A dream. It's the same dream again. I'm in the same limousine. I can see inside the car with more clarity. My head isn't throbbing as much, and there's no ringing in my ears. I'm more focused. I see the same man sitting down in the couch. He didn't look like any old man I've seen before. His long nose clearly stands out. Sitting on the sofa next to his is a beautiful, young woman who gives off an air of maturity and dignity.
"Hello, and welcome to the Velvet Room," the long-nosed man said. "You have finally arrived in proper. I am so pleased to meet you. Please, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Igor, and this is my assistant, Margaret."
"Only those who have formed a contract are allowed to enter this space," Margret said. "Congratulations, for you have heard your inner voice and accepted your calling."
"You see, this place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. I would like you to take this. This is a Contractor's Key. It is proof that you are a special guest here in the Velvet Room."
"The power you have awakened is that of the Strength Arcana. Right side up, it indicates courage, compassion, and emotional control. Upside down, it signifies fear, self-doubt, and low self-esteem. Perhaps some or most of these traits associate with you in some way."
"Tell me, do you believe in fortune telling? It is done with the same set of cards, yet the results are different each time. The destiny that lies ahead of you is rather interesting. Make the right choices, or else your future will be lost forever. For your destiny to hold true, you need to create bonds."
"By forming a strong connection with multiple allies, your power, as well as the power of those you bonded with, will grow exponentially. They will be the light that will guide you to the truth that you seek. Never forget that."
"I am quite curious as to how you will handle these new powers. I look forward to observing your potential and traveling this road of your destiny together. Well now, until we meet again."
Episode 3
I slowly opened my eyes and surveyed my surroundings. I found myself sleeping on Izzy's couch with a blanket covering me.
"So, you're finally awake," Izzy said, working on his computer.
"How did I end up here," I asked, sitting upright.
"Don't you remember? We carried you over to my place. We couldn't just go to your house and explain to your family what happened given the time of day and the condition you were in."
"Right, I remember feeling exhausted after fighting against those things. Speaking of which, what happened while I was out? How was the shopping district?"
"Well, the good news is that it wasn't as bad as Shimbashi and Tamachi. The bad news is that the news sites are all over it."
"I see. I guess that means we failed."
"Not necessarily. Considering that we were going into this situation blindly, I'd say today was a success. We've learned exactly what the media are calling 'riots,' the cause and the perpetrators for said violence, and a means to stop it."
"Well, yeah, we know what is causing all that destruction, but we still don't know what exactly those things are."
"Well, they weren't Digimon. That's for certain."
"What are you talking about? Those things fused with the Digimon that came to our world. If it's some sort of Dark DNA digivolution, wouldn't it make more sense if they are Digimon?"
"They could be a new Digimon that we were unaware of or have never seen before, but I checked through my entire database and dugged deep into the Digital Word's database. I can say with certainly that what we just fought was neither a Digimon, a mutated Digimon, or a virus Digimon."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, all Digimon have some sort of code that let's us and other Digimon know exactly what kind of Digimon it is. Think of it as our version of DNA. If that thing was a mutated variant of any Digimon, it would, at least, share a similar set of of codes with said Digimon. If it was a virus, it would have its own personal code, something that would make it distinct from other Digimon, but still be considered data of some kind. If I had to compare those things to something, it would be something more organic, like animals and such."
"What? There's no way those things are animals. Those things are more like aliens than anything else, like something out of a sci-fi movie or an online occult website."
"That's what I'm trying to get at. I don't have a name for it, but for now, let's call them Unidentified Shadow Species or USS for short."
"Okay then, what do we know about these USS things?"
"For now, all we know is that these creatures appear whenever that sudden thick fog appears. Assuming that the same thing happened during the first two times these attacks occurred, we can hypothesize that they appear late at night after a heavy rainfall in conjunction with the fog. They can act independently or as a parasite by attaching itself, or in this case, fusing itself, with things such as Digimon."
"They also seeped out from the ground. Does that mean they normally live underground?"
"I wouldn't really use the word 'live' to describe that. 'Appeared' is a better term. Sure, in our instance, they came from the ground, but I wouldn't be surprised if they appeared from the walls or the ceiling as well. The fog is the catalyst that allows them to appear and take shape."
"Speaking of Digimon, I remember Matt and Sora trying to summon their Digimon inside the fog, but they failed. Do you think the fog is affecting our interaction with them in some way?"
"It's possible, but there were those distortions that appeared in the TVs and the computers, including my computer, where all the Digimon emerged to fight against the USS. The question is why the distortions were able to send Digimon in and out, but our Digivice cannot do the same thing. Something within the fog must be harming or tampering with our Digivice in some way. By the way, when you summoned Agumon into the Real World inside the fog, you didn't really use your Digivice, but something else. What did you call it? A Persona?"
"Yeah. I'm not sure why, but that word came out of my mouth, kind of like a password to a locked phone or something."
"A password? So, it's possible that this 'Persona' thing is a keyword that allows us to bypass whatever interference the fog is doing on our Digivice."
"Ugh, my head is spinning from all this talk about the USS and stuff. I'm going back to sleep."
"No, you're not; we have school today."
"Seriously? Just give me five extra minutes."
"Not happening. Now, hurry up, and get dressed."
"How? I'm not wearing my school uniform, and I didn't bring it with me, either."
"I've already asked Matt if he can lend us his spare. It's already folded neatly on the table. I've also talking to Kari and asked if she could bring your uniform to our school before heading over to the middle school."
"You talked to Kari? You didn't tell her about what happened, did you?"
"Of course, I did."
"What? Why?"
"She was going to find out sooner or later. We both know how bad you are at lying. Besides, she's one of us, and given your current condition, I believe she has every right to know what we are doing. I've already talked to Matt about informing TK about it. He said that TK already knows, so I'm pretty sure that, even if Kari doesn't hear the full details from you, she'll eventually know that something was amiss prior to my phone call."
"Go figure."
"Just change into the school uniform, for now. We can talk about this more in detail after school. If you want to use the shower, you're more than happy to do so."
"Thanks. After what happened yesterday, I could use one."
I was still a little woozy, so I took my time leaving the couch. Walking to the bathroom, I lost my footing and slipped onto the television. Instead of hitting the screen, half of my body went through it.
"Tai, is everything O… K…," Izzy said, looking over his computer. "Wait, what? What's going on?"
Realizing what was happening, I quickly pulled my body out.
"Tai, did I just saw that I think I saw," Izzy said, running up to me.
"Huh, I didn't get completely sucked in like last time," I muttered to myself.
"Sucked in? Last time? Wait, this happened before, and you didn't tell me about it?"
"Why are you getting so worked up for?"
"You just went inside the TV, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I did, but…."
"Why did you hide that information from me?"
"Calm down, Izzy. I wasn't hiding anything. The last time it happened, I just thought it was a dream and tried not to think about it."
"Stick your hand into the TV again."
"What? What for?"
"Just do it."
"Alright, alright, I get it. You're a bit jumpy today."
I stuck my hand through the TV, as requested. Life before, my body wasn't getting sucked in.
"Amazing," Izzy said. "Your hand went through like it was nothing. Hey, half of your body went into the TV a few minutes ago. What was it like? Did you see anything?"
"No, not really. It was more of an empty void than anything else."
"You mean there was nothing on the other side? That's strange."
"It's a TV. Wouldn't it be weirder if there was something inside?"
"Have you ever disassembled a television? There would be wires and circuit boards, among other things. Wait, that's not the point. Remember when you said that you saw the Digital World when you were watching the Midnight Channel? I was hoping that, when you went through the TV, you saw the Digital World."
"Yeah, you're right, but I didn't. But, when we wanted to go back and forth into the Digital World, it was through one of those distortions, right?"
"Right, but during the attack of the USS, those distortions appeared in front of the televisions and computers. I was hoping that the TV would also act as a portal to traverse between the Real World and the Digital World.
"I get it. But if the TV doesn't lead to the Digital World, where does it go to?"
"I don't know, but that's all the more reason to check it out."
"You're not seriously suggesting we head in there, are you?"
"Not now, of course. We have school first."
"That's what you're concerned about? I thought you wanted to get some gear first before heading inside."
"Yes, there's that, but I think it's better if we tell everyone what we just learned before heading inside. It wouldn't do us any favors if we were the only ones who knew about it and something happened to us while we were inside."
"You have a point."
"So, after school, let's gather everyone here so we can talk about our next course of action."
"Got it."
"And hurry up and change into Matt's school uniform. We're going to be late."
"What? All this time, we were talking, and I missed my chance to take a shower? I'm going to feel disgusting heading over to school."
"Just take one during lunchtime at the school gym."
"That's going to feel like forever."
"Man up, already. I can't wait to tell everyone all this new information that we found. My heart is pounding fast just thinking about how they are going to react."
"You sound very jittery for no reason."
"Are you kidding? There's a mysterious world inside a television that is not the Digital World, and we're about to go inside it. Doesn't that thought excite you?"
"Not really."
"You're no fun. Anyway, I'm going to go ahead first. If you choose to take a shower, when you're done, leave the towel that you used in the basket so I know what to wash."
"Alright, whatever."
When Izzy opened the door, Kari was standing behind it. Her arms were crossed, and she was carrying a brown bag, presumably with my uniform. Izzy quickly ditched me so I would take the brunt of her anger. After following Izzy with her eyes, she glared at me. I sighed.
An awkward tension filled the air as Kari and I walked to school together.
"Um, Kari," I said, politely.
No answer.
"Kari-san?"
Kari frowned
"Kamiya-san?"
Kari turned away from me.
"You know, if you keep frowning like that, you're going to ruin your cute face."
Kari stepped on my foot.
"Ow! You didn't have to do that. Listen, I'm sorry, okay?"
"Sorry for what?"
"Oh, now, you chose to speak up."
"…"
"Okay, I get it. I'm sorry for not telling you what's been going on these past few days. I didn't know what was going to happen, and I wasn't going to say anything until I knew for certain what we were dealing with. I probably should have told you everything anyway, but I didn't. I'm sorry for worrying you like that."
"Tai, we're teammates, right?"
"Of course, we are."
"We're also brother and sister, right?"
"What kind of question is that? You'll always be my sister."
"Then, why didn't you say anything?"
"Well… that's…."
"When we were in the Digital World, and you fell down the cavern, I thought I lost you. I thought you were gone forever. I thought my whole world disappeared right then and there. But, do you know what is worse than seeing you disappear? Getting informed that you were actually gone while I was living my everyday life. I saw you gone from my life once. I don't want it to happen again behind my back. I wouldn't be able to take it anymore. I can't… I just… can't…."
Kari stopped walking and started crying. I quickly embraced her and patted her head.
"Kari, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry. I didn't mean to make you cry," I said.
"I hate you," Kari replied.
"I know."
"You suck."
"Yeah, I'm a pretty lousy brother."
"Don't leave me again."
"I promise that won't happen."
"You break your promises often."
"Hey, cut me some slack here. At least, I try to keep them."
I noticed that there were a variety of students from both schools who stopped and watched what was happening.
"Hey, we should probably let go. We're making a scene here," I said.
I loosened my hug around her, but Kari clutched onto my uniform and cried louder.
"Hey, come on. Please don't cry. I already said 'I'm sorry,' right? Please, stop crying. I'll do anything. I swear. I promise."
"…Anything?"
"Um, yeah, I did say that, so, yeah, anything, I guess."
"Then, after school, I want some ice cream, a locket necklace, and a stuffed cat plush."
"Huh?"
"Otherwise, I'll tell mom where you hide your 'important books.'"
"Wait, how do you know about that? And when did you find them?"
"Not telling."
"Hey, you can't just suddenly act all cute and stick out your tongue like that. It's not fair."
"Bye, Tai, don't break your promise!"
"Hey, get back here! We're not done talking!"
Kari waved goodbye as she ran to the school gate. I sighed, thinking about how to submit to her demands.
As agreed, after school, Matt, Sora, Izzy, Mimi, TK, Kari, and I headed over to Izzy's office. Inside, Izzy and I informed everyone about what happened this morning, and I even demonstrated it by pushing my hand through the television for a few seconds before retracting it.
"Wow, your hand really went through the television," Mimi said. "Is it a magic trick? Like, is there some sort of sleight-of-hand that I wasn't able to tell?"
"That is pretty freaky," Sora replied.
"Hey, now that I think about it, didn't something like this happen before, with Tai and Matt entering the Digital World that one time," TK questioned.
"Oh, you're talking about the incident a couple of years ago," Izzy replied. "I do admit, it did felt similar in some ways, but Tai confirmed that the other side wasn't the Digital World."
"Yeah, it was just one black void," Tai said.
"Hey, Matt, do you want to try sticking your hand in," TK asked. "If Tai can do it, maybe you can do it, too."
"I'll give it a shot," Matt said.
Matt headed over to the TV and tried to push his hand through it, but he was unable to get past the screen.
"No good; I can't get through," Matt said.
"Tai, try putting in your hand first, and then Matt can put his hand right after," Izzy said.
Testing his theory, I placed my hand through the TV. Matt tried the same move again. This time, he successfully sent his hand through the screen.
"That's incredible," Mimi said.
"So, as long as Tai is able to go through the television screen, other people can go through as long as they go in at the same time. How interesting," Sora said.
"Okay, so we know how it works, but we don't know where it goes, since, according to Tai, whatever is over there is not the Digital World," TK commented.
"That is why we're here today," Izzy said. "So, here is my plan. Tai and I are going to go inside the TV and investigate the contents inside."
"By yourselves," Mimi asked.
"Isn't that a bit dangerous," Sora asked.
"That is where this comes in," Izzy said.
"Is that rope," Matt asked.
"What are you going to use that for," TK questioned.
"Don't tell me," Sora said.
"That's right," Izzy said. "Tai and I will have these wrapped around our waists. It's about 200 meters in length, the size of four swimming pools. Don't worry; I don't plan on walking that far. We're just going to take a look around and record what we saw. Afterwards, I'll tug on the rope to let you know we are done so you guys can slowly pull us in as we head back to the Real World."
"Are you sure you guys are going to be okay," Sora asked.
"It sounds kind of dangerous," Mimi said.
"Let me come with you," Matt said.
"No, Matt, you stay here," I said. "We don't know what's on the other side, and something can happens to us while we are there."
"Don't say stuff like that. That's scary," Mimi replied.
"Tai," Kari said, with a worried look.
"Don't worry; I'm sure everything will be fine," I replied, patting her head.
"I'll keep an eye on him in case something run amiss," Izzy said. "Like he said, we are heading into uncharted territory, so we have to be prepared for the worst. I already packed a variety of things with me in case we come across something that requires further inspection."
"While that's reassuring, it's still rather worrisome," Sora replied.
"If going inside the TV can provide us a clue as to what those things are and how to stop them from fighting the Digimon, that's more than enough reason to enter it," I said.
"I agree," Izzy said. "If you're ready, Tai, let's begin. Remember, if we tug it hard once, it means something happened, so pull us out quickly. If we tug at it twice, it means we're ready to return, so you can slowly reel us in."
"Got it," Matt said.
"Will do," TK replied.
"Tai, be careful, okay," Kari said.
"Don't worry. We'll be fine. I promise," I said.
Izzy and I nodded, and the two of us went inside the television. As we dove into the TV, the rope slowly started to slide through the television. All of a sudden, it stopped.
"Hey, don't those ropes look a little tight to you," Mimi asked.
Matt and TK immediately rushed to the ropes to check on them. Once they confirmed what Mimi said, the two quickly tried to pull the rope, but both of them snapped.
"Oh no," TK said.
Kari collapsed down to her knees.
"Kari, what's wrong," Sora asked, kneeling to her.
"Again," Kari muttered. "It's happening again. Tai… my brother… he's…."
"I-It's okay," Mimi said to Kari. "I'm sure everything's okay. B-Besides, Izzy's with him, and he's brought a lot of stuff with him, so I'm sure it will be fine."
"Yeah, you're right," Matt replied. "You guys better come back here alive, you hear?"
Meanwhile, Izzy and I kept falling deeper into the TV. Eventually, we landed on a steel floor of a TV studio. There were several flood lights and film cameras scattered and attached to various lighting trusses. The sky was yellow, and the air was coated in a thick fog.
"Ow, ow, ow, I didn't expect that kind of landing," Izzy said.
"Well, this doesn't look like the Digital World," Tai said. "I've never seen anything like this before."
"Hold on, let me grab my computer and… Oh no!"
"What is it?"
"The rope. It snapped off."
"What? You're right. We fell down pretty far, too. Who knows how far up the exit is?"
"It gets worse. My computer is acting berserk. I can't get it to work the same way it did in the Digital World. I think this fog is interfering with my connection to the server."
"So, if this really isn't the Digital World, what is this place?"
"I don't know, but standing here isn't going to do us any favors."
"You're right. I'm sure everyone is worried about us, so we better find a way back to the Real World. I guess that means we're doing it the old-fashioned way."
The two of us walked up a ramp to leave the studio. As we continued to explore, the landscape dramatically changed from a TV studio to a deserted, rundown neighborhood. The sky was an ominous red, and there were barely any streetlights.
"Hey, doesn't this place look familiar to you," I asked.
"Yeah, you're right; it looks like the Odaiba Shopping District," Izzy responded.
"It looks completely damaged, too. It's even worse than the Real World. Do you think this is some sort of alternate reality or a post-apocalyptic future or something?"
"I don't know; there's too little information to tell. Come on; work already. I'm trying to type and record everything that we are seeing and experiencing, but it doesn't let me do anything."
"Keep your eyes on the road, Izzy. Don't stick them in the computer the whole way."
"I will after I try to input all this information in. Stop glitching or bugging every time I try to do something. Why won't you work?"
"Izzy, calm down."
"Don't tell me to calm down! I need to do this! I have to do this!"
"Izzy, what's wrong? Why are you getting all worked up?"
"You don't get it, Tai. I'm obviously not as physically strong as all of you, so all I have to offer is my knowledge. If you take that away from me, then I'd be a worthless asset to the team. So, I need to know anything and everything. I need to be useful in some way; otherwise, I'm a liability who would only get in your way."
"Izzy… That's…."
"Worthless? A liability? Is that really what you think," an ominous voice echoed.
"Who's there," I shouted.
I quickly put on my goggles and looked around the area.
"Truth is, you think everyone else in your team is worthless," the voice continued.
"Come out! Show yourself," I yelled.
Looking down the road, I noticed a faint set of lines travelling towards our direction. I grasped onto my Digivice inside my pocket. As the lines of distortions came closer, I had a better sense of what it was. When it stopped, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
"Isn't that right, me," the voice said to us.
"What the…? Two Izzies," I said.
"Huh? Wait, this doesn't make sense. Who are you," Izzy asked.
"I'm you, of course," the other Izzy responded.
"No, that can't be right. You must be a Digimon disguised as me. Tell me who you really are!"
"Hahaha! Has the fog successfully deceived you, trying you make you believed otherwise? Why must everything have an explanation? Why do you conclude your statement as though it was a matter of fact? Why do you avert your eyes from the truth when it is standing right in front of you?"
"W-What are you talking about?"
"Isn't it exhausting, trying to come up with an answer for every single problem you face? Aren't you fatigued for having to explain the tiniest of detail about everything to everybody? If only they had an iotas worth of common sense in them. Seriously, my team is so incompetent."
"What? I would never…."
"You've worked days on end trying to come up with solutions to satisfy everyone's queries, and what do they give you in return? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! But, that's alright. Let your friends be ignorant and unintelligent. It's better that way. And what's this about you wanting to come here just to gather more information about this place? Hah! I know the real reason that you're here!"
"Stop it!"
"What's wrong? Why are you so fidgety? I thought I was just a Digimon that supposedly looks like you. Or perhaps, I also know everything that you're thinking! And why's that? Because... I AM you! You just came here because you thought it would be fun. You've already learned more than enough from the Digital World. What else is there to do there? You need something to reignite that curiosity of yours, the weapon that you are so proud of. Those recent attacks at the shopping districts were the perfect excuse to come here."
"Stop saying that…"
"What was that old phrase again? Knowledge equals power? Now that you've equipped yourself with this newfound knowledge, you know that everyone in your team will come running towards you, begging you to give them that sweet, juicy information, like a puppy to a bone. You relish that feeling. You lust for attention. You're the top of the mountain, the sage among those mindless individuals that you call friends! But, we both know the truth. At the end of the day, you're just a junkie for affection."
"I've heard enough! Who are you?! WHO ARE YOU?!"
"Hehehe. I already told you. I'm you. Your shadow. There's nothing I don't know about you."
"No! I don't buy it one bit! YOU CAN'T BE ME, YOU HEAR ME?!"
"Hehehe! HAHAHA! Yeah, that's right! Go on; say it again!"
"You're not me! YOU'RE NOTHING LIKE ME!"
"Hehehe. Yeah, that's right. I'm me now. I don't have to be you anymore!"
An ominous figure appeared behind Shadow Izzy. It had a ghastly, skeletal appearance with a singular eye while wearing a hooded cape and carrying a lantern. Shadow Izzy merged with the mysterious figure, transforming into a large, hideous, bee-like creature with a fiery hole in its chest. During the fusion process, Izzy clutched his chest, and I caught him before he fell to the ground.
"I am DarkFlymon, the darkness within your true inner self," it said.
"Another Dark Fusion Digimon," I said to myself.
"Hehehe. Die!"
DarkFlymon charged at me. Carrying Izzy, I quickly jumped out of the way as it crashed into one of the stores. I reached out my hand for the picturesque card to appear.
"Persona," I shouted.
Shattering the card, I donned my new outfit as Agumon appeared from the blue circle.
"Tai, I'm here," Agumon said.
"Agumon, quick, Digivolve now," I said.
"You got it. Agumon Strength Arcana Digivolve to… Greymon!"
"What's this? More pests to fry? Well then, I'll just have to swat you all away!" DarkFlymon said.
DarkFlymon fired a fireball from its chest, and Greymon and I jumped from either side.
"Nova Blast," Greymon shouted.
Greymon fired several fireballs at DarkFlymon, but it flew past all of them.
"Poison Powder," DarkFlymon shouted.
"Fire Wall," Greymon shouted.
DarkFlymon scattered toxic dust all over the vicinity, but Greymon used his flames to burn them all away before anyone breathed it in.
"No, that isn't me," Izzy uttered weakly.
"Hang in there, Izzy. We'll get through this," I told him.
"Why do you still protect him," DarkFlymon asked me. "It's not like he really cares about you or the team. All he wants to do to show off his knowledge, like the diva that he is!"
"That's… not true," Izzy spoke while in pain.
"Poison Sting," DarkFlymon shouted.
DarkFlymon quickly flew over to us and tried to pierce us with its venomous needle, but Greymon held its tail back with both hands. He threw him into another store and charged at it with his claws, but DarkFlymon quickly flew away.
"I'm the one who's pathetic; I'm the one who's worthless. I've always had trouble making friends. I'm socially awkward. But, rather than do anything about it, I sit and ignore everyone else around me. Then, when someone finally needs me, I play hard-to-get until they beg for my attention. I need to fill this emptiness inside me, even if it's only shallow feelings," DarkFlymon said
"That's… that's…," Izzy muttered.
"You're wrong," I retorted.
"What," DarkFlymon asked.
"It's true, we rely on him since he's smarter than us, but it's more than that. He's my best friend, someone who I can talk to about anything. I won't let you disrespect him like that. We'll always be there for him, no matter what."
"Tai," Izzy said weakly.
"You're so annoying," DarkFlymon said. "Brown Stingers!"
DarkFlymon fired several needles out of its tail. When one of them was about to hit us, Greymon used his horn to knock it away.
"Greymon, are you alright," I asked.
"I'm okay, Tai. Don't worry about me," Greymon said.
"Die already! Poison Stinger," DarkFlymon shouted.
"Leave Greymon alone," I said.
As DarkFlymon flew at us, I kicked the soccer ball at its face, causing it to go off course. Taking advantage of this, Greymon used his tail and smashed DarkFlymon against another building.
"Fire Horn," Greymon shouted.
Before DarkFlymon was able to recover, Greymon rammed his horn through its body, penetrating its hard exterior. The flames from the horn engulfed DarkFlymon until it was reduced to ash. When DarkFlymon disappeared, Shadow Izzy collapsed to the ground in its place. Meanwhile, Izzy was getting his strength back as Greymon reverted to Agumon.
"Izzy, are you okay," I asked.
"Tai? What... what happened," Izzy asked.
Izzy looked around until he saw Shadow Izzy lying on the ground.
"I guess, after all those terrible remarks I made, I'm not a part of the team," Izzy said.
"What are you talking about," I asked. "We all have things we don't want to share, but that's all the more reason to accept it as part of who you are."
Izzy slowly walked up to Shadow Izzy, kneeling towards him.
"I'm sorry," Izzy said to him. "I knew you weren't lying, but I was so ashamed of myself that I simply ignored you, pretended that you didn't exist. But now, I know the truth. You're me, and I'm you."
Shadow Izzy nodded. He slowly ascended as light blue aura surrounded him, disintegrating him and releasing the sealed Digimon and tarot card associated with it.
"Hey, isn't that…," Agumon said.
"Tentomon," Izzy shouted.
Izzy caught Tentomon as he slowly fell in his arms.
"Izzy," Tentomon said, quietly.
"Thank goodness. I'm so glad you're okay," Izzy said.
The card with the number "9" on it floated in front of Izzy. He reached out for it, and the card disappeared, embedding its power onto him.
"So, this is my Persona," Izzy said.
"That's right," I said.
"Thanks, Tai, not just for today, but for everything that you've done."
"Don't mention it. That's what friends do. Speaking of which, we still don't know how to get out of here. Maybe we should go back and try to…?"
Suddenly, I felt something coming towards us. Agumon and I quickly protected Izzy and readied ourselves. My goggles saw a different set of colored lines as this figure came in sight. What appeared was a blue bear with a red outfit while walking on its hind legs as though it was a human.
"What is that," Izzy asked.
"I was going to say the same thing! It's rude to ask someone's name without introducing yourself first," the bear said.
"I guess you're right. I'm Tai Kamiya, nice to meet you," I said, offering my hand.
"Oh, um, I'm Teddie, nice to meet you, nice guy," the bear replied.
"And I'm Agumon," Agumon said, offering his hand.
"Wah! Get away from me," Teddie said, cowering in fear.
"Huh? What did I do," Agumon asked.
"What? Never seen another Digimon before? You one of those shy types," I asked.
"Tai, I don't think he's a Digimon," Izzy said.
"Really? He kind of looks like one," I replied.
"I'm not a Digimon; I'm a bear, I don't even know what a 'Digimon' is," Teddie replied.
"If you're not a Digimon, does that mean you live here?"
"Duh, of course, I do."
"Great! Do you know the way out of here?"
"You need an exit, too?"
"Too? You mean other people came here, besides us," Izzy asked.
"You think they might be DigiDestined as well," I asked.
"I'm not sure, but…."
"Izzy, what's wrong?"
"It's dangerous for him to stay here any longer," Teddie said. "This fog isn't suitable for people like you."
"Can you show us the way out," I asked him.
"Yeah, but you have to tell me where you guys came from. If I showed you an exit that's not near your starting point, you might end up somewhere else in your world."
"There was an exit near us? Where? I didn't see it."
"Of course, you didn't. I have to make one for you."
"You can make exits? How? You know what, never mind. Getting Izzy out of here comes first. Here, I'll lead the way."
As I assisted Izzy and Agumon aided Tentomon, the five of us slowly walked back to the TV studio.
*To Be Continued*
Links for Digimon Inspiration:
wiki/Flymon
wiki/Phantom_Mage