Digimon World Tour Chapter 49: Mr Damon Goes to Washington, a digimon fanfic

Digimon World Tour

Recap

[Thomas] After many lost hours of sleep, the wedding day finally arrived. Rika was not pleased over the fact that T.K. had gotten over his displeasure regarding the wedding. She reminisced about her father and her childhood. The ceremony would have been a success if it had not been for Jupitermon and Junomon intruding. They brought a special guest of their own: Machinedramon. Meanwhile, Rika had issues of her own when Makuramon captured both the former and the future Mrs. Ishida. Hiroaki fought bravely enough to convince Rika to open her heart to him, thus unlocking Sakuyamon's miko-inspired Burst Mode. Makuramon was defeated, the two women were released, and President Obama solemnized the marriage. However, now the original twelve DigiDestined must testify in a joint session of Congress. It also looks like Anya has walked out on Greg.

[Marcus] Who cares? ROAD TRIP!

[Thomas] No, Marcus. We're flying, like we always do.

[Marcus] Nah, man. Do you remember Europe? We rode around in a bus.

[Thomas] …..I stand partially corrected.

Chapter 49: Mr. Damon Goes To Washington

Greg

The next morning, we checked out of the hotel. Anya decided to ride with Matt instead, leaving me with Kari. Marcus spent the entire ride back to the mansion bragging about how amazing Rika was as a lover. I was in no mood, so I stopped the car in the driveway and turned toward him. "I don't think I have to remind you, Marcus Damon, that your lover is now an Ishida. You can do whatever kinky stuff you wanna do in bed. Just don't blab about it, or else I'll blab it to Matt and T.K.!"

Kari nodded. "It makes me sick just hearing about it! So please... just don't. Keep it to yourself." She looked at Marcus with those puppy-dog eyes, and Marcus sighed. "All right. I'm sorry, Kari. You too, Logan."

"All right then. Just don't do it again," I said. We got out of the car and went back inside. The first thing we did was pack. Before we knew it, the gang was on a pair of Boeing C-32 aircraft to Washington, D.C. Anya still wouldn't talk to me.

I spoke with Commander Sampson privately in a conference room. "So, Gregory, what's on your mind?" he asked. "Well, Commander, it's about Anya. Ever since I caught that garter at the reception, she's been expecting me to propose." "Hmmm... yes, marriage is a delicate thing. Are you going to propose?" "Not yet. I want to wait until after this whole thing blows over and the Bagra Army's defeated." "Have you... consummated the relationship?" My eyebrows went way up. "Commander! Who do you think I am? Marcus? I haven't consummated anything. As much as I'd love to, I'm saving myself for marriage." "Er, yes... yes. That is always a good idea. I think it will eventually be up to her to forgive you." "Thanks, Commander."

He changed the subject while pouring himself a cup of tea. "So, did you enjoy the wedding as much as I did?" "Yeah. However, I'm still confused about one thing. Where's Mrs. Sampson?" "Oh. The little woman is at home with the daughters." "Oooooh, interesting. What are their ages?" Kudamon replied, "Nine and seven. They seem to regard me as the family pet who helps them with their history homework and dusts the Venetian blinds."

I slowly nodded. "I can see that. Still, what gets me is that it's gonna take me a long time to get used to Rika as Matt and T.K.'s sister. I keep imagining the whole Ishida family at an amusement park. We start at the bottom of a hill on a roller coaster..."

["Second Time Around" (from Step by Step)

Written by Jesse Frederick & Bennett Salvay

Performed by Crispin Freeman and Wendee Lee]

We start at the bottom of a roller coaster hill, looking up at the top. We hear the expectant screams of riders as the car approaches and quickly rolls down. The scene transitions to a group of balloons flying away as the Ishida family, and their Digimon, are at an amusement park. Where the amusement park is located is anyone's guess (It was originally depicted as being located along the shores of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin, although no such amusement park exists that is located on the shores of this lake in Wisconsin. Since the original sequence was filmed at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California, that's what we'll go with.). The title "Step by Step" appears in kanji. The rest of the family walks by as Hiroaki stops, lets out a heavy sigh, and smiles at the situation. The two halves of "David Greenlee" slide together, with "Starring" appearing at the top. The kids go by, leaving a now slightly-poorer Rumiko to smile at the camera. The two halves of "Mary E. McGlynn" slide in, followed by "Starring" at the top.

Crispin: (VO)

The dream got broken
Seemed like all was lost
What would be the future?
Could you pay the cost?
You wonder,
"Will there ever be
a second time around?"

We find Hiroaki, T.K., Rika, and Renamon playing a carnival game involving a water gun. Suddenly, the two girls turn on their family and squirt them mercilessly with it. We zoom in on a middle shot of Rika as she's snickering at the whole thing. The two halves of "Melissa Fahn" slide in. While playing an archery game, Matt is distracted by two attractive girls passing by and accidentally fires his arrow. The game attendant presents him with his prize: a blue teddy bear with an arrow through it. He just smiles and takes it. Notice there's a lot of smiling here. The two halves of "Michael Reisz" slide in. T.K. tests his strength as he swings the hammer. The bell at the top rings, making him a winner. T.K. grins at this. The two halves of "Doug Erholtz" slide in.

Wendee: (VO)

Woah-a, woah-a
When the tears are over
And the moment has come
Say "My Lord,
I think I found someone"
And no one would be better
To be putting it together
For the second time around

The kids and Digimon ride a Shoot the Chute ride, with Rumiko and Hiroaki watching from the bridge. As the boat comes down, the two adults are soaked from the splash. Renamon and Patamon pose in front of a crooked mirror, pointing out how weird they look. The camera transitions to the two natural versions as "Mari Devon" slides in next to Renamon and "Bridget Hoffman" slides in by Patamon. On a park bench, Gabumon and Tomoki (yes, the same one from Digimon Frontier) are enjoying vanilla ice cream cones. Tomoki's ice cream ball falls off his cone, so while Gabumon is distracted, he steals the ball and puts it on his own cone. This leaves Gabumon confused and annoyed. "Kirk Thornton" slides in by the Digimon, while "Brianne Siddall" slides in by Tomoki. In the next shot, Matt and Gabumon wave up to the others, who are on the very same roller coaster we saw at the beginning of this sequence. They wave back down to the two, as Hiroaki looks like he's about to panic.

Crispin/Backup: (VO)

Step by step
Day by day (Wendee: Day by day)
A fresh start over
A different hand to play
The deeper we fall
The stronger we stay

Crispin:(VO)

And we'll be better
The second time around

Crispin/Backup:(VO)

Step by step
Day by day

Wendee:(VO)

We'll make it better

Crispin: (VO)

The second time around

We get an aerial sunset zoom out camera shot of the roller coaster and the parking lot as we hear a long symphonic instrumental ending. We see titles in this order: "Produced by: Rita Majkut"; "Supervising Producer: Clive H. Mizumoto"; "Co-Executive Producers: Robert Griffard & Howard Adler"; "Developed by Chiaki J. Konaka & Ryota Yamaguchi"; "Executive Producers: Brian Casentini & Jamie Simone". We fade to black.

Greg

"Gregory?" the commander asked. "Yes?" "You watch far, far too much television for your own good." "Yes, Commander."

Later on, Marcus pulled me over for a second. "Hey, Greg. Come over here, I got a question for ya." "OK." I joined him. "All right, so this Burst Mode everybody keeps talking about, the one I screwed up on. How do you access it? Tell me all about it." "Well... what happened to me was that the battle was going really badly. UlforceVeedramon was losing, you see. Then, my partner called me out for being a jerk, we had this conversation, and then we came to this understanding." "Quick and dirty, man. Quick and dirty." "Going from left to right, you hit the buttons in reverse order. Right, middle, left. Three, two, one. Go ahead, try it." He took out his Digivice and hit the buttons like I said. It buzzed and gave him an error message. "'Error: Insufficient DigiSoul.' I gotta try this again." He ignited his DigiSoul until it covered his body. "No, wait, Marcus! Not on the plane. Not right now." He quenched it and let out a deep sigh.

We arrived in America's capital city and were quickly escorted by limo to The White House. We split up into separate limos. When we got there, we were quickly escorted inside by Secret Service agents. "Wait wait, whoa, just a minute here. Why are we in the White House?" Matt asked. One agent answered, "Because the president has considered all of you important to the interest of national security." "You will be lodging here until, during, and maybe even after the hearing," the other agent added.

Marcus tensed up his fist. "Now wait just a minute here. Are you saying you're holding us against our will?" "Bless your heart, Marcus, it's the White House," I said. "I don't care what color it's painted, I'm not gonna stand for this! Right, Agumon?" "Right, Boss!" Marcus' partner answered from inside his Digivice. The two agents became slightly alarmed. "Better get the tranq darts ready," Rika murmured.

Thomas covered his face with his palm. "Marcus Damon. You are the only one I know who can mentally turn the Executive Mansion into a perceived prison," he said. "Quiet, Nerdstein!" Marcus shot back.

Thomas

I had been studying the White House during the flight in case we were invited there, so I had a very good idea of where everything was. We entered in through the North Portico into the Entrance Hall, where we were then led up the Grand Staircase into the Yellow Oval Room. "Wow..." Kari gasped before she took out her camera. "No photographs allowed," the agent quickly ordered. "Oh." She put it away quickly.

The furniture inside was in the Louis XVI style. I made a mental note to refer the Obamas to the Norstein family interior decorator. We were greeted by Michelle Obama and their two daughters, Malia and Sasha. We spent approximately 90 minutes meeting with the Obamas and getting to know the family, until finally, the president explained what would happen.

"We plan on beginning the special session tomorrow, and we will continue until both houses are satisfied and I have a better idea of what to do. In the meantime, I have sent the First Mother-in-Law to Chicago, so all of you and your Digimon are free to make yourselves at home here as my guests. Let's see... the East and West Bedrooms on the second floor are used for Sasha and Malia, and Michelle and I have the Master Bedroom. Mr. Caulfield, you and your wife may use the Lincoln bedroom." Juliet looked very surprised and put her hand over her mouth. "The Lincoln bedroom? Oh my..."

Mr. Obama went on. "Commander Sampson, no offense to you personally, but I'll give the Queens' Bedroom to you." "It's a shame your wife isn't here," Michelle added. "Thank you very much," the commander quickly said.

The assignments continued. "Now that we have the three older adults settled, where should I put you kids?" Commander Sampson quickly cleared his throat. "Ahem, Mr. President, I understand you have a lovely state guest house. We don't want to take up any of your precious space." The president considered it. "Hmm... I suppose I could put you all in Blair House. It is much larger..." "But honey, we're having Bulgarian diplomats come in tomorrow," Michelle reminded him. "Oh, that's right. What was I thinking? Sorry, Commander." "No need to apologize," Commander Sampson said.

We looked at the floor plan. There were six bedrooms on the third floor, and each bedroom could fit two people in it. Out of the original twelve DigiDestined, there were four females and eight males. Quite a predicament indeed. Kari was the first to raise her hand. "I could share a bedroom with Tai," she said. Tai agreed to that. "And T.K. and I could take one," Matt added. "Heh, Ken and I will have one," Davis said.

However, Ken had other ideas. "Actually, Davis, I think I'll just take the Solarium couch. Wormmon and I enjoy the sunlight, and I really don't want to be a burden." Yolei let out a deep, romantic sigh. "Isn't he wonderful? So thoughtful, so considerate." "Oh brother," Rika groaned.

The commander considered it carefully, then came to a conclusion. "Ken, I've decided that you'll bunk with Kudamon and me." "Commander's pet," Marcus taunted. "Actually, that's my title," Izzy shot back. He quickly covered his mouth when he realized what he'd said.

Michelle wrote all this down. "That leaves four bedrooms and seven people. We did recently put a sleeper sofa into the living room, which used to be the President's bedroom," she noted. Both Davis and Marcus lit up at that idea. "I'll take it!" they called at the same time.

"Consider it done. Davis and Marcus will share the sleeper sofa in the living room," President Obama said. That took them by surprise as they pointed at each other. "Huh!? You mean I gotta share a bed with him!?" they asked in unison. "You will, and that's final," the commander decided.

"Three boys and three girls remain out of the original twelve," Michelle announced. Cody raised his hand. "Izzy and I will take one." "Oh, then I want to share one with Sora," Mimi said. The First Lady took more notes. "Then that leaves Joe and Yolei." The newly formed couple shrugged it off.

"That leaves one bedroom left. Who doesn't have one?" Greg, Anya, Rika, and I raised our hands, and I offered a suggestion. "Mrs. Obama, I've been studying your humble abode, and I've noticed there is a sitting room nearby that was once used as a bedroom. Greg and I would be happy to take that one."

"Wait just a minute, Norstein. Hey, Mr. President. Do you have a sleeper sofa in the Solarium?" Greg asked. "Hmmm... no, but I can easily get one in there, if you wish," the president answered.

"Thomas and Rika can have that bedroom, if there is one, and Anya and I can take the Solarium." "With Gregorivich sleeping on the floor," Anya coolly added. "I'm not sleeping on the White House floor!" Greg insisted.

I had to break them up. "Settle down, you feuding lovers. If there are two bedrooms left, Greg and I will take the leftover bedroom and Anya and Rika can use the Washington Sitting Room. ...If that's all right with the Commander," I said. Commander Sampson nodded.

Before we could let our Digimon out of their Digivices to look around, Malia had one question. "Do any of them have any dander? I'm allergic to that." We looked around to each other. "No, not that I can think of," Matt said. So, we realized our Digimon and everyone had the opportunity to meet everyone else over a quiet dinner in the State Dining Room.

Marcus

Davis and I had a lot in common. We both loved getting in trouble, and had a brilliant idea to crank call a nearby bar. I got the phone book, Davis found the number, and I called it. "Hello?" "Hello, is Al there?" I asked. "Al?" "Yes. Al. Last name: Coholic." Agumon and Davis' Veemon snickered. "Let me check," the bartender said.

I could faintly hear him fall for it. "Phone call for Al. Al Coholic. Is there an Al Coholic here?" Then, I hung up before he could realize he'd been had.

Davis' Veemon and I high-fived. "Now I know why they call you the Boss!" he said. I grinned. "And don't you forget it!"

Rika

Anya had plenty of issues with Greg. Then again, who doesn't? "So he won't propose to ya, huh?" I asked. She nodded. "Well, it looks like you'll have to make the first move."

"But I don't want to make the first move, Rika. That's not how things are done in Russia," she protested. Lalamon had a thought. "You know, Anya, you let tradition get in the way. After all, he's American. Maybe you should just give him some time and a little space. He still loves you, right?" "Well, yes, but..." "You've waited this long. What's another few weeks?" Anya had to think about that one. "Hmmm..."

Greg

"I don't get it, Thomas. I tell Anya that I don't want to propose marriage to her until after the Bagra Army's gone, and she blows up on me. What gives?" I asked him. Thomas stirred a cup of tea he was making. "As the only single member of this group, I really think it would be inappropriate for you to ask me to consult you on romantic issues." "Oh yeah, you don't have a girlfriend. Or... a boyfriend, either!" I snickered.

Thomas glared at me with a face made out of stone. Then, he calmly but quickly packed up my suitcase and gave it to me, then escorted Veemon and me outside the bedroom door and walked back inside. "Please excuse my faulty judgment. This arrangement was obviously a mistake. Good night." He quickly shut the door.

"You gotta admit, that was pretty stupid, Greg," Veemon said. "Be quiet. Come on, we're headed to the Solarium," I answered. So, we walked over there, when we bumped into someone else.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Marcus barked. "Well excuse me," I shot back. "...Oh. It's you," he answered flatly.

I turned a light on, and there indeed was Marcus, wearing basketball shorts without a shirt. "Marcus! What are you doing here?" "Funny, I was gonna ask you the same thing." "Thomas kicked me out because I questioned which team he played for." "Ooooh. Well, Davis snores." "Hmmm... So, do you want to have a Digimon battle to determine who gets the sleeper sofa?" "Yeah."

"Isn't it kinda late for that?" Veemon asked. So, we rock-paper-scissored it, and Marcus won two-out-of-three. "Darn it," I muttered. So, I walked downstairs to the living room and joined Davis in the sleeper sofa. Marcus was absolutely right. I didn't get any sleep at all.

At 6:30 in the morning, a press secretary turned on a light and rang an alarm. "Rise and shine, Davis Motomiya! Live interview with CBS in an hour! Live interview with CBS in an hour!" he shouted. I nudged Davis awake.

He slowly awakened. "Huh? Who, what? Uh..." "Come on, Davish. We've got a live interview with CBSh in an hour!" Davis' Veemon encouraged. "In an hour?!" That quickly woke him up as he rushed into the bathroom and I stretched.

I heard through the grapevine that Charlie Rose wanted to interview Davis about his encounter with the President. Rumors were that he was being hailed as a rebel, a sort-of Peeta Mellark. What does the press really know, anyway?

Thomas

That morning, my main concern was preparing Marcus for a Congressional hearing. I rose early to get in some meditation with Gaomon on the Promenade when I heard noise coming from outside the Solarium. It was Marcus, shouting "GOOD MORNING, WASHINGTONNNNNNNNN! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" at the top of his lungs. Then, he quickly downed a glass of water and belted out Foreigner's "Hot Blooded".

"Permission to speak freely, sir?" Gaomon asked. "Go ahead." "I highly doubt Congress will take our cause seriously if Marcus continues his juvenile antics." "Indeed."

I took the matter to Marcus at breakfast. "Now Marcus, what's going to happen today is we'll be testifying in Congress. They're going to be asking a lot of questions, and so you'll have to act professionally." "What do you think I am? Stupid? I think I know how this works. All politicians are are people who have their heads up their butts making promises they sure as shootin' can't keep."

President Obama looked up from his newspaper and glared at us. Most of us facepalmed. Thankfully, Marcus realized his mistake and quickly covered his tracks. "Eh heh heh, uh... Mr. President, I think you're a, a, very nice person who has his head- never mind." "Uh huh..." President Obama replied. Commander Sampson gave all of us a 15-minute lecture on how serious all of this was and how Marcus dared to say what he did.

My efforts began after breakfast by showing Marcus a video of Dee Snider testifying before Congress in 1985. "Thomas, trust me. I know what I'm doing. If you want me to be calm, collected, whatever, then I can do that. I can be rational." "But will you?" I asked. "Yes. Now get off my case."

We had a light lunch at 11 before riding in a convoy of limousines to the U.S. Capitol Building. Everyone was dressed formally, with Rika wearing a pantsuit with tie just for the occasion. We ignored the cameras and continued into the Senate Chambers. Presiding and conducting the meeting was Speaker John Boehner. "This ought to be a slam dunk. He's a Republican," Greg whispered to me.

The chaplain offered a very nice invocation, after which everyone stood to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

We joined in. "I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." Then, we sat down.

Commander Sampson was the first to speak. He was interrogated by Speaker Boehner. "Name?" "Richard Sampson, Commander of the Digital Accident Tactics Squad, or DATS, an organization commissioned by the United Nations Security Council." "Just your name will be fine. Commander Sampson, you and your team have no criminal charges presented against you for the moment. This is merely an investigatory hearing. You do understand the situation at hand, correct?" "Yes, I do." "Good. Now please explain to the other members of Congress your purpose." "Our purpose is to keep peace between the Human and Digital Worlds. There is another world, parallel to our own, formed from Earth's global digital networks and the data that flows upon them. This world is inhabited by creatures known as Digital Monsters, or Digimon for short. Digimon are sentient creatures that, like the Digital World, are made of data. It is possible for Digimon to travel to the Human World, which is what Digimon and humans alike call Earth, though this requires the opening of some sort of dimensional wormhole in Digital World." "Are Digimon aliens, Commander?" "No. Most of them can communicate easily with the people on Earth."

After a while, Commander Sampson sat down and Izzy gave a presentation on DigiSoul and Digivolution. "Your name?" the Speaker asked. "Koushiro Izumi, quartermaster and one of the lead operatives of DATS." "Let it be recognized that the young man from Japan needs no translator. Continue." "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members of Congress, I'd like to direct your attention to this diagram I have prepared. Each of you have received a copy of it. It's a diagram of the Digivice ic5 Burst, the patent of which is completely original and is owned by DATS."

Greg

He pointed out all the special features that our Digivices had, and he went on and on and on about the Digivice and Digivolution. Finally, he asked for questions. "The chair recognizes the lady from California." "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Izumi, what is this DigiSoul that we keep hearing so much about?" she asked.

Izzy explained, "Well, madam, DigiSoul is one's emotions converted into pure energy that acts as the catalyst for Digital Evolution, or Digivolution. It presents itself as a physical aura created by a human's soul which is evoked within themselves. As I explained previously, most Digimon partnered with humans are at the Rookie level. The first stage of Digivolution progresses said Digimon to the Champion-level, and requires a relatively small level when regulated with the Digivice. As such, it is generated into the human's hand. If I may be allowed to demonstrate?" "Mr. Izumi will now demonstrate the generation of DigiSoul," the speaker announced. Izzy ignited enough DigiSoul for a Champion-level Digivolution, and most of the Congress freaked out. "HIS HAND'S ON FIRE!" one congressman shouted. Others scrambled to get water to put it out, and one representative from Nevada poured a bucketful of it all over Izzy's hand. His DigiSoul didn't go out until he extinguished it. "Nice try," Izzy said.

Speaker Boehner pounded his gavel a few times. "Order! Order in the House. Let it be recognized that the fire that was generated from the quartermaster's hand cannot be extinguished with water. You may continue, Mr. Izumi." "Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I would like to briefly allow each representative and senator to touch my hand so that they may see that the DigiSoul is harmless." "Any objections?" Marcus turned back and glared at everyone. No one objected, so Izzy ignited the DigiSoul in his hand and walked around. Comments varied from "My hand isn't burned" to "How did you get it to light up like that?" The whole Congress was mystified. We had them.

The speaker pounded his gavel again. "The Chair once again recognizes the lady from California." "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Izumi, what is the source of this DigiSoul?" she asked.

Izzy smiled. "I'm so glad you ask. At DATS, there are nine core virtues we embrace. They are: courage, friendship, love, sincerity, knowledge, reliability, hope, light, and kindness. All of which are positive traits. Possessing one of these traits or a variant thereof will bring a human closer to generating DigiSoul. However, it is my belief that the true source of power comes from the trusting bond created between a Digimon and a human." "So you're saying this kind of power comes from emotions? And it can't be easily replicated in a laboratory?" "Precisely, madam." "Well, since I've seen it with my own eyes, it must be true. Your story is most fascinating. I'm dying to hear more."

In Lord Bagra's base, Tactimon makes his report. "My Lord, it seems we were thwarted again. I regret to report that those humans you recruited have... turned against us." "Yeah, and that OmniShoutmon is dynamite, boss!" Blastmon adds. Lord Bagra paces the floor. "So I see. On the one hand, I have lost Laylamon. She was converted back into an Ophanimon. It's a shame, really. She brought us closer to success than either one of you two. ….On the other hand, my plotting brother is dead. So now, I have full control of my army."

Just then, Dragomon speaks. "I see it now. The original DigiDestined are still in America, in a place they call Washington, D.C. Lord Bagra, dispatch Dorbickmon." "As Lord Dragomon desires," Tactimon quickly answers. Lord Bagra is stupefied.

Greg

After a short recess, the original 12 told everyone their story about their experiences in the Digital World. It was such a magical and a dark place. I was absolutely fascinated by it. They made it sound so real, like I was there. Even the Digimon got to tell their side of the story.

Even Speaker Boehner seemed to enjoy it. "That was quite the entertaining tale. The chair recognizes the representative from Texas." A congressman from Texas stood up and approached the mic. "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that Congress give their full support to DATS." "I second the motion," a congresswoman from Kansas agreed. "The question is on the motion for Congress to give their full support to DATS. Those in favor say 'Aye'..." Most of the Congress said "Aye". "AYE!" Marcus shouted. I hit him on the shoulder. "Marcus, you don't vote!" I said.

"Those opposed say 'No'." Another man came up to the mic. "Mr. Speaker?" "The gentleman from Maryland is recognized." "We request a recorded vote on this." "The yeas and nays are requested. Those favoring the votes as such will please rise." Enough people stood up. "A sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Members will record their votes by electronic device. This is a five-minute vote." Then, the speaker pounded his gavel and the senators and representatives left to vote.

"Five minutes? Are you freakin' kidding me? It shouldn't take long to vote on something like this!" Marcus ranted. "Hey, this is how democracy works," I said.

After five minutes, the votes came in and the Speaker announced the results. "The yeas are 220, the nays are 190, and 125 voted present. The concurrent movement is agreed to!" He pounded his gavel again. Marcus pumped his fist. "Oh yeah! We won!" he cheered. "Yeah!" his Agumon agreed.

Matt volunteered to give a performance for Congress. So, we were given a 15-minute recess to get our instruments together. Then, we started.

["Chemistry"

Written by Paul Christie and Eric McCusker

Performed by The Teenage Wolves

Lead Singer: Anya Rădulescu (Kate Higgins)]

Marcus taps the group in as they start playing. Some of the Digimon start dancing all over the House chamber. Anya dances around from Speaker Boehner's lectern.

Anya:

He turned me round
He said to me

Anya/Rika:

"It all depends on, the chemistry," yeah

Anya:
And once in a long while, if something comes your way,
You can wash it down the drain or make it your own.
Well don't waste it,
Don't throw it away.

The senators and representatives raise their cellphones and wave them. The non-participating DATS operatives raise their Digivices and wave them. Even President Obama joins in.

Anya/Band:
If the chemistry is right
If the chemistry is there
If the chemistry is right
If the chemistry is there

Anya's dancing here is pretty embarrassing, to say the least.

Anya:
You sit and wait
You stay at home

Anya/Rika:
You hesitate, you, end up alone, but

Anya:
Once in a long while, if something comes your way
You can wash it down the drain or make it your own
But don't waste it
Don't throw it away-ay-ay

Anya/Band:
If the chemistry is right
If the chemistry is there
If the chemistry is right
If the chemistry is there

The overall mood looks to be very bright. We get shots of Rika and her keyboard solo, followed by other shots of the House Chamber.

Anya:
Once in a long while, if something comes your way
You can wash it down the drain or make it your own
But don't waste it
Don't throw it away-ay, yeah!

Anya/Band:

If the chemistry is right
If the chemistry is there
If the chemistry is right
If the chemistry is there

Anya/Rika:
If the chemistry is right (Band: Once in a long while, if something comes your way)
If the chemistry is there (Band: You can wash it down the drain or make it your own)
If the chemistry is right (Band: Well don't waste it, Don't throw it away)
Chemistry, yeah!

Anya:

Chemistry (Band: Chemistry)

The chemistry (Band: Chemistry)

Chemistry (Band: Chemistry)

The chemistry (Band: Chemistry)

Anya/Band:

Ohhh whoaaaaa

Ohhh weeee-ooooo

Ohhh whoaaaaa

As the song ends, the entire House Chamber cheers.

Greg

Unfortunately, our victory was short-lived. "The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California." "Mr. Speaker, we move that all legislation and motions involving these 'Digital Monsters', including the previous motion, require a unanimous vote." "A unanimous vote is requested. All those in favor say 'Aye.'" I heard "Aye" come from nearly everyone. The Speaker continued, "It's nearly unanimous. The motion is carried. All motions and legislation involving Digital Monsters must have a unanimous vote in the affirmative. The previous motion, therefore, is overturned and open for a revote." He pounded his gavel.

Guess who got angry at all this? "OH COME ON!" Marcus shouted. Then, he rushed up to the mic. "Yo, Mr. Speaker, or whatever your name is. Down here!" The Speaker sighed. "And who are you?" "Marcus Damon, and I gotta say something. Are you really going to let these bureaucratic yahoos determine our fate? They don't know what Agumon and I have been through. What makes you think they know anything more about Digimon than us?" "That's the thing, Mr. Damon. You are familiar with Digimon, but we are not. This is a hot topic right now. That's why it must be controlled."

Marcus

No... They weren't serious, were they? I felt the walls closing in on me. So, I scrambled up to where the Speaker was and grabbed him by his sportcoat. That got a few screams from those trained monkeys in suits. "Now look here, buddy. You know jack squat about Digimon, and that goes for the rest of these loonies. So keep your nose out of our business and let us do our job. You got that?" "Guards! Arrest this young man! He's in contempt of Congress!" the coward called. That did it. I threw a punch and connected with the coward's face.

Thomas

My worst fears for the day were being realized before my very eyes. I proceeded to slam my head against the table repeatedly.

Greg

Two guards rushed up to where Marcus had held the Speaker and separated them. Marcus, being Marcus, fought them off. Tai immediately got hold of the situation and rushed in to help, punching our resident hothead in the face. Matt joined him and punched Marcus in the face himself.

Tai, Marcus, and Matt were all held in contempt of Congress and were looking at three days in the slammer and deportation. Rika called the new Mrs. Ishida, who posted their bail. In the meantime, President Obama immediately went up to the Speaker's lectern and gave a 30-minute speech that was mostly, if not all, double-talk that appealed to both parties. I think he wanted to punch Marcus, too. Nevertheless, he pardoned all three, promising they would have a stern talking-to. We were swamped by the press on the way out. The only thing I could say was "No comment."

When we made it back to the White House, President Obama and Commander Sampson gave us a tag-team chewing out. "I've never been so embarrassed in my entire life!" Obama ranted. "Me too!" Sampson agreed. "Aww shut up," Marcus said. Obama became livid. "How dare you!" he gasped. He shook his head and continued, "Commander Sampson, I'm afraid I'll have to revoke my pardon and deport this young man back to Tokyo. I would not suggest keeping him on your team. He's too hotheaded and too much of a liability." "Drop dead!" Marcus barked.

The mood was tense during dinner. Nobody said anything to anyone. Either they couldn't think of anything to say or they weren't on speaking terms.

Marcus

Tai and Kari called me into their room after dinner. Tai started, "Look man, you gotta calm down. I get that you've got fire in your belly, but you can't just shoot your mouth or your fists off like that." I snorted and shook my head. "Speak for yourself, Kamiya. You were the first to throw a punch at me," I said. "What else was I supposed to do?" "Tai's right, you really need to mellow out," Kari added. "Easy for you to say, Little Miss Sunshine," I shot back.

Soon, nobody was talking to me. "Fine, guys! I'm takin' a walk!" I loudly announced. Obama insisted I take a few Secret Service agents with me, so the two of them and I wandered around until we got to some place called the National Mall. There wasn't a food court in sight, so I sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

I realized Agumon and the two of us sat there together. "What's wrong, Boss? You look so sad," my partner said. "Yeah. Everybody says I blew it today. Stupid government. Why do they have to bother us?" "It seems to me that nobody really understands us. But when I think about it, they're kinda like you." "Huh? Whaddya mean by that?" "Easy. You know how sometimes it takes a while for you to understand something?" "Yeah?" "Same with them. They just wanna do the right thing, you know? That's getting harder to do." "Hmmm... yeah." I lowered my head and thought about it.

I raised it back up. "You know something, Agumon?" "Yeah?" "Maybe Tai and everybody's right. I got a fire in me that just won't quit, but it's costing me friends. Maybe I should take it easy and not jump into things." "Eh, I dunno, Boss. Isn't that one of your endearing personality traits?" "We don't have to run away from a fight. We can still go in there, but we'll just wait about 30 seconds first." "Yeah!" The two of us bumped fists.

Just then, I got a call from my earpiece. I put it in my ear and answered it. "This is Marcus." "Marcus! It's Dad." "Dad. What's going on?" "Bad news, son. We've got a Digimon attacking the Smithsonian Castle. He's a Mega-level, he's dangerous, and he's just burned down the Enid A. Haupt Garden. Should I send some backup?" "...No, Dad. I doubt they'd help right now. I got this." I hung up, put Agumon back in his Digivice and then started running to find some transportation and a map.

When I found the map, I followed it to the castle. The place was surrounded by cops. Taking my own advice, I stopped for a second. "Oh great, it's the cops. I better make this look official." I took out my Digivice and prepared to suit up... but didn't. "Nah." I put my Digivice away and ran in.

While running through the castle, I could hear the officers yelling at me to stop. I didn't. Finally, I made it to the garden. It was completely burned down. There in front of me was this huge, crimson-colored draconoid with scaly armor and red, white and black spikes. I looked him up. "'Dorbickmon, a Mega-level Dragon Man Digimon.' Well, he's no match for us." I pointed my finger towards him and called out, "You!"

He turned around. "What do you want, punk?" he asked me. "Heh, I was gonna ask you the same thing, but I obviously know you're up to no good." "And I obviously know who you are, Marcus Damon. I was briefed by the Bagra Army before I arrived here. Once I finish here, I'll start the hunt for your little friends. I'm prepared to burn down this entire city if I have to." I let out a smug grin. "Well in that case, you and I both know what time it is."

"Really? What time is it?" a security guard asked. I started running toward my opponent and fired a left hook to his chest. "Fightin' time," I answered as my DigiSoul ignited all over my body. I pulled out my Digivice. "Agumon, realize!" Within seconds, Agumon came out. "I'm ready, Boss!" he shouted.

A smile came over my face. "DigiSoul, Charge!" I called, slamming my palm over the sensor. Then I tilted it at a horizontal angle and thrust it forward. "OVERDRIVE!"

"Agumon Double Warp Digivolve to... ShineGreymon!"

For a monster about my size, Dorbickmon was one tough son-of-a-B. He yelled and formed a flaming sword. I took out my Digivice and punched in a code for ShineGreymon's secret weapon. "Not bad, but ours is better. GeoGrey Sword!" I thrust my hand into the light, and ShineGreymon pulled out his sword from the ashes. The two fought for a long time.

"Remember, ShineGreymon! We gotta think smarter now. Try to read him!" I heavily suggested. "Got it!" he answered. The battle went on for a while until Dorbickmon used an attack. "Dragon Breath-tonic Fire!" He breathed out a burst of extremely high-temperature breath that instantly turned the GeoGrey Sword to ashes. I went into a state of shock. The beatings just kept on coming. We should've outmatched him in terms of size, but that didn't seem to be the case here. Eventually, my partner fell to the ground over and over. Each time, he took that much longer to get up until he could barely get back in the air. Then, he stayed there.

"Oh no! ShineGreymon!" I cried as I ran towards him. Dorbickmon laughed maniacally as he started burning up the castle. "Come on, ShineGreymon, wake up! That jerk's burning down the castle!" I urged. He opened his eyes for a second. "Boss..." he moaned. Then, he closed them again. Why was this happening now? My heart started sweating again, and I could feel it from my eyes. I started punching him. "You stupid D-digimon! Wake up! You've got all this power, and you're letting him beat you? Why?" Again, nothing. I kept punching him harder. "Rrrrrgh... SHINEGREYMON! I demand that you get up right now! You're too strong for this!"

All of a sudden, the background faded away. "Do you want to know why?" ShineGreymon asked. "Why?" "Our strength has always come from deep inside of you. You're the one giving the power... to me." I gasped at that. How could it be possible? I mean, I had a pretty good understanding of the whole DigiSoul concept, but was I really giving him my strength? No, there was some other way. We were both getting it wrong. I wiped the "sweat" from my eye. "Uh uh. We've both got it wrong. Our power comes from the combination of you and me and feeds off of our friendship. That's why... we're the ultimate!" I felt my fist slam into my palm, but it wasn't out of anger. It was out of preparation. ShineGreymon and I closed our eyes and concentrated, filling ourselves up with positive thinking. We were in... the zone. I mean, complete Zen. For just a split second, I could feel my partner's life force flowing through my veins. It was like magma in a volcano, calmly building up pressure. I took that feeling and I built it up. Then, I turned on a vent and calmly let some of that energy out. Then, I opened my eyes.

"Ready, pal?" I calmly asked. "Ready, Boss," he answered. I took out my Digivice and entered in the code Greg told me. "Three, two, one..." The Signal Port lit up. I shifted the Digivice to the side, slowly bringing my hand into the light. "CHARGE! DigiSoul... BURST MODE!" The key is to have the Signal Port between your index finger and your thumb of the hand you're holding and then slowly bring your free hand into the light. After the Digivice beeped, I thrust both hands fully out to my sides and fired the beam at ShineGreymon. He took that power and created a giant, fiery sphere, as big as the sun. From that, he pulled out a sword and a shield. Then, the sphere lowered onto him, and his armor became redder. "ShineGreymon, Burst Mode!"

I could hear coughing coming from inside the castle. "Keep him busy! I've gotta rescue some people from that building!" I told him. "Right!" I ran inside the castle, making sure to stay away from the flames. Covering my mouth, I helped a female security guard get out of the building. We first went towards the garden, then after seeing the battle, went around to the front. I met up with the cops... and the press. They didn't know what to do with me. One reporter asked, "Aren't you the guy who punched out the Speaker?" "Yeah, I was. But I was wrong, and I'm sorry," I simply answered. I went on to answer a whole lot more questions.

ShineGreymon

Boss was counting on me to finish this Dorbickmon off, so I did my best. He just went on and on about ensuring that only the strongest survive, and how he was the strongest. He even changed the landscape, but that didn't matter because I was in the air already. After beating him down a little, I was ready to finish him off. "Final Shining Burst!" I put my body and soul into inducing a massive eruption from underground, completely destroying Dorbickmon. Only after he was dead did I notice the cameras. At least, that's what Marcus said they were.

Greg

We stayed up late that night watching the tape of our hearing in the Treaty Room. Michelle even got the staff to make some snacks, and the Obama kids seemed so enthralled at the Original Twelve's story. "Oh man, I wish we had Digimon, too," Sasha sighed. Obama cleared his throat. "Um, Commander Sampson. How much do one of these Digimon cost?" he asked, taking out his checkbook from his pocket. After a few seconds, most of us burst out laughing. He looked around. "I was being serious."

Even Commander Sampson couldn't hide a snicker. "You don't buy Digimon, Mr. President. In most cases, they choose the children." "Or in some cases, the adults," Max added. Obama scratched his head. "Oh... well, in that case, I guess I still have a lot to learn," he finally decided.

Just then, the door slammed open, and there were Marcus and Agumon. "Hey guys! What's up!?" he cheerfully yelled. Then, he went around the room fistbumping, high-fiving, and hugging everyone. "Tonight changed my life, I swear," he said. "What happened?" Matt asked.

Marcus told his story. "Well, I started off feeling low, so Agumon and I went to the National Mall. Then, Dad called me and said that some Digimon was attacking the Smithsonian Castle. I decided not to ask for any backup because I didn't think you'd help me. So, the two of us went alone. ...With the Secret Service guys, of course. We fought Dorbickmon, but he burned up the GeoGrey Sword. ShineGreymon nearly didn't make it, but we unlocked Burst Mode and I got to pull this little old lady security guard out of a burning building! It should be all over the news." He took the remote and changed the channel to the local Fox station. Sure enough, there was a flaming version of ShineGreymon slaying a dragon.

Agumon pointed himself out on the TV. "There I am, Boss! I look awesome!" he cheered. "Yeah, you do," his partner agreed. Then, he turned to us. "Guys, I'm really, really sorry about how I acted at the hearing today. I was wrong." He even bowed. "Will you please forgive me?" he asked. We gathered around him and agreed to it. Soon, we were all friends again.

Author's Notes:

Special thanks to the White House Museum website for all the information on the White House.

The prank phone call came from an episode of The Simpsons.

Special thanks also goes to James Parks, who posted a 4-hour session of Congress on YouTube. Who says fanfics can't be educational?

All legal proceedings in Congress may not be completely 100% accurate, but at least I tried.

Should the Obama kids get a Digimon? Eh, the jury's still out. We don't want to give everyone one.