"Ya know, these sewers aren't too bad…" Rach noted, Gomamon on her head.
"Guess not…but they still remind me of home…"
Silence befell them like a blanket of velvet, muffling noise.
"I miss my video games…Kitty promised she'd play…"
Patamon looked down sympathetically at Mikey.
"I miss my inventions…I was gonna test them out with Kitty…"
Tentomon looked up at Don's downcast face.
"I miss practice…Kitty promised to help me with that one kata…"
Agumon looked up curiously at his partner.
"I miss my punching bag…Kitty promised she'd help me patch it up after last time…"
Gabumon looked at his partner in sympathetic silence.
"I miss my TV…there was supposed to be a wrestling match on…"
Gomamon sighed from atop Rach's head, his back feet on the upper rim of her shell.
"…I miss my computer…I was planning on doing research…"
Biyomon nuzzled Elisa's leg comfortingly, getting an absentminded pat on the head.
"…I miss my soda…I had a stash of Pepsi…"
Palmon looked sympathetic as she walked beside Gio down the sewer tunnel.
A horrible smell hit them all like a cement truck, and their hands flew to their noses.
"GOD, what's that horrible smell?!" Rach sneezed out, feeling her eyes about to water.
"And this is coming from a turtle that lives in the sewer!"
"It's the Numemon!" Gomamon stated, covering his own nose.
"Numemon?"
"Disgusting Digimon that live in the sewers. All they do is throw Nume-Sludge." Biyomon answered her partner.
The strange green and purple-spotted Digimon came into view, and the Digimon pulled the turtles into a run.
"Why are we running?!" Raph demanded, nearly tripping.
"You'll see!"
"Nume-Sludge!"
The pink blob fell in front of Gio, and she instinctively stopped.
"…Ewwwwwwwwwwwwww…"
She jumped over it, holding Palmon to her chest like a stuffed animal.
"This way!" Patamon called from the opening to a sewer pipe, and they ran up the angled tube.
They ran into the light, coming out in a grassy field that seemed to stretch to each horizon, and rimmed by trees and forest, a raised strip of land serving as a road.
They turned back to see the Numemon run back into the darkness.
"The only thing that drives them away is the sunshine."
Leo nodded to his partner, and they started their walk across the raised dirt road.
As the day wore on and nothing happened, they all relaxed…until they saw a valley of soda machines to their left…
Gio stopped, and her arm twitched lightly.
"Uh oh…"
Rach moved between her older sister and the machines.
"Don't do it, Gio! Remember what happened last time!"
Gio restrained herself, but it seemed to be too much, and she darted down, Palmon following her as fast as she could.
"…This isn't good…"
"Why not?" Leo questioned, curious.
"Gio has a…weakness…for soda. She won't stop drinking until she can't, and then she'll be ten times worse than Mikey for half an hour until she falls over in sleep."
Silence…
"Shouldn't we stop her?" Raph asked.
"Do ya wanna lose an arm?"
Raph literally flinched, looking at Elisa for conformation. She only nodded, showing a scar on the side of her shell.
"So…who's gonna carry her?"
Meanwhile…
"Are you sure we should be getting soda?"
Gio turned to her partner.
"Of course! Soda is untainted and necessary for ultimate happiness!"
…
"…Okay…"
Gio took a dollar from her belt, putting it into the machine. She pressed a button, and waited patiently for the soda to fall.
The soda machine made a strange sound before the front fell open, revealing an empty machine and a Numemon.
Gio jumped back, and Palmon jumped in front of her.
"Hey, cutie! How about a date?"
A vein pulsed in her forehead, and Rach could hear her refusal as if her sister was standing next to her.
"SHELL NO, YOU LITTLE SQUIRT!!!!!"
"Gio, don't make him mad! He's their leader!" Palmon pleaded.
"Why? It's not like he can come out into the sun-."
Clouds covered the sun, and Gio deflated.
"-Light…"
There was a moment of silence as she stared at the Numemon.
"Then the date's off!!"
The other soda machines popped open to show more Numemon.
"Nume-Sludge!"
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
Gathering Palmon into her arms, Gio started running, and the group looked up to see her being chased by an army of Numemon.
Silence…
"RUN!!!!"
As Gio caught up with them, they weren't too happy with her.
"Ya HAD to get a soda, didn't cha?!"
"Not now, Raph!!"
They split up, running for their lives…
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leo eventually stopped running, and turned with Agumon to face the Numemon.
The Numemon seemed to panic, running off.
"…What just happened?"
Agumon shrugged, seeming just as confused.
They heard heavy footfalls, and turned to see a huge yellow teddy bear with red eyes coming towards them.
"It's okay. It's only Monzaemon." Agumon assured when Leo tensed.
Lasers shot from Monzaemon's eyes hit the ground before them.
"And that's a GOOD thing?!" Leo shouted as they ran.
"Heart's Attack!"
Leo was caught in a blue, heart-shaped bubble, with Agumon in another.
'No! Let me out!'
He felt his mind darken, and strength steadily left his struggling limbs.
'No…'
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"Blue Blaster!"
"Boom Bubble!"
"Super Shocker!"
The Numemon started running, one at a time, until only a few remained.
They soon panicked, running off.
"Yeah, ya'd better run!!"
Raph smirked, turning around.
"…Is that a giant teddy bear?"
"Really?"
Mikey seemed happy enough, and Patamon landed on his shell.
"Oh, it's Monzaemon."
"He's a nice Digimon." Tentomon assured…when lasers shot at them…
"Nice Digimon my SHELL!!" Raph growled, pulling his brothers into a run.
"Heart's Attack!"
They were encased in separate heart-shaped bubbles, and struggled to break free.
"Let me out, ya giant furball!!" Raph fumed, punching and kicking with all his might.
It felt like he was falling asleep, and the speed and intensity of his blows steadily decreased.
'No…let me out…'
His eyes closed.
'Kitty…I'm sorry…'
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"Spiral Twister!"
Gomamon stood in front of the two sisters as Biyomon attacked the group of Numemon. When the rest panicked, running off, Elisa was the only one confused.
"Why'd they run?"
"'Cause they know they can't beat us!" Rach answered, smiling.
They turned around, seeing Monzaemon directly behind them.
"…Who's the giant teddy bear?"
"That's Monzaemon, Rach. He's a good Digimon." Gomamon answered.
When laser beams nearly hit him, he jumped into Rach's arms.
"Or not!"
They tried to run, but didn't get far before…
"Heart's Attack!"
They floated into the air, each in their own heart-shaped bubble.
"Let me out! Don't make me break my way out!"
But Rach's strength eventually faded, and she was forced to stop her struggles.
'Let me out…let me out…'
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Gio ran through the trees, holding Palmon close.
"Palmon, what are we gonna do?"
She hid behind a tree, a Nume-Sludge flying by her, barely missing. Palmon jumped to the ground, jumping out of their shield.
"Poison Ivy!"
Before she could attack, the Numemon panicked, running off.
"You did it, Palmon!"
"But…I didn't do anything…"
Gio looked confused.
"Then…what happened?"
Heavy footfalls made them turn, and Monzaemon came into view.
"Oh, it's just Monzaemon. He's a good Digimon that watches over Toy Town."
"Well, he doesn't look evil…"
Laser beams told a different story.
"I THOUGHT YOU SAID HE WAS A GOOD DIGIMON!!!!" Gio shouted as she ran, Palmon beside her.
"He usually is! I don't know what happened to him!"
They ran out of the trees, and were out in the open.
"Hey, sweetie! Hide in here!"
She saw a trench, the same Numemon from before peaking out.
"I don't think so."
A crashing as trees fell behind her.
"But if you insist!"
She jumped in, hugging Palmon tight as the large Digimon passed over them. When his footsteps died away, she peaked out.
"He's heading back to Toy Town." Palmon stated, pulling herself up onto the green grass.
"Hey, since I saved your life, why not go out on a date?"
"…No…"
Gio pulled herself up, and followed her Digimon.
As they neared the place, Gio tensed.
'He took my family…my friends…Leo…'
She shook her head slightly, a bit surprised with herself.
'I've finally snapped! He's only a friend! …Right?'
She shook the thought away as they walked through the streets, looking at the empty streets.
"Where is everybody? This place is like a ghost town…"
She heard almost robotic laughter, and turned to see Mikey running from an army of nutcracker toys.
"…Mikey?"
He ran by her, and she quirked an eyebrow.
'What's with him?'
She saw the others, and nearly fainted in shock when she saw not only Rach, but RAPH, smiling as they were chased by toys.
'Thank you, sweet blackmail!'
When she saw Leo run by, brushing past her in his zombie-like state, she blushed, looking down.
'Leo…'
She heard muffled cries, and looked into stores, seeing a chest moving, chains on it.
She listened to the voices, and recognized a few.
'Gomamon! Biyomon! Agumon!'
She ran in, kneeling next to the chest, and put a hand on top.
"Gomamon? Biyomon? Agumon? You guys in there?"
"Yeah!" She heard Agumon answer.
"We're all in here! Look, you two need to defeat Monzaemon and free the others!"
"…You want US to fight MONZAEMON?"
"You're the only one's who can do it!"
Gio looked worriedly at Palmon, but nodded.
"Okay, guys…we'll do our best…"
She stood up, and walked outside, Palmon following her.
Don ran by, still zombie-like, when Monzaemon turned the corner.
"Hey!!"
THAT caught Monzaemon's attention, and he directed it at the green-banded turtle.
"You'd better free my sisters and friends RIGHT now before I go kunoichi on your ass!"
Laser beams made her brave front flee…
"THIS ISN'T FUNNY!!! I'M BEING CHASED BY A GIANT TEDDY BEAR!!!"
She could already imagine Rach laughing her shell off, and vowed to kick her sister's butt for no reason when this was all over.
She nearly missed turning a corner, her feet sliding on the loose stones of the street, and followed her Digimon when she heard the familiar sound of a manhole being pulled off.
Both turtle and Digimon turned to see the Numemon jump at Monzaemon, fighting him off.
"They're fighting him…"
"Heart's Attack!"
Gio was about to run, but the Numemon made a wall, taking the hit.
"…No…"
Palmon glared.
"I'm going in! I may be a lady, but I'm not a pushover!"
A bright white light as Gio looked at her strange device, and…
"Palmon, Digivolve to…TOGEMON!!"
"…Whoa…"
'This is the COOLEST thing that has EVER happened to me!'
Togemon charged at Monzaemon, and they clashed, throwing punches.
"Light Speed Jabbing!"
Monzaemon nearly flew back, and Gio cheered.
"YES!! Beat the stuffing out of him, Togemon!"
"Needle Spray!"
The needles entered Monzaemon, and he fell back, a Black Gear coming out of his back and shattering.
After freeing the Digimon and setting the other turtles free from the strange spell, Monzaemon apologized for what he did.
"Let me thank you by using a real Heart's Attack."
Gio smiled, saying, "One sec…"
She turned to Rach, and gave her a swift kick in the rear.
"OW!!!! What was THAT for?!"
"I have my reasons."
Gomamon giggled, and Rach hit him upside the head, nearly making him fall off her head.
"OW!"
"That wasn't funny, bub!"
"Only 'cause you got hit!"
"Don't make me hit ya again!"
Gio turned to Monzaemon.
"You'd better do it now, before Gomamon gets strangled."
"Heart's Attack!"
As they were encased in pink, heart-shaped bubbles, a warm, fuzzy feeling filled their chests, spreading to their whole bodies.
'This is so great!'
Gio smiled warmly, feeling the warmth make her skin tingle.
'…Is this what love feels like?'