Chapter Twenty-five- Missing Pieces





"KEN!! KEEENNN!!!" Jesi screamed and Tai held onto her, keeping her from running away.

"Jesi! There's nothing you can you!"

Jesi's eyes overflowed with tears and she collapsed to her knees. Tear drops hit the sandy ground as she sobbed. Tai put his arms around her and pulled her face to his chest, trying to comfort her. Jesi cried into Taichi's shirt.

Mimi and Sora ran over to Kari and helped her sit up.

"Kari are you ok?" Sora asked in a concerned voice.

"Nng.. TK.. Where is he?" She said softly.

Sora looked up at Mimi, kind of asking what to do.

Mimi brushed Kari's hair out of her face and brushed to dirt off her shirt. "Now Kari you still have a fever, just relax." Mimi said.

Kari sighed and closed her eyes. She was delirious and had no clue what had just happened to TK, Matt and Ken.

Davis stepped up behind Tai. "Tai how are we going to save them, our Digimon can't do anything, that stupid Shadowmon just bats them away like flies!"

"I don't know Davis..." Tai said without turning around. "I just feel so helpless...." Tai felt a teardrop roll down his cheek and drip off the bottom of his chin.

"Hmm..." Izzy spoke up, "I have a hypothesis,"

Everyone suddenly looked optimistic, like Izzy's theories were the solution to any problem they faced.

"I think I know why Arukenimon picked only Matt, TK and Ken to abduct."

"Well Izzy!? Why!?" Tai yelled, still holding Jesi, who had now looked up and was listening to Izzy.

"Well it's obvious that Ken is the object of Jesi's affection. And it seems to me that Ken and Jesi's love may be what gives their digimon the ability to Ange-Digivolve. The power of their love has the same effect of the crests, giving our digimon the ability to digivolve to the ultimate level."

"But why did she take Matt and TK?" Cody asked.

"Because, Matt is Tai's lover and TK is Kari's. Arukenimon might be worried that Tai and Matt's digimon might also be able to Ange-digivolve, and we already know that TK and Kari's digimon have angel forms, Angemon and Angewomon."

"So since the Angel forms are the only thing that can hurt Shadowmon, Arukenimon made sure they couldn't digivolve to that level?" Yolei asked.

"Exactly, with the lovers separated, the digimon can no longer Ange-digivolve."

"Wow! I love hypothesizing with you Izzy!" Yolei grinned.

Meanwhile, the digimon all sat around on the ground in their rookie forms.

"I feel so useless!" Palmon sobbed.

"Hey, don't cry," Agumon said.

"Yeah, just because we can't digivolve doesn't mean we can't fight!" Gatomon said.

"Yeah, we'll fight to the end even if we have to use stone knives and bear skins!" Veemon said.

"Now why do I seem remember that from some well known TV show?" Tentomon said.

"And we'll get TK back!" Patamon yelled.

"And Matt!" said Gabumon

"And Ken too," Wormmon said.

"Yeah! That's the spirit!" Agumon said.

"Let's go kick some non existent Shadowmon rear!" Flotsymon said.

Tai looked over at the digimon. Their enthusiasm made him realize he couldn't just give up. He needed to stop feeling sorry for himself and do something about the situation.

"It's time to take control..." Tai thought. "Izzy, can you track Shadowmon on your computer?" Tai asked.

Izzy nodded, "Yes I think so." Izzy sat down on a log and the others gathered around him. He opened up his pineapple laptop and loaded the grid of the Digiworld.

"Here's where we are," he said, pointing to the highlighted square. "And this square is Shadowmon, it registers like a large concentration of control spires."

"Well let's go!" Davis said.

Tai stood up. "Right, and we all have to stick together and we can save the digital world as a team. Is everybody with me!?" Tai put his hand out, and Jesi placed her hand on top of his.

"We're with you all the way."

One by one, the Digidestined placed their hand on top of Taichi's. Tai, Jesi, Joe, Sora, Mimi, Izzy, Davis, Yolei, Cody, and slowly Kari all joined as one and began their quest to rescue their stolen comrades.







"Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar!?" Tai yelled.

"Davis stole the cookies from the cookie jar!"

"Who me?"

"Yes you!"

"Couldn't be!"

"Then who?"

The Digidestined marched single file behind Izzy through the forest. Tai carried Kari as they walked along.

"Yolei... Why have we been singing preschool songs for 2 hours?" Cody looked up and asked Yolei.

"Tai's just trying to keep everyone's spirits up. And you have to admit, for someone who possibly lost their closest friend, who's sister is deathly ill, and who has to worry about the Digiworld on the brink of destruction, he's doing a pretty good job." Yolei said.

Cody sighed, and thought about his father. He knew what loss felt like. Tai was taking it pretty well. "He seems so tough on the outside...usually. It's weird to see him break down sometimes and show what he's really going through." Cody thought.

"Yolei... Do you think we're going to get them back?" Cody asked.

"Of course we are Cody, we're the Digidestined."

Cody smiled a little and Yolei put her hand on her young friend's shoulder.

Jesi however, was still not in a happy mood. She still felt small tears dripping off her cheeks. She stared down at the ground as she walked, watching her dirt covered white boots stepping back and forth.

"Ken...I can't believe this is happening. Wherever you are, please be alright." She said to herself.

Davis stepped up and put her arm around her. "Hey! Cheer up, it's gonna be ok. Hey I'm sure wherever Ken is he's just fine." How amazing, as dumb as Davis acted, at times he knew just the right thing to say.

"I hope so...I don't know what I'd do if...."

"Don't worry, we've been through worse stuff than this!" Davis smiled.

"Like what?"

"Eh... well I can't think of anything at the moment but I'm sure we have!"

Jesi sighed and even though she knew things were just as bad as they had been a few minutes ago, she still felt comforted by Davis's words.

"Thanks Davis."

"Hey no problem!" he grinned.

Izzy walked at the front of the group, his eyes locked on his computer screen. Mimi stared over his shoulder.

"Izzy, don't you ever run into anything with your nose buried in that computer?"

"No, I can't say that I have ever run into anything...eh.. Not as a result of my computer anyway."

Mimi glanced up at Izzy, then back at the computer screen.

"Well what happens if I do this?" Mimi pressed a button and the map of the digital world disappeared.

"You've got mail!" the computer said.

"Mimi!! What did you do!?"

"Oops! Sorry!"

Izzy quickly loaded the map again. "Uh oh,"

"I didn't mess it up did I?" Mimi said, a sweat drop forming on her forehead.

"It's not you Mimi, it appears Shadowmon is in the area directly adjacent to the one we're in."

"Oh No!" Davis said, running up behind Izzy. "What's adjacent mean!?"

Tai grumbled and pushed Davis out of the way. He then handed Kari to Joe and peeked over Izzy's shoulder.

"Which way Izzy?"

Izzy looked at the screen and then looked at his surroundings. "This way," Izzy pointed to the right and the party changed direction towards Shadowmon.

"Tai," Sora said.

"What is it Sora?"

"Well, I don't mean to sound like a pessimist but what are you planning on doing once we catch up to Arukenimon?"

Tai sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I really don't know Sora. I just want to get Matt and Ken and TK back... but to be honest I have no idea how. I'm trying to be a good leader."

"You'll always be a good leader Tai. I'm sure you'll think of something at the last minute like always."

Tai smiled softly at Sora and she smiled back. "You're a really good friend Sora. I don't think I ever told you how much we all appreciate you. And well, I don't know if I ever told you this either but Matt and I both consider you our closest friend."

"Oh Tai," Sora hugged him tightly.

Tai put his arms around her and hugged back. "I need you now more than ever Sora." Tai closed his eyes and imagined Matt back with them. "I'll get you back Matt.. I promise, I'll turn my courage into wings and rescue you."