Digimon Adventure Tamers
Chapter 16
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon
To quote Sylvester Stallone: "YO ADRIAN...I DID IT!"
I have finally gotten more than 100 reviews for this story! I would like to thank everybody who has reviewed this story, be they positive or negative, and I would like to thank you for the support by also following this story and adding it to your favorites. Now let's see if we can get to 200 in the future!
In this chapter, we finally get Impmon, and this may very well be my longest chapter yet! So let's get into the next chapter.
(Play The Biggest Dreamer: TV Size)
(Play Digimon Tamers: Aban)
The Digidestined and the Digimon Tamers found the Digimental of Friendship, which went to Davis when he finally understood the true meaning of Friendship. Thanks to Raidramon, Agumon was finally free, but Ken managed to escape with TK's partner, MagnaAngemon, under his control. Meanwhile, Ai and Mako have learned Impmon is in Odaiba, but where exactly is he?
(Play Digimon Tamers: Subtitle 2)
The Ghost of Odaiba! The Imp Returns
(Play Digimon Tamers: Kawari Nante Inai)
"Impmon!"
"Impmon, where are you?"
"Come on out, Impmon!"
"Where are you, pal? Stealing bread from a bakery?"
Near the Aqua City shopping district, Ai, Mako, Kazu and Kenta were looking for the missing Impmon, where the twins managed to isolate Impmon's signal. The search had been going on for the last two hours, and to the annoyance of Kazu and Kenta, as well as the sadness of Ai and Mako, they had not found the purple impish Digimon yet. Of course, they had to be very discreet in public, since nobody could really know about the Digimon yet.
"I couldn't find him around the arcade," Kenta said once the four Tamers regrouped outside the district. Dark clouds were beginning to form high in the skies above Odaiba, indicating more rain coming.
"What about you?" Kazu asked his disguised partner.
"I managed to sneak into the movie theatre, but he wasn't there," answered Kokuwamon. "Did your search fare well, Kazu?"
"No," the visor-wearing boy said with a shake of his head. "I figured he'd be hiding around the bakery, since he likes bread as much as Guilmon."
"I couldn't find him at the candy store," Ai said with a sad look on her face, Mako having the same expression as his twin sister.
"And I didn't see him at the toy store." Mako looked down at the D-Ark again, the screen still displaying a spinning red arrow. "I don't get it. It says Impmon is here in Odaiba, but we haven't been able to find him."
"Where could he be?" Ai asked worriedly. "Why hasn't he come out to us yet?"
"That is a good question," said Kokuwamon. "If Impmon truly is here in Odaiba, and is around this shopping district, then why has he not shown himself to us?"
"Yeah, you think he'd be excited to see Ai and Mako again," Kazu said, getting nods from everybody. If Impmon was in Aqua City, then where was he?
"Ai! Mako!" The twins perked up when they heard a familiar voice call out to them. Turning with Kazu, Kenta and Kokuwamon, they were greeted with the sight of Jeri running towards them, a small red Digimon running near her, wearing a yellow hooded sweatshirt.
"Jeri!" Both twins ran forward and threw their arms around the older girl in a hug. "You're back!"
"Yeah, I am," Jeri chuckled.
"So did you guys get Agumon back?" Kazu asked as he approached Jeri.
"And did Davis get the Digimental of Friendship?" Kenta continued the questioning.
"We did…but that's only the good news," Jeri said with a sad frown, making Kazu and Kenta look worried.
"What happened?" asked Kokuwamon.
"Ken managed to capture Angemon and he now has MagnaAngemon under his control," said Jeri, getting gasps of surprise from Kazu and Kenta.
"No way!" gasped Kenta.
"So Ken actually succeeded in getting MagnaAngemon this time?!" Kazu asked, remembering that particular moment from the TV show. "Did he kill anybody?"
"No, he's holding that out until after he takes over the Digital World," Jeri answered.
"Jeez, with MagnaAngemon as his slave, he could have the entire Digital World brought under his control in a week!" said Kenta. "I bet TK's not taking it well."
"He isn't," said Jeri, a pained look on her face. "He hasn't said much since his partner's been captured. I left the computer room so I could find you and give you the heads-up, as well as see Ai and Mako again. What are you doing here in Aqua City?"
"We found Impmon," Mako answered, showing the D-Ark to Jeri. The brown-haired girl's eyes widened at the sight of the spinning red arrow.
"Impmon is here?!" asked Calumon, who was riding on Jeri's shoulders.
"Here in Aqua City, to be precise," said Kokuwamon.
"But we can't seem to be getting a precise location," said Ai. "The arrow's spinning like crazy, and we've looked all over this place for Impmon. We don't know where he is." Jeri's eyes softened as she looked up at the Fuji TV Station, a sad look on her face, as well as something that seemed like she realized something.
"Uh…Jeri?" asked Kenta. "Are you okay? You're spacing out." Jeri blinked several times and shook her head.
"Oh…sorry," the brown-haired girl looked back to her fellow Tamers. "I…I think I may know where Impmon is."
"Wait, you do?" asked Kazu, confused like Kenta, Kokuwamon and the twins. "How do you know?"
"And where is he?" asked Betamon from Kenta's backpack. Jeri hesitated before answering.
"I'll tell you tomorrow. It's getting late."
"Aww…" Ai and Mako said sadly when they saw a clock nearby reach 6:00. "We were so close…"
"Don't worry…we'll see him again soon," Jeri reassured the twins, though she didn't sound sure herself. As Jeri hugged Ai and Mako, Kazu noticed the red and yellow figure sitting next to Jeri, and his eyes widened in slight surprise.
"Uh…Jeri? Why is there an Elecmon with you?" Jeri perked up and looked down at the red Digimon, a smile back on her face.
"Oh! It's quite a story, actually…"
(Play Digimon Tamers: Juri no Theme)
"Kazu, Kenta…it has been a long time," Elecmon said with a small bow to the two boys. "Jeri has told me you have matured greatly since we last met." Kazu and Kenta's eyes both widened in shock and their jaws dropped at the familiar voice.
"Holy…smokes…" Kenta gasped.
"Is this…Leomon?!" Kazu asked in disbelief. "How is he…?"
"It's a long story," Jeri said, picking up Elecmon and carrying him in her arms. "I'll tell you on the way."
As Jeri led the other Tamers out of Aqua City, thunder rumbled softly overhead in Odaiba, indicating an approaching thunderstorm. In a room in the Fuji TV station full of recording equipment, two men in their thirties sat in front of a computer. One of the men, who wore glasses and a red bandana, was excited as he clicked on the mouse to play the video.
"This is absolutely exciting! My first big directing job! Put that shot there!" The other man, who had a five o'clock shadow and a baseball cap, obliged with moving a clip into the video feed. A script sat on the desk near them, reading STRANGE WORLD: BELIEVE IT OR NOT.
"All right, this here after the wide shot…" the bearded man said as he obliged with the director's wishes. Chioka, the director, sat back in his chair with zeal. When he first started working in the TV business five years ago, he didn't seem all that passionate or excited. But after being involved in the zany stuff that happened four years ago in Odaiba, he was inspired to produce fantastic material. After three years of planning, his show was given the green light, and the first episode was scheduled for July.
However, the editor wasn't excited as Chioka as he stared at the screen with a frown. "Hey Chioka, did you purify this yourself after you shot this?"
"No. Why do you ask?" Chioka asked with a confused eyebrow raised.
"Well, some weird things have been happening lately when it comes to our mystery shows," said the editor. "Have you heard about what's been going on around here?"
"No, I've been in South America for the last few months filming. What's been going on?"
"Well, some weird black shadow has been popping up on our screens, and nobody can seem to find an explanation for it," explained the editor as Chioka wheeled over to him. "And apparently, some of the employees have been seeing something around here lately. When asked, they said it looks like some sort of…wizard."
"A wizard?" Chioka asked, slightly interested and confused. "Do they say what it really looks like?"
"Don't know," the editor shook his head. "When they turn back to get a second look, it's gone. They think this place is haunted."
"That's a little preposterous," said Chioka. "The rebuilding of this place was just finished last year. No way it can be haunted! Plus, there's no way some black shadow has been popping up in the videos."
"Well, let's just see," the editor said uneasily as he clicked to play the video. The two men sat in silence as the video played. Moments later, something happened. In the upper right corner, fading in and out of the picture was a black, shaky form with what appeared to be white eyes.
"Wha…what is that?!" Chioka asked in shock. "I don't remember seeing that when I was filming!"
"That's the black shadow," the editor said, taking a swig of his coffee. Whatever that shadow was, it was definitely not natural.
"…and that's everything that happened Izzy," finished Tai. The Digidestined and the Tamers sat in the computer room, telling everything that happened today to Izzy. As Jeri had left to find Kazu, Kenta, Ai and Mako, Mimi did the same to tell Joe everything, as well as to get Palmon medical attention.
Sora and Rika started the story with how they rescued Agumon from Ken's base, before Henry took over to tell Izzy about the Digimental of Friendship, and Matt finished it with MagnaAngemon falling under Ken's control and stabbing Cyberdramon.
"Is Hopmon all right?" Izzy asked in concern, looking over to see Ryo, Davis and DemiVeemon attending to the small dragon in Ryo's arms.
"He should be fine," Ryo said uneasily. "He's been able to take much worse, but it's going to be a few hours before he'll be able to fight again."
"This is definitely not a good improvement for us at all," said Takato. "We didn't think Ken would actually go for MagnaAngemon in the middle of the all the chaos."
"Did Ken do the same in the TV show?" asked Matt.
"He tried to, but Garurumon managed to save Patamon in time," said Rika. "But I think we should stop talking about the TV show until it's something very important."
"She's right," said Henry. "Since this is an alternate universe, things may go very differently. If something similar to the TV show happens, we'll let you know."
"That would be a good idea," Izzy said with a nod. "We shouldn't jump to conclusions this quickly."
"Well anyway, like Takato said, we now have a major problem," said Tentomon. "MagnaAngemon is quite possibly one of the most powerful Ultimate level Digimon to ever live."
"Tentomon's right," said Gatomon. "If we are to free Patamon, then we need a good plan."
TK didn't hear much of the conversation. Ever since returning home, his only thoughts had been on what Ken was possibly doing right now to the Digital World with MagnaAngemon under his control, and what he was forcing MagnaAngemon to do. The bearer of Hope clenched his fists in anger as thoughts swirled through his head about the suffering the innocent inhabitants of the Digital World were going through right now, as well as the suffering his own partner was going through right now. It made him angry.
Patamon was TK's best friend, and losing him felt like losing a part of himself. He had to get him back. He couldn't stand that the forces of darkness had corrupted his partner and was controlling him. Devimon, Myotismon, Piedmon, Millenniummon, the Digimon Emperor. They were all the same, though the Emperor wasn't himself right now. They were all evil dark beings, and TK hated each and every one of them! Angemon had died fighting Devimon, Myotismon nearly destroyed Odaiba and he killed Wizardmon, Gatomon's best friend, and Piedmon played a twisted game of hide and seek with Kari and TK. Millenniummon spread darkness throughout the Digital World and said it was needed, and the Digimon Emperor, influenced by Millenniummon's power, said the same thing as well. There was no way TK was leaving his partner in the hands of darkness for one second more. Izzy's voice brought the blond-haired boy out of his stupor.
"We'll have to meet up tomorrow, all of us, and figure out a plan. MagnaAngemon is not to be underestimated…"
"No," TK said shortly. "We have to go back now." The bearer of Hope walked over to the computer and began pulling up the Digital Gate.
"TK, we can't go back now." It hurt Matt to say that to his brother, but sadly, it was the truth, as most of the Digimon were exhausted.
"No, we have to go back now!" insisted TK. "I refuse to stay here any longer while Patamon is under the control of darkness!"
"TK, take it easy," Davis said, putting a hand on TK's shoulder. "We'll get Patamon back, but you have to relax and wait."
(Play Digimon Tamers: Ruki no Theme)
"NO!" TK threw Davis's hand off his shoulder and stood up with a glare. "Maybe you can wait, but I can't! The Digimon Emperor…he's gone too far this time! When I find him again, I'll kill him! I'll kill him for what he's done!" Most of the group reeled back in shock from what TK just said, Matt, Davis and Ryo being the most shocked.
"TK, listen to me! Ken's not in control of his actions!" Ryo reminded the younger boy.
"Besides, you're talking about taking another human life!" said Cody with a light glare. "Deplorable as his actions are, the Digimon Emperor needs to be brought to justice!"
"Okay, what part of 'Ken's being controlled' do you idiots not get?!" Rika asked the younger boy with a glare of her own. "Really, it surprises me how someone with the Digimental of Knowledge can be so stupid, he needs things to be repeated to him more than once!"
"Excuse me?!" Cody yelled angrily.
"Hey, don't call Cody stupid!" yelled Upamon and Yolei.
"I don't care if Ken's being controlled!" yelled TK. "He's taken Patamon over with the powers of darkness, and that's unforgiveable! I'll destroy anybody or anything related to darkness if it means getting Patamon back! And if that means Ken, so be it!"
"TK, calm down!" Kari pleaded to her friend. "You need to think about what you're saying!"
"I know exactly what I'm saying!"
"ENOUGH!"
Everybody in the room went silent as they looked over to Henry, his sudden yell catching everybody, even Terriermon, off guard.
"All right, let's pull back for a second here," the blue-haired boy said once all eyes were on him. "TK, I get it, you're upset and you're angry about what happened to Patamon, and I get that you have a thing against the forces of darkness, but that does not give you a reason to lash out at the people who are supposed to be your friends, go off half-cocked into the Digital World with no plan or backup, and threaten to kill an innocent human life. You're letting your emotions get the better of you, and that is acting as a detriment to our teamwork. I know that this isn't easy for you right now, but you need to calm down TK. We will get Patamon back, but we need you to take it easy. We can't do this if you lash out in anger while we're fighting Ken and MagnaAngemon. If that happens, Ken could use that to his advantage and things could go catastrophic. You're not the only one that's affected by this. Tai was a wreck when Agumon was taken yesterday, and now you're being a wreck as well."
"Albeit an emotional, angry one," Terriermon noted. A small glare from Henry made the long-eared dog Digimon quiet down.
TK breathed deeply as he felt himself calming down and began realizing what he just said to everybody, and regret began piercing through him. Henry was right. He was upset angry over Patamon's capture and enslavement, and he took it out on his friends, even threatening to kill an innocent live that was being manipulated to use the forces of darkness by the forces of darkness. The blond-haired boy could only look down with a saddened look on his face.
"I'm sorry," he said with remorse in his voice. "I just…"
"I know TK," Matt patted his brother's shoulder. "But we can't do anything else today. Come on, I can let you crash at my place."
"He can have the guest room, I'll take the couch," Rika said before walking out of the computer room. "I'm going to catch up with Jeri. Come on Renamon." The yellow fox nodded shortly and walked out of the computer room with her partner, Yolei and Cody glaring daggers in the back of her head.
"What the hell is her problem? She calls me a wimp, and she calls Cody stupid!" the inheritor of Love asked in annoyance once Rika and Renamon were out of earshot.
"I think Rika doubts us," Cody said annoyingly, "but you think she could show her doubts in a different way."
"No, that's her usual Rika self," Suzie said with a sigh. Yolei and Cody both looked annoyed slightly over this, wondering what they did to annoy Rika and make her doubt them.
"Anyway, if this meeting is over, I'm going to take TK home," Matt stood TK up from the chair and led him out of the computer room with Tsunomon in hand.
"Hold on Matt, I'm coming too," Henry moved forward, placing Terriermon on his head. "I'll see you later Izzy."
"Okay," Izzy nodded to the departing Tamer before turning his attention to the rest of the group. "Well, if that's all for today, then we'll meet up tomorrow after school."
"Right," Tai said with a nod. "All of us." The Digidestined and Tamers nodded before leaving the room, their minds now on food and sleep.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Toki no Sugiyuku Mama ni…)
"And that's everything that happened, Joe," Mimi finished telling Joe everything as the older boy wrapped bandages around Palmon. Joe had been listening to Mimi when she came to his apartment with an injured Palmon in hand. The blue-haired boy was surprised when he heard that their old friend Leomon was Jeri's partner Digimon, and was shocked when he heard about what happened to Patamon right after Agumon was freed and Davis received the Digimental of Friendship.
"Geez, it sounded like things didn't go that well," Gomamon said.
"Thanks for the obvious statement Gomamon," Joe sarcastically replied before turning his attention back to the duo of Sincerity. "If you're going back tomorrow, then I'm coming as well. It sounds like you'll need every hand on deck for this one."
"Will you be able to?" asked Mimi.
"Of course. I don't have any major tests tomorrow," Joe answered casually before snipping off the bandages on Palmon's waist. "All right Palmon, I'm done. Just take it easy for the night and you should be ready to go tomorrow."
"Thanks, Joe. The burns didn't seem as bad as I thought," Palmon said, looking around at her bandaged body.
"Well, you did get burned as Lillymon," said Gomamon. "Chances are when you reverted, you managed to heal some of the burns."
"That's good." Mimi picked up her partner in her arms and headed out of Joe's room. As she left, her eyes darted over to a picture on the dresser. Joe was in the picture, as well as a girl she didn't recognize. The girl had shoulder-length brown hair, and wore glasses like Joe. The two people in the picture had their arms around each other's waists and had big smiles on their faces as well. Mimi looked confused, wondering who the girl was.
"Hey, Joe…who's this girl in the picture with you?"
"Huh? Picture?" Joe walked over and blinked in surprise when he saw the picture Mimi was referring to. "Oh! That's Suzuki. She's, um…well…she's my girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?!" Mimi yelled in surprise. Joe could only blush in embarrassment over what he just said. "You didn't tell us you had a girlfriend! When did this happen?"
"It was last Christmas," Joe admitted. "Suzuki goes to my school, and we take the same classes, so we see each other a lot. At first, it was just a few meet-ups at small stores, but then it became something more and we decided to make it official during the holidays last year."
"Well, there you go!" Gomamon said from his place on Joe's bed. "Now you're getting somewhere in life! I thought there was more to life for you than studying and being a Digidestined!" The white seal looked happy about Joe having a girlfriend.
"Well, of course there is," Joe said with a huff. "But with the recent events in the Digital World, as well as exams coming up at our school, Suzuki and I don't have much time for each other right now. We only really see each other when in class."
"I see," Mimi nodded with looking at the picture with a thoughtful look, thinking about someone she considered special in her own life. "It's nice that you and Davis have someone special in your lives…"
"Do you?" Joe asked with a look of interest. Mimi was quiet before nodding.
"I do," she nodded before walking out of the bedroom. "I just wish he would notice it…"
"Who is it?" Joe asked curiously, wondering who could have had Mimi's eye on romance. The bearer of Sincerity looked like she didn't want to answer, as if the person she had a crush on was somebody Joe wouldn't approve of.
"Well…um…"
"Mimi, you don't have to tell me right now," Joe assured his friend. "It's all right if you're not sure how you feel about him, or if you don't want to tell me who he is."
"No, I know how I feel about Izzy, but I don't know if he's aware that I like him!"
"Wait, Izzy?!" Joe asked in surprise. "You like Izzy?!"
(Play Digimon Adventure: Sweet Innocent ~Mimi no Theme~)
"Yes. I know it sounds crazy, but I started developing feelings for him while I was in America. Since Izzy was the computer guy of our team, he was able to help me keep in contact with the rest of you, but I usually talked to him the most, even more than you or Sora," answered Mimi. "I thought it was crazy as well, but whenever we started talking about our problems with each other and helped each other out with said problems, I started to realize how much Izzy was meaning to me."
"I tried to date other boys but none of them were as sweet and understanding as Izzy…" she slumped into a wall. "I'm being honest with myself here, Joe. I want so badly to tell Izzy that I like him but I'm not sure if he likes me, or if he does like me but doesn't know how to tell me."
"Wait, you do like Izzy?" asked Gomamon. "Then what was that whole thing about you getting on Ryo's case about a date?"
"I was young!" said Mimi. "I thought by getting on that, it could rile up Izzy. But I got over that. I don't think Izzy knows much about romance."
"If he doesn't, then you could teach him," Joe said with a light smile. "If you really like Izzy, then you should go for it and tell him how you feel about him the next time it's just you and him."
"You think I should do that?" asked Mimi.
"I do," Joe said honestly. "You just have to be honest with yourself on this Mimi, if you do like Izzy. I don't want to see you get hurt by making the wrong decision here. You've always been like my sister and I'd hate to see you in any kind of pain."
"Joe…" Mimi trailed off before hugging the older boy. "I am honest with myself. If you say I should just do it when it's me and Izzy next time, then I'll do it."
"Good," Joe returned the hug. "Anyway, you should get home and make sure Palmon gets lots of rest tonight."
"Okay!" Mimi chirped, picking up Palmon in her arms again and leaving the apartment. She decided the next time she was alone with Izzy, she would tell him her feelings, because she knew deep down in her heart she liked Izzy Izumi.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Kyoufu no Ashiato)
"AGH! There it is again!" Chioka snapped as the mysterious shadow zipped from left to right across his monitor. "And now it's moving around! No matter how many times I rewind and play it back, it's still there!"
"Just like everything else played in this room," said the editor. "If we recorded it on tape, it wouldn't have changed like that."
"Why is this happening?" Chioka asked, mashing his face with his hands. "Are we cursed? Or is this some kind of prank?" This was not how he imagined his directing debut would go.
The door suddenly flew open and a woman with short brown hair ran into the room.
"Yuki!" Chioka gasped, recognizing the woman as one of his old co-workers.
"Chioka! Have you seen the shadow?! It's appearing everywhere!"
"Everywhere?!" asked the editor. Yuki led the two men into the main monitor room. To the horror of Chioka and the editor, the mysterious shadow was now appearing on every screen in the room, obscuring the show and appearing in a different position.
"We're getting tons of complaints from our viewers," said Yuki. "It's on every channel that we're broadcasting!"
"What…what could be doing this?!" Chioka asked worriedly, seeing the shadow fly around on a game show.
"This…is no prank," the editor said in a grave tone. "I believe…this station really is haunted."
"Aw, man," Chioka moaned. He had seen strange stuff four years ago, but ghosts definitely took the cake on weird. "Does the boss know about this?"
"Hiroaki left a few minutes ago," said Yuki. "He went home to get some dinner and a quick nap. He'll be back for the night shift. He knows about the shadow, but he doesn't know it to this magnitude."
"Aw, man…" Chioka moaned again as he continued staring at the screen. "Maybe my mother was right about show business…"
(Play Digimon: Yuuhi no Yakusoku AiM version)
The dark clouds continued rolling over Odaiba, signaling the rain that would be coming soon. Rika walked down the street, her headphones on as she searched for Jeri. Her thoughts however were on the Digidestined, particularly Yolei and Cody. Those two brats often grinded her gears in the show, due to Yolei's loud and obnoxious personality and Cody's stiff nature and not trusting most people with a dark background, as well as their reluctance to kill evil Digimon. And now she had to work with them, and she realized they were exactly like they were in the show. They irritated her more than Kazu, Kenta and Ryo did, and that was saying something.
'They just don't understand Rika,' Renamon said to her partner telepathically, the yellow kitsune hidden among the people on the streets.
'Of course they don't, and it irritates me,' Rika thought back. 'They have to realize that this is not something to be taken lightly. Sooner or later, they'll have to kill a Digimon, and live with it if they want their families and friends to be safe.'
"Rika!" Jeri's voice broke off Rika's connection with Renamon, and the red-haired girl looked up to see her friend running up to her with Elecmon in tow.
"Jeri, did you find Ai and Mako?" Rika asked, removing her headphones.
"Yeah, they're with Kazu and Kenta," Jeri nodded. "I asked them to take them back to Sora's apartment. We need to talk about something important."
"What is it?" Rika asked, noticing the serious look on Jeri's face.
"They found Impmon."
"Impmon?!" Renamon gasped, appearing next to Rika. The yellow fox Digimon's face was one of surprise. "Where?"
"They haven't really found him truly, but they managed to pick up his signal in Aqua City," said Elecmon.
"Aqua City…" Rika repeated, looking out to the shopping district in the distance. Jeri looked over as well, but her eyes were on what was near Aqua City: The Fuji TV Station.
"He shouldn't have been that hard to find," said Renamon. "Impmon may be mischievous, but surely he knows better than to show himself in Aqua City carelessly."
"I don't think he's in Aqua City," Jeri said morosely as she turned to her red-haired friend. "Rika…do you remember what Starmon said yesterday?"
"Yeah, why…" Rika suddenly trailed off and a look of shock and sadness on her face appeared. "No…"
"Yes," Jeri said, her sadness matching Rika's. "If Impmon's signal appeared around Aqua City…"
"Then that means our suspicions were correct," said Rika, looking down. "But if it's true, how do we tell Ai and Mako?"
Jeri was quiet before she answered. "I don't know…" The two girls looked out over to the TV station again, thinking about what they had just realized.
"I haven't been here in a while," TK said as he stepped into the living room of the apartment Matt and his father lived in. He looked around to see the place surprisingly clean. "It looks better than it did the last time."
"Well, last time we hadn't met the Tamers yet," said Matt, "which meant Rika hadn't moved in yet."
"Yeah," Terriermon said from his place on Henry's shoulder. "Rika may not like dresses, but she's still a girl, so it's really no surprise she has some degree of cleanliness."
"That's true," Henry chuckled as he pulled out a seat and sat down. "All right TK, let's sit down and talk."
"Seriously?" TK asked, not sure if he wanted to have this talk.
"Yes, seriously," said Henry. "We need to talk."
"Come on bro," Matt said, sitting down next to Henry. "I'm sure you'll feel better if we talk." TK sighed, and he sat down in front of the two boys. Terriermon and Tsunomon walked over to the kitchen to find something to eat.
"So," Henry started, "about your little outburst in the computer lab…"
"I'm sorry," said TK. "I know it was wrong for me to threaten to kill Ken, and for me to lash out and fight with the others."
"Yeah, that's usually not like you TK," Matt said with a frown.
"That's true," TK said before chuckling lightly. "You're usually the one who gets into fights with the other Digidestined."
"He has a point!" Tsunomon called from the kitchen.
"You shut up!" Matt said annoyed, getting a chuckle from the horned furball and Terriermon. The older blond sighed before looking over to his brother again.
"I…I guess I was just so mad," the young blond boy said sadly. "Everything that has been going on since this all began had been eating away at me, building up in me slowly…and losing Patamon again was my breaking point."
"Sounds like you have anger problems," said Terriermon, walking out of the kitchen with a bag of chips in his tiny hands. "You keep all this anger inside of you for so long without finding a release, and when you get pushed too far, you lash out at the people around you and you say things you don't mean to say." TK and Matt were surprised at the usually wise-cracking Digimon's wise words, while Henry merely nodded.
"What makes you say that?" Matt asked skeptically.
(Play Digimon: Mirai)
"Because the same thing used to happen to me," said Henry, getting looks from the two brothers and Tsunomon. The blue-haired boy took a deep breath before delving into his story.
"When I was young, I was bullied often at school because I was half-Chinese and half-Japanese. My other siblings were often bullied as well, and it made me mad. I tried to ignore the taunts, but I was bottling up my anger, and it was only a matter of time before it exploded."
"And then one day, when I was seven and Suzie was four, one of the bullies began teasing me and Suzie. I was trying my best to ignore him, but he took it too far when he shoved Suzie to the ground. When that happened…I snapped and I beat him up badly."
"What happened?" TK asked in shock.
"I broke his arm, broke his nose and blackened both his eyes," Henry said, a sad look on his face as he thought back to that day. "It was something I regretted deeply. I worried for myself and others around me, for my anger possibly spilling over again. My dad noticed this so he took me to a friend of his who performed Tai Chi, and I began learning Tai Chi as a method of self-restraint. I also vowed to not get in fights if possible."
"Was that a reason why you didn't want me to fight so much when you first got me?" asked Terriermon.
"Yes," Henry nodded. "It wasn't just a fear of losing you, but also a fear that I could lose control of my emotions if we did get into a fight. But I later learned that some fights have to be fought, if you want to protect the ones you love." The blue-haired Tamer looked at TK in the eyes. "We're not so different TK. I remember you saying once you never wanted to fight ever."
TK stayed quiet, thinking back to when he said that. It was the first time he and Patamon met Elecmon in Primary Village. After a misunderstanding that saw Elecmon fight Patamon, thinking the duo of Hope were intruders, TK and Patamon befriended Elecmon, with the bearer of Hope stating he never wanted to fight. That was right before Patamon Digivolved to Angemon and died fighting Devimon, and event that changed TK's life forever. That day, along with the day they fought Piedmon, changed TK, and he realized he had to fight. But it also created a dark side to him, one that broke out whenever his anger over something was bottled up for too long.
It wasn't the first time this happened, as he remembered the day Yolei and Cody first went to the Digital World. He let his jealousy over Davis and Kari's friendship get the better of him and he changed the coordinates, leading to Davis being injured, and Kari being kidnapped. Even though Yolei and Cody were able to get their partners through TK's actions, it still didn't ease the pain he felt from what he did.
"That was so long ago," he finally said after a long silence. "These days, I still don't want to fight…but I have to. It's just, this whole thing with darkness…" TK's face went dark again, and Henry sighed.
"I know," said the blue-haired Tamer, "but you shouldn't be lashing out like this."
"TK, if you need to vent out your frustrations and your anger over something, then you should find some sort of outlet," said Matt, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Like what?" asked TK, looking up to his brother.
"Well, you should find a hobby that you can do whenever you're not in the Digital World or doing schoolwork," explained Matt. "I heard the school is holding basketball tryouts next week. I've seen you play and you're not that bad. Maybe playing basketball could help you out."
"And what if it doesn't?" TK asked doubtfully.
"Then I'd be willing to help you while we're here in your dimension," Henry said with a soft smile. "I can teach you what I know about Tai Chi and self-restraint whenever I can. It can definitely help you in battle." TK looked surprised at the boy's offer.
"You'd be willing to help me?"
"Of course," Henry held out his hand for TK to take. "If that is what you want, of course." TK looked down at Henry's extended hand, thinking about the offer for a minute before taking it.
"I think…that could help."
"Let's hope so," Terriermon muttered, getting narrowed looks from everybody.
"Well, if everything is settled, do you guys want to eat here?"
"Yeah, I am hungry," said Henry.
"Sure," said TK.
"All right then," Matt got out of his chair and walked over to the fridge, opening it and looking inside it. "I should let you know though, I'm not much of a cook, so don't expect much."
"Hey, as long as you're cooking it, it's fine," TK said with a smile that Matt returned, though the older brother's looked slightly evil.
"Then get ready."
"Should we be worried about what he's going to make?" Terriermon whispered to his Tamer, an uneasy look on his face upon seeing Matt's smirk.
"Probably…" Henry trailed off.
A half hour passed, and TK and Henry both felt like they were going to pass out from eating Matt's concoction, Tsunomon passing out and Terriermon looking more green than usual.
"Good grief!" said TK. "Is this what Dad eats all the time?!"
"No, I made that just for you and our guest!" Matt said with a chuckle. "You don't come by often."
"Can you at least lighten up on the wasabi next time?!" Henry asked, downing his fourth glass of water in five minutes. The front door suddenly opened, and Matt and TK's father walked in. Hiroaki Ishida looked haggard and worn out as he shuffled into the living room.
"Hi, Dad!" greeted TK.
"Oh, TK, you're here!" Hiroaki said, placing his jacket over his chair and sitting down with a sigh. His eyes went over to Henry. "Who's this?"
"My name is Henry Wong," the Tamer introduced himself. "I'm a friend of Rika's."
"Oh, no…" Hiroaki groaned. In the few weeks he had known Rika, he had become quite afraid of her, but had also taken a liking to her.
"Don't worry, he's nicer than Rika!" Terriermon said, climbing up on Henry's shoulder. "I'm Henry's partner, Terriermon!"
"Ah, you're like Gabumon and Patamon, then," Hiroaki nodded, looking around the apartment. "Where is Patamon?"
"Oh…well…" TK's face went down as he explained what happened, his father looking shocked.
"I see," Hiroaki said with a sympathetic sigh. "So I'm not the only one with problems right now…"
"What's wrong?" TK asked worriedly. "Is something happening at work?"
"Yeah, and it's brutal…"
"What, did another Digimon attack the station?" Matt joked with a smirk.
"Heh," Hiroaki chuckled dryly. "I wish that did happen…maybe then, I'd find out an answer to the problem?"
"What's the problem?" Henry asked, though he had a suspicion.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Hirogaru Fuan)
"Well, my entire staff has been seeing a shadowed figure moving around; hell, I've been seeing it as well!"
"Shadowed figure?" asked TK. "What does it look like?"
"No idea," said Hiroaki. "A lot of us see it pass by us in the hallway in a flash, but when we turn back to see it, it's gone, just like that!"
"It could be someone playing with you," said Tsunomon.
"If it is a prank, then whoever's pulling it is a smart one." Picking up the nearby remote control, Hiroaki turned on the TV and the screen showed a black shadow, obscuring the yellow kanji that read TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. PLEASE STAND BY. "At first, it started appearing only in the editing room when we're looking over footage that has been filmed, but when I was on my way home, I got a call saying it was appearing on the airwaves now! People are calling in, and they're not happy!"
"Well, the equipment could be a factor," Matt shrugged. "How old is it?"
"It's only a year old, as old as the new building," Hiroaki said, turning off the TV with a light glare. "It's been happening for the past few weeks, and we've come to the impossible conclusion…that the station is haunted by a ghost."
"A ghost?" TK asked, surprised that his father was being truthful.
"Please," Matt scoffed. "Like a ghost is haunting the TV station."
"You're just saying that because you've always been afraid of ghost stories," TK said teasingly.
"It's not that!" Matt said with a light glare, thought the quick reaction suggested otherwise. "Dad and the others at the station are probably just seeing things because they've been putting in too many hours and not enough sleep." The older blond looked down when he heard Terriermon and Tsunomon whisper to each other, looking at Matt with narrowed eyes, snickering at what they were saying.
"Hey! Stop whispering!" Matt yelled at the two Digimon. "I'm not scared of some ghost story!"
"Sure you aren't," Hiroaki laughed before pulling out a CD player. "I remember when you were six and your mother told you…"
"Don't…even!" Matt said, remembering that particular night. Matt had been unable to sleep for a week after being told that scary story by his mother.
"Where'd you get that?" asked TK, noticing the player.
"One of my workers Sakurada, he made a sutra for us. Since it's a ghost, he figured a sutra could help against it," Hiroaki said, putting in the earbuds. "At this point, I'm willing to do anything…"
"Ridiculous," Matt said, walking away from the table. "I'm going out."
"Hold up!" TK called after his brother, walking out with Tsunomon. Terriermon leaped on Henry's shoulder, noticing his Tamer was deep in thought.
"Hey Henry, are we going or what?" Henry blinked and shook his head a little.
"Oh…right! Nice meeting you, Mr. Ishida!"
"You too Henry," Hiroaki nodded before looking down at the food that was obviously made by Matt. Having skipped breakfast and lunch, and only having a few snacks due to the 'haunting', the middle-aged man was hungry. Pulling the plate towards him, Hiroaki scooped up some of the food with a spoon and swallowed it whole. Before he could take another bite, Hiroaki could feel his throat and tongue burning up.
"SPICY! TOO SPICY!"
"Okay, this is it…the moment of truth!" Chioka said, hunched over as he typed on the computer.
"Chioka, it's not going to work," the editor said with an annoyed huff. "No matter how many times you play the footage…"
"It has to work this time! Maybe the ghost is gone for good," Chioka insisted. In the last few hours, he had tried every trick in the book to get rid of the ghostly shadow, but nothing had worked so far. This was the last chance he had without repeating any tricks he had already done; if it didn't work.
Hitting the 'play' button, Chioka crossed his fingers as he watched the footage intently. The show played as it should have…until the shadow leapt across the screen.
"What the hell?!" the editor asked in frustration.
"Oh, what's the point?!" Chioka wailed, throwing his bandana off his head. "I'll never make it as a director, and it's because of some stupid ghost!" The door opened up, and a plump man with glasses and a boombox entered the room.
"Oh, Sakurada," Chioka greeted the man, another old worker of his. "What brings you here?"
"I heard this whole ghost thing has been stressing you out Chioka," Sakurada said, walking over and placing the boom box on the table. "So I thought this sutra could help you get rid of the ghost…and your stress."
Chioka let out a huff of breath. "At this rate, I'm willing to do anything. Hit it." Sakurada pressed the play button, and nothing came out. Ten seconds later, no sutra came out. Another twenty seconds later, and still no sutra.
"Okay, where's the sutra?" Chioka asked, his patient growing thin by the moment. "Do you even have a tape in there?"
"I do!" Sakurada insisted as he tapped on the speakers, baffled at the lack of a sutra. "And I just changed the batteries!"
Suddenly, a sound did come out of the boombox, but what came out of it was anything but relaxing. A hollow, whispering sound filled the room, uttering something in a broken voice.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Taiketsu)
"Ga…ga…to…A…ko…"
"Th…that's certainly a weird sutra…" the editor said with a nervous chuckle.
"Um…" Sakurada said nervously, "…it's not coming from the player…"
"What?!" Chioka gasped, shooting up from his chair. The three men looked around nervously as the voice continued speaking.
"Ga…mon…Ai…Ma…" The voice grew in volume by the second.
"Oh, my God…" Chioka said in horror. "We really are haunted! Ghosts are real!"
"Run for it!" the editor screamed, running out of the room with Chioka and Sakurada. The three men ran towards their director's office in panic, hoping he was there. To their relief, when they opened the door, Hiroaki Ishida was there, sitting down at his desk.
"Geez, I need to watch what Matt cooks…" Hiroaki muttered as he saw three of his workers run up to him, panic etched across their faces.
"What's wrong?" he asked in concern.
"A…a voice!" gasped Chioka. "There's a voice coming out of the editing room, and it's not from Sakurada's boombox or any of our tapes!"
"What?!" Hiroaki followed the three men into the editing room, where the voice was still speaking. It took the middle-aged man everything he had to not scream in terror.
Kari sighed as she put on her pink pajamas and climbed into bed, being mindful of the sleeping Gatomon. The brown-haired girl had been having difficulty sleeping the last few nights, still seeing the mysterious beach in her dreams and the massive figure in the waters. She could only wonder what the deal was with the dreams.
'I just wish I know what these dreams are about,' she thought, wondering if she should talk to Davis or Tai about this. But Davis already had enough on his plate concerning Ken and the Digital World, and she didn't want to worry him any further. It hurt her keeping her boyfriend in the dark, but she didn't want him to have any more stress right now in his life. And the same went with Tai. He had enough to deal with right now between school, the Digital World, and tending to Koromon after everything the poor Digimon went through the past few days. She didn't even know herself what these dreams were, so how could Tai and Davis help her if she didn't even know?
Yawning, the bearer of Light turned off the lights and lay down, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. As it started raining heavily and thunder rumbled and lightning flashed outside, Kari began feeling water fall on her face. She stirred, not wanting to wake up. She knew if she did, she would find herself on the beach again. She kept her eyes shut, but a clap of thunder caused the bearer of Light to open her eyes and shoot upwards, feeling the rain pounding on her.
Kari gasped in surprise when she noticed she was not on the beach, but on the rooftop of a building that gave her a view of Odaiba. Confused at the change of scenery in her dream tonight, Kari looked around to see where she was. When she turned to the left, she gasped when she saw a giant familiar sphere through the rain. She noticed immediately that she was on top of the Fuji TV Station, in the exact same spot where Wizardmon died protecting her and Gatomon from Myotismon.
'Why am I here?' she thought.
"Kari?!" The brown-haired girl gasped and whirled around, seeing her partner in front of her.
"Ga…Gatomon?! You're here in my dream as well?!"
"Your dream?" Gatomon asked, confused. "I thought this was my dream!" This confused Kari greatly.
"Wait…your dream?"
"Yes," Gatomon said sadly. "This is the dream I've been having the past few nights. I end up here, and I see…" The white cat looked up and gasped when she saw something behind her partner.
"Kari, behind you!" The brown-haired girl turned to where Gatomon was pointing, and gasped when she saw what, or rather who, stood in front of her.
Standing near the sphere was a figure nearly as tall as Kari, clad in red and yellow clothes with multiple zippers. He wore brown gloves and boots with crescent moons attached to the boots. He wore a violet cloak with strange symbols on the inside. A pointed hat, the same color as the cloak, sat on his straw-haired head, bearing a skull on the front. His face was hidden by his cloak, but his green eyes could be seen looking out in the distance, a saddened look to them.
(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Yuuyake ~Target Piano Version~)
"Wizardmon…" Kari whispered, seeing the Digimon that sacrificed his life for her again after four years. Wizardmon continued staring out at Odaiba in sadness as his head went down slightly.
"Wizardmon…" Kari whispered again, her heart clenching at the sight of seeing the sadness in Wizardmon's eyes. "What…is this?"
"It's the dream I've been having for a while now," Gatomon answered, her eyes filled with pain and sorrow. "Every night, I find myself here, where it happened, and I see Wizardmon right there, always looking out at Odaiba in sadness, and then…" Kari gasped as she saw Wizardmon turn to her, as if he was looking right at them, knowing they were watching them.
"Wi…Wizardmon?" Kari asked hesitantly, approaching the mage Digimon. "Can you…see us?" Wizardmon nodded, and Kari stepped back in surprise, Gatomon still looking morose. "What…what is this?" Wizardmon said nothing.
"Wizardmon…can't you speak?"
"He can't seem to speak," Gatomon said sadly. "I don't know why. All he can do is move his head, but say nothing…" Wizardmon continued staring at the duo of Light before his body began fading.
"Wait! Wizardmon, what's going on here?! Wizardmon!" Kari yelled to the fading Digimon, but Wizardmon remained silent as his body faded completely. The brown-haired girl and Gatomon could only stare in shock and sadness as they stared at the spot Wizardmon was moments ago.
"No!" Gatomon and Kari both yelled as they shot up awake, both breathing heavily and looking at each other with a look of understanding.
"I don't think that was just a dream," breathed Kari. "That seemed much too real."
"You're right," Gatomon said with lowered ears, deep in thought. "There's something off about this…and I'm worried about it." The duo of Light stayed awake a few seconds longer before drifting off to sleep again, their thoughts on Wizardmon.
Ai and Mako gasped when they woke up in the middle of the night to water falling on them from above. At first, they thought the apartment above them had sprung a leak in the kitchen or the bathroom, but when they looked around, they realized they were not in the apartment at all.
"Ai…we're back in Aqua City!" Mako said in surprise, recognizing the familiar area. The brown-haired boy then looked up to the darkened sky, which often lit up with lightning. "And it's raining hard!"
(Play Digimon Tamers: Kizuato)
"But how did we get back here to Aqua City?" Ai asked confusedly. "I don't remember getting out of bed."
"Maybe it's a dream," Mako suggested, making his twin sister look at him like he had grown two heads.
"A dream? Mako, how is it possible for you and me to have the same dream?"
"I don't know," said Mako. "But maybe there's a reason for it."
"What reason?" asked Ai. Mako raised an eyebrow and looked at Ai like she was stupid.
"Duh! Isn't it obvious? Impmon is still here in Aqua City, and maybe this dream is a message to us. He wants us to come back here!"
"You mean like, right now?"
"No, not right now," said Mako. "It's late at night, plus we could get sick in the rain. We'll have to come back here tomorrow."
"Okay…" Ai said, looking around the shopping district, hoping to see a sign of Impmon. "Do you think Impmon will be all right?"
"I'm sure he will be," said Mako, looking up to the Fuji TV station before looking to Ai again. "So…how do we wake up if this is a dream?"
"Ooh, I know!" Ai walked over to Mako and pinched his arm.
"OW!" Mako yelled, awaking and shooting upwards, seeing himself back in the guest room of Sora's apartment with his sister. Ai shot awake moments later and her twin brother glared at her.
"Did you really have to pinch me?"
"Well, they say it's a good way to wake someone up from a dream," Ai said with a chuckle.
"Well, I'd certainly like to meet 'them'," Mako grumbled before drifting back to sleep with Ai, both twins determined to find Impmon tomorrow.
(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Tanoshii Hougako)
Davis woke up the next morning, yawning as he stretched his arms in the air before swinging his legs around and standing up from bed. Walking over to his dresser to change, Davis stole a glance at his clock to see the time, but saw nothing.
"What the…" Davis blinked and looked over his clock before going over to his computer and lamp. He tried to turn them both on, but was met with no success.
"Davis?" DemiVeemon asked, waking up to see Davis fiddling with the computer. "What's wrong?"
"I think the power went out during last night's storm," Davis said, looking outside to see the sky was still dark. "I just hope I'm not late for school."
"There's no school today," Ryo said as he walked into the bedroom with Hopmon in his arms. "The storm caused a blackout throughout all of Tokyo."
"Damn…does that mean we can't go to the Digital World today?" Davis asked, his voice between angry and worried.
"Not until they restore the power," Ryo said with a shake of his head. "We could use Izzy's computer, but it could run out of battery power while we're in the Digital World, and the power may not come back on."
"Let's just hope Ken doesn't do much damage today," Davis said, looking out in the sky. "But what can we do today?"
"Well, we can call up everybody for a meeting and think about what to do when we go back to the Digital World," suggested DemiVeemon.
"That's not a bad idea," said Hopmon. "We come up with a plan, and it will help us when we have to fight MagnaAngemon."
"Yeah, but will you be fit for battle Hopmon?" DemiVeemon asked the purple dragon. "You took a nasty hit yesterday from that sword."
"I'm fine," Hopmon insisted, shifting in Ryo's arms. "De-Digivolving healed me up a little. Give it another day, and I'll be ready to fight again."
"Well, take it easy," Ryo insisted to his partner. The brown-haired boy was worried about what would happen to his partner the next time they fought Ken, especially if Ken and Cyberdramon made physical contact with each other because of Millenniummon's data inside both of them.
"I'll send the message to everybody." Davis grabbed his D-Terminal off his bedside table and typed a message to all the Digidestined, pressing the send button.
Kari dressed quickly, a hard look in her eyes as she changed out of her pajamas. Since there was no school today because of the blackout, the child of Light and Gatomon has decided to use it as an opportunity to look into what they saw last night in their shared dream.
"Ready?" Gatomon asked once Kari slipped into her socks. The brown-haired girl nodded and picked up Gatomon. As she grabbed her D-3 and D-Terminal, the latter went off with a beep, indicating a sent message. Kari opened the D-Terminal and saw the message was from Davis that read 'Meeting in the park.' The bearer of Light looked at the message before sighing and sending a message back.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Iya na Yokan)
'Sorry Davis. I can't make it. Something's come up for me and Gatomon to look into.' Sending the message, Kari walked out of her bedroom and went over to the entrance, slipping on her shoes.
"Kari, are you going to the meeting already?" Kari looked up to see Tai and Takato sitting at the table with Koromon and Guilmon, eating breakfast. "You haven't had breakfast yet."
"I'm not hungry," said Kari. "And I'm not going to the meeting."
"What?!" Takato was surprised at Kari's answer. "Why not?"
"Something's…come up, and Gatomon and I want…no, need…to check it out," she said before leaving the apartment.
"Kari…" Tai's rebuttal was cut off with the door closing. The older goggled boy could only look at the closed door in confusion. What was so important to Kari that she refused to go to a Digidestined meeting? It just wasn't like his sister at all. As much as Tai wanted to go to the meeting, he felt like whatever was bugging his sister was more important. Takato looked up and saw the look on Tai's face, knowing what he was thinking.
"We should follow her," he said, getting looks from Tai, Koromon and Guilmon.
"Takato, isn't that rude?" asked Guilmon, mouth full with toast and peanut butter.
"Maybe," said Tai, "but something seems off with Kari today…and I want to know what it is." Grabbing his D-Terminal, Tai sent a message to Davis telling him that he wouldn't make it today as well.
"I'm coming as well," said Takato, standing up with Guilmon. "It looks like something serious."
"Something from the show?" asked Tai.
"Probably," said Takato, "but we won't know for sure until we follow them. Let's go." Tai nodded and ran out the apartment with Koromon in his arms, and Takato and a disguised Guilmon following him. It didn't take long for the two goggled boys to see Kari and Gatomon heading down the street, and they followed at a considerable distance so she couldn't see them, and so they wouldn't lose sight of her.
Elsewhere in Odaiba, Ai and Mako were walking down the street with Sora, their D-Ark held out in Ai's hand, still looking for Impmon. Sora had left her D-Terminal at home, so she didn't get Davis's message.
"So you're saying Impmon is in Aqua City?" Sora asked as she held Biyomon in her arms.
"Definitely," Mako said, a big smile on his face. "We may not have found him yesterday, but I can tell we'll find him today!"
"Yeah! We will!" Ai said, her smile matching Mako's. Sora couldn't help but chuckle at the twins' confidence, as she hoped as well that Ai and Mako could find their partner today.
Jeri exhaled some air as she approached the Takenouchi apartment with Rika, Renamon and Elecmon. After discussing it with Rika last night, Jeri had decided to tell Rika what they knew about Impmon. The two Tamers had left early, which meant Mimi and Matt were unable to tell them about Davis's message.
"I don't know if they're going to like this," the brown-haired girl said truthfully as she pressed the doorbell, a frown on her face. Rika's face held the same expression.
"They're not going to like it very much," said Rika, "but they have to know." Renamon and Elecmon nodded, both feeling the same sentiment. A few seconds passed, and the door opened to reveal Sora's mother dressed in pajamas and a dressing gown.
"Oh, hello Jeri, Rika," Toshiko greeted the two girls.
"I'm sorry to disturb you Mrs. Takenouchi, but we were wondering if we could see Sora, Ai and Mako…if they're awake."
"They are awake, but I'm afraid you just missed them," answered Toshiko. "Ai and Mako wanted to go to Aqua City so they could find their Digimon, and Sora and Biyomon went with them."
"Oh…" Jeri said, looking disheartened.
"Is something the matter?" Toshiko asked worriedly.
"No…it's fine, Mrs. Takenouchi. We'll see them in Aqua City, then," Rika said, turning around and walking down the stairs. Jeri followed with Elecmon riding on her back, and Renamon leaping off the staircase and landing gracefully on the bottom floor.
"Ai and Mako have probably gone back to Aqua City so they can continue their search for Impmon!" Elecmon said, knowing the situation immediately.
"They're going to be in for a disappointment," Rika said sadly, Jeri echoing the same thought as well. Overhead, thunder rumbled, a sign of another impending storm.
(Play Digimon Tamers: Yukikau Hitobito 2)
Davis frowned slightly as he looked at the assembled Digidestined and Tamers. Not only did Kari send him a message saying she couldn't make it for reasons she didn't explain, but Tai also sent him a message saying that he and Takato would be following Kari, wondering what she was doing. Sora hadn't shown up yet with Ai and Mako, and from what Matt and Mimi told him, Rika and Jeri had left before they received the message. Fortunately, everybody else had arrived, but this wasn't good enough for Davis and Ryo, who were hoping for everybody to show up.
"So…this is everybody," Yolei said, looking at the assembled children.
"Everybody who did show up," said Matt. "Where's Tai?"
"I got a message from him and Kari," said Davis. "Apparently, Kari said something came up that she needed to look into, but she didn't exactly tell me what it was. Tai and Takato were suspicious, so they're following her to see what it is."
"What about Ai and Mako?" asked Izzy.
"Probably looking for Impmon," said Kazu. "They found his signal in Aqua City yesterday, but we couldn't find him. They're probably back there looking for Impmon."
"And Sora may have gone with them," said Kenta. "Plus, given Rika and Jeri's recent activity, they're probably helping out with the search for Impmon as well."
Davis sighed. "You know, I called this meeting so we could discuss what to do tomorrow when we go into the Digital World. Because of this blackout, we won't be able to go today."
"And there's no telling what Ken will do," TK said, a small dark look on his face. "With Patamon…"
"He's right," said Henry. "MagnaAngemon may be an Ultimate level Digimon, but he's powerful enough to hold his own against Mega level Digimon. We need a good plan if we want to defeat him."
"Izzy, any suggestions?" asked Mimi.
"I don't know," said Izzy. "If Tai and Takato were here, then this would make planning easier."
"And Rika as well," said Henry. "She can come with some strategies that we can't."
"Well, in that case, let's find our missing teammates and then start this meeting," said Davis. The rest of the group nodded in agreement.
"And while we're at it, maybe we can find someplace indoors to hold the meeting?" Joe asked, looking up at the sky. "It looks like it might start storming again."
"We can use the warehouse that my band practices at," suggested Matt. "We have a generator in case of a blackout, and a fridge full of snacks."
"All right," said everybody.
"Um, before we break off…" TK said, getting looks from everybody. "I…I want to apologize for my outburst yesterday after Patamon was captured. I lashed out in anger, and…I said some things I shouldn't have said. I guess I just have some anger problems, especially if darkness is involved. I'm sorry for what I said and did yesterday…and I'm hoping it doesn't happen again."
"It's all right TK," Ryo said, smiling lightly at the blond-haired boy. "You just have to get it under control."
"I'll try, I'll try," said TK. "Henry offered to help me, and I took it." Henry nodded with a smile of his own.
Thunder suddenly boomed loudly, startling everybody.
"Ah!" Suzie yelled, holding her hands over her ears. "So loud!" Lightning suddenly flashed, and it struck the TV station, electricity arcing over it.
"The TV station!" gasped Palmon.
"Dad!" Matt and TK gasped, running to the TV station, the Digidestined and Tamers following after them.
(Play Digimon Tamers: Sousa)
"What was that?!" Mimi yelled. "Does lightning do that whenever it strikes something?"
"No," said Izzy. "That doesn't seem natural."
"So what does it mean?" asked Tentomon.
"It can only mean one thing: a Digimon," Henry answered, his suspicions from last night resurfacing.
"A Digimon in the human world?!" asked Poromon. "Is that possible?!"
"You tell me!" Terriermon said, flying next to Poromon. "We're Digimon, and we're in the human world!"
"Did something like this happen in the TV show?!" Matt asked the Tamers.
"Yeah, but not this soon!" answered Kazu, looking up at the TV station with confusion.
"Gatomon, you saw that, right?!" Kari asked in shock, seeing the lightning strike the TV station.
"I did," Gatomon said, her ears swiveling back. "Let's step on it!" Kari nodded, and began sprinting for the TV station with Gatomon by her side.
"Why are they heading for the TV station?" Tai asked, seeing his sister run for the station in confusion while Takato watched with realization coming to him.
"Wizardmon!"
"What?!" Tai and Koromon asked in surprise upon hearing the familiar name utter from Takato's mouth.
"Wizardmon's ghost," Takato explained. "Because Wizardmon died in the human world, he was never able to be reborn. He's been stuck here as a ghost at the TV station for the last four years. This must be what Kari and Gatomon were looking into."
"Did this…"
"Yes, it did happen," Takato answered, knowing what Koromon was going to ask. "But it didn't happen until August 3rd. I wonder why it's happening now."
"Well, we won't know if we stand here," said Tai, determined to help out his sister if this did involve Wizardmon. "Come on!" Takato and Guilmon followed after the duo of Courage, as several blocks down at Aqua City, Sora and the twins gasped when they saw the lightning strike the TV station.
"What was that?!" Ai asked in surprise.
"I don't know, but it can't be good," Sora said worriedly.
"Sora! Ai! Mako!" The bearer of Love and the twin Tamers turned to see Rika and Jeri running towards them.
"Jeri! Rika!" said Ai. "We're close to finding Impmon!"
"Well, we may know where he is," Rika said, pointing to the TV station, which Sora looked at in confusion.
"Wait…Impmon is at the TV station?"
"Did Impmon do that?" asked Mako, referring to the lightning strike.
"No, I don't think so," said Jeri, looking at the station with sad eyes. "Let's go!" Jeri and Rika ran for the station with Sora, Biyomon, Ai and Mako running behind, confused from Rika and Jeri's actions.
As the children ran for the TV station, a woman wearing a black shirt and skirt with brown leggings and short brown hair watched from a distance. Her pale green eyes were on the children, but especially on Elecmon and Biyomon, and the eyes widened with shock.
'The Digimon...' she thought. 'They're back...but why?' She turned away and walked to a black van, pulling out a badge with her name on it: Maki Himekawa. Whatever this was, she would have to report it to her superior.
The Fuji TV Station had a backup generator, so the power was still on even after the thunderstorm last night knocked out power in the surrounding areas. However, when the lightning struck it, the generator died. The moment the lights went out, the employees began running for the exits in blind panic. Hiroaki was the only one not running as he was trying to establish some peace among the chaos.
"Everybody, calm down! What's wrong?!"
"It's the ghost!" Chioka yelled as he passed by. "It's coming out of the screens!"
(Play Digimon Adventure: Akumu)
"What?!" Looking at a nearby screen, Hiroaki gasped when he saw the black shadow ooze its way out of the screen and sped along the floor and up the walls past him. Swallowing whatever terror was building up in him, Hiroaki began chasing after the shadow, intent on investigating it. He was the head of this station, after all.
"Woah! Hey!" Tai shouted as a screaming woman almost knocked him over. Numerous people tore out of the station in terror.
"Takato, I smell a Digimon up there!" Guilmon growled. "It's faint, though…"
"It has to be Wizardmon," said Takato. Tai looked around the chaos and saw a young girl he recognized instantly.
"Kari!" The bearer of Courage fought his way through the storming adults and made it into the TV station. Guilmon and Takato followed as well, none of the screaming adults noticing the large red reptile.
"Come on, I think I know where they're going!" Takato said, running up the stairs that led to a certain room that Kari and Gatomon were already heading for.
"Come on…where are you?!" Hiroaki asked, looking for the shadowed figure.
"Dad!" Hiroaki stopped short and turned to see his sons coming towards him, their friends close behind.
"Matt! TK! What are you doing here?!"
"We saw the lightning strike and we wanted to see if you're all right!" said TK.
"I'm fine," insisted the older man, "and everybody else has run out. It's the ghost from earlier! He's floating around this place!"
"It's not just any ghost, it's the ghost of a Digimon!" said Kazu, getting shocked looks from the Digidestined.
"Is that true?!" asked Matt.
"He's not lying," said Ryo. "The ghost is in the director's room!"
"That's where…!" TK gasped, realizing what Ryo was talking about. The Legendary Tamer nodded and turned to Hiroaki.
"Can you take us to the director's room?"
"This way!" Hiroaki said, leading the children to the room.
On a lower level, Ai and Mako looked at their D-Ark, the arrow aimed in one direction, indicating Impmon's current location.
"He must be up higher!" said Sora. "Let's go!"
"It really is him…" Renamon muttered in disbelief.
"Finally! We made it!" Gatomon gasped once she reached the familiar room with Kari. The duo of Light looked up to see the black shadow flying in circles on the domed ceiling.
"Kari!" The brown-haired girl turned to see her brother, Koromon, Takato and Guilmon standing in front of one of the entrances.
"Tai…it's Wizardmon!" Kari said, pointing up to the shadow.
"I know," Tai nodded, looking up at the spinning shadow, which spoke in a broken tone.
"Ga…mon…ko…Ai…to…Ma.."
"He must be trying to say Gatomon's name!" gasped Koromon.
"I heard him say something else," said Guilmon, his ears twitching. "He also said Ai…ko…Ma…"
"Aiko Ma?" asked Takato, confused as Hiroaki ran into the director's room with the other Digidestined and Tamers. They stopped short when they saw Gatomon standing in the center of the room.
(Play Digimon Tamers: Panic)
"Wizardmon! Stop! I'm right here!" Gatomon pleaded to the wailing spirit, eliciting gasps from Matt, TK, Mimi, Joe and Izzy.
"That's it! If it's a Digimon, then let me at him!" Upamon yelled, jumping out of Cody's arms as Poromon flew out of Yolei's arms. The D-3s flashed and Hawkmon and Armadillomon stood ready for a fight.
"What the…you guys can Digivolve in the Human World as well?!" Yolei asked in surprise.
"Duh! Of course they can!" Kazu said before looking up at the spinning black shadow, still speaking distorted words: "A…i…M…ako…Ga…to…"
"Aimakogato?" asked Terriermon. "What kind of name is that?"
"It sounds like he's trying to say Gatomon's name," said Lopmon. "And it sounds like he's saying Ai and Mako…" This confused the Tamers a bit.
"Why would Wizardmon be saying Ai and Mako's names with…Gatomon's…" Henry asked but trailed off when he looked up at Wizardmon's black form, which still spoke Gatomon's name distortedly, along with Ai and Mako's names. Suddenly it dawned on Henry: Impmon's signal appearing in Aqua City, Wizardmon's ghost saying Ai and Mako's names…this was no coincidence.
"It can't be…" Henry whispered in shock.
"Wizardmon!" Gatomon called again. "Please stop this! I'm right here!"
"So am I!" called Kari, joining her partner in the center of the room.
"Kari, get away!" Hawkmon yelled, advancing to the two with Armadillomon.
"Stop!" Monodramon said, Digivolving from Hopmon and landing in front of them with Veemon, Agumon and Gabumon, who had also Digivolved from their In-Training levels. "This Digimon is not an enemy!"
"Wizardmon! We're here!" Kari called out again. The black shadow slowly stopped its spinning before floating on the ceiling, its white eyes set on Kari and Gatomon before dropping down to the floor and snaking its way towards the duo of Light until it was right in front of them.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Kanshou)
"Wizardmon…" Gatomon repeated softly. Slowly, the black figure rose out of the ground, revealing a familiar Digimon to everybody.
"Gatomon…Kari…" Wizardmon said in a hollow, sad voice. "You…you actually came…"
"Did you honestly think we were going to ignore that dream we had last night?" asked Gatomon. "You looked like you were suffering…"
"I have been, my friend," Wizardmon said, looking downcast. "For four years, I have been here, plagued with memories of my past, unable to be reborn because of where I died…" The tone in the mage's voice sounded bitter and sad, and it made everybody's hearts ache for Wizardmon.
"What do you mean by, memories of your past?" asked Kari. "Are you talking about when you were still alive and with Gatomon and us?"
"Not those memories," Wizardmon said, looking off to the crowd before him. "I'm talking about memories from my past life…memories I lost…and regained when I died…"
Henry stepped forward a little, looking at Wizardmon with a rather defeated look.
"It is you, isn't it?" Wizardmon merely nodded to Henry's question, and the blue-haired boy could only look on in sadness.
"Huh?" Gatomon asked as she looked to her old friend. "Wizardmon, what did Henry mean by that?" Wizardmon looked at Gatomon with a torn look. Before he could answer…
"The signal's at its strongest here!" Everybody turned their heads to see Ai and Mako burst into the room with Jeri, Rika, Elecmon and Renamon at their heels, Sora and Biyomon close behind. When the newcomers looked up and saw Wizardmon's ghost, they gasped in surprise.
"Wizardmon!" Biyomon and Sora breathed. Jeri and Rika looked at each other with looks of knowing, and Renamon did the same with Elecmon. Ai and Mako held up the D-Ark together and noticed the arrow was pointing into the center of the room where Wizardmon is.
"It says that he's in the room…" Ai looked around. "But where is he?"
"He's right there," said Renamon, walking past everybody before she joined Kari and Gatomon in the center of the room. Wizardmon continued looking down, avoiding everybody's gaze. Renamon stared at the apparition before speaking.
"Hello…Impmon." With the exception of Henry, Jeri and Rika, the rest of the Tamers gasped in shock upon hearing Renamon.
"Wait…that's…Impmon?!" Mako asked in complete disbelief. "I thought he Digivolved to Beelzemon…"
"That's his Mega form," Elecmon said to the boy. "This…is his Champion level."
"What's going on here?!" Tai asked in complete confusion.
"Isn't it obvious?" Rika asked, though she didn't carry any of her sass or sarcasm when she spoke, but a sadness. "Wizardmon, Gatomon's oldest friend, is Ai and Mako's partner Impmon in the Champion level." The Digidestined could only stare in shock as Wizardmon continued looking down, masking his expression from everybody.
"Wizardmon…is this true?" asked Gatomon, surprised as everybody else from the revelation. Wizardmon remained silent before Renamon spoke again.
"Impmon…say something."
(Play Omoi: The Biggest Dreamer)
"Damn you, fox face…" Wizardmon muttered angrily, looking back up. "You always could recognize me instantly."
"Impmon…if this is you…then why are you like this?" asked Ai. "Why do you look like a ghost?"
"Because this is what happens if a Digimon in this dimension dies in the Human World. Their data remains stuck here in this Human World…unable to be reborn…"
"You said you lost some memories," said Jeri. "Are you saying you lost your memories of Ai, Mako and the rest of us Tamers when you came to this dimension and Elecmon's data was separated from you?"
"Yes," Wizardmon said sadly. "And I regained them when I died. It has frustrated me greatly, knowing I could never fully return to life. I never regretted dying to save a Digimon who was a true friend to me…" he turned to Gatomon before looking out the window. "But I regret to this day breaking the promise I made to my Tamers about never leaving them again. I'm sorry Ai…Mako…I'm sorry for being the worst Digimon partner you could ask for…"
"Impmon…" Ai and Mako said sadly.
"Is there a reason why you've been haunting the TV station as of late?" asked Hiroaki. "We've been having trouble working because of you."
"Well, excuse me for that!" Wizardmon snapped suddenly. "Do you have any idea how badly this has been affecting me?! I spent four years here, stuck with the miserable knowledge that I could never return to my own dimension and be with my partners again! And they finally come here, and it's just as bad…because I can not be reborn and help them…and even then, what kind of a partner could I be? After everything I've done…" The mage Digimon's anger faded and he looked down at the ground again in sadness. "Everything in my past…haunting me…"
"Wizardmon, what do you mean?" asked Gatomon.
"I have done things in my home dimension Gatomon…terrible things that would put me in the same class with Digimon like Myotismon," Wizardmon answered sadly. "And they greatly outweigh all the good I have done."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Ai. "The other Tamers said you did bad things, but they couldn't have been that bad."
"You have no idea, Ai," said Wizardmon. "They didn't tell you the whole truth, didn't they?"
"They're young, Impmon," said Renamon. "They wouldn't be able to handle the truth well."
"They may be young, but they are still Digimon Tamers," said Wizardmon. "They have a right to know, as do Gatomon and the Digidestined." He raised his hand in the air, and the room became white.
"What is this?" asked Tai.
"This…is my past…" Wizardmon said before images of Wizardmon's past was revealed before everybody.
(Play Setsunasa: The Biggest Dreamer)
The first memory showed Ai and Mako two years younger arguing over a broken toy, and a small purple Digimon named Impmon, who wore red gloves and a matching bandana, with a yellow smiley face on his chest, was stuck in the middle.
"Impmon, Mako broke my toy! Punish him!"
"Ai's lying! She's the one who broke it!"
"That's a dirty lie!" The twins each grabbed an arm and began pulling on Impmon like he was a wishbone. The devil Digimon was clearly in pain from having his arms pulled, and was equally surprised at how strong these two small humans were. Eventually, he couldn't take the pain much longer.
"KNOCK IT OFF! IT HURTS!" he yelled loudly, making Ai and Mako release him in shock. Impmon glared at the two humans before storming out of the room in anger.
Later that night, Impmon watched the two humans sleep, a look of disgust on his face.
"Humans are such selfish creatures…to be kept by them…I'll never accept that!" Impmon muttered before leaping out of the window, starting a new life in Shinjuku. As time went on, Impmon saw three more Digimon become partnered to humans much to his shock and annoyance, and a fourth Digimon greatly annoyed him with his constant wanting to play.
"You piss me off!" Impmon said to Calumon on a building roof. "You love being around humans, always smiling and with your 'let's play! Let's play!' If you're a real Digimon, then fight me! Load my data and Digivolve! You don't need a pathetic human for that!"
The memories shifted and Impmon was standing in front of Indramon, a horse-like Digimon that was laughing down at the little Digimon.
"Stop laughing at me!"
"Why shouldn't I?" asked Indramon. "After all, you're just like those other Digimon. Kept by a human. And yet, you're the only one unable to Digivolve."
"Don't act all mighty to me, you moron!" yelled Impmon. "I don't need a human to Digivolve! I don't even need to Digivolve to be strong!" Rika and Renamon then entered the scene, and Indramon vanished, Impmon storming off in anger, telling the two that he could have taken on Indramon by himself.
The memories shifted again, and showed Impmon terrorizing a busy section of Shinjuku, leading to the cops being called in, thinking the little Digimon was a human in a costume. Fortunately, Renamon saved Impmon from the cops and asking why he obsessed with power from inside the structure of a bridge.
"You weaklings can't even Digivolve without your pathetic little humans around!"
"Are you saying you can Digivolve without a partner? I believe it is decided by how a Digimon and their human partner fight alongside one another."
"Shut up! Even if I left those pathetic humans…even if I can't Digivolve…I'll become the strongest Digimon to ever live!"
"Wait a minute…" Renamon gasped. "Are you saying you had a partner before?" Impmon froze when he realized what he said before socking the yellow fox in the face, making her release him.
"Shut up about that! I want to become stronger! I want to Digivolve! I don't need a partner…" Impmon wailed, slamming his fists on the floor. Moments later, Indramon returned, and Impmon insisted on fighting him himself, refusing assistance from Renamon, Guilmon and Terriermon.
"You are no match for me!" Indramon boasted. The Ultimate level raised his hoof-like arms and relentlessly pounded the small Rookie Digimon, but Impmon stood back up from every punch.
"We have to help him!" said Henry.
"No!" Renamon turned to the others. "This is Impmon's fight…and we must not get in the way."
"Are you sure about this?" Rika asked worriedly, but Renamon remained silent, watching the fight with a stoic expression.
The fight continued, and the beatings became worse for Impmon every time he mocked Indramom. But the small devil refused to back down, despite being trashed about, and his attacks having no effect on the more powerful Digimon.
"Do you think…I'll die easily?!" asked Impmon. "I'll beat you…I'll load you…and then I'll Digivolve!" The purple Digimon leapt up with incredible athleticism and landed punch after punch on Indramon's massive face, but the horse Digimon was barely affected by the small strikes.
"Begone, you annoyance," Indramon raised his massive hoof and smacked Impmon, sending him flying away from the battlefield and crashing in the distance.
A short while later, Impmon had taken up refuge in the sewers, wallowing in his defeat. A white portal suddenly appeared before him, and a distorted voice came from it.
"Are you telling me…to go back? Is that…the only place…I can go?" Impmon asked the voice, limping into the portal and finding himself in a white void.
A short while later in the void, a dog-like Digimon named Caturamon approached Impmon, making him an offer from the Sovereign Zhuqiaomon for greater power while showing him Ai and Mako fighting over a new pet dog, convincing him that they no longer cared about him.
"The human world has no place for you, Impmon," spoke the dog. "A Digimon must not devote himself to such selfish scum. They can never change! They can never provide you strength to Digivolve! But our god…he can provide you the power! We Digimon can only be devoted to ourselves!"
"I…I want more power…!" Impmon cried out, looking down at the ground while on his hands and knees. "I want to Digivolve!"
"Then accept the bargain our god wishes to make with you," said Caturamon. "He can see raw, untapped potential in you Impmon…you have the ability to Digivolve to a Digimon of great strength!"
"Can that happen?" Impmon asked, looking up at Caturamon. Though the dog Digimon's face was set in a smirk, Impmon could have sworn the smirk grew a little bigger.
"Of course," said Caturamon. "But you must make a deal first. If you agree to kill the Digimon that have betrayed us and become partners to humans, as well the humans themselves, then our god will give you the power to Digivolve straight to your Mega level, the highest form of Digivolution!"
"You mean…Guilmon and the others?" Impmon asked in surprise. "That's the deal?!" Caturamon said nothing as he continued looking down at Impmon. The purple Digimon looked down to the ground again, torn between this decision.
"Damn it all…" the purple Digimon muttered, looking up at the dog Digimon again. "If it's to Digivolve and become stronger…then I'll do anything! I'll make the deal with your god!"
(Play Digimon Tamers: Mephismon Fukkatsu)
"The deal is made!" Caturamon howled, leaping into the air as the ground underneath Impmon dissolved, and the small devil Digimon fell into a river of lava. Zhuqiaomon's silhouette appeared as Impmon screamed in pain from the power being giving to him. He felt himself change form, becoming a tall humanoid Digimon with a tail, three red eyes poking out of a purple helmet, and clad in black leather clothing with two shotguns. A motorcycle landed in the lava river, and the Digimon claimed it as his own. Bursting out of the lava and into the Digital World, the Mega level Digimon drove off, announcing his new name.
"My name is…Beelzemon!" Beelzemon drove throughout the Digital World, blasting Digimon with his Double Impact while slashing at others with his Darkness Claw, loading their data before he came upon the Tamers.
"Impmon…" Kyubimon breathed, recognizing the Digimon.
"Impmon, huh?" Beelzemon chuckled. "That loser's gone. I'm Beelzemon now, and the reason why I'm here…" he pulled out his guns and aimed them at the Tamers, "…is to kill you!" A storm began rising up in the Digital World, and Rika Digivolved Kyubimon to Taomon, the Taoist Digimon producing a force field to protect everybody from Beelzemon. The storm, and the field, forced the demon lord Digimon to retreat.
"I'll come back for you!" he shouted before the memory faded to a red landscape. A large castle stood in the distance, and Beelzemon was tearing through the Tamers, knocking down Growlmon and Guardromon, blasting a chunk of armor from Rapidmon, and relentlessly kicking and punching Kyubimon.
"Impmon…please!" Kyubimon pleaded with the Mega level. "Open your eyes!"
"SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" Beelzemon shrieked, raising his claws to finish off the yellow fox, but Leomon stepped in and held back Beelzemon's arm.
"I don't know the circumstances, but you're just being used by someone!" Leomon growled, punching Beelzemon in the face. "You're only making a fool out of yourself. Power has nothing to do with Digivolution. I have learned that myself." Leomon stole a glance Jeri's way before looking back at the demon lord. "Killing these children is not your destiny!"
"SHUT UP!" Beelzemon roared, driving his claws through Leomon's chest. The lion man could only roar in pain as he fell on his back and the Tamers watched in shock, tears streaming down Jeri's face as she shut down, not responding to anyone or anything as Beelzemon loaded Leomon's data.
"I'll load the strongest until nobody can stop me! NOBODY!"
(Play Digimon Tamers: Hakai to Konran Futatabi)
"How…HOW COULD YOU?!" Takato screamed in blind anger as he raised his D-Ark in the air. "DIGIVOLVE TO MEGA LEVEL! KILL HIM!" Growlmon roared as he became WarGrowlmon, and then in a swirl of flames, he became Megidramon, a giant, vicious dragon that roared as he charged for Beelzemon, the symbol on his chest flashing as the area around them began breaking apart.
Megidramon lashed out with his tail, wrapping it around Beelzemon and holding him up to his mouth. It took all of Beelzemon's strength to hold the vicious dragon's mouth open. As this happened, Makuramon, a monkey-like Digimon who was a Deva, showed up before Beelzemon.
"What are you doing?! If you continue this fight, everything in this world will be destroyed! I can't believe Caturamon decided to persuade our god to give a weakling like you the strength to Digivolve! You're supposed to be a demon lord!"
"SHUT UP!" Beelzemon stretched out and grabbed Makuramon's head, squeezing it until a crunching sound was heard. Makuramon's body went limp before it burst into data that went into Beelzemon's body. Taomon and Rapidmon attempted to stop the fight, but Beelzemon used Makuramon's own attack on them, absorbing their Ultimate level data and reverting them to Renamon and Terriermon. Using his new strength, Beelzemon broke free from Megidramon and kicked him in the chest, breaking his armor to pieces and knocking him unconscious. Breathing heavily, Beelzemon threw his head back and released a sound that crossed between laughter and pained yells.
"I WON! I AM THE STRONGEST DIGIMON! NOBODY CAN COMPARE TO ME!"
The memory shifted again and Beelzemon was still in the red area, but he was now engaged in a fierce battle with Guilmon's true Mega level, a Royal Knight called Gallantmon, who was clad in white armor and a red cape, and was armed with a powerful lance and shield. Even when he loaded Caturamon's data, Beelzemon was no match for Gallantmon, who ultimately defeated the demon lord after a quick assistance from Guardromon.
(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Seijaku)
"I…I actually lost?" Beelzemon asked in disbelief as Gallantmon raised his lance in the air. The demon lord sighed in defeat. "Fine then…kill me and load my data…"
"You pay for your crimes today, Beelzemon!" said the white knight. "With one strike, I shall send you to Hell!"
"STOP IT!" Jeri screamed, distracting Gallantmon and causing his lance to strike the ground next to Beelzemon.
"Why…" Beelzemon asked in confusion, standing up and looking at Jeri, the young girl devastated at the events that had happened. "Why did you spare me? After what I did to your partner…I thought you'd be pleased that I would die!"
"You think I'd take joy in a life being taken, no matter how horrible someone is?!" Jeri sobbed. "Even if we killed you…it wouldn't bring back Leomon. I don't want to feel this sadness again! Stop fighting already…please…"
"Jeri…" Gallantmon said in sadness. Beelzemon stood in confusion and wonderment, as if thinking about everything in his life that had led to this before walking off.
The memory shifted again, and Beelzemon was now in a desert area, surrounded by multiple small purple Digimon with sharp tentacles. His mind was filled with Jeri's sad face, and it all came crashing down on him. The power…the chaos…what did it accomplish for him? It only made him a monster to those who considered him their friend.
"Take back the power!" he yelled as the Digimon leaped on him and attacked him with their tentacles, and the demon lord let them attack him. "I don't need it anymore!" The attacking Digimon soon left, leaving a beaten Impmon lying on the ground, his red bandana flying off his neck.
Impmon groaned as he pulled himself through the desert with his arms, looking up when he heard a familiar voice call out his name, and a familiar figure ran towards him.
"Renamon…?" The yellow fox landed in front of him, placing Rika down on the ground.
"Impmon, can you stand up?" Renamon bent down and offered her hand to Impmon.
"Of course I can!" Impmon groaned, pushing away Renamon's hand and standing up with whatever strength he had.
"Come on," said Rika. "We're going home…and we're taking you with us."
"Are you a moron?" Impmon asked incredulously. Rika said nothing as she walked over to Impmon and pulled out a familiar red cloth, bent down and tied the cloth around his neck.
"You really are morons…" Impmon said dejectedly before accepting the fate chosen for him. Kyubimon tore through the desert and was able to make it to an ark that took the Tamers back to the Human World. When Kazu saw the purple Digimon in Rika's arms, he glared at the red-haired girl.
"You mean to tell me the reason we almost left you here is because you went back for Impmon?! Do you have any idea what he did to us, what he did to Jeri?"
"I do…" Rika nodded sadly. Kazu glared at Rika a few moments longer before sitting back and sighing, "Well, if you did know and still brought him along, I guess there's nothing else to say, then…"
'Are they okay…with somebody like me going back?' Impmon thought as the Ark took the Tamers back to the Human World. Once there, Impmon immediately left the park, Rika looking on with a saddened look.
'Impmon…'
Another memory shift, and Impmon was now in Hongo, leaping on top of buildings, looking for two specific people. Finally, he found them. Ai and Mako, who were both overjoyed in seeing Impmon come back. The twins took him to their house and offered him food and drinks.
"Hey, I think this is too much…" Impmon said, looking at the small feast in front of him before seeing Ai holding a teddy bear, both the girl and her twin having sad looks on their faces.
"This teddy bear here had its arm torn off, but our mom fixed it," explained Ai. "We were fighting over it like we used to fight over you before you left us…after that, we decided to start sharing."
"Because we fought over you…that's why you went away, wasn't it Impmon?" asked Mako. "That's why we decided to share."
"We're really sorry, Impmon…" said Ai. Impmon stared in shock at how much his young human friends had grown and matured the last time he saw them, and how they admitted to their selfishness and how they apologized. The purple imp turned his head away so none of the twins could see a lone tear trickle down his cheek.
"Do you forgive us?" asked Ai.
"You're not mad anymore, are you?" asked Mako.
"No…I'm not mad anymore," Impmon said, holding down a sob. "I forgive you…" A short while later, and the twins turned on the TV, showing WarGrowlmon, Rapidmon and Taomon being beaten by one of the D-Reaper's agents in Shinjuku. Impmon looked at the footage in horror, before coming to a decision.
"Ai, Mako…I'm sorry, but I have to go! My friends need me in Shinjuku. I promise, I'll come back this time!" Impmon ran out of the house, but was stopped short by Ai and Mako, the latter giving Impmon a toy gun.
(Play Digimon: EVO)
"Take this with you! You can blast the bad guys with it!"
"Mako…" Impmon breathed in surprise at the gesture before taking it with a cocky grin. "Don't worry! Leave it to me!"
"Do your best, Impmon," Ai said, kissing Impmon on the cheek. The purple demon blushed in embarrassment before running off, determined to help his friends and redeem himself for what he did. Even if the Tamers didn't want or need his help, Ai and Mako believed in him, because they were his partners.
A flash of light engulfed Impmon, and Beelzemon stormed down the streets, the toy gun turning into a giant blaster on his right arm. Black wings erupted from his back and his red eyes turned green.
"Ai, Mako…thank you!" the demon lord Digimon said, shouting his new name into the air. "BEELZEMON BLAST MODE!" Taking flight, Beelzemon flew into Shinjuku and aided the Tamers in destroying the D-Reaper agent with his new power.
The battle against the D-Reaper continued and learning that Jeri was being held captive by the D-Reaper, Beelzemon vowed to rescue Jeri to atone for killing Leomon. The memory shifted to show Beelzemon floating in front of a massive yellow eye that was part of the structure holding Jeri. The eye repeated over and over how Beelzemon killed Leomon, and it angered the demon lord.
"SHUT UP! STOP USING JERI'S VOICE!" Beelzemon screamed at the eye. "WHAT THE HELL WOULD YOU KNOW?!" The demon lord took a deep breath as he raised his gun in the air and began drawing a star. "I know I can't ask for forgiveness. It's too late for that! As much as I want to, I can't change the past! But either way, I will rescue Jeri! And no talking eyeball's going to stop me! CHAOS FLARE!" A circle appeared around the star and a massive blast of purple energy flew from the gun and it the eye, magnified by the circle. The blasts hit, but the eye remained unscratched, and fired another blast of energy that destroyed Beelzemon's blaster.
"You…" Beelzemon gasped, looking at his smoking right arm. "That was Mako's toy gun! You'll pay for that!" Thanks to a powerful blast of energy from Grani, Gallantmon's steed, the protective shield shattered, and Beelzemon flew at the orb holding Jeri and Calumon, ramming it over and over again with his fists, but the shield held firm.
"Damn it! Break already, you stupid orb!" Beelzemon cursed, frustrated at the lack of progress. Roaring loudly, Beelzemon raised his right arm in the air, screaming into the heavens.
"GIVE ME…MORE POWER!" Beelzemon roared as he suddenly felt a new power coursing through him, and a warm, familiar voice rang in his ears.
"Beelzemon…I cannot do much inside you…but I can give you some extra power…use it, my friend, and save…my partner…"
"Leomon…" Beelzemon gasped in awe, before pulling back his right arm and thrusting it forward.
"FIST…OF…THE BEAST KING!" Leomon's attack hit the shield, and a hole was formed in the shield.
"Finally!" Beelzemon laughed in triumph. He was close now. The hole was big enough for his arm and head to get through. The hole was closing slowly, and Beelzemon knew he needed to act fast.
"Jeri, there's no time!" the demon lord yelled to the girl. "Grab my hand! Hurry! We can get you out of here!"
"Come on Jeri, we need to go!" Calumon pleaded with Jeri, trying to push her towards Beelzemon, but Jeri simply looked at Beelzemon with a saddened look.
"Leomon…" Jeri whimpered, and Beelzemon gasped, realizing that Jeri must have saw him use her own partner's attack, and it caused her to freeze up again. The hole was beginning to close faster, and it eventually closed up, sealing Jeri back inside. Beelzemon continued pounding away at the orb in anger. He was so fixated on freeing Jeri again, he didn't look behind him until he heard Gallantmon's voice yell out to him.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Yuugure)
"Beelzemon, behind you!" Beelzemon turned his head, and let out a yell of surprise when he saw sharp green blades head right for him. Unable to move, Beelzemon yelled in pain and agony as the blades burrowed into his back and shredded his wings.
"BEELZEMON!" Jeri screamed, watching in horror as the demon lord Digimon plummeted down. Gallantmon and Terriermon and Renamon's Mega levels, MegaGargomon, a massive green dog robot armed to the teeth with missiles and rockets, and Sakuyamon, a beautiful human woman wearing golden fox armor, could only watch in horror along with Jeri and Calumon as Beelzemon fell towards the red blob that was the D-Reaper.
"BEELZEMON!" yelled Gallantmon and MegaGargomon.
"No…!" gasped Sakuyamon.
"I can't…let it…end…here!" Beelzemon groaned as he continued falling, feeling data leaving his body. The demon lord grunted as he landed on something hard before reverting to Impmon. The purple devil Digimon looked up to see Grani had saved him from the D-Reaper.
"Impmon, hang in there!" Sakuyamon said, taking Impmon into her arms.
"We're going to get you medical attention," said MegaGargomon.
"No…I need…to save Jeri…I have to…" Impmon's voice cracked as he pleaded, and he felt consciousness leave him, his final thoughts on Jeri.
A week passed, and Impmon was returned to Ai and Mako, the memory shifting to the demon Digimon and the two children traveling on a bus together.
"Impmon…it's okay…" Ai said, comforting Impmon. "You did good…"
"But I didn't do good enough…" Impmon moaned. "I tried to save Jeri…but I failed. I'm such a piece of crap…"
"Don't say that!" said Mako. "You were amazing out there! We saw you on the TV!"
"Please don't leave us, Impmon!" begged Ai. "We want to be with you forever!" As the girl spoke these words, a flash of light appeared before the three, and a white D-Ark with a purple ring appeared overhead before floating down, Ai and Mako each grasping it with a hand.
"What is this?" asked Ai.
"Is it a new toy?" Mako asked curiously.
"That's no toy…" Impmon breathed, slowly feeling his wounds closing up. "That's an important device known as…the D-Ark. It's appeared before both of you. That means…we're partners now."
"Really?" Ai and Mako asked in surprise.
Time passed, and the memory shifted to the park, where Impmon and the twins were with the other Tamers.
"Impmon…you're okay," Renamon breathed in relief.
"Even I have Tamers," Impmon chuckled, gesturing to the two young children, the girl wearing the D-Ark around her neck. "I'd like you to meet Ai and Mako."
"I see…" said Renamon. Impmon noticed Jeri looking at him, with a relieved look.
"I'm glad you're okay Impmon…I didn't want to lose anyone else." Impmon began feeling better upon hearing those words, but he still couldn't help but wonder.
"Jeri…do you…I mean, could you…ever forgive me…for what I've done?"
"Of course," Jeri said with a small smile. Impmon was astonished at Jeri's answer, and suddenly, he began feeling funny. Looking down at his body, Impmon noticed he was shrinking. He continued shrinking and changing until he was Yaamon, his In-Training form. The other Digimon De-Digivolved, and in place of Guilmon, Renamon, Terriermon, Cyberdramon, Lopmon, and Guardromon were Gigimon, Viximon, Gummymon, Hopmon, Kokomon, and Kapurimon. The only Digimon that didn't De-Digivolve were Calumon and Betamon's Mega level MarineAngemon, a small pink fairy Digimon with a red heart on his chest and a golden ring on his neck. Suzie came running into the scene, along with Janyu Wong, a guilty look on his face.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Namida no Yukue)
"Dad, what's happening?!" Henry asked his father, holding Gummymon in his arms.
"Why are the Digimon De-Digivolving?!" asked Takato. Janyu hesitated before answering.
"Our plan was successful. The barrier between the Human World and the Digital World has been stabilized…"
"Then, that means the Digimon…!" Ryo said as Ai and Mako ran over, the latter picking up Yaamon.
"They have to go back to the Digital World. If they stay here any longer, then they'll return to programs like the D-Reaper."
"That can't be!" gasped Takato, tears beginning to stream down his face. "I made a promise to Guilmon!"
"This…this can't be!" Rika gasped, clutching Viximon close to her chest.
"You knew this would happen, didn't you?!" Henry asked his father angrily. "When you scanned Terriermon, you knew…but you didn't say anything…"
"I'm truly sorry," Janyu said sadly. "I know I did something that would save both worlds…but in the process, I've done something I can never atone for…"
"Henry…moumantai!" Gummymon said happily as he floated out of Henry's arms, and into the portal. One by one the Digimon returned to the Digital World, Yaamon looking down to see tears appearing in his partners' eyes, and he couldn't help but shed a tear as well. He promised them both he would never leave them again, but now…
"It's a promise, Takato!" Gigimon called to his partner as the portal closed. "We'll play again soon…"
Another memory shift showed the Tamers' partners gathered around a fireplace at nightfall in a forest. Terriermon and Monodramon were arguing over who got the bigger grapes, Renamon and Lopmon kept an eye out for any intruders with MarineAngemon hanging close by. Guardromon sat by the fireplace with Calumon and Guilmon, both eating fish they caught by a nearby river. Impmon sat in a tree, looking up at the night sky with a glare. It frustrated him to no end about not being back with Ai and Mako yet.
"AGH! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" The purple demon yelled, leaping out of the tree and letting the other Digimon look at him in surprise. "We've been here for three months, and we have not found a way back to the Human World! The pressure's getting to me!"
"Impmon, moumantai!" said Terriermon. "We'll find a way back soon!"
(Play Digimon Adventure: Tomodachi ~Tatakai no Theme~)
"And when's soon?!" snapped Impmon. "Tomorrow? A week? Three more months? A year? Ten years?!"
"Impmon, take it easy," said Renamon. "I know things haven't been easy since we've been brought back here, but we're all still together…"
"No, we're not! We don't have our partners!"
"Impmon, I don't think that's what Renamon meant…" Monodramon said, but Impmon was still steaming.
"You know what? Screw you guys! I'll find my own way back to Ai and Mako!" Impmon growled before walking away. He didn't get far as MarineAngemon spat out a heart-shaped bubble, trapping Impmon inside. The purple demon turned around and glared at the small pink Digimon.
"Let me out of here!"
"Impmon, please don't go," said Calumon. "We're all friends here!"
"Calumon…" Impmon sighed sadly. "I'm sorry, but I feel like I'm not making much progress here with you. I feel like…I feel like I need to go on my own, find a way myself back to the Human World."
"But, Impmon…" Guardromon started before Renamon cut off the robot Digimon.
"Let him go."
"What?" the other Digimon asked in surprise, Impmon surprised as well.
"I can tell this is Impmon's decision. His journey back to his Tamers is different than ours…and he cannot make it if he is still with us."
"Are you sure about this, Renamon?" asked Lopmon. The kitsune nodded, and MarineAngemon sighed, dropping down the bubble and allowing Impmon to leave. The purple imp turned back to his friends with a small smile.
"I really hope we'll see each other again someday, maybe in the Human World." And with that, Impmon left the forest and headed out for the Digital World.
Two more months passed, and Impmon trudged through the desert. He was tired and hungry, but none of that mattered. He wouldn't stop until he was finally back with his Tamers. Even if he died getting back, it would be worth it to see Ai and Mako one last time…
A loud clap of thunder shook the sky, followed by a loud roar. Looking up, Impmon was shocked to see a purple portal open in the air, a giant Digimon flying out of it, followed by a smaller Digimon that Impmon recognized instantly.
(Play Digimon Tamers: Tamer Action)
"Justimon?!" Sure enough, the Digimon was Justimon, and when Impmon looked closer, he saw a familiar human on Justimon's shoulder.
"What the...how's Ryo on Justimon's shoulder? Doesn't he form Justimon with his partner?!" Justimon flew into the large Digimon and they crashed through into the ground in front of Impmon. The demon Digimon jumped behind a rock to avoid the rocks that flew at him, and he looked over the rock to see another portal open up behind the monstrous Digimon. Justimon leaped towards the Digimon with his Justice Kick and the two combatants fell into the portal with Ryo. As the portal began closing, Impmon's head was running with thoughts.
If Justimon and Ryo were together again, then that meant the other Tamers had their partners again...and that portal must lead to the human world, meaning he could get back with Ai and Mako.
"Well, here goes nothing!" Concentrating all of his energy on the goal of getting to the portal before it closed, Impmon transformed to Beelzemon Blast Mode and flew into the portal before it closed.
(Play Digimon Tamers: Net no Umi)
Beelzemon gasped as he found himself in a dark void that showed many other portals with purple lightning crackling everywhere . Through the portals he could see a burning city, tidal waves crashing down on cities, peaceful villages...
...and Ai and Mako playing in their backyard.
"Ai! Mako!" Beelzemon exclaimed happily. He had finally done it. He had found them. He just had to fly up into the portal. Spreading his wings, the demon lord headed for the portal with Ai and Mako in it, but as he was focused on heading for the portal, he failed to notice the lightning streaking through the area.
Beelzemon was close to the portal when a lightning bolt struck him in the chest and knocked him down. The demon lord grunted as another lightning bolt struck him in the face, but he was determined to make it to his partners. But the lightning storm in the area was getting worse, and he was getting further away from the portal.
"Got to...make it...!" Beelzemon grunted, but he was getting weaker from the lightning. Another lightning bolt suddenly went through his chest, and Beelzemon screamed as he fell out of the sky and towards another portal. He could feel his data destabilizing from the continuous lightning strikes, and he could have sworn he felt some of the data leave him. Reverting to his Rookie form, Impmon groaned as he saw another lightning bolt prepare to strike him. At his current weakened form, he was unable to dodge it...
"FIST OF THE BEAST KING!" A giant ball of fire flew above Impmon's head and collided with the lightning, dispersing it. Gasping in realization and shock, Impmon saw a familiar humanoid Digimon with the face of a lion standing protectively in front of him.
(Play Digimon: Bark at the Lies)
"Leomon...?"
"Are you okay, Impmon?" Leomon asked, turning to Impmon and bending down to help him up. Impmon could only look up at Leomon in surprise.
"What the...how...?"
"The lightning caused a temporary destabilization in your data," Leomon explained, jumping out of the way of another lightning blast while scooping Impmon up in his arms. "As a result of it, some of the excess data you absorbed left your body, and I was able to reform as a result."
"I don't...get it..." Impmon tried to move, but winced at the movement.
"Don't move, I can get you out of here," said Leomon, looking around the area. "We must figure out which portal will take us to safety."
"The top one..." Impmon grunted. "Ai and Mako...my Tamers..." Leomon looked up at the portal Impmon was pointing to, and his eyes narrowed.
"I see. Hold on!" Leomon tucked Impmon tight under his arm and prepared to leap into the portal, but a lightning bolt suddenly struck the ground and Leomon yelled as he flew into the air with Impmon. Another lightning blast struck Leomon and Impmon. The two Digimon yelled in pain as they lost consciousness and began falling towards another portal. As he fell with Leomon, Impmon opened his eyes a crack to see Ai and Mako one last time.
"Ai...Mako...I'm sorry..." he muttered before blacking out entirely.
He groaned as he opened his eyes, finding himself in an area filled with trees and green grass. Where was he? What was he doing before he blacked out? He knew his name was Impmon…but he couldn't remember anything else. But he felt something in his mind, telling him that there was something out there for him, something important to him.
"Are you all right, my friend?" Impmon turned around and saw a massive man with a lion's face look down at him. Impmon couldn't be sure, but he felt like he knew this guy.
(Play Digimon Tamers: Blue Card)
"I…I think so. Have we met before? You look familiar to me."
"I…do not know," said Leomon. "I do not remember much, except that my name is Leomon. And I remember something…I cannot be sure, but it is important to me."
"The same thing's happening with me!" gasped Impmon. "I don't remember much, only that I'm looking for something important to me as well!"
"I see…" said Leomon. "Perhaps it's not a coincidence that we woke up together in this forest with amnesia, with the same thoughts going through our heads?"
"Yeah, maybe," Impmon said, scratching his head confusedly. "So what now?"
"I suggest we look for whatever is important to us," said Leomon.
"What…together?!" Impmon asked surprised, getting a nod from Leomon in response.
"Yes…perhaps there is something about us here together."
"Well, if you say so…" Impmon said with a nod. Leomon nodded and began walking down the path, Impmon following close by with a bewildered look. Who was Leomon, and why did he feel like somebody important to him?! If only he could remember…
Months passed, and Impmon and Leomon went their separate ways, as they soon felt they were both searching for something different. The demon Digimon traveled alone, not making any friends along the way. During the trip, he was trampled by a herd of Monochromon, and was dragging himself away with what strength he had left.
"I can't give up…not until…I find…what I'm looking for!" Impmon groaned as he continued pulling himself along the desert floor before collapsing. As he moaned in pain, a shadowed figure approached him and Impmon looked up, seeing that the figure before him was a human woman with blond hair and blue eyes, and she wore red witch clothing and a big hat. The woman looked down at the hurt Digimon with shock.
"Oh, my! You're an Impmon, aren't you?"
"Yeah, lady…what's it…to you…?"
"You need help," said the woman, bending down. "Here, let me…"
"I don't need help!" Impmon tried to move away, but gave out a short yell in pain, prompting the woman to pick him up carefully.
"Don't be ridiculous," said the woman. "I'm not going to hurt you." Impmon looked up into the woman's eyes and saw warmth and compassion filled with them, and he suddenly knew he could trust this woman.
"All right then…who are you, anyway?"
"My name is Witchmon," the woman said with a warm smile, walking out of the desert. Impmon drifted off to sleep.
When Impmon awoke, he found himself lying in a bed in a cottage. The sound of clicking made him turn to see Witchmon sitting in a rocking chair, knitting something in her lap.
"Oh! You're awake!" Witchmon gasped.
"Where…am I?" Impmon asked, sitting up and wincing.
"Don't move so much, I'm going to get some help for you!" Witchmon stood up from her chair and left the room, coming back in moments later with two Digimon that looked like Wizardmon, but one was dressed in white clothes, and the other wore red clothes and had no cape. The white Digimon held a metal staff with a snowflake on top, and the red Digimon held a giant matchstick in his hand.
"Who are these two louses?"
"These louses happen to be my sons," said Witchmon. "Sorcerimon," she motioned to the white-robed Digimon, "and FlaWizardmon," she gestured to the red-clothed Digimon. "Sorcerimon is an expert in healing magic."
"Hold still and let me do my work," said Sorcerimon. Impmon sighed and allowed the white-robed Digimon to wave his staff over his body. Impmon gasped slightly as he felt his injuries heal up and his strength return to him.
"Thanks," said Impmon, giving a small smile. "I feel better now."
"You shouldn't move around much yet, though," said FlaWizardmon. "You should rest a bit first."
"All right," Impmon sighed. "I'll rest, and then I'll leave…wherever I am."
"You're in Witchelny," answered Witchmon. "This is home to not only us, but to many other mythical Digimon. It's a magical Digital World that exists in a plane different than the main Digital World."
"Can I get out of Witchelny?"
"Yes, you can get out, but it requires a complex spell to get in here," said Sorcerimon.
"But not to get out, I reckon," said Impmon. "Thanks for letting me stay here, but I have to go once you give me a clean bill of health."
"Is there something important you have to do?" asked FlaWizardmon.
"Yes," said Impmon. "For the last few months, I've been searching everywhere for something important to me, waiting for it…"
"What is it?"
(Play Digimon Tamers: Shutsugen)
"I…I don't know," Impmon responded to Witchmon's question. "I don't remember much, except that it was important."
"How exactly can you find something if you don't remember it?" asked FlaWizardmon.
"I don't know yet, but I'll know it when I finally find it," said Impmon, placing his head on the pillow.
"Well, you can't find it as you are now," said Witchmon, making Impmon look at her like she was stupid.
"Look lady, I appreciate the help you gave me, and I'll know better than to move around while I'm healing…"
"I'm not talking about your injuries," Witchmon cut him off. "I'm talking about you in your Rookie level. If you go out into the Digital World again, then you'll be trashed about, and I can't protect you all the time."
"I'm not asking for your protection."
"I know. You seem like you're capable of handling yourself, but you need to be stronger if you want to survive the Digital World. It has not been an easy place as of late. Strange things are happening there, things that not even we in Witchelny are aware of."
"Stronger, huh?" Impmon asked, eyebrows knit in concentration, as if he was attempting to recall something from his past. "How do I become stronger?"
"That's another reason why I brought you here," answered Witchmon. "I could never leave an innocent Digimon to die like that…but also, I feel a great power inside of you."
"A great power, huh?" asked Impmon, interested in what the female witch was saying. "And how exactly do I get this great power to come out of me?"
"Here in Witchelny, we shall teach you everything we know about magic," said Sorcerimon. "Through the teachings, you'll be able to Digivolve to a strong Digimon, and with your new skills, you'll be able to continue your search." Impmon looked at the three Digimon with suspicion.
"How do I know I can trust you?"
"Impmon…I promise you, you can trust us. If I wasn't such a nice Digimon, I would have left you in that desert to fend for yourself," said Witchmon with a smirk. "But I didn't." Impmon opened his mouth for a rebuttal, but said nothing as he realized the truth in Witchmon's words.
"So…you're saying you can teach me?"
"We can," said FlaWizardmon. "But the question is…do you want this Impmon? Do you want to learn our ways?" Impmon considered the answer for a moment. The Monochromon rampage wasn't the first time he had been in a problem since waking up in the forest months ago with no memory. First there was the Gazimon band, then a confrontation with a Tuskmon, followed by a nasty encounter with a Gesomon. He had managed to get away with his wits, but not before getting hurt. He had tried to fight, but he hadn't had much luck as he was a Rookie. He managed to take out several Gazimon with his flame attacks, but Tuskmon and Gesomon were different stories. They were Champion level Digimon, and thus, more powerful than the purple demon Digimon. If he was stronger, he could have fought them on equal ground. He felt he needed to become stronger if he had any hopes of finding whatever he was looking for…and perhaps Witchelny could provide him with the strength needed.
"Well…if you guys can teach me…then I'll take up that offer."
The memories continued shifting, showing Impmon's training on Witchelny. Every day, he read books on magic and learned how to wield magic from Witchmon, who had come to take Impmon into her house as an adopted son, much to the demon's embarrassment. Through his training, Impmon became stronger and skilled in magical abilities, especially in fire and earth magic. Soon, he Digivolved into Wizardmon.
Another memory shift showed Wizardmon leaving Witchelny in order to continue his search. The mage Digimon traveled alone, only stopping once in a while to find somewhere to eat and sleep, but never stopping to make friends. One day, he ended up in a small town in the desert and collapsed, having not eaten anything for three days. Numerous Digimon passed by him, but they never stopped to help him up. A shadowed figure suddenly came over him, and Wizardmon looked up to see a small white cat Digimon that could reach up to his knees standing over him, holding a bowl of water in front of him.
"Here…drink this." Gathering whatever strength he had, Wizardmon pulled down the collar of his cloak and allowed some of the cold liquid to go down his throat until he passed out.
"Hey, what's wrong?! Hang in there!" Those were the last words the mage heard before passing out. When he awoke, it was nighttime and he found himself near a campfire, and the white cat was in front of the fire, watching him intently.
"You're awake," said the white cat. "Good. I was worried you would die."
"Are you the one who saved me?" asked Wizardmon, sitting up so he could look at the white cat. "Who are you?"
"My name is Gatomon," said the white cat, "and I didn't really do anything noble. I just couldn't leave you lying there." Wizardmon had a flashback to the day he met Witchmon and she helped him in the desert.
'What is it with people rescuing me in the desert?' he thought as he struggled to stand back up. "Well, thank you for helping me, but I really must be going now."
"Stay here," said Gatomon. "Your body won't be able to withstand a long journey yet." Wizardmon sighed, and sat back down in front of the white cat.
"Look, I really appreciate your help, but I don't have anything to repay you with."
"I'm not asking for anything in return," said Gatomon, looking at Wizardmon with a thoughtful expression. "If you have to say something like that, then you've probably lived a long time being alone."
"What?" Wizardmon asked in confusion.
(Play Digimon Tamers: Akogare 2)
"When you live too long in solitude, your heart becomes cold. It happens to everyone…even me," Gatomon said with a hint of sadness. Wizardmon said nothing from Gatomon's words, as he knew deep down she was right. Though Witchmon and her sons had accepted Wizardmon in their family, and the other Digimon in Witchelny accepted him as well, the mage Digimon never truly felt like he belonged with the other mage Digimon. He had only stayed with them so he could become stronger and be able to protect himself in the Digital World during his search. He had truly ever felt alone, which may have been the reason why he left Witchelny shortly after Digivolving from Impmon, which had been five years ago.
"I…I guess so," he finally said. "What happened to you?" Gatomon glared at Wizardmon briefly before looking down.
"My whole life, I've been waiting; waiting and searching for someone, but I never find her!"
"Waiting? Searching?" Wizardmon asked in surprise. This sounded very familiar to him. "For who?"
"I…I don't know," answered Gatomon. "I don't remember anymore…but I was waiting for someone. And when I couldn't wait any longer, I decided to find her."
"I see…" Wizardmon said with a knowing nod as he sat back down. "To be honest…I've been searching for something important to me as well, but I can't remember."
"You too?" Gatomon asked in surprise.
"Yes," said Wizardmon, studying Gatomon before speaking again. "Perhaps you and I could find them together."
"Together?" asked Gatomon, surprised even more now.
"Yes," said Wizardmon. "You and I both seek something important to us, but we cannot remember it. However…if you and I stay together, then perhaps we will remember them together."
"I…I don't think that's a good idea," said Gatomon, uneasy at Wizardmon's proposition. "You see…I work for a Digimon who's…not exactly the nicest Digimon around…" The white cat rubbed her right paw, which was covered in a red and green glove, much like the left paw. "He also seeks only the strongest Digimon into his army…"
"I see," Wizardmon said, eyes narrowed at the mention of this dark Digimon. "But I shall still come with you Gatomon. I happen to be very powerful despite my looks."
"You do?" Wizardmon nodded, and Gatomon could tell he was being truthful. She wasn't sure about bringing someone like Wizardmon to her master, as he seemed like a nice Digimon, but could he handle the cruelty of someone like Myotismon? "Very well then, once you are fully recovered, I'll take you to him."
The next morning, Gatomon and Wizardmon set out, and the white cat brought the mage to Myotismon, a vampire-like Digimon. Wizardmon shivered at the sight of the Digimon, and he could see that he was definitely not a friendly Digimon.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Yami kara no Mezamase ~Vamdemon no Theme~)
"Gatomon, you have returned," said the vampire Digimon as the white cat bowed to him. Myotismon looked up and saw Wizardmon, raising an eyebrow. "Who is this?"
"This is a new friend of mine that I met yesterday, Lord Myotismon," Gatomon answered, standing back up and gesturing to Wizardmon. "This is Wizardmon. He is a Champion level Digimon like I am, but he is very skilled and very powerful. I believe he could be a valuable asset to your army." Myotismon walked over and looked down at Wizardmon. The mage Digimon resisted the urge to shudder as he looked up in Myotismon's ice-cold blue eyes as he felt them study him.
"Does she speak the truth?"
"She does," Wizardmon said, slowly dropping down to one knee. "Gatomon helped me yesterday when I was in great need, and I have vowed to repay my debt to her. She has spoken very highly of you during our voyage to this castle, and I am willing to do whatever you wish...Lord Myotismon." This was a lie, as he felt this dark Digimon was someone Gatomon did not want to serve, but did it anyway as she had little to no choice.
"Hmm…I do sense great power within you, despite your low level," said Myotismon, a smirk slowly growing on his lips. "Yes…you could do very well." The vampire Digimon then looked down to the white cat. "Make sure he does not disappoint me, Gatomon."
"I will, my lord," Gatomon said with a bow.
More memory shifts showed years of Wizardmon and Gatomon's service under Myotismon. Throughout the years, Gatomon's memories of searching for someone faded away and she continued serving Myotismon loyally, but Wizardmon never forgot and vowed to make Gatomon remember. Though he carried out numerous missions for Myotismon, he was never truly loyal to the evil vampire Digimon. His true loyalty was to Gatomon, not just because she saved his life, but because of their similar backgrounds of searching for something they were unable to remember.
Soon, Myotismon took his army to the Human World, where they would take it over and kill the eighth Digidestined, a group of humans chosen to save the Digital World with their own partner Digimon. There were seven so far, and the eighth child was somewhere in the human world, prophesized to destroy Myotismon. The vampire Digimon had the eighth child's Crest, the Crest of Light, in his hands, and distributed copies to his minions, ordering them to search Japan for him or her.
As he searched, Wizardmon began thinking about what Gatomon had said to her the first day they met. Though the white cat didn't remember it, Wizardmon did, and he began wondering. This somebody Gatomon mentioned…could she possibly be the eighth child, and could Gatomon be the child's partner Digimon? He would make her remember.
August 2, 1999. Wizardmon had just left Gatomon, who was watching an apartment from across the street, housing a small girl with brown hair. The mage Digimon flew to Ariake forest, where he managed to find the eighth child's Digivice in a crow's nest. DemiDevimon caught him, but Wizardmon pretended he was drunk after drinking sake. Once the annoying bat was out of his hair, Wizardmon returned to Gatomon, telling her that eighth child could be somewhere deep within her heart, making her remember their first meeting and what she said, while declaring he had been fighting for her the entire time and not Myotismon.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Shouri Zen no Theme)
"Who was it that I was waiting for?" Gatomon asked as she began to slowly remember. "Who was I looking for?"
"Let's set things straight," Wizardmon said, flying over to the apartment and landing in front of the girl, who was outside on the balcony. Gatomon leapt over and joined them. Taking the Digivice out of his pocket, Wizardmon placed in Gatomon's hand and pushed her towards the girl. The girl stretched her hand out and touched the Digivice, which glowed brightly. Tai and Agumon appeared and after a brief misunderstanding that had Agumon nearly hit Kari with a Pepper Breath by accident, which Gatomon took for Kari, Gatomon finally remembered.
"I was waiting for the eighth child…Kari, I was waiting for you! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Wizardmon watched with a small smile, happy that Gatomon finally regained her memories and was finally with Kari. Now if only he could remember…
The memories shifted again and came to Wizardmon being thrown into the ocean by Myotismon with the Crest of Light once the vampire Digimon discovered their treachery, as well as the truth of Gatomon. The mage Digimon struggled to stay alive, eventually being found by Joe and TK, who were riding on Zudomon. Wizardmon was pulled up and he explained everything to the two boys, gaining their trust. Once they reached the Fuji TV Station, Wizardmon used his magic to heal Lillymon, who had been paralyzed by Myotismon's Nightmare Claw.
"Wizardmon isn't a bad Digimon!" TK told everybody. "He has a Tag and Crest that belongs to the eighth child!" Wizardmon showed them the Crest and explained everything to them, while learning from Matt about Kari surrendering herself to Phantomon. Wizardmon went up to the top of the TV station with the Digidestined. Myotismon was able to hold his own so far, but Wizardmon decided to be tricky and blasted him in the back when he least expected it.
(Play Digimon Adventure: Shuugeki! Soshite…)
"Kari, catch!" Wizardmon tossed the Crest of Light over to Kari, who was happy to see Wizardmon alive, as well as Gatomon.
"So…you're still alive!" Myotismon growled, turning to see the glaring mage Digimon.
"I'm the type that makes sure my debts are paid," said Wizardmon. "Besides, it'll take more than the likes of you to destroy me!"
"We'll see about that!" Myotismon raised his hand in the air and fire an orb of purple energy that blasted Wizardmon into a wall. Wizardmon grunted as he fell forward. Looking up, he watched as Tai and MetalGreymon joined the battle with Mimi, but Myotismon was able to hold off all of the Ultimate levels' attacks, and DemiDevimon managed to grab Kari's Digivice before Kari could catch it from Tai.
Angemon's appearance, however, made a turn for the better, as he was able to bring Myotismon to his knees, and obliterate the reaper-like Phantomon with his Heaven's Knuckle attack.
"Myotismon! Give yourself up!" Angemon called out. Myotismon looked up at the angel Digimon with a pained grin.
"Don't think that's enough to finish me off! GRISLY WING!" Everybody gasped when they saw the bats were not heading for Angemon, but a defenseless Kari and Gatomon. With no other options in his mind but one, Wizardmon put all of his remaining energy into a big jump, putting himself between his two friends and Myotismon's attack. Wizardmon's mouth opened in a silent scream as the attack tore through his already weakened body. His hat flew off his head as he landed on his back in front of a stunned Kari and Gatomon.
"You little pipsqueak…" Myotismon growled at his former servant. "What nerve you have, getting in my way!"
(Play Digimon Adventure: Kanashimi)
"Wizardmon!" Kari and Gatomon both cried out, running over and bending down over the hurt Digimon.
"Wizardmon, please! You can't die!" Kari pleaded with the dying mage. Wizardmon said nothing as he looked over to Gatomon, tears streaming down her face.
"Gatomon…are you…okay…"
"Wizardmon…I'm sorry…" Gatomon sobbed, unable to tear away from the sight of her dying friend.
"For what…?"
"It's my fault you're like this…had I not gotten you involved…you would have found what you were looking for."
"It's not your fault," Wizardmon said with a small smile. "I know…someday I'll find what I was looking for…I remember now…and I'll find it someday. Had I not met you, I would not remember…and I would still be wandering aimlessly…I'm glad I got to know you. I'm glad…you were my friend…"
"Wizardmon…" Gatomon sobbed as Wizardmon began feeling light-headed.
"Thank you…for everything…" the mage Digimon breathed his last, his final thoughts going through his head.
'So this is what it's like. I'm sorry, Ai…Mako…looks like I won't be keeping my promise after all…'
Everything was black until Wizardmon opened his eyes again. He found himself floating over the TV station, where he saw his friend Digivolve into the beautiful Angewomon and destroy Myotismon with her Celestial Arrow. Confused about why he was still alive, Wizardmon looked down and saw his body was transparent. It suddenly clicked to him.
'Because I didn't die in the Digital World…I'm stuck like this…forever…' The bad feeling in Wizardmon's body grew worse upon realizing he could never be reborn again. He would now be stuck here forever as a ghost…in another dimension…with no Ai, no Mako, no Jeri…not even Leomon, who may have been with him in this dimension, but had no memories of who he was.
As he watched from his place above the TV station, Wizardmon watched as Myotismon Digivolved to his Mega level, VenomMyotismon. The mage Digimon could only watch in horror as the giant vampire monster tore through Odaiba, craving power.
'Was that…what I was like…when I was Beelzemon? When I killed Leomon?' Wizardmon thought in shock.
(Play Digimon: Brave Heart)
But his horror became relief when he saw Agumon Digivolve to his own Mega level, WarGreymon, a dragon warrior clad in armor, a shield, and clawed gauntlets, and Gabumon Digivolve to his Mega level, MetalGarurumon.
'Hmm…Tai and Matt didn't merge with them like Takato and the others did…this dimension must be definitely different than my own…' he observed. He watched as WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon tear through VenomMyotismon with their special attacks, effectively destroying him. The sky then split open, and the Digital World was revealed, leading to the Digidestined returning to the Digital World to fight the Dark Masters.
Wizardmon watched as the Digidestined battle the Dark Masters, worried when he saw Kari fall ill, and cursed the heavens above when he saw Leomon die again. The mage's anger over Leomon's death soon turned to pleasure when he saw MetalEtemon fall before the Digidestined for what he did to Leomon.
"Good riddance, you bastard…" he muttered as the rips in the sky closed after Apocalymon was destroyed, and the Digidestined returned without their partners.
As the next four years passed, Wizardmon stayed where he was, unable to leave as the TV station was rebuilt. The mage Digimon remained as a spirit and he could only watch and wallow in sadness as he thought about Ai, Mako, Jeri, the Tamers, Kari, Gatomon…so many promises broken, and so many failures. In his mind, the mage Digimon, who had been through so much as Impmon, Wizardmon, Beelzemon and Beelzemon Blast Mode, was a failure. He could never again be with Ai and Mako.
Then one day, a week ago, he felt a familiar feeling swell up in his chest. Looking out over Odaiba, Wizardmon was shocked when he saw his Tamers were now in this dimension with Jeri and the other Tamers. His shock soon turned into sadness as he knew he would still be unable to be with them ever again, and the feeling was worse when he learned Leomon had regained his memories as well and reunited with Jeri.
(Play Digimon: 3 Primary Colors)
'Leomon's lucky…he gets back together with his partner, but I can never be with Ai and Mako again because of what's become of me…and even then…I wouldn't be worthy of being their partner…'
Why do we have to fight?
I don't want to hurt anyone
The images faded, and everybody found themselves back in the present day in the director's room of the TV station. The Digidestined and Tamers had looks of shock and sadness on their faces from what they just saw.
If it's not a game, I want to quit
What do you think?
"Do you see now?" Wizardmon asked his Tamers sadly. "After everything I've done…every promise I've broken…every failure that's befallen me…I am unworthy of being your partner…unworthy of being anybody's friend…"
I don't have time to search for a reason
"That's not true, Impmon!" said Ai, tears streaming down her face. "You may have done horrible things, but you've proven yourself capable of good things as well!"
I don't want anyone to steal it from me, do I?
"She's right!" said Mako, equally sad. "Thanks to you, me and Ai stopped fighting and we became proper siblings."
I don't want to run away without fighting?
What do you think?
"And if it wasn't for you, I would never have met Kari," Gatomon said, tears in her own eyes as well. A teary-eyed Kari nodded as well. "Don't you see, Wizardmon? You have done many things to redeem yourself. You may have failed in some places, but nobody's perfect!"
I don't understand now
But I know someday the day will come when I do
"Yeah!" said Davis. "We all screw up plenty, but we can't let that get to us! You can't let it get to you, Wizardmon! There are people who care about you and want you in their lives!"
Primary Colors
We're still primary colors
"We want you with us, Impmon," said Ai.
"I'm Wizardmon in this form," the mage Digimon reminded the girl.
Afraid of mixing with each other
Primary Colors
Everything is up to our future selves
"It doesn't matter," said Mako. "Whether you're Wizardmon, Beelzemon, or Yaamon…you're still Impmon to us."
"And you're not a murderous monster," said Ai. "You're still our friend…our partner…our family."
When we join hands
We'll be infinitely expanding colors
"You…actually consider me…your family?" Wizardmon asked in surprise.
"We do," said Ai. "We love you Impmon…and we don't want you to go away again."
"We want to be with you forever," said Mako. "And we're not the only ones. Jeri, Rika, the others…they want you back as well…and Gatomon does as well…"
I can't say whether it's right or not
But we're fighting to stay alive, right?
Those are the rules of life
What do you think?
"You are right," said Kari. "The things you did as Beelzemon were bad enough to put you in the same league with Myotismon…but Myotismon never repented for his sins, never regretted anything. But you…you were filled with regret and remorse, and you wanted to redeem yourself in the eyes of your Tamers and your friends…and you earned your redemption. You are not Myotismon."
I believe in no one but myself
Ever since I was little I've been this way
I don't want to take off my sunglasses
This is me
"Wizardmon…please come back to us…" Gatomon said, her eyes still leaking tears. "We need you…all of us…you're not a failure…you're not a disgrace…you have proven yourself worthy of being my friend…Ai and Mako's partner…everybody has forgiven you for your past sins…please…"
I'm not strong
But I'm sure that's okay for now
"I…I want to, so badly…" Wizardmon finally said, eyes clenched tightly. "But I don't know how to…"
"Then we can find a way," said Jeri. "I don't care how long it takes…but you will return to life, Wizardmon! It's what you want…it's what we all want."
Primary Colors
"We'll find a way for you to come back to us, Impmon," said Ai.
Our feelings are still primary colors
Afraid of believing in each other
Primary Colors
Everything is up to our future selves
"We just have to believe in it happening," said Mako. As they spoke, the storm outside began to die down and the dark clouds parted to reveal a bright sun. The attention in the room was suddenly diverted to two things glowing brightly: Ai and Mako's D-Ark, and the Crest of Light that appeared over Kari's chest.
When we overlap each other
We'll be brilliantly expanding colors
"This…this is…!" Kari gasped as the two lights joined together and engulfed Wizardmon.
"What's happening?!" Izzy asked in bewilderment.
"Ai and Mako's connection with Impmon, as well as Kari's Crest of Light, must be affecting Wizardmon somehow," said Henry, noticing the twin lights glowing brightly together.
As Wizardmon glowed brightly, a rainbow appeared over the TV station, as a result of the storm outside and the sun shining brightly. Bright lights rained down from the rainbow and onto Wizardmon. At this point, Wizardmon's figure was now one of light. The figure suddenly began shrinking and changing form. When the light faded, Impmon stood in place of Wizardmon, completely solid.
No one knows
But surely that's okay for now
"I…I'm solid again!" Impmon gasped at what had just happened to him. "Does this mean…I'm alive again?"
"Imp…Impmon…" Gatomon breathed as the light faded from Kari's chest and the D-Ark. The white cat stepped forward and stretched out her hand.
Primary Colors
We're still primary colors
Afraid of mixing with each other
Hesitating slightly, Impmon reached out towards his old friend as well. The two hands joined together, and Gatomon couldn't stop the fresh tears that appeared in her eyes as she embraced her old friend, Impmon stumbling back in shock from the hug. "You're alive again…"
Primary Colors
Everything is up to our future selves
When we join hands
We'll be infinitely expanding colors
Impmon stood in shock before he smiled, tears of his own appearing in his eyes as he returned the hug. "Yeah…I guess I am…" Ai and Mako ran over joined Gatomon in the hug, happy that their partner was finally back with them after so long. Unable to contain themselves, Kari and Jeri ran over, and were also in the hug as well.
The rest of the Digidestined and the Tamers hung back with smiles on their faces as they watched the emotional reunion before them. They may have been unable to make much progress today concerning the Digital World due to the blackout…but they were finally able to find an old friend of theirs and they managed to bring him back to life. Now all they needed to do was rescue Patamon, and bring Ken back to their side. Together…they could accomplish anything.
We are the three primary colors...
(Play Days: Aijou to Nichijou TV Size)
END CHAPTER 16
How many of you were expecting Impmon to be Wizardmon the entire time? This was an idea that came to me when I looked up possible Champion and Ultimate levels for Impmon and Beelzemon. I clicked on Wizardmon, who was listed as a Champion form for Impmon on Wikimon, and when I saw his Ultimate level, which can Digivolve to Beelzemon, I knew Wizardmon had to be the right choice for this. So now the entire team is together, we learn how Impmon came to the Digidestined's dimension and how Leomon's data was extracted from him. And it seems like TK will be able to get help for his anger problems concerning darkness, courtesy of Henry.
As you may have noticed, I put in the English translation of the song "3 Primary Colors" in the resurrection scene. I've always found it to be an emotional song in Digimon, and I wanted to add the lyrics to this scene. Did it fit well?
In the next chapter, the Digidestined and the Tamers return to the Digital World to fight one of the most powerful Ultimate level Digimon, but can they possibly defeat MagnaAngemon? Impmon may have an solution...