Journey to the Sacred City

"Come on, Boss." Agumon whined.

"What?" Marcus asked tiredly.

"When are you going to get to this Sacred City place?" Agumon asked.

"Are you sure we're going the right way, Nerdstein?" Marcus asked the two geniuses bringing up the rear.

"The compass's pointing in this direction." Thomas replied. "But I don't know if BanchoLeomon is telling us the truth. I'm just basing it on what he says."

"BanchoLeomon never lies." Marcus informed the blond hotly.

"Hey, what are you implying? That I'm leading us the wrong way?" Thomas protested.

"Don't start with me!" Marcus argued.

"You're the one who started it with your attitude!" Thomas retorted.

"Enough, guys." Charlie put a end to their argument.

Just then, the group heard something stomping towards them as a group of Airdramon fled from the foggy forest.

"An earthquake?" Marcus inquired.

"No." Lalamon replied.

"Something's coming towards us." Yoshi added.

"It's giving off a Digimon signal." Thomas remarked.

"Whoa." Marcus gasped in awe as ElDradimon appeared before them in the fog.

"Wow!" Agumon exclaimed.

"I don't believe it!" Yoshi was stunned.

"That thing's huge!" Thomas added.

"Whoa." Was all Gaomon could say.

"ElDradimon. The only information the computer has is that an entire city rests on it shell." Thomas supplied "No other data available."

"Quite a heavy responsibility, I tell you." Ami joked.

"You and your puns, Blue." Thomas sighed.

"Hello, welcome to the Scared City." Baromon greeted the group." I am Baromon, the mayor of this, the capitol of the Digital World."

"The Sacred City?" Thomas echoed. "This thing?"

"Yes." Baromon replied. "Behold! ElDradimon carries our beloved capitol on his strong and sturdy back."

"That's so cool!" Agumon gaped in awe.

"We will have a huge party, celebrating your arrival here." Baromon told them. "Please come."

"Alright, party time!" Marcus grinned as he entered ElDradimon.

"Wait Marcus, you can't just go running off whenever you please!" Yoshi scolded as she followed him, Lalamon floating beside her.

"Am I the only one getting a weird feeling about this whole thing?" Ami asked.

"Not only you, Lady Ami." Tailmon supplied as she looked at the blond beside her.

"Something bothering you, sir?" Gaomon asked his partner.

"I don't know exactly why. This place gives me a bad feeling." Thomas replied.

"You and me both." Ami agreed.

"Come on slow pokes!" Marcus waved to the two geniuses. "You're holding up the whole party!"

Thomas just shrugged and the four entered.

"You know Marcus." The blond remarked. "You're something else."

"Whatever party-popper!" Marcus retorted.

'This seems like a trap.' Charlie thought as he watched the four enter.

"Follow me. We're finding another way in." He whispered to Ash, Greg, Yusei and Logan.

In Kurata's lab…

"Come on Kurata!' Kouki urged, banging against the cylinder he was in. "Give me some more power! Enough power to destroy Marcus Damon once and for all!"

"Perhaps I can make you stronger." Kurata noted. "I mean afterall, I was able to do it once before, when I combined your human DNA with Digimon DNA, turning you three into Bio-Hybrid Digimon. What if I were to go back into your DNA and replace the current Digimon data with data from a much stronger Digimon? You would probably be able to advance to the next highest level. However, the only problem is your bodies might not be able to handle the process."

"I'll take that chance." Kouki told him. "As long as I get my shot at revenge."

"Not me." Ivan replied. "Too risky. Well, of course I'll never say that outloud."

"You're saying it now." Nanami reminded him. "Be quiet."

"Well then." Kurata smiled. "I'll just pretend Kouki speaks for all of you. Let's give it a try."

At that, he pressed a button on his remote, activating the DNA transfer.

As the tanks filled up with blood red liquid, the three started groaning as the Digimon's DNA transferred into them.

"Sleep tight now." Kurata remarked. "When you wake up, you will hopefully be much stronger than you are now. Strong enough to exact on Marcus Damon, Spencer Damon's son."

Back inside the Sacred City...

"Some party!" Marcus retorted as the group found themselves tied up. "Untie us! Let go!"

"Next time I say 'no', listen to me." Thomas remarked.

"What is the meaning of all of this?" Yoshi demanded.

"You do not fool us one bit." Baromon told the teens. "First, you destroy our villages and then you try to take over our Sacred City. But we see right through your evil plans."

"That's not us!" Marcus protested. "Look! We came to the Digital World to help you and save you from those other guys! How can you treat us like this?"

"You, save us?" Baromon scoffed. "How ironic when it is you humans that have caused all of our suffering!"

"No, you're wrong!" Lalamon protested hotly. "The one behind all of this is a man named Kurata."

"We're telling the truth!" Agumon insisted.

"If we defeat Kurata, all this madness will finally stop!" Marcus agreed. "Humans and Digimon have to team up and fight together!"

"Silence human!" Baromon ordered. "No, we have absolutely no intention of joining forces! Take them away!"

"Yes sir!" the Pumpkinmons chorused as they lifted their captives up.

"Put me down! Let us go!" Marcus demanded.

"Where are you taking us?" Yoshi inquired. "I demand to know!"

"Boss!" Agumon called out.

"Thomas!" Gaomon shouted.

"I've never been so mistreated in my whole life!" Yoshi retorted.

"Stop!" Marcus protested.

"Yoshi!" Lalamon called out.

"Lady Ami!" Tailmon gasped. "Let us go!"

"What should we go with these free traitors?" Pumpkinmon asked, looking down at the captured Digimon.

"I like to think that Digimon who side with humans are just as guilty." Baromon remarked. "And I shed silent tears at the thought of punishing them. But you can avoid prison by joining our side."

"What's going on here?" Marcus demanded as the four teens were tired up onto wooden poles and rose onto the middle of an arena.

"It's some sort of ceremony." Yoshi remarked.

"Agumon!?" Marcus looked at his bound up partner by Baromon's side.

"Marcus!" Agumon called out.

"Thomas!" Gaomon shouted to his partner.

"Yoshi!" Lalamon cried out.

"Lady Ami!" Tailmon yelled.

"Digimon!" Baromon silenced the crowd. "It's time for the humans to pay for their crimes!"

"We didn't even get to have a trial." Yoshi remarked.

"I would ask for a lawyer, but I don't think it would do any good." Thomas noted.

"Anyone else besides me gets reminded about Episode Two of Star Wars here?" Ami inquired jokingly.

"Is that really appropriate right now?" Yoshi deathpanned.

"First, let us reunite these criminals with another guilty human so that they can suffer their fate together." Baromon added, as another wooden pole was raised.

"So, that's where he went." Thomas noted as Yushima came into view.

"The old dude with the Digivice." Thomas remarked as Yushima was placed beside him.

"What's this? How did you four manage to get captured?" Yushima asked. "Oh bother. Talk about weak."

"You're captured before we were!" Marcus fumed.

"Open the gate!" Baromon declared as Cerberusmon came into view.

"The Gate Guardian. Why am I not surprised." Ami remarked.

"Now Cerberusmon will punish the humans Digimon-style!" Baromon announced.

"Look out Boss!" Agumon shouted as Cerberusmon roared.

"Release our partners now!" Gaomon demanded.

"Humans that discover the Sacred City cannot be set free." Baromon replied. "They will never be released."

"Oh no!" Lalamon gasped.

"Even if Lady Ami bears the soul of Lady Lilith?" Tailmon pressed.

"Lilith-sama is dead." Baromon told the cat.

"Let go!" Agumon struggled.

"Where would you go?" Pumpkinmon asked.

"Can't you tell?" Agumon retorted.

"We're going to save our human partners." Gaomon replied.

"Forget the humans." Pumpkinmon told them. "They attacked the Digital World. Digimon and humans were never meant to co-exist. They deserve everything they get. They are lower than low."

"You've got it all wrong!" Agumon protested.

"You're condemning all humans for the actions of one man!" Gaomon added.

"It is possible for humans and Digimon to become friends!" Lalamon retorted.

"It's not." Baromon insisted. "Those who have been hurt by the evil destruction caused by humans cannot be persuaded to think any other way."

"Please, Mr. Mayor." Lalamon pleaded.

"You must join us and turn against these humans for the sake of your own survival." Baromon told them. "It's your only chance. Otherwise, suffer the same fate."

The four Digimon snarled at Baromon.

Then Agumon blinked as Kamemon walked towards them.

"Kamemon?" he inquired.

"Hey wait." Yoshi blinked as Cerberusmon charged towards her. "Why are you picking on me first?"

"Actually, it's me he's aiming for." Ami corrected, as the hell hound leapt, drawing his claws.

"Ami!" Thomas gasped beside her.

"Watch out!" Marcus shouted.

A red, white and blue circular shield struck Cerberusmon while it was charging towards Ami, knocking it away from her.

"You alright?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, thanks for the save."

"Where were you?!" Marcus demanded.

"Charlie suspected this was a trap, so we found another way inside the Sacred City."

"Lalamon!" Yoshi gaped at her partner who was carrying Agumon.

"Agumon!" Marcus exclaimed as the orange dinosaur landed on the ground.

"Hi Boss!" Agumon waved to his partner.

"We escaped, Yoshi." Lalamon informed her partner.

"Double Backhand!" came Gaomon's attack.

"Cat Scratch!" Tailmon's next attack freed the four humans.

"All right!" Marcus whooped as he landed on the ground.

"Why did you risk yourself for us?" Thomas asked his partner once he landed.

"Sir, we can never abandon out partners after all we've been through." Gaomon replied.

"What he said." Tailmon told her partner.

"How did they escape?" Baromon asked.

"Their ropes were cut." Pumpkinmon replied. "Look!"

"No matter." Baromon remarked. "In that case, destroy them all!"

Marcus let out a war cry as he proceeded to punch Cerberusmon who jumped to dodge his attack.

"He jumped over?" Marcus blinked.

"Ami!" he shouted as Cerberusmon headed towards the girl.

"You scared me once, but I'm over it now." Ami smirked, as she reached into her short leather skirt and pulled out her bowie knife.

"Come and get it." She mocked as she stood poise to attack.

As Cerberusmon rushed towards her, the Winged Nike figurehead on Ami's knife started to shine a holy golden light, causing everyone else to shield their eyes from the sudden burst of light. When the light died down, Lilith had taken over Ami's body as the 'Light of Hope' held a bird-shape golden staff in her left hand.

"All right!" Marcus shouted, landing a punch onto the stunned Cerberusmon. "Now' it's a fair fight!"

"That D.N.A Charge!" Baromon gaped at the D.N.A Charge around Marcus' fist.

"And that warm, forgiving, gentle and benevolent aura!" he added, seeing the towering Cosmo around Lilith. "That aura is… It's the first time I've ever felt that overwhelming aura… it isn't like any I've felt before… it's very strong… no… what I feel is beyond any other aura, like the universe itself! Probably no one has such a powerful aura! Could this child be…!"

"It is!" he exclaimed as he saw a vision of Lilith holding the Spear of Longinus in her right hand and the Winged Nike on her open left palm.

"ElDradimon." Pixiemon remarked after the large turtle let out a roar.

"I haven't heard him yell like that in years." Pumpkinmon replied.

"D.N.A…" Marcus was about to released his D.N.A Charge when Baromon shouted, "Hold it!"

"That's enough." He added. "Their punishment has been permanently suspended."

"But why, Baromon?" Pixiemon asked.

"These intruders are our enemies." Pumpkinmon noted.

"Maybe." Baromon told the pumpkin. "But then again, maybe not. Remember it was many years ago when another human wandered here along one day. ElDradimon was trying to cross the scotching desert, but carrying the weight of the Sacred City on his back, he started sinking into the boiling hot sand. We tried to cool him off but we knew our beloved capitol was about to come crashing down. But then, that man appeared."

Flashback

Spencer then channeled his D.N.A Charge into his fist and punched the desert ground, allowing water to sprout from the hole he created and flooding the dry land. On top of ElDradimon, Pumpkinmon cheered.

"That man's name was Spencer Damon." Baromon added.

"No way dude." Marcus blinked.

"His D.N.A Charge burnt just like yours." Baromon told Marcus. "You! Could you be Spencer Damon's son?"

"You know what?" Pumpkinmon noted. "He looks like Spencer."

"And that child." Baromon added, looking over to Ami after Lilith returned her body. "The white cat was right. That child bears the soul of Lilith-sama."

"How dare you? Trying to punish not only the son of the hero that saved our Sacred City but also our beloved Goddess!" Baromon scolded Pumpkinmon.

"Me?" Pumpkinmon protested.

"Prepare a banquet at once!" Baromon ordered.

"Looks like we escaped another one." Yushima remarked as he dried his head with a towel.

"Marcus." Yoshi ran to the teen. "Your father was amazing."

"You mean is." Marcus corrected.

"Sir, are you alright?" Gaomon asked his partner.

"Yeah." Thomas replied.

"Are you sure?" Gaomon was not convinced.