Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon…and this will be my last time saying it, so savor it.

Author's Notes: The final episode is here! It's been a WONDERFUL time writing this story. It all began in late 2003…and it ends in early 2005. Just in time for Spring!

Just a note; I added a little more to Matt's biggest fear in the previous episode. Look at it again if you missed it!

To the (final) reviews!

Silent Kill: Welcome to Zero 2 SK! I'm glad you've managed to make it before the finale. And no need to apologize; some people don't make it here at the beginning. Heck, in the beginning it was practically only Anthony1 reviewing. ;)

I'm glad you find my story to be so well done…and no, I don't mind you trying to get some literary pointers from my story. After all, reading other books helps the writer…that's how it's been for me (points to a massive collection of Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton novels). Besides, I was once a crappy writer (to see what I mean, look through my old Digi-fic 'The New Digi-Episodes'; I started that four years ago, and it is utter CRAP. But hey, you've got to start somewhere.). And in terms of the Taiora and Mimato pairings, I just think about it realistically; they're still teenagers. No need to make everything about the romance super-heavy, or angsty, or adult-like. Just making it fitting for the people involved.

But still, I'm glad this story rocks your world. Good luck on your Cold War Digimon story! (grabs a pair of mittens) In terms of Tom Clancy novels, I suggest the Hunt for Red October and the Red Rabbit, as both are set in the later years of the Cold War.

By the way, on your profile's bio, when you say Yuko Haruk-ahh…do you mean Yu Yu Hakusho? Just trying to clarify. And one more thing; I ALWAYS check for reviews. So when you review, take your time and say all you want to say.

Anthony1: One indeed. And no…(Wargreymon's) not coming back. His soul was obliterated.

Alforce Zero: Thanks! Nice to see I surprised you with the coming of BelialMyotismon. And yes, MaloMyotismon reminds me of mayonnaise. The FIRST time I heard MaloMyotismon in the show, I immediately thought of the white gooey stuff that comes on hamburgers and sandwiches.

Anime obsessed fan: Well, I do intend to do some more character development in this chapter…the final episode encompasses both the final battle and the epilogue.

Cloud-821: I can't really take credit for MaloMyotismon's new name; I just replaced 'Malo' with 'Belial' from his Japanese name: BelialVamdemon. And no, I will not rewrite the other seasons; 02 and 01 are the only seasons I completely watched, and I'm not going to alter 01. As for Past Journeys…well, that won't begin until after FFX-3 ends. But don't worry…you'll still get your Digimon fix… ;)

Dark Qiviut: (blinks) Really? Wow. I honestly thought the show did it more than I've done. (shrugs) Oh well. But still, I think it serves as an important character interaction tool between Davis and Yolei, for comedy purposes if nothing else. However, Davis WILL get revenge…sooner than you think. ;) And what's with the apologizing? Man…you have got to stop worrying about offending me. Okay? Please. Being apologetic is nice and whatnot, but don't overdo it. Okay?

More word counts? Very well.

Episode 58: Battle Royale (12,551)

Episode 59: Last Stand of the Digidestined (13,241)

Episode 59 is now the new second largest episode, and episode 58 is now the fourth largest. No 20,000+ word episodes yet.

And as for cliffs…well… (boots him off a mountain) Don't have to use cliffs all the time. ;P

SR71will: Nope. I'm saving him for a future fic.

UKHoneyB: Um…was your review eaten halfway down? O.o; Oh, and thanks for listing my story on your new Livejournal page. Appreciate it.

ficmaster: …you're morbid, you know that? o.o;

Nightfire04: Actually, Darkheart's fifth form DID appear. That was the Dark Angel mode. The Holy Knight IS the equivalent of the Dark Angel in terms of stage number. Darkheart failed to achieve his sixth form (which he would have if Siara and Blackwargreymon didn't stop him in episode 53)…as for Davis' REAL sixth form…well, there's always future fics. ;) And I'm glad I've made BelialMyotismon into a likeable villain for you.

generic reviewer: What's with the men in white suits?

Bluesv20: Well, Shaun isn't dead, but he didn't fuse with the others to form the Digiknight; he's still lying in a pile of rubble. As for (Wargreymon), he will eventually be reconfigured…but he won't be the same, since his soul was destroyed by BelialMyotismon.

BeatlesLover: Really? What'd I say? Was it the 'crap' thing? I don't treat it as a bad word, but I know people do…but I put it in the previous episode because it fit my mini-rant about 'sludge'.

HevnoAngered: Good!

bobbyneko: Glad you've enjoyed this story.

Dot Cubed: Excited, aren't you?

Ninetalesuk: Of course, I can always pull the 'canon' tag on you… ;)

Chigy: Yo! Welcome to Zero 2 Chigy. And who said I only had ONE sequel in mind…? ;)

irish vampire: (shrugs) I don't know WHERE the idea came from. I just thought it would be suitable for the final battle.

Salamon2: Um…how about both colors? O.o;

FusionSonicX: Cool! I have a legacy! ;D

Begin…the end…

xxxx

It has begun.

The final battle is upon us.

The Digiknight versus BelialMyotismon.

This is the beginning of the end…

But not all ends are happy ones…

xxxx

"We are the Digidestined. We have become one, forming the Digiknight. There are no words left. There is only the final battle. We have suffered much as Digidestined, but we have no regrets. Now, with our home in ruins, and the darkness of night out in full force, we seek to destroy BelialMyotismon. And even if he is more powerful than XeedMilleniummon…we'll win anyway. Failure is not an option."

xxxx

ENDGAME: Part 3

Episode 60

Final Episode: The End of All Things

xxxx

/The Nexus/

Azulongmon sighed with relief. "It is good to see you again, fellow Guardians."

The three massive Digimon nodded out of concurrence.

The one to the front of Azulongmon was a tiger that stood at fifteen feet tall and twenty feet long. His body was muscular, and his fur was pearly white with blue stripes on his back, arms, legs, and tail. Thick bracelets made of pure iron adorned his legs' ankles, and an iron bracelet that had four spikes sticking out of it covered his tail. His front paws were covered by blue plates of metal that were rimmed with silver; two silver Chinese characters adorned the plates: the right one was the character for 'white', while the left one was the character for 'tiger'. His paws were thick and large, and each paw had three claws of iron protruding from them. Three spikes of iron protruded from his upper spine, and the fur around his neck was furry, almost like a mane. A blue mask with bolt-like yellow markings covered his face, and part of the mask protruded several feet backward by his cheeks, almost like spikes. His teeth and fangs were razor-sharp, and his four red eyes glimmered with both contained ferocity and immense honor. Finally, twelve yellow Digicores swirled around his abdomen. He was Baithumon, the White Tiger of the West…and technically, the most physically powerful Guardian Beast of them all.

The one to Azulongmon's right was a mighty phoenix that was fifty feet in height and sixty feet long from beak to tail. His entire body was covered by slim red feathers looked like skin when seen from a distance; they were that fine. However, there were some variations at various spots. He had four pairs of wings; one pair protruding from his sides, one pair protruding from his chest, one pair protruding from his shoulders, and one pair protruding from his back. Every pair save for the back pair had flame-like markings on the fronts of their wings, while the back pair had flame-colored stripes across the ridges of the wings. His sides pair had three iron claws etched into them, and his chest pair looked very tiny in comparison to the other pairs of wings. His long, lizard-like tail had flame-like strips running across them, and the ridge of his tail was lined with tufts of red feathers. His neck was lined with black hair, and his head was adorned by a red facemask that had tips that appeared flaming hot. Yellow feathers protruded from the back of his head, and his beak was black in color. Four red eyes peered out of the facemask, and they were filled with quiet fury and a capacity for rage. Finally, six red Digicores hovered around his neck, and six Digicores hovered around the tip of his tail. He was Zhuqiaomon, the Red Phoenix of the South…and he would fight longer and harder than any of the Guardian Beasts because of his willpower and his ability to hold a grudge.

Finally, the third figure that sat to Azulongmon's left was a gigantic turtle whose full height was seventy feet, and his length was fifty feet, with his width being thirty-five feet. His skin was pale yellow in color, and white scales covered the bottom of his body. His defining feature was his head. Or should I say TWO heads. The top of the right head was covered by spiky brown armor, revealing his red eyes, cheeks, and mouth. A smooth helmet of brown armor covered his entire left head – save for his lower jaw – and red eyes gazed out of the eyeholes. Growing out of the back of his brown shell was a tremendous tree with thick green leaves. Vines dangled out of the branches, and his pale yellow tail was short and spry. Finally, twelve white Digicores swirled around the trunk of his tree. He was Xuanwumon, the Black Turtle of the North…and he was the wisest of the Guardian Beasts.

And all the while, Siara, their Messenger, floated between them all.

As a yellow haze swirled around the Nexus, Zhuqiaomon – with a gruff and deep voice – bellowed, "I still don't understand how our seals were found so easily."

"Azulongmon already explained that Siara was the reasons," replied Xuanwumon's left head. The right head immediately said, "Siara said that she was able to sense our souls in Digital Limbo, and she directed Azulongmon to each and every one. No biggie." Both voices had an old quality to them, and they had a bit of an Irish tint.

"That's not what I mean," grumbled Zhuqiaomon. "Even if Siara is made from our Digicores, there was no way she should've been able to track our souls through Digital Limbo."

"That is true…" replied Siara with a calm tone. "I should not have been able to find your souls so quickly…nor should I have been able to actually track the seals through them. That's something that should not be possible…"

"But it was," pointed out Baithumon, his voice deep and majestic. "And that is what troubles you, correct Zhuqiaomon?"

Zhuqiaomon grunted. "Yes…it is. It can only mean that the barrier around Digital Limbo is weakened…and that's troublesome."

"Indeed it is," replied Azulongmon. "As for why the barrier has weakened, I have sensed a certain disturbance in the Digital World in a variety of locations: all on the continent of Server."

Xuanwumon's left head said, "Perhaps it is those strange lil' black towers we saw when we were on our way to free Baithumon?"

"I would think so as well," concurred Zhuqiaomon. "They bear the resemblance of a devil. What more do you need?"

"There is also the matter of the Real World; dark energy is emanating from that world in droves, and it's keeping the Digiports between the two worlds shut tight," said Azulongmon.

"Who could be giving out that dark energy? Demon?" asked Siara.

Baithumon shook his head. "I do not think so…I know how strong Demon can be. He is incapable of such power."

"Then…who? Who could have the guts to take the Digiports and close em' up real tight?" asked Xuanwumon's right head.

Azulongmon sighed. "That…I do not know. However, it would have to be a being of great power to keep US out."

Zhuqiaomon frowned. "All I know is that the only one to actually surpass in power when we were at full strength was Milleniummon and his digivolved forms…so who else could it be?"

Silence.

"For the sake of all worlds, I hope it isn't him," muttered Baithumon.

He was correct; it wasn't XeedMilleniummon.

It was someone far, far worse.

xxxx

/West Wing, White House, Washington D.C, United States of America, 6:50 AM/

In Washington D.C, the sun was just rising on the East Coast.

Right now, President Jonathon Yates yawned as he walked through the halls of the White House, his green sweatpants and white shirt covered by a dark blue bathrobe. His salt and pepper hair was slightly wet; a sign that he had just taken a shower.

As he walked towards the nearest window, he sighed. Last report he had heard from the Commandant, the fiery whirlwind had still been blocking any progress into Odaiba. By now, the media had gotten wind of the US fleet in Tokyo Bay, and they were having a field day with the story. A lot of news outlets genuinely believed that America was there to aid the Japanese. However, some media outlets – desperate to get a hit on the president's reputation – had decided to say that the American fleet was there to prepare for an invasion of Japan. The more outlandish conspiracy theorists were spouting off that the fleet had even been the ones to bring that typhoon of fire into existence, even if it was clearly false. Still, the media was the media. And the press conference he had held yesterday to talk about the incident in Odaiba had worn him out. Such was the life of the POTUS (President of the United States).

Even so, Yates was worried; he wanted to know what was going on. Oh well. A large pile of reports would be waiting for him on his desk in the Oval Office when he got there. Perhaps Wesley had sent him one concerning their current status in Japan.

With a sigh of both content and weariness, the president pushed aside the curtains in front of a window and gazed eastward across the city skyline…and then he frowned.

There was an eclipse.

A dark orb was sitting right in front of the rising sun; the only light was a thin white rim around the black sphere. The president couldn't help but feel astonished. This isn't right…there wasn't supposed to be an eclipse today! What in God's name is going on?

xxxx

/Battlefield, Two Miles Above Odaiba, 7:55 PM/

BelialMyotismon chuckled as he silently walked in circles around the Digiknight. Ever since he had arrived the Digiknight had not attacked.

And neither had BelialMyotismon. He was still taking his new opponent's measure.

"So…you call yourself the Digiknight? You don't seem so knightly to me," mocked the mighty Dark Digimon.

Digiknight said nothing.

"A fusion of the twelve Digidestined…what of the one I put a hole in? I don't sense his presence. I wonder why?" asked the Dark Digimon sarcastically.

No response.

"What's the matter? Gatomon got your tongue?" BelialMyotismon chuckled as he stared straight into the Digiknight's color-shifting eyes. "Or is it that you're too scared to move? Has the fear gripped your bones, rendering you helpless? You know it has…because deep down, you KNOW that I can't be beaten."

Finally, the Digiknight responded. "I could say the same about you." Then his right fist flared with an orange aura…as did the Crest of Courage on his chest. "COURAGEOUS PUNCH!"

SLAM!

BelialMyotismon grunted as the Digiknight slammed his right fist into his chin. However, this was no ordinary uppercut; an orange aura had coated the Digiknight's fist, and it caused a burn mark to form on the vampire lord's chin. With a graceful flip, the Dark Digimon landed on his feet. "Hmm. Interesting."

"And I wasn't standing there for no reason; I was simply contemplating how best to kill you." The twelve Crests on the Digiknight's chest then glowed in their respective colors. "As you can see, I have twelve unique attacks complimenting my regular repertoire…I was simply trying to figure out which one to use." The aura disappeared from the Digiknight's fist.

BelialMyotismon scowled. "Impudent brat. You'll be eating your own words soon."

The Digiknight chuckled as a golden aura coated his feet. "I'd rather not. I'm on a special kind of diet…and here's the first course! MAGNA KICK!"

BelialMyotismon quickly raised his left arm, blocking the first kick. Then, he used his tail to grab the Digiknight's left leg, stopping the second kick. Without remorse, the Dark Digimon slammed the Digiknight into the ground. As the Digiknight leapt to his feet, BelialMyotismon roared, "CRIMSON MIST!"

As the acidic mist roared toward him, a light blue harmonica with the Crest of Friendship on it appeared in the Digiknight's hands. "Heh…you should calm down." Then he placed his mouth on the harmonica as the Crest of Friendship on his chest glowed. "Friendship Blues."

The Digiknight then played the blues. As he did, an icy wind blew from the holes in the harmonica, blowing the Crimson Mist away. BelialMyotismon crossed his arms as the icy wind blew across his body, creating a frigid coating of frost on the front of his arms and legs. "Hmph. The chill of ice is nothing compared to the deep cold of the shadows…but let me demonstrate its heat! PANDEMONIUM FLARE!" His right shoulder opened up as black flames erupted from within.

"Heh. You want heat? Let me show you the Flames of Love!" The Digiknight held his palms out as the Crest of Love glowed on his chest. Red flames erupted from his palms, slamming into the lone stream of black fire.

BelialMyotismon chuckled as his Pandemonium Flare and the Flames of Love negated each other. "It'll take more than that!"

"I know." The Crest of Sincerity glowed. "Sincerity's Flower!" At that moment, a flower with pink petals and vine-like sepals erupted from beneath BelialMyotismon; he was now sitting inside it as it closed over him like a mouth. Then, small pores in the petals expelled a pink pheromone.

BelialMyotismon coughed as he inhaled some of the pheromone. "Poison…you think I would be so easily thwarted? Crimson Mist!"

On the outside, one could see red mist leaking out through small cracks between the petals. Then, the flower completely melted away, revealing BelialMyotismon as the red cloud dissipated.

The Digiknight was immediately upon him. The Crest of Reliability was glowing gray on his chest. "TIDES OF RELIABILITY!" Gray streams of high-pressure water erupted from his palms, showering BelialMyotismon in a shower of H2O.

Suddenly, BelialMyotismon's hands broke through the streams and latched onto the Digiknight's hands. Then, the fingers' mouths opened and bit into the superhuman's skin.

The Digiknight gaped as his water attack ceased, revealing a wet, yet happy BelialMyotismon. "Now I shall tear you apart and crush your soul…" Even then, as they spoke, the sight of the fingers' worm-like tongues could be seen squirming through his hands and into his armored arms.

At that moment, the Crest of Light glowed brightly as he yelled, "BURNING LIGHT!"

BelialMyotismon yelped out of surprise as pure light rushed through the Digiknight's veins, burning the tongues to pieces. BelialMyotismon let go and leapt back before the burn could reach him.

As the Dark Digimon landed, the Digiknight pulled out both of his swords. "Swords of Virtue."

Seeing where this was going, BelialMyotismon obliged the Digiknight by forming a long, blade-tipped rod made of shadows in his hands. "Glaive of Darkness." The vampire lord twirled his glaive around before charging.

So did the Digiknight.

xxxx

/Outside Fuji Television Station, Odaiba, 8:04 PM/

Ackerson sighed as he watched American medics carry injured civilians out through the station and towards the five SUPERHAWK helicopters that had set down outside. He was currently sitting on top of a pile of rubble, his old Winchester rifle and newly acquired energy rifle sitting beside him. As the stars of the night sky shined down, giving what little light they could in the darkness, the Junsa-bucho sighed again. Man…

"You okay?"

Ackerson tilted his head to see the female Junsa-cho: Miyuki. Her uniform was caked with grime and dust, and her energy rifle was held limply in her right hand. Ackerson muttered, "Nah…just concerned about the civilians."

Miyuki knew Ackerson was lying. She had been on the force for several years now, and she had worked with Ackerson quiet often. The police sergeant was tired…she could tell. He was tired of all the fighting. Tired of all the death. And he was just plain tired of all the flat-out weirdness.

Well, at least his excuse was valid. Miyuki asked, "Might I inquire further?"

Ackerson sighed again. "Well…over two hundred people have died from their injuries already, and we've got over seven hundred people that need to be air-lifted out of here…and five helicopters isn't going to cut it. Sure, they can probably fit about ten to twenty people each…but they'd have to make repeat trips…and by the time they get back, the fatally injured people and those with infections will have died. It's just all messed up…"

Miyuki nodded sorrowfully. "I know…this whole incident's messed up."

"What seems to be the trouble?"

Ackerson and Miyuki turned around to see a black Elitemon staring at them. The tall warrior was leading a group of Ultimate-level Jackalmon on patrol. Ackerson scowled. "Nothing that concerns you."

The Elitemon was silent. Then, he said, "You may have a negative opinion of our kind, but if something concerns my kind, I won't hesitate to accept outside help…that is, if no other option was available. Wouldn't you agree?"

Ackerson frowned; the creature's roundabout logic was true. Ackerson wanted to help the wounded…but his distrust of the new creatures was interfering with that desire…and that was a problem. Distrust could wait. The injured could not. "Fine then…I'd like any help you can offer."

The Elitemon smiled as he activated his personal com-link.

Five minutes later, thirty Shadows set down outside of the Fuji Television Station. Blue Elitemon hopped out and began carefully placing injured people onto the prongs of their dropships, much to the shock of the medics working on evacuating the injured.

Ackerson sighed once more as he watched the black Elitemon he had spoken to explain the situation to the H-92 SUPERHAWK pilots. Miyuki calmly said, "Don't sweat anything. This is a better method anyway."

The police sergeant's eyes gazed upward as the Shadows and the SUPERHAWKs lifted off into the air. "…I certainly hope so…"

He couldn't shake off the bad feeling he had…something bad was going to come of working with these creatures.

He was sure of it.

xxxx

/Battlefield, Two Miles Above Odaiba, 8:10 PM/

"HOWLING DARKNESS!"

"SHIELD OF HOPE!"

BelialMyotismon's line of unholy energy bounced off of the bronze-colored energy shield that had suddenly surrounded the Digiknight.

"Blast it!" cursed the Dark Digimon. "You'll die for this continued outrage!" BelialMyotismon leapt into the air and hovered in place. He lashed out with his tail, which stabbed at the Digiknight with frightening quickness.

"Protection of Kindness!" The Crest of Kindness glowed with a violet hue upon the Digiknight's chest, and a violet aura coated his gauntlets. He quickly moved his arms around with equally frightening quickness, blocking every single jab from BelialMyotismon's tail.

Feeling annoyed, the vampire lord slammed his tail into the ground, creating a fissure that caught the Digiknight off-balance. With a loud roar, BelialMyotismon's shoulders opened up. "Pandemonium Flare!"

Two streams of black flame erupted from the Dark Digimon, rushing towards the Digiknight. Suddenly, the Crest of Caring flared dark red on his breastplate, and large, double-edged claws protruded from his gauntlets. "Caring's Claws!"

The Digiknight sliced through the streams of fire with his claws. He finally connected with BelialMyotismon moments later, slicing at the vampire lord's chest. The Dark Digimon leapt backwards, lashing at the fusion warrior with his tail again.

The Digiknight grimaced as the tail slammed against his cheek. When he got back to his feet, BelialMyotismon was forming a whip made of shadows.

Suddenly, the Digiknight extended his gauntlets forward, creating two Magna Guns.

BelialMyotismon chuckled. "You think that will be enough?"

Then, panels opened in the sides of his gauntlets, revealing miniature missile launchers. Then MORE panels opened in the sides of those launchers, revealing tiny pistols that would shoot energy needles.

BelialMyotismon blinked.

The Digiknight smiled.

And then BelialMyotismon chuckled. "Very well…I shall counter accordingly."

BelialMyotismon's shoulders opened, revealing a large pool of black fire. His mouth – and the mouths of his fingers – flared with dark energy. The red eyes of the three mask-like designs on his kneecaps and purple armor piece flared brightly. The pores on the underside of his purple armor piece suddenly 'grew' dark cannons.

The Digiknight blinked.

BelialMyotismon smiled. "Draw."

They both roared.

"MAGNA BARRAGE!" Golden bullets, gold-tipped missiles, and golden energy needles lanced toward BelialMyotismon.

"DARKNESS BLITZ!" Black fire, dark energy streams, red lasers, and shadowy orbs roared towards the Digiknight.

Moments later, a massive explosion sounded, lighting up the night sky.

xxxx

/Captain's Cabin, USS Ronald Reagan, Tokyo Bay, 8:16 PM/

"Hmm…very interesting," muttered the Commandant.

The USS Ronald Reagan's Captain's Cabin was relatively large in comparison to those of destroyers or cruisers. It was a replica of the White House Red Room, although nowhere near as lavish or grandiose. It was thirty feet long, twenty feet wide, and the ceiling was nine feet tall. The walls were made of polished red oak, and the floors were covered by one gigantic rug that had tan ring and red, green, and brown flower designs. A number of lamps sat on polished wooden tables in the corners of the room, and miniature light posts stuck out of the wall, made of polished metal colored gold. Four red couches made of comfortable material sat on the four sides of the room, and golden fern designs adorned them. On the walls were pictures of the late president Ronald Reagan (God bless his soul), those of the carrier, and a few personal pictures by the current captain: James A. Symonds. White halogen lights were affixed to the ceiling, and they added more light to the room. Situated in the center of the room was a large wooden table made of pine; obviously, it was intended for meetings between the captain and the ship's officers.

And right now, General Wesley was sitting on one side of the table; his three Marine escorts were right beside him, M-16s aimed at Nola Kusulumee and his two red Elitemon bodyguards on the opposite side.

And the Grand Praetor had just explained everything: where the invading monsters had come from, where he and his kin had come from, and WHY they had come. The Praetor had spoken of the Digital World, the Forbidden City, and of the various Digimon that had invaded Odaiba earlier. He had even spoken of the Gravemon and the Great Journey…both the ship and of the actual journey.

Needless to say, the Commandant was honestly dumbfounded. He was surprised…and he was absolutely flabbergasted as to why he believed it all.

Then again, after all that had happened, he wasn't going to disbelieve anything…after all, the things that the Grand Praetor were saying actually clarified some things that he knew…things that only a few knew…classified things…

Nola Kusulumee leaned back against his chair, his eyes staring quietly into the eyes of the general. "Is there anything else you wish to speak of? I believe I've answered most of your questions. I've made the intentions of my kin clear. We are your allies."

"I don't doubt that anymore…but when you spoke of these 'Gravemon' and your city, you mentioned something called 'Digidestined'. What is a Digidestined?" asked the general.

"The Digidestined are a group of children. Children of Destiny…that is their full name…and they are humans like yourself."

The Commandant raised an eyebrow. "Really? Who are they exactly?"

"Children who are chosen to defend the Digital World from darkness. As a matter of fact, last I heard, they were fighting the Class 'Z' threat I told you of," replied Nola.

"Ah…that. The one who 'can annihilate this world if it pleased', quote-unquote. Pardon me if I'm full of disbelief, but what can children do?" The general's tone was dripping with sarcasm.

"They are blessed with powers that defy imagination. It would surprise you how often they can pull a rabbit out of their hats, so to speak."

The Commandant nodded…and then he sighed heavily, whispering, "So it is true…" He then stared straight into the Praetor's eyes. "I assume that you've heard of a phrase called 'classified intelligence'."

"Most certainly."

"Good. Marines. Leave us."

Nola knew where this was going. With a short, stern grunt, it gave his two bodyguards that sign to leave. The two red Elitemon quietly walked out, escorted by the three Marines.

Fifteen seconds later, General Wesley spoke again. "What I'm about to tell you cannot leave this room. It is classified American intelligence that is ears-only, do you understand?"

The Grand Praetor nodded. "Yes. I'm well aware of the secrecy involved with classified information. Please…continue."

The Commandant sighed. "Many years ago, my country – the United States of America – was locked in a 'Cold War' against an enemy country known as the Soviet Union. Unlike a traditional war, the Cold War was fought with information, spies, and threats. The higher-ups in the American government and Department of Defense agreed that we needed to find a way to monitor communications to find information that would pique American interests, both beneficial and harmful. And thus, Project Echelon was born."

"Project Echelon?" asked the Praetor confusedly.

"Using a vast network of state-of-the-art monitoring equipment and the incognito sharing of intelligence with other allied countries, America was able to monitor any and all communications going through satellites, phone lines, and computer networks all over the world. That is the basis of Project Echelon…and soon after the project began, we encountered a strange signal unlike any ever encountered before. We called it the X1."

"Go on," said Nola.

"X1 exhibited qualities that had never been exhibited by a communications signal before. Normally, a signal goes one-way. It is sent and then received, the information it contains is decoded and delivered, and that's it. However, the X1 signal defied all the rules. It went back and forth in the networks, it couldn't be deciphered…and occasionally, it would leap OUT of the networks and out of Echelon's jurisdiction. It was as if it left our world completely…and as time went on, we encountered more and more of the X1."

Kusulumee said, "I take it your superiors were displeased by the X1?"

"I was still a soldier in the Corps when Echelon was introduced. X1 presented a problem because our intelligence community had no way of tracking it. We had no way of identifying what it was or where it had come from. It worried us because we had thought that the Soviet Union had developed a new kind of communications cipher that couldn't be decoded. That couldn't be cracked. That couldn't be tracked. It had the Echelon figureheads in a tizzy."

"I see…I assume you devoted most of your resources to finding out what this X1 signal was."

Wesley nodded in response. "Yes. Project Echelon was an initiative of the NSA, the National Security Agency. So the NSA, using the limitless funds of its 'black budget', began researching the X1 and everything about it. After about four years of relentless attempts to decode the signal, we made headway in the early 1970's."

"You cracked the signal?" asked the Praetor.

"No. The signal cracked us. All of a sudden, while we were monitoring one of the X1s, a message played out over all of the loud speakers in headquarters of the Echelon system."

"Where is this Echelon system?" asked the Praetor.

The Commandant chuckled. "Sorry. That's something I cannot declassify at all. I'd be accused of treason."

"I see…what was the message?" asked Kusulumee.

"It was this: Hi! Who are you? My name's Terriermon." The general paused. "Sound familiar?"

A nod. "Yes…Terriermon is a type of Digimon. Rookie level."

"Well, before we could find a way to respond, the 'Terriermon' X1 leapt out of the network and out of our jurisdiction. However, in the short minute between the X1's message and the time it leapt out of the network, we managed to copy its communication channel onto our systems. That channel was analyzed under severe scrutiny." The Commandant paused to sigh. "It was extraordinary…that channel was complex. Infinitely more complex than any thing we had come up with at the time. It was operated on a frequency that was unknown to us…but we had a lead."

"You tried to use that channel again?"

The general shook his head. "No. The NSA instead focused on creating a program that would allow us to create our own channels, using the frequency that the Terriermon X1 had used. We hoped that frequency was universal…and it was. Once the program was completed three months later, we could finally decipher the X1 signals and see the information within. However, all we got were more messages from confused and bedazzled entities much like the Terriermon."

"So how did the Terriermon speak with you first anyhow? Was it aware of your Echelon?"

"I don't think so, personally. The general consensus is that our continued persistence in trying to find out what the X1 signals were had been making our presence more passively aware to the signals themselves. So it was only a matter of time until one of the X1s tried to communicate with us."

The Praetor paused for a moment to think. So the humans have been aware of us…I wonder how much they were aware of? "Then what?"

"As time went on, and our Echelon system became more sophisticated, the X1s became more than simple signals with messages; we were actually deciphering actual characteristics of their data. They were creatures unlike anything we had ever seen before; they looked like monsters and beings from fairy tales. In time, we began identifying the X1s by another name: Wild Ones. Or ETs, as a joke."

"And?"

"At that time, it was the early 1980s. Virtual reality technology was the newest thing, and we sought to integrate it with our Echelon systems. So by combining a VR feedback system and the program used to decipher and communicate with the Wild Ones, we could actually SEE what we were talking to. Now keep in mind that back then the VR system was small stuff; simple colors and rudimentary geometric shapes, nothing special…but still, it was quite a stir with the higher-ups. For the first time, we could see the world in which these Wild Ones lived in. It was quite exciting."

"Who did you first encounter?" asked Nola.

"The first Wild One we spoke to was in close proximity to another one…and we were quite surprised to find that one of them looked like a male teenager."

The Praetor blinked out of surprise. "You must have encountered a Digidestined."

"That's not all. The other Wild One was a golden creature matching your physical profile."

The Praetor immediately scowled. "Outcast…"

"You KNOW of that Digimon? Personally?" asked the Commandant, a look of slight disbelief in his eyes.

"Yes," muttered the Praetor with some distaste. "His name is Futa Ishisamee. He was once a famed Battalion Commander of our military of unequal skill…but when that teenager came, Futa left. He was the boy's partner…and he defied the prophecy of Omniscience when he entered this world with him."

The Commandant frowned; this was a rare opportunity. This Praetor knew of the Digidestined personally…and now he had offered a way for him to ask of them. "This teenager…you're positive he was a Digidestined?"

"Yes. His name was Hiroaki Ishida…and he was one of five at that time."

"Really? What were their names?" asked the general.

"Hiroki Hida. Teela Yamaki. Joshua Kido…and Miranda Akiyama. I believe those were their names…" The Elitemon sighed. "I shouldn't be dwelling on the past. It interferes with thought."

"I couldn't agree more," replied the general. "Anyhow, before we could speak with the boy and his golden partner, we lost contact…because our channel was cut."

The Praetor raised an eyebrow. "Your channel to the Digital World was ended by an outside force?"

"Yes. It became an everyday occurrence. Every time we tried to communicate with the Wild Ones' X1 signals, we were blocked off. We were dealing with an entirely different beast…fortunately, the continued blocking of our channels allowed us to identify the new signals. We dubbed these signals as 'X2'. The X2 signals were actively preventing us from contacting the X1 signals."

"Ah…I think these X2 signals were actually the Order," interjected Nola.

"Order?"

Nola quickly said, "I told you of the Guardian Beasts, correct?"

The general nodded.

"The Guardian Beasts decided that, after the original Digidestined defeated their last true enemy – a Digimon called Demon –, they needed a way to control the continued surveillance by humans upon the Digital World."

Wesley was genuinely surprised. "So these Beasts were AWARE of Echelon's observation of the Wild Ones?"

"Yes. So they opened tiny Digiports to this world, and they brought a number of homeless humans to the Digital World. Since these young adults were poor, homeless, and in poverty, all seventy of them accepted the Guardians' proposal. They were all imbued with special talents that would allow them to safeguard the Digital World from the technology of humankind."

The general nodded. "I see…" This was quite interesting; the X2 signals that had been a thorn in the side of the Echelon system had actually been humans? The Echelon figureheads are going to be interested in this. "Okay, well that explains a bit…but eight years ago, strange events happened."

Nola Kusulumee suddenly remembered what happened eight years ago: the coming of the Time Demon known as XeedMilleniummon. "I remember. A time-traveling Digimon by the name of Milleniummon came to our time from the future to destroy the universe."

"A time-traveling Digimon?" asked Wesley out of sheer disbelief. Nola nodded in response. The general was honestly shocked; he had been told of Digimon that could destroy the world…and now there was one who could travel through time? Digimon were suddenly transforming from a strange occurrence into a major interest.

"XeedMilleniummon's power was so great that his mere presence caused the spatial and chronological barriers around the Digital World to warp. It changed to where a day in the Digiworld equaled one minute here."

The Commandant's eyes narrowed. "I see…that explains a lot. Eight years ago, at the time of the Highton View Terrace 'bombing'," He said it sarcastically, because he – save for those who witnessed it personally – was one of the few who knew exactly what happened. "The X1 signals began moving at an exponentially greater rate of speed. They were going so fast that we couldn't track them at all…we thought the X2 signals had done something to throw us off the trail of the Wild Ones, but this explains a lot. They were simple moving on a faster plane of existence than ours…but apparently, that isn't happening anymore."

"Correct," nodded Nola. "After the battle against the Digimon known as Apocalymon in the sky – after the event you call the Odaiba Fog Incident – the Digital plane realigned itself, becoming connected to the plane of existence this world ran on once more."

"That would explain why we were suddenly able to contact the Wild Ones once more four years ago…and the X2 signals are practically non-existent anymore."

The Praetor explained. "The Order is a shadow of its former self. There is only one member left that is still alive, and he is an old man."

"Ah…" The Commandant sighed. "Well, after what happened four years ago, we shifted our focus from communicating with the denizens of the Digital World to trying to figure out a way INTO that world…because after that, we could find a way to close the channels through which they came through, thus halting anymore invasions like the one that occurred here in the past couple of days. However, we've been largely unsuccessful…and now we have this mess to deal with."

"Fortunately, that is what allies are for, are they not?" Nola Kusulumee smiled as he stared at the Commandant. "You seem like a smart man, General Wesley. Who is your country's leader?"

"Our country's current leader is President Yates," answered the general.

Nola nodded. "I'm certain the Hierarchs would like to meet him…perhaps after this ugly business, they could meet. Until then…" Nola then bowed. "Allies?"

The Commandant was silent for a few moments. Then, he nodded with a small smile. "Allies."

The Grand Praetor smiled as he left the Captain's Cabin.

After fifteen seconds passed, Wesley reached into the coat of his green uniform and pulled out a small speaker smaller than a dime, and just as thin. "Did you get all of that Mr. Bishop?" A calm, smug voice replied moments later.

"Yes. It was very enlightening…now we have five to add to the list of known Digidestined. That brings the grand total to seventeen: Tai and Kari Kamiya, Matthew Ishida, Takeru Takaishi, Mimi Tachikawa, Sora Takenouchi, Yolei Inoue, Davis Motomiya, Ken Ichijouji, Joe Kido, Izzy Izumi, and Cody Hida, plus the five new ones…excellent. Good work general…you've given me lots of new material. The Echelon team sends their regards."

The general nodded…but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Roger that."

xxxx

/Cockpit, Shadow, En Route to Great Journey, 8:35 PM/

As the Grand Praetor quietly piloted the Shadow toward the mighty warship, he spoke. "Did you get everything?"

A voice came over the speakers inside the cockpit: the voice of Vula Tusa'lamee. "Yes. The bug we planted inside your helmet worked perfectly. The Hierarchs were quite surprised as to how much the humans knew of the Digital World, and how far that had proceeded despite being limited by the Order."

"As was I. The man was clearly knowledgeable…and this 'President' he spoke of…"

"I know. The Hierarchs have agreed to meet him once BelialMyotismon has been destroyed."

Nola blinked. "Who?"

"The Class 'Z' threat was identified as BelialMyotismon while you were on that vessel. Our turrets are still aimed at him…I'm still waiting for the Hierarchs order to fire."

"Roger. I'll be onboard the Great Journey soon." Nola cut off the com-link as he concentrated on piloting the dropship. His mind momentarily turned to thoughts of the Digidestined.

How were they faring right now?

xxxx

/Battlefield, Two Miles Above Odaiba, 8:37 PM/

"Courageous Punch!"

BelialMyotismon grunted as he blocked the orange-colored punch with his gauntlet. The vampire lord's shoulders opened up immediately. "Pandemonium Flare!"

The Digiknight grunted as the flames pressed him back. With a quick flap of his wings, the Digiknight ascended above the flames as his arms crackled with purple electricity. "Bolt of Knowledge!"

The Dark Digimon grimaced as purple electricity slammed into his body, momentarily freezing him in place. Of course, he was quickly on the move again. "You think a large bag of tricks will be enough? The tricks will have to work if you're to succeed!" The evil Mega grinned as his shoulders opened up, revealing pale blue vapor. "Like this one…MIST OF THE PAST!"

The pale blue mist floated into the air, coalescing into four distinct parts…and those parts became four familiar figures.

Devimon.

Demon, sans clothes.

Myotismon.

And the last one stood at a staggering 200 feet. The legs were thick with muscle, and they were covered with gray fur from the waist down. The pale feet had three claws colored violet, and the fur around his legs were had white slash mark designs crisscrossing them. Around the knees, three red designs that looked like sharp fangs were visible; on the fur over his pelvis were four red eye markings. His upper body was covered by red, bone-like armor, as were his long, elongated arms. Black leather bands covered the upper part of his forearms, and the backs of his hands had yellow bat marks. His fingers were long and gangly, and red spikes protruded from his small shoulders. Massive wings jutted out of his shoulder blades – each one easily over seventy feet long – and the black, leathery skin that they were made of was tattered and riddled with holes. His long, gray tail was segmented, and two red horns curved out and upward from his temples. His long, blonde hair was unkempt, and a red eye mask covered his pupil-less eyes. It was VenomMyotismon: the inferior Mega form of Myotismon.

BelialMyotismon chuckled as his body dissipated into a cloud of black bats. "Hope you enjoy the show…" Then the bats flew about, leaving the Digiknight to deal with the four old enemies.

Myotismon quickly flared his cape open. "Grisly Wing!" Black bats stormed out of his cape, swarming towards the Digiknight.

The Digiknight scoffed. "Please." The light blue harmonica appeared in his hands once more. "Friendship Blues."

The bats were blown away by the icy wind, freezing in midair before crashing on the ground.

"TOUCH OF EVIL!"

The Digiknight tilted his head around to see Devimon charging for him, his right hand's index finger glowing red. The superhuman didn't even flinch as Devimon stuck his finger into the back of his armor.

Then, the Digiknight – with a casual ease – said, "Burning Light." Devimon soundlessly howled as the light burned away at him, vaporizing him on the spot.

"Demon Inferno!"

"Crimson Lightning!"

The Digiknight turned his eyes forward again to see a stream of red hellfire and a whip made of blood-colored lightning slam into him. Moments later, VenomMyotismon roared as multicolored energy erupted from his eyes, slamming into the Digiknight as well.

When the dust faded, the Shield of Hope could be seen. The Digiknight dismissed the shield before slamming both of his hands together. "ROCK OF HUMILITY!"

Suddenly, a massive boulder that had Cody's figure stenciled on it appeared in midair, just as the Crest of Humility glowed dark green on the Digiknight's chest. Myotismon grimaced as the boulder fell upon him, pressing him into the ground. As the Ultimate Digimon grimaced under the full weight of the boulder, the Digiknight mocked him. "How does it feel Myotismon? To feel the shackles of a self-imposed weight? This is the weight of character…a weight that Cody has carried for most of his life. Even he's proven to be stronger than you…you worthless MONSTER!"

Myotismon howled as the boulder crushed him. When the Rock of Humility faded, Myotismon was gone.

"APOLLYON CRUSHER!"

The Digiknight looked up to see a massive gray orb of energy rushing toward him, courtesy of the demonic Mega: Demon. With a scowl, the superhuman yelled, "Sincerity's Flower!"

The flower materialized above the Digiknight, swallowing the Apollyon Crusher orb before exploding from the inside. The Digiknight roared through the haze, his swords drawn. "Sword of Virtue!"

Demon gagged as the Digiknight plunged both swords into his chest…and the superhuman tore through the demonic Mega with ease.

And then there was one. VenomMyotismon snarled as he roared, raising his foot to stomp on the Digiknight.

The Digiknight immediately slashed both swords at a lightning-fast speed. In a split-second instant – so quick that normal eyes could not witness it – the two swords grew to over seventy feet in length.

The seconds passed. VenomMyotismon was still. The Digiknight sheathed both of his fifteen-foot long swords.

Then, VenomMyotismon fell apart into four pieces; he had been sliced apart at the chest in an 'X' pattern. The massive Mega dissipated into nothingness moments later.

The Digiknight chuckled. "Come on! Those weren't even as strong as the genuine articles! If you're going to try and destroy me through others, at least get it right!"

SHICK!

"AAAGGH!" howled the superhuman as a gray tail impaled his right shoulder. A malevolent chuckle echoed through the air as the Digiknight tilted his head around. The tail of BelialMyotismon could be seen sticking out of a large conglomerate of black bats.

"Fool…" spoke BelialMyotismon as the rest of the bats reformed into his true form. The Digiknight hung limply in midair as the vampire lord said, "That was the whole point of my little 'trick': confusion. You focused on the four weaklings while I moved in for the kill…now DIE. CRIMSON MI-"

The Digiknight quickly kicked BelialMyotismon in the chest, halting the Digimon in mid-sentence. The superhuman pulled the tail out of his shoulder by force – causing the Digiknight to groan painfully – before flying backwards. His right arm dangled by his side as he roared, "Caring's Claws!" The dark red claws extended from his left gauntlet. The Digiknight frowned as he glared at BelialMyotismon.

The dark Mega chuckled as cracked his knuckles. "You're making this too hard on yourself. Glaive of-"

CHOOM!

The Digiknight yelped as BelialMyotismon vanished in a massive laser of purple energy. The Digiknight blanched at the sight. "WHAT THE HECK?"

xxxx

/Bridge, Great Journey, Sky over Odaiba, 8:44 PM/

"Direct hit!" roared the black Elitemon manning the weapons station.

"Excellent," said Vula Tusa'lamee. He turned towards the three Hierarchs and said, "BelialMyotismon has been struck."

"Well done commander. What is the status of the target?" asked the Prophet of Reality.

"Unknown," replied a black Elitemon manning the scanners. "Ship scanners will be have data on the target's condition in twenty seconds."

Absolution smiled. "That fool. BelialMyotismon may be more powerful than the Time Demon, but we will not let the world of reality be tainted any further! We are on the Great Journey…and we shall do what we can to make this sacred world whole once more!"

Wisdom was silent. For many years, he had been one of the three Hierarchs, enforcing the words and rules of their ancestors upon the Forbidden City and its denizens. All because of their faith in the Great Journey to the world of reality…and now that he was here…he was beginning to wonder why they had wasted so much time waiting for it.

"Target's status confirmed. Target…is still alive," moaned the black Elitemon.

Vula's fists clenched. "Curses."

xxxx

/Battlefield, Two Miles Above Odaiba, 8:46 PM/

The Digiknight blinked as the smoke cleared. BelialMyotismon stood there – his body slightly charred – and he looked PEEVED. "Pardon me." He tilted his head downward and roared, "HOWLING DARKNESS!"

The stream of dark energy roared downward…and it gutted through the Great Journey at a precise spot. A blue explosion erupted from the innards of the ship.

BelialMyotismon smiled. "Good. Now…where were-"

"MAGNA PUNCH!"

SLAM!

BelialMyotismon grunted as the Digiknight slammed his glowing left fist into his face. "You're going to regret that!"

xxxx

/Bridge, Great Journey, Sky over Odaiba, 8:47 PM/

Red lights flared throughout the bridge as alarm klaxons blared loudly. Kuvo Hutalamee – the Chief Honor Guard – protectively braced himself against the three Hierarchs as the ship shook. Vula roared, "STATUS!"

"Reactor was hit by a precise beam. Main reactor is now in operable. Switching to backups!" responded a black Elitemon.

In moments, the ship's shaking began to lessen…and within a minute, the ship had stabilized. The klaxons blared a little less loudly, but the red lights still glowed brightly.

"Backup reactors fully initialized. Power is being rerouted from weapons batteries to ease the load on the backups," said the black Elitemon.

Vula nodded. "Good work." He turned towards the Hierarchs. "I'm afraid we cannot attempt another shot like that. If he hits us again, we may very well crash."

The Chief Honor Guard scowled before turning to the Hierarchs. "Noble ones…if I may say so, your safety is being threatened here. Perhaps we should retreat; we cannot do anything more here."

"I have to concur with Hutalamee," said Wisdom. "Our warship may be strong, but it is nothing compared to BelialMyotismon!"

"Very well. Commander, retreat to a safer distance."

Vula nodded. "Yes, noble one."

With that said, the Great Journey turned around and slowly flew eastward – over the US fleet, which did not fire under the Commandant's orders – away from Odaiba.

xxxx

/Outside Fuji Television Station, Odaiba, 8:50 PM/

Dietz grumbled as the Great Journey flew eastward, out of his sight. "Man…" His eyes then turned upward, staring at the large column of shadows that stretched upward for two miles. Atop that column, Dietz could see flashes of energy and the silhouettes of two combatants. What's going on up there?

Frustrated over his inability to do anything right now, the Junsa-cho angrily kicked a piece of rubble.

CLONG!

"OOOOOWWW!"

Unfortunately, that piece of rubble was a metal beam that weighed over a thousand pounds. As the policeman grabbed his foot, a curse escaped his lips. When the pain subsided, he sat down atop a large rock. "Man…I hate this…"

Even though he was a senior policeman, Dietz felt…unfulfilled. In the weeks leading up to October the 25th, he had become sort of disenchanted with his job. He had started to wonder…what actual good was he doing? He'd arrest the crooks, sure…but then the lawyers would argue and verbally swindle the crooks back onto the streets. It was sort of like going up against nature; as the criminals were getting more and more sympathy, the policemen were getting more and more flak. So he started losing a bit of his professional edge; becoming more of his laid-back, naïve self when he was on the job. That's the way it went.

But then Monday had rolled around…and the monsters had shown up.

Even though so much death and destruction had occurred, Dietz couldn't help but feel that he was actually doing some good. He wasn't just being a police officer anymore; he was someone who was fighting to protect the lives of others in REAL fighting. That just didn't happen anymore…and now that all of this was happening…he had gotten used to it.

But what if it all…stopped? What if all the havoc was ended? What if everything went back to normal?

Would he be able to adapt?

"I don't think so…" muttered the Junsa-cho to himself out of frustration. He wouldn't be able to go back to the way things were. He wanted things to remain chaotic. He wanted to remain as a protector of lives…an ACTUAL protector. He wanted everything to stay like it was.

But that was wrong. People didn't want things to remain so chaotic. They wanted order…not chaos. Which meant things would get boring again, whether he liked it or not.

"Man…this sucks." Dietz angrily kicked another rock.

"You seem perturbed."

Dietz whirled around to see a golden Elitemon staring at him. "Who are you?"

"My name is Futa Ishisamee. I am simply out here to get a better view of the battle…and I couldn't help but notice your…little anger session. Now what troubles you?"

Dietz sighed as he looked up at the large Digimon's face. "Well…I know all of this stuff is bad for everyone…but part of me wants it to stay like this. I mean…I love all of the newness of everything! It's not monotonous or boring! I mean…well, you get it?"

Futa nodded. "Yes. I do."

"Then I guess you know how much of a pain adapting back to normalcy would be…" Dietz sighed as he stared at Tokyo Bay; the Great Journey was now nothing more than a purple dot in the sky. "I'm considering signing up with those guys…"

Futa was silent before turning his back to the young Junsa-cho. "Nothing wrong with stowing away, is there?"

Dietz's eyes widened as he whirled around; Futa walked away silently. "Wait! What do you mean?"

"There's a Shadow nearby. You can probably get on if you ask nicely…but take heed; after the war that has gripped Odaiba, Digimon will be known by humanity as a whole. Some will not appreciate the idea of another sentient species…so being associated with Digimon might not be a safe endeavor. But do what you will." With that said, Futa walked back towards the television station, leaving Dietz alone.

The Junsa-cho was silent…and then he stared up into the star-filled sky. They twinkled in the darkness, providing little light…but that was sort of like the decision he was making, wasn't it? He should aim for the light…even if a sea of darkness surrounded it.

He would aim for what was right by him…and he made his decision.

As Dietz ran off, a pair of worried eyes watched him from afar.

"Take care of yourself kid…" whispered Ackerson to himself. He then turned back toward the station.

The black Elitemon roared, "Move! The Hierarchs want us to report back to the ship immediately!"

All of the Shadows that had not been used to evacuate injured people had been ordered to return to the Great Journey. And right now, the black Elitemon in charge of a group of five blue Elitemon, ten orange Gruntmon, and five Champion-level Jackalmon was getting all of them back onboard the dropship.

Once all of the soldiers were in their seats, the black Elitemon turned toward the cockpit. As he hopped in…

"Hey!"

The Elitemon blinked as he tilted his head to see a human in blue running towards the Shadow. In his hand was an energy rifle. "State your business, human!"

"Well …mind if I catch a lift?" asked the Junsa-cho, who was slightly breathless.

The black Elitemon snorted. "I'm afraid dropping you off at your destination will not do. I have orders to return to the warship, and I can't spare a second ferrying you to a different part of the city."

"You misunderstand!" yelled Dietz. "My destination…IS that ship."

The black Elitemon's eyes widened out of surprise. This human wanted to leave his home…and come to the Great Journey? Then…he would willingly join us? It was interesting…a human that wasn't a Digidestined deciding to come along. Finally, the black Elitemon said, "State your name."

"Dietz."

The Elitemon smiled. "Roto Jyusinaree. Get onboard."

Dietz smiled as he eagerly jumped on one of the empty seats in the right prong. The prongs closed up moments later, and the Shadow took off into the sky.

He was leaving his home…he was leaving Odaiba for a new life. Dietz was now on a journey of his own.

xxxx

/Battlefield, Two Miles Above Odaiba, 9:00 PM/

"TIDES OF RELIABILITY! FLAMES OF LOVE! BOLT OF KNOWLEDGE!" The Digiknight spread all five fingers on his left hand, and streams of gray water, red fire, and purple electricity erupted from them as the Crests of Reliability, Love, and Knowledge glowed.

BelialMyotismon twirled his Glaive of Darkness at high speed. The five streams of water, fire, and lightning were deflected by the glaive…but suddenly, a glowing foot broke through the glaive. "WHAT?"

"MAGNA KICK!"

BelialMyotismon grunted as the glowing foot of gold slammed into his face, sending him backwards by several dozen feet. The Glaive of Darkness, now broken, dissipated into smoke as the vampire lord roared, "ENOUGH!"

The Digiknight chuckled as he flapped his wings, ascending high into the air above BelialMyotismon. "What was that? 'Enough'? BelialMyotismon…we've been fighting you for almost three hours now. I'm still kicking…and I don't think you have what it takes to do me in."

"That's what you think." BelialMyotismon then snapped his fingers. And then a gigantic black orb appeared in the air below the Dark Digimon and to the side of the column of shadows.

"WHAT!" yelped the Digiknight out of shock. The orb was MASSIVE; easily a mile in diameter. "WHAT IS THAT?"

"It is the sphere of darkness that I used to block out the sun. I created it so that it would grow over time in the deep abyss that is outer space…and eventually, it would've grown as big as the Earth itself, completely shrouding this planet from all traces of the sun's light." BelialMyotismon chuckled as the orb pulsed with black energy. "The sun…the most powerful source of light that this planet knows of. You humans' pathetic attempts to emulate it have failed…not one of your artificial lights can dwarf the sun's. And my orb completely blocks it out…so no matter what you can do Digiknight, this sphere will CONSUME YOU! DARK ECLIPSE!"

And the orb rocketed toward the Digiknight at high speed.

The Digiknight couldn't help but blanch at the sight of the massive orb of darkness rocketing towards him. It was enormous…unparalleled in its size. It could easily consume him.

But he was going to let that happen. He would not fall to this monster. Not a chance.

Failure was not an option.

"HAAAAAA!" The Digiknight yelled loudly as his the Crest of Miracles glowed brightly on his breastplate. His entire body was covered by a golden glow as the image of the Crest of Miracles appeared in the air in front of him, growing to the size of about one hundred feet. Also, the injury on his right shoulder glowed as well. "GRAND MIRACLE!"

The large image of the Crest of Miracles streaked downward, leaving a ghostly aura trail in its wake. Seconds later, it crashed into the Dark Eclipse orb.

And then it thrust through the surface of the orb…and burst out through the other side.

BelialMyotismon's eyes widened as the Grand Miracle attack rushed toward him; the Dark Eclipse orb was already dissipating into nothingness. What…? That little trinket completely tore through my Dark Eclipse…? Impossible!

Wrong. Possible.

BelialMyotismon howled as the Grand Miracle crashed into him, pushing him downward through the ground of his makeshift battlefield…and it continued to push him down through the column of shadows.

The Digiknight smiled as the howls of BelialMyotismon echoed through the air, even as the large column began to dissipate and the battlefield shattered into pieces.

He then began descending downward towards Odaiba.

And as this was happening, the President – who was in a completely different hemisphere – was wondering why it had suddenly gotten so bright.

Small world, ain't it?

xxxx

/Sphere Observation Deck, Fuji Television Station, Odaiba, 9:09 PM/

Futa silently ascended the stairway to see Gennai, Hiroaki, Joshua, and DemiDevimon staring out the hole in the wall at the column of shadows. "How is the battle going?"

"What do you think numnuts!" snappily retorted DemiDevimon. "That battle's TWO MILES UP! We can't see worth jack!"

Futa chuckled as he walked to Hiroaki's side. "I'm glad to see that your rude, yet sarcastic wit is intact after all these years."

"Perhaps," dryly replied Joshua, a small grin on his face. DemiDevimon merely scoffed. "Whatever."

Hiroaki turned to Gennai and asked, "What's your opinion of how the battle's going?"

The old man shrugged. "Beats me."

"How is everything?"

The three men and two Digimon turned around to see Natsuko, Jim Kido, and Jun Motomiya walk away from the stairwell towards them. Natsuko, again, asked, "Well?"

Hiroaki shook his head. "We don't know anything yet."

Jun grimaced. "Man…I hope Davis and the others are okay…"

"Hey…they'll be okay. Remember: faith," reminded Jim as he embraced her. Jun immediately smiled. "Right."

A throat suddenly cleared itself. Jim and Jun tilted their heads to see Joshua. "So Jim…is she your girlfriend?"

Jim and Jun immediately blushed.

DemiDevimon chuckled as a perverted smirk came to his lips. "Heh…have there been any saucy bits yet?"

"Quiet you," muttered Futa as he clenched his fist tightly. DemiDevimon retorted by sticking his tongue out. Futa responded by growling menacingly at the Rookie.

"Well…" Jim gulped as Jun clutched his hand tightly. "Sort of…yeah…I guess…"

Joshua was silent. Then he smiled. "Well done. Took me longer to get a girlfriend myself." With that said, Joshua turned around to face the shadowy column once more.

Hiroaki leaned back and spoke at the three. "He's not one for talking."

Natsuko giggled as she gingerly rubbed her left forearm's cast. "I've noticed."

"Hey, what's that?" asked Jun as she curiously pointed at the shadowy column.

Sure enough, a gray figure could be seen plummeting through the shadowy column. As the figure continued to fall, the column of darkness began to dissipate. Moments later, the figure crashed into the ground with a thunderous boom.

"Who is that?" asked Natsuko.

Futa huffed, a scowl present on his features. "The enemy."

Less than ten seconds later, a golden being with angel's wings and a rainbow aura drifted down from above.

Everyone looked at the figure with a measure of awe. "Who is that…?" muttered Jim.

Jun recognized the golden armor on the being. …Davis? But…how'd he turn into that?

xxxx

/Ruins of Odaiba, 9:15 PM/

BelialMyotismon grimaced as he struggled to get to his feet. "Rrr…blast you…"

"That Grand Miracle attack was pretty nifty," said the Digiknight as he slowly walked over to BelialMyotismon. He was rotating his right arm around: the injury was gone. "Not only did it kick your butt, but it healed me too. Now you're on your knees, and I've been rejuvenated…just give up now."

BelialMyotismon was silent…and then he stood, revealing that the armor over his chest was cracking. And then he chuckled. "Heh heh heh…you truly don't understand, do you? I still have an ace up my sleeve…I haven't gone to my full potential yet."

"Liar," retorted the Digiknight.

BelialMyotismon smiled malevolently. "Am I?" He then tore off several pieces of his gray armor, revealing the pale skin of his muscular chest…but that's not what got the Digiknight's attention.

It was the orange orb that was embedded in his sternum. "What the…?"

"Behold: the very object that I truly wanted my data for. When my body was destroyed four years ago, this orb went with it…but it is back in my possession."

"What the heck is it?" asked the Digiknight out of confusion.

BelialMyotismon chuckled as his tail impulsively twitched. "This orange orb is actually a Digicore…and within is a Digimon that used so much of his own power that he sealed himself away in it until his power would become fully replenished…but I found him like this before he could fully return to his true form. Within THIS, dear Digidestined, is the creator of the Guardian Beasts…the Guardian God: Huanglongmon."

"Huanglongmon?" asked the Digiknight out of confusion.

BelialMyotismon grinned. "You need a little history lesson…very well then. I shall assume the role of teacher." BelialMyotismon stepped backward as he stared straight into the Digiknight's eyes. "Many years ago, when the Digital World was still in its infancy, it was split into two realms: the Realm of Serenity…and the Realm of Darkness." He tapped the orb on his chest. "Huanglongmon was the first Digimon born in the Realm of Serenity. He was born with great might…greater than that of XeedMilleniummon, or even myself. He took it upon himself to protect the Realm of Serenity, and he dubbed himself the Guardian God."

"What of the Realm of Darkness?"

"The Realm of Darkness was where Dark Digimon ruled…and the first four to be born there were the four Dark Lords: Apocalymon, Lucemon, Demon, and Dragomon. The two realms were at constant war with each other, and Huanglongmon fended off assault after assault from the armies of the Dark Lords. However, as often as the Dark Lords fought Huanglongmon, they just as often fought each other for control and power."

The Digiknight chuckled. "Just like that old saying: no honor among thieves. I guess it also applies to Dark Digimon."

"Even so, the four Dark Lords finally made a pact to strike Huanglongmon at the same time. At the dividing line between the two realms, Huanglongmon fought the four Dark Lords and their armies. The battle cost both sides heavily…but Huanglongmon was on the edge of his rope, and the four Dark Lords were making a final assault…so the Guardian God used his last resort."

"What resort would that be?" asked the Digiknight.

"He used all twelve of his Digicores. He sent four of them into the Realm of Serenity…and from those Digicores, the Guardian Beasts would hatch. They would carry on Huanglongmon's duties. Seven other Digicores were used to split the two realms apart. The Realm of Serenity became the Digital World that you know today, and the Realm of Darkness became the Dark World. Now that the two realms were split apart, the Dark Lords in the Dark World could not come to the Digital World. As for the last Digicore…Huanglongmon sealed himself inside it as the two worlds split apart. He planned for his Digicore to remain hidden in the nexus between the two worlds until his power fully rejuvenated…but not all things go as we plan, isn't that right?"

The Digiknight frowned. "If what you say is true…then how come you have the Digicore?"

BelialMyotismon grinned. "You see, even though the four Dark Lords were the major beings of power in the Realm of Darkness, I was among the smaller players who tried to take larger pieces of the villainy pie. However, after Huanglongmon sealed himself away, the four Dark Lords went all-out against each other for years on end. Lucemon was the first to die; he went head-on against Dragomon, and lost against the Dark Ocean master. Apocalymon, on the other hand, used a great fraction of his power to break through the barrier between the Digital World and the Dark World. A large number of Dark Digimon – myself included – fled behind him through the hole he left in the barrier. The nexus was like an interminable barrier of fog…but as you know, I managed to make my way through…but not without inadvertently running into a little trinket hidden in the mists."

"Huanglongmon's Digicore," answered the Digiknight.

"Yes…but I couldn't afford to let anyone find out that I had it. I fused the Digicore with my own data…waiting for the day its power would be fully rejuvenated. I began my planning then…all of my planning came forth because of this Digicore." BelialMyotismon chuckled as he fingered the orange Digicore. "This entire time, I've only tapped into miniscule pieces of its power…but you've forced me to use it all."

The Digiknight's eyes suddenly widened. No…if he does that now… "NO! WAIT!"

"TOO LATE DIGIBRAT! YOUR DOOM IS ASSURED!" With that said, the orange Digicore flared with black energy as BelialMyotismon began growing…and growing…and growing.

The Digiknight paled as he impulsively backed up; BelialMyotismon was becoming something else now…no; he was merely unleashing his full power: the power of the Guardian God.

BelialMyotismon grew to a massive height of four hundred feet. His body was bulging with muscles, and it was reptilian in structure. Black scales of obsidian armor covered his entire body. His hulking, stout legs were covered by spherical armor, and they ended in three spiky toes. His arms were over one hundred feet long, and they were covered by ridged obsidian armor. Three curvy spikes stretched out from his shoulders, a set of black spikes ran down the ridge of his spine to the tip of his thick, spike-covered tail. Tiny, scale-like spikes covered his elongated, seventy-foot long neck. His head was covered with a number of obsidian spikes, with the longer ones being near the ears and the back. Four red eyes glared menacingly at the Digiknight, and his fanged mouth was contorted into one of hatred. The orange Digicore that had held Huanglongmon's power was still situated in his sternum, although now it had grown to its true size: twenty-feet in diameter. Finally, the face of BelialMyotismon was peering out of the beast's forehead.

BelialMyotismon's face laughed heartily – the larger, draconic face made no movements – as he flexed his arms. "Yes…YES! I knew going through all of that hard work for this body would be worth it! And now look: my body is that of Huanglongmon's, the most powerful in the universe! No one can stop me now…" Then he bellowed loudly, his voice reaching up into the heavens. "NO ONE!"

xxxx

/Dragomon's Palace, City of Cthulu, Dark World, 9:26 PM/

"No…it's impossible…" Dragomon stuttered as he stood out of sheer shock, his red eyes staring at the chessboard quietly.

He was afraid…he was afraid. Fear: an emotion he had not felt in EONS. The last Digimon he had TRULY feared…had been Huanglongmon, the Guardian God. He had been an unstoppable beast during the times when the Dark World and the Digital World had been one…

Dragomon had never been able to track down the Digicore that had held Huanglongmon…he had merely assumed it would be lost forever in the foggy and endless abyss that was the nexus between the Digital World and the Dark World.

But now he understood why…Myotismon had hid it within his body by assimilating the Digicore. He had merely consumed it, without actually accessing its power. He had waited…waited until he could have a body that could contain its power.

And now he had one.

Dragomon slumped back into his throne silently. "No one can stop him now…"

xxxx

/Apartment, Shinagawa, 9:28 PM/

In an apartment building of Tokyo's Shinagawa district, a woman of 40 – whose shapely image belied her age – stared out the window of her apartment and across Tokyo Bay towards Odaiba; specifically, her eyes were on BelialMyotismon. Her long, shoulder-length hair was light brown in color, and her skin was fairly tanned. Her green eyes were filled with hints of sadness; it fit the blue shirt and the dark blue sweatpants she wore. "…"

"Should we help?"

The woman turned around to see a small creature float towards her. It looked like a gear; a gray gear with bronze rimming around the gear's teeth. On its sides were two silver cogs; also, it had an angular mouth, and red eyes peered out of holes in the gear's front. It was Hagurumon. "Well Miranda? I mean, Hiroaki and Joshua live there…maybe we should've gone to help…"

Miranda Akiyama – one of the original Digidestined – shook her head before responding in a melancholy, yet silky voice. "No…this is in the hands of the current generation. Our 'job' as Digidestined ended when we sealed away Demon…" She sighed once more. She rued being old and without a kid to look out for; both of hers had already moved out and started families of their own. As for a husband…well, Hagurumon's presence had made it difficult to have a normal family. Still, she didn't regret anything about her partner…so when her husband had divorced her, leaving the two kids with her, she had gotten him to promise silence on Hagurumon's existence. "Even so…it would be nice to get involved…but it's not our place."

Hagurumon grumbled as he – in his scratchy, mechanical voice – responded, "If you say so."

xxxx

/Apartment, Shinjuku, 9:31 PM/

"Hmm. Busy night tonight," muttered a twelve-year old girl as she stared nonchalantly outside her bedroom window. Her green eyes stared quietly at the three hospitals visible from her room; a number of strange purple aircraft were depositing injured people – along with five helicopters – from Odaiba to be cared for properly. It was sort of unsettling…but then again, after what had happened to Odaiba in the past couple of days, she wasn't surprised.

She got out of her bed and walked towards the door. As she opened the door, a work desk could be seen; upon it were pieces of paper cut out into the shapes of playing cards…and on them were drawings: drawings of Digimon.

As the girl walked out of her bedroom, a nearby lamp illuminated her body. She wore a yellow T-shirt that went down to her knees; it served as her pajamas. Her blonde hair was wrapped into a ponytail by a green band; it matched her eyes. Her skin was light in color, but had a bit of a tan to it. Around her head was green headband and goggles with black rims and white straps were wrapped around them (the first goggle-girl!). Her name was Azami Kikui…well, technically it was Azami Yamaki now. She had been put up for adoption at an early age, and a couple named Mitsuo and Teela Yamaki had adopted her.

Speaking of which, Azami walked downstairs to see her foster mother staring at the window with a figure on her left shoulder. Teela Yamaki was a raven-haired woman whose long, straight locks went down to her lower back. Her eyes were sky blue in color, and her slightly tanned face was rough-hewn, yet gentle when she got emotional. Right now, she was wearing a dark blue bathrobe.

As for the figure on her left shoulder, it was a figure about eighteen inches high. The entire body was colored like milk chocolate, save for light violet markings on the tiny feet, the pudgy torso, and the long, floppy ears. The ears were sort of like wings considering how long they were: two feet long each. Three skin-covered horns protruded from the figure's head, and a black, dog-like nose accompanied the creature's black button-like eyes. That creature was a Rookie Digimon called Lopmon…and she was the partner to Teela Yamaki, one of the original Digidestined.

You see, Teela had actually told her husband Mitsuo of Digimon…and instead of freaking, he had come to acknowledge Lopmon as a wonderful person to be around. So did Azami, although she was a bit more detached than her foster father. She had often been told about the Digital World by her mother and Lopmon…and her way of using the info from her mother's stories was to make cards out of the Digimon.

Azami was a bit of a card player. She played 'Yu-Gi-Oh!'. She played 'Pokemon'. She also liked strategic games such as Go or chess, or even backgammon. All of those pieces of paper on her desk had been her attempts at making cards for the Digimon, complete with stats, attacks…everything, including equipment cards.

Alas, a Digimon card game wasn't possible…yet. Azami walked over to Teela and Lopmon and stared out the window. The two had been staring at Odaiba…and now their eyes were on BelialMyotismon. "Hmm. That's a big one," dully replied Azami, her monotone voice sounding devoid of emotion.

Lopmon nodded. "Yeah. He looks tough…"

"Shouldn't you go out and, well, do your thing?" asked Azami.

Teela shook her head. "No…it's not my place. Besides, I don't think I could do much good anyway."

Azami shrugged as she walked towards the kitchen. "Whatever you say."

xxxx

/Outside Fuji Television Station, Odaiba, 9:34 PM/

"Oh my holy God…" muttered Himuro out of disbelief as he stared at the massive figure of BelialMyotismon.

A large number of Junsas – plus Ackerson, Himuro Ilene, Miyuki, and Macarthur – had gathered outside the TV station upon the coming of this new beast…and they were slack-jawed.

Ilene angrily dropped her energy rifle out of disbelief. "So much for help…how the heck are we going to stop THAT?"

"We can't," muttered Miyuki with a morbid tone.

"Anyone have any suggestions?" asked Inspector Macarthur.

Ackerson sighed as he rubbed his temples. "Simple sir. We pray."

"Sounds good to me."

xxxx

/Bridge, Great Journey, Sky over Tokyo Bay, 9:35 PM/

"Hierarchs! Look on the screen!"

"We can see, commander," muttered Reality. Even from their far position, the sight of BelialMyotismon's new form was a fearful thing to behold. "Such a terrifying sight…"

"What of the Digidestined?" asked the commander. "Look." He then pointed towards the small, glowing figure that stood defiantly in front of the dark behemoth. "The Digidestined are here…and they still stand. We should help."

"Even if it means our destruction?" snapped Wisdom. "If we attack now, it will be the end of us!"

"But we can give the Digidestined time," interjected Absolution. "What other alternative do we have? If we do not help, the Digidestined will surely be crushed! If we do, we might give them a chance to break through!"

"…commander. Charge all forward turrets. Only send enough power to the engines as necessary to keep us afloat."

Vula Tusa'lamee nodded. "Yes sir…what of the humans? Can they help?"

Reality turned towards Nola Kusulumee, who stood to the side of the room. "Grand Praetor. You have spoken with the humans' commander…he will listen to you. Tell him to attack BelialMyotismon. We must give the Digidestined enough time."

The Praetor nodded. "Yes noble one."

xxxx

/Flight Deck, USS Ronald Reagan, Tokyo Bay, 9:38 PM/

"Well don't that just beat all…" angrily muttered the Commandant as he stared through his binoculars at BelialMyotismon's giant figure. "What kind of monster is that?"

"Sir!"

General Wesley turned around to see a naval officer running towards him. "What is it?"

"We've received a communiqué from the alien warship designated as Great Journey. The Grand Praetor that spoke with you earlier has advised you to open fire on the 'black beast'."

The Commandant frowned. Such an action was surely suicidal…what was the Praetor's angle? "Did he give reason why?"

The officer nodded. "Yes; he said that it would give the 'Digidestined' time to attack." The officer spoke with a hint of sarcasm; he clearly though all that the Praetor was speaking of was gibberish.

The Commandant knew otherwise. He knew that a display of firepower against a monster that size would be futile; even he knew that.

But the Digidestined…the Echelon team had been very interested in them. He had read the files. He knew that it had been children that had destroyed a gigantic beast four years ago, thus ending the Odaiba Fog Incident. He knew it had been children that had defeated Apocalymon. Perhaps…perhaps the same would happen this time.

"Give the order for all F-16s in the air to turn and fire all missiles at the black beast and nothing else. Do it NOW."

The officer was obviously shocked…but he did as he was told. "Yes sir." He quickly ran back towards the bridge.

Minutes later, 50 F-16s – the total that were on patrol had increased since the fiery typhoon had dissipated – turned towards BelialMyotismon. The Commandant sighed as he stared at them through his binoculars.

Godspeed, gentlemen.

xxxx

/Ruins of Odaiba, 9:43 PM/

Why am I still alive?

Shaun didn't understand. His mind felt sluggish, his body felt like lead, and he felt a deep chill in his body…he had even been bleeding from a hole in his stomach on end for at least three hours now…so why wasn't he dead?

Why was he still alive?

Was it the Armor of Wisdom? It had to be…a normal human would've died by now.

But then again, he wasn't normal. Shaun never had been…not since he had taken it upon himself to go back in time and stop the deaths of the Digidestined from occurring at the hands of Demon.

He had succeeded in that mission. Demon was gone; his soul had been completely destroyed. He would never darken any sky with his wingspan again.

So why wasn't he dead?

Shaun simply willed himself to sit up as he looked down at his hands. The hands of a man over 5000 years of age…yet they looked so young.

He didn't feel young right now, that was for sure.

I wonder…how they're doing… Shaun looked up…and his eyes widened.

BelialMyotismon, utilizing the full power of Huanglongmon's Digicore, stood above the Digiknight. Shaun didn't recognize the Digiknight, nor did he know how BelialMyotismon had come upon this new form.

He just knew that the big, black guy was bad, and the small, glowing guy was good.

Heh…it never ends. It just never ends… Would the pain ever truly end for him? Was he immortal after traveling through Milleniummon's warp? Why wasn't he dead? He should've died…he should've died so long ago…his suffering should've ended by now…

But it hadn't. And he had lived with it. He had lived with the pain…and right now, he had to live with it.

He had to fight. He had no alternative but to fight. BelialMyotismon was a greater threat than Demon…and if he wasn't destroyed, there would be no future to speak of.

Well…here goes. With that done, Shaun Kamiya slowly took off into the air, his body coated by a blue aura, and his stomach leaking blood at a slow pace.

xxxx

The Digiknight was frozen out of terror. The power that emanated from BelialMyotismon now…it was too great. Too, too great. How could he face something like that? HOW?

"Heh heh…I can see the fear in your eyes. You've realized the hopelessness of your situation…and the futility of it all." BelialMyotismon then raised his gigantic foot. "Now I shall crush you."

CHOOM!

BOOM!

BelialMyotismon tilted his head to see 200 Sidewinder missiles – 50 F-16s times four missiles per fighter – and five purple lasers slam into his body, creating a tremendous explosion of violet energy, orange fire, and black smoke. When the haze faded, BelialMyotismon was lightly singed, but nothing more. It was all superficial to him. As the F-16s made U-turns and flew back towards the US fleet, the monster growled, "Weak gnats…if they want death, I SHALL GRANT IT!"

"BELIALMYOTISMON!"

The vampire lord tilted his head downward to see the Digiknight, who was glaring at him angrily. "I may not have a chance…but you've just reminded me that I'm the last hope to defeat you! If I can't beat you…no one can!" Then he raised both arms, which converted into large cannons coated with a blazing rainbow aura. All of the Crests on his breastplate glowed in their respective colors. "I am the Digiknight. We are the Digidestined, the Children of Destiny! The good guys are destined to defeat the bad guys…AND LET ME PROVE IT TO YOU! CANNON OF DESTINY!" Two streams of rainbow-colored energy erupted from the two cannons, streaming towards BelialMyotismon.

BelialMyotismon laughed with glee as his draconic face opened its maw, revealing a swirling mass of pure darkness. "Fool…you don't understand! I am the master of darkness…AND I SHALL PROVE IT YOU BY KILLING YOU! GREAT DARKNESS OF THE ABYSS!"

A black ray erupted from the draconic mouth of BelialMyotismon; the ray was coated with a white aura, and it was darker than pitch-black, and darker than midnight.

The two rainbow beams collided with the black ray…and BelialMyotismon's attack slowly began pushing the Cannon of Destiny's blasts backward. BelialMyotismon's face laughed as his draconic face continued firing unholy energy. "See? YOU HAVE NO CHANCE!"

xxxx

"Look…" muttered Agumon.

All twelve Digimon watched on in stunned silence as BelialMyotismon's energy ray began pushing back the Digiknight's dual lasers. Gomamon kicked the dirt out of frustration. "Darn it! How the heck are we supposed to beat that?"

"Simple answer to a simple question: we can't!" chirped Tentomon.

Biyomon pleaded, "Now don't say that!"

"Yeah!" agreed Palmon. "Just have faith! They'll beat that icky BelialMyotismon!"

"I hate to be the party-pooper of this little hoedown, but let's be real! Do we have enough juice to beat that monster?" asked Armadillomon.

Hawkmon sighed. "Our armadillo friend has a point. In realistic terms, our chances of defeating that monster are next to zero."

Wormmon whimpered quietly. "Oh boy…I hate it when you're right about stuff like this…"

"So…there's no hope?" asked Gabumon, worry in his eyes.

"Guess not," pouted Patamon.

Gatomon furiously kicked the ground. "Curse that BelialMyotismon…he's always haunted me…" She gingerly touched the back of her gloved paws, remembering the scars underneath. "I guess he'll always get the last laugh in the end…"

"You guys give up too easily!"

Everyone turned towards Veemon, who looked at the Digiknight with his happy-go-lucky smile. Gomamon yelled, "What do you mean? Look at that monstrosity! Even I can't come up with a joke for this situation!"

"Come on! I have faith in Davish! Shouldn't you guys have faith in your partners as well?" asked Veemon.

"I think he's missing the point…" muttered Tentomon as he sweatdropped.

"Veemon…" Gatomon as she stepped up towards Veemon. "I've been combined with you. I know how you think. I know how you look at things with a smile on your face…but let's be realistic here. BelialMyotismon is too strong…even though our partners have all combined into the Digiknight, they aren't powerful enough to defeat him. This battle's lost."

Veemon frowned as he enthusiastically yelled, "I won't accept that! I mean, think about what Darkheart did! He absorbed us…so what about the Digiknight? He could absorb us and he'd get the extra kick needed to whup BelialMyotismon's butt all the way to next Tuesday!"

"Uh, hate to break your parade, but we're only Rookies," admitted Palmon. "What help can we offer?"

"It's better than nothing!" yelled Veemon. He then started pleading. "Come on…let's help our partners! They're the Digidestined, and we're their partners! We help each other! That's the way it goes! They need our help if they're going to defeat BelialMyotismon! So please…let's do what we can to help!"

Silence echoed through the air – well, the sounds of two attacks crashing against each other could be heard in the background, but that's beside the point – as the Digimon let Veemon's words sink in…and he was…right.

They WERE the Digidestined's partners. No matter how hopeless things got, they were supposed to stay with them through thick and thin…no matter what.

"You know, I was right about you," said Agumon with a smile. "You ARE good luck (episode 1 reference!)!"

"He's right!" cheered Patamon as he flapped his wings with enthusiasm. "We have to help them! They're counting on us to help!"

"They're right…we have to help!" said Gabumon.

Hawkmon thought for a few seconds. "Even though the odds are against us…we must do it."

Gatomon sighed as she slapped her forehead. "You guys are idiots…" But then she smiled at Veemon. "But at least you're friendly idiots. Let's do it."

Veemon grinned happily at them all. "I knew you guys would see things my way!" At that moment, all of the Digimon glowed with a bright light…and they burst into data.

The data coalesced into a stream that flew over to the Digiknight…and this data not only held the power of the Digimon…but also the power of their digivolved forms.

Agumon: Greymon, MetalGreymon, and Wargreymon

Gabumon: Garurumon, WereGarurumon, and MetalGarurumon

Biyomon: Birdramon and Garudamon

Palmon: Togemon and Lilymon

Tentomon: Kabuterimon and MegaKabuterimon

Gomamon: Ikakkumon and Zudomon

Patamon: Pegasusmon, Angemon, and MagnaAngemon

Gatomon: Nefertimon and Angewomon

Veemon: Flamedramon, Raidramon, XVmon, Paildramon, Imperialdramon, and Imperialdramon: Fighter Mode

Hawkmon: Halsemon, Shurimon, Aquilamon, and Silphymon

Armadillomon: Digmon, Submarimon, Ankylomon, and Stegomon

Wormmon: Stingmon and Dinobeemon

And the DNA Warriors: Omnimon, Aetherdramon, Goliamon, and MetalAngemon

All of the power of those Digimon was combined into one data stream.

And that stream immediately rushed towards the Digiknight. They were giving everything they had to empower their partners…even if it meant sacrificing themselves for the power boost they were offering.

xxxx

The Digiknight grimaced as BelialMyotismon's Great Darkness of the Abyss attack continued to press further down upon him. This isn't good…at this rate, I'll be incinerated!

'Hey! Need a hand?'

The Digiknight suddenly gasped as a digital stream merged with his body. He could sense the data of all of the partners immediately. No…guys…what are you doing?

All of the voices replied at once. 'Giving you a boost!'

But if you do this, your bodies will be destroyed! It might take years for you to get reborn!

'We don't care! Just use our power to destroy BelialMyotismon!'

Guys… The Digiknight fought back tears that wanted to come out on their own. The Digimon knew the stakes. They knew what they had to do. All right then…let's do it! "HEY! BELIALMYOTISMON!" As the power of the Digimon fully melded with the Digiknight, his breastplate opened to revealing a large, glowing cannon. "UP YOURS!"

The cannon blasted a laser of pure white energy with a rainbow aura, merging with the other two lasers to slam into BelialMyotismon's attack. The initial force of the blast pushed the beam back…but then the advancement stopped. The two were at a stalemate.

Their powers were equal…for the moment.

BelialMyotismon's face laughed. "Ha ha ha! You think a little power boost will help? Your Digimon's strength will run out eventually…but mine is infinite! I'VE WON ANYWAY!"

His eyes caught something. Hmm?

BelialMyotismon's face looked downward – his draconic face still firing the Great Darkness of the Abyss at the Digiknight – to see Shaun charging towards him, blood droplets falling from the hole in his stomach. The thirteenth Digibrat…I thought I killed him. No matter…I'll simply vaporize him with a little eye blast. BelialMyotismon charged a laser in his eyes-

The Cannon of Destiny's trio of lasers pushed further.

BelialMyotismon immediately devoted all of his power to halting the attack…and then the horror of the situation hit him: he couldn't devote any other power to anything else, lest the Digiknight's attack overwhelm. But…but this is impossible! I have the power of Huanglongmon…the Digidestined can't be mustering this much power!

Shaun continued to charge…and then he picked up speed as he curled into a ball: his Speed Spin attack.

He was aiming for the orange Digicore.

BelialMyotismon's eyes widened. No! If he hits that…the Digicore will crack, and Huanglongmon will break free! But if I try to stop him…then the Digiknight's attack will overwhelm me! Doesn't he know that cracking the orb will prove his undoing? The backlash of power will kill him!

Shaun increased his speed.

Utter fear gripped BelialMyotismon. If he did nothing, he was doomed. If he did something, he was doomed.

He was stuck between a rock and a very IMPOSSIBLE place. He couldn't do anything now. He could only stare fearfully as Shaun continued to near the Digicore. No…stay away!

Shaun slammed into the Digicore…and the surface of the orb cracked.

"NOOO!" howled BelialMyotismon as the orange Digicore exploded in a flash of gold, sending Shaun flying backwards towards the ground.

"HAAAAAAAAAAA!" roared the Digiknight as he put everything he had behind the Cannon of Destiny. White and rainbow-colored energy slammed into the vampire lord as his unearthly scream echoed through the sky…and then the monster vanished in a flash of light.

xxxx

/Sky over Odaiba, 9:59 PM/

He was falling.

And he couldn't stop, nor did he want to.

All he could remember was charging toward the orb, intending to break it. He just knew that it was important…and that it needed to be broken.

The moment he cracked it, a massive wave of power slammed into him, pushing him backwards. His world turned topsy-turvy as the Digiknight's attack overwhelmed BelialMyotismon.

Then he saw nothing but light.

The light…

Shaun looked around quietly as he looked down at himself. There were no wounds…and there was no Armor. There was just him. He looked forward…and he smiled.

It feels…

In front of him were the faces of the Digidestined as HE remembered them…27 years from now. They smiled happily upon them. He also saw their children: his childhood friends.

Three in particular stood out.

Derrick Kamiya, his older brother.

Hiroto Motomiya, the son of Davis and Kari.

And Elizabeth Ishida, daughter of Mimi and Matt…and his beloved wife.

…good.

Shaun smiled as (Agumon) materialized beside Elizabeth, a smile on his face. Elizabeth walked towards him with a smile on her face and her hand extended. "You look beat."

"I look beat," replied Shaun with a chuckle. He quietly grabbed Elizabeth's hand with his own.

"…let's go home." Said Elizabeth as she led Shaun towards the others.

…oh so very good…

Shaun felt something he had not felt in a long time: contentment.

For the first time since Demon had killed the Digidestined, Shaun felt true ease in his soul. He could not think of anything that could spoil his mood…not BelialMyotismon…not Demon…not even Nega. For the first time in years…Shaun was truly at peace.

He succeeded in his mission…and his reward was peace for the soul.

CRASH!

In real life, Shaun crashed into the ground.

And then there was nothing.

xxxx

/Ruins of Odaiba, 10:01 PM/

The Digiknight slumped to his knees as he glowed brightly and split off into twelve different figures: the Digidestined.

"Man…I'm beat…" muttered Tai.

"I don't think he is either!" worriedly yelled Izzy. Over two hundred yards away, BelialMyotismon burst up out of the rubble…except now he was in his original form. His gray armor was still broken, revealing his chest…but the Digicore was no longer there. "No…where did it go? Where did the Digicore go?"

"BELIALMYOTISMON!"

A thunderous voiced boomed from the heavens as the night sky suddenly shined with a golden glow. The glow dulled to reveal a beast that looked BelialMyotismon had looked minutes ago…except his entire body was made of shimmering gold, and the face of BelialMyotismon wasn't on his forehead. Also, there were twelve orange Digicores running along the length of his back; the first four started at the middle of the neck and ran downward before splitting into two rows of four around the shoulders.

This was Huanglongmon in all of his glory. "BelialMyotismon…you dare try to use my power for your selfish and unholy gains? I sealed myself in a Digicore to wait for the day my power would rejuvenate, thus allowing me to protect the Digital World as its Guardian God once more! But no…you had to do the unspeakable and pervert my power for the use of evil!"

BelialMyotismon fell to his knees and pleaded, "Please Guardian God, do not hurt me!" The Digidestined stared at BelialMyotismon in shock; such a powerful foe was reduced to pleading on his knees.

Huanglongmon snorted as his four red eyes glared mercilessly at the vampire lord. "Hurt you? I will not hurt you…I'm merely going to sentence you to an eternity of suffering for your crimes in the deepest abyss of the Dark World: the Lake of Fire!"

BelialMyotismon's eyes widened; the Lake of Fire was located in the very core of the Dark World…and if one was imprisoned there, there was no escape. It would be endless torture forever and ever…and there would be no reprieve. "No…please…have mercy!"

"MERCY?" Huanglongmon seemed awed by the apparent gall of BelialMyotismon's words. "Mercy? A merciless Digimon like you asks for mercy? You arrogant hypocrite…begone!" His large, draconic mouth opened up, revealing a mote of golden energy. "SPIRIT DESTROYER!"

BelialMyotismon cringed as the mote entered his body…and then he howled as he was vaporized in a flash of light. He was transported immediately to the Lake of Fire, where he would suffer forevermore.

The threat of BelialMyotismon was no more.

The Digidestined stared on in silence. Had they just…won? "We won…didn't we?" asked Yolei out of sheer disbelief.

"Indeed you did."

The Digidestined turned around to stare at Huanglongmon, who gazed down at them with a gentle expression. "My return would not have been possible without the blood you have shed in attempting to stop BelialMyotismon…and not just him. You have saved countless lives as Digidestined…and for your service in my absence, I am grateful to you." As he spoke, four portals opened up; two on the ground, two in the air.

Out of the blue one came Azulongmon, who arrived in a bolt of lightning.

Out of red one came Zhuqiaomon, who arrived in a tongue of fire.

Out of the white one came Baithumon, who arrived in a frigid blast of vapor.

Out of the black one came Xuanwumon, who arrived atop a column of black rock.

Azulongmon stared quietly at Huanglongmon. "…you are the one who created us?"

"I am."

"Interesting…always wondered if we had precursors. Guess I know now, eh?" said Xuanwumon's right head.

Huanglongmon turned his attention back to the Digidestined. "Your world has been ravaged by darkness, and immense damage has been wrought upon this city. We shall fix what we can." At that moment, the four Guardian Beasts and the Guardian glowed as Huanglongmon said, "LIGHT OF THE GUARDIANS."

An aurora suddenly washed over the city…and to the shock of the Digidestined, their home was repairing itself. "Our home…it's being…fixed," muttered Sora out of shock.

xxxx

/Flight Deck, USS Ronald Reagan, Tokyo Bay, Odaiba, 10:10 PM/

The Commandant blinked out of astonishment; Odaiba was being…fixed. All that damage…can those five Digimon really fix it all?

However, he then turned his binoculars toward the twelve children who stood amongst the slowly self-repairing ruins. Their profiles match those of the original eight Digidestined from four years ago…and the other four must be the new ones.

He quickly turned around and walked for the bridge. He needed to call a helicopter in.

xxxx

/Bridge, Great Journey, Sky above Tokyo Bay, 10:13 PM/

"…wondrous."

The Elitemon the bridge could not say a word on response to Reality. The repairing process had been completed. The city was restored, including Palette Town, Shinbashi Station…and even Rainbow Bridge.

And it was night…so the nightlights of Odaiba were on, causing the night sky to glow with their light. It was a sight to behold; they had never seen anything like it.

Absolution held his hands high out of praise. "Praise Omniscience! For our efforts, we have been reward with a glimpse at the pristine majesty of the world of reality…and there is still a whole world to see!"

xxxx

/Odaiba, 10:15 PM/

The Digidestined looked around in shock. Everything was back to normal. No stone was left unturned.

"Did you just fix…everything?" muttered Ken out of utter astonishment.

"Sadly, no," replied Huanglongmon. "Buildings are one thing. Lives are another…and it is beyond my power to bring humans back to life."

Cody was quiet. So grandpa's still dead…

"However, Digimon are another matter. Digimon can be reborn…so for your partners' bravery, their rebirth will be accelerated."

Suddenly, Digieggs materialized in the hands of the Digidestined. The Digieggs held their partners. Ken gaped happily as he stared at the Digiegg with pink hearts upon it. Wormmon…

"All right!" Davis laughed happily as he pressed the side of the Digiegg against his ear. "I think I can hear a heartbeat!"

"Wait…isn't there one more?" asked Tai confusedly.

Kari suddenly remembered. "Yeah! Where's (Agumon's) Digiegg?"

Huanglongmon sighed. "I am sorry…but BelialMyotismon destroyed his soul. Even if I were to pull his data from Digital Limbo like I did with your partners, he would not be the same. Besides, it would be pointless anyway, as his partner has passed on."

Silence.

And then Yolei gasped. "Oh no…you don't mean…?"

"SHAUN!" yelled the Digidestined upon realization. Davis immediately burst off in the direction he had last recalled seeing Shaun – which would be harder now that the buildings stood again – as the others turned around.

"Wait."

Davis was already too far gone to stop. The other eleven did. Huanglongmon said, "Digidestined…you have sacrificed much to protect both worlds. The Digital World would be under the cover of darkness had you not fought for it in our place…but take heed, for the Guardian Beasts and the Guardian God are once free. And now, with our combined might, we shall restore the Digital World to its former beauty."

"After all, those blasted devil towers still stand upon Server, spewing out Black Gears!" roared Zhuqiaomon.

Baithumon then said, "Even though the master of the Black Gears is gone, they are still controlling Digimon. We must cleanse the world of those wretched devices."

"There is also the matter of all the damage wrought by your battles; File Island will need to be repaired, and Primary Village will have to be rebuilt," added Xuanwumon's left head.

"Now Guardians…we must leave this realm. We have much work to do." A white portal appeared in the sky: a large Digiport. Huanglongmon was the first to enter. Zhuqiamon, Baithumon, and Xuanwumon ascended upward into the portal. Azulongmon looked back down at the Digidestined and said, "Thank you…heroes of this world. You deserve rest…we shall protect the Digital World now. You need some R and R." Azulongmon then entered the Digiport as it closed.

Odaiba was fixed.

The War for the Real World was over.

BelialMyotismon had been destroyed.

So why weren't they feeling jubilant?

Simple: they were worried about Shaun.

"Where'd Davis go?" asked Izzy.

TK quietly took out his D-3 and set it for 'Detect'. It showed all of their digivice signals in one place…except for two, which were right next to each other.

Davis' D-3. And Shaun's D-3.

"This way!" yelled TK as he led the way, green D-3 in one hand and Digiegg in the other.

xxxx

/Security Room, Fuji Television Station, Odaiba, 10:21 PM/

Oikawa sighed as he stared out the window. So it's over… He turned his gaze to Blackwargreymon. "Do you regret not partaking in that final battle?"

Blackwargreymon shook his head, surprising Oikawa. "No. That was a contest between juggernauts: a clash of the titans. I am weak compared to those two….as well as those five beasts that just left this realm."

Oikawa nodded. "Perhaps." He turned around, facing the number of computer consoles that were used to monitor the TV station's networks and security systems.

They had a network connection.

He could open a Digiport here.

Oikawa sighed as he stared ruefully at his purple D-3. "Blackwargreymon…after the sins I have committed…do you think I am worthy of entering the Digital World?"

"Facing the past as you're walking toward the future will only cause you to stumble," said Blackwargreymon. "I myself am still in the dark as to the dynamics between Digidestined and their partners…and I am eager to find out. But our journey towards understanding will only work if you are willing to walk forward and face forwards."

Oikawa smiled as Blackwargreymon offered a piece of his warrior's understanding. "You are right…I can't let my past plague me." Oikawa sighed as he stared down at the burn mark Soulmon had inflicted upon his chest. It was his form of retribution: the first part of his long path to salvation.

However, it would come in time…for now, he was ready to finally see the world his best friend had promised to him. The world Hiroki had wanted him to see. "Digiport…open."

A bright flash of light erupted from a console monitor, consuming the two. When the light faded, they were gone.

He was finally going to the Digital World.

xxxx

/Intersection, Odaiba, 10:25 PM/

By the time the others had arrived, Davis had been staring at him for several minutes.

Shaun's body lay still on the road, his body covered by the Armor of Wisdom…but the armor's color had dulled from dark blue to a lifeless gray. His skin was cold to the touch…and his eyes lacked the spark of life.

Shaun Kamiya was dead.

Yet…a smile was affixed on his face. He had died happy.

As the others stared quietly at him, Ken said, "Well…he completed his mission…"

"That's why he's happy…after so living for so long, he could finally die in peace…" muttered Mimi.

After staring at the lifeless body, memories were dredged up. Memories of how they had first met Shaun in the Valley of Death…of how he had been so prepared to face everything so early on…of how he had become as helpless as them when everything changed…of how he had told them everything…of how he had fought with them…of how he had laughed with them…of how he had sacrificed with them.

Then, tears began to leak from their eyes, seemingly on their own. Yolei, Sora, and Mimi broke into fitful sobs. Tai sorrowfully caressed Sora's back as tears escaped his eyes. The new Digidestined stared quietly at their comrade, sorrow and sadness gripping their souls. Davis' eyes shed no tears…he merely knelt down and picked up his comrade's body. Thanks man…for everything.

Matt quietly reached into his pocket, suddenly remembering something. He pulled out an old harmonica; he hadn't used it in a while.

But as he placed it on his lips and played a mournful tune, he found that he hadn't missed a beat. Mimi silently clutched onto Matt Ishida's jacket as he played a sad melody.

Davis turned to the others and said, "Where should we bury him?"

Silence.

Then, inspiration hit Kari. "I know where." She then walked towards the closest shop: an Internet café.

xxxx

/11-110-CHI, 10:40 PM/

The moon shined down upon the plateau, its light mixing with the light of the stars. On a ledge stood the Digidestined, their bodies illuminated by a patch of rainbow flowers. The Digieggs of their partners sat together beside Joe and Izzy. There were also two graves.

The left one was the grave of Elizabeth Ishida. Kari had insisted on covering the name, not even looking at it herself; her reason had been this:

"Because Shaun wouldn't want anyone else to know. Trust me."

The right was brand new. Davis – in his Armor of Miracles – used his finger to etch letters into the tombstone. Finally, he stood up. "It's done."

The right grave held Shaun Kamiya.

Kari had thought this place would be the best spot to bury Shaun; after all, she had seen him cry out in rage after seeing this grave. She knew that he had to have cared for whoever lied here.

And she was right. Shaun would definitely agree.

The Digidestined bowed towards Shaun's grave. "Thank you," they said in unison.

Then, as they walked away, Kari walked by Davis, who still stared silently at the tombstone. "You okay?"

"Yeah…it just hurts, you know? I've never had a friend die before…"

Kari nodded. "I know…" She placed a hand upon his shoulder and said, "Let's go."

Davis nodded as he walked alongside Kari behind the others. Shaun's tombstone was now illuminated by the glow of the moon and the rainbow flowers.

'SHAUN'

'BELOVED FRIEND, PROUD WARRIOR'

And at the bottom of the tombstone, in small print, were words that Tai insisted on adding.

'…and a DDR Master'

Somehow, it just fit.

xxxx

/Internet Café, Odaiba, 10:47 PM/

The Digidestined all appeared as one inside the café. Before they could look around, a voice spoke to him.

"Greetings Digidestined."

The Digidestined all blinked at the sight of a man in green staring at them with keen black eyes. Yolei incredulously asked, "Who are you?"

"My name is General Wesley. I am the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps."

Izzy and Ken blinked out of astonishment. "General Wesley?" muttered both boys out of astonishment. Ken asked, "Why are you here?"

Wesley folded his hands together as he replied, "Although you may not be aware, a US fleet has been in Tokyo Bay for some time now. We came here to help defend Japan from the invasion of Digimon…but you have apparently quelled that invasion…and if you don't mind, I'd like to finish this talk in the company of your folks." He then stood. "Come. We're heading for the TV station."

As the general walked outside, the Digidestined caught a glance of an H-92 SUPERHAWK sitting outside.

/Sphere Observation Deck, Fuji Television Station, Odaiba, 11:22 PM/

General Wesley leaned back in his chair. "And that's the story. A report of everything that's happened here has been sent to the President…and he'll want to speak with the ones who saved Odaiba."

Wesley had finished speaking with the Digidestined and their folks; the moment they had gotten onto the Sphere Observation Deck, the general had explained what the situation was. He had explained that the Grand Praetor had spoken with him, and how the POTUS would want to speak with the Digidestined after this whole incident. The exception was Davis and Ken's parents

Finally, Yuuko vehemently said, "No."

Wesley sighed. "Ma'am, perhaps I wasn't clear-"

"LET ME BE CLEAR! OUR CHILDREN JUST SURVIVED A HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE BATTLE! I WANT THEM TO STAY HERE WHERE IT'S SAFE! I DON'T WANT THEM GOING SOMEWHERE ELSE AND LEAVING US!" roared Mrs. Kamiya. Tai immediately grabbed his mother from behind. "Whoa mom! Calm down!"

"Mrs. Kamiya has a point though," said Satoe Tachikawa. "I mean, our children…what do they want?"

Mimi actually smiled. "Well mom, think about this though…I mean, it's the president!" After all, she herself had been an American citizen, so she could fully grasp the enormity of actually meeting President Yates.

"Plus, there's no denying that he IS the most powerful man on the planet," said Izzy logically. "The United States is the last superpower after the Cold War; meeting the president is something that can really look good on a resume. Plus, judging from the way the general's talking, it's as if he wants to congratulate us."

The Commandant smiled. "Now we understand each other. The president just wants to congratulate them, nothing more. After all, they DID save this world. It'll be fun."

"Pardon us if we sound sarcastic," muttered Joshua Kido. "Hiroaki and I were Digidestined as well…and after a tough battle, we would crave nothing more than a good home. Being a general, surely you know soldiers who are like that."

The general nodded. "Yes, but-"

"Sir."

Wesley looked down to see Davis Motomiya staring straight into his eyes. "General…we've just been through a lot in the past several days. We're tired, weary, and we want to go home…" Davis sighed as the memory of Shaun's grave returned to his mind. "We're just tired of going everywhere…we just want to stay home."

The Commandant looked into Davis' brown eyes quietly…and he finally acquiesced. "Very well," he said with a sigh. "You want to stay here…I respect your wishes. You've been through far too much anyway. I'll report to the president that you declined his offer." Wesley then walked down the stairwell, feeling slightly disappointed. Oh well…there's still the Forbidden City Digimon.

As Wesley left, Jun silently embraced her little brother. "Heh…never would expect you to speak like that to a GENERAL."

"I know…I'm just tired…" Without warning, Davis was suddenly lost to his slumber, his arms loosely holding Veemon's Digiegg.

Izzy frowned as a thought crossed his mind. "Now that I think about it…we were trapped in the Digital by the Great Seal last Friday…on the 22nd…and today's the 26th…"

The statement caused all of the Digidestined to gape out of shock. "HOLD THE PHONE!" yelled Yolei. "You mean we've been through all that in only FIVE DAYS?"

"As improbable as it seems…yes," muttered Ken out of shock.

That was when the fatigue set in. The Digidestined had been through so much in the past five days: the fights with UmbraDevimon and his minions, the search for the new Crests, Puppetmon's sadistic games, the continuous battle against Darkheart, encountering the Forbidden City and the horror that was the Gravemon, the great battle against the Black Generals and Lord Demon…and, at last, the final battle against BelialMyotismon.

It was a lot to take in…and now that their minds suddenly acknowledged it all, they began to feel the mental and physical fatigue set in.

One by one, they all fell asleep on the spot.

Natsuko smiled as she stared at Hiroaki. "Miss the good ol' days now?"

"Har har," dryly replied Hiroaki.

xxxx

/Sewers, Odaiba, 11:30 PM/

Meanwhile…deep below in the deepest part of Odaiba's water system…a seed dug into the wall of a sewer pipe.

"Infect."

Small, fleshy vines stretched out from the seed.

"Spread."

The vines grew in size as the weaved around the numerous pipes of Odaiba's sewer system, remaining in the soft earth.

"Consume."

As the tentacles continued to stretch outward, a small mouth appeared on the seed. "This world shall soon experience death…for we are those that are dead. We cannot be stopped…we shall continue ever onward…"

The Mind had hatched…and it would wait until the right time to fully bloom. Until then…its tentacles would seep all over the world.

xxxx

/Dragomon's Palace, City of Cthulu, Dark World, 11:33 PM/

"It…is finished." Dragomon sighed as the BelialMyotismon piece was knocked over with the flick of his tentacle.

The Dark Ocean master sighed. The greatest threat the Digital World had ever known had been defeated. Once again, the infidels have underestimated the light of the Children of Destiny…unlike I, of course.

But still, the reappearance of Huanglongmon…THAT was a problem. Dragomon would be unable to carry out his plan right now…not with the five Guardians at full power.

He would have to wait.

Just like before.

But he didn't mind; his patience had no limits.

xxxx

/Bar, Odaiba, Wednesday, October 27th, 7:30 PM/

Odaiba had been completely fixed…and although it was hard to believe, things seemed to be going back to normal. Most of the schools had yet to reopen, but a good number of businesses had reopened for customers.

Like this bar, for instance. Right now, it was nowhere near as packed as it should've been…but hey, Odaiba had just recovered from a horrible experience. Cut the people some slack.

And right now, sitting at one table, are five familiar figures.

The Junsa-bucho Ackerson.

The Junsa-bucho Himuro.

The Junsa-cho Miyuki.

The Junsa-cho Ilene.

And the Keibu Macarthur.

"So…he actually left?" asked Himuro as he sipped his sake.

Ackerson nodded as he stared into his glass of liquor. "Yep…Dietz jumped ship. Left with that purple warship late last night."

"Heh. Who would've figured that HE of all people would stow away on an alien mothership? I mean, he was a senior!" contested Ilene before taking a long sip of her sake.

Macarthur countered, "He was acting weird though. He was acting…unprofessional."

"I think it is fairly obvious," said Miyuki as she silently sipped her water; she was not one to drink alcohol. "Dietz was becoming disenchanted with his work in the weeks leading up these…unfortunate events. Going with those creatures presented something new for him…ever seen the move Close Encounters of the Third Kind?"

"True that," concurred Macarthur. He fingered his mustache as he looked at the men and women sitting before him. They were only police officers…but they had performed above and beyond the call of duty in this whole incident. He then grabbed his glass of red wine and raised it into the air. "I call a toast…to the finest men and women an inspector could ask for."

The two Junsa-chos and two Junsa-buchos raised their glasses and clinked it against the Inspector's glass. Suddenly, Ilene said, "Hey, look! They're broadcasting US President's message again."

"Haven't heard it yet," admitted Ackerson. "Let's listen."

The five police officers turned their eyes and ears toward the bar's TV. The image of Jonathon H. Yates, the President of the United States, could be seen.

You see, the President had given a special speech at 7:00 PM Eastern Standard Time…which meant it would be 6:00 AM in Odaiba. So it was airing multiple times. Why? Because it pertained to the Digimon invasion of Odaiba…as well as the coming of the Forbidden City Digimon, and Digimon in general.

"My fellow Americans…and my fellow humans all over the globe. The matters that I am about to speak of will sound strange. They will sound odd…and they are most certainly phenomenal."

He paused. Then his voice adopted a slightly humorous tone. "I'm certain some of the citizens living in the Washington D.C area have wondered why an alien starship is hovering over the White House. In a few minutes, you'll be speaking with some of the creatures on that ship."

His tone became serious again. "That is the reason why I have prepared this speech…because we are entering a new era. An era where humanity has finally discovered that it is not alone in the universe. And these new entities are a lot closer than you think."

You see, several hours after BelialMyotismon had fallen, the Great Journey had arrived in the airspace in Washington D.C…and the Hierarchs had wanted to speak with the POTUS. Yates had agreed…and – combined with the last report from General Wesley regarding the information he had gleaned from the Grand Praetor – as a result, he had learned much about the Digital World and Digimon.

He had wanted to let the world know what he now knew. "Keep in mind that what I'm about to tell you is fact. Even if it seems unreal and fictitious…after what has happened in the past few days to the Odaiba district of Tokyo, Japan, I believe that what I'm about to say is the truth…and truth is often stranger than fiction."

After taking a small breath to compose himself, Yates spoke again. "There is a world, similar to our own, that is made out of nothing but missing or broken pieces of data. It is a world that came into being as the first computer networks came into being…this world, which is made of digital data, is called the Digital World. The creatures that inhabit this plane of existence are called Digimon…and it was Digimon that appeared in our world four years ago. It was also Digimon that appeared in Odaiba a few days ago."

He paused to let the information sink in for a few moments. "Now I'm certain that many of you are having first impressions of Digimon: I'm certain most, if not all, are negative. However, do not forget that it was a group of Digimon that saved Odaiba…on both occasions. Were it not for Digimon, Odaiba would be in ruins. There are good Digimon, and there are evil Digimon. In a way, that makes them like us: they have the capacity to do good, and the capacity to do evil."

He then smiled warmly at the camera. "I have, however, had the distinct pleasure of speaking with a group of Digimon: the Digimon that have come on the ship that is now hovering over the White House. They are smart, knowledgeable, and they possess a sense of honor that I admire. They are among those that fought to free Odaiba from the evil invaders that leveled the district." He then paused before staring straight into the camera. "Before I let them speak, take heed: we are about to enter a difficult time. Integrating the existence of Digimon into our society will be difficult…but I know that through perseverance, we will come to regard them as fellow organisms…and, hopefully, as dear friends. Some Digimon will not want our societies to integrate, and some humans will be like that as well. However, I believe that we will move forward…and that in time, we will be able to coexist peacefully."

He then smiled again. "Now allow me to introduce the three Hierarchs, rulers of the Digimon onboard the starship Great Journey: the Prophet of Reality, the Prophet of Wisdom, and the Prophet of Absolution."

President Jonathon H. Yates then stood up as three figures floated from the left side of the screen: the Prophets of Reality, Wisdom, and Absolution. The president shook the hands of the three Digimon before he stood to the side; Reality then stared into the camera.

"Greetings. I am the Prophet of Reality…and my comrades beside me are the Prophets of Wisdom and Absolution. The president has been a gracious and understanding host, and I wish to extend my graces to him for his understanding. Now that is out of the way, allow me to explain our reasons for coming to this world." He paused to formulate his words. "Many years ago, our precursor prophesized that we would travel to the world of reality – this world – on a Great Journey. That prophesy finally came true…but we did not know why we were to come to this world in the first place. Now, I believe I have an answer to that question."

xxxx

/Atop Pikes Peak, West of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Thursday, October 28th, 2:30 PM/

The Great Journey hovered silently over Pikes Peak, the snow-capped mountain to the immediate west of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Right now, twenty Shadows had gathered on its peak…and the three Hierarchs were gathered out there, as were a multitude of Elitemon, Gruntmon, Jackalmon, and Huntermon…and a certain stowaway.

("When we came to this world, we witnessed a terrible cataclysm occurring.")

"Are you sure you want to leave?" asked Absolution. Behind him stood Kuvo Hutalamee, the Chief Honor Guard. "Look around! Such crisp, clean air…and mountains covered by a blanket of forests! You wish to leave this pristine paradise?"

Wisdom nodded. "Yes. The world of reality holds no appeal to me…and a number of Elitemon have agreed with me. We are returning to the Forbidden City…after all, we are still under an oath to prevent the Gravemon from escaping."

("The district known as Odaiba was under attack by evil Digimon that would want nothing more than to conquer this world.")

Reality nodded. "Then do as you will fellow Hierarch…you have our blessings."

"And you have mine as well," responded Wisdom. The Prophet of Wisdom then entered the nearest Shadow – filled to the gills with Honor Guards – before all twenty of them took off. Reality then turned to see the Spec Ops Commander. Huvo Nuvonaree nodded as he spoke into his com-link. "Open the portal Commander Tusa'lamee."

"Roger that."

Moments later, a white mote of light erupted from the forward turret of the Great Journey. It grew into a wavy portal that the Shadows immediately entered.

Wisdom and 400 Elitemon were returning to the Forbidden City.

The rest were staying here.

("We used our great might to help the humans fight back the invaders. We even cooperated with the American fleet, under the command of General Wesley, to strike against a foe so great in strength he could've destroyed the world. Our strike allowed a special Digimon called the Digiknight to destroy the beast." Reality said that the Digiknight was a Digimon…because he knew that the Digidestined would not want their identities revealed.)

Meanwhile, several dozen yards away, a group of Elitemon stood near the rim of Pikes Peak. Nola Kusulumee, the Grand Praetor, sniffed the crisp, clean air with vigor. "Ah…such a wondrous paradise. This country's president was certainly gracious enough to let us use this site for our new city."

Near the rear of the group, a black Elitemon named Roto Jyusinaree gazed down at his new friend. "Are you ready to help us build?"

Dietz smiled…even though his teeth chattered. After wall, it was 14,111 feet over sea level: well over two miles high. "Yeah…I would like a coat though."

xxxx

/Yamaki Apartment, Shinjuku, Friday, October 29th, 4:03 PM/

("However, after the fight ended, we did not know what to do next. For most of our existence in the Digital World, we had carried out life by defending our home, and little else.")

Azami Yamaki sighed as she entered her house. Now she wore a yellow tank top and brown shorts made of tough denim. Yellow sneakers with white shoelaces covered her feet…and she still wore her goggles. As she entered the living room, she saw her mother staring out the window – with Lopmon – towards Odaiba. "Well, school was particularly uninteresting. After what's happened, I mean."

Teela nodded. "I know…and after the speech that the Prophet of Reality gave, I can't help but feel compelled to try and do something to make Digimon more accessible to the public. I mean, with Digimon about to go mainstream…we need something to try and get people to understand the dynamics involved."

("But as it turned out, we managed to obtain an audience with the President of the United States…and as it turns out, we both share a common vision.")

"Why not get dad to help? He works at the station. He can pull some strings to get a show produced, or something like that," said Azami.

Lopmon blinked as she stared at Azami. "A show?"

The girl nodded. "Yeah. In fact…" She quickly walked upstairs and walked back down a few minutes later, her arms filled with her Digimon cards. "Tie a card game in with the show, and release a trading card game in the future. The show will have generated enough interest that the card game will be a hit."

Teela Yamaki blinked…and then she gaped. "Oh my God…Azami…this is pure GENIUS!"

The girl rolled her eyes out of slight annoyance. "I've pitched this idea to you for months, and NOW you think it's a good idea?"

Teela sweatdropped. Lopmon added, "She's got you there!"

xxxx

/Yamaki's Office, Fuji Television Station, Odaiba, Sunday, October 31st, 12:05 PM/

("We both acknowledged that the latest series of events would undoubtedly make the introduction of Digimon to your world inevitable. That was a fact.")

Mitsuo Yamaki smiled as he stared at his wife. His blonde hair was about several inches long, and it was spiky, but it didn't go straight up; gravity actually affected it (GASP! Hair that defies anime laws?). He wore a white shirt and black khakis with black dress shoes, and his black jacket was slung over his chair. His brown eyes glanced upward at Teela as he asked, "So, is he almost here?"

Teela nodded. "Last I called, yeah." It was a mini-reunion of sorts; the original Digidestined – after being called by Teela – were to meet in Mitsuo's office…and they were to bring their Digimon, no matter what anyone else thought. Of course, Teela, Mitsuo, and Lopmon had been the first ones to come. Miranda Akiyama and Hagurumon were next, since they lived closer. Next came Joshua Kido and DemiDevimon, much to the surprise of Lopmon and Hagurumon.

Finally, a familiar figure darkened Mitsuo's doorway. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure?" asked Hiroaki with a smile.

"That would be our daughter," said Mitsuo with a grin.

("What was not assured was what would happen once Digimon were fully introduced to society. We didn't know if the result would be bloodshed, peace…or a mixture of both.")

Hiroaki stepped inside, followed by Futa Ishisamee…and then Natsuko. "Yamaki, Akiyama; I'd like you to meet my wife Natsuko."

Miranda smiled as she extended a hand. "A pleasure to meet you Natsuko." Natsuko nodded as she shook her head.

Teela smiled as she extended her hand. "Hi! Nice to meet you; Hiroaki said a lot of nice things about you!" Natsuko couldn't help but flush silently. "Has he now?"

Hiroaki coughed – a tad forcefully – before saying, "Moving on…"

DemiDevimon chuckled as he flapped his wings, floating above Futa, Lopmon, and Hagurumon. "Well well! The Bozo Brigade is once more in order! Pardon me if I don't want to partake in any acts of idiotic camaraderie."

Lopmon and Hagurumon blinked. The former asked, "Has?"

"His 'unique' sense of humor changed? No. Neither has his rudeness," curtly replied Futa.

Hagurumon smiled. "All right! He hasn't changed either."

DemiDevimon sweatdropped. "Bozos."

("So it was agreed upon that we would have to work hard to make it all happen. Nothing can be constructed in one instant. Our city took years to build, but we got it built…and it has lasted to this day, and will continue to do so. I believe a relationship between our two species will be the same.")

"So…what was Azami's pitch?" asked Miranda.

Mitsuo chuckled. "Tell em' honey."

"Okay…here's the thing. With Digimon about to go mainstream and whatnot, Azami had the idea to make a show and card game based on Digimon…and Mitsuo and I began planning. We've got the whole premise for the show down…we're going to call it Digimon Tamers." There was tremendous excitement in her voice. "Oh, it's going to be so exciting!"

"If the higher-ups agree to air the show, I'll finally get the actor spot I've been looking for," said Mitsuo as he suddenly became dramatic. "I'll play the part of the villainous human who misunderstands Digimon, and I head an organization called Hypnos that is only interested in sealing all Digimon away."

"I see you've planned a long way already," said Joshua. "What if you don't get the spot?"

"Don't worry…I KNOW it'll be successful. And once the show becomes popular enough, we'll release a card game!" shouted Teela with enthusiasm.

Natsuko blinked. "A…card game?" Now she was at a loss.

"Don't you think commercializing Digimon is a bad idea? It might be a bit demeaning," said Miranda.

Hiroaki shook his head. "I don't think so…I think the Yamakis have a point. If we increase in Digimon, then people will accept them more readily."

"And we won't sugarcoat anything," said Teela. "Even though it'll be aimed at kids and teens, we will still have the theme of good and evil, as well as other stuff to make it more dramatic…oh, I'm so excited!"

"Calm down. Your blood pressure will get too high," sarcastically muttered Joshua.

("But I know that the road will not be without obstacles. Some will dissent to the union of our species…but their voices will inevitably fade. A bond of friendship between humans and Digimon, however, will not fade.")

As Natsuko watched the four Digidestined and their partners converse, talk, and occasionally bicker, she couldn't help but feel…content. She could sense a deep bond – one formed out of hardship and tribulation – of trust and friendship emanating from them. Although Mitsuo and she were only related to the Digidestined by marriage (the former to Teela, and the latter to Hiroaki…well, she's Hiroaki's ex-wfie, but that's beside the point), they were part of the bond…but she was not fully in it yet.

But as she saw them talk…she smiled. She would be happy to be a part of this bond…as Natsuko Ishida. Soon, their families would be one again.

xxxx

/Outside Odaiba School, Odaiba, Monday, November 1st, 7:30 AM/

With the exception of Joe – who worked at an entirely different school – and Ken – who lived and went to school in Tamachi – all of the Digidestined stared at the front doorways of their school from the front parking lot.

The school seemed…alien somehow. After all they had gone through recently, returning to a place of normalcy seemed…well, abnormal. Even though this was the first time that the school had been opened since the fall of BelialMyotismon, they still didn't feel ready to go back.

("I believe that we were destined to come here for this purpose: not only because we were prophesied to do so…but because I believe we are to be part of the bridge between our two races.")

"Man…hard to believe it's only been a little over two months since all this began," muttered Tai.

The coming of the New Digidestined had begun on Monday, August the 23rd. That was the day the fight against the Digimon Emperor had begun…and the trials of the New Digidestined had ended on Tuesday, October the 26th, in a tremendous fight against BelialMyotismon.

So much had happened…so much…

Izzy sighed with remorse. "Incredible…once you think about it, you guys have experienced much more than we have when we were in the Digital World…and in a shorter time frame to boot."

Davis just grumbled.

"What's eating him?" asked Yolei out of irritation.

Kari sighed. "Davis called and told me; since both of his parents are dead, and there are no immediate relatives, Jun's going to become his legal guardian…and since Jun doesn't have a job, they were forced to move out of their apartment since they couldn't pay for the rent."

Davis snorted. "Yeah…Jun and I had to sleep in the park last night…" I thought we were going to freakin' freeze!

"HUH? Davis…why didn't you and Jun ask for housing?" asked Sora.

Kari sweatdropped. "Because he only called me this morning."

"Pardon me, by why didn't you ask for help last night?" asked Cody with a logical tone.

"…I didn't think about it," admitted Davis.

Yolei facefaulted. "Typical."

("This is the beginning of a new era…for both Digimon, and humanity. I do not know all of the answers for what trials may come in the future…but I know that we will find answers when the questions are asked.")

"Speaking of Jun, she hasn't hounded me at ALL since our last fight," said Matt.

Davis glanced back at Matt quietly. "Didn't you know? Jun's got a boyfriend…so you're Jun-free now."

Matt blinked. Then, he whooped. "YAHOO! I AM FREE FROM HER SHACKLES! And now that I have a girlfriend, I can tell the other girls I'm off-limits!"

"Ahem."

Matt turned around to see Mimi Tachikawa; she wore a school uniform like Sora's. After all, now that her parents were going to be living in Shinjuku now, she could come to this school with her Digidestined friends…even if it meant waking up early, and not being able to dress the way she wanted to anymore. But meanwhile, she stared angrily at Matt. "Am I just a ticket to keep girls off your back?"

Matt suddenly stuttered. "Uh…n-no! I mean, of course not! I j-just…uh…"

Mimi giggled. "I'm just kidding around with you!"

TK sighed good-naturedly. "At least our partners are okay."

As they were; their partners had hatched…and all of their partners – save for Joe's and Ken's – sat upon the school's rooftop: DemiVeemon, Poromon, Upamon, Patamon, Gatomon, Koromon, Tsunomon, Yokomon, Tanemon, and Motimon.

Davis sighed as he readjusted his goggles. "Don't worry…Jun said she's got something planned. We'll be okay…" He then glanced back at the others. "So…shall we go to school?"

The Digidestined nodded…and then they entered the school.

But after everything that had happened…nothing would ever seem the same again.

xxxx

/15 Years into the Future/

/ER, Hospital, Odaiba, 9:35 AM/

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya. It's a boy."

("Some people will not be comfortable with the changes that will have to be made…but change is now inevitable.")

The 30-year old Tai Kamiya smiled happily as the doctor handed them a boy, wrapped in a bundle of blue blankets. "…a boy…" He gingerly handed the boy over to the 30-year old Sora Kamiya, who looked weary and tired, yet happy…after all, she had just given birth.

Sora smiled happily. "So…a boy…what do we name him?"

"We already talked about this," said Tai as he stared quietly at the little boy. "Shaun…we'll name him Shaun."

Sora smiled. "Yes…of course. Hi little Shaun…"

("But one thing is certain…")

/27 Years into the Future/

/File Island, Primary Village, 5:21 PM/

Gennai watched quietly as the children of the Digidestined played and frolicked amongst the baby Digimon; Elecmon was nearly losing his head over trying to keep things in order…but that was impossible. Not with so many kids.

Gennai was now old…and he had been waiting for this day.

After Shaun had did what he had done, Gennai had been waiting to see if everything he had done had been worth it. He had waited to see if Shaun would go to 01-000-ALPHA to free Demon…

And he hadn't.

Shaun was with the other children, looking for a Digiegg that would hold his own partner.

The future had been changed.

("What has happened has happened…")

Gennai sighed. Shaun had succeeded…but had it all been worth it?

Even though the Digidestined had been saved…so much suffering had been caused in the process. So many things had changed…and so many people and Digimon had suffered…all that had happened after the great battle against BelialMyotismon...

So…had it all been worth it?

Gennai sighed. Worrying about it wouldn't do him any good. After all, Tai and Sora had fallen in love and married out of genuine affection, even though they knew of Shaun's future. He couldn't change anything.

It brought to mind one of his favorite quotes from Reality's speech 27 years ago. "What has happened…has happened…"

("…and what will happen…will happen.")

xxxx

It is finished.

The New Digidestined have triumphed over BelialMyotismon.

The end has finally reached us…

But the end…is also a beginning.

Even though this tale is over, there are still things left to be told…

The changes that Shaun's return to the past has wrought are widespread…

And those changes…are the subject of future tales.

So if you wish to see those changes…then come along for the ride.

Come…if you dare.

xxxx

THE END

xxxx

Author's Notes: Heh…instead of Adventure being the show in Tamers, it's the other way around! And UKHoneyB's character gets special credit for introducing it. ;P

But anyhow…

It's over.

Zero 2 has ended…but it is also the beginning of the future.

Read on…for previews…of more stories in the Zero 2 timeline...

Housemates: The Motomiya children are now homeless…but Jun has an idea…and her idea is to move in with her friend Momoe. But this means that Davis and Yolei…will be living under the same roof, becoming housemates! How will they cope? Will the two rivals be able to stomach the other's presence? Will the fearsome Prank War consume all? Read and find out!

Battle of the Shinobi: After Housemates, Yolei's partner has been issued a challenge by three Digimon: Ninjamon, master of ninjutsu! Taijamon, master of taijutsu! Genjamon, master of genjutsu! Those three want to face Shurimon in a duel to the death! Will the Shinobi of Sincerity accept? And if so, will he be able to defeat masters of the shadowy ninja arts, the physical taijutsu arts, and the mental genjutsu arts?

The Comeback Tour: Etemon has been reborn! But since the five Guardians are currently protecting the Digital World, he has to set his sights on the Real World…and to completely dominate the world, he must first conquer the music industry! But he must do two things. One: actually improve his singing! And two: if he does improve his singing…he'll have to fight the Teenage Wolves for Odaiba!

The Digital Deception: An American ambassador is assassinated. The Grand Praetor is murdered. The humans blame the Digimon. The Digimon blame the humans. But what has actually happened is an ingeniously crafted plan that has been devised for only one goal...and the Digidestined are the key.

The ODs: 'OG' means 'original gangster'. 'OD' means 'Original Digidestined'…based on the Zero 2 timeline, behold Hiroki Hida, Hiroaki Ishida, Joshua Kido, Teela Yamaki, and Miranda Akiyama's adventures into the Digital World. Behold as the face everyone from Apocalymon to Demon!

Shadows of the Light: Four years after the fall of BelialMyotismon, Dragomon finally makes his move…and he aims to finally consume Kari Kamiya, the Child of Light. However, someone will step in to stop him…and it'll be quite the shock…

Past Journeys: My huge mega-fic, Past Journeys chronicles the major – and some minor – events from Shaun's time in the Digital World's past. From his arrival…to the fight with Milleniummon…to the coming of his three friends…to the hardship with Nega…and finally to where he first met the New Digidestined (will begin after FFX-3's completion).

Of course, there are some mystery fics yet to be revealed… ;)

Thank you all who have read and – or – reviewed this story. I hope you've all enjoyed it as much as I have. And just for the record, what was your favorite and least favorite episodes?

Oh, and for the record (as requested by Dark Qiviut)…

Episode 60: The End of All Things (24,190)

69 pages. Longest chapter ever.

So long everyone.