Author's Note:

I seriously considered holding this chapter hostage until someone reviewed. Maybe I'll do that to the next chapter...

Still not sure I'm making a good choice with what happens in this chapter, but at least it boosted the word count a bit.

Chapter Eight

TK and Pegasusmon shared a look. If it weren't for the baby still held in Cadetmon's arms, they wouldn't have thought twice about accepting her challenge. As it was, they had no other choice but to go along with the challenge and hope that they weren't the only ones Sonya had called for help.

"What's this challenge, then?" TK asked. His grip on the digiegg tightened.

"You two are going to fight off some friends of mine. This should be easy for someone as experienced as you two." She giggled lightly. Waving a hand to her right, three digimon appeared from under the piles of snow.

"Pengmon," Pegasusmon whispered. But to TK they only looked like oversized penguins with metal beaks.

The Pengmon waddled forward and looked to Cadetmon. If she gave them a signal to start attacking, TK never saw it before he found himself in the middle of an ice storm. Shards of ice, sharp as glass, started pouring down on the duo.

"Star Shower!" Pegasusmon shouted, sending clusters of stars from his wings at the enemies. It did little to stop them, but they changed attacks as one and the snow already flying around TK and Pegasusmon in the blizzard started to swirl unnaturally around them, blocking everything from view again.

"Mane Wind!" The winged horse send needles spraying blindly out into the air. He circled TK, unable to tell exactly where the Pengmon were, but hoping that they were still in firing range.

"Be careful. Sonya's still out there," TK reminded him just before the ice shards started to fall again.

An idea hit Pegasusmon as he watched the ice, using his wings to cover TK and the egg. If there were three Pengmon, one of them had to be taking care of the ice while the other two worked on the blizzard. If he could reverse that, he might have a chance of hitting one of them. He felt an icicle pierce the back of his neck and let out a low moan.

Angry and now in a lot of pain, the horse let out three green beams into the storm. The ice suddenly stopped and the snow hurricane faltered for a few seconds, until Cadetmon ordered the two remaining Pengmon to continue with their job, but it was long enough for Pegasusmon to see exactly where they were standing and used Mane Wind on them again.

TK grinned as he watched the last two Pengmon fall into the snow with needles sticking out from all over their six-foot bodies. When Cadetmon let out a growl, he turned to face her again.

"Give us the baby," he ordered her. She scowled at him.

"You little menace. There's no way you're getting this child now. Spetomon-" she turned to look at the gigantic creature again, "-do it!"

"But Cadetmon-" he tried to argue.

"Do it or the child dies, and your precious Ennamon will follow shortly." TO prove her point, Cadetmon took a dagger from behind her back and pointed it at Sonya's tiny stomach.

Spetomon nodded quickly, stepping forward and giving TK and Pegasusmon an apologetic look before starting the chanting.

Pegasusmon tried to move, do take TK away from there, but he found himself glued to the spot. And he didn't want to hurt the attacking digimon for fear that he wouldn't be able to help his friends later on. So the duo stood there for a few seconds while the bright light began to surround them.

TK could feel himself shrinking and shrinking. The egg slipped from his hands, but he was unable to move to catch it. He wondered vaguely how Pegasusmon was doing. The light was too bright to see even right beside him where he knew his partner was standing.

Suddenly the light stopped. TK fell forward, landing on his stomach with his arms spread out in front of him in the snow, the only things keeping his head from being buried. He felt too weak to move, to look up and see what had happened. Straining to hear, he realized the chanting had stopped.

"TK!" Kari's voice filled his head, sounding close.

"Kari?" he called lightly. He didn't like the sound of his voice - it wasn't quite right. It was ... childish.

He felt himself being rolled over in the snow. Looking up, he saw Kari kneeling over him, looking much larger than he remembered. He frowned as he realized he was the one who had changed.

"How bad do I look?" he asked.

Kari smiled. "What makes you think you look bad?"

"I've seen pictures of when I was a kid," he said simply and tried to look over her shoulder to see what had happened to Cadetmon. Kari helped him stand up.

Angewomon was standing where Cadetmon had been. She was holding Sonya now. Spetomon was gone as well. TK looked to the left to see Anna and Yuri instructing their digimon to dispose of the unconscious Pengmon.

"Pegasusmon?" he said quietly.

"Beside you," said a tiny voice. He turned to his right and found Tokomon there.

"Cadetmon got away," Kari said sadly. "She was pulling Spetomon along. But we'll go to him later and get him to turn you back."

"Is he hurt?" Angewomon asked as she came closer to the pair.

"I'm fine," TK answered, hissing in pain as Kari pulling a shard of ice from the back of his leg.

"I'll get the rest of these out when we get home," she said, eyeing the three other shards angrily.

They spent a few more minutes there, handing off Sonya and her digiegg to Anna and Yuri and promising them that they'd be the first to know when she could be cured. When the Russians had left, Kari picked TK up, mindful of the ice sticking out of his back, and started walking ahead of Gatomon, who had Tokomon in her arms.

They were home in minutes, standing in TK's room and trying to get warm.

Gatomon took Tokomon out into the living room while Kari brought TK into the bathroom and gently took the ice out of his back and helped him get his jacket and shoes off before carrying him into the next room, despite his complaints.

"Jim, is Ken all right?" Kari called as they got to the living room.

Jim was sitting on the couch bouncing his digimon on his knee. He didn't look up when they entered. Kari waved to Ken's parents who were on the loveseat with their son and two tiny Leafmon.

"Yeah, he's sounding a lot better. I'd continue with the medicine for another day or so, though."

"Good. I've got a new patient for you." Jim looked up then and smirked when he saw TK.

"I already told you, I'm fine," the toddler protested.

"He's got some cuts on his back and leg," Kari told Jim as she sat down beside him with TK in her lap. She had to tighten her grip as he tried to slide off.

"Just flesh wounds. Nothing to worry about," the twenty-four year old assured her as he placed bandages over each cut.

"Any idea how old he's supposed to be?" Tokomon asked from his position on the coffee table.

"About three, but I'm no expert."

The door to the master bedroom opened then and the group listened to Hiroaki and Haruhiko come out.

"I'm telling you, mine's going to digivolve first," Haruhiko said.

"Oh, really? And why's that?"

"Well, obviously, because I've studied digimon I understand them better than you. Therefore I have the knowledge that will help this little guy grow." As the men came into view, Kari saw Sora's father gently pat the leafy head of his Nyokimon. Her mother walked behind them, ignoring both as she rocked Sora. She had a tiny Nyokimon on her shoulder.

"Yeah? Well mine's older," Hiroaki argued.

"Only by an hour. And it doesn't make a difference."

Jim walked over and put a hand between the older men. "All right, guys. Let's try not to get into a fight, okay?"

"I was going to suggest a bet, actually," Hiroaki said, grinning.

"Dad, you can't be serious!" TK said, still reluctantly sitting on Kari's lap. His father turned, still grinning, and looked at his son for a few seconds before sighing.

"What the hell happened to you?"

"Same thing as him," TK nodded his head in his brother's direction. "Only the process was interrupted half-way through."

"I thought Spetomon was going to leave you two alone," Haruhiko said as he placed his digimon down on the carpet beside the two Leafmon that were now playing there as their partners took an interest in the conversation.

"It wasn't his fault. Cadetmon was there as well and forced him to do it," Kari explained. Just then, Gatomon came running out of TK's room.

"Kari, Gennai's waiting in the chatroom for you. I already filled him in on everything."

Kari gently placed TK down on the couch as she got up. She thanked the cat and headed to the bedroom again.

TK scowled at being put on the couch and scrambled to get down and follow his girlfriend, but Hiroaki came and picked him up before his fell off.

"Put me down," the toddler ordered. "I have to go with Kari."

"I think she's got it covered, kid," Jim said, returning to his own digimon.

-The Bedroom-

Gennai - I've spoken to Hallumon about what happened. It seems Spetomon has yet to return to the cave since his run-in with TK.

Blonde BB - Does she have any idea when he'll be back? We can come by so he can return TK to normal.

Gennai - I'm afraid she has no idea. But she made it very clear that he won't be able to do it, for fear that Cadetmon will find out.

Blonde BB - But I need TK to stop her.

Gennai - From what I hear, you'll have more than enough help once you train those twenty-four new digidestined.

Blonde BB - Train them? How am I supposed to do that?

Gennai - Simple. Bring them here, into the digiworld. Let them experience everything for themselves. All the better if they run into trouble, then their digimon will digivolve faster.

Blonde BB - Gennai, you don't know these people. Some of them ... they're not made to survive in your world.

Gennai - My dear, I would have said the same thing about several of you, eight years ago. And you've all exceeded my expectations. Trust me. Bring them here.

Blonde BB - All right. I'll try to take some in tonight. I can't take them all at once though. Someone will need to stay and take care of the babies.

Gennai - There's a simple solution to that as well. Trust the other digimon to look after them. The ten whose partners cannot fight will be essentially useless here except for actual training sessions in their rookie forms. Without their partners, they cannot digivolve.

Blonde BB - Okay. I'll try to get everyone together, then. But it will be difficult.

Gennai - One last thing. Hallumon said that Spetomon was only interrupted during a de-aging twice. Both times the digimon began acting their age very quickly.

Blonde BB - What do you mean?

Gennai - You say TK is now three years old. If Hallumon is right, he's going to be acting like a child soon, unfortunate as it may be. I'm sure he will retain his adult memory and some traits, but if he stays this way for a long while, he'll most likely become more and more childish.

Blonde BB - He's not going to like that.

Gennai - No. I might suggest that you don't let him come back to the digiworld until he's to be returned to normal though. I suppose this depends on what you think he's capable of, but I don't think it would be wise to subject a child to the fighting you'll be doing. But, as I said, this is your decision.

Kari thanked him for the information and they both logged off. When she returned to the living room, Yolei's parents and brother had returned, with her two sisters tagging along. The sisters greeted the younger girl as they past by her on the way to receive their digimon with Hawkmon leading the way.

"What did Gennai say?" TK asked hopefully from where he sat on the couch beside his father and brother. Kari bit her lip, not sure if she should tell him that he wouldn't be back to normal for a week or so.

"He said I should bring everyone there tonight." She looked down at Veemon. "Except you guys. You'll have to stay with the babies." The digimon all nodded understandingly.

"So Spetomon will turn me back then?" TK was grinning at Kari and it broke her heart to have to tell him the news.

"No. You can't come tonight." She looked down at the floor to avoid his heartbroken face. "Gennai and I think it would be best if you stayed here until we've fixed things."

"You mean ... 'til you've defeated Cadetmon?" She nodded. "Oh. Okay."

"Well, how soon until we leave, then?" Mr. Ichijouji asked excitedly.

"I think we should wait until the others arrive. I'd like as many of us to go as possible," Kari told them. She continued to avoid TK's eye for fear she'd cave and let him come.

---

Davis' family was the last to arrive that afternoon, just after lunch. The others were already crammed into TK's small apartment. So much so, that all the digimon had retreated to the master room long before the Motomiya's arrived.

"Is everyone ready to go?" Kari asked them. Everyone was seated around the living room and dining room with the babies. One by one they nodded, excited grins on their faces - for most, anyway. There were still several who seemed nervous.

TK stayed behind in the living room with the babies as Kari led the adults down the hall. After a couple of seconds, he couldn't stand it any longer and he ran to catch up.

The line to the computer continued out into the hallway and was quickly getting shorter. TK finally managed to reach his room when it was only Kari, the Ichijouji's and his father left. He stood silently at the door and watched Kari usher Ken's parents into the digital world with their Leafmon. When they were gone, she turned to help Hiroaki and noticed TK watching them.

Smiling, she took his D-Terminal from the pocket of his jacket, now resting on the back of his desk chair, and brought it to him.

"Keep it close," she told him. "We'll keep in contact."

"Let me go with you," he pleaded again.

Hiroaki intervened before Kari could say yes.

"I'm going to stay here," he said, pushing her back to the computer.

"What? Why?"

"I was just thinking, Mimi or Joe's parents could come early, and there wouldn't be anyone to answer the door." He smiled at her. "Go on. I'll go next time."

She gave him a strange look, but nodded anyway. After last goodbyes, she held her digivice up to the screen and disappeared. Hiroaki turned around, kneeling down to be on eye-level with his son.

"Let me go," TK demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

The older man smirked. "I don't think so." And he took the D-Terminal from TK, and slipped it in his own pocket. "Come on. Let's watch some tv."

He left the room, turning back when he realized TK wasn't following him. The toddler was still standing in the doorway, arms folded and looking angry.

"I'm going."

Hiroaki sighed and knelt down again. "TK, it's just too dangerous."

"I belong there, with them."

"Maybe, when you're back to normal. But right now you could get hurt."

"I'll have Tokomon with me."

"And how much good is he going to do you if you come across something really bad?"

It was times like this TK wished his dad didn't know so much about the digital world. He let his arms fall and looked down at the floor, completely defeated. And though he tried to hide the tear that escaped out of the corner of his eye against his will, he guessed his dad saw it anyway when he picked him up and brought him into the bedroom again.

"What's going on?" the toddler asked when he was put down on the bed.

"You're taking a nap," his father stated simply.

"No, I'm not." TK tried and failed to get off the bed. "I'm not a kid."

"Really?" Hiroaki stood back and smirked. "Because you definitely look like one. And you're acting like one, too."

The toddler glared up at him. "What?"

"You used to get cranky around lunch. So you always had a nap afterwards." He gently pushed TK into a lying position and covered him with the blanket. "And I'm willing to bet that this curse affected more than your appearances, like it did with your brother. So go to sleep."

When the boy still glared at him, Hiroaki rolled his eyes.

"At least try? I'll wake you up in an hour, I promise." TK seemed satisfied with that as he slowly closed his eyes. His father smiled and left the room.

The toddler was close to falling asleep when he felt something jump on the bed. He looked to the foot of the bed and found Tokomon there. The creature smiled and walked up to sit on the unused pillow.

"I wish we could join the others," the digimon said, lying down and closing his eyes. "I'm bored here."

"Why can't we?" TK whispered, now feeling wide awake. "My digivice is in my jacket, and dad won't find out 'til later."

Tokomon looked at him excitedly. "And we could probably catch up to the others if we hurry."

The partners quickly scrambled off the bed and went over to the desk. TK rummaged through all the pockets on his jacket before he pulled out his digivice, he then tossed the jacket into the corner of the room, on top of his shoes. The coat would be useless to him with the tears in the back the ice had made earlier, and the shoes were still soggy from the snow.

"Ready to go?" he asked his digimon. The white creature jumped into his arms, and they were off.

The pair looked around them for any sign of the others, but all they saw were trees. They glanced at each other worriedly before setting off.

"Kari? Jim?" TK called loudly.

"Gatomon? Where are you?" Tokomon joined in.

They continued like this for about fifteen minutes before they finally got a reply.

"TK? Is that you?" Kari's voice rang out from behind a group of trees in front of the pair. "TK, help me."

"Kari, we're coming!" The toddler and his digimon ran towards the voice, stumbling along the way. When they finally got around the trees, they found Kari sitting alone on the ground, rubbing her ankle.

"What happened?" TK asked as he came closer to her.

"I tripped over those rocks and hurt my ankle." She pointed at a couple of rocks buried deep in the ground.

"What happened to the others?"

"I told them to go ahead. We were getting a signal on the digivices, and I was afraid it was someone who needed our help."

"Gatomon left you too?" Tokomon said, giving her a confused look as he joined TK.

"Yes. I told her to go with them."

"That's strange. Gatomon should know better than to leave you alone and injured."

Kari looked angrily at the digimon. "I already told you, she was following my orders," she growled.

"Okay, take it easy," TK said, staring at the teen strangely. "Tokomon didn't mean anything by it."

"Yeah. I just meant that it's strange behavior for Gatomon."

"Strange behavior? And I suppose letting a baby go through this forest alone is normal?"

"I'm not a baby, Kari," TK said angrily.

"Could have fooled me."

There was something in the girl's eyes as she said it that scared Tokomon. He put his body between her and TK and growled at her.

"Tokomon, what's wrong?"

"That's not Kari," he said, and was proven right when the girl morphed into a Bakemon right in front of them and started to attack.

While TK tried to run away, Tokomon stood up to the bigger digimon.

"Bubble Blow!" The acid bubbles did nothing to stop the Bakemon from coming closer and continuing his attack.

"TK!"

The toddler looked up to see Hiroaki running towards him with the Poyomon perched on his shoulder. The baby digimon jumped down just as TK ran into his father's arms.

"Bubble Blow!" The Poyomon joined in the battle when Tokomon was thrown to the ground. Again, the acid bubbles did little to the Bakemon.

"Dad, your digivice." Hiroaki looked puzzled for a moment before pulling it from his pocket. The symbol at the top, his crest, was already glowing and an image of his Poyomon was blinking on the screen.

"Poyomon digivolve to ... Tokomon!" The little white creature bore his many teeth at his opponent.

"Oh, I'm really scared now," the Bakemon taunted.

Hiroaki stared in awe as his new Tokomon joined TK's and they began to tag-team the attacking digimon.

"Bubble Blow!" they said together. This time the bubbles had more of an effect, pushing the Bakemon a few feet away. They didn't give him a chance to attack before sending more bubbles his way. After three more tries of this, the Bakemon floated away and the Tokomon returned to their partners.

"That was ... amazing," Hiroaki said, picking up his digimon.

"You're welcome," TK said, grinning up at him.

"What?"

"If I didn't come here, Poyomon wouldn't have digivolved, and you might not have won the bet with Sora's dad."

His father smirked. "All right, you're off the hook for now. Let's just catch up with the others. Which way should we go?"

"Digivices," the Tokomon said, and the men both reached for them. TK, being more experienced with his, was able to find a signal first.

"This way," he said, going ahead with Tokomon in the direction he was pointing.

His father shrugged at his own Tokomon as they began to follow the boy.

Author's Note:

Opinions and suggestions are still appreciated.

An image of the crests with digivices, and a list of the new digidestined and their digimon and crests will be up sometime next week. I'll let you know in the next chapter. Although I could still use some help coming up with new crests.

Thanks, and happy weekend,

Lizzy