"Who could that be?"

As TK was getting ready to lie down on his bed – his partner already snoozing near the foot of the bed as fatigue sent the rookie there earlier than normal – a buzz and a beep rang out from the D-Terminal on top of the nightstand. Curiosity setting in, the boy reached out and snatched the device, flipping it open and reading the contents of the message.

"What? Oh, c'mon Davis, why would you want to do that?"

A small smirk began to form on TK's face. With a small nod, he knew the perfect response to give, and as he typed and sent away, there was never a doubt how Davis would react.


MESSAGE
From: TK
To: Davis
Subject: Responding…

'Alright, what's really going on? Meet me at school tomorrow, six sharp. Who knows, maybe a little one-on-one could do us some good? =P'

Davis read the response from his computer, chuckling a bit at his friend's choice of words. With a feeling of anxiety starting to form, not knowing what the morning will bring, he shut off the computer and retreated to bed, lying and waiting for sleep to come upon him.


While the chosen residing in Odaiba was resting, one boy in Tamachi couldn't bring himself into a deep slumber, as the day he had kept replaying within his head again and again.

Ken Ichijouji – many know him as a preteen prodigy, a genius in the making, but for him, there was a different side of him that nobody knew. As the former Digimon Emperor, he was part of a rise and fall that he never saw happening until too late – it took Wormmon, his partner, to die within his arms for the realization to kick in.

'I…I didn't know any better – keep telling yourself that, and maybe the guilt will begin to tear away.'

The Digital World and the planet Earth shared many similarities – the only stark difference is that the inhabitants of the Digital World were digital creatures. They didn't ask for a dictator to take charge, but yet, that happened.

And Ken knew he had to come face-to-face with that fact, and he did during his walkabout.

He remembered the earlier days of his older brother, Sam, and him claiming the digivice – their squabble that lone day kept tugging away as, soon after, the tragic death of Sam took place; for Ken, the tug eventually took him under.

'Have I always been cruel; even as a young kid, I wanted my only brother dead?'

Trying to hold back tears, the preteen was beginning to fail. This is all he wanted to do – sit down and cry.

He let the first few out due to the sorrow that was building from within, but after that, the tears that fell were ones of joy and thankfulness. Within Primary Village, as he endured the ridicule for his actions, he wept for another chance, and in that moment, he and his partner had their reunion.

Glancing from his chair near his desk, Ken smiled as he spotted Leafmon, the In-Training form of his partner, peacefully sleeping.

'Starting tomorrow, I begin anew – for myself, and for the people that care for me…now, and in the future.'

He had promised his parents to be more open, and he hoped that they would eventually understand his tragic past. Although the precious moments had come to end the day, the destruction of the Digital World still laid in ruins.

Wiping the dried-up tears from his face, Ken rose from his chair and made his way up to his bed, hoping that a good night sleep would do him well. Unbeknownst to him, the computer on the desk displayed an eerie message – one that will cause Ken turmoil until a time where all was revealed.


Before sunrise could break in Japan, Davis trotted along towards school, eager to have his one-on-one with TK. He was relieved when he spotted one of the janitors unlocking the front doors.

"Morning!"

Startled, the janitor turned towards the approaching teen, his expression turning from shock to elate.

"Well, good morning to you as well – you seem ready for something, huh?"

"…Yeah."

Davis became hesitant and a bit weary, but trudged along, asking, "You wouldn't mind getting some basketballs for me to shoot around – I have some friendly competition that I—"

"Say no more; all I ask is that you clean up after you're done."

With a smile on his face, Davis thanked the janitor and waited near the gym doors; ten minutes passed when the elder returned, unlocking the doors and brought out a rack for the teen.

Not wanting to waste any time, Davis immediately grabbed one of the balls, feeling its firm texture around with his hands. Approaching one of the baskets, Davis took one dribble before drilling in a jumper from mid-range.

"Ooh, that felt nice! TK…you don't know what you signed up for."

After a few minutes of warm-up, Davis spotted his friend entering the gymnasium, a quizzical expression worn on his face.

"Well…morning?" TK's eyes slowly scanned the court, his teeth brushing against each other, as he approached.

"C'mon, we don't have much time. I say we—"

"Davis…maybe later, but right now, we have to talk."

The grip he had on the basketball started to loosen as the words started to sink in. In a split second, the ball fell to the wooden floor.

"So, the one-on-one is more talking and less playing?"

With a solemn nod, Davis had his answer. As he brought the ball back to the rack, TK tended to his own task as he removed his backpack and unzipped it, unveiling his partner.

"Finally," Patamon said, taking in as much oxygen as he can before saying, "I honestly don't know how long I could have gone on."

"Well, you're safe for now."

As the bat-like critter exited the book bag and landed on the floor, Davis made his way back as the trio was all ears for their discussion.

"So…want to start?"

"Sure," TK responded, "what did you mean when you said you wanted to tell your family about what's been going on?"

"When I got home last night, they were not too pleased with my absence. I used the old schoolwork excuse, but that's not going to last much longer, so I thought coming out sooner rather than later would be the best thing to do."

TK nodded his head. "Okay, I see where you're coming from…but you were fine before; why the sudden change?"

"I'm worried. Something could happen here that would call for us to have our partners here for protection – it happened when you were younger, who is to say it couldn't happen again? I want to make sure that my parents and sister are fine with having a little digital creature in our home…and for them to understand what's been going on lately."

Nodding his head once again, TK mentally noted that Davis had a point. An attack on Odaiba could occur this time around, but the stealth approach was fine back then.

"Look, I get what you're saying, but I don't think now is a good time. Unless you think your family is going to understand and be accepting, then go for it."

"Wasn't your family fine with it?"

"My mom…well, it was more abrupt, but I was young. Our whole team was a bit naïve – we all didn't know how to come out at the time."

"So why isn't now fine?"

TK's face went firm. "That's up to you – if you also want to know what my opinion is, it's that you want to get back at Veemon over your argument and catch him off guard."

The expression that Davis wore was sour, but his friend did have a valid point.

"I…I guess you're right. Well, half right – my family should know now than later, but it would probably be better to discuss with him rather than pulling the rug from under him."

"There's pulling a rug, and letting him fall into a hole due to said rug covering it."

"…Say, where is Veemon?" Patamon asked, curiosity kicking in.

"He decided to stay in the Digital World last night – he wanted some time to himself."

"Did something happen?"

Not wanting to explain further, Davis rose from the floor and said, "Well, umm, yes and no. Look, I don't feel like explaining when the other half is not around."

"Sounds fair," TK said, nodding towards Patamon's direction, hoping the rookie got the cue.

"I'll see you in class – thanks again for listening."

"Any time Davis."

As one teen left the gymnasium, the other glanced towards his partner before asking, "Do you know what happened between him and Veemon yesterday?"

"Well…there is one possibility that their argument might have—"

Patamon clamped his mouth shut, hoping that, by a small margin, he wouldn't have to continue.

"I'm sorry, you were saying?"

The critter drew a soft sigh before continuing, "This needs to stay with us, please?"

As TK nodded in response, Patamon said, "They were both arguing over their relationship."

"…Umm, Pata, they're partners. It's kind of—"

"Oh, no, not that…it's…" as Patamon exhaled sharply through his nostrils, he knew he had to bite the bullet now, "the relationship between Veemon and Gatomon."

The boy's eyes went wide, drawing a gasp out of astonishment.

"They…are in a relationship?"

"…Well, right now, it's a friendship that's getting closer – I can tell, I helped them out."

"Wait, really? When was this?"

Patamon explained to TK the events that conspired the first night after Veemon was free from his enslavement. How they opened up about their experiences, how they looked when they held each other during their first embrace and overhearing them talking about waiting and seeing where things go.

"So, you eased them towards each other?"

"Yep! I guess I played matchmaker this time around."

TK rubbed his partner's head. "That was a nice gesture…but why, though? Weren't you and Gatomon close?"

"Well…if I helped them now, they could return the favor down the line."

Shifting his eyes while playing with his paws in a nervous state, Patamon continued, "And the friendship I have between Gatomon and myself goes way beyond a relationship. We're loyal to one another, and the one way to be loyal is to show her who her one mon could be."

"You know, I guarantee that they would love to hear this from you, and I can also guarantee that, when the time comes, they will both return the favor."

Patamon smiled and leaped out towards his partner, as he was waiting with open arms for an embrace.

"Thank you, TK – I needed to hear that."

Feeling his partner nuzzling his face on his chest, TK smiled and said, "Not a problem – anytime you want to talk, I'm all ears."

"…Can I take the time now to say I hate the current mode of transport I have to take?"

Glancing down towards his book bag, TK chuckled. "Well, right now, there's no other option."

"…Fine, but don't forget about me, alright?"

"When have I ever?"

As the duo exchanged smiles, they both made their way out of the gym and into the hallways, ready to take on the day ahead.


Upon the school day ending the gang headed off towards Primary Village, which has seen better days. Buildings were torn apart and nearby bridges destroyed – a former place where the population was hundreds of baby Digimon, now left with no one in sight.

"How…how can…"

His fist started to shake with each passing second. It was a completely different emotion coming from Davis from what he was showing this morning.

"…despicable," he uttered, eyes showing no mercy.

As the rest of the group stared at the barren waste, one member pondered on the sight.

'This isn't right…he waltzed in here and left everything in ruins, and for what reason?'

Cody shook his head in disappointment.

"This is horrible."

"Hey now, don't start!"

His right leg felt a knock as he glanced down at the source – Armadillomon was looking right up at the boy, wanting to speak.

"Look, we can sit here and complain…or, we can all fix this place for the youngsters."

"…I agree."

What should have been a partner-to-partner talk turned into a group agreement, as Kari hopped onto the armadillo's statement.

"C'mon, now I know the two of you are feeling crummy, but is that going to solve anything in the end?"

Davis turned towards his friend and solemnly nodded, knowing that the girl was right.

"…Fine," was all that the younger boy had to say, and with that, the Digidestined began.

Hours flew by without notice until the sun began to set, the sky shining amber. The group looked at the progress that they had made, and while a good amount was cleaned and a few buildings rebuilt, there was still much more to do.

"You guys can discuss what needs to be done next without me – I need to look for Veemon."

With that, Davis made his departure, leaving the rest to mull over options.

"We don't have school," Yolei said, "so why not sneak in early and get the rest done?"

"That could work – what do you both think?" Kari turned towards TK and Cody, waiting for their responses.

"It's fine with me."

With Cody giving his answer, all eyes laid on the blonde-haired teen.

"…I mean, it'll be fine and all, but I…"

TK sighed deeply, knowing that the next words out of his mouth won't lead to any pleasure discussion.

"…we may need to consider another threat coming about."

Kari bit her lip, knowing well what she and he talked about yesterday after they completed their tasks.

"And because of that," TK continued, "we have to consider if Ken is an option to help."

Cody's mouth was agape, for only a second, before he went off.

"Are you out of your mind? Did you already forget who made Primary Village into waste?!"

"I understand that, but—"

"I refuse. I'm sorry, but he needs to earn his way in."

Nobody else could argue Cody's point. Being on the side of justice was the one aspect that the boy carried throughout his life, and he wasn't going to stray from that now.

"I agree," Yolei said, "he needs to show us that he changed before we can even begin this discussion."

"That's fine," Kari added, "and we can wait until then – but at least we are all on the same page."

"Well, you are forgetting about one person."

TK knew he was right – how would Davis react to Ken being part of the group? With the rest agreeing to wait it out, they all departed back into their world.


Nighttime came, the clear sky glistening with stars, and Davis could not take a single second to gaze.

'Where are you, Vee?'

He knew his parents would worry if he was late once again, so the search had to continue. High and low Davis traveled, but still no sign of the dragon.

"Davis?"

The boy turned towards the sound of his name, and appearing right in front of him was Veemon.

"Hey – ready to go home?"

The rookie nodded as he approached his partner.

"So," Davis started to ask as they both searched for the nearest teleportation station, "what did you end up doing last night?"

"Oh, nothing too much, considering Drimogemon was out most of the night…something about hanging with other champs. When he arrived this morning, he wanted to sleep, and before I left to go find you, he was still sleeping…it was the strangest occurrence I have ever seen."

A solemn nod came from the boy, understanding his partner's words as he recently learned – dozing in and out during classes has its advantages – about the effects that alcohol had on the body, though was surprised to learn that Digimon had some similar occurrences.

It only took a couple more minutes before the duo spotted a television, and upon transporting back, it was déjà vu. Thankfully, Davis arrived home not as late as the night prior, so he avoided another lashing from his parents, and also learned that the rest of the group would be meeting early tomorrow morning at the school grounds to finish work on Primary Village. Aware of the task at hand, Davis wasted no time in getting ready for bed and drifting off to sleep.


Ken spent most of his day in a frazzled state, starting from the moment he woke up. Chills ran down his spine as he read the message on his computer screen:

"I PITY YOU"

And that was it – those three words got to the genius, and they have stuck with him throughout the day. Now, wanting to go to bed, he couldn't find it in him to perform the task.

'What does that mean? Who…and why?'

Frustrated that the questions he was pondering wouldn't have answers at that moment, Ken laid down in his bed, hoping to drift off to sleep. Only a few minutes passed when a piercing light lit up his bedroom.

"What now?" he muttered as he rose and became mute.

In front of his computer was a woman, dressed in satin red from head to toe. Her fingers, draped with violet gloves that reached her elbows, were tapping on the top of the desk, and her hair, straight white down the back, sent another rush of chills throughout Ken's body.

The woman, almost feeling the presence of the genius's startle, turned towards him. Purple shaded specks covered her eyes, but he saw the smirk she wore firmly, and as she fixed her hat, she said, "You are not worth anything…pitiful you."

With that, she disappeared into his computer, leaving the brightened room engulfed in total darkness.

'What…who was that? More importantly…what does she want, and what does she mean?'

Another round of questions entered Ken's mind. He knew that the event that occurred would turn into a night of eventual pondering.


"It's them – the humans!"

Upon entering the Digital World after a successful sneak-in thanks to early maintenance at the school, the Digidestined were startled as a couple of dozen Punimon greeted them.

"Oh, hi!" Yolei was the first to greet the baby Digimon, but quickly turned towards her group and asked, "So…how are they here?"

"The one building we fixed was probably the nursery, and as someone once stated, you build and they come."

The preteen nodded slowly at the answer before adding, "So, fix everything else and more will populate the area?"

"Sounds simple, but where do we start?"

Upon Cody's question being brought up, Davis had a sudden idea.

"Well, uhh…maybe we can decide that?"

Turning his attention towards Veemon, the dragon looked at him and scratched his head in confusion.

"Is there something you both are hiding from the rest of us?" TK asked, at which Veemon's eyes widen with excitement, knowing what his partner meant.

"You'll see real quick – ready whenever you are, Davis!"

With his digivice grasped firmly in his hand, focusing his attention solely on digivolving, it only took a couple of seconds before his device lit up.

"Oh, the energy is coming to me!" As the dragon had a rush of exertion within him, he kept his demeanor under control as he cried out:

Veemon digivolve to…ExVeemon

And upon opening his eyes, embarrassment surged through him now as he was still in his rookie form.

"Wait…you can digivolve?" Kari asked, her eyes shooting over to Davis.

"Well, he did yesterday, and it worked then – the second time will be better, okay?"

Turning towards Veemon, the rookie furiously nodded and readied once more, but the same result took place.

"Ooh!"

Stomping his foot on the ground, his arms crossed over one another, the dragon felt more humiliated.

"Don't get so worked up about it," Armadillomon said, trying to reassure his friend, "we all have those days."

"I would agree," Hawkmon added, "unless you had a good night rest. Do you feel sick, or tired?"

"No, I'm fine."

"…Maybe it has to do with what's over there?"

As the group turned towards Gatomon, her paw pointed towards a control spire.

"What! I thought those things would have been gone?"

As TK was open about his confusion, Davis kept to himself. Feeling furious once more, he pondered on who the culprit was behind this, but was being careful not to state anything aloud.

Seeing his friend fuming, Kari said, "Davis, its only one spire; we can have that destroyed in no time flat, but for now, we have other important matters at hand. Plus, you can always have Veemon Armor-Digivolve."

Breathing a deep sigh, knowing she was right, Davis turned his attention towards the group.

"You're right, but—"

Before Davis could rebuttal, Yolei was quick to address her idea.

"Wait! Who says we'll need everyone to fix things up…and besides, I may have the perfect task for you two."

Veemon quizzically looked up at Davis, who wore the same expression, as both wondered what she meant.


After a quick discussion and approval, the duo had their answer, and they couldn't agree to it any faster.

'Take my mind off of things, and hang with the younglings – doesn't seem too bad.'

Having close to 60 Punimon to watch wasn't as stressful as he imagined it would be, as a nearby deflated beach ball quickly gave the preteen an idea.

"I'll deal with Ken some other time."

Having blown the ball to its normal size, Davis gave it a good kick. It soared through the air, and as it landed on the ground, the Punimon stared at the toy in confusion.

"Show them, and they will follow," the boy whispered before turning towards Veemon, who stood alongside the Punimon.

"Mind lending me a hand?"

It took Veemon a couple of seconds of processing the question before understanding what his partner had in mind.

"Okay, everyone, follow my lead!"

Tossing the ball in the air, the dragon leaped up as the ball came down and with a simple head-butt, the baby Digimon understood. As he saw the Digimon playing some form of volleyball – even though soccer was his first choice – Davis smiled as the event unfolded, his idea transformed, and enjoying this more than he imagined.

"That's too pure."

Yolei watched the event unravel before her eyes, and seeing her comrade express joy over his job made the idea that she hatched at the last-minute worth it.

"He seems responsible…something you're surprised at, yes?"

Looking down at Hawkmon as his question arose, she slowly nodded.

"Well, he's covered – can we begin now?"

After a firm headshake, and some armor-digivolving, Yolei and Halsemon took off to help aid in restoring Primary Village to its original state.


'Who in their right mind could make this much of a mess, and then be fine with leaving it? Nothing seems right anymore…'

"Earth to Cody – are you home?"

Shaking his head at his current thought, the boy sighed.

"Sorry, Digmon, I was thinking again about—"

"You've been doing that a lot lately, and I hate to ask, but what's been bothering you?"

Cody bit his lip, not knowing how to answer. Seeing the underground sewer in sporadic ruins miles on down made him think back to Ken.

"It's nothing, I promise you that."

"Good – now, hold on tight, because we have a lot of work to do."

'You're telling me…'

As Cody held firm the backside of his partner, and as Digmon began to wound up his drill-like hands to begin their task, he heard his partner cry out in pain.

"Cody! Are you okay?"

"No, something attacked me!"

Holding his cheek and feeling blood on his hand, the boy frantically searched for the source of his cut. Spotted a few feet from his and Digmon's face floated a small Digimon, a rounded ball in appearance with a lightning bolt on top of its head.

"That there seems to be Thundermon. We better be careful – otherwise, his attack could damage the sewer even more."

"Whatever it takes for him to leave us alone, I'm down for."

"It may come down to fighting, and if—"

"Wait, what?!"

Cody was alarmed at Digmon's statement. He meant anything else was fair game except for fighting.

"He's not under control – no dark ring on him or anything!"

"So, the cut on your cheek is not there anymore, like magic?"

Hearing his partner respond sarcastically only made the boy more infuriated.

No time went to waste as Thundermon bolted towards the duo once more, and Digmon took a swing at the Champion, missing by a mile.

"Stop!" Cody held the back of his partner for dear life as he followed the missed attack every step of the way.

"Are you crazy? Do you want us dead?"

"You have any bright ideas?"

"No, but death shouldn't be one of them. If we kill him, where does that leave us?"

"Uhh…we die; sorry, but it's a dog eat dog world now, and I'm here to protect you, no matter what!"

Digmon had a solid point, but Cody couldn't buy into it.

'I'm fine with fighting, but we shouldn't kill. We didn't kill any other Digimon up to this point, why change?'

Thundermon attacked once more, releasing his Thunder Ball attack – it was successful, as the duo felt the aftershock travel throughout their bodies. As successful as the attack was, the Champion was more gleeful as the sewer was further damaged, giving off an array of dust and debris to any outsiders.

Seeing the explosion take place from where they worked, the group was left astonished.

"…Cody's over there," Kari whispered, her breath steadying while her heart raced.

"He'll be fine," TK responded, wanting to ease his friend, but also doubtful at his own statement.

As the duo in the sewer was starting to feel alert once again, they were ambushed by the ball-like Digimon ramming into Digmon, stumbling into the back of the pipe before falling down into the debris, de-digivolving back into Armadillomon upon hitting the ground.

Glancing up to see a boulder on its last hinges, both could not find the strength to move.

"Well, partner, I guess this is it."

Cody grasped his partner and shook his head, saying, "No – we're not done, we're only beginning."

As soon as that statement was said, his digivice began to glow as he felt his partner's newfound energy surging through.

"This…feels strange."

The boulder broke free and made its descend when Armadillomon felt his data expand.

Armadillomon digivolve to…Ankylomon

Cody opened his eyes as he felt the grasp that he had on his partner break free, and became startled to not only see the underside of his digivolved partner but to hear the boulder breaking free when collided with the spikes he procured on his back.

"You…you digivolved?"

The boy made his way out from underneath his partner, taken back at the transformation.

"I did…somehow," Ankylomon responded, wagging his tail in showcasing his new addition – a spiked ball hanging at the end.

"I think we got something working for us."

Upon hearing his partner's statement, all the joy that was inside Cody deflated little by little, as dealing with Thundermon was still in play.

The newly digivolved dinosaur acted quickly as he grasped the back of Cody's shirt and hoisted him up, as a mother cat would do to her young, and placed him outside of the sewer.

"You stay, while I deal with our issue."

"…You're fighting, aren't you?"

"As I asked before, do you have any other ideas?"

Cody sternly shook his head, allowing his partner to fight. When Ankylomon submerged back into the sewer, the boy noticed a speckle of yellow from the corner of his eye, and turning towards it, he gasped.

"Ankylomon!"

The dinosaur turned his head around as he spotted Thundermon out of the sewer, grinning in spite at his partner, readying his attack.

As the enemy approached, Cody shut his eyes, hoping that his partner would save him…and preparing for the worst.

But it never came.

He first heard Thundermon scream, and upon opening his eyes, he spotted the small Champion at the mercy of a pink, sword-like object that was attached to a green insect-like Digimon. In a split second, Thundermon deteriorated, leaving the boy numb.

'He…he's dead. Simple as that…'

"Cody!"

Regaining focus, he spotted the rest of the group soaring on Halsemon, and as they made their way over, the insect Digimon took off.

"We were so worried!" Yolei cried, approaching her friend and giving a warm embrace. "At least you're safe now."

Still feeling numb, Cody couldn't respond.

"What happened?"

As TK asked, the group spotted the Digimon that aided in battle flying towards a nearby rooftop, and as it de-digivolved back into its rookie form, they were all left flabbergasted.

"…Wormmon? Then they must mean—"

Before Kari could finish, the worm-like Digimon touched down on the rooftop, where Ken appeared from behind the chimney and wasting no time, the duo made their escape.

Off in the distance, witnessing the events that took place, the delighted feeling that was within Davis diminished in a nanosecond.


"Unbelievable…" Kari muttered as she and the rest of the Digidestined were unwinding after a long day with some down time on a swing-set they built.

"I can't believe it, either," Patamon added to Kari's comment, "we got lucky back there."

"One question remains, though," Hawkmon asked, "How was Armadillomon able to digivolve?"

"I think your answer lies over there," Gatomon said, pointing to an open space where the control spire once stood.

"It's…it's gone," Yolei said, amazed at the sight, "but how could that be?"

"Whatever the case may be, at least it saved Cody."

Nodding at TK's statement, the armadillo glanced up at his partner who looked solemn.

"The only thing that matters is that we're safe…right?"

With his partner's question in the air, the boy looked at towards the group and gave a few nods with a slight smile in hopes to reassure them that he would be fine.

'Yes, we're safe…but at what cost?'


"Okay, guys, that's enough for today."

With the beach ball in his hands, holding it straight above his head, Veemon hoped that the Punimon got the message. They did, and as they moved towards their home, the dragon approached Davis, who, upon returning from the battle, sat underneath a tree and pondered.

"We did well today, huh?"

The preteen blinked a few times before turning towards his partner, saying, "Outside of…you know, that whole—"

"Davis."

As Veemon became stern, Davis shook away the negative energy in him and let out a long sigh.

"…Today was a good day."

No matter how hard he tried, the sight of Ken atop the building would not disappear. As Davis tried to remain positive, his nemesis walked alone, his partner close to him.

"How are you holding up?"

Wormmon looked up at Ken before responding, "I'm fine…how are you?"

Ken shrugged his shoulders. "I'm…fine, but so much could be better. We got one spire down that saved them today; who knows how many we'll need to get tomorrow."

"What are you trying to say?"

The genius shook his head, knowing sooner or later, the avoiding had to stop.

"…It is time to ask them for some help…or at least forgiveness."

As they trudged along towards home, the thoughts returned.

'I have been having issues lately in the past few days, and with everything that occurred…there is some chance at a new beginning.'


He noticed something was off when the strikes kept coming, and coming, and coming, but none were striking.

'Such foolishness cannot be tolerated much longer.'

As soon as the pupil took one second off from his striking, the master ended the match with his own strike towards the body.

Cody tore his mask off in fury, a firm headshake towards his grandfather followed suit.

Chikara chuckled. "Oh, my boy, you seem on the edge. We'll call it a session for now."

As the edge wore off, and the demeanor softened, the boy felt regret.

"Yes, grandfather…my apologies."

After a bow of gratitude, the two sat down and discussed a new product that Chikara had purchased and wanted to try out.

Receiving the packet of liquid yogurt, Cody looked astonished, as he always knew his grandfather for his adoration of prune juice.

"Thank you…this is something new; why such a sudden change?"

"It came to me as a simple thought – one day, prune juice may not be available. And after searching, this is the next best product to have."

Seeing his grandfather smile cheered Cody up, only for a minute.

"I see," and as he started to slurp from the package, he licked his lips and was surprised.

"This liquid yogurt…it tastes really good. Not a bad find, grandfather."

Chikara nodded at his grandson's approval. "You see, Cody – how quick your opinion changed after a simple try? Even if you questioned my purchase, you still gave it a chance and liked it. Never close yourself off from other experiences – you may never know what you will miss."

As his grandfather continued to enjoy his snack, Cody pondered on the words he received.

'Don't close yourself off…from experiences. Is Ken an experience? Is that a risk worth taking? Do I give him a chance? When will I know to give him that chance?'

The boy shook the thoughts off for now as he went back to slurping his yogurt, silently thanking his grandfather for this opportunity, and for much more.

'If only you knew how those words hit home for me…'