Chapter 24:
Outside Interference
It was an exhilarating feeling, to fly.
Akira laughed as she blazed through the crisp, cool air. The sky was a brilliant blue, and the wind was swift, but gentle.
After a while, Akira decided that she was dreaming, if only for the myriads of things happening that did not make sense. For one, she was flying. Without wings. And she was moving faster than was humanly possible. Trees, mountains, and clouds zoomed by in a blur.
Everything seemed awash in light, and from that light came a warmth that made her sigh and close her eyes in contentment.
Then, she felt herself moving downward, and her feet slowly touched bottom.
She opened her eyes, looked around, and found that she was standing in the middle of a forest with colored leaves. A warm breeze blew, lifting some leaves from their branches and carrying them away. A long path stretched in front of her, shrouded in mystery.
Suddenly, she was aware of someone holding her hand. It gave her a warm, tingly feeling. She turned, and saw Seita standing there, smiling at her.
For a just a moment, she wondered why he was there, but the warm, happy feeling she got from him washed away her doubts.
She looked at the path in front of her, and back to Seita, and then wondered if he would come with her if she decided to follow it.
Somehow, she felt that she wouldn’t mind if he came along.
She smiled at him, and took a step toward the path.
But then, something pulled her back.
“Akira…”
Akira was barely aware of it – a voice calling her from the distance. It sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t quite put a finger on whose it was. She ignored it, not wanting this dream to end just yet.
“Akira…”
I can’t hear you…
“Akira!”
“Not yet, Dad…” Akira mumbled, “I’m still sleepy…”
“Akira, wake up!”
“No way… I don’t want to go to school today…” She turned over, eyes still closed, and bumped into something else. Her expression turned confused. What was that? In the confusion of her sleepy mind, she also felt that she was swinging around, very slowly. Then, she heard an exasperated breath.
Before she could figure out anything else, she was jolted awake by a violent pinch in her arm.
“OW!!”
She jumped in pain and fright, and her flailing arms slammed into something else-
“OW!! What in the-”
“Ouch-ouch-ouch!” Akira shouted, rubbing her arm violently. Her eyes snapped open, and she looked around wildly, wondering where she was.
After a moment, it all came back to her. Snowy woods. Soccer balls. An attack. And then the net-
She glanced around her sharply, squinting in the pre-dawn light. On one side, in the net with her, was Seita. He looked sleepy and irritated, clamping a hand painfully over one of his eyes.
On the other side, sitting on a tree branch, was Jun, staring at them in extreme shock.
“Uh… hi…” Jun mumbled stupidly, “…Did you have a nice nap?”
Akira’s eyes narrowed. “Jun, how-”
“Digivices,” Jun interrupted, smiling proudly. “Didn’t take very long for us to find you two, once you showed up on radar.” He pulled on a pair of rubber gloves, and pulled out a small pocketknife. “Hold still,” he added, “This might or might not hurt you – I’m not sure how much of a jolt this thing has!” He nodded toward the net.
“Where are the others?” Seita asked.
Jun motioned downward. “Down there.”
Akira and Seita looked down, and let out a startled shout.
From what they could see, it looked as if a small war had broken out on the ground. Taomon, Angewomon, and HolyAngemon were there, and they seemed to be shooting at everything in sight. Dozens of the wolf-like Digimon who had been guarding the net in the beginning were now running around madly, dodging shots and bright beams of energy while sending back some of their own. And a few feet away, Tian and Mana were hidden behind a cluster of rocks, staring up at the net in the tree.
Meanwhile, Jun had managed to cut a hole in the net without shocking anyone. Akira and Seita carefully scrambled out, and the three of them climbed down the tree, from a rope tied securely to one of the branches.
“All right!” Tian called out to the three Digimon. “They’re down! We’re finished here!”
Taomon was the first to return. “Perfect timing,” she said smugly, “They just started running for their lives.”
With flashes of light, all three Digimon reverted to their Child forms. Tian turned toward Akira and Seita, grinning.
“Had a rough night?”
“Tell me about it,” Seita muttered.
Akira looked around. As everything grew brighter, she noticed that the snow had stopped falling, and it was several degrees warmer than before. Most of the snow on the ground had already melted.
“We were wandering around here for a while,” Jun explained, putting away the rubber gloves and the knife, “and after a while, we noticed Yuka and Kei’s dots on our Digivices, maybe a couple of miles away.”
“But once it started snowing a lot, we found you two,” Tian added, smiling. “You were closer, so we thought we’d might as well rescue you first before we tried following them!”
Akira just stared at her. “Uh… thanks?” Tian laughed.
“Where did Kodamon and Gazimon go?” Mana asked.
Akira shrugged. “Those wolf Digimon ambushed us,” she answered, “And by the time we woke up again, we were up in that tree, and Kodamon and Gazimon were already gone.”
“They were probably taken to where Yuka and everyone else is,” Seita added. His eyes narrowed. “And I’m pretty sure we know who’s responsible.” The others nodded.
Akira pulled out her Digivice. “Let’s get going, then!”
“If you’re here to convince me again, you can just forget about it!” Rion shouted, pulling out his Digivice and pointing it at Naoko.
“I’m just going to let you know, there is still time for you to change your mind,” Naoko said evenly, “Mataymon’s only using you, you know. Do you really think he’s helping you as much as you’re helping him?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“If you ask me, I really think you should stop. You’re hurting a lot of innocent people in your crazy little revenge plan.” She glanced at Yuka and Kei, and at Lopmon and Terriermon.
Rion glared at her murderously. “Did you think I wanted to get them involved?”
Naoko glanced at Yuka and the others again, and shot them a quick warning look.
“You say you don’t want to get the other kids involved,” Naoko stated, “If that’s true, then why is it that everything Mataymon has you do ends up hurting everyone?”
“That’s not true!” Rion shouted, but he was beginning to waver. “I-I only wanted to hurt Akira and Kodamon, that’s all!” he stammered, “I didn’t want to hurt anyone else! They just kept on getting in the way!”
Naoko smirked. “Ah… so you do care after all!” she exclaimed sarcastically, “I was worried there for a moment. I was actually starting to think that Mataymon had turned you into an uncaring monster!”
“Shut up!” Rion screamed. He sent out a dark beam from his Digivice.
In a blur, Naoko acted. With one hand, she sealed Kei, Yuka, and their Digimon in a bright blue energy shield. With the other hand, she caught the dark Digivice beam and with a flash of light, bounced it back toward Rion.
“Fireball!”
The beam collided with Guilmon’s bright red-orange energy ball. Guilmon stared back at her, his eyes a hard gold.
He fired more shots, and in a gravity-defying leap, Naoko dodged them. She flipped easily in the air, cupped her hands together, and formed a ball of blue energy. The ball steadily increased in size until she finally let it go. It hit Rion like a tidal wave.
Rion was knocked off his feet. His Digivice fell out of his hand and skittered across the floor, glowing and beeping. Before he could get up again and get it, Naoko landed in front of him.
“I’m telling you…” she said forcefully, face to face with Rion, “Quit. While you’re. Ahead!”
“Exhaust Flame!”
Naoko saw the attack just in time to dodge it with a flip. In mid-air, she saw Growmon, surrounded by a fading red light. Growmon fired again, and this time, his attack grazed her shoulder.
Naoko landed on the floor with a thud, and clamped a hand on her shoulder. Electrical interference bristled there for a moment, then disappeared in a flash of light as she healed herself.
“Exhaust Flame!”
This time, Naoko dodged it, scooting across the floor.
Then, Growmon glowed again, a brighter red this time. Naoko looked around wildly and spotted Rion. He had retrieved his Digivice, and the Crest around his neck shined an eerie grayish-black.
“Growmon, super evolve to… MegaloGrowmon!”
“Atomic Blaster!”
The energy beam missed Naoko and headed straight for the kids behind the shield.
“Watch out!” Naoko shouted, moving toward the shield and MegaloGrowmon’s attack…
By this time, Akira and the others had finally reached the forbidding-looking castle. It was broad daylight, and they were currently hidden behind a clump of thin, stubby trees. They stared tensely at a small pack of Fenrimon and Lupimon patrolling in front of the entrance.
“It seems like they warned the others that we were coming,” Seita muttered.
“Now what?” Mana demanded softly.
Akira stared quietly at the Digimon near the entrance. “We’re going to need a distraction…” she whispered.
They all thought a moment, and eventually, one by one, many of them turned their glances toward Mana.
Mana gulped. “Why are you all looking at me?”
Seita smirked. “Just a hunch.”
Jun laughed softly. “Well… you could scream loud enough for them to notice you… and if you lead them away…” He nodded at the entrance. “We could get in easy!”
Mana gave him a dirty look.
“That could work,” Akira confirmed.
Mana stared around at everyone despairingly. Tian gave her a cheerful nod. Salamon smiled nervously.
Mana sighed. “All right, I get it. Come on, Salamon.” They walked slowly out from behind the trees. “But if something happens to us and we don’t come back, it’s not our fault!!”
They walked further toward the entrance, quietly enough for the Fenrimon and Lupimon guards not to notice them yet.
Then, Mana took a deep breath, and shouted. “Hey!!”
The guards turned around to stare at her with bewildered looks.
Mana gulped. “Yeah, we’re talking to you, you overgrown balls of fur! Come and get us!!”
For a moment, the guards just stood there in shock. Then, they all bounded toward the two, snarling and snapping.
Mana screamed, and she and Salamon ran off, taking all the guards with them.
At the same time, Akira and the others sped toward the entrance. Mana’s screams echoed through the trees, and a bright reddish-pink light could be seen from the treetops. Jun turned back for just a moment and sighed.
“Mana… I think you overdid it…”
Once inside, they were greeted by empty rooms and an unearthly silence. Akira and Seita pulled out their Digivices and swept them around. When they reached a certain staircase, the Digivices pulsed with light, and faint green and pink dots showed up. They both nodded. “This way!”
After clambering up a couple of flights, they all found themselves in a large, open room. The crumbling stone walls and floor suggested a war zone. And lying over to the side, almost out of sight, were Kodamon and Gazimon.
Akira and Seita immediately rushed over to them.
“Kodamon!” Akira called out, shaking the Digimon roughly. Kodamon moaned softly, and opened her eyes a crack. Next to her, Gazimon was just waking up as well.
“Are you okay?” Akira asked again, “What happened?”
“The Fenrimon and Lupimon attacked us…” Gazimon answered weakly, taking a hold of Seita’s hand. “They knocked us out in the woods and brought us here.”
“We were trapped for a while, but then Gazimon got us out,” Kodamon continued, “And then we found Kei, and-” She stopped suddenly, and her eyes widened. “Kei!”
Gazimon gasped. “Lupimon!”
Both of them looked around the room in desperation. “Where did she run off to?!”
Seita looked at them in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“The Lupimon leader!” Kodamon shouted. “She had Kei and Galgomon trapped in here when we found them! Galgomon was hurt, and Kei was terrified! And…” She swallowed, and looked straight at Akira. “Lupimon was running around here looking like you!”
Akira gasped. “What?”
“It’s exactly as I said! Lupimon tricked Kei by pretending to be you!” She shut her eyes, and tried to get up. “And she’s still around here somewhere!”
“Kodamon and I tried to stop her,” Gazimon added grimly, “And you can see how that turned out.”
“Did you see Yuka or Lopmon anywhere?” Seita asked anxiously. Gazimon shook his head.
Kodamon got to her feet, but wobbled precariously.
Akira made her sit down again. “Don’t try.” She looked at Jun and Patamon. “Stay with them.” They answered with a nod.
Then, she, Seita, Tian, and Renamon moved on, following the Digivice signal.
There was a blast of heat and an explosion of smoke as the Atomic Blaster impacted. Blocks of debris rained down. As the smoke cleared, however, it revealed a completely different scene than expected.
The energy shield was intact, and Yuka, Lopmon, Kei and Terriermon still remained behind it. MegaloGrowmon, however, was nowhere to be found. There was a massive hole in the wall where he used to be, and lying on the floor under the hole was Guilmon, out cold with a dizzy, wobbly expression on his face.
And, off to the side, Naoko was also on the floor, fatigued and breathing heavily. She opened her eyes, took a quick scan of the room, and an amazed smile appeared on her tired face.
“It worked…”
Rion switched his stare from Guilmon’s unconscious form, to Naoko, and back. “What the hell…” he murmured in a dangerously quiet voice, “…did you do?!”
“I slowed down the room’s clock speed…” Naoko said softly, picking herself up from the floor, “And I redirected the beam.” She smiled broadly. “I thought I wouldn’t make it in time.”
Rion did nothing but stare at her in disbelief.
“So…” Naoko said with a smirk, “Shall we continue this ridiculous battle, or will you just give up already?”
Rion glared defiantly for a moment, then let his gaze drop to the ground in defeat. He walked slowly over to Guilmon, still knocked out on the floor, and knelt down. He placed a hand on Guilmon’s head, his expression blank for a moment. Then he glared again.
He held out his other hand, and a dark, crystallized ball appeared.
“Listen up,” he said harshly, into the ball, “Your leaders are deleted. If you don’t want to end up the same way, then leave. Now!”
The ball disappeared, and Rion looked back at Naoko furiously. “I won’t forget this!” he shouted. He looked around one more time, and his gaze softened slightly when he saw Kei.
Then, he and Guilmon disappeared in a flash of dark-gray light.
At that, Naoko sighed, in both relief and despair. She waved a hand in front of Yuka and the others, and the energy shield faded.
“A-are you all right?” Yuka asked. Her voice shook.
Naoko took a deep breath, and nodded. “Just perfect.”
She then turned her attention to Kei. She was sitting near them, clutching Terriermon in a tight grip. She was very quiet, and her face held no expression.
Naoko put a hand on Terriermon’s head, and bits of electricity jumped from it. Then, slowly and carefully, she pulled Terriermon out of Kei’s grasp and laid him on the floor. Her hand hovered over Terriermon’s chest, at the point where the most interference was. She closed her eyes and concentrated.
Slowly, and with violent electrical shocks, a small, black sphere emerged. Yuka watched it pulse as it was being removed, and she could feel the cold and hatred radiating from it.
Then, Naoko’s eyes snapped open, and her hand quickly clamped over the black seed. She made a fist, and a sharp, blue light flashed. After several moments, the light faded, and Naoko opened her hand again, revealing nothing.
She then placed her hand over Terriermon, who was then enveloped with a softer blue light. After a few more moments, the light faded. The electrical interference and data fragmentation immediately disappeared.
“What was that?” Yuka asked finally.
“That…” Naoko answered, sighing, “was a Dark Seed. If a Digimon is infected with one, it usually means an instant, painful deletion. If a human is infected with one…” She hesitated. “If a human is infected with one, it causes a serious illness, and the person could very well die from it.” She paused again. “But if the person survives the disease, and the Dark Seed is still there, he or she will be completely changed. That person’s abilities would increase – he or she would get stronger and smarter – and eventually, be completely controlled by evil thoughts.”
Yuka merely stared at her.
“They’re terrible weapons,” Naoko added grimly, “I was hoping they wouldn’t be used again.”
“Will Terriermon be okay now?” Yuka asked, anxiously.
Naoko nodded. “Yes. Let him rest for a while, and he’ll be just fine.”
Yuka sighed in relief. “Thank goodness.” Then, she glanced at Kei, still sitting there and staring into space, and frowned. “Kei…”
Naoko looked down at Kei, concerned. She crouched down, and placed a hand on Kei’s shoulder. She shrugged it off and turned away, not saying a word. Her expression was blank.
Naoko got up, shaking her head. “Give her a little time,” she answered.
“What are you going to do about Rion?”
Naoko sighed. “I don’t know if I can help him anymore. If only he could figure out what his true feelings are, he’d be able to save himself and Guilmon – as it is now, he may be too far gone.”
“Kei believed in him,” Yuka answered, “Right from the start.”
Then, familiar shouts echoed off the walls.
“Kei! Terriermon!”
“Yuka!”
Naoko smiled, and turned to leave when Yuka stopped her.
“Will we see you again?” Yuka asked.
“When the time is right,” Naoko answered. “Until then, hang in there!”
Yuka nodded. “Right.”
Naoko smiled at Yuka and Lopmon again. Then, she turned and ran off, disappearing into the shadows.
“Yuka!”
Yuka turned around, and her face immediately brightened. “Nii-chan!” she shouted, rushing into Seita’s arms. They were silent for a moment.
“I’m sorry,” Yuka murmured finally.
Seita laughed. “What are you saying ‘sorry’ for?” He hugged her tight. I’m the one who should be sorry… for all the times I wasn’t there to protect you…
“Sorry for always getting into trouble,” Yuka replied softly, “and for always needing you and Lopmon and everyone else to get me out of it.”
Seita stared back at her, shocked and confused. “Yuka-”
“Especially you,” she continued, as if she didn’t hear him. “…Nii-chan.”
Seita looked at her for a moment, silently. Then, he smiled. “You don’t have to start calling me that,” he replied, “It sounds way too serious, and it’s scary coming from you!”
“But-”
“And don’t be sorry,” he continued, ruffling her hair, “I’ll rescue you from anything, whether you like it or not!”
Yuka giggled.
“Hey!” several voices called out from the end of the room. They looked up to see Tian, Jun, and the rest of the Digimon running to meet them. Mana and Salamon plodded behind them, exhausted.
Tian’s eyes lit up when she saw Yuka and Kei. “You found them!”
“The entire place is empty now, even the woods!” Jun said excitedly, “All of the Fenrimon and Lupimon have run off!”
“It was weird, though,” Tian added, “While you were gone, all the guards came back and caught up with us. They were going to fight us right then and there, but then something happened – I don’t know what – and they turned around and just ran, as if something invisible was chasing them or something…”
“And good riddance!” Mana shouted indignantly, “Because I never want to do this again! Next time, pick someone else to make a diversion!”
Mostly everyone laughed.
Meanwhile, Akira had hurried over to Kei, who was still sitting on the floor, faced away and staring out at nothing.
“Kei!”
Kei turned, and seeing Akira, she slowly got up. She took a couple of steps back, keeping her distance.
Akira blinked, and stopped a few feet in front of Kei. “Kei…” Her expression grew concerned. “What’s wrong?”
Kei didn’t answer. She stared at Akira blankly. A sudden surge of fear filled her, as a vision of ‘Akira’ glaring at her with evil, darkened eyes and pointing a seed gun at her throat lingered in her mind for a few moments.
Then, with great effort, she pushed the thought away, and tears fell from her eyes.
“Akira!” she screamed out, running toward Akira and landing in her arms. She began to cry.
“Kei…” Akira said, surprised.
“Don’t go away, Akira,” Kei sobbed, “Stay with me! Don’t ever leave me alone!”
Akira looked down at Kei, shocked and confused. She had never seen her act like this before. What on earth had happened up here, to make Kei so terrified?
“It’s okay,” Akira finally said, “I’m here.” She hugged Kei tighter. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Everyone was silent until Kei’s crying had calmed somewhat.
“Kei…” Tian said gently, “What happened to all of you?”
Kei was silent for a moment, then answered. “It was L-lupimon and… t-those other wolves…” she stammered softly, “They were…” She swallowed. “They were…” Her expression crumpled, and she buried her face in Akira’s shirt, threatening to cry again.
“They were trying to make us sick,” Yuka spoke up.
The others looked back at her, surprisingly and expectantly, and she felt a momentary dread. She glanced at Lopmon, who gave her a smile and a slight nod.
This time, Yuka thought, I won’t stay silent.
She took a deep breath, and began to explain.
When she finished, most of the others took the information in shocked and appalled silence.
Except for one person.
“That little-” Seita clenched his fists. “The next time I see Rion, I’ll kick his lights out!”
Kei moaned.
Akira hugged her again, and glared at Seita. “You’re not helping. Really not.”
“It’s not completely his fault, Seita,” Yuka added defensively, “Someone else is making him and Guilmon do all that bad stuff.”
Seita perked up. “What someone?”
Yuka shook her head. “I don’t know for sure. But it was someone else.”
After that, there was silence.
Kei sighed and sniffled a little.
“Akira…” she whispered.
“Yeah?”
“Isn’t there any way we can save Rion?” Kei asked sadly. “It hurts to think of him like …that. Evil, I mean. It hurts!”
Akira regarded her for a moment, troubled, then thoughtful. Then, she smiled. “We’ll find a way. I’m sure of it.” She put a hand on Kei’s shoulder. “Don’t lose hope!”
Kei stared back at her for a while, and a very faint smile appeared on her face.
“That’s more like it!” Akira exclaimed cheerfully. “And if you have any doubts,” she added with a smirk, “just kick ‘em away!”
Kei’s smile widened a little. “Kick ‘em away!” Then, her smile disappeared, and she hugged Akira again, as if she would never let go.
Akira sighed, still wondering at just how much Kei had been through since the last time they had been together. The more she thought about it, and about Rion, and about everything else that had happened to them, the more she was filled with a boiling rage.
“Come on,” she said crossly, “Let’s get out of here. This place makes me sick.”