Fan:Island Of Illusion

Island Of Illusion is a two-part episode of the first season of Digimon Mighty Squadron.

Part 1
As Spencer is practicing for his upcoming dance contest at the Tokyo Youth Center, Brick & Stick start hounding him about losing & implant seeds of self-doubt in Spencer's mind & heart.

Meanwhile, Lilithmon is calling forth the ultimate Digimon she has ever summoned: the mutant Digimon Ghoulmon & the spirit Digimon Apocalymon. MadLeomon realizes that his Empress is planning to destroy the DigiDestined with their own worst fears by sending them to the Island of Illusion in a remote dimension in the Digital World.

Back at the Youth Center, Spencer is challenged by Brick to a dance-off but Brick ends up embarrassing himself, as usual—but it still doesn't make Spencer feel any better, so he leaves the Youth Center to think about some things, while up on the moon in Lilithmon's Moonbase, Lilithmon realizes that doubt is in Spencer's mind. She casts another incantation & summons an unearthly storm to Tokyo. When the DigiDestined realize what's happening, they contact Seraphimon, & he tells them that an unfamiliar energy is being summoned by Lilithmon. The DigiDestined start rushing out of the Youth Center to look for Spencer, but Alex realizes that two karate students he had been mentoring are frightened of the unnatural phenomenon, so he stays behind to watch them.

Meanwhile, the rest of the DigiDestined find Spencer in a secluded area of Tokyo Park, just as Claymon start attacking. The DigiDestined manage to hold them back until MadLeomon & Minervamon show up. The DigiDestined summon their Digimon & attack the twosome, but the villains thrash them considerably. This gives Lilithmon enough time to chant her final incantation, summoning the giant Ghoulmon. The DigiDestined summon DinoOmnimon & fight the Digimon. They have the chance to destroy him, but then Lilithmon appears on a fire escape. Then, a giant fireball streaks through the sky & transforms into a giant floating polyhedron. This is Apocalymon, the other Digimon Lilithmon has summoned.

Back at the Youth Center, Alex gets a call from Seraphimon, & after making arrangements with Hojo for him to watch the two boys, he runs off to help his team. Back at the battlefield, Apocalymon has just used his Breath of Doom to digivolve Ghoulmon into Lucemon Shadowlord Mode. Lucemon Shadowlord Mode blasts DinoOmnimon with stronger energy, & it looks like the DigiDestined are done for, until Alex shows up & Digi-Grows Coredramon. DinoOmnimon joins Coredramon in the fight against Lucemon Shadowlord Mode, but then the mutant Digimon incapacitates the Digimon with toxic foam. Then, as the DigiDestined restore their Digimon back inside their digivices, Apocalymon opens a portal to the Island of Illusion dimension. At the Command Center, Kokuwamon is panicked at the fact that the DigiDestined have disappeared into another dimension in the Digital World, & Seraphimon tells him that his chosen ones are beyond his reach, & only their individual self-confidences can help them escape.

When the DigiDestined land on the island, they realize that their CCCs & digivices have mysteriously disappeared, & they start exploring the island, each of them realizing that they are all afraid that they may never get back home. A few minutes into their exploration, they hear some tuneless flute music, & realize that a little red Digimon is playing a panpipe. When Maggie tries to explain that Lilithmon sent them to this island, she doesn't get to finish as the little red Digimon—who reveals himself to be named Shoutmon after about a minute of poetry—tells her he is not a friend of Lilithmon's & vanishes.

Then, MadLeomon's image appears in the sky, taunting the DigiDestined that they would soon lose more than their powers before this day was over, & then, five Digimon the DigiDestined have previously battled & destroyed appear—Boarmon, Sakkakumon, Sandiramon, PiedOctomon, & JumboGamemon. The DigiDestined prepare for a battle that they know they cannot win without their powers, but then, just as they come near, the Digimon mysteriously vanish. The DigiDestined wonder where they are, & MadLeomon taunts them that the only thing real in this dimension is the danger. Spencer's fear & self-doubt grow considerably, & he takes off down a path, only to come face-to-face with a giant python. However, when the other DigiDestined hear Spencer scream, they realize that he is screaming at something only he can see. Nicky deduces that Lilithmon is trying to destroy each of them with their own individual self-doubts & fears. On this note, Spencer starts gradually fading away, & Shoutmon tells them in verse that Spencer's own worst fears & self-doubts are causing him to fade. Taylor urges Spencer to fight Lilithmon's spell, but it is useless. The episode ends when MadLeomon taunts the DigiDestined with the fear of ceasing to exist, one by one.

Part 2
Spencer attempts to fight Lilithmon's spell, but his fear & self-doubt are too great. In his verse style, Shoutmon tells the DigiDestined that only he can help them escape. Meanwhile, back on the moon, Lilithmon & her minions are reveling in their apparent first victory.

Back on the island, the DigiDestined realize what they had learned, & after a few tries of remembering his name, Carly shouts Shoutmon's name, & the little red Digimon appears. Maggie tells Shoutmon that Lilithmon is making her friend Spencer fade away, & then Shoutmon realizes that Lilithmon has sent the teens here to destroy them with their own worst fears & self-doubts. Shoutmon urges Spencer to think about something positive, & Spencer recalls the time he'd faced off against Lilithmon's DarkKnightmon. By remembering he had the power to defeat the Digimon, Spencer's body fully restores itself.

When Lilithmon discovers that Spencer has somehow escaped her spell, she still looks on the positive side, because without their powers, it's only a matter of time before the rest of the DigiDestined are destroyed. Meanwhile, at the Command Center, Kokuwamon & Seraphimon are trying to contact the DigiDestined, but are unable to, so Kokuwamon attempts to boost the power of the communication signal, but ends up destroying the console in the end.

Back on the island, Alex suggests that Shoutmon may know what happened to the DigiDestined's powers, but in a verse, he tells them that they must find their powers on their own. Nicky suggests to start going in an opposite direction from their position, but just as they are getting started, MadLeomon confuses Maggie with an illusion of Brick & Stick dressed as angels & helping a lost turtle find its way home. But just like before, when Spencer faced the python illusion, the other DigiDestined cannot see what Maggie is seeing. This illusion implants seeds of self-doubt in Maggie's mind & heart, & she begins to fade away. Carly calls for Shoutmon's help, & in his verse style, he urges Maggie to recall her memory of how she destroyed ShogunGekomon. With that positive thought, Maggie's body is able to fully restore itself.

But it's not over yet, as Alex now feels the effects of the island's magic, & he begins to attack Claymon who he thinks are ganging up on him. However, under the island's spell, Alex has mistaken the other DigiDestined for Claymon. The DigiDestined—& Lilithmon—realize that Alex has lost confidence in his friends. The other DigiDestined try to snap their friend out of the spell, but fighting the "Claymon" soon exhausts Alex & implants seeds of self-doubt in his mind & heart. He starts to believe he is unable to win, & begins fading away. Spencer urges for Shoutmon's help, & Shoutmon urges Alex in verse to believe in his skills. Alex recalls the day of the Tokyo Youth Center costume party, when he'd had to fight off a horde of Claymon on his own. He had managed to defeat them—& restore himself to normal.

Later on, Carly begins to feel paralyzing fear that Lilithmon may try something with her next, & at that point, she herself starts to fade away while experiencing a traumatizing event—when Nicky was trapped on a high mountain ledge by Claymon, & only she could rescue him, but first she had to overcome her fear of heights. Shoutmon realized what was happening, & in verse told Carly to overcome the traumatic event. On this, Carly could see in her mind's eye herself reaching Nicky in time & sending the Claymon hurtling over the ledge. On this note, she regains her full corporeal form. But then, Nicky starts feeling doubtful about his own skills, & Shoutmon presents a memory for this young DigiDestined, when he had to save the other DigiDestined from Woemon's dimension. By remembering the positive outcome, his body was fully restored.

Then Taylor suggests that they find a way off the Island of Illusion, but is taunted by MadLeomon, who says that Taylor should have been the one to lead the DigiDestined to victory. In his illusion, Taylor sees his friends fade away completely, & he believes it is his fault that he is now alone. But Shoutmon's voice echoes in his head, telling Taylor he can win. Taylor remembers his first solo battle with AncientSphinxmon, & recalls the positive outcome, because of the fact that he refused to give up, even though he was all alone in battle.

After the final illusion is broken, the DigiDestined's CCCs & digivices are restored to them, & they realized that they could have escaped all along if they had each believed in themselves in the first place. On this note, Lilithmon transforms into a giant & shakes the Island of Illusion, causing earthquakes all over. The DigiDestined summon their Digimon & teleport off the island just as Lilithmon uses her wand's energy to destroy it.

When they return to Earth, the toxic foam melts off DinoOmnimon & Coredramon, & all six DigiDestined reappear on DinoOmnimon & Coredramon's shoulders. DigiXrossing their Digimon into CoreOmnimon, they are able to destroy Lucemon Shadowlord Mode, but they still have Apocalymon to deal with, so they call forth KingBrachiomon. CoreOmnimon & KingBrachiomon launches its finishing blow on Apocalymon, but he retreats back into space, as does Lilithmon.

The DigiDestined return to the Youth Center, in time to see Brick & Stick blow it on the dance floor & getting a negative score in return. Then Spencer is called forth to compete, & after some gentle urging & the audience chanting his name, he goes out & dances as he has never danced before. Maggie wonders who is providing the music, & then realizes that the disc jockey is Shoutmon (although she calls him Shootmon). At the end, the judges give Spencer a perfect score, & Hojo declares him the winner.