Chapter 11:
When you can't trust your situation, make sure you can trust the people close to you: it's not healthy to never trust anyone or anything.
The Little Teenaged Geek (not that he would know anything)
The job the army had suggested for Kari to do was a strange one: "school fish" patrol. The theory was this: if she and her kindergarten class milled around the camp, and if there were other children in the camp who had no place to go, they might decide to follow the crowd of children. It was an interesting theory, and it seemed work: every time Kari and her class came back to the pediatrics tent, there were a couple more children in the group that was following her than there had been when she and her class set out. Kari always prayed that none of her class would go AWOL, and not one kindergarten student ever was. That was a big relief, but it didn't relieve all of Kari's apprehension: the sky was a single, homogeneous shade of pale gray. You couldn't tell where one cloud ended and the next began. It might start raining at any moment. The army was furiously putting up tents over the heads of the refugees, hoping to get as many as possible up before it began to rain. Everything seemed to run at a fevered speed, and Kari's class's assignment was no exception. Kari promised herself that, if it rained hard at all, she would put her class back on the busses home. But it didn't even start to drizzle until after they had taken their lunch break.
Some time after that, Kari was taking her class through the camp, and she saw a huge Greymon, hunched over in what looked like an uncomfortable position. Filled with curiosity (not to mention hope), Kari approached it and was overjoyed to see that her brother was standing beneath him, along with a family that was using Greymon as shelter from the drizzle.
"Tai!" Kari yelled. The two dove into each other's arms.
"Kari! I…I didn't expect to see you here!" Tai looked up at the class following Kari. "…And I didn't expect that entourage, either."
Kari wiped the tears off her face. "Tai, I've got to get you and Greymon out of here."
"Where would the family staying under him go?"
"Over there," Kari suggested, pointing to a tent the army was just setting up behind them.
Scratching the back of his neck, Tai said, "Right."
Tai followed Kari and her class back to the pediatrics tent. One of Kari's students made this remark: "This is the biggest kid we've picked up yet!"
"Yeah, I wonder how long his parents held him back."
Tai was oblivious to their remarks. He just kept following Kari, hoping that he'd be able to get a ride with Kari to her apartment. (When he wasn't on the road at his diplomat job, he usually stayed either with her or with his parents, anyway.) He had to sit in the pediatrics tent for another two trips before it began to rain even harder and Kari came hurrying back to rush her class into the busses. She walked back to the pediatrics tent to make certain that nobody was being left behind, and found that Tai was still inside.
Tai asked, "Kari, what exactly should I do? Should Agumon and I ride with you back to the school on the bus, or will you drive here and get us?"
"I don't want you staying here any longer than you have to. You're coming back with me on the bus."
Tai fished a mini-umbrella out of his briefcase.
"Where did you get that?"
"When you travel as much as Agumon and I do, you carry an umbrella."
Kari shrugged. Looking over Tai's shoulder, she saw Gatomon, doing some job that involved a similar thing to her own, except that it was digimon she was leading and not human children. "Say, Gatomon? I'm taking the human kindergarteners home. I think you should do the same with your group."
"I was just wondering if I should," Gatomon answered. All of a sudden, Gatomon recognized Kari's companions: "Tai? Agumon?"
"It's us, Gatomon," Agumon answered.
"Good to know you two are safe."
"Isn't it, though?" Agumon said with a stretch.
All of a sudden, both of them heard Sora yell, "Hey, what is that thing?"
Tai and Agumon looked up. "Sora?"
Kari scratched the back of her neck. "I forgot to mention that she was coming, too, didn't I?"
"Yes, you did." Tai looked up at Sora. "What're you talking about, Sora?"
"Tai?"
"It's me."
"Look up there, what do you make of it?" There was a point of white light, illuminating the clouds above them.
"Well, it's not the sun, that's for sure."
The glow was slowly spreading over the whole sky. The three humans and their digimon stood mesmerized, but only for a while: in a moment, they all blacked out…
Master Moo walked into the chamber. It was full of lost monster's disks, and there were only two monsters that had the power to revive them: himself and the Phoenix. There were rumors that the Phoenix was back, but Moo declined to believe them. But, just as he figured, that annoying team of "heroes" was here to stop him. "Will you never learn?" he asked them.
"You're the one who's about to learn a lesson!" the boy shot back.
Hmm. No, he never does learn, Moo thought to himself. Ah, well...a lesson too late for this learner---
"Firestorm!" That voice was familiar---it was the Phoenix!
"NO!" Moo howled as he was consumed in flames. The two monsters were suddenly locked in a draw as the Phoenix swept into the room and locked claws with Moo.
"What do we do now?" Holly asked.
"We get these discs out of here!" Hare yelled back. "If Moo gets a chance to revive them---"
"Right!" the rest of the team agreed. They hurriedly loaded mystery discs into Golem's arms and carried them away from the battle.
"But what about Moo, chi?" Moochi asked. "We have to help the Phoenix!"
Ghenki nodded. "We'll try all our attacks together, and hope for the best."
A familiar, feminine voice said, "Count me and Big Blue in!"
"Pixie?"
"I realize that Moo was using me. He's always talking about hatred this, and spite that... He can use his psychic powers to amplify hate and bend it to his will; that's how he brings monsters under his control. He did that with my hatred for humanity, and if you hadn't brought me out of it…I'd still be working for him. I owe you."
"You don't owe us anything."
"Then I owe Moo a good thrashing," Pixie answered.
"If you hate him while you fight, he can use it against you, too. You have to be totally focused on the battle; you can't think about anything Moo has done to you or to anybody you care for," Tiger insisted.
"I'll do my best." They were about to enter the temple again when a bright light appeared above them and drew them in, along with the lost discs. They lost consciousness just as Pixie wondered out loud, "Moo's...special attack?"
"Ash, he beat you once before!"
"I know, Misty, but I can beat him this time!" This was the second time Ash had decided to confront Gary, his long-time rival, not to mention angina neck-torus. And Gary's cheerleading squad was no better; they all cheered him on like Ash didn't believe, with a "Gary, Gary, he's our hero, he'll show Ash he is a zero!" and Ash, for a brief moment, considered having Brock run interference for him. But that would be just plain sadistic to the girls, so he didn't suggest it.
Tracy whispered to Misty, "I don't think that I've ever seen anybody as conceited as this guy! Not even Ash!"
"That's not the worst part. You should see what the prize is for the winner!"
"Do I want to know?"
"I doubt it..."
Ash shouted across the arena, "All right, how do you want to do this, Gary? How does a two-on-two sound?"
"Sounds fair to me. I choose Arcanine!"
"Fine. I choose Totodile!"
"A water type, huh? Fine. Arcanine, Double Team!"
Totodile looked around himself. He was utterly confused as a multitude of Arcanine seemed to appear.
"That doesn't scare us! Totodile, Rain Dance!" Totodile began dancing, and a spray of water filled the battlefield.
"Aw, great! Arcanine, Take Down, now!"
"Totodile, dodge!" The lizard barely dodged the giant hound's attack. "Now, Water Gun!" Totodile slammed Arcanine with a blast of water, and Arcanine suddenly looked very worn out.
"Arcanine, return!" Gary had a perturbed look on his face. He'd lost to the loser. "All right; this time, I won't be so easy! Gyarados, go!" He threw out a pokéball and a huge, dragon-like water snake filled the arena.
"Time to show him that size doesn't matter! Totodile, return! Pikachu, I choose you!" Pikachu raced into the battle. Rain still fell out of the air from Totodile's Rain Dance, but Pikachu knew how to use the water to his advantage. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Pikachu hurled a bolt of lightning at the Gyarados, and the Gyarados took damage.
"That doesn't scare me! You shouldn't have used Rain Dance before, because it boosts my Gyarados's attack power, too! Gyarados, Hydro Pump!" A spray of water splashed out of Gyarados's mouth at Pikachu.
"Pikachu, dodge with Quick Attack!" Pikachu dodged the spray. "Now, Thunder!" Pikachu filled the arena with lightning, and Gyarados fell to the ground.
Gary's mouth fell open. He'd really lost now. The girls suddenly stopped cheering and started wailing loudly.
"Oh, don't worry, girls! Ash didn't mean it!" Brock insisted.
Misty grabbed him by the ear and dragged him away. "Lose the machismo, Brock!"
"So, Gary, willing to admit I'm worth your worry yet?" Ash asked, a conceited look on his face.
Gary sneered. "In a six-pokémon battle, you would've lost to me for sure!"
"Don't bet on it, Gary. Next time."
"Next time, I will beat you!" Gary spat.
"Sure, you will!" Ash said, incredulously. "Now, remember what we agreed to?" Ash asked.
"Oh, no, you don't!"
"Yes! We agreed that the loser has to grovel at the winner's feet."
"No way!"
"You would've made me do it if I'd lost!"
"Then you admit that there was a chance of you losing?"
"It doesn't matter what chances there were; the fact is that I won. Now, get over here."
"Could I at least wait until the Rain Dance wears off?"
"Oh, come on, Gary! It'll make it all the more dramatic!"
Gary's face turned into a gnash. He'd rather go back on his word than do this. "Forget it!" Gary spat, turning away.
Ash turned to the cheerleaders. "What do you think of your 'hero' now? He doesn't even have the courage to keep his promises!"
That cut Gary to the quick. He spun around and stormed over to Ash's feet. He bent over and kissed each sneaker, both of which were still wet from Totodile's Rain Dance attack. "Now are you happy?"
"No: Eevee has to do the same thing to Pikachu."
Gary's face got all the more red with hate, but he said, "Eevee...go kiss Pikachu's feet...!" But, just as he was about to, a young man in a black sweatshirt dove out of the bushes and grabbed Eevee, trying to stuff him into a sack that was already swollen with stolen pokéballs.
"He's stealing Eevee!" Gary yelled.
"Chikorita, I choose you!" Ash yelled, sending out his grass pokémon. "Stop him with your Vine Whip!"
"Chi-KA!" Chikorita tripped him up and he collapsed on the ground. Eevee popped out of his arms and ran to Gary's side.
"So! You thought you could take my Eevee, did you?" Gary spat. "I'll show you! Rhydon, I choose you!"
The thief snarled at the huge, stone pokémon. "Sneasel, go!" He pulled a pokéball out of his black sweatshirt's pocket and let loose a black, clawed pokémon.
"What's that thing?" Ash asked, slipping his Pokédex out of his pocket.
"Sneasel: a combination Ice and Dark type pokémon. He is known for his sharp claws and sneaky attitude."
"I'll show him! Rhydon, Take Down!" Gary yelled.
"Sneasel, Icy Wind!" A blast of ice flew out of Sneasel's mouth at Rhydon and froze him in a block of ice. "Ha! Rhydon is a ground type. Ground is weak against Ice! Why don't you just give up?"
"Because I still have a few tricks left! Rhydon, Fire Punch!" The huge, stony dinosaur bashed his way out of the ice with a fiery fist. "Now, Rollout!"
As much as Rhydon tried to attack, Sneasel was too quick and dodged every attack. "Man! That guy really has that Sneasel trained!"
"Let me try!" Ash insisted. "Cyndaquil, I choose you! Flamethrower, now!" Cyndaquil's attack gave Sneasel such a nasty burn that the thief had to call him back.
"You think you're hot, but you're not!" the thief chanted. "Magneton, go!"
"Magneton, huh?" Ash used his Pokédex.
"Magneton: a combination electric and steel pokémon. It uses a variety of electric attacks and can be dangerous when it uses its Supersonic attack to confuse its opponents."
"Be careful, Cyndaquil!"
"Magneton, Supersonic attack!"
Everyone covered their ears from the horrific noise.
"Cyndaquil, return!"
"Let me handle this guy!" Gary insisted. "Rhydon, Fire Punch it!"
Just as the battle was getting good, the entire assembled company blacked out as a mysterious light blinded them…