Power of the Crests Ch5 - From the Brightest Light to the Deepest Darkness

Story by Golbeze on SoFurry

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#5 of Power of the Crests


Alright, took me a while, but here's Ch5. It took so long because I was bust playing a game.

Disclaimer: This story contains a brief semi-yiffy scene. If you're not of legal age, or are offended by it, please turn back now. Everyone else enjoy!

All characters directly associated with the Digimon franchise are copyright their respective owners, other original characters created by me are Copyright me. Do not steal them. I'll allow redistribution of this story as long as the Copyright notice and the disclaimer are included, and the story is left unaltered.

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"Let him in," a female voice said in the inky darkness of her chamber. Doors could be heard opening and the footsteps of someone echoed thoughout the room. The female figure gazed through the blackness at the male figure who just walked in, her eyes serious. "So, did you obtain the data?"

"Yeah, here it all is," a male voice replied as he handed her an object, one that only the two could make out. She took the device and looked it over while smirking.

"That fool Myotismon. I almost expected him to win. So, what I surmised was correct and the Crests are following those two," she mused and placed the object onto a table while the male figure listened.

"But it seems, though, that the crests cannot venture outside their realm," he announced, "That's why the Crest of Love shot up out of the mountains." The female nodded and rubbed her chin as she thought it over. She sat in a chair, her eyes serious as she pondered it over, before the male spoke up again. "What should I do about Jake and Gatomon? They're getting stronger every battle, and with Myotismon they're even starting to absorb data now."

"I want them dead, of course. Kill them, however, I want Gatomon's Power Ring first. I'd prefer it if you took it while they were Gatovulpanimon for the extra power, but if that's not possible I have ways to strengthen it. Just remember, if they're deleted before you obtain the ring, it'll be deleted as well," she ordered her servant in a most serious tone. He nodded and walked out of the chamber, the doors closing behind him. "Yes," she thought as she picked up the object and looked it over once more, "Soon this entire world will crumble..."

Kitty lead the group for what seemed like hours for Baihumon's realm. They had already entered the territory and Kitty followed a map towards a place they could stay for a while.

"The Gatomon Village?" Jake had asked as they walked through the flat plains of the realm. Unlike Azulongmon's territory which had grassy hills, this place was completely flat.

"Yep. Never actually been there myself, but it's supposed to be right by the river," Kitty responded in a relaxed tone and whistled just about the entire journey. Jake and Gatomon couldn't get over just how relaxed about everything Kitty and BlackGatomon were. Even when they were serious they had a relaxed, calm aura about them.

As the sun began to sink down over the horizon, they finally spotted a bunch of houses in the distance. Kitty told the group that according to the map, that was the place, so they all headed over there to take a gander. What they came to set their fighting instincts in motion as a bunch of Gatomon, Angewomon, and even Salamon were battling it out with a BlackMetalGreymon. They were about to join the fray when a grey wolf anthro, looking to be about Jake's age, showed up with a Taomon.

"Kyle?" Jake gasped as he saw the smirking wolf as Taomon fought the BlackMetalGreymon. After a moment the evil digimon was defeated when Taomon used her Talisman Star attack, shredding BlackMetalGreymon and absorbing his scattered data. As the battle ended the fox digimon reverted to a Renamon and accompanied her wolf partner.

"Jake, who is he?" Gatomon asked curiously as the group walked towards Kyle, Jake almost running in excitement at seeing an old friend. As they did the wolf noticed them and a big grin formed on his face as he walked over to meet them.

"Well, well, if it isn't fox-boy!" Kyle laughed and crossed his arms as he smirked at Jake. "You really did end up here! So, why haven't you visited, huh?" he said in mock agitation. Jake simply shook his head at Kyle's act, knowing his old friend better than that.

"I see you haven't changed. Though I guess I have you to thank for me being here in the first place, you and Steve were the ones who dared me into the woods by myself," he smirked in response and Gatomon giggled at the scene the two put on. Renamon the showed up at Kyle's side and looked over this group, as if to check whether they were a threat or not. Jake smiled and bowed to the fox digimon, well aware of a Renamon's code of conduct, and as he did he noticed her tail wrapping around Kyle's.

"So, you are Jake," Renamon spoke plainly as she continued looking him over with focused eyes, then turned to Kyle and nodded before walking over to a house and sitting against the wall, seeming to meditate. Jake and Gatomon watched her out of curiosity then turned back to Kyle to continue their conversation. As they did Kitty and BlackGatomon broke off to look about the town. The area they were in was bright and houses scattered over the area, though in the center there was a large, empty space except for a fountain. As they looked about the various Gatomon and Angewomon stared at them out of caution. Kitty smirked as she could sense their uneasiness due to the dark powers she and her partner possessed.

Jake, Gatomon, and Kyle also walked through the town as they conversed. As they did a bunch of Gatomon and Salamon follwed, andJake's Gatomon joined them and soon the group was playing and having fun. Jake chuckled and smiled at the sight, his heart warmed at seeing Gatomon so happy.

"Heh, cute kitty," Kyle smirked as he watched as well and Renamon once again appeared at his side. Kyle wrapped an arm around her and the two gazed into each others' eyes briefly. Jake saw this and wondered at it for a second, then smiled and murred as he realized they must have the same kind of relationship he and Gatomon had.

As they continued on their tour they came across Kitty and BlackGatomon again. What Jake saw interested and surprised him. Where they were was bright and full of Angewomon and Gatomon. There was a clear, straight line which separated it from another part of town, which was dark. As they stepped through to the other half they could hear music, and in the center was a large building that looked like a clubhouse with a bunch of Ladydevimon lined up and chattering.

"Hmm, looks like my kind of party. I'll see you later," Kitty smirked and headed over there and BlackGatomon hopped up and down on her shoulder excitedly. Jake blinked at this before shaking his head, while Gatomon became uneasy as she could sense all the darkness in the area.

"Um, Jake, this kitty would like to go back to the light side now," Gatomon said nervously. Jake petted her and nodded, then headed back with Kyle and Renamon to continue on. Soon they came to a dark alley, which surprised Jake as it seemed as though the entire place was filled with an eternal light. Curiously he peered in and got yet another surprise as he saw a black portal.

"Heh, that's a portal to one of the digital world's alternate realms," Kyle explained as he approached behind the two. Jake nodded and examined it over, having heard of these alternate realms. They were basically dimensions that existed inside the digital world, most often populated by a spicific type of digimon. It was clear that this led to a dark realm, and he and Gatomon could only surmise what kind of dark creatures inhabited it.

"Heh, dare ya to go in," Kyle snikkered in Jake's ear with a grin, but Jake expected it and merely shook his head. "Ah, c'mon foxie, don't tell me you're scared!" Kyle pressed on, but Jake glared seriously at the wolf, telling him that he wasn't going to be turned this time. Renamon agreed and shot Kyle a gaze that told him to just leave it be, and with a sigh Kyle submitted.

"You really haven't changed a bit," Jake smiled at Kyle as he started out of the alley. The wolf chuckled lightly and sighed as he followed them out. "By the way, is there somewhere we can stay? It was getting dark when we came here," Jake asked, noting again that this town seemed blanketed in light all the time.

"Yeah, sure, just follow me," Kyle answered and lead them down a side road. Meanwhile, back in the dark half of town, Kitty and BlackGatomon headed towards the club, Kitty smirking at the sound of the music which came from the place. As they neared, a bunch of the Ladydevimon surrounded the two, smirking and looking at these two who dared to approach.

"Sorry, little kittens, but you have to be at least this level to get in here," one of them said, pointing to herself at the word 'level'. Kitty smirked and glanced over at BlackGatomon on her shoulder, who grinned back as the two suddenly fused together straight to Catsurodevimon, bypassing Felinimon entirely. This surprised the Ladydevimon for a moment as they looked over this cat demon before them.

"Oooh," they all grinned as Catsurodevimon pushed her way pass them and entered the place before she was stopped by one of the female devils.

"Hey there cutie, how about we see just how strong you are? Oh, and call me Lana," the Ladydevimon smirked as she walked in front of the feline-digimon hybrid. Most Digimon had a second name which they went by when several of them were in the same area so as to avoid confusion.

Catsurodevimon grinned as she followed Lana through the club, colored lights flashing throughout the otherwise dark place as the occupants danced to the music which echoed and boomed from loudspeakers arranged in every corner.

"Mmmm, yeah, this is my kind of place," the cat demon mused as she and Lana came to an arena situated right in the center of the establishment. There were already a couple Digimon fighting inside it, both Ladydevimon, and a crowd had gathered around to urge the two on as the two ladies punched, kicked, and grappled each other. Catsurodevimon wondered for a moment why they didn't use any abilities, until she saw a sign which said "No Killing" written on it.

'Hmm, interesting. Dark, but not evil. My kind of girls,' Catsurodevimon thought and crossed her arms as she watched the fight come to a close and the victor walk out of the arena. As the unconscious loser was dragged out Lana lead Catsurodevimon into the ring and the two took places on opposite sides. The crowd watched excitedly as the two faced off.

"No killing, huh?" Catsurodevimon asked with a grin and Lana grinned back as she readied herself to charge. "Doesn't say anything about no powers, though!" the feline laughed as she made the first move. Lana watched as Catsurodevimon held her arm back as if to swipe her claws, preparing to block the attack, but the feline suddenly knelt low and delivered a kick that swept the Ladydevimon off her feet.

The crowd cheered as they watched Catsurodevimon pounce onto Lana and her paw right over the Ladydevimon's crotch and stroke it. "Ack, what are you doing?" Lana gasped and shuddered as she felt the black-furred fingers stroke her through her clothes, her sex becoming moist from it.

"Mmm, you're a sexy little demon, too bad this is a fight and not an orgy!" Catsurodevimon laughed as she took her paw off her opponent's crotch and grabbed Lana's arms while she was momentarily dazed from the sudden molesting. She before she could try to wrest free of Catsurodevimon's grasp she found herself, to the audience's glee, hurled over the feline's head and hard onto the floor.

"Gyaaa!" Lana screeched as her back ached. She tried to get up and back away from Catsurodevimon, but she was too fast as the feline demon grabbed her and held her tight, then delivered her knee straight into Lana's back, once again causing the spectators howl and cheer in approval. At this point Lana knew that she didn't have any real chance at a victory. Catsurodevimon was merely playing with her, and Lana could tell

"Ah, I-I give up!" Lana screeched, words that surprised Catsurodevimon. After a moment she giggled and let the Ladydevimon go, who rubbed over her sore back. "Dang, you're tough!" she yelled and grinned as she continued to rub her back. By how much it ached and how little effort Catsurodevimon seemed to put into it, she was sure she didn't want to continue to fight.

"Heh, thanks," Catsurodevimon smirked and walked out of the simple arena to get some dancing done, still having plenty of energy after the short match between the two. Lana smiled, and decided to join her, the she-devil's curiosity piqued on this hybrid.

It was some time later. Jake, Gatomon, Kyle, and Renamon were all inside a hotel situated on the edge of town. The room was plain, but clean, with just a couple beds and a light overhead which could be switched off. They talked about what had been going on with them since being dragged to this world. Kyle's tale sort of mirrored Jake's. After a few months of being Renamon's partner, Kyle mated her and the two had never left each others' side since. They learned a lot, just Like Jake and Gatomon, and fought many digimon that attacked the territory. This continued for a bit until Jake asked a question that made the wolf grimace.

"Hey Kyle, do you ever wish you could go back home?" Jake asked curiously, sitting on the bed with Gatomon on his lap. Kyle let out a low growl at the question which surprised Gatomon as she flinched back, but Jake just sighed as Kyle turned his head to the two.

"Heck no! Coming here was the best thing to ever happen to me! Meeting Renamon, becoming her mate even if we can't have children together. You know how my parents were! The drunken bastards," the wolf nearly roared, his eyes growing especially feral at the thought of his parents. Jake nodded, knowing all about Kyle's mom and dad.

"What were they like?" Gatomon asked, shocked that someone could hate his parents like this, wondering what they did to him to spark such anger in him. She looked at Kyle quizzically as he sat up on his bed, Renamon holding him in her arms as they wrapped tails around each other.

"Drunk, no-good," he started as he stared down, his eyes solemn as memories came flooding to him. "Me and my sister rarely ever saw them, because they were always either at the bar getting drunk, or at the fucking casino gambling away what money they didn't waste on booze! And when we did see them, they were still drunk and would be throwing and breaking shit at each other or us!" Kyle growled fiercely as his body shook, Renamon holding him close and trying to calm him down.

Jake and Gatomon gazed sadly at Kyle as Renamon laid the wolf down on the bed and wrapped the blankets over themselves. The two watched for a moment as Renamon comforted her mate, then climbed into bed themselves, their minds going over all of this as they soon dozed off.

As Jake slept he had another strange dream. He was in the hotel room, but everyone was gone. "Gatomon?" Jake called out, his eyes scanning around as he wondered where everyone was. It was then that an odd feeling swept over him, as if a presence called for him, and the todd found himself walking out of the hotel and through the streets. As he did, he noticed that the entire city was empty, not a single soul other than his own present.

This made Jake uneasy as he wondered what happened to everyone, and soon he found himself heading into the dark alley, straight for the portal at the end. He felt as though he was drawn to it, and as he came near he tried to peer through it, but all he could see was darkness.

"Is this the place from my dream?" he asked himself briefly, "no, this feels... different somehow." He then took a step forward and began to step through, and just as he reached the other side, he awoke. Jake sat up on his bed and shook his head slightly.

"Man, what a strange dream," he mumbled to himself and gazed around. Looking at his Digivice he saw that it was morning, and gazing next to him Gatomon was still at his side asleep, though she began to stir. Jake smiled gently as he picked the kitty up and held her close, and Gatomon opened her eyes and purred softly to her mate.

Jake then looked over to where Kyle and Renamon were sleeping. "Hmm, wonder where they went?" he asked as he noticed they were gone.

"I don't know," Gatomon replied curiously as she was picked up and sat on Jake's shoulder. The two then headed downstairs and out of the hotel, then began to explore the town again. A few moments later, however, a sudden 'boom' echoed and shook the place, causing the two to yelp and balance themselves.

"Ah!" Gatomon screeched as she nearly fell off Jake's shoulder. "That came from the dark place!" she yowled as she looked in the direction the explosion came from. Jake nodded and began to run through town to the other half to see what had happened.

Just moments before, Kitty, BlackGatomon, and Lana were just walking out of the club, all of them stretching their limbs as they slept there during the night. "Mm, you're quite a good dancer," Kitty giggled as she smiled playfully at Lana and BlackGatomon. Lana smirked back and stood with them as she stretched her arms out.

"You were quite fun, you wore me out," Lana answered with a giggle. Lana then stood against the outer wall of the club while Kitty and BlackGatomon waved to the Ladydevimon, heading over to the light side of town. However, a sudden explosion caused the two felines to shoot their gaze back, their mouths hung open and their eyes wide with shock as Lana screamed and was engulfed with the rest of the building.

"No, Lana!" Kitty screeched and ran over to the Ladydevimon. Lana gasped in pain, the blast causing a lot of damage which prevented her from getting up. Kitty knelt beside her and BlackGatomon watched in shock before looking around as a presence caught her senses.

"Kitty, Kitty! It's s-still here!" the small feline said, panicked as suddenly a second attack engulfed the club's ruins. Kitty quickly fused with BlackGatomon into Felinimon and threw herself over Lana to protect her, but hearing the Ladydevimon cough and sensing her data become erratic told Felinimon that she was quickly destabilizing.

"H-heh, it only took one attack..." Lana stuttered and let out a weak giggle as she laid flat on her back and gazed straight up at the sky.

"No, don't talk. You'll only get weaker," Felinimon told her as she tried to think of a way to help her, but Lana merely let out another giggle.

"I-it's already pretty much t-too late. Thanks for the - augh! Heh, f-fun time..." Lana told the feline before she destabilized and her data scattered.

"Argh! And I had just met her," Felinimon said frustratingly as she stood up and let out a sigh. Suddenly her eyes caught a shadow quickly pass overhead towards the light side of town. "Hmm, better follow it."

As Felinimon ran after the shadow she noticed a bunch of Angewomon and Gatomon running towards the club to aid the Ladydevimon and BlackGatomon there. She smirked at the sight, knowing that the two forces were natural rivals. It was clear that they were willing to aid each other despite that, and it brought a pleasant grin to the feline's face.

As Felinimon came to the border between the two halves she came across Jake and Gatomon, who were running towards the club. Suddenly they noticed Kyle and Renamon in the distance, and Kyle waved at them, motioning them to follow.

"This way, he went towards the alley!" Kyle barked and headed there. The group wasted no time following him towards the dark portal. As they arrived Kyle rushed through first, followed by Felinimon while Jake and Gatomon examined the portal for a moment.

"Jake, I don't like the feeling of this," Gatomon mewled nervously as she felt the dark energies pouring out of the portal.

"I know, but we have to find out who attacked. C'mon, lets go," Jake answered and Gatomon closed her eyes as they stepped inside. Darkness enveloped them as they passed through, and soon they found themselves in a realm where all they could see was themselves and the blackness in front of them. They looked around for a bit; Gatomon nervously and Jake seriously. Just as Jake was about to begin walking the portal behind them closed and the darkness began to envelope the two.

"Ahh!" Jake yelped as he could no longer see anything for a moment, but soon the darkness subsided and he was able to see again. "Man, what was tha- Huh!" he meeped as he looked on his shoulder, only to find Gatomon missing. "Gatomon? Gatomon!" he called out frantically, but he got no answer. He became panicked and looked about frantically for any sign of her, but she had completely disappeared.

"Jake, where are you?" Gatomon called out as she was separated from him. As the darkness had closed in on them she suddenly found herself sitting on the floor where before she had been on Jake's shoulder. She looked about nervously, yet seriously as she began to walk through the realm in search of any clues as to where Jake could be.

As she did so, Gatomon got an unsettling feeling, as if something were watching her, and she couldn't shake it. Slowly she ventured further, and the feeling became stronger as she felt eyes all over her form.

"Um, h-hello?" she called out and gazed around. She readied herself for anything that might reveal itself. Suddenly she heard footsteps running towards her and she faced in its direction. Gatomon listened for a moment more before suddenly a dark blast shot from the darkness straight at her, her eyes wide and maw gaped as the energy traveled through the stale air.

Felinimon had traveled through the blackness for some time before she found herself assaulted by various Digimon. Where most would be overwhelmed by such a force she was enjoying herself as she ripped through one enemy after another.

"Heh, too easy," she mused as she tore down some ghost-type Bakemon as well as a BlackGatomon, a viral Garurumon, and an Ogremon. Felinimon grinned as she watched her fallen foes' data scatter, but soon found a presence, or rather several presences, gaze upon her.

"Hmmm, so more come, huh?" she giggled and digivolved to Catsurodevimon, as she could sense she was surrounded by Ultimate-level digimon now.

"Dark Shot!" a low roar echoed through the realm as suddenly a fish-shaped missile headed straight for the feline. She grinned and deftly did a backflip to dodge the attack, the missile exploding as it hit the ground. At that point a SkullGreymon revealed itself before Catsurodevimon, along with an Arukenimon behind her and a Mummymon at her side, all grinning at the feline before them. Catsurodevimon merely smirked back as she drew her demonic sword, eager to begin the battle.

Jake continue to wander through the blackness in search of Gatomon, however a sudden rumbling behind him from a rather large digimon forced the todd to pick up his pace. He ran frantically as he heard the unseen digimon pick up its pace as well and close in on Jake. The todd growled as fiery blasts hurled towards him, barely missing each time.

Just as it seemed the attacker was about to catch up with Jake, a roar and a feline screech echoed through the area. A moment later Jake watched as Gatomon walked from the darkness, a big smile on her face.

"Gatomon!" he yipped happily as Jake ran over to her and knelt besides her. Gatomon smiled back, and Jake picked her up to set her on his shoulder. However, she seemed uncomfortable by this, which made Jake a little curious. "Um, you ok?"

"Um, yeah, I'm fine," she answered back and gave him a little lick on his cheek. Jake looked at her curiously for a moment longer, but then shrugged it off as he continued to look for the one who attacked the village.

"Alright, glad to see you're ok," he said and continued on. As they traveled he couldn't help but notice that she acted differently than before. When they entered she was nervous and and a little skittish, but now she seemed laid-back, and every time he showed affection she seemd uncomfortable.

Throughout the journey he tried to press what she had gone through while they were separated, but she would continually avoid the subject, and soon each time he tried to bring it back up they would be under attack. During the last battle he watched the kitty seriously as she fought. Her entire fighting style had changed, and he noticed it. Soon the enemy was dispatched. Jake tried to call her back to him, but Gatomon shook her head and began to walk away from him.

"Foxie, maybe we should leave each other," she told him, which made the fox raise an eyebrow. Jake snarled at the feline and crossed his arms in response, his gaze still serious.

"Ok, just tell me this; where is Gatomon?" he asked and growled at her as his nose picked up a familiar scent that was previously masked, and Gatomon smirked in response. "Well, Kyle?"

At that moment Gatomon went black as her form slowly grew and changed. Soon the grey wolf himself stood before Jake as Renamon appeared from the darkness. "Yeah, it's me. Though I did it for a reason, foxie. Tell me, do you really think you'll stay with her?" Kyle asked and grinned a little, which made Jake growl louder as his tail swished wildly and his fists clenched tight.

"Yes, I do!" he almost roared as he became furious at what his friend said. "I'd never leave her!"

"Well, foxie, life lasts quite a while, and things can change. What about that egg you have?" Kyle asked with his own seriousness, which made Jake flinch back in surprise. "Oh, yes, I know all about it. Tell me, what kind of child do you think will hatch from it? The fusion of furry and Digimon genes into an egg has never happened before, who knows what kind of kid it'll be!"

Jake was taken aback, both by how Kyle knew about the egg, though he never told him, and by his question. Jake had to admit to himself that he didn't know what kind of offspring it would be, and doubt briefly enetered his mind. But one question came up, which he had to ask, "Tell me, Kyle. Why are you doing this?"

Kyle gazed down momentarily at the question, then gazed back at Jake, his eyes more serious. "Because," he answered, and Jake listened intently to what the wolf said, "I want power." Jake flinched back at the answer and watched as his friend held up his digivice. On the screen was none other than the Crest of Sincerity. "I was never able to make this crest shine. I was still able to use the digivice's made functions to get Renamon to digivolve to Kyubimon, but she was never able to go further. That's when I met 'her'," he said in a low tone, and Jake found himself wondering who 'her' was.

"However, how about we put off this, and go back to what we were discussing before? C'mon, what about my sis, leave Gatomon and I'll hook you up with her, she's been in Ebonwumon's realm. At least with her you'd know what kind of kids you'd have!" he tried to convince Jake, and at first thought it might be working, but was quickly proven wrong as the fox shot his gaze towards Kyle, his eyes fierce and his teeth revealing themselves in a feral snarl.

"No," he growled as his muscles tensed and his fists clenched once more. Soon his digivice glowed in response to the fox's emotions. "I... would... never do that! I love her, and swore long ago that I would never leave her!" he roared as his digivice glowed even brighter and an aura surrounded Jake. Kyle watched this, his eyes wide, then turned his head as suddenly his own digivice glowed as well. Suddenly, to Kyle's shock, the crest shot out from it and floated over to Jake, who took his digivice into his paw and pointed it at the crest. It then entered the device and Jake's glare became even more fierce.

"Now, I'm going to ask you again. Where is my mate?!" the vulpine howled as an intense light enveloped the area. Kyle yelped as he was momentarily blinded from the light that tore at the shadows of the dark realm. Some distance away Catsurodevimon saw this light as she battled with her foes.

"Hmm, feels like Jake," she mused and grinned as she turned to the digimon before her. "Well, time to finish this then!" and with that she used her Demonic Strike to cut down and destroy them before she made her way over to where the light originated.

Soon the light disappeared and Jake smiled as he saw Gatomon just a few feet away, but that smile turned to shock as he saw her panting and forcing herself up to her feet. It was clear from her battered appearance she had been in a battle, but what shocked Jake more as he picked her up was the disappearance of her tail ring.

"Gatomon, you alright?" he asked worriedly as he held his mate.

"Yeah, but my tail ring," she answered sadly and turned to Kyle as he laughed and held up the gold ring in his paw. Jake growled once again and took a step forward, but Renamon suddenly stood in front of Kyle and gazed seriously at the two. Jake was about to ask why once more but Kyle cut him off.

"Like I said foxie, power. I met a black vixen one day and she promised me the power to let Kyubimon digivolve to Taomon. She's promised to give me even more power when I eliminate you two and deliver this ring!" he said and Jake sighed at the answer. He couldn't figure out why Kyle would want this power, then it hit him.

"Yes, that's right," Kyle continued as if he read Jake's mind. "She promised to make it so I can have children with Renamon, as well as a small piece of the world when she and Daemon invade! My first act would be to execute those parents of mine for all they put me through!" With that he produced a black ball of energy in his paw and shoved it into his digivice. Black energy poured from it and enveloped Renamon. At first she looked sad, her eyes seemed as though they were pleading with Jake and Gatomon, but soon that solemn gaze turned wild as she digivolved straight to Taomon.

Jake wondered for a moment why Renamon didn't Dark Digivolve to Daomon from the black energy, although a slight black haze surrounded her.

"Heh, wondering why you're not seeing her dark form? Well, the black energy was made that way, foxie! Part of the deal and all, heheh," Kyle snikkered as he too had the same dark mist surrounding him. Gatomon hissed and shook nervously as she felt all the power pouring from them. Jake noticed this too.

"Jake, they've gotten a lot stronger!" the feline mewled as Taomon seemed stronger than when fighting the BlackMetalGreymon.

'Man, this is bad,' Jake thought as he assessed the situation. 'Without Gatomon's Power Ring all our forms will be weaker! Even Kitsanumon," his thoughts continued as he knew that unless he got that ring back, this was going to turn into a losing battle.

"Hey Jake, need a hand?" a familiar female voice spoke out suddenly, making the fox glance over in its direction. Both Jake and Gatomon smiled, both in excitement and relief as Catsurodevimon ran right towards them, stopping at their side. "Yes, I knew I sensed a dark presence as I got near, surprised to see it's from your old friend," she mused as she grinned over at Taomon, but then had her attention grabbed by the ring in Kyle's paw. Catsurodevimon glanced over to Gatomon and hissed as she saw the ring missing from her tail.

"Alright, no-one takes away a Gatomon's tail ring! Hey Jake, I'll hold off the fox over there while you get that ring from wolf boy! Dark Entanglement!" With that she quickly flung the chains on her out at Taomon. She tried to dodge the attack but Catsurodevimon deftly controlled the chains and snatched the fox anyways. Jake watched this in surprise for a moment, but quickly came to his senses as he and Gatomon eyed Kyle and ran straight towards him.

"Heh, so you want it back? Well, come and get it!" Kyle grinned as he stood his ground and waited for the two to arrive. Jake growled as he pounced at his former friend and punched at him, but Kyle stopped the attack when he swung his tail and wrapped it around Jake's wrist. Jake yeeped at this and suddenly found himself pushed off of the wolf, but Kyle suddenly found himself once again attacked by Gatomon as she punched him in the stomach, making him howl.

Meanwhile, Catsurodevimon surged dark electricity into Taomon through the chains, making the fox digimon growl and squirm. Suddenly, though, she threw a bunch of red spell papers at the feline. Catsurodevimon gasped as she was enveloped in them, and suddenly found herself in a fiery explosion which sent her flying back and releasing Taomon from the chains.

"Mreaw! That hurt!" she screeched as Catsurodevimon got up and tried to recover from the attack. 'Dang, she's tougher than she looks,' Catsurodevimon thought as she weilded her sword and charged at Taomon.

On the other side of the battle, Gatomon found herself flung strainght into Jake, leaving them both a little dazed. Kyle, however, merely grinned at their efforts, the black energy making him much stronger than them.

"Too bad foxie," the wolf said with a chuckle as he stepped towards them. "Looks like Kitty is going to lose as well," he said and pointed to the battle where Taomon used her Talisman of Light attack. Catsurodevimon managed to avoid some of the beams of light, but as soon as one managed to connect, she was easily assaulted by the others.

"Hey, Jake, got that ring back yet? I could use a hand here!" she yelled out as she recovered from the blasts and continued her battle with Taomon. Jake growled at this, then got an idea and grabbed his digivice.

"Kyle, enough!" he roared as his digivice once again glowed brightly, and to Kyle's surprise the energy shot right out at the wolf. He howled in pain as the light attacked his dark power, then without wasting any time Gatomon flung herself at Kyle and swpied her claws right into his face.

As Kyle growled and held his wound the ring fell from his paw onto the ground. He yiped and tried to pick it up but Gatomon grabbed his tail and yanked hard, causing yet another surge of pain while Jake dove and grabbed the ring himself.

"No!" Kyle yelped and tried to grab Jake, but another hard pull on his tail forced the wolf on his knees as he yelped and cringed from the pain. Finally she let go and ran over to Jake as they distanced themselves from Kyle, and wasting no time he picked Gatomon up and smiled as he replaced the ring on Gatomon's tail. She felt a surge as her power returned to her, and the two glowed brightly as they fused and digivolved straight to Kitsanumon.

As they did, the Crest of Sincerity glowed momentarily on Kitsanumon's chest and shi felt hirself empowered. Gold armor appeared on hir shoulders and knees while a couple new abilities awakened within hir. Shi wasted no time in flying over to Catsurodevimon and pulling her from an attack.

"Blessing of Inari!" Kitsanumon shouted and healed Catsurodevimon with hir own energy. It left Kitsanumon weakened for a moment until she shouted "Message from Inari", energy gathering around hir and restoring hirself. As they landed Catsurodevimon grinned as she felt herself restored.

"Oh, yes, much better," she mused and looked over to Taomon, who suddenly seemed to be struggling as she held and shook her head. Kitsanumon drew hir sword and flew over to the fox, who gazed back at the kitsune with a pleading look in her eyes.

"Please, help Kyle," she said almost quietly as she struggled with the dark energies. "I-I," she stuttered before she regained her feral gaze and prepared a Talisman Star attack. However, in her weakened state from battling Catsurodevimon, Kitsanumon was able to stop her, grabbing her arms and swinging around behind her.

"Let go of her!" Kyle roared as he saw Kitsanumon hit Taomon hard in the back with hir knee, sending her to her knees.

"Judgement of the Myotu!" Kitsanumon shouted and enveloped Taomon in a blaze, then tossed her. As Taomon landed she panted hard as she felt the dark energies dissipate, her body now too weak to contain them. Kyle ran over to his partner in a panic, while Kitsanumon and Catsurodevimon sighed at the two before walking over to them as well.

"Kyle, you failed me," a sudden voice rang out from above. Kitsanumon and Catsurodevimon stopped and gazed up as they wondered who just spoke. Suddenly, a power blast fell upon Kyle and Taomon, which sent Kitsanumon and Catsurodevimon flying right before they de-fused. As they did, the data from their Ultimate forms flew up towards the one who launched the blast.

"Hmm, yes, this will do. I never expected to gain this much data from both Kitty and Jake. Sorry Kyle, you've lost your usefulness. I no longer need the ring." With that the presence vanished. Jake forced himself on his feet, greatly weakened but still able to move. Gatomon got up as well and the two walked over to see Kyle on his back, gazing up as data streamed from him. He looked over to Renamon, who was in the same condition, and let out a whimper as Jake knelt besides him.

"H-heh, so e-even I was a pawn," he stuttered, then whimpered again as a tear formed in his eye. "A-all I ever wanted, was t-to have a child with Renamon, and raise it better than my parents ever did me and Rachel. I-I even became data for it, but even then..." With that his eyes shut and both he and Renamon broke down. Jake and Gatomon both sighed at this, but then shot their gaze over at Kitty as she held her digivice in front of her and had it absorb the scattered data.

"Kitty, what are you doing?" Jake asked as Kyle's and Renamon's data were stored.

"Keeping them alive. Renamon will eventually reform into an egg, probably in a couple days," she said and replaced her digivice at her side.

"What about Kyle? He's not a Digimon," Jake said sadly as he picked up Gatomon and set her on his shoulder. Kitty shook her head as she crossed her arms and pondered over everything.

"I don't know. There may be a way to recompile him, but I'm not certain," she answered and the group looked around.

"Well, now what?" Jake asked as he realized that they were stuck there. "The portal is closed, how are we get-" Before he could finish a white portal suddenly appeared before them. As they looked it over an Angewomon walked through and motioned them over.

"This way!" the angle said and the group wasted no time following her out of the realm and back to the Gatomon Village. As they arrived they saw a bunch of Gatomon and BlackGatomon surrounding a glowing crystal, apparently energizing the portal they just came through. "We saw the portal close as you went through. I don't know who, but someone closed it," the Angewomon said and then pointed to the crystal. "We've had that it the case we ever needed to open a path of our own there."

Jake nodded as it was explained to him. He was asked questions about what had happened in the dark realm, and Jake decided it was best not to hold anything back. Surprisingly, everyone wasn't very surprised at Kyle's actions. Apparently they had sensed his dark powers for a long time, but never tried to stop him both because he never harmed the village until recently, and because they feared the dark powers he held. They were all grateful that he was stopped, and that his and Renamon's datas were preserved.

They stayed for a bit longer, staying overnight, but the next morning made preparations to leave. Before leaving, however, Kitty and BlackGatomon made their way to the dark half of town to say goodbye to everyone there. To her surprise, she saw Lana's digi-egg, which made both Kitty and BlackGatomon smile.

"Yay, she's alright, she's alright!" BlackGatomon mewled and bounced on Kitty's shoulder happily. Kitty giggled pleasantly as she looked over the egg and then to the Ladydevimon taking care of it.

"Take good care of Lana, I want to come back one day to dance with her again," Kitty said with a smirk and the two Ladydevimon nodded and smiled back. A short time later, after saying goodbye to everyone in the village, Kitty, Jake and their partners resumed their journey, searching for the next crest, while wondering who this vixen was whom Kyle spoke of.