Chapter 31 - 20,000 Digi-Leagues Under the Sea (Pt.1)

Ashlee walked into the hallway of her new school with 15 minutes to spare before class started. Not wanting to leave Ririmon (Or so that was what she was told her digimon was called now) at home to be discovered by a maid, Ashlee had stuffed her digimon into her backpack. Now that she was at school, though, she didn't have a clue what to do with her. But school was bound to be a bit better since she had some friends. Well, A friend.
At that moment, she saw TK walking out of a classroom ahead. He spotted her and waved. Ashlee rushed over in response.
"Hey, where's Ririmon?" TK asked.
"My backpack." Ashlee answered, "What should I do with her during the school day, though?"
"Oh, that's not a problem." TK said with a grin, "Just leave her in here. This is where all the In-Training digimon messa round while we're gone. The rookies generally wander around a bit, but I doubt Ririmon will want to hang out with them anyway. It'll probably just be Houndmon and Gatomon fighting while Puppymon and Patamon look on." He followed Ashlee as she walked into the room and deposited her backpack on the ground. Once she had undone all the latches, Ririmon popped out.
Ririmon was a round-ish digimon with short little legs. Her arms where purple and she had a purple star on her forehead. Her tail and ears were almost exactly the same as Ariamon's, except that they were prurple. Ririmon blinked up at Ashlee with her blue eyes.
"You'll be okay, right?" Ashlee asked softly. She had a sudden desire to take Ririmon to class so she at least had someone to talk to. But she knew she couldn't do that.
"Of course!" Ririmon chirped. She began to waddle off to where Oompamon and Rishumon were having some sort of bouncing contest. Ririmon turned her head over her shoulder, "See you after school!"

"We're going to be late!" Azukia was shouting. She and Casey were racing to their school. Casey had insisted on walking to the middleschool with Kari and Ashlyn to make sure that Houndmon was all settled in. As a result, they had only minutes to make it there in time.
They probably would have made it if it hadn't been for the person who had smashed straight into Casey. Both fell to the cement with loud "Oofs!"
"Sorry!" Casey said as she sat up, rubbing the back of her head.
"That's okay." The young man she had run into said, standing up and brushing off his navey blue jacket. They both recognized each other at the same time, "Casey?"
"Joe?!" Casey stammered, turning and red with mortification.
"Sorry Joe, but we've got to get to school." Azukia said, pushing Casey out of the way.
"Oh. Of course. See you later, Casey." Joe answered, stepping out of the way with a smile.

The red sea-serpent cut through the water like a knife, his golden helmet glinting in the sun. For a moment, it looked as if he were going to hit the clynderical peice of cement sticking out of the water, but at the last moment he dove. The Digi-Destineds watched as he swam past the only window.
"Megaseadramon is still out there." TK said.
"Wait." Ashlee said from where she was sitting a bit of the way off with Ariamon in her lap, "Mega is the highest digimon level, right? That's not good."
"Well, actually," Emi explained, "Megaseadramon is an ultimate level digimon. Like Shogungekomon."
"Oddly enough, that didn't help."
"Why doesn't he attack us?" Yolei asked.
"He doesn't have to. He knows it's only a matter of time before our air supply runs out." TK said. The group turned away from the window. Most of the digimon were in laying in a small pile, but Armadillomon and Rikumon were curled up together a few feet away. The small sounds issueing from that direction were not from the huddled digimon, though, but from Cody. He was sitting with his knees drawn up to his chest, crying softly. Ashi was kneeling beside him, looking at a complete loss as to waht to do.
"I'm afraid of being down here in the ocean." Cody sniffed before anyone had a chance to ask him what was wrong, "I'd do anything to be out in the fresh air again. We were all fine a little while ago when we were tracking the signal of a new digi-egg..."

"Okay, this is it." Davis announced. They were on an enormous concrete bridge leading to what appeared to be an abandoned oil-rig. Cranes were leaning off the railing, motionless, but a fire billowed smoke up from the tallest column.
"This is a strange place to find a Digi-Egg, Davis." Cody remarked.
"I know, but if the Digivice says it's under an off-shore oil platform, I'm not going to argue with it."
"Where's the Digi-Egg?" Veemon asked excitedly.
"It's not like it matter to you." Houndmon said, "You've already got your two."
"According to the D3, we're almost right on top of it." Azukia said, looking at her own lavender digivice and wondering why everyone else was crowded around Davis. They all had their own, afterall.
"Underwater?" Ashi asked.
"As long as it's water proof." Armadillomon shrugged.
"Well, I'm just wondering if maybe the Digi-Egg belongs to TK or prehaps Kari, or maybe Emi-HEY!" Hawkmon shouted as Armadillo bounded off in the middle of his sentence.
"Well, we're gonna go look for that Digi-Egg!" Ashi cried as she and Cody pelted off up the bridge.
"Last one there's a rotten Digi-egg!" Rikumon said as she soared a few feet above the ground, Armadillomon running right below her.
"We should be careful!" Yolei warned.
"Hey wait up!" The rest of the Digi-mon shouted and took off after Cody and Ashi.
Megaseadramon growled as he lifted his head above the water just in time to see the kids' heels disappearing into the building.

"What are you going to do with those kids, Master?" Wormon asked.
"I don't have time for them; I'm taking over the world at noon. And then I have a lunch date." The Digimon Emperor said, "Megaseadramon, you have my premission to do with them what you will." His gloved fingers reached out and pressed two invisible buttons, which beeped and flashed red.

Roaring at the top of his lungs, Megaseadramon whipped his tail through the air, breaking one of the towers in half. It fell to the bridge and exploded. He headbutted a cement column, splinttering its middle, and knocked a crane to the ground, where it caused one of the walls to crumble.
Inside, the group gasped.
"Lightening Gem!" A spark of electricity from Megaseadramon's horn hit the tower that was on fire. It creaked and groaned as it broke in two and the top half fell into the sea.
"This is really going to hike up oil prices!" TK shouted. The group fell to the ground, hands over their heads, as the rig shook all around them. It continued to shake as Megaseadramon bashed at it's undersea foundation over and over again.
"I've heard of earth-quakes before, but never ocean quakes!" Azukia said, running over to the window with Nekomon hot on her heels.
An alram siren began to blast. Seawater came pouring into the circular room from the many cracks Megaseadramon had gouged into the walls.
"The room is flooding!" TK cried.
"We're going to die!" Ashlyn squealed, clutching Puppymon hard to her chest, "What are we going to do?!"
"Look, I found an emergency shut off valve!" Houndmon said.
"I'd classify this as an emergency!" Casey shouted. Her pink hair was plastered wetly to her hair.
"So what are you waiting for?" Gatomon demanded, "Hit the switch!"
"Don't get your panties in a wad, kitty!" Houndmon snapped. She turned around and smashed the button with all her might. Immediatly, bits of metal shot out of the central column and expanded to form a series of roofs.
"Gatomon doesn't wear panties." Ariamon said, a confused look on her face.
"Great, the water can't get in." said Tara, poking her now flat black hair dejectedly.
"Yeah, but we can't get out." Canimon said, "And even if we could, we'd just be bacon because Megaseadramon is still out there waiting for us."
"Well, that was a positive spin on things." said Cornamon, "Ouch!" Canimon had slapped him upside the head again.

"I've never been so scared in my whole life." Cody whispered, but only loud enough for Ashi to hear, "We're not gonna make it out alive, are we?"
"Why are ya so upset, Cody?" Armadillomon asked.
"I've had this dream ever since I was little:" Cody sniffed, standing up, "The dream was always the same. I was trapped at the bottom of the ocean and I couldn't get out."
"Hey, we'll find a way out of here, I promise!" Armadillomon said, "It was just a dream."
"By the way, how did it end?" Rikumon asked.
"Rikumon!" Ashi hissed.
"I woke up!" Cody snapped.
"Well, this doesn't look like a dream." said Patamon, "It sure looks real to me."
"What the heck is it?" Ariamon asked. She and Patamon were standing next to a red submarine like vehicle.
"I do believe it says that it is an emergency ejection vehicle." Hawkmon told them.
"Alright, we're saved!" Ashlyn cheered, releasing Puppymon, who had been turning purple instead of her usual light blue, "Sunshine here we come!"
"Uh-oh." Puppymon said, peering over the side of EEV to get a better look, "It only holds one person!"
"In that case, Cody sould be the one to go." Kari said quietly.
"I agree." Emi said with a nod.
"He's the one." said Yolei.
"I think we all agree." TK said.
"Right, Davis?" Ashi inquired, an edge to her voice.
"Well, how about it?" Veemon asked.
"Yeah?" Ashlyn and Kari said, leaning towards Davis. He glanced at Ashlyn, blushed, and answered:
"Uh...Of course I agree! Cody's the one to go."
"There you go, Cody." Kari said as she took a step forward, "Go ahead and climb into the pod."
"The reason you want me to go is because I'm afraid. Well I won't go!" Cody said, scowling.
"Cody, that's not why we want you to go!" Ashi said in a pleading tone, "We don't think you're a coward."
"Yeah?" Cody said, lips curling in an unpleasant sneer, "Well, I just have to face my fear."
"Cody, are you nuts?" Davis demanded, jogging over to where Ashi and Cody were standing, "You get to live! If I was given that chance, I'd be all over it like a cheap suit!"
"Alright, then you go!" Cody shouted.
"I can't go because you're going!" Davis shouted back.
"I am not going!"
"To be honset, I can tell which one of them is the youngest." Hawkmon sighed. Yolei winked at him.
"Don't worry, I have a plan. Here's what we're gonna do: We'll draw straws and whoever wins gets to go."
"Sounds fair to me." Ariamon said, shrugging.
"Not me, I'm not good at drawing!" Davis said over his shoulder, "One of the Ashlies will win!"
"That sounds like a really good plan." Tara told Yolei.
"I'm in." Kari piped up, "How does that sound to you, Cody?"
"Uh...Um-hm." Cody nodded.
"Don't bother making any straws for me, Yolei, I'm not thirsty." said Veemon.
"Actually, to be fair they should make straws for all of us." said Nekomon.
"I agree." Patamon chimed in.
"We're all in this together, so we should all have an equal chance to get out of here." said TK.
"That's right!" Davis cheered, "One for all and all for me!"
"I don't think that's how it goes."
Soon the straws were ready. Yolei clutched them inside her fist and showed them to the group.
"One of them has red on the bottom."
"Okay!" Davis said, reaching for a Straw, but not before he was knocked out of the way by Azukia.
"Wait!" She said, tugging Cody along with her, "Let's let Cody go first!"
"Um, uh, b-but why me?" Cody stammered.
"Just do it, Cody." Armadillomon said patiently.
"Oh all right." Cody grumbled. Yolei moved the straws closer to his level. He slowly withdrew a straw. It was tipped in red.
"Cody, alright!" said Ashlee, "You're it!"
"I can't believe you picked the straw on the first try." Casey grinned.
"Talk about beginners luck." said Rikumon, "That was amazing, Cody."
"So climb on in." Emi said, gesturing towards the escape pod. Cody frowned at his straw. Ashi looked a bit worried. In one quick motion, he slapped Yolei's hand with his straw.
"Hey!" Yolei exclaimed as she dropped the straws. Each and every one was tipped in red, "What'd you do that for?!"
"All the straws have red on them!" Cody roared.
"I can't believe you guys thought that would work." Ashi sighed, shaking her head.
"The first one was so pretty I could stop coloring?" Yolei suggested. Cody glared at her, "Oh alright!"
"We had no other choice!" cried Kari, firing up for the first time, "You were being so stubborn about it!"
"I still don't understand." said Davis. He was crouched on the ground, staring at the straws.
"Big surprise." Tara, Emi, and Ashlee said in unison.
"I guess they set the whole thing up so Cody felt like he had to go." said Veemon.
"You mean to say neither of you were in on the plan?" asked Hawkmon.
"You mean everyone knew but us?" Veemon said, staring at Hawkmon.
"Of course we did!" said Canimon impatiently. Davis and Veemon groaned.
"So what?" Cody asked, refusing to look at any of them, "I'm still not going."
"Please Cody?" Ashi asked, hazel eyes brimming with tears.
"No." Cody said, not looking at her.
"Davis, TK!" Azukia said in a commanding tone.
"Right!" The two boys said, appearing next to Cody. Each took him by an arm and hefted him into the air.
"Wha-?! Hey! Lemme go!" Cody protested, legs flailing in the air, "Put me down!" TK and Davis obligied, dumping Cody in the dark blue chair inside the vehicle.
"Make sure you keep all of your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times!" Casey reminded him. He gaped as the glass dome slid over the top of the pod, sealing him inside.
"As soon as you get back, find Joe," Azukia instructed, "Tell him what happened. Ikakumon is the only one who can get us out of this place."
"Good luck." Armadillomon said. Ashi waved silently. Water began to pour into the sealed off room the pod was inside.
"Wait a second!" Cody screamed, his voice muffled by the glass surrounding him, "Let me out of here!"
"Okay, Megaseadramon is gone!" Tara called from where she was looking out the window, "Let's do it!" The pod shot out of the oil rig.
"Okay, I can do this." Cody muttered to himself, "I just have to hold perfectly still." The pod rose to the surface right next to a rocky piece of shoreline, "I made it! Fresh air!"

He made his way as quickly as he could back to the real world. It took a bit longer without Azukia there to help connect everything, but he made it there fairly soon all the same. The first thing he did was try to get Joe to answer his cell phone.
"Hi! This is Joe. Sorry I can't get to the phone right now, but I had to turn it off so it didn't ring during my Biology test. I'm pretty good at biology, so I'll turn it on real soon. Unless the test is Molecular Biology. Oh. I have to go study. Bye!"
Cody hung up the phone and began rifling through the phone book, "I have to find Joe's school."
He found it and went flying out the door. Unfortunately, he couldn't make the elevator go any faster. Once it did open, his mother and grandfather walked out.
"Oh Cody, you're home." His mom said as she stepped out of the elevator, "Good. I have some errands I want you to run for me. Now do you want to write it down or will you remember?"
"Well..." Cody began, "I can't. I'm kinda busy."
"What's so important?"
"Well, I-"
"Come on, now, Cody, you can tell me what it is."
"I'm sorry," Cody said, bowing his head, "But I can't."
"You know I don't like you keeping secrets from me."
"You should not keep asking him about it." Cody's grandfather intoned, "If he is forced to tell you something, he might tell you a lie even though that's not what he wants to do. It's better he say nothing at all than something that isn't the truth. There's nothing worse than telling a lie, you see."
"Prune juice sure makes you smart, grandpa." Cody said, bowing. The elevator doors slid open and Cody ran inside, "I'll be back soon! Thanks grandpa."

"Do you have to keep banging your head?!" Yolei snapped, "You're driving me crazy!" Davis was indeed pressing his head against the gold metal bar every few seconds, grunting with pain when his forehead hit.
"Huh?"
"It hurts just watch you."
"I'll stop when you stop tapping your foot like that." Davis retorted, "It's sort of annoying!"
"How about I tap my foot on your head?!"
"There's no reason for you two to be fighting!" Nekomon said.
"Yes, there is!" Yolei shouted. A shrill sound filled the room. Azukia was blowing on her whistle again. Everyone in the room clapped their hands over their ears.
"That's enough!" Azukia said sternly, "Both of you will stop. Or you will hear more of my whistle. Do I make myself clear?" Yolei and Davis nodded, still wincing in pain.
"Now that that's settled, how about a game of checkers? We can use my shell as the board." Armadillomon suggested.
"I'm sorry, but I don't feel like playing a game right now." Kari sighed. Gatomon shook her head in agreement.
"Forgive me, Armadillomon," Hawkmon said, "But how can you think of playing games at a time like this?"
"Easy. 'Cause I know Cody will come and rescue us."
"We all know Cody will try his best," Tara said, shaking her head, "But we don't know if he'll make it back in time."
"My guess is that we only have a couple of hours left." Emi said, looking dejected, "And after that, we'll completely run out of air."
"Great. My second adventure here and I die." Ashlee said in a chocked up a voice. Hawkmon gave a soft groan and went tumbling down the shaft.

"I'm sorry, but he's taking a test right now." The man told Cody. Cody paused for a moment to think of the look on Ashi's face if she had been there with him to hear the man's condescending tone.
"But this is an emergency!" Cody protested, "I need to see Joe!"
"The rules state that I can't intterupt anyone during the test. Now, if there had been some of accident or maybe a member of his family was rushed to the hospital or something like that, it would be a different story. Otherwise, you have to wait."
"But there was an accident!" Cody nearly shouted, thinking of Ashi gapsing for breath and sliding down a wall, "And someone might have to go to the hospital!"

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