Only Hope Chapter 21: Goodbye, Digidestined, a digimon fanfic

This story has proven unusually difficult to finish. I originally planned to make this the last major chapter, but at least one more will probably be necessary. I'd like to thank everybody for waiting over a month for this update. Enjoy the final battle! --Sacred Dust

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: "Goodbye, Digi-destined"

They were coming.

More importantly, he knew where they were coming from. He'd been unable to raise SkullMeramon or IceDevimon on the ship's com system minutes earlier, and it was obvious what must have happened to them.

Damn kids, Megakokatorimon thought darkly. If they have enough information, they'll be heading straight for me. And not every Digimon in the world is smart enough to stay out of my business; they must have had help.

But, unlike them, he no longer needed any. He had imprisoned most of the Digi-destined and their Digimon aboard his ship, and once the others arrived…well, then the real fun would begin. His revenge had been eight long years in the making, and he wasn't about to let it slip away. He sat perched on the ship's bridge, ready to resume his human disguise as soon as he spotted company on the eastern horizon.

"SOON," he muttered to himself, although even his library voice wasn't very quiet. "I'LL PLASTER THEIR FEATHERS ONCE AND FOR ALL. KAW HAW HAW…"

It may have been mid-afternoon in the Digital World, but back in the real world, night had fallen hours ago. Clouds obscured some of the stars, but the moon shone brightly on the Minamoto Park Reserve, bathing the trees in a strange, silvery glow.

Davis sat on top of a picnic table and watched the campfire die down. Cody and Yolei had gone to bed early, as usual; he was known to stay up far too late. And maybe Ken would feel like staying up, too. They had to talk, as they'd reminded each other too many times already, and Davis didn't know how much longer he could wait.

But once the waiting was over…what then? Was it wrong to have feelings like this for another boy, particularly his best friend? He'd never really thought about things like that before. In his experience, people did what they wanted to, no matter what everyone else said—or at least, the smart ones did. And if having that kind of relationship with Ken would make them both happy without hurting anyone, what else really mattered?

"Davis?"

"Whoa!" He jumped a little, surprised to see Ken standing a few feet away. "Hey, don't do that, man! It's already spooky enough out here."

"Sorry," Ken lowered his voice as he sat on the table beside him. "You're not tired?"

Davis scoffed. "I can sleep any time. But I was thinking…you know, that we could talk."

"Yeah. I was, too." Ken admitted, his eyes moving from side to side. He seemed more nervous than usual, but Davis couldn't blame him. "Listen—"

"I—oh, sorry. You go ahead." Davis said sheepishly.

"That's all right. Listen, about that day in the gym…"

He nodded.

"I'm sorry if anything I said or did in there bothered you."

Davis shook his head. "Well, sort of…but not really. I mean—how do I say this? It wasn't you; it was me. I'm just not used to thinking about you like that. Or any guy. I'm pretty sure I still like girls. I always have before. But…"

Ken realized he'd been holding his breath, and carefully let it out. "This is different."

Even in the light from the fire, it was clear he was blushing. "Yeah."

That was an understatement. From the moment Ken sat down next to him, Davis' senses had gone on red alert; he felt that strange buzz every time he got close to him, since that ill-fated soccer practice at school. And it wasn't just from being near Ken. It was how he smelled, too—just a hint of modest cologne and something else Davis couldn't quite identify. And even though he wouldn't have admitted it to save his life, he really liked it.

"Davis?" Ken asked again.

"Huh? Sorry." He snapped to attention, feeling like an idiot.

"All I really need to know is whether you feel the same way I do."

He took a chance, ready to sink into the ground if he got a bad answer. "Well, how do you feel?"

Ken gathered his resolve, managed to look into his friend's dark eyes, and then started to talk. "I've never really thought about this, either. You know as well as anybody what my childhood was like. I never thought much about relationships when I was the Emperor. I assumed I didn't need them. But you guys proved me wrong. And even after all the terrible things I did…you accepted me. And you helped everyone else accept me, too."

Davis nodded.

"The point is…I thought that when it was all over, when my life was back to normal again…I would start going out with girls. I thought I was supposed to. But it never really happened. For a while, I told myself I just hadn't found the right one, you know? But that wasn't it, either."

"Yeah?"

Ken sorted out his thoughts for a few seconds, and continued. "I probably started feeling different around you about a year ago. At least. It felt like something had changed when I was with you, when I talked to you…and at first 'different' was the only word I could think of to describe it. But now I know what it was."

Davis nodded, bracing himself.

"I liked you," Ken had been talking quietly before, but now he whispered as if everyone in Japan were hiding just outside the light of the fire, spying on their conversation. "I mean, I really liked you. I just couldn't talk about it. I didn't think you would understand. And that day in the gym, when you ran away, it was like my worst fears all came true. And you avoiding me—well, that only made it worse."

He swallowed. "Sorry. I was being an ass."

"Don't worry about it; it's in the past. At least we straightened it out, and we're here right now, so…" Ken was reaching into his pocket, pulling out something square that gleamed in the firelight. "I wanted to give you this."

He placed it in Davis' hands. It was a small, framed picture of…a picture of them. Together on a soccer field, smiling, after winning one of their games a few years ago.

Davis didn't know what to say. "…Thanks, Ken."

"You're welcome. I felt like I had to give you something. It's silly, I know, but—"

"No, no. It's fine." Davis assured him. "I think I remember that game, actually."

He wondered how he was still communicating intelligently with Ken this close to him. It certainly wasn't easy.

"You're okay with…you know, that day? And the park, and…us?" Ken's voice was calm, but his eyes betrayed all the emotion he was holding in, especially his fear.

Davis smiled. "I don't know what any of it means, and I feel like I'm going crazy, but yeah. I'm okay with it, Ken. In fact, I…well, I'm happy."

Ken broke into a relieved smile. "You mean it?"

Davis clenched his fists. It was now or never, he decided. "Yes. You said you weren't running away. And I won't do it anymore, either."

He didn't have to say it aloud; Davis asked him with his eyes if it was okay. Ken responded by leaning even closer to him; and then, it was happening. It didn't feel gross, and it didn't feel weird. It felt right, as if he'd finally found something he'd spent his whole life searching for.

Ken was in heaven. He had dared to dream about this a few times before, but always with a miserable feeling that it would never happen, that it was only an empty fantasy, that Davis would never feel that way about him. He had never felt so happy about being wrong.

Davis was still holding the picture in his hands, but didn't realize it. He had forgotten where they were, how late it was, what their friends and family might think—he didn't care. After weeks of pain and confusion, he and Ken had finally broken free. They knew where they belonged.

For now, that was enough.

The ship sat still and quiet in the middle of the desert, awaiting its final passengers.

And currently those passengers were already well on their way, hurtling across the desert in Etemon's electric tram. The sand it blazed over was relatively smooth, but the speed was still taking a toll on the passengers.

"Man! Can this thing move or what?" Gomamon cried. He was filling in for Joe after an unexpected bout of carsickness.

Joe was gasping in the corner, still holding his stomach. "Um…Gomamon…how about letting someone with hands drive this thing, before it gets us all killed?!"

"Aww, you're no fun!" Gomamon sighed, but he grudgingly allowed Sora to take his place at the steering controls.

"No grandma-driving this time, Sora," Mimi reminded her. "The sooner we get to that monitor, the better."

The tomboy nodded, setting the tram at a reasonable speed. "Tell me about it. And you know who the mastermind of this whole thing is, don't you? We took out Weremonzaemon, Scorpiomon, IceDevimon, and SkullMeramon. That leaves Kokatorimon."

Mimi winced at the mention of his name. "Believe me, I know."

"You're still thinking about that shower thing, huh?"

"How could I forget?! What kind of a freak just breaks into a shower like that? How old were we then, like eleven?"

"I was. You were ten."

"Ugh…"

Sora laughed out, loud, unable to stop herself. "Hey, don't worry about it, Meems. At least this way we can kick his ass all over again."

Mimi gaped at her. "Sora…did you just swear?"

She winked. "…No, I didn't. You must have imagined it."

Almost everyone laughed, but Joe remained stoic. "Guys!! You do realize it's not going to be that simple. Assuming that this psychotic chicken survived his own ship blowing to smithereens with him on it, he's probably got revenge on his mind, too. Maybe he even got the ship back. If he's captured all the others, he has to be holding them somewhere, right? And we're coming up on the exact location we found him in before, right? I don't think that's a coincidence. And he somehow has access to Gennai's knowledge about the Digiworld, so he might even know we're coming. Maybe he's kidnapped Gennai or something; I don't know. We'll figure that out later. But first and foremost, we need to be prepared."

"Now you're speaking my language," Gatomon smirked. "Why should we walk right into his hands? Or claws, or feathers, or whatever he had? Heck, I've never seen him before…but Joe's right. We do need a plan."

"Sounds good! What kind of plan?" Palmon asked. The gleam in the cat's eyes suggested that she already had something in mind.

"Oh, you'll see," she replied mysteriously. "Veemon? Think you're up to it?"

He struck a heroic pose. "You'd better believe it! Just tell me what to do. I wanna see Davis again."

To the west, something else was also headed straight for the cruise ship—a flying Digimon resembling a beautiful white horse, except for the strange mask and the horn on his head. The two smaller creatures on his back were gesturing eastward, talking to each other excitedly.

"That's it! I remember that ship! We found it after I Digivolved to Skullgreymon!" the yellow, dinosaur-like Digimon exclaimed, pointing.

"I can't believe those crazy rumors were actually right for a change," the red insectoid Digimon admitted. "But I guess Gatomon and Veemon were on to something after all. We don't know that it's Kokatorimon, but I suppose there must be someone aboard."

Agumon nodded. "It's gotta be him! Maybe eight years was long enough for him to come back. Or maybe he survived; who knows? Either way, we're going to beat him once and for all."

"And how are we supposed to do that? What if it's only the two of us against him?"

Agumon wasn't certain. If that was the case, they definitely couldn't win. But they had to try. Something rotten was going on in the Digiworld, and it was time they got to the bottom of it.

"GRRRRR. I'M GETTING TIRED OF WAITING! MY 'DOODLE' IS WASTED ON YOU GUYS!" Megakokatorimon snapped at the Numemon, who scurried away to avoid his wrath. How long were those kids going to take to get here? At least they had showed up on the Dark Network by now. In fact, they had somehow gotten a hold of Etemon's vehicle and were closing in on his location. But even at that speed, it seemed like they couldn't arrive soon enough. This was it; his dreams of revenge were finally going to be fulfilled. For this, he had usurped and imprisoned the patriarch of the Digital World, using his information to put together a foolproof plan, posing as a human in the real world, luring them all back onto his home turf…and even with his henchmen gone, it was all coming together.

"KAWWWW! IF THEY DON'T GET HERE SOON ENOUGH, MAYBE I'LL FRICASSEE YOU NUMEMON INSTEAD!"

They quickly retreated belowdecks, leaving him to storm around the bridge. A conspicuous "beep" sounded from the largest monitor; he rushed over and looked. Sure enough, they were almost right on top of him! Only a few minutes now…and then they would all get what was coming to them.

He snatched up his binoculars, looked to the east—and there it was, a white cigar-shaped vehicle in the distance. It was even faster than he remembered, closing the distance between them much too quickly. He shrank to a smaller size and took on the appearance of Brasky again. Although they might not buy the disguise at this point, he could at least try to surprise them.

But then something unexpected happened. Instead of stopping within a reasonable distance of the ship, the tram simply kept on coming. Why? Didn't they know how to stop the damned thing?! For a moment he winced, waiting for them to crash into the hull—but there was no sound. The faint noise of the electric motor had cut off.

What were they doing? He couldn't see anything from the deck; they were effectively hiding underneath the ship. The chicken felt a nearly uncontrollable urge to move it forward and crush them right there—but then it wouldn't be any fun. He had to get them all together, and then make them suffer.

"What are they doing down there?" he muttered to himself. "Those little troublemakers. Well, maybe they're just looking for an entrance. In that case…LOWER THE GANGPLANK!"

"Aye, aye!" The Numemon rushed to obey him. Captain Brasky watched the wooden ramp intently, nearly jumping up and down in anticipation.

He deflated like a punctured beach ball when only one dorky-looking kid, with shoulder-length black hair and large glasses, stumbled up to the plank and waved. "Ahoy! This is the last thing I thought I'd find in the middle of a desert!"

Brasky struggled to mask his disappointment. There must be at least a few more kids and Digimon out there for him to capture. Where were they? Surely this exhausted nerd couldn't have defeated his two most powerful minions earlier. "Uh…welcome aboard, buddy!"

Joe Kido tried to be brave. Where he had been expecting to find a psychotic chicken, he saw a pudgy red-haired American man. Who the heck was this? Could it be that "Brasky" guy?

He clambered up on deck and leaned against the railing to catch his breath. "Hey…I'm Joe. Who are you?"

"MY NAME IS BRAAAAASSSSKYYYYYY!!" the man roared, practically blowing him right off the ship. "Err…nice to meetcha. Sorry; I do that a lot. Bugs in the program and everything, ya know."

Joe scratched the back of his neck. "…Yeah. Well, we came here looking for our friend, but we must have all come out of different monitors. You said it was a crapshoot, but you never said that would happen."

"Didn't I?" Brasky asked him, curiously. "Darn, must have slipped BRASKY'S mind…I mean, my mind. There I go again. Ha ha!"

This guy was bizarre with a capital "b". Joe tried to sound lighthearted and concerned at the same time. "Well, I don't know where the heck the others are…me and the girls are really worried about them."

Brasky's already bulging eyes got even wider. "Girls?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sora and Mimi were with me. We all got kind of dirty from the trip, and as soon as they saw this big ship out here, they were all over it. I tried to make them wait until we were invited aboard, but you know girls."

"Interesting…well, BRAAASSKYYY doesn't mind. I'm sure all three of you must need some rest," the captain said, relieved that he hadn't come alone after all. "So where are the girls, anyway?"

Joe shrugged. "They said they were heading straight for the shower. Can you believe it?"

"KO-KAAAAWWWWW!!" Brasky screeched in delight, and Joe stared at him for a long, awkward moment. "Ack…ack. Sorry, something in my throat. This desert air…I think I need a drink. I'll go down and get us some iced tea; then I'll be right with you, Joe."

He nodded. "Thanks, that sounds great."

The portly captain nearly sprinted belowdecks. Joe shuddered, then whipped one of his walkie-talkies out of the suitcase. They had come in handy, after all. "Okay, guys…I think you were right. He's coming."

It couldn't be more fitting, Brasky thought as his body exploded into its true form and sent feathers flying out behind him. It reminded him all too well of their original encounter eight years ago—only this time, those little chickadees weren't going to get away from him. Maybe they were all a bit older now, but they were still snot-nosed kids in his mind; he had dedicated his digital life to recreating the battle from eight years ago, and refused to give up on that fantasy.

"In here, Cap'n!" one of the Numemon stood waiting for him at the second passenger deck, and he managed to slow down. He didn't want the girls to hear him coming. Instead, he walked as softly as possible down the hall and pulled open the door of the most luxurious cabin. "HUH?" The Numemon were already inside, looking behind the curtains and under the beds. "WHERE ARE THE REST OF THE CHILDREN?"

"Duh, we don't know." One of the Numemon drooled.

Megakokatorimon's feeling of déjà vu grew even stronger. "RRRRR. HMM?"

And then he heard it—the shower was running in the bathroom.

If there was ever a time when he felt like cackling madly, this was it—but he desperately clamped his claws over his beak and stumbled over to the bathroom. At last, it was happening all over again. His crimson eyes bulged with perverted glee as he easily broke down the door and jumped into the bathroom. "SHIP RULE NUMBER ONE: NO UNDERAGE GIRLS ALLOWED IN THE SHOWER WITHOUT DIRECT SUPERVISION! KO-KAAWWWW!"

His sharp feathers easily tore the curtain to shreds, and he glowered triumphantly down at…nobody. The shower was empty…just like the last time.

"WHAT THE HELL…?"

"What do you mean, underage?!" cried an outraged female voice behind him. "I think you're undercooked, you dirty bird!"

"At least you'll be well done by the time we're finished with you," another female voice added.

Slowly, Megakokatorimon turned around. Sora and Mimi were standing in the bedroom, near the doorway, with their Digivices in hand. Three Digimon jumped in front of them to protect them from attack. "WHAAAAAT?" He trembled with fury at the Numemon, cowering behind them. "YOU LITTLE TWERPS! HOW DARE YOU LIE TO ME!"

"Oh, don't blame them, omelet head. All I had to do was ask them nicely." Mimi smiled. The Numemon melted. Apparently, their crush on her was never-ending. "Digivolve, Palmon!"

"I DON'T THINK SOOOO! KO-KAW!" Megakokatorimon smashed a part of the wall, and his enemies quickly retreated. "YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO BEAT ME EVEN IF YOU DO DIGIVOLVE! BECAUSE I'M MEGAKOKATORIMON! MY COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO WILL BLOW OUT YOUR EARDRUMS! MESS WITH ME AND YOU'LL BE PECKED INTO SURRENDER!" he stopped, frowning. "WAIT, HAVE I ALREADY USED THAT ONE?"

He looked up to see that the room was empty.

"KAWWWWW! THIS IS GETTING REALLY ANNOYING!" the huge chicken barreled

furiously out of the room and up to the deck. "YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY THAT EASILY…AHAAAAA!"

They were making a mad dash for the gangplank. He jumped over them with unexpected agility, landing right in their path. "WAIT, DON'T GO YET. I'M NOT SUCH A BAD EGG! I'VE EVEN GOT A PRESENT FOR YA! COCK-A-DOODLE DOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

It wasn't an attack, exactly, but it was so loud that it made them all wince and cover their ears. Megakokatorimon took advantage and blasted all three of the Rookies out with one kick. "WELL, NOW WE'RE UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL!"

"Ummm…Sora…" Mimi said uneasily, as they backed away from the evil chicken. "Now what?"

"I'LL TELL YOU WHAT! YOU'RE GOING IN THE BARBECUE PIT!" he leaped at them with his feathers outstretched, intending to capture them and drag them down to the cage. If those mutinous Numemon wouldn't, he'd do it himself. But they were able to dodge him with surprising speed. "HEY, HOLD STILL!"

"What did you do with Gennai?" Sora demanded, hoping to distract him.

"OH, DON'T WORRY ABOUT THAT GUY. PERSONALLY I FIND HIM A LITTLE BIT ON THE STIFF SIDE…BUT THAT JUST HAPPENS TO BE MY PERSONAL OPINION."

"Not that joke again." Mimi groaned. "Well, your opinion stinks!"

"AND NOW YOU'RE GOING TO MEET THE SAME FATE! KO-KAAAWWWW!"

When Joe finally reached the orlop deck, dozens of surprised voices greeted him.

"Hey, it's Joe!"

"Joe! Awesome, man! How'd you get here?"

"Where's the chicken?!"

He laughed, relieved to see so many of his friends here. "Relax, guys. Mimi and Sora are distracting him. Let's get you out of here. Gomamon?"

"Right." Gomamon immediately digivolved to Ikkakumon, who rested his horn under the padlock and carefully blasted it off. Joe pulled the door open, and finally the Digi-destined were free.

"Man, I was getting way too used to this place," Matt slapped Joe on the back. "Thanks."

"I knew you got the Crest of Reliability for a reason," T.K. winked at him.

"Aw, well…you know," he chuckled. "I never would have made it here if it weren't for Gomamon and Whamon. Let's go already! I think that chicken is pretty tough."

He ran across the room, threw open the door, and disappeared. A crash followed shortly afterward.

"I believe that was a closet, Joe." Izzy said helpfully.

He stumbled out a moment later, adjusting his glasses. "Yeah, thanks…ugh. I think you guys better come look at this."

They crowded around the open door, and their mouths dropped open almost in unison. Standing stiffly upright in the closet, with his body turned to stone and encased in a dark heart, was Gennai.

Veemon charged across the deck for a Vee-Headbutt. Megakokatorimon reacted quickly; his eyes started to glow with green and purple light. "MEGA PETRIFIER!"

"Watch it!" Gatomon jumped in, tackling Veemon, and they both rolled out of the way.

"Palmon, digivolve to…" Palmon chose the wrong time to take action, and the chicken turned the petrifying beam on her instead. She was immediately turned to stone.

"No! Palmon!" A horrified Mimi knelt over her newly statuesque partner as Megakokatorimon squawked with laughter.

"NOW FOR THE REST OF YOU!"

Veemon and Gatomon hung back. Their enemy's reflexes were very good, that much was clear—which meant they probably couldn't attack him fast enough to avoid the Mega Petrifier.

"Now what?" Veemon whispered.

"Stall him." Gatomon promptly replied. "Hey, feather face! I've eaten pigeons that were tougher than you! Not to mention more hygienic."

"That's right, you…er…you creep!" Veemon yelled in support.

"GRRRRRRR!" Megakokatorimon flapped his wings hard, blowing the two Rookie Digimon overboard. "THAT'LL TEACH YOU TO COMPARE ME TO A PIGEON! …NOW THERE'S ONLY ONE OF YOU LEFT TO TAKE CARE OF. WHERE IS HE, ANYWAY?"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, so to speak," said T.K. Takaishi, "But you've got seven of us to take care of."

Sora and Mimi cried out in relief. There on the deck stood T.K., Matt, Tai, Izzy, Kari, and Joe—not to mention Patamon, Gabumon, Gomamon, Biyomon, Hawkmon, Armadillomon, and Wormmon.

"W…WHAT?!" Megakokatorimon gawked at them, obviously beside himself. This wasn't how it was supposed to go! "NO! HOW DID YOU GET OUT?!"

"Because we're special," Tai snapped, sarcastically. "So, you're still sailing around the desert, huh?"

"Too bad you didn't learn your lesson the first time," said Matt. "But since you went to so much trouble to get us here, Brasky, we might as well teach you again."

"I currently know of twenty-six conventional ways to cook a chicken," Izzy stated matter-of-factly, holding up his Digivice. "But digivolving is the twenty-seventh."

To the chicken's chagrin, all of them were holding their Digivices. This couldn't be. His dream was turning into a nightmare. "WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET THOSE?!"

"I gave Mimi's regards to the Numemon." Kari said sweetly.

"THEN HERE'S MY REGARDS! MEGA PETRIFIER!!" Irate, he turned his fearsome attack on the teenagers and Digimon alike—and might have been successful, if Veemon hadn't slammed into the back of his head with a Vee-Headbutt.

Gatomon jumped over the railing after him, gracefully hitting the dazed chicken with a Lightning Paw. He stumbled forward, right into an all-out assault from the other Rookies. Suddenly they were all attacking at once. Wormmon's Sticky Net wrapped around his talons, while the other attacks blasted him right in the midsection. He protected himself with his wings, but the force sent him reeling backward.

Recovering more quickly than they had hoped, he quickly decided to change tactics. "COCK-A-DOODLE DOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

Again, it didn't exactly blow out their eardrums, but when they opened their eyes again, he was gone.

"Oh, great." Muttered Matt.

"Come out and show yourself, you chicken!" Mimi yelled, still dragging a petrified Palmon back across the deck.

"MEGA PETRIFIER!" This time the ray came from above; Megakokatorimon was hanging off the ship's mast. The Digimon tried to get out of the way, but only three of them made it. Gomamon, Armadillomon, Wormmon, and Gabumon were turned to stone.

"AWWWW HA HA HAWWWW!" shouted the chicken. "THIS IS TOO EASY!"

"Pepper Breath!"

"Super Shocker!"

Agumon and Tentomon's attacks hit him in the back. Startled, Megakokatorimon lost his grip on the mast and fell to the deck. The two Rookies landed far more gracefully.

"Agumon!" Tai shouted, rushing over and nearly tackling the yellow dinosaur to the deck. "It's really you!"

"Prodigious entrance, Tentomon!" Izzy greeted his partner. "As you can see, we have quite a situation on our hands here."

Megakokatorimon jumped up. "YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN! NOW THAT ALL OF YOU ARE FINALLY HERE, I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT I CAN REALLY DO! BARBECUE WINGS!" He threw open his wings suddenly, unleashing a sweltering wave of fire. Patamon, Biyomon, and Hawkmon would have been roasted if not for their flying abilities.

"Quick, guys!" Tai held out his Digivice, and Izzy did the same.

"Agumon, digivolve to…"

"Tentomon, digivolve to…"

"DIGIVOLVE TO THIS! BARBECUE WINGS!" shrieked Megakokatorimon. The fire reached both Digimon before they could evolve, and they fell lifelessly to the deck. "KO-KAWWWW, I LOVE BEING EVIL! WHO'S NEXT?"

"Vee-Headbutt!" Again Veemon hit him from behind, this time in the back. At almost the same time, Gatomon dove right into his face. "Lightning Paw!"

The double attack sent the demonic chicken off his feet.

"T.K.! Sora! Hurry!" Kari cried.

They didn't need any further encouragement.

"Biyomon, digivolve to…Birdramon!"

"Patamon, digivolve to…Angemon!"

"Gatomon, digivolve to…Angewomon!"

The last three Digimon who could still evolve had finally done it, and at least now it was a fair fight: Megakokatorimon vs. two angels and a big orange birdlike creature.

"DAMN IT. WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN'T FLY?!" Megakokatorimon was getting up, his red eyes almost turning green with envy.

The Champions attacked him impulsively, before the teens could even give them orders; it had been a long time since they could digivolve, and the excitement was too much for them.

"Meteor Wing!" Birdramon flapped her wings hard, unleashing several burning rocks that hurtled toward the chicken. He jumped back with a loud squawk, barely avoiding them.

"Celestial Arrow!" A bow appeared in Angewomon's hands, from which she fired a bolt of lightning. Somehow Megakokatorimon dodged that as well.

Angemon was flying up behind him, releasing a ray of golden light from his fist. "Hand of Fate!"

It struck the chicken in the back, and he stumbled forward across the deck. "AWWWK!" Eight years ago the attack would have destroyed him, but he was quite a bit stronger now. "HEY, I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT! MEGA PETRIFIER!"

"Hand of Fate!"

The attacks collided; the Digi-destined hid their eyes from the blast, which forced Angemon back through the air. Seconds later, Megakokatorimon jumped over a second Celestial Arrow. "BARBECUE WINGS!"

The fire had a surprisingly long reach, and Angewomon veered wildly to avoid it. Birdramon then hit the evil chicken from the side, driving him across the deck and straight into the mast, which let out an ominous crack. She was about to follow up with a Meteor Wing, but even then he was too fast for her. A searing orange light formed around his body, then expanded all around him, torching everything in its reach. "DEEP FRYER!!"

Angemon and Angewomon barely jumped in front of the Digi-destined in time to save them as the unbearable heat washed over the deck. When the teens opened their eyes again, the wooden planks looked noticeably darker, and all three Champions were de-Digivolved and down for the count.

"WELL, WELL, WELL," Megakokatorimon gloated as he caught his breath. "I GUESS FRIED CHILDREN WILL BE ON THE MENU TONIGHT!"

I really hate that chicken, T.K. thought helplessly, crouching beside Patamon. He knew none of the Digimon would recover in time to save them.

"Biyomon!" Sora was yelling, uselessly. "Biyomon, you have to get up!" She and her friends had become famous for surviving, always finding a way to come back and win. But maybe their luck had finally run out. Still, it shouldn't be ending like this, with all of them (ironically) getting barbecued by a chicken. They still had so much more to experience, so many more years to live. And now, when they were just getting used to normal lives—

"I WIN, DIGI-DESTINED!" Megakokatorimon screeched. "I WIN!"

The orange light was building around him again, and this time there was nothing to protect them. Kari sat transfixed on the deck, unable to move, as Tai knelt protectively beside her. Both of them knew it wouldn't make any difference. Matt looked around wildly for an escape route, but there was no way to outrun that attack. T.K.'s eyes met Sora's for a hopeless, frightened instant, but there was no time to say goodbye.

"DEEP FRYER…!"

"Vee-Headbutt!"

Megakokatorimon looked up, but the blue Rookie didn't hit him this time. Instead, there was another loud crrrrrack from behind him. He turned slowly, gaping in surprise.

Veemon had headbutted the mast. Already charred and damaged from the fight, it had broken from the impact, and was now toppling over. Even he couldn't move out of the way in time, and the mast fell on top of him, smashing him right through the scorched deck of the ship.

The Digi-destined crouched nearby, struggling to breathe again. They realized how close they had come to getting killed—but, amazingly, they weren't out of miracles yet. At the same time, the stone Digimon suddenly became real again.

"Palmon! You're…you're back…" Mimi was nearly crying with relief.

But then, so was Matt as he knelt in front of his partner. "Gabumon? Are you all right, buddy?"

"My throat's a little dry," Gabumon rasped. "Otherwise, I'm fine. Where's the chicken?"

T.K. finally snapped out of it. "Guys! We've got to get out of here now, before he wakes up! If he attacks us again, we'll be dead. We have to try something else."

Tai clenched his fists. "What?! In your dreams, T.K.! You actually think I'm going to run away now?"

"If you want to live? Yeah! You saw what he can do."

"I don't care what he can do! There's no way—"

Kari grabbed his arm. "Tai, please. He's right. We have to run, or he could kill all of us right here!"

"Well, what about Gennai?!"

"He's not going anywhere," Matt said. "Now come on."

An ominous groan from belowdecks followed his words, and Tai looked up sharply. "But…"

"We don't have any choice. Get the Digimon into the tram, quick!" Joe was yelling, and the others scrambled to help him. Tai knew he was outnumbered. Silently, he bent down to pick up Agumon and carry him off the deck.

"RRRRRRR!" The chicken growled a few moments later. "…OWWWWW…MY DOODLE…." He reached up from beneath the shattered part of the deck, lifting himself up to the edge. "YOU MAY HAVE RUFFLED MY TAIL FEATHERS…AGAIN…BUT I CAN STILL 'AWWWK KO-KAWWW'…AUUUUUGH. MAYBE NOT. BUT I'M NOT COOKED JUST YET…"

He promptly lost his grip, crashing back down several floors.

"Is everyone on board?" Izzy dashed over to the driver's console. They had just helped their exhausted Digimon into the tram.

"Yeah! Let's go!" T.K. was shutting the door, with Matt's help.

Everyone tried to relax as they sped away from the ship. A few minutes passed before any of them spoke again.

"…Oh, wow," Mimi finally said. "We barely made it, guys."

"I'll admit it was very close," Izzy agreed, his eyes glued to the controls. "But I have to congratulate Veemon on that clever strategy."

Veemon shrugged, embarrassed. "Aw, well…I was just there at the right time, I guess."

"Why do you think I keep you around?" Gatomon said weakly, sitting against the wall.

Most of the Digi-destined laughed nervously, but Tai didn't crack a smile. "Why the hell did it turn out like that? How can he be so strong?"

"If I had eight years to stew over being humiliated and blown up by a bunch of kids," said Matt, "Maybe I would become a lot more powerful, too."

Almost there, Megakokatorimon thought. Almost there.

He was crawling up to the ship's bridge. He wasn't going to lose this time, no matter what. Besides, running them over might be almost as glorious as burning them alive. Even if they had Etemon's tram, he would still be able to catch them, especially since they were driving through sand.

At last, he dragged himself up to the wheel and punched a large red button on his console. An alarm blared throughout the ship, and his hapless crew of Numemon knew what it meant. Terrified, they threw themselves over the railings, desperate to get off the ship. Only half of them made it, and the rest were suddenly tumbling over the deck as the huge vessel violently accelerated. Evidently the crazed chicken had added jet propulsion to its original design. The craft blazed through the desert like a giant speedboat, throwing up a sandstorm in its wake.

Megakokatorimon clung to the wheel, bursting out in psychotic laughter as he followed the Digi-destined's trail. In less than a minute, he could see the tram in the distance again. It was only a matter of time before he caught up to them, and then…

"GOODBYE, DIGI-DESTINED!"

"Um…we have a problem." Izzy said, in a rather choked voice.

The other kids turned to the monitors on the wall of the tram. And indeed, one of the flickering screens displayed the gigantic ship already bearing down on them.

"That…that's impossible!" cried Joe. "How can it move so fast?"

T.K. jumped to his feet. "Well, just turn out of the way! He can't catch us if we zigzag all over the place, right?"

"I suppose not." Izzy turned a rather sharp left, and anyone who wasn't already leaning against the right wall ended up there in short order.

"…Owwww." Mimi exclaimed.

"Sorry. I guess Etemon never thought to install seat belts." Feeling somewhat ill, Izzy watched the radar system closely. The ship was curving around to catch them, but just as T.K. had said, it was too big and clumsy to catch a moving target.

In the next moment, the monitors all went dark, the console shut down, and all the lights went out.

The tram slowed down, then came to a stop. Izzy was already trying to figure out the cause as he tried to suppress his panic. What had just happened?

The cord that powers the tram, he thought. The ship must have run over it.

"Izzy…what do we do now?" shouted Tai, and half of the other teenagers.

He stood up shakily from the console. "We get out of this tram as soon as possible."

Just as Megakokatorimon had thought, their tram could no longer operate with its connection to the Dark Network severed, and it was now a sitting duck. He lined up the vehicle in his sights again, and bore down on it with breakneck speed. Seconds later, the hull of the ship swallowed the vehicle and crushed it flat like a soda can as the chicken cawed in triumph. He stopped the vessel as soon as he could and grabbed the binoculars, examining the wreckage with morbid fascination.

However, there didn't seem to be any human remains.

"WHAAAAT?" Megakokatorimon roared in consternation. He turned his binoculars left and right, and then saw what had happened. Somehow, all of them had escaped the tram before he could reach it—and were splitting up, running away in different directions. "NOOOOO!!"

He switched the jet engines back on, and went to run them down one by one.

"Sora, it's coming! It's coming!" Biyomon cried. She was flapping her wings wildly, on the verge of panic.

Sora couldn't blame her. "I know, Biyomon. Fly out of the way while you still can, all right?"

"Forget it! I'm not leaving you!"

The ship's speed was incredible. It was already bearing down on them. She heard T.K. yell out her name, but nobody could help her now. Anyone who came to her rescue would be crushed as well.

I knew I was going to die someday, but why this way? Why now?

Before her life could even flash before her eyes, however, Biyomon was rocketing off the sand, her body surrounded by light. It took Sora a moment to realize she was digivolving—this time to Garudamon, her Ultimate form. Moments later, the enormous half-human, half-bird had her safely in its claws, sweeping her out of the ship's murderous path.

"Are you all right, Sora?" Garudamon asked her, swooping high over the vessel.

"I…I…"

"I'll take that as a yes. Hold on tight; I'm going to take him out."

The ship finally ground to a stop. The chicken was undoubtedly looking behind him to see if he'd made a successful kill. Garudamon flew like the wind, aiming straight at him. To Sora's surprise, a few of her friends had the same idea. Gabumon had digivolved to Weregarurumon—and, somehow, Patamon had digivolved to Angemon a second time. The humanoid wolf hung onto Angemon's legs as they neared the ship's stern, and let go at precisely the right moment.

Megakokatorimon looked up to see a giant werewolf falling out of the sky in his general direction, and was too amazed even to squawk.

"Wolf Claw!" The fearsome Ultimate slashed the air with his claws, generating two bolts of raw energy that hit the chicken square in the chest, throwing him back across the deck. He landed hard, but managed to stand again and defend himself.

"Barbecue Wi—"

"Hand of Fate!" But Angemon's timing was perfect as well. The brilliant light sent the chicken stumbling forward, and he fell on his face, overpowered at last.

The cheering Digi-destined were running up to the ship, jumping aboard for another round—and this time, retreat was not an option. As Megakokatorimon tried to get up, he found himself completely surrounded by several furious humans and Digimon alike—and too exhausted to use any of his attacks.

"NO! I…I CAN'T LOSE! NOT AFTER EIGHT YEARS! YOU'LL BE SORRY…I…I'LL…" he ranted, helplessly. But there was nothing else left to say.

"Get him." Hissed Matt, with an evil grin. Weregarurumon moved to obey the order, but Megakokatorimon jumped up into the air, knocking him to the deck. Instead of turning to fight, he made a mad dash away from the stern.

He didn't get far. That was when Garudamon made her entrance, rising up over the bridge and launching a colossal bird-shaped flame from her wings. "Wing Blade!"

The chicken looked up to see his most effective element being used against him. There was no time to escape it, no time for regrets—his judgment day had come once again.

"KAAAAWWWWW!!" the fiery attack nearly burned Megakokatorimon to a crisp. He fell back, the edges of his body fragmenting into data. The back of his head struck the large red button. But he never heard the blaring alarm, never saw the jet engines flare up one more time.

He was already gone.

And before the Digi-destined could celebrate, they were thrown like rag dolls across the deck as the vessel took off.

Fortunately, most of them were at the stern, so they didn't have very far to roll before they hit the railings.

"Shit! Someone's got to stop it!" Matt shouted, at no one in particular. Weregarurumon was trying to claw his way towards the helm so he could reach the controls. Nobody else seemed to have a chance; the wind was pinning the other kids and Rookie Digimon to the railing, and not even Angemon or Garudamon could keep up with the ship when it was at full speed.

"Angemon, we have to do something! It's headed straight for that village!" Garudamon pointed to a line of trees and straw huts on the distant horizon.

He trusted her eyesight. "What can we do? Even if we were powerful enough to destroy this ship, we'd be destroying everyone else as well."

"Then let's rescue them first!"

Angemon examined the vessel closely behind his gray helmet. "It's going too fast for us."

They tore after the runaway ship as fast as they could, but it was getting further away from them every second—and the Digimon village was getting closer.

Weregarurumon's claws lost their grip on the wood, and he tumbled back into Matt's arms; fortunately, he de-digivolved on the way. "Sorry, Matt…it's just going…too fast!"

"You did the best you could." Matt shouted back as they neared the edge of the desert.

"There has to be a way!" shouted Kari. "There just has to! Gatomon!"

The cat felt her strength return, at least temporarily, and now it was her turn to re-digivolve. Moments later, the majestic Angewomon stood in her place. She spread her wings, shielding the Digi-destined from the wind, and slowly began to back up—towards the bridge. "One of you, stop the ship! Quickly!"

She braced herself a few feet back from the helm, and somehow her wings provided just enough protection for Izzy to crawl up to the bridge. The red button had been broken by Megakokatorimon's head; he couldn't turn the engines off. One look ahead told him that it was too late to simply turn the wheel and avoid the village; the giant ship wasn't mobile enough for that. They could already see hundreds of tiny pink Digimon, some trying to run away from their approaching doom, most of them stricken with terror.

Izzy gave up. This thing was too big, too powerful to stop now. There was nothing they could—

"IZZY!" T.K. screamed from the stern, interrupting his hopeless thoughts. "THE CORD!"

What? What was he…

The cord. The ship was powered by a cord! How could he have forgotten? "Angewomon! Cut the ship's cord!"

She knew there was no time; she rose into the air, letting the wind carry her off the ship. As soon as she'd steadied herself, the angel took careful aim and released a Celestial Arrow.

It was right on target, immediately severing the cable. With its connection to the Dark Network lost, the ship's power went out, and the jet engines immediately shut down. But they continued to race over the sand, straight for the helpless Digimon. The ship was going on sheer momentum now, and it was still doubtful that they could stop it before it flattened the entire village.

"They did it!" Garudamon cried in disbelief.

"Not quite. At this speed, it still won't be enough." Angemon explained. "We need to get ahead of it!"

As the Digimon pushed themselves harder than ever before and the ship's momentum began to wane slightly, they found themselves first matching its breakneck speed, then catching up to it, little by little. Angewomon was dropping down behind them, realizing what they had in mind.

"Angewomon! We have to get to the bow!" Garudamon called back to her.

"There's no time," she replied, and spread her arms. "Heaven's Charm!"

A multicolored aura radiated outward from her body. It would have destroyed many enemy Digimon, but it greatly helped her partners. The force catapulted Angemon and Garudamon ahead of the ship. They turned around, cautiously dropping back until they were close enough to touch the rampaging cruise liner. With their hands on the front of the hull, they began to fly against it, hoping to stop the ship before it was too late. It was futile—the Yokomon village was terrifyingly close. But they would try anyway.

Still pinned up against the railing and hanging on for dear life, the Digi-destined and the other Digimon were even more helpless. Sora watched the village ahead. They were close enough now to see that it was full of Yokomon. Memories of their time in a smaller Yokomon village on File Island raced through her mind. That was when Biyomon had first digivolved. The pink, radish-like Digimon had been so helpful, given them food and water. And now they were about to destroy…how many of them? It had to be hundreds.

Sora felt sick. We're going to hit them, and there's nothing we can do about it.

This can't be happening.

But it was, as hard as Garudamon and Angemon were trying to prevent it. They were only several hundred feet from the outskirts of the village.

Then she lost her grip on the railing, and to her surprise, the force of the wind wasn't enough to throw her overboard.

"We…we are slowing down!" she shouted to the others. "Look!"

T.K. let go of the railing as well, but stayed low on the deck. He wasn't taking any chances. "You're right! They're doing it!"

"Not fast enough," Matt insisted, shaking his head. "They can't stop us fast enough."

"Yes, they can! They can do anything!" Sora shouted at him.

Angemon and Garudamon didn't know where their strength was coming from at this point, but they kept on pushing—and it was finally starting to work.

As Angewomon reached the bow and began to push with them, the ship slowed down even more.

But the village was only a hundred feet away.

T.K. realized that sitting on the deck without hanging onto the railing was one thing; crawling forward against the wind was another. But with Matt and Sora pushing him from behind, he was making progress. When the other Digi-destined got the idea and joined in, T.K. finally reached the bridge.

He leapt forward and clung to the steering wheel, throwing it hard left. Now that they were going slower, the ship might actually turn with some efficiency. And, amazingly, it did; the bow slowly began to shift from the village to the forest behind it.

Moments later, the ship crashed into the trees. The three Digimon had narrowly escaped destruction by letting go of the bow; they tumbled back helplessly through the air and de-digivolved, their power exhausted. The others, still trapped on the boat, clung to the railing yet again. The noise was immense. Trees cracked, fell, and lost dozens of branches as the vessel plowed into them, penetrating deep into the woods. Dozens of unsuspecting Digimon scattered, barely avoiding its path. And then, at long last, it was over.

A deep, heavy silence descended on the forest and the wrecked ship that lay within. After several long minutes, a courageous Elecmon approached it and climbed up on deck. He glanced around, his nose twitching slightly, and took in the grave situation.

The ship itself was badly damaged. The hull had buckled in many places, broken tree trunks lay across the top, the mainmast had fallen, and there was a large hole in the deck. The Digi-destined and most of their Digimon lay immobilized at the stern. Some were unconscious; others were just too hurt to move. But they all had survived, and that was the important thing.

Elecmon breathed a sigh of relief. "You guys sure know how to make an entrance, don't you?"

He decided he had better get some help from the Yokomon; the teenagers clearly needed medical attention. The red Digimon turned, running to the edge of the ship where he could call the Yokomon and ask for their help. However, he was distracted by a subtle motion in the corner of his eye.

When Elecmon looked back, his mouth fell open. Someone was finally stirring—but it wasn't a Digi-destined or one of their Digimon. It was a short, elderly man with a white topknot and mustache, staggering up from the lower decks. His eyes seemed perpetually closed; his orange and blue robe was rumpled and torn.

Elecmon stared in disbelief. He knew this geezer! It was…it was…

"Hello," the old man mumbled in a faltering, aged voice. "I'm…Gennai."

Elecmon slowly held out his paw, intending to shake hands with the patriarch of the Digital World. But the old man was already falling forward, collapsing on the deck with his rescuers.

--END OF CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

…Whew. Well, uh…at least they're alive. I don't know if they're all okay, or what comes next; I guess that'll be the next chapter. Keep an eye out, my friends.