DSI: RELOADED Chapter 8: Tommy Norstein's Day Off, a digimon fanfic

Digimon Savers International: RELOADED

Chapter 8: Tommy Norstein's Day Off

Greg

After seeing Marcus' impressive display, I decided I could use some toughening up myself. Not to the point of becoming a brawler like him, but just so I could match him at his own game. Soon however, I quickly came to the realization that fate had given Veemon and me another chance. This was our opportunity to redefine ourselves and join the ranks of Davis Motomiya and Takeru "T.K." Takaishi. Yes, I just put them together in the same sentence. Of course, this realization was quickly followed by another one that I could surpass both of them if I tried hard enough. Veemon clearly agreed with me, so the two of us went into the DATS gym and set out on our mission. After two hours in the gym, we were beat and panting for breath. "Veemon..." "Yeah?" he asked. "...Those last two hours. Were they worth it?" We looked at each other and came to the same conclusion. "No."

Halloween isn't practiced very much in Japan, at least not in the same way Americans celebrate it. The Japanese have their Festival of the Dead during a time called the Bon Festival, which takes place during the summer. Of course, we missed it because we were in Austria at the time. I found all of this information out from Miki, when I asked her what she'd be dressing up as for the supposed Halloween party. I, of course, was going to go as Davis with astigmatism. She shot me down faster than a mallard on the first day of duck season.

It turned out that Kudamon has quite eclectic tastes in music, such as The Alan Parsons Project. I reckon he must've curled up around Tom's neck and got an earful of his MP3 player. So a few days after the incident with BlackGarurumon, he decided to start up his own band at DATS. He promised ¥2,000 to anyone who would join him for one video that would be posted to a private network owned by DATS. That way other agents around the world could see it and not anyone else. "Why not just post it to YouTube?" I asked. Kudamon jumped from Sampson's neck to mine and got right up to my ear. His fur felt soft, but his short claws slightly dug into my skin. "First off, it compromises security... and second, they wouldn't believe it anyway," he whispered. I picked him up and gave him back to Sampson.

Now I thought nobody would be dumb enough to pass up 2-grand in yen. At least I wasn't. Thomas did it for kicks, and Anya decided she didn't want to make a fool of herself. So a band was set up. Kudamon would naturally be on lead vocal. He had to fight Tom for it in a heated battle, and ended up winning by a scratch on the neck (to which Gaomon nearly punched him out were it not for Commander Sampson). Marcus wanted a piece of the action, but we discovered that he could only play drums. So we put him behind the drums and gave him the sticks. Tentomon was put on the synthesizer, with Gary on additional keyboards. I was put on electric guitar, with Veemon on bass. Everyone else fit in as either additional percussion, additional vocals, or dancers for the video. We also had to flip a coin to determine who would get the cowbell. It was either Commander Sampson or Lalamon. Tom got a 100-yen coin out. "Call in the air, Commander," he said as he tossed it. "Heads!" It came up tails. "Tails. Lalamon, who do you want to get the cowbell?" "Oh, the commander can have it," she coyly said.

So, we were set to practice. The song was "Games People Play" from the 1980 album The Turn of a Friendly Card. I looked up the guitar tabs online in addition to the sheet music Sampson had printed off. I had picked up electric guitar in high school because I was too late to sign up for any other electives. I found that the focus I had picked up in the Digital World helped me learn it faster. Of course, I still had to practice every day like everyone else does. Veemon picked up the bass to support me, and he borrowed my instruction books. So, whenever we had down time, we'd practice.

A few days later, the music video was ready to be taped. Tom even set up a light pattern inside the war room just for the occasion. He dimmed the lights and we were set to go.

Gaomon got the camera set up as he held up the slate. It took us more than a few times to get it right. "This is The Satsuma Rentarō Project, 'Games People Play', directed by T.H. Norstein, take 15," he read. Then he got out of the way. Marcus counted us in.

["Games People Play"

Written by Alan Parsons & Eric Woolfson

Performed by The Satsuma Rentarō Project

Lead Vocals by Kudamon (Sam Riegel)

Backing Vocals by Gary Logan (Yuri Lowenthal) and Thomas H. Norstein (Crispin Freeman)]

Tentomon starts playing the introduction on the synthesizer. We find the lights dimmed. A spotlight shines on Commander Sampson, who is standing at his usual spot while the camera zooms into Kudamon.

Kudamon/Gary/Thomas:

Where do we go from here

now that all other children are growin' up?
And how do we spend our lives

if there's no one to lend us a hand ?

The video shifts. The light border changes to various colors while Kudamon grooves on his stool and Sampson dutifully hits his cowbell while walking in a circle.

Kudamon:

I don't wanna live here no more,

I don't wanna stay
Ain't gonna spend the rest of my life

Quietly fading away

The scene shifts to Miki and Thomas doing a foxtrot of sorts on the floor of the war room. Thomas lip-syncs the line "If I promise you the moon and the stars, would you believe it?"

Kudamon/Gary/Thomas:

Games people play,

You take it or you leave it
Things that they say, Honor Brite
If I promise you the moon and the stars,

would you believe it?
Games people play in the middle of the night

The scene shifts to Greg standing in the center lip-syncing the next part of the song dramatically. A spotlight is shining on him as the light pattern stops.

Kudamon/Gary/Thomas:

Where do we go from here now that all of the children have grown up?
And how do we spend our time knowin'

nobody gives us a damn?

The pattern starts up again. Marcus lifts up his head and lip-syncs the howl in the song while playing the drums. The scene then shifts to Kudamon resting on Sampson's neck, lip-syncing the lyrics.

Kudamon:

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-HOOOO HOOO HOO HOO HOO HOOOOO

I don't wanna live here no more,

I don't wanna stay
Ain't gonna spend the rest of my life

Quietly fading awayyyyyyy, yeah

The scene shifts to find Greg and Veemon doing the running man while Gary does the moonwalk. All 3 lip-sync the lyrics.

Kudamon/Band:

Games people play,

You take it or you leave it

Things that they say just don't make it right
If I'm telling you the truth right now,

do you believe it?
Games people play in the middle of the night

We find Lalamon using the long instrumental piece for an interpretive dance of some sort with the Miniskirt Police. They move out of the way to show Gaomon shadow boxing. The lights continue to flash in time to the beat. We also get various shots of the band playing their instruments, including some guitar solos.

Kudamon/Band:

Games people play,

You take it or you leave it
Things that they say, Honor Brite
If I promise you the moon and the stars,

would you believe it?
Games people play in the middle of the night

Games people play,

You take it or you leave it

Things that they say just don't make it right
If I'm telling you the truth right now...

The scene shifts for a moment to find Kudamon leaning passionately on the mic for the next line.

Kudamon:

Do you believe me?

Kudamon/Band:
Games people play in the middle of the night

As the song concludes, Tentomon continues to play the pattern until fade out and the lights go black. At which point, Gaomon turns off the camera from behind, being careful not to show up.

Greg

Overall, it was a good video, but we agreed never to go on tour. "I agree to that," Kudamon said. After everything was packed up, Sampson paid us out in nice crisp ¥2000 bills. Tom got 2 of them because he was the director. He gave them to Gaomon. "But sir, I feel guilty taking this money from the commander when we have so much of our own." "I'll take the money, Gaomon," I offered. I attempted to take it, but Gaomon wouldn't have it. "Oh, I'm no fool. Here, sir, you take the money back." Tom gave the money back to Kudamon, who gave it back to Sampson.

A few days after the video shoot, Veemon and I came back from a successful mission. When we entered the war room, we got an... unexpected surprise.

Marcus and Agumon were standing at attention with smiles on their faces. "Welcome back to DATS, sir," the two said in unison. "We'd been waiting for you," Marcus added. This took us aback. "Huh?" we asked.

"You must be pretty tired after your mission. Why don't you just sit back and have this nice cup of tea while it's still warm?" Marcus offered. Agumon quickly picked up a tray with a steaming hot cup of tea. "Freshly brewed," he added. This was absolutely stupefying. I took the cup.

"Um... Marcus, why are you being so nice today?" I asked. The orange-clad agent went on the defensive. "Oh, no reason, no reason at all." I took a sip. "Oh, come on. While I'm glad to see you finally have some respect for your elders, I've been here long enough to know that you don't do anything nice for anyone without a motive. You want something from me, don't you?" "Well actually... something happened to me at school today. You see, I'm not exactly the best student there is, and there's this makeup test tomorrow. Tomorrow's the absolute worst day possible for that test." "I get it... I get it... you want me to write a note for you. Why didn't you ask Commander Sampson first?" "It's not about that!"

"Then what is it about?" Veemon asked. We didn't get to find out because someone was coming down the hallway. Marcus and Agumon rushed us toward the back. So, we sat back, drank our tea, and watched the proceedings go down. Agumon quickly got another cup of tea brewing, and waited patiently at the door. It turned out to be Tom and Gaomon, and boy were they shocked. Marcus didn't miss a beat as he gave them nearly the exact same routine, even calling the blonde "Tommy buddy". "Thom-as," Tom answered.

Moments later, Tom sat there sipping his tea. "Well, I can't help," he said. "I haven't asked for anything yet!" Marcus shot back in protest. "I know I have something of a scholarly reputation, Marcus, but even I can't do the impossible and teach you how to study," Tom continued.

Anya and Lalamon listened in. "How true," the girl agreed. "He's good, but he's not that good," Lalamon added.

And through it all, Marcus remained... surprisingly civil. "This isn't about studying. I have something big to ask you. A favor." I turned to Veemon. "Called it," we said at the same time.

Tom lowered his eyebrows. "All right, let's hear it." "All right, well, tomorrow is Kristy's birthday, and-" "Kristy... your little sister, right?"

"Yeah, yeah! Good memory!" Agumon cheered.

Marcus went on, "Well, I need... a babysitter for her, just until my makeup exam is over." "That's simple enough," Tom said before turning to Anya. "You know any good babysitters?" he asked.

"I could do it, but it won't come cheap," Anya answered. "Sorry, Anya, it can't be you," Marcus answered back.

"How old will she be tomorrow?" I asked. "10," Marcus answered. "10. Hmmm... you wouldn't happen to have any big birthday parties later in the day, would you?" "No, but actually I had someone else in mind." He turned to Tom and bowed. "I need someone... who can act like... a big brother. I need you, Thomas. Could you pretend to be a member of my family tomorrow?" Tom thought about it. "We'll see," he answered, trying to sound noncommittal.

I tried to wrap my brain around this. "Wait, you asked him to pretend to be a member of your family? I could do that. How'd you like two new cousins from America?" I asked. Marcus gave me a thumbs up. "That's great, Greg. Thanks a lot. You're a lifesaver."

Sure enough, as we went home in our usual limopool, we stopped at Marcus' house. "Delgado, this may take a while," Tom told his driver as we got out. Soon, we were all standing outside the front door of the Damon family household. "Why do I have to come to your house today? The birthday isn't until tomorrow." "Kristy can be tough, so we want her to approve you first," Agumon explained. "Tough? It's a good thing I haven't said yes to this assignment first," Tom chuckled. "Yeah, your sister seemed pretty nice when we met her that one time," Gary said. "She's not that bad. Come on," Marcus said as he invited us inside.

We sat down in their dining room where we met up with Kristy and her mom. The house seemed like a pretty typical house in the suburbs, not too big but not too small either. "Hi again!" Kristy said cheerfully.

Tom turned to Mrs. Damon. "My name's Thomas H. Norstein. These are Greg and Gary Logan. I'm sorry for my rudeness the other day when we met outside my car." "Oh, no worries. So tell me, are you and Marcus good friends?" she asked. That put him on the spot. "Um... uh, yeah," he lied.

"Hey, Thomas said he'd hang out with you for your birthday tomorrow. He'll take my place until I get back. Isn't that great?" Marcus asked. Kristy leaned on the table. "Uh yeah! All right! I'm so happy!" she said.

Then, Mrs. Damon asked the $64,000 question. "Why can't you go, Marcus?" "Uh, no... I..." "Son... it isn't a problem for you, is it?" That really put him on the spot. "Uh... I swear..."

Tom stood up and struck one of his confident poses. "I, Thomas H. Norstein, will put everything I have to make Kristy's birthday the best one ever!" That was good enough for her as she ran to Tom and hugged him. "Thomas! Thank you so much!"

I just stood there and smiled. "Hey Thomas, do you have a funny friend like Agumon who hangs out with you?" Kristy asked. Tom looked puzzled. "Funny friend? Oh... you mean my partner."

"His name is Gaomon," Agumon explained. Kristy must've been on sugar because she started jumping up and down, chanting "Show me! Show me! Show me!" Ah yes, the innocence of youth. Tom obliged and moved Kristy away from him, giving them plenty of room. Then, he pulled out his iC and put it forward. "Gaomon, realize!" he called as he pressed the button on the side. Out Gaomon came in bits of data. "Sir yes sir!"

The little girl screamed in delight. "He's so cute!" That put Gaomon on the spot. "Uh... nice to meet you," he said uncertainly. "A talking dog!"

"Ha ha ha, she called you a dog!" Agumon cackled. "Would a dog wear boxing gloves?" Gaomon asked.

"I don't know, I'm sure it's up on YouTube somewhere," I joked. Then, I turned to Kristy. "Hey, you wanna see my partner?" "Oh would you? Please? I'd love to see him." "Sure thing, kid." I pulled out my iC from my belt case. "It's showtime." I got in position, and pointed the iC with the lens toward them and the actual device towards my side. "Veemon..." I pointed the device forward. "Realize!" Veemon came out of the device in a stream of data and landed on the ground, feet first.

Gary did the same thing. "Tentomon, realize!" Soon, Tentomon appeared and Kristy screamed some more in delight. "A talking ladybug and a talking lizard!" "A lizard?!" "No, no, Veemon isn't a lizard. He's more of a dragon," I explained. "He doesn't look like a dragon."

"Yeah, yeah, I don't look... wait a sec, what am I saying?" Veemon shook his head. "Let's start over. My name's Veemon, but you can call me Veemon." Tentomon then introduced himself. "And I am Tentomon."

Mrs. Damon stood up. "I better start dinner if we want to eat some time this century," she said.

"In that case, we'll take our leave of you now," Tom volunteered. "Noooooooooo! Stay and eat dinner with us, Thomas!" Kristy pleaded. "Thanks, but I still have work to do back at the-"

But Mrs. Damon didn't give him a chance to back out of it. "Nonsense! Don't be shy, Thomas. Please, stay and eat with us." I don't know why, but Mrs. Damon had something about her. Something that made you want to stay and get to know her better. Tom saw the look in her eye, and decided to stay. "Sure."

So, half an hour later, we all crowded around the Damon family table for dinner. It was a standard Japanese meal of tempura, which consists of light-battered shrimp, fish and vegetables deep-fried very quickly, and served with a dipping broth. Now, as you may know, most Japanese food is eaten with chopsticks. It had taken me a while to get used to eating with them because we used tableware in America and in Austria. I usually tried to get away with using plastic in the DATS food court, but there was no tableware to be found on the table. So, I managed. I didn't know who Kristy liked better, Tom or Gaomon. "Here, Gaomon. Open wide. Ahhhhhh." She tried to feed Gaomon one of her shrimp, and the dog-like Digimon just sat there red in the face.

Gaomon

It seems Thomas' new friend Kristy is enamored of both of us. She tried offering me a bite with her chopsticks. I dare not open my mouth and accept it, because if word got out, I would become the laughing stock of all the Digimon at DATS. In hindsight, however, I see she is trying to be friendly. I have never taken much account into my appeal for cuteness. I am what I am.

Greg

"Hey Agumon! You took my share again!" Marcus complained. "Not me, Boss," Agumon denied with his mouth full. "The food in your mouth right now belongs to me!" "Possession is nine-tenths of the meal!" "Stop eating so much! That goes for you too, Lizard Boy!"

"Hey! I'm eating just as much as you are," Veemon protested. "Yeah, Marcus, lay off my partner. You're the only one who's had thirds," I pointed out. "Hey, this is my house! You're the guests here, remember?" "You're right, you're right. Thanks, Mrs. Damon."

"Please, call me Sarah," she kindly insisted. "All right, Sarah."

I could see Tom staring into the distance, so I tried to get his attention. "Thomas? Thomas!" That brought him to attention."Huh?"

"Anything wrong with the food?" Marcus asked. "Um, no. That's not it at all. It's just..." He stared out at the scene. "You see, I've just grown accustomed to eating alone." He put down his chopsticks on the ceramic rest. "Thank you for the meal. We have to be going now." He stood up and started to leave.

"But I'm not finished!" Veemon and I protested. "Unless you want to walk home, I suggest you come with me. Come on, Gaomon." Gaomon got up as well. "Sir yes sir."

After we reluctantly said our goodbyes and got in the limo, Marcus and Agumon were still there outside. Tom lowered the window. "Don't worry, Marcus. I'll keep my promise to your family tomorrow. I'll be at Kristy's birthday." He raised his window and we went back home.

Late that night, we found Tom in his den at his computer with a cup of coffee. He was busy working on something. I knocked on the door. "Come in," Tom said, so I did. "Hey Tom..." "Thomas..." "OK, Thomas H. Norstein... by the way, what does the H stand for?" "You have your day off tomorrow as well, right?" he asked, changing the subject. "Um... yeah, it's Saturday. Gary and I have the weekends off." "Well, it looks like I'll have to invite you and him along. Here's what I have so far for Kristy's Magnificent Birthday Plan. 10 AM, meet with the Damon family. 12 PM, have lunch at the hotel's top floor restaurant. That's the one with all the magnificent views of the city. After that, stop by for a birthday present at the hotel gift shop." "Why not just give her cash?" I asked. Tom looked up, and he was not amused. "Because allowing her to decide would cut into my carefully planned schedule," he replied. I shrugged. "Now where was I?" he wondered. He took a sip of his coffee, then put the cup down. "Oh yes. After buying a gift, we'll stroll through the Japanese garden, then I'll arrange for everyone to have afternoon tea together. 3 PM, horseback riding at the equestrian club." "Horseback riding? What do you think this is, Dynasty? Girls don't go for the horseback riding stuff anymore." "And how would you know?" "I've been invited to a few parties in my time, Thomas. Bowling, rollerskating, swimming, movies, even a tour of the CNN Center... not horseback riding." "Hmmm... all right, Mr. Bon Vivant, what would you suggest?" "Why, it's so simple! Give Kristy a tour of DATS! Invite her to go on a mission with us. Make her a ridealong."

He just stared at me for a few seconds with his eyes wide open. "You cannot be serious," he said in a perfect deadpan. I went on, "Oh but I am. You saw how much she loved Gaomon. She just adored Veemon and Tentomon. So, why not let her see where all the digital magic happens? She'd probably get Kudamon wrapped around her little finger." "First off, that breaks all security protocol. It's bad enough she's in regular contact with Agumon. Second, headquarters was never meant to be a meet-and-greet opportunity at an amusement park. And third, Marcus didn't ask you to help. This is my plan, so please stay out. Now where was I before I was so rudely interrupted?"

He took another sip of his coffee. "Oh yes, at 6 PM, I'll take Marcus and his family out to the best French restaurant in town, Lugdunum Bouchon Lyonnais." That made me burst out in laughter. "You're taking Marcus to a French restaurant? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, oh this I gotta see!" "Let me ask you something. Have you ever been to a French restaurant yourself?" That shut me up. "...No, I can't say that I have," I answered lamely. "I thought so. Naturally, I wouldn't expect a bourgeois person such as yourself to understand." "Oh, so now I'm bourgeois. How many of these big words are you going to use?" "As many as it takes to silence you," he said with a cool smirk.

His facial expression changed again. "Now, this may be incredibly hard for you, but I'm expecting you and Gary to dress nicely for lunch and dinner. That means wearing something other than a T-shirt and blue jeans." "It just so happens that I brought a suit." "Good. I'll make sure to wake you up extra early so you can press and iron it." "My pleasure." "Good. Good night, Greg." He went back to typing. "Hey, Thomas... you still haven't told me what the H stands for in your name." Tom looked up. "I'll only tell you... if you promise not to laugh. If I hear even as much as a chortle, I'll kill you where you stand." "I won't laugh, Eagle Scout's Honor." I gave him the 3-finger sign to signify my sincerity. "All right... my full name is Thomas Hansel Norstein." That puzzled me. "Hansel? Hannnsel?" I quickly left. "Hansel? Han-sel?"

True to his word, Tom's butler woke me up at 6:15 in the morning so I could press and iron my suit. He also had Gary do the exact same thing. Gaomon watched both of us quite intently. We got dressed at 9:15, as per Tom's plan. I got a load of his wardrobe, a white tuxedo with a red vest and a red bow tie. All he was missing in my mind was a cane and an audience at the Ed Sullivan Theatre. "Good grief!" I gasped. "This is part of my plan. She likes me, so why shouldn't I look my absolute best?" he explained.

I just shook my head. "Incredible." "Would you like to make other plans for yourself? Hmmmm?" I shook my head again. "No, no. I'll go along with it. I think I like her too. She reminds me of a very good friend of mine." Tom straightened his bow tie. "That's fine. Now we've got to stop at the florist to pick up two bouquets. I made the order this morning. Oh, and just so we're clear, our Digimon are to stay in our Digivices at all times except in an emergency. I do hope you'll understand." "Yes, yes, I understand perfectly," I grumbled. Gary wisely chose to stay quiet.

Marcus

I kept staring at the clock. Where the hell was he? "He's late, and he's gonna make me late for school," I muttered. I didn't get what was keeping him, but I was glad he was there. I'm not one to miss my kid sister's birthday, but this couldn't wait. I checked my watch. 9:55. "It's about time."

He pulled up to our front door. I shouted to his limo, "You're late, pal!" His driver came out and opened the door for him, and he walked out wearing this white tuxedo with a red bowtie. He looked like he was dressed to kill, and he was going out with my sister! He got down on one knee. "Happy birthday, Kristy, and many happy returns!" he happily said. Then, he gave her the bouquet. "If he pulls out a ring, I'll kill him," I thought to myself.

"I promise you that today will be the best birthday you ever had, and that you'll remember it for the rest of your life," he continued. Oh brother! Oh well, at least Kristy was happy. "I can't wait, Thomas!" she said, all excited. Mom added, "You're a very special person, Thomas. We leave ourselves in your very capable hands." Thomas got up. "I planned the whole day," he said.

Greg

He motioned for me and I gave him the other bouquet. "By the way, Sarah, these are for you," he went on. He gave Sarah the bouquet. "What? You're so sweet. And it's not even my birthday." "This is my thanks for dinner yesterday."

"If you give me flowers, you're toast," Marcus snarked. "Like I told you before, I'm the master of the well-laid plan." "What a guy."

Enough was enough. I decided to get out and got on one knee myself. "Oh... hi, Greg." "Hello, Kristy. Happy birthday. Ya know, someone else has a message for you too."

I pulled out my iC and pointed the screen toward her so Veemon could see her. "Happy birthday, Kristy," he said cheerfully. "Oh, look. It's Veemon, the talking lizard!" she giggled. "Eh..."

Marcus finally left, and I got back on my feet and turned to the older lady of the house. "Hi again, Sarah. Sorry I don't have any flowers for you, but I do have the next best thing." I pulled out my wallet and gave her a ¥500 note. "This is my thanks for dinner yesterday," I said. I also gave Kristy a ¥500 note, which she cheerfully took. "Well gee... thank you," Sarah said.

Tom turned back to the birthday girl. "OK, Kristy. Time to put your birthday plan into action. First a trip to the hotel's restaurant-" "No! I have other places I wanna go. Please?" Boy, this girl really knew how to turn on the charm. For some odd reason, she reminded me of Rika... except she was a heck of a lot nicer and much more innocent. Our blonde friend Tom was once again placed on the spot. "Uh, sure, it's your birthday so we can do whatever you want," he relented. She jumped up and down, all giddy. "Yay! It's my birthday, I can go wherever! Come on, Thomas! I can't wait!" She grabbed him by the arm and all of us got back in the limousine.

Thomas

Curses! My schedule's already ruined. I didn't factor this into my calculations. I normally consider myself a very cool, calm and collected fellow, but this is enough to drive me insane. I had put us on a very tight schedule, and now it could all go to pieces!

Gaomon

At times like these, I'm reminded of a poem by Robert Burns. "But little Mouse, you are not alone,/In proving foresight may be vain:/The best laid schemes of mice and men/Go often awry,/And leave us nothing but grief and pain,/For promised joy!" There was no joy in Thomas' heart that day.

Greg

Kristy started giving directions to Delgado, the driver. "Make a right, then hang a left at the second corner." We were driving along the back alleys. I saw Tom on his mini-laptop, looking up the number for that restaurant. Outside he was cool as a cucumber, but I figured he was all panicky on the inside. Our little birthday girl had gotten to his head, just like her older brother. Suddenly, the car jerked to a stop. "Hey, why'd you stop?" Tom asked. "My deepest apologies, Master Thomas," Delgado said. I looked out my window to find some trash cans. Then, I got out, shut the door, and surveyed the situation. "Hmmm... seems Delgado's blocked us in," I said to myself. I walked back to the door and opened it, just as the others were getting out. "Hmmm? Why is everyone getting out?" "Because Kristy said we weren't too far from where she wanted to go. We're walking the rest of the way," Gary explained.

We walked a couple of blocks until we reached a building. "This is where you wanted to go?" Tom asked incredulously. "Yeah, the arcade!" Kristy and Sarah walked in hand in hand. "Come on, Thomas! Let's play!" the girl called.

"Um, I'll be right there," Tom said as the door shut. I just stood there with a smile on my face, shaking my head. He turned to me, looking like all the gas was siphoned out of his tank and his tires were flat. "Whatever it is, save it. I'm going to salvage this day if it's the last thing I do!" he snapped. "It just might, Tom. It just might," I answered. Tom whipped out his cell phone and started dialing nervously. We went inside, and sure enough, it was an arcade. Now while I had gotten all my bills converted into Japanese currency, I hadn't counted on any coins. Gary and I dug through our wallets until we each found a ¥500 note and then went to what I assumed was a change machine.

Thomas

I canceled the reservation at the hotel's restaurant and then called Lugdunum Bouchon Lyonnais and canceled with them too. I wasn't going to take any chances with this. Curse that kid. She's just like her brother. Then, I collected myself and went inside, where I found Kristy by the crane machine. She had eyes on one of those stuffed animals. "You just pick a stuffed animal, and I'll grab it for you, Kristy," I said, attempting to regain my internal composure. "You mean it?" She turned to the machine and pointed to one. "That one. The kitty cat!" she indicated. "You got it!" I inserted a ¥100 bill and went to work. Well, it wasn't work because I effortlessly maneuvered the crane to pick up a cute gray one. "That one, right?" "No, the other kitty." I spotted another one right next to it. "Oh... that kitty."

Next, I challenged her to Kitsune Fighter. Usually I'm very good at video games, but Kristy was too good. "K.O.!" the machine announced. "I win!" Kristy cheered. "I didn't know you were this good at video games," Sarah commented surprisingly. "Heh heh heh heh... I keep losing. I'm terrible," I realized.

"She's completely different from her brother. She hasn't teased you once about your 17 losses," Gaomon noted through the iC. "No. As a matter of fact, she does things exactly like her brother, Gaomon. She completely ruins my well-laid plans, too," I groaned.

Greg dropped by. "Whatcha playing?" he asked. "Kitsune Fighter, and I've lost 17 times." "You've lost 17 times? Dude, today just must not be your day." "Tell me about it."

I dispatched Delgado with the two stuffed cats back to Marcus' house and we continued walking. "I'm hungry," Kristy announced in a slight yet deserved whine. "Me too, it is about time for lunch," Greg added.

Oh sheer jubilation! "Yes! Time to get things back on schedule," I thought to myself. I started,"There's this great little French cafe I know-" But just like her brother, Kristy took utter delight in derailing me. "Hmmmm, I know a much better place to eat!" I stumbled a bit.

She directed us to this ethnic hole in the wall that served monjayaki. I quickly looked it up on my mini-laptop. It was a type of Japanese pan-fried batter with various ingredients. I doubt the place was even capable of having even one Michelin star. I felt like I was dragged into a scene from Pygmalion. When we entered, Sarah placed the order and we were directed to a table with a large grill in the center. "This? Is your idea of lunch?" I asked incredulously. "I told you this place was great," Kristy said. It astounded me. "How do you even eat this stuff?" I wondered out loud.

She demonstrated. "Just press it down like this, and scoop." Then, she took a bite. "Mmmmmm... delicious! That really hits the spot." "Kristy really loves her fried slop, but I can't stand it," Sarah said, to which her daughter answered, "Don't knock it 'til you try it!" So, I did. I chewed it up, and it was incredible. All of the flavors mixed together in an incredible consistency. It was sheer ecstasy in my mouth. "I like it!" I exclaimed.

Greg tried some himself, making sure not to burn his hand. "Hey, this is really good!" Within 15 minutes, we finished it up and then ordered another one. It was sensational. I made a mental note to look up the recipe upon my return. After we had eaten our fill, I called for the waiter. "Waiter! We'll take the check now, please." A man in a traditional kimono fit for a monjayaki stand (or so I assumed) approached our table. "Yes sir! You can pay your bill up at the register whenever you're ready." I took out my wallet and whipped out my American Express with expert style. "Just put it on my card," I directed. The man stared at it and became most indignant. "Where do you think you are?" he asked with a stone face. "Try your Visa, Tom. It's everywhere you want to be," Greg suggested.

Sarah looked very confused at that statement, and so did the clerk. "We don't take Visa either. This ain't the Taj Mahal, kid! We only take cash here!" The man became quite intimidating, and I certainly didn't want to cause any trouble. At least not with a lady present. "Sorry, I'm all out of cash. I spent it all at the arcade," I sheepishly admitted. Thankfully, Greg stepped in. "I got this one," he said. Then he turned to the man and stood up. "Excuse me. Do you know him?" he asked, pointing to me. "Never saw the guy before in my life," the man answered. "Well let me tell you about him. He graduated from the Stockholm Royal University of Science when he was only 13. He's 14 now..."

Then, Greg turned back towards me. "How did you get that credit card?" he asked. I didn't have an answer for him at that moment. The man was insistant. "Who cares how he got it, we don't take it! Cash only!" "OK, OK. I got your cash," Greg muttered. He followed the man to the cash register and paid the bill.

We continued walking down the street. "Do you realize what you nearly did?" I asked Greg. "Yes I do, Tom. I saved us all from washing dishes. You can pay me back when we get home," he answered with a smile.

I started mentally counting to 10, then decided that wasn't enough and went to 1,000. Nothing was going right. All my plans were going down the drain. I decided to make one last-ditch effort. So, I stopped.

"Well, Kristy, if there's any other place you'd like to go, now's the time to request it," I said, trying my best to be cheerful. I prepared for the worst. She thought it over. "Hmmm... I know. I wanna see fireworks, ones that go 'BOOM!' with green and orange lights." I didn't panic. Instead, I whipped out my mini-laptop and started searching and found a suitable amusement park nearby.

While I sent Greg and Gary off with Kristy and Sarah to go find a birthday present, I called the front office on my cell phone when they were out of sight and earshot. "Hello? This is Thomas H. Norstein. Listen, I'm entertaining a friend's sister on her birthday and I need fireworks tonight. I will pay you for a display of green and orange fireworks... Yes, I know it's short notice, and I'm certainly willing to make it worth your while... You are? Oh good. Thank you so much. Yes, you'll have the check tomorrow afternoon. I'll personally drop it off. All right. Goodbye." I hung up and silently celebrated. "I thought money couldn't buy happiness, sir," Gaomon attempted to reason. "No, but it sure helps..."

We took a subway to the amusement park. "Coooool," Kristy said. "They have a spectacular fireworks show every night," I lied. "Really?" I felt the intense urge to change the subject, so I suggested, "Why don't we ride some of the rides before they start?"

So, I paid for everyone's tickets and we rode some of the rides. We did nearly everything. The roller coaster was breathtaking, and so was the haunted house. At least it took my breath away. I think Greg made himself sick on the teacup ride. Thankfully, he recovered. All in all, it was the most fun I've ever had in a tuxedo. We even went out for ice cream cones. I took strawberry, Sarah took vanilla, Kristy had two scoops of chocolate, Gary went for the fudge ripple, and Greg took chocolate fudge.

Later that night, I took Sarah and Kristy up in the Ferris wheel. Greg and Gary took their own carriage up. This particular wheel was known for its fantastic views of the city. Kristy was in awe. "Wow... pretty. You can see the whole town! I think I can see our house from here. Look, Mom, is that it?" she asked. Meanwhile, my mind was miles away and several years back.

I remembered standing on top of a hill overlooking the seashore with my mother. It was so long ago... and yet I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a bittersweet moment, with more emphasis placed on the sweet. Kristy snapped me back to reality. "Thomas? Are you OK? You look so sad. Are you not having fun?" "On the contrary. I can't remember the last time I've had this much fun," I said. From the corner of my eye, I could see orange lights.

"Huh? The fireworks started early," I remarked as I quickly looked out the window. But sadly, it wasn't to be. "No. It's a... Digimon," I gasped. Indeed, it looked like a giant, muscular orange with markings and sunglasses. I looked him up with the analyzer function of my iC. "Citramon. He's a Champion level Digimon whose Fruit Punch Nova sends his enemies to the showers! Not exactly part of a balanced breakfast, believe me!"

Greg

Citramon was on the attack. "Now be completely honest with me, Greg. If you had your D-Arc with you, what would you do in a situation like this?" Gary asked me. Heh heh, a hypothetical. I played the situation out in my mind, giving him full play-by-play. "Well... I'll tell ya. First I would say something to the effect of 'Well, it looks like the party's over.' Then I'd look at Veemon, we'd nod to each other, and I'd figure out a way to get that door open. Approaching the open door, we'd look to each other and nod again. After that, we'd jump out right after each other and I would shout 'Biomerge Activate!' in freefall, making sure to utilize the proper and awesome arm movements. At which point, Veemon and I would Biomerge in a stunning 3D sequence into Imperialdramon, kick butt and take names."

I unclipped my iC. "Isn't that right, Veemon?" I asked my buddy. "Well... maybe not exactly like that, but pretty close," he answered, putting his hand behind his head.

Gary put his hand on his chin in thought. "Hmmm... well, maybe we can make a spectacular entrance. I could get Kabuterimon to take us down," he offered. That brought a smile to my face. Maybe some of him was rubbing off of me. "Gary, I love the way you think," I said eagerly.

So, Gary unclipped his iC from his belt and got in position. "Tentomon, realize!" he called. Seconds later, Tentomon appeared. "Oooh, I just love Ferris wheels," he buzzed in delight, rushing toward the window. "Well, we'll have to get down from this one. There's a giant Digimon out there and we need to stop it," Gary said. Tentomon nodded. "All right, one open door coming up."

He charged up his wings. "Super Shocker!" He hurled amplified static electricity at the doors, which opened up without a problem. "Great job, Tentomon! Now fly out so you can have enough room. I feel a DigiSoul Charge coming on." "Right!" So, Tentomon flew out into the open sky, while Gary got in position. He brought his right hand up in a fist, then pumped it downward as his DigiSoul ignited. "DigiSoul... Charge!" He placed his hand on the sensor at the top of the iC, and Tentomon Digivolved.

"Tentomon Digivolve to... Kabuterimon!" He got close enough to where both of us could ride on his back. "Prodigious!" Gary exclaimed as we went toward the enemy Digimon. Looking down, we could see Tom jump from the bottom of the wheel and land on his knee and hands.

Thomas

I looked back up to Sarah and Kristy, and gave them careful directions. "You two need to get out of here, and you need to tell everyone else in the amusement park to leave as well." "Thomas!" Kristy gasped. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. This is what I do," I said.

Then I got up and ran off toward the Digimon. "All that planning for nothing. I'll make that Digimon pay for ruining Kristy's birthday," I vowed in thought. I stopped to catch my breath and face the Digimon head on. He spotted me. "Prepare to be juiced!" he shouted to me. "This is going to be tough," I said to myself.

Just then, my iC beeped. "Ready when you are, sir," Gaomon offered. I unclipped it and thrust it forward. "Gaomon, realize!" I called. Seconds later, my partner appeared. "Sir yes sir!" He stared at the giant citrus. "He's tart. Careful," he observed. "We'll make sure to stay away from the juice," I replied as I took out my earpiece. I activated it. "This is Norstein. There's a Digimon on the rampage in Area U-308. The target is Citramon. Requesting the area be shut down immediately."

"Confirmed. Area U-308 will be blockaded," Miki confirmed.

Then Sampson came over the piece. "Thomas, don't do anything until the others get there." "Sorry, sir. But this fight has become a personal matter for me." "Keep your personal feelings out of this. Stand by, backup is on the way." Another voice came over the earpiece. "Roger that, Commander. This is Logan, and we've got a giant orange that needs squeezing." That was Greg's voice. I looked up, and there was Kabuterimon. "Oh no..." I sighed.

Greg

While flying on Kabuterimon's back, I looked up the Digimon and thought of something. There was no way Marcus was going to make it on time, so somebody had to punch Citramon. I figured that person might as well be me. I developed a theory that if Marcus' punch could cause a giant Digimon to fall, a punch already charged with DigiSoul could do more damage. I shared this theory with Gary. "Are you out of your mind?" he asked in shock. "If you fail, you'll be sidewalk pizza," Kabuterimon stated.

"That's why I need you to get me close enough for me to jump down and hit him on top of his head," I argued. "I don't know. That sounds dangerous," Kabuterimon countered. I did my best Darkwing Duck impression. "Well then... let's get dangerous!" I found the rush intoxicating. This reminded me so much of when I was in Shinjuku the first time, fighting side by side with my friends. I figured I was still different from Marcus in the fact that I came up with some sort of a plan.

So, we got closer. I unclipped my iC again and pointed the lens out. "Veemon, realize!" Veemon came out and stood on Kabuterimon's head. I reclipped my iC, climbed up to Kabuterimon's crown, and then thrust my right hand to the side while mustering all the courage and hope I could. My DigiSoul ignited, and I made a jump off while forming that hand into a fist. "Rrrrrrrr... HIYA!" I shouted as I punched Citramon on top of his head. That forced him to drop one of the giant limes he was holding as he nearly toppled over. Kabuterimon had to be fast to collect me in his 4 arms while the giant orange regained his balance. "That was awesome, but I don't think I'll try it again," I said as we made it to terra firma.

Thankfully, my DigiSoul was still ignited as I unclipped my iC and got in position. Just then, I noticed Tom and Gaomon. Heh, they were about to do the same thing, so I ran over to them.

"Most fun you've had wearing formal, huh Tom?" I asked. "Stay out of this, Greg. I'm doing this on my own," Tom insisted. "Not a chance." "Fine. We'll do this together, but we're going to have a nice long talk afterwards."

I turned toward the giant citrus. "Fine by me," I said. Tom got his game face on."This is for Kristy and Sarah. Pursue and secure!" he declared. He took out his iC and got in position. I got into mine, thrusting my hand out to the side to let the DigiSoul spike. Tom went first, and I looked at his iC.

Just before he slammed his hand, the word "EVOLUTION" appeared on his screen. Interesting. Tom snapped his fingers, allowing his signature blue flame to appear. "DigiSoul... charge!" he called as he slammed his hand on the sensor then thrust the Digivice forward. Gaomon got the energy. "Gaomon Digivolve to... Gaogamon!"

I brought my hand to the sensor. "DigiSoul... charge!" I proclaimed, then I brought mine forward. "Veemon Digivolve to... Veedramon!"

We made our orders to our Digimon. "Bring him down, Gaogamon!" "Juice him, Veedramon!" "GO!" We pointed the way toward the fruit and they went on it. Citramon started throwing limes down on the ground, creating a huge mess. They dodged them, and Veedramon even caught a few and threw them back. Gaogamon tackled the fruit down to the ground. "Now squeeze the juice out of him!" Tom ordered. "Fine! Just be warned that if you squeeze me, everyone goes for a swim!" Citramon threatened, pulling out a large collection of limes. This was bad. There was enough juice in those fruits to fill the park, and that would cause a lot of property damage.

"Oh no ya don't!" Veedramon countered, as he stood the orange up. He picked up the limes and threw them into the sky, creating fireworks. That seemingly set off an idea in Tom's head as his eyes lit up. "Huh? That's it! Veedramon, that's absolutely brilliant! Gaogamon, grab him! Toss him into the sky! High!" "Sir yes sir!" So, Gaogamon wrapped his giant scarf around Citramon's ankles, then used his strength to toss him into the sky. "Electro Shocker!" Kabuterimon yelled as he released an electrical ball at him. That electricity was enough to blow up the Digimon and create a spectacular array of fireworks. It was amazing. "Heh heh heh, yeah!" I cheered as the two of us fistbumped.

Thomas

That reminded me of something. I quickly rushed to the main office and walked in. "Excuse me, it looks like we won't be needing that fireworks display after all. I'm sorry to inconvenience you like this," I said as I wrote out a check. I laid it on the table, then left and rushed back.

Sampson

It seems no one regards my orders anymore. I don't give them just to hear the sound of my voice. Although when I think about it, technically Thomas hadn't disobeyed. He did have backup, albeit unauthorized. I decided to stand back and watch the fireworks.

Greg

The fireworks just kept going on and on and on. It was a spectacular sight. We spent the rest of the night securing the area, making sure there were no further Digimon waiting to attack. Everything was cleared, but it was closing time, so we left.

When we arrived, Sarah and Kristy were there to greet us. "Thomas! Greg! Gary! Over here!" the birthday girl called. Tom felt the urge to apologize. "Sorry... it seems that I can't make all of Kristy's birthday wishes come true."

"Oh Thomas, what are you talking about, silly? Your birthday plans were magnificent!" Sarah exclaimed. "Huh?" he asked. "Thomas! Thomas!" Kristy called. Tom got down to her level. "Yes, Kristy?" "Thank you. Those fireworks were spectacular, and so are you." With that, she gave him a big kiss right on the cheek. Gary and I got one as well.

"I'm getting kinda hungry again," Kristy said. "Me too," Gary added. "Yeah, there's nothing that works up an appetite like blowing up Digimon," I said. "There's this French restaurant-" Tom started, but Sarah put her finger to his lips. "I have a much better idea. I want to thank you for what you've done. How would you like me to make you a home-cooked meal?" she asked. Tom blushed again. "Sure, sounds great," he happily relented.

I grabbed my cell phone and called Anya. She picked up. "Hello?" "Hey, this is Greg. There's a big birthday party about to go down at the Damon place. You want to come?" I asked. "Of course. Lalamon and I wouldn't miss it for the world," she said.

About an hour later, we changed back into our casual wear and went to Marcus' house. We sang "Happy Birthday to You" to Kristy, then she blew out the candles on her cake. Anya pulled out a wrapped package. "Here, Kristy. Lalamon and I picked this out together for you," she said as she presented it. "I would've helped wrap it too, but my hands aren't big enough," Lalamon added.

Marcus was next. "Kristy, I'm really sorry I was late. I hope I didn't ruin your birthday after promising to spend time with you today." Kristy just shook her head. "Mmmm mmmm. You didn't ruin it, we had lots of fun. Right? Didn't we, Thomas?"

Tom just stared out into the distance. "Yeah?" he asked.

Sarah just giggled. Meanwhile, something else was about to go down. "Hey! Agumon, you ate my eggs!" Marcus griped. "Huh? Were those your eggs?" Agumon meekly asked.

Just then, Tom grabbed the last one with his chopsticks and ate it. "No fair! You took advantage of my temporary confusion!" Marcus whined. "Your confusion is never temporary, Marcus," Tom countered. "That does it! No dessert for you!" Marcus yelled. "Marcus, stop! You're embarrassing me!" Kristy shot back. We laughed at that.

Author's Notes:

¥2000 = $21.2535 (according to Mid-market rates: 2013-02-25 02:10 UTC; )

The guitar tabs were derived from . (Please note the author does not play the guitar.)

"To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough", written by Robert Burns in 1785

Lugdunum Bouchon Lyonnais is actually a real French restaurant, located at 4-3-7 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan

The "Hansel?" routine came from the 1954 Bugs Bunny cartoon Bewitched Bunny, which is a take off of "Hansel and Gretel"