*AN/Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Arigatou for the reviews!! This is
part 2, where a new Digimon is found, and a few problems arise. Sorry about
the characters being a little out of character, but as I said before, I
wrote this a few years ago. Well, enjoy!!*
Part 2: The New Found Friend
1
Matt sat up and looked at the group of his friends sleeping peacefully on the soft sand. He saw Mimi, Joe, and Izzy on the opposite side of the fire than he was on. Sora was on the same side as him and Tai. She was curled into a ball with Biyomon beside her. T.K. was beside Matt, and Kari was not too far away holding Gatomon like a stuffed animal. Tai was beside Kari, sitting up and looking as beat as Matt felt. He looked worried about something, and he kept glancing nervously in Sora's direction.
Matt stood up, careful not to wake up Gabumon or T.K., and quietly walked over to Tai and tapped him on the shoulder, startling him. Tai jumped up and turned around to see Matt.
"Matt! You scared me half to death!" Tai harshly whispered.
Matt laughed. 'I scared our "courageous leader" Tai Kamiya!' Matt thought sarcasticly to himself.
"Well, I just came over to see why you're awake this late at night." He replied, cocking an eyebrow. Then he looked over in the direction Tai was previously looking in. "I saw you looking in this direction. Is there something interesting there? A bad Digimon or something?" He said with a hint of sarcasm, already knowing the real answer. He probed the area with his eyes.
Tai quickly looked in the direction Matt was pointing and lightly blushed. Fortunately for him, it was too dark for Matt to notice his blush. "Uh, nothing interesting over there. I was just looking at the water, that's all." Tai replied in an uncertain tone.
Matt rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say man." He said and walked back over to his little brother.
Tai lay back down, trying to fall asleep. He rolled around, almost rolling into Agumon. He just couldn't fall asleep. Sitting up, he began gazing around at his friends. Everything was so peaceful looking, as the bright sun began to rise over the sparkling water. The hazy colors caused him to drift off into the light sleep that he thought would never come.
~~~*~~~
The water around the aqua and purple Digimon shimmered in the morning light. He swam swiftly, paddling his webbed claws through the silvery cyan-colored water. The green, brown, and yellow seaweed waved in the currents as fish and other creatures swam by. Pushing his head out of the water, he looked around at the circular land around him. His smooth, wet fur glistened, and the blue tufts of fur on his short, wide ears waved slightly in the morning breeze. His bright yellow-green eyes shone in the light from the rising sun as he focused them on the sleeping bodies spread out on the shore. 'They're here!' He excitedly thought. 'Meteoramon must have told them about the uniting of their crests, and brought them over from Monitora.' He quickly dived under the water; his slim, streamline body moving quickly through the crystalline lake. He swam up to the shore, only a few meters from the group of Digidestioned, but he kept himself hidden.
~~~*~~~
Matt sat up; stretching his body out from is restful sleep. He heard a soft sigh beside him, and looked over to find that his little brother had waken up also. "Good morning Squirt!" He said looking over at T.K.
"Morning Matt." T.K. replied, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
Tai stood up, still tired from the previous night, and walked over to Matt and T.K. his little sister followed behind with Gatomon in her arms. "Good morning everyone!" Tai said semi-enthusiastically.
"Everyone? We're the only ones up!" Matt replied with a laugh.
"Do you like to disagree with me just for the sake of disagreeing with me?" Tai asked sarcasticly. He looked around at the surrounding area to decide which way they should go. 'Not really much of a choice.' He thought to himself. Nearby he heard the shout of Joe and the familiar laugh of Gomamon.
"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO WAKE ME UP LIKE THAT?!?" Joe screamed, wiping his face of the salty water that had been splashed on him.
"How come you always have to YELL?!" Mimi complained. "You woke me up from a wonderful dream!"
"And you've aroused all of the rest of us that weren't awake quite yet." Izzy stated, Tentomon flying up beside him.
"Good morning everyone!!" Sora said, standing up. She looked up at the beautiful sky.
"Good morning Sora." Tai said sheepishly as he walked over to her. Matt smirked unnoticeably.
"We should all eat and then devise a plan of what we should do." Izzy stated, walking over to the group of people.
"I say we head in that direction. Towards that small forest." Tai said, pointing towards the woods.
"That's stupid Tai! There is snow over there, and besides, we can get lost in that forest." Matt retorted.
"Matt! There is food in the forest. It is also a lot colder out here in the open with the wind. Plus the trees can provide shelter. You're just afraid!" Tai shot back.
"No Tai! You're wrong! I'm going this way and if you want to go that way its fine with me! Come with me T.K.!" Matt said angrily and he grabbed T.K.'s hand and left. Patamon and Gabumon ran to catch up with them.
"Matt!! I don't think it's a good idea to split up!" Sora said in a worried tone, her voice trailing off.
"Well, I think Matt's got a point. Maybe splitting up will make it easier on all of us. Joe and Mimi come with me. And Tai…" Izzy said motioning towards Tai. "Tai; you, Sora, and Kari head into the forest. We can meet up later." Izzy began walking off with Mimi and Joe in another direction.
"Izzy…" Sora replied, exasperated. "Now what Tai?" she said, looking into Tai's eyes. Tai looked sadly away.
"We go into the forest. I am so angry at Matt, I hope we never see them again." He replied, closing his eyes and raising his clenched fist.
Sora grabbed his raised arm in a soft, but strong grasp. "Calm down Tai. Don't say things like that." She said in a soothing tone. Tai opened his eyes, surprised, and looked at Sora.
"I'm sorry Sora." He said, lowering his arm as Sora slowly let go. "I guess we should get going." He diverted his eyes away from her again, and they all began walking.
-------------2---------- ----
"What happened Matt? Why are we leaving the others?" T.K. asked with his soft voice. He clutched the small Digimon, Patamon, in his arms.
Matt stopped and sighed, putting his hands firmly on T.K.'s shoulders, facing his little brother. "You wouldn't understand T.K. Don't worry, we'll be fine without them." Matt's voice hardened. T.K. stood, looking up at him.
"But I miss them Matt. I miss Kari and Sora and Tai, I miss them all." His small eyes began to water with tears of sadness. Matt turned from him and looked up into the sky.
"I miss Sora and the others too. All except for Tai." He said out loud, mostly to himself. 'And our arguments aren't the only reason.' He thought.
"Then why don't we go back now, Matt?" Gabumon spoke up in a quiet voice.
"No!! It's not as simple as that! We can't just go back. I don't need them, any of them!" Matt yelled, turning away. He began to run, fighting the tears that were beginning to swarm his eyes. Gabumon and T.K. ran to catch up, Patamon still in T.K.'s arms.
"Matt!" T.K. yelled, running out of breath. He was too tired to run any longer, and he collapsed on the ground, exhausted.
Hearing his brother's call, Matt quickly turned around and ran to T.K. "T.K.!" He yelled as he reached the little boy. "I guess it's about time we had a rest." He said, trying to lighten the mood. He plopped himself beside Gabumon and T.K., trying to think things out.
'Why does Tai always have to act like the boss? He gets me so angry! What does Sora see in him? I know she cares about him, but…Oh, just stop it Matt. It doesn't matter now; you've left already. She'd probably be mad at me if I go back. It's just too hard; because of how she feels… about Tai. I try to make it seem like I'm happy for them, but… oh, I just wish that it was me instead of Tai. Ugh, worrying about it will just make it worse. Me and T.K. will be fine without them.' He said to himself.
The golden rays of the sun began to fade over the sparkling beach. While Matt, T.K., and their Digimon rested, a pair of bright, greenish-yellow eyes watched from the water. These eyes almost seemed to glow as the last slivers of light reflected off the turquoise water, while the sun began to set on the horizon. Small, feathery clouds took on shadowy fragments of light from the elusive sun, covering the sky with the eerie colors of nightfall. The Digimon that belonged to the eyes dunked under the water and headed towards the darkening shore.
~~~*~~~
"Izzy, why did we leave the others behind? Besides, its getting awfully cold and I think it's beginning to snow." Mimi said, watching the little white flecks of cold snow fall from the shadowy sky.
"My original plan is to teach Matt and Tai that the whole team is needed to be successful." He stopped to look back at Mimi and Joe who were following slowly behind. "Secondly, being in groups we can all spread out to find what we are looking for."
"Uh, Izzy? What exactly are we looking for?" Mimi asked in a quizzical voice.
"To be perfectly honest, I really don't know."
---------------3--- -----------
The green, silhouetted forest loomed over Kari, Tai, and Sora's heads. Tai was in the lead, with Kari and Agumon beside him. Gatomon and Biyomon were walking behind them, and Sora was in the back, following a short distance behind. The dark emerald needles of the pine and spruce trees around them were coated with strings of crystal-like snow and ice. The sun was slowly setting, causing the long restrained chill to enter the still air. Sora looked around and spotted a small bird perched in a tree. The little bird reminded her of Meteoramon and all the things that happened back at her cave. She rubbed her shoulders, since the night air brought on an icy chill from all of the pale snow around them.
"Tai? Can we stop now? It's getting cold and dark, and I'm tired." Came a little voice from beside Tai, it was Kari. Tai jerked his head up from what seemed to be a deep trance. He smiled and looked down at his sister who was shivering from the cold.
"Good idea Kari. I guess I was just too caught up in my thoughts to notice." Tai said, looking around at his surroundings. He picked up some pieces of wood that had been spared from the wet snow. Agumon lit the sticks, creating a comforting fire.
Sora cleared a spot on the ground, near the fire, of all the dead leaves and needles, and she carefully sat down, not saying a word. Kari sat down beside her brother and leaned her head on his shoulder, falling asleep from the warmth coming from him. Agumon lay in front of Tai, near the fire. Sora leaned her back against the tree behind her, hoping to gain warmth from the position she was in and from the fire in front of her. Biyomon fell asleep curled up in front of her. Gatomon was curled up beside Kari, providing her with more warmth.
Sora wasn't tired. She looked around at the verdant trees and plants that surrounded her. She had always loved nature and she also loved to draw pictures of plants and animals. At home, since her mother worked at a flower shop and her dad had died many years ago, she would draw all of the animals and plants she saw. They were so vivid and lively. This habit began a year before the time of her father's death. Her father had shown her how to draw so realistically, and after his death she drew to remember the good times she had with him. Among these pictures of plants and animals were pictures of her family and friends, she even had a picture she had drawn of her father. All of these pictures were so lifelike, almost if the person or thing was really there.
She closed her eyes and thought of her room back home in Odaiba. Many pictures she had drawn lined the walls of her small room. Pictures of birds, cats, flowers, and pictures of her good friends made her room her own creation of dazzling sketches. She opened her eyes and looked into the sparkling fire. A small tear fell down her soft cheek. She didn't bother to wipe it away.
Sora took a small notebook of plain white paper and a little pencil out of her small, pink hip pouch. She looked at Biyomon, who was sleeping gently near the fire, and began to sketch her. By the time she had completely finished, the fire was beginning to die out, so she flipped through the pad, looking at the pictures of her 'Digidestioned' friends that she had drawn since she came to the Digiworld. She flipped to the picture of T.K. and Matt, then to the picture of Tai. She looked at the picture of Tai and softly sighed, putting the pad back into the hip pouch. She closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep, but to no avail.
Tai watched Sora from the other side of the fire, but he dare not move for fear of waking up Agumon or Kari; or most of all, having Sora notice that he was awake and watching her. 'You're real nice Tai. Sora's over there freezing, and I won't even go keep her warm! I have the crest of courage, yet I'm not even courageous enough to go sit with her, or even invite her to sit here with me and Kari! Too late now, she'd probably think I was stupid to let her freeze for so long while I watched her and then come over to invite her to sit with us; and the night's almost over.' Tai thought to himself, but he was still too afraid to do anything more than scold himself about it.
~~~*~~~
Myteramon ran steadily up to Durasythedamon. He had more news on he 8 Digidestioned kids. He briskly bowed and waited for Durasythedamon to signal for him to speak. Durasythedamon nodded his huge, scaly head.
"Master Durasythedamon. The 8 Digidestioned are on the island of Diskaram. They have not found Articamon yet though." He said in a relieved tone. "Right now they have been split up and 3 are in the forest, 3 are near the mountains, and the last 2 are on the beach. All is as you wish master." He did another quick bow, and then he looked up at Durasythedamon with his menacing dark brown eyes.
"Good. The first failure was because they were together. Now that they are separate, we can capture them easily and destroy them. Go; send for Raydemon to capture the ones near the mountain and in the forest. We will deal with the other two later." Durasythedamon said with a snarl. "Once you have done this, come and report to me."
Myteramon raised his blade-like forearm to signal his understanding, and then ran swiftly out of the dreary room. He flew down above the center of the huge lake on the middle of the island, where Raydemon was waiting under the shimmering surface of the water.
--------------4-------------
The small aqua, cat-like Digimon watched as two of the Digidestioned stopped to rest. 'I might as well show myself to them, it's not like they can attack me or hurt me very much.' He thought. 'Maybe they have the two crests that I need.' He paddled quickly up to the shore, then jumped swiftly out of the frigid water onto the snowy sand. He lightly shook his short fur, releasing small sprays of translucent water off onto the feather-soft sand. He walked stealthily as if he were a panther hunting his prey.
Gabumon sat up, recognizing the aquatic Digimon that was heading towards them. He stood up and smiled. "Articamon!" He walked over towards the larger Digimon.
Matt stood up, holding his little brother tightly against him. "It's okay you guys. Articamon is our friend!" Patamon said, flying over towards the large, panther-like Digimon.
"So Gabumon, Patamon, I see you've been placed with the famous Digidestioned." Articamon said with an air of sarcasm.
"Yeah. Meet Matt and his little brother T.K." Gabumon stated, bringing his two human friends up to Articamon. Articamon circled the two humans, waving his flipper-like tail.
T.K. reached his hand out and petted the shiny fur of the cat. Articamon looked at him and smiled. "Where are the other Digidestioned that were with you earlier?" Articamon said, looking over to the older boy. His yellow eyes gleamed.
Matt's face got red with anger. He looked away, his blue eyes flashing angrily. "We left them behind. I don't need them." He said, a hint of sadness in his in his angry tone. He really did miss them. He missed Sora's compassion and kindness. Surprisingly, he even missed Mimi and Joe's endless complaining, and Izzy's computer talk. But Tai, he felt that he would never miss Tai's 'leader' attitude.
"Hey Matt, look! Articamon has the symbols of two of crests on him!" T.K.'s voice broke through Matt's troubled thoughts. Matt snapped his head up and looked at Articamon. Sure enough, on his forehead and on the central part of his flipper on his tail were two symbols of crests.
"Yeah. I have the symbols of the crests of Hope and Friendship. What two crests do you humans have?" Articamon replied.
"Well, T.K. has the crest of Hope and I have the crest of Friendship." Matt answered, his coolness returning.
"You're not too friendly saying that you don't need your friends. I don't think you're suitable for the crest of Friendship. You should be looking for your friends now, instead of running away from them because of your disagreements with them." Articamon said, walking critically over to Matt. "They could be in grave danger right now. Besides, if both of your crests glow in unison I can digivolve. But seeing how you are acting Matt, I doubt that will ever happen."
"You'll digivolve, just like Meteoramon?" T.K. asked, petting the damp fur of Articamon with one hand, and holding Patamon with the other.
Articamon nodded. "Just like Meteoramon." He replied. Matt crossed his arms and looked away, angry again. He thought of his friends in danger and began to feel sorry for the way he was acting.
~~~*~~~
"Hey guys! Look, it's a bunch of mountains. Eww, I hate climbing!" Mimi exclaimed, stopping to rest her feet.
"And look over there! Isn't that the forest that Tai, Sora, and Kari went into?" Tentomon said, pointing his claw towards the trees.
"I think you're right Tentomon. This must be the other side." Izzy concluded.
"Maybe we should wait for them to come out. Besides, its cold and its almost night." Joe asked.
"Right. We'll go get some wood." Palmon said. Her, Tentomon, Izzy, and Gomamon headed towards a cluster of dead trees.
Mimi and Joe went to pick some fruits and berries for them all to eat. Everyone returned a few minutes later, started a warm fire, and began eating a good meal. ~~~*~~~
Tai, Kari, and Sora walked through the dense forest, lost in their own thoughts. They kept walking, not knowing how long or how far, but they kept going.
'Ever since Kari came, I've been too busy with her to talk to Sora. I'm glad we found Kari and that she's okay and all, but I wish I could have a little time alone with Sora, so I can tell her how I feel. Oh! The same thing happened before we beat Myotismon, when we went back to the real world and found out that Kari was the eighth child. I was always with Kari. I almost seemed to be ignoring Sora. Sora, I wasn't ignoring you. I'm sorry!' Tai thought to himself as he looked back at Sora, who was looking at the trees and plants around them.
Kari once again tugged at Tai's sleeve. "Tai, look up there! There's a break in the trees. I think I see mountains!" Kari said, pointing towards some gray beyond the familiar green of the forest.
"Well let's just have a closer look then." Tai replied, pulling the mini telescope out of his pocket and looking through it. He saw that they were almost at the edge of the forest. He also saw mountains, a field, and… "Sora! It's Izzy, Joe, and Mimi! Come here Sora." He said, speaking the last sentence in a softer tone. He turned around and looked at Sora, who was at least 10 feet behind him. He motioned with his hand for her to come, keeping his courage up to look into her soft, brown eyes.
Sora quickly walked up to stand beside him. "Do you really see Mimi and the others?" she quietly asked, looking from the direction Kari was pointing, then at Tai. She was surprised that he hadn't glanced away like the many times before.
Tai lightly shook his head. "Yeah. You can look for yourself if you want to Sora." He replied kindly. He put out his hand with the mini telescope in it. Sora looked at his hand with the small telescope in it, then up at Tai's face. He was smiling, his dark eyes shining.
Sora carefully took it, looking through the eyepiece. She looked and saw the same thing Tai had seen. "You're right Tai. We should get going." She said, handing the telescope back to Tai.
"Come on you two!" Agumon said from a few feet in front of them. Kari, Gatomon, and Biyomon were with him. Sora and Tai walked up to them and they all began their steady trek through the forest again.
~~~*~~~
The huge, navy blue, manta ray Digimon watched for a chance to capture the 6 humans and their Digimon. He had the legs of a crab and two huge crab-like claws. These claws were hollow on the inside, so he could either capture his enemy in them, or crush them brutally. His scorpion-like tail had a huge stinger on the end of it that secreted a deadly poison. He had the flat, wide sting ray body, only with crab legs, a scorpion tail, and two super-strong claws. He awaited silently as three of the Digidestioned ran out of the forest, joining the others in a small clearing. 'Now's the time.' He thought evilly. 'When I bring them into my underwater home and destroy them. Durasythedamon will be pleased.'
~~~*~~~
Articamon suddenly stopped, pricking up his ears. "I sense evil. Raydemon, he is near your friends." He said, his yellow eyes gleaming. "He's probably planning to attack soon."
Matt, who had been trying to think things through, bolted over to Articamon. "What do you mean that he's planning to attack them soon? We've got to help them!!" Matt said, now furious with himself.
"I see you feel differently about your friends now." Articamon said, looking at Matt. "The fastest way to get where they are is to swim across this lake. All of you climb on my back, I'll carry you over." Articamon replied, diving into the cold water. Matt, T.K., Gabumon, and Patamon climbed onto his back.
--------------5-------- -----
"Sora!" Mimi yelled, running up to her friend.
"Yo Izzy!" Tai said from beside the two girls. Izzy and Joe ran up to them.
"Boy, are we glad to see you! We were expecting you guys to show up." Joe said, catching his breath. All six of them walked to the clearing where the fire was still burning.
After everyone had settled down and eaten their full of fruits and berries, Izzy walked over to Tai, who was sitting near Sora. He was watching Kari chase Gatomon around on the soft grass.
"Hey Tai, have you thought over your fight with Matt?" Izzy stated, Sora watched from beside Tai.
Tai looked up at the red haired boy, the bright sunset behind him. "I'm still angry for what Matt said. But, I've learned, with Sora's help, that all of this arguing can destroy the group." Tai said. He then looked at Sora, the brilliant sunlight behind her, causing her to look as if she was glowing. She was smiling because of Tai's reply.
"I'm glad you know that now. We're a team. We can't let arguments ever get into the way of that." Sora said, smiling at Tai.
"Sora's right Tai. Remember that." Izzy said over his shoulder as he walked back over to Tentomon.
"I will." Tai said, looking back over at Sora, who had stretched out on the ground so she could sleep. He laid down and looked intently at her. 'Maybe I'm finally getting the courage I need to tell her how I feel.' He sighed and looked up at the glinting stars. Feeling warmth beside him, he looked over and found that Kari had snuggled up to him, using him as a pillow. He sighed again; wishing that Sora could be the one in his arms. He closed his eyes, falling asleep.
~~~*~~~
"Matt, how much longer?" T.K. asked, rubbing his eyes to keep himself awake.
"T.K.! You should be asleep. It's dark out!" Matt exclaimed.
"I know Matt. But I'm worried about the others."
"I know how you feel. We'll find them, don't worry T.K. Now go to sleep."
"Okay Matt. Goodnight."
~~~*~~~
"Tai?" Sora whispered.
"What is it Sora?" Tai softly asked, sitting up and putting Kari carefully down on the grass. He looked over at her.
"Did you hear something?" Sora replied. Her soft brown eyes showed concern in the dim light of the rising sun. She paused, listening again.
"There it is again." She said, standing up. This time Tai heard it too.
Suddenly a loud growl echoed through the still morning air, waking up the rest of the group. A huge crab/stingray Digimon stepped slowly out of the water.
"Uh Tentomon? Who is this guy?" Joe said, backing into a tree.
"He is Raydemon. He is an evil Digimon with three strong attacks called Hammer Claw, Silver Net, and Black Venom Sting."
"Digivolve guys!!" Tai yelled, standing defensively in front of Sora. Kari was clinging tightly onto him.
All of the Digimon digivolved except for Gatomon and Patamon. Raydemon swung one of his massive claws, knocking all of the Digimon into a pile. "Silver Net!" Raydemon yelled, surrounding the Digimon in a thick net of steel-like strings. All of the Digimon who had digivolved reverted back to their rookie forms, exhausted.
"Gomamon!!" Joe yelled.
Raydemon laughed and opened one of his huge claws, scooping the frightened Joe, Izzy and Mimi up into it.
An idea ran through Sora's mind. She pulled the small pad of white paper and the pencil out of her hip pouch. She quickly flipped to a blank page and hastily wrote something on it. She dropped it just as her, Tai, and Kari were scooped up into Raydemon's other claw.
Raydemon chuckled evilly as he hooked the net of weak Digimon onto his curved, scorpion-like tail. He dived into the icy water to his under water domain.
~~~*~~~
Articamon kept swimming quietly through the shimmering lake with the 2 Digidestioned on his soft back. The sun slowly began to rise over the cool water. Up ahead the grassy shore looked more inviting then ever, the clear dew on the lush grass reflecting the light of the rising sun. "Hey Articamon?" Matt said into Articamon's ear.
"Yeah?" Articamon answered softly.
"Do you think we'll get to them in time?"
"Well let's hope. There's the shore, we'll be there in a few minutes." Articamon replied, swimming faster through the water. Small waves flowed beside him, shimmering slightly and causing an illusion of silvery colors.
They finally reached the shore. Matt gently shook T.K. out of his slumber and then quickly jumped off Articamon's back onto the soft grass. "Sora??! Izzy? Is anyone there?" Matt anxiously yelled.
Articamon looked around and sniffed the air. T.K. ran up to Matt with something small and white in his hands. "Hey Matt! What's this?" He said, handing the object to his brother.
Matt took it and looked at it. "It's Sora's pad of drawing paper!" He looked closer to see something written. It looked as if she had written it in a hurry. He read the note, it said:
-
"Help us Matt. Raydemon is attacking me, Tai, and the others.
He is planning to bring us to his underwater home. Please come quick…
Love, you're friend, Sora"
-
Anger pulsed through Matt's blood as he read the note and looked at the sketches of his friends that Sora had drawn. He clenched his fist and he saw a detailed picture of T.K., Gabumon, and himself. He saw a picture of Tai, it appeared to have spots of dry tears on it, and Matt realized what his own ignorance had caused, he had lost his friends. Even if he had disagreements with Tai, they were still friends. Sora's words broke into his mind. ' "Matt!! I don't think it's a good idea to split up!" ' Her voice had shown the understanding of friendship, and the concern of losing a friend. No wonder she has the crest of Love. 'Why did I do this??' Matt thought to himself, tears threatening to surface as he looked at the picture that Sora had drawn of herself.
Articamon walked over to Matt and nudged him. "Raydemon has not destroyed them. Knowing him, he has captured them and brought them to his underwater home."
Matt turned to look into the aqua cat's eyes. "How do we get there?" Matt said sternly.
Articamon smiled. "I will take you. Come, let's go!" Articamon made a huge bubble around Matt, T.K., and their Digimon, so they could breathe under the water. He dived under the water, the strange bubble following behind.
"Wow! This bubble is almost like glass!" Matt said, tapping lightly on the side of the bubble.
Articamon turned his head and looked back at them. "Well I wouldn't want you to pop it and drown now, would I?!" Articamon replied with a laugh. "We're not too far away from Raydemon's underwater cave. There is oxygen in there because Raydemon can only breathe under the water for an hour at a time." He smiled, pointing his webbed claw down at a huge rock formation. He turned his head and began to swim faster, paddling his flipper-like tail and maneuvered his thin body quickly through the glossy water.
--------------6---- ---------
"Durasythedamon! Raydemon has succeeded in the capture of the 6 humans. Right now he has brought them into his underwater cave. One of them has been poisoned and he is planning to destroy them all soon." Myteramon said, his brown eyes flashing excitedly. He stepped forward, his small white wings folding down upon his emerald green back, folding around the chestnut brown spines that lined his back. The blue markings on his face, forearms, wings, and legs matched perfectly to make him look as tough as he was. He began to speak, then hesitated; wary of what Durasythedamon would say about his next words. "I…there is also some bad news master."
"What is it?" Durasythedamon said in an angry tone. He looked down upon the small green, brown, and blue Digimon. Myteramon hesitated again, then proceeded.
"The other two Digidestioned have found Articamon, and it turns out that those two have the crests that will 'cause Articamon to digivolve. But I have found one of the other Digimon that will digivolve because of the crests. His name is Viperumon. He is on the continent of Modemar. With your permission, I will go capture him."
"Very well. Go capture Viperumon and bring him here." Durasythedamon replied. "Maybe I can use him for the destruction of the Digidestioned."
Myteramon ran out of the room and flew to the continent of Modemar, which was a continent that was covered in mostly desert. The rest of the large landmass is made up of short and long-grassed savanna. He landed in a patch of short-grass, heading quickly towards the huge, dry desert in pursuit of the snake-like Viperumon.
~~~*~~~
Tai opened his aching eyes and looked around. He was in a harsh cave, and from what he could see, he was underwater. A huge, meal cage surrounded him, along with Kari, Izzy, Mimi, and Joe. 'There's only 5 of us in here…Oh no!! Sora's not here!' He thought to himself. He stood up and ran to the edge of the cage, gripping the thick, dirty, metal bars that held him in the cage tightly.
Over in the corner of the cave was another cage, smaller then the one he were in. he looked closer and saw the silhouette of something in the cage. It was Sora!! She looked horrible. Her skin was pale and she looked terribly ill.
Tai's heart ached as he looked at her shivering form. How he wanted to be over there with her, but he was stuck with here everyone else. In his anger and frustration he slammed his fist onto the metal floor of the cage, finding that it dented easily. He slammed his fist down again, wishing he could be with Sora; believing that it was his own fault that she was separate from them.
"Calm down Tai, we'll help you get Sora. I believe I know a way out of these cages." Izzy stated, placing a hand on Tai's shoulder.
"What do you mean?" Tai said, looking up at Izzy.
"Look down at the where you hit the floor of the cage. It's dented. The material that these cages are constructed of is highly pliable. Simply…we can bend the bars to get out of these cages." Izzy replied.
Tai stood up, then looked over at Sora, who looked as if she was awakening. "Let's do it!" He said, grabbing onto the bars and pushing them. They moved, but not very much. "How come it's not working?" Tai yelled in disappointment.
"Patience Tai. It will take longer than I originally thought. These bars are of a stronger material than the floor of the cage." Izzy replied. Him and Joe were also pulling at the bars. Kari was with Mimi on the other side of the cage.
"Almost got it…there!!" Tai yelled as he bent the bars just enough so he could fit through. He ran to the smaller cage that Sora was in.
Sora reached one of her gloved hands out between the bars, as if she were asking for help and Tai gently took it. Sora lightly moaned from the immense pain that was covering her body, flowing through her veins and burning like fire. "Don't worry Sora, everything's going to be alright. I'll get you out." Tai said soothingly. He looked into her deep brown eyes and saw the tremendous pain and anguish that Sora was enduring.
"I see the poison has taken effect." A booming voice said as the huge Digimon, Raydemon, stepped into view. Tai stood up defiantly, shocked and upset to hear that Sora was poisoned. "It's no use trying to save her. She will die within 24 hours, unless of course you find the RainbowSea Flower. But you won't have the chance to do that!" Raydemon said. He reached his huge claw out and lifted the small cage, threatening to crush it; with Sora in it!!
"Howling Blaster!" A huge bluish beam shot out at Raydemon, knocking him off guard and causing him to release the cage from his claw.
"SORA!!!" Tai screamed as he dove to catch the cage. Matt ran up to him and helped him.
"Tai…what happened to her?" Matt asked, trying to hold back his emotions. The loud sound of Garurumon and Raydemon fighting echoed in the dimly lit cave.
"She…she's been…been poisoned." Tai weakly answered, extreme sadness overcoming the soft sound of his voice.
"And it's all my fault too! She warned me that it wasn't a good idea to split up, now she's the one suffering." Matt fumed. His anger and sadness began to swell up in him. T.K. ran up to him, looking at Sora with sad blue eyes.
"I really hope we can help Sora." T.K. said. Suddenly his crest began to glow a flaming yellow. Matt's also began glowing, but as a blazing blue.
"Blizzard Storm!" Articamon yelled, throwing a huge storm of needle-like ice at Raydemon. "Huh?? I can digivovle!! Let's do it Garurumon!"
"Garurumon digivolve to…………… Weregarurumon!!"
"Articamon digivolve to…………… Searcticanmon!!"
The large panther-like Searcticanmon stood on his four long legs beside Weregarurumon. His blue wing-like pectoral fins laid down flat against his metallic blue and silver fur. His long, elegant fox-like tail waved slightly, as if a light wind were blowing; and his long, fox-like ears stood erect and ready to detect any movement.
"Searcticanmon?! But how?!?" Raydemon roared. He lifted his scorpion tail, ready to attack the two Ultimates.
"Tai, Matt! Quickly get Sora out of the cage and then get the others! Ice Shield!" Searcticanmon yelled, forming a solid ice barrier between the kids and Raydemon.
"No!" Raydemon yelled as he struck the glass-like ice with his stinger tail, trying to shatter it, only to get it stuck in the hard ice. "Grrrrrrrr." He growled as he tried to pull his tail out. Weregarurumon attacked using his 'Wolf Claw', creating huge claw marks on Raydemon's flat, sting ray back. The attack may have left scars, but they did little to actually harm Raydemon. "Hammer Claw!" Raydemon yelled, slamming Weregarurumon into the solid ice wall with his huge claw.
"Weregarurumon!!" Matt yelled, seeing his friend hit.
--------------7-------- -----
Tai gently pulled Sora out of her small prison while Matt helped the others. He softly lay Sora on the cave floor beside himself. She was soaked with sweat, yet she was shivering violently. Tai gingerly placed his hand on her forehead as the others rushed over to meet them. Sora was burning up. Small tears escaped from Tai's eyes at the thought of losing her.
Meanwhile, Raydemon had finally gotten his tail out from the ice, more scratches from Weregarurumon on his back. "Black Venom Sting!" He yelled, shooting sharp black barbs from his tail, just missing the super agile Searcticanmon and Weregarurumon.
"Ha! You should practice your aim! Water Wave!" Searcticanmon shouted. A huge wave of water was created by his wing-like fins. The vast wave shot over Searcticanmon's metal covered head and straight at Raydemon. Raydemon tried to run, but the wave hit him, knocking him unconscious and hurting him badly.
"Finish him off Weregarurumon!" Searcticanmon said.
"Garuru Kick!" Weregarurumon yelled, destroying Raydemon. Raydemon disappeared as Weregarurumon reverted back to Tsunomon. The Ice Shield melted, as Searcticanmon became Articamon again.
"Yea!' They all yelled, except for Sora, who was in too much pain; and Tai, who was worried about her.
"I'm glad that we won, but what about Sora??" Tai said, looking sadly at the pain stricken girl. She had finally fallen into a light sleep.
"And our Digimon." Kari added.
"Here's the plan…since Tai is incapable of making decisions at the present time. Joe, Mimi, Kari, and Articamon go search for the Digimon. Tai, Tsunomon, T.K., Patamon, and Matt look after Sora. I'll try and find information on the RainbowSea Flower on my computer. OK?" Izzy stated. He flipped open his laptop and began searching for the RainbowSea Flower. The ones who were assigned to find the Digimon trudged off through the narrow path of the dark cave.
~~~*~~~
"I wonder were Gomamon and the other Digimon could be." Joe thought out loud.
"I don't know, but I can't wait to see Palmon again!" Mimi stated.
"Yeah and Gatomon!" Kari added excitedly.
Articamon stepped forward, perking up his ears and listening carefully. Faintly he could hear something, as quiet as the whispering of the wind. The sound was muffled, but it sounded like someone calling for help. "I hear something. If I digivolve I will be able to hear it better."
"Why?" Kari asked politely.
"Because as Searcticanmon I have hearing that is 50 times better then my hearing is now as Articamon." He replied. He looked at her with a smile.
"Oh, I see." Kari giggled.
"Maybe it's a good idea that you digivolve, just in case there are any other evil Digimon around." Joe said uneasily. He looked around at the dank walls of the underwater cave. Dull colored stalactites pointed down from the ceiling, looking like sharp needle-like knives. His overactive imagination took hold as he thought he saw a pair of grayish- blue eyes watching them. He shivered at the thought, then looked back over to his new cat-like Digimon friend.
"Alright. Articamon digivolve to…………… Searcticanmon!!" A bright yellowish blue light engulfed Articamon as his head was covered in a metallic mask and his once flipper-like tail transformed into the long graceful tail of a fox. Large wing-like fins grew quickly out of his back. As the large fox-like panther stood in front of the children, a new feeling of power washed over his metallic light blue body. "I could get used to this new look!" Searcticanmon laughed. He then again perked his ears up, listening for the sound he had heard before.
"Help us! Can anyone hear us? Tai? Sora? Hello!?!" The voice said. Searcticanmon could hear it a whole lot clearer now. The voice sounded like Agumon.
"Searcticanmon? Can you hear anything?" Joe asked quietly.
"Yeah. I hear one of your friends. It's Agumon."
"You hear Agumon?!" Kari asked.
"Yeah. Lets go save your friends!" Searcticanmon said. He let the kids climb onto his back and they ran towards Agumon's voice.
They continued running until they ended up in a small room with some glass-like cages in the corner. In each cage was a different Digimon.
"It's Gatomon!!" Kari yelled, jumping off Searcticanmon's back and running towards the small cage that contained her cat-like Digimon friend. But before she reached the cage, 50 or so small Digimon jumped in front of her. Kari screamed.
"It's Gizamon and Slashramon! They are small water dwelling Digimon who just love to cause trouble." Searcticanmon said, jumping in front of the three children.
"You're right Searcticanmon. Now if you would so kindly move out of the way so we can destroy those pesky Digidestioned!" A Slashramon shouted. Him and the other Slashramon stood on two webbed claws. On their backs were 7 very sharp blades and their tail ended in a blade like flipper. Their black and gray glossy fur shone wet. Their heads had a swordfish like nose and they had sharp claws on their webbed hands.
"You are working for Raydemon." Searcticanmon growled.
"Right again. Don't even try to rescue your friends, they're in attack proof cages. You'll have to battle us first; all of us." A Gizamon said. More blade-backed Gizamon and Slashramons jumped out from every direction, surrounding the large panther-like Digimon and the three Digidestioned humans.
~~~*~~~
T.K. opened his backpack and pulled out some beautiful azure, lavender, aqua, and teal flowers. He hesitated then made up his mind and began to walk towards Sora and Tai.
Izzy had finally found the description and a picture of the RainbowSea Flower. "Prodigious!" He said excitedly to himself. He looked over at Tai to tell him about the flower when he noticed what T.K. was holding in his hands. Izzy gasped and looked back at the computer screen and the picture of the RainbowSea Flower and then returned his gaze to T.K. and the flowers he held in his hands. "T.K.! Where did you get those flowers?" Izzy asked, walking up to the small boy.
"I picked them a while ago. I was gonna save them as a present for my Mom, but I decided to give them to Sora, 'cause she's sick. I wanted to make her feel better." T.K. replied.
"You'll do more then make her feel better T.K.! You have just saved Sora's life!" Izzy exclaimed. Tai looked up at him hopefully.
--------------8-------- -----
"Claw Blade!!" Slashramon yelled, throwing many blades at Searcticanmon, hitting him, but not hurting him much.
"You seem to be forgetting that I'm an Ultimate level! Water Wave!!" Searcticanmon yelled. The attack pushed many of the small Digimon away, but not enough to get to the trapped Digimon.
"Yeah, but there are many more of us!!" A Gizamon yelled.
"Climb on my back!" Searcticanmon yelled as he bent down and let the three kids climb on his back, covering them with his fins. He leaped over the crowd of small Digimon and landed in front of the glass- like cages.
"How'd he do that? Is that fair?" Some Gizamon complained.
"Get your friends out. I'll take care of these airheads." Searcticanmon laughed.
"Who are you calling an airhead?" A Slashramon yelled. "Razor Fin!" A Sharp fin-shaped blade flew towards the Joe.
"Aahhhhhh!!" Joe yelled, diving out of the way of the fin. It hit the glass-like cage behind him and bounced back and hit a few Gizamon and Slashramon. "Phew." Joe sighed.
"Grrr…that's not fair!" A Gizamon shouted
"I say we leave!!" Another Gizamon cried. Him and all but one of the Slashramon left.
"I guess its you and me Searcticanmon! He he." The Slashramon began to glow a sickly white. "Slashramon digivolve to…………… Darkslashramon!!" The once small Slashramon grew much taller and gained razor sharp teeth and lost his needle nose. Crimson red markings covered his jet-black body. Razor-like fins lined his sides, legs, and arms and a huge curved razor sprouted from between his orange-yellow eyes. reflecting the dim light of the cave. He smiled a wicked smile. "Ready for a challenge Searcticanmon?"
"Darkslashramon!?!" Searcticanmon said in surprise.
"Ha! I don't see why Durasythedamon put Raydemon in charge. He's nothing compared to me!" Darkslashramon laughed, raising a huge clawed hand in the air. "He couldn't even defeat the Digidestioned!"
"Boasting doesn't lead to victory. Water Wave!" Searcticanmon yelled. The huge wave flew at Darkslashramon, but he pushed it aside like a droplet of water with his broad claw.
"I don't need boasting to be victorious over you! Night Fin Blade!!" Darkslashramon yelled, shooting razor sharp fins at Searcticanmon knocking him back into the hard cave wall. "Ha! You see?"
"You're not victorious yet!" Gomamon yelled once Joe had released him and the other Digimon from the cages. "Gomamon digivolve to…………… Ikkakumon!"
"Palmon digivolve to…………… Togemon!"
"Ha! Your little kiddy show doesn't impress me!" Darkslashramon laughed.
"Believe me… it will! Ice Shield!" Searcticanmon yelled, shooting ice at Darkslashramon.
"Needle Spray!"
"Harpoon Torpedo!"
"Lightning Claw!"
These attacks knocked Darkslashramon back.
"Pepper Breath!"
"Spiral Twister!"
"Super Shocker!"
Darkslashramon began to glow again, but this time he was de- digivolving. "Uh oh. I'm outta here!!" The now weak Slashramon yelled, turning around and running away.
"We did it!" Mimi yelled. All of the Digimon who had digivolved de-digivolved to their normal forms.
"Now let's get back to the others!" Articamon laughed.
~~~*~~~
"What're you talking about Izzy?" Tai asked with new hope.
"T.K. has the RainbowSea Flowers! Izzy exclaimed.
"Hey guys! We found the Digimon!!" Kari exclaimed, hugging Gatomon.
"Tai!" Agumon yelled, running up to Tai.
"Sora? What happened to her?" Biyomon asked. She looked over at Tai and then Sora, who was lying beside Tai. "Tai?!" Tai hesitated.
"Well Biyomon…" Tai began, looking from Biyomon to Sora. "…Sora's been poisoned by Raydemon." Biyomon's face grew worried. "But T.K. and Izzy have found the cure!" Tai finished, again looking at Sora's shivering body.
"T.K. can you please hand me a few of those flowers?" Izzy asked. T.K. nodded and handed Izzy a teal colored flower and an azure colored flower. "Thank you." Izzy replied. He carefully pulled a few petals off each magnificent flower. They were soft and had a sweet scent. The azure and teal petals blended perfectly with each other, looking like the gentle waves of the sea. Izzy carefully handed the silky petals to Tai, instructing him to place them in Sora's mouth, and also to get her to chew and swallow them.
Tai softly nodded his head and placed one hand on Sora's cheek and held the small petals in his other hand, near Sora's mouth. Tai had taken off his white gloves before Izzy handed him the petals. Sora's cheek was soft in his hand and Tai could feel the gentle shaking as Sora shivered. Small, salty tears flowed silently down Sora's cheek and washed over Tai's strong hand. He softly whispered something to Sora as he placed the sweet smelling petals into Sora's dry mouth.
A wonderful taste overcame Sora's senses as she began to weakly chew the small petals. The juice from the petals tasted like freshly picked berries as it glided smoothly down her throat.
"Now what?" Mimi asked, her voice filled with surprising concern. She looked over at Tai, whose eyes were fixed on the now sleeping Sora.
"Now we must wait. The antidote will take a minimal amount of time before any effects become evident. I propose that we all rest. We can see how Sora is doing after we rest up." Izzy replied.
Everyone agreed and laid down to sleep. Tai lay beside Sora and looked at her with loving eyes, hoping she would get better soon. He gently caressed her soft cheek as a small tear ran down his own cheek. He wouldn't go to sleep. He was determined to stay awake and with Sora in her time of need.
--------------9-------- -----
A long, snake-like Digimon slithered through the burning sand. The dark green scales on his body repelled the scorching heat. The heat from the brownish-tan sand rose up in waves of quivering air, making it a hard task to see anything clearly. The snakelike Digimon closed his reddish- purple eyes and opened them again, looking around. His eyes adapted to the wavering heat of the desert, making it easy for him to see clearly. He slid silently forward, his small red tongue flickering quickly in and out of his muscular mouth.
His head was not hooded like a cobra's, but thin and shaped like a viper's. A long, brown, sail-like crest flowed down his forest green back. He moved his long body steadily forward, looking for a meal.
He raised his slim head and sniffed the air. 'Sssomething'sss not right.' He thought. He glanced over at a large and dune and noticed a quick flash of green against the light brown sand. He curled up cautiously and hissed. "Who'sss there??" He rapidly turned his head from side to side, scanned the surrounding desert.
He heard the soft sound of feet hastily running over the grainy sand. A light, airy voice spoke up, sounding as if it were coming from all directions. "There's no need to worry so, Viperumon. It is only me." The voice said, echoing through the snake's, Viperumon's, ears and focusing itself to the left of him.
Viperumon jerked his head over to the direction the voice flowed to and tensed his powerful jaw as he looked at his visitor. "Myteramon!!" He said. His voice reflected past memories and experiences. He still stood his ground, recalling a dreadful memory. He hissed slightly and his dark eyes flickered like a blazing fire.
"Yes it is me." Myteramon answered. He lowered his blade-like arms down to his sides. "So we meet again Viperumon." His dark brown eyes glinted in the midday sun.
Viperumon opened his jaw to show his sharp, white fangs. "What are you doing here Myteramon?" His white fangs glistened brightly.
"A little tense, are we?" Myteramon replied, his smooth, white wings unfolded, shining in the bright sun, and they began to beat slowly as he jumped quickly into the air. Viperumon lifted his head up higher in a stance that would allow him to strike quickly. "Same old Viperumon, always ready with a plan. But this time your tricks can't help you; I have a trick of my own." Myteramon said. His voice once again flooding the air, haunting Viperumon's thoughts.
"What are you talking about Myteramon?!" Viperumon asked, trying to hide his evident fear. He moved his slim body around, searching for his bug-like adversary.
Myteramon laughed. "You'll see!" Viperumon couldn't pinpoint his visitor's evasive voice. Suddenly, 3 small Digimon jumped out from the sand, surrounding him.
'Alencimon!!' Viperumon thought. Myteramon laughed wickedly.
"Shadow Mirage!!" All three Alencimon yelled. Clear waves emitted from their green eyes, swallowing Viperumon up and putting him into a trance-like sleep. They quickly tied him up and, with Myteramon, brought him to Durasythedamon.
~~~*~~~
Tai sat up, looking at Sora as she gently slept. The cave was dark and it, from what Tai could see, was the middle of the night.
Izzy watched Tai and evaluated his kind, caring actions towards Sora. Izzy theorized on multiple reasons why Tai would act this way, but made the conclusion of one word…LOVE. He quietly stood up, walked over to Tai, and placed his hand on Tai's shoulder. "Tai…" He whispered. "You should go to sleep. You will be no help to Sora if you don't rest."
Tai looked up at Izzy, who had a soft smile on his face. "I guess you're right Izzy." Tai replied. He looked back down at Sora and lightly sighed. Lying down beside Sora, he softly stroked her light brown hair.
Izzy continued to smile as he walked back over to where he had been sleeping. 'My theory was correct. Tai is in Love with Sora.' He thought as he fell back into a blissful sleep.
~~~*~~~
"Myteramon, did the Alencimon use their 'Shadow Mirage' attack?" Durasythedamon asked coldly. He glared down at Myteramon, then to the tied up Viperumon.
"Yes Durasythedamon." Myteramon answered.
"Good, ring our little 'visitor' to his room." Durasythedamon growled.
Myteramon and the three Alencimon dragged Viperumon out of the main room and brought him to a small dungeon cell.
'Now I can turn Viperumon against the Digidestioned with my 'Evil Manipulation' attack. I can gain information about the Digidestioned from him, and with him and Myteramon as my evil servants, I will be unstoppable!!' Durasythedamon thought cruelly. He lifted his head and roared, shaking the walls of the room, vibrating down to the now occupied cell room.
The small flame on the wooden torch flicked in a rhythmic movement, following the vibrations flowing through the cold, stone wall. The hard, granite floor dimly reflected the light from the dying fire. Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the small room, blowing out the flickering light. Darkness engulfed the room and two reddish-purple eyes blazed like flaming embers in the vast shadows.
~~~*~~~
Sora opened her eyes to find herself looking into two beautiful, concerned, dark brown eyes. Her extreme pain was gone and she had all of her friends to thank for that. Sora smiled upon seeing Tai's happy face.
"Sora, you're better! It doesn't hurt anymore, right??" Tai asked, resisting the urge to take Sora into his harms and holding her.
"No, it doesn't hurt anymore. Thank you." Sora replied, sitting up. "Tai? What…what exactly happened?" She asked slowly.
Tai closed his eyes to fight the tears of joy and tears of sadness that threatened to flow in one small stream down his face. Forcing back the memories he didn't wish to think of. "Tai…" Sora softly said, worried that he hadn't responded.
Tai slowly opened his eyes again to look at Sora. "We…we were captured by Raydemon and somehow…somehow you were p-poisoned. You were in a separate cage than me and the rest of the group. Izzy discovered a way to get out of the cages, and I forced my way out. I ran over to the cage that you were in, but Raydemon came and…and took you away again. Luckily, Matt, T.K., and their new friend Articamon came and rescued you."
"Articamon?" Sora softly asked.
"Yeah, Articamon. He's that big panther Digimon over there." Tai answered, pointed towards the aqua and purple Digimon who was silently sleeping near Matt and T.K. "I…I got you out of the cage and Matt and T.K.'s crests began to glow in unison. Articamon digivolved to Searcticanmon and protected all of us with his 'Ice Shield' attack. Him and Weregarurumon destroyed Raydemon and then de-digivolved. Izzy sent Mimi, Joe, Kari, and Articamon to go find our missing Digimon as he searched for information on the antidote, the RainbowSea Flower, on his computer. We discovered that T.K. had found the RainbowSea Flower and I gave you the petals, which was…was the antidote. It's…it's been almost…almost a day since I gave you the antidote. We…I was worried about you Sora." Tai softly finished, slowly smiling. He looked into Sora's bright eyes.
"Wow. I missed a lot!" Sora quietly mused.
Tai's smile widened and they both laughed softly.
Articamon quietly stood up, stretched, and yawned. He walked carefully over to Sora and Tai. "I'm glad you're better Sora." He said.
Sora smiled. "Thank you Articamon." She gave him a small hug around his neck. His aqua and purple fur was silky and soft on Sora's arms. Articamon laughed and then purred softly.
Articamon lay down beside Sora and Tai. Sora and Tai sat beside each other, leaning against Articamon. Tai gently placed his ungloved hand on Sora's ungloved hand and smiled, blushing lightly. "We should rest." He said simply.
"You're right Tai." Sora replied, beginning to drift into a light sleep.
--------------10------- ------
After everyone had waken up and saw that Sora was better and talked with her, Articamon told them where they needed to go next. "I have found out who the evil Digimon that is causing all this trouble." Articamon stated.
"Who is it?!" Came a chorus of voices.
"His name is Durasythedamon. The place you must go to next is the continent of Modemar. There you must find Thundramon and Viperumon." Articamon answered.
"Oh! I've heard of the continent of Modemar! It's covered in mostly dry desert and savanna." Biyomon said, jumping up.
"You're right Biyomon. I will bring you there, then I have to return here."
~~~*~~~
They all arrived at Modemar and stood on the scorching hot sand.
"Thundramon will be found in the savanna. It is cooler there than it is here. Viperumon will be somewhere in this huge desert. Good luck and goodbye!!!" Articamon called as he dived back into the cool water.
"Goodbye Articamon!!!" They all yelled, waving to their departing friend.
"You guys ready for a new adventure?" Tai asked, grinning at Sora who was beside him.
"Not really." Joe moaned.
"Don't worry Joe, this'll be fun!" T.K. laughed.
They all headed towards the savanna, preparing themselves for the new adventures and dangers ahead.
Part 2: The New Found Friend
1
Matt sat up and looked at the group of his friends sleeping peacefully on the soft sand. He saw Mimi, Joe, and Izzy on the opposite side of the fire than he was on. Sora was on the same side as him and Tai. She was curled into a ball with Biyomon beside her. T.K. was beside Matt, and Kari was not too far away holding Gatomon like a stuffed animal. Tai was beside Kari, sitting up and looking as beat as Matt felt. He looked worried about something, and he kept glancing nervously in Sora's direction.
Matt stood up, careful not to wake up Gabumon or T.K., and quietly walked over to Tai and tapped him on the shoulder, startling him. Tai jumped up and turned around to see Matt.
"Matt! You scared me half to death!" Tai harshly whispered.
Matt laughed. 'I scared our "courageous leader" Tai Kamiya!' Matt thought sarcasticly to himself.
"Well, I just came over to see why you're awake this late at night." He replied, cocking an eyebrow. Then he looked over in the direction Tai was previously looking in. "I saw you looking in this direction. Is there something interesting there? A bad Digimon or something?" He said with a hint of sarcasm, already knowing the real answer. He probed the area with his eyes.
Tai quickly looked in the direction Matt was pointing and lightly blushed. Fortunately for him, it was too dark for Matt to notice his blush. "Uh, nothing interesting over there. I was just looking at the water, that's all." Tai replied in an uncertain tone.
Matt rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say man." He said and walked back over to his little brother.
Tai lay back down, trying to fall asleep. He rolled around, almost rolling into Agumon. He just couldn't fall asleep. Sitting up, he began gazing around at his friends. Everything was so peaceful looking, as the bright sun began to rise over the sparkling water. The hazy colors caused him to drift off into the light sleep that he thought would never come.
~~~*~~~
The water around the aqua and purple Digimon shimmered in the morning light. He swam swiftly, paddling his webbed claws through the silvery cyan-colored water. The green, brown, and yellow seaweed waved in the currents as fish and other creatures swam by. Pushing his head out of the water, he looked around at the circular land around him. His smooth, wet fur glistened, and the blue tufts of fur on his short, wide ears waved slightly in the morning breeze. His bright yellow-green eyes shone in the light from the rising sun as he focused them on the sleeping bodies spread out on the shore. 'They're here!' He excitedly thought. 'Meteoramon must have told them about the uniting of their crests, and brought them over from Monitora.' He quickly dived under the water; his slim, streamline body moving quickly through the crystalline lake. He swam up to the shore, only a few meters from the group of Digidestioned, but he kept himself hidden.
~~~*~~~
Matt sat up; stretching his body out from is restful sleep. He heard a soft sigh beside him, and looked over to find that his little brother had waken up also. "Good morning Squirt!" He said looking over at T.K.
"Morning Matt." T.K. replied, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
Tai stood up, still tired from the previous night, and walked over to Matt and T.K. his little sister followed behind with Gatomon in her arms. "Good morning everyone!" Tai said semi-enthusiastically.
"Everyone? We're the only ones up!" Matt replied with a laugh.
"Do you like to disagree with me just for the sake of disagreeing with me?" Tai asked sarcasticly. He looked around at the surrounding area to decide which way they should go. 'Not really much of a choice.' He thought to himself. Nearby he heard the shout of Joe and the familiar laugh of Gomamon.
"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO WAKE ME UP LIKE THAT?!?" Joe screamed, wiping his face of the salty water that had been splashed on him.
"How come you always have to YELL?!" Mimi complained. "You woke me up from a wonderful dream!"
"And you've aroused all of the rest of us that weren't awake quite yet." Izzy stated, Tentomon flying up beside him.
"Good morning everyone!!" Sora said, standing up. She looked up at the beautiful sky.
"Good morning Sora." Tai said sheepishly as he walked over to her. Matt smirked unnoticeably.
"We should all eat and then devise a plan of what we should do." Izzy stated, walking over to the group of people.
"I say we head in that direction. Towards that small forest." Tai said, pointing towards the woods.
"That's stupid Tai! There is snow over there, and besides, we can get lost in that forest." Matt retorted.
"Matt! There is food in the forest. It is also a lot colder out here in the open with the wind. Plus the trees can provide shelter. You're just afraid!" Tai shot back.
"No Tai! You're wrong! I'm going this way and if you want to go that way its fine with me! Come with me T.K.!" Matt said angrily and he grabbed T.K.'s hand and left. Patamon and Gabumon ran to catch up with them.
"Matt!! I don't think it's a good idea to split up!" Sora said in a worried tone, her voice trailing off.
"Well, I think Matt's got a point. Maybe splitting up will make it easier on all of us. Joe and Mimi come with me. And Tai…" Izzy said motioning towards Tai. "Tai; you, Sora, and Kari head into the forest. We can meet up later." Izzy began walking off with Mimi and Joe in another direction.
"Izzy…" Sora replied, exasperated. "Now what Tai?" she said, looking into Tai's eyes. Tai looked sadly away.
"We go into the forest. I am so angry at Matt, I hope we never see them again." He replied, closing his eyes and raising his clenched fist.
Sora grabbed his raised arm in a soft, but strong grasp. "Calm down Tai. Don't say things like that." She said in a soothing tone. Tai opened his eyes, surprised, and looked at Sora.
"I'm sorry Sora." He said, lowering his arm as Sora slowly let go. "I guess we should get going." He diverted his eyes away from her again, and they all began walking.
-------------2---------- ----
"What happened Matt? Why are we leaving the others?" T.K. asked with his soft voice. He clutched the small Digimon, Patamon, in his arms.
Matt stopped and sighed, putting his hands firmly on T.K.'s shoulders, facing his little brother. "You wouldn't understand T.K. Don't worry, we'll be fine without them." Matt's voice hardened. T.K. stood, looking up at him.
"But I miss them Matt. I miss Kari and Sora and Tai, I miss them all." His small eyes began to water with tears of sadness. Matt turned from him and looked up into the sky.
"I miss Sora and the others too. All except for Tai." He said out loud, mostly to himself. 'And our arguments aren't the only reason.' He thought.
"Then why don't we go back now, Matt?" Gabumon spoke up in a quiet voice.
"No!! It's not as simple as that! We can't just go back. I don't need them, any of them!" Matt yelled, turning away. He began to run, fighting the tears that were beginning to swarm his eyes. Gabumon and T.K. ran to catch up, Patamon still in T.K.'s arms.
"Matt!" T.K. yelled, running out of breath. He was too tired to run any longer, and he collapsed on the ground, exhausted.
Hearing his brother's call, Matt quickly turned around and ran to T.K. "T.K.!" He yelled as he reached the little boy. "I guess it's about time we had a rest." He said, trying to lighten the mood. He plopped himself beside Gabumon and T.K., trying to think things out.
'Why does Tai always have to act like the boss? He gets me so angry! What does Sora see in him? I know she cares about him, but…Oh, just stop it Matt. It doesn't matter now; you've left already. She'd probably be mad at me if I go back. It's just too hard; because of how she feels… about Tai. I try to make it seem like I'm happy for them, but… oh, I just wish that it was me instead of Tai. Ugh, worrying about it will just make it worse. Me and T.K. will be fine without them.' He said to himself.
The golden rays of the sun began to fade over the sparkling beach. While Matt, T.K., and their Digimon rested, a pair of bright, greenish-yellow eyes watched from the water. These eyes almost seemed to glow as the last slivers of light reflected off the turquoise water, while the sun began to set on the horizon. Small, feathery clouds took on shadowy fragments of light from the elusive sun, covering the sky with the eerie colors of nightfall. The Digimon that belonged to the eyes dunked under the water and headed towards the darkening shore.
~~~*~~~
"Izzy, why did we leave the others behind? Besides, its getting awfully cold and I think it's beginning to snow." Mimi said, watching the little white flecks of cold snow fall from the shadowy sky.
"My original plan is to teach Matt and Tai that the whole team is needed to be successful." He stopped to look back at Mimi and Joe who were following slowly behind. "Secondly, being in groups we can all spread out to find what we are looking for."
"Uh, Izzy? What exactly are we looking for?" Mimi asked in a quizzical voice.
"To be perfectly honest, I really don't know."
---------------3--- -----------
The green, silhouetted forest loomed over Kari, Tai, and Sora's heads. Tai was in the lead, with Kari and Agumon beside him. Gatomon and Biyomon were walking behind them, and Sora was in the back, following a short distance behind. The dark emerald needles of the pine and spruce trees around them were coated with strings of crystal-like snow and ice. The sun was slowly setting, causing the long restrained chill to enter the still air. Sora looked around and spotted a small bird perched in a tree. The little bird reminded her of Meteoramon and all the things that happened back at her cave. She rubbed her shoulders, since the night air brought on an icy chill from all of the pale snow around them.
"Tai? Can we stop now? It's getting cold and dark, and I'm tired." Came a little voice from beside Tai, it was Kari. Tai jerked his head up from what seemed to be a deep trance. He smiled and looked down at his sister who was shivering from the cold.
"Good idea Kari. I guess I was just too caught up in my thoughts to notice." Tai said, looking around at his surroundings. He picked up some pieces of wood that had been spared from the wet snow. Agumon lit the sticks, creating a comforting fire.
Sora cleared a spot on the ground, near the fire, of all the dead leaves and needles, and she carefully sat down, not saying a word. Kari sat down beside her brother and leaned her head on his shoulder, falling asleep from the warmth coming from him. Agumon lay in front of Tai, near the fire. Sora leaned her back against the tree behind her, hoping to gain warmth from the position she was in and from the fire in front of her. Biyomon fell asleep curled up in front of her. Gatomon was curled up beside Kari, providing her with more warmth.
Sora wasn't tired. She looked around at the verdant trees and plants that surrounded her. She had always loved nature and she also loved to draw pictures of plants and animals. At home, since her mother worked at a flower shop and her dad had died many years ago, she would draw all of the animals and plants she saw. They were so vivid and lively. This habit began a year before the time of her father's death. Her father had shown her how to draw so realistically, and after his death she drew to remember the good times she had with him. Among these pictures of plants and animals were pictures of her family and friends, she even had a picture she had drawn of her father. All of these pictures were so lifelike, almost if the person or thing was really there.
She closed her eyes and thought of her room back home in Odaiba. Many pictures she had drawn lined the walls of her small room. Pictures of birds, cats, flowers, and pictures of her good friends made her room her own creation of dazzling sketches. She opened her eyes and looked into the sparkling fire. A small tear fell down her soft cheek. She didn't bother to wipe it away.
Sora took a small notebook of plain white paper and a little pencil out of her small, pink hip pouch. She looked at Biyomon, who was sleeping gently near the fire, and began to sketch her. By the time she had completely finished, the fire was beginning to die out, so she flipped through the pad, looking at the pictures of her 'Digidestioned' friends that she had drawn since she came to the Digiworld. She flipped to the picture of T.K. and Matt, then to the picture of Tai. She looked at the picture of Tai and softly sighed, putting the pad back into the hip pouch. She closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep, but to no avail.
Tai watched Sora from the other side of the fire, but he dare not move for fear of waking up Agumon or Kari; or most of all, having Sora notice that he was awake and watching her. 'You're real nice Tai. Sora's over there freezing, and I won't even go keep her warm! I have the crest of courage, yet I'm not even courageous enough to go sit with her, or even invite her to sit here with me and Kari! Too late now, she'd probably think I was stupid to let her freeze for so long while I watched her and then come over to invite her to sit with us; and the night's almost over.' Tai thought to himself, but he was still too afraid to do anything more than scold himself about it.
~~~*~~~
Myteramon ran steadily up to Durasythedamon. He had more news on he 8 Digidestioned kids. He briskly bowed and waited for Durasythedamon to signal for him to speak. Durasythedamon nodded his huge, scaly head.
"Master Durasythedamon. The 8 Digidestioned are on the island of Diskaram. They have not found Articamon yet though." He said in a relieved tone. "Right now they have been split up and 3 are in the forest, 3 are near the mountains, and the last 2 are on the beach. All is as you wish master." He did another quick bow, and then he looked up at Durasythedamon with his menacing dark brown eyes.
"Good. The first failure was because they were together. Now that they are separate, we can capture them easily and destroy them. Go; send for Raydemon to capture the ones near the mountain and in the forest. We will deal with the other two later." Durasythedamon said with a snarl. "Once you have done this, come and report to me."
Myteramon raised his blade-like forearm to signal his understanding, and then ran swiftly out of the dreary room. He flew down above the center of the huge lake on the middle of the island, where Raydemon was waiting under the shimmering surface of the water.
--------------4-------------
The small aqua, cat-like Digimon watched as two of the Digidestioned stopped to rest. 'I might as well show myself to them, it's not like they can attack me or hurt me very much.' He thought. 'Maybe they have the two crests that I need.' He paddled quickly up to the shore, then jumped swiftly out of the frigid water onto the snowy sand. He lightly shook his short fur, releasing small sprays of translucent water off onto the feather-soft sand. He walked stealthily as if he were a panther hunting his prey.
Gabumon sat up, recognizing the aquatic Digimon that was heading towards them. He stood up and smiled. "Articamon!" He walked over towards the larger Digimon.
Matt stood up, holding his little brother tightly against him. "It's okay you guys. Articamon is our friend!" Patamon said, flying over towards the large, panther-like Digimon.
"So Gabumon, Patamon, I see you've been placed with the famous Digidestioned." Articamon said with an air of sarcasm.
"Yeah. Meet Matt and his little brother T.K." Gabumon stated, bringing his two human friends up to Articamon. Articamon circled the two humans, waving his flipper-like tail.
T.K. reached his hand out and petted the shiny fur of the cat. Articamon looked at him and smiled. "Where are the other Digidestioned that were with you earlier?" Articamon said, looking over to the older boy. His yellow eyes gleamed.
Matt's face got red with anger. He looked away, his blue eyes flashing angrily. "We left them behind. I don't need them." He said, a hint of sadness in his in his angry tone. He really did miss them. He missed Sora's compassion and kindness. Surprisingly, he even missed Mimi and Joe's endless complaining, and Izzy's computer talk. But Tai, he felt that he would never miss Tai's 'leader' attitude.
"Hey Matt, look! Articamon has the symbols of two of crests on him!" T.K.'s voice broke through Matt's troubled thoughts. Matt snapped his head up and looked at Articamon. Sure enough, on his forehead and on the central part of his flipper on his tail were two symbols of crests.
"Yeah. I have the symbols of the crests of Hope and Friendship. What two crests do you humans have?" Articamon replied.
"Well, T.K. has the crest of Hope and I have the crest of Friendship." Matt answered, his coolness returning.
"You're not too friendly saying that you don't need your friends. I don't think you're suitable for the crest of Friendship. You should be looking for your friends now, instead of running away from them because of your disagreements with them." Articamon said, walking critically over to Matt. "They could be in grave danger right now. Besides, if both of your crests glow in unison I can digivolve. But seeing how you are acting Matt, I doubt that will ever happen."
"You'll digivolve, just like Meteoramon?" T.K. asked, petting the damp fur of Articamon with one hand, and holding Patamon with the other.
Articamon nodded. "Just like Meteoramon." He replied. Matt crossed his arms and looked away, angry again. He thought of his friends in danger and began to feel sorry for the way he was acting.
~~~*~~~
"Hey guys! Look, it's a bunch of mountains. Eww, I hate climbing!" Mimi exclaimed, stopping to rest her feet.
"And look over there! Isn't that the forest that Tai, Sora, and Kari went into?" Tentomon said, pointing his claw towards the trees.
"I think you're right Tentomon. This must be the other side." Izzy concluded.
"Maybe we should wait for them to come out. Besides, its cold and its almost night." Joe asked.
"Right. We'll go get some wood." Palmon said. Her, Tentomon, Izzy, and Gomamon headed towards a cluster of dead trees.
Mimi and Joe went to pick some fruits and berries for them all to eat. Everyone returned a few minutes later, started a warm fire, and began eating a good meal. ~~~*~~~
Tai, Kari, and Sora walked through the dense forest, lost in their own thoughts. They kept walking, not knowing how long or how far, but they kept going.
'Ever since Kari came, I've been too busy with her to talk to Sora. I'm glad we found Kari and that she's okay and all, but I wish I could have a little time alone with Sora, so I can tell her how I feel. Oh! The same thing happened before we beat Myotismon, when we went back to the real world and found out that Kari was the eighth child. I was always with Kari. I almost seemed to be ignoring Sora. Sora, I wasn't ignoring you. I'm sorry!' Tai thought to himself as he looked back at Sora, who was looking at the trees and plants around them.
Kari once again tugged at Tai's sleeve. "Tai, look up there! There's a break in the trees. I think I see mountains!" Kari said, pointing towards some gray beyond the familiar green of the forest.
"Well let's just have a closer look then." Tai replied, pulling the mini telescope out of his pocket and looking through it. He saw that they were almost at the edge of the forest. He also saw mountains, a field, and… "Sora! It's Izzy, Joe, and Mimi! Come here Sora." He said, speaking the last sentence in a softer tone. He turned around and looked at Sora, who was at least 10 feet behind him. He motioned with his hand for her to come, keeping his courage up to look into her soft, brown eyes.
Sora quickly walked up to stand beside him. "Do you really see Mimi and the others?" she quietly asked, looking from the direction Kari was pointing, then at Tai. She was surprised that he hadn't glanced away like the many times before.
Tai lightly shook his head. "Yeah. You can look for yourself if you want to Sora." He replied kindly. He put out his hand with the mini telescope in it. Sora looked at his hand with the small telescope in it, then up at Tai's face. He was smiling, his dark eyes shining.
Sora carefully took it, looking through the eyepiece. She looked and saw the same thing Tai had seen. "You're right Tai. We should get going." She said, handing the telescope back to Tai.
"Come on you two!" Agumon said from a few feet in front of them. Kari, Gatomon, and Biyomon were with him. Sora and Tai walked up to them and they all began their steady trek through the forest again.
~~~*~~~
The huge, navy blue, manta ray Digimon watched for a chance to capture the 6 humans and their Digimon. He had the legs of a crab and two huge crab-like claws. These claws were hollow on the inside, so he could either capture his enemy in them, or crush them brutally. His scorpion-like tail had a huge stinger on the end of it that secreted a deadly poison. He had the flat, wide sting ray body, only with crab legs, a scorpion tail, and two super-strong claws. He awaited silently as three of the Digidestioned ran out of the forest, joining the others in a small clearing. 'Now's the time.' He thought evilly. 'When I bring them into my underwater home and destroy them. Durasythedamon will be pleased.'
~~~*~~~
Articamon suddenly stopped, pricking up his ears. "I sense evil. Raydemon, he is near your friends." He said, his yellow eyes gleaming. "He's probably planning to attack soon."
Matt, who had been trying to think things through, bolted over to Articamon. "What do you mean that he's planning to attack them soon? We've got to help them!!" Matt said, now furious with himself.
"I see you feel differently about your friends now." Articamon said, looking at Matt. "The fastest way to get where they are is to swim across this lake. All of you climb on my back, I'll carry you over." Articamon replied, diving into the cold water. Matt, T.K., Gabumon, and Patamon climbed onto his back.
--------------5-------- -----
"Sora!" Mimi yelled, running up to her friend.
"Yo Izzy!" Tai said from beside the two girls. Izzy and Joe ran up to them.
"Boy, are we glad to see you! We were expecting you guys to show up." Joe said, catching his breath. All six of them walked to the clearing where the fire was still burning.
After everyone had settled down and eaten their full of fruits and berries, Izzy walked over to Tai, who was sitting near Sora. He was watching Kari chase Gatomon around on the soft grass.
"Hey Tai, have you thought over your fight with Matt?" Izzy stated, Sora watched from beside Tai.
Tai looked up at the red haired boy, the bright sunset behind him. "I'm still angry for what Matt said. But, I've learned, with Sora's help, that all of this arguing can destroy the group." Tai said. He then looked at Sora, the brilliant sunlight behind her, causing her to look as if she was glowing. She was smiling because of Tai's reply.
"I'm glad you know that now. We're a team. We can't let arguments ever get into the way of that." Sora said, smiling at Tai.
"Sora's right Tai. Remember that." Izzy said over his shoulder as he walked back over to Tentomon.
"I will." Tai said, looking back over at Sora, who had stretched out on the ground so she could sleep. He laid down and looked intently at her. 'Maybe I'm finally getting the courage I need to tell her how I feel.' He sighed and looked up at the glinting stars. Feeling warmth beside him, he looked over and found that Kari had snuggled up to him, using him as a pillow. He sighed again; wishing that Sora could be the one in his arms. He closed his eyes, falling asleep.
~~~*~~~
"Matt, how much longer?" T.K. asked, rubbing his eyes to keep himself awake.
"T.K.! You should be asleep. It's dark out!" Matt exclaimed.
"I know Matt. But I'm worried about the others."
"I know how you feel. We'll find them, don't worry T.K. Now go to sleep."
"Okay Matt. Goodnight."
~~~*~~~
"Tai?" Sora whispered.
"What is it Sora?" Tai softly asked, sitting up and putting Kari carefully down on the grass. He looked over at her.
"Did you hear something?" Sora replied. Her soft brown eyes showed concern in the dim light of the rising sun. She paused, listening again.
"There it is again." She said, standing up. This time Tai heard it too.
Suddenly a loud growl echoed through the still morning air, waking up the rest of the group. A huge crab/stingray Digimon stepped slowly out of the water.
"Uh Tentomon? Who is this guy?" Joe said, backing into a tree.
"He is Raydemon. He is an evil Digimon with three strong attacks called Hammer Claw, Silver Net, and Black Venom Sting."
"Digivolve guys!!" Tai yelled, standing defensively in front of Sora. Kari was clinging tightly onto him.
All of the Digimon digivolved except for Gatomon and Patamon. Raydemon swung one of his massive claws, knocking all of the Digimon into a pile. "Silver Net!" Raydemon yelled, surrounding the Digimon in a thick net of steel-like strings. All of the Digimon who had digivolved reverted back to their rookie forms, exhausted.
"Gomamon!!" Joe yelled.
Raydemon laughed and opened one of his huge claws, scooping the frightened Joe, Izzy and Mimi up into it.
An idea ran through Sora's mind. She pulled the small pad of white paper and the pencil out of her hip pouch. She quickly flipped to a blank page and hastily wrote something on it. She dropped it just as her, Tai, and Kari were scooped up into Raydemon's other claw.
Raydemon chuckled evilly as he hooked the net of weak Digimon onto his curved, scorpion-like tail. He dived into the icy water to his under water domain.
~~~*~~~
Articamon kept swimming quietly through the shimmering lake with the 2 Digidestioned on his soft back. The sun slowly began to rise over the cool water. Up ahead the grassy shore looked more inviting then ever, the clear dew on the lush grass reflecting the light of the rising sun. "Hey Articamon?" Matt said into Articamon's ear.
"Yeah?" Articamon answered softly.
"Do you think we'll get to them in time?"
"Well let's hope. There's the shore, we'll be there in a few minutes." Articamon replied, swimming faster through the water. Small waves flowed beside him, shimmering slightly and causing an illusion of silvery colors.
They finally reached the shore. Matt gently shook T.K. out of his slumber and then quickly jumped off Articamon's back onto the soft grass. "Sora??! Izzy? Is anyone there?" Matt anxiously yelled.
Articamon looked around and sniffed the air. T.K. ran up to Matt with something small and white in his hands. "Hey Matt! What's this?" He said, handing the object to his brother.
Matt took it and looked at it. "It's Sora's pad of drawing paper!" He looked closer to see something written. It looked as if she had written it in a hurry. He read the note, it said:
-
"Help us Matt. Raydemon is attacking me, Tai, and the others.
He is planning to bring us to his underwater home. Please come quick…
Love, you're friend, Sora"
-
Anger pulsed through Matt's blood as he read the note and looked at the sketches of his friends that Sora had drawn. He clenched his fist and he saw a detailed picture of T.K., Gabumon, and himself. He saw a picture of Tai, it appeared to have spots of dry tears on it, and Matt realized what his own ignorance had caused, he had lost his friends. Even if he had disagreements with Tai, they were still friends. Sora's words broke into his mind. ' "Matt!! I don't think it's a good idea to split up!" ' Her voice had shown the understanding of friendship, and the concern of losing a friend. No wonder she has the crest of Love. 'Why did I do this??' Matt thought to himself, tears threatening to surface as he looked at the picture that Sora had drawn of herself.
Articamon walked over to Matt and nudged him. "Raydemon has not destroyed them. Knowing him, he has captured them and brought them to his underwater home."
Matt turned to look into the aqua cat's eyes. "How do we get there?" Matt said sternly.
Articamon smiled. "I will take you. Come, let's go!" Articamon made a huge bubble around Matt, T.K., and their Digimon, so they could breathe under the water. He dived under the water, the strange bubble following behind.
"Wow! This bubble is almost like glass!" Matt said, tapping lightly on the side of the bubble.
Articamon turned his head and looked back at them. "Well I wouldn't want you to pop it and drown now, would I?!" Articamon replied with a laugh. "We're not too far away from Raydemon's underwater cave. There is oxygen in there because Raydemon can only breathe under the water for an hour at a time." He smiled, pointing his webbed claw down at a huge rock formation. He turned his head and began to swim faster, paddling his flipper-like tail and maneuvered his thin body quickly through the glossy water.
--------------6---- ---------
"Durasythedamon! Raydemon has succeeded in the capture of the 6 humans. Right now he has brought them into his underwater cave. One of them has been poisoned and he is planning to destroy them all soon." Myteramon said, his brown eyes flashing excitedly. He stepped forward, his small white wings folding down upon his emerald green back, folding around the chestnut brown spines that lined his back. The blue markings on his face, forearms, wings, and legs matched perfectly to make him look as tough as he was. He began to speak, then hesitated; wary of what Durasythedamon would say about his next words. "I…there is also some bad news master."
"What is it?" Durasythedamon said in an angry tone. He looked down upon the small green, brown, and blue Digimon. Myteramon hesitated again, then proceeded.
"The other two Digidestioned have found Articamon, and it turns out that those two have the crests that will 'cause Articamon to digivolve. But I have found one of the other Digimon that will digivolve because of the crests. His name is Viperumon. He is on the continent of Modemar. With your permission, I will go capture him."
"Very well. Go capture Viperumon and bring him here." Durasythedamon replied. "Maybe I can use him for the destruction of the Digidestioned."
Myteramon ran out of the room and flew to the continent of Modemar, which was a continent that was covered in mostly desert. The rest of the large landmass is made up of short and long-grassed savanna. He landed in a patch of short-grass, heading quickly towards the huge, dry desert in pursuit of the snake-like Viperumon.
~~~*~~~
Tai opened his aching eyes and looked around. He was in a harsh cave, and from what he could see, he was underwater. A huge, meal cage surrounded him, along with Kari, Izzy, Mimi, and Joe. 'There's only 5 of us in here…Oh no!! Sora's not here!' He thought to himself. He stood up and ran to the edge of the cage, gripping the thick, dirty, metal bars that held him in the cage tightly.
Over in the corner of the cave was another cage, smaller then the one he were in. he looked closer and saw the silhouette of something in the cage. It was Sora!! She looked horrible. Her skin was pale and she looked terribly ill.
Tai's heart ached as he looked at her shivering form. How he wanted to be over there with her, but he was stuck with here everyone else. In his anger and frustration he slammed his fist onto the metal floor of the cage, finding that it dented easily. He slammed his fist down again, wishing he could be with Sora; believing that it was his own fault that she was separate from them.
"Calm down Tai, we'll help you get Sora. I believe I know a way out of these cages." Izzy stated, placing a hand on Tai's shoulder.
"What do you mean?" Tai said, looking up at Izzy.
"Look down at the where you hit the floor of the cage. It's dented. The material that these cages are constructed of is highly pliable. Simply…we can bend the bars to get out of these cages." Izzy replied.
Tai stood up, then looked over at Sora, who looked as if she was awakening. "Let's do it!" He said, grabbing onto the bars and pushing them. They moved, but not very much. "How come it's not working?" Tai yelled in disappointment.
"Patience Tai. It will take longer than I originally thought. These bars are of a stronger material than the floor of the cage." Izzy replied. Him and Joe were also pulling at the bars. Kari was with Mimi on the other side of the cage.
"Almost got it…there!!" Tai yelled as he bent the bars just enough so he could fit through. He ran to the smaller cage that Sora was in.
Sora reached one of her gloved hands out between the bars, as if she were asking for help and Tai gently took it. Sora lightly moaned from the immense pain that was covering her body, flowing through her veins and burning like fire. "Don't worry Sora, everything's going to be alright. I'll get you out." Tai said soothingly. He looked into her deep brown eyes and saw the tremendous pain and anguish that Sora was enduring.
"I see the poison has taken effect." A booming voice said as the huge Digimon, Raydemon, stepped into view. Tai stood up defiantly, shocked and upset to hear that Sora was poisoned. "It's no use trying to save her. She will die within 24 hours, unless of course you find the RainbowSea Flower. But you won't have the chance to do that!" Raydemon said. He reached his huge claw out and lifted the small cage, threatening to crush it; with Sora in it!!
"Howling Blaster!" A huge bluish beam shot out at Raydemon, knocking him off guard and causing him to release the cage from his claw.
"SORA!!!" Tai screamed as he dove to catch the cage. Matt ran up to him and helped him.
"Tai…what happened to her?" Matt asked, trying to hold back his emotions. The loud sound of Garurumon and Raydemon fighting echoed in the dimly lit cave.
"She…she's been…been poisoned." Tai weakly answered, extreme sadness overcoming the soft sound of his voice.
"And it's all my fault too! She warned me that it wasn't a good idea to split up, now she's the one suffering." Matt fumed. His anger and sadness began to swell up in him. T.K. ran up to him, looking at Sora with sad blue eyes.
"I really hope we can help Sora." T.K. said. Suddenly his crest began to glow a flaming yellow. Matt's also began glowing, but as a blazing blue.
"Blizzard Storm!" Articamon yelled, throwing a huge storm of needle-like ice at Raydemon. "Huh?? I can digivovle!! Let's do it Garurumon!"
"Garurumon digivolve to…………… Weregarurumon!!"
"Articamon digivolve to…………… Searcticanmon!!"
The large panther-like Searcticanmon stood on his four long legs beside Weregarurumon. His blue wing-like pectoral fins laid down flat against his metallic blue and silver fur. His long, elegant fox-like tail waved slightly, as if a light wind were blowing; and his long, fox-like ears stood erect and ready to detect any movement.
"Searcticanmon?! But how?!?" Raydemon roared. He lifted his scorpion tail, ready to attack the two Ultimates.
"Tai, Matt! Quickly get Sora out of the cage and then get the others! Ice Shield!" Searcticanmon yelled, forming a solid ice barrier between the kids and Raydemon.
"No!" Raydemon yelled as he struck the glass-like ice with his stinger tail, trying to shatter it, only to get it stuck in the hard ice. "Grrrrrrrr." He growled as he tried to pull his tail out. Weregarurumon attacked using his 'Wolf Claw', creating huge claw marks on Raydemon's flat, sting ray back. The attack may have left scars, but they did little to actually harm Raydemon. "Hammer Claw!" Raydemon yelled, slamming Weregarurumon into the solid ice wall with his huge claw.
"Weregarurumon!!" Matt yelled, seeing his friend hit.
--------------7-------- -----
Tai gently pulled Sora out of her small prison while Matt helped the others. He softly lay Sora on the cave floor beside himself. She was soaked with sweat, yet she was shivering violently. Tai gingerly placed his hand on her forehead as the others rushed over to meet them. Sora was burning up. Small tears escaped from Tai's eyes at the thought of losing her.
Meanwhile, Raydemon had finally gotten his tail out from the ice, more scratches from Weregarurumon on his back. "Black Venom Sting!" He yelled, shooting sharp black barbs from his tail, just missing the super agile Searcticanmon and Weregarurumon.
"Ha! You should practice your aim! Water Wave!" Searcticanmon shouted. A huge wave of water was created by his wing-like fins. The vast wave shot over Searcticanmon's metal covered head and straight at Raydemon. Raydemon tried to run, but the wave hit him, knocking him unconscious and hurting him badly.
"Finish him off Weregarurumon!" Searcticanmon said.
"Garuru Kick!" Weregarurumon yelled, destroying Raydemon. Raydemon disappeared as Weregarurumon reverted back to Tsunomon. The Ice Shield melted, as Searcticanmon became Articamon again.
"Yea!' They all yelled, except for Sora, who was in too much pain; and Tai, who was worried about her.
"I'm glad that we won, but what about Sora??" Tai said, looking sadly at the pain stricken girl. She had finally fallen into a light sleep.
"And our Digimon." Kari added.
"Here's the plan…since Tai is incapable of making decisions at the present time. Joe, Mimi, Kari, and Articamon go search for the Digimon. Tai, Tsunomon, T.K., Patamon, and Matt look after Sora. I'll try and find information on the RainbowSea Flower on my computer. OK?" Izzy stated. He flipped open his laptop and began searching for the RainbowSea Flower. The ones who were assigned to find the Digimon trudged off through the narrow path of the dark cave.
~~~*~~~
"I wonder were Gomamon and the other Digimon could be." Joe thought out loud.
"I don't know, but I can't wait to see Palmon again!" Mimi stated.
"Yeah and Gatomon!" Kari added excitedly.
Articamon stepped forward, perking up his ears and listening carefully. Faintly he could hear something, as quiet as the whispering of the wind. The sound was muffled, but it sounded like someone calling for help. "I hear something. If I digivolve I will be able to hear it better."
"Why?" Kari asked politely.
"Because as Searcticanmon I have hearing that is 50 times better then my hearing is now as Articamon." He replied. He looked at her with a smile.
"Oh, I see." Kari giggled.
"Maybe it's a good idea that you digivolve, just in case there are any other evil Digimon around." Joe said uneasily. He looked around at the dank walls of the underwater cave. Dull colored stalactites pointed down from the ceiling, looking like sharp needle-like knives. His overactive imagination took hold as he thought he saw a pair of grayish- blue eyes watching them. He shivered at the thought, then looked back over to his new cat-like Digimon friend.
"Alright. Articamon digivolve to…………… Searcticanmon!!" A bright yellowish blue light engulfed Articamon as his head was covered in a metallic mask and his once flipper-like tail transformed into the long graceful tail of a fox. Large wing-like fins grew quickly out of his back. As the large fox-like panther stood in front of the children, a new feeling of power washed over his metallic light blue body. "I could get used to this new look!" Searcticanmon laughed. He then again perked his ears up, listening for the sound he had heard before.
"Help us! Can anyone hear us? Tai? Sora? Hello!?!" The voice said. Searcticanmon could hear it a whole lot clearer now. The voice sounded like Agumon.
"Searcticanmon? Can you hear anything?" Joe asked quietly.
"Yeah. I hear one of your friends. It's Agumon."
"You hear Agumon?!" Kari asked.
"Yeah. Lets go save your friends!" Searcticanmon said. He let the kids climb onto his back and they ran towards Agumon's voice.
They continued running until they ended up in a small room with some glass-like cages in the corner. In each cage was a different Digimon.
"It's Gatomon!!" Kari yelled, jumping off Searcticanmon's back and running towards the small cage that contained her cat-like Digimon friend. But before she reached the cage, 50 or so small Digimon jumped in front of her. Kari screamed.
"It's Gizamon and Slashramon! They are small water dwelling Digimon who just love to cause trouble." Searcticanmon said, jumping in front of the three children.
"You're right Searcticanmon. Now if you would so kindly move out of the way so we can destroy those pesky Digidestioned!" A Slashramon shouted. Him and the other Slashramon stood on two webbed claws. On their backs were 7 very sharp blades and their tail ended in a blade like flipper. Their black and gray glossy fur shone wet. Their heads had a swordfish like nose and they had sharp claws on their webbed hands.
"You are working for Raydemon." Searcticanmon growled.
"Right again. Don't even try to rescue your friends, they're in attack proof cages. You'll have to battle us first; all of us." A Gizamon said. More blade-backed Gizamon and Slashramons jumped out from every direction, surrounding the large panther-like Digimon and the three Digidestioned humans.
~~~*~~~
T.K. opened his backpack and pulled out some beautiful azure, lavender, aqua, and teal flowers. He hesitated then made up his mind and began to walk towards Sora and Tai.
Izzy had finally found the description and a picture of the RainbowSea Flower. "Prodigious!" He said excitedly to himself. He looked over at Tai to tell him about the flower when he noticed what T.K. was holding in his hands. Izzy gasped and looked back at the computer screen and the picture of the RainbowSea Flower and then returned his gaze to T.K. and the flowers he held in his hands. "T.K.! Where did you get those flowers?" Izzy asked, walking up to the small boy.
"I picked them a while ago. I was gonna save them as a present for my Mom, but I decided to give them to Sora, 'cause she's sick. I wanted to make her feel better." T.K. replied.
"You'll do more then make her feel better T.K.! You have just saved Sora's life!" Izzy exclaimed. Tai looked up at him hopefully.
--------------8-------- -----
"Claw Blade!!" Slashramon yelled, throwing many blades at Searcticanmon, hitting him, but not hurting him much.
"You seem to be forgetting that I'm an Ultimate level! Water Wave!!" Searcticanmon yelled. The attack pushed many of the small Digimon away, but not enough to get to the trapped Digimon.
"Yeah, but there are many more of us!!" A Gizamon yelled.
"Climb on my back!" Searcticanmon yelled as he bent down and let the three kids climb on his back, covering them with his fins. He leaped over the crowd of small Digimon and landed in front of the glass- like cages.
"How'd he do that? Is that fair?" Some Gizamon complained.
"Get your friends out. I'll take care of these airheads." Searcticanmon laughed.
"Who are you calling an airhead?" A Slashramon yelled. "Razor Fin!" A Sharp fin-shaped blade flew towards the Joe.
"Aahhhhhh!!" Joe yelled, diving out of the way of the fin. It hit the glass-like cage behind him and bounced back and hit a few Gizamon and Slashramon. "Phew." Joe sighed.
"Grrr…that's not fair!" A Gizamon shouted
"I say we leave!!" Another Gizamon cried. Him and all but one of the Slashramon left.
"I guess its you and me Searcticanmon! He he." The Slashramon began to glow a sickly white. "Slashramon digivolve to…………… Darkslashramon!!" The once small Slashramon grew much taller and gained razor sharp teeth and lost his needle nose. Crimson red markings covered his jet-black body. Razor-like fins lined his sides, legs, and arms and a huge curved razor sprouted from between his orange-yellow eyes. reflecting the dim light of the cave. He smiled a wicked smile. "Ready for a challenge Searcticanmon?"
"Darkslashramon!?!" Searcticanmon said in surprise.
"Ha! I don't see why Durasythedamon put Raydemon in charge. He's nothing compared to me!" Darkslashramon laughed, raising a huge clawed hand in the air. "He couldn't even defeat the Digidestioned!"
"Boasting doesn't lead to victory. Water Wave!" Searcticanmon yelled. The huge wave flew at Darkslashramon, but he pushed it aside like a droplet of water with his broad claw.
"I don't need boasting to be victorious over you! Night Fin Blade!!" Darkslashramon yelled, shooting razor sharp fins at Searcticanmon knocking him back into the hard cave wall. "Ha! You see?"
"You're not victorious yet!" Gomamon yelled once Joe had released him and the other Digimon from the cages. "Gomamon digivolve to…………… Ikkakumon!"
"Palmon digivolve to…………… Togemon!"
"Ha! Your little kiddy show doesn't impress me!" Darkslashramon laughed.
"Believe me… it will! Ice Shield!" Searcticanmon yelled, shooting ice at Darkslashramon.
"Needle Spray!"
"Harpoon Torpedo!"
"Lightning Claw!"
These attacks knocked Darkslashramon back.
"Pepper Breath!"
"Spiral Twister!"
"Super Shocker!"
Darkslashramon began to glow again, but this time he was de- digivolving. "Uh oh. I'm outta here!!" The now weak Slashramon yelled, turning around and running away.
"We did it!" Mimi yelled. All of the Digimon who had digivolved de-digivolved to their normal forms.
"Now let's get back to the others!" Articamon laughed.
~~~*~~~
"What're you talking about Izzy?" Tai asked with new hope.
"T.K. has the RainbowSea Flowers! Izzy exclaimed.
"Hey guys! We found the Digimon!!" Kari exclaimed, hugging Gatomon.
"Tai!" Agumon yelled, running up to Tai.
"Sora? What happened to her?" Biyomon asked. She looked over at Tai and then Sora, who was lying beside Tai. "Tai?!" Tai hesitated.
"Well Biyomon…" Tai began, looking from Biyomon to Sora. "…Sora's been poisoned by Raydemon." Biyomon's face grew worried. "But T.K. and Izzy have found the cure!" Tai finished, again looking at Sora's shivering body.
"T.K. can you please hand me a few of those flowers?" Izzy asked. T.K. nodded and handed Izzy a teal colored flower and an azure colored flower. "Thank you." Izzy replied. He carefully pulled a few petals off each magnificent flower. They were soft and had a sweet scent. The azure and teal petals blended perfectly with each other, looking like the gentle waves of the sea. Izzy carefully handed the silky petals to Tai, instructing him to place them in Sora's mouth, and also to get her to chew and swallow them.
Tai softly nodded his head and placed one hand on Sora's cheek and held the small petals in his other hand, near Sora's mouth. Tai had taken off his white gloves before Izzy handed him the petals. Sora's cheek was soft in his hand and Tai could feel the gentle shaking as Sora shivered. Small, salty tears flowed silently down Sora's cheek and washed over Tai's strong hand. He softly whispered something to Sora as he placed the sweet smelling petals into Sora's dry mouth.
A wonderful taste overcame Sora's senses as she began to weakly chew the small petals. The juice from the petals tasted like freshly picked berries as it glided smoothly down her throat.
"Now what?" Mimi asked, her voice filled with surprising concern. She looked over at Tai, whose eyes were fixed on the now sleeping Sora.
"Now we must wait. The antidote will take a minimal amount of time before any effects become evident. I propose that we all rest. We can see how Sora is doing after we rest up." Izzy replied.
Everyone agreed and laid down to sleep. Tai lay beside Sora and looked at her with loving eyes, hoping she would get better soon. He gently caressed her soft cheek as a small tear ran down his own cheek. He wouldn't go to sleep. He was determined to stay awake and with Sora in her time of need.
--------------9-------- -----
A long, snake-like Digimon slithered through the burning sand. The dark green scales on his body repelled the scorching heat. The heat from the brownish-tan sand rose up in waves of quivering air, making it a hard task to see anything clearly. The snakelike Digimon closed his reddish- purple eyes and opened them again, looking around. His eyes adapted to the wavering heat of the desert, making it easy for him to see clearly. He slid silently forward, his small red tongue flickering quickly in and out of his muscular mouth.
His head was not hooded like a cobra's, but thin and shaped like a viper's. A long, brown, sail-like crest flowed down his forest green back. He moved his long body steadily forward, looking for a meal.
He raised his slim head and sniffed the air. 'Sssomething'sss not right.' He thought. He glanced over at a large and dune and noticed a quick flash of green against the light brown sand. He curled up cautiously and hissed. "Who'sss there??" He rapidly turned his head from side to side, scanned the surrounding desert.
He heard the soft sound of feet hastily running over the grainy sand. A light, airy voice spoke up, sounding as if it were coming from all directions. "There's no need to worry so, Viperumon. It is only me." The voice said, echoing through the snake's, Viperumon's, ears and focusing itself to the left of him.
Viperumon jerked his head over to the direction the voice flowed to and tensed his powerful jaw as he looked at his visitor. "Myteramon!!" He said. His voice reflected past memories and experiences. He still stood his ground, recalling a dreadful memory. He hissed slightly and his dark eyes flickered like a blazing fire.
"Yes it is me." Myteramon answered. He lowered his blade-like arms down to his sides. "So we meet again Viperumon." His dark brown eyes glinted in the midday sun.
Viperumon opened his jaw to show his sharp, white fangs. "What are you doing here Myteramon?" His white fangs glistened brightly.
"A little tense, are we?" Myteramon replied, his smooth, white wings unfolded, shining in the bright sun, and they began to beat slowly as he jumped quickly into the air. Viperumon lifted his head up higher in a stance that would allow him to strike quickly. "Same old Viperumon, always ready with a plan. But this time your tricks can't help you; I have a trick of my own." Myteramon said. His voice once again flooding the air, haunting Viperumon's thoughts.
"What are you talking about Myteramon?!" Viperumon asked, trying to hide his evident fear. He moved his slim body around, searching for his bug-like adversary.
Myteramon laughed. "You'll see!" Viperumon couldn't pinpoint his visitor's evasive voice. Suddenly, 3 small Digimon jumped out from the sand, surrounding him.
'Alencimon!!' Viperumon thought. Myteramon laughed wickedly.
"Shadow Mirage!!" All three Alencimon yelled. Clear waves emitted from their green eyes, swallowing Viperumon up and putting him into a trance-like sleep. They quickly tied him up and, with Myteramon, brought him to Durasythedamon.
~~~*~~~
Tai sat up, looking at Sora as she gently slept. The cave was dark and it, from what Tai could see, was the middle of the night.
Izzy watched Tai and evaluated his kind, caring actions towards Sora. Izzy theorized on multiple reasons why Tai would act this way, but made the conclusion of one word…LOVE. He quietly stood up, walked over to Tai, and placed his hand on Tai's shoulder. "Tai…" He whispered. "You should go to sleep. You will be no help to Sora if you don't rest."
Tai looked up at Izzy, who had a soft smile on his face. "I guess you're right Izzy." Tai replied. He looked back down at Sora and lightly sighed. Lying down beside Sora, he softly stroked her light brown hair.
Izzy continued to smile as he walked back over to where he had been sleeping. 'My theory was correct. Tai is in Love with Sora.' He thought as he fell back into a blissful sleep.
~~~*~~~
"Myteramon, did the Alencimon use their 'Shadow Mirage' attack?" Durasythedamon asked coldly. He glared down at Myteramon, then to the tied up Viperumon.
"Yes Durasythedamon." Myteramon answered.
"Good, ring our little 'visitor' to his room." Durasythedamon growled.
Myteramon and the three Alencimon dragged Viperumon out of the main room and brought him to a small dungeon cell.
'Now I can turn Viperumon against the Digidestioned with my 'Evil Manipulation' attack. I can gain information about the Digidestioned from him, and with him and Myteramon as my evil servants, I will be unstoppable!!' Durasythedamon thought cruelly. He lifted his head and roared, shaking the walls of the room, vibrating down to the now occupied cell room.
The small flame on the wooden torch flicked in a rhythmic movement, following the vibrations flowing through the cold, stone wall. The hard, granite floor dimly reflected the light from the dying fire. Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the small room, blowing out the flickering light. Darkness engulfed the room and two reddish-purple eyes blazed like flaming embers in the vast shadows.
~~~*~~~
Sora opened her eyes to find herself looking into two beautiful, concerned, dark brown eyes. Her extreme pain was gone and she had all of her friends to thank for that. Sora smiled upon seeing Tai's happy face.
"Sora, you're better! It doesn't hurt anymore, right??" Tai asked, resisting the urge to take Sora into his harms and holding her.
"No, it doesn't hurt anymore. Thank you." Sora replied, sitting up. "Tai? What…what exactly happened?" She asked slowly.
Tai closed his eyes to fight the tears of joy and tears of sadness that threatened to flow in one small stream down his face. Forcing back the memories he didn't wish to think of. "Tai…" Sora softly said, worried that he hadn't responded.
Tai slowly opened his eyes again to look at Sora. "We…we were captured by Raydemon and somehow…somehow you were p-poisoned. You were in a separate cage than me and the rest of the group. Izzy discovered a way to get out of the cages, and I forced my way out. I ran over to the cage that you were in, but Raydemon came and…and took you away again. Luckily, Matt, T.K., and their new friend Articamon came and rescued you."
"Articamon?" Sora softly asked.
"Yeah, Articamon. He's that big panther Digimon over there." Tai answered, pointed towards the aqua and purple Digimon who was silently sleeping near Matt and T.K. "I…I got you out of the cage and Matt and T.K.'s crests began to glow in unison. Articamon digivolved to Searcticanmon and protected all of us with his 'Ice Shield' attack. Him and Weregarurumon destroyed Raydemon and then de-digivolved. Izzy sent Mimi, Joe, Kari, and Articamon to go find our missing Digimon as he searched for information on the antidote, the RainbowSea Flower, on his computer. We discovered that T.K. had found the RainbowSea Flower and I gave you the petals, which was…was the antidote. It's…it's been almost…almost a day since I gave you the antidote. We…I was worried about you Sora." Tai softly finished, slowly smiling. He looked into Sora's bright eyes.
"Wow. I missed a lot!" Sora quietly mused.
Tai's smile widened and they both laughed softly.
Articamon quietly stood up, stretched, and yawned. He walked carefully over to Sora and Tai. "I'm glad you're better Sora." He said.
Sora smiled. "Thank you Articamon." She gave him a small hug around his neck. His aqua and purple fur was silky and soft on Sora's arms. Articamon laughed and then purred softly.
Articamon lay down beside Sora and Tai. Sora and Tai sat beside each other, leaning against Articamon. Tai gently placed his ungloved hand on Sora's ungloved hand and smiled, blushing lightly. "We should rest." He said simply.
"You're right Tai." Sora replied, beginning to drift into a light sleep.
--------------10------- ------
After everyone had waken up and saw that Sora was better and talked with her, Articamon told them where they needed to go next. "I have found out who the evil Digimon that is causing all this trouble." Articamon stated.
"Who is it?!" Came a chorus of voices.
"His name is Durasythedamon. The place you must go to next is the continent of Modemar. There you must find Thundramon and Viperumon." Articamon answered.
"Oh! I've heard of the continent of Modemar! It's covered in mostly dry desert and savanna." Biyomon said, jumping up.
"You're right Biyomon. I will bring you there, then I have to return here."
~~~*~~~
They all arrived at Modemar and stood on the scorching hot sand.
"Thundramon will be found in the savanna. It is cooler there than it is here. Viperumon will be somewhere in this huge desert. Good luck and goodbye!!!" Articamon called as he dived back into the cool water.
"Goodbye Articamon!!!" They all yelled, waving to their departing friend.
"You guys ready for a new adventure?" Tai asked, grinning at Sora who was beside him.
"Not really." Joe moaned.
"Don't worry Joe, this'll be fun!" T.K. laughed.
They all headed towards the savanna, preparing themselves for the new adventures and dangers ahead.