Chapter 1: On the Run
"Hey John!! Wake up!" cried Agumon, waving his claw in John's face.
"Huh?" said John, turning towards his friend.
"What's wrong?" asked Gabumon, who was sitting next to him.
"Nothing. I'm just thinking about what the Shadow called me. 'Digiprotector'. Do either of you guys know what it could mean?"
"Huh..," said Gabumon, scratching his head as he tried to think. "Nope."
"What about you, Agumon?" asked John.
Agumon was caught of guard by the question. "Don't look at me. You're the brains of this outfit."
"Ok, ok," said John, giving him a smile.
"Hate to break up the involved conversation up there, but when can I land?" asked Kabuterimon. "We've been flying for about an hour and you guys aren't exactly as light as feathers."
"Oops!!" said John. "Sorry about that, Kabuterimon. Didn't mean to forget about you." He patted the large digimon on the back, then turned around, looking in back of him. "I don't see any sign of the Shadow. I guess we can land here."
"All right!!" cried Kabuterimon. "Everybody hold on!!" John grabbed hold of his cap as Kabuterimon began his decent.
"Its so nice to finally be on solid ground!" said Gabumon, as he jumped off Kabuterimon's back.
"You can say that again!" said Agumon as he jumped off Kabuterimon's back, and landed on John.
"Hey!! Watch it!!" he said with a laugh.
"I'm just happy to give my wings a rest," said Kabuterimon, as he reverted back to Tentomon. "They feel like their going to break off!!"
John walked over to Tentomon, and patted him on the back. "Well, buddy, we can all use some rest. And this looks like the perfect place." He looked around the small clearing they were in. It was surrounded by bushes, with trees all around, giving them shade.
"So what do you think, guys?" asked John. When he heard no answer, he turned around. When he saw Agumon and Gabumon, he laughed. There was Agumon, lying under a tree, with a blade of grass between his teeth. Gabumon was next to him, eyes closed. Both had their claws behind their heads. "Already comfortable, I see," said John.
"Of course," said Agumon. Gabumon just snored. John smiled, then laid down up against the nearest tree. He looked up at the sky, and thought, "This is great! Nothing can go wrong."
Suddenly, he heard a loud noise. He jumped up. "What was that?" asked John.
"I'll take a look," said Tentomon, as he went to investigate the noise. John got up and walked over to Agumon and Gabumon. "Wake up."
"Huh?" said Gabumon, rubbing his eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Tentomon and I heard something. He went to go check it out."
"That's all?" said Agumon, turning towards John. "You woke us up for that?"
John gave Agumon a disgusted look. Just then, Tentomon flew out of the bushes. "Someone is walking through the forest."
"So what?" said Agumon, turning away.
Tentomon gave him a dirty look. "Maybe you didn't hear me. I said I saw SOMEONE."
Gabumon gave Tentomon a questioned look. "So?"
Tentomon shook his head. "That someone was followed by two Digimon."
"And?" John shook his head, then stopped. "Did you say two Digimon?"
"Yes", said Tentomon, happy that John had caught on to what he was saying.
"SO?" said Agumon, clearly agitated.
John shook his head in disgust. "Who just attacked us?"
"That kid," said Gabumon. "The Shadow."
"And who did he have with him?" asked John.
"He had Dark Agumon and Dar..." Agumon didn't finish his sentence as John's words sunk in. "Oh no!!"
John and Tentomon raised their heads in triumph. "Now you get?"
"What are we going to do?" said Agumon.
"Well," said John, "what do you think? We're going to get them before they get us."
"What?" You want us to attack them?" said Tentomon, shocked. "Don't you remember what happened last time? When we were almost killed?!?"
"Ya!" said Agumon.
"Don't worry about it. They're probably just as tired as we are. So, if we get the jump on them, they won't be able to fight back."
"Are you sure? It might not work," said Gabumon.
"Of course it will!!" said John with a smile. "How can you doubt me?"
Gabumon took one look at John's smile and turned the other way, shaking his head. "How did I get stuck with him?"
**************************************
John pushed a branch out of his way. Agumon, Gabumon, and Tentomon pushed a shrub out of their way. They looked at the three figures.
"There they are," thought John. "Funny, I though he was taller." He looked at the human-looking figure. It stood a little over 5". It was smaller, in height and build. It looked slimmer than John remembered. "Maybe we were wrong."
"John, what's wrong?" asked Agumon.
John shook the feeling off. "Nothing. Now stay quiet, so we can catch them off guard."
John took one last look at the figures, then turned to his friends. "OK, lets go."
The group slowly made their way towards the figures. When they were a few feet away, John raised his hand. "OK. When I count to three, jump them."
"OK" said Agumon. "No problem."
John smiled. "All right." He turned towards the figures. "All right," he thought to himself. "Let's do it."
"One..."
Agumon and Gabumon tensed up.
"Two..."
Tentomon's breathing became shallow.
"THREE!!!!"
The four jumped out from behind the bush. John dove for the human-looking shadow, while Agumon and the other jumped for the smaller shadows.
A cry ran out as John wrestled the shadow to the ground, but John didn't hear it. Adrenaline was pumping through him. As they hit the ground, John turned over the shadow over on it back.
Grabbing the shadow by the collar, John raised his fist, ready to strike, rage burning in his eyes. Suddenly, he stopped short. He looked down at the figure below him. It was a young woman, no older than he was. She had long brown hair that went down past her shoulders, and hazel eyes She had a look of fear and surprise in her eyes. John let her go, and her back hit the group.
"John..?" said the girl.
John took a step back. He tripped on a stone and fell to the ground. As he back away, he had the same look of shock and surprise on his face as the girl. "Ra..Ra..Rachel?"
"Hey John!! Wake up!" cried Agumon, waving his claw in John's face.
"Huh?" said John, turning towards his friend.
"What's wrong?" asked Gabumon, who was sitting next to him.
"Nothing. I'm just thinking about what the Shadow called me. 'Digiprotector'. Do either of you guys know what it could mean?"
"Huh..," said Gabumon, scratching his head as he tried to think. "Nope."
"What about you, Agumon?" asked John.
Agumon was caught of guard by the question. "Don't look at me. You're the brains of this outfit."
"Ok, ok," said John, giving him a smile.
"Hate to break up the involved conversation up there, but when can I land?" asked Kabuterimon. "We've been flying for about an hour and you guys aren't exactly as light as feathers."
"Oops!!" said John. "Sorry about that, Kabuterimon. Didn't mean to forget about you." He patted the large digimon on the back, then turned around, looking in back of him. "I don't see any sign of the Shadow. I guess we can land here."
"All right!!" cried Kabuterimon. "Everybody hold on!!" John grabbed hold of his cap as Kabuterimon began his decent.
"Its so nice to finally be on solid ground!" said Gabumon, as he jumped off Kabuterimon's back.
"You can say that again!" said Agumon as he jumped off Kabuterimon's back, and landed on John.
"Hey!! Watch it!!" he said with a laugh.
"I'm just happy to give my wings a rest," said Kabuterimon, as he reverted back to Tentomon. "They feel like their going to break off!!"
John walked over to Tentomon, and patted him on the back. "Well, buddy, we can all use some rest. And this looks like the perfect place." He looked around the small clearing they were in. It was surrounded by bushes, with trees all around, giving them shade.
"So what do you think, guys?" asked John. When he heard no answer, he turned around. When he saw Agumon and Gabumon, he laughed. There was Agumon, lying under a tree, with a blade of grass between his teeth. Gabumon was next to him, eyes closed. Both had their claws behind their heads. "Already comfortable, I see," said John.
"Of course," said Agumon. Gabumon just snored. John smiled, then laid down up against the nearest tree. He looked up at the sky, and thought, "This is great! Nothing can go wrong."
Suddenly, he heard a loud noise. He jumped up. "What was that?" asked John.
"I'll take a look," said Tentomon, as he went to investigate the noise. John got up and walked over to Agumon and Gabumon. "Wake up."
"Huh?" said Gabumon, rubbing his eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Tentomon and I heard something. He went to go check it out."
"That's all?" said Agumon, turning towards John. "You woke us up for that?"
John gave Agumon a disgusted look. Just then, Tentomon flew out of the bushes. "Someone is walking through the forest."
"So what?" said Agumon, turning away.
Tentomon gave him a dirty look. "Maybe you didn't hear me. I said I saw SOMEONE."
Gabumon gave Tentomon a questioned look. "So?"
Tentomon shook his head. "That someone was followed by two Digimon."
"And?" John shook his head, then stopped. "Did you say two Digimon?"
"Yes", said Tentomon, happy that John had caught on to what he was saying.
"SO?" said Agumon, clearly agitated.
John shook his head in disgust. "Who just attacked us?"
"That kid," said Gabumon. "The Shadow."
"And who did he have with him?" asked John.
"He had Dark Agumon and Dar..." Agumon didn't finish his sentence as John's words sunk in. "Oh no!!"
John and Tentomon raised their heads in triumph. "Now you get?"
"What are we going to do?" said Agumon.
"Well," said John, "what do you think? We're going to get them before they get us."
"What?" You want us to attack them?" said Tentomon, shocked. "Don't you remember what happened last time? When we were almost killed?!?"
"Ya!" said Agumon.
"Don't worry about it. They're probably just as tired as we are. So, if we get the jump on them, they won't be able to fight back."
"Are you sure? It might not work," said Gabumon.
"Of course it will!!" said John with a smile. "How can you doubt me?"
Gabumon took one look at John's smile and turned the other way, shaking his head. "How did I get stuck with him?"
**************************************
John pushed a branch out of his way. Agumon, Gabumon, and Tentomon pushed a shrub out of their way. They looked at the three figures.
"There they are," thought John. "Funny, I though he was taller." He looked at the human-looking figure. It stood a little over 5". It was smaller, in height and build. It looked slimmer than John remembered. "Maybe we were wrong."
"John, what's wrong?" asked Agumon.
John shook the feeling off. "Nothing. Now stay quiet, so we can catch them off guard."
John took one last look at the figures, then turned to his friends. "OK, lets go."
The group slowly made their way towards the figures. When they were a few feet away, John raised his hand. "OK. When I count to three, jump them."
"OK" said Agumon. "No problem."
John smiled. "All right." He turned towards the figures. "All right," he thought to himself. "Let's do it."
"One..."
Agumon and Gabumon tensed up.
"Two..."
Tentomon's breathing became shallow.
"THREE!!!!"
The four jumped out from behind the bush. John dove for the human-looking shadow, while Agumon and the other jumped for the smaller shadows.
A cry ran out as John wrestled the shadow to the ground, but John didn't hear it. Adrenaline was pumping through him. As they hit the ground, John turned over the shadow over on it back.
Grabbing the shadow by the collar, John raised his fist, ready to strike, rage burning in his eyes. Suddenly, he stopped short. He looked down at the figure below him. It was a young woman, no older than he was. She had long brown hair that went down past her shoulders, and hazel eyes She had a look of fear and surprise in her eyes. John let her go, and her back hit the group.
"John..?" said the girl.
John took a step back. He tripped on a stone and fell to the ground. As he back away, he had the same look of shock and surprise on his face as the girl. "Ra..Ra..Rachel?"