Last chapter, the adventure really began in the Pokemon World. However, hardly any of this chapter is in the Pokemon World. I was actually going to have the next chapter out instead of this one, when I had a stroke of inspiration. The results…are what you are about to read. Enjoy, and I'll see you at the bottom!

Chapter 5: The Will of the Manupulator

Mars had been rather surprised when she had fallen into the floor of her prison cell, but her present location had given her more shock and confusion as to what the heck this place was than as to why she was even there in the first place. Gone were the prison bars and grey concrete walls that had once kept her trapped, and in were freely floating islands and dark miasma. Plants were growing vertically up from the islands…which was not saying much, since the direction "up" was apparently irrelevant in this world. What looked like a building was standing on an island that was above her, but the building was upside down, and even then Mars couldn't decipher if the building was actually the right way up or not. All around her, plants and buildings were extending in various directions, making the young girl's head spin.

"Where…where am I?" she said aloud.

"Some say it is the Reverse World, others the Distortion World." Mars turned around. Walking towards her was a man in his late twenties with natural blue hair and icy blue eyes. He was wearing black rippled pants, a black rippled long-sleeved shirt, and a silver vest with black bands near the bottom and a yellow 'G' on the left chest portion. He smiled, and opened his arms. "However, I prefer to think of it as the stepping stone to the world I wish to create." Mars could barely keep her mouth closed.

"C…Cyrus…" she said breathlessly. "Bu…but how…?"

"How did I survive?" Cyrus stated, in a near-emotionless voice. "That is a question for another time. As for what I am doing, it has been the same thing that I have done since forming Team Galactic, and that is to create a world where I will be its supreme leader!" He paused. "But to do that, I realize that I cannot create and rule the world alone. The task is simply too much for just one person on his own. Even my own survival from the events at Mt. Coronet was thanks to another being…" Mars blankly stared at her former boss. The person who had once selfishly wanted his new world to himself was now saying that it was impossible to work alone.

"Three years ago, when I first created Team Galactic in secret, a sixteen year old girl was one of the grunts that showed up at the first recruitment camp. Two years later, she had risen up to the rank of Commander. Even after I had forsaken everyone for the new world, she still tried to jump into the portal with me." Cyrus walked up to Mars. The red-haired girl remained motionless, as Cyrus moved a lock of her hair. "Certainly, prison is not what suits you the most. You looked much better when you were a commander." Cyrus stepped back. To Mars's surprise, Cyrus kneeled before her, before rising up again. "You were one of my most loyal commanders in Team Galactic, and I ask for your forgiveness. I need you to be my right hand in this task. Together…we will create a new world, separate from the old, and us it to conquer the old. If you accept, I promise the old world as yours, as I have no need for it."

Mars could hardly believe her ears. The man that she had served under, the man that she had run away for, was now asking personally for her help. The young woman began to tear up, before fully crying.

"Y…Yes!" she blurted out. "I will…I will follow you beyond the ends of the earth and help you with your goals! I forgive your actions…and let me be a part of your plans again!" Cyrus smiled. He procured a Pokeball.

"I took the liberty of tracking down your Purugly." He tossed the Pokeball over to Mars, who in her excitement just was able to catch it. "The first task that I must ask of you is to find anyone who would be able to assist us. What has been the fate of Team Galactic?"

"Saturn…he dissolved the team once we were all arrested," Mars explained, regaining her composure. "He said that Team Galactic was finished. He and Jupiter joined me in jail, but were disgusted by the events in Spear Pillar, and want no part of the team anymore." Cyrus frowned.

"I see. What about Charon?"

"We don't know what happened to him," Mars admitted. "He wasn't arrested with the rest of us. I remember hearing about how some of the team had escaped."

"Then he is who you are searching for first. Out of the four of you, he was the only one who was unfazed by the events that transpired at Spear Pillar. He will also be needed for some experiments in the old world." He paused. "Take some time to strengthen you team as well. With no grunts, it will be necessary to have strong Pokemon in order to back up our ideals."

"Y-Yes sir." Mars saluted her leader.

"You have one week, after which I will return you here. Do not worry about returning to where I left you; I will be able to find you wherever you go. I wish you the best of luck." Cyrus snapped his fingers, and a portal instantly appeared under Mars's feet.

"Wah?!" Mars fell into the portal, and disappeared. Less than a second later, the portal closed. Cyrus stared at the portal for a few seconds, and then turned around.

"Truly, she expects me to actually give her something?…that human emotions certainly are ripe for exploiting is why we have strife in our world." Snapping his fingers, a portal appeared in front of him. "Speaking of emotions, I believe it is time to begin pulling on a few of them…" He walked into the portal, and disappeared, leaving the Distortion World empty and desolate, save for a low, distant roar far below the island the two had been on.

Despite the fact that he was still only a high school student, and was constantly taking online cram courses to prepare for college, Joe Kido still had the time to open up a small medical clinic in the Digital World. Located on File Island, the clinic was in the perfect locale to treat and study Digimon of all levels, as it was the location where deceased Digimon are reborn. The building itself wasn't much – it was made entirely of the digital trees that flourished on the island – giving it the rustic look of an American log cabin. However, in an effort to expand the human knowledge of Digimon, the Japanese government supplied the clinic with enough basic medical materials to ensure a well-stocked supply.

A television was located not far outside of the clinic, perched on an old tree stump. The television began to glow, and a light shot out of the television screen, materializing into the young adult form of Joe Kido. Joe was wearing a white shirt, khaki pants, blue shoes, and a blue blazer. He wore glasses over his blue eyes, and had blue hair that was tied into a short, neat ponytail. A blue briefcase was in his left hand, while a D-3 Digivice, which was grey with a white center, was in his right.

"Well, that was a rough day," Joe sighed. "Three pop quizzes, all in the same class. Good thing I can now take my classes online in the Digital World." He walked up to the clinic. "It's also a good thing all of us got D-3s from Gennai after MaloMyotismon was defeated; I'd hate to bother Davis or TK, given the current state of affairs." When he reached the door of the clinic, he procured a key, and proceeded to open the door. Stepping inside of the clinic, Joe flipped a light switch, and the insides of the empty clinic lit up brightly. The new lighting showcased the inside of the clinic. A small lobby area was in the front, which separated the inside of the clinic. There were two interior examination rooms, two closets, and small office that all branched off of the only hallway in the cabin.

"That's odd," Joe noted. "Gomamon usually is waiting here for me with the lights on." He looked in all the rooms, but found nobody in them. The young adult scratched his head. "I told Gomamon not to go away from the clinic when I'm coming, especially with what happened to Kari and Gatomon last night."

In reality, Gomamon hadn't gone too far away from the clinic. Just inside the forest boundary, the Digimon was keeping a keen eye on the expansive plains of Primary Village, where thousands of Digi-Eggs sat relatively unprotected. Gomamon had physique akin to a seal, but with three claws on each 'fin', and white fur with purple markings over its head, front fins, and back. A patch of orange hair ran from his forehead to the back of his neck, and two small, flappy ears were on the top of his head.

"Ooh, I know that Joe said to stay inside the clinic, but I just can't sit here and leave these Digi-eggs to be protected by Elecmon alone," Gomamon admitted to himself. He gave another look at field. "Besides, from what I heard, that thing that attacked Kari and Gatomon was preceded by a strange man of sorts. So as long as I keep away from this man, I should be fine, yup yup!"

"Were you perhaps talking about me?" Gomamon froze. Slowly turning around, he looked up, and found that his bright green eyes had locked with the icy blue eyes of Cyrus.

"U-Um…no, not at all!" Gomamon fibbed. "I-I was told not to talk to strangers, so how could I possibly be talking about you? Good day!" Gomamon darted around Cyrus, and began to dash away, trying to draw attention away from Primary Village. Cyrus sighed, and pulled out a Pokeball.

"They only delay the inevitable…" he commented. "Weavile, Brick Break!" The Pokeball burst open just behind Gomamon, who turned around to see what it was releasing. However, nothing was behind him. He turned back forward to find that his path was now blocked by the Sharp Claw Pokemon.

"EEP!" The seal Digimon barely dodged Weavile's glowing claws, which were brought down on the ground that Gomamon was previously standing on. The impact created a crater that was several inches deep. "Forget breaking bricks; that move could break me in two!" He began to run again.

"A chase to the river, is it? All you are doing is making my work easier for me. Weavile, give chase! Show no mercy!"

"Weavile!" The Sharp Claw Pokemon broke off in a dash after Gomamon, quickly catching up to the seal Digimon. Taking a leap in the air, the Pokemon crossed its claws in an X fashion, before coming down onto Gomamon, and swiping its claws back across its target's back.

"Waah!" Gomamon was pushed several yards forward, but managed to skid on his fins, and turn around to face Weavile. "You want to get me that bad, then come and get me, you big bully!"

"Vile…Weavile!" Wevile took, and exploded with incredible speed at Gomamon. Before the Sharp Claw Pokemon could score a hit, however, Gomamon ducked to his right, dodging the attack. "Wea?"

"Got ya!" Gomamon was able to make a swipe at Weavile, knocking it into a tree. The Sharp Claw Pokemon struggled to get up from the blow, allowing Gomamon time to escape. The Digimon made a raring go for a river, broke out of the forest, and dove into the water. "Safe at last!" He turned to swim downstream towards Joe's clinic…and came face-to-eye with Gyarados. "Or not!"

"GYOOO!-!" Gyarados quickly flicked its tail, slamming Gomamon with incredible force. The seal Digimon was flung out of the water, and landed on the rocky shore without a care from the sea serpent. He took a few seconds to get back up on his claws.

"Jeez, first I was becoming mincemeat, and now I'm sushi!" Cyrus stepped out of the forest, accompanied by a rather annoyed Weavile. With the two in front of him and Gyarados behind him, Gomamon was now trapped, unable to move without either Pokemon going after him. "A dragon and a small little weasel…so that must mean you're the person that kidnapped Kari and Gatomon last night!"

"Kidnapping is such a harsh word," Cyrus stated. He showed his hands. "I personally never laid a hand on her, so I didn't kidnap her. My Pokemon, however, are of another matter."

"Wea…Weavile!"

"Gyro!"

"Where did you take them!" the seal Digimon demanded. Cyrus chuckled. "W-What's so funny?"

"I would tell you where they are," the Team Galactic leader stated. "But why waste my breath, when I can show you instead?" He snapped his fingers together.

Many hours had passed since the Digidestined who went to the Digital World to rescue Kari and Gatomon had returned, and Izzy was now at his house, furiously typing in line after line of code into his laptop. By his side was a rather large red ladybug Digimon, with two clawed arms and four legs. The Digimon had large, green eyes and two yellow antennae reaching out from his head. The wings of the Digimon were covered with grey spines.

Izzy let up off of the keypad, and wiped a drip of sweat from his brow. "Phew…"

"So is that it, Izzy?" the Digimon asked, its mouth never moving. "You've been at this ever since you came back from the computer room." The Digimon had a male voice.

"I think so, Tentomon," the red-haired teen stated. "All the tracking cookies are set, and everything seem to be in place, but you can never be too sure; we've never attempted an automatic scanning and tracking alert program over the entire Digital World before."

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Tentomon said. "We have to do this, for Kari and Gatomon." Izzy nodded. He typed in a few more lines of code, and pressed the enter key. A map of the File Island popped up, with minor details put in on the map.

"It should be up and running now," Izzy stated. "Let me just run a test using the sample we saved." He went and retrieved the sample's data. A few seconds later, a fast beeping noise emanated from the computer. On the map of File Island, a red dot appeared beside a river near Primary Village.

"Amazing!" Tentomon exclaimed. "The test worked! Izzy, you never cease to amaze me!" Izzy was not congratulating himself. Instead, a look of terror was on his face, and his gaze was fixated on the dot on the screen. "Um...it did work, didn't it?"

"Tentomon…I haven't uploaded the sample of the creature for the test…" Tentomon stopped.

"Wait, you didn't?...Then that means it's the real thing!"

"The creature's near Primary Village!" Izzy stated. "Elecmon and the baby Digimon are in danger!" Just then, the dot disappeared. "Prodigious! It disappeared!"

"Looks like the big bad monster was only making a cameo appearance," Tentomon stated. "Perhaps it was simply here for a little snack?" Izzy furrowed his brow.

"I think that was exactly what it was here for, Tentomon," Izzy presumed. "I think another one of us just disappeared."

"Gomamon? Gomamon?" Joe hurried up the river that ran near his clinic. "Gomamon, if you're there, answer me!" Of course, there was no answer. "Come on, Gomamon, I told you to wait at the clinic because it's dangerous out here. You don't want to be caught by the - !"

"GIYOOOO!" Joe was knocked off his feet, as a terrifying roar echoed throughout the air. It felt as if the entire island had shaken to its very core. Several winged Digimon took off into the sky, surprised at the sudden outburst.

"What…what was that?" Joe wondered, getting on his feet. Then, he remembered his partner. "Gomamon!" The Digidestined took off in a sprint towards the noise, not caring about the prospects of his own safety. Minutes passed by like hours, as Joe ran down the river as fast as he could.

'That wasn't Gomamon, but I can bet that Gomamon was there,' he thought. 'I need to make sure he's alright! I need to help him! I am his Digidestined partner, and I will not let him down!' He rounded a bend, and came across what looked to be a purpley, inky substance on some of the rocks. The Digidestined slowed down, and stopped to see what the substance was.

"What is this?" he wondered. "I've never seen this before, on Earth or in the Digital World." Joe took out a tongue depressor from his pocket, and used it to poke the substance. Almost instantly, the substance broke into two separate puddles, and a black smoke came out of where the break had been made. Joe instantly dropped the tongue depressor and covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve, but that did not stop him from breathing some of the smoke in. "Cough! It smells like car exhaust and garbage!"

!BEEP! !BEEP!

"My Digivice!" Joe reached for his Digivice, and brought it out. Pressing a few buttons, the screen displayed Izzy and Tentomon. "Izzy, Tentomon, what's the matter?"

"What's the matter?" Tentomon repeated, a little anxiety apparent in his voice. "That thing that kidnapped Kari and Gatomon reappeared, that's the matter!"

"One of us might have been kidnapped again," explained Izzy. "But I want to check everyone off the list. Thank goodness you're talking to us, though; you were the only human on File Island. Can you round up Gomamon and the other Digimon from our adventure so we can do a head count?"

Joe had heard nothing that Izzy had said. As soon as he heard that the creature that had kidnapped Kari and Gatomon had returned, his eyes had widened in realization. Gomamon's disappearance, the loud roar he had heard, the inky substance that belched out horribly-smelling gas…it all came together. Thr Digivice fell out of his hand, clattering to the ground. A tear rolled down one cheek, followed by another on the opposite cheek, then more on both. Joe, the reliable, honest, and practical Digidestined, fell to his knees and cried, not hearing the worried concerns of Izzy and Tentomon from his Digivice.

"You don't need to count heads, Izzy," Joe managed to say through his tears. "It's Gomamon…Gomanon's the one who's been taken this time!"

Ash, Kari, and Ritchie had reached a small lake on their journey to the Ruins of Alph. The lake had been formed by a natural dam of rock and debris from a flood long ago, in an area that had been dug out for a small ancient stone shrine. A small stream ran through the shrine, and was blocked by the dam. Over the years, the water had risen until it could flow again, creating a small lake. All that was visible of the shrine above water was a flat, circular stone that was placed on top of the shrine, and part of the shrine that held it up.

"…at least, that's what the PokeGear says," Ritchie finished, and put the device away in his pocket.

"So humans here carved out a shrine out of the ground?" Gatomon pondered. "Wouldn't it be easier to simply build a shrine on top of the ground?"

"It would," Kari acknowledged. "But we humans can be strange creatures." Ash and Pikachu looked over the lake.

"I remember this place," the raven haired trainer recalled. "Right as we entered the Johto region, we got lost in a forest, and stumbled on this lake. On the top of that rock there," he pointed to the shrine that was sticking out of the water, "was Suicune."

"No way!" Ritchie exclaimed. "You met Suicune?"

"We met it a few times, actually," Ash admitted. Ritchie placed a hand on his head, causing Sparky to hop to his trainer's shoulder.

"With how much you run into legendary Pokemon, Ash, I don't think either myself or Sparky are the least bit surprised."

"Chu Pika!" Sparky agreed.

"Is Suicune a rare Pokemon?" Kari asked, turning to the Pokemon Trainer.

"You bet it is," Ritchie replied. "So rare, in fact, hardly anyone has claimed to have seen it before. It's to the level of being in legends and fables as a mythical being."

"Mythical, huh?" Gatomon said, eying the rock in the lake. "Well, it couldn't have been too big. There would be no way it could take on one of the Sovereigns in battle." Kari rolled her eyes.

"Don't judge a book by its cover, Gatomon," the brunette reminded her. "If all our enemies did that to us, they'd be bowled over by your strength."

"True," Gatomon admitted. Just then, a loud plop was heard at the source of the lake.

"What was that?" asked Ritchie. Pikachu and Sparky were the first to look in the direction of the source. Floating on the surface, hugging the shoreline, was a mass of white and purple fur, barely moving at all.

"Pika! Pika Pi!" Everyone looked in the direction of the source, and saw the creature in the water.

"What Pokemon's that?" Kari wondered. Ash frowned.

"I'm not sure, but it looks like it's in serious trouble!" He and Ritchie ran over to the shoreline to try and pull it out. Kari, Gatomon, Pikachu, and Sparky followed after them.

"Something feels oddly familiar about that creature," Gatomon murmured, but it was too soft for Kari to hear. Ash was the one who leaned in to grab the creature.

"Hang on, I've got you-woah, wah!" Unfortunately, he lost his balance, and fell in the lake headfirst.

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu exclaimed.

"Woah, are you okay Ash?" Ritchie asked when Ash finally surfaced.

"I'm fine," the Pokemon Trainer stated, a little wet for wear. "But this Pokemon isn't. And it's nothing like I've ever seen!" He sloshed out of the lake, holding the creature. Kari and Gatomon gasped at the full sight of the creature.

"That isn't a Pokemon, Ash!" Kari exclaimed. "It's a Digimon!"

"I knew you looked familiar, Gomamon!" Gatomon said, identifying the Digimon.

"A Digimon?!" Ash and Ritchie said, confused and surprised at the same time. Gomamon was not in the best of conditions. His fur was coated in scratches and bruises, apparently from a rather large struggle that had occurred. He was barely conscious, and just managed to open his eyes.

"Kari…Gatomon…you're…alive…?"

"Yes!" Kari stated. "But what are you doing here, and why are you so badly injured?"

"I…I ran into the…person…that got…got you…two…..I tried…to escape….but he…he called upon….strange Digimon….especially….that thing…..it dragged me….into a dark….abyss…."

"Giratina," Ritchie said darkly. "That Digimon wasn't a Digimon; it was a living thing." Gomamon looked at Ritchie.

"I don't…care if it….was calamari….it was a living nightmare….to…UGH!" The Seal Digimon winced in pain.

"Easy, Gomamon!" Gatomon urged. "We get what happened. Just stay easy for now."

"We need to heal Gomamon, and fast!" Kari stated. Ash and Ritchie looked at each other.

"Do you think Professor Elm has the resources?" Ash asked.

"I don't know, but we can't risk the Pokemon Center," Ritchie said. "Too many eyes would make Gatomon and Gomamon instant research subjects, or worse, Pokemon for a daring trainer to try and catch."

"Another Professor friend?" Kari wondered. The two trainers nodded.

"Professor Elm is the leading scientist of Pokemon Breeding and Evolution in the Johto Region, and is an understudy of Professor Oak," explained Ritchie. "He'll have the equipment that can help Gomamon's wounds out better than what we can provide."

"If we hurry, we can get to his lab from here in about fifteen minutes or so," continued Ash.

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Gatomon wondered. "Let's go before Gomamon dies and we find out whether he can go back to Primary Village from here to be reborn or not!" Everyone nodded. Kari took Gomamon from Ash, and carefully held him in her hands. The group then took off towards the setting sun, towards Professor Elm's Lab.

Watching them from the opposite bank had been a purple-haired male teen. He was wearing a dark blue unzipped jacket that had black sleeves over a grey t-shirt, grey cargo pants, and blue running shoes. His black eyes shot out in the direction of where Ash, Ritchie, and Kari had run off to.

"So Ash has already roped himself into another adventure," the teen murmured. "How pathetic…"

So despite being worse for wear, Gomamon is the newest traveling member for Ash, Kari, and company. However, it is at the expense of another perceived casualty at the hands of Cyrus. What will the reaction in the Digital World be? What are Cyrus's bold plans for the Digital World? And who is the mysterious person watching Ash the others? That's for the future to say, so until the next chapter, review, subscribe, and stay tuned. Ja ne, everyone!

Ketchum Kid