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Chapter Text

“Winner of this Digimon battle is…”

*Jingle*

“Tied game!” 

“Woah! Wow!”

“They did it again!”

“How does Kamiya do it?”

Taichi Kamiya and Neo Saiba pulled their Digimon docks away from each other. To the onlooking crowd around them, it was their second battle once again ending in an impossible tie.

Tai, Neo, and four other kids knew better. Tai had beaten Neo several times over, except, not in a traditional Digimon battle.

“A tie once again? I guess we’ll have to settle this next time.” Neo grinned at Tai.

“I guess we’ll have to, rival.” Tai smiled.

Tai waved bye to Neo and his friends as he left the building of the tournament, which he wasn’t officially let into, and found another friend waiting for him.

A girl with bright orange hair hidden under a large blue hat waved at him.

"Sora!" Tai waved back.

“Hi Tai!” Sora smiled.

“Hey Sora. What are you doing here?” Tai quickly moved to her side, and they walked down the street.

“I came to watch the tournament, but it looks like it already ended. Who won?” Sora pointed at his Digimon dock.

He spun it around and smiled. “Tied with the champion, Neo Saiba. I guess I shouldn’t have taken him so lightly.”

“I wish I could have a Digimon of my own. Mom says that working at the flower shop, having A’s in every class, and playing soccer takes too much time for me to be playing baby games.” Sora sighed.

“Well, at least your best friend is one of the most well known Digimon Tamers around.” Tai grinned.

“Yeah, makes me feel real great.” Sora huffed.

“Tai Kamiya! I challenge you!” A random boy ran at him with his Digimon dock in hand.

“Alright. Just don’t complain when I win.” Tai tossed his dock into the air and caught it.

The two boys pushed their devices together.

On Tai’s screen was a knight while the boy had a dinosaur on his.

After a quick battle, Tai came out on top.

“Dang it! Useless dinosaur.” The boy muttered.

Tai furrowed his eyebrows. "Hey, kid. Don't blame the Digimon. You two are a team...So if your Digimon loses, you lose too." He reminded him. "And hey, if he wins, then you win too."

"Tch. If my Digimon loses, then it's their-"

"Then YOU lose too, okay?" Tai narrowed his eyes.

"E-Eh...U-Understood, Kamiya..." The kid walked past Tai quickly.

"It's good for him to learn to appreciate his Digimon now before he loses it." Sora commented. "It's good that you told him that, Taichi."

"Yeah. I know how much it can hurt someone later when they realize how poorly they treated their Digimon." Tai sighed. "Anyways...Let's keep going. And let's hope I run into someone with a much stronger Digimon soon."

“Welp. This is my stop.” Tai and Sora walked over to an apartment building.

“I live here too, doofus.” Sora laughed.

“Then let’s get going.” Both of them walked up the steps.

“See ya later, Tai!” Sora waved at him before entering her home.

“Yup!” Tai waved back. He closed the door behind him.

His father and mother were out, leaving him alone in his apartment. He quickly scrambled to his computer.

He turned it on and wrote up an email to Gabo in the Digital World.

"I hope this gets to him...though, I don't even know if he could respond." Tai sighed. "Oh well."

He clicked send and walked off.

Tai stretched as he walked back to his computer, a completely new day dawning on him.

He opened up his emails to see if he got a response.

His eyes popped as he found his very first email had been sent by someone going by "Your Local Priest".

"That has to be...what the heck does it say?" Tai quickly opened it up.

He read through the email. He gripped his Digimon dock tightly as he finished.

"I have also told Neo...come soon." Tai finished.

Tai ran over to his phone without a second thought.

Tai and Sora walked towards a certain destination.

“Where are we going?” Sora looked over at Tai.

“To a friend’s place. Should be quick.” Tai felt the wind in his hair. If he was wearing his yellow cape, it would be flowing freely.

“Why are we going there?” Sora asked.

“Fun of it. After all, you said I needed to hang out with other people more often.” Tai shrugged.

“I guess it will be nice to meet your fabled ‘other friends’.” Sora made quotation marks with her hands.

“Fabled? Don’t trust my word?” Tai smiled.

They both heard the sound of movement stopping in front of them. “A-Are you Tai Kamiya?” They found a short red-haired boy in front of them.

“Yes. You need something?” Tai saw the boy was holding something in his hand.

“I-I want, um…” The boy fiddled with the item in his hands.

“I think I know where this is going.” Tai took out his dock and smiled.

“Can we please have a Digimon battle?” The boy managed to squeak out.

“Right away! Let’s go!” Tai and the boy put their devices together and both made a beeping noise. On Tai’s screen was a knight while the boy’s screen had a large bug.

“G-Go, Kabuterimon!” The boy shouted out, almost sounding excited.

“Come on, Zero! Let’s get another win!” Tai fist pumped.

“Electro Shocker.” The boy’s device said.

“Tensegrity Shield, Zero!” Tai pressed a button.

“Big Horn.” The bug did a swiping motion with his horn.

“Not good enough! Ulforce Saber!” Tai punched the air again.

“Kabuterimon: Out. Winner: V-Tamer Tai Kamiya.” Tai’s device announced.

“Another one for the record book.” Tai pulled back his device. He waved bye to the kid and walked past him with Sora.

“H-Hold on!” The boy turned to Tai.

“Yeah? Want a rematch so soon?” Tai took out his device again.

“N-n-no! Could you please give me some advice so Kabuterimon and I can be better?” The boy’s hands shook.

“Alright, kid.” Tai put away his device.

“I-Izzy Izumi.” The boy bowed.

“Izzy, the most important things in a fight are strategy and knowing your limit. Even a Champion can take out an Ultimate if you have the right plan. Admittedly, it’s been a while since I have had to do any complex thinking, but still. I know from experience that brute force struggles to outweigh a good plan.” Tai gave Izzy a thumbs up before walking off.

“Thank you!” Izzy waved at him.

“Izzy...Izzy Izumi...Why is that name familiar?” Tai continued to walk with Sora.

“I think he's in the soccer club. Actually, he might live in the same apartment building as us." Sora tapped her chin.

“Huh. Well, that was fun. I guess I’ll see him again soon enough.” Tai looked over his shoulder.

Sora stared at the dock in Tai's hand. "Wasn't 'Zero' a 'Champion' level the last time you showed him to me? And didn't he look like a dinosaur?" She squinted in thought. "And now he's a...knight with a sword?"

"Uh...well..." Tai hid his dock. A grin crept onto his face. "I don't know why you're questioning it! I am the best Tamer around here, after all!"

"I guess. I don't really know much about the Digimon game, so I have no reason to not believe you." Sora shrugged.

Tai and Sora continued to talk about random stuff for several more minutes. They walked in a large courtyard as Tai put his device away again.

“How often do people challenge you?” Tai had already been challenged three times after Izzy left.

“Quite often. I’m not against it, but I kinda wish somebody could actually give me a challenge. I guess Zero and I are just too good!” Tai spun the dock in his hand.

“How do you think I would fare?” A familiar voice called out to Tai. Tai looked at the end of the courtyard with a confident grin.

“Maybe you’ll win if you believe in-Neo?!” Tai jumped back.

“Neo? Neo Saiba? The champion of the V-Tamer tournament for the last four years!” Sora laid her eyes on him.

Neo had a confident smirk. A brown-haired girl in a wheelchair waved at Tai.

“So Tai? Do you accept my challenge?” Neo walked over to him.

“I would never deny you a fight, champ.” Tai walked towards him.

The girl in the wheelchair rolled over to Sora.

“Are you Tai’s friend?” The girl asked.

“Yup. Sora Takenouchi.” Sora smiled at her.

“I’m Rei Saiba. Neo’s sister. Those two really like to fight, huh?” Rei directed her attention to the two boys.

“Let’s do this, Neo! No holding back!” Tai and Neo connected their devices.

"Like I ever would." Neo and Tai went at it for a few very tense minutes.

"The winner of this Digimon battle is…"

*Jingle*

"Tied game." Their devices announced.

"For the love of..." Neo rolled his eyes.

"We must be cursed or something." Tai laughed.

"The third time we have tied." Neo leaned in close to Tai. "Did you get it too?" He whispered.

"Yeah. Can you check it out?" Tai responded with a serious voice.

"Rei and I are going to go watch a movie with Hideto right now. I don't know when I'll have the time to go." Neo responded.

"Alright. I'll head off once I get home. I'll call you soon." Tai nodded. They broke away from each other.

"The heck were they talking about?" Sora whispered to Rei.

"Probably some after fight taunting. Neo and Tai really enjoy doing that." Rei responded in a normal voice.

Neo grabbed onto her wheelchair. "See you soon, Tai. You better watch your back if you want to keep your '100%' win rate." Neo did a gunshot motion at Tai.

"Same to you, scarf boy. Take care, Rei!" Tai waved bye to them as they walked off.

"Is that how you two bond? Fighting it out, insulting each other, then saying bye to his sister?" Sora teased.

"The sister part really gets under his skin." Tai beamed.

Sora stared at Tai for several seconds.

"Did you have a growth spurt? I could have sworn that you were only a tiny bit taller yesterday." Sora moved her hand between her forehead and Tai's. Tai was now several inches taller than her.

"I guess I did. Heh...hehe…" Tai had completely forgotten that he had spent nearly a year within the Digital World. He was basically 12 rather than 11.

"Well, whatever. I'm sure I'll grow taller soon. To the arcade we go!" Sora grabbed Tai’s hand and led him.

"Alright!" Tai cheered. He looked at Zero on the other side of his device. "A whole year in the Digital World...and now I have to go back..." He thought to himself.

Tai and Sora stood outside Tai's apartment. Tai was clearly miffed.

"I won more games today." Sora informed him smugly.

"You got lucky!" Tai argued.

"Know how to spell luck? S-K-I-L-L!" Sora countered.

"We both know that's not how you spell skill-I mean...luck! That's not how you spell luck!" Tai narrowed his eyes at her.

The two laughed.

"See ya later, Tai." Sora smiled.

"Yup!" Tai nodded.

She walked off as Tai entered his apartment and closed the door.

Tai quickly ran to his computer. He held his dock up while scrolling through the email from before.

He got to the very bottom of the email.

Tai clicked the reply button.

His Digimon dock turned into a D-1 and it quickly wrapped around his wrist.

“Here I come, Zeromaru!” Tai pointed his D-1 at the computer. The computer shot out a bright light, and Tai was gone.

“Tai! I hope it's okay that I kinda broke into your house.” Sora walked in, fully aware that Tai’s parents were out. "I wanted to ask you something about the summer homework!" She got no response.

Sora knocked on his room door and waited for a response.

Nothing.

“Alright, you asked for it!” Sora threw the door open and jumped in.

Nothing.

Sora scratched her head and walked out. She looked up and down the apartment, figuring that he was either in the bathroom or the computer room.

She quickly checked the bathroom, finding…

Nothing.

She quickly moved to the computer room and opened the door. She got ready to jump him the second the door was open.

Nothing?

“Tai? Where are you?” Sora scratched her head again.

Tai landed on the some bright grass. He patted the ground in surprise.

"Grass? And so much of it too!" Tai looked around. "It wasn't like this before..." He looked upwards.

Tai caught his breath.

“Hey there pal!” The sun hit the back of a tall figure. "It's been a hot second, huh?"

Tai grinned widely.

To be continued...

Chapter Text

“Zero! Is...Is-”

“Is that really you? Who else could I be?” Zero the UlforceVeedramon grabbed Tai and hugged him tightly.

“It’s really good to see you again pal!” Tai hugged him back.

“Not like we haven’t been working together!” Zero pointed at Tai’s D-1.

“You’ve got that right. Any clue of how long it's been?” Tai looked around at the colorful lands around him.

“If I had to guess, a couple of years.” Zero picked up a nearby flower.

“Wow. It’s been one day in the real world. Isn’t that funny.” Tai chuckled.

“We should go to Holy Angel Castle! I wonder if the others will remember us?” Zero scratched his chin.

“Forget us? Not possible.” Tai laughed.

He brought up the directions to Holy Angel Castle on his D-1 and began to walk towards it. He turned to find Zero standing still.

“Zero? You okay? Do, uh...Do we need to talk about something?” Tai shifted uncomfortably.

"There's a Digimon coming towards us." Zero muttered. Tai's eyes immediately snapped onto a Digimon walking towards them.

"V-Tamer. UlforceVeedramon." The Gulfmon bowed respectfully. "I have been sent to retrieve you." He informed them.

"Oh, you're with MagnaAngemon. We can get to Holy Angel Castle on our own." Tai walked towards him. Zero stood still behind him.

"I was sent to escort you to my lord's designated location. You will be escorted." Gulfmon threatened.

"No, it's fine. We don't need your help, thanks." Tai waved his hands dismissively.

Gulfmon caught one of his arms. "I've been given permission to harm you if needed." He threatened. Tai simply smirked in response.

Gulfmon cried in pain as his arm was suddenly cut off. Zero now stood in front of Tai, Gulfmon never even noticing him moving.

"You know, I wanted to believe that MagnaAngemon had become friends with the bad Digimon, but it looks like you're evil." Zero sighed. "Oh well."

"You'll die in my lords' names!" Gulfmon lunged at them. Zero sliced him into tiny bits with ease.

Tai and Zero stared at Gulfmon's data as it wasted away. "Looks like someone doesn't want us here." Zero commented.

"Too bad for them. We're not leaving until this threat's been beaten." Tai furrowed his eyebrows.

"Let's move." Zero picked up Tai and quickly flew towards Holy Angel Castle.

“I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.” Sora walked up the stairs of the apartment building. “It's Tai! He’s probably off doing some weird and reckless something or other.” Sora’s fingers twitched. "And I won't be there to make sure he doesn't do anything reckless..."

She took in a few deep breaths.

“Where the heck is he?!” Sora shouted at nobody in particular.

She continued to walk around the apartment until she found a nameplate labeled ‘Izumi’. She knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer.

“I s-see. Well, he hasn’t come by here and I haven’t seen him. S-Sorry.” Izzy watched Sora pace around the room nervously.

“Dang. Where could he be…” Sora thought. “With his other friends! Neo and Rei!” She snapped her fingers.

“Wait, if he had other friends, why did you come here first?” Izzy’s blank eyes stared at her.

“I don’t know where any of them live." Sora sighed. "Maybe you know where the Saiba family lives? You are a ‘Tamer’ after all.” Sora looked at Izzy's Digimon dock.

“Saiba? You mean Neo Saiba?” Izzy’s eyes jumped at the name. Sora nodded. “I don’t know where they live, but I can find it!” Izzy opened his laptop and started to type away.

Sora sat quietly, sipping on the tea Izzy’s mother had given her.

“I have the address!” Izzy said excitedly.

“Alright! What is it?” Sora walked over to his laptop. She quickly memorized the address and moved to his bedroom door to leave.

“Um, S-Sora? Could I come too?” Izzy asked shyly.

"Huh? Sure. It's not like I could have found them without your help." Sora beckoned him.

"T-Thanks!" Izzy moved to her side. They both left the room.

Several Phantomon fell to the floor. Their data wasted away as Zero cleaned his saber.

“I’m sure the last few days have been exciting for everybody.” Tai grumbled.

“And dangerous. Come on, Holy Angel Castle is close...I hope everyone's okay.” Zero and Tai walked towards the great castle.

“What do you think the others are up to?” Tai looked around. It didn't matter how much he observed the world around him, he was still amazed by the bright grass and other bits of greenery.

“Probably fighting demons. Ooh! I'm so excited to see them!” Zero rubbed his hands together. They got closer to the castle, and they both quickly jumped in surprise.

Angemon were scrambling all over the castle perimeter, fighting off demons. Tai and Zero exchanged glances before Zero rushed towards the castle.

"Howling Blaster!" A Garurumon blasted a Gulfmon in the face. The Gulfmon slid back before two large shurikens were thrown into him.

"Shadow Slash!" Ninjamon and a similar looking Digimon, wearing purple instead of red, slashed the Gulfmon's hips.

The Gulfmon stumbled back. It bleated angrily at the three Digimon right before being slashed in half by Zero.

Zero quickly blasted all across the castle's perimeter, completely tearing apart the attacking demons.

Within seconds, he was finished. He landed in front of the castle, Tai quickly meeting up with him again.

"Great job, Zero! You're awesome as UlforceVeedramon!" Tai complimented.

"The Ulforce is nothing to laugh at, that's for sure!" Zero flexed proudly. 

"T-Taichi? Z-Zero?" Tai and Zero turned towards the defenders of the castle. The Garurumon, Ninjamon, and the second ninja walked over to them.

"A Garurumon! Are you...are you Gabo?" Tai walked forwards. The Garurumon tackled him like a dog reuniting with its owner.

"Taichi! You came back!" Gabo smiled widely.

"It really is you, Gabo! Oh, I missed you!" Tai hugged his head. Gabo nuzzled against his chest.

Gabo hopped off Tai and looked at Zero. "Zero, that's you, right?"

"Yup! It's great to see you again, Gabo. But I almost didn't recognize you with you being a big dog and all!" Zero chuckled.

"And I almost couldn't recognize you because of how fast you were! You defeated all those demons so easily!" Gabo walked over to Zero. The two gave each other the equivalent of a fist bump.

"Ninjamon?" Tai walked over to him. "How have you been doing, man? It's awesome to see you again!"

"I've been great, Taichi!" Ninjamon pulled the ninja Digimon next to him over. "This guy's Taichi, cousin!"

"This is Taichi?" The ninja inspected Tai. "I thought he'd be older."

"Yo! Who are you?" Tai pointed the ninja.

"I'm Kogamon, Ninjamon's cousin. After the war ended, HolyAngemon recruited a lot of soldiers and Ninjamon told me I should join." Kogamon smiled at his cousin. "And I couldn't say no! My cousin's a hero!"

"Thanks, but you can't say that in front of the Tamer and Digimon who saved the whole world." Ninjamon looked over to Zero.

"Hey, Ninjamon! Hey Kogamon! Looks like everything's been going good for you guys..." Zero looked at the many demon corpses around him. "Except for the demons, anyways."

"Oh right. We have a lot to explain to you two." Ninjamon sighed.

"Come on, HolyAngemon and the others are going to want to see you guys again!" Gabo galloped off. Ninjamon and Kogamon followed.

"The team's gotten bigger and we have another adventure on our hands! Alright!" Tai and Zero chased after them.

*Knock* *Knock* *Ring*

Sora and Izzy stood outside of a very large house. The Saiba family was clearly rich.

“If you’re with a religious group or trying to advertise something, screw...off…” Neo opened the door and looked at the two. Sora and Izzy took a step back, being immediately dissuaded by Neo's aggressive poise.

“N-N-N-N-N-” Izzy continued to stutter while Sora took the reins of the conversation.

“Would you happen to know where Tai is?” She also felt quite intimidated by the boy’s sharp eyes.

“Why would I?” He crossed his arms.

“Neo Saiba!” Izzy blurted.

Everybody stood in silence as a blush came onto Izzy’s face.

“Look, the both of us entered our apartments at the same time. I didn’t hear him leave but when I checked his place, he was completely gone. It had also only been a few minutes since we had gotten home.” Sora rubbed her chin, thinking about where he could possibly be.

Neo’s calm face turned into a scowl. “That dang idiot.” He mumbled.

“Hmm?” Sora looked at him.

“It’s nothing. Look, I don’t know where he is, so leave. I’m not even going to ask how you got this address.” Neo tried to shut the door, but it was stopped by a foot.

“You’re not telling me something.” Sora narrowed her eyes at him as he opened the door again.

“Maybe I am hiding something. Maybe I’m not. That’s for me to know though.” Neo narrowed his eyes at Sora.

Izzy cowered as the two only scrunched up their faces more and more. Sora took a small step forward and moved her face closer to Neo's. Neo took a large step forward and put his face right in front of Sora's.

He gave her the meanest glower anybody had ever seen, and she quickly backed off.

“That stair-lift is really annoying. Who's at the door, Neo?” Rei was overheard wheeling towards Neo. Neo’s face relaxed and he moved to the side for his sister. 

“Hi, Rei.” Sora waved at her. Izzy did a single quick wave.

“Sora! It’s good to see you. Did you need something?” Rei smiled warmly. Neo rested on a nearby couch.

“Do you know where Tai is?” Sora shot a smug grin at Neo. Neo grumbled loudly.

“I don’t, sorry. I’ll tell you if I see him. Our number is-”

“Don’t tell them our number. Look, you two, we’re not giving up any more information.” Neo pointed at them.

“Oh come on, brother. How about you give them the normal wager?” Rei smiled as a devilish smirk plastered Neo’s face.

“You two beat me in a Digimon battle, and I’ll tell you everything I know. Deal?” Neo took out his device and walked back to the door.

“Izzy, can you beat this guy?” Sora turned to him. Izzy had a look of terror.

“Taichi. I wish you had come here for a less desperate reason, but this world rarely stops its pursuit of evil.” MagnaAngemon was flanked by Leo and Gekovitch.

“I’m always ready for another adventure, Lord MagnaAngemon.” Tai gave him a thumbs up.

“Very well. An important update, however. If you could, Jijimon.” MagnaAngemon brought all their attention to the old Digimon.

“The first major thing would be that MagnaAngemon has figured out how to summon portals between our two worlds.” Jijimon looked at MagnaAngemon.

“This means that bringing you here and sending you back is much more convenient.” MagnaAngemon’s hands lit up with energy.

“However, something else has made things considerably harder. Today, every three minutes here equals one in your world. Tomorrow, two minutes for every one. The day after, one for one.” Jijimon’s information made Tai’s eyes grow wide.

“You mean...That’s really bad for me.” Tai realized. "I can't fix everything in one day like before..."

“Yes. There’s no way you can complete your entire journey while here without causing trouble within the real world. However, this also means that years will pass as you sleep.” MagnaAngemon sighed.

“Things are different, but I guess for the better.” Tai and Zero nodded at each other.

“Speaking of new things, those demons definitely aren't our friends. Is there a new enemy?” Zero put his hand on Tai’s back.

“Yes, there is.” Magna took in a deep breath.

Six beings were present inside a great hall far below the ground.

“Taichi Kamiya has been summoned to our world. This makes things...harder…” One of the beings, presumably the most powerful among them, stated.

“That is certainly bad for us. Even then, if we are successful, not even the '100% combo' can defeat us.” The wisest among them banged his staff on the ground.

“Tai, Tai, Tai, Tai. Not even an intrepid young boy such as him can defeat us.” The only women in the group slashed the air with her long claws.

“That boy, I will enjoy tearing him apart.” One of the members, who looked like a human, gripped nothing in his hands.

“Just tell me when we do something exciting.” A small member wearing chains and a clock fell back asleep.

“Screw all this waiting! I’m heading out. The second I find them; I’m taking them out!” One of the Digimon loaded his shotguns and walked towards a teleporter.

“Beelzemon, none of us can fight UlforceVeedramon alone. Do not be foolish.” The wise member advised.

“Maybe you wimps can’t, but I know I can. Let me be the example of how far not being a coward can take you. See ya, losers.” He waved behind him and disappeared.

“An example indeed. Let us watch their battle closely.” The wise member summoned a screen that followed Beelzemon.

“The Seven Great Demon Lords. Now, there are only six.” Magna explained to Tai and everybody else.

“Six? Who was the seventh?” Tai already had an idea of who it was.

“The most powerful of them, and their leader, Daemon.” MagnaAngemon shook his head. “The very reason they now seek to take over this world. To honor his legacy and possibly bring him back.”

“Bring him back? That's insane!” Tai's eyes grew wide.

“Indeed it is. Unfortunately, we don't know how they plan on accomplishing their goal.” MagnaAngemon admitted.

Loud shots rang through the air outside. Tai and Zero glanced at each other before quickly moving out.

“So, deal or no deal?” Neo threw his device up and down.

“Come on Izzy. I believe in you.” Sora gave him a thumbs up. He shook his head desperately.

“Look, aside from Tai, nobody has ever come close to beating me. I would recommend that you two double team me if you want any chance to win.” Neo tapped his foot on the floor tiredly.

“Uhhhhh...I don’t have a Digimon. Or a Digimon dock for that matter.” Sora laughed nervously. Neo did a double take before snapping back to reality.

“You have to be kidding with me! Screw it then, you both lose. Leave.” Neo shoeed them away.

“Hold on." Rei spoke up. "You can have my Digimon dock, Sora. I have a Birdramon who I just can't bring myself to enter any fights with.” Rei rode away and came back with a red Digimon dock.

“But I bought that one with my own money!” Neo flailed his arms in the air.

“Yeah, and I also remember you calling the Biyomon you had a 'stupid, weak bird' before you nearly deleted it. You said it was mine when I decided to take it.” Rei rebutted.

“M-Maybe. Fine! Take the Digimon dock! Let’s just hurry up and fight so I can kick you two off my property!” Neo gripped his device tightly.

“Hi there, Birdramon! I’m your new Tamer! I hope we have a good time together!” Sora cradled the free device in her hands.

“A-Alright. Neo Saiba…” Izzy’s hands shook rapidly as Neo shot them both a death glare. “I challenge you to a Digimon battle.” Izzy’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“I do too!” Sora entered a battle stance.

“And I accept. I will revel in my victory.” Neo put his device forward. The other two connected their devices with his.

“Digimon load...Loading complete. Rei Saiba: Birdramon. Izzy Izumi: Kabuterimon. Neo Saiba: AxeKnightmon. Digimon battle, start!” Their devices all robotically stated.

“You’re gonna get whooped!” Sora said confidently. Izzy shook his head.

“We’ll see.” Neo smirked.

“Who are you?!” Tai and Zero found a tall demon man twirling his guns.

“I’m Beelzemon. One of the Seven Great Demon Lords. Now then, I’m going to kill you two.” Beelzemon stopped spinning his guns and pointed them at Tai and Zero.

“Alright. I guess it was a good life.” Tai shrugged.

“I guess so.” Zero did the same.

“Thanks for making this easy. Give me a second. How do I work this thing?” Beelzemon took out a familiar medallion.

“The Digimental?!” Tai narrowed his eyes at the item.

“Something like that.” Beelzemon clicked the large orb in the middle of the 'Digimental'. It started to glow. “Alright, let’s get to it. Double Impact!” He shot his two guns swiftly.

“Alright, Tai. I’ll drop this guy real quick!” Zero flew forwards and punched the bullets out of the air as he got closer to Beelzemon.

“Alright, tough guy! Take this! Darkness Claw!” Beelzemon quickly holstered his gun and brought his claw up.

“I’m ready when you are!” Zero dodged the claw swipe and gut punched Beelzemon hard.

“Dang!” Beelzemon stumbled back. “Berenjena!” He fired his shotgun several more times at Zero.

“Those guns can’t do anything!” Zero slapped away more bullets and slid into Beelzemon’s legs. He quickly grabbed the falling Beelzemon and slammed him into his knee.

“Crap!” Beelzemon escaped from Zero’s grip and jumped back. “Alright, things could be going better.” He arched over, his stomach in an extreme amount of pain.

“Probably.” Zero stepped towards him.

“You think you can take me, tough guy? Behemoth, get your crap over here!” Beelzemon snapped his fingers and a large motorcycle appeared out of nowhere.

“Nice bike. I hope you have insurance.” Zero cracked his knuckles.

“Screw you!” He went all in with his bike, quickly reaching 150 mph within a second.

“Bad idea! V-Energy Arrow!” Zero shot an arrow blast made out of energy at Beelzemon. Beelzemon let out a quiet swear as it pelted him in the throat, forcing him off his bike. Zero stopped the bike by kicking it back with his leg.

“That one hurt…” Beelzemon was lying on his back in a daze.

"Looks like you're done, Beelzemon." Tai walked forward. "Hey, we don't want to kill you. If you help us stop your friends, then we'll find a way to let you go without any punishment."

"You think I would want to help you people? Pfft." Beelzemon got back up. "Sure, Zero's tough, but he ain't nothing compared to the Demon Lords."

"Oh really?" UlforceVeedramon wondered.

"You're leaking power, buddy. I can tell how strong you are by just looking at you." Beelzemon shook his head. "And it ain't enough to stop all of us."

Zero let out a small noise of thought. Tai wisely backed away from him.

Zero let out a loud scream as energy shot out of him in a huge pillar. The ground under him cracked and lightning struck the floor.

"What the hell?!" Beelzemon gasped.

"I could easily kill you with one hit, Beelzemon! Either surrender now or die!" Zero threatened him sincerely.

Beelzemon stumbled back. "Screw this! I'm out of here!" He shouted.

Zero bursted towards him incredibly quickly. He raised his saber and swung straight at Beelzemon's head.

Luckily for the demon, he disappeared into a black mist right before Zero's attack could land. A beam still flew out of Zero's sword, carving apart the ground before exploding far away from everyone, wrecking a large part of the ground.

"J-Jeez, Zero's strong..." Gabo mumbled.

Zero stumbled for a few seconds. "Where did...hey, where did he go?!" He whined.

"He teleported away." Tai ran over to Zero. "How did they do that?"

“The other lords must have saved him. At least we know that Zero is powerful enough to defeat one of them.” MagnaAngemon walked over to the two.

"He sure is! That was incredible, Zero!" Gabo told him.

"Thanks, Gabo! I can't believe flaunting just a little bit of my power was enough to scare that guy! That wasn't even close to my full strength!" Zero laughed victoriously.

"Yeah. We didn't get to see you do too much when fighting Daemon...It's obvious that you're way stronger than any other Digimon we've met." Tai noted. "And you're only getting stronger with the Ulforce multiplying your data constantly." 

"Oh yeah! Hah! The Demon Lords better watch out for me!" Zero shouted.

“Yeah...So there are six of them in total. Shouldn’t be too hard. Unless they all gang up on us.” Tai let out a quiet sigh.

They all took in their fight silently. Tai looked up to see an orange bird flying down to him.

“Winner: Neo Saiba! Flawless victory!” The three devices announced.

“Oh well. You tried.” Neo moved to close the door again.

“Hold on! Rematch!” Sora put her foot in the door again. Neo let out a grunt of annoyance before taking his device out again.

“Sora! We can’t beat him! Even Tai can’t beat him.” Izzy put away his device, decisively defeated.

“Doesn’t matter! I’ll keep going until he has no other option than to quit.” Sora put her device out.

“Cute.” Neo bumped his device into hers.

The large orange bird landed in front of Tai and the others. “Birdramon! It’s good to see you! How are the Hospital Town defenders?” Tai remembered his Meramon, Greymon, and Centarumon friends.

“They are doing good. They even evolved. But, something else has made me quite worried.” Birdramon lowered her head to eye level with Tai.

“Yeah? If it’s the Demon Lords, we’re already on it.” Tai and Zero fist bumped.

“No, something else.” Birdramon looked at Zero. “I have...created a connection with a human.” Tai’s eyebrow shot up.

“With who?” Zero's eyes lit up with interest.

“A girl. At first, it was somebody named Rei Saiba, but now, a girl named Sora Takenouchi.” Birdramon raised her head back up. Tai’s mouth fell open.

“S-Sora?! And you were Rei’s originally?! I need to get back as soon as possible!” Tai ran over to MagnaAngemon.

“It would be best for me to send you back now. Try to get Neo here as soon as possible so I can inform him as well. Whether or not you tell the other Tamers is up to you two.” MagnaAngemon opened a portal behind Tai.

“Will do, MagnaAngemon. We’ll be back soon enough! Bye everybody!” Tai waved bye at the many friends he had made on his last adventure.

"We'll be back to whoop some demon behind soon enough!" Zero saluted everybody.

Tai jumped through the portal. Zero turned into an orange energy ball and followed.

Tai landed in his house’s computer room with a thud and quickly checked for his father and mother.

Nothing.

“Expected as much.” Tai saw picked an orange out of a fruit bowl and remembered something. “SORA!” Tai grabbed the phone and dialed Neo’s house number.

“Hi, Tai! Did you need something?”  Rei was on the other side.

“Yes. Rei, did Sora swing by your house?” Tai tapped his finger on the wall.

“She's still here. She has challenged Neo six times at this point. You might want to get over here before they bite each other’s heads off.”  Rei sounded amused.

“Yeah, right. I’ll be there soon!” Tai slammed the phone on the wall and ran out wildly.

He dashed down the streets, punched in crosswalk buttons, narrowly dodged several cars and bikes. A run that should have taken 30 minutes ended up being 10 minutes long. By the end of it all, Tai’s legs felt like jello.

“One more time!” Sora and Neo bashed their devices together. Both had fierce faces. 

“Sora! Neo! Don’t kill each other! I’ll...be there... in a couple of minutes.” Tai stumbled over to the trio.

“Hello, Taichi.” Izzy saw the boy's face was drained of all energy.

“Hey there, Izzy.” Tai took in a deep breath. “The heck is happening here?!” Tai looked at the two.

“This ‘woman’ keeps challenging me. I have beaten her seven times.” Neo smiled as Sora growled at his comment.

“Why are you challenging him, Sora?” Tai looked over to her.

“Because he knew where you were. I didn’t.” Sora looked down.

"Oh, now I get it. You have a stalker." Neo rolled his eyes. Tai grumbled.

“You two don’t need to fight again. Look, I was helping my local church with something.” Tai grinned. Neo let out a light laugh, fully aware of what he meant.

“Helping the local church? What churches even are there around here...any why were you helping them?” Sora wondered.

"I'll explain that later." Tai reassured her.

"Well, alright." Sora shrugged. “You can have this back, Rei. Thank you.” Sora moved to give Rei her Digimon dock.

“It’s fine. I’m not into fighting and I’m certainly not going out to find people to challenge. I think you’ll take good care of Birdramon.” Rei clasped Sora’s hands.

“Thank you, Rei.” Sora smiled at her.

“All's well that ends well.” Tai stretched.

“See ya later, Tai!” Sora and Izzy waved bye to him as they walked off.

“Tai and I need to have a private conversation. Could you stay down here for a little bit?” Neo asked his sister calmly.

“Alright. Just try to keep it civil.” Rei shot a smile at Tai and Neo before wheeling away.

“Let’s go upstairs.” Neo beckoned Tai. Tai nodded.

“So, how did your great journey go?” Neo sat in his chair. Tai leaned against a wall.

“Not so well. Some pretty major crap is going on in the Digital World right now.” Tai looked at his D-1. It had reverted back to the Digimon dock.

“Right now? As in, it’s still happening? How long were you gone?” Neo tapped his fingers on the side of his chair.

“About an hour.” Tai looked at the clock on Neo’s desk.

“How long was that in the Digital World? Months? A year?” Neo guessed.

“It was about three hours in the Digital World.” Tai held up three fingers. “In two days, the time flow of our worlds will line up perfectly.” 

“W-What?” Neo sat up in his chair.

“Not only that, MagnaAngemon can now freely open portals between our world and his world. Things are getting complicated, Neo." Tai sighed. "Tell me when you head in, I’ll go with you.” He got up to leave.

“I don’t need your-”

“Yes you do, Neo. We both have scars. Only the two of us seem to recognize them though.” Tai closed the door behind him.

Neo stood in annoyed silence. He hated it when Tai was right.

“Are you going to go, Tai?” Rei rolled over to him.

“Yup. Good seeing you, Rei. Let’s hope we see each other again soon.” Tai smiled at her.

“You better not be flirting with my sister down there!” They heard Neo shout from his room.

“I won’t as long as you don’t flirt with Sora!” Tai waved bye to Rei and ran out before Neo could strangle him.

“That...Didn’t go as planned.” Beelzemon rubbed his neck.

“Oh really?” The wise member scoffed.

"You were near him, Beelzemon. How strong was he?" The strongest member inquired.

Beelzemon gulped. "About as strong as you. His power is...insane." He admitted reluctantly.

"If he is only almost as strong as me, then we have nothing to worry about." The strongest member stated confidently.

“Nonetheless, we shouldn't take Taichi or UlforceVeedramon lightly." The wise member suggested.

“We’ll figure it out, I’m sure.” The humanoid figure muttered.

“All I know is that Neo is mine. That boy’s cute face…” The female member swooned for a second. “I’m going to tear it apart!”

To be continued...

Chapter Text

“Where is he?! He’s a dead man!” Neo jumped down the stairs and looked around for Tai.

“Afraid you can’t keep that promise?” Rei teased.

“That girl is rude, impudent, and barely looks like a woman! I would sooner fist fight Arcadiamon than talk to that brute again.” Neo looked completely unphased.

“Just don’t let Tai hear you say that. They seem to like each other quite a lot.” Rei jumped out of her wheelchair onto a couch.

“A brute for a brute. Figures." Neo sighed. "I'll be in my room. I have some things to think about." He stormed off.

"I wonder what him and Tai were talking about?" Rei whispered to herself.

“Where were you?” Sora and Tai were walking home. Izzy walked next to Tai, but he was mostly silent.

“I told you that I was helping the local church with something. I might do it again.” Tai shrugged.

“Since when have you been such an upstanding citizen?” Sora eyed him suspiciously.

“I only did it because I accidentally kicked a soccer ball through their window yesterday.” Tai laughed.

“I should have known.” Sora sighed. "When though?" She wondered to herself.

“What were you two up to? Harassing and losing to Neo so many times, it’s gonna mess with his win record.” Tai patted a small book in his pocket.

“He knew something, but he refused to tell me. He got really defensive when I told him that you seemingly disappeared without a trace.” Sora rubbed her chin.

“Oh…” Tai looked away. “Well, he’s not a very open person. I guess confrontation only made him close himself off more. Next time, talk to Rei.” Tai cracked a small smile without thought.

"I think I will. After all, you certainly seem to enjoy talking to her." Sora giggled. Tai coughed akwardly.

“Did you hear about the announcement?” Izzy randomly interjected.

“Which one?” Sora turned to him.

“You mean the Digimon city tournament?” Tai fiddled with his dock in his hands.

“Yes. They haven’t revealed very much about it, but they’ll explain everything in two days at 10 AM.” Izzy looked at his purple Digimon dock.

“I guess I’ll be there! I am a Tamer now after all!” Sora took out her red dock.

“I might not be allowed into the tournament in all honesty.” Tai deflated at the thought.

After waiting a day, Neo walked up to his computer. He took out his Digimon dock, staring at the Digimon on the other side.

Neo let out a heavy breath before looking at his emails.

“Let’s see. Email from my ‘local priest’? Haha, MagnaAngemon." Neo rolled his eyes. "Alright. Let’s go.” Neo clicked reply and his Digimon dock turned into a D-1. It slapped onto his wrist.

“We both have scars.” Tai’s words rang through Neo’s head.

“I’m strong. Stronger than him! I’ll fight...whoever we are supposed to fight on my own!” Neo pointed his D-1 at the screen and a bright light enveloped him. He was gone in a second.

Rei rolled up to the other side of the door. “Hey Neo! I think left my coat in there, could you please hand it to me?” Rei listened to the other side of the door.

Nothing.

“Uhhh, okay. I’m sorry if I interrupted something. I’ll be in my room!” Rei wheeled over to her room, quickly forgetting what happened.

“This...this is the Digital World?” Neo looked at the beautiful lands before him. “Did Daemon’s death really change this place that much?” He felt a pang of guilt go through him.

He tapped his device and brought up the direction to Holy Angel Castle. He walked over there in silence, ignoring the occasional terrified glance from a Digimon.

“We both have scars.” Neo shook his head, refusing to admit that Tai was correct.

“Maybe he does. He’s weak. I’m better than him!” Neo clenched his fists.

He continued in silence. Even after however many years had passed in the Digital World, it was clear many Digimon recognized him. And it was clear they didn't like him.

Neo narrowed his eyes at any Digimon who dared to stare at him for too long. He felt good when they backed off.

“That feeling...is familiar...” Neo whispered. "But I...really shouldn't feel good about it..." He bowed his head.

He decided to stop thinking. For the time being, it was only a distraction.

“Left.” He took a step with his left foot. “Right.” Now one with his right. “Left. Right. Left. Right...Why did you feel good?...Left. Right. Left. Right.” Neo tried to focus his brain on walking.

He didn’t notice the Vilemon high above him.

“Neo Saiba has entered the dimension.” The wise member informed the others.

“Oooooh! I’m coming honey!” The woman member shot up in her seat.

“Laylamon, be quick. His Digimon is yet to find him. Kill him before it becomes a challenge.” The powerful member curled himself up on the floor.

“Oh, killing my little Neo in such a rude way...I like it.” Laylamon bared her claws.

She let out a seductive laugh and walked to the teleporter. She was gone in an instant.

“Neo Saiba. How much have you changed?” The wise one looked at his secret Vilemon camera.

“Left. Right. Left. Right. Left-Stop looking at me!-Left. Right. Left. Right. Left.” Neo started to voice his thoughts just to keep his mind from wandering.

“Left. Right.” Somebody started walking next to him.

Neo growled silently. “Back off, pal. I may not be a villain, but I’m certainly not-Hurrk!” Neo was put in a chokehold.

“I like you already!” Laylamon lowered her hand to his waist and put her claws up to his neck.

“Who...are...you?” Neo felt the claws getting pushed up further into his neck.

“I am Laylamon. The most beautiful of all the Demon Lords. And you are Neo Saiba, the boy I always wanted to meet.” Laylamon’s claws got even closer.

“W...Why?” He managed to squeak out. A light cut appeared on his throat.

“Daemon had a lot of good things to say about you. The more he said, the more interested I got." Laylamon's claws shined. "Unfortunately, I usually kill the people I fall in love with.” She got ready to tear his throat apart.

“Maybe...I should...apologize to...Tai when I get home.” Neo flailed wildly.

“Hello.” She tensed her hand up. “And goodbye-”

“Twin Spear!” Laylamon's eyes opened wide as a spear tripped her. Neo quickly struggled out of her grasp and turned around to see who saved him.

“Whoever did that is dead!” Laylamon got up and swung around to be faced with a large black knight twice her size.

“You. Are you…” Neo recognized the Digimon quite well.

“It is good to see you, Lord Neo.” AxeKnightmon bowed his head at him.

“Eyes on the prize, big boy! Darkness Love!” Laylamon released an aura of pink. It surrounded AxeKnightmon.

“ArmaKnightmon! What did you just do, Laylamon-” Laylamon spun around and raised her fist. Neo let out a quiet swear before being across the face hard enough to throw him to the floor.

“That aura should put you under my control. You will listen to my every order, no matter how...embarrassing.” Laylamon walked up and put her hand on AxeKnightmon’s armor. She rubbed it and looked at his body. “Not bad. You’ll be a great minion.”

“I have only one master.” AxeKnightmon replied. Laylamon let out a questioning murmur before being slapped her across the face with his spear. He spun it around and bashed her in the stomach.

“Aah!” Laylamon stumbled back. “You hurt me!” She stomped her foot.

“I will kill you.” AxeKnightmon stomped towards her.

“You’ll die!” Laylamon’s eyes grew insane.

“I doubt it.” AxeKnightmon blocked her strikes with his large shield. He lowered it and slapped her across the face again. He quickly spun his spear around several times, slapping her in the chin several times over.

“Razor Nail!” She dodged to the side and slashed AxeKnightmon across the chest. It did little, but it did leave a miasma on his armor. “Die!” She landed several swift strikes before AxeKnightmon punched her away.

“My armor is as thick as Neo’s determination. You will fall.” AxeKnightmon walked towards her with little urgency.

“Screw you! Die!” Laylamon struck him again, actually managing to tear off the large golden W on his chest.

“Dark Slam!” AxeKnightmon hit her in the side of her head with the side of his shield. “Spear Rush!” He poked her several times with his spear, shooting her back with each stab. He finished by thrusting his spear nearly into her chest.

“Dammit!" Laylamon kicked AxeKnightmon back. She gripped her chest. "I wasn't expecting this...how could a Digimon overpower a Demon Lord so easily?!" She whined.

“You shouldn’t underestimate anybody who crossed paths with the V-Tamer and survived.” Neo stood up, his cheek bleeding and possibly broken in some places.

“Looks like things have become...disadvantageous for me. I’m gone." Laylamon jumped back. "Ta-ta, Neo.” Laylamon blew him a kiss as AxeKnightmon tried to swipe her neck off. She disappeared into a black mist right before it landed.

“She teleported away? I guess Daemon did manage to save me the same way once before...after Tai beat me at the Tree...” Neo walked over to the large black knight. "Thank you, AxeKnightmon."

“I serve only you, Lord Neo.” AxeKnightmon bowed.

“Don’t bother with the lord stuff. Let’s get to MagnaAngemon’s place. I’m sure I can treat my wounds there.” Neo continued his march. AxeKnightmon walked behind, staying completely silent.

Neo and AxeKnightmon saw Holy Angel Castle come into view. All of the guards he passed by snarled at him and his partner.

"At least they aren't trying to kill me...yet." Neo hid his face.

"I'll protect you, Lord Neo." AxeKnightmon moved closer to him protectively.

“Neo Saiba is here!” One of the Angemon guards yelled into the castle.

“Good. I wish to talk to him.” MagnaAngemon walked out.

"W-What?! You want to talk to Neo Saiba? Sir, do you remember what he did to us?" The Angemon lowered his staff hesitantly.

"I remember that he saved Taichi. And I remember that Taichi and Zero defeated Daemon. Are you speaking of something else?" MagnaAngemon asked rhetorically.

"N-No, sir." The Angemon cleared his throat sheepishly.

Neo and AxeKnightmon silently arrived to the castle. MagnaAngemon nodded at them before leading them in. All of the guards stared into the castle, their eyes transfixed on their former enemy,

“Neo Saiba, I thank you for coming.” MagnaAngemon stopped in the middle of the main hall.

Immediately, Leo and a crowd of Agumon, along with Gekovitch, moved over to MagnaAngemon. None of them looked happy to see Neo.

“Neo.” Gabo, Igamon, and Kogamon also walked in. They all eyed Neo suspiciously.

Neo glared at them all for a second. He stopped once he realized what he was doing.

“Has Tai told you about the portals and time flow?” Jijimon stood next to Magna.

“Yeah. He didn’t tell me about the ‘Demon Lords’ however. That idiot...” Neo mumbled. Sounds of annoyance rang across the hall, clearly against Neo's quiet comment.

MagnaAngemon held his hands up and everyone fell quiet. “There are six Demon Lords. We are yet to find where their base of operations is. They seek to conquer our world and revive Daemon.” MagnaAngemon explained.

“I see. So you need Tai and I to assist.” Neo crossed his arms. "What about Alias III?"

“You can tell the others if you so wish. That is not for me to decide." MagnaAngemon shook his head.

"Why not?" Neo narrowed his eyes at MagnaAngemon. "You were perfectly fine with telling me and Tai."

MagnaAngemon walked right up to Neo. He bent down to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I knew Taichi would want to help. And Neo...I know you want make up for what you did." He told him personally, making sure no one else could hear.

"No I-"

"Please, Neo. I understand." MagnaAngemon whispered. "I appreciate your help." He stood back up. "Nevertheless, do you have any furhter business in the Digital World? Or do you wish to leave now?" MagnaAngemon's hand lit up with energy.

“We already beat a Demon Lord into a pulp. I guess I’ll head home and talk to Tai about this mess.” Neo turned to AxeKnightmon.

“I hope to see you again soon.” AxeKnightmon bowed.

“Yeah...Sure.” Neo wiped the sweat off his forehead as MagnaAngemon opened a portal behind him.

“Please, stay safe Neo. Your actions now decide who you are.” MagnaAngemon walked out of the room.

The second MagnaAngemon was gone, everyone began to gossip about Neo loudly. Neo stumbled over to the portal as the crowd grew restless.

"Goodbye, Lord Neo." AxeKnightmon nodded.

“Yeah! Get out of here!” An Angemon shouted. Neo put his hands on the side of his head as he walked through the portal.

Neo fell into his bedroom, smacking his cheek on the floor. He let out a quiet whimper of pain before standing up and brushing himself off. 

He had never really felt this way before. It was business as usual when they had returned from the Digital World literally two days ago, though he did have nightmares on both nights. But this feeling of extreme guilt, pain, and discomfort made him want to get hit by a Dot Matrix.

He looked over at his personal phone and decided to talk to the one person who had seen and killed as much as him.

“...Hello, this is Tai Kamiya.”  The other side responded.

“Hey, Tai. It’s Neo. I just got back from the Digital World.” Neo’s voice sounded hoarse.

Silence fell between the two. Neo was reluctant to talk to Tai about his well deserved feelings of guilt, while Tai was stewing on the other side.

“Why didn’t you tell me before you left?”  Tai finally spoke up. “I told you that I wanted to go with you!”

“I didn’t need your help, Tai! I’m not a child on a leash and I’m not about to go postal!" Neo replied angrily.

"I didn't mean anything bad when I said I wanted to go with you!" Tai argued.

"Nevermind, I don’t need to talk to you!” Neo hung up and threw his phone at the wall.

The phone slipped to the ground. Neo slowly fell to the ground just like it.

He lay down on the floor. His mind was both filled with thoughts and at the same time blank.

More than anything though, he hated the fact that he would have to explain the situation to Rei when Tai and Neo eventually came to blows the next time they saw each other.

“Neo turned out to be less fun than I expected..." The wounds in Laylamon’s chest slowly regenerated.

“He is very dangerous. Cunning and ruthless. Had it not been for his pompous naivety, he most likely would have found a way to kill Daemon for good.” The wise member sat down, his staff still straight up.

“He is alone however. No one would want to affiliate themselves with him. Except for maybe Taichi. But those two alone cannot stop us.” The human-like member cracked his knuckles.

“With how strong UlforceVeedramon is, two people may be more than enough.” Beelzemon wore a black neck brace.

“I’ll have my revenge soon enough.” Laylamon got back into her red leather couch.

“You did make sure to turn on the energy catcher during the fight, right?” The chained member waddled over to her.

“Uhhhh. I might have been a little preoccupied...Hehe…” Laylamon scratched the back of her head nervously.

“Amateurs.” The strongest member and the wise member shook their heads.

“God dang that kid.” Tai slammed his phone back into the receiver. He plopped down on the couch. “Hopefully, the Digimon announcement tomorrow will distract me. I don’t even want to think about that imperious douche!” Tai let out a long sigh.

He looked over at a dictionary.

“Thanks for the big words, Izzy.” Tai laughed.

The day fell silent for the many Tamers across the city of Odaiba. Tomorrow will be their day to shine.

However, Tai Kamiya knew that his inevitable fight with Neo wouldn't involve Digimon.

To be continued...

Chapter Text

*Knock* *Knock*

Sora and Izzy stepped away from Tai's front door. They heard lazy shuffling on the other side of the door before the knob turned.

“Hey guys. Great to see you.” Tai opened the door. He had a both bored and irritated look in his eyes.

“We thought we could all watch the announcement together.” Izzy said, much less nervous today than normal.

“Yeah, sure. Come in.” Tai said with little energy. "Maybe I'll finally stop thinking about that big-haired, thin, piece of-"

"Is it fine if I take a seat?" Izzy asked respectfully.

"Knock yourself out." Tai motioned him to come in.

Izzy walked past him as Sora inspected Tai closely.

“Is something wrong?” She asked quietly so Izzy wouldn’t hear. Tai let out a quiet grunt and walked over to the couch, resting his arms on top of it.

“Let’s see here. The announcement should be airing on FOX kids...” Izzy flipped through the channels.

"Wait...isn't FOX an American channel?" Tai thought.

“Come on, Tai. What’s up?” Sora nudged her arm into his side. Tai snapped out of his thoughts.

“I’ll tell you later. Let’s just listen to the announcement for now.” Tai diverted his attention to the tv. Sora reluctantly looked at the staticky box.

Hideto, Sigma, and Mari walked up to Neo's front door. Hideto knocked on the door and they backed up.

“What do you people want from me?” Neo opened the door with his normal greeting.

“The big V-Tamer city tournament announcement is coming on soon! Let’s watch it together.” Mari proposed. Hideto and Sigma nodded.

“A warning would be nice next time. I’m not in the mood to be hearing anything about Digimon...I’ll be upstairs.” Neo walked off. They watched him march up the stairs silently.

“Hmm...Someone has pissed him off.” Sigma observed.

“Was it one of you guys?” Hideto asked while they walked in. They both shook their heads.

“I wonder what’s got him so grumpy.” Mari plopped onto a comfortable couch.

They all thought for a second before coming to silent consensus.

“Tai.” They all announced.

“Hey Hideto, Mari, Sigma.” Rei came out of the kitchen with a plate full of snacks.

“Thank you, Rei.” Hideto grabbed the plate as everybody got comfortable.

“Does anybody know what's up with Neo?” Rei pointed upwards.

“We didn’t do anything. Not on purpose anyways.” Sigma sat down next to Mari.

“Something happened to him...I’m really worried. I doubt he has been doing too well since we’ve gotten back.” Rei tapped her finger anxiously on the side of the chair.

“What makes you think that?” Mari flipped through the channels rapidly.

Rei thought about yesterday.

*Knock*

Rei looked up from a book. "Hello?" She called out.

“It’s Neo. I have your coat.” Neo held her leather jacket in his hands.

“Coming!” Rei opened the door and smiled at her brother. “Thank...you." Rei immediately saw his tired eyes. "Is something wrong?"

“No. No...I'm fine.” Neo gave her the jacket and walked back to his room, slamming his door shut.

“Those eyes...was...was he?” Rei slowly closed her door in thought.

“I think Neo was...crying.” Rei sighed. The whole group in front of her gasped.

“Two minutes until the announcements come on. I wonder what the next tournament will be like?” Izzy watched the tv closely, ignoring the silent mental scuffle going on between Tai and Sora.

“Tai.” Sora nudged him in the side. “Tai!” She nudged him a few more times.

“Later, Sora.” Tai dropped his head onto the back of the couch.

“I haven’t seen you this down in a long time. What’s wrong?” Sora put her hand on his shoulder.

Tai opened his mouth. For a second, he seriously contemplated telling her everything. At the same time though, he didn't particularly want her to know.

“W-Well...a couple of days ago-”

“It’s happening!” Izzy cut their conversation short as a slim Asian man wearing white came onto screen.

“Hello there! You might know me as the artist of the Digimon jingle, Butter-fly. I am Koji Wada.” The slim man announced.

“It’s him!” Izzy was starstruck. Tai and Sora watched, completely forgetting about their troubles.

“Oh crap! It’s Koji!” Mari pointed at the tv.

“Good to know you’re on a first name basis with him.” Sigma leaned back into the couch.

“He’s the composer of all the music in the commercials, right?” Rei watched from her chair.

“Yes he is. With a smooth voice like his, it's no wonder he's the one doing the announcement.” Hideto replied. Everyone watched the tv closely.

In Neo’s room, he was watching on a small tv that he had. As angry as he was, he wasn’t going to miss anything related to Digimon tournaments. He had a record to upkeep.

The three groups watched on, and so did many many children across Japan.

“I have come to announce a city wide Digimon tournament! In these cities listed here.” Koji pointed at a large screen next to him. “There will be booths for you to exchange your Digimon dock 01 for a Digimon dock 02! Then, you can register to be in the tournament at your local game stores.” Koji showed off the Digimon dock 02.

Tai didn’t really know how to describe it, but it looked kinda like an eye. It was small and light blue, but he could see that they were customizable. A few buttons were next to the blank screen.

“When you are signing up, please take a rule packet and read it thoroughly. In the end, there can only be one winner, who will get this.” Koji lifted the most incredible thing Tai had ever seen.

It was an Agumon toy standing 3 feet tall. It wore a crown of expensive dollar bills.

Koji proceeded to repeat everything before going into the more legal oriented section, explaining that Digimon.Inc would not be liable for any harm that came to people due to their focus on Digimon battles.

“How much money was that?!” Sora and the others still looked at the Agumon toy.

"A lot." Tai and Izzy responded.

“I could buy a new computer with that!” Sigma’s eyes were wide, but nobody noticed because of the hair in his face.

“I could buy new clothing with that!” Mari looked amazed. "Not that any of you would appreciate it." She pouted. "Not like Lily and the others would have, anyways." She commented quietly.

“I could buy the world's greatest turtleneck sweater with that much money.” Hideto messed with the zipper on his sweater.

“I could buy...Um...I can’t think of anything.” Rei shrugged.

“If only I could buy a do over” Neo sighed. 

“I could buy a new computer with that!” Izzy leaned forwards.

“I’m sure you're the only kid who thought of that.” Tai teased.

"I could get so much if I won that money...but I'm sure mom would probably take the money for herself.” Sora pouted.

“Maybe I could buy a brain for that idiot...and a haircut for him while I'm at it.” Tai gripped the couch tightly.

"Did...was that directed towards my mother?" Sora raised an eyebrow.

"Wuh?-No! No no no! Your mother's great! I love your mother! I was talking about someone else!" Tai held up his hands.

“Before we send you out there to complete your Tamer dreams, have a look at this year's tournament champions.” Koji pointed at the screen again. Everyone looked at the screen.

There were names all across the screen. Satoshi, Akihiro, Shigeru, Takashi, Kazuki, Masahiro, Akira, Buronson, Tenya, Akiyoshi, etc. But next to Odaiba, it said: Neo Saiba and Tai Kamiya.

“Like hell he’s a champion!” Neo yelled from upstairs.

Rei looked upwards, Mari giggled, and Hideto and Sigma kept straight faces.

"They must have learned about Tai tying with Neo twice. I think they might actually let Tai into this tournament!" Sigma rubbed his chin.

"Those two are already targets. They're going to be swarmed 24/7." Hideto shook his head.

"Well, Tai will be anyways. Everyone's too afraid of Neo to fight him." Mari laughed.

They heard somebody coming down the steps. They all turned to find Neo, who was still wearing a scowl, walking towards the door.

"Where are you going, Neo?" Sigma got up from the couch.

"I'm going to get my Digimon dock 02. You should go before the lines grow long." Neo walked out, once again slamming the door behind him.

"He's right! We should move quickly!" Hideto ran to the door. The others followed with the same urgency.

"That jerk doesn't deserve to be called champion!" Tai shouted at the tv. Sora and Izzy looked at him with confused faces.

"We should go get our new devices!" Izzy ran to the door.

"Those lines are going to stretch to the US if we aren't quick!" Sora followed after him.

Tai let out a very long, annoyed sigh before following them.

"Make a line! Make a line!" A man with a megaphone tried to control the rampant wave of children in front of him.

The loud and unruly crowd fell silent as somebody appeared. The ocean of children split as somebody walked down the middle with two friends at his side.

"Is that?" 

"I think it is!"

"Second I get my device, I'm going after him"

Tai groaned as more gossip went on around him.

"I don't like this." Izzy felt dozens of eyes staring at him. 

“Looks like you have admirers, Tai.” Sora booped him in the back.

Tai’s annoyance started to grow to a breaking point. Any further, and he would be beyond ticked off.

“Kamiya! We were hoping you would join the tournament.” The broad-shouldered man who had kicked Tai out of the previous two tournaments held a clipboard out to him.

“I was hoping to never see you again.” Tai said under his breath as he went through all the paperwork needed. He handed over his DD 01 and the man gave him the Digimon dock 02.

“Your partner should already be loaded onto it.” The man said to Tai. Tai looked at him for a couple of seconds before turning around and walking back to Sora and Izzy.

The crowd finally came back to its senses as Tai sat down on a chair. Kids swarmed the booth the man was in. He had quite a few things thrown at him as the staff tried their best to keep everybody in line, with just about nothing to show for it.

“Zero, give me strength. I’m afraid I’m gonna kill the next person to annoy me otherwise.” Tai rubbed his new device.

Once again, the crowd fell silent and split as a boy and his four friends came into the room.

Everybody was completely silent this time. The boy shot death glares at anyone who dared to say anything about him.

Tai sat behind the entire crowd, only being able to guess who it was. He decided to stay where he was, fearing that if he learned who the crowd was ogling at, he would kill him. And he knew who they were looking at.

Somebody finally said it.

“Neo Saiba! The flawless winner of two tournaments! Only Taichi has ever been able to tie with him!” The voice sounded familiar.

“God dang it, Izzy.” Tai rubbed his face. He stood up and walked towards the split of the throng of children.

He arrived at the front to find Izzy cowering as Neo stared at him with extreme contempt. Rei patted his arm and he backed away from Izzy. He walked forwards to the man with the big shoulders.

“Neo Saiba, it’s good to-”

“Just give me the damn device so I can leave.” Neo quickly signed all the papers and handed in his DD 01. The man gave him his DD 02 and he left the small counter the man was stationed at.

Neo looked around the crowd with an anxious and wrathful look on his face.

They finally met eyes. Tai and Neo gave each other the meanest looks they possibly could. Tai stepped forwards to confront his old enemy.

“Neo.” Tai clenched his fists. Sora and Izzy looked interested.

“Tai.” Neo rolled his shoulders. Hideto, Sigma, Mari, and Rei moved a little closer to him.

“Yoooo! They’re gonna kick each other’s asses without even playing Digimon!” One kid said.

“Let’s go somewhere more private.” Tai whispered. Neo nodded. They both walked out swiftly.

“I want to watch!” A bunch of kids ran forwards. Hideto, Mari, and Sigma walked in front of the door.

“That’s a private matter. Hurry up and get your devices.” Hideto pointed at the counter.

“That’s Hideto Fujimoto! The person who was 2nd place in the last tournament!” Somebody said.

"As long as you leave Neo and Tai alone, I'll be whatever you want." Hideto sighed.

“And that’s Mari Goutokuji the heartbreaker!” A clearly swooned boy yelled.

"I like that name." Mari nodded.

“And that’s “Sigma”! No one knows his real name!” A girl yelled.

“Maybe you would if I had friends.” Sigma grinded his teeth.

“Autographs! Pictures! Fight me!” The crowd surged forwards and swarmed the three kids.

“You know those guys?” Sora and Izzy walked over to Rei.

“Yeah. They’re all Neo’s friends. They’re also pretty friendly with Tai.” Rei watched Sigma get his hair messed up by an overly touchy girl.

“Huh. How did you all meet?” Sora asked Rei.

Rei froze for a second before tactically responding. “We all met a couple months ago. Tai and Neo were rivals, and those three ended up joining Neo’s side. I was with Tai during most of the whole mess. At the end, we all made up and became friends.” Rei told her without a hint of doubt. Of course, she was kind of lying through her teeth, but she figured Tai would tell Sora when he wanted to.

The three watched the former members of Alias III wrangle the crowd away from the doors so Tai and Neo could have their much-needed talk.

Tai and Neo stared at each other. They both clenched their fists.

The alley was thin.

“Why did you leave without me?” Tai leaned against a wall.

“Because I didn’t need help.” Neo leaned against the other side.

Tai narrowed his eyes at Neo. “Oh really? That’s why you called me, so you could tell me that you didn't need help.” He scoffed.

“Do you even think you can help me?!” Neo kicked off his wall and walked towards him. “Do you understand what I have gone through?!” He grabbed Tai by his shirt collar.

“Of course, I do! I fought against you! I saved you! You saved me! You might hate to admit it, but only I understand the new you because I trudged through the same garbage as you!” Tai grabbed Neo by his collar.

The two stared at each other.

“I don’t need you, Tai.” Neo clenched his teeth.

“Screw you, Neo!” Tai punched Neo in the face. The two grabbed onto each other and slammed the other into the wall.

“I won’t ever need anyone but myself!” Neo punched Tai into the wall. Tai slapped him with the back of his hand.

“You needed Ogremon and Devimon!" Tai grabbed Neo and slammed him against the wall. "You needed MetalGreymon!" He slammed him against the wall. "You needed Alias III!" He slammed him against the wall. "And you needed Arcadiamon!" Tai slammed him against the wall again. "You can’t do anything on your own!” He shouted at Neo.

Neo threw Tai off. Tai stumbled back.

The two breathed heavily.

“I didn’t...I didn't need them.” Neo said in between breaths.

“Yeah...well you have me. I want to be your friend, Neo.” Tai tottered towards him.

“I don’t...I...Why did I do it all?! They all hate me!” Neo clapped the sides of his head.

“Of course they do! You killed hundreds! Had it not been for me and Zero, the Digital World and our world would have been completely destroyed!” Tai grabbed his shoulders.

Neo stayed silent.

“But I don't care, Neo! I want to be your friend!" Tai shook him. "I wanted to go with you to the Digital World because I wanted people to realize that you were a good guy! You deserve every bit of ridicule and harassment you get, but I don't want you to deal with it! Because I want people to realize that you're trying to make up for it!"

“I have friends, Tai. I don’t need your pity.” Neo couldn’t look him in the eyes.

“Neo, it's not the same. Alias III and Rei, they didn't face what we did. They have it hard, but they have each other too. Us though...we're different.” Tai leaned against the same wall as Neo. "We were polar opposites of good and bad...the blood on our hands means so much more..."

“We both have scars, huh? I guess you were right." Neo muttered. "I just...I don’t want to look weak in front of people, especially not Alias III. Not after what I put them through.” Neo slid down the wall.

“I can't speak for Alias III, but I think we've all out our anger to the side. Because we think you deserve our friendship.” Tai smiled at Neo. "Plus, Rei shouldn't have to deal with you alone."

"I cast you off as a nuisance for wanting to help me...” Neo shook his head. He let out a quiet laugh. "Rei always told me I was so 'big-hearted'. So much for that thought."

“I want to agree with Rei, Neo. I think you do too." Tai put his hand out. "We can do a lot together. So give me and the others a chance. Let us help you." 

Neo accepted his hand. "A chance on the future...I guess I can't go any further down." He got up. "I should work to make everything better. For us, the Digimon, and myself."

“You don't owe me anything, pal. Just make sure to help the others." Tai patted him on the shoulder. "The future is for those who fight for it.” Tai looked up at the sun. “And I know that together, we’ll beat the shit out of it.”  Tai and Neo walked out from the alleyway.

The two boys were bleeding, had several cuts, and both of them had big smiles.

“Here they come!” The crowd of children looked through the windows.

Tai and Neo opened up the doors and were quickly swarmed.

Questions were thrown out at the two. They both smiled.

“If you want to know anything…” Tai looked over at Neo.

“Then you’ll just have to beat us!” Neo took out his device.

The two boys walked down the street letting out hearty laughs.

“I can’t believe that not a single person tried to challenge one of us.” Tai held his chest.

“They look terrified!” Neo slapped his knee.

The others walked behind them. “Look at them laugh.” Hideto, Rei, Sigma, and Mari watched.

“Tai’s mood certainly looks better.” Sora and Izzy walked with them.

“I think this might be the first time he's laughed since we came back." Rei noted happily.

“Those two must have really roughed each other up to be in such a good mood.” Mari saw the dust all over the back of their clothing.

“Fighting can be quite therapeutic.” Sigma fiddled with something in his coat.

The two boys continued to laugh as the others made comments.

“Time to break.” They came to the intersection that their houses branched off of.

Tai, Sora, and Izzy walked one way. Mari and Sigma walked another. Hideto, Neo, and Rei went down the last one.

“Looks like we’re all going down our separate paths.” Izzy inspected his device as they talked.

“Yup. Tomorrow, we’re technically enemies.” Sora's warned.

“Frenemies, more like.” Mari giggled.

“Tai, I think you know what I’m going to say.” Neo looked at the boy with narrow eyes.

“Yeah. You better do well, or I’ll have nobody to fight for a grand finale.” Tai grinned.

“An exciting event this is. I believe it calls for a blast from the past.” Sigma took out something and put it on.

“You still have that scary mask?’ Mari pointed at his face.

“Always.” Sigma smirked.

“Then it’s official. Today, boys and girls. Tomorrow, Tamers. We’ll see what the morrow brings.” Hideto waved bye to them. Everybody exchanged farewells and walked off.

“Tai?” Rei called out to him as he walked away. He turned around.

“Yeah?” Tai told Sora to keep going.

Rei mouthed “thank you” and wheeled away.

“No problem, Saibas.” Tai smiled. He caught up with Sora and Izzy.

“You, uh, kinda got a little bit of blood on your lip.” Sora pointed at him.

“I’ll get to that later.” Tai didn’t bother to clean it.

Sora stopped in place. “Who are you?” Tai basically tripped at this question.

“Well, I’m human. I can say that much.” Tai was well aware of what Sora meant.

“Growing a couple of inches taller? Alright. Making seemingly new friends recently? Alright. Disappearing from thin air to ‘help the local priest’? Alright. Growing a couple of inches taller, making new friends, and helping the local priest within a day or two? I’m going to have questions.” Sora gave Tai a determined stare.

Tai closed his eyes for a few seconds. He opened them back up a with mischievous glow within them. “Sora, Izzy. How about a challenge?” Tai took out his device.

“Heck no. I can’t beat you-I know that. Just tell me!” Sora didn’t bother to take out her device.

“That’s not the challenge. I’ll trust you guys with some very confidential information IF...you can both reach Ultimate level with your Digimon by the end of tomorrow.” Tai grinned confidently.

Sora and Izzy exchanged looks.

“You’re on!” They both said.

“Alright. Work together, break apart, I don’t really care. Just reach Ultimate by 12:00 AM tomorrow.” Tai gave them a thumbs up as they reached their apartment building.

“I’ll see you two tomorrow then.” Izzy nodded at them and went up the stairs.

“You’re going to tell me everything I want to know tomorrow. Believe that!” Sora ran up the stairs.

“I’m sure I will.” Tai watched them run up the stairs. “I really hope I do.” Tai sighed and walked up the stairs.

Tamers all over prepared their Digimon for the day that was coming. Flames burned in people’s souls as they got ready for fights.

But Tai...Tai thought tomorrow would be pretty dang boring.

To be continued...

Chapter Text

"The streets are running wild with children and their 'Digital monsters'. All over, children are challenging each other, creating large groups, and causing a ruckus of laughter." A woman spoke into her mic. A news van was pulled up outside of Tai's apartment building. 

Sora and Izzy descended the steps of the building, barely noticing the woman and the cameramen. 

"You two." She walked over to them. "What do you think of this tournament?" She held her mic out to their faces.

"We'd love to stay and talk, but we have something urgent to do!" Sora and Izzy nodded at the woman and ran down the street.

"I should probably chaperone those tw-" Tai stopped talking as he found the news women looking at him excitedly.

"Tai Kamiya, one of the two Champions of the last Digimon tournaments held in Odaiba, what do you think of this tournament?" She held the mic to his face.

Tai let out a sigh. This was going to be a long day.

"We should swing by the convenience store nearby. I kinda forgot to eat breakfast." Sora flashed some money at Izzy.

"As long as I don't have to pay." Izzy shrugged.

They walked into the Inoue convenience store to find two children arguing.

"Forget the store! I'm challenging you, Yo Lee!" A boy with hair similar to Tai's yelled at a girl with purple hair.

"It's 'Yolei', Davis!" Yolei corrected him angrily. "Just give me an hour! I'll beat you to a pulp during my break time!" She leaned over her counter with a fierce scowl.

The both of them were so focused on the other that Sora and Izzy's existence were being completely ignored.

"You're just afraid that my Monochromon will dunk on you and 'Mera'." Davis taunted.

"Mera will whip you so hard!" Yolei planted her face right in front of Davis’.

“Hey uh, can we pay?” Sora and Izzy broke the two out of their staring contest.

Yolei finally noticed them. “Yeah, sure. Just try not to bump into this clown.” Yolei scowled at Davis. Davis crossed his arms and turned around.

“Were you guys discussing a Digimon battle?” Izzy walked over to Davis, who was younger than him, but the same height.

“Yeah. Why? Are you and orangutan head over there Tamers?” Davis pointed at Sora.

"Orangutan head?" Sora crossed her arms. "Believe me, your hair's not much better. It just looks like a bad copy of Tai's hair." She scoffed grumpily.

"Tai? You know Taichi Kamiya?" Davis' eyes lit up.

"You could say that. How do you know him?" Sora asked.

"Tai's like, the best Tamer in Odaiba! Tied twice with Neo Saiba, great at ordering around his Digimon, and he's also really nice to his Veedramon!" Davis shook with excitement. "If you two know him, then you have to be good Tamers! I wanna fight!" He punched the air.

"Davis, do I need to say in Spanish that I'm busy?!" Yolei growled.

“Look, we need to get to Ultimate level by the end of today. If you have the time, could we please have a Digimon battle?” Izzy took out his device.

Yolei looked outside for a few seconds. “Oh okay...if it means getting Davis out of the store. Let’s just make it quick!” Yolei took out her device.

"Yeah! You, girl who knows Tai, I wanna fight you!" Davis dragged Sora over to the counter.

"Well, I guess we do need to reach Ultimate level." Sora sighed.

“If all four of us are going to be going at it, then we should do a dual battle.” Yolei’s suggestion excited Izzy while confusing Sora and Davis.

“A dual battle?” The two confused kids inquired.

“We find a partner and fight two other people at the same time. Sora, you could be mine.” Izzy waved his device at her.

“And you’ll be mine, Davis.” Yolei jumped over the counter.

“Here we go!” Davis whipped out his orange and blue device.

“I’m with you!” Yolei took out her red and green device.

“Come on, Izzy. Let’s teach him who’s who!” Sora and Izzy got their red and purple devices ready.

“Dual Battle!” They bumped all their devices together.

Then, something unexpected happened. The devices lit up and released a hologram of each of the Digimon. A large green net battlefield appeared under them.

“Digimon, load! Team Izora: Kabuterimon and Birdramon! Team Dalei: Monochromon and Meramon!” The devices announced.

“What the heck are these holograms?” Davis tried to touch the figures in front of him.

“The 02 devices must be far more advanced than the original ones! This is quite incredible.” Izzy looked at the holograms closely.

“Maybe we should focus on the battle at hand?” Sora and Yolei said. They nodded at each other.

“Right. The fastest Digimon here is Birdramon. Sora, it’s on you.” Izzy nodded at his partner.

“Then the fight starts now! Meteor Wing!” Birdramon began by firing flaming feathers at Monochromon.

“Tomahawk Slash!” Monochromon tanked the feathers with ease and charged at Kabuterimon.

“Big Horn!” Kabuterimon met Monochromon’s horn with his own. The two attacks canceled each other out.

“Fireball!” Meramon shot several fireballs at Kabuterimon.

“You got this, Birdramon!” Sora smiled as Birdramon took the flaming balls with ease.

“Fire Flap!” Birdramon slammed her body into Monochromon, managing to overturn him.

“Crap! Get on it, Yolei!” Davis turned to her. She pushed her glasses up her nose confidently.

“Heat Knuckle!” Meramon ran forwards and punched Birdramon in the face, forcing her to back off. The two continued to battle, leaving Monochromon open.

“I must use this moment to my advantage!” Izzy clenched his fist.

“Electro Shocker!” Kabuterimon blasted Monochromon in the stomach, doing a considerable amount of damage in one blow.

“Monochromon! No!” Davis whined. Monochromon rolled back onto his feet and his mouth lit up with flames.

“Volcanic Strike!” Monochromon shot a large fireball at Kabuterimon. 

“Dodge it!” Izzy shouted desperately. Kabuterimon tried to fly away but was clipped in the leg. He fell over.

“Shoot a fireball into his mouth, Meramon!” Yolei threw her hand forwards.

“Blazing Flames!” Meramon threw several fireballs at the downed Kabuterimon.

“Save him!” Sora ordered again. Birdramon took the fireballs again, being pushed back by the wave of flames coming at her.

“Slamming Attack!” Monochromon rushed at both of the Digimon. One of them was down while the other was weakened by Meramon.

“This is bad!” Sora gritted her teeth.

“Just as I expected! Electric Storm!” Kabuterimon zapped both of the advancing Digimon with lightning from his horn. Izzy fist pumped as Meramon and Monochromon were pushed back.

“Good job, Izzy! Hit him with a Meteor Wing!” Sora pressed a button on her device.

“Meteor Wing!” Birdramon fired several flaming feathers at the two again. Monochromon finally took too much punishment and was eliminated.

“No!” Davis let out a disappointed sigh. "Dang it, Yolei!" He pointed at her angrily.

"Don't try to blame me!" Yolei pouted at him. “We’re on our own, Mera!” She started to look worried.

“Big Horn!” Kabuterimon rushed forwards and smashed his horn into Meramon. 

“Fire Fist!” Meramon’s hand lit up with bright flames.

“Fire Flap!” Birdramon flew down at Meramon.

The two attacks met at the same time. A bright light surrounded the battlefield.

“The winner of this Digimon battle is: Team Izora!” The devices announced triumphantly.

“What was that, Yolei?!” Davis put his device in his pocket.

“You were knocked out first, doofus!” Yolei shot back.

“Good stuff, Izzy!” Sora high fived him.

“One step closer to Ultimate! Come on, Sora. We have no time to lose!” Izzy nodded at Davis and Yolei before he ran out.

“You guys weren’t half bad.” Sora smiled. She ran out after Izzy.

“Great! My first battle and I lost! Thanks, Davis.” Yolei hopped back over her counter.

“Yeah, no worries, Yo Lee.” Davis walked over to the door.

“See ya soon, Davis!” Yolei happily waved bye to him.

“Yup!” Davis waved back with the same enthusiasm.

“What to do, what to do?” Tai walked down the street with his hands in his pockets. 

“Hey, Kamiya. Want to battle?” A random kid waved his device at Tai.

“Alright.” Tai took out his device.

Literally less than a minute later, Tai continued to walk down the street.

“First, that news anchor takes like, a year to interview me. Now, seven people have challenged me and Zero. Being the second champion is about as fun as I thought it would be.” Tai walked down a presumably random road, but he was subconsciously going to the Saiba household.

“Hey, Kamiya! I hope you’re ready to lose!” A girl and a boy ran up to him. Tai sighed.

After another, truly exciting, few seconds, Tai came out on top. He kept walking with a bored look on his face.

“I swear, these people really need to consider pitting Champions against Megas a little more carefully.” Tai rubbed his head. He looked up to find himself in front of a mansion. “Saiba household? Maybe me and Neo can have a talk about his time in the Digital World.” Tai rubbed his chin.

He knocked on the door and waited.

“Yes?” Rei opened the door.

“Hi, Rei. Is Neo home?” Tai scratched the back of his head. He felt kind of nervous for some reason.

“No. He went out to do some ‘noob stomping’ as he calls it.” She sighed.

“Just like him.” Tai let out a quiet laugh.

“I wish he didn’t, but there’s no stopping him.” Rei shook her head, well aware of her brother’s resolve to do whatever he wanted to.

The two stood in awkward silence. Rei smiled at Tai, waiting for him to either leave or continue the conversation. He looked back at her, quickly burning up.

“So, do you need anything else?” Rei waited patiently.

“Uh, ah, um…” Tai wiped sweat off his forehead. “Are you alone?” Tai sounded more worried than anything else.

“Yeah. Why?” Rei tilted her head.

“Robberies aren't exactly common, especially not in a neighborhood like this, but that doesn't mean they just won't happen.” Tai looked around the inside of her large house. "You shouldn't be left home alone like this! Your house is primed for a robbery, and there's not really much you could do to stop it." He told her seriously.

“Well...I guess I could talk to Neo or my father about that later. But for now, you could come in if you want to.” Rei moved to the side. Tai froze. “Tai? Hello?” She waved her hand in front of his face.

“Yeah!” His voice cracked a little bit. “I’ll keep you safe until Neo or your parents come back.” Tai walked into the house, almost immediately tripping over a couch.

“Thanks, Tai.” Rei smiled at him. Tai felt a weird feeling course through him.

Hopefully, Neo wouldn’t be coming back soon.

“Then you hit him with the Electric Storm! Wow!” Sora clapped.

“Your Meteor Wings were well timed. Very good job.” Izzy nodded.

“A few more battles and a few more wins, and our Digimon will be freaking Megas!” Sora punched the air repeatedly.

“Ooh! Those two look like Tamers!” A girl said to her partner with a high-pitched voice.

“H-Howdy, Tamers.” A boy with blue hair walked over to Sora and Izzy.

“And you are?” Izzy felt oddly comfortable near the boy who seemed as naturally nervous as him.

“I’m Joe Kido. You might want to cover your ea-”

“And I’m Mimi!” She jumped over, practically screaming her introduction.

“I’m Sora. This is Izzy.” Sora pointed at herself and Izzy. She felt oddly comfortable near the ecstatic girl.

“Are you guys Tamers?” Mimi jumped with excitement.

“Yeah. Are you looking for a fight?” Sora took out her device.

“Yeah! We fought Kamiya earlier-”

“He whooped us.” Joe interrupted.

“-And now I have an unstoppable flame in my heart! I need to battle!” Mimi looked like she was ready to pop with excitement.

“How did you end up with her?” Izzy whispered at Joe. He shrugged, defeated.

“Well, time to do this!” Everybody took out their devices and bumped them together.

“Digimon load! Team Izora! Team Jomi: Ikkakumon and Togemon!” The devices announced. The field appeared and the Digimon all loaded onto it. A cactus and a seal appeared on the Jomi’s side.

“Let’s go! Birdramon, you get to-”

“Togemon, Lightspeed Jabbing!” Togemon ran forwards and punched Birdramon across the face. Birdramon stumbled back as Sora’s mouth flew open.

“Holy crap she’s fast! Retaliate!” Sora pressed a button on her device.

“Electro Shocker!” Kabuterimon quickly fired at the cactus.

“Harpoon Torpedo!” Ikkakumon quickly shot a missile that canceled out the spark blast advancing towards his partner.

“They're moving faster than Davis and Yolei were.” Sora wiped sweat off her brow.

“They’re much more synergized than Davis and Yolei too.” Izzy warned her.

“Needle Spray!” Togemon spun around, firing needles all over. The needles did little to the thick furred Ikkakumon.

“Electric Storm!” Kabuterimon zapped the needles out of the air.

“Fire Flap!” Birdramon rushed the dazed Togemon, slamming into her with her flaming body.

“Togemon! No!” Mimi cried out. Joe put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring look. She took in a deep breath and relaxed.

“Harpoon Torpedo!” Ikkakumon shot another horn, this time at the occupied Birdramon.

“Quick Thrust!” Kabuterimon shot forward and slapped the torpedo to the side. The torpedo shot into his back, doing little damage to the armored beetle.

“I got it!” Sora snapped. She moved closer to Izzy. “Ikkakumon can’t do much against Kabuterimon, while Birdramon’s flames are effective against Togemon. Defend Birdramon with Kabuterimon until Togemon is down. Then, we both gang up on Ikkakumon.”

Izzy nodded.

“Whispering like lovers over there! We’re fighting!” Mimi said with extreme sass.

“Right. Come on, Izzy! Let’s make Tai proud!” Sora and Izzy took battle stances.

Tai sat down on the couch, very unsure of what he was doing.

“You want any snacks? Tea? Water?” Rei called out from the kitchen.

“I’m good. T-Thank you.” Tai bounced his leg quickly. "Triceramon, MarineDevimon, Myotismon...I feel more nervous now than I was when I fought them..."

“Are you okay? You’re looking a little hot.” Rei pointed at him.

“Yeah. I’m good." Tai cleared his throat. "This place is huge by the way!” He hadn’t actually been to their house until this point. He had only ever seen the outside.

“Yeah. Father is one of the top 100 doctors in Japan while mom is one of the most popular contemporary artists around. If it weren’t for the accident, our family would basically be perfect.” Rei jumped from her wheelchair to the same couch as Tai.

“I-I see. Where are they? I’ve never seen them or even a trace of them the two times I have been here.” Tai very subtly scooted away from her to get some space. "Why am I so nervous?!" He thought to himself.

“Dad always works late. Mom is currently on a world tour, like usual. It’s almost always just Neo and I in this house.” Rei sounded disappointed.

“I understand." Tai sighed. "Dad's always gone on business trips, and mom leaves early in the morning and comes back late at night." He frowned. "I've just kinda learned to live without them...not like I'd want to bother them, anyways."

“I’m just happy to have friends like Neo, Hideto, Mari, and Sigma...And you.” Rei looked at Tai.

“I’m happy to be your friend. Our parents may not always be there, but at least we have each other.” Tai answered without thought. The second he realized what he said, he practically exploded.

“Thank you, Tai.” Rei patted him on the back.

Tai froze up again. This time however, he was at least happy and nervous.

“Got ya!” Sora and Izzy gave each other a high five.

“Dang. If only I had figured out your strategy earlier. “ Joe pulled his gray device back.

“Now the flames are only brighter!” Mimi pulled her green device back.

“You two are quite formidable. Even with a strategy, you nearly beat us.” Izzy nodded at them.

“Good luck out there. Try not to run into any Ultimates.” Sora waved bye to them.

“Bye!” They both waved back.

“Another win and we’ll reach Ultimate! I’m sure of it!” Sora punched her palm.

“Looks like it. But we actually need to win the next fight, so we need to stay smart.” Izzy tapped the side of his head.

The two continued to mosey around the city until they saw a boy wearing a green shirt without sleeves. A small boy wearing a goofy green hat stood next to him. Both of them had bright yellow hair.

“Hey there! Are you Tamers?” Sora and Izzy ran over to the two blondes.

“Leave us alone.” The older boy grabbed the younger one’s hand and walked in between Izora.

“But, Matt! I want to fight them!” The boy continued to be dragged away.

“I’ll only fight people who deserve to be knocked down a peg. I don’t even want to be doing this.” Matt said tiredly.

“So we have to be annoying…” Sora gave Izzy a look. Izzy nodded.

“We wanna fight! We wanna fight! We wanna fight!” Izora chased after Matt and continued to chant.

"Yeah! I want to fight too! We wanna fight! We wanna fight!" Tk joined them.

“No. No. No!” Matt’s other hand twitched. 

“We. Wanna. Fight!” They both shouted into his ear.

"Yeah!" Tk cheered.

“Alright! Okay! Just don’t come crying to me if you lose! Come on, Tk.” Matt let go of Tk’s hand and took out his blue device.

“Thanks, Matt!” Tk took out his yellow device.

“Let’s go!” They all bumped their devices together.

“Digimon load! Team Izora! Team Matk: Coredramon and Angemon!” The devices announced.

“Let’s just make this quick.” Matt huffed.

“Meteor Wing!” Birdramon fired feathers at Angemon.

“Blue Flare Breath!” Coredramon stepped in the way of the feathers, easily taking them with no damage, and shot a large stream of flames at Kabuterimon.

“Big Horn!” Kabuterimon split the flames in half with his horn.

“Angel Rod!” Angemon flew forwards and smacked the distracted Kabuterimon in the head.

“Fire Flap!” Birdramon flew at Angemon.

“Dragon Jaw!” Coredramon ran in front of Angemon and caught Birdramon’s wings in his mouth.

“Get her out of there!” Sora looked at Izzy.

“Yeah. Electro Shocker!” Izzy pressed a button. Kabuterimon shot a ball of electricity at Coredramon.

“Heaven’s Radius!” Angemon flew in front of the energy blast and spun his staff, destroying it the second it landed.

“Dang it! They’re good!” Izzy bit his nails.

“Strike Bomber!” Coredramon let go of Birdramon’s wings and landed a clean smack across her face with his tail. Birdramon spun around before falling over.

“Birdramon! Out!” Sora’s device announced.

“No!” Sora dropped her arms to her side.

“Electric Storm!” Kabuterimon made Angemon and Coredramon back off.

“What are you going to do, Izzy?” Sora whispered. He coughed, signaling that he had no clue.

“Hand Of Fate!” Angemon collapsed his staff into his hand and rushed at Kabuterimon.

“Big Horn!” Kabuterimon rushed at Angemon.

“Blue Flare Breath!” Coredramon shot another wave of flames at Kabuterimon, stopping his attack.

“Get him, Angemon!” Tk smiled. Angemon punched Kabuterimon in the face and a bright light surrounded the battlefield.

“The winner of this Digimon battle is: Team Matk!” The devices announced.

“I hate that name. Come on, Tk.” Matt grabbed Tk’s hand again and left.

“We, uh…” Sora was dumbfounded.

“We lost badly.” Izzy finally spoke up.

The two stood in silence.

“Those flames that Mimi talked about…” Sora looked up.

“I think I’m feeling them.” Izzy looked amazed.

“We need to find another challenger!” They said in unison.

“So, Tai. How are things in the Digital World going?” Rei lowered the volume on the tv.

“Well, I talked to Gabo two days ago and everything seems to be okay. Nothing out of the normal.” Tai wasn’t lying about talking to Gabo, but it definitely wasn’t over an email.

“Really? Are you sure? I don’t see why you guys would be called there again if there wasn't a problem.” Rei sounded casual.

"Yeah, well..." Tai's eyes grew wide.

Tai looked over to Rei. She looked completely casual and innocent. She was well aware of what she just said.

“W-What do you mean? We weren't called back.” Tai looked away from Rei.

“Well, the other day I knocked on Neo’s room door and there was no response whatsoever. If he was in there, he would have responded, and I know he was in there. I assumed he was whisked away to the Digital World.” Rei rubbed her chin. "And well, if he went, then I assume you also did. And the way Sora described you disappearing, I thought for sure you were in the Digital World."

“U-Uh...maybe Neo was just sleeping when you knocked on his door? It's not like him not responding instantly means he was taken to another world-"

“Neo hates morning naps.” Rei’s replied simply.

“Oh..." Tai crumpled. "Yeah...alright. I guess you should know." He furrowed his eyebrows. "The Digital World is in trouble again. Both me and Neo have been chosen to help.” Tai was serious in an instant.

“Really?” Rei immediately had a look of worry.

“Six Demon Lords are trying to bring back Daemon. MagnaAngemon trusts that Neo and I will defeat them before they can succeed.” Tai took out his device.

“If they’re still around, how did you guys come back? Last time, we were stuck in the Digital World until Arcadiamon and Daemon were defeated.” 

“The time flows of our two worlds have become the same. 1 for 1. We couldn't beat all of the Demon Lords in one day, so MagnaAngemon sent us back here using a new ability of his."

“I see...Well, that’s cool. I’m sure you and Zero can handle things. With help from Neo, I doubt it will be very difficult.” Rei smiled at Tai.

Tai relaxed his body. “Thanks for the encouragement, Rei.” Tai gave her a thumbs up. The phone began to ring.

"I wonder who that is?" Rei commented as Tai walked over to the phone.

He picked it up. “Hello, Saiba residence.” Tai responded without thought.

“Hey si-Wait...Is that...Tai?!” Tai quickly identified the voice as Neo.

He looked over at Rei and mouthed her brother’s name. She got back into her wheelchair and rolled over.

“H-Hey, Neo.” Rei tried to make her voice sound as normal as possible.

“Was that Tai?! Why is he there?! He hasn’t done anything to you, has he?!”  Neo waited for a response.

“That wasn’t Tai. I was just...doing an impression to annoy you.” Rei let out a fake laugh.

“I don't like how accurate it was." Neo grumbled. "Well, I’m coming home. Just thought I should let you know. I’ll see you soon.”  Rei and Tai let out a sigh of relief.

“Wait, that’s bad for me.” Tai realized.

“See you soon, Neo.” Rei hung up.

“Welp, I think I need to go before Neo shows up and kills me.” Tai walked to the door. Rei grabbed his hand.

“Tai, I didn’t really ever think about the fact that somebody could really easily rob this place. Now...I’m scared.” Rei tightened her grip.

“I...I guess I can stay just a little longer.” Tai moved back to the couch.

Every few seconds, he would look back at the door, making sure no one was going to open it.

“Somebody! Challenge us!” Sora and Izzy stood in a plaza. Kids were running around challenging each other like mad.

However, they all walked around Sora and Izzy.

“Come on. Why doesn't anybody want to fight us?” Izzy sat down on a concrete bench.

“I don’t know. Maybe they’re afraid.” Sora sat down next to him.

“You two looking for a challenge?” A boy wearing a white robe and a mask walked over to them. His mask covered everything but his mouth.

“S-Sigma!” Izzy shot up in his seat.

“Sorry, Sigma, but we only have Champions. If you have an Ultimate, we wouldn’t really give you much trouble. You should probably find somebody worth the time of day.” Sora sighed.

“I don’t have an Ultimate, so don’t worry. Come on, I’ll take you guys on.” Sigma took out his dark blue device.

“Alright. Just go easy on us.” Sora took out her device.

“We’re so close to Ultimate, we just need to win this fight!” Izzy took out his device.

“Battle!” They bumped their devices together.

“Digimon load! Team Izora! Sigma: MetalSeadramon!” The devices announced.

“Wait wha-”

The battlefield appeared. Birdramon and Kabuterimon stared down a large mechanical sea-serpent with a gun for a nose.

“A M-M-M-” Izzy stuttered.

“A Mega!” Sora finished his sentence.

“Correct. You may proceed.” Sigma waited patiently for their attacks.

“Give us a sec.” Sora moved over to Izzy’s ear. “What do we do?!”

“I don’t know. I think we’ll just have to lose.” He whispered back.

“Giving up should never be an option for a Tamer. The second you believe failure is the only outcome, is the same moment in which you have already lost.” Sigma frowned at the two.

“He’s right! Remember what Tai said, Sora.” Izzy stood straight up.

“Even a Champion can beat an Ultimate with the right plan!” Sora put on a look of determination.

“Then we’ll come up with the Ultimate plan to defeat a Mega!” Izzy and Sora nodded at each other.

“Very nice. That determination will help your Digimon grow. Let us begin in earnest.” Sigma continued to wait.

Izora whispered with each other, trying to make a flawless plan. They finished and redirected their attention to Sigma.

“Let’s go! Fire Flap!” Birdramon rushed at MetalSeadramon. She rammed her head into his neck, doing little aside from giving herself a concussion.

“Electro Shocker!” Kabuterimon shot an electric ball towards the inside of MetalSeadramon’s nose.

“River Of Power!” MetalSeadramon shot a beam from his nose that destroyed the electric ball and forced the Digimon away.

“Try harder.” Sigma simply advised.

“You lead the offense, I’ll hang back.” Sora nodded at Izzy.

“Meteor Wing!” Birdramon shot a wave of flaming feathers at MetalSeadramon, many of them being aimed at his nose.

“Big Horn!” Kabuterimon rushed at a thinner piece of metal on MetalSeadramon’s body.

“Not a bad plan. Working together to exploit both of his weaknesses.” Sigma’s frown became a straight line.

“Thanks for the compliment, and the win!” Sora and Izzy smiled.

The two attacks connected. The feathers went into MetalSeadramon’s nose while Kabuterimon thrusted his horn into MetalSeadramon’s weak armor.

The two Tamers stood in fear as MetalSeadramon's health barely dropped at all.

“You see, an unfortunate truth is that strategy can only go so far. Once an opponent possesses overwhelming strength over you, you need to also push yourself.” Sigma informed them. "Just ask Tai how Zeromaru became AeroVeedramon."

“Oh…” Sora looked down at the ground, completely unsure of what to do.

“Sora.” She looked at Izzy. “He’s right. We can’t possibly win this fight as we are now.” Izzy looked at her with determined eyes.

“What do we do then?” Sora asked desperately.

“We evolve! Keep fighting until they reach Ultimate! Then, we’ll beat him together!” Izzy smiled. Sora’s face regained its normal confidence.

“Sounds like a plan, Izumi! Come on, Birdramon! Let’s give it our all!” Sora gave Sigma a fierce look.

“Right. Come on, Kabuterimon!” Izzy took a deep breath.

“Fire Flap! Big Horn!” The two Digimon rushed at MetalSeadramon. They’re attacks bounced off of him again, actually doing some recoil damage to the bird and beetle.

“Try harder.” Sigma said again.

“Electric Storm! Mach Grinder!” Kabuterimon went up and down MetalSeadramon’s body, desperately zapping his gold and silver armor. Birdramon rushed at MetalSeadramon and slammed into him again. She fell back before doing it again, this time with more force.

“Your determination is admirable, but as long as you are only Champions, victory is but an illusion.” Sigma pressed a button. MetalSeadramon thrashed, knocking the two Champions to the ground with ease.

“We won’t ever give up! We’ll keep fighting until you’re defeated, even if it may seem impossible!” Sora clenched her device tightly.

“Yeah! It doesn’t matter how strong your Mega is, we’ll defeat him as long as we keep trying!” Izzy clenched his device just as hard as Sora.

“Then prove it to me.” Sigma challenged.

“We’ll have to go a level beyond then! Come on Izzy! We can do this!” Sora and Izzy’s devices lit up brightly.

“Di-Di-Di-Digivolve!” The two devices said.

“Birdramon! Digivolve to...Garudamon!” The large orange bird became a great hawk.

“Kabuterimon! Digivolve to...MegaKabuterimon!” The big blue beetle became even larger, becoming red in the process.

“Their Ultimate forms!” Sigma sounded surprised.

"Wait, they actually evolved?!" Sora and Izzy jumped in surprise. They both took on determined looks.

“This is everything we have! If we lose, it wasn’t because we weren’t trying!” Izzy looked in awe at his new Digimon.

“Come on Garudamon, MegaKabuterimon, Izzy! Let’s go!” Sora nodded at Izzy again.

“Phoenix Claw!” Garudamon rushed at MetalSeadramon.

“Horn Buster!” MegaKabuterimon’s horn lit up with energy as he flew forwards at MetalSeadramon.

“We’ll see who has the stronger will!” Sigma pressed a button on his device.

“Horn Of The Lake!” MetalSeadramon rushed forwards and thrusted his horn at the two Ultimates.

All three attacks landed at the same time. The battlefield lit up with a great explosion of energy.

“The winner of this Digimon battle is: Sigma.” The device announced. Sigma pulled his Digimon dock back.

“You two did great. It’s not easy to evolve mid battle. It takes a tight bond and determination. I see why Tai is friends with you two.” Sigma put his device away.

“Have you fought Tai before?” Sora lowered her device.

“Yes...I was technically cheating then, but he still managed to beat me. That kid is really something else.” Sigma rubbed his chin. "Anyhow. I hope we see each other again soon. Good fight, you two." He walked off.

Sora and Izzy let out a long breath.

“We did it!” Sora fist pumped.

“Yes we did! Let’s go find Tai!” Izzy ran towards the apartments.

“Right!” Sora followed him.

*Knock* *Knock*

“Hello, Rei?” Neo walked into his house holding the spare key.

He went upstairs to check her room.

Nothing,

He went back downstairs and checked the kitchen.

Nothing.

“Rei! Where are you?! Please be safe.” Neo hurriedly checked every single room thoroughly. He ran back downstairs and to the phone.

“911, what is your emergency?”  The lady on the other side quickly responded.

“My sister has gone missing!” Neo tapped his fingers on the table very quickly.

“Have you made sure to check every room of your house?” The lady asked.

“What type of stupid question is that?! Why the hell wouldn't I have already checked every damn inch of my house-” Neo looked over to a nearby he couch. He choked on his spit.

“Sir? Are you okay?” The lady asked worriedly.

“...Nevermind. I found her...You can screw off.” Neo slammed the phone into the receiver.

He looked at the scene in front of him.

Tai and Rei were leaning onto each other on the couch, well asleep. Neo’s instincts told him to throw Tai through a window, so he approached the two.

Rei moved closer to Tai. Neo heard Tai whisper something to her.

“I’ll always protect you. Don’t worry.” He muttered, most likely sleep talking.

Neo winced. He walked over to the door and slammed it very hard, pretending he just entered.

Tai and Rei shot up in their seats, completely awake.

“Neo!” Rei looked over the couch as Tai slinked away.

“Hey, Rei. Anything weird happen while I was gone?” Neo walked over to her, pretending to not notice Tai bailing through the back door.

“N-Not really.” She looked over at one of the large windows in their house to see Tai running.

“Alright. I’ll be upstairs.” Neo walked halfway up the stairs before stopping. “He better keep his promise to you, Rei.”

“What?” She turned to face him, but he was already gone.

“Never doing that again!” Tai ran home without looking back.

He managed to cut the 30-minute run in half, basically dragging himself up the stairs of his apartment building.

“What could his secret possibly be?” Sora and Izzy stood outside his apartment.

“I don’t know, but he seemed kind of excited to show it to us.” Izzy rubbed his chin.

“If you guys want to know so badly, why not just ask?” Tai walked over.

“Tai! We did it!” They both ran over to him and showed their new Digimon.

“Garudamon and MegaKabuterimon. You really did it. Alright!" Tai gave them a thumbs up. "Tomorrow, I’ll tell you guys everything you want to know without hesitation.” Tai nodded at them and walked into his home.

“Tomorrow?” Sora drooped.

“But I thought we would get to know today.” Izzy sniffed, disappointed.

“God dang it Tai!” They both shouted.

“Go to sleep!” He shouted back.

The two reluctantly went home, preparing themselves for the big reveal.

Tai, however, knew that nothing could prepare them for tomorrow.

To be continued...

Chapter Text

Sora and Izzy cleared their throats and raised their hands.

“Tai! Tai! Tai!" They began to bang on the door. "Wake up!” Sora yelled.

They heard somebody shuffle through the apartment, repeatedly smacking into furniture.

“Wuh? What is it?” Tai opened the door looking very tired.

“The secret! Tell us!” They both said.

“What? It’s like, 8 in the morning! Go back to sleep!” He shut the door, but it was stopped by Sora’s foot.

“No! Neither of us can sleep! Just tell us already!” They both looked ready to throw tantrums.

Tai sighed. He took out his device. “Alright, follow me. And be quiet, mom’s still sleeping.” 

They followed him to the computer room. He opened up his emails and clicked on one that had a star next to it.

“Both of you need to click the reply button. Try not to get scared afterwards.” Tai flopped onto his bed, very much wanting to go back to sleep

“Alright.” They both clicked the mouse button, and a bright light came out from the computer.

The light enveloped their Digimon docks. The docks formed into sleeker versions of the D-1, with a proud label on the side revealing the devices to be "D-2s".

“Woah! New models! Do I get one?” Tai pressed the reply button himself. His device became a D-1. “Dang.”

“What are these?” Sora tried to keep her voice down.

“Those are D-2s. They are devices made for Tamers so they can assist their Digimon in battle.” Tai pressed a button on his D-1, which opened its interface.

“Well, is this it?” Sora looked disappointed at her glorified wristwatch.

“Of course not.” Tai got off his bed and pointed his hand at the computer screen. “Do the same as me.”

The other two lifted their devices at the screen.

“Here we go!” All three of them were sucked into the screen.

The door creaked open. “What in the world is happening in here?” Tai’s mom looked around the computer room. She saw the email on the computer. "Huh. I wonder who messaged Tai?"

She simply closed the door and wandered off.

“Kamiya has entered the Digital World, and he has brought two people with him.” The wise member of the Demon Lords watched through his Vilemon camera.

“Two people? Members of Alias III?” The humanoid member asked.

“No. New children. A girl with auburn hair and a short boy with red hair.” The wise member eyed Sora and Izzy up and down.

“The boy is quite cute.” Laylamon stood up in her seat.

“Stop flirting with the enemy!” The strongest member bellowed. Laylamon pouted and dropped back into her seat.

“We could use the kids as hostages!” The small, chained member noted.

“Heck no. Hostages are for cowards.” Beelzemon spun his gun around.

“Maybe we’ll need some eventually, but I’d much rather defeat Kamiya with my skills.” The humanoid figure cracked his knuckles.

“Oh really? How about you go and defeat them right now, Lucemon.” The wise member goaded.

“That a challenge? Alright." Lucemon crossed his arms. "I'll take some soldiers. They can distract those children while the big boys fight."  He snapped his fingers as he disappeared.

“Reckless.” The strongest member mumbled. The wise member nodded his head in agreement.

“This place…” Sora looked around her.

“It’s beautiful.” Izzy was awed by the greenery stretching for miles around him.

“Ye,s it is. It wasn’t always though." Tai told them seriously. "This place used to be a rough wasteland with demons all over. Very few areas were exceptions to that fact.” He narrowed his eyes.

“How long have you been able to come here?” Sora walked over to Tai.

“About...five, six days I think?” Tai technically wasn’t lying.

“Did you meet Neo and the others here?” Izzy walked over to them.

“Y-Yeah.” Also a half truth, but Tai wasn’t entirely sure if he should tell them everything about his journey.

“But Rei said you had fought them for months!” Sora looked exasperated.

"Yeah, you see..." Tai cleared his throat. He heard the subtle sound of something cutting through air and turned around.

“Tai!” Tai looked up to find a blue knight flying down to him.

“Zero!” Tai walked forwards and Zero landed in front of him. Sora and Izzy's eyes grew wide at the blue knight standing one and half times taller than Taichi.

“Brought some friends, huh? Is that Sora?” He walked over to the completely stunned girl.

“Yeah. And that’s Izzy.” Tai pointed at the shocked boy.

“I’ve heard good things about you guys. Especially you, Sora.” Zero laughed as Tai desperately made an X with his hands.

“Uh, ah, umm...Who are you?!” Sora finally jumped back.

“I’m Zeromaru the UlforceVeedramon! The same guy who defeated the great-”

“He likes to talk a lot.” Tai interrupted. He motioned Zero to come close. “I still haven’t told them about our first adventure.” Zero nodded.

“The same guy who is going to defeat the Demon Lords!” Zero punched the air. Tai facepalmed.

“Demon Lords?” Izzy’s awe was replaced by fear.

“There are six demon lords. Neo and I have met two-” Tai covered his mouth

"Neo?!" Sora and Izzy gasped.

“Good job. That secret is being held under really tight security, huh?” Zero nudged Tai in the side.

“Neo Saiba has been fighting the Demon Lords? This sounds like a fanfiction, it's so crazy!" Izzy rubbed his head.

"Do you read fanfiction?" Sora asked.

Tai snapped his fingers to get their attention again. “It's all a long story. Everything that happened between me, Neo, Rei, and Alias III."

"Do you want to tell us sometime?" Sora raised an eyebrow.

Tai shifted uncomfortably. Zero patted him on the back. “Come on everybody. How about I show you two to HolyAngemon's Castle?” Zero smiled at Sora and Izzy.

“Oh yeah. MagnaAngemon is the 'top of the world' around here. He helps to keep the balance between good and evil so everyone can live in peace.” Tai rubbed the back of his head. "When we meet him, be really polite. I'm not sure how happy he'll be that I brought you two here with me."

"Alright!" Sora and Izzy nodded.

"Thanks. Let's take them to Holy Angel Castle, Zero." Tai turned to him.

"Hold on...there's a lot of Digimon coming towards us." Zero looked around, his eyes narrowing.

“Really?" Tai looked into the distance. He saw someone approaching them very quickly.

Zero summoned his saber and pulled it back in anticipation. He closed his eyes. After several seconds of waiting, he swung.

“Ah!” Lucemon jumped back, his knuckles now bleeding.

“Found you.” Zero summoned his second saber.

“Who the heck is that guy?” Sora pointed at the somewhat handsome demon.

“I am Lucemon! One of the Demon Lords! And this is my army.” Lucemon threw his hands out to his sides as an army of Devimon, Ogremon, and SkullSatamon started to fly towards him.

“You’ll be dead long before they arrive!” Zero rushed at Lucemon.

“I want to see you try to kill me! Paradise Lost Punch!” Lucemon met Zero in the middle and threw out a flurry of punches. Zero blocked each one and managed to grip Lucemon’s arms.

“Nice try.” Zero crushed Lucemon’s arms before doing a quick spin and throwing Lucemon into the dirt.

“Here they come!” Izzy pointed at the wave of evil Digimon coming at them.

"Uh, Taichi? Where are our Digimon?" Sora turned to him.

"Probably close by now." Tai whirled around as he heard two heavy Digimon land. "Oh yeah. There they are." He pointed.

“Sora." A Garudamon stood high above her.

"Izzy." A MegaKabuterimon nodded.

“Wuh…” They were both stunned again.

“These guys are your Digimon. You ought to say hi!” Tai waved at the two Ultimates. They waved back.

“H-Hello?” Izzy and Sora raised their shaking hands to wave.

“Hi there!” The two large Ultimates got closer to their masters.

“You guys can use the D-2s to order them around.” Tai nodded at them before returning to the fight between Zero and Lucemon.

“What should we do, Izzy?” Sora looked at her device.

“I guess we should try to hold off all those Digimon coming at us.” Izzy saw the wave of Viruses coming closer.

“Alright! Sounds like good training! Let’s get them, Garudamon!” Sora shot a red laser at her. Garudamon squawked before flying at the crowd.

"Go with her, MegaKabuterimon.” Izzy shot a red laser at the large beetle.

“Right away!” MegaKabuterimon flew just as fast as Garudamon.

Zero and Lucemon were unphased as the Ultimates flew by. Zero caught both of Lucemon's fists. “You really can’t be that good of a fighter.” Zero tossed him back lazily.

“I’ll show you! Terrible Dance!” Lucemon tried to roundhouse kick Zero. Zero caught his leg and elbowed Lucemon’s knee, causing a horrible snapping sound to ring out.

“Want to try again?” Zero tossed Lucemon off himself. Lucemon growled.

“I can see now. You really are powerful, just like Beelzemon said." Lucemon got back up, his leg already regenerated. "I'll go all out."

“Try it-Woah!” Lucemon appeared right in front of Zero within a second.

“Deadly Roll!” Zero barely managed to dodge the magic infused roundhouse kick that Lucemon threw out.

"Woah! You almost grazed me!" Zero shoved him back.

“Come on, Zero! No more messing around!” Tai shot a laser at him.

“Right.” Lucemon jumped behind Zero to punch him. Zero tilted his head to the right and elbowed Lucemon in the stomach.

“How?!” Lucemon fell back gripping his stomach.

“The Ultra Force is stronger than some crappy kung fu moves.” Zero punched his fists together.

“We’ll see!” Lucemon ran at Zero again.

The two banged their fists together as Garudamon flew over them. “Wing Blade!” She shot a flaming bird through the crowd of enemies. She sliced through the many Digimon that were half her size with ease.

“Horn Buster!” MegaKabuterimon rushed through the crowd, shishkebabing several Digimon with his horn.

“Good job, Garudamon!” Sora was amazed by the spectacle.

“Keep going, MegaKabuterimon!” Izzy messed around with his device as MegaKabuterimon continued his rampage.

“They seem awfully okay with killing those Digimon. Hmmm.” Tai was unphased by all the dying Digimon, but he didn’t know why Sora and Izzy didn’t seem to care.

“Death’s Dive!” Lucemon jumped into the air and tried to divekick Zero. Zero caught both of his legs and slammed him into the ground repeatedly. He dropped him and patiently waited for the fallen angel to get up.

“You done?” Zero watched him stand up.

“Not yet.” Lucemon took out the Digimental.

“The Digimental! Why do you have it?!” Tai clenched his teeth.

“I’ll tell you if you win.” Lucemon pressed the large orb in the middle of the Digimental down.

“You shouldn’t make bets that are impossible to lose.” Zero walked towards Lucemon.

“Oh really?! Paradise Lost Punch!” Lucemon jumped forwards and threw another flurry of punches. Zero easily dodged or blocked each one. Lucemon finished by managing to kick Zero in the chin.

In response, Zero grabbed the upper part of Lucemon's leg and threw him back, tripping him backwards. Zero rushed forwards and kneed Lucemon in the back, forcing him to cough up a red liquid.

“Aww...boy…” Lucemon pushed himself off the ground.

“Are you done, or do you want a round three?” Zero cracked his knuckles.

"Screw you, UlforceVeedramon." Lucemon panted.

"I've heard better responses." Zero kneed him straight in the face.

MegaKabuterimon and Garudamon continued to fly around as the two battled. “Eagle Twister!” Garudamon spun around fast enough to create a tornado. It sucked up and tore apart many Digimon.

“Super Charge!” MegaKabuterimon shot electricity out from his entire body, zapping down the Digimon around him like flies.

“Die!” An old NeoDevimon flew at the two. Zero accidentally rammed through him as Lucemon brought their battle into the sky.

“Grand Cross!” Lucemon shot ten blasts at Zero.

“Tensegrity Shield.” A barrier came out from Zero’s gauntlet. The blasts ricocheted off of it harmlessly.

“Caught you! Chaos Paradise Lost Punch!” Lucemon’s hand lit up with dark energy as he flew at Zero. The shield closed and Zero dodged Lucemon's arm.

“You are not going to touch me again, pal.” Zero spiked Lucemon straight into the ground.

Lucemon winced as he laid on the ground. “How are we losing this badly?” He watched more and more of his soldiers get destroyed. “How am I losing this badly?” Lucemon sat up.

He focused his eyes on Sora and Izzy.

“I guess hostages aren’t that bad…” Lucemon punched the ground very hard. The ground split and dust flew all over. Zero and Tai were blinded for several seconds.

“What's up with all this dust?” Sora waved it away.

“Maybe a diversion from the enemy?” Izzy covered his mouth.

“Correct!” Lucemon appeared from the dust in front of them and tried to grab Sora.

“Spear Rush!” A large red spear poked Lucemon in the stomach several times, pushing him away.

“I swear, Tai has the most incompetent friends.” Neo walked up behind Sora and Izzy.

“Neo!” They both said.

“You’re here, Neo?” Tai walked through the dust.

“You could have brought Alias III, but instead you brought these halfwits.” Neo looked at Sora and Izzy with unimpressed eyes. “Anyways, I came here for Laylamon, but instead I found a very effeminate man.”

“You fools! Standing around like a bunch of idiots!” Lucemon jumped back at Sora.

A blue hand grabbed the back of his head and buried it into the ground. Zero pulled him through the ground, finishing by pulling him out and chucking him far away. Lucemon landed on his head and fell onto his back.

"This Digimon...is an absolute beast." Lucemon got off the ground.

“You shouldn't have touched them, demon." Zero clenched his fists tightly.

"Especially not Sora!" Tai shot an order at Zero.

Zero's body sparked with energy. "Too bad for you, demon! You had your chance to beat me, but now it's too late!" He summoned his sabers. "Now you're going to die!"

“Hmph. Your power is certainly notable, but I won't lose." Lucemon smirked menacingly while raising his fists. His fists lit up with dark energy. "Paradise Lost Punch-"

Zero appeared right in front of Lucemon within an instant. Lucemon's eyes grew wide.

Zero slapped Lucemon across the face with his swords over and over before pulling them back. He plunged them through Lucemon's chest, making him spit up blood.

"Tell me, Lucemon. How many body parts should I split you up into? I wouldn't want to inconvenience the other Demon Lords when they have to bury you." Zero told him dangerously.

"Now...would be a good time...to get me out of here..." Lucemon's entire body twitched.

He disappeared into a black mist.

“Got away again!” Zero threw blood off his sabers.

“Good job, Zero!” Tai ran over.

“Tch. Lucemon was just weak.” Neo and AxeKnightmon followed.

“This place is awesome! I want to stay here forever!” Sora looked around the cracked battlefield. Bodies lay all over the place, though neither she nor Izzy seemed to care very much.

“I agree!” Izzy still looked excited.

“Do they know that-”

“I’ll get to it.” Tai cut Neo off. They both stared at the excited kids with tired eyes.

"Sooner rather than later, Taichi." Neo patted him on the back.

The group fell upon Holy Angel Castle. MagnaAngemon stood outside, waiting for them. They all waved as they took a few seconds to finally reach him.

“It is good to see all of you..." MagnaAngemon looked over to Sora and Izzy. "And...hello to you two as well. I don't believe we met." He nodded at them. "I am HolyAngemon. If Taichi trusts you two with knowledge of this world, then I am willing to place my trust into you as well."

"Thank you." Sora and Izzy bowed. "I'm Sora Takenouchi. Pleased to meet you." She nodded.

"And I am Izzy Izumi. It's a pleasure to meet you." Izzy did the same.

"Now I see what they're good at." Neo rolled his eyes. "Bootlicking."

"I heard that." Tai and MagnaAngemon replied. Neo didn't look phased.

"Anyways, if you're going home already, then I assume you've already completed your business here?" MagnaAngemon guessed.

"Yeah. We ran into one of the Demon Lords, Lucemon. Him and his army attacked us, but Zero defeated him pretty easily." Tai and Zero gave each other a thumbs up.

"Good to know. I believe that if all of your Tamers come together, you can truly defeat the Demon Lords and save this world once again." MagnaAngemon stated confidently.

"I don't think we need those two, but sure." Neo pointed at Sora and Izzy. Sora pouted at him while Izzy shrunk back.

“With that, I have nothing else to tell you. Thank you for your help today, as always.” MagnaAngemon opened a portal.

“It was nothing.” Sora and Izzy nodded. Both of them walked through the portal.

Garudamon and MegaKabuterimon turned into red and purple energy and chased them through the portal.

“Thanks for the assist, pal.” Tai grinned at Neo.

“Your friends are gonna get themselves killed.” Neo walked through the portal.

“Hmm..." Tai scratched the back of his head. "I guess I'll go now."

"Hold on, Taichi." MagnaAngemon held his hand up. "Have you told them that the Digimon here are sentient creatures?"

"I'll...get to it." Tai sighed.

MagnaAngemon patted Tai on the shoulder. "Please do, Taichi. Thank you."

"Yeah." Tai nodded.

Tai and Zero waved goodbye to MagnaAngemon before walking through the portal.

“Ow.” Tai, Izzy, and Sora landed in a pile. Tai got out and checked the living room to find his mother leaving right at that moment. “That was a closey.”

"The Digital World was awesome, Tai!" Sora smiled widely.

“So we can go there whenever?” Izzy rubbed his head.

“Not unless either me or Neo are escorting you.” Tai walked into the empty living room.

“Alright, mom.” Sora teased.

Tai turned to her with an unamused face. "I don't want either of you to get hurt. The Digital World cannot be taken lightly." He told them seriously. A smile came onto his face. "I'm going back to sleep. I'll be up in like...couple hours, who knows." He meandered away.

"Oh...okay." Sora nodded. She and Izzy walked out of the apartment and closed the door,

"He was much more serious than normal. We should take that warning seriously." Izzy noted.

"Definitely. Tai's not normally like that...I wonder why?" Sora blinked a few times.

“Nevertheless, goodbye Sora.” Izzy waved bye before walking off

“Bye, Izzy.” Sora waved back at him. “I wonder why Tai was so serious? I guess we could have gotten hurt if we weren’t careful...I feel like he still isn’t telling me something.” Sora sighed before wandering towards her own place.

Neo popped back into his room. He looked at his device before pocketing it. "What a waste of time today was." He mumbled to himself.

Someone knocked on his door. "Are you in there, Neo?" Rei called out.

"Yes, I am Rei. Give me a second." Neo walked over and opened his door. "Did you need something?"

"Oh, I just wanted to check on something." Rei shrugged.

"Hmm? What is it?" Neo raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I spoke to Tai the other day, and he told me that both him and you were fighting new threats in the Digital World." Rei told him completely casually. "I was just wondering if you wanted to talk to me about anything."

Neo's eyes grew wide. "H-Hold on...he just told you?! Did you at least need to pry his big mouth open to get him to tell you?!" He furrowed his eyebrows.

"No. I asked if he had gone to the Digital World, and he told me about himself and you." Rei answered.

"That idiot just can't keep secrets..." Neo grumbled. "Well, yes. I have been going to the Digital World. Nothing spectacular has happened, and it seems that the Demon Lords aren't a particularly dangerous threat, so there isn't too much to worry about."

"That's good to know..." Rei frowned. "Have you told Hideto, Sigma, and Mari?" She asked.

Neo looked off to the side. "Not yet."

"Are you going to tell them?" Rei pried.

"I..." Neo sighed. "I wasn't planning on it, honestly."

"Why not?" Rei moved closer to him.

"It's not going to be easy to face them with this news. I'm just not ready to tell them." Neo admitted.

"Oh, alright." Rei nodded understandingly. "Well, that's all I wanted to ask."

"Alright, Rei. I'll be here if you need anything." Neo slowly closed his room door.

Rei let out a quiet noise of thought. "If Neo won't tell them, then I will." She shook her head. "They deserve to know, brother. Even if it is hard to confront them about it."

She silently wheeled away from his door. 

To be continued...

Chapter Text

A new day arrived, and Neo was walking down the stairs. He looked at his Digimon dock, wondering when his AxeKnightmon would evolve to his Mega form.

"I'm treating him much better than any Digimon before him, so he better evolve soon." Neo grumbled.

Neo walked into the living room. He found Rei sitting on a sofa.

"Hey, sis." Neo walked over to her.

Rei was staring at something. "Hey, Neo."

Neo took a step away from her.

"Hey, Neo." Neo jumped in surprise as he heard a familiar voice.

Neo turned to face their couch, finding three very familiar teens staring him down.

"Hideto. Sigma. Mari." Neo stood straight up. "Why are you three here?"

"Neo." Rei cleared her throat. "I told them about the Digital World." She admitted.

"What?!" Neo turned to her quickly.

"Every single last detail that she knew..." Mari crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Neo.

“I see..." Neo returned the actions. "Then what are you three doing here?"

Hideto leaned forward in his seat. "Why didn't you tell us?" He asked patiently.

Everyone fell silent for a few seconds.

“Because...Because I didn’t think you guys could handle it.” Neo said without any doubt.

"Neo, you know damn well that's not true!" Sigma pointed at him accusingly.

“It was actually because he thought he could make it up to you guys for everything that he did if he solved everything on his own.” Rei butted in.

"Huh? Is that true, Neo?" Hideto looked over to him.

Neo coughed and looked away.

“You aren’t doing crap all without us helping!” Mari yelled at Neo.

“You're not going to repay us any time soon Neo, so instead, you should try to improve the lives we have now.” Sigma commented.

“And one improvement would be allowing us to go to the Digital World so we can help protect it!” Hideto said angrily.

"Why do you care? MagnaAngemon didn't choose you three to return! It would be easier to just stay away." Neo brushed his hand across the air.

"We befriended a lot of Digimon while we were there, Neo! We want to help protect them too! Just like Taichi!" Hideto answered.

"It's not like you're the only one who has mistakes to make up for." Mari shook her head.

"So you're going to let us go to the Digital World, whether or not you want us to." Sigma said threatingly.

“Fine! Fine. I’ll forward you guys the email that MagnaAngemon sent me. Alright?" Neo grumbled. "Now go home! Stop breaking into my house.” He shooed them away.

“Thanks, Neo.” Hideto nodded at Rei and the former Alias III members left.

“I'm sorry I told them without your permission, Neo." Rei frowned as she moved over to him. "But they deserve to know."

"I know, Rei." Neo sighed. "It's good that you told them."

"Was I right, by the way? About why you didn't want them to go to the Digital World?” Rei put her hand on his lap.

“Yeah. I still feel bad for what I did to them while we were in the Digital World." Neo shook his head. "They probably think I’m a monster. They aren’t even wrong to think that.” He puffed.

“We’ll figure it out together, Neo.” Rei reassured him.

"I know." Neo managed a smile.

“Tai! Open the door!” Sora and Izzy waited outside his apartment.

“What is it?” He opened his door looking very tired.

“We want to go back to the Digital World!” They both shook with excitement.

“You two need to take the Digital World more seriously! It's not a playground for your Digimon to fight in!” Tai shook his head.

“You saw how we fought that army yesterday! We can take care of ourselves! Right Izzy?” Izzy nodded. Sora gave Tai a confident look.

“I don’t think you guys understand this whole situation. It’s a privilege to be able to go to the Digital World.” Tai retreated back into his house. He sat down on a couch.

“Anybody with that email can go right? If you mass forwarded it, we could have an army of Tamers fight those Demon Lords!” Sora punched the air with excitement.

"That does sound like fun." Izzy rubbed his chin.

“Take the Digital World more seriously!" Tai repeated angrily. Sora and Izzy flinched. "People can die, you two-People have died! I'm the reason a lot of them died! Good and bad!” Tai finally admitted. "Digimon are living, breathing, thinking creatures!"

“Thinking? Aren’t those Digimon just...NPCs I guess are the best way of describing it.” Izzy raised a weary eyebrow.

“Most of them can think. Most of them can feel. They can be both proud and disappointed. Brave and scared. Happy and sad. Those Digimon that you guys killed before, their bodies may be made out of data, but they still had blood.” Tai clenched his fists.

Sora and Izzy gasped.

“You murdered those Digimon. Or, you ordered their deaths anyways.” Tai’s words left the two stunned.

“B-But...I thought...It wasn’t just a game?” Sora's mouth trembled.

"It isn't. It's all real." Tai closed his eyes. "I should have told you sooner."

"Are you...are you serious, Taichi?" Izzy inquired.

Tai opened his eyes. “Had it not been for me, all the good Digimon would be dead right now. A demon would rule over the lands...My hands are stained with the blood of hundreds.” He looked at his shaking hands.

“I...I watched it all with a smile.” Izzy fell back onto a table.

"I kept giving orders...I wanted to...to watch them die..." Sora's eyes shook.

“Just...Think about everything I told you. I was kind of forced into it, but you guys have a choice." Tai almost mustered a smile, but it immediately washed away. "You can help save the world, but you need to know that you need to kill to do so.” Tai stood up and faced them.

“I...I’ll think about it.” Sora left the room.

“Um...I’ll do the same.” Izzy also left.

Tai stood in place; his expression sullen.

“Alright. You guys ready?” Hideto, Mari, and Sigma stood around Sigma’s computer with their D-1s ready. They both nodded.

“Click click.” Sigma pressed down on his mouse. 

A bright light came out of the computer, and they were brought in.

All three of them were warped into the Digital World, quickly falling to the ground.

Mari lifted her head off the ground. “This is the Digital World?!” She looked around. All three of them were surprised by the green land around them.

“Daemon’s death fixed quite a lot.” Sigma looked around with his mouth agape.

“I have to wonder what Neo would have turned this place into had he succeeded.” Hideto grimly thought about Neo’s arcadia idea.

“Well, with that out of the way..." Mari scanned the area around her. "I can’t wait to see our Digimon!” She flailed her hands with excitement.

“Indeed.” Sigma said blankly.

Hideto looked at the lush lands around him quietly.

“Are you feeling any better today?” Laylamon leaned over Lucemon.

“The pain has lessened, but my chest still hurts a lot.” Lucemon breathed heavily.

“Serves you right.” Beelzemon stood behind Laylamon’s couch, which Lucemon rested on.

“More humans have come. The former members of Alias III.” The wise member caught their attention.

“Not worth my time.” The strongest member yawned.

“Weaklings, weaklings!” The chained member chanted.

“I need to take care of Lucemon. I don’t want him bleeding all over my couch.” Laylamon brought up a chair and sat down.

“I’m still repairing Behemoth.” Beelzemon wiped some grease off his jacket.

“Hmph. Then I will have to go.” The wise member stood.

“Are you sure, Barbamon? Have you not grown weak in your old age?” The strongest member looked at him with concerned eyes.

“I am a Demon Lord for a reason. The fires of the underworld burn within me. Something as trivial as age will not stop me.” Barbamon walked over to the teleporter. "Plus, I do wish to speak to Alias III."

"Very well then." The strongest member nodded.

“Stay safe!” The other Demon Lords called out to him. He bowed as he teleported away.

The group waited for just a little bit. Eventually, they saw Warg the WarGreymon, Melga the MetalGarurumon, a MetalSeadramon, and a Mervamon coming towards them.

"I'm surprised you two already have Mega Digimon." Hideto noted.

"I was taking care of a MetalSeadramon on the side. Just in case I ever...lost Piedmon." Sigma sighed.

"Same here. Though...I've never heard of Mervamon before..." Mari rubbed her chin.

"Me neither?" Hideto and Sigma exchanged glances.

“Hideto!” Warg and Melga flew down to him.

“Mari!” Mervamon ran to her.

“Sigma.” MetalSeadramon slithered over.

“It’s good to see you guys again. Mind filling us in on the situation?” Hideto looked up at Warg’s face.

“Uh..." Warg rubbed the back of his head. "We don't really know anything. Neo or Tai didn't tell you anything?"

"No they did not." Sigma admitted. "We probably should have asked them about what's going on in the Digital World..." He mumbled.

"I'd be willing to fill you in." They heard an old-sounding voice tell them.

"Over there!" Melga and the other Digimon turned to face it.

Barbamon slowly fell from a portal. “Alias III. It is good to see you." He nodded.

"Who are you?" Hideto pointed at him without flinching.

"I am Barbamon. The wisest of the Demon Lords." Barbamon answered. "I have come to ask you something, Alias III."

"We don't want to be called that. At least, not by you, demon." Sigma shook his head.

"Nevertheless..." Barbamon sighed, clearly miffed. "I wonder, would you three be willing to assist us?"

"What?!" Mari recoiled. "Why would we want to help you freaks?"

"Taichi is 'righteous'. Neo has mistakes he wishes to make up for. And the two children that had come with Taichi, they both are ignorant and innocent. None of them would be willing to help us." Barbamon landed. "But, you three are different."

"Why would you think that? We helped Tai and Zero to defeat Daemon!" Hideto pointed out.

"I am offering you a chance at freedom. If you continue down this route of good, then you will make yourself an enemy of the Demon Lords." Barbamon warned. "But if you were to help us, I can promise that Daemon Ultra would spare you. Otherwise, he is sure to destroy you."

"Pfft. Yeah right. Daemon's the most evil guy around, and he hates us probably. He'd kill us the second he got the chance." Mari scoffed.

"You think your wise, Barbamon? Then I hope you don't actually believe what you just told us." Sigma crossed his arms. "Because it was definitely the stupidest thing I've heard today."

"We came here to help protect all of the good Digimon. A Demon Lord isn't going to convince us to turn on our friends so easily." Hideto stated as Warg and Melga moved to his side.

"Then you decline my request?" Barbamon sighed.

“We won’t ever help evil. Not again, Barbamon.” Hideto spoke for the group.

“I see. Then you are my enemy.” Barbamon's staff pulsed.

He split into three versions of himself.

"Oh great. Now his ego's three times as large." Mari rolled her eyes.

"In my old age, I have discovered many new techniques to compliment my fighting skills." All three Barbamon swung their staffs confrontationally. "I will kill each of you Tamers."

“Get ready for a fight, guys.” All of the Digimon moved in front of their Tamers.

The Barbamon in the middle took out the Digimental-looking device. "Despair, Tamers. For your death with fuel Daemon's return!" He hissed.

"The Digimental?!" Alias III jumped.

“Do not be distracted, Aliases. My clones are just as strong as I. And I’ll let you know now that I am the third strongest member of the Demon Lords.” The three clones swung their staff around before entering a battle stance.

“Alias three is going to whoop you so hard!” Mari showed off her D-1.

“What she said.” Sigma showed off his.

“Warg! Melga! Jogress!” Hideto hit his two devices together. A large white knight appeared in front of him.

Omnimon, MetalSeadramon, and Mervamon stared down the three Barbamon. “Let’s go!” All six Digimon rushed at each other.

“Such a large creature should contain great power. I wonder how strong you truly are.” Barbamon weaved through strikes from MetalSeadramon.

“River Of Power!” MetalSeadramon shot a stream of energy from his nose. Barbamon quickly dodged it, not noticing the large tail above him. It wrapped around him and slammed him into the ground.

“Admirable thus far. Dark Inferno!” Barbamon shot a large homing flame at MetalSeadramon. MetalSeadramon tried to dodge it by curling around it with his large snake body, but he only managed to do so for a few seconds.

“MetalSeadramon!” Sigma shot a red laser at him.

“Dragon Rise!” MetalSeadramon put his nose into the ground and fired. Large pillars of energy shot out from the ground, destroying the flames and shooting out towards Barbamon. 

he easily dodged the beams. “Such predictable attacks will cause me no harm.” Barbamon continued to dodge the pillars. MetalSeadramon started to slither around the pillars, wrapping his long body around each one. His head went into the large pentagon that he created with his body.

“Looks like I just can’t stop using techniques that trap the enemy.” Sigma shot another red laser at MetalSeadramon.

“I am interested in seeing your next strategy.” Barbamon eyed MetalSeadramon’s large body.

“Horn Of The Lake!” MetalSeadramon rushed at Barbamon, shooting his entire body through the pentagon. Barbamon dodged and watched as MetalSeadramon wrapped his body around the pillar of energy again. He continued to weave from the outside to the inside, quickly picking up speed.

“An...interesting...strat-woah!” Barbamon was smacked to the ground by MetalSeadramon’s nose. 

“Now! While he’s down!” Sigma yelled out.

“River Of Power!” MetalSeadramon shot a wave of energy at the downed Barbamon.

“I wasn’t expecting this!” Barbamon’s whole body was entrapped in the huge beam.

“Grey Sword!” Omnimon swung his sword at one of the Barbamon clones.

“Greedy Wand!” Barbamon countered the blade with his staff.

Neither of them could overpower the other. They stood in a standstill for several seconds before Omnimon put his cannon right in front of Barbamon’s waist. 

Barbamon quickly pulled back as Omnimon shot a large blast at him.

“Such a powerful creature. Second to only maybe UlforceVeedramon himself.” Barbamon dodged several more swings.

“Power and technique. Omnimon has both over you.” Hideto shot a red laser at Omnimon. The large knight nodded. 

“Double Shot!” Omnimon collapsed his sword and cannon and fired flames and ice from his two heads.

“Raging Squall!” Barbamon shot out a huge gust of wind that repelled all the shots from Omnimon.

Omnimon flew through the winds and raised his sword above Barbamon. Barbamon lifted his staff to guard himself when Omnimon’s cannon was once again put into his waist.

“Very clever ind-”

“Supreme Cannon!” Omnimon shot a blast clean through Barbamon. Barbamon fell to the ground.

“That could have gone better.” Barbamon coughed.

“Sword Of Ruin!” Omnimon swung his sword in Barbamon’s direction, causing a huge explosion to tear apart the ground he lay on. 

“How’s that, Barbamon?” Hideto looked at the ground with disdain.

“You’re so incredible, Mervamon!” Mari watched the battle with her excited cat eyes.

“Pandemonium Lost!” Barbamon shot a huge blast at Mervamon. Mervamon quickly dodged out of the way and pointed her snake hand at Barbamon.

“Night Stalker!” Medullia shot out at Barbamon. It snapped down on his beard and thrashed.

“Get him! Get him!” Mari shot a laser at Mervamon.

“Olympia Kai!” Medullia retracted towards Mervamon and she slashed Barbamon across the chest.

“Let go of me! Deadly Film!” Barbamon’s body was surrounded in a dark energy that forced Mervamon and her snake hand away.

“That jerk! Keep blitzing him! He's old, he won't know what to do!” Mari shot another red laser at Mervamon. Mervamon dashed forwards towards Barbamon, dodging his shots.

“Speed alone cannot stop me! Yami Wave!” Barbamon shot out several dark stars into the area in front of him. Mervamon blocked the many explosions going on around her, all of them leaving large smoke puffs in the air.

Mervamon jumped out of the smoke quickly. She smashed the pommel of her blade into Barbamon’s head, launching him towards the floor.

All three Digimon threw their Barbamon at each other and circled around them.

“Is this the power of the third strongest member?” Sigma’s question was laced with disappointment.

The three Barbamon grumbled. “You fools. I knew my clones wouldn’t be enough to defeat you." They admitted. "I was merely gauging your strength. I now have all the information I could possibly want.” Barbamon’s clones started to fuse into each other.

“What is he doing?” Hideto watched closely.

“My old age has admittedly made my general strength less than notable, but I have counteracted that with certain abilities.” Barbamon became one Digimon again as his staff lit up with energy.

“Then we’ll just beat you before you use it!” Mari shot another laser at Mervamon. The others shot red lasers at their Digimon.

“Simply put: You cannot! Age’s Cacophony!” Barbamon released a large soundwave into the area. All three Digimon that were rushing him slowed down massively.

“What?” Hideto clenched his teeth.

“This ability slows down the speed in which Digicode rewrites itself within the body.” Barbamon slowly moved out of the Digimons way as all three collided.

"What?! How did you do that?" Mari jumped around angrily.

"Each one of the Demon Lords are spawned from negative human emotions flaring out control. Each of us have an understanding of how to manipulate said emotions." Barbamon explained. "Digimon or human, you are predictable." 

“That’s bad. What do we do?” Hideto looked at the other two kids. Mari shrugged.

“If it’s anything like Masks Square, the control waves are resonating from something.” Sigma eyed Barbamon.

“Even if we found it, there’s no way we could hit him.” Mari complained.

“Right…” Hideto also looked for Barbamon’s weakness.

“Dark Inferno!” Barbamon shot flames at the three Digimon, knocking them to the floor. “Perhaps somebody like Beelzemon would call me a coward for using such a ‘cheap’ technique, but my honor means little.”

The three Digimon looked at him with furious eyes. They all tried moving towards him, but they're speed hampered any chance they had of reaching him.

“Daemon will be revived and we shall come together to take over this world.” Barbamon started to create a large circle under the Digimon.

“But why do you even want it? Why be evil?” Hideto tried to buy time.

Barbamon halted his attack temporarily. “There are Vaccines and Viruses in this world. I am simply following my destiny. Blame the fool who so graciously split us into these categories.” He answered before continuing with his magic. The red orb on his staff flashed for a second.

Sigma took notice. “The staff! That’s where the energy originally gathered! It has to be where it is currently coming from!” He pointed at Barbamon's long staff.

“Correct. Too late however. With this circle of flames, I shall continue with my destiny." Barbamon stated. "MagnaAngemon will be defeated and I shall prove that the ideals of the Demon Lords are the only correct ones. I am not evil, I am just a free thinker.” He raised his free hand upwards. Flames started to appear in the circle.

The three Digimon stopped as they noticed two creatured behind Barbamon. The Tamers glanced at what their Digimon were looking at, gasping as they also saw the two rapidly approaching Digimon.

“Garuda Pressure!” A huge Digimon cleared straight through the orb on Barbamon’s staff without warning.

Barbamon gasped as his orb's shards fell to the floor. “W-What?!” He growled at the creature in front of him,

“There is such a thing as evil and good in this world! It doesn’t matter how you are classified! It’s nothing but an excuse!” A child yelled at Barbamon as MegaKabuterimon slammed into Barbamon with his back, launching him towards the floor.

Everybody turned to find a boy with maroon hair and an orange-haired girl with determined faces.

“You two...Aren’t you Tai’s friends?” Hideto and the others stared at them.

“Izzy and Sora. I see Tai has also told you about this little world of ours.” Sigma was unphased by their appearance. The two nodded as all five Digimon rushed at Barbamon.

“No! No! My staff! My plan! This wasn’t how it was supposed to end!” Barbamon dodged several attacks, slowly losing speed.

“It wasn’t an easy decision to make…” Sora started.

“But now that we know there is danger and that we can fight it…” Izzy continued.

“It’s our duty to fight!” They both shouted.

"That's awfully rigthoues of you two, but are you really sure you want to get yourself involved in this?" Sigma inquired.

Sora and Izzy replied by shooting orders out of their D-2s. Garudamon uppercutted Barbamon before MegaKabuterimon socked him in the side with two of his hands.

"Good answer!" Mari nodded. She and the others sent an order to their Digimon at the same time.

All five Digimon prepared their attacks. “Wing Blade! Horn Buster! Poison Fountain! River Of Power! Garuru Cannon!” They all fired at Barbamon.

At the last second, Barbamon summoned a large magic shield to defend himself. He watched as the smoke cleared, letting his eyes fall on the five Digimon and their Tamers.

"This battle is no longer to my advantage...maybe I could bring in the other Demon Lord's right now though, Alias III's Digimon are tired after all..." Barbamon thought to himself.

His body shivered as he felt a large amount of power somewhere. He looked into the distance, finding Tai and Zero watching the fight.

"T-Those two are here too?!" Barbamon realized. "I have to flee then!"

"Omnimon! Hit him with Garuru Cannon!" Hideto shot an order at his Digimon. Omnimon raised his cannon.

"You humans and your Digimon win this time!" Barbamon declared hurriedly. "But us demons will be back, and this world will be ours!"

“Not on our watch!” Sora and Izzy yelled. Omnimon released a large blast.

"We'll see, children!" Barbamon quickly disappeared into black mist.

"He fled...the battle's won." Sigma and the others lowered their devices.

"Ha! We win!" Mari celebrated.

"Good save, you two." Alias III walked over to Sora and Izzy.

As the five Tamer's spoke to each other, Zero let out a small noise of thought. "Did they make the right decision?” Zero turned to Tai.

“I don't like it myself, but it's their decision.” Tai sighed. "Whether it was right or wrong, we'll just have to roll with it."

“As long as we stick together, it should be fine.” Zero shrugged.

“I guess so. Come on. We should go talk to them.” Tai and Zero ran down the hill to the others.

“Barbamon. Are you okay?” The strongest member flew over to his side.

“Yes, thank you. How are you, Lucemon?” Barbamon floated to the screen that showed his Vilemon’s POV.

“Doing better. Of course, Laylamon slashing me across the face because I accidentally bled on her stupid couch didn’t help though.” Lucemon rubbed his cheek, which was now sporting three deep scratches.

“Good to hear. Alias III, Sora, Izzy, Neo, and Tai have been tested. I now know how powerful they are.” Barbamon looked at his energy catcher.

“So, if we join together, can we defeat them?” Beelzemon spun his gun around.

“I believe so. But Zero still poses a great threat. If Tai ordered him to, he could possibly kill several of us in a 1 vs 6 battle before we could subdue him." Barbamon admitted.

“Don’t worry about Zero. I can handle him.” The strongest member flew upwards, showing off his gigantic body.

“Are you sure, Leviamon? Even you have you have your limits.” Barbamon was unphased by the great amount of power radiating from the dragon serpent.

“While you fight the others, I will take on Zero. Either as a distraction or as an actual combatant, I am the only one who truly poses a threat to him.” Leviamon said without any doubt.

“Then I say we come up with a plan.” Laylamon brushed her hair back.

“Okay! Okay!” The chained member waddled over to Barbamon.

Barbamon petted him before starting his plan.

“So you fought Barbamon. That is good to know.” MagnaAngemon talked to the six children.

“Those sly jerks keep escaping before we can land the finishing blow.” Tai complained.

“Yes. I’ve been thinking about how to counteract that, and I have come to a conclusion.” Leo walked forwards.

“They retreat to their base. If we were to find it, they would be forced to fight us. Six of them and seven of you, along with your powerful Digimon. I believe you would come out on top.” MagnaAngemon nodded at the children.

“Not a bad idea. But we need to find their base first of all.” Tai rubbed his chin.

"Hey, speaking of powerful Digimon." Hideto raised his hand. "The Demon Lords are supposed to be incredibly powerful Digimon, but our Digimon have managed to not only match them, but beat them. Even AxeKnightmon, an Ultimate, was able to beat Laylamon."

"So you're wondering why the Demon Lords pose such a threat when your Digimon seem so capable of defeating them?" MagnaAngemon guessed. Hideto nodded. "Well, there's a simple answer for that."

Leo and Gekovitch grumbled, well aware of what the answer was.

"The truth is, Digimon that have Tamers are far stronger than normal Digimon. I'm sure you already knew that, but the degree to which that statement is true might be lost on you." MagnaAngemon stated. "Taichi, think about the strongest non-Tamer Digimon you met while you were here."

"Uh, alright." Tai rubbed his chin. "Well, Daemon was supposed to be really strong. Etemonkey was his right-hand man, so he was also probably a really powerful Ultimate..." He took another second to think. "Then, I guess both Seraphimon and Regulumon are also pretty strong..."

"MaloMyotismon was also probably pretty tough. Before he had his head blown off, anyway." Zero shrugged.

"But...not to offend anyone, but the Digimon I just listed aren't very strong compared to Omnimon or even Piedmon and Rosemon." Tai shrugged.

"Why did you add 'even' before saying Rosemon?" Mari narrowed her eyes at Tai.

"You're right, Taichi. You must remember that my Seraphimon form was one of the strongest Digimon alive. But AeroVeedramon, even before his power up, was far stronger." MagnaAngemon admitted. "The Demon Lords are very powerful Digimon indeed, but compared to a Tamer's Digimon, they aren't as threatening."

"I guess that makes sense." Hideto nodded.

“Well, with that question answered, we should probably discuss how to find the Demon Lords with Neo.” Tai ran a hand through his hair.

“Then I will send you all back. I wish you the best of luck.” MagnaAngemon opened a portal in front of the group.

“We’ll be back soon.” Tai waved bye to everybody. Everybody went into the portal and their Digimon followed close by.

Alias III fell into Sigma’s room while Tai, Izzy, and Sora fell into Tai’s room.

“Let’s go to Saiba household. Neo’s the best tactician I know. After myself of course.” Tai ran out. Sora and Izzy scrambled behind him.

Hideto, Sigma, and Mari figured the same. They all ran towards Neo's place.

*Knock* *Knock*

“I swear to god. My grass doesn’t need to be cut! We don't even have grass!” Neo threw the door open. His scowl only relaxed slightly when he found six kids waiting outside his door. "Oh great. You people." He scowled at Tai, Sora, and Izzy.

“Hey, Neo. We need to talk about our next move in the Digital World.” Tai and the others surged in.

“Feel free to come in.” Neo scoffed.

Everybody rested in the living room’s seats and couches. Rei rolled over and waved at the group.

“Everybody’s here. Time for our little discussion.” Hideto rubbed his hands together.

“The Demon Lords are hiding somewhere. If we can find their base, we can fight them without having to worry about them running.” Tai started.

“So, we should create scouting groups and try to find the base.” Izzy spoke up.

“If we run into a Demon Lord, we can try to extract some information from them. Though, I wouldn’t put them above lying.” Sigma leaned forwards in his seat. "It would be better if we found one of their soldiers. I'm sure many of us know from experience that they're easy to extract information from."

“What will the groups look like?” Neo immediately looked at Tai.

“There are seven of us, so two groups of two and one of three.” Sora flashed seven fingers, then two fingers twice, then three fingers.

“Let’s see. Sora and Izzy only have Ultimates, so somebody should escort them.” Tai shot a worried glance at the youngest members of the group. 

“I’ll tag along with them.” Sigma raised his hand.

Rei tapped Tai on the shoulder and whispered something to him. Tai whispered back. They both nodded at each other.

“I think Neo should go with team Izora.” Tai’s words made Neo recoil.

“Why?!” Neo shook out of his confusion. "I don't want to hang near those two stooges!"

“They're least experienced, so I think we should pair them with the most experienced and competent member of the group.” Rei explained. Neo’s scowl let up as he took in his sister’s compliment.

“I’ll head out with Mari then.” Mari nodded at Sigma.

“Then me and Hideto will be the last group.” Tai looked over to him.

“Actually, we have the strongest Digimon out of the entire group." Hideto pointed out."I think we should be on our own teams. It would speed things up considerably.”

The group discussed it for a few seconds.

“I’m fine with it.” Tai shrugged.

“Good enough for me. You two are competent enough to handle yourselves.” Neo gave them a low energy thumbs up.

“Then it’s decided. Team Marigma. Team Nezyra. Tai. And Hideto.” Sigma brushed his hand around the group.

“Sounds good! We’ll set off at 8 tomorrow!” Sora jumped up excitedly.

“Scrwew that, I want sleep. We’ll leave at 10:30, actually.” Neo corrected.

“Heck no. I ain’t awake until 12:00.” Tai corrected Neo’s correction.

Everybody said their goodbyes and left, leaving Neo, Tai, and Rei.

“H-hold on.” Rei called out to both of them before Tai left and Neo went upstairs.

“Yeah?” They both turned to her.

“Could I come along?” Rei asked shyly.

Tai and Neo exchanged looks, having long-winded arguments with just their eyes.

“Alright.”

“No."

Both of them looked at each other again.

“Sooooo?” Rei waited for a clear answer.

“Tai. A moment.” Neo walked upstairs. Tai followed.

Tai hopped onto the second floor of the house. “Rei deserves to go just as much as the rest of us.” Tai looked at Neo’s back.

“I know. I can’t handle the brute known as Sora and Rei at the same time. Tai…” Neo turned to him. “She’ll go with you.”

“R-Really?!” Tai’s voice nearly cracked.

“The only people I would ever trust with such a responsibility would be you and Hideto. Don’t abuse my trust. And Tai…” Neo’s face turned into a fierce glare.

“Yeah?” Tai didn’t lose his nerve.

“If anything happens to her, I will not hesitate to kill you.” Neo looked deep into Tai’s eyes. Tai nodded. “Good. Go get some sleep, you lunk-head.” Neo shooed him away.

Tai turned around to run downstairs. He halted in front of the first step.

"Actually, Neo. Can I tell you something now that we're alone?" Tai asked.

"Yeah?" Neo raised an eyebrow.

"Stop insulting Sora." Tai stated seriously.

"Huh?" Neo crossed his arms. "You don't tell me what to do."

"I'll hurt you the next time I hear you insult her." Tai looked over his shoulder with a fierce glare.

Neo flinched.

"See ya tomorrow, Saiba!" Tai ran down the stairs casually.

"Well...that was something." Neo cleared his throat.

Tai made it to the bottom of the stairs. Rei looked over to him with an interested face and Tai nodded. Rei's eyes lit up with delight.

“See you tomorrow, Rei!” Tai walked to the door.

“You better not be flirting with my sister down there!” Neo called from upstairs.

Tai and Rei smiled at each other before he ran out.

The Demon Lords huddled around a table. The map of the Digital World rested on it, along with figurines of the children, their Digimon, and the Demon Lords.

"The Digimental is close to being fully energized. A major battle, or perhaps one more after that, should be enough to charge it up." Barbamon reported.

"Then Daemon Ultra can be brought back..." Leviamon let out a noise of thought.

"I don't get it." Beelzeemon muttered as he raised his energy catcher. "Daemon's a big fella. How the heck is some glorified necklace gonna bring him back?"

"The Digimental had to accept some of Daemon's data in order to power him up. Because this item has Daemon's data, it means he can be reincarnated if enough energy is transferred to the Digimental." Barbamon explained.

"However, it also has Zero and Arcadiamon's data. If the Digimental were to be activated, it could possibly lead to UlforceVeedramon becoming UlforceVeedramon Future Mode, or Arcadiamon Ultra appearing again-which would be a huge waste of time." Leviamon sighed.

"But that will only happen if we want it to. And all of us wish to bring back Daemon. If the Digimental is given enough energy, it will react to our 'emotions' and bring him back." Lucemon finished.

"Then let's make sure it doesn't get into those children's hands." Beelzemon grumbled.

"Speaking of the children, what will our next battle with them look like?" Laylamon asked.

“We will split up the children. Their teamwork gives them an advantage.” Barbamon moved the seven figures of the children away from each other.

"Teamwork? I think you mean Zero gives them an advantage." Leviamon hissed.

"Fair enough. Zero can only be in so many places at once. If the groups are split apart, we can rid ourselves of the weaker children, then we can all focus on Zeromaru." Barbamon reiterated.

“I’ll start by cracking open the floor, which will hopefully getting rid of a few of the kids, and then we’ll move in.” Lucemon rolled his hand around.

“Neo is mine!” Laylamon raised her hand. Barbamon nodded and pushed the figure over to her.

“I want to take on the two Ultimates, but who knows who we'll end up fighting with everyone being split up.” Beelzemon caught the Sora and Izzy figures that were batted to him.

“I’ll take on the knight.” Lucemon gripped the Hideto figure.

“I’ll fight the two blondes.” Barbamon grabbed Sigma and Mari’s figures with disgust.

“Then I’m left with Kamiya and Zero.” Leviamon narrowed his eyes at the figure with a large smile.

“These figures are very detailed.” Laylamon looked at hers closely.

“Yeah, I’ve been doing some woodworking on the side." Beelzemon looked proud.

“What about me!” They all turned to the chained member.

“You can’t fight them. You’re not strong enough.” Barbamon went to pet him when the chained member bit his finger. Barbamon flailed his hand wildly until the member was thrown off, a finger in his mouth.

“Just don’t come crying to me!” The chained member waddled off while sucking on the finger like a lollipop.

“What did Daemon see in that thing?” Leviamon watched him trip. 

Everybody-the humans, Digimon, and Demon Lords-prepared themselves for tomorrow.

For the greatest battle since Zero vs Daemon would be held.

To be continued...

Chapter Text

“Caught ya-ow.” Sora accidentally knocked her hand into Tai’s face as she tried to knock on his door.

“Hey, Tai! You ready for today?” Sora stood alone at his door.

“Yeah. Where’s Izzy?” Tai looked around the boy.

“Apparently, he’s with the computer club. They're having a Summer get together, for whatever reason. Here, he left a note.” Sora gave Tai a crinkled piece of paper.

“My deepest apologies. I cannot forgive myself for forgetting something so crucial ,especially on a day as important as this. I promise to make this up in any way that I can. I wish you all the best of luck and good health. Once again, I am sorry for not being able to come.

PS: I am very, very sorry.”

“A simple ‘sorry’ would have sufficed, but it's the thought that counts.” Tai tossed it into the trash bin nearby.

“We’re down one, but it should be fine. As long as Neo picks up his slack.” Sora narrowed her eyes at Tai.

“It was Rei’s idea.” Tai put up his hands in surrender.

"Oh, fine. I can't stay mad at Rei." Sora crossed her arms.

"Heh heh, no one can." Tai shook his head. "Rei's the purest thing on this Earth as far as I can tell." He chuckled.

"You think about her a lot, huh?" Sora asked innocently.

"Yeah-I mean." Tai flinched. Sora had a wide smirk. "Let's just go already!" Tai whined.

Everybody heard a few knocks on the door. Neo grumbled as he walked over to it.

Neo opened the door, finding Tai and Sora. “About time you two arrive. I should have expected as much by now though."

“Brother, can’t you get along with them for a second?” Rei reprimanded. Neo let out some annoyed mumbles.

“Well, Neo’s parents probably won’t be back any time soon. We have a lot of time to look around the Digital World.” Hideto said from one of the couches.

“Izzy’s out for now, by the way. I’ll check east for anything suspicious. Hideto will check north. Neora, south. Marigma, west.” Tai pointed at each group.

“Neora?” The two members of the team shivered.

“Let’s get rolling!” Tai pointed up the stairs. Everybody ran up while Rei rolled over to the stairs.

“Oh, this stair lift takes an eternity. I’ll be there soon!” Rei called upstairs. Tai ran down to her.

“We have no time to wait!” Tai picked her up out of her wheelchair and ran back upstairs.

“Do you think my legs will work again in the Digital World?” Rei asked as Tai tried to open Neo’s room door.

“Hopefully.” Tai answered. He walked into the room still carrying Rei.

Tai immediately came face to face with Neo. “Tai, I’m going to kill you when we defeat the Demon Lords. I hope you know that.” Neo’s eye twitched as Tai walked into the room. Sora and Mari giggled. Hideto and Sigma cared little.

“Here we go!” They all pointed at the screen.

“Ow!” They landed a little ways away from Hospital Town in a heap. Tai walked out from it and brushed himself off.

“Got a leaf on your back.” Somebody plucked something off his shirt. He turned around to find Rei standing.

"H-Hey! You're standing again!" Tai smiled.

“Oh thank god.” Neo whispered. “Alright, get into your teams. Let’s move.” Neo walked southwards. Sora reluctantly walked next to him.

"Stay safe, Sora!" Tai and Sora waved at each other. "You two too!" He waved at Mari and Sigma.

“Right.” Mari and Sigma walked westwards.

“Stay safe, Rei, Tai.” Hideto nodded at them before walking northwards.

“Come on, Rei. Let's go!” Tai and Rei walked eastwards.

Zero landed in front of the two. “Are you guys going without us?” Garudamon, Warg, and Melga flew down to their companions.

“I don’t think that would go too well.” Mervamon, MetalSeadramon, and AxeKnightmon walked over to their Tamers.

“Alright, Zero! Together, we’ll find those jerks and beat them to a pulp!” Tai smiled at his friend.

"I like that plan!" Zero punched his fists together.

All of the Digimon stopped. They all looked into the sky. The Tamers did the same.

"Hello there." Lucemon smiled at them. “Look at all of you. Perfectly split up already!” He smiled mischievously.

"When did he get here?" Tai raised an eyebrow.

“Time for match 2, huh?” Zero released his saber.

“Unfortunately, no. However, I hope you’re all ready to die.” Lucemon’s hand glowed with energy. He looked at the ground in between the four groups.

“Run!” Hideto shouted. Warg threw him onto Melga quickly. Both of the Megas flew away.

MetalSeadramon coiled himself around Sigma and Mari and jumped away. Mervamon jumped after them.

Zero tried to grab Tai and Rei while AxeKnightmon ran for Neo and Sora. Garudamon flew to stop Lucemon.

“Goodbye everybody!” Lucemon flew at the ground and punched it with enough force cracks to split all over. 

Tai grabbed Rei as a large split appeared under them. They both fell in as Zero rushed over. The split reconnected, leaving Zero out.

Neo and Sora experienced much the same, but AxeKnightmon managed to reach them. All three of them fell in.

“Tai! Rei!” Hideto, now with Omnimon, watched on.

“Neo! Sora!” Sigma and Mari’s head popped out from MetalSeadramon’s grip.

Neither group gave any response.

“Lucemon! What did you do to them?!” Hideto looked at the proud demon.

“Don’t worry. They’re not dead, or at least I didn’t mean to kill them if they are. You see, the Demon Lords have come up with their own plans.” Lucemon snapped.

“The plan has worked well I see.” Barbamon came from a portal.

“Yes. Tai and Neo are buried. Leviamon and Laylamon should be able to handle it. I don’t know where the small red-haired kid is though.”  Lucemon looked around for Izzy.

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll tell the others to move in. You should begin your fight.” Barbamon pointed his staff at Omnimon.

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” Lucemon turned on his energy catcher and flew at Omnimon. Omnimon released his sword and cannon.

“What are you monsters planning?” Sigma yelled at Barbamon.

“Your deaths.” Barbamon rushed down at Sigma and Mari while splitting himself into three. Mervamon and MetalSeadramon moved in front of their Tamers.

“Hold on, Tai! I’m coming!” Zero dug into the ground with his fists.

“I’ll look for Sora!” Garudamon clawed into the ground.

In the distance, a portal opened and released the rest of the Demon Lords, except for the small one. A gigantic red dragon came down and blew rainbow smoke from his nostrils.

“Wake up. Wake up!” Somebody was shouting at Sora.

“Wuh-Aah!” Pain ripped through Sora’s body as she tried to move. She felt something wrapped around her head tightly.

“About time you wake up.” Neo was crouched down in front of her.

“Neo? Are you okay?” Sora saw blood dripping down the side of his face. Several scratches lay all over his body, including a large, but oddly exact, tear in his shirt.

“I’ve been through worse. Come on, we need to get out of here.” Neo winced as he stood up.

“Yeah.” Sora barely managed to stand, finally realizing that most of the pain was in her back.

“Need help? You hit the ground pretty badly when we fell.” Neo walked back to her and put one of her arms around his shoulder. "You'd probably be dead if our bodies in the Digital World weren't tougher than in the human world, but that's neither here or there."

“Why do you care?” Sora looked over to him with tired eyes.

“Because telling Tai that I let one of his friends die-especially if that friend is you-is not a fun idea. That guy can be really scary when his friends are in danger.” Neo shivered for a second.

“Lord Neo. I hear something.” Sora jumped in surprise. She turned around to find a large black knight in the caverns with them.

“What did I tell you about calling me lord?” Neo wasn’t phased.

“Please step back. There are enemies approaching.” AxeKnightmon moved forwards as several red eyes appeared in the darkness in front of them.

“Those are…” Several blue Kitsune came out from the darkness. “Youkomon. AxeKnightmon can handle this.” Neo dragged Sora back.

The Youkomon growled at AxeKnightmon as he brandished his two-sided spear.

“Please be okay.” Somebody lightly shook Tai out of his slumber.

“Rei...Rei…” Tai mumbled.

“I’m here, Tai! Wake up, please!” Rei pleaded.

His eyes fluttered. “Rei? Rei! Are you okay?” Tai eyes shot up. He winced as he felt an immense amount of pain in his waist.

“Are you? You took the brunt of the fall for me.” Rei looked at Tai with very worried eyes. He slowly blinked in response.

“I fist fought Myotismon and survived. Give me some credit here.” Tai rolled over and threw himself off the floor. The whole process was infinitely more painful than he was expecting.

“Zero didn’t follow us. I think we’re stuck in this cavern until he or somebody else finds us.” Rei looked down the dark hallways that flanked them.

“We’ll find them ourselves. Let’s go.” Tai winced as he took a step forward.

“What if we run into a Digimon?” Rei easily kept up with Tai.

“I’ll distract them and then something will save us. I’m just lucky like that.” Tai’s grinned.

Rei frowned. “You know Tai, you shouldn't be so reckless. Neo told me that you nearly killed yourself when Zero first became AeroVeedramon.” Rei slowed down for him as he lagged behind.

“I was hoping Zero would save me. It worked didn’t it?” Tai shrugged.

“You know Tai...We met each other soon after that. The first thing you did was save my life. What if you died before then? What if you died now?” Rei watched Tai blench with every step.

“What if I did?” Tai looked over at her.

“I would have never met you. Alias III would still be made up of evil and confused teenagers. Neo would either rule over the Digital World or would have been killed by Daemon. You do much more than you think Tai. You mean a lot to us-to me.” Rei put Tai's arm around her shoulder.

“Good to hear, but I’m still not sure what you’re trying to get at.” Tai’s grin dropped.

“Just, try to stay safe. I’m not sure what would happen to our group if you died.” Rei gave him a halfhearted smile.

“It goes against my nature, but I’ll try.” Tai smiled reassuringly. Pain shot through his waist, but he looked away before Rei noticed.

“Any way of finding them yet?” Hideto, Mari, and Sigma were back to back as their Digimon fought the Demon Lords.

“I haven’t found anything yet.” Sigma flipped through the menus on the D-1.

“You better hurry. Before these guys kill us.” Mari watched Mervamon get comboed by two Barbamon.

“I’ll try.” Sigma picked up the pace.

“Thanks, Sigma.” Hideto watched Omnimon and Lucemon trade punches.

AxeKnightmon smacked a Youkomon to the side, easily killing it.

“That should be all of them. We should continue on before any come from our rear.” AxeKnightmon turned to Neo.

“Right. Come on, Sora.” Neo continued to help Sora walk.

Sora thought for a few seconds. “How do you know Tai?” Sora randomly asked.

“We both ended up here and we fought a couple of times. Eventually, he took care of my sister while fighting Sigma, Mari, and Hideto. In the end, he saved me from myself.” Neo answered.

“So there were enemies before the Demon Lords?” Sora turned to face him.

“That's a question for Tai to answer. The mop head could probably give you a more detailed explanation.” Neo looked forward.

“Hmm. Do you...hate him?” Sora watched Neo’s expression cycle through anger and guilt.

“No. Definitely not. Every punch, every insult, every threat, it’s because I consider him an equal and a close ally.” Neo narrowed his eyes.

“You have an interesting way of showing how much you care about him.” Sora said with sass.

“I’m a naturally aggressive and stubborn person. Call it a flaw if you want, but I’m happy with who I am.” Sora laughed at Neo’s comment.

“He’s not really aggressive, but I’d be lying if I said Tai wasn’t stubborn.” Sora had a smile.

“No wonder you two are friends.” Neo natural scowl lifted a little bit.

“I see you have fallen for him as well, little girl.” A woman said.

"Stand back, Lord Neo. An enemy approaches." AxeKnightmon entered a defensive stance in front of them.

"Oh come on, AxeKnightmon. I'm just here to have some fun." The woman emerged from the shadows of the cave.

“Laylamon, is that you?” Neo recognized the seductive voice.

“It is, my love! I have come to kill you!” Laylamon sounded excited.

“You will have to defeat me first.” AxeKnightmon pointed his spear at her.

“I admit that I was a little underprepared last time, but I’m much wiser now!” Laylamon snapped her fingers.

“I’m not a dog, lady. Just call me over normally.” They heard a gruff voice within the shadows.

“You’re ruining the big reveal!” Laylamon turned around and shouted at the person behind her. Neo shot a red laser at AxeKnightmon.

“Spear Rush!” AxeKnightmon thrusted his spear at Laylamon.

“For the love of…” Somebody grabbed Laylamon’s hair and pulled her away from the spear. “Can you maybe stay focused?”

“You’re no fun, Beelzemon.” Laylamon struggled out of his grip.

“Two Demon Lords. Are you sure we can win?” Sora felt Neo let go.

“We probably can’t, so I recommend that you run while you can.” Neo casually walked forwards.

Sora tittered. “I didn’t think anyone could be as confident in the face of death as Tai.” Sora walked forwards with him, still limping a little bit.

“And I didn't think anyone could be as stubborn as him." Neo rolled his eyes. "Stay if you want then. AxeKnightmon, get ready to fight!"

“Right away, Lord Neo.” AxeKnightmon blocked several strikes from Laylamon.

“I’ll back you up, woman! Berenjena!” Beelzemon spun his two guns before rapid firing at AxeKnightmon. The bullets jounced off his armor, leaving small dents.

“Just try not to hit me by accident.” Laylamon continued her assault.

“This is bad. AxeKnightmon can’t hold Laylamon off while being pummeled by Beelzemon.” Sora looked around for a way out of the situation.

“Way ahead of you.” Neo shot a red laser at AxeKnightmon.

AxeKnightmon knocked Laylamon back. “Dark Slam!” AxeKnightmon struck the narrow cave’s wall with his shield, causing rocks and dust to fall all over it. Neo grabbed Sora and put himself over her as rocks fell over them.

“What the heck is he doing?” Beelzemon covered his mouth with his sleeve. He saw something coming from the smoke.

“Beelzemon? Where are you? I can’t see anything.” Laylamon waved the smoke away from herself. She turned around just in time to see AxeKnightmon’s cape behind her.

“Is that you, Laylamon?” Beelzemon stared into the smoke with his guns ready.

“Black Javelin!” A large red spear shot through the smoke. Beelzemon fired at it, only slightly slowing it down as it stuck into his chest.

“That’s not Laylamon!” Beelzemon holstered one of his guns and tried to rip out the spear. AxeKnightmon surged forwards and ripped it out for him.

“Prong Pirouette!” AxeKnightmon spun his lance into Beelzemon’s chest. He ended by slapping him with one side of his spear then backhanding him with the other side.

“Where the heck are you?! And these stupid rocks need to stop falling on me!” Laylamon was heard yelling further down in the cave as AxeKnightmon continued to beat on Beelzemon without mercy.

“How is this working so well?” Sora still crouched under Neo.

“Beelzemon isn’t nearly as fast as Laylamon in a melee battle, so all I had to do was get Laylamon away so AxeKnightmon could pummel Beelzemon. Looks like it worked better than expected.” Neo heard Laylamon’s voice further down the hallway than before.

“Get...off...dang it!” Beelzemon continued to get battered by AxeKnightmon’s spear.

“Keep up the pressure! Try to knock him out before Laylamon gets here!” Neo shot another red laser as AxeKnightmon. The large knight only sped up his onslaught.

“Um, where did Laylamon go?” Sora didn’t hear her voice anymore.

“Like I care.” Neo bluntly responded.

“Alright....Fine!” Beelzemon managed to get away from his assailant, but AxeKnightmon was quickly advancing. “Behemoth! Let’s lay this guy out!”

Everybody heard a loud revving noise as something started to come into the cave.

“What is that?” Sora looked around the cave.

“Something stupid I’m sure.” Neo retreated backwards with Sora.

All of a sudden, a large motorcycle tore through the ceiling of the cave and drove straight for Beelzemon.

“Looks like my rides here!” Beelzemon perfectly jumped back onto his motorcycle as it rode towards AxeKnightmon.

“Catch it!” Neo shot a red laser at AxeKnightmon. The large knight dropped his spear and shield and grabbed onto the front of the motorcycle as it nearly hit him.

The two tried to overpower the other as Neo heard something behind them.

“My clothes are dirty, my voice is tired, and I am angry!” Neo and Sora turned around to find Laylamon. Her dress was dirty, her eyes were furious, and Neo had never noticed how sharp her claws were.

“Get behind me. Things are about to get uglier than you-er, things are about to get ugly.” Neo moved Sora behind himself and scowled at Laylamon.

“You’re going to die!” Laylamon pulled her claw back.

*Crash*

"What-" Laylamon was buried in rubble as the cieling of the cave collapsed.

A large bird stepped onto the rubble she just forced into the cave. Laylamon’s dazed eyes could be seen hanging outside of the rocks above her.

“Are you here, Sora?” Garudamon’s head couldn’t be seen in the short cave.

“Garudamon! Neo and I are in here! How did you find us?” Sora patted the large bird’s leg.

“I saw a huge motorcycle go through the ground earlier. I figured that it was one of the Demon Lord’s possessions.” Garudamon put her hands out for the children to get on.

“Let’s get out before Laylamon regains consciousness.” Neo managed to shoot one last red laser at AxeKnightmon before they ascended.

“Do you really think you can challenge a motorcycle going 270 MPH?!” Beelzemon started to speed up even more.

“No.” AxeKnightmon moved to the side and Beelzemon went hurtling down the hallway, disappearing within seconds.

"You piece of shiiiiiiii...." Beelzemon's echoed on the walls of the cave as he grew ever further away.

“I’m back! Come on!” Garudamon grabbed AxeKnightmon and went through the same hole as before.

“Get...back...here…” Laylamon muttered.

Garudamon dropped AxeKnightmon onto the hard ground. The two Digimon nodded at each other before they and their Tamers rushed towards the other Tamers.

“We’re back!” Neo and Sora walked away from the hole that Behemoth had made and Garudamon had expanded.

“Yay! They’re safe!” Mari danced around.

"Mari, focus." Sigma snapped his fingers.

"Don't treat me like a dog!" Mari pointed at him with a miffed face.

"You two can hash it out once the Demon Lords are gone." Hideto shot a laser at Omnimon.

“Garuru Cannon!” Omnimon fired several shots at Lucemon. Lucemon barely managed to outrun each one.

“Ultimate Sacrifice!” Lucemon stopped running and spawned a large magic sphere around Omnimon. 

“Get out of there!” Hideto shot a laser at Omnimon. The white knight released his sword and slashed the sphere, but it was too sturdy for him to get out. Magic flames started to spiral within the sphere.

"Someone has to destroy from the outside!" Omnimon yelled.

"You two, can one of you-" Hideto cut himself off as he, Sigma, and Mari saw a laser connect with something in the air.

“I’m here to help!” MegaKabuterimon smashed the shield with his large back.

"MegaKabuterimon?!" Hideto gasped. He snapped out of his shock and sent an order to Omnimon.

"Gray Sword!" Omnimon quickly flew at the surprised Lucemon and gave him a large gash across the chest.

"Damn beetle!" Lucemon and Omnimon entered battle again.

"Good...I made it...in time..." Izzy stumbled behind everyone while panting.

“Izzy? When did you get here?” Sigma turned to the clearly tired boy.

“I ran from the school to Tai’s home the second I could. Looks like I made it in time.” Izzy panted.

“The third clone can deal with that.” One of the Barbamon harrowing Mervamon flew at the large beetle. 

The Barbamon was immediately erased as Zero shot through it, seemingly on accident. "Dammit! Where's Tai and Rei?!" He shot back into the ground.

“That’s bad!” One of the clones backed away. Mervamon ran behind him and threw her snake at his back.

“Olympia Kai!” Mervamon brought the snake and Barbamon back and rammed her sword through his chest, killing the second clone.

“No! It’s all falling apart! Leviamon better hurry!” Barbamon dodged several lunges from MetalSeadramon while watching the hulking serpent in the distance.

Leviamon repeatedly tore out of the ground. "Taichi! Zero! Face me!" He shot back into the ground.

“The battle must be getting even more intense.” Tai felt blasts pound the rock ceiling above them.

“Yeah. We really need to hurry. Can you run?” Rei looked over at Tai, who’s condition seemed to only be worsening.

“Yeah. Let’s go!” Tai broke into the sprint the same second a huge snout appeared in the cave. He bumped into it, sending a shock of pain through him as something dug into his waist. "Woah boy...that one hurt a lot..." He whispered as his eye twitched.

“Found you!” Leviamon pulsed with energy, collapsing a large section of the cave around him.

"A Demon Lord!" Rei identified.

“Who the heck are you?” Tai hid Rei behind himself.

“Leviamon. The most powerful Demon Lord. I was hoping to find Zero, but I can kill you first.” Leviamon released rainbow colored wind from his nose.

“Alright." Tai replied without fear. "Rei, run deep into the cave. I’ll stall.” He took a step forward.

“Tai, you can’t! He's going to kill you!” Rei grabbed his arm. He shook her off.

“He'll kill both of us if you don't run! Don't worry about me, get out of here now!” Tai ordered.

“Are you insane-he's going to kill you! Let's run!” Rei argued.

“Leviamon, you came here for me, right?" Tai asked. "Then let Rei leave. I'm the one you want."

“I don't care about the girl. I just want to end you!" Leviamon snarled.

"You heard him, Rei. Leave." Tai looked over his shoulder.

"T-Taichi. You-"

"No more arguing, Rei! LEAVE!" Tai shouted. "I made a promise to your brother! Get out of here."

"How selfless you are, V-Tamer." Leviamon chuckled menacingly.

“You and I both know it's what I'm supposed to do as the 'V-Tamer', Leviamon. I put my life on the line for others." Tai countered resolutely. "If you expected me to cower and beg, then you don't know who I am."

"Taichi, we just talked about you being reckless! I can't let you throw away your life!" Rei clenched her fists nervously.

"My life's not worth enough to argue over, Rei." Tai looked back at Leviamon. "You should leave now."

Rei stumbled on her words. "T-Taichi, that's not true..." She muttered.

"You know I wouldn't lie to you, Rei." Tai walked towards Leviamon.

Rei swallowed her words. She ran off, making Tai crack a small smile.

"Let's hope I can stall for a little more time..." Tai cleared his throat. "Leviamon, before you kill me, I want to know what those devices you and your friends have that look like the Digimental are."

"Energy catchers. They absorb energy from battles and relay it to the actual Digimental. Our battles with you and Zero have given us lots of energy." Leviamon answered straightly.

"So you do have the Digimental. When did you get it?" Tai narrowed his eyes at Leviamon.

"Hehe, you never destroyed it and HolyAngemon never actually retrieved it." Leviamon snickered. "It was easy to track it down in the rubble outside of Holy Angel Castle and take it. Some heroes you are, leaving such an important item out in the open for anyone to take."

Tai heard the sound of rocks breaking above himself. "Some villain you are, having to separate us because you're too afraid of Zero." He smirked infuriatingly.

"I'll enjoy watching your bones melt." Leviamon spat out angrily. He opened his mouth wide, and flames began to spawn within it.

"And I'll enjoy watching Zero beat you just like Daemon." Tai didn't move an inch.

"Thunder Breath!" Leviamon roared just as the roof of the cave was blown open. He spewed his hot flames towards Tai.

“Tensegrity Shield!”

Back on the surface, flame pillars shot out from the ground. Everybody stopped their fighting to figure out what was happening.

“Those flames!” Lucemon pointed at one of the nearby pillars.

“Leviamon without a doubt! He must have found that foolish boy and killed him!” Barbamon let out an evil laugh.

“Tai! Rei!” The humans yelled out.

For several seconds, everybody stood still. The Demon Lords waited for Leviamon’s great reveal. The humans watched on with fearful eyes.

Something huge came out from the ground and flew past them into the air within a second. A tall blue knight carrying two children came out from the ground.

“Cut it pretty close, Zero.” Tai smiled.

“Sorry about that. But now, I’m ready!” Zero put the two kids down and flew at Leviamon.

"Rei! Taichi!" Everybody called out in surprise. Tai waved at them.

"Z-Zero..." Rei watched Zero fly. "Tai, did you know he was coming?"

"I know I hoped he was coming." Tai responded vaguely.

Zero flew up to eye level with Leviamon. Everybody watched the two, their fights coming to a halt.

“You can’t defeat me, Ulforce hero!” Leviamon radiated energy. "I know how strong you are! Defeating Lucemon and Beelzemon? They are worthless achievements compared to the demon you face now!"

“You're right! Killing a Demon Lord is gonna feel way better than smacking around some chumps!" Zero's body flared with energy.

"You're not strong enough to beat me, fool! Just surrender and accept your death!" Leviamon roared.

"You tried to hurt Tai and Rei! Neo and Sora! Everyone else too!" Zero's fists shook angrily. "I'll break you, Leviamon!" He bursted towards Leviamon.

“Shell Shock!” Leviamon tried to snap at the nearly invisible Zero. The knight flew over Leviamon and slammed his foot into the serpent’s head. Several pieces of the silver armor across the head of Leviamon were shattered with ease.

“Slow and weak! You would try to kill my friends when you can’t even defeat me?!” Zero continued to fly up and down Leviamon’s body, smashing his fist into anything he could. Leviamon thrashed around the sky looking for the blue blur.

“Tail Strike!” Leviamon finally saw Zero and shot his tail at him. Zero caught the end of the tail, which was much larger than him, and started to swing Leviamon’s entire body around like a limp pillow.

Thunder struck the ground near the Tamers and Digimon.

“Let...me...go!” Leviamon bellowed as Zero sped up.

“Fine!” Zero did one more swift spin before tossing Leviamon straight into the hard ground below them.

The Digimon grabbed their Tamers and got out of the way as Leviamon’s gigantic body slammed into the floor, destroying it further.

"This was...unexpected..." Leviamon coughed.

“V-Energy Arrows!” Zero shot several arrow blasts at Leviamon. Leviamon desperately curled around each blast, quickly being overwhelmed by the dozens of arrows falling at him.

“This power...it’s unreal!” Leviamon flew back into the air just for Zero to fly forwards and hit him with a right hook. Several of Leviamon’s razor sharp teeth flew out from his mouth.

“You don’t ever touch me or my friends, you snake!” Zero started to rush Leviamon with an onslaught of strikes, each punch leaving the dragon reeling.

“Shell Shock!” Leviamon managed to snap his mouth down on Zero. Zero caught the top of the large maw with his arms and easily kept it separated from the bottom of Leviamon’s mouth.

“Shining V Force!” Zero’s golden V lit up and fired a large energy ray into Leviamon’s mouth.

Leviamon let out a horrid scream of pain as he fell away from Zero.

“Die! Thunder Breath!” Leviamon shot a roaring wave at the unsuspecting dragon knight. Zero was seemingly enveloped by the beam.

“A clean hit! Not even UlforceVeedramon can take one of those and survive!” Barbamon cackled.

"If I was actually hit by it, maybe." Leviamon and the other Demon Lords looked above the former, finding a completely unphased Zero floating above them.

“Wha-What?! When did you dodge?!” Leviamon backed away.

"Believe me, Leviamon. You will never touch me." Zero threatened.

"Damn you! You and your venomous confidence! I'll kill you!" Leviamon screeched.

“You couldn’t ever defeat me! You’ll die just like Daemon! Screaming like the disgusting demon that you are!" Zero summoned his sabers. "Ulforce Slash!” He swung his swords down, launching two huge beams at Leviamon.

The serpent flew upwards right before Zero’s attack connected, but the two sword beams caught his stomach.

They burned through the bottom of his body from the front to the back, tearing through the leviathan's skin with ease. Leviamon let out a weak whimper.

"I'm not...done yet...bastard..." Leviamon narrowed his eyes at Zero.

A red laser hit Zero. "Tai's not afraid of you, Leviamon. If you were smart, you would surrender right now." He advised.

"I will never surrender." Leviamon hissed.

"And neither will Taichi and I." Zero raised a single fist. "You wanted to see how strong I am? Here I come!"

Everybody watched as Zero completely disappeared. They all looked around for him, but they couldn't see him. Everyone except for Tai, couldn't see him anyways.

Then, without warning, Zero zipped into Leviamon's back, forcing him to the ground with an extreme amount of power. Leviamon slammed into the ground, creating a large crater just for himself.

All of the Demon Lords that had witnessed it gasped.

"I didn't even see him!" Barbamon gasped.

"I didn't either..." A few of the Tamer's Digimon muttered.

“N-No! We must go!” Barbamon created a magic circle under himself, Lucemon, and Leviamon.

“Tch! That power! It’s ridiculous!” Lucemon stared at Leviamon’s body with terrified eyes.

“Bring us home!” Barbamon yelled. All three of the Demon Lords on the surface along with the Demon Lords underground were teleported away.

“Dammit! Cowards!” Zero shot one last arrow at the floor Leviamon once lay on. He shook his head before flying down to Tai and the others.

“Good job, pal. Really showed him who’s boss.” Tai grinned at his companion. The others ran over to Zero.

“That was incredible! Even that huge snake didn’t stand a chance against you!” Sora looked over to the crater Leviamon had spawned.

“And you weren’t even using all your power.” Hideto noted.

“You did great, Zero. By just defeating one, you managed to scare the other five of them away!” Tai laughed. "Good...job..." He collapsed without warning.

“Taichi! Are you okay?” Rei and Sora ran to his side. Everybody quickly noticed the large red splotch on his blue shirt.

“Hold on, let me see.” Sigma lifted the bottom part of Tai’s shirt to find a sharp rock stuck in the child’s stomach. “Holy lord! You should have told us immediately!” Sigma winced at the sight.

“Well, you know now.” Tai tried to grin. Hideto and Neo helped him over to a large rock to lean on.

“What do we do now?” Hideto turned to Sigma.

“We need to leave it like that until we find a real doctor. Removing that object will only make things worse.” Sigma tapped the end of the rock.

“I’ll go to Hospital Town then. Jijimon should be there right now.” Zero flew away as fast as possible.

“Sorry about this, everyone. I never wanted to be a bother.” Tai breathed heavily. Everybody talked about their battles as they waited.

Sora, however, recounted a horrible memory after what Tai said.

Jijimon inspected Tai's wound. “I will apply a healing lotion." He took out a small tube. "It will patch up the wound and should stop the bleeding, but you will need to stay in bed for at least a day afterwards. First, somebody needs to take the rock out.” Jijimon looked at the group.

“Alright. This might hurt a little, Tai.” Sigma walked over to the boy and looked at him. Tai nodded solemnly, bracing himself for pain.

“One quick motion, or it will be excruciatingly painful.” Jijimon advised. Sigma’s hands shook as he put them on the rock.

“Uh, can somebody else do it?” Sigma stood up and backed away. He looked over at the group.

Rei and Sora shook their heads. Izzy made an X with his arms. Hideto became fascinated by a nearby stick. Mari whistled and looked away. Neo walked forwards.

“I’ll do it. This will hurt a lot, Tai.” Neo crouched down to eye level with him.

“Give me a sec to ready my-Aaaah!” Neo ripped it out mid sentence.

“Gross.” He tossed it to the side as Jijimon started to apply a cream to Tai’s wound.

He wrapped Tai’s waist with a bandage, reminding Sora of the black headband that she was wearing.

“Hey, Neo. Where did this come from?” Sora took it off, feeling a new pain in her head, and showed it to Neo. He simply pointed at a torn part of his shirt. She nodded thankfully

“Take the child home. He needs rest. He shouldn’t partake in any type of activity aside from minor exercise, such as basic walking.” Jijimon helped Tai up. Tai nodded at him.

“Alright, Jijimon. Thank you.” Hideto and Neo walked forwards to help Tai stand.

The group was lifted into Garudamon’s hands and they were whisked away to Holy Angel Castle.

All of the Demon Lords rested inside of their base. Nothing had been said for several minutes. The only sound was Leviamon’s rough breathing.

“What in the world was that?!” Lucemon finally spoke up.

“What do you mean?” Barbamon looked disappointed.

“We got whooped. I wasn’t even watching and I know that!” Beelzemon gritted his teeth.

“So, I may have underestimated Zero’s strength, but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost! Our battles have given the energy catchers a huge amount of energy. One more major battle, and Daemon could very well be revived!” Barbamon pointed at something. They all looked over to a capsule.

The Digimental rested within it, starting to flow with power once again.

“It doesn’t matter if we win or lose, we just need one more major fight to restore the Digimental. Then, we can revive Daemon in his Ultra form! Now is not the time to waver!” Leviamon lifted his head up.

“His Ultra form is far more powerful than Zero and the Digimental would be drained of all power. It would become impossible for anybody to challenge us!” Barbamon threw his hands out to the side.

The whole room lit up with discussion.

“Alright, alright! We should all get some sleep. I think we need it.” Beelzemon shouted over the voices.

MagnaAngemon frowned at Taichi, having learned everything that happened. “Please Taichi. I understand that you will want to come back as soon as possible, but you must not harm yourself. Get some rest.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know...But without Zero, another attack from the Demon Lords would be incredibly dangerous! I need to go!” Tai showed the D-1 on his wrist. MagnaAngemon sighed.

“Tai.” Sora put her hand on his shoulder. “Do you remember three years ago when you sprained your foot before a big soccer match?”

“N-No.” Tai frowned.

“You ended up going anyway and you ended up only making it worse! More than that, you had barely been able to do anything during the game!" Sora stated. "But this time, people can die because you were being stubborn."

Tai opened his mouth to respond. He promptly closed it, not having an argument.

“We’ll take care of it, Tai. We can handle ourselves.” Hideto reassured.

"It's not like we're attacking their base yet. Once the time comes, we'll make sure you're ready." Mari patted him on the shoulder.

“Fine. Let’s get home. We all need some time to rest.” Tai nodded at MagnaAngemon. A portal opened in front of them.

Izzy walked halfway into the portal when Tai called out to him.

“Did you have fun at the computer club?” Tai asked without aggression.

“I’m the president now!” Izzy had a wide smile.

“Nice.” Tai and Izzy walked through the portal together.

“What are those Demons planning?” Leo asked MagnaAngemon as the children all left.

“I don’t know, but I’m not sure if we can stop it without Zero.” MagnaAngemon solemnly responded.

Everybody but Izzy landed in Neo’s room.

“Oooooooowwwww.” Tai said under the pile.

Everybody got up and brushed themselves off. Neo helped Rei over to the bed as Sora helped Tai up.

“We’ll meet at 10:30 tomorrow. Any objections?” Neo looked around. Everybody shook their heads. “Good. Go home and get some sleep. Especially you, zero brains.” Neo glared at Tai, clearly hiding his genuine worry for him.

“Yeah.” Tai gave him a thumbs up as they walked out.

Alias III waited for everyone to walk out, leaving them and the Saibas. “Leviamon...He stood no chance against Zero, but he was obviously incredibly strong.” Sigma gazed around the room.

“What do we about him?” Mari looked at Hideto and Neo.

“Neo, this one’s on you.” Hideto and everybody else looked at him.

“I...I don’t know. Without Zero, Omnimon is our strongest Digimon. And it doesn't look like Leviamon was afraid of him.” Neo crossed his arms.

"If we could all gang up on him, it would be easy to beat him. But we have to worry about all of the other Demon Lords." Mari whined.

"I guess we'll get back to this a different time then. Planning against six enemies isn't as easy as planning against one." Hideto shook his head.

"Indeed." Sigma nodded.

They all nodded at Neo and Rei before walking out.

“Can we beat them without Tai and Zero?” Rei put her hand on Neo’s shoulder.

“As much as I hate to say it...I doubt it.” Neo furrowed his eyebrows.

“Sora, I’ll be okay. Look, I’ll just play games tomorrow while you guys head out, okay?” Tai moved his head up so Sora could put a fluffed pillow under it.

"Sounds awfully familiar to what you told me three years ago." Sora put two blankets over Tai.

"In your current state, the best thing you can do is stay safe so everybody else doesn't worry." Izzy sat in a nearby chair. 

"I know-Sora, stop fluffing my pillow!" Tai lifted his head again.

"You try to be nice…" Sora mumbled. Tai rested his head again.

"Stay safe out there, guys. I know you'll all do good." Tai smiled at them.

"Right." They both said as they walked to the room door.

"See ya soon." Tai waved bye. They both returned the wave and left.

All over, doubts rang through the heads of each hero as they slept.

And one of the Demons had his doubts as well.

To be continued...

Chapter Text

Sora and Izzy walked up to Neo's door. Sora knocked on the door and backed away.

The door opened and Rei smiled at them. "Hello, you two. Come in." She moved out of the way.

"Is everybody here already?" Sora looked around the room. Four kids stared back at Izora.

"Alright. Here's the plan." Everybody sat down around Neo. "We'll travel together and look for the base for three hours. If we can't find anything, we'll split up into groups of three and continue the search for another two hours." Neo looked around. The others nodded.

"And I'll be staying to make sure Tai doesn't sneak in." Rei smiled at Sora.

"But doesn't he have the email to travel to the Digital World on his computer?" Mari looked between Rei and Sora.

"I deleted it while we were at his place. He'll have to come here." Sora had a smug grin.

"Clever." Neo got off the couch.

"Time to go then." Everybody else got up and walked upstairs while Rei waved bye.

"I'd say...an hour before Tai shows up." Rei rolled over to the tv.

Everyone looked around the Digital World. There Digimon stood close to them.

"Where should we head to first?" Sora looked around at the large green fields.

"To Daemon's Castle. Just about the last place I want to go back to." Neo brought up a compass on his D-1.

"Who is Daemon?" Izzy turned to Sigma. Sora’s ears perked up.

"He was a Virus Digimon who attempted to take over both this world and the human world. Tai ultimately defeated him with Zero." Once again, Sigma revealed little about their previous escapades, believing that Tai would explain it all to them eventually.

"If the Demon Lords manage to bring him back, it would probably be game over. Though, I don't doubt that Tai would figure something out." Hideto remembered Future Mode.

"What is he to you guys?" Sora asked out of the blue. "I know he's your friend, but the way you talk about him sometimes...it's more than just a simple friendship." Sora looked at Alias III.

"Tai...I guess you could say he saved our lives." Hideto answered.

"Despite the fact that we fought him and certainly showed little mercy, he was still willing to forgive us." Sigma felt his broken mask in his pocket

"He made us realize that each of us were being stupid, and instead of punishing us, he helped us." Mari rubbed the back of her head.

"In the end, if it wasn't for Tai's forgiveness, I probably would have beaten him." Neo reluctantly muttered. "Not that he deserves all the credit...from what I know, both Rei and that Gabumon that followed him around did a lot too." He grumbled.

"That kid is younger than all of us, and yet he is smarter and more skilled. More than that, his pure determination outweighs any villain." Hideto chuckled.

“Quite frankly, with his luck and skill...He’s practically invincible.” Sigma felt the cracks across his mask

“I guess Zero suits him well.” Mari smiled.

"Huh...that all does sound like Tai." Sora rubbed her chin.

Two large creatures watched the group from a nearby cliff. “We strike now! While they are distracted.” A large demon spoke to its underlings. His captain rested next to him, with their army in waiting.

“Very well sir.” The captain next to it did a few motions with his hands. A large wave of black flew above him and down at the children.

“You all show a great amount of admiration for a kid you've supposedly only known for a few days." Izzy noted.

"Tai's got an infectious personality. I would know as much." Sora giggled. "But Izzy does bring a good point. How did he help you guys so much if you've known him for such a small amount of time?"

“For the love of-Go up to Tai and ask him to tell you about his journey in the Digital World. I’m surprised he hasn't already told you.” Neo cut the conversation off. "We have bigger things to be paying attention to."

“Hideto.” Warg stopped moving.

“Yeah?” Hideto turned to his two Megas.

“I smell Digimon.” Melga looked around. They settled their eyes on the wave of death coming towards them.

“Demon army, 3 o clock!” Neo pointed at the large swarm of Digimon. Everybody inspected it.

It was mostly made up of Champions and low-end Ultimates, but the two Digimon that immediately caught their eye were a gigantic black bug and a demon with two large arms sticking out its back.

“A GranKuwagamon and...some type of demon Digimon?" Hideto raised an eyebrow.

"Most likely a type of Devimon. It looks strong, be careful!" Sigma advised.

“A couple of Digimon aren't going to stop us.” Neo lifted his D-1. "Let's get rid of them."

"Alright!" The others lifted their D-1s as the Digimon prepared themselves.

“Let’s go! Jogress!” Hideto banged his devices together.

“Mehhhhh.” Tai sat in his bed. He had already beaten his game several times. Though, he was playing on the easiest difficulty, so each playthrough was pretty fast...

He looked at his Digimon dock. He grumbled to himself as Zero sat idly on the other side.

How could the V-Tamer and his (somewhat literally) ultra-powerful partner be wasting away in bed because of a minor wound? Tai was a smart kid, and he didn't have an answer!

“Injuries be damned! I’m going in.” Tai got off the bed, feeling a tiny bit of pain from just standing, and walked over to the computer room.

He scrolled through his many emails, slowly coming to a conclusion.

“Where the heck is it?!” Tai scrolled through all his emails in a panic. “I sure as heck didn’t delete it!”

He checked his trash and found that it was completely empty. A clear sign of a motherly person’s tampering.

“Sora! She...she deleted the email! But that means...I need to go to Neo’s place!” Tai grabbed his device and ran out, quickly feeling pain jump through his body with each step.

“Garuru Cannon!" Omnimon blew away waves of the dark Digimon with each shot. However, he wasn't trying to hit any of them.

No, he was aiming at the black-caped devil. But the thing dodged each shot.

"What even are you, demon?" Omnimon asked angrily.

"DanDevimon! A NeoDevimon that the Demon Lords enhanced!" DanDevimon let his tongue hang out his mouth. He looked over to Neo. "Thank you for letting that happen, 'father'!" He cackled.

Neo grinded his teeth. AxeKnightmon moved in front of him. "Do not taunt Lord Neo. It is neither appreciated by Neo nor permitted by me." He narrowed his eyes at DanDevimon.

"I don't care!" DanDevimon's large hands tried to grab AxeKnightmon. AxeKnightmon defended himself with his spear, DanDevimon's hands catching both sides of it.

A red laser hit AxeKnightmon. "Treason Vortex!" AxeKnightmon twirled his spear around, tearing apart DanDevimon's hands.

"Ah! That hurt!" DanDevimon whined.

"Garuru Cannon!" A huge blast punched into DanDevimon's back, making him slump onto the floor.

"Thanks for standing still, demon." Smoke dropped from Omnimon's cannon.

"Don't thank me until I give you your quick deaths!" DanDevimon screeched.

Meanwhile, Garudamon struggled with GranKuwagamon. She finally got a good grip on him and looked over to MegaKabuterimon.

“Here he comes!” Garudamon threw GranKuwagamon at MegaKabuterimon.

“Horn Buster!” MegaKabuterimon leapt up and rammed his horn into the thick skin of the large black beetle. GranKuwagamon let out a roar of pain before hitting the floor again.

“Let’s do it again, Sora.” Izzy and Sora watched their Digimon fight the large bug,

“I don’t think it’s going to work again.” Sora watched Garudamon try to grab Gran just for his wings to slap her away.

“Fair enough.” Izzy shot a laser at MegaKabuterimon.

“Rhino Charge!” MegaKabuterimon rushed at Gran. The two bugs met horns, Gran quickly managing to overpower his rival.

“Garuda Pressure!” Garudamon divekicked Gran’s back with all her weight and MegaKabuterimon turned him over.

“Together!” The two Ultimates jumped up. Garudamon grabbed MegaKabuterimon and threw him far into the air.

“Fire Hurricane!” Garudamon spun around and created a great tornado of flames. She quickly exited it as MegaKabuterimon hurtled towards the ground.

“Super Electric Strike!” MegaKabuterimon curled himself into a ball and spun at the floor rapidly.

He flew through the flame tornado, lighting himself up. The wind broke around him as he reached max speed.

GranKuwagamon let out a desperate scream as MegaKabuterimon slammed into his stomach, dispersing flames all around the battlefield.

“Finish this!” MegaKabuterimon jumped off GranKuwagamon’s stomach.

“Right! Wing Blade!” Garudamon fired a large flaming bird at the immobilized Gran.

The bug's flaming body wasted away into data as the two Ultimates gave each other thumbs up.

“Great job Izzy!” Sora and Izzy high fived.

“You two are so incredible!” Mari hugged them both as Mervamon killed a line of Devimon behind them. 

“Let’s finish this, Hideto!” Neo nodded at him.

"I'm ready!" Hideto raised his D-1.

Both of the Tamers shot orders to their Digimon.

“AxeKnightmon, get ready to go around him.” Omnimon flew at DanDevimon. Omnimon's sword clashed with DanDevimon's sharp claws, both of them meeting blows.

AxeKnightmon ran in from behind and pinned down DanDevimon's cape with his spear. DanDevimon squirmed desperately.

Omnimon uppercutted DanDevimon with his blade, throwing him back. He flew over DanDevimon as AxeKnightmon retrieved his spear.

"Black Javelin!" AxeKnightmon threw his spear clean through DanDevimon's chest. DanDevimon screamed in pain.

"Gray Sword!" Omnimon flew downwards and swung his blade. He hacked DanDevimon's head clean off.

Omnimon landed next to AxeKnightmon. They both watched as DanDevimon's headless body hit the floor, bursting into data upon impact.

“Didn’t stand a chance.” Neo commented boredly.

“Not while we’re working together anyways.” Hideto stood next to him.

“Fine job, you two.” Sigma walked up behind them as MetalSeadramon threw his tail through several Digimon in the distance.

“Let’s clear out the few jerks who are left over!” Mari shouted to the five other members. They all threw their fists up in agreement.

*Ding Dong*

“Hello?” Rei opened the door, completely unphased by the person on the other side.

“Hey, Rei! I’m feeling fantastic! I’m going to head into the Digital World to help the others.” Tai stood at the doorway with a fake smile. Rei just looked at him without moving.

“Are you lying?” She asked tiredly.

“No. Could, uh, could you move over so I can get in?” Tai’s legs started to shake.

Rei just stared at him. Tai’s eyes started to twitch with pain.

“Why does it look like you’re struggling to stand?” Rei pointed at his shaking legs.

“I’m not. I’m basically completely recovered. Heck, I feel better than before!” Tai pointed at himself with gusto.

Rei sighed.

She punched Tai in the waist and he fell to the floor.

"Ow! Why did you do that?!" Tai complained as he rolled in pain.

“I’m sorry if that hurt a lot, but I think I got my point across.” Rei leaned over Tai.

“Yeah...I think I got it…” Tai stood up and put his arm against a wall.

“Uh, are you okay? I don’t think I hit you too hard.” Rei looked at him with guilt.

“I'll be fine. This one time, I had a rock lodged in my stomach. I don't think I ever told you about it.” Tai straightened out, feeling much better after a second of rest.

“Well, what are you going to do now?” Rei asked.

“I guess I’ll just go home...I don’t have anything to do though! I’m so bored!” Tai flailed his hands as he complained.

“Well…” A blush crept onto Rei’s face. “Maybe we could explore Odaiba together...just for a little bit.”

“Minimal exercise and yet I’ll still be having fun...Sounds great!” Tai gave her a thumbs up. He grabbed her wheelchair’s handles and they left for the more exciting parts of Odaiba.

“Where the heck do these things keep coming from?” Neo watched several Youkomon get destroyed in one swipe from AxeKnightmon.

“I don’t know, but they sure are annoying!” Mari and Sigma were back-to-back as Mervamon and MetalSeadramon fought off several SkullSatamon.

“We can beat them though, right?” Sora and Izzy hit the floor as MegaKabuterimon and Garudamon monhandled several Rebellimon.

“As long as we stick together.” Hideto nodded. Omnimon blasted the many NeoDevimon that the Demon Lords still had in reserve.

“Two vanillas. One plain and one with fudge, chocolate chips, caramel, whip cream, nuts, sprinkles, candy chocolates, skittles, remove the nuts, chocolate peanut butter cups, gummy bears, put the nuts back on, and a second scoop of chocolate ice cream with the same things.” Tai put some money on the counter as the ice cream man stood stunned. “Also, give me a strawberry scoop on top of the other two.”

“Would two scoops of cookies and cream work?” The ice cream man asked. Tai nodded.

The two walked away with their ice cream in hand as the ice cream man put up a banned sign for Tai.

“Quite the order.” Rei licked her ice cream.

“No one’s ever been able to fulfill it.” Tai took a big bite out of his ice cream. His eye twitched. "Brain...freeze...ow..." Tai muttered.

“Where to go now…” Rei thought about the many attractions in Odaiba as three kids ran up to Tai.

“We’re officially challenging you, Kamiya!” Yolei, Davis, and Tk ran up to him while Matt stood behind the three of them. 

Tai and Matt exchanged glares before he took out his device.

“You got this, Tai! You can do it, Zero!” Rei cheered as Tai walked over to the group.

Yolei smirked confidently. “With all three of us together-”

“There’s no way we can lose!” Davis cut Yolei off. Tk laughed as the two argued.

“Can you guys hurry this up?” Matt’s voice made all three of them straighten out.

“What about you, kid? Don’t want to play?” Tai shifted the device in his hands while looking at Matt.

“I have better things to do.” Matt continued to glare at Tai. Tai’s expression lifted into a smug smile.

“Alright. Then I’ll take you three on! Don’t hold back!” Tai moved his device forwards. Three devices smacked into his.

“Battle!” The kids shouted.

“Digimon load! Taichi Kamiya, registered champion: Zeromaru! Team Datklei: Vermilimon, SkullMeramon, MagnaAngemon!” The devices announced.

“Let’s go!” A regal blue knight appeared in front of the three Ultimates.

Zero flew forwards with his sword out.

Omnimon slashed a Mephistomon in half.

Zero raised his guard as two attacks came at him.

MegaKabuterimon tanked two attacks for Garudamon.

Zero threw a punch.

MetalSeadramon smashed several Digimon into the floor with his tail.

Zero threw out an elbow before an attack could land.

Mervamon’s snake hand bit down on two Digimon at the same time.

Zero’s golden crest lit up.

AxeKnightmon threw his spear at blistering speeds.

“The winner of this Digimon battle is: Tai Kamiya. 100% win rate.” Tai pulled his device away as it announced the inevitable outcome.

“W-Wow…” Davis rubbed his big bushy hair.

“We just got messed up.” Yolei looked at her device with surprise.

“That was fun!” Tk beamed.

“You guys are pretty good. Keep working together and your Ultimates will be Megas in no time flat.” Tai gave them a thumbs up.

“Thanks for the advice, kid.” Matt walked forwards.

“Yeah. Anytime.” Tai smiled at him. The two continued to look at each other before Matt and the other kids walked past Tai.

“What was that about?” Rei asked Tai as he grabbed the handles on her wheelchair again.

“That kid had the same eyes as Neo...I don’t know, I just found him interesting.” Tai shrugged. They continued on with their walk.

“We...we did it.” The Tamers all stood back to back as Mari finally realized that there were no more sounds of war going on.

“Woohoo!” Sora and Izzy high fived again. Bright lights came from both of their devices.

“Would you like to Digivolve?” They heard.

"W-What?!" Sora and Izzy turned to their device.

"Our Digimon can evolve to Mega form!" Izzy realized.

"Oh..." Sora blinked at her device.

"ALRIGHT!" Izzy and Sora pressed a button on their device.

"Garudamon/MegaKabuterimon! Digivolve!" The two Ultimates roared.

Garudamon quickly turned into a golden chinese phoenix.

MegaKabuterimon’s armor became sleek and yellow and his horns grew.

“Hououmon! HerculesKabuterimon!” The two Digimon cried.

“Wow!” Their Tamers were all over them in a second.

“Would you like to Digivolve?” Another device said. Everybody turned to find a surprised Neo looking at his D-1.

“Neo, is your Digimon only an Ultimate?” Hideto looked at Neo with surprised eyes.

“No. He’s a Mega.” Neo pressed the yes button, making his statement true.

AxeKnightmon’s right arm and leg became thick and skeletal. His armor changed somewhat.

“DarkestAxeKnightmon! But you can just keep calling me AxeKnightmon, Lord Neo.” The large beast bowed at his 'master'.

“And you can call me Neo, AxeKnightmon.” Neo reminded for the third time.

“Come on, guys. We should get out of here before more goobers show up.” Mari ran forwards. The others followed.

Tai and Rei walked down a completely unremarkable street.

“How did you meet Sora?” Rei asked as she ate the last bit of her ice cream cone.

“We first met on the soccer field when we were four. We played three matches: She caught me off guard in the first. I outplayed her in the second. And we tied in the third. It was fantastic!” Tai smiled at the memory.

“I almost wish we had met in such a normal way. You know, instead of me nearly getting killed then touching your face a bunch of times.” Rei laughed. Tai joined in, remembering his reaction at the time.

"Well, we played our own game in a way. Though, I guess saving the Digital World is a little harder, and maybe a little less fun, than a game of soccer..." Tai scratched the back of his head.

"Oh no, fighting Alias III, Callismon, and Daemon was tons of fun." Rei said sarcastically. "And fighting Arcadiamon. Now that was fun..." She sighed. "I think I would have preferred a game of soccer."

All of a sudden, Tai stopped moving and looked into the sky.

"There are very few things we can control in this life…"

The Demon Lords sat in their domain, watching the children through the Vilemon camera.

"The children defeated even DanDevimon and his army..." Barbamon rubbed his chin.

"Their Digimon are tired though. We could attack now." Leviamon suggested.

"Do their Digimon have enough energy to properly supply the Digimental now?" Lucemon raised his energy catcher. "If we kill them all now, we might ruin our chance of charging the Digimental any time soon."

"And we really do not want to fight Zero again. Not without Daemon Ultra." Laylamon shivered.

"But we must hurry. The Digimental is releasing so much energy, HolyAngemon may be able to sense it now!" Barbamon feared.

Beelzemon took out his Digimental. He stared at it for a few seconds. "Look guys, we need to talk." Beelzemon leaned against a wall.

"Yes?" Barbamon turned to him.

"Guys, I hate to say this but, well…" Beelzemon sighed, "I quit." Laylamon and Lucemon gasped while the eyes of Barbamon and Leviamon grew wide. The chained member snickered.

"Why?" Laylamon scratched her head.

"I like you guys. We're like a big demonic family, and it would be nice to bring ‘father’ Daemon back. But, I’m a proud person, you know?” Beelzemon walked over to the Digimental.

“So what?” Leviamon huffed.

“This crap with the energy catchers, I just don’t want to keep doing it!” Beelzemon raised his catcher up. He crushed it in his hands.

"But why now? We're so close to succeeding!" Lucemon almost sounded sad.

“That’s the problem. Think back to how Daemon treated us before!" Beelzemon turned to face them with a standoffish pose. "He found each one of us before starting his big war with HolyAngemon. Then he forced us to fight those stupid god-wannabes while he and Neo went on their romp with that big 'Super-Ultimate'. Now that he's dead, we decided to pull together, and instead of taking the world for ourselves, we want to revive Daemon so he can have everything?!"

"Of course we will bring him back! And of course we will let him rule the world!" Barbamon replied. "He is technically our employer and our ally! If he rules, then we do too!"

"We'd rule alongside him, but we'd still be less than him! Forget that!" Beelzemon threw his hand to the side. "I have too much pride to just rest under him, waiting for him find another way to use us."

“But he will rule the world! Who cares about pride?” Barbamon waved his staff at Beelzemon’s betrayal.

“I do! I’m not going to stick my neck out just so Daemon can cut it off later on. Hell, with how well we've been doing against those literal children, I doubt it will even be Daemon who takes my head.” Beelzemon did a slit motion across his neck. "Screw it, guys. I'ma roam across the Digital World on my own. The Digidestined, they're on their own."

Beelzemon pointed at everyone.

"You guys? You're on your own." Beelzemon walked over to the teleporter.

"Beelzemon-"

“Hahaha!” Everybody turned to face the chained member.

“What’s so funny, pipsqueak?” Beelzemon rested his hands on his two guns.

“You’re just so lame! Whine whine! That’s you!” The chained member laughed.

“Lame, huh? Coming from the little guy who's done NOTHING this whole time?" Beelzeemon scoffed. "How about we duke it out?! Won’t be feeling too hot when your body looks like swiss cheese!” He pulled his guns out. 

“Okay okay!” The chained member nodded vigorously. A few of the chains broke off.

Barbamon's eyes grew wide. “What...what is that immense power I am sensing?” Barbamon’s staff started to pulse.

"It's...it's stronger than even I am?!" Leviamon gasped.

“I will fight you! I will kill you.” The chained member started to glow with dark energy. It became a huge silhouette of a monster.

“Holy lord!” Laylamon and Lucemon backed away from the chained member as the silhouette showed off its red eyes

The large, black, and nearly opaque creature let out a horrible roar that pushed away the other Demon Lords.

“What the hell is that thing?!” Beelzemon opened fired at it.

The silhouette flew at him.

“Yeah?” Rei looked at Tai, wanting for him to continue.

“Someday, you might lose all access to your legs. Another, you might be whisked away to another world full of monsters. And for all you know...you might end up with the blood of hundreds on your hands.” Tai looked towards the sun.

“Uh...huh…” Rei also looked up.

“But the sunrise and the sunset, those will always be there. The light and dark are comforting, because they are constants. To know that something will be there no matter what, it feels reassuring.” Tai gripped the chair with a little bit more strength than before.

Rei thought about Tai’s words. She felt something fall onto the back of her neck. She turned around and her eyes grew wide at the sight.

“W-What? A-Are you okay, Tai?” Rei saw tears leaking from his eyes without resistance.

“Yeah. Shouldn’t be so philosophical when we’re just trying to have fun.” Tai sniffled with a smile on his face. "But I guess this talk about life...it's got me a lot a little teary." He laughed lightly.

“It’s okay. It’s always good to just stop and appreciate everything you have.” Rei looked out at the busy street in front of her happily.

Tai tightened his grip on the chair.

He saw the bodies of several Angemon, Leo, and MagnaAngemon. He saw blood...Demons flying all around. And in the center of the chaos was a large light green creature with purple tentacles holding a familiar blue dragon in its hands.

Tai’s knuckles became white as he gripped the chair with all his might, almost like it was the one thing keeping him in reality.

*Ding Ding*

Tai loosened his grip as he heard a fun sound.

“Hey, it’s an ice cream truck.” Rei pointed at the van going past them.

“Crap! It’s getting too far away! I’m gonna gun it, hang on.” Tai got ready to run.

“What? You aren’t supposed to run and we already had ice cream!” Rei looked at him with stern eyes.

“Yeah, but only the ice cream truck has Digimon popsicles! Plus, I’ll only be running for a little bit. Pleeeeeease? I’ll pay.” Tai gave Rei puppy dog eyes while holding some money.

“Oh, fine. Just because you’re paying. Come on! We’ll lose the thing if we don’t move soon!” Rei pointed forwards.

“Tallyho!” Tai rushed down the hill as Rei held onto the sides of the wheelchair.

A car skidded in the distance, barely slowing down for a turn.

“Things are much quieter now.” Sora and Neo walked at the front of the group.

“Yeah. Good job reaching Mega. You and Izzy make a good team.” Neo stared right ahead, fully aware of the surprised look on Sora’s face.

“You...complimented me? Without a snarky comment afterwards?” Sora looked genuinely concerned for him.

“You...took a compliment WITH a snarky comment afterwards? Who would have guessed.” Neo almost smiled as Sora pouted.

“There it is.” She faced forwards again. “...Good job with your Mega. You and Hideto really showed that demon who’s boss.”

Neo simply nodded.

The others walked behind them. “Yay or...nay?” Mari asked vaguely.

“Yay. Definitely.” Sigma stifled a laugh.

“I’m saying yay.” Hideto kept his hands in his pockets.

“I’m not the best with human relations, but it’s probably yay.” Izzy said it matter-of-factly. "Though, I doubt Tai would be particularly happy about that."

“I agree. Yay for sure.” Mari and the others watched Sora and Neo break into an argument.

Everyone snapped to attention as they saw a motorcycle moving towards them. “Destined...idiots...where are you?” The battered body limply riding on it muttered.

"Is that...” Sora backed away instinctively.

“Beelzemon!” Neo shouted. The rest of the group lined up with him.

“I...don’t want to fight.” Beelzemon slowed down as he got to the kids. He pushed his bike to the side, no longer needing it.

They looked at his gnarled body. He was missing the entirety of his left arm. The right side of his face sported a huge cut all the way down it, forcing his eye shut. A portion of the side of his right leg was completely missing. His rarely mentioned tail was gone.

"Hey there...kids...long time no see..." Beelzemon collapsed.

“What happened to you?” Neo crouched down.

“I can tell you that...or I can tell you where our base is.” Beelzemon grinned at them.

“Where’s the base?” Sigma chose for the group.

“Alright...Let me tell ya...” Beelzemon took a deep breath. “It’s-”

“You won’t get away from us!” Tai was pushing Rei as fast as possible. She giggled endlessly at Tai’s determined banter.

A car nearly smacked into a trash can as it took another turn.

“We will have our Digimon pops!” Rei shouted.

“What she said!” Tai and Rei rushed down a hill.

The car sped up.

“I see it! Just a little more!” Rei pointed at the back of the white van.

“I’m giving it my all!” Tai completely ignored the pain in his waist as he started to run even faster.

The car blasted forwards as a light turned yellow.

Tai and Rei ran onto the street still looking at the truck with awe.

Tai turned to the right and found a red sedan barreling towards them. His hands moved on their own.

“Wha-Aah!” Rei’s wheelchair was flung forwards into a wall, luckily taking the impact in its side for Rei. She turned to look at Tai.

Tai jumped at the windshield and curled his body just as the car struck him. He hit the windshield, bounced off the roof, fell onto the back, and rolled onto the floor with the little speed he had picked up.

Rei was speechless as the car simply drove off.

“T...Tai! TAI!” Rei’s entire body shook as he gave no response.

“Call an ambulance!” A random mother yelled out, shielding her kid’s eyes.

“Stay here, Cody.” A police officer patted his child’s head before running to the scene.

“W-Whose kid is this?!” A man ran over to Tai.

“He's with me! His name is Tai.” Rei rolled over to Tai’s side. She focused on his mouth.

She saw the tiniest movement from it. Either his body was finally regaining its ability to function, or it was his last breath.

“A red car! It was red.” The mother talked to the policeman. An emergency vehicle was heard in the distance as several Tamers looked at the horde gathering with interest. 

"Holy crap, it's Taichi." Davis winced. "Poor guy...I wonder what happened?" Yolei shrugged at his side.

Kids, adults, and Rei were told to back away from Tai as a firetruck and an ambulance appeared behind the swarm.

“Was anybody with him?” One of the paramedics hovered over his coworker. Rei shot her hand up.

“What happened?” The police officer placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Ask later! We need to bring him in right now!” The paramedics loaded Tai into the vehicle.

“Which hospital are you going to?” Rei shouted to the worker.

“Aiiku!” The man in the passenger yelled as the ambulance drove off.

“I’ll...be there…” Rei felt tears fall down her cheeks as the sun hit her back.

“Why are you telling us this?” Neo looked at Beelzemon with suspicious eyes.

“Because sending you there is a death sentence..." Beelzemon chuckled. "I don’t care how strong you guys are, I think we’ll win in the end. If my missing arm is anything to go by, anyways.” He coughed up some purple blood.

“I see. I guess we don’t really lose anything by believing you. Unfortunately, if you are lying, we won’t have any way of getting back at you.” Alias III and Neo leaned over him.

“You guys are just as scary as the day you first came here. Ha...Hahaha...Boy it hurts to laugh.” Beelzemon rolled onto his chest. He slowly pushed himself off the ground, teetering once he stood up.

“The heck are you doing now?” They all backed away from him.

“Going out how I always wanted to.” Beelzemon pulled out one of his guns. “In a stupid, pointless, and downright irresponsible motorcycle accident!"

“What?! Just join our side if you're going to throw your life away so foolishly!” Sigma and the others continued to back away from Beelzemon as he pointed his gun at Behemoth.

“Remember this and remember this well! I got the flames of Hell itself burning in me! And I am DAMN proud of it!” Beelzemon grinned.

Without missing a beat, he fired at his bike, causing a huge explosion to envelop him.

As the smoke cleared, the only thing left of him was his blue mask. It swiftly wasted away into data.

“That insane idiot.” Neo commented, completely unphased.

“I was not expecting that.” Sora and Izzy scratched their heads.

“Well, that’s one down! Five to go!” Mari tried to make light of the situation.

“I guess so. We should get back and tell Tai.” Sigma pulled up the directions to Holy Angel Castle on his D-1.

“He should be fine tomorrow. Then we can fight the Demon Lords with everything that we have.” Hideto punched his palm.

They all plopped into Neo’s room. He brushed himself off and quickly checked the house for his sister. Tai gave him a serious talk privately about leaving her alone in the house.

He looked in her room, the kitchen, the couch (he shivered when checking this one).

Nothing.

“Where the heck is she?! Rei!” Neo called out as the others searched around.

“Maybe you should check your phone before you panic next time.” Sigma pointed at his phone mounted on the answering machine.

“Hey, you have a voicemail.” Sora pointed at the little green envelope on it.

“Is it from a secret lover, perhaps?” Mari joked.

“Let’s hope it has an answer to Rei’s disappearance.” Izzy walked over to the circle gathering around the phone.

Neo pressed a button and the machine spoke to them.

“I-It’s Rei. Um...Oh god...I’m at Aiiku hospital-”

“W-WHAT?!” Neo slammed his hands on the table. Hideto looked just as stressed as him.

“-Tai...Tai was...He’s been hit by a...by a car. Try to come when you can…” Loud sniffles were heard before a beep rang out.

The group stood stunned.

“T...T…” Sigma's mouth quivered. "Oh...oh no..."

“Tai...he can’t…” Mari’s strange cat eyes contracted.

“He has to be...he just has to…” Hideto let out a deep breath.

“Son of a...COME ON!” Neo ran for the door.

“Do you think Tai is…” Izzy turned to Sora. She stared blankly at the phone.

Tai opened his eyes feeling an even worse pain than the day before. His arm was wrapped in something tight, and his body felt numb all over.

“Tai! You’re awake!” Rei placed her trembling hands on his cast. Tai jumped in his bed.

“Oh, Rei...God thank you, you’re okay. I thought I was already too late.” Tai snuggled his head into his pillow.

“This was all my-”

“No! It was not your fault.” Tai cut her off. “Don’t ever say that.”

“But Tai!” Rei’s hands shook like mad.

“No buts. I’m taking full blame for what happened...Actually, screw that. That car is taking all the blame!” Tai balled his other hand. Rei couldn’t help but let out a weak laugh at Tai’s joke.

“Thank you, Tai. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.” Rei’s hands started to stabilize.

“How bad am I looking?” Tai tried to move his right arm but had no luck.

“You're going to be stuck here for two weeks, which is a miracle apparently. The doctor said that you got off very easy for being hit anywhere from 64-88 kph. Like seriously, he said you should have had only a 5% chance of surviving.” Rei rested in her chair, her body loosening considerably. "You're even lucky with how little time you have to stay here..."

"Luck must be my middle name." Tai chuckled.

The two shared a comfortable silence.

“Why did you do it?” Rei broke the silence.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Tai had a complacent smile.

“If you hadn’t been so focused on my safety, you might have been able to save yourself.” Rei still had guilt plastered on her face.

“You’re blaming yourself again, Rei. It’s not even true anyways. I would have been screwed either way.” Tai’s smile dropped.

“I just can’t not feel bad when I look at you now. You’re going to be stuck in this place for two weeks! Two weeks because of me...” Rei dropped her head in shame.

Tai looked away from her. “It's like I said, Rei. There are few things we can control in life. One second you might be chasing an ice cream truck, the next, well, you're getting hit by an irresponsible driver.” Tai leaned back in his bed. “You know, friends are just as volatile as anything else in life. But you Rei...” Tai turned to face her.

"Y-Yes?" Rei took a breath in.

“I’d be happy to know that you’re always there. I’d be overjoyed to know that Rei Saiba is one of the few constants in my life...I'd be happy if you were my sunrise.” Tai smiled. “So what are a few bumps and scratches compared to my optimistic goal. They don’t matter as long as my friend is safe.”

Rei lifted her head up and looked at Tai.

“I think I love you!” She blurted before promptly cupping her mouth.

“What? The pain made me go deaf for a second.” Tai looked at her with tired eyes. "Everything really hurts."

“I-uh-um-” Rei was cut off by people knocking on the door.

“Hello, Taichi. I am Dr. Kido. Your parents are here to speak to you.” The doctor looked at Rei. She was fully aware of what he meant.

“I’ll be back tomorrow, Tai. Please, stay healthy.” Rei patted his arm one last time before leaving the room.

She nearly bumped into his parents as she left.

For nearly an hour, she waited outside his door. His parents had left pretty early on. She was waiting for the other kids.

“Rei! Rei!” Neo ran down the hall. The others panted behind him.

“Neo!” She moved an inch before he brought her in for a close hug.

“Don’t blame yourself.” He whispered. She rested her head on his shoulder before he pulled away.

“Can we go in?” Sora looked into the room. Rei nodded.

The group surged in, leaving Rei alone in the hallway.

“You alive, dipsh-”

“Tai! You’re okay!” Sora hugged him and Tai hugged her back to the best of his ability. Neo cut himself off as the mood improved in the room.

“Nothing can put down the eight god V-Tamer!” Kamiya smiled proudly.

“Luck has proven herself a faithful mistress.” Sigma smiled.

“Yup. What about you guys? Did you find anything about the base?” Tai looked at Neo.

“Yeah, and a dead Demon Lord. Beelzemon is down and we now know where the base is. However, we might have to put our plan on hold now that you’re also down.” Neo sat down next to Tai.

Sigma's Digimon dock buzzed. He checked it. “W-What?!"

"What's wrong?" Mari asked.

"I don't think waiting is an option anymore.” Sigma showed Neo a message in his Digimon dock.

Neo quickly read over the message. “What?! Oh..." He grumbled.

Tai saw the others reading their own messages. "What's up?" He wondered.

Neo leaned forwards. “According to MagnaAngemon, he can feel a large amount of energy radiating from the Digital World. An energy similar to that of the Digimental. He says we need to act now before the thing can gather any more power.”

“Which means we can’t wait two weeks.” Izzy sighed.

“Fan-freaking-tastic.” Mari drooped.

“Wait! When Rei entered the Digital World, her legs were restored. Tai’s injury doesn’t matter!” Hideto looked around the group. Everybody but Tai and Neo looked optimistic.

“The problem is less that my arm's screwed and more that I’m not allowed to leave this place. Plus, my entire body stings a whole lot.” Tai winced. "I don't think I would make it down the street.

“Always a catch.” Neo mumbled.

“What do we do then?” Sora looked around. 

Silence. They all waited for Neo’s verdict.

“There’s no longer any options. We need to go to their base and stop the Digimental from activating. Tai’s health won't slow that down.” Neo got up from his chair.

“He’s right. You guys should go first thing tomorrow.” Tai looked at them.

“But what if they’re too strong for us?” Mari looked at her device.

Tai furrowed his eyebrows. He looked over to Rei before a long grin stretched across his face. “Trust me. Zero will be there-”

“-In spirit. As corny as ever.” Neo stopped Tai. Tai let out a light laugh.

“Not the corniest thing I said today.” Tai smiled as Neo gave him a look of confusion.

“I guess we should go then. Get well soon, Tai.” Sigma did a two-finger salute before walking out.

“Try not to die!” Mari blew kisses as she walked out.

“Don’t strain yourself, Tai.” Sora gave him a caring smile. Tai gave her a thumbs up before she walked out.

“You can depend on us.” Hideto reassured him before walking out.

“We’ll win, Tai. I promise.” Izzy nodded at him before walking out.

Neo and Tai stared at each other.

“I’ll protect them. Each one of them...even Sora.” Neo promised sincerely. 

“Yeah.” Tai watched him walk to the door.

“Get better. Do it, soon.” Neo walked out as a slight smile appeared on Tai’s face.

Everything became silent as Tai rested in his bed. The sun peered through the blinds.

“I wonder if she’ll remember what she said tomorrow. Love makes us do the weirdest things...” Tai looked at his device. Zero sat cross-legged on the other side, waiting for a fight.

Tai smiled as he already formed a plan that not even Neo would expect.

To be continued...

Chapter Text

“Tamers all over Odaiba and Japan as a whole have been shocked by the news of Tai Kamiya’s accident. 11 years old, Taichi Kamiya, was struck by a car yesterday and now rests at Aiiku hospital.” A news anchor looked at the camera.

“Already, many letters have been sent to the self-proclaimed ‘V-Tamer’...I don’t see why. We shouldn’t celebrate somebody who plays such a violent-”

“Not this crap again.” The two news anchors argued.

“Tai is not going to like the attention.” Neo turned off the tv.

“Alright. We should head out.” Hideto got up from the couch.

“Yup yup!” Mari shook with anticipation.

Izzy, Sora, and Sigma looked at their devices and nodded.

“Here we go.” They all walked upstairs.

“Good luck, guys!” Rei waved to them. “And I’m off to the hospital. That’s going to be a long journey.”

The children stood in front of the Holy Angel Castle defenders.

MagnaAngemon looked down at each of them. “So you’re going to the Demon Lord’s lair?”

“Yeah. Six of us, five of them. We should be able to win.” Neo said confidently.

“Very well. Be careful. Daemon chose each of the Demon Lords himself. I wouldn’t doubt that they are more powerful than they are letting on. You must also capture or destroy the Digimental as soon as you can.” MagnaAngemon nodded at the children.

“Right. We’re ready for anything.” Hideto looked at his devices.

An Angemon ran in hurriedly. “Sir! Viruses are coming towards us!” He reported.

“What?” Leo drew his sword and followed him. The others ran out and saw the threat.

Another wave of evil Digimon were flying towards the castle.

“Crap! We need to fight those guys before we leave.” Sora took out her device.

“No.” They all turned to MagnaAngemon. “We can handle them ourselves. You must all go now.”

“Are you sure you can hold off that many Digimon?” Sigma saw quite a few Ultimates in the crowd.

“Whether or not we can does not matter. This is the Demon Lord’s desperate attempt to stop your advance before it started. Now is the best time to strike.” MagnaAngemon nodded at Leo.

“All troops! Prepare yourselves!” Leo ran back into the main hall while barking orders.

“We have our mission, and you have yours.” MagnaAngemon nodded at the kids.

“You better be alive when we get back.” Neo nodded back at him.

The children all ran out to their Digimon and left for the area that Beelzemon had described.

“Good luck, children." MagnaAngemon watched the Digimon quickly run off. "As for us, we must fight!” Light surrounded him and his cloak was blown off, revealing his battle mode.

“Who’s fighting who?” The Tamers wondered atop Hououmon's helmet.

“I’ll take on Laylamon. I have unfinished business.” Neo said quickly.

“I’ll hold off the Barbamon.” Sigma crossed his arms.

“Lucemon is going down!” Mari did a thumbs down.

“I’ll help Sigma take down the clones. Either that or I’ll fight the unknown member, whoever the heck it is.” Hideto rubbed his two devices together.

“And we’ll double team Leviamon!” Sora and Izzy nodded at each other.

“Are you sure we should leave the strongest member to those two?” Hideto leaned over to Neo.

“They may be the least experienced, but it's clear that they work together well. I trust them enough, and we can always assist if needed.” Neo looked over at the two 11 year olds.

“Alright. Then it’s decided. Now we just need to get to their place.” Hideto and the others looked forwards.

“They managed to get away before the vanguard could reach.” A DemiDevimon spoke to the Demon Lords.

“Then they will come here soon. We must be ready.” Barbamon floated down to the Digimental.

“Just a little bit more and we can release Ultra Daemon. Not even Zero can defeat him.” Leviamon started to pulse with energy.

“My final dance with Neo. Let it be a beautiful one.” Laylamon snapped a rose in her mouth in half.

“I’m ready to pound somebody’s face in.” Lucemon punched his fists together.

“Weaklings. All of you. I will fight Ze-ro~” The chained member looked at the group with a wholesome smile. They all backed away from him.

They waited patiently in their huge cavern base.

“Hey, Neo?” Sora walked over to him.

“Yes?” Neo raised an annoyed eyebrow.

“Why couldn’t one of us just take Tai’s Digimon dock? Then Zero could help us.” Sora asked like it was obvious.

“It’s not that simple. Every Tamer creates a bond with their Digimon. The closer a bond, the stronger a Digimon is. One of us would have to be close to Tai and Zero for him to be worth bringing. None of us fit the bill.” Neo shook his head.

“Oh. Jeez, Digimon are complicated.” Sora scratched her head.

“Tell me about it.” Neo tittered.

Hououmon slowly began to descend.

“We’re close. Everybody, get ready.” Hououmon landed as Neo directed the others.

Hououmon lowered her head to let everybody hop off, and they all walked over to their respective Digimon.

In front of them was a huge, but otherwise unremarkable tree. Though, it was withered and decayed, unlike all of the trees around it.

“Omnimon, knock it down.” Hideto shot a laser at him.

“Garuru Cannon!” Omnimon shot several large blasts at the tree. It was torn apart with ease. Even the roots were tossed out, which is exactly what the Tamers were expecting.

Under the roots lay a pool of dark miasma. 

“That’s it alright. Blast the ground open!” Sigma pointed at the pool. All the Digimon shot at it until a sizable hole appeared.

“Let’s go! The Demon Lords await!” Neo and AxeKnightmon jumped in. The others followed closely.

“They are here!” Barbamon pointed his staff towards the ceiling of the cave.

“Then I will make our battleground more spacious for them.” Leviamon let out a ring of energy, blowing away a large portion of the cave.

The cavernous arena was now very large and tall. Perfect for the many huge Digimon that would be fighting within it.

*Pound*

“They’re coming!” Lucemon cracked his knuckles.

*Pound*

“I’m feeling hot!” Laylamon’s eyes grew bloodthirsty.

*Pound*

“Zero! Zero! Here comes Zero!” The chained member jumped around happily.

*Crash*

Several Digimon fell into the cave with their Tamers mounted on them.

“Tamers.” Leviamon led the group of demons.

“Asshats.” Neo led the group of humans.

“As mature as ever. Do you really believe you can protect this realm from the many threats that harrow it?” Barbamon pointed his staff at Neo.

“Better than you can. After all, your armies lost to a couple of children and their Digimon. I can’t even imagine how poorly you would do against an actual army.” Neo scoffed.

“Let us consider those to be your last words.” Laylamon ran at Neo. AxeKnightmon engaged her.

“Protect the Digimental! Keep fighting! Our destiny shall not be twisted by these fools!” Barbamon split himself into three. MetalSeadramon and Omnimon flew at them.

“I don’t enjoy hitting pretty women, but I guess that isn’t a good description of you.” Lucemon ran towards the now furious Mari and Mervamon.

“So you two think you can defeat me?” Leviamon looked down at Sora and Izzy. Even Hououmon and HerculesKabuterimon were tiny compared to him.

“Yeah!” They shot lasers at their Digimon. The large bird and beetle rushed at him.

“Get them, get them! You might be able to beat them!” The chained member cheered happily as blasts went on around him.

“Who’s the imp?” Omnimon and Barbamon clashed.

“He’s a mascot for the group.” Barbamon snickered.

“A mound of dirt would better suit the soon to disband Demon Lords!” Omnimon smacked Barbamon’s staff to the side and nearly landed a fatal blow when the other Barbamon smacked him in the back.

Omnimon swung all around himself, scaring off the two Demon Lords.

“Dark Inferno!” The two Barbamon shot flames at Omnimon. Omnimon flew upwards, causing the two flames to collide and surround the area. “Where is he?” The two Barbamon looked around wildly.

“Grey Sword!” Omnimon flew behind one of the Barbamon and landed a clean slice across his back.

“There you are! Greedy Wand!” Barbamon swung around and tried to smack Omnimon with his staff. Omnimon headbutted the end of it, destroying the crystal. The crystals on the other staves blew up.

“Got the real one out of the way already!” Omnimon slapped the Barbamon in front of him across the face with the broad side of his sword.

“Dammit it all! Pandemonium Lost!” The two Barbamon attacking Omnimon shot a huge blast. Omnimon dodged out of the way, causing the blast to hurtle towards Laylamon and AxeKnightmon.

“Spear Rush!” AxeKnightmon and Laylamon met spear to claw. AxeKnightmon pulled back for a large thrust and Laylamon rushed forwards. 

“Razor Nail!” Laylamon stuck her claws deep into AxeKnightmon’s chest. “You should reconsider getting rid of your shield!” She laughed.

“You should reconsider bragging while your opponent is still alive.” AxeKnightmon wrapped his arms around Laylamon, sticking his bone arms deep into her side. “Hand Of Doom!” Darkness shot through Laylamon’s body, causing poison to father in the side of her body.

“Phantom Love!” Laylamon phased backwards out of AxeKnightmon’s hands. “What did you think of that?” 

“Black Javelin!” AxeKnightmon shot his javelin at Laylamon, cutting her across the face.

“My face! My beautiful face! How dare you!” Laylamon’s devil hand lit up with dark flames.

AxeKnightmon called his javelin back as Laylamon rushed at him. The spear nearly cut Lucemon across the face as he lunged towards Mervamon.

“You keep to your battle, jerk!” Lucemon yelled at AxeKnightmon. Mervamon jumped behind him and swung her sword at his back. He dashed away without looking at her.

“You can’t run forever!” Mervamon blocked several surprise punches from Lucemon with her blade.

“Who said I was running?” Lucemon sped up.

“Olympia Kai!” In the brief moment that Lucemon threw no punches, Mervamon slashed him across the chest.

“Dang wench! Terrible Dance!” Lucemon tried to roundhouse kick her. Mervamon blocked with her sword before jabbing him in the stomach with her snake hand.

“That the best you can do?” Mervamon backed away from him.

“Try this on for size! Deadly Roll!” Lucemon did several swift moments before throwing out a magical roundhouse kick.

“Just as we expected. Final Strike Roll!” Mervamon dashed under the kick and grabbed Lucemon’s other leg. She tossed him forwards and rammed her sword through his chest.

“Is that the best YOU can do?! Grand Cross!” Lucemon shot ten flaming blasts at the very close Mervamon. She managed to bend around a few of them, but she was struck by several.

"Dang Demon Lords." Mervamon rubbed a burning wound on her exposed stomach. "Why can't you people just die and stop causing us trouble?!"

Lucemon stared at her for a few seconds. "...Sorry, but have we met before? I feel like I saw you without a Tamer once." He squinted.

"For the love of-focus on the fight!" Mervamon rushed at him again.

"Very well! Grand Cross!" Lucemon fired another ten blasts. Mervamon deflected them with her blade.

The blasts ricocheted around the room, but the always agile MetalSeadramon easily coiled around them.

“You snakes shall be slain!” Barbamon shot several small black beams at MetalSeadramon. Despite his large stature, he easily dodged each laser.

“Die!” The third Barbamon flew behind MetalSeadramon and charged a blast in his hand. Omnimon shoulder slammed him away.

A laser hit MetalSeadramon. “Thanks, Omnimon.” MetalSeadramon nodded at him while easily dodging a surprise blast from Barbamon.

“You slippery gnat! Why won’t you die?!” Barbamon shot several more blasts.

“Losing our cool, our we? Hot Squeeze!” MetalSeadramon wrapped his body around Barbamon.

“No! No!” Barbamon struggled.

“River Of Power!” MetalSeadramon blasted the third Barbamon clone, killing it.

“Cursed rat!” The two living Barbamon backed away from Omnimon and MetalSeadramon. They ducked under Leviamon as he flew past them during his scuffle with the last two Megas.

“You know the plan!” HerculesKabuterimon jumped forwards and grabbed Leviamon’s two tails with his four hands.

“Right! Crimson Flare!” Hououmon slammed her flaming body into Leviamon. HerculesKabuterimon let go of Leviamon as Hououmon’s attack connected, launching him into one of the walls of the cavern.

Leviamon didn't even flinch. “Disappointing. Thunder Breath!” Leviamon shot a roaring wave of flames at the two.

“Golden Persuasion!” The flames wrapped around Hououmon in a semi sphere, immediately hardening as they did.

"It's a good thing Hououmon can control fire, or that might have been ugly." Sora commented quietly.

"Indeed." Izzy nodded. Both of them fired lasers from their D-2s.

“High Mega Blaster!” HerculesKabuterimon charged four blasts in each of his hands and combined them into one great blast, which he fired at Leviamon’s underbelly.

Leviamon roared as electricity coursed up and down his body.

“Sharp Hooked Claws!” Hououmon smashed her claws into Leviamon’s face and started to rend it as the electricity held him in place.

“Shell Shock!” Leviamon opened his mouth and tried to eat Hououmon’s entire body. Hououmon backed away last second, her large helmet being grazed by Leviamon’s sharp fangs.

“This guy barely reacts to being hit!” HerculesKabuterimon moved in between the twin tails coming down on him.

“We’ll make him feel pain, whether or not he wants to.” Hououmon screeched at Leviamon.

“I’d like to see you try! Rainbow Flurry!” Leviamon released a noxious gas from his nostrils. The two Megas backed away as he disappeared within it.

“Where did he go?” Hououmon searched the cloud with her keen eyes.

“He has to be in there...somewhere…” Hercules snapped his claws open and closed, waiting to grip something with them.

"Show yourself, Leviamon!" Sora demanded.

“Wave Of Darkness!” Leviamon dropped his whole body onto Hououmon. Hououmon caught him with her claws but was rapidly falling towards the floor due to his weight.

“Giga Scissor Claw!” HerculesKabuterimon caught the bottom of Leviamon’s body with his pincers and helped Hououmon keep him up.

The Tamers all raised their device to send new orders.

“Frozen Fury!” Leo shot a cold lion head at the wave of Devimon in front of him. They were frozen in place and then smashed into bits by the many Angemon defenders.

“They’re getting close to the doors!” One of the Angemon defenders had his staff ripped out of his hands by a Boltmon.

“Why do I do this? Samurai Tone!” Gekovitch ran out and blasted the enemy Digimon away with his music.

“Good job, Gekovitch! Howling Blaster!” Gabo stood atop the castle walls and shot blue flames at several Digimon.

“Let’s get that Boltmon.” Ninjamon and Kogamon watched the battle.

“Yeah.” They nodded at each other before hopping at the Boltmon. They took out their blades and imbued them with Gabo’s blue flames. 

“Fire Enbuken!” They dropped onto the Boltmon and continued to slash him with their searing blades until he was a heap on the floor.

“Go. Go. I will kill the big one.” Devitamamon stood over the vast army.

“We’ll see, monster.” Leomon spun his sword around.

“Continue to lead the forces. I will take care of him.” MagnaAngemon walked to Leo's side.

“What? Er, alright, Lord MagnaAngemon.” Leo ran off to fight some Ultimates as MagnaAngemon approached Devitamamon.

“Die. Angel. Laser Eyes.” The many eyes on Devitamamon’s grotesque face lit up and fired beams at MagnaAngemon.

“Villains like yourself will never succeed. Gate Of Destiny!” MagnaAngemon summoned his sword and made a circle in the air with it. A small golden gate appeared and sucked up several nearby foes and the lasers. Devitamamon started to get pulled towards it.

“Demon’s Gait.” Devitamamom ran forwards towards the gate and crashed into it, destroying it.

“It seems that I must train more often. Very well.” MagnaAngemon jumped forwards. "Excalibur!" He slashed Devitamamon's entire body in half with ease.

“I-incredible!” Gekovitch and the other defenders watched in awe.

The battlefield calmed down as Devitamamon's body wasted away. The demon Digimon all backed away.

The demons fled as MagnaAngemon and Leomon showed their stained blades.

“Get out of here!” Gabo celebrated. His hairs stood up as he heard somebody come behind him.

“Gabo? I need your help.” The voice made his eyes flare with interest.

“Garuru Cannon!” Omnimon just barely missed Barbamon with each shot.

“Horn Of The Lake!” MetalSeadramon rammed his horn through Barbamon’s back.

“Thanks! Grey Sword!” Omnimon did a spin before slicing the second Barbamon clone’s head clean off.

“That’s not good!” The last Barbamon shook.

“Go help Hououmon and HerculesKabuterimon. I’ll clean up here.” MetalSeadramon nudged his head at the two struggling Megas.

“Right. Be careful.” Omnimon zipped away as MetalSeadramon focused his eyes on the elder Digimon in front of him.

“One Barbamon left. Good.” AxeKnightmon blocked several swipes from the nearly feral Laylamon. She pulled back for a second before stepping forward and swiping off one of the large horns on his chest. 

“You will pay!” She continued to overwhelm AxeKnightmon with her flurry of attacks.

“Your attacks are indeed swift." AxeKnightmon grunted as he blocked a few and was forced to tank others.

"And you're going to be dead!" Laylamon hissed.

Laylamon pulled both of her claws back and Neo smirked. He shot a laser at AxeKnightmon.

AxeKnightmon caught both of Laylamon's claws with his double-sided javelin. He kneed her in the chest, making her stumble back.

"Well, that hurt a lot..." Laylamon gripped her stomach. “But I expected more from Neo and his Digi-”

“Twin Spear!” AxeKnightmon rammed his spear through Laylamon’s chest.

"Oh...Is...that all you got?” Laylamon grabbed the handle of the spear and tried to pull it out.

“Hold it together, woman!” Lucemon and Mervamon jumped by.

“You might want to follow your own advice!” Mervamon’s slices were blocked by Lucemon’s quick blocks.

“Grand Cross!” Lucemon shot ten orbs at Mervamon again.

“Stop it with that attack!” Mervamon cut them apart and rushed at Lucemon. “This is the end!” Mervamon launched another flurry of attacks at the tired Lucemon.

“It’s all breaking apart!” Leviamon was struck by several blasts at the same time. “But I won’t lose!” He pulsed with energy, forcing the Digimon around him away.

“This guy is tough!” Omnimon shot several more cannon beams at Leviamon with little effect.

“No wonder he managed to survive all that abuse from Zero.” HerculesKabuterimon panted.

“We can’t stop now.” Hououmon landed to take a quick breather before flying at Leviamon again.

"Come on! Don't stop yet! You can do it!" Sora and Izzy shouted encouragingly.

"We've won harder battles!" Hideto called out.

“Tch. All of you together wouldn’t stand a chance!" Leviamon scoffed. "The only Digimon, the ONLY Digimon that stands a chance against me is Ze-Ah!” Leviamon backed away from the group.

Hououmon, HerculesKabuterimon, and Omnimon turned around, like they thought someone was behind them. "What is it?" Their Tamers asked.

“Zero! Zero!” The chained member celebrated.

“What?!” Neo turned away from the battle to see if the chained member was looking at anything.

“But if Tai isn’t here, then Zero isn’t either. They must have sensed something else.” Sigma checked the energy reader in his D-1.

“No, that's Zero!” Hideto’s reader was going wild.

“Zero! Zero! Zero!” A few chains broke off of the small member.

“But why now? Why wasn’t he here before?” Leviamon tensed his whole body.

“It must be a bluff!” Barbamon’s hands shook.

Everybody turned their attention to the hole the Tamers had made in the cave’s ceiling earlier.

“I won’t believe it! Thunder Breath!” Leviamon split the group of Digimon in front of him with a large blast from his mouth.

Everybody jumped back as a barrier forced the beam into random directions.

“Well, well, well...” Everybody’s eyes grew wide at the voice. "Based off how much that attack sucked, I'm assuming that was Leviamon." A figure lowered himself into the cave.

“Zeromaru!” The chained member yelled with ecstasy.

The blue dragon knight hovered in the air. His eyes were focused on Leviamon and the chained member.

“But how?!” Neo looked on in an amazement.

“I made it in time!” Everybody’s eyes popped at the even more startling voice.

“R…” Hideto looked at the familiar girl who floated down in an orb of light.

“Rei…” Neo’s mouth was open.

“What’s going on?” Izzy was just as stunned as the others.

“I’ll explain later! For now…” Zero cracked his knuckles. "I have to destroy the Digimental!"

"Tch. You fool! The Digimental is made out of nigh invincible material! Not only that, but an incredible amount of energy is also stored within it!" Barbamon swung his staff at him confrontationally. "You cannot destroy it! You'll be burned to a crisp!"

"We'll see!" Zero flew past all of the Demon Lords in the blink of an eye. He punched open the glass case holding the Digimental and grabbed it.

Immediately, the Digimental sparked angrily at him, causing black lightning to tase him. Zero grunted, but he didn't flinch. He made sure to hold onto the Digimental tight.

"So much negative energy..." Zero narrowed his eyes at the Digimental. "But not nearly enough to overpower the Ulforce!" His own body sparked with bright blue energy.

The black lightning and Zero's energy struggled with each other. Everybody backed away as both the positive and negative energy flew around the room wildly.

"The amount of power UlforceVeedramon is releasing..." Leviamon watched on with shaking eyes.

"It's insane!" Laylamon held a hand over her mouth.

"Stupid piece of jewelry!" Zero growled as the Digimental slowly began to be crushed. "First you powered up Arcadiamon! Then you helped Daemon! And now you're trying to revive him?! I won't allow it, and I know Taichi wouldn't either!" He shouted.

The Digimental's black lightning began to be slowed down as Zero crushed it in between his hands. The glass orb in the middle of it grew several cracks. It threw out several desperate whips of energy, but none of them received a response from Zero.

"For everyone in the Digital World, I'll destroy this thing!" Zero roared as the Digimental was completely flattened in between his hands.

Zero crushed the item in one of his hands with all his might. Everyone heard a loud bang, almost like a cannon being discharged suddenly.

Zero opened his hand back up, revealing that the Digimental had been completely destroyed. In its place was only a few bits of data, all of which disappearing within mere seconds.

"He...he..." Barbamon gasped.

"He destroyed the Digimental?!" Lucemon shouted in surprise.

"Jeez. That kinda hurt." Zero rolled his hand. 

"Damn you, dragon knight!" Leviamon released a storm of flames at him.

Zero backhanded the blast away with ease. "Now then. Time to get rid of you guys too." He summoned his swords.

"Great job, Zeromaru!" Rei cheered casually.

Everyone turned to her. “Rei...HOW?” Sora rubbed her head.

“It was Taichi’s plan.” Rei grinned.

“Take my device and go to the Digital World. You should be able to control Zero.” Tai dropped the device into her hands.

“Are you sure? I’ve never been an actual Tamer before.” Rei looked at the knight on the devices’ screen. "A-And it's Zero too. Are you sure you want to trust me with him?"

“You got Saiba blood in you. If you’re 1/10 as good as your brother and half as kind as me, you’ll be good.” Tai gave her a pained thumbs up. "And I know for a fact that you several times as kind as I am."

“Alright, Tai. But how will I find the others?” Rei pocketed the device.

“Ask Gabo. I’m sure he and the other Holy Angel defenders will know. You’ll do great, Rei. I know it.” Tai nodded at her.

“Alright, Tai. I'll do it.” She smiled at him.

“With a little bit of help, Zero and I tracked you guys down.” Rei looked up to see a couple of Angemon waving bye.

“Yay! Yay!” The chained member jumped up and down.

“What is that thing…” Zero whispered. “Everybody! We have no time to lose!” Zero looked at the Tamer’s Digimon. They all nodded at him.

“Let’s finish this!” MetalSeadramon flew at Barbamon.

“Die, serpent! Chaos Astray!” Barbamon charged an even more powerful attack than Pandemonium Lost and blasted it at MetalSeadramon.

“Will against will! And you’re not going to win! River Of Power!” The two continuous blasts met with a strident bang in the middle.

"Come on, MetalSeadramon! You can overpower an old hag like this guy!" Sigma cheered. MetalSeadramon's ray picked up power.

“Maybe if I was younger, I could overpower this beast…Maybe if he didn't have a Tamer, I could overpower him...” MetalSeadramon’s blast approached Barbamon. “How could my plan have failed so badly?” The attack overtook him.

He came out of MetalSeadramon’s beam with torn clothing and a burned beard.

“Hurry up. Finish me.” Barbamon breathed heavily.

A laser hit MetalSeadramon. "Hmph. It’s over! Dragon Rise!” MetalSeadramon rested his blaster snout on Barbamon’s chest. Lights shot out from all over Barbamon’s body.

“I die with no regrets!” Barbamon shouted before exploding into a rainbow of data.

"Great job, MetalSeadramon. Let's help the others with Leviamon." Sigma and MetalSeadramon ran towards the leviathan.

“Looks like you beat the rest to the party, huh?” Neo scoffed. Laylamon still rested her hands on AxeKnightmon's as she tried to rip the spear out of her chest.

“Do you really wish to die during such a pointless battle?” AxeKnightmon stuck the spear further through the other side of her body.

“N...No.” Laylamon loosened her claws.

"Lord Neo. Would you be willing to offer surrender terms to her?" AxeKnightmon asked.

"If she's willing to take them." Neo answered.

“Very well. Laylamon, surrender and we may spare you.” AxeKnightmon’s voice held sincerity.

“Would you really?” Laylamon looked at him with teary eyes.

“If you surrender now.” AxeKnightmon pulled his spear backwards.

“That's…” She sniffled. “So naive!” She tried to slap AxeKnightmon.

“Then you will die a fool!” AxeKnightmon pulled his spear up through her body before going all the way down.

"Neo..." Laylamon looked over to the bored boy.

She made a kissing motion at him before falling over.

"Weirdo." Neo replied coldly. "Let's go beat Leviamon, AxeKnightmon." He and his Digimon ran towards the leviathan.

“Laylamon! Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse!” Lucemon punched Mervamon’s cheek.

“No more horseplay! I’m finishing this!” Mervamon knocked Lucemon back with her snake hand.

“Then let us meet our fate together! Ultimate Sacrifice!” A sphere appeared around both of them. Flames started to burn in the middle of it.

“I've seen heaven, but I have no interest in seeing hell!" Mervamon brandished her blade. "You will see your precious underworld alone!

"What the hell are you on about?!" Lucemon rushed at her with a glowing fist.

Mervamon's sword lit up. "Olympia Kai DX!” Mervamon cut Leviamon clean in half horizontally. He gasped in pain.

“Aaaah! My only regret-” Mervamon stopped spinning and landed one final slice through Lucemon’s entire torso, ripping his upper body off. “-was not reading more often.”

Lucemon’s two parts fell to the floor and disappeared into data.

"I feel like that was a reference to something..." Mervamon muttered.

"Come on, Mervamon! Let's go take down Leviamon too!" Mari and Mervamon ran towards the leviathan.

“And then there was one.” All the Megas swarmed around Leviamon.

“Leviamon, this is where you’ll fall.” Zero showed off his two sabers. The others showed their claws, teeth, or weapons.

“You fools. I have seen hell itself." Leviamon chuckled menacingly. "None can possibly defeat the terror that shall befall you. But I will give you a taste of such terror! Void Cancellation!” Leviamon’s entire body lit up with dark energy.

“Just die!” Zero pointed forwards.

“Poison Fountain! River Of Power! Garuru Cannon! Crimson Flare! Mega Electro Shocker! Spear Shot!” The six Digimon behind Zero fired at Leviamon at the same time.

“Take my wrath!” Leviamon released a stream of energy shaped like a great dragon.

The shots all clashed and let out an explosion so great, that the entire cave began to collapse.

“Wuh oh. We need to go! Take your Tamer and run!” Zero directed the others. They ran over and grabbed their Tamers and any Digimon incapable of flight.

“You’re not going anywhere, Zero!” Leviamon lunged at him.

“We’ll see!” Zero flew right at Leviamon.

The Digimon let go of their cargo once they got outside. The ground under them rumbled violently.

“That’s five of the seven Demon Lords down. Only Leviamon and somebody else are left.” Neo reported. The others nodded as more rumbling came from underneath them.

“Who’s the final Demon Lord?” Rei jumped up as a large crash came from underneath them.

“I don’t know. That weird, chained thing was supposedly a ‘mascot’, but I don’t buy it.” Hideto kept still as the ground shook.

“Yeah, but what danger could that thing possibly pose?” Mari didn’t look too afraid.

“I don’t know. I didn’t manage to scan it.” Sigma scrolled through the menus on his D-1.

“Well, together I’m sure we can beat whatever appears.” Sora grabbed onto Izzy as he nearly fell over from a sudden quake.

“But what did he mean when he said that ‘none can defeat the terror that will befall us’?” Izzy rubbed his chin.

Zero flew out of the ground and was being tailed by a large red leviathan with large cuts up and down his body.

“You stubborn dog! Die!” Zero dodged Leviamon's charge.

“Zero! Leviamon!” Rei covered her face as the battle kicked up violent winds.

“Zero can handle him with ease. Don’t worry.” Neo watched confidently.

“I agree! I agree!” Everybody swung around. The chained member sat behind them.

“You. What are you?” Neo and the others backed away as their Digimon moved in front of them.

“Weaklings weaklings. I want somebody stronger. I want Zero.” More of the member’s chains snapped off.

“N-Neo.” Sigma showed Neo his device. Neo’s eyes jumped at the stats.

“Everybody get away! That thing's much stronger than it looks!” Neo started to sweat as a smile appeared on the chained member’s face.

“That thing is powering up again!” Leviamon and Zero looked down at the seemingly harmless creature.

“Zero. Zero. Zero.” The last few chains broke off violently. 

For the first time ever, the creature opened its eyes. They were a malicious red that heavily clashed with his warm smile. The same black silhouette as before started to appear.

“What is that thing?” Neo and Hideto got in front of Rei. Mari and Sigma stood close while Sora and Izzy hugged each other out of fear.

“I don’t know where Daemon found such a creature, but the end has come for everything in this world.” Leviamon still had a look of fear as his long mouth stretched into a smile.

“That power...it rivals Arcadiamon himself!” Zero clenched his fists.

“Die. DiE. dIe. DiE. DIE.” The chained member glowed an ominous crimson color.

“You guys fight, Leviamon! Defeat him! Make sure he’s dead!” Zero flew in and grabbed the chained member.

“What about you, Zero?” Rei shouted.

“Only I can fight this thing!” Zero flew high up into the air, surpassing the clouds.

“Wuh-You heard the man! Attack Leviamon! He should be weak enough for this to be an easy win! Come on!” Neo pointed at the great leviathan.

“I am no longer afraid of death! After what I witnessed, I embrace it’s grasp!” Leviamon flew at the six Megas.

“Let's finish this for good!” They all shot red lasers at their Digimon.

Hououmon flew up and caught Leviamon with her claws. The two struggled in the air for several seconds before AxeKnightmon and HerculesKabuterimon grabbed Leviamon’s tail and forced him to the floor. As they held his tails, Hououmon pushed forwards, bending Leviamon backwards and slamming him into the hard ground.

“You people can’t do anything to stop me!” Leviamon let out a pulse of energy. Mervamon and MetalSeadramon surged forwards.

“River Of Power!” MetalSeadramon shot a stream of energy into Leviamon’s belly. He let out a roar as Mervamon ran on top of him, dragging her sword into his stomach.

“Night Stalker!” She shot her snake arm at his eye and Medullia bit down on it. Leviamon roared again before flying back into the sky, throwing off Mervamon.

“You people are strong. It’s too bad you’ll die right now!” Thunder struck the area. “Thunderstorm Breath!” Leviamon shot a large beam that scattered into the area wildly. It tore through the ground as Digimon either retaliated or ran away.

A laser hit Omnimon. “Now’s my chance!” Omnimon flew towards Leviamon's stomach and released his sword.

“Counter his attack now!” AxeKnightmon stopped running and shot his spear at Leviamon. The others shot their own blasts, but were quickly being overwhelmed by Leviamon’s strength.

"While he's stuck, Omnimon! This is our chance!" Hideto yelled.

“Gray Sword!” Omnimon started to spin with his sword above his head. He shot straight through Leviamon, causing the beast to let out another roar of pain.

“Push!” The Tamers yelled.

The Digimon all put their full force into their attacks as the scattered rays from before disappeared. All at once, their blasts collided with Leviamon, ripping through several parts of his body.

“Gah! I was supposed to rule over everything. I wasn't supposed to die to these children!” Leviamon defiantly continued to float in the air.

“Your dreams were wrong and evil without redemption. If you truly had the beneficial destiny you preached, you led yourself astray! Garuru Cannon!” Omnimon aimed his cannon down at Leviamon and released several huge shots.

The air lit up with ice and blue orbs of energy as Leviamon’s entire body started to keel over like a blimp in the sky. He crashed into the ground.

“I may have lost...but Zero will die...Zero...will die!” Leviamon cackled. “I’m coming, my fellow Demon Lords. In Hell we shall bask in our victory!” Leviamon let out one more painful laugh.

He fell away into a huge collection of data.

“Zero.” Rei looked towards the sky.

“I don’t know what that thing was, but it’s not going to be easy to beat him. Even Zero will struggle.”  Neo stood close to his sister.

Everybody looked up while their devices shone with insane stats.

Tai sat in his bed thinking.

“What are you?” Zero stared down the small dog-like creature. It had grown large purple wings.

“I’m Daemon’s favorite friend!” The shadow around him continued to be sucked in.

“Drop the act. You’re a Demon Lord for a reason.” Zero pointed his sword at him.

“Hmmm. I like you.” The creature started to grow. Zero stood his ground as it became huge.

“Then answer my question.” Zero looked up to see its face.

“I was the most powerful Demon Digimon. Far beyond even Mega Daemon. I proved to be too much of a threat for the guardians of our world many years ago, so they sealed away my power. But Daemon knew I could be used later on, so he made me a Demon Lord, waiting for the perfect time to use his trump card.” Its entire body started to take on a demonic form.

“Guardians? Do you mean MagnaAngemon?” Zero slowly flew back from the creature in front of him.

“There are gods. They are weak. In an attempt to seal away my power, they only gave me greater control over it. Now I can go on a rampage when I please!” The creature stopped changing form. Zero wasn't phased by him.

“I don't know who those gods are, but I've already proven that I'm stronger than any demon! Whether the creature's from heaven or hell, I'll beat it!” Zero entered a stance with his two swords out. "For Taichi and his friends!"

“Gooooood.” The creature let out a roar that shook the entirety of Folder.

“Tell me, demon! What is your name?!” Zero’s body sparked with energy.

“I am Belphemon Rage Mode!” The creature bellowed loud enough for everybody at Holy Angel Castle could hear it.

It was twice Zero’s size. It had a black dog-like body with the Mark Of Evil strewn across its chest. Chains with a ghostly smoke were wrapped around its limbs. Golden gloves sat on top of his hands and released green energy claws. His eyes were completely red.

“And I shall be your reaper!” Belphemon flew at Zero.

They immediately met energy sword to energy claw, and the overwhelming force from Belphemon pushed Zero back.

“You don’t just rival Arcadiamon! You surpassed him!” Zero tensed up.

“Without Dot Matrix, that fool is just like any other Mega!” Belphemon continued his assault, leaving Zero no time to counter.

Zero managed to knock away one of Belphemon’s claws long enough to swing at him with his blade. Belphemon quickly guarded himself and they started to trade blows.

They pushed away from each other, now aware of how strong the other one was.

“I’m so excited! I’m going to tear apart this whole world when I’m done with you!” Belphemon flew straight at Zero.

“Heh. I'm weaker because Tai's not here, but that doesn't mean I'll lose!” Zero clotheslined the large demon. He then punched Belphemon through the clouds

“I would never underestimate the one who slayed Ultra Daemon!” Belphemon caught himself midair and his claws lit up.

“Try something, demon! I can take whatever you can give!” Zero raised his blades in anticipation.

“Gift Of Darkness!” Belphemon shot large flaming claw shots at Zero.

“Ulforce Slash!” Zero countered with two huge sword beams.

The large swipes collided, tearing apart the sky itself.

The clouds parted and everybody looked up at the battle.

Zero flew down at Belphemon. Belphemon burst forwards and grabbed the surprised Zero in a bear hug.

“Lampranthus!” Belphemon’s chain started to flare with black flames.

“D-Damn!” Zero felt the warm embrace of the scorching flames surrounding him.

“Should we help him?” Sora’s hands shook.

“He needs all the help he can get. Omnimon-”

“No.” Rei cut Hideto off. “Zero can do this. Taichi knows he can.”

“Get off of me! Ulforce Saber!” Zero released his blades straight through Belphemon’s stomach. Belphemon pushed Zero away and shot several large fireballs out of his mouth.

“Die! Die! Die! Feel the cold embrace of death within my black flames!” Belphemon continued to spout fireballs.

“Is this the best you can do? Tensegrity Shield!” A barrier came out from Zero’s gauntlet and protected him.

“Don’t hide, coward! Dark Horn!” Belphemon rammed into the shield, breaking it with ease.

“I wasn’t hiding, idiot!” Zero collapsed his swords and grabbed Belphemon’s neck.

“Hehehe. Kill me!” Belphemon cackled as Zero tightened his grip, completely crushing the sadist’s neck.

“God you're weird!” Zero threw Belphemon above himself and energy appeared in his hands. “V-Energy Arrow!” He shot a wave of arrow blasts at Belphemon.

“Lightning Horn!” Belphemon’s horns lit up with electricity. He fired several red bolts at the arrows, destroying each one and creating a cloud of smoke.

“Ulforce Saber!” Belphemon heard Zero’s swords come out.

“Found you!” Belphemon shot a huge black flame ball at the noise.

“Sike!” Zero appeared above Belphemon and kicked him in the back. Belphemon coughed up spit as Zero wrapped his arms around the demon’s waist.

“Trying to use my own technique?” Belphemon struggled in Zero’s firm grasp.

“Envy’s one of the sins, right?” Zero plummeted towards the floor.

“I guess Leviamon took a liking to you for a reason-Woah!” Zero threw Belphemon at the floor like a spear.

Belphemon slammed into the ground with a great crash as Zero continued to advance on him.

“You’re making this too fun! Gift Of Darkness!” Belphemon stood in his self-made crater and shot several more flame scratches at Zero. Zero sliced them out of the way, not realizing they were a distraction.

“Shi-”

“Dark Horn!” Belphemon rammed his goat horns into Zero’s chest, leaving a large indent. Zero went flying into the sky, becoming winded in a second.

“This guy...he takes pain like it's nothing. I don’t even know how much longer he can last.” Zero straightened out as Belphemon rushed at him again.

“Lightning Horn!” Belphemon’s horns fired several more bolts at Zero.

“Shining V Force!” Zero shot a golden ray from the V on his chest. It cleared throught the bolts without struggle.

“Oh boy!” Belphemon’s stomach was burned by the laser, leaving a large flaming V and making Belphemon genuinely scream in pain. “You’ll pay for that one!” Belphemon flew at Zero with furious eyes.

“Make me!” Zero backhanded Belphemon the second he was in range. He caught the dog’s leg and clamped down on it.

“You’re no less merciful than I!” Belphemon said right before being spun around at incredible speeds.

“But I’m not a heartless demon like you!” He tossed Belphemon at the ground again, this time putting a spin on him.

Belphemon hit the ground hard like a drill, causing him to go underground. Zero landed and listened for his enemy.

“Die!” Belphemon popped out of the ground behind Zero. Zero spun around and landed a clean cut with his saber. Belphemon backed off and dug into the ground again.

“Relying on rat holes, Demon Lord?” Zero heard the ground underneath him shake.

“Whatever it takes to cause destruction!” Belphemon jumped from underneath Zero. Zero lifted himself into the air and showed his bracelet to the demon.

“Tensegrity Shield!” The shield's sudden appearance ripped off a part of Belphemon’s snout. He grabbed his nose while howling in pain.

“Clever.” Black gas fell from Belphemon’s mouth. He threw his chains into his hands and spun them around.

“Finally using a real weapon instead of your claws?” Zero took a stance with his two sabers released.

“We were all animals once.” Belphemon shot his chains at Zero. Zero barely blocked the first wave, not noticing the chains wrapping around his legs.

“You will never not be a dog!” Zero shot an X shaped slice at Belphemon.

“You give me too little credit! Lampranthus!” Belphemon’s body was surrounded in a protective black flame that destroyed Zero’s attack. The flames coursed through the chains and seared Zero’s legs.

“Aaaah!” Zero cut the chains off his legs and backed away.

“Die!” Belphemon rushed forwards and slashed Zero across the face, leaving four huge marks on his cheek armor.

Zero stumbled back on his weakened legs as Belphemon surged forwards again and slapped him across the other side of his face.

“One clean attack was all I needed!” Belphemon sped up his abuse.

“Now would be a good time to help!” Hideto clenched his teeth.

"Hold on." They all turned to Neo. "I don't think Zero's actually trying."

"Huh? Are you sure?" Rei asked. "He's weaker because Tai isn't here, we don't want him to lose the fight because we thought he wasn't trying!"

"Just watch." Neo crossed his arms.

“I'm going to kill you, dragon knight!" Belphemon swung at him. "And then I'll tear apart your Tamer!"

Zero caught Belphemon's arms faster than anyone could see. "You can threaten me, Demon Lord..." Zero began to crush Belphemon's arms.

“I can and I have..." Belphemon snickered while struggling to escape Zero's grasp.

"But the second you threaten Taichi..." Zero completely crushed Belphemon's arms, making blood spurt out of them. Belphemon stifled a wail of pain. "IS THE SAME SECOND YOU DIE!"

Zero threw Belphemon into the air. Belphemon caught himself midair.

"One last gust of wind under your wings?" Belphemon taunted.

Zero panted for a just a second. "Taichi and his friends' faith in me will come at you like a hurricane, Belphemon!" He warned.

“Your wind will be burned to dust by my flames!” Belphemon’s entire body lit up with flames.

“The winds of the present shall carry my wings to the future! I'll make Taichi proud!” Zero was surrounded by a gigantic dragon figure made of energy.

"Oho!" Belphemon smiled widely. "This is what I've been waiting for!" He roared.

"We should really get some space between ourselves and Zero!" Sigma suggested quickly.

"Right!" Neo and the others ran quickly retreated backwards.

Shockwaves flew out of Zero as the dragon grew ever larger. Belphemon's entire body flared with black fire.

"Remember, Belphemon, the only person to blame for your death is you!" Zero shot at Belphemon incredibly quickly.

“We’ll see who dies! Takai Jigoku! (High Hell!)” Belphemon spawned a circle of flames in front of himself. He fired a huge pillar of flames straight out of it.

“Dragon Impulse X!” Zero rammed straight through it without a second thought.

“What?!” Belphemon’s eyes grew wide as Zero got closer. He swung his claws at the nearly invisible threat, but Zero flew clean through before Belphemon even finished his strike.

“That one was from Neo and AxeKnightmon!” Zero surrounded himself in the dragon aura again.

Belphemon couldn’t retort as he choked on his own blood.

“This one is from Hideto, Sigma, and Mari. Omnimon, MetalSeadramon, and Mervamon!” Zero plowed through Belphemon’s back.

Belphemon tried to roar as two of his wings were torn off by the strike.

“This one’s from Sora and Izzy! Hououmon and HerculesKabuterimon!” Zero plowed through Belphemon’s right arm.

Belphemon let out a few gargled murmus of pain.

"This one's from Rei and all of the Digimon you and the other Demon Lords hurt!" Zero blew off Belphemon's legs as he passed by him.

The broken demon could barely stay conscious as a gigantic aura surrounded Zero.

Zero turned to Belphemon as the aura hit its peak. “And this one! This one is from my best friend and the greatest Tamer alive! The 100% V Tamer that will always push his allies to the future! Taichi Kamiya!” Zero flew at Belphemon.

He flew with so much power spiraling around him that the ground started to tear apart. Thunder started to strike the ground around them so rapidly that it could be passed off as a storm. Everybody was blinded by the huge white aura that covered the sky.

“This was the power I always wanted to experience! The pure destructive strength of the mythical Ulforce and its master!” Belphemon let out a grating cackle.

Zero shot through Belphemon’s body one last time, shooting a ring of energy through the sky. Anybody from the west side of Folder to the south side of File could see it.

Belphemon’s body was completely erased from existence. Not a single bit of data flew from where he once was.

In his place flew a dragon knight who stared at the bright sun.

“Demons will never rule these lands as long as Taichi and I live. There’s a reason we're called the 100% combo.” Zero rubbed the bottom of his nose with his finger as he landed. He drooped. "Man, that guy hit hard..."

“You did it, Zero!” Rei ran up and hugged him.

Zero hugged her back. "Only because my Tamers are so strong." He chuckled.

“That was incredible.” Neo walked over with his hands in his pockets.

“Tai must have raised you better than Miko for you to be able to do that!” Sora laughed.

The others shouted similar compliments as Zero smiled proudly.

“Thanks guys. But remember, you guys and your Digimon defeated the other Demon Lords. I don't think I could have done it all on my own.” Zero gave them all a thumbs up.

"I doubt that." Neo narrowed his eyes at Zero. Zero held his hands up in surrender.

The group looked up at the bright sky before walking back to Holy Angel Castle. The walk would take a while, but they were no longer in a rush.

“I hate it when the humans do good.” Gekovitch mumbled as the others celebrated.

“They’re acting like we didn’t do anything.” Leo bit down on a huge chunk of meat.

Agumon and several In-Training Digimon danced around the feet of the Tamers.

Nobody noticed as Zero and MagnaAngemon slipped out.

“You truly are incredible, Zeromaru.” MagnaAngemon and Zero stood atop the castle walls.

“Thank you, Lord MagnaAngemon.” Zero stared out into the lovely green lands.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” MagnaAngemon turned to face the dragon knight.

“Belphemon mentioned something strange. He said that there were gods beyond you who protect our world.” Zero crossed his arms.

“Really? I had always thought those were just rumors." MagnaAngemon looked towarsd the sky. "Some say the stars that shoot across the dark skies are the gods checking on us. However, in times of turmoil, you never see such a beautiful sight.” He almost sounded annoyed.

“I wonder what the gods think of me and Taichi...Hopefully, only good things.” Zero looked up at the clean skies.

“They’d be foolish to think anything less about their saviours.” MagnaAngemon patted Zero on his shoulder before going back into the castle.

“Heh. We’re not saviors. We’re just a boy and his Digimon on a journey.” Zero continued to stare at the bright sun that Taichi trusted. He felt its relaxing rays surround him like a reward for his efforts.

“We did it! We did it! We did it!” Mari danced around crazily while Sigma did a small celebration dance next to her.

“Man, if being a hero gets you all this, then I can't complain about helping the Digital World." Sora and Izzy looked at a table filled with food.

“Even when Tai isn’t here, he’s saving us. Freakin' incredible." Neo grumbled.

“I can’t disagree with that.” Rei looked at her D-1 with a smile.

“We should head home and tell Tai.” The group walked over to Neo and Rei.

“Yup. Let’s head out.” Neo barely took a step forward before being hoisted over several Angemon. The other Tamers were quickly lifted up as well.

“The destined saviors of the Digital World! The Digidestined!” The Angemon shouted.

“Even me?” Neo asked one of the Angemon.

“Even you, scarf boy!” The Angemon responded.

Neo and the others smiled at each other.

“Thank you all. We’ll handle things the best we can. Take some time to relax. Just, try not to break your arm in the process.” MagnaAngemon and the other defenders waved bye to them as a portal opened behind the Tamers.

The Tamers said their farewells as they walked through the portal.

“Stay safe everybody.” Neo did a playful gun motion.

They all waved bye at their trusted hero.

“So this is how Tai feels. I guess being a hero does have its perks.” Neo thought as he walked through the portal.

“Mr. Kamiya, you have visitors!” A nurse shouted on the other side of the door. Tai quickly rubbed his eyes with his hand.

“Come in!” Tai leaned back in his bed. He was hoping to high heaven that seven kids would come in.

"We did it!" Mari basically flipped into the room.

“Yeah!" Rei moved in too. She looked at Tai, seeing his eyes were somewhat red. "Tai?” Rei pointed at him. “Were you crying?”

Tai smiled reassuringly. "The nurses use a really annoying air freshener that stings my eyes. Anyways, are you guys sure all of them are dead?" Tai sat up in bed.

"Yeah. The Digimental was also destroyed." Hideto and the others weren't sure what to think of this.

“Oh well. That thing was more trouble than it was worth. Especially if it could bring back Daemon.” Tai shrugged.

“What do we do now, I wonder?” Sora messed with the red device in her hands.

“Well, you can focus on the tournament again. You’ve been so focused on the Digital World; you guys were probably left in the dust by a bunch of random children.” Rei pointed at Neo’s device.

“You’re right! I’m going after the top 30 the second I can!” Neo closed his hand around the device. 

“Dang. I’ll be out for two weeks! There’s no way the hospital would let people come into my room just to fight!” Tai groaned.

“I’m sure the V-Tamer will figure it out.” Sigma teased.

“Let’s just hope this peace lasts a little longer than a day this time.” Neo nodded at Tai before walking out.

“Yeah, or I might have to work with him again...I hope you get better soon, Tai.” Sora patted his arm before walking out.

The others gave their final comments before leaving. Tai and Rei were alone in the room.

“You did good, Rei. My plan worked perfectly because of you.” Tai smiled at her.

“Oh I didn’t do too much. Zero did all the hard work.” Rei placed his Digimon dock on the bedside table.

“You were still his Tamer though. Thanks for the help.” Tai rested his head once again.

“Get better soon, Tai. I’ll be back tomorrow.” Rei wheeled over to the door.

“Don’t force yourself. Your health is just as important as mine.” Tai waved bye to her.

He lay in silence and looked at his device.

“I missed you, Zero. It’s not fun to be alone with my thoughts.” Tai grabbed his device.

The vision of Zero’s data wasting away came through his mind.

He gripped his device tightly as the sun became brighter than ever.

To be continued...

Chapter Text

Two weeks after Six Severed Sins.

A boy walked out of the hospital with his parents at his side. He had a wide grin as he rubbed his hands together, feeling the flames of battle brewing within him.

“Tai should be leaving the hospital today! I wonder why Rei and the others decided to stay home?” Sora and Izzy walked towards the hospital.

“Maybe they just didn’t have the time. It is a really long walk.” Izzy’s drooped.

“You’ll live.” Sora reassured him.  She looked at her red Digimon dock. “I can’t believe we’ve managed to reach top 30 in Odaiba!” 

“Only because we worked together. HerculesKabuterimon and Hououmon are the best!” Izzy waved his purple device in the air.

“Oh really?” Two random kids walked up to the pair with their Digimon docks out.

Sora and Izzy smiled.

After a little bit, Sora and Izzy lowered their guard. “The winner of this Digimon battle is: Team Izora!” The devices announced. Sora and Izzy waved bye to the defeated challengers and walked off.

“We can beat anybody at this point! Heck, Neo could challenge us and I’m sure we could beat him!” Sora yelled a little too loudly.

“I’m not Neo, but I’d be happy to challenge that theory.” They both heard a familiar voice.

Izzy and Sora looked forward. “T-T-” Izzy stuttered.

“Tai!” Sora ran forwards and hugged him. Tai let out a yelp as she accidentally crushed his arm. He still reciprocated the hug with a smile though.

“It’s good to see you two. Let’s go home. I never want to see that place again.” Tai walked between the two.

“Where are your parents? Didn’t they have to pick you up?” Sora and Izzy ran to his side.

“They did, but they left right afterwards. Apparently, they both have some business to attend to.” Tai sighed. “And yet they have the free time to tell me to do my homework.”

“Well, at least you have us.” Izzy smiled.

“Speaking of friends, where are the others?” Tai looked around, waiting for somebody to jump out at them.

“I don’t know. I’m sure they were all busy with something.” Sora shrugged.

“Yeah. Hopefully they don’t go to the hospital just to find I was discharged a while ago.” Tai let out a laugh.

They walked home, bumping into more than a few Tamers. But eleven Tamers watched them from a distance, hiding themselves.

Tai had noticed them pretty quickly, but he wouldn't let them ruin his mood for now.

“Here we are!" Tai waved his hands at his apartment building. "Never have I wanted to see this dingy building more in my life!”

"Let's go to your place, Taichi." Sora patted him on the shoulder.

"Come on, guys!" Tai marched up the stairs. Sora and Izzy followed.

They reached his apartment and Tai went for the door. He twisted the knob, raising an eyebrow as he found the door to be open.

"Huh? The door's open?" Tai noticed. "But mom and dad are out right now..."

"Hmm...maybe someone broke in?" Izzy guessed.

"Whoever it is..." Sora and Tai exchanged glances. "They're not getting away with it." Sora punched her palm.

Tai opened the door slightly. Sora peeked in.

Sora blinked a few times. "O-Oh...huh..." She muttered.

"Yeah?" Tai opened the door fully and walked in.

“Surprise!” Alias III and the Saibas shouted. “You're all better!”

Tai immediately moved in front of Sora and raised his arms defensively. "What are you doing in my-wait a minute, wuh?” he finally registered what was happening.

“You guys could have told us about this!” Sora and Izzy walked in.

“Sorry.” Hideto had a small smile as Tai looked at the decorations in his apartment.

“Should we tell him about the fact that we broke into the apartment?” Sigma whispered to Mari. She threw away a hairpin in response.

Rei wheeled over to the fridge and took something out. Neo slipped his hands around Tai’s eyes.

“The heck-”

“Rei said this would be a big surprise, so no looking until she’s done.” Neo felt somewhat embarrassed by the position he was in.

Rei opened up a container and put something on the table. Everybody whistled at the site.

“You can look now!” Rei said with excitement. Neo pulled his hands back and Tai’s eyes grew wide at the sight.

In front of him was a Neapolitan ice cream cake with fudge, chocolate chips, caramel, whip cream, nuts, sprinkles, candy chocolates, skittles, chocolate peanut butter cups, and gummy bears.

“I made sure to remove the nuts once before placing them on again.” Rei smiled.

Genuine tears came to Tai’s eyes.

“W-Wow. Uh...you guys did all of this for me?” Tai wiped his eyes. "It's all so much...you didn't have to do this."

"Too late now." Hideto shrugged.

“Don't worry about it. The world’s brighter with a happy Tai Kamiya, after all.” Neo knocked him towards the cake.

“Let’s party!” Mari took out several red solo cups.

They all cheered as the cake was distributed and cups were filled 

They mostly played multiplayer games on the consoles that Tai owned. They played Rush 2 for the N64. Puyo Puyo~n party, which Rei kicked all of their behinds at. They even played Mortal Kombat 4, which quickly ended after Tai and Neo nearly came to blows over the age-old Scorpion vs Sub-Zero debate.

Laughs, excited shouting, and grand ol stupidity was the goal, and it was mission accomplished. And it felt good to celebrate like completely normal people for once, nothing about the Digital World being brought up for a good while.

“To my best friends. The wind beneath my wings!” They all punched their glasses together.

“Wooh boy, I gotta take a breather.” Mari put down her cup and went outside to get some air.

She walked onto the street and took a deep breath. Mari smiled before turning back towards the stairs.

“Mari Goutokuji.” She turned around to find a girl her age with a mask behind her. Ten more surrounded her. They all wore masks with distinctive symbols.

Mari gasped. "You people. Aren't you the people who have going around destroying people's devices?!" Mari pointed at the one who had called her name.

"Sad that you only recognize us from that." The person walked closer to her. "Mari." She repeated with a venomous tone.

"Why would I recognize you people...otherwise..." Mari looked around the group again. Her eyes grew wide as she realized that there were exactly eleven girls.

"Are you sure you don't recognize us?" The girl asked.

"O-Oh, it's...you gals..." Mari stumbled back. "H-Hey. What did you want?” She accidently backed into the most developed teen, who wore a mask with a lion and flame symbol.

“You recently reached top 10 in Odaiba. Now, we have a question. I think you know what it is.” The women pushed Mari away.

Mari stood in silence as the group got closer to her.

“Maybe she knows the question, but I don’t. So, could you guys maybe stop being so cryptic and talk like normal human beings?” Everybody turned to the brown-haired boy with a stern look on his face.

Tai glared at all of them. Mari made an X with her hands while shaking her head.

“Tai Kamiya. Rank 48 in Odaiba. Secondary champion. Hardly a threat.” A girl with a wolf symbol on her mask spoke up.

“What do you want?” A girl with a rabbit on her mask said coldly.

Tai gulped down the drink in his hand and crushed his cup. “An ass to kick if you guys have one.” He balled his fists. Mari basically fainted.

“Ha. Hahaha! He got you good!” A girl with a snake on her mask laughed while pointing at the bunny girl.

“What a verbose champion we have here." The lion girl scoffed. "A test of your strength is in order.” She put her hand on the shoulder of a girl wearing a mask with an octopus and hammer on it. She pushed her forward.

“Me? Alright. I’ll make you proud, Olympos I.” The octopus masked girl took a stance.

“My first battle out of the hospital. Let’s hope it's a good-”

“Hold on Tai!” Mari ran over to him. “You don’t want to make these people your enemies!” She waved her hand at the group.

“We’ve fought actual demons. A couple of girls with masks don’t scare me. Not unless it’s that time of the-ow.” Tai rubbed his head after Mari smacked him.

“Trust me, Tai! You need to apologize. Before they hurt Zero.” Mari turned to the group. Tai’s face took on a serious look as Mari clapped her hands onto her sides and gulped.

She moved to bow when Tai’s arm was put in front of her.

“Something's going on here. Something that you know and I don't. No matter what it is though, there is no way in heck I’m going to let you bow down to these brats.” Tai said sternly. Mari watched him walk forwards with an orange device in his hand.

“Do you accept Olympos XI's challenge, Kamiya?” The octopus masked girl took out her device. The bottom half was white and the top half was bright blue like the sky.

“I don’t plan on ever backing down! 100% no matter what!” Tai put his device out.

“Don’t fail, Olympos XI.” Olympos I stepped back. Everybody followed her, including Mari.

“Battle!” XI and Tai yelled.

“Digimon load! Tai Kamiya, registered champion: Zeromaru the UlforceVeedramon. Olympos XI: Vulcanusmon.” The devices’ voices distorted as Vulcanusmon appeared on the field.

"Vulcanusmon? I've never heard of that Digimon before..." Tai furrowed his eyebrows.

“When I beat you, I’ll destroy your device!” Olympos XI threatened. Mari started to sweat as a smile appeared on Tai’s face.

“And when I beat you, I’ll laugh at you and your friends’ faces.” Tai rolled his shoulders.

“Ulforce Saber!” Zero dashed forwards.

“Bomber Art!” Flames surrounded the tools in Vulcanusmon’s hands. Zero landed his blow without any trouble, making the blacksmith Digimon stumble back.

“What is she planning?” Tai wondered.

“V-Energy Arrow!” Zero shot three arrow blasts at Vulcanusmon.

“Pinpoint Weapon Works!” Vulcanusmon managed to manufacture three large shields and swords before the arrows landed. He blocked them with ease.

“He created weapons?” Tai noted.

“Vulcanusmon is the weakest of the Olympus Digimon, but his smithery skills make him more than a match for your Zeromaru.” XI said confidently.

“We’ll see about that! Hit him with an Ulforce Saber!” Tai pressed another button. Zero flew forwards and swung his blade. Vulcanusmon locked his three shields together and rebuffed the attack with little effort.

“Blacksmith’s Blade!” Vulcanusmon landed three slashes across Zero’s chest, leaving long scratches.

“Are you ready to surrender and apologize, ‘champion’?” XI balled her fist.

“I get it. Your Vulcanusmon is capable of adapting to any situation within moments. Brute force might actually be more important than strategy when fighting him.” Tai closed his eyes in thought for a second. “Too bad for you.” He pressed a button.

Zero surged forwards and Vulcanusmon raised his shields in defense. Zero plowed his fist straight through the shield and smacked Vulcanusmon’s glass case. Vulcanusmon lowered his guard as he stumbled back.

“Woah, what the heck?!-Er, don’t lose focus, XI. Everything will be alright.” XI took in deep breaths. “You got this, Vulcanusmon!”

“Blacksmith Rush!” Vulcanusmon ran at Zero and swung his swords and shield at him. Zero easily weaved through the attacks.

"Keep it up, Zero. Wait for an opening." Tai whispered.

“Vulcanusmon! Stop missing!” XI sounded exasperated. Vulcanusmon’s attacks got sloppy and lost speed.

“Hey, try not to get flustered.” Tai told the girl. He couldn’t see her face, but he could tell she was confused.

“W-Why do you care?” She shot at him.

“If you lose your grip on the fight, your Digimon will also panic. You need to keep a clear head and assess the situation.” Tai had a calming voice.

“Assess the situation?” The girl looked at the battle. Volcanusmon was still throwing out slow and inefficient attacks.

“For example, his attacks are slow because of those shields that he has. If he’s on the offensive, he has no reason to use them, and they're so big and clunky that they're getting in the way. He should switch them out for more swords.” Tai pointed at the two small holograms duking it out.

“Uh, yeah.” XI pressed a button and Vulcanusmon pulled back for a second.

“Appropriate Works!” Vulcanusmon made three swords out of the shields and equipped them. He ran at Zero again.

“Now, all you would have to do is keep the pressure up. With six arms and swift attacks, you could easily overwhelm the opponent." Tai smiled.

"You're acting like I can't do that right now." XI started to sound stressed again.

"Make sure to remember what I told you for future fights, girl." Tai grimaced. "But you should also know that you never stood a chance of winning this one! Go, Shining V Force!" Tai pressed a button and Zero shot a golden beam at Vulcanusmon. It surrounded him and the field with a bright light.

"The winner of this Digimon battle is: Tai Kamiya. 100% win rate." Tai pulled back his device. 

"In one blow? Maybe we underestimated him." The wolf mask talked to Olympos I.

"I'll drink to that!" The snake mask tried to drink grape juice through her mask with little success.

"You're a good Tamer with a strong Digimon. Just remember what I said, and you'll do great." Tai gave XI a thumbs up. She backed away, unsure of what to say.

"We'll be back, Mari...I hope you remember how to be loyal once we return." Olympos I looked at Mari. "And we'll have our eyes on you, Kamiya." She glared at Tai.

"Marry me." Tai said sarcastically.

"Hmph. Let's go." Olympos I walked off. Nine of the girls followed.

“I’m sorry, Mari.” A girl with a dove and a heart on her mask said.

“It’s okay, Lily.” Mari waved bye to her.

“Hmm. Interesting group.” Tai crossed his arms.

Mari looked hesitant to speak.

“Tell me when you want to. Just try to do it soon." Tai turned around as he heard footsteps.

“There you two are!” Neo walked up behind them.

“Yeah?” Tai turned to him.

“Karaoke is about to start! Sora’s up first. Come on, we can’t miss this.” Neo walked up the stairs.

“Why not?” Tai grinned. Neo took out a camera.

“Good blackmail material. Let’s go!” Neo bolted up the steps.

“Blackmail, huh? Those two just can't get along." Tai shook his head. "Come on, Mari! I wanna see this too!” Tai chased after Neo.

Mari looked behind herself, seeing the long hair of one of the members turning down a street. She let out a sigh before following Tai.

"Butterfly by Koji Wada. Please, no recording." Sora held a mic. Neo snickered and held his camera up at her.

She started to sing and the crowd cheered. She really got into it and Neo lowered the camera.

"On! My! LOOOOOOOVE!" Sora finished and took in several breaths.

Everybody clapped, Tai and Izzy being the loudest. Neo stood stunned.

"Still going to use it as blackmail?" Tai leaned over to him. Neo was still too shocked to respond. "Uh, Neo?" Tai nudged him in the side.

"Her voice is beautiful-I mean-uh, um. I accidentally turned the camera off without noticing. Whoops." Neo coughed.

Tai looked dumbfounded before a smile appeared

“What?” Neo saw his dumb smile.

“I can't say I disagree.” Tai looked back at Sora. "Your secret's safe with me."

“I-no-it’s...Thanks.” Neo took a long drink of punch.

“Next up, a duet!” Sigma and Izzy looked nervous. The crowd cheered them on as the mic gave them feedback.

“We’re going to be performing Mother by Danzig.” Everybody took a second to register what the two quiet and reserved boys said.

Heavy metal and rough voices started blare through the apartment and the baffled crowd screamed in excitement.

“Perfect. It was all perfect.” Tai talked to his friends as they stood outside his door.

“All for you, Tai. See ya soon.” Neo gave Tai a fist bump. Tai waved bye to them all, leaving only him and Mari at the door.

“Can I talk to you about that mess from earlier?” Mari’s cat eyes were full of worry.

“Sure.” Tai made sure they were all gone before she started.

Mari took a deep breath.

“Before I met you guys, I was in a group called Tulip Twelve. Twelve girls who were good at Digimon. I was the tenth best in the group.” Mari put her hands over the nearby stone railing.

Tai walked over and did the same. “Who was number one?” Tai saw Hideto, Sigma, Neo, and Rei walking away.

“A girl named Ariana. If I had to guess, she goes by Olympos I now.” Mari shook her head from disappointment.

“Looks like she picked up her job as leader again...fantastic." Tai sighed. "So, what happened to the Tulip Twelve?” He narrowed his eyes at the sidewalk.

“We...we were horrible people. We bullied people into battling us just so we could gang up on them. We mostly focused males too..." Mari admitted. "But one day, we found a slim kid with a big smirk. So, Ariana, me, and my best friend-or, former best friend-Lily, challenged him.” 

“Slim kid? Let me guess...” Tai knew for sure who it was.

“It was Neo." Mari and Tai said at the same time. Mari dropped her head.

"Should have seen that coming." Tai mumbled.

"He walloped the three of us in one-on-one battles...then he beat all three of us together." Mari muttered.

"Seriously?" Tai furrowed his eyebrows. "How the heck did Zero and I tie with him?" He wondered to himself.

"Lily and I shrugged it off, but Ariana...boy was she angry. I think Neo managed to give her a superiority complex after one fight-"

"-Believe me. It's apparently not that hard to do-"

"-And she disbanded the Tulip Twelve soon afterwards because we ‘sucked more than the average high school girl’.” Mari sighed.

"I 'wonder' what she meant by that." Tai laughed.

“A couple of days later, I got a message from Neo saying that my deceptive personality and adequate skills could be useful for a project. So, I went to the Digital World.” Mari let out a tired breath. “And we both know how that went.”

"He probably chose to use you because you weren't strong enough to beat him, and because you were confident." Tai figured. "He knew you wouldn't realize that he planned on just using you."

"Sounds about right..." Mari pouted.

“Alright. It looks like they came back together and were headhunting you. They must have also gotten stronger if they were so confident around me.” Tai looked at his device.

“That's why I didn’t want you to fight them. If all eleven of them gang up on you, they’ll beat you and take your device." Mari stared at his Digimon dock. "Even Zero has his limits. And I really wouldn't put it past them to force you to fight all of the at the same time.” Mari took out her own device.

“Don't worry about it. Together, we’ll be fine. All seven of us, we’ll face anything head on." Tai told her encouragingly. "We’ll show Ariana what real teamwork looks like.” He patted her on the shoulder.

“You always know what to say. Have a good day, Tai.” Mari waved bye and walked down the stairs.

“I got your back...” Tai stared at the sun that lay right in front of him. "...I always do..."

Eleven figures sat in a circle around a blue orb.

“I’m not looking forward to fighting Mervamon.” Venusmon frowned.

“Forget that traitor. She deserves everything that comes to her!” Marsmon burned with anger.

“Now, now. We’re not going on a killing spree. We’re just trying to stop Zero and Taichi.” Apollomon sat straight up in his seat.

“It’s foolish to leave this to eleven human girls! We should descend on the Digital World and force Zero into combat!” Dianamon gripped her twin scythe.

“That would be a gross misuse of our power. Under no circumstance are you supposed to meet anybody in combat unless in the human world.” Jupitermon said with patience. "It wouldn't work, anyways. There's a reason we cannot face Zero in straight combat."

"One that we've explained several times." Apollomon muttered under his breath.

"Zeromaru is far too powerful for us to face in the Digital World. He defeated Belphemon while at a lower power level and while he was holding back. Fighting him and Taichi in the Digital World would be tantamount to suicide." Jupitermon shook his head.

"Makes sense! So how about we our duty leave it to eleven random teenagers." Dianamon rolled her eyes.

"You know why we trust Ariana and her allies to stop Taichi." Apollomon pointed at her angrily. "Zero's power in the human world is far more limited than ours. It's the only way we can beat him."

"They are competent Tamers. With our strength and their wits, we stand a chance against Taichi and Zeromaru." Jupitermon explained calmly.

"Perhaps they are good Tamers, but they are incompetent people! When given the chance to fight Taichi, they sent in their-our weakest member!" Dianamon pointed at Vulcanusmon.

"Don't involve me in your guys' bickering." Vulcanusmon mumbled.

"Those humans don't stand a chance of defeating Taichi, we all know it!" Dianamon looked at everyone in the room.

"But we have no other options!" Apollomon shouted. "Zero can easily kill each of us!" He argued.

Apollomon and Dianamon continued their squabble, with Jupitermon occasionally jumping in on Apollomon's side.

“There they go again. You people need to chill.” Bacchusmon rested on top of Ceresmon, who simply grunted as Bacchusmon ripped a fruit off a nearby tree.

“Making wine again, Bacchusmon?” Ceresmon laughed.

“That drunkard is not fit for battle!” Merukimon swung at the air quickly. "But I do agree. Training is hard with those three being so loud."

“Your just punching the air. Don't pretend like your training." Neptunemon bonked him on the head with his spear.

“What a mess those humans have caused.” Volcanusmon tinkered as the hall erupted with argument. 

“Enough!” Everybody quieted as Jupertimon spoke up. “Apollomon, I expect you to do a better job of keeping the group together, or I will have to take the title of leader away from you. My wounds are not an excuse for any of us to falter.” Jupitermon gripped his side. Four long scratch marks lay on it.

“Yeah everybody! You better listen!” Junomon pointed at them

“Yes, I know..." Apollomon sighed. "Enough arguing for today. We’ll just have to wait for the human's next move.” Apollomon leaned back in his seat.

The orb in the middle of room pulsed. A panel with Zero appeared.

“Olympos XI. What a fearsome group they’re going to be.” Tai looked at his device. “Wait...Am I really rank 48?” Tai quickly pulled up a chart and found that he had jumped up to 33.

He looked at the top 15 and found a few familiar faces.

Hideto, Mari, Sigma, and Neo were ranked 2, 8, 6, and 1 respectively. Twelve women with masks littered the top 15 all over, with the lion masked girl being number 3.

“Number three, huh? Oh they are going down! Number one is the only place fit for the 100% V-Tamer!” Tai raised his device high.

He didn’t notice as it pulsed.

To be continued...

Chapter Text

"Waaah! Taichi! Everybody is giving Zero energy!” Gabo ran to the distraught Tamer.

“They’ve all gotten courage from you and Zero. Me too...the courage to not give up!” Rei put her hand over her heart.

“Rei…” Tai looked at her.

“What you have done for everyone is amazing!” She shouted joyfully. “You’ve brought everyone together like this!”

All the Digimon Tai had helped on his journey turned to him with wide smiles.

“G...guys…” Tai was stunned.

Jijimon burst into the room and ran to Zero’s side.

He looked around, seeing everyone. “Er...Taichi. I...I’m sorry to inform you and everybody else of this, but…” Jijimon dropped his head.

“But what?” Rei’s body shook.

Jijimon stayed silent and looked away from Tai.

“No. No! No no no!” Tai grabbed Jijimon by the shoulders.

“I’m sorry, Taichi. Zero has no way of surviving Dot Matrix. He has mere moments to live.” Jijimon whispered to Tai.

Tai placed his hands on Zero’s healing capsule.

“Then we lost.” Tai said without a doubt in his mind.

Soon after, Dominimon, Regulumon, and Omnimon were absorbed by Arcadiamon. Each and every defender, all of Taichi’s Digimon allies, and even the humans were destroyed.

As Tai stared at Arcadiamon he could only think one thing.

“If only we had been stronger...if only I was stronger.”

Arcadiamon’s tentacles intertwined.

He and Tai stared into each other's eyes.

Tai closed his eyes right as Arcadiamon shot his spear forward.

“No! No…” Tai shot up in bed. He panted for a few seconds before falling back into bed.

He curled up into the fetal position, feeling his body shaking.

"I just want to sleep..." Tai whispered to himself. "Can't I just sleep?!" He cried.

Since the day they had come back, Tai had nightmares about the many horrible things that happened to him in the Digital World. Nightmares that no one but he and Zero could understand.

What if Myotismon had killed him?

What if SkullSatamon ended Zero while Tai hopelessly watched on?

What if he had died at the sacred tree?

What if Zero had killed Rei in their first encounter?

What if? What if?

What if Tai had been the tiniest bit weaker?

How much more would have been lost?

Tai closed his eyes, seeing Arcadiamon in the darkness. He opened his eyes back up.

He looked over to his alarm clock, seeing that it wasn't even close to morning. So, he would just lay in bed and try his best not to think. Sleep wasn't coming to him again, now that Arcadiamon had invaded his thoughts again.

Tai wondered if anyone thought he was different. He was doing everything he could to hide his fears.

And he would keep hiding his fear.

The V-Tamer didn't have time to be scared.

"I'm so tired..." Tai muttered.

“Hey guys!” Tai waved at Alias III and the Saibas. Sora and Izzy stood behind him.

"About time you people get here." Neo grumbled.

"Brother, we're only here to celebrate your rise to first place. You could be a little nicer." Rei sighed.

“Celebrated one thing yesterday and now we're celebrating again today. Oh well, I can't complain." Mari shrugged.

"I don't see why we're celebrating my rise to number 1. It was inevitable." Neo's smirked widely.

“Don’t be too modest.” Sora teased. Neo’s smile didn’t drop like it normally would after she spoke.

“Yay indeed.” Sigma, Mari, and Hideto nodded. Rei also nodded, fully aware of what they meant.

“Come on! Let’s hit it again!” Mari and the others ran to an ocean side restaurant near the harbor.

Three girls of varying ages watched them. “Our targets aren’t particularly wise, are they?” A girl wearing casual summer clothing and a mask with a fish and a wave symbol asked.

“What have we told you about wearing casual outfits while we're hunting?! It makes us look uncoordinated!” Another girl wearing a white robe and a mask with a panther head and two swords clashing complained.

“Olympos VII, Olympos VI, I humbly request that you both shut up!” The final girl, who wore a similar white robe along with her mask that had a wolf head and a brain on it, ordered.

“Oh, look at me! I’m Olympos V! So I get to order around everybody! Get over yourself, Wendy!” Olympos VII brushed her away.

“That's Olympos V to you!" V poked her in the chest. "And how about you get over yourself? Aside from Tadashi, we're the only friends you have, Carly!" V yelled. "Oh wait. Tadashi doesn't like you anymore!"

"That's because you idiots made me leave him!" VII replied angrily. "All because he was a male Tamer!"

"And he was short." VI coughed.

All three of them argued a little while longer. Eventually, V flicked her fingers on both of their masks.

“We came here to take down some of Kamiya and Neo's friends. We don't need them getting in the way and it'll send a warning to them to stop being so confident. Come on! Focus!” The trio continued to watch the seven children in silence.

The group had been talking for a little while. Some of them had already finished their food.

“I’ll be back. I need to ‘empty my recycle bin’ if you know what I mean.” Sigma brushed himself off. Izzy nodded at the joke.

Sora looked over to the sandy beach next to the restaurant. “Come on, Tai! Let's check if there are crabs on the beach! I wanna see one!” Sora stood up and grabbed a boy’s hand.

“Heck yeah! Give me a second-Sora?” Tai watched her run off with a very confused boy being dragged behind her.

“Yay. A million times yay.” Mari sipped some lemonade.

Sigma stepped out of the bathroom. “That place was gross. I’ll certainly make sure to mention that in the review.” He brushed himself off.

“Oooh! I love your hair!” A girl said to him.

“Wuh? Uh...Thanks.” Sigma smiled nervously. He focused his vision past the hair in his eyes to see who had given the compliment.

“Hi there, Sigma! Rank, what was it, 6? That’s so cool! I’m rank 10 right now!” Sigma saw the girl’s casual wear.

“You’re a Tamer then? Interesting. Well, it was nice meeting you. Thank you for the compliment. I think your hair looks nice too-woah!” Sigma stepped back as he looked at the girl’s face. It was the girl with the fish and wave symbol mask.

“Of course I’m a Tamer! I’m Olympos VII!” VII raised her device that looked the same as XI’s.

“Olympos? Those girls who have been bullying random challengers into submission! You people take devices and destroy them! You’re pure evil!” Sigma took out his device.

“Blame Ari-Oop! I mean, Olympos I!” VII let out a nervous giggle.

“You wanted to fight right? You’re on! I won’t let your madness continue!” Sigma gripped his device tightly.

“Then let’s do this!” She casually walked forwards and they banged their devices together.

“Digimon load! Sigma: MetalSeadramon! Olympos VII: Neptunemon!” The devices announced.

"Neptunemon?" Sigma muttered to himself. "I've never heard of that one..."

“Let’s battle!” They both shouted.

“I remember running up and down the sands as ‘practice’ for soccer. In reality, it was just an excuse for us to screw around. Good memories, huh Tai?” Sora walked while holding the boy’s hand.

“Sora-”

“Where are those crabs I wonder…” Sora listened for scuttling.

“Sora-”

“Ooh, remember that time I gave you a shell necklace-”

“Sora!” She stopped talking and turned to the boy she was holding. 

Neo had an angry and embarrassed expression. He was absolutely freaked.

“N...Neo.” She let go of his hand and wiped it on her pants.

Neo stood silently, still very confused.

“I-uh-didn’t mean to do that. I thought Tai was sitting next to me.” Sora rubbed the back of her head.

“We changed seats.” Neo’s eyes stared into the distance.

The two of them stood in awkward silence as they thought they heard Sigma yell at somebody.

“So...I guess we should go back now then?” Sora cleared her throat awkwardly.

“Yes. Yes we should." Neo sighed. "I hope you're ready for lots of teasing, you orange-haired fool."

"Don't let Tai hear you insult me." Sora warned as the two took a step towards the restaurant.

"What, is he going 'hurt' me?" Neo remembered Tai's threat to him the day before they searched for the Demon Lords.

"Believe me, Tai's done it for much less." Sora admitted.

"Uh...huh." Neo furrowed his eyebrows.

They heard somebody clear their throat behind them and turned around. Two girls stood in front of them. “Neo Saiba. Winner of several Digimon tournaments. Tied with Taichi on three occasions. Nothing more, nothing less." V and VI walked over to the duo.

“She stole my catchphrase!” Neo balled his fists.

“You have a catchphrase?” Sora stifled a laugh. Neo coughed in embarrassment.

“Doesn’t matter! What do you want?” Neo looked at the two girls.

“Neo Saiba, we have come to send a message to Tai Kamiya and to take revenge for Olympos I. No champion is safe from the Olympos XI. Not even you, Saiba.” V showed off her device.

“And Sora Takenouchi. Rank 27, while your partner Izumi is rank 28. By no means incredible, but it’s still good enough.” VI shrugged.

"Good enough?" Sora frowned angrily. "I take offense to that." She narrowed her eyes at them.

“Wait, you said Olympos? You mean the pack of thugs who are harassing people and destroying their devices?!” Neo’s eyes flared with rage.

“What? That’s horrible!” Sora took out her device.

“Those not fit to own a Digimon have no reason to have a Digimon dock. We are simply weeding out the weak from the strong.” V brushed her robe.

“I can agree with that much.” VI rolled her shoulders.

“You’re going down!” Neora declared. They nodded at each other. Neo took out his bone white device and they bumped all four devices together.

“Digimon load! Team Neora: Hououmon and DarkestAxeKnightmon! Team Olympos V and VI: Marsmon and Merukimon!” The devices announced.

"Marsmon? Merukimon?" Neo furrowed his eyebrows. "Haven't heard of those two before. Not like it matters..."

“Battle!” They shouted.

“MetalSeadramon! That’s quite the foe.” VII looked at the large sea dragon.

“Neptunemon...Both of our Digimon look like they could do with some water.” Sigma noted.

“You want some water? You got some water! Neptunemon, Abyss Sanctuary!” VII pressed a button.

The battlefield immedietaly expanded to be much longer. Neptunemon raised his hand upwards, and a huge palace appeared on the field. It was more than large enough for the two to battle comfortably. Water spilled out from it and drowned the entire arena.

"W-What? What type of move is that?" Sigma gasped. "Why in the world would they give a Digimon the ability to flood the field?" He thought to himself.

“Now we can battle to our fullest! I’m coming at you, Sigma!” VII pressed another button and Neptunemon rushed into the castle.

“After him!” MetalSeadramon lunged into the expansive palace.

MetalSeadramon weaved through the palace until he entered the main hall, where Neptunemon waited confidently. MetalSeadramon roared at him.

“Vortex Infiltrate!” Neptunemon threw his spear at MetalSeadramon’s nose. He easily dodged it, but he failed to realize that it turned around and continued to hunt him.

“River Of-Aah!” MetalSeadramon yelped as the spear dug through his hair and into the back of his neck.

“Gate Of Atlantis!” Neptunemon summoned two water balls in his hand and fused them together. He shot a large, pressured water pillar at MetalSeadramon.

“Horn Of The Lake!” MetalSeadramon cut the pillar in half with his horn. He rushed forward the second the blast ended and slammed the side of his head into Neptunemon’s chest. Neptunemon took this opportunity to rip his spear out of MetalSeadramon’s neck.

“Terrible Bite!” Neptunemon moved back and shot his spear forwards. The open tips tried to clamp down on MetalSeadramon.

“Shimetsuke!” MetalSeadramon bit down on the head of the spear and flung Neptunemon at the glass window behind them. He flew straight through and ended in the courtyard, quickly regaining his balance as MetalSeadramon surged forth.

“Poseidon's Storm!” Neptunemon pointed his fingers at MetalSeadramon and shot several water bullets at him. Most of them were harmless to the heavily armed dragon, but a few stuck deep into his armor.

“River Of Power!” MetalSeadramon lifted his head over Neptunemon and shot a stream of energy. Neptunemon dodged out of the way, getting the back of his tail burned.

“Vortex Infiltrate!” Neptunemon flew behind MetalSeadramon and threw his spear once again. MetalSeadramon let out a roar as the mouths on the spear dug into his armor with their teeth.

“Hot Squeeze!” MetalSeadramon wrapped his tail around the unsuspecting fish man and slammed into the ground repeatedly, tightening his grip with each smash.

Neptunemon managed to pry the tail off himself and get away, but MetalSeadramon was on him within a second.

He lowered his horn and rushed at Neptunemon, who barely managed to grab it right before it plunged into his chest. The two struggled to overpower the other for several seconds before MetalSeadramon curled his tail over his head and slapped Neptunemon repeatedly with it.

“Waves...Of...Depth!” Neptunemon managed to keep his grip as the tails sped up. He shot a water pillar in between his two hands, cutting MetalSeadramon's entire Chrome Digizoid horn off. MetalSeadramon fell back and glared at Neptunemon. 

The two titans prepared themselves for the next rush.

“Your Digimon seem to be pretty unique." Neo told his two opponents. "As in, I've never heard of them before." He looked at them with suspicious eyes.

“Only we can be trusted with such powerful Digimon. The Olympos shall stand at the very top of all Digimon Tamers.” V said proudly.

“Don’t you think you're being a little dramatic?” VI laughed.

“Just shut up and do the thing!” V ordered.

Merukimon circled around Marsmon, kicking up a huge amount of wind on the battlefield. The flames all over Marsmon’s body burned brightly with the addition of oxygen.

“Our combination is unbreakable! Not even the legendary teamwork of Taichi and Zero could stand against our combo!” V said with full confidence.

“You’d be a dunce to compare me to him!” Neo cracked each of his fingers.

“One: Don't insult Tai. I'm pretty sure he's the better Tamer between you two." Sora pouted at Neo. "Two: It's not like we can't work together."

"I find it hard to believe that right after you insulted me, but I still agree." Neo replied grumpily.

“We’ll see! Go forth, Marsmon!” V threw her hand forward.

“Dramatic~” VI chimed.

Marsmon rushed forwards and caught AxeKnightmon with a surprise gut punch. Luckily, AxeKnightmon’s thick armor absorbed the damage, allowing AxeKnightmon to swiftly counter with a spear thrust.

“Mirage Image!” Merukimon ran in and moved Marsmon before the strike landed.

“Crimson Flare!” Hououmon fired a large flame bird at Marsmon as he readied himself for his next attack. Merukimon quickly spun around and threw a tornado at the fire bird, dispersing it with ease.

“Pyro Flash!” Marsmon punched the air repeatedly, launching out several flameballs.

“Golden Persuasion!” Hououmon coerced the flameballs over to her. They hardened and fell to the floor as spheres made of pure gold.

“Spear Rush!” AxeKnightmon ran forward and tried to stab Marsmon, who once again retreated with help from Merukimon.

“Cowardly little...I can’t say it isn’t effective though.” Neo mumbled. Sora grinded her teeth.

“Mirage Image!” Merukimon ran too fast for either of the Digimon to see until he was right in Hououmon’s face. He brought the pommel of his sword down on her helmet, creating a small crack. He flipped his blade around to pierce through the crack when a white hand grabbed his waist.

“Hand Of Doom!” Dark energy coursed through the hand and into Merukimon, making him scream in pain.

“Corona Sanctions!” Marsmon leaped into the air and headbutted AxeKnightmon’s hand while surrounded in a great wave of flames. AxeKnightmon took his hand back and waved the flames off of it. Merukimon and Marsmon jumped back as Hououmon and AxeKnightmon received new orders.

“Power me up, VI.” V turned to her ally.

“Say please.” VI crossed her arms.

“For the love of...” V pressed a button for VI.

“Hey! Do that again and I'll quit!” VI shouted into V’s ear.

“Whatever.” V redirected her attention to the battle.

“Mirage Image!” Merukimon ran around Marsmon again, causing his flames to swell fiercely.

“Mach Wing!” Hououmon flew after Merukimon at high speeds but was still easily outran.

“Mugenhadou!” Marsmon jumped at AxeKnightmon and threw a wave of strikes. AxeKnightmon guarded himself with his spear and skeleton hand, but was quickly overwhelmed. He lowered his guard and Marsmon punched in his armor with each thrust. He finished his flurry by striking the ground, causing a huge pillar of flames to launch AxeKnightmon backwards.

AxeKnightmon hit the ground with his back and stayed there, his armor hot and ringing. Marsmon marched forwards, ready to end AxeKnightmon with one more strike.

“Mach Wing!” Hououmon turned away from Merukimon and rammed her talons into Marsmon’s back. Marsmon keeled back as AxeKnightmon lunged forwards with his spear ready.

“Prong Pirouette!” AxeKnightmon spun his spear into Marsmon’s chest, making him roar into the air with pain.

“Thousand Fists!” Merukimon ran up behind AxeKnightmon and punched him harmlessly in the back several times.

"Despite being unique, your Digimon suck." Neo scoffed.

AxeKnightmon finished his spin by thrusting his spear through Marsmon and pulling him away from Hououmon’s talons. He flung Marsmon over his head and straight into Merukimon, flooring both of them.

“God dang it! You got in the way, V!” VI looked at her partner.

“Oh shut off, Marge!” V barked.

“They’re going to beat each other before we beat them.” Neo whispered to Sora.

“Let’s keep screwing with their dynamic.” Sora whispered back.

They both nodded as V and VI’s argument came to an end.

“I wonder where Neo, Sora, and Sigma are?” Mari sipped her drink.

“Neora is probably too scared to return now.” Hideto leaned back in his seat.

“Sigma is most likely waiting in line for a dirty porta-potty.” Izzy guessed.

“Both are very possible.” Rei shrugged.

Tai stared at the sands. He remembered Gon’s village.

What if Gon had died when Gesomon attacked? He would have never saved Zero from MarineDevimon. Then, Tai, Gabo, and everybody else would die afterwards.

What of Gon had been the tiniest bit weaker?

No, Gon was a Rookie. He and Zero were the “100% combo”. If they failed, it was solely Tai’s fault. And he almost did fail.

He almost did. He almost let Arcadiamon have his way-he did let Arcadiamon kill so many Digimon. It was his fault that hundreds died...

Tai looked towards the sun again, seeing the darkened figure of Arcadiamon hidden by glare.

“Tai? Hello?” Hideto waved his hand in Tai’s face.

“Huh? Yeah?” Tai felt something on his cheeks.

“You’re crying.” Izzy handed him a napkin.

“Oh, whoops. I guess the winds are annoying my eyes...I’m starting to think that my peepers are really delicate.” Tai dabbed the tears away.

“Apparently...Let’s hope Neo gets back soon. I didn’t bring my wallet.” Mari laughed nervously.

The other’s eyes perked up as they realized that they didn’t bring any cash either.

Rei looked at Tai who seemed to be in a playful panic like the others.

“He was looking at the sun again.” Rei thought as Tai tried to slink away just to be pulled back by Hideto, who yelled something about washing dishes.

“MetalSeadramon is faring better than I expected.” VII rubbed her mask.

“Neptunemon is definitely proving himself to be a fierce opponent in the vast waters.” Sigma opened and closed his fists.

“My god will trump your sea-worthy snake with ease!” VII put her fists up.

“No, he won’t! You mask wearing hussies are nothing compared to the original!” Sigma took out a napkin and waved it in the air, magically becoming his half-broken mask. He put it on and looked at VII.

“Ah, that mask is scary! I mean-Nobody insults the Olympus XI and gets away with it! Not even you, Sigma! Go, Neptunemon! End this!” VII pressed a button on her device.

“MetalSeadramon, you can do this!” Sigma pressed a button on his device.

The two fishes focused their eyes on each other.

“Waves Of Depth!” Neptunemon imbued his lance with great power and swung it. A gigantic tidal wave ripped through the palace as MetalSeadramon retreated through it. He whirled around and brought his tail back.

“Poseidon’s Wave!” MetalSeadramon did a 180 with his tail, shooting out an equally large tsunami at Neptunemon.

The two waves crashed into each other, fighting the other rather than melding together. The great barrier that they created with their sheer size blinded the two Digimon from the other’s actions.

“Vortex Infiltrate!” Neptunemon brought his spear back and imbued it with magic.

“River Of Power!” MetalSeadramon plowed through the water with his nose bright with energy.

“Yaaaaah!” Neptunemon threw the spear at MetalSeadramon the same second MetalSeadramon blasted him.

The spear flew through the energy and straight into MetalSeadramon's nose. He fell back with a hiss as Neptunemon flew above him for the final blow.

"Neptune's Disaster!" Neptunemon imbued his fists with spiraling water and flew straight at MetalSeadramon's snout so he could tear him up from the inside.

MetalSeadramon seemingly waited hopelessly for Neptunemon to arrive and end him as he let out heavy breaths in the water.

Neptunemon reached his nose and was about to enter when it lit up brightly.

"Dragon's Rise!" MetalSeadramon embedded his snout in Neptunemon’s body and fired.

Large rays of light shot out of several places in his body and grew thicker as MetalSeadramon added more power to his attack.

Pointlessly, with the little strength he still had, Neptunemon punched the back of MetalSeadramon’s head, causing two huge cracks to appear in his armor. It caused a great burst of energy to fly away from the device, cutting half of VII's mask off.

The broken piece of her mask fell into the sands.

Neptunemon fell to the floor soon after with several holes coming out the back of his armor. 

"River Of Power!" MetalSeadramon fired at Neptunemon one last time and a bright light covered the field.

"The winner of this Digimon battle is: Sigma!" The device announced.

"Good job, MetalSeadramon. You did great." Sigma pulled his device back.

“I...I lost.” VII sounded disappointed. “Which means you’re going to destroy my device.”

“Yeah, hand it over-of course I won't, you dolt!" Sigma shook his head. "Nobody should have their Digimon taken away like that! Which is why you and the other Olympos members are evil! Seriously, these things cost a lot of money!” Sigma pointed at his Digimon dock. 

“We’re not evil! We weed the bad from the good!” VII’s mouth twitched.

“Look me in the eyes and tell me that again! Show me your faith!” Sigma ripped his mask off and parted the hair in his eyes.

VII’s right eye grew wide. “T...Tadashi?!” She stepped back.

“How do you...is that you, Carly?” Sigma dropped his hair.

“Tadashi...is that really you?” Carly took off her mask and threw it to the side.

“Y-Yeah...It’s been a while.” Sigma brushed his hair back.

“This is...weird.” Carly scratched her forehead.

Sigma cleared his throat. “Okay then...well-why the hell did you join the Olympos XI?! You were such a nice person before!” Sigma asked.

"Can we please find somewhere to sit first?" Carly sighed.

The two walked over to a bench. They plopped onto it tiredly.

"So, why did you join the Olympos XI? The Tulip Twelve were bad enough, I didn't think you could get any worse." Sigma crossed his arms like an angry parent.

“It’s because...I just wanted more people who understood me.” Carly stared at her sandals. "At least, that's why I joined the Tulip Twelve...because there were eleven people who cared about me and shared my interests..."

"So you dumped me for them. I can't say that hasn't happened to me before." Sigma muttered. "But the Olympos XI is a whole other matter. The Tulip Twelve was stupid, but what you're doing as the Olympos XI is outright evil!...and illegal." He noted.

"Well, the Tulip Twelve disbanded only a couple of weeks back. And then I was alone because I removed you from my life and had lost my new friends..." Carly admitted. "But then, Ariana came back and reunited all of us. And I didn't want to lose the only friends I had again."

"You chose to stay with them, even though what they were doing was wrong." Sigma looked off to the side. "That...sounds very familiar..." He thought about Neo.

"It's stupid, I know. But people do stupid things when they're lonely." Carly dropped her head into her hands.

Sigma patted her on the back sympathetically. “I can’t pretend like I haven’t been through the same situation. I was also evil until a friend told me something..." He confessed.

"What was it?" Carly looked interested.

Sigma thought for a few seconds. "I believe it was: ‘If you wanted to reclaim yourself, you should have just changed yourself for real'." He quoted. "I needed to find friends. Waiting only lead to me being easily manipulatable...it's the same with you, Carly."

“I guess you’re right. I get into arguments with every member of Olympos XI so often, but I can just never leave them.” Carly frowned.

"Speaking of the Olympos XI..." Sigma straightened out. "What was that Digimon you had? I've never seen it before."

Carly took out her device. "To be honest, I don't think Neptunemon is actually in the Digimon game. I don't think any Olympos member has a normal Digimon."

"Really? Did someone hack unique Digimon into your Digimon docks or something?" Sigma guessed.

"I really don't know." Carly shrugged. "Ariana just showed up and handed me this device. She said that she had found eleven devices one day, all of which with unique Digimon. She figured it was a calling to bring the group back together."

"Hmph. It seems having unique Digimon made her too 'righteous' for her own good. And she's dragged everyone else down because of it." Sigma harrumphed.

"So far down...I've done so many horrible things..." Carly hung her head. "How can I make friends when I'm so easy to trick into being evil? Who would want to be my friend..." She sniffled.

Sigma grabbed her hand and raised it to eye level. "Well, if you're fine with it...I'd be happy to be your friend."

Carly gasped lightly. Sigma simply smiled.

A brown-haired boy watched the two with a proud grin.

“Mirage Image!” Merukimon ran around Marsmon again.

“Getting real tired of hearing that attack.” Neo retaliated as Marsmon rushed at AxeKnightmon again.

“Should we do the thing?” Sora looked at Neo. He looked down at the battlefield before nodding.

“Let’s hope it works.” Neo watched Sora press a button on her device.

“Golden Persuasion!” Hououmon flew in front of Marsmon and used her golden light to harden the flames around him. He was quickly covered in a strange golden armor that made him still.

“Twin Spear!” AxeKnightmon thrusted his spear towards Marsmon, making Merukimon run in to grab his ally. AxeKnightmon lowered his spear to the ground to the side of Marsmon, causing Merukimon to trip onto the floor.

“Watch your Digimon, you klutz!” V tapped the top of VI’s head.

“How about you pay more attention to the enemy's abilities next time, you dip!” VI flicked her in the side of the head.

The two grabbed each other’s hair and fought as Marsmon and Merukimon stood without orders.

Interestingly, the two mysterious Digimon looked to their masters for orders, something that should have been impossible for the Digital monsters to do.

“While they’re distracted. Come on.” Neo and Sora pressed buttons on their devices.

“Mach Wing!” Hououmon flew at the distracted Merukimon and finally landed a clean hit that launched him to the floor.

“Black Javelin!” AxeKnightmon threw his spear at an incredible speed clean through Marsmon, shattering his golden cover and knocking him to the floor. AxeKnightmon called his spear back as Hououmon shone brightly.

“Screw you, Wendy! The second we win, I’m leaving Olympos XI!” VI bopped V in the chest.

“I am too! I want every last bit of you out of my life!” V pushed her back.

“So much for the ultimate combo.” Neo and Sora bumped their shoulders together as the final attack was launched.

“Unison Attack! Ogin No Honoo No Yari! (Flaming Spear!)” Hououmon shot her flames into AxeKnightmon’s spear.

“Oiseau Doré! (Golden Bird!)" AxeKnightmon thrusted his spear forwards and shot a gigantic flaming bird from it.

The bird took up the entire field, quickly enveloping both Marsmon and Merukimon in a blinding light. It let out a quaking squawk before bursting into golden flames.

Blinding light once again flashed as the battlefield disappeared.

“The winner of this Digimon battle is: Team Neora!” The four devices announced.

“What?!” V and VII dropped each other’s hair and looked at their devices.

“You two were a little busy, so we cleaned things up for you.” Neo pocketed his device.

“Cleaned things up real well.” Sora tossed her device into the air and caught it.

“But...We were doing so well! When did things turn against us?” VI clapped the sides of her head.

"At what point did you think you were doing well?" Sora muttered.

“It was because of your incessant arguing!” V yelled at VI. She ripped her mask and threw it at the floor.

“Are you saying this was my fault?!” VI took off her mask and tossed it into the water.

“What if I am?!” The two started to struggle again.

“We should probably just go.” Sora whispered.

“Yeah.” They slowly backed away from the two teenage girls.

“There’s Sigma!” Hideto pointed at the boy as he walked back to the table.

“Hey guys. Sorry, I met...a friend on the way out of the restroom.” Sigma squinted his eyes suspicuously. "Yeah, that's what happened."

“And here comes those two." Tai saw Sora and Neo walking towards them.

“Hey there you two~” Mari waved at them. A serious look appeared on Neo’s face.

“So was your da-”

“Tai is being hunted by Olympos XI.” Neo cut off Hideto. Tai let out a sigh before taking a long sip of his drink.

"And now they know." Mari grumbled.

“You mean those jerks who have been taking devices from Tamers?” Hideto immediately had a look of anger.

“A group of eleven females with powerful and ‘irregular’ Digimon according to some gossip.” Izzy furrowed his eyebrows.

“Make it nine. We just fought two and I think they both quit.” Sora sat down next to Tai, making sure he was there this time.

“Make it eight. I also fought one, and she definitely quit.” Sigma crossed his arms.

“They’ll probably continue to hunt us down until we beat each of them.” Hideto tapped his fingers on the table.

“Then that’s what we’ll do. Heroes don’t let this type of stuff slide.” Tai cracked his knuckles.

“Right. Watch your backs everybody. Just being affiliated with Tai is enough to get you attacked.” Neo took out his wallet.

“Oh, bless you, Saiba.” Tai patted his friend on the shoulder as he dropped a tip onto the table and walked off to pay the bill.

The group cleaned up and left the restaurant in high spirits, only slightly being unnerved by the idea of Olympos watching them.

“You seem to be in a good mood, Sigma.” Tai walked over to him.

“I have plans on Friday to say the least.” Sigma smiled.

“Good to hear...Tadashi." Tai walked off to talk to Sora.

“W-Wait, you...” Sigma watched the boy’s back. “Heh...I guess I should have expected someone to be listening.” Sigma laughed.

“Three of the children quit!” Marsmon looked ashamed.

“Make it four. I got beat by some kid and their Slayerdramon.” Bacchusmon bit into a large grape.

"Are you fu-" Everybody winced, "-kidding with me?!" She screamed.

“If I had to assume, Ms. Ariana will most likely move out with Jupitermon, Junomon, Ceresmon, and Venusmon next. She will most likely go after Tai herself, or maybe with help from Dianamon.” Apollomon looked around the group.

“I’m warning you all now..." Dianamon lifted her scythe. "If I don’t beat Taichi, I am going to rain hell upon the Digital World!” She pointed her weapon at Apollomon. "I am sick and tired of this stupid plan! I will kill Zero here in this very world we're supposed to protect!"

“We will have no choice but to stop you when the time comes. None of us are to make such rash decisions without consulting the others.” Jupitermon said strictly.

“We should especially make sure that Jupitermon agrees with any plan that you come up with.” Junomon rubbed his back.

“Do you mind cleaning Jupitermon’s shoes, Junomon? I think I see some dirt on them!” Neptunemon ridiculed.

The hall burst into argument once again.

The orb in the middle of them flashed. A screen showing Zero appeared again.

The moon lit up the darkness of Odaiba.

“Alright, Zero. Tomorrow, we’ll go out and fight every single person we run into! Then, we’ll just have to fight Neo for the top spot.” Tai sat in bed and held his device over him.

A blue light pulsed at him.

“What the heck?” Tai lowered his device to inspect it. A strange whirring sound was quietly heard. He put it up to his ear.

“D-s-i. R-a-l. S-l.” The device continued to get cut off by static.

“Is it trying to say a name?” Tai continued to listen.

“Royal Knights…” The device clearly stated.

Tai lowered the device, not having a clue of what it meant.

“Things are getting weird around here, Zero.” He let out a nervous laugh before putting his Digimon Dock back on his nightstand.

He fell asleep soon after, trying his best to prepare himself for a nightmare.

A wave of huge familiar Digimon that he had never seen before fought off several more Digimon, with only a few being identifiable.

He immediately saw Arcadiamon, but he felt no fear.

A great white flash happened and one thing covered his sight.

A large white Digimon made of silver plates stood in front of him. A skinny green vine went up to its head. Its red visor flashed.

It spoke to Tai without a voice. He felt incredible fear as it started.

But as it ended…he felt comforted.

He had no memory of its message.

To be continued...

Chapter Text

Tai woke up feeling something he hadn’t felt in a long time. He was well rested.

The color that had been slowly disappearing in his eyes had restored itself ever so slightly. His smile felt brighter than ever as he looked in the mirror.

For the first time in two weeks, Tai felt intense and unrestrained joy.

Hideto, Mari, and Sigma walked down a street looking for challengers. They looked around, but they couldn't find any Tamers.

"More and more people have been choosing to hide recently..." Hideto noted.

“I guess people are hiding from Olympos.” Sigma eyed the area.

“Then it was pointless to group up like this. Great.” Mari sighed.

“Well, we tried. I guess we should split up. Maybe then we’ll find some enemies.” Hideto looked down one side of a four-way intersection.

“Alright. Try not to die.” Sigma waved bye as he walked down one side of the street.

“I can certainly try!” Mari continued forward.

“Good luck to the both of you.” Hideto did a two-finger salute before walked down another path.

“Awwwwww. Why isn’t anybody running around? I want to battle!” Tai waved his device around as he whined.

“I guess those Olympos creeps scared them off.” Sora sat down on a nearby bench.

“I’m afraid I might run into one of them. I’m only rank 28! I would be eaten alive!” Izzy tensed up.

“I was rank 27-now I’m rank 14-" Sora quickly noted, "-and I did fine. I guess I did have Neo’s help though...” Tai made smooching noises at her. Sora bopped him on the head.

Tai quickly retaliated and the two entered a small scuffle.

“Maybe I’m just worrying too much.” Izzy sat down next to Sora.

Tai and Sora threw each other off, giggling lightly with each other. Tai cleared his throat. “You’ll probably be fine. I mean, I easily beat the person who fought me.” Tai walked behind Izzy and patted him on the shoulder.

“Hmmm. Worry...Why do I feel like I’m forgetting something...” Izzy squinted in thought.

"Did you forget to water your plants?" Sora wondered.

"Maybe you forgot to clear out your cat's litter box?" Tai shrugged.

"No, no...it was something more important..." Izzy rubbed his chin.

"Wait, Taichi. What do you mean 'you forgot to clean the litter box'?" Sora narrowed her eyes at him. "You can't forget about that-it's your responsibility!"

"Hey, I usually remember to do it!" Tai argued. "I don't need 'mother' to remind me." He pouted at her.

Izzy's eyes grew wide. “My mother's birthday is today! I forgot to get her a gift!" He realized. "I-I need to go get her something! Sorry, I need to go." He quickly ran off.

"Huh...that happened." Tai and Sora blinked in surprise.

"What do you want to do now?" Sora asked.

"Meh. You wanna go to the mall? Maybe we'll find a Tamer there." Tai shrugged.

"Alright." Sora nodded.

Tai and Sora quickly ran off.

Hideto looked at his two devices. “Don’t worry guys, we can handle whatever they can throw at us.” He reassured Warg and Melga.

Two girls in white robes watched him walk down the street.

One of them had a mask with two peacock feather symbols on both sides. The other had a mask with an owl and a cloud striking thunder on it.

“Should we attack now, Olympos IV?” The girl with the peacock feather mask turned to her partner.

“No reason to wait, Olympos III. Let us commence forth.” Olympos IV took out her device. 

They both walked behind Hideto. He heard their footsteps and overlapped his devices before turning around.

“Olympos, I assume?” He faced them.

“You assume correctly, Hideto Fujimoto.” III held their devices up. "We should expected that we couldn't sneak up on you."

“Ranked 2nd in Odaiba. A fierce foe who uses a Jogress in battle.” IV said to the three of them. "You shouldn't be underestimated, Hideto."

“Did you come here to challenge me or flatter me? Either way, I’m asking for a fight.” Hideto put his device out.

“And we’ll accept.” The Olympos members pushed their devices into his.

“Digimon load! Hideto: Warg And Melga! Team Olympos IV and III: Jupitermon and Junomon!” The devices announced.

"Jupitermon? Junomon?" Hideto noticed. "Never heard of those Digimon before...they're Digimon are definitely strange." He thought.

“Battle!” They shouted.

“Jogress!” Hideto quickly pressed a button on his connected devices. Warg and Melga fused together in the middle of their positions to create Omnimon.

“A powerful enemy. We must be careful.” IV advised.

“Indeed.” III nodded.

Izzy stumlbed into the mall while panting. “What would mom want? A frying pan? No, that's an antiquated way of thought! A very nice sponge perhaps? No, that’s even worse!”

He walked in and continued to think with little success. He closed his eyes in deep thought, not noticing the girl in front of him.

*Bump*

“Ah.” Izzy fell to the floor.

“Woah, sorry. Let me help you up.” A girl put her arm forth.

“Thank you. My apologies, I should have been paying more attention-Aah!” Izzy jumped back as he lay his eyes on the girl’s face. 

She wore a mask with a bird and a vine symbol.

“Please don't apologize, Izzy Izumi. The pleasure is all mine.” The girl took out her device.

“You’re an Olympos member!” Izzy backed away.

“Olympos IX. As one of Tai’s friends, your defeat along with the destruction of your device shall send a message to him. Olympos I and II will defeat him and end Zero. Then, we will get our revenge on Neo Saiba. Even if he is easy to disregard at this point.” IX walked towards Izzy with her device still out. 

“Why though? Why hurt so many innocent people and Digimon? Do you truly believe that they deserve punishment?” Izzy moved his hand into his pocket.

“What Olympos I says is what I believe.” IX had no doubt in her voice.

“Then...I have to fight! I’ll stop your friends from hurting anyone else, starting with you!” Izzy took out his device, his hands shaking slightly.

“You’re on.” They bumped their devices together.

“Digimon load! Izzy: HerculesKabuterimon! Olympus IX: Ceresmon!” The devices announced.

"Ceresmon? Is that Digimon in the game? Oh...I don't know! What am I doing?!" Izzy thought to himself in a panic.

“Let’s go!” They both shouted. A crowd of interested adults and weary Tamers gathered around the two.

“Olympos XI. Insanity. Absolute insanity!" Mari threw her hands up out of frustration. "How could the Tulip Twelve fall so low? We were already pretty bad!" She shook her head.

“Do you want an answer to your question, Mari? You could blame Neo Saiba...The very same one who you have befriended.” Mari jumped a foot into the air as the voice came from nowhere.

“W-Who’s there?” Mari looked around.

“Can’t recognize my voice? I guess it has been a while.” The girl with the dove and heart symbol on her mask appeared from behind a tree.

“L-Lily!” Mari stared at her old friend.

“Yeah.” Lily walked to Mari.

“Why are you here?” Mari focused her eyes on Lily’s mask.

“Mari, the Olympos have lost four members within one day. Ariana is still willing to let you join. It would be great to have you on the team as Olympos V.” Lily snaked around Mari.

“You know I’m not going to join. Lily, why don’t you tag along with me and my friends?” Mari watched Lily stop her circling for a second before resuming.

“I already have friends and I will stay loyal to them. Like you would have back when you were a part of the Tulip Twelve.” Lily stood behind Mari.

“I am staying loyal to my friends. My actual friends. People who would help me through thick and thin without expecting a reward. I’d be so happy to know that you were one of them.” Mari’s voice started to get aggressive.

“You’ll just have to make me.” Lily took out her device.

“So, what rank did Ariana graciously give you?” Mari took out her soil-colored device. She put it forwards as Lily finished her circle.

“I am Olympos VIII. And you’re done for!” She punched her device into Mari's.

“Battle!” They shouted.

“Digimon load! Mari: Mervamon! Olympos VIII: Venusmon!” The devices announced.

“We’ll so who’s loyalty is stronger!” Mari clenched her teeth.

“It won’t be a contest!” VIII shouted back.

Mervamon and Venusmon looked at each other. They both seemingly gasped.

“Garuru Cannon!” Omnimon shot the floor, causing Jupitermon and Junomon to split apart.

“Mabolt!” Jupitermon rushed at Omnimon and threw dozens of punches in an instant. Omnimon blocked the punches with his two large arms, but he didn’t notice the sparks that flew into the air and created clouds above him.

“Grace Lance!” Junomon flew behind Omnimon and dove at his back. Omnimon swung around and backhanded her with his Garuru head.

“Bolt Storm!” The clouds above Omnimon struck down and grounded him.

“Grace Lance!” Junomon tried again and managed to stick her lance into Omnimon’s back.

“Omni Howling!” Omnimon let out a roar that pushed back Junomon and Jupitermon. Junomon immediately flew to Jupitermon’s back as he crouched on the floor. She helped him up and they both brandished their weapons at Omnimon.

“Revolving Crash!” Jupitermon pointed his thunder hammers at Omnimon and shot loads of bolts at him.

“Brave Shield!” Ominmon summoned a disembodied shield to block the strikes. Junomon flew above it.

“Needle Hive!” Junomon pointed her spear at Omnimon and stabbed the air several times, shooting thin energy shots at him. Omnimon jetted forwards to dodge the strikes, his shield still up.

He slammed into Jupitermon, who fell back still on his two feet. Omnimon brought his sword up to land a fatal blow when he felt a lance bring his arm back. Junomon quickly threw Omnimon’s arm to the floor while Jupitermon recovered from his injury.

“Wide Plasment!” Jupitermon shot forward with electricity coursing through his entire body.

Omnimon tried to move Junomon off himself, but she lifted her spear and shot it through Omnimon’s shoulder, literally pinning him to the floor.

Jupitermon slammed into Omnimon, launching him into the barrier wall of the holographic battlefield.

“Omnimon may be strong, but Jupitermon and Junomon’s teamwork along with their general strength make them more than a match.” IV tilted their head, wanting Hideto to challenge their claim. He clenched his teeth, realizing that there was little he could do to disagree.

“With the both of them working together, there is not a single weakness.” III said conclusively.

“We’ll see about that...probably.” Hideto narrowed his eyes on the battlefield.

“Your Digimon...is the entire battlefield?!” Izzy watched as the normally flat green plain that made up the battlefield became a large dirt bird with grass on the top of its body. Trees bearing fruits and colorful bushes rested on top of the grass.

“Ceresmon is full of surprises.” IX stared at HerculesKabuterimon, who took up only a small section of Ceresmon's back.

“Then I need to keep my guard up. Let’s go, HerculesKabuterimon!” Izzy shot one last glance at IX before focusing on the battlefield.

“Mega Electro Shocker!” HerculesKabuterimon blasted the ground while running through the trees.

He continued on for a minute with zero interference and without any type of response from Ceresmon. Eventually, the many vines hanging on the trees flew out after HerculesKabuterimon, but they were easily chopped away.

“Giga Scissor Claw!” HerculesKabuterimon spun around while cutting down trees left and right. He ran to the head and saw a beautiful green plant shaped like a woman on Ceresmon’s forehead.

Ceresmon stood still as HerculesKabuterimon approached the being. He put two of his claws on both sides and got ready to snap into five pieces.

The plant turned to face Hercules with a fearsome look before falling into the ground. Hercules looked around for it, not noticing the wave of vines coming up behind him.

They wrapped around him, holding him in place as the being appeared from the ground again.

“What is that thing? A second Digimon?” Izzy asked IX.

“She is the real Digimon. Ceresmon Medium! A kind, loving Digimon who will tear apart anything that harms her beautiful forest. Just like you’ve been doing for several minutes now.” Izzy could tell that she was grinning behind her mask.

Hercules struggled, throwing off several vines just for more to replace them. They forcefully pulled him to the ground as Ceresmon M was raised into the air by some trunks.

“Fruit Flechette!” Ceresmon M shot several large pine needles at HerculesKabuterimon that sunk into his skin. HerculesKabuterimon thrashed wildly, tearing off vines all over him and flying back with a great leap. Ceresmon M retreated into the floor once again as the trees around Hercules came to life.

“This isn’t going to be easy.” Izzy thought as HerculesKabuterimon slammed his horn into several trees.

“Olympia Kai!” Mari shouted.

“Peace Fantasia!” VIII ordered.

Mervamon and Venusmon threatened each other with their attacks but didn’t even approach the other.

“Mervamon? Come on!” Mari shouted.

“Don’t fail me now, Venusmon!” VIII clenched her fists.

The two Digimon nodded at each other. Mervamon sighed before rushing at Venusmon.

Mervamon swung her sword several times, but the nimble Venusmon easily dodged each blow, getting lifted into the air by her bird at one point.

“LOVE YOU!” Venusmon blew a kiss at Mervamon.

“Night Stalker!” Mervamon shot Medullia at the kiss and the snake promptly bit down on it. Medullia entered a daze and fell to the floor, completely unmovable.

“Heaven’s Marriage!” Venusmon waved her hand, somehow summoning a flock of doves to attack Mervamon. Mervamon dodged around the homing birds, but one of them bit down on the side of her leg. She fell over, almost immediately feeling sleep overtake her.

“The heck did you just do?” Mari watched Mervamon struggle to not fall asleep.

“Venusmon does not use any lethal attacks. She instead defeats the opponent’s fighting spirit, forcing the battle to end.” VIII tapped her mask.

“So, she’s trying to put Mervamon to sleep to end the fight. Crap! Mervamon, you can’t fall asleep!” Mari reluctantly pressed a button.

Mervamon lifted her sword, closed her eyes and clenched her teeth, and rammed the tip of it onto her foot. Mervamon’s eyes shot up with pain, but she was fully awake now.

“W-What?” VIII took a step back.

“Our fighting spirit won’t be broken that easily, Lily! We’ll keep fighting even after you make it impossible!” Mari pointed at VIII with a tense finger.

“We’ll see how great your combination truly is!” VIII responded swiftly.

Mervamon raised her sword and rushed at Venusmon again.

Omnimon once again dodged a flurry of attacks from Jupertimon just for Junomon to strike him with a surprise blow.

"You guys weren't wrong when you said you were a strong combo" Hideto gritted his teeth.

"The strongest." They corrected him.

"Maybe, but I think I found the flaw!" Hideto shouted confidently.

"Hmmmm?" They both exchanged glances.

"Just watch." Hideto pressed a button. Omnimon released his sword.

"Grey Sword!" Omnimon shot forward and met Jupitermon’s hammers with his sword. 

As expected, Junomon flew behind and lunged at him with her spear. Omnimon pushed Jupitermon away and spun around, slapping Jupitermon and slashing Junomon in one motion. The latter fell over and Jupitermon jumped over her and threw his hammers out.

Omnimon blocked his swing and slapped Jupitermon away, leaving himself wide open. Despite the obvious opening, Junomon chose to grab Jupitermon and drag him away from Omnimon.

“Hey! That wasn’t what I ordered!” III pressed her buttons with no effect.

“Looks like your Digimon are more sentient than you thought. I’m not sure why, but that works in my favor!” Hideto announced triumphantly.

“Their immense power does not make them any more alive than any other Digimon. They are nothing but pawns working for our benefit. It was a mere glitch, and nothing else.” IV shut down Hideto’s enthusiasm.

“We’ll see! Omnimon! Garuru Cannon!” Hideto’s eyes grew fierce as Omnimon raised his cannon.

“Where is she?” Izzy inspected the battlefield closely. Ceresmon M repeatedly appeared and disappeared in several areas. Hercules was far too slow to catch her, and the vines trying to grab him didn’t help. 

“Ceresmon Medium is far too graceful for a hulking being like your banana beetle to ever catch. She’ll wear you down until you can no longer fight, then she’ll go in for the kill.” IX closed her hand like she was catching something.

“We’ll see. Where you have speed, my HerculesKabuterimon has immense defense!” Izzy stated determinedly. The crowd around him cheered. He put the embarrassment that he should be feeling to the back of his mind.

HerculesKabuterimon continued to cut down trees and any sentient vines that got near him as Ceresmon popped out more frequently.

She appeared behind him and wrapped her hands with loads of vines.

“Famis!” She shot them out and Hercules’ legs, wrapping around his entire feet. Green energy flowed from Hercules body into the vines, which lead back to Ceresmon M.

“Take all the nutrients you need! Topple that tower!” IX ordered. Izzy had a small but very smug grin.

“High Mega Blaster!” Hercules grabbed the vines with his hands and shot electricity along with them. Ceresmon M convulsed as the electricity reached her, forcing her to retract her vines. She fled back into the ground as the trees released even more vines to grab HerculesKabuterimon with.

“She’s not tough enough to take many more of those, huh? You should be more careful and take this more seriously!” Izzy yelled at IX. She let out an annoyed grunt.

“Medullia Punch!” Mervamon swung her snake head at Venusmon. She dodged under it and summoned her bird. 

“Peace Fantasia!” Venusmon let her bird go from her finger and she started to rapidly peck Mervamon in the head.

“Get her off, Mervamon!” Mari waved her hand in the air.

Surprisingly, Mervamon dropped her blade and fell into a familiar dazed state.

“What? I should have known that bird was just another peacemaker!” Mari gritted her teeth.

“Your ‘will’ has been broken twice now. I’m starting to believe that you aren’t worthy of being an Olympos member.” VIII said coldly.

“You’ll see, Lily! We’ve changed more than you know or could possibly understand.” Mari took a stance.

“I have too, Mari! The Tulip Twelve have been made infinitely stronger by embracing new ideals and transforming into the Olympos XI!” VIII took her own stance.

The two stared each other down as Venusmon frolicked around Mervamon without retaliation.

“I don’t know why they’re special, but Junomon and Jupitermon seem to have a bond beyond simple teammates.” Hideto watched the fight closely. 

Every time Ominimon landed an attack on Jupitermon, Junomon would drop whatever she was doing and run to his side.

“I didn’t order that!” III screamed as Junomon stopped an attack short again and saved Jupitermon from Omnimon’s cannon.

“Omnimon! Fire now!” Hideto pressed a button on his device.

“Garuru Cannon!” He shot several blasts at the two as they huddled together. Each one seemed to have landed without a hitch.

“Storm Barrier!” Jupitermon lowered his two hammers. Electricity circled around in a shield formation with several pieces of ice within it.

Junomon nodded at Jupitermon and they both got ready to strike together.

“Mabolt! Grace Lance!” They both rushed forwards. Omnimon retracted his sword and cannon and pointed his two heads at the God Man Digimon.

“Double Shot!” Omnimon shot fire and ice from the two heads. The couple dodged each one and got even closer to Omnimon.

In a last-ditch attempt to fend off the two, he swung his heads at them, managing to strike Jupitermon in the side.

Jupitermon immediately fell onto his back and writhed in pain, causing Junomon to stop her assault. She fell back and lifted Jupitermon into her lap.

“Stop! Get out of there!” IV yelled desperately.

“What the heck is going on? Why do they keep disobeying orders?!” III finally lost her confidence.

“I don’t like the idea of blasting these two during such a private moment, but I might not get another chance.” Hideto pressed one of the buttons on his device conclusively.

“Garuru Cannon!” Omnimon pointed his cannon right at the two.

"N-No! Hold on! A direct hit like that would be enough to end the battle already-"

Omnimon fired one huge shot at them, and a large light covered the field.

“The winner of this Digimon battle is: Hideto!” The devices announced.

Hideto pulled his two devices back and disconnected them.

“Good fight, but you two seem to know little about your Digimon.” Hideto pocketed his devices. "A matter of fact, it looks like your Digimon didn't even want to listed to you.

“W-What happened?" III mumbled quietly. "Why were they...sentient? Is that normal?”

“Yeah. The two were protecting each other the whole time...they barely even listened to our orders...” IV rubbed her forehead.

“Digimon are very complex creatures." They both looked at Hideto."They can love and hate. Be prideful and despicable. And most of all, they can be good and bad. It all comes down to how you raise them, and it’s obvious that you two never created a real bond with your Digimon, causing them to openly ignore orders.” Hideto scoffed.

“It’s just a game though!” III shot back.

“From the day they’re born to the day they die, Digimon require care. They want to create a bond with you! All those Digimon that you two deleted...I can’t imagine the sadness they must have felt from not only failing their partners, but also leaving them.” Hideto narrowed his eyes on the two girls.

“But Digimon…these Digimon docks are nothing but toys...” IV took off her mask with trembling hands.

“If the bond that Digimon create with their Tamers is so genuine, then...we're monsters...” III ripped her mask off.

“You don’t have to be any longer. Leave Olympos XI to make up for your sins.” Hideto ordered strictly. The two hesitated for a second. He stomped his foot on the ground and they nodded.

“Ariana is not going to be happy about us leaving.” III looked stressed.

“Why do we need to tell her? We’re not even members anymore.” IV reminded her.

The two looked at Hideto before walking away with their heads held low with shame.

“Two more members gone. We’re down to seven.” Hideto looked into the distance, hoping his friends were safe.

“Izzy! Izzy! Izzy!” The crowd of Tamers cheered.

“Inconsequential fools. No wonder Olympos I wants us to get rid of them.” IX glared at the crowd from under her mask.

“You’re the one who doesn't get it! These people are tired of Olympos XI and their evil! All their hopes are within me right now, and neither I nor HerculesKabuterimon will back down! We’re ready for whatever you can throw at us!” Izzy clenched his fist.

“Your words hold no water. That is all too clear to me.” IX wasn’t impressed by the crowd’s rising voices.

HerculesKabuterimon continued to tear through trees and stomp the foliage into dust on the off chance that he would strike Ceresmon M. Some vines wrapped around his arms and she came out of the ground once again.

“Fruit Flechette!” She fired another wave of needles at the still HerculesKabuterimon, many of them getting embedded in his hard armor.

“Horn Buster Kai!” Hercules charged up a large shot in his horn and fired, nearly hitting Ceresmon M before she could retreat. 

HerculesKabuterimon shook the needles out of his body as Ceresmon M wrapped her arms in vines again.

“Let’s finish this. This boring battle is taxing.” IX yawned.

“Don’t worry, it’s about to end.” Izzy grinned.

“Famis!” Ceresmon M shot her vines out at IX. Once again, they wrapped around his legs and started to funnel energy back to Ceresmon M.

“Giga Scissor Snap!” Hercules grabbed the vines with his hands and ripped Ceresmon M from the ground. She flew straight into him, and she caught her, holding her close to his chest. Ceresmon M writhed in his arms, but Hercules had a death grip with all four hands.

"Ah!" IX gasped. "Er, no matter!" She pressed a button on her device.

“Famis!” Several hundred vines fell from the trees and wrapped themselves around Hercules’ entire body. All at once, they started to take energy from HerculesKabuterimon, making him loosen his grip on Ceresmon ever so slightly.

“No! HerculesKabuterimon!” Izzy’s hands shook.

“Come on! You can do it! Beat her brains out!” The crowd shouted.

“We all believe in you! You can do it, Izzy Izumi!” He heard two distinct voices above the crowd. The Tamers all exchanged glances, now knowing the name of the Tamer they had been cheering on.

“Izzy Izumi! Izzy Izumi!” The crowd chanted.

“They’re cheering for me.” Izzy said in awe.

“Those hopeful fools are nothing but a distraction. If you were focused on the battle, you would know that your beetle is seconds away from dying.” IX mercilessly commented.

“No! Even if it is hopeless, they want me to continue on! To give it my all! And that’s what I’ll do! Until the device sings my defeat, I will fight!” Izzy’s eyes flared with determination as he punched in one of the buttons on his device.

“Mega Electro Shocker!” Hercules’s entire body shot out electricity, tearing through many of the vines in the process. Many more wrapped around him, but thunder continued to be shot out from the small slits that the vines left.

Ceresmon M let out a scream of pain as the vines tightened their grip and HerculesKabuterimon only crushed her more.

The electricity fought with the vines for several dozen seconds, with more of Hercules’ chains being burned off as his attack picked up intensity. Ceresmon M continued to scream as Hercules only crushed her more as the vines tightened their grip.

“I can’t believe it! Any normal Digimon would be defeated by now! How the heck are you still going?!” IX tapped her foot anxiously.

“I can’t disappoint the people who believe in me! I can’t let my fears stop me from doing what’s right. And what’s right, right now, is defeating the evil known as Olympos!” Izzy’s speech got a huge holler from the crowd around them.

“Ultra Electro Shocker!” HerculesKabuterimon tightened his grip further and let out a huge purple energy strike. The purple lighting ripped across the entirety of Ceresmon’s back, burning everything in its path.

The vines on him flew off as he only discharged even more electricity, making Ceresmon scream in intense agony.

“How?!” IX pondered desperately.

“Go in for the finish, HerculesKabuterimon! Show them our spirit!” Izzy pressed one last button.

“You can do it!” The crowd hollered.

HerculesKabuterimon threw Ceresmon to the charred ground and placed all four pincers around the dazed plant woman.

“Giga Scissor Claw!” He snapped his claws closed, and a bright light covered the field.

“The winner of this Digimon battle is: Izzy Izumi!” The devices announced.

The crowd cheered and surged forwards. They picked up Izzy and chanted his name as he looked around for two specific people.

He saw them give him a thumbs up with a smile.

“Thanks, Tai. Thanks, Sora.” He waved at them as the crowd continued to cheer. Tai and Sora gave them cheeky thumbs up.

“Do people really hate Olympos this much?” IX cowered as the crowd celebrated, fully aware of the fact that they would turn on her soon enough.

“They definitely do. I would recommend that you ditch the mask and robe and run while you still can.” Tai patted her on the shoulder. "Oh, also, that wasn't a recommendation. That was an order." He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Uh...yeah." IX quickly followed his instruction and ran off before anybody could find out.

“Another one down. Izzy’s rank is going to shoot up!” Sora said excitedly.

“Heh. He may not always show it, but he’s got the strength to move a mountain when he gets going.” Tai smiled.

Izzy later forgot to get his mother a birthday gift...

“The Mari I knew wouldn’t have fallen so easily.” VIII scoffed.

“The Mari you knew was evil and manipulative, and so was everybody else in Tulip Twelve! Come on, Lily! Just leave Olympos XI! You know they’re evil!” Mari pleaded.

“Beat me and maybe I’ll listen!” VIII shot back.

Venusmon continued to dodge Mervamon’s swings, most of the time using the chance to relax her further.

“Peace Fantasia!” Venusmon’s bird shot straight at Mervamon.

“Final Strike Roll!” Mervamon rolled under the bird and uppercutted Venusmon with her blade, causing her to stumble back. Mervamon immediately looked at her with worried eyes, which Mari found strange.

Venusmon’s bird returned from her flight and landed on the back of Mervamon’s head, pecking it vigorously. Mervamon lowered her blade and started to fall asleep again.

“Loss through pacification is one of the most humiliating ways to be defeated, Mari. It fits that you can’t even defeat somebody who can’t fight!” VIII taunted.

“I told you, Lily! No matter what, I’m going to beat you and save my friend!” Mari looked at Lily’s mask with furious eyes.

“Your friend doesn’t need saving! Finish this, Venusmon!” Lily pressed one of the buttons on her device and Mari tensed up.

“Olympia Kai!” Mervamon swung her sword at Venusmon again, which she easily dodged, but this time, she advanced on Mervamon right after. Mervamon thrusted her blade at Venusmon, but she dodged around Mervamon.

“Healing Therapy!” Venusmon put one hand around Mervamon’s waist and the other on her hair. She caressed Mervamon with great love, causing her to droop. Mervamon nearly dropped her sword as Venusmon only got more delicate.

“Once again, ‘your iron will’ has been shattered by delicate hands. Your new friends made you weak, Mari! This battle only proves it! Come to Olympos, become stronger!” VIII ordered manically.

“You’re wrong, Mari! My friends are the good guys-the heroes! Just by being near them, I have realized just how rotten we were as the Tulip Twelve, and just how rotten you are as an Olympos member!” Mari shot back.

“Prove it then! Use that weak will of yours to break Mervamon out from Venusmon’s grasp so you can procure a victory!” VIII clenched her teeth.

“I will! My friends have given me more strength than Tulip Twelve ever did! I’ll show you how good it feels to be good and how bad it feels to be bad, VIII!” Mari pressed down on a button. "And Mervamon, I'm sorry for what I need you to do." She sighed.

Mervamon’s face took on a begrudged look. She lifted her tired hand and flipped her sword around.

“W-What are you planning?” VIII watched in interest and fear.

“You stomp on the kindness that I learned, Lily, without realizing one thing.” Mari put her finger up.

Mervamon plunged the sword straight through her chest and into Venusmon’s stomach behind her. They both coughed up data as Mervamon only pushed deeper.

“That’s insane!” VIII took a step back.

“Lily, you don’t realize that you're the one who’s ugly!” Mari’s eyes flared with anger.

Mervamon and Venusmon coughed up even more data as the battlefield was surrounded in a bright light.

“The winner of this Digimon battle is: Tie!” The devices announced.

“Tied? But that’s not possible!” VIII took a breath in.

“It is possible, and I know that because of my friends Neo and Tai. They gave me the strength to fight in what I actually believe in. And when you understand how great it feels to fight for your passion instead of your gratification, you realize just how beautiful life is.” Mari lowered her device.

“Passion instead of gratification?” VIII’s hands trembled as she lowered her device.

“We created the Tulip Twelve because we were a group of girls who thought that we could only trust each other. That’s why none of us questioned what we were doing, because if we did, we would have to face the truth. We were plain evil.” Mari bluntly stated.

VIII let out a noise like she was about to talk, but instead, she took off her mask.

VIII stood in silence for a few seconds. “...I miss Ariana, Mari. She was rude, loud, and not incredibly tactful, but god was she loyal.” Lily and Mari stared towards the sky.

“I guess she always did have a shred of superiority in her. That’s probably why Neo winning turned her into what she is now.” Mari sighed. "Ironic seeing as how Neo ended up being the same for a little bit." Mari muttered to herself.

“She’s just mean now. Bossy, impolite, and willing to stab you in the back at any second. I wanted Ariana back, that's why I stayed at her side, and why I resented you. Because I thought you left your friend behind." Lily admitted. "It’s clear to me now though, I was the one who left you behind.” She felt tears in her eyes.

“Hey, no crying! Tears won’t solve our issue. Together, we’ll march over to her and rip that stupid mask off her face. Then she’ll have to option but to face us.” Mari gave her a reassuring smile.

“Right. It’ll be great to work with you again, Mari.” Lily smiled.

“Same to you, Lily. Come on, let’s talk to my friends about this. Ariana won’t go down easy.” Mari walked towards the park and Lily followed.

Junomon rubbed Jupitermon's back sympathetically. “Are you okay, Jupitermon? I’m so sorry that I let you get hurt like that.” She stared at the wound on his side.

“It’s okay, Junomon. What worries me is the fact that even more Tamers in the Olympos XI have left. I believe only Apollomon, Dianamon, and Vulcanusmon are left.” Jupitermon leaned back in his seat.

“It’s about time I get to see some action. Even if I’ll probably share it with this dope.” Dianamon put her scythe uncomfortably close to Apollomon’s neck, which didn’t faze him.

“Ms. Ariana will most likely go straight after Tai, which means I’ll be fighting UlforceVeedramon. Not an easy fight, but I might be able to win with Dianamon’s help. As long as we work together, that is.” Apollomon gave Dianamon the stink eye. She groaned before lowering her scythe.

“This should all come to a close soon, Homeros.” Jupitermon said reassuringly.

Homeros flashed a screen with Zero at them again.

“That means that seven are down! Only four to go.” Tai, the Saibas, Alias III, Sora, Izzy, Carly, and Lily were all huddled around in the park.

“Make it three.” They all turned to face a blonde-haired boy.

“Hi Matt!” Sora and Izzy waved at him. He completely ignored it and walked over to Tai.

“I fought one of the Olympos. I think they were hunting me for sport, but 'Olympos X' and their Bacchusmon figured out that was a bad idea only after I beat them.” Matt tossed Tai a broken Digivice.

“Good job, Mack. I don’t agree with destroying their device, but you did all the work, so it’s not like I can complain.” Tai pocketed the broken device.

“It’s Matt.” He shot through his teeth. “Look, word on the street is that Olympos I and II are going after you soon. Seeing as how your rank 33, I don’t think it will go well for you.” Matt crossed his arms.

“Really? How about we find out.” Tai walked away from the group and cupped his mouth like a megaphone.

The Tamers in the park stopped to see what the heck he was doing.

“Everybody! Tamers! Children! Adults! Listen to me! I have a crucial announcement!” Tai shouted. The others slinked away as a large crowd surrounded them.

“That’s Kamiya.” Mimi whispered to Joe.

“I heard he was being hunted.” Davis murmured to Yolei.

Unbeknownst to Tai and the others, what was left of the Olympos XI watched.

More whispers went on as the crowd grew larger.

“How many of you have heard about the Olympos XI?” Tai asked.

He was met with a wave of boos.

“Yeah, well they’re down to three members! Olympos I, II, and XI! Primarily because of my fantastic friends." Tai waved at them. "Anyhow, I formally challenge all three of the Olympos members!” Tai smirked. His friends and the crowd gasped.

“Tai! Tai!” Davis raised his hand. Tai pointed at him. “Do you think you can beat them?”

“Nothing is impossible for the 100% combo! I dare them to beat Zeromaru and I!” Tai gave them a thumbs up and the crowd went wild.

“I don’t know, Tai. There’s a theory going around that Olympos I and II’s Digimon are nearly god-like with their power.” Sigma walked up behind him.

“Yeah. I’ve only ever watched them fight once, but those two are vicious and their Digimon are really freaking strong.” Carly stood next to Sigma.

“If they’re god-like, then call me and Zeromaru god slayers!” Tai shouted. The crowd went wild again.

“Do you really think you can win, Kamiya?” The crowd split as three people walked over to him.

Olympos I, II, and XI stood in front of him ominously.

“Hey! You three." Tai smiled casually. "Yeah, I do. I'll prove it right now too.” Tai took out his device.

“Hah. We’re not fighting you here.” II ridiculed.

“Tomorrow. 12:30 PM. At the harbor.” I flicked a card at Tai that had all of the information.

“I’ll be there, pretty lady.” Tai teased. She growled before walking off with II and XI.

“You heard it everybody! 12:30 PM at the harbor! Be there if you want to see the V-Tamer in action!” Tai grinned. The crowd roared with excitement.

“Can he beat Ariana and II?” Mari leaned over to Lily.

“II is Anna and XI is Fiona, by the way." Lily informed her.

"Awfully strange how your guys' names aren't particularly Japanese sounding-"

"Anyways, I’m not sure if Tai can beat them. Tai certainly seems confident and underestimating him would be dumb, but Ariana is rank 3 for a reason.” Lily rubbed her chin.

“We’ll see, I guess.” Mari shrugged.

“Alright guys, time to break. Do whatever, I’m going to get ready for tomorrow.” Tai waved bye to them and walked off.

“Tomorrow is going to be real interesting.” Neo fiddled with the device in his hand.

The group shared a few more words before dispersing.

Tai made it home and plopped into bed when his device pulsed again.

He put it up to his ear and heard something.

“Betrayal. Grace. Galaxy.” It whispered.

“Maybe my device is faulty? I’ll tell Sigma if I don’t forget.” Tai put his device back on the counter. He quickly fell asleep.

The device pulsed once more and whispered something.

“Drasil.”

To be continued...

Chapter Text

Tai walked out of his room and stretched.

"About time I have a normal night. It's been too long." Tai muttered to himself.

He walked over to his fridge. He opened the door up and ducked into it to find something for himself.

Tai grabbed a simple slice of watermelon before he closed the fridge door. He got ready to bite down on the watermelon.

"Did you have a goodnight?" Tai heard behind himself.

He turned around before dropping his watermelon in surprise.

Sigma stood in front of him, long gashes resting all over his body.

"S-Sigma! W-What happened to you?!" Tai stumbled back.

"It was Belphemon, Taichi. We weren't strong enough to beat him." Sigma told him. "Not without you."

"W-What? But...I thought...what..." Tai furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Taichi." He looked to the side. His eyes grew wide as he found the others, all of them just as cut up as Sigma. 

"Wuh...huh..." Tai backed away.

"You left us alone, Taichi." Neo stated with an impartial voice.

"You let us fight without you." Hideto said with the same tone.

"Some hero you are, letting us get hurt. Letting us die." Mari scoffed.

"I thought you and Zero were stronger..." Izzy admitted. "But now I know that you're weak."

"I...I don't get it...w-what's happening?" Tai began slip to the floor.

"Don't you get it, Taichi?" Tai found Sora behind himself. She was just as battered as the others.

"S-Sora! Oh...oh god..." Tai fell to the ground.

"You let us die. All because you were 'hurt'." Sora looked down at him with judgmental eyes. "I always thought you were better than that."

"S-Sora...I...I didn't want you to get hurt..." Tai replied with a shaking voice.

"But that's what happened." Tai looked up, finding Rei.

"Rei!" Tai lowered his head back towards the ground. "No...no no no...You...and Sora...everyone else..." He covered his head.