what will happen from now on. Whether you will be victorious, or whether this will be my end. It's completely open."
Shun now stood up in front of her.
"But... your end would mean the end of the Digital World and ours, right?"
The Homeostasis did not answer, which amounted to a confirmation.
"Then we'll protect you! Because by doing so, we're also protecting our world!", Takeshi was determined.
The face of the being in front of them did not change, making it difficult to read its emotions.
"In that case, I can only wish you good luck. No... all of us, rather."
Takeshi put a hand on his partner's head.
"Did you hear that? Our meeting was destiny. That means it's also destined for us to fight and win together!"
Prismamon nodded seriously. For him, a lot had changed. First, Ruri had been the only friend he had. But now there was also Takeshi. Plus Shun, Tsubasa, Hebimon, Koemon, and all the others. He now had so much... that he desperately wanted to protect.