"For all we know, she could be dead!" T.K. shouted angrily as the twelve remaining digidestined sat outside the ruined pyramid, discussing strategy. "We should be looking, not talking!"
A worried frown creased Tai's brow. "Look, we've got to plan so another one of us doesn't go missing either."
"By my calculations, all twelve of us searching a separate quadrant would make the operation go faster, if you don't object to us splitting up," Koushirou said quietly.
"Yes, I do object, but if it'll get Kari back sooner we might as well try," Tai said, fists clenched.
"I think we should make sure not to confront anything dangerous alone, though," Joe said cautiously. "If we get into trouble, we should be sure we can contact the nearest help source."
"We'll spread out so that someone with a faster digimon is always within range," Matt said.
"Who's the fastest?" Sarie asked.
"It's not really a question of who's fastest. I think me, Koushirou, Sora, Davis, you, and T.K. have the faster digimon, plus they can fly. We'll spread out between the others, to search in a line."
"Sounds good to me. The sooner we start, the sooner we'll find her," Tai said, a determined glint in his eye.
Ken was completely silent as they all made final preparations, thinking. Yolie saw his concerned face and immediately went to him. "What's wrong, Ken?"
"What if Kari went to the dark digital world?" Ken asked, concern showing in his violet eyes.
"Why would she? The darkness vanished, remember?"
"I still think someone should search there," Ken said adamantly.
"Who? None of us have access there."
"I still do. The dark spore, remember?" Ken said, smiling sadly.
"Ken..."
"Look, I've got to do this. I think that's where she is. Wormmon and I will be ok."
"Fine, but you'd better keep safe, Ken. Don't think about the past."
"I'll be fine. I promise."
Finally, the preparations were made, and each digidestined digivolved his or her digimon to its highest stage. Ken spoke up just as they were about to leave.
"I'm searching the Dark digital world."
Davis looked down at him from Raidramon's back. "Why would you want to go there?" He asked.
"I think she might be there."
Tai shook his head. "Ken, it's to dangerous."
"I know it's dangerous, but stingmon will protect me. Let me do this, Tai. What if she is there?"
Tai shook his head. "Fine, but be careful. We can't lose another one of us."
So eleven united digidestined set out to search for Kari, one more of their number separated from them. Tai had grave misgivings about the whole operation, but didn't voice his opinions to anyone but Wargreymon.
Sarie, to search a larger area, rode on Cy's back between Zergling and Savior, so that she could see them both, but they could see further than she. As the line of digidestined crashed through the underbrush, scaring up flocks of biyomon and herds of unimon, they called Kari and Gatomon's names over and over, hoping for a reply.
None came.
Meanwhile, Ken had accessed the colorless, cold, depressing dark digital world, misgivings dogging his every step. Stingmon was in full attack mode, sensing something wasn't right.
An hour into his search, Ken decided to take a break. He leaned against a dead tree, turning his thoughts to happier things than the missing digidestined. He knew the key to finding Kari lay in not succumbing to the almost seductive depression of the Dark Digital World.
Just as he was about to stand, a white figure hurtled into his arms, knocking him backwards.
"Ken! Get out of here now!" It was Gatomon, and she was terrified. Her eyes were wide in terror, and she panted heavily as if she had been running for hours.
"Where's Kari?" He demanded, rising quickly to his feet.
"She's coming. Ken, get out of here! We'll follow you!"
"Not until you tell me what's going on. What's out there?"
"Ken, just get out of here!"
Suddenly, from deep in the forest, Ken heard a high, cold, chilling, familiar laugh.
The eleven searchers had just finished a sweep of the digital world, turning up nothing but their own voices echoing back to them. "We've got to do another sweep," T.K. said.
"Where's Ken, maybe someone should help him," Sarie suggested, sweeping her wind-blown hair out of her eyes.
At that moment, Ken burst through a tear in the fabric of the digital world, his eyes wide, his mouth open in a silent scream. Kari, Wormmon, and Gatomon followed closely behind, obviously frightened, but not as much as Ken.
Yolie immediately went to him and held him up, feeling his arms shake. "What happened? What's wrong?" She asked fearfully.
"Why... why... not again..." He moaned, ignoring everyone around him.
"What's he babbling about?" Mimi demanded.
"Yeah, what did you guys see in there?" Sora asked, glancing towards the shaking Ken.
"I'll tell you in a minute. We've got to get out of here now!" Kari shouted, tearing free from T.K.'s arms. She leaped onto Nefertimon's back, turned around, saw everyone staring at her, and glared at them all. "Are you deaf? We're all in danger!"
"Just tell us..." Cody began, but he never finished his sentence. From the tear burst a red-eyed Tyrannomon, then a Roachmon, a Mojyamon, a Drimogemon, a Digitamamon, and many others, all with dark bands around their limbs. Ken stared in absolute horror as they came, marching, like deamonic toys, only to be followed by a worse apparition.
The last beast to emerge from the tear was an Airdramon with a black band around its neck. Upon the evil Airdramon's head was a blue-cloaked figure, his dark blue hair spiked up, a wide grin beneath his eyes covered by dark glasses. Golden shoulder guards covered his upper arms, and his cloak was split into two segments at the bottom.
And, of course, they all remembered him.
"That's impossible!" Davis roared, looking between the Digimon Emperor and Ken, who was shaking even more violently and staring up at his other self with a mix of horror and fascination.
A worried frown creased Tai's brow. "Look, we've got to plan so another one of us doesn't go missing either."
"By my calculations, all twelve of us searching a separate quadrant would make the operation go faster, if you don't object to us splitting up," Koushirou said quietly.
"Yes, I do object, but if it'll get Kari back sooner we might as well try," Tai said, fists clenched.
"I think we should make sure not to confront anything dangerous alone, though," Joe said cautiously. "If we get into trouble, we should be sure we can contact the nearest help source."
"We'll spread out so that someone with a faster digimon is always within range," Matt said.
"Who's the fastest?" Sarie asked.
"It's not really a question of who's fastest. I think me, Koushirou, Sora, Davis, you, and T.K. have the faster digimon, plus they can fly. We'll spread out between the others, to search in a line."
"Sounds good to me. The sooner we start, the sooner we'll find her," Tai said, a determined glint in his eye.
Ken was completely silent as they all made final preparations, thinking. Yolie saw his concerned face and immediately went to him. "What's wrong, Ken?"
"What if Kari went to the dark digital world?" Ken asked, concern showing in his violet eyes.
"Why would she? The darkness vanished, remember?"
"I still think someone should search there," Ken said adamantly.
"Who? None of us have access there."
"I still do. The dark spore, remember?" Ken said, smiling sadly.
"Ken..."
"Look, I've got to do this. I think that's where she is. Wormmon and I will be ok."
"Fine, but you'd better keep safe, Ken. Don't think about the past."
"I'll be fine. I promise."
Finally, the preparations were made, and each digidestined digivolved his or her digimon to its highest stage. Ken spoke up just as they were about to leave.
"I'm searching the Dark digital world."
Davis looked down at him from Raidramon's back. "Why would you want to go there?" He asked.
"I think she might be there."
Tai shook his head. "Ken, it's to dangerous."
"I know it's dangerous, but stingmon will protect me. Let me do this, Tai. What if she is there?"
Tai shook his head. "Fine, but be careful. We can't lose another one of us."
So eleven united digidestined set out to search for Kari, one more of their number separated from them. Tai had grave misgivings about the whole operation, but didn't voice his opinions to anyone but Wargreymon.
Sarie, to search a larger area, rode on Cy's back between Zergling and Savior, so that she could see them both, but they could see further than she. As the line of digidestined crashed through the underbrush, scaring up flocks of biyomon and herds of unimon, they called Kari and Gatomon's names over and over, hoping for a reply.
None came.
Meanwhile, Ken had accessed the colorless, cold, depressing dark digital world, misgivings dogging his every step. Stingmon was in full attack mode, sensing something wasn't right.
An hour into his search, Ken decided to take a break. He leaned against a dead tree, turning his thoughts to happier things than the missing digidestined. He knew the key to finding Kari lay in not succumbing to the almost seductive depression of the Dark Digital World.
Just as he was about to stand, a white figure hurtled into his arms, knocking him backwards.
"Ken! Get out of here now!" It was Gatomon, and she was terrified. Her eyes were wide in terror, and she panted heavily as if she had been running for hours.
"Where's Kari?" He demanded, rising quickly to his feet.
"She's coming. Ken, get out of here! We'll follow you!"
"Not until you tell me what's going on. What's out there?"
"Ken, just get out of here!"
Suddenly, from deep in the forest, Ken heard a high, cold, chilling, familiar laugh.
The eleven searchers had just finished a sweep of the digital world, turning up nothing but their own voices echoing back to them. "We've got to do another sweep," T.K. said.
"Where's Ken, maybe someone should help him," Sarie suggested, sweeping her wind-blown hair out of her eyes.
At that moment, Ken burst through a tear in the fabric of the digital world, his eyes wide, his mouth open in a silent scream. Kari, Wormmon, and Gatomon followed closely behind, obviously frightened, but not as much as Ken.
Yolie immediately went to him and held him up, feeling his arms shake. "What happened? What's wrong?" She asked fearfully.
"Why... why... not again..." He moaned, ignoring everyone around him.
"What's he babbling about?" Mimi demanded.
"Yeah, what did you guys see in there?" Sora asked, glancing towards the shaking Ken.
"I'll tell you in a minute. We've got to get out of here now!" Kari shouted, tearing free from T.K.'s arms. She leaped onto Nefertimon's back, turned around, saw everyone staring at her, and glared at them all. "Are you deaf? We're all in danger!"
"Just tell us..." Cody began, but he never finished his sentence. From the tear burst a red-eyed Tyrannomon, then a Roachmon, a Mojyamon, a Drimogemon, a Digitamamon, and many others, all with dark bands around their limbs. Ken stared in absolute horror as they came, marching, like deamonic toys, only to be followed by a worse apparition.
The last beast to emerge from the tear was an Airdramon with a black band around its neck. Upon the evil Airdramon's head was a blue-cloaked figure, his dark blue hair spiked up, a wide grin beneath his eyes covered by dark glasses. Golden shoulder guards covered his upper arms, and his cloak was split into two segments at the bottom.
And, of course, they all remembered him.
"That's impossible!" Davis roared, looking between the Digimon Emperor and Ken, who was shaking even more violently and staring up at his other self with a mix of horror and fascination.