Chapter 5:Troubles & Plotters


Ash was in a bind. As if the disappearances of the townspeople of Pallet weren't a big enough issue, he, now had to deal with the Digidestined males. TK and Davis saw an edited video of Ash entering a cavern which connected the DigiWorld to the world of Pokémon after Kari and Yolei. The truth was the other way around, having Kari and Yolei pursue Ash. Ash was hoping to meet someone named Izzy in his own pursuit to locate the missing townsfolk. Now, this. A failed attempt on an ambushed had stoked Ash to be on his guard. The blue imp that tried a "V-Head butt" rose onto his feet, blocking Ash's retreat. Ash evaded the attack with ease, not sitting too well with the others. "Veemon, you alright?" Davis called out. Veemon was fine, no need to worry.

"I'm good, Davis," it replied back. Ash had two names that connected amongst one another, remembering what he was told about Davis.

'So, he's Davis,' he pondered. 'He's not that bad on the outside, but from Kari, he is obsessive. I shouldn't mention the fact that I got a glimpse of Kari naked.' TK stepped up, willing to speak for his partner.

"Listen, we don't want any trouble," he explained. "All we want is the safe return of Kari and Yolei." Simple enough. Ash would be more than willing to bring back the girls. He was no kidnapper.

"They're on their way here, as I speak," he motioned. So, the reunion would take place in the immediate future. TK and the other boy felt that this was open and shut case.

"Well, that was easy." Sure was. Davis didn't feel the same way. He thought that some sort of lewd and villainous act had occurred during the time of the girls' sudden visit to this world and now.

"You're not getting out of this situation that fast!" Davis bellowed roughly. He had no proof, but felt highly suspicious of the easy return. "What did you do with them?" Already, Ash felt cornered. He didn't do anything to Kari or Yolei, nor even the Digimon. In fact, it was what they did to him.

"It's actually vice-versa," Ash tried to reason. He recalled Yolei putting him in a sleeper choke hold, knocking him into dreamland, then Kari having a wild Caterpie apply String Shot and wrapping him in a cocoon. Then, while waiting for the 100-hour video to buffer, Kari jumped in fear onto Ash, almost KO-ing him a second time when she got spooked by Ash's Muk. You could bet that this was karma on Ash for getting that brief peepshow. That's when the flying piglet spotted a group heading toward the scene. More importantly, the girls that they came to retrieve.

"Here they come!" it announced. Everyone turned, seeing the girls, Digimon, Bulbasaur, Caterpie, Muk, Charizard and Pikachu. Obviously worried, Pikachu wondered if Ash was okay. Kari and Yolei had to be questioning the purpose of the boys in the presence.

"What's going on?" Kari asked. The new arrivals stood behind Ash, a means of protecting him. Seeing the boys brought displeasure to her and Yolei. "Are you kidding me?"

"Davis, who told you to go through the DigiWorld without consent?" Yolei growled. It's possible that she won't take Ken's video as an excuse.

"My consent is me being the leader!" Davis protested "What I say overrules others!" You sure about that? The child disagreed after hearing Davis.

"Those were never mentioned in the guidelines," he rasped. Davis turned, not wanting a mutiny amongst each other.

"I don't want any backtalk, Cody." Still acting his defiant self, Davis directed his attention to the girls, both staying particularly close to the trainer. "Anyway, why are you being so protective to your kidnapper?" Now the girls were outraged. Davis labeled Ash as a kidnapper.

"K-k-kidnapper?!" Yolei hollered vengefully.

"Don't protect him, Yolei. We have the videotape." TK held up a CD, showing the proof. Ken's filming convinced Davis. Would Ash buy it? He had to wonder if this was truly Ash and the girls and not some stupid puppet show.

"This is the first that I heard someone recording something in the DigiWorld," he gulped. Kari was right there to offer support.

"There are cameras that are connected to monitors throughout the DigiWorld, much like Prof. Oak's CCTV cams," she explained. Okay on the analogy. Ash's thoughts began to focus back on the alleged video. Davis decided to ante up the chance at wanting to lynch Ash for his taking prisoners.

"When you see this video, you'll be sorry for taking Kari away from me," he proposed. Wait...Kari, but not Yolei? She was in the clip, too. Ash smiled, like he knew that this was no trial he couldn't win.

"Alright, Davey," he mocked. "If you're right, I'm your slave. But if I'm right, you'll be helping me." This was some serious bet. Davis was a bit unnerved with the wagering. He didn't anticipate a challenge over a video.

"I don't think Davis had this in mind," the armadillo murmured. "Ken's provision of the video's really testing his patience." Ken! Ash's mind began going into overdrive. The missing townspeople, the videotape...to Ash, the pieces started to assemble a picture that may have been an elaborate plot to ravage two forces to clash under the cunning eyes of a mastermind.

"It's all making sense, now." How's that?

("What do you mean, it's making sense?") Pikachu wondered. Everyone else began to think Ash was up to something.

"I could be wrong, but this was an ambush from the very beginning. While I was away to run that errand to Prof. Ivy, Ken had some of his enslaved Digimon dig a tunnel. By discovering this world, he tried to make his mark by terrorizing Pallet Town, which is my hometown, by the way, and rounded up not only the townsfolk but the Pokémon. Then after herding everyone through the tunnel, I happened to return with Pikachu and find the tunnel itself on pure accident, thus running into the DigiWorld, up to the tape. In other words, Ken's only putting up a dominance on all of us." In Ash's opinion, this was all about chaos. It seemed to fit with everyone...everyone except Davis. Still, TK reviewed Ash's long-winded hypothesis, especially the mark on the missing townspeople.

"I know Ken can be a maniacal genius, but I'm not sure what you're saying is plausible," TK differed. A maniacal genius could be dreadfully terrifying. Even Cody had to follow TK's wording.

"TK has a point," he mumbled. "For Ken to pull it off, he would've known about this place prior to plotting an invasion." It was a strong point. First thing came first, which was viewing the tape.

"We won't know unless we take a closer at this footage," Ash referred. Everyone got back to Prof. Oak's lab where Ash inserted the CD into a disc drive. Now, everyone watched and observed, prompting Gatomon to point out the truth.

"This is backwards of what really happened," she said. Although this was factual, no one could really tell officially whether this was genuine or fabricated...that is, until Bulbasaur saw the "wolf in sheep's clothing" reference. It extended a vine to the screen, where there was...a time stamp. Something about that time stamp caught the Pokémon's eyes.

"Why is Bulbasaur pointing to the timer?" the piglet wondered. TK watched the timer counting, when...it changed out of order from ahead to behind, like present to past.

"There's the proof, Patamon," he answered. "Gatomon was right, it is backwards." Ash was off the hook, and decided to rub salt on this ploy's wound.

"For someone who's a maniacal genius, that was certainly stupid," he laughed. That's pretty ironic. Now that Ash was cleared of kidnapping, the first mystery resumed. Where did Pallet's townspeople disappear to?

"Well, now that we've cleared Ash of taking Kari and Yolei, what's our next move?" the armadillo asked.

"Well, we were planning on seeing if Izzy would assist us in trying to find out what happened during the 15 minutes of film that was lost when there was a solar eclipse," Hawkmon exclaimed. They wasted enough time with all the runaround of back and forth. They needed to push on.

"You know, by the time this is over," Kari huffed. "We're gonna realize that the solution to this case will be under our noses." Like a case of should have seen it coming. A few didn't have that same sinking feeling.

"Don't be so sure, Kari," the armadillo disagreed.

"And what makes you say that, Armadillomon?" Armadillomon just said that the obvious wasn't so obvious, but couldn't really prove how.

"I just got that feeling in my shell. I can't really give details." Despite this setback, Cody knew that this squad had to be on guard.

"I think we should take Armadillomon's advice and be on alert," he warned. Everyone nodded, heeding the warning. The group returned to the cavern, entering post haste. They were all back into the DigiWorld. So, you could bet Ash's Pokémon could be talking like humans, right? Davis faced Ash, still distrustful of their brief ally.

"Look, I may be aware that you're looking for all of your neighbors, but don't think for a second that I'll have sympathy if Digimon attack you," he snorted. Jeez, Davis, do you have to be so harsh? Even TK and Kari thought Ash's tough treatment was over the line.

"Davis, are you still after him for discovering that connection to the DigiWorld?" TK argued. Davis wanted to beef with TK, but even he wanted to defend his say.

"Is it that obvious, TE? Without that finding, I would've been happy with Kari in the future." Groaning sighs fumed the scene. Davis was still after Kari, but enough was enough.

"Aren't you the emphasis of desire," Pikachu grumbled. "You go after Kari like Ash is after the title of Pokémon Master." What's with analogies today? Someone had to get this party on the straight path.

"Davis, TK, Pikachu, not important right now," Cody roared. "We need to get home and contact Izzy about the case." Thank you, Cody.

"Cody's right, guys," Armadillomon backed. "All this bickering is gonna waste time." The three calmed down, though still feeling argumentative to each other. They proceeded on, hoping to reach some sort of portal to take them to Earth.

"DigiWorld..." Muk gurgled. "Not bad place." Guess Muk had accepted the place, hopefully able to speak more normally.

"Didn't expect such vegetation to grow in a dank place," Bulbasaur awed. You might make this a second home. That's when they stumbled across a TV set...and stopped. Why?

"Like the cave that you found, Ash," Yolei emphasized. "These monitors are our way back to the real world, or our Earth. I'm not sure if a city north of Tokyo would best fit your lifestyle. You'd look more at home in Denver, Colorado, USA." Ash in the Mile High City?

"Why there instead of your homes?" he questioned. Yolei giggled, unsure of why.

"Just an opinion." Kari looked over to the far side, seemingly wanting to do something.

"You guys go ahead and get to Izzy's spot," she offered. "I gotta finish patrolling the area." She still had a job to do. Ash figured that she was still monitoring for Ken, now that he learned plenty.

"You sure, Kari?" TK questioned her decision.

"Well, yeah. I mean, considering that our patrol was suspended with the discovery of Ash's world, it's best that I check the rest. If that's all right with you guys." Iffy on this subject, everyone gazed upon each other, thinking that looking over the DigiWorld was pointless...unless you were Davis, who trusted Kari with the task.

"Just no more sidetracks, okay?" he forwarded. Kari nodded, consenting Davis' understanding. Ash had a feeling that Ken could pop out of nowhere and capture Kari and Gatomon. He turned to his big "man" for a mission of his own.

"Charizard, keep close tabs on Kari and make sure to help her in any way," he instructed.

"Got it, boss," Charizard grunted. How about that? Kari was receiving backup. Bulbasaur was wanting to stay too. It grew fond of this place.

"Hey, Ash," it called up. "Can I stay as well? I'm starting to like it here." Ash seemed looped. Would it hurt to leave two of his Pokémon here in the DigiWorld? Even Yolei had an issue with this.

"I don't think it's a wise idea," she doubted. "Considering that Ken may take a liking to the Pokémon, if he hasn't already captured those in the ranch." Although going by Yolei's doubt, Ash was eager to back up the claims of his creatures.

"Perhaps, but keep in mind, these Pokémon were personally trained," he cockily argued. "Of course, if you want real evidence of it, check my records." Some confidence he had. The Digimon seemed to trust Ash.

"Well, I'm sold," Veemon gulped. "If you did train that dragon of yours, my questions are answered." Kari sensed it, too, but had a different thought about his bolstering confidence.

"You've been more and more brazen since you kissed Yolei, from my point of view," Kari pointed out. Hiccuped, Ash lost all nerve while most of the rest were surprised. Was this goading due to kissing Yolei? Ash came back with what occurred before, which of course was...

"It's funny that you mention it, since you were the one who took my virgin lips prior," he slammed back. The surprised shrills of "WHAT?" echoed from the boys, learning that Ash got lucky with both women.

"Whoa, that's a twist," Patamon awed. Davis turned from stunned to steamed. He wanted Kari, from her statement, and that she kissed Ash, he was mad. He tried to grab Ash by the collar, wanting to deck him for his fortune. However...CLANK! Yolei grabbed a frying pan and clocked Davis by the side of the head. Davis crumpled to the digital dirt, out cold. Where did that pan come from?

"You can hurt him later," she advised. Man, the abuse of such. She jerked her head to Kari, a final heeding on thought. "Kari, be careful. We'll get a better understanding of this when it's available."

"Okay, Yolei," Kari responded as she, still having Caterpie on her shoulder, took off with Bulbasaur and Charizard following. TK wondered how Ash got to kiss Yolei. It seemed like no big deal.

"Is it alright if I ask how you were able to kiss Yolei?" he issued. "I mean, no one could be within three feet of Yolei without risking bodily harm." Now, it was a big deal. To TK, Ash passed through Yolei's "bubble" of three feet to kiss her.

"She reminded me of the surveillance cameras after hearing the report of the missing townspeople," he admitted. "Who knows. Maybe her mentioning of those cameras may break this case." Shunned thoughts bellowed from TK and Cody. They began to think that Yolei deserved that award. Right now, Ash was anxious to solve this caper. "Anyway, we need to let Izzy in on the details." All agreed, even the rising Davis. Yolei pointed a small device with a red rubber grip to the monitor.

"Ash, you may need to hold onto something," she warned. Ash did, by holding onto Yolei's free hand. Yolei blushed, but kept her composure. "Cute. DigiPort Open!" A flash of white light consumed the group. The flash was a second long, but when it dimmed, the rest were gone. Earth, here they come.

"Well, that's one way to travel," Charizard hummed. "Still, the fact that some good friends like Snorlax and Bayleef go missing, it leaves me worried about my old master." Bulbasaur agreed. Charizard and Ash were a good team to Bulbasaur, as much they were.

"Yeah, but it's still a pretty vicious slap in the face seeing Lugia and Ho-oh scramble everyone from a possible invasion," it hinted...Lugia? Ho-oh? "Not to mention a girl in blue aiding the desertion." A girl in blue? Lugia? Ho-oh? Ken wasn't involved? This was a wake up call with a dozen shots of espresso. Why didn't Muk and Bulbasaur go with the rest? Kari realized now that Ken was nowhere near fault, but still wondered on the hole that was created.

"So, this whole time, we're just running from the real problem?" Gatomon pondered. Was this a problem that Ash was not told about? "Why didn't you join your Pokémon friends with the evacuation?"

"Well, it happened so fast that I had no chance to react, so I hid, hoping someone would find me. That's when I saw some darkish winged creatures that I knew weren't Pokémon. The strongest attack I have is Solar Beam, but because of the eclipse..." Kari was quick with a guess.

"You couldn't store energy from the sun to use it," she theorized. Bulbasaur nodded, confirming Kari's suspicions. Suddenly...

"Then my timing was good, although I couldn't claim anything," Ken bellowed as he appeared from the sky on a giant black gargoyle-like monster. The four shot looks up, undeserving Ken's appearance.

"Ken! So, you were the one who discovered the Pokémon World?!" Ken hopped off his ride, gazing down on Kari, Gatomon and Ash's veteran Pokémon with a snarling smirk.

"So what if I am? That white bird would've been a great asset to your destruction. Still, to discover such a quaint place and come out feeling refreshed, albeit with the eclipse and preventing sunburn from that shrimp plantation." Charizard and Bulbasaur growled, desiring to tear Ken limb from limb. Ken never broke his enthusiasm. "By the way, it's a great thing that you came back, Ms. Light...back into a trap." A trap? A snap of his fingers, and human/flower hybrids blossomed out, sticking their tulip-bloomed arms. That's when a giant plume of pollen sprayed out, quickly covering the area in a suffocating cloud of an allergic person's nightmare. Something became odd about the pollen, because in a minute, Kari and the creatures crumbled onto the grass, asleep. Ken snickered, thankful for a successful trap. "So, Pokémon, huh? My research will be fascinating." Kari, Gatomon, Charizard and Bulbasaur are in the villainous clutches of Ken. With Ash in the real world, would he be able to sense that his Pokémon are in danger? Other questions loom, like Lugia and Ho-oh's reasoning for being in Pallet Town and that girl in blue. Just when you thought this tale was closing in, it's been blown wide open.


TO BE CONTINUED...