"The Circle of the Digidestined," written by Freedom Fighter
Disclaimer: None of the characters, human or Digimon, belong to me, the writer.
Author's Warning: The following fanfic features gruesome character death, both of the human
and Digimon kind, violence of varying levels, some profane language, and some suggestive
situations. Please do not read this fanfic if you're underage or feel that you cannot handle
any of said features.
======
"And that's the whole story."
Izzy Izumi was standing next to a coffeemaker on the counter he was leaning against as he
concluded his story about what had happened. He searched the faces of his six fellow
Digidestined for a reaction of any kind.
"Poor Joe," Kari finally spoke up. "He didn't deserve to die that way."
"I can't believe it," TK added shakily. "After everything he's done in life, becoming the
Digiworld's first human doctor... how can something like this happen to Joe?"
"No one showed as much dedication for his job as Joe did," Cody toted, remembering how close
he and Joe were as friends. "He will be truly missed."
"How can something like this happen?" Yolei asked aloud. She was really worried about the
incident, as shown by how tight her hands were squeezing Ken's. "What's to stop something like
this from happening again?"
"Calm down," Izzy approached Yolei slowly. "You don't have to worry about that."
As Ken tried to reassure his wife that everything was okay, he shot Izzy a curious look.
"If this stampede was as big as you say, then how did it form? I didn't think the Jagamon in
those regions were so closely knit."
"They weren't," Izzy replied. "I won't know for sure until the investigation is complete,
but some of those Jagamon could have come from as far away as the other side of the sector."
"That's in the neighboorhood of a hundred miles!" Ken exclaimed.
"A hundred miles?" Davis popped in, surprised at the distance. "Gee, those must be some
strong Digimon if they ran that far."
But Kari introduced a more plausible theory. "You think someone could have brought the
Jagamon to a spot closer to where..."
"Exactly!"
"If that's the case," Izzy began as he started to pace, "then maybe what Mimi said may have
some truth to it after all."
"Mimi?" Yolei asked, always concerned when Mimi is involved in anything.
Izzy nodded as he stopped in his tracks and glanced up at the ceiling. "Guys, I think our
worst fear has come true."
Everyone's face went white with fear. The day they had dreaded since they stopped
MaloMyotismon all those years ago had finally arrived. And not one of them were ready to
accept it as Izzy was about to so easily.
"Humans are trying to take over the Digiworld."
***** Episode Four - The Despondent Dozen (11.12.02) *****
Halfway across the world, in Paris, France...
"Meteor Wing!"
"Get a taste of my Needle Spray!"
Birdramon and Togemon both fired off another round of attacks at the DarkTyrannomon pair.
Stunned but far from out, the DarkTyrannomon fire back.
"Fire Blast!" they both shouted.
The two fire-powered attacks hit their mark. Birdramon shook off the attack, while Togemon
used her boxing gloves to snuff out the small fire that had materialized just below her chin.
"This isn't getting us anywhere!" Birdramon shouted.
"At this rate, the city will be destroyed before we can contain them," Togemon exclaimed.
Down at ground level, Sora and Mimi were setting their D-3s to activate the digivolution
process.
"I hope this works," Mimi stated worriedly. "It's been a year and a half since I last had
Togemon digivolve to champion."
"It's been two for me and Birdramon," Sora stated, "but we can't worry about that now. We've
got to get an advantage of some sort or we'll never stop those DarkTyrannomon!"
Finished with their adjustments, the two raised their D-3s into the air as Catherine looked
on from a few feet away.
"Go for it!" Catherine cheered.
"Birdramon!"
"Togemon!"
"Time to digivolve to ultimate!" the two women yelled in unison.
Streams of data surround Birdramon and Togemon as they evolved from champions to ultimates.
"Birdramon digivolve to... Garudamon!"
"Togemon digivolve to... Lillymon!"
The two ultimates appear and immediately take flight.
"Two DarkTyrannomon at twelve o'clock," Garudamon shouted in the air.
"It's just like old times," Lillymon replied.
"I've got the one on the left."
"And I've got the cutie on the right!"
The two split off, headed towards their respective targets.
"Fire Blast!" the DarkTyrannomon on the left sounded off. He intended to knock Garudamon out
of the sky before he got too close.
"Not this time!" Garudamon exclaimed as she charged up for her attack. "Wing Blade!"
The Phoenix-like fire creature that appeared dived at high speed towards the DarkTyrannomon.
It bursted right through the Fire Blast attack and connected with its target. The dinosaur
Digimon fell to the ground, knocked out from the blast.
Meanwhile, the other DarkTyrannomon tried to swat Lillymon out of the air with his giant
claws. But Lillymon dodged each swing, as she was way too fast for him to keep up.
"Sorry big guy, but playtime's over!" Lillymon shouted as she dodged another swing. She dived
under the Digimon's left armpit before she made a spiral upwards. She began to circle around
DarkTyrannomon's neck as a ring of flowers began to materialize.
"Flower Ring!"
The ring formed around the Digimon's neck. Instantly, the DarkTyrannomon stopped swinging his
arms about and stood up absolutely motionless.
"Works like a charm!"
"Yeah!" Mimi shouted. "You two did it!"
"Bring them over here," Sora told the two Digimon as she noticed Catherine had pulled out her
Digivice and had aimed it at one of the computer monitors in the nearby Internet café.
"Mission accomplished, mes amies!" Catherine flashed a smile as her Digivice came to life.
"Let's get these two back home," Sora walked over to her European agent. "We might be able
to have that fashion show tonight after all."
Garudamon was slowly walking the DarkTyrannomon he had knocked out over to the portal.
Lillymon is having a much easier time, as she guided hers peacefully in that direction. Mimi
had been watching the two Digimon finish things up, but Sora's comment returned her state of
mind she was in when she had arrived.
"Sora... you might want to reconsider that."
"Why Mimi?" Sora asked. "Sure, it'll take all day to clean this mess, and the attack might
affect the attendance, but the show will still go on."
"Something bad's happened in the Digiworld," Mimi lowered her head silently. She hated to be
the bearer of bad news, but she was the only person among them who knew what was going on.
"Bad? Like what?"
"You mean worse than this?" Catherine asked, pointing to all of the rubble.
"Much worse."
======
With the two DarkTyrannomon returned to their rightful place in the Digiworld, Mimi relayed
the news of Joe's death to Sora, Catherine, and Biyomon. Palmon stood by her partner as the
trio reacted.
"That's terrible!" Sora exclaimed. "To lose his life in such a way..."
"How can Digimon be so ruthless?" Catherine had her hands up to her eyes as she wiped her
tears away.
"Does Gomamon know yet?" Biyomon asked, equally concerned about Joe's own partner.
Palmon shook her head. "At least not yet. But by the time we get to Osaka, he should."
"How can Izzy be so irresponsible?" shouted an enranged Mimi as she remembered the lapse of
concentration that kept Izzy from being aware of Joe's safety.
"I'm sure Izzy's as shocked as everyone," defended Sora, "but these things happen. They're
best friends. They'd never wish this on each other."
"If he had been doing his job, I wouldn't have to be taking you to Osaka!"
"I should come along too," Catherine cut in. "After all, if this attack was premediated by
some sicko or whatever, it might be in my country's best interest that it's only Digidestined
be present."
"Catherine's right, Mimi. What if this is connected to the stampede in the Digiworld?"
"It wouldn't hurt," Palmon said to Mimi. "We might need help from her and Floramon."
Mimi was hesitant to respond. After all, she knew of how close TK and Tai had gotten to
Catherine when they first met 25 years ago. TK got even closer than that. But that was so
long ago, and Mimi was beginning to think that those old feelings might have already vanished.
But as she was about to agree, Tai and Agumon jumped out from one of the computers in the
café. The two run outside as the three women watch.
"Get ready to digivolve, Agumon! We've got to get these two back to the Digiworld before
they cause any more damage!"
"I'm ready!" Agumon exclaimed.
"Ahem," Mimi coughed, with her arms crossed over her chest. "You two are late!"
"What happened?" Sora asked.
Tai scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he made his confession. "When I got back to
the hotel, I plopped onto my bed and ended up... sleeping for ten minutes or so."
"You bonehead!"
"I don't even know why I left anyway," Tai growled, now the one who was angry. "You and Sora
handled everything on your own. You didn't need me and Agumon."
"That's not true." Sora was obviously trying to reestablish Tai's need to be there because he
was the team leader. But Mimi wasn't letting him off the hook that easily.
"I don't know why I listened to Izzy and got you in the first place!" Mimi yelled. "Just
because you're a diplomat doesn't mean that we'll fight all your battles for you!"
"I don't need you to fight my battles, Mimi! And I wouldn't say something like that if I were
you. After all, it wouldn't be good for your Julia Child-like image."
"Leave my work out of this!"
"Well, leave mine out of it!"
Palmon and Agumon pleaded with their partners to calm down. But it had already gotten too far
out of hand, and Sora was forced to step in to break the two apart.
"Why do you two continue to have these petty arguments?" she asked. "This is the last thing
we need in a situation like this!"
"Well, he/she started it," the two of them shouted as they pointed fingers at each other.
"We've lost one of our own and yet you two want to bicker about who's the better Digidestined!
Argh! It's like you two never..."
"What?" Tai jumped in, a bit surprised about what Sora had just said. "What do you mean we
lost one of our own?"
"Mimi didn't exactly tell Tai what was going on," Palmon cut in.
"What's going on?"
"Tai... Joe was killed about an hour ago in a Jagamon stampede."
Sora was hoping, sadly, that the news of Joe's death would calm Tai down and help him come to
grips with the reality of the situation. Instead, it infuriated Tai even more.
"You kept that from me!" Tai yelled at the top of lungs as he glared at Mimi. "I'm as much a
friend of Joe's as everyone here! SO WHY AM I THE LAST TO KNOW?"
"I was in a rush to get back to Osaka!" Mimi shot back. "Then we were sidetracked by the
disturbance here in Paris! Or have you forgotten about that already?"
"I'm the leader of this team!" Tai stomped his foot on the sidewalk. "I need to know what's
going on with every single member of this team at any given team!"
"The 'team,' Tai, broke up 25 years ago after we defeated MaloMyotismon! We all went our
separate ways. There is no team anymore!" Mimi threw her hands up in frustration as she
walked past Tai and into the Internet café. "I can't believe I got up out of bed for this!"
"Then go back to your cozy mansion in the Hamptons!" Tai shouted, turning around to face
the building. "The rest of us can handle this without you! That's what you want, isn't it?"
"Tai, you never knew what I wanted! That's why our relationship failed all those years ago
and why I'll never forgive you for it! I swear! The only reason YOU exist is to annoy me!"
"And the only reason you STILL exist is because I know better than to take my anger out
physically!"
"Oh, was that a threat? You wouldn't have the balls to hit me."
"Mimi, that's enough!" Sora was getting worried as to where this was leading. "Haven't you
hurt Tai enough for one day?"
Catherine had gone to Tai's side as she attempted to calm him down.
"Tai, this is so unlike you," she said. "You're much nicer than this."
"You don't know him like I know him," Mimi shouted. "The only thing in life Tai has never
been able to control is his emotions. Especially when it comes to women's emotions!"
Sora grabbed Mimi's arm, but she quickly shook free.
"Mimi, will you calm down? Why don't you think about Tai's emotions right now? You're going
to cause him to have a mental breakdown!"
"You'd know a lot about those, wouldn't you Sora? Having to spend all but a few weeks every
year taking care of your children alone while Matt works for the space program. It drives you
crazy, doesn't it?"
"Don't turn this on me! Besides, you're every bit as unstable as Tai right now! I'm afraid
that if I don't stop this right now, one of you will do something you'll regret!"
Mimi reached for her Digivice and started punching in the coordinates for the Digital World
Research Laboratory in Osaka, Japan. She then aimed it towards the nearest active computer,
which opened the local portal. Without another word, Mimi walked towards the monitor and is
sucked in. Palmon glanced once at the others before following her partner through.
Sora began to step towards the portal with Biyomon next to her, but Tai decided to speak up.
"I don't know what I'd do without you," Tai said to Sora.
"I'll tell Izzy that you'll be a little late," Sora lowered her head. "He'll understand."
Tai nodded as Sora turned to shoot a reassuring glance at Catherine.
"Could you help him cool off, Catherine?"
"Oui! Of course!"
"Tai, do whatever Catherine tells you, okay? I'll try to calm Mimi down, then call you two
when it's safe to come to Osaka."
Sora and Biyomon resumed their walk towards the portal. They are sucked into the monitor, but
the portal remains open. Tai looked down at Agumon and motioned for him to go to Osaka too.
"Tai? Are you sure?"
"Catherine will take good care of me."
"It's better if I'm alone with him," Catherine told Agumon. "If he's alone with another
human, he's more likely to let all of his feelings out."
"I guess," Agumon reluctantly agreed. "I still don't understand why you humans can't keep
your emotions in check. It's easy for Digimon like me to do."
Catherine giggled. "That's because humans have a lot more problems to worry about than Digimon
do. Now, run along before you miss your train."
Agumon glanced at Tai one more time. He then ran into the café and leaped into the portal,
which finally closes behind him.
Once the portal is gone, sirens begin to fill the air. Catherine wrapped her arm around the
back of Tai's neck and started leading him down the street.
"So, where should we start, mon ami?"
=====
A portal appeared inside the Digital World Research Lab in Osaka and spewed from it were
Sora, Mimi, Biyomon, and Palmon. One of the technicians in the room got up out of his seat
and lead them out of the room and to the staff lounge.
Just outside the lounge stood most of the other Digidestined's Digimon. Biyomon and Palmon
joined the group as Sora and Mimi opened the door into the lounge.
"Where have you two been?" Patamon asked.
"We had a couple of Digimon that had to be sent back to the Digiworld," Palmon replied.
"Where are Agumon and Gabumon?" Armadillomon asked.
"Agumon's helping Tai clear his head," Biyomon began, "and Gabumon's with Matt on the space
station."
"You mean they don't know what's going on?"
"I doubt it. By the way, Gomamon isn't here yet either?"
"I'm surprised that he isn't," Gatomon said. "Then again, I don't know if I'd be up for
traveling if I lost my partner. Sigh... I don't know what I'd do if I lost Kari."
"Things will get better," Tentomon stated aloud. "I know they will!"
======
"Mimi's here!" Yolei shouted in jubilation. "And so is Sora!"
"Is something wrong?" Ken asked, who had spotted the cross look on Mimi's face.
"Mimi, you were supposed to get Tai," reminded Izzy. "Don't tell me that you forgot."
"Izzy..." Sora interrupted, "Mimi's not in the mood to talk right now."
Mimi walked over to an empty seat and plopped down into it. It was positioned between Yolei
and Cody. She huffed angrily as she turned her attention to Izzy.
"Can we just get this over with so I can go home?"
Izzy gulped. "She's STILL mad at me?" he thought. "I know I'm partly at fault for Joe's
death, but I apologized already!"
Sora headed over for the only other open seat, which was on the side closest to Izzy and right
next to TK. She just shook her at Izzy, which was a singal to just move on and forget about
Mimi's current state.
"Actually, it's a good thing you're here," Izzy said, still looking at Mimi. "I remember you
telling me that you saw some suspicious suspects around the oasis where you entered the
Digiworld. You're the only person we're aware of that may know what they look like."
"And your point is?"
"What do you mean 'and your point is?' Mimi, we need to know what they look like so we can
catch them before something like this happens again!"
"I don't think I want to remember what they look like. They were all bad men, okay?"
"Mimi, that doesn't help us at all!"
"If you know anything," Sora cut in, "you need to tell everyone now, Mimi. We want to stop
them before this spirals out of control."
Mimi crossed her arms over her chest and sat there silently for a minute as a her thoughts
raced through her mind. "I probably should say something. Darn it girl, haven't you realized
that you need to forget about that argument with Tai and focus! You're supposed to be a
Digidestined! Act like one!"
"We don't have all day," Izzy growled as he began to tap his foot impatiently.
"Okay," Mimi finally agreed, "I'll tell you all what I know. Though you may not like it."
"We may not like it?" Cody asked curiously.
"What do you mean by that?" Yolei added.
"Well... let's just say a few things happened as I was watching them..."
======
Almost halfway across the Digiworld, five humans and five Digimon have set up camp on top of
a sand dune overlooking two neighboring Digimon villages. One of them was using a pair of
binoculars to peer into the villages. The one he was looking at now was filled with to the
horns with Tsunomon. He then turned to his right to check out the other village, which he
discovered was filled with Koromon.
"Do we have to do this so soon?" a voice in the background asked.
"Yes!" exclaimed a second. "This is how you strike fear into your enemies! You strike hard
and fast before they get a chance to protect themselves! Just imagine thousands of humans
and Digimon panicking their heads off! They'll be so worried about saving themselves that
they won't worry about saving their cities or villages. In just a few days, we will have
taken over both worlds!"
"But I thought you wanted to destroy the Digiworld," a third spoke up.
"Of course I do! But we have to squash all resistance before that happens!"
"So fearless leader," began a fourth, "why are we starting with villages of baby Digimon?"
"You dare question my ingenious plan?"
"Well no, but why are we starting so small?"
"We have five rookie-level Digimon. Do you think it's wise to invade a village of
MetalGreymon?"
"You mean there's actually a village full of MetalGreymon?"
The leader growled angrily. "Of course there isn't! I'm trying to make a point! Look, no
imbecile would try to attack someone stronger than them. That's like committing suicide!
That's why I'm the leader! I'm not stupid enough to walk into a situation I can't work my
way out of."
"Sorry sir," the three lackeys apologized.
"Now, go find our Digimon partners so we can do this and move on."
Additional Author's Notes for this Episode:
I think you're all dying to know two things. Where is Matt and why are Tai and Mimi fighting
as if they were still a couple?
Well, I don't think it was mentioned before this episode (though I swear it was), Matt and
Gabumon are up in a space station. Matt's job, as given by the '25 years later' ending of
the series, is being an astronaut. So for all the Matt fans wondering when he'll get into
this, it probably won't be for another two to three episodes. I haven't planned anything yet
past that yet, but I expect Matt to play a big part later on.
As for Tai and Mimi, I told you last episode that yes, they were romantically involved once.
But don't you get the feeling that they still have a grudge with each other over what
happened? We're probably an episode or two away from uncovering that mystery, and we'll
finally figure out why this couple was not meant to be.
Oh, and just for the record books, Julia Child is probably the most influential TV cook in
the world. If any of you have parents that have watched a cooking show on public television
in the last 20-30 years, maybe even more 'cause I'm not sure how long she's been in the biz,
then you probably know of Julia Child's reputation. For the purposes of this fanfic, Mimi's
career as a TV cook just about matches that level of committment and charm.
***** Next Episode - Support Your Own Kind *****
When the bad guys strike in neighboring villages of Koromon and Tsunomon, several of the
Digidestined are sent into action to stop the fighting before things get ugly. But what will
they do when Agumon decides to side with his fellow Koromon? Plus, Gomamon arrives in Osaka,
but is he already aware of Joe's fate or will the others be forced to tell him the grim news?
Disclaimer: None of the characters, human or Digimon, belong to me, the writer.
Author's Warning: The following fanfic features gruesome character death, both of the human
and Digimon kind, violence of varying levels, some profane language, and some suggestive
situations. Please do not read this fanfic if you're underage or feel that you cannot handle
any of said features.
======
"And that's the whole story."
Izzy Izumi was standing next to a coffeemaker on the counter he was leaning against as he
concluded his story about what had happened. He searched the faces of his six fellow
Digidestined for a reaction of any kind.
"Poor Joe," Kari finally spoke up. "He didn't deserve to die that way."
"I can't believe it," TK added shakily. "After everything he's done in life, becoming the
Digiworld's first human doctor... how can something like this happen to Joe?"
"No one showed as much dedication for his job as Joe did," Cody toted, remembering how close
he and Joe were as friends. "He will be truly missed."
"How can something like this happen?" Yolei asked aloud. She was really worried about the
incident, as shown by how tight her hands were squeezing Ken's. "What's to stop something like
this from happening again?"
"Calm down," Izzy approached Yolei slowly. "You don't have to worry about that."
As Ken tried to reassure his wife that everything was okay, he shot Izzy a curious look.
"If this stampede was as big as you say, then how did it form? I didn't think the Jagamon in
those regions were so closely knit."
"They weren't," Izzy replied. "I won't know for sure until the investigation is complete,
but some of those Jagamon could have come from as far away as the other side of the sector."
"That's in the neighboorhood of a hundred miles!" Ken exclaimed.
"A hundred miles?" Davis popped in, surprised at the distance. "Gee, those must be some
strong Digimon if they ran that far."
But Kari introduced a more plausible theory. "You think someone could have brought the
Jagamon to a spot closer to where..."
"Exactly!"
"If that's the case," Izzy began as he started to pace, "then maybe what Mimi said may have
some truth to it after all."
"Mimi?" Yolei asked, always concerned when Mimi is involved in anything.
Izzy nodded as he stopped in his tracks and glanced up at the ceiling. "Guys, I think our
worst fear has come true."
Everyone's face went white with fear. The day they had dreaded since they stopped
MaloMyotismon all those years ago had finally arrived. And not one of them were ready to
accept it as Izzy was about to so easily.
"Humans are trying to take over the Digiworld."
***** Episode Four - The Despondent Dozen (11.12.02) *****
Halfway across the world, in Paris, France...
"Meteor Wing!"
"Get a taste of my Needle Spray!"
Birdramon and Togemon both fired off another round of attacks at the DarkTyrannomon pair.
Stunned but far from out, the DarkTyrannomon fire back.
"Fire Blast!" they both shouted.
The two fire-powered attacks hit their mark. Birdramon shook off the attack, while Togemon
used her boxing gloves to snuff out the small fire that had materialized just below her chin.
"This isn't getting us anywhere!" Birdramon shouted.
"At this rate, the city will be destroyed before we can contain them," Togemon exclaimed.
Down at ground level, Sora and Mimi were setting their D-3s to activate the digivolution
process.
"I hope this works," Mimi stated worriedly. "It's been a year and a half since I last had
Togemon digivolve to champion."
"It's been two for me and Birdramon," Sora stated, "but we can't worry about that now. We've
got to get an advantage of some sort or we'll never stop those DarkTyrannomon!"
Finished with their adjustments, the two raised their D-3s into the air as Catherine looked
on from a few feet away.
"Go for it!" Catherine cheered.
"Birdramon!"
"Togemon!"
"Time to digivolve to ultimate!" the two women yelled in unison.
Streams of data surround Birdramon and Togemon as they evolved from champions to ultimates.
"Birdramon digivolve to... Garudamon!"
"Togemon digivolve to... Lillymon!"
The two ultimates appear and immediately take flight.
"Two DarkTyrannomon at twelve o'clock," Garudamon shouted in the air.
"It's just like old times," Lillymon replied.
"I've got the one on the left."
"And I've got the cutie on the right!"
The two split off, headed towards their respective targets.
"Fire Blast!" the DarkTyrannomon on the left sounded off. He intended to knock Garudamon out
of the sky before he got too close.
"Not this time!" Garudamon exclaimed as she charged up for her attack. "Wing Blade!"
The Phoenix-like fire creature that appeared dived at high speed towards the DarkTyrannomon.
It bursted right through the Fire Blast attack and connected with its target. The dinosaur
Digimon fell to the ground, knocked out from the blast.
Meanwhile, the other DarkTyrannomon tried to swat Lillymon out of the air with his giant
claws. But Lillymon dodged each swing, as she was way too fast for him to keep up.
"Sorry big guy, but playtime's over!" Lillymon shouted as she dodged another swing. She dived
under the Digimon's left armpit before she made a spiral upwards. She began to circle around
DarkTyrannomon's neck as a ring of flowers began to materialize.
"Flower Ring!"
The ring formed around the Digimon's neck. Instantly, the DarkTyrannomon stopped swinging his
arms about and stood up absolutely motionless.
"Works like a charm!"
"Yeah!" Mimi shouted. "You two did it!"
"Bring them over here," Sora told the two Digimon as she noticed Catherine had pulled out her
Digivice and had aimed it at one of the computer monitors in the nearby Internet café.
"Mission accomplished, mes amies!" Catherine flashed a smile as her Digivice came to life.
"Let's get these two back home," Sora walked over to her European agent. "We might be able
to have that fashion show tonight after all."
Garudamon was slowly walking the DarkTyrannomon he had knocked out over to the portal.
Lillymon is having a much easier time, as she guided hers peacefully in that direction. Mimi
had been watching the two Digimon finish things up, but Sora's comment returned her state of
mind she was in when she had arrived.
"Sora... you might want to reconsider that."
"Why Mimi?" Sora asked. "Sure, it'll take all day to clean this mess, and the attack might
affect the attendance, but the show will still go on."
"Something bad's happened in the Digiworld," Mimi lowered her head silently. She hated to be
the bearer of bad news, but she was the only person among them who knew what was going on.
"Bad? Like what?"
"You mean worse than this?" Catherine asked, pointing to all of the rubble.
"Much worse."
======
With the two DarkTyrannomon returned to their rightful place in the Digiworld, Mimi relayed
the news of Joe's death to Sora, Catherine, and Biyomon. Palmon stood by her partner as the
trio reacted.
"That's terrible!" Sora exclaimed. "To lose his life in such a way..."
"How can Digimon be so ruthless?" Catherine had her hands up to her eyes as she wiped her
tears away.
"Does Gomamon know yet?" Biyomon asked, equally concerned about Joe's own partner.
Palmon shook her head. "At least not yet. But by the time we get to Osaka, he should."
"How can Izzy be so irresponsible?" shouted an enranged Mimi as she remembered the lapse of
concentration that kept Izzy from being aware of Joe's safety.
"I'm sure Izzy's as shocked as everyone," defended Sora, "but these things happen. They're
best friends. They'd never wish this on each other."
"If he had been doing his job, I wouldn't have to be taking you to Osaka!"
"I should come along too," Catherine cut in. "After all, if this attack was premediated by
some sicko or whatever, it might be in my country's best interest that it's only Digidestined
be present."
"Catherine's right, Mimi. What if this is connected to the stampede in the Digiworld?"
"It wouldn't hurt," Palmon said to Mimi. "We might need help from her and Floramon."
Mimi was hesitant to respond. After all, she knew of how close TK and Tai had gotten to
Catherine when they first met 25 years ago. TK got even closer than that. But that was so
long ago, and Mimi was beginning to think that those old feelings might have already vanished.
But as she was about to agree, Tai and Agumon jumped out from one of the computers in the
café. The two run outside as the three women watch.
"Get ready to digivolve, Agumon! We've got to get these two back to the Digiworld before
they cause any more damage!"
"I'm ready!" Agumon exclaimed.
"Ahem," Mimi coughed, with her arms crossed over her chest. "You two are late!"
"What happened?" Sora asked.
Tai scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he made his confession. "When I got back to
the hotel, I plopped onto my bed and ended up... sleeping for ten minutes or so."
"You bonehead!"
"I don't even know why I left anyway," Tai growled, now the one who was angry. "You and Sora
handled everything on your own. You didn't need me and Agumon."
"That's not true." Sora was obviously trying to reestablish Tai's need to be there because he
was the team leader. But Mimi wasn't letting him off the hook that easily.
"I don't know why I listened to Izzy and got you in the first place!" Mimi yelled. "Just
because you're a diplomat doesn't mean that we'll fight all your battles for you!"
"I don't need you to fight my battles, Mimi! And I wouldn't say something like that if I were
you. After all, it wouldn't be good for your Julia Child-like image."
"Leave my work out of this!"
"Well, leave mine out of it!"
Palmon and Agumon pleaded with their partners to calm down. But it had already gotten too far
out of hand, and Sora was forced to step in to break the two apart.
"Why do you two continue to have these petty arguments?" she asked. "This is the last thing
we need in a situation like this!"
"Well, he/she started it," the two of them shouted as they pointed fingers at each other.
"We've lost one of our own and yet you two want to bicker about who's the better Digidestined!
Argh! It's like you two never..."
"What?" Tai jumped in, a bit surprised about what Sora had just said. "What do you mean we
lost one of our own?"
"Mimi didn't exactly tell Tai what was going on," Palmon cut in.
"What's going on?"
"Tai... Joe was killed about an hour ago in a Jagamon stampede."
Sora was hoping, sadly, that the news of Joe's death would calm Tai down and help him come to
grips with the reality of the situation. Instead, it infuriated Tai even more.
"You kept that from me!" Tai yelled at the top of lungs as he glared at Mimi. "I'm as much a
friend of Joe's as everyone here! SO WHY AM I THE LAST TO KNOW?"
"I was in a rush to get back to Osaka!" Mimi shot back. "Then we were sidetracked by the
disturbance here in Paris! Or have you forgotten about that already?"
"I'm the leader of this team!" Tai stomped his foot on the sidewalk. "I need to know what's
going on with every single member of this team at any given team!"
"The 'team,' Tai, broke up 25 years ago after we defeated MaloMyotismon! We all went our
separate ways. There is no team anymore!" Mimi threw her hands up in frustration as she
walked past Tai and into the Internet café. "I can't believe I got up out of bed for this!"
"Then go back to your cozy mansion in the Hamptons!" Tai shouted, turning around to face
the building. "The rest of us can handle this without you! That's what you want, isn't it?"
"Tai, you never knew what I wanted! That's why our relationship failed all those years ago
and why I'll never forgive you for it! I swear! The only reason YOU exist is to annoy me!"
"And the only reason you STILL exist is because I know better than to take my anger out
physically!"
"Oh, was that a threat? You wouldn't have the balls to hit me."
"Mimi, that's enough!" Sora was getting worried as to where this was leading. "Haven't you
hurt Tai enough for one day?"
Catherine had gone to Tai's side as she attempted to calm him down.
"Tai, this is so unlike you," she said. "You're much nicer than this."
"You don't know him like I know him," Mimi shouted. "The only thing in life Tai has never
been able to control is his emotions. Especially when it comes to women's emotions!"
Sora grabbed Mimi's arm, but she quickly shook free.
"Mimi, will you calm down? Why don't you think about Tai's emotions right now? You're going
to cause him to have a mental breakdown!"
"You'd know a lot about those, wouldn't you Sora? Having to spend all but a few weeks every
year taking care of your children alone while Matt works for the space program. It drives you
crazy, doesn't it?"
"Don't turn this on me! Besides, you're every bit as unstable as Tai right now! I'm afraid
that if I don't stop this right now, one of you will do something you'll regret!"
Mimi reached for her Digivice and started punching in the coordinates for the Digital World
Research Laboratory in Osaka, Japan. She then aimed it towards the nearest active computer,
which opened the local portal. Without another word, Mimi walked towards the monitor and is
sucked in. Palmon glanced once at the others before following her partner through.
Sora began to step towards the portal with Biyomon next to her, but Tai decided to speak up.
"I don't know what I'd do without you," Tai said to Sora.
"I'll tell Izzy that you'll be a little late," Sora lowered her head. "He'll understand."
Tai nodded as Sora turned to shoot a reassuring glance at Catherine.
"Could you help him cool off, Catherine?"
"Oui! Of course!"
"Tai, do whatever Catherine tells you, okay? I'll try to calm Mimi down, then call you two
when it's safe to come to Osaka."
Sora and Biyomon resumed their walk towards the portal. They are sucked into the monitor, but
the portal remains open. Tai looked down at Agumon and motioned for him to go to Osaka too.
"Tai? Are you sure?"
"Catherine will take good care of me."
"It's better if I'm alone with him," Catherine told Agumon. "If he's alone with another
human, he's more likely to let all of his feelings out."
"I guess," Agumon reluctantly agreed. "I still don't understand why you humans can't keep
your emotions in check. It's easy for Digimon like me to do."
Catherine giggled. "That's because humans have a lot more problems to worry about than Digimon
do. Now, run along before you miss your train."
Agumon glanced at Tai one more time. He then ran into the café and leaped into the portal,
which finally closes behind him.
Once the portal is gone, sirens begin to fill the air. Catherine wrapped her arm around the
back of Tai's neck and started leading him down the street.
"So, where should we start, mon ami?"
=====
A portal appeared inside the Digital World Research Lab in Osaka and spewed from it were
Sora, Mimi, Biyomon, and Palmon. One of the technicians in the room got up out of his seat
and lead them out of the room and to the staff lounge.
Just outside the lounge stood most of the other Digidestined's Digimon. Biyomon and Palmon
joined the group as Sora and Mimi opened the door into the lounge.
"Where have you two been?" Patamon asked.
"We had a couple of Digimon that had to be sent back to the Digiworld," Palmon replied.
"Where are Agumon and Gabumon?" Armadillomon asked.
"Agumon's helping Tai clear his head," Biyomon began, "and Gabumon's with Matt on the space
station."
"You mean they don't know what's going on?"
"I doubt it. By the way, Gomamon isn't here yet either?"
"I'm surprised that he isn't," Gatomon said. "Then again, I don't know if I'd be up for
traveling if I lost my partner. Sigh... I don't know what I'd do if I lost Kari."
"Things will get better," Tentomon stated aloud. "I know they will!"
======
"Mimi's here!" Yolei shouted in jubilation. "And so is Sora!"
"Is something wrong?" Ken asked, who had spotted the cross look on Mimi's face.
"Mimi, you were supposed to get Tai," reminded Izzy. "Don't tell me that you forgot."
"Izzy..." Sora interrupted, "Mimi's not in the mood to talk right now."
Mimi walked over to an empty seat and plopped down into it. It was positioned between Yolei
and Cody. She huffed angrily as she turned her attention to Izzy.
"Can we just get this over with so I can go home?"
Izzy gulped. "She's STILL mad at me?" he thought. "I know I'm partly at fault for Joe's
death, but I apologized already!"
Sora headed over for the only other open seat, which was on the side closest to Izzy and right
next to TK. She just shook her at Izzy, which was a singal to just move on and forget about
Mimi's current state.
"Actually, it's a good thing you're here," Izzy said, still looking at Mimi. "I remember you
telling me that you saw some suspicious suspects around the oasis where you entered the
Digiworld. You're the only person we're aware of that may know what they look like."
"And your point is?"
"What do you mean 'and your point is?' Mimi, we need to know what they look like so we can
catch them before something like this happens again!"
"I don't think I want to remember what they look like. They were all bad men, okay?"
"Mimi, that doesn't help us at all!"
"If you know anything," Sora cut in, "you need to tell everyone now, Mimi. We want to stop
them before this spirals out of control."
Mimi crossed her arms over her chest and sat there silently for a minute as a her thoughts
raced through her mind. "I probably should say something. Darn it girl, haven't you realized
that you need to forget about that argument with Tai and focus! You're supposed to be a
Digidestined! Act like one!"
"We don't have all day," Izzy growled as he began to tap his foot impatiently.
"Okay," Mimi finally agreed, "I'll tell you all what I know. Though you may not like it."
"We may not like it?" Cody asked curiously.
"What do you mean by that?" Yolei added.
"Well... let's just say a few things happened as I was watching them..."
======
Almost halfway across the Digiworld, five humans and five Digimon have set up camp on top of
a sand dune overlooking two neighboring Digimon villages. One of them was using a pair of
binoculars to peer into the villages. The one he was looking at now was filled with to the
horns with Tsunomon. He then turned to his right to check out the other village, which he
discovered was filled with Koromon.
"Do we have to do this so soon?" a voice in the background asked.
"Yes!" exclaimed a second. "This is how you strike fear into your enemies! You strike hard
and fast before they get a chance to protect themselves! Just imagine thousands of humans
and Digimon panicking their heads off! They'll be so worried about saving themselves that
they won't worry about saving their cities or villages. In just a few days, we will have
taken over both worlds!"
"But I thought you wanted to destroy the Digiworld," a third spoke up.
"Of course I do! But we have to squash all resistance before that happens!"
"So fearless leader," began a fourth, "why are we starting with villages of baby Digimon?"
"You dare question my ingenious plan?"
"Well no, but why are we starting so small?"
"We have five rookie-level Digimon. Do you think it's wise to invade a village of
MetalGreymon?"
"You mean there's actually a village full of MetalGreymon?"
The leader growled angrily. "Of course there isn't! I'm trying to make a point! Look, no
imbecile would try to attack someone stronger than them. That's like committing suicide!
That's why I'm the leader! I'm not stupid enough to walk into a situation I can't work my
way out of."
"Sorry sir," the three lackeys apologized.
"Now, go find our Digimon partners so we can do this and move on."
Additional Author's Notes for this Episode:
I think you're all dying to know two things. Where is Matt and why are Tai and Mimi fighting
as if they were still a couple?
Well, I don't think it was mentioned before this episode (though I swear it was), Matt and
Gabumon are up in a space station. Matt's job, as given by the '25 years later' ending of
the series, is being an astronaut. So for all the Matt fans wondering when he'll get into
this, it probably won't be for another two to three episodes. I haven't planned anything yet
past that yet, but I expect Matt to play a big part later on.
As for Tai and Mimi, I told you last episode that yes, they were romantically involved once.
But don't you get the feeling that they still have a grudge with each other over what
happened? We're probably an episode or two away from uncovering that mystery, and we'll
finally figure out why this couple was not meant to be.
Oh, and just for the record books, Julia Child is probably the most influential TV cook in
the world. If any of you have parents that have watched a cooking show on public television
in the last 20-30 years, maybe even more 'cause I'm not sure how long she's been in the biz,
then you probably know of Julia Child's reputation. For the purposes of this fanfic, Mimi's
career as a TV cook just about matches that level of committment and charm.
***** Next Episode - Support Your Own Kind *****
When the bad guys strike in neighboring villages of Koromon and Tsunomon, several of the
Digidestined are sent into action to stop the fighting before things get ugly. But what will
they do when Agumon decides to side with his fellow Koromon? Plus, Gomamon arrives in Osaka,
but is he already aware of Joe's fate or will the others be forced to tell him the grim news?