Chapter 23 - The Good, the Bad, and the Digi (Pt.1)

Bright orange bursts of flames lit up the day time sky as careens and shrieks filled the air. Birdramon soared through an opening in the canyon walls, the Digimon Emperor's dragons in hot pursuit. She turned one eye to look and saw them swarming behind her.

"Huh?" Sora looked up at the sky distractedly, "Nice serve, Gwen. I'm not feeling well; I'd better take a brake."
"Whatever." The girl she was playing tennis with said as Sora jogged off the court.
"Acutally, why don't you two play?" Sora suggested. She went straight to her bag and withdrew her bottle of water. But when she removed it, the digivice laying beneath began to beep, "Biyomon's in trouble. But how will I get to the Digital World?"

"Sora..." Biyomon weakly called before collasping into the ground in front of a Control Spire.

"I've got to tell the others." Sora decided, standing up with the Digivice clenched in one hand. She flicked open her communicator and prepared to write.

"My ears look too stiff." Gatomon said allowed as she primped her ears in front of the mirror. Nyamon was sitting beside her with a smile. She had come to Kari and Tai's apartment in the hopes of getting a respite from Puppymon.
"Ready to go?" Kari asked, popping her head into the room with Azukia behind her.
"Rome wasn't built in a day. Being beautiful takes even more work." Gatomon announced.
"I'm ready Azukia." Nyamon called, turning around and bouncing.
"Okay, beautiful, can you help us wash the dishes?" Kari inquired as Azukia picked Nyamon up and held her underneath one arm. Gatomon turned from the mirror.
"Sure."
"Why are your ears sticking up?" Kari asked.
"It's a new look. Nyamon's trying it, too. It's all the rage in Catmandu." Gatomon said as the four of them left the room. Nyamon chuckled and flicked her ears up and down.
"It looks nice." Azukia laughed.
"You know, most cats like mice, not moose." Kari pointed out.

In the apartment next door, Ashley was busy with a project of her own.
"But I don't want to be brown, it's ugly!" Puppymon complained as Ashley deposited her into the sink, "My ice-blue fur is pretty."
"Puppymon, I already explained this," Ashley sighed as she ran hot water over Puppymon's fur, "You're too big to hide, I can't pretend you're a pillow, and you look enough like a normal dog that you can pass like one except for your fur."
"Fine." Puppymon grumbled as Ashley got out the box of brown hair-dye.

TK and Patamon were sleeping together on his bed, snoring quietly. Emi was in the room next door, finally curled up and asleep with Sunmon who had been frantic the minute she walked in the door, sobbing about how it had all been his fault. Once she'd finally managed to calm him down, the pair immediatly feel asleep.

Davis slammed the door behind him as he walked into his room, rubbing his belly, "Oh my stomach is full."
"You know, you shouldn't eat so much in the morning," Demiveemon warned, Davis' communicator perched in his lap.
"You weight twice as much as me," Davis pointed out, "If you don't watch out, you'll digivolve into Heavymon." Demiveemon giggled.
"Huh?" He made a small sound as a message bleeped onto the screen.

"Biyomon!" He gasped, turning to Davis.

"An emergency message from Sora?" Cody asked. The younger boy was bent over his desk, communicator clutched in both hands, "I wonder what's up. Oompamon, she needs our help." He got off the chair to find Oompamon dressed in his Kendo mask, swinging the stick back and forth in the air.
"That's nice." Oompamon said, "Nothing to shake a stick at."

"Benjamin! I have to go!" Tara cried, pulling open the door to her apartment. Her backpack was on her back, Chibimon quietly sitting inside, "Take care of Tin-Tin, Charlie, and Naru, kay?"
"Where are you going?" Asked the man who came shuffling into the hall way.
"Can't talk; it's an emergency!" Tara shouted as the door slammed shut. Benjamin was left staring at a rather dull looking door.

Cody walked to Ashi apartement, Oompamon stuffed under his shirt. He rang the door bell and tapped his foot while he waited. After a few seconds, the lock clikced open and Ashi came to the door.
"Cody! I was just about to come. You get Sora's message?" She asked. Rishumon was already stuffed into her bag, much less conspicuously than Chibimon, but more so than Oompamon.
"Yep. Ready to go?"
"Yeah, but Cody? You look pregnant."

The elevator slid open as it came to a stop on the ground floor and Ashi and Cody walked out of it.
"I have got to find a better way to hide Oompamon." Cody said as they headed outside. The two looked at each other and laughed, still jogging ahead. Unfortunately, they ran into a large black box.
"Hey, watch where you're going." Yolei cried as the pair fell over, "Cody, what have you been eating lately? You've gained a lot of weight."
"It's Oompamon." Cody sighed.
"You ate Oompamon?!" Yolei exclaimed.
"Nevermind." Cody said exasperatedly, "Sora sent an emergency message. Biyomon's in trouble."
"Yeah!" Rishumon called from inside the backpack at the same time Oompamon called it from underneath Cody's shirt.
"Um, Cody, your stomach is growling." Yolei said, "And Ashi...your backpack is talking."

Once Ashi and Cody had got Yolei to stop focusing on their hidden Digimon and explained the situation, they went racing to the school. Once there, they peeked over the edge of hedges.
"The only way to not look suspicous is to sneak quietly." Cody whispered as they opened the gate.
"Right." Yolei and Ashi agreed. Within a few minutes, they made it into the computer room.
"Nice timing. But where's Kari, TK, Emi, Tara, Azukia, and Ashley?" Davis asked. Only he and Sora were already in the room.
"I don't know. It wasn't my turn to watch them." Yolei said, lifting her shirt up slightly to let Poromon out. Cody did the same and Ashi placed her backpack on the floor so she could unzip it. Rishumon leapt out and began bouncing aroudn the room excitedly.
"None of them are here?" Ashi asked, watching Risumon's progress around the room.

"Yum, those milkshakes were really good." Kari said, throwing the containers away. Azukia, Ashley, and she were on the beach, enjoying their time with their digimon, "But seeing you guys eat through a star was even better."
They stood quietly for a while, letting the sea breeze blow their hair around. Everyone heaved a contented sigh.
"Now let's take a picture." Kari suggested.
"No. Not with my hair in this disgusting shape." Puppymon growled.
"Oh come, Puppymon. It looks good!" Ashley said.
"How come Nekomon and Gatomon don't have to dye their fur?" She demanded. Ashley looked hurt, so Puppymon let up and tried to look happier, "I'm sure I'll get used to it."
"Wait! The fish market is calling our name!" Gatomon said as they began leaving.
"Can't you hear it?" Nyamon asked, "Gatomon! Nyamon!"
"Right..." Azukia said, hefting Nyamon into her arms.

"Maybe their batteries are dead." Yolei suggested.
"Yeah, or maybe they're in the bathtub." Davis snorted.
"All at the same time?" Ashi asked, wrinkling her nose in confusion.
"No, Ashi." Cody sighed, "They just haven't got the message."
"It doesn't matter, we'll just have to go without them." Sora said, bending over the computer, "I just wish Azukia was here; she's much better at this computer stuff than me."
"Wait!" At that precise moment, Tara came skidding into the room, yellow platform shoes flailing behind her, "Sorry I'm late! What?" The rest of the group was staring at her. After both parties blinked at each other for a few minutes, Yolei turned back to the computer.
"Right, let's find out precisely where the distress signal came from."
"Tara?" Chibimon called from inside Tara's back, "Can I come out now? It's really hot in here." Tara started and then smiled abashedly.
"Oh. Right. Sorry!" She put the backpack down and unzibbed it. Chibimon thrust her head and panted several times.
"It's hot in there!" She repeated with a laugh, and then went over to where Poromon, Oompamon, Rishumon, and Demiveemon were eating. Tara meandered over to the group and stood looking over Yolei's shoulder.
"There it is." Yolei announced, hovering over the screen with the flashing red square, "Got it."
"Now that we know where to get, let's getting to getting to it, got it?" Davis asked.
"Right." The rest of the group chorused.
"Alright everyone!" Yolei called, standing up suddenly and causing Tara to fall over, "Digi-Port Ooooopen!"

"Oh my, I'd say this place is a cultural desert." Armadillomon observed once they landed safely in the junk yard.
"Or a real desert." Rikumon said, trotting around and wincing as the sand flying around at high speeds stung her.
"Did you say desert?" Veemon asked.
"What, are you suddenly deaf?" Canimon inquired, "Yes, they said desert!"
"This sand polishing sure does make my shell shiney." Armadillomon said.
"Glad you're enjoying it." Rikumon said wryly, snapping her eyes shut as the sand flew in her eyes. Eventually the sand storm subsided, leaving the group of teenagers groaning.
"Whoah, where did everything go?" Davis asked, taking off his goggles.
"I don't see the Control Spire we saw on the monitor anywhere." Cody said.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Davis asked.
"Some form of transporation?" Ashi asked hopefully.
"Your shoes were made for walking." Tara said, pointing at her own. They started moving.
"Fear not Yolei," Hawkmon assured his partner, "For I will protect you from whatever tries to harm us."
"Instead of saving my life, trying finding us some cold water." Yolei suggested. They stopped and began to look around.
"Huh. Where's Biyomon?" Davis asked turning to Sora as if she already knew.
"There's not a sign of her." Ashi said with a frown, looking in between two pieces of junk.
"Well, she can't have gone too far." Sora said, "She has to be around here somewhere."
"Don't worry, Sora. We'll keep looking." Tara said, clenching one fist in front of her chest. Far-off music began to play.
"Where's that music coming from?" Sora wondered aloud, turning towards the direction it was coming from.
"From over there." Cody said. They all looked at each other nodded, and began to run in that direction.

Soon, they found out that it was coming from a cowboy-era town. And inside that town, it was coming from a certain saloon. And inside that saloon, the music was coming from a sel-playing piano. Fascinated, Tara went straight up to it and began to pretend to play it, Canimon standing by and clapping her small hands together in time to the music.
"How do you like that?" Davis asked, "It's nothing but a player piano. I'm beginning to think no one is here."
"A ghost town?" Ashi asked, looking around with a mildly creeped out expression on her face.
"I don't know..." Sora said, trailing off at the end.
"You're in the right place!" Came a voice off to the side, "You're sure to be happy here so take a seat with the mon behind the Star!" Tara stopped pretending to play the piano and went back over to the group, all of which were staring around confusedly.
"Huh?" They asked as a large brown cowboy hat rose up from behind the counter.
"Howdy, Digi-Pilgrims," Said the slowly rising cowboy hat, "Welcome to the safest town west of Syrus. They call me Starmon." The Digimon wearing the hat appeared. He looked like a large, metal encased star with a black area in the center through which his blue eyes peered out. He had a red jewl on his forehead, gloves on his hands, and boots with spurs on his feet.
"Starmon?" Tara repeated, "But you're not Starmon. Nekomon Digivolves into Starmon and you look nothing like her."
"Ah, well, little lady, there are two types of Starmon in this here Digital World," Starmon explained, "The rugged law-keeper type and them beautiful cat-woman type. I'd be the former. Now belly-up to the bar so's I can welcome ya with a big ol' jar of welcome milk." Starmon tossed enough jugs to statisfy each kid and their digimon across the bar. They all sat down and stared at the milk.
"Didn't spill a drop, did I?" Starmon asked, marching in front of them, "This is just my way of being kind of to strangers. So here's to ya!"
"Just what is welcome milk?" Sora inquired.
"Why, it's 100 percent homogonenized moo-juice! Welcome!" He said, toasting the group at the bar and then taking several glugs of his own mug.
"Now that you mention it, I'm kind thirsty." Davis said slowly.
"My mouth feels like a clothes dryer full of cotton balls." Yolei agreed.
"I don't know," Tara said, looking at the milk, "Benjamin always told me not to take milk from strangers."
"Why, I just drank my own milk!" Starmon protested, "How can you still be suspicious."
"My mouth is dryer than a desert!" Armadillomon complained.
"Well, I guess you're right." Tara said with a small smile, "Thanks!"
"Thank you!" The rest of the group said together as they all picked up the milk and chugged it down.
"Ha. Tourists. You gotta love 'em." Starmon said, walking back to where he had passed out the milk. Sora's eyes followed him and then narrowed.
"Huh?" She asked, taking her milk away from her mouth and eyeing Starmon suspicously, "Uh, Mr. Starmon, have you by any chance seen a cute little pink bird digimon named Biyomon around here?"
"Hmm...did you say Biyomon? That kinda rings a bell. Yep...yep...I got a feeling I've heard that description before." He snapped his fingers together and the wall in front of him became covered in pictures of identical wanted posters, all feature Biyomon.
"Biyomon wanted?!" Sora gasped, running up to where Starmon was standing, "What'd she do?!"
"Well, that Digi-Desperado is on the run from the Digimon Emperor. He's got a reward out for her, but they haven't caught her yet." Sora sighed with relieve as they both walked back to the group.
"Well, she's hopefully somewhere safe by now, but I'll feel a lot better when we find her. Mr. Starmon, sir, maybe you can help. We heard she was last seen near here." Starmon laughed.
"Hoo, you couldn't be more right about that, Ma'm." He drank somemore milk.
"And if she was in trouble, you'd help right?" Starmon chocked on his milk and his eyes widen, "Because you're a law-mon, I know you'd protect her from the Digimon Emperor, right."
"Ma'm, there's somethin' I gotta tell you." Starmon said, taking off his hat and looking sadly at her. A Dark Ring encircled the top-most point of his body.
"Huh?! He's wearing a Dark Ring?!" The group gasped collectively.
"Well, I knew that behind that big star was nothing by a low-down, gutless lackey of the Emperor with jelly for a spine." Veemon asked.
"You did not." Canimon cried.
"You could have told us!" Davis snapped, "And what did we say about name calling?"
"Looks like the jury is still out on Starmon." Armadillomon said, turning to Cody and Ashi, "Is he a bad apple or a good one?"
"Beats me." Cody said with a shrug, "People shouldn't drink bad milk, it can turn them bad."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Ashi asked.
"Well, it is a good lesson." Rikumon said.
"You're right!" Starmon called, throwing his hat into the air, "You might think I'm lower than a snake's belly, but I DO work for the Emperor, and I DO got orders!"
"What's that earth-reject doing now, pulling wings off butterflies?" Tara demanded, slamming her jug of milk onto the bar.
"You can bet he's experimenting with something evil." Starmon assured her, laughing evily, "Earth-reject. I'll have to use that at the next company meeting." He turned around, still chuckling to himself, to find that the kids had gone, "Trying to escape, eh?" He rushed out the door and could see the group shouting at each other and running away as fast as their legs could carry them.
"Meteor Shower!" Starmon shouted, raising both arms into the air. Meteors began to rain down on the group. Sora and Tara screamed as they were hit, the group soon following suit. Soon, they were all laying on the pock-marked ground.
"I've heard of showers, but that was ridiculous." Davis groaned.

"Enjoy your stay." Starmon said mockinly as he locked them in the cell he had dumped them in, "Here's the rules: no cookies in the cell, no loud music after 8, and no shuckin oysters during months without an r. Enjoy!"
"Hey!" Davis shouted after the retreating Starmon. But it was no use.
"Sora..." Came a weak cry from the back of the cell. Everyone turned to see where the noise had come from, "Sooraa..." Sora blanched.
"Biyomon!"

The Digi-Destined settled down, sitting on the floor of the cell with their digimon in their laps. Biymon put her head on Sora's knees.
"I tried to escape, really I did. But I just couldn't get away." Biyomon sobbed.
"Shhh..." Sora coaxed, "Don't talk. Now, what happened?"
"You just said don't talk, didn't you?" Biyomon asked, closing her eyes in a sad smile, "I really wish you would make up your mind."
"Fine. You can talk a little, okay?"
"When I first came to this town, I had no idea that it was under the control of the Emperor. I had been shot down by his flying dragons and needed food. I was tired, hungry, and very thirsty..."

Biyomon walked down the road, panting through the haze of heat. The sun beat down on her fevered head and her small feet pounded the ground, sending shockwaves through her small body.
"Welcome Stranger," came Starmon's voice, "Your throat must be parched. How about a cold drink of milk?" Biyomon's blue eyes widened.
"Well, how nice! I am thirsty!" She cried, strating to run towards Starmon and his offering of milk, "Thank you for your hospitality."
"Meteor Shower!" Starmon shouted, throwing the glass of milk on the ground, where it shattered into a million pieces. Biyomon gasped and then cried as she was struck repeatedly by his attack.
"Glad you could stay awhile." Starmon laughed, placing one foot on the bird's head.

"Vee-Headbutt!" Veemon called, attempting to break the bars. He stumbled backwards dizzily, "I guess I put in too much vee and not enough headbutt."
"Let me try!" Canimon cried exitedly, leaping up from where she had been sitting next to Tara, "Tornado Strike!" A small tornado as tall she was flew from one outstretched palm and hit the cell door. Canimon sighed dejectedly as she saw her attack had no more use than Veemon's.
"Nice try guys." Davis said.
"That wall is just as hard as Veemon's head and just as thick." Cody observed.
"You said it." Armadillomon agreed.
"But it should be easy for you to drill through that wall. Digivolve into Digmon."
"I'm too weak to do it."
"I forgot, you haven't eaten." Armadillomon nodded.
"I could do something if I had food." He sighed.
"There's also the small problem that everyone is tied up. Canimon and Veemon could only attack because their attack didn't require them to move their arms." Ashi said.
"Boy, Yolei, I sure wish we had some snacks from your store." Cody sighed.
"I'll call my dad and see if he can bring us some." said Yolei.
"But Yolei, we're in the Digital World," Hawkmon pointed out.
"That's right, if it's more than five miles, there's a delivery charge!" Veemon exclaimed.
"A delivery charge is the least of our worries," Tara said.
"Huh?" Biyomon asked, quickly turning her head.
"What is it, Biyomon?" Sora asked.
"It sounds like a horse." Biyomon answered.
"A horsemon?" Tara asked skeptically. Then a neigh broke the silence. Everyone turned to see if they could hear it better.
"I said "Whoah!" A voice snapped from outside the door, "Never fear, the Protector of Justice is here." A short digimon with a gun for a body and one gun in each hand kicked through the door.
"Holy guacamole!" The strange Digimon exclaimed, "Just who the devil are you?"
"It's Deputymon!" Armadillomon told the others.

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