Chapter 2-A Whole New World
It was a beautiful day. The air was fresh and the sky was clear without a single cloud. Yet, the day seemed too pretty. Too much. Too boring for the likes of Ash Ketchum. He wanted a little more excitement. He lay back in the grass and stared at the blue sky. "I'm so bored!" he mumbled.
Misty, his best friend, looked up from feeding her Pokemon, Togepi. "Ash, can't you just think positive for once. You've been moaning how bored you are all day!"
Brock, a Pokemon breeder, looked up from brushing Vulpix, a foxtail Pokemon. "You've gotta do find something to do or you'll be more than a pain today."
"Pikapi!" Ash's Pokemon Pikachu agreed. It was an adorable yellow mouse with long ears and a tail shaped like a lightning bolt.
Ash was about to groan when he heard music coming from below him. He glanced down. There sat a beautiful girl with a flute called an ocarina to her lips. Her long dark hair flowed around her like water and the tune she played was haunting and pretty. Ash relaxed and watched Tracey Sketchit draw Pikachu. His drawing was very precise.
The girl finished her song and Ash sighed. "You just saved me from boredom for at least 3 minutes Chloe."
Chloe Device opened her eyes and grinned up at Ash. "What, you didn't like my song?"
"It's not that Chloe, it's just that I'm so bored!"
Chloe rolled her eyes. She had been Ash's friend since they were little, even if she was about 3 years older than he was. She hadn't seen Ash in several years ever since she had disappeared from Pallet Town. Ash had been trying to ask her what had happened to her then, but she never said a word.
They heard a strange noise not far away. Ash and Chloe turned at the sound. "Is someone destroying a building?"
They saw a bright flash of light in the distance. Shocked, they immediately ran after it. "We'll be back in a sec!" Ash called to his friends.
* * *
T.K. heard a noise. He didn't trust himself to speak or open his eyes. He wasn't whirling around anymore so he must have landed somewhere. He heard voices and strained to hear what they were saying.
"Be careful. We mustn't move him," said one voice. It was a boy's voice, a little rough but reassuring.
"Who do you think he is?" asked the other voice. It belonged to a girl.
T.K. opened his eyes. He had a huge headache and the figures looking at him were blurred. Soon they stopped whirling around and came sharply into focus.
One was a boy about 10 or 11 years old. He wore a red and white cap over messy dark hair that matched his dark eyes in his tanned face. The boy was looking at him curiously.
The other was a girl who looked about 14 or 15. She was very pretty with long dark hair held back by a golden headband. Her eyes were amazing: royal blue with light sapphire to give them sparkle. Her face looked kind.
T.K. blinked. "Who are you?"
The boy grinned. "My name's Ash Ketchum. Can you sit up?'
T.K. nodded and drew himself to a sitting position. " And who are you?" he asked the girl.
She smiled warmly. "I'm Chloe Device. What's your name?"
"T.K." T.K. answered. "I'm T.K."
At that moment, Misty, Brock, and Tracey ran towards them. "Ash! Chloe! What happened?" they asked.
Ash and Chloe gestured to T.K. and a sleeping Patamon. T.K. looked up. "Where am I anyway?"
"You're near Pallet Town."
"No. I mean what world am I in."
"The Pokemon World," Chloe replied.
* * *
The Digidestined met up in Izzy's apartment. Izzy and Ken were scanning every area on the map of Japan. There was no sign of the portal anywhere. "Where is it now?" Davis wondered aloud.
No one felt like answering. Matt and Cody were depressed. Tai was trying to make forced conversation with Matt, but was having negative results. Sora, Mimi, and Yolei stared blankly at the wall. Joe kept asking if anyone needed any medicine for depression. Kari was so miserable; she barely said two words since they had arrived at Izzy's.
"We just have to keep looking for him. He just has to be somewhere out there…" Tai's voice trailed off.
Kari blinked her eyes rapidly. Davis heaved a sigh, "Aw man, this is just great! First that stupid portal appeared, then T.J. disappeared, and now everyone's upset!"
Kari glared at him. "For the last time his name is T.K.!"
"OK, OK!"
Kari stood up with a determined look on her face. The others looked up, surprised. "I think we should start searching for him right now instead of staying here wasting our time. If one of us was missing, T.K. would be searching for that person too don't you think?"
Tai nodded and stood up. "Let's go find him!"
* * *
T.K. wished he had eight more eyes like a spider. The world around him was so different from his own. Everything seemed to burst with color: the sky, the houses, even the grass. All around him were different types of people; different from the ones he was used to. Some carried small red and white balls on their belts. Poke balls, Ash called them. Surrounding this world were the most amazing creatures he had ever seen. Well, aside from Digimon of course. "Are these Pokemon?" he asked.
Ash nodded. "Pretty cool huh?"
Misty and Chloe walked a little way behind the boys. Misty eyed T.K. "You know?" she whispered to Chloe with her hand cupped around her mouth. "That kid's kind of cute."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "I hate to break it to you but he's a little young for you. But of course, you do seem to have a thing for younger men, don't you Misty?"
She nodded in Ash's direction. Misty turned bright red and stammered, "What do you mean? You-you're crazy! Never in a million years!"
"Uh huh. Sure."
"I'm serious!"
Chloe ignored her and focused her attention on Patamon and Pikachu. It looked as if they might have gotten off to a rocky start, but they were the best of friends now. Patamon seemed to understand every word Pikachu was saying even if no one else really could. Chloe smiled at them, but inside she was thinking. Or rather, she was sensing something. The arrival of T.K. came as a shock. He wasn't from the Pokemon World that was for sure. He said he was from the Real World and Patamon was from the Digital World. What could they have meant? In addition, T.K. had mentioned something else too. Something about his friends. Where were they? Were they coming here too?
What Chloe didn't know was that her questions just might be answered very soon.
* * *
The sun was starting to set over the ocean by the time the Digidestined reached the place where all of the trouble started. Izzy opened his laptop and looked around. "This is the place all right. Now all we need to do is find the portal."
Kari held up her D-3. "Somehow, T.K. managed to open the portal by activating his Digivice. But how?"
The words had barely left her mouth when a strong wind blew and her D- 3 started to glow just like T.K.'s. Instantly, the other kids held their Digivices up too. The showers of rock began, but this time they barely noticed. Their eyes were riveted on the gigantic white spiral in front of them. "I'm going in there!" called Kari and before they could stop her, she ran in. "I'm coming T.K.! Just hang on!"
"Kari!" yelled Tai and he ran in after his sister.
This was too much for Matt. First his brother, then his best friend's sister, and now his best friend. "Hang on you guys!" he called as he ran in.
As if on cue, the other Digidestined ran inside and vanished in a flash of light.
* * *
Tai groaned and shifted his position on the rocky ground. Ground? Did that mean they were no longer in the portal? He sat up to find his friends lying unconscious on the ground. "Hey guys! Wake up!"
Sora drew herself to a sitting position. "I feel as if I were traveling for miles and just fainted from exhaustion."
"I think fatigue would be a better word for that," said Izzy.
"Whatever."
Matt looked at everyone else. "At least we're all safe."
Kari had already gotten to her feet and was reading the sign she had landed in front of. "Welcome to Pallet Town. What a weird name."
The rest of the kids got slowly to their feet. They could not believe what they were seeing. A small but beautiful town stretched before them. It had rolling green fields and colorful buildings. The ocean stretched like a sparkling jewel on the other side of the town.
Walking through Pallet Town, the Digidestined took in the scenery and the different creatures that inhabited the land. There were large rats and overgrown bugs. Birds flew overhead, larger than the birds they were used to. At one point, they came upon a star-shaped figure with a jewel in the center. "Wow!" gasped Mimi. "That's so beautiful!"
"Let's get a closer look," Matt suggested.
They gathered around it and were just about to examine it when they heard a loud angry voice cry out, "Keep your hands off my Staryu you thieves!"
They turned to face a fiery redhead glaring at them. Behind her were a boy who looked about 16 with a bronze face and slanted eyes and a boy with a red band tied around his hair. "What did you think you were doing?"
"Nothing! Honest!" said Davis, stepping to the front. "We're sorry if we've disturbed anything of yours miss."
"The name is Misty!" the girl snapped. "And these are my friends, Brock and Tracey."
"Misty? That's a pretty name," remarked Matt.
Misty blushed. "You really think so?"
Matt nodded. Tai glanced at him, his eyes filled with question marks.
"Well I'm sorry I yelled. I just got a little paranoid that's all," said Misty, smiling.
Just then, two kids, a boy and a girl, joined them. It was Ash and Chloe. "Hey Misty. Is something wrong?"
"No. I just met some very interesting people," Misty replied.
Ash and Chloe turned to stare at the Digidestined. They didn't look like they were from around here. Still, Ash smiled. "I'm Ash. Nice to meet you."
Chloe smiled as well. "I'm Chloe. What are your names?"
The boys could only stare. Well, Cody and Izzy were staring at Pikachu in fascination. The others barely noticed Pikachu. Kari smiled back at Chloe. "I'm Kari and these are my friends, the Digidestined. This is my brother Tai. Say hello Tai."
Tai nodded absently. He knew he shouldn't be rude, but Chloe was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Unfortunately, he could see that the other boys thought so too. Hey, wait a minute! He wasn't supposed to feel this way. I mean, Chloe was pretty all right but so were plenty of other girls he had met. Why did he feel so different with her? Tai snapped out of it. "Hi." (Hi? Was that all he could say?) "I'd like you to meet the members of the Digidestined. Meet Sora, Matt, Izzy, Joe, Cody, Davis, Yolei, Mimi, and Ken."
"Hi!" everyone said cheerfully.
"I hate to ask, but have you seen a boy?" We're looking for one," Kari explained. "He's got blond hair and always wears a white hat and he has a Patamon with him."
Chloe and Ash's eyes widened. "Is his name T.K.?"
Kari nodded, her eyes filled with hope. "Have you found him?"
It was a beautiful day. The air was fresh and the sky was clear without a single cloud. Yet, the day seemed too pretty. Too much. Too boring for the likes of Ash Ketchum. He wanted a little more excitement. He lay back in the grass and stared at the blue sky. "I'm so bored!" he mumbled.
Misty, his best friend, looked up from feeding her Pokemon, Togepi. "Ash, can't you just think positive for once. You've been moaning how bored you are all day!"
Brock, a Pokemon breeder, looked up from brushing Vulpix, a foxtail Pokemon. "You've gotta do find something to do or you'll be more than a pain today."
"Pikapi!" Ash's Pokemon Pikachu agreed. It was an adorable yellow mouse with long ears and a tail shaped like a lightning bolt.
Ash was about to groan when he heard music coming from below him. He glanced down. There sat a beautiful girl with a flute called an ocarina to her lips. Her long dark hair flowed around her like water and the tune she played was haunting and pretty. Ash relaxed and watched Tracey Sketchit draw Pikachu. His drawing was very precise.
The girl finished her song and Ash sighed. "You just saved me from boredom for at least 3 minutes Chloe."
Chloe Device opened her eyes and grinned up at Ash. "What, you didn't like my song?"
"It's not that Chloe, it's just that I'm so bored!"
Chloe rolled her eyes. She had been Ash's friend since they were little, even if she was about 3 years older than he was. She hadn't seen Ash in several years ever since she had disappeared from Pallet Town. Ash had been trying to ask her what had happened to her then, but she never said a word.
They heard a strange noise not far away. Ash and Chloe turned at the sound. "Is someone destroying a building?"
They saw a bright flash of light in the distance. Shocked, they immediately ran after it. "We'll be back in a sec!" Ash called to his friends.
* * *
T.K. heard a noise. He didn't trust himself to speak or open his eyes. He wasn't whirling around anymore so he must have landed somewhere. He heard voices and strained to hear what they were saying.
"Be careful. We mustn't move him," said one voice. It was a boy's voice, a little rough but reassuring.
"Who do you think he is?" asked the other voice. It belonged to a girl.
T.K. opened his eyes. He had a huge headache and the figures looking at him were blurred. Soon they stopped whirling around and came sharply into focus.
One was a boy about 10 or 11 years old. He wore a red and white cap over messy dark hair that matched his dark eyes in his tanned face. The boy was looking at him curiously.
The other was a girl who looked about 14 or 15. She was very pretty with long dark hair held back by a golden headband. Her eyes were amazing: royal blue with light sapphire to give them sparkle. Her face looked kind.
T.K. blinked. "Who are you?"
The boy grinned. "My name's Ash Ketchum. Can you sit up?'
T.K. nodded and drew himself to a sitting position. " And who are you?" he asked the girl.
She smiled warmly. "I'm Chloe Device. What's your name?"
"T.K." T.K. answered. "I'm T.K."
At that moment, Misty, Brock, and Tracey ran towards them. "Ash! Chloe! What happened?" they asked.
Ash and Chloe gestured to T.K. and a sleeping Patamon. T.K. looked up. "Where am I anyway?"
"You're near Pallet Town."
"No. I mean what world am I in."
"The Pokemon World," Chloe replied.
* * *
The Digidestined met up in Izzy's apartment. Izzy and Ken were scanning every area on the map of Japan. There was no sign of the portal anywhere. "Where is it now?" Davis wondered aloud.
No one felt like answering. Matt and Cody were depressed. Tai was trying to make forced conversation with Matt, but was having negative results. Sora, Mimi, and Yolei stared blankly at the wall. Joe kept asking if anyone needed any medicine for depression. Kari was so miserable; she barely said two words since they had arrived at Izzy's.
"We just have to keep looking for him. He just has to be somewhere out there…" Tai's voice trailed off.
Kari blinked her eyes rapidly. Davis heaved a sigh, "Aw man, this is just great! First that stupid portal appeared, then T.J. disappeared, and now everyone's upset!"
Kari glared at him. "For the last time his name is T.K.!"
"OK, OK!"
Kari stood up with a determined look on her face. The others looked up, surprised. "I think we should start searching for him right now instead of staying here wasting our time. If one of us was missing, T.K. would be searching for that person too don't you think?"
Tai nodded and stood up. "Let's go find him!"
* * *
T.K. wished he had eight more eyes like a spider. The world around him was so different from his own. Everything seemed to burst with color: the sky, the houses, even the grass. All around him were different types of people; different from the ones he was used to. Some carried small red and white balls on their belts. Poke balls, Ash called them. Surrounding this world were the most amazing creatures he had ever seen. Well, aside from Digimon of course. "Are these Pokemon?" he asked.
Ash nodded. "Pretty cool huh?"
Misty and Chloe walked a little way behind the boys. Misty eyed T.K. "You know?" she whispered to Chloe with her hand cupped around her mouth. "That kid's kind of cute."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "I hate to break it to you but he's a little young for you. But of course, you do seem to have a thing for younger men, don't you Misty?"
She nodded in Ash's direction. Misty turned bright red and stammered, "What do you mean? You-you're crazy! Never in a million years!"
"Uh huh. Sure."
"I'm serious!"
Chloe ignored her and focused her attention on Patamon and Pikachu. It looked as if they might have gotten off to a rocky start, but they were the best of friends now. Patamon seemed to understand every word Pikachu was saying even if no one else really could. Chloe smiled at them, but inside she was thinking. Or rather, she was sensing something. The arrival of T.K. came as a shock. He wasn't from the Pokemon World that was for sure. He said he was from the Real World and Patamon was from the Digital World. What could they have meant? In addition, T.K. had mentioned something else too. Something about his friends. Where were they? Were they coming here too?
What Chloe didn't know was that her questions just might be answered very soon.
* * *
The sun was starting to set over the ocean by the time the Digidestined reached the place where all of the trouble started. Izzy opened his laptop and looked around. "This is the place all right. Now all we need to do is find the portal."
Kari held up her D-3. "Somehow, T.K. managed to open the portal by activating his Digivice. But how?"
The words had barely left her mouth when a strong wind blew and her D- 3 started to glow just like T.K.'s. Instantly, the other kids held their Digivices up too. The showers of rock began, but this time they barely noticed. Their eyes were riveted on the gigantic white spiral in front of them. "I'm going in there!" called Kari and before they could stop her, she ran in. "I'm coming T.K.! Just hang on!"
"Kari!" yelled Tai and he ran in after his sister.
This was too much for Matt. First his brother, then his best friend's sister, and now his best friend. "Hang on you guys!" he called as he ran in.
As if on cue, the other Digidestined ran inside and vanished in a flash of light.
* * *
Tai groaned and shifted his position on the rocky ground. Ground? Did that mean they were no longer in the portal? He sat up to find his friends lying unconscious on the ground. "Hey guys! Wake up!"
Sora drew herself to a sitting position. "I feel as if I were traveling for miles and just fainted from exhaustion."
"I think fatigue would be a better word for that," said Izzy.
"Whatever."
Matt looked at everyone else. "At least we're all safe."
Kari had already gotten to her feet and was reading the sign she had landed in front of. "Welcome to Pallet Town. What a weird name."
The rest of the kids got slowly to their feet. They could not believe what they were seeing. A small but beautiful town stretched before them. It had rolling green fields and colorful buildings. The ocean stretched like a sparkling jewel on the other side of the town.
Walking through Pallet Town, the Digidestined took in the scenery and the different creatures that inhabited the land. There were large rats and overgrown bugs. Birds flew overhead, larger than the birds they were used to. At one point, they came upon a star-shaped figure with a jewel in the center. "Wow!" gasped Mimi. "That's so beautiful!"
"Let's get a closer look," Matt suggested.
They gathered around it and were just about to examine it when they heard a loud angry voice cry out, "Keep your hands off my Staryu you thieves!"
They turned to face a fiery redhead glaring at them. Behind her were a boy who looked about 16 with a bronze face and slanted eyes and a boy with a red band tied around his hair. "What did you think you were doing?"
"Nothing! Honest!" said Davis, stepping to the front. "We're sorry if we've disturbed anything of yours miss."
"The name is Misty!" the girl snapped. "And these are my friends, Brock and Tracey."
"Misty? That's a pretty name," remarked Matt.
Misty blushed. "You really think so?"
Matt nodded. Tai glanced at him, his eyes filled with question marks.
"Well I'm sorry I yelled. I just got a little paranoid that's all," said Misty, smiling.
Just then, two kids, a boy and a girl, joined them. It was Ash and Chloe. "Hey Misty. Is something wrong?"
"No. I just met some very interesting people," Misty replied.
Ash and Chloe turned to stare at the Digidestined. They didn't look like they were from around here. Still, Ash smiled. "I'm Ash. Nice to meet you."
Chloe smiled as well. "I'm Chloe. What are your names?"
The boys could only stare. Well, Cody and Izzy were staring at Pikachu in fascination. The others barely noticed Pikachu. Kari smiled back at Chloe. "I'm Kari and these are my friends, the Digidestined. This is my brother Tai. Say hello Tai."
Tai nodded absently. He knew he shouldn't be rude, but Chloe was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Unfortunately, he could see that the other boys thought so too. Hey, wait a minute! He wasn't supposed to feel this way. I mean, Chloe was pretty all right but so were plenty of other girls he had met. Why did he feel so different with her? Tai snapped out of it. "Hi." (Hi? Was that all he could say?) "I'd like you to meet the members of the Digidestined. Meet Sora, Matt, Izzy, Joe, Cody, Davis, Yolei, Mimi, and Ken."
"Hi!" everyone said cheerfully.
"I hate to ask, but have you seen a boy?" We're looking for one," Kari explained. "He's got blond hair and always wears a white hat and he has a Patamon with him."
Chloe and Ash's eyes widened. "Is his name T.K.?"
Kari nodded, her eyes filled with hope. "Have you found him?"