(A/N- BEFORE I BEGIN THIS CHAPTER, I WANT TO SAY THERE WILL BE CERTAIN SCENES TOO INTENSE FOR YOUNGER READERS NEAR THE END OF THIS CHAPTER, AS WELL AS BLOOD, HARSH TOPICS, A CHARACTER NEARLY DYING, AND REAL, ACTUAL VULGAR LANGUAGE. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.)

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'Holograms, a famous form of technology that is widely renowned far and wide in the city of Santa Monica. In the year 2024, all kinds of paranormal phenomenon occur all over the city. The humans who dwell within this lively city began to refer to them as... Hologram Ghosts.'

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A couple days have passed since Angelwood Middle School had a sudden outbreak of Weedmon, resulting in Casey, Gammamon, the 2014 Infernites, Burnard, Amber, Angoramon, the Cragsters, Kiyo, Jellymon, The Frosticons, Maya, the Electroids, Melody, the Mixies, Rose, the Spikels, Francis, the Klinkers, and the newest Chosen One at Angelwood Middle School, Abraham Cadabra, and his Mixel partners, The Wiztastics, getting involved. In the battle, the Weedmon congregated together into a giant form. The moment that happened, Most of the Digimon and Mixels had been taken down. Gammamon, not about to give up and allow the town to be destroyed, awakened to a new Digivolution- Wezen Gammamon, and defeated both the Nixels and the Weedmon with the aid of the purple magic using Mixels. However, once the Weedmon were freed from the I-cubit, Casey had received a note from Crimson Shinobi and Clockmon, telling her, the Infernites, Gammamon, and all the other Chosen Ones and their partners to meet up with the two of them in front of the Margaret Herrick Library in Culver City after everything had eventually calmed down regarding the outbreak. And now, Whatever the reason that Crimson Shinobi wanted to see them all could be, Casey knew, deep down inside of her, that whatever was about to happen next after these last battles and the battle that she knew would eventually ensue for not only her, but her friends and Gammamon as well, it most certainly wouldn't be ending like how a good story would with the ever-so-standard 'and they all lived happily ever after', especially due to something Gammamon had kept pent up deep inside would eventually be forced out in the worst possible way imaginable...

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After taking the Bus (And a snack break at Metro Cafe per the request of Gammamon and Burnard) to Culver City, Casey's team had arrived at the front of the Julian Dixon Library, where Crimson Shinobi (Who was wearing a traditional Kitsune mask from Japan to cover her face, with the mask painted Black and orange) and Clockmon stood, waiting for them with another Digimon. "We finally meet face to face, Casey and Henry Almenera. And I see you've brought the 3 Digimon, your Mixel partners, the rest of the Chosen Ones, and their Mixel partners. This means we can share our findings from the Digimon's meetings." Crimson Shinobi told them, as Scorpi nodded, lost in thought about why he hadn't heard much from Reppamon recently. "Well, just take a look at this. You should be able to put it all together from what Monitamon found a few nights before the Weedmon invasion." Clockmon told the group, as Monitamon stepped forward. Monitamon seemingly resembled a short ninja with CRT monitors for a head. It seemed like he could display his emotions as images on the screen. Monitamon's green body, protruding square-shaped mouth, and segmented pipe extending from the sides of his mouth to the back of his head seemed to make him resemble MS-06 Zaku II. (A/N- Which is a Gundam, for those of you may or may not know.)

"I took this video near the West-side comedy theater Two nights ago. It's not that far from Angelwood Middle School, actually." Monitamon told the 9 human kids, as they, as well as the 21 Mixels, saw a Digimon latched onto the side of a tall building. This Digimon in particular resembled the Japanese Giant Salamander and had red skin with orange-and-yellow flame-like patterns on its back and limbs. It has two beady black eyes and a stitched mouth, while its entire body was coated with fire. "Hold on, isn't that Salamandamon?" Jinky asked, as Angoramon nodded. "Then I take it that you, Kamzo, and your boss know Salamandamon?" Crimson then asked Jinky, as Gox stepped forward to talk with her. "As a matter of fact, miss Shinobi, all three of us do know him. Before we had met Madam Jellymon and the rest of her friends, Salamandamon was our first Digimon Business partner when we first came to this world-" The boss of the Klinkers tried to explain to the Masked Girl, before the group saw a knife hit the area between Salamandamon's eyes, causing the red Digimon's body to sparkle for a few seconds, before dissipating into blue bits of data and fading away, resulting in the knife hitting the ground, resulting in all 9 of the kids, the 3 Digimon, and 20 of the Mixels gasping in shock, while Kamzo just looked at Jellymon. "I can't think of any knife puns. Wanna take a stab at it?" He asked her with a smirk, as Jellymon just stared at Monitamon's screen, completely at a loss for words at what she had seen. "... Sorry, bad timing." The shortest Klinker then looked to the ground. 

"It... It only took one blow for Salamandamon to get the axe...!" She muttered, still a bit in shock, as the group looked to her. "D-Digimon can die?!" Casey asked, as she held onto Henry, frightened by this information that she and the others had just found out thanks to Jellymon blurting out what she said out of her own fear. "So that means Salamandamon was murdered...?" Francis asked the group. While the rest of the group was talking about what they had seen, still frightened by the murder of Salamandamon, Gammamon just watched all his friends, confused. "Mur...Dered?" He slowly repeated Francis' words, confused. "Do you at leazt know where the knife came from?" Teslo asked Monitamon, who shook his head. "Poor Salamandamon.." Seismo said, as he hugged Flain, on the verge of tears. "Everyone at our meetings is scared senseless." Crimson Shinobi said, as Clockmon nodded. "Apparently, a mysterious entity has been taking out many Digimon without a reason." The Champion-Level Digimon told Casey's group. "Exactly. And for that reason alone, I wish for you all to work with Clockmon to get to the bottom of this. Besides, your Digimon may be targeted next, and possibly even the Mixels, for all we know." The masked Ninja told them, as Maya then looked over at her. "Hold on- Ms. Shinobi? Aren't you going to help us with the investigation, too?" The human partner of the Electroids asked while Crimson Shinobi just turned to face them, a small, faint sigh escaping her mouth. "I work alone. I don't exactly need anyone's help." She said, as she turned away from the group, and then started to jump from rooftop to rooftop, making her leave, while Kiyo's eyes filled with fear. "You know what, Maya? We should probably follow Crimson's lead and get back home." The Class representative said as he grabbed his cousin's hand, before Jellymon grabbed Kiyo's arm. "No, Darling! You and Maya need to protect me, the Zappers, and the walking icemakers!" She said, as Maya smiled. "Calm down, Jellymon, of course we're going to protect you guys...!" The girl with Glasses smiled, before Mesmo put a wing up to his chin in thought. "Monitamon, play the video again. I believe I may know what this is." The Raven-like Mixel said, as Monitamon nodded, and played the video again. Angoramon's ear then twitched, hearing something. "Is that the sound of someone breathing?" He asked Mesmo, who then nodded. 

"I've been talking with some of the wisest minds of the Digital World who came here to Earth, and from what they've told me, and from what we can now piece together from what Monitamon has showed us, this sounds like it could be the doings of Der Scharfricter." The Wise Wiztastic Mixel said, causing the group to look over to the Raven like mixel in confusion (And Shock for Kiyo). "Der... Scharfricter? What's that, mate?" Jinky asked, as Jellymon floated over to the tall Klinker and sat on his shoulder, her legs crossed. "Yeah, and what does it mean, Mezzie?" She asked, before Kiyo revealed why he was shocked. "It's German..." He began before shivering in fear, rendering him unable to speak, as Mesmo then nodded. "... For 'The Executioner'." The enigmatic Mixel finished, as most of the kids gasped. "Now that you mention it, I've heard faint talk of an urban legend back in the Digital World about a grisly beast who indiscriminately kills Digimon in a single strike. Those who were even remotely lucky enough to survive said that they heard the sound of somebody breathing moments before they were attacked." Angoramon recalled, as Flain scowled at the screen. "Play the rest of it. NOW." He growled, as both Henry and Casey glanced down at Flain, worried for him. Usually, the leader of the Infernites was so smart and level-headed. Not once had either of them seen him this upset... Well, maybe in the Nixels and Fang Gang Log Toss minisodes, but not to this degree! Monitamon then resumed the video that he was showing the group. The moment Salamandamon had turned into those sparkles, a distorted voice was heard in the video, mumbling a few words; "Neun... Neun... Acht." It muttered, as Kiyo stared at the Screen in fear. 

"That's German for nine, nine, eight...!" He said, frightened, as Jellymon looked to the Klinkers, who silently stared at the screen in sorrow and shock. "So, your first business partner wasn't the first one who got deleted... He was the 998th one... I'm so sorry..." The mollusk Digimon embraced each of the mechanical Mixels in a hug, as Gammamon let out a happy little squeak. "Ohh~? Those are numbers!" The little dinosaur Digimon beamed, as he ran over to Burnard. "Bun'rar has been teaching me to count! One, two, three..." Gammamon then counted on his claws, as Burnard just smiled at the little dinosaur Digimon, while Flamzer just glared over at the Chameleon-like Mixel, who just laughed. "Don't look at me like that! Besides, Gammamon's like a baby! I had to teach the lil' guy something!" He said with a small smile, before Flamzer looked over to Jellymon, who was currently floating next to Kamzo. "Either way, you're onto something here, Jellymon... 998 must be the number of victims killed so far...!" Flamzer said, as Flain looked away from the group, as he walked away, being watched by a concerned Henry. "So Digimon can die... Whoever that Executioner has his eyes set on next, I won't let them hurt any of my friends... What's more, even though I don't know how to feel about Gammamon considering that dangerous vibe I keep getting from him every time he digivolves keeps growing, I have to protect him, too... I won't let what happened to Planet Mixel and the Mixel Moon happen to Earth!" Flain told himself, the fire on his head burning even more intensely, with the duo of Cobrax and Spinza watching him from the shadows.

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Back at the Almenera household in Santa Monica that evening, Casey, Kiyo, Maya, and Melody were planning something out within the meeting room that was down the hall from the Almenera sibling's bedrooms. "Scarlet Shinobi may be right, guys." Melody said solemnly, all 3 of the Mixies sitting down next to her. "The executioner will probably go after either Gammamon, Angoramon, Jellymon, or even all the Mixels!" She panicked as Maya rested a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, Mel. I promise, it's not gonna happen to any of 'em." She reassured her, before Teslo shook his head. "I wouldn't be zo zure, Maya..." He said before sighing. "Angoramon zaid that they go after Digimon indezcriminately. Zo while they could go after either one of them, it'z more likely that the executioner could make a zingle Mixel from each tribe kick the bucket." Hearing this only made Melody panic further. "As if that's any better to hear?!" She shouted at the lizard-esque Mixel. However, their discussion was cut short by Gammamon lightly chewing on Casey's left wrist. "G-Gammamon, why are you teething on my wrist? Are you hungry again?" She asked him, as Gammamon let out a squeak. "Ohh~? Well, I-I guess. It's just... Ever since I digivolved into Wezen Gammamon after the Weedmon invasion a few days ago, somethin' inside me's just saying 'Eat or be eaten'. Day by day, it just keeps gettin' louder..." The baby triceratopsian Digimon told her as he then grabbed a chocolate bar from the minifridge that the Klinkers had installed with help from Francis and Henry, as Meltus then looked over at Kiyo. "Not to sound like I'm painting targets on others' backs, but Gammamon might have a chance of being targeted first. Burnard said it himself back at Culver City- He is kinda like a baby." The Tyrannosaurus-like Mixel said before sneezing into his handkerchief again. "But we all saw the video, Meltus. Even though I can now help the Frosticons max, 3 Champion-level Digimon, 3 Maxes, and a few Mixels and mixes might not be enough to take something with that much combat experience down! And if you ask me, the executioner might not even have an I-Cubit fragment that's putting him under the control of the Nixels...!" Kiyo explained, trying to be the voice of reason, before Jamzy intervened. "If you ask me, Wonderboy, Jellymon's got a higher risk at being targeted than the rest of us. Besides, she's the one always going out on her own doing her business trips. And they've been going farther than the reaches of this entire city ever since she met the Klinkers." The living Frender Mixokaster guitar told the Class representative, who nodded. "Even then, I feel like we're forgetting someone..." Flurr said, sounding lost in thought, before it clicked in the minds of him, Meltus, Teslo, Jamzy, Melody, Kiyo, Maya, and Casey. "S(Z)CORPI!"

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Meanwhile, at the Roark household, Rose, Alya, Amber, Francis, and Abraham were all sitting in Amber's room, while Alya was using her older sister's computer to look for something on the Internet. A bit curious of what she was looking for on the website, Wiz-Wuz skittered over to the desk where the computer, and then began to climb up the side of the desk to get a better look. "What'cha looking at?" The spider-like Mixel asked her, as Angoramon went over to her side, as well as Seismo and Gox. "Well, you probably don't know on account of you, the other Mixels, and Angoramon being from different worlds, but..." Alya began, as she scrolled down on the website, showing them a few images of Ballistic shields. "You know those Ballistic shields that SWAT teams just carry around with them? Apparently, you can just buy them online!" She cheered, as Amber just shook her head. "I won't lie- Sure, the world wide web is convenient, but even then, I doubt that a ballistic shield will do the trick. Besides, those things cost more than a thousand dollars! What's more, even if Angoramon ends up being targeted, I can't let you or the Cragsters get involved!" She said worriedly, hugging her little sister, before Kamzo broke the short-lived silence. "Hold up- Where's Flain, Henry, and Flamzer?" He asked, as the group looked over at the short Klinker. "I thought they went inside with the rest of us...!" Abraham said, as Seismo got up. "Me go look for them." The tall Cragster said, as he walked out of the room. "Whatever's happening, I hope that the three of them are ok..." Rose worriedly told the group, before she got a text from Casey.

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Seismo walked out of the Roark household, worries flooding his Cragster mind. What was taking Flain, Henry, and Flamzer so long? Vulk and Burnard both had already gone inside with the rest of them, so why were they not with them? And then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the fire on Flain's head, billowing through the night. "I'm just saying, you guys, there's something about Gammamon we just CAN'T trust! Ever since he digivolved into Kaus Gammamon when we all fought Yatagaramon, I felt some sort of bad feeling, and every time he's digivolved after that point, that same feeling keeps slowly growing inside me..." He told Henry and Flamzer, as the trio were sitting outside in the driveway. "And I'm guessing ever since Gammamon first digivolved into Wezen Gammamon a few days ago during the Weedmon invasion at Casey's school, that feeling has gotten even worse?" Henry asked him, remembering what Casey and the Infernite Cousins had told him about what had happened, causing the leader of the red-hot Infernites to nod. "Yeah. And I don't know if it's just me just being paranoid or not, but I've gots this weird feeling telling me that it's all gonna be forced out in the worst way possible soon! And what's more, whatever that bad feeling is supposed to be, it's something similar to the Devourer of Space, but..." he said, gritting his teeth in rage. 

"Even though that bad feeling's there, I can't just let Gammamon get killed by the Executioner. Carlos entrusted me, Vulk, and Zorch to look after him before we ended up meeting Casey, you, and all the others, and as leader of the Infernites, I don't want to let him and the others down... Not like how I let everymixel down by trying to be so valiant before Regulusmon succeeded in devouring Planet Mixel and the Mixel Moon..." The Infernites' leader sadly looked down at the pavement, before Flamzer rested a claw on his shoulder. "Flain, listen to me- Sure, Planet Mixel and the Mixel Moon may have been devoured, but you were still trying to protect them, as well as the rest of us. You didn't let us down back then, and I can promise you that no matter what might happen in the coming future, you'll never let us down." The Shrimp-like Mixel reassuringly said to his cousin, as Henry nodded. "You've got us, Flain." Casey's brother told him, as he looked behind their little group, and saw Seismo by the front door of Amber and Alya's house, watching and listening to their conversation. "And you've also got your Cragster compadre, too."

 Flain seemed confused by Henry's words, before turning around and seeing Seismo, causing him to scream for a few seconds, before quickly regaining his composure. "S-Seismo, how much of our conversation did you hear?" He asked him, as the Cragster sat down between the leader of the Infernites and Henry, before sighing. "Me heard it all. Flamzer right- we not know what future hold, but me know you no let us down no matter what, Flain. Besides, you, Krader, Teslo, Flurr, Gobba, and Kraw save Mix Festival big-big time 10 years ago when rest of us were nixed!" Seismo told his Infernite friend, who just smiled, trying to hide most of his worries (that Henry, Flamzer, and his friend now knew of, that is). "Thanks, man..." Flain said, his eyes shining with a faint glimmer of happiness, as he went back inside with the others.

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Meanwhile, in Rialto, a city not too far from Santa Monica, a yellow Digimon that nearly resembled Mothra had flown towards a neon sign. Slowly, a red dot began to climb up the side of the digital bug's face. Hearing the faint breathing that was coming from behind it, the Digimon turned around, only to be greeted by a knife to the frontal lobe, as it was then turned to data, which flowed in a certain direction. "Neun... Neun... Neun..." A voice muttered from the darkness of a nearby building not too far from where the murdered insect Digimon once was.

 From the distance atop a nearby rooftop, a cloaked figure had witnessed the murder of the Digimon who had been killed at the hands of the executioner. "That was the 999th one... Damn...!" The cloaked figure said somberly, some concern in her voice, as the trio of Nindjas had reached the same rooftop that she was standing on. "There you are, Akane!" Cobrax called over to her, as the trio of Orange and Black mixels walked over to her. "Why'd you rush ahead like that? One minute, you're right behind us, and the next, You're all the way here before us!" Spinza asked her, as the Cloaked figure (A/N- Who was now revealed to be named Akane, and therefore the very same Akane that Cobrax mentioned 11 chapters ago) sat down on the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the ground. "I'm sorry, guys, it's just..." She apologized, and then sighed. "... Considering that we have my cousins' and their friends helping us get to the bottom of this Executioner business, I can't help but worry if I'm only harming them, their partners, and the other Mixels by dragging them all into more danger than what they've already faced, let alone more danger than they can handle... One of them or more could get killed, and it'd be all because of me..." She lamented, on the verge of tears, as Mysto stood behind her, gently placing a pincer hand on her shoulder.

"Please calm down, Akane. Sometimes, we must do the wrong thing for the right reasons." The wise sensei of the Nindjas told her, causing Akane to smile lightly, drying her tears. "Th... Thanks, Mysto." She said as she got up and turned to face the 3 Nindjas. "Now, I need to meet with Casey, Henry, and their allies tomorrow night at Clover Park. Let's head home and get some rest." Akane said, as the quartet of human and 3 Mixels jumped from rooftop to rooftop, unaware that a set of 4 glowing grey eyes were watching them from above, as well as a girl wearing a grey Jacket, who hid behind a wall. "Clover park, huh?" She asked herself with a bit of a monotonous voice. "Then tomorrow night, me, the living glow-sticks, and the Nixels will finally strike, alongside our trusty Scharfricter..."

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The next day, Jellymon was off on her usual outings, looking for something that'd interest her. "Hah! Executioner, my foot!" She scoffed, as she did a few karate poses while she walked. "I can read my opponent's movements like an open book!" She cheered, as she saw a rustling bush, which frightened her, before she saw Scorpi hop out of it. "Scorpi? What are you doing here?" The mollusk Digimon asked him, as he just tilted his head, and pulled out a poorly drawn sketch of Rose wearing a scarf, which Jellymon took a hold of, and looked at it confusedly. "I'm guessing you snuck away from Rose and the others because you wanted to surprise her by getting her a scarf as a way to apologize about the misunderstanding you had with her during the situation with Reppamon?" Jellymon asked him, as the Scorpion-like mixel nodded. "Well, it's dangerous for you to be going at it alone. I'll protect you, so that way, you don't risk yourself getting hurt thanks to the Executioner or worse!" She told the little leader of the Spikels, as she picked him up in her arms, and carried him with her. "Now, onwards, my little spikey scorpion sidekick- To Kathmandu Boutique!" She cheered happily, as she floated off with the leader of the Spikels. Scorpi knew very well that this was insanely risky, as he and Jellymon were both painting targets on their backs, but he knew very well that he wanted to get Rose something to make up for the misunderstanding that occurred a while back between the two of them. And if he had to make himself a target, so be it.

Later that evening, back at the Almenera household, the entire group (save for Jellymon and Scorpi) were holding their group meeting before they went to Clover Park to meet up with Crimson Shinobi. Francis was looking at his tablet, which had marked down all the locations where Digimon had been slain. "Fransis, do you have any Champion coins?" Gammamon asked him, as the human partner of the Klinkers shook his head. "Not right now, buddy." He told him, as Gammamon let out a soft 'ohh..'. "The zcenes of the attacks Clockmon gathered don't zeem to have anything in common..." Teslo thought to himself, his tail swishing with frustration. "And the same can be said for the Digimon victims..." Flurr nodded in agreement, as Amber looked down at the ground. "So that leaves us with no leads..." She said, as Casey looked over to the group. "Well, there's gotta be something we can do..." She said, lost in thought, as Kiyo turned to face Casey. "But are you and Henry really planning on trying to negotiate with the Executioner?" The Class Representative asked, as Henry nodded. "While it may be risky, we can't let this continue." He said, as Kiyo looked down at the ground. "I-I know, but at the expense of us potentially getting killed?" Angoramon looked around the room. "Hold on, where's Jellymon and Scorpi?" He asked, before Rose perked up with worry, remembering the text Casey sent her last night. "I... I think I know... Casey said that there'd be chance that even if I forgave him, Scorpi would go out of his way to make it up to me regarding our little Scuffle a while back, so he must be somewhere in town trying to get me something...!" She said, as Mesmo then closed his eyes briefly, before opening them again. "He's with Jellymon at Lincoln Boulevard. The only shop there is Kathmandu Boutique, last I checked." The Raven-like Mixel said. Casey then sighed. "Well, looks like we'll have to find them. Hopefully the two haven't strayed too far, or are already at Clover Park waiting for us..." She said worriedly, as the group left the room, with Gammamon still in the room, staring at a small map of all the continents of Earth, his vision seeing small black dragons eating away at the map, leaving a black void, and shards of glass being the remains of the map. "No... I won't let him do it, and he can't make me do it, either...!" Gammamon said, frightened, as he flew out the room, scared. The voices he heard in his head were no mere coincidence- Another side of him was resurfacing; One he had hoped to hide from the Infernites and the rest of his new friends...

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Meanwhile, Scorpi had arrived with Jellymon at Clover Park, the Mollusk Digimon carrying a shopping bag with Rose's scarf (and a few extra things that she bought for herself). "Well, we made it. And about time, too! We're 5 minutes early! And you'd expect a Ninja of all people to know what it means to be punctual!" Jellymon smirked, before she heard a few snarls from the bushes around her. "I swear, if this is Zorch pranking us..." She then groaned, as a bunch of Nixels surrounded her and Scorpi. "Nixels. Why does it have to be Nixels almost every dang time?!" Jellymon grumbled, as the rest of the group showed up. "Scorpi! Jellymon!" Gammamon called to them, as Flain used Volcanic Volley to knock back the Nixels surrounding them, as Aleena came out from behind a tree, surprising Amber. "A-Aleena?! What are you doing here? And why are you with these..." Amber stopped to think of a way to hide the Nixels for what they really were. "...Dangerous Hologram Ghosts?" Upon hearing this, Aleena just burst into laughter. "You think that I didn't know about them? Several months of these Mixel and Digimon vs Nixel and Nixed Digimon battles that the dumb Glowsticks occasionally joined, and you thought I was none the wiser, even when you ended up with walking, talking pet rocks?!" She kept laughing, as Aleena then sighed a breath of relief, before shouting at her 'friend', the other chosen ones, the Digimon, and all the Mixels that were with them. "LET ME PUT THIS IN A WAY THAT ALL OF YOU IMMATURE BUFFOONS CAN UNDERSTAND!!!"

(Cue 'I'm the Bad Guy' From Wander Over Yonder)

https://youtu.be/cweo-Ebc-LQ

[All the Nixels got up, lining up in rows beside the chosen ones, as they all watched in confusion of whatever was going on. The Glowkies only swayed to the beat, as Aleena slowly strutted her way towards Amber, who was just watching this all with the eyes of a heartbroken dreamer.]

"I'm not the child cryin' in fear.

I'm not your best friend or the stan-dard goth-girl.

I'm not a baby who needs any help walking.

Nope...

[Aleena pulls out her I-cubit Pendit from underneath her shirt, which is still around her neck on an ugly grey string, as the Mixel Tribe leaders all stare at it in complete shock.]

... We're the bad guys.

All those Digimon that you had fought,

Each of them, corrupted by I-cubits, had knelt before me.

So, I'm not your ally or your com-pa-d-re~.

[Aleena looks to the Nixels]

What are we, boys?

[Aleena's eyes widen in realization, before she sighs.]

... Wait, they can't talk. We're the Bad Guys.

[Aleena then just spins, dancing around the Chosen ones, as she resumes singing.]

Oh, it was magic,

To watch their moon and planet,

Be spatially devoured.

Oh, it's thrillin',

To help the villain.

He devoured their homes and then watched them-fly-here. 

[Aleena just steps closer to Gammamon, giggling, a sick and twisted look on her face, as Gammamon knows all too well who she'd meant by 'he'.]

'CAUSE WE'RE THE BAD GUYS!

[Amber just looks shocked, tears filling her eyes, unable to believe that, ever since she met the Cragsters, her best friend was on the enemy's side. Aleena then resumed Singing, as a peculiar Digimon arrives in the shadows, and from a nearby rooftop, the Nindjas and Akane gaze down, with Mysto looking as if he knows this Digimon.]

Oh, ain't it fantastic?

I point at something, He KILLS it!

And let me tell you why.

I've always shared their weakness,

For barrenness and bleakness.

We crush all your hopes and then we watch-you-cry.

[The peculiar Digimon begins throwing knives at our heroes, sending them in a scatter, as Gammamon's just too frightened to move.]

See, I find this business rather FUN!

I don't want your advice, or any af-fect-ion!

Regulusmon'll devour space and time, then bid y'all bye-bye!

Why?

Come on, GUESS!!

[The Chosen ones and the Mixels all watch as The Nixels break the lines they were standing in, about 70 of them surrounding them, as Casey, Henry, and Amber all spoke up.]

'Cause you're the Bad Guys?

[Aleena shook her head, as she walked by, as the Digimon Mysto saw came out from the shadows, revealing itself to be a Dragon Digimon clad in swat soldier garb, eyeing Gammamon, who just growled at her, trying to hide his fears, but to no true avail.]

Well, I'd say bad Girl in my case.

[Aleena bursts into laughter, as the Nixed Glowkies floated behind her, as the mysterious Digimon just eyes the children, the Mixels, and the 3 Digimon who are still surrounded by the Nixels.]

_____________________________________________________________________

(End Song)

"Aleena, why are you doing all of this? I thought we were friends!" Amber asked her former friend, tears in her eyes. The goth girl of Angelwood Middle School just scoffed. "You really are that big of a buffoon, aren't you, Amber? All my life, I've been seen as a freak within Society, and I'm sick of it! But, ever since I found this little I-Pendit around my neck, as well as these little miscreants, I've found more than a plethora of ways to take my revenge on those in this town who have wronged me!" Aleena shouted.  Casey just watched the two talk it out, scared and confused. "This can't really be how she feels... All that we've heard about 'Leena from everyone else at School was nothing but praise, and how she's an all-around good person...!" Casey said, worried, as a few small groups of Nixels jumped at her. And they would've hit her, too, if it weren't for a trio of Orange and black blurs knocking back the Nixels, taking Aleena by surprise, as Crimson Shinobi showed up, and when the blurs stopped moving, they were revealed to be none other than the Nindjas "Sorry to crash the party, Nixels. But we're not about to let you hurt our friends." Crimson Shinobi said with a smirk, as she pulled out a bladed fan, as she and the Nindjas were on the attack, taking down each one of the Nixels with lightning-fast speed. Amidst the confusion, Flamzer just glanced over at Casey, who was just staring at Aleena, her eyes filled with doubt. But she and all the others had to know the truth, especially now. "Believe me, Casey- That wasn't the real Aleena talking. That I-pendit's got her Nixed." The shrimp-like mixel told her, as she, the mixels (sans Meltus and Burnard), the 3 Digimon, and all the other kids (Save for Crimson Shinobi and Aleena) all stared at him, completely shocked. They felt there was no way that it could even remotely be true, yet the proof was staring them all down...

 "I must admit, though- I did find it a bit of a fun game, watching you take down Regulusmon's Dark Paladins with ease. Then again, you did get a very small few of the Mixels back together, as well as Gammamon getting those two false evolutions when you fought Yatagaramon and those Weedmon..." Aleena admitted while she walked over to the Digimon clad in swat soldier garb, as the Glowkies flew over to where Aleena once stood.  "But I fear it's game over now, former friends. What pity, though..." She then raised her hand, about to point at someone, before pointing at Gammamon. "I was hoping we'd get to see something special out of the baby. Sealsdramon, kill him." She said, as Sealsdramon, the Digimon who had been given the title of Der Scharfricter, or The Executioner, just stared at Gammamon, and with accuracy matching that of a laser, threw a knife directly at Gammamon's chest.

Now, the thing is, the Accuracy of a laser has got nothing on speed. Especially that of a Nindja. While Casey and the others tried to get Gammamon out of the way from the knife that was flying at him, they didn't exactly have fast enough reflexes nor speed to get to him. What's more, Akane, Cobrax, and Spinza were too preoccupied with the few remaining Nixels, leaving Mysto as the only one to save him. And just when the knife was about to hit the little triceratopsian baby...

KRA-KIIIISH!!

Gammamon had noticed he had been knocked to the ground somehow when he clearly remembered being near Casey and Flain, but he then saw Mysto on his knees, only a few inches in front of him, breathing shakily. "Mysto...?" Gammamon mumbled, somehow knowing his name despite having just now met him. Mysto weakly looked to Gammamon, revealing he had the knife lodged into his shoulder.  "You're safe, little one..." He said weakly, as his eyes softly closed, and hit the ground. The chosen ones, the Mixels, Angoramon, and Jellymon frightfully stared at the leader of the Nindjas, who had fallen to the ground, rainbow-like blood slowly staining the once pristine green grass. "Sensei..." Crimson Shinobi muttered under her breath, shocked at what had unfolded before her eyes, as she ran to the seemingly lifeless body of the Nindjas' leader, holding him in her arms. Aleena merely smirked, as she glanced over at Sealsdramon, who nodded, and only responded with one word.

"Ein... Tausend."

Gammamon stared up at Mysto, his little yellow eyes wide and trembling with fear, as he then muttered faint gibberish that sounded like Mysto's name, Casey just cried on Henry's shoulder upon seeing Mysto sacrifice himself. "Mysto..." Gammamon choked up as he fell to his knees, his claws now stained by the pool of Mysto's rainbow colored blood, as Magnifo glanced over at Kiyo. "Kiyo, you're the one who's an expert on German! What'd Sealsdramon say?" The leader of the Wiztastics asked, as Kiyo trembled, not wanting to say anything at first, before speaking up. "One... One thousand..." He said regrettably, as he and the other chosen ones were all too frightened to comprehend Mysto's sacrifice, save for Crimson Shinobi, Cobrax, and Spinza. "Mysto... Mysto..." Gammamon muttered, his body twitching ever so slightly as he got up on his feet, and as he got up, the evolution gauge on the screen of Casey's D-Vigor slowly began to fill, but something was off. The blue background would rapidly switch from blue to black, and the yellow on the gauge swiftly swapped between yellow light and grey light. "D-Don't worry, guys! Gammamon's about to digivolve! We can turn the tables right about- Now?" Casey mumbled with a bit of worry, as once the gauge was so close to filling up with yellow light, it only filled up with the gray light, Causing Darkness to form in Gammamon's eyes, making them completely black, with only small white iris being the only thing in the pools of pitch-black night that were his eyes. 

"MYSTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" Gammamon roared, his voice now distorted between a sweet, childish voice, and that of all his evolutions known so far, as the red, blue, and Green DNA helixes slowly began to appear around him, as Gammamon went towards Sealsdramon to do what the little triceratopsian baby knew he had to do- Avenge the fallen leader of the Nindjas.

"GAMMAMON! DARK DIGIVOLVE TO!!!!!!" Gammamon snarled, as he began to move towards Sealsdramon, the DNA helixes moving along with him, as all three DNA helixes soon sank into his body, causing him to disappear, and the flow of time around Gammamon briefly stopped, causing Mixel, human, and Digimon alike to freeze in place where they were. Seconds later, however, a plume of blue and black flames exploded near where the Glowkies were, resulting in the flow of time to resume shortly after, as a pair of red claws swatted Vampos into a tree, a long, golden harpoon-like tail struck Boogly down to the ground, and a horned head that knocked Globert back into Aleena all prodded out of the blooming pyre at once, revealing a new digivolution for Gammamon. One with nothing but malicious intent for all those who got close to it...

"GULUS GAMMAMON!"

Casey stared up at the new Gammamon in fear, both of her eyes shaking, as the Glowkies whimpered in pain from what this new digivolution of Gammamon had done to them, as they soon retreated, flying away from Clover Park, all while Aleena smirked, before turning to face Sealsdramon, who stayed while the nixed goth girl had left. "A... Black Gammamon?" Casey muttered, as all the human children just stared up at Gulus Gammamon, unable to get a single word out. Jellymon and Angoramon just backed away, while Flain, Krader, Flamzer, Teslo, Flurr, Jamzy, Gox, and Magnifo (Scorpi was just looking around, distracted by everything else) all glared up at the black and purple Gammamon, bad memories hitting them like a truck. "It'z him...!" Teslo fearfully said, his tail making a soft electrical crackle noise while it swished around, as Flurr just scowled at the new evolution. "It can't be him..." The blue Ice dragon Mixel tried to deny it, but the words that came out of Krader's mouth only proved him wrong. "But it is..." The small and short leader of the Cragsters said, growling at Gulus. "You're the form that The Devourer of Space had taken on before devouring Planet Mixel, and the Mixel Moon!" Flain then shouted, the flame on his head growing intense with rage, as it became a darker red. Gulus Gammamon then only slowly turned his head to face the 7 tribe leaders, as he gently closed his eyes and tilted his head. "Y'all finally remember me?" Gulus asked them, before wickedly laughing.

Brief moments of cold, heartless laughter later, Sealsdramon then began to throw a barrage of knives at Gulus Gammamon, who simply dodged them, leaving Wiz-Wuz and Tapsy to defend the rest of the group with their defensive capabilities. "IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!" The jet-black Gammamon snarled, as he sliced a few trees down with a singular swipe of his tail, and then grabbed Sealsdramon by the neck, which ended up shocking Angoramon. "He dealt with Sealsdramon without a single issue...!" he shakenly said, as Gulus just tapped one of his free claws on the side of Sealsdramon's helmet, revealing a cluster of large I-cubit shards that just sprouted from the side of his head like a multitude of spiky horns.

  "Why am I not surprised?" Gulus muttered. "I've seen singular fragments in the Digimon that Charcoal Latte sent after me an' the Morsels, but she must've REALLY wanted you to follow her every word. But look at you; A once mighty member of the D-Brigade who had a part to play as the assassination specialist, and as who's had their free will completely stripped from ya, you're killing innocents, taking the lives of anyone who she tells ya t'kill. Hell, you murked someone who was actually close to me. Almost makes me feel bad for what Spicy and I are about to do to ya. ALMOST." Gulus Gammamon snarled, as he glanced down at Casey, who looked like she was seeing a new word in her head at first, but only saw static, as Casey fell to the ground, causing Gulus to growl. "And here I was, thinkin' ya were done being uncomplacent after the goddamn Weedmon invasion dat happened a few days ago..." "Case!" Amber shouted, as she, Seismo, and Shuff rushed over to the Mixels Fangirl to help her up on her feet. "Casey, you ok?" Shuff asked, as the girl from Spain let out a soft mumble. "I'm fine. I felt the thing flow in like usual, but I couldn't see it. All I saw was... Stuff. I don't know what it was, but it was like solidified poison blocking the words." Upon hearing her, Gulus Gammamon scoffed. "I see how it is, Spicy." He told Casey. "You and yer so-called Amigos can do whatever the fuck y'all want. I don't need ANYONE." And as soon as he said that, in a flash of quick movement and precision, his tail pierced through the patch of I-cubit shards, as he shouted one thing-

(CUE INSERT THEME- WISH IN THE DARK, BY HIROYUKI TAKAMI)

https://youtu.be/qrzJcLGdcRk

"DEAD-END SKEWER!"

The sound of glass crackling, and then breaking could be heard as Gulus Gammamon's harpoon-like tail stabbed through the I-cubit cluster as Sealsdramon glowed, and then died like any other Digimon would've upon attaining a blunt stab to the head, leaving the Mixels shocked, but for a different reason than their human partners. "He touched the I-cubit clusterz..." Volectro muttered. "... But he not Nixed..." Seismo finished, as Gulus smirked, and absorbed the data of Sealsdramon into his body, while Henry just stared at the black dragon in fear. "¿Q-Quién eres?" He asked the black dragon, who just slowly turned to face the boy. "You don't recognize me, Henry? It's me- The REAL me." 

Casey reached one of her hands out towards Gulus, before getting stopped by Vulk. "Casey, don't!" The cat-like Mixel warned her, grabbing her jacket sleeve, which had now been slightly burnt due to his fingers, as Casey turned to face Vulk and the rest of the Mixels, who all looked up at Gulus Gammamon in either rage or fear. "That'z not Gammamon, Cazey... Not anymore." Teslo angrily told her while his tail swished from side to side, creating sparks, as Kamzo only nodded. "That... Thing, is nothing but a menace to mixelkind. A menace known only as the Midnight Killer." Flain told her, the flame on his head no longer yellowish orange, but deep red. Casey didn't want to believe it. She couldn't believe it. The sweet, gentle, and easily determined Gammamon had digivolved into something that the Mixels hated more than the Nixels themselves...

"Well, I'll be taking my leave now, Spicy & friends. Ciao." Gulus Gammamon said with a small smirk, as Casey reached her hand out a small bit and stepped forward, before Jinky stopped her, getting in front of the Mixel fangirl. "Casey, please don't..." The tall Klinker begged her, before Casey then pushed Jinky aside, causing Gulus Gammamon to smirk. "There's the Proud girl from Spain I remember meeting who wouldn't let a damn thing stop her, regardless of wh't she was forced t'go up against. But don't think they're scared shitless of me fer nuthin', Spicy." He said, bearing a toothy grin. "They all remember who I am now, but it seems like you and those other human friends of yers don't have a damn clue, huh?" Crimson Shinobi then set Mysto down on a bench, but not before gently taking the knife out, putting a large cotton ball atop the wound to stop any more blood from coming out, and then placed large strand of medical tape atop the cotton ball, covering the stab wound. "That's where you're wrong. I know exactly who you are, Gulus Gammamon." The ninja said, as Cobrax and Spinza stood by her side, catching Gulus' attention. "... Well, it's not like it matters. Da rest of 'em will know in due time." Gulus rolled his eyes, before laughing again, causing a chill to roll down the Mixels' spines.

"What are you talking about?!" Casey shouted with worry, as she continued to push mixel after Mixel out of her way, despite her getting burnt, shocked, poked, and anything else-ed, just trying to get close to her Digimon friend. "Gammamon, please, snap out of it! This isn't you!" She called out, as the Mixel Fangirl reached her hand out towards Gulus, whose eyes twitched with rage, before slapping her hand away. "It's GULUS Gammamon, you little dumbass!" The black triceratopsian humanoid Digimon roared, as he grabbed Casey, and swiftly flew towards a tree, pinning the Mixel fangirl against it with one claw, and a mass of blue flame forged in the other claw, all while the two Digimon, 10 humans, and 26 Mixels all stared in shock, worried of what was to become of Casey. "Just understand this, Almenera; This is the real me. The side of me that nobody has known... Until now, that is. And it's gon' stay that way." He said maliciously, as the claw full of fire slowly reached Casey's face, but moments before he could get any closer to Casey's face with the blue flames, Crimson Shinobi's Voice echoed through the dark night, as Spinza dashed towards Gulus Gammamon.

[燕返し]

"TSUBAME GAESHI!" The masked Ninja commanded, as Spinza then immediately grabbed Gulus Gammamon, and threw Gulus into a wall, saving Casey. "You alright?" The shuriken crab-like Mixel asked her, as Casey then nodded. "Y-Yeah. Thanks, Spinza." She smiled lightly, as Gulus then floated back up on his feet. "Well, I was feeling cramped fer a bit, so I wanted to go 'round the city 'n wreck stuff so it'd be ready for somethin' much great'r." Gulus Gammamon said, tilting his head in thought. "But you guys all just took every bit of the fun outta me devourin' Spicy. I guess that means I've just gotta play with you 'n the otha' damn colorful rats."

"Casey, we've gotta stop Gulus Gammamon!" Crimson Shinobi said as she went over to the Mixels Fangirl, as Flain looked over at her. "Are you schnixing CRAZY!? That thing's the Midnight Killer! He can't be stopped!" The leader of the Infernites shouted at her, as Crimson Shinobi shook her head. "How do you know if you've only fought Regulusmon before your world was devoured?" She asked, as Casey nodded. "I know you and the others are scared, Flain, but what's more important to you guys right now- Protecting Santa Monica from the Midnight Killer, or being cowardly enough to save your own hides?" Flain looked up at Casey, trembling a bit, as he looked at the other 25 Mixels who only looked at Gulus Gammamon in either fear or rage. The leader of the Infernites couldn't deny it at this point- He and some of the other Mixels were scared. But if there was one thing the hot-headed leader of the Infernites did know, it was that he and the other Mixels couldn't let what happened to their world happen to Earth. And it wouldn't. Flain then nodded, and all the other 25 Mixels (Sans the Nindjas, of course) looked to Casey, and all nodded, as they went over to the Mixels fangirl, alongside their human partners, and the duo of Angoramon and Jellymon.

 "We can't let something like this be the thing that scares us to the point of being unable to do anything. Time to burn our dread!" She said to the group, as the 2014 infernites, Electroids, and Frosticons all Maxed, as well as Angoramon and Jellymon digivolving into their champion forms. "If you ask me, it's totally annoying that we're getting looked down upon!" Tesla Jellymon said, as she floated towards Gulus Gammamon with Symbare Angoramon, 2014 infernites Max, Frosticons Max, and Electroids Max all running by her side towards Gulus Gammamon. But the moment the Infernites Max had the flame on their head create the knight's helmet like it normally would before attacking, Casey saw the solidified poison in her mind once more, blocking the words that would command the max to use Blazing Knuckle, resulting in Casey falling to her knees one last time. "Not again...!" She muttered through the pain, as Gulus Gammamon then just flew towards the 2014 infernites Max. "Cute. Real cute, Fireball. Crab legs only got me 'cause I was distracted. Dat's a mistake I ain't gon' make again." Was all that came out of his mouth, as Gulus Gammamon just held a fist out towards the 3 Maxes and 2 Champion-level Digimon, and said one thing as a large cone shaped burst of flames shot out at the group of 5 (Which was technically 11 when you consider that Maxes are 3 Mixels from the same tribe who Mixed together)-

The maxes instantly split back into their separate forms upon getting hit by the blast of black and blue flame, as Symbare Angoramon had only barely avoided it, and saving Tesla Jellymon in the process. "He's got more skill with his pyrokinetic attacks compared to Betel Gammamon, more speed than Kaus Gammamon, and hits harder than Wezen Gammamon..." Maya said, analyzing the situation. Hearing this, Tesla Jellymon just smirked, an idea forming in the Mollusk Digimon's head. "Well, there's one thing that he totally can't utilize or counter- The power to Mix!" She said, looking over at the duo of Rose and Abraham. Rose just froze up in shock. "B-But if he can take down 3 Maxes and 2 champion level Digimon at once, who's to say that a Mix can take down Gulus Gammamon?!" She asked, before Henry then stepped in. "But what if the Mix didn't have to fight Gulus?" All of the Mixels (Sans Scorpi and Mysto) all looked at Casey's older brother, confused. "I don't exactly know it'll work, but maybe we can figure out how to get through to him, and ultimately bring the Gammamon we all know and love back. And I think it's gonna take a bit of Magic, if you can catch my drift." He then explained, as Henry glanced at Mesmo, who nodded as he flew over. "I'm more than willing to do this. Like Casey said, we can't let Gulus escape Clover Park and cause damage to Santa Monica." The raven-like mixel said, as he looked to Scorpi, who, despite not paying much attention, knew what needed to be done. Rose then turned to face Abraham. "I guess we're really doing this..." She said, while Gulus Gammamon flew towards the group, amassing a large sphere of black and blue flames in one of his claws, causing Casey to look up and see what this evil evolution was doing. "Just because we met by pure coincidence, that doesn't instantly mean that we're all the closest of close friends." He explained, as he swiftly flew up into the air, about as high up as an airplane would probably be mid-flight. "But if y'all wanna play ball, well, then I guess we can play ball." Gulus said, as he glared down at the humans, Mixels, and Digimon coldly from above, still holding the large spherical inferno with one of his Claws.

"This Dark Palace will crush you all, and devour even Chicken, Kitty Boy, Takeout, Shrimp Scampi, Dino Nugget, and Gremlin within its blaze." Gulus smirked while he gazed down upon the 6 infernites, as Burnard just growled at the black and purple Digimon. He did NOT like being called a Gremlin, and not by someone who was partially responsible for the destruction of his home world, no less. "Gammamon, please!" Casey called out to him, trying to reach out to the Gammamon she knew that was somewhere inside Gulus. "You don't have to do this..!" While Casey was trying to talk Gulus down, but to no avail, Abraham gently held Rose's hand. "I know you're scared, Rose, but we're the only ones who can do this." The magician told her, as Rose slowly nodded. "Y-Yeah. We have to stop Gulus!" She said, as the Pendits around the duo's necks began to glow, before gaining each other's colors, becoming half tan, and Half purple.

(END OST, CUE INSERT THEME- 'WIPING ALL OUT' BY MAYUMI FUJITA AND LOTUS JUICE) 

https://youtu.be/cUiqPvPnRII

"Scorpi, you ready?" Rose asked her, as the little Scorpion nodded. Scarf or no scarf, he was ready to protect everyone at a moment's notice! Gulus Gammamon blinked for a brief moment, before seeing that Scorpi and Mesmo weren't where they were once standing. In their place, stood an entirely brand-new Mix. The Mix had Mesmo's body and legs, with six of Scorpi's feet on both sides of it. On top of its body was a purple body tapering underneath Scorpi's head, with transparent blue spikes on both sides, and both of Mesmo's wings on the top of its head. It also had Scorpi's tail, with a singular wizard hat on it, and Scorpi's tail spikes on both sides.

Gulus Gammamon just burst into a frenzy of wicked laughter upon seeing this peculiar new mix. "UWAHAHAHAHAHA!" He cackled, before drying a tear from one of his eyes with his free claw. "A scorpion Fly. REALLY? what's HE gonna do? Roll me out of commission?" The jet-black Digimon guessed, before shaking his head with a gentle sigh. "Nonetheless, I'll teach y'all the most important rule within this current era-" He began, as he began Swiftly flying down to the chosen ones, the two Digimon, the Mixels, and the one Mix, to try and engulf them all within the conflagration. "DEVOUR THE WORLD, OR LET THE WORLD DEVOUR YOU!" Gulus roared, but as he began rocketing downwards, Rose and Abraham both saw a word flow into their minds.

[ドリームニードル.]

"DREAM NEEDLE!" The duo shouted, as the Scorpi and Mesmo mix dodge-rolled out of the dark dinosaur's way, and with a swish of its tail, the Mix shot out three spikes that were covered in a mystical aura. However, moments before they struck Gulus Gammamon in the arm, he let out a choked gasp, as his eyes widened, before getting pricked by the spikes, causing him to crash into the ground just a few inches in front of the group while Dark Palace dissipated, Causing Gulus to enter a state of Slumber.

________________________________________________________________________________

(Start of flashback / Dream, End Insert theme, cue Digimon Ghost Game OST Track 28- Shoushitsu to Saisei)

https://youtu.be/qimv1lYhwsM

"I'm Cold, I'm tired, and I'm hungry." 

Those were exactly Gammamon's feelings and thoughts as he had wandered through the foggy streets of Santa Monica. He had lost track of how many days it had been since he first arrived in this world... Wherever 'This world' was supposed to be. The little triceratopsian then felt his stomach contract out of hunger. "So... Hungry..." He weakly muttered, as he kept stumbling through the haze covering the suburban area. Suddenly, he saw 3 silhouettes, with glowing lights- 2 glowing lights from one silhouette's hands, and one coming from another silhouette's head. All 3 silhouettes seemed slightly bigger than him, though, from what he could see. "Flain, where is she? Carlos said she'd be here, right?" The silhouette with the glow originating from its hands asked the other two silhouettes. The one with the glowing head just calmly sighed. "Yeah, he said Casey would be attending Angelwood Middle school here in this city... We just need to find her." The silhouette with the glowing head nodded. "Besides, she's our human partner. The sooner we find her, the sooner we'll not only have a place to stay while we're here, but the sooner we can find a way back to Planet Mixel!" The third silhouette only scoffed as he turned around, only to be greeted by Gammamon, who just looked scared for a brief moment, before snarling at the silhouette, who was now revealed to actually be Zorch, as the baby triceratops got closer to him and the other Infernites, looking almost feral.

"Hey, Flain?" Zorch turned to Flain, who saw the small white creature. "Woah, a baby Mixeloptor!" Flain said, a bit startled by Gammamon, who tilted his head. He could easily see that these three beings had no intentions on hurting him, but he was still hungry, as he felt his stomach growl. "Hungry..." He cried, as Vulk just stared at the little creature in worry, resulting in the cycloptic Infernite reaching into a bag he brought with him, and pulled out a small piece of bread, which got slightly burnt due to his fingers. "Here. You really seem like you need it." The Cat-eared Mixel said as Gammamon cautiously took the lightly cooked psuedo-toast, and scarfed it down, a wide smile quickly growing on his face. "Ohh~! That was really good!" Gammamon beamed, as he hugged the three Infernites. "A talking Mixeloptor?" Zorch muttered, startled by the fact Gammamon could talk. "Heh, now I've seen everything!" The triceratopsian baby just tilted his head, confused by Zorch's words. "I'm not a Mixeloptor..." Flain just narrowed an eye, confused by Gammamon's statement. "Then, if you're not a Mixeloptor, who and what are you?" The triceratopsian baby just laughed happily. "I'm Gammamon! And I'm a..." Gammamon then paused, as a light 'hmm...' of thought came from him. "I dunno what I am. But I do know who you guys are; You're Flain, Vulk, and Zorch! Carlos Almenera said for me to find his daughter, Casey Almenera, since he said she could help me figure out who and what I am!" Flain's expression of suspicion then changed to one of confusion. "But you just said that your name was Gammamon..." The leader of the Infernites told him, before Vulk had a thought. "Maybe he means who and what he's supposed to be?" The soft-spoken Infernite theorized, as Flain lightly smiled, as he turned to face Gammamon. "Well, you're looking for Casey, just like us... You can stick with us, little compadre!" The hotheaded Infernite leader told the white and red triceratopsian creature, as he released them from his hug, staring at Flain in confusion. "What's a compadre?" He asked, confused, as the fog cleared up, while Zorch smirked at Gammamon's question. "It means we're friends now, Gamms!" The speedy Infernite told him, causing Gammamon to smile. "Yeah!" He happily cheered. "We're all friends now!"

________________________________________________________________________________

(End of Dream / Flashback, End OST)

"He's waking up, guys!" Casey called to the others, as Gammamon looked at his surroundings in confusion, realizing he was in Casey's bedroom, resting on her bed. He then looked at his claws, and saw they weren't bloody red anymore, but back to their navy-blue color. He looked up, seeing all his human, Digimon, and Mixel friends- Even Cobrax, Spinza, and Crimson Shinobi, who was still holding Mysto in her arms, which caused Gammamon to break down in tears upon seeing Mysto's body, which had reminded him of all the things he had done to his friends during the time he was still Gulus Gammamon.

(CUE INSERT THEME- 'KIZUNA' FROM DIGIMON SURVIVE, PERFORMED BY NANA TANIMURA)

https://youtu.be/C8k0mfyPtzE

"G-Gammamon, calm down!" Henry gently rested a hand on the little Digimon's shoulder, as he kept crying. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt any of you! And I especially didn't want t-to reveal my inner demons!" Gammamon kept sobbing, as the Mixels all looked at each other. "Inner demons...?" Lunk asked, as Flain looked down at the ground, feeling guilt form some sort of aching feeling in his chest. He knew there was something sinister about Gammamon, and it turned out to be the Midnight Killer. But what he didn't know, however, was that Gammamon would actually be completely aware of what he had done as Gulus Gammamon. He acted so different. Compared to Gammamon's sweet, innocent behavior, Gulus was cold, brash, and merciless. Gammamon just tried to dry his tears, but more came flowing out, as he hugged both branches of the Infernites. "Gammamon no like Midnight Killer we knew back home..." Krader said, stunned by how Gammamon was showing so much remorse for his actions. "You're right, Krader..." Flurr nodded, as he flew onto the bed, and nuzzled Gammamon. "Which means Gammamon isn't the Midnight Killer that we know." Gammamon just looked over at the two Nindjas and their human partner. "Wh-what about Mysto...? Is he.... Is he...?" Gammamon teared up, as Spinza just patted Gammamon's head. "Don't worry, little buddy. He's just unconscious. All he needs is some rest, and he'll be alright." The Crab-like Nindja Mixel told him, as Teslo hopped onto the bed, resting a pincer-hand on Gammamon's back. "Gammamon, we're zorry for saying that you weren't you when you had dark digivolved into Guluz..." The Electroid leader apologized, as all the other Mixels (excluding the Nindjas and Spikels) looked just as guilty as Teslo. Gammamon's eyes were just filled with tears, as the little Digimon then embraced everyone, Digimon, Human, and Mixel alike, in a hug, before turning to face Flain, Vulk, and Zorch. "I didn't mean to hurt you guys... Are we... Are we all still compadres...?" The little white triceratopsian Digimon asked, as Flain stayed silent for a few minutes. Gammamon was really apologetic. What's more, Flurr was right- Gammamon hadn't digivolved into the Midnight Killer that Mixelkind actually knew. Flain then nodded. "Yeah. We're all still friends." The leader of the Infernites nodded, as Gammamon felt himself being held by Burnard. "And even if you dark digivolve again, we now know that the Gammamon we know, and love, is still there." The chameleon-like Mixel said warmly, as Gammamon reached his claws out, and hugged Burnard's face, as Angoramon looked at the group. "When we overcome a tragic moment, it is the first true step for a Digimon." The rabbit-like Digimon said, as Casey looked at him, and momentarily glanced at Gammamon, who was getting along with the 27 Mixels, who were showcasing regret for thinking Gammamon was nothing more than a world-destroying monster, and then back at Angoramon.

"I think the same thing can be said for Mixels. 'Cause being here on Earth must've really helped them learn new things about themselves that they wouldn't be able to know about otherwise." She responded with a smile, as from outside, on a mossy rooftop, a lone green eye with eagle-like precision was watching the group.

(END OST)