"Even if we have Oceanamon's Crests, we still haven't found Oceanamon herself. We went to a city by the shore, hoping to find her there. Unfortunately, Wormmon was kicked out because in this particular city, Virus attributed digimon were banned. As it turns out, the city is owned by a Metal Seadramon- but not the same Dark Master we fought before. Even he wasn't powerful enough to defeat our newest foes, The Devas. Fortunately, Wormmon was given enough power to warp-digivolve to Gran Kwagamon, and... sort of... saved the day! I know I say it all the time, but that was so PRO-DIGIOUS!"
-Izzy
DIGIMON: THE DIGITAL KEEPERS SAGA
Book Ten: "Carnavale"
After spending two more days in Metal-tropolis, it was apparent that the Digi-Destined wouldn't find Oceanamon there. And so, they packed up their bags and headed further down the ocean side.
One mid afternoon, they came upon a small oasis-like forest, and took a well-deserved nap under the shady trees. By three o' clock, almost everyone was asleep, except for Matt, Tai, Izzy and Ken. Izzy, of course, was too busy meddling with his laptop; but the others were hungry.
Ken was the first to wander off into the woods by himself... with Wormmon trailing close behind, unnoticeably.
Ah, apple trees. Ken figured that the group would enjoy fresh raw apples, or that someone like Sora or Mimi would make meals out of these apples. How can the young man resist? He climbed up one tree halfway, and already he was surrounded by large, red apples. At first glance at them, his stomach thundered.
Taking off his red, button-down shirt- leaving the thinner, black undershirt for him to wear- he picked at the fruit, and started gathering it into his blouse.
Then, as if by accident, he looked up and saw a shadow hiding in the branches above him. It had deep violet eyes. He blinked, not sure if he was dreaming at the moment, but then... she slithered her way down like a snake. Lustmon grinned, "...Oh, I'm sorry. Did I startle you?"
Ken backed up as much as he could, gasping, "Hey! ....I know you. Y-you're one of th-those S-sin Digimon, aren't you?" She brushed back her weightless, ghostly black hair and replied, "Gee, what gave it away?" The human gave her an unwelcome glare; "Get away from me." He then prepared to jump down off the branch, when she reached out for him, pleading, "Oh no, wait. Don't go... I just want to talk, that's all." Ken raised an eyebrow; "....Which one are you again?" She smiled, "Lustmon." "Goodbye," was all he said, and turned away.
Then she wrapped around his torso the snake-like part of her body where her legs should be; she insisted, "Just... give me a minute, please?" Ken paused to observe his current situation; "...Hmmm... Temptation in an apple tree... Where have I seen this before?"
The ghost-like creature pulled him closer to her rather roughly, as she replied, "I'll just get straight to the point. I know that you're all searching for the Digi-Keepers. Yes? ...Well, my Master just happens to be the fourth of that group: The Keeper Of Darkness. And he's looking for the other three as well." Ken cleared his throat; "Ahem! ...Y-yes, of course. I know that."
Lustmon frowned, "Well, it's such a shame that a few humans from another world got dragged into all of this... You know, getting involved in such a perilous adventure could be extremely dangerous... It almost pains me to see children- sorry, young adults- risking their lives before they even get a chance to fully grow up." Ken looked away; "You don't care; you're pure evil."
"But I do care!" argued the Sin Digimon; "....I care about you." Ken looked back at her and smirked, "Ha! You just met us, and all of a sudde-" "Not them, Ken," she interrupted sternly; "...just you." He gulped nervously, "...M.... Me?"
Nearby, Wormmon was hiding in a brush, listening in closely to what Lustmon had to say... and he certainly did not enjoy a word of it.
But she went on: "I know who you used to be; that Digimon Kaiser... That's the right title, isn't it? Or was it Digimon Emperor?" Ken narrowed his eyes angrily; "It doesn't matter anymore. He's gone. Ancient history!" Then Lustmon grinned, "Ooohh... IS he?" Ken's eyes lit up with surprise; "-Huh?" Lustmon crossed her shadowy arms and said slyly, "I know it's been a while, but you remember exactly how you became that way. Do you? ...An unfortunate run-in with Millenniumon left you with a curse. Or rather... A dark spore. Yes... The dark spores are those tiny black orbs that can corrupt even the purest heart, when activated correctly.
"Where is it, by the way? Is it... Here?" With that, her ice-cold index finger rested upon the back of his neck; he cringed. Lustmon shook her head, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk... That little bugger's still in there, isn't it?" "Leave me alone!" Ken shouted, but she replied, "Oh, you don't have to take it out on me. I'm the one who wants to help you. Remember?"
"How can you help me?" the young man asked harshly; Lustmon replied, "Let's just say... I have my resources."
Greedmon, unknown to anyone, was watching this conversation take place from his secret lair, via his magic crystal ball. He turned away from it and roared, "WHO DOES THAT SLUT THINK SHE IS!? We didn't come ALL the way out here just because she can be somebody's CALL GIRL!"
Then to his surprise, a little voice giggled nearby; "Hahahahaha! That just goes to show ya; dames ain't nothin' but trouble!" DemiDevimon perched himself on a golden scepter; one of many priceless artifacts that Greedmon had kept to himself in this chamber. Greedmon, obviously peeved, huffed at him; "What are you doing here, you little dust mite?" DemiDevimon snapped at him, "Oh, is this the welcome I get after all these years? I've been nothing but loyal to you guys, and I get no respect at all. Not even the Master-" "Go away!" Greedmon snapped right back; DemiDevimon, in the process, almost lost his footing.
The little Rookie demon got his second wing and declared, "...Uh, I was just floatin' around the beaches like I was told to do, and lo and behold; I found the perfect place that Oceanamon would be at! It's this little town called Caribbea, and those Digi-Destined pests are headed straight for it as we speak." Greedmon growled beneath his breath; "And why exactly should I care?" This was the question DemiDevimon was waiting for; he grinned, showing all his little fangs, "It's crawling with Oceanamon's people! Ice types, Water types, Lightning types! All of them! And all those little market places, and all those banks..." He then leaned in closer to the Sin Digimon; "There's a lotta money there..."
Money. If one word could get Greedmon's heart to skip a beat above all others, that would be the one.
The ghostly beast stepped back; his deep green eyes blinked; ".....Money?" "Yeah, LOTS of it!" cheered the Rookie. Then he added, "Just let me round up a lotta Shadowmon, and we'll terrorize this town. Oceanamon just can't resist coming to their rescue! And the best part is-" Greedmon finished his sentence for him: "We'll have ourselves a GOLD MINE! ....yyyYYYYYES!" Excitedly, the beast slammed his fist onto a table; the impact finally made DemiDevimon fall over.
Greedmon pointed to the fallen little demon and said, "You! Lead my army of Shadowmon into Caribbea at once! Bring me as much money and jewels as you can, and don't forget to terrorize the pants off of those digimon locals!" "Aye, aye sir!" saluted the Rookie, as he quickly fluttered into the air on his tiny bat wings. As DemiDevimon flew away, Greedmon slithered towards his treasure, gloating, "Ahhh, it's days like this that make me glad I was created." He then added a deep, sinister giggle.
"So, let me get this straight," Ken said to Lustmon; "You think that your Master wants me, because I got this dark spore in my body?" "Yes," she nodded; "You are far more valuable to him than any other human that should dare set foot here. And so, in order to make things easier for you and your friends, I am going to have to request that you let me remove the spore."
Ken finally started struggling for freedom, as he was still bound by Lustmon's "tail;" he growled, "You can't do anything for me. And even if you could, I don't want your help! ...Let me GO!" The Sin Digimon felt very disappointed, and frowned, "You don't know just how much in danger you are, young one. If I hand over the dark spore to my Master, he may very well leave you and all your friends alone.. Not to mention the fact that you'll never be at risk of becoming the Kaiser again." "He's dead, I tell ya. Dead!" Ken argued. Lustmon narrowed her eyes; "...We shall see..."
Up until this time, she couldn't take her violet eyes off this human. They had a certain glow in them; a glow that could go unnoticed, but was certainly there. Almost like sincere affection... or maybe just lust. She was, after all, a sin Digimon.
But now, she hard a sharp "Screech" sound, and caused her alarmed eyes to look up. Right behind Ken was one of Stingmon's fierce arm scythes. The large green insect stared her down menacingly, and a low and steady tone of voice, he hissed, "You've got two seconds to get your paws off him, or else." Lustmon, tickled at the idea of a mere Champion threatening her life, she finally released Ken and smiled at Stingmon; "Hey, relax big boy. I was just making conversation." "Yeah?" Stingmon replied; "Well, now you'll make tracks."
Lustmon didn't even put up a fight; she started snaking down the tree, and slithered away into the dark wood. As she did so, she took one last look at Ken and said, "Just think about that spore, Ken Ichijouji. Its evil might have been silenced after all these years, but mark my words... Evil never really dies... It simply hibernates..." and with that, she was gone.
Ken took this moment to start breathing again; Stingmon looked down on him (he was flying, after all) and asked, "Ken? ...Are you alright?" Ken gulped softly, "Yeah... I'm fine... Let's got outta here." With that, he climbed into Stingmon's arms.
He'd been waddling for hours; searching city after city. He'd asked everyone, and they've either given him a straight answer, or laughed, or simply said "Go away." He had finally arrived at the edge of Caribbea, the largest and most populated city in all of Oceanamon's territory. Surely, after all those previous failures, his search would end here.
Penguinmon first had to sit on a log, and rest a bit. He then reached for his little pouch, which he had kept vigilantly all this time, and opened it up to gaze in wonder at the golden bracelet that had attached to it the Crest of Humility. He sighed deeply; "...Well, we finally made it to Caribbea... You think she'll be here? She just doesn't seem to be anywhere else." The Crest just shimmered in the warm sun.
Penguinmon smiled, "Whaddya think she's like? Does she look anything like those humans we saw a few days ago? They seemed really nice. I'll bet she's nice..."
He sighed again, looking at the skyline of Caribbea. It only had a few tall towers, and in the distance, he can see a huge carnival. A boardwalk, resorts... This city seemed to have everything a beach-bound town would need to please a summer crowd, and then some. Penguinmon blinked, "She's gotta be a lot nicer than those digimon, at least..."
At last, they made it; and the first thing they saw was the carnival. "YAAAA-HOOO!" became the anthem for the travelers, as they charged almost all at once towards the amusement park's rides.
But there were some among the group that just wanted to take things easy. They were: Sora, Biyomon, Gabumon, Izzy, Tentomon, and Joe. The few of them rested up at a picnic table, and saw the others have a ball.
Davis, Veemon, Tai and Agumon had a "Let's-See-Who-Can-Ride-The-Roller-Coasters-The-Longest" competition.
Gommamon and Palmon got lost in the Hall of Mirrors attraction, and loved it.
Matt dragged Mimi onto the "Chaos" ride; Mimi then dragged him onto the Ferris wheel.
Yolei and Hawkmon got a kick out of face painting.
TK, Kari, Gatomon, Patamon, Armadillomon, and Cody- ALL of which had their own cars- battled it out in the bumper car ride. Four times!
And as for Ken and Wormmon, they just... walked around.
Later, Biyomon took Hawkmon, Agumon, Gabumon, Gommamon and Wormmon onto the merry-go-round. Their human counterparts, along with Izzy and Tentomon, watched from a bench nearby, getting lost in yet another Digi-Keeper-related conversation.
Izzy had his laptop showing a map of the digital world; with a pencil, he pointed to a certain spot on it as he spoke: "Okay, we're here. This covers just about every land of Oceanamon's territory northward, then it's back to Polarimon's mountaintops." Tai guessed, "So this means we're bound to find Oceanamon here?" Izzy shrugged, "Either that, or she's somewhere out in the ocean."
Joe groaned, looking up at the sky; "Man... I was just getting used to being on the land again, and now we gotta go all the way out there?" Izzy lectured, "Oh, come on Joe..."
His eyes then wandered of into this map of his; Izzy frowned, "Still no sign of Primary Village..."
Cody immediately changed the subject, "Hey, wait. What about Penguinmon? And the new Digi-Destined?" Sora blinked, "...There's another Digi-Destined?" "Yeah," Cody nodded; "Remember?... Oh wait, you weren't here. There's this little penguin digimon who's got this crest... Which one was it?... Uh, anyway, he's looking for a human; his partner."
Matt was a little skeptic; "If there's another Digi-Destined, then how come he or she never helped us out before?" Yolei grinned, "Well, we saved the world without our own crests before, so at this point anything's possible!" Cody then added, "And it's a girl. Penguinmon said so." Matt's eyes softened; "...Oh. Well... I guess that's alright."
Sora didn't take this response lightly, and transferred herself from this group over to the digimon group on the merry-go-round.
Sora leaned up against the bar that was her only blockade from the amusement ride. Her eyes gazed at it blankly, as if she had suddenly fell into deep thought. Once Biyomon made her way over to her partner, she called out, "Hey, Sora!" Sora didn't say anything at first, but then snapped out of it and blurted out, "Hey, Biyo-" That's when she realized that her digimon buddy turned the corner on the ride. "...mon." she finished half-heartedly.
Gommamon- his "horsie" was actually a seahorse- then whisked by, smiling, "Jump up!" Sora gave a soft giggle; "...No thanks." He turned the corner, and then Agumon- riding his "horsie" backwards- saw Sora and quickly asked, "What's wrong?" She honestly replied, "It's Matt." Gabumon whisked by and asked, "Matt's wrong? About what?" Not even caring who would hear her at this point, Sora then started to rant:
"Well, I know we kinda broke up some time ago, but now I get the feeling that he just... doesn't seem to care. I'm sure that since he's this (she says this rather sarcastically) big-time rock star, his life's all hectic and stuff. But other than that, he's the same ol' person. He just won't admit it... At least not to me."
Hawkmon then whisked by and wondered, "Are you saying you still have feelings for him?" The little digimon was still in the middle of his sentence even when he turned the corner. Sora sighed, "No... I mean... What bugs me, really, is the fact that he starts getting all googley-eyed over a new girl he meets, like at the drop of a hat... It almost makes me wonder if he ever liked me at all!" "Why?" asked the speeding-by Gommamon; "Who does he like now?" Sora sighed, "Nobody... oh, just forget it."
To her surprise, Biyomon had jumped from her merry-go-round "horsie" and flew to Sora's side. Biyomon then blinked, "Why wouldn't he like you? You're a fun person." Sora couldn't help but smile; "Thanks, Biyomon..." But then she turned away and frowned, "...Maybe I'm just jealous."
Gommamon's voice called out, "Sure sounds like it!" Nearby, Hawkmon shouted to him, "Gommamon, please! The poor girl's having a crisis."
Sora and Biyomon started walking away from the merry-go-round; Sora started, "It's not really a crisis..." "What is it, then?" Biyomon asked her.
The day was dying; clouds were starting to cover an already graying sky. There was a shade of blue in the air that was cold enough to take one's mind off of summer just by looking at it.
By this time, Sora and Biyomon had walked all the way to the boardwalk, to gaze at the tide of the sea, as it rolled in so quickly it made no one dare venture forth onto the beach. Sora stared at it, with that same blank face she had at the merry-go-round. Biyomon looked at her in concern; "Sora?" she chirped. Sora's eyes finally blinked, and she looked down at the little pink bird-type digimon. "Yes?" she calmly asked. Biyomon replied, "I know it's none of my business, but you do care about Matt... Don't you?" Sora admitted, "I care about all of you guys. My life has never been the same ever since me and the others first came to the digital world. Since then, I haven't felt lonely or unwanted..."
She paused, then smiled down at Biyomon; "I haven't even told you how he and I started crushing on each other." Biyomon blinked, "...you crushed each other?" Sora giggled, "No... I mean..." She decided it would be wise to keep her human slang away from the blunt-speaking Biyomon for now, and just started speaking straight-forwardly:
"...Hmmm.... When did it all start? I remember some time before we fought Diablomon the first time, me and Tai were seeing a lot of each other. One time we had a fight, and I was being really stubborn about it... That's when Diablomon was created on the Internet. If I wasn't still sore with Tai, I'd probably have you fight alongside Agumon and Gabumon." "It's okay," Biyomon interrupted.
Sora went on: "Anyway, a couple months went by, and we haven't seen you guys. We were beginning to think that our jobs as Digi-Destined were over. So then Matt started to take up music as a hobby. He wrote his own songs, he got his first guitar... And he asked me to help him out with a few things, and since I wasn't doing anything much- besides school stuff- I accepted.
"I was his top song critic, I bought supplies for him, ran a few errands... Long story short, we were getting closer and closer. And the funny part was, we didn't even mean to. I mean, I still liked Tai... But now he just seemed to be more of a friend to me... and just that.
"Then, without warning, we were called back to the digital world by Gennai. He said we needed to release the power we had inside us- you know, the power that activated the original crests? And you know, as a result, the digital world might have been rejuvenated, but you guys lost the ability to become Ultimates. But what we never really came out with saying was, we Digi-Destined kids lost a part of ourselves that day too."
"You did?" Biyomon frowned; Sora nodded, "Yeah... It was so weird. You know how I was the Child of Love, and Matt was the Child of Friendship?" "Yeah?" Biyomon nodded; Sora continued, "Without that special power we had, we felt as if we needed more love and friendship in our lives. It was the same with the others; Tai didn't seem like as adventurous as he used to be, Izzy was burying himself into even more books and computer software, Mimi moved to America at that point so I dunno much about her thirst for sincerity... Oh yeah, back to me and Matt.
"Me and Matt felt like we needed to spend more time together, because I saw him as a great friend, and he seemed so passionate about his music career... And then before we knew it, we started going out to dinner, and movies, and... (giggling) carnivals."
Biyomon guessed, "So... Because you lost the power you had over the crests, that's why you and Matt got together?" Sora sighed, "I don't really know. But it is kinda weird how everything came together some time after our last experience with the crests.... It could've been a coincidence... Still weird though..."
Her thoughts trailed off after that, as Sora gazed back at the ocean's horizon, which would have shown a sunset if not for those dark cold clouds. Sora blinked, "...They didn't say anything in the weather report about a thunderstorm." Biyomon then looked to the sky; she blinked as well; "Yeah... And the wind sure is picking up, 'cause those clouds are getting even closer... Really fast."
"Wait," Sora gasped, as she took a second look; "...They are coming closer... Like they're flying..... They are flying!" That's when she saw it. The clouds started showing tints of red and white... red as in eyes, and white as in fangs. Sora hollered, "Those aren't clouds!" Biyomon fluttered in the air briefly as she shouted, "Those are-"
"SHA-DOW-MO-O-O-O-O-ON!!!"
(Begin "Money")
Most of them flew in, in the forms of Airdramon, Flymon, Kwagamon, Megadramon and Gigadramon. Others maintained their freaky silhouette forms. But everybody knew who they were, and nobody was going to stick around to wonder what they wanted. Amidst these Shadowmon flew one pure digimon; the small, bat-winged puff-ball DemiDevimon. He laughed hysterically, "HAHAHAHAHAAAAA! RUN! RUN, YOU COWARDS! NOTHING CAN STOP US; NOT EVEN THE HUMANS!"
All at once, the Shadowmon fell upon the carnival, as well as all the streets and buildings that surrounded it, in one chaotic fit of greed... and song!
"The best things in life are free,
But you can give them to the birds and bees!
I want money! (That's what I want!)
That's what I want! (That's what I want!)
That's what I wa-a-a-ant, yeah! (That's what I want!)
That's what I want!"
They showed up in all the market places; toppling goods and tearing up walls in the process. Their main concern, however, were the locals. Anyone who had so much as coins in their pockets found themselves turned upside-down, and shaken roughly by their adversaries; in hopes that all those coins and dollar bills would fall out onto the floor.
Others had their purses and wallets snatched; their jewelry swindled; their candy taken! Yes, the Shadowmon were evil enough to take candy from baby digimon.
"Your lovin' gave me a thrill,
But your lovin' don't pay my bills!
I need money! (That's what I want!)
That's what I want! (That's what I want!)
That's what I wa-a-a-ant, yeah! (That's what I want!)
That's what I want!"
(Interlude)
The cheap imitations of Champion and Ultimate digimon ripped through the amusement park like it was made entirely out of cardboard. The humans gathered as many digimon as they could- including their own partners- before the Ferris wheels and roller coaster hills came tumbling down on all of them. Izzy and T.K. ducked just in time, before a swarm of Flymon (Shadowmon, actually) knocked them down like bowling pins.
Sora and Biyomon were still on the boardwalk when the evil ones attacked; the two girls bolted out of there just before they went under with the wooden floor beneath them.
And the destruction of the amusement park wasn't the worst of it.
Those Shadowmon were actually attacking the city as a whole, particularly the banks and museums for their priceless artifacts and such. All the while, panic and chaos ruled the streets. It was devastating, to say the least.
"Money don't get ev'rything, it's true
But what it don't get, I can't use!
I need money! (That's what I want!)
Lotsa money! (That's what I want!)
That's what I wa-a-a-ant, yeah! (That's what I want!)
That's what I want!"
Then it happened. The poor unfortunate known as Penguinmon had been walking down what was, just a few seconds ago, an open road. Before he knew it, DemiDevimon came at him at full force, and the first thing he got his little blue talons on, was the pouch that Penguinmon had been holding onto for so long now. In a brief tug-of-war battle, Penguinmon held his own... until a Shadowmon bounced off him like a cannonball, sending Penguinmon straight into a haystack nearby.
The little penguin looked on in horror, as his adversaries took off... with the pouch carrying the Crest of Humility.
"Money! (That's what I want!)
Lotsa money! (That's what I want!)
Gimmie money! (That's what I want!)
A whole lotta money! (That's what I want!)
That's what I wa-a-a-ant, yeah! (That's what I want!)
That's what I want!..."
(Song ends)
It took hours just for the smoke to clear. The humans and their digimon partners took shelter, under the merry-go-round's fallen rooftop. Tai was the first to get to his feet, and when he did, he dusted off the dirt from his shirt, looked around, and hollered, "JUST WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED HERE!?"
Then there was a response of humans and digimon rising from the ashes and various fallen objects, all in a daze and rubbing their heads. The air was filled with the sounds of coughing, sneezing, and "Oww... my head..." It seemed to be coming from everywhere.
Gabumon pulled Matt from beneath their own hiding place; as he pulled himself up, Matt gasped, "Where is everybody? ...Where's Sora and Biyomon!?" "We're here!" called out a voice coming towards them; it was Biyomon. She fluttered to her friends, followed by Sora herself. Matt blinked, "...Are- are you guys alright?" Sora was dusting the dust from her arms as she weakly replied, "We're okay... We're just a little... you know... shocked."
Tai then ran up to them and panted, "...You guys! .....You guys ....okay? I was worried..." Matt nodded, "I think so... where are the others?" Tai rubbed his eyes; "Everybody else is okay, but scattered.... We tried to save as many digimon as we could...." Sora's eyes glistened with worry; "...N....nobody was hurt.... were they?" There was a pause. ...A long one.
The shadow of a multi-armed dragon laughed maniacally, and it was starting to sound like he had four different voices as he did so. DemiDevimon perched himself on a chair nearby, looking on ward curiously. He blinked, "...Uh... Greedmon? ....W..... What's so funny?" The dark, towering creature turned to the little puff ball, and extended one of his fisted claws at him. He then opened his palm, and there in it was a golden bracelet. The bracelet had a pretty, circular jewel.
Greedmon grinned, "DemiDevimon, I congratulate you. You not only have called out the Keeper of the Seas, but you have unwittingly rectified our victory!" The demonic Rookie blinked, "...I don't understand." Greedmon elaborated, "This is the Crest of Humility!" "The Crest of Humility!?" DemiDevimon blasted in disbelief while flapping his wings; "I- I didn't even know that existed!"
"Of course you didn't," the Sin Digimon hissed, pulling the crest away from the Rookie; "Only I and the other Sin Digimon know all of the crests in existence! From the beginning, they were all hidden from the digital world, until it officially became open to outsiders- those humans." DemiDevimon raised an eyebrow- if he had one, that is; "How many are there?" "Dozens," admitted the shadowy figure.
"...But as long as I have one in my possession, then there will be at least one human who cannot join the fight. And it would take the assistance of ALL these humans to secure The Digi-Keepers... Don't you see? You have broken the balance; put the harmony of their powers out of sync!"
The Rookie gulped, "But- but there are others out there still. Lots of them! If they fight us-" "Let them try!" gloated the tall shadow; "I have one of their crests now, and this will make our ultimate goal all the more possible to achieve!" And with that, the giant monster broke out into another chorus of maniacal laughter.
Caribbea would not be the paradise it used to be; but at least now, with the help of the Chosen Children and their digimon partners, its mess could at least be cleaned up a bit. The upside to this cleanup was that it would not take as long as the damage made on Metal-tropolis. Still, the populous of this town was diminishing by the minute; either the locals were moving away... or worse.
Joe took a moment to stand on what was left of a Ferris wheel and observe his surroundings. "Look at what they did to this place," he commented; "...and for what?" Izzy walked up to him, still on the ground, and responded, "Lotsa digimon are complaining that while the Shadowmon were here, they were being robbed." Mimi, who stood nearby, crossed her arms furiously; "You mean they wanted money!? That's ALL? The least they coulda done was open an account, those good-for-nothing-" Yolei cut her off as she walked by; "That's the problem, though. They are good for nothing. Nothing they do is good..." "Yes, she's quite right," Hawkmon agreed as he followed Yolei.
Davis was wiping the dust from his goggles as he said, "Man... Did they really have to tear apart this place too? That was really unnecessary. Don'tcha think, Tai?" Tai was looking out to the ocean- there was a much clearer view of it, now that all of the rides of the amusement park fell down. He took a small breath and sighed, "....You're right, Davis." "Huh!?" gasped Davis, as well as a few others nearby; "...What? I'm right?" Tai turned to him and gave him a sincere nod, "Yeah. Those guys were after more than money. They want Oceanamon!"
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" the air shook with this thunderous voice. Startled, the humans and digimon jumped up and looked around curiously. The omniscient voice continued his announcement, "TONIGHT AT THE CROWMON'S NEST, FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY, A SPECIAL SALUTE TO MARDI GRAS, HOSTED BY THE ONE AND ONLY, APRIL CUMMINGS!" Mimi scratched her head; "...Mardi Gras? ...Have we been in the digital world longer than we realized?" Palmon, who stood beside her, just shrugged.
Finally, Cody and Armadillomon found out where the announcement was coming from. At the edge of (what was left of) the boardwalk, stood a Gazimon dressed in a suit and tie, with a gentlemen's top hat, and speaking through a loud speaker. It looked almost as though he was announcing his own performance, as he set himself up on a podium that seemed to have come out of nowhere. "COME ONE, COME ALL! AND BRING YOUR FRIENDS, WHY DON'TCHA?" he added.
Cody and Armadillomon exchanged curious faces, then they approached the rabbit-like digimon. "Excuse me," said the youngest of all humans. "YES?" asked the Gazimon, who obviously forgot to put away the loud speaker. Cody and his digimon buddy both plugged their ears; Cody gritted his teeth and asked, "...Can... Can you tell us what you're talking about?" Gazimon blinked, "OH! YOU MEAN ABOUT THE-" "TURN OFF THE LOUD SPEAKER!" roared Cody and Armadillomon in unison.
Gazimon giggled nervously as a sweat drop trickled down his face; "Oh, heh-heh. Sorry! I was told to make a special announcement for Miss April Cummings." "Who's that?" asked the little yellow armadillo; Gazimon explained, "Oh, she's a nice young human lady that just dropped by. She wants to sing tonight at The Crowmon's Nest tonight."
Cody blinked with surprise, "...a human?" He and Armadillomon gasped; "Is she the thirteenth Digi-Destined?" Gazimon shrugged, "Gosh, I dunno. Why don't you an' your friends come to the dance club tonight and ask her yourselves?" Armadillomon shared a grin with his human buddy; "Hmmm... It's a date!" "Yeah," nodded Cody.
(Begin "Havana")
The Crowmon's Nest stood at the very end of the town's carnival, where there was no beach, but a small rocky cliff that was the small club's only block from the ocean. The tide was raging at this point in the evening, but nobody seemed to notice. Everybody was inside, having a ball.
The deep blue darkness that surrounded the club outside was in total contrast to the hot red and fiery yellow lights that blazed the club on the inside. Flocks of white spotlights flew all around the walls, making it even brighter. The group of humans and digimon were all seated at several tables; each table was glistened with vases of tropical flowers and candlelight.
There were several food courts, two bars to order drinks, but best of all, there was a dance floor. It took up half the room. And placed ever so graciously behind this dance floor, was a stage crowded with a big band of jazz-playing digimon.
The digimon in this particular band included brass-playing reptile types (including an Agumon), a piano-playing Psychemon, bongo-playing plant types, guitar-playing water types, and an Octomon that was able to play three different drum sets.
Everyone applauded at the sound of the announcement: "And now, please welcome your hostess for the evening: Miss April Cummings!" Just as the young human woman entered the scene, the lights on the walls faded from a hot red to a soft blue. She took the center of the stage, accompanied by a warm white spotlight.
She stood tall- about five feet and a half exactly. Her dress was sleek and navy blue, topped of with tiny sparkles. Her hair was long and dark, that was pulled up at the top in a ponytail but then fell to her waist. Her facial features echoed that of the average Asian woman; youthful, yet mature. Her maturity certainly shown through in her deep blue, almond eyes; it also shown through in her voice...
"Tropic days turn into steamy nights,
States out ways give into appetites
Panatelas under white straw hats
Sit and soak rum and coke!
Cuban rhythms push the night along,
Past the limits of what's right or wrong
Hardly anyone is keeping score;
Let it ride, por favor!
Love is the one legal tender,
Never ensured to fly.
Just find yourself a big spender,
Who will render the gender you're right to try!"
As the young woman sung on, Cody turned to his friends at his table; Yolei, Ken, and their digimon. Cody said, "You know? It's kinda weird how that girl just came outta nowhere and invited us to this place." Yolei put a finger to her glasses, as if in deep thought, and observed, "It's also weird that she looks a lot like us... you know what I mean?" "Yeah," Ken nodded; "Penguinmon said that his human partner is Japanese. didn't he?" Armadillomon replied for his human friend, "Uh, yeah. I think he did... Didn't he Cody?" Cody just looked back at the young lady that was singing; he sighed, "I hope so..."
Penguinmon himself was just making his way into the club, looking more glum than ever before. As he kept waddling closer and closer to the stage, his eyes started wandering. He almost completely missed seeing the humans that he'd met some time ago; upon seeing them, he cracked a weak smile.
"Big casinos under Latin skies,
Valentinos with ambitious eyes.
Slow degrees of lazy Fahrenheit
Cook the day, eat the night!
Smell the money when the trade winds blow,
Play the slot machines; enjoy the show.
Spin the wheel, or maybe roll the dice!
Welcome to Paradise!
Too much is never enough here,
There's always room for more.
One of a kind calls your bluff here.
If you're pair is impressed, better pass, señor!"
Penguinmon had taken a seat in a corner, a bit far away from the humans. How could he face them without his Crest of Humility? He'd be... well... humiliated! But then his eyes began to wander, and they finally met the woman on stage.
He took a double-take reaction; this time, his eyes bulged with shock. He blinked once or twice to make sure his sight wasn't failing him...
"Twenty-three or so degrees,
Just below the Florida Keys,
All the tourists come to play
Making mucho-la cheese full of caviar!"
Penguinmon could not believe his beady little eyes; he was staring at that young woman as if he'd seen a ghost or something. All that came out of his little beak was a gasp and a mutter: "it's her...."
"In-ambitions simply melt away;
Dispositions will improve, they say.
Maybe it's the voodoo latitude
(That) gives the place attitude.
Way down here we have no rules to keep;
Way down here we always oversleep;
Way down here we mambo all night long!
Through the street
Through the heat
To the beat
Of Ha-va-na!"
(Song ends)
For a moment, the audience was in an uproar of applause. But then, the lights flashed from a warm blue to a fiery red...
(Begin "Never Dance")
As soon as the trumpets blasted and the percussion thundered, everybody was taken in by the rush. Finally, a dance song.
Almost instantly, couples took to the dance floor, while the shy ones just sat and watched.
Davis had the urge to dance as well; too bad that his desired partner, Kari, was already taken by T.K. But that didn't make him too upset, for Biyomon came to him and began whispering in his ear. Whatever she was whispering was causing him to smile.
"One night in Rio I'll never forget
Rhythms of life, so wild and so wet.
Suddenly, out of the darkness he came;
Somehow, he knew my name.
There in the streets, in the carnival roar,
He whispered, 'Come dance with me.'
Something inside me like never before
Made such a strange melody.
And I'll-
Never dance the way that he moved me,
Never kissed the way that he kissed me,
Never love the way that he loved me,
How can I dance now?
Never knew the heat of desire,
Never knew the flames could go higher,
Never felt the passion, the fire.
Now let me dance again!"
Biyomon's plan was in session. Matt was sitting by his lonesome on one side of the bar, while Sora was alone on the other side. Davis tapped her on the shoulder suddenly, asking her to dance with him.
At the same time, Matt was being asked to dance by Yolei. Both of them took the bait, while their mischievous digimon partners watched in the distance, giggling.
"There in his eyes I was lost from the start,
Under his spell, losing my heart.
Percussion and thunder collided that night,
Painting the sky with light!
Out of control, going out of my mind,
I never felt so free.
I left the dancer and Rio behind,
But I found the gypsy in me!
And I'll-
Never dance the way that he moved me,
Never kissed the way that he kissed me,
Never love the way that he loved me,
How can I dance now?
Never knew the heat of desire,
Never knew the flames could go higher,
Never felt the passion, the fire.
Now let me dance again!"
Davis and Sora were cutting a rug on their end of the dance floor, while Matt and Yolei were having a ball on theirs. Unknown to them, however, they were being "led" by their dance partners, to the center of the dance floor. There, Davis spun Sora and Tolei spun Matt, and before they knew it, they were standing right in front of each other.
(Backup singers)
Oro, sesanto,
Seducio, e peligro (Soloist: Oo-oo-oo!)
Cirando ni sojos
Besse le strande (Soloist: Oo-oo-oo!)
Miando asta la musica!
Sinners and saints,
And seduction and danger. (Soloist: A-A-AH!)
Closing her eyes
She can still see the stranger (Soloist: Ah-ah-ah!)
Rising up to the music!"
(Interlude)
Well, their dance partners had left these two to be alone; Matt and Sora just paused, caught up in their awkwardness. But then, they were still in the middle of a great dance song, and everybody else was just going with the flow...
"so... why not? Just this once…" they both thought.
Matt took Sora's hand, and they danced the salsa together. Along with everybody else, they got lost in the music, and had the time of their lives!
"There in the streets in the carnival roar,
He whispered, 'Come dance with me.'
Something inside me, like never before
Made such a strange melody!
And I'll-
Never dance the way that he moved me,
Never kissed the way that he kissed me,
Never love the way that he loved me,
How can I dance now?
Never knew the heat of desire,
Never knew the flames could go higher,
Never felt the passion, the fire.
Now let me dance-
Never dance the way that he moved me,
Never kissed the way that he kissed me,
Never love the way that he loved me,
How can I dance now?
Never knew the heat of desire,
Never knew the flames could go higher,
Never felt the passion, the fire.
Now let me dance- (A-A-AAAHHHH...)
Never dance the way that he moved me,
Never kissed the way that he kissed me,
Never love the way that he loved me,
How can I dance now?
Never knew the heat of desire,
Never knew the flames could go higher,
Never felt the passion, the fire.
Now let me dance-
Never dance the way that he moved me,
Never kissed the way that he kissed me,
Never love the way that he loved me,
How can I dance now?
Never knew the heat of desire,
Never knew the flames could go higher,
Never felt the passion, the fire.
Now let me dance-"
(Song ends)
BOOM!!!
All at once, everything stopped, just as one of the club's walls was suddenly burst wide open. The moment was just too abrupt and frightening to seem normal... so nobody was really that surprised when they started seeing Shadowmon eyes peering from behind the explosion. Many of the digimon- the ones without human partners- fed the scene that very moment. The Digi-Destined heroes, however, almost instantly took to fighting positions.
But they weren't expecting who would appear next.
He stood almost eight feet tall, and that was the LEAST intimidating thing about him! He had four faces- one in front, one on the left, one on the right and one in the back- all of them with the exact same emerald green eyes, the same dragon-like snout, and the same ferocious set of fangs. His head was topped off with a series of bullhorns that intertwined each other at the brow, glimmering in crystal. His body was also serpent-like, but with his multi-numbered arms and claws, he looked almost like a centipede. In fact, he even had limbs that were connected to the ones on the floor; these mirrored limbs were raised to the air. It was as if they were purposely set this way, so that if anyone were to knock him down on his "back," he can easily reverse his front and backsides! His tail was scorpion-like at the end, but not with one scythe, two! His armor-looking flesh was mostly a dark gold, with a few stripes of silver. His front two arms had bronze, lobster-like claws with three fingers instead of two. With all four of his voices, Greedmon called out: "LUCY, I'M HO-O-OME!"
Davis's eyes bulged so wide, they were almost at risk of falling right out of his head; "..who... wh-who is that?" he babbled. Greedmon grinned with his frontal face, "Ahh.. I see you don't recognize me. I am Greedmon, and I am here to collect my prize!" "What are you talking about?" Yolei asked bravely; Hawkmon was cowering behind her at the time. Greedmon replied, "She is here somewhere. I heard her voice..."
Penguimon then jumped onto the stage and bravely blocked the human named April; he squawked, "NO!... Th-there's no Digi-Keepers here, s-so just... Go away!" Greedmon's many green eyes observed the area; "Hmmm.... Thirteen humans, thirteen Rookies, thirty Shadowmon and one Sin Digimon.... I do believe the odds are in my favor." Tai raised up his Crest of Courage; "Wanna BET?"
Greedmon's eyes glistened with awe, as he watched several of the Rookies had been overcome with sudden flashes of lights, and shift into Ultimates in seconds. Agumon and Gabumon became their Mega forms, in fact; War Greymon and Metal Garurumon! Greedmon smirked, "...Okay. Now I'm impressed... But that still won't save you or the one you're all protecting. Now run along, children-"
Then he heard a sigh coming from someone a few feet away; curious, Greedmon turned to the only human sitting at the bar. Greedmon raised his would-be eyebrow at this boy; "...And you are?" The boy turned to him at last and replied, "Davis Motomiya." The beast took one step forward and growled softly, "And just what are you sighing about?" Davis shrugged, "Well... I just don't feel like fighting. Okay?"
Greedmon sneered, "I don't think you have a choice." Davis glared at him; "Look, you knocked down two cities in one week, and now you got everybody's money. What else do you want?" "Oceanamon, of course!" Greedmon answered.
That's when Tai realized that Veemon was still... Veemon! Tai called to him, "Veemon, digivolve!" Veemon frowned, "Davis wouldn't let me." "WHAT?" everyone gasped.
Davis spun in his chair; "Yep... It's true. I just don't wanna fight right now." Greedmon scratched his front chin; "...Odd. I'm so used to everyone either running away or preparing for battle. Now I am curious..." Even Kari at this point was losing her cool; "Davis, what're you doing? We have to fight him." Davis just crossed his arms, "Whatever happened to compromising?" "COMPROMISE! HA!" Greedmon blasted with joy; he then turned to the Shadowmon and smiled, "Did you hear that? The idiot boy wants to compromise with us!" They all laughed in his face, but Davis didn't flinch.
Veemon tugged at Davis's sleeve and asked, "Davis, are you feeling alright?" Davis shook his head, "I'm tired. We're all tired! It's always the same thing; we come, they show up, the city goes down. And I was just having fun for the first time since... I don't even know! And I'm sure you, Greedmon, are getting a little annoyed with all this routine stuff." Greedmon paused, then replied, "Actually, I like causing pain and destruction... But I am fed up with you children interfering with my affairs." "Fine then," Davis nodded; "Why don't we just take a break from our missions for a little while?"
"........Take a break?" Greedmon blinked with surprise.
He was done for; so they thought. Nobody but NOBODY told Greedmon what to do, except his Master. And he was certainly not going to listen to a stranger to the digital world. A seemingly slow-witted one at that.
"Hahahahahaha! Take-a-break! Take-a-break! Take-a-break!" echoed the Shadowmon mockingly; "SILENCE!" roared their boss. He then looked back to the human at the bar, who was now taking a sip of his soda; "If you claim to be tired, human, the you have already dug your own grave. For I and my Shadowmon are at full power, and we can easily rip this place apart with-"
"Are you after Oceanamon?" Davis suddenly asked him. Greedmon nodded impatiently, "Yes! Yes I am, you're all in my way!" Davis took a quick look around the room, and with narrowed eyes he glared back at the beast, "...Where is she?"
Greedmon widened his eight eyes, and quickly looked around. Thirteen humans, thirteen digimon, thirty Shadowmon.............................. Where WAS she!?
He gasped, "But... But I... I heard her! I was drawn to her voice, just as the Shadowmon were drawn to Gaiamon's!..." Davis grinned, "Maybe she was here, and she booked it!" Greedmon blinked, "...She wouldn't!" "Why not?" Davis asked, leaning back into his chair; "She's probably rebuilding those cities you tore down on your way over here by now!" Greedmon paused again; he was finding it very difficult to believe that anybody- even a Digi-Keeper- would refuse a fight with him. He was finding it even harder to believe that this human was refusing battle just now.
The Shadowmon were getting restless, and started bouncing up and down like bunnies; "Let us get him. Let us get him. Let us get him," they whispered. Greedmon started rubbing his front claws, taking a moment to think things over. Then, after taking one last look at the seated human, and his friends who were still preparing for battle... he finally said, "I have wasted my time."
The Shadowmon all frowned, "Aaaaaaaaaawwwwwww." He glared back to them; "You'll get your chance yet! Remember, this whole plan was to get Oceanamon; not the children." He glared back at his enemies and hissed, "They just happen to be here, that's all... Let's go." With that, Greedmon started walking out from the hole in the wall he came from. Followed closely behind him, reluctantly, were his Shadowmon followers.
The only sound that was then made was that of a lamp crashing down from the ceiling. The Megas and Ultimates fell back to their Rookie forms soon afterward; but everyone was still speechless. Then, the next sound to be made was applause. The humans and their friends turned to where it was coming from; April.
She was smiling joyfully, like a child at play; then she opened her big blue eyes. "I knew it!" shouted Gommamon in the distance. He ran up to her as quickly as he could, and falling at her feet, he looked up to her and smiled, "I knew those eyes looked familiar! You're that mermaid I saw in the ocean the other day!" April smiled wider, and gave him a nod.
Penguinmon shook his head and giggled, "No... This isn't a human, or a mermaid. This is the person Greedmon was looking for." Everyone else seemed to be clueless, but then April's form shifted magically; her flesh became water, her hair rippled like tidal waves, and the base of her body was now in the form of a whirlpool. She maintained her human face and deep blue eyes through it all. Matt gasped, "...Oceanamon...!"
------------ Digimon Card: OCEANAMON ------------
Level: Keeper
Attribute: Data
Type: Human Nature
"That's right! I am the Keeper of the ocean; I had to keep a low profile, because my power is not fully generated yet."
-Oceanamon
---------------------------------------------
Izzy frowned, "Wait. Won't Greedmon come back if he hears you again?" Oceanamon grinned, "I wanted him to come, so that my test would be completed."
She turned to Davis and smiled, "You have proven that battles can be won without the sword. And so, it is my honor to reward you with this..." She then extended her index finder to him- actually, his necklace-like tag. It shimmered with a heavenly blue light, and then the light flashed for a split second, like lightning. When he opened his eyes to see it again, he realized that his new Crest had grown another third!
There was only one more third of it left to appear; the top third. But he didn't care about that; he grabbed the tag and cheered, "My Crest!"
Oceanamon nodded, "I have given you my third of your Crest, Davis. Now all you need is Polarimon's... Well, it was nice seeing all of you at last. And now I-"
"Wait!" Penguinmon raised his flipper suddenly. Oceanamon then looked to him; "...Yes?" He frowned shamefully, "...Oceanamon... Ma'am... I lost my Crest of Humility to those attackers earlier. How am I going to become a Digi-Destined digimon now?" She calmly patted his head, "Don't worry, Penguinmon. Your partner will be in this world soon enough. As for the Crest, you'll have to get it back yourself... with her help. Here..." With a wave of her watery hand, a new picture of his partner appeared in Penguinmon's flippers; this one had a golden frame.
Penguinmon stared at it with a certain gleam in his beady eyes; he looked up to the Digi-Keeper and smiled humbly, "Thank you..." "Anytime," was her final word; she then took off like a flowing river from where she stood, and then she was gone completely.
Veemon patted Davis's arm proudly; "Congratulations, Davish!" Davis blinked with a meek smile, "...To be honest, I didn't even know what came over me at the moment! It was like... a miracle!" "Hyeah," Tai grinned; "That's exactly what crossed my mind when it happened. Davis couldn't help but glance back at his still unfinished Crest... He was only one piece away...
Cody and Armadillomon then approached Penguinmon; Cody said to him, "Don't worry, Penguinmon; we'll help you get your Crest back." Penguinmon smiled, "Thank you; but like Oceanamon said, I gotta do this on my own... With my partner." Armadillomon then asked, "...Who is your partner, by the way?" Penguinmon then presented his newfound photo to them; "She's this girl right here..."
Cody and Armadillomon's jaws nearly dropped to the floor at the sight of this thirteenth Digi-Destined. Yolei, Matt, Tai, and Davis all gathered around the photo as well. They all gasped and replied in their own way:
(Tai) "Oh my God!"
(Yolei) "Oh, I don't believe it."
(Davis) "Oh, you gotta be kidding me!"
(Matt) "....oh no....."
It was a photo of Jun.
TO BE CONTINUED
(Author's Note: I did the best I could on the lyrics to the Linda Eder songs. I especially had difficulty with the Spanish/Cuban words- not even the lyric and Spanish translation web sites helped me much. If I got anything wrong, and I know I did, my extreme apologies.)