Review response: No, T.K. doesn't wake up. Comedic relief chapters are good for the soul, though. And I do love me some souls...


The six-person parade made their way up four sets of stairs. T.K. pondered on how intense the training session would be. He wasn't sure he wanted Kari around whenever his body felt the need to empty out his stomach's contents. Ken questioned how his previous martial arts experience could help him. He could use some Judo for throws and chops, but not much else. Takuya wondered where he was going to start with T.K. It wasn't easy training someone who had almost no fighting experience to his name. Yolei and Kari did their best to ignore each other along the trip. It was for the best, as none of the teenage males nor the young man was interested in cleaning up blood stains. Tomoki wondered why the hell everyone was so quiet on the way up. Sure, it was a short walk, but one would like a little conversation along the way.

Once the six made it to the fifth floor, they continued their walk down a hallway. The group passed by several doors that led to different rooms with various equipment. Generic descriptions are being given because nobody went into those rooms, so nobody could give any real details. The walking came to an end when the six reached a door at the end of the hallway. Takuya, who led the group the whole time, turned around with a smile on his face.

"Well," he said as Tomoki made his way to the door and pulled a key from his pocket. "Welcome, kids, to La Cocina de Dolor!"

Ken scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "'The Kitchen of Pain?'"

"Yep. Because this room's used for cooking up some cans of whoop-ass!" Takuya grinned.

Tomoki simply rolled his eyes. "For the record, the name for the room was his idea." The teens nodded in understanding as the youngest member of the entourage unlocked the door. "Now get in here so that we can make you both throw up in front of your lady-friends." The door opened to reveal the contents of the room. The six stepped in to see what there was to see.

Bright lights illuminated the door, leaving very little to the shadows. Blue mats lined the entire floor to provide a safe landing no matter where a fall was taken. The center of the room held an octagon-shaped cage, steel fencing enclosing the area while padding covered the edges for added protection. Three other doorways could be found. Two doorways, both on opposite ends of the far wall, led to dressing rooms while the third on a separate wall led to an equipment room. Speakers spotted the wall, waiting to be used by anybody with access to either a microphone or a source of music.

"Wow." T.K. said as he made his way toward the cage.

"This certainly is impressive." Ken agreed as his eyes scanned the area.

Kari looked to the floor. "Why are there mats everywhere?" Takuya started walking toward the equipment room. Tomoki followed closely behind. When the older male wasn't expecting it, Tomoki swept his foot underneath one of Takuya's. The brunette tripped and fell face first onto the floor.

"That's why." Tomoki said as he laughed. Takuya quickly stood up, glaring at the younger trainer.

"Why'd you do that?" He asked incredulously.

"Because SHUT UP!" Tomoki shot back. "That's why."

Takuya rolled his eyes and turned back to the four sweat-dropping guests.

"So anyway," he said, trying to save face. "You'll notice the two dressing rooms in the back." He pointed to the two doors in the back.

"Yeah," T.K. said as he looked in the direction Takuya pointed out. "What about them?"

"You'll find your new workout clothes in there." Tomoki said, still smiling. "You two go get changed while Takuya and I get everything ready." Both teens nodded before making their way toward the rooms in question. Once at the doorways, though, T.K. and Ken traded confused looks.

"Ken's room is on the left!" Takuya shouted from across the room. "T.K.'s stuff is in the other room." With that, the two teens entered their respective dressing rooms. Tomoki made his way to the equipment room while Takuya beckoned the two girls to him.

"Care to see something funny?" He asked them with a devilish grin on his face. Kari and Yolei nodded nervously, wondering what exactly was going through his mind. Takuya grabbed their wrists and dragged them over to the door T.K. stepped through.

Oh dear God, Kari thought to herself. He couldn't...could he? Is he really that kind of guy?

Takuya forced back his guffaws as the three waited outside the doorway. Kari's eyebrow slid up along her forehead as she reconsidered her opinion.

Maybe he's just an idiot. Which would make him less than the God I thought he was, since I like some intelligence in my men.

Moments later, though, the reason for Takuya's efforts made itself clear.

"You've got to be kidding me!" T.K. screamed from inside the dressing room. Yolei's eyebrow joined Kari's in gaining altitude.

"What's with Boy-Toy in there?" She asked, earning an uncharacteristically dark glare from Digidestinded of Light.

"First off, let's diffuse the time-bomb that's just waiting to go off." Takuya stepped between the two girls. "There we go. Now then, to answer your question, I decided to take a bit of a creative liberty with T.K.'s workout clothes."

"What kind of 'liberty'?" Kari asked. Takuya spawned a goofy grin.

"Come on out, T.K.!" He called into the dressing room.

"Hell no!" T.K. screamed back. "I'm not going anywhere in this crap!"

"Oh come on! It's not that bad!" Takuya again struggled to keep from bursting out laughing.

"You're a jackass, you know that?"

"Just come out!"

"No!"

Takuya turned back to the girls. "Now then, care to see my handiwork?" Without waiting for their answer, he gently pushed the two into the dressing room. Kari quickly shielded her eyes, trying to respect her boyfriend's privacy. Yolei didn't bother, instead opting to look in a direction other than in T.K.'s. Said blond teen stood in front of a full body mirror, highly embarrassed by the sight in front of him.

"You can look, you know." Takuya said. "He's decent. Barely." He whispered the last word so that the girls couldn't quite understand him. Said girls turned to see what T.K. was so embarrassed about. The sight resulted in Yolei falling over redfaced-like, Kari developing a nosebleed so powerful it rocketed her backwards, and Takuya finally breaking down in intense laughter.

T.K. turned around and nearly screamed. He wore the green muscle shirt he'd walked into the gym with. Black, padded fingerless gloves covered his hands. Everything seemed fine, until one noticed that the Digidestined of Hope wore the tightest Speedo in history.

Here's a tissue, ladies. Wipe the blood from your noses.

T.K. quickly opened a nearby locker door and hid behind it. He became the first human in history to put on a full-body blush as he slinked into his make-shift corner.

Takuya continued to howl at T.K.'s embarrassment. "So, big boy. Feel the breeze, yet?"

T.K. offered Takuya the legendary Single-Fingered Salute. "Go to hell, Kanbara!"

At that moment, Ken, who wasn't in nearly the embarrassed state T.K. was in and had just finished changing, stepped into his friend's dressing room.

"What's with all the noise?" He asked. Yolei turned to see her boyfriend dressed similarly to T.K., save for the Speedo. Instead, he wore silver boxing trunks. Yolei's eyes lit up like...well...lights.

"I do believe the words 'hubba' and 'hubba' are appropriate here." She said, fighting off the strong urge to lick her lips and jump Ken right then and there. Said Digidestined of Kindness simply rolled his eyes.

"Nothing's going on." T.K. said from behind his hiding place. "Just that my trainer is a jackass who needs to give me proper workout clothes."

Takuya rolled his eyes before walking over to another locker. He opened the door, pulled a pair of black trunks out, and tossed them in T.K.'s general direction.

"There, you big baby." He said. "Now get dressed and meet us outside." With that, he ushered the three out of the locker room to give T.K. his needed privacy. T.K. thanked the powers that be that no cameras were present and that his embarrassment didn't last longer than it needed to.

You're welcome, T.K.


An entire chapter dedicated to a prank? MADNESS. Then again, I'm not exactly on the sane side, here. Another vague reference given here. I'm not going to reveal the answers to the last chapter's references for another few chapters, just to give you guys time to take a guess.