Last Week: We saw some bonding between Kari and Rika. Rika talked to Kari about being too emotionally frail and later confided in her and told her about her past with Ryo, all to make the point that failed relationships shouldn't bring her down. But further bonding was interrupted when Minatarumon infiltrated the real world and attacked the city. Renamon and Gatomon arrived and tried to individually attack the big bull, but got nowhere. It wasn't until they both reached their ultimate-level that they were able to stand a chance. But Taomon went on to wipe out Minatarumon and delete him. That led to a huge argument between Kari and Rika, which led to both leaving separately. Meanwhile, Gennai has recruited Agumon, Gabumon, Hawkmon, and Armadillomon to help him find the source of disappearing Digimon in the Digital World and left them with a mysterious box containing a gift from the Digimon Sovereigns that should only be used as a last resort. As for Guilmon, he was feeling confined indoors, so he went out the window, but was spotted by some cheerleaders. He was led into the gymnasium…where he was made into Odaiba University's newest mascot! @_@
Digimon: The College Years
Episode 14- Season Opener
After the disaster with the Minatarumon, Puppetmon wasn't feeling in a playful mood on this particular Friday. It marked another failure and there was nothing he hated more than being made to look like a joke. The moods of Datamon and The Digimon Empress seemed to reflect those of Puppetmon. They didn't look very happy either.
"It appears we've made some miscalculations," Datamon muttered. "I first deduced that catching the DigiDestined and Tamers by surprise would give us the advantage, but I did not factor the incompetence of some of our servants."
"There's nothing I'd like better than someone who can do the job right!" The Digimon Empress growled. "Especially since the season opener is tonight at the university!"
"Is that right?" Puppetmon smirked. "I bet we could have a lot of fun if we get one of our guys in there!"
Datamon examined the line of Digimon under the influence of Black Gears. "Yes, but I see no worthy Digimon here. None of them deserve the opportunity."
"Did I hear someone say 'opportunity'?" someone else called out.
The three villains looked around to see who spoke up. It didn't take long for someone to come out. Puppetmon immediately sensed something familiar about this one. His body was a star and he walked on two legs. It looked like Starmon, but there was something different about him. His star body was gold and he wore fancy shades…and there was a Black Gear on his back.
"Who are you to speak out of turn?" Datamon demanded.
"The name's SuperStarmon," the Digimon announced. "And I am the solution to all your problems."
The Digimon Empress scoffed. "You? Listen…"
"Yes, yes, I know you're impressed. My star power has you in awe. But I'm sorry, little lady. I don't do autographs."
The Digimon Empress blinked. "Huh? I didn't ask for…"
"I know you're disappointed," SuperStarmon interrupted. "But frankly, a star of my caliber doesn't have time to associate himself with meager tasks like autographs or mingling with my adoring public."
The Digimon Empress looked like she didn't know what to make of this at all. For that matter, Puppetmon didn't even know what to make of it. He got up and approached this egomaniac.
"Look here, buddy, all we want is someone to take out the DigiDestined and the Tamers. Do you think you honestly have what it takes?"
"Of course I do! For I am…SuperStarmon, the biggest superstar the Digital World has ever seen! No pictures and please hold your applause."
"I don't like your tone!" Puppetmon growled. "Puppet Pummel!"
Puppetmon decided to do away with this nuisance immediately by attacking with his Puppet Pummel. SuperStarmon was knocked back and slid into the wall. To everyone's shock and amazement, the big star just calmly got to his feet.
"Remarkable!" Datamon exclaimed. "Lesser Digimon have been annihilated by Puppetmon's tantrums."
"I may be a mere ultimate-level Digimon," SuperStarmon explained. "But my defense is topnotch. It'll take a lot more than a squeaky hammer to knock this star off his pedestal."
"Squeaky hammer?!" Puppetmon shouted. "I'll show YOU!"
Before Puppetmon could pound this ego into oblivion, The Digimon Empress stepped in between the two. Puppetmon got the urge to smash her, too, but let cooler heads prevail. She may have just been a human, but she was still an important part of the mission. After all, no one else had access to the university other than her.
"Maybe you can take it, but can you dish it out?" The Digimon Empress asked SuperStarmon.
"Why, of course I can! My Halley Squall and Galactic Eyes attacks can put an end to anyone's 15 minutes of fame!"
"Then maybe you'll do, after all."
"You've got to be kidding me!" Puppetmon protested. "Him?!"
Puppetmon was about to make his feelings known, but Datamon dragged him off to the corner by his wooden ear. Soon, they were off in the corner, ready to have a private conversation.
"You can't be serious about sending him! He's a total moron with an ego the size of my old playhouse!"
"I agree that he has a big ego, but I can see what our little Digimon Empress has up her sleeve. After what she told me about the Minatarumon, it appears that the Tamers won't hesitate to kill if necessary. So she's probably thinking that either the DigiDestined and Tamers get destroyed OR they destroy SuperStarmon and get him off our backs. Either way, it's a victory for us."
"Hey, she's smarter than she looks!"
"Indeed, she is. Now let's go send the sap to the real world. With any luck, they'll all destroy each other."
Puppetmon walked back with Datamon to make the necessary arrangements. Of course, SuperStarmon was under the influence of a Black Gear, so how much arranging could possibly be necessary?
"We're in agreement," Datamon said. "You're our mon. So you'd better…"
"Now, just hold on there," SuperStarmon interrupted. "A star of MY caliber can't just be hired like some two-bit actor. You have to meet some of my demands first."
"DEMANDS?!" Puppetmon repeated. "We're the top bad guys here! We're the ones who make demands!"
SuperStarmon just ignored Puppetmon. "As I was saying, I'll have to issue some standard demands. First, I'll need a bowl of peanuts in my trailer; roasted AND salted! I also want seedless watermelons! I'll need a private bathroom AND a private dressing room…"
"But you don't wear clothes!" Datamon snapped.
SuperStarmon just kept going. "And finally, I'll need a starting salary of 100,000 Digi-dollars!"
Puppetmon's eyes widened. "100,000 Digi-dollars?! You five-cornered hack! That's the last straw!"
Puppetmon reached over for his hammer again, feeling in a foul mood once more. But Datamon quickly stopped him while The Digimon Empress giggled nervously.
"Don't mind him! He got up on the wrong side of the woodshed this morning. We'll give you whatever you want AFTER you disrupt the season opener and crush our enemies."
"Thank you," SuperStarmon grinned. "I'm glad we got that settled before bringing my agent into this. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be in my trailer."
With that, SuperStarmon walked off…leaving the three villains in a perplexed state of mind.
"We…don't HAVE a trailer," The Digimon Empress pointed out.
"We have an outhouse," Puppetmon suggested. "You think he's using that?"
"Stars can be so irascible," Datamon quipped. "They make it to the big time and they suddenly get a big head."
The Digimon Empress just held her head. "I…should go back to the university and get ready to receive from out there…before I get a headache. Call me when it's time to bring in our star."
As odd as this whole exchange was, there was one bottom line. SuperStarmon would soon be ready to crash Odaiba University's season opener and wipe out the DigiDestined and Tamers.
Of course, Puppetmon wondered if this whole ordeal would give SuperStarmon an even BIGGER ego once it was all over.
Takato looked in front of the mirror, trying on his new red Odaiba University sweater. He had to admit that he looked pretty good in the colors of the school and so did Henry. And they would sport those colors at tonight's season opener.
"You guys will be ok in here for the night, right?" Henry asked.
Terriermon didn't look too happy about that. Guilmon was just looking out the window. Takato looked at him and almost detected a bead of sweat.
"Come on, Henry!" Terriermon protested. "I'm small enough to not get noticed! Let me come with you. I've haven't seen a soccer game in a long time."
"I don't know, Terriermon," Henry persisted. "I'd look pretty weird carrying a stuffed animal to a soccer game."
"Ok, then I have another idea!"
Not willing to give up or take no for an answer, Terriermon walked over to Henry's closet and pulled out his cooler. He opened the large cooler and jumped inside. Henry was in disbelief and just looked at Takato.
"Uh…you got to admit, he's creative," Takato chimed in.
"What do you think?" Terriermon asked.
Henry still wasn't sure. "I don't know. You're not really willing to leave Guilmon here by himself, are you?"
Terriermon smirked. "Oh, I have a feeling Guilmon will be just fine. Isn't that right, big guy?"
Guilmon, who had been looking out the window, suddenly turned around. "Uh…um…yeah! Fine! Don't worry about me."
"Are you sure, boy?" Takato asked with a hint of uncertainty.
"Yeah. You three just go to the game. I'll be ok."
"See? He'll be just fine!" Terriermon grinned. Then he got in the cooler and put the lid in over his head. Of course, just because he was inside the cooler didn't mean he couldn't keep his mouth going. "Maybe you'll find a cute cheerleader, Henry. Remember, you're…"
"I know," Henry groaned. "Shinjuku High's Most Eligible Bachelor."
Takato just chuckled as he remembered Henry's high school yearbook honor. As Henry picked up his cooler, Takato walked over to walk out the door. But…
**THUD**
"OW!!"
Once again, Takato's door flew open and smashed him on the nose. As he rubbed his nose, he heard that familiar voice. It could only be one person.
"Hey Henry, you guys heading out to the game? Uh…where's Takato?"
"Where do you THINK I am, Davis?" Takato growled.
Davis peered from the other side of the door and sweatdropped as soon as he saw Takato. Takato wasn't too happy, obviously.
"We really should think about locking our door," Henry thought. Then he noticed something. "Hey, Ken. You taking Wormmon?"
Takato looked over and saw that Ken indeed did have Wormmon on his shoulder. It looked like he was coming along for the ride.
"I wouldn't think of going anywhere without him," Ken replied. "Even if it means drawing some unwanted attention."
"If you don't want to risk him being seen, then stuff him my cooler," Henry offered. "That's where Terriermon's staying."
"This cooler's stuffed to capacity," Terriermon quickly cut in.
"It is not," Henry shot back. "Come on, Ken. There's plenty of room for Wormmon."
"Well…it would take away some of that unwanted attention," Ken noted. "What do you think, Wormmon?"
"I don't have a problem with it," Wormmon said. "I'll go in."
Ken took Wormmon off his shoulder and placed him inside Henry's cooler right beside Terriermon, much to the long-eared Digimon's chagrin.
"Great. There goes my leg room."
With everything set to go, Takato followed everyone out and headed out to the field, where the Odaiba Dragons were about to have their season opener. A Friday night didn't get better than this.
For the past five days, Jeri was living in a nightmare. Tensions between Rika and Kari had only escalated since their battle with Minatarumon. And after it looked like they were starting to get along, Renamon and Gatomon were once again at each other's throats (though they managed to keep from a laying a hand on each other). Jeri felt stuck in the middle, trying to keep the Rika and Kari situation from exploding. Poor Calumon must have felt the same way, because he was trying to play peacekeeper between Renamon and Gatomon. Impmon, however, just sat back and watched the whole thing, since…well…it was Impmon.
And things weren't getting any better. Jeri wanted to go enjoy the season opener, but she was having a hard time getting Rika and Kari to come out with her. But after three days of pleading, it finally looked like she had succeeded. The two arguing college freshmen were about to come to the season opener with her.
Jeri was already by the door. "Come on, you two! We don't want to be late!"
"Don't rush me!" Rika snapped. "I'm almost ready. I just need my sweater."
Calumon ran over to Jeri, looking worried. "Please don't leave me alone with these two, Jeri! What if they start fighting?"
Calumon was obviously worried that things between Renamon and Gatomon would explode. It was a valid concern. The two Digimon were on opposite beds, staring almost hatefully at each other.
"Calumon, everything will be just fine," Jeri said assuredly. "I have a good feeling that you can keep them from fighting. You might even have them getting along by the end of the night."
Calumon looked up with his big innocent eyes. "You think so?"
"Of course I do," Jeri replied. She leaned in close to whisper in his big ear. "If we should be worried about anyone, it's Kari and Rika. Let's hope I can help those two get along."
Kari walked over to the door, putting a smile on her face. "Well…I guess this night could be pretty fun. Especially if we find our friends at the game."
"We can look for them as soon as we're ready to go. Rika, what's taking you so long?"
Rika put a red OU sweatshirt over her head and turned around. "Ok, I'm…"
Rika stopped in her tracks…as soon as she saw that Kari was wearing the exact same sweater.
"Nice sweater," Kari grinned.
A vein nearly popped out of Rika's head. "Take that sweater off NOW!"
"But…it's cold out there," Kari muttered. "Besides, I like it. What's wrong with me wearing it?"
"If we're wearing the same sweater, people might get the impression that we're twins or something."
Rika then heard some snickering. She turned her head to see that Impmon was laughing.
"Those humans would have to be pretty blind to think you two was twins."
Impmon's laughter was quickly stopped by a pillow that was tossed at his head.
"Who asked you?!" Rika growled. Then she turned back to Kari. "Fine! If that's the way it's gonna be, then I'LL take my sweater off!"
Jeri sweatdropped as Rika removed her sweater. Now she was in her usual broken-heart T-shirt along with her jeans and tennis shoes. Jeri wanted to say something, but as long as she had them going to the game with her, that was all that mattered. She was ready to head out. Unfortunately…that's when her pager went off.
Jeri looked at the number on her pager. "Uh…I have to go."
"What?!" both Rika and Kari snapped.
"There's something I have to do," Jeri said nervously.
"Well, that tears it," Rika said angrily. "If you aren't even going, then there's no point in this. There's no way I'm going to the game alone with Miss Perfect!"
"That's just fine with me," Kari shot back. "I wouldn't want to go to the game with a wannabe Xena anyway!"
"PLEASE don't start fighting!" Jeri pleaded.
"I'm going to that game," Rika said. "But I'm going alone!"
Having said that, Rika stormed out angrily. Kari just stared a hole right into her as she walked out. Then she also walked out.
"I'm going alone, too!"
Jeri sighed deeply. She had hoped that she could help Kari and Rika get along, but that whole plan had blown up in her face. And it was all because of her pager.
"I hope this is worth it," she muttered to herself.
The stadium on the other side of campus was packed. Davis nearly got lost, but managed to stick together with Ken, Takato, and Henry. But being freshmen, they didn't even know where the front gate was.
"So where's TK?" Takato asked.
"Trying to find Catherine," Ken answered. "I think he wants to go to the game with her."
Davis suddenly realized something. "Uh…Ken? Didn't Tai say HE wanted to take Catherine to the game?"
Ken gulped. "For everybody's sake…let's hope not."
"So we know where TK is," Henry cut in. "But has anybody seen Kazu and Kenta?"
"GUYS!"
"WAIT UP!"
As if on cue, everyone turned around to see Kazu and Kenta running towards them. And they looked rather happy about something. They ran up to the guys and panted heavily. It was as if they had been running all over the place.
"We looked for you guys everywhere!" Kazu exclaimed.
"Well, we're right here," Takato replied. "So what's up?"
"You'll never guess who we just found!" Kenta grinned. He turned around, whistled, and waved. "Hey! Over here!"
Someone else was coming through the crowd of spectators towards them. Davis had never seen this guy before. He was someone their age with a red sweater and black jeans with hair of brown that was combed back, yet standing up. Davis didn't know who he was, but it was obvious that everybody else did.
"RYO!" Takato and Henry shouted.
Ryo exchanged high-fives with Takato and Henry. "It's been a long time, guys! I told you I'd be back someday." Then he froze as soon as he spotted Ken. "Ken Ichijouji?"
Ken was in shock. "Ryo Akiyama?"
Both of them stepped forward and looked at each other in disbelief. After a brief few seconds, both smiled and gave each other a hug.
"You two know each other?" Takato asked.
Ryo nodded. "Ken and I go way back! Back before I even met you guys."
"I haven't seen you in so many years," Ken said. "What have you been up to?"
"Just moved back to West Shinjuku after living in Hong Kong for a year," Ryo answered. "I got here too late to enroll anywhere, so I'm taking a year off. But I heard that my old friends here all enrolled at Odaiba University, so I decided that the best time to come for a visit was…during the Odaiba Dragon's season opener! As soon as I got here, it didn't take long to run into Kazu and Kenta. But I never thought I'd find you here, Ken."
Ken smiled. "It's good to see you again, old friend."
"I bet he won't be the only one glad to see you," Kazu smirked.
"Wait 'til Rika finds out you're here," Kenta added. "Can you picture the look on her face?"
"I…think I can," Henry said nervously.
"Oh…she'll be surprised alright," Takato added with a tone of uncertainty.
Davis had finally had enough of being left out. "Hey! Has anybody forgotten about me?"
Everyone finally turned to Davis and realized that he was completely left in the dark. He hadn't even been properly introduced.
"Sorry about that, Davis," Ken chuckled. "I want you to meet my old friend, Ryo Akiyama. Ryo, this is one of my best friends, Davis Motomiya."
Davis eagerly accepted the handshake. "You've probably heard of me! I wouldn't be surprised if you have!"
"Actually…I haven't," Ryo replied.
Davis frowned. "Then you've obviously been talking to the wrong people. What do Hong Kongians know anyway?"
Before they could all get better acquainted, the crowd started moving faster. Everyone started to make their way inside and the guys decided to join in. But as Davis was struggling to follow.
"Davis!"
Davis turned around and found Kari with Yolei. He waved them over and they walked through the crowd.
"Big turnout, huh?" Yolei commented.
"I hope there's enough space for all of us," Davis thought. "An old friend of the Tamers' showed up. It's kinda funny, since he and Ken seem to know each other, too."
"Really?" Yolei asked curiously. "Who is it?"
"Some guy named Ryo. Can you believe he's never heard of me?"
Kari gasped. "Did you say 'Ryo'?!"
"Don't tell me you've heard of him, too!" Davis cried. "The guy's a bigger celebrity than I am!"
"I haven't met him, but Rika has," Kari answered.
"I think I heard Kazu and Kenta saying something about that," Davis said. "So they know each other, too?"
Kari nodded. "Uh…you might say that. Let's just say that if they run into each other, there'll be more fireworks there than on the field. Let's find a place to sit."
Kari dragged Davis and Yolei by the hand and started catching up with everybody else. The game was about to begin.
TK adjusted his hair once more before knocking on the door. And it didn't take long for a surprised Catherine to answer.
"TK, I wasn't expecting you here. It's good to see you. I was just heading over to the game."
"I got the idea that you would," TK replied. "I was hoping you'd come to the game with me."
Catherine thought about that. "Well…"
But she didn't get very far when someone else stuck their nose in. "Hey, Catherine!"
TK snarled as Tai once again stuck his nose where it didn't belong.
"Tai, I wasn't expecting you here, either."
"I wanted to surprise you. I was thinking we could go to the game together and take a ride on my hog after."
Catherine thought about that, too. "Well…"
"Oh, you think you're such a big shot with your motorcycle!" TK growled. "You really think that it makes you the better man!"
"I don't think it makes me the better man," Tai shot back. "I think it makes me the cooler man, the hotter man, the faster man…"
"A motorcycle doesn't necessarily make you the faster man," TK pointed out.
"It makes me faster than you!"
"Oh really? What makes you say that?!"
"I've seen your Toyota, TK. Frankly, a bicycle could outrun it."
"You want to put your money where your mouth is? Your motorcycle against my Toyota in a race! Winner gets $50 and gets to take Catherine out after the game."
That got Catherine's attention. "Uh…gentlemen…?"
Tai scoffed. "TK, I know you're jealous of my motorcycle, but PLEASE don't do this to yourself. You're just setting yourself up for a huge embarrassment."
"What makes you say that?"
"Think about it! My awesome motorcycle against your busted Toyota? That's like racing a cheetah and a snail."
"Then you won't have a problem accepting…unless you're afraid."
"TK, the only thing I'm afraid of is embarrassing you. But if you refuse to take 'no' for an answer, then you're on."
"Great! We'll race over by the alley, five blocks from campus."
"Ok, and I'll meet you there!"
Catherine tried to interject herself. "Uh…gentlemen…?"
But it was too late. TK and Tai were storming off in opposite directions. There was more than just a date and $50 on the line. There was also pride. TK had to stand up for the honor of his car and himself.
Finally, Davis managed to find his friends and find a seat. Of course, it didn't last long. Ever the polite one, Davis gave his seat to Kari and was willing to stand up. Having the others sit while he stood up was beginning to draw some attention and it looked like the first one to recognize that was Kari.
"Davis…why don't we do this instead?"
Kari stood up and sat Davis in her seat. Then she sat on his lap and put her arms around him. Davis could definitely live with this. This was the sort of moment he always dreamed of.
From the other side of the bleacher, Yolei looked like she was getting the same idea. But when she stood up to walk over to Ken's lap…she saw that someone else had quickly beat her to it.
"Hi Ken!"
Ken was totally caught by surprise when Rosa suddenly appeared on his lap. No one was more surprised, or more annoyed, than Yolei.
"Uh…hi, Rosa," Ken said sheepishly. "When did you get here?"
"You're forgetting that my mom's a professor," Rosa giggled. "I'm supposed to go meet her somewhere later, but I just couldn't come to the game without saying hello. I wish I could stay, Ken, but I really should go." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "But I'll see you later."
Rosa left and Ken started to blush a bright red. That was the last thing Yolei wanted to see, so she took Ken's Pepsi and splashed it over his head.
"This should cool you off!" Yolei growled.
Ken sighed and turned his head to Ryo. "Have you ever had these kind of girl problems before?"
"None that I can think of," Ryo grinned. "I don't think any girl could ever get mad at me."
"Oh…I beg to differ," Terriermon said from inside the cooler. "Speaking of girls, don't you have one you should be looking for right about now?"
"He's right," Ryo agreed. "I'll be right back, guys. I should be back by halftime."
Davis watched as Ryo left. The game was already underway and it was still scoreless. The cheerleaders came onto the sidelines and tried to get the crowd into it. And right behind them was the mascot. A mascot whom Davis found rather familiar.
"Hey, that's a nice costume the mascot's got on," Davis said. "It almost looks like Guilmon."
That got Takato's attention away from his hot dog. "Huh?"
Takato looked on the field and saw that behind the cheerleaders was Guilmon wearing a white Odaiba Dragons sweater. None of the DigiDestined or the Tamers knew what to make of it, especially the cheerleaders not panicking one bit.
Henry opened up the cooler. "Terriermon? You know anything about this?"
"Did I forget to mention that little detail?" Terriermon grinned. "Guilmon's the new Odaiba Dragons' mascot."
"You've got to admit, he's blending in pretty well," Kenta said.
"I don't even think any of them have any idea what he really is," Kazu added.
The cheerleaders were going through their routines as they usually did. They were including Guilmon in as if he were one of their own. The cheerleaders even went ahead and did the usual pyramid routine with Guilmon standing atop the shoulders of two of them.
"He's got a lot of school spirit," Henry noted.
Takato groaned. "Henry, what part of 'Stay in the room' do you think Guilmon didn't understand?"
"You can always ask him whenever the game's over," Kenta suggested. "That is, if he's not busy afterwards."
"What do you mean?" Takato asked curiously.
"Mascots can be popular figures," Davis answered. "We might even see Guilmon dating a cheerleader and taking her out to eat after the game."
"Ok, now that's just being silly," Takato scoffed.
While it sounded silly, everyone looked out on the sidelines to see a cheerleader innocently 'dropping' her pompom right in front of Guilmon. The red lizard just picked it up and handed it back to her. She rewarded his efforts with a kiss on the cheek.
Takato sweatdropped. "Oh yeah. He and I are gonna have to talk."
Rika looked around everywhere for Takato and Henry. None of them seemed to be around. Henry, in particular, should have stuck out like a sore thumb, since he would undoubtedly have Terriermon with him. But none of them seemed to be around. So she stuck around by the concession area, hoping one of them would drop in.
But it didn't take long for somebody to drop by. And for Rika, it wasn't whom she had in mind.
"Hey! Did you miss me?"
Rika developed an angry twitch right away. Just the sound of that voice was enough to send her over the edge. Yet, she knew it couldn't be possible. How could HE be here? She knew he had to be away in Hong Kong. But when she turned around, she saw that it was, in fact, Ryo Akiyama.
More than anything, Rika wanted to snap. She wanted to go right at him with her cold, intense exterior like she would for anybody else. But something was holding her back. Perhaps it was just the fact of seeing him so unexpectedly. She could only find herself giving him a cold stare.
"What are you doing here?"
"Is that any way to greet an old friend?" Ryo smiled. "I know you missed me, Rika."
"Maybe I did," Rika scowled. "But do you have any idea WHY I missed you?! You just left, Ryo! You never called, you never told me, you never bothered to say goodbye! You just moved off to Hong Kong without saying anything!"
"What's the big deal?" Ryo asked naïvely. "We both knew I wouldn't stay there forever, right?"
"That's not the point! You don't get it, do you?!"
Ryo just tilted his head, unaware of what Rika was insinuating. "Get what?"
Rika couldn't take this. For all his so-called perfections, Ryo was letting the most obvious fact fly completely over his head. This was why just looking at his perfect hair, perfect teeth, and perfect body was enough to get her seething. For all the hoopla about being such a legend and such an amazing guy, he couldn't grasp the obvious. That's what drove Rika to grab her Pepsi and pour it over his head. After drenching his perfect hair, Rika turned and stormed off.
"Idiot!"
She didn't even want to look back. Of course, that didn't mean Ryo wasn't trying to get through the crowd to follow her.
"Rika, wait!"
This should have been a nice night to get out and forget all about her work. Of course, Talley Onodera had a job to do. Ever since she had reported her suspicions to Yamaki, she was given one strict instruction and that was to keep Izzy Izumi under surveillance. Although there were perks. She did get to see the season opener on the side with the rest of the OU faculty by the sidelines.
"Is he still there?" Riley asked.
"He hasn't gone anywhere," Talley answered. "Still sitting up in the bleachers with the rest of his friends. And he's got that Digimon in his lap."
"Hard to believe everybody can fall for that 'stuffed animal' charade," Riley thought. "Isn't that right, sir? Sir?"
Yamaki wasn't paying attention. Talley looked over and saw what he was seeing. One of the faculty members was leaving. Yamaki had a look that Talley and Riley had grown accustomed to seeing. It was a look of total suspicion.
Yamaki walked over to the departing faculty member. "Leaving so soon?"
The female professor was caught off guard. "Yes, I suddenly remembered a prior engagement."
"You look like you're in a hurry," Yamaki persisted.
"I really am. I just got an urgent message on my pager. I really need to go."
"Alright then, I'll let you tend to your business then…er…I'm sorry. What was your name again?"
"Dr. Marquez."
"That's right. I thought you looked familiar."
"Yes, now please excuse me. I need to go!"
Dr. Marquez pushed past Yamaki and ran off, quickly losing herself from sight amongst the crowd that was rushing off to the restrooms. Talley and Riley slowly approached Yamaki while he turned to another faculty member.
"Can't believe she's rushing off so soon," Yamaki told him.
"Oh, she's always running off like that," the other professor said. "She's hardly ever around, especially lately."
"Is that right?" Yamaki muttered under his breath.
Yamaki walked over to his two partners and walked them aside. It looked it was time for a conference amongst the undercover Hypnos crew.
"I don't like it," Yamaki said. "I've had my eye on her…"
"Is that right?" Riley interrupted with a hint of jealousy.
"That's right," Yamaki said with his no-nonsense tone. "I believe we may have our next suspect."
"But she's already gone," Riley pointed out. "She left through the crowd."
"We haven't lost ALL our suspects," Talley cut in. "Izzy Izumi's still in his seat."
"Keep your eye on him, Talley," Yamaki instructed. "Don't let him out of your sight. Riley, come with me. We're going to try and catch up to Dr. Marquez."
Before Riley could even say anything, she was being dragged off by the arm. Talley suddenly found herself alone. Keeping surveillance on one Izzy Izumi suddenly became a one-woman task. But she was more than up to it.
She had a gut feeling that there was more to Izzy than met the eye.
It was nearly halftime and the timing wouldn't be better. The best time to strike would be when nobody was expecting anything to happen. The Digimon Empress knew that. And apparently, nobody was expecting anything to happen. She peered past the back of the parking lot and got a good look at the university's stadium. OU Public Safety was nowhere to be seen. The time to bring him out was now.
The Digimon Empress sent the signal and Datamon was more than eager to open the Digital Field. And once the Digital Field opened, SuperStarmon nonchalantly walked out. The Digimon Empress tried to give the instructions, but trying to tell a big-headed star what to do proved to be a futile task.
"Ok, it's almost halftime. I want you to…"
"Can you hear my audience calling me? My adoring fans! Excuse me, young lady. I wouldn't want to deprive them of a show."
SuperStarmon didn't even wait for any further instructions, but just brushed everything off and kept on walking. The Digimon Empress slapped her forehead and reached for her communicator.
"He doesn't listen!" she snarled into her communicator.
"Just leave him be," Datamon instructed from the other end. "He'll either get the job done or meet his Waterloo. You just maintain surveillance from a safe distance and report whatever you see. There's still much to learn from the Tamers' fighting techniques."
Having received that order, The Digimon Empress decided to go find a safe place to watch the fireworks. The season opener was about to take a very interesting twist and it would be something Odaiba University would remember for a long time to come.
The game was scoreless as halftime was approaching. While Izzy was never the athletic type, he did enjoy watching these games with his friends. And his friends were all enjoying the season opener. So was Tentomon, who was on his lap and just wouldn't stay in the apartment or the Digital World. Everyone had their eye on the game, except for Mimi who just kept looking around.
Joe was the first to question it. "Mimi, what are you looking for?"
"I can't help but think people are staring," Mimi huffed. "Izzy, did you have to bring HIM along?"
Izzy looked down at Tentomon. Carrying around a 'stuffed animal' undoubtedly had him sticking out like a sore thumb.
"He wanted to see the game," Izzy answered. "What else can I say?"
"At least Joe was able to keep Gomamon in my room," Mimi shot back. "Couldn't you do the same for Tentomon? I'm sure the others could have used the company."
"He wants to see what the game is like," Izzy said dryly. "I can't just leave him behind."
Sora was also looking around. "Wasn't Tai supposed to meet us here?"
For the answer to that, everyone looked to their left at Matt.
"What's everyone looking at me for?" Matt asked calmly.
"You're his roommate," Joe pointed out. "Isn't Tai coming?"
"He said he wanted to try and bring that French girl Yolei's been rooming with. But knowing him right now, he's probably trying to give her a ride."
"I hope not," Sora moaned. "I'm worried about Tai getting hurt on that stupid motorcycle!"
"I know Tai can get a little crazy, but let's not worry too much," Izzy said. "We've all matured since the days of our youth and that includes Tai."
"Tai thinks he's matured TOO much," Joe pointed out. "He still feels like he's too old."
"You really think he'll be ok?" Mimi asked.
Izzy nodded positively. "If not, then may something horrible happen right now."
Usually, a statement like that wouldn't backfire on Izzy. That sort of thing usually happened to Davis. Unfortunately, as soon as the whistle blew for halftime…that's when something happened.
"My human public! Behold! The star has arrived!"
Everyone looked around to see where that voice was coming from, including the DigiDestined. Nobody could see where the call came from until Mimi pointed into the sky.
"Up there!"
Izzy and the rest looked up to see that there was something on top of one of the light posts. They could barely make out what it was, but whatever it was, it wasn't friendly.
The figure continued. "If this is halftime, then it's time to give you humans a halftime show you'll never forget! Halley Squall!"
A bright light came from the sky. It came closer and was revealed to be a red comet. It went on a direct course for the field and crashed by the middle of the field. It was then that the crowd figured out that this wasn't part of the halftime festivities and started scattering. The DigiDestined, of course, stuck around to see just what was causing this chaos.
They didn't have to wait long, because the figure leapt down from the lights and landed by the crash site. It was a Digimon.
"Is that Starmon?" Sora asked.
"I don't think so," Tentomon chimed in. "He looks different."
"I don't think that's the same Starmon," Matt added.
Izzy kept his eye on that Starmon look-alike. This was another threat, but unlike the others, it had actually struck the campus. He had to be stopped.
The crowd was scattering at this point. But the DigiDestined and Tamers weren't moving. Davis was the first one to stand up, after lifting Kari off his knee, of course. He didn't want to go through this now. He didn't want to see that a Digimon had actually stuck in HIS school.
"It looks like Starmon," Yolei thought. "But he looks red and…what's up with those shades?"
"Where's my adoring public going?" the star shouted from the field. "Nobody leaves during MY show!"
Takato pointed his Digivice towards the field. "SuperStarmon, ultimate level. The only thing bigger than his Halley Squall attack is his ego."
"Nobody crashes MY school's season opener!" Davis said nobly.
"Give it a few seconds," Henry said softly. "When everyone clears out, we can take him on."
Davis waited patiently. The Digimon were clear across campus. In fact, the only ones present were in the cooler. It would be up to Terriermon and Wormmon. Hopefully, they would be up for the fight.
TK could only imagine that the season opener was already underway. And here he was, five blocks away around an abandoned parking lot. But he was more than willing to miss the first half to prove he was better than Tai. Though, Tai did make one good point. Perhaps TK had bitten off more than he could chew when he challenged Tai to a race.
But there WAS one other ace in the hole for TK. Maybe he DID drive a busted Toyota, but there was one adjustment he had made to it. It was something he had worked on ever since Tai bought that motorcycle. And hopefully, it would even the playing field.
When TK arrived, he didn't make any of his anxieties visible. He arrived with a cocky smirk as he looked out the window. Quite a crowd was forming, obviously the street racing fans. That's when it started to sink into TK just what he was getting himself into. He had gotten himself into a STREET RACE!
It all went out the window, however, when he saw Tai revving up his motorcycle. TK remembered why he was there. He was going to show Catherine who the faster man was.
He could only hope that he wouldn't get himself killed in the process.
Next Time: A fight erupts on the soccer field when the DigiDestined and Tamers take on SuperStarmon. Can Terriermon and Wormmon hold their own while Takato searches for Guilmon the mascot? Meanwhile five blocks away, a whole DIFFERENT kind of battle takes place. It's a street race between Tai and TK! But is TK really going to race his busted Toyota…or has he given it a boost? And there's yet another different kind of conflict somewhere else. What ended up happening between Ryo and Rika? And what's happening at the other side of campus, where all is peaceful? How is Calumon going to keep peace between Renamon and Gatomon on THIS night? @_@ 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!