Chapter Twenty-Four

Challenge 3: Journey through Hell

            Lina wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "Whew! It's damn hot in here! Why do we have to pass through here?"

            "Don't you remember? That Koromon said the evil castle is just beyond this valley," said Nekomon.

            The Tamers and their Digimon were at the entrance of a long, lava-filled valley. In the center of the valley was a path made of rock. It looked precariously narrow.

            David pushed his glasses up his nose. "Right. We undertake this challenge one behind the other. Okay? I-I'll go first…"

            "No way!" exclaimed Riki. "Vipomon's part-fire, so we'll go first."

            "…Whatever you say…"

            Riki took a step forward, then another. After deciding that the ledge was safe enough, he slowly made his way across the valley. Vipomon followed him, careful not to bump into his Tamer lest he fall into the lava.

            Riley set her jaw. "Right. My turn. Coming, Gabumon?" The two followed Riki and Daiki, and Riley quietly prayed silently to her ancestors to protect her.

            And so, one by one, the Tamers slowly headed for the opposite side. The heat was intense, but surprisingly not dangerous—except to Petalmon and Morglormon. The two plant-like Digimon were parched and blackening.

            Riku poked Jessie in the shoulder to get her attention.

            "Ahhhh!" the other girl cried out suddenly. She turned to look behind her. "Shit! Don't do that, Riku!"

            "Sorry. …I don't think Petalmon will make it." The winged plant-like Digimon was in Riku's arms, a look of pain and exhaustion on her face. "She's…well…"

            "Don't worry," Lina called from ahead of them, obviously noticing Riku's concern. "We're almost there."

            "Not yet, you're not!" came a gruff voice. Lava erupted into the sky, and when it fell back to the ground, six Meramon were surrounding the Tamers.

            "We're trapped!" Riki yelled to the others, taking a step backwards.

            Petalmon's voice suddenly broke the silence. "No…we're not…" She jumped from Riku's arms and stood facing three of the six Meramon. "Sytamon, I'll need your help."

            The dinosaur-like Digimon nodded. "I get it." Sytamon stood above Petalmon facing the opposite direction.

            "Ready?"

            "Hell, yeah!"

            Simultaneously, Sytamon's facial markings and Petalmon's head flower glowed with a fierce, bright light.

            "Prism Sun!"

            "Energy Beam!"

            The two white beams sliced through the air. The two Digimon swung their heads so all of the Meramon were hit with the rays they had conjured.

            The Meramon sank into the lava, and after a moment of silence, the Tamers decided all was over.

            "That was too easy," observed Compass.

            Josh motioned for her to keep walking. "Whatever. Let's just get going."

            The Tamers walked on for a while, wondering if they were heading deeper into a trap the Meramon had set. Their doubts had almost vanished, however, when a sudden rumbling caught them off-guard.

            "What's going on!?" cried Mikara, waving her arms wildly in an attempt to maintain her balance. She tilted backwards and slammed into David.

            "Ouch…" the boy grated.

            "S-sorry…"

            Meanwhile, the others were having the same problem.

            "Yaaah! Riki, help!"

            "Daiki! I…gotcha!"

            "Is it an earthquake, Jessie?"

            "I don't know. Let's hope not!"

            The narrow pathway suddenly split into two. Riki, Vipomon, Riley, Gabumon, Nekomon, Mikara, David, and Wormmon were on one side, and the exit was only a few meters away. But the rest of them were floating away on a chunk of the ledge that had broken off.

            "Wormmon, use your Silk Thread!" David ordered.

            The caterpillar-like Digimon grabbed the floating chunk of rock with his attack and worked furiously to secure the two ends with a soft, yet strong, silk rope.

            "Jump!" Gabumon called to the others trapped on the other end of the rope. "Hurry!"

            "It's too far a jump!" Tetramon called back. "We can't make it! No one can!"

            "Damn…"

            Lina turned to Riku. "Can Petalmon secure a bridge to the other side?" she asked.

            Riku shook her head. "She's too weak. That last attack used up all her strength."

            "I could probably jump across," suggested Terriermon.

            "Yeah, but what about the rest of us?" asked Daiki. "What're we to do?"

            "Er…"

            "Yeah. That's exactly what I thought."

            Nekomon's urgent cry interrupted their thoughts. "Hurry! Wormmon's silk is snapping!"

            It was true. The silk rope was being fried, and the bonds were breaking. No matter what Wormmon did, nothing could reinforce it.

            Morglormon tried to think. "There's gotta be a way to…" he said weakly. Then he brightened a bit. "Terriermon!"

            "Huh?" the digital rabbit asked.

            "You can use your Terrier Tornado."

            "What'll that do?"

            "If you position yourself correctly, it can propel us towards the others."

            Terriermon glanced at the lava, then at the breaking rope. He pulled a grim expression. "You're right. I'll try it. If I burn my ears off…at least we'll be safe!" He grabbed hold of Jessie's pants leg so he wouldn't fall in the lava while he did his attack, then cried out, "Terrier Tornado!"

            The miniature cyclone not only pushed the chunk of rock forward, but the lava around them flew in the opposite direction.

            "Hahah!" Daiki exclaimed. "Lava surfing!"

            "NOT FUNNY!" Tetramon countered, clinging onto his Tamer for dear life.

            The landing was so abrupt that the Tamers and their Digimon collided with those safely on the other side, and the whole of them went tumbling end-over-end down a grassy slope.

            "How many times has this happened to us?" Vipomon groaned, irritated.

*          *          *

            Meanwhile, in the Real World…

            Rika sat at her desk and stared at the pile of tests her students had taken that morning. She had just finished correcting them. I'm sure Riki would've gotten an A-plus on his… she mused.

            A sudden knock snapped her out of her thoughts.

            "Come in!" she called.

            Henry entered. Smiling, he kissed his wife, then looked over at the tests on her desk. "Busy day, huh?"

            Smiling also, Rika nodded. "Like every day. And you? Why are you off so early?"

            "Not many students came today, and since Lina's off in the Digital World, I have no one to personally train." He glanced at the contents of the desk, then stopped at the picture of their sons. An eight-year-old Riki and a four-year-old Daiki were covered from head to toe in mud. "I remember that. You were screaming your head off at them."

            "Yeah. …I miss them, Henry." She frowned. "Every day I wonder if we'll see them again. I know they call us…but…what if something happens to them after they do?"

            Grinning now, Henry lightly punched his wife on the shoulder. "Now who's the worrywart? You never cared about this stuff before, Rika."

            "That's because they were safe before!"

            Grin fading, Henry nodded solemnly. "Yeah…I know what you mean." He took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. "Let's just hope they're all right."

*          *          *

Author's Note: Six more chapters till the end!