Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ The Silver Egg ❯ The Way To Use a Digivice ( Chapter 2 )

Despite hopes to the contrary, the rain did not improve. It grew steadily worse, from a light mist to a heavy, soaking downpour, each raindrop hitting the skin like a slap. The children shuffled along dejectedly. Those who were lucky enough to have hats pulled their headgear down tightly. The rest trotted along with their heads hung, as if that would keep the water from reaching them so quickly. More than one person shivered in the chill and damp. The Digimon followed their companions determinedly, though they were clearly not enjoying the deluge any more than their partners were. Determined, Tai continued leading the team along, his goggles pressed over his eyes to keep out the rain.

"I've got rust in my ears!" Kapurimon complained, switching his tail unhappily. He had long since given up the fight to keep his fluffy fur dry, and the appendage hung limp and dripping.

"I'm sorry, but there's not much I can do about it," Jim replied, attempting to wipe away some of the water with the hem of his sodden shirt. "All of us are wet."

"I don't like this rain. My feathers are all stuck together," said Biyomon plaintively.

"You think you don't like it? You're not the only one who can't fly right now," said Tentomon. "I'm not used to having to walk everywhere!"

"Cats don't like water," Gatomon wailed.

"All this cold water isn't good for me," Palmon added. "I'm going to get root rot!"

Patamon said nothing, as he was busy attempting to burrow into TK's backpack. Gabumon was bravely silent, pulling his fur closer around him and trying not to shiver. Agumon sneezed, eradicating a small portion of the nearby plantlife in a steaming fireball. The explosion caught Tai's attention, and he turned around. He was met by seventeen pairs of pleading eyes.

"All right," he sighed. "Sounds like we all need a break. We'll find some shelter and camp out until the rain passes over... Um, does anyone see any shelter?"

"I'll find some!" Gomamon volunteered. Of all the members of the group, he was the one least bothered by the inclement weather. "You all wait right here, and I'll be back before you know it."

"I guess we can wait here," said Matt. "After all, it's not like we can get any wetter."

"This won't take long," the little seal promised, and he darted away to leap into the nearby stream. They got a brief glimpse of his pale form sculling along close to the surface, and then he disappeared beneath the agitated waters.

However, he was not lost from the sight of all eyes. Beneath the water, something saw a shadow pass above it, and it moved cautiously closer to take a look. Yes, it was as he thought - the enemy Digimon had chanced to come into his water! Grinning eagerly, the water beast swam away to inform his master.

The oceans were ruled by the great golden dragon, MetalSeadramon. He rested near the ocean floor, a coiled streak of shimmering metal amid the blue-black darkness of the water. While Piedmon ruled in his palace at the pinnacle of Spiral Mountain, Puppetmon presided over his manor house, and the late lamented MachineDramon had held sway over his iron cities, MetalSeadramon kept no fixed address. He owned the entire ocean, and he made sure his influence was felt in every part of it, sweeping it from end to end whenever it suited him. For now, though, he lay at the bottom of a deep crevasse, waiting.

Eventually, he caught sight of a moving dark shape, and he raised his head with interest as he recognized it as one of his Divermon follwers. The creatures weren't much good as fighters, but they made reasonable information gatherers. He had dispatched a small fleet of them as soon as he'd received his orders from Piedmon, hoping that at least one of them would be able to track down his quarry. Judging by the way this one was grinning, he suspected this one had been successful.

"My lord Metal Seadramon!" the Divermon greeted, as soon as it came in range. "I've got some good news for you! I found the Digidestined!"

"What took you so long?" MetalSeadramon demanded. "I sent you out looking for them yesterday!"

"Well, it's a big ocean out there," said the Divermon. "We had to do a lot of looking to cover all of it."

"Did you really?" asked MetalSeadramon, dripping sarcasm. "And did you happen to find the Digidestined in the oceans?"

"Well, no, actually I saw them by the river."

"Of course you did! That's because they don't swim underwater, they walk on land!" MetalSeadramon roared. "You've been wasting your time! I ought to have you filleted and cooked in butter!"

The Divermon cringed. "Well, I did find them..."

"Well, where were they?"

"I told you - by the river."

MetalSeadramon made a swift movement, cracking his long tail like a whip. The double steel tips hit the Divermon sharply and sent him spinning head over flippers, until his trajectory was finally stopped by a large rock. He rested there as if he had been glued to it, upside down and somewhat dazed.

"What'd I do?" he asked.

"You were hatched. Next time I ask you a question, try using your brain, if you have one," MetalSeadramon replied. "Now, here's one more chance: which river?"

"Oh, um... the one that begins at Mystery Falls," the Divermon answered. "They're trying to get out of the rain, I think. They'll head for the catacombs."

"Perfect!" Seadramon crowed. "I know those caves like the back of my flipper. I'll send some Crabmon along to separate them, and once they're hopelessly lost, I can hunt them down one by one."

"Aren't you going to fight them yourself?" the Divermon inquired.

"What? And get rebooted like MachineDramon did? You must think I'm as stupid as you are," MetalSeadramon replied. "No. I'm being careful. If I mess this up, Piedmon will never let me hear the end of it. Now, you get out of here. Round up the Crabmon, if you can find them without getting lost."

"Right away!" the Divermon replied. It saluted, still upside down, and then peeled itself off the rock face to go in search of its master's soldiers.

As for MetalSeadramon, he uncoiled himself and swam away, a long golden comet racing towards the Mystery Falls.

"I found it!"

The team of wet and dejected Digidestined were called to alertness again by an exuberant cry. They looked up from where they rested to see a polkadotted water mammal racing toward them as fast as his flippers could move. He was grinning hugely, clearly pleased with himself.

"What did you find?" Joe asked Gomamon.

"A cave!" Gomamon replied. "A great big one! I don't know how far it goes back, but it looks like it has more than enough room for all of us."

"Great!" said Tai. "I'm about ready to get out of this rain."

They hurriedly followed after their guide, their pace swift now that they had a set destination in mind and the incentive of possibly getting dry sometime soon. They scampered along the riverbank, slogging through half-seen puddles where the river had overflowed and tripping on the smooth stones that threatened to turn their ankles. Soon they became aware of a distant rumbling sound that separated itself from the softer rush of rain. At last, they rounded a bend in the river and found themselves staring up at a thirty-foot high wall of silver-white water.

"This is where we're supposed to get dry?" asked Mimi dubiously. "I don't get it."

"The cave is behind the waterfall," Gomamon replied. "You have to go through the water to get to it."

"Great. More water. Just what we needed," said Matt.

"You can dry off on the other side," said Sora. "Come on, Biyomon."

The two of them ducked through the spill of water with a splash. Gomamon bounced in after them.

"Hey, wait for me!" Joe shouted. Getting no response, he jumped through after his companion.

"Well, if Joe can do it..." Matt said, and he and Gabumon followed suit. Pair by pair, the other Digidestined followed along behind them.

Inside the cave, it was dark and damp, but not nearly as much of either as they had feared. At least the dampness confined itself to a light mist that sprayed anyone who stood too close to the mouth of the cave, and not a steady downpour like there was outside. They were interested to see that the river didn't begin at the base of the waterfall, but seemed to be augmented by an underground stream that flowed out of the cave. They even managed to find some driftwood, possibly cast there during a flood or left by some nesting animal, and the combined efforts of Agumon and Gabumon, they managed to get a cheerful blaze going. Everyone gathered close to the fire, kicking off damp socks and shoes and preening their wet hair, fur, or feathers in an effort to hurry the drying process along.

"This is a lot better than being outside," Tai admitted. "Good work, Gomamon."

"Aw, it was nothing," the little seal answered modestly.

Joe was paying no attention to what his friends were doing. He stared off into the blackest parts of the cavern, still and tense.

"Gomamon, how far back did you explore this place?" he asked.

"Not far," Gomamon admitted. "How far back was I supposed to?"

"I don't know. I just don't like not knowing where this cave ends," said Joe. "And it's too dark down there. If anything started trying to creep up on us, we wouldn't see it until it was already on top of us."

"You mean you wouldn't see it," Gatomon corrected. "Us cats can see in the dark a lot better than humans, you know."

"But still not in complete darkness," said Jim. "Joe's right - it's just not safe to spend too much time in a place like this unless we're sure we know what's down there. Sometimes caverns like this can branch off for miles! Anything could be hiding down there."

"He's got a valid point," Izzy replied. "Maybe we ought to explore this place a little more thoroughly before we decide to stay for an extended period of time."

"I'm cool with that," answered Tai, who was warming his toes by the fire. "There's nothing better to do around here, anyway."

"All right, then," Matt replied, scooping up a burning branch from the fire. "It won't hurt to look around a bit... and maybe by the time we're done, it will have stopped raining."

A few other members of the team also collected the longer branches from the fire, plus a few spares in case their torches burned down. Huddling close together, they began their exploration.

The first few meters of the cave were disappointingly dull, being nothing more than a crack in the side of a large hill, showing them lots of smooth grey stone and dark water and not much else. However, it gradually began sloping more deeply into the earth, and the temperature became colder. It wasn't long before they couldn't even see the end of the tunnel anymore. The sound of the waterfall went from a thundering rush to a low growl, then to a vibration beneath their feet, and then died out altogether, and still the cavern went on. At last, they came to a place where the narrow crack they'd been following widened into a huge open space. The walls, what could be seen of them, were pale shimmering white instead of the grey stone they'd seen before, and icy-looking stalactites dangled above their heads. Stretching out as far as they could see before them was an expanse of water, smooth as a mirror except where the water flowed into it from the waterfall far away. The meager light from their torches wasn't enough to let them see the far end of the room, but there did seem to be something like a pebbly beach surrounding it.

"Ooh, pretty!" exclaimed Mimi, admiring the crystal water and shimmering stone formations.

"We've found an underwater lake," said Izzy. "I'd theorize a geological upheaval caused a resettling of the mountain we just passed through and opened a chasm. These caves have probably been here long before it was."

"Interesting," said Jim. "I'll keep it in mind."

The Digimon weren't as interested in admiring the scenery. They were milling around the edge of the lake, sniffing and pawing at the water and muttering amongst themselves.

"I don't like this lake," Gomamon opined. "Something about it smells wrong."

"I don't see why it should have anything wrong with it," said Matt. "It's the same water that was outside, isn't it?"

"I don't know if it's the water, exactly," Gabumon answered his partner, "but something's definitely not right about it."

"There are other Digimon around here somewhere," said Kapurimon. "One of them smells familiar."

"Well, I guess we've found the end of the tunnel," said Tai, "and we haven't found anything more dangerous than a big puddle. I say we go back to where we came from and-"

At that moment, there was a loud bubbling noise from somewhere in the darkness of the lake. Then, with a huge splash, the gleaming head of MetalSeadramon rose up and roared. Kids and Digimon alike scrambled away from the water's edge. Matt, startled, dropped the torch he'd been carrying, and it went out with a hiss into the lake.

"So, we meet again, Digidestined!" MetalSeadramon chuckled. "You might have gotten away from me once, but now you're in my element, and you won't get away so easily!"

"We'll see about that!" Tai replied. "You don't have your buddies to back you up this time, and we have a new member to help us!"

"I heard about that," MetalSeadramon chuckled. He glared at Kapurimon, grinning wickedly. "Yeah, Piedmon knows all about you, you little runt. Everything. Sooner or later, he'll be coming to get you, too, and you're not going to get away, either."

"Go sit on a sea urchin!" Kapurimon shouted back. He punctuated that remark by puffing a stream of pink bubbles at the dragon, but they hit the sharp edges of MetalSeadramon's helmet and popped harmlessly.

"That's real cute," MetalSeadramon sneered. "An In-Training Digimon wants to fight a Mega! Don't make me laugh. You wouldn't have a chance against me unless you were a Mega Digimon. Wouldn't you like to be a Mega?"

"I don't care what you are or what I am! I'll fight you if you mess with my JimHyumon!" Kapurimon shouted back.

"Take it easy, Kapurimon," said Jim. "You're not strong enough. Let the other Digimon handle this."

"Aw, forget it," MetalSeadramon said. "I didn't come here to fight you twerps anyway."

"You didn't?" asked TK hopefully. "You mean you're gonna give up?"

"No," the golden dragon replied. "I'm going to let my Crabmon do the work for me! Go get them, Crabmon!"

With a series of splashes, half a dozen large crabs, mottled blue and grey, leaped out of the water and set about surrounding the Digidestined, and the children scattered. A few tried to bolt for the exit, but the Crabmon leaped to block the way, forcing them to run along the edges of the lake. Despite the fact that they tried to stay together, the snapping claws of the crab monsters forced them apart and away from each other.

"Where's TK?" asked Matt, looking around frantically. "We've lost TK!"

"And Kari!" Tai added.

"I just knew it was dangerous down here!" Joe wailed, dodging the grasp of a persuing Crabmon.

"Don't worry, Joe! I'll save us!" Gomamon cried. He leaped for the water, shouting, "Gomamon, digivolve to... Ikkakumon!"

He hit the surface of the lake with a splash, and a sudden burst of blue light made the flying droplets sparkle like stars. Up out of the water rose the head of the shaggy white walrus beast, Ikkakumon.

"Climb aboard! I'll get you to safety!" he urged.

Joe didn't waste any time - he made a flying jump and managed to grab hold of his partner's long fur and scramble up his side. Tai and Matt followed with their Digimon in tow. Before anyone else had the chance to make an attempt, a burst of searing blue light tore the air between Ikkakumon and the last of the Digidestined.

"Don't think that's going to work, Digidestined!" MetalSeadramon warned. "I'm wise to your tricks. You might be tough when you're all together, but you can't beat me when you're separated, so I plan to make sure you all stay separated!"

"Easier said than done!" Ikkakumon boasted. "Harpoon Torpedo!"

He fired a round of explosives at the metal dragon, who simply plunged under water and vanished. The torpedoes hit the ceiling, causing a burst of smoke and flames, as well as the fall of several stalactites. Some of them fell harmlessly into the water, but a few more showered down on the beach, forcing the remaining Digidestined to dodge out of their way.

"Stop it! You're going to hurt someone!" Matt shouted.

"But Matt, we're sort of in trouble right now," protested Ikkakumon worriedly, sizing up the number of crabs that were still staring at him. "How are we supposed to get out of this if I can't fight?"

"We'll just have to make a swim for it," said Tai.

"Rats. I was afraid you'd say that. I hate running away!" Ikkakumon muttered, but he began paddling anyway. "Catch me if you can, crabmeat!"

Jim, Sora, and Izzy remained stranded on the beach, watching the light of Tai's torch drift off into the darkness. They didn't have long to watch, though, because they still had some crustaceans left to deal with. Two of the giant crabs still remained, watching them with angry eyes and clicking their claws menacingly.

"Um... what do Digidestined normally do in circumstances like this?" Jim asked.

"Normally," said Izzy, "we run."

And they did, scrambling into the darkness with all the speed they could muster. MetalSeadramon watched them for a while, waiting for his quarry to get themselves sufficiently lost. After all, the game was no fun without a chase. When he sure they were well away from him, he went on the hunt.

The air was still and cool, undisturbed since almost the beginning of time. Now, however, things were beginning to change. The lifeless air was suddenly being moved again, warmed by the breathing of the creatures that were working their way through it and the fire that flickered in the darkness.

Mimi was doing her best not to be frightened, and was actually having a modicum of success. After all, she still had her torch, holding the shadows at bay, and Palmon was still here to protect her. So were Gatomon and Patamon, who could be relied upon to deal with just about anything. Also, she had to keep some kind of grip on her emotions, because after all, she was the only one left to look after the youngest of the Digidestined.

"Where did everybody go?" TK wondered, clutching Patamon close to him.

"I really don't know," said Mimi. "We must have lost them when those crab-things started attacking us. It's a good thing we managed to get away from them."

One thing MetalSeadramon hadn't taken into account was that his minions didn't know their way around the underground caverns as well as he did. With the Digimon to provide a distraction (it was hard to follow your prey if you had a cat clawing at your eyes or your legs were wrapped in vines), the Digidestined had managed to slip down a crevasse and hide, and the Crabmon had wandered down the wrong tunnel in search of them. They likely wouldn't see the light of day for quite some time. However, that didn't leave the Digidestined themselves any less lost.

"Do you think they'll find us soon?" Kari inquired. Her voice echoed oddly through the dark tunnel. It sounded distant and haunted.

"Who?" asked Gatomon. "The Crabmon or our friends?"

"Either," Kari replied. "I don't like wandering around all alone like this."

"You're not alone," Palmon soothed her. "You've got Mimi and the rest of us to look after you. Everything will be just fine."

"I know," Kari sighed, "but I still don't like it."

"Matt always told me that if I ever got lost, I should sit still and wait for someone to come find me," TK offered.

"That's a good idea," said Mimi. "Let's stop and take a breather, huh?"

No one had any objections to the idea, so they found smooth rocks to sit on and settled down for some relaxation. At least, most of them did. Mimi immediately took a seat, closed her eyes, and to all appearances fell asleep, while Palmon sat by and kept watch over her. TK rested nearby with Patamon in his lap, idly tossing pebbles into a nearby puddle and watching the splashes. Gatomon, bothered by the chill and dampness, kept an eye on the torch. Kari, however, seemed restless. After a few moments of sitting and fidgeting, she got up and began to prowl around.

"Where are you going?" asked Gatomon.

"Just looking," Kari assured her. "I'm not going to go far."

Keeping within range of the torchlight (it covered a surprising area, thanks to the reflectivity of the walls), Kari climbed around the stones and stalagmites, hopping over puddles and small gaps. There didn't seem to be much to see other than stones. Still, it was more interesting than just sitting still. It had been no accident that she'd been given a cat as her companion, and she had as much curiosity as any other small child. Besides, she was getting an eerie feeling that there was something important hiding nearby, if she could only figure out what it was...

"Hey, Mimi!" she called suddenly. "Come look at this! I've found a fuzzball... and I think it's sick!"

There was a scuffling sound of people getting to their feet, and soon Mimi and TK appeared, flanked by the Digimon. They looked to find Kari kneeling on the stone floor with a small body cradled in her arms. It was covered mostly in pale pink fur and had a pair of grey- white wings sprouting from the top of its head like strange ears. It would have been cute, had it not been coated with mud and blood. Its eyes were closed.

"That's Piximon!" Mimi exclaimed. "Oh, no, what's happened to him?"

"Is he still alive?" asked TK, eyes wide.

"He's still warm," said Kari softly, "and he's still breathing, but... I don't know. It's like I can feel him hurting. There's something really wrong with him. Who is he? Is he a good Digimon?"

"He was our friend," said Palmon. "He trained us, and helped us out when we were attacked by a Kuwagamon in the desert."

"Poor little thing," Kari said. "He looks so little and weak. What can we do, Mimi? We have to help him!"

"I don't know," Mimi admitted. "Joe could tell us what to do, maybe, but I don't know anything about how to take care of someone who's hurt."

"You mean he's going to die?" asked Kari. She looked up at Mimi, her eyes dark and full of pain.

Mimi sighed. "I don't know, Kari. I don't know what we can do to help."

"There has to be something," said Kari stubbornly. "I'm not going to just sit here and let a good Digimon die!"

"Maybe if we cleaned him up a little?" Gatomon offered. "The water down here is probably clean."

"I guess that wouldn't hurt," Kari agreed.

Carefully, so as not to injure the patient any more than he already was, Kari carried Piximon over to the puddle where TK had been playing earlier. She stared at the water critically. She'd expected it to be muddy, since most puddles in her experience were, but the water was crystal clear and pleasantly cool. She borrowed a pink handkerchief from Mimi and went about cleaning up the little Digimon as best she could. Her cleaning revealed a few large gashes - at least, large considering the size of the being they were on - and several bruises that showed through the sparse fur. Through the whole operation, he never once moved, though he did moan softly a few times. When she was done, she dried him off as best she could and wrapped him up in TK's vest.

"That's about all we can do," said Mimi. "Now we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

"I feel so sorry for him," Kari whispered. "He's hurting so badly..."

"Maybe it's not as bad as it looks?" Patamon offered.

Kari shook her head distractedly. That distant look in her eyes seemed to have intensified, making her look years older. "No. He's hurting. I can feel it inside. He's getting further away from us. I have to pull him back, somehow."

"Kari, what are you talking about?" asked Gatomon.

Kari said nothing. Slowly, she reached for her Crest and held it up, letting it cast a soft pink glow over the unconscious Digimon and herself, surrounding them both with a mist of light. The other Digidestined stared in awe. It had to be just a trick of the light, but it looked like Kari herself was glowing, too, with a cool white radiance of her own. Though the air was still, Kari's hair was stirring slightly, as if in a gentle breeze. Then she spoke, and the others knew something strange was going on, because the voice was one they had never heard coming out of their friend. It was the voice of a grown woman, confident and regal.

"Wake up," she said, gently stroking Piximon's fur. "The battle isn't over yet, my friend. We still need you here. Even I can't afford to rest any longer. We both have our battles to fight. Come back."

As she spoke, pale pink glints of light seemed to trickle from her fingertips, wreathing around the little Digimon and finally blotting him out altogether. Soon the lights became painfully bright, but although Mimi and TK were forced to avert their eyes, Kari continued staring down at her small charge unflinchingly. Finally the lights died away, leaving Piximon without any evidence that he'd ever been hurt. The little Digimon blinked bright black eyes, staring up at his savior's face.

"Kari?" he asked weakly. "Is that you?"

Kari blinked and shook herself. Her eyes had returned to their normal pale brown.

"Hmm?" she said dazedly. "How did you know my name?"

"Then is is - no, it isn't you, is it?" Piximon asked. "But you look so much like her... Who are you?"

"My name is Hikari Kamiya," said Kari. "Are you feeling better."

"Yup yup! Just fine!" Piximon assured it. "Very strange, it is. You look just like the queen did, and only she could have called me back, but you're not her! What did you say your name was again?"

"We call her Kari," Mimi answered, trying to head the conversation in a direction she understood. She was beginning to wonder if Piximon might still be delirious, because she hadn't understood a thing he'd said so far. "She's Tai's little sister, the Eighth Digidestined."

"Ahhhh," said Piximon, as if a great truth had been revealed. "It begins to make sense! So, you are the carrier of the Crest of Light, then?"

"I have it right here," Kari replied, holding it up for him to see.

"Even better," said Piximon cheerfully. "Want to thank you, I do, for saving my life. If you hadn't come to pull me back, I would have been a goner for sure!"

"What happened to you, anyway?" asked TK. "Why aren't you in your home in the desert?"

"Because it's not there anymore," Piximon replied.

"You mean the Dark Masters destroyed it?" asked Mimi.

"Worse than that," answered the pixy Digimon. "Do you mean to tell me that no one has told you what the Dark Masters have done to this world?"

"No, not really," Mimi answered. "We've sorta been too busy running from them to ask questions."

"Oh, well," Piximon sighed. "Listen up, then! This is important! The Dark Masters aren't just holding this world their prisoner by force, as past monsters have. They've found a way to completely reorder the world into what they want it to be! They've split the Digital World into four quarters. MetalSeadramon rules the oceans and beaches. Puppetmon rules the forest. MachineDramon rules the cities. Piedmon... he rules a desolate grey wasteland, crowned by his palace at the top of Spiral mountain, where all four quarters come together. He's calling himself the supreme ruler of the world, and claims the power to manipulate the fabric of the Digital World any way he wants!"

"Yuck," said Kari succinctly. "But you're wrong about one thing. MachineDramon can't be ruling over anything, because he's not here anymore."

"That's right," Gatomon agreed. "WarGreymon and I blew him up."

"Really?" asked Piximon. "Well! Good news, that is. But much work to be done, still! It will take a lot more work than just defeating one Dark Master to set things right. They've mixed everything up! Everything they didn't want to keep - like my home - has been deleted, and everything else has been reprogrammed so you wouldn't even recognize it anymore! This, for example," he added, waving a hand, "used to be the main road to the City of Light."

"City of Light?" Kari repeated, eyes bright with interest.

"Yup yup!" Piximon agreed. "It was once home to a beautiful queen, but she died many years ago. The city still stands, though, but now they call it the City of Shadows. When MetalSeadramon began taking over, many of the queen's former subjects fled to the city for safety."

"Is that why you're down here?" asked Mimi. "Trying to get away from the Dark Masters?"

"Not exactly," Piximon replied. "The Digimon were safe down here for a little while - MetalSeadramon wasn't interested in them because they were too weak to fight, either for or against him. However, when MachineDramon heard that there were hundreds of shadow- dwelling Digimon living down here, he decided he wanted to take them for himself and make slaves out of them! I came here trying to protect them. I did manage to finally drive MachineDramon off, but it took all my strength to do it. I can't say how long I've been lying down here in the dark."

"You poor thing!" Kari exclaimed. "And the poor Digimon, too. Are they still down here? Can we see them?"

"You certainly can!" answered Piximon. "And you shall. I have a suspicion that the Digimon would like to meet you, too."

Meanwhile, another group of six wandered through the maze of tunnels: A redheaded girl, a pink bird, a boy with a computer, an oversized insect, a serious-faced boy in glasses, and a small and uneasy looking armored raccoon.

"I don't like it down here," Kapurimon complained. "I don't like it down here one bit. It's creepy."

"Take it easy," Sora said. "None of us like it much down here in the dark."

"It's not just that," said Kapurimon. "I've just got this feeling... like I've been down here before."

"You think you might be getting your memory back?" asked Jim. He was a little worried about his companion's memory lapse. Something seemed strange to him that his otherwise clever partner couldn't seem to remember anything that had happened to him more than a few days ago, and he was even more concerned over the mysterious "something important" that had Kapurimon so worried. Even now, the little animal was nosing under rocks and peering in puddles in a vain attempt to find the missing article.

"Maybe," said Kapurimon dubiously, "but something tells me I don't want to remember what happened in here. It feels bad to me."

"Interesting," said Izzy vaguely. He was only half paying attention to what they were saying. It required concentration to walk and type at the same time, and the sound of clicking keys told his friends more clearly than words would have how useless it would be to try to engage him in conversation.

"What are you working on now, Izzy?" asked Tentomon, hovering around Izzy's shoulder so he could get a look at the screen.

"Nothing much," came the offhand reply. "Just trying to get our bearings so we don't wander around in this maze for the rest of the year. Some of these underground tunnels can go on for miles and miles, and if we don't figure out an escape route, there's no telling how long we'll be stuck down here."

"I'd really prefer not to spend the rest of my life under a rock, thanks," said Jim, ducking around a low-hanging stalactite.

"Me, too," Kapurimon agreed. "It's too damp down here, and it doesn't smell right."

"You're right," agreed Biyomon, turning her beak in the air to sniff. "It smells like... hide!" She abruptly flung herself behind a boulder, dragging Sora along with her. Jim and Kapurimon followed their example, leaving Izzy standing confused in the middle of the tunnel.

"Where did everyone go?" he asked.

"They hid," said Tentomon testily, "and I think we should, too, before something-"

"Wait a minute! Did you hear that?" asked Izzy.

Tentomon pricked up his antennae, and he did hear. It sounded like the pounding of a far-off ocean, the roar of a distant waterfall, all blended with the clatter of an oncoming express train. It could only mean one thing.

"MetalSeadramon!" they said in unison, and made a wild dive for the nearest hiding place.

They were almost too late. In the next second, the sea serpent himself came tearing around a bend in the tunnel, his armored sides gouging scraps of rock from the walls, the sharp horn on his head dislodging stalactites in a stony shower. They clattered loudly off his golden scales, filling the cavern with echoing noise. The Digidestined clamped their hands over their ears to try to block out the painful clamor. However, nothing could drown out the sound of MetalSeadramon's roaring.

"I know you're down here, Digidestined!" he shouted. "There's no escaping me now! This tunnel leads to a dead end! Come out and surrender now, or I'll bury you in limestone!"

His answer came in the form of a stream of green fire that splashed against his helmet, narrowly missing his unprotected eye. His head whipped around to find Biyomon hovering nearby and glaring at him as dangerously as a little pink bird could.

"You want to mess with Sora, you're going to have to come through me!" she asserted.

"And I'm supposed to be frightened by this?" MetalSeadramon jeered.

"You would if you knew what was good for you," she replied. "A Digimon's purpose in life is to protect, not to destroy! No matter what you do, us true Digimon will always come out on top!"

"Don't make me laugh!" the dragon replied. "The power of a tiny little shrimp like you could never overcome a Digimon like me!"

"Maybe so," Biyomon agreed, "but our brains still can, because we're a whole lot smarter than you. While you've been sitting here yelling at me, the others have run off."

"What?" MetalSeadramon cried. He glared all around, but the Digidestined were indeed gone, leaving only the distant echoes of scrambling feet to tell him where they'd gone. He spat a beam of blue fire at Biyomon in frustration, but she had expected it and dodged it easily. She flew away laughing at him. He stood there stupidly for a moment, trying to figure out how he was supposed to follow the Digidestined. The tunnel was narrow, and although there was enough room for some children and small animals to slip by, there wasn't nearly enough space for him to turn around. Snarling, he continued down the tunnel in search of a place to reverse himself.

"So, where are we running, anyway?" Jim shouted to his companions as they barreled down the hall.

"Away!" said Sora.

"There was an opening in the cave further back," said Izzy. "We'll have some room to maneuver in there! If we have to stand and fight, that would be the place!"

"Are you sure we just can't find a place to hide?" asked Tentomon.

"Negative," his partner asked, shaking his head. "MetalSeadramon will find us down here wherever we go. It's time to show him what we're really made of."

"I'm ready to fight!" Kapurimon asserted. "I'll take him down for you, Jim!"

"No, you won't!" Jim replied. "He's way too powerful for you! Look at you - you don't even have legs!"

"Neither does he," said Kapurimon.

"We'll argue about this later," said Izzy. "Look, here's the cave!"

They skittered to a halt in the middle of a wide open space. Aside from the presence of numerous stalagmites and other odd lumps of rock, the floor was fairly level. The ceiling was so high that their torches touched nothing more than distant sparkles, dim suggestions of the stone needles above them. The walls were spaced far enough apart that the room could have easily held ten MetalSedramons.

"I think this is as good as we're going to get down here," said Izzy. "Get your Digivices ready, gang!"

They did so, Izzy and Sora with the confidence of veterans and Jim with a bit more trepidation. After all, he had never actually seen the little object work, not on his own Digimon, anyway. He wasn't sure he knew how to use it. What if he couldn't figure it out in time to do anyone any good? What if his impetuous companion attacked MetalSeadramon and got himself hurt because Jim couldn't make the device work?

"Don't worry, Jim," said Sora, offering him a faint smile of encouragement. "We'll be okay, really. Our Digimon have always come through for us."

"They'd better," Jim replied, "because I think company is coming."

Sure enough, the rumble that meant MetalSeadramon's approach was drawing rapidly nearer. The kids and their Digimon dove for cover as the golden dragon came crashing into the room, widening part of the entrance tunnel in his haste to reach them. He was angry, the light in his eyes bordering on feral madness as he whipped about in search of his prey.

"Trick me, will you?" he demanded. "I'll turn all of you into fish bait for that!"

"I don't think so!" answered a voice. "Horn Buster!"

MetalSeadramon just barely reacted in time to dodge an enormous red beetle. MegaKabuterimon's attack gouged up a large chunk of the floor, spraying gravel. The dragon snapped at MegaKabuterimon's leg and latched on, spinning him in a half circle before hurling him at the wall. Stalactites rained down on everyone, clattering harmlessly off MetalSeadramon's armor but forcing the children to dodge frantically. Sora yelped as a sharp bit of flying stone tore at her leg.

"Sora!" cried the voice of Garudamon. "You're going to pay for that, MetalSeadramon! Wing Blade!"

MetalSeadramon flinched away from the flames, but they did very little to his impenetrable exterior. He whipped his tail at Garudamon, slicing through any nearby stalagmites as if they were nothing more than grass. The bird creature managed to dodge the attack itself, but there was no hiding from the flying stones. There was more than one cry of pain.

"Are you sure this is the best battleground we could find?" asked Jim. He wasn't seriously hurt yet, but there were several bruises on his arms from where he'd been trying to shield his face.

"Nowhere else in this maze is going to be any better," said Izzy, dabbing tentatively at a cut on his cheek. "At least here we have a little room to dodge."

"JimHyumon! Are you hurt?" asked Kapurimon anxiously.

"I'm fine, really," Jim assured him. "Just a little scuffed up, that's all."

"I can't let him hurt you, Jim," Kapurimon said. "You're the first friend I've ever had. I have to protect you! Let me fight him!"

"No," said Jim firmly. "I already told you, if you try it, you'll just get yourself hurt! Let Izzy and Sora's Digimon handle it!"

"But, Jim!" Kapurimon complained.

He didn't get to finish his complaint. The voice of the little Digimon had caught MetalSeadramon's attention, and now the sea dragon had turned his flashing gaze on Jim and Kapurimon.

"So, you think you can fight me, do you?" MetalSeadramon asked. "Why don't you try it? I never liked you much, anyway. No one will care if I squash you now - especially if I let Piedmon know how you're trying to help that pathetic human!"

"Don't call Jim names!" Kapurimon shouted back. "He's my friend, and I'll punish you if you try to hurt him!"

"Try it," the dragon sneered. "Go ahead and try it."

Kapurimon answered by making a flying tackle at MetalSeadramon. He hit the dragon's armored body with a resounding clang and bounced off, colliding with a large rock. Jim ran to his side.

"I told you not to do that!" he scolded. "Are you hurt? Say something!"

"Don't worry, I'll get him next time," Kapurimon said dazedly. He shook himself and leaped back at MetalSeadramon again, but Jim tackled him and held him down.

"Stop it! You're going to get yourself killed, and that won't do either of us any good!" shouted Jim.

"No, but it will do me plenty of good," MetalSeadramon replied. "C'mere, you little runt." He whipped his tail at Kapurimon, trying to swat him like a fly, but Kapurimon leaped out of the way and retaliated with a stream of pink bubbles, which MetalSeadramon ignored.

"That's one determined little Digimon," Sora commented.

"He's crazy!" said Izzy. "There's just no way an In-Training Digimon is going to take out a Mega!"

Jim seemed to be of the same mind. He caught Kapurimon as he fell to the ground again and carried him behind the nearest stand of rocks, ignoring the Digimon's struggles.

"Let me go! Let me go!" cried Kapurimon.

"No! I don't want to see you get hurt!" Jim replied.

"I was doing just fine until you tried to stop me," Kapurimon replied. "I'm stronger than you think, JimHyumon!" He blinked, feeling a memory flitting around in his fogged brain. "I'm supposed to be stronger than this. What's happened to me?"

"You'll never get a chance to find out!" roared MetalSeadramon. "River of Power!"

The blue light hit the stones and reduced them to rubble. Jim went flying in one direction, Kapurimon in the other, and they both landed hard in the crunching gravel. Kapurimon recovered better than his partner, owing to his armor, and rushed to his partner's side, nuzzling him and trying to make him move. Jim twitched and moaned, struggling to push himself up.

"Jim, are you okay?" Kapurimon cried.

"I - I think so," Jim gasped. His hands slipped on the loose stones, and he fell again.

"Don't worry, JimHyumon! I'll protect you," answered the little Digimon.

*This is awful,* thought Jim through his pain. *Kapurimon can't fight! We're both hurt... and I can't help him. He's going to be eaten alive, all because I don't know how to make him Digivolve!*

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Sora and Izzy standing over him.

"Come on," said Sora. "Leave this fight to the Digimon. We'll get you to safety."

With their help, Jim managed to hobble away to shelter, and they collapsed behind a fairly protected ring of stones. Over the tips of the stalagmites, they could still see two Ultimate Digimon and a lone In-Training dodging and attacking the water dragon.

"He shouldn't be out there," Jim moaned.

"Yes, he should," said Izzy firmly. "Jim, you've got to stop trying to protect Kapurimon! It's his job to protect you!"

"But he's so small, and MetalSeadramon-"

"That's not the point!" Surprisingly, it was Sora who cut him off. "He needs your strength if he's going to digivolve, and you'll never be able to help him if you spend all your time being afraid for him! You have to have a little faith in him. If you're afraid to let him fight, he's going to lose."

"Exactly," said Izzy. "We made the same mistake when our Digimon were small - not wanting to let them fight with a Kuwagamon. But they fought anyway, because they knew they had to protect us, and you know what? As soon as we set them free and let them do what they had to do, they digivolved, and they won the battle!"

"Really?" asked Jim. "So the way to use a Digivice..."

"...is to believe that your Digimon can win," Sora finished. "Who would have thought my Biyomon could become Garudamon? I did the same thing with her, not wanting her to fight because I was afraid she'd get hurt, but the first time she reached her most powerful stage was when I let her fight a battle like this, when I didn't think she'd win."

"Wow," said Jim. "Then I've been doing it all wrong, haven't I?"

"Well, you have to make allowances for a beginner..." said Izzy.

Suddenly, there was a clang of metal on metal, and something silvery went soaring through the air. Kapurimon hit the wall and bounced, landing a few feet away from the Digidestined's hiding place. Jim scrambled to reach his companion's side, and Kapurimon blinked weakly at him.

"I'm sorry, Jim," he said. "You were right. He is too strong for me."

"No, I was wrong," Jim replied, hugging the little animal. "You were only weak because I was holding you back. But I believe in you, Kapurimon! You're a brave little Digimon, and if anyone in the world can fight off that ugly dragon, it's you!"

"Really?" asked Kapurimon.

"Absolutely," Jim replied.

His attention was caught by a beeping sound, and he turned his attention to his Digivice, which had finally broken its long silence. He had just enough time to notice that it was glowing before his attention was caught by a brighter light, and in the middle of the light, something spun... and spoke.

"Kapurimon, digivolve to... Kokuwamon!"

Jim stared, finding himself confronted by a new Digimon. His armored raccoon had vanished, and in it's place stood something that looked more like a mechanical beetle. It was made entirely of silvery metal, with only two bright yellow eyes that glowed from within to add color. It had six legs, using two to walk on. The others were tipped with sharp pincers, and a larger pair sprouted from his head, like the jaws of a Hercules beetle. Sparks snapped between the pincers.

"What in the world?" asked Jim.

"Congratulations!" said Izzy. "Your Digimon has digivolved! I knew you had it in you!"

"So, what is he now?"

Izzy clicked away at his computer, bringing up the data screen. "Kokuwamon, the Rookie form of Kapurimon. He's a metal-type Digimon. He uses his Spark Scissor attack to electrocute his enemies!"

"Don't worry, though," said Kokuwamon. His voice was deeper now, but still childlike. "I'm still the same Kapurimon on the inside... but now maybe I'll have better luck against that overgrown lizard who calls himself a Dark Master!"

MetalSeadramon glared at Kokuwamon, hearing himself insulted. "So, you think you can stand up to me, huh? Think again! A Rookie's no better than an In-Training when it comes to fighting!"

"We'll see about that!" Kokuwamon replied, and charged at the dragon.

"Go get him, Kokuwamon!" Jim shouted. "Show him what you're made of!"

Izzy and Sora grinned at each other.

"There's nothing more beautiful than the bonding of a Digimon and his partner," Izzy remarked.

"You can say that again," said Sora. She winced as the battle noises re-ensued. "I just hope there's something left of the both of them after all this!"

Kokuwamon didn't waste any time in trying to make good his threats. MetalSeadramon whipped his tail at the beetle Digimon, but Kokuwamon leaped out of the way. When the tail came by again, he latched on with his sharp pincers and sent several thousand volts of electricity coursing through the beast's metal body. MetalSeadramon yelped - and then turned to deal with the attacks of MegaKabuterimon and Garudamon, who were taking advantage of his distraction to blast him for all they were worth. MetalSeadramon growled angrily. The attacks weren't doing any serious damage to him yet, but this was beginning to get painful. Stalactites rained down on everyone as he spat beam after beam of searing light at his antagonizers.

"This is getting crazy!" Sora shouted, feeling chips of rock start bouncing off her hat. "All these falling rocks are going to bury us alive!"

"Bury us alive," Jim repeated. "Bury us alive... and bury MetalSeadramon, too! That's it! Kokuwamon, let go of that crazy sea serpent for a minute and shoot the ceiling!"

"Shoot the ceiling?" Sora repeated. "Jim, how hard did you hit your head?"

"No, he's right!" Izzy replied. "We can't hurt MetalSeadramon, but we might be able to bury him! It's our best chance. MegaKabuterimon, you heard what Jim said! Shoot the ceiling! Knock some of those rocks down!"

"You too, Garudamon!" Sora added.

"You got it!" said Kokuwamon. "Spark Scissor!"

"Horn Buster!"

"Wing Blade!"

Attacks flashed all around MetalSeadramon, sending piles of rubble crashing down on him. He tried to fight back, but his enemies stayed close to the roof, and the falling stones confused his aim. Every shot he through at them did nothing more than dislodge yet more rocks and send them crashing down on his head. He thrashed in frustration, but it did him no good. The rain of stone continued, until finally, with one earsplitting crash, the whole ceiling caved in, burying the metal monster under an avalanche of limestone. The air was filled with dust and the sound of falling rocks hitting iron plates. Then... silence.

"Is it over?" asked Sora.

"Where are the Digimon?" asked Jim. "I can't see them! Did they get buried?"

"Just wait," Izzy replied. "Just give them a minute."

They waited, and the clouds of dust settled. Slowly, the air cleared again, and the Digidestined could make out the shapes of a pink bird, a bug, and a small robot picking their way through the rubble. The kids cheered in unison and ran to hug their Digimon and congratulate them on a job well-done. Jim grinned as he embraced his partner; his Digimon had arms to hug back with, now.

"See, JimHyumon?" asked Kokuwamon. "I told you I could do it!"

"When did I have any doubts?" Jim laughed.

"Now that we've taken care of MetalSeadramon, things will be quieter around here," Izzy said. "Now we can explore in a little more comfort."

"Do you think we should explore over there?" asked Sora. "I think I see a light over there!"

They all looked. In a place where there had appeared to be nothing more than a solid wall, there was now a jagged hole, probably ripped open while MetalSeadramon was thrashing around.

"It is a light!" Biyomon chirped. "Maybe it's the others!"

"In that case, we should investigate," Izzy replied. "Come on!"

The team headed for the opening, climbing carefully over the heap of stones that covered the fallen MetalSeadramon. They didn't notice, beneath all that rubble, that the tip of his tail still twitched very slightly. They couldn't see his eyes slide slowly open. They were gone by the time he began to work the stones off of his body. It was painstaking and painful work, but he would get free sooner or later, and then someone would pay dearly.

"We're lost!" stated Joe flatly.

"We're not totally lost," Ikkakumon corrected. "We know we're still under the mountain, and we know the others are probably still down here with us. We'll find them again sooner or later."

"I wish I had your optimism," Matt replied. "Personally, I think we're walking around in circles."

"Swimming around in circles," Tai corrected. "Or at least, Ikkakumon is."

"I am not!" Ikkakumon growled. "I know exactly where I'm swimming. For your information, I'm following the current. It has to lead us somewhere eventually."

"Good thinking, Ikkakumon," his partner said. "Maybe if we're lucky, the stream will lead us out of this maze altogether."

"I wonder what's become of the others?" Gabumon mused. "It's been a long time since we've seen them."

"Yeah, and I'm worried about TK," Matt added. "He's too little to be all alone in the dark."

"You don't know he's all alone," said Tai. "He's probably got at least one of the others looking after him. Hey, I don't know where Kari is, either, and you don't see me moping about it, do you?"

"Hey, just because I care about my brother," said Matt acidly.

"Take it easy!" said Joe. "There's not enough room up here for you two to start fighting. You'll fall in the water, and it'll be a lot of trouble to fish you out."

"Besides, I never said I didn't care about Kari," Tai added. "I care a whole bunch for Kari. I just know she can take care of herself. She's a tough little kid, and so is TK. They've both got their Digimon to protect them. Can you imagine anything bad enough to stop Angemon and Angewomon when they get mad?"

"Yeah, that's true," said Matt. "Sorry, Tai. I'm just getting a little antsy being stuck down here under a mountain and not being able to see anything and not knowing where anyone is... I guess I got scared," he finished quietly.

"That's okay. Even I'm allowed to be scared sometimes, and I'm the Digidestined of Courage!" Tai joked.

"Jim used to say that courage wasn't about not being afraid. It's about being afraid and still doing what you have to do," said Joe thoughtfully. "I wonder how he's doing? When you think about it, he's probably at more of a disadvantage than Kari and TK."

"No time to worry about that now!" said Ikkakumon. "I see lights up ahead! Could be the others. Want me to move toward them?"

"Go for it," Matt urged. "I'd be so happy to be able to see again, I wouldn't mind even if it was a pack of Meremon!"

"You got it! Full steam ahead," Ikkakumon agreed.

They paddled forwards. Gradually, unfelt by the children but noticed by Ikkakumon, the current began to veer away, and the water began to get shallower. Finally, the water gave out altogether, and the white walrus Digimon found himself standing on a pebbly beach.

"Land ho!" he announced. "Everybody off! I'm starting to get tired of carrying you guys around on my back."

"That's fine," said Joe, sliding off onto the ground. "You can ride on my back for a while - but only after you change back into Gomamon!"

In a few minutes, the Champion Digimon had reverted to Rookie state, and the boys and their companions began walking toward the distant glow. It was a strange light, not orange like their flaming torches had been, but gold-green and steady. The further they went, the brighter it got, until they found themselves standing at the mouth of a tunnel, and they gasped in amazement.

They were looking down on an underground city, standing at the top of a flight of stairs that led into a stone metropolis. Not only that, but the residents were all plainly evident, milling around in the streets and talking to each other in low, bubbly voices. Suddenly, Tai's foot dislodged a rock, and it clattered noisily down the stairs. All the Digimon stopped to stare at the intruders, and the Digidestined stared back at the thousands of bulbous eyes, eyes attached to stalks that were attached to thousands and thousands of annoyed-looking Numemon.