| "Are you sure you're okay, Marisa?" Chamelamon asked. "I'm just fine, Chamelamon," Marisa replied as she walked down the trail with her Digimon, alongside Matt, who was carrying Tsunomon in his arms. "You're sure?" Chamelamon asked again. "Chamelamon, you asked her like a hundred times already!" Matt retorted. "That must be a new record!" Tsunomon admitted. "And that doesn't count all the times you asked about her ankle yesterday! She's walking, isn't she?" Matt asked Chamelamon. "If I want your opinion, Matt, I'll ask for it, but don't hold your breath!" Chamelamon retorted. "Chamelamon, stop it!" Marisa complained. Chamelamon growled angrily to herself as she reluctantly kept quiet. "I think it's good that you worry about me, Chamelamon, but you're kinda taking it a little too far," Marisa admitted. "A little?" Matt asked sarcastically. "That's putting it lightly!" "Matt, you're not exactly helping," Marisa told him. Just then, there was a loud beeping noise coming from Matt's digivice. "What's going on?" Marisa asked as Matt looked at his digivice. "My digivice just picked up three of our friends," Matt announced. "That's great, Matt! Where are they?" Marisa asked. "This way!" Matt shouted as he ran down the trail, while carrying Tsunomon in one arm. "Hey! Wait for us!" Marisa shouted as she and Chamelamon ran after Matt and Tsunomon. "We gotta hurry, Marisa!" Matt shouted as he looked back at her. "They're moving so fast that we might lose them!" "Matt, look out!" Tsunomon shouted. Matt quickly looked up, but the warning came too late. He ran into a wooden board that was stretched across the trail and fell to the ground. "Are you all right, Matt?" Marisa asked as she helped Matt stand up. "Yeah, I think so," Matt replied. He looked up and realized that the wooden board he hit was part of a railroad-crossing gate. The red lights were flashing and the warning bells were going off. The two kids and their Digimon could hear the train quickly approaching the railroad crossing. Matt and Marisa covered their ears as the old-fashioned train chugged across the rickety tracks, repeatedly blowing its loud whistle. "Matt, do you think that maybe our friends are on that train?" Marisa shouted. "I think you're right!" Matt shotued as the train finished going across the tracks. They slowly brought down their hands and watched as the train continued speeding down the tracks. "There's no way we'll be able to catch up with that train now," Matt reluctantly admitted. "Maybe we can," Chamelamon muttered thoughtfully. "What do you mena, Chamelamon?" Marisa asked. "There's a train station not far down these tracks," Chamelamon explained. "I'll betcha that train will stop at the station, and that's where we'll find our friends." "What do you think, Matt?" Marisa asked. "Might as well give it a shot," Matt replied. Just then, the railroad-crossing gate finally lifted up. "Let's go," Matt announced as he, Tsunomon, Marisa, and Chamelamon started to follow the railroad tracks... Meanwhile, the train was indeed pulling up to an antique wooden train station. Inside one of the cars near the end of the train, Tai, Kari, and T.K. were fast asleep, with their Digimon sleepign in their laps. As the train screeched to a stop, Tai and Koromon woke up from the shrill noise of the screcching brakes. "Tai, I'm hungry," Koromon complained as his stomach began to rumble. "All right, Koromon," Tai replied with a soft chuckle as he stood up. He carried Koromon into the next train car, which had a table full of food, like a miniature buffet. Tai placed Koromon on top of the table in front of a bowl with a variety of berries. "All right!" Koromon cheered before he started to practically inhale the bowl full of berries. While his Digimon was eating, Tai was a bit startled to hear his digivice go off. He looked at it and saw two red dots located outside of the train. Tai quickly peeked into the other car to check on Kari and T.K., who were still sleeping with Gatomon and Patamon on their laps. "It couldn't be Kari and T.K. They're still asleep," Tai muttered out loud. He approached a side window and looked outside. He could see Matt, Marisa, Tsunomon, and Chamelamon walking alongside the train. "Koromon, Matt and Marisa are here," Tai announced with a big grin. "Really? That's wonderful, Tai!" Koromon admitted. "Come on, Koromon! Let's go!" Tai exclaimed as he picked Koromon up and ran toward the door leading outside. "Matt! Marisa! Over here!" Tai shouted as he jumped off of the train and walked over to Matt, Marisa, Tsunomon, and Chamelamon. "Hey, Tai. Good to see you again," Matt admitted. "Hello, Tai. Hello, Koromon," Marisa greeted cheerfully. "Oh, hey, Marisa," Tai replied. "Hi, Marisa!" Koromon greeted. As this was going on, Matt remembered that there were two other kids on the train. "Who else is with you, Tai?" Matt asked curiously. "T.K. and Kari. They're still sleeping on the train," Tai explained. As the three kids were talking, Koromon noticed that the train was slowly starting to pull away from the station. "Tai, the train is leaving without us!" Koromon shouted. "What?" Tai, Matt, and Marisa exclaimed simultaneously as they looked up at the departing train. Immediately, Tai ran after the train and jumped on board, with Koromon in his arms. Matt was the next one to jump aboard the train with Tsunomon, followed by Chamelamon. "Come on, Marisa!" Chamelamon shouted to her human friend, who was still trying to catch up with the train. "Marisa, you gotta jump!" Matt shouted. "I don't think I can do it!" Marisa shouted as she desperately ran after the train, which was gaining more speed. "Don't worry! I'll catch you!" Matt shouted as he stretched out his hand to her. "I can't, Matt!" Marisa shouted. "You can do it, Marisa! You just have to trust me!" Matt shouted. Marisa hesitated for a moment and then jumped. She managed to grab a hold of Matt's hand, but found herself dangling above the fast moving ground. "Come on, Tai! Help me!" Matt shouted. Tai quickly ran to the open door, next to Matt, and grabbed Marisa's other hand. "Pull!" Tai shouted. Together, the two boys pulled as hard as they could. They managed to yank Marisa on board of the train, but she ended up landing on top of Tai and Matt. "I don't think I can ever thank you two enough!" Marisa gushed out. "Don't thank me! Get off me!" Tai complained loudly. "I'm so sorry, guys," Marisa apologized as she quickly got off of Tai and Matt. "Gee, thanks," Tai muttered out loud as he and Matt stood up and picked up their Digimon. "What's going on, Tai?" Kari asked. Tai, Matt, Marisa, and their Digimon looked up and saw Kari and Gatomon standing on top of the short flight of stairs leading into the car. "Hey, Kari. Sorry if we woke you up," Tai apologized. "That's okay. Did you two just get on the train?" Kari asked. Both Matt and Marisa nodded their heads. Kari turned her head and announced, "T.K., your brother's here!" T.K. and Patamon soon appeared next to Kari and Gatomon. "Matt!" T.K. exclaimed happily as he ran down the stairs and embraced his older brother. "Good to see you, too, T.K.," Matt admitted... "So, how did you find out about this train?" Matt asked curiously. "The Gremlimon told us about it before we left their village," Kari explained. "But before we could go, we had to fight this mean rock Digimon called Golemon," T.K. added. Tai, Kari, Matt, T.K., Marisa, and their Digimon were all in the dining car. "At first, I thought the Gremlimon were bad Digimon, but it turned out they weren't," Tai revealed. "It's kinda hard to tell who's on our side here in the Digiworld, isn't it?" Marisa asked to no one in particular. "Yeah, it is. I almost fell for Bansheemon's trap because she tricked me into thinking that she was one of the good guys, but it turned out she was working for Armaggedamon all along," Matt reluctantly admitted. "If it wasn't for Marisa and Chamelamon, we would have been locked up in Armaggedamon's dungeon by now!" Tsunomon announced. "Well, I don't know about that," Marisa admitted, her cheeks turning slightly red. "I'm sure you two could have figured it out on your own." "Man, Marisa doesn't like to brag about anything," Tai whispered to Matt, who was standing next to him. "Tai, you know Marisa's not like that," Matt whispered. "Marni, on the other hand, would probably brag about it to the world!" "I'll bet you're right about that!" Tai whispered with a soft snicker. "What's so funny?" Marisa asked curiously. "Oh, nothing," Tai lied, not wanting to hurt Marisa's feelings. "Greetings, kids," a familiar voice announced. The four kids and their Digimon looked up at a familiar elderly man wearing an old-fashioned train conductor's uniform with a matching hat. "Oh, hello, Gennai," Marisa greeted. "Sorry, but I'm not Gennai," the elderly man confessed. "Huh?" Matt and Marisa exclaimed simultaneously, exchanging confused looks. "Matt, Marisa, this is Victor," Tai introduced the Gennai look-alike. "He happens to be an old friend of Gennai's." "Yup, Gennai and I go way back," Victor admitted. "He told me all about the original Digi-Destined and how they defeated the four Dark Masters and Apocalymon. I promise I'll do everything I can to help you kids out." "Thanks, Victor," Matt admitted, while Marisa nodded her head in approval. She stopped when she noticed a strange look on Victor's face, as though he was uneasy about something. He quickly shook it off before he announced, "I should head back to the engine room. Let me know if you need anything." "Okay, Victor," Tai admitted as Victor left. Marisa glanced over at T.K. and Kari, who were sitting at the other end of the car with Koromon, Tsunomon, Chamelamon, Gatomon, and Patamon. She then looked back at Tai and Matt, who were standing in front of her. "Umm...Tai, Matt? Did it seem like Victor was upset about something?" Marisa asked. "I didn't see anything wrong with him," Matt admitted. "I don't know about this, guys. Something just doesn't feel right," Marisa muttered out loud. "There's nothing to worry about, Marisa. Look, T.K., Kari, and I have been all over this train, and we didn't find anything suspicious," Tai revealed. "Well...okay," Marisa reluctantly agreed. "Umm, I'm going to get some food for our Digimon, Matt. They haven't had anything to eat in a while. You don't mind, do you?" "Go ahead, Marisa," Matt told her. Marisa nodded as she turned around, walked over to the table, and started to load up a plate with food. Matt looked back at Tai, who had a mischievous smirk on his face. "What's with you, Tai?" Matt asked. "You like Marisa, don't you, Matt?" Tai asked suspiciously. "Yeah, I guess," Matt replied. "I mean, she's pretty nice and all." "No, I mean you REALLY like her," Tai repeated. "What are you saying?" Matt asked. "I think you have a crush on Marisa!" Tai accused Matt teasingly. "You're crazy, Tai! I don't LIKE Marisa, I just like her!" Matt denied, his face turning red from embarrassment. "What's the name of that river in Egypt? Oh, yeah: DE NIAL!" Tai remarked with a little smirk. "You better knock it off, Tai!" Matt warned him. "What's going on?" Marisa interrupted. Tai and Matt looked up and noticed that Marisa was looking at them curiously. "Nothing's going on, Marisa," Matt lied. "It sounded like you two were fighting about something," Marisa muttered out loud. "Don't worry about it, Marisa. It was no big deal," Matt tried to convince her. "Well, okay," Marisa eventually replied. She turned around, picked up the plate full of food from the table, and walked over to where T.K., Kari, and all five Digimon were sitting on the floor. "Here you go," Marisa announced as she placed the plate of food in front of Tsunomon and Chamelamon. "Thanks, Marisa," Tsunomon and Chamelamon replied simultaneously before they started eating the food. Marisa sat down on the floor and watched the two Digimon as they ate. She glanced over at T.K. and Kari, who were sitting next to her with Patamon and Gatomon in their laps. "Are you two okay?" Marisa asked when she noticed the tired looks in their eyes. "We're okay, Marisa. Just a little tired," Kari replied before letting out a quick yawn. "I'm really glad that my brother's here, but I'm glad that you're here, too, Marisa," T.K. confessed. "You are?" Marisa asked, a bit surprised by what T.K. just said. "I like you, Marisa. You're really nice to everyone," T.K. admitted. "Yeah, same here," Kari added. "Thanks, T.K. Thanks, Kari," Marisa replied... Marisa let out a deep sigh as she stared up at the ceiling of the car. About an hour has passed since she, Matt, Chamelamon, and Tsunomon jumped aboard the train. After they had finished eating, the five kids and their Digimon returned to the other car. Everyone had fallen asleep, including their Digimon, except for Marisa, who couldn't sleep. She looked down for a moment at Chamelamon, who was fast asleep in her lap, and smiled a bit. Suddenly, Marisa was surprised to hear faint harmonica music coming form somewhere behind her. She looked behind her, but there was no one else in the car. Curious as to who was playing the music, Marisa gently picked up Chamelamon, so she wouldn't wake her Digimon up, and slowly stood up. She carefully laid Chamelamon down in the chair she was originally sitting in before she headed for the back of the car. "Hello?" Marisa asked a bit nervously as she walked into the next car. To her surprise, the car was completely empty. As she headed to the next door, Marisa could tell she was getting closer since the music was getting louder. When Marisa entered yet another car, the mysterious harmonica player was nowhere to be seen. She looked up and noticed a small sign over the next door that read "Caboose." "Whoever is playing that harmonica must be in here," Marisa muttered thoughtfully to herself as she slowly approached the door leading into the caboose. "Either that, or someone's playing a joke on me!" She took in a deep breath before she started to slowly push the door open. When she opened the door, Marisa was surprised to see Matt sitting on a wooden crate, playing a small silver harmonica. Sitting in his lap was Tsunomon, who was obviously enjoying the harmonica music. Marisa stood in the doorway for a while, listening to the soothing sounds coming from Matt's harmonica. She decided to take a chance and started to slowly walk into the caboose. Unfortunately, Marisa stepped onto an old wooden board, which made a very loud creak. Matt stopped playing his harmonica when he heard the noise and he and Tsunomon looked up at the doorway, where Marisa was standing. "Oh. Hey, Marisa," Matt greeted, a bit surprised to see her standing there. "I'm so sorry, Matt. I didn't mean to interrupt you," Marisa stuttered quickly, her cheeks growing red from embarrasment. "I'll go now." As she turned around to leave the caboose, Matt shouted, "Marisa, wait! You don't have to go." "I don't?" Marisa asked as she turned back around to face Matt. "No, you don't. You can stay, if you want to," Matt replied. "All right," Marisa slowly replied as she stepped back into the caboose. "Just go pull up a crate. I would say pull up a chair, but there aren't any back here," Matt remarked jokingly. Marisa giggled a bit nervously when she looked around and noticed that Matt was right. "So...what are you doing all the way back here, Matt?" Marisa asked curiously as she sat down on a small crate right across from Matt and Tsunomon. "Well, Tsunomon and I couldn't sleep," Matt explained. "I wanted to play my harmonica, so we went back here so I wouldn't wake anyone up. I didn't wake you up, did I?" "No, you didn't," Marisa told him. "I couldn't sleep either." "What about Chamelamon?" Tsunomon asked curiously. "Chamelamon had no problem going to sleep," Marisa replied. "I left her in the car with the others. I didn't want to wake her up." There was an uneasy pause of silence that followed. "You play the harmonica pretty good, Matt," Marisa confessed. "Thanks," Matt replied. "How long have you been playing?" Marisa asked curiously. Matt chuckled a bit to himself as he looked at the harmonica in his hand. "Feels like forever, but I've actually been playing for about eight years." "Eight years? That's a really long time," Marisa admitted. "Yeah, I know," Matt remarked. "I've been playing this thing all of T.K.'s life. He said a few times that he actually remembers me playing my harmonica when he was stilll a little baby." "You and T.K. must be really close," Marisa muttered out loud. "Yeah, we are," Matt admitted. "I kinda figured it out, Matt. The way you talked about T.K. over the past couple of days, I could tell that you really care about him a lot," Marisa revealed. "And it's obvious that T.K. feels the same way about you." Another pause of awkward silence followed. "Excuse me, Matt, but I have to go," Marisa interrupted as she quickly got off of the crate she was sitting on. "Go where?" Tsunomon asked curiously. Marisa could feel her face becoming flustered. "She means she has to go to the bathroom, Tsunomon," Matt whispered to his Digimon. "Oh! I'm sorry, Marisa," Tsunomon apologized. "That's okay, Tsunomon," Marisa admitted. "I should be back in a few minutes. That is, if it's okay with you, Matt." "I don't mind," Matt replied. "Truth is, I like talking to you, Marisa." "Okay, Matt," Marisa replied with a small smile on her face. "I'll be back soon." With that, Marisa left the caboose, leaving Matt and Tsunomon behind... After she was finished using the bathroom, Marisa took in a deep breath before she started to head back to the caboose. "Victor!" she heard a voice shout. "That voice, it sounds familiar," Marisa muttered thoughtfully to herself. Suddenly, Marisa gasped when it hit her. "That was Houdinimon!" She peeked into the next car, where the voice seemed to be coming from, and saw Houdinimon sitting at a table, studying a map that was spread out in front of him. "Victor, you are trying my patience," Houdinimon warned in an annoyed tone. There was still no answer from Victor, which irritated Houdinimon even more. Marisa watched as the Digimon reached into his jacket and pulled out a doll that looked like Victor. Houdinimon held the doll at arm's length and slowly pulled it towards him. Suddenly, Victor came into the car, struggling as though invisible hands were pushing him from behind. "What do you want, Houdinimon?" Victor asked. "When will the train reach the next stop?" Houdinimon asked dully. "In about an hour. Please, I beg you, don't hurt the children," Victor pleaded. Houdinimon let out a sinister chuckle. "It's not me who you have to worry about. Armaggedamon, however, is another story," Houdinimon revealed. "Anyway, it's none of your business. Now, be gone!" When Victor chose to stand his ground instead, Houdinimon forced him to leave by using the doll. "Oh, no! What am I going to do?" Marisa asked herself. "I better tell Matt about this." As quietly as she could, Marisa ran through the cars of the train until she finally reached the caboose. "Marisa? What's wrong?" Matt asked when he saw Marisa at the open door of the caboose, bent over and breathing heavily, as though she had been running. "Matt...Houdinimon...he's on...the train," Marisa quickly explained in between gasps of air. "Houdinimon?" Matt and Tsunomon repeated simultaneously as they got off of the crate and ran to Marisa's side. "How did he get on the train?" Tsunomon asked. "I don't know, but he's controlling Victor somehow," Marisa replied worriedly. "What should we do, Matt?" "We better let the others know what's going on," Matt announced as he headed back to the car where everyone else was still sleeping, with Tsunomon in his arms, followed by Marisa. "Wake up, everyone!" Matt shouted loudly. Tai, Kari, T.K., Koromon, Gatomon, Patamon, and Chamelamon all slowly woke up when they heard Matt shout. "What's going on, Matt?" Tai asked sleepily as he stretched out his arms and yawned. "Marisa said that she saw Houdinimon on the train!" Tsunomon announced. "What?" Tai gasped as he stood up with Koromon in his arms. "He is on the train, Tai. I saw him," Marisa revealed. "How come Victor didn't tell us about Houdinimon?" Kari asked. "He couldn't, even if he wanted to, Kari. Houdinimon has Victor under his control," Marisa told her. "What are we gonna do?" T.K. asked worriedly. "I'll tell you what we're gonna do, T.K. We're gonna get Houdinimon before he can get us," Tai announced. "Did Houdinimon see you at all, Marisa?" Chamelamon asked. "No, he didn't see me. I'm sure of it," Marisa replied. "That's good. We'll be able to spring a surprise attack on Houdinimon without him knowing about it," Tai muttered thoughtfully. "Where is her, Marisa?" "This way. Follow me," Marisa replied as she headed into the next car, with Chamelamon right behind her. Tai, Matt, Kari, T.K., and their Digimon followed Marisa and Chamelamon through a bunch of cars. She finally stopped at a door that led into the next car. Marisa peeked through the window and saw Houdinimon still sitting at the same table. "Well, Marisa? Is Houdinimon still in there?" Tai asked a bit impatiently. Marisa turned around and nodded her head. Tai and Matt approached Marisa and looked through the glass window. "Where is he?" Matt asked. "Right over there," Marisa whispered, pointing at the table where Houdinimon was sitting. Tai and Matt both looked in the direction Marisa was pointing, but all they could see was an empty table. "Umm...Marisa? There's no one there," Matt whispered. "What are you talking about? Houdinimon's sitting right there," Marisa insisted. "You must be seeing things, Marisa. There's no one in the car. Here, I'll show you," Tai announced as he took Marisa's hand and led her into the car. "Tai, what are you doing?" Marisa asked a bit panicky as she broke free of Tai's hold. "Marisa, look around you!" Tai shouted. "We're the only ones in here!" "No, we're not, Tai! Houdinimon is right there!" Marisa insisted. "What's going on?" Victor asked as he entered the car. "Hey, Victor. Marisa's claiming that Houdinimon is in this car, but as you can see for yourself, there's no one in here except for us," Tai explained. "But he is here, Tai! Why can't you see him?" Marisa asked, who was obviously becoming upset. "Marisa, maybe you should sit down for a while," Victor suggested, leading the pig-tailed girl to a table across from where she could still see Houdinimon sitting. "I'll get you a glass of water." While Victor headed to a counter with some empty glasses and a water pitcher, Marisa looked over at where Houdinimon sat, then over to her friends and the Digimon, including Chamelamon. They all had looks of concern in their eyes. Maybe Tai's right. Maybe I am seeing things, Marisa thought as she stared down at the table. "Here you are, Marisa," Victor announced as he handed her a glass of water. "Thanks, Victor," Marisa whispered. As she took a sip of water, Victor sat down on the opposite side of the table. "Listen carefully, Marisa. I don't know how this happened, but one thing I know for sure is you're not seeing things. Houdinimon is on the train, in this very car," Victor whispered just loud enough for Marisa to hear. "He is?" Marisa whispered. "Yes, Marisa. Before Tai, Kari, and T.K. boarded the train, Houdinimon used a spell in himself that made him invisible to the other kids, the Digimon, and even to myself," Victor revealed. "Well, how come I'm the only one who can see him, Victor?" Marisa asked. "I'm not exactly sure," Victor reluctantly admitted. "I have an idea, but I'll have to explain later. Right now, you have to prove to yor friends that Houdinimon is indeed on the train." "How can I do that?" Marisa asked curiously. "Houdinimon may be invisible, but that doesn't mean that he can't see, hear, or feel what's going on around him," Victor explained. "I better stop talking now. Houdinimon might get suspicious." Victor got up from the table and asked out loud, "How are you feeling now, Marisa?" Marisa quickly caught on that Victor was doing so in order to avoid getting Houdinimon suspicious. "Much better now, Victor," Marisa replied as she stood up with the partially filled glass of water in her hand. As she walked over to her friends, Marisa added, "I'm sorry about getting you all up for nothing. You're right, Tai. I must be seeing things. Probably because I haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately." Suddenly, Marisa pretended to trip over a small snag in the rug and the remaining water in her glass went flying toward the table where she knew Houdinimon was sitting. "Ahh!" a deep voice screamed. Tai, Kari, Matt, T.K., and their Digimon were startled to hear the scream. They were even more shocked to see the water that Marisa spilled was trickling down an invisible, yet familiar face. "It's Houdinimon!" Tsunomon gasped. "Marisa was right all along!" Matt exclaimed. Just then, Houdinimon returned to his solid, visible form. Tai noticed the Victor doll in Houdinimon's hand. "What's the matter, Houdinimon? Running out of tricks?" he asked sarcastically. "What?" Houdinimon asked. "You must be running out of tricks of your own if you had to steal them from other Digimon," Tai pointed out. "Where did you get...?" Houdinimon started to ask until he realized what Tai was talking about. "Oh, I see. You and your other little friends fought and defeated my old pupil, Puppetmon, didn't you?" Tai, Kari, Matt, T.K., and their Digimon gasped in astonishment. "Did you really think that Puppetmon learned such a complicated trick on his own?" Houdinimon asked with a sinister smirk. "I could have taught him so much more, but all Puppetmon wanted to do was play games like some spoiled Digi-brat!" he added angrily. "It was nice talking to you children, but I'm afraid I'll have to destroy you now. Card Trick!" Houdinimon shouted as he jumped up and threw six playing cards down at the five Digi-Destined, the Digimon, and Victor. "Koromon digivolve to...Agumon." "Tsunomon digivolve to...Gabumon." "Pepper Breath!" Agumon shouted. "Blue Blaster!" Gabumon shouted. The two Digimon destroyed the deadly cards just in the nick of time. "Pepper Breath!" Agumon shouted again as he aimed a second fireball at Houdinimon. The attack struck Houdinimon's hand, causing him to drop the Victor doll. "That's it, Agumon! We got him now!" Tai shouted. "Come on, Digimon!" Agumon shouted as he, Gabumon, Gatomon, Patamon, and Chamelamon backed Houdinimon into a corner of the car, followed by the five Digi-Destined kids and Victor. "Back off now! Or do you want to see my other trick?" Houdinimon asked. He stared coldly at the Digi-Destined kids and their Digimon, but they didn't back off. "Very well then," Houdinimon replied nonchalantly as he reached into his jacket. The five kids and their Digimon gasped when he pulled out a second doll that looked a lot like Marisa. Houdinimon chuckled sinisterly as he lifted the doll high above his head. Marisa gasped loudly when she was suddenly lifted up into the air until her head almost hit the ceiling. "Marisa!" T.K. gasped. "Let her go, you creep!" Chamelamon shouted angrily. Houdinimon let out another sinister laugh as he flipped the Marisa doll upside down in his hand. "Please stop it!" Marisa cried out in fright as she hung upside down in the air. "Better watch what you say to me, little one. Don't forget, I literally hold your friend's life in my hand," Houdinimon announced with a smirk. Tai groaned slightly, knowing that he and his friends had no other choice. "Fine, Houdinimon. Back off, guys," Tai reluctantly ordered the five Digimon. "I knew you would see things my way," Houdinimon admitted as Agumon, Gabumon, Gatomon, Patamon, and Chamelamon stepped away from him. "Listen up, Houdinimon. We did what you wanted, so put Marisa down!" Matt demanded. "Of course I will. Catch!" Houdinimon shouted. Tai, Kari, Matt, and T.K. gasped out of shock as Houdinimon threw the doll high over their heads. Marisa let out a terrified scream as she went flying towards the other end of the car. "Marisa!" Matt shouted as he quickly ran after the doll. He caught the doll just as Marisa was inches away from colliding with the wall. Marisa was surprised when she stopped just a few inches away from the wall. She quickly dropped down to the floor soon after. "Are you okay, Marisa?" Matt asked with concern as he helped Marisa get up. "Yeah, I think so," Marisa replied. "Thanks, Matt." "You're gonna pay for that, Houdinimon!" Chamelamon proclaimed. "And what are you going to do about it, little one?" Houdinimon asked sarcastically with a sinister laugh. His remark only made Chamelamon angrier. "Chamelamon digivolve to...Dragomon!" "What's this?" Houdinimon exclaimed out of surprise as he witnessed Marisa's Digimon digivolving right in front of him. Dragomon growled angrily at Houdinimon with her eyes narrowed. "Inferno Blast!" Houdinimon reacted quickly by rapidly spinning his cane around in front of him like a baton. Acting as a shield, Houdinimon's spinning cane deflected Dragomon's attack. "Get down!" Tai shouted as he pushed T.K. and Kari down to the floor. Agumon, Gabumon, Gatomon, Patamon, and victor quickly ducked down alongside the three kids as Dragomon's Inferno Blast flew over their heads. The massive blast of fire collided into the side of the car, burning a huge hole in the wooden wall. "Sorry about that," Dragomon apologized as she looked back at her friends. "Dragomon, look out!" Marisa shouted. Dragomon quickly turned back around, only to be met by a blow in the chin from Houdinimon's cane. "We have to get out of here!" Victor shouted as he, Tai, Kari, T.K., and the four Digimon got up. "But how can we?" Marisa asked as she and Matt quickly joined them. Tai looked through the gaping hole left by Dragomon's attack. The train was crossing a long bridge suspended high above a wide river. "We'll fly!" Tai suggested. "Okay!" Patamon and Gatomon agreed simultaneously, quickly understanding what Tai was getting at. "Patamon digivolve to...Angemon!" "Gatomon digivolve to...Angewomon!" "Hold on!" Angemon instructed as he scooped up T.K. and Victor, while Angewomon picked up Tai, Kari, and Agumon. Angemon approached the hole in the wall and flew toward the distant shoreline at the ground below, followed quickly by Angewomon. "Don't worry, Matt, Marisa! We'll come back for you!" Angewomon shouted as she flew from the moving train with her three passengers. "That's okay, Angewomon! I'll get them down!" Gabumon shouted. "Gabumon digivolve to...Garurumon!" As soon as Garurumon finished digivolving, Matt quickly jumped on his Digimon's back. "Come on, Marisa!" Matt shouted to Marisa, who was watching the continuing battle between Dragomon and Houdinimon. "I don't want to leave without Dragomon!" Marisa revealed. "Go with him, Marisa!" Dragomon shouted as she quickly moved out of the way of one of Houdinimon's playing cards, which embedded itself into a nearby table. "I have to take care of this pesky magician first!" "Are you sure, Dragomon?" Marisa asked. "Yes, I'm sure, Marisa. Go now!" Dragomon shouted. "Hurry up, Marisa!" Matt shouted. Marisa hesitated for a moment before she quickly ran over to Garurumon and climbed on his back with Matt's help. "Hang on, you two!" Garurumon growled in warning to his two passengers. Matt quickly nodded as he held onto Garurumon's shoulders. He was a bit startled when he felt Marisa's arms wrap around his waist. "Marisa..." Matt started to complain as he turned his head. He stopped when he noticed how badly Marisa was trembling. "Yeah, Matt?" Marisa whispered nervously as she opened her eyes, which she had closed tightly earlier. "Uh...never mind," Matt muttered out loud. "You two ready?" Garurumon asked. Matt looked back at Marisa, who slowly nodded her head. "We're ready, Garurumon," Matt announced. "Here we go!" Garurumon shouted as he jumped off of the train. Matt could feel Marisa's arms tighten around his waist a little bit as Garurumon used the steel beams of the tall bridge to make his way down to the riverbank. He jumped from steel beam to steel beam until he made one last leap and landed safely on the riverbank. "Marisa, you can let go now," Matt told the pig-tailed girl. Marisa slowly opened her eyes and realized that she, Matt, and Garurumon were now safely on the ground. "All right," Marisa replied as she let go of Matt. Matt slid off of Garurumon's back onto the ground. "Come on," Matt told Marisa as he held his hand out to her. Marisa took Matt's hand and he helped her off of Garurumon's back. As soon as Marisa got off of his back, Garurumon de-digivolved back to Gabumon. "Matt! Marisa!" they heard Tai shouted. Matt, Marisa, and Gabumon looked up and saw Tai, Kari, T.K., Agumon, Angemon, Angewomon, and Victor running towards them. Realizing that he was still holding Marisa's hand, Matt quickly let go of her hand to avoid being teased about it by Tai. Marisa was a bit confused and hurt by what Matt just did, but she tried not to let it show as their friends approached them. "Are you two okay?" Victor asked. "Yeah, we're fine," Matt quickly replied. "Has anyone seen Dragomon?" Marisa asked. "There she is!" T.K. shouted, pointing up at the sky. Tai, Kari, Matt, Marisa, Victor, Agumon, Gabumon, Angemon, and Angewomon looked up and saw Dragomon and Houdinimon locked in aerial combat. "Hankie Wrap!" Houdinimon shouted as he opened his jacket, releasing a long colorful chain of handkerchiefs. The hankie chain wrapped itself tightly around Dragomon, tying up her arms adn wings. With her wings restrained, Dragomon started to plummet down to the river below. "Dragomon!" Marisa shouted. "You gotta help her, Angewomon!" Kari pleaded. Angewomon nodded in approval as she quickly flew up in the air. "You, too, Angemon!" T.K. added. Angemon nodded as well as he flew after Angewomon. "Angemon, you distract Houdinimon while I go free Dragomon," Angewomon suggested. "You got it!" Angemon agreed before the two angel-type Digimon separated. "Hand of Fate!" Angemon shouted as he launched his attack at Houdinimon, who managed to move out of the way. "There's no way I can reach her in time," Angewomon muttered to herself as she desperately tried to catch up with Dragomon. I have an idea. I just hope this works, Angewomon thought to herself as she stopped in mid-air and prepared to use her attack. "Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon shouted as she fired her glowing white arrow at Dragomon. The arrow of white light sped past Dragomon's side, slitting through the hankie chain that restrained her. Realizing what had just happened, Dragomon stretched out her wings, which ripped through the remaining handkerchiefs. "Way to go, Angewomon!" Kari cheered. "Thanks, Angewomon," Dragomon replied as she joined Kari's Digimon. "No problem, Dragomon. Now, let's go take care of Houdinimon!" Angewomon shouted as she flew towards the ongoing battle between Angemon and Houdinimon, followed by Dragomon. Houdinimon frowned a bit when he realized that he was outnumbered. "Perhaps I should bring back my old pupil to even the odds. Danger Illusion!" Houdinimon shouted as he flung out his arms, releasing thin streams of gold powder from his hands. The gold powder gathered together, forming a large wooden puppet carrying a sledgehammer. "No way! It's Puppetmon!" Tai gasped out of shock. "Who's Puppetmon?" Marisa asked. "Puppetmon was one of the Dark Masters we told you about," Matt explained. "He was also one of the worst. Puppetmon even went as far as kidnapping T.K. just he could have someone to play with!" "Don't worry, guys. I'll turn Puppetmon into a giant bonfire when I'm through with him!" Dragomon claimed. "Inferno--" "Dragomon, wait! You can't attack Puppetmon!" Angemon shouted. "Why not?" Dragomon asked. "Jut trust us on this, Dragomon," Angewomon announced. "Okay, if you say so," Dragomon reluctantly agreed. Down below, the kids watched the five Digimon as they just glared at each other. "I don't get it. Why aren't they attacking Puppetmon?" Tai asked. "They can't fight Puppetmon, Tai. When we were at the Digi-Carnival, Houdinimon used the same attack on me, T.K., and Yuuchi, only that time, he created Myotismon," Kari explained. "As long as you don't fight the fake Digimon, it won't hurt you. We learned that the hard way," T.K. added. After a while, Houdinimon realized that Angemon, Angewomon, and Dragomon weren't going to attack Puppetmon. "If you won't attack Puppetmon, then I will! Card Trick!" Houdinimon shouted as he threw one of his playing cards at Puppetmon. Angemon, Angewomon, and Dragomon gasped as the playing card entered Puppetmon's body. His eyes glowed sinisterly as he became energized by Houdinimon's attack. "Time to play," Puppetmon announced menacingly. "Puppetmon, destroy Angemon, Angewomon, and Dragomon!" Houdinimon ordered the illusion of Puppetmon, who chuckled sinisterly in approval. "Puppet Pummel!" Puppetmon shouted as he lifted up his wooden sledgehammer and several small missiles flew out from holes underneath the hammer's head. The three Digimon managed to fly out of the way of the oncoming missiles. "Hand of Fate!" Angemon shouted. "Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon shouted. "Inferno Blast!" Dragomon shouted. The three attacks destroyed the rest of Puppetmon's missiles. "All right!" T.K. cheered. "Way to go, guys!" Kari shouted. "Don't just stand there, Puppetmon! Get them now!" Houdinimon commanded. Puppetmon responded by charging at Angemon, Angewomon, and Dragomon, swinging his massive sledgehammer at them. "Whoa!" Dragomon shouted as she flew out of the way, barely avoiding a dangerous blow from Puppetmon's sledgehammer. Unfortunately, Angemon wasn't so lucky. "Ahh!" Angemon screamed in pain as Puppetmon's sledgehammer struck him square in the chest. "Angemon!" T.K. shouted as he watched his Digimon fall from the sky, weakened by Puppetmon's blow. He became bathed in a glowing white light and de-digivolved back to Patamon. "I got you, Patamon!" T.K. shouted as he stretched out his arms and caught Patamon. "I'm sorry, T.K.," Patamon whispered weakly. "That's okay. You tried your best," T.K. replied. "Look out, Angewomon!" Kari gasped when she saw Puppetmon sneaking up behind her Digimon with his sledgehammer raised above his head. Before Puppetmon could strike Angewomon, Dragomon quickly flew behind him and grabbed the sledgehammer's head, which prevented him from striking Angewomon. "I don't think so, you ugly old tree stump!" Dragomon shouted. "Hey! Give that back! It's mine!" Puppetmon complained loudly as he tried to pull his sledgehammer out of Dragomon's grip. "No way, Puppetmon!" Dragomon shouted as the tug-of-war with Puppetmon's sledgehammer continued. "Just hang on, Dragomon!" Angewomon shouted. "Celestial Arrow!" Her arrow of white light struck Puppetmon's back, but it didn't cause much damage. Enraged, Puppetmon managed to yank his sledgehammer out of Dragomon's hands, with the force pushing the Champion Digimon back a few yards. "Puppet Pummel!" Puppetmon shouted. "No! Angewomon!" Dragomon shouted when she saw Kari's Digimon being struck repeatedly by the small missiles from Puppetmon's sledgehammer. Before Dragomon could reach her, Angewomon, who was weakened from Puppetmon's attack, started to fall from the sky. As she plummeted down, Angewomon de-digivovled to Gatomon. "Gatomon!" Kari cried out as she helplessly watched her Digimon fall further down to the deep river. Before Gatomon could hit the water, Dragomon quickly swooped down and caught the cat-type Digimon. She flew to the bank where the others were and handed Gatomon to Kari. "Thank you, Dragomon," Kari replied. Dragomon nodded silently as she looked up at Puppetmon and Houdinimon. "They're gonna pay for that!" Dragomon growled angrily as she flew back up in the air. "Dragomon, don't! You can't fight them all by yourself!" Marisa shouted. "I have to try, Marisa. I'm the only one left," Dragomon shouted. She focused her attention on the two Digimon floating in front of her. "Inferno Blast!" Both Puppetmon and Houdinimon quickly moved out of the way of the blast of fire. "Get her, Puppetmon!" Houdinimon ordered. "Puppet Pummel!" Puppetmon shouted. Dragomon managed ot avoid most of the missiles, but a couple of them struck her in the chest. "Dragomon!" Marisa cried out. "I'm okay!" Dragomon shouted as she shook it off. "Believe me, you won't be that way for much longer, Dragomon," Houdinimon retorted sinisterly. "This is bad! That illusion of Puppetmon is really strong!" Tai admitted. "There's no way Dragomon can beat him and Houdinimon on her own. Agumon, can you digivolve to Metal Greymon? We can really use him right about now!" "Okay, I'll try," Agumon replied. "Agumon digivolve to..." The yellow Digimon tried his hardest to digivolve, but nothing happened. "I'm sorry, Tai. I'm too hungry to digivolve." "What about you, Gabumon?" Matt asked. "I can't, Matt. I used up all my energy getting you and Marisa off the train," Gabumon reluctantly admitted. Matt let out a frustrated sigh. "Marisa, maybe you should tell Dragomon to give up," Matt reluctantly suggested. "What?" Marisa asked. "Marisa, you know that Dragomon doesn't stand a chance against Puppetmon and Houdinimon on her own," Matt explained. "She's your Digimon, so she'll listen to you." Marisa looked down and stared at her tag and crest for a few moments. She then looked up at Dragomon, who was becoming exhausted from fighting Puppetmon and Houdinimon. "I'm sorry, Matt, but I can't do that," Marisa replied. "Why not?" Matt asked. "I can't give up on Dragomon now. I know she can beat them," Marisa replied. "Marisa, every Digimon has his limitations, and Dragomon has reached hers," Matt tried to explain to Marisa. "Ypu have to tell her to back off, before she gets hurts even worse than she is now!" "I know she can win, Matt. Dragomon has never let me down before. If she doesn't want to give up, then neither do I!" Marisa announced. The five Digi-Destined kids, Victor, and the four Digimon looked up at Dragomon, Puppetmon, and Houdinimon. "You can do it, Dragomon! I trust you!" Marisa shouted to her Digimon. As soon as she sadi those words, Marisa's crest started to glow. "No way!" Tai gasped. "Marisa, your crest! It's glowing!" Matt shouted. "What?" Marisa exclaimed as she looked down at her crest, which was indeed radiating a forest green light. Simultaneously, her digivice started vibrating like crazy and changed from white to forest green. A small smile appeared on Marisa's face as she looked up at Dragomon, who was bathed in a white light. "Impossible! It can't happen, now not!" Houdinimon shouted as he shielded his eyes with his cape, while Puppetmon shielded his eyes with his sledgehammer. "Dragomon digivolve to...Metal Dragomon!" Marisa, along with the other kids and their Digimon, stared in awe at the newly digivolved Digimon. She looked a lot like Dragomon, but she was now over double her original size. A steel helmet covered the top of Metal Dragomon's head. Metal Dragomon's wings were now large metal sheets, which were similar to jet wings, and a pair of turbojet engines were attached to her back. Metal Dragomon's left arm was now a steel robotic arm, and steel plates covered her chest. "Whoa! That's wicked!" Tai slowly exclaimed. The astonished look on Marisa's face soon became grim when she realized what had to be done. "All right, Metal Dragomon! Time to teach Houdinimon a trick of our own!" Marisa shouted up to her Digimon. "It'll be my pleasure!" Metal Dragomon admitted as she focused on the illusion of Puppetmon. "Dragon Fury!" The steel chest plates opened up, releasing two large gray missiles, with the tips of the missiles shaped like deep violet dragon-heads. Before the missiles reached Puppetmon, the dragon-heads' mouths opened up and released massive blasts of fire. "Ahh!" Puppetmon screamed as the fire completely engulfed him. While trying to beat out the fire surrounding him, Puppetmon completely forgot about the missiles that were still heading towards him. "Puppetmon, you fool! Get out of the way!" Houdinimon shouted angrily. Unfortunately, for Puppetmon, Houdinimon's warning came too late. The two missiles collided with Puppetmon, exploding into a gigantic fireball. When the fireball eventually burned away, there was nothing left of Houdinimon's illusion of his former pupil. "That's...impossible!" Houdinimon gasped loudly out of shock. "Puppetmon was a Mega Digimon, let alone one of the Dark Masters! How could a newly evolved Ultimate Digimon defeat him?" "Looks like the illusion isn't as straong as the original, huh, Houdinimon?" Metal Dragomon asked sarcastically. "Now, it's your turn! Mega Claw!" Her massive metal claw sprung out and struck Houdinimon square in the chest. Houdinimon clutched his chest in pain and watched as Metal Dragomon's metal claw returned back to her robotic arm. The prophecy, it's true! Houdinimon thought. In that case, I better not stay around! "I'm taking you down, Houdinimon!" Metal Dragomon shouted, bringing Houdinimon out of his thoughts. "Sorry to disappoint you, but that's not goign to happen! Time for my disappearing act! Hope you kiddies enjoyed the show!" Houdinimon shouted as he vanished into thin air. "Houdinimon escaped!" Tai complained. "I know, Tai, but he'll be back," Matt remarked. "And we'll be ready for him. Right, Marisa?" T.K. asked. Marisa nodded as she watched Metal Dragomon land on the riverbank a safe distance away from them... "I'm sorry, Marisa," Chamamon apologized. "For what?" Marisa asked. "For letting Houdinimon escape," Chamamon explained. "It's not your fault, Chamamon. You did good out there today. I'm very proud of you," Marisa admitted as she hugged her Digimon. "Thanks, Marisa," Chamamon admitted with a big grin. It was late at night, and the five Digi-Destined kids, their Digimon, and Victor were gathered around a roaring campfire on the riverbank. "Hey, Marisa?" Tai asked. "Yeah?" Marisa asked curiously. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you about Houdinimon," Tai apologized. "We're all sorry we didn't believe you," Matt added. "It was a good thing you got your crest to glow, otherwise Dragomon wouldn't have digivolved to Metal Dragomon and scare away Houdinimon," Kari confessed. "Yeah! Metal Dragomon was really awesome!" T.K. admitted. "Did you hear that, Marisa? T.K. thought I was awesome!" Chamaon boasted proudly. "You sure were, Chamamon," Marisa admitted with a small smile. "There's just one thing that doesn't make any sense. How come you were the only one who could see Houdinimon, Marisa?" Matt asked. "I honestly don't know, Matt," Marisa confessed openly. "I think I do," Victor announced. "What is it, Victor?" Tai asked curiously. "There's been talk around the Digiworld, about a special Digi-Destined child that would come to our world one day," Victor explained. "This child would possess a special gift known in the Digiworld as the Digi-Sight." "What's tyeh Digi-Sight?" Marisa asked. "The Digi-Sight is a rare and special gift that very few Digimon possess. It allows them to see things that others wouldn't even notice," Victor explained. "What kind of Digimon have this Digi-Sight?" Tai asked curiously. "I don't know all of them, but I do know about one Digimon that has the Digi-Sight. I believe it's called a Nanmimon," Victor explained. The five kids and their Digimon gasped slightly when they heard this news. "Nanmimon? That's Yuuchi's Digimon," Tai muttered thoughtfully. "That would explain some things about Nanmimon, Tai. Yuuchi did tell us that Nanmimon had an uneasy feeling about the Digi-Carnival when Houdinimon set up that trap for us," Matt reminded Tai. "There's one thing I don't get, Victor. If I do have this Digi-Sight, how come it didn't work sooner, like when we were at the Digi-Carnival?" Marisa asked. "I don't kinow, Marisa," Victor admitted. "Maybe you had to spend some time in the Digiworld first before the Digi-Sight worked for you, since you're not a Digimon." "I guess that makes sense," Marisa admitted. "Was this the first time that you experienced the Digi-Sight, Marisa?" Victor asked. "There was one other time," Marisa muttered thoughtfully. As she spoke, Marisa's mind went back to that day when she and the other Digi-Destined kids first encountered Cloakmon. "It happend a few days ago, before we were separated from each other by the Mamemon Brothers. We ran into this Digimon called Cloakmon, who tried to trick us by disguising himself as Matt. They might as well have been twins. No one could tell them apart. Then, something happened. For a split second, I saw Cloakmon in his true form and Matt standing right next to him." "So that's how you did it," Matt realized. Marisa slowly nodded her head. "It happened so quickly, I wasn't even sure that what I saw was for real. I just...followed my instincts." "Well, it's a good thing you did," Tai admitted. Suddenly, Chamamon let out a loud yawn. "You tired, Chamamon?" Marisa asked. "Mm-hmm," Chamamon murmured drowsily with her eyes closed. "I think that's a good idea for all of us," Marisa whispered. "Why don't you kids get some sleep? I'll stay up and keep watch," Victor insisted. "Thanks, Victor," Tai replied with a short yawn before he lied down on the ground next to Agumon and fell asleep, followed by Kari, Gatomon, T.K., Patamon, Matt, Gabumon, Marisa, and Chamamon...TO BE CONTINUED |
| FROM THE DEPTHS Part 11: Wrong Side of the Tracks |