Chapter 3: Let’s Hope You Can Handle It

 

          Swiftly, the icy blazing unicorn galloped over the barren plains of the digiworld. As soon as the cave was within walking distance, the magnificent creature stopped running. His riders got off, and he turned back into Lamatomon.

 

            “We’re home!” screamed Lectromon dashing into the cave. Coro shrugged, and everyone followed her. Inside, the cave was dimly lit be holes in the ceiling through which water dripped making small basins in the smooth rock floor.

 

            “Hello?” called Coro stepping inside.

 

            “Anybody home?” asked Lizzie.

 

            “Tai! Sora!” came two screams from deeper inside the cave. Twin rockets hurdled each of them to the floor.

 

            “Quantomon!” yelled Coro desperately punching buttons on his digivice. It beeped in protest and shut off.

 

            “Oh Tai! It’s been so long!” yelled the orange creature that was perched on Coro’s stomach.

 

            “You came back Sora!” shrieked the pink thing pinning Lizzie to the ground. She sounded like she was going to cry out of joy.

           

“But I’m not Sora! That’s my mother’s name!” protested Lizzie.

 

“Yeah! And why are you calling me my dad’s name?” asked Coro squinting to get a good look at the creature on his chest. It looked kind of like a tyrannosaurus.

 

“Your….your parents?” gasped the T. Rex going completely limp.

 

“You just sounded so much like them,” moaned the pink parrot thing bursting into tears.

 

“Ahem,” Penquimon began headless to the new digimons’ state of depression, “These are the new digidestined: Rab, Jess, Dema, Tim, Coro, and Lizzie. Guys, these are the old digidestined digimon, Biyomon, Agumon, Patamon, Gomamon, Palmon, Gabumon, Tentomon, and Gatomon”

 

By squinting the children could make out the shapes of other digimon huddled in the corner of the cave.

 

“Um, hi” grunted Coro struggling under the weight of the near cationic Agumon, “A little help Quantomon?”

 

Gently, Emulnomon and Quantomon helped Biyomon and Agumon to their feet.

 

“She…..sounded….just like…Sora!” bawled Biyomon.

 

“Aaarg!” screamed Coro pulling at his hair, “I know you guys are really upset for some reason, and I’m sorry, but how do you digimon all seem to know my parents?!”

 

            “And what did you mean “Old digidestined digimon” chimed in Lizzie.

 

            “AND WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING HERE!!!!” shouted Rab for perhaps the hundredth time.

 

            “Will you be quiet?” snapped a husky voice belonging to one of the digimon, “You are giving me such a digi-headache”

 

            “I’ll explain it to them. You can rest Gabumon,” announced white digimon resembling a cat, “I’m Gatomon”

 

            The little digimon had that same weary sad look about her that all of the new digimon possessed. Her whiskers drooped, the colors on her gloves looked muted. There was no mistaking this creature for the warrior that she was though. Not after seeing the fierce flame that burned behind the fatigue in their eyes. Those same blue beautiful eyes surveyed the group of humans and digimon hopefully.

 

            “Surely you don’t think that you’re the first humans to come to the digiworld,” Gatomon said stretching luxuriously.

 

            “Yeah. I guess so,” admitted Tim shrugging his shoulders.

 

            “Well you’re wrong,” Gatomon smiled slyly. “Your parents,” she said stabbing a claw at Lizzie and Coro, “Were part of the original 8 digidestined when they were younger along with Mimi, Joe, Izzy, T.K., Matt, and Kari”

 

            “Do you mean our Aunt Kari?” asked Lizzie, “And didn’t Uncle Takeru used to be called T.K. when he was little?”

 

            “Didn’t Uncle Takeru mention that he had a brother named Matt once?” asked Coro.

 

            “T.K. married Kari!” squealed a little hamster thing with bat wing ears. It blushed a little looking embarrassed, “I’m Patamon. I was T.K.’s digimon”

 

            “I suppose your relatives are the same people,” said Gatomon looking a little annoyed at the interruption, “Anyway, these digidestined children fell into the digiworld, much the way you did, and they met us, their digimon. Actually, Kari, my digidestined, arrived a little late, but that’s not important right now. Together, this group of humans and digimon learned to work as a team to defeat the evil digimon that had over run the digiworld. Their digimon digivolved as the children’s’ characters became stronger, and they finally rid the digiworld of the evil digimon for good. But then the kids had to go back to their own world. We digimon didn’t belong there. We had to remain in the digiworld. None of us have seen our digidestined since” Gatomon flinched and looked away, too proud to have the others see her cry. Fortunately, Palmon carried on for her, even though she was also on the verge of tears as well.

 

            “They were our best friends,” she said sadly, “They’ve been gone so long! When you guys came we thought that you were our digidestined come back!”

 

            “Oh you poor things!” wailed Jess throwing her arms around Palmon, “How did you even know that your digidestined were still alive?”

 

            “We know that they are alive,” explained Gomamon who resembled a cute little walrus, “We are so connected to them that if they died we’d just cease to exist!”

 

            Dema looked a little pale, “Does that mean if we… we…”

 

            “Die?” prompted Rab.

 

            “We fade out,” Kappymon said as though this was no big deal.

 

            “You STILL haven’t told us why we’re here! What is it, some kind of a big secret or something?” Rab said impatiently.

 

            “Maybe if they didn’t keep getting interrupted they would tell you” Penquimon replied.

 

            “Obviously it is because there is a new evil threatening the Digiworld,” said a large bug with a nasal voice, “We believe that this new danger is some sort of computer virus. The way that it operates is rather peculiar. It, for lack of a better term, eats pieces of the digiworld for substance to convert into evil digital monsters. To get energy for the monsters it eats good digimon” Tentomon’s antenna twitched wildly as he said this, and it was clear how disturbing he found this.

 

            “What you have to do,” said Gabumon, “Is fight these virus monsters so their energy and matter can someday be salvaged back into what it used to be, find your crests so your digimon can reach their ultimate forms, and discover the source of the virus so you can stop it from being produced,”

 

            All the digidestined stared and blinked at the digimon.

 

            “Can I speak for all of us when I say “oh my gosh!” Tim breathed.

 

            “Ooooo! Oooo!” exclaimed Jess waving her hand in the air, “Can I ask a few questions?”

 

            “Yeah,” said Patamon.

 

            “What’s a crest? How come you can’t tell where the virus is coming from? How big is this digiworld anyway? Whatever happened to that Gennai guy told you to do all this?” Jess said all in one breath.

 

            “A crest is kind of like a special stone that allows your digimon to reach ultimate level if you experience its character trait. They fit inside your tags that we will give you in a minute. Your digivices will help you find them. We can’t tell where the virus is coming from because it seeps up from fissures in the ground. That’s what causes all of the earthquakes. We think it travels through the soil. We don’t really know how big the digiworld is. It seems to be constantly expanding. Gennai was the old digidestined’s mentor. A while ago he gave us these eggs and tags with special instructions, which we are carrying out even now. We haven’t seen him since,” said Patamon also in one breath.

 

            “Uh, thanks,” said Jess looking impressed.

 

            “You guys have to go now,” said Gabumon, “The sooner the better. Your crests are just as susceptible to being destroyed by the virus as the rest of the digiworld”

 

            “Here are your tags,” said Tentomon approaching with an open box full of them clasped in his pinchers, “Put them on”

 

            “I’m not wearing any dorky necklace!” exclaimed Rab indignantly.

 

            “Yes you are, growled Penquimon menacingly leveling his horns at Rab. Rab glowered fiercely at the group, but he put on the tag.

 

            The team’s leaving was interrupted by a loud grumble from Coro’s stomach. “Heh, heh,” he giggled in embarrassment, “We haven’t eaten since we first got here”

 

            “There’s stores of food in the back of the cave,” Gatomon, who had regained some composure, said shaking her head.

 

            “Thanks!” yelled Coro dashing to the food and eagerly stuffing his face. The others, being famished, followed him.

 

            “Oh!” Jess cried a piece of fruit halfway to her mouth, “What about you digimon”

 

            “Oh us? We’ll be fine,” Gatomon said quietly. Jess could tell by the way she was looking away that she way lying.

 

            “We don’t need to eat all of this food,” said Lizzie looking doubtfully at the dwindling supplies and elbowing her brother who hadn’t paused to breath since he began eating.

 

            “Ooof. Uh. Yeah,” he muttered staring hungrily at the coconut in his hands.

 

            “Really,” said Gabumon gritting his large teeth, “You need the strength. If your digimon get hungry they can’t digivolve”

 

            “We could dedigivolve so we don’t need as much energy” suggested Palmon.

 

            “That was going to be our last resort!” gasped Biyomon.

 

            “Well look at us!” snapped Gatomon, “We don’t have a choice”

 

            With eight little sighs the digimon shivered and changed into their weaker forms

 

            “Please, leave now,” said a little pink head that used to be Agumon.

 

            “All right,” Coro said with a final guilty glance at the pathetic little digimon in the corner, “Lets go find those crests”

 

*   *   *

 

            “Tai! Sora!” cried Kari opening the door to her apartment, “We’re so glad you came, even with all this confusion about a computer virus”

 

            Tai shot Sora a questioning look, “Not now,” she hissed under her breath. Snorting impatiently, Tai allowed himself to be escorted into his sisters dining room.

 

            “Hey Matt,” said Tai noticing the tall figure already seated at the dinner table, “Long time no see”

 

            Matt glanced up and nodded in acknowledgement. Sora smiled inwardly. That was Matt all right, as talkative as ever. Kari grinned brilliantly as she set a tray of little Cornish hens on the table, and Takeru poured glasses of whine.

 

            “I’m lucky, these hens came out of the oven right before it stopped working,” Kari chatted. When dinner was all set out she and Takeru stood up at the head of the table.

            “I suppose you are wondering what we wanted you all here tonight for,” began Takeru squeezing his wife’s hand, “You see, our parents were out of town, so we had to call them, but at least we wanted to tell you in person because you’re our only other real family so…”

 

            “Spit it out already,” said Matt poking at a hen with his fork.

 

            “We’re going to have a baby,” announced Kari. For a moment everything was still. Matt stopped, with his fork halfway to his mouth, and dropped it with a clatter. That noise set the room suddenly awash with activity. Tai was shaking hands and congratulating the blushing Takeru. Sora hugged Kari, and they began chatting about the details of a baby shower, names, and how far along she was. Matt looked at T.K., no Takeru, in a very different light. His sweet little baby brother was going to have a baby of his own?

 

*   *   *

 

            “We don’t even know if we’re going the right way, we’ll probably never get home, and who cares about this stupid digiwhatever anyway?!!!” shouted Rab stomping his foot. It had been several days since the kids had set out from the cave. No crests had been found. There was little food. Sleep was on hard ground. Feet were sore, and tempers were high.

 

            “But Rab,” said Lizzie calmly, “If we don’t save this world we’ll never get home! And all this is probably screwing up the computers in our world too”

 

            “I don’t care! I never asked to come on this $#%&in adventure!” yelled Rab angrily.

 

            “Don’t you even care about those poor digimon back at that cave? They’re counting on us to save their world!” cried Jess righteously.

 

            “Not really,” snorted Rab.

 

            “Ya know what Rab? No one asked you to be part of our team either!” Coro shouted shoving Rab back roughly.

 

            “Oh yeah?” sneered Rab tackling Coro.

 

            “Stop it! Oh please stop it!!” shrieked Dema in horror as the boys tousled on the ground.

 

            “Guys,” said Tim attempting to pull them apart, “Maybe if you just took some deep breaths and”

 

            “SHUT UP!” yelled Coro and Rab in unison.

 

            Suddenly the ground lurched wildly. Everyone was thrown into the air in shambles. When they landed they found themselves on either side of a huge rift in the ground from which a wall of fire was emitting. It stretched as far up and as far in either direction as the eye could see. Quantomon pulled the dazed Coro away from the intense heat, and he saw Rab ignoring Kappymon who was trying to help him get up, and Penquimon bent over Dema who seemed to be unconscious on the ground beside him. From the other side of the firewall he heard a faint moan.

 

            “Is any one else getting tired of those earthquakes?” called Tim’s sarcastic voice.

 

            “Tim!” called Coro cupping his hands around his mouth so he could be heard over the roar of the flame, “Are you all right? Is anyone else with you?” Tensely, he waited for the response.

 

            “Yeah!” came Tim’s reply, “I’m a little bruised, but fine. Lizzie, Emulnomon, Jess,  Lamatomon, and Lectromon are over here with me. Are the others with you?”

 

            “Uh huh! But Dema fainted or got knocked out or something. Any bright ideas on what to do now?”

 

            There was a pause. “This rift has to end somewhere,” came Lizzie’s voice, “Let’s just walk on either side of it until we meet up again”

 

            “Well, there is a rock wall a little ways up on this side that we’ll have to go around. I can’t tell how far it goes though. We’ll try to get back to the fire wall once we clear it”

 

            “Ok,” Lizzie agreed, “We’re going to start walking. Good luck,”

 

            “Good luck,” replied Coro walking over to see that Rab had laid Dema on her back. A quickly developing purple lump was forming on her forehead, but he could clearly see that she was still breathing.

 

            “She’s out cold,” Penquimon said, “We’ll have to stay here for the night”

 

            Kappymon touched Dema’s arm with her antenna in deep concern, “Will she be all right Coro? That’s one big bump on her forehead”

 

            “I hope she’s all right,” said Coro wishing he had taken first aid training like his mom had wanted him to.

 

            “Let’s hope she didn’t break her leg or get a concussion or something,” said Rab drawing up some dead leaves from the sparse trees in the rocky mountainous area to make a bed out of. Coro carefully dragged Dema behind a large rock so she wouldn’t roll into the firewall in the night and settled down to watch over her.

 

*   *   *

 

            Dema awoke with a start. She opened her eyes to see absolutely nothing. For an instant of terror she thought that she had gone blind, but as her eyes adjusted she realized that it was just nighttime. Why was she here sleeping by herself? Well, not exactly by herself, Kappymon was asleep on the ground beside her. Dema strained to remember what had happened. Everyone was arguing and… suddenly she realized that her head was throbbing. Upon exploration she found a tender lump. She was trying to stop Coro and Rab from fighting…. Had they knocked her out because she was getting on their nerves? Would she stay out here until she starved to death? Faced with these circumstances Dema did what any sensible little girl would do. She burst into tears, grabbed the still sleeping Kappymon, and dashed off onto the rocky path.

 

            “Where are Dema and Kappymon?” asked Coro, Rab, and their digimon as they  simultaneously walked into the clearing from three different directions.

 

            “I woke you guys up so you could watch her while I scouted out the best route for us to travel tomorrow!” cried Coro.

 

            “I had to take a leak okay!” snapped Rab, “The digimon were suppose to be keeping an eye on her” The two humans turned to glare at their digimon.

 

            “We got hungry,” Quantomon said sheepishly swallowing a mouthful of leaves. Then Coro and Rab's digivices began to beep. Coro took his out and saw a glowing dot heading away from him in the direction of a nearby trail.

 

            “Maybe this thing is tracking Dema” he said hopefully. With a shrug Rab and the digimon followed him up the trail.

 

*   *   *

Weeping and screaming for the others to come back and not leave her behind Dema bolted down the winding mountain trail. Twice she fell unable to see the sharp rocks and tree roots blocking the path in front of her feet. She got up again ignoring her scraped and bruised knees. By this time, Kappymon had woken up and was begging Dema to stop and listen to her, but the hysterical little girl was beyond hearing a voice of reason.

 

“I hate to do this,” thought Kappymon. “Silk spin!” she cried gasping for breath because Dema was squeezing her so tightly. Immediately the girl was tangled in pale green strands of silk. She tripped and fell to the ground with a sharp little cry.

 

“Now,” said Kappymon crawling out of Dema’s clutching hands, “You need to calm down or I will leave you here. I mean it!”

 

            Dema forced herself to take a deep breath, but the effects were short lived as a large hideous black bird with tiny beady eyes and four wings flew down at her head cackling evilly. Kappymon forcibly shoved Dema out of the way, and the filthy ravenish thing came to a jarring stop on the ground.

 

“A little girl like you shouldn’t be out here all alone,” she cawed hobbling towards the wide eyed and tied up Dema.

 

            “I’ve got news for you! She’s not alone,” shrieked Kappymon as she began to glow, “Kappymon digivolve to…..Flutterbemon!!”

            Kappymon became a huge butterfly with wings the color of a flaming sunset, a fuzzy orangeish red body, and many brightly colored antenna.

 

            “Night Sweep,” cackled the blackbird launching a nebulous black blob at Flutterbemon. The beautiful insect simply flapped her glorious wings, sending the back blob hurtling back at the monster on a current of wind. With an angry squawk she jumped aside, but not without getting a few of her grody feathers singed. Furiously she flew into the air, barreling toward Flutterbemon.

 

            “Flutter Flash!” Dema’s digimon cried, her wings glowing an even brighter blazing hue. As she clapped them together the glowing energy condensed into one shining ball that spiraled out and hit the raven head on. With a final raucous cry, the evil bird was no more. Sighing in relief, Flutterbemon flew down and dedigivolved so she could cut Dema loose with her stinger.

 

            “Oh Kappymon,” cried Dema throwing her arms around the digimon, “I’m so sorry I panicked like that. No wonder they left me behind” Kappymon looked tenderly at the frail disheveled child.

 

            “They didn’t leave you behind Dema” she said reassuringly, “Rab and Coro were staying with you all night. I’m sure that they just left for a minute and that’s when you woke up. We’ll find all of them in the morning” Dema sniffed and wiped her eyes. For the first time she felt the pain of the numerous bruises and cuts that covered her small body. But her complete and utter exhaustion won over that pain, and she fell into a troubled sleep.