Disclaimer: See parts 1 and 2.

Summary: Abandoned by the others, after he made Greymon digivovle into Skullgreymon, Tai seeks a meaning to his new life. Not as a Digi destined, but as a Digimon.

The digi destined are gaining strength, slowly but surely. The hybrid Yakeru has been deleted in a all out battle, but even with this victory, things are not okay. Metalseadramon are hunting them, and after a track through the underground, the digi destined found they were lost.

Things didn't look any better the second time Matt stared out over the area they were in. The ocean still filled half the horizon, just as it had for several hours. The only difference, being that the area looked nothing like the place they had camped at last night.

In fact, the long, tiring walk hadn't gotten to any place that looked familiar to any of them. And for all it was worth, he was starting to get rather fed up with it all. They were destined to save both worlds, but nobody said it would involve all this. Getting possessed, a chance he might turn into a digimon, and now, his digimon was hurt badly.

At least the last part was fixing itself. Gabumon had grunted about pain for an hour, before it started to get better. Guess all that talk about digimons healing fast had been true. But it still didn't mean he like it. Who's bright idea was it anyway for them all to run around and fight these monsters anyway.

He was a kid dammit, despite his tough guy routine. His biggest fear right now should be if he should watch a soccer match, or go for the special re-run of the best rock stars in the last four decades. Not if the giant sea monster would blast them to bits, or just eat them with in the next ten minutes or so.

"Can't we take a break, I'm tired?"

Stopping as soon as the words left Mimi's mouth, Matt stared back at her. Unsure of how he should but it, go for a gentle no and have her argue or whine. Or just trample her down with a command type order. Looking away from her, he spotted Tai staring back at him, a strange look in his eyes. "Fine, we'll a two minute break."

Getting an unhappy look on her face, Mimi settled down on the sandy beach. "Two minutes, I can't even rest my feet with such a short break." Staring around the group, she grimaced when she noticed just how tired the whole lot looked. Sora was nearly sleeping as she sat down, and Joe had already dozed off along with TK and Kari.

The only one, who didn't look tired at all, was Izzy. Then again, he must be used to staying up late working on his computer. "What are you doing?"

Lifting up his head from checking his data, Izzy smiled a bit as the pink loving girl looked at him. "I'm trying to find a way for us to defeat Metalseadramon." Frowing a bit as he went back to checking his data, Izzy pushed a few buttons. "And it not easy, our best bet is for Tai going to his Mega level again and fight him."

"Get real Izzy." Matt added in as he turned back to face them. "He tried that remember, he couldn't even scratch him." Voice turning bitter as he spoke, Matt clenched up his fist as he sat down on the beach. "I think we need to get out digimons to become."

Punching in the numbers, Izzy looked at Matt with a small shine in his eyes. "Good point, having more then one Mega would give us a greater advantage." Then he grew silent as he turned his screen to show their digimons, and their evolution lines. "But it would take a great deal of power to do so. Our crests can get the digimon's to Ultimate, but more would be needed to digivolve from that stage, to the Mega level."

Nodding a bit, Matt lifted up his crest and stared at it. "There has to be a way to do it." Then he dropped it and settled down to lie on his back, watching Earth far above them on the digital sky. "Maybe, we should try and contact Gennai."

Closing is eyes at that comment; Izzy shook his head a bit as he closed the lab top. "I've been trying to reach him for a while now, but he's not answering." Barely hiding the worry in shi voice, Izzy stared up at the earth filling the sky above them. "I just hope he's not been captured, or deleted, for our sake, and both worlds."

The conversation ended after that as a sudden loud cry from Mimi drew the attention of everyone towards her, The group rushing off to see if she was okay.

Standing on the top of a hill overlooking a different part of the beach, the pink loving girl were staring in the direction of the ocean, her eyes rather big as she had one arm stretched out in front of her, a finger pointing at the remains of a large, stone building nestled in near the forest. "Is it me, or is that a castle out there"

Following her finger, Matt nodded grimly as he watched the large building. "Yeah, but it's hardly in any good condition. I doubt there." Stopping his talk, he watched in confusion as Mimi and Palmon rushed off, the plant digimon trying to keep up with her human partner. "Where are you going!?"

"To the castle." Came the reply from Mimi as she stopped running and settled for a more rapid form of walking.

Feeling like a very bad headache was forming, Matt sighed a bit. "She really has to learn not to rush into things." The words meant for the others to hear, except they had already started to follow after Mimi. "Am I the only one who believes we should be a bit more careful?"

Watching his partner as he asked the question to none around, Gabumon shrugged a bit. "I don't know Matt, but we should follow them."

Stuffing his hand into his pants pocket, Matt grumbled a bit as he began to walk after the other kids. "Sure." The same thoughts running through his head again no matter how much he wanted to ignore it. "How did Tai manage to lead us around so easily, they won't even stop to listen to reason?"

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Stepping into the brightly lit central pyramid control room, Piedmon turned to face the current commander in charge of the place, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the cybernetic digimon struggling with the control panel. "Datamon!"

Turning around to face the clown digimon, Datamon gave a quick bow to show his service to him. "Lord Piedmon, how may I help you?" Voice filled with fake sweetness as he spoke.

Deciding to ignore the digimons insulting behavior for the moment, Piedmon focused on the monitors around him. "Is the Dark Network ready?" His voice showing little, to no interests in the matter what so ever. "We need to locate the brats, and fast if you don't mind."

Hitting a few more keys on the control Panel, Datamon gave a small laugh as the whole room lit up with lights, the screens giving a hissing sound before showing various parts of the digital world. "Yes Lord Piedmon, I have fixed the problem at last." Moving his fingers rapidly across the keyboards, the screen right in front of him shifted to show Spiral Mountain and the remains of the digital world. "The kids are here, near the old castle you destroyed in the campaign of conquest in the area formerly belonging to Myotismon."

Pulling out a sword, Piedmon gave a silent laugh, as he looked at his reflection in the metal surface. His other hand gently rubbing a finger up and down the tip of the blade. "Well, well. You've better make sure they're entertained, while I go and inform Metalseadramon of their location." Making a move to leave, Piedmon stopped after a bit and looked back over his shoulder. "And Datamon, how much of the digital world is now covered by the Dark Network?"

The ultimate level digimon looked down at a small map to his right, reading the data there before turning around to face the evil mega digimon. "86 percent Lord Piedmon, if there's no future problems, we should have the entire digital world covered within a year."

Piedmon simply grunted in reply as he left the room, rather pleased on the inside with the way things had progressed. The Dark Network offered a way to control the entire digital world, without the other Dark Masters. But that was a step that would only be taken in the case that it became necessary to rid himself of his allies.

Returning to his work, Datamon gazed up at the screen and chuckled lightly to himself. There would be a time to tell Metalseadramon where the kids where. But first, they would have to stand up to his new and improved creations, in an all out battle to the finish.

At a few punches on his control panel, the two tubes containing Digi Destined 13 and 14 rose up form the floor, the two hybrids inside of them glaring out at him. "The digi destined have been located, I want you two to destroy them, no matter what it takes."

Watching as the doors hissed open, Datamon smile faded a bit as the hybrids stepped out onto the ground. Both of them had a look of pure hate on their faces as they faced him. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Snorting a bit, Mira turned to face Joeshiro and chuckled lightly to herself. "Joeshiro, should we do what he says?" Her voice sarcastic as she spoke to her fellow hybrid, while she completely ignored the small digimon before them.

Rising an eyebrow, Joeshiro shrugged, as he was busy trying to check out all the changes Datamon had done to him, most of them not fitting in with what he wanted his body to look like. "Frankly, I was thinking of throwing him into that thing up there and screw around with his digital information."

Growling darkly at the way they spoke, Datamon turned back to his control panel and pushed a single, yellow button near the side of it. "You will do as I say, or get deleted forever."

Hissing at him, the two hybrids dropped to the ground as a wave of pure pain swept through their bodies, a feeling strong enough to make them drop to their knees and nod at him. "Yes, now turn that thing off." Came a spat out answer form Joeshiro as he lifted his head to look at Datamon.

Smiling. Datamon did as he was asked, one other hand opening a door in the wall of the room. "Good, now leave. I'll send someone to help you in a short while." Jumping away form the control panel, the small digimon left before either of the Hybrids could get an attack in.

Left alone, the two hybrids glanced around the chamber, each of them wondering if the favor of their master was worth all the pain they had suffered. But more then that, they had heard the cry of their hybrid brother as the brats had deleted him.

"Yakeru's gone." Joeshiro muttered out after a second as he turned to leave the room, his arms crossed over his chest as his eyes stared into the distance of the lab. "He was the leader of our group, the one who kept us together until the master could return."

Mira nodded in agreement as she moved to follow him. "Without him, we're nothing more then freaks Datamon created." Hands clenching her, her body turning ice cold with hatred, her eyes glowing with power as she began to lift off from the floor to hover in the air. "I'll destroy them for that, even if it kills me."

In another part of the lab, Datamon stare dup at a transparent tube, and at the body inside of it. The more twisted form of the last hybrid he had created still trouble him with it appearance. Still, the time had come to see how great his creation were, and how much control he had over it.

Pushing a simple release button, the small evil digimon moved back as the liquid inside the tube drained out, letting the large, deformed legs hit the ground. The red glowing eyes focused on him as the glass covering hissed open with a swift movement. "Greetings Digi Destined 16, I am Datamon, your commander."

Not answering, the hybrid stepped out and lifted up its twisted arms to stare at them, and the digimons they had been copied from. Then a sick grin filtered across its face as it moved around to face Datamon. "Thank you for letting me out of there Datamon, it was far to boring just hanging around in there."

His organic eye showing his surprise, Datamon moved a bit backwards as he kept a firm gaze on his creation. "Strange how your form have been twisted like that." Them making a dismissive move his arms, the cyborg digimon jumped up to land on a nearby control panel. "Never mind that anyway, Moonmilleniummon is a waiting us, and he is very interested in this change to your form, so if you will follow me. "

"No." The answer came rather fast as the much larger form of the hybrid move past him, a sick grin forming on his face as he began to hum a familiar tune. "I can't let the brats wait, after all, we have all been waiting for my comeback." Giving a dark, sick laugh at the end, the hybrid looked back at Datamon, Megadramon arm lifting up as the three claws before the cannon hole lifted back. "It's been fun tin can, but you're not needed anymore."

Stepping back in disbelief, Datamon lifted his arms up in front of him as he remembered where he had heard that laugh and tone before. "You, but that kid said he destroyed you."

At the comment, a smirk formed on the hybrids face. "True tin can, but someone saw fit to save my great talent, for a price of course." Eyes going cold along with the smirk, the hybrid felt the attack forming inside of him, an attack that had not and never could be his, if not for that stupid digimons twisted experiments, and his news ally's great gift. "Dark Side Attack!"

Screaming as the missiles impacted up close with him, Datamon's world went fuzzy at first, his body flying back to impact the surface of the tube with a thud. "Damn you, you." His voice failing, Datamon never finished his sentence as his body erupted into a shower of digital data that floated away rapidly.

Lowering the Megadramon arm, the hybrid ginned a bit before out right laughing as he turned to leave the room. It had far to easy to destroy that old tin can, even in the past. Stupid Datamon had never been anything but empty treats and boasts. Destroying him had simply been a payback for working with the enemy.

"Do not forget the agreement my friend."

Stopping in shi track, the Hybrid looked up at the air around him, a sour expression on his face. "Of course not, I'll destroy them all for this second chance." Lifting his arms as he spoke, the hybrid face turned a bit concerned. "Hey, you will give me back a more cooler form then this when I'm done with them right?"

"Of course, I will do anything to stop those who dares to interfere with my growth."

Laughing at the comment, the hybrid looked around the room. If he was to live up to his side of the barging, he had to learn where the digi destined was. The tin can had known it, he had heard the conversation with Piedmon about them, but never seen just where they were, even when he had been a part of the network.

But he would overcome that little problem; in the meantime, it would be best if he were to leave this place. Far to many things could go wrong if he stayed here. The Dark Masters was a danger not to be ignored. "Look out kiddies, cause I'm back one more for a big showdown with ya."

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Moving through the ocean with a cold, resentful feel to him, Metalseadramon found not pleasure in seeing the other digital creatures living in the endless blue stuff flee when they saw him. All his attention was focused on the damn humans and how they had escaped.

The only joy he had found in the news, had been in the destruction of one of the hybrids. It had given him great joy, as those digital Human crossbreeds had no right to even exist. But, since it had been a project started by their current commander, and ruler. He had to put up with the presence of the inferior beings.

Pushing such dark thoughts to the back of his head, the huge sea dragon like digimon aimed his head upwards and shot out onto the surface of the digital sea. Staring at the waves rolling across the sea in all directions. "Where are they!!?" His patience snapping a she roared out the question for all to hear.

His answer coming in the form of a small shimmering in the air, a shimmering that gave way to a familiar clown like digimon holding a wine glass in one hand, and using the other one to support his head in a bored manner. "My, such a temper you have Metalseadramon." His tone of voice mocking the metallic sea dragon in a subtle way as usual, the very thing enough to get the anger of any digimon to rise.

Eyes glowing a bit with anger, Metalseadramon curled up his body and watched his fellow dark master member, and superior in power. "What is it you want Piedmon?" Nearly spitting out the words as he spoke.

Narrowing his own eyes a bit, Piedmon lifted a hand to support his chin a bit. "Well, if you want to be like that, I'll keep my information about the brats to myself." Moving to turn around and teleport back to his castle, Piedmon grinned as he briefly saw the eager look in the much larger eye of Metalseadramon.

Uncurling a bit, the sea dragon like digimon moved closer to Piedmon, a dark look of glee filling his face as he stopped a few meters away form the floating clown digimon. "So, where are they?"

Turning a bit back, Piedmon cast a non-caring look over his shoulder. "Well, I guess I could tell you that." Then he smirked as he spun around completely. "They are the beaches you fool, near the remains of Shogungekomon's castle."

Giving off a dark laugh at that comment, Metalseadramon reared up his head and stared at the earth far above them. "At long last, the digi destined will be destroyed."

"Well said." Piedmon added in, then he floated a bit higher up, bring him level to level with Metalseadramon's head. "I just hope you can live up that statement." his eyes glinting darkly as he replied to the metallic sea dragon like digimon.

Looking a bit weary at Piedmon's word, Metalseadramon shot back down into the digital ocean, the water spray nearly hitting the clown digimon.

Watching the area where Metalseadramon had dived into, Piedmon eyes narrowed a bit more. "Be careful Metalseadramon, I do not trust you and the others that much anymore."

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Deep inside of his castle, Moonmilleniummon cursed the fact that he was still dependent on the help of lesser digimons. In the past, he had nearly dominated the whole world with his own strength and power, but, until the plan had been completed, he had to relay on the Dark Master's to slow down the digi destined.

And the reason for it, meant more then the digital world, more then his very life. All that mattered was the creation of the perfect world, perfect, like him.

Facing the crystal before him, the evil mega digimon eyes stared unblinking at the outline of a young human trapped inside of it. "We will be together, like it was meant." Wishing for a hand that he could plant on the crystal in a gesture of trust and hope, Moonmilleniummon settled for hovering as closer as he could. "We are perfect, I, a god like digimon, and you, the most perfect chosen child to ever live, the one who bested me in the future, and nearly in the past."

Moving away from it, he closed his eyes and thought of the future, and how he had changed it to bring about this moment in history. It had been hard, but for one who could control time, it hadn't been that hard to glance at the shape the future of the digital world would look like.

And what he had seen had not pleased him. This foul digimon traveling with the boy had destroyed him, taken his partner from him. Such an act had been a crime he would not accept, worse; the boy hadn't tried to stop this lowly digimon from doing it. No, he welcomed it. But that would change all change, once he saw what he had done, when he learned that for the perfect digimon, nothing was impossible, and the perfect digimon needed a perfect world, nothing less would do, for he was the true chosen digimon partner of the perfect digi destined, and everything about him should be perfect.

Laughing in a well hidden, but clearly insane way, Moonmilleniummon began to float away form his prisoner. "Rest well, for I shall return when the plan is complete, my partner!" Still laughing, he vanished up into the command room of his castle.

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Standing in front of the castle, the digi destined felt a wave of sympathy sweep through them as they could see just how trashed the place really was. One wall had collapsed completely and the area around it looked like an army had passed through.

Pulling out his laptop, Izzy turned on the E-mail program and began to type out a message rather quickly. "Okay, I'm sending Gennai an E-mail telling him where we are, hopefully he can give us some kind of directions to his new location."

Staring at him, the digi destined nodded in return and sat about exploring the place, a few staying outside with the computer wiz to just relax for a chance.

Curling up on the ground, Tai and Gatomon shared a look before turning back to look at Kari as she settled down nearby, her eyes closed a bit as she took a few deep breaths, the sight making Tai a bit more nervous as he saw it. "Kari, you okay?"

Facing her brother and her digimon partner, Kari nodded a bit as she leaned back onto the ground. "I'm just a bit winded Tai, nothing to worry about." Closing her eyes, she smiled as the twilight that passed for a day began to warm her up.

Moving closer, Tai and Gatomon settled down on either side of her, both of them keeping an eye open just in case some kind of danger should show up to disturb their rest.

Settling down next to Izzy, Matt stared at the computer screen and then up at the castle before them, and then at the place where the castles door had been. "I don't like this Izzy, we should stick together in a situation like this, not be running around scattered like this."

Looking up briefly from typing on his computer, Izzy shrugged a bit as he focused on making the machine work again. "I'm sure they will be fine Matt, they have their digimons with them after all." Pushing another few buttons, he grinned a bit as he closed it. "Okay, I sent the mail, now we just have to hope that Gennai will respond to it."

Frowning, he blinked as he noticed none of them where listing to him, instead, they were all busy staring up at the top of the castle with a concerned expression. "What?" Turning to follow their line of view while asking, he froze as he spotted the shadowed from of a shadowed figure standing up there. "Oh, that."

Jumping off from the roof, the figure glided towards the ground as a pair of insect like wings spread out behind him in midair, allowing him to land gently in front of the group of kids and digimons. "Hello again, it has been a while hasn't it?"

Clenching up his hand, Izzy stared at the strange and twisted body before him. The main part of the body looking the hybrid he had seen before, but the arms and legs, they were deformed, twisted. The legs had a Zudomon like appearance, and his arms, they looked like Megakabuterimon's. And it was the wings of Kabuterimon that stuck out from his back. "What, what happened to you?"

Narrowing his eyes, Joeshiro clenched up his hands as arcs of electricity began to run up and down the length of them. "What do you think happened?" His voice cold as ice as he began to step closer to them with word he spat out. "Because of you digi destined, we where force back to being Datamon's test subjects again."

Lifting up a hand as he stopped talking, a bolt of pure lighting formed in it, hissing as it turned around slowly. "And for that, you will all pay." Then he tossed it right towards the group of humans and digimons before him.

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Inside the castle, Joe, Mimi, and Sora where staring around the wide room they had just entered. Unlike the rest of the castle, this one looked more different, and strange. Most of it thanks to the set of large speakers and microphone planted near a large stage.

"What is this place?" Mimi asked out loud for all of them as she stepped further in, getting a strange feeling of sorrow and regret as she noticed the signs of several struggles in the room. "Looks like someone didn't want this room to be destroyed."

Nodding in agreement, Sora steppe dup to looked at the stage with a curious expression. "Maybe they held a concert that got out of hand?" Her expression one embarrassment as she found that they had both turned their attention to her, or rather at something behind her. "What?"

Turning around at the sudden outburst, she blinked as she looked at a black colored boot right in her field of view. As she stumbled back from it, she could make out a very feminine shape standing on the stage. A very familiar looking feminine shape, even with the rather obvious changes done to it. "What the, Mira?"

The hybrid girl looked down at Sora with her new Lillymon like eyes as a twisted grin formed on her face. Then she stepped back and spread out a pair of Garudamon like wings from her back. Her eyes glinting with raw fury as he whole body was covered in a fire like aura. "I suffered in that blasted tube, for so long. Even before you and the others came back to the digital world I suffered. Only with the grace of lord Moonmilleniummon did Datamon stop his torment of us. and because of you, we were sent right back to that lunatic and his experiments."

Stumbling back at the psychotic tone of voice coming from the hybrid, Sora felt Joe and Mimi grab her arms and pulled her backwards with her in an even faster pace then before.

Lifting up an arm, Mira laughed in a sick way as their fiery aura shot through the air to block the doorway. Trapping the small group of digi destined with her. "There will be no escape form this battle, I'll make you pay for the pain you and the others caused me and my friends." Flinging out both arms, she laughed as another wave of fire swept out to set another part of the room on fire.

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Outside the Castle, Joeshiro found himself on the defenses, as it hadn't taken a long time for the digimons to digivolve in order to defend their partners. And no matter how good he was, against four ultimate level digimons and one champion angel digimon. He was rather outclassed power wise.

Landing heavily on the ground, the Hybrid growled as he swept his arms in wide arc in front of him, sending out a storm of lighting bolts that streaked right towards the hulking form of MegaKabuterimon. The giant bug digimon simply letting them impact, as he was busy powering up one of his own attacks at the moment.

Moving in form the right, Tai in his Chinobimon from, already had his own attack fully powered and ready to fire off. "Burn Blast!" Sending the large fiery ball shooting through the air. Only to grimace as it was counted by a massive bolt of Electricity. "Damn it, he too fast."

"But he can't defend against us all." Angewomon declared as she flew past overhead, her left arm pulling back to from her bow, her other hand already loading the arrow into place. "Celestial Arrow!" The attack scoring a direct hit on one of Joeshiro's insect arms.

Letting out a scream of pure rage, the Hybrid took off flying as well. His undamaged arm sending out a storm of electric bolts the whole time. "I'll kill you for that, and your partner!"

"Garuru Kick!" The attack sudden attack form Weregarurumon cutting off Joeshiro's attack as he was knocked off to the side violently. And face to face with the massive four fist of MegaKabuterimon.

Punching him as hard as he could, MegaKabuterimon grinned as he saw the Hybrid impact with the castle wall, a cloud of dust shooting out from it. "Everyone, now!"

"Celestial Arrow!"

"Burn Blast!"

"Electro Shocker!"

"Wolf Claw!"

Struggling up, Joeshiro screamed loudly as his whole body was fist piece through the chest, burnt to a crisp, then wrecked by a shower of electric energy, and finally smashed back into the wall by WereGarurumon's attack. Standing still for a few seconds, his eyes getting unfocused before he fell face down. "I lost?"

Stepping closer, Tai looked down at the hybrid with a curious expression on his face, but still ready just in case he had some last minute plan. "Hey?"

Lifting his head up form the frist, the strange mix of human and digimon grinned as he rolled over to lie on his back, his breathing rather harsh as he watched the rest of the digimons crowding in around him. "Well, aren't you going to finish me off?"

Looking down at him, Matt felt himself shake his head. It had been a strange, unfair battle, but to hear such a tone of voice, with such a level of despair in it, had him unneeded. "Why?"

Giving the blond haired boy a simple, but resigned look, the hybrid boy smiled a bit as his head lay back down onto the earth. "Why not, I'm dying anyway. You would simply be ending my misery." Voice thick with hate as he spoke, he looked over at Izzy. "My father, the one who provided the human data, fitting that I should fall in battle against you."

Turning his head away at the comment, Izzy closed his eyes as he tried to block of the loathing he had heard from the hybrid when he spoke to him. "Who made you, where did you get our data from?"

Not answering, the hybrid simply grinned as he closed his own eyes. "You should know the answer, after all, you helped the freak digimon create us." Laughing bitterly at his words, he struggled to sit up. "And we were so sure we could beat you, that we were better then the ones who we were made from." Still laughing, the digimons body grew tense, before falling back down onto his back. "Good riddance to this miserable world, I won't miss it."

Turning their heads away, the small group of digi destined and digimons avoiding seeing the hybrid boys body break apart into its digital data, a cloud of it floating away on the wind slowly.

"Ha, found ya losers at last."

Snapping their heads around, the kids stared at the figure laughing at them, the outline of his body barely seen from its vantage point at the top of the castle. "I'm back brats, and this time, you'll be the ones to lose." That comment was delivered as two cannon like hands with three claws pointed at them. "Here's a present from me to you, Darkness Wave!"

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Inside the castle, Things looked very much the same as outside. Except that the ability to move around for the digimons where rather limited as they had to fight indoors. Still, Mira had to move around a lot to avoid getting hit by the constantly attacking digimons.

"Why won't you just die" Her throat hurting from all her yelling, Mira ducked under Lillymon's Flower cannon attack, lashing out with a kick to the stomach as pay back, only to wince as her foot hurt from hitting the wall instead of the much quicker digimon who had evade the attack. "Damn you."

Flying back a bit form the impact, Lillymon narrowed her eyes as she flew back to the Zudomon and Garudamon, streams of fire shooting at her from time to time as the angry hybrid girl attacked her, until her attention turned to the much larger targets in the room. "Garudamon, look out!"

Punching out at the yell from Lillymon, Garudamon cursed loudly as she missed the more agile hybrid constantly. It didn't help much that each time she missed, her arms or hands was rewarded with a stream of fire hitting it. "She's too fast!" The words spat out as she pulled back a lightly smoking left hand.

Stopping in midair, Mira turned her head to the side, staring at the wall as her mouth thinned with rage. "Joeshiro, he's dead as well." Turning back, her hands dropped down at her side. "Now, I am truly alone in this world." Fire flowing down over her body, she began to laugh darkly. "I don't even know why I was created to begin with, but all I know is, I hated every moment of it."

Shooting down towards the human children, Mira's face twisting into a sick grin as her arms sent out a furry of red-hot fireballs towards them. "Come everyone, let us finish this once and for all!"

"Flower Cannon!"

Screaming in pain, Mira looked back at Lillymon as she righted herself in midair, the sudden attack form the flower fairy digimon nearly sending her into a wall. "You, you're a part of me." Her voice cold, Mira crossed her arms in front of her as fire began to form around her. "We where made from the data of humans and digimons. Created to see if the two could be merged together into a perfect creation."

On the ground, Sora slowly stepped forward, a sad expression on her face. "Then why fight us?" Her question sounding strange even to her as she spoke it out loud. "You have free will, so why do you serve them?"

Turning her head to look down at Sora, Mira's face slowly dropped into a sad expression as well. "Because, he accepted us, called us his best work." Voice cracking over, Mira snarled darkly as she spread her arms out, sending a massive stream of fire flying right towards the red haired girl on the ground. "He gave us a home!"

The fire never hit as the massive form of Zudomon's hammer smacked into the ground, blocking eth attack form reaching the red haired girl. "Sounds like she really lost it." The huge digimon commented as he pulled his hammer back up into the air again.

Simply looking at him, Mira covered her whole body in fire, a rather large sphere forming over her head as she began to laugh in a rather dark, psychotic fashion. "I'll take all of you with me!"

Stepping back, Sora looked over at Mimi and Joe, seeing them back off as well. "Let's get out of here!" Her voice filling the air as the small group bolted for the only exit out of the room, their digimons moving in to protect them as they retreated.

Lifting her head back, Mira poured all of her power into the fiery sphere, grinning as she willed it to blow up, the heat and sheer strength ripping through her in an instant. Reducing her to nothing more then digital dust.

Ahead of the expanding wall of fire, Sora, Joe and Mimi ripped open the large doors in front of them, rushing off down the corridor in mad run as soon as they got out. Seconds after that, the doorway lit up as a wall of fire shot out from the room behind them, spreading alone the walls for a few seconds before fading away.

Peeking around a corner down the corridor, Sora blinked as she tried to see through the heavy amount of smoke blocking everything from view. "Garudamon, she was still in there!" The words yelled out a second later as she ran back towards the room.

Behind her, Joe and Mimi rushed off as well; worry for their digimon partners clear on their faces.

Reaching the scorched door opening, they stopped as a small coughing sound filled the air, followed by three small shapes jumping with one of them floating instead of jumping out to them.

"Tanemon!"

"Yokomon!"

"Bukamon!"

The three in-training digimon looked up at their partners with a tired expression on their faces, as they were picked up by each of their partners. "Sorry, we didn't think she would blow herself up like that." Yokomon mumbled out as she felt Sora gently stroked her flower-covered head.

Just settling for hugging her best friends and partner close, Sora smiled as she stood up. "Come on, we better go see if the others are okay." Her words directed at Joe and Mimi who were also standing up as well, their partners cradled in their arms.

And at that moment, the whole castle shook as dust fell down the wall and ceiling. The distant sound of a fierce battle echoing through the hallways a split second later.

Turning to face the direction of the noise, Joe felt his blood run cold with a bit a of fear, as he hadn't hoped they would have to face another battle so soon. And this one, it sounded like it would be much more harder then the last ones they had been through so far.

--------------------------------

Staring around the ruined lab with a disinterested expression, Piedmon noted the empty tubes that had held the hybrids digimons when he had first set foot in the pyramid. Still, the past wasn't why he had showed up, he had been asked by the current ruler of the digital world, Moonmilleniummon to find out why Datamon reused to answers his summons. "Looks like one of his little creations took him out."

Puppetmon grinned darkly from where he stood. Hammer dangling a back and fourth as he looked at the ruin place. "Whoever it was, didn't do a decent job, half this place is still intact." Laughing at his own comment, the puppet digimon pulled back and swung his hammer harshly into an intact computer, sending it flying across the room. "At least we won't have to worry about more of those freak shows getting all the fun."

"True." Piedmon admitted as he cast a last look around the place. "Well, I'd better go and inform him of this new turn of events." Hovering up in the air, Piedmon smirked to himself as he felt the world twist, and finally turn into the familiar room with the pillars. "Lord Moonmilleniummon!?"

The crystal covered digimon growled a bit as it looked over at Piedmon, a image of the digi destined fading away as they no longer held the evil mega digimons attention. "Piedmon, what did you find?"

Pulling out a sword and calmly polishing it, the clown digimon grinned a bit as he thought about the reaction his master would have this set of news. "Datamon's been deleted, and the lab destroyed." Placing the sword back on shi back, he turned to fully face Moonmilleniummon. "I believe it was one of his creations who did it."

MoonMilleniummon's eyes glowed bright yellow as he heard the news, a dark feeling filling the room as the mega digimon's anger rose even higher. "Dig Destined 16, I felt his activation, but, other then that, nothing." Growing silent for a few moments, the four yellow eyes moved to Piedmon again. "How goes your hunt for the digi destined? Have your fellow dark masters made any progress?"

Piedmon hid the anger he felt at the degrading tone of Moonmilleniummon as he bowed a bit to the large digimon. "Not yet, but we're getting there, it will only be a matter of time, Metalseadramon is doing his best even as we speak."

The only response to Piedmon's words, were along, narrowed glare as Moonmilleniummon refocused on other things. "Tell Metalseadramon to hurry up, I want the dig destined dealt with before I start my plan." A small chuckle filled the air as Moonmilleniummon moved down into the darkness of his castles lower levels. "I can't wait to show off my perfect world."

Staring down into the darkness, Piedmon rubbed a hand on his chin, a good deal of curiosity on his mind as he wondered just what this perfect would be. And how it related to the strange device they had been building for the crystal-covered catastrophe. "No matter, everything will be dealt with in time." Fading away again, Piedmon chuckled as he reformed in his castle room, one hand resting on his throne as he sighed. "I will reclaim this world, and remove all who stand in my way of doing so."

--------------------------------

The battle were going badly, whoever the attacking hybrid was, he had taken them completely by surprise, and forced them to stay on the defense. Several times the attacks had come to close to the human member of the group. It didn't help that the hybrid seemed to already know them, and how they fought.

Ducking a stray missile, Tai slammed into the ground harshly, the wind knocked from him as he felt the powerful explosion tear up the ground nearby. Pushing his body up, he grinned as Angemon and Angewomon jumped into the battle, both of them ready with an attack that would reduce the hybrid to digi dust, or so he hoped.

Looking up at the attacking angel digimons, the hybrid launched into a familiar and very annoying way of laughing, his arms spreading out to the side as the LadyDevimon wings lifted up. "The chick and fur ball's a new thing from you losers, but still, let me share a new hit of my own with ya." As he spoke, several dark shapes formed around him as he laughed insanely. "Here it comes, Darkness Wave!"

Uttering a small curse, Angewomon found herself thrown backward by the attack, smacking heavily into a battle worn Tai who could barely hold onto his Chinobimon as it was. Feeling both of them land on the ground, she glared up at the hybrid hovering in the air. "I can't believe we're getting creamed this easily, and by a hybrid no less."

Grabbing Angemon's staff, the hybrid punched the angel digimon across the jaw with his right arm, following up with a punch into the lower part of his stomach. "Lady, I may look like a loser hybrid." he mumbled out as he kicked the dazed Angemon in the back harshly, sending him down into the dirt. "But inside this body, is the soul of the king of digimons!"

Moving back at the words, Weregarurumon, Megakabuterimon and Tai both sported a panicked expression as they looked at each other. "It can't be can it, didn't we, you know defeat him?"

Getting a darker expression as he heard Megakabuterimon's words, Weregarurumon lifted his hands to deliver a quick attack at the hybrid. "Yes, back when we were controlled, his data was pulled into Matt, and used to fuel MoonMilleniummon's rebirth."

Tai nodded as his claws began to glow with power, ready to be unleashed of the laughing hybrid.. "Does it really matter, he's going to be defeated soon anyway."

Lowering his head a bit, the hybrid grinned as he looked at each of them. "Well, well. I can see you have guessed who I am, good for you, for its true, the king of digimons, Etemon had returned." Holding out his hands, his eyes glowed bright red as he laughed. "But still, I guess you're dying to find out how I survived being deleted and devoured by your blond member."

Watching them, he laughed a bit as he began to move to music only he could hear. "You still remember that day in the desert, you fools dark digivolved and deleted me, the greatest digimon ever! But even with my body destroyed, I lived on. I found myself trapped as a ghost, a soul like digimon, for without my data, I couldn't be reborn." Smirking darkly, Etemon summoned up a globe of dark power in each hand. "Things looked grim, as all I could do was watch others take what was rightfully mine, then one day, everything change, Moonmilleniummon returned to the digital world and took over. After that day, a great power pulled me from my restless wanderings and offered me a deal."

Holding out the two spheres of darkness at the large group before him, he grinned. "All I had to do, was destroy those that interfered with his growth, and I would be given a second chance and my own body back!" Laughing as he finished talking, Etemon fired of the two spheres of darkness, sending the three ultimate digimon staggering backwards. "And destroying you fools, is just what I intend to do." As he spoke, his left cannon arm opened up as a dark needle like object shot out of its opening. "And with the power of this body, that will be an easy thing to do!"

"You know what?" Turning around at the sudden question, Etemon blinked as he found Angewomon hovering in the air with Tai next to her. "You talk too much!" Punching the former monkey like digimon as he grinned, Tai watched him fly back through the air cursing wildly. "I've wanted to do that to him since the first day we met him."

Grinned at the joke, Angewomon crossed her arms in front of her, power surging into life as he pulled her hand apart in a wide arc. "Heavens Charm!" The powerful attack sending the digimon turned hybrid, flying right into the side of the castle harshly, and from there down onto the ground. "I can see why."

Pushing his body up from the dirt he had landed in, Etemon sneered as he moved to wipe away some of it, glancing briefly at the large metal arm and sneered even more. "You will pay for that stunt. You hear me!!"

A second punch by the wolf man like digimon sent him back down into the dirt, a shocked look on his face as he slid a bit across it. "I don't think you will be doing much Etefreak!" Weregarurumon muttered out as he cracked his knuckles, a look of pure dark amusement on his face.

Landing on the ground, Angemon and Angewomon grinned as they stood side by side, both of them waiting Etemon's next move with a calm attitude. Confident that they could beat even this hybrid monster body of his.

Standing up, Etemon looked from each of the digimons, even at Megakabuterimon hovering in the air above them. "Confident aren't you?" grinning a bit, he slammed open the cannon arms and broke out into a laugh. "Let me take you down a peg or two kiddies, with my new number one his, Darkness Wave!"

Taken by surprise, the digimon found themselves pushed back a bit, the large cloud of attacking bats beginning to gnaw on them as they swarmed in closer. "You losers feeling the bite of my hit?" Laughing at his corny joke, Etemon turned to regard Tai in his digimon form as he rushed forward. "Don't think I forgot you fur face, you'll pay for hitting the king!"

Sailing down through the air, Tai in his Chinobimon form lashed out with a drop kick, fire flaring into life around both of his hands. "Shut up banana breath!"

Calmly laughing, Etemon swung one arm out to block the kick, and grinned as the other hand shot up into the air with several green flares of energy shooting out from it. "Try one of my oldies kid, Dark Network!" As he yelled, the green sparks shot together and formed a lighting bolt of energy.

Screaming, Tai felt himself blasted backwards into the ground, dragging some dirt with him as he slid across it. "Damn, that stung." Shaking his head, he pushed himself up, stopping as a foot pushed him back down again. "Great."

Etemon grinned at the comment as he slowly lifted up his right cannon arm, pulling it slightly back as a long, gray needle like point shot out of it. "Time to end this party."

"Nooo!"

Turning his head around at the yell, Etemon blinked as he saw the blond haired kid clenching his hand around his digivice, a blue glowing from the pendant on his chest. "Don't interrupt the king's fun baby, he doesn't like it, ya hear me!" Yelling in the end, he flung the needle like point around until it pointed at Matt. "Now Scram!"

Weregarurumon pushed through the cloud of bats as he suddenly felt a great surge of power running through him, he could feel it, Matt's strength. It made him stronger and able to get through this swarm of bats, and beat that ugly, hybrid freak like body of Etemon's into digi dust.

Ripping through the last ones, he pounded towards the very surprised former monkey like digimon that spun around to face him, then his fist moved into an uppercut, lifting the hybrid off the ground, and right place for a stomach punch. "You, will leave my friends, and partner." Punching him with each word, the wolf man like digimon forced Etemon backwards, closer to the ocean shore. "Alone!"

At his last word, Weregarurumon poured all of his strength into his claws for a final attack. "Wolf Claw!" The attack shining brightly in the X formation, then it shot forward, hitting Etemon's hybrid body in an upward move.

Crossing his arms in front of him, Etemon screamed as his new body was knocked off into the sky, pain running through him as his ascend began to slow down, finally ending with him dropping down into the ocean. Pushing back the pain, his eyes glowed as he pulled in the dark energies present in the digital world, using a skill copied from one of the many digimons in the digital world, his body glowing slightly as it began to increase in size.

Back on the shore, the digi destined cheered as they saw Etemon in his new body go down at last, fully confidant that they had beaten him once and for all. "Quiet a show you put on there children."

Turning around at the familiar voice, the group of kids and digimons had a bright expression on their faces. Already knowing who they would see, but still having a look of surprise on their faces as they spotted Gennai sitting on top of a machine like digimon. "Gennai."

From behind the machine, another metal covered digimon walked out, a smile on his otherwise emotionless face as he saw the group of kids before him. "It is good to see you are okay Digi Destined."

"Andromon?" Izzy asked as he saw the large digimon, then his eyes were drawn to the object in the ultimate level digimons right hand. It was a fragile looking egg, with an orange and blue color scheme. "A digiegg?"

Behind him, Tai turned his eyes to stare at the digiegg with a look of hope on his face. "Agumon." The name of his partner digimon leaving his mouth as his own digimon returned to its champion level. "Gennai, is it Agumon's digiegg?"

The old man smiled as he picked up the egg from Andromon, jumping down with it from the digimon he had used as transport with ease. Walking over to the smaller digimon form of Tai, he handed it over to him, and smiled as it began to glow softly as soon as it touched his hands. "Yes, and now, I can bring him back, if you're ready"

"I think that would be a good idea." Joe stammered out as his hand grabbed Matt's shoulder and shook it a bit, causing the blond haired boy to turn around with an annoyed expression on his face.

Opening his mouth to yell at the older boy, Matt closed it as he too saw the looming figure rising out off the water in the distance. Large metallic arms glinting as he smirked down at them. "He's still alive?"

Digi Destined 16, or Etemon as he had revealed himself to be, took a step forward, a large wave forming from the movement of it. The ability to change his size had been a good ability to be outfitted with, now he could literally crush those digi destined and their partners like the bugs they were. "Look out kiddies, the king is still going strong."

Gennai's eyes narrowed in a frown as he walked over to Tai and looked him right into the eye. "Listen, I have studied all the facts, and this is the only way to do it." Waving at Kari, he sighed. "The digimon data inside of your body, will have to be transferred from you, to Agumon's digi egg, it will allow him to not only be reborn, but reach his mega level as well."

Face filling with a grin, Tai nodded as he looked down at the digi egg, he was finally going to see Agumon again. "So, what do I have to do Gennai?"

"Let Angewomon shoot you with her arrow of light." Came Gennai responded as he watched the young human turned into a digimon before him, waiting for the response he knew would come form him and the others around them.

Nearly dropping his digi egg, Tai stared at Gennai with a look of utter disbelief. "I have to what?"

Kari having thoughts much the same grabbed Tai protectively, and looked at Gennai with a dark look. "I won't let her do that, what if he gets hurt, or deleted?"

Gennai sighed a bit as he looked around at them. "There is not much time, Etemon will soon be in range to attack, so you will have to trust me." Looking at the group around him, he stood up in his full height, no matter how small that was; it still gave him a look of strength. "I researched all of it, and I believe the only way to do it, is shock the body with a massive overflow of digital energy, let it travel through the digivice tuned into Agumon, and hope the digital data gets pulled along with it."

Looking up at Gennai with a unsure expression, Tai finally nodded as he grabbed his digivice from Kari and looked at it with a sad smile. "Let's do it."

Turning her head to stare at her brother, Kari slowly looked form him to Angewomon standing on the ground a few feet away from them. "Are you sure, what if you die or something"

Smiling a bit at his sister, Tai grinned as held the digivice in his hand. "That's okay, to get back to my old self, I'll try anything." Looking over at the looming form of Etemon trying to hit Megakabuterimon and Angemon, had him grit his teeth. "Besides, we don't have any choice"

Looking over at Matt, Gennai smiled at him as well. "If you would join us as well, I think it would be a good idea to get the prophecy over with at once anyway." Ignoring the curious looks he was given, he looked at TK. "Now, you have to get Angemon to hit him with the arrow of hope"

"Why?" Matt nearly spat out, his eyes half close din a frown. "I don't have any digimon data in me."

Gennai smiled a bit as he shook his head. "No, but it would allow your partner to go his mega level as well."

Not looking very happy about it, the two youngest kids in the group turned and nodded at their digimons. The two angel digimons lifting up their hands as a glowing white arrow formed. "Here goes nothing." The words muttered out by Tai as he felt the arrow hit him a split second later.

"Gabumon, Warp digivolve too..." At his words, the small digimon were covered in a bright light, his body shifting from his small form, to large, more wolf like Garurumon, and then to the wolf man like WereGarurumon with another flash of light, and finally, his body glowed again, returning to the Garurumon shape, but covered in gleaming, light and blue colored metal plates. "MetalGarurumon!"

Next to them, Tai body was lifted up form the ground as a tornado of light formed around him, the digiegg slipping free of his grasp and glowing slightly as it shattered and form a small black digimon with yellow eyes, then it glowed and became Koromon, a second glow had the well know shape of Agumon staring around at them in confusion, then the light off the tornado shot into the small body, causing it glow brightly as he too shot through all of his forms, Greymon to the unknown to them Metalgreymon, and finally a dragon like man covered in battle armor, gauntlets with three sharp metal claws over his hands, and a split shield with the sign of courage on his back.

The digimon shook his head a bit before looking over at his partner. "Tai, you're okay?"

Eyes misty with tears, the small messy haired boy grabbed his partner in a hug as he looked up at him. "I've missed you buddy." Moving back a bit, Tai grinned. "If only you knew how much."

"I do." Came the reply as the digimon smiled at his partner. "I know all of it, somehow." Looking over his shoulder, he grinned as he spotted the towering hybrid form of Etemon standing in the ocean. "And I know that it's about time I pay that jerk back for nearly deleting the both of us."

Landing on the ground, a human Tai laughed as his partner lifted up his claws in front of him, and then they both fully focused their attention on the approaching Etemon. "This is it, our final showdown banana breath." The words coming from Tai's partner as the digimon took up a position next to MetalGarurumon

Towering up over them, Etemon laughed as he opened the Megadramon arms, dark energies surging around the cannon holes. "How right you are brat, this is payback for all the pain you and the other kids have caused me."

TBC: The Dark Masters part 1.

AN, Yes, I'm pulling a Duex Ex Machina folks. As I have worked myself into a deep corner, I can't get out of it without cutting a hole through a wall. But don't worry, for things should be working more smoothly now. Oh yeah, feel to rant about it to me, it will show me that more then 2 people read this story.

Another thing I'm proud off, is that this is chapter 20, and to think I wanted to give up around 10 chapters ago.