Last Week: The DigiDestined and the Tamers met in an effort to regroup after the events of the previous weekend. Tai questioned Cody in hopes of getting any information and discovered that Rosa hadn't been sighted at Odaiba High School in weeks. More than that, she's also been displaying enhanced abilities, which struck an ominous chord with Ken. The former Digimon Emperor concluded that Rosa's been infected with a Dark Spore. Knowing that things have taken an unpredictable turn, Tai has ordered that every DigiDestined and Tamer take a shift in watching over Kari. Later on, attention turned to Ryo, who had been a target of a Digimon attack and the DigiDestined and Tamers learned that there is a base somewhere in the Digital World. Back in the freshman dorms, Renamon and Gatomon finally cleared up their past and put it all behind them through a game of Truth or Dare. And in the Digital World, The Digimon Empress questioned Agumon and the other rookies regarding the attack on the Server base. When she didn't get any answers, ChaosGallantmon obliterated Koromon Village. After failing to activate Gennai's box, Armadillomon accidentally triggered a corruption—turning Agumon into the fearsome SkullGreymon. Now the rookies need to catch him before something else happens.


Digimon: The College Years

Episode 36- Shifting Gears


Sitting up in her dorm room, Kari tried to focus on her textbook. She knew she had to start studying soon. She had a big final coming up in the next few weeks that would cover everything from the semester. She needed to be ready and have nothing distracting her.

Unfortunately, thanks to her brother, that wasn't exactly in the cards.

Henry and Terriermon, who both had the next shift, were busy working on Guardromon. Henry didn't have it so easy, himself, since he was backed into quite a corner. He needed to have the android Digimon ready for the Robotics Fair in the next few weeks. And with Guardromon seemingly becoming more scatterbrained by the moment, it didn't look like that was about to happen.

Kari wouldn't have minded Henry so much if he could have only worked a little more quietly.

"OW!"

Henry leaped back when he was met with sparks coming from Guardromon's back. Terriermon smacked the android in the back of the head.

"This isn't working, is it?" Henry grumbled.

"You never know unless you test him," Terriermon pointed out. "Guardromon, say my name."

"My name."

Terriermon shook his head. "No, say MY name."

"MY name."

"Say 'Terriermon', you bucket of bolts!"

"Terriermon, you bucket of bolts."

Terriermon patted Henry on the back with his left ear. "Not quite ready for primetime, is he?"

"I don't know what else to do with him," Henry sighed. "I really wanted to see if I could fix him up on my own. But I guess we WILL need Izzy's help with this." He looked up and saw the disgruntled look on Kari's face. "Uh…is something wrong, Kari?"

Kari didn't want to snap or anything. She wasn't very good at expressing anger unless she was heavily provoked. Besides, she wasn't angry with Henry for distracting her. She was angry with Tai for arranging this ridiculous shift system. She needed privacy in order to study. She couldn't study with someone constantly looking after her.

But more than that, she was 18 years old. Yes, she was in danger and she was a target. But she could take care of herself. She was a grown woman, whether her brother realized that or not. She wasn't his defenseless little sister anymore. She hadn't been for a long time. She couldn't believe Tai was being so overprotective.

"I'm ok, Henry," Kari finally answered. "I'm just…thinking about a lot of stuff."

"The whole Rosa situation?" Henry guessed. "I don't blame you for being scared."

"I never said I was scared," Kari replied sharply. "In fact, I'm NOT scared! I can handle her, especially if I have Gatomon with me."

Kari pointed at her partner…and sweatdropped. Gatomon was asleep in the corner, along with Calumon. Renamon was likely also resting up, but in a more inconspicuous spot. Impmon was nowhere to be found, as he was probably hiding out on the roof trying to cause trouble again. But momentary laziness aside, Gatomon had always been there for Kari and she would never let anything bad happen to her.

"I don't know why Tai even set this system up," Kari huffed. "I can take care of myself!"

"Momentai," Terriermon cut in. "We believe you."

Henry checked his watch. "We're sure you can, Kari. That's why we won't stay a minute longer than we have to. Our shift is over. Let's go, Terriermon." He sighed. "You too, Guardromon."

"Let's see if you can do THAT right," Terriermon quipped.

Henry and Terriermon carefully directed Guardromon towards the door. Kari wanted to relish the few seconds she had by herself, because she knew she wouldn't be alone much longer. She read approximately one page in her textbook before the person with the next shift came in.

Unfortunately for Kari…

"Hi, Kari!"

…it was Davis with Veemon.

Kari turned her back on Davis. After that unforgettable night where her punch was spiked at Davis's frat party, she couldn't bear to look at him. To say their relationship was currently on the outs would be an understatement. There seemed to be no way to repair it.

But that didn't stop Davis from trying. "Aren't you at least going to say hi?"

Kari just stayed silent and didn't even bother looking his way. If she ignored him long enough, eventually he would have to go away.

Gabumon, Armadillomon, and Hawkmon struggled to catch up to SkullGreymon. The corrupted monster made great strides, covering great distances and practically leaving the rookies in the dust. But Gabumon knew he couldn't let him get away. SkullGreymon was a raging beast and if he got away, he could cause massive damage. He had to be stopped before that could happen.

"Hurry up, you guys!" Gabumon called out.

Armadillomon was practically panting. "He's…fast. Doesn't he ever slow down?"

"I believe his gas tank is perpetually full," Hawkmon thought.

Indeed there was no stopping SkullGreymon. He continued making greater strides and the rookies struggled to keep up. Keeping up this chase was hopeless. There was no way to catch the corrupted ultimate-level Digimon.

SkullGreymon continued his rampage by tearing through a nearby forest. Trees were falling like bowling pins as seemingly nothing could slow down the bony juggernaut. Gabumon narrowly avoided the falling trees while Hawkmon skillfully flew through the toppling lumber and plant life. Unfortunately, Armadillomon met up with an obstacle.

"AAAAHHH!!"

He fell down a hole.

Gabumon gave up the chase and ran towards the hole. Once Hawkmon became aware of the situation, he made sure to look at which way SkullGreymon was running before flying over to follow. The hole looked rather deep, but Gabumon didn't hesitate to jump in. Hawkmon flew in right behind him.

While it was easy for Hawkmon to simply fly in, Gabumon found himself sliding down a hole until he ended up landing in an underground grotto. Gabumon looked around for any sign of his friend, but the grotto was rather vast. There was no sign of his friend.

"Armadillomon!" Gabumon called out. "Where are you?"

"Hey guys!" Armadillomon shouted. "Over here! You won't believe what I found!"

Gabumon and Hawkmon wandered over to join their friend. Gabumon had found a lonely part of the grotto…with a television.

"That can't be what I think it is!" Hawkmon uttered in amazement.

"A link to the real world!" Armadillomon grinned. "Just what we need! And I know just who to call!"

Gabumon looked on as Armadillomon made a call to the real world. After everything they had been through thus far, it was finally time to call for backup.

Izzy checked his palm pilot as he walked through the Odaiba U campus, being careful not to drop Tentomon. "I'm lucky I was able to clear my schedule. I should have just enough time to examine Guardromon and still make it in time for my night class. You two are a big help. I'll definitely need a hand with this and I'm glad you were both available."

"Don't even stress it, Izzy," Yolei replied. "Besides, I've got nothing better to do in my dorm and maybe I can help you see what the problem is. And it has been a while since we've worked together."

"I'm just lucky there were conferences at the high school," Cody added. "From the sound of things, you'll need all the help you can get to uncross Guardromon's wires."

Izzy pocketed his palm pilot. "We'll likely have our work cut out for us. Henry's an intelligent guy and he takes after his father quite a bit. From what I hear, Henry's father is an expert programmer. But it looks like Henry might be in over his head on this one."

"I'll just keep my distance on this one," Tentomon muttered. "With what I'm hearing, Guardromon sounds like an oversized bug zapper."

Cody was about to add in another two cents, but he suddenly stopped when he began hearing his D-3 Digivice. It had been a long time since his Digivice reacted the way it was. He pulled it out and recognized the patterns—it was a distress call from the Digital World.

Izzy recognized those patterns as well. "A distress signal. Who's it from?"

Cody gasped. "It's from Armadillomon! And these are the coordinates he's left us!"

Yolei bit her lower lip. "A distress call from the Digital World? What do you think it is?"

Tentomon recognized the coordinates. "I don't know, but whatever it is, it's all the way in the continent of Server!"

Izzy had his laptop in his backpack and if he could find a phone line to connect it to, he could open a Digiport. And from the looks of this distress call, time appeared to be of the essence.

"Let's head over to one of the study rooms at the library. We can connect my laptop there."

Taking a whole new turn, Izzy led Yolei and Cody towards the Odaiba U library. As much as he hated to leave Henry hanging like this, this situation sounded urgent.

Takato dialed the number again. Again, he received no answer. It was starting to become a daily—almost hourly—routine. Takato would dial the number to Jeri's cell phone and would never receive any answer. It was frustrating.

For Takato, freshman year was quickly becoming a nightmare. The buzz for Goggle Man was still there and, occasionally, students would stop by and praise him for his work. But in creating a successful comic character, he may have lost a friend in Davis. And to make matters worse for him, he had no idea where to find his girlfriend. She could have been anywhere.

He sat on TK's bed and dialed the number again. Once again, he didn't get an answer. Takato breathed a disgruntled sigh.

TK, sitting at his desk, took his eye off his textbook. "No answer yet?"

"None. I don't know what to think, TK. I want to talk to her and ask her where she's been going, but I haven't seen her around at all."

Ken was calmly reading on his bed. He took his attention off his book and got into the conversation. "Have you tried going really late at night? She might be around if you go to her room at about three or four in the morning."

"I tried that. And after Rika stopped hitting me with her pillow, I found out she wasn't there. I don't understand this. Where would she go at these late hours? I mean…not coming back to her room until the early hours of the morning, disappearing without a trace, practically avoiding me at every turn, it's almost like…"

Takato stopped. He thought of the grim possibility and, frankly, such a thought frightened him. He didn't want to think about it, but there was a good chance it could be true.

"Guys…do you think Jeri's…cheating on me?"

"No way," TK scoffed. "I've seen you two together. She has it pretty bad for you."

"Yeah, I don't think she would cheat on you," Ken added. "You two have been together for so long."

"But that's just it. Maybe she's bored with me or something. Why else would she be disappearing without a trace and without explanation?"

TK and Ken shrugged. Takato turned his head to their partners over in the corner. Patamon and Wormmon also shrugged. The uncertainty was driving him crazy.

"I don't know what to do," Takato frowned. "I wish there was some way I could find out where she's going. Like…I don't know…someone to follow her or something."

"Like a detective?" Wormmon suddenly piped up.

Takato blinked. "Uh…something like that."

"I'm sure Ken could help you," Wormmon said. "He's learning to be the best detective there is and this sounds like a great case for him."

"It does?" Ken asked skeptically.

"Think about it, Ken," Wormmon explained. "This is the biggest mystery we've encountered since the day something haunted the Den. There's been absolutely no sign of Jeri and you may be the only one who can find her."

Ken thought about it briefly before a smile appeared on his face. "Only if my sidekick joins me."

Wormmon reached over behind him and put on his detective's hat. "Sounds like an adventure!"

"What do you say, Takato?" Ken asked. "Just say the word and Wormmon and I can go looking for her."

"You guys would do that for me?"

"Of course! Give us a few days and we'll find out exactly where Jeri's been going."

It was a load off Takato's mind. He had become so worried about where Jeri was going, but now he had someone on the job. Ken and Wormmon would find out the truth.

Takato breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, guys."

Ken went into his closet and took out his brown cloak and detective's hat and put them on. In a flash, he also grabbed a magnifying glass with his right hand and a pipe with his left.

"We'll start right away! Let's go, Wormmon!"

Wormmon crawled over and climbed on Ken's shoulder. "Ok, detective."

Ken and Wormmon dashed out the door dramatically. Takato blinked while TK just witnessed the whole scene and sweatdropped.

"We've got to be the weirdest set of college roommates on the planet."

As if on cue, another certain pair of roommates could be heard bickering outside.

"What do you mean Guardromon still isn't working right?"

"I think Henry said something about circuits, wires, and chocolate pudding."

"Oh boy. Let's get over there…now!"

TK heard that exchange and his sweatdrop got bigger. "I stand corrected."

Gabumon waited patiently as Hawkmon flew Armadillomon back up the hole and onto the surface. They couldn't waste any more time in the hole since SkullGreymon could be anywhere at this point. The chase needed to continue.

Though Gabumon realized the urgency of the situation, it appeared his two friends did not. They had returned to the surface, but Gabumon was still in the grotto waiting for someone to come back for him. So far, no one had returned.

"Hey, where are you guys?"

As soon as he called out, someone did go back down for him. But it wasn't exactly who Gabumon expected. A large bug came swooping down from above. Gabumon recognized him as Kabuterimon, Tentomon's champion form. Before Gabumon could even react, the big bug grabbed hold of him and brought him back to the surface, setting him down gently on the grass.

When Gabumon looked around, he saw Hawkmon and Armadillomon, but he also noticed that reinforcements had arrived—Izzy, Cody, Yolei, and Kabuterimon were here. It didn't take long for Cody and his partner, Armadillomon, to start getting reacquainted—ditto for Yolei and her partner, Hawkmon.

"Great to see you again, Cody," Armadillomon grinned.

"We came as soon as we heard," Cody said. "We got your message."

"You couldn't have come a moment sooner, Yolei," Hawkmon sighed in relief.

"What's the trouble?" Yolei asked.

"It's Agumon," Gabumon explained. "He turned into SkullGreymon and right now we don't know where he is."

"SkullGreymon?" Izzy repeated. "How did that happen?"

"It happened after I dented this little thingamabob box that Gennai gave us," Armadillomon answered.

Izzy's eyes widened. "Gennai? You guys talked to Gennai? When did you guys talk to Gennai?"

It was then that Gabumon realized that the DigiDestined weren't aware of Gennai recruiting them for that little mission. It was time to tell their story.

Gabumon elbowed Hawkmon gently in the ribs. "You want to tell them or should I?"

The thick gray fog filled the night's sky outside the freshman dorm building. After a few long hours of waiting, Ken was getting sleepy. Wormmon had already collapsed under the pressure and fell asleep on Ken's shoulder. Detective work wasn't easy and there were times when it would undoubtedly get this tedious. Ken was wondering if he should call it a night.

But suddenly, something finally happened. The front door opened and a young woman walked out in a thick green coat and a small yellow skirt. She wore the coat's hood over her head, but her face was unmistakable.

It was Jeri.

Ken shook his partner gently. "Wormmon…wake up."

Wormmon mumbled softly. "Detective Ken Ichijouji and Wormmon…the finest detective team in both worlds…"

"Wake up!" Ken whispered sharply, nudging his partner.

Wormmon quickly woke up. "Huh? What's going on?"

"Look who finally came out."

Jeri calmly started walking out, completely unaware that she was being watched. Ken could have alerted Takato, but that wasn't what he was hired for. Ken was hired to find out where exactly Jeri was going. And that meant he and Wormmon would have to keep a close surveillance on her.

The important thing about keeping a close surveillance on anyone was not making it conspicuous. So for the time being, Ken maintained his position. He waited until Jeri was at a safe distance, but was still within sight of his handy binoculars. Once Jeri was at the right spot, Ken quietly crept out of the bush and started moving forward.

Jeri started walking off-campus—which looked to be a dangerous activity at this hour. It was almost dawn. But Ken kept walking and occasionally hiding by a tree or a bush. He soon began to recognize the direction in which Jeri was going. She was walking towards downtown Odaiba.

Soon enough, Jeri reached downtown Odaiba—a dangerous place to be at this hour. She walked through the streets without any semblance of fear, which Ken could admire. But he couldn't figure out where she was going.

"It doesn't look to me like she's heading to another man's house, Ken," Wormmon mused.

"I think you're right," Ken whispered back. "But then where IS she going?"

It wasn't until a few minutes later that Jeri answered his question by walking towards the local Internet café, which was still open. Jeri walked in and walked towards one of the computers in the very back, towards an isolated corner.

Ken scooted towards her with his head ducked down. He stopped at the row next to Jeri's computer and made sure she couldn't spot him. Ken raised his head just enough to see that Jeri pull out a Digivice…but the Digivice looked very familiar. One thing was for certain—it wasn't her own. Ken recognized who it belonged to.

"That's Kari's," he whispered in shock.

"Digiport open!" Jeri called out.

A Digiport opened on the computer screen and Jeri didn't waste any time in going in. With the coast clear, Ken moved in. This wasn't what he expected to see at all. Jeri had gone into the Digital World using Kari's Digivice. He wondered why, but then he remembered that a Tamer's D-Arc Digivice couldn't open a Digiport the way a D-3 could.

But the question remained—why would Jeri go into the Digital World and keep it a secret from everybody? There was only one way to find out.

Ken walked up to the same computer that Jeri was on. He pulled out his own D-3. With the coordinates still fresh on the screen, Ken prepared to follow.

"Digiport open!"

The Digiport opened once more and Ken and Wormmon went straight in. There was more to this story and Ken was about to uncover the rest of the puzzle.

After the events of the past few months, Tai had never felt older in his life. The strain was far too much for him. He couldn't take much more stress. He had been fighting battles to save the world for so many years and it had taken its toll on him. And to make matters worse, instead of just being allowed to live a normal life, evil was not only making its way back into Tai's life, but it was also after his little sister. He needed to relax.

Luckily, he had Matt around. The occasional well-timed punch in the face was usually enough to bring Tai to his senses, but there was no telling how much longer it would help. He needed a better solution.

As he walked down the hall, he dumped all his troubles on Matt once again. "I just wish there was something else I could do. I feel like every time I try to get out of being a hero, something always pulls me back in. I can't handle this anymore, Matt. I'm too old for this! This is a young man's game. Not for someone…whose hair color is wearing out." Tai ran a hand through his hair and ended up with Just For Men all over his fingers. "I need…I need…therapy!"

Matt casually shrugged and calmly punched Tai in the face, knocking him over.

Tai got to his feet. "Not PHYSICAL therapy! I need some OTHER form of therapy. A good punch in the face can only do so much."

Matt shrugged again. "Always makes ME feel better."

The guys didn't notice that Sora and Mimi were walking up behind them. Sora got a hold of Tai's wrist and saw the running hair coloring dripping through his fingers.

"Tai, are you STILL on this aging kick?"

"It's not a kick—it's truth! I've never felt older and…frankly, I'm in need of therapy." Tai flinched when he saw Matt rearing back with his fist. "MATT!"

Mimi sighed. "Tai, where do you think you're going to get therapy? Especially with finals right around the corner?"

"Which we should be studying for, by the way," Sora added.

"Maybe I can help."

Tai nearly jumped when he heard someone behind him. It wasn't pleasant to have someone sneaking up from behind. But when he turned around, he saw the non-threatening face of Ms. Mackenzie.

"You can help?" Sora asked.

"If there's one thing I can assist with, it's relieving stress through therapy," Ms. Mackenzie explained. "Tai, if you're in need of relaxation and stress relief, I'd be more than happy to help you. I can schedule you for a therapy session."

"What kind of therapy?" Tai asked skeptically, with Matt's fist still fresh in his mind.

"Spiritual therapy. By clearing your mind of all anxieties through meditation, you can quickly discover inner peace and relieve yourself of all forms of stress."

Tai thought about it. "Sounds great! When do you want us there?"

"Wait a minute!" Matt cut in. "Who's 'us'?"

"The four of us. You guys could really use this, too."

"Says who?"

Sora took Matt's hand. "Maybe some therapy WOULD do us good."

"You're into that whole hokey meditation stuff?" Matt scoffed.

"It wouldn't kill you to try," Sora said through clenched teeth. "You can't knock it unless you've tried it."

"I can and I will."

"Well let me put it to you this way!" Sora huffed. She grabbed Matt by the ear. "You're going to do this with us whether you like it or not, because you're my boyfriend and you and I should do more things like this together, right?"

"OW! Ok, ok! Let go!"

Sora released her grip on Matt's ear. As Matt held his ear, Tai made a whip-cracking gesture, earning him a cold glare from his best friend.

Ms. Mackenzie sweatdropped. "I can see we have a lot of tension to work out. Should we meet tomorrow?"

Tai nodded. The sooner he got this meditation out of the way, the sooner he could leave all his anxieties behind him.

Izzy's head nearly spun after the story that the rookie-level Digimon had told him, Yolei, and Cody. He never expected to hear that Gennai had recruited them to uncover the irregularities plaguing the Digital World that would eventually reveal Rosa as The Digimon Empress. Izzy had to give the rookies a lot of credit. They were very brave for going through with such a daunting task, especially without the aid of their human partners.

But now things had taken a turn for the worse with the revelation of SkullGreymon's reemergence. He had to be found before he caused any more damage.

"As if the Koromon Village's destruction wasn't enough," Gabumon said grimly. "Now we have SkullGreymon on the loose and there's no telling where he is."

"I wish there was some way we could contact Gennai," Izzy muttered. "His assistance is greatly needed. And he can also answer a lot of questions we all have."

After a half-hour of walking, the party was moving out of the forest and into Server's vast desert. The Server desert was a virtual wasteland with hardly any semblance of life. It didn't appear that SkullGreymon had passed through, but nobody got a chance to investigate any further.

Before anyone could react, a blast came hurling their way and narrowly missed everyone. Izzy ducked and had a face full of sand. When he raised his head and turned around, he saw someone coming up from behind.

It was Rosa—and she was riding atop a darker version of the Mega that Takato and Guilmon had fused into.

Yolei's eyes widened when she saw the giant Digimon. "Not that big guy again!"

"It's ChaosGallantmon!" Hawkmon shouted. "He's found us!"

"Time to finish what we started," The Digimon Empress glowered. She shifted her eyes when she saw who was present—and who was missing. "Plus two humans, but minus one rookie. Where's your little friend? On an espionage mission, no doubt?"

"He's not here!" Gabumon cried. "We don't know what you're talking about!"

"Rosa, stop this!" Cody shouted. "What's wrong with you? Since when did you become the kind of person to hurt innocent Digimon and attempt kidnappings?"

The Digimon Empress removed her glasses, revealing Rosa's face. "I don't have to answer that, burro! I don't have to tell you ANYTHING! I'm The Digimon Empress!"

Cody tried reasoning with her. "It's the Dark Spore! It's turned you into someone you're not! You've got to think about what you're doing. You've loved Digimon as much as the rest of us. Why would you do this? What made you become this way?"

Rosa closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "What has my love for Digimon gotten me? They weren't there to comfort me after the losses I've experienced. And now they will all feel my pain once I help unleash the ultimate darkness!"

"I don't know what pain you've gone through, but this isn't going to make it better!" Cody shot back. "What do you think Ken would say if he saw you now?!"

"SHUT UP!" Rosa shouted. Ken's name struck a nerve with her. She climbed down from ChaosGallantmon's shoulder and moved forward. "I offered him all my love and what did I get from him in return? I was rejected…" Then she spotted Yolei. "…rejected…because of YOU!"

"You know, Ken may have been too nice to say this you, but I've been waiting to tell you this to your face," Yolei began. "All you've done since you showed up is try and get between us, but I've got news for you! Ken doesn't like you! He never has! He and I have been together for years and nothing you can say to him will make him forget that! So why don't you just give it up already?"

Rosa put her glasses back on and sneered coldly. "ChaosGallantmon, exterminate them all! But make sure she's the first to go!"

Armadillomon stepped forward. "We ain't going quietly this time. No more running, right, Cody?"

Cody reached for his Digivice. "No way! We're going to stay and fight! DigiArmor energize!"

**Armadillomon…Armor Digivolve to…Digmon, the Drill of Knowledge!!**

Yolei took her own Digivice out. "Ready, partner? DigiArmor energize!"

**Hawkmon…Armor Digivolve to…Shurimon, the Samurai of Sincerity!!**

Izzy took his Digivice out to complete the trifecta. "We'll need more firepower if we're going to compete with this bruiser, Kabuterimon."

**Kabuterimon…Digivolve to…MegaKabuterimon!!**

ChaosGallantmon was not intimidated by the sudden emergence of two Armor Digimon and an ultimate-level opponent. He stomped forward and pulled out his lance and shield.

"So how should we go about subduing him?" Shurimon asked.

Digmon looked over at MegaKabuterimon. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

MegaKabuterimon nodded. "DOGPILE!"

The three Digimon rushed forward and knocked ChaosGallantmon over in an unorthodox maneuver. They all started piling on top of him with MegaKabuterimon on the bottom, followed by Digmon and Shurimon. Of course, such tactics didn't work, as ChaosGallantmon easily shrugged them all off. The three Digimon quickly regrouped.

"Ok, that wasn't such a good idea," MegaKabuterimon noted.

"Let's just try rounding him up!" Digmon suggested. "He doesn't look so tough!" He charged forward, despite the protests of his friends, and attacked. "Gold Rush!"

The barrage of Digmon's Gold Rush attack didn't make a dent in ChaosGallantmon's armor. The dark knight reached over and grabbed the drill of Digmon's nose.

Rosa chuckled. "Got your nose."

ChaosGallantmon had an iron grip on Digmon's nose. He lifted him up and started twirling him around over his head before tossing him right at MegaKabuterimon and Shurimon, knocking them both over.

"I think that's what's known as a strike," Shurimon grumbled.

MegaKabuterimon got to his feet and picked up a lone boulder that was positioned beside them. "If he wants to bowl, let's see what I can score."

The big bug tossed the boulder forward, rolling it towards ChaosGallantmon. It didn't get very far, because the big knight sliced it in half with his lance. The weapon cut the rock like a hot knife through butter.

"Talk about a split," MegaKabuterimon groaned. "Ok, we're going to have to try taking him all at once. Get ready! Horn Buster!"

"Double Stars!"

"Gold Rush!"

ChaosGallantmon calmly stood there as the attacks came his way. He reacted with frighteningly quick reflexes. He deflected MegaKabuterimon's attack with his shield while knocking away each projectile attack of Digmon and Shurimon's with his lance. The three Digimon hadn't landed a single blow.

With the attacks no longer a threat, the rogue knight took the offensive. He tossed his shield at MegaKabuterimon, hitting the big bug right in the chest and knocking him down. He then charged forward with Digmon and Shurimon each grabbing a hold of each arm in hopes of subduing the brute. He reacted by casually swinging his arms forward so that the two Digimon collided.

ChaosGallantmon picked up his shield and pointed his lance, preparing to end the battle as quickly as it started. It took Rosa to stop him.

"Stop!"

The hulking Mega turned his head, awaiting his orders like the obedient, destructive servant that he was.

"I thought I told you…Yolei would be the first to go. She's right over there!"

ChaosGallantmon then set his sights to the three DigiDestined and Gabumon. Knowing they were the next target, everyone began to scatter, but the one ChaosGallantmon had his eye on was Yolei. He began chasing her around, but she wouldn't be able to outrun him much longer.

Luckily, Gabumon had managed to stick with her. "Keep running! I'll stall him!"

"Don't even think about it! That's suicide!"

"Keep running! I'll hold him off!"

Yolei hesitated, but she kept going while Gabumon tried to create a diversion.

"Blue Blaster!"

Needless to say, the rookie's attack didn't have any effect, but it did get ChaosGallantmon's attention. He now focused on Gabumon. Izzy realized that the rookie didn't stand a chance unless he got help, but the other three Digimon looked to be down and out. But that's when the most unlikely savior came to his rescue.

SkullGreymon came rushing in out of nowhere and shoulder-tackled ChaosGallantmon, sending him tumbling him over.

Gabumon looked surprised. "You saved me! OOF!"

Unfortunately, as he was passing through, SkullGreymon kicked Gabumon out of the way. The corrupted ultimate moved towards ChaosGallantmon, ignoring anything else.

Shurimon looked up. "Looks like he's just looking for a fight."

SkullGreymon aimed for the fallen knight, who was barely getting to his feet. "Dark Shot!"

ChaosGallantmon reacted quickly, holding up his shield. The projectiles hit the shield, protecting him from the impact. When the smoke cleared, SkullGreymon was already grappling with ChaosGallantmon. They were testing each other's strength, but the rogue knight got the better of the contest and tossed his opponent aside.

He then launched an attack. "Dark Saber!"

ChaosGallantmon's attack hit dead-on, sending SkullGreymon tumbling back and reverting back to Agumon. Agumon was knocked unconscious.

"Well, he did our job for us," Shurimon pointed out.

"Yeah, but if we don't do something, Agumon's toast!" Digmon noted.

Izzy agreed with that assertion. Agumon was a sitting duck. Digmon and Shurimon rushed to his aid, but ChaosGallantmon calmly fought them off with his shield and tossed them aside. He tossed his shield like a discus, hitting them both and sending them reverting to their rookie forms. The situation looked hopeless. But that's when Izzy's palm pilot started going off.

"Izzy?"

Izzy picked up his palm pilot upon recognizing the voice. "Gennai?!"

"Looks like I came in right in the middle of all the excitement. Azulongmon sends his love…and THIS!"

A yellow light came out of the palm pilot and zapped MegaKabuterimon. Not only was the Digimon reinvigorated, but he also got an extra boost.

**MegaKabuterimon…Mega Digivolve to…HerculesKabuterimon!!**

Izzy's jaw dropped upon seeing his partner reach Mega. "Prodigious!"

Izzy's partner grew in a tremendous way. He was now covered with bony plates that acted as armor. He had two sets of wings, one made of bone plates on his upper back and conventional bug wings on his lower back. He had four long, bony arms with sharp claws and a giant scissors-shaped horn on his head.

"I am HerculesKabuterimon! My giant horn crushes my enemies and if they think they can escape, well…I've got news for them. I can reach speeds that are faster than the speed of sound, so there's no escaping my Mega Electro Shocker and Giga Scissors Claw attacks."

ChaosGallantmon completely ignored the introduction and tossed his spear right at Agumon. However, displaying his amazing speed, HerculesKabuterimon immediately zoomed in and intercepted it, catching it in one of his claws.

"I think this belongs to you."

The big bug tossed the lance back. ChaosGallantmon didn't take too kindly to that. He grabbed one of the fragments of the boulder he had cut up and tossed it at HerculesKabuterimon. The Mega simply caught it with the horn on his head and crushed it into pieces with it. Then he attacked.

"Mega Electro Shocker!"

The electrifying attack shot out from HerculesKabuterimon's horn and headed straight for ChaosGallantmon. The rogue knight attempted to deflect the shot with his shield, but it wasn't enough. The attack was so powerful that it engulfed ChaosGallantmon, sending him falling to one knee. He reached over behind him…and found his cape had been singed.

ChaosGallantmon rose to his feet, growling loudly. He obviously didn't like that his cape was soiled. He thrust it back and aimed his lance.

"Dark Saber!"

ChaosGallantmon attacked, but HerculesKabuterimon quickly moved out of the way. The dark knight gave chase, but every time he swung with his saber, the Mega bug moved out of the way. Finally, as ChaosGallantmon reached in again, HerculesKabuterimon simply picked him up and threw him at least 15 feet, amazing everyone present.

That included Rosa, who grew furious. "Enough! ChaosGallantmon, stop playing games and kill them all!"

ChaosGallantmon walked over to Rosa and placed her on his shoulder. He then growled furiously and raised his shield over his head.

"That…can't be good, can it?" HerculesKabuterimon mused.

Izzy gulped. ChaosGallantmon looked to be ready for an attack of apocalyptic proportions. And there looked to be no escape from it.

Things were apparently worse than first thought. Davis couldn't stand the sounds of silence and yet that's exactly what greeted him. Kari couldn't have given him a colder reception if she had thrown him in a freezer. He wanted to talk things out, but she clearly didn't seem interested. Of course, with everything that went down on that fateful Saturday night, he could hardly blame her.

Davis decided to be subtle. "How's your studying going?"

Silence. Kari didn't even react, pretending as if he didn't exist.

"You can't just give me the silent treatment the whole time."

"Watch me," Kari shot back.

Davis knew this wasn't going well. He searched in his pocket for some change, hoping to get something out the vending machine.

"I'm a little thirsty. Kari, you want me to bring you a…"

Davis gulped when Kari shot him a deadly look. He had messed up, since it was a drink that created this whole mess.

"You don't get it, do you?" Kari growled.

"I get it," Davis replied. "And I'm sorry. I should have been a little less…naïve. You know if I had it to do over again, I wouldn't have let that happen. And I even quit the frat because of it. I never wanted anything like that to happen to you, Kari."

"I'm just upset it happened in the first place. It shouldn't have happened at all. And did you even think of what could have happened? What if my brother found out? What if I had gotten caught by someone? And worse, what if I really HAD been abducted that night?"

These were all valid arguments. There was no way Davis could argue with these scenarios. There was only one counter he had for that.

"But none of that happened. You're ok now. Can we just forget all that ever happened?"

Kari shook her head. "I can't forget something like that, Davis. I never should have been in that position. I used to feel safe around you, but now I don't know what to think anymore. I…I don't know if I can trust you."

As soon as those words were said, Kari got this blank look on her face. Davis hadn't seen that empty expression in Kari's eyes in a long time. He didn't know why she suddenly looked like that. She just got to her feet and started pushing Davis towards the door.

"I need to be alone. Please leave."

"Hey…but my shift's not over yet!"

"Davis, just go!"

Kari opened the door and shoved Davis out. Obviously, she couldn't bear to see him, which completely left Davis deflated. He was hoping to fix everything, but instead, it appeared that things only got worse.

Davis didn't know what else he could do.

After stumbling through the Digiport, Ken found himself at a proverbial dead end. He had lost all sign of Jeri and was ready to give up, but that's when Wormmon reminded him that she had Kari's Digivice. And since the D-3's were linked, Ken could track Kari's and find Jeri.

So for the past hour, that's exactly what he did. He found himself walking along a calm, serene river. Ken was surrounded by a luscious jungle. He couldn't understand what could possibly bring Jeri out here.

Suddenly, Ken saw someone out in the distance. It was just who he was searching for—It was Jeri. And she was walking towards a lonely cave.

Jeri pulled out a Digivice, but this one was her own D-Arc. She looked at it momentarily and then headed towards the dark cave. Detective work was hardly ever pretty, so Ken followed into the darkness in hopes of finding some sort of answer to this whole mystery.

Peering at her Digivice, Jeri called into the cave. "You're in there, aren't you? I was told you'd be here."

Ken didn't know who she was referring to. But he soon found out when someone came out of the shadows. When he saw who it was, Ken gasped.

It was Leomon.


Next Time: Ken gets to the bottom of the mystery once and for all and stands witness to Jeri's meeting with Leomon. But is this the same Leomon from her past? Can Izzy, Cody, Yolei and the others escape from what's sure to be a deadly ChaosGallantmon rampage? With all the stress on Tai's mind, Ms. Mackenzie offers a round of meditation…in Sora and Mimi's room. Can Matt sit through a round of "hokey meditation stuff"? And can Biyomon and Palmon stay quiet? With Kari ready to throttle her brother over the shift system, how will TK's shift go? And with Henry apparently on his own and ready to give up, Terriermon is ready to step in and fix Guardromon himself…through more unorthodox methods. @_@


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