Chapter 94: Global Gathering
Hello readers. I hope you're all well and safe, and away from the virus spreading around the world at the moment. I hope that your friends and families are well and safe too.
Many thanks to Raxius for your review of the previous chapter. I really appreciate your regular feedback.
The Digimon Adventure reboot is going to begin next month. It'll be interesting to see where they go with it. From what I've seen in the trailers, it does have a noticeably different feel to it.
The light spewed out from the TV and over the field before Davis felt his feet touch the grass below. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath of the fresh evening air. It was nice to be able to visit the Digital World, especially on a day like this. Although, he wasn't here to play because he and Ken had important things to attend to.
Davis' eyebrow rose as he glanced around the meadow. "Are we the first ones here?"
"There's a first time for everything." Veemon shrugged. "And it's probably the last time too."
"Hey." Davis faked annoyance and placed his hands on his hips. "You're even worse at time keeping than I am, Veemon. You make even me look on time for things."
"That's because all of the clocks in your parents' place are analogue clocks. I can't understand them." Veemon huffed and folded his arms. "I'm a Digimon so I can only read digital things."
Ken chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. "I don't think it works like that, somehow."
"I can read analogue clocks," Wormmon added proudly. "It's rather easy when you know how."
Veemon's lips turned upwards as he glanced over at his DNA digivolution partner. "Really? I was just kidding to wind up Davis. Get it? Wind up and clocks?"
"Anyway, getting back on track," Ken interrupted and he rubbed his forehead. "We're ten minutes early because we need to be here before the international Digidestined arrive. It would be rather rude of us to ask them for their help and make them wait."
"I still kind of expected someone to be here before us." Davis shrugged as he placed his hands behind his head and strolled over to a rock in the meadow. He took a seat and gazed over at the TV. "Even when I try to be early, someone is always earlier."
The TV suddenly lit up and the light shone out across the field. Davis watched as the forms of two guys and their Digimon took shape within it. He recognised them and their partners instantly as the light faded away.
The first teen boy, Willis, was the same age as him and lived in New York but was originally from Colorado. He was slightly shorter than Davis and was rather skinny too. Despite how often he'd flirt with the Digidestined girls and that he was surprisingly good at running, he was more known for his love of computers. After all, he'd often discuss things related to the Digital World with Izzy and Ken for hours at a time. His grey shorts and red t-shirt were slightly ruffled, just like his short blonde hair.
The second and older of the guys joining them was Michael. He was from California and was the son of a famous movie star, which had prompted Davis to ask him many questions once he'd found out that piece of information several years ago. His wavy blonde hair and blue eyes, along with his athletic body, had helped him get a reputation of being a rather handsome lady's man amongst the Digidestined. Unlike Willis, his designer green shirt and navy jeans were rather cool and Davis guessed that should be expected given his father's job.
"Willis! Michael!" He leapt off the rock and sprinted over to them. "It's great to see you again!"
Davis fist bumped Willis before sharing one with Michael. Veemon, Lopmon, Terriermon and Betamon mirrored their partners as Ken joined them to shake Michael's and Willis' hands. The group quickly moved away from the TV just in case any of the other Digidestined arrived and accidentally landed on top of them.
"It's great to see you as well," Michael replied with a smile. "We're glad that you're finally letting us help out. Every American Digidestined has been wanting to join in since the initial invasion happened."
The TV lit up once again and another figure started taking shape within it. The light died down to reveal a young Indian woman, Mina, and her Digimon partner, Candlemon, which Davis knew digivolved into a Meramon. Mina had long dark brown hair and she was wearing an orange and pink Hindu-style dress. She was a similar height to Davis and was a year older than him.
She quickly moved out of the way of the TV as Davis and the others greeted her. Within seconds, the TV lit up again as another Digidestined arrived with a Crabmon. Derek had a light brown afro, and was wearing jeans and a Hawaiian shirt. He was sixteen, like Davis and Ken, and the goggle-head knew from their previous chats that he was into surfing. To visit Derek in Australia and to go surfing with him one day was actually on Davis' bucket list of things to do.
The next to arrive was a thirteen year old Mexican girl named Rosa and her Gotsumon partner. She had long brown hair, and was wearing a pink shirt and denim skirt. Davis knew that this cheerful girl once had a huge crush on Ken, but her interest in him seemed to have faded over time because of Ken's relationship with Yolei.
Catherine arrived shortly afterwards with her partner, Floramon. She was the French Digidestined who had caught the eye of a lot of the male Digidestined around the world and, just like the other guys, Davis thought that she was stunning. Her long blonde hair reached midway down her back and her blue eyes seemed to sparkle in the Digiworld sunlight. Her red dress hugged the curves of her slim hips, her flat stomach and her perky large breasts, while showing off her long slender legs at the same time.
The light emitted from the TV again and two girls arrived from Russia. The first was Sonya, who had long blonde hair that reached just below her shoulders. She was wearing a t-shirt that hugged the curves of her large boobs, and her jeans showed off her curvy hips and long legs. Davis knew that she was the same age as him and Catherine from what Yolei had told him previously.
Anna, who was two years older than them, had short blonde hair and was more petite compared to Sonya. Her figure was closer to that of Catherine's, excepted her orange top showed that she was a few bra sizes smaller than the young French lady. Although, she was still slightly above average in that sense compared to a normal woman. Anna's black skirt hugged the curves of her slim hips and showed off her legs, which hinted that she was quite an athletic girl and into sports.
Anna's partner was a Tapirmon that digivolved into a Unimon and Sonya had a Kunemon who digivolved to a Snimon. The two Digimon hugged Floramon as Sonya and Anna exchanged hugs with Catherine before they exchanged greetings with the others. Davis knew that the three teen girls were close friends from the conversations that he'd seen on the Digidestineds' forums.
It took a few more minutes for the TV to light up again, signalling that the final group were arriving. The figures of three guys formed within it along with their shell-like Digimon partners. Davis knew that these were the Poi brothers and that they were all paired with Syakomon. The oldest of the brothers was the same age as Tai, the middle one was sixteen and the youngest was thirteen.
The group exchanged greetings with the final arrivals before Davis led them over to the portal. He checked the settings on his digivice to make sure that it was set to the right computer in the DPD base before he turned to his friends. "Is everyone ready to go?"
He received nods of agreement from the others as they all readied their digivices. The goggle-head turned around and pointed his gadget at the screen. "Alright, let's go!"
Kari sat down in her chair in the Digidestineds' office and was joined by TK, Patamon and Gatomon. Her husband took her hand in his and they laced their fingers. Davis and Ken had left a few minutes ago to meet up with the International Digidestined and they were waiting for them to come back.
The Japanese Digidestined had been given some extra time to prepare for this meeting, or at least Kari, TK, Izzy and Mimi had because they had returned from their patrol early. Metalseadramon being around Tokyo and following them like he had was still worrying Kari but she pushed it to the back of her mind for now. After all, they had this meeting with their Digidestined friends from around the world first.
The meeting was due to cover things like the numbers involved, strategies and potential timings for their attempt to retake Tokyo. Mitsuo and Riley were present to give their input, along with all of the Japanese Digidestined in the base. Given the importance of the subject and the planning that was likely to be involved, Kari guessed that this could quite easily go on long into the night even if some of the basic stuff had been covered on the Digidestineds' forums and chatrooms. They would probably have to have some follow up meetings too.
Kari glanced around the room, looking at what had been set up. They had a list of all of the Digidestined who were going to be involved, their Digimon partners and what level their partners could digivolve to. There were satellite images and aerial photos of Tokyo on the TV screens with several of them zoomed in and focused on certain areas where the international Digidestined were going to be.
Tai stood at the front of the room with Matt and Izzy. The three of them were looking at the overall map of Tokyo and were discussing safe places for their Digimon allies to be brought to Earth via the digiports. They were going to need large and open spaces to do something like that because, after all, they were bringing an army through. Areas like that weren't that easy to find in Tokyo, especially ones that would be relatively safe.
Kari relaxed in her chair and sighed. She wondered how much talking she would have to do during the meeting because, after all, she was the one who had come up with this plan. Her actions and ideas had set this in motion even if she was relying on the others to get this to a point where they could enact it.
It would have been ok if she was going to be talking in Japanese, or in the Digital World where everyone spoke the same language. However, because the international Digidestined would be at the base, it meant that Kari knew that she'd have to speak in English. Her grades in her English class were really good and everyone she spoke to online told her that she spoke the language very well, but that still didn't mean it would easy.
TK gave her hand a gentle squeeze and slowly rubbed his thumb over hers, prompting Kari to glance at him. He smiled at her in that certain way that told her that he was saying it was going to be alright and that there was nothing to worry about. The brunette teen smiled back and leaned forwards. The couple closed their eyes and shared a quick peck on the lips before relaxing back in their chairs.
They continued to wait for Davis and Ken to come back with their fellow Digidestined from around the world. Those in the room chatted amongst themselves until finally light erupted from Ken's computer. Everyone moved to a safe distance before the outlines of various people and their Digimon partners started forming.
"Welcome to the secret base," Davis announced to their friends in surprisingly good English as the light faded away. Then again, given how often the goggle-head chatted with Willis and Michael online, it really shouldn't have been a surprise. "This is where we've been operating from for the past few months."
Kari and TK stood up as the Japanese Digidestined and Digimon welcomed their international counterparts. The young woman shared a knowing glance with her husband when she saw Willis making his way over to her with Davis behind him. She was reminded of when they first met and how he kept calling her and Yolei cute.
"It's good to see you again, Kari, TK." Willis held out his hand to shake theirs'. Kari took it and shook his hand before he moved on to shake hands with TK too. She was rather relieved that he didn't kiss her cheek again. Willis was a nice guy but his flirting was a bit too much. Thankfully, he'd toned it back significantly once he'd found out that she and TK were together. "Are you both well?"
"As well as can be, thanks," Kari replied for them as she gave him a smile. "How about you?"
"I'm good, thanks." His smile grew a little. "And I'm even better now I get to meet you and all of my friends here in Japan."
"Kari!" He was stopped as the three Poi brothers arrived by his side. Each of them reached out and shook hands with Kari. She was rather amused though because they seemed less enthusiastic to shake TK's hand.
The thought crossed Kari's mind as to whether she should just kiss TK's face off or make out with him right at that moment just to make sure that the guys in front of her knew that there were certain boundaries that they shouldn't cross. She was, after all, married to TK, and Kari didn't really want to cause any hassle for him or deal with the advances from guys that she only saw as friends.
Kari wondered if telling them that she and TK were married would be a good idea, but she decided against it for the moment. Kari definitely wasn't going to mention anything about being pregnant with her and TK's baby just yet because she was planning to tell everybody whilst they were discussing how they were going to take back Tokyo. After all, it was a key part of how they recruited their Digimon allies, so she couldn't hide it for too long.
"It looks like your whole fan club is here, Kari," TK teased her as he retook her hand in his. She saw the grin on his face and was about to quip back but wasn't given the chance.
"That includes you," Davis joked as he grinned and playfully punched his friend's arm. "You're her biggest fan and number one fanboy. I'd say you're the president of Kari's fan club, TK."
"Of course he's the president," Patamon butted in from his perch on TK's hat. "He's the one who married her."
Kari scratched the back of her head sheepishly as she gazed down at the floor. So much for keeping that quiet. She took a glance at TK and noticed him shuffle awkwardly too. It was at that moment that she remembered that most of their Digimon could probably already sense her daughter inside her. There was a good chance that they might ask questions before she was ready to say anything.
"Oh?" Willis was first to break the silence. "Congratulations. It's a bit of a surprise but I'm happy for you both. You're a great fit for each other."
"Congratulations," the Poi brothers added before the oldest of them continued. "I hope you have long and happy lives together."
"Thank you very much," Kari and TK replied in their usual unison, which seemed to be there when they spoke not only Japanese but English too, as they bowed. Once they raised their heads, Kari continued for them both. "Sorry we haven't mentioned it. Things have been rather busy for us recently and the situation is complex and difficult."
"Bonjour TK. Bonjour Kari," Catherine spoke up as she joined in and hugged Kari before she gave one to TK. "I overheard that you're married now. Congratulations."
"Bonjour Catherine," they replied together as TK pulled back after the hug. "Merci."
The pleasantries and greetings continued as DPD members brought refreshments into the room. The final preparations were made and things were set up so that the international Digidestined could take some of the spare desks in the office. It didn't take too long to get ready because they all knew that they had very serious matters to discuss.
"Please may I have your attention," Tai spoke loudly to the room. Kari's eyes fixed onto her brother as he stood in front of the TV's. "Please can you take your seats so that we can start the meeting."
The chatter died down as the Digidestined made their way to their desks. Kari stood next to TK at the head of the room because they were going to be responsible for explaining some of the plan. She felt TK take her hand again, lacing their fingers together as they waited next to Matt, Tai and Izzy. Silence quickly fell over the room once everyone was in their seats and ready to go.
"Thank you very much for coming and thank you for offering to help us," Tai started. "Thank you for being here to represent your regions and for being our main focal point for communicating our plans with the rest of the Digidestined around the world. We really appreciate your help and we hope that we can drive Dragomon out of Tokyo and off Earth together."
The Digidestined were going to be divided up depending on their region. Catherine, Sonya and Anna were representing the European and African Digidestined. Mina was there on behalf of those from the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East. The Poi brothers were the ones picked to represent China and South East Asia. Rosa was looking after things for Central and South America as well as the Caribbean. Derek was representing things for Oceania whilst both Willis and Michael were the leaders of the rather large North American contingent of Digidestined.
"The plan for this meeting is to go over the basic strategies and the initial suggestions for where each group will be located," Tai continued. "We want to discuss these details and hear your feedback on them. We would like you to discuss the plans with your Digidestined and Digimon friends too and give us their feedback."
"As you know, you will have two main roles during this," Matt took over from Tai. "The first is to fight Dragomon's forces. The second is to coordinate our forces in the area where you are. We're currently creating an army of our own with the help of our friends in the Digital World. They have got a lot of Digimon to join us and we have also managed to get Digimon to leave Dragomon and join our side instead."
"Kari." Tai glanced over in his sister's direction. "Because you came up with this plan, I think that you should tell them the main details."
"Ok, Tai." Kari nodded and took a deep breath. She tightened her grip on TK's hand and decided that now would be the best time to inform those who didn't know about her baby. Her cheeks heated up as she gazed across the room. "Before I start to tell you the outline of the plan, I have some important news to tell those of you who don't know it. Getting the Digimon in the Digital World to join us and getting the Megadramon, Gigadramon and Airdramon to leave Dragomon was made possible because I am pregnant with my and TK's baby."
She took another deep breath as she focused on the international Digidestineds' reaction. Kari could see that Willis and the others had managed to connect the dots together and figured out why she and TK had gotten married. "Digimon can sense light energy coming from our baby and they know that I am pregnant. This is important because it has helped us to get Digimon to join us in the Digital World. It is very important because those that left Dragomon to join us say that TK and I having a baby will help us win."
"Bye." Kari waved one last time as she watched Davis and Ken leave with their Digidestined friends from around the world. After the light of the digiport died down, she laced her fingers with TK's once more as they stood there in the office.
"I think that went rather well." TK smiled as he gave her hand a squeeze. "Your English was very good and everyone understood what you were saying. Your French is getting better too. You might be able to have a whole conversation in French with my grandparents next time we visit them."
Gatomon nodded. "They seemed to understand all of the plan and there wasn't any confusion at all. I'd say that you did a great job, Kari."
"Thanks." Kari smiled back as she stepped closer to her husband. "It helps that you're fluent in both English and French, and that you're really good at teaching me, TK."
A very large yawn escaped Patamon's mouth, reminding them of just how long the meeting had been. "I know it's important but it did go on for ages."
"That's because we had a lot of important things to talk about." TK poked his partner's cheek before he checked his watch. "Although, it did last for over four hours and it's now rather late. I feel sorry for those that had to come here when it's the middle of the night for them and they'd normally be sleeping."
"Speaking of sleeping …" A yawn arrived on cue and stopped Kari midsentence. "We should head to bed. We've got a couple of busy days ahead of us now."
"Yeah." TK nodded. "I think that we all could do with some sleep."
I decided that it was best to write the International Digidestined and the meeting in this way because it would be easier, quicker and more interesting than me writing the whole meeting. After all, I'm not sure that you'd like to read long pieces where they just discuss the various parts of the plan, especially when a lot of it will be in the upcoming battle.
I hope that it was easy to figure out when the characters were speaking Japanese and when they were speaking English in this chapter. I tried to hint when they would be speaking in English with the International Digidestined. It's rather difficult to find a way to make it clear because this story is written in English and they're normally speaking Japanese in it, so it ends up looking like they're speaking in English when they're meant to be speaking in Japanese. I did think of using italics for the English parts. Would that have been better?
Please can you let me know what you think to these things and the chapter as a whole by leaving a review? Please stay well and stay safe :D
