Last Week: We got a look at the first day of classes. A lot of our characters met for the first time ever…while some characters had the shock of their lives. Kazu and Kenta were a little more than distressed to see that Miss Asaji has returned…as their History professor. Takato was more than surprised to see Yamaki as his College Writing professor. And Talley Onodera, going undercover as a Computer Science professor, was surprised to get a Teacher's Aide, some guy by the name of Izzy Izumi. We also got a meeting of the old DigiDestined (minus Tai), where Matt proposed that it was time for the Digimon to come out into the open. That suggestion was promptly refused by the others…except for Sora. Cody met up with his friends at the university, but had an unexpected tagalong named Rosa, who immediately recognized Ken…much to the chagrin of one Yolei Inoue. As everyone went to dinner, Terriermon noticed that defenses were down and he headed off to commit his first college prank. And finally, we met The Dark One, a being from The Dark Ocean, looking to create chaos in the real world.


Digimon: The College Years

Episode 6- Terriermon: Original Prankster


The day continued to pass by quickly and Yamaki saw he wasn't making as much progress as he had hoped. In Odaiba University's teacher's lounge, he decided to go meet up with the rest of his colleagues and see if they had made any breakthroughs. And sure enough, he looked over at a nearby table and saw Riley and Talley both sitting there looking around.

Yamaki walked over to them. "Professor Ootori, Professor Onodera, how'd your first day go?"

"Very well," Riley responded. "The students show a lot of enthusiasm."

"I like my class," Talley smiled. "It's small. Nice and quaint. And…I have a Teacher's Aide."

"You get a TA?" Riley asked in shock. She crossed her arms and scowled. "I don't get a TA."

"He seems to show a lot of enthusiasm," Talley added. "But the most shocking thing happened! I started taking roll and I came across a couple of very interesting names. I came across Henry Wong and Kenta Kitagawa."

"Two of the Tamers?" Riley asked.

"I also have one of the Tamers in my class," Yamaki said. "Takato Matsuki is in my 8 o'clock College Writing class."

"You think they know anything about what's going on?" Talley wondered.

"This could all be a coincidence," Yamaki thought. "I'm not sure if they're aware of what's happening and I don't want to ask."

"Why not? They might be able to help us," Riley pointed out.

"I don't want to resort to using them yet," Yamaki shot back. "The Tamers can be powerful allies, but we don't even know what it is we're up against. Besides, I think we can flush out this mole ourselves. Any leads?"

Riley and Talley shook their heads.

Yamaki raised an eyebrow. "Really? No suspects at all?"

Riley and Talley shook their heads again.

Suddenly, one of the other female professors walked in. "Hello. I haven't seen you three here before. Are you new?"

Yamaki kept his cool, as any agent in his position would. "We're all in our first year. I am Professor Mitsuo Yamaki, English. This is Professor Talley Onodera, Computer Science. And this is Professor Riley Ootori, Chemistry."

The woman smiled. "My name is Dr. Ana Marquez, Mathematics. It's very nice to meet you."

"Very nice meeting you also," Yamaki replied. He decided to try and get some information as long as he was conversing with one of the other professors. "We weren't sure what to expect when we got here. We heard that there was some…unusual activity here on this campus."

"Why would you think that?" Dr. Marquez asked curiously. "I've never heard that."

"Just a rumor," Yamaki said casually. "You haven't seen anything unusual, have you?"

"I have not," Dr. Marquez answered. "This is a pretty normal campus, so I don't know why you'd think there's something unusual. But then again, if life has taught me anything, it's that sometimes strange things happen. It's always best to expect the unexpected, because ANYTHING can happen."

There was something about this woman's tone that Yamaki was unsure of. The way she said that was…strange…and suspicious.

"Oh, I lost track of time!" Dr. Marquez said hastily. "I would love to stay and chat, but I really have to be going. My daughter will be here shortly. In fact, she might be here by now. But it was nice meeting you."

With that, Dr. Marquez dashed off, leaving the undercover Hypnos crew alone at the table. Yamaki didn't take his eyes off her.

"Why are you looking at her like that?" Riley asked, with a subtle tone of jealousy.

Yamaki fumbled with his lighter again. "There's something suspicious about that woman. I think we have our first suspect."

"A professor?" Talley asked skeptically. "I was thinking more along the lines of a student."

"We don't know how old our mole is," Yamaki pointed out. "Age was never specified. So be ready for anything. ANYONE could become a suspect at any time."

Yamaki would keep that thought in mind as the year rolled on. He wasn't sure about a lot of things on this mission, but he was positive about one thing.

He would flush out this mole.

Kari was hoping to get a look at the boys' room, but with the complication of Gatomon, she couldn't go the night before. Now was an even worse time, since she now had her first homework assignments. So all she could do was head straight up the stairs of her hall. While she was going up, though, she was practically knocked over by Matt, who was dragging Sora down like there was no tomorrow.

"Excuse me, Kari!"

Sora frantically tried to keep pace. "Matt! Slow down! You almost knocked me over!"

"Sorry, Sora! Just try to keep up!"

Kari shook her head and stayed silent. It was almost as if Matt was expecting some action. Of course…Sora wasn't that kind of girl, so it didn't look like he'd get anywhere. After that pleasant exchange, Kari continued up the stairs and walked back to her room.

After turning the key, Kari walked into her room and found it empty at first. But as she stepped inside, she heard someone shut the door behind her. Kari turned around to see Jeri and Rika both standing side-by-side…with smirks on their faces.

Kari sweatdropped. "You two look happy."

"Have a seat, Kari," Rika grinned as she sat Kari down on her bed. "We have some…things we want to ask you. Things about yourself."

"But…I thought I told you a lot about myself," Kari said nervously.

"Oh you've said a lot," Rika said dryly. "Almost TOO much for my tastes. But there're still some things we want to ask you. Certain things…personal things."

Kari gulped as Jeri turned out the lights. Rika walked over and turned on one of the lamps, focusing the light on Kari. Kari felt like she was about to be interrogated…heavily. But about what, she had no idea. At first, she wondered if they had somehow discovered her secret, but that notion was just silly. How could they possibly find out she was a DigiDestined?

Kari sweatdropped. "Um…what do you want to ask me about?"

"We're curious about…your love life," Rika smirked.

Kari moaned. She would have rather they found out she was a DigiDestined. This was ten times worse. And it would only get more horrible if they pried…into her past.

"So…who was that I saw with you with in the cafeteria, Kari?" Jeri asked slyly. "Boyfriend?"

Kari gulped. "Boyfriend? No…he's not my boyfriend."

Technically, it was true. Kari had just agreed to go out with Davis on a date. She never said anything about him being her boyfriend. Besides…she was still getting over…TK.

"You looked like you were getting pretty close," Jeri persisted. "He looked like he was ready to put his arm around you."

"That's just the way he is," Kari said dryly. "He's…affectionate."

"So tell me about him," Jeri continued. "If he's not your boyfriend, then does that mean he's available?"

"NO!" Kari snapped. She may not have been his girlfriend, but that didn't mean Davis was available. "We're…actually going out on a date this Friday."

Jeri squealed. "You must be so excited! I mean…he certainly looks VERY cute."

Kari blushed. "Well…he IS pretty cute."

"Jeri!" Rika growled. "What's with this sudden interest in Kari's boyfriend? I thought you were with goggle boy!"

Jeri blinked. "Me and Takato? Well…not really. Don't get me wrong. He's a great guy…but…"

"Let me guess," Kari cut in. "You don't want to ruin the friendship?"

Jeri nodded. "Exactly. Hey, how did you know that's what I was thinking?"

"Because I've gone through the same thing myself," Kari answered. "I know what you're going through, Jeri. This sort of thing is never easy."

"You could have fooled me," Rika scoffed. "You look like you're handling your love life like a pro."

"Don't mind her," Jeri said gently. "Rika isn't really the romantic type. She isn't really into the idea of a boyfriend. Unless…well…there may be ONE boy…MMPH!"

Rika covered Jeri's mouth. "If you know what's good for you, you WON'T mention his name! I mean it, Jeri! I don't want to hear about HIM!"

Having issued her warning, Rika uncovered Jeri's mouth and walked towards her bed. Jeri silently mouthed the word "later" to Kari. Kari started to sense that Rika definitely had issues with a boy.

"I thought we were grilling KARI!" Rika pointed out. "How did this get turned around on me?"

"Why are you two grilling ME?" Kari asked curiously.

"Because we're curious about your love life, Kari," Jeri grinned. "And it just got a little more interesting. What do you mean when you say you've been through the same thing I have?"

Kari sighed deeply. This was sure to open up old wounds. "I hope you guys have a lot of time on your hands, because this is a very long story."

"Wow…this is sounding pretty interesting," Jeri muttered. "I can't help but be a little curious."

"Save your curiosity for right now," Kari said dryly. "Maybe I can help you do that."

"How are you doing that?" Jeri asked curiously.

"By changing the subject…to you and your friend, Takato," Kari grinned.

Jeri gulped and Rika couldn't help but smirk. Now the tables were turning again. Rika suddenly shifted the lamp's light so it was shining on Jeri. Jeri looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Yes, Jeri," Rika chirped. "Why don't you tell Kari about you and Takato?"

"Because Takato ISN'T my boyfriend!" Jeri snapped.

"I've seen that look before," Kari noted. "He may not be your boyfriend, but you like him, don't you?"

"No!"

"Has this sort of thing ever even come up before?"

Silence. It took Jeri a while to think about that answer, but it looked like she had one and Kari was curious to learn something new about her roommate.

"Well…it was a long time ago…back when we were 13…"

Night had fallen on West Shinjuku. Jeri certainly wasn't expecting to be sitting in the park by her friend, Takato, but it looked like the goggle boy was troubled. And Jeri wanted to be there to help.

Takato was hanging his head down. "I've got this problem with my partner…I mean, my friend…my good friend. This friend has gone through a big change lately. I'm talking big change LITERALLY. My friend has grown a lot…and I mean A LOT a lot. And it's caused a whole bunch of problems, so I want things to go back to way they were before. What should I do?"

Jeri didn't know what to think of this. "Takato……hmm…"

Jeri was starting to get an idea of what was going on.

~* I bet Takato has a crush on a girl, but she got taller. And now he feels goofy next to her, so he wishes she were short again. That's so cute! I know just what he means. That growth spurt I just went through made me feel SO gawky…like everyone was staring… *~

Suddenly, Jeri figured it all out.

"Wait! I get it!"

Takato turned to Jeri curiously. "Huh? You do?"

Jeri held up her puppet. "Jeri likes you, Takato! But only as a friend, ok?!" She pointed out into the vast street. "Don't worry! There's a MILLION other girls out there!"

Takato hung his head down and sweatdropped. "Uh…yeah…ok…Jeri……thanks."

"We haven't talked about it much since then," Jeri continued. "Takato and I have always stayed friends. We've known each other for such a long time now. I wonder if he DOES like me?"

"Have you thought of saying something yourself?" Kari asked.

"Well…I haven't actually thought of that," Jeri answered. "I was hoping Takato would come to ME someday."

"Maybe you need to send some signals," Kari suggested.

"What do you mean?"

"We'll talk about it. If anything, we have the whole year to work on getting you and Takato together. But there's just one thing I need to know."

"What's that?"

"Well…I don't know ANYTHING about Takato. Maybe you should tell me a little more about him and the rest of your friends."

Jeri sat on the bed beside Kari. Both girls put their feet up on the bed and faced each other. Rika just turned away and shook her head, obviously sensing girl talk was imminent.

"Well…ok…I'll tell you about Takato…"

Looking inside the window, Terriermon knew EXACTLY what to do. This was the triple where that Davis kid was staying, along with his friends TK and Ken. And just as he hoped, the inside of the room was empty. There was no one around. The timing wasn't any better.

So Terriermon carefully opened the window and slowly crawled in. This was still an espionage mission, since anyone could come in at any time. But the beds were pretty big and it looked like the little long-eared Digimon could easily hide if he had to.

Once he was inside, Terriermon immediately spied one of the cabinets. He didn't know which one belonged to Davis, so he would just grab some underwear from each of the three drawers. This was an equal-opportunity prank, so he wouldn't discriminate, even though this was mainly targeting that goof, Davis.

One thing Terriermon DID notice was that this room was a mess. He treaded carefully and headed for the drawer…but he took a wrong step.

"YEOW!!"

The sudden cry of pain completely caught Terriermon off-guard and he fell over. He didn't know where it came from, but it came from underneath a pile of sheets. The long-eared Digimon looked over to see something rise out of the pile of sheets. It was a little blue Digimon about his size with a small horn on his nose and he was holding his tail.

"What's going on?" something else called out.

"What the…?!" Terriermon gasped.

Terriermon looked over at one of the drawers to see a green worm thing come out. It was another Digimon. And when Terriermon looked over towards the window, he saw a third Digimon. This one looked like a winged pig, for lack of a better description.

"Hey! It's a Terriermon!" he shouted.

The little blue Digimon shot Terriermon a cold glare. "GET HIM!!"

To say this was unexpected would be an understatement. Instead of accomplishing a simple prank, Terriermon now found himself…about to be chased. And Terriermon didn't wait, so he started running around the room, with one of his ears knocking the radio switch on.

Storming through the party like my name was El Nino

When I'm hanging out drinking in the back of an El Camino

As a kid, was a skid, and no one knew me by name

Trashed my own house party, 'cause nobody came

Terriermon's first instinct was to run towards the door. But as he reached the knob, he started to realize that he could easily be spotted coming out. And that would definitely turn some heads. So he ran over towards his left, but unfortunately found himself cornered.

Well, I know I'm not the one you thought you knew back in high school

Never going, never showing up when we had to

Attention that we crave

Don't tell us to behave

I'm sick of always hearing act your age

Terriermon watched as the blue Digimon starting making a beeline right for him. He dove straight forward and tried a tackle, but Terriermon used one of his ears to propel himself upward. The blue Digimon ended up crashing into the wall…and one of the picture frames fell right on top of his head. Terriermon now had his chance to escape.

"Don't let him get away, Patamon!" the little blue Digimon shouted.

I don't want to waste my time

Become another casualty of society

I'll never fall in line

Become another victim of your conformity

And back down

Terriermon rolled towards the bed, but found himself running into the winged little pig, Patamon, who cut off his path to safety.

"I got him, Veemon!"

Patamon tried diving forward and Terriermon knew he had to defend himself somehow.

"Terrier Tornado!"

Terriermon unleashed his attack, spinning around and becoming a whirling dervish. Patamon ran right into it and found himself being slammed right on the wall.

Because you don't know us at all

We laugh when old people fall

But what would you expect with a conscience so small

Heavy metal and mullets, it's how we were raised

Maiden and Priest were the gods that we praised

Terriermon now thought he actually had a clear path to his only means of escape: the window. But when he tried heading over there, he got jumped by the little blue Digimon called Veemon, who now had a firm grip on Terriermon's arms.

"Do something, Wormmon!" Veemon shouted.

Wormmon leaped out of the drawer and headed for the scene. "I got him, Veemon! Sticky Net!"

'Cause we like having fun at other peoples' expenses

Cutting people down is just a minor offence then

It's none of your concern, I guess I'll never learn

I'm sick of being told to wait my turn

Terriermon acted in the blink of an eye. He pounded on Veemon's head with his right ear, loosening his grip. Terriermon was able to get loose and roll out of the way…while Wormmon's Sticky Net attack…ended up hitting Veemon. Veemon now found himself stuck to the wall.

Before heading to the window again, Terriermon armed himself. As he ran to escape, Terriermon knocked Wormmon aside with a hard pillow shot. With all three Digimon temporarily incapacitated, Terriermon was home free. He grabbed his banner and started heading for his only exit. This attempted prank turned out to be a failure.

I don't want to waste my time

Become another casualty of society

I'll never fall in line

Become another victim of your conformity

And back down

Terriermon opened the window and looked back one more time. Patamon was still seeing stars from being knocked into the wall. Wormmon was trying to shake off the cobwebs from the pillow shot. And Veemon was struggling to get free; he was still stuck on the wall. There was no better time…for Terriermon to gloat.

The long-eared Digimon waved mockingly. "Momentai, losers! Better luck next time!"

Terriermon jumped out and headed back to his room. He didn't pull the prank like he hoped to, but he had plenty of fun with these other Digimon. But that was just the thing that was eating away at Terriermon.

Those three other guys…were harboring Digimon of their own. Could they also be…Tamers?

The last thing Veemon expected was for a Digimon to break into their room, much less a Terriermon. But he couldn't stand the humiliation of what just happened. He, Patamon, and Wormmon had worked as a unit for years, yet they couldn't even subdue one single Terriermon. He felt pathetic. And why wouldn't he? He was STUCK TO THE WALL.

"How did a Terriermon get in here?" Wormmon asked curiously.

"Never mind that!" Veemon snapped. "Somebody get me out of here!"

Wormmon quickly jumped on the bed and tried taking out his Sticky Net, which was still pinning Veemon to the wall. Meanwhile, Patamon was still trying to shake off the cobwebs. That Terriermon's attack hit him awfully hard.

But that's when the worst thing happened. Someone started knocking at the door.

"Scatter!" Veemon whispered loudly.

Wormmon plopped off the bed and went into his stuffed animal act. Veemon, who had not yet removed the Sticky Net, just froze and hoped no one would notice he was stuck to the wall. The stuffed animal act wasn't much of a stretch for Patamon at the moment. He was still dizzy and lucky to still be conscious. As the three Digimon went into their stuffed animal charade, the door opened.

"Hello?"

Veemon noticed it was the building's Resident Director, that Ms. Mackenzie lady. She walked in and switched the radio off before looking around. She was obviously suspicious of having heard all the noise coming from the room. And she especially looked suspicious now that she saw…there was no one inside the room.

But it didn't mean she wasn't nosing around. The first thing she noticed…was Patamon, who was lying limp in the corner. Ms. Mackenzie walked over and picked him up. She suddenly went into a staring contest with him. Veemon crossed his fingers, hoping Patamon wouldn't crack.

Ms. Mackenzie blinked. "Hmm…strange little thing."

Having seen everything she could see, Ms. Mackenzie put Patamon down and headed for the door. But she turned her head back once more to look at Patamon. Veemon had to commend Patamon for his nerves of steel.

"Yes…strange," she muttered. Then she smiled. "But I've dealt with strange before in my life. This wouldn't be the first time."

With that, Ms. Mackenzie walked out, leaving the three Digimon alone. Veemon exhaled a loud sigh of relief. The coast was finally clear and now the three Digimon had to think about the real issue at hand.

What was a Terriermon doing in their room? And where did it come from?

Everyone was calmly having dinner as Rosa went over her past with Ken. Of course, that didn't mean everyone wasn't listening to Rosa's story with huge interest. Yolei, for example, didn't take her eyes off Ken and Rosa, listening intently. Davis wasn't aware of this encounter his best friend had seven years ago when the DigiDestined were traveling the world. Cody couldn't believe that this friend he just made a few weeks ago had a past with one of his friends.

And as for TK, he was just listening with a smirk. After all the questioning Ken was giving him about what happened between him and Catherine, it was nice to see that, even if just for the moment, the tables were turned.

After Rosa finished telling that story, Ken asked the obvious question. "Rosa, when did you leave Mexico?"

Rosa's face fell. "I guess that's kind of a long story, too. Maybe a year after you left, my parents were involved in a car accident. They both died and I was left alone. And it didn't take long for someone to adopt me. But I wasn't happy anymore. Life didn't seem the same to me. And then, one day, my new mother told me she took a job here in Odaiba, so we moved here when I was 14. I guess it was meant to be…because I really needed an opportunity to start fresh."

Ken was surprised to hear all that. "A lot's happened to you. I'm sorry you went through that."

Rosa beamed and leaned on Ken's shoulder. "It's ok, Ken. Ever since I came to Japan, life hasn't been so bad. And today…it just got a lot better."

TK knew what this would spark. And sure enough, when he looked Yolei's way, she looked like she was ready to explode. TK expected her to blow up any minute, but it wasn't happening just yet. She was keeping her composure for the moment.

"Hey! I see my mom!" Rosa said cheerfully.

Rosa got up and walked over to a woman in a black dress and a long white lab coat. TK knew he had seen this woman walking around campus, but he didn't quite recognize her.

Rosa introduced everyone. "Mom, these are my new friends. Well, except for Ken. He's a friend I met in Mexico a long time ago…before I met you."

The woman extended her hand to Ken. "It's nice to meet you all, especially you, Ken. I'm Dr. Marquez, Rosa's mother."

"Hey, now I remember you," TK chimed in. "My friend, Kari, has you for Calculus. My name's TK."

Dr. Marquez smiled. "Check your schedule, TK. You never know, because you just might also have me on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays."

TK sweatdropped. "That could be very true."

"Well, it was very nice seeing you," Dr. Marquez said. "I wish I could stay and get to know you all a little better, but I really should be getting back to my office. Come along, Rosa."

Rosa was about to catch, but she walked over to Ken and gave him a big hug. "Bye Ken! I'm sure I'll see you again. And I can't wait."

Rosa caught up to her mom and they both left. TK took this opportunity to look over at Yolei again. And it looked like she had about all she could take. She picked up her tray and started walking out.

"Yolei? Where are you going?" Ken asked obliviously.

"Back to my room," Yolei huffed. "Give me a call, loverboy."

Ken looked over at Davis. "What was that about?"

"Sometimes I don't understand girls," Davis replied. "Especially Yolei."

"You don't think she's getting jealous, do you?" Cody asked.

"I don't know," Ken said slowly.

TK just watched this whole exchange without saying a word, but suddenly he got a tap on the shoulder.

"Bonjour, TK."

TK turned around and taken by surprise when he saw the beautiful Catherine right in front of him. "Uh…um…hi there."

"I didn't know I just missed Yolei," Catherine sighed. "It's a shame, because I was hoping we could all eat together. But…I'd better catch up to her."

TK couldn't take his eyes off Catherine as she grabbed her bag of food and headed out, following Yolei. But suddenly, she did a 180 and came back to the table.

"You know something, TK? We haven't really had a chance to talk…alone. I'd like to have some time with you to…you know…catch up on old times. You want to get together sometime? Maybe…for dinner?"

TK didn't know how to respond to that. Here was a beautiful girl right in front of him, wanting to get to know him a little better. She was actually asking him out. In some circles, this could be interpreted as a date. He never thought he'd ever have such a girl interested in him. He just wondered what Kari would think. Then he looked across the table and remembered something.

Kari was going out with Davis on Friday night. TK couldn't forget that he and Kari broke up. It didn't matter what she thought. He no longer had to take her into consideration anymore.

"Sure, why not?" TK smiled. "How about this Saturday night?"

Catherine beamed. "I can't wait!" She kissed him on the cheek and started walking away. "I'll see you then, TK."

TK blushed a bright red…and suddenly noticed that the guys had all stopped talking about Ken and Rosa…and were now looking right at him. TK turned his head to see Davis, Ken, and Cody all looking his way…in utter shock.

TK blinked. "What?"

Tai was finally getting back after doing a lot of thinking. He had cleared his head and he was feeling a lot better. But he still wasn't feeling much younger. As time went on, Tai was wishing he were ten years old again. But he was an ancient…22 years old. Tai was feeling like an old man.

He couldn't shake off the thoughts of aging from his head as he approached his door. Right now, Tai just wanted to get back to his room and get some sleep.

Tai calmly inserted his key and turned the knob. He walked into his room and saw a sight he just didn't need to see at that moment. He saw Matt and Sora…locking lips. They shifted their gaze, with their lips still locked, and looked over at Tai…who was looking on with an exasperated look on his face.

"Do you two mind?" Tai asked dryly.

"The question is 'Do YOU mind?'" Matt smirked.

Sora punched Matt on the shoulder. "Oh, come on! It was ONE kiss. Relax, tiger." Sora got up and walked up to Tai. Tai's best friend had a look of concern on her face. "Tai…Matt told me why you went out? Do you want to talk about it?"

Tai shook his head. "No…I just need…to think about some stuff…alone."

Sora wasn't convinced and kept trying to pry. "Tai…do you really feel……old?"

Tai sighed deeply. "It's not just that I'm getting older. It's……look, just leave me alone for right now, ok? We'll talk later."

Tai didn't even wait for a response, but he headed for his bed. One disadvantage to having a dorm room was that he couldn't go anywhere to be alone. He was lying on his bed, but Matt and Sora were literally inches away.

"Tai, you're being an idiot!" Matt growled.

"I am not!" Tai shot back. "I bet you if I searched my head, I could find a whole bunch of gray hair."

"Tai, we don't have all day," Matt smirked.

Tai slumped down on his bed while Sora punched Matt in the arm.

"OW! Well he asked for it. That joke was RIGHT THERE!"

"Matt, don't you see how serious this is?" Sora chided.

"You think this is SERIOUS?" Matt asked skeptically. "Come on, Sora! He's 22! That's NOT old!"

"But this is obviously bothering him!" Sora pointed out. She walked over to Tai's bed and ran a finger through his poofy hair. "Tai…please talk to me. I'm worried about you. And Matt's worried about you, too."

Matt scoffed, until Sora shot him a VERY cold stare.

"I feel like time's just going by too fast," Tai sighed. "I don't know where my life has gone and where it's going. I'm not a kid anymore…but I wish I was. I want to be young again."

Matt groaned. "Newsflash, Tai! You ARE young!"

Sora tossed a pillow at Matt. "Will you HUSH?!" She refocused on consoling Tai. "Aw Tai…you poor thing. This is really troubling you, isn't it?"

Tai nodded. He was practically in tears. "I…I need to take another walk. Besides…you two probably want to be alone."

Matt perked up. "Ok!"

Sora let out an exasperated sigh. "Tai, don't listen to him. Please don't go. We're worried about you."

"No, Sora, please. I need to be alone."

Tai walked up to the door and walked out without even looking back. He really needed some alone time to think about everything.

Matt just sat on his bed as Tai walked out. He knew this whole situation was beyond ridiculous and if Tai wanted some time alone to pout, then so be it. He wasn't about to stop him. But to his surprise, when the door closed, Sora turned around and looked angrily at him.

"Some friend YOU are!" Sora spat. "He needs us right now and you aren't doing ANYTHING to help!"

"What?! You can't tell me you're taking this seriously, Sora! He's 22 years old! How can be feeling old right now?!"

Sora just shook her head. "You know, for someone who holds the Crest of Friendship, you aren't being much of a friend right now. Goodbye, Matt."

Matt got to his feet. "Sora, wait!"

Sora didn't listen. She just walked out the door and slammed it behind her. Matt just threw his hands in the air, unable to make any sense of this. It's like the world was going crazy.

"What did *I* do?!"

Terriermon rushed back to his room as fast as he could and jumped in through the open window. He shut the window and the curtains, panting exhaustedly the whole time.

"Terriermon?"

"AAH!"

Terriermon was startled when he heard a voice. But he turned around to see that it was only Guilmon. Terriermon jumped off Henry's bed and ran up to the big red lizard.

"What's the matter, Terriermon?" Guilmon asked. "You looked like you've seen a ghost."

Terriermon tried to compose himself. "D-D-D-Digimon! There are DIGIMON here!"

"What are you talking about? Terriermon, where did you go?"

"Those three guys are Tamers! That TK…and that Ken…and that goof, Davis! They're TAMERS! They had Digimon in their room!"

"How do you know?"

"Because I saw them! I was in their room! There were three of them!" "Terriermon, what were you doing in their room?"

Terriermon frowned. "Are you just going to stand there and give me the third degree? Don't you understand what I'm saying? There are OTHER DIGIMON here!"

"What should we tell Takato and Henry?" Guilmon asked.

"We can't tell them anything right now," Terriermon pointed out. "We have to wait until the come back. But I hope they come back soon."

As if on cue, the front door opened. Henry and Takato both walked in and Terriermon wasted no time in running up to them.

"Henry! Henry! I have to tell you something!"

Henry instantly grew concerned with the urgency in his partner's voice. "What is it?"

Terriermon led Henry to his bed. "Sit down for this one…"

After leaving Rosa with her mom, the group started thinning out. Cody needed to get back home, so he left. Yolei went back to her room with Catherine right behind her, still looking a little miffed at this day's turn of events. That left Davis with his two roommates, Ken and TK. Ken wouldn't stop questioning TK about what happened in The Den while Davis just stayed silent. Davis could imagine why this would bother Ken, but it didn't bother him at all.. After all, it was Davis who was going out with Kari now. Ken just needed some more time for that to sink in. TK needed to move on and there was no time like the present. Especially with someone as attractive as Catherine. Davis felt happy for him.

Finally, they got to their room. Davis had the key and once he opened the door, he walked in to see that the room was practically in shambles. It looked like a tornado had hit.

Davis turned to TK. "TK, please close the door."

TK closed the door. Once the door was closed…

"VEEMON!"

"Over here, Davish."

Davis heard Veemon calling him, so he walked over and saw that the little blue Digimon…was stuck to the wall. He had a net keeping him attached to the wall. Davis knelt down and pulled the net off, loosening Veemon.

"Ooh, thanks Davish."

"Veemon, what happened?"

Veemon didn't even get to give an answer before Patamon flew over to TK.

"TK! There was a Digimon in here! A Terriermon!"

"He just busted in here through the window and stepped on Veemon's tail," Wormmon added. "He was too fast for us, Ken. He got away."

"How could a Terriermon get in here?" Ken asked Davis and TK.

"I have no idea," TK replied. "How and WHY would a Terriermon come in through our window?"

"Maybe someone's seen him," Davis thought. "Why don't we go ask around?"

"And what are we supposed to say?" TK pointed out. "Hey, have you seen a walking dog-rabbit thing around?"

"Now wait, TK, maybe that IS a good idea," Ken said. "We can ask some of the others if they've seen anything weird."

"I just feel a little silly asking around," TK noted. "But if we're going to ask, let's start with Takato and Henry. I think the rest of the hall's out to dinner anyway."

"TK, let me come, too!" Patamon pleaded. "If you set me by the window, maybe I can find it."

TK was about to refuse. "Patamon…"

"Hey, that's a good idea," Veemon cut in. "And Wormmon and I can guard the dorm in case he comes back."

"It's not a bad idea, TK," Davis added. "Let's take Patamon with us and see if he finds anything."

TK begrudgingly gave in. "Ok, but you have to stay still, Patamon. If you see that Terriermon just wink at me or something."

Patamon perched himself on TK's shoulder. Davis was expecting to start on his homework at this hour, but it looked like that wouldn't happen right now. Now the three guys went on a hunt for a Terriermon and it was time to ask questions. And first they would ask…Takato and Henry.

Davis sweatdropped. "Uh, TK? Maybe I should let YOU open the door."

Terriermon panted after giving his long-winded explanation. "And that's the story. There are three other Digimon here and they belong to those guys. TK, Ken, and Davis are Tamers!"

"But it can't be," Takato said skeptically. "There were only EIGHT Tamers total. And I thought they hadn't heard of Digimon out here in Odaiba."

"But what if they were lying?" Henry pointed out. "What if there ARE other Tamers out here? For all we know, one or two of them might have been responsible for the Highton View Terrace incident." Henry suddenly shifted his gaze to Terriermon. "But I just have one question, Terriermon. Why were you in their room to begin with?"

Terriermon sweatdropped. If he told Henry the truth, he'd be busted for sure. Henry would NOT be happy if he found out Terriermon had gone out to pull a prank. But there was no hiding it anymore. For one thing, he couldn't think of a good lie. So there was no use attempting to hide it.

"Well…the thing is…"

But before Terriermon could confess, someone knocked on the door. "Takato? Henry? It's me, Davis."

Terriermon ran over to the window and froze like a stuffed animal. Guilmon headed over towards the closet and went into his stuffed animal act. And Takato…instinctively stood clear of the door.

"Ok, NOW you can open the door," Takato grinned.

Terriermon wished he could turn around and face the doorway and see these Tamers, but he was stuck facing the wall. If he turned his head, he would expose himself. So Terriermon stayed frozen…and hoped for the best.

Patamon was stuck on TK's shoulder, but not for too long. TK walked over to the windowsill and placed the little Digimon on the nearby bed. And with that, the guys were ready to begin some questioning.

"So how did your first day of class go?" TK asked, starting everything off with some small talk.

"Just a load of homework," Henry said almost nervously.

"Yeah, you should know all about it, right Davis?" Takato added. "After all, we got the same College Writing class."

"Oh yeah," Davis replied. "A whole load."

"You know, we came here because…of a rumor," Ken began. "Did you guys here of a little creature running around campus? It has long ears, kinda looks like a dog but has ears like a rabbit?"

"Oh…uh…no," Henry said slowly. "That sounds…kinda silly. How would a thing like THAT get on this campus?"

Patamon knew the guys were getting into their interrogation, but it all turned out to be unnecessary. His eyes widened when he saw that the Terriermon in question…was standing right by the windowsill facing the wall. Patamon knew TK wanted him to stay perfectly still, but he couldn't forget that this Terriermon knocked him silly with his Terrier Tornado attack. Patamon wanted some payback and there was no better time to get it. So while TK, Davis, and Ken were still asking questions, Patamon slowly crept over towards the Terriermon. The Terriermon had his back turned and didn't hear Patamon coming at all. And once Patamon was so close to him…so close that he was practically breathing down his neck…he inhaled deeply and…

"BOOM BUBBLE!"

Patamon unleashed his Boom Bubble attack. The long burst of wind sent the screaming Terriermon crashing right into the wall. The Terriermon staggered around dizzily, fell over, and lost consciousness.

Henry suddenly gasped. "Terriermon!"

Henry ran over to the Terriermon's aid, but things didn't end there. Patamon turned around and suddenly saw that the big red lizard stuffed animal in the corner came to life. It wasn't a stuffed animal at all. It was also a Digimon. It growled furiously and inhaled deeply, getting ready to attack Patamon. Takato gasped and ran towards the big red lizard.

"Guilmon, NO!"

Takato tackled the lizard, known as Guilmon, and both fell to the ground. Patamon realized that he had nearly been attacked…and in a matter of seconds…

…EVERYTHING changed.

Everyone stayed silent…and everyone looked at each other. Davis looked at Takato, then at Guilmon. TK and Ken looked at Henry, then at the unconscious Terriermon in his arms. Henry looked over at TK, then at Patamon. Takato looked up at Patamon, then at Henry. And then…someone else came through the hall.

"What's going on here?"

Silence. Everyone slowly turned their heads towards the door and soon they all had their eyes on the guy at the door. No one dared break that silence…except for Patamon, who waved cheerfully.

"Hey Tai!"

Tai Kamiya looked inside the room…and sweatdropped. "I'm getting too old for this."

Impmon sat by the sidewalk. He wanted to keep going, but there was one thing holding him back.

"I'm tired, Impmon. Are we almost there?"

Impmon turned around to see that Calumon had stopped walking and sat down to rest his weary legs. Impmon sighed and walked over to the little one.

"We can't stop here, Calumon," Impmon told him. "Will you look around? We're in the middle of nowhere."

It was true. Impmon and Calumon were standing in the middle of an open road. There was nothing surrounding them except for dirt. But Impmon had a feeling that this would lead them to the place they were looking for. He didn't know for sure, but either way, even if he didn't find the right place, at least it'd be a chance to start a new life.

Suddenly, Impmon noticed a pickup truck that was pulled over to the side of the road. A large man was on the payphone next to it.

"Yeah, I get everything you need. … Uh-huh. … Yeah, I should in Odaiba by tomorrow morning. … Absolutely! You just have my money ready."

A light bulb lit up over the mischievous Impmon's head. He grabbed Calumon by the hand and started running towards the truck.

"Come on, Calumon! We're hitching a ride!"

Impmon picked Calumon up and tossed him in the back of the pickup. Impmon climbed over and got inside the truck as well. A few seconds later, he could feel the truck was starting and soon enough, the truck was moving.

"So where are we going, Impmon?" Calumon asked.

"I'm hoping this truck will get us to the right place," Impmon said. Then he flashed a mischievous grin. "And if it does…then we're gonna have LOADS of fun!"


Next Week: The boys and their Digimon have been exposed…at least to Tai, anyway. What will Tai do with this latest development? Meanwhile, the girls have managed to hide their Digimon from each other, but will that change…when Renamon and Gatomon have an impromptu rematch? Things get heated next week. Will the RA's be able to keep things somewhat sane? Find out on the next Digimon: The College Years!


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!