Motimon the Impenetrable breathed slowly in and out, and shifted the vast telescope around via a large pulley system, hopping to one side as he did so. He was in a good mood.

To be fair, he’d been in a good mood for the last few days, even when his situation hadn’t really called for it. His vast battle fleet had taken a knock and the two halves of his battleship were currently being taped and glued back together. Granted, his plan to keep the humans hadn’t worked out quite as well as it should have done, nor had he been able to retrieve them that easily. Or at all. The tugs he’d sent out had not returned in one piece. Or at all.

Still, he wasn’t discouraged. He still had his (admittedly dwindled) forces of justice, and they had doubled down on their efforts after his failure. Many of them had received the blessing. Many had succeeded.

Besides, when one is a god, one is constantly tested to that end. Hence, Motimon remained smiling. He wouldn’t fail forever. Success was inevitable, even if the time and place was negotiable.

Something caught his eye through the lens, and he hopped forwards. Yep, that was definitely one of his tugs...though something as a bit odd. It was missing bits. Plus it was far further out than it should have been.

He squinted, pressing his eye right up to the eyepiece. He stayed there for a moment, before his mouth opened wide in a big grin.

“And so we meet again, my dear conquests...”

He chuckled to himself, zooming in further on Ursula and Hinkymon in their beaten-up vessel. There was no sign of the others, but oh well. One was better than none.

Something flew past his peripheral vision, downwards. He frowned, and pulled the telescope round again, before giving up and climbing up to the top. He squinted, the blue light of the core obscuring his vision slightly. There were three creatures splashing around in the distance, at least one of them seeming somewhat familiar.

“Is that another one? I didn’t think humans were supposed to fall from the sky...”

He looked up slightly, and saw the large void swirling above him. For a moment he contemplated the implications of this, but soon gave up and reached for his telescope again, swivelling it around. He soon found them, and chuckled to himself. It was indeed the human, along with a slender four-legged Digimon who he hadn’t seen before. He moved the lens around, but the other one had disappeared, leaving only a trail of bubbles in its wake which for some reason seemed to be arcing around towards the Omega Marina.

No matter. He only had one goal, after all.

He pulled himself away, and whistled through his stubby claws.

“Kapurimon! Organise a snare! We have a human visitor!”

Kapurimon was up there in an instant.

Or rather, she came flying downwards at a forty-five degree angle, and struck the bottom of the telescope with an immense bang.

Motimon stuck his lip out, and peered into the sky. “That was quick. And looked painful. What were you doing up there?”

There was a squeal as another In-Training level flew over their head, flailing manically as they made a perfect parabola into the sea behind him. Motimon blinked, and looked down at Kapurimon, who was sporting a shiner of a black eye. She smiled, and pointed.

“There’s someone down there. She wants to see you.” Kapurimon laughed. “Between you and me, she seems a little bit tense...”

BANG

“Aiiieeeee...”

Motimon watched another Digimon spin through the air, this one skipping a few times on the water before disappearing with a plop. Motimon scratched his chin.

“I might need my big trident...”

Motimon wasn’t one to hurry, but when he noticed more and more of his loving followers being tossed around like shot-putts he did step up the pace just a smidge. Although he still found time to decorate himself and find his big trident; a full five feet taller than he was and covered with jangling rings and tassels.

He sauntered up to the newcomer and thrust the end of the trident on the ground. Sorimon’s forehead looked up first, then the rest of her head followed. She giggled, and tossed away the Pagumon she was shaking like a bored child.

“You took your time.”

“I came to see you. I must reluctantly admit I don’t get any people come to visit me by choice. Not initially.” He smiled amicably. “May I be of assistance?”

Sorimon twitched, and turned towards him.

“Don’t you remember me? Did I mean that little to you?”

Motimon stuck his bottom lip out. Then he gasped, and dropped his big trident with a massive clang.

“It’s you! Scutimon! You’re back!”

He rushed forwards, to the confusion of his followers standing around him. Out of nowhere he threw his arms around the shrew, causing her to twitch even more.

“I can’t believe it! You found the blessing! That’s excellent! You really did it! Welcome back! Ha-hah!”

He pushed himself back, holding his paws on Scutimon’s shoulders. The Impenetrable smiled, utterly sincerely, looking all over her new body with an innate curiosity.

“You must tell me where you got all this power.”

Sorimon shrugged. “Well, things happened. I just figured I needed to come back and thank you properly for everything you did.”

Motimon patted her shoulder. “Fantastic!”

Sorimon smiled sweetly, and punched the Impenetrable right in the centre of the face.

Motimon went flying back and crashed into the base of his observatory with sufficient force to buckle the whole structure. The gesture was accompanied by a series of whistles and audible gasps from all around, but Sorimon paid them no heed, as she began bounding up herself.

A wincing Kapurimon finally made her way down and plonked herself next to Tanemon, who was looking up with awe. The little spike ball frowned to herself.

“He probably deserves this, doesn’t he...”

“Probably.”

“Do you think he wants us to...I dunno...help?”

Tanemon looked down at his companion, and shrugged, his face completely blank. “I don’t know what he wants us to do. This is probably some kind of miraculous blessing or...something.”

On cue, Motimon’s words sounded out from the deck.

“This is a miraculous blessing!”

Tanemon pointed up with his leaves, looking nonchalant. Kapurimon puffed her cheeks out, before sighing.

“I’ll go get the tugboat...”

Sorimon bounded up as she felt the energy begin to crackle through the air. In a flash she reached the observatory, standing in front of the impact zone, but Motimon was already rushing to one side. She leapt forwards, her right arm growing tenfold with muscle and fibre as she prepared to smash the jelly into the ground.

“Tally-ho!”

Sorimon’s fist hit the wall, caving it in instantly, but Motimon had gone. She turned, and saw him in mid-air above her, having just leapt clear.

“Emperor’s Thunder!”

The bolts shot down, piercing holes in the deck. Sorimon caught one head on, sending her back several metres, but her body just trembled as it absorbed the energy. The core shuddered on her back, letting off a whistling whine.

Motimon landed in front of her, not even fazed by the attack. He clapped his hands together. “Bully! A challenge! A tussle! A skirmish! Just how I always enjoyed my people; ready to drop anything and everything and go to war.”

He rolled sideways as Sorimon rushed at him, her nails cutting through the air and creating shockwaves.

“Or...I wonder...did you actually come here to kill me...?

Sorimon screeched, her mouth opening wide and revealing dozens of uneven teeth.

“I HAAATE YOU!”

“Well that’s disappointing.”

“Spatial Nail!”

Motimon jumped back, but Sorimon’s claw struck the very space between them, and he was shifted back roughly into the trembling appendage. This time it struck, and he was sent spinning upwards, the impact rumbling through his whole body. He landed on the lower deck, a little dizzy but still boundlessly happy. He saw Sorimon standing on the ledge above, and called up to her.

“Nice shot!”

“Bite me!” Sorimon’s voice gurgled, and her entire body contorted briefly from the energy. “I’m stronger now than you ever were!”

She leapt, her hand swelling in mid-air, causing visible distortions. Motimon grinned in retaliation. “Believe what you will. I still have something you don’t.”

“Spatial Nail!”

The shrew descended, but Motimon reached back, a glint in his eye.

“A BIG trident!”

He swung, the blade smacking the shrew like a cricket bat and sending her spinning away, trailing muscle fibres behind her. She disappeared over the edge of the ship, but in mere seconds she was back again, fur bristling. Motimon smirked, and beckoned with a tiny hand.

“This is my ship. My world. I welcome the challenge, but are you really ready?”

“Your world?”

Sorimon laughed, and spat, the core vibrating on her back. “I AM the new world! And disgusting things like you will be the first to be extinguished!”

“As ambitious as ever. Prove it to me! End me, right here!”

“Spatial Nail!”

“Cosmic Buster!”

“Crimson Cyclone!”

The two attacks collided in an explosion that rocked the deck, cracking the repairs and sending sand in all directions. Sorimon whirled round, snarling at the new arrivals, while Motimon looked over in curiosity. His eyes widened even more, and he whistled.

“Majestic...”

Lorelie glared down at him from her position on Shamon’s back, her eyes glowing red on her screen.

“We’re not here for you.”

Sorimon scoffed, her muscles bulging. “Are you that desperate to die?”

Shamon pawed the ground. “Nobody else is dying today!”

The two parties stared each other down, readying themselves, not wanting to make the first move. Motimon laughed to himself, and twirled his big trident effortlessly in the air, lightning crackling around the edge.

“This is a most marvellous blessing for all.” He held the rod straight, lightning gathering at the end.

“So let us all engage! Emperor’s Thunder!”

Ursula watched, as the great battleship rocked, visibly even from this distance.

She watched the clouds of smoke, flurries of sand and blasts of energy that shot outwards.

And she watched the disturbances up above, as the world itself seemed to be reacting to the battle. The ocean rippled, the sky spun in vortices, and the blue light of the core dimmed to a dark purple.

Hinkymon rushed forwards, standing next to Ursula and whistling. “Pretty...”

Ursula swallowed, and turned around. Her mouth was dry, and her fingers went to the pocket of her jeans, clasping something that wasn’t there.

Hinkymon sat down on the floor. He puzzled for a moment, then looked up quizzically.

“Are we still leaving?”

Ursula sniffed. “I...I can’t go through that again...”

The goblin shrugged. “Where are we going then?”

Ursula sat down, the boat rocking as she pulled what remained of her hoodie over her head.

“I don’t know.”

“Where?”

“You choose.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Gah! You...gormless...little...”

The girl bunched herself up even tighter, screaming into the folds of her jacket. She waited for a couple of seconds, before relaxing. Slowly she unfurled, looking into the little imp’s eyes. He was still smiling.

“Yeah, I know. But I really don’t mind. I just wanna come with you. I like you.”

Ursula blinked, her eyes moistening. “Why? What have I ever done to deserve somebody like you?”

Hinkymon put a finger on his lips.

“Laughed. Cried. Smiled. Lived. I dunno? ‘Was enough for me, whatever it was.” He wriggled a bit closer, and put his stubby little hand on her knee. “And I think it was enough for the others as well. You’re a good big sis. Everyone thinks so. The thick mister and the squeaky boy. The shouty lady. Little miss. And me.”

Ursula blinked, her vision swimming. Hinkymon grinned.

“So I don’t mind where we go. Doesn’t matter what happens. I’ll be there. I promise.”

Ursula laughed, and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. For a moment she sat there, exhaling. Then she stood up (a little too vigorously for the tug to hold her steadily) and reached for the remaining paddle.

“Help me turn this, Hinkymon. We’re going in.”

“NO! NO, FOR FUCK’S SAKE, NO!”

Martin yelled in exasperation and slammed his fist against the wall, but it refused to open up or even give way. He stood there, fist digging against the wall as he breathed heavily. There was a flash from behind him, and Polypmon rushed forwards, pulling his arm back.

“Martin! No!”

“I’m fine.”

Polypmon tentatively raised a tentacle, but the boy looked up at them and they drew back. The boy looked concerned.

“Are you okay?”

The jellyfish laughed nervously. “I don’t have a skeleton. I can take a couple of punches.” They winced, and wrapped their front tentacles around their midriff. “She’s been working out.”

The boy stood stock still, seething gently. He closed his fist, his arm shaking. “I can’t believe she would do that. How...how twisted do you have to be...”

He glanced to one side, and saw Empemon and Terramon shuffling forwards, looking very worse for wear. Empermon rested his saxophone on his shoulder, a defeated expression on his face.

“What do we do now?”

Martin tensed up, and immediately began running back down the corridor. “We need to get back to the Funnyman’s chamber. I need to see this.”

Polypmon flustered, and before zipping after him. The other two followed, struggling to keep up. “Wait up!”

It wasn’t far, and it wasn’t hard to retrace Sorimon’s tracks with the great scrapes all over the ground. They reached it in a short time, and saw the true extent of the carnage which had taken place. Great swathes of metal and rubbish all around, and in the middle of it all, the fallen Ingeniumon. Martin held his breath, not looking any longer than he needed to. He swallowed, and put his hands to his mouth.

“Eleanor? Callum? Where are you?”

There was no answer. Not even a whisper. Terramon’s head fell, and Empermon put his arm around her shoulder.

Polypmon was hovering around, trying to figure out what anything was. They sighed, rubbing the top of their dome. “Sorimon’s long gone. We’re pretty much stuck here. What are we supposed to do now? This is hopeless.”

Martin clenched his fist. “No...”

Polypmon held their tentacles together. “What do you mean-“

“I said no and I mean no! Lorelie’s out there fighting...wherever they’ve ended up! I need to get everyone else there. It’s my job this time.”

“How are you gonna do that?”

“I don’t know! I don’t know where to even start!”

BZZZT

The communicator burst into life in his pocket, and Martin yanked it out, holding it up to his face.

“Martin, it’s Keble. Where are you? Something strange is happening; are you all alright?”

“AAAAAAAAAAH.”

Pause.

“...is that a yes...?”

Keble sounded almost hopeful, to the point where Martin almost didn’t want to break the news. Almost. Not really. He’d had a long day, and a lot to unpack, so he just screamed into the receiver again before unloading everything in the space of a minute.

“Everything’s terrible. We got pissed off and Ursula left and everybody else left but Sorimon obviously went back to Ingeniumon and she killed him and stole the dimension sphere and the Funnyman and now she’s fused with the Funnyman and I can’t find Eleanor or Callum anywhere and Lorelie and Aardmon are off fighting Sorimon and we’re just stuck here. Also Aardmon is probably Lorelie’s partner which would have been nice to know from the beginning.”

He breathed in, and held the bridge of his nose, forcing himself to calm. The ominous silence at the other end of the communicator didn’t really help, and neither did the distant ‘Oh for FUCK’S SAKE’ from Dominic. There was a scuffle on the other end, and Perez’s voice sounded out.

“That’s enough. We’re bringing you out.”

Martin shook his head. “No. I’m staying. We all are.”

“This is beyond you now; we can find you, we’ve been working on something to move you back-“

“Perez, we can’t leave! Not now!”

“Listen to me! You weren’t even supposed to be there in the first place!”

“I know that!” snapped Martin, his voice wavering more than he wanted to. The three Rookies gathered around him, looking up nervously as he swallowed.

“I know we weren’t supposed to be here. We’ve only made things worse. Whether that was our fault or yours or someone else’s doesn’t matter. But the fact is, things are worse now. Even if the world didn’t need us before, it does now. We’re the only ones who know Sorimon; we know how she works, and we might just be able to stop her.”

The line crackle. “And what if you can’t? What if...what if you don’t make it?”

Martin held his fist tightly, glancing back at the three Digimon behind him. “We will. We’re going to fix this. All of us. Together.” He glanced down at the receiver. “But we really do need your help this time.”

There was no response for a moment, just the sound of faint static. A couple of words being said. Then, the sound of furniture moving, as Keble’s voice came back on the unit.

“Okay Martin. I’ve got you on speaker. What do you need?”

“Anything you have. Anything you can send us.”

Back in the human world, Keble glanced back as Perez and Dominic furiously typed away, Skelton rushing things back and forth between them. Dominic peered up, looking grim.

“We have two very knackered PCs and not much else.”

Martin gritted his teeth. “Isn’t there anything you can send us like those fl-“

He started, and patted his pockets. “The flash drive! The program; that’s what you made it for in the first place, isn’t it?”

Perez looked behind her. “That was the idea...”

Martin held his forehead. “Crap, we lost them all-“

“No you haven’t. We were tracking them, remember? We’re still getting a signal, though it’s been on the blink for a little while.”

“Someone else must have it. Will that work?” Martin held the device up closer. “Can we stop Sorimon with that?”

“I don’t know about that.” Dominic leaned forwards, sticking his pencil through his man-bun. “She seems to be mixing and matching signals of the dimension sphere and the Funnyman. I don’t think the drive will stop her...but if you can get it into the sphere it might just fix the core’s half of the problem.”

Skelton knelt down next to him, trying to follow the crude graphics on his screen. “What exactly will it do once we get it there?”

“Ideally, restores the system to a previous state. Pre-Funnyman.” Dominic chewed on his fingernail. “Though the Funnyman’s inside now; it’s its own entity. Plus it’s merged with a Digimon. That’s a whole other issue.”

“But if the digital world goes back to normal...then does that mean that everything will return to normal?”

Dominic looked down. Then at Skelton. Then across the room at Perez. “It’ll definitely work, won’t it?”

“You built most of it.”

“I don’t have any faith in my own work; you know that.”

“But I always have faith in an engineer with a deadline tomorrow.”

Perez nodded at Keble, who spoke back into the device.

“Alright, that’s your best shot. We don’t know what exactly’s gonna happen once you use it, but the same plan goes. Get that program and ram it into the dimension sphere. Perez is trying to find a way to get the rest of you out of there.”

“Nice. Call me when you find a way.”

“Where are you going?”

“To find the others.”

The boy pocketed the communicator, and smiled at the three Rookies around him.

“And we’re back in the game. Now let’s go.”

Lights danced off Perez’s glasses as she ran commands left, right and centre. “I am definitely taking three month’s leave after this.”

Dominic poked his head over the top of the monitor. “Hey Perez, question...”

“Uh-huh?”

“How are we going to try and get the kids to Sorimon when she’s stolen the bit of digital world function which allows her to teleport places?”

“Fucked if I know!”

She glanced up, and sighed. “Oh goodie. The sea is falling now.”

“What?”

Keble and Skelton rushed forwards, and she nudged her right monitor. It was only a small movement, but the image on the screen was definitely changing. In lots of areas, come to think of it. The land-masses were moving again, all converging on a central point in the middle of the ocean itself.

Skelton bit her lip. “That doesn’t look normal.”

Perez shrugged, still typing. “I guess it makes sense. If Sorimon has the dimension sphere with her and she’s taken it out of the main chamber, that’s gonna make things go all wobbly.”

“How wobbly?”

“Worst case scenario?” Perez swivelled her chair round, her hair falling in front of her eyes. “She could decide to turn everything into mush. Or move things around herself. She’s practically god now.”

Keble raised an eyebrow. “It’s always the nice ones...” He leaned forwards. “So does that mean the whole ocean’s gonna just fall into the dark patch down there?”

“In about...ten minutes. Yeah.”

“That was where they came from.” Skelton folded her arms. “That’s the Dark Area, isn’t it? They’re just going backwards.”

Perez paused, and stared at the map, and the ever-creeping abyss below. “Dark Area...”

Skelton blinked. “What did I say?”

Perez scooted her chair backwards. “Dominic, can you get up as much information on the rest of the core as you can? The stuff that’s still locked up in there?”

“Uh...I can try...”

The woman pushed her glasses up, and rolled up the sleeves on her jumper.

“I might just have an idea...”

Shamon leapt backwards, sailing over the blast of energy as it shot skywards. She landed perfectly, her legs splayed and tail whipping back and forth as Lorelie still clung tightly to her back. The girl leant forwards.

“I’m not making this awkward for you, am I?”

“The opposite.”

Shamon rushed to one side, narrowly dodging Sorimon’s spinning charge and striking her with a kick of her own. The beast glanced backwards. “I need some hope that I’m going to win this.”

“Traitors!”

Sorimon leapt forwards, both of her arms swelling up and crashing down into the centre of the deck. The impact knocked Shamon backwards, but she dug in, bowing her head as a helix of sand billowed out around her.

“Crimson Cyclone!”

The red storm rushed forwards, engulfing their tiny opponent. Shamon ran to one side, her attack still billowing out around her as she waited for the inevitable counter.

“Cosmic Buster!”

The counter came from a completely different angle, glancing Shamon on the side of her head. Her ears pricked up, and she reared up, kicking out as Motimon spun his trident towards her, grinning inanely. He winked up at Lorelie.

“You seem stressed. Have you considered teaming up with somebody more competent?”

Lorelie’s screen turned to an expression of exasperation. “You are a massive weirdo.”

Shamon jumped over the tiny assailant as he swiped at her legs, and hit back with a heavy kick. It barely scratched him, and he spun himself around, delivering a two-footed(?) kick back at her followed by two heavy jabs. She stamped down, but he did the same, his paw trembling with energy.

“Emperor’s Thunder!”

Shamon leapt as the ground beneath her exploded into light, her own hooves glowing bright red.

“Devil’s Dune!”

A mass of scimitars swung at the tiny creature, but he parried them all expertly, laughing as he did so.

“This is nothing! You wish to defeat the forces of darkness like I do? Find the most wondrous new world in this chaotic era?”

His eyes widened, and he jumped skywards as Shamon slammed her foot down, swinging with a brick-red blade that disintegrated in an instant.

“You are not helping!”

Motimon merely smirked, putting a paw to his mouth as he spun his trident freely in the other hand. Something flashed in his eyes, and he glanced sideways, swinging his weapon out to the right.

“Spatial Nail!”

The impact from Sorimon still caught the Impenetrable with a brutal blow, causing him to spin in mid-air. Sorimon landed heavily, her legs building up with muscle, and she thrust herself upwards again, catching the jelly in the midriff. He was sent flying, knocking against the cabin wall behind him and digging his trident into it.

“Devil’s Dune!”

Sorimon didn’t even have a chance to land before she was bombarded by blade after blade, several of them rolling over her limbs even as she batted even more of them away. She roared, her body splitting open and blasting the sand as she turned on Shamon. She was breathing heavily, but her strength and determination hadn’t waned in the slightest. Lorelie clung tightly to Shamon’s back as she ran, feinting and lashing out with her tail. But the shrew saw through her, barrelling into her hind leg and biting it viciously.

“Aargh!”

Shamon kicked out, catching the shrew in the throat and sending her skidding back. Sorimon growled, her multiple eyes blinking in and out.

“I thought you were my friends!”

“We were! This is all your fault!”

“Spatial Nail!”

“Crimson Cyclone!”

The two attacks clashed, sending shockwaves out, but the two still kept tussling even as the sand and lightning tore away at them. Shamon lashed out, blocking desperately against Sorimon’s vicious strikes. The shrew reared back, her head vibrating as it split open and sent dozens of tendrils out at her, each of them sharp as a dagger.

“Tartarean Razor!”

Shamon leapt high, slamming a hind leg down into Sorimon’s skull in a desperate move as she tried to relocate herself.

“Shamon, watch out!”

Too late the beast noticed the light building in the corner of her eye, as Motimon built energy within his trident, holding it back, ready to throw. With no time to land and barely time to react, Shamon spun sideways, placing her body between the javelin and her tamer as it flew towards her.

“Emperor’s Thunder!”

“AAAAARGH!”

Shamon flew backwards from the impact, but even though she took the brunt of the blast, Lorelie felt the tremors of energy coursing through her, causing her screen to flash black and white and her flesh to quiver. By some miracle she managed to hold onto her partner as the two fell, Shamon hitting the deck roughly as her front legs buckled. She forced herself up, and looked at the quivering body on her back.

“Lorelie...please, Lorelie, speak to me...”

“Tartarean Razor!”

Shamon rocked sideways, taking the blades as they struck her flank and shoulder. With fury in her eyes she kicked outwards, a rising embankment of sand still building around her as Sorimon snarled and ran to find an opening. She made it, and landed a brutal slash on Shamon’s thigh.

Shamon backed away, but things got worse as Motimon landed to her side, striking her belly and then her throat. The sacred beast roared and brought up a wall of sand, her blades diminished to mere daggers now. But it was futile. As determined as she was, the two tiny creatures were relentless. Far more powerful than she could ever hope to be. She knew going into this battle that she would be the first to fall, and yet still she kept fighting as Lorelie just about managed to push herself up behind her.

Sorimon’s face rippled, and she glanced sideways, building energy in her arm.

“This is nothing but a farce.”

Shamon closed her eyes. “Lorelie, I’m sorry-“

“Spatial Nail!”

The shrew turned, and slammed her fist directly into Motimon’s face. Or at least, directly into his upturned paw.

The shockwave billowed outwards, throwing Shamon back and causing her to slide along the ground. With a sigh, Lorelie finally let go, rolling away and landing in a heap on the deck.

Motimon’s flesh rippled, but he stood stock still. He smiled, gripping down on Sorimon’s shaking paw.

“All your power and you still lack the means to win. I am the emperor. I choose how this battle goes.” He leaned forwards even as Sorimon cried out in pain, her fist crumbling in his grip.

“I...am...IMPENETRABLE.”

“You’re nothing but a pretend king!”

Sorimon’s face rippled, and she brought her other fist up, striking Motimon in the jaw. He reeled back, and she struck again, slashing with her claws. She laughed, her eyes bulging out with every word.

“Nothing is impenetrable. Nobody. Not when you have power. Not when you have the will of Yggdrasil on your side!”

Motimon rolled his arm round and flat-palmed her in the chest, but she dug in, bringing her head forwards. He rolled with the blow and brought his own knuckle against the back of her head, while leaning in close.

“And is it?”

Sorimon closed her eyes, her lips peeling back in a massive grin.

“I have something better!”

The Funnyman’s eye bulged out of her back, and her wire-like tail swung out, digging into Motimon’s side like a guillotine. He hissed, rolling away and cauterising the wound with his own power, before adjusting his crown and charging back in with his own gleeful expression.

Lorelie could barely breathe. Her vision was blurred and fuzzy, and she felt like she was going to throw up at any minute. Still, she felt her palms pressing against the splintered deck as she pressed herself forwards towards her own fallen partner. Shamon’s body was breathing...she thought. It might have been residual spasms.

“Hey...wake up...”

Lorelie pushed herself to her knees and held Shamon’s flank, pressing gently. Shamon failed to respond, her eyes closed.

“We still...we still have to save the world...we’re the only ones left...”

The girl’s own arms buckled, and her head fell gently on her partner’s flank, a couple of tears running down her screen.

“Isn’t that why you went to all this trouble...?”

Lorelie stared ahead, gently stroking Shamon’s prone body.

“...to find embarrassments like us?”

“I wouldn’t want to be anything else.”

Lorelie held her breath. With a new burst of energy, she turned around, staggering to her feet. Ursula stood awkwardly behind her, her expression tired. Her hair was dripping water onto the deck, but she smiled; a genuine, dimpled grin.

“I’m afraid I don’t have a better entrance. We got spotted on the way here.”

Lorelie’s legs burst into life, and she threw herself forwards, almost falling into Ursula’s embrace as the girl held her there. Lorelie’s shoulders were shaking, but Ursula’s arms were strong. Comforting. Those of a friend.

Ursula fought her tears back herself as she held Lorelie’s shoulders. “Sorry it took so long. I never should have left.”

“No. You’re an idiot. But god am I glad to see you.”

Ursula blinked. Then she tentatively held a palm out, and patted the smaller girl on the back.

“It’s so nice to hear your voice.”

“Hahah!”

The two girls jumped, and looked up in irritation, seeing Motimon holding Sorimon down against the ground as she scrabbled wildly. The Impenetrable paid no notice, so entranced was he by the sight before him.

“Human connection! A joyous occasion! Such is the way and the will that brings all of destiny together at the end!”

Lorelie buzzed at him. “We were having a moment?”

She felt a tap on her shoulder, and looked up as Ursula leaned in, looking puzzled.

“So...I might have missed a few things. Why does Sorimon have an eye on her forehead? And why is she looking so angry?”

As if by design, Sorimon curled her body round and threw Motimon off, roaring as her body split apart. Ursula jumped, and Lorelie leaned back.

“She had a temper tantrum and she’s now trying to kill Motimon.”

“...and we’re trying to stop her...why?”

“Well...she absorbed the Funnyman and is now trying to rewrite the world as well so Shamon and I are trying to get the core back and stop her.”

Ursula blinked, and looked up at Sorimon in anguish.

“I can’t leave you people alone for five minutes, can I...”

Sorimon cackled wildly. “It would have been better if you had! You will only add to the pile of corpses!”

Ursula blinked again, and looked down at Lorelie. The girl showed an exasperated emoji on her screen.

“It’s been a weird day.”

“Spatial Nail!”

“Watch out!”

“Kicherndes Feuer!”

Sorimon’s attack went wide as the flash fire hit her in the face, but the blast was still enough to knock the girls down. Hinkymon stood between them and the bloodthirsty shrew, jogging on the spot as he glanced back at Ursula.

“From where we left off, right? Big sis? Little miss?”

The girl stood up straight, holding Lorelie in one arm as her free hand went down to her D-Psyche. The metal expanded, letting out rods and sparks as it did so, and revealing the bright orange light.

“Let’s do this! Full power!”

“Hinkymon...Psyche Synergise!”

Lorelie and Ursula held tightly to one another as the tiny goblin swelled in front of them, his form first tumbling to all fours, then rearing up again. The orange dissipated in seconds, and the great troll stood there, throwing his head back and bellowing with laughter.

“Sindrimon!”

The core shifted around her, feeling the strain from the battle far below. Rocks split apart and reformed. Circuits of light etched themselves through the rough sediment. The darkness billowed and shrunk around them.

Yet still they kept climbing.

The girl strained, feeling the wall crumbling in her hands. She didn’t know where she was, or how far they’d come. Looking down, she saw her companion – her friend – keeping close behind her. Below them, just a black abyss. Above them the same. She reached down and helped him up, and the two of them paused, holding closely to the wall.

And still they kept climbing.

Every movement threatened to send them tumbling back. Every effort seemed pointless.

Climbing and climbing.

Banter and insults and snark had failed. Now they only had pure determination. And each other. The boy held her foot and pushed her up again.

Climbing into darkness.

Climbing against all hope of escape.

Climbing into...

...into light.

The girl looked up, and shielded her eyes as the rock wall split in front of her. Shards of flint and crystal fell down over her shoulders, glinting as they tumbled into the blackness below.

And a hand reached out.

Three hands. Well, one, along with a reptilian paw and an avian flipper.

She reached up, but the wall crumbled as she did so. She felt her foot slip. The light grew distant in an instant.

Then she felt support from beneath her. The boy held her D-Psyche, forming solid ground. She reached up again, straining against the shifting surface. The hand reached down further, and caught hers. Martin smiled down. Terramon reached down further, and she grabbed the girl’s other hand. The two pulled her up, and the light expanded, filling her vision. She cried as she leapt forwards, landing on solid ground.

Eleanor gasped, taking great gulps of air and clawing at the floor. She stayed there for a moment, her vision adjusting, before she started.

“Callum!”

She rushed back to the hole in the wall, where Empermon held his instrument down, straining with all his might. Eleanor leant down and reached her arm out, grabbing the boy’s hand, and together they pulled him clear of the void as well. They all tumbled back in a heap, and the void, with nothing keeping it open, filled up with debris and closed up. Callum blinked, and held his hand over his face.

“Well that was an experience.”

Eleanor pushed herself to her knees, ruffling her hair with both hands. “We are not doing that again. I don’t need any more stupid character-building exercises for the rest of our time here. Let’s just pick everyone up and go home.”

She glanced sideways, looking at Martin who was puffing his cheeks out, rolling his fingers in an awkward fashion. Eleanor sighed.

“You’re gonna tell us something’s gone really horribly wrong, aren’t you...”

“I...uh...don’t have to, but...”

Eleanor and Callum threw exasperated glances at one another. They exhaled simultaneously, and got to their feet.

“Can’t Ingeniumon fix it?”

“That might be a problem.”

“Alright then. Fine. That’s absolutely fine, no, really. Adults are useless in every dimension. I get that. At least we’re being consistent.” Eleanor folded her arms as Terramon smirked under her breath. The girl just looked seriously at Martin.

“Where’s everyone else? What do we need to fix?”

The battleship groaned as yet another cracked snaked its way over the deck, causing towers and rudders to topple into the ocean below. The tugs swarmed below, like so many bees trying to catch a glimpse of their queen’s struggle.

Just because Motimon was overwhelmed did not mean that he was in any way backing down. He laughed heartily as he swung from side to side, launching great uppercuts at Sindrimon and tackling Sorimon. He didn’t even care who his opponent was right now, so blessed did he feel.

It was beginning to annoy Sorimon, as evidenced by her increasingly volatile face and movements. She leapt up, her tail splitting and extending.

“Tartarean Razor!”

Her body span as the wires extended, cutting through the decking and very nearly slicing Sindrimon’s arm off, had he not raised his hammer at the last second. The heavy iron sparked against the wire, and he brought his arm down, sending Sorimon off course. She landed awkwardly, and her eyes darted around, staring up at her opponents.

“This...this isn’t fair...why are we still fighting...?”

Sindrimon was already rushing forwards, with Lorelie and Ursula clinging to his back.

Sorimon leapt to one side, and ricocheted back, slamming her head into Sindrimon’s side. The troll veered widely, but stopped himself from toppling. Instead he spun around, the centrifugal force throwing the shrew off. She landed on all fours, her remaining fur bristling as she raised an arm and plunged it into the deck.

“Spatial Nail!”

The shockwave rushed forwards, the wood coagulating with her muscled arm as she ripped it up beneath Sindrimon’s wheels. Ursula cried out.

“We’re gonna fall!”

“Then so is she!”

Sindrimon screeched to a halt, and brought his mallet up, the end glowing white-hot.

“Vulkanabstieg!”

Arm hit hammer. Shockwave hit explosion, and the deck was blown apart, sending splinters of metal and wood raining down all around like meteors. Sindrimon slipped, crashing into the next level of the battleship as the entire top began to split in half. Sorimon came off worse, tumbling backwards against the wall with enough impact to break her body open, though she reconstituted instantly. Not that it mattered as she looked up to see Sindrimon grasping his beacon in front of her, bright light swirling within.

“Gluhlampenexplosion!”

The blast pierced the side of the ship, narrowly missing Sorimon. She cursed beneath her breath, the Funnyman rippling beneath her skin.

“I know...I know...we have all the power we need...”

She jumped, sensing something approaching from above. Looking up, she had no time to move before Motimon the Impenetrable landed in front of her, his fist iridescent.

“Hypernova Punch!”

Sorimon raised her arms, and the wood followed her movements, but the blow thrust her back even further, ripping her feet with splinters and tearing the muscles on her arms. She came to a halt, and twitched again, feeling the dimension sphere shifting on her back.

“Why are we still giving way...?”

“No, I know...”

“The world doesn’t want us yet. It can’t see us...”

“We can make it...”

“We can make it listen...”

The shrew giggled wickedly as she crouched down, her claws digging into the deck as tendrils of metal swum through her musculature. Lorelie held tightly to Sindrimon’s shoulder as she looked down at the tiny vibrating shrew. “I don’t like this. She’s getting worse.”

Ursula nodded. “If we want to stop her, we need to do it now!”

“I’m on it!”

Sindrimon’s wheels dug into the splintering decking, letting off sparks as he raised his hammer high.

“Vulkanabstieg!”

He never reached her. Sorimon whipped her head in his direction and the deck exploded upwards, striking him in the chest and knocking him back. The metal and wood twisted together, sprouting muscle and bone and fur as Sorimon rose up on a mound of rubble and debris. Her eyes were bulging, and she held her mouth wide open in a drooling fashion.

“The world belongs to me! It’s my turn now!”

She screeched, and threw her arm to one side. The new appendage did the same, copying her every action. She threw out her other arm and the deck split again, unfurling into a haggard limb like the first. She curled her fingers, and the ends of the limbs followed her example, studded with wires and eyes and ending in vicious sabre-like claws.

“Excuse me?”

Sorimon looked down as she rose in a mound of rubble that shifted beneath her. Motimon stood on the edge of the battleship, holding a splintering mast and looking more than a little put-out. “Do you mind awfully? This is my stuff.”

Sorimon shrugged. “It’s a nice ship. I’ll have it.”

Motimon chuckled. “Is this a blessing, or a curse I’m witnessing?”

“It doesn’t matter! Whatever it is, it’s your end!”

Sorimon redoubled her efforts, forcing Motimon to retreat as the entire side of the ship was torn away, joining the swirling mound of wood and metal. It grew quickly, reaching fifteen – no – twenty feet tall and still stretching. For a moment it remained amorphous, save for Sorimon who sunk down into the top, and the two haggard arms that pressed against the remaining deck.

Sorimon ran her stubby arms over her head, laughing to herself.

“This...is who...I was meant to be...”

She sunk further into the formless mass, wires and pipes penetrating her body as the dimension sphere disappeared from sight. The mound trembled, writhed, and began to change shape. Data was pulled apart bit by bit, pressed, forged, fused, and moulded into something new. Something...terrible.

The beast staggered to one side, pushing itself upwards as springs and coils traipsed up its column-like forearms. The piece of the mass holding Sorimon shifted forwards, and the rest stretched out, forming an arched back and a long sinuous tail. Flesh and muscle melded with steel and rubber. Armoured plates stretched and interlocked over the front of the body, while bony vertebrae poked out over the top, each tipped with a steel spike. The tail stretched out, wires swimming in and out of the muscle and bursting from the tip, with fur poking out in tufts all along.

Its head formed similarly, this one almost completely armoured, save for a little section of raw skin around its scalp. Sorimon rested in the centre of its forehead, nestled in wires, and to each side of her two great saucer-like floodlights formed, flicking on and off. The head shook, becoming first a skull, then robotic, then a biomechanical mockery of Sorimon’s own shrew-like face, studded with eyes and mouths much like the Funnyman had been. It opened its jaw, but the jaw was incomplete; two ragged sheets of metal studded with spikes, and held together with loose pistons. The creature groaned and squeaked, as multicoloured wires dropped from its mouth like entrails.

It staggered, but with each movement it grew stronger. More confident. There were no hind legs; the creature just pushed itself along like a hideous naga. Its chest shifted, forming a large eldritch maw along its sternum, out of which hung more wires and pipes, and which was aligned with jagged, hooked teeth. And there, just beneath the monster’s throat, was suspended a huge, chrome sphere, flashing helplessly. The dimension sphere; as much a part in this hideous beast’s creation as The Funnyman and Sorimon herself. The core cried out through its very shape; wheezing and letting off sparks and flames. But it was stuck fast; embedded in this new monstrosity.

A vent of steam escaped from the goliath’s back, and its head tilted to one side, the faces all over its body blinking and chattering. Sorimon just nestled further down into its forehead, giggling maniacally. She turned her gaze towards Motimon the Impenetrable, who simply stood, gawping up at the monster above. The shrew cackled from atop her new biomechanical fortress.

“Am I strong enough for you now?”

For once, Motimon had no retort.

Sorimon’s provided one for him by slamming a claw down straight into his face.

Stunned, Motimon leapt up, and charged straight towards Sorimon on the creature’s forehead. The golem scuttled back, and raised its arm, space warping around it.

“Spatial Nail!”

The power was the same as before, however it was a far bigger paw with far bigger nails. The shockwave blasted the other side of the deck and shot out towards the sea, streaking over the surface. Motimon just caught the edge of it, but it still sent him skywards. For a moment he hovered there, before electricity gathered over his body.

“You cannot kill me so easily! I am the right! I am the one who will change this world!”

Light enveloped his body as he tilted himself downwards, beginning to fall right towards the great beast. His followers cheered beneath him, waiting for their hero to come through once again.

Sorimon had no retort. She just laughed; a tiny little giggle under her breath as her golem shifted.

“So small...”

The golem raised its head, and opened its mouth, a light burning in the back of its throat.

“Emperor’s Thunder!”

“Pinpoint Executioner!”

A spear of light erupted from the golem’s maw, scarcely thicker than a hair’s breadth, but glowing an intense red. It travelled at light speed, and struck Motimon right in the chest.

There was no pause, and no reaction. Only a vast explosion of colour and lightning that dented the water and shattered the fleet. The armies screamed below as their emperor fell; a tiny, black dot in the incredible display of colour and noise. He skipped across the waters, and fell beneath the ripples, his light disappearing.

“MOTIMON!”

“FIND HIM!”

Sorimon watched from her vantage point as the colourful sparks fell down, scattering amongst the remaining tugs as they rushed after their fallen leader. The golem squeaked, its eyes flickering. Then it turned, standing amidst green and purple flame as it stared down at its remaining opponents. Sorimon smiled down at Lorelie, still standing on Sindrimon’s back, utterly terrified.

“See what I’ve managed without you, partner.”

Lorelie swallowed, her screen blank as she stared into the eyes of the eldritch creation above her.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s too late for that.”

“No, I mean I’m sorry I couldn’t be what you wanted me to be. I’m sorry I was a load. A useless stepping stone.”

“Lorelie...”

Ursula held up a palm, but the other girl stared up, her screen glowing crimson.

“But this? This is all your fault. I never wanted this.”

Sorimon scoffed. “I never asked.” She twisted her neck, and the goliath unfurled its front paw, reaching out towards the tiny figures below.

“I don’t need you in my life anymore. Spatial-“

“Devil’s Dune!”

A barrage of scimitars struck the goliath, some of the bouncing off its armour plating but others digging into the flesh of its arm. It spun its head round, roaring to one side, as Shamon limped forwards, squinting but very much still moving. She rolled her neck, and a flurry of sand whipped around her.

“Finish the job first you maniac. I could do this all day.”

Sindrimon smiled, before he reached back and plucked the two girls from his wagon, dropping them beside him.

“Stay here. It might get messy.”

“No...wait-“

Sindrimon had rushed forwards before Ursula could stop him, spinning his hammer around his head and venting steam and fire from his entire body. Shamon was doing the same, rushing in even as the goliath raised its vast claw.

“Spatial Nail!”

“Crimson Cyclone!”

“Vulkanabstieg!”

Metal clashed against blade. Shockwaves billowed out, and bursts of light and fire arched into the sky. Shamon kept running, staying clear of the beast’s claws, but every move it made rattled through her body, and more than once she fell from sheer exhaustion. Sindrimon was still staying strong, keeping himself between his comrade and the beast in front, using his own body as a shield. All the while he kept smiling, even as his very body was pierced and his fires grew intense.

But despite their best efforts, they were nothing against the golem. Only irritations. Sorimon chattered, and the goliath reared back, red and purple lights coagulating in its mouth.

“Barbaric Acid!”

It retched, spraying a vile concoction that ignited in the air. It peppered the deck and left trails of acrid smoke in the very air itself. Shamon caught several projectiles, finding herself tumbling forward yet again as the attack seared her skin. Sindrimon came off even worse, his only defense being to hold his rough-skinned arms up in front of him. When he lowered them again, his skin was pockmarked and raw in places. The troll coughed, but clutched his lantern like nothing had happened.

“Gluhlampenexplosion!”

Sindrimon’s scream melded with the blast of light, causing Ursula to wince. She looked back, and saw Lorelie, shoulders shaking beside her.

“I’ve...I’ve tried so hard...”

The taller girl bit her lip, holding out a hand but hesitating. Lorelie looked away.

“What if I’d never come here in the first place? Would things be any different?”

“They’d be so much worse.”

Ursula breathed in, and clutched Lorelie’s hand, turning her to face her. Ursula looked uncertain, but she held firmly, trying to find the words.

“You’ve fought harder than anyone. Even when you couldn’t keep up. Even when everybody else gave up. Far more than I could ever hope to. You’ve been strong when we all gave up, and kind when we all didn’t try.”

Lorelie pulled her hand away. “But what use is that when I can’t even stop my own partner? What am I supposed to do?”

Ursula clenched her fists.

“I don’t know. But even though it’s all so stupid and horrible, you’ve always made it through.” She smiled, red flushing her cheeks. “You’ll find a way. You’re the kindest person I know. That’s what I always loved about you.”

“Crimson Cyclone!”

“Tartarean Razor!”

A whirlwind of spikes intercepted the sandstorm, and Shamon was thrown back again. Lorelie watched as the beast staggered forwards, dwarfed by the shrew above. Sorimon giggled, and the goliath thrust its claw sideways, battering her away again.

“Tell me how it feels, Aardmon! To be let down, again and again! To be tossed aside like nothing. Why did you ever think you could fight for humans like these?”

Shamon staggered up, her eyes steeled. “Because...they will fight...for the right...reasons...”

Something stirred inside Lorelie. She took a step forwards, her screen blinking red.

“I’ve had enough from you!”

Sorimon’s eyes flicked towards her, and she hissed. The goliath followed her gaze, its eyes glowing like floodlights.

“You betrayed me! I trusted you, and you gave me nothing.”

“I gave you everything I had. I cared. I supported. If this is what you wanted, then you’re the one who betrayed yourself!”

“What does it matter, anyway?” Sorimon threw her arms sideways, and the goliath shrugged, its maw splitting open in a biomechanical laugh. “I’m stronger than anything else on this planet! Anything you could ever hope to achieve. What are you gonna do now?”

“I don’t know. The same that I’ve always done. The same that the people I care about have done for me.”

Red lights danced around Lorelie’s head as her D-Psyche shifted, the screen showing red and purple lines of static. She held out a hand, and grasped hold of Ursula’s, squeezing it tightly.

“Be strong.”

The metalwork strained, pushing against itself as the girl’s body was encased in a warm light. In front of her, Shamon felt the first tendrils of energy wrapping around her. She stood tall, allowing it to permeate her body.

“Be kind.”

Lorelie’s D-Psyche opened. Not miraculously. Not gloriously. But enough. It unfurled like a flower, reaching out with red flames that encompassed the ruined battlefield.

“Be the person I’m meant to be.”

The girl lowered her head, and her screen burst into life. Not a symbol. Not a mere emotion. Her face, shining through the static and staring defiantly at her former partner. She raised her free hand, and held it out towards Shamon, a red sandstorm following her gesture. The sacred beast rose from the ground, her form shining like a crimson jewel as the lights grew more intense.

“Shamon...Psyche...Synergise!”

“Evolution Activate!”

Shamon’s figure quivered, as if she were in a rainstorm through a frosted window. She arched her back, and rose up on her hind legs, the lights dancing around her in a cyclone. Soon her entire figure was obscured save for the constant, intense glow of her eyes. Here and there Lorelie could see a new form taking place. A thick armoured tail. Broad claws. A long, bejewelled snout. Then the sand dissipated, and Aardmon’s Ultimate form was revealed in full.

She stood tall, rivalling Ophicleimon in height, and she hunched over with a broad, muscular physique. Any resemblance she might have had to either Aardmon or Shamon seemed to have long disappeared, save for a more regal aesthetic and the purple tinge to her fur. Her legs were stubby, with blunt claws, and a long tail swished along the ground behind her, more reptilian than anything.

Her stance seemed almost ape-like, with thick muscular arms tipped with gauntlets holding three golden claws over each hand. The rest of her body was ornately decorated; ringlets and beads draped over her arms and chest, and a ruffled dress that covered her midriff, with loops of fabric that attached to her elbows. Her wide shoulders were adorned with a half-ring of beautiful fabric; tasselled, interwoven with red and studded with tiny gems.

Her head was completely different again. Not the sleek elegance of Shamon or the stubby snout of Aardmon, the new Digimon had huge, powerful jaw which was studded with fangs, very like that of a crocodile. She wore golden rings around her neck, and little circlets dotted on her forehead, which gave way to a large main of orange hair that draped over her back. Her eyes were deep amber, and they opened slowly, holding a power and intensity far greater than even Shamon’s had.

“Ammumon!”

Sorimon’s goliath trembled, the spines on its back quivering. Atop its forehead, Sorimon gnawed on the wires surrounding her, eyes twitching.

“You stole that power from me! How dare you use it against me!”

Ammumon watched as the goliath convulsed. There came a rumbling beside her, and Sindrimon patted her on the shoulder.

“I like the new threads.”

Ammumon glanced sideways. Ursula and Lorelie stood on Sindrimon’s cart again, holding one another. Lorelie reached out to one side, and gently stroked her partner’s muzzle. Ammumon nodded.

“Let’s finish this. For everybody.”

“Barbaric Acid!”

The blast shot between the two Ultimates as they split apart, the corrosive liquid grazing them both. Ammumon took to the ground, lumbering forward on all fours even as the deck crumbled beneath her feet. She leapt, digging her claws into the beast’s forearm and clambering up. Wires shot out, piercing her flesh in places, but she twisted with newfound strength and brought her fists cracking down into the back of the beast’s neck.

Sorimon writhed, and the goliath followed her movements, shaking intensely as Ammumon only barely hung on. Sorimon snapped back, her face splitting open all the more.

“You have no power against me!”

“Maybe not, but we can still smack you around something fun!”

Sorimon’s head whirled round, in time to see Sindrimon clutching his beacon, fire spurting from his arms and boiler.

“Gluhlampenexplosion!”

The blast struck the golem at point-blank range, but while it recoiled, it did little to damage it. With a screech it turned its own eyes on Sindrimon, firing a blast of light in retaliation. Sindrimon backed away, only to return again to Sorimon’s left, slamming his hammer into the goliath’s shoulder.

“Spatial Nail!”

Sorimon struck down, and her fist went through the metal of the deck. The vast battleship around them groaned, beginning to bend and snap once again.

Ammumon was finally thrown off, and landed with a roll. She held her shoulder, before rushing forwards and clapping her hands together. Pulling them apart, they were glowing a deep red, and with an almighty yell she slammed them into the ground below.

“Chaos Devourer!”

Tendrils of red rushed through the floor, merging and splitting and lunging towards the goliath as it tussled with Sindrimon. Sorimon noticed, grabbing every wire she could find and pulling to veer the beast away.

But she was too late. The ground exploded beneath her; two huge jaws of sand forming in an instant and looming over Sorimon and the goliath. Ammumon clapped her hands together again, and the jaws snapped shut, crystallizing instantly and trapping the beast in a vast red mesh, where it was held in place by dozens of great, hooked spikes.

Ammumon stood up straight, catching her breath as Sindrimon wheeled up beside her. He placed a hand on his side, and whistled.

“Nice work!”

Ammumon glanced sideways, and smiled widely, her huge maw seeming surprisingly gentle temporarily. However all temporary pleasantry came to an end as a huge bang shook the entire ship, sending both of them toppling forwards. Lorelie held onto her head, looking all around her. “What the hell was that?”

Ursula pointed. “Was that there before?”

All four of them gazed up at the sky. Or rather, at the complete lack of the sky, replaced instead with a vast black void; the one they’d been floating above for a long time before now. The flying ocean had sunk and collided with it, with thousands of gallons of water sweeping into the blackness like nothing. Already its shape was destabilising, becoming the most massive waterfall the world had ever seen.

On the tiny tugboat, Motimon’s eyes blinked open, and he sat up.

“You’re alive!” yelled Tanemon, unable to hide the joy on his face. Kapurimon was a little more subdued about the whole affair. Or perhaps she was more concerned with the rapidly approaching mass of darkness, and the dozens of tugboats which were already disappearing inside.

“We, uh, might need a little help.”

For a moment the Impeneterable seemed lost. He looked behind him. Then up at his disintegrating battleship, and the red crystalline structure that held his opponent. He closed his eyes, and breathed in, even as Tanemon and Kapurimon shook him.

“Motimon? We need to leave now!”

“...the time has truly come...”

Tanemon blinked. “Motimon?”

“...rapturous ascension...the final challenge...everything I’ve been building up to, the darkness approaches...the darkness challenges...”

He laughed, and leapt to his feet, jumping to the head of the tugboat without a falter in his step.

“I will answer the final challenge! Bring me my trident!”

Kapurimon puffed her cheeks out. “Um...you threw them all away...”

“Then bring me a large-ish stick!”

Tanemon sniffed with pride, and pulled the paddle from the side of the tug, handing it over to the Impenetrable. “You never know when to give up.”

“And that is the path of the chosen.” Motimon grasped Tanemon by the side and kissed him on the forehead, before turning and holding his paddle out towards the impending darkness.

“Armies! Comrades! Friends! Those still adrift, fret not, for we have lost the fortress only to gain the brand new world before us!”

The collapsing sea dragged the little tug forwards, along with dozens just like it, all filled with Motimon’s followers as they rushed forwards into the abyss. Capeless, crownless and completely and utterly careless, Motimon gripped his weapon with such intensity that lightning arced all around him.

“Join me, my friends, in our final battle!”

The resultant battlecries sounded briefly, loud enough to resonate within the water, although they too were swept away as the darkness swallowed them.

Sindrimon, Ursula, Ammumon and Lorelie were alone on the collapsing ship, not far behind the miniature emperor.

Well...not alone.

With a splintering and a shattering, Sorimon’s goliath pressed at her crystal prison, snapping the barbs off one by one and screaming. Sorimon grinned from her position atop the forehead, wires flapping wildly in the wind all around her.

“The world is collapsing! I’ll get rid of the darkness and replace it! It’ll be my turn to run this world!”

Ammumon steadied herself, planting a palm into the floor below even as it crumbled. “If you carry on like this, there’ll be no world left to run!”

“It’s what I deserve! Barbaric Acid!”

The attack flew wide, shattering the rest of Sorimon’s prison and raining down on the warriors before her. Sindrimon hissed, holding his arm up to protect his charges from the worst of the blow. As scorched flesh fell from his arm, he looked up, the waters reflecting in his goggles as they threatened to come down and crush them all.

“What do we do now?”

Ursula looked at Lorelie, and Lorelie looked back. The smaller girl held onto Sindrimon with one arm, and tightly around Ursula’s waist with the other, her face showing no hesitation.

“We keep going until there’s nothing more we can do!”

Sindrimon grinned, and nodded, revving his wheels. “You’d better hold on tight then.”

Sorimon’s goliath stood on the bow of the ship even as the last of the bearings gave way from the strain. It shuddered. It convulsed. A light shone in its open belly, coursing from the trapped core as it screamed out for help.

Sindrimon thrust his right arm out, and Ammumon grabbed it, and they both rushed forwards, the only force left between the water and the dark.

“If we’re going down, we’re bringing you with us!”

“Pinpoint-“

The twin Ultimates tackled Sorimon with as much force as they could muster, holding on tightly as the three of them toppled from the bow, disappearing into the abyss.

“-Executioner!”

There was an explosion of colour.

A torrent of water.

The remains of the war fleet disintegrating.

A great rushing, spinning, sucking noise.

Then...silence.

The void was as peaceful as it had ever been, with the great blue core hanging in space, not a single care in the world.

The Dark Area could deal with its own problems.

TO BE CONTINUED...