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| .....Pokémon..... | .....Star Wars..... | .....guardians..... | .....The Site..... |
Karumon, a yellow-gold digimon with a long tail, big cat-like ears, and bright green eyes was playing with a digivice. But suddenly, the digivice floated up into the sky. Karumon knew the child who recieved the digivice would come for her soon. Very soon.
The time: the same day. The place: Tokyo, Japan.
"Hey. Do you guys want to come study at my house?" Izzy said, shutting his locker. He was a computer whiz and super studious, so he figured he could help the others some.
"We could get cheeseburgers!" Mimi said, exitedly. She liked putting something fun into every event.
"I'm all for it," Tai said. He had a tendency to leap headfirst into things, but he figured studying couldn't bite too much.
"I hope I'm not allergic to studying," Joe said. As usual, Joe found something to worry about.
"Come on, Joe. It'll be fun," Sora said. Sora was always the cheer-giver of the group, always willing to support everyone else.
"Yeah. What are friends for," Matt commented. Matt often appeared way too cool, but he still liked to hang out with the people that he had gone through so much with.
"Us too?" Kari and TK asked hopefully. Kari and TK were both considerably younger than the others, but ever since the school had gone to an integrated elementary/middle school, they had been able to hang out with their brothers.
"Of course," Izzy replied.
"Hey. Why dont we ask that new foreign exchange kid-the one from the US-to come with us," Sora said.
"Fine with me," Izzy agreed.
"Then its settled. We'll go ask her," Tai agreed. The group of eight walked over to the strange US girl. "Hey, you. Would you like to come study with us?" The girl seemed to ignore Tai. "Hey, you in the jean shorts and green t-shirt. Do you want to study with us?" The girl looked at her shirt, then at the group.
"Me? You're kidding, right? No one ever wants to do anything with me," the girl said.
"We're absolutely serious. Do you wanna come?" Joe asked.
"Really? You really want me around? Sure I'll come. Let me grab my stuff," the girl stuffed half her locker into her book bag, then followed the group out of the school. The nine kids walked down the sidewalk and took the train to Izzy's house, not too far from Hightenview Terrace.
"So, how did you end up as a foreign exchange student?" Izzy asked the girl after introductions.
"My grampa lives in Hightenview Terrace. I visited him once before, just over four years ago, and I really have wanted to come back ever since then."
"Four years ago! Did you see monsters battling one evening?" Tai asked, wondering if there were more digidestened.
"Come to think of it-" KC stopped in mid-sentence because she tripped and fell flat on her face with an "Ow!"
"Are you all right?" Cori asked.
"Yeah, I'm-" KC paused as she noticed the thing she had tripped over. She picked it up and looked at the other kids. "Its like one of those things you all have."
"Only this digivice is slightly gold-tinted," Izzy observed. "I wonder if it has some special purpose or if it even differs from ours."
"Maybe we're needed back in the digiworld," Sora said.
"But how do we get back there?" Matt wondered.
"Am I missing something?" asked KC.
"Considering there are no anomolies for us, such as wierd weather, we would need to find some other digital portal-" as Izzy said those words, KC's digivice began to glow, then created a circle of glowing energy. But rather than more of Tokyo inside the circle, there was some part of "The Digiworld!" Izzy said. "KC's digivice acts as some sort of door that can get us back to the digiworld!"
"Everyone, get your digimon and some stuff, then meet at my house in fifteen minutes," Tai said. Everyone went to their homes, except KC, who followed Tai and Cori to their apartment, because her grampa lived only a few floors from their house. Her grampa wasnt home, so she dumped her books on her bed and grabbed some stuff really quickly. "Good. Mom and Dad aren't home," Tai said, taking off his shoes as he walked into his apartment suite. Kari and KC followed suit, leaving an assortment of sneakers at the door.
"Gatomon, Agumon, come meet KC!" Kari said.
"Coming!" said Agumon, an orange dinosaur-like lizard, who was followed by Gatomon, a white cat-like digimon with a long tail and big ears.
"This is KC. She's a foreign exchange student from the US-thats across the Pacific Ocean-and she just got a digivice that can create portals to the digiworld," Tai introduced as he and Kari packed.
"Hi! I'm Agumon."
"Hello. My name is Gatomon."
"Uh, I'm KC. Nice meeting you. I think." Just then the doorbell rang and Izzy, Tentomon, Sora, and Biyomon came in.
"KC, these digimon are Biyomon,"
"Hello!" said a pink bird-like digimon next to Sora.
"And Tentomon."
"Greetings," said the insect-like digimon beside Izzy.
"And this is KC," said Tai, adressing the two digimon.
"Uh, hi." Just then everyone else arrived: Matt, Gabumon, TK, Patamon, Joe, Gomamon, Mimi, and Palmon. All the new digimon and KC introduced themselves.
"Now, I suppose it would be best if we got to the digiworld ASAP," Izzy said. Everyone put their shoes back on.
"Digital portal," said KC, holding out the goldish digivice. Once again a ring of energy showing the digiworld appeared and everyone stepped through, KC last because she was holding the digivice. As she passed through the portal, she felt a strange falling sensation even though she was only moving horizontally. Then as soon as it had begun it was over and everyone was in the digiworld.
"Unless that digivice is only a means of transportation, you will soon meet a digimon that will stick with you and protect you. Right on cue, a small, yellow gold digimon with bright green eyes hopped out of the bushes.
"Whats that?" asked Tai.
"That is Karumon," replied Tentomon.
"I've been waiting a long time for you," Karumon said to KC.
"I have the oddest feeling about you. I've never seen you before yet I feel like I've known you all my life," KC replied, sort of dazed.
"Thats sort of how I felt when I first met Agumon. Only Agumon was Koromon then," Tai said.
"How wierd," KC said. Just then, a giant dinosaur-like digimon appeared (it sort of resembled a Pteredactal).
"Who's that?" KC asked.
"That's Seymon, an evil ultamite-stage digimon. It will create a giant whirlwind, immobolizing its prey, then use electricity to fry it. In other words, we're in BIG trouble," Gomamon said.
"I'm getting outta this freaky place," yelped KC, running in the opposite directions toward a clump of bushes.
"KC wait! Not that way!" Karumon warned, right before another Seymon popped out of the bushes. Soon, the kids were surrounded by Seymon.
"I think we're in trouble," said Joe. "I just hope I dont break out in hives." Just then, a larger and shinier version of Seymon flew in and landed near the digidestined.
"I'm Metalseymon and its a pleasure to finally meet the digidestined. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to destroy you. Hahahaha." His laugh sounded more like a flock of crows than an actual laugh, and evereryone was shaking uncontrolably by the time he stopped. "Youre going first my pretty little green-eyed friends," Metalsoymon addressed KC and Karumon.
"Not if I can help it! Karumon, digivolve to Myowmon!" A glowing beam of energy came down on Karumon, and she digivolved into the in-training digimon, Myowmon.
"This is good. Myowmon is a very powerful digimon for her level and can harness fire, ice, and electricity," Agumon said.
"Ice comet," Myowmon put her paws close together, and a white ball of freezing energy formed, which she proceeded to hurl at Metalsoymon.
"Pitiful. I expected so much more from the digidestened. I suppose I should destroy you now since you obviously dont have any potential."
"Maybe its time someone else did a little digivolving," Tai said to Agumon.
"Right. Agumon, warp digivolve to . . . Wargreymon!" Agumon became a giant dinosaur with a metal skull helmet and chrome digizoid armor. "Nova force!" Wargreymon said, collecting a giant ball of energy between his hands, then hurling it at Metalsoymon.
"Much better," Metalseymon said, dodging the glowing attack. "Prehistoric tar beam," A giant river of sticky black poisonous tar landed on Wargreymon, sticking him to the ground.
"Now for you, green eyes. I hate green eyes. The last digimon to oppose me had green eyes. And they almost won. Plasma bolt!" He created a beam of superhot lightning and sent it at KC and Myowmon.
"Myowmon, digivolve to . . . Tigramon!" A much larger and sleeker digimon with blades on her wrists came from Myowmon. She then used the blades like a shield, blocking the electricity but sending her flying back into the trees.
"Come on! Tigramon and Wargreymon need our help! Biyomon, digivolve to . . . Birdramon!"
"Tentomon, digivolve to . . . Kabuterimon!"
"Gabumon, warp digivolve to . . . Metalgarurumon!" Soon a whole gang of large digimon were standing in the clearing. Tigramon had recovered, and with four quick swipes of her blades, freed Wargreymon.
"I have better things to do. I'll let my underlings amuse me by destroying you." The whole flock of Seymon came down on us, raining bolts of lightning on our digimon.
"Birdramon, digivolve to . . . Garudamon!"
"Kabuterimon, digivolve to . . . Megakabuterimon!" The two champions and two megas took care of the herd of Seymon, then returned to their in-training stage.
"Wow. So totally cool! Is this what you guys do every day?" KC asked, amazed.
"Actually, we prefer avoiding it," Joe cleared KC up.
"Hey look! Its Genni!" Sora said, pointing to the hologram of an old man. Everyone gathered round.
"Oh good. You are all back in the digiworld. I assume you remember where my house would be? I just wanted to make sure the ninth digidestined is with you. Where is he?"
"SHE's over there," said Matt, pointing to KC. Genni turned to look.
"KC!" he exclamed.
"Thats me. And who might you be?"
"I'm your grampa!"
"Grampa?!" KC said, "you look . . . different."
"In the digiworld, I look this way. Now come. My house is in the lake just through those woods," said Genni, pointing. Soon the nine kids were walking towards Gennis house and they ran into a large river with a long bridge crossing high above it.
"This is strange. I dont remember this river or this bridge being here," Sora commented.
"You forget that although it has been about three months since we were here in Earth time, in digitime it has been more like three centuries. A lot can happen in that long a period of time," Izzy explained.
"Wow. So digital time and real time dont flow at the same rate?" KC asked.
"Precisely."
"While you guys are discussing how to get old and grey, the rest of us are trying to decide whether to cross this bridge or look for a way around," Tai said.
"I think we shouldnt go across," Matt said.
"I think we shoud," Tai argued. After a vote, the kids decided they might as well cross over the bridge. Tai led the way while Matt stayed at the back of the line, trying to get as far away from Tai as he possibly could. About the time the kids reached the middle of the bridge, the wooden floor began to crack, then broke as Mimi unknowingly stepped on the weakest point, sending the digidestined hurtling to the river below.
"Gomamon, digivolve to . . . Ikkakumon!" Ikkakumon got beneath the children and softened their fall with his furry body.
"Thanks, Ikkakumon," Joe said, relieved.
"Now how do we get back up?" Sora wondered, looking at the steep cliff walls.
"Thats the least of your problems, kid," a mermaid-like digimon said, flying out of the water.
"Oh no! Thats Merwomon, a MEGA-stage digimon that controls the water element! She's very dangerous and can put both digimon and people in a sort of trance where they obey her and her only." Izzy said, looking up the info on his computer.
"Myowmon, can you do whatever you did before-did you call it digivolving-and then do what you did after that?" KC asked her digimon, still unsure of the past few events.
"Sorry, KC. I'm just too tired," Myowmon replied, stomach growling.
"Myowmon probably cant digivolve as well as the other digimon because of her lack of experience," Izzy explained.
"Dont worry. We can take care of this overblown guppy," Palmon said. "Palmon, digivolve to . . . Togemon!" Togemon and Ikkakumon then digivolved to their ultamite stages, Lillimon and Zudomon. They then launched their attacks, Ultron's Hammer and Flower Cannon, at Merwomon, but the megadigimon blocked the attacks with a wall of water that seemed to protect her of its own will.
"Pathetic fools. When Metalseymon told me the Digidestined had returned, I feared the worst. But now that I have seen you in action, I know you will be easy to defeat! Hurricane Force!" A huge wall of foaming water arced over Merwomon and rammed into Lillimon and Zudomon, sending them back into a defeated Palmon and a worn out Gomamon.
"Palmon, are you OK?" Mimi said, rushing over to her best friend.
"I think so."
"I knew something bad would happen. I just knew it," Joe said.
"If we cant beat them, maybe we can-" KC started, but was cut short by Tai and Matts strong response to never joining the enemy. "outrun them." KC finished before they could object more.
"Sounds like a plan to me. Tentomon, perhaps you can be some assistance in getting us out of here." Izzy said.
"Right." Tentomon digivolved to Kabuterimon, then left an angry Merwomon behind as the nine children and the eight other digmon rode off to safety.
About half an hour later, the digidestined were walking through a path in patch of woods once again towards Genni's house. They seemed to be making good time, when KC tripped over a root.
"Do you ever stop tripping over things?" Tai asked.
"I'm thirteen. Im s'posed to stupid and clumsy things. But usually I limit it to one thing a day."
"Tell me about it," Joe said. The slightly older boy looked at the green eyed girl.
"Well, we need to keep moving, so lets not do any more," Tai said.
"Yeah." KC agreed, but only about thirty seconds later, she tripped again.
"KC," Tai said, frustrated.
"I'm sorry. Its like these roots are just springing out of the ground," KC pointed, then starte to turn as she said "I didnt even see the one back there . . ." KC stopped suddenly.
"Whats wrong?" Sora asked.
"The root . . . Its gone!"
"Are you sure you arent just looking at the wrong place?" Joe wondered.
"No, it was definately there. In fact, I dont see any tree roots at all back there," KC turned to look bach at the others, but as she did, she got a glimpse of her feet. "And this one is gone too!" KC shrieked in horror. "I dont know what sort of spooky forest this is, but I really want out of it." KC started to run, but didnt get anywhere.
"Did you see that? The ground right under her feet moved!" Tai said.
"I dont think this is any normal forest," Matt said as both he and Tai took a step closer to their younger siblings. Suddenly a loud roar was heard.
"I know that roar! Could there be another Skullgreymon?" Tai shook with fear as he remembered when he had forced Agumon to digivolve into that hideous beast.
"No. I am Metalskullgreymon," A deep, rumbling voice that made the whole earth shake said. "I am the ruler of all the land. You will be annyhalated." Metalskullgreymon said as he came into view. He was a hideous version of his former self, the decaying bones had been mostly replaced with seraded chrome digizoid armor, which was flecked with a dark crimson color that one could only assume the worst about.
"Oh no! Metalskullgreymon is big trouble! He can control the ground and every non living thing in it!" Gomamon exclaimed.
"Maybe its time for some more running," KC suggested.
"I'm definately with you on that one," Joe said. Once again the group tried to run, but the ground moved under their feet. Then, tree roots sprang up from every direction and wrapped around the digidestined and their digimon.
"I assume Metalseymon and Merwomon couldnt handle you. Master will be so pleased when I defeat you," Metalskullgreymon roared in triumph.
"Think again, you overstuffed bag of bones. Lightning claw!" Gatomon broke the roots surrounding herself and Kari, but more roots wrapped around them, choking the entire group.
"Cant . . . breathe! Help . . . My . . . ow . . . mon," KC said, gasping.
"Ive got to help KC, but Im so tired. Its like these roots are sucking up all our energy. But I have to digivolve I have to save the digidestined . . . Myowmon thought. Just then, KC reached her gloved fingers out and touched Solarmon's paw, as to ensure the digimon that everything would be all right, and then KC fainted. "KC!" Myowmon called, her fatigue suddenly dissapearing. "Myowmon, digivolve to . . . Tigramon!" Tigramon broke the roots surrounding the entire group.
"Biyomon, digivolve to . . . Birdramon! Come on, Tigramon, lets go!" While half the group jumped onto Birdramons talons, the other half helped the mostly concious KC onto Tigramons back. Biyomon then took off, and Tigramon followed, arms stretched out.
"You cant do this!" Metalskullgreymon cried, while more roots thrashed up, trying to catch the fleeting digimon.
"How is Tigramon flying?" Kari asked Izzy.
"It appears she is using the blades on her wrists as some sort of glider," Izzy replied.
"You did it, Tigramon. You digivolved," KC whispered. Tigramon just smiled.
The digidestined managed to reach Genni's house without any more trouble, thanks to Birdramon and Tigramon. "I'm glad you all made it here," Genni said as the kids walked into his yard. Everyone then went inside to talk more. "Have you met all of the New Masters?" Genni asked.
"You mean Metalseymon, Merwomon, and Metalskullgreymon?" Tai inquired.
"Mmm. I guess you have not met who they call 'Master.' Perhaps that is for the better," Genni assumed.
"That depends. Just exactly who is this master?"
"Even I do not know. But I have heard a rumor that is the digivolved form of Devimon."
"When we first met him, Devimon was a sizeable challenge. But now our digimon are much stronger. I wonder if we will be able to defeat him as easily as a mega versus a rookie," Izzy speculated.
"I have heard very terrible things about this new digimon, so do not underestimate him," Genni warned Izzy, paying no attention to KC or Joe as KC slipped away, followed a little later by Joe.
"Whats wrong, KC?" Joe asked, upon finding the newest digidestined staring out a large window.
"Its . . . nothing," KC hesitated before answering.
"You can tell me," Joe said. His crest was reliability, and he demonstrated that trait well. KC just looked out the window. "I guess I'll go back to everyone else if you dont want to talk about it," Joe said after a few minutes of silence.
"No, wait," KC stopped Joe just as he started to stand up. "Its . . . everything."
"Can you be a little more specific?"
"When I first started school as a foreign student, I felt so left out. You guys were the first people to even notice me, I mean other than teachers and stuff. Then, I become part of your world in only a matter of minutes. I have been whisked away from everything I know into a world where all these things I dont even understand are trying to kill me just because of the color of my eyes. And then I find out that my Grampa, one of the people closest to me, has been lying and keeping secrets about most of his life from me. In other worlds, I'm friendless in a strange world," KC spilled it out.
"Hey. I promise you that you'll never be friendless. See, you already have one," Joe said.
"Promise?"
"I promise. Forever."
"Thanks, Joe," KC said to her new friend.
"Now you have three," Gomamon said as he and Myowmon entered the room.
"See, as long as you have one friend, your friends will just keep multiplying," Myowmon said. KC just smiled, her wet eyes shimmering.
"You guys are the best."
Genni was talking to Izzy when Matt noticed KC and Joe re-enter the room. That girl is so strange. I dont trust her, Matt thought.
"Matt, is everything OK?" Gabumon asked quietly.
"Huh, oh yeah," Matt whispered back.
"I want you all to be very careful. Metalseymon, Merwomon, and Metalskullgreymon are very powerful and very dangerous," Genni adressed the group. "KC, you must be wondering why the other digimon can digivolve to their ultamite and mega levels while Myowmon cant."
"Huh? Oh, yeah."
"All the other kids have tags and crests. The crests all represent the strongest quality of each digidestined. Each time the owner of a crest shows that quality, their digimon will be able to digivolve to the ultamite and champion level for a time. I have your tag here, but you must find your own crest," Genni explained, handing the tag to KC. "Tai has the crest of courage, while Matt's crest is frendship, Joe's is reliability, Izzy's is knowledge, Mimi's is sencerity, Kari's is light, TK's is hope, and Sora's is love."
"Whats mine?" KC was genuinely interested.
"I do not know everything. Now it is getting late, so go get some sleep."
It must have been past midnight when Izzy woke up to the sound of voices.
"I'm still so scared. And confused," Izzy heard KC say quietly.
"I watched all the others for some time before I first spoke to them on File Island. They were confused and scared as well." Genni tried to cheer her up.
"I figured they probably were. But its so much harder for me now that I know more about you. You kept so much of you a secret for so long. Why?"
"I did not know you were a digidestined, and I didnt want you to think I was insane, and I did not want to hurt you. I loved you KC, and you were not ready then. I still love you now that you are ready." Genni responded. Izzy thought of his parents, and the secret that they had kept so long from him. They had not wanted him to know he was adopted because they did not think he was ready before and they were afraid it would break his heart. Perhaps they had more in common than he thought. I think she will fit in with the rest of us quite nicely, Izzy thought, then silently promised to himself to be a friend to KC even when the others werent.
Even though she was one of the youngest in the group, Kari was up before most everyone else the next morning. She and Gatomon went to the kitchen to see what all the good smells coming from it were. As she entered, KC turned to see who was coming in.
"Hi, Kari. Did I wake you up?"
"Oh, no. I like getting up early. What smells so yummy?"
"I'm making pancakes. Hey, Myowmon, have you found those eggs yet?" The latter she addressed to the yellowish figure digging through the fridge. Just then Myowmon stepped out with a carton of eggs. She headed toward KC, but slipped on the tile floor and spilled half a dozen eggs on her head. "I prefer the whole ones," KC laughed, grabbing the last three eggs right before they hit Solarmon's head.
"You guys are so funny!" Kari giggled as Myowmon went off to wash up.
"Hey, you havent seen anything yet," KC said, juggling the eggs for Kari, sending the younger girl into even more fits of laughter. KC then appeared to swallow the three eggs, but showed Kari that they were in her hand. "Tadah!"
"Thats amazing! How did you do it?"
"Tsk tsk! A magician never reveals her secrets," KC laughed, putting the yolks and whites of the egg into the batter and the shells into the garbage disposal. Half an hour later, Kari and the rest of the gang were enjoying some of the best pancakes they had ever tasted.
KC's so funny, thought Kari. "Can we be friends?" Kari asked KC.
"You betcha. Hey, whats that behind your ear?" KC asked, then reached behind Kari's ear and produced a quarter.
"Wow. Thats so cool."
"Keep it," KC said, giving the quarter to Kari. "That way you can remember that we'll always be friends," KC said, seriously.
"Thanks," Kari said, then finished the rest of her pancakes.
Tai watched as Kari and KC laughed and played. I wonder what Kari sees in her, Tai thought. He had noticed how much nicer Joe was being to her, and how Izzy seemed to have found some respect for her.
"Hey, Tai. Are you going to eat the rest of those?" Agumon brought Tai back to reality.
"Huh? Oh, go right ahead." Tai had already eaten more than his fill of the pancakes because KC had made more than enough for everyone, even the digimon. Agumon chomped down on his third serving of pancakes, while Tai began to wonder what to do about the New Masters. Soon after, the children left Genni's house.
"Tai, what are we going to do about all of the evil digimon?" KC asked.
"I say we go and teach them all a lesson."
"And I say we dont. We've been in too many fights and you know as well as I do that someone just winds up getting hurt," Matt argued.
"Look, I'm sorry I asked," KC apologized. She was shy and hated causing trouble, so she was feeling pretty bad about Matt and Tai.
"You shouldnt be sorry you brought it up. We need to discuss what we're going to do," Joe was supporting KC again. "But we shouldn't argue about it," he said, stepping between Tai and Matt.
"Why dont we make it a vote," Kari suggested.
"Thats the only fair and reasonable way to do it," Izzy agreed. "Everyone in favor of fighting the new masters say 'I,' all opposed say 'no.'"
Seven 'I's and one 'no' rang out.
"KC, why didnt you vote?" Matt asked.
"I guess I really dont feel like I should. I mean, after all, you guys are the experts on digimon and stuff," KC explained.
"That may be so, but we're all in this together, OK KC," Tai explained. "Whatever effects one of us effects the whole group."
"I dont think it would have mattered whether or not I voted, seeing as how overwhelming the 'I's were," KC admitted.
"Where do we start?" asked Sora.
"Maybe we need to go back to infinity mountain where it all began," Tai said, his eyes looking far into the distance, as if remembering something from long ago.
"That would definately be a good place to start," Izzy commented, also looking far away.
"Do we have to go back there?" TK asked.
"I'm afraid so, TK," Sora said.
"I'm missing something again, aren't I?" KC asked. Everyone ignored her.
"But how will we get there, with Whaymon gone and all. Our digimon are definately not strong enough to get us all the way across," Joe pointed out.
"We could build a boat," KC suggested.
"The last time we did that we were not exactly succesfull," Joe told her.
"Maybe we should cross that bridge when we get to it," KC said, wincing at the reminder of the past few events.
"Since we seem to be clueless right now, that seemes like an acceptable plan," Izzy speculated.
"Good. Lets go," Tai said. The nine kids walked toward the shore of the continent of Server.
The time: that evening. The place: Metalskullgreymon's not-so-secret hideout.
"You will go and capture the green eyed girl and take her too your mansion. Convince her to become in league with you at all costs, then bring her to me," Metalskullgreymon ordered a digimon, concealed in shadow.
"Yes, my lord," a strangely monotonous voice replied.
Back to the digidestined . . . After a long day's walk, they set up camp. The kids then set up a watch schedule. About 2 in the morning, Matt woke up Tai because it was Tai's turn to take a watch. Agumon and Tai got up and sat by the fire. Only a few minutes later Tai dozed off again, and a little later Agumon. Only a few minutes after the duo had entered REM sleep, KC woke up.
"KC, are you all right?" Myowmon asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Go on back to sleep," KC said, getting up to stretch her legs. She walked to the edge of the forest, then looked up at the stars, trying unsuccesfully to find any familiar constelations. "Mmm . . . I so wish I was back home," KC mosaned, looking up at the bright balls of plasma so far away.
"I may not be able to get you back home, but I do know where your crest is," the same strange slightly monotonous voice that had spoken to Metalskullgreymon said.
"Huh? Who are you?" KC asked, nervously.
"Dont be afraid of me. I'm Marionetmon and I can help you get your crest if you come with me."
"Do you promise not to hurt me?" KC asked.
"Sure," Marionetmon said.
"Uh, okay," KC was very trusting.
"This way," Marionetmon led KC into a part of the forest in the opposite direction of the others.
"KC! KC!" seventeen voices rang out through the early morning silence.
"Tai, how could you be so stupid as to fall asleep and let her get dragged off by who knows what!" Matt accused.
"Chill, fellas. KC just went off to stretch her legs, and I didnt hear any screaming or anything, so maybe she just got lost," Myowmon suggested.
"Yeah, knowing that she's lost in a forest full of digimon wanting to kill her makes me feel so much better," Matt said, sarcastically.
"Matt," Kari groaned.
"Look, blaming each other for KC's actions wont get us anywhere," Izzy tried to end the fight.
"Izzy's right. Lets split up into groups and look for her," Joe suggested.
"Ok, Kari, Sora, and Izzy, you guys come with me. Everyone else is with Matt," Tai said. Myowmon followed Joe and Gomamon. "Meet here in one hour." Everyone checked their digivices for the current time. Then the kids went in two opposite directions, however neither group was going the right way.
"So this is where you live. Nice place," KC commented about Marionetmon's masion that looked sort of like a face.
"Come on inside," Marionetmon showed KC his house.
"Do you really live here all by yourself?" KC asked.
"Mmm hmm," Marionetmon replied, which sounded wierd in his slightly monotonous voice.
"Dont you have any friends that you could invite over?" Marionetmon winced at the word friend.
"Well . . ."
"You dont have any friends. Thats awful," KC remembered when she first came to Japan. "Hey, you can be my friend. So tell me what do you like to do?" KC opened up Marionetmon like a can of tuna.
After an hour, the eight original digidestined met.
"I didn't find KC anywhere," Tai admitted.
"See, now she's really lost," Matt yelled.
"What he means is we didn't find her anywhere either," Joe explained. Suddenly a fiersome roar was heard by all.
"Its metalskullgreymon!" The kids and digimon all yelled at once.
"Dont worry, your friend is nice and not so safe in my perfectly set trap," Metalskullgreymon roared.
"Trap! Oh no! You better tell us where she is!" Tai demanded.
"Hahahaha. How touching. You care for her, dont you." Tai blushed. "Good. She's with your good friend Marionetmon, although you may know him better as Puppetmon, and I've given him orders to destroy her if necessary."
"You wouldn't!" Matt yelled.
"They dont call me bad for nothing, you know," Metalskullgreymon laughed.
In Marionetmon's mansion KC and Marionetmon heared a hideous roar from far away.
"Oh no! Metalskullgreymon has found the others," KC paniced.
"Follow me," Marionetmon led KC out of the door in a slightly different direction.
"Where are we going?"
"To get your crest." Marionetmon replied. A few minutes later the duo reached a rock wall with a strange symbol on it. Suddenly, KC's tag and the symbol both started glowing a golden color and the crest slipped into the tag.
"Come on!" Marionetmon said. They reached the others and already a battle had begun with Wargreymon and Metalgarurumon taking on the much larger Metalskullgreymon.
"KC!" The other kids and the digimon said, glad to see her.
"I'm back and better than ever! Myowmon, do your stuff!" KC said.
"all right! Myowmon, digivolve to . . . Tigramon! Artic blades!" Tigramon took two quick swipes at Metalskullgreymon, one missed and completely froze a hundred-foot-tall tree, the other Metalskullgreymon just brushed off.
"Marionetmon, you fool! How could you let that girl get her crest! Now you'll pay!" Metalskullgreymon had his mind on getting Marionetmon and nothing else.
"KC, run!" Marionetmon said, for the first time his voice sounding more alive.
"Now way. I got you into this mess, I'm going to get you out somehow. No matter what the cost," KC vowed. Her crest then started to glow the same intense gold color as it had when she first got it.
(digivolving scene!) Digivice shakes, then turns gold and sends a beam of light through the crest, and the symbol comes out and flies through a golden cloud. The symbol reaches the end of the cloud then explodes into a very long strand of DNA at the end of which is Tigramon. "Tigramon, digivolve to . . ." The blades fall off her wrists and transform into two long golden swords. She lifts up the two swords and sparkles go down her arms and she becomes covered with gold and white gold armor. "Samuraimon!" (end digivolving scene!)
"Wow! Tigramon digivolved!" KC said.
"Thats Samuraimon, an Ultamite digimon that is as powerful as any Mega! She can controll any element using her two powerful swords. Her armor is Chrome Digigold, which is only slightly less powerful than Chrome Digizoid," Izzy analyzed.
"Thank you, KC. You helped me digivolve, too," said the newly digivolved Puppetmon, his strange monotounous voice suddenly very life-like.
"Come on, guys, lets get this dino," said Wargreymon. "Nova Force!"
"Wolf Claw!"
"Wing Blade!"
"Flower Cannon!"
"Horn Buster!"
"Celestial Arrow!"
"Hand of Fate!"
"Ultron's Hammer!"
"Thunder Blades!"
"Puppet Pummel!" The combined attacks of three Megas, six Ultamites, and one very powerful Champion deleted Metaskullgreymon.
"KC, move aside so we can get to Puppetmon!" Tai said after the dust had cleared.
"I'm not moving anywhere. Puppetmon is my friend," KC argued. Tai and Matt sort of looked confused by this statement.
"What Tai didnt tell you is that Puppetmon tried to destroy us back when he was a dark master," Matt said.
"That was three digital centuries ago! Besides, you already deleted him once!"
"She has a point."
"Let me tell you a story. One of the reasons I moved to Japan was violence in school. Bullies would pick on kids, and then no one wanted to be that bully's friends. The bullies were depressed, so they took it out on the other kids. Sometimes, the Bullies would get so depressed and unliked, that they would . . . they'd . . . kill . . . themselves . . . and sometimes . . . other . . . kids, too," KC was crying.
"I never thought of it that way," Tai admitted, ashamed. "Ok, Puppetmon, lets put everything in the past," Tai held out his hand.
"Uhm, well, OK," Puppetmon shook Tai's hand.
The time: the same. The place: where the darkness never ends.
"So, the digidestined have defeated Metalskullgreymon. He was pitiful anyway. They will never defeat me . . ."
Back to the digidestined.
"Huh? Hey, guys. look at this!" While Tai and Puppetmon had been making peace, a strange thing had happened on the site of Metalskullgreymon's demise.
"Hmmm. It looks like some sort of portal!" Izzy said of the strange watery effect in the air.
"Look! A tag!" KC said, pointing to the object laying on the ground nearby.
"Hey, look! There's a person on the other side of the portal. But this portal is so blurry I cant tell who it is," Tai said.
"Hmmm," said KC, sticking her hand up to the portal. The person on the other side of the portal jumped, and so did KC. Then, the person stuck his hand through the portal. The person was so startled that he tried to pull his hand back, but it was stuck. He then tried to use his other hand to pull the first out, but it became stuck too.
"Perhaps this portal is only one way," Izzy said. Just then, the portal started to shrink around the edges. The person must have seen this, because he just gave up and jumped through.
"Wow. What a wierd place," said the boy.
"Sami!" KC and Matt both said, shocked, at the same time.
"Hey, cuzez!" Sami said, trying to act totally cool.
"Cousins! You mean, I'm related to her!" Matt shrieked.
"Hey, not even close. I'm a cuz to all of you, but you two arent related to KC at all," Sami explaned to KC, Matt, and TK.
"Hey, do you have a digivice?" Izzy asked, changing the subject.
"You mean, one of these thingies?" Sami asked, holding out his slightly silver digivice.
"Yup."
"Oh, before I forget, this is Tai, Koromon, Kari, Gatomon, Izzy, Tentomon, Sora, Biyomon, Mimi, Palmon, Joe, Gomamon, Tsunomon, Patamon, and Karumon," Matt said, going around in a circle. "Oh, yeah. And thats Puppetmon. And this is your tag." KC handed Sami the tag she had picked up.
"Yeah, pleased to meet you aaaaah!" Sami screamed, noticing the digimon for the first time. "Aaaaah! Attack of the killer mutants!" Sami started to run away, but was stopped when another digimon popped out of the bushes. "Aaaah! I'm surrounded! And theyve turned all of you guys into zombies!" Sami was really starting to panic.
"Relax. These guys wont hurt you. Or at least most of them wont," Tai said, glancing at Puppetmon and the new digimon.
"Youre funny," said the new digimon. "I'm Tanemon, and I'm your digimon," said Tanemon, leaping on Sammi and knocking him over. Sami just continued to scream.
"Kid, take a breath!" KC said.
"Eee-huhhh eeee-huhhh," Sami panted.
"Quietly," Matt groaned.
"Huh? Look! The forest is starting to turn black!" Izzy said, abruptly changing the subject once again.
"Lets get outta here!" Sora yelled above the rumbling forest. The ten kids and ten digimon ran as fast as they could out of the forest.
"Look!" KC said as they reached the edge of the forest. The forest was completely gone, and had been replaced by nothing. Literally. There was no forest, no ground, not even any light. It was just a black void.
"That is so wierd," said Sami.
"Now I suppose we really do have to get to Infinity Mountain - it may be the only piece of land left if this destruction keeps up," Izzy said, pointing to the now dissapearing ground outside of the forest.
"Look! Sailboats!" TK said, pointing to the five small boats on the shore.
"Come on!" Tai shouted. Kari and Tai grabbed the first one; while TK and Matt took the second; Mimi and Sora the third; Izzy and Sami the fourth; and Joe, KC, and Puppetmon the fifth. Everyone but Kari had learned how to sail in a sailboat at summer camp (KC and Sami had been there, too) so they pushed off then jumped on just as the last bit of land disappeared.
"Its so, different," KC said, pointing to all the lakes and rivers that now flowed on absolutely nothing.
Tai thought they had been making slow progress towards File Island. They had already been out to sea for a day, and they could still see lakes and rivers of Server. "Why cant we go any faster than this?" he said for about the seventh time that hour.
"Because the wind stopped blowing," Kari pointed out.
"I still think all of this is totally weird," said Sami. The group had managed to stay together so far.
"Wierd or not, we still have to save the world," Joe was so serious. Suddenly, the wind picked up and the digidestined started to fly over the water. "Gomamon, help!" Joe said as he slid off the back of the boat.
"Gomamon, digivolve to . . . Ikkakumon!" said Gomamon/Ikkakumon as he jumped in the water.
"Joe!" KC shouted, jumping in after Ikkakumon. But Joe had already slipped underwater and disappeared. "He's gone!" KC said, eyes wet, although it was impossible to tell if it was from the water or tears. "He's gone," she said again, quietly.
"I dont see him anywhere," said Ikkakumon, surfacing. "He's not down there."
"Joe . . . no," KC said in little more than a whisper.
"Come on! Everyone that can swim better be looking for Joe." Seven kids jumped in the water.
"Matt, please find Joe," TK said, still sitting on a sailboat. "He's my friend."
"Huh, oh, yeah, TK. I'll find him," Matt said, thinking about TK's words. The kids and Ikkakumon dove down in pairs, searching for Joe. After a half hour of searching, the digimon told the kids to stop.
"KC, you're exhausted. Take a break," Myowmon said to the sopping wet girl hanging on to the edge of the sailboat.
"Kari, you cant do any more good in the water," Gatomon pulled her friend up.
"They're right. We have to stop before we wear ourselves out," Matt said.
"But we have to find Joe!" Tai said.
"Tai, get a grip. If we keep searching so strenuously, Joe may not be the only one lost in the deep blue sea," Izzy said.
"Uhh, I guess you're right. But we still need to find Joe,"
"We will find him. But it may not be now or here. We're destined to be together," Kari said, suddenly older than her years.
"Kari's right. We cant do everything now. Some things take time," Matt agreed.
"Yeah," Tai agreed, a cold wind sending shivers up his spine. "It's getting late. And cold. We'll tie the boats together again and then we'll start searching again in the morning." The kids lowered the sails, then used the rope from the sails to tie the boats together. KC took the first watch. About half an hour later, when everyone else was asleep, a hand grabbed KC.
"This is boring! I thought being your friend would be a lot more fun," Puppetmon glared at KC. "I wanna play," he growled with childlike intentions and masterlike power. "NOW!"
"NO. Puppetmon, listen to me. We have to find Joe before we can play," KC said, stubbornly.
"I thought this would be fun! Its not! Its totally boring!" Puppetmon jumped up.
"We have to find Joe first," KC said, grabbing Puppetmon by his suspenders.
"But I dont want to!" Puppetmon said, hitting KC with his hammer.
"Ow!" KC yelped, dropping Puppetmon. Puppetmon then punched KC, and KC punched him back. The digimon and girl grabbed each others necks and started rolling around. Then they rolled right off the boat.
"Help, KC, I cant swim!" Puppetmon said, splashing around in the water.
"KC, whats wrong with you. I thought Puppetmon was your friend," said Sami, who had woken up because of the clatter. KC, who had been glaring at Puppetmon, now looked away, afraid to meet his eyes.
"He's right KC. Whats wrong with you?" Myowmon asked, helping Gomamon and Tanemon pull Puppetmon out of the water.
"Joe. Joe promised to be my friend. He was the first person to ever tell that to me ever since I moved to Japan. He was almost the first person to even notice me," KC admitted.
"Oh, yuck, KC. I hate it when girls get so emotional," Sami groaned.
"Oh, yeah, well c'mere!" KC said, grabbing her cousin and splashing him with water. The two cousins splashed in the water for quite some time, managing to get Puppetmon once or twice. Puppetmon enjoyed watching their water battle.
"Lighten up, KC. Things will turn out OK," Sami said, revealing his sensitive side.
"You're right," KC smiled.
"Hey, just dont tell anyone about this," Sami said, regaining his outer cool.
"I know. You wouldn't want to ruin your reputation," KC said, getting laughs from all the onlookers. She then Woke up Tai for his watch turn, then climbed back onto her sailboat.
After five days of sailing, the digidestined finally began to see File Island, but they still had not found Joe.
"Look! The land on File Island is still there!" Izzy said
"How wierd," Sammy commented. The newly digivolved Canimon agreed.
"Huh? Look!" Matt said as the water around their boats began to swirl.
"Oh no! Merwomon's back!" Tai said, pointing to the figure rising out of the water.
"I would have the pleasure of destroying you myself, but I'd rather let you get destroyed by an old friend of yours. Meet Sorcerermon, the digivolved form of Wizardmon!" Merwomon said, parting the water to reveal a white-skinned digimon with pointed ears and green eyes wearing a cloak and pointed hat and purple tunic.
"Its nice to see you again, Gatomon. To bad this time will be the last! Hahahaha!" Sorcerermon laughed. "Magical destroyer!" Sorcerermon pointed his sun staff, which started to glow white, then hurled a twisting beam of energy at Gatomon.
"Gatomon, digivolve to . . . Angewomon!" Angewomon blocked the beam. "Celestial Healing," she said, and pointed a beam of energy at Sorcerermon, ending Merwomon's control over him.
"I am so sorry, Angewomon," Sorcerermon said to his old friend. "Here, Sami. This is your crest," Sorcerermon held out a crest which floated into Sami's tag.
"OK, gang! Lets take out this oversized tuna," Tai said.
"Agumon, warp digivolve to . . . WarGreymon!"
"Gabumon, warp digivolve to . . . MetalGarurumon!"
"Canimon, digivolve to . . . Lupimon!"
"Myowmon, digivolve to . . . Tigramon!"
"Biyomon, digivolve to . . . Birdramon!"
"Tentomon, digivolve to . . . Kabuterimon!"
"Patamon, digivolve to . . . Angemon!"
"Palmon, digivolve to . . . Togemon!"
"Birdramon, digivolve to . . . Garudamon!"
"Kabuterimon, digivolve to . . . MegaKabuterimon!"
"Togemon, digivolve to . . . Lillymon!"
"You better stop before you hurt your friend," Merwomon said, revealing Joe.
"Joe!" The kids and digimon all yelled at the same time.
"Gomamon, digivolve," Joe said in a strange voice.
"Right. Gomamon, digivolve to . . . Ikkakumon! Ikkakumon digivolve to . . . huh? I cant digivolve."
"Ikkakumon, digivolve," Joe said, his eyes blazing.
"But Joe, I cant digivolve any further!"
"DIGIVOLVE!" Joe screamed.
"Ikkakumon, digivolve to . . . DarkZudomon!"
"Oh no! It digivolved into an evil digimon!" Tai said.
"Now, attack the other digidestined's digimon," Joe instructed.
"Yes," DarkZudomon growled. "Dark Hammer!"
"Look out!" Garudamon said, jumping in front of the kids. DarkZudomon's attack was so powerful she dedigivolved back into Yokomon.
"Yokomon, are you all right?" Sora yelled, grabbing her digital friend.
"Yeah, Sora. I'm OK." Yokomon said. "OK, guys, get that big bully!"
"Wait," Kari said in her suddenly mature voice. "Perhaps to defeat DarkZudomon, we must start at the source of the darkness."
"The source . . ." Tai started.
"JOE!" The kids all yelled at once.
"Joe, you have to stop before someone gets hurt," Sora pleaded.
"Hurting someone was precisely my intention," Joe said.
"Joe! You promised to be my friend!" KC started.
"And friends dont hurt one another," Matt finished.
"Joe, how can you possibly think of hurting us after all we've been through together," Mimi said.
"Joe, you're my friend too," TK said.
"Joe, you have to stop," Izzy said.
"I may not have known you very long, but I do know that if all three of my cousins believe in you, you must be a good guy," Sami said.
"Joe, please stop hurting our digimon," Kari said, once agian young.
"Joe, we all believe in you," Tai said.
"DONT LISTEN TO THEM! ITS ALL A TRICK!" Merwomon screamed. But his friendship with the others had awakened him from Merwomons power.
"Guys, I'm sorry," he began.
"It's OK. We know Merwomon was using you," Kari said.
"Yeah, we can always count on Joe!" Tai joked.
"Now lets get that tuna!" Joe yelled to Gomamon, who had de-digivolved when Merwomon had lost her power over Joe.
"I feel the Power! Gomamon, warp digivolve to . . . MarineAngemon!" A cute pink digimon appeared where Gomamon had been.
"Prodigious! Gomamon warp digivolved!" Izzy said, looking up the information for MarineAngemon on his computer. "Thats MarineAngemon, a Mega digimon. His attacks are Oceans Love and Smiling Face.
"I understand. I understand why Gomamon could digivolve to MarineAngemon. Joe's reliability overpowered Merwomon's power. I understand!" Sami yelled, causing his crest of understanding to glow.
(digivolving scene!)Sami's digivice begins to shake, then turns bluish-silver and sends a beam of light through the crest. The symbol is pushed out of the crest and flies through a bluish-silver cloud. The symbol clears the cloud, then explodes into a long strand of DNA, at the end of which is Lupimon. "Lupimon, digivolve to . . ." Lupimon begins to glow a bright white color with only his bluish-green eyes showing, then grows taller and sleeker, becoming the alpha wolf of all wolves, "Alphalupimon!" (end digivolving scene!)
"Alphalupimon! My king!" Metalgarurumon said, for it was bred into all digimon wolves the respect of the pack to Alphalupimon.
"Come, Metalgarurumon, let us destroy this evil digimon!" said Alphalupimon. "Howl of the wolf clan!" Metalgarurumon and Alphalupimon began to howl, and suddenly a whole pack of phantom-like wolves attacked Merwomon.
"Wolves wont stop me," Merwomon said, a wall of water rising up before her. But water doesnt protect one from the most efficient pack hunters of all time. The phantom wolves rammed into Merwomon, weakining her considerably.
"All right, then, lets show this digimon why she shouldn't mess with us!" MarineAngemon said.
"Wolf claw!" Metalgarurumon sent his icy beam at Merwomon.
"Artic demise!" Metalgarurumon's attack was joined by Alphalupimon's own icy one. The ice froze Merwomon solid.
"Ocean's Love!"
"Horn Buster!"
"Celestial Arrow!"
"Hand of Fate!"
"Flower Cannon!
"Nova force!" Wargreymon and the others finished Merwomon off.
"Look! Another portal!" Izzy said, just as the ground began to rumble. Just then a white gloved hand stuck itself through.
"Grab it and lets get outta here!" Tai screamed over the roar of the ocean. Izzy and Joe pulled the boy through, while Kari grabbed the crest.
"OK you guys, freeze some of the water and we'll get outta here," Matt said to the two digiwolves. Soon everyone was riding on the back of one of the digimon to File Island. Upon reaching the shore, the digimon returned to their in-training or rookie forms.
"Uh, thanks for saving me, you guys," the new digidestined said to the others.
"No prob. You got a digivive?" Sami tried to act really cool.
"Ya mean, this thing?" the new guy asked, holding out a slightly green digivice.
"Mmm hmm," KC responded. Then she introduced everyone (including Wizardmon, who had just dedigivolved, and Puppetmon.) "And you are . . ."
"Oh, I'm Ray."
"And I'm Fusemon," said a bright yellow digimon with ears sort of like a bunny's.
"Oh, cool. Its another one of those thingies," Ray said, his reaction completely different from Sami's and KC's.
"Mmm huh. I'm your digimon," Fusemon said.
"Thats cool." Ray seemed to take the whole thing in stride.
"Hey, we better get to Infinity mountain before too long," Tai said, urging everyone to keep moving.
"He's right," Izzy said. The eleven kids set off towards Infinity mountain.
Where the darkness never ends.
"Hmm, they are stronger than I first imagined. Of no matter, I will destroy them all. Hahahaha!" The shadow said.
Back to the digidestined.
"I'm hungry," complained Mimi.
"Me too," TK agreed.
"Tai, I dont think we'll get much farther tonight. We should probably stop and rest for a while," Sora said.
"Well, OK," Tai relented. Everyone then set to work getting firewood and food, and after a while everyone had a full stomach. The food caused the in-training digimon to digivolve. A little later, Ray went off to be by himself for a while. Not long after, Tai joined him.
"Hmm, oh, hi, Tai," Ray said, turning to see who was coming up behind him.
"Whatcha doing?" Tai had taken an immediate intrest in Ray, which was unusual for him.
"I'm thinking about this place. I mean, its so dark. It just feels so wrong."
"I know what you mean," Tai said. The two guys just talked for a while, telling each other about their fears and hopes.
"I know I've only been here for less than a day, but I really want to go home," Ray said, fingering some dirt on a tree stump. Suddenly, his tag and the symbol he had uncovered on the stump began to glow, and Ray's crest slipped into his tag.
"Wow! Thats the crest of truth!" Tai said.
"Hey, are you guys alive out there?" the duo heard KC call to them.
"Yeah. Maybe we should go back," Ray suggested. The two headed back to the dim glow of the fire that lit up the camp area. The others were telling spooky stories.
"And then, the group heard hoofbeats, drawing closer, closer, closer. then all of the sudden the ghost and his horse jumped out of the bushes, and grabbed one of the kids, who was never heard from again. The next night, the rider returned, and wit the fire in his eyes, he lept out of the bushes . . ." Tai and Ray chose this moment to jump out of the bushes and interrupt Matt's story.
"YAAAAAAH! Ghost!" screamed Sami, jumping easily 4 feet into the air. The group burst out laughing. "Hey, I was just trying to provide ample sound effects," Sami tried to cover his slip.
"Yeah, sure. Whatever," said KC, winking at her cousin.
"I think its time for bed," Sora said, looking at the stary sky.
"She's right. After their battle with Merwomon, our digimon are exhausted," Izzy said, pointing to the sleeping digimon.
"OK. Matt, you take first watch, I'll take second, Izzy takes third, Joe will take fourth, and Ray fifth," Tai said, laying the night into hour and a half watches.
"Fine with me," Ray said, plopping down on the ground. Soon snores surrounded Matt and Tsunomon.
"Matt," a voice said behind him.
"Huh, oh, its just you, Sami," Matt said.
"Well, duh its me," Sami replied in his usual too-cool voice.
"Cuz, you know you dont have to do that to me. I know what a softie you are," Matt said.
"Unfortrnately, you do," Sami moaned.
"So what are you doing besides giving people heart attacks at this hour?"
"Hey, Matt, you know I always wanted to be just like you, so tough and cool. But suddenly, you are so different. You dont go around looking for fights anymore. How come you changed so much?" Sami asked.
"Well, I . . ." Matt started, thinking about everything he had been through in the digital world. He remembered how protective he had been when they first arrived, and how he had realized how much he needed his friends at Veggiemon's diner. He also remembered how TK had grown up so much, and how he had felt like a fifth wheel. But the memory that stood out strongest is what he realized in the dark cave of his heart. "I realized that its OK to cry sometimes, and I learned just how much I need my friends," Matt explained. "But dont go telling everyone that."
"Oooh," Sami said, although he still wondered. He used to want to be exactly like Matt, but he had seen how much Matt had changed, and he was afraid to face the same changes.
"You go to sleep, now, OK, kid? I have a feeling its going to be a tough day, tommorow." Sami went back to his bed, but he was still unsure as to what Matt had said ment.
OK to cry? I never heard of Matt crying. He's never cried . . . has he? The Matt I knew would never cry. He was the strongest, toughest guy out there. Guys like him never cry. He's so . . . different. I'm so confused. I wanted to be just like him. Sami drifted off to sleep while thoughts raged in his head. As he did, his dreams continued the assaltment of thoughts. He dreamed of his past, of Matt . . .
He was walking to school. He always went this way, through the back alleys, but today he knew something was different. The change drifted in the air. He jumped over the fence, then ran down the alley.
"Lookie lookie. If it isnt Mr. Baby," Soukiro said as the bully and his gang blocked his path.
"Who are you calling Baby," he said, dropping his backpack and putting up his fists the way he had seen Matt do so many times.
"Oooh, little boy thinks he can fight us just like his big cousing Matt. How cute. Teach him a lesson he wont forget, guys." Suddenly, he was gripped by a pair of strong hands, and one kid punched him in the eye, while another grabbed his backpack. Someone then kicked him, and he fell to the ground.
"Come on, guys. This pipsqueak isnt worth our time. Scram, kid. You'll never be strong like your cuz," Soukiro said, grabbing the backpack and leading the others away.
"Sami, Sami, wake up! You were having a nightmare!" Hands shook the whimpering boy from his dream.
"KC?" he said as his blurry vision cleared.
"Hey, it'll be OK. Do you want to tell me about it?" KC said. She had always been extra-nice to her Japaneese cousin.
"I'd rather not," Sami admitted. "Did anyone else see me?" He asked, suddenly regaining his coolness.
"Other than sleepy Joe over there, I'd say no," KC gestured to the exhausted figure sitting by the fire with his ever-faithful compainion, Gomamon.
"You wont tell, will you?" Sami said hopefully.
"You know me, kid. Not unless its a matter of life or death will your secret ever slip from my lips," KC grinned at her cousin. "Now go back to sleep. I have to make sure everyones OK while Joe gets his sleep," KC said.
"Arent you just going to wake him up?"
"Why? Am I doing a bad job?" KC responded, and Sami knew it was useless to argue with her, so he let the crackling of the fire soothe him back to sleep.
Oh, Sami. You always keep things so bottled up. Just like Matt. Just like . . . just like me, KC thought.
"Is Sami OK?" Gomamon asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.
"Yeah, he's fine. But you better not tell, either," KC said, respecting her cousin's whishes. The rest of the night she spent awake, watching the others drift in and out of sleep. Even though she loved all-nighters, her eyelids were drooping by the time the sky turned grey. About an hour later, she felt someone shaking her.
"KC, KC, wake up. Its time to get up," Tai said. "Did you stay awake all night or something?" He asked unknowingly.
"Something like that" KC admitted.
"Woah. You didnt have to do that,"
"Its OK. I just had a bad case of insomnia," KC said, covering the fact that everyone else was asleep the whole night.
"Oh, well, I hope you aren't too tired to eat breakfast, because Matts already got some fish going."
"Yum. Lets go sail and eat fish, then when we get to land, we can eat some more fish. Then, when everything else is gone, we can eat more fish," KC groaned. She was not a big fish person.
"Well, at least its not broccoli," Izzy said.
"Whats wrong with broccoli?" Sora yelled.
"Nothing," Izzy said, putting up his hands as if gesturing that he was unarmed.
"I like cauliflower better. With butter on it," KC admitted.
"Green beans are good," TK said.
"I'm not a veggie person," Sami said.
"I like carrots," Joe said. "Nice and plain carrots."
"Mmmm . . . I like corn on the cob!" Said Mimi.
"Mashed Potatoes are good," commented Kari.
"What do you like, Matt?"
"Asparagus," Matt said.
"Asparagus? Eeew!" KC said.
"Whats a spare agus?" Gabumon asked.
"Asparagus. Its a vegetable," Matt explained. Soon the kids were having a great time joking about their favorite - and least favorite - veggies.
"Guys, look!" Ray said, pointing to the sun that had risen to nearly the top of its arc.