Last Week: The Odaiba Dragons and Shibuya Samurais share an intense rivalry that will culminate with Friday's soccer game, but OU was hit with a barrage of toilet paper and effigies by SU. To retaliate, Kazu and Kenta (with Terriermon, MarineAngemon, and Guardromon) decided to avenge their school by pulling off their next prank. Major assignments are being passed around Odaiba University. Catherine has one of those, yet Tai and TK are still insistent that she choose one of them. All three are set to go out together as 'just friends', but will Tai and TK stick to that? Izzy met with Yamaki for the first time, where Yamaki revealed how long he's known about Digimon and how he's known all about the DigiDestined. And Kari needs to start on a long assignment of her own, but was interrupted by another little competition between Gatomon and Renamon. But that should be the only interruption, right?
Digimon: The College Years
Episode 17- Grand Theft Samurai
Snooping around a strange campus wasn't an easy task, especially this late at night. But Kazu and Kenta were blending in well, MarineAngemon managed to stay hidden in Kenta's pocket, and Guardromon and Terriermon froze in their tracks and pretended to be statues whenever anyone came close. This secret mission was going well and it wouldn't be long before Kazu and Kenta exacted a prankster's revenge on behalf of Odaiba University.
Then they reached their destination. They made it to the Shibuya University's gymnasium. Luckily for them, none of the students were walking around the gymnasium that night and the school's basketball team had just finished practicing for the night. It didn't take the would-be pranksters long to find exactly what they were looking for.
Right by the trophy case, was the large golden statue of the Shibuya Samurai. It was a gold statue of a large samurai, covered in traditional Japanese armor and helmet and holding a sword victoriously in the air.
"Prank #63-A," Kazu began. "Take the rival school's most beloved symbol. So before the big game, we swipe the one symbol that the Shibuya Samurais have the most pride in: the Shibuya Samurai statue. They stripped our school of our dignity, so we'll go ahead and strip them of theirs. Guardromon, you know what to do."
Guardromon walked over and wrapped his arms around the statue in a bear hug, gripping it tightly. With tremendous strength, he picked the statue off the ground and then held it over his head, awaiting further instructions.
"And with that, we're ready to carry it out."
"Kazu, don't you think we'd stand out just a bit with a huge robot holding up the Samurai statue?" Kenta pointed out.
"That's a good point," Kazu muttered. "I don't think we'd be able to hide that thing until we get to the van."
MarineAngemon's head suddenly popped out of Kenta's pocket. "Terriermon."
Kazu looked around. "Hey! He's not a Digimon of many words, but he makes a good point, too. Where's Terriermon?"
**BEEP**
Kazu and Kenta turned around and saw a cart heading their way at full speed. Of course, since it was a cart, that wasn't very fast. Terriermon was in the driver's seat, honking the cart's horn with his left ear as he went. He brought the cart to a halt right in front of Guardromon.
"I found this by the storage bin," Terriermon grinned. "Some moron left the key in the ignition. We can take this back to the van."
"That still doesn't solve our problem," Kenta noted. "Don't you think the statue AND Guardromon might be a little too heavy for this cart?"
"Ok, then I'll have to go with a Plan B," Kazu muttered. He took out his Digivice and a card. With no one watching, he swiped the card through the Digivice. "DigiModify! Hyperspeed activate!" Before Guardromon dashed off, Kazu made sure to issue some instructions. "Get this thing straight to the van. Don't let anything get in your way and DON'T smash into any people!"
"Don't smash into any people and don't let anything get in my way," Guardromon repeated. "You got it, Kazu!"
After receiving those instructions, Guardromon speeded off like a blur. Unfortunately, everyone began to hear loud crashes.
"I'm afraid to ask, but what is that?" Kenta asked.
"Hop on and let's find out," Terriermon said.
Kazu and Kenta got on the cart and Terriermon drove it out of the gymnasium. It didn't take them long to find the source of the sounds. Several walls were smashed through and there was a distinct path of destruction leading all the way to the parking lot. Kazu didn't even want to think about it, but he knew exactly what it was.
Kazu gulped. "This looks bad."
It started to get worse when Shibuya University students started coming out of their dorms to see what was going on. SU Public Safety would be sure to follow. They were about to get caught.
Terriermon inched an ear towards the gas pedal. "Alright, we're busting out of here!"
Terriermon stepped on the gas and the cart was heading off at full speed…which wasn't very fast. But it was fast enough for the cart to drive through all the holes in the walls and all the way to the parking lot before too many people arrived. But Terriermon wasn't really that experienced a driver, so the ride was bumpy to say the least.
The cart drove through the holes in the wall and off the sidewalk onto the driveway, a bump so hard that MarineAngemon nearly bounced out of Kenta's pocket. Terriermon didn't exactly take the speed bumps slowly, either. And when they finally reached the parking lot, the cart didn't come to a slow stop. It came to an abrupt halt when it plowed into a tree.
"Nice one, Terriermon," Kazu groaned. He crawled out of the cart and walked over to Guardromon, who was stationed by the van. "And I'm afraid to ask, but what's with all that destruction out there?"
"You said to get the statue here and not let anything get in my way," Guardromon explained. "So I didn't let a little thing like buildings stop me."
Kazu slapped his forehead. It was yet another mixed-up message that resulted in a huge gaffe. Instead of this being completely inconspicuous, the students were filing out and Public Safety was more than likely on their way.
"Let's get out of here. Guardromon, put the statue on top of the van. Terriermon and MarineAngemon, tie it up."
Kenta reached into the back of the van and grabbed a pair of strong ropes. Terriermon and MarineAngemon each started to tie the statue to the van to make sure it didn't fall out on the way back to Odaiba University. Time was running short, because there were dozens of students stampeding towards the parking lot.
"Uh, that's good enough!" Kazu cried. "Everyone in the van!"
Guardromon took his place in the back and everyone else filed into their usual spots. Kazu fumbled with the key before placing it in the ignition and starting the van. With a clear path ahead of him, Kazu floored it, sending the van straight out of hostile territory. But as they reached the border of Shibuya University and the rest of the world, Kazu and Kenta stuck their heads out of the van windows and shouted back to the crowd.
"ODAIBA U RULES!!"
It was the only calling card anybody really needed. And with this prank in the books, Kazu felt a deep sense of satisfaction. The honor of his school had been avenged and Kazu felt like nothing could go wrong. But then Kenta had to go and open his mouth.
"Uh…Kazu?"
"Yeah, Kenta?"
"Where are we gonna stash this thing when we back?"
Kazu sweatdropped as he stopped at a red light. That was something he hadn't thought about. There was nothing more conspicuous than a large golden samurai statue on top of a van. What would he do with it?
"Uh…"
Silence. Kazu was fresh out of ideas. But someone else's mind was running a mile a minute. A light bulb had appeared over Terriermon's head.
"I know what to do! Just leave it to me!"
Kazu didn't know what Terriermon had in mind and neither did anyone else in the van. But there was a prankster's brain inside the long-eared Digimon's skull. Kazu was more than willing to trust that…especially since he had no ideas of his own.
Agumon found himself looking forward at a raging beast known as MetalTyrannomon. He didn't forget that the Gazimon told him about a metal beast that walked off with the human and this metal beast fit that description perfectly. And now the metallic brute was staring right at the four rookie Digimon on the ground.
"What do you think he wants?" Armadillomon asked.
MetalTyrannomon aimed for the four Digimon. "Fire Blast II!"
The rookie Digimon ran to avoid the fireball that engulfed several trees in flames.
"Does THAT answer your question?!" Hawkmon cried.
MetalTyrannomon slowly stalked his prey, the four rookie DigiDestined Digimon. They knew that these attacks could potentially cause a gargantuan forest fire. But this looked to be a total mismatch on paper.
"How do we stop him?" Hawkmon asked. "We can't Digivolve without our partners!"
"We don't need to stop him!" Gabumon pointed out. "We just have to take out the Black Gear, wherever it is!"
It didn't take long for Agumon to spot the Black Gear. It was on the back of the metal beast's neck. If Agumon had the proper diversion, he could take it out. But it looked like MetalTyrannomon had a one-track mind. He was bent on destruction. Trying to do something, Hawkmon and Armadillomon attacked.
"Feather Strike!"
"Diamond Shell!"
While it was a valiant effort, the attacks only bounced off the cyborg, ultimate-level MetalTyrannomon. No, rookie Digimon wouldn't get the job done on this night. They would need a plan and Agumon had one.
"Can you guys distract him for us?" Agumon asked.
Armadillomon gulped. "We'll give it our best shot."
Trying to avoid getting stepped on, Hawkmon and Armadillomon headed for a tree while Agumon and Gabumon ran in another direction. MetalTyrannomon paused and looked around, thinking about which pair to chase. Hawkmon made his decision easier by tossing a rock at his head. MetalTyrannomon chased after Hawkmon and Armadillomon, who had climbed up a tree and were waiting for him to come their way.
The tree was a couple of inches taller than MetalTyrannomon, but Hawkmon and Armadillomon were well within striking distance. However, they both looked to be ready. Armadillomon was still holding those bananas he had found. When MetalTyrannomon got close enough, Hawkmon and Armadillomon launched a banana barrage.
"Have a banana split!" Armadillomon shouted.
Squeezing the bananas from the bottom, they squirted out like yellow missiles. They each found their mark right in MetalTyrannomon's eyes, momentarily blurring his vision. If there was ever a time for Agumon to strike, it was now.
"Gabumon! Alley oop!"
Gabumon put his hands in front of him while Agumon gave himself enough running room. The rookie dinosaur dashed forward and jumped into Gabumon's hands, who boosted him into the air. Agumon landed on MetalTyrannomon's back, where he had a wide-open shot.
"Pepper Breath!"
Agumon's Pepper Breath attack went towards MetalTyrannomon's neck, just as he had hoped. It was a direct hit. The Black Gear dissolved into digital data. No longer under evil influence, MetalTyrannomon stopped his rampage and shook off the cobwebs.
Agumon was shrugged off and he fell to the ground. When he raised his head, MetalTyrannomon wandered off alone without even saying anything.
"Hey, wait!" Agumon called out. "We need to ask you some questions!"
MetalTyrannomon didn't listen. He just walked away, which was unfortunate because he could have told them who the human was who tossed that Black Gear in the first place.
"Well, we're back where we started," Gabumon sighed. "Now what?"
"We go back to Koromon Village for the night," Agumon answered. "And tomorrow, we come back and see if we find any more clues."
"I just wonder why we didn't use this?" Armadillomon thought. He held up the box that Gennai had given them.
"We want to use that as an absolute last resort," Agumon replied. "We'll use it if we run into any more trouble."
While the strange box remained unopened, it still emitted a bright glow from within, desperately trying to get out. It may come in handy and would have been useful against MetalTyrannomon, but Agumon had a hunch that this wouldn't be the last threat they encountered.
There would be more threats to come. Agumon just wished they had more clues to go with those threats.
The next day wouldn't pass fast enough. Davis kept an eye on his watch since the lecture was going slow. Finally, the professor dismissed them. Davis rushed out of the classroom. He was the first one out, but he didn't get far, because he ran into another one of his professors.
"Hello, Davis."
"Oh hey, Professor Yamaki!"
"Davis, you rushed out of my classroom so fast that I didn't get a chance to ask you about your short story."
"My short story? Is something wrong with it?"
"Oh no, on the contrary, it's quite fascinating. I especially liked the part about the little blue reptile, the little green worm, and the flying pig."
Davis sweatdropped. "Oh…I was just…going with whatever popped into my head."
"You've got quite an active imagination, Davis. I'll be keeping my eye on your work. This is good stuff."
"Oh…uh…thanks a lot, sir."
After getting that brief exchange out of the way, Davis kept on going. He couldn't wait to get back to his dorm after a long day of class.
It was just another normal day at Odaiba University. Nothing unusual happened after the scene yesterday involving the random act by some of the Shibuya University students. Things were relatively quiet. The only thing different was that there was some tall structure by the dorm building that was covered in a black tarp. It also had a sign that said 'Wet Paint'.
Yes, things were normal and Davis could only hope things would stay that way as he walked into the freshman dorm building. He made his way through the hall and was about to go off to his room, but he made a quick pit stop at Takato and Henry's room. Davis knocked and waited for an answer. Henry opened the door and Davis noticed Takato sitting on the bed, covering his nose.
"Can't take any chances around you, Davis," Takato muttered.
Davis was about to say something, but noticed something. "Where's Guilmon?"
"He's practicing," Terriermon answered. "Being a mascot for Friday's big game is a huge thing. They've got 'Gil' practicing around the clock."
"It's a wonder he hasn't been caught yet," Takato groaned. "I'm just glad everything's gone as well as it has."
Henry shrugged. "It sure doesn't LOOK like anything can go wrong."
"Henry, let me tell you something from personal experience," Davis cut in. "If you say something like 'nothing could possibly go wrong', then something WILL go wrong."
As if on cue, someone knocked on the door.
"See what I mean?"
"Davis, what are the odds that this is something bad?" Henry asked skeptically.
Henry opened the door and found a hysterical cheerleader with a slip of paper.
"I'm so glad I found you guys!" she cried.
"Hey, I remember you," Takato said. "You're that cheerleader I saw Guil…er…GIL with!"
"I didn't know who else to turn to," she said worriedly. "I remember you're one of his friends. Something awful has happened!"
"What is it?" Takato asked, now concerned.
The cheerleader handed Henry the note as everyone gathered around it, except for Terriermon who was frozen in the stuffed animal position.
Henry read the note. "We know it was you guys who stole the Shibuya Samurai statue. So to get even, we've taken your mascot! He's safe for now, but you won't see him again until you give back what belongs to us and that's the Shibuya Samurai statue! You have until before Friday's game to return the statue! Signed, the Shibuya Samurais. P.S. Shibuya U rules."
"You mean they've kidnapped Guil…er…Gil?" Davis asked.
"I looked everywhere but I only found that note," the cheerleader answered. "I'm so worried! I wonder what they're doing to poor Gil!"
"But what are they talking about?" Takato wondered. "What do they mean when they say we have the Shibuya Samurai statue?"
An 'EEP' came the corner of the room. Everyone turned to look at the corner and only saw Terriermon standing still. Davis looked a little closer to see that there was a sweatdrop on his temple. He was nervous about something.
"We'll…try and make some sense out of this," Henry told the cheerleader. "I'm sure Guil…er…Gil is just fine and I know he'll be ok. I mean, what could possibly happen to him? We'll get in touch with you…uh…what's your name?"
"Kamika," she answered. "Do you really think he'll be ok?"
"I know he'll be just fine," Henry said comfortingly. "We'll be in touch. In the meantime, I'm sure you have homework. We wouldn't want to keep you distracted."
Before Kamika could say anything else, Henry shut the door practically in her face. When the coast was clear, he walked over to Terriermon, who was starting to sweat nervously. He was obviously hiding something.
"Terriermon! Do you know anything about this?"
"Henry, where do you get these wacky ideas?" Terriermon asked innocently. "What makes you think *I* would know anything about this?"
"Maybe it's because you suddenly disappeared yesterday and didn't come back until the middle of the night," Henry pointed out.
"I was just taking a walk."
"A walk where?"
"Uh…um…you know…walking."
"If you don't tell me the truth, I'll send you back home and you can stay with Lopmon!"
"NO! Not that! Ok, I'll talk! We went to Shibuya University last night and took the statue! We were gonna give it back after Friday's game! We just wanted to get back at them for what they did yesterday!"
"Terriermon, who's 'we'?" Takato asked.
With impeccable timing, someone knocked on the door. Davis turned the knob and pulled the door open, revealing the two probable culprits: Kazu and Kenta.
"Hey, guys," Kazu grinned. "How's it hanging?"
Takato knew exactly what to say. "You guys stole a STATUE?!"
Kazu frowned. "Jeez, thanks a lot, Terriermon. Didn't take much to get you to crack."
"We didn't 'steal' the statue," Kenta said innocently. "We just…borrowed it…until after Friday's game."
"No better way to send a message," Kazu added. "Don't mess with Odaiba U!"
The two exchanged a high five. They were awfully proud of themselves. But that's when Henry held up the note.
"Uh…I think they retaliated."
Kazu took the note and started reading it while Kenta looked over his shoulder. When Kazu finished reading it, he stood frozen while Kenta looked around the room.
"Hmm…I knew something was missing," Kenta muttered.
"I think that tops anything we've done," Kazu added. "Too bad. I really thought WE'D come out on top on this one. So, Kenta…anymore bright ideas?"
"Huh?! This was YOUR idea!"
"Do we have to throw around blame? Kenta, that's so childish."
"I don't care WHOSE idea this was!" Takato shouted. "But you guys are gonna give back that statue and get Guilmon back!"
"I think you guys took things a bit too far," Henry said, in a tone calmer than his friend's. "Stealing a school's STATUE? What's the matter with you? And where did you guys find a place to hide something that big, anyway?"
Kazu shook his head. "No clue. Terriermon, what'd you do with the statue?"
Terriermon walked over to the window and jumped out. "Follow me."
Davis felt like a spectator in this whole argument. Everyone followed out the window and Davis just shrugged and followed along. Terriermon led them to the big structure that was covered in the black tarp. Terriermon removed the 'Wet Paint' sign and the black tarp to reveal a giant golden statue. The image of the warrior in armor holding a sword triumphantly in the air meant that this was the Shibuya Samurai statue.
"How did you guys get it all the way out here?" Davis asked.
"That's the awesome thing about having Guardromon around," Kazu said proudly. "He carried that thing like it was a marshmallow."
"That's great, Kazu, but you guys have to give it back," Henry said. "The school's really gonna want Guilmon for Friday's game and there are already people worried about him, like his cheerleader friend. And what if someone tries to take off his 'costume'? Do you guys have any idea what could happen?"
"I'm still on the part about Guilmon's cheerleader friend," Kenta replied.
"Yeah, I can't believe Guilmon could land a cheerleader and Henry's still by himself," Kazu added. "So much for Shinjuku High's Most Eligible Bachelor."
Henry groaned. "Guys, that's not the…………hey, what do you mean by that? I could get a cheerleader if I wanted to."
"Can we discuss that later?!" Takato growled. He angrily turned to Kazu and Kenta. "Give them the statue and get Guilmon back!"
"But that means we'll have to take Guardromon apart again," Kazu whined.
"DO IT!!" Takato snapped.
Kazu and Kenta, with their heads hanging down, headed back to the dorms, undoubtedly going to retrieve Guardromon. Terriermon waved with his right ear.
"Good luck, guys!"
"You're going, too," Henry said dryly.
"Huh? Why me?"
"Because you were just as big a part of this as they were. Now march!"
"Aw, Henry…"
"You want to spend the rest of the year with Lopmon?"
"Ok, ok, I'm going!"
Terriermon slowly pouted his way towards Kazu's van. Davis felt like he was watching part of a loving, bickering family.
"Henry, what if they DO try to take the mascot's costume off?" Takato thought.
"They won't find much, that's for sure," Davis answered.
"That's just it!" Takato said worriedly. "That's the whole problem! I don't want them to find out that he's a Digimon!"
This was a potentially dangerous situation. With the recent outbreak of menacing Digimon, this whole thing could turn sour really quick if Guilmon was discovered.
It was up to Kazu and Kenta to make things right again.
After getting through another day, Kari headed back to her room. Just like the day before, there was nobody around (no humans, anyway) and she had the room all to herself. So just like the day before, she placed her calculus book on her desk and opened it up. She was ready to get started on her paper without anymore interruptions.
She ignored Renamon, who was grumbling as she cleaned up Gatomon's litter box. She didn't want to let anything else distract her. But it wasn't meant to be on this day, either, because just as Kari was about to type her first word, someone knocked on the door.
Kari shut her eyes. "It's open."
The door slowly opened. It was much like the way Rika sometimes opened it. Kari was thinking it was probably her, but how could she have forgotten to take her key? Kari turned around and saw that it actually wasn't Rika. It was someone else.
"Hey, I remember you."
It was Ryo Akiyama, with a light-hearted smile on his face. "I guess I came at a bad time. Is Rika around?"
"Oh…I think she went to grab a bite off campus. I'm sorry you missed her."
"It's ok. I guess I can always catch her some other time."
"Wait! Don't leave! I'd hate to think you came all the way out here for nothing. Have a seat."
Ryo stepped in and looked around. He waved as soon as he saw Renamon. "Haven't seen you around." He looked a little closer. "Are you…?"
"Don't ask," Renamon snarled.
Ryo shrugged and pulled up a chair to sit down. He sat right across from Kari and the two were looking at each other face-to-face.
"I heard about you," Kari began. "Ken mentioned you a few times. When I heard Rika talk about you, I really didn't think it was the same guy. Ken said you were lost in the Digital World."
"I was for a long time," Ryo explained. "I was lost after engaging in a fierce battle with an evil Digimon known as Millenniumon. After he was beaten, there was no way for me to get home. But I found my way back home when I met the other Tamers. I'm sure Rika's told you about our adventures there?"
"She mentioned a lot about you," Kari giggled. "Well…she never actually mentioned your name, but she talked a lot about you. I think she really missed you…but it sounded like she really hated you, too. You know, if I ever asked her about it, she's probably shut me up. Maybe I can ask you."
"You want to know about me and Rika?" Ryo smirked. "Rika was one of the first Tamers to find me out in the Digital World. Kazu and Kenta recognized me. They saw me as a legend. Rika wanted to test that, so we played a round of the Digimon Card Game. Rika was known as the Digimon Queen around West Shinjuku, because there was nobody who could beat her. Then…I actually beat her."
"She never told me that."
"It's because she'll always deny it. But ask Kazu and Kenta. They were there. They saw me beat Rika, fair and square. You should have seen the look on her face. She couldn't believe someone actually beat her. I've been giving her rematches for years and she's never been able to win. You know, it's kinda funny. She looks at the way I play and the way I go about life and she just gives me attitude because she thinks I'm perfect. Has that ever happened to you?"
"Oh, you bet!" Kari nodded. "For some reason, everybody calls me a 'Ms. Perfect' and I can't understand why."
"That shouldn't bother you, Kari," Ryo smiled. "They're probably just jealous. At least that's what I get out of Rika."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, I think I get attitude from Rika because she's probably jealous. Don't tell her I said that, though, because she'll never admit it. I think the same goes with you, Kari. A lot of people who give you grief over being perfect are probably just jealous. They'd love to be a Kari."
Kari couldn't help but laugh. "I think there's only room in this world for one Kari."
"Just like there's only room in this world for one Ryo."
"I should hope so. If there were more of you, then Rika would go insane."
Kari and Ryo both had a good laugh at that one. In fact, it went on for a good while. Kari hadn't laughed like that in weeks. After all that's happened, it was nice to laugh again.
Ryo caught his breath. "So do you and Rika get along well?"
"Well…we've had our share of tiffs."
"I could tell," Ryo said. "I know Rika and she doesn't really like anyone she thinks is perfect. And you sure look like one of those girls."
Kari wondered what he meant by that. "Hey…"
"But I could be wrong. Maybe you aren't the 'Ms. Perfect' you think you are. Then again, maybe I'm right. I'd like a chance to find out. Why don't we have lunch tomorrow? We can get to know each other a little better."
Kari thought about that. Having lunch with a guy she hardly knew? She didn't know if it was a good idea. After all, she was dating someone else. On the other hand, it was just lunch. There was nothing wrong with having lunch with him. It seemed harmless enough.
Kari smiled. "I'd like that."
"Cool. I'll call you. Trust me, I know the number."
"Let me give you my cell phone number, just in case."
Kari grabbed a piece of scratch paper and wrote her cell phone number on it. As she handed it to Ryo, someone walked in the door.
It was Jeri, who had her eyebrow raised. "Am I interrupting anything?"
"Nothing at all, Jeri," Ryo said cheerfully. "I was just leaving since it's getting late. If you see Rika, tell her I said hi. Kari, I'll see you tomorrow."
Ryo walked out of the room, giving Renamon one more wave as he left. Kari smiled and waved cheerfully as he left. Jeri, whistling innocently, just took a seat on her bed. Kari knew exactly what she was thinking and what she must have thought she saw. Jeri reached under her bed and came back up with her sock puppet in her hand.
"I didn't see a thing," Jeri said innocently.
"Me neither," the puppet added.
Kari frowned. "Jeri, this wasn't what it looked like."
"Oh…of course it wasn't. I didn't think that at all. Heh…"
"We're just having lunch tomorrow. It's no big deal."
Jeri shook her head. "Of course it isn't. No big deal at all. It's just…"
Silence.
"What is it?" Kari asked.
Jeri hesitated. "Nothing…"
Something obviously had Jeri a little edge about this whole thing. Kari knew it was just lunch. Nothing could possibly come of that. Besides, she was dating Davis. Why would Jeri try and make a big deal out of this? Was it because he looked so charming and seemed like a really cool guy? Or was it something that was slipping Kari's mind?
She immediately stopped thinking about that when she noticed her calculus book. Once again, Kari had gotten sidetracked and hadn't even started on her essay. No longer feeling the motivation to get started, Kari closed her book for another day. It was another opportunity that passed her by.
"I'll start tomorrow."
"I can't believe I'm out here this late."
Kazu said that for about the millionth time as he brought the van to a stop. He was at the lone intersection a few blocks away from Shibuya University, empty as it usually was at this time of night. It was the perfect place to make an exchange.
The letter specified that this was the place where the Samurais wanted to make the trade. The trip there was quiet, with the exception of Terriermon turning up the radio. But the radio went off and all went silent when they reached their destination. They were all alone there and an ominous atmosphere was present. No one knew what to expect. It was too quiet, so Kazu had Guardromon unload the statue from the top of the van.
After the statue was placed on the ground, another van pulled up to the area. Every door of the van, including the back door, opened and about nine muscular guys came out. They were all wearing Shibuya Samurai jackets. Then someone emerged from the driver's side door. It was a slender young man with long, greasy black hair, wearing a Shibuya Samurai sweater.
"I am Nicho," he said in a Spanish accent. "These are nine members of our school's intramural rugby team. You must be the losers who thought you could steal our school's statue and get away with it. But as you can see, I am far too clever for you."
"How clever do you have to be to steal our mascot?" Kazu said bitingly.
"Grumble all you want, but the fact is, we're getting our statue back, so my methods are effective. Now I trust you have our statue?"
"Right there," Kenta pointed.
Nicho clapped once. "Amigos?"
The SU intramural rugby squad walked over to the statue. Two of them pushed it over while the other seven broke its fall. Each of the nine rugby players held up a piece of the statue and walked it towards the van, showing no signs of struggle or fatigue. They placed it up on top of the van and each piled back in. Once they had the statue back in their possession, Nicho headed back to the van without hesitation.
"Hey, where's our mascot?!" Kazu demanded.
"I said you would see him again, and you shall," Nicho said calmly. "You will see him…AFTER Friday's game!"
Nicho leapt into his car and quickly turned the key. Before Kazu or Kenta could stop him, Nicho sped off and the van was gone. But he left them with the ever charming words:
"SHIBUYA U RULES!!"
Kazu and Kenta were left in the dust. They no longer had possession of the Shibuya Samurai statue, but they still didn't have Guilmon back.
Terriermon poked his head out of the driver's side window. "We got doublecrossed!!"
Kenta gulped. "Takato's not gonna like this. And you know how he gets when he gets REALLY MAD!"
Kazu added to that gulp. Takato at his angriest was NEVER a pretty sight. He remembered what happened when Beelzemon killed Leomon and how it unleashed a fury never seen in Takato before. And something like losing Guilmon would be more than likely to bring out that anger again.
If this wasn't already a long night, it was sure to be now.
A villain's work was never done and that didn't sit well with Puppetmon, who always preferred the pleasures of playtime. So he kept his distance from the workaholics known as Datamon and The Digimon Empress as they tinkered with a design on the screen of the giant supercomputer.
"Did he look like this?" Datamon asked.
"The armor looked a little smoother than that," The Digimon Empress answered. "Plus, the cape was a little wider than that."
The former Digimon Emperor, Ken Ichijouji, once created a monstrous Digimon known as Kimeramon. Arukenimon once used Dark Spirals to create BlackWarGreymon. The Digimon Empress and Datamon were now taking a page from their book and creating a Digimon of their own, based on the powerful one that had saved the day at the season opener. Only this time, they were using most of the remaining Black Gear replicas.
"Are you sure about this?" Puppetmon whined. "These are the last Black Gears we have. We could control an entire army with them."
The Digimon Empress chuckled. "The one we're making is more powerful that a hundred armies. With this template and the Black Gears, we'll have the ultimate Digimon."
"Clear the way!" Datamon shouted.
He pressed a button and the process was underway. Every machine in the base went haywire and started smoking. The largest one emitted a huge light and the Black Gears all rose into the air. The light blinded everyone in the room temporarily.
The light soon faded and the smoke had all cleared. All that remained in the middle of the base was a large Digimon, who looked much like Gallantmon. He held a shield and lance that were just as massive. But his armor and shield were a dark black. The cape and shoulders were a neon blue.
"Whoa, now THAT'S a Digimon!" Puppetmon said in amazement. He was obviously impressed.
The Digimon Empress laughed. "Behold! Our greatest creation: ChaosGallantmon!"
ChaosGallantmon was an intimidating sight. A fierce scowl could be seen through his helmet. He didn't move a single inch, but the sheer aura that surrounded him was something to behold. His large lance pointing in the air, his neon blue cape covering his back, his shield reflecting the rays of darkness; this truly looked like the ultimate Digimon.
"So what do we do with him?" Puppetmon asked. "I'm not sharing my toys with him!"
The Digimon Empress smirked. "I take him out for a test drive…so that the Digital World can see what they'll be up against if any dare to oppose us."
"The Dark One will be pleased with this one," Datamon commented. "If ChaosGallantmon can obliterate our enemies, it'll give him the chance to have the Child of Light all to himself."
"We get our just desserts when that happens, right?" Puppetmon asked.
The Digimon Empress nodded. "You get the human race, Datamon gets glory beyond belief, and I get the Digimon as my slaves. Sounds like a fair trade." The Digimon Empress walked over to ChaosGallantmon and snapped her fingers. "Lift me up."
ChaosGallantmon reached over with his hand and picked her up. The Digimon Empress was placed on his shoulder as he stood up and prepared to receive his orders. Unlike the enigmatic BlackWarGreymon of days past, ChaosGallantmon looked to be totally obedient.
The Digimon Empress pointed forward. "Let's go!"
ChaosGallantmon walked to his right…to the groans of Datamon.
"The exit is THAT way!"
"I knew that!" The Digimon Empress's voice said from the distance. "About face!"
ChaosGallantmon did a 180 and headed out in the right direction. Things were looking up for the villains. With this new living weapon on their side, the DigiDestined and Tamers wouldn't know what hit them.
After getting back to the friendly confines of Odaiba University, Terriermon made sure to keep a low profile. He separated from Kazu and Kenta and decided to go back in through the window. But he took his sweet time doing it, because he was in no rush to get back and get the third degree from Henry…or worse, Takato.
He got to his window and stayed outside momentarily, hoping to delay the inevitable. He knew he'd have to face the music eventually. He was as much at fault as Kazu and Kenta.
Luckily, though, Kazu and Kenta arrived first. Terriermon could hear Kazu's loud voice even from outside the window. He couldn't make out what Takato or Henry were saying. Their words were inaudible. But Takato suddenly got a lot louder.
"WHAT?!?!"
Terriermon flinched. Takato was obviously in a bad mood. It was understandable, though, considering the circumstances. Guilmon was stuck on a strange campus and if he was exposed, things could only get worse. This was a very volatile situation.
Everything seemed to be hopeless. Without the Shibuya Samurai statue, there was no bargaining tool to get Guilmon back. The only way to get him back…was to take him.
A light bulb appeared over Terriermon's head. He had the idea he had desperately sought since he saw Nicho run off with the statue. Terriermon would return to Shibuya University. But it wouldn't be with Kazu and Kenta or Guardromon and MarineAngemon. He had something else in mind. He would go back to enemy territory with a totally new team.
Terriermon trotted down towards another window. He tapped that window with one of his long ears and then peeked inside. The room was empty…except for three figures. One of them came over and opened the window.
"What's up, Terriermon?" Veemon asked.
Terriermon sighed. "I need your help."
Next Time: Terriermon returns to Shibuya University with Veemon, Patamon, and Wormmon. And this time, they aren't going back until they have Guilmon back. But do they even have any idea what they're doing? As for poor Kari, she's still trying to start her essay, but do interruptions keep popping up? Izzy thinks about the encounter he had and decides to start mole hunting…but do you really think he'll go it alone? And Ken's still in a bad predicament with his relationship with Yolei hanging by a thread. Can he make things better…with a little help from Davis? 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!