Digimon World Tour Chapter 55: Kari's Fight Song, a digimon fanfic

Digimon World Tour

Recap

[Marcus] OK, so with President Obama signing this whole executive order thing, he wanted to get into the act. So, the label says we gotta include him on the album and cut a single with him. Huh? Anyway, we all got "crests" from Sora, and I got Courage. Thomas got Knowledge, but tried being all noble and stuff by not taking it. Anyway, we flew to Vegas for our last gig of the tour. And am I glad it's over. Maybe now I can get back to working on my quest to become the Ultimate Fighter. Ha ha. Anyway, I did a pretty good Phil Collins cover, if I do say so myself. Then, the next morning, Kari went missing. Got sucked into some place called the Dark Ocean. Pretty creepy. So, we called in Bug Boy Ken to open up the Dark Gate so T.K. could rescue her. I volunteered to help, but I was turned down. Sure hope T.K. and Kari come back.

Chapter 55: Kari's Fight Song

We start this chapter in a very different place. It's the Dark Ocean, a universe parallel to our own that has the power to bring twisted thoughts to life, magnify and corrupt them, and inverse the natural order of things. Everything is monochrome, and danger lurks everywhere. Staying too long here can leave a human or Digimon helpless, hopeless, and in eternal agony. On top of a cliff is a lighthouse, heavily guarded by Divermon. As we go inside, we find Kari trapped at the bottom with her hands holding onto the bars of her cell.

Kari

Here I was. Again. This time, I was worse off than I was before. Not only was I in the Dark Ocean, I was trapped in a prison cell in the basement of a lighthouse! Not only that, it was cold. I cupped my hands together and blew into them, trying to stay warm.

"Why does this always happen to me, Gatomon?" I wondered out loud. Gatomon was curled up into a ball. "I don't know. You're just lucky, I guess," she grumbled. "I'm serious. It seems like I spend half my life fighting, and the other half being kidnapped or brainwashed by some evil Digimon who wants to use my powers for evil purposes. I'm the worst enemy of darkness, yet I don't get to prove it." I slumped down on a box.

"Don't you ever get tired of it?" Gatomon asked me. "Of course I do." "Then why don't you ever do something about it?" I really didn't like where this was going. My eyes narrowed. "What are you implying?" "Oh nothing. I just don't like history repeating itself. We all know how this is going to end. You're going to be screaming at the top of your lungs for T.K. any minute now." That sounded like a great idea. "Like this?" I got up and screamed out through the bars, "T.K.! GET ME OUT OF HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!"

"That's nice. Plenty of feeling, lots of emotion. You're a shoo-in for a Golden Globe," Gatomon said. "Oh, shut up! You're the last Digimon I'd expect to give me this kind of abuse."

Gatomon

It was working. If I could get her angry enough, she might stop feeling sorry for herself. I've known Kari for a long time, and she's the nicest, sweetest girl anyone could ever know. Which is why so many Digimon take advantage of her.

"You know, if you wanted to, you could Double Warp Digivolve me, send me into Burst Mode, and then send this whole place sky high," I said. "Oh, sure, that's a great idea. If I wanted to be caved in!"

Just then, a warden Divermon walked in. "Our master wants to see you, Miss Kamiya," he said. He unlocked the door, then bound Kari's hands with rope, stripped her of her Digivice, and walked her out of the cell.

T.K.

The Dark Ocean was just the way I remembered it. It was completely monochrome and almost completely barren. "Geez, this place gives me the creeps," Patamon said. I looked behind me, and the gate was gone. "And the gate is gone, too," I added. Patamon landed on my hat and moaned. "Cheer up, Patamon. We got out last time, and we'll get out this time. Once we save Kari, that is." "Right. So, General Ishida, what's our plan of attack?" Despite being completely serious, Patamon's high voice made it sound cute. "No attacking just yet. This is just a search and rescue mission, although I've got a feeling that'll change," I said, checking through my Digivice for the right Armor form. Only one seemed to fit, and that was the old standby, Pegasusmon. Patamon flew off my hat and landed on the ground. "Did you find anything?" he asked. "Nothing but the usual."

I selected the DigiEgg of Hope and got in position. "Time to rock, Patamon!" I called. "Right!" I thrust the Digivice forward and shouted, "DigiArmor Energize!"

"Patamon Armor Digivolve to…. Pegasusmon! Flying Hope!"

I clipped my Digivice back to my belt and mounted Pegasusmon. We took off.

Kari

I was led up the stairs into what looked like a captain's cabin. In front of me was a long, executive table with chairs. "Please, be seated," a slithery voice said. I took a seat. The chair at the head of the table turned, and soon I was staring face to face with the Digimon who had captured me.

He was an ugly-looking creature with mostly tentacles, but also wings and horns on his body. He also wore a rosary around his neck. "You probably don't know who I am, do you?" I nervously shook my head. "Why be so nervous, my dear? I mean you no harm. …Yet. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dragomon, the Depraved Monk of the Deep. My servants warned you that I would come for you, and indeed I have! You have no idea how long I have waited for our meeting. I know so much about you, Miss Hikari Kamiya. Or should I say, Child of Light?" "You- you'll n-n-never get anything out of m-m-me!" I stammered. "Oh, but I already have. I have you, and do you know what I'll do with you? Firstly, you shall become a queen bee! You are of reproducing age, yes?" I tried to look intimidating.

He continued, "It matters not. Soon, you shall be obeying an instinct you hadn't known you possessed. If the procedure works and the results are good, you shall live. Otherwise, you shall die a painful death." "You're a sick monster!" I growled. "Yes, I am aware of that. You should be quite fortunate I have not chosen you to die already." He slithered up to me and slapped my face roughly with one of his tentacles. "You belong to me, you wench. Now return to your cell!" Mustering up all the courage I had at the moment, I boldly spit in his face. Then, he picked me up with his tentacles and threw me into the wall. I got up after a struggle, then walked back to my cell.

When I returned, the Divermon took off my rope, but didn't give me back my Digivice. They left it on the table. I was thrown back in my cell. I tenderly nursed my shoulder and got up on my feet. "So, what happened?" Gatomon asked. "I met our captor, Dragomon. He's a big, ugly octopus that called me his wench. He said I'd be his queen bee, and tried talking dirty. I spit in his face." "Good job! At least you tried." I lowered my head. "Yeah. Little good it did me. He threw me into the wall, and I'm just glad it wasn't my Digivice-dominant shoulder that got hurt." I gently stroked Gatomon on the head.

The warden Divermon tried watching a TV, but it didn't work. He punched it a few times, but nothing happened. "Stupid TV, doesn't work," he grumbled. Then, he turned to me, and ordered, "You! Miss Kamiya! The master says you're a good singer, so sing something!" "She's not exactly in the mood, you-" Gatomon shot back, but I put my hand up and answered, "I'm totally unprepared, warden. So, I must compose as I sing."

I had to think fast, so I looked out the window.

["Fight Song"

Written by Kari Kamiya [Dave Bassett and Rachel Platten]

Performed by Kari Kamiya (Lara Jill Miller)]

Kari looks out through the bars into the Dark Ocean. The waves violently crash against each other. In the distance, she can spot a small branch.

Kari:

Like a small boat

On the ocean

Sending big waves

Into motion

Like how a single word

Can make a heart open

I might only have one match

But I can make an explosion

She brings her attention back into the cell, and like the true performer she is, she methodically moves around her cell.

Kari:

And all those things I didn't say

Wrecking balls inside my brain

I will scream them loud tonight

Can you hear my voice this time?

Even with her injured shoulder, she performs a dance based on a kickboxing routine she learned from a Jillian Michaels DVD.

Kari:

This is my fight song

Take back my life song

Prove I'm alright song

My power's turned on

Starting right now, I'll be strong

I'll play my fight song

And I don't really care if nobody else believes,

Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me

Kari looks to Gatomon to back her up, and she starts swaying back and forth like a backup singer.

Kari:

Losing friends and I'm chasing sleep

Everybody's worried about me

In too deep

Say I'm in too deep (Gatomon: You're in too deep)

And it's been two years

I miss my home

But there's a fire burning in my bones

And I still believe

Yeah, I still believe

Meanwhile, T.K. and Pegasusmon continue their flight, searching high and low for Kari.

Kari: (VO)

And all those things I didn't say

Wrecking balls inside my brain

I will scream them loud tonight

Can you hear my voice this time?

We move back into the cell as Kari quickly fantasizes that she has a dance training DVD of her own. She leads various DigiDestined girls (Yolei, Nene, Rika, Zoe, Mimi, and Angie; all dressed in workout gear) in a tough dance routine. The DVD sequence is in color, but switches back to the dance scene in the monochrome cell.

Kari:

This is my fight song

Take back my life song

Prove I'm alright song

My power's turned on

Starting right now, I'll be strong

I'll play my fight song

And I don't really care if nobody else believes

Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me

A lot of fight left in me

T.K. and Pegasusmon spot the lighthouse from the distance. We fly through the sky in towards the lighthouse. Kari's delivery of this verse is slightly more restrained and softer, like the calm before the storm. We zoom in closer and closer until we find Kari with her head down.

Kari: (VO)

Like a small boat

On the ocean

Sending big waves

Into motion

Like how a single word

Can make a heart open

I might only have one match

She looks up to face the camera, with a determined smile on her face.

Kari:

But I can make an explosion

Kari launches back into her explosive routine, psyching herself up more and more. Gatomon smiles as she sees her friend and partner's self-confidence and fighting spirit improve. For a moment, the color starts to come back in as the Crest of Light insignia appears on her hand and shines a light all through the area. T.K. sees this light and flies toward it.

Kari:

This is my fight song

Take back my life song

Prove I'm alright song

My power's turned on

Starting right now, I'll be strong (Kari: I'll be strong)

I'll play my fight song

And I don't really care if nobody else believes

Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me

The song knocks out the warden Divermon.

Kari:

Now I've still got a lot of fight left in me

Kari and Gatomon high-five after seeing what they've done.

Kari

Gatomon was the first to congratulate me. "That was amazing, Kari! You knocked out the warden with just your song. And look at your hand!" I looked at it, and the Crest of Light was lit up on it. "Whoa….."

I could hear faint voices from outside. "She's this way!" "Right, we're going in!" I let out a gasp. "T.K.? Pegasusmon?"

Greg

With T.K. and Kari gone, and no other concerts to perform, all we could do now was prepare for battle. How does a human prepare for battle when he knows that his Digimon will be doing most of the fighting? You both have an intense training montage, focusing on body and soul.

We decided to keep Ken and Wormmon on as temporary replacements. Ken and I spent all night in the fitness center. "OK, Greg. The way I see it, soccer really isn't your thing, and you seem to be the biggest of all of us. It's time we added a little more muscle mass. We'll start with the bench press. Forgive me if this sounds like a personal question. How much do you weigh?" he asked. "Well, I don't know, Ken. Let's find out," I answered. We walked over to the scale and I weighed myself. "215 pounds. Hmm... so you need to lift 323 pounds. Let's go."

Ken Digivolved Wormmon into Stingmon so he could act as a spotter. I grabbed my Digivice and started to punch in the code for Aura Mode, but Ken caught me. "Ahem, I'll be taking that, please. It feels much better when you do it by yourself." I reluctantly gave it to him. 50 lbs was easy. 100, OK. It really didn't get too difficult until 300 pounds. The bar started to smash my chest a little. Stingmon shook his head. "Looks like we'll have to work on something else, huh, Ken?" he asked. Ken sadly nodded.

So, the soccer prodigy got me started on the elliptical. "If you can't be that strong, then you better be fast," he reasoned. To make me feel better about the whole thing, Veemon started running on the treadmill next to my machine.

Marcus

While Greg and Ken were working out in the fitness center, I got roped into going to a yoga studio with Rika and Anya. "Yoga!? Uh uh, that's for sissies. I'm a real man, you hear me?!" I protested.

Rika winked at Anya, then moved me to a chair. Then, she wrapped herself around my shoulders and torso. She came in close and we started to make out. That felt really nice. I broke out of liplock. "Well, well, well. Is this something they teach you in that class?" I asked. "Yep. This move's called the chakra kiss." We went back to it.

After a few more seconds, I broke out again. "Then what are we waiting for? It's yoga time!" She got off of me and I stripped down to nearly nothing except my boxers. Anya shook her head. "Oh no, you can't do yoga in those," she said. "Heh? What are you talkin' about? I thought this was how you all did it." "It's not."

Well, they got me the right clothes and soon I was doing it with the best of them.

T.K.

The light led us right to a lighthouse I'd seen before. The only problem was that it was surrounded by Divermon. They spotted us and started throwing their harpoons at us. We dodged them, then went in closer. "OK, now they don't have their weapons. Fire away, Pegasusmon!" I instructed. "You got it! Star Shower!" Pegasusmon fired a cluster of stars from his wings that hit on contact. I pumped my fist. "Bullseye!"

Lord Bagra observes this. "Tactimon, the boy has just attacked our forces at the lighthouse. Dispatch a battalion of Troopmon immediately." Tactimon bows. "As you wish, my lord."

T.K.

We landed by the lighthouse, but trouble followed us. A group of Troopmon came out of nowhere and stood ready to fight. Pegasusmon went back to being Patamon. "Uh oh. What do we do now?" he moaned. I quickly checked my Digivice for an Armor form he hadn't used yet. "We fight them, of course." "Do I get to Digivolve this time?" "Eh, not exactly. Regular Digivolution seems like overkill."

I selected the DigiEgg of Sincerity, then thrust the Digivice forward and shouted, "DigiArmor Energize!"

"Now you tell me. Patamon Armor Digivolve to….. Ponchomon!"

Ponchomon was a cactus-like ghost who wore a poncho and a Mexican sombrero. He reminded me a lot of Togemon. He stared at his fists and down at his poncho. "Supongo que puedo acostumbrarme a esto," he said.

I scratched my head. "Huh? What did you say?" "Le dije: 'Creo que puedo acostumbrarme a esto.'" I took out my Digivice and set up for Aura Mode. "Oh, forget it. DigiSoul Aura Mode, on."

I turned on Aura Mode and clipped my Digivice to my belt. "As Marcus would say, 'It's fightin' time!'" "¡Vamos a luchar!" Ponchomon shouted. The two of us ran into the group of Troopmon and attacked them. "Tequila Knuckle!" Ponchomon punched one, causing him to explode and some others to stumble around. With a little bit of concentration, some of my punches became a little explosive themselves. I focused on my speed, and soon, no one could catch me.

We defeated enough of them to advance into the lighthouse. I kicked down the door and we ran in. "Kari? Kari! Where are you?" I yelled down the halls. "Kari? ¿Dónde estás?" Ponchomon added. I stopped and turned Aura Mode off. "Ponchomon, can you speak English?" "No estoy seguro. Esta es mi primera vez como Ponchomon. Voy a darle una oportunidad." He pounded the two maracas on his sombrero. "All right, T.K. Better?" he asked me. "Much better. Let's go."

We continued down the stairs until we came to what looked like a holding pen. There she was, in the cell. Down on the floor was what looked like an unconscious Divermon. "T.K.! You came!" Kari shouted in joy. I rushed to the cell. "Kari! What have they done?" "Oh, T.K. I just knew you'd come. "

Gatomon covered her face with her paw. "One step forward, five steps back," she moaned. "Hold on. Ponchomon's gonna get you out of here," I said. She just nodded. "OK. Stand back!" Ponchomon said. Kari took a few steps back, and my partner fired a Tequila Knuckle that broke the lock.

["All I Ask Of You"

Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart, and Richard Stilgoe

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

As Ponchomon lands his blow on the cage door, Kari is freed and runs into T.K.'s arms. The two of them and their Digimon make a momentary escape into a corridor, but not before Kari grabs and secures her Digivice. The two of them, caught in emotion, return to each others' arms. Suddenly, the music starts. For all intents and purposes, this traditionally Broadway-based number has been given a more modern and contemporary pop/R&B arrangement. Think the style used the Jon Secada and Shanice version of "If I Never Knew You" (which, coincidentally, was used in a previous fanfic).

T.K.:

No more talk of darkness, forget these wide eyed fears
I'm here, nothing can harm you, my words will warm and calm you
Let me be your freedom, let daylight dry your tears
I'm here with you, beside you to guard you and to guide you

Kari:

Say you love me every waking moment
Turn my head with talk of summertime
Say you need me with you now and always
Promise me that all you say is true

That's all I ask of you

T.K.:

Let me be your shelter, let me be your light
You're safe no one will find you, your fears are far behind you

Kari:

All I want is freedom, a world with no more night
And you always beside me, to hold me and to hide me

T.K.:

Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime
Let me lead you from your solitude

Say you want me with you here beside you
Anywhere you go, let me go too

That's all I ask of you

Kari:

Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime

Say the word and I will follow you

T.K./Kari:

Share each day with me, each night, each morning

Kari:

Say you love me

T.K.:

You know I do

T.K./Kari:

Love me, that's all I ask of you

During the short instrumental break, T.K. pops his head out the corner to check for Troopmon. He then returns in time for the climax.

T.K./Kari:

Anywhere you go, let me go too

Love me, that's all I ask of you

They embrace some more, much to Gatomon's annoyance.

T.K.

Just then, Gatomon whistled a few bars of a catchy song I'd never heard before. Kari got whatever message she was sending and something came over her. She broke out of our embrace and became more determined. She looked me straight in the eyes and said, "T.K., I'm glad you made it here to save me. But now, I'll save all of us." "Huh?" "We're getting out of here, and then we'll blow up this lighthouse and go home." "OK." So, all four of us ran out.

When we made it to the entrance, we were surrounded by all the Troopmon we hadn't beaten. However, they were the least of our problems, because right in front of us was a hooded figure we knew all too well. "So... the brat with the bucket hat and the Child of Light have come back to the Dark Ocean, eh? Did you miss me?" Both of us scowled at him. "Daemon," Kari growled.

"So you remember. I would think so. By the way, how is little Ken doing?" "A lot better now that you're not messing up his life!" I barked at him. "Is that hostility I sense in your voice? My, you two whelps have a lot of gusto, a bit of bravado. I must say. Well don't think you can get away with anything, because I'll bring you two back to size. In fact, I'll kill you both right now!" "Not if we kill you first!" Kari shot back. The Troopmon moved in closer. Daemon continued, "Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that. This time, I've got you outnumbered. 30 Champions and one Mega against what? Two Ultimates?"

The two of us boldly walked forward and made some space. "Wrong! Last time you were up against two Ultimates and a Mega. This time, you're going against two Megas! Patamon!" I called. "Gatomon!" Kari added. Ponchomon powered down to Patamon, while Gatomon pounced beside him.

"We're ready!" they called at the same time. We quickly improvised some poses. "There's something you don't understand, Daemon. Maybe you never will. Light is what gives life to the world," Kari said as she ignited her DigiSoul all the way down her body. "And hope is what keeps the light alive, even in the darkest night," I added, as the DigiSoul spread down me. "When those two come together as one..." Kari went on. We both pointed to Daemon, and finished together, "We're unstoppable!"

"Oh, you can glow in the dark, now. How fascinating. I'm so impressed. NOT!" Daemon sneered. We unclipped our Digivices, then got in position. "DigiSoul, Charge! OVERDRIVE!"

"Patamon Double Warp Digivolve to... Seraphimon!"

"Gatomon Double Warp Digivolve to... Ophanimon!"

We looked to each other, nodded, then set up for Aura Mode. "DigiSoul Aura Mode! On!" With that, the two of us went to work on the Troopmon. Some of those workouts Kari had done were paying off because she looked amazing. She was so graceful, yet effective. I really expected her to be on her knees, holding her head, and bawling her eyes out. That wasn't the case, though. Maybe she was getting a lot closer to the change she wanted than she realized.

Kari

T.K. kept looking at me strangely while fighting off the Troopmon. Maybe I hurt his ego or something. No, that can't be it. He's too levelheaded and reasonable to be upset. We finished off the Troopmon and turned off Aura Mode once the area was secure.

In the meantime, Daemon was giving Ophanimon and Seraphimon a hard time. Seraphimon called down powerful bolts of divine lightning, but our enemy went behind him and tried to stab him in the back with the giant claw in his left hand. Ophanimon raised her javelin. "Eden's Javelin!" A beam of purifying light radiated out of it, forcing the two away. Then, she tried to stab Daemon with it, but he burned the javelin up with hellfire.

T.K.

The fighting continued for a while until Kari pulled out her whistle, blew it, and called for a timeout. Then, she looked to me. "I'm thinking we need to kick this up a notch." "Couldn't agree more," I said.

We unclipped our Digivices again and punched in the three-button combo for Burst Mode. "In three! Two! One!" The Signal Ports lit up and we got in position, slowly bringing our hands into the lights. "Charge! DigiSoul... BURST MODE!"

"Seraphimon, BURST MODE!"

"Ophanimon, BURST MODE!"

They powered up, and the fight continued.

Lord Bagra continues to watch this. "Hmmm... so, it seems the Child of Light has been a force to be reckoned with all along. Why Daemon decided to butt in, I'll never know. Oh well. Now is the perfect time to strike!" All of a sudden, Dragomon enters. "I could not agree more. Tactimon, do what you must!" he orders. From out of nowhere, Tactimon unsheathes the Sword of Storms and silently cuts Lord Bagra's head off with one chop. Dragomon absorbs the power with open arms. "AHAHAHAHA!" With this power boost, his wings become larger, the metal on his body becomes shiner, and he looks even more grotesque than before.

Blastmon walks in and sees this. Slightly taken aback, he asks, "Tactimon, what have you done to our lord and master?" Tactimon puts away his sword. "I killed Lord Bagra, Blastmon. We have a new master now." "But why?" Tactimon looks down. "Lord Bagra was inefficient and failed to act properly. Dragomon convinced me that this was so, and since he has captured the Child of Light, he has proven his point to enough of an extent. I admit I do have a tinge of regret for this act, but it had to be done for the good of our cause." Blastmon considers attacking this traitor, but it seems that Dragomon has read his mind. "There is strength in numbers, Blastmon. Even you must know that," he says. Blastmon agrees and backs down. "Yes, Lord Dragomon."

Dragomon looks ahead. "Come, my generals. The time for battle is now at hand." "But sir, what about the Child of Light and her friend?" Tactimon asks. "Daemon can handle them. We have bigger things to worry about." They follow Dragomon as he slithers along.

Kari

After a while, Daemon stopped the fight. "You know something? Since you've shown me your new power, I think it's only fitting that I show you mine!" He glowed for a few seconds until his robes began to shred. They fell to the ground as we saw his new form. He was a huge monster with blue wings that looked like claws. His claws were long and sharp, and he even wore spiked wristbands and anklets.

I stared up at it in horror, then gulped and forced myself to become braver. After all, if Ophanimon and Seraphimon could reach Burst Mode, why shouldn't he? This wasn't right, though. I felt something burning up inside me, so I gently nudged T.K. "I've gotta do it. I've gotta try the Hikari Wave," I said. "But Kari, that drains a lot of your energy. That could be dangerous." "What's more dangerous is not doing anything. Do you have my back?" He nodded.

I channeled the light inside me and set up for the attack by drawing my right hand back to my right side and charging a white energy sphere. "This is for all those kids you hurt, Daemon! Hikari Wave!" I thrust my hand forward and fired the energy sphere in the form of an energy wave at Daemon, who batted it away like it was nothing. I gasped. So, I triggered something inside my mind, and found enough energy to fire another one. "Hikari Wave!" This one barely clipped his wing. I gasped again. "How could this be possible?" I wondered out loud. So, I fired two more, and they both hit. But instead of screaming, he was laughing. "Hahaha! Those tickled!" Daemon claimed. I dropped to my knees and punched the ground in frustration, catching my breath at the same time.

"Kari, please. Let me handle this," Ophanimon said. She raised her javelin and called down a dragon to unleash fire and lower Daemon's defense. Then, Seraphimon went on the attack. "Strike of the Seven Stars!" Seven super-heated spheres of sacred light hit Daemon, and he felt that. "Ha ha! Way to go, Seraphimon!" T.K. cheered.

The battle went on and on.

T.K.

This battle was going on for too long. Every possibility I could think of came into my head. What if the Bagra Army decided to attack the Real World already? What if the others weren't ready? What if it was all over already and we hadn't even had a chance to help?

"...No." "Huh?" Kari asked. I turned to her. "No, it's not possible. I refuse to believe that it's too late. Kari, I understand now, but first I want to ask you something. After Gatomon whistled a tune, you became different. What happened?" "I'm not really sure. I was feeling down, and then I got called to see the Digimon who captured me. Dragomon claimed I was going to be his queen bee. He made me feel like his property. Then, I spit in his face, and he threw me into the wall. On top of all that, a Divermon demanded that I sing. So, I did. I wrote and sang a song right there in that prison cell, and somehow, the Crest of Light let me knock him out." I smiled. "Maybe you're getting closer to that change you've wanted. It's like I've been saying all along. You're a lot more powerful than you think, Kari. You just have to recognize it, and you did." "Oh T.K..."

I held her in my arms and looked up towards the battle. "Come on, guys," I thought, "You can do this. I know you can." Thoughts came into my head. What if they're attacking right now? What if it's too late? I closed my eyes and tried to fight off the negativity, but it kept coming at me until it seemed like I could take no more.

But then, a voice came into my head. "I promise you, Matt, I'll never give up the fight! If I don't do it, then this world and our world will be destroyed. I have to do it for Matt, for Angemon, for everybody!" It was me, as a kid. It put it all into perspective. This was no different than when Kari and I were falling to our death.

I opened my eyes. "It all makes sense now. We can't give up. Ever. I sure know I'm not. We'll beat Daemon and then get out of the Dark Ocean! Are you with me?" Kari nodded. "Mmm-hmmm!" "Then let's do this!"

I took Kari's hand, intertwining her fingers with mine. I could feel the energy mixing, growing, becoming more impossible to deny. Our hearts were becoming connected, and that gave us power. The Crest of Hope insignia became stenciled on my hand. I clenched it into a fist and showed it to Kari, and she showed me the Crest of Light on her fist. We stretched our hands forward and sent our hope and light in beams to our partners.

"It's working! Kari, your light is making me stronger!" Ophanimon said. "And T.K., the power of hope is strengthening me!" Seraphimon added. I wanted to tell them "Duh" but that would kill the moment.

Speaking of the moment, our Digimon decided to cross their javelin and sword. "When two hearts join together in the spirit of hope, nothing is impossible," Seraphimon remarked. "When our bonds come together, our hearts and power become one, creating the legend, the miracle of light!" Ophanimon added.

Daemon grabbed the top of his head. "No! This can't be possible!" I smirked. "Oh, but it is. Just face it, Daemon. Your days of terror are over!" I said. "Let's finish what we started!" Kari added.

Then, as if we had planned it out all along, all four of us called out the name of the attack. "KIBOU! HIKARI! COMBO!" Kari and I fired out more beams, which hit the crossed sword and javelin. Our Digimon took that power and added to it, then shot it at Daemon. The power froze him in his tracks and left him in holy pain. We humans each took the handles of our imaginary sword and javelin and thrust them forward, while our Digimon did the same thing with the actual weapons. Daemon knew what hit him, but it was too late for him to get the last word.

With Daemon dead, it was celebration time. I let go of Kari, and pumped my fist. "Yeah! We did it!" I cheered. Kari jumped for joy. "Ha ha ha!" High fives went all around, but then we decided to cut to the chase and make out. That is, until Kari remembered something. "Oh. That reminds me. We have to blow up the lighthouse. It's nothing but evil." "But Kari, what if other Digimon or people get lost here? How will they know where to go in the darkness?" She thought about that. "Hmm... you have a point. At least we can get a picture." So, Seraphimon and Ophanimon powered down and we took some pictures. One of them was the same pose Kari and I used in New York (with me giving the peace sign with Kari by my side). Our Digimon even got to pose for one.

After we'd gotten that out of the way, we looked for a way back into the Real World. Suddenly, in the distance, we saw bright lights. We Armor Digivolved our Digimon and then flew towards them.

"I just hope we're not too late," I said.

Marcus

I was about to do some dirty dancing on the yoga floor when a cop rushed into the room. "We're under attack!" he shouted. That sent everyone who wasn't us into a panic. Rika, Anya, and I looked to each other, then rushed back to our lockers to change clothes and spring into action.

Greg

After a hard workout, I deserved a chocolate milk. Ken told me it packs a gold mine of calcium, healthy fats, and whey protein, plus restores muscle glycogen and rehydrates the body just as well as Gatorade. Science proved it. Just then, my earpiece went off inside my gym bag. Veemon gave it to me, and I put it in my ear and answered it. "Yo?" "Greg, this is Marcus. We're under attack now."

I spit out my chocolate milk. "Now!?" "Yeah! Now!" "OK then! Where?" "Fremont Street!" "Got it!"

I hung up. "Come on, Ken. We don't have a moment to lose!" I boldly said. "Hero time already?" "Yep." We quickly showered and changed back into our civilian clothes. Soon, Ken was riding Quetzalmon and I was riding Raidramon down to Fremont Street.

Author's Notes:

Those quotes Seraphimon and Ophanimon used were actually from ZEXAL II and ZEXAL III transformation quotes from Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL (episodes 98 and 123, for those of you who are curious).

Daemon's super-powered form is actually the Super Ultimate form from the manga.

Since we are reaching the beginning of the end, I'd like to thank all of you in advance for reading and reviewing this fanfic. You all mean a lot to me, and I love to hear from and answer each of you.

"I'm totally unprepared, so I must compose as I sing." was originally spoken by Nero (Peter Ustinov) in the 1951 film Quo Vadis. Fortunately, Kari's song is much better than Nero's.