21: and here we are with another installment of my latest story!
George: Not too shabby eh? But I'm a little upset.
21: Why's that?
George: I haven't been playing much of a role in the story yet. I can't even fight as well as I used to!
21: The Emperor knows you too well doesn't he?
George: If I was at full power that little shrimp would be toast!
21: Easy slugger...something tells me you'll like this episode and the next one.
Sponsor: HERE YOU ARE! I'VE GOT A BONE TO PICK WITH YOU!
21: Did he say he's going to pick at us with a bone? That's just gross...
George: Some people have no manners.
21: You would know...
George: What was that?
21: Nothing...
Sponsor: YOU GUYS OWE ME $678,806,123,509,395 FOR ALL THE FOOD YOU'VE EATEN AND THE DAMAGES YOU'VE CAUSED!
21: But you're our Sponsor. That means you're the one with the money. Remember? I don't own Digimon, so I've got no money...and I just did your job for you.
Sponsor: Well I don't own Digimon either, and I don't have the kind of money we're talking about here, so pay up!
21: No. You haven't been doing your job lately, so we owe you nothing.
(A vein pulses in the Sponsor's forehead)
Sponsor: Pay up or else!
George: Ooh! Ooh! I know the answer to this one! Pick me! Pick me!
21: Yes Mr. Helltower?
George: Else!
Sponsor: Fine then! Don't say I didn't warn you!
(The Sponsor pulls out...a rubber duck!)
21: ...a rubber duck?
George: really?
(The rubber duck transforms into a massive duck-tank. The barrel of which is aimed at the dynamic duo.)
21: Uh
George: Oh
Narrator: Is this the end for our noble author and his main character? Find out next time on-
(The tank runs over the Narrator)
Episode 3: The Light of Hope Shines Again
"Yolei here, last time, we met George Helltower the leader of the Martian Digidestined. Boy is he a strange guy. Anyways, I finally got to go to the Digital World, but we were attacked by Kabuterimon and Birdramon. In the ensuing chaos, Cody and I found our partners, but Tai was seriously injured while holding off Birdramon…if there's one thing I learned today it's that the Digital World is not a game…"
"I apologize for the inconvenient timing of my visit, but I had to apologize for Tai's injuries," said the figure.
By now, Yuuko Kamiya had joined them and asked, "what do you know about our son? And just who are you anyways?"
"Forgive me. My name is George Helltower. I was introduced to Tai by Izzy, a friend of my family's," explained the figure.
"George Helltower? As in the big videogame tycoon of the United States?" asked Susumu Kamiya.
"Yeah, that's me," said George, "Tai was doing me a favor and testing one of my new game systems. Unfortunately and for some unknown reason, the device exploded. My analysts are already on the case, and they found what appear to be the remains of a tiny explosive."
"And what was an explosive doing in your game system?" asked Yuuko Kamiya sternly.
"I've come up with two possibilities. You see, I'm here to see if there's a viable market for me to start selling my VR systems, and so doing might put local companies out of business, or severely take away from their sales," explained George, "either way, it's bad for them, and they want me out of the equation. I tried to make my trip here as secretive as possible, but somehow one of the rival companies found out I was here. The explosive that was planted was probably either to put me out of commission, or make me look bad by exploding on someone I had using the device."
"I see…" said Susumu, "and now we have to be heading to the hospital."
"I'll pay all of the bills of course," said George, "it's my fault this happened."
Tai was brought into one of the hospital rooms and was laid down on the bed.
A doctor came by to assess the situation. He took one look at the burns and shook his head.
"Those are 3rd degree burns," he said, "what caused them?"
"To be honest, we're not sure," lied Sora, "he was alone when this happened."
"Who found him?" asked the doctor.
"A friend of ours; he's off talking to my parents now, but he'll come by later," replied Kari.
"I'd like to speak to him when he arrives," said the doctor, "maybe he knows what happened. In the mean time, we'll call in a specialist who can deal with those burns…"
About ten minutes later, the Kamiya parents arrived. While Susumu checked up on Tai, Yuuko walked over to the Digidestined.
"Do you guys know a George Helltower?" asked Yuuko, "because he came by to apologize for the accident."
"Yeah," said Izzy, "he's a friend of mine from America."
Susumu, who had been talking with the doctor, walked over.
"The doctor says you guys don't know what happened," he said.
"It's true Mr. Kamiya," said TK, "we only found out Tai was injured because of George. If he hadn't told us, we'd still be hanging out at the park."
The specialist arrived a half-hour later, and the Kamiya parents asked her about the burns.
"Don't worry about it," she said, "Tai may have a few scars, but he should be just fine otherwise."
Susumu and Yuuko nodded.
"Alright," Susumu said, "Tai appears to be fine. We'll come visit again when he's awake. In the meantime, we'll go home and tell all your parents where you are."
"Thanks Mr. Kamiya," said Sora.
Barely a minute after the Kamiyas left, George walked in. After a brief conference with the doctor and specialist, he joined the others in the waiting room.
"How's the slugger doing?" he asked.
"He should be fine," said Sora hostilely, "no thanks to you."
"Lay off him," said TK, "he distracted Principal Toyama for us didn't he?"
"Yeah," said Sora, "but he was back in the computer room when we returned. It looked like he'd been there a while and he knew Tai was injured before we came through the DigiPort."
As Izzy opened his mouth to defend George, the latter lifted his hand and silenced the boy genius.
"She's right," said George, "I was back for a while and had been watching you guys ever since Kabuterimon first attacked you…"
"…why? Why didn't you come help?" asked Kari, now she was glaring at George as well.
"Why did you leave your partner to battle Kabuterimon alone?" asked Cody accusingly.
George sighed, "I guess I have some explaining to do…"
"You'd better have a good excuse," said Sora, "or I'll—"
"Relax and let the man speak," said Davis, "if you'd let him talk we'd understand his actions by now."
Astonished that Davis had contributed positively to the conversation, the Digidestined quieted down, though Sora mumbled "I highly doubt it".
George took a deep breath and glanced at all the hostile faces.
"As you might remember, I was quite upset with the attitude of the new Digidestined. To me, they appeared to think that the DigiWorld is a massive videogame, which, to me, is the ultimate insult," he began.
"So you decided to have your revenge by abandoning us to the mercy of Kabuterimon and Birdramon?" demanded Sora, "that's low!"
"No!" said George, "I figured that I could lecture the new Digidestined all I wanted, but they'd never take me seriously that the DigiWorld wasn't a game until they had experienced mortal terror and near death experiences in the Digital World. Knowing the Digimon Emperor, he'd have a trap planned and would attack you. I was more correct than I could have imagined…I'm sorry Tai had to get hurt, but the lesson needed to be learned, and the hard way is the only way to learn it."
"Why is this lesson so crucial?" demanded Sora, "I think the point had been driven home long before Tai was hurt. You could have helped then…"
"I hate to tell you this, but this was also a lesson for you older Digidestined as well. I'm not always going to be around, and when I'm not, you still have to be able to defeat the forces of evil," explained George, "as for why knowing that the Digital World is real and not a game is important…do you really need me to answer that?"
Sora still wasn't happy, but her gaze softened slightly.
"There's something else I need to tell you guys…good news actually," said George.
"What?" asked TK.
"I've gotten you guys out of homework for the next month," said George.
"SWEET!" yelled Davis, "I see what Tai meant, George is the best kind of friend one can have."
"Might I ask how you accomplished such a feat?" asked Cody.
"I told Principal Toyama that you guys were helping me by testing my game systems, and, after giving him another sample, he agreed to inform your teachers not to give you homework on the grounds that you were my interns," said George smiling, "so, as of now, you are all part-time employees of Helltower Corp. I already told Matt on my way here."
"Where is Matt?" asked TK.
"His band had a gig tonight," replied George, "he told me to tell you he'll swing by to check on Tai tomorrow. In the meantime, I'd suggest you all get home. I'll call you if Tai wakes up."
"What about you?" asked Cody, "don't you need sleep?"
"Well," sighed George, "as I've already been informed, this whole episode is my fault, so I'm the one who should stay. Besides, there are some things I need to take care of…"
The others nodded and took off, though Sora and Kari were rather reluctant to go, George's comforting gaze told them that they'd be the first to know if anything happened, and, despite everything, they still trusted him implicitly.
George watched carefully, and as soon as Joe's minivan left the parking lot, he put on his sunglasses and blinked twice. A headset came out of the left arm, and a few moments later George began talking quietly into it, occasionally pausing as though waiting for a response.
"…I see, no sooner than tomorrow?...you're sure?...fine…yeah, see you tomorrow," were George's final words. When he was done, the headset retracted back into the left arm of his sunglasses.
The fallen warrior pulled off the shades and sat back to await word on Tai.
Bright and early the next day, about an hour before school, Matt swung by the hospital to find out what was happening with Tai. He found George carefully observing and tinkering with a black shard, taking studious notes in a digital notebook.
"What's up?" asked the musician.
"Not much," replied George, "The specialist worked on Tai for a while a little earlier, but he hasn't woken up yet…"
"I see," said Matt calmly, "so what're you up to?"
"I'm trying to reverse engineer the Emperor's Dark Rings," replied George, poking the shard yet again.
"Why would you want to do something like that?" asked Matt coldly.
"If I can figure out what makes these contraptions tick, I can find ways to prevent them from working," said George shrugging.
"Right, I gotta go to school," said Matt, "you'll let me know if anything changes right?"
"Of course," replied the Warrior of Power.
After school, the Digidestined still hadn't received any word on Tai's condition. Sora and Kari were, of course, extremely nervous, and the mood was a depressed one as the Digidestined filed into the computer lab. Sora joined them as she had decided to skip soccer practice due to her fatigue (she had stayed up the whole night before because of Tai), and of course, as head of the computer club, Izzy was there as well.
Notably absent were Yolei and Cody.
"Where's Yolei?" asked Poromon.
"and Cody?" added Upamon.
"They're on their way," said Kari.
At this point, Yolei burst into the room carrying a bulging plastic bag.
"Sorry I'm late," she said, "I brought goodies from my family's convenience store!"
"Good idea," said TK, "In-training digimon are bottomless pits."
As the lavender haired girl placed the bag on the floor, the digimon gathered around it curiously. Inside could be seen all sorts of carbohydrated goodness.
"What is it?" asked Poromon.
"Can we eat it?" asked Upamon.
"Of course," said Patamon picking up a bag with his tiny paws, "watch me!"
As the orange digimon slurped on the drink, the two In-training digimon watched in wonder. Suddenly, Upamon bounced right into the bag.
"The buffet is now open!" yelled the little yellow blob as he chomped on everything in sight.
Having already developed a sweet tooth a two nights ago, DemiVeemon quickly grabbed a chocolate bar and began stuffing his face while Poromon went for a bag labeled 'Hot Barbecue Chips'.
As Sora watched in amusement, the little pink blob ate one of the chips and began flying around the room yelling "It's hot! It's hot! It's hot!" over and over again.
"I'd forgotten just how much In-training digimon could eat," remarked the redheaded girl with a smirk on her face.
Gatomon meanwhile was watching the gluttony of her fellow digimon with disgust.
"I hope my first litter doesn't act like this," she said.
"Lighten up," said Motimon grabbing a doughnut.
"Yeah, relax and enjoy the meal," added Yokomon going for a juice bag.
Gatomon sighed and grabbed some sushi.
"Is the gate open?" asked Davis.
"Surprisingly yes," said Izzy, who was lounging at his favorite computer.
"Then let's head out!" said Davis.
"Hold on," said Kari, "Cody's still not here!"
"What's takin' him so long?" demanded Davis.
"He's still in the lunchroom," said Yolei, "last time I checked he was still chewing the same carrot 50 times."
In the lunchroom, Cody was poking a lone tomato on his tray with his fork.
"I'm so stuffed," he said, "I only have one more tomato to eat."
"You don't have to eat every bite Cody," said the lunchroom attendant.
"You should never throw away any food unless it smells bad," remarked the 4th grader, "my father used to say that before he passed away."
"…oh I see," said the attendant glumly.
Cody split the tomato in half with his fork and sniffed it…
Davis was staring at the door angrily.
"Doesn't he know we're waiting? He's holding us up," he said savagely.
"Calm down Davis," said Izzy, "don't blow a gasket."
"He'll be here soon, I'm sure of it," said Sora.
"Let's watch some TV to pass the time," suggested Yolei.
"Yeah, let's see what's on!" agreed Kari.
As the Digidestined gathered around the television, a reporter could be seen.
"We interrupt this broadcast to bring you this latest story," said the reporter, "the results of the National Computer Programming Contest were just announced, and the winner is boy genius Ken Ichijouji!"
The scene shifted to a blue haired boy sitting in front of a computer. He was wearing a gray Tamachi school uniform.
"There were many well deserving genii out there, and I am humbled that the judges chose me to receive the top prize," said the boy.
"Now let's go live to the scene of the contest with our field reporter Jerry Rivera!" said the reporter, "Jerry?"
The scene cut again, this time to a suited man with gray hair and a gray mustache. The man was standing in a room full of monitors and consoles. A blackboard with complex formulas could be seen a little further in, as could a flowerpot.
"Thanks Jackie!" said the suited man, "young Ken wowed the judges by creating a computer program that could actually brush your teeth for you! The rumor is next year he's planning something with floss! I can't wait! Back to you!"
The scene cut to a room full of chess boards. Each table had only one player, and Ken stood in between the rows of boards confidently moving pieces around, and as the reporter announced, the scene shifted to display what the reporter was referring to.
"Ken's talents include being able to play twelve games of chess simultaneously. Just last week, he actually balanced the world's biggest checkbook, and that's not all" said the reporter, "he's a champion at judo, and he's a star on the all state soccer team, and girls…he's single!"
Unbeknownst to the other Digidestined, Cody had entered the computer lab.
"Wow," said Davis as he watched Ken's soccer moves, "he's almost as good as I am!"
The scene cut yet again, this time to outside an apartment complex. A suited man with brown curly hair, and a red haired woman wearing a light blue jacket, button down blouse, and tan skirt were standing next to the reporter.
"Now let's talk to the proud parents who raised this genius, Mr. and Mrs. Ichijouji!" the reporter was saying, "what're some of the advantages of being the parents of the most brilliant child in the world?"
"Oh it's great in the kitchen," said Mrs. Ichijouji happily, "he invented dishes that clean themselves!"
"Like father like son," said Mr. Ichijouji, "I once guessed how many jellybeans were in a pickle jar!"
As the report continued, George glared at the television with sheer rage. His whole body was shaking in wrath as the reporter continued to comment on Ken's many talents. Suddenly, a nurse walked into the waiting room, and up to George.
"You're George Helltower right?" asked the nurse.
George, who had ceased his displays of anger when the nurse had come in, simply nodded.
"I was told to tell you that Tai Kamiya woke up," she said.
George quickly put all other thoughts aside and ran towards the hallway to find Tai. He quickly ran back into the waiting room to find the nurse still there.
"ummmm, what room is Tai in?" asked the videogame tycoon sheepishly.
"365," replied the nurse with a bemused smirk, as George ran off again.
At the same time, Cody had, unbeknownst to the others, walked over to the TV.
"I heard this guy's so smart he once gave his teachers homework!" he said.
"Cody," exclaimed Kari, "when did you get here?"
"About a minute ago," he remarked, "you should pay more attention to who comes and goes in this room. We don't want outsiders to see our digimon now do we?"
"Hey!" said Davis raising his fist, "watch it Cody!"
"He's right though," said Izzy, "we were a little careless…I guess it's true that television produces a hypnotic effect…"
"Hey Kari," said Gatomon.
"We're ready to go to the Digital World now," said Patamon.
"All present and accounted for," said TK, "let's get going!"
As the others nodded, an announcement came over the PA system.
"Izzy Izumi, please report to the front desk."
Izzy's eyes went wide with shock as he mentally slapped himself on the forehead.
"I forgot! I'm supposed to help Principal Toyama hook up George's gaming systems," he exclaimed as he ran out the door.
The other Digidestined just stared at the door in shock.
"What the hell was that all about?" asked Davis.
George burst into room 365 to see a bandaged Tai (his hair was sticking out of the bandages around his head though, which produced a semi-comical effect).
"How's it going Tai?" asked George.
"Been better," replied the Child of Courage, "betcha I look like a mummy."
George smirked, "you would if it wasn't for that hair of yours," he replied.
"So, how're we saying I got injured? Obviously being attacked by a giant digital bird is out of the question," asked Tai.
"Hmmm," said George, "so you can be smart when you want to be after all."
Tai gave the fallen warrior the most scathing look he could manage.
"Alright, alright relax," said George, "you were testing one of my game systems when it exploded. I found you and called the others."
"…but that could put you in legal trouble," said Tai.
"Even if your parents did decide to sue me, I'd still be alright. I might lose a market here in Japan, but I can still manage to get by with the viable market I've got in the US. The point is, don't worry about me or my finances, it's you we need to worry about now," replied George, "…so can I get you anything?"
"Actually, now that you mention it, I'd like to see Sora," said Tai.
"Fine, I'll go get her," replied the former Warrior of Power, "sit tight."
George stepped out of the room and had a few words with the doctor before dashing out of the hospital.
The remaining Digidestined were about to enter the Digital World, when a sudden 'whoosh' outside made the window blinds flutter like mad, and a few moments later George ran into the lab slightly out of breath.
"Tai's awake," he said, "and he's requesting to see Sora."
"What about me?" asked Kari dejectedly.
"The doctors insist that he have only one visitor at a time, with the exception of your parents who get to go in at the same time. Since Tai requested Sora, she's first, then your parents, and then you," said George, "I'm sorry, but that's how it goes. In the meantime, you can still come with us to the Digital World."
Slightly upset, Kari nodded, and Sora dashed quickly from the room.
Determined to defeat the one who had hurt her brother, Kari prompted Davis to open the DigiPort, which he did, and soon the others found themselves on the other side.
The Digimon Emperor was having a grand time. He had spent the morning chasing an Elecmon, which he had [easily] captured, and was now enjoying a battle taking place before him in his prison and battling arena.
One of the combatants was the Elecmon he had just captured, the other was another Elecmon caught a few days before. Both had Dark Rings on and were attacking each other fiercely.
Three Gotsumon were watching incredulously.
"Why are they fighting each other? They're friends," asked the first.
"The Digimon Emperor is controlling them. Everyone changes once he gets those Dark Rings on them," replied the second.
"We should go before we're next," commented the third.
"We can't abandon our friends the Elecmon," replied the first.
"That Digimon Emperor!" snarled the second, "making friends fight for his own amusement! He's a terrible person."
With that, he angrily chopped a branch off the log they were sitting on.
Sitting atop his stone throne in the makeshift Coliseum, the Emperor heard the branch break, and glared at the Gotsumon, lashing out his whip. He managed to trip the first two, but the third managed to escape.
"You're next!" he yelled.
A few moments later, the two captured Gotsumon were fiercely battling before the demented tyrant. The third Gotsumon observed the fight with horror and sadness.
"How can they fight?" he asked, "they're best friends!"
Suddenly, the Emperor's digivice beeped. He pulled it out and saw six dots on the screen. He snarled.
"Well, well, well, look who finally decided to show up Wormmon," said the Digimon Emperor as he noticed the arrival of the Digidestined, "I think I'll send them a little present."
The Emperor laughed evilly as he punched a few buttons from his control panel.
"Oh Master," said Wormmon sadly, "is this really what makes you happy?"
George hadn't taken two steps in the DigiWorld, when his sunglasses started ringing. Everyone looked at him oddly, as he blinked twice, and the headset came out again.
"Now?...Very good!...fine I'll see you soon," overheard the Digidestined.
As the headset withdrew back into the frame, George turned toward the Digidestined apologetically.
"Something important has come up," he said, "I've got to go."
With that, he picked up the still injured Botamon, and flew off towards the East.
"Whoa!" said Davis, "I wonder if I can fly here too."
After a few awkward tries (and subsequent failures) Davis decided to give up.
Suddenly, everyone's digivices started beeping and shaking like crazy.
Davis looked at the screen. There was a yellow dot and a red dot, which he supposed symbolized Yolei and Cody, a symbol shaped like a lightning bolt moving steadily east, which he supposed was George, and two other symbols, pink and green, which were next to him, so he supposed were TW and Kari. However, there were three dots he couldn't account for. Two were white and close together, and the third was black and closing in on them.
It was Cody who determined what the two white dots were.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, "DigiEggs!"
"Where is it?" asked Veemon (he and the others had digivolved into their Rookie stages upon reentering the Digital World).
"The digivice says they're not far from here," said Cody.
"More DigiEggs?" asked a confused Davis, "but we already have ours."
"Who're they for?" asked Yolei.
"We'll never know unless we look for them," prompted Kari.
The Digidestined and Digimon nodded, and the search began.
On an uncharted and unknown island sat a gigantic temple built by the first civilization of digimon. The temple was made to honor the four Harmonious Ones, or Sovereigns, who protected the Digital World from evil. Ancient runes were scrolled across the walls telling tales of battles long ago. Although the last surviving Sovereign to have seen the Temple being built, Griffinmon, had died millennia ago, the Temple was still in pristine condition. Not a single tile was missing from the mosaics, nor was a single glass window cracked. The Sovereigns themselves looked after the Temple as a way of saying thanks to digimon long gone.
It was to this island and this Temple that George Samuel Helltower flew. Ordinarily, humans would not be allowed to enter the Temple's sacred grounds, but on his death, Griffinmon had made George an honorary Sovereign.
As soon as the fallen warrior landed on the island, Botamon became reenergized and digivolved all the way back to Crocmon, for such was the power of the island.
As the former Warriors of Power stepped into the Temple, George pulled off his trench coat and pocketed his sunglasses; neither would be necessary here.
"Gennai, Azulongmon, I'd like a word," he said.
Instantly, an old man and an enormous blue dragon with a long white beard appeared in the room with the two. George smiled for the first time in ages.
"It is agreeable to see you both again," he said.
"Yes," said Gennai, "but I can see you have questions for me."
"You've been acting up again haven't you?" said George coyly.
"Who me?" asked Gennai innocently.
"So my friends," said Azulongmon, "what can we do you for?"
"There are strange new digivices that have appeared lately," said George, "and I strongly suspect you two are involved in their appearance."
"You are correct sir," said Gennai, "I take it you'd like to know their capacities?"
"Actually, I'd like to figure that out on my own," replied the human-digimon hybrid.
"You'd like to know about Armor Digivolution then," surmised Azulongmon.
"Bingo," said George, "I see you didn't get this job for nothing."
"I'll try to take that as a compliment," said Azulongmon wryly.
With that, the blue dragon and the old man began to explain Armor Digivolution to the former Warriors of Power.
(A/N: This scene has been removed for blatant spoilers)
As the Digidestined walked through the forest, the eggs' signals became closer and closer. Suddenly, the Emperor appeared before them, and he was angry.
(A/N: What else is new?)
"What're you doing here?" demanded the Emperor.
"Look out!" yelled Yolei.
"I'll get you!" shouted Davis, "once and for all!"
As Davis dove into a tackle, he passed right through the Emperor…it was merely a hologram.
"Who do you think you are sneaking into the Digital World?" continued the Emperor, "what do you think this is a movie theater or something?"
The Digidestined looked at each other confused.
"What's he talking about?" asked Cody.
"You're no longer welcome here," said the Emperor, "at one time you may have been the Digidestined, but now I've replaced you!"
"Bullshit!" shouted Davis, "I became a Digidestined after you, so if anything, I've replaced you!"
"Ha!" laughed the Emperor, "no one shall ever replace me, for I am the ultimate destiny of the Digidestined!"
"What are you talking about?" asked Yolei.
"I mean, my dear, that the whole reason Digidestined were ever chosen in the first place was so that one day humans would rule the Digital World," said the Emperor, "I am just fulfilling our collective destiny."
"Destiny," spat TK, "you think this is the destiny of the Digidestined? We were never meant to rule this world, just to protect it from creeps like you!"
"I see that my dear friend Helltower must have already corrupted your minds," said the Emperor, "a shame really, we could have been good friends."
"I would never have a friend as dishonorable as you!" said Cody.
"Really?" said the Emperor, "so tell me, where was George when you needed him yesterday…and where is he now for that matter?"
"He's busy!" countered Davis heatedly.
"Is that what he told you?" asked the Emperor, "funny how he always used to tell me the same thing…"
"What do you mean?" asked Kari.
"All in due time my dear," said the Emperor, "in the meantime, all you need to know is that George doesn't give a rat's ass about you guys. All he truly cares about is himself and his reputation!"
"That's not true," said TK adamantly, "he's always looking out for us, even when he's not around."
"I can see that talking to you guys is a waste of time," said the Emperor, "it seems you do not want to be enlightened after all, so I'll have to expel you from my garden."
With that, the hologram disappeared, and a growl was heard from behind the Digidestined. They turned around to see the Emperor sitting on top of a red dinosaur-like digimon. The dino had a white belly, and green plates running from its red tail to the top of its head. It had black stripes on its legs and face, and its fingers ended in sharp claws. It had a Dark Ring around its neck so its normally red eyes were even redder.
"I will give you one chance to leave peacefully," said the Emperor.
"We have just as much right to be here as you!" protested TK.
"This world and everything in it belongs to me!" snarled the Emperor, "now all of you get out!"
"Try and make us," said Yolei.
The Emperor sighed, "why must everyone question my authority? Does it always have to turn into a great big production?"
He turned to the dinosaur he was riding on.
"Get 'em Tyrannomon!"
As the red dinosaur charged at the Digidestined, the Emperor explained.
"Tyrannomon is one of the most powerful Champion digimon his Blaze Blast attack incinerates his enemies!"
"Blaze Blast!"
Tyrannomon inhaled deeply, and as he exhaled massive flames exited his jaws causing the Digidestined to scatter.
"Is that all you've got?" asked Davis cockily.
The Emperor scowled.
"Are you ready Davish?" asked Veemon.
"Yeah! DigiArmor Energize!" shouted the goggled boy.
"Veemon Armor Digivolve to—Flamedramon the Fire of Courage!"
The Emperor smugly hopped off his perch on Tyrannomon.
"See? This is why I'm a genius and you're not. You keep using the same attacks against me, yet I keep coming up with something new," he pontificated.
"I've heard enough of your babbling," declared Davis, "let's get to it!"
"As you wish," sighed the Emperor regally waving his arm.
At this signal, Tyrannomon charged and slashed at Flamedramon. The armor digimon screamed as the dino's claws threw him backwards, but he rebounded off a tree relatively unscathed.
"Fire Rocket!"
Several elongated fireballs erupted from Flamedramon's right hand and flew towards Tyrannomon. The Emperor smirked and chuckled quietly as the reptilian digimon snuffed out the flames with his tail, leaving Davis baffled.
"What the hell?" he asked.
Yolei sighed. "Looks like Davis bit off more than he could chew again," she said.
The goggled boy glared at her, as Hawkmon glanced towards his partner.
"Now Yolei?" he asked.
Yolei nodded and shouted, "DigiArmor Energize!"
"Hawkmon Armor Digivolve to—Halsemon the Wings of Love!"
Yolei clambered onto the gryphon's back, and the two began soaring towards their adversary.
"Blaze Blast!"
Tyrannomon didn't take this new threat lying down as he attempted to incinerate Halsemon and his passenger, but fortunately the gryphon dodged with plenty of room.
"Eagle Eye!"
Two red lasers shot out of Halsemon's eyes and sent the Tyrannomon flying backwards; unfortunately, the lasers missed the Dark Ring, so the evil device remained intact.
"If you think you can beat me with your puny digimon, think again!" scoffed the Emperor.
He snapped his whip like a belt, and suddenly the ground shook as four more Tyrannomon surrounded the DigiDestined. The Emperor laughed darkly as he jumped back onto the first one's head.
"Shit," swore Davis.
"Okay, fine," said George, "I understand what Armor Digivolution is…but how is it that some digimon can Armor Digivolve and others can't?"
"Over time, the ability to Armor Digivolve was lost. Only those digimon whose species had been around before you and the other original Digidestined arrived are still capable of the technique," explained Azulongmon.
"…so the reason that Tai and the others were unable to lift the DigiEggs with their Crests is because their digimon are incapable of Armor Digivolution," said George, "then that means…"
As the metaphorical dots began to connect in the fallen warrior's cranium, his eyes grew wider and wider until a gigantic smile appeared across his face.
"Uh-oh," said Gennai sarcastically, "he's smiling. This can't be good."
"If what you're telling me is true," said George, "then since I not only found a DigiEgg with the Crest of Power on it, but was also able to lift it, then—"
"I should be able to Armor Digivolve," completed Crocmon in awe.
"Yes indeed," replied Azulongmon, "that is correct."
George and Crocmon looked at each other with determined expressions.
"We're not out of this fight after all old friend," said George, "and together, we will clean up the mess the Emperor has made."
Crocmon nodded, knowing full well what this meant to his partner.
Gennai cleared his throat.
"But first," he said, "we need to deal with the issue of Tai Kamiya. As per your instructions, I've reviewed the recordings and data from the final battle with Piedmon, especially MagnaAngemon's role."
"Good," said George nodding, "and what have you learned?"
"That the Magna Antidote is one extremely tough cookie to crack. I can't make heads or tails of its composition," replied the old man.
"But you told me—" began the fallen warrior.
"He may not have been able to replicate the formula," interjected Azulongmon, "but I could. You see, the powers of Light and Hope are my specialty, so there is nothing Patamon or Gatomon can do that I cannot."
"Brilliant," said George.
As Gennai handed him the vial however, George's expression changed from one of happiness to a frown of concern.
"Do you feel that my actions yesterday were warranted?" he asked, "or did things get taken way too far?"
"You did what you felt was necessary," said Azulongmon, "as a Sovereign, even an honorary one, you are technically not supposed to interfere directly with the developments in this world. This would imply that your actions are correct."
"And yet," countered George, "since the Emperor's existence is my fault in the first place, it would not be unacceptable for me to join the battle against him, implying that I was wrong."
"But you also know what might have happened if the lesson hadn't been taught," stated Gennai, "as you yourself said, you could have lectured them until you were blue in the face, but until they actually experienced near death they'd have still believed this world to be nothing more than a gigantic online videogame."
"But Tai got hurt because I wasn't there. The situation went way too far," said George, "I should have helped them…"
"The fact that the situation was carried too far was the Emperor's fault, not yours," said Azulongmon sternly, "until you stop blaming yourself and moping, nothing will get done to stop him."
"So do us all a favor," said Gennai, "and pick yourself up off the floor and get back in the game! You're assistance is needed, and it won't do anybody any good if you're a miserable wreck. You did what needed to be done, end of story."
George smiled and the flames of life and determination once again sprang into his bright green eyes.
"I'll fight you and hunt you down to the ends of this world Emperor!" he declared.
"The more the merrier," scoffed the Emperor as his Tyrannomon army closed in on the Digidestined.
"How the hell are we going to get out of this one?" asked Davis.
Keeping a level head as usual, Cody turned towards Armadillomon and asked, "are you ready?"
"Ready when you are," said the yellow digimon in his southern drawl.
"DigiArmor Energize!" yelled Cody.
"Armadillomon Armor Digivolve to—Digmon the Drill of Knowledge!"
Helpless to assist, Gatomon and Patamon were caught in the crossfire. The feline digimon looked the Emperor square in the eyes…er well sunglasses.
"You're nothing but a coward," she yelled, "you hide behind your slaves and you won't even let us digivolve."
"A coward am I?" asked the Emperor, "well, you know the old saying 'it's not how you play the game, it's whether you win or lose.'"
"…so you admit to being a coward?" asked Patamon.
"No," said the Emperor smoothly, "the real coward is George Helltower, and as his accomplices you shall all be destroyed…starting with you two useless excuses of digimon."
The Tyrannomon turned towards Gatomon and Patamon.
"Blaze Blast!"
Five blasts of fire surged towards the two helpless digimon, who were thrown backwards against a tree.
"Leave them alone!" shouted a horrified TK as he and Kari turned several shades whiter.
As the smoke from the attack cleared, Digmon, Flamedramon, and Halsemon stood in between the Tyrannomon and their prey.
"Hello boys," said Digmon, "it looks like you have some cavities that need filling."
The Emperor glared at the new Digidestined and their digimon with a look of utmost rage.
"So eager to die are you?" he asked, "well then I'll be happy to oblige."
At that moment, Digmon used his Rock Cracking and the ground around the Tyrannomon collapsed causing momentary confusion.
During that confusion, Cody grabbed TK and Kari (who were holding their injured digimon) and ran off in the direction of the DigiEgg's signal.
The Emperor saw them escaping and dispatched two Tyrannomon to cut them off, but one was intercepted by Flamedramon, who punched the red dino backwards, but the other continued to stomp towards the retreating Digidestined.
"Blaze Blast!"
As Tyrannomon's fireball flew towards them, the Digidestined ran as fast as they could. At the last moment, they fell down a slope and the fireball flew above them and impacted into a large boulder. The Tyrannomon continued forward as Cody took in his surroundings. Nearby he saw a crevice in the rocks.
"Let's hide in that cave," he exclaimed as the Digidestined ran towards the opening.
The Tyrannomon continued on its previous path in search of its prey. The Digidestined held their breath as it stomped past the cave's opening. After the sound of the stomping faded, they took a look around.
Cody, as usual, was the first to notice the sparkling objects in the back of the cave. He checked his digivice and looked at the objects again.
"I believe we have found the DigiEggs," he said nodding in their direction.
"Great," said TK, frustrated, "what do we do now, wait for new kid to come along and lift it so another new digimon'll be born?"
"But there aren't anymore new Digidestined," said Kari.
"What do the symbols on the front of them mean?" asked Cody.
TK and Kari took a closer look at the Digieggs. The one on the left was yellow with orange bat-like wings and whitish hair sticking out of the top. The symbol on the front was a small sun with a three pointed crown over it. The one on the left had two taloned feet supporting it and was covered by white armor designed to look like folded wings. At the top was a hole and sticking out of the hole was what appeared to be a tiny fortune cookie. The purple symbol on the front was a dot surrounded by several kite shapes pointing outwards.
TK and Kari's eyes widened as the younger Kamiya sibling responded to Cody's inquiry.
"One of them is the Crest of Light, and the other one has the Crest of Hope," she said excitedly, "wow."
TK and Kari ran towards the eggs with Cody and the Digimon trailing behind.
"Whose Crests were Light and Hope?" asked Cody curiously.
"...ours," said TK pointed to Kari and himself.
"Then these DigiEggs must belong to the two of you," said Gatomon happily.
"Go ahead and try to lift them," advised Patamon.
TK and Kari shook their heads remembering the failures of the other Digidestined who tried to lift DigiEggs that had their crests on them.
"yeah but…" began TK.
"If you don't try you'll never know," said Gatomon.
"But we've already got our digimon," objected Kari.
"Well," said Patamon, "George had a digimon and yet he managed to lift a DigiEgg, so that doesn't matter."
"George found a DigiEgg?" asked Kari.
"We can talk about this later," said Cody, "right now our friends are in trouble."
TK and Kari hesitantly turned towards the eggs and stretched out their hands.
"Just do it!" yelled Gatomon.
TK and Kari glanced at each other and nodded; their hands touched the DigiEggs.
Instantly, a high pitched shrieking noise was heard. The children of Light and Hope tried to remove their hands from the DigiEggs, but they couldn't.
As the shrieking continued, a column of yellow light and a column of pink light appeared from the DigiEggs. A beam of light branched off of each column and struck TK and Kari.
The shrieking grew louder and, their hands now free, TK and Kari pulled out their digivices, which appeared to be the source of the noise. When the beams of light connected, the digivices had begun to glow and change.
As the light dimmed and the shrieking grew quieter, the changes became clear.
TK and Kari now had digivices like the new Digidestined. The only difference was that TK's had green trimming and Kari's had pink trimming.
"These are the same digivices that the new kids have," said Kari.
"But why?" asked TK.
"It's obvious," said Cody, "you two were meant to have those eggs."
"Now go for it!" encouraged Patamon.
"We're not getting any younger," said Gatomon.
TK laughed, "Gatomon's right," he said as he advanced toward the egg once more.
This time, the eggs came up without any resistance whatsoever.
"It's light as a feather," said a surprised Kari.
"I'm stronger than I thought," remarked TK.
Suddenly, the columns of yellow and pink light resumed and surrounded Patamon and Gatomon.
"Patamon Armor Digivolve to—Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!"
"Gatomon Armor Digivolve to-Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!"
Pegasusmon was orange with a white underbelly. He was, for some strange reason, a flying horse. Plates of golden armor connected to his four hoofs, his two front legs and his wings, and over his equine face. He had a white mane and his ears were shaped like Patamon's wings. His wings were light tan and angelic, while a white tail completed the look. On the nose of his faceplate was an upside down triangle, and his hoof plates had intricate patterns on them. Finally, the Crest of Hope was emblazoned on the underside of his chest plate.
His calm blue eyes stared at TK.
While Pegasusmon was a flying horse Nefertimon was a sphinx. Her fur was white and her back legs ended in three purple talons. Her tail was just a larger version of Gatomon's (sans tail ring of course). Armor plating covered her front ankles and Gatomon's yellow gloves had fused to her skin making her front paws yellow with black talons. She had white angelic wings and a white breastplate with golden trimmed shoulder pads. Her sphinx head was covered by a white faceplate with tan 'hair' and a golden snake at the top. Her feline ears were also covered by the faceplate, and she had a golden necklace that hugged her neck. Her leg plates had an intricate pattern similar to the one on Pegasusmon's hoof plates. Finally, the Crest of Light was depicted on her breastplate.
She looked at Kari through her faceplate.
Cody was a little confused; just the day before he had seen the negative results from when Izzy had tried to lift the DigiEgg of Knowledge, and he had heard from Davis and Yolei of Tai and Sora's failures to lift their DigiEggs as well. Despite that, somehow, TK and Kari had managed to do what the others couldn't. They not only lifted their DigiEggs, but their digimon partners had Armor Digivolved as well…most perplexing.
"Gatomon and Patamon were able to Armor Digivolve," he said quietly.
"Nefertimon you're beautiful," said Kari, "and the best part is now that you can fly again, we don't have to walk anymore."
"Don't get too excited," said Nefertimon, "I haven't flown in a long time."
"Alright!" exclaimed TK, "my own armor digimon!"
"Might I suggest we return to the others?" said Pegasusmon in a tone similar to that of Angemon.
"Right," said TK and Kari.
Kari climbed onto Nefertimon's back and TK and Cody hoisted themselves onto Pegasusmon's back, and the five flew back towards the fight.
The battle had not been going well for Davis and Yolei. They were backed up against a cliff by the Tyrannomon and Flamedramon, Halsemon, and Digmon had dedigivolved and were collapsed in their Rookie states, too tired to fight anymore.
"Will you surrender?" asked the Emperor smugly.
"Not a chance!" shouted Davis defiantly.
"Look behind you," said the Emperor, "where do you think you're going to run to?"
Suddenly, two winged digimon appeared, and Cody shouted, "Davis, we're here!"
"Huh?" said the bamboozled Emperor; he thought the Tyrannomon had managed to defeat them.
The three Rookies were back on their feet as they admired the new armor digimon.
"That's Pegasusmon," drawled Armadillomon, "he's one wild horse. When he attacks with his Star Shower, his enemies will be blasted into outer space!"
"and that's Nefertimon," said Veemon, "she is a flying, fighting machine with nine lives, and she's quite a shot when tossing those Rosetta Stones of hers!"
George was sparring with an unseen digimon in the Sovereign's Temple. Gennai and Azulongmon were looking on as the digimon landed a kick that sent George flying backwards. The fallen warrior quickly righted himself and launched energy blasts at the digimon, who promptly countered them with a barrage of bullets from a gauntlet on his right arm. As the two rushed towards each other, Gennai cleared his throat.
"Gentlemen," he said, "while it has been amusing watching this match, you should probably check on the time."
"Huh?" said George, as he looked out the Temple's windows. The sun was beginning to set. They had been sparring for just under an hour, but that was longer than had been intended.
"Perhaps we should return to the others now," said the digimon, as he was enveloped in an aquamarine light, when the light dissipated, Crocmon remained.
"Agreed," said George.
The Emperor was furious; more Digidestined had managed to undermine his dark influence, but it was only a matter of time before he determined how armor digivolution worked and then he would override it.
"Don't think Armor Digivolving will save you," he said, "it won't be long before I find out how to stop that too!"
With that, the Emperor teleported back to his base as the five Tyrannomon launched fireballs at the aerial digimon, who quickly dodged them and prepared to counterattack.
"Star Shower!"
"Queen Paw!"
Pegasusmon flapped his wings and several white stars flew out and knocked back the Tyrannomon.
Nefertimon shot rubies encased in energy from her leg plates. The Tyrannomon were further backed into a corner as the assault continued. One by one, they fell to the ground as their Dark Rings broke.
Pegasusmon and Nefertimon dedigivolved back into Patamon and Gatomon, and a yellow ray of light flew into TK's pocket as a pink one flew into Kari's pocket.
Instinctively, the two reached into their pockets and pulled out the same mini computer the new Digidestined had.
A few moments later, the newly freed Tyrannomon thanked the Digidestined and went stomping off into the sunset.
"Whelp, we're ready to go now," said Davis smiling.
"Uh aren't you forgetting someone?" asked Yolei sweatdropping.
"Oh yeah," said Davis, "George…man it's easy to forget he was here after all we've been through today…"
"He has a point," thought Cody, "and after what the Emperor said about George…it could be a trick, but the Emperor appears to know George better than we do, and George does seem to know a lot about the Emperor. I must talk to him upon our return."
"Well we can't leave if George isn't here," said Kari, "what're we going to do?"
"I wouldn't worry about him if I were you," said TK.
"And why not?" asked Yolei.
"He'll be here in few seconds," replied TK pointing.
Sure enough, a dot had appeared on the horizon and was getting closer and closer. It soon became clear that the dot was George, and indeed he arrived in a few seconds carrying Crocmon on his back and a small box in his hand.
"Sorry if I've kept you waiting," said George, "but I had urgent business to attend to. Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"
"Yeah," said an indignant Davis, "we were attacked by the Emperor!"
"I see," said George, "I apologize for my lack of presence. I assume all went well?"
"Indeed," said Cody, "we found new DigiEggs and Patamon and Gatomon were able to Armor Digivolve."
George nodded thoughtfully, "yeah that makes sense," he mumbled to himself.
Aloud he said, "we should head home."
The others agreed, and they began their hike to the point where they had entered the Digital World. Sure enough, a TV was there and on the other end could be seen a concerned looking Izzy and Sora.
"You might want to step back," advised George as he and the others approached the TV. On the screen Izzy and Sora hastened to give the computer a wide berth.
As the Digidestined held up their digivices for the return trip George noticed the difference in TK's and Kari's.
"Curious," he thought as he glanced at his own, "mine hasn't changed a bit…"
A few moments later the newer Digidestined found themselves in a dog pile on the floor while George was standing upright about a half a foot away.
"How the hell did he manage that?" gripped Davis from his position on the bottom of the pile.
When everyone finally managed to untangle themselves Kari looked at Sora and asked, "how's Tai?"
Sora smiled, "he's just fine apart from the bandages. His sense of humor is as wacky as ever…which reminds me, your parents should be calling you in a few moments for your visitation."
As if on cue, Kari's cell phone rang, and she picked it up.
"Okay, thanks mom," said Kari, "I'll be there in a few."
She hung up.
"That was my mom," said Kari, "she said they're just leaving the hospital now."
"How're you going to get there?" asked TK.
"I could drive you if you need," said Sora.
"Thanks Sora; that sure beats taking the bus," said Kari smiling.
As the two females turned to leave, George cleared his throat.
"Could I get you to give this to Tai for me?" he asked referring to the box.
"Sure," said Kari, "what is it?"
"A little digital medication for what ails him," replied George sagely, "that's where I was today."
"I see, I'm sure he'll thank you," said Kari, and she and Sora left.
Meanwhile, Davis was still fuming about the day's battle. He punched his fist into his other palm aggressively.
"I'm so mad," he said, "just wait till I get my hands on that Digimon Emperor."
"We'll defeat the Emperor," said Izzy, "right George?"
The fallen warrior sighed. "I'm not sure Izzy," he said, causing everyone to glance his way apprehensively, but he then cracked a smile and repeated Davis's hand motions, "but we can sure give him hell."
"What's so different this time?" asked Cody looking up from the feasting digimon, "haven't you all defeated many enemies before?"
"The problem is that we've never faced an enemy who was human before," replied Izzy, "how are we supposed to fight him?"
"That's a good point," remarked Cody thoughtfully.
"Oh yeah?" asked Davis, "what's that?"
"Well," continued Cody slowly and deliberately, "this is quite the little army we've assembled here so far, yet even with Flamedramon, Halsemon, Digmon, Pegasusmon, and Nefertimon, we still don't have enough power to defeat the Digimon Emperor when he's in the Digital World."
"Get to the point already!" demanded Yolei impatiently.
"Well," said Cody hesitantly, "we keep forgetting the fact that the Digimon Emperor is human."
"We know that he's human," heckled Davis, "what's that got to do with anything?"
"He means we have to fight differently," said George.
"How do you suggest we do that?" said Yolei incredulously.
"It would help if you and Davis weren't so cynical and didn't interrupt Cody after every sentence," said George casually.
That quieted them down, and Cody revealed his idea.
"If we find out his human identity maybe we can defeat him from this side where his powers aren't as strong," he suggested.
"What'd we do?" asked Davis, forgetting George's reprimand, "knock on doors and ask for the Digimon Emperor?"
"He could be anywhere in the world," remarked Izzy.
"I knew I shouldn't have expressed my opinions," Cody thought solemnly, "now they'll all just make fun of me…"
"Well," said Yolei, "you're a little young to be worrying about those things Cody."
"Yeah," said Davis, "just let us older kids come up with a plan."
With that, he and most of the other Digidestined left the computer lab leaving Cody, George, and their digimon behind.
George pulled out a beer and began drinking. Cody looked on in mild disgust.
"Sorry," apologized George, "just a bad habit I picked up during a particularly depressing battle in the Digital World…keeps me sane."
Cody just nodded.
"I happened to believe that your idea was ingenious Cody," he continued, "all you have to do is figure out a way to learn the Emperor's identity."
"I'm beginning to have my suspicions," said Cody looking George square in the eyes, "you appear to have an astounding control over the Digital World beyond that of a normal Digidestined."
George sighed; he had known this confrontation was going to occur the moment he had laid eyes on Cody.
"Very well," said the fallen warrior, "I suppose some explaining is in order…"
In a darkened room, a boy wearing a gray school uniform sat in front of a computer screen typing rapidly.
On the screen was a map with black and white squares. As the boy continued typing, he smiled a dark and sinister smile.
"Tomorrow's another day," he said ominously.
Narrator: What is the Digimon Emperor up to and what secrets will George reveal? Find out next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!
(21 and George are running from the duck-tank. Suddenly, 21 pulls out a notebook and begins writing.)
George: What're you doing? This is no time to write the next chapter! We're in a bit of a bind here!
21: I know that, I'm writing a clause that will give you your powers back.
(21 finishes writing, and George begins glowing in his blue-green aura.)
George: Aww yeah! I'm back baby!
Sponsor: Uh-oh...
(George pokes the tank, which promptly blows up leaving a charred Sponsor in its wake.)
George: Just goes to show, you don't mess with the best.
(21 resumes writing and the aura disappears from around George.)
George: Aww man! Why'd you have to take my powers away again!
21: Sorry, but the plot must go on. You'll really like the next episode though...
George: We'll see...
(21 and George leave. The Sponsor coughs out a cloud of ashes and falls over.)
Narrator: I'm still alive!
(George returns and tackles the Narrator.)