DSI: RELOADED Chapter 23: Refinery, a digimon fanfic

Digimon Savers International: RELOADED

Chapter 23: Refinery

Greg

The battle was unceremoniously completed when the random Digital Gate sucked all the enemy Digimon up. We headed back to headquarters to nurse our wounds. We showered and changed into fresh uniforms. The food court opened up that night for a late dinner (it was 9:30 PM), and we got a chance to discharge whatever mental trauma we had and officially welcome Keenan to the team. We offered to let him visit his parents in jail, but he refused. "Me try to save parents from jail, but they go anyway," he sadly said.

For his own safety, we had to put him and Falcomon in a holding cell. Miki was in charge of making sure he was comfortable and that we were following the Geneva Conventions. That meant providing them lunch the next day.

Falcomon

Even with Keenan there, it was lonely inside that holding cell. He didn't say anything. Just then, we heard a voice outside. It was that charming young lady with the purple hair, Miki. "Keenan, I'm leaving your lunch down here. It's really extra super delicious. And it should be, I made it with my own two hands. OK, well I bought it from the food court with my own two hands. You have to eat something, kid. Please?"

I turned to Keenan. "She's right. I don't know about you, but I'm starving," I said. "Well go on then. You eat something, Falcomon. Me no hungry," Keenan quietly answered. He just sat there on the bed, staring at the wall. I sighed.

Greg

"All right, so we're in this battle, and all of a sudden, a Digital Gate comes outta nowhere. The only question is, why?" I asked. "I'm completely astounded. It really is a DigiGate," Kudamon said. I shook my head. "I thought you had all the answers, Kudamon." "Just because I'm the commander's partner doesn't mean I know everything." "True, true."

"Even we don't have the technology to open a DigiGate outside the lab," Gaomon noted.

"So who does?" Anya asked Tom. He thought about it then came up with an answer. "Well, nobody that we're currently aware of. To instantly open a Digital Gate in the wild like that takes an amazing ability. Who could've done it?"

"Does it matter?" Marcus asked. "Mmm hmm, we won either way," Agumon agreed, nodding.

Gary had a different opinion. "As much as I love your positive view, Agumon, we didn't win. Even with Miki, Megumi, and Henry; who I have to give major props to, by the way, it would've only been a matter of time." I nodded. "Geez, why do you have to be such a downer?" the dinosaur griped.

Just then the door opened and Miki and PawnChessmon walked through. "Miki, how's Keenan?" Marcus asked. Miki shrugged. "Ugh, he's sad. And he refuses to eat any food we put in front of him." "Poor kid." "I'll say."

"Marcus, you're becoming quite attached to that Keenan boy, aren't you?" I asked. "He's the little brother I never had, OK? I'm kinda getting tired of playing tea party, if you get my drift."

"You still play tea party with Kristy?" Veemon asked. Then, he started laughing at the idea. "Yeah, so what if I do?!" Marcus shot back.

Suddenly, we heard another voice. "Wow, so many problems." Unbeknownst to us, there was a black-haired older man wearing glasses and an ugly, yellow sweater with a dickie sitting backwards in a chair. We gasped.

"How'd you get in here? More importantly, who are you?" I asked. He got up, shut his eyes, and put his hand behind his head. "Who me? Well, no one."

Then he approached Agumon and shook his claw. "Well it's really a pleasure, Agumon- achoo! - I mean, wow, the first Digimon specimen born inside DATS' headquarters. And now you can Digivolve to Ultimate level, just amazing! And you love fried eg- achoo! - sorry." Agumon was mildly freaked out as this man wiped off the saliva and sneeze residue from his nose. "How do you know all this stuff about me?" he asked. "Well, I guess I'm just a Digimon nerd- achoo!"

"Look, you need to cover your mouth before you sneeze," I told him.

"It can't be!" Sampson gasped, "It is you. Kurata!" The man turned around. "Huh? Sampson! It's been ages! Ha ha, we still talk about all the crazy stunts you pulled," he said, getting all chummy with him.

"Wait, you guys know each other?" Marcus asked. The door opened again. "Do they ever. It's Kurata you have to thank for your recent victory," another voice answered. I turned, and there was the Director.

Gary and I growled at him, while Veemon and Tentomon got in defensive stances. "And a good afternoon to you, too," he said with a smile, pretending nothing was wrong. He continued, "After all, it was Kurata who opened the DigiGate." Kurata just took this in stride. "Well, I was just really lucky it opened at all. And I can't really take credit for luck."

Hashima took note of Marcus. "Oh, and you must be our new recruit, Marcus Damon. Kurata told me that you've joined," he said.

"Kurata? Isn't that the name of Dr. Damon's assistant?" Tentomon asked. At that point, Kurata approached Tentomon and shook his claw. "Ah Tentomon, always wiser than people give you credit - achoo! - for." "Hmmm. Methinks you have an allergy." "Well that's for me to know and you to figure out- achoo! - isn't it?"

Then, he approached Marcus and put a hand on his shoulder. "You've gotten so big, Marcus. You're almost all grown up now." Marcus did not look impressed. "Creepy," I whispered to Veemon.

Then, he started walking to me. When he got there, he shook my hand. He shook hands like a fish, and he didn't let go. His breath smelled like Limburger cheese with a side of sardines sitting out in the Atlanta sun during the entire month of July. "So... you're Gregory Logan, the elder statesman of this group of five. You were part of the original team that participated in the D-Reaper incident. Just 12 years old and able to merge with your Digimon to reach his Mega level. Well, I'm charmed and delighted to meet you, just delighted, just delighted." Then he slapped me on the back, hard.

"Um... yes, nice to meet you too, Mr. Kurata," I said, trying to be somewhat polite yet noncommittal. Thankfully, he let go, but then he ran through the same routine with Veemon. "And you must be Veemon. Charming, absolutely charming. I understand you can reach your - achoo! - Ultimate level as well." My first overall impression of Kurata was that he's the deadbeat uncle nobody ever invites to their Christmas party because he made them immediately regret it the last time he came.

"Thank you for your help, Kurata. We may not have succeeded without you, but I'm assuming that you're here because you want something," Kudamon said. Kurata turned around. "That's so like you, Kudamon. You just get right to the point as always. Yes, I am here for something. For Falcomon. And Keenan."

"Wow... hey, they're getting to be pretty popular. Somebody else just asked for those two last night, and look what happened to them," Veemon quipped. He ignored it. "That boy is such an interesting specimen, having been raised in the Digital World. I'd love to have the opportunity to study him."

"What!?" Marcus interjected.

"Well, our original plan was to have DATS look after him anyway. I approve," the director said. "Hey, hold on! This is a human being you're talking about!" Marcus cut in.

Just then, Megumi picked up something. She displayed it on the screen. It was Falcomon holding Keenan back. He was trying to make his escape. I looked at it and smiled. So did Marcus. The two of us went with our Digimon to "calm him down".

"Hey! You thinking of going somewhere, Keenan?" Marcus asked him. "Me no belong here! Better if me go home!" Keenan angrily shouted.

"This is your home, kid," I said. By now, the others had joined up with us. Of course, Marcus had a plan.

"Not any more it isn't. You're gonna stay at my house with me! From now on, I'll take care of you, Keenan!" This took me by surprise. Marcus, in charge of a kid? I bet he couldn't even take care of a hamster when he was in 2nd grade. He looked up to the camera hanging from the ceiling and got in one of his trademark tough guy stances. "Ya hear that!? Ya got anything to say!?"

Sampson must've turned on the audio feed from the War Room because we could hear the conversation. "I say you must be kidding me," the director said. "I like it," Sampson disagreed. "Huh!?" "Taking care of Keenan is one of our responsibilities, and so it's up to us how we handle it." "Well, he does have a point. This is their jurisdiction, after all. Shall we go, Director?" Kurata asked.

Marcus probably couldn't be happier. "Now that's what I'm talking about," he said, grinning from ear to ear. "You've never talked about that," Tom joked. "Marcus Damon two, Director Hashima zip," I joined in.

When we got home, the big topic at dinner that night was the new guy Kurata. "I don't care if he saved our skin, there's something about Kurata that I don't like," I firmly stated. Tom seemed to share my opinion. "You're not the only one, Greg." "I mean, did you see the way he sneezed on all the Digimon? Didn't even cover his mouth. Didn't even try."

"Yeah, I don't know if I have something now or not," Veemon added. I took a sip from my water goblet. "And his breath, ugh! I wonder if he's ever heard of Listerine."

"Now why are we insulting him again? We should be giving him something of the benefit of the doubt. After all, he did save our lives," Gary argued. I rolled my eyes at that while I cut into my coq au vin. "At least you're objective, Gary. I'll give you that," I said.

Marcus

It was a piece of cake introducing Falcomon and Keenan to the family. "Who's he?" Kristy asked from the stairs. "A new friend of mine. His name's Keenan," I said.

She got closer. "Nice to meet you. Interesting face paint you've got there." I introduced Kristy to him. "That's me!" she cheerfully answered.

Of course, she got the shock of her life when she pulled off a box to find Falcomon instead of Agumon. He got a shock as well. "...uh, hello again." "Look. You guys need a bath!" She escorted the two to the bathroom where they took a long-needed bath. I was glad she did, so I searched my drawers for some spare sticks of antiperspirant. I found some, and walked back to find Kristy acting just like Mom. They're so cute when they're young. When I got in for my bath, I realized there was no room for me.

"Where am I supposed to fit?" I wanted to know.

We found some old clothes from when I was his age. He fit them perfectly. They were ready to meet my mom at dinner. "Well, guess I'd better introduce everyone. Here's Keenan and Falcomon... his pet." "His what!?" Keenan and Falcomon asked at the same time.

"Yeah, we met," Kristy flatly said. Mom just smiled.

"Call me Mom." "Mom!? Whatever." Soon, Mom and Kristy brought out dinner. After we said grace, I started chomping away.

Kristy

"Don't get too close, or you'll lose an arm," I warned. Keenan and Falcomon looked absolutely stunned at my brother's and Agumon's eating habits. Who could blame them? But after one bite, they were hooked and started chewing down more.

"Bet I can eat more," Marcus playfully taunted. Once again, there'd be nothing left. "Don't worry, Kristy. I made a secret second dinner for us," Mom said.

Marcus

After dinner, Keenan, Falcomon, Agumon, and I played this board game, some variant of Jenga. The object was to move small shogi pieces one at a time to your side without causing the other pieces to spill from the pile. Agumon went first as he carefully slid one across the board with his claw. When he made it across, he lifted up his claws.

"I rock!" he cheered. Yeah right. "Now, your turn, Keenan," I said. He nodded and carefully went for a piece. We stared at him as he focused all his concentration on it. But unfortunately for him, he didn't make it. This was the really fun part of the game. We prepared our fingers and claws and chuckled evilly.

"It fellll," Agumon said. "That means you lose!" Falcomon added. It was time for his punishment. I could see him squirm. I played it out for all it was worth, "Penalty flick on the forehead, and you can't run away, or else you'll get another one." We all gave Keenan a flick on the forehead.

["Dancing on a High Wire"

Written by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson

Performed by The Japanese Confidentiality Ministry Boardroom [Director Hashima (Doug Stone), Dr. Akihiro Kurata (Brian Palermo), Commander Richard Sampson (Jamieson Price), Kudamon (Sam Riegel)]

In a boardroom, Director Hashima has called in Kurata and Sampson. Kudamon is present, naturally. They appear to be in a conference. Hashima speaks first, "I don't appreciate what that Damon boy is doing, Sampson. You should have handed him over to Dr. Kurata." "Since when would we ever expect you to understand anything we've done, Director?" Kudamon asks. The proverbial temperature drops several degrees as the debate begins.

Kudamon:

We're living in a different reality

Hashima:

We're toeing the same line

Sampson:

We give in

Hashima:

We call it neutrality

Kudamon:

A joke with no punchline

Kurata:

The silver plated hero

Meets the golden-hearted whore

"Yes," Hashima quickly agrees.

Hashima:

The odds'll give you zero

She'll be leaving in a few days more

What they're actually arguing about is anyone's guess. The lyrics of this song are extremely metaphorical. The verbal game of chess continues.

Sampson/Kudamon:

Movin' on forever, maybe they don't care

Holding on together, maybe it just ain't there

Hashima:

You're dancing on a high wire

You need to be so sure

There used to be a lifeline

There isn't anymore

This time, Hashima leads off.

Hashima:

We are the same

Sampson:

with no similarity

Hashima/Sampson/Kurata:

We talk at the same time

Hashima:

We believe in freedom and charity

From the corner of Kurata's face that isn't hidden by his coffee cup, we can see a shade of his true intentions.

Kurata: (in thought, VO)

As long as I get mine

Sampson attempts to use a similar analogy to Kurata.

Sampson:

The ivory madonna

Is walking through the door

You watch her from a window

It doesn't matter anymore

The match of wits goes on as Kurata and Hashima take sips of their coffee.

Sampson/Kudamon:

Movin' on forever, maybe they don't care

Holding on together, maybe it just ain't there

Kurata:

You're dancing on a high wire

You need to be so sure

There used to be a lifeline

There isn't anymore

The instrumental break starts as Kurata takes another sip, then says, "Gentlemen, the answer is perfectly clear. We cannot allow what happened last night to happen again. I believe I may have the answer." "Do you, Doctor?" Hashima asks. "Oh, of course. It's so simple, a child of four could figure out the answer." "Then what is it?" Sampson asks. Kurata gives him a half-playful, half-devious smirk. "All in due time, Commander. All in due time." Kudamon rolls his eyes, as if to say, "Riiiiiight."

Sampson/Kudamon:

Movin' on forever, maybe you don't care

Holding on together, maybe it just ain't there

Hashima:

You're dancing on a high wire

You need to be so sure

There used to be a lifeline

There isn't anymore

At this point, Kurata goes over the top (as far as this song goes), attempting to rub it in and give us shades of what's to come. He keeps just enough control to hide his true motives.

Kurata:

Dancing on a high wire

You need to be so sure

There used to be a lifeline

There isn't anymore

Sampson and Kudamon quickly come to a very logical conclusion that they're not going to win this one. We fade to black.

Greg

I had a rude awakening the next morning. My earpiece went off. I checked my nightstand and put it on, then pressed the talk button. "Greg here. Good morning." It was Henry. "Good morning, although it won't be for long. We've just spotted a Mega-level Digimon by the oil refinery." "A Mega-level Digimon?!" I asked in shock. "Dude, we'll have to check your hearing, too," he quipped. "Oh come on, Henry. The highest Veemon can go to is Ultimate, at least with this Digivice, anyway." "I know, I know. Still, you better head to the refinery on the double. It's SaberLeomon." "You got it."

I got out of bed. "Veemon! It's fightin' time!" I shouted.

After a quick grooming session, I stood there in my undershirt and green microfiber boxer briefs (with horizontal fly), thrusting my Digivice forward like the SP License on Dekaranger. "Change Standby! Emergency, Data Squad!" I shouted. Then, I dramatically dressed in my DATS uniform, clipped my iC to my belt and posed. "Six!" "Three!" Veemon corrected me. "Whatever! It's good to be invincible!" I called. "Yeah, whatever!" Veemon joined in.

Just then, I heard loud thumps on my door. "Hurry up in there, sir!" Gaomon shouted. We headed out the door, running down the stairs and towards the garage. Tom, Gary, and their Digimon were waiting for us as I drove us all to the refinery. On the way, we stopped at McDonald's. Gary and I went in and ordered MegaMuffin combos all around. It was two sausage patties, a slice of cheese, an egg, two slices of bacon, and ketchup on a toasted English muffin. It truly was the breakfast of champions. If this was going to be our last meal, it would be awesome!

Keenan

Me have great time fighting Marcus and Agumon with pillows. It strange new form of combat. Me must have stayed up too late, because me feel miserable. "Huhhhh... why me stay up so late?" me groan. As me walk into kitchen, me think me hallucinating. For one moment, me think me saw Frigimon. "Frigimon?" me ask as me got closer. Finally, me grab her from behind and giggle. "Me got you!"

But sadly, me slip right back into cold, cold reality. It bite hard. "Well, good morning. How are you? I hope you slept well." I see it just Mama of Marcus. When me realize who it was, me ran away. Unfortunately for me, me bump into Marcus. He hold me back and then he learn more Digimon attack. Me decide to turn me in, but Marcus grab shoulder. "Let go!" "No way! You're not thinking of giving yourself up again to those guys, are you?" "If me go, maybe they stop attacks! All this... all this horrible destruction my fault." "Don't be ridiculous." "Me no joking!" "You are when you say stuff like that! You just can't believe the garbage those Digimon are saying."

He start shaking me. "Trust me, you didn't do anything wrong. You understand?" "Yeah." I say that to shut him up. "You can't blame yourself for what other people do," he go on. He seek my understanding, so I give it to him. He go on, "Look, normally, we could sit down and talk about all this over a nice breakfast, but thanks to that no-good SaberLeomon, we have to rush out and jump into battle. Well that's fine by me! 'Cause anybody who keeps a guy from his breakfast deserves a heaping helping of justice Marcus style!"

Greg

We arrived at the scene and immediately assessed the situation. "I think we should go straight into Ulitmate. What do you guys think?" I asked. Gaomon was the first to speak up. "Due to the urgency of the situation, I agree." The others nodded.

"All right! Let's do this!" I decided, as I unclipped my iC as we all got in position. "Ready?" I asked. "Ready!" they responded. So, we ignited our DigiSoul and went to work.

"DigiSoul... Full, CHARGE!"

"Gaomon Warp Digivolve to..."

"Veemon Warp Digivolve to..."

"Lalamon Warp Digivolve to..."

"Tentomon Warp Digivolve to..."

"MachGaogamon!"

"AeroVeedramon!"

"Lilamon!"

"MegaKabuterimon!"

Tom pointed the way. "Initiate attack plan Delta Tau Chi!" he called. "What is Delta Tau Chi?" AeroVeedramon asked.

Tom promptly facepalmed. "Never mind. Just attack!" "Right!" So, they did. "Dragon Impulse!" "Lila Shower!" Neither attack did any good as SaberLeomon tackled into Lilamon and rammed himself into AeroVeedramon.

MachGaogamon ran at a high speed and jumped, throwing his fist towards SaberLeomon. "Take this!" he shouted. Unfortunately, the fist got caught in the lion's mouth and he started throwing MachGaogamon around like a rag doll. As soon as the fist left, SaberLeomon jumped up and slashed away at Tom's partner, who promptly hit the concrete.

I stood there with my fists clenched, trying to send some more of my DigiSoul to my buddy AeroVeedramon. "Greg, what are you doing?" Gary asked me. "Trying to help AeroVeedramon," I answered. "By doing what?" "Sending him more of my DigiSoul... I think." "That's not how it works." "Then what do we do?"

"Just stand there beside your Digimon with your fists clenched, looking angry," Tom suggested. "Oh. I can do that. AeroVeedramon!" I ran to my partner and stood there, with my fists clenched and sheer righteous indignation in my facial expression. SaberLeomon jumped to another tank and looked on. "How pathetic you Digimon are. I almost feel sorry for you! But still, for your treachery, I will destroy all of you!" he roared. I was just glad Marcus was missing this.

"Not gonna happen!" Or not. I looked up, and there he was on top of one of the highest tanks there was with Agumon. "That's right. Because once I'm on the job, nothing stops me!" he bragged. "Yeah! Get him, Boss!" Agumon agreed. With that, Marcus let out one of his trademark yells and jumped, seemingly aiming for SaberLeomon.

"AeroVeedramon, make sure he doesn't become roadkill pizza," I quickly directed. He nodded and went on his way. Marcus landed a punch on the large cat's ear. Did this affect SaberLeomon? No. "What a joke! You're even more pathetic than those Digimon!" I didn't completely disagree. That led to the cat knocking our supposed king aside.

Thankfully, Marcus landed on the ground with his fist still lit. "Let me handle him, Boss!" Agumon called. Our hotheaded hero punched his ribcage, igniting his whole body with DigiSoul. Needless to say, he agreed.

"DigiSoul! Full... CHARGE!" "Agumon Warp Digivolve to... RizeGreymon!"

"Ahh, yet another joke!" SaberLeomon scoffed.

"MachGaogamon, can you fight?" Tom asked. "Try and stop me," the wrestler cyborg dog answered. "Lilamon, are you OK?" Anya asked her partner. "I'm ready to go!" the giant flower warrior responded.

I looked to AeroVeedramon. "AeroVeedramon-" "I'm way ahead of you and ready to declaw this cat!" he cheered. "My fighting spirit still hasn't been extinguished," MegaKabuterimon stated. "Then let's shut this guy down!" Marcus shouted. "And shut him up while we're at it!" I added emphatically. "Right!" There we stood, five warriors and our fighting spirits, represented and shared by our Digimon. We were ready to live, fight and die for freedom. The time had come for someone to put their foot down. And that foot was us. "Howling Cannon!" "Lila Shower!" "Dragon Impulse!" "Electro Shocker!" "Trident Revolver!" All those attacks were headed in one direction, but for a second, SaberLeomon glowed red. Then he roared, deflecting our attacks. All of us dropped our jaws in shock as he jumped.

"Howling Crusher!" He used his gigantic claws to tear at RizeGreymon. He went down to the floor. Lilamon jumped up and tried a Beauty Slap, but that did no good. "Infinity Arrow!" I looked up the attack on my Digimon Analyzer. What SaberLeomon had done was harden the countless envenomed "hairs" in his mane and tackled his opponent, leaving her completely paralyzed.

AeroVeedramon charged up his fist, and I moved my fists in sync with his. "Magnum Crasher!" He punched SaberLeomon with a fist of glowing energy, while I punched the air. Of course, that attack did nothing but aggravate the cat. Soon, my partner was forced onto his side like a dog that was just hit by a car. "Winning Knuckle!" MachGaogamon was back down on the floor in a headlock.

"No way! Even Ultimate-level attacks are useless against him!" Anya shouted. I just slowly and blankly nodded my head.

Marcus ran to his partner. "I can't believe it! One hit did this to you, RizeGreymon? You've got to get up and try again. We can't let this guy win!"

Just then, Tom spotted something. "Oh no, what's Keenan doing there?!" he gasped. I quickly turned my head and saw Keenan, in full warrior mode, bravely standing his ground against SaberLeomon.

"That's enough!" he shouted. The cat noticed and growled menacingly. "Yes! It true! Some humons once come and attack Digital World! But still, no make it right to attack these guys! You're stuck!" My heart started racing for the guy. I mean, here he was, just becoming a member of the team, and he was going to get slaughtered. I offered a silent prayer for him.

SaberLeomon

Who is this pipsqueak to speak to me this way? He's a human himself. He can't possibly understand.

Greg

That set SaberLeomon off, and Falcomon had to rush in and save Keenan. Marcus rushed in as well. "Keenan, no!" he cried. Both human and Digimon had taken a major hit. Marcus went right to the young boy's side. "You OK?" "No. Me want to stop SaberLeomon. But can't." "Hey, you did great, kid. Just leave the rest to me."

Marcus turned to the giant cat. "SaberLeomon! How dare you pick on a defenseless kid like Keenan! That is it! It's really fightin' time now!" he shouted.

While Marcus was giving his pep talk to RizeGreymon, I turned to AeroVeedramon and thought of one of our own. "AeroVeedramon! Pick yourself up, my friend! The battle's not done!" "Ugh..." he struggled to get up. "Do you remember when Marcus and GeoGreymon took on BlackGarurumon? Marcus said 'You have my DigiSoul, and that'll carry you through anything!' Well it's the same here. We may not have Biomerged, but a part of me is within you. My DigiSoul, my very DNA. That means no matter what, we'll be fighting together! You're never alone, because I believe in you!" "Greg... I'm... sorry." "Sorry for what? That you went down? Everybody goes down at least once! What matters is getting back up again. Now get up!" "You're right... I just have to... believe in myself." With that, he got back on his feet and roared with everything he had.

Just then, we spotted something new. It looked like a robot with two appendages on the sides of its body that resemble wings, and several cables at the base of its body. SaberLeomon stared it down and started to attack it, but the thing fired a red beam. When it hit, the giant saber-toothed lion's image became negative for three seconds. It left him dazed and confused. Marcus used this opportunity to jump up and break one of his fangs with his fist. That left SaberLeomon reeling in pain.

"Marcus broke his fang!" Tom and MachGaogamon realized at the same time. I dramatically pointed to him. "Now! AeroVeedramon, show him what you've got!" I cried. "V-Breath Arrow!" AeroVeedramon shot out a V-shaped heat beam that hit the humongous feline head on, causing him to revert to a DigiEgg.

But then, that egg started crackling with electricity, then it disintegrated. We all gasped at that. "The DigiEgg!"

"Wow... very impressive," a voice said, clapping. I turned, and there was Kurata. "Oh no..." I groaned. "I have never seen such a display of strength and teamwork before," the professor droned.

"What are you doing here?" Anya asked him as he approached us. "Well, let's just say I was in the neighborhood. Now, about that strange Digimon I saw. Can you tell me its name?"

"SaberLeomon," I flatly answered. "No, no, no. I meant the other one. The purple one that fired the laser," Kurata clarified. "Oh, that one. I hadn't seen it before in my life. Must be a new one."

Tom looked it up on his laptop. "There's no record of it in the database," he said. "It sure was strong. I mean, none of you made a tiny little dent in SaberLeomon until it came along. Uh, sorry, no offense, your efforts are nothing to sneeze at- achoo!" Kurata sneezed on Agumon again, then continued, "Perhaps we're not even taking the right approach at all. I mean many if not all Digimon see humans as their sworn enemies. I believe we should do something about that. Wouldn't you agree it's a problem that needs taking care of... Thomas?" The two stared each other down.

"Kurata, I'm going to take you in to see the nurse. We're going to get to the root of this apparent Digimon allergy," I said. He put his hand up. "Oh no, no. I'm fine," he coolly stated.

Author's Notes:

Delta Tau Chi is the fictional fraternity from the movie National Lampoon's Animal House. That's also where the quote "The time has come for someone to put their foot down. And that foot is me." is derived from.

"It's good to be invincible!" is the catchphrase used by DekaBreak in Dekaranger.

The MegaMuffin is actually a breakfast item at McDonald's in Japan. At least it was in 2008. I tried looking up the breakfast menu at McDonald's Japanese website, but I can't read Japanese so I couldn't tell.

Hint: Keep your ears open for next chapter. Questioning authority has never rocked this much before.