Yuuko stared in shock at this pale boy. "I…How…?"

"Heh. You look like you've seen a ghost." the boy in white said. "Then again...in a way that's exactly what I am. A ghost of your past. A ghost of Zaxon."

"Yuuko, I don't believe I need to introduce you." Samudramon said. "This is Yuugo of Zaxon. But you can just call him Zero."

Yuuko was still in shock. "It can't be...the EDEN avatar I used?! The one with a A.I.?!"

"She's taking this better than I thought." Samudramon whispered to Gankoomon.

"How is this possible?! I thought you vanished after we last met!"

Zero put a hand on his hip and squinted. "You mean when you tried to erase me." Yuuko didn't know how to respond to that. "After our battle I thought I would indeed disappear. But the next thing I knew I was in the Digital World with Machinedramon. We were left to wonder for a while. No purpose, no mission. Then one day everything changed. King Drasil fell. Leopardmon formed his Next Order. I don't know what his scheme is, but I wasn't about to let him have his way. So, the two of us started gathering Digimon who we remembered from Zaxon. I was able to restore their memories using my own...unique existence in this world. Soon more believers joined our cause. And here we are."

"You're...leading Zaxon's Pride?" Yuuko asked.

"That is correct."

Yuuko was in shock. "I don't believe this..."

"Why? Would you rather be taking the helm of your team yourself? Or were you just hoping we would never meet again?"

"What? No, that's not what I meant!"

Zero frowned. "I'll be honest Yuuko. I still feel hesitant on working with you after everything that has happened. But right now, there is a lot more at stake than you or me. So, for now we should cooperate with each other even if we don't want to."

Yuuko sighed. "...Very well."

"Good. Now let's go over our situation. Samudramon has updated me on everything that has transpired since he left with Rapidmon Armor and the others. Ami was abducted. The Next Order invaded EDEN and another Digital World. And now this Hudie's Dream has emerged."

"And Nokia and the others are trying to gather Rebel's Heart to their location." Machinedramon added.

"Where do we go from here?" Yuuko asked. "I want to find Ami as quickly as possible. And Darcmon. But we don't know where Ami was taken. Or what happened to Darcmon after we were separated."

Zero folded his arms. "...About that...shortly after your arrival one of my scouts reported back. He was just patrolling the area you and Takumi were in." He snapped his fingers and a monitor appeared in front of Yuuko. "I'm afraid he brought us some bad news."

The screen started showing something. It was the area where Yuuko and Takumi confronted Dynasmon and the others. Darcmon was lying in the dirt utterly exhausted. The three knights were tired themselves. The mysterious black Digimon twirled his gun on his finger. "Phew. She put up a hell of a fight. But we managed to tame the beast."

Yuuko gasped. "No..." Darcmon grunted as she tried to stand up, but Dynasmon stomped on her head. She yelped as her face was pressed against the ground. "Darcmon!"

Craniamon caught his breath before approaching. "Darcmon. You are under arrest for your crimes against the Next Order. We have questions for you. And I believe you have something that belongs to us."

"Why don't we take her to my lab?" the masked Digimon suggested. "I'll see if I can do anything about Zhuqiamon's Digicore. It'll be a nice break from tampering with the Digimon those two girls have."

Dynasmon pulled Darcmon by her wings. She yelped as she was brough to her knees. "On your feet wench!"

The black Digimon snapped his fingers. A Myotismon emitting purple aura appeared behind Dacrmon and summoned a crimson red whip. "Crimson Lightning!" It wrapped around Darcmon's body squeezing her arms to her torso. He produced a whip in his other hand and whipped her in the back, making her scream.

"Alright, you heard the knight Darcmon." The masked Digimon grinned. "Start walking or there's more where that came from!" Darcmon grunted in pain as she slowly rose to her feet. Examon flew off as Craniamon and the others started walking away. Another whipping to the back and Darcmon wobbled after them.

Zero closed the monitor. "As you can see Darcmon was taken prisoner by the Next Order."

"Where did they take her?!" Yuuko asked.

"Our scout followed them to a laboratory north from here." Machinedramon replied.

"We need to help her!"

Zero nodded. "Agreed. Especially if she has something that the Next Order requires. But we should proceed with caution. We know too little about that masked Digimon."

Yuuko nodded. "Yes, I suppose you're right. What's more concerning is that he may be even more powerful than the Royal Knights. Including Examon."

Zero smiled. "So, you noticed too."

"Dynasmon, Craniamon and Examon looked tired from the battle against Darcmon. But that one wasn't even winded. There was something else I noticed. He mentioned two girls with Digimon at that lab."

"Indeed." Zero said. "It is possible he could be referring to Ami. As for the other…Samudramon mentioned you encountered people form another Digital World who were also looking for a friend kidnapped by the Next Order."

"Yes, someone named Shiki. It could be that lab is where they are. We can finally rescue Ami now!"

Takumi was lying on the bed with his googles on. He grunted as he got up. He grabbed his shirt from the box next to his bed and forced himself to his feet as he put it on.

Back in their cell Shiki was talking to Ami. The Cyber Sleuth was in shock. "Are you serious?!"

Shiki nodded. "Yes. He was the one who created the Dark Bond. It has to be him. I don't know why or how he came to this world, but there's no room for doubt."

"So right now…Rosemon and the others are…" Suddenly the teleported started to activate. Both girls looked at it. "Oh, please tell me it's Terriermon and his friends. In fact, just tell me it's not that pervert Vademon."

Lilithmon cackled as she came into the room. "Hello, little ones~."

"…That could very well be just as bad."

"Where's K?" Shiki asked.

Lilithmon approached. "He's off having a nice little chat with that brother of yours."

"Takuto?"

"They're having a nice tea party in Backlog Mire. But he also wants your dear brother to know how you're doing. So…" A blue screen appeared near her. "Ah, but first we need to get you two dressed for the occasion. Good thing I convinced Vademon to install a special function in those collars."

Ami blinked as Lilithmon licked her lips. "…I don't like the sound of that. Especially when it's coming from you."

In a dark swamp surrounded by a purple fog, Takuto walked forward looking around with Nova and Storm. "Where did that jerk go?" Takuto asked.

"Visual is poor with this fog." Nova said before sighing. "Maybe we shouldn't have followed him here. I got a bad feeling about this."

"No! K is the only one who knows for sure where Shiki is! The others will be fine."

"I'm more worried about us right now."

"Don't worry, we can take K. Especially now that we're starting to get the hang of this Overclock ability."

"True...I think we can control it more stably now."

Storm looked around with his eyes glowing. "I still see no sign of K. Or any Digimon here for that matter. What is this place, and why did K bring us here?"

As Takuto walked past a tall tree, K watched him like a hawk eyeing its prey from a large branch. He pulled up his Digivice. "Lilithmon, are we ready to start the show?"

"Almost, just getting the girls dressed."

"Well hurry up. Takuto's almost at...wait, girls? As in pleural?"

"Yes. Both Shiki and Ami."

"Takuto doesn't even know Ami, just worry about setting his sister up."

Lilithmon laughed. "And have poor Ami feel neglected? That's just rude. Besides, I thought you'd be down with having the Cyber Sleuth suffer too..."

K was quiet for a second. "...Just hurry up and get them ready."

"Oh, don't you worry. I'll make sure the girls are good and ready to put on a show for us~."

K sighed. "Why must you make everything sound creepy?"

Yuuko was still speaking with the avatar Yuugo. "It sounds like Hudiemon wishes to unite the resistance. They plan to take over Cache City to use as a base of operations."

Zero nodded. "Yes, so I've heard."

"And if we want to rescue Ami and Darcmon we need a sturdy attack force. Once Takumi is healed, we should go meet up with my brother and the others."

"I understand your logic. But I have two reasons to hesitate on this plan. First off, how can we know for a fact that they succeeded in taking Cache City? That place is under extremely heavy guard."

"Yuugo and the others won't fail. I'm sure of it."

"Your confidence is respectable, but there is no guarantee. Second, if we do leave this place revealing my true identity will be inevitable."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Yuuko asked.

"Think about it Yuuko. I'm not a Digimon like Zaxon's Pride thought I was. Hell, I'm not even human. I'm an AI, a tool made by humans. If word got out, the trust my people put in me will weaver. It could cause the team to fall apart like a house of cards."

"Are you saying your privacy is more valuable than whether or not we win this war?"

Zero sighed. "Did you not listen? I'm protecting my identity for the sake of the team, not my privacy."

"Is that really true? When we worked together, I thought I was using that avatar to become closer to my brother. But all I did was run away from myself."

"And how is that relevant to me? I am the avatar. Are you suggesting that I run away from myself?"

"No!" Yuuko sternly replied. "What I'm saying is you won't make any progress while hiding away in here! From what I hear, the only ones in your team who know who is leading them are currently in this room. Many think that Machinedramon is the true leader of this team. You say you're concerned about trust, but how can you expect them to trust a phantom over a person? As for the issue regarding Cache City, think about what we saw from Takumi, Ami, Arata and Nokia that day in Under Zero. We looked down on them and they surpassed us in an instant. And they have become even stronger since then. I know they will succeed."

"I understand what it is you're trying to say. And I'll admit, Hudiemon's logic for uniting us is sound. It's true, none of our Resistance teams have accomplished much on their own. But this is still a major risk. And all it'll take is one small slip up and we can lose everything." Zero looked down. "I'm responsible for the safety of everyone here. I can't let them down like…like we did on that day."

Yuuko frowned. She would never forget what they did in Under Zero. "I get that. Even if we were set up, we are largely to blame for the terror that happened back then. But that's why we can't just give up."

"I'm not giving up. I'm doing what I can to make sure the team survives."

Yuuko started to lose her patience. "The Next Order already owns most of the Digital World! How long do you think you can hide from them!? And when they do come here, you'll have nowhere to run! You won't win this war just by staying on the defensive forever!"

"Nor will we win it by being reckless!"

Gankoomon slammed his crutch against the ground making a loud bang. "Enough! This is getting us nowhere!" Everyone was startled into silence. "Bickering among ourselves will not solve our problems!" He made sure he had everyone's attention before continuing. "Both of your arguments are valid. We do need to act both decisively and cautiously. I won't pretend to understand what went down between the two of you, but surly there's a means for you to meet halfway on this."

Zero sighed. "I understand how everyone feels, but I-

There was loud banging at the door to the room. "Master Gankoomooooooon!"

Everyone looked down the stairs. "Blanc?" Gankoomon asked.

Zero turned to Yuuko. "Sorry, but can you find out what she wants?"

Yuuko huffed. "Fine. But this discussion isn't over." She walked back down the stairs with Samudramon and over to the door. She opened it and saw Sistermon Blanc with a panicked expression. "Blanc, what's wrong? Is the Next Order Attacking?"

"No, it's Takumi!"

"Takumi? Did something happen to him?!"

"He's trying to force his way out of the base!"

"What?!"

Takumi gritted his teeth leaning against a wall while facing the way out while clutching his side. "I said get out of the way!"

Sistermon Ceil and Socerimon stood firmly in his way. "I cannot do that Takumi." Socerimon replied. "You're still injured. You must return to the infirmary immediately."

"I'll be fine!"

Takumi started walking forward but Ceil put her palm against him holding him back. "No, you won't! Look at yourself, you can barely stand! Now listen to Socerimon and go rest!"

"I'll rest after I find Ami and Darcmon!"

"Takumi!" Yuuko ran over with Blanc and Samudramon. "What are you doing?!"

Rapidmon then caught up with BlackWarGreymon and Dorugoramon. "What's going on here!?"

"Ah, Yuuko! Good timing!" Ceil said. "Perhaps you can talk some sense into Takumi. He insists on going on a suicide trip to some laboratory north from here!"

"That's where Ami and Darcmon are." Takumi said. "I finally know where my sister is. And now Darcmon's been captured too! I can't wait around anymore!"

Yuuko gasped. "Wait, you know? How did- She noticed Takumi had his goggles and checked her Digivice. "…You put malware on me."

"I'm sorry. I knew you were going to meet Zero before me. I didn't want to get left in the dark again."

"So, you know who he-

"Yeah. I was shocked. But more importantly, thanks to him I can finally rescue my sister."

"And you thought you could do so without us?" Dorugoromon asked. "Takumi, don't be naive, do you think you can just walk in, and they'll give you Ami? There will be guards, traps and all sorts of dangers in there."

Takumi pushed Ceil out of the way and started limping forward. "I have to at least try! We don't know what's happening to her! They could be planning to kill her any minute now for all we know!"

"Takumi, calm down!" Yuuko said sternly as she hurried in front of him. "We are going to rescue Ami, but we need time! If we gather the others-

"I'm done waiting! If something were to happen to Ami…I…I'll never be able to face my father again!"

"Your father?" Socerimon asked.

Takumi exhaled. "…On that day my dad got in an accident on the way to work…by the time Ami, mom and I got to the hospital he was on death's door. I…I made him a promise before his time came…"

"A promise?" Yuuko asked.

"That's right…I promised him that I…I would look after Ami and mother. That was his dying wish…"

Yuuko stared at Takumi's saddened expression in shock. "Takumi…I had no idea…"

"That's why I have to save Ami." Takumi replied hanging his head low. "Even if it means going into enemy territory alone."

"Takumi, this is throwing your life away!" Rapidmon said. "Do you really think your father would want that?!"

"After what happened to my dad, Ami and my mother are all I have! As long as I can protect them, I…" He lifted his head up with a serious expression. "I don't care what happens to me!"

Yuuko's palms slapped against his cheeks as she held his head firmly in her hands. While it made a rather loud smack it didn't hurt Takumi much, just startled him and forced him to look right into her glaring eyes. "Listen to me Takumi. I get what it is your feeling. You know that. After what happened to my father, and Yuugo I know your pain better than anyone."

"Yuuko...?"

"You know how desperate I was to avenge my father and save Yuugo. I admit...scolding you for your behavior the way I'm about to is going to seem hypocritical of me...but I think you're being just as big of a hypocrite right now."

"Huh?"

"Back when I was trying to do everything myself was it not you who told me that I shouldn't be forcing myself? That I should trust those around me? You say your family is all you have but look around you." Yuuko looked at Rapidmon, BlackWarGreymon, and Dorugoromon. "You have your Digimon who would fight by your side to the very end. You have friends like Nokia and Arata who also want to rescue your sister." Yuuko smiled gently at him. "And that includes me. You aren't in on this alone. We're all here to help you. So, stop trying to make everything your responsibility." She slowly released her hold on his face. "I want to help you. You deserve it after everything you've done for us. And I'm not the only one who feels that way."

Takumi looked behind him. His Digimon nodded to him. Ceil winked as Blanc smiled. Socerimon nodded. "She's right Takumi." Everyone's attention turned to Jesmon as he approached.

"Jesmon? How much did you hear?" Takumi asked.

"All I needed to. I'm sorry about your father. I'm not going to say you shouldn't feel obliged to uphold your vow to him. It's the honorable thing to do. But not all vows are solely your responsibility. I once thought I needed to uphold mine to become stronger by myself. It took you protecting me even when I pushed you away to realize how foolish that was. You've done so much for me, and I want to return the favor by helping you the same way. No, more than that. I want to uphold your belief that working alongside others and helping them can make dreams come true. And trust me...I'm not the only one in Sleuth's Will who feels that way." He stepped aside and showed all the Digimon gathered behind him.

Takumi gasped. He recognized all of them from cases he and his sister took. "You're…!"

"What's up Takumi?" A MetalEtemon grinned. "Good to have my loyal fan back in the game!"

"Because of you I got a job in the human world and learned so much!" Pidemon said. "And now I'm going to help save this world and bring smiles to others!"

"You and Ami are both strong people detective." A GrapLeomon said. "I should know. Your sister will hang on."

A Minervamon stepped up. "Thanks to you and Ami I was able to make things right between Naoya and his family! Now I'm going to set things right for you two!"

A DemiDevimon flapped over. "You and Ami helped me get back together with my human! And now I'm get the two of you back together!"

A Virus MetalGreymon joined. "The kindness you two and that little girl showed me when you gave me that blanket…I'll never forget it. And now I want to do something to repay you."

A Justimon, stepped up with a SuperStarmon, a Starmon, a BlackWarGreymon, a Rosmeon and a Myotismon. "Thanks to you our movie was a huge success! More than that, we learned what being a hero truly means! And right now, it means helping those who helped us!"

A Tentomon stood with a bunch of other Digimon. "You and Ami are the famous Cyber Sleuths who made our festival a huge success! After all your kindness to Digimon it's about time we did something for you!"

TigerVespamon approached at well. "Takumi, you are not alone. You never were. You always had others ready to reach out to you. And that has not changed now."

Takumi smiled and was on the verge of crying. "All of you…"

Yuuko smiled. "Do you see now Takumi? You're not alone in rescuing Ami or saving this world. You're part of a much bigger whole. Everyone here has come so far because of you two. Because you two both believe in the ideal of people helping each other to make the world a better place. Just like your father. So, trust us. Trust yourself. We will save Ami together in due time."

Takumi stayed quiet for a moment as overwhelming emotions swirled within him. "…You're right." He hung his head low not wanting anyone to see his tears. "I…I can't believe I let myself lose sight of something so important…Thank you everyone."

Yuuko gently put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "You were there reaching your hand to me when I needed it. Now I want to be the one to help you. We'll find Ami. Together. But first your wounds need to heal. So, we're taking you back to the infirmary. By force if necessary."

Takumi nodded and turned around. He started to limp his way back, but it didn't take long for him to stumble and fall. The SuperStarmon and Minervamon ran over and caught him before he could hit the ground. MetalEtemon and GrapLeomon walked over and helped put Takumi on Pidemon's back who proceeded to carry him. Everyone followed him all the way back to the infirmary where he sat Takumi back onto the bed. Socerimon nodded. "Thank you everyone." Most of the Digimon left, save for Takumi's partners, Yuuko's, the Sistermon and TigerVespamon. "First we better make sure Takumi's wounds didn't open up from him moving."

"Right." Yuuko strode over and gripped Takumi's shirt.

"H-hey!" Takumi immediately got flustered.

"Takumi, hold still." Yuuko sternly said as she pulled harder making him bend forward as she slowly worked his shirt over his head and forced it off of him.

"Aww~ he's shy." Ciel giggled watching Takumi blush.

Socerimon checked the bandages as Yuuko having accidently pulled Takumi's shirt inside out fixed it before putting it down on a crate. "Hmm…Dosen't seem too bad."

Yuuko gently pushed Takumi down, so he was lying down on the bed. As Socerimon held his staff over him she covered his eyes with her hand. "Yuuko?" Takumi reached up to remove the hand enveloping his sight in darkness. "What-

"Shhh…" Yuuko gently pushed his hand away then sat down on a stool. "Rest Takumi. Evreything will be alright." She watched Takumi start to relax as Socerimon healed him. After a minute Yuuko started humming a gentle tune.

The humming filled Takumi's ears. His body relaxed as his mind grew hazy. He was lured into a deep slumber with a small smile. As his breathing became slow and easy, Yuuko removed her hand and watched Socerimon resumed healing him. "Wow. He's out like a light." BlackWarGreymon said.

"Yeah. That works even better than the lullaby I sing for Blanc." Ceil smiled. "You're good at this Yuuko."

"It was nothing. I was just emulating what my mother did for me when I was little."

"You have grown as a person Yuuko." He TiggerVespamon said. "You used to have a hard time talking to others outside of that avatar. But the way you opened up and reached out to Takumi was something else."

Yuuko smiled. "Takumi was the one who taught me how to do that. When he reached out to me when I felt alone." She faced TigerVespamon. "Speaking of which...I want to thank you for back then. I don't know if he would have gotten through to me if it weren't for you."

"Don't mention it Yuuko. It is I who must thank you for everything. Ah, but I best be off for now. I left Phoenixmon and Sakuyamon with Agunimon and his team during a training session. I'll see you later." She left the room.

Yuuko watched Takumi sleep as Socerimon finished his work. "That should do."

Ceil slyly leaned over Yuuko's shoulder. "You like him, don't you?"

Yuuko felt a jolt and turned to her with a blush. "What?! Where did that come from?!"

Ceil giggled. "Woman's intuition. Also, I couldn't help but notice the look in your eye as you stared at him in his sleep...with his shirt off."

Yuuko looked back at Takumi. Truth be told she was so worried about his injuries it didn't actually hit her that she was staring at him topless. He was actually pretty fit, and while not exactly bulked up, he had a decent amount of muscle for someone so slim who was in a comma for so long. Maybe because of his detective work for Kyoko? He did mention once that he and Ami were going to try out for the police academy. And he had such a peaceful and easygoing look on him as he slept. Yuuko snapped from her thoughts as her face became even redder. She got up and pulled the sheets over Takumi. "It's not like that, it's really not!" She flustery left the room.

Blanc looked at her laughing sister as Samudramon followed her out. "Sis, you shouldn't make fun of her like that."

"Yeah, I guess after seeing how open that other girl was with her love for her Digimon I thought all humans would open up that easily with a little nudge."

"I take it back…" Ami glared with the most furious blush on her face. "You are SO much worse than Vademon "Deadly Digimon of perverted"."

"It's Deadly Digimon of "Lust" thank you very much." Lilithmon replied.

Shiki who was blushing just as madly rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Yeah. Because that sounds SO much better you creeper."

Lilithmon laughed. "Oh? Am I the creepy one? Then explain what you two are wearing."

"YOU FORCED US INTO THESE!" the two girls shouted. Both humans were clad in something from their necks down coming from their collars. Some sort of milky-white suits that squeezed uncomfortably tight. Only their heads were uncovered by the strange material that made uncomfortable sounds when they tried to move. Not that they could. Honestly, they seemed more like bags than suits. There were no arms, or legs, just the open hole for their heads to stick out. And they were so tight that they forced them to keep their arms to their sides and their legs together holding them in place. They were skintight and were just slightly see-through so the color of their skin and clothes could be made out. They were thin, yet sturdy. "What the hell even is this?!" Ami yelled.

Shiki recognized the material. She and her brother would collect it for building purposes in Flotia. "You sure you want to know?"

Lilithmon smirked. "The material is called DigiLatex."

Ami squinted at her. "…*Really*…? Latex? Out of everything you could stuff us in why latex?" She looked at herself in embarrassment. She tried to move her arms but the material only stretched so slightly before her palms were forced to splatter back onto the sides of her thighs. "I hate you; you creep."

"What's wrong? Don't like it?" Lilithmon asked. "I had these made just for you two."

"Stop sounding creepy!"

"Is there a reason for this?" Shiki asked. "Or are you just trying to make us feel even more uncomfortable?"

"A bit of both. K want's your brother to hear your voice." A blue monitor appeared in front of her. "And he would prefer it if that voice was screaming. Oh, did I mention that DigiLatex has a fun little function?"

Ami looked at her uneasily. "…I really don't like the sound of that. Especially when it's coming from you."

Takuto had spent the last few minutes wondering in the fog. "Takuto, we have no idea where we are at this point." Nova said.

"Yeah, we're obviously lost here." Storm added.

"Just keep going." Takuto said. "There are only so many places K can hide."

"Hide?" The three of them stopped in their tracks as they heard a voice. "I've been waiting for you."

"K!" Takuto looked around. The fog made it impossible to pinpoint the masked tamer's location. "Come out here you bastard!"

"My, my, what a temper. What would your dear sister say if she heard that?"

"Where did you take her?!"

"I'll tell you. But first, would you not like to hear the sound of her voice?"

"What?"

Somewhere in the fog K looked at a monitor and turned on a speaker phone option. "Do it Lilithmon."

"It would be my genuine pleasure."

Takuto heard a sudden yelp. Two actually. When the voices screamed in pain, he made out the sound of one of them. "Shiki?!" He looked around franticly. "Shiki, where are you?!"

"She and her friend she made are in the hands of Lilithmon right now." K replied. "I'll leave it to your imagination what she's doing to make them suffer."

Takuto started shaking. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "K…!" As he heard the screaming get louder his heart shattered. "SHIKI!"

"GYAAAAAAAAA!" Both Ami and Shiki were screaming in pain. Lilithmon smirked as she adjusted a dial on her screen that caused the DigiLatex to squeeze the two tighter and tighter. Their whole bodies were being crushed by an unbearable pressure.

Lilithmon watched their pained expressions with joy. "Are we having fun yet?"

"Make…it…stop…!" Shiki whimpered. She felt like her bones were on the verge of breaking.

Lilithmon cackled and ran a hand smoothly against Shiki's stomach making her shiver. She licked her lips looking at her and Ami. "Those pained expressions suit you. Such a lovely sight. Let's see some more." She turned the dial higher.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"SHIKI!" As the screaming got louder Takuto sprinted into the fog.

"Takuto, wait!" Nova and Storm flew after him.

K watched them run in the wrong direction. "That'll do." He cut off his communication.

Lilithmimon sighed as K hung up. "Over already? How dull." She turned down the knob and the DigiLatex stopped squeezing Ami and Shiki who sighed in relief as the pressure was finally off.

"*huff* *pant* Ahhh..." Ami groaned.

"Awww, are you two tuckered out after our playtime?"

"You...have messed up ways of playing..." Shiki groaned.

"Oh, don't complain. It's your brother who is about to get the blunt of it."

"Takuto...? What are you...?"

"He's in Backlog Mire right now. That place had a unique air that induces hallucinations. It makes one see things based on their thoughts. I wonder what it will show him after he listened to you scream..."

"W-what?"

"Oh, did I mention that K brought two of the director's new pets out for a test drive?"

Ami glared at her. "If you got what you wanted from us, then take these stupid things off us already!"

"Are you saying you want to strip for me? What a shameless girl~."

"I MEANT JUST THE STIPID LATEX NOT OUR CLOTHES TOO YOU PERVERT! WILL YOU STOP SOUNDING CREEPY ALREADY?!"

"Oh? But we've only just started." Lilithmon ran her hand across Ami's thigh. "K may be done with what he needed for his plan...but I'm not done having my fun with you." Ami and Shiki shuddered as she laughed wickedly.

Shiki sighed. "This is gonna be a loooooong day."

Pidemon and GrapLeomon stepped out of a cave leading to Zaxon's Pride HQ. A Monochromon and MetalTyranomon who were guarding the entrance went inside as their guard shift was up. High on a cliff, Brother Sorrow was looking through his Digivice by zooming in with the camera. "That must be it." He said still looking through it. Behind him BlitzGreymon and CresGarurumon watched along with Kinkakumon and her forces.

"So that's the new hideout for Sleuth's Will." Blitzgreymon said.

Kinkakumon tightened her grip on her weapon. "Then Jesmon will be there too..."

"Compose yourself. Our mission is to confirm the location of the enemy. Now we report back."

"You cannot be serious!" Ginkakumon growled. "They're right there! I say we strike while the iron's hot!"

"Our agreement was that you would follow our orders." BlitzGreymon said. "Do not forget that."

Ginkakumon growled as Brother Sorrow took out his Digivice. "Your majesty. We've located the enemy hideout."

"Well done."

"How should we proceed? Should we regroup with you and plan our attack?"

"That won't be necessary. You have my permission to engage."

"The scouting force alone may not hold against an entire Resistance team if the likes of Jesmon are in there."

"You won't have to worry. All I want is for you to send the Digimon our friend sent you after them. Your mission is to test the combat ability of this Dark Bond against the humans in there and record the results for me. Whether they win or lose, I want to learn more of his project with my own eyes. After that battle I leave it to you whether you proceed to engage or fall back."

"Understood." Brother Sorrow looked at them. "The king has authorized us to attack."

"Good!" Kinkakumon said.

"But listen to me! I won't object to you fighting Jesmon if you are that determined, but you are not to fight either of the humans! That goes for the rest of you! The King wants these three to engage them."

Everyone looked at three Digimon with purple aura glowing around them. "Huh. Okay." Kinkakumon said. "But didn't you say you were going to fight one of them yourself?"

"They only need to engage the Digimon partnered with the humans." Brother Sorrow looked at his hand before clenching it. "I will choke the life out of that girl with my own hands…!"

Kinkakumon and her crew looked at him uneasily. "Right…So how do we do this?"

Brother Sorrow looked at the entrance. "First we lure out our quarry."

Things are looking grim for our heroes. What does K have in store for Takuto? And what kind of assault will Brother Sorrow launch on Zaxon's Pride's base? Find out next week.