The Lillymon was worried. She didn't know what was making her feel uneasy, but it was like her forest was... wrong. Something was here that shouldn't be.

"But what?" She asked herself aloud. Was it humans? No, Digidestined wouldn't worry her. After all, one of them had a Lillymon partner didn't they?  She'd never met that Lillymon, but still... The Digidestined had just defeated the Dark Masters and left. There wasn't any reason to expect humans or anything dangerous.

She flew over the treetops, seeing nothing unusual at first, until she realised it seemed empty. All sorts of plant Digimon lived in this forest, mostly lower levels than her, but none seemed to be around in the forest floor that she could see. Usually she would have spotted her friend Rosemon, and wouldn't have been able to miss any of the few Togemon that hung out around here, but so far, there was no sign of life. Which considering the Dark Masters had just been vanquished, she found very strange. Everyone had been running around mad with their newfound freedom...

***

She eventually landed and found a Lalamon and a Floramon, the only things other than tress she saw.

"Uh, hey. This might sound odd but have either of you seen anything unusual?" Lillymon asked.

"Nope. We said so to the Rosemon that asked." The Floramon said.

"Rosemon was here?"

"Yes, not long ago." Lalamon said.

"What did she say?"

"More or less what you did. Asked if there was anything weird. She said she hadn't seen anyone today. Maybe everyone's just having a long rest?" Floramon noted.

"Okay, thanks. What way did Rosemon go?" Lillymon asked. The two lower-level Digimon pointed in opposite directions. Lillymon sighed.

"She went that way." Another voice said. Lillymon span around, and was surprised to see not a plant-type Digimon, but a Shaman Digimon. It was a Sakuyamon, a Mega...  Lillymon knew she would not be able to win if this Sakuyamon was hostile.

"How do you know that?" Lillymon asked.

"And why are you here?" She added as an afterthought.

The Sakuyamon looked her over.

"You think I'm a threat, don't you? That the reason you feel uneasy is my presence?"

"Er... Well..." She replied, nervously.

"You should be more worried about the other presence in this forest. It is malicious in nature and it seems to me to have great power."

"Well, I haven't seen anything but you so far." Lillymon said, and hoped it didn't sound like an accusation.

"Well, perhaps I should answer your questions. I know where your friend went, because I saw her going. And as for why I am here, it is simple. Shortly before the Odaiba Digidestined first came to the Digital World, I met a Digidestined, a red-haired human girl. She was strange, though. She was alone, and had a Renamon partner. I have asked and no other Digidestined knows of any human with a Renamon partner. She seemed strange to me then, otherworldly somehow. Not just because she was human, but as if... It was a strange sensation that she was in the wrong Digital World somehow."

"Okay... What did this human do?" Lillymon asked.

"When she and her Renamon arrived, I felt another presence, the same presence I feel somewhere in this forest. It had arrived before her, and some Digimon had gone missing. In fact all the Renamon in the area had vanished, except one. That Renamon had been turned to stone along with some other Digimon, but nothing could revert the transformations. Even a Cockatrimon I brought said he had never seen such a petrification before.

"What happened to that Renamon? Was it the human's partner?"

"I presume so. It still stands in the jungle back where I came from, we haven't moved it. Shortly after that I heard of the other Digidestined, and I had tried to find them, to see if they knew her and if they knew anything of what had happened. But by the time I could, they had returned to the human world."

"But they just came back and beat the Dark Masters..." Lillymon noted

"Yes, but between then and now, I have felt the same sensation, that same strange presence. I see where it will emerge next, but  each time I arrived only to find the same things. Missing Digimon, statues that would not revert. And no witnesses." Sakuyamon continued.

Lillymon felt very worried. The lack of activity in the forest, Rosemon missing...

"I want to help you find whatever is doing this." She said quickly.

Lillymon realised that since she hadn't trusted the Sakuyamon, she might not agree, but the Mega seemed to overlook the earlier incident.

"Very well. Eyes in the sky could be useful. But I have to ask you listen to what I advise if we do find this strange being."

"Um, can we help?" A voice asked.

Lillymon and Sakuyamon turned to see the Floramon and Lalamon. The pair had sat quietly as the other two had spoken.

"Uh, I don't know. This thing might be pretty dangerous..." Lillymon said.

"Oh, okay. We'll wait here then." Lalamon nodded.


***

The pair searched, and for a time, found nothing as they covered the vast forest.

"See anything up there?" Sakuyamon said to the hovering Lillymon.

Lillymon scanned the treetops again, and saw nothing but green and grey.

"No, nothing."

'Wait... Grey?'

"Wait, there's something strange that way. Grey trees..."  

"Grey? What way?" Sakuyamon asked.

Lillymon went down to a more visible level and pointed.

"Let's go. Maybe what we're looking for is there."

The two raced to the strange trees, making good time, and finding a scene that was a shock to the Lillymon, but all too familiar to the Sakuyamon.

The grey trees, were of course stone. Littered throughout them, various Digimon, frozen in surprised expressions. And no sign of anything that had done it.

"Oh no... We were too late..." Lillymon said.

"I still sense the presence. Stay alert." Sakuyamon warned, and at that same instant, the trees began to explode around her from unseen blasts, throwing up clouds of dust and rubble.

"I thought something had been following me on my last few visits." A strange voice said from within the smokescreen.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Sakuyamon challenged.

"What's happening down there?!" Lillymon shouted, unable to see from the cloud.

"Whatever is attacking is down here with me." Came the reply.

"Where?"

"I don't know."

"Allow me to answer." The voice said.

The dust began to clear, and Lillymon saw too late the two shapes below. Sakuyamon's silhouette,  and behind, a green-grey lizard shape. It placed a hand on Sakyuamon's left shoulder.

"Aaagh!" Sakuyamon cried out, falling to her knees as the touch worked its effect.

The dust settling from the blasted trees, Lillymon could only hover overhead and stare as a green glow flowed from where the strange being's hand lay. Lillymon noticed the being's skin reflected the glow, and had a metallic sheen. Where the glow had already passed over Sakuyamon, the same sheen now existed.

"Who are you? Why are you here? What are you doing to her?!" Lillymon challenged, readying her flower cannon.

Sakuyamon was paralyzed as the wave of the glow spread. Behind it, her body and her armour was now more metallic and patchy. Her joints became like mechanical seams, and the stunned and crippled Mega could only watch as she changed. Her armour became tighter as it became more a part of her than ever before, her gloves became smaller where they flared. Her fingers converted into mechanical tendrils tipped with solid spiked claws. Portions of her body now had glowing lights, thin lines of a red glow and the occasional larger circle.

The being looked up, its own eyes glowing.

"You ask a lot of questions I can't answer right this second. Perhaps your friend can let me answer them." The being said, and stood back.

By now, the green glow had converted all of Sakuyamon below the neck, and spread upwards. It left behind glowing red eyes as it began to dissipate as it ascended Sakyuamon's ears, vanishing and leaving her whole form shining metal.

"Sakyuamon? What happened?"

The being backed off, and Sakuyamon stayed put. Watching the strange green android, Lillymon neared Sakuyamon.

"Are you okay?"

Sakuyamon's glowing eyes looked up, and the robian that was once a mega-level digimon pounced. It grabbed Lillymon before she could react, holding her in place.

"Now, you asked who I was. I'm Chaos Croc for now, but soon enough you can call me Master. Why I'm here, well, I found your world purely by accident but I was intrigued. Data lifeforms, that showed such varation. Organic and mechanical, but all ultimately data. I noticed too this world was out of synchronisation. I only came here first a week ago, and it seemed a second outside was days in here. This world moves faster, but is very much real."

Lillymon tried to struggle, but Sakuyamon held her fast. The being, this "Chaos Croc" approached.

"Sakuyamon told me the human world moved faster too, but now they're synchronised. Mine still moves slower than both, so the way I see it, I can run plenty of experiments over the next few weeks, and come back in a few years to take over. Overnight I have an army of two worlds worth of beings. It's going to be fun." Chaos Croc said.

"You'll never win, the Digidestined will stop you!" Lillymon said defiantly.

"They haven't stopped me before. And that one I met and enslaved last week... Well, years ago to you... She didn't stop me. But she wasn't much use. Seems she was from another universe or something. Just somewhere to go and conquer next."
"But why are you telling me this?" Lillymon asked, still trying to escape.

"Another question? Well, I'm not telling you. I'm telling them." The android said, and aimed his left hand. Green beams shot out, and struck two targets. They cried out, and Sakuyamon swiftly turned Lillymon to see the Floramon and Lalamon had followed them anyway, and had both been turned to stone instantly

"Why did you do that?! They can't hurt you!"

"Not unless they land on my head, no. I already have plenty of slaves and souveneirs, but not one of those ones. Those Floramon. I'll send that back just now." He replied, and pressed a button on his arm. Floramon's petrified form shimmered and vanished into thin air.

"The Lalamon can stay with the other mementos. Tell your world its future ruler was here." Croc said, gesturing to all the other statuefied Digimon.

"What did you do to Sakuyamon? And Rosemon?" Lillymon said, horrified.

"Well, what I'm going to do to you. See, one of those Togemon cactus things evolved into something like you, and flew all over the place. I had to shoot her with the statue ray and send her back as a souvenir, but I really wanted to make a servant of that one. I'm glad my new Sakuyamon caught you to be honest. I don't like having two of the same statue."

Croc reached for Lillymon, who struggled harder, but vainly. Just one touch was all it took, on her foot. The green wave spread, converting her plant-like boots into metallic and solid shining material. Her pale legs became glimmering and segmented metal, the petals of her skirt became sheets of steel as the rest of her dress turned into solid metal too. Her leaf-wings became metal segments, the petals of her gloves became razor-sharp yellow blades, and all below her neck was converted. She couldn't move, and could only feel her mind fading away, like it was being drained...

"Oh, by the way, I'm transferring your mind and memories over. Information is useful to me, but not to you. You'll know all you need soon enough." Croc told Lillymon as she tried to close her eyes, the glow spreading up her face. She didn't want to watch it go over.

When it did though, she was long gone, and the Lillymon-Robian was there instead.  Sakuyamon released the new Robian. The two stood to attention.

"Well, that was fun. Time to head back home." Croc said, and pressed the button again. He and his two new minions shimmered and vanished into the air.

The only sign of what had happened lay in the rubbled trees, and the lingering petrified forms of those Digimon left behind. And now none were left to know it was a sign of things to come.