"The Circle of the Digidestined," written by Freedom Fighter Disclaimer: None of the characters, human or Digimon, belong to me, the writer. Author's Warning: The following fanfic features gruesome character death, both of the human and Digimon kind, violence of varying levels, some profane language, and some suggestive situations. Please do not read this fanfic if you're underage or feel that you cannot handle any of said features. This particular episode features suggestive dialogue and a few words of profanity. ====== In the middle of a desert area in Sector 3.23 of the West Quadrant, a Digiport begins to materialize. With TK and Ken helping their fellow Digimon direct all of the Jagamon back towards their proper places, only Davis and Yolei are there to greet the newcomer. But as the figure exits from the portal, Yolei begins to scream in fear. "Eeeeeekkkkk! Run for your lives! The worst evil to ever befall the world has arrived!" Yolei hides behind Davis, seeking shelter from the so-called 'worst evil in the world.' And he wore a business suit and held a suitcase in one hand and a D-3 in the other. "Yolei, it's just Cody!" Davis exclaimed. "You don't understand!" Yolei shouted, grabbing Davis's shirt. "He's a lawyer!" "Ha ha, very funny Yolei," Cody said sarcastically, stepping towards the duo as the portal behind him closes up. "Lawyers aren't evil." "Yes they are! Every lawyer that I've ever hired to defend me lost! They do it on purpose just so they can take my money! The vandals..." "That wouldn't happen if you'd hire me to take care of your legal troubles." "Well, whenever I try to call you, you're always busy on some other case! Whatever happened to helping out a friend?" "What can I say? The Hida and Yuka firm is one of the most prestigious in all of Japan." "Yolei," Davis interrupted, "don't you always hire the same lawyer all the time? That Satoshi Tajiri guy?" "His name is Satoshi Takimi! And I only hire him because he's the cheapest lawyer in Tokyo." "No wonder you always lose," Cody snickered. "Hey! It's hard to hire a top-quality lawyer when you're a mother of three!" Armadillomon appears out of nowhere and runs up to the group. Cody squats down and drops his suitcase long enough to give Armadillomon a big hug. "Armadillomon! I missed you so much!" "Me too, Cody. You missed your biweekly playdate with me last Saturday." "Sorry about that. The Berkley case required regular meetings with my client over the weekend." TK and Ken, returning from their duties, see Cody and go over to greet him. "Look who showed up at last!" TK exclaimed. "Nice to see you too, TK!" Cody shot back as he stood up and shook hands with TK. He then turns to Ken and does the same. "Any chance of sending a criminal or two my way to prosecute?" Cody asked the detective. "I can't pull them out of thin air," Ken told the lawyer. "They come when they come." Veemon, Patamon, Gatomon, Hawkmon, and Wormmon walk onto the scene, having finished their job of rerouting the Jagamon. They all say hello to Cody as they head over to their partners. "Where is everybody else?" Cody asked, looking around. "We don't know," TK shrugged. "Izzy just told us to take care of the Digimon threat. And Matt's up on the space station for another two months." "Joe should be with Izzy," Yolei butted in, remembering that the two worked together. "And I think it's still nighttime in New York, so Mimi might be fast asleep." "What about Tai?" Davis asked, wondering where the Digidestined's original leader was. "I'm not sure," Cody answered. "Maybe Kari knows... whenever she gets here." As if on cue, another portal opens right where Cody's had been. Kari steps out, carrying a duffel bag in her left hand and her D-3 in her right. "Sorry I'm late... school had just gotten out and I wanted to make sure I had all of the assignments they turned in today with me." "What's up, professor?" Yolei asked jokingly. "Which letter of the alphabet did those first graders of yours learn today?" "Yolei... what are you talking about?" "You mean you don't teach first graders anymore?" TK asked as the portal behind Kari closes. "Nope," Kari shook her head. "I'm teaching fifth graders now." "Fifth graders?" Ken wondered curiously as Gatomon leaps into Kari's arms. "Why the jump?" "Kari can teach whomever she wants," Davis stated, standing up for Kari's decision. "I'm sure she has a good reason for doing so." "I taught first grade for eleven years. You get tired of teaching the same old stuff every year. Besides, it feels weird when I have to 'learn' the alphabet with my students." "I don't see what's so bad about that." "You wouldn't," Yolei smirked. "You didn't learn the alphabet by heart until third grade." "Hey!" The group shares a hearty laugh... that's cut short when another portal opens and Izzy, Mimi, and Palmon pop out. And the group's faces of happiness start turning upside down when they see the grave look on Izzy's face, the saddened look on Palmon's, and the tearful one on Mimi's. "Guys... we have some bad news." ***** Episode Three - An American Digidestined in Paris (10.29.02) ***** Izzy looked at the group as he took a head count. "Where are Tai, Sora, and Matt?" he asked the group. Kari spoke up on behalf of her brother. "Tai's in New York. The United Nations are meeting to decide whether or not to go to war with East Antarctica." "Dang East Antarcticans," Yolei cursed under her breath, "with their alien technology! I told you the Earth should have never allowed the citizens of Neptune to come here." "But their planet froze over in 2015," Izzy stated matter-of-factly. "And it's their fault that it happened! They want to take over the whole planet!" "Okay Yolei," Ken interrupted, "you've got to stop buying those tabloid magazines." "Wait a minute..." Mimi jumped in. "Tai called me the other day and said he'd be in New York. He told me where he was staying." "Why didn't you say anything earlier?" "Because it slipped my mind, Izzy! I'm still getting over the fact that Joe is dead!" There was a collective gasp from the six 'new' Digidestined and their Digimon. "Thanks a lot," Izzy shouted at her. "I was going to ease into that! But you had to go and blow the big surprise!" "Big surprise? It's your fault he's dead! Remember?" "Izzy?" Kari stepped forward, as curious as the others to find out what exactly happened. "What does Mimi mean by 'it's your fault he's dead?'" Izzy sighed before turning around and glaring at Mimi. He then turns back towards the others. "It's a long story. I think if we head to the lab back at Osaka, I can explain exactly what happened." "Let's go then! I've got beauty sleep to catch up on!" "Not so fast, Mimi. You won't be coming with us." "Why? Because I blew the 'big' surprise?" "I need you to go back to New York and get Tai." "Why me?" "Because," Izzy smirked, "you two have met at night before." Mimi began to get a little frightened of Izzy. "You wouldn't dare..." "Try me." With no way out, Mimi sighs before pulling out her D-3 and setting the coordinates for New York. A portal opens behind her as she and Palmon turn to walk towards it. "You can be such a conniving little jerk sometimes, Izzy Izumi!" "Takes one to know one, Mimi Tachikawa!" Mimi grumbles under her breath as she enters the portal, with Palmon in tow. The portal then closes, leaving the others to wonder what Izzy meant by his cryptic comment. And then, it starts to come to all of them. "You mean they..." Ken began. "As much of a ditz as Mimi can be sometimes, I'm not going to tell you." "Why not?" Yolei whined. "I promised not to tell anyone. And I intend to keep it. Besides, we have more things to worry about than that right now." Izzy takes out his D-3 and punches in the coordinates for the Osaka Digimon Research Laboratory. A portal opens up ten feet away from him. He then turns towards the others, waiting for them to go in. "So, are we going or not?" Slowly but surely, the group makes their way into the portal. Izzy brings up the rear so that the portal closes behind him. ====== In a flash of light, Mimi and Palmon are now standing inside her makeshift office in her mansion. Mimi immediately sits down in her swivel chair and opens one of her desk drawers. "Now, where did I put the address of that hotel?" Mimi asked herself aloud, trying to jog her memory. "Can I help?" Palmon asked. "That's okay. It shouldn't take long... yes, there it is!" Mimi pulled out a small business card for the Crowne Plaza at the United Nations Hotel. She types in the address into the Digiport Generator webpage. "304 East 42nd Street," Mimi announced aloud, checking to make sure the address on the screen matched the one on the card. "Now all I have to do is type in the address here and the portals should connect." As Mimi typed her address in, the door to the room opens. Jerry enters. "Back so soon, Mistress Mimi?" Mimi shook her head. "Nope. Just a quick transfer through Digiports, that's all." Jerry then noticed that Palmon was also there, so he decided to say hello to her. "Good evening, Miss Palmon." "Hello!" Palmon greeted, bowing gracefully. "Is there anything I can get you?" "Now that you mention it..." Palmon stops when a flash of white light fills the room. Mimi has already managed to open a Digiport to Tai's hotel. "We don't have time for frivolous requests, Palmon!" Mimi then turns towards Jerry and gives him a command. "Just make sure the computer's still on so that I can return later on." "Um..." Jerry began, "how much longer can I expect you to be gone?" Palmon jumps into the computer screen as Mimi answers Jerry's question. "Don't worry about it. Just make sure to help Monty out if he needs anything." "As you wish," Jerry bowed as Mimi was sucked into the portal. ====== Across the Atlantic Ocean, two DarkTyrannomon were destroying buildings in Paris. "Sacre bleu!" shouted one fleeing French man. "Godzilla has come to Paris! And he's got a twin brother!" About a quarter mile away from where the two Digimon were rampaging, a taxi cab screeches to a halt. Sora and Catherine hop out, with the latter handing the driver a ten franc bill. "Keep the change," Catherine shouted as she closed the door. The taxi then did a 180 degree turn and beelined out of the area as fast as possible. Catherine runs over to Sora, who is looking a few blocks up the boulevard. The two DarkTyrannomon were slowly heading towards them, but neither of the Digimon had spotted them. "Do you think zey know we are Digidestined?" Catherine asked Sora. "Who knows? I don't know how they got out of the Digiworld, but we've got to get them back there before someone gets seriously hurt!" The two women start looking for an Internet cafe. Luckily, they spot one just across the street. "We just need one computer on to access a port from the Digiworld," Sora yelled. "There!" Catherine pointed to a computer already on and logged onto the Internet. Sora reached into her purse and pulled out her D-3. She started pushing buttons on it, trying to find out where their Digimon were. "We've got to get Biyomon and Floramon here right away." "Floramon never learned how to digivolve past champion, Sora! Her champion form, Kiwimon, won't be strong enough to stop those two." "Okay then. We'll just have to find Biyomon then." Finally completing her setup of her D-3, Sora aims for the computer monitor. "We just have to pray that she's not dozing off anywhere." ====== High atop the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 39-year old diplomat Tai Kamiya was typing away at his laptop. Doing some research to back up his view on the escalating tensions in East Antarctica. And he was getting frustrated doing so, as evident by a slamming of his fist on his desk. "I can't believe this! They're supposed to be an advanced alien race, yet I can't find one website about their work! All there is are online newspaper clippings... and all the shit they're spewing isn't worth it!" Tai leaned back in his chair and sighed. "For once, I wish something would fall right into my lap." Tai gets his wish when his laptop monitor glows white and Mimi comes leaping out of it, knocking them both out of the chair and onto the floor. And after tumbling a few feet, they both come to a stop with Mimi lying on top of Tai. "Tai," Palmon shouted as she came out of the laptop monitor, "we've got a surprise..." Palmon then saw the precarious position that Mimi and Tai were in, letting out a gasp of surprise herself. "That's the last time I wish for something when I don't mean it! Those wishes always come true!" Mimi jumps up and turns away immediately, trying to hide her blushing face. "I can't believe it happened again," Mimi thought. "I bet Tai thinks I came here to be with him. At least my jacket was closed this time. Stupid Digivice! Izzy's really gonna get it when I get back to Osaka." Tai gets up and puts a hand on Mimi's shoulder, immediately catching onto the reason why he thinks Mimi is in his room. "Let me guess. Michael cheated on you and this is one of those revenge things in which you'll sleep with me to get back at him, right?" "You couldn't be farther from the truth, Tai Kamiya!" Mimi yelled angrily. "Then what..." Turning around, Mimi starts to yell in Tai's face. "I need you to come with me to Japan." "Japan? Mimi, I can't go back home now. I was sent here to provide Japan's stance on going to war with East Antarctica." "Tai, something bad has happened in the Digiworld." "Bad? Like what?" "I'll explain later. We've just got to go now." "At least that explains why Palmon was here. I thought you were thinking of doing some freaky threesome." Palmon wraps Tai up with his vines, trapping him on the floor as Mimi kicks him several times in the stomach. "Is that all you ever think about?" Palmon asked. "For someone who's happily married, you sure think perverted a lot!" Mimi exclaimed. "I'm a man!" Tai shouted over the beatings. "That's what men do!" Satisfied with her work, Mimi stops kicking Tai and walks over to the window. Palmon lets him go as she heads back to Tai's laptop. "Geese Mimi, you can't take a joke, can you?" Mimi grumbled as she picked up the fallen chair and propped it back up. She then sat in it and scooted in under the desk, where she proceeded to boot up the site with the Digiport map again. "How did you know what room I was in anyway?" Tai asked. "I don't remember telling you." "I learned a few tricks from Izzy," Mimi said with a smile. "Really? Were there any other tricks he taught you?" Tai emphasized the word 'tricks' with a wry smile on his face. Mimi growled angrily once again. "Unlike my relationship with you, mine with Izzy didn't require sex to be successful!" "Holy shit!" "What? Surprised that Izzy is actually less perverted than you are?" "Will you forget that! Look at this!" Tai pointed at the map on the screen, where there were red circles flashing all over both Japan and France. "Why are there so many Digiports open in Japan? And in France?" "Izzy gathered all of the Digidestined in Japan to take care of a Jagamon stampede. But I don't know why there are so many open in France." "All of the ports look centralized over Paris. A rogue Digimon must have gotten into the real world." "We'd better stop it then." Mimi raises her D-3 up to the screen while simultaneously clicking on one of the ports into Paris. The screen lights up as Tai, Mimi, and Palmon are sucked in. ====== It only took a few seconds, but the trio leaped out of a computer inside a building. Luckily, no one was sitting in front of it this time. "This place is empty?" Mimi wondered as she looked around the empty interior. "I thought Internet cafes were supposed to be open 24 hours a day!" "Wait... could it be?" Mimi and Palmon turned to see Tai pointing out the front pane. About ten feet away, on the other side of the window, stood two women looked up at the sky. And one of them looked like... "Sora!" Tai exclaimed. "What's Sora doing in France?" As Tai ran for the front door, Mimi began to think. "Isn't this the time of year she does those fashion shows of hers across Europe?" Mimi then notices Tai sprinting for the door. She and Palmon race after him. "Wait for us!" ====== "Do it, Birdramon!" Sora was shouting at the top of her lungs so that Biyomon, or rather Birdramon, who had digivolved the moment she had come out of the computer, could hear her. Birdramon was flying above the two DarkTyrannomon, surveying them before initiating any attacks. Finally, Birdramon flies into position, ready to fire off an attack. "Meteor Wing!" The attack hit one of the DarkTyrannomon in the left arm, sending him reeling. The other retaliates, firing a fire attack of his own. "Fire Blast!" Birdramon dodges the attack easily, then fires another Meteor Wing at her attacker. Meanwhile, Sora and Catherine watch from the ground, cheering Birdramon on. Suddenly, the door to the Internet cafe bursts open as Tai runs out. "Sora!" "Tai? What are you doing here?" "What's going on?" Tai asked before turning towards the three battling Digimon. "Looks like we've got a job to do," Mimi said, running out of the cafe with her D-3 ready. "Palmon, time to digivolve!" "Palmon digivolve to... Togemon!" After digivolving, Togemon runs off to the scene immediately to help Birdramon out. "You're here too?" Sora asked, surprised at seeing Tai and Mimi arrive together. "I'll explain later," Mimi replied. "We'd better get those two back to the Digiworld." "How long have they been out?" Tai asked. "At least ten to fifteen minutes," Catherine spoke up. "Catherine?" Tai's mouth was hanging wide open. He had totally forgotten that Catherine still lived in Paris, even after all of these years. "Could you two catch up later?" Mimi shouted, still sore over Tai's so-called jokes earlier. "We could use Agumon out here." "Right." Tai turned towards the monitor that Sora had used to reach Biyomon. He reached into his pocket to pull out his D-3... before slapping himself up against the head and remembering that he didn't have it with him. "It's in my suitcase! I've got to go back to New York to get it." "Well, go! We don't know if Birdramon and Togemon will be enough to stop those two." Tai ran back into the cafe and searches for the same Digiport he had used to get to Paris. Luckily, it was still open. He jumps back in, heading back to New York to get his D-3. Additional Author's Notes for this Episode: Does the name Satoshi Tajiri sound familiar? It should if you like Pokémon. He was the creator of that very show/game. Yep, you're hearing straight from the mouth of one of the few people who like both Pokémon and Digimon. As for the name of Yolei's lawyer, Satoshi Takimi, doesn't that last name sound a bit familiar? At least for those of you who focus on the romantic relationships of the Digidestined? Call it a little hint as to one of the secrets of the past 25 years that will be explored over the course of this fanfic. Find it ironic that Kari switched to teaching fifth graders? If you watch the Tamers dub, it should make sense. After all, Kari and Miss Asaji share the same voice actress... Lara Jill Miller. And Miss Asaji teaches Takato's class, which is made up with of fifth graders (no matter what the dub originally stated -- that the kids were 13). Don't expect any Tamers cast members to appear. For that, you'll want to check out the OTHER in-the-future Digimon fanfic by another certain author. And the East Antarctica thing is actually very parallel to real world events right now. You know, with the United States wanting to go to war with Iraq. This'll be one of the major subplots that will be dealt with in this fanfic, but I will tell you that Japan does not represent the United States in the parallel. To find out who that is, keep reading! Remember back in my notes of the first episode when I mentioned what couplings are active in this fanfic? Well, now comes about the second subplot in which how those couplings were established. Hopefully, I'll surprise a few people along the way. There were already hints to past failed relationships in this episode alone. There will be a whole lot more, and my goal is that by the end of this fanfic, you'll be able to connect the relationship status between the defeat of MaloMyotismon and the start of this story for all of the characters. And sorry about the whole men bashing thing. Believe it or not, it's going to be a facet of Mimi's character that will be explored heavily in the early going. And yes, there is a reason why she is like that, but you'll have to read on and see. And no, it does not involve her getting raped. I think I've already used that in two other fanfics already, and it doesn't do good to repeat it once again. ***** Next Episode - The Despondent Dozen ***** Sora and Mimi try to get the DarkTyrannomon back to the Digiworld as Tai tries to find his D-3. Once that's taken care of, it's back to Osaka for a briefing from Izzy and a description of the 'suspects' from Mimi. And speaking of the suspects...