After escaping the collapsing forest, Tai's group found themselves sluggishly walking through the desert. "This road has to be going somewhere, right?" Tai asked as Kari coughed. "Don't count on it. Nothing is certain in the Digital World." Tentomon replied, as Arashi stifled her own coughs Kari began coughing again, catching the attention of Gatomon. "Do you have a fur ball, Kari?" Gatomon asked worriedly. "No, silly I'm okay." Kari smiles at her voice hoarse. "Kari, if you need to rest, *cough* we can tell you, brother." Arashi struggled to make her way through a sentence without coughing. "I told you, I'm fine," Kari replied as she and Arashi started falling behind their steps wobbly, and their faces tinged with red. "One thing's for sure, only a cactus could love this place," Sora states.
It couldn't have been more than a step after Sora's words when Arashi and Kari simultaneously collapsed. "Kari!" Tai exclaimed upon noticing his younger sister passed out atop Arashi moments after. Tai, Gatomon, and Meicoomon quickly ran over to the two girls. A few minutes later the DigiDestined were at a bus stop with Kari and Arashi resting on the bench under the metal awning with wet rags on their foreheads. Kari's head was resting on Arashi's lap as the older girl sat back in an obviously uncomfortable position. "They have to stay out of the sun and we've got to find a way to get their fevers down soon," Sora told the others. "Don't worry, I won't leave you," Gatomon vows, looking over Kari.
"Yeah." Kari gives a small smile and slight nods at these words. "I thought you were getting better... I–" "It's alright. I'm fi—" Arashi's attempt to console Meicoomon was cut off by a rather painful-sounding fit of coughing. "You're not fine!" Meicoomon snapped. "How come you didn't say something before now? If we had known sooner we could have rested until you felt better." Tai struggles, staring at Kari and Arashi, clearly shaken by their sudden collapse. "You mad? I didn't want to slow everyone down." Kari coughs as Arashi makes a sour face. 'It's my fault, I'm the one who got Kari sick... This is all my fault. Tai should be mad at me.' She thinks to herself. "I'm not mad," Tai assures his sister.
Tai watched in horror as the paramedics placed his insensate sister atop the gurney and hoisted her into the ambulance.
T.K. watched the two girls with wide eyes, just as disquieted by their collapse as Tai was while Tai and Izzy conversed not so far away. "I wasn't paying attention. We probably shouldn't have even brought her along." "Huh?! What are you talking about? We had to bring her. We need her if we want to save the Digiworld. She's one of the DigiDestined, have you forgotten that?!" Izzy snaps at Tai's words. "Not at all but her being sick. We should have left her someplace safe. We could've left them both someplace safe. I knew that Arashi was... she fell but then Sora— We should have split up so someone could take care of them while the others looked." Tai said unable to hide his distress. "Split up? Tai, this isn't like you." Izzy frowned. "I'm just a little worried about them. It's all a part of what I do to be a good leader, Izzy."
"Yeah, but—" "Izzy, I found it!" Tentomon shouts flying over to his partner. "We're saved!" He cheers. "Look, right up ahead," Kabuterimon says a few minutes later as he flies the digidestined across the desert. "You wanted civilization? Well, it doesn't get more civilized than this." He boasts as the kids fly over what appears to be a large city. "Is that America? Do you think they have a bathroom?" T.K. asks. "That's New York City... but that isn't!" Sora points out. "That's Rome, we studied it in geography," Izzy began, "and up there, that's the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. They're all smushed together." He states. "It's like that theme park in Florida!" Tai adds. "Except that this place is deserted, there's not a sign of life anywhere." Sora points out. As the others fawn over the city, Kari who lay wrapped in Arashi's arms groaned, catching Tai's attention.
"Hey, Izzy, Kari's getting worse! Let's find someplace to land!" "Oh, yeah right!" Izzy yelped before looking down at the city below. "This looks like a nice, quiet spot!" Sora points out a large two-story home. Upon entering the house the kids laid Arashi and Kari down in one of the bedrooms. After a few minutes of checking, their hopes were beginning to dwindle, the only thing they'd found so far were empty cabinets and drawers full of utensils they didn't need. "These cupboards are empty. There's not even a spec of food." Izzy stated, upon climbing a stool to check the upper cabinets while T.K. and Tai searched the drawers. "Hey!" Agumon called, "This what you're looking for?" He asked, holding a box of medicine.
As Tai looked at the small cardboard box a genuine grin spit over his face for the first time that day. "Alright! Way to go!" Tai cheered. "What is it Agumon? Did you find some aspirin?" Izzy asked, hopping off the stool. "Yeah! This ought to do the trick!" Tai asked, reading over the bow. He lifted the tab and looked into the container, only for his hopes to be dashed, "It's empty!" He realized as his face fell. "Just like everything else, this place is weird." Izzy crossed his arms in frustration. The rest of the group followed him up the stairs to the room they were keeping Kari and Arashi in. The moment they walked in, Gatomon turned to look at them, looking just as worried as Tai. "Tai, humans aren't supposed to be this color, are they?" Gatomon asked as Tai shook his head.
"Well?" Sora asked. "I'm afraid to leave if something happens, but they need medicine. "They're stable, I think. All we can do now is hope their fevers break soon." Sora replied. "It will. At least I know I'm leaving them in good hands, with you." Tai told her. "Don't worry. Just be careful." Sora assured him. "Listen, Tai, I want to come too. I won't get in the way, honest!" T.K. pleaded. "No way! You're my last line of defense! What if the Dark Masters come, huh? I need you here to look after the others." Tai told him. "You can count on me! Don't worry, I'm on the job!" "Yeah! Leave it to us!" T.K. and Patamon cheered. "I knew I could count on you guys!" Tai nodded. "Arashi?!" Sora's voice came as Tai turned to see the girl fighting with the comforter.
"Arashi, you need to calm down—" "Get them off! Get them off! Let me go!" Arashi's cries cut off Meicoomon as the girl scrambled from the bed. "Arashi, it was just a nightmare. You're sick you need to lie—" "No! No! Not again! No more! Stop it! Get away!" Sora attempted to console the girl, but Arashi slapped her hand away in a fit of hysteria, one that Tai recognized. "Sora, give her some space." "But, Tai—" "Now," Tai stated, grabbing Sora's arm and pulling her away from Arashi. Arashi had pressed herself into the corner of the room, clawing at her forearms and neck muttering nonsensically. "Meicoomon, can you talk to her?" Tai asked as Meicoomon nodded.
"Arashi? It's Mei, you're alright. You're with your friends, remember?" "No, no... I don't need you... I need him. Get me him. He's okay. He has to be okay." Arashi shook her head as she spoke, her hand shaking as it motioned for the others to stay away. "Him?" Izzy and Sora asked as Tai frowned.
Tai awoke to the sound of yelling and his mother's calm voice, he stumbled out of his bunk to find Kari standing by the door silently. "Arashi had a scary dream," Kari stated as Tai looked through the crack in the door. "No! He's okay! He's okay!" "Arashi, I know you're scared, but you need to calm down," Yuuko said in a calm voice. "They took him! They took him! I need him! I need him!" Arashi cried before yanking at her nightshirt. "Get them off, get them out! No more! Please! Get them off!" Arashi sobbed, condensing into a ball as Yuuko kneeled on the floor beside her. "Arashi, sweetie, I need you to listen to my voice okay? You're safe here. No one-"
"No one is going to hurt you, okay? I want you to take some deep breaths." Tai began reciting his mother's words from long ago as Arashi's erratic breathing began to calm. "Good. Now I want you to take a look around. You're not there anymore, it was just a dream. I know it was scary but, you're okay now." Tai's words were gentle as Arashi slowly lowered her arms. "Atta girl." He smiled cheerfully, causing Arashi to glare at the ground. "............s—y..." She muttered. "Huh?" "It's my fault Kari's sick. I'm sorry. I got her sick, it's my fault. It's all my fault." Arashi stated before looking up at the others. "Arashi, it's not–" "You were saying something about medicine. I'm going with you." Arashi states.
"No. No way, you need to–" "What if you can't find what you're looking for? Do you know exactly what kind of medicine to grab? Do you know how much of it to grab? No. I'm going." Arashi cuts Tai off before walking out of the room. "Arashi, wait for me!" Meicoomon calls chasing after the girl as Tai and Izzy quickly follow behind. "This place is deserted but I still get the feeling we're being followed. Isn't that strange?" Agumon asked as the group made its way down the abandoned streets. "It's called paranoia, actually," Arashi replied as Tai stopped in his tracks. "Izzy, what do you think you're doing?" Tai questioned noticing the redhead was lagging behind, looking around in a daze. "Aha!" Izzy cheered in response before running towards an old telephone booth.
"This is the digital age, Tai. There are a lot simpler ways of finding things now." Izzy explained as the trio stood around the box. "Good. I was beginning to get a cramp in my wing." Tentomon commented as Izzy plugged his computer into the telephone. "I knew it!" Izzy exclaimed after a moment, "There's an online map of the city." "Izzy, you're a genius, nice going." Tai cheered. "Okay, now I'll search for hospitals and pharmacies.... Jackpot! Take your pick." Izzy stated as a dozen blinking yellow dots appeared on the map. In the center of the map was a red dot signaling the kids' current position. "This one's the closest. Let's go!" Tai called, darting out of the telephone booth. "Tai?!" "Hey, wait for me! I gotta unplug myself." Arashi and Izyy called before running out a few moments later.
"They have logged off." "Yes, my lord Machinedramon." Two Hagurumon began, as the lights on the big screen disappeared. "They've accessed maps and things for hospitals and pharmacies." The second one finished turning to their massive master. "And you're waiting for what? Show me those locations." Machinedramon growled. "Right away, sir, there are, uh, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 of them," Hagurumon replied, pulling the map back up. "Let me put this into words you can understand. Send units to all 12 locations and blow them up." Machinedramon ordered. "Oh, I get it now. Blow them up, yes, sir." "Consider it already done, my lord." The Hagurumon replied. "Our little foes have swallowed the bait, now it's time to spring the trap," Machinedramon said aloud.
Around the city droves of different mechanical Digimon were being released from underneath the city. "Ah, finally!" "It was getting a little stuffy." Two of the Digimon, which were seemingly more ferocious than the rest, commented before flying off. One was an orange-brown dragon with blue hair and yellow eyes. It had two tattered purple wings, a black metallic helmet with two triangular horns extruding from the back of it, and a black robotic gauntlet with three large metal claws on each of its arms. The other was similar to the first except it was a purple dragon with purple hair and yellow eyes. It had robotic wings, two arms, and wore a black helmet and black gauntlets on its arms.
Meanwhile, the kids arrived at the hospital and began looking around for some medicine. "No wonder this hospital is so clean, there's no sick people. Hello? Hello?" Agumon called as he and Tai stood in the hospital lobby
Tai stood frozen in the crowded hospital lobby as a familiar voice called to him. "Tai!" Yuuko ran over to her son, panting heavily. "Do you have any idea what you've done?!" She exclaimed, raising her shaky palm.
"Tai?" Agumon called out, worried by his partner's silence. "Hey, over here! We found the pharmacy!" Izzy called snapping Tai from his stupor. "There's a lot of medicine alright, but how do we know what to use for Kari's fever?" Tai questioned looking at the different kinds of medicine. "First, we put that one away and keep it there," Arashi stated, grabbing one of the larger bottles from Tai. "Why what's that one?" Izzy asked. "Allopurinol used for things like leukemia and grout. Not for whatever Kari has." Arashi began. "Now, about Kari, does she prefer liquid, capsules, or tablets...?" "Er, I'm not sure, she usually just takes the medicine our mom gives us," Tai replies, following Arashi around the medicine shelves.
"Well, then that's good for us at least. Means we can avoid the IVs and injections. If she has the same thing I do, it's most likely a rhinovirus so we should look for some children's medicine with acetaminophen, maybe with pseudoephedrine as well." Arashi mumbled to herself. "Umm, what's she saying?" Agumon asked Meicoomon who watched Arashi worriedly. "Arashi..." Meicoomon began before shaking her head, "she used to get sick a lot as a kid, so she knows a lot of big doctor words." She replied. "These are arranged terribly..." Arashi stifled a cough as she began rummaging through cabinets. "Tai, Izzy, look for Bufferin," Arasih stated as she closed yet another cabinet in frustration. "On it," Tai stated before looking through the shelves as Arashi climbed onto a ladder to look at the higher shelves.
"Who puts buccal tablets and sublingual tablets in the same row as normal ones..." Arashi muttered before glancing around at the shelf beneath that one. "Emtricitabine... Pabron? These really shouldn't be by one another. It's like everything here was just thrown together at random." Arashi frowned as she slid down the ladder. "I can't find anything in this mess." She frowned as Izzy closed the drawer he was looking in. "Hold on! I can patch into the hospital's computer!" Izzy cheered before plugging his computer in. "Izzy shoots, he scores!" Tentomon cheers. "That might tell us which shelf to look at. Izzy, you're—" Arashi was cut short by a terrible coughing fit. "Izzy, hurry!" Tai shouted, rushing to Arashi's side as the girl struggled to fix her breathing. "Bufferin... children's" Izzy typed, looking through the results.
"Sir! There they are, sir!" One of the Hagurumon cheered as a yellow light began glowing on the screen. "The network is being accessed from inside Target Four, Master, sir." The other told Machinedramon. "Then wouldn't it be a good idea to have all forces converge on that target and prepare to attack?" Machinedramon asked, annoyed by his subordinates' lack of self-sufficient thought. "A brilliant idea, my lord, sir," Hagurumon replied before sending a transmission to all the soldiers prowling the city. Soon all of the soldiers converged around the hospital where Tai and the others lay. "After you, Megadramon." "No, after you." The two flying soldiers smiled as they approached the hospital.
"Hey, Izzy, you sure that's the right stuff?" Tai asked, showing Izzy a bottle of medicine. "It's as close as this hospital has to Bufferin and just as safe as children's aspirin," Izzy replied. "Good job, then let's get back," Tai stated before pausing. "Actually, Arashi, you should take some now." He said turning to the girl. "Me? No, I'm..." Arashi's voice trailed off as she did her best to stifle yet another round of coughs. "Here," Tai says, forcefully handing her the bottle. "Okay..." Arashi says after a moment, opening the bottle and shaking it into her hand. After raising her hand to her mouth and seemingly swallowing Arashi reseals the bottle and places it in her bag.
"Fire!" Machinedramon ordered as the troops began blasting at the hospital.
Tai, Arashi, and Izzy all yelped as the sounds of explosions filled their ears, and the hospital shook violently. Before they could even process what was happening, the power went out leaving the kids in the dark. "Hey, let's beat it." Agumon called as the kids ran for the front door, Arashi pauses by the trash for a moment as she spits something into the bin. Upon reaching the doors, the kids came to an abrupt halt as they stared out the doors in shock. "Lucky we're in a hospital 'cause it looks like we might need one." Tai stated upon finding the row of Digimon blocking their escape. "What are they?" He asked. "Mekanorimon, evil robots with one job: blasting Digimon. I suggest we get out of here, and fast!" Agumon replied as a robotic voice sounded.
Mekanorimon was a Powered Suit Digimon used exclusively by small Digimon and is the first Vehicle Digimon in the Digital World. It is a unique Digimon that is unable to move on its own and is incapable of action unless it is piloted by another Digimon. "Target in range. Twin beam." A Mekanorimon called as they all began firing blasts into the hospital. As the blasts made contact with an object, the object instantly turned into code and disappeared. The children quickly turned back into the hallways and began running towards a different exit, only to be cut off by another blast. From the smoke and rubble emerged a Digimon similar to a Type 90 Kyū-maru. With its heavyweight power and the heavy artillery installed all throughout its body, which can pulverize the enemy.
"They've brought along a friend: Tankmon—an armor-plated bully with a sneeze like a cannon! If you think the other guys are bad, these creeps have more firepower than a volcano!" Agumon cried. "I thought we lost them, how did they find us so quickly?" Tentomon questioned. "One of them must've been following us and saw us come in here." Izzy offered as Tai looked at the medicine. "Think, Kari needs us to get back pronto," Tai muttered as the sound of stomping sounded behind them. "Target in range. Twin beam!" "Hyper cannon!" Mekanorimon and Tankmon called firing at the kids. "This way!" Arashi called, shoving everyone into a nearby room.
"Duck!" Tai called as the kids leaped from the window and lay out on the grass. Above them, the backlash of the two attacks erupted in an explosion. "Come on!" Tai said as the smoke began to die down and the kids ran off into the city. "I'm really getting tired of that sound," Tai commented, watching the Tankmon driveby as the group hid in a nearby office building. "When are they going to call it quits and go home?" Tai asked. "We don't have time for this, I'm going to go down there and take care of them," Agumon stated, preparing to fight. "No, wait, those rolling arsenals are just waiting for us, we show ourselves and they go ballistic." Izzy protested. "So, we just hide here all day, is that it?" Tai snapped.
"I think Izzy's just trying to think of a safer way to get back. Think about it, Tai," Arashi began, gently placing a hand on Tai's shoulder, "If we rush out there we might lose the medicine, or we might lead them back to Kari and the others. We need a plan first. We'll get the medicine to Kari, don't worry." Arashi assured him. "Arashi's right. Those machines are the only things moving out there so a map of the city graphic flow will show us where they are. Then, it's just the question of plotting the best course to avoid them." Izzy explained typing away on his computer. "Yeah. That just might work." Tai said, relaxing a bit. "Of course, it'll work, you see? There, I've pinpointed every one of them." Izzy said as a large number of lights appeared on his map. "Good job, Izzy." Tai cheered.
"Excuse me, your metalness. They are accessing the network again, but the access point has relocated to sector B-17." A Hagurumon reported. "Then relay those coordinates to all forces, then attack," Machinedramon commanded. "Well, it's about time!" The flying ones cheered as they turned around mid-flight.
The flashing dots on Izzy's screen began converging on the kids' location. "Inconceivable!" Izzy cried watching the lights grow closer. "Incon-what? What now?" Tai questioned. "Izzy, what's going on? The Tankmon are turning around." Arashi reported from her spot by the window. "The machines. Every one of them rotated in sync and now they're heading our way." Izzy reported as Arash's eyes widened. "Izzy, turn off your computer! Now!" She barked, scrambling over to him and slamming it closed. The sound of the computer snapping shut, seemed to register something in Izzy's mind as well. "Of course, they're zeroing in on my computer connection." He gasped.
"Incoming!" Agumon exclaimed as the kids looked out the window to find a massive Digimon flying toward them. They all yelped in surprise before darting out of the way as Tai's digivice began to glow. "Agumon digivolve to Greymon! Nova Blast!" Gerymon's attack nailed the massive intruder in the eye as the Digimon roared in pain. "Let's go!" Tai called, urging Izzy and Arashi onto Greymon's back as the group made their escape.
Atop Infinity Mountain Piedmon sighed watching the drama play out from afar. "The plot thickens," Piedmon sighed. "I had such high hopes that these little ones would put on a more entertaining show, but this..." Piedmon groaned, "Really it's too tiresome. Can we just get this over with and get onto something a little less tedious." PIedmon's groan turns into a full-on whine. "There's no escape from Machinedramon. He's designed for total annihilation, it's only a matter of time now before he catches them and then the game is over." Piedmon chuckled, sipping on his drink. "Ah, it's not fair that that overgrown can opener gets all the fun. When I was so looking forward to playing with them myself. Farewell, little ones!" Piedmon cheered watching as Greymon leaped out of the building.
"Greymon digivolve to MetalGreymon! Hang on!" MetalGreymon called as he smashed a couple of Tankmon underneath his feet. He continued his path, darting past more Tankmon and avoiding the attacking Mekanorimon, and escaped the oncoming troops.
"Oh, I've got a teeny bit of bad news. They've escaped again my lord, sir." Hagurumon confessed. "And you're still here?" Machinedramon growled.
Meanwhile, Tai and the others took refuge inside a cathedral as Izzy hung his head. "It's all my fault." He began. "I was giving away our location every time we logged on with my computer. How could I have not thought of that before?" "Good question! Now we're stuck here! Meanwhile, Kari's getting sicker and sicker because of you!" Tai snapped, grabbing Izzy by the collar. Arashi and the Digimon yelped in shock before rushing in an attempt to separate the two boys. "Stop it, Tai! What's come over you?" Agumon questioned. "Tai, that's enoug–!" Arashi was cut off by yet another coughing fit which snapped Tai out of his rage. "I'm sorry, Izzy." Tai gasped, releasing his friend. Tai covered his face in shame before turning away from the others in shame.
"Hey, Tai, this isn't your normal behavior," Izzy said worriedly. "It's Kari. She almost died once because of me." Tai confessed as the others reeled back in shock. "It happened when she was 4 or 5, just a little kid. She stayed home from kindergarten one day because she was sick. I mean, I knew she was sick, but all I could think about on the way home was playing soccer..."
"Hey, I'm home," Tai called, as he opened the door to the apartment and tossed off his bag. Inside he found Kari sitting on the couch watching TV, seeing his younger sister sitting upright he assumed she was feeling strong enough to go outside with him.
"I wanted to go out and play, but I didn't want to leave her by herself, so I took her outside with me. She seemed okay, really she did." Tai explained.
"Now watch me, just like that." Tai cheered kicking the ball to his sister. Kari attempted ot kick the ball back, but her foot angled weirdly causing the ball to go far to the side. "No, that's not right..." Tai sighed, chasing after the ball. When he turned back to his sister, she was lying on the ground and passed out. "Kari? Kari!" Tai cried.
A crisp slap sounded throughout the lobby as Tai raised a hand to his cheek. "What could you have been thinking!? You knew she was sick!" Yuuko sobbed, staring at her son in disbelief. Susumu did his best to comfort his wife as Tai remained silent, horrified by his actions.
"She ended up with pneumonia or something. She almost didn't make it, but what really kills me is what she said when they brought her home from the hospital. The first words out of her mouth..."
Susumu and Yuuko arrive home, with Kari in her father's arms. "Tai...I'm sorry I can't kick the ball very good...you'll probably never want to play with me again..." Kari apologized as Tai began tearing up in shame.
"That's her, that's Kari. She never thinks about herself. It doesn't matter if she feels bad or if she's bummed out about other stuff, she's always worried about the other kids. She wouldn't be sick, she'd be just fine if she never came to this stupid place, but she came because she knew that we needed her help. You never thought about what she wanted. She never does!" Tai cried. "Because she cares." Izzy offered. "She's a kid! I'm her big brother, I'm supposed to look after her and protect her and think of what's best for her! That's what I'm supposed to do!" Tai sobbed in response. "Oh, Tai..." Agumon frowned as Arashi kneeled down on the floor beside Tai. "You know, I was in the hospital at the same time Kari was," Arashi stated.
"Why are you here?" Kari questioned as the door to the room opened. "I'm sick," Arashi replied, trotting over to Kari's bed. "I saw the doctors pushing you past my room and wanted to come see you," Arashi explained climbing up onto Kari's bed with the help of the chair. The other kids in the room watched in awe at the girl who seemed unfazed by all the hospital's restrictions. "The doctors keep sticking me with needles and pouches, so I left," Arashi states before sitting at Kari's feet. "Why are you here?" Arashi asks. "Something called mewmoanma'." Kari replied as Arashi giggled. "I had pneumonia last year... It's not very fun." Arashi frowns before scratching at her inner forearm.
"Is your mommy here?" Arashi asked. "Mhmmm, she's talking to the doctor. What about you?" Kari asked as Arashi shook her head. "No, I'm alone.... I hope you feel better soon." Arashi began, "It's not fun being here super long...." Arashi murmured as Kari scooted to one side of her bed and patted the empty space beside her. "Why don't you just stay with me and we can be sick together?" Kari asked as Arashi froze a complex storm of emotions swirling in her eyes. "Okay..." Arashi replied cautiously, crawling up to sit beside Kari who smiled at her. "There, it's not so bad, now is it?" Kari smiled brightly as Arashi looked the other way, her face tinted pink. "Hey, Arashi, do you still play soccer?" Kari asked after a moment.
"Not unless it's a game... Aunt Ellen signed me up for violin lessons with my piano teacher a few months ago as a distraction." Arashi replied, frowning. "From what?" Kari questioned as Arashi brought her knees to her chest, but remained silent. "You should come play soccer with Tai," Kari stated. "Huh?" "Ever since we moved, Tai hasn't had anyone to play soccer with. So I want you to play with him again." Kari explained as Arashi smiled. "Okay, I'll play soccer with Tai again soon," Arashi smiled.
"She said that?" Tai asked as Arashi nodded. "I always hated being in the hospital, but that was the first time I didn't mind it so much." Arashi began, "Kari always tries to find the bright side of things, that's why I think her crest is the crest of light. I know you think you're the one who's supposed to be looking out for her, but the truth is she's looking out for you just as much." Arashi stated as Tai looked over at her. "She's a lot stronger than you think. So try not to break yourself worrying so much, 'kay?" Arashi smiled as Tai suddenly lunged at her. "Tai-?!" Izzy's exclamation was cut short as Tai began sobbing in Arashi's arms. 'Give him a minute.' Arashi mouthed to Izzy who nodded.
"Okay, It would be ridiculous to try to break through them, but maybe we can use their own surveillance techniques against them," Izzy explained as Arashi and Tai met up with him in the cathedral library. "You're not going online again, are you?" Tentomon questioned. "Yes, but this time, I know what I'm doing. I've got a program that will throw them off our trail," Izzy began, as he plugged in his laptop, "I'm going to mask our access point. It's a little trick a computer programmer taught me once."
"There they are again! Whoa! Um, Boss, uh, there are now dozens of access points, all over the map!" Hagurumon gasped. All across the screen, yellow dots were flashing, displaying every place that a person could access the network. "Does this mean what I think it does, My Lord, Sir?" The other Hagurumon asked. "That you have the brains of a tin can?" Machinedramon asked rhetorically.
"What are those?" Tentomon asked, pointing to the blue dots on Izzy's screen. Those are the enemy Digimon." Izzy replied. "They're not moving..." Tai realized. "That's because the program worked and they don't have a clue where to look for us! Prodigious!" Izzy cheered. "That means we can get back to the others!" Meicoomon gasped cheerfully. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" Tai exclaimed. The group quickly ran out of the cathedral, making their way back to others in the highest spirits they'd had all day.
"I'm bored with this game of cat and mouse, initiate plan Elimin-8!" Machinedramon growled as the Hagurumon balked at that idea. "Elimin-8? What about Elimin-9?" One asked. "Are you actually questioning me? Initiate plan Elimin-8, now!" Machinedramon ordered. "No, sir! Yes, sir! Attention, initiate plan Elimin-8!" The Hagurumon relayed the order to all the subordinates. "I'm glad you agree. Fire at will!" Machinedramon called.
"Oh, can I blow something up?" "I don't know, can you?" The two flying Digimon teased one another. On the ground below, Tai and the others watched as the massive Digimon flew past and Tai let out a breath of annoyance. "Now we're in for it." He groaned.
Meanwhile, back at the house, T.K. watched in shock as the two creatures began firing at buildings, either instantly leveling them or setting them completely ablaze.
"Man, what a waste of ammo, they're way off." Tai scoffed. "I don't think we're the ones they're trying to hit," Meicoomon replied as Izzy gasped. "No, it can't be!" He cried pulling out his laptop. "That's Megadramon! A fully digivolved flying fiend with devastating destructive powers! The other one's Gigadramon! If anything, he's more powerful than his buddy! Believe me, if these two were shooting at us, we wouldn't still be here talking about it!" Tentomon told the others. "It looks like my plan may have backfired on us," Izzy admitted. "How do you figure that?" Agumon questioned. "It appears they've decided searching for us is too much trouble. So instead, they're just going to level the whole city and everybody in it." Izzy explained. "You've gotta be kidding!" "We gotta get back now!" Tai and Arashi exclaimed.
Back in Machinedramon's lair, they were watching the screen and more and more areas of the city were reduced to rubble, the two Hagurumon rattling off destroyed sectors.
"That's it for sectors A and B. What a mess!" "Megadramon and Gigadramon have begun operations in sectors C and D. Children sneaky." The Hagurumon comment. "Soon there will be no place left to hide and this game will abruptly end," Machinedramon stated.
"Uh-oh! Megadramon!" Tentomon cried as the Digimon's shadow zipped past the group once more. "And he's heading right for where the others are hiding!" He continued. "No!" Tai gasped as the group picked up its pace. "I hope they see him coming." Tentomon comments as Tai begins yelling for his sister. At their pace, it only took a few more moments to reach the outskirts of the house. "Safe and sound, everything's okay." Izzy smiled. "Stars above." Arashi sighed in relief, as she held her knees panting. "We're back, Kari!" Tai cheered running for the house. Before he could even get close, a rocket dropped out of the sky on the other side of the house, blowing it up in a pillar of flame.
As the smoke clears all that's left of the building is a sizable crater, the only sound that can be heard at first is Arashi choking on the smoke. "The building's gone!" Izzy gasps. "But *chough* what about *cough* *cough* *cough* the *cough* others?" Arashi managed. "No! No way! It can't be! Kari!" Tai cries. "Look out!" "Here comes one more!" Meicoomon and Izzy shout as they point to a missile flying right toward them. Thankfully, before it could hit them, an orange beam of light shot the missile back into the air to explode harmlessly above them. "Angemon!" Agumon cheers as the group turns to see the angel Digimon flying behind them. "But that means–" "Hey, what's up? Arashi, you look tired." T.K. smiles, poking his head from the bushes and cutting Izzy off.
"T.K.!" Tai cheers. "Biyomon!" Meicoomon exclaims as the pink bird pops out next. "And the others!" Tentomon calls as Sora reveals herself, Kari resting on her back. "Kari, you're okay!" Tai cheers rushing to his sister. "Actually, you look better than okay." Izzy comments. "When we saw them bombing buildings, we thought we'd better get out," Sora explained. "And I led the way, and took care of them like you said!" T.K. cheered. "Oh, TicTac I'm so proud of you!" Arashi smiled, giving the boy a hug. "I never doubted you!" Tai added just as a powerful beam cut into the road not far from them. "Machinedramon!" Agumon gasped as the Dark master burst up from the ground. "You can't rely on scrap metal if you want the job done right," Machinedramon growled.
"Take cover, everybody!" Tai yelled as the group ran into the nearby duplex. "That's right, scurry away..." Machinedramon mocked powering up his canons, "Ask any rat catcher, the chase is part of the fun. Gigacannon!" Machinedramon called firing into the building as it began sinking into the ground. "Ha ha ha ha ha! Nothing like a little wholesale destruction to end a hard day's work. Goodbye, DigiDestined!" Machinedramon laughed watching as the building fell apart, collapsing into a seemingly bottomless pit. "TAI!! HELP ME, TAI!!!" Kari cried, reaching for her brother as she and the others fell. "KARI!" Tai exclaimed, attempting to grab her hand as the kids not only fell deeper but drifted further and further apart in the darkness.