The Fires of Passion
Izzy's Tale
Izzy stared thoughtfully at the computer screen. He was having an online conversation with his friend Willis, a Digidestined in Colorado. Willis was contemplating how to defeat the Digimon Emperor when a newcomer suddenly crashed the party.
"Mind if I join?" the person asked. Izzy looked at the screen name. Shadowmon 86. He had never heard of any digimon by that name, or any Digidestined with that digimon. He automatically assumed it was one of the others, using a different screen name. Then again…Izzy pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and started listing everyone's screen names.
"Let's see…well, that's just not prodigious."
"Izzy, you still there?" Davis typed.
"Yeah, sorry. I kinda zoned out. Who's the newcomer?"
"Who, Shadowmon 86?"
"Yeah. Is that one of the others?"
"I'm not "one of the others." I'm a Digidestined living in Viridian City with my partner, Shadowmon. Ask your pals Yama and Lia. They'll give you the inside info. Oh, and I think you're cute, Izz."
Izzy gaped in horror at the screen. Some complete stranger claiming to be a Digidestined thought he was cute. But if "Shadowmon 86" knew Matt and Lia, how could they be a stranger?
"Willis, gotta run. I have a few…errands to take care of," Izzy typed.
"You're going to find out about Miss Mystery, aren't ya?"
"You mind? I'm still here, so don't keep talking about me like I'm not!" Shadowmon 86 typed.
"Well, I'm heading out. Uh, I'll email you later, Willis."
Izzy grabbed his blazer and decided to take a walk. He was determined to unravel the mystery behind Shadowmon 86.
~*~
"Did he log off?" a plaintive voice inquired.
"Yeah, he did, and I have no intention in speaking to this Willis kid about his bunny digimon."
"Well, cat digimon are better anyway. I mean, Gatomon is a cat digimon and she's like the big boss, kinda. And I'm a cat digimon and I'm a member of Team Rocket."
"Shadowmon, they all think you're a pokémon with problems."
"But I'm your pokémon with problems."
Nicki sighed, pulling her auburn hair from the ponytail that had fallen out. Her hazel eyes glittered with fury and frustration.
"Koushiro Izumi, I don't like playing these games. You're going to remember me whether you like it or not. And I still think you're cute," she muttered.
"Are you talking to yourself again?" the cat digimon asked quizzically.
"Shadowmon, why don't you make yourself useful and pester Charlie and Izzy?"
"Aw, but an Eevee that ate evolution stones and a Meowth with a Gatomon obsession are just not my taste."
"You'll do it, or else I'll see if I can stuff a digimon into a pokéball."
~*~
Izzy walked around for hours, confused by the cryptic puzzle sent by an unknown admirer. He wondered for a moment if this "Shadowmon 86" could possibly the girl that had haunted his dreams for so long. He only saw this girl for a fleeting moment, but it was enough to catch a glimpse of her stunning features. Eventually Izzy wandered over to the park. The sun had long since dipped over the horizon, the sky a deep sapphire close in hue to that of Matt's eyes. Star speckled the great azure curtain, and the soft glow of lamps brightened the pebbled walkways. Soft murmuring drew Izzy's attention to a bench not far from where he stood.
A young man and young woman were seated on the bench, gazing at the night sky. The young man had draped his green blazer over the young woman's delicate shoulders, and now ventured to place his arm around them as well. The young woman cuddled up closer to the young man, shivering slightly. Izzy rolled his eyes.
"Salutations Romeo and Juliet. I hope I'm not interrupting any meaningful conversations."
"Izzy!" Lia gasped, shrinking away from Matt's side and clutching the blazer tightly.
"That was so not funny," Matt hissed, narrowing his eyes.
"Sorry, I didn't know you two were here until now. But I'm glad I ran into you, I have a problem."
"Is it the kids? Is T.K. all right?" Matt asked quickly, his mood changing instantly.
"No. T.K is at home, warming up Easy Mac in the microwave, no doubt. It's about somebody who crashed my chat with Willis."
"Oh. Who was it?" Lia asked, snuggling closer to Matt again.
"I don't know, but according to this person, you do."
"Izzy, it would help if you told us what this person's screen name was and what they said," Matt stated.
"Shadowmon 86, and she thought I was cute."
"Shadowmon 86? From Viridian City?" Lia asked.
"The very one."
"How did she refer to us?"
"As Yama and Lia."
"Sounds like Nicki," Matt mumbled.
"Who's Nicki?" Izzy asked, digging his hands into his pockets.
"A friend of mine, she's the Teen Gym Leader for Team Rocket," Lia answered, yawning.
"She also said she was a Digidestined."
"Yeah. Crest of Strength, and her digimon is Leomon's niece, Shadowmon. Dammit, I told her I'd email her an MP3 of my new single. Now she's going to flame me and send thirty thousand freaking chain letters," Matt groaned.
"So I don't have to worry? It's not some mental girl, or Jun or something?"
"No worries, Izz. Just watch out, since she has your email she won't be afraid to use it."
"Kay. Thanks, guys."
"Uh-huh."
~*~
Feeling a little relieved, Izzy headed home and immediately checked the computer. There was an update from Tentomon, a chain letter from Willis, some photos from Mimi, spam from Gomamon…he stopped, his pulse racing as he stared at the last piece of email.
"To Izzy, from Shadowmon 86. Subject: The Fires of Passion Rekindled."
With trembling fingers he opened the email. There was a long note, then a picture.
"Dear Izzy. I know you don't remember me, after all, it's been four years and we only saw each other for five minutes. However, I haven't stopped thinking about you and I probably never will. By now you've taken my hint and sought out the wise council of Yama and Lia. No doubt they were off playing kissy-face somewhere." Izzy stopped at this and laughed.
"I'm ready to talk. I want to come out to Odaiba and see you, Izzy. Maybe we can restart the fires of passion that have long since gone out. Think it over and email me. Oh, and this is a pic of Shadowmon and me. Love (hopefully) Nicki. PS, tell Yama if he doesn't send that MP3 soon I'm seriously calling that Jun girl and telling her she can go out with him."
Izzy stared at the picture for a good part of an hour, memorizing every freckle, every strand of hair, every eyelash of this girl. Then he remembered she was waiting for his reply.
"Dear Nicki. It would be prodigious if you came here and visited. I know Lia would look forward to it, and so would I. I don't recall ever seeing you in the Digiworld, but maybe we can sort that out together. I am positive we can ignite the flames of romance, if you're willing to try. As for Matt and his MP3, I'll have T.K. and Lia pester him to do a private concert. Eagerly awaiting your arrival. Love, Izzy."
~*~
Nicki locked up her apartment, located deep within the inner workings of Team Rocket, and turned to the computer, which she had left on.
"Oh wow, he replied. I can't believe he replied that quickly," she murmured, savoring every word. She hurriedly packed a bag and poked Shadowmon.
"Huh? Is Piedmon hauling out the white tablecloths again?" the kitten asked sleepily.
"No, moron, we're going to see…"
"The wizard? The Wizardmon?"
"Would you cut that out? We're gonna go see Izzy and the other Digidestined."
"Uh-huh. Can I go back to bed now?"
"Sure, but we're leaving in five minutes."
"WHAT?!"
"Yeah, I want to get to Odaiba as soon as possible."
"Dammit, and I was having that dream about the Meow Mix cat again!"
"Wha?"
"Never mind," Shadowmon said quickly.
~*~
Izzy awoke the next morning only to find a pair of hazel eyes peering into his. He gasped and jumped, startled by the sudden intrusion.
"Good morning!"
"Mmph," Izzy muttered, throwing the covers back over his head. Then he realized just who was standing over his bed. "Nicki?!"
"Surprise. I got here a little early."
"A little?"
"Okay, so a lot. And I brought Shadowmon too. She's asleep in my duffel bag."
"I wouldn't mind being her right now," Izzy muttered.
"Hmmm, I bet I can wake you up…and maybe it'll jog your memory too. I know we met each other at some point. I just have to jolt it out of you."
Nicki smiled, leaning closer to Izzy. She brushed her lips against his, just enough to set the embers of his soul glowing. A wave of exhilaration washed over him, and he sat up in bed, placing his hands on her shoulder blades and kissing her slightly harder. Memories suddenly flooded him.
~ "Ow. Tentomon, where are we?"
"It's merely speculation, but I think we fell into the sewer system underneath Machinedramon's city."
"Have you seen Tai or the others yet?"
"Nope, and your digivice isn't responding well either."
"Hello? Is anyone there?" a voice called through the darkness.
"Tentomon, who is that?" Izzy whispered.
"I don't know. It's not Sora or Kari, that's for sure."
A younger Nicki appeared, holding Shadowmon in her arms.
"Hi, you're Izzy and Tentomon, right? I'm Nicki and this is Shadowmon."
"We've been following you since that monkey Etemon was around. Nicki thinks you're cute!" the kitten digimon giggled.
"Izzy's spotted you a couple times. He thinks you're cute too," Tentomon replied. Izzy and Nicki blushed.
"Our digimon are setting us up. How pathetic is that?" Nicki groaned.
"It's true, though. I think you're beautiful." Izzy took her hand, drew her closer to him, and hugged her tightly.
"I can't begin to tell you how much I love you," Nicki murmured.~
"Now I remember," Izzy said softly, tugging at the pony holder binding Nicki's auburn hair. He pulled it out and ran his fingers through the long cascade of hair. Nicki pulled her jacket off and sat on the bed beside Izzy. He hugged her close to his body, gently caressing her.
"I love you, Izzy."
"Prodigious."
The fires of passion seared their souls and scalded their senses. Time had completely stopped for Izzy and Nicki. The only thing that mattered at that moment was each other. They kissed again, this time far more passionate. Emotions were mounting, desire drowning them in sheer happiness.
"Ahem, you gonna feed the cat or…oh, so that's what you mean by Tonsil Hockey," Shadowmon pointed out, mincing into the room. Izzy and Nicki held each other, still sitting on the bed, white linen sheets twining around their ankles. Shadowmon gagged and darted out of the room.
"Ugh, too much mush. This is worse than having that Brock kid around. EWWWWW!"
~*~
Ken stared at the screens in his secret chambers. Somehow there was another Digidestined.
"Thirteen. There were eight, then eleven, now there are thirteen! Fourteen if you count the kid in Colorado! Wormmon, I can't have this! We have to get rid of them! We have to get rid of them now!" he hollered. His jaw ached in the same spot where Matt had punched him a week ago.
"You know that whatever you try is just going to blow up in your face, so why don't you just give up before they hurt you?" Wormmon sighed.
"Never speak to me like that!"
"I've got half a mind to go join the Digidestined myself. Maybe that Wizardmon guy has some sort of gijinka spell that'll make me human. That'll show Ken," Wormmon muttered under his breath.
You better beware, Digidestined. I let you off easy this time. Next time you won't be so fortunate. Your luck will run out one of these days, and victory will be mine,
Ken thought, laughing maniacally.~*~
