Chapter X: The Mad Professor Schoultz
"…and that's the whole story," Professor Oak finished.
"Yeah," Gatomon filled in. "So, do you think can you get me home?"
"No," Professor Schoultz said and looked up from his machine. He had just finished installing the oxygen in the TeleFridge.
"Oh," Gatomon said, clearly very depressed.
"I know that I can get you home," Schoultz continued and grinned. "This is actually a bit of a strange coincident since I have already begun building a Transdimensional Gateway home in my lab, but I deserted the idea to concentrate on my TeleFridge."
"Why did ya give it up?" Meowth asked. "Couldn't ya get it ta work?"
"Oh, I could get it to work, all right," Professor Schoultz laughed. "I just couldn't think of a good dimension to go to, which made the whole idea of such a gateway kind of silly. Besides, I'm still trying to get that damned time machine to work.
"Still trying to get a hold of Napoleon?" Professor Oak asked.
"And I will succeed! Haha!" Schoultz shouted. "Anyway, I'm sure I can get the Gateway to work in relative no-time. After that it will be a piece of cake to find Gatomon's home dimension and send her back."
"Sounds good," Gatomon said, trying not to get too excited since she knew that the man in front of her was, at least theoretically, crazy. "So how do we get to your lab?"
"With the TeleFridge of course!" Schoultz said. "There is enough room for all of us, for I guess your little friend over there would like to come as well?" he made a gesture towards Meowth. "But now we should get some lunch! Sam, lead the way to the kitchen, we have a load of stuff to catch up on!"
"He seems nice," Meowth said as he and Gatomon stayed behind. "An not all dat mad, really." He threw an askance look at the TeleFridge. "Bat I wonder."
"Meowth," Gatomon said. "Would you really come along? To the lab, I mean."
"Sure," Meowth said. "You're Meowth's friend, aren't yous? Da least I can do is say goodbye when ya go home."
"Yeah," Gatomon said and something that looked like sadness momentarily flashed in her eyes. "Thank, Meowth, it means allot to me. To have someone to trust even in this world."
"Dat's what friend's are for," Meowth said. "Come on, let's go grab some lunch before we go."
KABOOOM!
"I hate blasting off!" Jessie managed to say before she landed hard on the ground. The explosion hadn't managed to blast them off in the usual manner, and they ended up only a couple of hundred meters from the house. Their last and most desperate disguise (Jehovah's Witnesses) had failed just like the other ones. James got up and Jessie could see that he was rapidly loosing his temper.
"I'm tired of that stupid robot!" he growled and suddenly had a mad look in his eyes. He started to grin. "Let's end this now!"
"James," Jessie said. She didn't like that look of his. "What are you…"
But James had already run over to the house and completely buried the door in bombs, dynamite and barrels of gunpowder. He was wiring it all to a detonator, all while laughing like a maniac. "Mwahahaha! If this will not open that blasted door, nothing will!"
"James, I don't think that would be such a…" Jessie began, but James had already pushed the detonator to the bottom.
For a short moment, time stood still...
A blinding light and silence…
…
KABABOOOOOM!
"What was that?" Gatomon asked as a powerful vibration shook the house.
"I don't know," Professor Oak said. "Earthquakes are not common around here. But I'm sure it's nothing."
"In any way, we ought to get going," Professor Schoultz said and climb into the TeleFridge. "Thanks for the chat, old fellow. It was fun meeting you again."
"The same to you, old friend," Oak smiled.
"Bye, Professor," Gatomon said. "Thanks for all your help."
"Yeah, tanks allot Professor Oak," Meowth said.
"I'm just glad I could help," Professor Oak said as they followed Schoultz into the machine. "Goodbye and good luck getting home, Gatomon."
"Stand clear!" Schoultz shouted and closed the door of the TeleFridge. Professor Oak took a step back as the machine started to vibrate violently and vanished in a flash, leaving only a faint smell of ozone in the room.
Jessie and James slowly got up and brushed the soot of their clothes.
"I told you it was a bad idea," Jessie said. "But did you listen? No! You had to bring out the dynamite!"
"O no!" James shouted. "Look!"
Were they had expected to find a big hole in Professor Oak's house, they saw only a transparent, blue barrier. The generators that had created the instant forcefield that had protected the building silently pulled back into their hidden compartments. James fell on his knees in front of the door.
"It's not fair!" he cried and started banging on the door. It's not fair! It's not fair!"
Jessie grabbed his shoulders to try to calm him down, when the robotic eye once again appeared out of the door.
"You again?" it said. "Is this not getting tiresome?"
Jessie and James collapsed.
"Please let us in!" James cried. "Please! Please!"
"We just want to talk!" Jessie cried. "What's wrong with that? Please, show a little heart!"
The robot seemed to think deeply as it looked at the two Rockets who were crying their eyes out.
"Oh, all right," it finally said. "I'll let you in. I can't take crying!"
It retracted once again and the door swung open in front of them. They stared at it in disbelief.
"Well, I'll be damned," James said.
Professor Oak felt a bit sad that he probably wouldn't see the Digimon again. He had found Gatomon to be a fascinating creature, and her story about the Digital World had been intriguing.
"But I guess she belongs with her own kind," he muttered.
"Professor Oak, I presume?" a female voice asked him.
"What?" he said and quickly spun around. "Who's there?"
"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie said as she appeared in front of him.
"Make it double!" James continued as he did the same.
"Aargh!" Professor Oak shouted. "How did you get past the security system?"
"We asked it really nicely," Jessie answered.
"Damn that Artificial Intelligence," Oak cursed under his breath.
"Now, We just want to know if you have seen our little Meowth, and were he is if you have," James said as-a-matter-of-factly.
"Ha! Wild horses couldn't pull that out of me!" Oak spat. "I will never tell you were he is!"
"Oh, so you do know where he is!" Jessie said.
"Er," Oak said. "Ops."
"Tell me where he is?" James said and grabbed the professor's collar.
"So that your boss can punish him for his treason?" Oak responded defiantly. "Never!"
"But you've got it all wrong," Jessie said. "We're his friends and just want to help him."
"Oh, do you really expect me to fall for that one?" Professor Oak asked. "I know you! You are just a couple of cold-hearted criminals!"
Jessie started to get angry. "You're tempting my patience, old man. We don't have time for this, tell us were Meowth is or we'll have to do something drastic!"
"Torture will get you nowhere!" Oak said. "I will not… Why are you looking at me like that?" He suddenly turned paler. "What… What are you going to do? No! No, please don't! NO!"
A few minutes later, Professor Samuel Oak was a broken man.
"Whahahahahahaha!" he laughed. "Stop it! Stop it! I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything, just stop it! Hahahahahaha!"
Tied to a chair as he was, with James tickling his naked feet with a feather, he could not take it any more.
"You know, we should have brought our tickling robot," James said and smiled greatly.
"Enough, James," Jessie said and James stopped tormenting the old man. "So, are you going to talk?"
"They… they are with a man named Professor Schoultz," Oak gasped. "They just left in his TeleFridge. Schoultz is going to try to send Gatomon home."
"Great," Jessie said. "James, I'm warming up the balloon, you question him about this Professor Schoultz' address." She suddenly stopped and turned towards Professor Oak, giving him a questioning look. "TeleFridge?"