Last Week: Saturday night turned out to be a busy one. Kari and Rika got in their first (and what certainly won't be their last) argument over just what a breakup means. Impmon and Calumon met up with their new neighbors while Takato suggested that Calumon play peacemaker between the feuding Gatomon and Renamon. TK and Catherine went on their date, which was cut short when the French girl had to leave. When TK left, he saw Tortomon on a rampage. Henry, Kazu, and Kenta arrived at the same time and Angemon and Guardromon teamed up to take out the Black Gear that was controlling Tortomon. Once everyone got back, TK ran into Catherine again and just as he was about to make his move, Tai showed up. Tai ended up walking back in with Catherine, leaving TK out in the cold. Is there jealousy in the air?
Digimon: The College Years
Episode 12- A Day of Rest
Sunday was here and the clock was nearing noon. Davis had listened intently to TK the whole morning. He was more than eager to hear about his date, but so far, everything he had heard turned out to be totally unexpected.
He didn't think he'd hear that another Digimon had gone on a rampage in downtown Odaiba. It was a good thing that Patamon was following along and that Henry, Kazu, and Kenta were also in the neighborhood. They certainly prevented a disaster from happening.
But the other Davis didn't expect to hear was that TK's night ended with watching Tai and Catherine walk in together. It didn't sound like an ideal way to end a date.
"So…Tai met Catherine too?" Davis asked.
TK nodded. "He went with me to France, remember? We both met Catherine that night. And I guess Catherine remembers him, too. I just can't believe she left me to go in with Tai."
"I'm sure it doesn't mean anything, TK," Ken offered. "They were probably just happy to see each other."
"She didn't even say 'good night'!" TK growled. "And Tai didn't exactly do anything to help my cause either!"
"Can you blame him?" Patamon grinned.
TK shot his partner a cold stare. "Thanks a lot!"
"I'm just joking, TK," Patamon frowned. "Come on! You know Tai wouldn't do anything like that to you. I mean…he DOES know you two were on a date, right? It's not like he wasn't aware of it."
"He has to have been aware of it," TK replied. "I mean, I didn't tell him, but he clearly saw me going in for a kiss. He's not dense."
"Well…I don't know," Davis mused. "If it was me, I wouldn't have known."
TK thought about that. Tai and Davis were a lot alike, and that meant…
TK hung his head down. "Oh, no!"
"Maybe you should talk to him," Veemon suggested.
"I'm sure you'll get the chance," Wormmon added. "After all, you both live in the same building. Maybe it's best if you just talk about it."
As if on cue, someone knocked on the door. Veemon, Patamon, and Wormmon all went into their stuffed animal acts while Davis went to answer the door. The three Digimon all unfroze at the sight of Tai.
"Just came to say hello," Tai said. "So how are you guys doing?"
"Oh, we're doing great," TK answered nonchalantly. "So…uh…how was last night? I'm guessing you and Catherine spent the whole night together?"
"We lost track of time," Tai smiled. "We had a lot to catch up on. I can't believe she's actually coming here. If I hadn't seen you two outside last night, I might have never found her."
"Didn't you notice ANYTHING happening, Tai?" TK demanded. "I don't know, something like…me…and her…trying to move in for a KISS?!"
"I don't remember anything like that," Tai said naïvely. "Were you two in the middle of something?"
"We were in the middle of a DATE!"
"Oh, you two were dating? I didn't know that. If I had known, I wouldn't have asked Catherine out next weekend."
"You asked her out?!" TK demanded. "I can't believe you!"
"Hmm…I'm guessing that I probably shouldn't tell you she said 'yes'."
"She said 'YES'?!"
"Yeah, we're going out this weekend. Jeez, TK, you sound upset."
"I was dating her first, Tai! How could you just move in on her?"
"I didn't know. I thought she was still single."
Davis cleared his throat. "Uh…technically…she IS single. She hasn't made a commitment yet…"
"Stay out of this, Davis!" TK groaned. "You're not helping!"
"No, he makes a good point," Tai shot back. "Catherine hasn't made a commitment to you. If she had, then she wouldn't have agreed to go out with me."
"But she kissed me at the restaurant last night!" TK pointed out. "Doesn't that count for anything?"
"Well…she IS French," Ken cut in.
"It's probably something all French girls do," Davis added.
"STAY OUT OF THIS!!" both TK and Tai snapped.
"What's the big deal, TK?" Tai asked smugly. "You afraid she'll have more fun with me?"
"You think I'm afraid of you?" TK scoffed.
"Why wouldn't you be?" Tai smirked. "Have you seen my track record? Every girl falls for me at some point."
"Every girl except Sora."
"Ok, every girl except Sora! But Sora's always had eyes for Matt. Catherine definitely does not have eyes for you!"
"I think you're wrong about that!" TK shot back. "I'm a pretty smooth guy, myself! And I've got a lot going for me! I'm sweet, handsome, and definitely YOUNGER!"
Silence. Tai didn't have a response for that one and Davis realized that it stemmed from the insecurities he had about his age. He couldn't have been comfortable with TK pointing that out.
TK walked up to Tai and ran a finger through his poofy hair. TK pulled his finger out and it was literally dripping with brown gunk.
TK smirked. "I don't have to resort to using 'Just For Men'."
Tai turned around and had his back to everyone. "So you're gonna throw that in my face, huh? I'll show you! I'll show everybody! I'm still young and I'll prove it!"
Having said those ominous words, Tai stormed out. TK won this battle of words, but it looked like a war was brewing.
Davis couldn't help but be a little worried. "I don't like the sound of that."
Even TK looked worried. "Something tells me he's about to do something crazy."
Of course, just like his roommates, Davis could only guess what his idol had in mind. All they could do was wait.
Tai made a beeline for the main door of the freshman building. After that argument with TK, he was feeling older than ever. But he would soon fix that. He had something in mind. Something that would have him feeling younger than he ever felt before.
"Tai?"
Tai passed through his room. The door was open and Matt quickly walked over to catch up to him.
"We still meeting Sora and Mimi for lunch?"
Tai shook his head and kept going. "Go without me. I've got to head out for a minute."
"Where are you going?"
"I've got something I need to do. Something that'll prove I'm still young!"
Matt groaned. "Tai, you don't have to prove that! You ARE young!"
"I still have to prove that to myself."
Matt groaned a second and snarled under his breath. "Tai…"
Tai wasn't listening. He headed out the door and didn't look back.
Kazu stood at the back door of his van and knew just what he had to do. It wouldn't be a tough task, but he would likely have to answer some reluctant questions if and when he was spotted. But it was the only way to do things right.
"Well, this is it. You ready, Kenta?"
Kenta sighed. "Let's get this over with."
Kazu reached in the back of his van and reached for a piece of Guardromon. Yes, Guardromon had been taken apart into several pieces. That way, Kazu and Kenta could take each piece of Guardromon in one at a time and reconstruct him later. Kazu grabbed Guardromon's head while Kenta grabbed his two arms.
"I feel like I'm having an out-of-body experience," Guardromon's head cracked.
"Unless you want me to dump your head in the toilet, no more bad jokes!" Kazu snapped.
"Yeah, leave the jokes to me," Kenta grinned as he held up Guardromon's arms. "When it comes to comedy arsenals, I'm armed."
"That's enough," Kazu groaned. "I hope I don't have to put up with these horrendous jokes the whole day."
"Calm down, Kazu," Guardromon said gently. "Pull…"
"Don't even think about telling me to pull myself together!" Kazu muttered through gritted teeth.
"Calm down, Kazu," Kenta said innocently. "Don't go all to pieces."
"Let's just get this over with!" Kazu yelled.
After getting the amateur-night comedy routine out of the way, Kazu carried Guardromon's head and Kenta carried Guardromon's arms towards the front door of the hall. But before Kazu could reach over to open the door, the door flew open and nailed him. The contact resulted in him dropping his Digimon's head…which landed on his foot.
"OW!!"
"Oh, sorry about that," RA Tai Kamiya said. "I was just on my way…uh…what are you guys doing?"
"Bringing in Guardromon," Kenta answered. "That's Kazu's Digimon partner."
"Looks like you got your work cut out for you," Tai said. "I'd better get going, but good luck bringing him in. Don't lose your head."
Kazu groaned. "Oh jeez."
"Good luck, guys," Tai grinned.
Tai walked off, leaving Kazu and Kenta alone with the spare parts that were Guardromon. Kazu picked up the head and decided to keep going.
"Ok, let's keep going. You ready, Kenta?"
"Yeah. Let's 'head' inside."
Kazu shot his friend a cold stare.
Kenta grinned. "Sorry."
Izzy was deep in concentration. Whenever he was this deep in thought, he could hardly be bothered. Everything around him was just a blank to him. In this entire weekend, he hadn't even left his apartment. Even now, he was in the living room of his apartment, deep in thought. Izzy could only focus on the task in front of him.
Right now, that task was researching this Blue Card that Takato had given to him. There were so many questions running through Izzy's mind. He was always the most curious one of the entire group, but never had his curiosity been this high before. There was so much he didn't know. There was so much he STILL didn't know.
Joe and Cody were both looking on intently. Both had come along to help in any way they could. Tentomon, Gomamon, and Armadillomon all watched from the couch. Cody had just arrived since dragging Armadillomon around was tougher than it looked. Things weren't as easy for the younger DigiDestined since their Digimon decided to stay in their rookie level in the real world.
"What do you see, Izzy?" Cody asked.
"I've analyzed this Blue Card thoroughly and meticulously," Izzy replied. "I scoured every inch of it and ran it through every program in my laptop, trying to piece it together with anything we've seen in the Digital World."
"And what do you see?" Joe asked.
Izzy took his eye off the Blue Card and sighed. "Absolutely nothing. I don't understand it. I've done every test I could possibly conduct and I haven't been able to come up with any conclusions. I don't even have a feasible theory! I just have no clue about this Blue Card, where it got its power, where it came from, or even how it came into existence!"
Tentomon wandered over and offered a snack. "Whoa, Izzy! Your head looks like it's about to explode! Relax! Have a cookie!"
Izzy shook his head. "I'm not in the mood for an oatmeal. Er…got any chocolate chip?"
Joe took the Blue Card and eyed it, himself. "I've seen you solve some strange mysteries before, Izzy. You were able to piece together a lot of info when it came to our crests and tags."
"And whenever any of us needed your help, you were always the one to go to," Cody added.
"You're saying you have nothing?" Joe asked. "Not even a vague little theory?"
Izzy shook his head. "I've had a chance to talk to Takato and Henry before today. And they've given me some instances in which the Blue Card has shown its power. But what I don't know is, where does that power come from?"
"It's times like this I wish Gennai was here," Cody sighed. "Maybe he could answer some of these questions for us."
"Did somebody call me?"
Izzy's ears were burning. He hadn't heard that voice in many years. The voice came from his laptop. He turned around and looked over at his laptop and saw a young cloaked figure on the screen.
"Gennai!"
Izzy didn't waste any time in rushing to his laptop to open a Digiport. Once it was open, Gennai came through and landed in Izzy's living room. It had been so long since Gennai had last made contact with any of the DigiDestined. Izzy, in particular, felt isolated since Gennai would come to him the most. But here he was again. Unexpectedly, Gennai had returned and looked delighted to see his old friends.
Gennai looked around at all the six stunned faces. "I take it you weren't expecting me?"
"We don't know WHEN to expect you anymore, Gennai," Joe answered.
"We haven't seen you in years!" Cody added.
Izzy walked over to old DigiDestined ally. "I was starting to think we'd never see you again."
Gennai's smile faded. "I didn't want to be away for so long. Believe me, I haven't been closer to anybody than you all, the DigiDestined."
"I'm not really getting that feeling," Armadillomon cut in. "From what I hear, there are others that have been getting some attention."
"That's right!" Joe added. "We just got acquainted with this new breed that call themselves Digimon Tamers. And they tell us that they went through a grueling ordeal of their own to save the Digital World."
Gennai nodded. "You must mean the terrible ordeal involving the D-Reaper. The four Digimon Sovereigns were very worried about what would happen. They thought the D-Reaper would completely overwhelm the entire world."
"That's one of the things we've been meaning to talk to you about," Izzy began. "If this threat was as big as you say it is, then why weren't any of us notified? I'm pretty sure we could have handled whatever was threatening the two worlds. Why did you take a chance with a whole new breed?"
Gennai sighed, searching for an explanation. "It wasn't up to me. The Sovereigns felt that was the best course of action to take. Well…three of them did, anyway. Around the time that the D-Reaper incident started, there were many chosen to become Digimon Tamers. It was more than just the eight or nine who aided in the fight against the D-Reaper. Like the DigiDestined, there are Tamers all over."
"But why Tamers?" Izzy asked again. "Why use them when they could have used us or any of the other International DigiDestined?"
"The Sovereigns had other reasons for putting the Tamers on the front line," Gennai explained. "The Tamers were also…for lack of a better word…an experiment. They aren't DigiDestined and as they aren't DigiDestined, that also left room for many differences. Have any of you fought alongside the Tamers?"
"I talked to Davis yesterday," Cody answered. "He fought with Takato on Friday night and he tells me that the Tamers have a totally different style of battling."
"The Tamers have a unique style all their own," Gennai continued. "There's even one more drastic difference that you have yet to see. One that helped them defeat the D-Reaper menace once and for all. One I hope will come into play sometime in the future.
"The reason the Sovereigns experimented with Tamers is because…there's another threat looming on the horizon. One that none of them or myself have been able to identify. That's part of the reason why you haven't heard from me in so many years. I was needed."
"Needed?" Cody repeated.
Gennai nodded. "For the past few years, all hasn't been well in the Digital World. I've been needed for the past number of years to help tend to a situation that has even the four Digimon Sovereigns in a frenzy."
"It's that bad?" Gomamon asked.
"I'm afraid so."
"What is it?" Tentomon asked.
"There's an evil presence that I haven't felt in a long time," Gennai answered. "A presence similar to that of…one of the old Dark Masters. It's as if…one of them has returned."
"Do you think one of them has been reconfigured?" Izzy suggested.
Gennai nodded. "That's the most likely scenario. Piedmon may be stuck in MagnaAngemon's Gate of Destiny, but it's a real possibility that any of the other three Dark Masters have been reconfigured. But I'm afraid it doesn't end there. I sense something greater. For the past few years, I sensed an extreme evil. An evil that eclipses even that of Apocalymon.
"I wasn't the only one to sense it. The four Digimon Sovereigns have sensed it as well. That's why I was called. I was sent to find out just what this evil was. And for that, I had to scour the other three regions of the Digital World."
"The other three regions?" Joe repeated.
"When your adventure began, the three of you and the rest of the DigiDestined traveled through Azulongmon's region of the Digital World. The region the Tamers traveled through belonged to Zhuqiaomon. I traveled through those two regions along with the land belonging to Baihumon and Ebiwumon, trying to find anything that might lead me to the evil that we've been sensing. After all those years, I hadn't found a thing.
"I'm convinced that there are a lot of pieces to this puzzle. Whatever evil is lurking out there will soon show itself. I'm sure of it. And we'll eventually see what we're up against."
After hearing that long-winded explanation, Izzy had one question. "But if this threat has been around for as long as you say it's been, then why are we just learning about it now?"
Gennai sighed deeply. "I know what an important time this is in your life. You're all in college. And I didn't want something like this to interfere. I wanted to try and handle it myself. But I guess that's no longer possible."
Joe smirked. "Gennai, we've balanced school and saving the world before. What makes you think we can't do it this time?"
"I think I see what you mean," Izzy told Gennai. "College is a whole different world. It's not like high school or elementary school. It requires a lot more and is a lot more pressure. And if we have to worry about saving the world 24 hours a day, our grades would suffer as a result."
"This may be your greatest challenge," Gennai said ominously. "To fight an unknown evil…and STILL keep up with college. And for this challenge, you'll have to team up with the Digimon Tamers as well. Are you all up to it?"
"I think you know the answer to that," Joe answered.
Cody cleared his throat. "Ahem…"
Gennai nodded. "I know you're not in college yet, Cody. But you get the general idea."
"Gennai, as long as you're here, I have some questions regarding these Tamers," Izzy said. He held up the Blue Card. "I've been trying to study this Blue Card for days and I haven't been able to gather any information. Do you know anything about it?"
Gennai took the Blue Card in his hand. He nodded knowingly and that gave Izzy the impression that he knew something about it.
"This Blue Card was made by a human known as Shibumi. However, he was unaware of the power he had unleashed by creating it. The Blue Card is what brought Digimon and their Tamers together. But there's definitely more power to it than that. It also allows the Tamers' Digimon to reach the ultimate level."
"You mean without the use of crests or any other outside power?" Joe wondered.
"That's right. While your Digimon are now able to Digivolve to ultimate through the power of Azulongmon's cores, the Tamers' Digimon can reach ultimate by swiping the Blue Card through their Digivices."
"A much more efficient and reliable method," Izzy noted. "I can see why the Sovereigns wanted to experiment with that." Izzy looked over Henry's Digivice. "There seems to be a slot to scan cards through, just like Davis described to me."
"The Tamers can access their card deck to aid them in battle," Gennai clarified. "That's how these Digivices were specially designed."
"It looks like they have it so much better than us," Cody thought. "Everything seems to be a step above what the DigiDestined have."
"That's not necessarily true," Gennai said. "Tamers also have their disadvantages. Unlike DigiDestined, Tamers cannot use their Digivices to access the Digital World or open Digiports. Another disadvantage is that champion and ultimate level Digimon cannot just revert to their rookie form at will. They have to wait for the Digimon to run out of energy first."
"Doesn't that create a problem?" Tentomon asked. "Digimon at the champion and ultimate level can be…pretty big."
Gennai nodded. "That's very true. We're lucky those Tamers are particularly resourceful."
Izzy kept eyeing Henry's Digivice. "Cody, hand me your Digivice."
Cody reached into his pocket and took out his D-3. Izzy took it and compared it to the D-Arc. They were certainly different in design. There was another comparison Izzy needed to make.
"Joe, hand me your Digivice."
Joe reached into his bag and searched for his Digivice. Izzy started to get nervous when Joe was taking longer than he should have. Pretty soon, Joe started scrambling and tossing his things out of his bag.
"Something wrong, Joe?" Gomamon asked.
"M-My Digivice! It's not here!"
Gennai's eyes widened. "You LOST your Digivice?!"
Joe looked to be deep in thought. "I couldn't have lost it! I haven't opened my bag at all and I sure didn't take it out. The only time my bag opened was…"
That's when Joe's eyes widened. It looked like the answer hit him like a ton of bricks. Gomamon jumped off the couch and inched slowly towards his partner.
"Joe…?"
"Yesterday," Joe muttered slowly. "Gomamon…remember when we bumped into that woman?"
"That Ms. Mackenzie lady?" Gomamon guessed. "She has your Digivice?"
"Joe, what's going on?" Izzy finally asked.
"I was heading off to a meeting yesterday morning. And while I was on my way there, I accidentally ran into an older woman named Layla Mackenzie. Our bags opened up and everything fell to the ground. I'm guessing that in the rush to pick everything up, we must have gotten some of our things mixed up. She must have grabbed my Digivice by mistake!"
Izzy was in disbelief. "How could you lose your Digivice?!"
"Izzy, don't worry about it. She said she was the RD in the freshman hall. If anything, I can ask one of the others to get it for me."
Gennai nodded knowingly. "I can see that you haven't lost your curiosity, Izzy. During the next few months, you'll learn about your new teammates, the Tamers. And I have a feeling that this evil will show itself soon. That's why you may need some help."
"Help?" the three DigiDestined and their Digimon repeated.
Gennai smirked. "I'll explain that when the time comes. Until then, I need to return to the Digital World and recruit a couple of helpers. For that, I'll need Armadillomon."
Armadillomon didn't expect that one. He pointed at himself. "Me?"
"You've got a big job ahead of you and I'll need your help," Gennai replied.
Armadillomon jumped off the couch and walked to Gennai's side. Izzy wished he had all the answers, but there was a lot he still didn't know. He didn't know what this threat Gennai spoke of was. He was also curious about this help that Gennai spoke of and the power that they have yet to see from the Tamers.
Gennai headed over to the laptop while Izzy opened up the Digiport. "Good luck, my friends. You'll need it. Saving the world and going through college won't be easy."
With that, Gennai and Armadillomon went through the Digiport. Izzy still had his questions, but for right now, he'd take what he had. After that visit, Izzy turned back to his friends.
"Um…I guess we're done for the day."
Joe sighed. "Come on, Gomamon. We'd better call Tai and Matt to get my Digivice."
"I've got a test tomorrow," Cody said. "I guess I'd better get home."
"Wait a second, guys," Izzy called out. "Maybe we shouldn't call it a day just yet. Come with me to the university to give Henry his Digivice and Takato his Blue Card. And help me explain to them what we just heard."
"Being a freshman in college is hard enough," Joe thought. "I don't think this'll strike them as good news."
"We'd better go anyway," Izzy muttered. "And maybe you can get your Digivice back."
Everyone concurred with that. Joe picked up Gomamon and Tentomon flew over to Izzy. With everyone present, it was time to head over to Odaiba University.
With the mystery solved, The Den was up and running again. Once again, it was business as usual and hundreds of college students packed the cafeteria for lunch. That was good news for Davis. This gave him a chance to have lunch with Kari.
But while he feasted heartily on a submarine sandwich, salad, potato chips, quesadilla, and Diet Coke, he noticed that Kari hadn't touched her salad. She looked distressed.
"Aren't you hungry, Kari?" Davis asked.
Kari looked over at Davis and just smiled. "Uh…I lost my appetite. I'm not really feeling very hungry."
After knowing her for all these years, Davis felt like he could read Kari like a book. There was something bothering her. And he knew what it was.
"It's TK, isn't it?"
"What makes you think that?" Kari asked in shock.
"Because I know you, Kari," Davis answered. "I know better than anybody what you and TK had. And I know it isn't easy for you to see him dating again."
"I just feel like it came so soon," Kari said sadly. "I didn't expect him to find someone so quickly. Davis, I feel like he's forgotten about me. And why wouldn't he? Have you seen that Catherine girl? Perfect long blond hair, flawless-looking skin, strong fashion sense, a French accent. She's just so beautiful and I'm so…"
That got Davis's ire up. "Don't even say it!"
"You don't even know what I was going to say."
"It doesn't matter! I know what you're thinking and it's not true, Kari! How could you EVER doubt yourself?! You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life! And that's not just outside, it's inside too! Some French girl can only WISH to be like you!"
Kari smiled. "You really believe that?"
Davis reached over and held Kari's hand. "I really do."
Kari looked into Davis's eyes and smiled. "I want to apologize to you, Davis. I don't know why I'm just so concerned about what TK's doing."
"You're not totally over him," Davis answered matter-of-factly. "But you're getting there. You were together for almost six years. I don't blame you for feeling the way you do."
Kari hung her head down. "I don't deserve someone like you, Davis. You've been so patient with me. Anyone else would have kicked me and my excess baggage to the curb."
Davis smirked. "I'm not like anyone else. I thought you'd understand that by now."
Kari giggled. "You're right. I should know that by now. Maybe I should just put this behind me. I didn't mean to slap TK like that. I should go apologize. And I should wish him and Catherine the best."
"I don't know if you should go that far," Davis said skeptically. "I'm honestly not sure how much further it'll go between those two."
"What makes you say that?"
"Because Catherine's going out with someone else this Friday."
Kari scowled. "I knew it! It didn't take long for her to hurt him. Is TK taking it well?"
"He thinks he can still win her over. But what's got him mad is who she's going out with."
"Who's she going out with?"
"Tai."
Kari nearly did a spit take with her Diet Pepsi. "TAI?! My BROTHER, TAI?! That French hussy's moving in on my BROTHER?!"
Davis could have calmed Kari down with some simple soothing words. He could have relieved all of her anxieties. It was a simple task. But instead, he started snickering.
"You know, it's kinda funny. If Tai marries Catherine, that'd make you two sisters."
That crack resulted in Davis getting Diet Pepsi splashed on him. Kari got up and started storming out. After checking on his goggles, Davis quickly gave chase.
"Kari, I was just joking! They hardly know each other. Well…they did meet up in France seven years ago. But…KARI! Where are you going? I'm sorry!"
It didn't happen very often, but Rika was honestly feeling at ease. For the first time in a while, Gatomon and Renamon were actually starting to get along. They were both on Kari's bed with Calumon, sitting calmly and watching TV. They were all watching the NBA Finals (tape delayed for fans in Japan, of course) and it looked like there were no signs of hostility between the two.
That gave Rika the opportunity she wanted. With the Digimon getting along and Kari having lunch with Davis, that gave Rika the chance to do her homework in peace. It was times like these that she almost expected Jeri to ask her something, but she was off starting her new job at the OU library. Rika was on her own and she wouldn't have it any other way.
Or at least she was on her own until she saw pair of purple fingertips grab a hold of her pen. It was Impmon, who was standing on top of her desk.
"What is it, Impmon?"
"Just wanted to talk to you for a little bit," Impmon said. "We haven't talked in a while. So how you doin?"
"Just fine," Rika muttered. "A little busy, but fine."
"Last I heard, you and Ryo had some kind of falling out. What happened between the two of you?"
That was the last thing Rika wanted to hear. Many had hinted towards it and Rika was able to cut them off before they went any further. This was the first time she was given that harsh reminder. Even being vaguely reminded of what happened was enough for her. So she grabbed her math book and clocked Impmon over the head with it.
"I don't want to talk about it!" Rika snapped. "How did you find out about that, anyway?!"
"I have my sources," Impmon smirked. "So what happened? Does it have anything to do with…?"
"I said I don't want to talk about it! Go away!"
Rika pushed Impmon off her desk and went back to her studies, trying to forget everything she just heard. Seeing he wouldn't be getting anywhere, Impmon walked over to Kari's bed.
"She still mad about that?"
"It hit her pretty hard," Renamon answered.
"What happened?" Calumon asked.
"I doubt she'd want to hear it," Renamon replied. "If she does not wish to remember, then I shall respect that."
Rika started to feel better. Renamon was the best friend she had and it relieved her that she was willing to keep quiet about what happened just for her.
Impmon looked over at the TV screen. "What are you two watching?"
"Basketball!" Calumon answered excitedly. "Finals!"
Impmon looked at the TV curiously. "Another one of those weird human sports? So who's who? I see a bunch of guys in gold jerseys and a bunch of guys in gray jerseys."
"The humans in the gray jerseys are the Nets," Renamon explained. "And they are about to crush the humans in the gold jerseys, the Lakers."
"Uh-uh!" Gatomon disagreed. "The Lakers are about to take it!"
"Nets."
"Lakers."
"Nets!"
"Lakers!"
"NETS!"
"LAKERS!"
It was the first argument that had erupted between Renamon and Gatomon in a while. Rika was impressed that they held it in for so long. It looked like Calumon WAS having a positive influence on them. Luckily, this particular instance of bickering was cut off by the phone.
Rika reached over and picked it up. "Hello?"
"Hey there! It's been a long time since I've heard the sound of your voice."
Just the sound of that voice made Rika's blood boil. "How did you get this number?!"
"I got it from Takato. I see you're your usual, cheerful self."
"I'll be a lot more cheerful as soon as I hang up!"
"Rika! I'm guessing that you aren't exactly happy to hear from me?"
"Whatever gave you that idea?" Rika muttered sarcastically.
"I can tell you're still pretty upset. What if I told you that it won't last much longer?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm not staying as long as I thought. I'm coming back a lot sooner than you might think. You feeling better?"
Rika didn't feel better at all. "Are you THAT thick-headed?! You think THAT'S what made me mad?!"
"You mean it's not?"
"NO! You can stay in Hong Kong for all I care! Get back to me the day you finally get a clue!"
With that, Rika hung up. After that phone call, she saw four curious Digimon staring right at her, wanting to know what just happened. But Rika intended to stay quiet. She didn't want any reminder.
She didn't want to hear from Ryo Akiyama again.
Sunday was starting to wind down. As a graduate student attempting to get her Master's Degree, Ms. Mackenzie knew she had a lot of work to do. Aside from her duties as Resident Director, she also had a lot of homework left from her classes. Work that she had yet to get started on. Her desk had a stack of books on it, which she would be studying with the whole night.
Now it was time for her to get to work. So she got her bag and turned it upside-down. As she expected, a pile of books fell out along with several calculators and small boxes. But she couldn't help but notice that something else fell out.
A small little device fell out of the bag. It looked like a small, handheld electronic device with a clear screen in the middle. Ms. Mackenzie picked it up and eyed it closely. That's when she realized something.
"Just like the prophecy…"
Before she could analyze it any further, someone knocked on her door. She nearly jumped out of her seat, obviously caught off-guard. She placed the small apparatus on her desk and walked over to answer the door. She opened the door to reveal the same young man she bumped into the day before.
"Hi! You probably don't remember me, but…we bumped into each other yesterday and…I'm afraid we might have gotten some of our things mixed up. Do you have a…small little electronic gadget that you might have picked up by mistake?"
Ms. Mackenzie looked over at her desk. She slowly walked over and picked it up. She eyed it one more time, confirming that it was the same type of device she saw before.
"I remember you, Joe. And you're right. I believe this does belong to you."
She slowly handed the electronic device to Joe and got a good look at him. She wanted to make sure to remember him.
Ms. Mackenzie gave him a cryptic smile. "I'll see you around."
Joe nodded. "Thanks. I'll…see you later."
Ms. Mackenzie watched as Joe walked down the hall and towards the exit of the freshman hall. She began to remember what she had seen before she arrived at Odaiba University.
"The forces of good and evil shall engage in a fierce battle," she muttered to herself. "Those that hold a Digivice shall be pitted against the powers of the darkness."
That's how the prophecy goes. And Ms. Mackenzie could feel that she would see the prophecy come true before her very eyes.
Sitting up in Sora and Mimi's room, Matt didn't waste any time digging in on his leftover lunch. Once he felt any sign of hunger come back, he rushed back to his leftovers. He could see Sora and Mimi trying to work on their fashion designs, but they couldn't help but stare and sweatdrop when they heard the hungry Matt.
"And they say In-Training Digimon have insatiable appetites," Mimi quipped. "Matt, you just ate!"
"I got hungry again," Matt replied casually. "Hey Mimi, you gonna eat that biscuit?"
Mimi sighed. "Go ahead."
Matt reached over and started feasting on Mimi's biscuit. Mimi and Sora sweatdropped. So did the two fashion guinea pigs, Biyomon and Palmon.
Mimi looked over at her business partner. "Sora, you know I love having your boyfriend over and all, but I hope he won't distract you. We're on a deadline."
"Don't worry about a thing, Mimi," Sora responded assuredly. "I know we have to have this order ready by Friday. I can totally ignore Matt."
Matt frowned. "Hey!"
Sora giggled. "Sorry, Matt. You know what I mean. There's not a thing that'll distract me." That's when the phone started to ring. "Matt, could you answer that for me?"
Matt reached over and answered the phone. "Hello? You've reached the main office of S & M."
"MATT!" Sora snapped. "I told you not to call it that!"
Matt couldn't help but chuckle. So did the voice on the other end of the line.
"Great to see you remember that one, Matt."
"Tai? Where are you? I haven't seen you since you left."
"I'm on my way back. In fact, I should be back on campus in a few minutes."
"What? Tai, I can hardly hear you! There seems to be some noise in the background! What is that?"
"Oh, you'll see! Why don't you come down to the parking lot and find out? Bring Sora and Mimi! For that matter, drag your brother out, too! I want him to see this!"
"What is it?"
"You'll see!"
Before Matt could ask anymore questions, Tai hung up. All he could hear now was a dial tone. All eyes in the room were on him now.
Matt blinked. "Uh…Tai wants us to go to the parking lot."
With the hours passing by quickly, Davis decided to go back to the hall with Kari. Kari was starting to feel a lot better about everything and she appeared to be more comfortable around Davis. So far, the goggle boy had done his job. Davis was heading over towards the hall, but Kari stopped about halfway.
"What is it, Kari?"
Kari waved towards the distance. "JERI!"
Davis looked over and saw that Jeri Katou was, in fact, walking along. She had just come out of the library and when she saw Kari waving her way, she ran over.
"How was work?" Kari asked cheerfully.
Jeri shrugged. "Being a receptionist isn't exactly what I'd call 'exciting work', but hey…it pays my way through college. So what are you two up to?"
"We're just heading back," Kari answered. "I hope Rika was able to keep things in order."
"Rika's more than capable of handling things on her own," Jeri pointed out. "But just to be sure, we'd better head back."
"You coming, Davis? Uh…Davis?"
Davis was looking over at the freshman hall. Matt, Sora, and Mimi were walking out. Right behind them came TK and Ken and behind then came Joe, who was carrying Gomamon. Behind Joe came Izzy, Takato, and Henry, with Terriermon on his shoulder. They were all heading towards the parking lot.
"Think we should see what the fuss is about?" Davis suggested.
Kari thought about it. "Uh…couldn't hurt…I guess. Let's go."
Davis, Kari, and Jeri all followed the others towards the parking lot. It was starting to get crowded over there and Davis was getting curious. So he walked over to Takato to see if he knew what was up.
"Takato? What's up?"
"I don't know," Takato said. "I'm in the dark on this one. Izzy dropped by to give me my Blue Card and Henry his Digivice and…to tell us some information that you might find very interesting."
"Is any of it the reason we're out here?"
"No."
"Then I'm not interested right now."
Takato sweatdropped as Davis walked over to someone who was likely to know what was going on. He walked over to Matt.
"Matt? What's going on?"
Matt shook his head. "I have no idea. Tai just said he wanted us out here, but I don't know why."
No one was sure why they were all waiting in the parking lot. The silence was almost eerie. But the uneasy silence was soon broken…with the revving of a loud engine. The noise caught everyone by surprise and they all looked around to see where it was coming from. It was Davis who saw it first.
"Hey, look!"
Everyone turned to their left to see a bright light coming from the distance. It was a pair of headlights coming from a vehicle, which was approaching the parking lot. As soon as it got closer, everyone saw what it was.
It was a motorcycle.
With quick speeds, the motorcycle drove up and was driving circles around everyone. Then it came to a halt and started revving loudly. Davis inched towards the bike. It was a 2000 Honda Rebel.
The driver turned off the ignition and stepped off. He was wearing a black leather jacket over a white tank top with a pair of blue jeans and black boots. He wore a helmet with shark teeth designed by the visor. He slowly removed the helmet and as he did…hair puffed up.
It was Tai.
Tai grinned. "So what do you guys think?"
Everyone's jaw was wide-open. They were all in shock at what they were seeing. Even Davis couldn't believe what he was seeing. Tai had actually gone out…and gotten a motorcycle. After a long, awkward silence, Kari finally stepped forward.
Tai smiled. "What do you think, Kari?"
"Tai, what is this?"
"It's my new motorcycle! Awesome, huh?"
Kari seemed to be in a state of disbelief. "Tai…I…I…"
"Just be honest. Tell me what you think."
Kari sighed. "Tai…you're my brother…and I love you very much. And it really hurts me to say this. But…………HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!?!"
"Calm down, Kari," Matt said coolly. "Let me handle this." Matt scooted Kari towards Davis and walked over to his best friend. "Tai…buddy……………HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!?!"
Tai sweatdropped. "What do you mean?"
That's when Sora stepped forward. "Matt, calm down. I think we should have a calm, cool third party handle this." That's when she turned to Tai. "Tai…what's THIS supposed to be?"
"Isn't it great?!" Tai grinned. "I just bought it a few hours ago! Gotta love the power of that 234cc engine!"
"You never cared about a 234cc engine before!" Sora pointed out. "What made you suddenly decide to get a motorcycle?"
"The urge to do something daring," Tai explained. "Come on, Sora. You know that lately I've been feeling a little…old. But I found the perfect way to feel young again. I just had to make a totally drastic change. And what could be more drastic than getting one of these babies? The feeling of the open road, the wind through my hair, and just the rush of riding down the street in my hog. There's no better way to feel young!"
Sora blinked. "I…don't know what to say. That sounds so…so…so…"
"Awesome?" Tai offered.
"Twisted," Sora countered. "You're doing this because you feel old?! Tai, I…I…I……" She looked back at everyone else. "A little help? What do I want to say here?"
"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!?!" both Kari and Matt shouted.
"You don't like it?" Tai asked confusedly.
"NO!" Kari snapped. "Tai, this is crazy! A motorcycle's really dangerous! You could get hurt or worse! You could……you could……Davis, help me out here!"
Davis had only one question. "Hey Tai…can I ride it?"
Tai shook his head. "No."
"Then I'm with Kari on this one."
"I can't believe you, Tai!" Matt growled. "When are you going to get it through your thick skull that you aren't old?!"
"You know, you should be blaming your little brother, too. He's part of the reason I did this."
That got TK's attention. "Huh?! ME?!"
Tai smirked. "We'll see who Catherine likes better: You…or the guy with the motorcycle."
Kari put a hand on her forehead. "I can't believe it. He did it for that French girl. My head hurts. I'm going back in."
"I'm coming with you, Kari," Jeri said.
Kari walked back to the freshman hall with Jeri walking along right behind her. Izzy walked over to Tai and just shook his head.
"I think we should hold a memorial."
"You really think Tai will get himself killed on that contraption?" Tentomon asked.
"No, I think we should hold a memorial for Tai's sanity."
With that, Izzy walked away with Tentomon in his arms. Joe, carrying Gomamon, was next to walk up to Tai.
"Uh…I'll reserve judgment."
"Thanks, Joe."
"Uh huh. And if you break every bone in your body on that thing, you know who to call. If anything, this could be good practice for me."
Tai sweatdropped. "Thanks, Joe."
As soon as Joe left, Takato and Henry walked over to the motorcycle. They examined the bike closely, checking every part. Not knowing Tai as long as the DigiDestined have, these Tamers were a little more fascinated with Tai's choice in motorcycle.
"Looks like it's in good shape," Takato noted.
"I always wondered what it'd be like to take a ride on one of these things," Terriermon thought. "When are you getting one of these, Henry?"
Henry shook his head. "Not for a very long time, if ever."
Tai just shrugged and turned to the remaining DigiDestined present. "Doesn't ANYBODY have anything good to say?"
Always ready to compliment his idol, it was Davis who spoke up. "It's a really nice bike!"
Tai nodded. "Thank you, Davis. Anybody else?"
"No, the rest of us think you're an idiot," Matt replied casually.
Tai frowned and put his helmet back on. "Fine! You can think whatever you want, but I'm going for a ride." He walked towards his motorcycle and got on. He revved the engine loudly. "Be back later."
After a brief demonstration of the 234cc engine's power, Tai rode off into the sunset. Everyone could only watch in amazement. After a long and awkward silence, Davis decided to try and lighten the mood.
"Well…it IS a nice bike."
Everyone just shook their heads and walked away, except for TK and Takato.
"If he thinks that's going to win him Catherine, then he's got another thing coming," TK growled. "I may not know her as well as I'd like to, but I don't think she's that shallow that she'd pick Tai over me just because he has a motorcycle."
"And what do you drive?" Davis pointed out.
TK hung his head down. "My busted Toyota. Hey, it's still in good enough shape to make those pizza deliveries."
Davis looked in the sky and saw the sun going down. "I still have homework. We'd better go back."
"Wait a second, guys."
Davis and TK stopped in their tracks and turned to Takato, who had a serious look on his face.
"Izzy came by to talk to me and Henry earlier. There's something you should know…"
Next Week: We skip ahead two weeks to see where everybody's at. Is college life starting to take its toll on everybody? Is there anything between Tai and Catherine, or is she sticking with TK? But the story of the week won't be coming from there. It'll be coming from Kari and Rika. When Kari begins to have an angst session, Rika decides that she's had enough! It even gets to the point where Rika decides to come clean about her past with Ryo! Come see what happens on the next Digimon: The College Years!
Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!