Chapter 38:
The Long Road
It was nightfall when Jun and Mana awoke on a nearly-overturned bus full of clamoring kids. A de-evolved Tokomon and Nyaromon looked around, curious, until they were quickly snatched off the seats and stuffed into backpacks, Jun and Mana motioning them to be quiet.
“Is everyone all right?” the camp counselor asked. There was a chorus of responses.
“What happened?” one kid asked.
“The driver almost hit a deer and swerved,” the counselor replied, frowning. “And now we’re stuck in a ditch with a blown out tire.” She sighed. “We probably won’t get to camp until tomorrow, at this rate.”
Suddenly a message beeped on her phone. She read it, and her eyes widened. “All right, everyone, listen up!” The chattering kids quieted down. “Camp has just been canceled!”
“What?”
“No way!”
“There’s been rumors of terrorist attacks in the area, and the camp owners aren’t taking any chances,” she continued, “They want all of you sent home.”
“Terrorist attacks?”
“Cool!”
Mana looked around and shook her head. Some of these kids were idiots.
“We’ll probably be stranded here for a few hours,” the counselor continued, “so those of you who have phones should call your parents so they can come get you. Those of you who don’t, come talk to me.”
Jun and Mana reached into their backpacks and pulled out their phones. It felt unreal to be using them again after spending so long in the Digital World with no cell signal.
Jun listened for a few moments, then hung up. “No one’s answering at home,” he said, “Dad must be pulling another all-nighter.”
“Mom!” Mana squealed into her phone, her eyes brimming with tears. “No, I’m not crying. I’m just really happy to hear you…” She sniffled and wiped her eyes. “Camp got canceled and the bus got stranded – yes – uh-huh. Can you please come pick us up? Yeah, Jun too. We’re somewhere on I-95, just past Fort Lauderdale. Thanks!” She listened for a moment more. “A surprise?” she asked. “What surprise? Oh, all right! Bye!”
She hung up, with a puzzled look on her face. “I wonder what she meant by ‘surprise,’” she murmured.
About an hour later, parents’ cars began to stop by the stranded bus to pick up their kids. Mana recognized her parents’ car, and ran up, expecting to see her mother. Instead, she gave an excited cry.
“Dad!”
Mana’s father exited the car with a smile on his face and gave her a big hug. “You’re home early!” Mana exclaimed, hugging him back.
“It was supposed to be a surprise for when you came back from camp,” he said, “but it looks like fate had other ideas…”
“It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Saitou.” Jun said politely.
“Nice to see you again too, Jun,” he replied, “You’ve gotten taller.”
Jun smiled, then was interrupted by a muffled shout coming from his backpack. He laughed hastily. “Sorry, my phone alarm’s been acting weird…” He zipped open his backpack and gave a soft “shh!” to Tokomon, who was struggling for air.
“All right,” Mana said suddenly, covering for Jun, “Let’s go! I can’t wait to get home, can you?”
When they arrived at Mana’s house, they both ran over to Mana’s room, closed the door, and opened their backpacks. Tokomon and Nyaromon tumbled out, taking deep breaths.
“Sorry about that,” Mana said apologetically, “We couldn’t risk having people see you!”
Jun handed them a couple of fresh cookies that he picked up from Mana’s pantry. By the time they finished eating, they had evolved to Patamon and Salamon.
“So what do we do now?” Mana asked.
“We need to get to D.C. somehow,” Jun said, “And infiltrate ITI.”
Mana barked out a laugh. “Easier said than done.”
“Not really,” Jun countered, “I mean, camp got canceled, so if we can convince our parents that we want to go to D.C. instead…”
They thought silently for a moment. Then Jun pulled out his phone and started dialing a number.
“What are you doing?” Mana asked.
“Trying out something,” he answered, listening on the phone.
“Hello?” a tired voice on the other line said.
“Hey, Dad! Just got home?”
“Yeah. How about you?”
“At Mana’s house.”
“What?” his father said incredulously, “I thought you were at camp!”
“Yeah… camp got canceled,” Jun said.
“Is that so?” his father asked.
“Something about terrorist attacks in the area,” Jun replied, a little uneasy.
“Goodness.”
“But Mana and I came up with another idea for the weekend,” Jun added quickly, “Since Mana’s dad is home, we thought we’d go on a road trip to D.C. To do some sightseeing.”
“Hmm.”
“Can I go?” Jun asked, fingers crossed.
“Well, as long as Mana’s dad is there with you…”
“Yesss!” Jun replied excitedly, “Thanks, Dad!”
“Have a good time!”
Jun hung up the phone, and let out a deep breath.
“Did he buy it?” Mana asked.
“Yeah.”
“Now we need to convince Dad to take us.”
“Why go on a road trip all of a sudden?” Mana’s mom asked, “Your father just got home!”
“It’s all right, dear,” her father answered, “Besides, their summer camp is canceled, and they both need some intellectual stimulation. What better place to go than the nation’s capital?”
Both Mana and Jun put on their most hopeful expressions.
Mana’s mother looked at them for a moment, then acquiesced. “All right. Jun, you’ve already gotten permission?”
Jun nodded. “My dad said I could go.”
She sighed. “I wish both of your parents were home so they could actually see you once in a while. Not that we don’t appreciate you being here all the time – we do! But absentee parenting…”
Jun laughed hastily. “Well…”
“Oh, never mind me,” she said, “Just voicing out my opinions. Go home and get some rest. You all have a big day tomorrow!”
The next day was overcast, with an unusually dense fog covering everything. Jun and Patamon arrived early, with Patamon hiding inside Jun’s backpack. Once all the supplies and luggage were packed, Jun and Mana deftly slipped their backpacks into the far backseat of the car, allowing Patamon and Salamon to hide comfortably.
“Have a good time, guys!” Mana’s mother called out, waving. The three of them waved back as Mana’s father pulled out of the driveway.
“It’ll be a 14-hour drive,” Mana’s father said when they were on their way. “Are you sure you two can handle it?”
Jun and Mana nodded.
“Okay, just let me know if you need a bathroom break,” he said with a chuckle.
Jun glanced over at the backseat to see Patamon and Salamon sitting quietly. He subtly caught Mana’s eye, and they nodded.
Several hours later, however, was a different story.
“Are you okay, Patamon?” Salamon whispered, “You look a little green.”
“Don’t feel so good,” he murmured, taking deep breaths and trying not to moan every time the car turned a corner. The warm, humid summer air coming from the open windows wasn’t helping, either.
The last straw was when a garbage truck passed by. The horrible smell triggered Patamon’s gag reflex, and he immediately popped out of the backseat, poked his head out of the window, and vomited.
“Whoa!” Mana’s father suddenly hit the brakes at the sight of Patamon in the rear-view mirror.
A series of car horns blasted through the air as the cars behind them suddenly swerved. One person yelled curses out of their window.
“Who- What-?” Mana’s father stammered. His eyes widened when Salamon popped her head out of the backseat.
“Feeling better?” she said, oblivious to his surprise.
“Ugh…” Patamon flopped onto Jun’s lap, eyes dizzily whirling around.
“Who are they?!” Mana’s father demanded, finally finding his voice.
Mana looked over at her father with a sheepish expression. “That’s a really long story, Dad.”
“Well, start explaining,” he said, slowly pulling over to the side of the road. “We have a few hours.”
“So you guys are… Digimon?” Mana’s father asked skeptically, “From the Digital World.”
“Yup!” Patamon answered, having fully recovered. “We’re made of data gathered together from the Real World and compiled in the Digital World.”
“And we’re here to help our partners save the Real World!” Salamon added.
“Your partners… are Jun and Mana?”
Patamon and Salamon nodded.
“And you’re going to save the Real World from what exactly?”
“The Midnight Army!” Patamon answered
“A horde of evil Digimon!” Salamon added.
Mana’s father sighed. “And here I thought I’d seen everything.” He turned to Mana and Jun. “And does this trip to D.C. have anything to do with this?”
Jun nodded. “Yes, sir. Everything to do with it.”
Mana’s father facepalmed and rubbed his eyes. “What did I get myself into?”
They were suddenly interrupted by something slamming into the car, causing it to shake to and fro. Mana screamed.
“What was that?” she asked fearfully.
Jun looked around frantically through the windows. “I can’t see anything in this fog!” he said, exasperated.
The fog was so thick that it was nearly impossible to see outside, and the setting sun just made everything worse. There was an eerie silence, and the road looked virtually empty of motorists.
Suddenly a Devidramon plastered its face against the windshield, screeching. Mana screamed and shielded her face, and Jun shouted at Mana’s dad, “Go!”
He drove, managing to shake the Devidramon off of the car. There was an unearthly howl, and more dark Digimon emerged from the fog to chase them. After about half a mile, the crowd grew to resemble a giant horde from the depths of hell.
“Dad, you’re going too fast!” Mana blurted out, “What if we get caught?”
“I don’t think anyone will care about speeding tickets at a time like this,” her father replied, his jaw set. “When we get out of this,” he continued, “you two’d better give me an explanation.” Jun and Mana just looked at each other nervously.
“They’re getting closer!” Salamon said nervously, staring at the back window.
“We’re not going to make it!” Mana said hopelessly.
Jun looked blank for a moment, staring at his Digivice. “I wonder… What if we…” He mimed the action of his Crest slotting inside it.
Mana looked at him incredulously. “Are you insane? There’s no way! Remember what everyone said? Without another Crest, there won’t be enough of an energy boost to keep them as they are!”
“Think about how powerful they’ll be, though! They’ll both be strong enough to wipe anything out!”
“But in less than two minutes!?”
“We have to try.” Jun looked over at Patamon and Salamon. They nodded.
Mana sighed. “All right, whatever!” She pulled out her Digivice and Crest.
“Ready?” Jun asked. The two Digimon nodded. “Remember,” Jun added sternly, “you’ve only got a minute and thirty seconds!” They nodded again, without saying a word. Jun looked back one more time, made sure the windows were open, then shouted, “Go!”
The two Digimon sprang out of the open windows, and Jun and Mana immediately slotted their Crests into their Digivices.
Two bright blasts of light filled the sky as the two Digimon shot toward the horde that was swiftly following the car. Their forms changed rapidly, until they reached HolyAngemon and Angewomon.
“What’s going to happen after a minute and thirty seconds?” Mana’s dad asked nervously, turning from behind the wheel.
Jun didn’t answer.
Then, Mana looked up, and screamed, pointing directly ahead of them. “Dad, look out!”
He looked ahead and swerved, cursing loudly. The car skidded to a stop. The three got out of the car to face a fallen angel with black wings and long white hair: LadyDevimon.
LadyDevimon sauntered over to Mana, who was frozen in place and shaking.
“So nice to see you again, sweetie,” she said with an evil smile.
“Who…?” Mana whispered.
She chuckled. “Of course you couldn’t have forgotten your old nemesis, BlackTailmon.”
Mana’s eyes widened in shock.
“I’m new and improved, and just waiting to end the two of you – once and for all!”
“Mana!” Her father ran toward her, but was stopped by a horde of bats. They surrounded him, then left him tied up from head to toe.
“Mana! Get out of there!” Jun shouted.
LadyDevimon silenced him with another multitude of bats.
“Now then,” she continued, “Where was I?”
“Holy Arrow!”
Angewomon’s attack slammed into LadyDevimon, knocking her down. Angewomon landed next to Mana and guided her away. “Let me handle this.”
Mana nodded, and hurried to Jun and her father, freeing them from the bat ropes.
“You!” LadyDevimon roared, making a beeline for Angewomon and tackling her. Angewomon reciprocated with a slap and a kick.
“Holy Arrow!”
“Darkness Wave!”
The attacks collided in midair, disappearing in a brilliant flash of light.
LadyDevimon reared back and transformed her arm into a spear. Then she lunged forward.
“Darkness Spear!”
The attack pierced Angewomon and she dropped like a stone, reverting to Salamon on the way down.
Meanwhile, HolyAngemon was overwhelmed by the multitude of dark Digimon attacking him, and he fell from the sky, reverting to Patamon as he hit the ground.
The 1:30 seconds of energy were up.
“Patamon!”
“Salamon!”
Jun and Mana ran to where both Digimon fell.
“I’m sorry, Jun,” Patamon said weakly, “The energy… I just couldn’t sustain it!”
“You can’t give up!” Jun said, “Not now!”
“Please,” Mana said brokenly, cradling Salamon in her arms, “Try!”
Bright light enveloped both Jun and Mana. Their Digivices transformed and became silver devices – Jun’s with orange accents and Mana’s with red accents. Their second Crests appeared alongside the first – the Crest of Reliability for Jun, and the Crest of Kindness for Mana.
Both Patamon and Salamon began to glow.
“Patamon, warp evolve to… Seraphimon!”
“Salamon, warp evolve to… Ophanimon!”
Two multi-winged angel Digimon emerged. The brilliant blue and green of their armor glinted in the sunset as they soared into the air.
Seraphimon hovered, centering himself among the horde of dark Digimon, and focused.
“Seven Heavens!”
Seven spheres of light shot out, spreading among the crowd and dissolving every Digimon they touched. The dark Digimon left behind afterward let out a cacophony of roars and bellows, and threw themselves at Seraphimon.
“Ascension Hallow!”
Lightning bolts rained from the sky, slamming into the remaining dark Digimon and fragmenting them into figments of data.
LadyDevimon let out an angry shout. “How dare you!” She made for Seraphimon, but was blocked by Ophanimon.
“I’m your opponent!” Ophanimon said forcefully, “Don’t you run away!”
LadyDevimon grimaced, then made a last-ditch attempt at an attack.
“Poison!”
A dark circle appeared around Ophanimon and started siphoning off energy.
“Sefirot Crystal!”
A multitude of crystals appeared and shot out brilliant beams of light, breaking LadyDevimon’s dark circle. Then, she lifted her spear, energized it with light, and threw it.
“Eden’s Javelin!”
The spear pierced LadyDevimon in the heart, and she screamed in pain and anger as her body began to fragment. She glared at Ophanimon with intense loathing.
“You haven’t seen the last of me!” she screeched, “I’ll be back to defeat you once and for all, over and over again! Just you wait!” She cackled with glee as she finally dissolved into nothing.
A hush fell as Seraphimon and Ophanimon glowed and reverted to Patamon and Salamon.
“That… was amazing!” Jun breathed as he picked up Patamon.
“You were so beautiful!” Mana murmured as she gave Salamon a hug.
Mana’s father walked up to them, a blank expression on his face. He put a hand on Jun’s and Mana’s shoulders and looked intensely at Patamon and Salamon.
“You’re all right,” he said, smiling at them in approval. Jun and Mana let out relieved breaths.
“All right, we still have a ways to go,” he continued, thumping Jun and Mana on the shoulders. He turned back to the car and motioned them to follow. “On the way, you can tell me the entire story. What’s so important about where we’re going that so many monsters are fighting us?”
He stopped and thought a moment. “You have friends there, don’t you? With Digimon partners?”
They nodded.
He looked back at them seriously. “Then they’ll need all the help they can get!”
They all got back into the car and continued driving along the long road.