Chapter 2:
Reunions (Pt.1)-
A New Mission
~~~
Skydramon lowered her head, kneeling before a shadowed image before her.
"Those children defeated your strongest Dramon?!" The shadowy image raged, "I will not tolerate failure, Skydramon."
"Yes, sir," Skydramon nodded her head, "I will try harder."
"Tee-hee-hee!" Another voice cackled from the darkness, "You can always leave those children to us, sir!"
Skydramon glared at the floor. Those four! What were they doing serving the master!?
"Do not worry," Skydramon said, standing up, "I will succeed…"
The screen faded into blackness. Unseen by her master, she punched the dashboard in frustration.
~~~
"Hi-ka-ri!!" Taichi yelled as he stomped into the kitchen, waving an empty cereal box practically in his sister's face, "You ate the last of the cereal!"
Hikari looked up, "So?" she asked, "There's food in the pantry, isn't there?"
Taichi went over to the refrigerator, mumbling "Cereal Nazi" under his breath. Hikari immersed herself in a nearby book.
'Honestly' she asked herself, 'how much can he eat?'
"Tailmon?" She looked up at the white cat sitting opposite her.
"What is it?" Tailmon asked.
"I was wondering," she told her friend, "How big is the digital world?"
"What do you mean?" Tailmon was confused.
"I mean," Hikari looked out the window, "Like does it go on forever, or does it eventually stop, and all that's left is blank whiteness?"
"The digital world's not flat," Tailmon told her, "You'd never reach the end of it. Not in this lifetime, anyway."
"I know," Hikari shook her head, "But I was wondering if the border shrinking Koushiro was talking about had something to do with the edge of the digital world?"
"It could be," Tailmon answered, "But why would it suddenly shrink?"
"I don't know," Hikari said, "But I have this feeling…"
She let it go, and the two sat in silence.
~~~
"Ahhh!!" Mimi stretched her arms, "It's good to be back again! Hopefully for good this time!"
She looked around. Her parents were just coming out of the plane. Mimi opened the heavy duffel bag next to her, and Palmon popped her head out.
"Finally, some fresh air!" she moaned, "I was getting too cramped! And I'm hungry!"
Mimi smiled. "Later, Palmon," she said, "I can't believe the others didn't come to see me!" she frowned, "How rude!"
"Mimi!" someone called. Koushiro ran up to her, carrying his computer.
"Koushiro?" Mimi asked. Of all the people to come, he came?
"I need to talk to you about something important," he said. Seeing Mimi's scowl, he hastily added, "Welcome back. We missed you."
"I missed you guys, too," Mimi said in a monotone, "But what did you need to talk to me about?"
Koushiro took a seat and opened his laptop. Mimi stood behind him, and looked over his shoulders.
"Ooh!" she exclaimed when she saw the control spire map, "What's that?"
"Don't you remember?" Koushiro asked, annoyed, "This is the map we used two years ago to locate the control spires."
"Oh, yeah," Mimi flipped her pink hair behind her shoulder. "What about it?"
"Well, a few days ago…" Koushiro explained the whole events of the day before to Mimi.
Mimi's eyes widened when he mentioned the two new chosen children. "Two new chosen children?" she asked in wonder, "Are you sure?"
"They had digimon with them," Koushiro reassured her, closing his laptop, "But what concerns me most is the digimon that attacked us. It didn't disappear like the others did. It just… vanished. Like it was only an illusion."
"And everyone thinks it's a new enemy?" Mimi asked.
"It may be," Koushiro turned to look at Mimi. Since she was leaning almost over his shoulder, their noses were almost touching, "Maybe not."
"Mimi!" Mimi's mother called to her.
Mimi stood up. "Coming!" she called back, "Just a sec!" To Koushiro, she said: "I'll see if I can come with you guys today or tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay," Koushiro nodded. Mimi grabbed the duffel bag with Palmon in it, and ran to join her parents.
~~~
Skydramon paced the room. She looked at the wide door, and tapped her foot.
"They're late," she scoffed.
Soon, though, a pair of Devidramon swooped in through the wide door and landed in front of her.
"Well?" she asked them impatiently, "Did you get the job done?"
"Yes, Mistress," one of the Dramon croaked.
"Excellent," Skydramon sat down. "Those foolish children won't know what hit them."
She looked at the Dramon. "Keep up the work," she barked, "Burn the entire landscape, so they have nowhere to run. Then, when they come again, we will crush them for good!"
~~~
"Welcome back, Mimi!" The chosen children cried. Daisuke threw confetti in the air.
Mimi, her hand still on the Yagami apartment's door, lit up. "You guys did miss me!" she squealed, "I'm so happy!"
"Of course we wouldn't forget!" Sora smiled, "You're a chosen child, too!"
"And as a celebration of Mimi's return…" Taichi shouted, "We're going to the digital world!!"
"O-kay!" Miyako stuck her D-3 up in the air. "Digital gate… open!"
The light on the computer nearby flashed, and the chosen children were sucked inside it.
~~~
Wh-wha…" Miyako gaped in horror, rubbing her glasses on her shirt before putting them on again, "What happened here!?"
The chosen children had arrived at the same place they had arrived at the digital world before. Except this time, everything was burned black, and all the trees were bare. So if they were attacked this time, there would be nowhere to hide.
"It looks like a waste dump!" Daisuke cried, "Or some fire came through. What did this? It was fine yesterday!!"
"Hopefully, we'll find out." Hikari responded. "Why don't we look around, and split up?"
~~~
"I don't see anything helpful!" Hikari moaned.
"Let's keep looking, Hikari." Sora reassured her, "We'll find something. Or the others will."
All of a sudden, the nearby trees rustled, and the small horse digimon from before came out, followed by a tall girl in a mask, with dark brown hair in a ponytail.
"Who are you?" Sora asked.
"Excuse me," the new girl explained, "I'm called Harmony."
The small horse digimon piped up: "I'm Ponimon, Child level. Attack Blazing Ice."
"We have something we need to tell you," Harmony said.
"You do?" Sora asked.
"Yes," Harmony responded, "We're going to tell you why this happened."
"Huh?" Both girls were shocked. "You know what's going on here?"
Harmony nodded solemnly. Up above, distant cries of the Dramon were becoming clearer by the minute.
~~~
"Nova Blast!" Greymon emitted a large fireball at the attacking Dramon.
"Acid Fireball!" The Dramon hissed, and sent a large blue fireball to counteract with the Nova Blast.
Taichi, Miyako, Koushiro, and Ken had all been ambushed by the Dramon. Their digimon had evolved and were fighting bravely but they were doomed to lose, and they knew it.
"Acid Fireballs!" The Dramon screeched, and they let loose five great rainbow-colored fireballs each. It looked like the end, when-
"Water Wrap!" A blue snake-like blast came from somewhere in the forest
The other chosen children turned to see who their savior was. It was a second girl in a mask, with her hair in a bun, which extended into a ponytail. She was followed by a small blue cat, with its bell ringing clearly.
"Who are you?" Koushiro asked.
"Forgive my manners," the girl apologized, "for before. I'm called Power. This cat is Evomon. A blue cat digimon, she is at the Child level, with Water Wrap as her attack."
The fireball suddenly burst larger, and the blue fire rope disappeared. The Dramons flew up in the sky, higher, higher, and got ready to blast another fireball.
Evomon gasped, "Nyao!!" she shouted. "It didn't work!"
"I see that!" Power replied, and yanked out a gray D-3. "Evolve!"
The blue cat nodded. The D-3 shone brightly, and the cat shone as well.
"Acid Fireball!!" The Dramon hurtled more fireballs down at the chosen children.
"Evomon, evolve! Mizunomon!"
The other chosen children gasped. The blue cat had now become the tiger that had saved them before: Mizunomon.
"You…!" Taichi looked at Power in shock. "You helped us before, didn't you? Were you the one who warned us about the Dramon?"
Power nodded. "Yes, I am," she smiled, "and like before, these Dramons are only illusions, created by the enemy."
"What do you mean?" Ken asked.
"Aqua Fireball!" Mizunomon let loose half a dozen fireballs at the Dramon's fireballs, and they exploded on impact.
The remnants of the fireball scattered around the vicinity, catching anything it touched on fire; enveloping it into flames in ten seconds flat.
"Get out of here!" Power yelled, and the five chosen children, Power included, scattered.
"Find your other friends!" Power yelled to the other chosen children as she and Mizunomon sped off.
"Wait a second!" Ken yelled to Power, "What are you-?!"
Power whirled around. She really got a look at Ken for the first time. She scowled. What was going on was his fault, after all. He of all people should know what he did.
"Follow me and find out." She said coldly.
Ken hesitated for a minute, then followed, Stingmon close behind.
~~~
"Ah… NO!!!!" Skydramon wailed, clutching the sides of the dashboard, "How could they- be so strong! That Child… She stopped the fireball with one attack. And she's that Adult!? Then the other…!"
~~~
Meanwhile, Harmony, Sora, and Hikari had found the other chosen children.
"Who's that?" Iori asked, "Did you help us before? Was that you?"
"It was," Harmony responded, "And-"
Suddenly, there was a tremendous roar. Not the kind of roar from the Dramon, but the roar from the fire came raging in their direction.
"Run!" Harmony yelled to the other chosen children.
"Is this what's happened to the other areas of the forest?!" Sora cried to Harmony.
"Yes!" Harmony yelled back, "The Dramon have been tearing up the area with their Acid Fireballs! They're dangerous enough in the air, but if the fireballs hit like a tree or a plant, it will be burned in ten seconds flat!"
"And we're next!" Hikari yelled, looking behind her. The fire was raging closer to them as she spoke.
"Harmony!" Ponimon yelled, running beside her friend, "I'd better evolve!"
Harmony nodded, "Good idea!"
Harmony grabbed a rainbow-colored D-3, and stopped; she and Ponimon facing the fire. The D-3 shone a bright rainbow color, Ponimon glowing a bright yellow.
"NOW!" Harmony yelled.
"Ponimon, evolve! Rainbowmon!"
Ponimon, the small little horse digimon, was now the humanoid digimon in rainbow clothes that had helped the chosen children before.
"I'll try and stop the fire-!" Rainbowmon started, but loud roaring above announced the arrival of more Dramon, who would certainly reinforce the fire- and their counterparts.
"No!" Harmony yelled, "Come on!"
"I'll be okay- I think!" Rainbowmon released a Raining Stars attack, and extinguished part of the fire.
"No! You won't be okay! The other digimon aren't as strong! Come with me and the others, Rainbowmon!"
"No! I'll be just fine!" Rainbowmon launched another wave was at the fire.
Harmony gave up. There was just no arguing with some digimon, even if they were your own. "All right, then." Harmony said, "Come back in one piece though, okay?"
"Of course."
Harmony gave one last look at the Dramon above, and hurried up to join the others.
~~~
Power was constantly dragging Ken along with her, Mizunomon and Stingmon bringing up the rear.
"Where are we going?" Ken asked.
"Away from the fire!"
Ken wrenched his arm from Power's grip. "What do you want, already?" he asked, "Tell me!"
Power looked at him. "I can't. Not yet. You wouldn't understand."
"What wouldn't I understand?!"
"Um… Power!" Mizunomon called.
"What?" Power asked, but she too had heard the roaring of the Dramon.
"More of them are coming!" Mizunomon threw a huge fireball, destroying two of the giant dragons. "Score!"
"We need to go." Power said, "Now!"
She ran off, and Ken, barely able to keep up in the first place, followed her again. Suddenly, the ground went downwards at a very steep slope. They had reached a cliff. The two chosen children almost went off the cliff. A few rocks crumbled, falling down into blank, white nothingness. They were trapped.
"Careful…" Ken said warningly.
"Duh."
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a giant fireball hurtled towards them, Mizunomon and Stingmon attacked it, setting fire to the area. The two digimon launched themselves into the air, and began fighting the attacking Dramon.
"Let's get out of here." Power suggested.
Ken had to agree, that was a good idea.
The two set off running again, but somehow, something thrust out of the ground that tripped them both, and they landed on the ground in a heap.
The Dramon laughed, "I have you now!", and blasted one at the two grounded chosen children.
Mizunomon and Stingmon were right in the path of the fireball, so they, too, saw who the fireball was aimed at. They sped towards the two chosen children as fast as possible, but could they get there in time?