"Hey, slow down! Do you even know where you're going?" Willis asked as he broke free from Chloe's grasp.
"Sorry, I just needed to quickly get away from the group," Chloe slowed down and started to peruse around the buildings.
"Ok, but why did you choose to pair up with me? I thought you would've wanted to work with your sister," Willis asked. Chloe gave him a sly grin.
"I have my reasons. Besides, I want to know more about you! You're the only American in our group," she heard Terriermon snicker.
"You won't get much from this guy. He just spends all day on his computer or reading books."
"Terriermon!" Willis whined.
"What? It's true. If it wasn't for us, you would never see the light of day," Terriermon said with Lopmon nodding in agreement.
"Terriermon's right, Willis," Lopmon said softly, causing him to groan and hide his face in his hands.
"So, you like learning?" Chloe asked. Willis nodded. "That's neat! I was never really the smartest student in my class, so it's awesome that you value your education so much."
"Thanks," Willis said after revealing his face. "You're the first person outside of my family to ever say that to me."
"Why is that?" Penguinmon asked.
"No one ever talks to me in school, except for my teachers. It's because I skipped a couple of grades," Willis said, stunning Chloe.
"You skipped a couple of grades!?" Willis nodded. To which Chloe exploded with amazement. "You must be some kind of genius! A prodigy, even!"
"It's not something I brag about," Willis said, trying to calm the French girl.
"Are you kidding!? I would boast about my intelligence if I was you!" Chloe shook the boy. "How did you get so smart anyway? Were you born that way or was some kind of chip implanted into your brain?"
Willis broke free from Chloe and slowly backed away from her. "I just studied a lot when I was growing up, that's all," Willis could see that she was disappointed by his answer, he didn't know why though, it's not like he did anything special to get smart anyways.
"But why? Wouldn't you have wanted to play with other kids, growing up?" Chloe asked. Willis looked down in sadness.
"No one wanted to play with me when I was a kid. I was so lonely that I buried my head into books to fill in the emptiness that I felt," Willis saw Terriermon and Lopmon smile up at him as they pat his leg to which he smiled in return. "Then one day, two eggs came out of my computer, which soon hatched into these two and I've never felt lonely since."
Chloe and Penguinmon cooed at the heartwarming scene in front of them, to which Willis blushed from embarrassment.
"Ahem, shouldn't we be looking for a way to make money?" Willis said.
"Yeah, but where should we start?" Chloe said as she, Willis, and the Digimon started to look around for potential jobs. Then Penguinmon started to excitedly jump up and down.
"I remember seeing a library on the way down to the docks! Maybe they could use some help!" Penguinmon suggested. Both Chloe and Willis liked that idea because it gave them a chance to make money and it allowed Willis to learn more about the Digital World.
"That's a great idea, Penguinmon!" Chloe praised her partner, causing the penguin Digimon to blush.
"Then let's go! The sooner we start making money, the sooner we'll save the Digital World!" Terriermon shouted as he ran up the road.
"Hold up, Terriermon!" Willis chased after his partner, with Chloe, Lopmon, and Terriermon following closely behind.
As Ken, Ryo, Wormmon, and Monodramon were walking down the road they spotted Willis and Chloe chasing Terriermon into a library, with Lopmon and Penguinmon following closely behind.
"Should we follow them?" Wormmon asked. Ken shook his head in response.
"No. I think it would be better to find a place that will pay us more."
They walked past the library and deeper into the city. They soon came upon a plaza with stores surrounding an open space full of benches, dining tables, and a fountain in the center.
Ryo whistled. "I bet this place looks nice on a regular day."
"But where is everyone?" Monodramon said out loud. The dragon Digimon was right, there was no one in the plaza. They felt like they were in an abandoned part of the city.
"I guess this is the effect that the crests have on this city," Wormmon said solemnly.
"That's why we need to make some money so we can find the crests! So places like this will be full of Digimon!" Ken said with such determination that both Ryo and Monodramon were inspired.
"Yeah! You said it!" Ryo patted Ken's back, which made him lose his balance. "So, where should we start?"
"I don't know? I was hoping that one of you guys already knew of a place," Ken said, which deflated the momentum that Ryo and Monodramon built up from earlier.
"That's fine. We're in a plaza, they're loads of shops and restaurants that might be looking for help," Ryo reasoned.
All of a sudden the group saw a yellow creature streak out of a restaurant and down the road. Intrigued by this, the small group walked up to the restaurant the creature came from. There was a painting of a huge fire on the window with "Meramon's Spice Kitchen!" written underneath.
They all looked at each other and shrugged before they entered the building. They started sweating like pigs after stepping foot in the restaurant. They looked around and saw that it was an ordinary diner with pictures of smoking volcanoes, lava, and fires lining the wall.
"Why is it so hot!?" Ryo cried out as he rolled up his sleeves.
"I don't know! Is this place behind on its AC bill?" Ken wiped his forehead as he tried to find the source of the heat.
"Ken, I don't know how long I can last in here!?" Wormmon started to go limp in Ken's arms as the boy felt his partner start to dry up.
"No! Don't pass out on me Wormmon!" Ken cried out as he covered his partner, trying to make sure he didn't lose any more moisture.
"I don't know what you guys are complaining about? It feels nice in here," Monodramon said. The others slowly looked at the dragon Digimon and sure enough, he's perfectly fine, reveling in the heat.
"Of course the lizard is fine," Ken muttered to himself.
"I envy you," Ryo said to his partner. He pulled at his sweater collar to unstick it from his body. "There's no one here. Let's just go and find someplace else."
"Agreed," the group turned to leave but stopped when they heard a door swing open behind them. When they turned around they saw a candle holding a take-out box hop towards them.
"Sorry, for the wait, I had business in the back to take care of. Anyway, are you here for a pickup?" The candle asked. "Sorry that we won't be able to seat you, because of the storms we decided it would be safer to deliver or have the orders be picked up."
Ryo leaned over towards Monodramon's ear. "Hey, who's that?"
"That's Candlemon: I heard that if the flame on its head, it dies," Monodramon said. Ryo nodded, thinking that Candlemon was ripping something off.
"No, sorry, we just saw something leave this place and got curious," Ken explained.
"You must be talking about Doggymon. He's our delivery mon," Candlemon said. As if he was summoned, the front doors opened to reveal a small cartoonish yellow dog with dark blue ears and tail, and a white D on its chest, he also had a small bag around his stomach. Doggymon looked excited, he got extremely close and started sniffing Ken, Wormmon, Ryo, and Monodramon, making them uncomfortable. "Don't worry he's harmless with no malice or aggression."
Ken, Wormmon, and Monodramon were still uncomfortable that Doggymon had no understanding of personal space, Ryo on the other hand enjoyed the dog Digimon's enthusiasm. He gave Doggymon some belly rubs.
"Aw, who's a good boy?" Ryo spoke like he was talking to a baby, though Doggymon didn't seem to mind, he enjoyed it. He enjoyed it so much that he repeatedly stamped his right foot on the ground. Seeing enough, Candlemon whistled Doggymon over to them.
"Did you make the delivery?" Doggymon nodded vigorously to Candlemon's question. "And did you get the money?" Again, Doggymon nodded vigorously and unzipped the bag around his stomach, and handed the candle Digimon a wad of cash.
"Good boy," Candlemon took the money and handed the delivery dog the takeout box. "Please deliver this to the BookMark Library."
Doggymon saluted and rushed out the door. "I tell ya, he might not be the smartest mon out there but he sure does get the job done. So does that answer your question?"
"Yeah," Ken answered, and once again the group turned to leave.
"And you're sure you don't want to at least place an order to pick up later?" Candlemon asked. The group shook their heads no as they were one foot out the door, cherishing the cool air.
"Sorry, we're currently looking for jobs, so we can't afford to buy anything at the moment," Ryo regretted speaking the moment he said those words because he saw a cunning look on Candlemon's face.
"Why didn't you say that earlier! We're short a few hands and we have a big order to fill for an event later today!" Candlemon hopped towards them and tried to lead them away from the door. Ken gave Ryo an uncertain look.
"Oh, you don't want us. We don't know anything about cooking," Ken tried to talk them out of working in this scorching environment, but Candlemon wouldn't listen to their subtle hints.
"Don't worry, we have recipes, and I'll help you with everything. Besides, we can always ask our head chef if things get difficult," Candlemon started to push the group closer to the kitchen and the temperature was getting hotter with each step they took.
"What about Wormmon? I don't think he can take the heat any longer," Candlemon looked at Wormmon and saw that the worm Digimon was extremely dry. Candlemon knew that Wormmon wouldn't last long in the kitchen. Then he had an idea.
"We'll put him under some running water and find something for him to do in a little bit," with one final push, the DigiDestined and their partners were sent into Hell's Kitchen.
TK wished he was anywhere else right now. Waking through Candlelight City with Catherine in complete silence, and TK hated it. He wanted to be alone with her, he's grateful for Chloe and Ken for pairing up with Willis and Ryo, giving him the chance to be with Catherine. But right now, he wished he was with anyone else, at least they would talk with each other.
And it's not like he didn't try.
Every time he tried to start a conversation with her, she would always hum in response. It annoyed him that she wouldn't talk with him or anyone, except for Chloe, Floramon, and sometimes Penguinmon. He wished she'd just tell him what he did wrong so he could make it up to her.
"I don't know, Patamon? No matter what I do I just can't get her to talk," TK told his partner after he created some space between him and Catherine.
"Did you try asking her why she stopped talking?" Patamon asked and TK dragged his hands down his face.
"Yes! I even asked if she was feeling alright, too!" TK sighed. "And it's not like she gave any signs that she would do this, she just stopped talking out of nowhere!"
They saw Catherine quietly talking with Floramon, making TK shake his head. "I just wish she would talk to me again."
"Now would probably be a good time to apologize to her then," Patamon said and TK nodded in response.
"You're right, and if this doesn't get her talking then we should probably invest in her future mime career," TK jokingly said as he walked closer to Catherine. As he got closer he overheard Floramon say "He's getting closer!" Which he assumed was referring to him.
"Hey, can we talk?" TK asked. Catherine looked surprised but nodded anyway. Floramon backed away from the two to give them space.
They walked in silence for a little bit. TK was having a mental battle on how he'll apologize. 'Should I just be blunt or try to sugarcoat it. Ah, defeating the Dark Masters was easier than this!'
While this was happening, Catherine was having her own mental battle. 'Why did I agree to talk with him? And why did Floramon leave us alone? I wish Chloe partnered up with me so I wouldn't have to be here.'
After thinking it over for a while, TK decided to be blunt. "Listen, I would like to apologize for what happened two days ago. It was wrong of me to not give you a warning about the house being able to stand underwater, and for that I'm sorry."
TK did his best to sound sincere, and he was being sincere, he just hopes this is what'll get Catherine talking again. Catherine gave him a confused look, which worried TK because he thought he did something wrong. Then she started laughing.
"You thought I stopped talking because I was upset with you?" TK was happy to hear Catherine's voice again but was confused about why she stopped talking in the first place.
"Yeah. I thought you were upset with me this whole time," TK said. Catherine stopped laughing and had a solemn expression on her face.
"No, I was more upset with myself than anyone else."
"Why? You didn't do anything wrong," TK told her and Catherine shook her head at him.
"I was nothing but selfish the whole time we've been in the Digital World," TK made a move to speak but Catherine stopped him. "I've only been thinking about myself and not about how stressful this situation is to you, Chloe, or the others, I didn't even drink the tea!"
TK placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "Hey, where is this coming from?"
"The night before we left on our adventure I overheard you talking with Patamon, and it made me think about how selfish I've been," Catherine said.
"I don't think you've been selfish. I think you acted how a normal person would after being transported to a strange world," TK squeezed her shoulder and Catherine smiled.
"Thanks, but I wanted to do something to not only prove to the others, but to myself that I'll be able to make sacrifices to help the group. So, I… drank the tea," Catherine revealed and TK laughed.
"What's so funny?!" A frustrated Catherine asked, but TK continued to laugh.
"It's just… You didn't have to do that. No one would've known that you drank the tea," Catherine was about to hit TK but he put his arms up in defense. "But… I'm happy that you're thinking of the team."
Catherine calmed down and smiled. "Thanks, TK."
Behind the two kids were their partners enjoying the scene that was playing out in front of them. Patamon told Floramon about TK feeling bad that Catherine isn't talking and Floramon told Patamon the reason why Catherine stopped talking. Patamon felt bad for Catherine but was happy that she was talking again.
"Hey, Guys!" TK and Catherine turned around and saw Floramon pointing at a small shop. "I think this is the pawnshop that Monodramon mentioned earlier!"
There was nothing special about the shop, it wasn't big, and if it wasn't for the sign you wouldn't have noticed it.
"Pumkinmon's Pawn-Atorium!" TK read the sign out loud. The small group looked at each other and silently decided to enter the shop. They knew they didn't have much to pawn off but any amount of cash, no matter how small, will help them on their journey.
Looking around the store they were able to spot a lot of cool stuff. There was a suit of armor, some swords, a whistle, paintings, and Patamon pointed out a phone that used to belong to a phone booth. Catherine and Floramon didn't think much of it, but TK and Patamon had amused looks on their faces thinking that one of their friends could've used that phone during their first adventure.
"I don't think anyone's here," Catherine said. Even though the entrance was unlocked and the sign said open, there was no employee or owner behind the desk or around the store.
"Did you try the bell?" TK pointed at the bell on the counter. Patamon flew towards it and rang the bell three times. They heard the sound of someone rummaging in the backroom when a small pumpkin-headed creature stepped out in front of them.
"Hello, I'm Pumpkinmon and this is my pawn shop," he said dryly.
"Hi, we're looking to pawn off some stuff," TK said after stepping up to the counter.
"Have anything of worth then?" Pumpkinmon asked. TK started digging through the bookbag for anything that they won't need.
"Let's see…" TK pushed aside the remaining cash they had on them and dug deeper into the bag. He knew that it wouldn't be a good idea to give away any of their water bottles, and he didn't think the clerk would take any of their food or matches. Patamon even flew into the bag to see if there was anything on the bottom that TK missed, but there was nothing.
TK looked at Pumpkinmon dejectedly. "I guess we don't have anything. Sorry for wasting your time."
TK and Patamon moved away from the counter and towards the exit, but before they left the building Catherine swiped the hat off of TK's head and gave it to Pumpkinmon. "How much could we get for this?"
"Let's see…" Pumpkinmon did a quick look over the bucket hat. It was worn down, a little damp, and had a few loose strands of hair on it. "The best I can do is 20 Digi-Dollars."
"Deal!" Catherine said before TK could voice his displeasure. Pumpkinmon put away the hat and handed Catherine the money. She grabbed TK's wrist and dragged him away from the shop before he could try to take his hat back.
"Why did you do that!?" TK whined. He covered his head with his arms and hands to try and hide his hair.
"We need money and it was the only thing of value we had! I don't know why you're complaining, you have a full head of hair!" Catherine huffed but TK didn't seem to care.
"You don't get it! It makes me feel whole, without it I feel naked!" TK complained. Catherine just shook her head in disappointment, thinking that he was just overreacting. Patamon landed on TK's head, which made the boy feel better knowing that his hair was covered.
"I like it, your hair feels really comfortable," Patamon said, which caused TK to moped some more.
"Great, my hair can be used as a nest then," TK said sarcastically, causing Catherine to laugh.
"So, what do we do now?" Floramon spoke up. "We still need a lot more money if we want to afford that ship."
Floramon was right, they still need a lot more Digi-Dollars to afford the ship, and they don't even have enough to afford another night at the inn. They walked down the road to see if there were any job openings, but there weren't any.
"Ah, why doesn't anyone need any help!" Catherine groaned. "Maybe I should've asked for more for your hat than jump at the first offer that was given."
"I don't think you would've been able to get 30,000 Digi-Dollars for my hat," TK mumbled.
"We can get you a new hat ok," Catherine sighed in frustration.
"Hey, look," Patamon called out. The Digimon pointed at a theater with a small frog-like Digimon standing out front, holding a clipboard. The closer they got to the theater they heard the frog Digimon, Patamon was able to identify it as a Gekomon, asking everyone to sign up for a competition.
"Come one, come all, and sign up for Candlelight City's 5th Annual Singing Competition! Judged by myself, Otamamon, and Lord ShogunGekomon! The winner gets a grand prize of 100,000 Digi-Dollars! The competition starts around 2 pm, so this is your last chance to sign up!"
The Digidestined looked at each other with stars in their eyes. This was perfect, 100,000 Digi-Dollars, they would be able to buy the ship, buy supplies, and still would have enough money to hold them over for a while.
"Let's sign up!" TK said with a new kick in his step. "You can sing and I'll play the piano. It's perfect!"
"OK… But what song will I sing?" Catherine said, sounding a little apprehensive about the plan.
TK thought about what song they could perform. TK looked at his Digivice and saw that it was 11:30 am, not giving them enough time to practice anything new.
"Do you still remember the song we practiced for our school's talent show but weren't able to perform because you got food poisoning?" TK asked, Catherine slowly nodded. "Perfect! Then let's do that."
"Yeah, but it's been a while since we practiced. We might be rusty," Catherine said, but TK just brushed it aside.
"Oh come on, we practiced that song every day and we have about 2 and a half hours to practice before the competition starts. Please, Catherine, this is the fastest way for us to make money," TK begged, he was close to getting on his knees.
Catherine looked uncertain about the whole thing. She didn't think they were good enough to win and was also uncomfortable about performing in front of a crowd. She was all but ready to turn and run for the hills but Floramon stopped her.
"Please, Catherine. I want to hear you sing," Floramon begged and Catherine felt a twinge in her heart. She knew she couldn't run away.
"Fine, let's do it," Catherine sighed. The group cheered and quickly signed up for the competition before the signing period closed.
"Alright, let's practice," TK said.
"WAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
Before the group walked into the theater they saw a yellow streak run by and they thought they heard Wormmon screaming. They looked among themselves and shrugged, thinking that they were just hearing things.
Chloe and Penguinmon collapsed onto each other after moving another heavy box of books. They've been working for hours ever since they showed up at the library without any breaks.
"I don't know how much longer I can do this? I can barely feel my arms," Chloe complained.
The pay was good though. The librarian, an old lady Digimon called Babamon, said they would pay them 200 Digi-Dollars, each. It was an offer they couldn't refuse, well it was the only offer they had.
"Try lifting boxes with flippers," Penguinmon waved her flippers in front of Chloe, and Chloe rubbed her partner's head.
"I know, but it would be nice if SOMEONE would help us with these boxes!" Chloe said loud enough for Willis to hear her. After about an hour of lifting and moving boxes, Willis stopped working and moved to a quiet spot away from everyone else, which annoyed her.
She looked over and saw both Terriermon and Lopmon beating dust off of some old rugs with their ears. Chloe was upset, she was upset that they were all working but him. She got up and walked over to him to give him a piece of her mind.
"Hey!" She said loud enough to not disturb anyone at the library, but Willis. The blond boy jumped and quickly hid something behind his back.
"Oh, hey Chloe, what's up?" Willis said innocently.
"Nothing much, just finished moving another box of books," Chloe huffed. Willis just slowly nodded.
"That's good. You're making money and building up some muscle," Willis joked, even giving a light chuckle, but Chloe wasn't laughing.
"You know what would also be great? You getting off your lazy butt and helping us!" Chloe grabbed Willis and tried to lift him off the ground, but he squirmed around in her grasp trying to break free.
"NO, stop!" Willis whined.
"Come on, we all agreed to work and you're the only one who's not doing anything! What are you hiding?!" Chloe pulled Willis forward and pulled out the thing that he hid. It was a plain book and it made Chloe angrier. "A book? You spent all this time reading a book?!"
"Hold on! Let me explain," Willis extended his hand to prevent Chloe from doing anything to the book. Chloe crossed her arms and tapped her foot on the ground.
"You have five minutes to explain yourself."
"Thank you," Willis sighed and gave her a grateful smile. "I was moving some boxes in the back earlier and I saw that book lying on the ground. I didn't think much of it in the beginning, but something in my gut told me to look through it."
Chloe looked at the book and didn't understand his intrigue with it. There wasn't anything special about it, just a plain book with no title. Just looking at it, Chloe assumed it was a journal.
"After skimming through the first page I learned that this book holds the history of the Digital World!" Willis revealed and Chloe raised an eyebrow at this. Sure, she didn't have any interest in the history of the Digital World but it would be useful to have some knowledge about it.
"Alright, so what are you going to do with it?" Chloe asked, she knew that Willis wasn't going to give up something that he sees as useful.
"I'm gonna take it," Willis said.
"So you're gonna check it out?"
"No, I'm going to take it," Willis revealed, shocking Chloe. In her shocked state, Willis quickly took the book from her grasp and hid it in his shirt. "It was stored away in the back underneath some boxes. I don't think Babamon will know it's missing."
"Fine," Chloe said. "But you owe me, not only for keeping this a secret but for doing all the work from earlier."
"Deal," the two walked back and resumed working. Soon after they finished, Babamon walked in to check on their work.
"I must say, you all have been working really hard," Babamon said. "And for all your hard work I've decided to give you all an award."
The Digimon cheered, but both Willis and Chloe didn't think it was necessary. Babamon pulled out five tickets and waved them in front of them. "I was able to obtain these tickets for a show that's starting in a few minutes."
"Oh, you don't have to do that," Willis said, doing his best to be modest.
"Come on Willis! After all we did today, I think we deserve a reward!" Terriermon complained. The Digimon agreed with the dog-Digimon and Chloe didn't have the strength to argue with them.
"We should let them have this Willis. Besides, it would be nice to rest for a while," Chloe said. Realizing that he was outnumbered, Willis gave in and took the tickets.
"Oh, and before I forget…" Babamon then pulled out five envelopes. "This is for all your hard work today and I hope you'll come and visit someday."
They all grabbed an envelope and thanked Babamon for everything she's done for them. They left the library with huge smiles on their faces.
"We did it!" Penguinmon cheered. "We're a step closer to being able to set off on our journey!"
"Yeah, we are!" Chloe agreed. "So, what should we do now?"
Willis looked at the tickets Babamon gave them. "I guess we should go and see this show."
The group agreed and started to make their way to the theater. But on their way there, they saw a yellow streak fly by them.
"WAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
They looked at each other, confused as ever.
Walking down the road was a Digimon, solely made of fire, carrying trays of food. He was being trailed by Ken, Ryo, Monodramon, and Candlemon, all were carrying something except for Candlemon for obvious reasons. Ken and Ryo were carrying some tables and Monodramon was carrying some trays of food, just like the flaming man. Now, some might assume that they were annoyed about carrying two heavy tables, but in reality, they were grateful for being out of the Hell known as Meramon's Spice Kitchen.
It was horrible. The blistering heat, the hard-to-read recipes, and the yelling. Oh, the yelling was the worst. Whenever they made the smallest mistake, the head chef would yell at them and force them to do it again, or if a dish is raw the head chef would smash it. Ken still shudders from being called an idiot sandwich.
"Alright, we're almost there," they heard the flaming man say. The flaming man is the owner and head chef of Meramon's Spice Kitchen, Meramon. "And remember, serve every mon with a smile and a positive attitude. We have a reputation to uphold."
"Yes, Chef!"
They soon arrived at a theater. Meramon was hired to cater for an event of some sorts, they didn't know and were too scared to ask. Meramon told them that if they did a good job he would pay them extra for all their hard work. He even told them about any possible tips they might get, which excited them for two reasons. One, they would be able to afford the ship quicker, and two, they wouldn't have to work for Meramon much longer.
They walked around the lobby, searching for a place to set up their tables. Meramon pointed towards the entrance of the theater hall and ordered them to set up there. They obediently obliged and set everything up.
Doggymon arrived with Wormmon webbed to its back, carrying more trays of food. Ken pulled Wormmon off of Doggymon and quickly consoled his partner.
"How are you feeling Wormmon?" Ken said while rubbing the worm Digimon's back.
"I think I'm gonna throw up," Wormmon said sickly.
"Don't worry buddy, you won't ever have to do that again," Ken whispered as he prepared the meals.
They pulled off the tin foil covering to reveal half of the trays holding spicy chicken wings and the other half of trays holding red curry. Ken was curious about how the Digital World has real-world food but decided it would be better to ignore it.
"Now, listen up!" Meramon's voice boomed, commanding their attention. "Soon, those doors will open to the public and I want everyone ready. It will be crazy but please remain calm, we want everything to run smoothly without any hiccups. There will be a 30-minute intermission for bathroom breaks and refills of food and beverages, so be ready when that happens. Everyone will be serving the food but Wormmon and Candlemon, they will be working the register. Everyone understand?"
"Yes, Chef!" They shouted as they got into position.
Shortly after, a whole slew of Digimon of all shapes and sizes started flooding in through the main entrance. It was crazy, Ken and Ryo didn't know how they were going to serve all the hungry Digimon lining up in front of their table. But they knew that if they wanted to get paid they were gonna have to power through. So they made their brightest smile and prepared for the worst.
It started off smoothly, they greeted everyone the same way and handed them the amount of food they were told to serve. Everyone was grateful, some even tipped them just like Meramon said. Then things started to turn sour.
A pink Digimon in a trashcan started complaining about not getting a big serving, saying they only got two chicken wings instead of the limit of three. Ken knew they were lying, he could clearly see three on the Digimon's plate, but they kept on complaining. Ken was annoyed that not only did he have to deal with an annoying customer, but they were holding up his line.
"What seems to be the problem here?" Meramon said after noticing the hold-up in Ken's line.
"They won't leave after I gave them the proper amount of wings," Ken told his boss.
"It's not the right amount! You can clearly see there are two wings on my plate instead of three!" The Digimon thrust the plate towards Meramon's face to give the fire-Digimon a better look. After one quick glance at the plate, Meramon was able to tell that there were three wings on it, two of them were just stuck together.
"Sir, you do have three, two of them are stuck together," Meramon said calmly, hoping that the Digimon just made a stupid mistake and move on and pay. But they didn't.
"No! There are only two on my plate!"
"If you just move those two pieces you'll be able to see that you have three wings," Meramon said through gritted teeth. Meramon's flames started to grow and Ken could feel them get hotter. He tried to signal to the garbage-Digimon, trying to tell them to walk away, but they didn't notice.
"Maybe if you had a competent staff we wouldn't be having this conversation!" That sent Meramon off the edge as he erupted. He took the Digimon's plate away and grabbed hold of their trash can.
"Listen you fucking donut! You can say whatever you want about me and my food, but don't you ever say shit about my staff! Got it!?" The garbage-Digimon nodded vigorously out of fear of the flame-Digimon. "Now Fuck Off!"
The Digimon hopped away from the table and out of the theater crying. Meramon huffed and went back to his station. Ken stood there shocked, after the day he had working with Meramon he was surprised that he would stand up for him.
After that, everything went off without a hitch, mostly because everyone was afraid of Meramon. Meramon told them that they could use this time as a break, and he even told them that they could watch the show.
"Man, I never thought working in the restaurant business would be so difficult!" Ryo whined. He leaned up against the wall to rest his feet and legs, but it wasn't doing much.
"I know, but at least we got a break, and a free show," Ken told the older boy.
"Yeah, but it's a singing competition. Most of the people who sign up for those can't sing," Ryo complained. Ken wanted to argue but remembered that most of the singing competitions he had seen were on TV, and the producers probably cut most of the bad competitors.
"Hey, Ken! Ryo!" The two heard their names called out and saw Chloe, Willis, and their partners walking towards them. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Working," Ryo said emotionlessly.
"Yeah, we got a job working at a restaurant and we're catering for this event," Monodramon told them.
"That sounds awesome! I wished I partnered up with you guys!" Chloe cheered, but the boys weren't cheering, they actually looked traumatized. Willis noticed this and decided to change the topic.
"Hey, Wormmon, we thought that we heard you screaming down the road earlier?" Willis said.
"I was. I was stuck with delivery duty with Doggymon," as if he was summoned, the cartoon dog-Digimon zoomed in front of the crowd. "No, I didn't call you Doggymon!"
Doggymon saluted and went off to do his own thing. Ken just shook his head at the shenanigans of the Digimon. "So, what are you guys doing here?"
"Oh, we actually finished our job and our boss gave us tickets to this show along with the money for the work that we did," Terriermon said, and the group showed their tickets along with the envelopes holding the money.
"Well, we're still working, but we did get a few tips," Monodramon, along with Ryo and Ken showed their friends some wads of cash that they received. "But we will get our pay after the show is over and we return our stand back to the restaurant."
The group started to feel better about their situation. Sure, they don't have much now, but if they keep working hard they'll be able to afford that boat in no time.
"Well, the show's about to start, so we should go find our seats," Chloe said. "Sorry, that you have to be working during the show."
Ken waved her off. "We're on break right now. We'll be able to see the show from the theater's entrance."
The group broke apart and went on their own endeavors.
It was the end of the intermission and TK, Catherine, Patamon, and Floramon were waiting backstage. TK was wearing a white dress shirt, gray dress pants with suspenders, a black tie, and a black fedora while Catherine was wearing a black dress. They decided to dress up so their performance would be more memorable.
They were told that they would be performing fifth after the intermission, and TK thought they were lucky. Being one of the last performances means that theirs would be more memorable and give them a better chance at winning. But Catherine didn't see it that way. She was holding herself as her right leg was shaking, and was also breathing lightly.
"You feeling ok?" TK asked when he noticed her state of unease.
"Yeah, just a little nervous," she told him.
Disclaimer: I do not own these songs. I will write down the title and artist of the song before every performance, and will only do one or two verses, and maybe the chorus for each, except for the main character's performance.
Standing on the stage was Gekomon as he was welcoming the audience back from the short break.
"Welcome back! I hope you're ready for more awesome performances by our contestants! Please welcome to the stage, a Digmon who came all the way from the mountains, Falcomon!"
The audience cheered as a small brown and green feathered Digimon took the stage. It stood facing away from the microphone and waited for the music to start. When it did, the bird-Digimon started to wiggle its shoulders before quickly facing the audience.
Take on Me, a-ha
"We're talking away
I don't know what
I'm to say I'll say it anyway
Today's another day to find you
Shying away
I'll be coming for love, okay?
Take on me (take on me)
Take me on (take on me)
I'll be gone
In a day or two
As Falcomon was performing, Catherine started to shake some more and breathe heavier.
"Are you sure you're feeling ok?" TK placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She nodded but her breathing and shaking stayed the same.
Falcomon walked off the stage to a roaring crowd as Gekomon ran out to introduce the next contestant.
"How was that!" The crowd roared again. "Alright, up next, are they robot or turtle? It's Kamemon!"
A small cyborg turtle walked out and grabbed hold of the microphone.
Mr. Roboto, Styx
Domo arigato misuta roboto
Domo arigato misuta roboto
Mata au hi made
Domo arigato misuta roboto
Himitsu wo shiritai
You're wondering who I am (secret secret I've got a secret)
Machine or mannequin (secret secret I've got a secret)
With parts made in Japan (secret secret I've got a secret)
I am the modern man
Catherine jolted up from her seat and started to walk away. "I got to go to the bathroom."
"Cat!" TK cried out but Catherine didn't stop. TK and the Digimon gave each other worried looks.
The crowd cheered, not as loud as Falcomon, but still loud.
"That was great!" Gekomon addressed the crowd. "Up next is a duet between everyone's favorite duo, Chuumon, and Suukamon!"
The audience clapped, but then stopped when they saw the two. A small pink mouse and a giant yellow turd grabbed their mics and waited for the music to begin.
Hungry Like the Wolf, Duran Duran
Chuumon: Darken the city, night is a wire
Steam in the subway, earth is a afire
Suukamon: Do do do do do do do do dodo dododo dodo
Chuumon: Woman, you want me, give me a sign
And catch my breathing even closer behind
Suukamon: Do do do do do do do do dodo dododo dodo
Chuumon: In touch with the ground
Chuumon and Suukamon: I'm on the hunt I'm after you
Chuumon: Smell like I sound, I'm lost in a crowd
Chuumon and Suukamon: And I'm hungry like the wolf
TK pounded on the bathroom door. "Cat, come out! We're almost up!"
"I-I'm not finished yet!" He heard her scream.
"You and I both know that's a lie, so please, come out so we can talk!" TK shouted.
"Please, Catherine!" Floramon pleaded.
It was quiet for a few seconds before they heard Catherine sigh. "Okay, give me a minute!"
After Chuumon"s and Suukamon's performance, barely anyone clapped. Gekomon ran out on stage, a little confused by what he just saw.
"That was Chuumon and Suukamon," he said with an awkward laugh. "Well, up next is a unique mon, ToyAgumon!"
A small dragon-Digimon made up of toy bricks walked on the stage and was handed a mic that wasn't used by either of the two previous performers.
We Built This City, Starship
We built this city
We built this city on rock and roll
Built this city
We built this city on rock and roll
Say you don't know me or recognize my face
Say you don't care who goes to that kind of place
Knee deep in the hoopla, sinking in your fight
Too many runaways eating up the night
Marconi plays the mamba, listen to the radio, don't you remember?
We built this city, we built this city on rock and roll
After emerging from the bathroom, Catherine was met with a worried-looking TK and Digimon. "So, are you going to tell us what's wrong, or is this normal for you before every performance?"
"Please Catherine, tell us what's wrong," Floramon pleaded. Catherine looked around to see if she could escape, but TK, Floramon, and Patamon blocked off all exits, except for the bathroom, and there's no exit in there, she checked.
"I-I'm nervous, okay," she admitted. She received puzzled looks from the trio.
"Why?" Patamon said. "We heard you guys practice and you sound great!"
"Yeah!" Floramon agreed with the flying Digimon.
"It's not that!" Catherine shouted. "I'm scared to go out there and perform! I'm scared of being judged by people! I'm scared of being booed off the stage!"
Catherine broke down and started crying. TK quickly pulled her into a comforting hug as he let her cry into his chest.
"It's ok, you're alright," he soothed her.
"I didn't have food poisoning back then," Catherine said between sniffles. "I lied because I was scared about being judged by our classmates. Thinking about failing in front of everyone, and being teased about it for the rest of the year scared me!"
"Listen," TK pulled her away from him and locked eyes with her. "You don't have to worry about any of that here. After this you won't ever see any of those Digimon ever again."
"But I'm worried about facing the crowd and them remembering my face," Catherine retorted, but TK shook his head.
"I'll be out there with you. Just look at me the whole time," they heard the crowd roar, signaling that Toy Agumon finished with their performance and that it's their turn to perform. TK grabbed hold of her hand and led her to the stage. "Just look at me the whole time."
Chloe and Willis were enjoying themselves, their Digimon as well. Willis was surprised that he knew most of the songs, and that they were actual songs from the real world.
"I never thought that I would be having this much fun at a singing contest!" Willis said.
"I know!" Chloe agreed but then had a sad expression on her face. "Though, I wish Cat was here to see this. She loves anything that has to do with singing."
"She doesn't like to take part in them?" Willis asked. "I remember you telling us that she has a great singing voice."
Chloe shook her head. "She has terrible stage fright. One time our school had a talent show and she was supposed to perform with TK, but she chickened out at the last second saying she had food poisoning."
Willis felt bad for her. He hadn't known Catherine for long, but he understood the pressure of performing in front of your peers.
"I just wish that she could get over her fears so she could see how much people would love to listen to her sing," Chloe said. Willis wanted to say something but was interrupted by Gekomon addressing the crowd.
"That was amazing!" The crowd roared in agreement. "I would hate to follow that one up, but someone has to do it. Up next is another duet, coming from out of this world is TK and Catherine!"
Chloe was stunned to see both her sister and best friend walk out on stage in fancy clothing. She was stunned to see her sister grab the mic, but she was able to see her shaking like she was in the tundra. She saw TK mouth something to Catherine as he sat down at the piano.
It's Not Like I Like You!, Static-P
Catherine: Whaaa!
TK: "Hey! That's pretty good!"
Catherine: "Wha-! No one asked you!"
TK: I've got myself just a little bit of love that I wanna spend on you
But baby, I'll never get that chance to dance that romance with you
Oh, no, 'cause you're always hittin'
And kickin'
And putting me down
I hope you don't mean what you say
But I keep seeing you stickin' around
TK and Catherine: Like you can't get enough
So I stay and I wonder
How my hand would feel intertwined with yours?
TK: As of now though
Catherine: "What are you doing?"
TK: Nothing but closed doors
My girl's a Dere
A Tsun-TsunDere
Just saying "hi" gets me a punch in the face
And if I should compliment her, she starts to chase
Catherine: "Hey! That was a direct attack!"
TK: Oh, no! The wild cat found my hiding place!
Catherine: "Stupid octopus! Take it back!"
TK: "So, uh, how am I an octopus?"
Catherine: "How am I a cat!?"
TK: "Well-uh, cats are cute!"
Catherine: "Go away!"
TK: Can we get along? You're so headstrong
Catherine: There's no way, go away, now so long!
TK: Just talk to me and you will see
Catherine: That's not fair, using flair you dummy!
I've got myself just a little bit of love that I wanna spend on not you
'Cause baby, I'm afraid you'll say, that it's not okay with you
Oh-oh, 'cause you're always laughin'
And jokin'
You look like a clown
But I hope you mean what you say
TK: "I do"
Catherine: And I wonder what you would think
If I let my pride down, let it sink
Could we hold hands, kiss?
Live our lives in gentle bliss?
TK: "We could"
Catherine: "Ah! I'm not talking about you!"
You're not my prince in this
I'm not a Dere
A Tsun-TsunDere
I have a jello heart, I'm not that mean!
I'm not blushing, I was just rushing and forgot the sunscreen!
TK: "Your smile is really cute though"
Catherine: You'll never see it from underneath my pigtails!
TK: "Alright I just wanted to let you know"
Catherine: "Uh-um hey"
TK: "Yeah? Are you okay?"
Catherine: "Y-Yeah, um, well, hehehe"
Hey, hey are you free free today?
TK: Oh ho ho, why do you want to know?
Catherine: It's not like I like you, okay?!
TK: Alright cool, where do you want to go?
We could rent a boat and sail, find a bunny and feed it some juicy kale
Catherine: "No that sounds really stupid"
TK: Okay, well, how about a
Classy dinner by candlelight
Or scary stories till midnight
So then I could hold you tight
Catherine: "And get Cheeto crumbs on me?! No way!"
TK: Ba da ba da ba!
Catherine: Okay, I think you're a little dense
I really do not like all this talk you have in the present tense
Ba ba da ba da!
So listen here buddy
It's all just a big fantasy you see inside of your head! No!
So just say goodbye!
TK: "Ugh eh-whatever"
Catherine: Ba ba da ba da!
I'm not a Dere
A Tsun-TsunDere
TK:My girls a Dere a Tsun-TsunDere
Catherine: Hey! I can kick your butt even in this dress!
TK: Ugh! I digress! So let's just go to the park I guess
Catherine: "Pff, you wouldn't even know what to bring"
TK: Oh, come on, will you please just say yes!
Catherine: "Geez fine, Baka Tako! It's not like I'll enjoy it or anything"
After the final note on the piano was played the crowd erupted in applause. TK gave a little wave while Catherine rushed off the stage.
For the second time in the span of a few minutes, TK was waiting outside of the bathroom. After their performance, Catherine ran straight to the bathroom to throw up, only allowing Floramon to be in there with her.
"You did great Catherine! I'm proud of you!" TK shouted. He heard the sound of a toilet flushing and the sound of running water from the sink.
Shortly after, Catherine emerged from the door feeling disgusting. "Oh, I hope I don't ever have to do that again."
"I heard that the top 3 performers would have to go out on stage again," Patamon spoke up and Catherine looked mortified.
"WHAT!?"
"But you won't have to perform. It's only to announce the winners," Floramon clarified and led her partner to a bench. TK handed her a cup of water as they waited for the final performance to finish.
"I would like to say, whatever the outcome, I'm proud of you," TK placed his arm around Catherine's shoulder as she welcomed the embrace.
Gekomon took the stage one last time to the sound of a roaring audience. "First off, before we bring out our top 3 performers, I would like to thank everyone for coming out, and Meramon's Spice Kitchen for catering this event!"
The audience clapped as Meramon waved to the crowd from the theater entrance.
"And I would also like to thank each and everyone of our contestants for coming out and singing for us! Can we give them a big round of applause!" The crowd clapped for a few seconds before Gekomon silenced them. " I will now hand off the mic to our judge, ShogunGekomon, to introduce our top three!"
Taking the stage was a large red amphibian Digimon with two horns coming out of its back. "Thank you Gekomon! It was hard deciding our top 3, but we came to a decision that we like and we hope you will too! Let's welcome to the stage, Toy Agumon, Falcomon, and TK and Catherine!"
The audience cheered when they saw the four walk out onto the stage and stand underneath their spotlight.
"And the winner of Candlelight City's 5th Annual Singing competition, and the 100,000 Digi-Dollar prize is…" A drumroll started playing as the spotlights waved around the stage. "ToyAgumon!
The crowd erupted with cheers as golden confetti rained down onto the stage. The others were disappointed but were proud of themselves for making it this far.
"I guess it's gonna take a little longer to get that boat, huh?" Catherine said disappointed. TK rubbed her back to comfort her.
"Well, no one said this would be easy."
The two walked off the stage and were met with their partners and a small tadpole Digimon.
"Congrats on making it to the Top 3!" It cheered. "I'm Otamamon and I was one of the judges!"
"Thanks, Otamamon, but we're a little disappointed that we didn't win. We could've used the money," TK solemnly said.
"Did no one tell you?" Otamamon asked. "If you're one of the two runners-up, you get 25,000 Digi-Dollars!"
TK and Catherine hugged each other to celebrate after hearing the good news. They're now a lot closer to being able to afford the ship.
TK, Catherine, and their partners were making their way back to the inn. They changed back into their normal clothes, though TK did try to steal the fedora from the theater.
"25,000 Digi-Dollars!" Patamon cheered. "After today we might only have to work for one more day to get that caravel!"
They walked through the inn's entrance and were swarmed by their friends.
"You guys were amazing!" They cheered. TK and Catherine gave each other confused looks because they didn't know what their friends were talking about.
"Huh?"
"The show! We saw you guys perform!" Chloe clarified, causing Catherine to feel a little dizzy.
"I need to sit down," she said, moving to an empty couch. The group sat down with her as they started to count the money that they accumulated that day.
"It's a shame that we didn't win, but we did get 25,000 Digi-Dollars out of it," TK placed the envelope holding the prize money down on the coffee table in front of them. "Plus the 15 Digi-Dollars we have and the 20 we got for my hat, we have 25,035 Digi-Dollars."
Chloe and her group placed their envelopes down on the pile after TK. "Plus the 1,000 we made working in the library."
Ken's group followed suit as they placed down their money onto the pile. "We each got paid 1,000 Digi-Dollars and 3,382 Digi-Dollars in tips."
"So that brings our total too…" Willis started to do some quick calculations in his head. "33,417 Digi-Dollars!"
"We have enough for the ship and have 1,417 to use for supplies!" Ryo cheered. Everyone started to celebrate as they rushed to Divermon's Chandlery.
"Alright, everything should be set and ready to go!" Divermon said as his two co-workers finished loading their supplies onto the ship.
"Thank you for everything, you've been a great help," TK said as he handed over the money to pay for the ship.
"Don't mention it, but one more thing and everything will be ready…" Divermon quickly ran into his shop before running back out with a bottle. "Every new ship must be christened with a bottle of champagne."
TK took the bottle and looked at his friends. "To a new adventure!"
"And to new friends!" They cheered as TK smashed the bottle against the ship.