Last Week: The Odaiba University soccer season opener began and the Tamers were more than surprised to be reunited with their old friend, Ryo Akiyama. But they weren't the only ones who had their reunion with Ryo. After many years, Ken and Ryo have reunited also. Of course the BIG reunion was Ryo and Rika. And that ended with Rika storming off with Ryo chasing after her. The festivities were cut short, however, when SuperStarmon crashed the season opener and sent the crowd scattering. Meanwhile, there's another battle about to be waged. Tai and TK are about to have a street race for $50 and Catherine's affections! It looks like a mismatch on paper: Tai's motorcycle against TK's busted Toyota. But TK has an ace in the hole on this night.


Digimon: The College Years

Episode 15- The Fast and the Delirious


TK slowly pulled into the alley and pulled side-by-side with Tai's motorcycle before turning off the ignition. He stepped out of the car and walked over to Tai, who was casually revving his engine. Tai calmly removed his helmet, getting his hair to spring up, and gave him a cocky stare.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Tai smirked. "You really want to embarrass yourself like this?"

TK returned the smirk. "You won't be smiling when you see what I've got up my sleeve. Just get ready to race."

With a crowd quickly forming, TK walked over to his Toyota with a confident walk. On paper, this looked like a total mismatch. How could a busted Toyota stand a chance against a Honda Rebel motorcycle? But that's where TK's ace in the hole came into play.

The difference would be in TK's trunk…which contained a boost of NOS, otherwise known as nitro. It would give his car a much-needed boost and would likely be the difference between victory and utter humiliation. But he couldn't help but be a little wary.

"I hope I know what I'm doing."

Everyone was running and the DigiDestined and Tamers soon found themselves ready to take the field. Davis was more than willing to lead the way, but without Veemon, he could only do so much. But that didn't mean there weren't Digimon present.

Reading Davis's mind, Henry reached for the cooler and opened it up. Terriermon eagerly jumped out, feeling anxious for a battle.

"I'm ready this time, Henry! Send me in!"

Henry took out his Digivice. "Then get in there!"

Terriermon rushed down the bleachers and jumped the fence to get on the field while Henry reached into his pocket for one of his cards. He took one of his cards and slashed it through his Digivice.

"DigiModify! Digivolution activate!"

Digivolution

**Terriermon…Digivolve to…Gargomon!**

Davis hadn't seen a Gargomon since he met his friend, Willis, in Colorado. But there was a Gargomon, ready for a fight. But SuperStarmon just looked slightly annoyed.

"I don't like your attitude!" SuperStarmon bellowed. "You're planning to upstage me, aren't you?! Well, nobody upstages the STAR!"

Gargomon just shook his head. "Nobody likes temperamental stars. Gargo Laser!"

Gargomon released a number of turrets from the barrel on his hand, but each shot only bounced off SuperStarmon's shiny exterior. The attack only had the charismatic star yawning. As a counterattack, SuperStarmon grabbed a piece of the comet that fell on the field and tossed it at Gargomon, sending him flying into the soccer net. The net fell down and Gargomon found himself stuck.

SuperStarmon raised his hands. "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!"

"This isn't going well at all, is it?" Davis noted.

"I think SuperStarmon's leading in points," Yolei replied.

"We need another player on the field," Ken suggested. He pulled Wormmon out of the cooler and sent him down the bleachers before raising his Digivice. "Let's do it, Wormmon!"

**Wormmon…Digivolve to…Stingmon!**

Stingmon was ready to join in, but everyone had a hunch it wouldn't be enough. SuperStarmon didn't look like he'd give up without a fight.

"Takato, go find Guilmon!" Davis cried. "We're going to need him on this one!"

Takato looked around. "I don't see him! He was just here!"

"He might have gotten dragged off with the cheerleaders!" Kari thought. "They were heading for the locker room!"

Takato hurried off to search for Guilmon. Growlmon could really help turn the tide, because SuperStarmon looked to have the advantage, despite the numbers being against him.

Stingmon flew down to the field and attacked. "Spiking Strike!"

Even at close range, Stingmon's attack barely left a dent. All that did was get SuperStarmon even more ornery. He fought back by lifting up his shades.

"Galactic Eyes!"

An intense eye beam sent Stingmon down. After taking the champion bug down, SuperStarmon turned and slowly started stalking the DigiDestined and Tamers. Stingmon tried to get up and apparently made a discovery.

"A Black Gear!"

Stingmon tried to cut SuperStarmon off, but the star just turned around to intercept him. That's when everyone saw the Black Gear in his back. If there was one more Digimon around, the Black Gear could be destroyed. But Gargomon was stuck in the soccer net and Guilmon was still missing.

"HEY! Don't just huddle up together!"

Everyone looked at the other side of the bleachers. It was Matt and the older DigiDestined.

"Don't create one target! Scatter!"

That was the only instruction everyone needed to hear. The DigiDestined and Tamers started scattering across the field. But things weren't getting any better. SuperStarmon was winning the battle with Stingmon. Davis peered over towards the locker room.

They needed Takato and Guilmon.

Everyone had scattered, but Talley wasn't about to go anywhere, even in the midst of a Digimon attack. She had a job to do. With the Digimon attack coming so suddenly in the middle of the game, she knew it had to be the work of the mole who brought it in. And she had a feeling that she was looking straight at the mole, who was walking onto the field with that other Digimon.

It had to be Izzy Izumi.

Talley walked onto the field and decided to take the mole down now. But what she didn't see coming, was that SuperStarmon had jumped onto her path, apparently having tossed the bug out of his way.

"There's nothing a star hates more than an uncooperative audience!"

SuperStarmon looked like he was about to attack. That's when Izzy suddenly turned around.

"Professor Onodera!!"

Izzy let the Digimon out of his arms and he came right towards them.

**Tentomon…Digivolve to…Kabuterimon!**

The Digimon known as Kabuterimon tackled SuperStarmon and knocked him away from Talley. SuperStarmon got right back on his feet and began to fight back.

Izzy rushed over to Talley's side. "What are you still doing here? You have to run!"

Talley curiously looked over at the fight ensuing. "You're helping FIGHT that thing?"

Izzy struggled to find an answer. "Uh…well…yeah……you might say that."

"And here I thought you were working for the other side," Talley blurted out.

That seemed to have caught Izzy by surprise. "What?"

Talley had a feeling her cover may have been blown. For a government agent, she should have been able to come up with a fabricated story at the snap of a finger. But she couldn't just lie to this guy. He had saved her life.

"We need to talk."

Rika didn't even go back to her dorm. She actually walked away from the school and decided to take a walk. What she didn't know, but should have expected, was that there was someone else walking behind her.

"Rika, wait!"

"Go away!"

She didn't want to see Ryo, but he just wouldn't leave. He kept following slowly behind her. She didn't want to turn around, but after almost an hour of this, she finally stopped and turned around.

"This could be considered stalking, you know!"

"I want to know what's upsetting you! Why do you keep running away from me? Did I do something wrong?"

Rika was astounded. "You really DON'T get it, do you? I can't believe you! I always thought you had more brainpower than Kazu and Kenta put together, but you don't have a clue, do you?"

Ryo looked legitimately stupefied. "Can you please tell me what I did?"

There was no use in trying to jog his memory. Rika tried the best she could, but it was all for naught. There was nothing more she could do, except give him a harsh reminder.

"A year ago, you moved away to Hong Kong. As if it wasn't bad enough that you left right before our senior year, you actually had the gall to leave without saying goodbye to me! Do you have any idea how it made me feel to have to hear it from Takato and Henry? Were you planning to send me a postcard or something?!"

Ryo blinked. "I…didn't think you'd be mad about it. Rika, I didn't think it was a big deal. We all knew it wouldn't last forever. In fact, it's been only a year and I'm already back. It wasn't like when I was stuck in the Digital World. This only lasted one year."

"That's not the point," Rika groaned. "You don't do that, Ryo! If you're leaving, you say goodbye. That's how it works!"

Ryo hesitated. "I…guess it hit you harder than I thought. I really didn't think it would, Rika." Then he smirked. "You must have really missed me, huh?"

That was enough to bring Rika back to her usual self. There was nothing that brought out the best (or worst) in Rika Nonaka than the ever-confident Ryo Akiyama.

"Yeah right," Rika scoffed. "Me? Miss you? Please!"

"Then why are you making such a big deal out of this?" Ryo grinned.

"It's the principle of the thing!" Rika said calmly. "Frankly, I could care less if you were still gone. If anything, it got people paying more attention to me. Not that I ever doubted who was better, but for some reason, people think you're some kind of…"

"Legend?"

"Yes, legend," Rika snarled through gritted teeth. "You know, that's another thing. You always thought you were so good!"

"I beat you, didn't I?"

"You got lucky!"

"That's not what Kazu and Kenta said."

"Kazu and Kenta have the combined IQ of a Twinkie! What do they know?"

"Doesn't matter what they know; it matters what they saw. And they saw me beat you."

Rika had no retort to that. Ryo had gotten the best of her again. And he obviously knew it, because he had that confident smile on his face. Rika nearly cracked a smile.

"Ok, I guess I'll admit that maybe…just maybe…I missed you…a little bit."

"A little bit?"

"That's all you get out of me! Don't push it, Mr. Legend!"

Ryo innocently put his hands up. "Ok, I'll take what I can get."

There was something about Ryo Akiyama that Rika found aggravating and charming at the same time. It was his seeming belief that he could do no wrong. Even if he had blatantly done something fallible, he always remained so positive about it. It was irritating…yet captivating.

"So you want to go back to the game?" Ryo suggested.

Rika shrugged. "Let's just walk around. It looks like a slow game anyway."

What was a soccer game less than an hour ago has now exploded into an all-out Digimon battle. And SuperStarmon was outnumbered. The DigiDestined and Tamers were at different corners of the field and the Digimon surrounded the ultimate-level ego. Stingmon and SuperStarmon stood face-to-face while Gargomon was trying to sneak up from behind, obviously hoping to take out the Black Gear on the star's back.

But it was like SuperStarmon had eyes in the back of his head. He saw Gargomon coming and quickly turned around.

"Galactic Eyes!"

An eye beam sent Gargomon to the ground. Stingmon tried to take advantage of the distraction and rush him, but SuperStarmon just caught the champion bug and tossed him aside like a sack of potatoes.

Izzy knew this wasn't going well and he knew it would have been a good time to jump in, but he was dealing with something else at the moment. He was dealing with his professor.

"Just who ARE you, anyway?" Professor Onodera demanded. "How did you get a Digimon? Are you a Tamer?"

"No, I'm a DigiDestined," Izzy answered. Then his eyes widened. "Wait! How do YOU know about the Tamers?!"

"Izzy, if you haven't noticed, we have a small problem over there," Kabuterimon cut in.

Izzy realized his partner was right. He looked over at his professor. "We have a lot to talk about."

"You don't know the half of it," Professor Onodera agreed.

There would be plenty of time to talk later on, but now was the time for action. It would take an ultimate-level Digimon to even up the odds. With that in mind, Izzy held up his Digivice.

**Kabuterimon…Digivolve to…MegaKabuterimon!**

Kabuterimon had reached the ultimate level and things were starting to look up. MegaKabuterimon took the field, just as the other two Digimon were recovering. That's when Davis stepped onto the field, himself.

"Ok, team! We've got him outnumbered! Let's do it!"

The three Digimon on the field struck.

"Spiking Strike!"

"Gargo Laser!"

"Horn Buster!"

Izzy started to get worried that such an onslaught of attacks would inadvertently eradicate SuperStarmon. Just as expected, there was huge impact in the form of an explosion at the center of the field. It looked like they got overzealous and killed a Digimon.

But to everyone's surprise…SuperStarmon began to emerge from the smoke.

"I will not be cancelled like some bad sitcom! The show WILL go on!"

Takato looked around the locker room. The players and cheerleaders were scattering everywhere and he didn't see any sign of his friend. He treaded carefully through the locker room, trying not to get knocked down by the evacuating students. When he couldn't find Guilmon, he ran into the shower room.

Each shower was turned on. That didn't make things any easier. Takato looked through each shower stall, one-by-one, finding emptiness. Then he looked in a stall that didn't have its shower on. And that's where he found Guilmon. Much to his surprise and shock, Guilmon was being held tightly by…a cheerleader.

"Hi Takato," Guilmon said calmly. "Uh…have you met my friend?"

"What are you doing?" Takato muttered dryly.

"She's scared, Takato," Guilmon answered.

"Is that thing still out there?" the cheerleader cried.

"I think help's on the way," Takato answered. He reached over for Guilmon's hand. "Let's go get that help!"

The cheerleader held Guilmon's other hand. "You won't leave me, will you, Gil?"

"Uh…gee…I don't know…"

"We have to go…Gil," Takato persisted.

Guilmon obviously didn't want to leave this cheerleader. But this was a dire situation and it looked like he knew that. So Guilmon moved towards Takato while making sure to comfort his cheerleader friend.

"You'll be ok. We have to get help. I'll be back later."

The cheerleader was shaken, but nodded slowly. Now that this issue was settled, Takato started dragging Guilmon towards the back door that led outside.

"Who was that?" Takato asked curiously.

"Her name was……uh…darn, I knew I forgot something."

"Oh never mind."

Once Takato and Guilmon were safely out the door, they looked around to make sure the coast was clear. And with nobody around, it was time to take things to the next level.

"If SuperStarmon is as tough as I think he is…then I think you know what we have to do."

Guilmon nodded knowingly. There was one more trick that Takato had up his sleeve. And it was time to reveal it. Takato held up his Digivice.

Biomerge Digivolution

"Biomerge Digivolution activate!"

**Guilmon…Biomerge to…Gallantmon!**

It had been a very long time, but Takato had once again resorted to Biomerging. It would be up to the Mega-level Gallantmon to save the day.

Gatomon just batted around a ball of string. "Is it me or is this night really boring?"

Renamon sighed deeply. "I agree with you, for once. It's a shame that everybody is across campus, because that leaves us on our own."

"There isn't even a soccer game on TV at this hour!" Gatomon cried. "I can't spend this night bored out of my skull…ESPECIALLY with YOU!"

"You think I'M thrilled about this?!" Renamon demanded. "I'd love nothing better than to toss you around right now, but we agreed we wouldn't. And it's too bad, because you're such a weak little furball. I'd make short work of you."

"That's not how it went last time!" Gatomon shot back. "I had you going!"

"As I recall, I was winning last time."

"You were winning because you spit water in my face!"

"And you only got a brief advantage because you jumped me by surprise!"

Calumon thought he was having a relatively easy night. No conflicts had arisen between Renamon and Gatomon until now. It looked like the little one would have to try and ease tensions once again. Then he got an idea.

"Hey, Impmon? I think I have a way we can all get along!"

Impmon just casually chewed on a hot dog. "They look like they're about to lose it. You really think YOU can do anything about it?"

Calumon ran over to the closet. "I think Jeri might have something we can use. I remember seeing it a while ago."

Calumon realized he couldn't reach all the way up for what he was reaching for, so he had to use his head and grab a chair to reach up there. He tried to pull the box back, but he lost his balance and fell back. Impmon, ever considerate, caught Calumon…but dropped him a second later to catch the box.

Impmon scoffed when he saw the box. "THIS is what you're gonna solve the problem with?"

Calumon's ears shrunk. "I think it could work."

Curious as a cat, Gatomon walked over to Impmon. "What do you have there?" When she saw it, she actually smiled. "Now this could be fun."

"What is it?" Renamon asked curiously.

Gatomon held up the box and smirked. "Twister!"

Renamon sweatdropped. "PLEASE tell me that isn't what I think it is."

Calumon definitely had honorable intentions. A nice game would hopefully smooth things out between Renamon and Gatomon. However, there was the matter of Impmon. And Impmon decided to play instigator.

"You know, I have an idea of my own," Impmon began. "Since you two are so bent on wanting to know who's better, I propose…a little competition. And the name of the game is Twister. One-on-one. What do ya say?"

Gatomon snickered. "Oh, come on. I've never known anyone to be as stiff as Renamon. She wouldn't last five seconds."

"Is that what you think?!" Renamon snapped. "I'll show you, cat! I'm in!"

"So am I!" Gatomon shot back.

Calumon sweatdropped. "Uh…Impmon? This isn't what I really had…"

"Quiet," Impmon whispered back. "This could be loads of fun if it goes the way I think it will."

Tensions were rising again. Though the battle would be in a much more domestic setting, that didn't mean it wouldn't be any less intense. And Calumon could practically feel the fireworks about to go off.

"SET IT UP!!" Renamon and Gatomon snapped at Calumon.

Poor Calumon felt like he was caught in the middle. Playing peacemaker wasn't as much fun as he thought it would be.

TK could feel the sweat going down his temples as he sat behind the wheel. He looked to his left to see Tai revving the engine on his motorcycle, but with the helmet over his head, he couldn't tell what Tai was feeling. A large crowd had gathered on the sidelines and one man stood in between the two cars. He held up a white flag, which would signal the start of the race.

The goal was to reach the painted white line at the end of the alley first. It had to be at least a mile away. And though there were many people eager to see a good race, they immediately thought of the whole thing as a mismatch when they saw Tai's motorcycle…and TK's busted Toyota.

More than anything, TK was finding himself with something to prove. He had to prove that his car wasn't anything to be laughed at. A lot of pride was at stake and he would show that motorcycles weren't all they were cracked up to be.

As Tai revved his motorcycle, TK decided to get his car started. Unfortunately when he turned the key…the car wouldn't start. The whole crowd went silent…with the exception of a few snickers.

TK stuck his head out his window. "It's ok! It'll be one second!"

The most embarrassing thing would be if he had to jumpstart his car for a race. But TK knew it wouldn't have to come to that. He gave the key one more turn and stepped on the gas. His Toyota finally got started. The crowd dramatically hushed as both engines revved, even though Tai's was much louder. And when the white flag was waved, the race began.

And as just about everybody expected, Tai pulled away early. TK's Toyota practically sputtered ahead while Tai wasn't even going at full speed. The old leader of the DigiDestined was as cocky as the hare was when he was smoking the tortoise.

That's when TK decided that it was time to pull ahead. He flipped the switch right by the parking brake to activate the NOS boost. Although TK had never actually USED the boost before, so when he flipped the switch, he got more than he bargained for.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

The Toyota now sputtered along, but at a blinding speed. TK pulled past a very surprised Tai, but that's when everything started to go wrong. The engine began to die and that wasn't good for the nitro. The car came to a stop and TK's trunk burst into flames. A chill went down TK's spine when he realized what was about to happen.

"That can't be good."

Without giving it a second thought, TK threw his door opened and leapt out of his car. He ran as far as he could before his car finally exploded. The explosion sent TK diving for the ground and when he raised his head, he saw that he was right at the foot of Tai's motorcycle.

Tai whistled. "Isn't that something?"

TK turned around and saw that his Toyota was nothing more than a pile of flaming parts now. His car was totaled.

Tai shook his head. "TK, don't you realize that nitro doesn't mesh well with a pile of junk?"

TK stayed silent momentarily before he finally asked. "Did I at least win?"

Tai pointed at the line. TK was astounded when he saw that he had missed the white line by a few feet. He missed it by that much.

"I think it's safe to say you forfeit, since your car's toast," Tai grinned.

"Maybe you're right," TK grumbled. "Ok, you can take Catherine to the game."

"What about my $50?"

"You'll get it after my next paycheck!" TK growled. Then he realized something. "That is, if I still have a job! How am I supposed to deliver pizzas without a car?!"

Tai nodded. "Good point. Oh well. You can worry about that while I take Catherine to the game." He was about to drive off, but when he looked around, he turned the engine off. "Uh…where is she?"

TK looked around, too. "I thought she was with you."

Silence.

"Don't tell me I went through all this for nothing!" Tai cried.

"What about what *I* went through?!" TK shot back. "I lost my car!!"

"Well, that's just great. I completely wipe you out in a race and Catherine isn't even here to see it. I was actually feeling young for the first time in a long time. Hop on, I'll give you a ride back to campus. Maybe we can catch the end of the game."

TK got on the back of the motorcycle. "We've got to stop letting girls drive us crazy."

"No kidding. I tell your brother that all the time."

TK shrugged. "I really should take after him. He's smart enough to stick with the right girl."

"I thought you HAD the right girl."

That hurt. As soon as Tai said that, TK immediately thought of Kari and what they used to share together. It was hard for him to cope with knowing that it was really over between them, especially since it was never his decision to break up. He still tried to convince himself that moving on was the best thing.

If anything, this whole fiasco was at least getting his mind off of Kari…and off his classes.

There was now a standoff on the field. Stingmon, Gargomon, and MegaKabuterimon had thrown everything at SuperStarmon but the kitchen sink. Not only was the star still standing, but he was still tossing out annoying one-liners like nobody else could.

"Is that it?" SuperStarmon scoffed. "I've had tougher battles with rowdy fans and autograph chasers. I've had tougher battles with a two Digi-dollar steak. Come on, put some muscle into it!"

Gargomon and Stingmon groaned. This was getting tiring and they just wanted the fight to end. MegaKabuterimon went ahead and tried to bring the fight to him.

"Horn Buster!"

But like all the other attacks, that one just created an explosion from which SuperStarmon emerged unscathed. The DigiDestined and the Tamers were getting visibly frustrated and the Digimon Empress couldn't enjoy it more.

She had the best seat in the house. She was right underneath the visitors' bleachers, watching the whole show. The only problem she had was that SuperStarmon spent more time coming up with witty remarks and sarcastic quips than on getting the job done. It was just as she, Datamon, and Puppetmon thought. He was too cocky for his own good. He's toying with them when he should be destroying them.

"So…you guys give up?" SuperStarmon smirked.

"Give up?" Gargomon growled. "We aren't giving up!"

"And who's gonna stop me?"

"I will!"

That wasn't any of the three Digimon there. The Digimon Empress distinctly heard someone else boldly stepping up to the plate. She looked over and saw that a fourth ally had arrived for the DigiDestined and Tamers. One whom she didn't recognize. He looked like a tall knight, with a lance on his right hand and large round shield on his left. He wore white armor and a large red cape that blew in the wind.

His presence angered SuperStarmon. "Hey, what is this? Don't you know that Medieval movies are a thing of the past?!"

"I'm not an actor, I'm a hero! And I'm here to put a stop to you, SuperStarmon, and teach you a lesson for ruining our season opener!"

That was a second voice that came out of this Digimon. The Digimon Empress had heard it before, but she couldn't place where.

"Who is that?" Stingmon muttered under his breath.

"That's Gallantmon!" Gargomon announced. "Mega Digimon with a sense of justice as big as his cape. He should be more than able to handle this clown!"

Gallantmon and SuperStarmon went one-on-one and circled each other. It was like a western showdown, something that would be more characteristic of a cowpoke like Starmon. Finally, SuperStarmon attacked first by lifting his shades.

"Galactic Eyes!"

The eye beams bounced harmlessly off Gallantmon's shield. That got the cocky star nervous…and cowering.

"Uh…hey, that's a neat shield you have there. I was just joking, pal. WAIT! I don't do my own stunts!"

Gallantmon rushed forward. "Lightning Joust!"

After taking just about everything the other Digimon could dish out, Gallantmon's Lightning Joust attack sent SuperStarmon flying. The Digimon Empress's jaw dropped. That was unparalleled power.

"Datamon, are you seeing this?" she whispered into her communicator.

"That is a very interesting Digimon. And VERY powerful. We may be in over our heads. You'd better report back here. We need to regroup."

Gallantmon went with his next attack. "Shield of the Just!"

Attacking with his enormous shield, Gallantmon nailed SuperStarmon right in the face. The star flew back until he hit the post of the soccer goal. He fell on his face and struggled to get up. He had been beaten. Not just beaten, but utterly wiped out by Gallantmon.

The Digimon Empress grumbled. "Powerful, indeed."

Finally having the opening he needed, Gargomon aimed and fired. "Gargo Laser!"

The Black Gear on SuperStarmon's back was blown into oblivion. The battle was over. With SuperStarmon still down on the ground, the DigiDestined and Tamers took the field.

DigiDestined leader, Davis Motomiya, looked up at the hero of the night. "Gallantmon?"

"Guilmon's Mega form," Henry cleared up.

"You guys can reach Mega?" Ken asked.

"Yeah," a second voice of Gallantmon's answered. "But there IS a little more to it than you might think."

Davis was in awe. "TAKATO?!"

The DigiDestined present couldn't believe what they were seeing. Frankly, neither could The Digimon Empress. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. Takato was a part of Gallantmon. Takato WAS Gallantmon!

Gallantmon cleared his throat. "Uh…ok…guys…this is how Tamers reach Mega. We Biomerge with our Digimon."

The DigiDestined were speechless.

Henry cleared his throat. "I guess we have even more to talk about."

With this new information in mind, The Digimon Empress knew she had to rush back to the Digital World. Biomerging was a whole new thing they hadn't factored in at all.

After the battle was over, Izzy felt like he was hallucinating. He couldn't believe what he saw and what he heard. And now his mind was filled with more curiosity than it had ever been. This must have been what Gennai was referring to when he said that the Tamers had more tricks up their sleeves. This was a whole new way to reach the Mega level and Izzy was more than excited about it.

Though as much as he wanted to rush over to Gallantmon and get all his questions out in the open, he knew that there were other questions that needed addressing. And all those questions regarded Professor Onodera, who was looking right at him.

"So you're not just a plain Teachers' Aide, are you, Izzy?"

"And you're not just an ordinary college professor, are you, Professor Onodera?"

Professor Onodera nodded and walked over to meet up with MegaKabuterimon, who was walking back. Izzy tagged along right behind her as MegaKabuterimon devolved into Motimon and jumped into his arms.

"Who are you?" Izzy asked. "Really?"

Professor Onodera answered with a question of her own. "Did you say you were a DigiDestined?"

"That's right."

"Then you and I need to see somebody," Professor Onodera replied. She handed Izzy a card. "Call this number on Monday morning and meet me in the computer lab. We're going to have a little meeting with my superior."

"Superior? Are you some kind of government agent?"

There was a twinkle in Professor Onodera's eye. "Come by on Monday and find out."

Without walking to any of the other DigiDestined or Tamers, Professor Onodera started to walk off the field. Izzy didn't know what to make of this at all.

All questions would be answered on Monday.

Gatomon and Renamon stood with their arms crossed and their backs to one another. They had matching sour expressions on their faces, something that was quickly becoming routine. Calumon hated to see them like this. He didn't think these would get so intense…over a game of Twister.

The mat was out in the middle of the floor. Impmon was standing on the table with the spinner in his hand, ready to referee the whole thing. And to drive home the intensity of the competition, Renamon and Gatomon turned around and glared at each other coldly.

"Alright, let's get the party started," Impmon smirked. He spun the spinner. "Right hand, blue."

Without taking their eyes off one another, Renamon and Gatomon put their right hand on a blue circle.

"Right foot, green."

The green circle was in front of the blue circle. Therefore, they both had to turn around to put their foot in the right place. Of course, Renamon turned clockwise, nearly tripping Gatomon. She managed to stand on one hand to avoid getting her legs swept out from under her.

"Nice try, Foxy."

Renamon just growled like a wild animal upon hearing that moniker. Calumon noticed that she was turning a shade of red, a big difference from her usual yellow.

The game continue with left foot on yellow, right hand on green, left hand on red, right foot on blue, and left hand on blue. Now both Digimon were on two feet, but bending down with their arms crossed in front of them on the ground. It didn't bode well for Gatomon, because Renamon's furry tail was literally in her face…and tickling her nose.

"Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah…CHOO!"

"EWWW!!"

Renamon took a spill on the ground when Gatomon sneezed on her. She was rolling around uncontrollably, losing her head like Calumon had never seen before.

"And that makes Gatomon the winner," Impmon grinned.

"That's not fair!" Renamon cried. "She sneezed on me! I have cat germs all over me!"

"I beat you fair and square, Renamon," Gatomon smirked. "You don't have nerves of steel and catlike reflexes like I do."

Renamon reached for a towel and frantically cleaned her fur. Then she tossed the towel aside.

"I guess you can't beat me at Twister, either," Gatomon grinned. "Why don't you just admit that I'm better than you?"

Renamon sighed. "You know, it's a shame that I can't let Rika watch me wring your neck, because then I'd be on my way back home."

"That's a very good point, Foxy," Gatomon said smugly.

Renamon suddenly got in Gatomon's face. "But Rika isn't here…IS SHE?!"

Gatomon gulped as the room quieted to a hush. After a brief moment of silence, Renamon reached over and put her arms around Gatomon's neck, strangling her furiously.

"Just like that show my old Tamers used to watch all the time," Impmon chuckled.

Calumon ran over to try and separate them. "Renamon, STOP! Let go! What if someone comes in right now! You could get sent home! Cut it out! Impmon, HELP ME!"

The scene had degenerated into chaos. Renamon had a firm grip on Gatomon's neck. Gatomon had now reached over for Renamon's neck. Poor Calumon was trying to loosen their grips to no avail. And Impmon…was eating popcorn on the table.

And as if things couldn't get any worse…the door suddenly opened. And when it did, all action came to a screeching halt and all eyes were on the door.

Calumon waved cheerfully. "Hi Jeri!"

Jeri Katou was standing speechless at the door. "What's going on here?!"

Renamon and Gatomon released their grips and pointed at each other. "SHE STARTED IT!"

Jeri frowned. "Calumon, I thought you had things under control. And Impmon…why are you just sitting there eating popcorn?!"

Impmon shrugged. "I haven't seen a fight this good since the last soccer riot."

Jeri wandered over to the bickering Renamon and Gatomon and put a hand on each of their shoulders. "I thought you two were starting to get along. I thought you two could hold in your grudge. Are you telling me that your rage towards one another is worth risking being sent home? What do you two have to say for yourselves?"

Both Digimon hung their heads down, while facing away from one another.

"I have let my anger overcome me," Renamon said shamefully. "I lost control."

"Yeah, I didn't exactly help, either," Gatomon added.

"So will you two just shake hands?"

"NO!" they both snapped.

Jeri sighed and put a hand in her pocket. When she put it back up, she revealed her sock puppet.

"If you don't, I'll tell Rika and Kari about this," the puppet threatened. "And then you'll BOTH be heading home!"

Renamon and Gatomon gulped before hastily shaking hands.

Jeri grinned and looked at her puppet. "It's a start."

"We'll keep working on it," the puppet said.

Calumon looked over at the calendar and realized that he had only been on this campus for a few weeks. He couldn't bear to think how much of a chore playing peacekeeper would be in the future.

He didn't want to play this game anymore.

"You didn't have to follow me back here."

Rika tried to stray as far from Ryo as she could, yet he was still following along right behind her. She didn't know what he was doing there since she certainly wasn't about to invite him into her room.

"I just wanted to make sure you got back safely," Ryo said innocently.

"I don't need anybody's protection," Rika growled. "I can take care of myself! You, of all people, should know that."

"Yeah, I guess I should. So…as long as I'm here…don't you want to invite me in?"

"No."

Ryo smirked as they reached Rika's door. "What's the matter? Your room a mess?"

"I happen to be VERY clean! My roommates and I may not have too much in common, but we're all the same in that respect."

"Your roommates? I don't think I've met them."

"Well, you know Jeri and then there's…"

Rika stopped. She saw a lot of Kari's personality traits in Ryo and vice versa. The only difference was that Ryo was so confident that it sometimes got to the point of arrogance, while Kari totally played it innocent when it came to her perfections.

"…Kari."

"I think I might have seen her at the game. She's pretty cute."

"You and Kari are cut from the same mold," Rika quipped sarcastically. "You both live to annoy me and it's a wonder I can tolerate either of you!"

"Oh, now I'm curious. I want to get to know this girl a little better."

"Well, that's too bad because she's not here! And neither should you! Don't you have a home?"

"Yeah, I have a little place. Just a temporary little apartment while I take the year off. I can take a hint, Rika. I'd better go find Takato and Henry, anyway. But I'll definitely see you around."

"I look forward to it," Rika grumbled.

Rika stuck around with her hand on the doorknob as Ryo turned to walk away. But there was one more thing she wanted to say before he left.

"Hey! You owe me a rematch!"

"Rika, you've never beaten me before in your life. It's getting pretty boring."

Rika turned beet red. "I'll show you, Ryo Akiyama! You are NOT that good!"

"You just keep telling yourself that, Rika. You might even start to believe it someday."

Rika felt like screaming. This was an exercise in frustration. But she wouldn't give Ryo the satisfaction of seeing her explode. So she waited until he was safely out of sight before turning the doorknob to unleash her anger somewhere else. Unfortunately, the room was occupied.

Jeri had come back. She looked at Rika curiously, noting the shade of angry red her face had turned, the fire in her eyes, and the angry twitch just above her right eye.

Renamon seemed to know what that meant. "Uh oh…I know that look…"

Jeri knew it, too. "He's back…isn't he?"

Rika answered that question with a scream. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

After the whole debacle on the soccer field, students were all over campus and so were police and campus security. With all the boys in blue out there, the team decided to go off campus to grab a bite to eat. Davis wasn't exactly hungry and neither was Kari, which made it the best time for them to have a moment to themselves. It was too bad that Kari's mind was elsewhere.

"Is a normal college life too much to ask?" Kari grumbled.

Davis shook his head. "I don't know about that one, but this was a great night! Sure, the season opener got crashed, but I think we really came together tonight as a team: DigiDestined and Tamers."

"Doesn't any of this worry you at all, Davis? We don't even know what we're up against right now."

"Doesn't matter," Davis said confidently. "Whatever we're up against, we can take care of it because we're a team. We'll always come out on top, no matter what it is."

Kari giggled. "That's what I really like about you, Davis. You're so…"

"Handsome? Dashing? Cunning?"

"Optimistic."

"Oh. Well…I'm that, too."

After getting through the crowd, Davis and Kari reached the relatively empty dorm building. After all they had been through, this was a great romantic setting and no one knew it more than Davis. He pulled Kari a little closer and put his arms around her waist.

"I always dreamed of holding you like this."

Kari smiled. "You aren't dreaming anymore."

Davis was about to reach over for a kiss, until…

Kari gasped. "TK!"

Davis shifted his gaze to see that TK was just arriving. He looked exhausted…and curious.

"Is there a reason why there are police everywhere?" TK asked.

"We had a Digimon attack," Kari answered. "But we beat him and got the Black Gear off safely. Right now, he's back in the Digital World…as cocky as ever."

"So I guessed I missed out?"

"You should have seen Takato!" Davis exclaimed. "We'll tell you all about it in the morning."

"All right. Where is everybody?"

"Out getting something to eat, except for Guilmon who went for a walk with a cheerleader."

"Huh?"

"We'll talk later."

"Oh…ok."

TK slowly made his way to the door and Davis and Kari kept their eyes on him.

"Are you alright, TK?" Davis asked.

TK looked back and saw Davis holding Kari affectionately. It was starting to sink into Davis that this may have been having a negative effect on him. It may have brought back old memories and it may be hurting him to Kari in someone else's arms.

But to his surprise, TK smiled. "Yeah. I'm just thinking about what a lucky guy you are. Good night."

TK walked into the building and no one was in as much shock as Kari was.

"I…wasn't expecting that," Kari said softly.

"But he's right, you know," Davis replied. "I am a lucky guy."

And with that, Davis finally reached over and kissed Kari. There were no interruptions this time around. They both kissed for nearly a minute before letting go and walking into the building, hand-in- hand.


Next Week: We get into Monday, where college life is starting to take its toll. Especially with projects worth 30% OF THEIR GRADE!! Who can handle the stress and who will crumble? Also, whatever happened to our ragtag team of Digimon: Agumon, Gabumon, Hawkmon, and Armadillomon? What happens when Izzy meets with Talley…and YAMAKI?! And two college rivals are about to meet in a soccer game. And for Kazu and Kenta, what better way to show school pride…than a PRANK?! Come see the prank…and the repercussions on the next Digimon: The College Years!


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