FROM THE DEPTHS
Part 8: Heavy Metal
"I
don't think I can go another step, you guys," Zack complained as
he leaned against a tree so he could catch his breath.
"Me, neither. I'm so tired!" Mimi whined as she plopped down to the ground on her knees.
"Looks like we're taking a break," Matt remarked as he, the other kids, and their Digimon sat down on the ground. A day has passed since the Digi-Destined's first encounter with Cloakmon. They have nothing but walking ever since that morning without stopping.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm not that tired," Yuuchi claimed, who was still standing.
"You're kidding, right?" Joe asked out of disbelief.
"It's kinda hard to tell with Yuuchi," Nanmimon admitted.
While everyone else was resting, Yuuchi looked up at the surrounding trees. He spotted a tall one near where Marni, Marisa, Snakemon, and Chamelamon were sitting.
As he approached the tree, Marni asked suspiciously, "What are you up to, Yuuchi?"
"I'm gonna climb the tree. What do you think I'm up to?" Yuuchi retorted. As he pulled himself onto the first branch, Marni and Snakemon quickly stood up.
"Come on, Marisa. We better get out of the way," Marni told her sister.
"What for?" Marisa asked curiously.
"If Yuuchi falls, he won't land on either of us!" Marni explained in a loud whisper.
Yuuchi obviously overheard her, because he looked down and retorted, "I'm not gonna fall, Marni! I know what I'm doing!"
Marisa and Chamelamon stood up and watched, along with Marni and Snakemon, as Yuuchi continued to climb further up the tree. When he reached the top, Yuuchi gasped out of astonishment. He saw several tall steel-and-concrete buildings, which looked a lot like a city back in the real world, about a few miles away.
"Whoa!" Yuuchi whispered softly to himself.
"Yuuchi! Hey, Yuuchi!" Yuuchi heard Tai shout. He looked down at the other kids and their Digimon, who were all gathered around the tree.
"What's up, Tai?" Yuuchi shouted as he started to make his way down.
"What's going on? You've been up there for a while!" Tai shouted back up to him.
"You guys are not gonna believe this!" Yuuchi exclaimed as he sat down on the first branch of the tree so he could catch his breath.
"What is it, Yuuchi?" Sora asked.
"There's some sort of city about three, four miles away from us," Yuuchi explained quickly.
"We should consider making a stop at this city, Tai," Izzy suggested. "Perhaps we could find a place where we can get some necessary supplies."
"Yeah," Marni agreed. "Maybe they got like one of those twenty-four hour mini-marts or something."
"All right, we'll check this place out. Which way is it, Yuuchi?" Tai asked.
"That way," Yuuchi replied, pointing to his right at the forest ahead.
"Great! Let's go," Tai exclaimed as he led the way, followed by the other kids and their Digimon.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Yuuchi shouted as he jumped off the branch and hurried to catch up with the others...
"Hmm..." Cloakmon muttered to himself. He was sitting in a tree, watching the Digi-Destined kids and their Digimon through his telescope. He was a bit startled when his walkie-talkie beeped loudly. Cloakmon picked it up and asked, "Yes, Armaggedamon?"
"Do you have any news for me?" Armaggedamon asked.
"Sure do. It looks like those kids are heading towards Mamemon City," Cloakmon reported.
"Excellent work, Cloakmon," Armaggedamon admitted. "I'll have the Mamemon Brothers take care of those meddlesome brats. Keep an eye on them for me."
"Of course, Armaggedamon," Cloakmon replied before he turned off the walkie-talkie. He re-hooked it to his belt before leaping out of the tree...
Meanwhile, somewhere inside the city, a rather small, odd-looking Digimon was napping in a chair. He was inside a control with tons of TV monitors, which showed different sections of the city via security cameras. The Digimon's body looked like a large steel ball, with a rather cute, innocent- looking face. He had long robotic arms with bright red boxing gloves, and short robotic legs.
"Mamemon!" a voice shouted.
The Digimon awoke with a start and fell out of his chair. Mamemon looked toward the entrance, where two other Digimon stood. One of them looked similar to Mamemon, only he looked more like an android, with a massive energy cannon as his left arm and three curved metal claws on his right hand.
The second Digimon was a floating dark purple head with curved bullhorns, long metal arms with brown gloves on his hands, and a devilish grin with sharp teeth. In one hand, the Digimon carried a menacing red chainsaw.
"What do you two want?" Mamemon asked a bit rudely as he stood up.
"We have a little problem, brother," the android-type Digimon muttered out loud.
"And what problem is that, Metal Mamemon?"
"Since when do you have the most authority out of the three of us?" Metal Mamemon asked.
"Yeah," the Digimon with the chainsaw agreed. "It's bad enough that we're known around the Digiworld as the 'Mamemon Brothers.' Now you had to name the city that all three of us discovered after yourself?"
Mamemon glared at the dark purple Digimon sinisterly. "Stay out of this, Giromon!" he sneered.
"I'm telling you!" Giromon shouted as he angrily slammed his fist on the control panel, smashing some buttons in the process. "We have to rename this city!"
"And what would you suggest we name the city, Giromon?" Mamemon asked.
"Well...Giromon City would sound so much better than Mamemon City!"
"No way! It should be Metal Mamemon City," Metal Mamemon argued.
"That's way too long! We should just keep it the way it is: Mamemon City!" Mamemon interrupted.
"Well, I think it should be Giromon City, since it has such a nice ring to it," Giromon admitted boastfully.
"You are so selfish, Giromon!" Metal Mamemon yelled.
"Hey! I'm not the only one who wants this city named after him," Giromon pointed out in a snotty voice.
Just then, a phone on the control panel began to ring. Giromon made a grab for the phone and picked it up. "Yeah, what do you want?" he asked in an annoyed tone.
There was a furious garbled response over the phone, loud enough for Mamemon and Metal Mamemon to overhear.
"A-Armaggedamon!" Giromon exclaimed out of surprise, his cheeks turning red from embarrassment.
"Nice going, Giromon," Mamemon retorted.
"Please forgive me, sir. I swear that will never happen again. Y-yes, sir. I'm putting you on speaker right now," Giromon stuttered nervously as he pressed a red button near the phone.
"Mamemon, Metal Mamemon, Giromon, listen carefully. The Digi-Destined are coming your way. I want you to keep an eye out for them."
"Yes, sir!" the three Digimon chorused. "They are stronger than they look, so don't underestimate them," Armaggedamon warned them.
"I want you to take care of them. Make sure that they don't interfere with my plans any further, got it?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Good. Now, get to it! I don't want any mistakes this time," Armaggedamon added before hanging up.
Mamemon and Metal Mamemon took seats in front of the control panel and carefully watched the TV monitors, while Giromon hovered back and forth, watching the monitors as well. Suddenly, Giromon stopped and focused on a monitor that revealed the southern border between Mamemon City and the forest surrounding it. He gasped when he saw twelve human children and twelve Digimon in the forest heading towards the city border.
"Hey, you guys! I found them!" Giromon announced.
"You did?" Metal Mamemon asked out of disbelief.
"What's their location?" Mamemon asked.
"Right on the southern border," Giromon replied, pointing at the monitor with the kids and their Digimon.
"All right! Let's get them!" Metal Mamemon yelled as he and Giromon headed for the door.
"Hold it, you two!" Mamemon shouted as he cut them off.
"Why are you stopping us?" Giromon demanded angrily, who was obviously itching for a fight.
"Let's see where these kids go first," Mamemon explained. "Then, we'll give them the traditional 'Mamemon Brothers' welcome." Sinister grins slowly spread on Metal Mamemon and Giromon's faces.
"Good plan, Mamemon," Metal Mamemon admitted. The three Digimon brothers laughed evilly as they headed back to the control panel...
"Geez! This place is huge!" Marni exclaimed, looking around at the tall steel-and-concrete buildings surrounding the group of kids and Digimon.
"This city's even bigger than Tokyo!" Zack admitted.
"What's a Tokyo, Zack?" Cheetamon asked.
"That's a huge city back in Japan, where we're all from," Zack explained. "Tokyo also happens to be Japan's capital."
"Hey, lookit!" T.K. exclaimed, pointing at a small building on the other side of the street.
"It's a mini-mart," Kari announced.
"Hey! We can totally pack up on grub in that mini-mart!" Yuuchi exclaimed.
"If grub means food, then count me in, too!" Nanmimon added excitedly. The twosome were about to run across the street when Tai cut them off.
"Hey! What gives, Tai?" Yuuchi retorted loudly.
"Hold on a second, Yuuchi. You can't just go barging in," Tai explained.
"And why not?" Zack asked.
"In the past, we have learned that not everything is what it appears to be in the Digiworld," Izzy explained. "This mini-mart could turn out to be an illusion, or even a trap." The four new kids groaned when they heard this news and sat down on the sidewalk.
"Still...there is a chance that this mini-mart is for real, right?" Marni asked.
"Yeah, maybe," Tai admitted.
"So...how about, instead of all twelve of us kids going, we have like three or four kids go check out this mini-mart?" Marni suggested.
"I don't know..." Tai muttered out loud.
"Aww, come on, Tai!" Marni complained as she stood up. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not the only one who's starving here!" She gestured toward the other kids and their Digimon, who were sitting on the sidewalk, moaning quietly out of hunger.
"Marni does have an interesting proposition, Tai," Izzy admitted. "Having only a few of us entering the mini-mart would be much safer than all of us going, in case it does turn out to be a trap."
"Yeah, what Izzy said," Marni agreed.
"I guess we could do that," Tai muttered out loud. "Who wants to go with me?"
"I'll go!" Marni volunteered.
"I guess I could go, too," Matt admitted as he stood up.
"Hmm...I think we need one more," Tai muttered thoughtfully.
"And I know who that should be," Marni boasted knowingly.
"Who, then?" Matt asked.
"Marisa!" Marni announced, pointing at her sister.
"Who, me?" Marisa asked.
"No, the other girl named Marisa," Marni retorted as she pulled Marisa up by her arm. "Come on!" she complained as she dragged Marisa by her arm across the street to the mini-mart, with Snakemon and Chamelamon following close behind.
"Makes me glad I don't have an older sister," Tai muttered out loud as he and Matt watched Marni and Marisa.
"Whatever," Matt retorted. They turned their heads and looked at the other kids and their Digimon.
"We should be back in a few minutes, so stay put, everyone," Tai announced as he and Matt crossed the street, followed by Agumon and Gabumon. When they reached the mini-mart, Marni, Marisa, Snakemon, and Chamelamon were more or less waiting patiently for them by the automatic sliding doors.
"What took you guys forever?" Marni retorted as Tai, Matt, Agumon, and Gabumon joined them.
"Hey! We're just trying to be careful, Marni," Tai retorted back. "This isn't a video game! Believe me; I learned that the hard way."
"Come on, you two. Stop fighting," Marisa pleaded. Tai and Marni reluctantly kept quiet.
"Well, what are we doing standing around here for?" Matt asked. "Let's go check this place out." He was about to try to open the doors when they automatically slid open.
"Maybe thisss cccity isssn't abandoned after all," Snakemon reluctantly admitted.
Slowly, the four kids carefully looked inside the mini-mart. All the lights were on, but the store was completely deserted.
"Lights are on, but no one's home," Marni joked.
"Ha! Very funny, Marni," Tai retorted dully as he, Matt, Marni, and Marisa carefully entered the store, followed by Snakemon, Agumon, Gabumon, and Chamelamon.
"Hello! Is there anybody here?" Tai shouted. The four kids and their Digimon listened carefully, but Tai's question was met by complete silence.
"Yup. Definitely nobody here, except for us," Marni admitted.
"No kidding, Marni," Snakemon muttered out loud.
"What do we do now, Tai?" Agumon asked.
"Well, since there's no one here, I guess nobody would mind if we get some food to eat," Tai replied.
"All right!" Marni exclaimed.
"Hold on a minute, Marni," Marisa interrupted. "We have to get enough food for everyone, not just yourself."
"Oh, yeah," Marni reluctantly admitted.
"Let's look around and see what we can find," Matt suggested. The four kids walked down the main aisle of the store, followed by their Digimon.
"Hey, idea!" Marni exclaimed as she picked up a loaf of bread from the shelf. "If we can find some cold cuts or cheese in this place, we can have sandwiches for lunch!"
"Good idea, Marni," Tai admitted. "Hold onto that, just in case." The kids and their Digimon continued down the hallway until they reached the large coolers for the cold food in back of the store.
"Looks like we're in luck," Tai admitted, pointing at several packages of cheese, sliced turkey, ham, salami, and other lunchmeats inside one of the coolers.
"You might want to get another loaf of bread, Marni," Marisa told her sister.
"What for?" Marni asked.
"We're going to have to make a lot of sandwiches to feed twelve kids and twelve Digimon," Marisa explained.
"Okay," Marni agreed as she headed back down the main aisle, followed by Snakemon. Marisa turned back toward the coolers. Tai was packing Agumon's arms full of lunchmeat packages.
"I don't think I can hold any more, Tai!" Agumon complained.
"Okay," Tai muttered as he gathered as much packages as he could hold in his arms.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Tai," Matt warned him.
"Why not?" Tai asked as he tried to balance the huge pile of lunchmeat packages in his arms. Unfortunately, Tai lost his balance and fell on his back, and all the lunchmeat packages that he was carrying fell on top of him.
"Tai, are you all right?" Agumon asked as he carefully walked over to Tai.
"No, Agumon!" Tai shouted when he noticed that the pile of lunchmeat packages that Agumon was carrying was starting to sway. Unfortunately, the warning came too late. The pile of lunchmeat packages that Agumon was carrying came crashing down on top of Tai.
"Oops! Sorry, Tai!" Agumon exclaimed as he tried to help Tai stand up. Matt and Gabumon laughed out loud over Tai's situation, whereas Marisa and Chamelamon tried to muffle their giggling.
"That was a smooth move, Tai!" Marni retorted.
Tai, Matt, Marisa, Agumon, Gabumon, and Chamelamon looked up at Marni, who had just rejoined them. She was carrying two loaves of bread in one hand.
"I suppose you have a better idea, Marni?" Tai retorted as he stood up.
"Well, I do have a better idea, Tai, and unlike your idea, mine will actually work," Marni boasted.
"Hey, Marni! I found them!" they heard Snakemon shout. The snake Digimon was slithering toward them, carrying some empty plastic bags with him.
"Good job, Snakemon," Marni admitted as she took the plastic bags from her Digimon.
"No problem," Snakemon admitted.
Marni opened one of the bags and carefully placed the loaves of bread in it. "Here," she announced, tossing the other bags to Tai and Matt. "You can put everything in those bags. Much better than trying to carry all that stuff in your arms, right, Tai?"
"Humph!" Tai huffed angrily to himself as he and Matt picked up some of the packages from the floor. Matt put the packages he picked up in the bag that Gabumon was holding, while Tai put the packages he picked up in the bag Agumon was holding open for him.
"You know, Marisa, this place reminds me of something," Marni muttered out loud.
"What do you mean, Marni?" Marisa asked curiously.
Marni was obviously thinking long and hard about it. She suddenly snapped her fingers. "Oh! Now I remember! This place is like that little store in Highton View Terrace that we used to go to every weekend!" Unknown to her, Tai and Matt stopped what they were doing when they heard her say "Highton View Terrace."
"Yeah, I remember that place," Marisa admitted. "You were always blowing your allowance on candy and peanuts!"
"Did you say 'Highton View Terrace?' " Tai asked curiously.
"Yeah, we used to live there. So?" Marni asked.
"Well...we used to live in Highton View Terrace, too," Tai admitted, indicating himself and Matt.
"Get outta here!" Marni exclaimed.
"What about Sora and the other kids?" Marisa asked.
"Well, we don't know about Zack and Yuuchi, but all of our friends used to live in Highton View Terrace as well," Matt admitted.
"This is so totally bizarre!" Marni exclaimed. "You know, I felt like I knew you two from somewhere...did you guys ever go to Westside Elementary?"
"Yeah, we used to go there," Tai admitted.
"Sora went to Westside Elementary, too," Matt added.
"I thought that Sora looked familiar, too," Marni admitted. "What are your last names? No, no, no. Let me guess. Umm...Tai Katona?" Tai shook his head no.
"Okay, next one!" Marni muttered out loud. "Uh...Matt Hajba? Lemme guess, no?"
"Not even close," Matt remarked.
"Tai Kamiya and Matt Ishida?" The three kids looked at Marisa curiously. "Is that right?" she asked uncertainly.
"Yeah, it is," Matt admitted, with a slightly surprised expression on his face.
"And is Sora's last name Takenouchi?" Marisa asked as they started to head toward the doors.
"Sure is, Marisa," Tai pointed out. "You're already three for three!"
"You know, Marisa, you were always better at remembering names than I ever was," Marni reluctantly admitted as the four kids and their Digimon left the mini-mart...
"Aww, man! This looks so good!" Yuuchi whined, practically drooling as he stared at the sandwich in front of him.
"Well, you should thank Matt," Marisa pointed out. "He did make all the sandwiches for us."
"Yeah, thanks, Matt," Yuuchi muttered quickly as he picked up the sandwich. He just took his first bite when Tai spoke up.
"Did you two ever live in Highton View Terrace?" Tai asked. Yuuchi looked at him with a surprised look on his face. He quickly swallowed the bite he took before he spoke.
"Yeah, a long time ago. When my grandfather died, we moved to the outskirts of town to take over the family business," Yuuchi confessed sadly.
"What about you, Zack?" Marisa asked.
"I...I honestly don't remember. My parents did tell me that we used to live there," Zack admitted reluctantly.
"So, all four of you are originally from Highton View Terrace?" Joe asked curiously. Zack, Yuuchi, Marni, and Marisa all nodded their heads.
"Hey, does that have anything to do with us being chosen as Digi-Destined?" Marni asked.
"That's part of it, but there's a more important reason why we are the Digi-Destined," Tai admitted.
"And that would be...?" Yuuchi asked as he stood up.
"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that part until you remember it for yourself," Tai told him.
"Fine, get me all curious for nothing," he retorted. Shaking his head, Yuuchi walked over to where the other new kids and their Digimon were sitting and sat back down on the sidewalk next to Nanmimon. They sat there quietly as they finished eating.
"Is it just me, or does Tai get on anyone else's nerves?" Yuuchi asked, just loud enough for the other three kids to hear.
"He's got big hair and an even bigger ego," Zack muttered.
Yuuchi and Marni snickered over Zack's comment, while Marisa chose to stay silent. Suddenly, she heard a loud noise in the distance, like an explosion.
"Did you guys hear that?" Marisa asked as she stood up.
"Hear what, Marisa?" Matt asked.
"You sure you weren't hearing things?" Yuuchi asked.
"No, I heard it, too," Chamelamon announced.
Suddenly, the twelve kids and their Digimon heard someone shout, "Smiley Bomb!" They saw a large black metal ball drop from the sky and land on the roof of the mini-mart. As soon as the metal ball hit the mini-mart, there was a massive explosion. The kids and their Digimon ducked for cover as debris from the explosion flew over their heads. When the Digi-Destined kids and their Digimon looked up, they were surprised to see three Digimon standing where the mini-mart once stood.
"Aww, man!" Zack exclaimed. "A triple threat!"
"Greetings, Digi-Destined!" Mamemon greeted mockingly.
"I hope you enjoyed your visit here, because this will be the last place you'll see!" Giromon shouted.
"That is, before we turn you over to our boss, Armaggedamon," Metal Mamemon announced.
"What kind of Digimon are they?" Tai asked Izzy, who was opening up his laptop in order to identify the three Digimon.
"Ah-ha! Found them," Izzy announced. "The one on the left is Mamemon, a mutant Digimon. He may appear to be cute and innocent, but his Smiley Bomb and Sparkling Blow attacks will change your mind in an instant! The one in the middle is Giromon, who's a machine Digimon. Watch out for his Chain Saw and Big Bang Boom attacks! And the last one is Metal Mamemon. He's an android Digimon with a powerful Energetic Bomb and Metal Claw attacks."
"That definitely doesn't sound good," Zack remarked nervously.
"Then you're not gonna like this! All three Digimon are at Ultimate levels!" Izzy exclaimed out of shock. The other kids and their Digimon gasped when they heard this news.
"Did you have to tell us that, too, Izzy?" Yuuchi retorted. "It's bad enough knowing what they're capable of!"
"Wanna learn firsthand, Digi-Destined?" they heard Giromon ask sinisterly. The twelve kids and their Digimon looked up at Giromon and noticed that he was juggling a large red metal ball, with several lumps protruding from it, in one hand.
"Get ready for a Big Bang Boom!" Giromon shouted as he threw the red bomb at the Digi-Destined and their Digimon.
"Ahh!" the kids and the Digimon screamed simultaneously as they ran down the street as fast as they could. Giromon's red bomb hit the street and exploded right on contact. There was a massive explosion of thick smoke and flying debris. Mamemon, Metal Mamemon, and Giromon snickered sinisterly.
"We got them for sure!" Giromon boasted as the smoke started to clear. "No way they escaped my Big Bang Boom!"
"Guess again, Giromon!" Metal Mamemon retorted, pointing at the street in front of them. To Giromon's surprise, the Digi-Destined kids and their Digimon were nowhere in sight.
"Ha! My Big Bang Boom destroyed the Digi-Destined!" Giromon cheered.
"Like Metal Mamemon said before, 'Guess again, Giromon!' " Mamemon retorted. He pointed down the main street of Mamemon City, where the Digi-Destined and their Digimon could be seen, running as fast as they could.
"WHAT?" Giromon exclaimed loudly, his eyes literally bugging out of their sockets.
"Let's get them!" Mamemon shouted as they ran after the twelve kids and the twelve Digimon.
As the kids continued running down the street, Zack turned his head around. He gasped loudly when he saw the three Ultimate Digimon chasing after them.
"Move it, you guys! They're coming after us!" Zack yelled to the other kids.
"Let's split up, you guys. That way, we'll lose them," Tai suggested. Just then, the kids and their Digimon reached an intersection in the street.
"Now, everyone!" Tai shouted. He and Agumon, along with Kari, Gatomon, Sora, Biyomon, Marni, and Snakemon, continued running straight down the street. Matt, Gabumon, T.K., Patamon, Joe, Gomamon, Marisa, and Chamelamon turned left at the intersection, while Izzy, Tentomon, Mimi, Palmon, Zack, Cheetamon, Yuuchi, and Nanmimon turned right.
"Ha! Now we got them!" Mamemon sneered. "Giromon, go that way," he ordered, pointing to the left. "And Metal Mamemon, you go that way!" Mamemon pointed to the right, where Izzy, Mimi, Zack, Yuuchi, and their Digimon could still be seen in the distance.
"They won't get away from me!" Metal Mamemon claimed loudly as he ran after them. Giromon giggled maniacally as he headed after Matt and the others, while Mamemon ran down the street after Tai and the others...
"I think he's closing in on us!" Zack shouted as he looked back to see Metal Mamemon getting closer.
At that moment, Izzy stopped running and turned around. "Let's fight him," he suggested.
"Are you crazy? That guy's an Ultimate!" Zack shouted.
"Yeah, but there's only one of him and four of us," Cheetamon pointed out.
"Yeah, he can't be all that hard," Yuuchi agreed.
"Why did I have to get stuck with these guys?" Zack asked himself, shrugging his shoulders in defeat.
"Let's go!" Izzy shouted. Tentomon, Palmon, Cheetamon, and Nanmimon nodded in approval.
"Tentomon digivolve to...Kabuterimon!"
"Palmon digivolve to...Togemon!"
"Cheetamon digivolve to...Panthramon!"
"Nanmimon digivolve to...Neo Nanmimon!"
"You won't get away from me, Digi-Destined! Metal Claw!" Metal Mamemon shouted.
"How about a Needle Spray?" Togemon shouted as she released her needles.
"Razor Claw!" Panthramon shouted, releasing his claws to counterattack Metal Mamemon's Metal Claw. Togemon's needles only bounced off of Metal Mamemon, and Panthramon wasn't strong enough to do much damage.
"He's too strong, Zack. There's not much I can do," Panthramon growled.
"Psychic Blast!" Neo Nanmimon shouted.
"Electro Shocker!" Kabuterimon shouted. Again, the attacks didn't do much damage.
"What are we going to do?" Mimi asked worriedly. "We're barely putting a ding in that guy."
"Energetic Bomb!" Metal Mamemon shouted. He aimed his energy cannon at the Digimon as a ball of orange energy formed at the opening. As soon as the orange energy ball was bigger than his body, Metal Mamemon fired the energy bomb at all four Digimon. The four Champion Digimon got thrown back by the powerful blast, and Neo Nanmimon, Togemon, and Panthramon de-digivolved back to their Rookie forms.
"I'm sorry, Mimi. He's just too strong," Palmon apologized as Mimi helped her up. "You okay, buddy?" Yuuchi asked Nanmimon.
"I think so," Nanmimon muttered out loud.
"How you doing, Cheetamon?" Zack asked.
"You can't take down this Mon so easily," Cheetamon told his human friend.
"It's time for us to take it to the next level, Kabuterimon," Izzy announced to his Digimon as he stood up.
"Right!" Kabuterimon agreed. "Kabuterimon digivolve to...Mega Kabuterimon!"
"Cool! He's huge!" Yuuchi exclaimed in awe as he and Zack gawked at the enormous red beetle.
"Horn Buster!" Mega Kabuterimon shouted. The massive electric blast from Mega Kabuterimon's horn took Metal Mamemon by surprise and sent him flying until he landed into an open dumpster. Metal Mamemon quickly jumped out of the dumpster, and it was obvious by the look on his face that he was furious.
"You guys get going! Mega Kabuterimon and I will hold him off!" Izzy shouted. The three kids nodded and started to run for it, along with Nanmimon, Cheetamon, and Palmon...
"Oh, Digi-Destined? Come out and play!" Giromon shouted. He had just entered a dead-end alley. Although he couldn't see anyone, Giromon had a gut instinct that Matt, T.K., Joe, Marisa, and their Digimon were hiding somewhere in the alley.
"There's no use hiding from me, Digi-Destined! Why don't you come out and fight, you cowards?" Giromon shouted.
"If you insist! Howling Blaster!" Garurumon shouted as he jumped toward Giromon. The Ultimate Digimon barely avoided the blue blast. He turned around, but both Ikkakumon and Dragomon were blocking the only exit. Giromon turned back around and noticed that Angemon had joined Garurumon. He also noticed that Matt, T.K., Joe, and Marisa were standing next to a dumpster behind Garurumon and Angemon.
"If you wanna leave, you'll have to go through us," Ikkakumon boomed.
"Who says I'm leaving? I'm not going until I capture those kids!" Giromon announced.
"Then you'll have to go through us to get to them," Angemon proclaimed as Dragomon and Ikkakumon joined him and Garurumon.
"If you insist," Giromon announced as a red bomb appeared in his hand. "Big Bang Boom!" He threw the bomb at the Digimon, which exploded as soon as it hit the ground. Angemon and Dragomon managed to fly out of the way, but unfortunately, Garurumon and Ikkakumon were caught in the explosion.
"Garurumon!" Matt shouted.
"No, Ikkakumon!" Joe shouted.
When the smoke cleared from the explosion, Garurumon was lying on the ground unconscious, and Ikkakumon had de-digivolved back to Gomamon.
"Two down, and two to go," Giromon remarked sinisterly as he looked up at Dragomon and Angemon. He suddenly started to fly up toward the two remaining Champion Digimon.
"Hand of Fate!" Angemon shouted.
"Inferno Blast!" Dragomon shouted. Unfortunately, Giromon flew through both attacks unscathed.
"Chain Saw!" Giromon shouted as he revved up his chainsaw and struck both Digimon with it.
"Angemon!" T.K. cried out.
"Oh, no! Dragomon!" Marisa shouted. The attack caused the two Champion Digimon to plummet to the ground. When Angemon and Dragomon were almost halfway down, they both de-digivolved to Patamon and Chamelamon.
Once he realized he was falling to the ground, Patamon quickly flapped his wings to slow down his descent. Unfortunately, Chamelamon couldn't do the same.
"Hang on, Chamelamon!" Patamon shouted as he tried to help the lizard Digimon. He grabbed her by the tail and flapped his wings as hard as he could. Unfortunately, Patamon lost his grip, and Chamelamon continued to fall to the ground.
"Chamelamon!" Marisa shouted. She left the safety of the dumpster and ran out into the alley. Before Chamelamon could hit the ground, Marisa dived and caught her just in time.
"Don't worry, Chamelamon. You're gonna be okay," Marisa whispered as she sat up, cradling her Digimon in her arms.
"I wouldn't say the same about you!" a familiar voice shouted from above them. Marisa and Chamelamon looked up and screamed when they saw Giromon advancing toward, wielding his chainsaw.
"Marisa, no!" Matt shouted. He quickly turned to Garurumon, who was now wide awake and standing. "Garurumon, digivolve!" Matt shouted.
"You got it!" Garurumon growled in agreement. "Garurumon digivolve to...Were-Garurumon!"
Marisa kept her eyes closed, afraid that Giromon would get both her and Chamelamon. When she felt something huge run in front of her, Marisa quickly opened her eyes and gasped loudly. She was surprised to see a Digimon that looked a lot like Garurumon standing in front of her, blocking Giromon's Chain Saw attack with his paws. The main difference between this new Digimon and the Garurumon she was familiar with was that this Digimon was standing on his hind legs like a human. He was also wearing dark blue jeans, a brown shoulder pad on his left shoulder, a leather strap across his chest, a long dark blue left sleeve, spiked brown knee pads, and two silver hoop earrings in his left ear.
"Is that...Garurumon?" Marisa asked uncertainly.
"Not anymore, Marisa. Garurumon digivolved to Ultimate," Chamelamon explained. "He's Were-Garurumon now."
"Come on, Marisa! Get out of the way!" Matt shouted. Marisa quickly stood up and rejoined Matt, T.K., Joe, Patamon, and Gomamon, still carrying Chamelamon in her arms.
"Whoa! Very big Digimon!" Giromon admitted nervously as he looked up at Were-Garurumon, who was probably a dozen times bigger than he was. He quickly shook off the scared look on his face and stared at the large wolf Digimon sinisterly.
"You don't scare me, Were-Garurumon!" Giromon claimed. "Chain Saw!"
"Wolf Claw!" Were-Garurumon shouted.
Giromon got the shock of his life when Were-Garurumon's Wolf Claw attack overpowered his Chain Saw attack. "Ahh!" the Digimon screamed as Were-Garurumon's attack struck him hard and sent him flying. Giromon sailed clear out of the alley, over the surrounding buildings, and disappeared from sight.
"Hooray! Were-Garurumon did it!" T.K. cheered.
"That was incredible!" Marisa admitted as she and Chamelamon approached Matt, who was now standing next to Were-Garurumon. "Thank you so much, Matt." Matt quickly looked down at the ground so Marisa couldn't see his cheeks turning red.
Marisa looked over at Were-Garurumon. "And thank you, too, Were- Garurumon, for saving me," she admitted.
Were-Garurumon smiled at the young girl as he nodded his head. Suddenly, the Ultimate Digimon was engulfed in a white light and de-digivolved. When the light disappeared, Marisa gasped out of shock. Sitting where Were-Garurumon once stood was not Gabumon, which was what she was expecting. The unfamiliar Digimon was a round head covered with orange fur, and had a pale peach face and a long protruding dark gray horn on top of his head.
"Hi, Matt!" the little Digimon greeted, looking up at his human partner with his bright brown eyes.
"Hey, buddy," Matt greeted as he picked up the Digimon. "How are you feeling?"
"A little tired...and hungry," the Digimon openly admitted.
"Who is that?" Marisa asked curiously.
"This is Tsunomon," Matt introduced.
"Hi, Marisa," Tsunomon greeted.
Marisa had a bit of a confused look on her face, as though she was trying to figure out something. "Is Tsunomon...Gabumon's In-Training form?" she asked uncertainly. Both Matt and Tsunomon nodded their heads.
"I guess digivolving to Ultimate takes a lot of energy out of the Digimon, huh?"
"Sure does," Matt muttered out loud.
"Sorry to interrupt you two, but shouldn't we get going now?" Joe asked nervously.
"You're right, Joe. Giromon might come back after us," Matt admitted.
"All the more reason for leaving this place!" Joe added.
"Let's go find the others," Matt suggested as he, Marisa, Joe, T.K., and their Digimon left the dark alley...
"Keep it moving! He's gaining on us!" Tai shouted when he noticed that Mamemon was slowly catching up with them.
"I don't know...about you guys...but I'm sick...and tired...of running," Marni gasped from exhaustion. "We can't...do this...forever."
"I agree with Marni," Snakemon admitted. "The only way out of thisss predicament isss to fight Mamemon."
"What do you say, Tai?" Sora asked.
"Marni and Snakemon are right. We're gonna have to fight Mamemon," Tai agreed.
"I'm ready whenever you are, Tai," Agumon announced. The four kids and their Digimon stopped running and turned around to face Mamemon.
"All right, you guys. Get ready," Tai announced. Agumon, Biyomon, and Snakemon all nodded their heads in approval.
"Agumon digivolve to...Greymon!"
"Biyomon digivolve to...Birdramon!"
"Sssnakemon digivolve to...Cobramon!"
"Nova Blast!" Greymon shouted.
"Meteor Wing!" Birdramon shouted.
"Cobra Fang!" Cobramon shouted.
"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon shouted.
The four attacks combined nailed Mamemon, but unfortunately, it didn't slow him down one bit.
"Sparkling Blow!" Mamemon shouted. He raised both his arms up and both boxing gloves shot from his arms like missiles. One of the boxing gloves nailed Gatomon, while the other connected with Cobramon's stomach.
"Gatomon!" Kari cried as her Digimon fell on the street, along with Cobramon.
"Come on, Cobramon! Get up!" Marni shouted.
Cobramon tried to get back up, but he couldn't do it. "Sorry, Marni," he apologized. "I feel so weak." Cobramon then de-digivolved back to Snakemon.
"Are you okay, Snakemon?" Marni asked out of concern as she rushed to her Digimon's side.
"I think ssso," Snakemon muttered as he got up with Marni's help.
"Aww, man," Marni muttered out loud. "Greymon and Birdramon are the only ones left." The four kids and their Digimon watched cautiously as Mamemon's fists reconnected with his arms.
"Give up, Digi-Destined?" Mamemon asked.
"Dream on, Mamemon!" Tai shouted. "Go get him, Greymon!"
"Nova Blast!" Greymon shouted as he charged toward Mamemon.
"Sparkling Blow!" Mamemon shouted as he punched Greymon in the face, knocking him down to the ground.
"Greymon, no!" Tai shouted.
Mamemon then focused his attention on Birdramon, who was flying above him. "Smiley Bomb!" he shouted, throwing one of his bombs up at Birdramon. She tried to fly away before the bomb reached her, but unfortunately, the bomb exploded right below her, engulfing her in a cloud of smoke.
"No, Birdramon!" Sora cried out as she looked up at the cloud of smoke, along with Tai, Kari, Marni, Gatomon, and Snakemon.
Suddenly, a small figure fell from the cloud of smoke. Recognizing the figure as Biyomon, Sora reached out and caught her before she landed on the street.
"I'm so sorry, Sora," Biyomon mumbled weakly.
"It's okay, Biyomon," Sora told her. "What matters is that you're all right."
"Umm...you might wanna rethink that, Sora," Marni admitted nervously. Sora looked up and gasped when she saw Mamemon heading towards them.
"Greymon, you gotta digivolve!" Tai shouted to his Digimon, who had just gotten up. Greymon nodded in approval.
"Greymon digivolve to...Metal Greymon!"
"Whoa!" Marni gasped when she saw Greymon's newly digivolved form. He looked similar to Greymon, only he was over twice as big. His left arm was made of metal, the top of his head and his chest were covered with metal, and he had three pairs of long violet wings and long red-orange hair.
"Go get him, Metal Greymon!" Tai shouted.
"Ooo, I'm so scared!" Mamemon retorted as he turned around to face Metal Greymon. "Sparkling--"
"Mega Claw!" Metal Greymon shouted. His metal hand sprung out and struck Mamemon, sending him flying into the air.
"Giga Blaster!" Metal Greymon shouted. The metal plates on his chest opened up and two large missiles flew out.
"Ahh!" Mamemon screamed as the missiles flew straight at him. The missiles exploded as soon as they made contact with the Digimon, propelling him clearly to the other end of the city.
"That was so totally wicked, Tai!" Marni exclaimed.
"Gee, thanks, Marni," Tai admitted proudly.
"Just don't let it get to your head. It's big enough as it is," Marni joked.
Tai groaned loudly, while Sora and Biyomon giggled over Marni's joke. Just then, Metal Greymon was engulfed in a white light and de-digivolved. Marni was surprised that the Digimon sitting where Metal Greymon once stood was not Agumon, but a round pink head with long thin ears and bright brown eyes.
"Wait a minute. I've seen that Digimon somewhere before," Marni muttered out loud as Tai picked up the little Digimon. Marni suddenly gasped when she recalled seeing the same Digimon at the dunk booth game back at the Digi-Carnival.
"Hey, isn't that a Koromon?" Marni asked uncertainly.
"That's me!" Koromon admitted with a big grin.
"Come on, guys. We need to find the others before Mamemon does," Tai announced.
"But he's gone, Tai!" Marni reminded him.
"Mamemon may be gone for now, but he'll come back, and he won't be happy about what we did to him!" Tai told her.
"Tai's right," Sora agreed.
"We should leave this place, along with everyone else," Kari added.
"Okay, let's get going," Tai announced as he led the way...
"Do you see them yet, Yuuchi?" Zack shouted up into the trees right on the border of Mamemon City. For a minute, he didn't think Yuuchi could hear him up there.
"Not yet!" Yuuchi shouted. "I can see some of their Digimon! There's one that looks like Greymon, but he's huge!" A few minutes later, Yuuchi jumped off of a branch and landed in front of Zack, Cheetamon, and Nanmimon.
"They were over there," Yuuchi explained, pointing at the section of city north of them. "I guess that's where we should go."
"You know, you're gonna get yourself killed one of these days," Zack muttered disapprovingly, shaking his head. Yuuchi laughed out loud at that remark.
"What? You mean climbing trees? Nah! I've been doing it ever since I could walk. Well, at least that's what my dad said," Yuuchi admitted with a smirk. "Oh, yeah, I also saw a second Digimon that looked kind of like Garurumon."
"Greymon and Garurumon must have digivolved to Ultimate, like Kabuterimon did," Cheetamon explained.
"Hey, I bet you're right!" Yuuchi exclaimed.
"Wait up, you two!" Mimi shouted as she and Palmon joined them from the surrounding forest.
"Where have you been?" Zack asked.
"I had to use the little girls' room," Mimi reluctantly admitted. "Did you find anyone yet?" Yuuchi and Zack both reluctantly shook their heads no.
"It looks like the others are up that way," Yuuchi explained, pointing in the same direction as before.
"We better hurry! They might need our help!" Nanmimon announced.
"Yeah, let's go," Palmon added as the three kids and their Digimon quickly walked back into Mamemon City.
"Mimi, you've been with the others longer than we have. You probably know what their Digimon look like at Ultimate, right?" Zack asked.
"Yeah, that's true," Mimi admitted. "Why do you ask?"
"I saw a Digimon that kinda looked like Garurumon, only different, and another Digimon that kinda looked like Greymon, only with a metal arm and wings," Yuuchi told her.
"That was Metal Greymon and Were-Garurumon," Mimi explained.
"Hey, look! Isn't that them?" Zack asked curiously as he pointed at something in the distance. The three kids could see Tai, Matt, Kari, T.K., Sora, Marni, Marisa, Joe, and their Digimon running towards them.
"Hey, guys! Over here!" Zack shouted, waving his hands to get their attention, along with Mimi and Yuuchi. The seven kids and their Digimon joined Zack, Yuuchi, and Mimi and stopped for a few minutes to catch their breath.
"Are you guys okay?" Mimi asked.
"Yeah, just a little tired," Matt gasped in between breaths.
"Where's Izzy?" Sora asked when she noticed that Izzy wasn't with them.
"Last time we checked, he and Mega Kabuterimon were fighting Metal Mamemon," Yuuchi explained. As he looked up, he could see the familiar redhead boy running towards them.
"Hey, here he comes now!" Yuuchi shouted. As Izzy came closer, Yuuchi noticed that he was carrying a pink blob with short arms and round dark brown eyes.
"What happened, Izzy?" Tai asked.
"Unfortunately, Metal Mamemon was much more powerful than I anticipated, so we had to make a hasty retreat from the battle," Izzy explained.
"That's Tentomon, isn't it?" Zack asked a bit uncertainly.
"Well, not exactly. This is Motimon, Tentomon's In-Training form," Izzy explained.
"There you kids are!" a familiar voice shouted. The kids turned around and gasped when they saw Giromon, Metal Mamemon, and Mamemon surrounding them.
"Oh, great! Not this again!" Marni exclaimed. "You kids are in for it now!" Mamemon muttered angrily.
"He doesn't look too happy," Marisa admitted nervously, noticing the angry look on his face.
"Let's get them!" Metal Mamemon shouted.
The Digimon were about to attack when a familiar voice shouted, "Pixie Bomb!"
The Mamemon Brothers stopped in mid-attack, distracted by the bomb dropping in front of them and the explosion that followed. Suddenly, the Digi-Destined and their Digimon found themselves encased in a giant pink bubble, which lifted them far up in the air.
"Who did that?" Zack asked curiously.
"That was me, yep, yep," the same voice replied from behind them.
The twelve kids and their Digimon turned around to face whoever was talking to them. Marni, Marisa, Zack, and Yuuchi gasped when they saw the small dark pink Digimon with white wings, carrying a small gold staff.
"Whoa! It's a powder puff with wings!" Yuuchi exclaimed.
"No, it's Piximon!" Mimi exclaimed happily.
"Nice to see you all again, yep, yep!" Piximon replied.
"What are you doing here, Piximon?" Tai asked.
"I noticed you guys were in trouble, so I came to help you," Piximon replied as he looked up at Marni, Marisa, Zack, and Yuuchi. "And I've heard quite a bit about you four," he added.
Before Piximon could continue, the bubble shook violently, causing everyone to fall down.
"Oh, no! It's the Mamemon Brothers!" Sora gasped. The other Digi-Destined looked and noticed that Sora was right. Mamemon, Metal Mamemon, and Giromon were chasing after them, slowly catching up to the pink bubble.
"Looks like we don't have much time," Piximon muttered. "Listen up, you four. You need to find a way to help your Digimon digivolve to the next level."
"But, how can we, Piximon?" Zack asked curiously.
"We have no idea how to activate our crests, let alone know what they mean," Yuuchi added.
"That's something you'll have to figure out on your own," Piximon revealed. "Your friends here had to do the same thing a long time ago, and now it's your turn." Once again, Piximon was interrupted by the bubble shaking violently, this time from Giromon's Big Bang Boom attack.
"Man, this bubble of yours is taking a lot of punishment from those Mamemon Brothers, Piximon," Marni remarked. "I just hope it lasts."
"I'll distract the Mamemon Brothers while you get away," Piximon explained as he left the safety of the bubble. "Good luck to you."
With that, Piximon used his staff to fling the giant bubble a good distance away from the advancing Mamemon Brothers.
"They're getting away!" Metal Mamemon shouted, pointing at the retreating pink bubble.
"No kidding, Metal Mamemon," Mamemon retorted.
"What do we do now?" Giromon asked.
"I suggest you do nothing," Piximon interrupted. "There's nothing you can do to stop the Digi-Destined from saving the Digiworld from Armaggedamon."
"Oh, yeah? Just watch us!" Mamemon shouted. "Smiley Bomb!"
"Big Bang Boom!" Giromon shouted.
"Energetic Bomb!" Metal Mamemon shouted. The three attacks flew above Piximon's head and headed straight for the retreating bubble that was carrying the twelve Digi-Destined and their Digimon.
Yuuchi turned around and gasped loudly when he saw the three Mamemon Brothers' attacks flying straight at them. "You think this bubble can handle three attacks at once?" he asked nervously.
"I'm not exactly sure, Yuuchi. Why do you ask?" Izzy asked.
"Because we're about to find out for ourselves, that's why!" Yuuchi shouted.
The other kids looked up and gasped when they saw the two bombs and the orange ball of energy heading towards them.
"Brace yourselves, guys!" Tai shouted. The twelve kids and their Digimon sat down with their backs against the inside of the bubble and curled up to protect themselves.
The three attacks struck the giant bubble simultaneously. The kids and the Digimon screamed as they felt the bubble stretch out to its limit from the force of the explosions. Suddenly, they felt a quick rush of air and then absolutely nothing. Tai slowly opened his eyes and gasped when he noticed that he and Koromon were all alone in a pink bubble just big enough for the two of them.
"Oh, no!" Tai exclaimed as he looked down at the ground below, frantically searching for his friends. "Kari!" he shouted.
"Tai!" Kari shouted from his right.
Tai looked up was both surprised and relieved to see his sister and Gatomon floating in another pink bubble. Looking around even more, Tai realized that all of his friends and their Digimon were all encased in their own individual bubbles.
"How did this happen?" Zack asked, who was floating on Tai's left.
"The force of the explosion, it must have stretched out the bubble we were originally in to its maximum limit!" Izzy shouted, who was floating ahead of everyone else.
"But how did we end up in these smaller bubbles, Izzy?" Sora asked, who was floating right behind Izzy.
"The atmospheric pressure surrounding us must have sealed us off in these individual bubbles!" Izzy shouted loud enough for everyone to hear.
"What do we do now?" Marisa asked worriedly.
"Looks like the only thing we can do for now is wait until these bubbles pop on their own," Marni responded as she punched the side of her bubble a couple of times.
"But, what if these bubbles don't pop on their own? What if we're stuck in them forever?" Mimi whined.
"That can't happen!" Joe exclaimed.
"It won't happen, you guys," Matt announced. "We've been in one of Piximon's bubbles before, and we came out of it just fine."
"Are you sure, Matt?" T.K. asked worriedly.
"Don't worry, T.K. We'll be all right," Matt reassured his little brother.
"We're gonna have to try to stick together," Tai announced.
"Umm...is it just me, or is it getting louder all of a sudden?" Zack asked nervously. The twelve kids suddenly noticed that they were starting to slowly drift away from each other.
"It must be the wind! It's pulling us apart!" Izzy shouted. He was suddenly knocked down to the bottom of the bubble as a gust of wind blew him further away from the other kids.
"Izzy!" Sora shouted.
Suddenly, a huge blast of wind whirled like a tornado within the group of eleven kids. The children and their Digimon screamed as they quickly flew around in circles.
When the spinning finally stopped, Tai opened his eyes. He was shocked to see that he was now by himself. In the distance, Tai could see a few pink dots, but they were too far away to tell who were in those bubbles.
"Oh, no. We're all alone, Koromon," Tai whispered sadly to his Digimon as they continued to drift away from Mamemon City...TO BE CONTINUED