On a normal Sunday morning, Daisuke would be sleep in late to make up for having to get up early on school days. However, despite being too excited to get much sleep, he still managed to be up before his alarm went off, getting ready in his best clothes and fighting to get his wild bush of a hair into somewhat of a more tamed shape.

Chibimon sat on Daisuke's bed, sleepily watching his Chosen prepare. He had stayed up with his Chosen, but unlike Daisuke, wasn't able to wake up as immediately. The dragon Digimon yawned before he drooped. "Ken Ichijouji gets up early, doesn't he?"

Daisuke grunted as his comb got caught on a particularly annoying tangle. "He's a busy guy. He does more in a day than most people do in a year!"

Chibimon blinked before his eyes widened. "Wow... he's so busy, and he's still making time for you!" The Digimon giggled, covering his mouth with his tiny paws. "I knew he'd like you, Daisuke~!"

Daisuke laughed along with Chibimon. "I know, right? It's a dream come true!" He flung his arms up in the air in his excitement and accidentally let the comb slip from his hand, sending it flying across the room to bounce off the wall and then his bed.

Chibimon blinked as he watched the comb take its flight before landing beside him, then hopped on to his feet and picked the cleaning utensil up to hold out to Daisuke. "We gotta get ready, especially if we're gonna make him a Chosen Child too!"

"Thanks, Chibimon," Daisuke said as he accepted the comb to attack the tangles again. "Right. We gotta get Ichijouji to come with us to the meeting later today, no matter what!"

A knock on the door made Daisuke jerk until he heard his mother's voice. "Daisuke? It's time for breakfast."

Daisuke looked at Chibimon and frantically gestured to the duffle bag. "I'm not having breakfast here today, Mom. I'm going out!"

Chibimon quickly rushed in to the bag, ducking inside so that his Chosen could zip him up and conceal him inside.

Daisuke finished getting ready in a hurry, scooping up and closing the duffle bag before unlocking his bedroom door. "Later, Mom!"

Junko cocked her head to the side and waved after Daisuke. "Okay, Daisuke. Say hi to Hikari-chan for me."

Daisuke was about to answer as he hurried down the hall when Jun's bedroom door flew open and slammed into his face. The Chosen jerked back and fumbled up to cover his nose and verify it wasn't broken, eyes squinting in pain. "Hey!"

"Mom!" Jun shouted without even acknowledging she hit Daisuke, rushing towards the balcony. "Mom! Look outside! There's a limo out front!"

Junko gasped and hurried to the balcony to join her daughter. "Oh! Maybe it's a celebrity!"

"Daisuke!" Chibimon hissed from the duffle bag, curled up in a tight ball. "That's gotta be Ken!"

Daisuke nodded as he eyed the two on the balcony, then darted out the front door as quietly as he could to not catch Jun's attention. He shuddered to think of what might happen if his sister found out and decided to use him to get to Ken.

Once Daisuke hurried through the apartment complex and made it to the ground floor, he immediately saw the limo in question. A black limo was parked just in front of the steps, a man in uniform dutifully waiting at the door. When he saw Daisuke, the man turned and opened the back right door and held it open, stepping back as he did so.

For a moment, Daisuke could only stare dumbly at the silent invitation. Such treatment for someone like him seemed unthinkable, but after feeling a subtle nudge in his side from his duffle bag, he snapped out of his daze and hurried over to the limo.

Just as Daisuke was about to look inside the limo, the familiar shriek of Jun drew his eyes up to the balcony outside his living room where his mother and sister stood, shocked. He couldn't help but grin from ear-to-ear and he waved at the two ladies before he darted inside the limousine.

Now safe from Jun's interference, Daisuke was again caught agog by the limo, as the spacious, ivory-colored plush interior with many modern touches like a miniature television, matching fridge, and state of the art sound system left him nearly speechless. "Whoa..."

A soft chuckle caught Daisuke's attention, drawing him to the other occupant of the limo - Ken Ichijouji. The genius boy sat comfortably on the plush seats, wearing his school uniform and a smile on his face. "Good morning, Daisuke. You're in good spirits today."

Daisuke was a little startled to see Ken in uniform, but quickly brushed it off as just another way that the genius was far more mature than he was. "G-good morning, Ichijouji!" He fumbled for a moment before he sat down beside Ken. "Thanks for inviting me here. I really appreciate it!"

Ken chuckled again. "Please, don't mention it. I was quite happy to get your email last night. I was worried that I might have imposed myself on you when I gave you that card."

Daisuke shook his head vigorously. "It was no trouble!" He jumped with a small yelp as the driver closed the door, but tried to cover it up with a smile. "No trouble at all."

"Good," Ken said as he relaxed in his chair, leaning back as he folded his hands and placed them in his lap. "Well, then. Shall we go get breakfast?"

"Yeah!" Daisuke cheered.

Despite the presence of a limo, Daisuke was expecting the restaurant to be cozy, not a spectacular bistro atop a skyscraper with a gorgeous view of downtown and a live orchestra. He couldn't help but gawk at the expensive decor, the well-dressed people that practically radiated class and riches. Their clothes made his best outfit look like rags in comparison. The entire experience was all nearly overwhelming and made him feel woefully out of place.

And yet, despite being in his school uniform, Ken walked in to the room with an air of confidence. He didn't appear even mildly fazed by the stares he got, some questioning their appearance while others immediately recognizing him for who he was. Instead, he walked straight up to the reception staff. "Reservation for Ichijouji, please."

The staff wasted no time in seating Ken and Daisuke in a cozy little private area sectioned off with a velvet rope. Upon sitting in front of the pristine white tablecloth and gleaming silverware, Daisuke felt a pang of guilt that he couldn't bring Chibimon in to share what promised to be a spectacular meal. He silently vowed to bring as much as he could in a doggie bag, provided such an upscale establishment would even allow it.

Ken smiled as he took his seat opposite of Daisuke. "Please order whatever you like. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask."

Daisuke nodded as he picked up a menu, momentarily at a loss for words until he saw the prices. "Holy crap! Did you see how much this stuff costs?!"

Ken chuckled as he picked up his own menu. "I had the same reaction my first time here, too. But it's really quite good. Just make sure you ask me to translate anything in a different language, or there's a good chance you'll end up with something... interesting."

"Um..." Daisuke grimaced as he spotted not only English, but at least three other languages he couldn't recognize. "Yeah, will do."

Ken looked over his own menu, allowing Daisuke to decide at his pace. When a waiter came by, he ordered some juice for their table, which the waiter was quick to deliver. The boy genius watched as the waiter poured them each a glass, then turned to smile at Daisuke. "So, does anything catch your eye?"

Daisuke squinted one eye as he looked over one of the items again. "This has gotta be a typo. This makes it sound like there's actual gold and diamonds in the food. Not even rich people would eat gold, right? That'd be stupid!"

Ken smiled as he tilted his head. "I don't see a point to it, myself. It has no flavor, and all claims of nutritional value are... dubious at best. I wouldn't recommend it."

Daisuke outright gawked at Ken. "You mean rich people really do eat gold?"

Ken's smile became wry. "Yes, they do. As a novelty ingredient."

Daisuke could only stare at Ken, completely at a loss for words.

Ken chuckled before he turned his attention to the menu. "It might be best to stick with something somewhat familiar. Perhaps an omelette? It has lobster meat and caviar."

"S-sure," Daisuke muttered as he focused on the floral centerpiece on the table rather than look Ken in the eye. His face and neck felt warm as he was aware more than ever that this was not a place where he belonged at all.

But he hadn't come there to eat – though naturally he'd make the most of it. He had a goal – and a plan. As Ken ordered for the two of them, Daisuke focused instead on something more important than eating gold - making Ichijouji a Chosen Child.

Daisuke knew after such a magnificent invitation, he had to somehow impress Ken. Unfortunately, there were no soccer balls to steal this time, and he doubted that anyone in this establishment would appreciate it if he tried, if the occasional stink eye he got from other patrons who overheard his remarks about the food were any indication. This place made it absolutely clear that Ken came from a far different world than Daisuke, and the goggle boy had to bring his 'A' game if he was going to get Ken interested in joining a group of heroes out to save two worlds.

The obviousness of the answer slapped Daisuke in the face so hard he initially missed the fact that Ken was trying to get his attention.

"Daisuke?" Ken repeated the goggle boy's name, tilting his head. When Daisuke finally realized he had been spoken to and turned to face Ken, the boy genius smiled. "Oh, good. It looks like you spaced out for a moment, there."

Daisuke's cheeks exploded in heat that spread all the way to his ears, as the remark sent all his thoughts flying out of his head.. "H-huh? O-oh, I, er, I..." He stammered and wrung a cloth napkin in his hands as he tried to remember what he had planned to say.

" Is something on your mind?" Ken asked, curiously.

"It's ah... uh...," Daisuke muttered, fumbling with his thoughts. "I just... uh... I was wondering if you'd like to meet my friends! Yeah, that's it."

"Hm?" Ken blinked before his smile returned. "Of course, I'd greatly like that."

Daisuke blinked, not quite believing Ken agreed so easily. When it sunk in that he had indeed heard correctly, he beamed, practically bursting with excitement. "Great! We can see them after we eat, okay?"

"That sounds wonderful," Ken said, cheerfully. "Perhaps we can bring something back for your friends to enjoy, as well."

Daisuke's eyes lit up. "You mean like a doggy bag? Perfect! I was feeling kinda guilty about Chi... er, ah, I mean, my friends not getting to try some of this amazing food."

"Yes, something like that," Ken said, with a nod. "You're really considerate, Daisuke."

Daisuke giggled a little at the praise, feeling pleasantly warm. "You really think so?"

"Yes," Ken said. "Your friends are very fortunate to know you." The boy genius paused before he smiled. "As am I."

"R-really?" Daisuke asked, his eyes so wide they were ready to pop out of his head. "You think you are lucky to know me?"

"Of course," Ken said, brightly. "I can already tell that we'll be good friends."

Daisuke's heart raced from excitement as he grinned until his cheeks hurt. "Yeah! We'll be the best friends ever!"

"I hope so," Ken said. "Nothing would make me happier."

"Me too!" Daisuke chirped. He couldn't stop giggling until the waiter returned with their order.

The food was beyond anything Daisuke had ever experienced before. The richness of the flavors presented to him left him in awe, and despite how much Ken had ordered, he didn't decimate even half of it before his belly was ready to burst.

"It looks like we'll be bringing some leftovers to go, anyway," Ken said with a laugh as he surveyed the remains of their meal, before he flagged down a waiter.

The mention of leftovers reminded Daisuke of Chibimon and the meeting with the rest of the Chosen Children. He knew now was the time to bring it up, while the mood was great and before something happened to ruin everything.

Daisuke cleared his throat. "So, uh, have you ever heard of Digimon?"

Ken had been in the middle of drinking the rest of his juice when Daisuke spoke. At the very mention of 'Digimon', the boy genius choked, spit-taking the liquid before he could manage to clasp his hand over his mouth to stifle the reaction. Ken froze as he stared at Daisuke with wide, disbelieving eyes as he kept his hand firmly over his mouth, awkwardly still holding the glass in the other.

Daisuke yelped and threw up his arms to block the juice spraying in his face. He then focused on Ken with wide eyes. "Oh my gosh, you do! You do know about Digimon! That's great!"

Ken choked before he swiftly grabbed a napkin, wiping off not only his hand but his mouth as panic and confusion played across his typically docile face. "I-I-you-did you-what-"

"You must've seen Omegamon on the internet, right?" Daisuke asked, excitedly. "Or maybe you're like me and got kidnapped by that Vamdemon jerk?" He giggled to himself before Ken could respond. "I'll bet a genius like you already figured out everything about the Digital World!"

Ken outright gawked at Daisuke, struggling to comprehend what he was hearing. All the scenarios he had played out in his head, all night long, and not a single one of them involved Daisuke outright asking him about Digimon. "Y-you... I... what..."

It left him completely at a loss, struggling to answer.

Meanwhile, back at the limo, Chibimon yawned, struggling to stay awake. He had been left behind in Daisuke's duffle bag, sitting on the floor. There really wasn't much point in remaining hidden, though he didn't feel a need to leave the bag either. Daisuke and Ken were in the restaurant, and while the driver was sitting at the front of the limo, he was separated from the back compartment by tinted glass. Chibimon was safe for the time being.

The dragon Digimon curled up in the duffle bag, closing his eyes. While he had been tempted to get comfortable on the plush seats, there was also a risk of him dozing off and not waking up in time to avoid being seen by Ken. It was very important to Daisuke that Ken become a Chosen, so he wasn't about to risk it by being seen by the boy genius and potentially scaring him away.

Just as Chibimon was about to drift away, a strange scent caught his nose. It was the smell of food, sweet and sugary like a snack. The Digimon paused before he opened his eyes and gave a tentative sniff. Tired as he was, the scent of food reminded him that while Daisuke was having breakfast, he had not yet eaten that morning. The young Digimon frowned before he tentatively unzipped the duffle bag enough to peer out.

The Digimon didn't see Ken or Daisuke, which confirmed that he was still alone in the limo. Chibimon blinked, then furrowed his brow and gave another sniff. "...Ken must have a snack stash!" Apparently even geniuses had to hide their food, just like Daisuke.

Chibimon was filled with a temptation to find the treat, his stomach agreeing to the suggestion. However, the Digimon instead gave a small shake of his head before he huffed. "No, no! I'm not gonna steal Ken Ichijouji's snacks! I'll wait for Daisuke, because I'm a good Digimon!"

With a huff, Chibimon flopped back in to the bag and curled up once more, doing his best to ignore his rumbling stomach.

A quiet click made Chibimon's ear twitch, but before he could wonder where it came from, the sound of faint, soothing music filled the air.

Chibimon paused at that, his ears twitching. He hadn't heard Ken or Daisuke return, or the driver open any of the doors. Just the same, he was careful when he peered out of the bag to confirm if someone was around. To his surprise, he didn't see anyone. "...Huh?"

Curiously, Chibimon searched around for the source of the music. He almost expected it to be coming from the front - perhaps the driver turned on the radio - but he found it was coming from the back of the car.

The dragon Digimon blinked before he carefully climbed out of Daisuke's bag. Glancing about, he trotted back towards the end of the limo, following the music. Much to his confusion, he found the music loudest directly from the backseat. Chibimon stared at the seat before he tried to peer behind the cushions. "...No speakers..."

As Chibimon searched the seats from top to bottom, his foot accidentally flicked a switch he hadn't noticed that caused the entire row to start moving. He squeaked and scrambled back, crouching on the floor with wide eyes as he watched the seats practically transform from a cushioned bench to a pair of reclining easy chairs. After the initial shock wore off, he realized the music had actually grown louder.

Cautiously, he crept towards the seats, following the music underneath one of the now raised footrests. There, against the flat backing near the edge of the carpet, he found a small latch that, when opened, allowed a hidden panel to slide to the side, revealing a secret compartment.

A room had been hidden beneath the seat, too small for a person, but just right for a pet-sized Digimon. Dozens of tiny lights installed along the ceiling and upper areas of the wall bathed the room in a gentle glow, revealing the soft carpeting and small pile of plush pillows Wormmon used as a bed. Thanks to the swelling of instruments composing a classical concert from his CD player, he failed to notice that his sanctuary had been compromised. Instead, he focused on turning the page in the novel his was reading before he reached into an insulated box for another taiyaki.

Chibimon's eyes locked on the Digimon in front of him, the dragon gaping as he struggled to comprehend what he was seeing. As it finally dawned on him, a swelling of joy and excitement chased away all lingering tiredness inside him. "You're... you're a Digimon!"

Wormmon yelped at the sudden voice, dropping his partially eaten taiyaki on his book. Quickly, he picked up the sweet cake before it stained the pages and turned to stare at Chibimon, his blue eyes wide with fear. "Eep."

"Y-you're Ken's partner, aren't you!?" Chibimon gushed as he hurried in to the room, then hopped around in circles without waiting for an answer and let out a whooping cheer. "Ken's already a Chosen! Daisuke doesn't have to do 'first-come-first-serve'!"

Wormmon blinked slowly at the hyperactive dragon. "First-come-first-serve? What?"

Chibimon giggled as he clasped his paws over his mouth, squirming in place happily before he leaned forward. "Hi! My name is Chibimon! I'm Daisuke's partner!"

Wormmon fidgeted with the taiyaki, his eyes dropping down as a wave of guilt washed over him. "I... I'm Wormmon."

"Hi, Wormmon!" Chibimon said excitedly as he moved closer. "This is great! Daisuke was going to try and make Ken a Chosen so we could go on adventures together, but he's already a Chosen! Now no one can steal his spot!"

"He... what?" Wormmon asked, staring at Chibimon.

"That's what Inoe did," Chibimon said, with a huff. "She tried to gate in to see if she was a Chosen, and brought Iori too. They apparently thought it might make any child a Chosen that tried to gate in. And she and Iori both gated in, so we thought it was true, so Daisuke was gonna try that with Ken!"

"Ohhh dear...," Wormmon muttered. Ken was not going to like this at all.

Daisuke bounced in his seat, practically standing despite the discomfort he felt from his overly full stomach. "Oh my gosh, wait until everyone finds out! They're not going to believe this!"

Ken quivered in his seat, struggling to come up with a response. Daisuke wasn't giving him a chance to recover, to think of what to say to make the situation go back in his favor. He was at the risk of being completely exposed, and everything ruined. As his mind failed to process, the boy genius glanced around quickly, part of him debating just fleeing the restaurant right then. Unfortunately, instead he saw faces staring at them as Daisuke was drawing the attention of everyone in the restaurant. Ken leaned forward and brought up his hand, waving it vigorously in front of his face while he hissed at the other boy. "S-sshhhh! People are listening!"

To his credit, Daisuke froze and instantly went silent. He looked around quickly to see that they were being watched before leaning in closer to Ken, dropping his voice to a whisper. "Sorry, sorry! We better talk 'bout this someplace private."

Ken nodded, feeling both relief and dread at the same time. As much as he didn't look forward to the future conversation, it gave him an opportunity to come up with a solution to the situation he found himself in. "W-we can discuss this back in the limo."

"Right," Daisuke whispered, his voice still overflowing with enthusiasm despite his low volume.

Ken leaned back as he let out a soft sigh, trying to sooth his nerves. He had little time to recover, and he couldn't do it while panicking. He needed to give his brain a chance to recover so that it could actually work. He never would've imagined that Daisuke would do something so stupid as to outright talk about Digimon. It was just inconceivable.

And yet, in hindsight, it's exactly something Daisuke would - and did - do.

Still, knowing about Digimon in and of itself wasn't proof of anything. It certainly didn't link him to the Digimon Kaiser, and it was fairly obvious that thought hadn't yet crossed Daisuke's mind.

"Omegamon," Ken thought as he looked down at his plate, trying to will color to come back to his pale face. "I'll tell him I saw the Omegamon fight - which is technically true. He already mentioned it, so he won't press me on that. I'll just say that I witnessed the fight and nothing more. That's perfectly believable."

The boy genius glanced up to see Daisuke still grinning like an idiot and his insides clenched. He didn't know why Daisuke had asked so suddenly, especially if the boy clearly didn't suspect him, but he'd pass off his knowledge as limited. That should be enough to satisfy the goggle boy - and give Ken the advantage back.

When the waiter came back to box up the leftovers and hand Ken his bill, the boy genius took his time looking over the bill before signing it. He wanted to delay the conversation as long as possible, in order to fully recover and prepare himself for what was obviously going to be an intense conversation.

Damn that Daisuke, he always seemed to know how to ruin Ken's plans, even when he wasn't trying to!

After everything was boxed up and paid for, Daisuke all but ran back towards the limo, with Ken following him slowly. The boy genius kept his footsteps even as he tried to appear that he wasn't delaying so much as simply wasn't in a rush, but the goggle boy's eagerness was palpable.

"Everyone is going to freak out when they find out!" Daisuke giggled, trying desperately to keep his voice down in spite of his enthusiasm. "They're going to be so thrilled I can't even!"

"Well," Ken said slowly as he glanced to the driver, watching the man as he left the driver's seat to open the door for them. "I'm sure it's not nearly as impressive as you-"

No sooner had the driver open the door to the limo when suddenly Chibimon jumped out, lunging to grab Daisuke's chest. "Daisuke!"

"Chibimon?" Daisuke yelped as he caught Chibimon. He looked at the driver then quickly turned to hide the dragon Digimon from the adult's sight, lowering his voice to a whisper. "I told you, you need to hide when we're outside!"

"Daisuke!" Chibimon said as he tugged at his Chosen's shirt. "Ken is a Chosen! He has a Digimon!"

Daisuke's eyes widened to saucers. "Seriously!?"

Ken jerked as he stared at Chibimon and Daisuke, then turned his attention to the limo. Just inside the doorway was Wormmon, slouching as he looked up guiltily at the boy genius. Ken stared at Wormmon as his mind once again reeled, all of his plans completely unraveling in front of him and leaving him speechless. "...Ah."

"...So Keiko's partner agreed to train me."

Though not everyone was present yet, the meeting of the Chosen Children and Digimon had gotten well underway, as Hikari couldn't wait to tell them about what happened in her dream. The other Chosen were all gathered at Taichi's house, listening as Hikari described her dream to them in detail from start to finish. When the Chosen of Light had reached the end, with the revelation that Keiko's partner had agreed to train her, the other Chosen glanced at each other with expressions ranging from surprise and confusion to unease.

Takeru crossed his arms as he tilted his head, letting out a thoughtful hum. "I wonder what that means... is your power really that out of control?" The Chosen of Hope paused as he remembered the giant egg in the sky, images of it flashing through his head. "Or maybe that you just don't know how to control it in the first place?"

"I've never known how it works," Hikari said with a sigh. "Things just... happened when they needed to happen, I guess."

"Then it's a good thing, isn't it?" Sora asked as she looked at the other Chosen. "I can't think of anything bad about Hikari learning how to use her powers."

"Even if it's Darkness teaching her?" Yamato grumbled as he leaned against the wall.

Sora paused at that before she shook her head. "A Chosen. Darkness or not, she's a Chosen and that means she's still a friend."

"Even though she's Darkness?" Yamato repeated, quirking an eyebrow.

Sora turned to look at Yamato directly in the eyes. "She didn't choose her crest - none of us did."

Yamato paused at that as he stared at Sora. Images of her own behavior in the previous adventure, and her doubts about her own crest came to mind. They were the same doubts he felt about his crest, though not to the severity that she had. The Chosen of Friendship fidgeted before he let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, you're right."

Sora nodded before she placed her hand over her chest, turning to Hikari. "The fact that Keiko's partner is coming to talk to you, wants to help you... even when she's the one that needs help... I can't think she's a bad person. She even gave you her Digimental. Darkness or not, Keiko is on our side."

Hikari nodded as she held her Digivice to her chest. "I think so too. Maybe when I can control my powers, her partner can tell me how we can help her."

"She already helped me, so we can't forget that," Takeru said as he glanced at his brother out of the corner of his eye. He then returned his attention to Hikari. "Maybe you'll learn something that'll help us fight the Kaiser."

"Or maybe convince him to stop fighting," Hikari murmured.

"Yeeeeah," Miyako said as she angled her head slightly. "I don't think that's going to happen. Not with how much of a sadist he is."

"He clearly enjoys all the suffering he inflicts," Takeru said, darkly.

Sora grimaced, her eyes drifting over to Palmon, before she returned her attention to Koshiro and Miyako. It was better not to dwell on what was possibly happening to her own partner, as it'd only make her feel all the more helpless. "...By the way, what happened with the emails to Keiko or Ryo? Did you hear back from them? It'd be nice to talk to her directly instead of through dreams, especially if Hikari's accidentally blocking her."

Koshiro sighed wearily at the memory, his shoulders slumping a little. "We tried, but I'm afraid the results weren't all that encouraging."

Taichi blinked. "What do you mean?"

"The responses we got were... less than conclusive," Koshiro said. "We at least verified that Keiko was the one who sent the strange emails that crashed our D-Terminals since we tried emailing her with both of our D-Terminals and a couple spares we made in reserve."

"What did she say?" Hikari asked, her heart swelling with anticipation.

"Well, the first email was just asking if Keiko was there and if she could respond," Koshiro said, rubbing the back of his head. "I nearly dropped the D-Terminal when the first response we got was an email where letters were appearing on the screen as I was reading it."

Takeru's eyes widened. "Like they were being cut in to the screen, right?" He immediately recalled both times his D-Terminal crashed, once when he got the Digimental of Hope and again when he had been sent back from the Dark World. "So that was Keiko... when she told me how to use the Digimentals! That was her!"

"The same thing happened to me," Hikari said. "But for me, the letters kept disappearing as they were being written, and my D-Terminal didn't crash."

Koshiro frowned. "Maybe you've got a better chance of corresponding with Keiko even outside of dreams, at least without the need to wipe and reinstall everything on the D-Terminals each time."

"What did she say?" Hikari asked.

"Well, the first one said 'I'm here'," Koshiro said, "which makes sense given what we asked."

"That's when I backed up my stuff before asking if she was Keiko Makura," Miyako said. "When she wrote back 'Keiko Ryuzaki', Koshiro thought we were wrong about who she was until I pointed out that apparently her siblings and dad all transferred to the Ryuzaki family register." She grinned as she readjusted her glasses. "I studied up."

Koshiro's face flushed a bit with embarrassment. "Yes, well, the next thing we asked was where she was, how to get there, and how we could help her. She said we couldn't."

Miyako's smile disappeared, her mouth stretching into a thin line. "All her answers were pretty short. We tried asking her a lot of questions to figure out what's going on with her, but she just said, and I quote, 'You can't help me.'"

Takeru frowned. "We can't? What does that mean?" The Chosen of Hope then paused before his expression turned thoughtful. "Maybe that's what she means by being blocked?"

Hikari felt her insides churn with guilt. Though she knew she wasn't purposefully blocking Keiko, she felt responsible all the same. "If this is because of me... then I have to master my powers so we can save her."

Sora reached over to touch Hikari's shoulder. "It's not your fault, and I'm sure Keiko knows that. It must be why Nyamon came to you. She wants to help you just as much as you want to help her."

Hikari smiled wanly and nodded.

"As for Ryo...," Koshiro said haltingly. "Well, we might have found him or someone else?"

"Someone else?" Taichi repeated, feeling a growing sense of unease.

"It was killer spam and gibberish," Miyako said.

Koshiro nodded. "It was like when we were getting flooded with emails during the fight with Diablomon, only these emails were huge and didn't make any sense. It was like someone went on a bunch of rambling tangents between mashing their keyboard and kept changing to different fonts and languages. I had to block the address before my D-Terminal got flooded."

"...Well, that's definitely weird," Yamato said as he crossed his arms. "Are you sure it was the right address?"

"Unless Mystimon gave us the wrong one, yeah," Koshiro said. "I tried different variations of spellings just in case, but those all bounced back with no receiver."

"So it had to be the right one," Sora murmured before she furrowed her brow. "But what does it mean? Why would he send back garbled nonsense?"

"Have you tried emailing Jijimon and Babamon?" Yamato asked. "See what they have to say?"

"We still have to ask them about the missing Digimentals," Takeru said as he glanced at his brother. "Assuming Mystimon was telling the truth."

Koshiro sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Nope. I've been sending emails every day, but they haven't answered yet."

"...Are they avoiding us?" Takeru asked, furrowing his brow. A rather dark part of him whispered that perhaps it was proof of Mystimon's claims. After all, Jijimon and Babamon had certainly been evasive so far.

Yamato shot his brother a glance before he straightened up. He could immediately tell where Takeru's thoughts were going, judging by the darkness in his eyes. Even if he agreed with the assessment, he didn't want his brother dwelling on it. "...They may just be busy. Let's give 'em a few more days before we assume anything."

Takeru paused before he regarded his brother. Yamato dismissed the thought a bit too quickly, but he didn't feel like arguing the point. "...True enough."

"We can just focus on what we know now, and worry about the other things as the time comes," Sora agreed, glancing between Yamato and Takeru. "We do what we can, like saving more areas of the Digital World."

Takeru nodded before he paused. The Chosen of Hope glanced around the room before he looked up at the clock, noting the time. It was over half an hour past when they were supposed to meet up, and one face was still conspicuously absent. "Daisuke's pretty late, isn't he?"

Taichi looked at the clock as well. "Hey, yeah. Usually he's one of the first ones here." He turned to his sister. "Did he call to say he'd be running late?"

Hikari shook her head. "I didn't get any email from him either."

Takeru frowned before he pulled out his D-Terminal, opening it up. "I'm emailing him, just to make sure he's okay."

Before Takeru could type out the first word, the door suddenly burst open, hitting the wall with a bang.

"Guys!" Daisuke shouted from the doorway. "Guys! You'll never believe who I brought here!"

While most present started from the sudden entrance, Miyako's attention was wholly on Daisuke's words. "Brought?"

Daisuke flashed a wide grin as he stepped away from the door and gestured to the hallway. "Let me introduce..." He paused when he noticed that no one was there. "Huh?"

Takeru craned his head, peering through the door as he made a quizzical noise. "What's going on?"

Daisuke raised a finger. "Hang on just a sec." He dashed out as quickly as he came in.

Takeru blinked before he turned to look at Hikari, quirking an eyebrow wordlessly.

Before anyone could think of something to say, someone appeared in the doorway - and it wasn't Daisuke. Instead, Ken Ichijouji appeared in view, though he didn't look happy about it. His legs were locked so that his feet skidded across the floor as Daisuke pushed him from behind, the goggle boy's hands firmly planted on the resisting boy genius' back. In his arms, he held Wormmon tightly to his chest as if he were a plush animal.

"Tada!" Daisuke trumpeted.

"Motomiya!" Miyako snapped as she sat up sharply, nearly dropping her laptop to the floor. "What's the big idea?"

Ken froze as he felt all eyes on him, then shift directly to Wormmon, who looked at the other Chosen before giving them a tentative wave. The boy genius quivered before he bowed. "I-I apologize for intruding!" He then swiftly turned on his heels and scurried towards the door, trying to get past Daisuke.

"Wait, is that a-!?" Yamato began as he got up with a start.

"A Digimon!" Takeru finished his brother's sentence as he scrambled up from the sofa.

Daisuke was quick to plant himself in Ken's path, bracing his arms against the doorframe. "Aw, that's just Inoe. She's all bark."

"Whoa!" Taichi gasped. "That means-"

"He's the last Chosen Child!" Koshiro blurted out.

"That's right, that's right!" Chibimon cheered as he hopped up and down in front of Ken, waving his little arms. "Ken is the last Chosen Child!"

Ken grimaced and looked helplessly at Daisuke as he blocked the door, then fidgeted before he held Wormmon tighter against his chest, squeezing him to hide his trembling arms. He had no choice but to face the other Chosen, his options completely spent. "...T-thank you for having me..."

Wormmon waved again to the children and Digimon, as Tailmon and the others ventured out of their hiding places to stare at him. "Hello, my name is Wormmon, and this is my Chosen Child, Ken Ichijouji. Please excuse Ken-chan, he's just really shy."

Taichi blinked. "Shy? But you're a big-shot genius celebrity!"

"That's different," Wormmon said.

"That's, ah... more of a...," Ken's voice grew increasingly quiet before he looked down at the back of Wormmon's head. He felt increasingly self-conscious, and his every instinct screamed at him to flee, but he was completely trapped in the horrible situation. "...Performance..."

Hikari smiled gently at Ken. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. My name is Hikari Yagami."

Ken glanced over to Hikari before he returned his attention to the rest of the room. The other Chosen proceeded to introduce themselves to Ken, their enthusiasm and wonder barely restrained. It did little to soothe Ken's nerves, as it was the exact opposite of what he wanted. He was completely disoriented and unable to think of a proper solution, getting dragged along by Daisuke with no chance to regain his footing. By the time it was over, he was completely exposed to his enemies, and there was nothing he could do to stop it except bow and mutter anxious platitudes. "I... I am Ken Ichijouji. It's a... a pleasure to meet you."

Miyako looked from Ken to Daisuke and slowly arched an eyebrow. "Let me guess - you were late because you were busy taking a quick trip to the Digital World with Ichijouji before we could discuss potential candidates."

Daisuke felt a faint flush of guilt, as the thought had crossed through his mind once or twice despite his plans to pitch Ken as a Chosen Child to the others first. "Nope! Chibimon and me figured it out that Ichijouji was already a Chosen!"

"Daisuke and Ken went to breakfast!" Chibimon agreed, waving his paws as he hopped up and down. "And I found Wormmon in Ken's limo, in a hidden room under the seats!"

"Ken-chan had it made for me so we could go everywhere together," Wormmon said brightly.

Ken wanted to kick himself. When Daisuke had brought his duffle bag, it never occurred to him that he had his partner in it. He thought nothing of Daisuke keeping the bag in the limo, and that alone lead to his downfall. It was entirely his own fault. "I... yes. I've had Wormmon for... for years now."

"Years?" Koshiro asked, startled.

Ken nodded, hesitantly. "Ever since he was an egg."

"When did you go to the Digital World?" Taichi asked.

Ken's expression went blank, even as his insides flailed around in a panic. It was one of several questions he had been dreading, but at the very least he had managed to prepare a response for it. "...the Digital... World? You mean... the Internet?"

"Not exactly," Koshiro said. "It's an entire world that's parallel to ours where all Digimon live."

"It's a pretty strange place," Taichi said as he rubbed the back of his head. "If you went there, you wouldn't forget it."

"...I-I see," Ken said slowly, doing his best to keep his voice even. "I'm... sorry to say I've never been to a... different world before. As... as strange as that is to say." The boy genius shifted his weight as he glanced at the other staring Chosen. "Wormmon's egg... it appeared out of my computer screen one day. I really didn't understand it at all, but I took care of the egg and..." His eyes drifted down to Wormmon.

Hikari and Taichi shared a look before turning back to Ken. "The same thing happened to us," Hikari said. "Koromon's egg came through the computer."

"It's how most of us became Chosen," Taichi said before looking uncertain. "Er, we think." At the very least, the incident at Hikarigaoka was all they had to go off of. And yet with more Chosen being added to their group that had nothing to do with the fight, it was becoming less and less clear.

Ken turned to stare at Hikari, taken aback. He had come up with a likely scenario on his own. To find out that it had actually happened was a bit off-putting - yet also a bit of a relief, as it saved him the trouble of arguing. "R-really?" He paused before he glanced around. "So you all... got your Digimon the same way? This was normal?"

"We got our partners after we fell in to the Digital World," Yamato said as he crossed his arms.

Ken blinked. "...Fell?"

"From the sky!" Mimi said as she threw her arms up into the air. "It was the most terrifying thing that ever happened to me!" She paused for a moment, brow furrowing. "Well... until we met some evil Digimon, I mean."

Ken stared at the other Chosen as he felt a strong sense of déjà vu. It brought back images of his own entrance in to the Digital World, the sensation of falling, and how terrifying it had been. It was only because of Ryo-

The boy genius stopped short and gave his head a small shake before he looked away. "I-I suppose I should be thankful... it wasn't nearly so exciting for me."

"Well, it's about to get a lot more exciting for you," Miyako said with a wry grin. "Welcome to the team." She turned to Koshiro. "We better break it to the chat the slots are filled up already."

Koshiro cringed, not looking forward to that conversation after the way they reacted to Miyako and Iori. "I guess we should get that over with sooner instead of later..."

"Wait, so does this actually confirm the theory or disprove it?" Jou asked as he scratched the back of his head. "Or does it not even matter at this point?"

"It doesn't matter," Yamato said as he shook his head. "We found the last Chosen, that's all that matters. And once again, it's pure coincidence. It's like we're drawn to each other."

Takeru tilted his head. "...Yeah. It does seem that way, doesn't it? We were pretty much all brought together by what just feels like a series of coincidences... and almost of them have something to do with Digimon." He paused before he turned to look at Ken. "Did you, by any chance, ever live in Hikarigaoka?"

Ken shook his head. "N-no. I've only ever lived in Tamachi."

"How about getting kidnapped by a vampire?" Yamato asked.

Ken paused at that before he stared at Yamato. It brought to mind something Daisuke had said at breakfast, though he had been too panicked to press. "What?"

"Ken saw the Omegamon fight!" Daisuke said with a grin. "If he had been kidnapped by Vamdemon like me, I bet we would've met up and gave those Bakemon losers something to think about, right?"

Ken glanced between Daisuke and Takeru, helplessly. He really wasn't sure what they were talking about, which left him at a disadvantage. Admittedly, he had been occupied with his own adventures while they were apparently running around fighting vampires, but that fact did little to soothe his nerves. "R-right..."

"And there it is," Yamato said as he crossed his arms. "A Digimon connection. I bet the Kaiser has one too."

Ken felt a chill run up his spine though he did his best to not shiver. Instead, he turned his forcibly blank look to Yamato. "Kaiser?"

"I guess we better get you up to speed," Takeru said, with a chuckle.

Daisuke closed the front door and leaned back against it as he folded his arms over his chest. "The Digimon Kaiser is the biggest jerk in the Digital World. He's a bratty kid who thinks it's okay to torture Digimon!"

Ken turned to stare at Daisuke, eyes wide. "T-torture?"

"He's kidnapped most of our Digimon," Taichi growled.

"He's been using mind-control on them, to make them fight us," Yamato said with a scowl.

Koshiro looked up from his laptop with a sigh. "He's taken control of most of the Digimon and the Digital World."

Ken opened his mouth before he snapped it shut with an audible click, able to little more than gawk at the Chosen around him. While he had expected them to talk about him, it was entirely different matter to have it actually happen. He truly felt like a noose was falling around his neck.

"Okay, okay, hold up," Sora said as she raised her hands, stepping forward to stand beside Ken. "You're scaring him."

Ken jerked and turned to stare at Sora with wide eyes, his arms tightening around Wormmon.

"I'm sure we all know what it feels like to be blindsided by all of this," Sora said as she glanced at the other Chosen, still holding her hands up as if warding off further comments. "So let's keep that in mind before we frighten him away, okay?"

Mimi moved forward as well, smiling brightly. "Don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom. We've rescued half of our partners already, like Palmon here!" She picked up her partner to give Palmon a hug.

Ken glanced between Sora and Mimi before he held Wormmon closer, lifting the Digimon up until his partner partially obstructed his face. "I-I see..."

Wormmon lightly patted Ken's hand as he looked back sympathetically at the slightly pale boy. "It's okay, Ken-chan," he murmured. "I'm right here."

Ken nodded wordlessly, resting his chin against the top of Wormmon's head.

Hikari walked over to Ken and lightly placed her hand on his. "Don't worry. You don't need to do anything if you're not up for it." She smiled gently and led their newest member to the sofa. "We're just happy we found you both."

Ken obediently followed Hikari, his head spinning. He was being assaulted from all sides in a constant barrage. It was a sensation he hadn't felt since he first fell in to the Digital World, and he wasn't happy to experience it again. As he sat on the sofa, Ken rested Wormmon on his lap, though he kept his arms still firmly around the Digimon. Once there, he turned to look at Hikari and offer her a weak smile in response.

However, before he could say anything, Daisuke suddenly sat down on the sofa next to him, making the boy genius jump as he was suddenly boxed in from both sides - though clearly that wasn't the intent, as both Hikari and Daisuke looked friendly, not antagonistic.

"I know we've given you a lot to think about," Sora said as she walked over to Ken, smiling down at him. "Especially since we've kind of thrown it all at you. Take your time."

"I... yes," Ken murmured. "T-thank you."

Daisuke wrapped his arm around Ken's shoulders and gave the other boy a squeeze. "There's nothing to worry about now that you're here. You're a genius and you've got tons of friends on your side to help you. This'll be a piece of cake!"

Ken squeaked before he turned to stare at Daisuke, his face tinting lightly. "I-I... I'll certainly try my best."

"What's your email?" Miyako asked as she leaned over Ken. "I need to send you the debriefing file so you'll have an easier time catching up."

Ken paused and turned to stare at Miyako, with wide eyes. "M-my... email?"

"Give him some space, Inoe!" Daisuke snapped, glaring daggers at Miyako. "I'll send him the file. Later."

Miyako straightened up and gave Daisuke a side-eyed look. "I updated the file since I last sent it out, and I'm going to need to update it again to include Ichijouji here, so it's just easier for me to email it to everyone all at once."

"I'll forward it," Daisuke said, his expression challenging.

Ken glanced between Miyako and Daisuke, his eyes still wide. The tension was palpable, and he found himself suddenly in the middle of it. "A-ah, I..."

"Or you can let Ichijouji speak for himself," Miyako said, rolling her eyes to the ceiling before she focused on Ken. "Besides, we need to exchange our email addresses in case of an emergency or if someone is going to be late to meetings." She turned her gaze pointedly back to Daisuke.

"Hey, I was busy finding the last Chosen Child," Daisuke said with a smirk. "What did you do today?"

Hikari placed her hand on Ken's shoulder, wincing a little as he jerked at the touch. "Don't worry," she whispered. "They're always like that. You can take your time to decide whatever feels right to you. I know finding out you two aren't alone anymore must be pretty shocking."

Ken turned to Hikari, rather thankful for the interruption. He swallowed hard before he nodded numbly. "I... am admittedly completely... unprepared for all of this. I never would have imagined... all of this." It was the absolute truth. In no scenario he had prepared for had he ever considered that Daisuke might outright ask him about Digimon, and certainly not recruit him.

Hikari's smile was warm and gentle despite how Miyako and Daisuke continued to bicker within arm's reach. "We're all trying to figure things out, but we're making progress. Together."

Ken returned the smile as best he could, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. Despite years of putting on a persona and performing for the media and everyone else around him, it always required preparation and composure, and he currently lacked both. He had his plans completely destroyed and was dragged to the meeting place of the very people thwarting his every move. At that very moment, none of them seemed to suspect who he was, and it was a small blessing for an otherwise terrible situation.

As he sat on the couch in the Yamagi residence, only one thing kept repeating in his head, like an endless litany - it was a total disaster.

And it was all Daisuke's fault.