CHAPTER 19
Agunimon ran down the edge of the river. When he got to the edge where the waterfalls dropped, he jumped down and landed neatly at the bottom. He straightened up and looked around. "SAO?!"
No answer came, but the noise of the waterfall.
Agunimon sighed, disappointed. 'Where could she have gone?' He thought, looking around more carefully. His gaze fell squarely on a rocky outcropping further downriver.
The Warriors and Keeper made their way into the oasis.
"Slide Evolution!"
"Lobomon!"
"Lowemon!"
"Holohomon!"
"Well, where to now?" Kumamon asked.
Lobomon looked around, his gaze eventually falling on the river. "Let's follow the water."
Agunimon hopped along the rocks, making his way towards the outcropping he had spotted further upstream. Now, he was positive that there was something in the small cave below the outcropping.
"Sao?" Agunimon asked loudly as he neared the cave.
He landed on the boulder closest to the cave and paused to look in. Sure enough, Sao was lying on her side on the floor of the cave.
There was something wrong. She was lying in not only a puddle of water, but blood was trickling into the puddle from several cuts on her body, turning the water red.
"Sao!" Agunimon exclaimed, jumping into the cave and landing beside the girl. "You okay?" He asked, kneeling beside her.
Sao remained silent and completely unresponsive.
'Aw man . . . this isn't good.' Agunimon thought to himself, looking around. His gaze was suddenly drawn to the sky, which had quickly turned hazy. "What the . . ."
Agunimon froze as an eerie mist shot down from the sky and surrounded him. He screamed in pain as the mist seemed to burn through him and he soon dropped to the ground and de-Spirit Evolved, leaving an unconscious Takuya beside Sao.
Takuya slowly woke up and soon noticed something odd about his surroundings. Instead of being in a cave-the last thing he remembered-he was in what appeared to be a large room and he was lying on a bed. He slowly sat up with a little moan and reached up to run a hand through his hair, only to discover his hat and goggles were absent. "Hmm . . . this is weird. Where am I-Sao!" Takuya gasped, remembering that the last time he had seen the Keeper she was badly injured.
The soft click of a door being opened made him turned to face the door, not sure who-or what-to expect. He instinctively reached in his pocket for his D-Tector, but was alarmed to find it missing as well.
A Digimon shorter than he stepped into the room and looked somewhat surprised to see Takuya sitting up. "Oh . . . you're awake? That's good."
"Where's Sao?" Takuya asked with as much courage as he could muster.
"Sao? Oh, you must mean that girl." The Digimon replied calmly. "Yes, actually, she's the reason I came to check on you. I need your assistance."
"Sao! What've you done to her?!" Takuya exclaimed, getting weakly to his feet and then pausing as a wave of dizziness hit him. He reached up and held his head with one hand while using the other to balance himself.
"Relax." The Digimon said, going to his side and helping him sit back down. "You're still pretty weak from your experience."
Takuya turned a curious look on the Digimon. "Who are you and what do you mean by my 'experience'?"
"I found you and Sao beside the river. You were both unconscious. Her from her wounds and you from getting attacked by that dampening field." The Digimon replied. "I would've thought a Legendary Warrior would have known better than to Spirit Evolve in this area."
Takuya gave the Digimon a rather dirty look. "I was just fine until the sky clouded over. But you still haven't told me your name."
"Forgive me, Warrior. I am Wizardmon. And who are you?"
"Takuya."
Wizardmon nodded. "Now, I need you to come with me."
"Why?"
"Follow me."
Takuya slowly stood up and just as slowly followed Wizardmon out of the room.
"TAKUYA!" Zoe yelled happily, jumping at the boy and wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Wha-Koji? Zoe? What're you doing here?" Takuya asked, completely confused at seeing the others.
"We ran into Wizardmon shortly after he found you and Sao. He offered to let us stay here until the two of you were better." Koji answered.
"What about Lisa?" Takuya asked.
"She's tending to Sao." Koji replied.
"How is she? Sao, I mean?" Takuya asked. "And, uh, Z, I'm glad to see you, too, but could you let me breathe, please?"
Zoe blushed and released the gogglehead.
"Thanks." Takuya said. "But what about Sao?"
Wizardmon shook his head. "She's taken a turn for the worse it seems . . . we've tried everything, but I don't think she'll last for much more than an hour in this condition."
The group turned as a door opened and shut on the opposite side of the room. Lisa stood in front of the closed door, looking down at the ground, her hair covering her eyes.
"Lisa?" Zoe asked, concern in her voice.
Lisa shook her head. "I just can't stand it anymore."
"Can't stand what?" Takuya asked.
"I've never seen her like this . . . if she dies, we're all doomed. I can't fight alone." Lisa said, her voice starting to get choked by tears. "It was tough enough finding out about Leonard."
"Leonard?" The others asked.
Agunimon ran down the edge of the river. When he got to the edge where the waterfalls dropped, he jumped down and landed neatly at the bottom. He straightened up and looked around. "SAO?!"
No answer came, but the noise of the waterfall.
Agunimon sighed, disappointed. 'Where could she have gone?' He thought, looking around more carefully. His gaze fell squarely on a rocky outcropping further downriver.
The Warriors and Keeper made their way into the oasis.
"Slide Evolution!"
"Lobomon!"
"Lowemon!"
"Holohomon!"
"Well, where to now?" Kumamon asked.
Lobomon looked around, his gaze eventually falling on the river. "Let's follow the water."
Agunimon hopped along the rocks, making his way towards the outcropping he had spotted further upstream. Now, he was positive that there was something in the small cave below the outcropping.
"Sao?" Agunimon asked loudly as he neared the cave.
He landed on the boulder closest to the cave and paused to look in. Sure enough, Sao was lying on her side on the floor of the cave.
There was something wrong. She was lying in not only a puddle of water, but blood was trickling into the puddle from several cuts on her body, turning the water red.
"Sao!" Agunimon exclaimed, jumping into the cave and landing beside the girl. "You okay?" He asked, kneeling beside her.
Sao remained silent and completely unresponsive.
'Aw man . . . this isn't good.' Agunimon thought to himself, looking around. His gaze was suddenly drawn to the sky, which had quickly turned hazy. "What the . . ."
Agunimon froze as an eerie mist shot down from the sky and surrounded him. He screamed in pain as the mist seemed to burn through him and he soon dropped to the ground and de-Spirit Evolved, leaving an unconscious Takuya beside Sao.
Takuya slowly woke up and soon noticed something odd about his surroundings. Instead of being in a cave-the last thing he remembered-he was in what appeared to be a large room and he was lying on a bed. He slowly sat up with a little moan and reached up to run a hand through his hair, only to discover his hat and goggles were absent. "Hmm . . . this is weird. Where am I-Sao!" Takuya gasped, remembering that the last time he had seen the Keeper she was badly injured.
The soft click of a door being opened made him turned to face the door, not sure who-or what-to expect. He instinctively reached in his pocket for his D-Tector, but was alarmed to find it missing as well.
A Digimon shorter than he stepped into the room and looked somewhat surprised to see Takuya sitting up. "Oh . . . you're awake? That's good."
"Where's Sao?" Takuya asked with as much courage as he could muster.
"Sao? Oh, you must mean that girl." The Digimon replied calmly. "Yes, actually, she's the reason I came to check on you. I need your assistance."
"Sao! What've you done to her?!" Takuya exclaimed, getting weakly to his feet and then pausing as a wave of dizziness hit him. He reached up and held his head with one hand while using the other to balance himself.
"Relax." The Digimon said, going to his side and helping him sit back down. "You're still pretty weak from your experience."
Takuya turned a curious look on the Digimon. "Who are you and what do you mean by my 'experience'?"
"I found you and Sao beside the river. You were both unconscious. Her from her wounds and you from getting attacked by that dampening field." The Digimon replied. "I would've thought a Legendary Warrior would have known better than to Spirit Evolve in this area."
Takuya gave the Digimon a rather dirty look. "I was just fine until the sky clouded over. But you still haven't told me your name."
"Forgive me, Warrior. I am Wizardmon. And who are you?"
"Takuya."
Wizardmon nodded. "Now, I need you to come with me."
"Why?"
"Follow me."
Takuya slowly stood up and just as slowly followed Wizardmon out of the room.
"TAKUYA!" Zoe yelled happily, jumping at the boy and wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Wha-Koji? Zoe? What're you doing here?" Takuya asked, completely confused at seeing the others.
"We ran into Wizardmon shortly after he found you and Sao. He offered to let us stay here until the two of you were better." Koji answered.
"What about Lisa?" Takuya asked.
"She's tending to Sao." Koji replied.
"How is she? Sao, I mean?" Takuya asked. "And, uh, Z, I'm glad to see you, too, but could you let me breathe, please?"
Zoe blushed and released the gogglehead.
"Thanks." Takuya said. "But what about Sao?"
Wizardmon shook his head. "She's taken a turn for the worse it seems . . . we've tried everything, but I don't think she'll last for much more than an hour in this condition."
The group turned as a door opened and shut on the opposite side of the room. Lisa stood in front of the closed door, looking down at the ground, her hair covering her eyes.
"Lisa?" Zoe asked, concern in her voice.
Lisa shook her head. "I just can't stand it anymore."
"Can't stand what?" Takuya asked.
"I've never seen her like this . . . if she dies, we're all doomed. I can't fight alone." Lisa said, her voice starting to get choked by tears. "It was tough enough finding out about Leonard."
"Leonard?" The others asked.