Digimon Adventure 02: The Story We Never Told

by ker-plop

Five years after 8 kids saved the Digital World, the gateway opens again... but it is a far darker story than we have been led to believe. This story is complete.

26. Reunion

CHAPTER 26

REUNION

"Oh, for the love of… Where IS he?!" Yolei grouched as Cody, Kari, TK and herself waited for Davis at the side of the school building. It was a morning ritual to release their Digimon partners for the day, so they could at least start out in one group… but Davis was nowhere to be seen.

Cody frowned and folded his arms. "Does he think the weekend starts on Saturday?" he asked. "Impossible…"

"Maybe he's been delayed somehow," Poromon said.

TK glanced at his watch and winced; only ten minutes remained before the bell rang, and that was cutting it too close for his comfort. "Well, we'd better just go," he began. "It's—"

A panicked yell of "HEY!" cut him off. Everyone looked up as Davis tore up the walkway and, with one charged leap, planted himself in front of them. He breathed hard, and wiped the sweat from his brow three times before he looked up and grinned. "Mornin'," he managed.

"Well, you decided to show up after all," Gatomon said, rolling her eyes.

"Where've you been?" Patamon asked.

"Heh… sorry," Davis managed, unzipping his jacket and letting Demiveemon crawl out into his hands, "but I had to get 'im away from my sister… Pain in the ass…"

"Hey!" Kari beamed, looking over the little blue critter, "you're back!"

"Yep!" Demiveemon chirped, beaming at her. "All I needed was a pork chop an' a good night's sleep!… but I think Jun's boobs mighta had somethin' to do with it, too!"

Yolei shot an irked look at Davis. "Ain't my fault she keeps comin' in and taking him," he said, jamming his hands in his pockets.

"Well, no time for that now," Cody said, placing Upamon in the browning grass. "You keep out of trouble until school's out."

"Trouble? Me?" Upamon asked, grinning.

Suddenly, a hand clapped down on Davis's shoulder and he jumped with an involuntary curse. Tai stood behind him, laughing. "Geez, coach!" Davis wheezed. "Don't DO that!"

"Those are the reflexes I like to see!" Tai said. "Make sure you use them at practice today; I'm gonna be gone, so it's a solo act."

Davis's jaw dropped. "Whaaat?!" he objected. "But you NEVER miss a practice!"

"And I don't like to, but I've got something important to do," Tai said. "I'm sure you can all do fine on your own."

Davis struggled for some sort of objection, but none came; if it was something important, he could hardly complain about it. "Uh, well… OK, coach," he surrendered, scratching his head.

"Good," Tai answered. "Now you guys'd better hurry; the bell's about to go off."

Yolei, Cody and Davis raced into the building, and the Digimon made themselves scarce in the bushes. Tai looked at Kari and TK, who had stayed behind. "Don't forget, you guys," he said quietly, "right after school."

The two nodded and then jogged for the door. "You're going, right?" Kari asked TK.

"Yeah," TK said, "but I sure wish Izzy had waited to call us… Mom was really mad."

Kari giggled. "Tai wasn't too happy about it, either," she said.

Chuckling and talking about who calls worse, the two disappeared into the school.

… … …

Within half an hour of the closing bell, the seven Digidestined were at the old playground. Izzy looked over his friends and nodded with approval. "All right, it's good to see we all made it," he stated.

"Hey, Izzy," Matt said, the ire thick in his voice, "next time you figure something out, wait until morning, OK?"

"That was the fist night's sleep I'd had in a while that wasn't medicated," Sora added, her cold fading but still present.

"Err… of course. Sorry," Izzy said. "But you can't blame me for being excited; this is a prodigious event!"

"Yeah, we should all go see Gennai, ASAP!" Tai agreed.

"You think he'll answer our questions?" Joe asked; as he remembered it, Gennai never really gave direct answers to anything he wanted to know.

"I sure hope so," TK said. "Since we found part of Tai's Crest, there're even more…"

"All right," Izzy said, "now, when can we all go?"

"How about tomorrow, around noon?" Tai spoke up. "I know I don't have anything."

"It works for me," Izzy said. "What about everyone else?"

One by one, each of the kids said they would be able to make it… but Joe stayed quiet. "What's the matter?" Sora asked. "Does Sunday not work for you?"

"No, it works," Joe said, looking up sadly, "but I was just wondering if we should ask Mimi…"

There was a quiet groan through the rest of the group. "This again?" Matt snorted, folding his arms and leaning on the bench. "Forget it."

"But…" Joe tried.

"She's made it pretty clear what she thinks of us now," Tai sighed. "Besides, I don't think she'd come even if we did ask."

Joe looked around at his friends, but it was obvious he was defeated. "All right," he mumbled.

"All right, so we're meeting Sunday at noon," Izzy said. "How about at Tai's and Kari's?"

TK scratched his head. "Didn't we all meet there last time?" he asked.

"Yes, but they have the space for all of us," Izzy said. "I'd offer my own place, but I'm letting my computer rest after all the work it did…"

Kari nodded in understanding; Izzy treated his computer like a living entity. "OK, then," she agreed, "we can use my room."

"Sounds like a plan," Sora said, glancing at her watch. "Are we done?"

"One other thing," Matt said, looking hard at his brother and Kari. "Don't tell the new kids."

Everyone—not just TK and Kari—looked at him. "What?!" TK asked.

"Again, Matt?" Izzy asked, looking annoyed. "What is it now?"

"They've never met Gennai; they wouldn't understand," Matt said, his eyes cold.

Tai frowned. "Of course they—" he began.

"They aren't a part of this," Matt snapped.

"But—" Tai tried, but as Matt's glare bored into him, his own face twisted into a defensive scowl. There was an unpleasant silence as the boys locked eyes. For a moment, the others wondered if there would be another fist fight… but Tai just sighed and shook his head. "…Fine," he said, "I guess if we're going to ask about them, it'd be less hurtful if they weren't there…" He looked over at his sister and TK. "Can we count on you guys?"

TK and Kari exchanged worried looks. Once again, they were being asked to go behind their new friends' backs by their old friends. When they had first met Davis, Cody and Yolei, the request would have been easy for them… but after spending so much time with them, the line between their two sets of friends had blurred considerably. Still, if both Tai and Matt thought it was for the good of the team… "Yeah," TK said quietly.

Kari swallowed and nodded.

"OK," Izzy said, getting off of the bench, "is there anything else before we go?"

Kari hesitated, then coughed. "There is one thing," she said. "I'm worried about what Ken's doing."

The gazes of the others fell on her, and she swallowed. She knew how Mimi had reacted to the former Emperor; had this been a mistake?

"What's wrong, Kari?" Tai asked. "Go on."

"Well…" she said, playing with her hands as she forced out the words. "He's not… hurting Digimon any more… but the way he's knocking down the spires… it's like he doesn't care about his own safety." She swallowed again and licked her lips. "And after what he said yesterday, I'm… I'm afraid he's going to do something really dangerous."

There was another pause as the older kids chewed over her words. Matt was the first to speak up, and his answer didn't make her feel any better. "He can do whatever he wants," he grunted.

"Matt, come on!" TK said, frowning at him. "You're not saying you WANT him to get hurt?!"

Matt's eyes softened for a moment, but then he shifted his weight and looked away. Sora sniffed hard, then turned a gentle smile to them. "Maybe… Ken just doesn't know what to do," she said. "If we give him a little time, I think he'll calm down and figure it out."

Kari quietly stared at her legs. Tai cleared his throat. "Well, I think that's it," he said. "Remember, tomorrow at noon, my place!"

With that, the meeting was over. Little by little, Joe, Izzy and Matt faded into the darkness that had overtaken the park. Sora shivered and shrugged her jacket into a tighter position. "It gets dark a lot sooner now," she said.

Tai looked at her. "Want me to walk you home again?" he asked.

She nodded, and he looked over at TK and Kari, who were just getting off the bench. "You guys go on home," he said, "I'll be back later."

"Right…" TK agreed, and Kari and he started off.

Tai and Sora went in the opposite direction, towards the Takenouchi residence. The chilly night was devoid of natural sound; the crickets had disappeared for the coming winter. All that could be heard was the low hum of the Tokyo traffic. "Boy, that Matt," Tai grumbled. "What's his problem?"

"I don't know," Sora said, "but I'm sure there's a reason… There always is."

He blew a visible stream of heat into the air. Once again, Sora was right… but Matt's reasons weren't always good ones. He hoped Matt would work it out of his system before things came to blows. "Maybe Gennai's answers will get him to ease up," he said.

Sora stared up at the midnight blue sky, a pang of fear stuck in her heart. "Whatever he has to say," she said, "something tells me I don't want to hear it."

Tai looked at her with sympathy, then clapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, it'll be fine," he chuckled. "Old Gennai'll set the record straight."

She smiled at him; that was Tai, always looking on the bright side. She wished she could do that more often.

… … …

The bright side of that night's dinner was quickly snuffed for Yolei. The good news was that her parents had brought home pizzas, and one of them was topped with pepperoni and sausage, her favorites; the bad news was that those happened to be all of her siblings' favorites, too. Before she could lift a finger it was all gone in a flurry of hands, jangly wristbands and gossip, save one measly slice… the tiniest one of the eight. "Heyyy!…" she groaned, her reaching hand clenching.

"Too slow," Chizuru replied curtly.

"I'd think you'd have quicker fingers, with all the games you play," Momoe said, her cheek swollen with gooey cheese.

"Can't you all get along?" Yolei's father grumbled, shaking his head.

"Here, Miyako," her mother said, offering the other pizza. "There's more than enough of this one."

Yolei took one whiff and recoiled. The "veggie lovers' special" may have been all right for some people, but the hot stink of onion, the sheen on the slimy green peppers and the total absence of any kind of cheese made it hard for her to keep lunch down. "No thanks," she mumbled, and took the last meager slice of the first one.

The three older Inoue kids had already forgotten the injustice and were chattering amongst themselves. "Hey, now, dinner's a family time," Yolei's father said. "Don't sit there like we aren't here."

"Yes, what's the word on the street today?" her mother asked.

"Well!" Momoe said, all three of them spinning around to address the rest, "we were just hearing about Chizuru's friend's sister's new boyfriend."

"Yeah, she roped him in at the mall," Chizuru broke in. "She was in the music store… and it turns out they both like the Teenage Wolves!"

"No way!" Momoe bubbled.

Yolei blinked. This type of pointless, rambling drivel drove her crazy; why couldn't she eat her dinner in peace and quiet?

"Isn't this the guy who was her brother's best friend, but they got into a fight when he learned he was dating his girlfriend?" Mantarou asked.

"Yeah, but they worked that out last week," Momoe said. "Now it's a perfect match, just like Jun and Matt!"

"Woah, hold it! Back up!" Yolei blurted, finally seeing a way to shove into the conversation. "Matt doesn't like Jun at all!"

Silence gripped the table. The siblings all looked at her, as did her parents. "How would YOU know?" Chizuru asked.

"Well, when I was up… camping that one weekend, she just showed up, and he—" she began, trying to avoid mentioning anything digital.

"I know!" Momoe cut in abruptly as she beamed. "Wasn't that so romantic, the way she followed him?"

"It was CREEPY," Yolei said, "and he didn't look at all happy, either."

"Maybe you just missed some important detail," Mantarou said.

"Besides, how do you know what Matt thinks?" Chizuru asked. "He wouldn't tell YOU who he likes!"

The siblings went back to their chatter about so-and-so and what's-her-name. Already angered by their taking all the good food and their snippy shutdown of what she had to say, she banged her elbows on the table. "Doesn't anyone want to know what I did today?" she asked.

"We know what you did," Momoe said. "You woke up, you went to school, you played your video games. Just like every other day."

"Maybe if you weren't so boring, you'd be worth listening to," Chizuru quipped.

Yolei went beet red. "Mom!" she complained.

"Be nicer to your sister, Chizuru," Yolei's mother scolded, then turned an eye on Yolei. "But… maybe it would help if you were more sociable, Miyako… made more friends."

"What?!" Yolei snapped, turning defensive. "I have friends!"

"You hardly hang out with them outside school," Mantarou said, "and throwing Jun's brother in the pond isn't what I'd call being sociable."

"If you did more, met more people, you'd have more to talk about," her father added. "Why don't you do something after school for a while? Something other than work at the store or in that computer club, I mean."

The conversation went on, but Yolei could contribute no more; she had been struck dumb by her family's words. She silently chewed her pizza, her thoughts drifting towards tomorrow's meeting with Mimi.

… … …

Dinner at the Ichijouji residence was the exact opposite of the Inoue's; the only noise was the clatter of silverware on the plates. Usually his parents would chatter about work and their social lives, but tonight they were too engrossed in the meal.

Ken forced himself to eat, trying to ignore the deafening silence. It had followed him everywhere since the incident in the Forbidden Desert. For the first time in his life, he felt adrift, aimless, and lost, no longer knowing his place, or what he was to do. He desperately wanted a sign, something to show him the way… but nothing came. He shoved another wad of rice down his throat, questions punching at the insides of his skull: why had Wormmon disappeared into Paildramon? What did it mean? Why couldn't he figure it out?!

"Ken, are you all right?" his mother's voice broke in.

Startled, he looked up to see both of his parents looking at him intently. "Um… sorry, what?" he asked.

"You've been looking pale lately," his father said. "Are you sick? Want to see a doctor?"

Ken frowned. He did feel tired more often, but he knew that was because of all the time he spent destroying spires… but maybe it was starting to show. He hardly ever looked at mirrors, so perhaps he did come off as haggard and worn out… and he was as silent as he had been during dinners when he was the Emperor. Not wanting to worry them, he cleared his throat. "Oh… no," he said. "I've just been working on a big project… Nothing serious…"

"Well, don't push yourself too hard," his mother said. "Overworking yourself is just as unhealthy as not doing anything."

Ken nodded and stared down at his meal, but he wasn't really hungry anymore. Now that his parents had engaged him in conversation, he wanted to ask them about his problem. After all, they were his parents; they had to have some kind of answer… "Actually, can I ask you guys something?" he asked.

"Of course," his father said. "Ask away."

"Well…" he said, tapping his fork on the side of the plate, "it's about the project, really… I knew where I was going to go with it at first… but then I met some other kids who have suggested some other ways to do it… and now I have no idea what the best thing to do is… and nobody's giving me any pointers." He looked up again. "What would you do?"

Surprisingly, his mother was beaming. "Oh, this is wonderful!" she exclaimed. "You've made some friends!"

He blinked. Friends? He didn't once use that word in his question; how did she get that? "Well, it's not…" he tried to correct her.

"It's always good to have more than one option," his father interrupted. "There's never just one way to do things… and I think that's a big relief."

The silence broken, his parents began chatting with each other about marginally related topics in their own lives, and a warm atmosphere came back to the dinner table. Ken was glad for the change in mood, but now he had one more question rattling around his mind: could those kids really be friends? It seemed hard to believe someone could ever truly be a friend to the Digimon Emperor.

… … …

The sun hung high in the sky, not quite yet at its apex, but close enough for Cody to guess it was almost noon. A cold wind blew across the balcony and chilled him through his gi, but he didn't mind; it helped him keep his focus. Sunday mornings in November were perfect for kendo practice.

As he raised his shinai for another swing, though, something below caught his eye; his balcony was at an angle he could see the Inoue apartment on the eastern side beneath, and Yolei was stepping out of the door in her frumpy green fall jacket. Normally, this was not an oddity—Yolei often went in and out of her own house—but he hardly ever saw her on Sundays, except online. Even stranger was that Poromon wasn't with her. "Good morning, Yolei!" he called cheerfully, waving his shinai; he didn't want to feel he was spying on her.

The jump she made startled him as much as his call had spooked her. She turned panicked eyes on him, then shook her head. "Agh! Uh… hi, Cody," she said quietly, her eyes darting around.

"It's odd seeing you on a Sunday," he said, walking to the railing and leaning on it. "Are you working at your store today?"

"Uh… n-no," she stammered, still looking around like she thought others were watching. "I'm, uh… just… going for a walk! See ya!" With that, she tore off, vanishing down the staircase in a series of frantic clomps. Cody, genuinely muddled, scratched his head. Since when did Yolei exercise at all, let alone on a Sunday?

As he pondered this, he heard another door close. "Morning, Cody!" a familiar, high-pitched voice came from his right. From the south side of the balcony he could look down and see the walkway that the Takaishi apartment was on, and TK and Patamon were walking along it. Patamon was smiling and waving from TK's hat, but TK looked nervous.

"Uh, hello," Cody called back, "where are you off to?"

Patamon started to speak, but TK reached up and grabbed him; Cody could see the cross look he gave the pig. "Oh, uh, we're just… going for a walk," he said, giving a phony grin. "See you later!" With that, he also ran off down the stairs.

Cody leaned his shinai against the balcony and frowned. Now this was really weird. Either both of his friends were going for a walk today… or there was something else happening.

He gathered his kendo things and walked back inside. As he changed into regular clothes, his hung gi fell and landed on the still-sleeping Upamon and he woke with a start. "Bleahhh!" he gagged, scampering out from under it. "Armpit smell isn't a nice alarm clock, Cody!"

"Get ready, Upamon," Cody said, his head popping out of one of his purple shirts. "We're going for a walk."

… … …

Yolei's five-block trudge to Mimi's place felt like a shackled stumble across the Sahara. She was not looking forward to the meeting, but after what her siblings and her parents had said the night before, she almost had to do it. She also felt bad that she hadn't told Poromon where she was going—she hadn't even woken him up—but he wouldn't understand; after all, Digimon didn't know about the human social circle.

Dragging herself up the stairs with lead feet, she reached the correct floor and turned right. Three doors down hung the Tachikawa family name plate, emboldened with little caricatures of its three members… and the apple-cheeked smiles on all of them seemed as welcoming as angry dobermans. Her raised pointer finger fought with her for a moment, then she lurched forward and jammed it into the doorbell. A gentle "ding-dong" echoed through the curtained window.

After an eternity of thirty seconds, the door opened. Out stepped Mimi, clad in a weathered pink jacket and sweatpants, and a plastic sack looped around her left arm. "Uh… Good morning?" Yolei asked, puzzled at her strangely cheap-looking clothes.

Mimi sniffed and frowned; the clothes weren't there, but the attitude certainly was. "Is that what you're wearing?" she asked curtly. "And what's that smell? It's like a dumpster behind a fruit stand… with mothballs."

Yolei's eye visibly twitched, but she held herself steady; she was there for help, and she wasn't going to blow it. "So," she said between clenched teeth, "what're we doing today?…"

"Well, I thought we'd start with the basics today," Mimi replied. "Before we do anything else, you obviously need a refresher in hygiene."

Yolei blinked. "I came all the way over here to take a bath?" she growled.

"Oh, not in MY bathroom," Mimi sniffed. "No WAY are you getting in there! We're going to the public bathhouse!"

Yolei's anger froze and her hair stood on end. The public bathhouse meant bathing in front of a ton of other people, something out of her nightmares. "P-public?!" she squeaked.

Mimi blinked, genuinely stunned. "You mean you've never been to it before?…" She watched Yolei hesitate and her shock faded. "Well, I guess it's not THAT surprising," she sniffed.

Yolei swallowed again; she had to get out of the mess. "Uh, I, uh, didn't bring any soap," she stammered.

Mimi gestured to the bag on her arm. "I have enough of everything we need for the both of us," she said, stepping out of the apartment. "I was going to ask Daddy to drive us," she said, her nose wrinkling again, "but a walk will help you air out. Come on, let's go."

In Yolei's mind, Mimi flew from her hands off the balcony and splattered across the pavement below… but she took a deep breath and shook her head. "Right," she muttered, and followed her new mentor back towards the stairs.

… … …

"Good grief!" was Susumu Yagami's exact quote upon discovering seven teenagers coming into his house. "What's going on here?!"

"It's OK, Dad," Kari said, taking her shoes off and holding them instead of putting them by the door. "We're all just here to study for a big test."

"Yeah, don't mind us, Mr. Yagami," Sora said, also retaining her shoes. "We'll be really quiet; we promise."

"Oh!" Yuuko's voice came from the other room, and her head popped through a doorway. "How many are there? Would you kids like some lunch?"

"Uh, no, that's OK, Mom," Tai said quickly, "we've got our own snacks for this!" He patted the shoulder bag that Izzy carried.

"Well, OK," she said, looking a bit hurt, "but don't get any crumbs in the rug."

The seven kids strolled into Kari's room and shut the door. "Whew!" Tai whispered. "Just dodged a fungus-coated bullet!"

Sora sighed. "Your mom looked kind of upset," she said. "Do you always say no to her cooking?"

"Nope, I'll eat when I can lose a day to cramps," he chuckled. Upon seeing that she wasn't amused, he sighed. "I clean my plate more than enough times," he said soberly. "We just don't want her to come in here when we're gone!"

"Good point," Izzy said. "Now, is everyone ready?"

The kids showed their Digivices. Patamon, who had feigned being a toy for the parents, miraculously came to life. "Here!" he chirped.

The pale-green sheets on Kari's bed rustled, and Gatomon emerged. "Let's get this show on the road," she said, hopping onto the floor.

"Hey," Sora suddenly said, "what about our partners?"

"I spoke to Tentomon last night," Izzy said. "I gave him the coordinates and he said they'd all be there."

Joe stared at the rug, wondering if Palmon would come, too.

"OK, then," Izzy said bringing the Digital Gate up on Kari's computer. "TK, Kari, if you'd do the honors…"

TK and Kari raised their D3s and the gate unlocked. The others raised their Digivices and vanished in the brightness of the screen. The next thing they knew, they stood in a grassy meadow surrounded by tall, full pine trees. The sky was overcast and the scent of wet moss hung thick in the air. A gigantic mass of Control Spires stood in a ring nearby.

TK took a step forward and the grass squelched beneath him. Surprised, he brought his foot up and looked, but there was nothing wet on it. He put it down and heard the same noise. "That's weird," he said, "this place feels more like a swamp than a meadow."

"Maybe there was a lot of rain lately?" Patamon asked.

TK shook his head. "My feet're dry," he pointed out.

Patamon thought for a second. "Invisible rain?" he tried.

Tai leered at the spires and folded his arms. "Those things ruin any scenery," he grumbled.

"You're telling me!" a familiar voice came from behind, and Tai grinned and whirled around. Agumon stood there, along with the other Digimon partners.

The kids all greeted them happily. "Hello, Tentomon," Izzy said to the red bug. "I see you got everyone together… Good work."

"Well, when they heard what it was about, I couldn't get them to stay put," Tentomon replied.

"Biyomon!" Sora laughed, hugging the pink bird, but recoiling when she heard her sneeze. "Do you still have a cold, too?" she asked.

"(SNRK) Yeah…" Biyomon grunted, rubbing at her beak, "but it's not as bad as it was…"

Gabumon approached Matt, who just stood there. "Matt?" he asked.

Matt glanced down and the faintest of smiles creased his lips. "Good to see you," he said, patting the horned dog on his head. Gabumon smiled; that was all he needed.

"Joe!" Gomamon cackled, jumping up and down before the blue-haired college student. "You're wearing buttons?! You've gotta loosen up!"

Joe looked down at his shirt and scratched his head. "Well, these are my casual fall things," he tried.

"Casual nothin'!" Gomamon snickered. "Get yourself something like Matt's wearing! You've gotta relax more!"

Joe smiled; that's how Gomamon always was… but then he looked up and his smile faded. Palmon was there, too, a disappointed look in her eye. "Mimi… didn't…?" she asked, looking over at him. "But she came last time!"

He shook his head. "Sorry," he said. Her flower sagged and she stared at the ground.

Joe would have said something more, but the others were already focused on the business at hand. "So, Agumon," Tai said, "have you seen any sign of Gennai?"

Agumon shook his head. "We just got here, but this is all we found," he explained, waving at the spires.

"Weird," TK said, letting Patamon go so he could flutter around. "Izzy, did your program work right?"

"Of course it did!" Izzy snapped crossly, then shook his head and took a deep breath. "Err, what I mean to say is, perhaps Gennai's house is hidden. Remember last time?"

"Oh, right!" Sora said, the memory flowing back into her mind. During their first adventure, Gennai had called them to his home to explain how they could return to the real world… and his house had been hidden beneath a strange, pink lake. It baffled the mind, but logic went on the back burner in the Digital World. "Is there a lake around here?"

Biyomon sniffled, a very unusual thing for a beaked animal to do. "If those control spires weren't there, I could Digivolve and fly around to look," she said.

TK and Kari took the hint. "How about some exercise, guys?" Kari asked Gatomon and Patamon, raising her D3.

"'Bout time," Gatomon said, grinning and clenching her claws. Within moments, Pegasusmon and Nefertimon were soaring through the hazy sky and the spires were toppling into the grass with dull thuds. No more than three minutes later, they were all gone.

"Great!" Sora laughed, pulling out her own Digivice. "OK, Biyomon, let's get going!"

"Hold that thought," Matt said, pointing at where the spires had fallen. "Look."

Everyone stared at the middle of the rubble and saw a large, blue, oval-shaped pond; the spires had been raised around it, blocking it from sight. "How about that?" Gomamon asked.

Nefertimon and Pegasusmon landed and reverted to their lower forms. "Whoever's puttin' 'em up now must not like water," Gatomon said.

Tai and Izzy exchanged glances. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Izzy asked.

"For once, yes," Tai agreed.

Kari scratched her head. "What?" she asked.

For a moment, everybody looked at her oddly. "Oh, right! You weren't with us before!" TK said, clapping himself on the side of the head. "Kari, the last time we met Gennai in person, his house was—"

Before he could finish, the pond began to bubble and foam. "What the—" Joe started. As they all watched, the water split in half and moved to the sides, revealing a long stairway down into it.

"Well, there we go," Izzy said, "just like before."

They all stared at the steps for a few moments as if they were the gaping maw of some horrible monster, and then they slowly started down them. The watery walls were teeming with fish—real-world fish—that swam about as if nothing amazing was happening. As much as she tried, Gatomon couldn't keep her mouth from watering.

Kari was dumbstruck. "Wow… this is where Gennai lives?…" she asked.

"Nope," Agumon said, pointing, "THAT'S where Gennai lives."

As she looked where he pointed, Kari was given her second shock of the day. The steps ended in a fog of blue haze, and straight ahead stood a large, Japanese-style house, complete with a stone-tiled path, a rocky garden and reedy ponds.

"Jackpot!" Tai said, and ran towards it. Not wanting to miss out, everyone else followed suit. Seeing no sign of anyone in the front yard, they turned the corner and stopped. Standing on a weathered old bridge over another pond was a small, hunched figure with its back turned to them, with what looked like empty tubes jutting out of its black and red cloak. It turned around to reveal a wisp of gray hair on top of an aged, peanut-shaped head. It regarded them with bulging, oversized eyelids, a giant nose and a droopy, bushy gray mustache. They all recognized the figure immediately and smiled, their hearts soaring. Izzy was the first to speak. "Gennai," he said.

Gennai smiled back with a near-toothless grin.

… … …

Cody almost thought an Oni demon had answered the Motomiya door, the way Davis looked; his hair was even messier than usual, and a drip of snot from his nose led down and joined the trail of drool from his mouth. "I don't like wakin' up on Sunday before three," he grunted at the boy. "This'd better be good."

Cody decided to be direct. "TK was sneaking off somewhere, and I want to know why," he said.

"Ya gotta help us out!" Upamon said. "Please, Davis?"

"Blehhhh," Davis retorted with his tongue, starting to shut the door. "None of my business."

Cody frowned and thought fast. Yolei might not be there, but the same tricks she used to get Davis's goat might work. "Funny you wouldn't be curious," he said to the one eye he could see. "He could have gone to see Kari."

The door slammed harshly. At first Cody thought that his plan hadn't worked… but thirty seconds later it flew open again, revealing a fully clothed Davis hopping into his other shoe, his mouth smeared with toothpaste. "I'll fix 'im!" he spluttered, wiping the white mess on his sleeve. "I'll fix 'im!"

"Err… yes… of course," was all Cody could say.

"Hey, what about Demiveemon?" Upamon asked. "We might need him, too!"

Davis sobered up and gave them an awkward look. "Well, that might be kinda tough," he admitted. "See, my dumb sister swiped him again last night, so…"

"So what?" Cody asked.

Davis huffed and motioned for his friends to come in. "Be reeeal quiet," he warned, kicking his shoes back off. "She's a light sleeper, an' so are Mom n' Dad!"

Taking the hint, Cody slipped off his shoes and followed Davis to the first room on the right. Davis pushed it open as quietly as he could, waited a moment, then gave Cody a thumbs-up. They both crept into the dark room, the shade pulled on the one window. There was only enough light for Cody to see a battalion of posters of boys on the walls—at least three crude drawings of Matt among them—and Jun, snoring away on her bed in a tank top and panties, Demiveemon in a bosom-backed grip. "Pssst!" Davis hissed.

No answer came. Demiveemon yawned and cuddled further into his fleshy nest. "PSSSST!" Davis hissed again, spitting as he did it.

Demiveemon's eyes shot open and he beamed at Davis, then wriggled himself free and hopped over to them. "Hi, Davis! Hi, Cody!" he whispered excitedly. "I—"

A moan from the bed made their spines lock. Jun was moving around, starting to wake up. In a panic, Davis grabbed the first thing he found on the floor and stuffed it in her arms. She rolled over, murmured "touch saxophone," and then the snores resumed.

Davis motioned for them all to go, and they slipped back out, got into their shoes and left the apartment. "Whew!" Demiveemon gasped. "Now THAT was exciting!"

"Does she do that a lot?" Upamon asked.

"More so lately," Demiveemon said. "I dunno why, but I like it!"

"Yeah, now if you'd just sneak out during' the night like you used to…" Davis grumbled. "It's a real pain coming to get you!" He turned and grinned at Cody. "OK, let's go!"

They started down the stairs, headed for the street. "By the way, what did you put in her arms, anyway?" Cody asked Davis.

"From the smell of it, one of her sock balls," he replied. "She doesn't do laundry unless it's an emergency."

Cody sighed and shook his head. A whole family that slept in past noon, and a sister who left dirty clothes on the floor… Maybe being lazy was simply built into the Motomiya gene pool.

… … …

"Nice to see you again, Gennai!" Tai said, the others behind him giving similar greetings.

Gennai nodded and started down from the bridge. "Yes, it's good to see you're all fine, too," he said. "Goodness, you've all gotten so big! If it weren't for your partners, I wouldn't have recognized you!" He stroked his mustache thoughtfully. "Five real-world years certainly change things…" He paused and looked again. "Seven?… We seem to be missing one." he said.

Joe winced and scratched his head. "Sorry, Gennai, she, uh… couldn't come," he said. "So… what's going on? Why did the Digital World change?"

"Who made the Control Spires?" Sora asked. "It wasn't the Emperor, was it?"

"Why'd you make new Digivices?" Matt groused.

"Why has time synchronized between the worlds?" Izzy asked.

"Why didn't you call us earlier?" TK asked.

"What was a piece of a Crest doing in the base?" Kari asked.

They all had good and legitimate questions… but since they all asked at the same time, the words became a jumbled cacophony. Gennai winced, then motioned for silence. "Easy!" he said, "I don't have seven pairs of ears!" After everyone quieted down, he cleared his throat. "Now, then… all of your questions will be answered in due time… but first, how about you all come inside for a light lunch?"

Matt frowned; they had come for solutions, not snacks. "We didn't…" he started.

"Please, I insist," Gennai cut him off. "What kind of host would I be if I didn't feed you?"

Someone's stomach grumbled. Agumon chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry," he said, "but it sounds nice…"

Kari looked over at the house. The others might have been inside before, but she had never gone into a house under a lake, and her interest was piqued. "OK! Let's do that," she agreed.

Gennai led them around to the front, opened the door and invited them in. They went inside and almost immediately their jaws dropped. It may have looked like a traditional old house from the outside, but the inside was a playroom: long, whistling trains both old and new chugged along tracks across the ceiling rafters; several of the little rides from outside grocery stores—in the shapes of cars, rockets and horses—bobbed up and down in the corners; and sleek, black arcade machines flashing with neon red, green and yellow lights stood proudly along the walls. "Woah!" was all anyone could say.

"I've done a little redecorating since you were here last," Gennai chuckled. "You didn't get to see all these things before, did you?"

"Wheee!" Patamon laughed, leaving TK's hat and perching on one of the horse rides. "Finally, I can ride a horse instead of being one!"

TK looked at the nearest arcade machine and did a double take. "Hey, that one just came out a few weeks ago!" he said, imagining Yolei's lid flipping at the sight of it.

Gennai beamed again. "I like to keep up to date," he explained. "There's no bigger turnoff than a house that smells like mothballs and old newspaper."

The others walked around looking at all the stuff, but Matt just folded his arms. "Aren't you a little old for all this?" he asked.

"What do you mean? I have no age," Gennai said, glancing at him. "And even if I did, age is just a number, m'boy."

"Yeah, Matt," Tai cackled, elbowing the blonde boy, "don't you still have a few old toys in your room? Ya play with 'Mr. Hippity Hop' the bunny once in a while?"

Gabumon laughed out loud. Matt scowled, but his cheeks went red.

"Anyway, please, come to the dining room," Gennai said, walking to a door on the right. "I've already set a few things out."

Kari looked up, obviously disappointed. "Actually, Mr. Gennai, may I please look at the rest of the house? I've never been in here before, and it's really exciting."

Gennai scratched at his mustache again. "Well, if you're not very hungry…" he started. "Oh, but what I have to say is pretty important."

"That's OK," Tai said. "We can all fill her in on it."

"Yeah!" Agumon agreed, "there're plenty of us; one of us will get it right!"

"Hmm… well, if that's what you want to do, then go ahead," Gennai said, "but do come back to the dining room when you're done."

Kari smiled. "Thanks!" she said, and started into a room opposite the door.

Gatomon watched her go, then started after her. "I'll go with her," she said. "I'm not very hungry either."

"Suit yourself," Gennai said, then opened the door. "For the rest of you…"

The others walked into the room and their jaws dropped again. In contrast to the front hall, the dining room DID look like something from a traditional Japanese house, with papery sliding walls and a long, low table with cushions all around… but what was on the table was the biggest surprise. The entire tabletop was loaded with a vast spread of fish prepared in various ways: grilled trout, sushi rolls, batter-fried cod, and salmon fillets, to name just a few. There were also several bowls full of halved lemons for flavoring, bottles of soy sauce, and at least three teapots. Each place setting had both forks and chopsticks. "Holy mackerel!" was all Joe could exclaim.

"Well, I wasn't able to get them blessed, but I do have plain ones," Gennai chuckled. "They're right next to the cod."

"Good grief," Palmon choked. "Gatomon'll be sorry she missed this!"

They all sat down to eat, all their questions subdued but one: if this was what Gennai called a 'light lunch,' what did he do for parties?

… … …

The closest public bathhouse was only a small, one-story building tucked away on a neighborhood side street… but it may as well looked like a goblin's stronghold with Yolei's anxiety. "H-hey, I don't know about this," she said as they got closer, her gait slowing.

Mimi was unsympathetic, grabbing her arm and yanking her back up to speed. "It's not pleasant for me, either, y'know," she sniffed, "having to bring you along…"

"Why do we have to go to a public bathhouse?!" Yolei whined. "Why couldn't we have covered this in a private one?"

"Because you've got to get more self-conscious as well as cleaner," Mimi said, "and there's no better place to learn that than in here."

Yolei's face was radioactive green as they reached the building. "Now just this once, I'll pay," Mimi warned her, rummaging around in her pockets and pulling out a small, pink purse. "Follow me and don't do anything unless I say so." Putting on her sweetest smile for the cashier, she paid the entrance fee and motioned for Yolei to come along.

Yolei nervously wandered inside, where she was presented with two doors: the one on the right had "Women" written next to it… and the one on the left had "Men" inscribed. She blinked at it, then realized the upshot of the public baths. Suddenly her head swam with the image of dozens of muscular, wet boys just through that door, clad only in soap suds… and her feet responded the only way they knew how. "Oh, NO you DON'T," Mimi's voice burst in her brain, and a hand clamped down on her arm and swung her towards the women's entrance, a second hand shoving into her back. She gave a pained whine, then surrendered; it had been nice while it lasted.

… … …

"Ohhh, blast it! Blast it! How could she?!" Poromon yelped, fluttering around Yolei's empty room like an angry bee. He couldn't believe she had left him stuck in there, all alone; what if he needed to eat, or had to go to the bathroom? He was so angry, for a moment he thought of playing "poo-poo bombardier" all over her bed, just to teach her a lesson.

He landed on the floor with a grunt and shook himself off. "Now, now! Enough of that!" he chided himself. He was an intelligent, powerful and dutiful Digimon; he was above such childish revenge games. He could solve this problem himself, he thought. Until she got back, he could take care of himself… but how?

His blue eyes darted around the room; there had to be something he could do… He knew there was a window behind those drapes on the wall; he had heard Yolei's dad complain enough about how dark the room was. The string for opening them was over in the corner, so he flew over, grabbed it in his beak and let gravity take control. As he sank back to the ground, a burst of afternoon light flowed in, adding a whole new set of colors to the dingy chamber.

The gray tops of Odaiba's cityscape greeted him. Seeing outside was good, but he still had to get out there… His eyes fell on the latch halfway up the wall; there was a small balcony out there that Yolei never used, but it would make a suitable latrine. He fluttered up, jammed his beak into the latch and yanked as hard as he could, and there was a click and the door slid back. A cold wind blew in, scattering papers and ruffling the blankets and clothes, but it was nothing his fluffy feathers couldn't fend off.

"Whew!" he laughed with delight; fending for himself was easier than he thought. Now for phase two: food. He knew exactly what to do for that. He hopped on top of her bed and flew up to the cabinet near the ceiling. Despite how many times her parents scolded her for it, he knew she kept a steady supply of candy bars and salty snacks in there. It wouldn't exactly be healthy, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

He got the cabinet open with his beak, but something fell out and landed on the bed with a soft crunch. Surprised, he looked down at it; it wasn't candy or peanuts, but one of those picture books Yolei always read. A wicked thought crossed his mind. She never let him read those books… Now was his chance to pay her back for leaving him alone without making a mess.

He landed on the bed and looked at the strange scribbles and lines all over the cover. Yolei knew how to read it, but he didn't… so he just decided to follow the pictures. The cover showed a girl and a boy, both about Yolei's age, looking at each other and smiling; he wondered what were they so happy about. He stuck his wing under the cover and flicked it, opening the book. There was more of that chicken scratch, but also a lot more pictures, though none of them in color like the first one. He looked at each of the pictures, still wondering just what that boy and that girl were so happy about.

He flipped the page again and his expression changed from curiosity to pure bewilderment. "Huh…?" was all he could say, unable to take his eyes away. That certainly didn't look like it would make him happy.

… … …

After three of Cody's brusque, concise knocks, the Takaishi door opened and out stepped TK's mother, Natsuko, who preferred the nickname "Nancy." Davis sighed on the inside; why were all of his friends' moms so hot? "Oh… hello," she said, not quite sure what to make of a little boy and a grouchy kid with goggles, both holding weird little dolls. "Are you some of TK's friends?"

Cody cleared his throat. "Um, yes, we are, Mrs. Takaishi," he said, bowing politely. "We were wondering if TK was here, please."

Nancy scratched at her chin, genuinely unsure. "Let me go see," she said, turning around and calling for her son. When there was no answer, she walked back inside and disappeared.

Davis frowned at Cody. "Why'd you ask that?" he asked. "You said he left!"

"I'm being polite," Cody replied. "It would be rude to grill Mrs. Takaishi."

"No kidding!" Upamon chirped. "Besides, we don't have one big enough for her."

"Grilled human?!" Demiveemon asked, sticking his tongue out. "Yuck!"

Cody was about to admonish his partner's sick sense of humor when Nancy returned, looking more certain. "Nope, I'm afraid he's not here," she said. "But now I remember… He said he was going with everyone to Kari's."

Cody heard Davis suck in his breath, so he nodded. "I see… Thank you, Mrs. Takaishi," he said, grabbing Davis's arm. With another quick bow, he dragged the older boy off. Nancy was left staring at them, wondering if all of her son's friends were so peculiar.

The boys walked around the corner of the apartment building. Seeing that they were safely out of earshot, Cody looked up at Davis. "You know what this means," he stated.

Davis's eyes were twitching. "Of course I do!" he snapped, his voice a mix of rage and despair. "TJ and Kari… really ARE… ssseeing each other!…"

"Sure they see each other!" Demiveemon said. "They aren't invisible!"

Cody's eyes rolled. "No," he said, "Mrs. Takaishi said that everybody was there… but we are not there."

Davis's anguish subsided long enough for him to think… and then it hit him. "Coach an' the older kids!" he exclaimed.

"Right," Cody said. "For some reason, they've all met up… without us. Again."

"But why?" Upamon asked. "That's kinda rude, not askin' us to come!"

Davis's jaw set. It wasn't just rude; it was sneaky. He knew Tai and Kari—and even TK—were too nice to purposefully ignore them; something had to be up. "I say we go over there and see what the hell's so secret," he grumbled.

"Yeah!" Demiveemon huffed, squirming in his grip, "an' if they've got pork chops, I'm gonna really be mad!"

"Hold on," Cody said, "we should get Yolei. She ought to know, too…" His eyes lowered and he pursed his lips. "But I saw her leave, too…"

"Big deal!" Davis said. "You just dragged us to TP's place; hers's close enough!"

"Yeah, maybe her mom an' dad'll know where she went!" Upamon said.

Cody nodded, and the small party set off for the staircase.

… … …

Their clothes stored away in separate lockers, the two girls walked into the bathing area. It was all one room, but a long, wooden barrier in the center split it between the genders. The barrier was partly a fence and partly a wall; it didn't split the rooms completely, but it was tall enough to discourage anyone from climbing over. "All right," Mimi said, removing her towel and plopping down on an open stool, setting her toiletries in front of her. "Grab a stool and we'll get started."

Yolei looked around, her grip on her own towel like iron. The intense heat and the hazy atmosphere of the chamber didn't help her discomfort; even the thought of the bushel of boys in the buff just next door didn't do anything. All around her were other women of different ages, looks and sizes: Old women chattering about their medical problems in the corner; eight-year-old girls laughing and flicking soap at each other; and women in their late twenties and early thirties who had the perfect bodies that teenagers had in her manga. She gawked at the forms before her; if that was how women were supposed to look, then what was wrong with her?

She didn't go unnoticed. One of the women she stared at tried to ignore her, but finally gave her a dirty look. Yolei took the hint and tried to change views, but she couldn't look in any direction without feeling embarrassed, ashamed, disgusted, or all three. She shivered and gripped the towel tighter, her body going red all over. Mimi noticed her hesitation and scowled. "Hey, sit down!" she ordered, pointing to a stool next to her. "I don't have all day!"

Several pairs of eyes turned towards her. Not wanting to draw any more attention, Yolei scuttled over to the stool and sat down, letting the towel just drop off like a swath of molting feathers. "Here," Mimi said, shoving a loofah, a cake of soap, and a bottle of shampoo at her. "Start scrubbing."

Yolei looked at the tools and sighed quietly. Was this really going to help improve her chances with Ken? She picked up the loofah, ran it under the faucet, smeared the soap into it and started slathering it across her body.

Mimi peered over and chuckled. "Wow," she smirked, "if you ever have kids, they're gonna starve to death."

Her jaw clenched and her eyes staring straight forward, Yolei kept on scrubbing.

… … …

Gomamon gurgled, fell on his back and belched, rubbing his bulging belly. "My sentiments exactly," Izzy agreed, picking the leftover fish out of his teeth with a stray bone.

"I swear, Agumon," Tai said, "if you eat any more, you're going to blow up."

"OK," Agumon laughed, "then pass the calamari and duck!"

Gennai wiped his lips on his napkin, then rose. "I trust you all enjoyed the snack?" he asked.

"This was delicious," Sora said, nodding graciously to their host. "Thanks, Gennai!"

The others all added their thanks as well. Gennai nodded happily. "Good… very good," he said. "So, if we're all finished…"

He clapped his hands and instantly the table was bare and clean. "Woah!" TK laughed. "Where can my mom get one of those tables?!"

"As nice as this is, it's on to business," Gennai said, his smile growing faint. "I have very important things to tell you about what to do next…"

"Do next?!" Matt asked, lurching forward and putting his hands on the table. "We came here for answers, not an assignment!"

"Matt, calm down!" Gabumon said, gently tugging at his partner's shirt.

"I can assure you, what I'm about to tell you will help you get them," Gennai said.

He snapped his fingers and the lights dimmed, and a projection screen descended on the far wall. Various images flashed on the screen, and the kids all tensed up. They were still images of the conclusion of their first adventure: the battle in a dark void against the freakish mutant Digimon called Apocalymon. Tai shuddered as they were treated to a close-up of the monster's face and its glowing yellow eyes; he had seen them enough times in nightmares. "I'm sure you all remember your final battle," Gennai said. "It was a struggle like none the Digital World had ever seen before, or will see again…"

"How can we forget it?" Joe asked. "That guy destroyed our Crests, and almost the rest of us!"

"True, true," Gennai said, nodding. "Apocalymon did destroy your Crests. However, by that point, the powers in those Crests had already been absorbed into you, thanks to your own personal qualities, and that let you use the same power even after they were gone…"

"Then how come we can't use it now?" Biyomon asked.

Gennai sighed. "Unfortunately, five real-world years and so much time out of the Digital World has taken its toll," he admitted. "The Crest power inside you is still there, but it has dwindled to pretty much nothing…"

"Kari got Gatomon to Digivolve into Angewomon that one time," Patamon said.

"Yes… As I said, the power is still inside you…" Gennai said, "but only the gravest, absolute worst situations can draw it out."

"What, the Emperor taking over the Digital World and brainwashing our partners wasn't bad enough?" Tai asked.

"It was not," Gennai said. "No, I'm afraid that, as things are, only the Champion evolutions are available to you now…"

"Like we've had a chance to even get to that, with all the stupid spires!" Gomamon groused.

"So… are we out of it, then?" Sora asked, daring to ask what everyone dreaded. "Are we… useless?"

In answer to her worried face, Gennai smiled warmly. "Come now, do you think the Order would abandon its chosen children so quickly?" he asked. "No, all is not lost."

The screen produced an image of the eight Crests, and Gennai cleared his throat. "Now, then. While Apocalymon did break the Crests, it doesn't mean they were destroyed completely. No, far from it… The Crests were specially designed for just such a problem," he said.

"What, so the guys that made them expected us to screw up?" Tentomon asked.

"Yeah, that's real trust," Palmon grumbled.

"To ensure the Digital World would be saved, the Order had to take every precaution," Gennai went on. "The Crests were designed so that, should they be broken, they would rebuild themselves, molecule by molecule… so they can never be totally destroyed."

"Oh… So they would repair themselves, like… the human body heals after an injury?" Izzy thought out loud.

"That's right," Gennai said, but then looked sober. "The problem, though, is that Apocalymon smashed them so utterly, only a few fragments have managed to form again…"

TK's eyes lit up. "Hey! Is that what the thing inside the Gigas was?!" he asked.

Gennai nodded. "So, the next mission is clear enough, isn't it?" he asked. "You must find a piece of each of the eight Crests. Only then can you regain the power that you had before."

Izzy's eyes sank. "Oh, but the one in the base is gone," he said. "It had to be destroyed, or the whole place would have gone up in a mushroom cloud."

"Well, then you'll just have to find another piece of that Crest," Gennai replied.

Sora blinked. "Wait a minute," she said, "didn't you just say the Crest would rebuild itself?"

"I did," Gennai said as the lights came back on, "but it took all of the five real-world years—hundreds and hundreds of Digital World years—to re-form as much as that one did. It would be far faster to look for another piece."

Patamon turned to TK, his eyes wide and bright. "Wow! This is amazing!" he chirped. "Kari shoulda stuck around to hear it!"

TK jumped; he had almost forgotten about her. "Yeah, she should've," he said. "Gennai, could you wait for a little while? I'm going to go get Kari."

The boy walked out of the room, Patamon fluttering behind him. Gennai stroked at his mustache again, smiling. That boy certainly had grown a lot.

… … …

"Just a minute! Just a minute!" Momoe Inoue's excited voice came through the door, but when it opened, she took one look and her smile faded. "Oh," she mumbled.

Cody opened his mouth to speak, but Chizuru's yell beat him to the punch. "WHO IS IT?!" she cried. "IS IT YUKI?!"

"NAWW, IT'S JUN'S BROTHER AND SOME OTHER KID!" Momoe yelled back, then turned to them again. "Look, if you're selling something, our folks handle that," she said, "and they won't be back until six."

"Uh, no, we're not selling anything," Cody said, glad for a chance to speak at all. "Is Yolei… err, Miyako here?"

"Huh," Momoe huffed, annoyed at the question. "Lemme check." She vanished into the apartment, then came back thirty seconds later, looking surprised. "No, she isn't!" she said. "I don't know where she is!"

Cody began to say thanks, but Momoe turned back into the doorway. "CHIZURU!" she yelled. "YOU KNOW WHERE MIYAKO WENT?!"

"NO!" Chizuru roared.

"MANTAROU!" Momoe shouted. "YOU KNOW WHERE MIYAKO WENT?!"

Mantarou's head popped out from around the corner. "There's a note on the kitchen table," he said, pointing.

"What?!" Momoe snapped, strutting back in, then coming back out with the note. "Huh… says here she'll be gone for the whole afternoon… but she doesn't say where! Weird…"

"So, uh, you have any ideas where she could've gone?" Davis tried.

"Nope, not a clue," Momoe said. "If she's not in her room playing video games, she's usually playing with her friends… Um, which're you guys. So… if she's not with you…"

"Err… yeah," Davis tried again. "Well, if you think of—"

"Yeah, I'll call Jun if I find something out!" Momoe laughed. "She'll tell you!"

"No, wait—" Davis tried yet again, but Momoe shut the door. "Holy shit!" he huffed, "what a buncha kooks!"

"Yolei's hiding stuff, too?" Demiveemon asked, looking sad. "Why?"

"Maybe we're blabbermouths," Upamon said. "Cody's always tellin' me to be quiet."

"That's only to keep you from scaring Mom and Grandpa," Cody said. "They wouldn't know what to do with a talking yellow… head!"

They hovered on the Inoue porch. "So, what now?" Demiveemon asked.

Cody shook his head. "Let's just go to Kari's," he decided. "We can tell Yolei later."

"Right," Davis said, his chest tightening. He could just imagine the horrid scene of walking in on TK and Kari in the middle of a big, juicy French kiss… and in front of Tai and Matt and everyone, too! His heart would snap all its ventricles if he saw that! If that wasn't a way saying: "I don't like you, Davis," then he didn't know what was!

"Erk… Davis…?" Demiveemon spoke in a strained voice, "yer kinda… squishing me!"

Davis suddenly looked down and saw how tight his grip had become, and he relaxed. "Sorry, little buddy," he muttered miserably.

… … …

Mimi sighed with elation as she sank into the warm tub. After an hour's worth of scrubbing, nothing felt better than just sitting in the water, letting her problems melt away. It might have been a total pain dragging that girl over here and paying for her, but at least she got to enjoy this part…

Speaking of which, she realized Yolei wasn't in the tub yet; what was she doing? Mimi turned around and her back arched in anger; Yolei was still on the stool, slipping the loofah up and down her arm like it was made of glass! With an irritated snort, she hauled herself out of the bath and stomped over… and still being able to smell her companion made her even angrier. "What is wrong with you?!" she snapped.

Yolei almost jumped. "I, uh… Uh…" was all she managed.

"I said 'scrub,' not 'tickle!'" Mimi snapped, seizing the sponge from her. "Like THIS!"

Yolei screamed as Mimi scraped the sponge down her arm with surprising pain. She struggled to get away, but Mimi's other hand was on her shoulder, surprisingly firm despite being wet. "What the hell?!" she cried out, turning on her captor.

"Do I have to teach you everything?" Mimi grumbled, running the loofah down again and ignoring the yell. "You have to rub hard to get the stink out!"

Yolei thought the arm scrubbing was bad enough, but when the loofah disappeared and the ripping and scraping started in the small of her back, she knew there was worse to come. "WAAAGH!" she yelled.

"Now stop it!" Mimi snapped as heads turned towards them. "You're making a scene!"

"I'M making a scene?!" Yolei snarled. "YOU'RE the one using a cheese grater for a sponge!"

"Get used to it," Mimi said. "This is how you do it if you really want to be clean, and I'm going to keep it up until I can't smell you any more!"

As the scraping sensation moved downward to even more painful regions, Yolei could do nothing but squeeze her eyes shut and gnash her teeth. If this was what she had to do, then she was going to do it… but she never knew looking good was so painful.

… … …

The thick woods around the mysterious lake had quieted since the Digidestined had disappeared, but now, slowly, steadily, came the tiniest of noises: the "shish" of movement through the underbrush.

A grove of small pine trees in the southeast corner rustled. The first thing that emerged was a large, gray-gloved hand gripping a small, silver cane with a red jewel on its top. The rest of the abnormally thin being followed shortly, dressed in a dark blue jacket with white trim, with a cylindrical blue cap covering its face. It walked stiffly, almost painfully, leaning heavily on the cane despite being twice its height.

It slowly hobbled to the fallen ring of control spires and regarded them, its whole form trembling with a dark, wheezy laugh. The children knocked them all down… exactly what it had hoped for. It raised the cane off the ground, despite its legs beginning to shake. Bowing its head, it whispered something inaudible, even in the silent glen… and then it thrust the cane into the ground with surprising force. The jewel gave off an eerie glow, and a pool of what looked like blood sprang from the earth. It frothed around the cane's tip for a moment, then oozed across the ground, adhering itself to the broken spires and seeping in. The spires took on the same wretched glow as the jewel and started to twist and writhe like excited snakes.

As they began to take on new shapes, the figure grinned, another wheezy cackle escaping its yellowed teeth. What luck to have both the older children and the pesky old man in the same place; now both threats could be taken care of at the same time.

… … …

Ken groaned out loud at the passage he had just read. Why would that character act in THAT way after she acted the OTHER way in all the other situations? It made absolutely no sense!

Frustrated, he shut the book and tossed it on his bed. He was trying to take a break from worrying about the Digital World by reading, but the story he had picked was simply awful: the writing was overly wordy; and the characters were colorless and changed personalities from one chapter to the next. What was the author thinking?! He could write a better story himself! Indeed, he ought to!… but that thought snapped him unpleasantly back into reality. What did it matter if there was a crummy story left uncivilized in the world? With his mission now, he wouldn't be around long enough to do anything about it.

He would have sat in that sobered silence for much longer, but suddenly his computer beeped loudly, making him almost bang his head on the top bunk. He looked over as a map of the Digital World appeared on the screen; he had programmed that alarm back when he was the Emperor, to alert him when the Digidestined had destroyed a Control Spire… but lately he had changed it so it would show when the strange woman was doing something to the spires instead.

He got off of the bed and stared at it; the alarm came from a square in the northeast, past where he had ventured before… but the location didn't bother him so much as the fact that he only saw two dots in the same sector, meaning only two of the others were there.

He frowned at the dots. One was pink, and the other was green… so neither of them could be Davis, whom he knew was blue. Two of the kids might not be able to handle Spire-Born, especially if the woman cooked up an Ultimate-level like Okuwamon. His hand grabbed his D3 off the desk, but his brain stopped him. Without Davis to vouch for him, he didn't know if those two would accept his help.

He looked at his D3 for a long while, wrestling with himself… and then he looked at the screen, a somber scowl on his face. It didn't matter if they wanted his help or not; a Spire-Born was there, and he had vowed to destroy every last trace of them. That's what Sam and Wormmon would want.

He raised his D3 and, in a flash of light, was gone from the world.

… … …

"Hey, Kari," Gatomon pressed as she walked down the hall behind her partner, "can we go back soon? I smelled fish…"

"Just one more room, OK?" Kari asked. Already Gennai's house had given her many a surprise: the arcade machines and rides in the entrance; a staircase to the second floor that played out a happy kids' song as you scaled it; and gym-sized room filled with a life-sized chess game with Digimon-shaped playing pieces. But an old, wooden door at the end of the hall called to her; she had to see what was in there. Her partner at her side, she grasped the big, brass knob and turned it.

She was not disappointed. Behind the door was a room about the size of her bedroom, with the wall to her right somehow giving a splendid view of the meadow outside. It was another playroom, but there was something different about it; it looked like one from nineteenth-century Europe. The yellow oval carpet and the wooden shelves on the walls were loaded with old-looking toys: wooden trains; pull-string ducks; alphabet blocks; tin soldiers; jacks-in-the-boxes; and hand-sewn dolls in gorgeous fluffy dresses. A big, wooden rocking horse sat in the corner, its sanded surface shining in the gray light. "Wow…" Kari said as she walked in.

Gatomon had to agree. "They smell like wood," she said, getting a good whiff. "That's new…"

"Actually, it's like what my grandma must've played with," Kari said, walking over and picking up one of the dolls. Amazingly, it was in the shape of a human girl. In fact, she noticed as she looked around again, none of the toys in here were shaped like Digimon. It was yet another example of anything being possible in the Digital World.

The door pushed open a little further and TK walked in, Patamon up on his hat again. "Hey, Kari," he started, then looked around the room with equal surprise. "Woah!" he said. "How old is this stuff?!"

"It's from before computers, that's for sure," Kari said, walking towards the back shelves. "Before plastic toys, even."

"What? Before computers?" Patamon asked. "There were people before that?!"

TK laughed at his little friend. "People have been making toys forever," he explained. "It's only lately we've had computers."

"Hard to swallow, isn't it," Gatomon said.

A cry of delight brought everyone's attention to Kari, who reached up and pulled down an arm-sized wooden biplane, with two sets of wings and a little wooden pilot in the cockpit. She flicked at the propeller and it spun around with a funny little 'tic-tic-tic' sound. "Oh, this is great!" she laughed. "Davis would love…" She trailed off, her smile fading.

TK and the Digimon walked closer. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Kari shook her head. "Well… Davis… and Yolei and Cody." She looked at him with sad eyes. "I feel bad, going behind their backs like this, even if it's for our old friends."

TK sighed and nodded, remembering Matt's harsh words back in October. "Yeah… I don't like it, either," he said. "It's like we're expected to pick sides."

"It's no fun doing that," Patamon said, landing on the rocking horse. "I mean, Veemon and Hawkmon and Armadillomon are fun to be with!"

"I had my doubts at first," Kari said, "but now I trust them… Aren't we all Digidestined?"

TK started to reply, but Gatomon's ears swiveled and she raced to the window. "Hey, something's going on out there!" she hissed. "Look!"

The others ran to the window. A figure in blue stood out in the grass, and the control spires they had knocked down were glowing and twisting; something definitely wasn't right. "The others!" TK said. "We've gotta tell 'em!"

Kari nodded and they all raced out of the room.

… … …

"Gennai, this is all well and good," Izzy spoke up, breaking the silence since TK left the room, "but we still have questions… For example, why has time synchronized between the worlds?"

"Yeah, and why did the Digital World change itself?" Tai spoke up. "We can't find anything!"

"And what about the new kids?" Joe asked. "Why did they get new Digivices and DigiEggs, but we didn't?"

"What about Mimi?" Palmon asked. "Why won't she come?"

"Here, now," Gennai said quietly, motioning for silence. "I've told you all I can for the moment. All you need to know is to find fragments of the Crests."

Both Tai and Matt growled, and the others showed the same anger. "Why the hell should we?" Matt snapped. "You haven't given us any real answers since we got here!"

"Matt, please!" Gabumon urged.

Gennai frowned at the angry musician-in-training. "If you don't," he said darkly, "the Digital World will fall out of balance."

That got everyone's attention. Sora shook her head. "But… why?" she asked. "At least tell us why!"

"Yeah, shouldn't we know what we're trying to stop?" Agumon asked.

Gennai sighed. "Very well," he said. "The balance of the Digital World is—"

Suddenly, a cry from Gomamon made everyone look out the window. The clear, blue water was turning a filthy gray, and all the fish were going belly-up. The vile stench of garbage and dead fish filled the air, making them all wretch. "Yuck!" Tentomon coughed. "Is there a sewer line here, Gennai?"

"Guys!" Kari cried as TK, Gatomon, Patamon and she rushed into the room. "We're being attacked! There's someone outside!"

"Right!" Tai grunted, jumping up and turning to Agumon. "You ready for this?"

Agumon clenched his claws and bared his teeth. "You bet I am!" he said.

The others jumped up, their Digimon at the ready. "Let's go!" Biyomon called.

Gennai eyed the gray murk of the window. "Be careful," he said. "This could be difficult…"

The Digidestined raced out the door and up the steps to a vile sight; the lakeshore was swarming with a gaggle of slimy, gray Raremon. The air was as pungent as what had seeped into the house as the gruesome Champion-level monsters vomited into the water. "Where'd they come from?!" Izzy asked.

TK looked closer at the Raremon… or more specifically, where they were; they were standing in the spots where the control spires had crashed, but he couldn't see any of the wreckage under them. "Didn't we…?" he started.

Tai raised his Digivice. "Come on!" he said. "Time to get back into practice!"

The others pulled out their Digivices as well. In a flurry of bright flashes, Greymon, Garurumon, Birdramon, Ikkakumon, Kabuterimon and Angemon all leaped on the Raremon and began to scrap in a flurry of fireballs, lightning bolts, and slime. Gatomon and Palmon lingered behind Kari, unable to help. "Dammit," Gatomon snarled, "If I had my tail ring, I'd…"

"Mimi…" Palmon choked.

… … …

"Oh! Hello," Yuuko said, surprised to see two more boys with stuffed toys on her doorstep.

"Hello, Mrs. Yagami," Cody said, bowing. "We were wondering if your daughter was home."

"Well, yes," she replied, "but she's studying with some of the older kids. I don't think she can play right now."

"Uh… that's what we're here for, too!" Davis said quickly; he wasn't as good as Cody at getting invited in. "We're, uh, studying for the same thing!… We're just kinda… late."

"Really?" she asked, looking at little Cody. "Even you?"

Cody coughed. "I'm… in an advanced class," he said. "May we please come in?"

"Of course," she said, moving back so they could enter. "Everyone's in Kari's room. First one on the right."

Davis looked at the mat next to the door and noticed only two large pairs of shoes; the others must have taken theirs in. He pointed it out to Cody and they both carried their shoes with them to Kari's room.

Kari's room. The cute, pink, square rug, the cute wooden bed with the cute green sheets, the cute little desk in front of the window, and the cute little computer on the top… Davis was looking at Shangri-la. He wished he could spend more time in here; a lot more time. Her clothing drawers were built into the bottom of the bed. What cute little things could he find in there?…

"See that?" Cody broke into his fantasy as he pointed at the computer screen. "Empty, and the computer's on. They went in."

"But why?" Demiveemon asked. "Did they go on a picnic?"

Davis frowned. If it had just been TK and Kari going off, he would have kept worrying… but if Tai and Matt had gone, too, it had to be something big. "Hope ya brought napkins," he said, pulling out his D3. "It's gonna be messy."

Cody nodded and took out his own D3. Once again, after a flash, the room was empty.

… … …

"That's it!" Tai yelled at Greymon, punching the air. "Keep it up! Keep going!"

Greymon sucked in air and spewed another giant ball of flames, blowing the slimy skin right off the Spire-Born Raremon and scattering black dust across the field. Birdramon dropped another from a great height and Kabuterimon launched an electric sphere at a second one, reducing both to onyx-colored fragments. Angemon's golden rod pierced another through the forehead and it crumbled away like a wet sand castle. Ikkakumon's torpedoes blew another to smithereens, and Garurumon's blue fire stream melted the last one to a charred puddle. All that remained of the Raremon battalion was their stench. "Yeah!" Sora cheered, jumping up and down, "we've still got it!"

The Digimon laughed and roared loudly, glad of the same thing.

Izzy scratched his head. "Yes… but why were they here?" he asked.

"Yeah, we knocked those spires down!" TK said. "How did—"

Suddenly a haunting trumpet blew through the clearing, and another opponent charged out of the bushes: a grotesque, shaggy, orange elephant the size of two freight trains, wearing a creepy silver faceplate with a single piercing eye. It turned right at the Digidestined and blew its awful trunk melody again. "Shit. Here we go again," Matt swore.

Sora recognized it right away and swallowed hard. It was a Mammothmon. Biyomon had defeated one during the last adventure, but only after becoming Garudamon; she didn't know if their six Champions could beat that Ultimate-level thing. Birdramon looked at her partner, seeming to read her thoughts. "We'll do our best!" she thundered.

"Then go for it!" TK yelled.

Angemon flew at the elephant and banged his mighty fist against its mask, but nothing happened… at least, not to Mammothmon. Its trunk thrust into his back and knocked him flat on the ground, forcing him to revert to Patamon. "Waghhh… Lost by a nose!" he coughed.

"That's it!" Matt snarled. "Everybody at once!"

The five remaining Digimon descended on Mammothmon with their best attacks, but nothing worked: Kabuterimon's electric blasts were absorbed by its mask; Birdramon's and Greymon's fire didn't even singe its fur; Ikkakumon's horn broke on its tough skin; and Garurumon's speed was no match for its sharp tusks. "No… Come on!" Matt yelled. "Do something else!"

The Digimon worn out from attacking, Mammothmon went on the offensive. It charged, goring Garurumon and Ikkakumon in the nastiest of ways and shrinking them back to Gabumon and Gomamon. Turning its attention to Birdramon and Kabuterimon, it blew a fierce, snowy gale out of its trunk and froze them where they floated. The giant chunk of ice crashed down onto the ground and broke open to reveal the defeated Biyomon and Tentomon. "Oh, geez!…" Joe gasped. "Now what?!"

"Dammit! DAMMIT!" Matt snarled, stamping in the mucky grass.

Tai bit his lip. Only Greymon was left now… but could he do anything? "Watch out for the tusks!" he shouted to his partner.

Mammothmon charged at Greymon, ready to finish the job. Greymon knew he wouldn't be able to move in time, so he spat a fireball right at the eye on the faceplate and braced himself. The gigantic elephant brayed in pain as the blast landed and veered sharply to the right, the side of its left tusk catching Greymon in the stomach. He grabbed it and held on for dear life as the monster swung and stomped. "This… isn't… fun… any… more!" he gurgled.

"Hang on tight!" Tai yelled.

"Get him in the eye again!" Izzy shouted.

Greymon tried to cough up another fireball, but the jerking and thrusting were too fierce for him to aim. A sudden bounce made him vomit the ball at the tip of the tusk he hung from, and it snapped off in his claws. He crashed down at the mercy of a Mammothmon none too pleased about the broken tooth; with one well-placed swat of its trunk, a dazed Agumon fell to the ground. The kids shouted in horror. "That was all of 'em!" Sora groaned, tearing at her hair. "NOW what do we do?!"

With a maniacal, trumpeting laughter, Mammothmon lifted its foot to crush Agumon… but suddenly a bright green laser blast struck its faceplate, making a long crack. Mammothmon staggered backwards, looking around wildly for the assailant. "What was…?" TK started.

Izzy looked where the beam had come from and his eyes widened. "There!" he said, pointing.

The others looked and gasped. Ken Ichijouji, the Digimon Emperor, was running through the field, his weaponry pointed right at Mammothmon. "What's he doing here?!" Matt snarled.

TK blinked for a moment, then smiled. "Saving our butts," he said.

Mammothmon spotted Ken and trumpeted at him. Ken lifted both arms and loosed a barrage of bullets and grenades, not even flinching in the noise. Mammothmon twitched and staggered as bits of fur and skin flew every which way. "I'm gonna be sick!…" Joe gulped, clutching at his mouth.

"Good grief…" was all Sora could say.

Kari was more surprised by the fact that Ken had shown up. He really was a changed person… well, at least, it was proof enough for her. "The eye, Ken!" she yelled. "Aim for the eye!"

Ken's munitions stopped and the laser on his shoulder clicked, then belched another bright green laser blast. It hit the eye on the faceplate dead center and Mammothmon's trumpet turned into an agonized blare. When the light faded, the whole faceplate was gone, revealing the wicked sheen of a Control Spire. "Another one?!" Tai asked. "Someone really doesn't like us…"

Ken hesitated, watching to see if he had subdued the monster… but Mammothmon was far from finished. With another trumpeting wail it charged at Ken, but when he jumped out of the way, its trunk followed him; he didn't realize the trap until it was too late and he was covered in a snowy burst.

"Oh, no! Ken!" TK yelled.

Ken staggered out of the white cloud, long icicles covering his hair and clothes. All of his weapons shined with thick coats of ice, useless. The others ran to him and helped him stand. "Are you all right?!" Izzy asked.

"Damn… stupid…" they heard him swear as the weaponry fell off of his arms. "I should've guessed it'd do that…"

Mammothmon trumpeted in victory and turned towards the kids. "Uh… I don't think it's done," Palmon gulped.

"Looks like we're next!" Joe yelped. "Get ready to run!"

Mammothmon kicked at the dirt, then charged… but as its feet started to move, two indistinguishable cries pierced the meadow. Before the giant Spire-Born's remaining tusk could pierce any more flesh, Ankylomon barreled into its front legs, knocking it over like a bowling pin. "Whew!" he said, turning to the kids. "That's one PO'd pachyderm!"

"Ankylomon?!" Kari asked. "Then…"

"HEYYYY!" came Davis's yell. Everyone looked to see Cody and him running towards them, Exveemon flying above.

"Davis! Hey!" Tai yelled back, waving. "What're you guys doing here?"

Davis and Cody planted themselves before the older kids. "We should ask the same thing," Cody said. "Why didn't you say you were coming here?"

"Because—" Izzy began.

Another angry trumpeting made everyone spin around; Mammothmon was back on its feet, ready for another round. Ankylomon moved to intercept it, but was swatted away by its trunk. "Talk later!" Exveemon barked, flying at its new target. Mammothmon blew another wintry gust, but he managed to fly under and caught the giant nose with a quick uppercut. As it reeled back, he treated its remaining tusk to a smashing kick, snapping it off with a loud crack. Mammothmon trumpeted even louder, the black spire sheen taking on a slightly red hue.

Kari swallowed hard. If six seasoned Champion Digimon couldn't take down the behemoth, what could only two new ones do? "I wish we could help," she whispered.

Gatomon's ears swiveled off to the left, and she turned; the nearby bushes were rustling. "Another one?!" she shouted, pointing.

Palmon turned to the bushes; if they were going to be attacked from the side, she would at least try to defend her friends. "Hey! Who's there?!" she called, her vines flicking.

The bushes shook violently, then stopped, the thump of feet audible; whoever was there wasn't sticking around. "C'mon!" Kari urged the two Digimon, jumping into the underbrush and running after the sound.

Gatomon was the fastest and got ahead of the others, her ears locked onto the running… and then the wheezing… but then, suddenly it stopped. As she slowed down to listen again, something heavy came down from behind a tree and clocked her in the back of the skull. She toppled over and hit the ground, seeing a blue figure disappear into the woods as her head spun. "Gatomon!" Palmon's voice came to her.

"Oh, no!" Kari cried, picking up her friend. "What happened?!"

Gatomon said nothing. She just kept staring off into the trees.

… … …

Exveemon cried out as the shaggy body knocked him to the ground. Even without its tusks or its faceplate, the Mammothmon still put up a terrible fight. Before he could get up, it lashed him with its trunk, sending him rolling through the grass. "Argh… Anybody got a mouse?" he coughed.

Davis fumed and raised his D3. "You want a fight?!" he yelled at the Mammothmon, hoping that Paildramon hadn't been a one-time thing like Magnamon. "I'll give ya one!"

His wish came true. Just like before, the D3 shook and spat a few sparks, and then Exveemon was bathed in a bright light. As the older kids watched in amazement, Paildramon soared out of the glow and floated over Mammothmon. "All right, big guy," the new creature said in its distorted double voice, "let's dance!"

Mammothmon loudly blew another frosty cloud from its trunk. Paildramon was covered completely, but one sweep his claws dissipated the haze. He swooped down and grabbed the surprised monster's trunk, and with one mighty yank, the gangly appendage came off, scattering black shards every which way. "Yeah! Yeah!" Davis laughed, pumping his fists.

"Now!" Cody yelled. "Destroy it!"

Paildramon flew back and the guns at his loins snapped into place. He grabbed them and pumped as much ammunition into the monster as Ken had, but his bullets did much more damage; a cloud of dust and debris flew up all around. When the smoke cleared, there was something like an elephant-shaped wedge of black Swiss cheese where Mammothmon had been. It shuddered, then crumbled into a pile of rubble. Paildramon lowered his guns and sighed with relief, then shrank all the way down to Chibomon.

"WHOOO!" Davis laughed, sweeping his partner up. "Now THAT'S how it's done!"

Ankylomon shrank back down to Armadillomon. "Uh, I did OK too, right?" he asked. Cody nodded.

"Davis! Cody!" Tai shouted, the others running over to them, carrying their own wounded Digimon.

"Uh… hey, guys," Davis said, scratching his head awkwardly. "Hope I wasn't, uh, interrupting anything…"

"No way!" Sora laughed. "You really saved us!"

"Thanks so much," Biyomon said.

"So, that was Paildramon?…" Izzy asked, looking down at Chibomon.

"Yeah!" Chibomon laughed, hopping up and down in Davis's grip. "We kicked butt!"

Matt and Gabumon stayed behind while the others laughed and thanked the two newcomers. "Hey, Matt, shouldn't we thank them, too?" Gabumon said.

"Go on if you want," Matt muttered, folding his arms. He knew Metalgarurumon could have wasted those monsters with a lot less trouble; they had to find those Crest Fragments, and fast.

"Well, Davis, Cody, we're glad you came," TK said as Patamon perched on his head again, "but, uh… why?"

"Why'd you guys run off without tellin' us?" Davis replied, suddenly remembering to be angry. Cody also wore a frown.

TK hesitated, then sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said, "we didn't think you'd understand it…"

Patamon turned around and smiled. "Well, maybe Gennai'll tell 'em!" he chirped, pointing.

Everyone turned and looked. Gennai had emerged from the lake, looking around at the wreckage. "Goodness, it's a good thing I soundproofed my walls." he said.

Davis looked at the old man with shock; he never expected to see another human in the Digital World, let alone an old man. "Wha…" he started.

"Oh, sorry," TK said. "Guys, this is Gennai, a very good friend of ours. Gennai, these are Cody, Davis, Armadillomon and, uh, Chibomon."

Cody was just as surprised as Davis, but remembered his manners. "I… It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," he said, bowing politely.

"Err… yeah… hi," Davis fumbled, following Cody's example. Armadillomon and Chibomon made similar gestures of respect, though Chibomon found it hard to bow without legs; he just tipped himself forward a little.

Gennai stared at them thoughtfully for a moment, then coughed and smiled. "It's always good to see some fresh faces," he said. "Please, stand up; I'm not big on formality."

"Thanks," Davis said, straightening up. "So, uh, you've helped Coach and the others before?"

"Oh… I guess you could say that," Gennai said, stroking his mustache.

"I've been trying to find him since you guys got your D3s," Izzy said. "There're so many things different than when we left, so…"

"Yeah, and when we finally learned where he was, we all jumped to go see him," Sora said.

"But then those monsters showed up," Tentomon said. "If it weren't for you guys, we'd have been flatter than pancakes!"

"Well, it wasn't just them," Patamon said. "Ken helped, too!"

"Ken…?" Davis asked, looking around. Ken knelt nearby, trying to scrape the ice off his weapons. "Ken!" he said, running over with Chibomon hopping behind. "You came to help?! Thanks, bud!"

"Did you knock Mammothmon's face off?" Chibomon asked excitedly. "Way cool!"

Ken looked at him for a moment, then shook his head. "I just… well, something was happing to the spires here, and…" he trailed off, staring at something behind him.

Davis looked over and jumped. Somehow, Gennai had appeared beside him without making a sound. "Hmmm… so, you're the infamous Ken Ichijouji," the old man grumbled, peering down at Ken with his hands behind his back, "Digimon Emperor and the scourge of the whole Digital World…"

"Gennai…" Tai started, a little surprised that he would sound so harsh.

Ken looked at Gennai, his face laden with guilt and shame. He didn't know who he was, but something about the strange old man filled him with fear, like a toddler meeting his first preschool teacher. Gennai continued to stare for a moment, but then his mouth curled into a smile. "But also a boy who fixes his mistakes," he finished in a softer tone.

Davis blinked, then beamed again. "Hey, why don'tcha come meet all my pals?" he asked Ken. "I bet they'll thank you for savin' 'em!"

Ken glanced over at the older Digidestined and shuddered. Gennai's words had made him feel a little better, but he couldn't face the others; not after what he had done to their Digimon. "No," he said, scratching at the ice again, "they hate the Digimon Emperor."

"You're not the Digimon Emperor," Davis said with a frown; why did Ken keep bringing the Emperor up? "C'mon, ya got us to be yer friends… They can be yer friends, too!"

Ken sighed and shook his head again. "I can't make friends," he grumbled. "I have to destroy the spires… That way, that woman can't make monsters… and then…"

"Um, actually," Kari's voice suddenly came, "that may not be right anymore…"

Everyone's attention turned to Kari, who had returned carrying Gatomon, a worried Palmon at her side. "Whaddya mean?" Gabumon asked.

"You know those spires we knocked down?" Kari asked, waving her free hand around. "Look; they're gone now."

TK's eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah!" he exclaimed. "The Raremon… and what we saw out the window!"

The older kids all looked at him. "You guys saw something?!" Sora asked.

"Come on! Spill it!" Gomamon urged.

"In Gennai's house, we saw someone doing something to the spires!" Patamon explained. "I think that's where the Raremon and Mammothmon came from!"

Ken shot up with a wild look. "She can even use broken spires?!" he asked.

Gatomon groaned and sat up in Kari's grip. "I don't think so," she muttered. "She wears red… and the thing that whacked me was blue…"

Davis, Cody, Chibomon and Armadillomon all looked at Kari questioningly. "It… looked blue from the window, too," she said.

"Yeah…" Patamon agreed.

Everyone quieted, considering what it meant; it wasn't just one enemy they had to deal with, but two. Ken looked absolutely haunted; if the spires didn't have to be active to be turned into monsters, then all this time, he hadn't accomplished anything.

Gennai coughed, breaking the unpleasant silence. "Anyway… I've told you what needs to be done next," he said. "A piece from each of the eight Crests has to be found."

"But we can't go running all over the Digital World without some clue!" Biyomon objected. "There are some places we can't even get into!"

"Yeah, how do we even start looking?" Joe asked.

Gennai smiled again. "Ah, but you already have," he said, glancing at Izzy over his shoulder. "Haven't you, Izzy?"

For a moment, Izzy scratched at his head… but then it clicked. "Oh! I see!" he said. "My computer picked up that first piece… so we already have the software I need to find the rest!"

"Great!" Tentomon said. "That's my Izzy!"

Davis scratched his head. "Pieces?" he asked. "What the hells' we talkin' about?"

Tai laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "Relax, Davis," he said, "we'll fill you in as we go home…"

Just then, there was a flash in the direction of the TV gate; Ken was gone, as was his weaponry. "Wow," Agumon said, "he sure is quiet for having all that clunky metal."

Izzy sighed. "That's a shame," he said. "We didn't get to thank him."

The older kids looked at him. Davis, TK and Kari were surprised, too; they were glad to hear Izzy taking a positive tone, but they wondered how the others would react. "I'm sure he'll, uh, show up again," Joe said, scratching his head. "We, uh… we'll get a chance."

"Yeah," Tai agreed, "plenty of 'em."

Kari blinked at her brother's words. "You think we can trust him, too?" she asked.

"Hey, if Davis, Gennai AND you think it's worth a shot, then I'll go along with it," Tai said.

"Err… well, if you say so, Tai," Agumon said, although his difference of opinion was clear in his voice.

Tai noticed and smiled at him. "Don't you worry," he said, "if it IS a trick, we'll kick him clean to the moon."

Sora shook her head. "I hope it's not," she said, glancing at Biyomon. "He seems so sad… almost desperate, even."

"Yeah…" Biyomon said quietly.

"Even if we said no, we don't have a lot of choice," Tentomon said. "Until we find those Crest pieces, we'll have to count on him to fight the stronger Spire-Born!"

Matt stayed quiet, his eyes telling everything he felt like saying. "Matt, come on," Gabumon said. "We have to work together now; everybody."

Matt lowered his folded arms, but his scowl didn't vanish. "Fine," he grunted, "but if this goes bad, don't come crying to me."

"So-o-o optimistic!" Gomamon crooned. "I love it!"

Cody scowled as he watched the older kids get taken in by Ken's charade. He would have to be even more vigilant.

Just then, Sora's watch beeped. "Oh!" she said, looking down at it. "Three o'clock?! Oh, geez, I have to go! I promised Mom I'd work tonight!"

"Huh… I guess we should all go," Joe sighed. "I have pre-homework homework to catch up on."

"Oh… well… come back soon, OK?…" Palmon said sadly.

"You bet!" Armadillomon said. "No doubt about that!"

The kids turned and headed for the television. As he started to go, Matt felt someone tap his shoulder, and saw Gennai next to him. "What?" he asked.

Smiling through the attitude, Gennai nodded. "I'll leave you with this: challenge your preconceptions, or they'll challenge you," he said. "I think you know what I mean."

Matt hesitated, then turned and followed the others towards the warp. One by one, the humans and the younger kids' Digimon disappeared. "I hate how they have to come and go all the time," Agumon sighed. "I never know how long they'll be here…"

"Don't be too sad," Biyomon said to him. "Once we find those pieces and stop whatever's happening, I'll bet they'll come every day!"

"Yeah…" Palmon murmured.

One by one, the Digimon departed for other parts. Only Gennai remained, staring intensely at the TV in the grass.

… … …

Mimi shivered as she stepped out into the cold air, but overall she was refreshed and full of energy. "Now that's how you stay clean," she said, looking behind her. "You get it?"

The figure that limped behind her was as red as a strawberry with multiple abrasion marks, steam rising from her form and fogging up the glasses that dangled on her nose. As soon as the wind blew, she let out a scream and held up her arms. "Is there anything even left of my skin?!" she huffed. "Am I the 'Visible Woman' now?!"

"Oh, stop whining," Mimi said, "we've made progress today! You smell like a normal person now!"

"I wasn't that bad!" Yolei snapped.

"That's what you think," Mimi sniffed. "Now, remember: if this is going to change you at all, you have to do it yourself every day!"

"EVERY DAY?!" Yolei snarled.

"Hey, don't snap at me," Mimi said, "and so long as you remember exactly what I showed you, you can do this in the comfort of your own bathroom… provided you can afford the soap."

Yolei fumed, but sighed and made herself calm down; Mimi was trying to help her, after all. "Yeah, I've got soap…" she grunted. "The I-Mart has plenty…"

"Hmm, well, if you can call that soap…" Mimi muttered, but then something caught her eye. "Oh, shit!" she cried, and pushed Yolei back into the bathhouse entrance.

"Hey, what gives?!" Yolei yelled.

Mimi shushed her and motioned across the street. Three of Mimi's cheerleader friends were standing and staring at them, wondering what was going on. "Just what I need…" she grumbled. "Now, listen. For the next lesson, come to my place on Tuesday… but for now, you'll have to get home on your own."

"Oh, that's nice," Yolei huffed, "leave me for dead when the popular posse shows up, huh?"

"Watch it," Mimi growled, "and you'd better show up on Tuesday, or this whole thing's off." With that, she turned and called to her cheerleader friends, then ran across the street and joined them.

Yolei watched them disappear around the corner, all sorts of four-letter words floating through her brain. With that, she picked up what was left of her pride and started walking. She could find her way home… she hoped.

… … …

"OK, now, lay it all out," Davis said as the kids departed the Yagami apartment. "Who was that old guy?"

"Gennai," Sora answered. "We told you about him before, remember? He taught us about our Crests and showed us how to do lots of things… like get back home."

"Yeah, but he sure wasn't in a helpful mood today," Joe sighed, his hands in his pockets. "Not one of our questions got answered… not even the one you asked right before we got attacked!"

Sora blinked, then jumped. "What?! Hey!" she huffed. "You're right!… Aww, geez!"

"What a waste of time," Matt grumbled, kicking at a rock.

"Don't take it too hard," Izzy tried. "Gennai's never been straightforward about much… He probably has a good reason for it…" He would have continued, but the faces of the others told him to stop.

"Well, we know one thing," TK said. "When we find those Crest pieces, we can get to Ultimate level again!"

"Woo-hoo!" Patamon cheered from his hat. "Purple angel armor, here I come!"

"Hmm… speaking of which…" Izzy murmured, then looked at Davis. "Davis, may I borrow your D3 for the night?"

"Wha?" Davis asked, surprised. "Why?"

"Well, I saw it was sparking when Exveemon became Paildramon," he said. "I want to run some tests… be sure it's not going to blow up on you."

Davis took out the D3 and looked at it. Since he had received it, he had barely let it out of his sight, not even in the bathroom. "Well, I dunno," he said slowly.

"Don't worry, Davis," Sora said. "Yolei got hers back."

"Yeah, Izzy's a wiz with these things," Joe said.

"Let him have it, Davis!" Chibomon urged. "Blowing up's bad!"

That was true; Izzy was the best programmer they had… and he was also very careful. Davis looked at the D3 again, then placed it in Izzy's palm. "Just make sure it doesn't blow up on you, neither," he said.

"Trust me, I'll avoid that," Izzy chuckled. "I'll start on it right away… and start looking for those Crest bits!" With that, he turned and left.

"See you guys later," Joe said, and walked off in a different direction. Matt walked away without another word.

Sora was about to go, but looked back at Davis and Cody; it was odd that only they had shown up. "Where's Yolei today?" she asked.

"We have no idea," Cody admitted with a shrug.

"Yeah! We went to get her, but she was out," Upamon said.

Sora scratched her head; where could she have gone on a Sunday?

"Don't worry," TK said, "if I see her, I'll tell her you asked about her," he said.

"OK…" she replied. "See you all tomorrow." She turned and walked down the street that Joe had chosen.

"Guess we'd better get home, too," Patamon said. "If we don't, your mom'll decide on dinner without you!"

"Yikes… Yeah, we'd better go, too!" TK agreed.

Cody nodded and the boys started off. "OK, later, guys!" Davis called, waving to them. "We'll just, uh… go home, too."

"Ooh, is that a good idea?" Chibomon asked. "Jun'll be mad you took me…"

"Ahh, I bet she's still asleep, the bum," Davis chuckled. The day certainly hadn't been what he had wanted… but he had been in Kari's room, met a strange new friend, and showed off his Ultimate-level Digimon to his coach and the others; it was a pretty good trade off for being woken up early.

… … …

Cody and TK rounded another corner and their apartment building loomed in the distance. Cody frowned at TK. "Why didn't you tell us about this?" he asked sharply.

"Yeah!" Upamon said. "You guys woulda been elephant mash if we hadn't shown up!"

TK swallowed; he didn't want to answer, but now he had to. "I'm sorry, Cody," he said. "See, we knew Gennai back when we became Digidestined five years ago… so some of my older friends thought… well… you guys didn't have to get involved."

Cody shook his head. "We're all Digidestined now," he stated. "We're involved whether we like it or not. The next time something like this comes up, I want to know about it." He paused, wondering if he sounded too harsh. "Please," he finished.

TK sighed. Matt's angry words rang in his mind, but he shook them away. Cody was right; they were all Digidestined, so they all should be in on things like meeting Gennai. "Right," he agreed, "you'll definitely know next time."

"Besides, there're lots more spires," Patamon said. "We'll still need our Armor Digivolving while we're looking for those Crest pieces!"

"Right again," TK said, nodding. His mind was made up; despite how the others felt, all of the Digidestined, older and younger, were on the same team, and he would never forget it.

As he turned towards the building's stairwell, someone suddenly crashed into him. He jumped at the sight of a red, wheezing, angry Yolei. "Woah!" Upamon cried out.

"Where were you?!" Cody asked, "and… what happened?!"

"Don't… ask," was all she said, and she stomped off for the elevator.

… … …

The rest of the afternoon passed as any Sunday afternoon did, and night crept over Tokyo… but Ken's mind turned and tossed no matter what he did to calm it. Wasn't knocking down the spires what he had to do?… but even then, they could be turned into Spire-Born!… So all of his work up to this point was for nothing; he couldn't stop this new enemy! Could the other Digidestined? Could anyone, for that matter?…

"Sam… Wormmon…" he asked the ceiling, "does this mean I should join with the others? But they hate the Digimon Emperor. Would they ever accept me?" He clenched his fists in the thick silence. "Why won't you answer me?!" he demanded.

The door knocked and his mother peeked in. "Ken, dear? Is everything all right?" she asked.

Ken froze, then swallowed. "I… I'm fine, Mom," he said. "I'm just… practicing for… drama class."

"Oh…" she said. "Well, you sound great, but try to keep it down; we don't want the neighbors to get angry."

"Eh heh… sorry," he laughed, blushing a little.

She closed the door and he heaved a sigh of relief. That was too close… What was he thinking? The dead couldn't answer the living. He was starting to sound crazy, even to himself. If this kept up, his parents might want to send him to a grief counselor, or a psychiatrist… or worse. He shook his head. He had to find another way. He had to channel all of this into something—anything—to keep his parents reassured… but what could he do? Before he had been defeated, his only interests had been in his studies and the Digital World… What could capture his interest?

His eyes fell on that awful book he had been reading before. Slowly, the wheels in his brain clicked. He walked to his desk, reached into the bottom drawer and pulled out a small, leather-bound book… a journal his parents had given him on some forgotten holiday. He turned off his computer, sat down and opened it. All of its pages were blank and white, just as they had always been. He took a pen and scribbled on page's corner to test its ink, then began to jot down little thoughts and phrases:

-A line has no beginning, and a black hole has no end.

*Is a tree a tree, or is it just what we call a tree?

+What is the sound of one foot walking?

None of it made any sense, but he didn't care; just doing it gave him a strange but pleasant relaxing feeling.