Viral State – Chapter 7 – Championship Battle


It was another cloudy morning and it looked like it might rain again, just as it did the day before. Ken and woke up drearily and slumped out of bed. A small smile crept over his face at the site in front, and beside him. Wormon was still sleeping soundly, tucked into a little green ball on his pillow. Similarly the child's new guests, Takato and Impmon were still sleeping in loud snoring mess on the floor. They were both spread out in every direction with their arms and legs everywhere. Takato's right arm was even over Impmon's face and he still didn't wake up. Rather, the Viral Rookie seemed to think something was attacking him in his dreams.

"No two ways about it." Ken murmured to himself. "Those two were practically made for each other."

Ken within a few minutes the Digidestined of Kindness was dressed in his usual grey uniform and headed into the living room, until he paused at the door.

"Oh wait, I almost forgot my Digivice."

Turning back, Ken glanced to the desk where his last remembered the small metal device. Of course, as those of you who read the last chapter might have guessed, there was pretty much nothing there.

"Huh, that's odd. I could've sworn that's where I left it. I wonder if maybe it's in my jacket."

"Ken, honey. Breakfast is ready." The boy's mother called from the kitchen.

Impmon jerked upright. Despite his sudden energy though, he still looked like a zombie. "Eh' someon' mentioned food?"

The dark haired boy chuckled. "In the living room. I'll show you where it is."

Iguess I'll look for it after breakfast. The child of Kindness thought to himself.

"Mmmm…I'll be there… in a second… or whenever I find my socks." Takato sat up rubbing his eyes.

"I've seen your socks, those things are better left lost." Impmon smirked. "And you might wanna hurry up if you actually expect to eat anything cuz I ain't leaving seconds for anyone, kapeesh?"

"Impmon" Takato complained. "Don't forget that we're only guests here."

The rookie arched a brow. "I know… What's your point?"

Takato shook his head. "Nevermind. I'm sorry I even tried."

Ken chuckled a bit at seeing how the two interacted. "Don't worry Takato. I'll keep an eye on him."

"Thanks Ken. But I'm a little skeptical that anything short of stapling his feet to the floor will help you."

"Pfft. Try it, I dare ya."

"Maybe later." Takato slurred. "You go ahead and eat, I'll be with you in a second."

Ken nodded and proceeded to shut the door. Takato finally found his socks a moment later slipped them on, but rather than going straight out to the living room the boy took a second to look around. It was still kind of odd knowing that you're stuck inside a cartoon. But everything was just as the boy remembered it in the TV show, only so much more real. Wormon was still sleeping on Ken's pillow. Sam's picture rested nicely on the dresser. It was a heck of a lot cleaner than the Tamer's own room.

I wonder what my family is doing right now… Takato sighed. …I really have to find a way back home.

Takato joined the rest of Ken's family in the living room a moment later. Again, the whole house was pretty clean, more-so than his old one. Not that his family was messy, but when you live in a bakery sometimes it's inevitable that the flour gets everywhere. Impmon had loaded double his body mass onto his plate and seemed rather proud of himself for it. Takato took a more moderate amount. Ken had even less.

"What's wrong, son. Not hungry?"

Ken shook his head happily "No, It's not that. I'm meeting with Yolei early today so we can go over some of the lines. I'm… still a little nervous."

"Don't worry sweaty. I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Yeah, it's too bad you guys can't be there… Ummm, maybe… you Takato?" Ken trailed off shyly.

"Eh?" The goggleboy blinked dumbly. "You want me to come watch?"

The dark haired child nodded. "Eh, sure. I think it'd be nice to have at least someone in the audience… Er, only if you want to though." The boy finished nervously.

"Sounds great. I haven't been to a ply since first grade."

"Really, what one was that?"

"Three Billy Goats Gruff. It was a good play too, until Kazu decided the troll be the hero… And a martial arts expert. I think he got suspended for a week for that."

"Heh heh. That almost sounds like something Davis might do..." Ken smiled.

"Yeah. Kinda makes you nervous, huh?"

"Question; do I have to go too? And if so, you can't make me!" Impmon hollered with a mouthful of half chewed food.

"Yes, you do." Takato answered. "No offence but your not exactly the model of civility when your on your own."

"…What the hell does that mean?"

"It means I'm afraid your going to blow something up if I leave you alone for too long."

Ken chuckled. "You two really balance each other out. Can I ask how did you become partners? Did you just meet in Primary Village or…"

"Pri-what'sit who'sit?" Impmon arched a brow. The name sounded familiar. Takato had probably told him about this, but he usually only half listened to the boy and this wasn't ringing any bells."

Takato turned slightly. "You remember Impmon, the place where Digimon are born."

"Oh… yeah." The hobgoblin slurred as he struggled to remember all the other stuff that happened in that place. His memory was beginning to jog.

"Actually, Impmon and I knew each other way before we became partners. And we didn't really get along. He was even more stubborn than Rika in some ways. We didn't become partners until after… uh… Well, we kinda got stuck with each other actually."

Impmon shifted his eyes. Everyone was paying attention to Takato so Impmon's clenched fist went by easily unnoticed. 'Stuck with each other'? pfft, yeah they we're stuck all right. And why? Because as Beelzemon he had ripped Leomon in half and tried to destroy the only guys that had ever given him a break. Even the Deva's; heck, even the one that gave him his power he viewed as nothing more than fodder.

Impmon regretted his actions, but he couldn't take them back. And hearing Takato try to dance around the subject was frustrating to say the least. But the human knew these kids better than him, maybe they wouldn't understand or something. Whatever, the Rookie finished the rest of his food quietly.

"Sounds like you two have already had a bit of adventure. I'd like to ask you about it more but if I don't leave now I'll have to face the wraith of Yolei." Ken smiled as he grabbed his knapsack. "Tell Wormon I said good morning. Bye."

"Bye dear."

Impmon, who at this point had flopped out onto the couch and stolen the remote from within it, raised his hand in a weak-willed wave. "Bye dear." The Virus mocked in his usual ground level humor.

Takato just waved and said bye… well, at least he tried too, however it's kind of hard to talk where you have a slice of toast jammed have way down your throat. After breakfast the boy went back to his new temporary room. With nothing else to do until the play, catching up on some sleep seemed to be the only logical thing to do. After all, this holiday wouldn't last forever.

It took a full fifteen minutes before the Gogglehead was woken up again. Great, he couldn't even sleep when there was nothing to do. Mrs. Ichijouji was standing over him with a parcel. It seemed as though her son forgot to take the costume for his part… The hand crafted costume… the hand crafted, by Yolei, costume. Now for those of you who don't understand how violent Yolei can be, let me put it this way. She made some Digimon, such as Arukenimon, look like Dora the explorer. Obviously, Takato could not refuse this request.

Awww nuts… A Tamers work never ends I suppose. Be it saving the oblivious world from ChaosGallantmon… or an unfortunate Digidestined from the onslaught of Yolei.

"Don't worry. I'll Head over right now if you draw me up some directions to the school so I don't get lost."

"Oh, thank you." The woman breathed out deeply and stepped out to find a pen and paper. Impmon, who had been standing next to her the entire time with his arms folded, just smirked as he shifted his devious little grin to the bag.

"Ya know, I could set it on fire right now and we'd never have to-"

"Impmon!"

"What? Take me two seconds. Blame it on Wormon and go back sleep. Badda-boom."

The Tamer sighed as he picked up the item. "No way. That'd be too mean. Yolei is the most violent out of all the Digidestined. I wouldn't wish her as a punishment on anyone."

"Wow, you make her sound even more dangerous than Rika."

The boy smiled remembering his friend. "Heh. I don't think so. Heck even with weight advantage I'm pretty Yolei would lose… and get hogtied… in less than a minute."

"Ha, knew it!" The Viral Digimon dropped his arms and swung them behind his head. "Anyway, lemme know how it goes."

"Oh no you don't." Takato practically pounced right on top of his partner. "If I have to do this, you're coming with me. Just in case Yolei does find out he forgot his stuff. I'll need a body guard."

"I'm not sure what's worse, the fact that I gotta go see those freak show Tamers again… or the fact… that you have to weigh… a hundred… pounds." The Imp wheezed as Takato's weight finally overtook him.

It took three wrong turns, a death threat, and the realization that Impmon did not know how to read a map to find the school. Never mind the time they spent walking around in circles. Takato stopped at the old tree just to the right of the gate on the outside. He remembered it as the spot where Patamon and Gatomon usually watched over there partners together. He gave a little wave just in case you were up there. Impmon stared at him for a second like he was nuts, until the feline herself dropped down.

"Hi Gatomon!" The boy bowed politely. "I had a feeling you might be around. Is Patamon there too?"

The cat blinked in surprise. "Yes. But how did you…"

"Call it, intuition." Takato smirked as the flying monster shot down and landed on Takato head. He was more comfortable at higher altitudes.

"Woman's intuition." Impmon snickered, earning himself a playful kick in the side.

"I'm impressed kid. You have a good fighter's intuition. But then again, I guess one of you had to."

"Hm!" The Rookie instantly shrugged off the minor pain Takato had caused him. Afterall, arguing was far more important. "You got somethin' to say to me toots?" The Impmon shook his fist at her threateningly.

Gatomon just flexed her claws. "Hello Impmon." Her tone was acid. It was pretty clear she thought he was just about the lowest thing on earth next to Myotismon. "Steal any more Digivices lately?"

"Yep, I stole Ken's while he was sleeping and kicked the bug for good measure. Wanna see?"

Takato just shook his head. "Impmon, you know she'll beat you to within an inch of your life if you keep talking like that. She believes you."

"Ha, I dare her to try. By the time I'm done with the pretty-kitty here, there won't be enough left to fill a-"

WAP

And in one swift blow, the Imp was unconscious, and Takato was considering leaving him there. "Great, now I have to carry him."

"Sorry, I'll take care of that if you want." Gatomon apologized. Her opinion of Impmon may have been astoundingly low, but, Takato on the other hand, was quite pleasant to be around. Not to mention, finding her in the tree was rather impressive for a human. How the youth got stuck with such a pain in the arse partner was beyond her. "His voice was just starting to give me a migraine."

"Yeah… He kind of has that effect on people. Er, but actually, I could use a guide. I need to find Ken and give him his costume before Yolei finds out."

"Leave it to us." Patamon cheered as he hopped off his perch and whipped around the corner. Takato quickly began to chase after him while Gatomon just grabbed Impmon's lifeless leg and began dragging him along slowly.

The school, like pretty much everything else in the TV show, seemed a lot bigger in real life, especially the inside. The otherwise white walls were decorated with various art and a few literature projects. Most of the classrooms looked the same at first glance so the boy was glad to have a couple guides with him. And the fact that they were his childhood heroes didn't hurt at all.

Gatomon glanced back as Impmon began to snore. "Wow, he really does never shut up. How long has he been you're partner."

"Only about a week or two." Takato responded. "Your friends asked the same question yesterday."

"I see. How did you two meet?"

"Primary Village." The boy answered frankly. "I just saw him one day and picked him up."

"Really? That's odd since most Digimon raised in Primary Village are taken care of by Elecmon and Leomon. So it's rare that one ever gets a chip on it's shoulder unless it's been on it's own for a while or corrupted by a Virus."

Takato sweatdropped. Awww Nuts! She was testing me!

The goggle head laughed to himself, trying not to seem too suspicious. "Err, you got me. I first met Impmon when he was scaring couples in Shinjuku for fun."

"I might've known. Do you always cover him like that?"

"Ummm, yeah." The boy relented a bit. "But he's not all bad. He just… doesn't always think things through."

Gatomon glanced back and sweatdropped. The Virus in question was now blowing a nose bubble the size of his fist and scratch of his. Oh baby, wasn't that an impressive sight. "…If you say so."

"…Well, you have to get to know him."

"Hee hee. Sounds like you're covering again." Patamon giggled as he slowed down to rest on Takato's head again. "Turn right here."

"No, he really is-"

"WHA-!"

Neither Takato nor the student charging at him had time to react as they both tried to round a corner going in opposite directions. Patamon leapt up leaving Takato to take the full force of the head on collision which floored him pretty easily. When the gogglehead looked up to see who he had ran into he was more than a little surprised to another gogglehead, Davis.

"Oww… Davis!" Takato exclaimed. "Err, Are you hurt."

"Nope, my head took the brunt of it." The Spiky haired youth knocked on his temple a couple times smiling happily. "It's the hardest part of me."

"Are you alright, Takato." Patamon floated around the two children looking worried.

"Sure, once I get some feeling back." The Tamer complained. Davis pushed himself back to feet and then offered a hand to his friend.

"Sorry about that dude. But what are you doing here? Your friend won't be here for a while I think."

"Ken forgot his costume." Patamon explained. "So Takato came here to deliver it."

"Dude, you're a life saver." Davis swung his arm around the other gogglehead's neck so he was facing back the way he came. "Maybe now she'll calm down so we can rehearse."

Takato slapped his forehead. "Don't tell me she found out."

"Yep, and she is pretty ticked off about it too. Ken's probably in the fetal position by now." Davis ginned. "Say are you guys going to take off."

The Tamer shook his head. "We told Ken we'd watch his play. It seems like a waste of time to leave now."

"Alright, but if you're going to stay do ya mind making yourselves useful. We could some extra hands on set."

"Sure, just tell me what to do."

Davis's grin widened. "Nah. That's Yolei's job. And believe me, she's very good at it."

Takato gulped at the way Davis said that as the group of five steadily started drifting towards the gym. Inside there was a bunch of people already working hard. Placing chairs for the viewers, working light keys, moving giant cardboard back-drops and other equipment. It looked like there were fifty to sixty people there. About two classrooms in other words. One person dropped his backdrop by accident and resorted to dragging it along. Three other kids hopped on ignoring the 'wet paint' sign.

Ken and Yolei were on the center of a stage at the far end. And by the looks of it things were not going well. The girl had turned away from her hubby and it looked like he was either trying to explain, or make an excuse. Either way it wasn't working. While they were having their lovers quarrel the teacher seemed to have temporarily taken over the girl's job.

Looks like I better get over there… Takato thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Gatomon had left Impmon to find her partner (Who happened to be in the same direction Takato was heading) and maybe help out a little. Patamon, being a flyer, immediately founds his skills in need. Impmon… well. He finally regained consciousness so that's a start. He flipped to his feet immediately shouting along the lines of "Alright, bring it on! One more time! No mercy his time, kapeesh!" before he finally realized that he had been left to his own devices and started looking around.

Geez so many kids here… The Virus shifted uncomfortably. Being around so such a multitude of young'uns was bring up some of the less pleasant memories of being with his former Tamers.

"Eh, hey, Goggles, wait up." The Virus shouted jogging ahead.

By the time the Rookie managed to reach his partner it seemed like things were just heating up between Ken and Yolei, not that the Virus cared that much about his or any human's romantic life. He just wanted them to shut up. Takato was still holding onto the package so Impmon wasn't to sure what was going on.

"Aren't you suppose to give that to them."

"Are you kidding? I'm not getting in the middle of that."

"So throw it." The Imp replied, a little annoyed at his partner's hesitance.

"Don't want to damage it."

"Oh for the love of…" Impmon let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm going to find something more interesting to destroy. See ya." Impmon stomped off.

"Okay, just stay where I can see you."

"Make me!"

It didn't take very long for Impmon to find something he could mess around with. The multi-colored spotlights above the stage were the first thing to catch his attention as Cody was busy queuing them up properly. While Impmon fiddled around with them Takato managed to hand over the costume. Yolei, unfortunately, still wasn't impressed with Ken's forgetfulness.

Suddenly Impmon's voice rang out from above. "Heads up!"

Immediately everyone looked up to see of the search lights that Impmon had been playing coming rapidly towards them, especially the purple haired girl, who had been standing right under it. Ken, reacting more on the instant surge of adrenaline more than common sense or faith in his own abilities, dove forward to shove her out of the way just as the metal appliance for a four by four foot hole in the stage and exploded into a million pieces underneath it.

"Uh oh." The virus murmured. "I'm in trouble."

Takato immediately rushed past the dust cloud caused by the collision to the Digidestined pair. He was relieved when they both seemed fine… however… that feeling started to change as he looked up and saw his Partner standing sheepishly next to the light fixture.

"Impmon? What the…" The boy paused thinking about his next sentence hard. He seemed like he was holding himself back a little. "What the hell are you doing!" He yelled out.

"Eh, well, it was an accident." The Virus explained nervously leaning over. "I was trying to get the light to work but it wouldn't turn on so I tapped it once."

"Impmon…"

"Twice?"

"Impmon."

"Alright, alright, about thirty times… And they weren't taps either."

"Impmon!"

Neither human, nor Digimon realized it, but steadily all the background noise was disappearing. Those who weren't looking to see if their classmates were alright were looking at the fight between the rowdy Digimon and his partner. Davis stepped forward to help, but T.K. grabbed his arm. They traded glances for a moment before the Gogglehead understood and stepped back.

"Yeah?" Impmon asked a little uneasy, Takato looked really upset with him.

"Get down here right now."

"Aww come on." The Imp protested "It was a-"

"Now Impmon. That's an order." Takato's voice was firm.

Impmon did a double take as he studied his friend's expression. Takato was serious, but still… "No." The Rookie replied, only a little callous at first. He straightened his posture and folding his arms, unintentionally hiding his face in the shadows.

"Impmon" Takato tried again, forcing himself to sound calmer. "I know it was an accident but you need to come down here before you cause more trouble."

"Or what?" The Imp spat. "You'll ground me! I got news for ya Gogglehead, I don't take orders. Not for you, not from anyone, kapeesh."

"Really?" Takato asked disbelievingly. "That's funny because for a moment there I almost thought we were partners."

"Partners? Ha!" Impmon leapt off the rafters and landed with a solid slam right in front of the Tamer. Lifting his head he stood up and glared up at him. "All you do is whine and complain about everything. At least I actually get things done. But you don't give me any slack."

"What are you talking about? Do you know how many times I've covered for you already. You don't think before you act. You just expect everything will work out so you go ahead and do stuff anyway, then leave me with the mess. You almost killed Yolei."

"No I didn't, she had plenty of time to move."

"Impmon-"

"Whatever. I'm oughta here." Impmon snorted.

"Wait." Takato reached out and grabbed the Digimon's shoulder, a bad thing to do to a mon that's used to being on his own.

Impmon reacted quickly and instinctively. He didn't mean it, but by the time he realized what he was doing enough to stop himself it was too late. He had drawn his punching arm back, first clenched tightly, and turned around halfway at Takato and grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt. On the sidelines, Gatomon flexed her claws and Patamon looked on from above, ready to move just in case Impmon actually did attack his partner.

"Eh-" Impmon blinked for second. This felt familiar, really familiar. Then it hit him, this was exactly how Leomon went. He let go and stumbled back. Takato did the same.

"I see…" The Tamer looked down at the floor.

"Takato wait. I didn't mean- uh, I wasn't really going to hit ya, you know. " The Virus scrambled cover up what he almost did. Unfortunately it was too little too late.

"I-I know... But accidents can happen."

"No I…"

"Even the best of us lose control sometimes." Takato shifted his gaze to the hole in the stage Impmon had made. "Ummm Yolei... Sorry about this. I think I'm going to start cleaning this up. Can you tell me where the broom is?"

"Y-yeah. It's right over by the corner there." Yolei pointed to the edge of the stage.

"Takato I…" Impmon paused, suddenly realizing he was the center of attention. Now it's hard to be completely honest with someone, saying your sorry, and that you didn't mean it. But doing it in front of a whole audience is at least ten times worse. "Awww forget it! Do whatever you want." The Virus huffed before turning to his public. "What the hell are you staring at?"

Like a movies that someone suddenly pushed play too, everybody began moving about again continuing there chores. A few scrambled to get out of the way as Impmon started for the exit and the one kid who didn't was pushed off the stage for 'givin him the eye'. Patamon rejoined T.K. as he and Davis walked up to Takato. The latter placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to just let him go like that?" T.K. asked. His voice was full of concern not just for the Tamer, but his partner as well.

"Yeah." Davis affirmed. "I mean, you're not the first Digidestined to disagree with his partner. Maybe you should go after him."

Takato sighed. "If I go after him now we'll just argue some more." The boy explained. "Besides, he's not my pet. I can't watch him all the time. The best thing I can do is just leave him alone."

Patamon suddenly perked up on T.K.s head "Hey, maybe I can talk to him. Gatomon always says I'm a good listener."

Takato chuckled a bit. His spirits were beginning to lighten with everyone trying to help him out and whatnot. "Thanks Patamon. But you shouldn't worry yourself over it. I'll talk to him after I'm done fixing the stage…If I can find him anyway."

"Actually Takato..." Yolei started of smiling one of the more devious smiles Takato had come across. Kinda like ChaosGallantmon "…If you really want to help I got another job for you. It'll take a bit longer but it would really help us out."

"Dude, I know that tone." Davis gave his friend a nudge. "Whatever it is, say no, quick or she'll guilt you into it."

"But I haven't even heard her out yet. And I already feel bad about what Impmon did. I really want to make up for it. Besides…" The boy paused smiling his trademark goofy grin. "How bad can it be."

…Okay… You'd think of all people who know how bad it can be, it would be the guy who was wiped out from his timeline… Some people never learn I guess.

One hour later the curtains were finally ready to be drawn back. Numerous kids in their costumes scurried around backstage as they went over their lines for the last time and last props were set up. Among these kids was Takato. Apparently one of the girl's had called in sick this morning and Yolei was still looking for a replacement.

"Can't… believe… I'm doing this!" Takato struggled trying to pull a frilly light blue dress over his usual garments. "

"Neither can I." Davis mentioned as he dealt with the trials of his own costume. In particular, he was trying to attached his sword to his side. "If I were you I would've bolted. I mean, I would've probably been caught, but it's the effort that counts."

Takato glanced over. "Hey, are you the hero? That costume suits you."

"Pfft, Yolei did choose the roles you know. I'm the villain. What's-her-faces brother."

"Oh… Well it still looks good on you."

"Thanks. You tooo… well, no that really doesn't look good on you at all." Davis chuckled at Takato. His clothes underneath were making him look like the butchest servant girl he had ever seen. "It's almost curtain time. I'm going to see how Kari and T.K. are doing. See you in a bit. And don't worry about stage fright or anything. It's not like the whole city is going to see you in a dress, just a thousand of them or so."

Great. I wasn't worried until you said that.

"Alright. See ya." The Tamer bent over to start on the equally ridiculous looking shoes and waved with his free hand, the left one. Unfortunately his eyes went wide at what he saw. The Hazard symbol, and it was flashing slowly. "Oh no!"

This never turns out good. Is there a piece of the Hazard near here, or is the Red Piece about to destroy something or… Guilmon maybe!

"Hmm?" Davis glanced over casually. "What was that?"

"Errr nothing. I just… really hate this outfit. I'm fine, really."

The goggle of the Digidestined shrugged. "Okay. I really wouldn't worry about it that much though. It could be worse after all."

Takato sweatdropped. "Yeah, I'm starting to realize that. Go, see your friends. I'll be fine."

Yeah. After all it's only the Hazard and I'm having a big fight with only person here who can load data. How could that turn out bad. Takato thought sarcastically. …I've got to get out of here and find Impmon.

Nodding, the Digidestined left the room just as Takato's hand began to spark. There were still a few people around, namely those who had helped set up the play as well as the teacher. Perfect.

"Umm, pardon me miss. I'm feeling a little ill. Can I please be excused?"

The woman in charge looked down. "Hmm? Oh dear, you aren't feeling nervous now are you?"

"Umm, sure, why not." Takato sweatdropped. "Anyway, can I go?"

"Sure, but be back within half an hour. And try splashing cold water on your face, that helps sometimes."

"Okay, be right back… I hope."

Unfortunately hope was about all Takato had today. Proving to locate his loud-mouthed Viral partner proved to be a lot harder than he anticipated. There was no sight of him in the cafeteria, near the vending machines, anywhere else there was food, or on the soccer fields. Time was running out but the boy wasn't getting any results.

"Awww nuts! Don't tell me he found his way back to Ken's house. And it's almost time for my part. I don't have time to check if he's there. Plus if the Hazard triggers suddenly a lot of people are going to get hurt."

The boy grabbed his head. "Errr, what am I gonna do? Let's see, If I can't stop whatever it is from happening then I need to get everyone out of the school. I wonder if they'll believe me if I tell them there's a bomb in there somewhere… Hmmm, maybe I should think of something a little more original."

Nodding to himself Takato started back to the gym. Yolei wouldn't be happy about this but there wasn't really much choice. He took perhaps one step into the grand sized room before hands that felt like they belong on a foot player seized him by the collar.

"You're late." Yolei said, her left eye was twitching madly.

"Umm, yeah. About that, you see-"

The purple haired girl didn't wait for an answer. Rather she began dragging the boy backstage "You're scene is about to start." She continued. "You'd better hurry and you'd better know your line."

"Eh- Hey. Could you listen to me for a second?"

"Kari, he's all yours."

"Oh good you're here. Let's go."

The Digidestined of Light turned back, looking… quite lovely in an embroidered pink dress. Her costume seemed to better of a higher quality than most in the play. Perhaps she borrowed it from home. The girl nodded and grabbed Takato's hand before pulling him towards the stairs on the back of the Cardboard tower. At the top was just a wooden plank to hold them.

Great. I feel like the hot potato in that old kids game.

"Hey wait, something's wrong."

"Hmmm? Is it important?" Kari stopped and glanced back just before they reached the top and became visible to the audience. "Can it wait?"

"Err, no it can't." Takato shifted uneasily.

Finally someone listens. But now how am I going to explain this?

"Ummm, well…"

"Takato, Kari!" The Tamer looked down to see Davis looking back at him urgently, Digivice in hand. "Get your partners because, dude, we have a problem."

"What is it?"

"Look up!"

Meanwhile, in the hallway just outside the gym door, Impmon glared at the piece of wood and metal as if he had a personal grudge against it. Slowly he lifted his hand to push it open, but then quickly dropped it.

"Tch, why did I come back here? It's not like I miss him or anything. Pfft, who in the right mind would want to hang around with stupid Gogglebrain. It's just… he owes me an apology. Yeah… Yeah! That's it, I'm here to make him apologize." The Imp began to lift his gloved hand once more.

"Mmm, I wonder if he even bothered to look for me. Stupid gogglehead. I bet he's in there right now telling all of those idiot friends of his how much of a pain I am… Well they can just bite me! I don't need that, and I certainly don't need him! In fact, I'm better off on my own, no one to hold me back. If he wants me back he's going to have to come crawling."

The Virus hardened his resolve and did an immediate about face before marching away. However, he only got a few steps away before a series of screams and a simple wise-guy remark easily identifiable as Takato's pierced the air.

"Eh" The Imp brace himself as he could see a huge stampede on the other side of the door about to trample him. The Rookie could just barely see the ceiling of the gym starting to come apart through the door window, sending shards of deadly debris everywhere. "I don't believe it. I barely leave him alone for one hour and it's like the Hazard just went ballistic again."

Without wasting another second Impmon began weaving through the hordes of people like a fish trying to go upstream. No sooner had he gotten inside did the entrance cave in. The Virus rolled his eyes, now all the remaining useless, dumbass, humans were stuck with him. Up by the stage was a Digimon Impmon had never seen before, the obvious target.

He was a humanoid adorned in bright shade of greasy crimson skin. He had the usual demon bat wings with purple skin flaps and demonized black symbols over his arms, legs, and potbelly. His arms hung down to his kneecaps giving him a bit of a lumbering appearance, but easily his signature feature was the face not even a mother could love and a sickeningly malicious smile that seemed… somewhat familiar to the little demon. Oh, and his weapon of choice, a pitchfork. Go figure.

Unfortunately the Virus didn't have time to observe his enemy any more than to get get just his basic physical appearance. Takato was holding onto some girl who was, in turn dangling over the edge of a partially fallen over cardboard tower that was definitely not for the kind of strain it was enduring. Even if the boys grip held, the lame stage props wouldn't. Impmon rushed ahead as Gatomon maneuvered to get under her partner.

"Gatomon I'm scared."

"Don't worry, I'm right-"

"Ruby Eye." The demon cackled as his normally gold irises began to shine a brilliant red, A split second later a beam of energy shot out of them and blew the area where the feline was standing apart. On the upside, it was a blatantly obvious attack and Gatomon dodged it easily. On the downside, the kids still dangling from high area... not good.

"Gatomon!"

"Kari!"

"You too Patamon!"

Queue Digimon Theme Music; Season One.

Digivolution…

Gatomon Digivolve tooo… Angewomon

Patamon Digivolve tooo… Angemon

"Kari, hang on. We'll be there in a minute."

Takato sweatdropped. "Umm, don't mean to pressure you guys but I can't feel my arms anymore."

"Goggles if you let go, I will drop you myself." The only remaining Rookie hollered.

"Impmon!"

"Of course, is anyone else this good looking?"

Angemon spun around behind him. "Ahh, it's you. You and Angewomon help your partners. I'll handle this fiend."

"Noooo really?" Impmon shouted back sarcastically. "I'm just running over here 'cuz I like a good jog in the evening… Stupid overstuffed pretty-boy; I remember when I had a bod like that." The Imp muttered.

"Hand of Fate!"

The devil monster sneered even wider as it tried to dodge. But Angemon was no greenhorn, his attack was still fast and precise enough that it tore the enemies arm clean off it's socket before disintegrating it into data. As you might except, that hurt the villain a lot… or at least it seemed to, at first. Slowly, but steadily the Data began to recompile itself. The monster's arm was starting to grow back, but it didn't seem to care to much for it.

"Ruby Eye!"

The scarlet demon fired his eye beam once again, but not at Angemon. His aim was rather to cut a tear up the wall, and indeed he did, right above the bystanders. The Angel Digimon flew to the rescue, and was still ignored. The demon's target… was Angewoman who was still trying to help her partner down. The sexy female Digimon was already supporting most of her partner's weight when the enemy turned his sights on her.

"Death Clash!"

"UG-UMPH!"

The demon struck with his char black weapon just as his arm finished forming and drove her into the wall. When the monster tried to fly back he found out exactly what it was to challenge an Ultimate as Angemon drill kicked him into the ground. It was not pleasing to say the least. Unlike BlackGrowlmon, this piece actually seemed to be able to strategize and plan his moves. Angewomon was the biggest threat, so he made hostages to get Angemon out of the way so he could attack her partner. And it worked too. Kari, now literally without a leg to stand on, screamed as she headed straight for the hole in the stage.

"Arrrgh!"

Impmon dove, not really timing anything but rather just going more on instinct. And for once it paid off. He grabbed Kari and snagged the edge. Angewomon, who was clearly stronger than the Viral Rookie, pulled them up the rest of the way.

"Kari…"

"Oh Angewomon, that was close."

"I know, but it's alright. I took care of him."

"pfft, wouldn't of mattered if it wasn't for me. How 'bout a little recognition where recognition is due." The hobgoblin exclaimed, dusting himself off.

Angewomon tilted her head. "Oh? What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Hmmm… Have to think about that one." Impmon raised a glove to his chin and took on a look of intense pain. Like he was thinking really hard. "Let's see our funds are kinda low. Then again maybe I could get you to get on your knees and admit that I'm the greatest. Hee hee hee."

"Keep dreaming."

"I-I got one!" Takato announced, a little nervously at first. "You can start by… getting me down from here!"

No sooner had the Tamer finished that line of thought did the platform start cracking loudly as the weight of the set began to tear itself down. It was going to give, and all the lad could do is hold on and pray he didn't crush anybody.

"Look out below!"

Impmon, who up until this point was still trying to think of ways Angewomon could repay him, finally looked up. "Eh? Oh shoot, why is it always me!"

Takato slammed into his partner, but Impmon being about as durable as a cockroach, was fine, minus the splitting headache he now had. The two partners sat up simultaneously and traded glances.

Impmon blinked at Takato. "Uhhh, we still fighting?"

"Yeah, just not with each other. I doubt that Digimon will stay down for long and I'm going to need your help if we're going to find a way to bring it down."

The Virus hopped to his feet. "I say let the foot loops Tamers delete him an' I can load the data."

Takato nodded. "I'd rather not have them see you do that, but given the circumstance we may not have a choice." The child glanced over to Kari and Angewomon. The angel spread her wings defensively covering the two children and the imp. Kari backed up to Takato.

"Impmon, Can you Digivolve?" the woman asked.

"Huh?" The Virus glanced up to the Ultimate before clenching his fist. "Grrrr... No."

"Then it's just me and Angemon then."

"He's still helping all the adults and teachers." T.K. exclaimed.

"Shoot, we have to hurry up and take this guy down before someone gets hurt. Doesn't anyone else have their partner with them?"

"Sorry but we didn't expect to get attacked today." Cody called back.

"Aww nuts."

"Geez, humans are so uptight. You don't need any more Digimon with yours truly here." The Imp flashed a smile. "Now lemme show you how it's done babe. Badda Boom!"

Immediately a small fireball erupted right nest to the enemy. The demon creature flew to the side expecting to get out of the way, but Impmon had that planned. The Rookie did a running lunge and called out his Plasma Blade attack that he loaded off of BlackGrowlmon, but the target was unexpectedly faster than he looked. He swatted the other Virus down with his pitchfork, no problem. Fortunately while the enemy was distracted with Impmon, Angewomon saw an opportunity and flew around, grabbed him from behind.

"Look, I don't want to hurt you, Mr. But if you don't calm down and stop attacking…" The Angel tightened her grip but the devil Digimon was showing no signs or relaxing. Rather he just kept struggling harder.

"Grrr-RAAAGH!"

Impmon flipped back to his feet while as Takato made his way up to him and folded his arms. "Damn. That's one spicy meatball. Takato, what can you tell me about ugly over there?"

"Ahh right. Sorry, I couldn't use my Digivice with the Digidestined so close. Is Kari still looking at me."

"Hmmm…" The demon tilted his head to peer around his partner. "…Nope, she's rootin' for the flying pussycat. Now's your chance."

"Alright." Takato quickly palmed his device.

Name: Boogeymon

Level: Champion

Attribute: Virus

Type: Demon

Attacks: Ruby Eye, Death Clash

"Wait a second… I know this Digimon. He's in Kazu's deck. Impmon, this is your champion form."

"Eh?" The Virus glanced back at the struggling monster. "Tch, No way. I deserve a way better champion form than that. Oh well, at least it's not Terriermon's."

"Never mind that, if you load his data you might get your form back… Wait, what do you have against Gargomon?"

Impmon shrugged. "Too many Krispy Cream doughnuts, not enough push-ups."

"Hey!"

"So…" The Imp continued casually, not really listening. "How we gonna take smiley up there down if the Digidestined won't let us destroy any Digimon."

"I… don't know yet." Takato admitted. "I'm still working on that."

"RUBY EYE!"

Focusing his energy, Boogeymon unleashed a much larger blast than usual. But it wasn't just another unfocused attempt at getting free, the Virus had targeted Angemon, who was still helping the parents and teachers avoid falling chunks of rock. The Angel didn't even see it coming as the beam tore through his back left an injured Patamon in it's wake.

"Patamon!" T.K. began rushing over to his partner.

Of course, this was merely the first sign of things going from bad to worse. You see, now that Angemon's data was just floating in the air, anyone could load it, including the demon champion with the wicked smile. And rest assured, he did just that. Angewomon could practically feel his strength growing.

"What… is he…?" Yolei adjusted her glasses, making sure this wasn't just some optical illusion.

Further behind the group, Davis was sending an E-Mail to Izzy filling him in on what was going on. Of Course he left out the important part such as the monster coming out of a Hazard symbol as per Gennai's request to keep as much as possible on the DL. But a berserk Digimon that regenerates was definitely something that he felt all the Digidestined should know about.

"Huh? I got an E-Mail from Gennai? I'll have to check it out later. Wonder what it's about."

Once more Boogeymon began struggling, but this time Angewomon was incapable of holding her grip. He broke free with considerable effort and spun around. His eyes were already gleaming madly.

"Ruby Eye!"

"I am getting so sick of that attack!" The Vaccine shouted back.

She plowed right through the red beam and brought her leg around to meet the Champion's head. It made a sickening crack as it snapped back and the Virus went hurtling towards the floor. Unfortunately he recovered half way down and landed perfectly on his feet, cracking the hardwood floor.

"What the? The should've knocked him clean out."

"Angewomon!" Takato shouted, getting the female's attention. "Umm, I think the extra data he loaded healed all his previous wounds. It also probably made him stronger."

Impmon glanced over. "You don't think, you know. You've seen it a million times."

"Yeah, but I don't want them to know that."

"Gotcha."

"Just great." The woman replied sardonically. "Is there anything else he can do now?"

Boogeymon didn't give Takato a chance to answer. He drew his arm back and fired it forward releasing a beam of golden goodness at the angel. "Hand of Fate!"

Angewomon was too surprised to dodge. And given the type of attack was vaccine and didn't suffer from the penalty that Viruses do, it did considerable damage, drilling the Ultimate into the ground and forcing her to leave her imprint in it. Of course, Boogeymon wasn't done yet. He quickly flew upwards over where the angel landed.

"Death Clash!"

With one fluid motion the demon threw his pitchfork down. Angemon lifted her arm to block it, but since she was still getting her bearings from the last attack, all she ended up doing is getting was getting her arm pinned into the floor above her head.

"Hand of Fate!"

The Virus unleashed another attack as Angewomon managed to pull her arm free. Given she was still considerably stronger than the Virus it wasn't that hard, but it wasn't fast enough to block the oncoming attack. The attack hit dead on and exploded sending golden light and destruction throughout the room lifting the kids and a few of the lighter adults completely off their feet. When it cleared, Gatomon was standing where her Ultimate form once was. Holding her arm and badly scrapped. The devil loaded her data as well.

"I…I don't believe it…" Takato choked out. "She had the Type advantage and the Level advantage…There's no way Angewomon should've lost."

Impmon scoffed. "Tch. Like that matters now. We are going to get our cabooses kicked clear from here to Osaka."

"…She… didn't even use her attacks… Was that it? Did she take him too lightly?"

The Virus growled jumping onto his partner's dress. "Hey goggles! Stop muttering to yourself and get your head in the game. That freak isn't done yet and more importantly, he making me look bad!"

"But Impmon. How are you going to take him. He can fly, has quick and strong long range attacks, and his strength and speed is probably somewhere close to a low grade Ultimate right now. Not to mention the fact that everyone in this building is a potential hostage for him to use."

Just then Davis came running up to his fellow goggle boy. "Alright, I sent an E-Mail to Izzy letting him know what's going on. Tai is on his way." The child pumped his fist.

"Great, except there about a hundred moving targets in this room alone and smiley over there don't look too keen on patients, ya moron."

"I know. And no one else brought their partners either. Look, can I ask you guys to keep him busy for as long as possible."

Takato glanced down at Impmon who was staring back up at him. He wanted Impmon to fight, but remember how well things went last time he tried to order his friend around… "Impmon… Look. I don't want you to do anythi-"

"Yeah yeah yeah, shut up and let's go already. I ain't puttin' up with this imposter's lack of respect. Bring it on ugly!"

"Impmon! Do you have any idea what your going?"

"Heh, of course. Whaddaya take me for…? But uh, just in case, you might want to think of a backup plan."

Takato sighed. Perfect. That's what I thought. I've got think of something or Impmon is going to end up as nothing more than a memory.

"Ruby Eye!"

Impmon smirked rolling to the side. "Ha! That's it? Punimon have more fight in 'em than you, bub."

"Hand of Fate."

The Virus dove forward and rolled again, using his momentum to propel himself into the air. "Plasma Blade!"

"Ruby Eye!"

Impmon's eyes widened as the champions attack slammed him into the ground. There was no way he could handle another attack like that. Heck it was a miracle he could even take the first one. Then again South Quadrant Digimon were used to battle and Impmon still had BlackGrowlmon's data building him up.

"Tamer, could use some help here." Impmon growled weakly.

"Ruby Eye."

Impmon strained himself to move but his legs just couldn't seem to do as they were told. Takato dove in and shoved him out of the way at the last second.

"Tch. Stop wasting time with me." The Virus spat. "It'll be a cold day at the Wall of Fire before I bow down to this chump. Figure out a way to beat this guy already."

The gogglehead frowned. "I'm working on it. But it's not like I can just drop a searchlight on him. He loaded too much data. He won't even feel it."

"Ruby Eye!"

Impmon and Takato split apart dodging in opposite directions at the attack exploded between them. " Any way ya can gauge his eyes out somehow." Impmon snarled. "That attack is seriously getting old."

"Hmmm, gauge his eyes… out." Takato glanced around for a moment before his eyes widened with excitement. "…No but I think I might be able to do something better. Gatomon, shut the regular lights off. Cody, I'll need you to tell me how to work the spotlight."

"What are you planning?" T.K. asked.

"Nothing, he's completely lost it." Yolei replied skeptically.

"Shut up four-eyes." The Virus spat. "Hey Takato, waddaya want me to do?"

"Don't get deleted." Was the short response.

"Tch, that kinda goes without saying."

Immediately the Tamer began running back towards the stage while Davis and Ken exchanged confused expressions with each other. Cody was already half way there so he reached the electronic device first. The Gym lights normally had to be turned off by a key, but Gatomon's claws fixed that problem pretty quickly.

Despite the damaged to the roof and walls of the building there were no completed holes, so when the light went out, pretty much everything became pitch black. And as an added bonus the mob in front of the only exit with windows kept the light from that direction out. There was nothing left visible, except the one person of whom Cody and Takato had turned their spotlights on, Boogeymon. For a second the larger Virus looked like he didn't understand what was happening until…

"Plasma Blade!"

Erupting from the darkness like a shadow, Impmon tore a decent sized hole in his Champion form's face as he leapt by, then disappeared just as quickly behind him. The demon's yellow eyes began to glow a harsh red as he prepared to counter attack.

"Ruby Eye!"

Impmon's laugh was heard as the beam hit nothing except the already broken ground. "Ha! Where were you aiming? Plasma Blade!"

Another chunk of the Virus went missing as the shadow sped by again.

"Remember Impmon, don't use your fireball attacks or he'll see you. And Hurry before his eyes adjust!"

"Ruby Eye!" The Champion unleashed another blast of energy, this time only missing Impmon by a few feet. He was getting the hang of things quickly.

"Don't need to tell me twice. Plasma Blade! Plasma Blade! Plasma Blade! PLASMA BLADE!"

Impmon smirked as he landed harshly on the ground. Behind him, Boogeymon was missing so many chunks from his side, legs, and even a piece of his neck, his body slowly started to disintegrate from the legs up while Impmon stood ready to load his data. The Virus's look intensified as he noticed the demonized champion's destruction was slowing down the higher it got on him. Maybe it was just the monster's survival instinct, or maybe Boogeymon somehow subconsciously recognized that Impmon could load his data. Whatever the cause, he was fighting with everything he had to get one more attack out.

"Come on ya flying freak show. Just go down for one second… Or else."

"Ruby Eye!"

Another final red blast was launched as Boogeymon exploded into data. But rather than taking a third pot-shot at Impmon, the Virus was determined to take down at least one person in that room. Thus, he fired at roof, and used the eye beam like a saw, dragging it down through the spotlights Takato and Cody who were working. The ensuing explosion took another chunk out of the building's framework. Takato slipped as he tried to keep his balance and grabbed onto the edge. While in the darkness, Impmon was loading the disbursed data as quickly as he could unseen.

"Takato, are you alright." Cody asked, straining his eyes to find the boy. "Where are you?"

"Ugh, just ahead of you, on the edge. I'm fine, but that might not last too long. My grip… Is slipping."

Things only got worse as some sharps cracking sounds from above began the alert the bystanders down below. The section of the building everyone was still currently trapped in was falling apart thanks to all the damage Boogeymon did.

"Hey Impmon you better move before the roof caves in." Davis hollered as he scrambled over to the stage… and ran smack into it. His eyes hadn't adjusted yet. "Oww."

"Nice one Gogglebrain." Yolei exclaimed.

"Ahh quiet nerdette. Hey Takato, let go and I'll catch you."

The brunette frowned. "How you can't even see me."

"I'll just trust my instincts."

"…Right, I'm going to be stuck up here a while, aren't I?" The crimson eyed boy moaned as another creak rang through the air, only this time is was coming from the same loose piece of metal that was keeping him from plummeting to his doom. "Aww nuts."

The next series of actions happened all at once. Cody took a gamble and lunged for the area next to Takato while the scaffolding finally broke down. The smaller boy missed his friend as the Tamer fell down below. Davis, bless his heart, was nowhere near close enough to catch him either. To make matters worse, massive sections of the roof began cave in all at once. No one could yet see exactly what was happening but the incredible noise was kind of giving away a strong indication. As the first few pieces hit the ground people began to go into the earthquake fetal position they learned as kids. As Impmon looked up he could see the giant pieces of wood and cement fall closer and closer towards his head.

"You gotta be kidding me. After all that and I'm still gonna get wasted?"

"Not necessarily." The imp suddenly became aware of a furry yellow tail tickling his ears. When he looked up to see who it belonged he, he couldn't help his sneer.

"Foxy! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes."

A golden kitsune styled Digimon stood calmly with her arms folded. "Impmon… What's wrong? Having difficulties with a Champion." Renamon cooed mockingly. "Pity. I don't know why bt for some reason I expected more from you. Poison Cobweb!"

Thrusting her left arm outward the warrior Rookie shot out a thick spider web that fanned out to catch the boulder's above the exit. As for the one directly above Impmon, she merely raised her fist and let the object shatter itself on her knuckles. That only left Takato, and unlike everyone else in that room, Renamon had no issues with seeing through the dark. She picked Impmon up by the bandanna around his neck and faded out of view, becoming visible again directly under her human friend.

"Ahhhhumph! …Renamon!"

The Rookie smiled. "Why Takato, nice of you to drop by."

"Believe me, the pleasure's all mine." The boy smiled faintly. "Can we see Rika now?"

"Of course. Why do you think I'm here?" The fighter lifted her head as Davis ran up to her. The extra light from the degrading ceiling was finally making it possible to see her silhouette as dozens of smaller pieces of rock fell around them.

"Whew…" Davis exhaled. "Who are you? One of Takato's friends?"

Renamon just smiled slightly. "You must be Davis… Rika gives her regards."

As suddenly as she appeared, Renamon vanished. Her agility made it easy for her to leap through the openings in the roof and head out to the soccer field where her Tamer was waiting. Davis tried to follow her movements but she was just going to fast.

"So then… If she knows Rika then they must be partners." Davis murmured to himself. "Man, she was totally awesome. Heh, and the girl gave me her regards. Oh yeah, I rock."

Meanwhile outside, Rika smiled casually as she saw her partner returning. She pocketed a couple cards, no doubt the ones she used to give Renamon her web-shooting ability and probably a strength or speed card.She seemed to have picked up a white overcoat, resembling what she wore the first time Takato saw her in his dream. Suddenly she frowned just as Renamon was landing.

"Alright Gogglehead. It's nice to see you but seriously, what's with the dress?"

Takato blushed as he took a look at himself, finally remembering he was still in his stage outfit. "Oh, this? Umm, well it's a bit of a long story."

The redhead sighed. "Fine, but then where's Guilmon?"

"Also a long story."

"Okay And you're traveling with Impmon because… Oh wait, don't tell me…"

"Long story." Takato and Rika said simultaneously. Takato flushed again. "I'd be happy to tell you but before that… It's really good to see you again Rika. For a while I was worried the only friendly face I'd ever see again was Impmon's."

"Hey! That's typical. You do something nice for someone and-"

"Be quiet whelp." Renamon ordered as she stomped the Imp into the ground. "Can't you see they're having a moment?"

Rika chuckled at the two Digimon. "Whatever. Takato, let's just find Guilmon and go home. Impmon still has the White Piece, right?"

Takato sweatdropped. "Uh yeah, About that…

…It's a long story."


Several hours later it the bright, exciting day had vanished. Now only the usual nightlife of the Odaiba remained. Davis sighed, his homework wasn't done, and he knew he'd get in trouble for it, but honestly even when he tried to focus he kept thinking about those two new Digidestined, as well as the days events.

First of all Takato, the kid seems so nice and eager to please it's almost unthinkable that he allegedly holds some sort of dangerous power. And not only that, but he comes from another world. But there was also something else, using the stage's spot lights to allow his partner to hit Boogeymon, and earlier with the fight against BlackGrowlmon… It was pretty quick thinking. In fact being such a tactician in battle really offset his nice guy appearance. Something about that just didn't seem right. Then again Izzy wasn't too shabby himself based on the stories that were passed around by the older kids. The one about Diaboromon really stuck out.

Oh well, no use thinking about that now… The boy thought. His thoughts moved over to the next Digidestined on his mind. The girl… well, at least he thought it was a girl. Although given how strong she was he was beginning to think maybe his eyes had played tricks on him.

Rika. She was something else, definitely. In fact her number was even on his desk as he was thinking about this. She had a vicious streak in her that reminded him of Yolei, only she seemed to have better control or something. He wasn't sure how to put it. And the more he thought about it, the more his head began to hurt.

And Renamon left just as vivid an impression. Was she a champion? She was certainly as strong as one. The Digidestined of Courage and Friendship grinned as he thought about having a sparring match between her and his Flamedramon. After all, they were both warriors. They might get along quite well, but at any rate it would have to wait until their next encounter.

Man, those two were so cool. I really want to meet them again soon.

Impmon was the odd one out. Unlike all the others see seemed to have little to no self control. Or to be more precise, his aggressiveness and willingness to destroy other Digimon was unnatural to any normal person. The group would be meeting again tomorrow to discuss what to do with him. That was third Digimon he destroyed, but only the second the group knew of. Davis sighed, covering for that guy was going to be hard… And he really didn't want to lie to his friends either.

Hmmm… Maybe if I keep my head down they won't ask me anything. Maybe I should show up late, or better yet, not at all.

"Davish!"

"Uh, Ahhh!" The boy suddenly snapped back into reality as his partner was screaming in his ear. The suddenly movement caused his chair to fall over completely. "Uff. Veemon, what was that for?"

"Shorry Davish. I thought you were sleeping with your eyes open again."

The Digidestined frowned. "I only did that a few times."

"This week." The Rookie added. "What were you thinking about?"

Davis ignored the question for a moment as he got up and fixed his seat in place again. "Ahh just thinking about some of the stuff that Gennai mentioned… Actually I almost forgot, I got an E-Mail from him and I haven't checked it out yet."

The spiky haired boy reached around his seat into the backpack that was hanging off of it and pulled out the D-Terminal. Typing in a few commands, he brought up the E-Mail. Veemon hopped onto his partners shoulder to get a better look.


Dear Davis.

I trust this finds you well. I wanted to inform you of a new threat on the Digital World. Two days ago we attempted to remove an extremely hostile Digimon hidden behind the Wall of Fire. His name is Megidramon, and he's the kind that requires no description. However, we made a mistake, and instead of destroying this evil, we made it stronger. It's no longer behind the Wall of Fire, but it's seemingly disappeared from the Digital World. We don't yet know what it's capable of, but it is at least at the Mega Level and it is not something we can just leave to it's own devices. We will contact you when we have further details about it's whereabouts.

Also, do you remember Takato? He was with us but we became separated during aforementioned incident. I… fear he has gone after this new threat on his own and I am worried about what he will do. I don't want to overstep my bounds, but it's possible him and his partner have become a threat as well. I won't ask you to bring him too us if you don't want to since he did save our lives, but please, if you see him, let us know. He may be in grave danger.

Lastly, this E-mail has an attachment. It's a gif image showing the Symbol of that hazard, the source of Megidramon's power. You should recognize it as the symbol BlackGrowlmon came out of. If you see it anywhere, in the Digital World or out, please be careful. If a fight does break out, don't hesitate to attack it with everything you have.


"Yeesh, He's as cryptic as ever." Davis frowned as he clicked on the attachment. An image of interlocking triangles appeared in a new window. "Oh well, at least he was kind enough to show us what this thing looked… like… Wait, Black Growlmon! I've seen this before, It's the symbol on Rika's hand." The gogglehead flinched. "And it's the symbol that paved the way for Boogeymon's entrance. I don't like where this is going."

Veemon looked up at his partner. "What are you going to do, Davish?"

"Aww man. I don't remember having to make a decision like this before. This is the kind of thing that Cody or even T.K. would be good at."

"But you're not T.K." His partner affirmed.

Davis folded his arms behind his head and leaned back once more. "No… I'm not…This would probably be easier if I understood what was going on… Any ideas Veemon?"

"Trusht you instincts Davish. They haven't gotten ush killed yet." The Blue Imp smiled. Davish, er, Davis nodded in agreement with that reasoning.

"Alright then." The boy leaned forward and pressed a single key.


Message Deleted

"Davish?"

The gogglehead narrowed his eyes. "Gennai said Takato might be a threat, but I gotta disagree. He didn't let go of Kari at all, despite the fact that they were hanging over the edge of flimsy cardboard. Even his partner put himself in danger to save her when she almost fell through the stage. And not only that but that kid nearly got himself killed helping Impmon. Takato may not want to tell me what's going on, but actions speak louder than words."

Veemon pumped his fist. "Oh wow. Now I really wanna meet these guys."

"Don't worry buddy." Davis smiled as he walked towards his bed and stripped himself of his jacket. He didn't bother with the rest of his clothes since he'd just be putting them on again the next morning. "I have a feeling it won't be too long before we run into them again. Good night."

"Good night, partner."


Warning: Proofreading Stops Here: Notes
-Hello. I'm terrible sorry for the long update time. I finally had the next chapter of After thoughts done when my computer went rogue and wiped out everything. Heck even had the reviews for AF completeled as those who go to my main page will notice.

-Also, as I've mentioned before, replies to reviews will be posted onmymain page. It's too bloody late tonight, I am getting very angry due to sleep deprivation,and I don't want to postpone the update, so look forward to the reviews it over the next two days. They should be under the After Thoughts Replies. Hope you enjoy.