Chapter Disclaimer: Here's a list of what I don't own: Pani Poni Dash, Gunsmith Cats, Devil May Cry 3, or ComicMan416. However, will it count for a custom Digimon?
Chapter 11: Darkness of the Hero
Mimi's house was a peaceful place to be in...except for today. A good portion of the Digidestined were upset at Yolei. She had told Ash about the false search for Kari, when they knew the whole time that she was nowhere on Earth, much less New York. "That was suppose to be our secret," Davis hollered at her. "What were you thinking?" She was thinking about falling for the trainer. She confessed to Ash, that she had loved him for quite some time. However, Ash was still focused on Kari, so, saying that finding her was useless, didn't seem to get through Ash's thick skull.
"He said, he already figured that Kari wasn't here!" she screamed back. "There was nothing, I could do, to convince him, that she was." Mimi and T.K. were in the kitchen, away from the others, as Yolei was getting fumed on, by the others, and she was willing to fight back. This was one of those occasions, that she meant what she felt. Feelings for Ash, Kari's whereabouts, the whole New York voyage...
"I never thought that bringing Ash, here, would bring such a strain, on the rest of us," T.K. sighed, trying to drown out the heated argument. It caused quite a stir, and the entire city had been going crazy about the trainer. From the players at Rucker Park, to the fan girls, lying in wait throughout the area, people of New York seemed to have welcomed Ash, with opened arms. Still, despite the exploding argument from the other room, the attention was still on the mental state of Ash.
"Well, he has given New York, something to be excited about," Mimi gleed. "But, now that Ash has found out our scheme, what do we do?" That's a good question. Suddenly, she began to wonder, if Ash left the house, yet again. This was Ash, they're talking about, so there was a good chance, he did depart from the house. "By the way, did Ash say where he was heading off to?" T.K. gave Mimi a hard glare, like she had asked a stupid question.
"He tells any of us, squat." Realizing that no one had a clue, Mimi sighed. She wanted to help Ash, as much as possible. Little did she figure, that Ash would need help. Duplica stormed into the kitchen, with a panicked look on her face. What's going on? "Duplica?"
"Izzy needs us, in the computer room!" she yelled in urgency. "Now!" It must've been serious to get everyone attention. T.K. and Mimi joined the rest of the Digidestined and Digimon, as well as Todd and the Dittos, in the computer room. Izzy had the floor.
"There have been digital tears opening up throughout New York," he explained. "I've gotten reports from Michael, that swarms of Flymon are invading and attacking people." Hold on...Michael was a Digidestined? He didn't have a Digimon, with him. And who were these Flymon? Yolei knew that Ash still went out, and realized that he was in trouble.
"Ash had gone out for his reasons," she pointed out. "And who knows, if Pokémon can do damage to Digimon." Well, there's no reason, not to suspect that a Pokémon can hurt a Digimon.
"Well, whatever the case, I say, we go out and stop the Flymon," Davis roared.
"I'm with you, Davis," Veemon agreed proudly. It seemed those two were ready to go, and save New York. The Digidestined and Digimon agreed to go and save the city, from this invasion. What about Todd and Duplica? They didn't want to stay, behind, while Ash was out, in danger.
"Let us, come with," she requested. Cody was there to deny her willingness to go and save Ash.
"No, you and Todd, need to remain here," he told. Tai was quick to backup Cody's words.
"Cody's got a point," he said. "What good is a photographer, and a copying trainer, when you've had barely any knowledge, of what Digimon do, in times, like this?" Duplica wasn't worried about the Flymon, or the New Yorkers. She was worried about her friend.
"Are you saying, that I need to stay and let Ash, get killed, out there?" she grilled. Yolei knew that Ash would be okay. She's seen Ash, with that arm, in action. If Ash was able to use that arm of the InfiniDemon to save people, he wouldn't hesitate. She had full belief for the trainer, she had fallen for.
"I think, Ash will be the savior, and not the saving," she muttered. Everyone turned to the lavender-haired girl, with a "huh?" sound. Meanwhile, unbeknown to him and company, Ash and Pikachu were walking through Central Park with Kimberly and Joshua. Kimberly had fully recovered from that attack, by the fallen gang, Queens' Kings. Pikachu was on Kimberly's shoulder, seeing the park from a slightly different height.
"Ash, thanks, again, for saving me, from that gang," she acknowledged. "I guess, I wasn't, as tough, as back in Austin." So, she was from the capital of Texas. Nice place to live. "Who taught you, how to fight, like that? Your dad?" Ash hadn't seen his father for about 13 years. His mother was too much of a caring person, to try a self-defense class.
"No, actually, I haven't heard from my pop, for quite some time," he admitted. "I train alongside my Pokémon, probably why I've been able to save you from serious injury." Well, interesting enough. Joshua huffed a silent laugh, like it was humorous.
"So, you don't know his whereabouts?" he asked. Ash shook his head. Talk about a deserting father. "You're probably lucky. At least, you saw your dad. I bet, he's out there, thinking how proud, he is, about your accomplishments." Ash was astonished. From the bottom of his heart, or the roof of his brain, depending on what angle, you look at, Joshua said that Ash's father would be proud of the fact that he was one of the strongest trainers. Kimberly's thoughts began to believe that Joshua had no father, to begin with. If true, then how would he have been born? Of course, you've got modern science, for that.
"Are you saying that you've never seen your dad?" she wondered. Little did the Pallet Town trainer and the Texan know, about Joshua's past.
"Actually, I was adopted. I never got to meet my biological mom and dad." Whoa! That's a gust of wind of a new direction. Poor young man was given off, after his birth. Must have been in an area where there were "Safe Haven" laws. "The mom and dad, I had, were a really nice couple. They helped me with schoolwork, and I've helped them, with chores and cooking. Then, one day, I was with Dad, while we were school clothes shopping. There was a scuffle, in a mini mall hallway, between a couple of store employees, and a belligerent drunk. My dad ran over, to help control the drunkard, when that man pulled a revolver from his pants. Wildly, he fired a few shots. Two hit Dad, in the thigh and in the temple. The drunk coward saw what he did, and ran off. One store employee ran after the drunk, while the other attended to Dad. He never got up. He died, trying to protect me." Poor kid. His adopted father lost his life, trying to stop a fight, before it got out of hand, and he saw the whole thing. Ash and Kimberly were shunned, at the impact of losing, not only his blood parents, but his father, going above and beyond what a citizen was capable of.
"I'm sorry, Joshua," Ash mumbled. Joshua acknowledged Ash's sorrow, providing the fact that the two basketball players were comforting this shattered young man's life. As they proceeded on, Ash saw someone walking towards a lake. With a good look, he saw who it was. "Trina?" He ran over, as Trina was entering the lake, tears running down her face. Something happened to her, the other day.
"Goodbye, world," she murmured. No, she wasn't...she wasn't going to...Ash grabbed her arm, stopping Trina from making her dive. Thank goodness. Trina turned to see Ash, not letting go of her arm. She got upset. "What do you think you're doing?" Try stopping someone from committing suicide.
"I'd like to ask you, the same thing." Trina tried to get Ash, to let go of him, but, even without the strength of the InfiniDemon, Ash held firm on Trina's arm. "Stop fighting!" After a minute of struggling, Trina stopped and collapsed on her knees, crying. Joshua and Kimberly raced over to Ash's side, seeing the distraught girl.
"What happened?" Joshua wondered. Ash stopped Trina, from ending her life, that's what happened. Ash was trying to think, why Trina wanted to kill herself Trina's crying had Kimberly, huddling over her, in an attempt at comforting the suicidal girl.
"Why, Ash?" Trina whined. "Why didn't you let me die?" Girl, why did you want to die, in the first place?
"Calm down," Kimberly ordered. Tearing still, Trina tried to ease herself. Everyone was wondering why commit murder to herself. "Why, on earth, are you willing to hurt yourself?" Trina wanted to say her piece.
"I told Mom, that I wanted to stay. Dad heard me, and killed Mom, before he turned the gun on himself. I have no family, and no one has cared about it: not the police, not the media, no one." Poor girl. She's lost her parents, in a senseless act of violence, upon her freedom to stay in New York, rather than go to San Francisco. Now, she's an orphan. Still, Ash thought that she forgot about the Digidestined, he offered...or these two.
"What about us?" he pointed out. Halting her tears, Trina looked at the trainer. He had a point. As Trina got to her feet, Kimberly was a touch disgusted with Trina's little decision to run from her situation, by ending her life.
"Besides, if it hadn't been for Ash, here, you would've joined your dad, than your mom," she groveled. Trina shot a baffled look at the Texan. "My family's catholic, and suicide is considered a sin. What your dad did, was cowardly, and he deserved any punishment, that was coming to him. The thing, you need to do, is live today, and get help. There's someone who'll be there, who can help you." Trina realized that these three had cared a lot for her. She hugged Kimberly, in a way to say thanks. Then, Pikachu sensed something coming. It turned to a fixed direction, and spotted...
("We got trouble!") it yelled out. That's when everyone turned to a mutated giant bee, with purple wings. What radioactive facility did this insect come out? Was this, the Flymon, Izzy was talking about?
"Things were not that big in Texas!" Maybe not, but that bee was ready to strike. It stuck it's tail out.
"Brown Stingers!" it called out. It fired spikes, at the teens. Pikachu leaped off of Kimberly, with its tail glowing. Swiping its tail, Pikachu swatted the stingers away. Good work.
"Nice Iron Tail, Pikachu," Ash complimented. Thanks to Pikachu, the kids were safe. Ash's concern was on the friends. "Get to shelter...quick!" The three others nodded, before running off. Ash and Pikachu were facing the bug, now. As if Davis was there, you could've heard his voice.
"Flymon is a champion Digimon," he volumed about the bee-like insect. "This virus has a bad attitude with humans, and it's Brown Stinger attack contains enough poison to knock out anything." Ash was facing down a supposed powerful Digimon, but keep in mind, this was Ash in action, so Classic Ash could be on its way. Ash grabbed two of his Pokéballs, and threw them out.
"Zuby, Psyduck, go!" Zuby and Psyduck emerged as their balls opened. When Psyduck saw Flymon, in an instant, he became frightened. "Don't let that bug intimidate you!" This duck was acting too much like a chicken. Even Ash knew about the wimpy Pokémon. 'What can I do? Psyduck doesn't have a headache, and its attacks are nothing but jokes.' That's when something popped into his head. Psyduck's soft head could be beneficial. "Psyduck, Skull Bash!" Wait...Skull Bash? Can Psyduck use an attack like that? As it lowered it's head, Flymon was ready to attack, again.
"Brown Stingers!" it buzzed, shooting more of the venomous stingers. Ash had to act fast.
"Pikachu, Iron Tail! Zuby, Steel Wing!" Pikachu's tail was glowing again, and so were Zuby's wings. With swipes and flaps, the stingers were deflected, again. Then, Psyduck launched itself, and slammed into the Digimon...but it was only a glancing blow. Psyduck retreated, but felt the massively sharp pain in its head, like it had a...headache?
"What was that? I didn't feel a thing." Not yet, anyway. As the headache was building, Ash got back to his full-time partner.
"Oh, yeah? Then, feel this. Pikachu, Thunder!" Pikachu launched huge lightning from his cheeks, striking, and fully consuming Flymon. Flymon crumbled to the ground, fried like burnt fish. It wasn't done. It got back up, as Psyduck head trauma got worse. Ash saw its pain, knowing about how Psyduck's attacks work, and just in time. Flymon fired more Brown Stingers. It was psychic time. "Psyduck, Confusion!" That's when Psyduck's body was glowing blue. Then, the stingers stopped and were glowing blue. Spinning mysteriously in midair, the stingers were now aimed at Flymon. Like a fastball pitch, thrown by the "Rocket" (and not a member of Team Rocket, if you somehow have that thought), the stingers zipped at, and struck Flymon heavily. Now, that's a taste of your own medicine. Flymon fell. Psyduck looked on, stunned at what it did. He'd soon be the one, stunning Ash and Pikachu, because Psyduck and Zuby were glowing. Ash watched, thinking that it was something he saw, many times over.
("Are they...evolving?") Pikachu wondered. If they were morphing, then yep, they were. Well, guess what? They were growing up. After a minute of shining change, they stopped glowing. Psyduck was no more of a goofy, useless duck. Heck, it wasn't yellow, either. It looked a lot cooler, and bluer. It had larger webbed hands and feet, and supported a red jewel on. If Misty gave Ash, her Psyduck, for a little while, man, wouldn't she be surprised to see it, now. Same could be said with Brock's Zuby. The bat was a lot bigger: wings, mouth, feet, and eyes. Yes, people, this bat can, now, see. It was still red, though.
"Awesome," Ash cheered. "Psyduck's a Golduck, and Zuby's a Golbat!" Golduck was ready for some action. It didn't need to wait. Another Flymon was approaching. Golduck wasted little time, and fired a heavy yellow beam from its jewel, striking that Flymon, and sending it packing. "Now that's a Hyper Beam!" Suddenly, the first Flymon was getting up. Guess that one doesn't know when to quit.
"It's not over," it growled. That one wasn't expecting this. Golbat created, and fired a dark ball, nailing that Flymon, again. It had to be out now.
"Nice Shadow Ball, Golbat." Golbat squeaked happily at the compliment. Either that bug has the determination that Ash possesses, or it doesn't when to give up, but the bee-like creature was getting up. It flew back up for a few seconds, when...BANG! BANG! BANG! Three shots from a gun echoed, and ripped through Flymon's body and head. Finally, it crumpled and stopped moving, for good. Ash turned and saw Rally and Peter, getting over to he and his Pokémon. "Rally, Peter, what are you doing here?" Peter appeared to be more energized than Rally, and was willing to speak.
"You didn't hear?" he questioned. "There's an evacuation going on throughout New York. We're trying to help out, when we saw you with that mutant bug." As soon as Rally got her wing back, her willingness to back Peter up was ready.
"Are you okay, Ash?" she wondered. Ash nodded, but knew that these two needed help. That's when he saw more Flymon were buzzing over Central Park. There was trouble.
"I gotta go," he argued. "Take Golbat with you!" Before Rally could reply, Ash, Pikachu and Golduck bolted. Peter, Rally and Golbat were left dumbfounded...a bit.
"Never, in my complicated thoughts, would I need to take care of a freaky giant bat," Peter groveled. 'Well, there's still a super hot gunslinger, at my side.' How complicated, his mind was, would be something, not to bother asking. Meanwhile, the Digidestined had arrived at Times Square. They had a good look at the incoming swarm, knowing that they had to act.
"Anyone got the feeling that the Flymon saw that Alfred Hitchcock movie?" Matt tried to joke. What movie would that be? Tai needed to get their Digimon in gear.
"Guys, it's time to get this city, bug-free," he ordered. "You ready?" With a nod from everyone and everything, the humans brought out their Digivices and D3s. It was time to digivolve. Veemon was first, as all the Digimon began to glow and morph.
"Veemon Digivolve to...ExVeemon!" it roared out. ExVeemon emerged from the morph. Next was Wormmon.
"Wormmon Digivolve to...Stingmon!" was that call. Stingmon had emerged, as Patamon was next. The angel was ready to descend.
"Patamon Digivolve to...Angemon!" was the cry. Patamon had morphed into something like an adult male. The new creature was decked in a white suit with six white wings, and held a golden rod. The long-haired blonde man wore a blue ribbon on an arm and leg, as well as a blue loincloth. Hawkmon was next.
"Hawkmon Digivolve to...Aquillamon!" Aquillamon made its appearance. Armadillomon was up.
"Armadillomon Digivolve to...Ankylomon!" it shouted. Armadillomon appeared jacked up. It appeared to have more spikes, than one of the pits in a certain bloody video game, and its tail looked like a mace hammer. Now, it was time for the veterans, starting with Tentomon.
"Tentomon Digivolve to...Kabuterimon!" it loudly buzzed. Tentomon grew into a giant blue mantis on steroids. There were four wings, four arms, and two legs, plus, it was equipped with a black, harden helmet with a horn sticking out. Next was Gomamon.
"Gomamon Digivolve to...Ikkakumon!" it cried out. Gomamon turned into a wooly giant walrus, with a horn on its head. Palmon was up.
"Palmon Digivolve to...Togemon!" it shouted. Palmon grew into a giant walking cactus with boxing gloves. Biyomon was ready.
"Biyomon Digivolve to...Birdramon!" it cawed. Biyomon turned into a giant phoenix, with a huge jawed beak. Tai and Matt wanted to try something.
"You think, we can still do the warp?" Tai questioned. Warp, as in...warp digivolution? Matt gave the idea, a second to process.
"It's worth a try," he motioned. That's when their devices were glowing brighter, and Agumon and Gabumon, too.
"Agumon Warp Digivolve to...WarGreymon!" Agumon roared out. If BlackWarGreymon was a carbon copy, then this Digimon must have been the original, especially, the red and gold armor, and red hair.
"Gabumon Warp Digivolve to...MetalGarurumon!" it growled up. Gabumon had gone hi-tech. It became a giant mechanical wolf, with gold blades on its back and as a tail. It was action time. The heroic Digimon flew up to face the Flymon invasion...most of them, anyway. The heroic group didn't want to waste time, in clearing the sky.
"V-Laser!" ExVeemon summoned. A beam was shot out of it's chest, nailing a couple of the Flymon.
"Spiking Strike!" Stingmon roared. A purple blade came out of it's arm, and speared a Flymon, then another and another. Each one fell to the pavement...and right to...
"Tail Hammer!" Ankylomon growled. It swung its tail, like a baseball bat, and connected on the fallen viruses, out of the city. "Home Run!" Hey, save some for the veteran Digimon.
"Why don't you try a little Needle Spray!" Togemon barked as it showered the sky with a shower of cactus needles. A ton of the hostiles got the point...er, points, literally.
"Grand Horn!" Aquillamon beaked. It's horn were shining a blood red, as it zoomed at the stunned and stung Flymon. KAPOW! They gone down, and don't appear to be getting up.
"Meteor Wing!" Birdramon cawed. It let out a shower of falling meteors, crushing a few unsuspecting Digimon.
"Harpoon Torpedo!" Ikkakumon volumed. It fired it's horn out, before the horn broke, exposing a cluster of green missiles. KAPLOW! Those Flymon wouldn't be getting up, either.
"Electro Shocker" Kabuterimon buzzed. It launched a heavy beam of purple electricity, nailing a line of the bugs. Man, the Flymon aren't standing a chance.
"Hand of Fate!" Angemon voiced. He fired a beam of light from his arm. That beam pummeled the bee-like creatures, sending them crashing to the earth.
"Wolf Missiles!" MetalGarurumon howled. It fired swarms of missiles, striking the insects. However, instead of burning explosions, the Flymon froze, and became beesicles.
"Terra Force!" WarGreymon called out. That's when a huge orb of energy was formed, before it was thrown, and struck the swarms. These Digimon were in control, and taking no prisoners. However, back up came, and man, there were more than ever.
"Here comes the second wave," Stingmon warned. Before the Digimon could attack, again, Cody wanted to speak up. He appeared to have a plan.
"We gotta make the DNA jump, now," he suggested. DNA jump? How did that work? Davis thought that the DNA thing was a good idea.
"Sounds like a plan," he agreed. He was ready to do that DNA junk, but T.K. didn't believe it would work, as their Digimon continued to fight the Flymon.
"Guys, hold on," he voiced up. "It won't matter. Our Digimon are battling hard enough with the Flymon, and they don't seem to stop coming." Okay, your point? "We take out one Flymon, three more take their place. We need to find the digital tear and seal it up." There were a few people who were wanting to back T.K., and Sora was one of them.
"What we need to do, is split up into three teams," she offered. "One takes care of the Flymon, another will find the tear and seal it up, and a third will make sure that the people are evacuated." Tai heard the suggestions from his redhead friend, and decided to make the teams. What would those teams be?
"Alright," he agreed. "Matt, Davis, Mimi and I will monitor the fight. Izzy, Ken, T.K., Sora, find that tear, and do what you can to seal it." The names acknowledged the plan and nodded. That only left Joe, Cody, and Yolei, without an assignment. Tai was ready to give the three, one. "That leaves the three of you, to find Ash and help with the evacuation." To Yolei, it was an assignment, she was willing to do. She agreed, before the two mobile teams ran off. Cody and Joe got on their Digimon, and moved out, with Yolei, falling behind. If there was a tear, the second team needed to fight through the wave of Flymon, thus, they headed out. That only meant that WarGreymon, ExVeemon, Togemon and MetalGarurumon were fightning the endless barrage. Meanwhile, Rally, Peter and Golbat were racing throughout the city, making sure that everyone was out of the area. Rally, holding her handgun, felt that their job was complete. She holstered her weapon, and started to sigh in relief.
"Looks like we got everyone out of the district," she huffed. Well, everyone but the Digidestined. Still, Peter felt that they did all they could, to assist the citizens.
"That's good to know," he muttered. Then, his thoughts had gone back to Ash. Why did he entrust Golbat to those two, before running off, presumably, to safety? Suddenly, Joe, Yolei and Cody appeared, running downtown, with their Digimon, close by. Peter and Golbat spotted them, just as they got together. "Joe, what are you doing, still here? You gotta go!" Joe was ready to explain, their assignment.
"We were, in charge of helping with the clearing of the city," he pointed out. Rally wanted to tell them that time evacuation was done.
"We've already taken care of that," she issued. "But, thanks anyway, for your assistance." That's when Yolei came up, worried about the wandering trainer, and his Golbat, he left to Peter.
"Well, I take the fact that you ran into Ash," she figured. "Do you know, where he is?" When Peter and Rally last saw them, he ran off from Central Park, leaving the giant bat with the Illini and Wisconsinite.
"We saw him, leaving Central Park, but that was the last we saw of him," he clarified. Golbat squeaked in acknowledgment, since it was a witness. Cody liked the news about the evacuation, but knew that Ash wouldn't be hiding from this big brawl.
"If Ash saw these Flymon, he wouldn't run," he bellowed. "He'd try to help us." That's right. He'd help anyone in trouble. As Rally was telling the Digidestined about what their plans were, now, Peter's senses kicked up. The senses turned to a skyscraper, and saw the missing boy...Ash. Where was Pikachu and Golduck?
"Ash?" he wondered. Everyone turned to the skyscraper, which had a good look over the situation. He wanted to act, as he removed the long sleeve spandex shirt, which had a sleeveless shirt, underneath, plus the mark of the InfiniDemon. A gentle breeze blew at his arm, causing the mark to change. The mark turned into a pair of parallel lines, with swirls decorated on the outside of the lines. Looked like he had inherited wind as music started from the background.
I steal a soul for a second chance,
But you will never become a man.
My chosen torture makes me stronger,
In a life, that craves the hunger,
A freedom, and a quest for life,
Until the end of Judgment Night.
Bless me, with your gift of light,
Righteous cause on Judgment Night;
Feel the sorrow, the light has swallowed;
Feel the freedom, like no tomorrow!
Stepping forth, a cure, for souls' demise;
Reap the tears of the victims' cries;
Yearning more, to hear the suffer, of a...
Of a demon, as I put it under...
Killed before...a time to kill them all;
Passed down, the righteous law;
Serve a justice, that dwells in me;
Lifeless corpses, as far as the eye can see!
The eye can see!
The eye can see!
The eye can see.
With one more shot, Ash was high in the sky. See was surveying the situation, with shining gold eyes. Suddenly, Aquillamon snagged Ash from the air, thankful that Ash was okay. "Ash, thank goodness, to see you alive through all these Flymon," he sighed in relief. "What happened to your Pokémon?" Yeah, where was Pikachu and Golduck?"I got them, back home," he replied. Oh, so Pikachu and Golduck were back with Todd, Duplica and Gatomon. As they continued, they caught up with Kabuterimon, Angemon, Birdramon and Stingmon. The four Digimon were having a difficult time, and what they were fighting, was a lot bigger than the other Flymon. In fact, it was birthing Flymon. Oh, boy.
"What's the situation?" Angemon was ready to explain.
"Take a look," he groaned. The two turned to the new Digimon, which had a crown on it's head. "That's QueenFlymon. She has the ability to give birth to thousands of Flymon at a time. Her Venom Needle attack has enough poison to kill a rhino." QueenFlymon? Ash wanted to take care of that queen, but his arm was empty. There was no more wind, as he saw his mark, back to that smudge. What now? That's when he turned to Birdramon. He must have seen that Meteor Wing attack. He needed an element for fire. Birdramon was the ticket.
"Birdramon, fire away!" Birdramon wasn't sure if it wanted to strike. Probably, it believed that the attack won't do much damage on QueenFlymon, but, when Ash nodded, it wanted to try.
"Meteor Wing!" it beaked, as it unleashed more of the burning meteors. That's when Ash, leaped up. So, that's his plan. As he snagged a meteor, Aquillamon figured out his motion, and turned to Angemon.
"Angemon, screen Ash for a few seconds," it ordered. Now Angemon got Ash's unspoken message. Ash's mark became shapes of fire. Ash raced toward the Queen, with Angemon leading the way. It was the wise move.
"Venom Needle!" the monsterous queen bee Digimon summoned. It fired flurries of large needles at the two. Angemon had his staff ready.
"Angel Rod!" he called. Spinning his staff, Angemon was able to deflect the needles, clearing the way for Ash. "It's all yours!"
"You got it!" Ash acknowledged, as Angemon flew aside. As he cocked his arm for use, his arm twitched. It acted like the arm was reacting on its own. 'My arm! I need it...to protect my friends!' He fought the sensation in his arm, long enough. He swung and connected his punch at the evil bug's crown. Bull's eye! The punch sent the queen crashing into the ground. Then, out of the blue, Ash was holding a pair of white fireballs. Things were heating up. QueenFlymon tried to rise, again, when Ash fired the hot orbs. The fireballs were so large in size, there was no way around them. They struck and consumed the queen bee in the raging fire. She screamed in pain, trying to fight off the flames. Then, she became silent, as the bee-like Digimon, laid on the ground. There was one more insect that wouldn't be bothering anyone again. The Digidestined and Digimon ran over to see the dead QueenFlymon, as Ash was holding his arm. Something was wrong. The Digimon reverted back to their original forms, as Yolei and Tai approached him. While the fallen QueenFlymon started to disintegrate, Ash's arm began to pulse, like it was alive. That's kind of creepy.
"Ash, are you-" Yolei's soft words of concern when...
"Don't come near!" he yelled. He clasped his arm, trying to retain control of it. Was his arm, really alive?
"Calm down, dude," Davis coolly hummed. "Thanks, for helping us, but, dude, that was risky." If he meant the jump from the skyscraper, taking out the Flymon Air Force, without Pokémon assistance, and saving New York...yeah, that was risky. After a moment of silence, Ash got to his feet. Where was he planning to go?
"Excuse me!" He bolted from the scene, arm still being held. Yolei was wanting to be by Ash's side, but, before she gave chase, Ken grabbed her shoulder. Yolei turned and saw Ken, shaking his head, telling her, not to go after him. Yolei wanted to protest, and go after Ash, but, maybe, Ken believed that he needed some time alone. It was a lot of work, he did. Besides, the Digidestined had to clean it up. Ash was running down streets, still clutching his active arm, with the mark swirling around it. So, it's not the arm, but InfiniDemon's mark that was going wild. Suddenly, there was a certain blond girl who was in front of a church. She turned to a direction, and saw Ash, and that mark. Seeing that mark swirling...
"Okay, that's weird," she hiccuped. Ash stopped in front of her, and the church. His arm was reacting to the InfiniDemon's mark, so much, he collapsed to a knee. As soon as he saw the doors to the church, he dove inside. The girl decided to follow. Inside, Ash saw a basin, full of water. It is a church, so, chances are, that the basin was full of holy water. He dipped the arm into it. It appeared to be working. The mark was stopping, and his arm began to calm down. Soon enough, he had full command of the arm, again.
"What a relief," he sighed. He began to review, trying to determine how his arm had gone wild, like that "Was it, that I used two different elements, without my arm, resting?" Not letting his arm rest? Was the mark angry for not restoring itself? That's when he felt her presence, and turned to her. Both kids eyed each other, observing each other. "Hello?" That's when he remembered the photo, from the news, he saw. "Are you...Rebbecca Miyamoto?" The girl echoed a yelp in surprise. So, she was Rebbecca.
"You...you saw the news story?" Ash nodded. Suddenly, her surprise turned to upset. "I can't believe, they still did that story, despite my protest." Guess the nine-year-old MIT schoolgirl didn't want to be found out. Then, she remembered seeing him, like the first day, he and his friends arrived in NYC. "Say, aren't you that Ash Ketchum kid? There's been news about you, for a long time." Well, he had been popular, amongst the news for the week.
"So, I've heard. Listen, why go we discuss this, somewhere else." After a while, Ash and Rebbecca were back at Central Park, as the streets were refilled with the daily commuters. Ash and Rebbecca were talking about what they were doing, in New York, in the first place. When Ash told her that he was looking for Kari, she didn't want to believe him. However, she did see that arm, so something had to click, to understand.
"Well, that girl has to be real important to you, since you're still in the pursuit." Ash nodded. Despite being told that the Digital Dragnet was a lie, and that Kari was nowhere on Earth, Ash was still bent on finding her.
"I promised, a certain someone, that I'd find her, no matter what." Dedication, Holmes. Rebbecca was a bit awed by the quit-less attitude. No matter what...
"I wish, I had that same grit, you've got." Ash was wondering why she muttered that.
"You're heading to that Institution in Cambridge, in a few weeks, right?" Rebbecca bobbed her head. This was true. "What are you looking forward to become?" Come on, we're anxious to know.
"I want to become a teacher, for a school in Japan." Huh? A schoolteacher in Japan? Not here, in the U.S.A.? "I have a sister, who watches over me, better than my parents, so, when I graduate, I'll be with my sister...and have a career." Okay...but a schoolteacher? At her age?
"Hey, go for it. What's gonna stop you?" Wouldn't you like to know? Suddenly, something triggered Ash's senses. Was it one of the Digidestined, or a Digimon? That's when he looked up and saw a small white fairy-like creature, with red and blue spots on it. It's head was shaped like a crown. Ash had a gut feeling on who it was. "Is that, who I think it is?" Rebbecca saw the creature as it descended to the two, rather happy to see Ash.
("There you are, Ash,") it chirped excitedly. Ash knew who it was.
"Togetic, what are you doing her?" Togetic. Misty's baby Pokémon, Togepi, before it evolved during the time at RainBellian. Rebbecca was stunned at the cuteness of this Togetic. "What about the Togepi Paradise, and the Mirage Kingdom?"
("We're doing okay.") Rebbecca wanted to know about this creature.
"Ash, what in the world is that?" she wondered. Ash was more than willing to fill her in.
"This is Togetic," he introduced. "It was once mothered by a friend of mine, until it grew up." Togetic flew down and saw the schoolteacher-wannabe. It was a real cheerful Pokémon, and Rebbecca couldn't help but smile.
"It's a real cutie!" Ash giggled a bit. Then, his mind went into overdrive. Togetic being here...was there a way to get to the Pokémon world?
'Hold on. Togetic is here, in New York City. He came from the Togepi Paradise, so then, I could go home and ready to start in Sinnoh. But the Paradise is in the Hoenn region.' Suddenly, he remembered somewhere. Somewhere, that could greatly help find Kari. 'Of course, the Kiri Kiri Mountains. There's the Baltoy's time machine, that I can use to find the last whereabouts of Kari, before her disappearance. It's a long shot, but, it's the only thing, we can use, for the moment.' Rebbecca saw Ash, severely deep in thought. She began to wonder, if he was okay.
"Yo, Ash. Something on your mind?" Ash snapped out of his deep thinking. He needed to act.
"Prof. Miyamoto, I gotta go. I need to get a search party organized." Rebbecca was shunned. Ash called her, a professor. Then, he said "search party," meaning that Ash was going to go back on the search for Kari. He needed to get his friends and go on the hunt.
"Alright, Ash. Be careful." With a final bob, Ash and Togetic raced back to Mimi's house. There, T.K., Yolei, Izzy, Patamon, Hawkmon, Tentomon and Gatomon were thrilled to see Togetic, again. Ash was with the rest of the Digidestined, discussing his plan on trying to pinpoint Kari's location. Hearing Ash out, some of the Digidestined were shocked. It meant going to Ash's world, and using a sci-fi invention to help find Kari.
"Tell me, that you're kidding," Tai stammered. "Do you expect us to believe that this so-called Baltoy Time Machine can tell us, where Kari is?" Ash wasn't backing down from his plan.
"I know, it's pretty far fetched of an idea, but, it's the only idea of where to go," he argued. Not many of the Digidestined were satisfied with the idea.
"Have you seen it work?" Joe questioned.
"Absolutely. I know how to get there, too." Ash knew that area well, so getting lost wasn't going to be a problem. The Digidestined gave the idea, a few minutes to think about it. Tai wanted to see his sister, again. This could help in finding her.
"All right," he groaned. "I'll go. This is my baby sister, we're talking about." So, Tai was willing to go. Any other takers?
"I'll go," Davis added. "I want to see Kari, again. She is a great friend to have." Davis was ready to come along. Who else?
"Ever since, meeting with Ash and Misty," T.K. brought up. "I did want to see their world, so why not?" Yep, T.K. wanted to come along, too.
"This is, also, my partner with DNA Digivolution," Yolei pointed out. "Do I need to say, anything else?" Nope, we got it. Yolei was welcomed aboard. "We should invite Ken." Ken?
"Me?" he hiccuped. Why him?
"We're gonna need Imperialdramon, if we need to hurry and get to this Kiri Kiri Mountains." Ah, good point. Ash, despite not knowing who Imperialdramon was, agreed to the idea of inviting Ken.
"I'd rather stay here," Cody protested. So much for this young man to see, something new.
"You can stay, if you want," Sora bellowed. "I'll come with. Can't have a single female in the group." So, Sora wanted to go. Everyone else bowed out, saying that the Pokémon world was not something, they wanted to see. Feeling satisfied with the haul, Ash was ready to address his plan.
"Okay, so we have Tai, Sora, Davis, Yolei, Ken and T.K. coming with me to seek the Time Machine," he reviewed. "So, here's the plan: we'll leave, first thing in the morning, and have Togetic open the gate to the Togepi Paradise. Once there, we'll crossover to the Mirage Kingdom, get on Imperialdramon, and fly over to the Kiri Kiri Mountains, and use the Time Machine. Then, we'll come back here, and go to where Kari is. Are we clear on the plan?" The six Digidestined nodded, understanding the plan. Night fell, as the seven and creatures were gearing up to go to the Pokémon world. The next morning, as the sun was rising from the Atlantic, Togetic and Ash were leading the the other followers, as they entered a neighborhood, where there was a sign, saying "Chinatown." They proceeded on, until they stopped at an ancient-like gate. Was this where Togetic emerged from? "Is this where you came from?"
("You bet,") Togetic answered. So, this was where the Togepi Paradise was located. Everyone was geared to go. With one nod, Togetic started to sway its tiny arms, back and forth, in a pendulum motion. As it's arms were glowing, it fired a beam at the gate, in which a portal opened up. So, this was it. Hopes to find Kari, came down to this.
"I can't believe, we're going into different monster grounds," Patamon huffed. That's a good way to put it.
"Yeah, but I do, kinda, wish that we'd be going on different terms," Ken murmured. "If we weren't going to search for Kari, I'd say, we'd be studying on what differences, each Pokémon and Digimon had." Ah, an observation ordeal.
"What we need to do, right now, is go through the portal, and into the Mirage Kingdom," Davis suggested. When everyone nodded...
"Well, let's not stall any longer," Tai grumbled. He and Agumon headed to, and entered the portal. Pokémon world, here they came. The band of seven (far different than the Band of Seven from InuYasha) entered the portal, as well as the creatures. Kari wasn't on RainBellian, nor in New York. What would be the chances that she'd be in the world of Pokémon? Ash was desperate to see Kari, again. This would be the start of the journey, where he'd gain something, and lose something else. What would they be?
TO BE CONTINUED...