CHAPPIE TWO – ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
"I don't believe it," Tai muttered as he pulled on his sneakers. "It's a great Saturday for soccer, but can I play? No. I'm stuck in a girly café with Sora!"
"Aw, come on, Tai. Cheer up, it's obvious you like her," Kari said as she munched on a granola bar, Gatomon watching intently from the top bunk of the bed.
"Not another word, Kari," Tai growled, pulling his goggles over his head with vigor.
Kari swallowed her chocolate-chip snack. "Tai and So-ra sitting' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
"Kari!" Tai lunged at his little sister, but she dodged it, causing him to land flat on his face. "Wha-oof!"
Mrs. Yagami, who was passing by, said, "Tai, don't trip over your own two feet!"
He groaned something in reply.
Mrs. Yagami checked the microwave clock. "Tai, it's about time for you to pick up Sora now."
He groaned again, clipped his Digi-Vice to his belt, and made his way toward the door. "Bye, Mom, see you, Kari."
"Got your cell phone?"
Tai spun around mid-stride and grabbed it. "Okay, now goodbye." He made his way out of the apartment and headed down two floors to 4-6 where Sora lived.
MEANWHILE…
"Okay, Mimi. Yep, I'll see you tomorrow. 'Bye," Sora said to her best friend and hung up the phone. She made her way to her bedroom and looked in her mirror to check her outfit. A yellow sundress with a matching straw hat. Perfect.
And then it hit her like a brick: she was only going out to lunch with her best friend! Why the hey was she going all out like this? She was seriously considering changing outfits, but the doorbell rang.
Sora clipped her Digi-Vice to the ribbon that went around the waist of her dress and answered the door.
There was Tai, staring out the window over the small city.
"Hello, Earth to Tai! Tai, do you read me?" Sora joked.
"Huh? Oh, hi, Sora," he said, turning red as he spun around. "Ready to go?"
Sora nodded. "One sec." She poked her head inside the apartment. "Bye, Mom, I'm leaving."
Then the two walked off towards the bus station.
As they were seated in the café by a quiet, black haired girl (Zakuro…was that her name?), Tai looked closely at his friend.
She'd gotten very pretty since he'd been stuck with her in the digital world. She was tall, her red hair was short, and her crimson eyes still had that mischievous glint they'd had for the past, like, ten years. She was also very, um, desirable (and I just don't mean in her personality…).
"Uh, um, you, uh, you look great," he stuttered.
She smiled. "Thanks."
Silence.
"I bet you're bummed out," she said, looking out the window.
"How so?"
"You're stuck inside with me on a soccer-worthy day. Isn't that torture enough?"
He sighed. "Guilty as charged."
"Hi, welcome to the Café Mew Mew. My name is Ichigo and I'll be – oh, hi, Sora, hi, Tai," said the pink-haired Ichigo as she approached the table.
"Hey, Chigo. Do you have any…" Sora began, but was cut off by loud screams from outside.
Keiichiro ran up from the basement lab. "Ichigo, get the customers upstairs, quickly!"
Before Tai and Sora had time to protest, they were shoved in a spare room with maybe eight other people.
Ryou ran into the dining room. "Girls, move out!"
Needless to say, this was pretty pointless. The girls of Tokyo Mew Mew were dressed and on the move.
Outside there was a huge group of kirema animas.
"Ribbon!" all the girls called.
"Mint Echo!" Mint shouted.
"Lettuce Rush!"
"Zakuro Pure!"
"Pudding Ring Inferno!"
"Strawberry Bell Bell version up!" Ichigo cried. "Strawberry Check!"
All of the attacks hit the animas hard, causing most of them to return to their harmless animal form.
Before she knew what was happening, Kish showed up and scooped Ichigo to the top of a light post.
"Hey, honey. Long time, no see. How about a kiss?" he said, puckering up like some ugly fish.
Before Ichigo even had time to open her mouth, a voice said, "How about you put her down?"
There, standing on a giant half-eagle, half-horse creature, was a man in red and gold robes with a hood and a white mask.
Next to him appeared a woman with green and silver robes, a hood, and another white mask. She was riding…a broomstick?
A woman in blue and white robes, a hood, and a white mask appeared out of thin air on the ground, and a man in yellow and black robes, a hood, and a white mask rode up on a gigantic three headed dog.
Kish laughed, but he was truly nervous. "What if I don't feel like it?"
The man in red shrugged. "Then we'll make you put her down."
"Oh yeah? You and what army?"
The man seemed angry. "I don't need an army to get rid of a piece of filth like you."
Kish narrowed his eyes. "Just who do you think you are?"
"Uh, the Order of the Phoenix, duh!" said the woman on the broom.
"And if you don't put poor Ichigo down, we'll beat the crap outta you," the man in yellow added.
Kish laughed. "Yeah, right. Order of the Phoenix Ichigo's earthling butt!"
This annoyed the woman in blue. She shot something red from her fingertips, something that hit Kish square in the chest, causing him to freeze and fall to the ground.
The man in red waved a hand casually and all of the kirema animas disappeared. He then scooped Ichigo up and set her gently on the ground.
One by one, the Order of the Phoenix disappeared.
The girls of Tokyo Mew Mew exchanged wide eyed glances and ran back to the café screaming, "AAAHHH! RYOU, RYOU, RYOU!"
Keiichiro and Ryou exchanged relieved looks after listening to the girls' stories. The Order of the Phoenix was a blessing after all.