Chapter 29: Revelations
Brock was speaking with Misty, who was wearing a rainsuit and gloves that made her look like she was from the cast of The Perfect Storm. She had Togepi in her hands.
"Brock, could you please take care of Togepi?"
"Of course, Misty."
"And…if I don't come back…"
"I understand. Don't worry; I'll take good care of him. Togepi will be safe with me."
"Thanks…you have no idea how much this means to me."
"Actually, I do. I know how it feels to have a child counting on you."
Ash stepped forward. "Uh…Brock?"
"Yes, Ash?"
"There's one thing I'd like you to take care of for me, too." He took off his hat. "I don't want to lose this out there."
Brock took the hat, increased the size with a couple of snaps, and put it on his own head. Like Ash always did when he met a new challenge, Brock turned the cap backwards. "I'll take care of it for you."
"Thanks."
Kari and Tina came up to him, too. Brock immediately began to flush. It ran through his mind that, when he'd first seen Yolei, he'd been very disappointed---and surprised, too---to hear that she was already married. Then, when he saw her unwed daughter, he was just as thrilled as he'd been disappointed. His mind was dwelling on his first meeting with Tina and his thoughts of her good looks while they were speaking to him.
"Brock?"
"Huh?"
"Didn't you hear us?"
"…Were you talking?"
Tina snickered. She knew Brock was taking interest in her, and she wondered how she could take advantage of this situation and make Brock do something amusingly dumb out of his hormonal stupor. "Oh, nothing important. We just wanted you to take care of the kids on a double-shift."
"Sure…double-shift…"
"That's all. Make sure you drink plenty of coffee!"
Kari nudged Tina. "That was so nasty of you! You do realize that, one of these days, one of your pranks is going to do a lot more harm than good?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
Tina looked around as she stepped aboard. There were a whole bunch of fishermen aboard, of all ages. One of them was only eight years old, but he had been a fisherman with fifty years in the business. That was the problem with messed-up time: for all Tina knew, they'd come home before they'd leave, and, hopefully, they wouldn't create a time paradox that would be difficult and necessary to figure out.
The time-paradox idea messed up Tina's mind and forced her to think of another topic: she had movies to spoof. Just as the ship was pulling out, she climbed to the prow of the boat and shouted, "I'M THE KING OF THE WORLD!!" As she screamed, she noticed something out in the mist. It was…their own boat, coming in! Her mind was even more messed up: the time-paradox that she'd thought of was actually happening! She was overwhelmed and dizzy from the strangeness of this, but then it occurred to her: if their ship was coming back, then something absolutely had to happen out there that would make them go back in time, and they'd absolutely have to make it back all right in the end. How this was happening, Tina didn't know…but she shouted to her future self in the other boat, "Any advice for me?"
Tina felt so strange in her head that she barely heard and barely understood the other one say, "Beware the sea-faring man with one leg!" and then break down laughing hysterically after a short pause.
Yolei yanked Tina back from the railing. "Don't go out to the edge of the boat like that, Tina!"
"What's the worst that could happen? I'd fall in, right? It wouldn't be that bad."
"It would be very bad if one of those machines found you and ate you while you were in the water. Tighten those life vest cords. And zip up that rain suit."
"Let's think about this, Mom: if I don't zip it up, I risk getting my front side wet. And look at how I'm sweating: it will end up drenched either way. And if I do zip up the suit, I risk dying of heat exhaustion. Which sounds worse to you?"
"Don't give me that lip, Tina!"
"Mom, how many times do I have to tell you that you worry too much?" Tina asked, in a very mother-like tone.
"NOT---ANOTHER---WORD!" Yolei spat, walking away from her.
Youngdramon sighed. "What's her problem? She knows that there are about a billion ways you can get out of the water, with this boat! And I can digivolve if worse comes to worse! …You do know I'm not going to let you, die, right?"
"Oh, I know we'll make it back okay, but not for the reason you think I do. But let's get to work."
"What's work?"
"Watch for evil menace machines and digivolve if we see any."
"How can you watch if you're not on the edge of the deck?"
"Mom said to stay in the cabin until we're needed."
"So we might end up staying in there for the whole trip?"
"Probably…you know she'll pick us to fight last of all."
"Hmm…"
******
Rika wondered about Takato's cut. But she didn't say anything: she didn't want to look like a social creature, or like she cared. She had an irrational fear of people thinking she cared.
Black clouds grumbled overhead, but the air beneath couldn't be more un-storm-like: it felt like a still winter's afternoon. Takato and Rika were both wearing blankets to keep warm. Rika felt uncomfortable wearing a blanket, as though she were showing some sign of weakness by trying to stay warm. So she didn't say anything at all…until something caught her eye. It was a big column that looked like rippling shadows of light and dark. "Uh, Takato?"
Takato looked at the column. It was like a huge tornado in that it went from the ground straight up to the sky, but it wasn't destructive at all. The four of them got closer to it.
"What is it?" Guilmon asked.
"I have no clue." Takato slowly put his arm in. He suddenly felt some strange force jerk his hand forward, and before he knew it he was totally inside the column---and he had vanished!
"Takato…? …TAKATO??!!" Rika yelled into the column. There was no answer. She began to panic, but then she heard a low noise coming out of the column. It was speech that was garbled by a time density anomaly: first, it was high and squeaky, then, the next second, normal speed, then the next second, slow, and then fast again. Unfortunately, the words were completely unintelligible. Finally, Takato came flying out of the column at full speed, and he smacked into Rika. Rika went careening backwards, and landed on the seat of her pants. "Ow! Watch it!"
"Sorry. I didn't see that coming, either…how long was I in there?"
"About five seconds."
"Huh…I had no clue how long I was inside. And I---!" he stared in disbelief at his arm: the bandage and the wound were both gone!
"What on earth…?" Renamon asked.
A loud "YIYIYIYIYIYIYYIYIYIYI!" interrupted their conversation.
"Not an issue!" Rika thought aloud, looking at the trio of headhunters that were charging them. "You and Guilmon took the last ones, so Rufusmon and I should take these."
"Okay…be my guest."
"Digi-modify! Digivolution, activate!"
"Renamon, digivolve to…Rufusmon!" Rufusmon ran towards the headhunters with her flames blazing. "Magnesium conflagration!" The white flames seemed to do little or no damage to the headhunters.
"Dra Kou!" one of them yelled as he jabbed a spear in Rufusmon's direction. Rufusmon was way too quick to be hit, but she couldn't land a substantial hit on them, either.
"Rika, I think something else is called for!"
"Right…digi-modify! Armor, activate!" A block of metal appeared on the tip of Rufusmon's tail.
Rufusmon spun around and knocked the headhunters for six with the block on her tail. She was having more success with the tail-swiping than the fire attacks, but the attacks still weren't doing enough damage…
"Rika! Combo! Do an upgrade card!"
"Like I need you to tell me! I'm the champ Digimon Card Game player! Digi-modify! Upgrade, activate!"
Rufusmon had enough strength to smash the headhunters to bits. All that remained of them were their spears that lay on the ground, and the spears looked like they were covered in a sticky, dried-out brown fluid. "Ugh! What is that stuff?" Rika asked as she holstered her D-Arc.
"Let's see---it's brown, it stinks, and it looks disgusting. One of two things: sewer water, or dried blood."
Rika gulped. "Who…who do you think they got?" she asked, and it was clear from her voice that she was scared to death.
"It's not like you to care. …I don't know."
The words, "it's not like you to care," didn't filter through her mind. She was still staring at those three dead abominations, thinking about them and what they do… She thought back to the hospital's waiting room…how she'd been broken down like that…she didn't realize it, but tears were running down her face.
Finally, she came to her senses and looked at Takato. He said, in the same tone he would use to tell someone that they're snoring, "Rika…you're crying."
Rika hastily wiped off her tears.
"Sorry to be rude, but I just didn't think it was appropriate for you to be crying," Takato said.
"Of course not. Silly me." Her tone suddenly became menacing: "And if I hear one word about this around the nuke plant, then you'll get it right in the face!"
Takato looked like he was about to say something, then sighed and decided to hold his tongue.
"What?" Rika asked.
"Nothing. I---"
"What were you about to say, Takato?"
"It's…not something you'd enjoy hearing---"
"What was it?!"
"I was gonna say…well…do you think that crying is a bad thing?"
"Of course it is!"
"Well…I think you need it."
"What do you mean?"
"You know how you're always blowing up at people?"
"Yeah, it's because you're all a bunch of puffed-up, bossy, greater-than-thou---"
"So all of us have a problem, and you don't?"
Rika didn't answer.
"Rika…!" Takato sighed. "You blow up at people because you refuse to relate to them. Your refusing to relate builds up stress in your head, and it's when you cry that you snap, and the stress gets relieved. It's not a bad thing that you're crying---"
"Shut up! I've heard this speech a billion times before!"
"Then why did you ask to hear it again?"
"That's a good question."
"…All right, then…let's get back to base before something else happens."
Rika snarled back, "If we ride on Rufusmon's back, we'll get back faster."
Takato was about to say something else, but he thought better of it and climbed on Rufusmon's back without saying a word.