Chapter 4: Tunnel Vision
The next day brought about a beautiful and cloudless blue sky. A cool and gentle breeze swept past the eight campers and their digimon as they continued their journey to Freeze Land. The group was trekking around the lake and making their way to the Circuit Tunnel, which was the route that they wanted to take to get to Panorama Valley - otherwise, they would be forced to backtrack and have to go around the smaller mountain.
"I've heard of the Circuit Tunnel," Tentomon said as he buzzed near the front of the group. "They've been working on it for a long time."
"Angoramon said that they should almost be done with it," Biyomon added as she flew beside Tentomon. "That tunnel will make our trip much easier."
Sora looked over the map. "It would take days to get around Mt. Panorama. That tunnel really is our best bet."
"Hey, Matt," T.K. said, tugging on his older brother's shirt. "I've never been through a tunnel before. What do you think it's going to be like? Do you think it's going to be scary?"
Matt, who had been lost in thought, was pulled out of his daydreams when he realized that T.K. was talking to him. "Not sure," he said, trying to come up with something to ease his brother's fears. "I doubt it'll be scary, though. I'm sure they have lights to guide the way."
After a few hours of walking through the woods, they came upon Mt. Panorama and found the entrance to the tunnel. There was a sign posted outside, and the digimon translated the digicode. It simply read; "Circuit Tunnel: Coming Soon."
"Does this mean that we won't be able to use the tunnel?" Kari asked.
"Why don't we ask someone?" Joe said. "Maybe they only have a little bit more to go, or they might have just forgotten to take the sign down?"
Figuring that they had nothing to lose, the DigiDestined and their partners headed inside. It was strangely quiet and looked almost deserted. Lights were strung up all along the walls and the glow from them cast eerie shadows down the tunnel, support beams were built along the sides of the walls to keep the ceiling from collapsing, and the only sounds that could be picked up on were the echoing footsteps from the eight campers and digimon.
They continued onward, and they found that branching off from the tunnel path was a large room. The DigiDestined went inside and found several bigger digimon all gathered around, talking amongst themselves. There were two types of creatures among them. Four of them looked to be purple and white moles with drills on their snouts, while the other two were huge, rock people, that looked to be wearing a helmet of some kind, and had tape wrapped around their limbs.
One of the rock people took notice of the kids and their digimon and broke away from the group to approach them. He didn't seem malicious at all, he even appeared to have a concerned look on his face.
"I'm Golemon. What are you youngsters doing in here?" he asked.
"We were wondering when the tunnel was going to be done," Tai said. "Do you know how much longer it's going to take? We need to get to Panorama Valley."
Golemon hummed thoughtfully, and about this time the rest of the digimon that were huddled together noticed the DigiDestined and made their way over to them as well.
"We're Drimogemon," one of the purple moles said. "We're the ones who dig through the mines, while the Golemon stabilize the tunnel and do away with the extra dirt that we pile up. As for how long it will take to finish? In all honesty, we have no idea."
The kids all let out disheartened sighs and the worker digimon gave them sympathetic looks. "We are almost done with the project, however…"
"What's wrong?" Kari asked.
"Our boss, NiseDrimogemon has been acting weird lately," the Drimogemon answered, and one of the Golemon scoffed.
"More like a crazed beast. He ran deeper into the tunnel, right where we need to work, and won't let us anywhere near him. He growls and tries to attack us if we get too close."
"Sounds like that mind control again," Izzy noted.
"Mind if we take a look at him?" Sora asked. "We've seen this sort of thing before and we know what to do."
"You can help him?" The diggers all asked at once.
"We definitely can," Tai said. "Just leave it to us."
The worker digimon exchanged curious glances. "If your sure that you can help him, then be my guest," the Golemon replied, "but be careful. He's a lunatic right now."
The kids left the room and headed deeper into the tunnel. As they walked, they noticed some bats hanging upside down from the ceiling. Their bodies were shaped like an eighth note and they had a single eyeball each that tracked their every movement. Those red mono eyes watched them with interest as they walked further down the tunnel.
"What do you think those are?" Mimi asked, looking up at the strange bats.
"Don't know," Palmon replied. "I've never seen digimon like them before."
The bats didn't stop staring at them. Some even repositioned themselves just to watch the DigiDestined as they continued on their way. The kids and digimon did their best to ignore them, but those single, unblinking mono eyes were disconcerting and sent a nervous chill down their spines.
They walked for a long while, and the children could feel their feet beginning to hurt. The lights hooked up along the walls caused their shadows to take on new and creepy shapes, which only made them feel more uneasy. They could hear something echoing from further ahead. It sounded like grunts and cries of anguish. Everyone huddled closer together, fearful of the billowing shouts.
"Do you think that's NiseDrimogemon making all that noise?" Kari asked.
"Must be," Tai replied. "Let's hurry!"
The kids rushed toward the sounds. There came loud thumping from the far end of the tunnel and the walls shook with each crash. From up ahead, they could see a purple, furred mass thrashing about and snarling. As the creature turned, the kids could see a digimon that looked almost the same as the Drimogemon, however, its whiskers curled and the drill on its nose was as purple as its fur. It let out a roar when it spotted the children and their digimon.
"That must be NiseDrimogemon," Tai said.
NiseDrimogemon turned to the wall and began drilling. A gaping hole formed, and dirt and debris erupted from the wall as the drill spiraled into it. The walls began to shudder and Izzy gasped when some dusty earth and pebbles landed on his head and shoulders.
"We have to stop his digging!" Izzy shouted over the buzzing of the drill. "He's causing the tunnel to become unstable. It'll collapse at this rate."
More dirt and a few larger stones fell from the ceiling. Without wasting any time, Matt and Gabumon ran after NiseDrimogemon. Gabumon's jaws flung open and a jet of blue fire shot out of it and enveloped the back of the monster. NiseDrimogemon didn't even flinch from the pain and appeared too preoccupied with digging to take any notice of it.
Izzy, Sora, Tentomon, and Biyomon moved in next. Tentomon flew over to NiseDrimogemon and fired his Super Shocker, while Biyomon used her Spiral Twister to try to draw his attention from the wall, but it did little good. He was just too far gone to react to their efforts. The tunnel shook again and more dirt and rocks fell from the ceiling.
"Pepper Breath!" Agumon shouted as he spit out a fireball that struck the side of NiseDrimogemon's face. That finally caught his attention. As he shifted his sights to Agumon, Matt rushed over to NiseDrimogemon while his back was turned and held up his digivice. The mysterious device's screen flashed and NiseDrimogemon screamed as the digivice began to cure him.
NiseDrimogemon spun around to face Matt and swiped at him. Matt ducked and avoided his claws. He backed off as NiseDrimogemon advanced, now focused only on Matt and Gabumon.
"Blue Blaster!" Gabumon breathed another jet of fire, and NiseDrimogemon took a step back as he was engulfed in flames. He glanced over to one of the support beams holding the ceiling up. The DigiDestined quickly caught on to what he was about to do, but before their digimon could do anything, NiseDrimogemon's drill spun into it and snapped the wooden pillar in half.
In an instant, the walls shook violently and part of the ceiling collapsed. Matt, Sora, and Izzy - who were the closest to NiseDrimogemon - ran further into the tunnel while the others retreated. Rocks and piles of earth dropped from the ceiling and dust filled the tunnel from the cave-in. Tai had pulled his goggles down so he could see through the dust, and he saw the wall of rocks and dirt that now stood where they had just been fighting. Matt, Sora, Izzy, and NiseDrimogemon were nowhere to be found. He ran over to the wall and shouted, "Guys! Can you hear me?"
"Tai!" Sora's voice was muffled by the fallen debris. "We're here!"
"Are you guys all right?"
"Yes, but-" her voice was cut off by a scream, followed by the loud buzzing of a drill.
"Sora? Sora! What's happening?"
"It's NiseDrimogemon! He's still up."
Tai turned to the others. "We have to clear this wall. Sora, Izzy, and Matt are on the other side with that overgrown mole. Agumon, you need to digivolve and help us clear this rubble."
Agumon shook his head. "I can't, Tai. As Greymon, I wouldn't fit in this tunnel."
"We'll never be able to clear this all out on our own," Joe said. "We should go back and get the rest of the diggers."
"Joe, you go and get the digging crew. The rest of us will work on clearing this wall."
"No need to send for us," they heard one of the Golemon say. He and the rest of the Golemon and Drimogemon were heading down the tunnel. "We heard the commotion and came to see what was going on."
"NiseDrimogemon collapsed part of the tunnel," Mimi said. "Our friends are on the other side of that wall."
"Is my brother going to be okay?" T.K. asked worriedly. His eyes were misty and it was clear that he was trying to hold back fearful tears.
Tai put a reassuring hand on T.K.'s shoulder. "We'll get him out of there. Don't you worry, okay? I promise that we'll save him."
T.K. knew he needed to be strong and not start crying, or else they'd never rescue his brother in time. He dried his eyes with his sleeve and nodded, putting on his bravest face. "Okay. Let's get to work then."
Matt, Sora, and Izzy were backed against the wall of stone and dirt. Their digimon did their best to fend off NiseDrimogemon, but their attacks seemed to do little against him. He continued to thrash about, swiping at them with his claws or trying to drill into them. The three digimon scattered and kept their distance as they unleashed their attacks in rapid succession. Fire and electricity sparked about but it seemed to be a futile effort. NiseDrimogemon was barely affected by their attacks.
"What are we going to do?" Sora asked. "He's just too strong for our digimon."
Matt gritted his teeth as he racked his brain for a plan. She was right, their digimon were struggling and there didn't seem to be a clear way for them to defeat this massive foe. He knew that they needed to get in close to use their digivices, but NiseDrimogemon was moving far too wildly to risk moving in. However, if they didn't do something soon then NiseDrimogemon would easily wipe out their digimon and then hone in on the kids.
Matt had an idea. It was foolish, reckless, and something he would expect Tai to do, but it was their best bet and it would, hopefully, keep his friends safe.
"You two, stay back," he said to Izzy and Sora, "and no matter what happens, don't move."
Matt took off sprinting towards NiseDrimogemon. Sora and Izzy shouted for him to come back, but he ignored their pleas. If he could just get in close while the digimon distracted NiseDrimogemon, then he could use his digivice to restore the beast back to normal.
Gabumon spotted Matt and gasped. "No, Matt! Get away from him!"
"Keep him busy while I use the digivice on him," Matt yelled to his partner.
"It's too dangerous! You need to get back-"
NiseDrimogemon spotted Matt running towards him. He roared and stomped the ground, then lunged forward. Matt skidded to a halt and could only watch with wide-eyed terror as the giant mole charged him. He veered to the right and NiseDrimogemon crashed headfirst into the wall. He didn't stay down for long and quickly rose back up, shaking himself off. He looked down and shoved his whirring drill into the ground. Small rocks and dirt flew everywhere as he rapidly dug deeper and deeper, until had burrowed his way deep underground.
"He escaped," Izzy said.
Sora gulped and looked around. "Do you think he's really gone?"
The earth began to tremble, lightly at first but quickly shifted to a small earthquake. Suddenly, the ground erupted below Matt's feet and NiseDrimogemon burst forth from the ground, grabbing the DigiDestined with his claws.
"Matt, no!" Sora and Izzy screamed as they watched the mole's paw tighten. He was trying to crush the child in his clutches. Matt could feel intense pressure all around him and his lungs tightened. He coughed and managed to choke out, "Gabumon, help!"
"Matt, hold on!" Gabumon shouted, rushing over to the mole and letting out a battle cry. Matt's digivice suddenly activated and the screen lit up. The speakers emitted a high pitch whistle that echoed through the room. Gabumon suddenly felt power surge through his entire being, making him feel far stronger than he had ever felt before. His body began to shine brightly and he called out, "Gabumon digivolve to… Garurumon!"
Gabumon's body changed and morphed until he had transformed into a white wolf with blue stripes that lined his body. Once the glow faded away, the newly evolved Garurumon took a step toward NiseDrimogemon before breaking out into a full-on run. His jaws flew open and ice formed along his teeth. "Freeze Fang!" he bellowed as he sank his teeth into the back of NiseDrimogemon's neck.
NiseDrimogemon screamed and reared back. He shook himself about, trying to buck Garurumon, but the white wolf held fast. NiseDrimogemon released Matt, now too preoccupied with Garurumon to pay him any more mind. Matt fell to the ground with a 'thud' and groaned as he landed on his back.
Sora and Izzy scrambled over to him and pulled him back to his feet, then they lead him over to the collapsed wall where they were a safe distance from the battle. "Are you okay?" Sora asked him.
Matt nodded but his body still trembled from adrenaline and the fear of nearly dying. Had Gabumon not jumped in when he did, he very well may have ended up flatter than a pancake. He turned back to the battle at hand and watched as Garurumon fought the giant mole. NiseDrimogemon had managed to throw Garurumon off, but the wolf did a backflip and landed on his feet. Biyomon and Tentomon were flying circles around NiseDrimogemon, trying to distract him so Garurumon could get in close for another attack. He swatted at them and the two backed off to avoid his claws and spinning drill.
"Garurumon, finish him off!" Matt yelled to his partner, and Garurumon nodded his head and took a step towards NiseDrimogemon.
The giant mole looked down and drilled another hole, burrowing down into the ground once again. Garurumon quickly sprinted over to the hole and peered down it. He opened his mouth and breathed a stream of blue fire into the hole. The flames filled up the hole and NiseDrimogemon came bursting out of the ground, followed by a pillar of blue fire.
NiseDrimogemon howled in agony as he rolled around on the ground, trying to extinguish the flames that clung to his form. Once the fire was out, NiseDrimogemon, now covered in burns and singed fur, collapsed. He panted and glared at Garurumon, but made no attempt to keep fighting. It was clear that he was too exhausted to continue the battle. Matt took that as a sign that it was safe to approach him.
Garurumon de-digivolved back into Gabumon and he walked beside Matt as he made his way over to the giant mole. He held out his digivice and the screen flared to life, sending out a flash of rainbow light that enveloped NiseDrimogemon and returned him back to normal. The injuries he received during the fight were also healed by the light of the digivice, and soon, he looked good as new.
Once the light faded, NiseDrimogemon grunted and pushed himself up. He looked around, dazed and confused. He spotted the kids and their digimon and gave them odd looks.
"Where am I?" he asked.
"You're in the Circuit Tunnel. You were under some sort of mind control that turned you crazy," Matt explained. "We just brought you back to normal."
NiseDrimogemon looked surprised. "That happened to me? I don't remember a thing."
"How are you feeling now, NiseDrimogemon?" Sora asked as she and Izzy walked over to him as well. Biyomon and Tentomon landed beside their partners and kept a watchful eye on NiseDrimogemon, just to be sure he was back to normal.
"Well, I apologize for any trouble I caused," NiseDrimogemon continued. He then looked up at the collapsed wall and asked, "Did I do that?"
"You did," Izzy replied. "Do you think you can help us clear this wall? Our friends are on the other side."
Now that the battle was done, they could clearly hear the muffled sounds of drilling from the other side of the collapsed wall. The others must have gotten help from the rest of the digging crew, Matt thought to himself.
NiseDrimogemon slammed his drill into the wall and dug. While he was breaking apart the rocks, the DigiDestined and digimon helped move away the rubble. In no time at all, the wall was cleared and the team was reunited once again. T.K. ran over to Matt and threw his arms around him, hugging him tightly. "I was so worried!" T.K. said. "I was scared that monster was going to eat you."
"Eh, I probably don't taste that good anyway," Matt joked as he hugged his little brother back.
Sora and Izzy were excitedly explaining what had happened on their side of the wall. They told the group all about how Gabumon had digivolved just in time to save Matt and how he was able to bring NiseDrimogemon back to his senses.
"So, that makes two of us that can digivolve further," Tai noted.
"Are you back to normal, Boss?" one of the Golemon asked NiseDrimogemon.
With a nod, NiseDrimogemon said, "Yes, I was saved thanks to these kids. I do want to apologize for causing so much trouble and for nearly jeopardizing the project."
The Golemon patted NiseDrimogemon's back. "It's fine, Boss. Just glad to have you back. Now we can finish this tunnel."
"Yes, we're nearly done. Just a little further to go."
"Can we help?" Matt asked. "If we pitch in, we'll get the tunnel done in no time."
NiseDrimogemon turned to the kids. "I'd hate to ask you that after everything you've done for me, but if you're willing to help, then we'll happily accept your offer. Thank you."
For the next few hours, the DigiDestined and digging crew worked hard to finish the tunnel. NiseDrimogemon and the rest of the Drimogemon tore the wall apart with their whirring drills and claws while the Golemon, the kids, and their digimon helped clear away the rocks and debris. It was hard work, and it felt neverending, but before they knew it, NiseDrimogemon slammed his drill into the wall and a hole was revealed, letting in a slight breeze of fresh air.
"This is it," NiseDrimogemon shouted over the drilling. "This is the final push. Careful now, we're nearly done."
The rest of the diggers shoved their spiraling drills into the wall and the rocks broke apart to reveal the outside. They had done it! The Circuit Tunnel project was finally completed. The kids and their partners cheered as the wall crumbled away and they were able to finally see the outside world once again, however, they were surprised to find a storm raging on the other side.
Joe scratched his head. "I don't get it," he said. "It was a cloudless sky right before we entered the tunnel."
"Maybe the weather works differently here?" Sora offered.
Before anyone could respond, they heard something strange. It sounded like the echo of flapping wings, and everyone ducked as the one-eyed bats that had been hanging on the ceiling flew down the tunnel in a large wave. They exited through the newly formed hole and were immediately scattered about by a powerful gust of wind.
"Our digging must have disturbed those guys, I guess," one of the Golemon said. "I'm glad they're gone. They were giving me the creeps."
"Why didn't the digging bother them before?" Agumon asked.
Golemon shrugged his shoulders. "They suddenly appeared a few days ago, right before Boss started acting weird."
Thunder boomed so loudly that the ground beneath them shook. Lightning flashed in rapid succession and the wind blew so fiercely that the cold, pouring rain stung the skin like prickling needles.
"This is no ordinary storm," NiseDrimogemon said ominously, shifting the conversation back to the raging weather. "I've never seen something like this before."
Sora was the only one to see it, but just as lighting flashed and illuminated the blacked storm clouds, she could faintly make out the silhouette of a massive bird.