AUTHOR'S NOTES: No, you're not experiencing deja vu. We just updated the Halloween Snapshot to better reflect the timeline of events in 02 Remix and smoothe out a few continuity errors. We also added a brand new scene at the end. We'll be keeping the two versions up for a little while if you're curious to compare the two, but eventually the old version will get replaced with the new. We hope you enjoy the new version of the the Chosen Children's Halloween of 2002!

Halloween, for all intents and purposes, was an American holiday. At the very least, it wasn't something that was celebrated as actively in Japan as it was in the United States. For Mimi, whose exposure to American culture was strictly through occasional holiday trips before her family moved there, it was quite a shock when October came around and she was hit full force by the blitz for Halloween. Decorations and candy as far as the eye could see, with costumes of all shapes and sizes, the new immigrant got a crash course in the foreign holiday.

And it very quickly became one of Mimi's favorite holidays, right next to Christmas.

The Tachikawa residence was completely covered in decorations of black and orange, with pumpkins in the windows, black cat stickers on the glass panes themselves, and streamers dangling around the sills. The house was just as festive as all the buildings around it, to the point that no one would have guessed that it would be the occupants' first Halloween.

Not satisfied with simply trick-or-treating on her own, Mimi made sure that her friends from Japan would be able to share in the fun, and thanks to the Digital Gate there was no issue with going through customs, only the disorientation that came from the ten hour time difference.

Mimi fussed with the details up until the last minutes before the party, particularly her costume. She had gone all out dressing up in shades of pink with green and gold glittery accents and a floral motif that made her a dazzling looking fairy complete with a glow-in-the-dark wand.

Nearby, Palmon was in the process of fixing up her own costume, having evolved into Shutumon before putting on a cow-print vest and blue jeans with leather chaps. Topping the ensemble off with a cowboy hat on her head, she looked every bit like a girl straight out of the Wild West.

Mimi squealed at the sight of her partner. "You look great, Shutumon!"

Shutumon turned to smile at Mimi and reached up to tip her hat forward, her other hand on her hip. "You got it, partner!"

A sudden burst of light drew Mimi and Shutumon's attention to the brand new desktop computer set up in the living room. Although the first guests to arrive from gate hopping through the Digital World had gotten used to landing on their feet, they usually expected to appear on solid ground and not on a large inflatable kiddie pool filled with plastic balls.

Tailmon reacted much faster than the others, and managed to scoop Hikari out of the air and land on the other side of the pool with her Chosen Child in her paws while Taichi and Agumon tumbled into the ball pit with a yelp.

Taichi fumbled as he pulled himself up onto his hands and knees, getting tangled up in the large red cape he wore in the process. "What the heck is this?"

Mimi giggled and waved to her friends. "Mama and Papa put a ball pit in front of the computer instead of a chair so I wouldn't get hurt when I come crashing back home. Isn't that a great idea?"

Taichi brushed his hair back then grimaced at the slickness of the hair gel he used to put it in a very distinct smooth shape. If he wanted to look at all like Superman, he couldn't let his hair remain in its typical wild style, and he had to make good use out of the hair gel Yamato convinced him to get somehow. "I guess so."

Beside Taichi, Agumon stumbled to his feet as he flailed about blindly. His black caped crusader mask had spun about, with the cape suddenly in his face, blocking his view. "Taichiiiii…!" Taichi glanced over and swiftly shifted the mask about so that the cape fell along his back like it should, allowing Agumon to see again. "Thanks, Taichi~!"

"We might want to do something like that back home," Hikari said as Tailmon set her down. Both Chosen Child and Digimon had matching costumes, as Hikari was dressed up all in black with cat ears and a tail while Tailmon had darkened her fur and gloves. "Good morning, er, I mean, good evening, Mimi and Shutumon!"

"Good morning and evening!" Mimi practically sang. "I love your costumes!"

Tailmon looked Shutumon over before turning to Mimi. "Thank you." It was rather strange, parading around as a virus-type version of herself, but it fit the event perfectly. The fact that she and Hikari matched made it much easier to tolerate.

Any further conversation was cut off by another light coming from the monitor, punctuating the arrival of more of their friends - directly into the ballpit. With a startled yelp, Yamato and Takeru were the next to appear, their fall cushioned by the squishy plastic balls.

Taichi couldn't help but stifle a laugh as the two blonds toppled into the pit, with Gabumon and Patamon landing right on top of them. "Hey guys. Nice landing."

Yamato, who made up the bottom of the pile, pushed himself upwards. He was dressed as a werewolf, complete with gray wolf ears on a headband, a long fuzzy gray tail attached to his belt, and clawed paw-like gloves. He turned to give Taichi a flat look. "Thanks."

Gabumon rolled off Yamato before falling on his stomach with a grunt, sending his black frizzy wig tumbling off his head. He looked like a little rocker, wearing a black leather jacket and a metal studded black collar around his neck. The little Digimon grimaced before he fumbled to grab his wig, placing it on again. "I-is everyone okay?"

Takeru climbed off his brother, a bit disoriented as he waded through the balls. He was dressed as an angel - or more specifically, Angemon. Though the blue loincloth was more of a kilt and the gold shoulderguard had become a vest with the white wings attached to him, the intent was abundantly clear. It was simply improvised, as there was no way his mother would let him walk around in nothing but a loincloth, Halloween or not.

Patamon toppled off the two boys, off balance in the large green helmet he wore, along with a shirt and vest that fit Takeru much better at the age of eight. Although the outfit was incomplete, it was clear that he was dressed in the same clothes Takeru wore back during their first adventure in the Digital World. However, this proved to be a hindrance when he fell to the floor on his back and was left flailing his feet and pinned wings in the air like a particularly strange turtle. "Ack!"

Takeru moved to pick up his partner, then set Patamon carefully on the top of his head. "You okay, Patamon?"

Patamon sighed in relief as he slumped onto the familiar comfortable perch of Takeru's head. "Yeah, thanks Takeru. Maybe we should've let Yamato drill those holes into the helmet for my wings to fit through after all."

Takeru chuckled. "That's fine. Like I said before, I didn't care if he did it or not. It's not like I'll ever wear it again." He paused before his expression grew thoughtful. "Though I guess it would've been hard to fit them through it, either way."

There was no chance for Patamon to respond when the Digital Gate opened again. Unfortunately for the newly arrived quartet, they were still in the way between the the computer and the designated landing area, so when Daisuke and Chibimon appeared, all six of them crashed into the kiddie pool in a jumbled heap, sending balls flying everywhere.

Taichi couldn't hold back his laughter, though he had the good grace to look somewhat apologetic when Yamato threw him another glare.

Yamato responded by reaching up to grab Taichi by the arm, before proceeding to yank him into the ballpit with them. "Ooops."

Yowling, Taichi tumbled head first back into the kiddie pool, tangling the cape around him once again when he instinctively flailed his arms. He shot Yamato an annoyed look as the blond laughed at his antics. "You think that's funny, huh? Well, how's this?" He took one of the colorful balls and bounced it off Yamato's nose.

Yamato blinked as the ball ricocheted off his face, then narrowed his eyes as he smirked. "Oh, it's on now!" He reached down to grab a handful of the plastic balls and proceeded to toss them at Taichi, one after another.

Hikari darted over to help her friends out of the ball pit, making it a point to leave Yamato and Taichi where they were scuffling for now. "Are you all okay?"

Chibimon hopped down off of Takeru and Daisuke, waddling over to the side. He wore a band around his chest with a pair of blue dragon wings fastened to it, making him look like a dragon. He raised his small hands up, with a bright smile. "Happy Halloween, Hikari~!"

Hikari smiled back. "Happy Halloween, Chibimon! I really like those wings."

"Daisuke made them!" Chibimon said, excitedly. "Daisuke made them for me!"

"They look good on you," Takeru said, with a smile as he glanced at Daisuke. "Daisuke did a good job."

Chibimon giggled happily as he squirmed in place, covering his mouth with his little paws. "They're the greatest!"

"I think both your costumes look great," Hikari said with a smile.

Daisuke grunted as he clambered to his feet, his movements awkward due to his costume. With a combination of tinfoil, cardboard, paint, and fabric, he managed to put together a decent looking fake suit of armor complete with helmet and sword. Despite the fall, the praise was enough to get him beaming. "Thanks, Hikari-chan! I worked all week to get our costumes just right."

Takeru was about to comment when he saw the light of the computer flare. Realizing what was happening, he quickly grabbed Daisuke and Hikari and yanked them back. "Look out!"

While Takeru and the others were able to dart out of the way, Yamato and Taichi weren't nearly so lucky. They were so focused on their plastic ball scuffle that neither noticed the light until it was too late, and suddenly they were buried beneath Jou, Koshiro, Gomamon, and Tentomon.

Takeru blinked as he stared down at the pile of Chosen in the kiddie pool before he chuckled awkwardly. "Well, at least the pool's big enough…"

Jou was the first to climb out of the pile, dragging him out of the mess as he reached up to adjust his glasses, as well as the black shades he wore overtop them. He sported a black suit with a silver tie over a white dress shirt, though the outfit was a bit wrinkled due to his rough landing. "I-is everyone alright...?"

"Koshiro, are you alright?" Tentomon asked as he crawled out of the pile. He wasn't able to fly very well due to his own outfit, a small black leather jacket over a white dress shirt with a tie and oversized shades on his face.

Koshiro had a hard time standing with his long black coat getting tangled in his dress shoes and black pants, as well as the fact that the shades he wore darkened the room more than he anticipated. "Yeah, I'm o-kyaaa-!"

Gomamon yelped as Koshiro tripped and fell on top of him, knocking off the dark sunglasses he was wearing. "Hey! Watch it! You almost broke my neuralizer!" He picked up a small silver plastic wand with some buttons and a red reflective strip glued to it.

Yamato arched an eyebrow as he regarded the four new arrivals. "Are you all wearing the same costume?"

Koshiro grunted as he rolled off of Gomamon then sat up, struggling with his overly long coat. "Not unless one of you is supposed to be Neo or Morpheus from the Matrix."

"N-no, I'm…," Jou hesitated before he glanced to Gomamon. "W-we're from the Men in Black movie."

Yamato blinked before his expression became deadpan. "Let me guess. You couldn't decide, so you just used a suit from your closet."

Jou gawked at Yamato before he blushed, mortified. "Errrmm..."

Gomamon raised his makeshift neuralizer as he re-adjusted his shades with the other paw. "Sir, look into the red light. You saw nothing but two stylish dudes in glasses dressed as Agent J and Agent G who kick alien butts all across the universe."

"What about Kaiser butts?" Chibimon asked as he approached the baby pool and stared up at Gomamon.

Gomamon waved the neuralizer in Chibimon's direction. "No one looks more like an alien than the Digimon Kaiser."

"You should probably get out of the way, before anyone else…" Shutumon pointed out before she paused as the laptop began to glow. "Ooops, too late!"

The Chosen in the pool barely had enough time to recognize was about to happen and put up a small struggle before the glow intensified and the next visitor appeared - Ken. As soon as he appeared, the boy genius landed on the large pile of people with a squeak, falling forward so that his small gold diadem fell off his head and skidded across the floor. He was dressed as royalty, with a long white cape with silver lining and a matching white tunic, pants, and gloves with intricate gold embroidery. His legs dangled helplessly, wearing knee-high boots that completed the outfit. "A-ah, e-excuse me-!"

Wormmon flopped out of Ken's arms and into the pool, the bells on his jester hat jingling all the way. He flailed around upside-down in the balls before pulling himself upright, revealing that he had two diamonds painted along the edges of his eyes to create a faux domino mask. "Ken-chan! Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine-!" Ken squeaked as he struggled to climb off of Jou and Koshiro, both of whom had broken his fall. It was hard to maneuver with his balance thrown off by the plastic balls. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't… ack!"

Koshiro grunted as he squirmed out from underneath Ken. "It's fine, it's fine…"

"Let me help, er, I mean," Daisuke said before coughing until his voice grew satisfyingly deep and dramatic. "I'll save you!"

With a flourish of his cape, Daisuke dashed over towards the pool for a dramatic rescue, only to slip on one of the balls that had fallen out, sending him crashing on top of the ever growing pile of bodies.

Takeru blinked before he turned to Hikari, an amused smile on his face, before he quickly hurried over to help rescue the other Chosen before the situation got any worse.

Unfortunately, that was when the computer began to glow, and four more bodies crashed into the now overflowing inflatable pool and knocked Takeru in as well.

Miyako shrieked and dropped her bubble pipe and magnifying glass as she found herself sandwiched between Iori and Daisuke. Her Sherlock Holmes costume, complete with distinctive hat, suddenly became a hindrance, as the thick layered coat got tangled with the other long garments that her fellow Chosen Children wore. "What the heck is everyone doing playing in a ball pit where we're supposed to be warping in?!"

Pafumon hovered over the pile, managing to avoid the mess somehow. Her little butterfly wings, purple with red and blue spots, fluttered on her back as she drifted about lazily. "Clearly someone has more balls than sense!"

Iori struggled to find purchase, wearing an outfit that was identical to the one that occasionally appeared on him in the Digital World. He was the very image of a little samurai, with even his usual bokken attached to his side. "T-this is quite dangerous…"

"A-are you okay, I-o-ri?" Kyokyomon asked dizzily as he clung to his partner's shoulder, dressed up like a little police officer, wearing a policeman's hat and little blue vest and tie.

"It's not intentional!" Yamato groaned from the bottom of the pile, and he reached over to push at Taichi. "I'm getting crushed!"

Taichi grunted as he squirmed ineffectively against Yamato and the others on top of him. "Same here! Move it, guys, before-!"

A blast of light signalled the arrival of the last members of their group - Sora and her partner, Piyomon. The arrival of the last Chosen Child was the final straw, and as she slammed into the already enormous pile, all the children fell forward out of the pool and sprawled across the floor. Sora cried out as she bounced off of Miyako's backside, then veered off to the right and fell directly on Taichi, her red changshan with white and gold roses raising up slightly to reveal her red leggings underneath.

Piyomon flapped her wings to slow her descent, sending the red and yellow streamers tied to her wings and tail flying in the breeze she stirred up, as she carefully landed beside the pool. "Are you okay, Sora?"

"I-I'm fine, I think," Sora said as she grimaced, then paused and stared down at Taichi. She squeaked and quickly got to her feet, pulling down her changshan. "T-Taichi-!"

Taichi's eyes were wide and his face was a brilliant shade of red by what he had seen, which was far more than he ever expected. Sora's scandalized cry made him jerk upward, waving his hands as though warding off danger. "I-I didn't see your panties, Sora, I swear!"

Sora's face exploded in red as she clenched her fists. "Taichi-!"

Shutumon hummed thoughtfully before she turned to Mimi. "Maybe we should've scheduled times for everyone to show up."

"That probably would have helped," Tailmon said with a sigh before she approached the fallen Chosen. She and the others lucky enough not to have been caught in the wreckage went about helping their comrades back to their feet, and soon enough everyone was gathering up the plastic balls and putting them back in the now battered pool before settling down in the living room to recover.

Ken sighed heavily as he slumped in the sofa. "Goodness, I didn't expect that…"

"Good thing Mama and Papa bought the heavy-duty pool," Mimi said as she looked around at her friends. "Otherwise, it would've probably burst from all of you jumping into it at once like that."

"Maybe you should've used a bouncy mattress instead," Gomamon said, cheerfully. "At least make the landing fun!"

"Oh yeah, that would've ended soooo much better!" Pafumon chirped. "And totally wouldn't have sent Chosen flying in all directions! Collateral damage for everyone!"

Miyako held up a quaking finger as she re-adjusted her glasses. "From now on, we either all meet up in the real world before gating, or in the Digital World. I am not going to get squashed like that again." She shoved her bubble pipe into her mouth, biting down hard onto the end of it before huffing out a plume of bubbles.

"Hindsight is 20/20, or something like that," Takeru said as he picked up Ken's diadem off the floor before handing it to the other boy. "That's a really impressive costume, Ken."

Ken accepted the diadem as he blushed lightly. "A-ah, thank you. It's actually a costume I wore for a commercial once, so… I had to get my manager's permission to wear it." Tentatively, he placed diadem back on his head, fitting it in the proper position before he glanced around at the others. "I feel kind of awkward wearing it, I'll admit."

"It was the best costume ever!" Wormmon cheered as he waved his digits in the air. "There were these professional tailors that measured Ken-chan for it and made it just for him so he could be prince charming! Most of the commercials Ken-chan is in already have something for him to wear, but this one-"

"Oh, I know!" Daisuke gasped as he lightly smacked his palm with his fist. "That was that commercial for Enchanted Delight perfume that had you waking up sleeping beauty by kissing her hand and then the thorn walls turned into doves and a you and the princess riding off into the sunset in a corvette with a unicorn horn on the front of it; or something?" He paused to scratch his cheek as his eyes drifted upward. "It was a weird commercial, come to think of it."

Ken had the good sense to look sheepish. "I'll admit, I'm not really sure what any of that had to do with me… or any of the other commercials, honestly. I can understand the computer ones, but…" He trailed off before shrugging helplessly. "My manager told me to just go with it, so I did."

"A lot of directors have weird ideas," Wormmon said, "but Ken-chan is a professional."

"It looks great, Ken," Hikari said, smiling. "It makes me feel like I should've put a little more effort into my costume than cat ears and a tail over a black sweater and pants."

"Or just throwing on a suit," Yamato said with a sly smile as he glanced at Jou, who fidgeted anxiously.

"N-no, that's fine!" Ken said as he raised his hands. "I think your outfits are really great!"

Daisuke puffed his chest out like a proud peacock. "You think so?"

"Thanks, Ken!" Mimi chirped, overflowing with energy. "I think everyone looks great too, so let's all get going to the party before Wallace starts wondering what's taking us so long."

"Where exactly are we going, anyway?" Yamato asked. "And is it really okay that we're showing up with our Digimon?"

"Oh, it's fine!" Shutumon said, brightly. "Wallace knows all about us, and he's really excited to meet you all!"

"All of my friends here in America can't wait to meet you!" Mimi said, bouncing in place before pumping her arms up into the air. "We're going to be the guests of honor of the party, so let's go, go, go!"

All of the Chosen shared uneasy looks with each other, but ultimately decided to trust Mimi's judgment in the matter. After gathering themselves up and bidding goodbye to Mimi's parents, the group slipped out into the crisp October dusk, the sun only barely beginning to set in the sky.

"It's so weird to see it nearly night here, when it's morning in Japan," Takeru said as he looked up at the sky. It must have been how Mimi felt every time she had to gate to Japan, and really made him appreciate what she had to go through to help them.

Hikari breathed deep of the crisp autumn air as colorful leaves fell all around them. Because Mimi's house was in an upscale suburban neighborhood, there were plenty of large well manicured lawns, glowing jack-o-lanterns, and spooky Halloween decorations everywhere. The sight of other children dressed in costume starting to emerge from their houses with bags ready to stuff with candy made her smile. "It's so interesting how different America and Japan are. Even the air smells different."

Mimi giggled. "If you like the smell of autumn leaves, you'll love pumpkin spice."

Sora smiled before she turned to look at Shutumon. After a moment, she returned her attention to Mimi. "By the way, I notice that Palmon's evolved to Shutumon. Is that really okay? Won't the Digimental run out of energy?"

Mimi idly waved her glittery wand back and forth with a pleased expression. "I already thought of that. You know how I have to gate to the Digital World anyway to get to Japan and back? I just gate to the temple where we found your Digimental and place it on the pedestal for a little while, and it charges back up again. You should really see it sometime; it's such a pretty light show when it's charging up."

Sora blinked. "Oh, really?"

Ken turned to stare at Mimi for several moments, then furrowed his brow. "That… sounds a little dangerous. Just… be careful, alright?"

"It's fine, it's fine~!" Mimi practically sang. "No Digimon ever come there, and I have Palmon with me. I don't even think the Digimon Kaiser knows the place exists, so it's perfectly safe."

Ken looked like he wanted to argue, but then he seemed to decide to let the matter drop. "I'll trust your judgment, senpai."

Finally, the group reached their destination at a gate outside of a long driveway, and beyond that was the largest house most of the Chosen Children had ever seen. The house was at least four stories high, with long wings of rooms and a large immaculately cared for lawn. Creepy music and the sound of an occasional scream or evil laugh floated on the wind as fog rolled across the ground. The lights lining the driveway illuminated countless headstones, glowing pumpkins expertly carved into ghastly faces, and people wearing ghoulish costumes who frightened a few other kids who were closer to the mansion doors.

Mimi hummed despite the creepy atmosphere as she turned on the intercom beside the closed gate. "[Hi, Wallace, it's Mimi~!]" she said in English, surprising most of the other Chosen with how easily the words came. "[I brought all my friends here, so open the gate pretty please~?]"

There was a pause before a short crackle of static thrummed through the intercom before the voice of a cheerful boy replied in English as well. "[You made it! Come on in, Mimi.]"

The lock on the gates clicked before slowly swinging open automatically, allowing the Chosen to enter the property of a magnificently opulent home.

Takeru glanced about the property with wide eyes, then turned to Hikari. "Mimi knows some incredible people, doesn't she?"

Hikari nodded, barely able to take her gaze away from the lavish Halloween decorations. "It's amazing…"

Daisuke chuckled with a slight awkward note. "Hah, I bet Ken could come up with a better Halloween party than this."

"Yup!" Wormmon chirped happily.

Ken paused at that before his cheeks tinted slightly. "A-ah, I… well, I'm sure it's still rather nice… and there seems to be a lot of people here."

Miyako leaned over to mock whisper near Ken's ear. "If you need a crowbar to pry Daisuke's lips from your butt, just ask Iori to borrow his bokken."

Daisuke whipped his head around to pierce Miyako with a glare, his face flushed with anger. "What did you say, Inoe?!"

Taichi held up a hand. "Now, now, let's not fight. We're guests here and we don't want to get kicked out, right?"

Ken's blush deepened as he awkwardly glanced between Miyako and Daisuke, then looked down at Wormmon. "P-please don't argue on my account, it's fine-!"

"Right, right," Mimi said, still cheerful. "Wallace is the most popular boy in my school, and he's super friendly and nice. Let's all just get along while we're here, okay?"

"Of course," Miyako said as she slid her glasses upward.

Daisuke grunted then looked away with a snort. "Fine."

"So your whole school will be here?" Sora asked with wide eyes. She then turned to Koshiro. "This won't… cause any problems, will it?"

Koshiro rubbed the back of his head and let out a quiet hum. "Well… there hasn't been a lot of news about what happened with Diablomon in America as far as I could find out, so it's unlikely people here know what we look like."

"It's fine, it's fine," Mimi said as she gave Sora a little dismissive wave. "Like I said, Wallace already knows about Digimon; he's one of the kids that sent emails while Taichi and Yamato were fighting Diablomon with Agumon and Gabumon. He wouldn't have let me invite all of you if he thought our Digimon might cause problems."

"I'm more worried about the police," Sora murmured before she gave a small shake of her head. "W-well, it's Halloween, so it's more than likely that even if they would have cared, they wouldn't realize it was real."

"Right," Yamato said with a nod as he looked around at the other children wearing costumes as the Chosen approached the front door. "Today's really the only day we could get away with it."

Sora hummed at that but opted not to press further. While she was still a bit leery about the whole thing, the others seemed to have given it enough thought. After all, they were in America. If they were to get in trouble for anything, it'd be for skipping customs and suddenly appearing in their country.

"I'd be more concerned about how we're going to communicate," Yamato continued before he looked at the others. "How's everyone's English?"

Sora paused at that as her eyes opened wide. "Eh? Ah..."

"We already know that Mimi can speak with them just fine, but what about everyone else?" Yamato asked.

"I'm fluent in English," Ken said as he looked at the others. He was actually fluent in several languages, but he felt awkward enough just mentioning the one without bringing attention to the rest.

"I know a little bit," Koshiro said with uncertainty. "Miyako and I speak with a lot of people from different countries in the chatroom about Digimon, but a lot of them don't speak Japanese and online translators aren't that good, so we're trying to use English as a common language for all of us, since it's most widely used."

Miyako let out a quiet frustrated huff. "Even though it's structured completely backwards. It's not that easy to learn, you know."

"I'm… passing my English class," Takeru said, slowly. Of course, passing tests and holding a conversation with a native speaker were two different things.

"Same here," Hikari said as she looked between the Chosen Children she took classes with. "I don't think any of us is doing too badly in school right now, except…"

Taichi grimaced, his cheeks turning hot. "You don't have to bring that up again, Hikari. I got an earful enough from Mom and Dad about my last test."

Hikari giggled quietly and stuck out her tongue briefly. "Sorry."

Jou reached up to fidget with his glasses. "I… I believe I could hold a conversation!" He felt awkward not saying it, especially in front of his juniors. He had been taking numerous English classes, especially with so many medical books being available in other languages, and admitting that he barely understood it sounded like a failure.

"So, we'll leave the heavy talking to Mimi and Ken," Yamato said, with a nod. "The rest of us can give it our best shot, and they'll cover for us if we screw up."

As the Chosen arrived at the front door, all further conversation was cut off as the entrance suddenly swung open wide. The assembled children and their Digimon all stopped to stare as a young man their age appeared in the doorway. A boy with short, scruffy blond hair, blue eyes, and a dazzling smile, he wore a tuxedo with a long cape and false fangs. He threw his cape open in a grandiose display as he postured in front of them. "[Good eeeeeveeening, and velcome… velcome to my humble abode.]"

Ken had a stunned look on his face as he stared at the young man for several moments, before he furrowed his brow. The way the boy mangled the pronunciation of some of the words was tricky to parse from another language, even for someone as intelligent as him. "[Thank… you for the invitation…]"

Taichi stared blankly at the boy then gave an awkward half-wave. "[Good… moaning?]"

Mimi stifled a giggle behind her hand. "It's [good evening], but that's actually kind of appropriate, given it's Halloween."

Taichi blinked. "Huh? What's appropriate?"

The blond in the vampire costume bowed slightly as he held his cape to his breast, speaking in accented Japanese. "Good morning, my name is Wallace Barton. Nice to meet you."

Mimi giggled as she clasped her hands together. "[You look great, Wallace]!" She then gestured to the other Chosen with her right hand. "[These are all my friends I told you about]!"

"[Thank you, thank you]," Wallace bowed again to Mimi, a bit deeper this time with a flourish of his hands, before he straightened up and turned to face the other Chosen, a bright smile on his face. He turned to gesture inside with his left hand, using his cape to emphasize the motion. "[Come in, and enjoy yourselves. Any friend of Mimi's is a friend of mine.]"

Taichi blinked slowly before shaking his head then looking at his friends. "Hoo boy, this is going to be interesting…"

As the Chosen were welcomed inside, the Japanese children did their best to enjoy the party despite the language barrier and culture shock. The fact that the other party-goers were accepting and accommodating helped quite a bit, resulting in an awkward but pleasant atmosphere.

Yamato was already making himself fairly popular, as unintentional as it was, by the large television set up where a wide variety of games were set up for the children to enjoy. One of which happened to be a music playing game, involving a special guitar. Even with his costume, Yamato had no trouble adjusting to the setup and playing the game, other children standing around and watching in amazement. After all, he didn't need to know English to understand the mechanics - and the fact that it was an import of a game from Japan helped considerably.

Sora giggled as she watched, clapping her hands as Piyomon danced from side to side next to her. "You're doing great, Yamato!"

"Damn, you're good," Taichi said with a low, impressed whistle. "I was going to challenge your high score, but I haven't gotten past hard mode yet and you're acing mega brutal. No one here is going to even come close to beating you."

Yamato grinned as he continued to play, his eyes focused on the screen. "Looks like the hiatus hasn't made me too rusty!"

Gabumon clapped his claws together as he watched his partner. "That's amazing, Yamato!"

Ken held a cup of punch as he watched Yamato, taking a small sip before he glanced over to the food tables. He couldn't help but smile awkwardly at the sight of all the Chosen's Digimon scarfing down the holiday treats, from decorated cupcakes to candy and pumpkin-related food. He was thankful that there seemed to be enough, no doubt because Wallace had been forewarned, but it was still somewhat embarrassing to see other guests gawking at the slovenly scarfing. "Well, everyone seems to be having fun."

Jou adjusted his glasses as he stood by Ken, holding Gomamon with one arm wrapped around the Digimon's waist. "It's a good experience. Cultural exchange is always important to your education!"

Ken gave Jou a lopsided grin. "Does it really count as 'cultural exchange' if the game originally came from Japan?"

Jou paused at that, then furrowed his brow, faltering for a moment before he could manage a response. "W-well, the very fact that it's even here means that an exchange happened!"

Ken chuckled as he nodded. "True enough. I was really surprised to see it. It must not have been cheap to import… but somehow, I don't think money was an issue." He knew enough rich, privileged children from his time in school to have a good idea what had happened. He doubted America and Japan were too different when it came to such things.

The unique Halloween-themed games interested Mimi more than the video games, particularly since there were prizes involved. One of the games called 'walk the web' had wide white tape marked on the floor in the shape of a large spider web with a paper mache pumpkin sitting at the center with a mystery prize hidden inside. Though there was no risk of getting injured when falling, she had to be careful not to step off the edge of the tape, which was barely larger than her foot, as doing so meant losing. The fact that she had to avoid touching large plastic spiders placed periodically in places on the tape to make it like a giant maze and occasionally bend down to pick up a certain number of miniature candies before she could claim the pumpkin made the balancing act even more tricky.

Mimi wobbled precariously as she tried to stay on the tape while reaching down for a small chocolate bar without bending over too far. She regretted picking a costume with such a short skirt at that moment, but she was determined to win, especially with Shutumon cheering her on. Once she had the very edge of the wrapper pinched between her fingers, she let out a triumphant cheer and raised it above her head after she straightened back up.

The applause of other guests around her turned into laughter as Wallace took that moment of inattention to sneak up behind Mimi and lightly bite her on the neck with his fake vampire fangs. The Chosen of Purity let out a high-pitched shriek at the unexpected attack and instantly whipped around to whack the attacker with the candybar before she realized what had happened.

"Wallace!" Mimi said in a scandalized tone with flushed cheeks as she whacked Wallace with the candybar again. "[You pervert! Don't you know you shouldn't sneak up on girls or bite them like that?]"

Wallace shielded his face and backed away in mock pain. "[Ah, candy, my one weakness!]" However, he couldn't pretend for long, as he broke down into giggles."[Sorry, Mimi, but vampires need blood of pure maidens to live, you know.]"

"[There's plenty of blood punch at the buffet table,]" Mimi huffed, then a moment later she realized that her feet were placed on both sides of the tape and huffed. "[And you made me lose the game too!]"

"Sorry, sorry," Wallace chuckled. "[How about you get a free extra turn to try again? Just wait until more candy gets placed on the web and have at it.]"

Mimi folded her arms, but reluctantly went back to the starting line. "[Okay, fine, but don't you do that again! I'm going to win that prize for sure this time.]"

Wallace laughed as he moved aside so a butler in a Frankenstein's monster outfit could place a few candy bars between the web. "Go, Mimi! You can do it!"

"Go for it, Mimi!" Shutumon cheered as she raised her hands skyward. While she had been tempted to swoop in and help her partner, she at least had the sense to know it'd be cheating. Instead, she could only cheer from the sidelines.

Wallace hung around to watch Mimi play a little longer before he spied his next target at the buffet table. He grinned wickedly as he slipped away, moving quietly behind the cute girl with purple hair in the detective outfit.

Miyako eyed one punch bowl, which had plastic eyeballs floating in a bright red liquid, and second bowl that was full of a blue beverage that was decorated with plastic snakes. The place cards set beside the bowls did little to help her decide which drink to choose. "'Blood' or 'brain juice', huh?" She picked up one of the cards to see if there were ingredients printed on the back to give her a better idea of what she was actually choosing to drink.

"Both sound pretty gross, if you ask me," Pafumon said as she hovered over Miyako's head. "You may as well have labeled them 'Puke' and 'Vomit', for all the difference it makes!"

"It smells good," Kyokyomon said as his snout twitched. "Is that what blood and brains are supposed to smell like?"

"Aaaand we've just witnessed the birth of a cannibal," Pafumon chirped. "Corruption of the youth!"

Iori stood nearby, watching Miyako as she fussed over the drinks with the two Digimon. He noticed movement out of the corner of his eyes and turned his head just in time to see Wallace drawing closer. The little samurai's expression didn't give away his thoughts at first, but as their American host drew closer to Miyako, Iori's eyes suddenly narrowed into a piercing stare.

Wallace was almost in position to bite when he suddenly felt a chill run through him as though someone had walked over his grave. Slowly, he turned to find Iori looking right at him with a gaze that was sharper than any sword.

While Iori's expression wasn't unfriendly in and of itself, his eyes bore into Wallace with an intensity that the American boy had never experienced before. No words were said, but none needed to be. Iori's eyes alone spoke volumes, with promises of consequences that would make the very earth itself shake in terror. It was enough that Wallace instinctively stepped back before retreating to the other side of the room, increasing the distance between himself, Iori, and the unaware Miyako.

It wasn't until Wallace was on the other side of the room that Iori's gaze finally relented, the young man returning to his stoic guard over the bespectacled Chosen. The American boy stared back at Iori before he let out a relieved sigh, then decided to choose a safer target for his vampiric intentions.

While his attention next went to Hikari, it was obvious that she wouldn't be any safer of a target. Although she was busy watching Yamato with her brother, Tailmon stood by as a silent sentinel rather than gorge herself on food like most of the other Digimon. More than that, both Takeru and Daisuke stood on either side of her and the three were engaged in a lively discussion. With so many people around her, there'd be no way to get close to Hikari without drawing attention. And if Iori's reaction was anything to go by, he'd rather avoid a repeat of a disapproving male protector silently promising pain.

Briefly, Wallace considered targeting Sora, who was quite appealing in that sexy Chinese dress. However, seeing her holding Taichi's hand as they chatted quietly with faintly pinked cheeks reminded him that Mimi once told him that they were dating - or practically dating, he wasn't sure which. Kissing a taken woman, especially in front of her boyfriend, guaranteed extreme violence in return, and he wouldn't be able to kiss other girls with a face wrecked by fists.

That meant his only other option was the pretty girl with indigo hair by one of the many punch bowls, one far from Iori and Miyako. The only other Chosen nearby was Jou, who just left the table, leaving Wallace's new target unattended and unaware.

Ken watched the other Chosen as he sipped his punch, thankful for the moment of quiet. Parties always made him anxious due the constant sound and activity around him. Still, things were a lot less nerve-wracking than he thought they would be.

No sooner had Ken finished that thought when he felt arms wrap around his waist from behind as a pair plastic fangs poked against his neck. With an embarrassingly loud squeak, he dropped the cup of punch and turned a vivid shade of red as he gawked at the boy who had gotten the drop on the Digimon Kaiser.

"Thank you for the meal, princess," Wallace said with a sly grin and a wink.

"E-eh… eh?" Ken gaped at Wallace, his face bright red as he clasped a hand over his neck. He was thoroughly thunderstruck, mortification flooding him as it dawned on him what had happened and why.

"Hey!" Daisuke shouted as he charged over, pointing his sword at Wallace. "What're you doing kissing Ken's neck in front of everybody like that!?"

Wallace blinked blankly at Daisuke, as his rapid fire Japanese was too much for him to figure out with his limited knowledge. He looked from Daisuke's knight outfit to Ken's regal attire and snickered softly. "Date?"

Ken jerked as his blush deepened, and his voice rose considerably in pitch. "D-d-d-d-d-date-!?"

Daisuke looked back and forth between the two, his eyes widening as his arm dropped to his side like a lead weight. "What? You're asking Ken out on a date?!"

"[Your girlfriend is so cute,]" Wallace said, grinning at Daisuke to diffuse the situation. "[I'm jealous.]"

Mildly disoriented, Daisuke looked from Ken to Wallace and back, noticing the heavy blush gracing his friend's cheeks. "Uh… wait, is this something I shouldn't have interrupted, or…?"

Ken jerked and whirled to stare at Daisuke, gaping. His blush could not possibly turn any darker as it spread down his neck, and he raised both of his hands up defensively and shook them vigorously. "N-no! No! No-no-no-no-no! I… he just… he thinks I'm a… he bit me and…!"

"[Don't worry,]" Wallace said, "[I won't steal your girlfriend away from you.]" He patted Daisuke on the shoulder with a broad smile. "[I'm a vampire and I just needed a pure young maiden's blood to sustain me through the night. I have a weakness for]…" He paused for a moment to remember the right word. "Sexy, sexy."

Daisuke's eyes crossed for a moment as he tried to process the conversation with his limited English and the fragmented stammering from Ken. "So… you're a… what do they call a gay guy in English?" He turned to his friend with widening eyes. "Oh my gosh, Ken, a gay guy from America just hit on you! I'll bet he's asking you to go to a gay bar with him!"

Ken waved his hand in front of his nose, hissing through his teeth. "K-k-keep it down! Someone else is going to-"

"What's this about a gay bar?" Takeru asked as he approached the two boys, his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline. "What's going on?"

Ken grimaced before he reached up to cover his face, quivering with embarrassment. "Oh God…"

Daisuke turned to Takeru, dumbfounded as he pointed at Wallace. "Mimi's American friend is gay and kissed Ken on the neck and asked him out on a date to a gay bar because he thinks Ken is sexy. I thought it was the French that kissed and hit on strangers, not Americans."

Takeru made a show of slowly cocking an eyebrow as he fixed Daisuke with a pointed stare. "I'd think my grandfather would have mentioned something like that before…"

Daisuke blinked. "Oh, your grandpa's French?" He hummed and rubbed his chin. "I guess it's just Americans then."

"I-it's not… I just…!" Ken sputtered. While he wanted to tell them what was really happening, somehow admitting that he had been mistaken for a girl was even worse than the current misunderstanding. Worse still was the fact that he, the Digimon Kaiser of all people had been caught completely unawares by a spoiled rich brat. "C-can we just drop it, please!?"

Daisuke put his hand on Ken's shoulder, his expression sympathetic. "It's okay, Ken. No one is going to think anything bad about you just because you got hit on by a gay guy. You're just so awesome, even guys can't hold themselves back from falling for you!"

The conversation was utterly lost on Wallace, who smiled as he caught only the occasional word or small phrase that did little to help him understand just what the Chosen were saying. "Enjoying the party?"

Daisuke eyed Wallace before nodding. "Yeah, but I don't think Ken is interested in going out with you to a gay bar or anyplace else, so why don't you go flirt with someone else for a while?"

Wallace held up his hands placidly with a chuckle. "It's okay, it's okay. I'm not… [ah darn, what was it…] Cute Ken yours taking to date."

Daisuke raised his finger to point at Wallace, about to make another comment when the words filtered through, causing his arm to drop. "Wait… you think I'm gay too?" He jerked back, eyes widening. "You want us to go to a gay bar together?!"

Wallace tilted his head slightly at the reaction then scratched his head. "Ah… [this is really awkward without a translator.]" He turned to seek out Mimi. "[Hey, Mimi, can you tell your friend I'm not trying to steal his girlfriend, please?]"

Mimi walked over from the web game carrying her prize paper mache pumpkin with the top already torn open then placed back haphazardly onto its slightly mangled form. She gave Wallace a chastising look and wagged her finger. "[Were you being a pervert again, Wallace?]"

Wallace feigned innocence."[Vampires need the blood of pure maidens to survive you know.]"

Mimi looked at the group before focusing on Takeru. "Don't mind Wallace. He's a flirt, but he's harmless. I'll go talk to Hikari about it and reassure her I'll make sure he won't do it again."

"Hikari?" Takeru blinked, then furrowed his brow. "No, apparently he did something to Ken." He gestured towards the boy genius, who stood quivering with his face still covered. "Something about a gay bar?"

"Could we please drop it?" Ken asked, through his muffled hands. It was a futile plea, but it was all he could muster at that point as he wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear. He couldn't even face Wormmon, who had noticed his discomfort and came to check on him. The only silver lining out of the entire situation was the fact that FlaWizarmon and Witchmon weren't there and would never find out about it. If the last time he was mistaken for a girl was any indication, the two would have an absolute field day. He'd never hear the end of it.

Mimi blinked before she turned to Wallace. "[What did you do?]"

"[I fed off this pure young maiden,]" Wallace said before he surprised Ken with a peck on the cheek. "[Like so.]"

Ken jerked as his eyes widened again and he clasped both of his hands over his cheeks, stiffening ramrod straight. "Eep-!" To make his mortification even worse, Wallace was snickering at his reaction.

"See?" Daisuke asked as he looked to Takeru. "That gay guy did that before to Ken's neck too!" He shot Wallace a glare, only to faux innocent smile in return. "Mimi, tell this guy Ken's not interested in going on a date to a gay bar, and neither am I."

Mimi stared at the boys for a long moment as the situation sank in. She tried to keep her composure, but it was just too much, and she wound up doubling over with laughter.

"What's so funny?" Yamato asked and the rest of the Chosen approached, drawn by the commotion. Even other party-goers were watching, though they kept their distance. "What's happening?"

"Did we miss something good?" Taichi asked, eager for more entertainment.

It was all too much for Ken. Not only had he been bitten - no, kissed - twice by some perverted idiot that couldn't speak more than a few phrases of Japanese, but that insect had the gall to do it in front of his fr… the Chosen Children. Worse still, he couldn't do anything about it, as all the eyes boring into him left him torn between wanting to crawl into a hole and bury himself and the violent urge to draw his whip and strike all of them until no one would laugh at him ever again.

"P-please excuse me," Ken finally forced out, before he attempted to bolt. However, he didn't get far before Mimi snagged him, struggling to remain standing as she laughed so hard she was crying.

It was difficult, but somehow Mimi managed to speak amidst her peals of laughter. "Daisuke thinks Wallace is gay, and Wallace thinks Ken is a gi-"

Ken whirled to clasp his shaking hands over Mimi's mouth, silencing her. "I-it's nothing! P-please e-enjoy the rest of the party!"

Despite being cut off, Mimi couldn't help but laugh all the more from Ken's obvious mortification.

Wallace scratched his head as he wondered if there was something he was missing due to cultural differences.

"[Ken is a boy,]" Miyako said as she approached, her arms folded before her with her pipe in her mouth. Her voice was icy as her gaze pierced through Wallace. "[And kissing people without their permission is sexual assault.]"

Koshiro looked over at Miyako uneasily. "[I don't think 'sexual assault' is the right term for it.]"

Miyako merely shrugged, her gaze never leaving Wallace.

Wallace found himself growing even more uneasy than even when Iori stared him down, particularly since the other boy was looming behind Miyako. "[N-now hold on, I didn't mean anything by it.]"

Miyako pointed her magnifying glass at Wallace as she blew some bubbles from her pipe in a surprisingly intimidating manner. "[Don't do it again.]"

"[Yes ma'am,]" Wallace said with an awkward chuckle.

Miyako paused for a moment before her lips curled into a wicked grin. "[And everyone thinks you are gay.]"

Wallace went silent for a moment before his eyes widened drastically. "[Wait, what?]"

"[I said Ken was a boy. Did you miss it?]" Miyako asked with false sweetness.

"[Maybe it's all the blood rushing to his head - or other places. It's clogging his ears~!]" Pafumon said, surprisingly speaking English just as competently as her partner, as she rested on Miyako's head.

Wallace turned to gawk at Ken and Mimi as the other boy released the still giggling girl.

"[It's true,]" Mimi said as she dabbed at her eyes.

Ken couldn't meet Wallace's gaze, still embarrassed. "[I-it's fine, so...]"

"I keep hearing the word 'boy' over and over," Yamato said as he glanced to Taichi.

Taichi furrowed his brow. "I'm starting to feel left out here."

Sora hummed her agreement, glancing between Ken, Mimi, Wallace, and Miyako before she glanced at the other Chosen to see their clueless expressions. She really did to pay more attention in her English class, it seemed.

Wallace gaped at Ken in silence for several moments as it dawned on him fully what had happened, with the genius' mortified expression confirming it, before he reached his hands skyward as he dropped to his knees.

"[Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!]"

Outside the Barton mansion, the sky rippled like the surface of a calm pond displaced by a falling pebble. The ripples deepened until the sky tore open to reveal a blackened void filled with strings of zeros and ones instead of stars. All too soon the tear began to mend as reality righted itself, but not before a giant bipedal goat Digimon slipped through and entered the real world.

The disturbance in the sky didn't go unnoticed, as the party extended to the grounds as well. Nearly all the children outside paused in their games and snacks to stare in wonder. Mephismon turned his red eyes towards the human children as he hovered above them, paying no mind to the tear sealing behind him as he fanned his massive bat wings wide. He scanned maze made from bales of hay and adorned with gaudy decorations, the snack tables, and the other random games, but none of these slack-jawed children were what he sought. His red eyes turned then to the mansion itself where children began spilling out in ever increasing numbers.

Mephismon's right ear twitched as small hushed whispers caught its attention, drawing his gaze back to the gawking human children. Some started pointing, others pulled at one another in eagerness, and a few took out cameras to take pictures, but all of them could not turn their eyes away from him.

"[That's a pretty cool effect]," one of the boys in a vampire costume said.

"[What did you expect?]" his skeleton friend said, with no amount of surprise as he crossed his arms. "[He probably borrowed his dad's movie equipment.]"

"[It's kind of ugly, isn't it?]" a witch girl whispered to her friend. "[And how cliche!]"

"[I know, right?]" the other girl, dressed as a princess, giggled as she covered her mouth with her hand.

Mephismon let out a small snort at their inane prattling before he narrowed his eyes and returned his focus back to his true prize. The large windows at the side of the mansion gave tantalizing glimpses of the party inside and how far word quickly spread of his appearance. Past the throng of insects skittering about their hive, he finally found his targets - the Chosen Children.

The Chosen Children still had yet to notice the commotion, too distracted by Wallace's wailing to notice yet that something was going on. However, the Chosen Digimon were starting to take note of the disturbance.

Mephismon cared nothing for the mewling blond boy and dismissed him completely. The majority of the Chosen Children were far more important, but they were roaches to crush later. The only one of them that truly mattered to him right now was Ken Ichijouji, who appeared quite distressed himself as he tried to retreat from a situation that grew ever the more uncomfortable by the second.

Mephismon gave another snort of disgust as he fanned his wings. His long, fluffy tail snapped out with the strength of a backhand to smack one of the more brazen children away that had climbed a stack of hay bales in an attempt to sneak closer to him. Even the brat's wail and crying after they knocked down another wall of hay was an annoyance, but he would eradicate that human and all the others as soon as he took his prize.

The sound of glass shattering was all the warning Ken received before Mephismon's giant hand snatched him up and pulled him away. He let out a strangled cry that was choked off almost immediately by the large fingers that pressed against his chest and pinned his arms to his side. Distantly, he could hear Wormmon and the rest of the Chosen cry out his name in shock and horror while the world around him moved in a blur as he was whisked away.

The ground shook as Mephismon landed back outside, sending many of the gawkers scurrying away to a more safe distance. He didn't so much as bat an eye at them, crouching his powerful hind legs before launching himself upwards into the sky so that he could regard his captive prey away from the gasps, squealing, and chatter.

Ken squirmed as best he could despite the large fingers pressing on him from all sides once he recovered from his shock. "Y-you… who are you!?" he sputtered out breathlessly, doing his best to sound fierce in spite of his compromised position. "How… how are you even in this world!?"

Mephismon's gaze was unnerving in its unblinking stare, and when he spoke it was in a deep rumble that resonated through Ken's bones. "Give me the power of Darkness and Miracles."

Ken froze. "What?"

"I know you took the crests from their corpses," Mephismon said, his gaze unwavering. "You will give them to me."

The words were a blow to the stomach that left Ken feeling sick. At first, all he could manage was a tiny squeak of denial as he shook his head, but somehow he found the strength to force his voice to work. "I… don't know what you're talking about." The words tumbled from his mouth, unforgivably hollow and frail. "Just… who are you...?"

"I am Mephismon," the goat demon Digimon said. "I am the legacy you Chosen Children have wrought upon the Digital World. I am all that remains of what you tried to erase, your failures and sins personified." His unsettling red eyes narrowed. "And with the power of evolution, your powers of evolution, I will finally have my revenge."

The blood drained from Ken's face as he found himself wishing desperately that he had allowed FlaWizarmon and Witchmon to shadow him while he attended the party. "You… you're insane."

"Give them to me," Mephismon said as his fingers pressed into Ken's diaphragm, forcing the air from his lungs. "Or I will take them from your corpse."

Ken struggled in desperate futility until the monster finally loosened the hold on him just enough to let him refill his lungs with lifesaving air. For a moment, he could only cough, taking the time to steady his breathing and his nerves before he spoke again. "If your words were anything to go by," he said in carefully measured words before swallowing hard. Slowly, careful not to rouse Mephismon's notice and be choked again, he slid his hand into his pants. "You're going to kill me anyway."

Mephismon's mouth quirked into a cruel grin as he squeezed Ken again. "True enough."

Ken grimaced, gritting his teeth as his air rushed out in a mortifying squeak. His hand began to shake, but it finally reached the small holster under his costume that carried his taser. Once Mephismon loosened the hold so that he could breathe again, he tore the taser free and slammed its sparking prongs underneath one of the monster's giant fingernails.

The scream unleashed from Mephismon was horrific as the electricity coursed violently through his hand from such a vulnerable spot. Instantly, he released Ken to cradle his trembling hand against his chest.

Ken had been prepared for that reaction and landed on his feet on the roof, sliding slightly against the tilted tile before he took off running. Heart racing, he glanced back over his shoulder at Mephismon and reached the ledge just in time for the Digimon to recover and let out a roar of fury before diving straight at him.

"Back off!"

Ken jerked back before he could jump down from the roof as XV-mon suddenly flew past, body-slamming Mephismon in the ribs and knocking the giant goat back away from the Chosen of Kindness. He was swiftly followed by Angewomon, who kicked Mephismon before their opponent could recover from XV-mon's attack.

Although Ken knew he should've expected that the other Chosen would not simply stand idly by when he was in trouble, he still found himself lingering on the roof, mouth slightly open as he stared with wide eyes as more and more evolved Digimon with the ability to fly came rushing at Mephismon. He only snapped out of his staring when he heard someone shouting his name from below and looked down to see Daisuke frantically waving up at him with the rest of the Chosen Children not far behind.

"Keeeeen! Are you okay!?" Daisuke shouted, his eyes darting from Ken to the side of the house, looking for anything to climb.

"I'd say he's about as okay as anyone can be that's just been kidnapped by a homicidal Digimon," Pafumon said as she hovered above Miayako.

"Ken!" Hikari called, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Just wait, we'll get you-"

The rest of what she intended to say was cut off in her throat by her heart leaping into it when she saw Ken leap off the roof. However, he landed on the concrete without much fanfare with the same easy grace he held when he did jumps over hurdles in gym class.

For a moment, Hikari could only stare and try to ease her quickened pulse with the reminder that he had that ability, before one last word tumbled from her lips. "…Down."

"Well…," Yamato said after a significant pause, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess it is a shorter distance than your apartment was."

Taichi practically beamed at Ken as he reached the younger boy's side. "You have got to teach us how to do that sometime."

Ken turned to flash Taichi a smile but any further response was cut off by Mephismon surging off the roof, his head lowered as he rammed his horns into XV-mon. XV-mon used his arms to shield his stomach, but was still helpless against the force as it threw him backwards.

"XV-mon!" Daisuke shouted as he watched his partner crashed into the maze and sent a small explosion of hay into the air.

"Stay back!" Angewomon said as she hovered close to the ground only a meter or so above the children children. She was swiftly joined by Holy Angemon, War Greymon, and the rest of the Chosen Digimon, forming an impenetrable barrier between Mephismon and their partners.

"You picked the wrooooong people to pick a fight with~!" Pafumon said cheerfully, though she kept her distance with Miyako. "Kick his ass, everyone~!"

Iori glanced at Pafumon as he kept his firm tight on Kyokyomon, his partner baring his teeth like a growling dog that looked about ready to attack despite the considerable size difference. "Be careful, everyone! This is the human world!"

"We don't know what you're after," Holy Angemon said as he pointed his sword at Mephismon, clenching his fist. "But we will not allow it."

"That's right!" Lilymon said as she flexed her fingers before pointing directly at Mephismon. "I'm going to punish you for ruining Wallace's party, and for making everyone ruin their costumes by evolving, too!"

Mephismon paused in his attack to regard the Chosen Digimon with open disdain before his eyes settled on the children themselves with a sneer curling his lips. He paused at the sight of them, disgust disappearing under a wave of shock as he took the time to look over each child. Upon seeing their features, he quaked with outrage that was so strong it practically radiated from his body and twisted his face into something truly ugly. "You… you have evolved as well!?"

Taichi blinked, his expression blank. "Huh?"

"You humans - you have evolved!" Mephismon said, accusing voice dripping with revulsion. "You mean to say that not only are you able to evolve your partners without care, but yourselves as well!? While we all had to suffer and toil for what little we had!?" He flared his wings as blood red eyes burned like twin balls of fire. "Is there no end to the injustice!? To the obvious nepotism!?"

"Nepo… wha?" Taichi repeated slowly, equal parts confused and unnerved by the outburst.

"What… what's he talking about?" Jou asked as a bead of sweat appeared on his cheek. "Is he crazy?"

"Well, obviously," Pafumon chirped. "Looks pretty crazy to me!"

Miyako blew some bubbles from her pipe, her expression deadpan. "Actually, it just sounds like he's throwing a fit because he's jealous he doesn't have a human partner to evolve him."

"Don't you dare feign ignorance," Mephismon snarled as he pointed a quivering finger at the Chosen Children. "You may not remember me, but I certainly remember you! I memorized each and every one of your faces when you defeated me that day, and you - have - evolved!"

"He must… he must be the reincarnation of a previous enemy!" Koshiro gasped as realization dawned upon him. "But who-?"

"Who indeed?" Mephismon repeated mockingly as he drew himself up, his wings fanning out wide. "Who else but your executioner?" With that, he dove forward at the Chosen Children, with the Chosen Digimon predictably rushing forward to meet him and block his attack.

"He said something about being your 'legacy', and 'sins' that you tried to 'erase'," Ken said as he kept his voice even, though inwardly he was relieved it was an enemy of theirs and not of his. The fact that he still knew about the crests of Darkness and Miracles was concerning, but it at least eliminated Mephismon as an ally of Zhuqiaomon. "And he said he wanted to… steal my power of evolution and use it to get revenge."

"What the hell does that even mean?" Daisuke asked as he hovered near Ken, protectively while XV-mon did the same for him. "Why's he so obsessed about evolution? I mean, he's gotta be pretty evolved or XV-mon and the others would've kicked his ass already!"

Miyako paused at that before she reached up to adjust her glasses. "Wait. This all sounds familiar."

Daisuke stared at Miyako, dumbfounded. "How's it familiar? I don't remember this guy, and I've been on the team longer than you."

Miyako shot Daisuke a deadpan stare. "Am I really going to have to bring up my reports again? Especially the parts where I interviewed everyone to chronicle every major event that our senpai went through when they first went to the Digital World years ago?"

Daisuke grimaced and turned away to hide his darkening cheeks as he focused on Mephismon. "O-of course not! So who is he then?"

"Apocalymon," Takeru suddenly murmured, his eyes wide. The name caused everyone to stare at him, but his eyes never left the furious Digimon staring them down. "It's Apocalymon."

Ken furrowed his brow. "That… conglomeration of deceased, vengeful Digimon?" He was admittedly uncertain how such a thing could even be created, given Digimon naturally went to the Village of Beginnings after they died. There was only real possibility for how it could happen, but Apocalymon had not been at all related to Zeed Millenniumon - supposedly.

"No way!" Taichi shouted.

"What!?" Jou sputtered. "But… but we destroyed him!"

"Digimon can be reborn," Ken said, his voice low. "Over and over, as many times as they wish."

Hikari glanced over at Ken, furrowing her brow, before she returned her attention to the fight as both Angewomon and Holy Angemon attacked Mephismon - one from either side - only for the demon goat Digimon to fly upwards out of reach. "So even after being reborn, he's still filled with nothing but hatred…"

"Which means he's due for another trip back!" Taichi said as he slammed his left fist in to his right palm. "As many times as he needs to, until it gets through his thick skull!"

From a safe distance, Wallace and the rest of the children attending his party watched the fight. Only he understood the seriousness of the situation, staring in shock while his guests watched in excitement, chattering amongst themselves.

"[So cool!]" one girl in a princess outfit gushed. "[I can't even believe the special effects!]"

"[Well, Wallace's dad is an actor,]" another girl, this one wearing a mummy outfit, said. "[He probably called in a couple favors.]"

"[Wallace just has the best of everything, huh?]" the first girl asked before sighing. "[He's just so cool~!]"

"[I wonder who designed them?]" a boy wearing a Frankenstein outfit asked. "[Some of them are really cool, anyway. The others are kinda so-so.]"

"[Heh, yeah,]" his friend, a boy dressed as a devil, said before he gave his friend a lewd grin and made squeezing gestures. "[I especially like the angel girl.]"

Wallace paid his guests no mind, instead focusing on the Digimon as they fought with Mephismon, who seemed to be handling himself fairly well despite being attacked by a crowd of Digimon. It was a thrilling sight to behold, watching such a battle full of powerful attacks and explosions. His blood should have been pumping with delight as he enjoyed his guests attributing such a spectacle to him, but it was dull when compared to the painful twist inside his chest that could focus on only one thing. "[This is a 'Chosen Child', huh…]"

"Fairy Vine!" Lilimon shot a vine-like whip from her wrist, attempting attack - or failing that, snag - her opponent. Unfortunately, Mephismon reacted to the snare around his arm faster than she could, swinging Lilimon around as she screamed in surprise before flinging her at Angewomon, knocking both of them out of the sky.

"Lilimon!" Mimi screeched in horror.

"Lilimon! Are you-" MetalGarurumon began before he yelped as Mephismon slammed his right hoof on the cyborg's face, using it as a springboard to propel himself upwards and out of the way of a slashing attack from WarGreymon.

"H-he's so fast!" Jou said as his glasses slid down his sweat-soaked nose. "And he's just supposed to be just a Perfect!"

"Well, I guess when you're the physical manifestation of jealousy, you can break the rules," Yamato said as he grit his teeth, then hurried over to his partner's side once MetalGarurumon hit the ground.

There was no time for the Digimon fighting to focus on the injured, even as Mephimon batted aside XV-mon like a pesky gnat to catch AtlurKabuterimon by the horns when the giant red insect slammed into him with a flame-fueled charge. In that moment the Perfects clashed strength against strength, Garudamon unleashed a furious swipe of her burning claws along Mephismon's back. With a roar of rage, the giant goat swung AtlurKabuterimon around into the great bird sending both crashing to the ground. Lightning shot Mephismon a moment later, unleashed by Zudomon from below.

Ken couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration at how Mephismon was able to combat all of the Chosen Children at once. A group of six Perfects, two Ultimates, and one Adult should've had no problem facing a lone Perfect, yet Mephismon's speed kept him ahead of the others. It was all the proof Ken needed to know for certain that none of them would be of much help against Zeed Millenniumon - not as undisciplined and inexperienced as they were were. It also became increasingly obvious that he would need to sneak away and send a distress signal to FlaWizarmon and Witchmon, before they all died. "This… isn't going well, is it?"

"Don't worry," Hikari said, though her eyes never wavered from the fight. "We've defeated Apocalymon before. We'll defeat him again no matter what new evolution he has."

"How can a Perfect be so strong?" Wormmon murmured, feeling a sharp pang of frustration that he wasn't up there fighting as well in some grand evolved form, proving both his strength and Ken's to the world.

"It's like Imperialdramon all over again," Iori murmured as a slight tremor ran through his arms.

Kyokyomon paused as he sensed Iori's fear before he scowled. Without warning, he gave a mighty shrug and threw himself out of his partner's arms, rushing towards the scene of the battle despite Iori's cry of surprise. "Don't worry! I'll help too!"

"Kyokyo-!?" Iori began before he found himself moving after his partner. "No! Stop!"

"Iori!?" Miyako cried out, gawking in shock as the boy left her side.

"Iori!" Ken barked, his voice rising to a hysterical pitch at the sight of the Chosen of Honor rushing after his Digimon straight into the fray. "Get back here!"

Mephismon landed on the ground and crouched, giving a small snort as he glared up at Angewomon as she and Holy Angemon circled around him. He let out a low growl and looked about to lunge when the flash of motion in the corner of his eye caught his attention seconds before a small metal spike flew right into it.

"Metal Straw!" Kyokyomon shouted as he opened his mouth, shooting tiny spikes out of it at the much larger Perfect.

Mephismon flinched as he covered his left eye with his hand, the attack as effective as an errante mote of dust hitting his eye, causing it to water and nothing more. Irritated at the audacity, he glared down at the baby and lifted his foot upwards before lunging down in what would be a devastating stomp.

"You will not!" Iori roared as he drew his bokken and brought it up in time to block the giant hoof coming down on him. Neither Mephismon nor the others were prepared for the sheer strength that went into the blow, with the bokken shattering on impact while the goat Digimon went tumbling like a sack of bricks as his leg was knocked out from under him.

Iori paid neither Mephismon nor the ruined wooden sword any mind as he lunged to grab Kyokyomon, scooping him up. "Kyokyomon, that was dangerous-!"

A loud, angry crackle of electricity startled Iori out of his furious rant and he turned in time to see Mephismon howling as he spasmed, his outstretched hand inches from the boy's face. It had been halted by a small taser, held by the Chosen of Kindness as he plunged it into the Digimon's tender flesh and held the button down.

Ken jerked his taser back and unceremoniously grabbed Iori by the front of his costume, yanking him along as if he were an errant child while running back to join the others. "Idiot-idiot-idiot!"

"What the hell were you two thinking!?" Miyako shrieked as she snagged Iori by the arm once he was close enough. "You could've been killed!"

"I…," Iori hesitated as he stared between Miyako and Ken, realization dawning. "I-I apologize…"

Kyokyomon at least had the good sense to look contrite, drooping. "I'm sorry, Mi-ya-ko… I-o-ri…"

"Everyone!" Taichi yelled. "Attack now while he's still stunned! Hurry!"

"Go for it!" Yamato agreed, throwing his fist forward.

"Holy Arrow!" Angewomon answered Taichi's call by sending a spray of arrows from her gloved bow towards Mephismon.

"Grey Fire!" WarGreymon shouted as he opted to use one of his smaller attacks, shooting a small fireball rather than a giant one and risk catching the gawking children or his comrades in the carnage.

MetalGarurumon was in a better position to use his more precise ice breath, sending it straight at Mephismon. "Cocytus Breath!"

Garudamon flung her own fiery projectile at their downed opponent. "Shadow Wing!"

"Flow..." Lilimon shouted, throwing her hands together to form a literal cannon from them as she prepared her attack. "Cannon!"

"Horn Buster!" AtlurKabuterimon shouted as he threw his head downward, aiming his horn at Mephismon as he fired a beam from it.

"Hammer Spark!" Zudomon flung his hammer downward, sending electricity through the ground towards the downed goat Digimon.

VX-mon flexed his chest, thrusting it outward as the x-shaped scar glowed bright and sent out a blast of light. "X-Laser!"

Holy Angemon threw his hands forward, sending an energy blade from them at his opponent. "Soul Banish!"

Mephismon recovered far too late from the taser's second strike. He could only sluggishly look up as the attacks came from all sides, right at him. His face twisted in rage before he let out a roar of impotent fury, seconds before all of the Chosen Children's attacks convened on him, followed by a burst of data that flew upwards like a storm cloud as dirt and bits of grass exploded everywhere.

Ken's breath caught in his throat as he waited, muscles taut, for the dust and dirt to clear. When it finally dissipated, all that was left of Mephismon was an empty crater lined with bits of burnt hay and broken decorations. Only when he saw the last of the data disappear did he exhale and sagged with relief.

Unfortunately, he could relax for only a moment before Daisuke grabbed Ken and spun him around in an enthusiastic hug before thrusting the genius' arm into the air with his. "That was awesome! We totally did it! You were a badass, Ken!"

Ken jerked, as he was dragged along briefly, blushing at the unexpected hug. For a moment he could only stare at Daisuke's dazzling smile as the goggle boy let out a victory whoop and jumped up, still holding his arm. Daisuke's enthusiasm was as overwhelming as always, but he found himself missing it when the brown haired boy released him when XV-mon landed in front of them.

"We did it, Daisuke!" XV-mon agreed gleefully and threw his hands forward to meet the high-ten that his partner greeted him with.

"You were amazing, XV-mon!" Daisuke cheered. "You took on that jerk like it was nothing!"

"Great job, guys," Taichi said, flashing a smile and a thumbs up to his partner along with the rest of the Digimon.

"You alright, Lilimon?" Mimi asked when her partner fluttered down to her side.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Lilimon said with a dismissive wave of her hand and a cheerful smile. "Don't worry~!"

Jou flopped down backwards on his back, catching himself from falling back completely by bracing his arms back behind him. "T-thank goodness…!"

"Is everyone alright?" Sora asked as she glanced around the Chosen Children. She gave a small jump when a burst of applause and cheers drew her attention to their audience, the gaggle of children standing around stupidly as they clapped as if a show had just ended. The other children all began to chatter, both amongst themselves and at the Chosen Children.

"[That was incredible!]"

"[It was okay, I guess. Cliche ending, though.]"

"[Yeah, no one even died.]"

"[Well, this is a children's party…]"

"[Take a look at the damage to the grass! My old man'd have a fit if I blew up our lawn!]"

"[When's the next showing? I came in halfway...]"

"That was amazing!" Wallace said as he approached the group, also clapping. "I could feel my heart beating quickly the whole time!"

"Yours and mine both," Yamato said as he rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit sheepish. Playing in a band got him used to an audience, but this sort of spectacle felt a far cry from a real performance. It felt wrong to even make the comparison.

Mimi giggled and curtsied to the crowd, which Lilimon mimicked from about a meter above the ground. "[Thank you, thank you. We practiced hard to give you a good show.]"

"Huh," Miyako said as she eyed the American children. "Everyone thinks this whole thing was fake." She turned to her friends and smirked slightly, though there was a lingering strain from stress. "Looks like we're in the clear."

Once Ken finished scanning the others and was sure no one was truly hurt, he shot Iori an irritated stare. However, his expression quickly eased when he saw that the Chosen of Honor looked genuinely remorseful, especially when Miyako turned her attention on him with fire in her eyes. He would allow Miyako the honor of giving Iorithe dressing down he deserved, ironic considering the one she had received after her own stupidity. "Everyone's safe," he whispered. "So that's all that matters."

Wormmon nodded, though he couldn't help but feel a touch disappointed that he had done nothing but watch a battle go on without him. Again.

Brow furrowed with concern, Hikari inched close to Ken and dropped her voice low so that only he could hear her. "How are you doing?"

Ken gave a small jump before he glanced at Hikari. He hesitated before he allowed himself a small grimace. "I thought I was going to throw up, especially when Iori nearly…." He trailed off before giving a small shake of his head. "But I managed to resist it."

Hikari nodded and smiled encouragingly as she gave Ken's shoulder a squeeze. "You did great."

Ken blinked before a light tint appeared on his cheeks. "T-thank you…"

Wallace glanced around at the Chosen Children and their Digimon, who glowed before reverting back to their much smaller casual forms. "[Well then! With all the excitement done, how about we go back to the party? I know it'll be hard to beat that little show, but we can certainly try!]"

"[Sorry for upstaging you at your own party, Wallace,]" Mimi said with a sly smile as she nudged Wallace in the side.

Wallace chuckled and threw out his cape with a flourish. "[Just you wait until next year. I'll give you a party that'll blow you all away.]" He then turned to the Chosen. "Come on, everybody! Victory party time!"

"Yeah!" Daisuke shouted before lunging to crook his arm through Ken's. Though initially startled by the grab, the boy genius returned his smile with one of his own and allowed Daisuke to lead him off. "You heard the guy! Let's celebrate!"

Wallace wore a charming as he watched the children rush back to his mansion, along with the Chosen Children and their Digimon. His guests couldn't get enough of the Chosen, racing towards them to ask questions about their 'performance,' leaving him alone outside amidst the ruined maze. He lingered at the site of the battle, his face slowly falling once no one was around to see it. After some hesitation, then turned to regard the crater in his lawn, where bits of water was beginning to pool as the damaged sprinklers hemorrhaged to create a small pond. He came to a stop right at the edge, watching a couple burnt plastic bats bob up and down in the water.

The battle replayed in Wallace's mind, not simply a display of fancy attacks and explosions, but excitement charged in the air. The smiles on his friends' faces, the awe in their eyes, and of course the amazing energy he could see on each Chosen Child's face when they looked at their Digimon.

Wallace exhaled a long, heavy sigh before straightening up. Painting his best carefree smile across his face, he turned to return to the mansion. He had barely taken a step when a glint of light out the corner of his eye stilled him. Turning back to the crater, he saw small squares of golden sparks floating above the water. Those sparkles drifted aimlessly at first, increasing in number, before they formed into neat lines that then spiraled and condensed until it created an ovoid shape. The light flared briefly before it disappeared altogether, leaving behind a large tan egg the size of a beach ball, with black splotches around its smooth surface bobbing gently in the water.

Wallace stared at the egg with wide eyes, and his fake smile finally became real.