Digimon Tamers Zero Two

by MasterCaedus

Tasuke, or Taj, was raised by his 'Uncle' Henry Wong, ever since his parents left when he was very young. In that time, Taj has come to hate his parents and anything related to them. Especially Digimon, the fictional creatures his parents had loved when they were around. But when he gets a real Digimon, Taj must fight Digi-agents of other countries for a chance to find his parents.

23. Season of Digi-Giving!

AN: Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a while. I have a remote work order for my job and was able to head home to see my family these past two months. It's kind of funny, but when I have more 'free time' around my family, I end up doing less writing or gaming. We're always doing stuff as a family and there's not much time for anything else. That said, I have been working on this steadily whenever I can, and it's a good 1.5 times as long as a usual chapter to reflect that.

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, as long time coming as it was.

Now, responses:

To Guest: This one took so long, I bet it really does feel like a ninja update. The Krampusmon chapters are actually pretty important. There's the obvious, like having character development for Davis and Huckmon that'll lead directly into what comes next, and the less obvious stuff in here, too.

To Old Style: Thanks for asking if I'm okay. Like I said, I just didn't have as much time to write since coming to visit my family while the remote work for my job is ongoing. And you're not spamming at all! I'm happy you enjoy it enough to leave longer reviews like that!
I'm not going to do much to directly address your questions here because I'd rather let you read what happens as it happens. The one thing I do want to clarify is that Saito is not the one that sicced Digimon on protestors. I might not have been clear enough given that's mentioned very quickly in Gethen's thoughts, but he was referring to events that HYPNOS had failed to police in East Asia that could potentially cause knowledge of Digimon to become public which would cause issues for every Digimon agency.
As for the main cast and their parallels with the original Tamers cast, you're spot on with May. She has the most direct analogue in Henry, even if her own pacifism was for different reasons. Tasuke, Davis, and their Digimon are different in that they have parallels with a bunch of different characters that makes them a bit different. You are right about Tasuke's abandonment by his parents accenting parts of his personality more like that of his mother, though. Similar circumstances inevitably breed similar traits. But, yeah, Dorumon and Terriermon are really similar. I'm still kind of torn on if they'll love each other because of that or if they'll be really annoyed by all the traits they have in common. As for your concerns those are all things I've had very much in mind since I started writing this. The Matsukis will definitely be fish out of water in the real world after so long, and Tasuke's relationship with them will be interesting when they finally meet up. I mean, he still thinks the alias last name that Henry gave him is his real last name – Joryawa. Finally... You can't have a Tamers story without some mention of Megidramon, can you?

Episode 23: Season of Digi-Giving! Breaking the Naughty List

To say that BlackGigimon was happy that Dan knew that he was a Digimon would be a lie. Sure, he loved someone finally treating him as he 'deserved' to be treated, but getting carried around by a six year old all the time was not exactly BlackGigimon's idea of fun. And on top of that, the punishment didn't even stop when we were all in public. Case in point: the line to see Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Dan was going insane with excitement, and had grabbed BlackGigimon without a moment's hesitation, abandoning a clearly relieved Dorimon. And so, he'd been suffering like this for almost an hour of waiting in the mall. "So, are you finally going to tell us what you're asking for?" May's mom asked Dan, who was bouncing up and down with excitement at this point.

"'S a secret!" Dan explained with a wide grin.

May and Dan's other siblings chimed in, talking about video games, new Transformer toys, plastic sword replicas, and cash. They hadn't been keeping secrets of it, though, so it wasn't anything new. But Dan hadn't said anything about what he wanted at all. It made me and May a lot more comfortable with him knowing about the Digimon; if the blabber mouthed kindergartner could keep his mouth shut about a Christmas gift, we might just be able to keep this all under wraps.

Eventually, it was our big family's turn and we piled in towards the large chair where a jolly fat man sat, waving goodbye to a little kid. "Hohoho, and what do we have here?" he asked, the belly actually jiggling like a bowl full of jelly. He placed his hands on his hips and smiled over at May's siblings one at a time. "Good boys and girls, I hope?"

They all began nodding and bouncing up and down before their parents jumped in and herded them into a line from oldest to youngest – except May, who stayed back with me. "I can't believe Mom even got you and Henry to agree to this," May grumbled. She gestured at the ugly and itchy sweaters the two of us were wearing. In fact, everyone was wearing them, from Dan all the way up to Janyu and Mayumi. "But at least I don't have to suffer alone."

"Tomorrow you will," I told her with a grin. "Henry and I already agreed we weren't getting in these monstrosities twice."

May's eyes widened. "Wha –? Come on!"

"Sorry Henry's the best," I supplied with a grin.

The line moved forward, the same answers being given yet again. Toys, cash, video games – And then it was Dan, who moved forward slowly with my annoyed Digimon partner still in hand. "Hi Mister Santa," he said to the smiling man as he clambered up onto the seat beside him.

"Ah, and who are -" The Santa opened his eyes and stared at BlackGigimon. "... What a cute dog, Hohoho. Looks a little naughty, thoughoho."

Dan shook his head. "He's super nice. He's my cousin's doggie!" He pointed directly at me and Santa's gaze flickered towards me. He quickly turned back to Dan.

"Just be careful. Sometimes the naughtiest dogs only act that way when you aren't watching," he explained seriously. "Now, what do you want for Christmas..."

"Dan!"

Santa grinned. "What do you want for Christmas, Dan?"

We all leaned in.

"A..."

Closer.

"A..."

Closer.

"A Digimon!"

Dorimon barely turned her laugh into a bark while May and I fought the urge of our jelly legs to collapse. After a while, the silence of the adults went on too long and they began to softly laugh to cover up their nervousness. Wait – Did they all know about Digimon?

Santa even seemed taken aback before joining in with the soft laughter of the adults. "Well, that's a very interesting request, Hohoho," Santa told Dan. He smiled behind his beard. "What kind of Digimon do you want, Dan?"

"Uh..." He glanced down at BlackGigimon. "I think... a super nice one I can go on adventures with! I wanna be a Digi – uh, a Digi... Umm..."

"A Digidestined." I turned to Henry, who was staring at Dan. He grinned at his nephew. "I remember wishing that same thing when I was your age!"

"Well... I'll put in a good word for you," Santa supplied, giving a wink to Dan. The kid's eyes widened to the size of saucer plates, amazed. He tightened his grip on BlackGigimon and the Digimon let out a strangled noise. "But... Maybe there's something I can get you instead? A toy for a good boy, Hohoho?"

"... Um... A racecar! One I can drive all by myself!"

That seemed to go over better with the Andersons. "And you?"

May and I looked up to see Santa glaring at me. "Uh..." This guy was suddenly really intimidating. Gone was the joyful smile and calm demeanor. He was overbearingly intimidating. Hell, I almost thought I saw his eyes flash bright yellow for second. Still, I wasn't going to freeze in front of BlackGigimon. God knows how he'd react to that. "Nothing you can help me with."

"Nohoho? Well..." The intimidating aura suddenly vanished, replaced with the friendly grin. "Now, how do you all want this picture, Hohoho?"

I continued glaring at him while the others got into place. What a weird guy...

But soon enough, our entire family was being ferried out, with May's parents heading over to buy the pictures at the checkout. May and I grabbed our 'pets,' then rounded the corner to head back towards the center of the mall. "Davis – Uh, Bark!" Dorimon hissed up at May.

"Huh – Davis!" May exclaimed. I followed her gaze to see our government handler standing in line with a woman a foot or so shorter than him, but who otherwise looked a lot like him.

"May? Taj? What are you two doing here?" Davis asked, turning his exhausted eyes towards us. May and I stopped for a moment, surprised by the look. He raised an eyebrow. "And why are you two dressed like that?"

"Family Santa picture," May explained. "Whole family up to my mom's parents are here. What, uh, have you been up to? We haven't heard from you in a while?"

"Mi Hijo, are you going to introduce us?"

We all turned to Davis' mother. She smiled. "Hello, I'm Maria." She held her hand out over the velvet rope outside the line. May and I took it one at a time. "How do you two know my son?"

"We work together," Davis began.

"School," I responded.

"We're friends," May said.

"All three," I explained after we all glanced at one another.

"So you two are the ones who got him his job?" she asked, and May nearly spat out a laugh at that ironic lie. "Thank you for that. He seems to enjoy it, and I expect that it's because you two are there." She turned and looked at her son. "Ahem..."

"What?" Davis asked drearily. He looked up at her, and suddenly realized what she meant. "Oh, uh... This is Taj and May. They're my friends I met at school."

"It's nice to meet you both," Maria finally said, offering us a smile.

"Oh, there you two are." May and I turned to see May's parents walking up, sans Dan and the boys. Mrs. Anderson, in her matching sweater, came up. "Oh, Davis! It's good to see you again. And you must be his mother! I'm Jaarin, and this is my husband, Mikael." May's mom pushed past us and held her hand out with a smile. "It's good to meet you!"

"Oh! Then you're that May," Mrs. Estevez exclaimed at May, causing Davis to grimace. "I'm Maria."

The adults began talking among themselves. Probably about... brunch or dinner parties, I don't know. Thankfully, this gave us time to escape. We told Davis to meet us at the food court and bolted with our Digimon, barely stopping to tell May's parents where we were going. "He's... not doing good," May said quietly as we slowed down. I ignored BlackGigimon's incessant whining as we passed Cinnabon; he could have one later.

"No kidding. I've seen zombies with more life in their eyes," I muttered. May gave me a glare for that remark. "Hey, I'm worried, too, you know."

She sighed. "I know, Taj."

I rolled my eyes. "I just feel bad that he has to be alone when he's around that creepy Santa."

"Creepy? The guy seemed really nice, Taj," May admonished to my dry glare.

"Yeah, I guess," I muttered. I placed BlackGigimon down in a chair and sat down beside him. "It's just... a feeling, I guess."

"I didn't like him either," BlackGigimon remarked.

"You don't like anybody," Dorimon pointed out, earning a growl from BlackGigimon for her insolence.

"She's not wrong," I told him, scratching behind his ears. "I'll go get some Cinnabon, now. May? You and Dory want any?"

"Three!" Dorimon said, popping up above the table and drooling at me.

"KayKay! You heard the mon. Get to it!" May remarked with a grin. I chuckled and walked off.

When I came back, our esteemed partner was sitting in my chair, quietly talking with May. "Finally, I was wondering when you'd get here," I said. I placed the rolls on the table and pulled another chair over, sliding onto the side of the table between May and Davis. "Want one? Dory asked for too many." Dorimon immediately growled at me for daring to give her anything less than the three she'd ordered.

"I'm not hungry," Davis replied morosely instead.

May leaned on the table and grabbed one of the rolls. "You sure?"

"Hmph." He rested his cheek on his hand. After a moment, he glanced back over at us. "What is it you wanted to talk about?"

"I mean, you're our friend. So we wanted to check on you," May explained simply.

I grimaced. "Yeah, you haven't answered our texts and you look like you don't have a right side of the bed. What's going on?"

Davis sighed and put his hands on the table, pushing up to leave. "Wait." May reached out and grabbed his wrist, stopping him. She sighed and let go when he finally sat back down. "Davis, come on."

Davis shut his eyes. "I'm just tired of this, okay," he mumbled. He jolted. "Right, I almost forgot. You two need to be careful. Gethen warned me this morning that some powerful Digimon was Bio-Emerged near here."

"... So you're tired of Digimon."

Davis and I looked at May. "You're tired of doing this," she said again. "Of... fighting."

"Killing," I finished quietly, causing Davis to stiffen.

"So, that Santa was creepy," Davis interjected in an effort to change the conversation. "Between how tired I am and how creepy he was, I swear his eyes glowed at me."

As happy as I was that he got the same vibe from the guy, both May and I knew there were more important things to worry about. Even Dorimon and BlackGigi– well, no. BlackGigimon was too busy eating to pay us any attention, but Dorimon seemed to care a little. "Then stop, G-Man. You don't have to do it!"

"She's right, you know," May said. She reached out again and smiled. "You're a kid, not a Terminator."

He seemed to calm down a little at that, before I screwed it all up: "We can do whatever we need to. You don't have to do it alone."

Davis' eyes widened. "No!" he snapped. He surged to his feet and the chair he was sitting in clattered against the ground, causing every eye in the food court to whirl on us. "You two – You wouldn't get it!"

"Cause you won't tell us. You won't let us help!" May implored him quietly.

I nodded. "Davis, at least let us try to understand -"

"I don't want you to understand!" he snapped at me. He pushed back from the table, glaring at May and me, then growled and ran off.

"Davis!" May shouted. We all jumped to our feet and tried to rush after him, but he'd already vanished into the crowd of people filling the mall. We and our Digimon didn't get far before we were held up by the stream of people and had no choice but to let him escape. Hopefully, he'd eventually come to us.

Little did we know, that same creepy Santa was watching us with a smile on his face.

X X X

Davis clutched at the cross around his neck and mumbled quietly to himself as he sat, alone, in the team's warehouse. He couldn't help it, always thinking back to his conversation with Jen Smith and Cadetmon. He couldn't help thinking the same thing he had then: he was a murderer. How many people had Gethen sent him after that didn't deserve it? How many 'assassins' weren't really assassins? And, worst of all, had Davis always known? Always suspected, but just not cared as long as proof wasn't there. And it was all because he was Digidestined that he didn't even have a say in it. He couldn't stop killing people because so many would come after him. Or, worse, his... his friends would be forced to do it.

They said they wanted to help him. To share his burdens. Well, he didn't want that for them. It wasn't so simple as just doing it. He honestly didn't even like killing the Digimon all that much, but at least they came back if he didn't Load them. Something that he'd been encouraging Taj and BlackGuilmon to do. To permanently kill a Digimon. Davis placed his forehead on his knee and took a deep breath. "This has ruined everything!" he growled at the Digivice in his hands. "If it weren't for this, I'd be home... I... I wouldn't be a killer..."

"Davis? Davis, are you okay?" Huckmon wandered forward out of the shadows, a sad look on his angular face. He plodded closer to his partner. "Davis?"

"Go away, Huckmon," Davis mumbled. He stood up and walked away, crouching down behind the couch to avoid Huckmon.

"But – But Davis," Huckmon begged, following after him. He crawled up on top of the couch and looked down at his partner. "Davis, come on..."

"Huckmon, go away," Davis growled again.

"Davis, I'm sorry this is happening, but you shouldn't run away from your friends like that!" Huckmon said. He jumped over Davis and landed in front of him. "I know that this is hard for you. But – I mean, we're friends, so you can tell me whatever you need to!"

"Anything?" Davis asked, voice hoarse.

"Anything..." Huckmon said sadly. "I know you've been out of it for a while, and it's my fault. But I was hoping -"

"What!?" Davis finally snapped. He surged to his feet, scaring the Digimon a step back. "Ever since I met you, it's been danger and death! My mom's almost been killed, I've almost been killed – I've killed people, Huckmon! You want me to say what!?"

Huckmon quivered. "I – I don't know, Davis, it's just -"

"You want me to say my life is better because we're partners?" Davis snapped. He glared down at the cowering Digimon. "Well, I can remember dozens of people whose lives ended because we're partners! I've killed people because we're partners!"

Huckmon stumbled back a step. "Davis..."

"Just... Just leave me alone!" Davis growled. He turned and vaulted over the couch, sprinting away from his partner and out of the warehouse.

Huckmon just watched him go, head slowly drifting down to hang sadly. Davis was right, after all. If Davis hadn't met him, the human wouldn't have had to suffer like this. Kill like this. Lie to his mom like this. He wouldn't be under Gethen's thumb like some tool waiting to be used. He wouldn't even be risking his mom's life by lying to Gethen. "Everything would be better without me..."

"Hohoho..." Fog began to fill the warehouse, electricity sparking in the newly created Digital Field. "You're not wrong, Nonono... Davis has been corrupted by you. Destroyed by you."

Huckmon jumped at the sound of the new voice. "Wh-who's there!?" he shouted. He crouched low and glared into the Field. "You better leave Davis alone!"

"Oh, I would worry about you first, you naughty, evil little Digimon," the voice said.

Huckmon whirled towards the source of the voice, leaping with his claws glowing in front of him. "Fifth Rush!" he screamed, slashing wildly. His claws passed through empty air.

"Evil, naughty Digimon need to be destroyed. Deleted. Not even Loaded, Nonono," the voice, growing more manic as it spoke. The voice suddenly cackled from in front of Huckmon, and a pair of large, glowing, yellow eyes appeared out of the fog. "And once I've Deleted you and the other naughty, evil Digimon... I'll Delete your naughty, evil Digidestined! Hohoho!" And then Huckmon screamed as a massive bag slammed over him, and everything went dark.

X X X

"I just wish that he'd talk to us!" May growled to the air while we walked around her neighborhood with our Digimon. She threw her hands up and screamed. "I mean, we're not only his best friends, we're his only friends!"

"Besides Huckmon," Dorimon pointed out innocently, but that wasn't what May wanted to hear. Dorimon quieted down and rushed ahead with BlackGigimon.

"Taj, what are we going to do?"

"Pick up the slack, probably," I told her simply. She glared at me, horrified. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "Look, May... I don't want to, either. But people are going to come after us. After our family. So if Davis won't stop them, we're going to have to."

"... One way or another," she finally agreed, gaze drifting to the ground. "It... it isn't fair."

I didn't tell her what she already knew: it was really only one way. Instead I crossed my arms and shrugged. "No, I guess not. But I learned almost thirteen years ago that life isn't fair, May."

"You could be a little more understanding about this, Taj." She glared at me and shook her head. "... Taj, I'm not going to kill people."

I nodded. "I don't want to either," I agreed. My voice faltered for a moment before I coughed. "But I'm getting my parents back. No matter what."

"Is that so, Hohoho?" Digital Fog began to rise around us, swallowing the neighborhood. May and I glanced at one another, then rushed to stand with our Digimon, raising our Digivices and pushing them back up to Rookie. I turned my screen back around when the light began to fade, hoping for some information on what was hunting us. The screen swirled for a few moments, then finally gave me what I was looking for. My blood froze as I stared at the words that lit up my screen.

"Krampusmon, the Damnation Digimon. An incredibly powerful, Fallen Angel Dark Digivolution of Kringlemon. Watch out for his Gingerbread Minion attack that can summon an army of evil soldiers to do his bidding and destroy his enemies. But he's no slouch either: his Hellsack attack can smash any Digimon's brains in if they aren't careful, and then teleport his unconscious victims to his nest for later Deletion, and his Coal Blaster will mine you down even from afar. A Digimon that has inherited the evil will of Krampus – to not simply punish, but kill. His favorite targets are Digimon that corrupt Digidestined, and when he finds one he'll kill both the Digimon and the Digidestined to clean away the filth. Thankfully, he's only active until the final bell of Christmas Eve tolls," I read aloud, my throat growing drier and drier until I could barely force out the last words, bright red and underlined. "Warning: Mega Level Digimon."

"M...ega?" May whispered. She immediately drew her cards and slashed one. Behind us, an egg appeared and Dorugamon exploded out of it, immediately taking to the skies. I moved to Digivolve BlackGuilmon, immediately swiping a Hyper-Wing card so he could follow Dorugamon to the skies and leave the houses hidden in the mist all around us a little more safe.

"Oh, I'd rather not hurt you, Dorugamon, Nonono! You're a good Digimon, even to protect a... thing like this creature," Krampusmon's cackling voice echoed out from the Digital Field. "How about a good little Digidestined and Digimon like you two just gets out of my way, Hohoho? It's for the best!"

"Ha, he called you a 'thing,'" Dorugamon mocked BlackGrowlmon.

BlackGrowlmon didn't respond, instead sniffing the air and glancing around. "I can't smell him..." he announced after a moment.

"So? Neither can I!" Dorugamon exclaimed as they took up positions back to back in the air.

"... But BlackGrowlmon's nose is so much stronger!" May suddenly shouted. "If he can't smell Krampusmon, they're basically flying blind, Taj!"

"Crap... Guys, we're running! We have to find Davis!" I decided. I dug out a Hyper-Sonic card and prepared to use it. "Come pick us up and we'll get out of here!"

"On our way!" Dorugamon shouted. She tucked her wings and plummeted towards the ground, leaving BlackGrowlmon behind. He huffed and glanced around once more before rocketing after her.

Right into the path of a large, red bag that had suddenly appeared in front of him. "Hellsack!" Krampusmon screamed, and the bag expanded, growing and writhing until its opening was larger than the Digimon flying at it.

"BlackGrowlmon!" I screamed. I reached into my deck and fished around. None of them would help, not in time!

BlackGrowlmon vanished into the bag, and the bag curled around itself, devouring itself bit by bit until, slowly, it vanished. "Hohoho! And that's two down, two to Gogogo!" The voice cackled uncontrollably for a moment and yellow eyes began to glow bright, unnaturally high and creating a horrible, goat-like silhouette in the Digital Field's fog. And then, just as suddenly, it vanished. The Digital Field slowly fizzled and sparked, fading away and leaving he quiet snowfall of Christmas Eve night.

"BlackGrowlmon!" I screamed into the air. I whirled around. "Black –!"

May tackled me while her partner De-Digivolved behind her. "You can't just shout Digimon names at the sky!" May hissed as we hit the ground, her hand over my mouth. She glared at me until I began to calm down and stop fighting her. "Let's call Davis. I... he'll know what to do."

X X X

Davis had no goddamn idea what to do. The moment we found him at BlackGuilmon's old park and told told that exhausted, depressed government agent what had happened, he'd gone wide eyed and terrified. "The Digimon we were warned about is a Mega level?" he asked, adrenaline shocking him awake. "But that's..."

"Impossible?" May asked. She shook her head. "We saw Krampusmon take BlackGrowlmon like he was taking cookies on Christmas."

"We need to find him. Now!" I emphasized. I pointed at the parking lot beyond the trees. "Forget Loading, that thing wants to Delete him! So call up Huckmon and let's get going!"

Davis flinched. "Move!"

"Taj!" May pushed me to the side. "Stop it." I glared at her but did as she asked while she turned back to Davis. "What happened with Huckmon?"

"Nothing!" he growled. He turned around. "Huckmon! Huckmon, come on!"

No response. Davis' shoulders shook slightly. "Davis, what happened?" I asked this time.

Davis ignored me and yanked his Digivice out of his pocket, slamming his finger into menu buttons and running through it. "Compass..." He stared at his screen for a while, then whirled on me. "Where's BlackGuilmon right now?"

I threw my hands up. "That's why I came to you!"

"Use your compass!" he snapped and leaned towards me, any of his usual patience gone.

I narrowed my eyes. "Don't yell at me," I growled, leaning towards him, too.

"Taj! Do it."

I glanced over at May and shook my head. What was I doing? BlackGuilmon couldn't wait for me to have a shouting match when a big monster was trying to kill him. I sighed and nodded. "Okay." I pulled out my Digivice and moved into the compass function. "Here." I turned the screen to Davis.

He pulled up beside me and placed his own screen beside mine. "I think we both have a problem," Davis said as our compasses pointed in the same direction.

"Krampusmon has the only Digimon that can go Ultimate. Great," I grumbled. Davis and I turned back to May and Dorimon. "Hope you guys enjoy holding off a Mega while we save them."

"... I better get a thank you from BlackJerkmon for this," Dorimon grumbled up at me.

X X X

"The mall? Really?" I grumbled as we all piled out of May's truck and stared up at the dark building, the puffy clouds above trapping the last rays of light from the day and making the night brighter than it should be. I raised my Digivice again and groaned. "Yep. The mall."

"Of course Krampusmon is using the center of Christmas shopping as his nest," May pointed out. She placed Dorimon on the ground and quickly Digivolved her to Dorumon. "There's not a lot of space for Dorugamon in there."

Davis, meanwhile, had already begun sprinting towards the mall at full speed. "Davis – Dammit, wait up!" May snapped, then she began charging after him with Dorumon at her side.

I clenched my fists and watched them go for a second, pushing down my fear for BlackGuilmon so I could think straight. Then I rushed to catch up, hoping everything would turn out okay. When the doors to the mall were open, waiting for us to walk into the pitch black and abandoned mall, I knew that wasn't going to happen. "We better all get a thank you from BlackGuilmon for this," I grumbled to Dorumon.

"We won't."

"I know."

"He'll yell at us."

"I know."

"He might even call us names!"

"I KNOW!" I yelled at our only line of defense. I turned away and stuffed my frozen fingers into my pockets. "Jeez, tone it down, Furball, he's still our friend! And you never abandon friends."

"Of course he's my friend, Dummy!" Dorumon replied, grinning. "Why do you think I make fun of him? Now... Let's go save him from ol' Jerkier-Mon!"

I couldn't help but smile as Dorumon led our charge into the mall. Us blind as a bat humans wished we had our night vision goggles with us, then sighed and rushed in after her.

Not many people ever run face first into a headless mannequin in the pitch black darkness of an empty mall? I hadn't. I am not too proud to admit that I screamed and immediately pulled out my automatic crossbow before emptying the clip into the thing's chest. Plastic body parts and ripped clothes hit the ground as I panted over the dismembered, faceless plastic body. "... Taj..." May muttered in disappointment, walking up beside me and shining her phone's light on the mannequin. "Aw, and I liked that top."

"Can we just get moving?" our humorless partner growled, pushing past with his face glued to his compass. May frowned at his back while I sighed; he was right. We took off after him, May and Dorumon keeping an eye out for Krampusmon and me double checking with my own Digivice's compass that we were heading the right way.

We entered the main body of the mall and moved through the eerily quiet, dark space for a moment before my compass veered in one direction and Davis' shot in the other. The three of us stopped in our tracks and turned to look at one another. "Well, shit," I mumbled. I glanced over my shoulder, then back behind Davis. "Looks like you're heading towards Santa's village."

"And that's definitely where he is..." Davis finished quietly. He turned away from us. "... He's going to have something guarding BlackGuilmon, too. May should -"

"You're being stupid," she said resolutely.

I glanced at her, then turned to Davis and nodded in agreement. "She's going with you. I can handle myself against... what was it again?... gingerbread men, or at least until I get to BlackGuilmon. You can't handle a homicidal Mega without help for five seconds."

Davis opened his mouth to argue, only for May to rush past him. "We're wasting time, Davis!"

"May, I – Dammit," he growled, then rushed away after her.

"Stay safe, guys," I muttered, then I turned towards BlackGuilmon. "I'm coming, Boy." I reloaded and checked my automatic crossbow to make sure I could keep myself safe, then swallowed my fear. "The food court? Seems a little on the nose for a fight with gingerbread-mon..." I rushed into the darkness, trying my hardest to find out if the laughing in the darkness was my imagination or demonic gingerbread.

X X X

I'd never seen a Christmas present the size of a minivan before. And definitely not one that leaked an aura of evil while topped with flaming coals, all stacked in the shape of a shrieking skull. "Jeez, Jack Skellington would say you're taking this a little far," I muttered under my breath. I glanced around to keep an eye out for the gingerbread monsters and breathed a sigh of relief. Still safe. I raised my Digivice up to the present, and the compass immediately began to spin out of control. "Looks like I found you, Boy."

It was at that point that, out of the dark Cinnabon nearby, came a high pitched, echoing laugh. I slowly turned around and saw a pair of red eyes. Then another beside it. Then a few more. The laughter began to layer and fill the room. Dozens of pairs of glowing, red eyes gazed at me from the darkness. "Uh..." I swallowed my fear and turned my flashlight on my Digivice up to the crowd.

At which point, living gingerbread mon with candy canes sharpened into swords shrieked and jumped at me. I swear, one of them screamed, "EAT HIM!"

"OW, THAT HURT!" I screamed at one that began biting my arm. It shrieked and tore a surprisingly large chunk of me off, at which point I realized... I, uh... I may be screwed.

I screamed in pain and smacked the little demon off my arm, sending it flying. The thing shrieked and was caught by one of its brothers, who swung it back around and onto the ground. The dozens began to advance faster, stabbing my legs. "Jesus, shit!" I snapped before stamping my foot down on one. I shot the crossbow at the crowd and managed to wing a few, causing them to disintegrate into floating data. The rest stared at their dead brothers for a moment, then laughed even louder and advanced even faster.

"What the hell is wrong with these things?" I asked myself as they began climbing up my legs again, occasionally poking and biting at me. "I – Ow! Screw this!" I turned and swiped my Digivice. "Digimodify! Digivolution, Activate!"

The ground gave way beneath me, and I suddenly fell on BlackGrowlmon's shoulder while the gingerbread mon tumbled a story down to their deaths. BlackGrowlmon growled down at the monsters, flame rising from his throat. "Black Exhaust Flame!" he screamed at the few gingerbread monsters struggling out of the debris.

Their laughter cut off and they looked up just in time to be incinerated by green flames. "I'm going to kill that goat!" BlackGrowlmon snapped. He glanced over at me and his grimace disappeared. "... Are... are you all right, Taj?"

I glanced up at him. "No. But I'm better now," I told him. I pushed myself up and grabbed hold of his white mane. "Come on, the others are waiting on us... But, maybe you need to be a bit smaller so we can get over there?"

"Hm?" BlackGrowlmon wondered before glancing around at the destruction his size had caused. "... Do I have to?"

"HOHOHO!" Our gazes snapped to the echo traveling from the other side of the mall, the cackling laughter of Krampusmon.

"No time," I agreed. I stood up and held his mane tighter. "BlackGrowlmon, it's time to give Krampusmon coal for Christmas! Let's go!"

BlackGrowlmon roared at the ceiling and grinned, then rushed off, knocking down the second floor of the mall as we charged. "We're on our way, Guys..."

X X X

Five Minutes Earlier...

Davis, May, and Dorumon crept through Santa's Village, the animal and elf decorations leering at them through the dim lights that had begun flickering the moment they got close. "I hate this," Dorumon growled, teeth bared at anything she saw.

"Makes three of us," May agreed, just as on edge as her partner.

Davis swallowed his fear and continued moving slowly down the winding, red path. Krampusmon is definitely waiting on Santa's chair, he thought grimly. An evil Digimon based on a demonic, German Santa Claus? Where else would the freak be? Davis reached into his jacket, grabbing hold of the standard issue pistol he'd brought from his car. A weapon he wouldn't even know how to use correctly if he'd never met Huckmon. Davis' last words to that Digimon had been screaming about how he wished they'd never met. Was that true? Did he wish he'd never met Huckmon, his best friend for years? His only friend until recently? He pulled the gun out and glared at it. Would he actually be better off?

"Hohoho! I was wondering when you would show up!"

The group flinched and watched as the walls surrounding Santa's chair disintegrated, revealing the mall Santa from that morning, sitting in his chair and grinning wide, a massive, flaming present behind him. "Ohhoho! A good girl and her good Digimon!" he said, smiling over at Dorumon and May.

"Who is this guy?" May hissed to her partner.

"Doesn't smell like a Digimon!" Dorumon explained. "But... why is he here?"

The Santa's features soured into a disgusted sneer as his gaze focused on Davis. "And a naughty, disgusting boy chasing his vile, evil little Digimon. Hohoho, I've been waiting for you here, Davis Estevez." The Santa's eyes began to glow a sickly yellow and a low, threatening rumble began to echo around them. "A nasty, evil Digimon and his nasty, evil Digidestined. A murderer, a killer, badbadbadbad! You won't leave here alive, NONONO!" The Santa pushed off of his throne and the glow began to spread covering his entire body.

"What the –!? Guys, I don't know how but he smells like Krampusmon, now!" Dorumon shouted worriedly. She jumped in front of the others.

"Digi-Modify! Digivolution, Activate!" May snapped, and the two were suddenly guarded by a much larger Dorugamon. She aimed her finger at the dimming light. "Get him, Dorugamon!"

"You got it, May!" Dorugamon agreed, flapping her wings and rocketing at the figure.

A massive bag slammed into her and sent her flying over the two Digidestined, crashing through the rest of Santa's Village. "Nonono, that's not a good idea for a Digimon on the Nice List!" Krampusmon growled, his voice now much more shrill. A large, goatlike face peered out of the darkness with decaying, cracked reindeer antlers rising from its head. Raggedy red robes with soot covered wool trimmings hung off of his gaunt, bony form. Long, spindly hands like massive spiders clutched the bag slung over his shoulder, each finger tipped with an equally long and razor ship black nail. From beneath his long robes appeared two cloven hooves that tapped anxiously, almost predator in their movements, against the ground. The yellow, glowing goat eyes were filled with a hungry, manic glee. Sharp, demonic teeth slowly appeared as Krampusmon grinned, nasty and evil, down at Davis. "Now, why don't you let me kill you and your little partner, hm? Before you taint this good Digidestined with your nasty, evil, disgusting self!?" The bag swung up, then crashed down.

May and Davis leaped backwards to avoid the blow, barely managing to survive. Rubble crashed into them and wind blew them further back. "What the hell? How is this thing so strong!?" May shouted to Davis. "He's not much bigger than BlackGrowlmon is! He's smaller than SaviorHuckmon, even!"

"How would I know? I've never been unlucky enough to meet a Mega Digimon before now!" Davis replied. He scrambled to his feet and pulled May up with him. "You okay?"

May nodded. "Yeah, I'm -"

"Then keep him busy." He glared at the flaming present. "... We won't survive without SaviorHuckmon. And even then, I don't know if we can win."

"And you need to save him anyways. He's our friend," May agreed. She raised her Digivice an watched as Dorugamon charged Krampusmon again. "Go, we've got your back. Digi-Modify! Energy, activate! Alphamon, activate!"

Davis nodded and rushed forward, avoiding the green explosions of energy peppering Krampusmon's body. "Clever little girl, but you're making me mad!" Krampusmon screeched. He swung his bag around and Dorugamon was forced to stop firing and beat her wings back to avoid another crushing blow. "Don't make me start playing serious, Nonono!"

"Bring it on!" Dorugamon shouted.

"Don't say that!" May snapped at her partner in disbelief.

Krampusmon just grinned. "If you insist... COAL BLASTER! HOHOHOHO!" He swung his sack around and it opened, unleashing a flaming torrent of coal that slammed into Dorugamon. She screamed in pan and crashed into the second story, breaking the walkway and causing rubble to tumble down. The creature's eyes flickered towards Davis running for the present. "Oh, nonono! Not going to happen, naughty boy! Coal Blaster!" The coals flew again, and Davis barely had time to throw himself to the side. The resulting explosion of the coals against he ground echoed throughout the mall and Davis himself was sent flying. He crashed through a window, slamming into a conveniently placed bed. And then, for just a moment, everything went black.

Davis' last thought was, 'Huckmon... I'm sorry I said I didn't want you around..."

His Digivice glowed at his side, white light streaming from the screen and pulsing in time with light appearing within the huge, flaming present.

X X X

"Plasma Blade!" A huge, white blade of energy erupted from BlackGrowlmon's arm and he charged forward, slashing Krampusmon across the face. The Mega Digimon yelped in surprise and was pushed off of Dorugamon, giving her enough time to spin and knock his feet out from under him while getting to her own. The two Champions stood next to one another while I rushed over to May.

"Where's Davis?" I asked while prepping my cards. Hyper-Sonic and Agumon Expert first. "What happened here?"

"Now I have both of you here to die!" Krampusmon shouted gleefully, cutting off May's reply. The cackling goat man grinned and swung his sack. "HELLSACK!"

"Digi-Modify! Brave Shield, Activate!" I snapped, and the shield caught the attack while Dorguamon flew away from it and spun around to prepare her own attack. The shield crashed into BlackGrowlmon and he was slowly pushed back while Krampusmon shoved against him.

"I'm going to kill you, hohoho!" Krampusmon hissed, glowing eyes getting close to BlackGrowlmon's face. In response, the giant dinosaur slammed his head into Krampusmon's snout. Krampusmon's grin just grew. "Ohhoho, I'm going to enjoy deleting you!"

"Gah! How are you so strong!?" BlackGrowlmon snapped, struggling against Krampusmon's power and leverage. Krampusmon leaned over BlackGrowlmon and began pushing him down.

… Leverage! That's it! "Goat feet are terrible on tile! BG! Pull his ankle now!"

And, surprise, he listened! BlackGrowlmon's tail shot out and slammed into Krampusmon's ankles. Some basic mechanics on movement of levers – and the nature of goat feet just being big toenails – later, and he was flipping despite the fact he was stronger than BlackGrowlmon. "NOW!" I snapped.

"Black Exhaust Flame!"

"Cannonball!"

A metal sphere shot through black flames and slammed into Krampusmon's chest, exploding on contact and sending him flying. Rubble destroyed by the blast dissolved into Data, floating away before Krampusmon slammed into a store and shattered a clothing stand. "We got him!" Dorugamon exclaimed, excited as she flapped down beside BlackGrowlmon.

"Hohoho... I might have to put you on the Naughty List for that one, Dorugamon..."

Out of the smoke came a foreboding shadow with glowing, yellow goat eyes. "Coal Blaster!" he screamed, and flaming coals flew out, crashing into the ground in front of our Digimon and sending them flying. They crashed into the ground in front of us, sending dust flying over us. Krampusmon snarled and lumbered forward and cackled. "Oh, you're smart, evil Digidestined. Aren't you, Matsuki?"

May and I glanced at one another. "Who's Matsuki?" I asked the monster looming over us.

Krampusmon just grinned evilly. "Dead."

"Huckmon Matrix-Warp Digivolve to... SaviorHuckmon!"

A stream of white and red slammed into Krampusmon's back and he flew over us, soaring into the darkness of the destroyed mall. SaviorHuckmon grinned, gleaming white above us. "Maybe my life isn't as simple with SaviorHuckmon here. But he's my friend. May, Dorugamon, Taj, and even BlackGrowlmon. They're all my friends. So I wouldn't trade meeting my partner for anything. I may have a lot of sins to make up for. A lot I need forgiven. But I will be forgiven! And I'll keep my friends from making those same mistakes! And I'll definitely beat you! Digi-Modify! Zhuqiomon and BlackWarGreymon Activate!" Davis shouted, pushing forward and glaring into the darkness.

SaviorHuckmon's arms glowed and turned black, shifting into the Dramon Killer claws BlackWarGreymon held. SaviorHuckmon slammed the claws together in front of him and leaped forward, spinning and turning into a black, white, and red blur that shot straight at Krampusmon as he came closer. "Dramon Killer!" The blur crashed into Krampusmon's Hellsack as it came forward, and the two came to a momentary standstill.

May and I swiped our Energy cards and our refreshed partners charged in to help, crashing into Krampusmon and pushing him back. "I won't let you... hurt my friends!" BlackGrowlmon shouted as he forced a step forward. "You... won't... win!"

"HOHOHO! I'll kill all of you, then!" Krampusmon screamed, pushing forward now, too.

We and our Digimon roared together and stepped forward. Our Digivices glowed with the symbols on the back, and our Digimon glowed with them.

And then, there was a loud, ringing noise. Bells pealed low and echoing around us. Once, twice... twelve times. Krampusmon's eyes widened. "Wha –? NO! NONONO! No, I still need to kill them!" he screamed. Data began to stream upward from his body, dissolving into the air. And then, suddenly, he exploded, Data streaming away into the Digital Field around us.

BlackGrowlmon glared at the Data for a while and scoffed. "I wouldn't Load a Digimon like you even if it made me a Mega today," he growled at the disappearing cloud of black. "It's sick."

"What just happened?" May wondered while the Field vanished, revealing the snow drifting down from above. The six of us collapsed to the ground, too exhausted from the fight to really feel the cold.

I smirked as the memory came drifting back. "' Thankfully, he's only active until the final bell of Christmas Eve tolls,'" I recited. I turned to the others' confused faces and grinned through the snow. "Merry Christmas, guys." I raised my Digivice, the clock reading 12:01 AM. "Now... whose dog were we trying to find this time?"

X X X

"Excellent. Vacate the mall and return home immediately, Agent Estevez. The three of you have a large Christmas bonus heading your way," Director Gethen stated before signing off. He stared at the screen for a moment, then let out a deep sigh of relief and leaned back in his seat.

They had survived. Against all odds, the three had managed to survive against a Mega level Digimon and come out the other side, stronger than ever. He had hoped they would be safe instead of facing the monster, but it turned out better this way. A gamble he would never take, but he could definitely reap the benefits. He shut his eyes.

His plan, decades in the making, had almost been undone in a single night. If he was a Believer like Estevez, he would call it a Christmas Miracle. Instead he'd stick with fate or luck. Either was good enough of a reason for Gethen.

After a while, he pulled out a small, oval device, and placed it on the table. "Reapmon," he told the Digimon that appeared on the hologram. "Accelerate the plans. I need Bio-emergence in three months. We can't risk another event like this occurring so late in the game, especially not given what I'm hearing from the bugs." He turned away for a moment. "Any information on the cause of the Bio-emergence?"

"Our scouts returned from watching the Tamers," Reapmon began. He paused for dramatic effect - which Gethen could appreciate. He had his own proclivities for that. "The boy sent them a message. A wish that they could be there. It appears this wish was enough to cause a flicker in the Firewall."

"Digignomes," Gethen grumbled, annoyed and disgusted by the creatures' mere concept. "Those little annoyances are the destroyers of even the best laid plans." He groaned and stared up at the ceiling. "Do the others know their duties?"

"Except for Beelzemon, yes. But as a partner to humans, I do not believe he would aid us even if he remembered what he was before he was reformatted."

"... Digignomes."

X X X

Wow, way to go, Chumley Jr! Didn't know he and his buds had it in 'em to beat a Mega like that. I mean, obviously if I'd been there it would have happened way faster. Me and Guardromon woulda taken him down way fast! Kapow! And if Ryo was there helping me out, it would take no time at all! I'm a whole 'nother level of awesome, after all!

But this Gethen guy just keeps gettin' weirder! His relationship with Reapmon seems pretty sketchy, even for a weird government guy. And even with that nasty guy teaming up with him, they still couldn't keep Krampusmon away from them? I hope he's not charging for his protection, cause I'd want my money back! And then there's those HYPNOs goons running around, wherever they are since kidnapping Jeri. Man, I hope she gets out of all that okay, she's had too much happen to her to deal with this.

Maybe we'll see her next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!