Digimon: Digital Monsters
The Next Creation
#01: Back to the DigiWorld
by Seruyamon
(Cyllya)
"Kari likes T.K! Kari likes T.K!"
"Shut up, Tai!" Kari ordered. She angrily chased her brother around the couch, but he always managed to stay on the other side while he laughed at her. She demanded, "Why are you making fun of me?! You and Sora are dating!"
All the while laughing, Tai said, "Because you're so easy to make fun of! You can't fight back!"
"Oh, yeah?!" Kari cried. She vaulted over the back of the couch, caught him off guard, tackled him into the wall by the TV, and stomped on his foot.
He hopped on one foot and groaned, "That's not what I meant by fighting back!"
"Hmph!" Kari turned up her nose and stomped angrily into the bedroom.
She laid in bed and tried to think of something to do. It was summer vacation again, mid-June to be precise, and things seemed pretty boring. Their mom had absolutely refused to let them go to summer camp again.
"What a shame," Kari said as she thought about it, "I doubt we'd get pulled to the DigiWorld again, but if we did, it wouldn't be so bad. I'd love to see Gatomon again…."
At the thought of Gatomon, her eyes began to sting. Despite her greatest efforts to hold them in, tears started streaming down the sides of her eyes and onto the pillow.
"Oh, Gatomon," she mumbled, "It's been almost three years since I last saw her."
She wiped her eyes until they and her face were dried and fairly normal-colored. She climbed out of her bed and went into the kitchen for a drink. It was still early, so it wasn't a surprise to see Tai and their mom eating cereal at the table.
Kari stared aimlessly at the kitchen's clock as she poured a glass of coke. She suddenly felt dizzy. She gaped at the clock as the hands swung around crazily, and her cup overflowed. Her heart started beating so fast that it hurt, and she shrieked and accidentally flung the soda bottle across the room.
She shook her head as her heartbeat slowed; she looked at the clock. It was perfectly normal. Everything was perfectly normal, except Tai had a shocked and fearful look as he gripped the edged of the table so hard it looked like it would break. Their mom looked rather panicked, and there was Coca Cola flooding the room.
"What the heck was that?!" Tai demanded to anyone who knew.
"Should I call 9-1-1?" their mom asked nervously.
"…No," Kari said tiredly, "I think I'll go lie down for awhile."
She headed toward the bedroom, and Tai followed after saying, "Don't leave me here!"
"What about your cereal?" his mom asked.
"Give it to the cat," Tai called. As Kari climbed into her bed, he plopped down on the bottom bunk and buried his face in the pillow.
He heard the phone ring, followed by his mom answering it. She came into the room with a mop and a cordless phone.
"It's your friend, Tai," she said, handing Tai the phone. She left after he took it without looking up.
"Hello?" he asked wearily.
"Hi, Tai."
"Sora?" he asked. He rolled over, sat up, and tried to sound more energetic, "What's up?"
"Um…Have you noticed anything… weird happening?"
Surprised, Tai said, "Yeah, I had this really weird feeling. Kari did too."
"Well at least I know I won't have to wear a straightjacket anytime soon," Sora said joking, "But what does it mean? And what's with the clock?"
"I don't know," Tai said, "I wasn't even looking at the clock."
"Okay," Sora said, "I'll call the others. Bye."
"Bye," Tai said. He turned the phone off and started to go put it back with the rest of the phone. Yet he felt so tired…. He sat the phone on the floor by the bed and laid back down.
***
Why?! Why are they so happy?! I'll show them… and I'll do it right! After all, their experience lacks now….
Kari awoke, sat up, and yawned. Her eyes widened as she looked around. She was overwhelmed by both fear and excitement. She didn't recognize the specific area, but the trees, bushes, and other such vegetation of the surrounding forest were all familiar.
This was the DigiWorld.
Kari drooped sadly. She murmured, "This is probably just another dream…. I'm sick of all these DigiWorld dreams. They just go and get my hopes all up…."
She deliberately widened her eyes. After a few seconds, she did it again. She frowned and thought, I'm always able to wake myself up when I recognize a dream. She pinched herself to no avail, then checked her belt. Her Digivice was clipped there like it was a fashion statement.
She started to get worried and turned around. She saw the edge of a cliff about twenty feet away. Between her and the cliff were the other nine DigiDestined.
Tai was sprawled out face down. Matt, Vanessa, Sora, and Joe were a ways away and laying on their sides. Izzy was sitting up with his head and arms resting on his knees. Levia and Mimi were each propped up against a tree trunk. TK was curled up on the ground to Kari's right. They were all sleeping.
Kari went over to Tai and shook him awake. He raised his head and rubbed his eyes. He tiredly asked, "What is it now, Kari?"
"Am I awake?" Kari asked.
"What?" Tai demanded, "Well, yeah, duh."
"But, but, but…" Kari stammered. She spread her arms to point out the surrounding area.
Tai looked around and seemed ready to have a heart attack. He jumped up and took a better look around. He called, "Hey, everyone! Wake up! Hurry, c'mon!"
"Huh?" Matt mumbled as he sat up. Everyone awoke and had the same shocked reaction. Mimi stood up, pinched herself on the arm, and fainted. Joe slid closer and caught her before she hit the ground.
Kari spotted a flash of light behind her and turned. She saw the bags or backpacks that they had always had with them in the DigiWorld. Izzy went over and picked his backpack up and smiled seeing his laptop strapped to the back.
"Are we in the DigiWorld again?" Sora asked.
"It's a safe bet," Matt said.
"Are our Digimon around?" Joe asked as he managed to wake Mimi up.
"Gatomon?" Kari called loudly. The others all called the names of their Digimon, but there were no responses. Everyone looked sad, but their expressions turned hopeful as the bushes behind the rustled. Their hopefulness fell as an unfamiliar Digimon jumped out.
"Is that the Easter Bunny?" Mimi asked. The Digimon was about three feet high and did have a cartoon-rabbit-like appearance. It stood on its hind legs. Its fur was red, but pink in the front of its body. The fur on its ears, spine, cheeks, tail, and the top of its head was spiky. The Digimon had a large friendly-looking smile and looked like a child.
It blinked its big mahogany eyes, took one hop closer, and asked, "Hi, there! Are you all Digimon?"
"Uh, no," Tai said, "We're humans."
"Really?" the bunny asked, "Are you the guys that destroyed the Dark Masters and Apocalymon?"
"Yep," Matt said, "That's us."
"Wow!" the bunny cried, "I'm so glad I could meet you! It's such an honor! But why did you come back to the DigiWorld?"
"Uh, we don't know that yet," Sora said.
Levia knelt down next to Izzy, who was already typing away at his computer. She quietly asked, "Who is this guy?"
"He's… Cifermon," Izzy said, "Believe it or not, he's an Ultimate. He has a fire attack and he's really agile. He's also a Virus Digimon."
"Virus?" Levia asked. She brushed her short blonde hair out of her green eyes to get a better look at Cifermon. She asked Izzy, "Are you sure your Digimon Analyzer is correct? It hasn't been used in three years."
"It's always accurate," Izzy said, "It's non-perishable."
Cifermon's big rabbit ears twitched. He turned to Izzy and Levia and said, "Just 'cause I'm a Virus doesn't mean I'm bad."
"I guess he's right," Joe admitted, seeing everyone's uneasy look.
"Remember Ogremon?" Mimi asked.
"Yeah, I guess," Tai said.
"It's nice to meet you, Cifermon," Vanessa said.
"It's been about…three years since you've been in the DigiWorld, right?" Cifermon asked.
"Yeah," TK said, "Has a lot o' stuff changed?"
"You bet," Cifermon said, "Can I give you guys a tip?"
"Sure," Kari said.
"Seeing that this is the Digital World," Cifermon said, "You should always trust technological sophistication over your own logic."
"Huh?" everyone asked.
Cifermon released the powerful muscles in his legs and shot upward, "Inferno Cannon!" He fired a huge fireball at the ground. A big crack formed from ledge to ledge and broke the edge of the cliff off, DigiDestined and all.
"Hey, you little—!!" Vanessa shrieked while everyone screamed. Her long dark brown ponytail partially hid the fact that her brown eyes blazed with hatred.
Cifermon giggled childishly and landed on the remains of the ledge. He waved and yelled, "Don't you know children shouldn't use such words?!" after Vanessa finished her rather provocative exclamations.
***
Good job, Cifermon. They didn't suspect a thing, just like I planned. Never have their enemies been so darn cute….
Agumon, the yellow tiger-like Picamon, and the blue mini-Loch-Ness-Monster-like Pasthamon walked along through a hilly prairie talking amongst themselves. Tentomon flew just above them and occasionally added to the conversation.
"Okay? So then he's like, 'Well, can't you light it with your Sparkle Beam?'" Picamon said, "So I said, 'You want me to light that lamp with my little sparkly lights?! You've got to be kidding.' But he's, like, totally determined."
"Do I want to know what he did then?" Agumon laughed.
"He says, 'Then use your Thunder Whack,'" Picamon continued, "and I get, like, all upset. Only Zapermon can use Thunder Whack, and I can't Digivolve… without… V-v…." Her voice choked, and her bright green eyes got watery.
"Oh," Pasthamon mumbled. The fin on the back of her head lowered to express her sadness. Everyone stopped walking and drooped.
"When are we gonna get over the fact that they're not around?!" Agumon demanded shamefully.
"Never!" Pasthamon said, "If you can think about Tai and not be sad—or even forget about him all together—then I feel sorry for you!"
"I must say that I think she's right," Tentomon said.
"Mmm-hmm," Picamon nodded.
"You're right," Agumon said, "I do miss Tai… but we should have stopped crying at least…."
"Anyway!" Picamon cried cheerfully, attempting to change the subject, "Who's up for a swim?! There's a little lake just over this hill!"
"Swim! Yay!" Pasthamon exclaimed and pretended not to recognize the spur-of-the-moment subject change.
"I'll race ya there!" Agumon challenged.
"You're on!" Picamon accepted.
"Go!" cried Tentomon.
The three of them sped up the hill, leaving Pasthamon to lope clumsily along like a sea lion while yelling, "Hey! Wait for me! I don't have legs!"
Picamon rolled down the hill and into the water. Agumon and Tentomon stopped and gaped. Pasthamon got to the top of the hill and did the same.
"Hey, what's—" Picamon cut herself off after she rose from the water and her nose bumped into that of another Digimon. She stuttered, "G-Gabumon." She and Gabumon blushed, and she sank back into the water.
"Hey, Gabumon!" Agumon exclaimed. He went and half-hugged Gabumon and asked, "Long time, no see! How ya been doin'?"
Gabumon smiled, shrugged, and asked, "You?"
"We've been fine," Agumon said.
"And dandy," Tentomon added.
"D'ya miss me?" Picamon questioned cheerfully as she came halfway out of the water and grinned.
Gabumon seemed unsettled by her question. He smiled again and patted her shoulder.
"Where have you been staying?" Agumon asked.
"Around," Gabumon said.
"Hi, Gabumon," Pasthamon said dizzily after she rolled down the hill less skillfully than Picamon.
Gabumon wordlessly raised a paw to give a small wave.
"Well, haven't you become a Digimon of few words?" Tentomon asked.
Gabumon shrugged. Picamon sat on the bank and said, "No kidding. Bud, you haven't said two words since we got here."
"You, around," Gabumon reminded.
"Fine. Get technical," Picamon rolled her eyes.
"Who wants a swimming race?" Pasthamon asked. She waddled into the water.
"Wait for me," Picamon said, "C'mon, Gabumon, you're a good swimmer. Come race with us." She walked casually to the other side of him.
Gabumon seemed to shrink a little. He shook his head.
"Oh, come on," Picamon commanded, "I'm not a great swimmer, and I don't want to listen to Pasthamon gloat for solid month."
"I don't gloat!" Pasthamon said defensively.
Gabumon shook his head again.
"Why not?" Picamon questioned, "You won't smell that bad."
Gabumon looked embarrassed and shook his head a third time. Picamon looked annoyed. She shoved him into the water. Gabumon gained the annoyed look as Picamon laughed.
"Come race, ya chicken!" Pasthamon challenged. Gabumon sighed. He and Picamon got in line next to her.
"To the opposite bank and back," Picamon said, "You gotta touch it. No cheating."
"On your marks…" Tentomon said.
"Get set…" Agumon said.
"GO!" the two said in unison.
Pasthamon, Picamon, and Gabumon pushed away from the bank and swam toward the other side. Picamon began to fall back a little, but the other two powered on ahead.
"And the race is on!" Agumon announced, "Picamon is holding back! She's almost outta the runnin'!"
Pasthamon's long neck let her tap the bank without being right by it, so she turned around and headed the other way before Gabumon and Picamon.
"And here comes Pasthamon in the backstretch!" Agumon cried, causing Tentomon to flutter away while plugging his ears, "Gabumon goin' to the inside! Picamon, scratch, for another race! And it looks like Pasthamon…!"
As Pasthamon approached the bank, Gabumon stuck his head under water and fired his Blue Blaster backward. It propelled him onto the bank. Pasthamon slid on a split second later. After several seconds, Picamon walked on and shook her fur all over everyone.
"…and the winner gets it all!" Agumon cried and raise Gabumon's paw into the air. Pasthamon nodded respectfully. Picamon collapsed in exhaustion. As proof she'd had fun, her three black-tipped bob tails wagged a little.
***
I've never seen more clueless creatures! Easy! EASY prey! They'll never stand a chance! Go! Go my minions! Kill them! Kill them all!
Six months later…
TK wandered aimlessly along a beach and stared at the sunrise. The cool morning breeze blew past him, and he shivered in loneliness, not coldness. Ever since Cifermon's attack had knocked them off the cliff, TK had been separated from the rest of the group.
Loneliness, fear, and sadness filled his mind. He kept putting his hand on top of his head, expecting to feel Patamon. Yet there was nothing. Any other time he'd been alone in the DigiWorld, Patamon had been there, but now there was no one….
A tear escaped his eye as he surveyed the beach. Far away, at the end of the beach among the cliffs, he spotted something. Hoping it was another of his group or a Digimon that could help him, he ran toward it.
He was exhausted by the time he got there, but he was inconceivably relieved when he saw the whatever again. His Digivice beeped.
"Kari!" he cried. She was unconscious and laying on her side. He dropped to his knees beside and her and shook her shoulder.
"Hmm?" she mumbled. She blinked and looked up at him. She looked amazed and insanely happily. She sat up, threw her arms around his neck, and cried, "Oh, TK! You don't know how happy I am to see you! I'm glad you're okay!"
TK was surprised by her sudden hug, so he hesitated before hugging her back. He said, "I'm glad to see you too. Have you seen any of the others?"
Kari pulled away and looked sad, "No. I haven't. I've seen a few Digimon, but not any that we know."
***
"No, no, no… You must keep your paws up, Child."
"Yes, Master Aikimon," Patamon said dizzily, having been karate-chopped into a padded post. They were in a large room where the walls, floor, and random posts were covered with blue pads.
Aikimon looked like Bruce Lee, a martial arts sensei, and a character from The Planet of the Apes all rolled into one four-foot-high Digimon. He had a short flexible tail that was tipped with a dagger-like spike.
"Child," he said as Patamon got back up, "why do you wish to know this art? You of all people should know well enough that we may now live without the threat of evil at our backs."
"I want to learn Lunatsu because I do not trust prophecies, and I can not Digivolve without T.K," Patamon said. He leaped forward and weakly punched at Aikimon, only to be blocked. He blocked Aikimon's punch, jumped out of range, and added, "And I don't like being called Child."
"You are a child," Aikimon said, relieving himself of his combat stance, "Take a break now."
Patamon did the same. He bowed while making sure to keep his eyes on Aikimon. He started to turn away and head for the door, but tried another futile hit on his sensei. Aikimon grabbed his paw, flipped him into the air, and slammed him down on the padding.
"At least you are persistent," Aikimon said, sounding annoyed, "Now be gone, Child."
Patamon nodded and flew out the door.
***
During the night, Gatomon slept on the top branches of a tall tree. The tree was one of many in another large nameless forest. Her eyes snapped open. She raised her head looked around. She stood and put her paw over the whistle that hung around her neck.
***
Tai, Sora, Matt, and Vanessa passed through another forest. They all looked depressed. Tai inspected his Digivice.
"I wonder why the Digivices didn't work before we'd found each other," Tai thought aloud.
"Maybe they're only working at short range for some reason," Sora said.
"Or maybe they needed a jumpstart," Matt suggested, "We haven't used them in a while."
Tai nodded and stopped walking. He said, "We'd better set up camp. Who wants to keep watch?"
"I will," Vanessa volunteered, "but what am I watching for?"
"Cifermon or anyone else that would try and kill us," Tai said.
"And it doesn't matter how cute they are," Sora added.
"Stupid Cifermon," Vanessa muttered, "Mechazapermon could take out that stupid Easter Bunny look-alike."
Everyone got visibly sadder at the thought of their Digimon. Vanessa mentally slapped herself as everyone sat down.
***
"Izzy?" Levia asked, "How long have we been stuck here?"
Izzy sighed, knowing that she had asked that question every few days. He checked his computer's calendar and said, "Eight months, one fortnight, and three days."
"Ohh," Levia moaned. She collapsed onto her back in the dirt. Izzy gazed of the cliff of the mountain and down at the ground. He saw more and more cliffs and forests galore, but nothing helpful.
***
Four months later…
T.K and Kari wandered along the top of the cliffs by the beach. This time it was sunset. Kari's hair was almost shoulder-length now, and it was pretty messy. She sighed sadly as she stared at the sun's reflection in the water.
TK put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Kari, we'll find our way back with the others…someday…."
"Sometimes… someday just doesn't come," Kari said sadly.
TK looked hurt. For the first time in four years, the golden symbol of the Crest of Hope shone brightly through his shirt. He turned Kari toward him, grabbed her shoulders, shook her, and cried, "Are you nuts?! Don't you have anymore faith than that?! Pull yourself together!"
Kari shoved away from him faced the other way with her arms folded angrily.
TK folded his arms too and said, "Fine. Be that way. See if I care."
Kari squeezed her eyes shut as they started to water.
After a moment TK began, "Ya know, we should p—"
"Oh, shut up," Kari said quietly.
"What?" TK asked, "C'mon, Kari, lighten up. I'm your side here."
"Leave me alone," Kari said, turning away as he tried to get in front of her.
"Look, if you're upset that I shook you, I'm sorry," TK apologized, "I was just trying to knock some sense into you. You needed it."
"Hmph!" Kari said.
"Kari, if we give up now, we don't have—"
"Didn't you hear me?!" Kari demanded, "I said leave me alone!"
Surprised, TK said, "Kari, I—"
He stopped as Kari started running into the forest.
***
Gatomon continued to follow her mysterious gut feeling. It was dark again, and she leaped through the forest with the skill and agility that only a cat can have. The trees, ground, and randomly placed Digimon were mere blurs as she practically flew past them. She exited the forest and ran on the between the line on trees and the ocean-side line of cliffs.
"Yahh! Look out!"
She tried to stop, but she slammed into something that was moving quickly and horizontally to her path. She was knocked back. She and the other thing hit the ground hard. She stood, claws ready, to face the challenger.
"Hey," she said, "Watch where you're…Patamon?!"
"Gatomon?!" the other object demanded. Patamon tackle hugged her.
"Uh, hi!" she said happily as she stood back up, hugged Patamon, and pried him off her.
***
"Kari!" TK cried, "Come on! Get a grip!" He ran behind her, grabbed the back of her shirt, and pulled her toward him.
"Let me go!" Kari ordered. She was crying.
"Oh, Kari, I'm sorry," TK said, "I didn't mean to make you upset. I don't want you to give up. If you do, we'll never stand a chance of finding the others." He knew that Kari could fight pretty well considering she didn't have any training. Thus he knew he was risking bodily injury when he pulled her into a hug.
Without pulling away or hugging him back, Kari sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She mumbled, "I'm sorry, I'm being a big baby."
"Don't worry," TK said, "It's okay now."
Kari hugged him and said, "Thanks, you're a great friend."
"You know you can count on me," TK said, "I'd do almost anything for you."
Both of their crest's symbols glowed for a moment before making their whole bodies glow pink and gold. In the darkness of the forest, their glows pitched light across the plants.
"Oh, how cute," a voice said.
Startled, TK and Kari look over to see a fireball on the ground as their glowing faded. It was probably a foot across and had short legs with paws. It had big black eyes that twinkled with an evil grin. It had a mouth that was only visible when it talked.
"Hello, O Great DigiDestined," the fireball said snidely, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Pyromon, and I work for the great, deviously clever, and ever-so-mighty Cifermon. And it's my duty to bring your pitiful lives to an end…."
"Get lost!" TK ordered.
"Hmph!" Pyromon said. Smoke billowed up from the top of his head and formed a pair of gray transparent wings at his sides. He flapped them and took flight. He cried, "Dragon Pelt!"
He burned brighter and flew at Kari. She gasped, but TK jumped in front of her. Pyromon and his flames hit TK in the back. They were both knocked to the ground.
"T.K? Why did you do that?" Kari asked gratefully. He had landed on top of her and was cringing in pain. She put her hands on his cheeks and looked into his eyes before turning her eyes hatefully to Pyromon.
"Pathetic, aren't you?" Pyromon said, "If it makes you little saps feel better, you spent your last few seconds together… yuck… Dragon Peh—!"
Something fairly large flew into Pyromon and smacked him into a tree. It flew into the air out of site. The sound of a whistle resonated through the air as Kari's symbol of Light glowed for just a few seconds.
When the flying thing came back, it came close enough to see that it looked like a tawny-colored armored horse with large beige wings on it shoulders. This time it had a rider.
"Is that…?" TK asked uncertainly.
"No way," Kari said.
The horse reared back and flapped its wings toward Pyromon, causing a huge burst of wind. Pyromon's paws tried to grip the ground, but his wings were blown away. The horse stood back on all fours as its rider pulled out a bow.
"Celestial Arrow!" the rider called.
"YAHH!" Pyromon screamed. The glowing arrow reduced Pyromon to Digi-dust.
"Angewomon!" Kari cried happily. Angewomon flew off the horse and help TK and Kari up. Kari helped TK stay standing as Angewomon de-digivolved to Gatomon.
"Patamon?" TK asked as the horse walked over. He had spotted the Digimon's wing-like ears.
The Digimon nodded and rubbed up against TK as he said, "I'm Pegasusmon. I don't know why I digivolved differently, but I'm glad you're okay. I really missed you."
"I missed you too," TK said and hugged Pegasusmon's head.
"It's so nice to see you again, Kari," Gatomon said. She jumped into Kari's arms, and the two hugged each other. She blew her whistle quietly.
"T.K, you're injured," Pegasusmon said, "I can take you to Primary Village. The doctor there will help you."
"Uh, sure," TK said, "Thanks."
This left Pegasusmon flying over the ocean with T.K, Kari, and Gatomon on his back. After the long flight over the water and a little bit of land, Pegasusmon landed beneath the toy tree.
***
"That's Metacurmon," Izzy said as he and Levia ran for their lives through the forest, "He's fast-running Digimon, but he lacks endurance, so if we can keep running, we might loose him."
"But I lack endurance!" Levia protested.
"And he has a great sense of smell," Izzy added, "Even if we loose his him now, if he's determined enough, he'll get us sooner or later."
"Oh," Levia moaned. She tripped on a tree root and fell.
"Levia!" Izzy skidded to a stop and turned back to her.
"Arrooo!" a sound echoed. A five-foot-high canine-like Digimon landed over top of Levia and grinned evilly. It was dark yellow and head a face mask like Unimon, but it was black with a red line. The Digimon had a pair of fangs, short pointed ears, and a short slender tail. Its legs ended in scaly yellow talons.
"Go away, you stupid mutt!" Levia screamed at Metacurmon.
"Coyote Snah—!" Metacurmon was cut off as something hit him in the forehead. It knocked his head aside just a little. It was enough for the white blast of light that came from his mouth to miss Levia's head by inches. Izzy's closed laptop clattered to the ground.
"Serves you right," Izzy said.
"Coyote Snap!" Metacurmon exclaimed. He fired his attack at Izzy, who barely dodged. While he wasn't looking, Levia crawled away. After a lot of firing, Metacurmon managed to herd the two of them together and cornered them against a large tree. He charged up for another attack.
Levia and Izzy saw something glowing in the air as it fell and grew. By the time it stopped growing, it was about twelve feet long excluding its long neck and tail. It landed on Metacurmon and pressed him against the ground. His attack flew through the air.
"Manteemon!" Levia cried.
The Digimon, which looked like a plus-sized Pasthamon with a horn on its forehead and spikes down its spine, waddled backward off of Metacurmon. Metacurmon stood up and turned to his attacker.
"Electro Shocker!" someone cried. Before the ball of electricity was thrown at Metacurmon, it lit the sky up enough to see the outline of Kabuterimon. The attack knocked Metacurmon down, but he got back up and blasted both Digimon back.
Manteemon cried, "Manteemon digivolve to… Mermaimon!"
Mermaimon was smaller than Manteemon and had no physical resemblance. She was a human-sized mermaid with a blue tail and silvery blue shells covering what body parts had to be covered. Her hair was shoulder length and a mix of white, silver, and several shades of blue. The wings on her shoulder blades were more like big cerulean bird wings and were different than those of Angemon and Angewomon.
She took flight near Kabuterimon. They dodged Metacurmon's Coyote Snap. A silver trident appeared in Mermaimon's hands. She spun it around above her head like a baton as it started to glow. She held it toward Metacurmon, cried, "Freeze Beam!" and shot three blue beams out from the tips. The beams twisted around Metacurmon, widened and formed a block of ice around him. Kabuterimon's Electro Shocker blew him to atoms. The ice was blown into tiny snowflakes.
"Izzy!" Tentomon cried after de-digivolving. Izzy hugged and practically choked him. Mermaimon de-digivolved into Pasthamon and jumped into Levia's arms, knocking her down.
"I missed you, Pasthamon!" Levia said.
"Mmm," Pasthamon squeaked happily as she nuzzled Levia's cheek.
"Izzy…you're choking me…" Tentomon said.
"Sorry," Izzy said and released Tentomon, "but I haven't seen you in a long time."
"It's nice to see you too," Tentomon admitted, "Are the others around?"
"No," Izzy said, "It's just us."
"Thanks, Izzy," Levia said as she handed him his laptop.
Izzy took it and asked, "What did I do?"
"You risked getting your computer blown to bits to save me," Levia said.
"Well it is more easily replaced," Izzy said.
"It's so nice for us all to be together," Pasthamon said sobbingly. She used her flippers to pull the four of them into a group hug.
***
Matt, Vanessa, Tai, and Sora surrounded a campfire within another large nameless forest. The others were asleep, but Matt stayed awake to keep watch. He played his harmonica quietly as he stared into the forest. After a few minutes, he pulled it away, yawned, drooped his head, and closed his eyes.
Upon hearing the sound of rustling leaves, he snapped up and looked around. He saw the outline of a pair of glittering eyes reflecting the campfire light. The creature, to which the eyes belonged, stayed still for a moment, then lunged at him so fast he couldn't see it. He was knocked onto his back and the thing was on top of him.
Everyone jumped up as he shouted. He squeezed his eyes closed as something wet slid over his face repeatedly. The others looked panicked for moment, then they laughed.
"What's so funny?!" Matt demanded.
"Open your eyes, Matt," Vanessa said.
His head was turned to the side, but he opened his eyes and saw a pair of big brown ones. Gabumon stopped licking his face and hugged him.
"Gabumon?!" Matt cried.
"Matt! I missed you so much!" Gabumon said.
"I missed you too," Matt admitted, "but did you have to tackle me? And I didn't ask Santa for a puppy for a reason…."
"I'm sorry," Gabumon said. He got off Matt and let him get up. Sora felt something rub against her leg. She looked down and saw Biyomon.
"Oh, Biyomon!" Sora cried. She picked her up and hugged her.
"Hey, Tai!"
"Agumon!" Tai realized as he turned and saw Agumon behind him.
"Yah-hah!"
Vanessa jumped left. Picamon right to the front and right of where she had been. She stood on her hind legs and hugged Vanessa.
"Don't you usually dodge to the right?" she asked.
"Yeah," Vanessa said, "but I knew you'd expect me to go right, and you'd get me. So I went left instead."
Picamon giggled.
***
Mimi looked up at a large rectangular sign with rounded corners and light blue and words. It had something written largely on it in DigiCode. There were small cozy-looking buildings a little ways down the dirt trail behind it.
"Oh… I wish I knew that language…" Mimi mumbled.
"Excuse me ma'am?" a voice said, "Do you need help?"
Mimi turned around and saw no one. She looked down and spotted a Koromon looking up at her.
"Oh, Koromon, is Tai around?" Mimi asked.
"Uh, I thing you have the wrong Digimon…" the Koromon said uneasily.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Mimi said. She pointed to the sign and asked, "Do you think you could translate this for me? I can't read DigiCode."
"Sure," Koromon said. Without looking at the sign, he said, "It says, 'Welcome to Sapphire Village, the town on the edge of the Turquoise Sands.'"
"Thank you," Mimi said, "but what is the Turquoise Sands?"
"That's the desert that's on the other side of this town," Koromon said, "It tends to be quite a tourist attraction. I'm surprised you haven't heard of it."
"I…I'm not from around here," Mimi explained.
"Ah," Koromon said, "I'm glad I could help you out, but I have to go now. Goodbye."
"Thank you, goodbye," Mimi said. The Koromon bounced into the town and disappeared while she stood there and looked at the sign wearily. She glanced back at the forest she'd come from and sighed.
She felt lost, and she and her clothes were dirty. She'd long since grown out of her pink dress, and she'd dropped her hat as she left the DigiWorld. Now she wore jeans, a pair of boots, and a white shirt. Her hair hung down.
She caught a movement out of the corner of her eyes. She turned back toward the forest and saw a pair of Gekomon walking toward her. They were talking to each other and they didn't notice her until they got closer.
"P-princess Mimi?" one of them stuttered in disbelief.
"Hello," Mimi said kindly, "How have you been?"
"Wow! It really is you!" the second cried. They hugged her legs.
"It's great to see you, Princess!" the first one cried.
"Hey, none of that 'Princess Mimi' stuff, remember?" Mimi said.
"Oh, sorry," the first Gekomon said. They un-clung from her legs.
"Are you hungry?" the second one asked.
"Yeah, we'd love to get you some food."
"Oh, could you?" Mimi asked gratefully, "I'm starved!"
"Okay, come with us!"
They took her to one of the buildings and gave her a lunch fit for a starving princess. Most if was in the "junk food" category, but some of it was healthy.
"Mimi, do you think you could do us a favor?" one Gekomon asked after Mimi was finished eating.
"I suppose," Mimi said, "What do you need?"
***
It was the next day, and Joe was wandering nervously through Sapphire Village. There were several Gekomon, Otamamon, Koromon, Yokomon, Pabumon, Punimon, Numomon, and tons of other Digimons which he'd never seen. A lot of Digimons were surrounding a building that was a lot larger than the others. It looked like it could be a small auditorium.
And sure enough, there was a Gekomon and an Otamamon standing atop the tiny decorative ledge that was above the door. Otamamon was yelling, "If you're someone who's overcome with boredom, come see the show! For today only, it's free! For anyone who's in a bad mood, come see the Princess that has a magical voice!"
"Hmm," Joe wondered. After repeating their advertisement several times, Gekomon opened the big front door, and Joe followed the crowd inside.
Digimons were cramming themselves into the room like sardines. Because he was a lot taller than them all, Joe stood against the back wall near the door and watched the staged wearily. It was hidden with a magenta curtain.
The Digimons became silent as the lights of the room reduced to a pair of spotlights that shone on the stage curtain. The curtain rose slowly, first revealing the performer's pink toe-exposing high heels. She was wearing a knee-length pink frilled skirt and had both a black belt and her hands on her waist. She had long blonde hair and a white short-sleeved midriff shirt. The crowd of Digimons cheered as the curtain rose enough to show the girl's face.
"Woah," Joe murmured, "Is that Mimi?"
"What makes you think she isn't?" a nearby Gekomon whispered.
"Well, I, uh…" Joe stuttered, "It's…It's just that…dang, she's cute…."
The Gekomon chose that moment to scoot away from him as Mimi's background music began.
It's too dark down here for her to notice me, Joe thought.
"Ya know, a dream is like river, ever changin' as it flows," Mimi sang, "And a dreamer's just a vessel that must follow where it goes. Trying to learn from what's behind you, and never knowing what's in store, makes each day a constant battle, just to stay between the shores."
The music got a little louder, and she started moving to it as she sang.
"But I will sail my vessel, 'til the river runs dry. Like a bird upon the wind, these waters are my sky. I'll never reach my destination, if I never try. So I will sail my vessel, 'til river runs dry…."
When she was done singing a few minutes later, Mimi bowed, and the curtain lowered. Then the lights came back on. Joe and the Digimons all had rather amazed expressions. After a few seconds the crowd cheered extremely loudly.
"Nice song, huh?" someone with a feminine voice asked.
"Yup, real profound," said someone else
"Maybe she's added more meaning to the lives of all these little Numomon," the first person said.
"What'd you think, Joe?"
"Uh-huh," Joe mumbled. If he'd been paying attention, he would've recognized the voices.
"Joe? DigiWorld to Joe!" the speaker hopped up onto his shoulder and slyly asked, "What'd you like more, the song or singer?"
"Huh? Gomamon?!" Joe demanded.
Gomamon rolled his eyes and said, "No, I'm the Easter Bunny…."
"Don't mention Easter Bunnies!" Joe ordered as the other members of the audience began to file out of the room.
"Uh, okay…" Gomamon said. After a moment, he hugged Joe's head almost desperately and cried, "Yay! Joe! You're back…! YAY!"
Palmon, who wore Mimi's hat, laughed as Joe flailed his limbs blindly. After Gomamon was pried off, she said, "Hey, maybe we can get a backstage pass. I can't wait to see Mimi again."
"Neither can I," Joe said, "After we came back to the DigiWorld, we all got separated… or at least I did. I haven't seen her for, like, a year."
"You've been here a whole year?!" Gomamon demanded.
"I don't know, I guess," Joe said, "I don't exactly have a calendar."
"But you were here a long time and you didn't tell me?!" Gomamon cried.
"I couldn't find a phone book that had you listed," Joe explained defensively.
"Hey, are you Mimi's friends?" a Gekomon asked. He and a few others of his kind were the only people left in the auditorium.
"Uh, yeah," Joe said.
"Do you want to see her?"
"Yeah!" Palmon cried.
As Gekomon led them backstage, Gomamon grinned and said, "Ya know, Joe, you never answered my questioned."
"What question was that?" Joe asked.
"What'd you like more?" Gomamon said, "The song or the singer?"
"Huh?" Joe asked, pretending he didn't fully understand the question.
"You know what I mean," Gomamon said silkily, "I saw you blushing…."
"You've got to be kidding," Joe said as his face reddened.
"I heard you say something…" Gomamon said thoughtfully, "What was that he said, Palmon?"
As they stopped, Palmon said, "He said—and I quote—'Dang, she's cute.'"
"Okay, okay, she's good-looking, and I didn't even hear half the song," Joe confessed, "Just don't tell Mimi that!"
Gekomon knocked on the nearby door and waited until he heard someone say, "Come in," before he opened it.
"Mimi?" Gekomon asked. She was sitting at dresser with a mirror. She had tears streaming out of her eyes, and there was a watery-eyed Numomon sitting on the dresser. Gekomon asked, "What's wrong?"
Mimi smiled hopefully at him through the mirror. "Nothing now," she said and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, "or at least… not if I heard what I thought I heard…."
"Hey, Mimi," Joe said cheerfully as he stepped into her view.
"Joe!" Mimi cried. To Joe's surprise, she rushed over and hugged him. She said, "Are any of the others with you?"
"Uh, define 'others,'" Joe said as Mimi stopped hugging him and the Gekomon excused himself.
"Other members of humanity," Mimi snapped.
"Nope, no others," Joe said. Mimi sighed.
"What? You don't want to see us? Fine, be that way…."
"Gomamon?" Mimi asked.
"Mimi!" Palmon ran in and hugged her.
"Oh, Palmon! I missed you so much!" Mimi cried. A fresh stream of tears came from her eyes.
"I missed you too, Mimi," Palmon said cheerfully, "You can have you hat back now."
"You can keep it," Mimi said.
"Thanks," Palmon said, "By the way, nice show."
"Ya think so?" Mimi asked.
"Mmm-hmm," Palmon nodded, "I thought you were done with princess show-business stuff, though."
"Well, the Gekomon were nice enough to give me some food," Mimi said, "so I did them a favor. They said that the Digimon in this town were either grouchy or bored. Do you think my song helped?"
"Yep," Palmon said, "They were amazed by your performance. You should've seen their faces."
"Even J—" Gomamon stopped in mid-word as Joe's foot collided with his back flipper. He winced in pain, tried to disguise it as a smile, and said, "I forgot what I was gonna say…. Oh, well… It wasn't important…."
"I wonder if you could become a professional singer or something," Joe said, "All the Digimon seem to like you well enough."
"Really?" Mimi wondered and her eyes began to sparkle, "Ooh, I always wanted to be a professional singer…or a model… but that's beside the point."
Palmon waved her hands in front of Mimi's eyes and got no response. She shrugged and sighed.
"Great…" Gomamon said, "I hope these little vacations to La-La Land aren't too frequent." He turned to Joe; "You're both having a problem with 'em."
"Snap out of it, Mimi," Joe said. He snapped his fingers in front of her face and brought her back to reality.
"I bet the Gekomon wouldn't mind helping you get started," Gomamon said.
"Yeah," Palmon said, "Can we help you?"
"Sure," Mimi smiled.
***
One of the only neatly-groomed Mojyimon in existence helped TK hobble into a room that looked surprisingly like a normal doctor's office that you might find in the real world. Patamon fluttered above them as TK climbed painfully onto the examination table and laid on his stomach.
"Are you gonna be okay, T.K?" Patamon asked.
"Yeah," TK said, resting his chin on his arms. The back of his green tee-shirt had a large circular burn mark on it. Mojyimon pulled the bottom of his shirt up to his chest and reveal a synchronizing red mark on TK's lower back.
"Looks painful," Patamon observed.
"I can deal," TK said. As Mojyimon gingerly touched his wound, he accidentally squeaked and widened his eyes in pain. He squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth while Mojyimon inspected his ribs.
"I think the impact of that fireball hurt you more than the fire," Mojyimon noted. TK's head snapped up and he cried out. Mojyimon calmly said, "I'm guessing one or more of your ribs are broken."
"Oh, just peachy…" TK grumbled.
After a lot of painful movement, he was moved into the special x-ray room through the second door in the room. Mojyimon looked around, frowned, clapped his hands, and cried, "Assistant?! I need the X-ray Technician!"
"Yes, Dr. Mojyimon?" a four-foot-high kangaroo asked curtly after it sped into the room. It was mostly white with small irregular sky-blue spots covering its back and big green eyes.
"What's that, Patamon?" TK asked.
"He's Subjimon," Patamon explained, "He's a rather common Rookie Digimon. He and the others of his kind usually spend their whole lives in servitude to the same person. Serfdom is a natural part of their DNA."
"Oh," TK said.
All three Digimon entered the small side room, and Subjimon gave TK his x-ray. He then left the room. He came back a few seconds later with a wheelchair. Everyone helped TK into it, and Patamon struggled to push the chair back into the other room.
"You've gotten pretty tough, buddy," TK said as Patamon flapped furiously.
Subjimon came into the room. He said, "Dr. Mojyimon would like for you to sit back on the table. Do you require assistance?"
"Um, yeah," TK said.
After helping him back onto the table, Subjimon said, "While the doctor is examining your x-rays, you may have visitors. Would you like me to summon your comrade?"
"Kari? Sure," TK said gratefully.
Subjimon wordlessly gave a single nod and left the room.
"If you gave that guy one of those weird hats," TK said after a moment, "he'd be just like those dudes at Buckingham Palace."
"What palace?" Patamon questioned.
"Never mind."
"Hey, TK" Kari said cheerfully after opening the door. Subjimon and Gatomon followed her into the room. She and Gatomon sat on the table with TK and Patamon while Subjimon began working with things at the counter.
"Hi," TK said.
"Are you feeling okay?" Kari asked.
"Yep," TK said confidently.
"You're sure?" Kari questioned gently, "It doesn't hurt, does it?"
"Nah, perfectly painless," TK insisted. He winced painfully when he felt Kari's fingertips softly touch his back where he'd been hit. He murmured, "Okay, so it does sting… just a little…."
"I'm sorry," Kari said.
"For what?' TK asked.
Without looking at him, Kari said, "If it weren't for me, you never would have gotten hit by that fireball… Oh, and thanks for protecting me and all."
"Kari, it was no problem," TK insisted, "I got hit in the back, and you would've been hit in the front. I'm sure I got hurt less that you would have. Besides, who cares what happens as long as it all works out in the end? I have a broken rib or two, but I'll be fine… and I did get lucky, but maybe you wouldn't have."
He instantly regretted saying the part about luck. He'd proposed that he would have been a lot worse off if he hadn't been lucky. Kari's eye sockets filled with water. Gatomon started to say something, but she stopped when she realized she didn't have anything to say. TK looked desperately to Patamon and Gatomon in hopes for a clue as to what to say.
"Don't cry, please," TK requested.
If Kari heard him, she chose not to show the fact.
"Come on," TK pleaded, "We're both having a bad day, and seeing you cry only makes me feel worse."
Kari wiped her eyes and mumbled, "I'm sorry."
"And please stop apologizing," TK said exasperatedly.
"I—" Kari stopped, realizing that she was about to apologize again. By the time TK finished a blink Kari was leaning toward him with her hands on his shoulder. There were still remnants of her tears, but she was smiling now. She blushed and said, "Ya know, you did save my life…. I owe you one."
"Just cheer up and let bygones be bygones," TK said, "and we'll call it even."
"Drink this," Subjimon said, thus interrupting the mawkish moment by shoving a glass of what appeared to be water into TK's face.
"Uh, okay," TK said. He downed the entire glass in about three gulps.
Kari giggled, "You weren't thirsty, were you?"
TK smiled and shrugged. Gatomon walked around them and over near Patamon. She beckoned for him to land.
He stood on the tabled next to her, and she whispered, "I always knew those two were close, but how close do you think they are?"
"Ya never know," Patamon whispered back, "Notice the repeated blushing."
Right after that was said, TK's face reddened as Kari scooted a millimeter closer to him.
"Just out of curiosity," Kari said, "why do you always seem to think that it's your responsibility to protect me?"
"If it's one of those times when you need protected," TK said, "then I'll want to protect you. You're my friend, and I don't want you to get hurt."
"Thanks, you're sweet," Kari said. She smiled lovably and made TK blush a little more.
"What do you think that's for?" Patamon asked quietly.
After seeing Subjimon handling a needle syringe, Gatomon said, "TK obviously."
"I really don't like needles," Patamon said uneasily.
"It's not for you," Gatomon said.
"Yeah, I know, but…."
"You've stood up to Peidmon's Trump Sword," Gatomon reminded, "Don't tell me you're deathly afraid of needles."
"Okay, I won't tell you… but I can't watch!" He hugged her desperately and buried his face in her fur. Despite being rather annoyed, Gatomon sympathetically patted his back.
"Humans are…weird," Gatomon said.
"Huh?" Patamon asked. He looked at TK and Kari, who had their arms around each other and their lips pressed together. Patamon said, "You're right."
He squeaked and hid his eyes again as Subjimon approached the table. He ignored TK and Kari and stuck the needle into TK's upper arm. Kari pulled her head away from him. His eyes drooped, and he went limp.
"Out like a light," Gatomon observed, "That anesthesia worked fast."
I wonder what knocked him out, Patamon thought to himself after pulled away from Gatomon, Kari or the anesthesia?
"That was pain-killer," Subjimon said, "not anesthesia." He gave TK another shot.
That answered that question, Patamon thought.