NOTE: There is Christian content that may offend some readers, but no more than in the movie Beloved, during the birth scene.

Chapter 28:  Operation: Squids!

            Cleaver shook his head.  "As near as I can figure, this card is nothing but paper and ink.  Whatever goes on with these things, it happens in your D-Arcs."

            "But it was a blue card that started the D-Arcs in the first place!"

            "What do you mean?"

            "I swiped a blue card through my electronic experience counter for the digimon card game, and it turned into my D-Arc."

            "Weird…the only thing I can think of is a data feedback stream with the card having a preprogrammed, nonliving subspace matrix of its own…"

            "In English?"

            "The card is kind of like a digimon in itself, except that it isn't alive.  You see, digimon and other S.I. life forms have these other bodies in subspace, and we call those bodies 'subspace matrixes'.  All the eating, thinking, breathing, and fighting goes on in their normal-space bodies, but it's the processes in subspace that let them digivolve and use special attacks, and that lets you digi-modify your digimon.  My guess is that this 'blue card' you're talking about has a subspace matrix of its own, and that the matrix somehow interacts with normal-space electric appliances the same way a digimon's subspace matrix affects its own normal-space body.  I'd say the card reformatted and replaced matter in your counter and transmogrified it into a D-Arc."

            "Weird…but then, how would it make Growlmon digivolve to ultimate?"

            "Beats me.  I'd have to see the card, myself, and analyze its subspace matrix to answer that."

            "Huh…well, thanks."

            "How'd you get the---uh…" Cleaver rolled back the sleeve of his robe and ran his finger up and his arm to point out the line of redness that ran up and down the gauze wrapped around Takato's arm.

            "Oh…that.  A saberstrike got me."

            "Struck you with a saber, huh?"

            "That's not very funny."

            "Yeah, you're right…but you've earned it!  A battle scar!"

            "Scar?  I'm going to have to live with a line on my arm for the rest of my life??!!"

            "It's not that bad!  In fact, I think it's a good thing!  I'd love to have a battle scar of my own, but, instead, I'm stuck doing what I do best:  I'm the weirdo tech guy who sits in the background and explains stuff."  Cleaver sighed.  "Excuse me, I have some new menace machines to catalogue."

            "Okay.  See you around."

            "Take it easy."

******

            "Honey, I really don't think it's such a good idea."

            "Yolei, you know that Tina and June have water-dwelling digimon.  We need all the help we can get to deal with any water machines you'll run into."

            "But she's just a kid!"

            Ken turned his head and stared into a mirror.  Yolei looked, too.  "Dear…we're both kids again, too."

            "But…she's not as mature as we are!  Okay, maybe whatever messed up time turned my body into a kid, but it didn't turn my mind into a kid's mind!  Tina…she was never a grown-up.  How can she function out there in a world full of danger and death?"

            "Yolei, we were kids when we saved the world from Malomyotismon.  Look how that turned out.  And another thing:  all of us were kids.  The only adults working with us were Gennai, Cleaver, and their crew.  But with Tina, she'll have a few adults with her---adults that she knows.  That's better than what we had.  And we're sending out kids even younger than she is, like Rika and Ash and Tracy.  They seem to be doing okay."

            "But---" Yolei sighed.  "I couldn't stand to lose her."

            "There's just as much risk to the other children as there would be to her.  If we can risk their safety, then it would be selfish and wrong to keep Tina out of the line of fire."

            Yolei sobbed.

            Ken pulled her close to his chest.  "Now, now, honey…"

            "But Tina's just not cut out for this!  She was almost eaten by a saberstrike a few---"

            "We all have close calls.  Takato had one just a few hours ago."

            "But she was putting herself in danger to save a deer!"

            "Okay, maybe that was poor judgment or her part.  But mistakes are how we learn."

            "What if her next mistake gets her killed?"

            "Not while you're right there next to her.  Besides, if we're talking about a water fight, it'll be Tina on the deck of the boat, while Ikudramon or Mermon is fighting the menace machines underwater.  Tina won't be in any more danger than the ship.  And we'll have Ikkakumon, Submarimon, Swampangemon, and Mermon protecting the ship---and who knows how many pokémon.  That number of fighters is nothing to sneer at, especially with Swampangemon's ability to control her own size.  In fact, if worse comes to worse, we can have Swampangemon pick up the boat and fly with it back to shore.  This is a good way for Tina to be a part of the action.  And I don't think it's healthy for her not to be."

            Yolei dried her tears.  "You're right.  I am being selfish.  But I'm still not sure about any of this.  What if we don't find any fish?"

            "Cody has every Christian we've found praying that this will be a successful voyage!  God doesn't hold back His blessings…especially when they're needed."

            Yolei sighed.  "Okay…I'll ask Tina about it."  The following morning---or evening, depending on your point of reference---Yolei walked into the orphanage and asked Tina, "Do you have a minute?"

            Tina gulped:  what was she going to be punished for, this time?  "Sure…I've got a minute."

            "There's…a really weird mission I have."

            "YES!!  THANK YOU, JESUS!!  Yeeee-haaaaaaAAAA!!!"

            "…And you haven't even heard what the mission is!"

            "Hold on a minute; it's not inside the nuke plant, is it?" Tina asked, suddenly worried that her display of enthusiasm had been premature.

            "No, it's not.  It's wet, and it smells bad."

            "…Sounds like a dead fish."

            "Dead fish are definitely involved:  we're worried about our food supplies, and so your father and I are organizing all the people with water fighters or sailing experience, so that we'll be able to take a fishing boat out to sea and catch fish for everyone."

            "Oh…I'd be happy to come along, sure!"

            "June would have to come, too."

            "I'll see what she says.  Hey, June!"

            "What?"

            "Mom is letting us out of this metal cage!"

            "We're back on seek patrol?"

            "No," Yolei shouted back.  "This is a special mission, we need to catch fish at sea!"

            "Fish?  No thanks; I prefer my fish with rice, not alive!"

            "Oh, come on, June!" Youngdramon cut in.  "That open ocean air will clear out your sinuses and unclog your pores!"

            "Really?"

            "Oh, sure!  And it does wonders for curing colds and---"

            "My pores…hmm…if I can get rid of this zit, then…the next time Matt sees me…"

            "Matt?  We haven't found him, yet!" Yolei shouted.

            "But if we ever do, I'll want my complexion to be top-shape!  …I'm in!  If there's a way to keep the fish smell from soaking into my clothes."

            "Rainsuits are provided," Yolei answered.

            "Then I'm there!"

            Before Yolei left, she asked Tina, "One question:  do you know anyone else, any other monsters or Digidestined or trainers that can help us when it comes to the water?"

            "Well…there's Misty; her specialty was water pokémon, and Ash had a couple water-types, himself…and Tracy is experienced at sea, too…he might be able to help.  And let's not forget Michael and Seadramon."

            "Oh, right!  I forgot about Michael!  I'll go ask him if he can join us."

            As Yolei walked away, Tina sighed happily.  "Ah, the open ocean!"

            Youngdramon joined in crooning about their soon-to-be-had adventure:  "The salty breezes!"

            "The gentle rocking of the waves!"

            "The moon on the crest of the water!"

            "The sunset reflecting off the sea!"

            June chimed in, "The typhoons, the sharks, the man-eating, giant robotic squids!"

            "Sound delicious!" Youngdramon said, smacking her lips with her forked tongue.

            "Oh, shut up!"

            "June, why do you always have to be such a stick-in-the-mud?" Tina asked.

            "Why do you always have to be such a ding-a-ling?"