Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Beyond The Other Side ❯ Second Configuration, Part 2 of 2 ( Chapter 4 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Author's Notes: I don't know what happened to the second part of the First Configuration and I'm truly sorry for that.

Disclaimers: Digimon belongs to Bandai, Disney and whoever else owns it.

Beyond The Other Side - Second Configuration (Part 2 of 2)

"Daemon and his minions appeared after the Digimon World Tour took place. We don't know what he did during the time before he tried to get the dark spore from Oikawa. Come to think of it, he practically has the perfect opportunity to grab Ken since he can take care of Arukenimon and Mummymon no problem and Oikawa can't enter the digital world..." Takato trailed off for a moment.

"He's no ordinary mega Digimon you know. He probably knows the way the powers of darkness work. Since he arrived late in the season, we have to assume he is waiting for something or regenerating," stated Henry. Rika crossed her arms. "Let's go get him. He has three ultimate level Digimon as his minions. The three of us can obtain ultimate level. Plus we got Paildramon. With the ultimates out of the way, it'll be a disabled Daemon versus several armored and champion Digimon."

Henry narrowed his eyes. "Don't underestimate him. The only way the Digidestined could defeat him was to seal him in the Dark World with Ken's D3 opening the gate. Imperialdramon had barely enough power to hold him off...and he was in his fighter mode. We deal with Daemon when he arrives. By then, we should have a few megas up our sleeve."

"Hey guys!! Are you coming with us or not?" The meeting ended with Davis yelling at them. The Digidestined were ready to leave. Ken had already gone in another direction to open a Digiport to his house. Terriermon jumped on Henry's head while Calumon sat on Guilmon.

"For the past several days, those annoying pests have foiled each and every one of my plans!! Everything I have tried does not work!! That's it. I'm going to make a mega Digimon to crush all of them!!" Mummymon started to panic. "Wait!! You can't control a mega Digimon!!"

Arukenimon gave a scowl. "As long as that mega Digimon destroys the Digidestined, the other kids and the entire digital world, I don't care if it decides to become a waiter in a restaurant!! The boss wants to get to the digital world. Since this version of it won't let him in, we'll destroy it to make way for a digital world that will suit his taste. Let's go to the mountain area. I'm sure there are enough control spires there to create a suitable mega Digimon."

Her face fell when she saw how many control spires the tamers had destroyed. "They destroyed thirty control spires in this area!! That only leaves seventy left...and I need at least seventy-five control spires to create any type of mega Digimon!! There's another clump of control spires in the west but they're too far away! By the time we get there, they will be the only control spires left at the rate those kids are working."

"So you can't create a mega Digimon. Big deal...I guess you can create a powerful Digimon at the ultimate level. That way, you are still in control. Now, we need an ultimate level Digimon that they won't expect," said Mummymon. "Like what? Every new Digimon we throw at them gets analyzed and dealt with according to their data!!" snapped Arukenimon.

Mummymon started to wail. "I don't know what to do! The only time I've seen their Digivices mess up was when the red dinosaur became black!!" A cold smile formed on Arukenimon's face. "And we did see the ultimate form of that red dinosaur. I believe we have found a winner..."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Terriermon...how did it feel when you changed into Blackgargomon? Was it different than being Gargomon?" Terriermon rested on Henry's head as they headed towards TK's apartment. "I didn't feel different. All I knew was that I looked...wicked. The black fur gave me class, Henry!! The brown fur was more of a decorative thing." Henry chuckled. "Just don't keep bragging about how classy you looked."

"He'll be bragging about his new look tomorrow. I guarantee it," stated Patamon. Terriermon looked up. "No way!! Henry asked me not to brag about it so I'll keep quiet!!" Patamon gave a sly smile. "Let's make a bet on this. If you can keep quiet, you can raid the cafeteria alone on the next day of school. It'll practically be your buffet for the day. If you can't..." "Patamon, enough of this nonsense," said TK sharply.

"What's got you worked up, TK?" The boy pulled Patamon close so he could whisper in the Digimon's ear. "I'm concerned about Terriermon. Who really knows what happened inside Infermon's cocoon? Did Terriermon really develop that resistance or did he become infused with the powers of darkness?"

"Well, Terriermon feels fine. Like he says, TK, momentai!!" TK couldn't shake off the feeling. "If he could become Blackgargomon, he could probably become the dark version of his ultimate form. Maybe even mega. The powers of darkness may magnify every time he digivolves. He may be in control now but what about in his ultimate form? Mega form? We have to keep an eye out on him, Patamon."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Break time!! I've got drinks for everybody!!" Yolei brought out a cooler filled with drinks. The Digidestined and the tamers have resumed destroying as many control spires as they could. Takato took off his goggles to wipe his forehead. "It's kind of weird but Machinedramon was right all those years ago. There's nothing like a little destruction to end a hard day's work." Davis laughed. The others eyed both him and Takato strangely. "Moron," muttered Rika as she grabbed a can of soda.

Cody sat off at one end drinking his beverage. Ken went to destroy control spires somewhere else with Stingmon. Davis gave a sigh. "Man, Ken and Cody aren't getting along too well. If we're going to function as a team, everybody should be able to feel comfortable around each other." Takato came up behind him. "You should let them be. They'll start being more friendly to each other eventually."

"Still, I should do something to try and speed things up. Maybe if I can do something that will have them mutually agree to do something together..." Takato started thinking. "Well, they could destroy a control spire together...no, wait that didn't work. Um..." Henry cleared his throat loudly. "We should be going back to work in a few minutes."

Takato took another sip when he felt the ground shake for a moment. "What was that?" Henry looked around. "I don't know...but it felt like it came from the mountain area where we worked on before Cyberdramon attacked!!" Takato narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't think that Arukenimon would be trying to create Blackwargreymon, would you? We knocked over a lot of control spires!!" Rika crushed her can. "Whatever it is, me and Renamon can handle it!!" Hearing her cue, the fox Digimon stood by, ready to fight. "Digi Modify!!! Digivolution Activate!!" Calumon was enjoying his drink and commenting on how fizzly it felt in his mouth when the mark above his head glowed red.

DIGIVOLUTION.... "Renamon digivolved to...Kyubimon!"

"Let's get going!!" Rika hopped on Kyubimon's back and the two were racing off towards the mountain. Henry sighed. "That impulsiveness will get her into trouble one day. Listen up everyone!! We going to check things out over there. I want all the Digimon to power up and be ready for anything. Call Ken too in case we need Paildramon." Takato took out a card. "Guilmon, put down that can! We have to do something!" Guilmon gave a belch thanks to the carbonated drink settling down inside. "Digi Modify!! Digivolution Activate!!"

DIGIVOLUTION.... "Guilmon digivolved to...Growlmon!!"

Henry quickly scooped up Calumon before heading over to where Growlmon was standing. Takato waited for a moment before sliding another card through his Digivice. "Digi Modify!! Hyperwing Activate!!" Wings grew out from Growlmon's back. He took off in the air with Henry, Takato, Calumon and Terriermon on his back. Davis grabbed his D3. "It'll take Ken some time to get to the area. You might as well armor-digivolve since Flamedramon's the better fighter." Cody and Yolei took out their D3s as well. Kari and TK gave an agreeing nod. "Digi Armor Energize!!"

"Patamon armor-digivolved to...Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!!"
"Gatomon armor-digivolved to...Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!!"
"Veemon armor-digivolved to...Flamedramon, the Fire of Courage!!"
"Armadillomon digivolved to...Ankylomon!!"
"Hawkmon digivolved to...Aquilamon!!"

When Rika and Kyubimon arrived, they could see several control spires dissipating into data and forming together. She got off the champion level Digimon. "Stay alert, Kyubimon." The fox Digimon patiently waited for the new control spire Digimon to appear. "She's all by herself!! Let's get her!! Snake Bandage!!" Kyubimon looked up to see Mummymon's attack. "Dragon Wheel!!"

Mummymon took out his big gun while Arukenimon stood behind him in her battle form as well. Rika gave a smirk. "So you two want to play? Alright...Digi Modify!! Boost Chip Activate!!" Kyubimon's tails spread apart. "Fox Tail Inferno!!" The fireballs forced the two ultimates to go back.

"Rika!!" The other tamers had just caught up to her. Henry and Takato looked up to see the control spire data gather together to take a form on top of the mountain. "What is she making? It can't be Blackwargreymon!!" Henry took out a card along with his Digivice. "Terriermon, it's time to join the fight! Digi Modify!! Digivolution Activate!!"

DIGIVOLUTION.... "Terriermon digivolved to...Gargomon!"

"At least you're back to your normal green and white self." Gargomon gave a smile. "What did I say, Henry? Momentai." "It's almost done!!" The tamers looked up to see the dark being above. He jumped off and started to land slowly. Takato gave a start. "It's...you gotta be kidding...it looks just like Wargrowlmon!!" His mid torso area is completely grey. He had black skin and gold stripes in replacement of the usual red and black. His blades looked a bit more dull and he had yellow hair.

"All this fuss was over an ultimate level Digimon?!? You two are more pathetic than I thought!! Let's take that freak down, Kyubimon!!" Kyubimon gave a small chuckle. "This shouldn't take long." Henry started to speak. "Rika, wait!!" The two of them had already started to charge the ultimate level Digimon. Arukenimon and Mummymon prepared to attack but Growlmon and Gargomon tackled them.

"Takato? Takato!!" The boy snapped out of his thoughts to face Henry. "Since your Digivice was able to pick up data on Wargrowlmon, you should be able to pick up data on this dark version as well!! It's probably because of your connection as the original creator!" Takato forced himself to pull together and pulled out his Digivice. After a few moments, his Digivice started giving statistics. "Blackwargrowlmon. Ultimate level, cyborg Digimon. Virus type..."

"What?" Skullsatamon looked at his master curiously. "What have you sensed, master?" The demonic mega Digimon tried to concentrate on the new being. "I have felt another Digimon tap into the powers of darkness. But this one was like the other...they are not native to the digital world at all. And yet they still carry the same basic digital code found in all Digimon."

Marinedevimon and Ladydevimon approached Daemon. "What do you see this time?" asked Marinedevimon. Daemon recalled what he had seen. "He is an ultimate level Digimon of no other in the digital world. And I sense that if he should reach his mega form, he will gain immense power. The rabbit Digimon has great potential as well. His resistance against any type of attack will increase considerably should he reach mega form." He paused. "Two Digimon that do not belong here tapping into the powers of darkness...this is intriguing. This requires an investigation."

Kyubimon kept charging towards Blackwargrowlmon. His chest plate started to spark with black energy as he started gathering power for his attack. Rika took out a card. 'I better give her the type advantage, just in case.' "Digi Modify!! Vaccine Conversion Activate!!" (AN: original Japanese is Light Training Manual, I think)

Takato's Digivice started to give descriptions. "...according to this, his blades are made out of a material that is supposed to be stronger than any known alloy in the digital world. That's why his Radiation Edge attack is so strong."

The other Digidestined came out from behind. "I thought Ken would have made it by now!" exclaimed Davis. Growlmon and Gargomon were tangled up by Arukenimon and Mummymon. Before they could give the final blow, Nefertimon and Pegasusmon formed a Golden Noose to tie Growlmon and Gargomon up so they could get them to safety.

"Fox Tail Inferno!!" Blackwargrowlmon had finished powering up. "Atomic Destroyer!!" Rika saw him fire his energy beam. "Look out!!" Her warning came too late. "Kyubimon!! No!!!" The next thing they knew, they saw her in the path of Blackwargrowlmon's beam. It looked like that she was struggling to keep all of her data together. (AN: Kind of like when she fought Mihiramon in episode 15) Flamedramon tossed three fireballs. "Fire Rocket!!" The attack hit Blackwargrowlmon in the top of his face, distracting him long enough to stop firing the beam. Kyubimon collapsed and transformed back into Renamon. Rika ran over to check on her.

"Just what was that?!?" Takato looked at what his Digivice displayed to him. "His Atomic Destroyer attack is composed only with negatively charged ions. They attract and repel the positive and negatively charged ions of any enemy that he hits. At full power, he can literally rip their molecular structure apart. He has a special compartment inside his chest plate that protects him from the beam while controlling it at the same time. This attack can only affect solid forms of matter."

"Wait a second!! How can the beam even exist? I remember in chemistry class that opposites attract while same charges repel each other. If the beam consists of only negatively charged ions, then how can they stay together? They'll dissipate as soon as they come out!" Drops of sweat rolled down Henry's face. "Yolei, this is the digital world. Scientific laws can be bent, maybe even broken here. For example, the laws of gravity didn't have an effect on Myotismon's castle."

Blackwargrowlmon gave a snarl as he started powering up again. Flamedramon leapt in to attack. With a gigantic kick, Flamedramon was sent crashing back down right beside Renamon and Rika. "Rika!! Renamon!! Flamedramon!! You have to get out of there or else Blackwargrowlmon's going to blast you with his Atomic Destroyer!!!"

Rika got an unconscious Renamon up and started to drag her away. Flamedramon was barely able to get up when he heard Blackwargrowlmon yell out his attack. "Atomic Destroyer!!!" He, as well as the other tamers and the Digidestined, looked on in horror as the beam headed directly towards Rika and Renamon.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Atomic Destroyer!!!" The beam headed directly towards Rika and Renamon. Flamedramon tried to move but his body still needed time to recover from Blackwargrowlmon's attack. "Coming through!!" Stingmon flew by and scooped Rika and Renamon into his arms. The energy beam kept sailing into the sky and eventually hit one of the giant blocks at Primary Village. Ken ran up and gasped at the new dark Digimon before him. "What the...?"

"Hey, Flamedramon!! Are you okay?" Davis helped Flamedramon stand up. "You should digivolve to your champion form so you can DNA digivolve into Paildramon and take down this new control spire Digimon!!" The armored Digimon transformed back into Veemon. "Okay, Davis! I just need a bit of time to catch my breath." The rookie Digimon sat down and started panting heavily. Stingmon placed Rika and Renamon beside Takato before flying off again.

Aquilamon and Ankylomon were having a tough time holding off Arukenimon and Mummymon. "Star Shower!!" "Rosetta Stone!!" Nefertimon and Pegasusmon had dropped off Gargomon and Growlmon near the male tamers before coming back to help their comrades. Ankylomon got up. "Tail Hammer!!" Both ultimate Digimon got out of the way just in time.

Growlmon and Gargomon stepped forward to confront Blackwargrowlmon. "Hey...this guy kind of looks familiar!!" exclaimed Gargomon. Growlmon just stared at how closely that other Digimon resembled someone. "Growlmon!! You have to fight this guy!! He's made out of control spires and he's dangerous!!"

That was all the reason Growlmon needed to engage the enemy. "Pyro Blaster!!!" Blackwargrowlmon simply blocked it with one of his blades. "Spiking Strike!!" Stingmon flew in for the attack but it was easily parried. Davis gritted his teeth. "Are you ready to go?" Veemon got up, feeling a lot better than he did a few moments ago. "Veemon digivolved to...Exveemon!!" Ken took out his D3. "Let's do this, Stingmon!!"

"Exveemon..."
"...Stingmon..."
"...DNA digivolved to...Paildramon!!"

"Alright!! Now it should be a little more even!!" cheered Davis. He noticed that neither Takato or Henry were cheering along. "Loosen up, guys!! Paildramon is an ultimate, just like Blackwargrowlmon. We can take this guy!!!" Slowly, Henry broke the silence. "Paildramon may be at Blackwargrowlmon's level but he has a type disadvantage. He's a data while Blackwargrowlmon is a virus. He also lacks the amount of firepower that Blackwargrowlmon has."

Takato spoke next. "Not to mention his defensive capabilities. I remember giving Guilmon the ability to resist attacks belonging to any Digimon at champion level or below. With Growlmon, that armor included ultimate level Digimon. If he is at ultimate, I would have to assume he could resist the attacks of even mega Digimon. And Blackwargrowlmon is practically a dark duplicate of the original."

Davis turned his focus back to the battle. To his dismay, Paildramon's Desperado Blaster attack was not having an effect at all. "Change of plan!! Try a close range attack!!" yelled Ken. Spikes came out from from the top parts of Paildramon's hands. "Sting Strike!!" Blackwargrowlmon simply kept parrying them as if they were nothing. "Radiation Edge!!" The blade became infused with his dark energy and he gave a vicious slash, breaking off both spikes from Paildramon. "Aaaauuuuggghhhhh!!!!!!" One powerful kick later, Paildramon was sent flying into the mountain.

"Excellent job, Blackwargrowlmon. Now destroy the rest of these pests!!!" Arukenimon dodged Aquilamon's Blast Ring attack. Mummymon fired his gun, forcing Nefertimon and Pegasusmon to move back. Before Blackwargrowlmon could do anything, Gargomon leapt in to deliver a Bunny Pummel. Blackwargrowlmon quickly powered up and shot out another Atomic Destroyer straight out into the air where Gargomon had to make an aerial recovery after his attack. It sailed right over him and hit an unsuspecting Kuwagamon who was just flying by. A piercing scream echoed throughout the area before the Digimon dissipated into data.

But nobody, not even the tamers, had anticipated what would happen next. Rika stared in shock at what Blackwargrowlmon was doing. "He...he...he downloaded that Digimon's data into himself!!" Henry started to sweat. "Arukenimon actually duplicated the download mechanism?! That means Blackwargrowlmon can become stronger by downloading Digimon!! The higher the level of the Digimon, the more power he gains by downloading their data!!"

After he had finished downloading Kuwagamon's data, Blackwargrowlmon turned to finish off Paildramon so he could download additional data but instead, all he saw were two tired baby Digimon. Ken and Davis ran over to scoop them up. He then stared at Arukenimon and Mummymon, who were fighting off several of the Digimon belonging to the Digidestined. "Spider Thread!!"

Mummymon stepped back and bumped right into Blackwargrowlmon. "What are you standing there for? Destroy the rest of the Digidestined and those other kids!!" The cyborg Digimon gave a chuckle. "I'm saving them for later. However, you and your female partner are the only other ultimates here other than myself. I should acquire your data first." Mummymon started to panic. "Acquire our data?!? Have you gone mad?!?!?"

Arukenimon just heard what Blackwargrowlmon had in store for them. She quickly moved to another area where the other Digimon can't aim so easily. 'Perhaps using an unknown ultimate level Digimon was not a good idea. Especially with the unknown variables. I better dispose of him.' Explosions rang out nearby as a result of the group attack but Arukenimon was able to stay in one piece. 'I'm not getting anything!!! I can't activate the self-destruct mechanism in the fibre!! He must have created an override code of some sort!! But how?'

Henry ran up to Gargomon. "Are you alright?" Gargomon got up and tried to shake the dizziness away. "Yeah...what the-" The rabbit Digimon looked around. He swore he could have seen something out of the corner of his eye. "Did you see something, Gargomon?" The champion level Digimon started running towards an area. Henry could do nothing except follow him.

Takato started searching through his card pile. 'I've got to stop this guy!!! It's because of me he came to life!!! It's all my fault...I can't think like that! The only way this could have happened is if Arukenimon saw Wargrowlmon!! Since I helped create him in some way, it's my duty to take him down!!' One of his cards glowed a gentle blue before it changed into the blue card. A grin formed on the boy's face. "Now we have a fighting chance!! Digi Modify!! Matrix Digivolution Activate!!"

MATRIX DIGIVOLUTION.... "Growlmon digivolved to...Wargrowlmon!!!"

Calumon's ears spread out. "Let the games begin!!" "What's this?" Blackwargrowlmon turned around and barely dodged Wargrowlmon's blade. "It's time for you to hit the road, you copycat!!" yelled Takato. He took out another card. "Digi Modify!!! Power Activate!!" Wargrowlmon attacked with his blades. Blackwargrowlmon kept dodging the attacks until he brought forth his own blade to meet his opponent's. Sparks flew as the two blades clashed together.

"Where did it go? I knew it went to this direction!!" Gargomon and Henry had ran into a dark area of a dense forest. It seemed to be quiet until Gargomon was sent flying back into a tree. "Gargomon!! Are you okay?" Gargomon got up and looked around again. "Oof!!!" Something hit him from behind. Before Gargomon could fire his Gargo Laser, he got hit again on the side. Henry could barely see a blur circling around Gargomon and hitting him. "Digi Modify!! Speed Activate!!" Regardless of the additional speed, Gargomon could not catch up to that blur. He kept taking heavy beats until his fur flashed for a moment and he disappeared.

"Digi Modify!! Viral Boost Chip Activate!!" Wargrowlmon slashed again but with greater strength. Blackwargrowlmon had to move back and up the mountain in order to compensate for his recoil whenever he blocked one of Wargrowlmon's blades. Wargrowlmon took off into the air and prepared to circle around low. Blackwargrowlmon started to power up an Atomic Destroyer.

Henry gasped at what just happened. "Gargomon!!!!" The only answer Henry received was silence until he heard someone yell "Bunny Pummel!!" Something red crashed onto the ground. Henry went pale. "Skullsatamon!! That means that Daemon can't be too far behind!! Gargomon, we..." He trailed off when he saw what happened to his friend. His fur had gone black and brown again. "Blackgargomon?" The rabbit Digimon grinned. "You were expecting someone else?"

"How did you...?" "I just kept thinking that if I could go into stealth, I could find out who's been beating me up for free. Then I just did it and saw the red guy hiding behind a tree." Skullsatamon got up and shook off the effects of the attack. Henry looked at the red Digimon. "We have to get going!! He's an ultimate level Digimon!!" Blackgargomon didn't pay attention. "Gargo Laser!!"

Skullsatamon twirled his staff around, deflecting the energy beams. "This guy was able to take down Imperialdramon!! And he's a vaccine mega Digimon!!! If it wasn't for his fighter mode, he would have been toast!!! We have to rejoin the others!! They probably need our help against Blackwargrowlmon!!" Blackgargomon fired a burst shot, creating a cloud of dust to surround Skullsatamon. "Let's get going then!!" "Digi Modify!! Hyperspeed Activate!!" As they made their escape, Skullsatamon started to fan away the dust. 'That boy...what does he know about me? The more important question is how much does he know about the master?'

"Snake Bandage!!" Aquilamon dodged the attack. Yolei clenched her fists. "That's the way to do it!! Now go in there and give it all you got!!" "Got it!! Grand Horn!!!" Mummymon fired his gun. The energy blast knocked Aquilamon off course. Ankylomon swung his heavy tail. "Tail Hammer!!" Mummymon ducked and fired another round. "Golden Noose!!" Pegasusmon and Nefertimon tried to tie up Arukenimon but she moved too fast for them to get a good lock. "Spider Thread!!"

"Atomic Destroyer!!" Blackwargrowlmon fired the beam directly at Wargrowlmon. "Atomic Blaster!!!" A beam of red energy erupted from Wargrowlmon's chest plate and collided with the dark energy beam. It seemed to be a standstill. Takato took out a card, hoping that Wargrowlmon's energy blast would increase in power. "Digi Modify!! Black Gear Activate!!" Slowly, the red energy beam started to push the black one back up. Takato watched the battle intensely. Rika sat nearby but she was trying to help Renamon recover from her fight.

Blackwargrowlmon stopped firing his energy beam. Wargrowlmon's beam was headed directly towards his opponent. He quickly dodged to the left and fired whatever charge had built up for those few seconds. Wargrowlmon barely got out of the beam's path. It continued for some distance until it hit a control spire that was tucked away in the mountain. The beam instantly destroyed the spire. Blackwargrowlmon started glowing. The data from the spire soared into the air and became absorbed by Blackwargrowlmon.

Rika had a look of utter surprise. "You gotta be kidding me...first he can download Digimon. Now he can download control spire data as well?!?" Wargrowlmon fired another Atomic Blaster. Blackwargrowlmon placed his arms together like a shield. The attack hit the target but when the dust cleared, there wasn't even a scratch on Blackwargrowlmon.

Takato gasped. "No way!! There should have been a bit of damage, especially with all the additional power ups I keep giving Wargrowlmon!!" Blackwargrowlmon stared at his opponent for a moment. 'There is something missing...it is if I'm only partially complete. My power becomes a little stronger everytime I absorb a Digimon...but it magnifies everytime I absorb one of those black towers.'

Henry had just arrived at the area, thanks to a piggyback ride from Blackgargomon. "Alright!! Where is Blackwargrowlmon? I wanna have a piece of-" Blackgargomon noticed a shadow growing larger underneath him. He moved to the right as a staff tried to hit him. Skullsatamon quickly swung his staff and hit Blackgargomon in the stomach. Henry turned around and gave a gasp of surprise. He quickly shook it off and tried to find a card to help Blackgargomon. "Nail Bone!!!"

"Digi Modify!! Hypersonic Activate!!" Regardless of that extra speed, Skullsatamon still held the upper advantage. Henry kept searching for another card that would help. 'I can't let Daemon jeopardize everything!! If I remember correctly, he wanted to get his hands on Ken because of that dark spore...Millenniumon's spore. That won't happen. Not if I have anything to say about it.' The boy blinked in surprise when he got to the end of the pile. "A blue card..." Calumon bounced right beside Henry. "Whoa...that guy looks scary!!" "Digi Modify!! Matrix Digivolution Activate!!!"

MATRIX DIGIVOLUTION.... "Blackgargomon digivolved to...Spectralrapidmon!!"

Henry took out his D power and analyzed the new Digimon in front of him. "Spectralrapidmon, ultimate level, vaccine Digimon. His speed combined with his black stealth armor makes him the perfect infiltration unit." (AN: I make it a personal policy to restrict my use of the 'black' prefix. I was wondering why the Japanese stuck to Black Galgomon, Black Rapidmon and Black Saint Galgomon. It just got a little stale after a while. Please don't kill me because of this minor detail)

"What's this?!" Skullsatamon stood back defensively. Spectralrapidmon stood there proudly with the sun's rays reflecting off his black armor. Instead of the usual white legs, they were brown. Skullsatamon snarled and went in to attack but stopped suddenly as Spectralrapidmon disappeared from his sight. "Rapid Fire!!" Missiles exploded from behind him and he was sent flying towards where the others were fighting.

He barely made a recovery on the ground. "Hang in there, Leavemon!!" His attention was turned towards the boy who cradled a baby Digimon protectively. "Don't you even think about hurting him!!" He got kicked in the stomach and was sent flying again. Spectralrapidmon started to focus his energy. "Tri Beam!!!!"

The triangle moved quickly towards Skullsatamon. A black energy flash erupted from his position. Henry ran up to his partner. "Did you get him?" Spectralrapidmon narrowed his eyes. "I think so but I wasn't able to see him dissipate. Something else may have interfered just before contact."

"Now that was close," stated Ladydevimon. Skullsatamon leaned wearily against the tree and glared at Ladydevimon. "Why did you save my life? I thought you would have been glad to see me destroyed." Ladydevimon's cruel smile didn't disappear from her face. "I had to keep an eye out for you. Besides, I want to see the master torture you for your failure to abduct one of our new...visitors for analysis before you die."

"What was that explostion?!? Never mind!! Let's go get...huh?" When Takato turned his attention back to Blackwargrowlmon, he was nowhere in sight. Takato clenched his fist. "No!!! He got away!!!" Rika gave a scowl. "Maybe if you paid a little more attention to what was happening in front of you instead of looking at what caused that explosion...you're hopeless, goggle head. I'm surprised that Blackwargrowlmon didn't take this opportunity to finish you off."

"We'll find him. The D power should be able to pick up his signature and we can track him down after we recover from our battle. Let's regroup where the others are fighting Arukenimon and Mummymon." Takato started walking with Wargrowlmon behind him.

'What is Blackwargrowlmon up to? Don't tell me he's searching for the reason he has emotions or something!! It was bad enough when Blackwargreymon did the same thing!! What about the destiny stones? Will he go on a rampage and destroy them all?' Rika was about to start walking with Renamon leaning on her when she heard a small groan. "Renamon!! Are you in one piece?"

"...that ultimate Digimon...no ordinary ultimate...we can't let him reach mega...who knows what powers he will gain.." Renamon started breathing slowly. Rika gently placed her down. "Look...I'm sorry for getting you in such danger. If it wasn't for my reckless attitude, you wouldn't have gotten hurt like this." The fox Digimon gave a small smile. "Your iron will...and thirst for the good fight is...what brought us t-together. It's o-one of your...best qualities..."

"Spider Thread!!" Pegasusmon flew up and prepared to fire another Star Shower when he heard someone yell "Stop!!!!" The Digidestined turned to Takato. "We should weaken these guys and confine them where they can't do anymore harm!!" exclaimed Cody. Takato raised his hand. "No!! They are in this situation as well as us."

Arukenimon was about to attack again when Wargrowlmon slammed her into the mountain. He placed his blade near her neck. "Takatomon wants to say something. You should listen." He glared at Mummymon. The mummy Digimon reluctantly put down his gun. "Don't hurt her!! What do you want to say, kid?" "Traitor!!!" spat Arukenimon.

"That's enough!! We have a bigger problem...Blackwargrowlmon. He apparently has the ability to download Digimon and control spires which can increase his power exponentially. If he continues to absorb all this data, he could reach mega form within a short amount of time. And regardless of our numbers, we can't take out a mega Digimon." TK looked at the other boy. "What do you propose we do, Takato?" Takato drew a deep breath. "We call a truce and work together."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Rika grabbed Takato's collar. "Have you lost your mind?!?! An idea of making a truce with the enemy...I always knew that you were a moron but this takes the cake!!" She pushed him back roughly. Takato gave a sigh. Convincing his fellow tamers and the other Digidestined to team up with someone who has been trying to destroy them for the past few days is going to be near impossible.

"It just might be able to work!! Remember when Davis asked Ken to join the Digidestined? The others were opposed to it but eventually they accepted him!!" Henry crossed his arms. "But that was different. Ken is a member of the Digidestined." Takato gave him a look. "In what way? He was pretty bad when he was the Digimon Emperor.But he changed!! I'm thinking we could change Arukenimon and Mummymon for the better too!! The only real challenge would be to convince Arukenimon to get another hobby other than destroying the digital world. Once we do that, it won't be too hard to get Mummymon to do the same. To be honest, I felt that their characters weren't fully maximized. They had empty deaths at the hands of Malomyotismon in episode 48, I believe. Nobody deserves an empty death like that."

"He laid down the conditions for the truce. We don't destroy control spires until the threat has been neutralized. She doesn't make any attempt to destroy us. She also won't plant any more control spires since all they do is power up Blackwargrowlmon. In addition, he made them promise to help fight Blackwargrowlmon since he's our top priority. After they agreed...actually Mummymon agreed for the both of them, Wargrowlmon let them go," finished Cody. Ken narrowed his eyes. "I don't trust her. What makes Takato so sure that she will hold up her end of the bargain?"

Davis clenched his fists. "Ken's right!! I say we take the opportunity and destroy as many control spires as we can!! That should put her out of commission!!! As an added bonus, Blackwargrowlmon won't be able to download those control spires since he won't be near the area!!" Kari looked over to where the three tamers were having their discussion. "He seems so optimistic about Arukenimon and Mummymon. Maybe the time he's been here in the past has him thinking about how we can help change the attitudes of Digimon. Let them get a fresh new start at life."

"With those two? I wouldn't bet on it. They would probably stay out of the way and rebuild their strength before doing anything at all," muttered Yolei. They all quieted down as Takato headed over to their position. "I know you guys have your doubts about this truce but with Blackwargrowlmon being a threat to their operation, his downloading capabilities and his unpredictability, they will have to cooperate with us in order to shut him down!!"

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"I know that you're angry with me right now," started Mummymon as he drove the vehicle. "But to be honest, using a Digimon that we haven't encountered except with those...um...what did they call them...tamers. Anyways, using a Digimon that belong to those tamers as a template for a control spire Digimon wasn't such a good idea, especially-" Arukenimon turned her head sharply. "Oh, will you shut up already? I really don't want to hear this babbling on about how it wasn't a good idea to do this or that."

Mummymon gulped, knowing that his chance of changing his relationship with his colleague from a professional one to a romantic one is slipping away faster than ever before. "What are we going to do? What if those kids decide to take this opportunity to destroy more control spires?" A snort came from his passenger. "You saw how much that kid wanted to make that truce. It was right there in his eyes. He'll probably force them all to stick to it. When we're good and ready, we'll break the truce."

The mummy Digimon gripped the steering wheel of the vehicle more tightly. "When will we be good and ready? Blackwargrowlmon is probably destroying a lot of control spires and absorbing their data to make himself stronger. Other than that clump of spires in the western region, there are only a handful left!! And you know what happens to us when they're all gone!!" "You don't have to remind me. Now step on the gas pedal!! We have to get to that clump of control spires before Blackwargrowlmon is aware of that there is a group of control spires just standing there, waiting to be absorbed."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"If I understand this correctly, there were two potential subjects that could have been used in our experiment. You decided to go for the rabbit since the other proved to be most powerful. Even though I had confidence that you could have defeated him with your speed and your Nail Bone attack, which immobilizes whoever it hits, you decided to take a less riskier path and go for the champion level Digimon. I still would have accepted it as a test subject but the one little thing I can't understand is why you came back empty-handed." Daemon tapped the arm of his chair, waiting for a reply.

Skullsatamon forced himself to remain calm before delivering his report to his master. "The other subject was at my mercy when his human partner slashed some sort of...card through his Digivice. That enabled the rabbit Digimon to digivolve to his ultimate form. Once he had done that, he quickly gained the upper hand in the battle. Had Ladydevimon not intervene at the last moment, I would not be standing here now."

"I see. It seems that I have misplaced my confidence in you to complete this mission. Is there anything you would like to add to your report before I ponder what type of punishment I should inflict upon you?" Ladydevimon rubbed her hands together in anticipation. Skullsatamon couldn't think of anything until he remembered the discovery he had made. "I have made an interesting observation during the battle. When Spectralrapidmon knocked me down near the battle area where the Digidestined were fighting, I saw the child who held Millenniumon's dark spore within his neck. He has reverted back to the stage before the enhancements of the dark spore took place and his transformation to the Digimon Emperor."

Daemon's train of thought immediately changed, realizing that a window of opportunity has just opened. "That means the dark spore has become inactive!!! Ladydevimon, can you confirm this?" The fallen angel Digimon gave a start. "I am unsure, my liege. I have not yet seen the boy for myself." Daemon narrowed his eyes. "Then it would be wise to check up on this for yourself," he stated icily.

She gave a small bow before departing the area. Marinedevimon looked at Skullsatamon, who still remained in his kneeling position. "What about him, master? Have you decided his fate?" Daemon's attention turned back to the ultimate level Digimon kneeling before him. "If Ladydevimon returns with good news, then I will have to reward you. This is no ordinary discovery. The spore may contain the secrets to Millenniumon's power. And I intend to find out how to harness that power."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

'Okay...the guy has hair that practically defies gravity. How can he be so hard to find?!?' Takato kept walking around the hallways of the school. He gave a sigh as he decided to approach the matter later when he bumped into the person he was looking for. "I'm sorry...Tai!! How's life going for ya?" Tai gave a smile. "A bit better knowing that the digital world is safe thanks to you tamers working with the new Digidestined."

Takato grinned. "That's great!! Anyways...um..." 'I gotta be real careful. I don't want to embarrass myself and Tai by asking questions about his personal life.' Tai raised an eyebrow. "You were going to ask me something. What's on your mind?" Takato frantically tried to figure out a question for Tai. "So did you tell Sora how you're in love with her?" 'Smooth move, moron. Now Tai is probably never going to talk to me again since I'm probing into personal territory.'

Tai was about to ask how did he know when he remembered that he came from the future. "Um...why? I didn't say anything yet. I don't want to pressure Sora or anything. What's the sudden interest in my love life?" Takato gave a silent sigh of relief before he started getting to the business at hand. "Well, I just thought that you and Sora would make a good couple."

"Uh...right...seriously, what do you have planned up your sleeve?" Takato gave a slight growl of frustration. "From my perspective, if you don't act soon, someone else will claim her heart. Now that you know that there is someone else out there, you should go and do something about it now. You could tell her how ashamed and sad you felt when Datamon took her away. But you saved her life. As an added bonus, your interference caused Datamon to drop the Crest of Love right into Sora's hands."

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Takato started to panic mentally. He turned around to face Rika. "I'm not doing anything, I swear!!! Me and Tai were having one of those guy to guy talks!!!" Rika narrowed her eyes. "You're giving advice about how he can improve his love life when you don't even have one of your own. Why?"

Takato moved away from Tai to whisper in Rika's ear. "To be perfectly honest, I just don't see Matt as Sora's type." Rika rolled her eyes. "She probably chose Matt already! It must be due to when she went into a deep emotional funk. Joe and Matt had to save her but it was Matt who did most of the talking that brought her up in the end."

"Wait a minute!! You mean that little part with Matt, Joe and Sora before the Digidestined fought Piedmon?" Rika nodded. Takato just stood there in surprise. "That's why she chose Matt over Tai?!?" Tai went pale when he heard Takato's statement. "What did you say?" Takato clutched his head, knowing that he just blew everything. "Run away!!!!" He started moving to the computer room as fast as he could to get to the usual after school meeting. Rika started muttering as she followed him. "Just when I thought he couldn't get any worse, he proves me wrong."

Takato arrived at the door, trying to control his breathing. The other kids were crowded around Izzy, who had just installed a program to try to track down Blackwargrowlmon. Guilmon gave him a curious look. "You look a little tired, Takatomon." The boy raised his head. "I'm not really tired but the stress is starting to get to me." Terriermon leapt on the table to Takato's right. "You're worried about Blackwargrowlmon tearing up things in the digital world? We'll stop him!! Momentai!!"

Takato gave a nervous laugh. "Blackwargrowlmon...right..." Izzy kept typing away until a blip appeared on the screen. "I have a fix!! From his current course, he's heading towards a desert area. There are a few control spires in the location. If we're going to get the jump on him, we should open a Digiport at this point. He'll probably come through here if he wants to get to the control spires as quickly as possible. You guys should go ahead. I'll inform Ken." Yolei took out her D3. "Okay then!! Digiport open!!" The computer screen started to glow just as Rika made it through the door. She saw the entire group disappear into the monitor while Izzy was doing something with the D terminal.

Calumon blinked in confusion and looked around. Just a moment ago, he was sharing a snack with Patamon, Demiveemon, Poromon, Upamon and Gatomon. Now they were all gone and he was alone with the snack platter. "Alright!! More yummy snacky stuff for me!!" Without warning, Rika scooped him up and placed him underneath her arm. "Renamon!! Let's get going!!" The fox Digimon appeared right beside her. Calumon looked at the snack platter again. "Can I bring some of that stuff with me?"

[Insert Digiport sequence, music, all that stuff]

"Hey!! I don't see Blackwargrowlmon anywhere!!" Davis looked around but the cyborg Digimon appeared to be nowhere in sight. "Do you suppose that Izzy made a miscalculation?" asked Cody. TK narrowed his eyes. "I don't think so. If this is the wrong place, then I wouldn't be seeing something suspicious coming this way!!"

The dark shape started getting closer. "It's Blackwargrowlmon!!" exclaimed Kari. Rika came from behind with Renamon. "Let's get down to business!! I underestimated Blackwargrowlmon before but this time I'm ready!!" Before everyone could digivolve, Blackwargrowlmon soared past them up ahead. Takato gave a look of surprise. "How was he able to move so fast?!"

Henry gritted his teeth. "With each control spire he absorbs, Blackwargrowlmon becomes faster, stronger and more powerful. We've got to at least slow him down before thinking of an attack strategy!!" "Hey!!" The kids turned to see Ken and Stingmon up in the air, on a pursuit course. "Hurry up and digivolve!! We don't have much time!!" The tamers quickly took out a card. "Digi Modify!! Digivolution Activate!!!"

DIGIVOLUTION....

"Terriermon digivolved to...Gargomon!!!"
"Guilmon digivolved to...Growlmon!!"
"Renamon digivolved to...Kyubimon!!!"

The tamers got on their own Digimon before slashing another card. "Digi Modify!! Hyperspeed Activate!!" Within a few moments, they were off. "We'll be right behind you!!" bellowed Davis. The only acknowledgement he got was a simple wave from Stingmon and Ken.

Henry squinted his eyes to try and see Blackwargrowlmon but all he could see was a tiny black speck. "He's too far ahead!! By the time we get to the area, he will be in the process of downloading those control spires!!" Rika gave a smirk. "And that will be our opportunity to strike!!"

Takato had to put his goggles on to shield his eyes from the sand. "He has very strong armor. When Wargrowlmon fought him last time after he absorbed that first control spire, his Atomic Blaster attack didn't have an effect, even with the additional power up cards!!" Henry narrowed his eyes. "That's why we need those blue cards. If everyone digivolves to ultimate and receives a lot of power up cards, we just may be able to beat him."

Rika gave a scowl. "And just how can we obtain the blue cards, Einstein? They've only appeared at certain times. We can't fully control the Matrix Digivolution effect yet." Henry shot a glare. "Do you have a better idea? I'm open to suggestions!!!" Takato gave a gasp. "It doesn't matter!! Look!!" Everyone became silent and the Digimon stopped. Blackwargrowlmon had just finished absorbing the control spires but instead of flying off, he just stood there. A black aura started to surround him.

"So did we miss anything?" Ken and Stingmon came up from behind and gasped at the scene before them. "What's happening, Ken?" asked Stingmon. Drops of sweat rolled down Ken's face. "I'm not sure but I think that we're in big trouble." Rika snorted. "That's an understatement. Blackwargrowlmon looks like he's about to digivolve to his mega form!!"

The other Digidestined had just caught up. "Blackwargrowlmon digivolve to mega? Not while I'm around!! Exveemon, take him out!!" yelled Davis. Exveemon started to fly towards Blackwargrowlmon. The cyborg Digimon started forming armor on his legs. Aquilamon and Ankylomon started moving in as well as Pegasusmon and Nefertimon. A pillar of black energy came down on Blackwargrowlmon and forced the other Digimon to back off a bit. Growlmon, Gargomon and Kyubimon got ready to enter the battle.

Takato blinked wearily. For some reason, he felt that a part of him was being drained. He blinked again. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't clear his head. Everything he saw looked kind of blurred a bit. "Whoa...I don't feel so good..." He was about to collapse in the sand when Henry caught him. "Takato!! What's wrong? Are you sick or something?" Rika knelt down by the boy. "Don't faint now, you wuss!! This isn't the time!!!"

"I...can't help it. I'm feeling real...tired...like something is coming out..." Takato struggled not to give in to unconsciousness. Calumon had a worried look on his face. "This is bad." The pillar started to dissipate. Exveemon tried to regain his vision. Instead of seeing a cyborg Digimon, he saw a dark knight Digimon. His right arm had black armor and the head of a black lance instead of a hand. A black shield rested on his left arm. Blue stripes highlighted the chest and leg armor. He had a black helmet on with blue stripes, showing the craftsmanship of the helmet. His blue cape flapped freely in the wind. Exveemon concentrated his energy and fired. "Vee Laser!!" The dark knight Digimon's blue eyes narrowed as he prepared to fight. (AN: I didn't get a close look at Dukemon or Chaos Dukemon so I'm improvising for some parts.)

"Come on, goggle head!! Nap time can wait!! We have a battle to win here!!" Takato's vision started to go even worse. All he could see was a blurred person, possibly female. "Let...me just rest...my eyes for a moment...do you know that...Tai and Sora should be together? Huh? I could...see them on the wedding...platform in a church...they belong...together...kind of..like Davis and Ka...ri" He tried blinking again but his eyes felt extremely heavy.

Calumon looked at Takato. "Is he crazy or something?" Henry placed Takato down slowly. "Kind of, especially with the Davis and Kari thing. He can't think straight for some reason. He's probably hallucinating too." Takato's gaze rested on Rika. "No...hallucinations don't look...so beautiful..." The last thing he heard before surrendering to the darkness was Rika's voice, which gave the impression that she was panicking. "Snap out of this, goggle head!!! You can beat this, I know you can!! Takato? Takato!!!!!"

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Takato? Takato!!!!!" Rika's frantic shouts carried over to the battle area where everyone was trying to fight the newly formed mega Digimon. Growlmon turned over and gasped as he saw Takato lying there as if he were dead. Rika turned her focus onto Henry. "What's wrong with him?" Henry gritted his teeth. "I think Takato is suffering from some sort of side effect from Blackwargrowlmon's recent digivolution."

"Gargo Laser!!!" "Fox Tail Inferno!!" Kyubimon and Gargomon joined in the fight but their attacks did not do any significant damage. The dark knight Digimon leapt up swiftly and knocked Pegasusmon and Nefertimon down with both arms. The blow was so hard that it forced them to go back to their previous forms. "Tail Hammer!!" Ankylomon's heavy spike tail hit the chest area but he didn't react at all. Cody had a terrified look on his face. "He didn't even flinch!!!"

Aquilamon started to dive down to try an attack. "Grand Horn!!" Instead of striking his enemy, he found himself stopped by the left hand of his opponent. (AN: Remember, I mentioned that the shield was on the left arm) Davis clutched his D3. "If we're going to stand any chance at all, we need to DNA digivolve!!" Ken took out his own D3. "Go for it, Stingmon!!!" The dark knight Digimon prepared to power up his Demon Disaster.

"Exveemon..."
"...Stingmon..."
"...DNA digivolved to...Paildramon!!"

"How can Takato suffer from Blackwargrowlmon's digivolution? The last time I checked, dino boy over there was goggle head's partner Digimon." Henry closed his eyes in concentration before explaining his theory. "Remember the tamer digivolution theory that we came up with when we were trying to figure out a way for Growlmon to go back to being Guilmon? A Digimon requires a tamer's energy to digivolve. Technically, Blackwargrowlmon is a duplicate of Takato's partner Digimon. When he digivolved, he must have used Takato's energy. I have to assume that Blackwargrowlmon's control spire structure is what yielded this side effect."

The boy paused for a moment before taking out his Digivice. "And we can't scan this Digimon properly. The last time we tried scanning one of Guilmon's digivolutions, we came up with nothing. Until Takato wakes up, we're on our own."

"Takato? Takato!!!!!" The boy opened his eyes and gasped at the surroundings. At one end, he could barely make out Rika's voice. At the other end, he found a shadow that closely resembled Gallantmon. "Tamer..." Takato started sweating. "Who's there? Show yourself!! I'm warning you, I can handle myself in a fight!!"

"Calm yourself. I have no intention of hurting you, tamer." The voice came from the shadow figure. Takato approached it slowly. "Guilmon, is that you? If that's you, then stop calling me tamer and just call me Takato!!" A chuckle echoed throughout the region. "Actually, I represent a part of Guilmon as well as a part of yourself. You see, the two of you have a special link. In fact, when Guilmon reaches his final form, your essence will become a part of him and increase his strength tenfold."

Takato scratched his head. "So I'm going to be doing this little thing again when Guilmon digivolves to mega form? Man, I hope the next time this happens it won't make me dizzy or anything. What part of Guilmon and me do you specifically represent?" The voice began to speak again. "A part of you that you did not realize you had inside. You had always covered it up with that thick skull of yours."

"So you're my brain? That doesn't make a lot of sense." An exasperated sigh came from the shadow. "What I represent is knowledge and expertise...put it this way. If you decide to choose me, you will have a better understanding of battle tactics just like your comrade, Rika." Curiosity started to build up within the boy.

"What does it mean I have to choose you?" Silence came from the shadow before it spoke. "You are in a state of flux and instability. Partially from Blackwargrowlmon using your energy to digivolve. He has released a part of you that you didn't know about. It's up to you to make the choice to going back and living as the ignorant goggle head, as one of your comrades calls you...or gaining knowledge that will surely benefit your comrades now in this battle." Takato gave a start as a small screen came up allowing him to see the battle.

"That looks like...Gallantmon. But he's so different...so dark..." The voice interrupted him before he could start pondering. "Knowledge is a powerful ally. What is it going to be?" Takato clenched his fists. "One thing is for sure. I can't turn my back on who I am. I've lived my life following my instincts. In the views of others, they may call it ignorance. But to me, they're the best allies I've got!!"

The next thing he knew, he was blinded by a light. He opened his eyes and gasped for air. "Takato!! Are you alright?" He looked up into Rika's violet eyes, filled with worry. Calumon was right in front of him. He shook his head for a bit. "I think I'm in one piece." Henry gave a small sigh of relief. "That's good. Get your Digivice out. We need some data to work on with this guy over there." Takato looked over to the battle area. Most of the Digimon were barely able to stand up. Growlmon was still up and fighting with a furious look in his eyes. "Dragon Slash!!!" The dark knight Digimon blocked it.

"Let's see here...Shadowgallantmon, mega dark knight Digimon. Virus type. His Demon Disaster is a global attack. At full power, it destroys everything within a 2 mile radius. If his Obsidian Lance connects repetitively with an opponent, the damage multiplies like crazy. And one hit takes away at least 40% of his enemy's health."

Henry went pale at those statistics. "This is not good. Everyone, regroup back here!!!" The Digidestined quickly scooped up their tired partner Digimon. Kyubimon and Gargomon prepared to give cover fire but their strength was rapidly declining as well. With a mighty toss, Growlmon was sent soaring over their heads. "Fox Tail Inferno!!" Gargomon tried to fire a Gargo Laser but nothing happened. "Uh, Henry? A little help?" The boy grabbed a card. "Digi Modify!! Recharge Activate!!"

"Gargo Laser!!" Blasts of green energy joined the nine blue fireballs. Shadowgallantmon quickly dodged both of their attacks and went in for a close attack on Kyubimon. Before she could react, his knee rammed right into her jaw and sent her flying back. He then used the momentum to aim an inside roundhouse kick, using his left leg, at Gargomon's head. (AN: For that little trick, his left leg would be going in a clockwise motion.) Henry and Rika ran over to their respective partner Digimon, who had reverted back to their rookie forms.

Growlmon slowly got up. He had suffered quite an amount of damage but he still wanted a piece of his dark mega counterpart. Takato took out a card. "That's it!! I have to end this one way or another!! If anyone from the great powers that be is listening, please grant me the power to protect the digital world." The card in his hand just started changing into a blue card.

"You know, that would have been a lot more helpful earlier. If that little prayer is all I need to say to get the blue card..." Rika trailed off, not even bothering to finish her remark. Takato clutched the card carefully. "Digi Modify!!! Matrix Digivolution Activate!!!" Calumon's red mark started to glow.

MATRIX DIGIVOLUTION.... "Growlmon digivolved to...Wargrowlmon!!"

"Takato, you do realize that there is absolutely no way Wargrowlmon can take down Shadowgallantmon," stated Henry. Takato gritted his teeth. "I have to try!! The entire world may be counting on this!! Let's go, Wargrowlmon...what is Shadowgallantmon doing?!" The dark knight Digimon raised his lance. It started changing from pure black to a silver look with a little blue circle surrounding it near the top.

"Weapon is fully charged and stabilized. Now that's more like it..." He charged at Wargrowlmon with an impressive speed and brought his lance down. Wargrowlmon barely had enough time to use both of his blades to block the lance, which was inches away from the top of his head. Undaunted, Shadowgallantmon used his left arm to deliver a blow to his stomach. Takato started to clutch his stomach in pain. TK noticed this. "Takato!! What's happening?"

The other boy grimaced in pain. "I think I just felt Shadowgallantmon's attack. It's like I'm linked with Wargrowlmon or something because right now, it feels like I've been punched repetitively in the stomach." Shadowgallantmon easily blocked another attack and was about to attack when he noticed Takato clutching his stomach. He made a mental note to go easy on Wargrowlmon.

Wargrowlmon concentrated his energy. "Atomic Blaster!!!" The dark knight Digimon used his lance to disperse the energy wave by charging directly at his opponent while he unleashed the attack. The lance split the wave, giving enough room for Shadowgallantmon to make an attack. With one blow, Wargrowlmon was sent flying towards the area where the others watched the battle. Takato started to collapse in pain. Wargrowlmon changed back to Guilmon.

Cody backed away slowly. "That's it...we lost this battle. We've got to retreat!!" "To where? Shadowgallantmon will probably destroy us now if he's not an idiot. He already reached his mega level. What else does he need?!?" snapped Rika. Yolei gave a sigh. "Great...now Arukenimon and Mummymon can run wild in the digital world while this guy blows us up!!"

The dark knight Digimon slowly approached the group. Takato fought against the pain his body had suffered to stand defensively in front of Guilmon. "Leave him alone!! Can't you see he is in no condition to fight?!?" Shadowgallantmon remained silent. Takato took this opportunity to ask him what he wanted. "What is it you want? Why are you doing all this? Can't you find something more meaningful to fight for?"

Shadowgallantmon finally spoke. "What I want is a battle with your Digimon in his final form." Takato blinked. He wanted to fight Guilmon in his mega form. Before he could ask another question, Henry spoke first. "Why would you want to fight Guilmon in his mega form?"

"In his final form, he contains the key to unlocking my full power. I may appear to be strong now but I'm incomplete. Only after I absorb the data of...Guilmon in his final form will I obtain the essence of the tamer as well." Takato narrowed his eyes. "Wait a minute. You're the shadow in that dream I had!!"

"Not exactly. You see, when I digivolved, your essence had the opportunity to become one with me instead of one with your partner Digimon when he digivolved to mega. All you had to do was embrace your dark side. Instead of innocence and ignorance, you would gain knowledge and tactics to claim victory in many battles. However you had decided to remain a fool and stick with your partner Digimon." Henry stood up. "Now I get it. Takato went into that trance to make his decision. Now that he's staying with Guilmon, you have to battle him in his mega form in order to have some chance of obtaining his essence! In a way...you want Takato to be your tamer!!"

"Quite perceptive, young one. But there is a small flaw in your theory. I have no intention of having a tamer. I only require his essence because in some indirect manner, he was my original creator. The additional fact that he was a Digimon tamer meant that his essence could be transferred to me since I represented some aspect of his partner Digimon." Takato clenched his fists. "Well I can tell you that I will not give my essence to someone as dark as you!!"

Shadowgallantmon ignored the boy's last statement. "Here are the conditions. You have twenty-four hours to have Guilmon in his mega form meet me in battle. We will fight in the G5 sector of the digital world. If you do not satisfy these conditions, for every hour after the deadline, I will destroy a portion of the digital world."

The group remained silent with shock as Shadowgallantmon continued issuing his ultimatum. "The longer you take, the more the digital world suffers. I will destroy it sector by sector. The blood of innocent Digimon will be on your hands. Should you make an attempt to stop me without meeting my conditions, I will destroy a random Digimon or human from your group. Except for the two of you." Takato and Guilmon knew that the pressure was on them to save the digital world.

Davis was the first to speak from the group. "Are you so hungry for power that you would commit a massacre? You're a knight!! Don't you have some code of conduct? A code of justice?" The mega Digimon gave a snort. "I live by a simple rule: do whatever it takes to get what you want. Unlike you, I am not bound and restricted by your ethics and morals. In addition, I have no obligation to the digital world. In simple terms, I don't give a damn if the digital world gets destroyed."

With his ultimatum delivered, Shadowgallantmon turned around and started to walk away. While the others looked on, pondering how they can resolve this situation, TK took out his D terminal and turned on the digital world map. "Let's see here...sector G5...wait a second. It kind of looks like some airport." Henry came over to take a look. He gave a gasp when he realized what could happen. Rika walked up to the two boys. "Well? What's the big deal about that place, Einstein?" Henry took TK's D terminal and showed the picture to Rika. "Take a look for yourself." In the monitor, a Destiny Stone rested on the intersections of the four roads.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Finally!! It's about time we got here!! If you refilled the gas tank earlier, we may have gotten here sooner!!" Mummymon got out of the vehicle and gave a giant stretch. "Well, the control spires are still standing here, are they? That reminds me...I wonder how those kids are doing with Blackwargrowlmon?" Arukenimon started to make her preparations.

"Who cares how they're doing? As long as they keep off our backs, they can do whatever they want. Now let's see what I can cook up so I can put an end to Blackwargrowlmon's little rebellion." She started concentrating her power. "I call upon the powers that no holy Digimon dares to touch. Digimon of Darkness, come to me!!!" The control spires started to dissipate into data. The sky started rumbling with massive energy. A giant form started to appear. Its legs started to form. A body, arms and a head later came. After the beast's body had been formed, it opened its eyes.

Mummymon stared in awe. Arukenimon had a smirk on her face. If she played her cards right, then this new powerful beast will help eradicate Blackwargrowlmon. "Who are you?" The beast had noticed them. Mummymon started to speak. "Arukenimon is your mas-" Arukenimon quickly put a hand over her partner's mouth. "Shut up, you idiot!! Let me do the talking!!! When it comes to dealing with mega Digimon, the rules are totally different."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"By the time I reached the battle area, the children had disappeared. They probably returned to the real world." Ladydevimon concluded her report. Daemon tapped his fingers in thought. Skullsatamon stepped forward to speak. "Do you wish for us to pursue the child in the real world, master? Surely with all those other humans, they would have to take additional caution."

"Silence, fool!! Have you forgotten that our master's energy reserves are still depleted from creating the transdimensional portal that got us here in the first place? When he is at full strength, he will be able to easily open a gateway between this world and the other world. Then we will strike!!" Marinedevimon gave an evil smile. Daemon remained lost in his thoughts. 'Once I harness Millenniumon's power, creating portals between dimensions will require less effort than snapping a finger. Then I will finally have my revenge on you...Zero.'

"Master?" Daemon snapped back to reality from Skullsatamon's voice. "If we are not to pursue the child in the real world, then what is our course of action?" Daemon cleared his head of his revenge plans before speaking. "We must wait. I sense that one of our new arrivals has reached his potential. At the moment, we cannot afford a confrontation."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Where did those two go? We need to start planning some sort of strategy!!" Rika gave a growl of annoyance. Henry decided to make an attempt to calm her down. "They need a bit of time alone. When the entire fate of the digital world is on your shoulders, you would probably need to find some inner stability before going forward. Besides, the only strategy that could work against a powerful mega Digimon such as Shadowgallantmon is running away."

The heavy weight of the ultimatum had the entire group restless. Even the Digimon could not eat as much as they did, with the exception of Calumon. Finally, Yolei broke the silence. "It's over...we don't have the firepower to take Shadowgallantmon down. If only we had a Digimon that could compete with him." Henry snapped his fingers. "Wait a minute!! I think I have an alternate solution!!!"

Everyone turned their attention on to the boy. "We contact Gennai!! With his help, we could obtain one of Azulongmon's digital cores, which should be able to let Patamon and Gatomon to not only digivolve to their ultimate forms but allow Paildramon to digivolve to mega!!" Almost immediately, most of the group felt a renewed sense of hope. Davis gave a smile. "Now we're getting somewhere!!"

Rika crossed her arms. "Hold the celebrations. This plan isn't totally fool proof. Previous attempts to contact Gennai have proven futile. Usually, he's the one who calls you, remember?" Almost immediately, a loud sigh came from most of the group. Cody gave Rika a small glare. "Can't you be a little more optimistic?" She narrowed her violet eyes. "Optimism is irrelevant."

TK started to think back to all those times Gennai made contact with the group. "Well, usually Gennai would call when there's trouble brewing in the digital world and he would give us a hand. With a control spire mega Digimon, who plans to cause chaos if he doesn't get what he wants, running wild in the digital world, I would have to qualify that as trouble brewing." Kari stroked her chin. "The only possible reason why he didn't call is because he hasn't figured out a method of stopping Shadowgallantmon. After all, we are dealing with a mega Digimon from the future."

The door opened, revealing a silent Takato and Guilmon. "It's about time you got here, goggle head. I don't suppose that you have been figuring out how to get Guilmon to digivolve to mega, have you?" The boy raised his head. "No...I don't want to force Guilmon to digivolve to mega. It will happen when Guilmon and I are ready. At that point, it will feel right."

Renamon came behind Rika. "We don't have much time until Shadowgallantmon starts his rampage throughout the digital world. Allowing Guilmon to digivolve when he is ready is a luxury we can't afford." Takato looked at the fox Digimon sharply. "I don't want Guilmon to turn into something that doesn't represent him. Henry, don't you remember the time when Tai's attempts to force Greymon to digivolve into his ultimate form proved to be disastrous? Yeah, he still got an ultimate level Digimon but that Digimon was wild and out of control."

"The fact is that Tai still got an ultimate level Digimon that was able to deal with the present threat. Now we have to do the same," stated Henry. Takato lowered his gaze. "I know that. But I don't even know where to begin." Terriermon gave a quick glance at the clock. "Well we better come up with something quickly. Our deadline is one hour away!!"

* * * * * * * * * * * *

'Now this is a curious relic. What does it represent?' The dark knight Digimon stood in front of the Destiny Stone. 'No matter. In a few moments, all that will remain here is rubble and debris.' He looked up at where the sun was positioned and traced it back to his own position. His shadow was only a few centimetres away from where it had been twenty-four hours ago.

Shadowgallantmon started to prepare his attack when he noticed several objects in the air and heading towards him. There were also some shapes on the ground. He narrowed his eyes to try and focus on his opponent. Instead of seeing a mega Digimon, he saw the boy riding on Wargrowlmon. 'Okay here...one potato, two potato...no...bubblegum, bubblegum...hmmmmm...inky pinky ponky....I think I'll just stick with eenie meenie miney mo.'

"I don't suppose we could say another prayer and have you guys digivolve to mega, can we?" Taomon did not respond to Yolei's question. A gloomy atmosphere had settled down upon the group. By coming to the digital world without meeting the conditions of the ultimatum, there were going to be heavy casualties. Takato knew that he should have went alone. At least that way, Shadowgallantmon would not kill anybody. However the group had a duty to the digital world. The repercussions would be severe if Shadowgallantmon started his massacre. Calumon didn't notice the gloomy atmosphere since he was having a lot of fun riding on Wargrowlmon's head.

'...no means no so out you go.' Shadowgallantmon raised his lance up high. Black energy crackled around the lance as he powered up his attack. "Rapid Fire!!!" Rapidmon had already reached the area and started his attack. The dark knight Digimon barely felt the attack as he continued to power up. "Demon Disaster!!!" He brought his lance down and hit the ground, sending a powerful shockwave around him.

Takato noticed what Shadowgallantmon was doing. "Everyone get back!!!!" His warning came too late. The shockwave dealt a massive amount of damage to Digimon and human alike. All of the Digimon had to revert back to their original forms, except for Wargrowlmon since he and Takato came up from behind everybody, thus feeling a lighter impact. Calumon's ears shrank back to their small size as he leapt off Wargrowlmon. Hawkmon and Armadillomon could barely move. "Did someone get the name of that Mammothmon?" moaned Hawkmon.

Shadowgallantmon walked over to where the group lay battered up from the shockwave. He knelt down and picked up Rika by the collar. "Congratulations. You are the first official winner of my little sweepstakes. Is there anything you would like to say before I give you your prize?" She found that she couldn't move due to fear. The fear that she felt when Gargomon got real close was nothing compared to this. "Let her go!!!!" The dark knight Digimon looked over at Takato. Renamon tried to get up but she had little energy.

"If she dies, it will be your fault. I have already given you my conditions. I have simplified it so even a knuckle head like you will understand. But you have still chosen to violate those conditions. And for that you must pay a price. Hopefully, this will be the incentive for you to actually follow instructions from now on." Shadowgallantmon prepared to thrust the lance into Rika's abdomen.

The thin line separating civilized behaviour and primal instinct had snapped inside of the boy. Takato gave out a loud scream. Red energy came down upon him and Wargrowlmon. The screen on his Digivice glowed a fiery red. Whatever logic had remained inside of him had been replaced by pure blood lust. His inner demons had started to assert themselves as his essence changed. When the light show was over, Takato and Wargrowlmon were nowhere to be seen. Instead, a shady figure, glowing with red energy, had taken their place.

"Well, well, well...you finally decide to smarten up." Shadowgallantmon threw Rika aside and took a defensive stance. A red fireball of energy flew towards him at great speed. The dark knight Digimon quickly put his shield in front of it to block the attack. It forced him to step back to compensate for the recoil. When he looked up again, a giant red dragon charged towards him. He had Guilmon's viral icon on his shoulders and chest. A tail had replaced both legs and he had wings made out of fire. "Megido Flame!!!!!"

Henry shuddered in fear. "That mega Digimon...he looks so evil..." Renamon slowly got up and studied the new dragon Digimon. 'He has great power...but he fights with rage in his eyes and in his heart. Should he continue to fight blindly, he will fall...' Shadowgallantmon dodged the attack and powered up his lance. "Obsidian Lance!!!" His opponent stopped the lance with one hand. The hand was getting severely injured by the lance but the dragon Digimon didn't seem to notice.

"Quite impressive..." Shadowgallantmon gave a tremendous kick to force the dragon Digimon back. Undaunted, he started to charge again. The dark knight Digimon leapt up, bounced off the head of his opponent and fired a black energy wave which hit the dragon at the back of his head, knocking him down. "You may have great power but intelligence is another story. Now let's finish this so I can absorb your data..." "Catastrophe!!!"

The explosion threw Shadowgallantmon back into the Destiny Stone. He looked up to see a gigantic insect Digimon flying towards him. "What's this?!? Who are you?!" The insect Digimon gave a snort. "I am the most powerful Digimon in the digital world. You have made a decision to contest that claim. Therefore I will prove my worth by destroying you." The red dragon Digimon split apart, yielding a tired tamer with his Digimon.

TK got up slowly. "Someone get them out of the way!! Those two megas are about to duke it out!!!" Nobody could offer any aid to transport Takato and Guilmon out of the area until Ken arrived. "Sorry I'm late. My mom asked me to do her a little favour...looks like I missed quite a lot."

Davis turned around. "Takato and Guilmon need to get back here!!" Ken clutched his D3 while Wormmon moved forward. "Wormmon digivolved to...Stingmon!!!" Stingmon quickly unfolded his dragonfly wings and flew towards the area. He quickly scooped them up in his arms.

Henry took out his Digivice. "Who is this guy? He kind of looks like...Kuwagamon." Finally the statistical data started to spill out on the screen. "Grandkuwagamon, a mega insect Digimon. Virus type. If its Dimension Scissors connects with an opponent, then that opponent's data will be spread across several dimensions. Its Catastrophe attack causes massive explosions when used continuously. So this guy has the power to tear apart the fabric of reality..."

Rika hobbled over to where Stingmon set down Takato and Guilmon. "Hey, goggle head!! Are you in one piece?" Takato opened his eyes as his primal fire has died down for the moment. He looked over at Rika and instantly hugged her. "Thank goodness you're okay!!! I thought you were going to be a goner!!!" "Glad to see you're fine. Now will you get off me before I hurt you?"

Grandkuwagamon tried to use its Dimension Scissors attack on Shadowgallantmon but he proved to be just a little too fast. A small rip in reality emerged near the Destiny Stone. The dark knight Digimon prepared to use his Obsidian Lance but the insect Digimon had other ideas. It used one of its arms to knock Shadowgallantmon down to the ground. "Dimension Scissors!!" The other mega Digimon barely got out of the way and part of the scissors scratched his left arm.

"Aaah!!!" Takato clutched his left arm and saw the blood on his hand when he pulled it away. He looked over at where Shadowgallantmon was fighting. A small scratch was on his left arm as well. Takato gave a groan. "It seems that I also take damage when Shadowgallantmon gets hurt...this bites!!"

The dark knight Digimon took another defensive stance in front of the Destiny Stone. Grandkuwagamon gave a chuckle. "Now you're mine!! Dimension Scissors!!!" Shadowgallantmon leapt up into the air while the attack hit the Destiny Stone and shattered it. Before the insect Digimon could react, Shadowgallantmon drove his lance right through its skull. "Obsidian Lance!!!" The other mega Digimon dissipated into data which became absorbed by Shadowgallantmon.

Henry gave a gasp. "The Destiny Stone has been destroyed!! We've got to get out of here before the vortex forms!!" The vortex opened up right behind the dark knight Digimon, who was still absorbing the data. Takato saw a rare opportunity to get rid of him. "Stingmon!! We've got to push Shadowgallantmon through that vortex!! Everyone, try to form a chain so Stingmon won't get sucked in as well!!!"

Stingmon prepared to attack. A pink blade came out from the top of his wrist. "Spiking Strike!!!" The dark knight Digimon had just finished absorbing the data when he was pushed back by Stingmon. He tried to regain his footing but the vortex's vacuum was too strong. Stingmon tried to fly back but the vacuum was starting to suck him in. Ken moved forward to grab his legs. Soon a chain, consisting of humans and Digimon, formed with Yolei and Hawkmon at the rear.

"We need a TV to open a Digiport back home!!!" Cody saw the TV fly by as it became swallowed by the vortex. "Unfortunately, that won't be happening!!" The chain started to collapse. Takato gritted his teeth as he shouted over the wind. "Stand together!!!!!!" Soon the group lost their grip and were sailing towards the vortex.

"Mummymon, don't get too close!! Do you want us to get sucked in too?" Arukenimon tried to hold on to her red hat. A flash of light blinded the two ultimate level Digimon. After a moment, the vortex was gone, as well as the Digidestined, the tamers and the dark mega Digimon. Mummymon couldn't help but give a nervous gulp. "They're all gone!! What does this mean?" Arukenimon gave a dark smile. "This means we have an opportunity...start driving!! We have to act quickly before the digital world defenses regain their strength!!"

* * * * * * * * * * * *

A small shockwave was felt by the minions of Daemon. Skullsatamon had to lean on his staff to keep his balance. "What just happened?" Daemon stood up from his throne. "There was a shift in reality. Someone has opened a vortex to another dimension and it is creating some instability in this world."

Ladydevimon crossed her arms. "And who would that someone be, master?" Daemon narrowed his blue eyes. "I believe the new arrival was the one responsible. I cannot feel his pattern tapping into the powers of darkness. If he were to die, there would be a brief fluctuation before his pattern dissipates but I did not feel such a fluctuation."

"What if the chosen children fell into the vortex? Then your opportunity to study and harness Millenniumon's power will be lost forever," stated Marinedevimon. Daemon sat back down in his throne again. "Their desire to return home will be strong. They are resourceful adversaries and they will find a way to return. And when they do, I will be ready for them."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Sir, I've located another wild one. And this one is massive. It's at least ten times larger than any other previous readings." Yamaki gave a growl before issuing orders. "Activate Yuggoth immediately!! We have to eliminate it before it can do any harm!!" Riley kept typing at her keyboard. "It's moving too fast!! Bio-emergence is imminent in t-minus ten seconds!!" Yamaki clenched his lighter. "...five, four, three, two..."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Hello? Is anybody there? Takato, stop fooling around!! This isn't the time!!" Henry was walking in pure darkness. A small light appeared on his left. Under the light was a bed with a white blanket over somebody. Henry slowly moved towards the bed. 'Who is sleeping here?'

Before he could remove the cover, a hand from underneath grabbed his outstretched one. The figure then tossed away the blanket. Henry gave a gasp. It was the mega dragon Digimon that had fought with Shadowgallantmon earlier. He tried to get free but the dragon had a strong grip. Suddenly, the boy felt himself being shaken as the dragon started talking in Takato's voice. "Hey, Henry!! Are you okay? Say something!!"

Henry opened his eyes and saw Takato holding his hand and shaking him. "Whoa...the last thing I remember was being sucked into the vortex." He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. The next question he heard disturbed him greatly. "Henry...are we in the...future?" asked Yolei. He quickly opened his eyes and looked around him.

There were no buildings. It almost looked like a desert with miles and miles of rocks and caverns. Terriermon was up and about. "Henry!! You're all right!! Gee, after being hurled around in some weird whirlpool, you would probably be thankful to be in one piece after." The boy got up and tried to get his bearings straight. The others had already waken up and were unsure of what to do in this strange new environment.

Henry looked up. "Let's see if I can find some of the constellations in the sky since it's dark. Maybe I can use them to...what?!?" Instead of stars, the sky had gigantic pink circles. There were yellow blocks up above. The boy could barely make out what is above those blocks but it looked like some sort of net. "What is this place?!?" yelled Davis. "This is not a place for humans. Here, it is all about survival of the fittest." All eyes turned to Renamon. She gave a dark look before speaking. "This is the digital world."