Chapter 3: "Tu Shan Takes a Risk"
The village elder's request was a staggering one. Who knew how much corruption existed in the Digital World? Even so, the children and their partners knew that they had been united for a reason, and to cleanse the land of evil was as good a noble quest as any. After sharing a brief goodbye with Mikemon, Gazimon and the inhabitants, who for now were living under a yolk of shame and self-pity, they set off westward, which at least had a clear dirt path for them to follow. High above them the sky had shifted from random splotches of paint to inter-crossing lines of colour which reminded them of the grid they had seen in Dex-Dorugamon's wound. They had been walking for a while and stopped to recuperate. Russell was starting to get tired now that every one of his companions had asked him the exact same question.
"I've told you before," he said impatiently, "all I did was wish I was home and poof, there I was."
"We noticed," Libby replied, "but that don't make no sense, slick."
"Maybe you haven't noticed, Butch Cassidy," Russell retorted, "but nothing makes any sense in this world!"
"So the way to get home is to…" Tu Shan began.
"Want to not be here?" Jomo finished.
"Very well put, Jomo," Tu Shan deadpanned. The six Digimon looked at each other with panic in their eyes. Candlemon glided over to Libby and tugged on the leg of her jeans.
"Don't you want to be here?" he asked meekly. Labramon made a gentle whining noise in the back of his throat and put a paw in Tu Shan's lap while Gomamon, who had been in Thora's arms, hugged her human partner as if to keep her from slipping away.
"Now hang on, everyone, before you depress yourselves," said Cassie, patting Ko-Kabuterimon's smooth head, "when Russell left, Mushroomon went with him."
"She's right," Tu Shan nodded, holding Labramon's paw.
"Although he got a lot smaller and more blobby," Russell reminded them.
"I told you I was conserving energy!" Mushroomon huffed.
"Yeah, and you ate three times your own weight," Russell sneered, wrapping one arm around the violet fungus and planting a playful Dutch Rub on his cap. Cassie smiled. It was good to see the little fellow opening up like that, considering how dishevelled and unsociable he was just a short time ago. Even when he was taking pot shots there was an increased, albeit weird friendliness about it. Nothing like defeating an evil psychopath to deepen the bonds of unity.
"So we can take our Digimon home with us?" Thora was not really asking, but the idea was a relief both to her and Gomamon. The two of them squeaked happily. "Let's give it a go!"
"I don't see why not," said Cassie. "You're going to love Corfu, Big Blue." Ko-Kabuterimon said nothing but clicked his claws and mandibles in anticipation. "Golden beaches, the beautiful bay, great food, and the best part is the local wildlife won't try to eat you." The twelve of them stood up in a circle and held out the wrists bearing the Digivice wristwatches. None of them thought this would enhance the process at all but it felt appropriate. The liquid screens glowed as light oozed from the grooves and curves, but all but one of these lights dissipated as a mechanical voice echoed in their collective heads.
"We at Digital Enterprises apologise but maximum bandwidth at this time has been exceeded. Please try again later."
"What?!" Tu Shan glared at his watch. "Please tell me these things aren't pre-broadband!"
"Wait, Cassie's gone," said Thora. Indeed, the Greek girl and her partner had vanished from sight, leaving only a faint circle carved into the dirt.
"What a swiz!" Russell exclaimed. "That half-naked beach-bum gets to go home and we don't?!"
"If you just said what I think you just said," Libby warned, "you can prepare yourself for a whackin'."
"Oh, don't come the moral highness with me, Doc Holliday," the short boy countered. "She's still got your jacket."
"Ah, yeah," Libby put a finger to her cheek and looked up at the sky, "she'd better bring it back." They resolved to attempt the feat of returning home a second time but again nothing happened. Realising it would be useless to sit there all day and night trying to force their way across the expanse of continuity to the Human World, Tu Shan took de facto command of the travellers and they set off once more.
XXX
The first thing she noticed was the heat of the sun beaming down on her. It was a different heat to that of the Digital World, but familiar all the same. The next sensation was the feel of the rose-coloured beach towel beneath her. Last of all was the crashing of water. Slowly she opened her eyes and sat up to find herself looking out across the brilliant blue ocean of the Bay of Garitsa. Directly next to her was another strange creature; a small, green, ball-shaped little animal with pink mandibles, black dots for eyes and a copper-coloured strand extending from the top of its head. Its lower body came down to a point which it was somehow able to balance itself on. It reminded Cassie of a pinecone. Slowly, Cassie stretched out her hand and brushed her fingertips along the green head. There was a faint layer of fuzz like a peach rather than the smooth carapace she was accustomed to.
"Everything's so blue," it observed, wriggling a little under her caress.
"Ko-Kabuterimon?" Cassie asked. "Is that you?"
"Mm-hmm," her partner confirmed, "but in this shape I'm called Minomon. So, is this your home?" All Cassie did was nod in response.
XXX
The throne room was blinding in its radiance. From top to bottom, everything in the domed chamber was built from huge, golden bricks engraved with Digital World hieroglyphs. The floor was covered by a blood-coloured carpet trimmed in silver and the throne, constructed from polished marble, stood on a stepped square platform. Little Dracmon knelt down before the king and the royal consort, who curved her perfect frame neatly against his musculature.
"Those children," he reported, voice shaking, "those children have defeated Dex-Dorugamon."
"As if I did not already know that, Dracmon," the king scowled, "and I see that like always you come crawling to the strongest. I suppose I should take it as a compliment." He released a long sigh before continuing, "Dex-Dorugamon was nothing but a brainless beast anyway. Do you have any other news or is your presence here a complete waste of my time?"
"Just one more thing, Boss," said Dracmon, "I know I'm just a lowly worm and should be beneath your attention but this really is important. I saw the leader of those sprogs disappear before my eyes. All four of 'em!" He held out his palms and the bloodshot orbs embedded in them blinked for emphasis.
"Continue your mission, Dracmon," growled the king. "Find out where that scrawny female went and where the rest are going. Once you have, alert our nearest agent. Understood?"
"Oh, of course, Boss!" Dracmon nodded as he crawled backwards out of the room on his knees. "Yes, Your Royal Heinous - I mean Highness! I won't let ya down, no-sir-ee-bob!" He went on to jabber in this fashion until he was long gone from their presence. The king's grip around his consort's slender shoulder tightened a bit.
"I'm sorry you had to see that, my dear," he murmured.
"Oh, it's no trouble at all," she purred in response, tracing a long nail down the front of his firm chest. "I don't get enough entertainment these days. Why don't I give you a massage to help alleviate some of that tension, hmm?" She slipped, liquid-smooth, from his grasp before he could respond and began to dig her palms into his back, and the king voiced his satisfaction.
XXX
The Demopoulos house was perched in full view of the bay, so it did not take more than a few minutes for Cassie to go charging headlong back, dodging the light traffic and citizens with practised ease. "There goes little Cascadia Demopoulos," some were known to say, "like a bolt of greased lightning," or at least some Greek approximation of the phrase. With her laptop held firmly under one arm and Minomon tucked beneath the other, wrapped in her towel, she skidded through the open door and into the hallway. Oh, how good it was to be home after spending so much time in another dimension! She expected her family to be waiting to grab her up in warm embraces, stating how worried they were, but as she almost slipped on the tiled floor of the hallway she realised that things were as tranquil and cooling as per usual.
"I'm home!" she called. Her father, a trimmed man with his shirt hanging open, emerged from the kitchen with a glass of cold drink in his hand, the chilled glass perspiring over his dark skin.
"Didn't you just leave?" asked Kostas Demopoulos in confusion. He shook it off. "Well, since you're back, your mama left you some rice pudding in the fridge, and could you keep the noise down please? I've got some last minute changes to make before meeting the editor on Friday." When Cassie nodded, he reached out and ruffled her hair. "That's my little Cascitsa." He turned away and headed back to his office. She could hear him switch on the hi-fi system, which was banging out golden oldies. They were soon accentuated by the rhythmic tap-tap-tap of his Word programme.
Just left? That made no sense. Still, the clock on the wall was in agreement, and as strange as it sounded even to her, it occurred to Cassie that perhaps time did run differently between the worlds.
"Cassie," Minomon protested, "you're squeezing me like a grape." She gasped and released her hold. With a quick apology and a nervous laugh she dashed upstairs though not before snatching the tub of creamy rice pudding. She almost tripped over a pile of copies of her father's last book (a best-seller if he did say so himself) which were cluttering up her bedroom door. Kostas had a habit of littering the place with his numerous publications, for you see the poor man suffered from an obscure disease that kept him from tidying up his dusty old junk.
"At least we know we can definitely come and go now," she said, setting Minomon down on her bed, "but I have a feeling that the others are still in the Digital World and we should think about heading back to help them."
"Go home? Get back?" Minomon shook his head. "Will you please make up your mind?"
XXX
The gates of the city swung apart to greet the travellers, after a quick round of bartering with the guards of course, and the first thing to hit them was the scent of the salt in the air. The city of Flashport had been erected against the coast of the island, and stretched out along in rows of wooden buildings criss-crossed by perfectly straight roads, many of which led to the wide plaza between the metropolis and the harbour. If one were to look at it from above, its shape would be comparable to a crossword puzzle.
"Mornin'!" greeted three passing Digimon carrying lumber.
"I wonder if they're all as friendly here," Jomo mused.
"I lived in Flashport for a while," said Gomamon, "apart from that grouchy guardsmon, it's a nice place."
"File Island isn't part of the empire but it's the trading centre of this part of the Digital World," added Labramon matter-of-factly, "so it has a successful seafaring economy."
"And it has the best seafood in the world," Coronamon piped up.
"Well, I'm convinced," said Jomo.
"Do you always think with your stomach?" asked Thora incredulously.
"Yeah, it's a lot smarter than my brain," Jomo grinned. "Now enough prattle! I'm starved!"
"Make a joke about fish and chips and you'll eat that hat," Russell warned Libby, who feigned innocence with a whistle. Mushroomon and Candlemon snickered amongst themselves; watching their human partners picking on each other had become their favourite comedy.
"While Jomo and Coronamon feed their faces, we'll go find a cheap hotel," said Tu Shan. When they left the village, Mikemon was able to spare them a scant few Digi-Dollar notes to keep them sustained, which they all agreed would be used only for essentials. If need be, they could find work here in the city to raise their funds.
"Not too cheap," Thora reminded him. "I'd hate to shack up somewhere without washing facilities."
"I said cheap, not sleazy," Tu Shan assured her. "Don't fret, I know what I'm doing. Let's go Labramon."
"And what are we supposed to do?" Russell frowned. "Sit here and look pretty?"
"Just…amuse yourselves," Tu Shan shrugged as he and his partner strolled off in a different direction. As the Chinese boy and his canine cohort turned a corner and disappeared behind a building, the remaining children looked at one another.
"Do you ever get the feeling Tu Shan's not very fond of us?" asked Thora.
"Yeah, I used to think slick was bad but at least he's funny," said Libby. "Shanghai Charlie over there's just got a big ol' stick up his butt."
"You think I'm funny?" asked Russell, caught quite off his guard by the remark.
"Yeah, funny-lookin'," the cowgirl teased. They quickly descended into another heated debate until Thora put their heads together to shut them up. The eight of them reunited at a modest establishment just a little way from the seafront. They sat together in the bar room, an old tune warbling out of the dated jukebox in the corner as green-skinned waitresses in rusty red caps served out orders. The landlord, a large speckled egg with two reptilian legs growing out of the bottom, was yelling at a nondescript cheque-dodger in a nasally Mexican voice.
"Aside from the noise, it's not so bad in here," said Thora offhandedly.
"Food's decent," said Jomo.
"Our money's almost completely drained," said Tu Shan, "but I spoke to a few people who are willing to take on part-time employees, just in case."
"You think of everything, Tu," Labramon observed.
"Of course I do," Tu Shan gave a nod. "I'm the smart one."
"Self-assured much?" asked Libby icily.
"I'm just stating a fact," Tu Shan shrugged.
"My lunch just winked at me," Russell muttered, poking the plate of fish in front of him, only for it to spring up and make a swift retreat while complaining about how it was impossible to find a place to sleep with noisy humans around. "I…just lost my appetite."
"Excuse me!" someone squeaked. A squat, pale blue Digimon covered in light yellow armour and a bee's abdomen trailing behind him flapped into the room and stopped in front of the children and their partners, whom he asked for each by name (the only ones not to answer were of course Cassie and Ko-Kabuterimon) before introducing himself as, "Honeybeemon of the Royal Postal Service." He reached into the red satchel hanging about his waist, pulled out an envelope and handed it to Tu Shan. It was made of the same half-real material as the letters from Mikemon and fixed together with a white wax seal resembling a decorative crown surrounded by Digital hieroglyphics.
"That's the seal of the royal family," said Labramon.
"Seriously?" Coronamon leaned in closer. "About time." Jomo wanted to question his partner as to his meaning but Tu Shan had already opened the envelope and unfolded the letter inside, which was printed on an emerald-coloured sheet of paper.
To whom it may concern,
We hope this letter finds you all well. Many apologies for your ordeals as of late, we had hoped your arrival in our world would be smoother than it transpired. Still, we must request that you come to our castle in the imperial capital, where we shall explain why you were brought here in the first place. We understand if you refuse but would be most appreciative if you would honour our request.
Yours sincerely,
The Queen of the Digital World
"Wow!" Gomamon exclaimed. "The Queen wants to meet us in person?"
"Just think of it," Thora sighed blissfully, "meeting real royalty. We'll be waited on hand-and-foot by a legion of servants and stay in a beautiful palace and…"
"Thanks for setting our gender back by about 500 years, Princess," Libby scoffed.
"Oh, shut your face," Thora deadpanned. "Just because you dress like Clint Eastwood-"
("Thank you! Someone else noticed!" Russell cheered.)
"-Doesn't mean I can't be a bit feminine once in a while."
"Preach, sister, preach," Gomamon giggled. Libby, who was too polite to swat a fellow girl with so many witnesses to see it, resolved to just tip her hat over her face to hide the pink blush of outrage flooding her cheeks. Tu Shan folded the letter back into its envelope and tucked that away into the back pocket of his jeans.
"Does this mean we're dropping the whole 'purify the land,' thing that Mikemon asked for?" asked Jomo.
"Certainly not," replied Tu Shan, "we'll deal with that when we come to it, but this is our chance to find out our purpose in this world. I say we take it." The others motioned their agreement. "If we head down to the docks we can ask around for a ship heading for the imperial capital. If we're lucky, at least one of us will find someone willing to carry us along with them."
"If that means you'll come I'll go pass it along to the Queen. Cheerio." Honeybeemon flew out of the bar room. The children finished their meal in relative silence but none could deny the excitement building in them. They already knew other humans had come to the Digital World in the past for a multitude of reasons, not that they were told what exactly, but an invitation from who they assumed was amongst the most important figures in the land was nothing to sniff at. The moment their plates and glasses were cleared and their bill paid with the last of their Digi-Dollars, they went about their new mission of finding transport.
XXX
The manager of Flashport Shipping Co. had little love for time-wasters, even less when said time-wasters were flunkies who got too big for their breeches. He was trying to concentrate on a game of Virtual Digi-Chess when that booted buffoon barged in through his office window and kicked the holographic pieces off the table.
"Why you wretched little…!" the manager started.
"Don't get your frills in a twist, Vademon," Dracmon interrupted. "I've brought word from the Big P, you know, your lord an' master?"
"This had better be good, you flying rat," Vademon scowled, straightening the lapels of his black suit jacket. "I'm a busy 'mon."
"Those human kids are in the city," Dracmon explained sharply, "and you're the lucky glob of grey-matter who gets to wipe them out." Vademon's dark lips curled into a smile. He had been preparing for this for some time now in collaboration with a noted renegade scientist who was presently hiding somewhere in far-off Modem. There was a sudden knock at the door and a faint voice spoke from the other side, "Hello? Is someone in?"
"That's one of 'em now," said Dracmon. "Don't mess this up, poindexter." He leapt back out of the window as Vademon stood up and opened the door.
"Ah, welcome to Flashport Shipping Co., valued customer," he greeted, leading the newcomer to the chair opposite his at the table. The boy's Digimon partner hunkered down beside him as Vademon made himself comfortable in his padded swivel-chair, habitually adjusting his lapels again. "Tell me, my friend, what's your name and how may I serve you?"
"I'm Tu Shan," the boy replied with a polite bow of his head, "and this is Labramon. We and some friends of ours need to travel to the capital on some rather urgent business."
"Well, that is a problem," Vademon said, puffing out his cheeks. "All of my boats are on a very strict schedule. It takes a lot of trading and fishing to keep our citizens content, you know." He saw the child's face fall. "But, since I consider myself something of a risk-taker – you can't get ahead just playing it safe, you know – and I like your face, I'll make you a deal. Do you play games?"
"Games?" Tu Shan had an idea of where this was going and was not very comfortable about it. Still, it would be rude to say nothing. "Occasionally, yes."
"Excellent!" Vademon clapped his wiry hands together and as if on silent command, the top of the desk whooshed open, to be replaced by a perfectly square image of a map. "This is my favourite game of all. Risk. If you can beat me in a friendly one-on-one game, I'll happily let all of you travel on the next boat scheduled to leave. Are we in agreement?"
Tu Shan considered his options. He had no Digi-Dollars left, and the Queen's request was rather urgent. He wanted to just tell this unusual creature about that but feared he would be called a liar or that the shipping schedule really was as jam-packed as Vademon claimed. With no other straightforward option, he nodded. "All right, but I must say this is a weird way to do business, not that I'll look a gift horse in the mouth."
"It keeps me from getting too bored," Vademon shrugged. The players and Labramon looked over the game-board. It was much like any normal game of Risk in the Human World with exactly the same rules and principals, though the continents were a lot different.
XXX
Minomon was only half-paying attention to Cassie as she zipped this way and that around the house, throwing all manner of items into an already bulging rucksack. The In-Training Digimon was mainly helping himself to the rice pudding she had left vulnerable on the bedside cabinet. It was only when he barely dodged a flying pair of sandals that he spoke up, "Cassie, are we ready to go yet?"
"Not quite," the girl replied from down the hallway, "I'm trying to decide if I should take fruity or chocolate cereal."
"There's such a thing as over-packing," said the Digimon, "and that bag's already got too much."
"We're in Greece now, my friend, and if it's not too much it's just not enough. Ooh, I forgot about these liquid yoghurts."
Minomon sighed and manoeuvred himself over to the cabinet where Cassie's Digivice lay. The screen was projecting thin strands of light that shaped itself into the landscape of a city much like Corfu, rows of houses bordering a vast expanse of water. Five coloured dots – orange, maroon, brown, cyan and gold – were visible within the buildings, and some kind of disk-shaped construct like a saucer was floating above the rooftops, which shot out yellow strands of its own towards the last four coloured dots. I have a bad feeling about this, Minomon thought to himself, something's got a line on the others.
XXX
It would be kind to say Tu Shan was off to a bad start. Not only was the Digital World constructed so much differently, but there were home rules and extra perils for him to face. Worst of all was Vademon's apparent case of absent-mindedness that kept him from telling the boy all the rules at once. Labramon did all he could to keep his partner updated, to avoid their opponent's trickery, but he was not an avid player so his knowledge was limited. The dog Digimon could actually smell the deceit oozing from every pore on Vademon's repulsive body, even through his suit.
"Anything else you 'forgot,' to tell me?" Tu Shan asked bitterly.
"Yes, actually," Vademon grinned. "The stakes." There was the, 'click,' of a button being pressed beneath the desk and a series of five tele-screens appeared in a star formation on the wall behind him. The central screen displayed a bird's-eye-view of the city while the other four followed the rest of the Digi-Destined and their partners. Tu Shan was about to ask what was going on when Vademon interrupted, "Positioned directly above the city centre is a satellite weapon designed for assassination missions. It was once used by a rival power from the north-western regions until the royal family annexed them into the empire and decommissioned its mass construction. Very brutal. Still, with the right contacts, getting this was easier than I anticipated."
"So how come nobody's noticed that contraption?" Tu Shan demanded.
"Custom stealth-tech," Vademon replied proudly, "and if you fall too far behind, I will trigger the weapon and one of your friends will go bye-bye."
"You monster!" Tu Shan stood up and slammed both hands palm-down on the desk.
"What was your first clue?" Vademon sneered. "Now, sit down and we'll continue, or else my fingers might slip and…bang-bang. Please don't take it personally, orders from the top you know." Tu Shan chewed his bottom lip as he stared across the board. He was already losing. How on either world could he win against someone who could use the rules of play themselves as psychological weapons? He reached for the nearest of his pieces only to hesitate.
Vademon narrowed his eyes. This was taking too long. He had other, more important errands to carry out that day and this child was starting to test his patience. As a reminder, he clicked one of the secret switches.
XXX
Thora and Gomamon found themselves in the city park. A class of what her partner referred to as, 'In-Training Digimon,' were chattering loudly beside a large, ornate water fountain while their teacher chatted with the local ranger. Thora knelt down amongst them as they swarmed her with interest. She patted one on its furry head and smiled.
"Bless 'em, they're so cute," she said softly. Gomamon, who was taking a dip in the fountain, caught sight of something in the sky above, moving quickly downwards. Her ribbon ears twitched.
"Thora! Get down!" she yelled as she propelled herself from the water and tackled her human into the grass. The little ones bounced and rolled out of the way as a barely visible burst of light struck the ground where they had been seconds ago, leaving a black scorch mark. As the teacher gathered her pupils and the ranger called in the security team to investigate, Thora rubbed her head and got up on her knees.
XXX
"Thora!" Tu Shan gasped as he saw her just narrowly avoid getting blasted apart by the beam. He turned on Vademon and growled, "You son of a…!"
"Consider that a warning shot," Vademon interrupted. "Memo to self, recalibrate the death rays for a wider beam. Terrible for something so advanced to still have bugs, don't you find?"
Tu Shan's shock soon gave way to anger.
"Fine, if you want to play dirty," he scowled, "then I'll just have to grind you into the dust myself."
"Good to see you're finally putting on your game face," replied Vademon, "but you're already a continent behind so there's no way for you to win. This big brain of mine isn't for decoration."
"I could've told you that," Labramon piped up, "now shut up and let Tu Shan take his turn." The game renewed, and much to Vademon's surprise he was down to a mere three continents within half an hour, but shifting the tele-screens to centralise the footage of Libby and Candlemon exploring a clothes shop was enough to momentarily throw his opponent off and allow him to regain the advantage. Soon enough they were equalised.
"They both look so happy trying on silly hats," Vademon cooed. "It would be such a shame to spoil that."
"If you even think about it," Tu Shan began.
"I'll crunch that big brain right off your skull," Labramon finished.
"Such tempers you both have," Vademon sneered. "If you did something that frightful, my fingers might slip and press all the buttons at once, and all your friends will wind up as puddles of data."
The game continued and Tu Shan's luck was no longer with him. He gained two continents only to lose one, dropping him to five. The main screen was now focussed on Jomo and Coronamon, who were engaged in a round of cards with some locals.
"Are you mad?!" Labramon spluttered. "If you fire on them you'll hit those civilians!"
"They can be easily replaced," said Vademon. On the display, a laser bolt fired and Jomo was only saved with a melodramatic swing of his arms in the midst of some grand impression of someone. The bolt burnt the ground between the players and the African boy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"I guess if the big guy upstairs doesn't like my jokes, I'm in trouble," he chuckled. Tu Shan and Labramon breathed a united sigh of relief. That was so typical of Jomo, saved by some ridiculous jape. Both of them noticed Vademon's frustration with the faulty death-machine and took this phasing of concentration as a chance to strike back.
XXX
Now in a more comfortable ensemble but still with her swimming goggles clamped against her brow, Cassie looked at the map projected by the Digivice with a stern expression on her normally soft features. She was certain that Tu Shan was embroiled in something, being the only one not targeted by whatever was hovering above the city. She started pressing buttons until a distorted sound-byte of his protesting voice could be heard, overlaid with a computerised countdown. Minomon was already popping open the laptop on the bed and in some sort of bizarre reaction, the screen displayed a swirl of colours while the wristwatch started to glow.
"Ready to head back, Minomon?" she asked, to which the Digimon nodded his head in response.
"Then let's do it," Cassie held the Digivice towards the laptop. "Digi-Port, open!"
"Digi-Port?" Minomon asked.
"First thing that came to mind," she told him as they were both sucked up in a burst of light, well on their way back to the Digital World. "Here we go!"
XXX
A local four-piece band were playing in the city square just a short distance from the park. Not usually Russell's cup of tea but he had to admit they had rhythm. He and Mushroomon were rocking back and forth on their heels, blissfully unaware of the unseen threat priming its sights on them. They were just seconds from destruction when a bright flash filled their eyes and Russell was pinned to the ground with Cassie kneeling over him. An explosion went up a few yards away and threw the small gathered crowd into chaos.
"C-C-C…" Russell stammered, taken aback and unsure what to think. There he was, on his back, in public, with an olive-skinned beauty on top of him, breathing heavily as if she had been running for miles. All in all he was kind of flattered but extremely nonplussed. Was the Earth moving? No, that was just the explosion and the stampeding Digimon around them. "Could you…get off me?" he asked meekly. Cassie realised their position and rolled off, her cheeks blushing brightly, and spoke loudly into her Digivice.
"Tu Shan! Whatever you're planning to do, do it now!" She turned to Russell. "Let's get the others together and head to Tu Shan's location. He's gotten himself in serious trouble."
XXX
Tu Shan's face twisted into a malicious grin and Vademon sucked in his cheeks as if he were biting a lemon. With thickly forged intent, the human boy's mind shut out everything else. The game was all that existed. Winning it was all that mattered. Vademon could be heard gurgling in his throat as his territories rapidly started shrinking. Without distractions it was like facing some kind of finely oiled machine just built for mopping the floor with his strategies. As Tu Shan set his triumphant piece and declared, "I win," the door of the room exploded open, smashed by Coronamon and Candlemon's fireballs.
"You ruffians!" Vademon was more irritated by the intrusion than his loss. "You scoundrels! You rowdy, filthy, misbehaving little animals! Why couldn't you just be good and stand still so I could shoot you, instead of leaping about like demented grasshoppers?" Thora was the first to pounce, cat-like, at the wiry creature, grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket and shaking him violently.
"You! Do! Not! Shoot! People!" she yelled. "You know what Shaken Baby Syndrome is? It's a bit like what you're feeling now!"
"Whoa," Russell gawked.
"She is so hot when she's mad," Cassie murmured, earning a strange look from Jomo and Libby and instead opted to feign innocence. "Who said that? I'll go outside and look." Vademon let out a frankly feminine cry and slapped Thora's hands away.
"Get your revolting – if highly fashionable, I must find out who does your nails – mitts off of me!" he said, switching between anger to admiration then back again. Without another word he put two fingers to his lips, blew them a kiss and raised his hand as the wall was ripped apart from a barrage of comets. For the children and their partners, everything seemed to go into slow motion as this unexpected assault shrieked towards them. The Digimon shattered the comets with their respective special powers. Russell grabbed Libby by the wrist and pulled her aside just in time to avoid a shard of ice that would have split her in two. Jomo knocked Thora and Cassie back out through the front door in a jumble of limbs. Tu Shan, however, was still in his ultra-concentrated stage. Perhaps that's why time had slowed to a crawl. His incredible brain was processing every nano-second, ever atomic moment. His spatial awareness felt sharper than ever, all that mattered was getting to Vademon, to wring his scrawny neck until he sang. He pinned the retreating Digimon to the floor, planting both knees against his shoulders as the continuum reasserted itself. The comet storm had passed, leaving large craters in the floor and walls and a bruised but otherwise unharmed group of pilgrims.
"I'm usually not the violent type," said Tu Shan, glaring into Vademon's yellow eyes, "that's usually left to my companions, but you've well and truly pushed my buttons…stop squirming!" Vademon ceased immediately, despite his advanced level and devastating energy-bending abilities, his body was physically weak and feeble, leaving him at the mercy of his aggressors.
"All day," Tu Shan continued, "you've made me play your twisted game and threatened the lives of my friends. Now either you honour or agreement and give us a boat free of charge, or I forget I'm supposed to be the good guy. Your choice."
"Easy, easy, boy," Vademon whimpered, "I'll keep to our agreement. You won, fair and square, and I'm really not all that nasty. It was all for the sake of my client."
"And who is that?" asked Cassie.
"I can't tell you that," Vademon told him. "I'm not hiding anything, it's just confidentiality and all. I am a businessmon after all. Look, I don't have any boats that go directly to the capital, but there's a good boat getting ready to sail to the shore of Modem in twenty minutes." Tu Shan stood up and pulled Vademon to his feet, or rather, his tentacles. Still with one hand wrapped firmly around the proprietor's tie, he dragged him out to the docks.
"Which one?" he asked sternly.
"Th-that one at the end," said Vademon. "The Jolly Big, captained by a 'mon of substance and quality, I assure you. I just need five or ten minutes to make all the arrangements, all right?"
"Fine," said Tu Shan as he released the tie. "Make it quick. I'm not playing around."
Needless to say, Vademon was more than happy to see those loathsome children and their partners disappearing over the horizon onboard the boat. As he entered his spare office at the opposite end of the docks, he found himself staring into a pulsating ball of luminescent light.
"Bad show," said the imp who was holding the magical sting. "With all that grey-matter, I really thought you'd fare better than that. Not only did you fail to stop the Digi-Destined, but you had the gall to provide them with a means of escape. That makes you a liability."
"Now, see here, Dracmon-" Vademon began to protest, but it was all for nought, before the sentence even finished forming, he was atomised.
