Part 14: The Mysterious Stranger!
"Hmm, looks like that Iori guy has them on the run, Wormmon." Ken murmured as he monitored his screens, which allowed him to see what went on in the Digital World at all times. Right now, he wasn't seeing any of the Chosen Children.
"It sure does, sir."
"I wonder what they're up to, and if they've fallen for that fake tower bait yet."
"Why not check, sir?"
"Good idea, Wormmon."
Ken brought up another screen, which had the area where he planted a fake Dark Tower so that they would go after it. On it, he saw Jyou, Hikari, Daisuke, Takeru, and their Digimon walking around in the area.
"Ahh," he arrogantly smirked, "looks like they are going for the bait! I see that four of them are there!"
"But where could the others be?"
"Hmm, good question," Ken said as he brought up another screen, which showed another sector of the desert like area. He had no luck in locating them. "I better find that Iori guy. I'm sure that'll explain some things."
He finally came to a screen, which showed Iori still scouting around, in search of his "ex friends."
"My guess is that the other group of Chosens are going to go after him,"
Ken presumed. He then gave out a light chuckle. "They can't
have their precious little Iori being a meanies now, can they..."
****
Meanwhile, back at Piximon's barrier…
"Good, they are there, Miyako-kunn!" Koushirou told he girl. "Taichi-san was right, according to Jyou-san. Apparently, there is a Dark Tower in one of the pyramids."
"That's good, at least they found it."
"Jyou-san," Koushirou spoke through the microphone of his headset, "I am sending an email now to Hikari-san. It has the directions of how to get through the pyramid." Koushirou looked at the map that he was able to bring up on his computer screen. "It seems a bit strange how my laptop can pinpoint its location, now. It is also strange how these directions that I am giving you seem somewhat familiar, as well as the unique structure of this particular pyramid. I just can't seem to bring up a full map of this place. I am still trying to figure out how."
"Okay, Koushirou, and thanks," he heard Jyou respond. "Oh, and I have an idea as to why all of this seems familiar to you and as to why you can probably pinpoint its location now."
"Really, how?"
"Okay, maybe I don't know why your computer can pinpoint its location now, but I know why the directions seem familiar. This is the exact place we were before when you, Taichi, Sora, and I discovered Nanomon."
"What!?!"
Koushirou put his attention back onto the map on the screen, and realized that his older friend was right.
"Wow, you're right! That is why the structure is so unique! That's definitely no normal, everyday pyramid." The boy then got a look of pure worry on his face.
"Izumi-senpai?" Miyako called, noticing his look and sudden silence.
"Oh no!" the boy gasped. "Jyou-san, the firewall!"
"That's right! That's how we lost Sora! We didn't know exactly where to go!"
"Hold on, I am checking to see if the place is even online!"
"But Koushirou," Jyou asked, "how are you going to do that without being plugged into their network."
"I'm sure I can pick up on the frequency, and do it that way."
Izzy started typing on his computer and tapped into that particular area's network to see if anything was online or running. He then sighed in relief when he got the results.
"Without me there, it would be fairly difficult for you all to figure out the firewall. According to this, the network of that particular area is down, so you should be able to get through the firewall with no trouble at all. But, to be on the safe side, toss a rock or any type of an object just to make sure it isn't up!" the boy warned, seriousness in his voice. "According to what I am getting, nothing in that area is up, nor is it running, but please be careful! I may can tap my way into its network, but I can't control it to ensure your safety."
"Right!"
"Now, Jyou-san, keep me posted on what happens, and good luck!"
Izzy took off his headset and set it aside. Piyomon had fallen asleep; she was all tuckered out and was still feeling weak from when she encountered Iori and Digmon earlier.
Miyako stared up at the sky, taking in the nice, gentle breeze, which was blowing through her long, lavender hair. She then gave a small frown.
"This place is so pretty. Why would Ken want to destroy a place like this? It doesn't make sense to me. He's just too cute and smart to be doing something like this."
Ignoring Miyako's statement about Ken's being cute and smart, Koushirou spoke up.
"Well, who knows. He has to have his reasons. I also don't think his intent is to destroy this world, but to more so take it over; to feel as if he's in control of something. His always trying to control Digimon shows that," Koushirou wisely stated. 'Why does she keep talking about that Ichijouji guy so much anyway? Come to think of it, why would I personally care?'
"I just wish he was good and would join us instead of fighting against us. We were all Chosen to help protect the Digital World, not destroy it," the girl sighed. 'At least I would get to know him better and what he's really like, other than his being smart and cute. I have this strong feeling that he isn't as bad as he seems, even though he's done a lot of bad things ever since our first meeting with him. Strange, when I see him, I see a kind person, but when I see him as the Kaiser, I see someone who is lost and confused. I am sure there is a lot more to him and that he's really a nice guy.'
Izzy got a nervous look and spoke up. A look that was quite similar to the one he had when Daisuke had gone to the Digital World for the very first time, and the others had gone along with him, and he was the only one left in the classroom when both Miyako and Iori returned, wondering what was going on and where everyone had gone.
"Well, I'm not all that bad and-and I'm here."
"Yeah, that's true. You are one of the nicest boys I've ever met, and you're really helpful when it comes to figuring out stuff here in the Digital World, and you were a great Computer Club President before you graduated too!"
"Yeah, thanks."
Miyako, at that moment, started to debate with herself. She had a question for him; a question that only a boy could answer, and as of that moment, Koushirou was the only guy around.
She also knew that Koushirou was the honest type, and he was a pretty good friend. She also really trusted him, even if she did refer to him as "senpai" constantly. Koushirou had attained that title due to his being Computer Club President at Odaiba Elementary, and it just stuck for her, especially since she truly admired him.
Koushirou, for her, was probably her best friend out of the elder members of the Chosen Children group, although, Koushirou was just a year older than her. They were only a year apart, and she would be graduating to Odaiba Junior High that next year as a first year, he, a second here.
Miyako considered Mimi to be her second best friend out of the older Chosen Children, even though Mimi was just a year older than her as well. Miyako felt that she could relate to Mimi more so than her predecessor, Sora. She liked Sora, but the two would never really talk much. She spent a lot of time talking with Koushirou; and ever since her first meeting with Mimi, she always spoke with her through emails, even though, at times, she does grow slightly jealous of her whenever she may tell her things, like the boys at her school and how nice they are towards her. She still found it a bit strange, though, how she never once mentioned Michael to her.
"Nee, Izumi-senpai, I have a question for you…"
"Go ahead, shoot," he said, fiddling with his headset. 'I wonder what's wrong with her. She looks as if something may be bothering her; as a matter of fact, it has been that way ever since Mimi-san has been here.'
"Well, I was just wondering if, no never mind," she chickened out. She then gave out a bashful laugh. "It's a stupid question, really."
"There is no such thing as a stupid question, only stupid people, and I know that is something you are definitely not."
"Where'd did you come up with that reasoning?" Miyako laughed.
"I have an American pen pal, and his name is Wallace."
****
RP: I know. They have no connection with Wallace what so ever
show-wise. He's only in the third movie. For the dub version
of the show, Izzy said that he had an American pen pal named "Willis,"
bka Wallace for the original version. But of course we know it is
truly a dubbing addition to keep intact with the dubbed movie, which, originally,
has no true connection with the series at all, and is out of continuity.
****
"He told me about this show with a bunch of dirty, foul-mouthed children
and how their teacher always tell them negative things such as that."
"What's this show called?"
"Hmm, what was it again? It is such a simple title, and the English is fairly easy. Minami Kooen…"
"South Park?" Miyako asked.
****
RP: Attempted Japanese by moi once again. Minami means "South"
and Kooen means "Park"
****
"Yeah, that's it! I'm surprised I forgot something so simple.
But never mind that, what is it that you wanted to ask me?"
"Oh, nothing much," the girl said while staring down at the ground. "Just something about Ken again."
Koushirou gave out a disappointed, "Oh." He was hoping that it would be something else not having to do with Ken. "Well, if anything is ever bothering you, I would really like for you to tell me about it. It is my responsibility as a fellow Chosen, and friend, to. You can ask me anything."
"Are you sure?" the girl asked, looking right at him.
"Oh, absolutely! You may not know this, but I consider you to be one of my very best friends."
"Wow, I didn't know that!" the girl's eyes lit up.
"Yep, you sure are," he nodded. "I can have a conversation with you about computers, and you would actually understand what I'm talking about," he said with a small laugh. 'I am sure that will life her spirits. She is a very good friend, so I am not lying."
She laughed a bit and then got her nerve to ask again.
"Okay, I will ask." She took in a deep breath, silently urging herself to continue. "Well, from your point of view, do you think I'm, in any way, pretty?"
"Huh?!"
Izzy was taken in surprise from that question. He wasn't expecting it. He was also pretty bad at expressing emotion and giving compliments. It was just something he wasn't used of doing.
"Um, um, why do you ask?"
"I was just wondering if Ken would see me as pretty…" she responded slowly.
"Oh, well you are," he said quickly.
"At least somebody thinks so," the girl sighed, her attention back on the ground again.
Izzy felt himself growing hot from nervousness as he started to loosen the necktie of his school uniform. He just couldn't explain it. He thought that Miyako was pretty, well, he guessed so anyway, but every time she mentioned Ken, or anything remotely having to do with him, it annoyed him somewhat.
He still didn't understand why he felt that way around her or why he got annoyed when she talked about Ken like he was the most wonderful person in the world. If anyone else talked about Ken, it wouldn't have bothered him one bit, but it was different with Miyako...
'C'mon, Koushirou, compliment her or something! It is quite obvious that she likes to be complimented, and what kind of a friend would I be if I didn't! Arrg, I don't know what I'm doing! This is all new to me! I don't know how to compliment anyone without it sounding like some type of an insult even though I don't mean it to be!' He then gave out a small cough, and started to speak in a slightly, shaky voice. "Well, um, you have nice, pretty hair. It is a really nice, lavender color."
"You really think so!" the girl asked, her hands clasped together, her eyes twinkling.
"Um-um…yeah, ugh, sure thing!" He gave out a goofy grin.
"Oh thank you, Izumi-senpai!" the girl happily responded, caring less if Koushirou sounded nervous. She didn't even really notice it. "Hardly anyone ever compliments me!" She then gave him a quick hug. "Thank you for your honesty!"
The boy felt a bit uneasy as he felt his face going red. "Um-um I-I wonder how the others are, um, doing."
"I'm sure they're doing fine. Would you mind showing me the other programs on your computer? I'm curious what else you have that can help us with Digimon, and the Digital World in general. I'm sure it'll come in handy for later on."
"Um, yeah! Sure thing!" he said, regaining his composure. "And like I said earlier, you can borrow my laptop anytime you want if you need it for anything. Other than stuff dealing with the Digital World, I don't have much of a reason to use it. You already know how it works, pretty much."
Izzy got out of his nervous state and went back to what he knew best,
computers and showed Miyako everything on his laptop, minus files he wouldn't
show to his closest, most personal friend, like Tentomon, since they contained
his innermost thoughts…
****
We now join Jyou and his group…
"This is the first time I've ever been in an upside-down pyramid," Daisuke muttered as they continued to walk.
"We're almost there, according to Koushirou's directions," Jyou responded while following the directions on Hikari's D-Terminal.
"Thank goodness," Patamon said, the flapping of his wings being the only thing heard in the large, empty pyramid.
"I sure hope so! I don't really like it here," Daisuke said, an apprehensive look on his face.
"Don't tell me you're scared, Daisuke-kun," Hikari teased with a smile.
"Me, scared!? Of course not!" The boy started to flex his muscles with his left arm, while holding V-mon in his right. "I'm just afraid that V-mon might get scared."
"Who's scared?" the blue reptile replied. "You're the one holding on to me like I'm a stuffed animal, like a kid who's scared of the dark!"
"Ugh…ehehehe…"
"Jyou-san," Takeru called, ignoring Daisuke and his apparent fear of the dark, "don't you think we've been walking a long time? When you came here before, I don't remember you being gone this long."
"Yeah, I don't remember walking this far the last time either when I was here. I guess it's been a while, or maybe Koushirou took us the long way around."
The group continued to walk, until they came to a strange, chain-fence like wall, yet you couldn't see through it.
"Hey, what's with that weird looking wall there?" Patamon flew closer to the wall, inspecting it, but not once touching it. He then flew back and sat on Takeru's head. "How do we get through it?"
"Maybe V-mon could knock it down!"
"Sure thing, Daisuke! V-mon Head! (Veeheadbutt)"
"Wait!" Jyou called, stepping in the way of the Digimon before V-mon could ram the wall down.
"Hey!" the Digimon protested.
"I wouldn't want you to get a headache when you can avoid it, V-mon. There's an easier way to get through it."
"There is?" both Daisuke and V-mon asked in unison.
He nodded. "You can just walk right through it, but the last time it was online, meaning that if you didn't walk in the right spot, you could get either electrocuted or killed. It's a firewall."
The three younger kids gulped.
"This is the exact spot where we all got separated from Sora, and Taichi broke down."
"Would you mind explaining that?"
"Sure, Daisuke-kun. Now, as we told you earlier, Nanomon kidnapped Sora and went through this wall. Taichi, like Koushirou mentioned, took his theory a bit too lightly, and was going to go right through it, not thinking of the consequences. I had to literally hold him back so he wouldn't hurt himself while Koushirou explained his theory a bit more thoroughly to him.
"After Koushirou did that, and finally found the correct spot for us to pass through, Taichi cracked, and hesitated, unable to make himself go through. Even though we discovered the right spot, we couldn't go due to our being discovered there. Thanks to Yamato and Mimi-kun with Garurumon and Togemon, Koushirou, Taichi, and I got away.
"The Digimon we were encountering at that time was Etemon, and he was the one who was after us. We didn't have much of a choice but to leave. Taichi didn't want to leave Sora behind, but we had to get him out of there before Etemon caught him.
"After we finally left, and got back to safety at the Sphinx, we explained about Sora's kidnapping to the others. We kept telling Taichi that it wasn't his fault. Koushirou and I were there too."
"Oh, and that's when Taichi-san was crying like a baby!! I'm glad I never cried like a baby."
Both Jyou and Patamon gave him a look, meaning, "Are you kidding?"
"Okay, so I cried a lot when I was a kid, but I don't do it now! At least Taichi-san got his courage back. He was about to go back by himself."
"If this firewall is as dangerous as you say it is, how will we test it to make sure it's safe?" Hikari asked.
Jyou dug through his pocket and pulled out a pen.
"It's something," he said plainly.
Jyou tossed the pen towards the wall, waiting to see if anything would happen. The only thing they heard was the sound of the pen bouncing off the wall, and onto the floor.
"Good, now we don't have to rely on Koushirou to get us past this part," Jyou said in relief.
"I'll send a message to oniichan and the others!"
Jyou handed the girl her D-Terminal, and she quickly sent her message.
"Okay, I'm ready," Hikari said after she had finished.
"Okay, now everyone feel the wall, until you find an opening," Jyou instructed.
Everyone nodded and did just that, Takeru finding the opening and all
of them rushing through the firewall…
****
In another part of the desert area, Sora and the others were hiding
behind a pyramid and peering around the corner, in search of Iori.
"Hey guys, I see Iori-kun!" she announced.
"Me too! Now, let's go get him, fellow Digimon!"
"Tentomon, will you calm down!" Gabumon shouted.
"I'm sorry." He then whined, "I'm still upset over my trauma."
"Somebody going near your tree house is a trauma?" Palmon asked in disbelief.
"I just don't get it," Gomamon shook his head.
"I too am quite puzzled over this," Hawkmon said.
"Hey, I just got an email from Hikari!"
Yamato had Takeru's D-Terminal with him. Since none of the older Chosens had them, Takeru lent him his.
"What does it say?" Mimi asked.
"They found the area where the Dark Tower is supposed to be, and they're all about to look for it." Yamato continued to read the email, skimming through it, pretty much. "Whoa, you'll never guess where it is!"
Sora, Mimi, and Taichi shrugged.
"That pyramid where Etemon was and where Sora was kidnapped by Nanomon!"
Tai came to a realization and got a worried - well, panicked is more like it - look on his face.
"The firewall! They'll get killed without Koushirou! Hikari is in danger!!"
"What?" Yamato, Mimi, and the other Digimon, minus Agumon, asked.
"That firewall! If they touch it, they'll get killed! I was about to make the same mistake when I went after Nanomon after he had captured Sora! I lost my courage that day! I couldn't go through! I was scared…"
Mimi put her right hand on her hip, and gave Taichi a look of amazement. "Man, I can't believe you're still beating yourself up over that! You made up for it when you and Koushirou went back to free her."
"Yeah, Taichi. I'm fine now, and you didn't know what you were doing…as always…"
"Hey!"
"Well, when you were younger you didn't know what you were doing," Sora corrected. "You figured that we had to be careful as if we were back in our world. It took you a while to figure that out, but you did, eventually, so stop beating yourself up over it, like Mimi-chan said."
"I know one thing," Yamato started, "I wasn't giving you an easy time. I kept arguing, asking why he didn't go after you. I'm sorry about that, Taichi. I don't think I ever apologized for it. He was truly upset after your capture, Sora."
"Yeah, I know! He made me sad and I started to feel very sorry for him. Especially after he started cr---"
Taichi ran over to Mimi and covered her mouth before she could finish.
"Taichi, what are you doing!" Mimi's muffled voice demanded, due to her mouth being covered by Taichi's hand currently.
"I'd rather not bring that up, if you don't mind," Taichi whispered to the shorter girl.
"Why'd you do that? She was just going to say that you were cr---"
Taichi bolted away from Mimi and pushed Yamato down roughly.
"Taichi!" Sora called to her friend.
"You creep, what did you do that for!" Yamato asked angrily, ready to knock Taichi senseless.
"Is it so hard not to bring up the past! I don't want to remember, okay!" Taichi then whispered quickly, while bending down to Yamato, "Sora doesn't know…it's embarrassing!"
"I don't get you," Yamato shook his head, knowing perfectly well that Sora had probably seen Taichi cry before.
"What is going on!" Sora asked no one in particular as she helped up Yamato.
"Oh, when he got back to the campsite, he broke down and---"
Taichi gave Agumon a very disapproving, and annoyed look, which caused the fire reptile to stop talking and cower down some.
"Everyone just shut up about the past and about stupid Nanomon, and Sora getting kidnapped!! I'm sorry, okay! We are here to get that Digivice from Iori, not talk about the past!"
"Man, talk about edgy," Mimi muttered while straightening up her skirt some. She noticed a couple of wrinkles on it.
"Might I suggest we all just get along, now?"
"We would, Hawkmon, if Taichi wasn't being so mean to us!" Mimi retorted, giving the older boy a look of displeasure.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to," Taichi said, finally calming down some.
"What is with you?"
"Nothing; nothing at all Sora." The boy turned from the others and looked over at their target. "Well, let's go get Iori." Taichi and Mimi were about to rush off, until they were both stopped.
"Wait!" Sora and Yamato said in unison.
"What?" Taichi and Mimi asked.
"You can't run in without a plan," Yamato scolded.
"I was about to say the same thing."
"Why should we all get caught!" Yamato said.
'Sora never agrees with anything I suggest,' Taichi thought sourly.
"We Digimon will distract Iori, while Hawkmon gets his Digivice," Gabumon said.
"Maybe Palmon should help him. Those vines just may come in handy."
"Like for tying him up, right Mimi-han!!" Tentomon asked anxiously.
"Erm, that wasn't what I really had in mind," Mimi sweat dropped. "But still, Palmon could help."
"Okay, Mimi!" Palmon nodded.
"The rest of us can keep Digmon back," Gomamon said.
"I'm surprised Digmon hasn't run out of energy yet," Gabumon said.
"Hmm, that is odd," Yamato said, agreeing with his partner. "It's odd since his evolution was a forced one, figuratively speaking. It seems that forced evolutions on a Digimon would make them lose their energy faster since they didn't want to evolve in the first place. But who really knows since this is just my opinion. Maybe Armor Digimon are different."
"We need a guinea pig to get Iori's attention," Taichi muttered as he studied Iori.
Everyone turned towards a certain, eccentric flying bug Digimon who sweat dropped in slight fear.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"Well, you're the one worried about your tree house," Palmon said.
"Yeah, you have more of a reason than we do." Gomamon tried his best not to laugh, which was definitely failing him since he let out a couple of snorts. "You're just trying to avenge your tree house."
"Okay, I'll do it!" The Digimon then spoke in a heroic manner. "For my tree house!"
"We just knew you would," Agumon snickered.
With that said and done, Tentomon flew off and landed out in the open.
"Hey, Iori-han! I'm over here!"
The poison minded boy looked over in the direction where he heard the voice call out his name.
"What a foolish Digimon," Iori said in a cold, distant voice, his harsh eyes narrowed, "trying to come after me by himself."
"Just hand over the D-3, Iori-han, and everything will be okay. We will even get you the help that you need to get you mentally stable again. I even know of a good Digimon Psychiatrist that can help."
Tentomon started to look as if searching for a business card.
"If you hold on for a moment, I can get her card for you. Now where did I put that thing..." He continued to look, but didn't find one. "Well, I can't find it, I'll just tell you about her instead. Now, the name of the place is the Junshin no Shinryoushyo. The Digimon that runs it is named Kabukimon, and she has special methods of getting one stable again, along with her assistants, Rosemon and Yashamon.
"They'll get you back to normal in no time flat! The catch is
that they only take American Money from your world." Tentomon then
muttered, "I knew I should have gone into business with Digitamamon and
Veggiemon so that I could afford to go back to Kabukimon for therapy…"
****
RP: Junshin no Shinryoushyo is my probably wrong way of saying "Medical
Clinic of Purity." Wrong in the sense if I actually phrased that
right. Anyway, Junshin means purity, and is also what Mimi's original
crest trait is. It's not sincerity. For the original, Jyou's
crest is sincerity. And for the record, Kabukimon is Tailmon's evo
with the Digimental of Purity, and Yashamon is V-mon's armor with the Digimental
of Purity. Rosemon is Palmon's ultimate (mega).
****
"What in the world is Tentomon talking about?" Mimi asked.
"A shrink?" Sora blinked dumbfounded. "Digimon have psychiatrists?"
"You know, a shrink for Iori right now wouldn't be a bad thing," Taichi muttered.
"How does Tentomon know so much about psychiatrists anyway?" Yamato asked.
"My guess is that he goes to one," Palmon replied bluntly.
"Hmm, if he is seeing Kabukimon for her Digi-therapy sessions, then that must mean that Tentomon isn't really mentally stable, because Kabukimon only deals with sick patients, and I do mean sick, as in very unstable Digimon," Gabumon said. "Tentomon is nowhere near that. Sure he's a bit strange at times, but not mentally unstable."
"Yeah, I bet he's only going because of Rosemon!" Agumon exclaimed. "She's one of the hottest Digimon there are!"
Palmon stared at Agumon in slight annoyance, her eyes literally closed.
"Yeah, she's really cute!" Gomamon said.
"But how can he endure all of that abuse from Kabukimon and Yashamon?" Gabumon asked. "Kabukimon is worse enough, but Yashamon," he shuddered, "I have heard lots of rumors about him. They're very harsh with their methods since they are both skilled Martial Artists."
"I too have hard of these things," Hawkmon stated. "Very strange."
"Who cares about those two," Gomamon retorted. "Rosemon can take care of me any day with that whip of hers!!"
All of the humans, Gabumon, Hawkmon, Palmon, and this narrator sweat dropped.
"They can't be serious," Taichi stared at Gomamon and Agumon,
his left eye twitching.
****
Iori started laughing at Tentomon's inane request.
"Finders Keepers! It is mine! And what makes you think that I am not mentally stable!" He scoffed. "I do not need some Digimon Doctor to throw away all of my money on!" He then gave off another laugh. "C'mon, Digmon!"
Digmon nodded, and started to drill the ground. Tentomon flew up to avoid falling into the deep chasm in the now open ground. After seeing Tentomon fly up, Digmon attacked using his Gold Rush.
"Hey, I was only kidding!" Tentomon yelled out, avoiding the many drills
that were being shot out at him.
****
"Okay, that's your cue, guys!" Sora instructed.
Gabumon and Hawkmon nodded, ready to go, but Agumon and Gomamon were still in a dream world, daydreaming about Rosemon.
"Um, guys?" Sora called.
"Agumon, Gomamon," Gabumon called, waving his paw in front of their faces.
Still no response.
"Um, hello?" Sora tried again, to still get no response from the two Digimon.
"Sora, let me handle this," Mimi said, pulling the girl aside. Mimi walked over to the two, currently mindless Digimon, and took in a deep breath. She then shouted at the top of her lungs, "STOP STANDING THERE AND GO AND HELP TENTOMON NOW!!! HE NEEDS YOUR HELP!!!"
The two Digimon nodded nervously as their train of thought was disrupted and evolved to their adult (champion) forms.
"Wow, Mimi-chan! That was good," Sora complimented at how fast Agumon and Gomamon broke out of their trances.
"It works every time," the girl smiled.
"Agumon shinka...Greymon!"
"Gabumon shinka...Garurumon!"
"Gomamon shinka....Ikkakumon!"
"Go you guys!" Mimi instructed. "Palmon and Hawkmon will try and get the Digivice along with Tentomon, I guess."
They all nodded and ran out onto the battlefield. Tentomon flew back to where Palmon and the others were.
"Great, more targets to practice on!" Digmon darkly murmured. "Gold Rush!"
"Harpoon Vulcan!" Ikkakumon called as he shout out his many torpedoes from the horn on his head, which blocked off the majority of Digmon's drills.
"Good job, Ikkakumon!"
"We can't celebrate yet, Greymon," Ikkakumon said, keeping his eye on Digmon. "We have to keep Digmon and Iori distracted long enough for Palmon, Hawkmon, and Tentomon to get the D-3!"
Greymon and Garurumon nodded as they continued to fight against Digmon, whose energy level seemed to be higher than ever.
He just didn't seem to get tired, and even though he was Armor Digimon,
he still seemed to have the power of a perfect (ultimate) leveled Digimon.
****
Meanwhile, back at the other pyramid...
"Ehh, where's the Dark Tower!" Daisuke yelled out in exasperation.
"There-there isn't one!" Takeru uttered in disbelief.
"What's going on!" Jyou called out.
The group had finally gone through the firewall, and was on the other side. There was a long stairwell, which led them to another firewall, and they all went through it, but all they found was an empty room, computer equipment, and shut off monitors.
"Maybe the directions are faulty," Hikari said, trying to remain calm. "Maybe we misread those directions Koushirou-san gave us."
"No, I am positive that I read them right," Jyou said, incredibly sure of himself. "Besides, this is as far as you can go anyway. This is the secret room at the center of the pyramid. I wasn't around when they came to this room, but it doesn't look like the room Nanomon was in when I met him."
Right at that moment, Tailmon's ears perked up. "I heard something!"
Everyone quieted down, to try and hear what Tailmon currently was.
"I don't hear anything," V-mon said as he strained his ears.
"I'm the one with the good ears," Tailmon stated plainly, keeping her attention on where she thought she heard the sound coming from. "I thought I heard someone laugh. A faint laugh."
"Wait, I think I hear something too!" Patamon said.
"I didn't know that pigs had a good sense of hearing," Daisuke joked.
"FOR THE LAST FRICKIN' TIME, I AM NOT A PIG! I CAN'T EVOLVE INTO HOGMON OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT RESEMBLES A PIG AND NEVER WILL!!!" Patamon shouted, flying up into Daisuke's face.
"Whoa, whoa, I was just kidding!" Daisuke sweat dropped in nervousness.
"I never warned you all never to call him a pig or anything resembling one?" Takeru asked with a laugh.
"NO!" Daisuke shouted.
"I made that mistake when I first met him. He had never evolved past his child (rookie) level, and I just assumed that he was going to evolve to Hogmon, something I made up. I didn't know he was so sensitive to being called a pig. I also didn't know he still took offense to it, but other than me, I don't think anyone really has called him a pig."
"A warning would've been nice, you know," Daisuke muttered.
"Quiet, you guys!" Hikari sshed.
****
RP: The two boys and the flying pig like Digimon calmed down and...
Patamon: (Gives the narrator an annoyed look) I SAID I AM NOT A PIG!!
RP: Well, I could've called you something worse.
Patamon: Like what?
RP: (Snickering) Like a Pikachu with bat wings for ears...
Patamon: I AM NOT A POKEMON, I'M A DIGIMON AND I AM NOT A PIG!! I AM A PATAMON!!
RP: Sorry, sorry...sheesh...what a temper...(to herself)...I better
be careful, don't want him to lose his energy on purpose and attack me
as Tokomon...those teeth of his are fatal!
****
"Surprised to find no Dark Tower?" they heard a voice laugh.
Tailmon, Patamon, and V-mon stepped in front of their partners and Jyou.
"Who are you and what's so funny!" Patamon asked cautiously.
"It is so nice to see other people," the voice said, slight joy in his voice. "It has been a long time since I have associated with anyone else."
"C'mon out here and fight!" V-mon said, his fists up.
"I would, but I can't."
"I'm in no mood for riddles!" Tailmon said, annoyance in her voice.
"I wish you all wouldn't have come here."
Hikari and the others kept looking around, trying to figure out who was speaking and where the voice was coming from. It seemed to be all around them.
"How come you wish we wouldn't have come here?" Daisuke asked.
"Because you wasted your time," the voice told them regrettably. "It was nothing but a set up. There is no Dark Tower here. The Digimon Kaiser is just toying with you. He knows that you want to get your friend, Iori, back to normal, and your friend, Jyou, was right. He is using two Dark Rings on your friend. They are on his wrists."
"Who are you?" Takeru asked.
"Forget about who he is," Daisuke said, not really caring. "What is he? Are you a Digimon or what? Are you a friend or a foe? Come to think of it, how did you know that senpai was the one who came up with the Dark Ring theory and his name?"
"That's not important, and I mean you no harm, by the way. You Digimon can put down your fists."
All of the Digimon obeyed, hesitantly, except for Tailmon, who remained alert.
"If he is using Dark Rings on Iori-kun, how come we can't see them?" Hikari asked.
"They are transparent," the voice said.
"Transparent?"
"That means that you can see right through them, Daisuke-kun," Jyou explained.
"Then how do we help him get them off?" Hikari asked.
"You can't get them off. You have to get his Digivice to the knowledgeable, redheaded one and a girl who doubts her own beauty will get the Digimon Kaiser back to his normal self."
"Say what?" Daisuke asked; a bit puzzled.
"How do you know this?" Takeru asked, still looking around, trying to find the owner of the voice. "Would you mind explaining yourself?"
"My spirit has been trapped here for almost three years. It was that battle with Apocalymon that made me this way."
"Apocalymon?!"
"Yes. After the eight Chosen Children from three years ago defeated him, all was back to normal and they went home. They then came back and sacrificed their crest powers to help protect the Digital World, creating sort of a barrier.
"They then went home, and everything, once again, was back to normal, for a while anyway."
"What do you mean, 'for a while,'" Jyou asked.
"There was still negative energy lurking about the Digital World, if left, unattended, could cause a great imbalance within this world, causing parts of the Digital World to slowly delete itself until there's nothing left."
"But where did this negative energy come from?" V-mon asked.
"The negative energy that I tracked down, led me to this very spot. I'm sure you all are wondering how this place is here if you saw it destroyed by Etemon."
Takeru and Jyou nodded slowly.
"Well, after you all defeated Apocalymon, everything was reformatted, and everything went back to the way it was before it was ever threatened. Now, as for the negative energy I found, there was still a part of Apocalymon that wasn't defeated entirely.
"I tried to get rid of this evil energy myself, but in order to do so, I had to sacrifice myself to destroy him for good! It was sent through a strange warp, sort of like how you all defeated Etemon. In the process, I had to remain here for all eternity until I am relocated with my physical body, which isn't here in the Digital World, but in some place that I am not sure of."
"But we defeated him!" Jyou said, finding all that was being told to them a bit surprising. "How cold there be negative energy left if we all destroyed him! Yamato with MetalGarurumon and Taichi with WarGreymon got the last hits on him, and then we caught him in his own trap when he tried to use his Grand Death Big Bang attack to delete the entire Digital World!"
"It wasn't enough, I am afraid," the voice somberly responded. "After you all left the Digital World, all was peaceful, until I sensed something was wrong. That negative energy, if left alone, could've destroyed the Digital World as we all knew it, which I mentioned earlier.
"Apocalymon was reformatting himself to seek out his revenge, and he knew that you Chosen Children wouldn't be able to do anything since you had no way back."
"Well, erm, Koe-san," Hikari started, feeling a bit foolish and disrespectful
for addressing him in such a manner, "do you have any other information?"
****
RP: Koe means voice.
****
"Two angels will help to defeat the Digimon Kaiser."
Jyou looked over at Takeru and Hikari, and asked, "You don't mean those two, do you?"
"Yes," the voice confirmed. "Their Digimon are the main key of getting Iori back to normal entirely, to be completely honest with you, along with the girl that cares about him most.
"The girl who doubts her own beauty is the key to getting the Digimon Kaiser back to normal, and the angels are the key of getting Iori to see that he is loved and respected by his friends. Together, they will help Iori to realize this and with their powers used together will heal him.
"Even after the pretty lavender-haired girl who doubts her own beauty gets the Digimon Kaiser to go back to his once kind self, Iori will still be under his control."
"But couldn't Ichijouji just order him to stop?"
"I am afraid not, Daisuke. The damage has already been done. Since the Dark Rings weren't meant for that of a human, it is having a different effect. Normally when rings or spirals are removed, the Digimon goes back to their normal selves, but these rings are terribly powerful.
"These rings are so powerful that it could control one of the Holy Beast Guardians if used on them. Another reason is because they are still in their experimental stage, meaning that the Digimon Kaiser himself doesn't even understand how they work entirely."
"You mean even after we get rid of whatever it is that's making the Dark Rings work, Iori still won't go back to normal?"
"Exactly, Patamon," the voice verified.
"I'm confused," Daisuke scratched his head after all had been explained. "How can you not be connected with yourself? I understand the other stuff."
'Not another angel prophecy,' Tailmon groaned in thought, looking down at the ground, disgusted with her lack of abilities. 'How can that be? I can't even evolve to my perfect (ultimate) form anymore since Hikari no longer possesses her natural crest power; it's just too difficult a process to do now. That one time I evolved, when I saved Hikari from that pit, was just a coincidence. I still don't understand how that happened and even as I am now, I am still pretty much worthless! I am on the same level as a child (rookie) now without my Holy Ring!'
"I can't really explain my body connection Daisuke, and Tailmon, you look doubtful of all that I have said. I know what you are wondering. The insecurities that you have of yourself, is your main weakness. You can evolve further if you just believe in yourself, and the time will come where you will have to put aside those negative feelings. But I know that you will."
"Wha...but how did you know that I was thi---"
"Now, I will use some of my power to get you all back to the surface," the voice interrupted. "Please stop the Digimon Kaiser and get Iori back to normal, or the Digital World will end up worse off than what it is now."
"No, wait!" Daisuke called, running forward. "At least tell us your name!"
Before Daisuke and the others knew it, a big white light surrounded them. Before the light had illuminated the room, Daisuke thought he saw the outline of something, but he wasn't sure due to the bright light he was seeing, which was causing him to shield his eyes.
After the light cleared, everyone opened their eyes to find themselves right outside of the hidden door of the pyramid.
"What happened?" Daisuke asked in confusion, checking to see if the others were okay.
"That was the strangest encounter I've ever had," Hikari
said, unable to say much else.
****
Back to Taichi and the others...
"Hey guys, we have another email!" Yamato announced, hearing Takeru's D-Terminal beep.
"What does it say?" Mimi asked.
"Who knows," Yamato said as he started to read over the e-mail. His jaw then dropped.
"Spill it!" Taichi told the musician. "Stop leaving us in suspense! Is something wrong with my sister!!"
"No, nothing like that, they're fine since Hikari's the one who sent the email. We-we can't get Iori back to normal by ourselves!"
"What!?!"
"'Our Digimon battling is pointless! Just go after the Digivice and get it back to Koushirou-san and Miyako-san as soon as possible!' According to what Hikari wrote there was no Dark Tower to destroy! 'Meet back at our secret hideout and we'll discuss it there,'" Yamato finished up.
"What else does it say?" Taichi asked.
"It also says that they encountered a strange individual when looking for the tower, but he never revealed himself to them."
"It's still too risky to let Hawkmon and Palmon go out there right now to get Iori's Digivice."
"But our Digimon are getting creamed, Sora!" Taichi pointed. "They are getting tired from battling!"
"Digmon hasn't gotten tired yet?!" Yamato asked in surprise. "He should've devolved by now!"
Tentomon, tired of the situation, turned to the remaining Digimon. "Hawkmon, Palmon, we're going to get that Digivice back now! It's important that we do!"
The two nodded, willing to take that risk.
"I'll sneak up behind Iori-han and grab the D-3. I don't think he'll notice me, though, since he is so focused on Digmon and the others. After I get it, I'll toss it to Palmon."
"And I'll get back here as fast as my roots can carry me and I can get it to Hawkmon!"
"And I'll fly back to Miyako-san and give the D-3 to her and Koushirou-san."
"Good plan," Taichi nodded in approval.
"Good luck, Tentomon," Mimi smiled at the brave Digimon. "It is going to be difficult, seeing as how he seems to always keep his Digivice in his pocket."
"Why me," Tentomon muttered with a sweat drop.
He walked out and tiptoed behind Iori who kept yelling orders to Digmon. Just as Tentomon had observed, Iori wasn't paying any attention to anything except for the battle between Digmon, Garurumon, Greymon, and Ikkakumon.
Even though Digmon was fighting against three Digimon, he was very agile and evaded all attacks thrown at him by them. At some points, it looked as if he would stand there and take the hits.
Digmon had done a lot of damage to the three, adult leveled Digimon. At one point, he had even managed to pick up Garurumon, and throw him into both Ikkakumon and Greymon.
'It's like his strength is unlimited,' Tentomon uttered in thought as he concentrated on getting as close to Iori as he could.
When Tentomon was close enough, and was just about to sneak and slip his small hand into Iori's pocket, Tentomon saw Iori dig into the pocket himself, taking out his Digivice. Tentomon backed up to make sure that he wouldn't be seen. Everyone else were holding their breaths in anxiety, hoping that Iori wouldn't see Tentomon.
Right now, Iori was holding up his D-3, which was vibrating like a normal model Digivice and was reacting in the same way that it did whenever a Chosen was using his or her Crest Powers, which had helped them to evolve to their perfect (ultimate) forms.
"You are stronger than they are, Digmon!" Iori shouted to his Digimon
partner. "Apparently, you aren't strong enough which is why they're
still fighting against you! Fight harder or try evolving further!!"
****
"That was close," Sora sighed in relief. "Iori-kun almost saw
him."
"What luck!" Mimi squealed with a clap. "He took out his Digivice!
That should make it easier on Tentomon!"
****
"What am I going to do?" Tentomon panicked in thought. "He's
going to see me! I'm just lucky that he didn't turn around!
Wait, I know! I'll blow it out of his hand!"
Tentomon flew up very high and flapped his wings as hard as he could, to create a powerful, gust of wind, right in Iori's direction. Due to the unexpected gust of wind, Iori dropped his D-3. Tentomon then flapped his wings harder, growing tired in the process, which blew some of the sand. Tentomon ended up covering the spot where Iori's D-3 had fallen.
"Stupid desert sand storms," Iori muttered as he kneeled down to look for it, not once taking his eye off of Digmon. "Where'd that thing go!"
Tentomon, who had seen where it had dropped exactly, quietly scooted it aside from out of the sand, so that Iori wouldn't see it nor hear him. Tentomon was about to pick it up, when he came to a shocking, surprising realization…
'How am I going to pick it up! I don't have any hands and the
hands that I have are too small to hold something as big as a Digivice!'
****
"Um, I just thought of something you guys," Mimi said, slight worry
in her voice.
"What?" Yamato asked.
"Tentomon's in trouble."
"Huh?"
"He doesn't have any hands! How is he going to pick it up!"
"Don't worry, Mimi! I have an idea!"
The grass-like Digi walked out a bit and braced herself. "This should be close enough," she said, hoping that she was right. "Poison Ivy!" her voice echoed.
Palmon's vines extended, grabbing the Digivice along with Tentomon.
"Whoa..." Tentomon said as he felt the vines wrap around him, and being pulled away.
"What was that?" Iori turned around, but didn't see anyone.
"Hmm, I thought I heard something…"
****
"Thanks, Palmon," Tentomon breathed out.
"No problem," Palmon smiled. "Now let's go."
The two rushed back to where the others were, but Tentomon was too tired to fly and remained on foot, and Palmon felt as if she wanted to lie down.
When they got back, both collapsed to the ground as if they had run in a race of some sort, Iori's D-3 falling to the ground right beside them.
"I…feel…weak…" Tentomon panted.
"I do, too."
"But you guys didn't even battle," Yamato pointed out.
"I know," Palmon said, still trying to catch her breath, "but ever since I went near that Digivice, I feel as if I'm depleted of energy."
"Who cares, just get that thing away from---"
Before Tentomon knew it, he had devolved back to Motimon. Same thing happened with Palmon, she devolved back to Tanemon.
"--me," Motimon finished up with a sweat drop.
"What happened!" Sora asked, amazed to see the two devolve to their lower forms.
"The Digivice!" Yamato pointed. "It drained them of their energy somehow! Are you sure that Hawkmon can get back okay?"
"I'm positive," Mimi nodded in assurance. "I have faith in Hawkmon and he's probably the strongest child-leveled Digimon we have right now!"
Mimi picked up the Digivice, which was still in the same spot where Palmon had dropped it, and handed it to Hawkmon.
"Get this to Koushirou as fast as you can!" Mimi instructed. "We'll hold off Iori a bit longer so that you can get a head start."
Hawkmon accepted the device, and too felt awkward.
"Hawkmon, are you okay?" Sora asked.
"I feel a bit weak, but I am still full of energy," the hawk responded. "I do not feel so weak that I would have to devolve back to Poromon just to regain strength."
With that, Hawkmon took off, the Digivice being held in his small talons.
"You poor dears," Mimi said as she picked up both Motimon and Tanemon. "I don't know what that Ichijouji kid is up to, but it isn't good!"
"Good luck, Hawkmon," Taichi mumbled as he watched Hawkmon fly off.
He then looked back out towards the battle. "I don't think Ikkakumon,
Greymon, or Garurumon can take much more…"
****
Back at the barrier…
"Wow, that's really cool, Izumi-senpai!" Miyako praised, still looking at everything Koushirou's laptop had to offer.
"Thanks, I try."
"You know, I've never noticed this folder here labeled Playlist. What's in it?"
"Oh, those are just my mp3 files. That is my favorites folder."
Miyako clicked on the folder, opening it to reveal quite a few mp3 files. She then started to read off the names…
"Let's see, you have Version Up, Open Mind, Sekaijuu no Keshiki wo, Dengeki Rhapsody, Watashi no Gosenfu, Crash de Bingo!, Fly High, Ai no Kishi, Ashita wa Motto, Super Girl, Shiny Days, Digital Scratch!, Dancin' on the Sky, Power of Earth, and many more!
"Wow, what a collection! I have heard all of those before and I really like the song Crash de Bingo! since it sorta describes me. I also really like Fly High and Ai no Kishi too. Ai no Kishi reminds me of Hawkmon, and that instrumental song, Dancin' on the Sky, makes me think of Holsmon and me soaring through the sky…"
"Those are just my favorites. The rest of my mp3s are in that other folder right beside it."
"Out of all of those of your favorites folder, which is your total favorite?"
"Well, I am really fond of the songs Version Up and Open Mind; both describe me pretty well, I'd say. I feel as if I can relate to them. Version Up reminds me of how I thought of things when I was younger, and Open Mind makes me think of how I perceive life in general now.
"I guess after those two, I like Super Girl, it reminds me of Mimi-san some thinking about it now. Then after that, I guess Crash de Bingo! Come to think of it, it reminds me of you; I guess it is due to the fact that you use the phrase 'Bingo' quite a bit."
"I do? I say bingo a lot?"
"Yeah, you do."
"I never noticed it. That's one good laptop of yours, Izumi-senpai. It has so much space and memory. Where did you get it?"
"To be honest with you, I'm not too sure. I got it as a present from my parents."
"Hey, what are your parents like? Getting right down to it, I only really met your mother once, even when you were in Elementary School, but she left to do some marketing, and you never really talk about them." She laughed a bit. "I bet they're computer geniuses like you, right?"
Izzy shifted a little.
"Not…really," he uttered slowly. "They are very nice people."
"You're talking about them as if they're strangers to you."
"Now, that's silly," the boy nervously laughed. "Of course they're not strangers, what a thing for you to say."
"Then what are you talking about? Why do you talk as if the are?"
The boy hated to talk about his parents, since he was still a bit embarrassed over his being adopted. He just felt that it was better if no one really knew about it. He didn't really want to share his "secret," even though it really wasn't much of a secret. It never came up in conversation for anyone to know about it. Even he didn't know, until he overheard his parents talking one night, years ago.
It still bothered him that he was adopted, just not as much as it used to.
"Well?" the girl demanded, her arms crossed.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the boy responded nervously, his train of thought broken. "My parents are very nice individuals, but I don't know them…"
"I know what you mean! But normally, it's the other way around. My parents don't really know me. I'm so different compared to my sisters and brother."
"I didn't mean that I didn't know them figuratively, I mean it literally…"
"Literally? Your mother and father are very nice; I don't get it…"
"I don't know them because, well…"
"Because?"
"Because, they…" the boy stopped abruptly. He just couldn't bring himself to share such personal, and embarrassing, news even if it was Miyako.
"Izumi-senpai?"
"Oh, yeah. I don't know them because of what you said. We've, um, grown apart some."
Miyako stared at the boy and blinked, not really believing him since he seemed to make it up on the spur of the moment.
"Are you sure that's all?"
Koushirou turned his attention to his laptop and replied with an unconvincing, "Yes, I'm sure."
'He's hiding something,' Miyako thought as she studied her friend, the uneasy look about his face. She could tell that he obviously didn't want to talk about his parents, and decided not to meddle. She then forced out a laugh, and said, "Boy, so you have that problem too, eh Izumi-senpai? I think all kids go through with that."
"Yeah," he responded distantly and quietly.
Giving up on getting him to talk, she decided to change the subject. But before she could, she saw an icon blinking on Koushirou's laptop screen.
"Hey, look, it's an email," she pointed.
Izzy went to check it out.
"It is from Yamato-san, and he said that Hawkmon is on the way back with the D-3! That's great!" the boy cheered. He then read over the rest of the e-mail. "Their Digimon are currently battling against Iori and Digmon so that way, Hawkmon will have a better chance of getting here unnoticed."
"Koushirou! Koushirou, come in, Koushirou!" Miyako heard a voice say.
"It's Jyou-senpai," Miyako identified. "They must have found something!"
Izzy put on the headset.
"Jyou-san, what is the matter?"
"What's the matter is that there was no Dark Tower!"
"What are you talking about?"
"It was all a trick by the Digimon Kaiser to throw us off track!" Jyou explained. "We need to find our way back, but I don't think I can; mind navigating for us?"
"Huh, what?" the redhead shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm still a bit surprised at what you just told me. I'll let Miyako-kun navigate you back. I have to figure this out!"
"Don't bother, we already have and we'll tell you all about it when we get there. Yamato and the others are going to come back as soon as they get that Digivice from Iori-kun. Apparently, his Digivice is the key to figuring out this entire thing."
"Alright!" Koushirou nodded. "Miyako-kun, you wouldn't mind navigating them back for me, would you?"
"No problem."
Izzy handed her the headset and she put it on and navigated the four back while Koushirou thought over the situation.
'I wonder what Jyou-san meant,' the boy pondered in thought. 'I also wonder why Piyomon is still out. Seems she would've gotten her energy back a long time ago. I have never seen her, or any other Digimon, react in such a fashion.'
"You got that, senpai? After that, you should walk and keep on straight, according to the map, and then you should end up right here."
"Thanks, Miyako-kun."
"No problem, Jyou-senpai!"
Miyako took off the headset and started talking to Izzy.
"Earth to Izumi-senpai!" She waved her hand in front of his face. "What's the matter?"
"Oh, I was just wondering what Jyou-san meant, and I was also wondering why Piyomon is so weak. She is still asleep."
"That is strange." Miyako stared over at the knocked out bird. "Maybe Iori and Digmon are a lot stronger than we all thought?"
Izzy shrugged and sighed, "I don't know and it's killing me that I can't come up with some type of an explanation."
A short while later, Jyou and the others returned with a tired Hawkmon being held by Daisuke. Hawkmon arrived there at the same exact time as Jyou and the others, his instincts and good sense of direction paying off.
Hawkmon looked as if he were on his deathbed. Miyako gasped at the sight of her tired out Digimon friend…