The climb up the mountain was long and arduous on uneven and at times loose ground - nothing like a walk through the city on smooth paved streets. Ryo tried not to let on how tired he was by the time their little group reached the summit, as Ken was even more exhausted than he.

Ken, to his credit, did his best to keep up with Ryo without complaining - even if he wanted to. His body greatly protested all on its own, but he wasn't about to verbalize any of it. Instead, he all but collapsed against a rock once they reached their goal, panting heavily. It was a while before took a weary glance around. "W-we made it…"

Ryo let out a sigh and sunk to the ground, breathing heavy. "Let's… let's take a break here for a sec."

Ken nodded, shakily. "Y-yes… thank you..."

"G-goodness!" Bokomon said as he leaned forward, placing his hands on his knees to support himself as he panted. "W-when I volunteered to act as Lady Tenraimon's rep-representative, no one told me there'd be so much… physical activity involved!"

"Wheeeee~!" Neemon squealed as he ran through a nearby field of wildflowers, sending a blizzard of petals flying in his wake.

"H-how can he have so much energy after such a climb?" Ken asked, somewhat desperately.

"I-idiots always have energy to spare," Bokomon grumbled under his breath.

Leollmon glanced at the exhausted children before he proceeded to survey their surroundings. As a trained warrior, he fared the climb far better than the others had. "Please rest for a moment. I will stand guard."

"Thanks, Leollmon," Ryo said with a weary but grateful smile.

Ken leaned back against the rock as he sat, gently lowering Leafmon so that the baby Digimon was sitting in his lap. "Whew…"

"You did great, Ken!" Leafmon said, even as he watched his partner with open concern. "If I had legs, I'd carry you."

Ken cracked a small smile as he glanced down at his partner. "I-I appreciate the thought, Leafmon."

Leafmon returned the smile with one of his own that made his eyes sparkle like starlight.

Ryo glanced over at Leafmon and Ken, then furrowed his brow before turning to Bokomon as the Kappa-like Digimon gently sat down. "I was wondering. All Digimon have 'mon' at the end of their names, right?"

"Y-yes, that's correct," Bokomon said with a nod.

"Well, what about Higashi and Zennyu?" Ryo asked. "Neither of them have 'mon' in their names."

Ken blinked at that before he turned to Ryo. "T-that's right!" The Chosen of Kindness paused before he frowned. "Does that mean they're not Digimon?"

"Oh. no no no," Bokomon said as he waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing like that. They're most certainly Digimon - albeit highly revered Digimon. They are simply nicknames that they gave each other when they were young, that's all."

"Nicknames?" Ken repeated, slowly.

"Yes, indeed!" Bokomon said as he crossed his arms and appeared thoughtful. "Very strange, as you might imagine. Most Digimon don't see much need for names, let alone nicknames. I am, after all, Bokomon - as is every other Bokomon that might exist in this world. I see no reason to distinguish myself from the others."

"Then why are Higashi and Zennyu using nicknames?" Ryo asked.

Neemon suddenly lunged forward, flopping over Bokomon's head as he flailed his noodly arms like a pair of carp streamers caught in a hurricane. "Oh! Oh! Oh! I know this one!"

"Neemon?" Ken blinked as he lifted his gaze to the energetic Digimon.

"It means they go together like cookies and milk!" Neemon said excitedly. "Like salt and pepper! Fish and chips! Blood and guts! Christmas and cake! Like Neemon and Bokomon!"

Ken stared at Neemon before he let out an awkward laugh. "Blood and guts?" he thought before he shook his head to clear it. "So that must mean…" he said aloud, "they're very close!"

Bokomon's expression deadpanned as Neemon flopped over on his head, still waving noodly limbs about. "Yes, that would be the implication."

Ryo let out a quiet hum. "So what're their real names?"

"Sir Higashi is actually Sir Metatromon, while Sir Zennyu is Sir Samaemon," Bokomon said, matter-of-factly. "Though most simply call them by their chosen names. I dare say they rarely react to anything else at this point."

"Like an old married couple~!" Neemon said, brightly.

Ken blinked at that. "What does that-"

"Leo Claw!"

The human children and the Digimon around them looked up sharply as the shout pierced the air, followed by the sound of clattering claws striking a hard surface.

"W-what?" Ken squeaked out as he scrambled to his feet.

"Ken! That was Leollmon!" Leafmon said, his expression going fierce. "He must be fighting someone!"

Ryo hesitated before he glanced back at Ken, even as he rushed forward towards the sound. "Ken, stay back! I'm going to take a look!"

Ken faltered as he stared after Ryo, watching as the boy rushed off without waiting for a response. "Eh? But…"

"Oh dear, oh dear…" Bokomon said as he stayed beside the Chosen of Kindness, pacing back and forth was he was torn between two instincts - to stay by Ken and out of danger, or follow Ryo who was heading straight into danger.

"Whee!" Neemon squealed as he chased after Ryo, arms flapping in the breeze. "Adventure time!"

Bokomon jerked at the sound of Neemon running off. "Wait, you idiot, you-!" he began, but it was too late as the noodle Digimon rushed after Ryo without a care. The Kappa Digimon grit his teeth before he hurried after, anger clear on his face. "You'll get Sir Miracles killed with your stupidity!"

Ken gaped after Bokomon as he rush after the others in an attempt to stop Neemon, then glanced down at Leafmon in his hands. The baby Digimon still glared off at the distance with his aggressive expression.

The Chosen of Kindness furrowed his brow, then looked back up before he too hurried after Bokomon. Even if Ryo had told him to stay behind, he couldn't just wait and worry about what would happen to his best friend. If he could be of any help at all, he wanted to be there for it. "I'm coming too!"

As Ryo rushed towards the sounds of battle, he soon came upon Leollmon crouched and growling as he faced down a new Digimon - a humanoid man with enormous arms and legs, bat wings, and horns while wearing what appeared to be a tattered black devil suit.

"I suppose congratulations are in order. Few have ever been able to detect me before I wished it," the Digimon said, with a sneer that showed off his sharp vampiric fangs. "Though it won't do you much good."

"Save your congratulations and your threats, Devimon," Leollmon said, baring his own teeth. "You will not harm the Chosen Children!"

The sight of what appeared to be a literal devil sent Ryo screeching to a halt not far behind Leollmon, eyes wide and gawking. "What the…?"

A sudden cry startled Ryo and he whipped about to see Bokomon flop on top of Neemon, tackling him so that they both hit the ground.

"You little nuisance!" Bokomon said, furiously, as he tugged on the captive Neemon's ear. "You can't just-" The Kappa Digimon trailed off before he looked up, then jerked at the sight of Devimon. The color drained from his face as he scrambled back, getting off of Neemon as he crawled backwards on his hands and feet. "What-what-what-!?"

Neemon waved from his prone position. "Hiiii Devimon! Are you here for adventure too?"

Devimon regarded the terrified Bokomon and oblivious Neemon as if they were insects, with a sniff of his nose, before he batted them away as he would flies. Both were sent flying with a cry, landing a distance away in a crumbled heap.

With that, Devimon turned his attention to Ryo and the approaching Ken. "How interesting. Two Chosen Children, completely unprotected... delivering themselves directly to my doorstep." The devil Digimon's grin returned with full force as he lifted his arms up threateningly. "I would be a poor host not to receive my guests!"

"Ohhh boy," Ryo muttered as he took a step back. Everything from Devimon's appearance to his mannerisms radiated power, leaving him feeling like a field mouse that just charged at a bear.

Ken came to a stop by Ryo, gawking up at Devimon. "Is… is that the Darkness that Cassandramon told us about!?"

"Gotta be," Ryo muttered, unable to take his eyes away from Devimon.

"I will defend them with my life!" Leollmon snapped, his ears canting back as he placed himself between the human children and Devimon.

"Which will be cut tragically short!" Devimon replied, with a laugh. "For you, and them!" With that, the evil Digimon lunged forward to strike at Leollmon.

While Leollmon tried to brace himself against the blow, his valiant efforts were for naught. While a trained warrior, he was still just a child Digimon and could not withstand the strike from the much stronger Adult Digimon. With a strangled cry, the lion cub Digimon was thrown sideways, striking the ground roughly.

Ken and Ryo both stumbled back as Devimon continued onward, lunging towards them. Ryo reached over to shove Ken out of the way, but while the action did keep Ken out of striking range, it also drew Devimon's attention to the smaller - and therefore weaker - human child.

Devimon flashed Ryo a wicked smirk before lashing out with his deadly claws towards Ken.

"Stay away from Ken!" Leafmon demanded before he leapt to intercept the approaching adult Digimon - only to be batted away like an insect.

"Leafmon!" Ken yelped before he rushed towards his partner, then jerked back as Devimon chopped his massive right hand downward, purposely missing the human to block his way.

Ken gasped and stumbled back from the terrifying claw before he whipped out his taser and pointed it at Devimon.

Unlike the previous victims, the devil Digimon had enough good sense to jerk back from an unknown attack. He narrowly missed getting jabbed by the prongs, causing the device to snap and spark angrily in the air with no target in range.

Ken held the taser tightly, still holding the button down as he stared at Devimon as the Digimon reared up and regarded him as one would appraise whether a bug was venomous or not. The Chosen of Kindness panted for breath as fear gripped him so tightly that even his lungs clenched, and the cold, calculating stare slithering across his shivering body didn't help in the slightest.

"So it would seem even the tiniest of you can hide something... surprising," Devimon said, lowly. "I'll remember that."

Ryo groped blindly to seize Ken by the shirt while keeping his gaze fixed on the massive evil Digimon before them. Curses hissed under his breath as he could barely hear Devimon's wicked chuckle over his heartbeat thundering in his ears. The monster was toying with them, he knew, and as he tried to pull Ken further away, he caught sight of Leollmon crawling out of the crater that the lion's own body dug into the ground from the throw. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one to notice Leollmon's recovery, as Devimon swiftly backhanded the lion into the boulder, shattering it to pieces with Leollmon, who howled in pain before going still once more.

Bokomon and Neemon would be no more help than Leollmon or the unconscious Leafmon, the two quivering as they clung to each other, staring at the evil Digimon in outright terror. Ryo realized that there was no one left who could fight.

They were going to die.

Devimon barely uttered a single syllable to gloat before a flash of black fur followed by a feline foot suddenly slammed in his face, sending him flying backwards. Nyamon flipped in the air before she landed on the ground in front of Ken and Ryo, staring hard at the devil Digimon.

"All humans are full of surprises," Nyamon said, with a snap of her tail. "Don't ever assume based off appearances."

Keiko emerged from behind an outcropping of rocks and trees to approach even steps and clenched fists, her eyes sharp as nails. "So you're the one who has been hunting for the Chosen Children."

"Well, ya found 'em!" FlaWizarmon said as he walked behind Keiko, his expression surprisingly casual with his arms crossed. "So, now what? Did ya even think that far?"

"I doubt he did, dearie," Witchmon said with a giggle as she sat hovering on her broom behind FlaWizarmon, covering her mouth with a large hand. "They never do."

Devimon grunted as he got to his feet, then gave Nyamon - and Keiko - a murderous stare. "If you had been even a moment slower, you would be the only Chosen Child left alive on this mountain."

The tension in the lines of Keiko's face fractured in the form of a terrible smile as she pulled out her Digivice. "Thank you for your confession. Now you will be judged."

Nyamon began to glow before the light of evolution overtook her. The black cat Digimon disappeared in the light, to be quickly replaced with an angelic woman with long black hair and matching black wings. The pelts of many beasts wrapped around her body in a murderous shroud and her bleached white skin was marked in intricate lines of black where it was exposed. The upper maw of a great cat with rows of long sharp teeth was her hood, obscuring the upper half of her face behind black fur and glowing blue flames in the dark hollows where the skinned cat's eyes should have been. The gauntlets she had worn as Nyamon had grown much larger, and now covered her human hands, which she held up threateningly.

"Primal Angewomon!"

Devimon stepped back as he grimaced, staring down the Complete Digimon even as she moved forward. "You know as well as I that this will be just a temporary setback!"

Keiko ran her thumb across her neck then jerked it down it towards the ground. "Guilty."

Primal Angewomon fanned her wings before she lunged towards Devimon, slashing at him with her claws as a blue glow engulfed them. "Kaiser Execution!"

Devimon could merely grunt as the claws impaled him, the blue energy turning to flames that incinerated his body into data.

Ryo slowly calmed his trembling as he watched Devimon disappear. Weakly, he smiled at Keiko, who now turned their way. "Th-thanks. You saved us again."

"T-thank you," Leafmon said as he limped over, somewhat groggily. While having just regained consciousness, he was more desperate to return to Ken's side than to worry for his own well-being.

Ken stared as the bits of data that used to be Devimon drifted upwards, his hand still holding the button on his taser that sparked and sputtered ineffectively in his grasp. After a moment, he lowly lifted his finger, causing the device to stop crackling. His grip continued to relent until the device fell from his limp fingers, hitting the ground with a clatter. The sound seemed to shatter him from his shocked stupor, and the realization of what had just happened what nearly happened - flooded through him and overflowed. Massive sobs shook Ken's body as he fell to his knees, wailing as tears stained his cheeks. While it sounded like he was trying to speak, none of the words could make it through his bawling, and came out as only more sobs.

"Oh, oh no, Ken!" Leafmon wailed, flailing his leaf about. "What's wrong? Are you hurt? D-don't worry, I'll protect you!"

"Oh Ken…" Ryo muttered before he knelt down to pat Ken on the back. "H-hey, don't cry. We're all okay, right? Nothing bad happened."

FlaWizarmon and Witchmon both paused to blink, then glanced at each other.

"Oooooh dear," Witchmon said.

"Yyyyep." FlaWizarmon agreed.

The rigidness of Keiko's expression crumbled quickly in the wake of Ken's tears. Without a word, she crossed what had been a battlefield only moments ago to crouch beside the sobbing child. She hesitated a moment more, watching as Ryo and Leafmon tried in vain to console Ken, before she pulled the younger boy into her arms and started to sing a sweet, soothing song.

Primal Angewomon de-evolved back to her Adult form, Nyamon, and slowly approached her singing partner. She glanced at the distraught boy, then helplessly watched Keiko as she sang her melody.

Ken hiccupped among his tears, trembling as he clutched Leafmon to his chest. It was only then that his words began to become clear. "I-I w-w-want m-my b-b-b-brotherrrr…"

"Ken…" Ryo murmured, at a loss.

FlaWizarmon and Witchmon glanced at each other before they moved to join the crowd, their expressions wry and sympathetic.

"There, there, Ken-chan," Witchmon said as she ruffled the boy's head, even as he continued to cry in Keiko's arms. "It's okay."

Leafmon blinked at that before he turned to stare at Witchmon from his perch on Ken's shoulder. "Ken… chan?"

"Adding 'chan' at the end of his name means we like Ken a whole lot, dearie," Witchmon said with a wink.

Leafmon blinked again before he nuzzled into the crook of Ken's neck. "Ken-chan, it'll be okay. I'm right here."

"That's right!" FlaWizarmon said. "You were a brave boy, holdin' it together like that. An' everythin's okay now, 'cuz Lady Keiko took care of that nasty old Devimon."

Ken hiccuped again before he blurrily lowered his head to look at Keiko through his tears, looking quite a mess between them and his runny nose. As she continued to sing, the young boy slowly regained control of himself until his sobs turned to small sniffles.

"There we go~!" FlaWizarmon said as he leaned over to dry the boy's eyes - and nose - with a handkerchief. "You're okay now, Ken-chan~!"

"Don't worry about anything and just let it all out," Witchmon said as she ruffled Ken's hair. "Having a good cry is good for the soul now and again."

"I-I'm fine," Ken said, his soft voice contradicting his words. "I-I have to do my best… s-s-so we can go home…"

"It… it's okay, Ken," Ryo muttered as he rubbed Ken's back. "I'm sure we did whatever we had to do here. I mean Devimon's gone now, right?"

"For the moment," FlaWizarmon said as he tilted his head. "'Til he finds his way outta the Dark Worl-"

Witchmon's elbow cut FlaWizarmon off with a grunt when it impacted with his ribcage. She gave him a deadpan expression before she pointed at Ken behind the distraught child's back.

FlaWizarmon paused at that before he had the good graces to look sheepish. "Dontcha worry 'bout him none, alright, Ken-chan?"

Ken gave a shaky nod as he looked down at Leafmon. "O-okay…"

"I'll protect you next time, Ken-chan," Leafmon said, eyes sparkling with determination. "I promise!"

Ken paused at that before he grimaced, then wordlessly held Leafmon closer to his chest.

"I apologize," Leollmon said as he limped over to Ryo. "I was not prepared for such an enemy. I… I will have to train harder to do better."

Ryo shook his head. "No, no, don't be upset. Cassandramon said we had to come here without anyone else's help. We thought that meant we were ready for this ourselves, you know?"

FlaWizarmon immediately pricked up at that, eyes widening. "Who the what now?"

"Cassandramon?" Witchmon repeated.

Bokomon shakily approached the others, dragging Neemon along behind him with noodly arms snagged around his leg like a weighted chain. It took too long to pry the yellow Digimon off of him enough that he could move even at a hobbling gait. "L-L-Lady Cassandramon told the young Chosen of Miracles and Kindness that in order to return to their world, they had to go to the tallest mountain to meet with the darkness - without Sir Zennyu or Sir Higashi."

"W-w-w-we s-sure met the d-darkness alright!" Neemon stammered through chattering teeth, practically vibrating as he clung to Bokomon's leg tighter than a barnacle.

Keiko stopped singing. The softness she showed when comforting Ken evaporated as her face hardened to stone. The sweet, beautiful serenity of her voice was gone, replaced with a grating darkness that promised violence. "Cassandramon told you to do what?"

Nyamon stared at the two boys, incredulous. "Why would she say something so stupid?"

FlaWizarmon turned to eye Witchmon, who returned his gaze with one of her own. "Oh, she did, did she? That's iiiinterestin'."

"Yes indeed~!" Witchmon said with a smile before she waved her hand at the two boys. "Could you excuse us a moment, dearies?"

FlaWizarmon and Witchmon turned to Keiko and ushered her and Nyamon away from Ken and Ryo, their jovial expressions immediately turning sour once their backs were to the boys.

"Typical," FlaWizarmon said, with a grunt. "Leave it to Cassandramon to pull crap like this."

"I thought the agreement was to avoid traumatizing any of the children," Witchmon hissed between rows of razor sharp teeth.

"You heard what they said, right?" FlaWizarmon said, flicking his finger upwards. "To come to this mountain to meet the darkness."

"Yes," Nyamon said. "Which would mean Devimon."

FlaWizarmon pointed his finger down to Keiko. "Or."

"Us," Keiko said in a low, dangerous tone. "While we were hunting down the Digimon that was hunting them."

Nyamon's ears immediately canted back, her displeasure clear on her face.

"She knew damn well what was gonna happen," FlaWizarmon said. "She knew Devimon would try to kill 'em, and nearly succeed, an' that Lady Keiko'd rush in to stop 'im."

Witchmon let out a frustrated growl that was almost catlike as she yanked down the brim of her hat. "I can't stand her! How many times is she going to pull crap like this?"

Keiko covered a fist with her palm and slowly cracked her knuckles as her breath came sharp and fast through her nose. When she was done, she stepped away from her friends to the nearest tree and took a deep breath before bellowing. "Cassandramon! If this is your sadistic way of telling me I've got to protect these three, then you better give me a sign right now before I hunt your ass down!"

The very air darkened around Keiko, the shadows crawling across her pale body until they overtook her fist as she pulled it back. When she punched the tree, pure Darkness fueled her attack and caused the tree to explode into a cloud of splinters and leaves.

A glowing golden ball hovered in the air where the tree once stood, marked by the crest of Miracles. Darkness cracked the surface of the sphere and spread until it too burst with far less fanfare, but far more brightly. Two necklaces dropped to the ground from their hiding place inside the sphere, but Nyamon snatched them before they touched the ground and held them up for her partner's inspection.

The Crest of Miracles, as golden and brilliant as the destroyed sphere, and the delicate pink rose of the Crest of Kindness rested neatly in their tags, awaiting their Chosen Children.

FlaWizarmon glanced over to Ryo and Ken, who were both gawking at Keiko in confusion after her outburst, then turned back to Keiko as he pulled the brim of his hat down. "Well, that answers that, don't it?"

Nyamon's expression deadpanned. "So she anticipated even this."

Witchmon sighed as she held her head, rubbing her temples to ward away a headache. "Of course she did."

"Yep~!" FlaWizarmon said with a humorless chuckle. "Gods, I hate that 'mon."

"I knew it," Keiko growled before she accepted the crests from Nyamon. She turned sharply on her heel and walked back to Ken and Ryo with grim determination.

"Much as I hate to do what she wants, I know what'll happen if we don't," FlaWizarmon growled. "She'll keep pulling this crap, throwin' them in harm's way until one of two things happen - Lady Keiko gives in or gives up."

"She can't ever just ask nicely, can she?" Witchmon hissed as she rubbed her forehead. "Always has to manipulate and play with emotions and lives to get what she wants."

"W-what's going on?" Ken asked, shakily. "W-was it Devimon!?"

"How… what just happened?" Ryo asked as he stared at Keiko; he wondered if he should be concerned about this girl.

Keiko held one crest in each hand as she held them out to their rightful owners. "Cassandramon sent me a message that I'm supposed to travel with you from now on. Take these. You'll need them."

Hesitantly, Ryo accepted the golden crest, marveling at its enigmatic design. "What is it?"

"The Crest of Miracles," Keiko said. "It's a physical manifestation of your power to help you control it. When you learn to control it, you'll be able to evolve your partner like I did with Nyamon earlier, and destroy things with your own hands like I did with that tree."

Ken accepted his own crest, staring down at it. "Oh… i-it's the same design as the one that was on the pillar that had Leafmon's egg..."

"You have the Crest of Kindness," Keiko said, her demeanor softening just a hair as she met Ken's worried gaze. "That's aligned with Light, which is stronger than Darkness. When you master it, Devimon and other Digimon aligned with Darkness like him, won't be able to touch you."

Ken blinked slowly. "Kindness…"

"Yep, seems a perfect fit," FlaWizarmon said as he approached, a big smile on his face. "Ken-chan definitely feels like a kind boy~!"

Witchmon hovered over to Ken and lightly pinched his cheek. "A sweet crest for a teeny sweetie!"

Ken paused at that before he blushed lightly and held the crest to his chest. "I… I'll do my best...!"

"Right~!" FlaWizarmon said, brightly, leaning forward as he placed his hands on his knees. "An' the first step to doin' yer best is gettin' proper trainin', so you know what the heck yer supposed to be doin'!"

"And we know just the duo to do it!" Witchmon said, clapping her hands together.

Ken paused at that and looked up to stare at FlaWizarmon with large eyes. "W-wait, so it's not over? Even though Devimon's gone?"

FlaWizarmon's smile faltered, though he struggled to maintain it on his face. "'Fraid so, kiddo. Devimon wouldn't have the power to keep ya stuck in our world."

"Wait, are you serious!?" Ryo stared at the Digimon, then Keiko. "Even with as strong as he was!?"

"Devimon was powerful, but he was just one of many," Nyamon said as she glanced at Keiko. "Someone else must be involved."

Ken gave a small shiver as he wrapped his arms around Leafmon, all but crushing the tiny Digimon to his chest.

"Don't worry, Ken-chan!" Leafmon said as he looked up at his partner. "I'll train hard to protect you!"

"Will this training allow me to protect Lord Ryo?" Leollmon asked as he looked up at FlaWizarmon, then Witchmon.

"Yup!" FlaWizarmon said, with great cheer. "'Cuz Lord Ryo here'll be learnin' how to properly give ya some of his power, so you can evolve past yer limits~!"

"That's right," Witchmon agreed, with a nod. "Who knows what kind of miracles you can achieve, with Lord Ryo's help~?"

Ryo faltered at the nickname, an embarrassed blush appearing there. "Uh, that's great… but you don't have to call me that. Just Ryo is fine."

Leollmon nodded. "As you wish."

"You got it, Lord Ryo~!" FlaWizarmon said, with a bright grin.

"What-ever you say, Lord Ryo~!" Witchmon agreed, giggling.

Leollmon face-faulted before he wordlessly glanced to Ryo.

Keiko gave Ryo a flat look, who stared in befuddlement at the witch and scarecrow Digimon. "You may as well get used to it. Once they get going, you can't stop them."

Nyamon gave a solemn nod in agreement, her arms crossed.

"Lady Keiko knows us so well, doesn't she?" FlaWizarmon asked, turning to flash his grin at his companion.

"She does, indeed~!" Witchmon replied, returning it with a fanged one of her own. "So very well~!"

Ryo scratched at his head, at a loss. "If you say so."