Chapter 22:  Trouble With a Capital T

            Matt was recovering a lot better than Pixie had thought he would.  Already, his wounds were now no more than scars on his wrists and hands---albeit deep scars.  His finger movements were a little wobbly, but those were getting better, too.

            Pixie sighed.  "Now that you're on your feet, I don't see why you'd need our help anymore."

            Matt nodded his agreement.  "Yeah.  Thanks again for rescuing me from that chain-torture.  I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't---"

            "Don't mention it," Pixie insisted.  "In my life, I've…had some people make some big sacrifices for me without asking for anything in return."

            "Me too," Matt thought aloud to himself.  "But where are you planning on going?"

            "We don't know.  But---"

            There was a loud explosion, and part of the roof of the store caved in.  When the smoke cleared, a pair of catamarines and a flock of queuebes were outside.

            "Uh-oh," Pixie thought to herself.  "Big Blue, I think we have a problem…"

            "Get behind me, milady.  You and Matt may be able to escape alive---"

            "We've got a better chance of making it if we fight them!  They have us cornered!  Lightning!" Pixie shouted, hurling a blob of energy at a catamarine.  It smacked the shoulder and did little more than knock it backwards.

            "Milady, if we---"

            Gary's voice cut Big Blue off:  "Gyarados, Arcanine, Nidoking, go!"  A trio of big-looking, angry pokémon jumped out and snarled at the menace machines.  "Arcanine, Fire blast!  Nidoking, Gyarados, Hyper Beam!"  The three charged up their attacks and fired at one of the queuebes.  The fire was enough to disable one of the solar panels and then the beams were then free to damage the queuebe without being absorbed.  The queuebe shattered.

            "♪♫Gary, Gary, he's our man!  If he can't save the world, no one can! ♫" the cheerleaders shouted in unison.

            "That's right!" Gary added with a smirk.

            Pixie stared at Gary like he was crazy.  She looked at Matt as if to ask, "Are people with such a blown-up image of themselves common on this planet?"

            Matt shook his head.  He shouted to Gary, "You'd better be careful!  Those things and their masters are very dangerous!"

            "Yeah, sure," Gary muttered.

            "Y'nura Dar!" the queuebes shouted, firing red beams of destruction at the three pokémon.  Each one was knocked for a loop.  Gary gulped.

            Matt looked at Gabumon.  "Time for us to do our thing!"

            "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

            "With time messed up, who can tell?"

            "Gabumon, warp-digivolve to…Metalgarurumon!"  Metalgarurumon was different:  he had warp engines on his wings and looked faster and sleeker than he had before.  "Time to test this form out!  Pixie, Big Blue!  Back me up!"  Metalgarurumon flew out of the store with weapons blazing.

            "Hey, Gary!" Matt shouted.  "We could use your help out there!"

            "Oh…right!  Fearow, use Sky Attack!  Jolteon, use Thunder!"

            The queuebes didn't last long at all against Metalgarurumon's missiles and the combined attacks of the pokémon and Pixie.  The catamarines weren't so easy to defeat, however.

            "Arcanine!  Use Fire spin on those big lion-things!"  Arcanine blew a huge tornado of fire at one of the catamarines.  The fire left black ash marks on the outer paneling of the catamarine, but it didn't seem to damage it.

            "Tuli Dra Jalnor!" it answered, throwing a downpour of lava back at Arcanine.  Arcanine had to turn and run to dodge away from the blast.  When he turned around to look at what the attack had done, a lake of magma was hissing and burning at the asphalt on the road.

            "Now that's a fire-type!" Gary thought aloud.  "I've got to get my hands on one of those!  Pokéball, go!" he shouted, hurling a pokéball at a catamarine's leg.  Strangely, the pokéball managed to capture the catamarine without resistance.  There was an incoherent scream of joy from the cheerleaders, followed by a "♪♫Gary can catch anything!  Everyone, jump up and sing! ♫"

            As she dodged a spurt of lava, Pixie muttered, "I don't feel like singing, at this very moment."

            "Milady!" Big Blue shouted.  The catamarine was using its wrecking-ball tail as a weapon, and it smacked Pixie on the back.  She went flying straight towards the burning lake of lava…

******

            Tina was stunned:  it might have been a better idea to let the fawn die, after all.  The saberstrike was smacking its lips, ready to turn Tina into another nameless, half-eaten cadaver, and it was approaching her with all speed.

            Suddenly, a whistle came from Tina's overalls pocket.  One of the buttons of her raincoat snapped open, and Joey popped out with one of the gremlin's weapons in his paws.  Joey fired, and a white beam shot out the muzzle and smacked the saberstrike on the face.  The saberstrike groaned and collapsed, dead.

            "…Joey?!"

            Joey let out an inquisitive squeak.

            "How did you do that?  Was that your special attack?"

            "Joey thought non otawawo would come handy."

            " 'Non otawawo?'  What's a non otawawo?"

            "Thing Joey hurt ferra-tor-grend'l with."

            "Ferra-tor-grend'l?  You're using a whole bunch of words Tina doesn't understand!"

            Joey snorted.  "Two Tinas use words Joey no understand!"

            "Two Tinas sorry."

            "Joey not know how tell Tina what words mean.  Ferra-tor-grend'l is sleeping digimon on ground that Joey hurt.  Non otawawo is thing Joey has.  Hurt ferra-tor-grend'l with."

            Tina decided to move to another area, hoping to find other shelter, far from the wreckage of the "ferra-tor-grend'l".  She said, "Joey should go back to bed.  No want fur get wet; no want get rash."

            "G'night!" Joey whistled, crawling back into the pocket.

            Tina found another hole and crawled inside.  She looked over her condition.  Her raincoat and gloves were slick with a film of rainwater.  Her overalls were drenched, and her legs were feeling a little too cold for comfort.  She rubbed her elbows and searched for a blanket in her backpack.  It was a while before she heard the cry of, "Tina!" from Mermon.  Tina dashed outside and waved.

            Mermon flew down.  "There you are!  Don't you worry me like that again by disappearing!"

            Tina jumped into Mermon's arms.  "C'mon.  Let's hurry back to base; I need to take a warm shower and get some dry clothes on!"

            "You must be freezing!"

            "Not really.  It's a little uncomfortable to be this cold, but I'm managing."

            "You do know that your mom will kill us for this, don't you?"

            "Well…okay, we'll probably be taken off seek patrol, but then what'll we get?  We'll end up with a job as orphanage supervisors, right?  I like that job just as much as seek patrol, anyways."