Chapter 1: Distress Call

It had been a while since she last talked to her partner. After the Great War, things just seemed different. She wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. For starters, she was more mature for her age and very wary of those she didn't know. War could do that to a person, she guessed.

She looked at the essay she was writing for class and wondered how the others were doing. She managed to stay in touch with two of her teammates. The first was a young boy, the same age as her, from America, named Wallace. They had emailed, called, and even Skyped each other over the years and had gotten very close, despite him being on the other side of the world. Wallace had two Digimon and was the Guardian of Fate.

Unlike Wallace, who lived in America, the other members of her team lived in Japan. The only other female member of her team lived in Odaiba with her brother, Daisuke Motomiya. Ken smiled slightly as she remembered the other girl. Ken remembered that her teammate was always being very motherly towards her and Wallace. Jun was the Guardian of Love and Friendship after all. She did say very often that she wished she was her sister, instead of having an annoying little brother. Ken assumed that she and Daisuke didn't get along very well. Then again, she and Jun only talked on the phone about twice a week and with the occasional hanging out. She and Jun weren't as close as she and Wallace were, which was really sad. She didn't really have any friends that really knew her. Half of the time, they were just there for the few seconds of fame they could get from befriending a genius.

It was sad really. She had always wanted a friend. Someone she could talk to without rejection, someone that could understand her. Since the day she was born, it had become clear that her parents had not wanted a girl. They had given her simple neutral clothing that would allow her to pass off as a boy, instead of the pinks and purples other girls wore. They would end up given her cars and blocks instead of dolls and tea sets and dresses other girls got. When Osamu was around, he would buy her little dolls, teddy bears, and lots of picture books with the money he'd received from his interviews and tv commercials. His only warning was to never show them in front of their parents.

Several months before that fateful day, their parents had forced her into joining the all guys soccer team at her school. She had been quite good at it, much to their surprise. Ken had loved playing soccer. She absolutely loved the rush of running and laughing when she played with the guys. Ken knew she could rely on the guys if she needed to; they had her back and she had theirs, but they could never understand her as much as Wallace, Jun, and the others could.

After years of ignoring her, on that day, they finally noticed that she too was talented, a prodigy, just like her brother. She had superior grades that surpassed her brother's, a foraminal soccer player, and a gifted singer. But what really drew their attention to her weeks before her brother's death was her passion, love, exceptional knowledge of code and programming. Oh, how she wished for the time when it was just her, Wallace, and her brother talking about code and finding new ways to improve the little robot they had been building together.

Ken closed her eyes for a moment, wishing Osamu was here with her. Ever since his death, everything their parents had been forcing on him was now being put on her. When Osamu was alive, he always made sure she could at least be herself. She could be what she wanted to be and not what their parents wanted her to be. Ken sighed. She had no choice now. She had a curfew now. She could no longer hang out with the few friends she had at her school. She could no longer wear dresses or wear makeup. She could no longer have any feminine toys that she used to have. Now everything was replaced with advanced programming and mathematics books, a single computer, a printer, and several of her brother's awards before he passed away.

It was supposed to be a source of motivation, they had said. But Ken knew exactly what they wanted. They wanted her to be like Osamu. She loved her brother dearly and was still mourning his passing, but now she was forced to face the hardship he had been forced upon. He had tried so hard to protect her from their parents' cruelty and now she was stuck, forced to be the pawn of her parent's mindless greed of having a gifted child.

Ken rested her head on the pale blue wall that she had been leaning on for the past three hours. Things had been getting worse as the weeks went on. It could be because her parents were realizing she was not Osamu. Ken might be a polite and kind person, but she was extremely stubborn. She would fight back if she felt she was being treated unfairly. Aren't parents supposed to be loving and accepting of their children? Jun's parents were like that and so was Wallace's, Jamie's, and Adolf's. So why not hers? Why did they hate her so much?

Ken could feel her eyes wondering to the small photo she had resting on the wall next to her. It was a group photo of her group before they left the Digital World five years ago. She, Wallace, and Jun were in the front, while Adolf, Jamie, and Osamu were in the back. All of them looked tired as they gazed at the camera, but they had all been so happy too. After fifty Digital World years, they had finally defeated the Demon Lords and restored the Digital World to a new era of peace. Ken smiled softly at the memory. They were her true friends.

It wasn't like Ken didn't have any friends. Many only hung out with her because she was famous; and once they got what they wanted, they were gone, leaving her with an ever-growing hole of disappointment and loss in her soul. For years this went on and, over time, she stopped trying to trust others. People were cruel, this was something she learned during her time in the Digital World and it seemed this lesson applied to humans too. It was sad really.

The chime of a little bell soon went off. Ken smiled as she picked up her D-Terminal. Both Wallace and Jun had messaged her this time. That's a new record.

To: Ichijouji Ken

From: Montgomery Wallace

Finally, the grandparents are asleep! You would not believe what happened today!

To: Ichijouji Ken

From: Motomiya Jun

Ken-chan, I just scored tickets to the Teenage Wolves! You want to come?!

Ken smiled as she replied to her two friends. The three of them talked for several minutes, sending emails back and forth until Ken's mind could no longer focus on the conversation anymore. In the next room, Ken could hear her parents arguing with each other. Ken frowned realizing it was about her, once again. Out of habit, Ken took out a small locket she kept hidden underneath her shirt. Within it was a picture of her older brother.

"Oniichan, what do I do?" Ken's eyes began to mist as she gazed at the picture. She missed him so very much. She needed him so bad it hurt. But he was gone, killed by a hit and run, right in front of her. Her father had always believed it was her fault. Osamu only left the house, despite the heated fight he had with their father, because she wanted ice cream at the new ice cream shop down the street.

It was all her fault.

The guilt returned to her mind, reminding her that she had not visited her brother's grave in some time. What was it? A week ago? Two weeks ago? A month? Ken couldn't remember. All she knew was that with the more interviews and commercials her parents scheduled her for, the less time she had to things for herself. Ken was lucky to attend any of her soccer games. The guys were understanding, but even they could see she was at her wit's end. Something had to be done, but what?

With a long, frustrated sigh, Ken turned her attention back to her essay. Why did she need to learn about the war anyway? War was cruel. It was unkind. It destroyed families and friends alike. Like the Digimon…Wormmon…

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Ken jumped slightly at the sound of her Digivice. She furrowed her brow in confusion. It had been years since her Digivice beeped, especially after the gate closed five years ago. She placed her essay down as she got off her bed. Ken walked towards her computer desk and opened the first draw. She blinked as the rectangular digivice beeped red.

Ken felt her blood run cold as she realized it was a distress call from Wormmon. She grabbed the Digivice and started to turn on her computer. She waited impatiently as the computer booted up and asked for her password. After typing it in, her Digivice glowed. She gasped as a window appeared on the screen with an image of the Digital World. Ken only had a moment to think as her computer screen glowed, along with her digivice, before she was sucked in.

Ken groaned as she stumbled to the ground. It was official. She hated traveling to the Digital World by the computer. She didn't remember it being this painful the first time.

She blinked. Wait? The Digital World? Ken sat up and looked around. She smiled as she saw the beautiful Digital World that she saved and loved so much.

"Ken!" Tears filled Ken's eyes as Wormmon crawled happily to her.

"Oh my gosh! Wormmon! It's been so long!" Ken held her partner close to her chest as tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"I know! I missed you so much!" Wormmon exclaimed as his own tears fell.

Ken smiled as she hugged her partner. It had been five of her years since she last seen Wormmon. She wondered how many years have passed in the Digital World since then. Ken paused in her musing as her hand came upon something rough and bumpy on Wormmon's naturally smooth body. She pulled him away slightly so she could investigate the area that she touched. Ken frowned when she saw a small straight welt on Wormmon's green skin. Ken frowned in worry. What could have caused this?

While Ken was checking Wormmon's welt, Wormmon was studying his partner's appearance. Despite what others thought of him, Wormmon was very intelligent and had a keen eye for detail, especially when his partner was concerned. He studied his partner and noticed that she changed quite a bit. Unlike when she was younger, Ken was wearing gray slacks, a white shirt underneath her grey jacket, and black shoes. On her jacket's collar, Wormmon noticed, there was some kind of crest, maybe from the school. If he remembered correctly, Ken mentioned that she and her brother go to private school. He also noticed that Ken's hair grew down to her chin in layers. It fits her. He thought before he looked at his partner when she spoke.

"Who did this to you?" Wormmon looked up and noticed that Ken's lips were pressed together in a thin line and her eyes were flashing with pink, gold, and white swirls. Wormmon sighed as he felt the ancient power radiating from their bond. It had been a long time since he felt her warm energy connecting with his, connecting them in both soul and body that surpassed even those bonded to the Chosen Children that came after them.

"It's a long story." Ken gave him a concerned look. "I'll explain it to you when we are out of danger."

"Danger? What you mean?" Ken's brow furrowed in confusion and worry. "There's not another Great War going on, is there?"

He chuckled slightly. "Well, not the type of war we dealt with in the past. To make the long story short, there is this human who calls himself the Kaiser. He uses these Evil Rings and Dark Towers to enslave the Digimon and is trying to conquer the Digital World." Ken's eyes narrowed slightly in unsurprised anger.

"Is this Kaiser the one that hurt you?" Wormmon nodded.

"The Kaiser was attacking a village that I was staying in. I tried to protect one of the elder Digimon that I was staying with." Wormmon's antenna drooped slightly at the memory. "I failed to protect her. The Kaiser used his whip on me and managed to ring everyone else." Wormmon felt Ken stiffen when he said that.

"Why didn't you get ringed than?" Ken asked through gritted teeth.

"The Kaiser saw no need to. He thought and I quote, 'you are nothing but a pathetic, worthless bug. You're not even worth being my slave'."

Wormmon winced as his partner let out an angry, girlish shriek. "HE WHAT? JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON HIM!"

"You might get your chance." Wormmon murmured quietly.

"He's nearby?" Ken asked after her initial burst of anger died down.

"Yeah. He was last seen in one of the near villages, saying something about finding one of the older Chosen Children's Digimon."

Ken blinked. "Chosen Children?"

"Yeah. They came after two of your Earth years. There are eight of them. Each of them got a less powerful version of your traits called Crests. However, each only has one and only two of them were able to reach Ultimate."

"That's interesting. I assumed that there were others after us since I saw this battle on the computer. Two teens were in the computer I believe."

"That's right. There's also three new Chosen. They don't have Crests, but they have the Digimentals with the Crests on them. They're the Digimentals that we had to hide away all those years ago."

Ken frowned. "If the Chosen had to find the Digimentals than something big is going on. Maybe something that is a lot bigger than what we are aware of." Wormmon nodded in agreement. It made sense. During the Great War, the Ancient form of evolution was a very powerful source of power and was used to fight their enemies. However, the powers were deemed too dangerous in the wrong hands. As a result, the powers were converted into Digimentals, with the instructions that they had to hide them until the day they were needed.

The sound of screaming and fighting snapped Wormmon out of his thought. He frowned as his partner got up with a determined look on her face. Uh oh. I know that look. Wormmon looked at his partner worriedly as she ran towards the noise. He clung to her chest as she ran. When had she gotten this fast? I don't remember her being this quick. Her speed is amazing.

Ken couldn't believe the damage done to the village. It was completely destroyed. She had decided to hide behind a tree and watched as the villagers run away from the controlled Unimon. She frowned when she saw the Evil Ring. It had Digimoji inscribed on it, but it was too far for her to read it. She glanced at her Digimon.

"You think you can take him?" She whispered.

Wormmon looked unsure. "Maybe, if I can evolve."

Ken smiled slightly. "Why wouldn't you? You said the Towers and Rings block normal evolution." Wormmon's eyes widened at that. "Whoever said our way was normal?"

"It's not. Ours is not. Ours is the only one that is based on the Ancient Evolution."

She smiled at her Digimon as she stepped into the open when the controlled Digimon was about to attack a defenseless Child reptile Digimon. The controlled Digimon paused in its attack and turned to her when she challenged it.

"Hey, you! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" The Controlled Digimon's eyes glared at her. However, the Digimon wasn't intimidating at all. She faced Digimon far scarier than him. Ken glared back at the Digimon, as her own Digimon took a defensive stance in front of her. The Digimon growled at them and began to charge.

Ken simply raised a brow at the Digimon as it came charging at them. "Run, child! Run!" Ken remained where she was as a Child level Digimon and a few others yelled. She gave a leveled look to the Digimon as her amulet began to glow from under her jacket.

Wormmon stood his ground as he took a protective stance in front of his partner. He eyed the Digimon warily as it came close to them. Wormmon felt the warm energy of his partner as she watched the controlled Digimon in a calm manner. He smiled slightly, knowing that Ken already tapped into her power from the crystal amulet that all Guardians wore around their necks.

"I call upon the Ancient Powers of Light. Light Shield!" A bright shield of light surrounded them the moment Ken spoke those words. The Unimon collided with the shield and landed a good ten feet away.

The Digimon that were watching gasped. "No way!"

"Is that the power of the Guardians?"

"I thought they were just a legend?"

If only they knew? Wormmon and Ken thought to themselves as Ken dropped the shield. Ken reached into her jacket pocket and took out her Digivice. Ken's Digivice was rectangular in shape, much like the older Chosen Children. However, Ken's Digivice had four buttons and was engraved with her traits: Kindness, Miracles, and Light.

"Evolve!" Was the last thing Ken said before both her amulet and Digivice glowed pink.

Ken smiled as Wormmon was engulfed in a pink light, signaling that he was evolving to his Adult form.

"Wormmon Crystal Evolve! Stingmon!"

"He evolved!" The reptile Digimon exclaimed in shock.

"Aim for the Evil Ring!" Another Digimon yelled as Stingmon swooped into the air when the Unimon began to attack again.

"You heard them, Stingmon! Destroy the Evil Ring!"

"Consider it done," Stingmon replied as he dodged the Unimon's attack and kicked him against a tree. "Spiking Finish!" Stingmon yelled as his stinger swiftly destroyed the Evil Ring before the Digimon was able to shake off his daze. Once the Evil Ring was destroyed, the Unimon's eyes went from red to blue. The Unimon stared at Stingmon in confusion as Ken walked towards them.

"Are you okay, Unimon?" Ken asked the now free Unimon.

"Yes… thank you," Unimon replied as the other Digimon began talking among themselves about what just happened. Unimon seemed to pick up a few of the comments mentioned since he started glancing at her and Stingmon with a look of shock. "You're one of them? One of the Guardians from the Great War?" Ken smiled at him.

"The Great War?" A Digimon gasped.

"But that was like a millennium ago," another Digimon exclaimed in shock.

"That's right. I'm the Guardian of Kindness, Miracles, and Light. " Ken replied with a smile. "Though, it's only been five years on Earth since my group last been here." The Unimon nodded.

"A lot has happened since your group last came here, Guardian."

"I kind of figured that when Wormmon told me that there were more kids that got chosen after my group."

"That's right. There has been a lot of close calls with the rising darkness in the Digital World lately," Unimon said thoughtfully. "Especially, with the two worlds being synced now."

"What? Really? The Digital and Human World are synced now?"

"Yes, Guardian, among other things."

"Things just seem to be getting more confusing by the minute," Ken said with a slight frown on her features.

"I'll be more than happy to clear things up for you," Unimon said with a smile as Ken smiled brightly at him.

"That'd be great! Thank you."

He managed to lose them for, but for how long? "Taichi, I could really use your help," he breathed heavily, exhaustion slowly creeping over him as he inspected his surroundings. This part of the forest was heavily damaged, opening up slightly as the forest transitioned to the part of Server that was all desert. Greymon could see the desert clearly as he gazed between the trees that were either broken from some type of battle or naturally wilted due to the drastic change of temperate between the two environments.

Greymon frowned, fearing of being spotted if he stayed out in the open like this. The Kaiser and his subjects would for would spot him for sure. The Adult Digimon took a slight right, walking further into the forest. But as he did so, he felt an overwhelming power engulf him. It felt ancient, powerful, and uncontrollable if in the wrong hands. Greymon swiftly looked around him. He was completely alone, but how was that possible? The source of this overwhelming power felt very close. So where was it coming from?

Unfortunately, as fast as the overwhelming power came, it vanished just as fast. Greymon silently inspected his surroundings once again, confused and terribly troubled. Did he imagine that? No, he thought with a shake of his head. I definitely felt that. The strange power itself was powerful in its intensity. It was raw power. Pure power. And that deeply disturbed him. If he was able to feel it, then what were the chances that the Kaiser's gowns felt it too? Whoever this power belonged to, Greymon prayed to the Holy Beasts that this being was far away, away from this mess, and away from the Kaiser. Greymon shivered, fearing what could happen if the Kaiser got his twitchy little hands on the source of this power.

"I gotta keep moving." Worrying about this strange power and the Digimon it belonged to would not help him. He had to get to a computer to call his partner or at least find one of the others. The Adult Digimon slowly, cautiously made his way through the thick forest. The forest grew thicker as he walked, preventing him from seeing if there were any other Digimon around, yet shielded him at the same time. After several minutes of walking, Greymon found himself at a river stream. And on the other side of the stream was a TV. Smiling, Greymon rushed over to the crystal blue water. Finally, he had found one.

As he got closer, he noticed the water was simmering beautifully as the crystal blue reflected the sun's rays, not even the boulders that rested throughout the river seemed to disturb its natural flow and beauty. Greymon only had a slight moment of guilt for disturbing the peaceful steam before he was suddenly attacked by sharp blades of air. With a pain-filled gasp, the Digimon of Courage collided against a tree, breaking it in half. But the attacks did not end there. The attacks kept coming until he was just on the verge of reverting back to Agumon. But before that could happen, the attacks stopped.

Weakly, Greymon lifted his head to glare at the Digimon that attacked him. Five Airdramon surround him, watching him, waiting for their next command. And to his absolute horror, standing on one of the beast's heads, was the Kaiser. The Kaiser's victorious grin widened as he held something in his gloved hand. It was an Evil Ring.

"You are a very lucky, Digimon," he said madly, knowing that Greymon did not have the strength to fight back, to resist. He was at their mercy.

Ken couldn't believe all that has happened since she last been in the Digital World. The Dark Masters and Vamdemon sounded like bad news, but they were nothing compared to the bad guys her group faced. She frowned as Unimon and some of the other Digimon talked about the Kaiser. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. The guy sounded like a jerk, a spoiled brat, and just plain awful.

She blinked when she suddenly heard laughter from above her. She looked up to see a flock of Airdramon passing by. Ken jumped when all the Digimon, including her Digimon, gasped: "It's the Kaiser!" Ken watched in concern as all the frightened Digimon frantically scattered, hiding under bushes, tall leafy plants, or within one of the many hiding trees in this area. They were all afraid.

Ken looked at her Digimon, who seemed unnerved as he gazed at the flock of Digimon that had passed by. "This doesn't look good," she said, concern clearly in her voice.

Stingmon nodded as the Digimon and the Kaiser disappeared from his view. "Ken-chan, I think we should follow him."

"You think so?" She asked as she began to plot how to stop the Kaiser and his evil minion.

"Yeah. If I remember correctly, the Chosen Digimon, Agumon, lives in this part of the forest. I fear he might be in danger. "

"Let's go help him then," Ken said as Stingmon picked her up and placed her on his shoulder.

"Hang on!" Ken did as she was told and smiled brightly as Stingmon flew into the air and toward the destination of the Chosen's Digimon.

It didn't take long to reach the part of the forest where the flock Airdramon were gathered. Upon getting to the location, however, Ken couldn't believe her eyes. Ken blinked her violet eyes, hoping she was seeing this right. The Kaiser was a kid in a crazy outfit, which was way to flashy for any sane people; he clearly had too much time on his hands. But she still couldn't believe that some kid would treat the Digimon so badly, like he had the right. Sure, what he was doing wasn't nearly as bad compared to the twisted bad guys she faced, but still.

Ken grimaced at the poor Digimon. The poor Greymon was ringed and was being taken away by the Kaiser's minions. They were too late to save him. She rolled her eyes as flashy boy laughed evilly as he retreated with the poor Digimon to who knows where.

There's got to be a way to help him, she thought mournfully.

"What do we do?" Stingmon whispered in frustration.

Ken frowned as she thought. What do we do? It's not like we can follow him and find out where he's going. Ken blinked at the thought. Or maybe we can.

"How's your stealth and speed?"

"Pretty good," Stingmon answered as he glanced at his partner curiously, wondering what she was up to. "Why?"

Ken smiled at him, mischievously, as plans formed in her head. "I think it's time for a spy operation."

The flames were getting wild and out of control. How were they going to stop the Meramon? None of the Digimon's attacks were working. It just seemed that they were making things worse. Hikari bit her bottom lip in uncertainty. What are we going to do? Nothing is working.

Hikari was startled out of her thoughts when she heard a scary roar. It sounded angry and insane, not entirely normal. Hikari glanced up in the direction of the sound and gasped in horror. In the sky, being held up by the Kaiser's five Airdramon was a Skull Greymon.

"It's Skull Greymon!" Hikari watched in horror as the terrifying Digimon went berserk, somehow breaking free of the ropes and taking down four of the Airdramon with him as he landed on the ground. Hikari had to admit that Skull Greymon was more terrifying in person than what her brother told her.

"Anyone got a plan?" Daisuke asked as the Digimon tried to protect them. Hikari wasn't sure if they could stop Skull Greymon. He was too powerful and deadly, literally.

"I got a plan!" Takeru said, looking just as scared as she was and was shaking just as badly. "I say we run and run some more!" Daisuke gave him a confused and stubborn look as Hikari watched the Digimon in fear since their attacks did nothing to the attacking Digimon. It was a good effort, but nothing they did helped. Just one attack from Skull Greymon resulted in all their Digimon reverting back into their previous forms.

"V-mon!"

"Armadimon!"

"Hawkmon!"

Hikari took a few steps back as Skull Greymon roared insanely. Hikari paled slightly as the skull Digimon stared at them emotionlessly.

"Everyone get back!" Nefertimon yelled as she and Pegasmon flew above them. "Get to safety!"

"But we have to stop Skull Greymon!" She and Takeru tried to argue back. They could not allow the Kaiser to win, not with her brother's Digimon.

"Sure, stick together like a bunch of baby ducks and in direct line of fire," Pegasmon replied sarcastically. "Get moving!"

Hikari and the others hesitated on what to do. That moment of hesitation was a mistake, though; a huge one on their part. With that small moment of hesitation, Skull Greymon attacked them.

"RUN!" Was the last thing she heard before her D-3 started beeping, followed by two voices that she didn't recognize yelling in unison…

"Moon Moon Shooter!"

"Light Shield!"

And then there was a bright, blinding light surrounding them. Hikari gasped as she felt the strong energy coming from this light. It was Light, the same light that connected her to her crest, but it was stronger and more powerful. She blinked as someone stood in front of her and the others. In front of her was a cute boy with navy colored hair. He had violet eyes and a Tamachi Elementary School uniform. His hand was glowing a soft white light as his palm was faced out, creating the barrier that surrounded them and the Digimon.

Hikari noticed that there was something glowing from around the boy's neck. She couldn't tell what it was, though. In his other hand was a Digivice. It had a similar shape and size as the ones her brother and the others had. However, instead of being plain, the Digivice was decorated with three symbols. Hikari wasn't sure what two of the symbols were, but she did recognize her own Crest of Light.

He's able to control Light, like me. Who is he?

"Stingmon! Plan 2A!" Hikari blinked in shock as the Insect Digimon called Stingmon charged at incredible speed towards the Dark Tyranomon that the Kaiser summoned after the Dark Tower was destroyed.

"Whoa," Takeru and Daisuke breathed in equal shock as Stingmon swiftly dodged the Digimon and destroyed the Evil Rings.

"That Digimon is strong," Iori commented as he glanced at the older boy that just saved them with impressive strength and power.

"He should be." They all jumped as the boy replied, without even glancing back at them or removing his gaze from the fight. "I amplified his energy and speed fifteen percent before we got here."

"Amplified?" Iori asked in confusion. The boy turned to them slightly. A small smile appeared on his face. Iori's eyebrows rose slightly as he recognized the boy from the TV commercial they saw the other day and the very same boy that didn't come to the soccer game.

"I will be more than happy to clear things up when we are out of danger." The boy was interrupted by his Digivice beeping. He returned his attention to the battle as Stingmon's voice was heard from the Digivice.

"Ken-chan, the majority of the Evil Rings have been taken care of. However, we might need to use a different plan for Skull Greymon. He's very dangerous at close range."

"Alright, I'm going to increase your speed again. Use Alpha Formation 62. Skull Greymon needs to be dealt with as quick as possible."

"Understood."

"What are you going to do?" Iori asked as he watched the boy prodigy close his eyes and take a deep breath. He vaguely wondered how much energy the boy had to use to keep this barrier up to protect them.

"Exactly what I said I was going to do," he simply replied as the glowing around his neck began to glow with a white and golden light. "I call upon the Ancient Powers of Light and Miracles. Lightspeed! Armor of Miracles!"

They all watch in amazement, totally unaware of the two beeping D-3s, as a golden light engulfed Stingmon, giving him a golden armor. They watch as Stingmon seemed to disappear as he flew towards Skull Greymon. Skull Greymon roared angrily as Stingmon attacked him from behind, making him fall to his knees. Skull Greymon didn't have any time to react as Stingmon attacked him again with a golden beam, reverting him back to an unconscious Agumon.

Stingmon sighed in relief, glad that the Chosen's Digimon was back to normal. He frowned at the Evil Ring around the Digimon's neck. He would have to remove that. Stingmon gathered some energy in his right hand and was prepared to aim at the Evil Ring when he was suddenly attacked by three Airdramon.

Stingmon moved out of the way and glared at the three Digimon. In the distance, another Airdramon picked Agumon up and flew away. Stingmon growled as he saw the Kaiser, smirking at him from his spot on one of the Airdramon.

"Well, you are a strong one," he said matter-of-factly. "You and your partner are very interesting," he smiled cruelly. "Until we meet again, Digimon." The Kaiser sneered before he and the other Airdramon made their leave.

Hikari frowned as the Kaiser captured Agumon and left. She bit her lip in worry as Stingmon landed in front of them. The strange glow disappeared when the boy lowered his hand. The light barrier that was protecting them disappeared along with Stingmon's armor.

"Sorry about your friend," the boy said with a disappointed sigh. Hikari smiled sadly at that.

"Hey! Thanks for helping us out!" Daisuke said with a smile on his face. "Your Digimon is awesome!"

"It was my pleasure," the boy replied with amusement lacing in his voice, but the disappointment still lingered. Hikari smiled her own smile at Daisuke's excitement. Trust Daisuke to lighten any already miserable mood.

"I have to say I was not expecting this Kaiser to be doing this much damage to the Digital World. It's sad really. After everything my group did to save the Digimon during the Great War, just to find it being taken over by a human no less. How funny is that?" Hikari frowned not sure what the boy was talking about. By the way he was talking, it seemed as if he was not new to this. Maybe he was chosen before and came when his Digimon was in danger.

"The Great War? What's that?" Takeru asked curiously. Hikari wanted to know what the Great War was too. Judging by their partners' shocked expressions, it seemed like a big deal. All the Digimon looked shocked and baffled as they stared at the boy and his partner.

"I can't believe it," V-mon said finally in surprise.

"What you mean, V-mon?" Daisuke asked his partner.

"They came back," Pegasmon breathed as he looked at Nefertimon.

"I thought the Guardians were just a legend," Nefertimon said as she looked back at Pegasmon with equal shock.

"I assure you we are real," Stingmon said with a chuckle. "It's nice to know that some Digimon recognizes us for what we did in the past."

"Stingmon is right," the boy said as he turned around to face them. Hikari and the others gasped as they recognized the boy in front of them. "It's very nice to meet you, Chosen Children. I've heard so many things about all of you." The boy smiled warmly as Daisuke grasped his offered hand.

"You're…"

"Ichijouji Ken," Ken replied as if they weren't speechless for words. "Guardian of Kindness, Miracles, and Light."