Digimon World Tour Chapter 41: Intervention, a digimon fanfic

Digimon World Tour

Recap

[T.K.] We met Rika's temporary replacement, Nene Amano. She was pretty talented on the keyboards and really easy on the eyes, but Rika didn't like her. Still, we took Nene with us to Dallas where Marcus got into an argument with everyone. I think he still feels guilty about Rika's injury, but he's not letting on. We got called to Southfork Ranch where we ran into Marsmon, this wrestler Digimon who knows how to cheat. Everyone Double Warp Digivolved their Digimon except Nene, who decided to turn against us. That made Marcus angry enough to cause a Dark Digivolution. Then, while trying to help, Kari forced Burst Mode, and now she's gone to the dark side. Mervamon and Marsmon are both dead now, but it looks like the two are going to face each other!

"The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" - Matthew 6:22-23, KJV

Chapter 41: Intervention

Greg

Soon, all eyes were on either Kari and Marcus or Ophanimon and ShineGreymon. Marcus cracked his knuckles, while Kari did a quick ballet warmup using the gate. After they'd warmed up, they stared each other down. Then, the trash talk began. "I think deep down, I've always wanted to fight you, Damon," Kari said. Marcus scoffed. "This'll be easier than taking down my sister. Got any last words before I slay you, Kamiya?" "Talk is cheap!" Marcus smiled. "That's what I like to hear!"

Thomas

The two dashed off from their corners and went to fighting. Marcus used some MMA techniques, but it seems the darkness had enhanced Kari's cerebral cortex, seemingly allowing her to emit a current of bioelectric pulses down her spine to instinctively guide her movements. In layman's terms, she was able to, subconsciously or otherwise, block whatever attacks Marcus threw at her. Whereas Marcus had more experience, Kari perfected her technique to match. She performed a slide sideways with both legs bent, then springing into the air with legs straight and together. Her fist hit Marcus on the head. Then, she did a half turn executed on both feet, which clearly hit Marcus. He caught her by surprise and executed a double leg takedown into the swimming pool.

Kari leaped out of the water and perfectly performed a fouetté jeté, knocking Marcus into the water. The two went at it like a cat and a dog. Suddenly, Kari stopped. "You know, this ballet is starting to get old. Time to kick things up a notch." She shifted position. "Every day I'm shufflin'," she sang. Then, she burst into a version of the Melbourne Shuffle modified for combat. It was embellished by spins, arm pumps, slides, and kicks all aimed at Marcus.

As far as the Digimon were concerned, ShineGreymon continuously fired incandescent flame shots at Ophanimon, who flew around hunting him and the others.

UlforceVeedramon

I called the Digimon that were still sane over for a quick strategy session. "It looks like Ophanimon and ShineGreymon are nuts," I said. MirageGaogamon nodded. "I would say 'possessed' personally. I would suggest that we attack them until they come to their senses." That seemed fine for Seraphimon. "Agreed. Hopefully, T.K. will be able to figure out what to do with both Kari and Marcus."

"Why T.K.?" I asked. "He does have the Crest of Hope, UlforceVeedramon." "Oh yeah. Are you up for it, Rosemon?" "What other choice do we have? I'm ready," she answered. So, we started attacking them until they settled down.

Ophanimon kept babbling about vanity and evil and corruption. "Ophanimon, have you ever thought that you might be the corrupt one here? I'm just saying," I said. That didn't go over too well.

T.K.

Things kept going from bad to worse. Kari was dancing her way towards Marcus' death, and Marcus kept throwing whatever he could at her. If the battle lasted too long, one of them could die, and I could never forgive myself for that!

I quickly called Matt, Greg, and Thomas in for a group huddle. "I've got an idea. I can use my Crest's power to free their souls from the darkness, but I'll need good shots at them. Greg, you're the biggest, so you'll have to put Marcus in a full Nelson." "Aww, why do I get Marcus?" Greg complained. "Because you like a challenge. Don't you?" "Well, yeah, but Kari..." "I know, I know. You like her. Just do it, please?" He sighed. "All right, T.K. If you say so."

I gave him the thumbs up. "Great. Matt, you and Thomas might have to team up and work on Kari. All right?" "I gotta say, little bro, I'm impressed with you coming up with the strategy for once," Matt said. "Thanks."

"But what should we do with Miss Amano?" Thomas wondered. I thought about it and came up with an answer. "Hmm, that's a good question. We might have to let Anya handle her. Her Digimon's been defeated, so that should make it a lot easier. Kari and Marcus have to be top priority, though." "Affirmative."

Greg

So, our plan went into action. I quickly turned Aura Mode on and stood directly in front of Marcus. "Huh? What do you think you're doing, Logan? This is between me and the girl," he growled. I raised an eyebrow. "Why are you attacking Kari and not Nene?" I asked. "It's complicated, alright?" "Ehh! Wrong answer!" Then, I punched him in the gut.

We fought each other for about five minutes, until I finally put my arms over his shoulders by going under the arm pits. "I GOT HIM, T.K.!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. From the corner of my eye, I could see Nene running away. I called out to my girlfriend, who was busy trying to calm Kari down. "Anya!" "Yes?" "Nene's running away. Would you go out and bring her back? My hands are busy." "Of course." "Thank you." Anya ran off chasing Nene.

T.K. stretched out his main weapon of choice, his arm. "Great job, Greg. Now just hold him there, it shouldn't take long. I hope." "With your crest, you'd better hope so," I shot back.

T.K.

I swung my right hand up so my palm was facing inward. The Crest of Hope insignia stenciled itself in light. I brought my hand down, and chanted. "With the power of hope, I'll make the darkness depart...and break the chains that bind your heart!" I charged up a purifying sphere in that hand, pouring in my DigiSoul. I took the hand and drew it back up to my side. "Esperanza... Soul... THERAPY!" I thrust my extended right hand forward, firing the attack like a Mind Crush. Nothing happened. "Huh? What happened?" I looked at my hand. The insignia was still there. I tried it again, but nothing happened. "Having an off day?" Greg asked. "I guess." "Hoo boy."

"Hold on, hold on, I think I've got it this time," I said. Greg rolled his eyes. "Can't I just throw him into the pool until he becomes unconscious?" "No, Greg..." I tried it one more time, but something different happened.

I was in a void of nothingness again, but this time, the younger me wasn't there. Instead, it was Marcus, angrily working on a punching bag. I walked up to him. "Hey, Marcus." He stopped and turned around. "What do you want?" he snarled. "Well, you kinda left a big mess outside that we're cleaning up. ShineGreymon's out of control." He went back to his bag. "Heh, that's the least of my worries." "What do you mean?" "Oh don't play dumb, Bucket Head. You know what I mean." "I do, but I was wondering if you did."

He stopped, then turned back to me. "Let me spell it out for you. Rika's hurt, and it's my fault!" "Your fault? Why, what happened?" "I lost my nerve, plain and simple. Rika gave me this pep talk about not giving up hope and junk and then she tried using a Power Paw attack on Tactimon. It went bad, and we didn't find out about the injury until the next day." I put my hand on his shoulder, but he just threw it off. "Marcus, that's nothing to be ashamed of. I was the same way when Matt went psycho in Germany." "Heh, nobody asked you to be brave, man. You're just the optimistic twerp." I pretended I didn't hear that. "I'm serious, Marcus. When I threw my sword down from the top of that tower, Matt was gonna kill me. I nearly died, too, until I learned an important lesson. 'As fear is the belief of imminent demise, hope is the belief of imminent success.' At least, that's what the DC Comics Wiki says. So you lost your nerve. You got it back, didn't you?"

"Well... yeah, but... but that's beside the point! If it wasn't for me, the commander wouldn't have to bring that double-dealing scumbag Nene in, and then we wouldn't be in this mess!" He went back to his bag again. "I'm such an idiot! Why'd I ever let something like that happen to me?" "Marcus, you can't beat yourself up like this," I said. "Shut up! It's not like you care!" "But I do!" "That's a lie!" I got Marcus away from his bag long enough to punch him in the face. "That's enough!" Marcus touched his face and didn't try to attack me. Matt was right.

"Thanks. I needed that," Marcus said. "No problem." We talked it out some more, and here's a pretty good idea of what we came up with.

["Oh Rika"

Originally written as "Oh Sherrie" by Steve Perry, Randy Goodrum, Craig Krampf, and Bill Cuomo

Performed by Marcus Damon (Quinton Flynn)

Backing Vocals: Quinton Flynn]

We're mentally taken to WakeMed Raleigh Campus, where doctors are preparing to operate on Rika again. A voice calls over the P.A., "Paging Dr. Riverside. Paging Dr. Craig, Dr. Fiscus, and Dr. Cavanero. Paging Dr. Riverside. Paging Dr. Craig, Dr. Fiscus, and Dr. Cavanero." As the music starts, it looks like a typical episode of St. Elsewhere and Trapper John, MD combined as various doctors and nurses walk into the surgical theater. All Marcus can do is wait anxiously in the hospital stairwell, leaning against the wall close to the handrail. He grabs onto said rail, and uses it to propel himself up.

Marcus:

You should've been gone
Knowing how I made you feel
And I should've been gone
After all your words of steel

The instruments kick in as he walks up the stairs to the observation room. The doctors decide to use mesenchymal stem cells or MSCs to improve recovery time. Since Rika is wealthy, she's getting (supposedly) the best treatment money can buy. In order for MSCs to differentiate into an ACL, they must be placed in a proper scaffold on which to grow and also must be in a bioreactor which will maintain a normal physiological environment for the cells to reproduce and proliferate effectively. Of course, that doesn't matter to Marcus in the least. He's just concerned that Rika is doing well. Renamon and Agumon are sent out to the observation room, where Agumon is waving a pennant and cheering the doctors on.

Marcus:

Oh, I must have been a dreamer
(Must have been a dreamer I know)
And I must've been someone else
(Someone else)
And we should've been over
(Over by now)

Oh Rika, our love holds on, holds on (Our love holds on, holds on)
Oh Rika, our love holds on, holds on (Our love holds on, holds on)

Marcus thinks back to the incident that caused this injury: the one time in his entire career he almost let his nerve get the better of him. It was Rika's encouragement and brave act that gave him the hope he needed and the will to go on fighting at his best.

Marcus:

Oh, I want to let go
You'll go on hurtin' me
You'd be better off alone
If I'm not who you thought I'd be

As we come to the present, there's a slight complication involving Rika's heartbeat. Marcus drops his head between his knees in worry. The doctors fiercely operate on Rika, doing everything they can. Nurses and doctors work tirelessly, with Dr. Riverside breaking a sweat. He wipes his forehead and continues.

Marcus:

But you know that there's a fever
(There's a fever I know)
That you'll never find nowhere else
(Nowhere, nowhere else)
Can't you feel it burnin' on and on?

Oh Rika, our love holds on, holds on (Our love holds on, holds on)
Oh Rika, our love holds on, holds on (Our love holds on, holds on)

At that point, T.K. and Patamon walk (and fly) in the observation room, with T.K. playing a riff on his guitar. The doctors continue to operate.

Marcus:

Oh Rika

Finally, everything is put into place, and the doctors congratulate themselves on a job well done. Hours later, Marcus and T.K. are waiting in the lobby. To our brawler's delight, Rika walks in with her bag packed and as good as new.

Marcus:

But I should've been gone
Long ago, far away
And you should've been gone
Now I know, you'd lie, you'll stay

She runs over to Marcus and the two happily embrace.

Marcus:

Oh Rika, our love holds on, holds on (Our love holds on, holds on)
Oh Rika, our love holds on, holds on (Our love holds on, holds on)

Oh Rika, our love holds on, holds on (Our love holds on, holds on) (Oh Rika, our love, oh Rika, Rika)

T.K. is happy for his friend as well, as he plays that guitar riff again.

Marcus:
Hold on, oh Rika

As the keyboard riff plays again, all three of them walk out of the hospital (with Rika's hand partially in Marcus' back pocket).

T.K.

Marcus calmed down and was much friendlier. "Whew, that's a relief. That really helped me, T.K. Thanks a lot." "Any time. Now, I'll use the power of hope to rescue you from the darkness." "Awesome!"

I left Marcus' mind and returned to the real world. My Crest's insignia was still there on my hand, so I tried it again. I charged up a purifying sphere in that hand, pouring in my DigiSoul. I took the hand and drew it back up to my side. "Esperanza... Soul... THERAPY!" I thrust my extended right hand forward, firing the attack like a Mind Crush. The image seemed to go negative, while the sphere hit Marcus in the center of his body. Then, his negative image shattered and his head fell as the image went back to normal. Marcus just seemed to stand there in a good kind of daze, his dark aura disappearing. Greg smiled. "It worked, T.K.! It worked!" Greg cheered. I grinned.

Kari was next, but when I moved in their direction, something was a bit off with her. Her head was drooping, and it didn't look like she was putting up a fight. In fact, it didn't look like she was moving. "Matt, Thomas... what did you two do to Kari?" I asked. Thomas raised his free hand. "That I can answer. I suppose I never told you that I studied martial arts as an elective in college. I gently struck into Kari's carotid artery with the side of my hand-" "You what!?" I cut in. "I wasn't finished. I gently struck into Kari's carotid artery with the side of my hand, creating a sudden drop in blood pressure that causes a knockout. She's still breathing, and I'll be on hand to ensure she doesn't suffer any brain damage. It was no trouble at all."

I checked my hand for the insignia, then concentrated and looked for a way into Kari's head. I didn't know any particular chants for this situation, so I tried my usual one. It worked!

Greg

T.K. sure likes using his arm a lot. After he vowed that he'd break the chains that bound Kari's heart, he closed his eyes and went into some sort of a trance. I put Marcus in a lounge chair and walked over to him. He wasn't moving at all. I checked his pulse, and it was steady. His eyes had an intense look of concentration. "Whoa..." "I would say he's in a deep state of meditation, so I wouldn't disturb him," Thomas said.

In the meantime, Ophanimon and ShineGreymon were busy fighting each other.

T.K.

When I found Kari inside her mind, she was breathing heavily and grabbing her head. Her body and outfit kept changing colors from monochrome to normal and back. I rushed over to her. "Kari!" She looked up. "Huh? T- T.K.? Wha- what are you doing here?" "I came to save you." She went completely monochrome and yelled, "But I don't want to be saved!" Then, she went back to normal and groaned. "I'm really sorry about that," she apologized.

"But why don't you want me to help you?" She didn't answer me, but just turned away. "Well?" "I don't want to have to be protected all the time. I want to be strong and brave, just like my brother Tai." "Oh, that again." "What do you mean, 'that again'?" "Kari... you're not meant to be Tai. You could never be him." "No, I want to be like him! I want to be as strong as him! It's just... hard to do, especially with you constantly watching me." "I don't constantly watch you. Remember when Piedmon was chasing us? I promised Sora that I'd do whatever I could to protect you. I plan on keeping that promise until the day I die, but I don't constantly watch you." "I don't want you to!"

She tried to calm herself down, but it wasn't working. "You've told me about that stupid promise you made over and over, and while I think it's sweet, I don't want to need you for the rest of my life. Don't you understand? I'm weak. I always have been, and I always will be! Every time I try to improve myself, it ends up blowing up in someone's face!"

"That's not true! What about the time you and Yolei took on Blossomon? I was worried sick." "Yolei had to slap me in the face and give me a pep talk," she answered bitterly. "There was the Dark Ocean." "I would've ended up breeding with those creepy Scubamon if you hadn't shown up." "That time in Colorado?" "Don't start." "I've got one. Catherine!" "Oh!"

Bullseye. I went on. "You were recently kidnapped by Catherine and then had to face her Blossomon all by yourself. I've seen the footage, Kari, and you were amazing. What you said really inspired me. 'Real power doesn't come from darkness, it comes from light and virtue.' You have your own strength. If you could only see that for yourself, you'd know that you're a lot more powerful than you think." "But... but what about Tai?" I smiled. "I bet you he couldn't be prouder."

Kari ended up in my arms, crying. I stroked her hair. "Kari Kamiya, you are the sweetest, kindest, purest girl I've ever known. In fact, you've become my hope." "I- have?" "Absolutely. Now that my parents aren't ever getting back together, I needed something new to keep my hope alive. I realize now that it's you. I care too much about you to let anyone take you without a fight. I've said it before, and I'll say it until I die. You'd do the same for me, right?" She tenderly nodded.

(We cut to the live-action Narrator, Mr. Erholtz, who once again is wearing his glasses.)

Narrator

I would go into a long-winded speech about the Adaptation Hypothesis right about now, but you don't want to hear that. Trust me. I'll just say it's ridiculous the amount of dialogue my characters have in this chapter. It's times like these I'm glad I have someone else providing T.K.'s singing voice. More of my opinions at the end of the chapter. Here's some music. Enjoy.

["(Everything I Do) I Do It For You"
Written by Bryan Adams, Michael Kamen, and Robert John "Mutt" Lange

Performed by Takeru "T.K." Ishida (Michael Cunio) and Kari Kamiya (Lara Jill Miller)

Backup Vocals: Doug Erholtz (Himself) and Two Takeru Clones (Michael Cunio)]

T.K. holds Kari in his arms. A curtain comes up to reveal a backup band that supposedly came with T.K. on his trip into Kari's mind. Playing on bass is Dave Taylor, who also played on the album this song comes from. Doug Erholtz, T.K.'s English dub speaking voice, is on piano. He gives a thumbs-up to the camera. Yuri, the DigiDestined from Russia, is on lead guitar this time. The camera comes back to T.K. and Kari.

T.K.:
Look into my eyes – you will see
What you mean to me.
Search your heart, search your soul
And when you find me there you'll search no more.

Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for.
You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for.

The two separate as T.K. goes to his spot on stage, strapping his rhythm guitar around his shoulder. The screen behind them shows a montage of T.K. and Kari's most romantic (or otherwise) moments from the first two seasons of the show, plus a few from this very fanfic.

T.K.:
You know it's true,
That everything I do, I do it for you.

A handmic appears in Kari's hands as she joins him, much to his surprise.

Kari:
Look into your heart – you will find
There's nothin' there to hide.
Take me as I am, take my life.
I would give it all, I would sacrifice.

Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for
I can't help it, there's nothing I want more
You know it's true:
Everything I do, I do it for you, oh, yeah.

On backup vocals, we have Doug from the piano, and two other copies of T.K. (wearing the 02 Digital World outfit and the 02 summer outfit, both voiced in this instance by Michael Cunio).

T.K.:
There's no love like your love
And no other could give more love.

T.K./Kari:
There's nowhere unless you're there
All the time, all the way, yeah.

Doug plays a few notes on the piano, and then the band plays the instrumental middle eight of this composition. Outside, Ophanimon and ShineGreymon are still causing destruction and chaos as the others try to calm them down to no avail.

T.K.: (VO)
Look into your heart, baby...

T.K.:
Oh, you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for.

Kari:
I can't help it, there's nothing I want more.

This reminder of devotion from T.K. warms Kari's heart, and it starts bringing the color back into her outfit.

T.K./Kari:
Yeah, I would fight for you, I'd lie for you,
Walk the wire for you,

T.K.:

yeah, I'd die for you...

You know it's true.

Kari:
Everything I do, oh,

T.K./Kari:

I do it for you.

The two embrace and end up kissing.

Greg

Marcus finally woke up. "Huh? Wha- what just happened?" he asked. I let out a hearty laugh. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

Our fiery friend got a glimpse of what he had wrought. "What is ShineGreymon doing?" he questioned in horror. Just then, a giant, red horse-like warrior used his shield to cool everything off and put out the fires. "No way!" Matt said in awe. He looked the Digimon up on his analyzer. "'Kentaurosmon, a Mega-level Holy Knight Digimon. Kentaurosmon acts as a guardian of the super-ancient ruins which sleep below the thick ice of the Digital World's north pole.' Crazy, man."

Ophanimon tried to burn him up, but she got caught up in a blizzard. "That ought to, cool you down," Kentaurosmon said. That voice sounded very familiar, and we soon found out why as a tall man wearing a purple trenchcoat and sunglasses walked in. "So, how does it feel to burn down the most famous ranch in Dallas?" he grimly asked. When we saw him, we all thought the same thing. "Oh... crap," Matt said. Commander Sampson had a tight grip on the back of Nene's jacket collar and was bringing her in. Anya followed them.

At that time, T.K. "returned" from his "vision quest" inside Kari's brain. The commander took notice. "Takeru! Where have you been?" he barked. "Just one sec," T.K. said, holding up a finger. He used his powers to put Kari in the same daze he put Marcus in. Matt and Thomas cleared off some of the debris, then settled her into a chair, where the latter made sure he hadn't done any permanent damage.

ShineGreymon continued his reign of terror. "Uh, guys... no one answered my question. What's wrong with ShineGreymon?" Marcus demanded to know. The commander looked at it carefully. "It seems to me he's running amok. Izzy and I warned you about the dangers of using the Burst Mode, and now ShineGreymon cannot control his own power." "The Burst Mode?" Marcus asked in shock. T.K. shook his head. "I don't think that's the real Burst Mode. It came from the darkness of your heart, and that's never a good thing. You let your emotions get the best of you, and now look at what's happened."

Anya had an idea of her own. "Commander, I believe I can identify why Ophanimon is acting the way she is. Kari attempted to activate Burst Mode by brute force." "Just like Tai in that coliseum in the Digital World," Matt realized. T.K. sadly nodded.

"ShineGreymon! Stop attacking! Come back down!" Marcus shouted to his partner. Commander Sampson gave him the grim facts. "Forget it. Once the Burst Mode has been corrupted like that, there's nothing that can be done. You'll have to wait until he self-destructs." "Huh?!" we gasped. "Self-destruct? You mean there's nothing we can do?" I asked. "No."

Of course, that didn't stop Marcus. He jumped the gate and ran up ahead. "Stop it, ShineGreymon! That's enough! Just cut it out! That's an order!" The Digimon paid him no mind at all. "Please stop!" Marcus pleaded, moaning a bit. He grabbed his Digivice and held it between his hands, with tears in his eyes. "I'm begging you!" The grey flames began to die down as ShineGreymon roared in anguish and a yellow light covered his body. "He's, self-destructing," I realized. By the time the light completely covered him, he reverted back into a DigiEgg. Marcus ran and dove to catch it.

Then, Kari came to. "Huh?" She looked around, and gasped when she saw what had happened to her partner. "O-Ophanimon?" Ophanimon was fighting Kentaurosmon, letting nothing stand in her way. "Oh no..." Kari softly whimpered. Then, she started crying. "What have I done?" Kentaurosmon finished her off, and she reverted back into a DigiEgg. Kari dashed out and caught the egg.

Kari

I noticed Marcus there, with his DigiEgg. Nothing could describe how sad both of us must have felt. Marcus lifted up his head and screamed, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Gatomon... I'm so sorry.

Greg

Kentaurosmon powered down to Kudamon, climbed up Commander Sampson, and settled down on his neck.

We went back to the hotel where Nene explained everything in the conference room. "AxeKnightmon is holding my little brother Ewan hostage. He's using me to act as a sleeper agent. If I don't do what he says... he could kill Ewan." She looked choked up about it. Commander Sampson clenched his fist and pounded it on the table, then laid his palm down on it. "I understand. Nene, look me in the eyes." She did. "I promise you that we will find your brother and rescue him," he vowed.

"That's right. Once we defeat this AxeKnightmon and the Bagra Army, then we'll get your brother," Matt said. We all agreed on it. Nene didn't know what to say. Marcus even apologized to her, in his own unique way, of course.

"Dallas", which Patrick Duffy was involved in, would have to move to Los Angeles while Southfork was being rebuilt. Mr. Duffy, along with the rest of the cast and crew, dropped in to give us and Commander Sampson a piece of his mind. They'd followed us back and were practically carrying torches and pitchforks. Sampson calmed him down and covered for us yet again.

After they left, the commander stood up again. "Gregory, Yamato, lock the doors," he sternly, but calmly, commanded. We did as we were told, then sat back down. Our fearless leader basically chewed us all out for an hour straight. When he raised his voice, you knew you were in trouble. We have a nickname for him in Japanese. It's "Oni no Ikkatsu", which means "The Demon's Thunderous Roar". I didn't even do anything, and I still felt like crap at the end of it.

"Now, have I made myself clear?" he calmly finished. All we could do was nod our heads. "Good. And please, don't think for a second that I will be joining your team. You're all capable people, and the last thing you need is to have someone to constantly bail you out. You're all dismissed. Good night." Matt and I unlocked the doors and left.

Rika

It was the day before the concert in Dallas, and I'd played it pretty straight for six days. All I had left to do was use some of my DigiSoul to speed up my recovery. I held Renamon's paw for support, then concentrated as I focused my DigiSoul on my knee and leg. It took about five minutes, but it worked. "Ha ha ha! Back in business, baby!" I cheered, pumping my fist.

By 5:30 that afternoon, I was out the door. I called up Marcus and told him the good news. He didn't seem so happy. Apparently, ShineGreymon and Ophanimon went bonkers and were now DigiEggs. He and Kari were taking it pretty hard. After Marcus hung up, Commander Sampson called me. I told him the good news. "Wonderful. The others will meet you in San Francisco. Izzy and I will have to fly back to Japan." "Roger that," I said. I used the label's credit card to get a ticket to San Francisco. I bet Marcus couldn't wait to see me again.

Author's Notes:

Thanks to Matthew Schafer for that note about the carotid artery and pressure points.

The idea about Kari's amazing cerebral cortex came from the Marvel character "Domino", created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld.

I was going to use "I'm Your Angel" by Celine Dion and R. Kelly, but I thought that would be far, far too obvious. Besides, I already used one of Dion's songs.

A lot of Marcus' scene after coming to his senses came from Digimon Savers International.

I'm surprised that I was able to get this chapter out so quickly. I guess a cliffhanger like last chapter just needs to be concluded. San Francisco's going to be the last stop before the wedding in Los Angeles starts up. Who's going to be the first to reach Burst Mode the right way? I don't know.

A Continuation of a Rant

by Doug Erholtz

[Note: The views and opinions expressed here do not actually or necessarily reflect those of the actual Douglas J. Erholtz, and if they do, wow.]

I've been working in this business for nearly 20 years, and... here's the thing. On IMDb- go ahead, look me up on IMDb. Yes, you. Open a new tab, or a new window if you have to, and type in "Doug Erholtz" in the search box at IMDb. You'll see it right at the top. It says "(Actor, Digimon: Digital Monsters (1999))" by my name. And then it mentions the two Patlabor movies I did in my bio. I don't have a picture, either.

But Lara does. Yeah, and they mention the one primetime show she did, 'Gimme a Break!' Oh yes, I know Lara's more experienced than me. She's done near everything now, live-action TV (I mean, she worked with the Lawrence brothers before they were really big), theater, Western animation. Disney seems to really love her. Why else would they give her the lead role of Henry Hugglemonster? Well, the thing is, she was never a Care Bear like me! That's my story and I'm sticking to it.