Digimon Tamers Zero Two

by MasterCaedus

Tasuke, or Taj, was raised by his 'Uncle' Henry Wong, ever since his parents left when he was very young. In that time, Taj has come to hate his parents and anything related to them. Especially Digimon, the fictional creatures his parents had loved when they were around. But when he gets a real Digimon, Taj must fight Digi-agents of other countries for a chance to find his parents.

24. An Old Friend Shows Up:Dr Katou Appears

AN: Hey, everybody! How are things? Good, I hope. I just finished rewatching Tamers for this story – it is still pretty much as good as I remember it being. I also finally remember one the biggest reasons I constantly make bad puns in real life. Digimon. I also played Cyber Sleuth. It disappoints me that Digimon games are pretty much just Pokemon games. After all, the idea in Digimon was finding one partner instead of a dozen. Not including Xros, but why would I? Still, at least they're better Pokemon games than Pokemon manages to be. Certainly flashier and more fun since every Digimon has its own unique move on top of the generic moves.

To Old Style: Yeah, another chapter for Krampusmon would have been a little too much. As a concept he's pretty important, but there's only so many times I'm willing to use 'Hohoho' and 'Nonono' at the end of a sentence. As for Kazu, Kenta, Mako, Ai... plans regarding them are more nebulous. They're still in Japan, living normal lives for now. They saved their Digimon and have, for the most part, had to move on from that. Kazu and Kenta get mentioned in this chapter, but as for showing up in the story in person? Well, we'll see what happens if the Firewall goes down.

To reddevil47: I'm really happy you like this story so much! I love Tamers and think it's great I can still watch it 17 years after it ended. Digimon when it was at its best didn't get the recognition it deserved as being better than Pokemon, probably because Pokemon's branding was better. And the Adventure cast is great but... do we need a sequel series, a sequel movie to the sequel series, and a reboot of Adventure without hearing about either a new show or sequels involving the other Digimon casts? I'd even take a good story about the 02 cast after all this fixation on Tai, Matt, TK, and Kari.

Well, I hope you guys enjoy!

Episode 24:An Old Friend Shows Up: Dr. Katou Appears!

"Rockin around the Christmas tree! At the Christmas party hop!" Uncle Henry had had too much to drink on Christmas day. Right now, I was suffering for that. Thankfully, the craziness of the morning and then the festivities that night meant that no one questioned us about why we'd shown up so late and so bruised. We managed to completely avoid trouble. I guess May and I can get lucky sometimes. But all luck comes with a downside, and mine is Henry singing loudly and poorly as we drove slowly home through the snow early Christmas evening. Right now, like I said, I was suffering.

"Henry, come on. That's not even the song playing on my phone," I grumbled as he sang the same part of the chorus again.

"Oh, momentai, Tasuke," Henry grumbled at me from the passenger seat. "I've just had it stuck in my head since it played, don't be so grumpy."

"Well, could you stop? It isn't exactly easy driving in this snow, you know?" I grumbled right back.

Complaining was dumb. I should have known his response the moment I said it. "Oh, momentai!"

"Ugh..." I groaned. I glanced over my shoulder at BlackGigimon, who glaring at Henry for his singing and covering his ears. At least he was on tune. I returned my attention to the road and slowly driving through. I turned a corner and the lights swung around to our home, and I slid to a slow stop in our driveway.

I turned to tell Henry we were home, but a snore rumbled from his open mouth. He'd fallen asleep... "Taj, there's a human at the door!" BlackGigimon hissed, jumping up to the front seat.

"Digimon?"

He sniffed the air and shook his head.

I sighed in relief. "Let's check it out," I whispered, then left the car on with Henry inside. I grabbed my Digimon and crunched through the snow towards the front door.

"Hey, who are you?" I called, and the figure turned around. I pulled my 3D up and shined a light at them to get a better look.

It was a Japanese woman, probably around Henry's age. She had brown hair in a professional cut beneath the orange beanie she was wearing. Her puffy, similarly colored jacket and green pants reflected some light for a moment. "Oh, uhm, hello," she said, her accent confirming her heritage. "Is this where Henry Wong lives?"

"Who's asking?" I wondered, already prepared to Digivolve BlackGigimon and take down some kind of assassin sent to capture him or me.

"Oh! I'm Jeri Katou," she said. She walked down the snowy steps and bowed slightly to me. "It's very nice to meet you. I'm an old friend of Henry's and thought I would check in on him while I was in the neighborhood."

"All the way from Japan?" I wondered dryly. "What could bring you in the neighborhood this far out?" BlackGigimon growled in my arms, wondering the same thing.

"Hm, distrustful aren't you? Well, I'm an experimental child psychiatrist. There's a summit in town next month and I thought I would check in with him before it started," she explained, gaze turning slightly clinical as she studied him. "Distrustful... Parental issues, I wonder –?"

"O-Kay!" I shouted uncomfortably, cutting her off before she could analyze me more. "Hah... Uh, well, Henry isn't exactly -"

"Who said anything about me, huh?" Henry shouted as he stumbled out of the car after turning it off. He yawned wide and shivered. "You could have told me we got home, Tasuke. You're letting gas just burn if you don't. So, who are you talking to?"

"Somebody who says she knows you," I explained, glancing back at him. I still wasn't sure if I believed that. "Says her name is Jeri something."

Henry's eyes shot wide open and he finally noticed the woman still in my phone's light. "J-Jeri?!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?!"

"I'm in town for business," she replied after a moment. "I thought I would come and see you while I'm here."

"I'm flattered, but... I'm a little out of it tonight," he replied after a moment. He glanced over at me and sighed. "I... It's late. We can talk in the morning, right?"

She glanced down at her feet for a moment. "Of course, Henry. I'll come over tomorrow." She bowed slightly to him again, and he bowed back. "It was nice to meet you." She turned and bowed to me next before scratching BlackGigimon's ears. She smiled at Henry one more time, then walked away towards a rental car parked on the other side of the street.

"An old girlfriend?" I asked Henry, grinning evilly.

He shook his head. "It's late," he said, all the exuberance from the car gone now. He looked so tired as he turned to the house. "Looks like I have plans tomorrow. Let's get to bed."

He walked up to the door and unlocked it with my keys, quickly slipping past Momentai and heading into the basement to check on... whatever was down there. I put BlackGigimon down and we went in. Momentai assaulted BlackGigimon, trying to get him to play fight. It wasn't going great, given BlackGigimon's jaws were beginning to toss flaming sparks when he bit back. I picked the dog up before he could end up with any permanent damage. "What's up with him?" BlackGigimon finally asked, gesturing with his shoulder towards the basement door.

I sighed and shook my head. "I'm not sure. If she's his old friend, who knows?" I suppied. I frowned and pulled out my Digivice, swapping over to the text function. "... Suze might." I realize.

So I ask, hoping I'll get an answer tomorrow instead of an 'ask Henry!'

X X X

It was around an hour later when Henry walked back upstairs and prodded BlackGigimon back into wakefulness. "Huh? Wha?"

"Wake up. We need to talk," the man said. BlackGigimon looked up, seeing the exhausted rings around the man's eyes and the quiet worry lining his jaw.

"About Tasuke."

"About Tasuke," Henry confirmed.

BlackGigimon swallowed nervously, then nodded and rushed over to the couch, leaping on with a scuttling movement when he almost didn't make it. He sighed when he was finally on the cushions and turned to look up at Henry standing in front of the chair opposite. "You know I'm not stupid enough to miss how hurt Tasuke and May were today." He glared at BlackGigimon and finally sat down. "What happened?"

BlackGigimon paced side to side a bit. "We ran into a really strong Digimon that Gethen told us to watch out for." He stopped pacing and shivered. "Krampusmon. The creepy goat jerk kidnapped me and Huckmon, then tried to kill us all in the mall. Well, except May and the fuzzball."

Henry's tired eyes widened. "I should've known you're the ones that destroyed the mall," he muttered. Henry leaned against the arm of the chair. "Hm... Krampusmon... I don't recognize that name. But it's been a while since I knew every Digimon... Why'd he take you?"

BlackGigimon didn't respond at first, staying quiet and glancing away. " – He, uh, he said he thought I was evil."

"And?" Henry asked, hearing the omission.

"A-and I was making Tasuke evil," BlackGigimon finally admitted, withering under Henry's glare. "He tried to kill Taj because I corrupted him."

Henry's glare hardened. "I think this has waited long enough." BlackGigimon glanced over in confusion. "I haven't asked, because I didn't want to know. But I want to know why you killed all those Digimon when you first hatched. Did Krampusmon try to kill you because he thought you were evil, or because you were evil?"

BlackGigimon's ears drooped. "..."

Henry set his jaw hard. "Are you a threat to Tasuke?"

"No!" BlackGigimon exclaimed. "I'd do anything for him! Anything..."

"Are you making him worse?"

"I'd do anything."

Henry glared for another moment, then pulled up his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm tired." He stood up and shook his head. "I'm tired of all of this." He stopped and met BlackGigimon's gaze. "Are you evil? Why did you kill those infant Digimon?"

BlackGigimon stared up at Henry. "I... don't know." BlackGigimon looked down sadly. He shook his head. "I didn't know! I was being attacked! They were trying to capture me or kill me, and – and I wanted to get stronger so I could get to Tasuke! It... I had to!"

"Did you?" Henry asked coldly.

BlackGigimon opened his mouth to say it was necessary, but the words didn't come out. "I'd never hurt Taj. He's my friend... I'd never make him like – like me," BlackGigimon finally managed to croak. He didn't say anything else when Henry finally walked away in silence, leaving him by himself, wondering if he was making Tasuke worse. And if he was, how could he fix it?

BlackGigimon whined on the couch and covered his eyes with his large ears. "Shut up. I'm not doing anything wrong!" he hissed to himself. "I have to become strong. I have to become a mega. And I have to save Taj's parents! I'll do anything to make those happen! Doing whatever it takes to get strong isn't wrong!"

X X X

Henry had shepherded me out of the house just after lunch, obviously wanting the house to himself for the day. It didn't do him any favors in making me think this Jeri lady wasn't an old girlfriend of his, but he was adamant that wasn't the case. At this point, I decided I'd just give it to him and stop. It definitely sounded like they might just be old friends, and even if they had been together it would've ended even before he started taking care of me. I shrugged as I pulled up to a red light, then glanced over at my D3.

I'd finally received a reply from Suze a little while before leaving. She'd agreed to speak with May, Davis, and me today. It probably wasn't going to be much more than a confirmation that this Jeri lady was somebody that Henry used to know that knows about Digimon – because apparently everybody in our lives knows about Digimon except May's dad and Davis' mom! And at this point I wouldn't be surprised if they did, too... Still, anything was better than Henry clamping up.

Speaking of clamping up. "Hey, you doing okay?" I wondered, glancing at BlackGigimon in the passenger seat.

"Green light," he responded.

"Huh? Oh!" I began driving towards the Warehouse again. "Thanks. But, uh, what's wrong? I thought you hated moping, Mopey."

"I hate it when you mope!" BlackGigimon growled. He lowered his chin back to the seat and grew quiet. "And I'm not moping. I'm thinking."

I frowned and rolled my eyes. "Look, it's your own fault you didn't Load Krampusmon's data. Don't get in a pissy fit about it now."

His eyes shot open. "I'm not – What!?"

"I was hoping you'd Load it, too, but you thought saying something was more important," I replied simply. I frowned at the next thought to pop up. "Who knows how strong a Mega's data could have gotten you? Maybe you'd already be Ultimate."

"I'd never Load the data of a thing like that!" BlackGigimon snapped. He bounced to his feet and glared up at me. "So far, everything I've Loaded has tried to kill me because I'm a Digimon or you because I'm a Digimon. But that thing wanted to kill you because you know me. It hated you, and... I don't want data that hates you in me."

"And I want to get you to Ultimate so we can find my parents," I growled back. What about this wasn't he getting? "We agreed we'd do it no matter what, right, and this is making it take longer. What, do you think it's wrong now?"

He turned slowly away. "Wh-what? It's made you stronger every time!" I laughed incredulously. "You're being stupid."

"Has it?" he asked. He jumped and looked out of the window as we pulled up to the warehouse. "I didn't make it to Champion before Dorugamon. And we're no closer to Ultimate either. Maybe... maybe we should stop-"

I threw the car in park and glared at him. "I didn't think you'd go soft." I threw the door open. "Come on. We have stuff we need to learn."

"Taj, where were you?" May growled as me and BG walked in. She ignored our sour moods and grabbed my arm, pulling me further in. "You know, this being late thing is only funny when I'm not the one waiting on you."

"Sorry. BG and me were just having a conversation," I explained simply before shrugging past her. "Let's get this next one over with, too."

"Tasuke, as late as your father every time," Suze exclaimed when I came in, a wide grin on her face. Davis, Huckmon, and Dorimon snickered at her next statement. Even Lopmon let out a singular laugh at the memory. "He basically slept in the wedding venue to make sure he'd be on time."

Unfortunately, I wasn't in the mood. "Who's Jeri Katou?"

Suze's grin vanished. "O-oh."

"Taj!" May hissed. She slammed her elbow into my side. "Chill!"

Suze sighed and crossed her arms and the big rabbit on top of her head sighed. "Jeri is someone we knew a long time ago," Lopmon explained after a moment of silence. "Not everything is our story to tell, but... we'll tell you what we can."

"So she does know about Digimon," Davis confirmed. He placed one hand on his chin and nodded. "Sorry. Continue."

"Is she Henry's old girlfriend or something?" I asked before Suze and Lopmon could continue.

The rabbit and woman glanced at each other, then laughed. "Uh, no," Lopmon said quietly.

"She's your dad's, actually," Suze continued through her chuckling.

I palled. "Wh-what?"

"Yeah, Takato and Rika weren't exactly 'love at first sight,'" Suze explained. She shrugged. "Actually, they didn't even try dating until late into high school. Jeri was his first girlfriend."

"Uh..." I groaned, my world flipped. No wonder Henry had been so uncomfortable when I'd joked about that. "Er..."

"Jeri was a Tamer, like them. That's how we all met each other, actually," Suze began again when she'd stopped laughing at the dumb look on my face. "There were ten of us and Jeri was the... fourth."

"Or fifth, depending on how you count Ryo," Lopmon interjected.

"Ryo?" May wondered.

"He was a Tamer before even Henry or Rika got their partners," Lopmon explained. She shrugged. "And he was the only person who even got close to making Rika as mad as Takato could! Though, it was a lot less good natured so..."

"We're getting off topic," May cut in. "Jeri."

"Right!" Lopmon exclaimed. She crossed her arms and sighed. "Jeri was the only one of us to lose her partner. Permanently."

We all grew silent as that hit us. "You mean..."

"Leomon was killed by a friend, and it really hit Jeri hard." Suze glanced down, memory playing over in her mind. Finally she sighed and looked back up at us. "Last I heard, she was a child psychiatrist back in Tokyo."

"So she's one of THE Tamers," Davis said quietly, a little star struck at so many 'legends' showing up since he met me and May. "Like you, or Henry."

"Or my parents," I continued with a step forward.

Suze nodded. "Yeah."

"So she's being watched," Davis muttered quietly.

Suze bit her cheek. "Yeah. Probably by the order of the Witch in charge of HYPNOS now."

"Suzie!" Lopmon exclaimed disapprovingly.

Suzie crossed her arms and pouted like she was younger than Dan. "She is."

"Then we need to get to Ultimate and get to my parents as soon as possible," I said coldly. Everyone turned to me, surprised at the edge of my voice. I turned to stare directly into BlackGigimon's eyes. "We have to do whatever it takes, or it'll be too late."

"So much for a fun storytime," Dorimon muttered dryly. "Good job killing the mood, Dummy."

X X X

Henry and Jeri had yet to speak. Oh, they'd exchanged words, trite and pointless ones. How's the weather, how's your job, it's been so long, this is good tea. But they had yet to approach the subject of what Jeri was doing there in his home. After a while of her petting Momentai in silence, he decided that enough was enough.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, Jeri, but why are you here?" he finally asked in Japanese. He placed his cup on the table and waited expectantly for a reply.

At first, she tried the same story that he vaguely remembered Tasuke mentioned. "There is a summit of sorts for clinical psychiatrists next month. I'm presenting on my study regarding the use of virtual reality to recreate memories for children that they have twisted in their subconscious."

"A topic close to home," Henry noted. "But you're lying."

"I am not!" Jeri exclaimed. "I really am presenting next month!" Her gaze fell. "But... you are right. It isn't the reason I came to see you."

Henry snorted victoriously "You've never been a good liar, Jeri."

She glared dryly at him, then sighed and glanced away. "He looks a lot like Takato," she finally said.

Henry sighed. Fine, as long as it was a real conversation, he could wait for her true answer. "Both of them, actually," he corrected. "I got him to dye his hair for years so no one would know who he is, but you should see him without a hat on. Same bright color as Rika."

"The son of any of us... anyone would expect he'd end up with a Digimon. And the son of those two?" Jeri looked a little melancholy. "What type of Digimon does he have?"

Henry clenched his jaw and considered what he would say for a fraction of a second. He . "He doesn't," he lied evenly. He sat up straight and frowned at the ground. "The biggest thing that could connect him to Takato and Rika, and he doesn't have it. But at least that keeps him somewhat safe."

"It's important to look at the positive consequences," Jeri agreed. He wasn't sure if she bought it, but it seemed good for now.

She grew very quiet for a few moments, then sighed. "Henry, they're not doing very well."

He leaned back into his chair. "Who?"

Jeri bit her cheek, then nodded sadly. "Seiko died, not long ago. Rumiko hasn't been taking it well," she explained slowly. "She was always built for having people around. And now she has no family, what with her daughter gone and her grandson vanishing the same night."

Henry grew quiet at the mention of Rika's family. It had been a long time since he'd left. Seiko must have been around eighty, which meant Rumiko was already near sixty. The lifelong cost of losing family was hard on people; even Jeri had never quite looked as alive anymore after Leomon's death. Decades later, it was obvious the scar was still there. Losing a child must have been... "That's terrible," he finally said. He meant it. "I wish Rumiko – I wish she could come and see – Or hear from him. But..."

"It's not safe." Jeri shook her head. "Takato's parents aren't great either, but they at least have each other. They moved out to Okinawa after closing down the bakery. I hear less from them, but Kazu heads out to meet with them every so often. But they're getting old, too."

"We're getting old," Henry pointed out with a sigh. "Jeri, I wish I could take him back. You know I do. But Yamaki isn't in charge of HYPNOS anymore. She wanted Tasuke years ago. Now that he's the age he could get a Digimon? We'd never leave Japan again. I can't risk that, Jeri."

"Then I'm assuming you've gotten closer to finding a way back for Takato and Rika."

Henry's mood closed up. "I..."

"No need to lie, Henry." She reached into her purse and pulled out her Digivice, the screen sparking with static. "This has been acting up for months. What have you been doing?"

Henry's eyes widened. All of the D-Power Digivices had been acting up? "I... was able to get a message through to Takato and Rika." He stood up and gestured. "Come on." He moved towards the basement and walked down the stairs, quiet until both of them were in front of his half disassembled D-Power.

Henry moved into his seat and put on his magnifying glasses, then picked up his tools and began to spark away. "It's not perfect, and I'm still trying to figure out why it works when it works and why it doesn't when it doesn't, but... Huh. This time it did work." He leaned back as the recording screen came up.

"Guys, it's Henry. Jeri's here. You've got sixteen words." He turned to Jeri and raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"Oh, hello Takato! Rika! I... am okay. How are you? Tasuke is taller than Takato n-"

"Word limit up," Henry interjected, the screen of his Digivice shutting off and sending the message. He stared at it for a while. "The D-Power evolved, Jeri. It couldn't send messages like that, especially not across the Firewall. It spontaneously changed, and I'm just starting to understand how."

"Will they get our message?" Jeri asked, gaze locked hopefully on the mess of wires Henry's D-Power had become.

Henry took off his magnifying glasses and shrugged. "I don't know. It's worked so far, but the Digivices really only behave when they want to behave. It could send it now, in a week... never." He replaced his normal glasses on his face and turned to Jeri. "But at least it's a step forward. I'm closer than ever to getting them back."

Jeri smiled wistfully. "Then everyone can have their partners back again..." she muttered under her breath. Her face soon turned into a tight smile. "I'd be so happy for all of you."

"Leomon?"

Jeri hesitated for a moment and turned away from Henry. "... Yes."

Henry sighed. Everyone splitting up and losing their Digimon must have hit her harder than he'd assumed, and the news that everyone else might get their partners back – for a second time – but she'd be left without her own must have stung somewhat. He wasn't sure what to say to make it better, so he quieted down and turned back to the D-Power instead. "Oh!"

Jeri turned at his exclamation and watched as a holographic letter popped up on the screen. "Hey Jeri! Henry, we saw video of Tasuke. What's going on? We couldn't message his Digivice back. Why? We haven't heard from him since. Henry -"

Jeri turned to Henry. "He doesn't have a Digimon, huh?" she asked, visibly hurt by the lie.

He shut his eyes. "I don't know how much HYPNOS knows yet, Jeri." He rubbed the bridge of his nose and felt his shoulders sag.

"And you don't trust me?"

"I don't know how much they're watching you!" Henry pointed out simply. "What if – I -"

Jeri frowned. "No, I understand." She glanced away and rubbed her arm, saying, "It's obvious why you'd lie only about him."

"..."

"But Henry, and I don't mean to be mean, but... What will you do when his real parents come back?" she asked him quietly. He felt his heart skip a beat and he turned away from her. "Even if you save them, what about all the Digimon? What about the world?"

"What?" Henry wondered, flinching and surging to his feet in surprise.

Jeri gave him a dry look. "You're too smart not to think about this, Henry," she pointed out, causing him to blush angrily. "If the Firewall goes down, Digimon will bio-emerge everywhere. All over the world they will be used as weapons. Children will be used as weapons, Henry!"

Henry opened his mouth to retort, then shut it. He turned away from her and glared at the ground. Finally: "Are you saying I shouldn't save them?"

Jeri smiled sadly. "I'm saying that if you think of Tasuke like a son, think about what's best for him." She shook her head. "I want them to come back, too. I'd never say you shouldn't, especially not after coming with news about their parents. But don't hide from it, Henry. Not everything can be solved with a 'Momentai.'"

Henry wasn't sure how to respond to that. Jeri watched him for a moment, then sighed. "When did the weight of the world become so heavy?" she asked Henry.

Henry turned and stared at his D-Power, then glanced up, staring in the direction of Tasuke's room. "Kids don't believe they have anything they can actually lose. We know we have so much to lose."

Jeri stared at the ground. "Yeah. That sounds right."

X X X

"So, the kid really is the Matsukis' brat. I almost can't believe that the Doc was willing to give us that much, but lying enough to get that he's a Digidestined and more from Henry? Can't believe she's got it in her."

"I wonder what kind of Digimon we'll be facing down."

Kura turned and grinned at her partner, who sat near her shoulder in the observation room they had set up in their team's safehouse. "Nothing that can stand up to us, huh BlackGatomon?"

"But we might not even have to!"

Kura and BlackGatomon rolled their eyes. "Sure, Agumon. Because the brute Americans will just surrender and come with us. You spend too much time with Namaiki," Kura snorted with a gesture at the other woman.

"She doesn't know anything, got it?" Hiku muttered. He leaned over to his Digimon partner and glowered at Kura. "These kids can't have survived this long without being smart. And smart kids will want to avoid fighting us."

"I don't know, Hiku. Kids are notoriously headstrong," Namaiki pointed out. She leaned away from one screen and pulled her glasses back on. "And as BlackGatomon pointed out, one of them is the child of Takato and Rika Matsuki. If he inherited even a fraction of their combined stubbornness, he may be difficult to convince." Wormmon sleeping on her lap didn't wake up, but curled up tighter to avoid the loud conversations.

"Aw, come on, Nama! Be on our side!" Agumon whined. He hopped up and down. "Us Digidestined need to stick together against her!"

Namaiki shook her head. "This isn't a matter of sides, it's simple analytics. They've solved every problem that came at them using force, and children are already prone to physical outbursts. We will have to be very lucky for any of them to be in a mental space to listen, much less negotiate."

"Well, I guess then it's all up to the Commander." Hiku glanced at where their leader was sitting quietly with BlackGabumon, the two old friends enjoying each other's company while they listened to the team's discussion. "If he says it comes down to that," Hiku said quietly, "then I'll follow through. But that's no reason to be hopeful, right?"

"That's right." The Commander looked over and nodded. "We'll keep watching him, and find a way to tap him and his two friends. Wong's niece and Estevez. Given that she is close with both of them, I'd bet anything she's the third Digidestined."

"Then we'll talk with whichever one seems the calmest," BlackGabumon continued, picking up on his partner's idea. He nodded and let a goofy smile out. "They'll listen when they see this face!"

"Hmph," the Commander chuckled. He rubbed his partner's head and turned back to the others. "Kura, you and BlackGatomon will de-Digivolve and follow Estevez. Hiku and Agumon, do the same with Wong's niece. Confirm she is the third Digidestined. Namaiki, you and Wormmon will keep an eye on Matsuki. If his Digimon is anything like his parents', keep it remote or he'll find out about you. All of you... do not engage them unless they give you no choice. Otherwise, give him our invitation to a meeting and leave. Kura, are you listening?"

The woman sighed and nodded. "Fine, fine. No fighting."

The Commander smiled and rubbed the Digivice on his waist, becoming quiet and pensive. "For now, we leave Dr. Wong alone. Inform Dr. Katou that she will meet with him again." He pulled the Digivice up and stared at the blue-gray ring that surrounded the small screen of the D-Power. "He is our best chance to make sure that the Firewall doesn't fall."

X X X

May awkwardly twiddled her thumbs as she sat across from Davis, who was glancing to the side as he picked at the basket of bread the waiter had brought them. "So..."

"So..." he echoed. The two glanced at each other. "Uh, I, uh, was happy you said yes."

May smiled anxiously. "Well, why not?"

"Well, I only have three friends, and they're all people I have to work with. I'm honestly surprised I asked you since it could go so wrong," Davis explained. He pulled at the collar of his button up shirt, for once buttoned up all the way.

"Real romantic," May muttered dryly. "I guess it was only the near death experience of Krampusmon, huh?"

Davis grimaced. "I just mean... I don't want to make things awkward. Taj already threatened me months before I asked you out. And he's been... I – forget it." He didn't want to badmouth his friend – and her family – on a first date. Even if he was worried.

"You're right." May shook her head. "He's been acting... off. Did you catch how angry he and BG were with each other? And I don't even know if the Jerkmon is the problem this time."

"Maybe it's the stress," Davis said, knowing it was an excuse. "After all, Krampusmon was basically invisible before he became a Digimon. I admit, the idea that there are Digimon hiding out in our world, stalking us as humans we won't notice? I've been lucky that Huckmon is keeping an eye on everyone around us, now."

"Maybe," May muttered. She shook her head after a moment and laughed. "Okay, that's it. We shouldn't talk work on a date, right?"

Davis blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "R-right," he stuttered.

May smiled. "Where's that cool secret agent now?"

"On his first date ever," Davis admitted, causing May to freeze in surprise. "What? You think there's a lot of time to date when you're constantly fighting for your life?"

May grimaced. "Right, makes sense," she muttered. "Wow, I haven't really talked to any of my friends who don't know about this in a while. With everything going on, it kind of slips my mind." She frowned for a bit, then shook off her morose feeling. "Well, at least the company is good. A bunch of people I'd trust to fight a demon Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, so pretty rare. Especially considering two of them kidnapped me once."

"Yeah," Davis agreed. He smirked. "Huckmon isn't a bad guy. Oh, and you, I guess."

"Ha ha, Dorkmon," she said, though her eyes twinkled. "Feeling more comfortable, I guess?"

"Yeah, well... like you said. People I trust to save me from a Demon Santa are actually really easy to talk to, huh?" he echoed. He blushed at her smile. "And... thanks. It means a lot you would charge into a haunted mall to help me, no questions asked."

"Well, Taj is family and you're my friend. What else would I do?" she supplied simply. "You saved his life from that Smith woman. You're more than a friend to risk your life like that for us. Especially after we saw what it did to you." She paused and stared him in the eyes. "Are you okay?" She grabbed his hand.

"I'm not okay," he said after a few seconds. He glanced to the side and sighed. "May, there's something I have to tell you."

Her face grew worried. "Davis, what is it?"

He pulled his hand away from her. "Smith found out that... he wants to do something terrible with Tasuke and BG." He glanced around anxiously, eyes scanning different faces in what May barely recognized as an artificially casual glance. He got in very close. "The 'Boss.' He's working with Digimon that are evil, May. Given that even the nice Digimon from the old shows are pretty nasty in real life, I don't even want to know what these guys could be like. I looked up the name she gave me: Reapmon. If it's anything like the wiki says, this guy is one of the most evil Digimon out there. He works for the Demon Lord Digimon."

"So we're working for the bad guy?" May asked. She bit her lip. "But... Does that mean Taj's parents are even in the Digital World?"

"May, I don't know. But I'm starting to wonder if-"

"Don't – Don't say it," May whispered. She let go of his hand and rubbed her temples. "It would crush him if we told him what we're thinking." She stopped and looked back up at him. "So, Smith must be alive, then. After everything she told you..."

"She's alive." He slowly looked down and clasped his own hands on the table. "I've spoken to her a few times. She's agreed not to attack Taj or BG, but she's looking into getting more agents to break away. I don't know how much it will actually do, but it's better than everyone being in the dark. He can't be in control of the Digital World once the Firewall drops. All those Digimon under his control would be terrible, May."

May's eyes widened, then she paled and grew stiff. "Davis... what if he's ones like Krampusmon following us?" she wondered quietly. "What if there are more Digimon that can hide as humans, and they're being used for bigger things than mall santa? What if he's got politicians? Or people we know?"

The two settled into an uncomfortable silence. "Well... I guess a real date is going to have to wait," Davis muttered. They needed to figure this out, and it would be better to be in a quiet place for that, where it'd be easier to see who might be listening in on them. He held his hand up. "Check, please!"

"Well, at least I was having fun before we started talking about an army of conquering monsters," May replied in a weak effort at a joke. "Next time we see a movie first, KayKay? That way we have something other than this to talk about." She paused and grabbed his hand. "Thanks. It means a lot you'd tell me." She balled her other hand up and bonked his head. "Even if you should have told us sooner."

He grinned and rubbed his head sheepishly. "I won't make that mistake again. I'd like a real date next time, too."

X X X

Ha! Wild Cat and the Nervous Knight. I don't think I'd have pegged that when I met them in the Digital World way back when. She was so angsty and he was so... nervous. Actually, they're still angsty and nervous. Still, I'd never have guessed they'd wind up stuck in the Digital World for a decade. Me, though, that's less of a surprise.

What, Cyberdramon? Right! Name! I'm the Digimon King, the guy who's even better at the game than Wild Cat herself – Ryo Akiyama. Uh... no autographs. I get enough of stuff like that from Kazu and Kenta. It's gotten real annoying after a few years and I barely even hang out with the others!

Reapmon... I ran into some Digimon like him before. Back when Beelzemon was trying to kill the others, he sounded like a nicer version of Reapmon. Yeah, that should tell you what guys like that are like. Real bad news. I don't know if any of them can hide out as humans like Makuramon or Krampusmon can, but they could cause some real damage if they can.

I hope these new Digidestined are up to the task to fight guys like Digidestined are, but I won't lie... I'm worried. Except for Davis, these kids are rookies. They make Kazu and Kenta look like pros at this... and it doesn't help that they're lying to each other. With Digimon like that or the agents of this new HYPNOS after them, this could end up fatal.

Unfortunately, I don't see things going to good for them on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters!