Digimon World Tour
Digimon Adventure 02, Digimon Adventure, Digimon Data Squad, etc. 1999-2014 Toei Animation, Akiyoshi Hongo, Studiopolis, Saban Brands, etc.
Author's Note: Starting this chapter, and already in effect in the other chapters, Andrew Dost will be replaced by Michael Cunio as T.K.'s singing voice. Mr. Cunio is a member of Under the Streetlamp. You may have seen them in a recent PBS special (BTW, please support your local public TV station).
Here's the description of the band:
"Under the Streetlamp, America's hottest new vocal group, delivers an electrifying evening of classic hits from the American Radio Songbook. These four magnetic vocalists bring their unique blend of tight harmonies and slick dance moves to your favorite Doo-Wop, Motown, and old time Rock 'n' Roll hits from The Drifters, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Four Seasons, and more. The quartet is composed of recent leading cast members of the Tony Award-winning sensation Jersey Boys: Michael Cunio, Michael Ingersoll, Christopher Kale Jones and Shonn Wiley. Exuding the irresistible rapport of a modern day Rat Pack, Under the Streetlamp proves why retro never sounded so now."
According to the Under the Streetlamp website:
"When not touring with Under The Streetlamp, [he] can be found performing at the "wonderfully eccentric" New York supper club Duane Park, where he hosts "The Plume Revue." He also performs regularly with members of vintage jazz quintet The Candy Shop Boys. Prior to Streetlamp, Cunio appeared as Tommy DeVito of the Four Seasons in the Chicago run of "Jersey Boys" and was co-founder and lead singer of hard rock band Reckless Place, with whom he wrote and released "innocence is no excuse…" and "Six Shooter," both available on iTunes."
What drew me to him as compared to Mr. Dost was the fact that he had both Broadway experience and rock experience (which is kind of what T.K. needs and has). And when you get down to it, this fanfic does have a lot of music in it.
Chapter 17: Kanzenseiha
Greg
Out of the nine of us humans that were on the train to Yokohama, Thomas, Marcus, and the girls slept the longest. I was surprised because I surely thought Rika would tough it out. But no, she went right to sleep in her chair. Matt, T.K., and I discussed adding pieces to the set list, and quite possibly the next album. "All right, how about this? Two songs. One for T.K. and one for you, Matt. For you, 'Comfortably Numb' by Pink Floyd." "Oh yeah, that's a good one, but it's a bit too slow for me," Matt said. "How about 'Iris' by the Goo Goo Dolls?" "Now that's better." But then he thought about it. "Nah, too obvious. That's like, one of the biggest 90's alternative rock staples ever." "There's 'Broadway'." "That'll work." He started searching for the song on his tablet.
T.K. then turned to me. "What'd you have in mind for me, Greg?" he asked. I think maybe he was humoring me. "Well, Takeru, I was thinking of playing to your strengths. You do enjoy love songs, right?" "Yeah?" "So how about this? 'Kiss from a Rose' by Seal." He thought about it. "I don't know... isn't that song a bit dirty?" "Nah, it fits you perfectly." "How so?" I pulled up the Songfacts page on the song and directed him to a comment made by Erik from Corpus Christi, TX. "Hmm... I like it. Thanks." So, he went searching for the song on his tablet.
When they finally woke up, Marcus and Thomas agreed to help Matt learn his song, while I refined T.K.'s vocals. "OK, here's the tricky part with this verse. You're supposed to go higher with 'and love remains' than you did with 'you became'." "Higher?" "Yeah, but not so high that your voice cracks." "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." I'm pretty sure he was just humoring me.
We finally arrived in Yokohama. It's the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture, the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. We were expecting a sold out stadium all the way. We took pictures of some of the sights, with quickly devolved into a selfie competition. Hey, there's nothing that brings a band together more than competing to see who can take the most pictures of themselves with their phones. We managed to get some group shots as well, then had lunch at the Shinyokohama Ramen Museum. The basement has a recreation of 1950s-era Tokyo done in amazing detail, complete with operating branches of 10 famous ramen joints. We had to explain ramen to Anya, who'd never had it before. I chose Shina Soba-ya, for what the website called "an exquisite concentration of umami flavors in every bowl". It was excellent.
We took some more photos, then did sound checks and rehearsals at Yokohama Stadium, which is actually a baseball field. After dinner, we did another quick sound check. It was game time.
["Broadway"
Written by John Rzeznik
Performed by The Teenage Wolves
Lead Vocal: Yamato "Matt" Ishida (Michael Reisz)]
The audience cheers. "All right, guys. You enjoying the concert?" The audience cheers. "Great! Now, we're gonna be trying a new song tonight. Well, it's not new, but it's new to us. It's time to take a trip down Broadway!" The audience cheers as Marcus taps his drumsticks and the group starts playing. The instrumentation is less grunge and more rock. Thomas and Rika duet on keyboard, and Anya joins in wherever she can on saxophone.
Matt:
Broadway is dark tonight
A little bit weaker than you used to be
Broadway is dark tonight
See the young man sittin' in the old man's bar
Waitin' for his turn to die
The cowboy kills the rock star
And Friday night's gone too far
The dim light hides the years
On all the faded girls
Forgotten but not gone
You drink it off your mind
You talk about the world like it's someplace that you've been
You see, you'd love to run home, but you know you ain't got one
Cuz you're livin' in a world that you're best forgotten, around here
Broadway is dark tonight
A little bit weaker than you used to be
Broadway is dark tonight
See the young man sittin' in the old man's bar
Waitin' for his turn to die
We get shots of the cheering audience, followed by the band.
Matt:
You choke down all your anger
Forget your only son
You pray to statues when you sober up for fun
Your anger don't impress me
The world slapped in your face
It always rains like hell on the loser's day parade
You see, you'd love to run home, but you know you ain't got one
Cuz you're livin' in a world that you're best forgotten
When you're thinkin' you're a joke and nobody's gonna listen
To the one small point I know they've been missing around here
Broadway is dark tonight
A little bit weaker than you used to be
Broadway is dark tonight
See the young man sittin' in the old man's bar
Waitin' for his turn to die
During the instrumental bridge (in which Anya plays a few hot licks on saxophone), Kari looks around at all the fans cheering and taking pictures with their cameras. However, one particular camera catches her eye. It doesn't let out a white flash, but a blue one. Her eyes take in the blue flash, and she unwittingly becomes subjected to a subliminal plot.
Matt:
You see, you'd love to run home, but you know you ain't got one
Cuz you're livin' in a world that you're best forgotten
When you're thinkin' you're a joke and nobody's gonna listen
To the one small point I know they've been missing around here
Round here, yeah
Broadway is dark tonight
A little bit weaker than you used to be
Broadway is dark tonight
See the young man sittin' in the old man's bar
Waitin' for his turn to die
And the crowd goes wild.
T.K.
We decided that "Broadway" was a huge smash. On the way back to the hotel (the InterContinental Grand Yokohama, a bit pricey), I kept listening to "Kiss From a Rose" and practicing it. We finally arrived at the hotel, but just as we got out of the car, Kari bolted. "Kari?" She started running like a demon was after her. "Kari! Where are you going!?" I called after her. She didn't hear me, she just kept running. At least she was staying out of the road. Like any good friend, I started chasing after her.
Greg
We started to chase after both of them too, but T.K. sent us a message on his phone. "Guys, you might want to suit up and follow us. Commander Sampson said the Digivices have nanotechnology that taps into satellites around the world. If he can get that footage, maybe we can too." We had a quick pow-wow in Matt's room.
"Why are we wasting our time here? We've gotta run after Kari!" Marcus protested. Thomas started tracking their location with his Digivice and hushed Marcus up. "Quiet. We've got to formulate a plan. If we have some idea of where they're headed, then we can get there faster... just a few more seconds... I've got them!" "Great. Where are they headed, Tom?" I asked. "First off, it's Thomas, and I can tell you that there's a suspicious signal originating from Midoriyama in Aoba-ku. It seems Kari may be headed right for it. I can't be certain, though." "Whatever lead you have is good, Thomas," Matt reassured him.
We walked out to behind the hotel in order to make a clean getaway. Suiting up is one of my favorite parts of the job, because I grew up on a lot of Super Sentai. However, unlike Super Sentai, there was no morphing call for the suit up function. We just selected it on our Digivices and hit OK. The extended sequence was still pretty cool, though. Anya had a "Suit Up" function on her Digivice, too, but since hers was handheld, she had a little more action put into it.
[BGM: "Precure! Smile Charge!" by Yasuharu Takanashi]
Anya thrusts forward her Digivice iC, whirling it in a circle before tapping the bottom button in her open palm. Her body glows in marbled lavender and pink. She swings her Digivice around, revealing her marbled bodysuit. She shows her arms, revealing her gloves. Then she does a high jump kick, revealing her boots. As she lands, she spins around, and begins to slide along the ground. While she's doing this, she secures her Digivice to her belt. When she stops, she poses. Then, she draws a circle of pink flowers before her and shoots them at the camera, before finishing with a final pose.
Greg
I was blown away at it. "Wow, I didn't know your Digivice could do that," I said. "Why thank you. I am glad you are impressed," she answered with a smile. Thomas reeled us back in. "We'll contest the idea of magical girl anime transformation sequences while we're on the road. Focus, you two," he sternly reprimanded us.
We summoned our Digimon, then quickly decided who would ride on which Digimon. I searched through the Digi-Egg Digivolution chart. "Hmm... there's Sagittarimon, but the bow might get in the way. And Sethmon doesn't look like he's fast enough. Looks like it's Raidramon again," I decided, much to Veemon's chagrin. "Aww man, as much as I like speeding down the highway, I'd like to Digivolve inta something different, ya know?" "I know, buddy, but you're the fastest thing I've got." "All right."
Meanwhile, Gaomon had his own issues. "Sir, I know my opinion means very little, but I'd like Marcus to ride with someone else this time instead of with us. I personally don't enjoy him kicking me in the gut with his hanging foot." "Very well. Marcus, you get to ride with someone else," Thomas said, much to Marcus' chagrin. "That's just low, Nerdstein," he grumbled.
"Rika, do you prefer Kyubimon or Raidramon?" Renamon asked her partner. "I don't really care, as long as we get there." "All right, Raidramon it is," Renamon concluded.
"Who am I gonna ride with, Boss?" Agumon asked his partner. "Eh, that's easy. You get to ride in the Digivice. I'll manage with somebody." "Awww..." "He's riding with me," Matt jumped in.
Finally, it was time to Digivolve. Agumon went back inside Marcus' Digivice. Matt thrust his arm forward. "Ready?" he asked. We did the same. "Ready!"
Rika and I each chose the DigiEgg of Friendship option from our menus. "DigiEgg of Friendship!" The Digivice beeped, and we each posed. "DigiArmor Energize!" The energy transferred to our Digimon. "Veemon Armor Digivolve to..." "Renamon Armor Digivolve to..." "Raidramon, the Storm of Friendship!"
Thomas snapped his fingers, while Matt played an imaginary chord and Anya elegantly opened up her hand like a flower. "DigiSoul... charge!" "Gabumon Digivolve to... Garurumon!" "Gaomon Digivolve to... Gaogamon! Rawr!" "Lalamon Digivolve to... Sunflowmon!"
We put on our shades, mounted our Digimon, and rode off.
Kari
I didn't know why, but I had to keep running. Something was telling me to go somewhere, but I didn't know where. As I got closer and closer to it, I felt more and more sure. Images started popping into my mind, then a word. "Midoriyama". I stopped to catch my breath. "Midoriyama," I said, letting it roll off my tongue. "Mi-dor-i-ya-ma. Got it." Then, I held up my Digivice. "Gatomon, realize!" I called, and seconds later, Gatomon appeared. "Kari, what's going on? Why are we... in the middle of Yokohama?" I looked around for the first time in a while. "You're right... we're stranded..." My mood started to drop. "And alone," I added. Gatomon tried to cheer me up. "Aww, don't worry, Kari. It's going to be OK. I think T.K.'s chasing after us."
And sure enough, I could faintly hear someone calling my name. "Kari! Kari!" I looked up, and there was Pegasusmon, searching the skies. "I'M DOWN HERE!" I shouted up to him. Pegasusmon lowered himself, and T.K. jumped off once he'd landed. I ran into his arms and hugged him. "T.K..." "Kari... I was so worried about you. How'd you get all the way here?" "I don't know. I- I just started running, and I stopped to catch my breath." "Well, let's go home," he suggested. "I can't." "Why not?" "Because... I have to go somewhere. I need to be somewhere. Midoriyama." "Midoriyama? You mean where they tape 'Sasuke'?" "Yes, I have to go. I'm sorry."
Then, I turned to Gatomon. "Gatomon, will you help me?" "I think you're walking into a trap, Kari." "Please, Gatomon, I'm begging you." She thought about it, then relented. "Sure." I smiled. "Great!" I selected the "Suit Up" option on my Digivice. "Suit Up!" I called. Then, the sequence kicked in. I put on my sunglasses, and I was ready to go. Now it was Gatomon's turn. "DigiEgg of Light! DigiArmor Energize!" The energy transferred to Gatomon. "Gatomon Armor Digivolve to... Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!" I boarded her as T.K. remounted Pegasusmon. The two of us flew together toward Midoriyama.
Greg
We had to take some of the back roads to avoid detection and the press. "So Anya, why is it that you get a Pretty Cure-inspired transformation sequence and the rest of us get something else?" I asked. "Well, Gregory, I have grown up watching Russian subs and dubs of magical girl anime. I've always been fascinated by it, and have wanted to be a magical girl when I grew up. This was something I fashioned on my own." "I can't believe we're even having this conversation," Thomas sighed.
Just then, my Digivice beeped. I checked the message. "Hey, I think I have something. It's from Kari, and she says that she's compelled to go to... Midoriyama? Isn't that where they tape 'Sasuke'?" "What is 'Sasuke'?" Anya asked. "Basically, it's a competition in which 100 competitors attempt to complete four obstacle course stages," Matt answered, "But what would they be doing there?" "Who knows, and who cares?" Marcus shot back, laughing with glee.
Kari
We arrived at Midoriyama, and it looked like they had just finished assembling the "Sasuke" set. Actually, Midoriyama isn't a mountain at all, but a TV studio that belongs to TBS. The four of us landed and powered down. "Hmm... looks like they just finished setting up," I said, putting away my sunglasses. But just then, I saw a blue light flashing from a distance.
T.K.
A blue light was flashing right at Kari from a distance, and she bolted off again. I chased her again, but then something swept her up and she was gone. At that point, I heard some very familiar laughter. "Tactimon!" I growled. A video screen appeared from nowhere and Tactimon's voice came loud and clear over it. "Ha ha ha ha ha! So, the fly with the bucket hat decided to accompany his lady friend into the spider's web, eh? Oh, you are a foolish human. So noble, but foolish." "You're not-" "I already have! But just because you're here, I might as well tell you what I've done. I've been doing research on subliminal stimuli and mind control. Earlier during your concert, I installed a special device inside a smart phone. Rather then emit a white light, it emits a blue light. After staring at all the white lights, a blue one provided just enough of a difference to her. There's a lot of science, but I'll avoid boring you. Once I had tapped into her subconscious, I was able to transmit the location into her mind, and make her want to come here. You never had a chance!"
I clenched my fist. "What have you done with Kari!?" I demanded to know. "Oh, don't worry about your little 'damsel in distress'. She's up here with me. And I do mean... up." The camera zoomed out to reveal that he was standing at the top of the Final Stage tower, and he had Kari in his clutches. I gasped. "You monster!" "That's right. Now, I've got a little task for you. All you have to do is clear the Third Stage and then come up and get her." "The Third Stage?" I looked at the course that was ahead for me. It was just like the TV series, and hardly anyone finished that course. This was a huge task I had to complete. "But wait a minute... what'll stop me from just flying up there?" I challenged him. "Oh, about that. Your little friend was brought up here by one of my associates. There's no way down, and she doesn't have a safety harness. Plus, on top of that, she's under my control. I could have her jump down that hole and plummet 24 meters to her death, if I wanted her to. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" "Fine! I'll do it!"
I got in position at the starting gate for the Third Stage. "You can do this, T.K.! Kill it!" Patamon cheered. Just then, Tactimon came in again. "Oh yes, I forgot. I'll need to keep your little friend busy. Go, my Shinobi minions!" All of a sudden, a swarm of ninja-styled Digimon appeared. I looked them all up on my Digimon Analyzer. "Those are Kotemon! And Ninjamon! And that's a Musyamon! And... Shurimon?!" This Shurimon wasn't partnered with Yolei, because it was black. I quickly checked through my Analyzer again for just the right form to use. "Patamon, you think Angemon can handle all these?" I asked him. "I hope so." "Well, this time, hope may not be enough. It's time we kicked things up a notch. DigiEgg of Courage!" I selected the option, and then held my arm up in a pose. "DigiArmor Energize!"
"Patamon Armor Digivolve to... Baronmon, the Courageous King of Spirits!" Patamon transformed into a demon man who looked just like Barong, the King of Spirits in Indoneisan mythology. That's just what the Digimon Analyzer said, anyway. Baronmon examined himself. "All this power, new threads, and... ay yi yi yi yi! I have a sudden urge to welcome guests to 'Fantasy Island'." "Well, save it. You and I both have work to do," I said. "Very well. I wish you all the luck in the world. Be strong, my friend."
I nodded, then stretched out a little. Tactimon's taunting voice came over the loudspeaker again. "Remember, you don't climb up here until you complete that stage. Take as long as you like, and go as many times as you like until each and every obstacle is completed! But I doubt you'll last that long!"
I applied chalk to my hands to get a good grip, then jumped toward the Rumbling Dice. I had to roll a metal box along a track to get to the landing platform. I'd seen enough "Sasuke" to know that this was only meant to drain strength, so I had to act fast.
Baronmon created a vertical wave of lava that hit anything in its path. That took out a number of Ninjamon, but Shurimon cut in with a Double Stars attack. He could take them out, but he was getting quite a beating.
Greg
We arrived at Midoriyama, and found that the party had already started. From the video feed on my Digivice, T.K. was up to the Iron Paddler (a bar with two dips for handles held on a scaffolding by his waist, with the ends of the bar having a circular shape to revolve). Poor T.K., his triceps must've been killing him. We arrived to join him when a holographic video screen revealed itself to us. It was Tactimon, the same guy from Surfers Paradise. "So, you brought your friends along? Ha ha ha, a lot of good that will do you. You pathetic humans! Go throughout the complex, and you'll find your challenges!" "Challenges?" I asked. The video screen pointed the way to us. Marcus, Matt and Thomas would go to the driving range, while Anya, Rika, and I would tackle Stage Two of the course.
We dismounted our Digimon and the two Raidramon powered down. Then, we climbed the stairs to the start of the course. Tactimon's voice came over the loudspeaker again. "You'll probably ask why I've split you into three groups. That is quite simple. Out on the driving range, we have a Drimogemon. He'll be digging his way through the course. Your comrades' mission is to destroy him. However, how successful they are depends on you. Now, all you three have to do is complete the stage. If you fall into the water, one of my brainwashed human assistants will reset the obstacle and the next person can start over from the beginning of that particular obstacle. However, each time all three of you fail any obstacle, you'll have to start all the way at the beginning of the stage, and I'll release another Digimon. And all the while, your Digimon will be fighting... my army of Troopmon!"
Just then, he unleashed a group of gray, metallic soldier-esque Digimon wearing metal gas masks and backpacks. They looked like they were ready to kill. Tactimon went on. "It is an artificial Digimon manufactured by stuffing energy stolen from other Digimon within a special rubber body. As it is a machine-like Digimon that can only perform as commanded, it is absolutely incapable of spontaneous behavior. It doesn't get fatigued, it doesn't feel pain, it doesn't fear death, and it doesn't need to sleep. What it does do is decimate the enemy using human wave tactics!" "Monster!" I shouted. "Bully!" Rika added. "Cad!" Anya finished.
I searched through the possible Armor Digivolutions and Digivolutions. "Hey, Veemon. What would you rather be? Large and fiery, or small and fiery?" I asked my partner. "Veedramon or Flamedramon?" "Yeah." "Flamedramon." "OK, you got it. DigiEgg of Courage!" I selected the option on my Digivice then posed. "DigiArmor Energize!" The energy transferred over to the Digimon. "Veemon Armor Digivolve to... Flamedramon, the Fire of Courage!"
Rika changed back into her standard apparel of turquoise-turtlenecked T-shirt and button-fly blue jeans. Then, she turned to her partner waiting on the ground. "You ready for this, Renamon?" she bravely asked. The fox sharply nodded once. Rika flipped open the sensor, then closed her eyes and fired a punch straight forward. As she opened her eyes, yellow DigiSoul covered her fist. "DigiSoul... Charge!" She scanned her hand along the outside of the Digivice, then posed again as the energy went to Renamon as her sequence began. "Renamon Digivolve to... Kyubimon!"
Marcus
We arrived at this driving range, and it looked like any other to me. I didn't see what the big deal was. "Oh great, what does Tactimon want us to do? Play golf?" I joked. Thomas just stared at me. "No. Just, no," he answered. Gaogamon cut in. "Sir! Drill-nosed Digimon at eleven o'clock!" We looked out and there was this giant mole digging in the range. He had a huge steel drill at the end of his nose and smaller versions of it as nails for both his hands and his feet.
Matt looked him up with his Digimon Analyzer. "'Drimogemon'. OK, guys, no sweat. We can handle this, no problem. Marcus, realize your Digimon... and try to stay out of the battlefield this time." "Uh, no way. I'm the ultimate fighter, and I never stand on the sidelines," I declared. "Marcus, your fighting style is reckless and is only endangering yourself," Nerdstein lectured. "Oh yeah? Well, I'd rather fight my enemies like a man than hide behind my Digimon! So there!"
I started running, and set up my Digivice while I was doing it. "Rrrraaaaaggghhh! Agumon, realize!" Agumon appeared like lightning and soon was running by my side. I flipped out the sensor on my Digivice, then ignited my DigiSoul. "DigiSoul...CHARGE!" Then, I ran ahead while Agumon stopped. "Agumon Digivolve to... GeoGreymon!"
["Night Moves"
Written by John Parr, Jon Astley, and Marilyn Martin
Performed by Melissa Fahn]
This sequence reads out like a late-'80s James Bond movie sequence, so we're not going to put a character limit on Ms. Fahn's talents here. (That is, Ms. Fahn will not be singing as Rika, but rather as herself.) The three humans chosen to face the task go up to the start of the stage. Rika rubs her hands together and props herself against two pads using only her arms then hangs on as the contraption slides down the track, allowing her to drop down to the island below. As the island moves to the Swap Salmon Ladder, she takes a few deep, meditative breaths. Like the Double Salmon Ladder, it consists of two parallel wall sets, however both are an equal distance away from the water. There is a total of five rungs, three on the right side and two on the left side. Similar to the jump in the Double Salmon Ladder, the competitor must jump from one rung on one side to another rung on the other side. However, when progressing up the ladder, they must also jump upwards as well as clear the gap. The first two rungs are at equal height. Unlike the previous generations, the Swap Salmon Ladder's rungs automatically switch sides of the wall, generally switching to the reachable side when the competitor is swinging on the opposite wall, and on the back side when the competitor is on the rung directly beneath it. This prevents the competitors from climbing the Salmon Ladder vertically. Rika jumps and makes it to the modified Unstable Bridge, which she crosses easily. Greg and Anya look on impressed, until Rika makes it to the Spider Walk. She doesn't make it past the third panel and falls into the water. Thankfully, she made a lot of progress and Greg is there to catch up.
Melissa: (VO)
Slippin' away
Silently we took the night
He pulled the shades
Locking out the neon lights
The room was dark
Our shadows danced in perfect time
But I held on
To what was for this moment mine
T.K., in the meantime, is sweating up a storm as he moves to the Curtain Cling, a large piece of fabric with several handholds that the competitor needed to cross using their arms, though some competitors used their legs. The fabric is presumed to have been made up of several pieces in order to support the competitor. While it had a much higher success rate than many other Third Stage obstacles, it was instrumental in draining the finger and arm strength of competitors. Flamedramon uses his Fire Rocket to shoot through the sky, taking out Troopmon after Troopmon. Kyubimon starts to spin very fast, which causes the flames on her body to erupt into a fiery inferno. This turns her body into a ball of swirling blue fire. When in this state, she summons a mystical dragon, which emerges from her body to destroy her enemies. Sunflowmon fires rays of sunlight from all of her petals.
Melissa: (VO)
We're on the edge
Reachin' the point of no return
Caught in a web, daring to touch
Is it the love of the danger
Or the danger of the love?
You know I'm not afraid of your night moves
You know I'm not afraid of your night moves
Dangerous games we play
But you know I'm not afraid
Going to the driving range, Marcus chases Drimogemon around, punching him with DigiSoul-ignited fists whenever he has a chance. He has one too many close calls with Drimogemon's drills, tearing up part of his uniform. Thankfully, no blood was drawn. Garurumon and Gaogamon do some target practice. Marcus uses his Digivice communicator to formulate a strategy. He'll chase the mole out, and GeoGreymon will blast him. This doesn't work as planned, but at least they're making progress.
Speaking of progress, Greg makes it to the Backstream. This is the first obstacle in SASUKE that allows the competitors to touch the water to progress, as usually, touching the water in any fashion results in disqualification. The obstacle is a large swimming tank, which the competitors must swim the length of to a ladder to move on to the next obstacle. There are also a series of jets towards the end of the obstacle, designed to disrupt their progress to the ladder. Unfortunately, swimming is not Greg's strong suit. Much like Cody, Greg has a fear of drowning. However, he looks at the battle footage on his Digivice, and sees Flamedramon fighting his heart out. That gives him the courage to dive in and start swimming. The jets are stronger this time, but that doesn't stop him. He finally makes it to the ladder and climbs up, panting. His heartbeat rate is pacing.
Melissa: (VO)
Secret ways
Always having to pretend
We play the game
Outraged innocence
Stealin' away
Silently into the night
Separate ways
Strangers in the morning light
We're on the edge
Reachin' the point of no return
Caught in a web, daring to touch
Is it the love of the danger
Or the danger of the love?
Baronmon launches seven daggers made of gold with rubies from his torso, aiming at Musyamon, who deflects five of them. Two of them stab him, and that disables him a little. Musyamon uses what strength he has to raise his sword up. Blue flames gather all over the sword's blade and then Musyamon slashes the enemy with his now flaming sword. Baronmon senses this attack with his third eye and blocks it, countering by using ancient arts. Shurimon grabs our hero and holds onto him as they both plunge headfirst into the ground.
Melissa: (VO)
You know I'm not afraid of your night moves
You know I'm not afraid of your night moves
Dangerous games we play
But you know I'm not afraid
T.K. is now up to the Vertical Limit. A 1 cm ledge at the bottom of a flat wall must be crossed, using a pinch grip. Competitors must use only their fingertips to reach the green resting bar of the Pipe Slider. Also, it should be noted that there are two resting bars that competitors can grab onto. T.K. grabs onto one of them and holds on for however long he can. By now, he's running on empty as he makes it to the Pipe Slider. Using sheer will, he slides down the one track, and then swings and jumps onto the finish platform. When he arrives, he falls flat on his stomach, exhausted. Gaogamon and Garurumon combine their attacks to spread blue flames even further, when Marcus gets an idea. He and GeoGreymon run back to safety. GeoGreymon breathes out a huge fireball and causes a huge explosion. That sets the driving range ablaze and forces Drimogemon out into the fire. The others escape.
Melissa: (VO)
You know I'm not afraid of your night moves
You know I'm not afraid of your night moves
Dangerous games we play
But you know I'm not afraid
Greg advances to the Passing Wall. The Passing Wall functions similar to the Wall Lifting in that the first and third walls must be lifted to advance, the only difference being the second wall must now be pulled apart to advance through it. The first wall is 30kg (66 lbs) and has just two small handholds with the entire middle section blocked off. The weight of the second wall is 40kg (88 lbs). The third wall is 50kg (110 lbs) just like Wall Lifting. The obstacle comes after the Backstream, which causes Greg to have trouble lifting the walls due to wet hands. However, he remembers what Izzy told him. "But what's even better about DigiSoul is that with proper control, you can use it yourself to enhance your strength." He's already seen Marcus use it, so he digs deep and ignites his DigiSoul. That reduces the struggle by a lot as he easily splits the second wall apart. As exhaustion starts to set in, Greg's mental focus starts to drop, but he manages to make it past the heaviest wall, hitting the button, then falling to the floor.
Kyubimon, Flamedramon, Sunflowmon, and Baromon finish their fights.
T.K.
Some rock stars like to hit the club after a concert. Some go to a bar. Me? I try to save the one person who means the most to me 24 meters up from an evil Digimon hellbent on conquering the world. After completing that stage, it took me 15 minutes or so to regather some of my strength. "...man, I could go for Mom's oatmeal right about now," I groaned. Patamon flew to my side. "T.K.!" he called. The next thing I could make out was his face. "Are you OK?" he asked, worried. I faintly gave him a thumbs up. "Never better," I sighed.
Soon, the others except Kari showed up. Matt helped me back on my feet. "Some fun, eh little bro?" he teased. "Ha ha, very funny," I answered. "Really, man, the third stage? Couldn't Tactimon have chosen something easier for you?" Marcus grumbled. "Nah, I like a good challenge." "Well, the biggest one is coming, and it's 24 meters up," Matt said, pointing to the top of the tower.
We arrived at the Final Stage, the tower. Tactimon had brainwashed some TBS safety officers into being there that night, so they secured me into a harness. I was surprised that an enemy would follow any safety regulations. Soon, I was set. The gong went off and I started climbing up the Spider Climb. All I could think about was Kari, hoping she was still alive and safe. A thought then came to mind. "Hope is the most powerful of light, and thus the universe speaks through it. And yet, it cannot reach its full potential without willpower to enact it." "Well, Izzy... if that last stage meant anything... uh... I've got the... willpower!" I said to myself as I made it to the 11.5m rope climb. Patamon flew up by my side. "Come on, T.K. You can do this! Ganbare!*" I sharply nodded, then continued climbing.
Finally, I made it to the top and pressed the button. I looked at the clock, and I'd made it up in 47 seconds. Not "complete domination", but pretty good considering. I climbed up and made it to my feet. Tactimon turned to face me, stared at me for a bit, then let out an evil smirk. "So, are you exhausted? Do you want to take a nap!?" he taunted. I just snickered, with my head down. "Oh yeah. I'm definitely gonna be feeling this in the morning. You should be lucky I'm this tired, because if I wasn't..." I brought my head up with a confident-yet-angry smirk of my own. "...I'd be tearing you limb from limb right now." Tactimon gasped. I went on. "That's right. You did a good job, making me work for my reward. And when we defeat you, the victory will be that much sweeter." Patamon floated down, ready to fight. "You think you can defeat me with that pipsqueak?" Tactimon growled. "No, I don't. But I'm not using him. You ready, Patamon?" "Ready!" Patamon confirmed.
I reverted my Digivice to its functional mode, then flipped up the scanner and summoned my imaginary Tensouder in my hand, swinging my arms around. "DigiSoul... Charge!" I yelled, decisively bringing my hand down along the Digivice. Then, I reached the Digivice-equipped arm up to the sky as the energy transferred to Patamon. "Patamon Digivolve to... Angemon!"
The two Digimon jumped up and went into an aerial battle. With what strength I had left, I rushed over to Kari's side and hugged her. "Kari! Are you all right?" I tenderly asked. I looked into her eyes, and Tactimon had done a number on her. Her eyes were their usual color, but they were distant and blank. She wasn't responding at all to me. "It's all right. I've come to bring you back with us, where you belong," I continued. Still, no response. "Oh Kari... what has that monster done to you?" Still no answer. "Well, whatever it is, it'll all be over soon. I promise." I formulated a plan, but the details were sketchy. I didn't know what would work and what wouldn't, but I knew one thing for sure. Kari was my friend- no! She was more than that. "Kari Kamiya... I love you more than life itself. I have taken on two of the toughest challenges in the world, and have poured out my own sweat and blood for you. And I'd do it all again, for you." Then, I kissed her.
Just then, everything started to click. At that point, I felt my hand glow again. I checked it, and sure enough, the Crest of Hope was stenciled on it. I let out a short, determined grin, and then gently grabbed Kari's hand, intertwining her fingers with mine. I felt the healing energy increasing. It flowed out of me into her, and then back into me in a continuous cycle. The energy cycled back and forth, growing and growing, faster and faster until she snapped out of whatever spell was placed on her. Then, she returned my hug. "T.K!" she happily cried, and we rejoiced in each others' arms. "Kari!"
Greg
Meanwhile, we watched the battle. Tactimon's secret weapon was a supposedly peerless sword called the "Sword of Storms". It was so special, it even had a Japanese name ("Jatetsufūjin-maru", which literally translated, means "Snake and Iron Sealed God"). Surprisingly, he had no level, so Angemon might have a chance. The other Digimon were spent, so we put them back in their Digivices and reverted back to our normal outfits. Tactimon slashed with the Sword of Storms five times, generating deadly shockwaves that could probably be felt in the air for about 50 miles. "Omni Typhoon!" Angemon declared. He created a divine tornado that thrashed our foe around. Soon, the two clashed with staffs and swords. Angemon charged up his fist. "Hand of Fate!" Then, he struck it at Tactimon, who was ready with a counter. He flipped the gun-muzzles on his back at the angel. "Tanegashima!" Then, he fired an immense destructive blast at his foe. It injured the angel greatly.
Thomas analyzed the battle. "It seems as though Tactimon is at a great advantage because of his sword. I've never seen anyone, Digimon or human, master a blade so well. Such precision. It looks like Angemon will have to work for this victory."
Kari
Why did I ever let that demon control me? I just stared at that blue light, and then, something happened to me. I became possessed. I could've stopped it, but I just didn't know how. T.K. saved me that night, and I'm eternally grateful to him. Now, I just had to settle a score.
"T.K... you saved me, so now I'll save all of us," I said with determination. He was confused for a few seconds, but then smiled and let me go. I looked up and let out a primal roar. "Tactimon! I've had it with you! You possessed me, you dragged all my friends in here and made them play your stupid game! Well, it all ends here!" I combined my feelings. The righteous anger I was feeling for what Tactimon did to us, the love I felt for T.K. and for my friends, and the desire to end all this wickedness. All those feelings combined with some of T.K.'s healing energy and my own light energy. The Crest of Light appeared on my hand, and I prepared my own attack.
I motioned for Angemon to get out of the way, and he was glad to. I drew my right hand back to my right side and charged a white energy sphere. "Hikari Wave!" Then, I thrust my hand forward and fired the energy sphere in the form of an energy wave at Tactimon. He tried slashing away at it with his sword, but the blade broke, and it severely weakened him. I panted, trying to recover some energy. Then, I fainted into T.K.'s arms.
T.K.
Boy, Kari packed a punch with that Hikari Wave of hers. I carried Kari in my arms as we looked for a service elevator. Dad told me that every tall structure has to have some sort of service elevator so the cameramen can get up and down. I finally found one and pressed the button to go down. Once we were inside, I gently leaned Kari against a wall, and then slumped against a wall myself. "Whew, that was quite a battle, huh?" I asked. She was dead exhausted, so she didn't answer. I watched the battle on my Digivice. Angemon was just about to finish a severely weakened Tactimon off. "Hand of Fate!" He gave Tactimon an upper cut, and send him flying away. Surprisingly, he didn't die, but he was badly injured. I had a feeling he wouldn't be bothering us for quite a while.
Thomas called a few taxis for us as we rode home. We slept really well that night at the hotel and were pretty much dead men walking the next morning and on the train ride home to Tokyo. After two good meals, I decided to take Kari to the boardwalk at Odaiba Marine Park, considered the most romantic spot in Tokyo. We looked out over the polluted waters, took in the sunshine, and generally enjoyed each other's company. Then, I took her to a cafe with a stage on it. The mic was already set up. "Kari, I've got a little surprise for you. Now, this song will be on our next album, but I want you to hear it first," I said. "Is it what I think it is?" she asked somewhat excitedly. I nodded, then went up on stage and motioned for the band to start playing.
["Kiss From a Rose"
Written by Seal Samuel
Performed by Takeru "T.K." Takaishi (Michael Cunio)
Backup Singers: Michael Cunio, Paul Gordon, Jasan Radford, Eric Schenkman]
The arrangement isn't hard rock, but it isn't Seal's arrangement either. It's brought up to date and is very acoustic. The electric guitar is only used to supplement. If you're reading this, you might as well play the Seal version in the background. T.K. stands in front of the mic and leans in toward it.
T.K.:
There used to be a graying tower alone on the sea
You became the light on the dark side of me
And love remained a drug that's the high and not the pill
But did you know that when it snows
My eyes become large and the light that you shine can be seen?
He takes the mic off the stand and starts slowly moving across the stage where appropriate. He looks directly at Kari, letting the whole rest of the world melt away. He brings Kari up on stage as the two dance.
T.K.:
Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray
Ooh, the more I get of you, the stranger it feels, yeah
And now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the gray
There is so much a man can tell you, so much he can say
You remain, my power, my pleasure, my pain!
Baby!
To me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny
Won't you tell me is that healthy, baby?
But did you know that when it snows
My eyes become large and the light that you shine can be seen?
Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray
Ooh, the more I get of you, the stranger it feels, yeah
Now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the gray
Kari is absolutely captivated by this performance, as T.K. proves his undying love to her.
Backing:
I've been kissed by a rose on the gray
I've been kissed by a rose on the gray
I've been kissed by a rose on the gray (T.K.: And if I should fall, will it all go away?)
I, I, I've been kissed by a rose on the gray
T.K. seems to bring an intensity to the song without sacrificing his pitch. He puts in just the right amount of drama to bring the point home.
T.K.:
There is so much a man can tell you, so much he can say
You remain my power, my pleasure, my pain!
To me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny
Won't you tell me is that, healthy, baby?
But did you know that when it snows
My eyes become large and the light that you shine can be seen?
Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray
Ooh, the more I get of you, the stranger it feels, yeah
Now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the gray
Yes, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray
Ooh, the more I get of you, the stranger it feels, yeah
And now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the gray
The two eventually make it back to Kari's table, and T.K. sits directly in front of her, staring into her beautiful eyes as he brings it home.
T.K.:
Now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom
on the
gray
T.K. turns off the microphone as the two embrace each other.
Back in the Digital World, Tactimon returns badly injured. Laylamon is eager to rub the salt in his wounds. "So, Tactimon, how does it feel to be beaten by a girl? Ahahahaha!" "Shut it!" Tactimon snaps. Lord Bagra makes his observations. "We nearly had her, but then the others got to her. If I were in your position, I'd have cut the rope." The heavily wounded general defends himself. "If I'm going to have a fight with anyone, it will be honorable. I severely weakened him, and it's a wonder I'm still alive. At least now, we know the boy's breaking point." "Are you referring to the DigiDestined of Hope?" Lord Bagra asks. "Yes." "I'll have to keep that in mind. Tactimon. You've punished the DigiDestined and gave them a battle they won't soon forget. However, I have heard the band is moving to a faraway land. The humans call it... Europe."
Laylamon kneels before her master. "Lord Bagra, allow me the honor of dealing with those pests." "Very well. But do not fail me." "I won't, sir." She lets out a devious smile.
Author's Notes:
The course is based on SASUKE 29, which took place in the beginning of June 2013.
Yes, it's official. T.K. and Kari are indeed a couple. Of course, you knew that for some time already.
The reason "Hikari Wave" didn't finish Tactimon off is because he's a General of the Bagra Army. Plus, it would be too obvious.
For Anya's "Suit Up" sequence, I borrowed from sequences from Suite Pretty Cure (Anya slamming the Digivice on her palm), Yes! Pretty Cure 5 (her body glowing), Fresh Pretty Cure! (specifically from Cure Berry, with Anya sliding along the ground), and Heartcatch Pretty Cure! (specifically the Blossom Shower attack, I was going to borrow from Cure Princess' henshin sequence from HappinessCharge Pretty Cure!, but decided it wouldn't match the flower theme).
"Ganbare" is Japanese for "Do your best!" or something to that effect.
Bonus
Here is the comment in question:
"There used to be a greying tower alone on the sea
~"greying tower" He is a strong man of great stature becoming
depressed because he is alone or separated from society i.e. reality
and there is no one around(alone on the sea) also maybe talking of
an island(and that person being a island) (im an island, he's a
penisula)
you became the light on the dark side of me.
~in the midst of him(his being) a side that none see, yet, it is who
he is. she is "illuminating" that part of him light in a dark place
makes it not dark and easy to see what's around.
Love remaind a drug thats the high and not the pill.
~Love is very addicting and intoxicating, yet it comes from within.
not from the use of narcotics(for lack of a better word)
But did you know that when it snows my eyes become large and the light that
you shine can be seen.
~this one is tricky~ don't know about snow~when it snows the snow does
act as a reflector and things become more "illuminating." plus
you wont squint (upon noticing the light) and he sees clearly
things are in prespective.
Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey.
~at this point he is now talking to her, telling her that she is, her
presense is like the hope given to man. A "kiss from a rose" meaning
its a blessing. *note...if you understand the symbolisim of Roses and
the different meanings it carries...? its a no-brainer...but very
hard to explain in words.
The more I get of you the stranger it feels, yeah
~no brainer~ being that she is on his darkside, her being their
feels good. and he likes it. that's why its a comma after feels
...then yeah...
and now that your rose is in bloom
~now that the essence(rose) of (her) is showing its true beauty
a light hits the gloom on the grey
~being that (she) is "in bloom" there is hope(light)
shining on him "illuminating" in the slow dimming life of his.
there is so much a man can tell you, so much he can say.
~self explanitory~
You remain, my power, my pleasure, my pain, baby.
~and this is what he had to say to her, what she is to him. and then
the word "baby." Once again the focus changes, "baby" the way he means
it is like saying damn! Its an exclamitory way of getting the point
across. vocally, he is saying it with emotion. powerful emotion!
To me your like a grown addiction that I can't deny
~to him her presense and power over his dark side is a full blown
(addiction)(a problem but not a problem)(unlike drugs) and he can't
help himself
Won't you tell me is that healthy baby
He has never felt that love, he was losing hope which symbolically
is a slow process. Until she came. And he cannot tell if its good or
a bad thing.(he probably has the capacity to love, but most he loved
was unrequitted.)
This part repeating I've been kissed by a rose on the grey.
~ he has been blessed! Love came and though his life was fading from
white to black, it "illuminated" that part, reviving his life, and
bringing him back to the idea of love, giving him hope.
and if I should fall, at all
~if he cheats her or as we men like to call it "slip-up"
please forgive him...
the rest repeats...
!and this is the meaning of his lyrics. its a proclaimation of the power of love!"
- erik, Corpus Christi, TX