Why does it feel the same?

To fall in, love or break it off.

...Don't depend on me to ever follow through on anything.

But I'd go through hell for you.

Blink 182-- Going Away To College.



"I love you Mimi." Tai whispered, as he kissed her lightly.

"I love you too, Tai." she said kissing back.

"I've waited for this moment for so long." he muttered, as he passed his hands down her back.

"Oh Tai," she gasped. "Wake up."

"What?" he said baffled.

"Tai, are you there? Come on, please wake up!" she said shaking him furiously.

Tai awoke with a start. Mimi let out a huge sigh of relief. "I thought you were dead or something." she said laughing at her foolishness. "It's just. You weren't moving or anything."

"Naw, you'll be stuck with me for a long time." Tai said in a carefree voice. He straightened his back on the tree had been slumping on, and propped himself up, and repositioned himself, in a more comfortable position.

"I hope so." she said slightly blushing at him.

'Well, might as well make my dream a reality.' he thought. "Mimi, I have something to tell you." he said seriously. The happy-go-lucky tone had been erased from his voice.

"What is it Tai?" she asked, picking up the graveness in his voice. She sat down next to him, and listened intently.

Tai looked at her. She stared at him, with undying concern, and curiosity. He sighed, as he looked her straight in the eyes, choosing his words carefully. He didn't want to screw this up.

"Mimi." he said as he breathed in uncomfortably. His right hand had begun trembling, and he had to grab it with his left hand to stop it.

His throat had gone severely dry in the last few moments, and he wished there was some water near by.

Mimi noticed this, and grew worried. "Tai, is something wrong?" she asked, as she grabbed his shaking hands.

"Yeah." he squeaked. He began sweating profusely, and he felt very lightheaded. The Digiworld had begun spinning around him quickly, and all the colors had begun to melt together, and swirl.

He grabbed the ground, trying to keep himself from passing out of dizziness. Something hard started hammering in his chest, as if it was trying to rip itself out of his stomach.

He clutched his mid drift, in excruciating amounts of pain. He doubled over, and began moaning, as the hammering became a tearing, and the tearing became a slashing.

Finally, he couldn't take the pain anymore, and screamed. The blood curdling screams, echoed through the silence of the dusk, sending the remaining Digidestined rushing over to the scene.

When they arrived, they found Mimi holding a limp Tai in her arms. A long trail of blood was being drunk up into the ground, and was covering the duo on the ground.

"Mimi!" Sora cried, as she rushed over to her side, flipping over Tai. She felt sick at the sight of him, because it looked as if something had sliced and diced his stomach to shreds.

His once black clothes, were now stained blood red, as if the original color was a dark maroon.

"What happened?" Matt asked frantically, as he ripped off his shirt, and held it to Tai's chest. The blood instantly soaked through that, so Tk pulled off his also. Like Matt's it was useless.

"We have to get him to a doctor!" Mimi cried, as she held his head closer to her.

"There are no doctors here!" Joe said reminding her.

"In a different world! They always have doctors!" she screamed feverishly, as the tears poured off her face.

"Then let's get the hell out of here!" Izzy said hastily, as he pushed in his crest. The others followed suit.

"Wait!" Sora exclaimed. "Azreal!" but her cries were heard too late. The rest of them had punched in their crest already, and a blinding pink light swallowed them.

They were so used to this that they were now able to talk through the light. Mimi still had Tai clutched tightly in her arms, and she showed no sigh of letting him go.

"Tai please be okay." she begged, as she brushed away the strands of hair, that had stuck to his handsome face. "Please."

She had always shut her eyes, because the spinning vortex they always got sucked into, made her dizzy. The lights were too bright for her taste and the absence of any color made her depressed. Tai had told her a few worlds ago to just shut her eyes, and that he would protect her, if they ever got into any real danger there.

'Now it's my turn to protect you.' she thought, as she stroked his cheek lightly, removing the small specks of blood, that had splashed on his face. She stared into his warm brown eyes, smiling at how many times they had made her feel better.

Matt had gazed over at them. His blood-soaked shirt was wrapped tightly around Tai, as was Tk's.

'What happened to you Tai?' he thought as he looked on. 'She's so worried. I wish there was something I could do to help.'

"Tai," he heard her whisper. "You have to pull through this. I don't know what to do without you."

Matt was sent reeling back by this. Not literally, but emotionally, he had suffered a crushing blow. 'Does she love him?' he thought, as he watched them more.

"You can't die on me." she whispered in his ear. "You mean the world to me."

"No." he whispered lightly, as his eyes widened. 'You can't love him.' he vowed. 'I won't let you love him.'

With that thought in mind, a place had suddenly appeared. It was a beautiful forest, filled with monstrous trees, that shadowed the large valleys and lakes.

For once, they arrived in an almost normal area. There were beautiful flowers surrounding the area, making it look like a picture.

"Where are we?" Tk asked, as a large caterpillar crawled across his feet. "The bugs here are enormous!" he joked.

"Tai!" Mimi screeched, "Tai open your eyes!" she begged, as she shook him lightly.

He groaned, and opened his eyes, just as she had asked. Instead of there being the familiar brown, there was a deep red. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought his eyes were on fire, because spots of orange and yellow had seeped into his sockets.

"Tai." Joe said, as he rushed over to examine his friend. He placed his hand on his forehead, and instantly pulled it back, blowing on it. "Damn. He's scorching! He'll die if we don't get him some help fast!"

"No." Sora gasped, as she began crying as well. Izzy went over, and held her tightly in his arms, hushing her comfortingly.

"Quick, someone help him up!" Mimi ordered, as she stood up. Joe grabbed Tai's feet, and Tk got a hold of his shoulders.

With one giant heave, they got Tai in the air, and had started carrying him. They had only made it a few steps, when two boys came rushing over to them.

One boy, had on a pair of brown pants, and an orange top. There was something strange about him, because his eyes were close to slits on his head. But nonetheless he had very distinct and rugged features, which made him unbelievably handsome. His black hair set in jagged spikes.

The other boy, had on a pair of blue jeans, and a black shirt. His jet black hair was un-tameable, and messy. But his black eyes sparkled with friendship. He had these funny, small balls attached to his belt.

"Hello." he said happily. "Can we help you?"

"Yes!" Mimi cried, making herself shown. She rushed over to the boy with almost no eyes, and grabbed at his hands. "You have to help us!" she said hastily. "Our friend! He's injured and dying!"

"Shit." the boy in jeans cried, as he rushed over to Tai. "Brock!" he screamed. "It looks as if he was attacked by a wild Meowth!"

"That's impossible Ash." the boy said breaking free, of Mimi's grip, and running over to his friend. "Meowth's aren't found in Viridian Forest!" but upon seeing Tai, he changed his mind.

But it didn't slow him down one bit. "Ash, get Misty! Tell her to bring the Chansey she just caught!"

"Okay." Ash said, as he dashed off, and left Brock to tend to Tai.

"What the hell happened to him?" Brock said bewildered, as he pushed on Tai's wound, so he didn't lose anymore blood.

"I don't know." Mimi sobbed. "We were just talking, and he collapsed, then before I knew it I was covered in blood."

"I think I can help him." Brock said, as he pulled a small bottle of spray out of a pouch at his side.

"What is that stuff?!" Mimi shouted, as he sprayed the contents on his stomach. Tai convulsed as the liquid touched him, and screamed out in pain. Brock kept spraying him, as if his screams didn't phase him. "Stop it!" Mimi shrieked. "You're hurting him!"

"It's okay." he told her calmly. Once the majority of the bottle had been sprayed on Tai, Brock put the lid on, and shoved it back in his pouch.

"What did you do to him?!" Mimi shouted at him angrily. Her fists were clenched tightly to her sides.

"Max Revive." Brock said. "If it works on Pokemon, why not humans?" Brock said shrugging his shoulders, and passing a hand through his hair.

"You mean this was a type of experiment for you!" Mimi yelled venomously. "What happens if it backfires?" she said pushing him hard. "What happens if he just dies because it wasn't made for him?" she ranted, as she pushed him again. This time, he fell on the ground.

"Hey!" he bit back. "I just saved your friends life!"

"Yeah, and you could have also ended it!" she said defensively. Tai moaned, with sent her flying to his side. "Tai." she said holding his hand tightly.

Brock got up, and walked over to where Tai was lying. "Can you tell me what your name is?" he asked dully.

"Yeah." Tai said simply.

"What is it then?" Brock said smiling.

"Taichi Kamiya." he said in a mocking voice, as he tried to prop himself up. He bit down on his bottom lip, as a wave of pain kick him in the stomach. "Ah!" he said breathlessly, as he fell back down. Mimi caught him.

"Tai!" she said happily, as she hugged him close to her. Her tears tricked down her face, onto his.

"It's okay Mimi." he whispered. "I'm all right."

"Thank God." she said breaking away from him.

Just then, Ash and Misty had arrived. Misty, a girl about Ash's age, with hair, as red as flames, tied into a lopsided ponytail. She had bright blue eyes, and was wearing a beige tank-top, that showed off a majority of her stomach, with blue jean shorts.

"Oh my God!" she cried, as she saw Mimi and Tai, both covered in blood. Brock's shirt also had two burgundy hand-prints, right in the center of his chest, where she had pushed him.

Looking at himself, Brock realized his hands were also covered in a deep red liquid.

"Come on!" Misty said kindly. "I know of a place where you can get some new clothes."

"Yeah. At least we know Mimi can afford the whole outfit." Joe whispered to Izzy, who laughed. Sora hit his arm playfully, as she stifled a chuckle.

But, they were thankful to the strangers who had helped them, and didn't complain about anything. In fact, this large pink creature, which Misty called Chansey, took care of Tai all that night.

According to Brock, Chansey were very helpful, and nurturing creatures, that loved helping out. So, they were stationed at hospitals around the world.

"So," Izzy said, as he took a sip of water. "Pokemon, are creatures, that aren't made of lost data, but they still have the ability to preform certain attacks. When they digi... um, evolve, they don't have the power to return to their original state. They can't speak, but they can communicate in their own language, which is composed of their names."

"Well, yeah. But, nobody's ever really picked it apart like that before." Ash said. "You see, you're the first people we've ever met, that didn't know what Pokemon are. It's kinda hard to explain."

"But I'm curious about these, Digimon, you've mentioned. Basically, they're exactly the same thing Staryu, or Clefairy, but they can talk, and change back into their first stage." Misty said, pulling a blanket over her.

"Are you sure that, what'd you call it, Chansey; can take care of Tai?" Mimi asked impatiently.

"Yes." Ash said smiling at her.

"Well, Ash, Misty, Brock, I was wondering if it were possible for me to see one of these creatures called Pokemon. You're aroused my curiosity." Izzy said.

Sora sighed. "Great. Look what you've done to him!" she said jokingly. "Now he won't rest till he figures them out!"

"Well, why not honey. Maybe these creatures can help us." Izzy stated.

"Sure!" Ash said as he reached for one of the balls at his side. "I have a few I can show you." he then just grabbed all of them. "Come out guys!"

Suddenly, as all the balls touched the ground, they grew bigger, and opened. White lights flashed around them, and forms started to grow, and take shape.

Once they were finished, there was a small, blue turtle, a beautiful butterfly, a massive bird, a monkey with boxing gloves and a yellow rat.

Once the small yellow thing appeared, Mimi's eyes lit up. "It's so cute!" she said, as she left Tai's side, and grabbed at the small Pokemon.

"Mimi no!" Ash cried. He was waiting for her to scream, as a couple of thousand volts of electricity ran through her body, but all he heard, was Pikachu cooing.

When he opened his eyes, he saw her hugging Pikachu close to her, as Pikachu was enjoying himself. She was tickling him under the chin, which was making him laugh.

"Who did you do that?" he asked baffled. "Pikachu shocks anything he doesn't know!"

"I guess he likes me!" she said happily. Tai smiled.

"I can tell why." he said, as the pink blob hovered over him, and placed an extra pillow under his head. "It's okay." he assured it. "I'm fine."

"Chansey!" it cried happily, as it clapped its flippers together, and waddled off the Misty.

"Incredible!" Izzy said, as it touched the top of the blue turtle's head.

"Squirtle!" it said happily, as it rushed over to Izzy, and hugged him.

"This is absolutely amazing!" he said, as he gave the creature a small squeeze. "I take it by it's coloring, that it has something to do with the water."

"Yeah." Ash replied. "Squirtle, water gun!" it said pointing at a tree. Squirtle obeyed, and turned to the tree. At once, it let out a massive blast of water, which destroyed the tree, reducing it to tooth picks.

"Ah!" Mimi screamed in joy. "He's adorable!" Squirtle blushed furiously, and its face turned a bright red. "Can I have a hug to?" Mimi ventured, as the turtle turned to face her. It shyly walked over to her, and wrapped its short arms around her arm.

Mimi smiled, as she grabbed it up, and hugged it tightly. "These things are so cute!" she said, as she kissed the top of Squirtle's head. The poor Pokemon was blushing madder than ever, and it started to glow red. Mimi gasped, as the creature before her, emanated a flourescent red, and gave off a serene warmth.

After a few moments, the turtle she had kissed was no longer there. Instead, there was a turtle, much larger, than Squirtle, with many fluffy tails. It had grown ears, and it turned a deeper shade of blue. Almost purple.

"Wartortle..." Ash gasped.

"War what?" Mimi asked, as she stared at the creature in her lap. Still, the turtle blushed, and stepped away from her, still bright red.

"Wartortle!" Ash cried happily, as it hugged his new Pokemon. "You finally evolved!"

"So, that was an evolution!" Izzy said clapping his hand's togther happily. "Is it any different from Squirtle, other than appearance?"

"No. Not really. Just now, it's stronger. Since it's been a Squirtle for so long," he stressed the 'so long' part, which made the turtle's ears droop. "He has a higher ability to preform certain tasks."

"Aw, I see." Izzy said.

"Well, some of us don't, so could you explain it in English?" Matt said speaking up. He stretched out in his new clothing, rather enjoying them. He was no longer wearing the drab black color, and was in a pair of baggy, blue jeans, and a dark purple long sleeve shirt, which showed off a majority of his muscular features.

He looked over at Mimi, and grinned. Still wearing pink. She had on a long grey skirt that touched the ground, and a pale pink tank-top. Misty and her had a ball at the mall trying on all different sorts of clothing. At last, Mimi had found her shopping partner.

'She look's so beautiful.' he thought as he caught Tai staring at her as well, probably thinking the same thing.

Mimi had taken her place next to Tai, and was now talking to him happily. The whole group had just suddenly irrupted into a pleasant conversation, not talking about much of anything, but they were all having a good time. And that was all that mattered.

The only thing was, Brock hadn't said a word, after he and Mimi had, had their huge yelling match. He just sat quietly, and smiled on cue.

Matt walked over to him, and took a place to his right. "What's up?" he asked coolly.

"Nothing you could help me with." he said sighing.

"Give me a chance." Matt said. "After all. You helped us out a lot. You saved Tai."

"Yeah. And his girlfriend was gonna bite my head off about it." he said stubbornly.

Matt cringed at the remark. "She isn't his girlfriend." he snapped angrily.

"Really, they could have fooled me." he sighed, as he stood up, and walked past him. Matt turned his head, and watched the older boy walk off.

Matt got up to go after him, but somebody grabbed his arm. He spun around and was faced with Tai's deep brown eyes. "I'll get him." he said wincing, as he moved.

"You're still not strong enough." he said flatly. Personally, he didn't care if Tai ever got better. For him, as long as he was down, he might as well be out. But that meant Mimi would spend more time with him.

For Matt, it was basically a lose-lose situation. He just sighed, and watched at Tai staggered off to find Brock.



Brock was walking along side a massive oak tree, as he suddenly stopped, and slumped down. He grabbed the bottle of max revive from his pouch, and threw it.

"Ow!" Tai cried as the bottle smashed into his chest. "Watch it there." he said as he smiled lopsidedly.

"Man!" Brock said getting up. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to..."

"Hey! Calm down!" Tai said as he limped over to his companion. "I'm alright."

"God. Sorry if I'm a little jumpy." he said. "I'm usually not like this."

"Then why are you like this now?" Tai asked, as he took a seat next to him.

"That girl." he said simply. "When she yelled at me, it really got to me. I mean, nobody's ever gotten to me like that."

"Yeah." Tai grinned. "That's my girl."

"She means something to you doesn't she?" he asked.

"Yeah. She's the one that basically keeps my world turning."

"But she's not your girlfriend." Brock said baffled.

"I just can't find the word to tell her." Tai said throwing his hands up in the air, frustrated. "Every time I get close to her, I get all tongue tied, and the only think that comes into my head, is how much more I love her, and want to be close to her."

"She does seem unique." Brock said agreeing. "I mean, don't get me wrong, she's beautiful and all, and obviously caring, but do you really think you guys have any sort of future together? I got the impression that the other guy, Matt, likes her too."

"First, I've never been more certain of anything in my whole life." he said seriously. "Second, Matt and Mimi used to date. Then he cheated on her, and crushed her soul. I'll never forgive him for that."

"Wow. Why would any guy ever want to cheat on her?" Brock said laughing. "I bet dating her, would be the highlight in any guy's life!"

"It would be in mine." Tai said sadly. "I just wish, that there was some way I could tell her, that I'm madly in love with her."

"The best of luck for you man." Brock said standing up.

"Hey, Brock." Tai said as he had started walking off.

"Yeah." he said spinning around.

"Thank you. You're a good friend."

"No problem. You need help back?"

"Naw. I'll manage. I'm the leader guy! I can always deal!" he said mocking himself.

"You're stubborn. Just like Ash." he said chuckling, as he walked off.

Tai smiled at his new friend. He stood up, and walked over to a clear lake, for a drink of water. He had grown rather thirsty talking to Brock.

There was a stream, not too far away from them, so he decided to go there instead. As he was limping forward, he got the impression that someone was watching him.

'Must be a Pokemon of some sort.' he told himself, almost laughing at his paranoia.

But the further away he got from camp, the more the feeling crept up on him. At one point, he had thought of making a dash for it, but decided not to. He was injured, and that would alert the enemy that he knew of their presence.

After a minute or two, he reached the steam, and took a long drink, thinking of some sort of plan. 'Wait.' he realized. 'There might not even be anyone here. You're just being paranoid.'

He splashed a handful of water on his face, shivering at the icy feel of it, on his warm skin.

When he looked back at his reflection, he gasped, and jumped back. He then shook his head, and ventured for another peak. But what he saw the first time, was still there. It wasn't his imagination.

There he was, gazing at a fading picture of himself, with blazing red eyes. He was wearing different clothing though, but he could tell it was himself.

The whole image then faded, and he saw a picture of a beautiful woman, with hair the color of Joe's. It was let loose, flowing over her elegant shoulders. She was wearing a low cut dress, the same color as her hair.

She was covered in jewels, and was holding a type of staff, encrusted with diamonds and emeralds.

She stared at Tai lovingly, as she reached out to him. This wasn't a reflection of any sort, because he actually felt her soft hand touch his cheek.

He shivered at the touch, because it was as cold as the water. But she kept smiling at him. Small transparent, but color tainted objects began floating around her head, emphasizing her deep grey eyes. One of the object, a shard of yellow tainted glass flew out of the water, and hit Tai in his right eye.

He dropped back, clutching his head, screaming in pain. He tried opening it, and found no trouble at all. In fact, he could see just as well. Maybe even better.

Tai stared into the water, one more time. Was he being delusional? Was the pain from his stomach, getting to his head? He didn't know.

But when he saw nothing but himself, he just shrugged it off, and blamed it on sleep deprivation. He slowly backed away from the lake, and found his way back to the camp.

"There you are." Mimi chirped, as she grabbed his hand excitedly. "You have to take a look at this!" she said, as she pulled him lightly.

Mimi took him to the camp fire where, Izzy was attempting to communicate with Butterfree.

"Okay, I'll get it this time." he told the rest of the group, who were laughing their heads off. "Butterfree, free, butter, free, but, fre." he said, making his voice squeak like a rubber ducky.

The butterfly began spinning in circles, and fell to the ground, clutching at his mid section, grabbing it with its small arms.

"See Iz, even the Pokemon think you're crazy." Matt said laughing like a mad man.

"I really wanna know what you said to it." Tk said, as he sat up, and straightened his aquamarine shirt, and black jeans. "I think I'm gonna hit the sake. I'm really tired. Changing worlds takes a lot out of you!"

"I'm with you Tk." Joe and Sora said in unison.

The trio set off for the sleeping bags that Ash had given them. "Yeah, I'm

pretty bushed myself." Misty said, as she stretched, and grabbed her back pack. "Night everyone."

"Night." they all said.

"Well," Brock said "I'm not the least bit tiered, so I'm gonna take a walk. Anyone want to join me?"

"I will." Mimi said quietly.

Brock looked a little nervous, as he looked at Tai, for an answer. Tai nodded his head, smirking at him. "Great. Come on then." he said getting up.

"Will you be okay?" she asked Tai.

"Yeah mom, I think I can manage." he said, as Mimi hit his arm.

"Fine. I won't care about you anymore then." she said coyly.

"Now did I say I didn't want you to do that?" Tai said cutely, as Ash smirked, and Matt scowled.

Brock, seeing the hostility, cut in. "We'd better stat now, if we want to be back by day break." he joked.

"Okay." Mimi said, as she gave Tai's hand one final squeeze, and joined Brock.

"Cute girl." Ash said after a while. He was suddenly hit by a rock thrown by Misty. "Hey! I meant that in a friendly way!" he tried to explain, before he was pelted by another stone. "No where near as cute as you." he said walking over to her.

Matt laughed. "Problems of the heart." he was having a few of those right now. It wasn't fun. "Well, I'm going to bed." he announced. Tai didn't say anything.

His eyes were transfixed on the fire. There was something about it, with intrigued him.

For some odd reason, the face of the beautiful woman flooded back into his mind. The mere flick of the fire had this commanding presence over him. Her face kept getting clearer and clearer, until the point Tai thought she was real.

He wanted to reach out and touch her. The image of her appearing in the fire. "Touch me." she said in a beautifully haunting voice. Tai obeyed, and reached into the scorching fire.

The flames licked his hand, but he didn't feel the pain that would accompany such a stupid move.

"You can have this, if you give into me." she told him.

"No." he said flatly, as if he wasn't paying attention.

"Fine." she snapped. Tai instinctively pulled his hand out from the blaze. The woman had disappeared.

"I really need sleep." He told himself, as he shut his eyes. He opened them seconds later, and crawled back to his sleeping area. He placed his forest green sweater on, and fell asleep next to Misty and Ash.

That night, he dreamed a dreamless dream, but the memory of what happened kept replaying in his head. There was no way it could have actually happened, so why did he keep thinking about it?

"When I get back home," he said to no one, "I'm gonna write a book. A very long, very creepy book."



"Damn him." the woman screamed as she threw a glass of wine at a picture of a man on a horse. The painting was so life like, people could have mistaken it for a real man and horse.

She stormed around her massive castle, and passed row upon row of the beautiful paintings. Each time, a different man or woman, but all obviously, done by the same artist.

"He had to be the one!" she cried, as she took a seat on her massive thrown. "But in the end, I'll get you. Simply because there's nobody like you."




Loaded, I've loaded up this gun.

There's a killer in me,

Hoping , hope that you're the one.

But you always run away.

... I'm terrified.

Four Star Mary -- Pain



"So tell me Mimi. Why did you really come out on this walk with me? I know you're not exactly my biggest fan here." Brock asked, after they were a reasonable distance away from the camp.

"I want to apologize to you. I know that I wasn't exactly the friendliest person when we met earlier. I'm sorry for bitting your head off."

"You had a right to be angry. I could have killed him." Brock said sadly. "No. I was just worried about him. I say things I don't mean when I'm upset. You saved him! And I owe you one for that."

"You care about him don't you?" he asked her. "He cares about you y'know."

Mimi smiled to herself. "Tai is so special. He's the one that's always been there for me, and always will, till the day I die."

"I think you guys would go great together. From what he's told me, you're the greatest girl in the world."

"You guys talked about me?" Mimi said giggling. Brock looked at her, smirking.

"Maybe. Or maybe I'm just saying what I feel." (A/N I've made him a better flirt. Shut up Kyra.) "I know why he think's of you the way he does." he stated.

"Really?" Mimi said doubtfully.

"Yeah." he said honestly.

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked him.

"Shoot." he smiled.

"When I was shopping with Misty, she said you were the biggest flirt she's ever met." at this point, Brock's tanned face went pink, and he avoided her eye contact. "So why aren't you flirting with me?"

"Well," he said regaining his composure. "If Tai knew that I was flirting with you, he'd probably kill me."

Mimi laughed. "Probably. I just thought it was because you didn't like me."

"That's not true at all." he said facing her. "You are probably the most special person I've ever met. There's nobody like you Mimi."

"Thank you." she said smiling at him. Only one other person could make her smile like that, and he was lying injured back at the camp. Mimi gazed at him, and shook her head, silently laughing. "So Brock. What Pokemon do you have?"

"Oh, the usual. An Onix, Geodude, Vulpix, Bulbasaur. Zubat" he said listing off the creatures he had caught.

"Usual? Maybe for you! But I've never seen any of them before!" Mimi said giggling.

"Oh. Right." he said, looking slightly embarrassed. He grabbed the five white and red balls from his back pack, and threw them at the ground. Like Ash's, they all opened revealing small creatures. Except for one, which transformed into a huge rock snake.

Mimi stared in awe, as a small fox hopped over to her, and began nudging her leg. She petted it, on the top of the head. "This is so cute." she said, as she held it in her arms, like a small dog.

The Vulpix cuddled up to her, and fell asleep in her arms. Even the Onix lowered its head, so she could touch him.

"Are they usually so friendly?" she asked.

"Only when they're near someone they like." Brock said stepping behind her. "It's odd though. It took me a few days to get that Vulpix to trust me, but it only took you seconds. You really have a way with Pokemon." Brock said fascinated. 'I see why Tai loves you so much.' he thought, as he watched her play with Bulbasaur. "Well, Bulbasaur." she said to it. "If I give you a kiss, will you evolve like Squirtle did?"

"Bulba!" the creature said nodding its head madly.

"Okay then." she said kissing the top of his head. At once, the creature turned scarlet, and swooned slightly. But, after a few seconds, a blue light took it over, and he grew bigger.

"Mimi," Brock said happily. "Meet Ivysaur!" he said throwing his arms around his new Pokemon. "This is unbelievable! You can make Pokemon evolve!"

He grabbed her hand, and recalled all the creatures, before running back to camp with her. "Where are we going?" Mimi said, as she was being dragged off. "We have to tell Ash this news!

"Brock, I don't understand!" she cried.

"You will!" he said like a kid in a candy store. They quickly dashed back to the others, to find them all standing in a circle, hunched over something.

"What's going on?" Mimi asked, as she saw everybody. She pushed the hair off of her face, and took a big gulp of air.

"Yeah!" Izzy said extremely hyper. He looked as if he was having multiple heart-attacks, from the excitement. "The GS ball of Ash's glowed a few minutes ago!" he clapped his hands togther, as everyone sighed.

"Only Izzy could get excited over something like this." Matt said sitting down.

"But this hasn't happened before. Ever." Ash said blow away. "We've had this ball for about six years now, and nothing has ever happened. We can't even get it open!"

"Can I see it?" Mimi asked.

"Sure." Ash said, as he threw it to her. Mimi caught it, and examined the ball, which wasn't glowing anymore.

"What does the GS stand for?" she asked him. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Who knows? It's just as mysterious as the ball itself!" Misty said.

"What's this button for?" she asked, as she turned it over.

"Well, all Pokeballs have them. They're just there, so you can open it." Ash said lazily. He kept forgetting they had no clue about Pokemon.

Mimi just pushed the button, and the whole thing opened wide. A blinding light shot out of it, and disappeared into the night.

Tai clutched at his stomach. The pain had returned. This time, it was stronger. More excruciating than ever. He fell to his knees, bitting back screaming.

Fresh blood poured out of his chest. "Tai!" Tk yelled, as he saw his friend. Mimi dropped the ball, which shut on impact, and rushed over to him.

"What happened!?" she shouted frantically.

Tai fell over on his back, still holding himself tightly. His shirt had been ripped open again, as was his stomach. "Not again!" Brock cursed, as he grabbed the remaining max revive from his pouch, and didn't bother spraying.

He dumped the rest of it on his stomach, praying it had the same effect as last time. Tai's eyes bolted open as the liquid touch his skin. Mimi screamed. "Your eye!" she said jumping back.

Tai's eyes had begun to tear, and he started to cry. He couldn't take the pain anymore.

"Oh my God." Misty said, as she stumbled back. Ash had to catch her before she fell. "What's wrong with his eye!" she cried.

Brock had tried to not look, but it was pretty hard to miss. The right hand side of his face, was streaked with a bright red trail, and fresh blood red tears kept falling from his eyes. His left cheek crying clear water.

"There's something wrong with him!" Joe said, as he pushed Mimi from Tai's side, and took her place. He remembered his father doing something like this a few years ago, when he was back home, and he hoped it would be able to help now.

He slightly lifted his right eyelid, to try an see if his pupil was dilated. But he didn't find a pupil. All he saw was a pure red eyeball, crying tears of blood.

He quickly pulled his hand back, and reached for the other eye. Tai's hand flung up, and hit Joe across the face. Soon, his legs and other hand began to shake as well.

Joe swiftly recovered, and held his head down. Opening the other eye, he found a no eye at all. "Shoot!" he yelled, as Tai's head shot up and down, smashing itself on the ground forcefully. "He's having a seizure!" he barked.

"Tai!" Mimi bellowed. She rushed over to help him, but Matt caught her, and pulled her into his arms.

"You can't help him! You'll only get in the way!" he told her comfortingly.

"Let me go!" she shrieked, as she pounded on his shoulders. "I have to help him." she said breaking down into tears.

"I know you want to." Matt said soothingly, as he held her head to his chest, and stroked her hair. "It's gonna be okay."

He shut his eyes, and held her tighter. 'This is just like old times.' he reminded himself. 'But it shouldn't be old times. We should be together Mimi. We were going to be together forever.' he looked down at the crying girl in his arms. 'And I vow to you that we will be together in the end. It won't be you and Tai.'

"We have to get him to a hospital now!" Joe shouted above their cries.

"There isn't a hospital ion sight!" Ash said. "It'll take us at least a day to get to the nearest town!"

"We don't have a day!" Brock snapped. All of a sudden, Misty's Chansey came waddling out from its Pokeball, and stood in back of Tai. It's massive eyes filled with dread, as it quickly began moving it's hands in front of its face.

"What's it doing?" Izzy inquired, as he looked up. Sora was clutched tightly onto him.

"Metronome." Brock gasped, as a light began to sparkle around the tips of its fingers, and they were suddenly sucked up by a flashing light.

"A hospital!" Joe gasped, as he looked at the familiar surroundings. No matter where you go, hospitals always look the same.

"Somebody help us!" Mimi screamed down the white hallways. A nurse with big pink hair, pulled into a funny hair style can over to them. "What's going... oh my gosh!" she said, looking at Tai. "Quick! Doctor! This boy needs help! Fast!"

An older looking man came dashing down the halls. "What's all the commotion about?" he demanded.

"This boy was attacked by a wild Pokemon! From the looks of it, a Sandshrew or Sandslash! Possibly a Pursian!" Nurse Joy said.

"Reckless trainer." the doctor tisked.

"Tai is not reckless! And he's not a trainer! He wasn't attacked. He just fainted!" Mimi shouted at him in anger.

"It's true. He has no Pokeballs on him." Joy clarified.

"Wheel him into chamber five! I'll scrub up. This boy needs immediate surgery!"

"Yes doctor." Joy said, as she pushed Tai into the door closest to them. She shut the door, and the words Operating Room, flashed in the neon lights, lighting the whole hospital.

"Tai no!" Mimi said falling to the ground crying. "This can't be happening!"



"I'm afraid it is." Brock said, bending down, and hugging her. "But everything's gonna be all right. Nurse Joy is the best."

"But with Pokemon." Ash whispered to Misty. "What's she doing in a real hospital?"

Misty shrugged her shoulders. "Mimi, Brock's right. Tai's in good hands. The best in fact. He'll pull out of this."

Mimi looked slightly better. She wiped her eyes, and stood up with Brock's help.

Another Nurse Joy walked past them. "Hey Brock." one of them said flirtatiously. He ignored her, and guided Mimi to a seat.

"Didn't she just go in there?" Matt asked, as he watched the nurse turn the corner.

"Oh, there are a couple of Nurse Joy's in this world." Misty explained. "They're all related, and they look and sound exactly alike."

"And they're all called Joy." Ash added.

"Talk about one confusing family reunion." Tk said smiling. The others cracked a smile.

They all waited patiently outside, all worried about Tai immensely. Even Matt was pacing. After a few hours, the door opened and a team of medical professionals piled out, looking rather pleased with themselves.

"How is he?" Sora asked.

"He's alive."the doctor said coldly. "Whatever happened to that boy, almost killed him. If you had gotten here any later, I would hate to think of what would have happened."

"Thank you." Mimi said gratefully. "Thank you so much." the doctor grunted, and walked off without another word.

"Rather rude." Tk snorted.

"Please don't mind Dr. Shaw." Nurse Joy apologized. "Sinclair is a wonderful man, and a brilliant doctor. He just hasn't gotten any sleep lately. The hospital's had him on call for the last three days."

"Wow. Some will power." Matt said astonished.

"Yes." she agreed. "But I have a question, and I want an honest answer out of you."

"Okay, what is it?" Izzy asked.

"That handsome young man you brought in, something was very wrong with him. His right eye. It was maroon. Now, I've seen some pretty bad diseases float around this hospital, but nothing that would do that to your eye."

"He was crying blood and tears." Misty said recounting what had happened to him. Nurse Joy gasped and added in the occasional 'oh my' at times, but had a hard time believing the farfetched story.

"This sounds unreal. You do know that?" she said rubbing her temples.

"Yes, but it's the truth." Brock told her to her face.

"I believe you. I just don't know how to help you. I can't treat mysterious lights that cause bleeding." she stated plainly.

Everyone looked around remorsefully, but Mimi broke the silence. "Can I see him?"

"Technically, I'm not allowed to let anyone in, but since you're his girlfriend and all." she said opening the door. She walked in, and shut it behind her.

"Mimi and Tai are not dating." Matt lipped harshly.

"Oh, I just assumed..."

"Well you assumed wrong." he said bitterly, as he walked away.

"Oh my. I've hit a nerve. But I can usually tell when two people are in love. They just seemed..."

"Yeah. We know." Brock interrupted. "They just don't."



"Tai." Mimi whispered. "Can you hear me?" she stared at him, crying more. He had a patch over his eye that was stained cardinal. There were bandages wrapped tightly around his stomach, covering the work that had just been done to him.

He groaned lightly, as he stirred slightly. His arms and legs were tied down to the bed, so he didn't roll over, and disturb the stitches.

"Mimi..." he moaned lightly.

"I'm here Tai." she said sitting down, and clutching his hand.

"Don't... no..." he muttered under his breath.

"It's okay Tai. I'm here for you, and I'm not leaving you."

"Mimi no..." he said a little louder, but still not loud enough for anyone to hear.

"Sh. Get some sleep." She uttered.

"I love you." he breathed, before falling into a deep sleep.

"I know you do." she said, as she leaned over him, and kissed him softly. She pulled away a second later, and pulled up the blankets, so they covered his shoulders.

"Mimi, you have to leave now." Joy said, peeking in the door.

"I'm coming." she said, as she walked out. Before she shut the door, she took one last look at him, and grinned ear to ear.

"Are you okay?" Joy asked her.

"Never been better." she said touching her lips. Even though Tai hadn't even responded, her head was swimming. The second her lips touched his, she had died, and had been resurrected. 'I can't believe Sora ever let you go.' she turning the corner, and walking past her friends.

"How is he?" Sora called out to her. It barely got through to her. "Mimi?"

"What?" she said spinning around, grinning.

"What happened in there?" she asked getting very suspicious. She crossed her arms, and pulled out a chair. "Sit."

"Okay." Mimi said airily, as she swooped into the chair gracefully.

"Now. Tell me. What's got you all giddy?"

"Sora," Mimi giggled. "When Tai kissed you, did you ever feel as though you could walk on air?"

Sora's face lit up. "He kissed you! I'm so happy for you!" she said throwing her arms around her friend.

"Well, not technically, but I kissed him." Mimi admitted squeamishly.

"That's not really important, but yeah. Whenever he touched me, I would just float. And his kisses took me somewhere else. Like we were the only two people on earth."

"Then why did you dump him?" Mimi asked a little puzzled.

"We just didn't love each other anymore. I fell for Izzy, and well, he fell head over heals for you."

Mimi blushed slightly. "You think so?"

"I know so." Sora said. "He told me. And Mimi, I'm telling you, he is the greatest guy. I only hope Izzy can be half the guy he is."

"Sora, he keeps me going nowadays. If it weren't for him, I probably would've just died."

"The feeling is mutual. I can tell." she said hugging her. "Now. I suggest we get some sleep. Nurse Joy has offered us a place to sleep, at her," she inhaled deeply, "sister's, cousin's, sister-in-law's, best friend's, aunt's Pokemon clinic." she was rather flushed afterward, but smiled proudly, because she remembered it all.

"Okay. He's gonna be okay here. Are we leaving now?"

"Yeah. As soon as you got out, we were going to get a ride there. Apparently, that bird thingy Ash has, can fly people to places. So can the," she snapped her finger trying to remember. "The thin that kinda looks like Greymon, minus the mask, with wings."

"Oh God, I remember this one." Mimi said. "Carmelionmon? No wait. Charmelon. Er. I can't remember."

"Whatever. It's gonna get us there. Now, let's get going. I bet you're gonna have some sweet dreams tonight." she said slyly. Mimi was going to protest, but Sora kept nudging her out, so she didn't have the time.



"I told you. Give in to me."

"No." Tai bit. "I won't."

"I can do so much damage to you."

"I bet you could." he retorted. The musical voice flooded into his mind.

"I'll kill you."

"Go ahead. I can't defend myself."

"Not that way you idiot!" she snapped. "I'll kill her."

"You wouldn't." he said. "Cause if you did, not even the devil himself could help you." he said menacingly.

"Threats!" she laughed. "You're in no position to make idle threats boy. I hold all the cards. Not you!"

"You might, now. But give me time." Tai said smirking. The girl slapped his face.

"Don't take that tone with me you insolent son of a bitch. The only reason you're still alive, is because I need you. As soon as I'm done with you, you're dead."

"Who said I would help you?" Tai hissed.

"Who said you'll do it of your free will?" she said wickedly. "I know why they chose you. Your determination." she said grabbing his face, with her long, slender fingers. She held it up, so he looked her in the eyes. "But determination means nothing. Nor will it ever."

"Let go of me." Tai demanded, as he tried to pull his hands up, from the shackles.

"Bit your tongue." she scoffed. She brushed a piece of his brown hair, away from his eyes. "Such a shame. You're so handsome."

"If that didn't come from a heartless witch like yourself, I would feel complimented." he uttered.

"Oh, it is a compliment. I just might keep you after all. Have a little fun." Tai lunged angrily at her. A loud clicking sound was heard behind them, and she turned her head. "I must go now, but I will be back. Count on that." she said releasing his head, and turning around. Her majestic dress twirled with her.

She suddenly stopped, and turned back to Tai. His eyes were burning with intense loath, as she walked back to him. "You know, since the first moment I saw you, I've wanted to do this." she said smiling.

"What?" he commanded.

"This." she said lowering her lips to his. He fought madly, to keep her face away from his, but it was no use. Her kiss was as frosty as ice. It chilled him to the bone, making him shiver. His blood began to run cold.

"Give into me." she whispered seductively, as she placed her hand on Tai's chest.

"No." he whispered into her mouth. Even though it looked as if she did nothing, her hand spasmed, but made Tai cry out in pain.

"Give into me." she said a little more demandingly, but never took her lips from his.

"No." he gasped, as another wave of pain ignited in his stomach.

She kissed him more hungrily, causing his inside to start freezing over. He chocked, as a mist of freezing air crept into his lung passage, squeezing the oxygen out of him.

"I will repeat this one last time. Give in!"

"No." he coughed. She threw his head back, breaking their kiss. She scoffed bitterly, before leaving the picture. Tai was once again surrounded by darkness.



"Why him?" she screamed, as she flew through her monstrous castle. She passed by row upon row of beautifully crafted sculptures and magnificently drawn paintings.

The plush, maroon carpets that flowed over the mansions hard stone floors, turned a deep grey. Matching her attitude.

She flung herself at her thrown, and wept silently. She glanced up occasionally, staring at the equally massive chair next to hers. A deep purple cloak was thrown over it, covering an oddly shaped object.

"Why him?" she repeated, as she passed one of her massively jeweled hands in front of her face, erasing any sign of the tears.

"Your majesty." a small, but gruff voice said. The sound echoed through the colossal room, bouncing off the highly littered walls.

"Yes." she boomed, composing herself again.

"It is done." he stated plainly. Her eyes lit up.

"You will be awarded greatly for this Sinclair. You may choose your reward."

"I do not want anything. Seeing you happy, will be reward enough." he said smiling.

"Nonetheless, when the time comes, I will bless you with powers you can't even begin to comprehend!"

"You are most gracious my liege." he said bowing before he left.

"Perfect!" she squealed, as she danced around happily. "Soon my lord, we will be together. Forever!"



You would fight for me.

You would starve for me.

You would suffer, suffer for me.

You would die for me.

Well I feel the same way too.

Velvet Chain -- Strong



"Wake up Mimi." Matt said, as he lightly shook her lightly. She groaned slightly, as she turned over, and opened her burgundy eyes

"Matt." she whispered, as she instinctively reached out to pull him into a kiss. She then realized what she was about to do, and stopped halfway up, and let her head fall back down.

"Morning." he smiled, oblivious to what she was going to do. "I made you breakfast. Brock helped." he grinned, as he handed her a plate of scrambled eggs.

"Thank you." she said sitting up. The couch which she had spent the night resting on, wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world.

"Nurse Joy said Tai was awake. She just phoned us." he told her.

"That's great!" she said happily, as she scooped a mouthful of the eggs in her mouth. "Where's everyone else?" she asked, after she swallowed.

"Well, Izzy over by the phones, marveling at how amazing they are. Sora's trying to get him away from them, Joe's hitting on the Nurse that runs this gig, Misty and Ash are off making googly eyes at each other, and Tk's playing with the Pikachu." Matt said in a jovial voice. Mimi laughed. 'It's so good to hear you laugh again.' he though. 'At least now I'm not the one making you miserable.'

"I love this thing!" Izzy cried, as he threw his arms around the phone.

"Izzy," Sora said flustered. "It's a machine. It's not alive."

"But it's prodigious!" he said using his old world.

"Izzy please." Sora said holding her head. "Leave the phone alone."

"But Sora!" he whined like a two-year old. "It can talk!"

"So can dogs. Your point?"

"A phone can talk!" he said slowly, letting the word hit her. When she just stared at him, he gave up, and left the device alone. "I want one of those for my birthday." he told her.

"Expect it in the mail." Sora retorted.

Izzy smiled happily, but then realized she was joking. "Hey! That's not funny!"

Mimi and Matt broke out into laughter. "This is nice." he said afterward.

"Yeah. Poor Sora. Having to put up with him!" Mimi giggled.

"No. I mean you and me laughing like this. Reminds me when..." he started.

"Stop." she interrupted. "Please don't. I don't want to go through that again."

"Sorry." he said sadly, as he looked down at the cup of coffee he had in his hand.

"Just, please don't bring it up." she begged him.

"Okay." he said, as he got up, and started to walk away. He bumped into a kid with a blob of pink clay in his hands, but kept walking.

"Hey Matt." Brock said as he emerged from the small kitchen of the Poke Center wearing a bright pink apron. "Can you help me out in here?"

"Sure." he said as he stormed into the kitchen, and began helping Brock. Brock noticed he was a little agitated, but didn't look into it more. He kept his mouth shut.

"Are we gonna visit Tai now?" Tk asked impatiently, as he gave the electric rat another piece of the special food Brock had made for him.

"Soon." Matt said furiously. Tk didn't pick up on the harshness in his voice, but Brock didn't.

"What's up Matt?" he asked.

"None of your business." Matt snapped. Brock was taken back by his tone, but left the kitchen area before he got even angrier.

"Hey Brock." Mimi said smiling from the couch.

"Hey. My don't you look beautiful today." he said, as she took a seat next to her.

"Thank you. You're not looking half bad yourself."

"Na, I never look bad." he said placing his hands in back of his head.

"And he's modest." Mimi chuckled. Misty chocked back a comment that had sprung into her mind upon hearing that, and just returned to talking to Ash.

"Mimi." Ash asked her. "How did you get the ball to open exactly?"

"I just pushed that button on the side." she said pointing. Ash did as she said, but nothing happened.

"Toss it over here." she said, as he threw her the ball. She caught it, and pushed the button. The ball opened, but this time, there was no light, but Mimi gasped.

"What is it?" Joe asked, as he stopped talking to the nurse, who was blushing furiously, and practically jumped to Mimi's side.

"My stone." she said happily, as she reached into the sphere, and pulled out a small green stone.

"Great! We found what we were looking for!" Matt exclaimed happily. He wanted to throw his arms around Mimi, and hug her, but he stopped himself. 'She'll only get mad.'

"Ring, ring, ring. Ring, ring, ring. Phone call. Phone call. Ring, ring, ring. Ring, ring, ring. Phone ca..." Izzy answered it happily.

"I love this thing!" Sora sighed heavily.

"Greetings and salutations!" Gennai said as the old man appeared on the video phone.

"Gennai!" Izzy practically shrieked, which sent all the Digidestined scrambling for the phone.

"Gennai's here!" Tk said happily.

"Hello Digidestined. I have been sent to tell you that Tai is very sick."

"Tell us something we don't know." Matt said sarcastically.

"But it's not a natural sickness. He was bitten by something call Kunemon. A poisonous larva Digimon. His attack poison winder has been spreading through Tai rapidly, and there's only one cure for it."

"What is it!? Out with it!" Mimi said frantically.

"A petal from a flower called the Midnight Rose. It blossoms every night at 12:00, and dies after five minutes. But if picked, it will last for 48 hours."

"Where do we find it?" Joe asked.

"On top of the mountains in Celadon City. Ask the Gym Leader Erika for assistance." Gennai said, before disappearing.

"So we gotta go back." Ash said, as he opened his vest, and looked at the Rainbow Badge he had received from her, for saving Gloom. "I hated that place." he said plainly.

"And I know why Ashley." Misty said lightly hitting his arm. "I wonder if they rebuilt her gym yet."

"Lets get going." Mimi said.

"Mimi, it's only 10 o'clock. We have 14 hours till it blossoms." Matt said. He hated it that she was so concerned for Tai. 'What's up with me?!' his mind screamed. 'Tai is your friend. No matter what happens, he's your friend.' he looked at Mimi, as she walked over to the door. 'But he's taking her away from me, and I can't let that happen. I love you way too much.'

"Come on Matt. We have some time to kill. Let's go see Tai." Brock said as he followed Misty out the door.

"Coming." he sighed, as pushed open the swinging doors, and walked out into the sunny city.



"Tai!" Mimi said, as she threw her arms around him. Tai winced as she held him, but he didn't mind. The pain was tolerable with her there.

"Where are the others?" he asked, as he broke off their hug. The doctor had removed the binding that morning.

"Joy said one at a time. I had to kick Tk out of the way, though. Nurses say his ribs'll heal in about a week." she said smiling, as she mimicked the nurse.

Tai smiled at her. "You look as if you have something on your mind." he said, as he brushed away loose strands of her hair, and placed them behind her ear. She smiled happily.

"Yeah. There's something I've wanted to tell you for a while now, but we keep getting interrupted." she said shyly.

"What is it?" he asked. His pulse was racing, and his heart started to beat dramatically faster than it should.

"Tai." she whispered as she looked into his compassionate brown eyes. "I love you."

"I love you to Mimi!" he said, laughing, because he was so happy. "I love you with all my heart!"

"Oh Tai!" she said, as she began to cry. She grabbed onto him, and held his body close to hers. She then pulled away from him, and kissed him. For real this time.

He couldn't help but respond. He had waited for this moment, for the longest time. There wasn't a day that went by, that he didn't think about her. "I love you so much." he muttered.

"Give into my love." she whispered, as she kissed him more passionately.

Tai's eyes flared open, as he pushed her away forcefully. "Nice try." he hissed.

"Damn." she said, as she changed back into the woman that had been plaguing his dreams. "It was worth a shot." she shrugged. Her lustrous dark blue hair fell over her shoulder, framing her angelic face. The cozy hospital surrounding melted, and it was replaced by a deep grey room, filled with fog.

"Get out." he panted hard.

"Come on Tai," she said walking over to him. "Is that any way to speak to the woman you love?"

"I don't love you, and I never will. You tricked me into saying that."

"But you still said it." she said defensively. She suddenly cooed loudly, and threw her arms around herself. "And it felt so good to be in your arms." she said happily. "You were kissing me, and holding me tight, like I was the only one for you." she looked into his eyes, as a tear trickled down her cheek. "You wanted me."

"I want Mimi. Not you." Tai snapped. "All you've ever done was cause me pain and suffering. You're hurting the ones I care about, and you're keeping me here! Why would I want you?"

"Because," she said venomously, "I am your destiny. Your future. Me, and only me."

"No. I won't ever let that happen." he vowed. "I'll fight you."

"And you'll lose. Nobody ever wins."

Tai looked at her. He was breathing hard, and had no clue why. "Why are you doing this to me?" he asked, after a few minutes of silence.

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" she said touching his bottom lip with her index finger. Tai jerked his head, but she opened her palm, and paralyzed him.

"Just leave me alone." he said gulping in air, as she passed her soft hand over his face.

"I can't, and I never will be able to." she said softly. "We are fated to be together. It is written. And I will get you, no matter what I have to obliterate in the process."

"I believe in making my own destiny." Tai said gathering his courage. "I like to be the one planning my life. I don't like it being written out for me."

"I can't help that." she stated. "But I can help what will be." she tilted her head slightly, as she scanned his features. "You kiss took me somewhere I've never been before. And I liked that feeling. You will be an exceptional lover." she said before vanishing.

Tai broke out of the paralyzing hold she had on him, and dropped to the ground, swallowing as much air as his body could take. There was a squeezing in his stomach, which was slowly suffocating him.

The mysterious woman's voice filled the room. "I can hurt you. Remember that." the grip suddenly stopped, and Tai was able to breath again.



"I'm sorry." she muttered, as she looked on at him from a large mirror.

"Mistress Spiral, are you all right." Sinclair asked.

"Yes. I'm fine." she said gazing at the elder man, who cared about her. "It's just him."

"Ah Mistress, don't worry about him. He'll come around. And besides, you have control over him, don't you?"

"Only when he arrives here. But you did as I requested, didn't you? You put the device in him right?"

"Oh course." he smiled. "Anything to see you happy."



"Hey Tai man." Ash said, as the whole gang piled into the room. Mimi and Sora rushed over to his side automatically.

"Hi." he said raspily. The sound felt like a razor slicing his throat, and it hurt for him to speak.

"How are you?" Mimi whispered to him. He stared at her for a while, making sure that it wasn't another trick. But upon seeing her smiling, caring face, he knew it was her.

"I've been better." he wheezed, as he clutched his stomach. Everyone in the room jumped slightly, but relaxed when he didn't burst open bleeding again.

A Nurse Joy came humming into the room, holding a roll of fresh bandages. "I have to change to wrap on his stomach."

"Go ahead." Tai moaned. "Can I get rid of this stupid patch?"

"I don't see why not." she grinned, as she lightly tugged at the tape. The whole thing came undone, and his eyelid fluttered open.

"At least it's brown again." Misty said under her breath.

"Now Tai, is might be a little painful, but bear with me. It'll be over in a few minutes."

"Whatever." he chocked, as she slipped her arm, under him back, and pulled him up lightly. Everyone was amazed at how strong she was. She sure didn't look it.

Tai winced, as she shoved a pair of sicsors in between the bandaging, and began to cut clumsily. After a few seconds, she had the whole side sliced open, and she tugged on the other side, as she let his body down.

"Oh my god." Mimi said covering her eyes, and turning away. They all covered their eyes at the gruesome sight.

Not even Tai had seen what had been done to him, so he propped his head up, and gazed at his stomach. He let his head fall almost instantly, feeling sick.

There were long, blood streaked scars, littering his chest. There was bruising, and scrapes everywhere, not to mention a lot of swelling.

"Don't worry. It'll get better in a few days." the Nurse said happily. The sight not putting a damper on her cheery attitude.

"Can you at least get rid of the blood?" Tai asked, shutting his eyes.

"Oh corse!" she said, as she grabbed the washcloth from beside her, and dipped it in the water bowl.

She placed the cloth on his stomach, letting the water wash away the dried residue from the surgery.

He gasped slightly, at the cold liquid, but soon became accustomed to it. It felt great against his burning skin, but was also painful, because it felt a little like acid, burning through his flesh.

"AH!" Joy screamed, as she backed up suddenly, smashing into the small bureaux next to Tai, causing the water jug to shatter, spilling water all over the floor.

Tai gritted his teeth against the pain that began to spread over him. "What's going on?" he begged.

"Your scars." Matt said, as he gazed on in amazement. "They're disappearing!"

Tai instantly looked at what Matt was saying, and surely, the once ugly marks had vanished from his chest. All that was there now, was an icy blue hand print.

"What the hell is that?" Brock asked, as he lowered his head, staring at it more thoroughly.

The blue mark stood out brightly on Tai's tanned chest, but it was still hard to see.

Mimi touched it, and it began to glow a little brighter. She laid her hand over it. It matched perfectly.

"It's my hand." she whispered. "But that's impossible! I never touched him!"

"That is so weird." Joe said.

'You did this didn't you?' Tai asked his mind. He knew the lady could hear him.

'Correct as always.' came her distinct voice.

'Who are you?' he wondered, annoyed with himself, that he didn't find out this information sooner.

'You'll find out soon enough. I'll leave you now. Your friends have some news to tell you.' she whispered, as her voice vanished, just as mysteriously, as the scars.

"Tai," Tk said getting back on track, "Gennai contacted us today. He told us what's wrong with you."

"I know what's wrong with me." he stated.

"You were bitten by a poisonous Digimon. Its venom is running through your body. That's why you're weak, and that's probably why you keep bleeding." Izzy finished for Tk.

"No." Tai said disagreeing. "It's no Digimon that's doing this to me! It's a witch!" everyone looked at him, like he had just said he invented the color purple.

"A witch." Matt said in disbelief. "He's delusional."

"No, I'm not!" Tai said fiercely. "I'm telling the truth!"

"Tai, maybe you should be getting some rest." Sora said in her motherly tone.

"No! Why won't you believe me? A witch is doing this to me! She has control of my body, and she's threatening to kill you all! I'm holding her off, but she's winning!"

"Somebody better get the doctor." Ash said backing away from Tai.

"I don't need a doctor!" he screamed. "I..."

Nurse Joy had shoved a needle in his arm, and it instantly began taking effect. "He's paranoid dilluional. It must be a result of the so-called poison running thorough him."

"We need to get to the Midnight Rose tonight." Mimi said pounding her fist on the rail of Tai's bed. "Look what Kunemon's doing to him!"

"Yeah. Besides. We found the stone of Sincerity. We can leave as soon as Tai gets well again." Joe said.

"Sincerity?" Ash asked baffled. "What does that have to do with anything?"

At that moment, the Digidestined realized how little they had told their new friends. All they really said was they had Digimon.

"Well, Mimi has the stone of sincerity." Izzy said. "Mine's the stone of knowledge. Sora's love. Joe's reliability. Tk's hope. Tai's courage. And Matt's friendship."

"So, you guys are like, what? Guardians of your stones or something?" Misty asked.

"You could say that." Matt said.

"Guardian of Sincerity. GS. The GS ball." Brock said, piecing it together. "So that's why she could open it. It was made for her."

"I guess." Izzy said. "But now, we have a task at hand. Save Tai."

"And we're gonna help." Ash said determined. "You gave me a Wartorle, and Brock an Ivysaur. We owe you. And what's a little hike up the Celadon mountain?"

"Right. That's the spirit!" Tk said happily. "There 12 hours left to midnight." "It should take us at least two hours to get to Celadon City, and another three to hike the mountain. That is, if there isn't any sort of trouble along the way." Brock said.

"Okay. Let's head out now. We don't know the exact location of this thing, so we might as well have a few hours of looking time." Joe said, as he headed for the exit.

"I'm with him." Tk said, as he headed after his friend.

"Same here." everyone else said.

"Then it's unanimous. We head out now." Ash said, as he grabbed the Pokeballs with his Pidgeot and Charizard. As he walked outside, he dropped the balls on the ground, and the two creatures appeared.

"Celadon City guys." he commanded, as he got on top of Charizard. Misty hopped to his side, and Tk took a seat with them as well.

Since Pidgeot was much larger, Brock, Mimi, Joe and Sora climbed up. Matt took a place near the top, as Izzy grabbed onto its massive foot.

"Let's go!" Misty squealed, as Charizard took off with a mighty leap.


2 Hours Later


"Ow." Matt said, as he stretched. "If this is first class, remind me next time to fly coach."

"Well, 10 hours to go now." Ash said happily. He had no problem flying. "We can't let the Pokemon fly up to the top, cause they're tired." Pidgeot and Chaizard were passed out, huffing and puffing loudly.

"And psychic attacks don't work, so we can't teleport there." Misty said. She suddenly hit her head. "We could have just teleported here, and flew to the top. You do realize that."

Ash groaned. "Well, no use crying over spilt milk. Might as well climb it. Good exercise, and it's not that tall."

"Reminds me of Piximon's tower." Matt groaned.

"But I doubt we'll have to scrub it clean!" Joe smirked. Izzy chuckled lightly, as Tk winced at his bad joke.

"At least there's a path. We don't have to do any physical lifting or climbing. Just a lot of walking." Brock stated, as he pulled a map from his bag.



"Jessie, what's the twirp up too? And who are those other twirps with him?" James asked in his unusual accent. (If any one can tell me what type of accent that is, it would be highly appreciated.)

Jessie grabbed the binoculars that were around his neck, slightly strangling him. "I have no clue. But that blond guy is kinda cute."

James growled slightly, but she didn't pick up on it. "Let's follow them you idiots." Meowth said, as it leapt into the balloon shaped like him. "The faster we get that Pikachu, the faster we can give it to da boss."

"Yes, then maybe our slate will be wiped clean." James said, as he flew a strand of his pale blue hair from his eyes.

"Don't doodle James." Jessie said from inside the hot air balloon. "We have Pokemon to steal!"



"Well. This isn't as bad as I thought it would be." Mimi said, as she treaded up the winding trail.

"It never is." Matt smiled at her. She smiled back.

"Well. I think we deserve a break." Ash said, wiping a bead of sweat from his eyebrow.

"Wow! Maybe you could give Tai a few pointers." Izzy joked. "One of us has to collapse before he takes notice."

"That's not true!" Mimi said defensively. "Tai's a great leader!"

"I was just kidding Mimi. God, don't take it so seriously." he said explaining.

Ash and Misty noticing the tension between the people, gazed at each other, not knowing exactly what to do. They were only three people. They never had to deal with such a large group.

"Well, how are your Pokemon doing?" Matt said looking at Ash.

"It'll still be a few hours before they're able to fight. Or fly." he added.

"What time is it?" Sora asked.

"4 o'clock." Joe said looking at his watch. "The stupid thing had to be called the Midnight Rose. What was wrong with the six o'clock Rose?"

"The tulip got dibs." Tk ventured, making everyone laugh.

After an hour of resting, the group decided too hike on up again. Much to their dismay, the top part of the mountain, was covered in a thick sheet of ice, so they had to be extra careful, that nobody fell.

But being careful took up a lot of time. It took almost double the amount of time to climb to the top.

"What time is it now?" Matt panted, as he fell on the soft grass.

"11:54." Joe said breathing hard. "We just made it."

"Now, all we have to do is wait." Sora said, as she took a seat on a rock. She scanned the area, wondering where the rose would bloom. Ash had dropped all his Pokeballs and let all his Pokemon out for some mountain air.

The area wasn't large at all. It would be impossible to not see a flower open. At the max, it was 20 meters by 40 meters. But it was still very dangerous. They were at the top of a peak, so they weren't foolish enough to go acting crazy. One slip, and you'd fall off. And it was a long way down.

"Prepare for trouble!" a feminine voice shouted through the darkness. A bright light was being given off by a light that was in back of her.

"And make it double." a male voice echoed.

"Not them. Not now." Ash said sighing.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people within our nations."

"Shut up. Please." Brock begged. "At least make up a new motto, that one's so old."

"Shut up you brat. I'd like to see you make up something that expressed the true meaning of Team Rocket. And make it rhyme."

"Can you guys just leave? I'm begging you. You caught us at a really bad time." Misty said.

"No. We want that Pikachu, and we want it now! We're sick of waiting for the perfect moment to snatch him, so we've decided to make the perfect moment." Jessie stated viciously.

"Wheezing! Smoke screen!" James bellowed, as he threw a Pokeball, and a giant purple monster appeared, and spit a toxic black gas everywhere.

"I can't see anything." Matt chocked, as he stumbled back a few steps. He heard Pickahu's cries, as something obviously grabbed him.

"Butterfree! Whirlwind!" Ash cried, as a gust of wind swept up, and blew the smoke away.

Matt was so taken back by the sudden uproar of wind that he took a fatal step back, and plummeted off the edge of the mountain. He screamed, as he caught onto a rock, and clutched on for dear life.

"Matt!" Mimi cried, as she rushed over to him. "Grab on!" she yelled, as she extended her hand.

Matt was hesitant. He just looked at her, and didn't move. Sora appeared a few seconds later, and extended her hand too, which Matt grabbed instantly.

Sora, who was being held by Izzy, who was being held by Joe, pulled him up, and sat him on the grass. Joe's watch beeped.

"It's midnight!" he said. Sparks were flying wildly, as Pikachu tried to shock his way out of their hold.

"Rubber gloves!" Meowth shouted. "You're not gettn' outta our grasp!" he said laughing evilly. Jessie and James followed.

"Ivysaur!" Brock commanded. "Razor leaf!" at once, the plant like Pokemon let out two sharp tree leaves, which were aimed directly for Team Rocket's head.

They screamed, as they ducked and covered their heads, dropping Pikachu. Once the Pokemon hit the ground, it let out a powerful blast of lightening, which hit Team Rocket, and set them flying in the air.

"Team Rocket's fall down again....." they shouted, as they fell off the side.

"Will they be all right?" Tk asked.

"They always are." Ash said.

"Look! The rose!" Izzy shouted, as he rushed over and grabbed it from the ground.

"It's beautiful." Sora said, as she gazed at the silver tinted flower, with golden tips.

"Quick! Lets get it back to Tai!" Mimi shouted.

"Pidgeot and Charizard are ready to fly us down, and we'll teleport from the bottom. Well be back in about five minutes." Ash said, as he hopped on his Pokemon's back.

As they were flying to the bottom, Mimi had a hurt look in her eyes. "What's wrong?" Matt asked her.

"Why didn't you take my hand?"

"Well, I uh, I just thought you wouldn't be able to lift me." he said flustered.

"But you thought Sora could. It was because you couldn't count on me to pull you up. You didn't trust that I could do it."

"No, that's not it!" he tried to explain.

"But it is." she said crying. They hit the bottom in no time flat, and Chansey appeared out of its Pokeball, and zapped them to Tai's hospital room.



"So, do we grind it or something?" Tk asked.

"No. Make him eat it." Joy said, as she shoved two petals in Tai's mouth. Tai reluctantly chewed them, and swallowed.

"That was disgusting." he said, after he took a huge gulp of water.

"But you're all right now." Mimi said hugging him. The color had returned to his face, and the blue hand print had erased.

"Get dressed. We're leaving in a few minutes." Joe said throwing a new shirt at him.

"Nice to see you to Joe." Tai smiled fakely.

"Now. Give him some privacy people!" Sora said, ushering everyone but Mimi out. "You have something to tell him." she whispered in her ear, as she shut the door.

"What's up?" he said as he pulled the shirt over his head, with no problem at all. The pain in his stomach was completely gone.

"Tai, I have to tell you something." she said nervously. "Well, when you were sick, I didn't know what I was going to do. All I wanted, was for you to get better, and it was killing me, seeing you like this. I care about you so much. It's not even funny."

"Mimi," he interrupted. "I have to tell you this, before you say anything." he said seriously. "Ever since I saw you, I have felt something strong between us. Now, it's reached the point, that when you're away from me, I go crazy."

"What are you saying?" she asked, as her heart thumped loudly in her chest.

"Mimi, I love you." he said softly, letting the words ring through the room.

"I know." she said, as she rushed over to him, and hugged him tightly. "I know."

Tai pulled her head up, and she nodded, which put a huge smile on his face. This time, nothing could keep him from stopping him from kissing her. He didn't care if the hospital was flooding.

He pulled her head up to his, and their lips met. He melted into her lips, and let his emotions take over. He was finally at ease. Finally happy.

"I love you so much." he muttered, as he kissed her more deeply.



"No!" Spiral screamed, as she threw her staff into her looking mirror. "That bitch!"

"Don't worry my lady. It will not last." Sinclair said.

"She doesn't love him!" she shouted furiously. Even through the shattered glass, so could see a light sweeping over the room, taking them away from the world they were just in.

"They'll be here soon." Sinclair said. "I'll go make sure the arrangements are set, and will be followed."

"Do that!" she barked. "I will not let her win!"

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