Chapter 21 - Storm of Friendship, Claws of Harmony (Pt.1)

MetalGreymon was stomping across the land, growling, with the dragons flying behind him. Nestled in his mane was the Digimon Emperor, typing away at a computer in his lap. Next to him was Emi, staring blankly forward with bright red eyes.
"Now that I've got my air force and my armor, I'm conquering more land than ever. With these new Dark Sprials, not only will I control MetalGreymon, but every other digimon as well." The Emperor gloated. MetalGreymon threw back his head and roared, "You're ready for a bight now, too, aren't you?" The Digimon Emperor asked in a baby voice, "Well let's go!"

"Look, it's Tentomon!" Kari cried. All the Digi-Destined had boarded their sailing train car once again.
"Make room!" Tentomon called as he landed, "Oh, I just love sailing trains. Where's the dining car?"
"I've just got an e-mail from Izzy." Cody told everyone.
"Has he found him yet?" Ashi asked, looking over his shoulder.
"Apparently, Ken, Emi, and MetalGreymon have been seen south of here."
"We're on the right track." Matt pointed out.
"Well, technically Matt, we're on the only track." Tentomon said.
"Okay, Digi-Destined!" Tai cried, rallying his troops, "This time we'll get Agumon back for sure!"
"Yeah!" Azukia exclaimed, "And Emi! There's no way that Ken can stop all of us. Uh, but, just in case...Tentomon, I need your help."
"Do I have to help? I was gonna get my shell waxed."
"Can you go get Garurumon?" She asked.
"Garurumon, eh? I'll be back in a flash." He flew up and out of the cart.
"Good thinking, Azukia." Matt complimented. She flashed him a smile.
"Are you saying you're planning on having us fight MetalGreymon?" Davis asked.
"Um, duh. We went over this yesterday, dummy." Tara said from where she was sitting next to Canimon.
"Yeah." Tai sighed.
"With all of us together, I think we stand a chance, but there are some things that have to be done." Matt said, "Am I right Tai?"
"Yeah."
"I'm not so sure, guys." Ashley piped up from where she had been sitting quietly with Puppymon.
"What makes you think we'll be able to defeat Ken and MetalGreymon?" Davis demanded.
"What makes you so sure we can't?" TK snapped.
"No body asked you!" Davis retorted.
"I'm speaking from experience!" TK said, "We have to fight, or else we'll never save our friends. What are you so afraid of anyway, Davis?"
"Who said anything about being afraid? I just don't want to see Agumon get hurt, TS!"
"No one said we have to hurt him. All we have to do is get rid of that Dark Ring!"
"And how do you propose we remove it, espically without hurting Agumon? Any bright ideas under that fancy hat?!"
"At least I'm trying, Goggle Head! And don't make fun of my hat!"
"That's it!" With that, Davis leapt at TK into the train compartment where Yolei, Cody, Ashi, and Kari were sitting with him. They gasped and moved to the side, starting as the two boys began wrestling.
"Stop fighting." Kari said as she and Yolei tried to pull them apart, "Do I have to seperate you like a couple of children?"
"Let them fight." Matt said from up front.
"Huh?" All the girls asked.
"Isn't that bad for team moral?" asked Cody.
"When Matt and I were younger, we fought a lot, too."
"Boy, isn't that the truth." Azukia said.
"But if we hadn't fought all those times we probably wouldn't have become such good friends. So just let them get it our of their systems."
"Leave it to boys to think they have to fight to be friends." Yolei sighed.
"I think he has a point." Tara said.
"Yeah," Ashley said with a happy smile, "Azukia and I fight sometimes, but we're closer because of it."
"I think the best way to make friends is over a good game of checkers." Cody said.
"Or Kendo!" Ashi laughed.
"Sounds good." Matt remarked, "I get the winner."
"But for now what we need to do is catch up to Ken!" Tai said.
"Azukia!" Azukia looked down.
"Gotsumon!" Her little digimon friend was running along side the train, "When did you get here?"
"Just now." He panted, "Can you get me up?"
"Sure!" She bent down and picked him up with a heave.
"Thanks Azukia." Gotsumon said, hugging her for a breif second before sitting down, "I heard that you guys might need some help. So here I am!"
"I'm glad! Thanks!"
"Okay, everybody, blow on the sail." Matt directed.

"Garurumon! Oh Garurumon!" Tentomon sang as he flew, weaving between pillar-like rock formations. A Control Spire stood tall in the distance, "Where could he be? That's either the largest sun dail I've ever seen or one of the Emperor's contraptions." He buzzed closer and then spotted something and buzzed behind a pillar.
"What's this?" A group of grey digimon with floppy ears and red, slitted eyes were bouncing around the Spire, "A group of Pagumon? And they're all being controlled by Dark Rings! I'm going to need some back up for this. I've got to find Garurumon!"

"Can't this thing go any faster?" Tai complained.
"Hey everybody, look at this!" Ashi exclaimed, standing up to show everyone her marbled digivice, "My D3 just came up with two Digi-Egg readings!"
"Stop the car." Davis commanded. The breaks squealed as the cart screeched to a halt. They all clambered off and hiked in the direction that Ashi directed them. Not long after, they came to a huge cliff with two different designs engraved on it.
"Who could have made that?" Ashley asked, staring up.
"Someone with a really big chisle." Tara said.
"That kind of looks like the Creast of Friendship." Matt mused, "But who would go to all the trouble to carve it into a wall?"
"The other one is the Creast of Harmony." Azukia said with a frown.
"I think that's where the Digi-Egg is!" Cody exclaimed. They all went up to the symbols, only to find a large hole in the ground. They bent down to look at it and saw two Digi-Eggs laying on the ground.
"It looks like a flip-flop with a big nail in it." Kari said, pointing to the black one on the left with a large lightening bolt sticking out of it.
"Does everyone have their tetnus shot?" TK joked. The other egg was a pale shade of gold with small, angelic wings sticking out of its side.
"They both have those symbols on them!" Davis cried.
"Yup, those are defintely the Crest of Friendship and the Crest of Harmony." Tai said with a smile, "I wonder if it's meant for you Matt. And another one for Azukia!"
"Or maybe it's meant for the one with most friends and the other for the one with the most harmony." Matt said.
"Or maybe for the one with the least friends and the least harmony." Davis said.
"That'd be your's then, Davis, the both of them." Tara said, laughing at the look Davis gave her.
"Somebody should pick it up. Afterall, what's the worse that could happen?" Cody said.
"Well, for one, it could be a trap made by the Digimon Emperor." Yolei pointed out.
"Now he's using Digi-Eggs?!" Ashley exclaimed, "What next?!"
"Calm down, Ashley. I seriously doubt Ken could use this in any evil way." Azukia said.
"Yeah, I don't think this could be booby-trapped. Afterall, it's got the Creast of Friendship on it." Matt said.
"Then I think you should go for it, Matt." said Tai.
"Wish me luck. Just in case." They all watched as he climbed into the hole and wrapped his hands around the egg. Although he strained with all his might, the Egg didn't budge, "No luck."
"Let me try this one." Azukia said, climbing down in turn. The same thing happened to hers, "Ah well. At least I get one. That's one more than anybody else my age!"
"Cody, Ashi. Why don't you guys try?" Tai asked. Both nodded and went down. Cody tried to move the one with Matt's Creast on it and Ashi tried to move the one with Azukia's. Neither egg moved an inch.
"Okay Tai. It's your turn."
"Alright." Tai took his turn, trying both eggs. They still wouldn't move. Everyone groaned. Everyone took a turn and yet no one could get the eggs to come off the ground. Soon, only Davis and Ashley remained.
"You guys are going about this all wrong." Davis told Matt and Tai.
"So you think you can lift it up?" Tai asked.
"Yeah. It's only physics."
"What?" Matt asked, looking confused.
"You see, in physics there's this little thing called "Equilibrium". When you have two libriums that weight the same, you have "Equalibrium."
"Makes sense." Tai said.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Tara groaned, "That's not physics, and even it was, that isn't what "Equalibrium" is!"
"Um, Tai, I was just making all that stuff up. I really don't know anything about physics, I usually leave that to professors and scientists and Izzy. I didn't really think you'd take me seriously." Matt and Tai grabbed his head and forced him into the hole.
"I've had enough of all your blabbering Davis." Matt said, "You and Ashley are the only ones who haven't tried yet, so just get in the hole."
"Yeah, just get the Digi-Egg up so we get out of here!" Tai snapped.
"Hey!" Davis said as he fell into the hole. Azukia eyed her sister.
"Do I have to push you in there, too?"
"No!" Ashley said quickly and then walked in as Davis righted himself. A dramtic paused ensued as the group watched with baited breath to see if the eggs would budge.
"This shouldn't be too hard." Davis told Ashley, "3...2...1!" Both tugged a few times and the eggs didn't move. Ashley blinked, per-plexed. As far as she knew, a Digi-Egg had never managed to not come unstuck.
"Okay, that's it. I give up." Davis said. Suddenly, a horrible, piercing screeched permeated the area. Davis and Ashley clapped their hands to their ears, "What's that noise?"
"It's hurting my ears!" Yolei complained.
"Something's coming!" Azukia shouted over the din. An enormous, wasp-like digimon was headed straight for them.
"Deadly Sting!" The Flymon began to shoot bright red stingers. The group wildly dodged, but the last one grazed Patamon.
"Patamon!" TK gasped.
"Let's do it." Veemon said.
"And us Tara! I didn't get to do it yesterday!" Canimon said, tugging on Tara's sleeve.
"Digi Armor Energize!"
"Veemon Armor Digivolve to...Flamedramon, the Fire of Courage!"
"Canimon Armor Digivolve to...Draggamon, the Flower of Graciousness!"
"Fire Rocket!"
"Rapid Dragon Detonate!" Draggamon shot several spikes out of her fist. The bird perched to her wrist flew off, turning into a dragon in mid-air. The spikes exploded into the Flymon at the same time Flamedramon's fire rockets hit it.
"Yehaw!" Tara cheered as Draggamon's bird and fist came back. But as the smoke cleared, it became clear that the Flymon had managed to dodge both attacks.
"Hawkmon!" Yolei called.
"Right!"
"Don't forget Puppymon!" Puppymon called.
"Digi-Armor Energize!" Yolei and Ashley shouted.
"Hawkmon Armor Digivolve to...Halsemon, the Wings of Love!"
"Puppymon Armor Digivolve to...GoldenWolfmon, the Wings of Integrity!"
"Tempest Wing!"
"Golden Thunder Slash!" The Flymon dodged both attacks again and then dived at the teenagers and digimon sitting below.
"Here he comes again!" Ashi shouted. The screeching started again and everyone covered their ears, wincing in pain.
"It's as bad as Azukia's whistle!" Ashley cried.
"Huh? Patamon is gone!" TK shouted, looking wildly around.
"Nekomon, too!" Azukia gasped.
"Where did they go?" Kari asked in a worried voice.
"Did they run away?" Matt asked.
"No!" Matt said, "Look up!" Patamon and Nekmon were struggling to get free of the Flymon's pincers.
"Help me!" Patamon shouted.
"Help!" Nekmon cried.
"Hang on guys, we'll save you!" TK shouted.
"But how?" Kari asked, "He's getting away!"
"Patamon!"
"Nekomon!" Azukia and TK started rushing foward, joined by the Armored Digimon.
"I think we're gaining!" Flamedramon called. That was when two enormous grey legs thudded to the ground in front of them. The shaking caused all of them to fall to the ground.
"Where do you think you're going?" The Digimon Emperor asked from on top of MetalGreymon's head.
"MetalGreymon!" Tai gasped.
"TK! Davis! Azukia! Get out of there!" Matt commanded.
"Here are some new play toys, your evil-ness." The Flymon said, handing the Emperor Patamon and Nekomon.
"Hey!" TK shouted, "Put them down!"
"No." The Digimon Emperor sneered, "I'm just getting started with them."
"He's got more Dark Rings!" Tara gasped as the boy withdrew two more of the spirals and held them up.
"What does he have planned?" Ashley asked.
"Whatever it is, it's sure to be bad." Tai said.
"When I put this on your little friends here, I will have complete control over them and I can make them do anything I want." He turned to Patamon and Nekomon, the later of which was being restrained by Emi, "Do you hear that? I'm going to make you do all my laundry one piece at a time and then I'm going to-"
"We'll never let you get away this!" Azukia snapped.
"Don't interrupt me while I'm planning my evil deeds!" Flamedramon growled.
"Fire-"
"No, Flamedramon! You might accidentally miss and hit Patamon or Nekomon."
"I'm such a hot head. Sorry."
"We have to seperate those two and the Emperor." Halsemon said.
"We should at least try to get Emi out of the way, too." Draggamon pointed out. GoldenWolfmon growled her approval.
"I don't see how we can do that." Ashi said.
"We've got to try!" TK exclaimed.
"Oh yeah? How?" Davis asked.
"We can trap him by using you as bait!"
"Me?! Why do I have to be the bait?!"
"Because have to use someone we can do without!"
"Oh yeah? Well we can easily do without your hat!" The two boys began wrestling again.
"Stop fighting!" Yolei yelled, pushing her way between the two, "Now is not the time! Remember there's also a Creast of Friendship and Harmony down there!"
"I'd love to see how this turns out," The Digimon Emperor said after laughing again, "But I've got to run. I have a few chores to take care of. Like taking over the Digital World."
"There's no way we're gonna let use Patamon for your plans!" TK cried.
"Or Nekomon!" Azukia said.
"Yeah! Leave her alone!" Gotsumon shouted, standing in front of Azukia in Nekomon's absence.
"That goes for Agumon, too!" Tai yelled.
"That's really funny. But I don't remember asking for premession!" The Digimon Emperor snapped, turning to Nekomon and Patamon.
"You really should have Flymon trim his nails back." Patamon said, struggling to get loose.
"And get Emi to lay of the health food!" Nekomon said, doing the same."
"Just hold still. In a few seconds, you won't remember a thing except what it's like to be my slave!"

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