The Digital World's strangeness was beyond what the kids could imagine. They stepped out of a forest and, with no transition at all, were suddenly in a desert. It left them speechless. Tai knew this world was bizarre, but not this bizarre.
Power poles dotted the endless-looking sands, adding a weird kind of decoration to the monotony. After a long trek, both kids and Digimon were flagging. Hiking this far under a blazing sun wasn't something kids their age could really handle. Gomamon—who loved places rich in water—and Palmon—a Plant-type—were already showing signs of discomfort. Gomamon kept muttering, "I wish there were ice." Palmon drooped, listless. Seeing it, Mimi, heart aching, took off her hat and gave it to Palmon for a little shade.
Along the way Biyomon kept hamming it up, which left Sora helpless—but at least it lifted everyone's spirits a bit.
Watching T.K. trudge with his head down, Matt grew worried and suggested, "We should head back to the forest. If we keep this up, no one will make it."
"Hold on." Tai raised his monocular. He knew there was a Yokomon village out here, but he still wanted to confirm. He swept the horizon—there it was: first a big ship's prow, then, farther on, house-like shapes. "There's a village ahead."
The effect was instant; everyone perked right up and pushed to reach it. Joe was thrilled—he'd always insisted humans were here. Finding a village only made him more certain. He was still in the human world.
"…"
The kids turned away and kept walking without replying to the obviously overexcited guy.
"Joe, come on," called the only one willing to wait for him—his partner, Gomamon.
"Wait up! Don't leave me—" Why was he talking and panting at the same time?
Tai wanted to reach that Yokomon village from the original story, top off supplies, and let everyone rest. Even if Meramon showed up to cause trouble later, that was better than dying of thirst. Dry mouth was miserable. As for Meramon—he'd play it by ear.
If they'd known the saying "from a distance the mountain looks close, but it kills the horse that runs toward it," they'd never forget it. Tai etched it into his heart on the spot. Through the monocular the village had looked near, but it took ages to get there. The cheers died the moment they arrived. A cold splash of reality put out their enthusiasm.
"…So small…" Seeing a "village" made of little dirt mounds no higher than an adult's knee, Matt couldn't help sighing. A crowd of pink Digimon with blue leaf-tops and orange flower centers squeezed through the gaps and came to greet them. Everyone knew them—Yokomon, a whole swarm of them.
"Yokomon! They're all Biyomon's friends," Biyomon said, introducing Tai's group. It took a lot of effort (and sweat) to explain what "humans" were. Whether the Yokomon understood was anyone's guess. They were wildly curious, though, circling Sora and Biyomon again and again until Sora felt faint. One Biyomon already kept her busy—this many Yokomon had her spinning.
"There are so many Yokomon," Sora estimated. Just what she could see had to be a hundred at least. "So this is a Yokomon village."
"This place is way too small to spend the night…" Mimi tipped her head back and sighed in disappointment.
"Looks like we're camping again," Izzy concluded.
"Ahh, and I really thought people would be here!" Joe was nearly tearing his hair out—the kid who never gave up "Hope," through and through.
"We could probably go in, though," Patamon said after a lap around the village, concluding that Digimon could fit inside.
Tai stared at the cluster of Yokomon. He'd seen them on TV, but seeing them in person was still amazing. First priority, though, was to fill every canteen—because that fountain would soon be a flamethrower.
"Sora, Sora! The Yokomon say they want to treat us to a meal," Biyomon tugged her sleeve and chirped in a lethal cute voice. That suggestion got the biggest reaction of the day.
"Oh, food!"
"Finally—after all that walking, I'm starving!"
"That's so kind!"
Poor things, Tai thought silently. Once you see what a Yokomon feast looks like, you won't be cheering.
Joe fretted about where to sleep. Izzy daydreamed about what the Yokomon might serve. Mimi imagined she'd stepped into a fairy tale.
"Water—there's water!" T.K. sprinted to a little pool spouting a thin jet, and everyone's attention snapped that way.
"This spring comes down from Mt. Miharashi. It's delicious," a Yokomon said happily.
"Mt. Miharashi?"
"That mountain there."
T.K. looked back at the peak, and everyone raised their eyes. Tai knew Meramon was up there—and by now a Black Gear had probably taken him over. Any minute he'd be coming down to make trouble.
Matt was just about to scoop some water when the upward stream cut off like someone pinched the line. Within two seconds it vanished. Then a column of fire blasted up out of the fountain, startling everyone nearby.
"What's going on?" Matt asked.
"No idea. But it's okay—there's another pool over there with tons of water," a Yokomon answered.
By the time they reached it, the huge lake beside the village—the one with the sunken ship—had drained dry in five seconds flat. Only an old steamer remained, half-rammed into the dirt.
"I just saw something fall onto Mt. Miharashi," said Yokomon C.
"A black gear," Izzy said, connecting the weirdness on Mt. Miharashi to the Black Gears.
"All water here comes from that mountain. If something happens up there, the water stops right away," another Yokomon explained. "But Meramon guards the mountain."
"Then the problem is probably Meramon," Tai said, raising his monocular toward Mt. Miharashi. On the summit, a bonfire roared into the sky, and a glowing figure shot straight toward them with shocking speed, the thick trees offering no resistance at all.
"It's Meramon! He's coming down from Mt. Miharashi!" The Yokomon erupted into chaos, bouncing everywhere.
Through the monocular the light swelled, and the figure sharpened: a humanoid Digimon wreathed in searing flames, face twisted—a perfect match for the Meramon in Tai's memory. Under the Black Gear's control, he seemed to have lost his mind, chanting "Burn… burn…" like a stuck recorder.
Everything in his path burst into flames.
"He's headed here… We need to move—now!" Sora led the Yokomon out of the village and into the dried lakebed, ducking into a cave beneath the beached ship.
The kids and their partners hurried to organize the evacuation. But there were too many Yokomon; they couldn't get them all out in time.
Tai and Matt exchanged a look and nodded. They raised their Digivices at their partners.
"Let's go, Agumon!"
"Go, Gabumon!"
The Digivices flared.
"Agumon digivolve to… Greymon!"
"Gabumon digivolve to… Garurumon!"
"Greymon, hold Meramon back!"
"Garurumon, protect everyone!"
Garurumon, faster than Greymon, engaged first. Meramon met him with a raised fist—"Fire Fist!"—and blocked the charge, then swung hard and knocked Garurumon away. Garurumon flipped midair, landed cleanly, and launched again.
Greymon thundered in and body-checked Meramon, bowling him over.
"Howling Blaster!" Garurumon seized the moment and let fly. But the blue flame struck Meramon, who neither dodged nor flinched. Not only was he unhurt—he seemed to absorb the energy. His heat climbed even higher.
"Nova Blast!" Greymon fired too, and that still did nothing—if anything, it only enraged Meramon.
"Fire won't work on Meramon," Tai said.
"Then what do we do?" Matt asked, eyes fixed on the fight.
"Everyone, together!" With most Yokomon evacuated, the other Rookies rushed in.
"Blue Blaster!" "Spiral Twister!" "Boom Bubble!" The Rookie-level Digimon unleashed their moves—but they had no effect at all. The situation turned dire—fast.