Starcatcher: Hey everyone. Here's the next chapter.
EA: You do realize that they're not gonna be happy about this, right?
Starcatcher: Sadly, yes...but it cannot be helped. I've tried thinking of other people who could be causing the problem, but, to me at least, this is the best I can come up with.
EA: But this isn't just another repeat of the whole "Digimon Emperor Saga"! This is--
Starcatcher: WHY do you keep trying to give everything away?
EA: Cuz it's FUN! *^_^*
Starcatcher: Riiiight...oh well. Wait a minute! Don't you still want to kill me for making "It Was Worth It" a one-shot?
EA: Well...you're writing this, and I happen to like how it's going, so no.
Starcatcher: That's a relief...
EA: So are you gonna start this chapter or not?
Starcatcher: (Sighs) No use delaying the inevitable. The thing is, I've only seen a few fics with this idea, and some were actually pretty good. So I decided to give it a try.
EA: This is gonna be our first-fledge Digimon fic, so if you're gonna flame, then at least give us a good reason to care.
Starcatcher: Now that's harsh.
EA: Eh...
Starcatcher: Disclaimer?
Davis: Starcatcher does not own Digimon. The EA doesn't own Digimon either.
Kari: And despite repeated claims, she does not own Davis! (Glomps Davis)
Davis: Huh?
EA: (Steaming) WHAT!?! GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIM!!!
Kari: Make me!
Starcatcher: Oh boy...lets just get this over with, shall we?
********************
The next day, they had left for Gennai's house. Upon arriving...
"WHAT THE HELL!?! Gennai, is that you? You're...old!" Davis exclaimed. Now please remember that the four newer kids and Digimon met Gennai after he returned to his normal form, so it was only natural for the two to be confused and a bit shocked to find Gennai as an old geezer and couldn't help but gawk at him.
Not really liking the way either of them were staring, Gennai cleared his throat to get their attention. Realizing that they were being rude, the two blushed and apologized. Nodding, the not-so-young Gennai motioned them to enter his underwater home.
"So, my young friends, it appears that you are lost." Gennai stated once everyone was seated. Davis and Veemon both nodded in response, so he continued. "Is it your first time in the Digital World."
At this, the two shook their heads. "No. Veemon and I have been coming here for a while now...but it wasn't like this..."
"How so?" Gennai.
"Well...it was peaceful when we last left it a few days ago. We already helped the former Digimon Emperor to change his ways, and we defeated MaloMyotismon..."
The other three only looked at the two in confusion. "But...the Digital World has been this way for some time now!" Gatomon exclaimed.
"And we have never heard of this...Digimon Emperor...nor MaloMyotismon." Leomon added.
"But...how...?" Davis.
"Young man, would you mind telling me your name?" Gennai.
"It's Davis. Davis Motomiya."
Gennai paused for a moment before looking Davis straight in the eyes. "Who are you?"
Davis looked around, confused, before answering again. "Davis Motomiya."
"Why are you lying to me?"
"I'm NOT lying! My name IS Davis 'Daisuke' Motomiya! Why would you accuse me of lying?" Davis demanded.
"Because Davis Motomiya DIED years ago!"
"WHAT!?! But...HOW!?!" Davis jumped up, shouting.
"Gennai...how could this boy have died years ago if he's standing right here? He must be who he says he is, otherwise he wouldn't have a Veemon for a partner, and be able to use the Digimental of Courage." Leomon wondered.
"Well, there is a way to be sure..." Gennai stated, turning away to get something from off a shelf.
"And what might that be?" Davis asked.
"Young man...would you mind rolling up your sleeve and holding out your arm...?" With his back still to them, he pulled out one HUGE needle, that none of them were able to see due to the fact that they were behind him. Shrugging and not thinking much of it, Davis did as requested and held his arm out, wondering just why Gennai asked him to do so. (Think of the Inuyasha episode after Tetsusaiga breaks and you'll get the idea...)
A few seconds later, outside Gennai's house, let us examine the view of the area...oooooh...pretty...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
Oh boy...back inside Gennai's house, Davis was currently being restrained by Leomon, while a nervous Veemon tried to calm him down and a shocked Gatomon stared. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING YOU GODDAMN FREAK!?!"
Gennai, however, ignored him and inserted the tube of blood into a computer to get an analysis. After few minutes, Davis finally calmed down enough and after promising not to kill Gennai, was released by Leomon. A minute or so later, the computer made a 'ding' sound, and began printing something that Davis and the others couldn't really tell. Gennai looked over the papers before turning to the others.
"Well?" Gatomon.
"What did it say?" Leomon.
"It says that this boy is, indeed, who he claims to be." Gennai announced.
Davis smiled. "See? Told ya!"
"But that doesn't make any sense, Gennai...how can Davis still be alive even though he died years ago?" Gatomon questioned.
"I think I may have an idea...but tell me something first." Gennai nodded before turning to Davis and Veemon. "When did you two first arrive to find the Digital World had changed?"
"It was just yesterday." Veemon answered. "We were supposed to meet the others to come to the Digital World and have a party to celebrate finishing all the rebuilding from the previous threats!"
"Is that so? Did anything strange happen before you came through?" Gennai.
Veemon shook his head. "Nope...we were late though. Davish forgot to set his alarm clock!"
"HEY! It wasn't my fault! I DID set my alarm, but it must have messed up or something. It went off later than I remember setting it for. Considering we were going to be late, Veemon and I rushed to the school." Davis exclaimed.
"And were nearly hit by a car in the process..." Veemon added his two cents.
"Someone pushed me! Then we made it to the school and I saw the other kids inside through the window, but when we reached the computer lab, they had already left! So we opened the Digi-port to follow them and catch up, only to find the world like this."
Gennai nodded, thinking. "Hmmm...interesting..."
"Well? Do you know what happened?" Davis asked, eagerly.
"I haven't the slightest clue!" Gennai smiled sheepishly as the others face faulted. "I'm not quite certain, but it looks to me like you two came from an alternate reality to ours, which would explain how you're alive even though the Davis of this world is supposed to be dead."
"That would make some sense." Davis agreed.
"I'm not sure just how or why you two have come here here, but this may be the chance that we've been waiting for..." Gatomon stated.
"What do you mean?" Veemon.
"Until we find out exactly what happened to bring you two here, you're stuck. And it just so happens that we may have need of your help to save both worlds from a new threat." Gennai.
"We'll do whatever we can to help you." Davis stated, much to the happiness of the others in the room.
####################
"And that a big mistake..." he muttered.
Tenshi tilted her head to the side a bit, confused. "You mean you didn't want to help them?"
"Oh, don't get me wrong, I was all for helping them. I'm still glad I did. But...it probably would have been a good idea if I had first known exactly WHO it was we were going to try and help them against..."
####################
"WHAT!?! But...why would...how could...I don't believe it..." Davis fell back into his seat at Gennai's table, while Veemon froze, both not able to believe what they had just heard. 'Out of everyone in either of the entire worlds, why oh why did it have to be THEM?'
"Is something wrong?" Gatomon asked, a bit worried about their reaction.
"Our friends...the Digidestined...are the Dark Masters...and taking over the Digital World? But we KNOW them! Why would they do such a thing?" Veemon questioned.
"Remember, this reality is different than your own. Circumstances have changed and they are not the same people you knew." Gennai told them.
Davis thought it over...and strangely enough, it did seem to make sense. At least it would explain the appearance of the dark rings and control spires...as well as why the Digimon reacted to them so strangely. The only humans in the Digital World are trying to take it over...not to mention the fact that Davis looks similar to Tai.
"But even so...I just can't believe that our friends...the first Digidestined...would actually do this! How could they chose to take over the Digital World after all they learned and went through?" Veemon cried.
"We don't know. One day, they just came through the Digi-port and started their takeover. They're just not the same that they used to be. They're stronger...smarter...much more powerful than they used to be...they're no longer the same ones who saved the Digital world..." Gatomon stated, trying to hold back her sorrow.
Davis slammed his hands on the table. "NO! They wouldn't just turn evil like that! I know them, and they would never just join the darkness and try to enslave the Digital World! The circumstances in this universe may be different from ours, but they are still the same people at heart! I KNOW that they wouldn't do this out of their own free will! The Digital World means too much to them...it means too much to all of us! There must be something controlling them! Like with Ken!"
Leomon looked at him quizically. "What do you mean?"
"Well it's like this...it happened a few years after the first kids defeated Apoclomon. One Digidestined, Ken, went bad and became the Digimon Emperor and tried to enslave the Digital World. He set up control spires to expand his control, but they also kept Digimon from being able to digivolve. And they also gave power to the dark rings which were used to control the Digimon."
"Remarkable..." Genai murmered. "That sounds like our situation here..."
"Then us newer kids were brought in to help. We were given the power of the Digimentals to make our Digimon armor-digivolve, since that was the only way of digivolution not affected by the control spires. In the end, we managed to stop the Digimon Emperor after he created one warped Digimon known as Kimeramon, and Veemon here golden armor-digivolved to Magnamon. After the sacrifice of the Emperor's Digimon, Wormmon, Kimeramon was defeated. We convinced Ken that what he was doing was wrong, and he changed his ways and eventually joined our side after Wormmon came back. Later on, we found that it wasn't even really his fault for all the things he did. It turns out that there was this thing called a Dark Spore inside of him. It made him super smart and atheletic, but it also warped his mind, making him evil."
"So...if that's true...then the Digidestined might be under the same control?" Gatomon asked, hopefully. Despite everything, she didn't want to believe that Kari would willingly turn evil.
"That HAS to be it, because if the others in this world were anything like the ones in ours, then they would never turn to the darkness and try to hurt anyone." Davis stated, believing fully that his friends could be saved.
"Maybe so...but it might help us if we knew exactly how things were in your world..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Gatomon! Hey Gatomon!"
The feline Digimon turned to see Veemon running after her. Davis was still with Gennai and Leomon, discussing the events in each of the realities. Gatomon, not wanting to stay any longer once they had started up the topic of the new Dark Masters, had left, and Veemon, being worried, had followed her. "What is it Veemon?" She asked him.
Out of breath when he finally caught up to her, Veemon took a few seconds before asking her the question that was bugging him. "Hey Gatomon, would you mind telling me something?"
"Uh...sure, if I can."
"Well...Gennai said that the other Digimon went along with their human partners in their takeover, but you didn't. Why?"
Gatomon frowned. "I know that Kari's my partner, and I hated leaving her like I did...but I just couldn't allow myself to work for the side of evil again."
"Huh?" Veemon looked at her, confused. The Gatomon of his world never told him or any of the others about her past working for Myotismon. The older Digimon didn't really mention it either.
She looked away, sadly. "I don't want to talk about it." She turned to leave, but stopped when Veemon grabbed her hand.
"Gatomon, I know that this is probably hard for you, but something I've learned is that it always helps to talk about it."
Annoyed, she glared at him. "And why would you care?"
"Because we're friends!"
"What makes you think that we could ever be friends?" She hissed out.
He backed up a bit. "Well...we helped each other before...doesn't that make us friends?"
"No. That was just to help in the battle. That doesn't mean we're friends."
"Well we could be...I mean...I wanna be your friend..." He pouted.
She paused before turning to face him. "You want...to be my friend?"
He nodded. "Yeah! Why wouldn't I?"
After staring at him for a moment, she began to laugh. "Veemon...I don't think I've ever met anyone like you..."
Veemon laughed as well, but stopped suddenly, wincing in pain. Realizing something was wrong, Gatomon rushed to his side. "Veemon! Veemon, are you all right?"
"I...don't know...it feels like...I'm being split in two..." He managed to choke out before falling. Fortunately, Gatomon caught him.
"HELP! GUYS! HELP!" She shouted, half dragging, half carrying him back towards Gennai's house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Okay, this sucks...this really, REALLY sucks...here I am, all alone, in the real world that is no longer the same I remember it. My partner's back at the Digital World suffering from who knows what...all the first kids and their Digimon are evil, except Gatomon, who can't fight at her best without Kari...Ken, Yolie, and Cody could help, assuming I can get them to believe me...and I'm supposed to be dead. If this isn't low, I don't know what is.'
After hearing about the newer Digidestined, Gennai had sent Davis off to the real world, along with a backpack full of money and supplies, to locate them while he tried to find out what was wrong with Veemon. Fortunately, the Digi-ports between the two worlds still existed, so it was no trouble for him to get to the real world, though he did freak out a few kids when he came out of a computer at the school.
"Lets see now...where to find the others...I guess I should start with Yolie. It's the weekend, so she must be working." With that, he set off for her family's store.
After several minutes in which he tried to go unnoticed by anyone in case they recognized him, Davis finally reached the place. Upon entering, he found that apparently, the Digital World wasn't the only place that changed.
********************
EA: Oh yes...this is gonna be EVIL!
Starcatcher: What can I say? Humor happens to be my specialty.
Davis: (Pouts) You're not gonna make this easy for me, are you?
Starcatcher: Well...I could, but where would be the fun in that? Besides, I have to have it be at least somewhat reasonable...
Davis: (Sighs) I'm dead.
********************
'A book store?' Davis looked around, confused. Originally, this place had been a convinience store, but now it was full of books. 'Weird...but then again, it could be worse...now I wonder if Yolie's family still owns this place...' Fortunately, he found his answer quite quickly when he saw Yolie at the cash register, selling a book to a teen who looked familiar somehow.
"Have a nice day, sir." She said, though she sounded more like she was whispering. When the boy smiled at her and thanked her, she appeared to get more nervous and seemed to find a spot on the floor quite interesting. After the boy left the store, she looked up and her eyes fell on Davis. "C-can I help you?" She asked him, quite nervous.
Davis could only stare at her. 'Yolie...she seems...sorta scared and less confident than she was in the other reality. Now this is something I thought I'd never see...' She still wore her glasses, but her hair was now in a braid. (Think Duo Maxwell) She wore a light pink dress similar to Aerith's from FF7, and just didn't look as strong willed or confident as her alternate self.
Unfortunately, his staring only served to scare Yolie. "W-what do you want?"
'Okay...Yolie's just a bit different. I'm sure she'll take it well.' He sighed. "Yolie...I know this is gonna sound strange, but..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Okay, so she DIDN'T take it as well as I hoped.' Davis ran as fast as he could as the echos from Yolie's screaming followed him. 'Great. This is just fuckin great! She thinks I'm some sort of ghostly stalker now! How was I supposed to know she'd freak out when I told her who I was.'
Apparently, Davis had forgotten that Yolie knew him before the whole Myotismon incident, and therefore, would freak out once she realized who he was. It really didn't help the matter when he mentioned that little incident where she first learned about Digimon. Now she thought he was some sort of stalker...or a ghost...or both.
He sighed. 'Maybe I should try Ken next?'
And so, after paying the fare and riding the subway, Davis reached Tamachi. He was headed for Ken's place when he heard something not too far away. It sounded like...shouting! Rushing to the scene, he found a group of teens ouside of the school, surrounding something and either cheering, jeering, shouting, or just staying quiet. After finally finding the reason, he couldn't help but stare. "I...don't...believe this..."
In the center of attention, the one who everyone was cheering for...was KEN! And he didn't look like the kind, reformed teen that Davis remembered him. He was wearing a brown leather jacket, a cross necklace, torn jeans, and black boots that looked like they would really hurt if you were kicked by them. To finish his 'punk' look, his hair, which was an inch or two longer than the Ken's Davis knew, was pulled back into a painful looking pony-tail, sort of similar to Wufei from Gundam Wing.
After getting over the shock of seeing Ken this way, Davis realized just what everyone was jeering about. Ken, along with two other rather big and stupid looking guys, were beating up on a rather pale and scrawny looking kid, who was on the ground, trying to cover his face as they kicked him. The people in the crowd did nothing to stop the boys or help the kid. They were either cheering for the bullies, jeering at the kid, shouting at them all to stop, or...worst of all...doing nothing. But none of them stepped forward to try and do anything against either parties involved.
Well...one did.
"HEY! LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!" Came a shout.
Now in times like this, it would probably be the smart thing to just keep one's mouth shut to avoid problems in the future. However, Davis has never really cared about what's smart in a situation when it conflicts with what's right, and therefore, he was at the downed kid's side within seconds.
Ken glared at this newcomer. He didn't recognize him, and this guy has got to be new or just plain stupid to challenge HIS authority. "What?" Everyone fell silent, watching the new scene take place.
Davis looked up at Ken and the others. "Leave the guy alone!"
"And why should we?" Ken demanded.
"Because it's WRONG! You were going at him three against one, and he couldn't even defend himself! You can't just go picking on people because they're smaller and weaker than you! If you wanna fight, then try picking on someone who can stand up for himself!" Davis stood, glaring at Ken.
Shocked and angry, Ken pulled his fist back and threw a punch at Davis, who dodged to the side. Ken was about to throw another punch when an authoritive voice yelled out. "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!?!" It was a teacher. The crowd immediately dispersed, leaving the teacher, the kid, Ken, his two cronies, and Davis.
"Ichijouji! What's going on?" The teacher demanded, helping the kid that they were beating up on earlier to his feet.
"If I ever see you around here again, you'll be sorry." Ken said, ignoring the teacher as he sent a glare at Davis.
Davis just looked at him, sadly. "Man...where'd your kindness go, Ken?" With that, he turned and walked away.
Ken stared after him for a moment, shocked and just a little confused at what he said. After a few seconds, he grunted and headed off. The two grunts ran off as well to wherever it is they live, leaving the fuming teacher to tend to the kid.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By now, it was evening, and the sun was beginning to set. Davis had been searching the real world for his friends since that morning. Considering he had been wandering around for a while, and hadn't eaten anything since he left Gennai's house, he was getting really hungry now. Fortunately, he was near the park, where a festival of some sort was taking place. They had all sorts of games, booths, and food stands in the area, so he figured he could get something from there. After buying a turky leg and some ramen, he settled down under a tree and admired the view while thinking about his current situation and of course, eating.
'Lesse...Yolie's timid and easily frightened...and Ken's a punk rebel who also happens to be a major jerk...I wonder if everyone I know is different...' Davis thought to himself as he wondered the streets a bit. He was back in Obadia, looking for Cody and hoping that maybe, just maybe, Cody will be the same smart, reliable, serious kid he was before.
...Keep dreaming Davis.
That's when he saw him...it was Cody! His hair was a bit longer and spikier, and he was wearing a yellow T-shirt, a black vest, jeans, and sneakers, but it was Cody, all right! Quickly packing up his food into his backpack, he rushed off, following Cody and looking for a chance to talk to him. It appeared that he was just wondering around, enjoying the fair, but Davis noticed that the he seemed to be looking for something.
"Grandpa! Grandpa! Look at this!" A young kid squealed.
"Oh my, yes...that is quite lovely..." The Grandfather agreed. At this time, Cody passed the two, and, without being noticed, reached into the old man's pocket and stole his wallet!
'WHAT!?! NO WAY! CODY JUST STOLE FROM THAT GUY!' Davis shouted in his mind. 'Wait a minute...I know Cody! He couldn't just steal from someone!' He began to argue with himself, but decided to stay put just a bit longer.
Cody continued walking away, but slowed down as the child began speaking again. "Do you think we can get it Grandpa?" The kid smiled up at the older man, eyes begging.
"Well I don't see why not. Now where is my wallet?" He began checking his pockets, becoming a bit confused when he couldn't find his wallet in any of them. Cody stopped, head lowered in disgust with himself, before turning back and dropping the wallet on the ground next to the old man's feet as he passed.
Hearing something, the kid looked down and picked up the wallet, smiling. "Here it is Grandpa!"
The Grandfather smiled, though still a bit confused. "Huh...now how did that get there?" And so, the Grandfather bought the child the prize before they both walked off, happily.
Davis smiled after them. 'I knew he wouldn't do it.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A bit later, the sun had just finished sinking below the horizon. Cody stood looking over the bridge at the edge of the park that was built over a stream, thinking. "That was a nice thing you did there." Came an unfamiliar voice. Cody spun around to face a strange teen wearing goggles of all things!
"What? What are you talking about?" He began to get nervous. What if this guy had seen him? What if he turns him in?
"I'm talking about what you did for that kid and his grandfather. Though you shouldn't have taken the wallet in the first place." Davis stated, for yes, it was Davis.
"Shut up! I don't need you telling me what to do!" Cody shouted.
"Of course you don't. You're old enough now to make your own decisions about what's right and wrong."
Cody blinked, a bit confused by his response. "Huh?"
"Look, Cody, just don't do anything that you're gonna regret."
"Who are you? How do you know my name?"
"Well...it's like this..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"HAH! You actually expect me to believe all that ya weirdo? Other worlds, other realities? Puh-lease! I think you need to be commited!" Cody jeered.
Davis fumed. "Hey! It's true!"
"Prove it!"
Sighing, Davis began to think. What all did he know about Cody that remained the same in this world...? Oh yeah! He snapped his fingers. "Your father!"
Cody froze. "Huh?"
"Your father died in the line of duty, leaving you with your mother." Davis inwardly smirked.
A few moments passed before Cody snapped out of his shock and glared at Davis. "YOU MUTHERFUCKIN CREEP! WHAT DO YOU KNOW!?!" With that, he kicked Davis in the leg before running off.
"Ow! HEY!" Davis watched Cody run off. Figuring there was no point in going after him, he turned and headed the other way, arms crossed, thinking aloud to himself as he reached a busy intersection. "Okay...so far, I've scared Yolie, annoyed Cody, and completely pissed off Ken...I think that's enough damage for one day." Davis muttered as he headed back for the school. He didn't notice the young woman standing on the other side of the street, who was gaping at him as he walked by. By now, it was late and the school was pretty much deserted except for perhaps the Janitors or the kids who had group work to do. Fortunately, the computer lab was empty, so he wouldn't have to worry about freaking out anyone else. At this moment, he heard what sounded like someone running down the hall towards the lab. "Uh oh. Better get outta here! Digi-port OPEN!" And with a bright flash of light...he was gone.
Only a second after he disappeared, the door slammed open. Standing in the archway was the young woman from before. Looking around anxiously, she found the computer lab empty. As if hoping for something, she stayed just a bit longer before turning away, sadly. Closing the door behind her, she never noticed that one of the computer monitors was still on...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, did it go okay?" Gatomon asked Davis once he had returned to Gennai's house.
He gave her a 'look'. "Yolie's scared of me, Cody thinks I'm nuts, and Ken wants to kill me. I wouldn't exactly call that okay!"
"Geez! No need to be rude! I was just wondering!" She retorted.
Davis sighed. "Sorry Gatomon. This is just all so hard to take in."
She patted him on the back. "Don't worry. I'm sure Gennai will find out what's wrong with Veemon. And he'll find a cure for whatever it is."
Just then, Gennai entered, and took his seat at the table. Davis immediately bombarded him with questions. "Gennai? How's Veemon? What's wrong with him? Is he gonna be okay? Can you cure him?"
"Whoa! Whoa! Calm down, Davis. I've found out what the problem is..." Gennai stated.
"Well? What is it?" The goggled boy questioned.
Gennai sighed. "Davis...Veemon's dieing."
********************
Starcatcher: How's that for a cliff-hanger?
EA: You...are...EVIL! I thought I was evil, but man...
Starcatcher: Hey, I gave them comedy. I just figured I should add a bit of drama as well.
Kari: (Glaring at Starcatcher) Why did you have to make me evil?
Starcatcher: Look, I tried other ideas, really I did! I even thought of having it be the old Dark Masters back from the dead, Ken, Jun, or Davis's alternate self. None of them worked out as well as having you and the others do it.
EA: (Smirking at Kari) And you fit the part so well!
(Kari lunges at EA and a fight begins.)
Veemon: As thankful as I am for it, why did you have Gatomon be a good guy if Kari's evil?
Starcatcher: Because, I needed a familiar Digimon to be on the good side to help you guys out. Plus, it just fit her character.
Veemon: (Confused look) Huh?
Starcatcher: (Sighs) You'll find out later.
Davis: You're not going to kill off Veemon, are you? He's my best friend! I can't fight without him!
Starcatcher: (Glances around nervously) Uh...about that...
Gatomon: (Glares at Starcatcher) What?
Starcatcher: Uh...I'll get busy with that next chapter! (Sighs) Man...this was a pretty long one...
Veemon: It was only 14 pages!
Starcatcher: But it's longer than the other chapters so far!
Veemon: True...
EA: Review please!
Kari: Flame please!
EA: You do realize that they're not gonna be happy about this, right?
Starcatcher: Sadly, yes...but it cannot be helped. I've tried thinking of other people who could be causing the problem, but, to me at least, this is the best I can come up with.
EA: But this isn't just another repeat of the whole "Digimon Emperor Saga"! This is--
Starcatcher: WHY do you keep trying to give everything away?
EA: Cuz it's FUN! *^_^*
Starcatcher: Riiiight...oh well. Wait a minute! Don't you still want to kill me for making "It Was Worth It" a one-shot?
EA: Well...you're writing this, and I happen to like how it's going, so no.
Starcatcher: That's a relief...
EA: So are you gonna start this chapter or not?
Starcatcher: (Sighs) No use delaying the inevitable. The thing is, I've only seen a few fics with this idea, and some were actually pretty good. So I decided to give it a try.
EA: This is gonna be our first-fledge Digimon fic, so if you're gonna flame, then at least give us a good reason to care.
Starcatcher: Now that's harsh.
EA: Eh...
Starcatcher: Disclaimer?
Davis: Starcatcher does not own Digimon. The EA doesn't own Digimon either.
Kari: And despite repeated claims, she does not own Davis! (Glomps Davis)
Davis: Huh?
EA: (Steaming) WHAT!?! GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIM!!!
Kari: Make me!
Starcatcher: Oh boy...lets just get this over with, shall we?
********************
The next day, they had left for Gennai's house. Upon arriving...
"WHAT THE HELL!?! Gennai, is that you? You're...old!" Davis exclaimed. Now please remember that the four newer kids and Digimon met Gennai after he returned to his normal form, so it was only natural for the two to be confused and a bit shocked to find Gennai as an old geezer and couldn't help but gawk at him.
Not really liking the way either of them were staring, Gennai cleared his throat to get their attention. Realizing that they were being rude, the two blushed and apologized. Nodding, the not-so-young Gennai motioned them to enter his underwater home.
"So, my young friends, it appears that you are lost." Gennai stated once everyone was seated. Davis and Veemon both nodded in response, so he continued. "Is it your first time in the Digital World."
At this, the two shook their heads. "No. Veemon and I have been coming here for a while now...but it wasn't like this..."
"How so?" Gennai.
"Well...it was peaceful when we last left it a few days ago. We already helped the former Digimon Emperor to change his ways, and we defeated MaloMyotismon..."
The other three only looked at the two in confusion. "But...the Digital World has been this way for some time now!" Gatomon exclaimed.
"And we have never heard of this...Digimon Emperor...nor MaloMyotismon." Leomon added.
"But...how...?" Davis.
"Young man, would you mind telling me your name?" Gennai.
"It's Davis. Davis Motomiya."
Gennai paused for a moment before looking Davis straight in the eyes. "Who are you?"
Davis looked around, confused, before answering again. "Davis Motomiya."
"Why are you lying to me?"
"I'm NOT lying! My name IS Davis 'Daisuke' Motomiya! Why would you accuse me of lying?" Davis demanded.
"Because Davis Motomiya DIED years ago!"
"WHAT!?! But...HOW!?!" Davis jumped up, shouting.
"Gennai...how could this boy have died years ago if he's standing right here? He must be who he says he is, otherwise he wouldn't have a Veemon for a partner, and be able to use the Digimental of Courage." Leomon wondered.
"Well, there is a way to be sure..." Gennai stated, turning away to get something from off a shelf.
"And what might that be?" Davis asked.
"Young man...would you mind rolling up your sleeve and holding out your arm...?" With his back still to them, he pulled out one HUGE needle, that none of them were able to see due to the fact that they were behind him. Shrugging and not thinking much of it, Davis did as requested and held his arm out, wondering just why Gennai asked him to do so. (Think of the Inuyasha episode after Tetsusaiga breaks and you'll get the idea...)
A few seconds later, outside Gennai's house, let us examine the view of the area...oooooh...pretty...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
Oh boy...back inside Gennai's house, Davis was currently being restrained by Leomon, while a nervous Veemon tried to calm him down and a shocked Gatomon stared. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING YOU GODDAMN FREAK!?!"
Gennai, however, ignored him and inserted the tube of blood into a computer to get an analysis. After few minutes, Davis finally calmed down enough and after promising not to kill Gennai, was released by Leomon. A minute or so later, the computer made a 'ding' sound, and began printing something that Davis and the others couldn't really tell. Gennai looked over the papers before turning to the others.
"Well?" Gatomon.
"What did it say?" Leomon.
"It says that this boy is, indeed, who he claims to be." Gennai announced.
Davis smiled. "See? Told ya!"
"But that doesn't make any sense, Gennai...how can Davis still be alive even though he died years ago?" Gatomon questioned.
"I think I may have an idea...but tell me something first." Gennai nodded before turning to Davis and Veemon. "When did you two first arrive to find the Digital World had changed?"
"It was just yesterday." Veemon answered. "We were supposed to meet the others to come to the Digital World and have a party to celebrate finishing all the rebuilding from the previous threats!"
"Is that so? Did anything strange happen before you came through?" Gennai.
Veemon shook his head. "Nope...we were late though. Davish forgot to set his alarm clock!"
"HEY! It wasn't my fault! I DID set my alarm, but it must have messed up or something. It went off later than I remember setting it for. Considering we were going to be late, Veemon and I rushed to the school." Davis exclaimed.
"And were nearly hit by a car in the process..." Veemon added his two cents.
"Someone pushed me! Then we made it to the school and I saw the other kids inside through the window, but when we reached the computer lab, they had already left! So we opened the Digi-port to follow them and catch up, only to find the world like this."
Gennai nodded, thinking. "Hmmm...interesting..."
"Well? Do you know what happened?" Davis asked, eagerly.
"I haven't the slightest clue!" Gennai smiled sheepishly as the others face faulted. "I'm not quite certain, but it looks to me like you two came from an alternate reality to ours, which would explain how you're alive even though the Davis of this world is supposed to be dead."
"That would make some sense." Davis agreed.
"I'm not sure just how or why you two have come here here, but this may be the chance that we've been waiting for..." Gatomon stated.
"What do you mean?" Veemon.
"Until we find out exactly what happened to bring you two here, you're stuck. And it just so happens that we may have need of your help to save both worlds from a new threat." Gennai.
"We'll do whatever we can to help you." Davis stated, much to the happiness of the others in the room.
####################
"And that a big mistake..." he muttered.
Tenshi tilted her head to the side a bit, confused. "You mean you didn't want to help them?"
"Oh, don't get me wrong, I was all for helping them. I'm still glad I did. But...it probably would have been a good idea if I had first known exactly WHO it was we were going to try and help them against..."
####################
"WHAT!?! But...why would...how could...I don't believe it..." Davis fell back into his seat at Gennai's table, while Veemon froze, both not able to believe what they had just heard. 'Out of everyone in either of the entire worlds, why oh why did it have to be THEM?'
"Is something wrong?" Gatomon asked, a bit worried about their reaction.
"Our friends...the Digidestined...are the Dark Masters...and taking over the Digital World? But we KNOW them! Why would they do such a thing?" Veemon questioned.
"Remember, this reality is different than your own. Circumstances have changed and they are not the same people you knew." Gennai told them.
Davis thought it over...and strangely enough, it did seem to make sense. At least it would explain the appearance of the dark rings and control spires...as well as why the Digimon reacted to them so strangely. The only humans in the Digital World are trying to take it over...not to mention the fact that Davis looks similar to Tai.
"But even so...I just can't believe that our friends...the first Digidestined...would actually do this! How could they chose to take over the Digital World after all they learned and went through?" Veemon cried.
"We don't know. One day, they just came through the Digi-port and started their takeover. They're just not the same that they used to be. They're stronger...smarter...much more powerful than they used to be...they're no longer the same ones who saved the Digital world..." Gatomon stated, trying to hold back her sorrow.
Davis slammed his hands on the table. "NO! They wouldn't just turn evil like that! I know them, and they would never just join the darkness and try to enslave the Digital World! The circumstances in this universe may be different from ours, but they are still the same people at heart! I KNOW that they wouldn't do this out of their own free will! The Digital World means too much to them...it means too much to all of us! There must be something controlling them! Like with Ken!"
Leomon looked at him quizically. "What do you mean?"
"Well it's like this...it happened a few years after the first kids defeated Apoclomon. One Digidestined, Ken, went bad and became the Digimon Emperor and tried to enslave the Digital World. He set up control spires to expand his control, but they also kept Digimon from being able to digivolve. And they also gave power to the dark rings which were used to control the Digimon."
"Remarkable..." Genai murmered. "That sounds like our situation here..."
"Then us newer kids were brought in to help. We were given the power of the Digimentals to make our Digimon armor-digivolve, since that was the only way of digivolution not affected by the control spires. In the end, we managed to stop the Digimon Emperor after he created one warped Digimon known as Kimeramon, and Veemon here golden armor-digivolved to Magnamon. After the sacrifice of the Emperor's Digimon, Wormmon, Kimeramon was defeated. We convinced Ken that what he was doing was wrong, and he changed his ways and eventually joined our side after Wormmon came back. Later on, we found that it wasn't even really his fault for all the things he did. It turns out that there was this thing called a Dark Spore inside of him. It made him super smart and atheletic, but it also warped his mind, making him evil."
"So...if that's true...then the Digidestined might be under the same control?" Gatomon asked, hopefully. Despite everything, she didn't want to believe that Kari would willingly turn evil.
"That HAS to be it, because if the others in this world were anything like the ones in ours, then they would never turn to the darkness and try to hurt anyone." Davis stated, believing fully that his friends could be saved.
"Maybe so...but it might help us if we knew exactly how things were in your world..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Gatomon! Hey Gatomon!"
The feline Digimon turned to see Veemon running after her. Davis was still with Gennai and Leomon, discussing the events in each of the realities. Gatomon, not wanting to stay any longer once they had started up the topic of the new Dark Masters, had left, and Veemon, being worried, had followed her. "What is it Veemon?" She asked him.
Out of breath when he finally caught up to her, Veemon took a few seconds before asking her the question that was bugging him. "Hey Gatomon, would you mind telling me something?"
"Uh...sure, if I can."
"Well...Gennai said that the other Digimon went along with their human partners in their takeover, but you didn't. Why?"
Gatomon frowned. "I know that Kari's my partner, and I hated leaving her like I did...but I just couldn't allow myself to work for the side of evil again."
"Huh?" Veemon looked at her, confused. The Gatomon of his world never told him or any of the others about her past working for Myotismon. The older Digimon didn't really mention it either.
She looked away, sadly. "I don't want to talk about it." She turned to leave, but stopped when Veemon grabbed her hand.
"Gatomon, I know that this is probably hard for you, but something I've learned is that it always helps to talk about it."
Annoyed, she glared at him. "And why would you care?"
"Because we're friends!"
"What makes you think that we could ever be friends?" She hissed out.
He backed up a bit. "Well...we helped each other before...doesn't that make us friends?"
"No. That was just to help in the battle. That doesn't mean we're friends."
"Well we could be...I mean...I wanna be your friend..." He pouted.
She paused before turning to face him. "You want...to be my friend?"
He nodded. "Yeah! Why wouldn't I?"
After staring at him for a moment, she began to laugh. "Veemon...I don't think I've ever met anyone like you..."
Veemon laughed as well, but stopped suddenly, wincing in pain. Realizing something was wrong, Gatomon rushed to his side. "Veemon! Veemon, are you all right?"
"I...don't know...it feels like...I'm being split in two..." He managed to choke out before falling. Fortunately, Gatomon caught him.
"HELP! GUYS! HELP!" She shouted, half dragging, half carrying him back towards Gennai's house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Okay, this sucks...this really, REALLY sucks...here I am, all alone, in the real world that is no longer the same I remember it. My partner's back at the Digital World suffering from who knows what...all the first kids and their Digimon are evil, except Gatomon, who can't fight at her best without Kari...Ken, Yolie, and Cody could help, assuming I can get them to believe me...and I'm supposed to be dead. If this isn't low, I don't know what is.'
After hearing about the newer Digidestined, Gennai had sent Davis off to the real world, along with a backpack full of money and supplies, to locate them while he tried to find out what was wrong with Veemon. Fortunately, the Digi-ports between the two worlds still existed, so it was no trouble for him to get to the real world, though he did freak out a few kids when he came out of a computer at the school.
"Lets see now...where to find the others...I guess I should start with Yolie. It's the weekend, so she must be working." With that, he set off for her family's store.
After several minutes in which he tried to go unnoticed by anyone in case they recognized him, Davis finally reached the place. Upon entering, he found that apparently, the Digital World wasn't the only place that changed.
********************
EA: Oh yes...this is gonna be EVIL!
Starcatcher: What can I say? Humor happens to be my specialty.
Davis: (Pouts) You're not gonna make this easy for me, are you?
Starcatcher: Well...I could, but where would be the fun in that? Besides, I have to have it be at least somewhat reasonable...
Davis: (Sighs) I'm dead.
********************
'A book store?' Davis looked around, confused. Originally, this place had been a convinience store, but now it was full of books. 'Weird...but then again, it could be worse...now I wonder if Yolie's family still owns this place...' Fortunately, he found his answer quite quickly when he saw Yolie at the cash register, selling a book to a teen who looked familiar somehow.
"Have a nice day, sir." She said, though she sounded more like she was whispering. When the boy smiled at her and thanked her, she appeared to get more nervous and seemed to find a spot on the floor quite interesting. After the boy left the store, she looked up and her eyes fell on Davis. "C-can I help you?" She asked him, quite nervous.
Davis could only stare at her. 'Yolie...she seems...sorta scared and less confident than she was in the other reality. Now this is something I thought I'd never see...' She still wore her glasses, but her hair was now in a braid. (Think Duo Maxwell) She wore a light pink dress similar to Aerith's from FF7, and just didn't look as strong willed or confident as her alternate self.
Unfortunately, his staring only served to scare Yolie. "W-what do you want?"
'Okay...Yolie's just a bit different. I'm sure she'll take it well.' He sighed. "Yolie...I know this is gonna sound strange, but..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Okay, so she DIDN'T take it as well as I hoped.' Davis ran as fast as he could as the echos from Yolie's screaming followed him. 'Great. This is just fuckin great! She thinks I'm some sort of ghostly stalker now! How was I supposed to know she'd freak out when I told her who I was.'
Apparently, Davis had forgotten that Yolie knew him before the whole Myotismon incident, and therefore, would freak out once she realized who he was. It really didn't help the matter when he mentioned that little incident where she first learned about Digimon. Now she thought he was some sort of stalker...or a ghost...or both.
He sighed. 'Maybe I should try Ken next?'
And so, after paying the fare and riding the subway, Davis reached Tamachi. He was headed for Ken's place when he heard something not too far away. It sounded like...shouting! Rushing to the scene, he found a group of teens ouside of the school, surrounding something and either cheering, jeering, shouting, or just staying quiet. After finally finding the reason, he couldn't help but stare. "I...don't...believe this..."
In the center of attention, the one who everyone was cheering for...was KEN! And he didn't look like the kind, reformed teen that Davis remembered him. He was wearing a brown leather jacket, a cross necklace, torn jeans, and black boots that looked like they would really hurt if you were kicked by them. To finish his 'punk' look, his hair, which was an inch or two longer than the Ken's Davis knew, was pulled back into a painful looking pony-tail, sort of similar to Wufei from Gundam Wing.
After getting over the shock of seeing Ken this way, Davis realized just what everyone was jeering about. Ken, along with two other rather big and stupid looking guys, were beating up on a rather pale and scrawny looking kid, who was on the ground, trying to cover his face as they kicked him. The people in the crowd did nothing to stop the boys or help the kid. They were either cheering for the bullies, jeering at the kid, shouting at them all to stop, or...worst of all...doing nothing. But none of them stepped forward to try and do anything against either parties involved.
Well...one did.
"HEY! LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!" Came a shout.
Now in times like this, it would probably be the smart thing to just keep one's mouth shut to avoid problems in the future. However, Davis has never really cared about what's smart in a situation when it conflicts with what's right, and therefore, he was at the downed kid's side within seconds.
Ken glared at this newcomer. He didn't recognize him, and this guy has got to be new or just plain stupid to challenge HIS authority. "What?" Everyone fell silent, watching the new scene take place.
Davis looked up at Ken and the others. "Leave the guy alone!"
"And why should we?" Ken demanded.
"Because it's WRONG! You were going at him three against one, and he couldn't even defend himself! You can't just go picking on people because they're smaller and weaker than you! If you wanna fight, then try picking on someone who can stand up for himself!" Davis stood, glaring at Ken.
Shocked and angry, Ken pulled his fist back and threw a punch at Davis, who dodged to the side. Ken was about to throw another punch when an authoritive voice yelled out. "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!?!" It was a teacher. The crowd immediately dispersed, leaving the teacher, the kid, Ken, his two cronies, and Davis.
"Ichijouji! What's going on?" The teacher demanded, helping the kid that they were beating up on earlier to his feet.
"If I ever see you around here again, you'll be sorry." Ken said, ignoring the teacher as he sent a glare at Davis.
Davis just looked at him, sadly. "Man...where'd your kindness go, Ken?" With that, he turned and walked away.
Ken stared after him for a moment, shocked and just a little confused at what he said. After a few seconds, he grunted and headed off. The two grunts ran off as well to wherever it is they live, leaving the fuming teacher to tend to the kid.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By now, it was evening, and the sun was beginning to set. Davis had been searching the real world for his friends since that morning. Considering he had been wandering around for a while, and hadn't eaten anything since he left Gennai's house, he was getting really hungry now. Fortunately, he was near the park, where a festival of some sort was taking place. They had all sorts of games, booths, and food stands in the area, so he figured he could get something from there. After buying a turky leg and some ramen, he settled down under a tree and admired the view while thinking about his current situation and of course, eating.
'Lesse...Yolie's timid and easily frightened...and Ken's a punk rebel who also happens to be a major jerk...I wonder if everyone I know is different...' Davis thought to himself as he wondered the streets a bit. He was back in Obadia, looking for Cody and hoping that maybe, just maybe, Cody will be the same smart, reliable, serious kid he was before.
...Keep dreaming Davis.
That's when he saw him...it was Cody! His hair was a bit longer and spikier, and he was wearing a yellow T-shirt, a black vest, jeans, and sneakers, but it was Cody, all right! Quickly packing up his food into his backpack, he rushed off, following Cody and looking for a chance to talk to him. It appeared that he was just wondering around, enjoying the fair, but Davis noticed that the he seemed to be looking for something.
"Grandpa! Grandpa! Look at this!" A young kid squealed.
"Oh my, yes...that is quite lovely..." The Grandfather agreed. At this time, Cody passed the two, and, without being noticed, reached into the old man's pocket and stole his wallet!
'WHAT!?! NO WAY! CODY JUST STOLE FROM THAT GUY!' Davis shouted in his mind. 'Wait a minute...I know Cody! He couldn't just steal from someone!' He began to argue with himself, but decided to stay put just a bit longer.
Cody continued walking away, but slowed down as the child began speaking again. "Do you think we can get it Grandpa?" The kid smiled up at the older man, eyes begging.
"Well I don't see why not. Now where is my wallet?" He began checking his pockets, becoming a bit confused when he couldn't find his wallet in any of them. Cody stopped, head lowered in disgust with himself, before turning back and dropping the wallet on the ground next to the old man's feet as he passed.
Hearing something, the kid looked down and picked up the wallet, smiling. "Here it is Grandpa!"
The Grandfather smiled, though still a bit confused. "Huh...now how did that get there?" And so, the Grandfather bought the child the prize before they both walked off, happily.
Davis smiled after them. 'I knew he wouldn't do it.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A bit later, the sun had just finished sinking below the horizon. Cody stood looking over the bridge at the edge of the park that was built over a stream, thinking. "That was a nice thing you did there." Came an unfamiliar voice. Cody spun around to face a strange teen wearing goggles of all things!
"What? What are you talking about?" He began to get nervous. What if this guy had seen him? What if he turns him in?
"I'm talking about what you did for that kid and his grandfather. Though you shouldn't have taken the wallet in the first place." Davis stated, for yes, it was Davis.
"Shut up! I don't need you telling me what to do!" Cody shouted.
"Of course you don't. You're old enough now to make your own decisions about what's right and wrong."
Cody blinked, a bit confused by his response. "Huh?"
"Look, Cody, just don't do anything that you're gonna regret."
"Who are you? How do you know my name?"
"Well...it's like this..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"HAH! You actually expect me to believe all that ya weirdo? Other worlds, other realities? Puh-lease! I think you need to be commited!" Cody jeered.
Davis fumed. "Hey! It's true!"
"Prove it!"
Sighing, Davis began to think. What all did he know about Cody that remained the same in this world...? Oh yeah! He snapped his fingers. "Your father!"
Cody froze. "Huh?"
"Your father died in the line of duty, leaving you with your mother." Davis inwardly smirked.
A few moments passed before Cody snapped out of his shock and glared at Davis. "YOU MUTHERFUCKIN CREEP! WHAT DO YOU KNOW!?!" With that, he kicked Davis in the leg before running off.
"Ow! HEY!" Davis watched Cody run off. Figuring there was no point in going after him, he turned and headed the other way, arms crossed, thinking aloud to himself as he reached a busy intersection. "Okay...so far, I've scared Yolie, annoyed Cody, and completely pissed off Ken...I think that's enough damage for one day." Davis muttered as he headed back for the school. He didn't notice the young woman standing on the other side of the street, who was gaping at him as he walked by. By now, it was late and the school was pretty much deserted except for perhaps the Janitors or the kids who had group work to do. Fortunately, the computer lab was empty, so he wouldn't have to worry about freaking out anyone else. At this moment, he heard what sounded like someone running down the hall towards the lab. "Uh oh. Better get outta here! Digi-port OPEN!" And with a bright flash of light...he was gone.
Only a second after he disappeared, the door slammed open. Standing in the archway was the young woman from before. Looking around anxiously, she found the computer lab empty. As if hoping for something, she stayed just a bit longer before turning away, sadly. Closing the door behind her, she never noticed that one of the computer monitors was still on...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, did it go okay?" Gatomon asked Davis once he had returned to Gennai's house.
He gave her a 'look'. "Yolie's scared of me, Cody thinks I'm nuts, and Ken wants to kill me. I wouldn't exactly call that okay!"
"Geez! No need to be rude! I was just wondering!" She retorted.
Davis sighed. "Sorry Gatomon. This is just all so hard to take in."
She patted him on the back. "Don't worry. I'm sure Gennai will find out what's wrong with Veemon. And he'll find a cure for whatever it is."
Just then, Gennai entered, and took his seat at the table. Davis immediately bombarded him with questions. "Gennai? How's Veemon? What's wrong with him? Is he gonna be okay? Can you cure him?"
"Whoa! Whoa! Calm down, Davis. I've found out what the problem is..." Gennai stated.
"Well? What is it?" The goggled boy questioned.
Gennai sighed. "Davis...Veemon's dieing."
********************
Starcatcher: How's that for a cliff-hanger?
EA: You...are...EVIL! I thought I was evil, but man...
Starcatcher: Hey, I gave them comedy. I just figured I should add a bit of drama as well.
Kari: (Glaring at Starcatcher) Why did you have to make me evil?
Starcatcher: Look, I tried other ideas, really I did! I even thought of having it be the old Dark Masters back from the dead, Ken, Jun, or Davis's alternate self. None of them worked out as well as having you and the others do it.
EA: (Smirking at Kari) And you fit the part so well!
(Kari lunges at EA and a fight begins.)
Veemon: As thankful as I am for it, why did you have Gatomon be a good guy if Kari's evil?
Starcatcher: Because, I needed a familiar Digimon to be on the good side to help you guys out. Plus, it just fit her character.
Veemon: (Confused look) Huh?
Starcatcher: (Sighs) You'll find out later.
Davis: You're not going to kill off Veemon, are you? He's my best friend! I can't fight without him!
Starcatcher: (Glances around nervously) Uh...about that...
Gatomon: (Glares at Starcatcher) What?
Starcatcher: Uh...I'll get busy with that next chapter! (Sighs) Man...this was a pretty long one...
Veemon: It was only 14 pages!
Starcatcher: But it's longer than the other chapters so far!
Veemon: True...
EA: Review please!
Kari: Flame please!