Everyone was avoiding her and she didn't mind it at all. The teachers were worried but she didn't care. She wanted to be avoided, to be feared by her peers. It made her feel powerful.
"Okay, everyone, we're starting our projects today! Please pair up with your partners," her teacher told the class. Yesterday her teacher announced they were going to do a project and she allowed them to pick their partners. Now, she would have preferred to be with her friend Yui, but the world seemed to have other plans.
"Hey, Kari!" A boy with spiky maroon hair said. This is Daisuke Motomiya, or Davis as he likes to be called, and he is the bane of her existence.
They met last summer when her family visited her brother at soccer camp. He was on the same team as Tai for the most part and they formed some type of bond. He idolized Tai to the point of emulating the way her brother acted and dressed, and he even got his own pair of goggles to be just like Tai. Her brother thought it was endearing but she thought it was creepy.
"Hello, Daisuke," Kari said, using the boy's given name. She was not looking forward to this class when she came into school this morning. Yesterday, when they were picking their partners, Davis came out of nowhere and pretty much begged her to be his partner, and being the nice person she was she said yes. Now, after sleeping on it, she wished she had turned down the boy's request and partnered up with her friend.
Kari knew that she was going to do most of the work when she came into class. Sure, Davis wasn't an idiot but his grades were below average. Whatever work Davis does she'll change it when she gets home. Though Davis does have his uses, she could make him present their project because he's great at talking in front of others, and the less she had to talk the better.
As expected, Kari did most of the work and Davis helped out a little bit, though Kari made a mental note of what Davis did. Everything was going well until Kari noticed Davis moving around in his seat. It made her feel uncomfortable and it made matters worse when she noticed the blush on his face letting her know what was going to happen.
"Hey, I was wondering after school if you would like to go on a-"
Kari stood up from her seat and walked away from the boy before he could finish his question. It was the main thing that she hated about Davis, his not-so-subtle crush on her. She felt flattered at first but after a while, it started to get annoying. It also freaked her out because Davis mimicked her brother so much that it was like Tai asking her out.
She told the teacher that she was going to the bathroom and left the room. She enjoyed the silence that echoed throughout the hallway. It was comforting and made her feel whole. She made it to the bathroom and splashed water on her face. She wasn't going back to class; she wouldn't be able to stand another minute working with Davis.
The sound of the ocean filled her ears again the same ocean she heard last night. It scared her at first but there was something comforting about the noise. Something about the noise was the only thing that made her happy.
Static rained over a mirror like it was a TV. Kari knew that she should be freaking out but she had seen weirder things before. Two red eyes and a shadow figure could be seen behind the static. It reached its webbed hand out to her and she reached out to take it.
The bell rang and the shadow figure was replaced by her reflection. Kari shook her head and walked out of the bathroom. Even though the shadow figure was unnerving, Kari hoped that it would return someday.
In the ship's dining area Chloe was dancing for Penguinmon. She moved around the room quietly to not wake anyone up. She memorized every movement she saw during her lessons and recitals for perfect execution. She finished her performance and Penguinmon clapped and Chloe quickly silenced her partner.
"I'm glad you enjoyed my performance but you need to remember that the others are trying to sleep," Chloe whispered and Penguinmon quickly stopped clapping. Willies had just woken them up for their shift and after being exhausted during her first shift the night prior, Chloe thought it would be a good idea to dance for the first few minutes to get her blood pumping.
"Sorry. You were just so amazing that I couldn't help myself," Penguinmon said, making Chloe rub the fuzz on top of the penguin Digimon's head. "Where did you learn to move like that?"
"I take dance lessons back home…" The emotions that Chloe felt hit her like a truck. She's been distracted by all the Digimon and the adventure that they're currently on. She never once thought about how her parents were feeling. Her father is probably tearing the city apart trying to find them.
Her father is her hero. Whenever she had a nightmare her father was the first one to comfort her and make her feel safe. Or when she was jealous of Catherine for being a great singer, her father suggested that she should take dancing lessons and that there were some things that she was better at than her sister. She's glad that he urged her to take dance because she likes to move around and express herself through her dances.
Chloe remembers her mother telling her that she and her father split the work taking care of her and her sister, with her mother spending more time with Catherine and her father with her. Some would consider her to be a "Daddy's girl," and they would be right, but after everything her father has done for her, she loves him with all of her heart.
"Are you ok?" Penguinmon asked. Chloe felt some tears run down her face, she didn't know that she was crying.
"I'm fine," she told her partner as she wiped away the tears on her face. To take her mind off of her father Chloe checked outside the door to check the weather. It was raining lightly with a light wind blowing. After seeing how calm it was outside, Chloe got an idea.
"Let's go outside, Penguinmon," her partner gave her a worried look, not wanting to go outside and the rain to go crazy. "Don't worry, we'll come back in if it starts to pour."
Chloe was out the door before Penguinmon could respond. Unlike her sister, she likes the rain. One of her favorite things to do on a rainy day is dance like people she sees in movies, on TV, and in music videos. She thought it looked amazing and that those people were having fun.
She remembers one day she, Catherine, and TK were playing basketball at the park, and even though both she and her sister had no experience playing the sport TK allowed them to team up. Even though they had the numbers advantage TK wiped the floor with them, she was surprised that they managed to even score a point. After their game, it started to rain, and both TK and Catherine ran for shelter but not her. She stayed out on the court and danced as the rain soaked her.
She remembers her sister telling her to get out of the rain but she ignored her pleas. She was having fun and no one was going to stop her. TK ran out to her, and she thought that he was going to drag her to the shelter, but her worries were erased when he joined her, making her even happier. Catherine stayed in the shelter, but she heard her laugh at them and say they looked like two dorks, and looking back on it now Chloe agreed that they did look a little silly.
To the shock of no one, she came down with a cold the next day. Her mother was upset and told her that she can't keep dancing in the rain, but she didn't care. She didn't care how many times she would get sick from doing it because she was having fun and it made her happy.
"Chloe, I don't think you should be out there this late," Penguinmon told her. Penguinmon was standing in the doorway not wanting to get wet, even though it's an aquatic Digimon.
"It's fine, Peguinmon. Join me," Chloe told her partner, but Penguinmon still had doubts.
"But it's dark," Peguinmon pointed out. Because of the rain, the moon was covered by storm clouds causing little to no light to break through. "What if something happens?"
"Nothing will happen," Chloe reassured her partner. She started to dance to prove that everything is alright. "See, everything is fine. So come join me."
Even though she was still worried, Penguinmon joined Chloe out on the deck. Chloe grabbed her flippers and twirled the penguin Digimon, causing her to squeal with joy.
"Looks like you're having fun," Chloe said, noticing the huge smile on her partner's face. She led Penguinmon to the upper part of the deck so they wouldn't wake anyone up if they made too much noise. "Try to follow my exact movements."
Chloe started with a simple spin and Penguinmon copied it perfectly. She then added to the spin by standing on her toes after she spun. Penguinmon had a little trouble mimicking Chloe because her feet were pretty much attached to her body but she soon figured it out. Finally, Chloe put the two moves together before gliding backward.
"Woah! What was that!?" Penguinmon said with stars in her eyes.
"It was a moonwalk," Chloe told her.
"But we're not on the moon."
"It's the name of the dance move," Chloe said to clear up any confusion that her partner may have. "Now, why don't you give it a try."
"But…" Penguinmon looked down at her feet and wiggled them a little. "I don't think my feet will allow me to do that."
Chloe walked over to Penguinmon and held one of her flippers. "Don't worry, I'll hold your hand throughout the whole thing."
They first spun and then stood on their toes. Penguinmon was second-guessing herself for the final part before Chloe lightly squeezed her flipper to let her know that she believes in her. Penguinmon took a deep breath before both Chloe and she started to slowly glide backward. Her moonwalk wasn't as smooth as Chloe's but she felt happy that she was able to do something with her friend.
"I did it!" Penguinmon cheered and Chloe hugged the Digimon.
"I'm so proud of you, Penguinmon!"
"I couldn't have done it without you," Penguinmon said, making Chloe smile. She brought her Digimon partner into another hug before the winds picked up as the rain started to pelt them. "Ah, we need to get inside!"
The two ran down the steps in hopes of getting inside quickly when a big wave crashed into the side of the ship, causing it to lean over. The sudden movement of the ship caused Chloe to lose her balance and go overboard. She let out a loud scream before crashing into the water with a loud splash.
"CHLOE!"
Chloe emerged from the water flailing her arms. She was having a hard time keeping her head above the water because the big waves kept forcing her underwater. When the waves weren't pushing her under, mixed with the strong winds, the waves were spinning her around making her exhausted. But the worst thing about the whole situation was that she didn't know how to swim.
She never had the opportunity to learn how. Growing up in Paris she was never around a huge body of water to swim in. There is a river but it's illegal to swim in it and her family never went to a public pool because her mother didn't want them to swim in what she called "A public toilet." The only thing she knew how to do was to constantly move her arms and legs to stay afloat, and she only knew how to do this because her father taught her and her sister how to do it.
Back on the ship, the Digidestined burst through the door to find Penguinmon looking down the ship.
"What happened!? Where's Chloe!?" Catherine asked when she noticed her sister was missing. She didn't have long to wait for an answer when she heard her sister scream from the water. Everyone looked over the edge of the ship to see Chloe flail her arms to stay above the water and the ship was sailing away from her fast.
"Quick, tie up the sail!" TK ordered. Without wasting any time, Monodramon pulled the sail close while Patamon tied it together. As this was going on Catherine was about to dive off the ship before TK grabbed her. "Are you crazy!?"
"I have to save Chloe! She can't swim!"
"Neither can you!" TK told her but that didn't stop her from trying to break free from his hold.
Penguinmon wasn't paying attention to what TK and Catherine were doing. She watched Chloe struggle to keep her head above the water. She knew that Chloe didn't have long until she ran out of energy. Without a second thought, Penguinmon dived off the ship and swam towards her friend.
It didn't take Penguinmon long to reach Chloe, she was an excellent swimmer.
"Don't worry Chloe, I'm here," Penguinmon told her.
"Penguinmon!?" Chloe said, still flailing her arms. Penguinmon could tell in her partner's voice that she was exhausted and also relieved.
"Quick, grab onto my body and I'll swim us back to the ship!" Penguinmon said and not needing to be persuaded Chloe grabbed onto her partner. It was like she was using a kickboard that she saw other kids use on TV but unlike regular kickboards, this one came with a motor. Like a torpedo, Penguinmon rocketed back to the ship.
They were almost halfway to the ship, and Chloe saw Willis throw down a rope they could use to climb up when she felt something grab her leg. She tried to kick it away but whatever was holding onto her wouldn't let go. Chloe started to urge Penguinmon to move faster and hoped that the thing holding her would loosen its grip.
They made it to the ship and Chloe didn't feel anything on her leg anymore. Thinking she was safe, Chloe reached for the rope when she was suddenly dragged underwater.
"CHLOE!" She heard the muffled screams of her sister and Penguinmon. She had her eyes closed but she didn't think she would've been able to see because it was already dark. She didn't need to see to know that she was being dragged further down because she could feel both the water and bubbles move up her body.
She couldn't breathe and she could feel the air leave her lungs. She didn't have much time left before she drowned. She felt light-headed and the last bit of oxygen left her lungs. Water instantly filled her lungs as her vision turned black.
She felt whatever was holding her lose its grip and something dragged her back to the surface. She started to cough up water and felt someone guide her arms to the rope.
"You ok?" Penguinmon asked. Chloe coughed up more water in response as the others pulled her back onto the ship. The second she was on board the ship she was embraced by her sister which caused her to cry.
"Everything is fine. You're safe," Catherine soothed her. Chloe continued to cry but she was relieved and happy to be in her sister's arms. TK smiled at the twins before looking back towards the water.
"You're next Penguinmon," TK called down to the Digimon. TK threw the rope over the edge for Penguinmon. She bit onto the rope and the boys started to pull her up.
Penguinmon wasn't halfway up the ship when a large fish flew out of the water and tackled Penguinmon back into the ocean. It had two large wing-like fins and two arms that it used to drag Chloe underwater earlier.
"Oh my gosh, it's Tobiumon! I heard they're called the hunter fish because they can catch their target whether they're in the sea, on land, or in the air," Lopmon said after they saw the monster.
Penguinmon managed to break free of Tobiumon's hold, but that didn't mean she was safe. She watched as both Tobiumon's fins circle her, much like a shark. Soon, the fins darted towards her and she was suddenly dragged under the water.
Back on the ship, Chloe noticed her partner wasn't with her. She broke away from her sister to see that everyone was watching the water.
"Where's Penguinmon?" Chloe asked, her voice a little hoarse from both her coughing and crying. No one said anything but they all held the same worried looks on their faces. They moved aside to give her space and when she looked over the ship she felt her heart break. Instead of seeing her partner, she saw tiny air bubbles before they disappeared.
Chloe felt a new set of tears in the corner of her eyes. Penguinmon saved her life and now she can't save theirs. She has never felt so useless, but she had to do something. If Penguinmon is willing to risk their life to save her, she has to do something to help them.
"PENGUINMON!" Chloe cried out. Her Digivice started to glow and they could see the same light in the water. Under the water, Penguinmon was covered in a veil of light forcing Tobiumon to let go of its prey
"Penguinmon Digivolve to…" Penguinon grew with her feet being replaced by a tail, her purple fur being replaced by blue blubber, and a long snout replacing her beak. She grew four fins on her back and a blowhole on her head. "Dolphmon!"
Dolphmon bolted straight up and jumped out of the water, shooting some water out of her blowhole in the process. Everyone was mesmerized by the spectacle, especially Chloe who was both relieved that her partner was alright but also overjoyed by the fact that her partner Digivolved.
"I don't think you're Penguinmon anymore," Chloe said and Dolphmon nodded her head.
"I'm Dolphmon! I'm really fast in the water and my pulse blast attack will leave you hearing static, and it's all thanks to you, Chloe. Without your help, I wouldn't have been able to Digivolve!" Dolphmon told her, making Chloe feel overjoyed. Chloe was about to say something to her partner when she noticed Tobiumon's head peek out of the water. Dolphmon noticed this too and smirked. "Don't worry I got this."
Dolphmon turned her attention to the stalking Tobiumon. They didn't move, studying each other and waiting for the other to make the first move. After a few seconds of eyeing each other Tobiumon lunged at its prey. Dolphmon waited until Tobiumon got close to her before gliding backward on her tail and backflipping into the water.
Now underwater, Dolphmon zoomed straight at Tobiumon's stomach. She speared the hunting fish with her snout but at the same time, Tobiumon shot a missile from its abdomen. It blew up in her face sending her spiraling backward. Even though it suffered from the explosion as well, Tobiumon was back on the attack with its fins drawn out like swords.
Dolphmon's vision was hazy but she was still able to see Tobiumon jetting straight at her. She managed to move out of the way in time but wasn't able to escape injury as Tobiumon managed to cut her tail. She was able to gain some distance from the hunting fish, though not as fast as earlier because of the injury. She watched as Tobiumon prepared themselves for another charge.
Tobiumon lunged at her again, fins already drawn out, but this time Dolphmon was ready.
"Pulse blast!" Dolphmon shot out an ultrasonic wave from her mouth and it made a direct hit on Tobiumon's face. Tobiumon appeared dazed but didn't stop their charge. Not letting up, Dolphmon sent out multiple pulse blast attacks. Tobiumon was getting closer, but Dolphmon noticed that they were getting slower and slower.
Tobiumon was right in front of Dolphmon and she shot a pulse blast attack at point blank. She landed a direct hit as Tobiumon's head flew backward. Tobiumon then slowly sunk into the ocean. Dolphmon sighed in relief and slowly swam up to the surface.
As she was swimming back up to the surface Dolphmon Dedigivolved back into Penguinmon. She slowly swam to the ship and bit onto the rope and allowed the others to drag her back onto the ship. When she was back on board she sprawled on the deck.
"That was… exhausting!" Penguinmon exhaled. The others chuckled and Chloe rubbed the top of her partner's head.
"You were amazing," she told her. Penguinmon smiled from her partner's praise before wincing. Chloe instantly became worried and noticed the cut on Penguinmon's right leg. "You're hurt!"
"It's just a scratch! I'll be fine after some rest," Penguinmon said and Chloe just sighed. She picked up her partner and carried her to the sleeping area.
"We'll be going to bed. We kinda need it after the night we had," Chloe told everyone and they waved her off. They all waited a few seconds before moving to join the blond girl before Terriermon called out to them.
"Everyone, look!"
They all looked at where the small Digimon was pointing and noticed an island not too far from them. It was too dark to see what was on the island but they all could see the large mass of land off in the distance.
"Alright, we'll check it out after breakfast. Everyone, get a good night's rest because we'll be needing our energy in the morning," TK told everyone before they all went to the sleeping area.
