Chapter 11

"Ha!" Davis exclaimed in triumph. "Am I good or what?" He stared proudly at the tent before him that he'd spent long minutes putting up.

"Looks a little unstable to me," Cody commented as he observed it.

"Unstable!" Davis asked in dismay. "What? This thing is perfect!"

Suddenly, the tent collapsed.

Davis's jaw dropped and he just stood there a moment, gaping in disbelief.

Cody snickered, and let out a little chuckle.

"Oh, what'd I do wrong! I worked so hard!" Davis let out a long groan. "Now I have to start all over…"

"Having a little trouble there, Davis?" Tai questioned, heading over to the tent.

"Um… Well…"

Tai, rolling his eyes, said, "Let a pro show you how it's done."

Meanwhile, Ken stood beside Yolei, watching as Tai walked Davis through the steps of putting up a tent. Yolei tapped his shoulder.

"This is gonna be a blast, huh?" she asked.

"Should be," Ken answered with a smile.

"I want see the waterfall."

"Yeah?"

She sighed dreamily. "It's going to be so beautiful!" She grabbed onto Ken's arm and went on excitedly, "Oh, I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait!"

Ken didn't say anything. He just surveyed his surroundings, thinking about things. His head was cloudy; He was indeed excited about the trip, but questions never seemed to truly leave him- or if they did, it wasn't for long- and there were answers he still needed.

After everything was all set up and ready, Tai announced, "We'll take it easy on the first day." He took out a map of the park, and placed a finger on a short, thin line. "This trail here," he explained. "It's not very long; not tough either. There's some nice scenery along the way."

"Aw," Davis whined. "Why can't we just go ahead and get to the good stuff?"

"Matt and I have it all figured out," Tai said with a grin. "Today's just a warm-up. We're going to wake up early tomorrow so we can take on the uphill trail. It's supposed to be hard and lengthy, but the view should be worth it."

"And when do we get to do the really good stuff?"

Yolei came up to Davis, nudging him easily. "Don't be so annoying," she said. She then looked to the older boys, saying, "Forget him-" -she pushed Davis away gently- "-and let's go. The rest of us are ready."

The group spent the day hiking the little trail- which turned out to be a nice sight- along with other simple ones. The sky was now dark above them, and they all sat around a campfire they'd conjured. Davis was constantly stuffing roasted marshmallows in his mouth, and everyone else was chatting happily.

Suddenly Cody brought up, "So, does anyone have any good scary stories?"

Davis, with his mouth full, mumbled something that no one could understand.

"I hope you know it's rude to talk with your mouth full," Yolei commented.

Davis gave her a dirty look, then chewed and swallowed. "I said," he explained matter-of-factly, "I've got a story."

"Well, go ahead," Kari encouraged.

"It was a dark and stormy night…"

"Oh, you're so 'original'," Yolei said with a roll of her eyes. "All scary stories start out that way."

"Hey! I'm not making this up! Someone told it to me! …Now, where was I?" He cleared his throat. "It was a dark and stormy night, and there was this guy. He was… umm… He was…" Davis paused. "Uh… hmm… He was…" Suddenly, he threw a glare at Yolei. "Darn it, Yolei," he growled. "You made me forget it! If you wouldn't have interrupted me…!"

She laughed, as did everyone else.

"What?" Davis asked. "Quit laughing at me! I had it, I really did! But Yolei! She interrupted me and made me forget!"

Tai put a hand on Davis's shoulder. "Once again, leave the hard things to a professional."

"But-but-but," Davis protested.

Tai went on, "Save it for tomorrow night, buddy. Maybe it'll come back to you. But for now…" He paused, grinning, then went on, "I've got a tale that'll really get ya."

Everyone sat there listening intently while he told the story. It was so interesting that no one made a sound. As it progressed, Yolei inched closer to Ken, and when the story hit its frightening climax, she jumped and clung onto him, sort of trembling.

"What's the matter?" Ken asked softly.

"I… Well… It scared me, that's all," she replied.

Ken looked to her, his eyes meeting hers. There was something in those brown eyes that told him the truth behind it all. He brought a hand to her face and tilted her head upward. "Somehow, I doubt that," he whispered.

Her face reddened terribly, and she immediately let go of Ken. "I-I-I… uh…" She stumbled over her words, trying to find something to say.

Ken just chuckled at that, then hushed, "Shhh, this is the big finish."

Sure enough, Tai came up with a gripping conclusion.

Davis sat there a moment, staring and gaping. "That was… That was… Great!" He shot up excitedly. "Bravo!" He started clapping.

It had been marvelous indeed, deserving applause, so the others joined in the clapping.

Tai stood up. "Thank you, thank you." With that, he took a bow. "But that's all folks. Let's hit the sack."

Ken proceeded slowly. The group had come to a break in the near-constant uphill direction, thank goodness.

They'd gotten up early that day just for this? Hiking for so long- up and up and up- and tuckering themselves out?

Going uphill had been terrible. All the while, it felt like trudging through deep, muddy water. It wouldn't have been so bad if there had been more breaks along the way like this one. The pathway was straight for a while.

…Why, then, did he still feel like he was sloshing through water?

Ken gazed at the road ahead of him. Yes, it was straight and level, but-

A wave.

He heard it clearly as a gentle breeze carried it across the ocean.

Ken stopped walking and glanced down at his feet- his eyes widened- only to find that he was standing in water that came up to his knees.

Panic shot through him and he glanced around frantically. His friends and the path in front of him slowly vanished and were replaced by an endless sea.

Too scared to do anything, he stood there a moment staring at the ocean. There was something eerie about it, something otherworldly. The water seemed to slowly rise…

Terrified, he let out a scream.

Yolei whirled around instantly, exclaiming, "Ken!" She ran to him, stopping right in front of him. It was then that she observed him more closely:

Ken simply stood there straight and stiff, his eyes having a distant look to them. He had an unrealistic look about him as his body faded in and out, flickering like a broken television.

"Ken!" she called again.

He gave no response.

"Ken?" She placed her hands on his shoulders. "Ken!"

Ahead, everyone else had stopped. Davis rushed to join Yolei in helping Ken.

TK placed a hand on his chin and closed his eyes, thinking. 'Where have I seen this before?' he wondered. He opened his eyes and watched Ken carefully. The odd flickering brought a painful memory back to him, and he found the answer. 'Kari!' he thought in distress. 'The same thing happened to Kari-' -he glanced over at the girl- '-just before she was taken to…'

Kari began to tremble. She had a feeling that she knew what was happening to Ken, but she refused to believe it. 'This can't happen,' she told herself. 'No. Not here, not now.'

Everyone else hurried to Ken's side, leaving just TK and Kari.

They looked to each other and their eyes met. TK saw a bit of fear in hers. "Kari," he said softly, "is that…?"

She nodded. "The Dark Ocean," she whispered.

"But how?" TK questioned, thinking.

"I don't know." Nervously, Kari bit her bottom lip. "We've got to help him. We can't let the darkness take him." With that, she ran to aid her friend.

TK followed.

They crowded around Ken, watching as he continued to flicker strangely. Memories of Kari's own experiences with the Dark Ocean kept her from doing anything. She quivered terribly. "Ken," she whispered to herself.

Davis and the others repeatedly called to him.

Yolei, tears forming in her eyes, shook Ken violently. "Come on!" she yelled. "Snap out of it! Wake up!" She shook him even harder. "Please, Ken!" The tears began to pour out of her eyes. "You have to wake up! You just have to!"

Ken was still so distant. In his mind, the water around him continued to rise. "Stop," he muttered softly.

Yolei heard this and perked up. "What?" she questioned. "Did you say something?"

Not another word came from him.

This angered the girl. "Snap out of it!" she yelled, and raised her hand…

In his own little world, Ken suddenly felt a hard smack on his face. He winced with pain. "What was that?" he wondered. The faint outline of a girl suddenly appeared in front of him. "Yolei?" he inquired. "Is that you?"

"Yes!" Yolei exclaimed excitedly. "I'm here!"

"Yolei," Ken whispered, "the water keeps rising. It wants me."

Yolei cocked her head, unable to understand. "What are you talking about?"

"I…" Ken started, but he suddenly stopped. He felt a tight squeeze on his hand, and a voice whispered, 'I know you can fight it!' He glanced down at his hand, noticing another outline. The figure beside him resembled… "Kari?"

"Ken," she cooed. "Oh, Ken, I know what you're going through. And I know it's scary, but you've got to fight it. You can escape the Dark Ocean; you just have to be strong. I'm here for you. We're all here for you."

Voices began chirping and ringing in his head. They drowned out the sound of the waves and the ocean breeze, and more outlines slowly started to appear. He recognized them as his friends.

"You can do this, Ken," Kari assured him.

Worriedly, he glanced down at the ocean. The voices in his head shouted his name, reassuring him.

Yolei told him confidently, "I don't know what's going on in your mind, but I do know you can overcome it. You've just gotta-"

"-Believe in yourself," Kari finished for her.

"You really think so?" he asked.

"I don't think so," came Davis's voice, "I know."

Both girls nodded in agreement.

Ken stared at the eerie water. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to force it away. For a long time, he stood there, silent. When he finally opened his eyes, his friends were no longer mere outlines, but full figures. The ocean around him faded, slowly being replaced by his formal surrounding of grass, trees, flowers, and…

"Solid ground!" he marveled, staring at his feet. He looked back up excitedly. "It's gone!" he exclaimed. "The ocean's gone!"

Yolei threw her arms around him. "Ken," she sobbed. "You're back… It was as if your body was here but your mind was somewhere else. At one point, I thought I was gonna lose you."

"I thought I was a goner myself," Ken admitted. "I think I would've been if it wasn't for all of you." He smiled, thankful to have such good friends. Now he could see that they were true, and he trusted them.

The rest of the hike went smoothly. Everyone forced themselves to endure hiking uphill, but the results of their efforts paid off. They were on top of the world, so it seemed, looking down at all there was. Lakes below shimmered and sparkled with beauty, and majestic mountains surrounding them stood out proudly.

They spent a long while there, marveling at the mesmerizing sight. They rested and picnicked there as well, then went on their way, thankful that they had made such a worthwhile trip.

TK crawled out of his tent and stood, yawning and stretching. While everyone else was exhausted from the day's hike, he still had energy inside him and was unable to sleep. He looked up at the night sky, admiring twinkling stars, when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

He turned around, seeing Kari behind him. "What're you doing up?" he questioned.

She didn't reply, but instead her eyes fell to the ground and she fidgeted nervously.

"Kari?"

"Can't sleep," the girl muttered. "How come you're still awake?"

"Just not tired, I guess," TK replied. "Come on, let's go sit by the fire," he then suggested. So together they sat by the cozy campfire.

Kari reached out to it, warming her hands. She simply sat there, not saying a word.

"It's a beautiful night," TK spoke casually.

"Yep."

"It's really clear. You can see all the constellations and things."

"Uh-huh."

There was a brief silence.

"What's the matter?" TK wondered, observing the girl's strange behavior. "Something wrong?"

"Lots on my mind," Kari spoke softly.

"Yeah? Want to talk about it?"

Kari looked to him, frowning. "It's Ken," she whispered.

"Oh?"

"Today was so strange," Kari explained. "And scary too. He went to the Dark Ocean, TK."

"Yeah…"

"Well, sort of. I don't think he was totally there. Seemed to me like he was somewhere in between our world and the Dark Ocean. What I don't understand is how it was possible for that to happen. We saved the digital world from darkness, didn't we? So then how could he just get taken away like that? And why?"

"They're all good questions," TK said, "but I can't give you any answers. I never was able to understand the Dark Ocean fully, so it's a mystery to me."

Kari sighed. "It's really weird. We haven't had anything like this for a few years. Why'd this happen now? What triggered it? How did it take Ken away, and how did he escape? Oh, I'm so confused!"

"Ok, ok, calm down now, Kari," TK soothed.

"You don't understand! The Dark Ocean is a scary thing. Ken and I seem to be especially susceptible to its powers. I need answers so that I can prevent this from happening again and help Ken. With the state he's in, how is he supposed to know what's going on? What happened today must've scared him to death!"

"I understand. Listen, you should try not to think about it too much and get some sleep."

"Yeah, but…"

"We'll think about it tomorrow." With that, TK stood. "I don't know about you, but I'm going back to bed. Try not to stay up too long." He started back to his tent.

"Goodnight, TK," Kari called softly.

"G'night, Kari."