Digimon Forever Arc Two – The Descent of the Joyful King: War Against Piedmon!
The Digidestined and their partners return to OmegaShoutmon, telling them of their adventures in the Insect Kingdom and introducing him to Wormmon. Jazz and Charissa express concern for the remains of the Insect Kingdom—after TyrantKabuterimon’s fall, many left the kingdom as refugees and the more stubborn remained alone without a leader. OmegaShoutmon explained that unfortunately, these things tend to happen, and that Digimon are used to being able to find their own way.
Thoughtful, Jazz later brings up the idea of a new city to OmegaShoutmon—one where people may be able to reside in tranquility when the rest of the world is in turmoil, a place where refugees and those without homes can come to. OmegaShoutmon is enchanted by the idea, and working together with his advisors and Jazz he grants the Digidestined a small chunk of territory before telling Jazz that it is now his canvas—and as both a trusted friend and a hero, he is allowed to create it as he sees fit. Slightly overwhelmed, Jazz consults Charissa and their Digimon to try and figure out just how to create a sanctuary.
Days later, the egg Stingmon retrieved from TyrantKabuterimon’s forces begins to hatch while being examined by the Digidestined. A Bubbmon emerges, gurgling angrily at the Digidestined. They realize that this Digimon is the reformatted TyrantKabuterimon, his anger at being defeated still raging. He attempts to use Shine of Bee but is greeted only by a tiny explosion and a massive loss of energy—attempting to try and soothe him, Jazz cradles the baby in his arms in which he quickly falls into a deep slumber. Beelzemon explains that while Bubbmon may still carry some of TyrantKabuterimon’s memories, they will likely fade with age and that since he was reformatted, he is a completely new Digimon. Charissa seems enthusiastic about “reforming” him if slightly wary, while Jazz quickly falls in love with the small Digimon. As the days go on, Bubbmon’s anger lessens and he starts warming up to the Digidestined and their Digimon, eventually evolving into Montemon. As Montemon, it seems that his rage has been completely quelled, and he is much more shy and child-like…though as he is surrounded by love, he is troubled by the tyrannical memories he sees within his dreams.
Leaving Montemon in the care of some of OmegaShoutmon’s trusted advisers, the Digidestined and their partners journey together to see the new territory that he had gifted to Jazz. The terrain was flat, grassy terrain surrounded by a great lake and hills, the area beyond the territory fading to wasteland. Jazz seemed unsure of what exactly he could do with the territory, the reality of it overriding his thoughts. As Charissa creatively begins listing out various ideas, they were rudely interrupted a roar of challenge. The small group turned to face the lone Digimon Ogremon, who announced their impending doom. Wormmon digivolved to Stingmon, standing beside Beelzemon to fight when even more Digimon began to pour down from the hills, creating a much larger challenge.
Prepared to fight, the Digimon leap into battle as Charissa and Jazz hang back. Sheltering beneath a nearby tree, the pair is horrified when a large Digimon swings down from the branch with a wide grin. The humans are faced with a Digimon called Maestromon, who gently boops Charissa on the nose with his large wand. He tells them that they have been sent by his leader, Piedmon, who seeks to capture the Digidestined. The humans attempt to escape from him, but he send them flying with a Gigabuster Impact, the jarring sound of rock n’ roll accompanying the soundwaves. They crash the ground, struggling to rise before the calming lilt of the Digimon’s bells begins to jingle around them. Beginning to fall into a deep trance, Maestromon starts to gather them up to bring back to his leader, but is subsequently stopped by Stingmon. The two engage in battle, and while Maestromon is much stronger Stingmon is much too fast, avoiding all his soundbursts until he is finally able to drive the evil Digimon back. Beelzemon is able to fight many of the weaker grunt Digimon, heading to battle Ogremon after Stingmon leapt to the human’s defense. It is easy to see who is stronger, and even if Ogremon is very powerful, he’s driven to his knees by the Demon Lord. It is only at Charissa’s screams does Beelzemon stop, disappointed that Charissa wants to keep him alive.
Frustrated with their defeat, Maestromon calls the remaining Digimon back and they flee, but not before he winks at the humans and tells them they’ll be back.
Beelzemon knocked Ogremon unconscious, and the small group decides it would be best to bring him back to OmegaShoutmon to figure out what to do with him. Ogremon is subsequently imprisoned, and exhausted from their battle the group falls into slumber after explaining what all had happened to the King. That night Jazz’s dreams are lucid, filled with visions of a time not his own—of great battles, an endless war, sorrow and triumph. He awakens the next morning, confused, but prepares to take a shower. As he strips down he is unable to stifle his panic when he finds a strange electric blue crystal lodged into his chest. Pulling his clothes back on he runs back out and to the others, showing them the crystal lodged in his chest. They immediately bring him to OmegaShoutmon, who in turn brings him to the Kingdom’s Analysts.
As the analysts performed tests on Jazz, he soon heard a voice, melodic and monotonous all at the same time, echo in his head. The voice told him that she was the Digital World, and that in a time of great peril her core sought a place of safety—and what is safer than the heart of her protector? While Jazz was a little confused at first, the Digital World assured him that all was safe and well, but they had a great threat approaching that could not only destroy the Digital World, but crumble reality itself. OmegaShoutmon urges Jazz to keep the core both secret and safe, which is happily accepts, excited by his new mission.
The King greatly wished for his human friends to be well protected, and after the battle against Piedmon’s forces and the addition of the Digital World Core into the equation, he wishes for them to learn how to protect themselves. He instructs Beelzemon and Stingmon (who is now able to hold his Champion form quite well) to journey to the Celestial Beings once more, where they will be given weapons and instructed on how to better protect themselves. The planning for the Digimon sanctuary is temporarily put to the side, and the group journeys out.
During their journey the human separate from their Digimon so that Jazz may talk to and reassure Charissa. They are intercepted by one of the other Demon Lords, the Mistress of Lust, Lilithmon. She tells them that Lucemon is still displeased by Beelzemon’s betrayal, and that he doesn’t like how they’ve been a little too active in crushing crime in the Digital World. She prepares to kill them, but as Jazz steps in front of Charissa to protect her, she finds herself unable to raise her hand to him. Frustrated, she attempts to seduce either of them but is dumbfounded when it has no effect—one of the only times her powers of seduction has failed, especially on a human. She turns to flee, threats spilling from her lips, as their partners return. Beelzemon looks frustrated with her appearance, but reassures the Digidestined that she’s the least powerful Demon Lord and no threat when he’s around.
Once meeting with Cherubimon, who is still carrying around Seraphimon’s egg, they are introduced to MagnaAngemon, one of Serpahimon’s generals. MagnaAngemon explains that he will have one of Ophanimon’s generals help them find their weapons and engage in a small amount of battle training, and after a few days he would return to asses. Jazz is incredibly excited by it all, but Charissa is incredibly nervous and terrified. They meet the other general, Knightmon, who despite his position seems to be more than a little anxious and awkward. He talks to them about the sorts of weapons they would enjoy, and it’s ultimately decided that Jazz would obtain a club while Charissa would obtain a shield. While the weapons are prepared, he gives them basic weaponry and teaches them a few moves. Jazz catches on very quickly, and while Charissa struggles she is able to grasp the battle strategy as well. The Digidestined and their Digimon both seem to enjoy Knightmon’s company, who admits he usually isn’t very comfortable with such personal interactions but has enjoyed staying with them as well. After a few days of training with Knightmon, the weapons are prepared and given to the humans. Jazz’s club with thick and heavy, but with just enough weight distribution to swing properly, while Charissa’s shield was energy based, unfolding from a gauntlet strapped to her wrist. After enough practice with those, they go to meet MagnaAngemon once again, who assesses them. While they are clearly unable to defeat him, they still manage to successfully battle and defend. He is proud of their progress, leaving to give a report to both Cherubimon and OmegaShoutmon.
Alone in the training arena, both Beelzemon and Stingmon fawn over their partners and their newfound skill. Charissa reveals that her father had taught her swordfighting when he was still alive, but she didn’t really enjoy fighting and would much prefer using the shield as a defense—though when she needed to, the shield also made an excellent weapon. Jazz on the other hand was naturally skilled, and despite his thin frame held much power in his body, his aggressive nature enabling him to attack with ease. Together, the pair were able to work together accordingly in order to protect themselves. As they all discussed the humans’ performance, Knightmon was alerted to a new presence in the room. A MetalPhantomon uncloaked himself from invisibility, lunging for the humans. Beelzemon leapt to their rescue, knocking MetalPhantomon away but suffering a gash across his forearm. The group fought once more, this time the humans able to fight by their side. MetalPhantomon swung his scythe in a fatal blow, aiming straight for Jazz’s throat, but was blocked by Knightmon’s massive blade. In turn, both Jazz, Stingmon and Beelzemon attacked together, the latter shooting their projectiles and the former clubbing MetalPhantomon’s colorful glass ball with all his might. The ball shattered and MetalPhantomon seemed to phase out, nothing but his scythe remaining.
MagnaAngemon rushed into the training room, horrified that he had missed such a dangerous intruder, but the others urged him that it had been taken care of. Confused as to why the Digimon’s weapon remained, Beelzemon shrugged and relayed that it happened sometimes, which MagnaAngemon confirmed. Charissa still had quite the uneasy feeling when she looked back at the scythe, but Jazz seemed excited to have a “spoil of war” much to her chagrin. He was allowed to take the scythe, seeing as he was the one that had dealt the death blow—but Charissa seemed somewhat disturbed by their lack of sympathy and concern. Regardless, she pushed it to the back of her mind as they retreated to their rooms for dinner and rest. That night Lilithmon appeared once again, this time only to talk to the Digidestined. While the humans were confused they complied, but after telling them she was merely interested in humans after they had been purged from the Digital World for so long, she grew distant until eventually she left. The next morning they told Beelzemon and Stingmon, who both agreed that it was just the Demon Lord’s manipulations.
After a few more days of training and nightly visits from Lilithmon (who even began speaking to Beelzemon and Stingmon, regardless of the fact that they wouldn’t say much back), the Digidestined prepared to return to OmegaShoutmon to figure out what to do with the Digimon sanctuary and against Piedmon. As they prepared to leave, Knightmon approached them and turned to Jazz, telling him that in the battle of MetalPhantomon, he had felt something strange—a certain attraction to Jazz, something confusing but undeniable. He confessed that being with their small group was the first time he had ever felt truly comfortable somewhere, and after seeing Jazz in danger he felt no greater desire than to stay by his side and fight alongside him. Jazz admitted that he too had felt something strange with Knightmon, and as his Digivice began to sparkle and glow it was undeniable that they carried a new bond. Cherubimon explained that it was possible for Digidestined to have more than one Digimon—they would always have a single true partner, but it was possible for them to have more teammates. The Digivice is born from the connection between a human and their partner, but it was possible for the connection to branch out and touch the hearts of even more Digimon. Delighted, Jazz was excited to have a new member of his team. Cherubimon promised to sort things out with Ophanimon and quickly find a replacement for Knightmon. A little unsure of what was next but happy to face the future with his new friends, Knightmon joined them on the journey back to OmegaShoutmon.
On their way, they were once again intercepted by Piedmon’s forces—and while Maestromon made a beeline to attack them once again, they were surprised to see King Piedmon himself among them. Piedmon approached them, hunger in his eyes, and as Charissa asked him why he was doing this, his only reply was that he wanted to see the entire world burn—that he wanted nothing more than to see everything and everyone perish. Unable to comprehend hatred of that magnitude, Charissa attempted to reason with him and was almost stabbed through the throat had not Beelzemon stepped in. They fought against the clown, who seemed particularly flirtatious and interested in Jazz (he showed this with both flirts and excessive attempts to stab him in the limbs) until they were finally able to start driving him and his forces back. Piedmon, giddy even in the face of defeat, told them all to prepare because he would return soon.
On their way back to OmegaShoutmon, Knightmon sadly told them the story of Piedmon’s descent. Piedmon once was a powerful Digimon in the Digital World but chose to instead keep to himself and provide a place for Digimon to live a life of fun and excitement rather than danger–which had greatly increased through the Digital World over the years. Piedmon had often thrown lively celebrations and was accepting of any and all Digimon, earning him a grand reputation and loyalty from his subjects who called him “The Joyful King”. He used to treat life much like a party and was well renowned and respected all throughout the Digital World, until it seemed his personality did a complete 180. Within the past few years he seemed to become a completely different person, focused not on conquering, but only on destruction. His generals, including the Maestromon they had previously fought, had seemed reluctant but still followed his orders with great energy. Knightmon was morose while he told the tale, deciding it was most unfortunate that such a kind and loving person could become something so evil. This sent Charissa into deep thought, as she truly couldn’t comprehend such evil in the world.
After returning to OmegaShoutmon’s castle, the group visited Montemon and introduced Knightmon as a new teammember and then met up with Alphamon and Craniamon once more while Magnamon and Beelzemon temporarily reunited. They explained the situation with Piedmon to the Royal Knights, who, with great frustration, relayed that they too had no idea what had happened to Piedmon, but he had been a constant threat for years now. Craniamon relayed he had asked for protection for his territory from the Royal Knights many years ago, but the Royal Knights had been unable to fulfill this wish. Alphamon then suggested that they go visit their prisoner, Ogremon, to see what he might be able to tell them about Piedmon.
Upon meeting up with Ogremon once more, the Digimon seemed far less energetic and much more resigned. He confessed to the group that he was a traveling mercenary that had been hired by Piedmon, and that he had had nowhere else to go and no money to live off of, so accepted the job in order to stay alive and out of the feral wilderness. He admitted he didn’t really want to destroy the Digital World like Piedmon did—though he still knew nothing about Piedmon’s motivations. Charissa seemed fretful about Ogremon’s state of living, and quickly told the homeless Digimon about Jazz’s idea for a Digimon sanctuary. Ogremon seemed intrigued, telling that he knew many Digimon without places to go—it made them desperate and wild, far more likely to turn to the side of darkness. Jazz was intrigued by Ogremon now that they were off the battlefield, and slowly realized that he wasn’t a bad guy.
After a few days of consulting Ogremon over and over again, the Digidestined finally came to the conclusion that he was an ally—he truly presented no harm. While Beelzemon was a bit wary of him after his release from prison, Ogremon proved to be a great help—while he wasn’t a part of the team, he stayed with the Digimon and helped with guarding and patrols around OmegaShoutmon’s territories. It was around this time that Jazz presented some sketches (made with Charissa’s assistance) to OmegaShoutmon, presenting to him a draft of how the Kingdom of the Shining Sword would look. Jazz relayed he wished for it to be called as such because to would be a place that was always shining with hope, a place of solace and asylum—but also a place of ferocity, for if someone tried to tarnish that solace, there would be no holding back. OmegaShoutmon seemed pleased, enjoying the look of the small village with its cobblestone streets, small buildings and elegant gardens. He consulted his advisors, and soon he had workers return to the place where the Shining Sword would be located. Ogremon decided to work alongside them as repayment for giving him new purpose and freeing him from prison.
Days after construction began, news spread that a nearby village in OmegaShoutmon’s territory had been burned to the ground by Piedmon’s forces. OmegaShoutmon was horrified and infuriated, giving asylum to the living victims within the confines of his castle, but his rage at all the lives lost was undeniable. Knightmon tried to calm him down, sure that there was a reason for Piedmon’s slow descent into this cruel madness, but OmegaShoutmon could only say there was no excuse for the loss of an innocent life. Though it was hidden from the Digidestined, OmegaShoutmon told their partners that the victims had whispered that Piedmon was coming to kill them—and that when he came next time, they would perish.
Piedmon kept that promise when a large surge of his forces arrived but a single day later, flooding into the castle. Beelzemon, Stingmon and Knightmon took the Digidestined and little Montemon and fled into the outer gardens, but were quickly intercepted by Piedmon and Maestromon, flanked by a WereGarurumon and a Puppetmon. Beelzemon launched into battle against Piedmon, while Knightmon fought against Maestromon and Stingmon took on both Puppetmon and WereGarurumon. Charissa and Jazz fought valiantly alongside their Digimon, but when Charissa leapt to defend Montemon from one of Piedmon’s incoming blades, his second blade skirted past her shield and pierced her shoulder. A third blade tried to strike Jazz in his leg, but narrowly missed and merely cut a gash across his calf. Desperate, Beelzemon managed to lunge upon Piedmon, taking a sword in the lower part of his abdomen in order to curl his tail around Piedmon’s neck and bring him to his knees, breaking his psychic concentration over his blades. Despite his wound they wrestle on the ground, and when Piedmon escaped and nearly cut his head off, Stingmon was able to fire his projectiles and knock the blades away before they could do any real damage. Piedmon noticed that many more reinforcements were arriving, and excitedly prepared his swords to try and slay them all—but was quickly advised by Maestromon that they should leave. Irritated but knowing that it was smart, Piedmon listened and the group, along with the rest of Piedmon’s forces, retreated.
The assault left many casualties, injuries, and collateral damage—the King himself was injured, his left arm snapped at the joint during battle. The Digidestined and their teammates were quickly seen to by one of the kingdom’s best healers, a kind-hearted Sanzomon, after she tended to OmegaShoutmon. Charissa’s wound was the worst and she was temporarily bedridden, though the others are wounded but alright. Montemon became her tiny attendant, doing his best to repay her for saving his life. It is then that Jazz decided that it couldn’t go on, that no more innocent lives can be put at stake because of Piedmon’s insanity. He confronts OmegaShoutmon and declared that he wished to battle against Piedmon directly, as they did with TyrantKabuterimon. The King knew that this was a highly risky move, but they both decide they will attack together. OmegaShoutmon began to gather up his own forces, and Ogremon volunteering to act as Jazz’s general, the other builders hastily agreeing to fight alongside him as a makeshift army. Jazz accepted Ogremon’s offer, and soon the plans for the great battle began. Charissa still seemed sad that there was nothing they could do to help Piedmon, especially after hearing how kind he had once been, and kept trying to halt Jazz and OmegaShoutmon’s efforts. Both Beelzemon and Stingmon supported them whole-heartedly, though Knightmon himself seemed a little opposed to it as she did.
A few days before the set battle date, the MetalPhantomon’s scythe in Jazz’s room begins to glow ominously as the teams sit together relaxing before bed. As MetalPhantomon himself began to phase into view, Beelzemon whipped out his guns and prepared to fire off before the skeletal Digimon held up a single hand and said, “Wait.” He turned directly to Jazz and told them that when he had challenged them, he felt a sudden spark deep within. After compressing his data and retreating into his scythe to heal his wounds and to observe them, he understood that the feeling he felt must’ve been an attraction to Jazz and his team—that he had to be a partner. Jazz admitted he had had a similar feeling but hadn’t known what to say, and that it had been the main reason he had wanted to keep the scythe as a “spoil of war”—he felt it had been important. MetalPhantomon seemed pleased by this assessment, and informed Jazz that he would be fighting alongside him in the fight against Piedmon. Shocked but happy to have another teammate, Jazz accepted him and they all sat down together to discuss exactly who MetalPhantomon was. They talked late into the night, discovering that the skeleton was actually pleasant to be around with his crude sense of humor and metallic laugh, until they all began to nod off from exhaustion.
The day of the battle finally came, and with the twin battalions the Digidestined surged forward into Piedmon’s territory, which hung at the edge of a cliff over the Net Ocean. It was a four day journey, and on each day they were intercepted by Piedmon’s Nightmare Army, though Piedmon himself never showed. Maestromon came to the Digidestined himself, though this time he wasn’t attacking—he merely warned them to turn back and stay away, or else they’d meet a terrible fate. As the neared closer and closer to Piedmon’s territory, they realized that the land faded to desert—as if the closer they got, the land itself was actually dying. Eventually they made it all the way to his castle—as much as the land surrounding it was dying, it still seemed vibrant—and on the side, featured a great sculpture of his face. Jazz seemed excited to fight and defend his friends, but Charissa couldn’t hide her anxiety—this was different than what had happened with TyrantKabuterimon, it was a full-on assault. As they prepared to storm the castle much like Piedmon had done to OmegaShoutmon, Jazz confessed that he, MetalPhantomon and Stingmon were going to go straight for Piedmon, much to his girlfriend’s horror. Beelzemon and Knightmon promised him that they would keep her safe, and as the battle started, the Demon Lord kept his human partner right by his side. The ferocious battle raged, though the armies were clearly outnumbered by Piedmon’s massive forces.
Jazz himself stormed the castle with his Digimon, flanked by Ogremon and a few others. He split off from Ogremon’s forces once inside, and allowed Stingmon to carry him as he flew hurriedly up the staircase. They were met by Piedmon, who was already angling all his swords straight for Jazz. Their epic battle began, Piedmon’s eyes lit with a mad light and raucous laughter echoing through the halls. Their fight led them straight out a window, where Jazz would’ve fallen to his death had he not been caught by MetalPhantomon. The four continue their fight across the roof, where fire and explosions rain down below in his courtyard.
Meanwhile, Charissa, Beelzemon and Knightmon fought against Piedmon’s oncoming forces in the courtyard. They eventually found themselves faced with Maestromon once more, who again tried to get them to simply leave. Charissa attempted to press him for Piedmon’s reasons for doing this, though he stubbornly refused to answer. He ended up knocking her to the ground with his Maestro Hammer, and then brought those around him to their knees with Roaring Bells. His form seemed to glitch out, his normally airy voice fading to a growl, and though he seemed to try and resist it he digivolved into the massive and monstrous Crescendomon. Fighting harder than ever, the three Digimon and a few other allies attempted to end Crescendomon’s powerful attacks, and he is eventually brought roaring to the ground by Beelzemon with Knightmon’s sword at his throat.
The battle against Piedmon continues, the clown steadily growing more and more weak and his taunts and playful flirts fading to heavy growls as his opponents injure him—especially from the strikes of MetalPhantomon’s scythe. As he is pushed across the roof, he feigned an attack for Stingmon, but swung back around with a sailing kick to Jazz’s chest. Jazz started to stumble over the edge of the roof, but one of Piedmon’s blades caught him in the stomach and jerked him forward, making the human cough up blood. Another pierced Jazz’s thigh and then his shoulder, though the Digidestined still gripped his club with iron strength. Piedmon swiftly dodged Stingmon’s projectiles and leaned in close to Jazz, relishing in the agony on his face and the blood dripping from his wounds. He asked Jazz if he was prepared to die, but Jazz simply smiled and said, “I refuse.” As MetalPhantomon’s scythe struck Piedmon in the back, Jazz swung his free arm as hard as he could and clubbed Piedmon in the head, knocking him back.
Jazz ripped the blade from his stomach with an agonized scream, stumbling forward as he tore the second one from his leg, dropping his club to the ground. Piedmon keeled over, gasping from the great wound across his back, looking up in horror as Jazz struck him with his own sword, driving the blade deep into his throat. Feeling power surge through him, Jazz tore the third sword from his shoulder and sliced into Piedmon’s back, causing the clown to stumble back towards the edge. He looked up with an expression of hatred, all maniacal joy gone, and fired off his last sword, striking Jazz’s hand. Stingmon fired off his projectiles and hit Piedmon full-on, causing him to slip off the edge of the roof, weakly hanging on the edge and desperately pawing at the curve of his sculpture’s forehead with his feet. Jazz stood over him, swaying woozily as he stared him down. The Digivice upon his belt began to glow with a brilliant golden light as both MetalPhantomon and Stingmon rushed to his side, the gleaming glow begin to wash over Piedmon of its own volition. Piedmon screamed in anguish, his face contorting with pain as he wounds seemed to bubble. He looked up at Jazz, hate fading from his eyes as he weakly mouthed “thank you” and let go of the ledge. As he fell, his form shimmered and then burst into a million golden pixels just before he hit the ground, dying before his entire kingdom.
Jazz fell back and fainted from his injuries, Stingmon quickly grabbing him and sailing towards the window as he screamed for help. Down below, Crescendomon degenerated back to Maestromon and began to sob, letting out his own screams of anguish. With renowned energy, he tore his enemies off his body and sailed towards the place where Piedmon had died, the rest of the kingdom flocking to his side. They all came to a halt when the ground began to shake and the building itself started to crumble—and in a flurry of screams, they all began to flee. Confused, Beelzemon picked up Charissa and followed Knightmon as they looked for a way to escape, but Charissa kept screaming for Jazz. They eventually found Ogremon, who told them that he had set off explosives to try and defeat a large portion of the enemy, but it had went awry and began to demolish the entire castle. Horrified, they all left together as everything began to crumble.
Once they were at a safe distance, they watched at Piedmon’s grand castle cascaded over the edge of the cliff, fading into the depths of the Net Ocean. Nothing remained but rubble and still burning fires, and of course the fading screams of their opponents, all at the edge of the cliff as they watched their Kingdom fall apart. Charissa couldn’t help but to sob, and though Beelzemon did his best to try and lovingly comfort her, she could only fret for Jazz—and the possibility of so many innocent lives lost, that this hadn’t been the right choice to make.
They eventually meet up with Jazz, who is being seen by some of the best healers to save his life. It was revealed that Jazz’s Digivice had truly accepted MetalPhantomon then, MetalPhantomon’s genuine love and worry for Jazz truly revealed when he had been so grievously injured. After Jazz was stabilized and he and Charissa were reunited in a shower of tears, the trek back home began once again. Jazz told them all of the battle against Piedmon, MetalPhantomon and Stingmon both praising the human’s great (if not foolish) levels of courage. Charissa couldn’t stop growing emotional over the scene of Piedmon’s castle falling into the ocean, his kingdom mourning his death—and Jazz admitted he too felt bad, but this was something that needed to happen in order to protect the Digital World—and with great love, her too. He hoped that if his people weren’t as evil as he had been, then perhaps they could find a new home at the Shining Sword.
After returning to OmegaShoutmon’s Kingdom, Jazz was confined to bedrest for his grievous injuries, and they all discovered that in addition to a fantastic warrior, Knightmon also made an excellent nursemaid. Montemon really enjoyed helping Knightmon take care of everyone, growing especially close to Charissa. The building of the Shining Sword continued, and for the time being all was at peace. Jazz’s strange dreams continued, and though he tried to prompt the Digital World to speak to him again, she never did—and nothing that Charissa or both of their Digimon did could coax her. The Digidestined and their Digimon grew even closer, finally finding time to relax, learn about each other’s pasts, and simply have fun together as Jazz was healed. Lilithmon visited once more, impressed with both of the human’s resilience, and congratulated them on their victory. She too knew nothing of Piedmon’s descent into madness, merely thinking him to be an evil Digimon. She left once again, leaving all of them with far too many questions and not enough answers as usual.
About a month later, the Shining Sword was finished, though its gardens were bare as the coldness of winter approached. It was around this time that Charissa and Jazz had personal outfits made for them, fitting perfectly and made of high-strength material. Until Jazz and Charissa moved to the Shining Sword with their Digimon, Ogremon was put in control and took care of the city, welcoming new Digimon and ensuring they found security. Many Digimon moved into the Shining Sword after catching wind of it, seeking out a new home, and it was then that Maestromon showed up at OmegaShoutmon’s castle.
Maestromon explained that he had nowhere to go, and that after Piedmon’s defeat, the Nightmare Army had dispersed and become disconnected. He told them that he had nowhere else to go, and pleaded for safety as he couldn’t manage surviving on his own. He confessed he didn’t truly wish them harm, but had only done so for Piedmon, who had been his adoptive father. He told them of how Piedmon had become cruel and evil, even going so far as to neglect his own son and forcing him to digivolve against his will, but that he still only wished to please him, hoping it would help turn him good again. He struggled against his own morals and mentality, sure his father had had a reason for acting so cruelly, though he never did understand. Seeing just how full of grief and sadness he was, the Digidestined allowed him solace, and told him that he could journey to the Shining Sword with them whenever they prepared to leave.
About a week later, the Digidestined and their teams, along with Montemon, met with OmegaShoutmon, Cherubimon and MagnaAngemon. The three powers told them how proud they were, and that they had come far. Knowing that Charissa was still homesick, OmegaShoutmon promised her that he was still doing his best to find her a way home. He promised both of them that hopefully the threats to their lives would soon die down, and that they would likely find great peace within the Shining Sword with other refugee Digimon, maybe even be able to find other members of Piedmon’s Kingdom and bring them to the side of goodness as they did with Maestromon. Their old friends sent them their best, and with that the Digidestined prepared to travel to their new home.
On their way to the Shining Sword, Beelzemon got a call from Magnamon, his girlfriend, who wished to secretly meet up with him in the new kingdom since their relationship was still hidden. He dashed off into some brush to speak to her privately, but after quite a while Charissa grew worried about him and followed his trail. She was intercepted by a wild Monochromon, who was instantly infatuated with her and attempted to give her a giant, slobbery kiss, declaring that she was his new girlfriend. Terrified of the massive Digimon, she screamed for help as she struck his nose with her shield, relieved when Maestromon sailed to her rescue. He was able to defend her from the Monochromon’s advances with ease, her Digivice blazing light as he fought for her. Her mouth dropped open as she realized that like Jazz, she didn’t just have a partner—but another teammate as well. Maestromon explained who they were to the Monochromon, and even after explaining that Charissa already had a boyfriend he seemed stupidly infatuated with her. Only a little freaked out, Charissa pulled Maestromon to the side once Monochromon was calm and spoke to him about their new partnership.
Maestromon was absolutely delighted, affirming that he had always felt an uncanny attraction to her and that he was happy to be part of her team—especially since both she and Jazz were willing to give him a second chance and a home, and even comforting him after father’s death…even though they had been the ones to bring forth the armies. Charissa too appreciated his understanding of the entire situation, and the fact that they could grieve over the losses together. They came together in both misery and joy, and had both found that they made each other smile--and anyone who was able to make Beelzemon grin as wide as Maestromon did was pretty alright in Charissa's book.
After informing the others of the new teammate, everyone seemed pleased with the new development. Though Maestromon had been a pain to battle, he had ended up becoming a wonderful friend within the week. Much to Charissa’s chagrin, Jazz cheekily invited Monochromon to the Shining Sword, which he graciously accepted. Together they traveled to their new home, Monochromon unsuccessfully flirting all the way.
The battles against Piedmon had been great, the final battle in particular especially grievous. The Digidestined suffered both grand physical and emotional wounds, and more than anything else they slowly began to wander if they had made the right decision in assaulting Piedmon and his army, especially after hearing numerous tales of the king’s kindness from Maestromon. As they stepped forward into a bright new future, they were also unable to shake off the darkness of the past…and also the doubt that the darkness would fade.
