Catherine huffed after she pulled her sister, her sister's Digimon, and her partner out of the kitchen. They've only been on the island for a minute and she already had to prevent her sister and the Digimon from cleaning out the fridge. Not only that, she heard TK and his group laughing as they walked away and she knew her blond friend would tease her for it when they returned.
"I don't understand why you had to freak out on us back there. The guys are going to come back with food anyway," Chloe said. She was doing a little dance to cheer up Penguinmon who was disappointed that they couldn't explore the island with the others. They wrapped Penguinmon's injury with some bandages that the Divermon packed for them.
"It's not guaranteed that they'll come back with food, and if they do come back with some we don't know if any of it would be edible. It could be poisonous for all we know!" Catherine exclaimed and Chloe gave her a weird look.
"You're overreacting. Do you really think TK would bring back poisonous food?"
"If it's to embarrass me and make me look silly then yes!"
Floramon came up behind her partner with both a worried and puzzled expression on her face. "Why would TK do something like that?"
Catherine was going to respond but her sister's cackling prevented her from saying anything. "They just have a stupid little rivalry going on and Catherine is worried that TK is getting ready to mess with her again."
"He is! Just yesterday, I saw him walking around my hammock!" Catherine explained, but Chloe rolled her eyes after calming down a little.
"He probably wanted to walk around and couldn't do it on the main deck because it was raining," Chloe tried to reason with her sister but she wasn't having any of it.
"You're in on it aren't you? You always helped him out more than you helped me!" Catherine accused her sister. Once again, Chloe rolled her eyes before stopping her dance. She walked over to her sister and put a supportive hand on her shoulder.
"I helped you both equally. You're freaking out over nothing, TK's been too busy with the Digital World to worry about messing with you. So, just relax and enjoy yourself before we head back to sea," Chloe said and Catherine sighed. Maybe her sister was right, she shouldn't be worrying over something pointless right now, especially when TK doesn't seem to care about something as pointless as their rivalry.
"You're right, I'm freaking out over nothing," Catherine said and Chloe giggled.
"Aren't I always," Chloe said and went back to dancing. Catherine rolled her eyes at her sister's antics. Even though she still has some uncertainty about the Digital World, she's really glad her sister is here with her. She wouldn't know how she would be able to handle being the only girl in a group of guys.
Speaking of the others, where was Ken? She knew he didn't follow her into the kitchen and he wasn't on the main deck so where did he go?
"Have you seen Ken?" Catherine asked her sister. Chloe shrugged her shoulders because she didn't know and neither did Floramon.
"I think I saw him on the beach," Penguinmon answered and Catherine thanked the penguin Digimon for her help. Catherine looked over the edge of the ship and saw Ken and Wormmon digging in the sand.
"What are you doing?" Catherine called out to them. Ken waved her over and since she had nothing better to do she climbed off the ship. When she got closer to the two she could see that the hole they were digging was a little deep.
"Why are you digging a hole?" Catherine asked, and Ken shrugged.
"We decided to dig a hole to pass the time," Ken answered as he continued to dig.
"Why?"
"Well, we wanted to build some sandcastles but the rain kept messing them up," Ken answered. He stood up and moved aside like he was inviting Catherine to join them but she shook her head.
"Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. I was just wondering where you were, that's all," Catherine told him and Ken nodded before going back to his hole.
"Ok, but you can join us at any time," Ken said and Catherine walked away.
She didn't get back on the ship because she liked being on land again. She took off her shoes and walked along the shoreline and felt the water cover her feet. It was cold but Catherine didn't hate it, it was soothing. It's moments like this that make everything feel normal again.
Back home whenever she had a long stressful day she would always rest her feet in cold water. She doesn't know why she does it, but it always makes her feel better. She really needed to soak her feet after everything that happened over the past few days. Ever since she came into the Digital World her life has been in danger almost every day, with only one day nothing tried to kill them, and that was stressful in its own way.
But that was nothing compared to what happened that morning. Seeing her sister almost die scared her beyond belief. How would she be able to tell her parents that one of their kids drowned in a digital world and if TK didn't stop her from jumping in after her sister would she be dead? It was something that she didn't want to think about and hoped to never think about again.
Catherine shook her head, she shouldn't be thinking about that stuff right now. She should just do what her sister said and enjoy herself. Who knows the next time she'll have a chance to relax without worrying about a Digimon attacking her. She walked away from the ocean and moved toward a nearby tree to give her some shelter from the rain.
Catherine sat down at the base of the tree and enjoyed her surroundings. She watched the waves crash into the sand and listened to the sounds the forest was making behind her. It felt like paradise with the only downside being the rain but that was something she had grown accustomed to since being in the Digital World. She was starting to doze off when she saw Floramon walking up to her.
"How's it going, Floramon?" Catherine asked her partner as she stood over her.
"Pretty good," Floramon answered while shrugging her shoulders. "The others decided to help Ken and Wormmon with their hole and I wanted to see what you were up to."
"Oh really, and how deep is it now?" Catherine asked with mild curiosity. She patted the ground next to her and Floramon took the hint and sat next to her partner.
"I don't know but when I left it was up to Penguinmon's waist so I would say it's pretty deep," Floramon said. Catherine hummed in response as she looked out into the ocean. "So, what are you doing?"
"Just enjoying myself for as long as we are here," Catherine answered. Floramon nodded her head but she didn't fully understand what her partner was doing. She started to get a little restless while sitting around and doing nothing. She wanted to move around and stretch her legs but she also didn't want to leave Catherine alone.
"You don't have to stay if you don't want to," Catherine said when she noticed her partner's restlessness.
"No no no no, I want to stay. I just don't know how to stay in one spot for too long," Floramon admitted and Catherine gave her a supportive pat on the back.
"It's ok, let me teach you," Catherine said and she situated herself behind her partner. She put Floramon in a slouching position and turned her head towards the ocean. "Now, close your eyes and turn off your mind and let the world consume you."
Floramon did what Catherine said, but she couldn't do it. The ocean and forest were too loud and she was slouching on a tree root. She cracked her eyes open a little and saw Catherine in her own world and Floramon felt terrible. She hated that she wasn't able to mimic Catherine's actions and she was scared that she would hate her for it.
A few minutes passed and Catherine broke out of her trance. She was more at ease and happier than she was earlier that morning. She turned to Floramon and smiled at her and she received a shy smile in return.
"Wasn't that relaxing," Catherine blissfully sighed. Floramon didn't know how to respond so she quickly nodded her head, making Catherine frown. "You didn't like it?"
"No, I did," Floramon answered quickly but Catherine easily saw through her.
"You're lying," Catherine said and Floramon drooped her head. Feeling bad, Catherine pat Floramon's head to show she wasn't upset. "It's ok, everyone relaxes in their own way."
Catherine got up and extended a hand out to Floramon. "Come on, let's go back and see how the others are doing."
Floramon took her hand and the two made their way back to the others. "How did you know I was lying, anyway?"
"When you have a sister like Chloe, you tend to pick up on those things," Catherine answered as they came up on the hole the others were digging. It's gotten a lot deeper since Catherine last saw it, now reaching up to Chloe's shoulders.
"Oh hey, did you come to help with the hole?" Chloe asked, and since Catherine didn't have anything better to do she agreed. She was about to jump into the hole when they heard a loud explosion. Ken and Wormmon instantly jumped out of the hole and got into a defensive position with Ken gripping his Digivice.
"What was that?!" Ken looked around waiting for anything to come out and attack them.
"I think it came from the forest!" Penguinmon said and they all turned to the forest to see smoke rising towards the sky.
"We need to go, Ken!" Wormmon exclaimed and the boy nodded before becoming apprehensive when he turned back to the girls. He knew he should go help but he promised TK that he'd stay back to protect the girls. He didn't want to leave them defenseless to any Digimon attacks.
"Go help them! We'll be fine," Catherine told him after she saw his inner battle. Ken tried to speak up but Catherine stopped him. "They need you more right now! We can handle ourselves until you or the others come back!"
Ken wanted to argue but with Catherine all but throwing him towards the explosion, his hands were tied. His Digivice shined bright and Wormmon Digivolved into Stingmon. Not wanting to waste any more time, Ken hopped onto Stingmon's back and the two bolted towards the smoke.
"Do you think they're fine?" Floramon asked. Catherine didn't answer right away as she stared at the smoke. She wanted to believe that the others are fine, they have TK with them, and their partners could also Digivolve so she had no reason to worry. But being away from them and not seeing what was going on made her feel uneasy.
"Catherine?" She turned to Floramon who had a worried look on her face. She also saw that her sister and Penguinmon were also worried. She realized that she has an effect on the people around her and that she can't be overly worried during these situations. She needs to trust the others, especially TK that they'll handle anything thrown at them.
"Don't worry, it's probably Ryo and Monodramon butting heads. Why don't we go back to digging until Ken comes back," Catherine said with a bright smile to ease everyone's nerves. She could see that everyone still had their doubts but they didn't say anything. Catherine hopped into the hole with Floramon and the duo picked up where Ken and Wormmon left off.
Minutes passed and there were no signs of Ken or the others returning any time soon. Chloe wanted to say something but decided against it, not wanting to ruin the mood Catherine created earlier. The hole they were digging had gotten pretty deep, only the top of the two girl's heads was peaking out. Catherine suggested they stop before it becomes impossible for them to climb out.
The group climbed out of the hole and admired their work. Everyone's spirits were high which made Catherine feel more at ease. It also helped that they haven't heard any more explosions, whether that be a good or bad thing.
Chloe and Penguinmon yawned.
"I'm gonna take a nap. Wake me when the others get back," Chloe said and Penguinmon slowly nodded behind her partner. Catherine wasn't feeling tired, but she followed her sister back to the ship. She planned to clean up the ship so it looks neat for when the others come back.
The four girls rounded the ship but instantly jumped behind it for cover when they saw something frustratingly studying it. It was a gold coin the size of Penguinmon. It had arms, legs, and a mustache. It also wore a top hat and carried a briefcase.
"Who is that?" Catherine asked in a quiet voice to not draw attention to them.
"That's Ganemon: They love money and would use any means to get it," Floramon explained.
"Do you think he's here to talk?" Chloe asked and Catherine shook her head.
"I don't think so. We should wait until TK and the others come back before we do anything," Catherine said. She led the group back to the hole to gain some distance between them and Ganemon.
"Hey! Is this your ship?" The four girls froze and slowly turned to see Ganemon impatiently tapping his foot. "Well, I'm waiting."
"Yes," Penguinmon said slowly and Ganemon devilishly smirked.
"Well, this is a no docking area," Ganemon informed them and the girls and their partners gave each other puzzled looks.
"We're sorry, we'll leave after our friends get back," Catherine told the Digimon but Ganemon shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but you still broke the law, and you now must pay the price of 10,000 Digi-Dollars."
"What!" The four girls exclaimed. "We don't have that type of money!"
"But you do have money," Ganemon said, and the four girls looked between a mixture of puzzled and surprised. Ganemon smirked as he twirled his mustache. "My mustache can detect money and it detects a large sum on your ship."
Ganemon approached the girls with a friendly smile on his face, but they could easily see right through it. They could see in his eyes that he had ulterior motives. "I can tell you're a bunch of intelligent girls, so I'll cut you a deal. You won't have to pay the 10,000 Digi-Dollar fine, but I'll be taking at least half of the money you have on your ship. Deal?"
Ganemon extended a hand out to the girls, but they remained steadfast. They weren't going to give the stingy Digimon a cent, especially on an island that they perceived to be deserted. They also remembered Willis theorized that they might have to buy other supplies in other towns, so it would benefit them to save up their money.
"No," Catherine said sternly. Ganemon's smile fell as he turned his back to the girls.
"I guess it can't be helped then," Ganemon said. He then opened his briefcase and a bunch of small gold coins with arms and legs jumped out. "Go and take their money, Zenimon!"
"Hey!" Floramon and Penguinmon tried to get in the way of the tiny coin Digimon, but they were quick and nimble. Some ran between Floramon's legs while the others climbed up Penguinmon and used her as a springboard to get closer to the ship. Floramon tried to chase after them but Ganemon made it difficult.
"Gold Bowling!" Ganemon pulled out a huge wad of cash from his briefcase and hurled it at Floramon's head. The attack landed a direct hit causing Floramon to tumble over. She rubbed the back of her head and picked up one of the Digi-Dollars.
"Did you just throw money at me!?" She asked, astonished.
"And there's more where that came from," Ganemon said while throwing another wad of cash. Floramon dodged the attack and charged at the coin Digimon.
"Rain of Pollen!" Floramon sent out a mist at Ganemon and it covered the coin Digimon. Floramon smirked, thinking she defeated her opponent but it quickly fell when the mist disappeared and she saw Ganemon still standing unaffected. "What! How are you still standing?"
"Your pollen has no effect if your opponent doesn't have a nose," Ganemon said and hit Floramon with another wad of cash, which hurt a lot more than the last attack.
"Floramon!" She heard Penguinmon cry out. She looked up and saw the Zenimon carrying Digi-Dollars, dodging every one of Penguinmon's attacks and moving out of the way of Chloe and Catherine.
"Ah, yes, come to papa," Ganemon said as the Zenimon handed him the money and ran back to the ship. Floramon groaned, thinking that Ganemon was going to use the cash he received to attack her, but to her surprise, he ate the Digi-Dollars. She was going to yell at him but bit her tongue when Ganemon grew after every dollar he ate. He grew to be a quarter of the size of the ship as his shadow covered Floramon.
"You only have yourselves to blame!" Ganemon said before jumping into the air.
The girls first thought that Ganemon was leaving, but that was quickly disproven when the Zenimon kept taking more and more of their money. They quickly learned what was happening when they saw Ganemon hurling toward them. Catherine, Chloe, and Penguinmon moved out of the way, except for Floramon. Her vision was blurry and the world around her was spinning, making it hard for her to get up.
Catherine saw this and without hesitation, she ran back to her partner. She ignored the cries of her sister and Penguinmon, only paying attention to her partner and getting them both out of there. She reached Floramon and without wasting any more time, Catherine lifted Floramon off the ground and dived out of the way as Ganemon crashed into the ground. Catherine and Floramon coughed up sand as the dust clouds filled their lungs.
"Are you ok, Floramon?" Catherine asked her partner after finishing her coughing fit.
"Yeah," Floramon responded. The two looked back at the crash site to see Ganemon getting up and the Zenimon feeding more Digi-Dollars. "But how are we gonna beat him?"
Catherine quickly surveyed the scene. It was obvious that the Zenimon was the biggest problem, constantly feeding Ganemon until he eats all their money. They needed to find a way to stop the Zenimon first before Ganemon grows to the size of their ship and squishes them all. Catherine was trying to think of a way to stop them when she noticed the hole they dug earlier, giving her an idea.
"We need to lead the Zenimon into the hole before we even think of attacking Ganemon!" Catherine exclaimed and Floramon nodded.
"Got it! I'll try to distract Ganemon and scare the Zenimon towards the hole!" Floramon said. She got up and tried to run into the fray but Catherine held her arm. Floramon turned back to see Catherine with a concerned look.
"Be careful," Catherine said and let her partner go. Floramon nodded and she ran into the battle at the same time Catherine ran to her sister to tell her the plan. Suddenly, Catherine's Digivice started to glow and Floramon was blanketed in a veil of light.
"Floramon Digivolve to…" Floramon's body shrank and became brown and furry. She lost her arms and her legs became longer and grew some talons. Her flower petal was replaced by a white mask with a long beak and leaves around her neck. "Kiwimon!"
Kiwimon dashed at Ganemon, dodging the wads of cash that were thrown at her. She then shot small miniature versions of herself at the coin Digimon. "Pummel Peck!"
The chibi Kiwimon exploded upon contact with Ganemon, dazing him. Not wasting the opportunity, Kiwimon ran between Ganemon's legs and chased after the Zenimon. The small coin Digimon tried to run to the shelter of the ship but Kiwimon did another Pummel Peck attack to direct them to the hole. When the Zenimon got close to the hole, Catherine and Chloe blocked off any escape routes, and Penguinmon smacked the Zenimon into the hole.
"Alright!" The sisters and Penguinmon cheered.
"You were amazing, uh, I guess it's not Floramon anymore," Catherine said and Kiwimon shook her head.
"I'm Kiwimon: I may not be able to fly, but I make up for it with my speed," Kiwimon said. They heard Ganemon groan behind them and saw him shake off any dizziness that he had. "Don't worry, I got this!"
Kiwimon ran back, ready to fight while Ganemon slyly smirked.
"I'll admit, you got the best of me and you even managed to trap my Zenimon," Ganemon laughed before he had a serious expression on his face. "But don't think beating me will be easy."
Ganemon pulled out a huge wad of cash and hurled it at Kiwimon, who easily dodged it. He threw another wad of cash and again, Kiwimon dodged the attack. Kiwimon ran around Ganemon, making it hard for the coin Digimon to land a direct hit. As she was running, Kiwimon used her Pummel Peck attack to at the very least cause some annoyance to her opponent.
If she was being honest, she didn't have a plan. She first thought that if she could tire out Ganemon and wait for the others to get back then they could either help her or get back onto the ship and leave. But there was a huge problem with that plan because she didn't know when the others would return and she didn't know if she could tire out Ganemon enough to give them enough time to leave. As she was thinking up a plan, Kiwimon tripped over her own legs allowing Ganemon to grab her.
"You know, my diet only consists of money but I can make an exception with you. You might even taste like a kiwi," Ganemon laughed, causing Kiwimon to cringe from his repulsive breath. Kiwimon tried to break free from Ganemon's hold and she heard Catherine's pleas, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't break free. She tried to thrash around when Ganemon brought her closer to his mouth, but it was futile.
"Pummel Peck!" Kiwimon shot her attack into Ganemon's mouth, causing a little explosion. Even though it wasn't huge it was enough for Ganemon to let go of Kiwimon and reel back in pain.
"What the heck! That was foul-" before he could finish his sentence, Ganemon started to cough up smoke. He continued to hack and wheeze until the girls heard him gagging. It didn't take long until Ganemon threw up.
"Ew," the girls said with disgust.
"Guys, look!" Kiwimon exclaimed and they all looked at Ganemon. He was no longer a towering figure, but in fact, he was shrinking back down to his normal size.
"That was cheap. I'll show…you," Ganemon started to threaten them but quickly became quiet when he saw the girls tower over him with looks of scorn. "Let's talk about this."
Not wanting to listen to anything that he had to say, Catherine and Chloe grabbed Ganemon's arms and threw him into the hole.
"We're back! And we brought food," TK called out as he and his group returned to the ship. They found Catherine cleaning the main deck.
"That's great. But try to keep your voices down, the others are trying to sleep," Catherine told them and they nodded.
"So, did you find any treasure?" Ken asked and Catherine chuckled.
"You could say we did."
"That's neat," TK said and he headed to the kitchen. "But make sure you didn't leave anything on the island beca-"
A bucket of water was dumped on his head after he opened the kitchen door. He heard everyone laughing as he wiped away his wet hair from his eyes. He could see Catherine was laughing the hardest and he just smiled while rolling his eyes.
"Nice one, Miss Deneuve."
