In the comfortable seat of the airplane, she sat and gazed through the small window at the lights of the city below her. She could feel the excitement in the air as the plane began to descend slowly for landing. It had been a journey full of anticipation and joy, and now the moment had finally come when she would reach her destination. She had an important task to do here.
The hum of the engines grew louder as the plane glided lower and lower. She could feel her heart beating faster as she approached the ground. When the plane finally touched down on the runway, she felt a slight jolt. In front of her stretched the airport grounds with its illuminated runways and busy terminals. The hum of the engines gradually faded away as the plane came to a stop.
With a sigh of relief, she unfastened her seatbelt and rose from her seat. She grabbed her hand luggage and prepared to leave the plane. It was still early in the morning when the plane landed at Haneda Airport. The passengers disembarked, among them the stylishly dressed woman with a wide summer hat and pink dress. With her was a child - or at least that's what the other passengers would have thought. It was quite small and wore a hat and sunglasses, as well as a ruffled dress that barely revealed a glimpse of the greenish skin pattern underneath. The woman stepped euphorically into the terminal and stared out. Finally, Japan had her again.
Tsubasa couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Takeshi and Shun had had an adventure without her the last few days. And not only that, they had also managed to secure one of the balls that Rurimon was looking for. They hadn't even invited her or asked for her help. Admittedly, there was probably no time for that, but the girl still would have liked to contribute something.
Since there was no school today, she decided to do something herself. Hebimon was lounging on her bed, devouring some chip crumbs. It was startled when Tsubasa suddenly stood up.
"Hebimon, I've made a decision! We're going to search for the balls too. After all, that's your mission, isn't it?" she asked. The snake confirmed it. "Gladly, but we need Rurimon, otherwise we have no chance of finding them," it reminded her. Tsubasa understood and sent a message to Takeshi. They arranged to meet later at a ramen restaurant, and the boy was supposed to bring Rurimon. After he agreed, the girl packed her backpack, into which Hebimon fit without any problems. She could have also worn the Digimon around her neck as usual and passed it off as a scarf - no one would have noticed. A little later, she left the house and headed for the restaurant. Takeshi was already waiting and was devouring a bowl of ramen that Davis had set in front of him. Tsubasa had already eaten a few snacks, but still felt like something more substantial. So she ordered too, after getting some advice from Davis. But then she noticed something. She couldn't see either Rurimon or Prismamon.
"Oh, yeah," Takeshi slurped. "Prismamon has an upset stomach. I explained to him how to eat the extra spicy ramen, but he wouldn't listen. And Rurimon refuses to leave his side." Tsubasa let her shoulders sag. "Darn it! I wanted to contribute something and find one of the balls," she complained. Takeshi squirmed at Davis. "Hey, can't Izumi-sensei build some kind of device that helps with that? He's a genius, isn't he?" The ramen restaurant employee thought for a moment.
"He certainly is. I would trust him with it. I'll ask him at the next opportunity." Tsubasa was sure, however, that this would take some time. She had to abandon her plan for the time being. So she decided to make the best of it and ate her ramen. Suddenly, the door was flung open and a new guest seemed to enter. It was a woman in her mid-20s who seemed agitated. She had purple hair and glasses. She immediately zeroed in on Davis. She strode up to him, her gaze could have killed.
"Where is he?" she wanted to know. But Davis had no idea what she meant. The woman looked around the whole room and then sat down. "I know you're in cahoots with him! He claimed to still be at work, but I called! He's not there! That can only mean he's cheating on me!" she cried out. Davis sighed and cleaned a bowl. "If we're talking about the same person, I think that's unlikely. After all, he wants to marry you in two weeks. He's probably just on an outside appointment and that's why he's not at the company," he tried to calm her down. The woman pressed her lips together. She hadn't thought of that. "And even if! He promised me to help with the preparations today. I still have to plan the whole seating arrangement and someone has to help me with the chairs!" Davis averted his gaze. "I have to work, sorry," he said, in case his girlfriend had been thinking of him. The woman now turned her gaze to the two guests next to her. Then she jumped up and seemed to have a brilliant idea. "Oh, you're the DigiDestine that my fiancé has been talking about!" Tsubasa and Takeshi looked at each other. Of course, the woman was someone who knew about Digimon. They no longer expected to meet someone in this restaurant who did not. "Your fiancé?" Takeshi asked.
Then he remembered that someone had been talking about a wedding recently. "That's Yolei, she's also a DigiDestine. And the unfortunate... uh, pious person she's about to marry is Ken. The wedding is in two weeks," he explained. The woman slammed her hands on the table. "Out of the question! That will never work! Do you have any idea how much work a wedding is? If someone had told me that before, I would have left it alone!" Davis smiled. He doubted that would have been the case. Yolei turned to the two younger ones. "Say, do you have time to lend me a hand?" she changed her tone and demeanor immediately. She seemed to need helpers urgently. Nevertheless, Takeshi had to disappoint her. "I'm sorry, but I can't. My Digimon partner is not feeling well. I have to go back and check on him," he excused himself. Tsubasa also raised her hands defensively. "And I... uh... have homework," she said quickly. Takeshi made a surprised noise. "But didn't you say you didn't have anything to do today? And that you wanted to search for the balls, but that didn't work out?" Tsubasa would have liked to kick her friend on the foot. How could he sell her out like that? But Yolei had already grabbed her arm. "Great! Thank you for your help. You're just the person I was looking for!" she said, relieved.
Tsubasa looked at Takeshi and Davis helplessly, but they were just glad not to have been obligated themselves.
Then she was already being led outside, where Yolei's car was waiting. As she got in, she was no longer sure if this was really such a good idea.
20 minutes later, they were in front of a wide building.
"Um... is it here?" she asked.
Yolei nodded.
"The community center belongs to my family. That's why we can use it for free, which I'm very grateful for. And it can accommodate a lot of people, which is the most important thing."
Tsubasa understood.
"Will it be a big wedding?"
Yolei unbuckled her seatbelt.
"Well, my family, they're already big enough, Ken's of course and then all our friends and acquaintances. It adds up to quite a bit. Oh, you're invited, of course."
Tsubasa felt flattered, especially since she had never been to a wedding before. She promised to come if her parents allowed it. Then they got out and entered the community center. There, someone was already waiting for them.
Tsubasa recognized a bird that was hurrying towards them.
"Yolei! Yolei! An emergency!" it called.
The young woman put both hands to her head.
"Now what?"
Only then did the bird come to a stop and look questioningly at Tsubasa.
"Oh, that's my partner Hawkmon. I wish he were also a real partner in the preparations," she complained.
Hawkmon put his wings on his hips.
"Oh, come on! I'm giving it my all here, okay?" he defended himself.
Tsubasa thought of something and put her backpack on the floor. Hebimon freed itself from it and crawled towards Hawkmon.
"Hello, I'm Hebimon," it introduced itself.
Hawkmon did the same and stretched out his wing to greet him. Then he noticed that Hebimon had no hands and retracted it again.
"Tsubasa is helping us today. You, unfortunately, have no hands and can't carry chairs," she complained again.
Hawkmon wanted to object again, but then thought better of it. Instead, he remembered what had made him so agitated.
"Oh, right, we have visitors. And I'm afraid it's going to mean even more work," he finally said.
Yolei asked what he meant, but Hawkmon asked the three of them to follow him. He led them through the already open door to the back of the center, where another person was already waiting for them. Yolei sighed.
"I'm sorry, this is a private event. Can I help you..."
She was immediately interrupted. The woman in front of her turned around and removed her sunglasses.
"Help? No, my dear, I've come to help you. I sensed that you were hopelessly lost without me!"
Yolei needed a moment to process her surprise. Then she fell into the arms of the woman with the summer hat.
"I knew it, I knew that God wouldn't abandon me! I knew he'd send me an angel to save me!" she said, tears in her eyes.
The woman stroked her back gently.
"There, there. I'm here now to bring you enlightenment."
Tsubasa and Hebimon looked at each other again and again. They had no idea what was going on here. A smaller person emerged from behind the woman with the summer hat and took off her costume. The fact that it was also a Digimon was no longer surprising. It was green and looked like an ivy vine.
"I'm sorry, Mimi was just so exuberant when she found out that the wedding date is now set."
Yolei and Mimi were finally able to separate from each other.
"Yes! It's in two weeks? When were you going to tell me?"
Yolei let her head hang.
"We'll have to postpone it anyway. There's still too much to do and too much to plan," she explained.
Mimi took her cheeks and looked her deeply in the eyes.
"You can forget about that. You're getting married in two weeks, do you understand?"
Yolei nodded obediently.
"Okay, will you help me?" she asked imploringly.
Mimi nodded.
"Of course. I am your angel after all."
Yolei immediately fell into Mimi's arms again. Tsubasa took a few steps back.
"Okay, since you've already found someone else to help you, I'll be on my way."
She was about to turn around when Mimi and Yolei had already grabbed her by the arms and pulled her along with them. She had been too quick to be relieved.
Chaperomon was having a hard time finding her way in this new world. Her master had described the humans as much more terrifying than they actually were. They were quite small and weak. She couldn't imagine that they really posed a serious threat. But no, she mustn't think like that. Humans were known for enslaving Digimon and sending them into battle against their own kind. Humans had to be exterminated at all costs; the peace of the entire Digital World depended on it. But for that, she had to complete her mission first. The king was looking for the Digimon with the book, but also for the balls that once belonged to the sovereign. Chaperomon had the luck to be able to sense energy waves like those emitted by the balls, similar to Rurimon herself. That's why she was chosen for this mission, and she would not disappoint Takutoumon, especially since she was hoping for a reward. Now that Gogmamon had been defeated, a position as general was vacant, and Chaperomon had every intention of taking on that role. But she must not fail. And so she hopped over the roofs, getting closer and closer to the energy she had already sensed from afar. Soon she was on the roof of a wide building and gained access to it. She entered the interior through a window and did everything she could to avoid being discovered. She heard voices; there were humans here. She hid herself as best she could and observed the hustle and bustle. Then she became even more careful. She not only recognized humans, but also Digimon. Two resembled animals, the other a plant. Were these servants of the Digimon king? No, they seemed much too familiar with the humans. They must be slaves who had joined forces with the humans.
But Chaperomon had no doubts. The energy of the ball had to be here. It was actually a stroke of luck. She would complete her mission and at the same time get rid of a few of the repulsive humans.
In the afternoon, a truck had brought several chairs that they now carried into the interior of the building. Although the community center already had some, they were not comfortable enough for the bride-to-be. Her guests should feel comfortable after all. Tsubasa was able to carry the first few chairs on her own, but soon she needed help, especially since Hebimon and the others couldn't contribute much. Hawkmon coordinated everything, but that wasn't really necessary.
"Can't we digivolve our Digimon? They'd have the work done in no time," Tsubasa complained.
Yolei and Mimi looked at her mildly.
"Hawkmon unfortunately only has wings when he's digitized."
"And Palmon has boxing gloves instead of hands. As you can see, they wouldn't be of any help to us."
Tsubasa remembered that Hebimon also had no hands after its transformation, as was usually the case with snakes.
After an hour, however, this was finally done, and they took a well-deserved break. Yolei collapsed exhausted on the couch.
"Oh man, why do we have to do all this here? It can't be that none of the boys are available."
Tsubasa sat down next to her.
"I'm sure Ken-san would be happy to help if he could."
Yolei didn't seem so sure of that anymore.
"Or he's just had enough of me and doesn't dare to be honest," she muttered.
Mimi put her hands on Yolei's shoulders and began to massage them.
"Darling, you know that's not true. Ken is overjoyed that he's allowed to marry you, you do realize that, don't you?"
Yolei sighed.
"I don't want to disappoint him either. The wedding should be just as beautiful for him as it is for me," she said with a sigh.
Tsubasa forced herself to smile. "It definitely will be. Because the most important thing is that you experience this day together. Love is what it's all about; everything else is just icing on the cake."
Mimi looked at Tsubasa with interest. "Say, is there someone you like?" she wanted to know.
Tsubasa felt caught off guard by this question. "Well, there was this boy with the white hair. I've seen him at Davis' place a few times," Yolei chimed in.
Tsubasa immediately raised her hands defensively. "What? Takeshi? No, it's not like that. We're just childhood friends!" she quickly clarified.
But Yolei's and Mimi's faces showed that they were reading more into it.
However, it was Hawkmon who changed the subject. "Hmm? Where did the refreshments come from?"
The girls got up and looked at the table. Indeed, there was a basket there from which Hawkmon had just taken an apple. Next to it was a bottle of wine.
"Mimi-san, you didn't have to do that!" Yolei was already eyeing the bottle.
Her friend shook her head. "No, they didn't come from me. Did a deliveryman bring them?"
Yolei clapped her hands. "I know! This is definitely a surprise from my fiancé. He's probably sorry that he can't help out, so he's sent us something."
Mimi picked up the bottle and looked for glasses. "Then we won't let this drop go to waste and treat ourselves to a glass or two. Oh Tsubasa, you're not allowed to drink yet. I'll get you some water."
The girl nodded. She didn't want to get the two in trouble with her mother anyway. And she didn't know how the alcohol would affect her medication. Besides, she didn't have a great interest in trying wine. She opened the basket, from which Hawkmon had already taken an apple and was eating it.
Tsubasa took two more and handed them to Palmon and Hebimon. The ivy Digimon immediately grabbed and bit off a piece. The snake snake hesitantly around the apple, but then let it go.
"Oh, don't you like apples?" her partner asked.
The Digimon shook its head. "No, that smells bad."
Tsubasa nodded and put the apple back. "Then I'll see if I can find something else for you."
A few minutes later, she had organized a bar of chocolate that she shared with her Digimon. Mimi and Yolei had meanwhile opened the wine bottle and poured themselves a glass each.
"We have to call the cake delivery man later. So pour me to the top," Yolei wanted to prepare herself for that.
Mimi did her the favor, and they enjoyed the first sip. "Hm, this tastes special. What kind is it?"
Yolei was not put off by the taste. Soon her whole glass was empty. "Surely just a promotional gift, Ken is always getting such things."
Tsubasa drank a glass of water, while Palmon and Hawkmon continued to munch on apples. She left the room for a moment to put the glass in the kitchen. Hebimon accompanied her and kept raising her head. The girl wondered if there was something wrong with her Digimon.
When they were back, Mimi and Yolei had taken a strange posture. They had lowered their arms and heads, and their hair was hiding their faces.
"Is... everything okay?" Tsubasa asked uncertainly. She threw a glance at the Digimon of the two. Both Palmon and Hawkmon were lying on the table next to the basket and were asleep. What was going on here?
Hebimon slithered over to one of the apples that had fallen to the floor. It sniffed at it again and then looked at its partner. "I knew it! They're poisoned!"
Tsubasa was startled. "Poisoned? Are you sure?" Her partner confirmed it. "Yes, I know about poisons. But this one only causes sleep, that's why my instincts didn't react to it right away."
Tsubasa was relieved that the two Digimon had only fallen into a deep sleep, but of course that didn't solve the problem. What was going on here?
A hoarse laugh echoed through the room. Tsubasa watched in disbelief as the basket, which had contained the apples, now sprouted hands and a little later a tongue.
"The basket... is alive?" the girl shuddered.
"Of course, without my faithful basket I don't go anywhere!" another voice sounded.
Tsubasa looked up at the ceiling, where another figure was crouching. At first it looked like a little girl. She was wearing a red cape, fairy-tale-like clothing and shoes that resembled wolf's heads.
Hebimon stepped in front of its partner. "I knew it! That's Chaperomon! She's known for her dirty tricks!" it warned.
The hostile Digimon jumped to the ground and took its living basket back into its possession. "Dirty tricks? Don't you know that everything is allowed in love and war? But yes, I assumed that I would have to use heavier weapons against you. That you would be knocked out by a few of my apples and the wine, I did not expect. I did not think that humans were such weaklings. The king has probably exaggerated."
Tsubasa had already suspected that this faction around this Digimon king was behind it again. "And now hand over Azulongmon's ball, then I'll end your miserable life quickly," the opponent demanded.
Tsubasa didn't quite understand her. "Ball? How do you know we have one?"
The eyes of Chaperomon were covered by its cape, but the anger was still visible. "I can sense exactly that there has to be one here! But those who don't want to listen have to feel. Come on, grab them!" it shouted behind Tsubasa.
She didn't understand at first who the Digimon was referring to. Then it became all the clearer to her.
Mimi and Yolei were now raising their heads. But they didn't look like they usually did, quite the opposite. Their eyes were wide open, and they were baring their teeth. Sharp canine teeth had formed, and they were drooling as they stared at Tsubasa. Like two hungry wolves. That was obviously the effect of the wine.
Immediately they stormed at the girl. She grabbed Hebimon by the tail and pulled it along with her. She locked the door behind her, but that probably wouldn't hold the two possessed women for long.
Hebimon complained about the rude treatment, but its partner couldn't take that into account at the moment. She ran down the hall and reached the hall with the chairs. Here, too, she wanted to lock the door behind her, but she didn't have a key for this door.
"What are you doing, Tsubasa? We have to fight!" Hebimon insisted. But the girl had no idea how the Digimon was imagining that.
"We can't just attack Mimi and Yolei! We could seriously hurt them!" she pointed out to Hebimon. It could of course follow her. "Then... we have to attack Chaperomon directly. If she is defeated, every spell she has cast will also be broken."
Tsubasa pricked up her ears. So there was a chance that Mimi and Yolei would be normal again? And that Palmon and Hawkmon would wake up from their sleep? But how was she supposed to do that?
Mimi and Yolei had meanwhile freed themselves and were running towards the hall. Tsubasa then had an idea. She ran out into the garden and blocked the door with several chairs. The two she-wolves would therefore need something to get through there. Then she took a deep breath and called out to the windows up above.
"Hey, Digimon! Okay, you've won! I'll give you the ball, but spare my life, okay?"
The strategy seemed to be working when Chaperomon appeared in one of the windows and then jumped out. It landed a few meters in front of Tsubasa, who now gave its partner a sign. Hebimon nodded. It was ready.
"Hebimon digivolves to... Julungumon!"
The rainbow snake now stood in front of the Little Red Riding Hood look-alike and was ready for the fight. "You lied! You'll regret that!" Chaperomon warned and reached into its basket. Once again it pulled out a wine bottle and threw it at Julungumon. It was immediately clear that these seemed to have several effects. This one was namely thrown back by an explosion.
"Hebimon!" Tsubasa called out to its partner in concern. It had taken a lot, but it didn't back down. "Keep your distance, Tsubasa! The enemy is cunning!" it warned.
The DigiKnight had already noticed that herself. "Can you... still defeat her?" she asked hopefully.
Julungumon reared up. "We'll see about that! Poison Sickle!" it lunged forward, but Chaperomon jumped into the air and easily dodged the attack. In return, it once again pulled a wine bottle out of its basket and threw it at the attacker. Once again, this one was hit hard. It was clear that Chaperomon was superior.
Now it pulled several knives out of its basket and threw them into the air. These seemed to recognize their target on their own, for they shot at Julungumon. It dodged, but the knives pursued it like drones. Finally, the Digimon became the victim of several cuts. Tsubasa would have liked to come to the aid of its partner, but what could she have done? Hebimon was able to evolve further, but she wasn't. Or?
Every attack of the Digimon went awry, Chaperomon was simply too agile. In addition, there seemed to be an endless supply of weapons in its basket. Another explosion caused Julungumon to almost sink to the ground.
"We have no chance! Let's retreat first!" the girl tried to change the strategy. But its partner seemed to be against it.
"Impossible! Chaperomon would pursue us, and I couldn't protect you. And what about the others? We can't abandon them, they're our comrades!" the Digimon reminded her.
Tsubasa took a step forward. How could its partner say something like that? It had only met Palmon and Hawkmon today, and yet it already considered them comrades? But was it any different with her? Even though Yolei had practically ambushed her, she had immediately taken her and, in the end, Mimi to her heart. What had she been thinking? Of course, she couldn't just flee and leave the two and their Digimon to their fate. They were currently unable to fight themselves, so she and Hebimon had to do it for them.
"I'm sorry! I know you're weakened, but we have to keep fighting! For the others!" she called out to its partner. It agreed with her. "My thought exactly! I will definitely win! And namely, when you give me your strength, Tsubasa!" Julungumon promised. The DigiKnight nodded and felt her Digivice glowing at the same time. "Yes, you'll get it for sure! Take down this beast!" she cheered on its partner.
It now began to glow and deform again. Its strength had reached it.
"Julungumon super digivolves to... Sandiramon!"
Tsubasa watched as its partner had evolved again. It now had fewer colors, but was now a large cobra with sharp teeth. "Tz! Who's the one with the dirty tricks now?" Chaperomon threw at it. Sandiramon reared up and got ready. "Those aren't tricks! That's the combined strength of me and Tsubasa!" it hissed and lunged forward.
Chaperomon was just able to dodge and hovered in the air. But this didn't help it. Sandiramon used the wall of the house to continue rising upward. It jumped into the air and sank its teeth into the opponent. However, it was able to block with the basket. This was destroyed, so it was no longer possible for it to access its arsenal.
But Chaperomon seemed to refuse to give up. It still seemed to have weapons. When it tried to attack with a knife, Sandiramon was able to dodge this attack.
"Flower Cannon!" someone called, and a moment later Chaperomon was hit by an attack. It was hurled to the ground, and Tsubasa discovered a beautiful elf at the sky. But it was not alone. Next to it, a gray bird appeared.
"Beak Blast!" it fired a beam from a long rifle. This hit Chaperomon and injured it severely.
"Okay! Okay! I give up!" it called, but apparently in vain. Tsubasa now watched as two extremely angry women stormed out of the building.
"Do you think I don't have enough stress already? I won't let anyone ruin my wedding! Vulturemon, take revenge for me!" she called to its Digimon.
"You too, Lillymon, love must not lose!" Mimi joined in. Both Digimon fired another attack, which finished off Chaperomon. It dissolved into data, and the fight was over.
Mimi's and Yolei's partners reverted to their original forms and collapsed tiredly to the ground. The influence of the spell was apparently not quite over yet. Yolei looked at the damage in disbelief.
"What are we going to do? It will take forever to put everything back in order!" she murmured.
Tsubasa stroked Sandiramon, who was slowly recovering. It digivolved back to Hebimon and slithered around its neck, where it took a nap.
They had agreed that they would leave the clean-up work to the professionals and treat themselves to a well-deserved break first. This time they ate ordered food and no poisoned items.
"I think the spell was broken when Chaperomon's basket was destroyed," Hawkmon suspected. The others didn't care much, the main thing was that the spook was over. But then Tsubasa remembered something.
"Strange is only that it thought we had a ball." Mimi now jumped up and rummaged through its bag. It was a round device, its Digivice, as it explained a moment later.
Tsubasa noticed that this differed from hers and Yolei's. There were apparently different models. Mimi tapped on it, and a blue ball appeared. The DigiDestine almost fell out of all the clouds. So the hostile Digimon had been right all along?
"That's the reason why I actually came to Japan. Gennai-san informed me that a ball is located in America. So I searched for it. And after Izzy asked me to deliver it as quickly as possible, I immediately got on the plane," it reported.
It handed it to Tsubasa, who carefully stowed it in its backpack. Later, it would stop by Takeshi's again and hand it over to Rurimon. It couldn't wait to see the faces of its friends. They certainly wouldn't have expected that the girl would actually find another ball.
So the day had been worth it after all. Even though Yolei seemed a bit demotivated. But Mimi took it in its arms and comforted it.
"Don't worry. I'll stay in Japan until the wedding. Together we'll manage it in time," it said confidently.
Yolei thanked it and of course also Tsubasa for today's help. Without it, it would have been lost, in more ways than one. A little later, the DigiDestine said goodbye to the two women and promised to come to the wedding. Takeshi and Shun were also cordially invited.
On the way home, Tsubasa noticed that Hebimon was still slumbering around its neck. But fortunately, no one seemed to notice. It stroked Hebimon's head and thanked it for today's mission. Thanks to its partner, it had also become stronger.
