2

After crossing the desert for what seemed an eternity, Neromon stopped.

"This is the place" he said.

"But I don't see anything here but desert", said Tigger, getting off the Unimon.

"Oh, forgot to tell you." said Neromon. You gotta use that thing hangin' on your pocket"

"Is that what this is for?"

"Just hold it out in front of you."

Tigger took the lowly, scuffed and marred digivice, held it out, and waited.

"Nothing's happening" she said. "Are you sure...?"

"Sure as shootin'."

"I don't even know why I have this thing! It never works! Stupid thing!"

She smacked the digivice into the sand, but, when it struck the ground, there was a huge explosion that made the ground shake, and a blinding shaft of light surged upward to the sky. A thick cloud of dust rose, so thick that Tigger, Nermon and the unimon couldn't see each other. The dust made Tigger cough.

"Where is everybody?"

There was a loud winnie from the Unimon, followed by a loud thud.

"Ooowwww! Hey, that was my eye!" said Tigger.

"Leave it to you to get in the way of unimon's foot!", said Neromon.

The unimon whinnied and growled.

"Okay, okay!" said Neromon, "I take it back already!"

When the dust cleared, a tropical looking oasis, thick with trees and shrubs appeared. The three travelers looked at each other. Tigger and Neromon shrugged. The unimon shook her head. Tigger took a step forward.

"Wait a minute!" said Neromon, "Let's not lose each other here." He firmly grabbed Tigger's hand. Tigger, in turn, took the Unimon by her mane, and they all went forward into the brush. When they were only a few yards in, they saw in front of them two long, uniform rows of palm trees. Tigger clutched her companions tightly as they walked the path between the palm trees that stood like gently sloping sentinels keeping watch over the entrance to a great palace. It led them to the bottom of a long, winding stone staircase. Tigger jumped with a start when she heard a voice out of the distance call.

"Hello!" the voice said, "I've been expecting you! Come on up!"

Tigger looked at the endless looking trail of steps. "You've got to be kidding!" she said to herself.

"I heard that!" said the voice. "Come on, you're not afraid of a few stairs, are you?"

"Hmmph! I'll show you who's afraid!" Tigger yelled back, releasing her two friends and starting up the stairs.

"Tigger", said Neromon, "You're gonna..."

Tigger strode determined up the first few steps, and then tripped, nearly falling on her face when the quick-thinking Unimon used her mouth to grab on to Tigger's tee-shirt collar to keep her from hitting her head. Neromon rushed over and took Tigger's arm. He and the unimon then put her down gently.

"Are you hurt, Dollface?" Said Neromon.

"I'm fine", said Tigger, "I will do this!"

Tigger tried to get back up on her feet, but then felt a sharp cramp in her leg.
"Aaah!" she screamed, "d**n! Why did this have to happen!?" Tigger collapsed on her knee grimacing. I can't even…

"Tigger, get a grip. It's just one of those things." said Neromon helping her back onto the unimon.

"Everything that happens to me is one of those things!"

"Don't be like that…"

When they reached the top of the stairway, they were at the entrance of a huge pagoda.

"You can put me down"; Tigger said to the Unimon,"I can stand."

She got off the unimon and slowly approached the huge wooden doors and rapped on them twice. A deep, loud clank, and then a low growl answered it as the massive doors slowly opened.

"Come in! Come in!" the voice said. The three of them looked at each other, and then cautiously went inside.

"Good afternoon!" the voice said.

Tigger looked all around for where the voice was coming from.

"Down here!"

Tigger looked down to see a small, round the creature with pink fur carrying a spear, a sort of basketball with a face, arms, and legs.

"I'm Piximon, and you're lucky to have me as your trainer, yup yup! I've heard a lot about you!"

"Me?"

"Your reputation got here long before you did. The last thing I heard was that you made Machinedramon beat a hasty retreat by charging him, forcing his own armies to fire back on him. Very effective! Very foolhardy, but very effective!"

Tigger rolled her eyes. "You don't know the half of it."

Piximon noticed what was left of the bruise on her face. "You took on a wild gazimon, didn't you?"

"Don't rub it in."

"Oh, no! Gazimon are very fierce, but not terribly bright. You can out-think them if you have a mind to. But I was told you were having a problem lately. Tell me, what is it?"

"Well" said Tigger "almost since I arrived in the digital world, I've wanted to become a digimon. Could you tell me how to be one?"

Piximon looked at her incredulously. "Child, you are not a digimon at all; you're a human, and you will do well to refer to yourself as such."

"But I'm no good as a human!"

"What?"

Piximon unfolded his wings and flew upward and hovered so he could look straight into Tigger's earthy-brown eyes.

"Not good? Why?"

The only answer Tigger could give were the tears running down her face.

"I see," said Piximon, regarding her thoughtfully. "Tell me, do you need proof that you are good?"

"I already know that I'm not."

Piximon lightly rapped the shaft of his spear on Tigger's head.

"That's not what I asked you! I asked if you needed proof that you are good!"

"Hey, knock it off!" Neromon said, stepping between them. "Don't hit her like that! She's been hit enough!"

"Neromon," said Tigger "It's okay, he didn't hurt me. Let me handle this."

She then looked straight back at Piximon.

"Okay, Mister Wise 'Mon! Go ahead! Lay it on me! Prove it!"

Piximon nodded calmly. "Very well, I will have a task for you to do in the morning. Are you game?"

"Bring it on!"

Piximon smiled. "Excellent!"

He showed Tigger to one of his guestrooms.

"Get some rest, now. You're going to need it. And one more thing- Next to the instinct to survive, your digimon's most powerful life force is to protect his human. Treat it with respect, and it will serve you well. Yup, Yup! Good night."

When Tigger got up out of bed the next morning she got dressed and opened her door. On the wall of the hallway, there was a sign with an arrow that pointed left with the words "This Way" above it. She walked down the quiet hallway until she came to a door at the end. She opened the door and saw a sparse room with two chairs and a table. On the table was a pile of some cloth on one side, and a scissors, needle, and thread on the other. A note was placed in the middle. It read:

"I knew your curiosity would get the better of you! There are instructions under this note. Follow them faithfully and work diligently until the task is done. I will check up on you occasionally. Your digimon will be with you soon."

Tigger looked at the instructions. The pattern and picture of what it supposed to look like seemed odd, but then again, in the digital world, everything is odd. She read them carefully and then took the cloth which had a soft satiny "fake fur" on one side.

She laid the cloth out on the table, and then took the pattern and laid it on top of the cloth, but she needed something to secure the pattern. She looked around and found a small pile of pins and needles, and she rolled her eyes.

"That's great, no pincushion."

She tried picking up a pin from the pile, and felt the pain of her finger being pricked.
"Ow!" She pulled her hand away, scattering pins and needles on the floor. She wanted to scream.

"No!" she said to herself. "I will do this!"

A while later Neromon came to the door carrying a bright red pincushion. He knocked.

"Coming" said Tigger.

The door opened.

"The little pink fur ball said that you might need -"

He then looked up to see Tigger covered in pins, needles, and thread. Some were tangled in her long brown hair, and some of the pins and needles with thread were stuck in a disorganized mess all over the front of her blue tee shirt. Neromon gawked at her. Tigger frowned.

"Don't even ask!"

Neromon squirmed as he watched her struggle to stitch together the oddly shaped cloth parts, pricking her fingers and hands many times, but collecting herself and saying "I will do this" over and over. "Come on, Tig! You're going too slow!"

"Neromon, be quiet! I'm never going to get this done if you keep distracting me. Ouch! Now you've made me stab myself."

"You did that all by yourself, feather brain."

"Knothead!"

"If you don't know how to use your limbs, I'll show you how!" Neromon grabbed Tigger's arms.

"Ow!" said Tigger. "Stop! You're hurting me!"

"Stop being a dumb human!"

Tigger wrenched her arm loose and swung. Her hand struck Neromon's face. "Stop it! I'm not dumb! I'm not- Oh my gosh!"

She watched a haunted look come over him that she had not seen before.

"Neromon, I - I'm sorry. You're not going to really hurt me, are you?"

Neromon's eyes sank. "Tigger, don't be ridiculous. You know I don't want to hurt you."

He hopped down from the chair and, without saying another word, walked over to the door, and opened it. He glanced back at her once more before going out and quietly closing the door behind him. Tigger hung her head.

Neromon sat on the front steps of Piximon's house. He looked out past the digital barrier that kept him and the others hidden and protected. Everything looked fuzzy and out of focus, in a pleasant sort of way. He then heard Piximon call him.

"Hey! You there!" Piximon marched right up beside him.

"What are you doing out here when you should be inside helping your human?"

Neromon hung his head.

"She doesn't need me anymore."

"Oh, is that so?"

"It doesn't matter. She's just a dumb human, anyway."

"Yes, she's very human, and she's worried about you. She told me what happened."

"She didn't hit me all that hard, but I got her meaning. That's what I get for trying to -" Neromon stopped himself.

Piximon took his spear and gently prodded Neromon's face toward him.

"Trying to what?"

Neromon squirmed for a moment. "It's her hands. They don't move the way they're supposed to. Nah, it's not just her hands. It's her arms, her legs; it's even in the way she speaks. Even if I could digivolve, I can't do a thing about it. I guess I'm just a useless digimon…"

"Nonsense! She needs you as much as you need her!"

"Huh?"

"Each of you has your own unique challenges that you must meet in your own way. In that sense, you're struggles are the same. It's about trial and error."

"What?"

"I said trial and error. That's how humans learn; digimon too, sometimes. It is only your own fear that is holding you back. You have a harder job than I; I can only tell her what to do, but you must help her discover what she is. It is good that you have taught her how to survive here, but in order for both of you to evolve you must be willing to learn from her. Sometimes, it can only be done by trial and error. Respect the process and it will serve you well, yup, yup! Now, get back in there and show her the kind of 'mon you are!"

Neromon got up, and slowly started walking back towards the house.

"Go on, go on! Hurry up! You haven't got all day!" said Piximon.

Neromon made his way back to the workroom. The door was open, and Tigger wasn't there. He walked back down the hall to Tigger's room. The door was closed. He stood and stared at it for a moment, and then curled up on the floor and closed his eyes.

It was evening when he was startled awake by Tigger's screaming from inside the room. Neromon stood up and knocked on the door frantically.

"Tigger! Tigger, open up! It's me…"

The door slowly opened, and there was Tigger in her light blue pajamas, her eyes half open.

"Are you okay?" said Neromon.

"I'm alright. I was just dreaming."

"About what?"

Tigger motioned for Neromon to come in, and went and sat down on the bed. Neromon walked over and sat down next to her. They both is sat silent for a moment, and then, Tigger turned and said,

"Listen, I don't know what to say to you, except that if you don't want to be around me anymore, I'll understand, and that I'm sorry…"

"You think I came all this way just to give up on you?" said Neromon. Well, you can forget it! Now, what were you dreaming about?"

"It was nothing."

"Nothing, my eye! It was about those bullies again, wasn't it? Come on, I told you what to do when that happens."

"Oh please," said Tigger. "Not that again! It's so corny!"

"Hey, it works, doesn't it? Come on, I'll even do it with you."

Neromon leaned over, took Tigger's arm, and pointed out in front of him. "Look! There are all those bullies, and they're fixing to off ya, see. But you've got something they don't. You have -"

Neromon picked up Tigger's arm and closed the fingers of her hand leaving her index finger pointing up. "-your handy dandy shrink ray!"

Tigger began to giggle, in spite of herself.

"You've got 'em scared, now" said Neromon. "Take aim!"

He took her arm and extended it in front of her. "Now, fire! POW! Aaah! You've got 'em! They're getting smaller, and smaller, and smaller… Now's your chance! Quick! Pick them up off the ground before they get away!"

Tigger laughed openly as she bent over and pretended to quickly scoop up her would-be assailants.

"There goes one! Get 'em!" Neromon said. "There goes another one! He's getting away!"

Still laughing, Tigger reached out her foot, stomped it on the floor, and then dragged it back.

"Good move!" Neromon continued as Tigger sat back up. He took her hands and cupped them together. "Now you have 'em right where you want 'em. Look at them, just quaking in their boots! Okay, you know what to do."

Tigger glanced at Neromon and then looked down into her hands. She took a deep breath, and let out a hearty blow.

"Yay!" Neromon said, taking Tigger's hand and shaking it vigorously. "Congratulations kid, you blew them away!"

Tigger turned and smiled a moment at her companion, and then leaned over and gently kissed the side of his furry, orange face. Neromon's normally fierce eyes softened and his body started to go limp. A little smile rose to his face. He then shook himself and winced.

"Criminy! Will you cut out the mushy stuff and get some sleep already!"

"Anything you say, Peachfuzz" said Tigger

"Aw, cut it out, will ya!"

Neromon walked out of the room, closed the door, and turned. His nose bumped in to the end of a spear pointing upward. He looked down to see Piximon smiling broadly at him, and nodding approvingly. Neromon watched Piximon turn and go on his way without saying a word. He curled up on the floor once again, and closed his eyes, but, no matter how hard he tried, he could not keep the smile off his face.

The next day, Tigger was back in the workroom, continuing to work feverishly into the evening. After anchoring the digizoid claws to what finally looked like a pair of animal paws, she took a deep breath. Neromon watched her nervously, but worked just as hard not to do or say anything without being asked.

"Okay" she said. "Last thing… " She carefully uncapped the bottle of red dye, and then reached over to grasp of the narrow stem of the brush. It slipped out of her fingers, but she tried again, and picked it up successfully. She carefully grasped the brush in both hands, determined not to let it drop. Resting her elbows on the table, she carefully aimed the bristles and lowered them toward the mouth of the bottle. Neromon held his breath. The bristles lightly slid down the neck of the bottle and then Tigger slowly drew them out. She then moved the brush over to the makeshift paws. "Careful" she said to herself. "You don't want to have to do this all over -"

Tigger remembered the time when, in first grade, she tried to write the alphabet. She remembered the look on the teacher's face. It was nothing more than a vague smile. She didn't want to look at the paper with the work she had put so much effort into.

As Tigger remembered this, she looked at the brush she held precariously in her hands. She let it fall to the table, and hung her head down. Just then, she felt Neromon's paws gently touch her arms. They looked at each other for a moment. Neromon nodded toward the brush. She picked up the brush again and aimed it carefully.

"No, Neromon" she said. "Don't squeeze my arms; just hold them up steady." Neromon loosened his grip.

"Okay" she continued. "When the brush comes down I'm going to move it from left to right. Got that?"

Neromon nodded. Tigger slowly lowered the brush until the bristles gently touched the cloth, and began moving her arms, dragging the brush across it. Neromon moved carefully with her. She then lifted the brush.

"Perfect. Now, we're going to do the same thing again, only here this time."

With each stripe they brushed, their movements became easier, less awkward, and more gentle. When the stripes were all done they both put their arms at their sides, and smiled at each other quietly for a few moments.

Then Neromon said "You had better not even think about kissing me again!"

Tigger laughed.

The next day, Tigger, Neromon and the Unimon approached Piximon in the great room.

"They're done" said Tigger, proudly. She handed the odd looking gloves that she had toiled over to Piximon. He examined them carefully.

"Excellent!" he said. "You have done well." He promptly handed the gloves back to Tigger. "You may go now."

"That's all?" said Tigger. "I mean -what am I supposed to do with these?"

Piximon smiled. "You're a big human; you figure it out."

Tigger and Neromon looked back at Piximon, confused. Piximon just continued to smile.

"Okay" said Tigger. "I'll find some use for them -I hope."

"That's the spirit! Now, off with you. When you find their purpose, you may return and tell me all about it, yup yup! Farewell!"

Tigger looked at Piximon silently for a moment, and then at the gloves, and then at Piximon again. She turned and walked in her awkward gait toward the main doorway of the pagoda, followed by Neromon and the Unimon.

Piximon watched them make their way down the thousands of steps. As they disappeared from view, he quietly said "Good luck, my brave friend."

As Tigger, astride the Unimon, and Neromon left the digital portal that kept Piximon's house safe and hidden, Tigger once again began to sing.

"The bear went over the mountain,
The bear went over the mountain…"

"Oh, no!" said Neromon. "Not that again!"

"Oh Neromon, don't be such a stick in the mud! Come on, sing it with me… The bear went over the mountain…"

"Criminy!"