Chapter 3: Explanation of the Situation (by Wizarmon)
Hikari frowned slightly. "Okay, I think we need to get our stories straight. Obviously, we're not from here, and this is a different Wizarmon."
Tailmon nodded in agreement. "What do you think happened, Hikari? Did we go through time or something?"
"I'm not sure," the girl answered. "Hopefully we'll figure that out after we've talked."
Wizarmon looked slightly confused. "So you want to hear my story?" he asked.
Hikari and Tailmon nodded. "Yes," Hikari replied.
"You said you were a traveler. That much I recall being true in our world, too," Tailmon prompted. "Start from there. Around when we met."
Wizarmon nodded. "I was always traveling from place to place, never really stopping. Until I met you, Tailmon. You took me in and made me feel better. When I offered to pay you back, you refused. You then told me you were waiting for someone. You weren't sure who, but you were waiting for someone."
Tailmon nodded after glancing fondly at her partner. "That much is the same," she replied.
Wizarmon continued. "Well, we both were in the employment of an evil digimon named Vamdemon." He paused and shuddered at the mention of the name. Hikari and Tailmon frowned as well. "At the time, we had no choice. You had found him during your searches for your partner, and had no where else to go. After a while, you became set on trying to please your new master, and forgot about your searching and waiting."
Tailmon nodded. "Still the same," she reported, glancing at Hikari.
"There was a group of children that Vamdemon was battling. He wanted to take over Earth as well as the Digital World. To make a long story short, we journeyed to Earth with Vamdemon and it was there that you were reminded of your search."
" However, Vamdemon succeeded in finding Hikari at the same time you did. When you finally saw her, it was too late."
He sighed slightly. "There was a showdown of sorts on top of a building. Vamdemon and the group of children fought. In the fight, Vamdemon tried to kill both of you. I tried to interfere, but I was too slow. Instead, you were both badly injured."
Hikari and Tailmon gasped in shock.
"You were able to recover, but it took a long time. The chosen children were forced to go into hiding in the basement of the building. I tried all I could to help heal you, but I'm afraid I wasn't much help. Both of you managed to recover enough to help finally defeat Vamdemon."
The wizard digimon paused for a moment and shook his head in sadness. "You never quite fully gained your true powers. When your brother and the other chosen children returned to fight the Dark Masters, I went with them, in hopes that I could help. You two stayed behind in hopes you could regain your strength."
"The fight against the Dark Masters was a hard one. They were able to defeat Piemon only after the two of you interfered and added what little strength you had to the battle. It was obvious you were needed, yet you could not help continuously. Your participation against all the Dark Masters was impossible. As it was, the final battle left you so weak neither of you could get out of bed for many days afterwards."
"I guess we were really important, then, huh?" Tailmon mused.
"Infinitely," Wizarmon replied before going on with his story. "One year ago, three new chosen children arrived to counter a new threat. The DigiKaiser has taken control of the Digital World. Together, these three new children, along with Takeru, came to help fight. The elder chosen children attempted to help, but their Digimon were useless against the Kaiser's evil technology."
"Against your parents' and brother's wishes, the two of you entered the Digital World. You had recovered much strength, but were still weak. When I saw you were still alive, my heart leapt with hope. But I had to face facts. You wouldn't be much help."
Hikari and Tailmon both had wide eyes as they hung on Wizarmon's every word.
"Sadly, without your strength added to the fight, the four chosen were unable to make much of a dent in the Kaiser's defenses. He barely knew they were here." Wizarmon paused for a moment and gathered his composure. "When you finally were able to join the fight, you managed to gain his attention and defeat and free a substantial portion of his armies. However, the Kaiser's curiosity in you was strong, and he had you kidnapped."
"After subjecting both of you to endless tests and analyses and tortures, I'm sure, he found you to be useless. As a result you were taken to a remote dessert and left to die. The others tried to save you, but they found no sign of you."
"After your disappearance, the remaining chosen resolved to fight even harder. But their efforts, still, were ultimately useless. The Kaiser destroyed all portals between this world and yours. If you were still alive, you had no means of returning. And the Chosen had no way of getting in. That is how I have lived. I am one of the few remaining who is free from the Kaiser's power. And I live in constant fear."
With that final sentence, Wizarmon sat down on the rickety bed, sighing as though the entire recollection had left him physically exhausted.
Hikari and Tailmon had no choice but to be perfectly stunned.
"That-that's not how it is in our timeline at all," Hikari reported.
Tailmon nodded in agreement. "In our timeline, you were killed, Wizarmon. When you attempted to save us from Vamdemon, you were destroyed."
Hikari nodded. "We were able to defeat the Dark Masters, and the three new Chosen did join in the fight against the DigiKaiser," she collaborated. "But we were able to defeat him with the help of Wormmon."
"Wormmon?" Wizarmon repeated blankly. "I've never heard of Wormmon."
"Wormmon is Ken - the Kaiser's Digimon. He's a chosen child as well. But after his brother's death, he was persuaded by an evil force to become - well, evil. Wormmon stuck by him, but he feared for Ken's safety and helped us to defeat him in the end."
"And now Ken helps us to fight the dark powers that once controlled him," Tailmon agreed.
Wizarmon nodded. "Then those dark powers are still controlling him. But I have never heard of Wormmon. Do you think it's possible that the Kaiser had him deleted?"
Hikari shook her head. "Perhaps he's kept hidden?" she suggested. "If his enemies knew about Wormmon, he would be at a disadvantage."
"But the Kaiser has hardly any enemies left now," Wizarmon replied. "Why would he keep him a secret?"
"Perhaps someone is keeping Wormmon a secret from Ken," Tailmon suggested.
"Then we'll have to find Wormmon in order to get to Ken," Hikari declared.
"Get to Ken?" Wizarmon repeated. "You mean you want to fight him?"
Hikari shook her head. "We won't need to," she replied. "If we find Wormmon, he'll help us to convince Ken that there is good in him. If he's still alive, that is," she added.
"So you're planning to stay awhile?"
"We don't really have any way to get home," Tailmon reminded him. "We're not even sure how we got here."
"Okay then," Wizarmon agreed. "That's our mission. It's a farfetched one that will probably fail, but it's our mission."
"Try and think positive," Hikari told the wizard. "We'll never get anywhere if we don't think positive."
Wizarmon nodded. "Well, first, I think we should think sleep," he informed them. "And perhaps a good dinner. Then we'll get started on our plan in the morning."
***
Miyako knocked on the door marked Izumi and waited patiently for Koushiro or once of his parents to respond. After a few moments, the door opened, and a pleasant looking woman with brown hair poked her head out.
"Oh, hello Miyako," she said. "Koushiro has been waiting for you. Won't you come in?"
Miyako bowed slightly. "Thank you, Mrs. Izumi," she replied pleasantly. "Is anyone else here?"
"No, you're the first," she answered. "I understand you're having quite a study session today. Koushiro said you plan on heading for the library as soon as the others arrive, and you don't think you'll be back until late."
"That's right," Miyako replied, feeling slightly bad about lying to Mrs. Izumi. "Lots of studying today. Koushiro's a great tutor."
Mrs. Izumi nodded. "Oh Koushiro!" she called. A few moments later, the red-headed teen stuck his head into the living room.
"Oh, hi Miyako, I'm glad you're here. I've got a few things I want to show you," he greeted. "Thanks for showing Miyako in, Mom," he added to his mother.
"Certainly, Koushiro. I'll be leaving in about five minutes, so you'll have to open the door for them then, okay?" She smiled pleasantly. "It was nice seeing you, Miyako," she added to the girl as she left.
"Enjoy the day, Mrs. Izumi," Miyako replied, following Koushiro into his bedroom. Once there, she let Poromon out of her bag, much to his delight.
"I think I've made some progress on finding Hikari," Koushiro reported as soon as they were out of his mother's hearing range. "I analyzed the Digiport on my computer, and I didn't see any trouble with it. I'll have to check the Yagami's computer later and see if the trouble is there."
Miyako nodded. "So if it is a virus, it isn't affecting the whole Digital World, just Taichi's computer," she concluded. Koushiro nodded. In the distance, the doorbell rang.
"Could you get that, Miyako?" he asked. "I'm going to start up the computer and clean up some of this stuff." His bed was still unmade, and there were papers all over his desk.
"Sure," Miyako replied, heading to the door. Mrs. Izumi had apparently left, as she saw no sign of her.
"Hello Inoue-san," Ken Ichijoji stated with polite formalness when she opened the door. Miyako felt her heart leap slightly. Despite her getting over her crush on the boy, she couldn't suppress the feeling she felt whenever she saw him.
"Hello Ken," she replied, trying to be casual. "Koushiro's in the bedroom. He wants to finish cleaning up before we go to the digital world."
Ken nodded as he entered. "No one else is here yet?" he asked, looking around the room.
"Nope," she replied cheerfully. "We're the first. Though I expect Taichi will be here early. He's probably quite worried about Hikari."
Ken nodded again and sat down somewhat awkwardly on the couch. He opened the backpack he had brought and Minomon stuck his head out. "Hello Miyako," he said.
"Hello Minomon," Miyako replied. "Welcome to Koushiro's apartment."
Minomon was about to reply when the doorbell rang, saving her and Ken from numerous awkward moments. She turned and answered the door, finding Iori and Takeru (and Patamon and Upamon with them), who had come together that morning.
"I was going to walk with you, Miyako," Iori explained. "But you were already gone when I left."
"I'm sorry I didn't wait for you, Iori, Takeru," Miyako replied. She stepped aside to let them in. "But I was in a big hurry to see Koushiro this morning and see if he had any ideas."
"Hello, Ken," Takeru greeted, noting the boy on the couch.
Ken nodded and bowed slightly. "Takashi-san." He still addressed all but Daisuke by their last names, as he felt uncomfortable around them. Daisuke simply refused to be addressed formally, so Ken was forced to use his first name on him. Besides, he was developing a slight friendship with him, anyway.
"Where is Koushiro, anyway?" Iori asked, mostly ignoring Ken. He still didn't appreciate his presence, though he'd learned to accept him since he'd been outvoted on including him.
"In the bedroom," Ken answered.
"He's got to clean some things up before we go," Miyako explained. "He asked us to wait out here."
The doorbell rang again a few minutes later, and a semi-distraught Taichi entered. "Where's Koushiro?" he demanded, ignoring all greetings.
"In the bedroom," Takeru replied, pointing in that direction. He knew better than to stand in the boy's way.
"Am I late?" came a voice behind them. Daisuke entered, panting slightly, Chibimon in his arms. "I would have been here earlier, but my alarm didn't go off."
"Didn't go off or you didn't hear it?" Takeru joked good-naturedly.
"Very funny," Daisuke replied.
"Don't worry, Daisuke," Miyako assured her friend. "You're not late yet. Koushiro is busy trying to clean his room up and defend himself against Taichi."
"Hey!" the aforementioned Taichi shouted suddenly. "Are we ready to go or not?"
Author's notes:
Yes, yet another cliffhanger. Sorry, couldn't resist. In the next installment, they FINALLY go to the Digital World, Koushiro gets to work trying to analyze the Yagami's computer, and Hikari, Tailmon, and Wizarmon begin their search for Wormmon. Will they find him? Is he even still alive? And what will happen if they do? Will they defeat Ken (again)?
/end annoying announcer guy mode Sorry 'bout that! Next chapter up soon. Thanks to all that have reviewed!
Hikari frowned slightly. "Okay, I think we need to get our stories straight. Obviously, we're not from here, and this is a different Wizarmon."
Tailmon nodded in agreement. "What do you think happened, Hikari? Did we go through time or something?"
"I'm not sure," the girl answered. "Hopefully we'll figure that out after we've talked."
Wizarmon looked slightly confused. "So you want to hear my story?" he asked.
Hikari and Tailmon nodded. "Yes," Hikari replied.
"You said you were a traveler. That much I recall being true in our world, too," Tailmon prompted. "Start from there. Around when we met."
Wizarmon nodded. "I was always traveling from place to place, never really stopping. Until I met you, Tailmon. You took me in and made me feel better. When I offered to pay you back, you refused. You then told me you were waiting for someone. You weren't sure who, but you were waiting for someone."
Tailmon nodded after glancing fondly at her partner. "That much is the same," she replied.
Wizarmon continued. "Well, we both were in the employment of an evil digimon named Vamdemon." He paused and shuddered at the mention of the name. Hikari and Tailmon frowned as well. "At the time, we had no choice. You had found him during your searches for your partner, and had no where else to go. After a while, you became set on trying to please your new master, and forgot about your searching and waiting."
Tailmon nodded. "Still the same," she reported, glancing at Hikari.
"There was a group of children that Vamdemon was battling. He wanted to take over Earth as well as the Digital World. To make a long story short, we journeyed to Earth with Vamdemon and it was there that you were reminded of your search."
" However, Vamdemon succeeded in finding Hikari at the same time you did. When you finally saw her, it was too late."
He sighed slightly. "There was a showdown of sorts on top of a building. Vamdemon and the group of children fought. In the fight, Vamdemon tried to kill both of you. I tried to interfere, but I was too slow. Instead, you were both badly injured."
Hikari and Tailmon gasped in shock.
"You were able to recover, but it took a long time. The chosen children were forced to go into hiding in the basement of the building. I tried all I could to help heal you, but I'm afraid I wasn't much help. Both of you managed to recover enough to help finally defeat Vamdemon."
The wizard digimon paused for a moment and shook his head in sadness. "You never quite fully gained your true powers. When your brother and the other chosen children returned to fight the Dark Masters, I went with them, in hopes that I could help. You two stayed behind in hopes you could regain your strength."
"The fight against the Dark Masters was a hard one. They were able to defeat Piemon only after the two of you interfered and added what little strength you had to the battle. It was obvious you were needed, yet you could not help continuously. Your participation against all the Dark Masters was impossible. As it was, the final battle left you so weak neither of you could get out of bed for many days afterwards."
"I guess we were really important, then, huh?" Tailmon mused.
"Infinitely," Wizarmon replied before going on with his story. "One year ago, three new chosen children arrived to counter a new threat. The DigiKaiser has taken control of the Digital World. Together, these three new children, along with Takeru, came to help fight. The elder chosen children attempted to help, but their Digimon were useless against the Kaiser's evil technology."
"Against your parents' and brother's wishes, the two of you entered the Digital World. You had recovered much strength, but were still weak. When I saw you were still alive, my heart leapt with hope. But I had to face facts. You wouldn't be much help."
Hikari and Tailmon both had wide eyes as they hung on Wizarmon's every word.
"Sadly, without your strength added to the fight, the four chosen were unable to make much of a dent in the Kaiser's defenses. He barely knew they were here." Wizarmon paused for a moment and gathered his composure. "When you finally were able to join the fight, you managed to gain his attention and defeat and free a substantial portion of his armies. However, the Kaiser's curiosity in you was strong, and he had you kidnapped."
"After subjecting both of you to endless tests and analyses and tortures, I'm sure, he found you to be useless. As a result you were taken to a remote dessert and left to die. The others tried to save you, but they found no sign of you."
"After your disappearance, the remaining chosen resolved to fight even harder. But their efforts, still, were ultimately useless. The Kaiser destroyed all portals between this world and yours. If you were still alive, you had no means of returning. And the Chosen had no way of getting in. That is how I have lived. I am one of the few remaining who is free from the Kaiser's power. And I live in constant fear."
With that final sentence, Wizarmon sat down on the rickety bed, sighing as though the entire recollection had left him physically exhausted.
Hikari and Tailmon had no choice but to be perfectly stunned.
"That-that's not how it is in our timeline at all," Hikari reported.
Tailmon nodded in agreement. "In our timeline, you were killed, Wizarmon. When you attempted to save us from Vamdemon, you were destroyed."
Hikari nodded. "We were able to defeat the Dark Masters, and the three new Chosen did join in the fight against the DigiKaiser," she collaborated. "But we were able to defeat him with the help of Wormmon."
"Wormmon?" Wizarmon repeated blankly. "I've never heard of Wormmon."
"Wormmon is Ken - the Kaiser's Digimon. He's a chosen child as well. But after his brother's death, he was persuaded by an evil force to become - well, evil. Wormmon stuck by him, but he feared for Ken's safety and helped us to defeat him in the end."
"And now Ken helps us to fight the dark powers that once controlled him," Tailmon agreed.
Wizarmon nodded. "Then those dark powers are still controlling him. But I have never heard of Wormmon. Do you think it's possible that the Kaiser had him deleted?"
Hikari shook her head. "Perhaps he's kept hidden?" she suggested. "If his enemies knew about Wormmon, he would be at a disadvantage."
"But the Kaiser has hardly any enemies left now," Wizarmon replied. "Why would he keep him a secret?"
"Perhaps someone is keeping Wormmon a secret from Ken," Tailmon suggested.
"Then we'll have to find Wormmon in order to get to Ken," Hikari declared.
"Get to Ken?" Wizarmon repeated. "You mean you want to fight him?"
Hikari shook her head. "We won't need to," she replied. "If we find Wormmon, he'll help us to convince Ken that there is good in him. If he's still alive, that is," she added.
"So you're planning to stay awhile?"
"We don't really have any way to get home," Tailmon reminded him. "We're not even sure how we got here."
"Okay then," Wizarmon agreed. "That's our mission. It's a farfetched one that will probably fail, but it's our mission."
"Try and think positive," Hikari told the wizard. "We'll never get anywhere if we don't think positive."
Wizarmon nodded. "Well, first, I think we should think sleep," he informed them. "And perhaps a good dinner. Then we'll get started on our plan in the morning."
***
Miyako knocked on the door marked Izumi and waited patiently for Koushiro or once of his parents to respond. After a few moments, the door opened, and a pleasant looking woman with brown hair poked her head out.
"Oh, hello Miyako," she said. "Koushiro has been waiting for you. Won't you come in?"
Miyako bowed slightly. "Thank you, Mrs. Izumi," she replied pleasantly. "Is anyone else here?"
"No, you're the first," she answered. "I understand you're having quite a study session today. Koushiro said you plan on heading for the library as soon as the others arrive, and you don't think you'll be back until late."
"That's right," Miyako replied, feeling slightly bad about lying to Mrs. Izumi. "Lots of studying today. Koushiro's a great tutor."
Mrs. Izumi nodded. "Oh Koushiro!" she called. A few moments later, the red-headed teen stuck his head into the living room.
"Oh, hi Miyako, I'm glad you're here. I've got a few things I want to show you," he greeted. "Thanks for showing Miyako in, Mom," he added to his mother.
"Certainly, Koushiro. I'll be leaving in about five minutes, so you'll have to open the door for them then, okay?" She smiled pleasantly. "It was nice seeing you, Miyako," she added to the girl as she left.
"Enjoy the day, Mrs. Izumi," Miyako replied, following Koushiro into his bedroom. Once there, she let Poromon out of her bag, much to his delight.
"I think I've made some progress on finding Hikari," Koushiro reported as soon as they were out of his mother's hearing range. "I analyzed the Digiport on my computer, and I didn't see any trouble with it. I'll have to check the Yagami's computer later and see if the trouble is there."
Miyako nodded. "So if it is a virus, it isn't affecting the whole Digital World, just Taichi's computer," she concluded. Koushiro nodded. In the distance, the doorbell rang.
"Could you get that, Miyako?" he asked. "I'm going to start up the computer and clean up some of this stuff." His bed was still unmade, and there were papers all over his desk.
"Sure," Miyako replied, heading to the door. Mrs. Izumi had apparently left, as she saw no sign of her.
"Hello Inoue-san," Ken Ichijoji stated with polite formalness when she opened the door. Miyako felt her heart leap slightly. Despite her getting over her crush on the boy, she couldn't suppress the feeling she felt whenever she saw him.
"Hello Ken," she replied, trying to be casual. "Koushiro's in the bedroom. He wants to finish cleaning up before we go to the digital world."
Ken nodded as he entered. "No one else is here yet?" he asked, looking around the room.
"Nope," she replied cheerfully. "We're the first. Though I expect Taichi will be here early. He's probably quite worried about Hikari."
Ken nodded again and sat down somewhat awkwardly on the couch. He opened the backpack he had brought and Minomon stuck his head out. "Hello Miyako," he said.
"Hello Minomon," Miyako replied. "Welcome to Koushiro's apartment."
Minomon was about to reply when the doorbell rang, saving her and Ken from numerous awkward moments. She turned and answered the door, finding Iori and Takeru (and Patamon and Upamon with them), who had come together that morning.
"I was going to walk with you, Miyako," Iori explained. "But you were already gone when I left."
"I'm sorry I didn't wait for you, Iori, Takeru," Miyako replied. She stepped aside to let them in. "But I was in a big hurry to see Koushiro this morning and see if he had any ideas."
"Hello, Ken," Takeru greeted, noting the boy on the couch.
Ken nodded and bowed slightly. "Takashi-san." He still addressed all but Daisuke by their last names, as he felt uncomfortable around them. Daisuke simply refused to be addressed formally, so Ken was forced to use his first name on him. Besides, he was developing a slight friendship with him, anyway.
"Where is Koushiro, anyway?" Iori asked, mostly ignoring Ken. He still didn't appreciate his presence, though he'd learned to accept him since he'd been outvoted on including him.
"In the bedroom," Ken answered.
"He's got to clean some things up before we go," Miyako explained. "He asked us to wait out here."
The doorbell rang again a few minutes later, and a semi-distraught Taichi entered. "Where's Koushiro?" he demanded, ignoring all greetings.
"In the bedroom," Takeru replied, pointing in that direction. He knew better than to stand in the boy's way.
"Am I late?" came a voice behind them. Daisuke entered, panting slightly, Chibimon in his arms. "I would have been here earlier, but my alarm didn't go off."
"Didn't go off or you didn't hear it?" Takeru joked good-naturedly.
"Very funny," Daisuke replied.
"Don't worry, Daisuke," Miyako assured her friend. "You're not late yet. Koushiro is busy trying to clean his room up and defend himself against Taichi."
"Hey!" the aforementioned Taichi shouted suddenly. "Are we ready to go or not?"
Author's notes:
Yes, yet another cliffhanger. Sorry, couldn't resist. In the next installment, they FINALLY go to the Digital World, Koushiro gets to work trying to analyze the Yagami's computer, and Hikari, Tailmon, and Wizarmon begin their search for Wormmon. Will they find him? Is he even still alive? And what will happen if they do? Will they defeat Ken (again)?
/end annoying announcer guy mode Sorry 'bout that! Next chapter up soon. Thanks to all that have reviewed!