Chapter 28:
Ten faces of Evil, part 3
Sora, the Digimon Queen sat on her throne and stared at an image of the Digidestined defeating Mimi and Catherine. "They're winning! Darn it! How can they be beating my forces?"
Agumon and Gabumon sat on either side of her. "We should fight," Agumon said.
"Yeah," Gabumon said, "They'll pay when we get through with them."
"No," Sora said, "I gave my word that once they beat the others, they can fight me. I can't go back now, but they're getting too powerful."
"Maybe I can help, my lady."
She turned to the left and saw a dark figure stepping out of the shadows. "Who are you?"
He grinned. "You can call me, Dark Ryo."
"Dark Ryo? What do you want?"
He laughed as he walked over to her. "I, too, want to make sure that they are killed, before they interfere with my plans. I can help you."
"You're pretty powerful. You can already bend reality, why do you want to work with me?"
"Those worlds have become your domain," he said, "I could break through your barriers, but I thought it would be more civil if I simply asked for your permission to enter one of them."
Sora smiled. "Maybe we can work together.."
When Tai awoke the first thing he noticed was that he wasn't in his room. He was sitting in a chair in a hospital waiting room. That was strange enough, but he when he looked down at himself, he sighed. He was wearing a pair of grey sweatpants and a matching sweater. It was his chest that made him sigh.
"I'm a teenage girl again," she sighed. She looked down the hall, and saw her mother and father walking towards her.
"Tai, you're awake," her mother sighed, "I'm sorry, there's no change in Kari's condition."
"Change?" she asked.
Her mother shook her head and started crying. Her father sat her down and started to comfort her. "They put Kari in a room down the hall," he said, "You can go see him now."
Tai nodded and ran down the hall until she past a window into a room where a familiar teenage boy was lying in a bed. There were another group of boys and girls standing in front of the window. When they turned around, Tai gave a small gasp.
A red-headed boy crossed his arms. "Does it really look that bad?" he asked.
"Rika?" Tai asked.
"Yeah," he snarled, "All of the boys became girls and the girls became boys. I've got to say that I don't like this one bit. First she turns me into a five-year-old in a stupid fairy dress, then makes me some sort of babysitter, and now this! That Digimon Queen is going to pay!"
"Me either," Sam said, rubbing his arms, "I never liked becoming the opposite sex."
Sara didn't seem to notice, or didn't seem to care that she was now a boy. He was just staring through the window with Takato, Ryo and Derwood, now all girls. Emperor Tai was there too, but he was still the same.
"What happened to Kari?" Tai asked, pushing to the window.
"I overheard your parents talking, "Takato said, placing her hand on Tai's shoulder, "Kari's body seems to be slowing down, like it doesn't have enough energy at all."
"But how?"
Emperor Tai frowned. "Probably when I took the energy from this Kari's body. I..I had no idea that this would happen!"
Tai stared at him. "Well, put it back!"
"I can't," he sighed, "I used it to free Milleniumon, remember?"
"Tai," Sara said, "Your sister isn't dying, this Tai's brother is."
"But if she dies while she's inside his body, won't she die too?"
Sara just looked to the ground.
"Here comes your mother," Derwood whispered.
Tai turned around and saw Mrs. Kamiya walking towards them. Emperor Tai walked down the hall, as if he was looking for someone else. "Oh, Tai," she sniffled, "Why don't you go to soccer practice? I'll call you as soon as anything happens."
"But Mom…"
"We don't know if anything's going to happen," she said, "Why don't you try to take your mind off of it for a few hours."
Tai nodded. "Alright, I'm going."
The group walked to the entrance, where Emperor Tai was waiting. "I'll keep an eye on Kari," he said.
"I'll stay too," Ryo said. She walked next to Emperor Tai, "You guys go. Don't forget that Sora's still going to send someone after us. If it's one of you, then these patients won't get hurt."
"Maybe Sam should stay with them too,"
"Okay," Sam nodded, "Sure."
"Alright," Tai said, "Just tell me as soon as something happens."
"No problem," Ryo said, "Just go."
When they got back to the apartment, Tai wanted to change her clothes. She came out of her room wearing her soccer uniform. "You can't wear that!" Takato shouted.
"Why not?"
Derwood pointed to herself and Takato. "Look at what we're wearing!"
She did. Derwood was wearing a blouse and a blue skirt. Takato had one a green jumper with a white shirt underneath. "So?"
"Come on!" they both shouted.
"I have soccer practice, remember?"
"You're all very pretty," Rika snapped, "Can we just go?"
"Maybe some of us should try to find the Digidestineds that are fighting us?" Sam asked.
"Did you noticed that in the last two worlds, the Digidestined were ever we were?" Tai asked, "I bet they'll be at the soccer field."
"Then lead the way," Takato said.
"We'd don't have to go yet," Tai said, "I checked the schedule on the refrigerator. I don't have to be there for another hour."
Rika laid onto the couch. "So, anything to do?"
Tai walked back to her room. "Maybe she has a video or something." She started to go through the drawers of her desk when she found this Tai's diary. She didn't feel right about looking through it, but she was Tai, so she opened it to the last entry and started reading.
"Dear Diary, I'm so afraid about my brother, what if he really does die? I don't even get to see him at all because of our stupid partners getting divorced! Maybe if he had stayed as that girl version, he'll be okay."
Tai's eyes flew open when she read that. She flipped back a few entries to the date of the last time she had been in this reality and body.
"Dear Diary, it's happened again. I've gone to another world. My parents think I just had a bad dream, but I know that it was real! The last time was when I woke up in that boy's body and I was stuck in that jail cell! Everything was really weird! Sora was a girl, and Tk was a boy! They kept talking about that trial, but luckily when I woke up the next day, I was back home.
Now I went somewhere else yesterday. It was a lot nicer, but I was stuck in a cat's body! I was a cat! And my brother was there too, only he was a she! I don't know how he knew it was me, or how I know it was him, but I'm sure glad we did. That was so weird and scary. I'm just glad to be back. But, what if it happens again? Where will I go next time?"
She flipped to the next page. "I've been studying different philosophers and their beliefs about reality. Everything's so confusing, and there are a hundred different ideas, but which is the right one? I'm sure if I talked to Izzy, he could tell me something. This is all so confusing."
"Sara!" she shouted, "Get in here!"
The blond boys, plus everyone else came running inside. "What?" he asked.
Tai shoved the diary into his face. "Read the last couple of pages."
Sara did, with his eyes wide open in shock as he did. "She remembered!"
"What do you mean?" Tai asked.
Sara fidgeted. "Usually, if a person switches across reality, when they switch back, they don't remember. You and Kari, though, haven't returned to your own bodies yet and you've been through so many different realities, you won't forget."
"Wait," Tai said, "If I had gone back to my real body after the first time I switched reality, I wouldn't have remembered it?"
"Probably," Sara said, "When you went through all of the realities you visited a second time, we were worried that they might remember, but no one did." He sighed, "I guess it's pretty obvious that this Tai did. We thought that she didn't, we were sure of it!"
Takato crossed her arms. "You've got to work on your surveillance, then. I taught you better then this."
"Do you think Kari, this Kari, I mean, remembers too?" Tai asked, "Maybe he won't want to go back?"
"Maybe we could help him, if we took him back home."
"What?" Tai asked, "You're going to take him? What about this Tai? Will you take her too?"
Sara shrugged. "I guess. But we can't do anything until we finish this stupid fighting thing with Sora. If we could only use our reality powers, but she's blocking us somehow."
"Which brings up that other question," Tai asked, "Sora can't be doing this, but she is."
"She always did have that temper," Sara sighed.
"How did you know that?" Tai asked.
"I don't know. That's really weird."
"Hey Tai," Takato said, holding up the diary, "It also says in here that you've been making out with Matt lately."
Tai shivered. "Oh, that's disgusting!"
Sara thought for a second. "I think I should go and tell Sam and Ryo about this."
Tai nodded. "Okay, we'll be at the soccer field."
Sora turned to look at Dark Ryo. "What do you want to do?"
Dark Ryo pointed at the image on the screen that showed Emperor Tai and Ryo in the hospital. "Allow one of my…associates to take care of them."
"No," she said, "That Tai is mine. If you wish, you can take the other two."
"I thought that Sam already fought in your little game," he said.
Sora shrugged. "I said that my Digidestined would fight them, you're not one of my Digidestined."
Dark Ryo grinned. "I am truly impressed by your deceptions." He bowed, "Thank you."
"Just take care of your double," she said, "Given time he might be able to break through my shields."
"I know, he is quite powerful himself. Don't worry, He will be taken care of."
When Tai's group got to the soccer field, they saw that the other Digidestined were already there. The male Sora was on the soccer field, practicing. Mimi and the others were watching from the sidelines. "Hi Tai!" she waved them over, "Who are your friends?"
"Oh, this is Rika, Takato, and Derwood."
"What's up? So, are you going to play your best, Tai? Show those stupid boys what a girl can do?"
"Yeah," she said, "Uh, Girl Power!" She elbowed Takato and Derwood.
"Right," Takato said, "Show those stupid boys."
Derwood just nodded. "Yeah, kick their butts."
"You guys are so funny!" Mimi laughed.
"Where's Matt?" Tai asked.
"Don't worry," Mimi grinned, "Your boyfriend just went to see how your brother was doing."
Tk ran down from the bleachers and over to them. The Tk of this world was a girl, and was wearing a green sundress. "We made a gift to give to your parents," she said, "I hope it makes your family feel better during this time."
"Thanks," Tai said, "Oh, I'd better get going." She ran onto the field and gave Sora a high five. "Hey, Sora."
"Hey, Tai. Sorry to hear about your brother," he said.
"Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be okay."
Back at the hospital, Ryo kept fidgeting in her seat. "What are you doing?" Sam asked.
"I can't stand this skirt," she said. She was wearing a grey skirt with a red sweater. "How do you deal with these things?"
"Excuse me," he said.
"Both of you be quiet!" Emperor Tai snapped, "Do you feel that?"
Ryo and Sam were silent and did feel something. "Someone's opening a reality portal!" Ryo gasped. She stood up, "In the hospital! We've got to find it!"
They split up and started running through the hospital halls until they meet up again. "I can't find anything," Ryo panted.
"Neither could we," Emperor Tai crossed his arms, "Where the heck is it?"
"Sam! Ryo! Tai!" Sara shouted.
"What are you doing here?" Sam asked.
"That's not important right now," he said, "We've got to get onto the roof, a portal just opened!"
They quickly ran up to the roof. "I don't see anything," Emperor Tai said, "Where's the portal?"
Ryo glanced around. "There!" she shouted. A large, human with four arms appeared on the roof. She tackled the others to the ground and they hid behind an air vent.
"That was Quatro, wasn't it?" Sara asked.
"Yeah," Ryo panted, "I don't know what he's doing here, but we can't let him run loose."
Sara formed his staff in his hands while Sam's fingernails grew into long claws. "Okay, let's go." The foursome jumped at the creature from all sides. Sara used his staff to hit Quatro on the left side as his 'brother' dug his long claws into his back. He grabbed Sara with one of his arms and flung him into Ryo. She fell to the ground in a tangled mess with Sara. Quatro reached over his shoulder and grabbed Sam. He flung him into the mess. He then ripped an air vent and threw it at them.
They watched in horror as the vent was suddenly destroyed by a blast of red light. They spun around and saw Emperor Tai staring at them. "You're lucky I was here. Now, I will take care of your enemy."
His body started to glow with red light and he launched at the fore-armed creature. He punched his fists into Quatro's stomach. He grabbed Emperor Tai with all four of his arms and slammed him into the roof. He stepped onto his back and jumped into the air. Before he could slam all of his weight onto him, Ryo, Sara, and Sam fired burst of energy from their body into Quatro. The mammoth fell onto his back.
Sam and Sara held Emperor Tai to his feet while Ryo examined Quatro. "Well, he wasn't as tough as…"
Quatro suddenly reached up and grabbed the teenage girl. Ryo struggled to get free as Quatro dragged him into a glowing portal that had opened up behind him. "Ryo!" Sara shouted. He and Sam dove into the portal.
"Wait!" Emperor Tai shouted, "You don't know what's on the other side!" He jumped through too. The portal closed and vanished.
Tai's team had won their game, so their coach took them out for pizza in the nearest mall. The ones on the bleachers had come too. Tai, Derwood, Takato and Rika were sitting together in one of the booths. "I wonder where Sara is?" Tai asked, "I thought she was just going to talk to Ryo and Sam."
"Maybe she doesn't know where we are," Derwood said.
"She always shows up right where I am somehow," Tai said.
"Tk's leaving," Rika said.
They turned around and saw that Tk was leaving the pizza parlor and entering the mall itself. "I wonder where she's going?" Takato asked.
The building suddenly started to shake. "Earthquake!" everyone shouted.
There was an explosion nearby. "We've got to get out!" the coach said. Everyone ran out until only Tai, Takato, Rika and Derwood were left inside. Before they could get to the door, the ceiling caved in. They were trapped in the store.
Tai suddenly heard screaming from behind her. She spun around and saw that Tk and Cody were hovering in the air. "Here we go again," she muttered as she ran to join Rika, Takato and Derwood. They watched as Tk and Cody's bodies twisted and shifted until their bodies were the same as the ones from Emperor Tai's world.
She ran to join the rest of her team, who were staring up at the two floating, Dark-Ring wearing, digidestined. "Who's fighting this time?" she asked.
Tk grinned as Patamon appeared in front of him and Armadillomon appeared in front of Cody. Both of the digimon merged into the human partners. Tk's ears grew into long bat ears and his skin turned Patamon's color. Cody's back turned into a large shell and his skin became yellow. Tk looked down and pointed at the group. "Rika, Takato, you are our fighters, now!"
Rika grinned as he looked at Takato's green dress. "Are you sure you can fight wearing that?"
She smirked back. "Of course." She formed a lance in her hands while Rika's staff appeared a second later. Rika ran at Cody, but leapt over his shoulder and landed beheaded him. He swung his staff at Cody's back, but his shell blocked the attack. He turned around and punched Rika into the ground.
Takato was floating in front of Tk, who was smiling at her. "Just because you're a girl, doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you."
"That was really so funny!" Takato said, "Don't quit your day job!" She attack with her lance, but Tk sent it flying back with a burst of wind.
"They're not doing that bad, right?" Derwood asked.
Tai shrugged. "Where's Sara? I thought she, er, I guess I mean HE, should have been back by now."
"Maybe he got caught up or something," Derwood said.
"Maybe..I've just got a bad feeling about this."
Both girls turned back to the battle and saw that Takato and Rika were winning. Rika slammed her staff onto Cody's dark ring, breaking it apart. Tk flew to attack Takato, but the teenage girl jumped out of the way and landed behind him. She spun around quickly and used her staff to destroy the dark ring on Tk's arm. Without it, Tk changed back to the female version of himself and fainted in Takato's arms.
Both Rika and Takato made their weapons disappear and carried their opponents over to Tai and Derwood. "Glad that's over," Rika panted.
It was another thirty minutes before the rescue workers dug them out. Tai wanted to see how Kari was doing, so she ran home to change into a pair of jeans and an orange tank-top. When they got there, they were surprised to find out that more rescue workers were there. Matt was outside, talking to a police officer.
"Matt!" Tai shouted, "What just happened?"
"Tai," he panted, "You're never going to believe this, but I could have sworn I saw a guy that looked just like you! I followed him onto the roof, where he and two other guys and a girl were fighting some giant thing with four arms. They all jumped into this glowing circle, then disappeared!"
Takato, Derwood and Rika gasped. "A portal?"
"What did they saw?" Matt asked.
"Never mind," Tai shook her head, "What about Kari? How s..he doing?"
Matt shrugged. "I don't know. The police want me to talk to them some more, I might be doing this all night. I'll see you tomorrow thought."
Tai nodded and ran into the hospital with the rest of her group. Once they were alone, Takato said, "Ryo and the others were fighting Quatro, one of Dark Ryo's fighters from our world. They were pulled into the portal with him."
"By why?" Tai asked.
"It must have wanted Ryo," Rika said, "He could have probably have broken through Sora's shield, or whatever it is that's keeping us here. I bet Dark Ryo took him back to where ever he is now."
"My world?" Tai asked.
"Probably."
Tai sighed and ran up the stairs until she reached Kari's floor. She ran to the window and looked inside, there had been no change. "Hang on, just a little longer," she said, "You'll be okay tomorrow, I promise."
Sora watched on the monitor and smiled. "No, Tai, you won't. You're going to pay for stopping me, but as for your friends…" She turned and looked at another monitor, which had Emperor Tai and Sara and Sam wandering around a dark maze. "They're about to visit hell!"
To be continued….
Hey, I need some ideas for different worlds for them to visit. I need just two more, so if you readers can think of any, I'll really appreciate it. Thanks.