The entire school had assembled for the closing ceremony, the final event prior to the start of summer vacation. It served as the last hurrah for the school before the break, and a final tedious act for the students still reeling from midterms. Tension was high as anticipation mingled with impatience, the students waiting anxiously in their lines in the auditorium while the principal and their teachers sent them off with one final speech.

It probably would've been more effective if half the students hadn't already tuned everything out.

Taichi stifled a groan, but didn't hide his yawn as his eyes rolled up towards the ceiling. Standing uncomfortably in straight lines for what felt like hours was so tedious. Even sitting in class would've been better than this - at least there he could sit down and look out the window. Here, he had nothing to look at but rows and rows of bored students who were, like him, waiting for the assembly to end so they could just leave.

Yamato stood beside Taichi. He was faring slightly better than the Chosen of Courage, but not by much. His expression was exasperated as he shifted his weight every so often, particularly when his leg started falling asleep. "...Hurry up, already…"

Taichi let out a low groan and whispered out of the corner of his mouth to his friend. "I swear, the principal is in love with hearing his own voice."

"No kidding," Yamato said with a sigh. "But it can't last much longer. There are only so many hours in a school day."

Taichi nodded as he exhaled deeply, his eyes wandering the gym for something to distract him from the tedium. He would've been happier running around in the Digital World trying to take down controlled Digimon with his bare fists instead of just standing around listening to some middle-aged man's ego trip; at least then he would be doing something.

His eyes eventually fell on Sora, who was further down the line, and there his gaze lingered as he noticed that she seemed to be handling the assembly better than any of them. Although her eyes had that slightly glazed look of nearly everyone else at the assembly, her smile spoke volumes of what pleasant thoughts she was entertaining herself with instead of paying attention to what was being said. At the very least, she was better at pretending to listen than Taichi or Yamato.

It made Taichi feel a warm fluttering inside his heart to see Sora smiling so sincerely and wondered if it was because of Gomamon's return. He knew that the miracle was enough to renew his faith that they would save Agumon and the rest of their partners from the Digimon Kaiser.

Maybe it was something a little simpler than that, a little closer to home, Taichi mused. They had all been worried for Gomamon and all the other captive Digimon, but as of late, their concern for Jou had grown to rival it. The Chosen of Honesty had been unquestionably hit the hardest, and the strain made Taichi start to wonder if a complete breakdown was not only imminent, but inevitable.

Taichi smiled a little himself as he remembered the reunion. At least with Gomamon by Jou's side, there was no need to fear for the older boy's sanity anymore. Gomamon had a knack for keeping Jou from getting too wound up. Some traces of worry still lingered in all of the Chosen, but with a supporting friend like Gomamon to be at his side at all hours, Taichi felt confident that Jou would slowly start to heal.

Taichi's thoughts strayed to his own partner and he wondered how Agumon was faring. Gomamon hadn't seemed all that worse for wear when he returned, but then there was Palmon, and even more troubling, what happened with Tailmon. The Chosen of Courage tried not to think too deeply about whatever unfortunate fate his partner was suffering at that very moment, but being forced to stand so rigidly still while some ignorant old man blathered on and on was driving him crazy. He didn't care how his behavior during summer vacation might reflect upon the school, that they should take pride in preparing themselves for the future as some boring office drone - he had more important things to worry about than 'his place in society'.

"Sometimes I wish a Digimon would attack the school," Taichi muttered to Yamato out of the side of his mouth.

Yamato smirked as he glanced at the Chosen of Courage. "They'd probably still hold classes, you know."

Taichi sighed, slumping a little. "Damn it, you're right."

Thankfully, it seemed that the two boys' wish for escape had been granted. The principal cleared his throat, which had gone dry from talking, before he straightened up. "With all that said, we wish you a safe and productive summer break. We hope you will return to us refreshed, renewed, and prepared to learn once more. You are dismissed."

"Finally," Yamato said with a sigh before he stretched, lifting his arms over his head.

"Alright!" Taichi cheered before darting over to Sora and looping an arm around her shoulder. "Come on, let's get out of here before they think of something else to say!"

Sora squeaked, startled at the sudden arm on her person. She had been ignoring Rie as the girl personally chose to stand next to her, prattling on about whatever she wanted to gripe to Sora about - be it her hair, her attitude, and even her breasts. The Chosen of Love had tuned her out, much like the principal's speech, and so wasn't prepared for the greeting. It took a moment for Sora to mentally change gears, and she at Taichi for a moment more before a smile appeared on her face. "Okay, let's go~!"

Taichi grinned until he noticed the dirty look Rie shot his way. "Oops, did I interrupt something?"

"Yes," Rie said snidely, talking over Sora before the other girl could speak up. "Just like you always do. You're just like a creeper vine, always hanging off Sora. I don't know how you can stand such a clingy boyfriend, Sora."

Sora didn't even glance Rie's way, still smiling at Taichi. "Nope, nothing at all~! It's not even remotely important."

Rie smirked a little, though her gaze was still full of venom. "She only says that because she doesn't want you to know she's cheating on you with a crybaby geek from another school."

At first, Taichi felt a little guilty due to Rie's barb, but after seeing Sora's reaction coupled with such a laughable accusation, he immediately realized what was going on. Before Rie could shoot off another snide remark, he pushed his hand against her face, palm against her mouth to prevent her from speaking. "Good, then how about you shut your face hole, Rie. Sora and I have a lot more important stuff to do with our friends."

Rie screamed behind Taichi's hand, flailing her arms for a moment before she slapped at him. However, she only managed to catch empty air as Taichi moved back quickly with Sora and began walking away. "You immature jerk! You two deserve each other!"

Taichi kept one arm around Sora's shoulders and waved behind them at Rie as they walked away without looking back. "Already knew that. Thanks, Captain Obvious."

Sora giggled as she lifted her hand to her mouth. "I think that's the first intelligent thing she's said all day."

"Oh man," Taichi moaned with a melodramatic flair, "and I thought Yamato and I had it rough. Not only were you dying of boredom, but you had that squawking in your ear the whole time? I don't know how you managed to keep smiling. I probably would've snapped and made a scene yelling at her to shut her face sooner."

Sora glanced up to Taichi, her expression mischievous. "It was tempting, but I didn't feel like having detention right before summer break. Besides, I think I've wasted enough time with her." For a moment she paused as she spotted Yamato waiting by the door, then glanced back to Taichi. "...She was talking about Jou, by the way."

Taichi cringed briefly. "I was hoping she was making that up, but I guess I kind of figured that's who she meant too. I'm so glad Jou has Gomamon back; he was going to pieces."

"I don't know if he would've lasted much longer," Sora said with a sigh. "He almost didn't even make it to your apartment that day. He had just… fallen apart. I was trying to help him, but then she showed up and…" Tension seeped into her muscles as the memory replayed behind her narrowing eyes as her entire demeanor grew dark. "We had words."

Taichi frowned, his irritation towards Rie growing sharply. "Pretty ballsy of her to come after you after that. It must've been because you couldn't tear her a new one in front of everyone. Now I don't feel guilty for making fun of her."

"That's exactly why," Sora said, her voice sharp. "She's a coward."

"How long has she been going after you like that?" Taichi asked.

Sora hesitated before she looked away. "It's... fine. Don't worry about it, okay?"

Yamato frowned. He had been watching the two approach, and in particular had been observing Sora and the facial expressions she had been making. He hesitated for a moment, knowing he had to broach the issue with care. "Hey. Did something happen?"

Sora shook her head before she smiled at Yamato. "No, it's fine. Don't worry about it - either of you."

Yamato quirked an eyebrow before he turned to Taichi.

Taichi angled his head in Sora's direction as his expression deadpanned. "An old friend of Sora's is now being a major bitch to her."

Yamato's eyebrows shot straight up before they then narrowed, scanning the crowd for the culprit, but there were too many students milling about to single anyone out. "That so."

Sora put her hands on her hips as she fixed the two boys with a stare. "I mean it, it's nothing for you to worry about. She's just a silly little girl, that's all."

"I'm going to worry even if you tell me not to," Taichi said before grinning despite the piercing look Sora shot him. "But that doesn't mean I don't think you can handle her. See, if she was a guy, I would've punched her before the principal stopped yakking, but you managed to keep smiling and ignore her. You're something else, Sora."

Sora blinked before she blushed lightly. "Ah, well…"

"You manage to keep your cool like no one else," Yamato agreed as he nodded his head. He paused, then smirked slightly. "Except when it comes to Taichi."

Taichi felt his face grow warm as he rubbed the back of his head, thinking back to some of the arguments he and Sora occasionally got into. "Well, yeah, but I'm figuring out how to stop cramming my foot in my mouth so much, so I'm probably making it easier there."

Sora fidgeted with her feet as she huffed. "...Besides, isn't that just… part of dating?"

Yamato's grin widened. "Can't argue with that."

Taichi's eyes widened into saucers before he outright gawked at Sora. "D-d-dating?"

Sora paused before her own eyes became rather huge. She turned to stare at Taichi, her face exploding with crimson, before she quickly looked away. "N-nothing! Forget it!"

Taichi continued to gape at Sora as he slowly pointed at himself. "Y-you mean… you want to date me? Like boyfriend and girlfriend? For real?"

Sora quivered, her face turning an even darker shade of red, before she rushed forward through the door past Yamato. "Forget it!"

Yamato quirked an eyebrow as he glanced at Taichi, watching in amusement as understanding slowly dawned on his friend's face. "Like I said. Except for when it comes to Taichi."

Taichi had nothing he could say to that as he stood gobsmacked, gawking after Sora. It was only when she disappeared from view that he realized just how badly he botched the moment. "Sora! Wait up!" He took off like a shot, pushing past confused classmates, acting before his brain could even finish processing what had just happened.

Yamato watched Taichi take off after Sora, his eyebrow still quirked. After a moment, he let out a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes skyward. With that, he proceeded after his two friends, his pace much more leisurely compared to the panicked Chosen running far ahead of him.


Even though summer had only just begun, the sun felt particularly hot bearing down on the Chosen Children as they loitered in the park by the parking lot. Standing around and waiting, they stuck out rather obviously in their summer wear - which included bathing suits and towels - as well as their little bags of supplies.

Wearing a red two-piece swimsuit with a red and white floral sash around her waist, Sora felt particularly self-conscious and kept kicking her flip-flops against the curb. Standing around on the side of the road in swimsuits left her with an uncomfortably vulnerable feeling, even if all of her friends were wearing them as well. "So…" she said, breaking the awkward silence hanging in the air, "how exactly are we going to do this, if we're not taking a train?"

"Ken said to not worry about it, so I guess he has an idea," Takeru said as he waited beside her, wearing his own green swim trunks and a white shirt, holding his bag filled with towels and a change of clothes. Patamon lounged on his head, wings spread to shield him from the summer sun. "I'm sure he knows what he's doing."

"Yeah!" Daisuke cheered, positively brimming with enthusiasm. He could hardly stay still even though he was only wearing a pair of swim trunks with a flaming pattern that matched his jacket as closely as he could find in any real world store. "Ken won't let us down!"

Chibimon hopped from side to side as he waved his little hands. "I get to go with Daiiiisuke, I get to go with Daiiisuke, to the beeaaach~!"

Takeru grinned down at the excited Digimon, then turned to Daisuke. "I'm not sure how Ken thinks he'll make it safe for the Digimon too, but if anyone can manage it… it'd be him, huh?"

"Yup!" Daisuke said with a huge smile.

"Did everyone pack sunscreen?" Jou asked as he glanced around. He wore strapped sandals on his feet, with navy blue swim shorts and a large matching t-shirt. He had already applied sunscreen to his face, with wide white stripes beneath his eyes and across his nose, and a large floppy hat rested on his head. "Towels? An extra change of clothes? Bottled water? Dehydration is always-"

Gomamon reached over from his perch on Jou's shoulder to put a paw over his partner's mouth as he made a shushing sound. He looked rather comical in his oversized sunglasses and wicker hat with an extra wide brim that not only was too big for him, but kept bumping into Jou's head, which nearly knocked it off completely. "Nope. Not today. Today is an everybody but Jou worries about stuff day."

Jou made a startled noise as he stopped and blinked rapidly. "Ehmf?"

"Sounds good to me," Yamato said as he chuckled, standing beside Takeru. He reached up to adjust his black sunglasses, sporting a smirk, a white tank top, and light blue swimtrunks. "I think you've done enough worrying for everyone, so let someone else have a turn."

"Not that I am complaining, but is this really alright?" Iori asked as he looked at the other Chosen. He wore yellow swim-trunks, flip-flops to protect his feet, and a dark navy shirt with the emblem for the city police force on the front. "Are we not intruding on your reunion?"

Koshiro gave a small wave as though to dismiss the idea. His swim-trunks were a loud, vibrant pattern of palm trees and sunsets, which somehow managed to clash with his overly colorful souvenir t-shirt from Hawaii. "No, no, not at all."

"This is a holiday for the Chosen Children," Tailmon said as she flicked her tail. While she wasn't thrilled at the idea of seawater, she would tolerate it for the sake of the others. "You're a Chosen Child."

Iori considered that for a long moment as he regarded the cat Digimon. "I suppose if you're all in agreement, I have no room to feel any guilt."

"It's fine, it's fine~!" Mimi said cheerfully as she waved her hand at Iori. She wore a pink two-piece bikini with white hearts and frills, a large straw hat, and a see-through pink sash with white hearts wrapped around her waist. "Odaiba Memorial is for everyone~!"

"That's right," Sora agreed, with a soothing smile at Iori. "Besides, we could never really have fun if we left anyone out."

"The senpai have spoken," Miyako said as she looked down through a pair of prescription goggles at the map she held in her hands. It was impossible to tell what kind of bathing suit she wore, as she was instead completely covered from head to toe in a thick, fuzzy lavender robe. Only her flip-flops could be seen as they peeked out from beneath the robe. "You may as well give up, Iori."

Iori hesitated before he sighed and gave a wry smile. "Indeed."

Yamato paused as he glanced over, spotting the last two stragglers as they approached. He raised his hand, waving towards the duo as if such a large group wasn't completely obvious. "Yo! Taichi! Hikari!"

Taichi wasn't particularly flashy with his chosen attire, wearing flip flops like the other, a blue tank top, and red swim trunks with blue trim. Similarly, Hikari had gone for a more modest one-piece white bathing suit with gold trim, complete with a frilly skirt to cover her hips.

"Hey guys!" Taichi said with a cheerful wave. "How's it…" The rest of what he was going to say fled from his mind as he got a good look at Sora in her swimsuit. A flush of warmth ran through him that didn't come from the hot day, leaving him unable to do more but drink in the sight of her.

Hikari giggled at her brother's reaction, and smiled widely. "I think my big brother loves your outfit, Sora."

Sora blushed brightly as she looked away, fidgeting with her feet. "...I-idiot."

Taichi tried to come up with some sort of intelligent response, but fell short, as Sora's embarrassment only made her even cuter in his eyes. "I… uh…"

Daisuke held a similar expression to Taichi's as he outright gawked at Hikari, who failed to notice the reaction she was having on him. "Wow…"

Miyako reached over to grab Daisuke's chin, snapping his mouth closed for him. "Quit drooling, Motomiya. You're going to pass out from dehydration at this rate."

Daisuke jerked back and glared at Miyako. "Hey! I wasn't drooling! I was just… uh… thinking!"

Miyako merely rolled her eyes before sharing a knowing look with Iori. "Yeah, sure, and I'm sure none of those thoughts would be rated less than R."

A mortified heat exploded in Daisuke's face. "S-sh-shut up, Inoe!"

Before the conversation could continue any further, all of the Chosen were interrupted by a loud honk of a bus. The gathered children and Digimon turned to stare as an enormous black party bus pulled into the parking lot before coming to a stop in front of them. The doors opened up with a swish, and loud music escaped through the entryway as Ken Ichijouji appeared, wearing a white button-up shirt, lavender swim trunks, flip flops, and a pair of thick black gloves that completely covered his hands. He smiled at the Chosen as Wormmon peered out between his Chosen Child's legs.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting," Ken said. "There was a bit of confusion concerning the directions."

"H-holy crap," Yamato murmured as he gaped at the bus. The only time he had ever been on a bus was when they had a gig out of town; otherwise, they did their own traveling. But even then, a party bus was a completely different thing entirely.

Sora blinked slowly as she stared. "This is… for us?"

"Whoa…," Taichi murmured before approaching the bus to get a peek through the windows. Inside he could see that it was more like a limousine than any bus he had ever ridden. "This is even better than the bus that took us to camp!"

Ken moved out of the way, allowing the awed Chosen to board the bus. Inside, they were greeted by comfortable looking seats as music blared over the speakers, with tiny disco balls slowly turning to create a dancing light effect.

Chibimon scurried across the floor before he came to a stop by a refrigerator in the back, and waved his tiny paws. "There's a fridge here, Daisuke! I bet there's food in it!"

"Awesome!" Daisuke cheered as he rushed over to join his partner.

Takeru's eyes drifted across the entire arrangement until something in the far back caught his attention. "Wait, is that a bathroom?"

"It's certainly more convenient than anything you'd find at the beach," Ken said. "It even has a shower, in case you want to clean off the sand in private."

"Oh, good!" Sora said as she clapped her hands together.

Mimi fairly beamed as she hurried over to assess the amenities for herself, including the privacy blinds on the windows. "This is great! If anything gross happens, I can change clothes in here without a problem."

Taichi blinked, his eyes drifting to the large bag Palmon carried. "You brought a change of clothes to the beach? Why?"

Mimi looked at Taichi as though he had suddenly turned pink with green stripes. "You always bring a change of clothes when going on a big trip, you know."

"This is… a bit much, isn't it?" Jou asked, his voice a bit mystified as he stood back by the door. "All this, just for us?"

Yamato chuckled as he moved to sit down, flopping in to one of the chairs. "Hey, I'm not complaining. It's better than anything else we could've done."

"The Digimon have sufficient room to move about, without concern of being seen," Iori said as he boarded the bus as well. He paused and glanced at the driver. "Though-"

"It's alright," Ken said, with a chuckle. "He's my usual driver. He's already very familiar with Wormmon, so he won't ask any questions."

"Alright then, what are we waiting for?!" Daisuke cheered as he raised his fists in the sky, interrupting further conversation. "Let's go to the beach!"

The other Chosen Children and their Digimon let out a roar of agreement as they raised their hands towards the sky.

The party bus made the trip far more enjoyable than it would have otherwise, with the comfort of air conditioning and soft seats instead of crowds and plastic benches. It was all the more obvious the sheer difference the bus made when it parked near the beach itself, giving the children nearly instant access to its amenities as they set up their chairs and beach towels on the soft sand nearby.

"Man, feel that sun," Takeru said as he sighed, stretching his arms high as he arched his back. "It really warms you up."

"Just make sure you put on sunblock, so you don't bake," Yamato said as he pulled out a bottle of the ointment in question, squeezing out a rather generous amount into his hands. "Turn around."

Takeru paused and a flicker of darkness in his head suggested rejecting his elder brother's command. After all, it was rather presumptuous. However, the Chosen of Hope instead shoved the thought aside. The sun felt far too good, and the mood was far happy to argue. He pulled off his shirt as he turned about, exposing his back to Yamato. Takeru opened his mouth to speak before he felt Yamato's hand against his back, smothering it in the cold cream. The Chosen of Hope felt a chill go up his spine as he squeaked. "C-c-c-cold-!"

Yamato smirked as he covered his younger brother's back generously before moving to the back of his neck and his shoulders. His eyes lingered on the ugly stain on Takeru's shoulder, but he wisely avoided mentioning it - or rubbing it too thoroughly with the ointment. "Hey, I did warn you."

"Daisuke, Daisuke, Daisuke!" Chibimon cried out eagerly as he hopped across the sand, waving his tiny little paws. "Let's play, Daisuke!"

Daisuke wasted no time in chasing after his partner, laughing. "Wait for me, Chibimon!"

Mimi giggled as she took her time to take in the sight of the shore. "Wow… it's so amazing that we're the only ones here! I can't believe we have the beach all to ourselves!"

"I don't see anyone for miles!" Palmon said as she raised her hands high in the sky.

"We'll be able to enjoy ourselves without having to worry about anyone seeing us," Tailmon said, her ears flicking as she placed her paws on her hips.

Miyako fidgeted with the waterproof prescription goggles she wore instead of glasses, not quite used to the feel of them yet, and looked to Ken. "It's pretty amazing that you can pull all these strings for us. How much did it cost you to rent out the area for the day?"

Ken smiled at Miyako. "Oh, it's nothing to worry about. I just called in a few favors, that's all."

"Thank you so much, Ken," Hikari said with a smile. "You didn't have to go so far for us, but we all really appreciate it."

Taichi slapped Ken on the back with a wide grin. "Yeah, man, you're a really awesome guy, you know that?"

Ken squeaked as he jerked due to the force of the pat, then reached up to rub at the back of his neck as he gave Taichi and Hikari a flustered smile. "O-oh, I… it's fine, really. So long as everyone has fun, it was all worth it."

Sora set her belongings down in the sand before she straightened up, glancing along the beach. She could feel the soft breeze in her hair, the scent of the ocean wafting all around her. It felt good, almost liberating, and she couldn't help but stretch and let out a great sigh.

The movement caught Taichi's eye, and he couldn't help but be reminded of the fact that Sora looked fantastic in her bathing suit. When he heard Hikari giggle quietly, he snapped out of his stupor with flushed cheeks and tried to act casual instead. "Hey, Sora, would you like me to put sunblock on your back?"

Sora blinked before she turned to face Taichi, then smiled as she lowered her arms. "Sure, if you don't mind."

Taichi couldn't help but smile back as he felt his heart flutter. He only realized that he had been just standing unmoving with his dopey smile when Hikari shoved the bottle of sunblock in his hand and prompted him to do what he had offered with a much more embarrassed tinge of red to his cheeks.

Jou tentatively stepped into the water, his toes curling at the cold as the sand sunk around his feet like wet clay. "B-brrrrrrr..."

"Banzaaiiii!" Gomamon cried out as he rushed past Jou before diving directly into the surf, splashing his partner as he went.

Jou barely managed to shield his face with a yelp as the sea water splashed up at him. After a moment, he lowered his arms to stare at Gomamon, who grinned at his Chosen Child as he paddled about in the water.

"It's better to just get it over with!" Gomamon said, brightly. "Want some help~?"

"No, thank you," Jou said, his expression deadpan.

Iori slipped off his shirt before placing it carefully along the back of his beach chair. He slathered his body with sunblock on the bus, so he settled in to get comfortable as he regarded the other Chosen. He stood watching for several moments before he turned to Miyako. "We're a very lively group."

Miyako grinned as she patted Iori's shoulder. "Heroes usually are."

Koshiro was the last Chosen Child to disembark from the bus with Tentomon not far behind. After looking around to see the others spreading out to enjoy the sand and surf, he walked over to join Ken. "Thanks again for letting me set up a computer inside the bus. If we're lucky, we won't need it, but if one of our friends sends us a message or the Digimon Kaiser tries anything, we need to respond quickly."

Ken smiled as he turned to Koshiro. "Of course. I've also told my driver to keep an ear out for anything, so if you get a message, he'll let us know."

Koshiro took another look at the bus and the driver with no name tag, but instead a small pin with a red dragon coiled around a lily in an intricate design on an otherwise nondescript uniform. Despite reassurance of the man's discretion, Koshiro still felt a little uneasy trusting someone he knew so little about with the knowledge of Digimon. However, Ken had released that information well before the children ever met, so there was nothing he could do about in either case.

With a slight shake of his head, Koshiro shifted his attention back to Ken. "How many people have you told about Wormmon, anyway?"

"Only a few people, such as my driver and manager," Ken said, thoughtfully. "It'd be a bit too hard to hide him from them, given how much time I spend with them."

"Ken-chan only tells people he knows he can trust," Wormmon said cheerfully. "And only because he wants to make sure I don't have to be uncomfortable and hide all the time."

Koshiro nodded as he brushed back some of his hair away from his eyes. "Yeah, I can understand that. I'd hate to have to keep hiding Tentomon from my parents, and it'd make everything a lot harder on all of us if we tried to lie to our parents about us disappearing all the time."

Ken regarded Koshiro for a moment before his gaze turned outward to the waves gently lapping against the sand. "At the very least, my manager would have panicked," he said, his tone light. "She controls my schedule, after all."

"Ken-chan works very hard," Wormmon said as he turned his concerned blue eyes towards his Chosen Child. "That's why I'm glad we're here to have fun."

"I agree," Tentomon said. "Koshiro has been working very hard too." The Digimon paused before he turned to stare at the Chosen of Knowledge. "Maybe too hard."

Koshiro nodded a bit, feeling a touch flustered by Tentomon's pointed statement towards him, as well as the fact that he was indebted to such a hard working genius as Ken Ichijouji. "Well, thanks again for everything."

Ken's smile returned. "You're welcome. Let's keep doing our best, okay?"

"Right!" Koshiro said cheerfully.

Ken continued to smile as he watched Koshiro hurry off to join the rest of the Chosen. The boy genius lingered back, still smiling as he waited for the boy to get out of earshot. Then, and only then, did his smile falter as he began to grumble. "...Why am I even here? I don't give a damn about their stupid Odaiba Memorial. I've got so much work to do, more important things to do…"

Wormmon turned a worried gaze to Ken, but tried to sound cheerful. "Because it'll help them trust you more," he whispered. "Besides, doesn't it feel good to see how giving Gomamon back helped Jou be happy again?"

Ken paused at that, watching as Jou yelped and scrambled about to avoid Gomamon as the Digimon splashed vigorously at him. His expression softened for a moment before he looked away. "I don't care at all. He was completely useless. I wasted so much time on him, and now I'm wasting even more time. At this rate, we'll lose the momentum we gained when we killed Qinglongmon."

"But there isn't anything you can do right now," Wormmon said gently, "at least not until Agumon and Gabumon can evolve to Omegamon. Maybe by spending more time with Taichi, Yamato, and the others, you might be able to figure out the secret of how they managed to merge their Digimon."

Ken went quiet as he considered Wormmon's words, his eyes drifting across the Chosen in front of him. After several seemingly long moments, the boy genius sighed. "I suppose you're right. At the very least, I might be able to figure out how those two think. There has to be some explanation for how jogress works that I'm not seeing."

Wormmon brightened at the concession. "Right! And the more time you spend with them, the more they'll like you and want to be your friend and trust you."

Ken nodded his head slowly before he eyed the Digimon. "But don't get your hopes up. I'm not doing this for any other reason."

Wormmon felt a flush of embarrassment as well as disappointment that Ken saw through him so easily. He recovered quickly, though, not wanting to let current circumstances dampen such a wonderful day. "I know, but that doesn't mean you can't have fun, right?"

Ken made a noncommittal sound as his gaze lingered on Wormmon, his expression unconvinced that the Digimon had abandoned his ulterior motives, before he turned to look back at the Chosen. "I suppose I can do my best to make the most of a terrible situation."

Wormmon fairly beamed. "Right, Ken-chan!"

At noticing Ken and Wormmon were still by the bus, Daisuke jogged over with Chibimon at his heels. "Hey, Ken! Come on and join us!"

"Hm? Ah, yes," Ken said as he looked sheepish. "Of course, I-"

"Daisuke, could you help put sunblock on Ken-chan?" Wormmon asked abruptly. "I don't want him to get a sunburn and Taichi and Takeru are busy helping Sora and Hikari with theirs."

Daisuke glanced over at Hikari and felt a pang of jealousy at seeing someone else getting to rub lotion on her bare back, which was only mollified a little by the fact that it was Takeru. He shook off the irritation quickly and grinned at Ken. "Sure!"

Ken's eyes widened as he stared at Daisuke, then Wormmon. "Eh? Ah, you… don't have to. I wouldn't want to impose-"

"It's okay, Ken-chan~!" Wormmon said cheerfully, smiling with his eyes since his mouth was incapable of doing so. "Right, Daisuke?"

Daisuke nodded, beaming. "Yeah, it's no problem at all. I'll go borrow the bottle from Senpai and be right back."

Ken gaped at Daisuke rushed off before he turned to stare down at his partner. "Wormmon." He whispered, his voice harsh.

"It's fine, it's fine," Wormmon whispered, his good mood unshaken. "Daisuke is so nice so he doesn't mind at all, see?"

Ken frowned and was about to retort when Daisuke returned with great enthusiasm, carrying the sunblock with him. The boy genius blinked before he furrowed his brow. "Daisuke, it's fine if it's too much trouble. I don't mind-"

"Nah, it's no trouble," Daisuke said as he squirted some lotion onto his hand. "Heck, I should probably put some on too before I get a sunburn, so I'll do you first then you do me, okay?"

Ken faltered as he struggled to find a way to discourage Daisuke, before he mentally sighed. At least it was just something harmless that Wormmon got him into. More importantly, he was aware of what the Digimon was trying to pull, so Wormmon's efforts were futile. The boy genius would indulge them, if only to make the Digimon happy. "A-alright…"

Reluctantly, Ken slipped off his shirt to expose his back to the other boy. He barely managed to keep himself from yelping at the cold lotion against his pale skin, which had grown quite warm under the sun. He let out a sigh through his nose as he forced himself to relax, trying to focus on codes and complex math problems in his head as Daisuke lathered his back up. He felt completely undignified, to say the very least.

"So how often do you get to hang out at the beach, anyway?" Daisuke asked as he continued working. "You're so busy doing so much stuff all the time, I'm surprised you can get time off to hang out with us so much."

Ken paused, his eyes darting to Wormmon before moving to focus on the horizon instead. "...It's actually been a very long time since I've simply 'hung out' with anyone. I'm always very busy with work, so I'm a bit surprised myself. At the very least, I expected my manager to complain, but she's actually been just as adamant in 'encouraging' me as everyone else." The boy genius's expression grew wry, in spite of himself. "Everyone seems to be united on that front..."

"Friends help make life a lot better, Ken-chan," Wormmon said gently as he patted Ken's arm lightly.

"You got that right," Daisuke said with a grin.

Ken kept his thoughts from appearing on his face, instead keeping his smile docile. It was a well-honed skill that he had learned, and it came in quite handy as always. "True enough."

After several more awkward moments, Daisuke finally finished putting the sunblock on the Digimon Kaiser before extending the lotion to him. Ken accepted the container and proceeded to squirt the cream directly into the palm of his hands - or rather, his gloves.

The action baffled Daisuke, which showed plainly in his expression. "Aren't you going to take your gloves off for that?"

"Oh, no, it's fine," Ken said. "The gloves are meant to handle all sorts of things. They're waterproof, stain resistant… they'll be fine."

Daisuke blinked slowly. "Uh, no, why are you wearing gloves at the beach?"

Ken paused at that, his eyes widening as he stared at Daisuke. His mind scrambled to think of an explanation, one that he could actually say. "Ah, we… I have to take extra care with my hands." He offered the goggle-boy an awkward smile. "They're insured, after all."

The answer only made Daisuke even more dumbfounded. "Insured?"

"Well, it's like how singers have their voices insured, or sports stars has various body parts," Ken said with a gesture of his hand. "It's meant to protect that person's livelihood in case something bad happens, like the singer losing their voice or the athlete breaking a bone. In my case, it protects my hands. They're, after all, very important." The boy genius smiled with a small shrug. "As you might imagine, it'd be quite hard to write code if I can't use my fingers."

"Oh," Daisuke murmured as he nodded slowly. "I think I might've heard of that before. I guess your hands are your most important body part next to your brain." He paused to chuckle a bit. "Kind of hard to insure that, huh?"

Ken chuckled as he proceeded to rub the sunblock on Daisuke's back. "Well, I do have insurance for that as well, in case of head injuries."

Daisuke stopped laughing, his mouth hanging open for a moment before he shut it with a click. It was another moment before he could think of what to say. "Oh… Of course you'd have that too. Shouldn't you wear a helmet all the time, too?"

Patamon flew closer to the two boys after overhearing Daisuke's statement. "Takeru used to wear a helmet to protect him too when he was little, but not because of insurance." He grinned at his partner as he made sure Takeru was within earshot. "It was because his mom worried too much about him getting head injuries until he showed her he wasn't a baby anymore; he's saving worlds now."

Takeru turned to stare at Patamon, his cheeks tinting slightly. "T-that's… I haven't worn that helmet in years, you know."

Daisuke let out a snort of laughter through his nose as he turned to Takeru. "Seriously?"

Hikari couldn't help but be pulled into the conversation. "He wore that helmet when we had our first adventures in the Digital World." She made sure to catch Takeru's gaze before smiling at him. "Though I think you look your best when you're not wearing anything, Takeru."

Takeru paused as his face turned dark red. "Er…"

Tailmon quirked an eyebrow at Hikari. She didn't say anything, but her sly smile spoke loudly for her.

Patamon tried to keep a straight face and used his paws to hide the quiet snickers that escaped him. "Hear that, Takeru?"

Takeru coughed before he looked away. "W-well, at the very least, I'm glad to be rid of that helmet."

"I really can't picture it," Ken said thoughtfully, inwardly thankful that someone else was the target of the conversation. "What sort of helmet are we talking about?"

"A long gone helmet," Takeru said.

"It's not gone," Patamon said, "it's in Takeru's clos-"

"Anyway!" Takeru said as he reached up to grab Patamon, holding the Digimon upward. "How about going for a swim?"

Hikari folded her hands together, smiling. "That sounds like a great idea."

The four children headed to the shore, joining the others already playing there. Ken was reluctant to enter the water at first, but with a lot of coaxing, he relented and stepped into the chilly ocean. He barely had an opportunity to dwell on the cold before he was suddenly splashed. He jerked back and blinked soggily before looking up to see Daisuke laughing. Ken stared at him for a moment, giving Daisuke just enough time to worry that he might have upset the genius, before the Digimon Kaiser took the opportunity to splash Daisuke back with both hands.

Stunned realization that he had been tricked hit Daisuke before a sly grin appeared on his face, one that mirrored Ken's own, and soon enough the ocean was nothing but splashes. Ken and Daisuke aimed at each other, but showed no mercy for anyone that got in their way - and in some cases, even used human shields as they fled while looking for an opportunity to counterstrike.

Takeru kept his distance, paddling idly as the water rocked him gently. He watched as the two boys chased each other, with Daisuke ducking behind Taichi as Ken splashed them both. "It's really amazing, isn't it? He really is just a regular kid like us."

Hikari smiled. "Someone could say the same thing about us, you know."

Takeru paused at that before he chuckled. "True enough."

Eventually, the water war winded down, leaving both Daisuke and Ken drenched and breathless. Ken stood off to the side in the water, panting as he reached up to brush back his bangs as they clung to his forehead. He admittedly hadn't meant to take it to such a point, but really couldn't stop once he got going. There was something entirely cathartic about splashing the hell out of Daisuke, even if the goggle boy gave back as good as he got.

After catching his breath, Daisuke moved in close to Ken, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Hey, did you bring what I asked?"

Ken blinked before his sly smile returned to his face. "Of course."

Daisuke's eyes went alight with glee. "Come on, let's go!"

Iori watched Daisuke and Ken from where he sat on the shore in a beach chair under a large sun umbrella, his gaze following as they left the water, heading back to the bus. He let out a thoughtful hum before he turned to look at Miyako as she sat beside him in her own chair. She was still wrapped up in her robe, despite the sun and heat. "...Do you intend to keep that on all day?"

"You better believe it," Miyako said as she focused on reading her book rather than the heat of the sun.

Iori furrowed his brow. "I brought an extra change of clothes, if you need them."

Miyako let out a displeased rumble at the back of her throat. "But not a spare bathing suit for a girl, I'll bet."

"Unfortunately, no," Iori said, with a frown. "I'm afraid that's one thing I don't have."

"Then I'm just going to be sunbathing in the shade today," Miyako said as she returned her attention to her book.

Iori was about to respond when a sudden blast of water hit Miyako in the backside of the head, splattering all over her hair and her shoulders. The stoic boy stared as it registered what had happened and he turned his head to find the source - just in time to get a face full of water himself.

Daisuke cackled as Ken giggled, the two holding large water guns as they crouched behind some beach chairs by the bus. Nearby, an entire arsenal of water guns of all shapes and sizes were scattered around the showering station, where a water faucet typically used for washing down feet served a dual purpose of providing clean water for ammunition.

Miyako shrieked as she found herself completely soaked, and whirled to glare murder into Daisuke as her robe hung heavily off her shoulders. "Motomiya! You destroyed my book!"

Daisuke's response was to meet her stare with one of his own, right before he shot her directly in the face with his watergun.

Iori kept his water-logged gaze at Ken, who gave him a rather innocent look as he held his own weapon at the ready. The stoic boy was silent for several moments before he turned to look at the scattered water guns circling the shower station, then shifted his gaze to Miyako.

Miyako sputtered as she wiped excess water off her face and goggles before glancing at Iori. With a sneer, she tossed her waterlogged book onto her beach towel and climbed to her feet, glaring Daisuke down. "Oh, it is on now."

Daisuke's grin widened as he unleashed another torrent of water at Miyako's face.

As Daisuke went after Miyako, Iori set his sights on Ken. The boy genius aimed his water gun at Iori, shooting him with a spray of liquid. The stoic boy didn't even flinch as he dived forward, past Ken to the other weaponry scattered across the ground. He swiftly grabbed two water pistols, noting that both were filled and ready for action. Iori came to a stop behind Daisuke and Ken, twisting about to aim one barrel at each boy before unleashing their contents upon their bare backs.

"Ack-!" Ken yelped before he whipped about to return fire.

Miyako shielded her face with her arms, feeling her robe grow heavier by the moment as water saturated it. After a moment of debate, she grumbled a curse as she shrugged the robe off and used it as a shield to block another spray of water from Daisuke before throwing it over the goggle boy's head.

Daisuke didn't see the attack from Miyako due to being distracted by Iori until it was too late and the world suddenly went dark. He yelped and toppled, off balance by the weighty robe, before crashing onto his backside, dropping the squirtgun in the process. He had just barely managed to get it off when he found himself staring down the barrel of the gun as Miyako pointed it right at his face.

Miyako smirked before she unleashed an attack of water. "Who's laughing now?"

Daisuke sputtered and spat out water before putting the goggles Taichi gave him over his eyes so he could still see. "Oh yeah?" He jumped to his feet, now sopping wet. "Just wait, I'll…"

The words died on Daisuke's lips as he got a good look at Miyako. The swimsuit she wore hidden beneath the robe all this time was a shockingly pink two-piece bikini made with layers of frills to add the illusion of fullness to her chest and hips. That would have been fine in and of itself if it weren't for the unnecessary amount of bows, lace, and glitter that made the outfit practically blinding when the light glinted off it.

The sight was too much for Daisuke, and he doubled over with laughter until another blast of water sent him falling back onto the sand.

"Shut up!" Miyako snapped, her cheeks a vibrant shade of pink that rivaled her outfit. "My mom made me get this, okay?"

"Counter attaaaaack!" Chibimon cried out as he grabbed the hose by the shower station, aiming it at Iori before unleashing a devastating spray. The water nailed not only Iori but Ken as he stood by the other boy. The two human boys yelped and scrambled to escape the cold attack as the dragon Digimon cackled with glee. He then turned, bringing the hose about to hit Miyako as well, with Daisuke being collateral damage.

Takeru watched as he drew closer to the shore, taking a break from swimming. He put his hands on his hips as he tilted his head. "Uh oh. Looks like trouble's brew-" The words died on his lips as he was suddenly hit in the face from the side. The Chosen of Hope blinked blurrily, clean water dripping down his face, before he turned to see himself staring down the barrel of a water gun, and Hikari's bright smile.

"En garde," Hikari said cheerfully before unleashing another aquatic attack on Takeru.

Takeru yelped as he shielded his face, then laughed as he fled on to the beach - and towards the weaponry he needed to protect himself.

At seeing the younger Chosen engaging in a water war, Koshiro retreated a little further down the beach to escape the crossfire. "I'm glad I left my laptop in the bus."

"Yeah," Taichi said as he walked up behind Koshiro. "It'd make it harder to do this."

Koshiro shrieked as he was suddenly doused in cold water, and he turned to see Taichi holding an empty plastic bucket over his now soaked head. "That's cold!"

Yamato burst out laughing as he slapped his hand on his knee. "Now we know where Hikari got it from!"

Taichi smirked as he readied another bucket he had placed by his side. "You better believe it."

However, before Taichi could douse Yamato like he did Koshiro, a colorful balloon suddenly burst water in his face, causing him to jerk back with a yelp and drop the bucket onto the sand.

A second balloon nailed the surprised Yamato as well, water splattering all over the side of his face. The elder blonde reached up to brush back his bangs before he turned to see Sora giggling as she stood off to the side, next to a bucket filled with water balloons.

"Guess what I found~!" Sora said, smiling. "I think someone planned this a little too well."

Mimi stood not far away, bending over to fish out another colorful bucket of water balloons. "Look, look, there's another one over here!"

"There's balloons hidden all over the place!" Palmon said cheerfully as she walked back from the lifeguard station with a bucket in each hand.

Yamato turned to eye Taichi with a grin, who in turn hefted up his remaining water bucket with a smile of his own. "Well, it looks like-"

A sharp whistle pierced the air, interrupting not only the conversation but the water war as well. All eyes turned to stare at Jou, who stood with his hands on his hips and a rather serious expression on his face - one only slightly marred by the sunblock still visible.

"Enough! This is… completely unsightly behavior!" Jou said, with great authority. "It's certainly not behavior befitting a model student of Japan!"

Daisuke stood by the hose and Chibimon while refilling his squirt gun, staring blankly at Jou. "Huh?"

Jou pointed dynamically, his finger sweeping across the beach. He pointedly ignored Gomamon, who was giving him an exasperated look from his position behind the Chosen of Honesty. "This is precisely the sort of behavior we're warned against!"

Yamato quirked an eyebrow before he turned to Taichi. "...Someone paid a bit too much attention to their assembly."

"Running around, shooting each other with water… or water balloons! Think of the litter!" Jou said as he gave a dramatic gesture to a tiny bit of plastic that was the remains of the balloon Sora had tossed at Yamato. "It's unacceptable in the youngest, and even less acceptable in the elders!" He then turned to Ken, who stared at him with wide, blinking eyes. "And you, as someone who is already very familiar with the working adult world, should know better-"

The Chosen of Honesty was immediately cut off when Ken wordlessly lifted his water gun to shoot Jou directly in the face. Jou paused, his glasses dripping wet as he blinked blurrily, water running down his cheeks and nose.

Ken met Jou's gaze before he cocked the gun again, pumping more water into it in preparation of another shot.

Wormmon crawled across the sand as fast as his little legs could carry him, waving his front digits at Jou. "It's okay, it's okay! This is a private beach, and the people who own it have people come to clean it every morning and evening. Ken-chan wanted to make sure there was nothing for anyone to worry about so that we could all have fun today, since everyone has been worrying a lot about a lot of things for a while now…"

Jou paused at that, water dripping down his face as the wind was taken out of his sails. "Ah, oh…"

"Besides," Yamato said as he quirked an eyebrow at Jou. "As you said, Ken has already had more than his fair share of the adult world. Don't you think it's actually a good thing that he's able to be a kid?"

Jou's face became flushed as he fidgeted. "Er…"

"And if you think about it, doesn't that apply to everyone?" Sora asked as she tilted her head. "We're fighting in another war. And this time, it's our underclassmen who are carrying most of the burden. I'd say they deserve the opportunity to be children for one day, don't you?"

Jou slumped his shoulders, looking particularly shamefaced as he pressed his pointer fingers together. "Erm…"

Gomamon reached up to pat his Chosen's leg. "It goes for you too, y'know. I think we all deserve a bit of a break." The Digimon's expression then became mischievous. "So what do you say we show them who owns the beach, partner?"

Jou glanced down at his Digimon, then looked up as Yamato suddenly appeared at his side, holding out a large water gun. The Chosen of Honesty hesitated before he reluctantly accepted the water weapon. "J-just so long as it's understood that we're going to clean up the mess we've made! It's just good manners!"

"You got it," Yamato said, with a good-natured smile, before he suddenly pulled up a water pistol and shot Jou in the face, causing the other boy to sputter.

Taichi lunged to wrap his arm around Jou, pulling down the taller boy a bit in the process. "I think it's high time you stopped worrying, and started having fun." He raised the bucket of water he carried in his free hand and dumped it over Jou's head, laughing even though he got splashed as well. "We're celebrating, remember?"

Jou yelped as he hunched forward, his glasses barely holding on to his nose as his hair dangled downward. He reached up to push his glasses back in their proper place as he regarded Taichi. "R-right…"

Mimi giggled as she hurried over to Jou with buckets of water balloons in hand, offering one to him. "Here. You're going to need these."

Jou accepted the bucket with one hand, the other still holding the water gun Yamato had given him. "Y-yes..."

Yamato chuckled and opened his mouth, but was cut off by a blast of water against his head. He paused and turned to Takeru, who still had his gun aimed at his older brother as he grinned from ear to ear. "...Oh hoh, is that how you want it?"

Takeru's smile widened to match his brother's before he fired again, causing Yamato to yelp and dart for cover behind Jou as he readied his own weapon.

The water war resumed once more, this time with everyone involved. Water balloons flew through the air as shots were fired, the Chosen Children running along the shore and into the water as their laughter and shouts filled the beach.

The festivities only stopped when the Chosen became hungry as lunch time arrived. After some brief confusion as to what they'd do for their meal, Ken revealed that a lunch had been packed for them in the bus. The Chosen hurried to the bus to unload the food, arranging it on the available picnic tables as they alternated taking turns in the showering station.

Soon, everyone was clean and ready to eat as the food stretched across the tables like a feast.

"Wow, it looks amazing," Takeru said as he looked across the neatly packed bento meals. "Is this catered?"

Ken paused before his face turned slightly red, and he reached up to scratch at his cheek. "A-actually, I… made it," As the Chosen all turned to gawk at him, the genius' embarrassment grew. "I-I just... enjoy cooking. I used to cook quite a bit, so…"

Mimi took a bite from her bento and let out a pleased noise. "Delicious! You're going to make a wonderful bride someday, Ken."

Ken's blush deepened and he bit into an onigiri, as it gave him an excuse not to speak.

Sora looked down at the food and felt impressed, but also a bit envious. She certainly wasn't a great cook, though she always tried her best. "It's really impressive, Ken. Thank you."

"Is there anything you can't do?" Miyako asked wryly before sampling a bit of sushi.

Ken grew increasingly flustered as he swallowed hard. "I-I, well…" He trailed off before he grabbed more sushi and put it in his mouth, chewing far more slowly to make his excuse last longer - at least until the topic moved on.

"There's quite a variety," Iori said as he grabbed his chopsticks and proceeded to pick his own food, setting it on his plate. "You have my compliments."

"Ken-chan wanted everything to be perfect for today," Wormmon said happily, "so he worked extra hard."

"Then it'd be a total shame to let it go to waste," Yamato said, cheerfully. "Let's eat!"

Taichi swallowed a generous mouthful of food with a huge smile. "Man, it would've been great if we ate like this the whole time while we were in the Digital World the first time."

"It certainly would've been a lot more tolerable," Takeru agreed.

"Well, we can enjoy it now, without being in danger," Sora said, cheerfully.

Ken swallowed hard, an odd expression on his face. "I… I see…"

"Maybe we can have a picnic like this in the Digital World sometime," Hikari said gently, her gaze distant. "...When it's more peaceful."

"It's something to look forward to," Tailmon said as she munched on her bit of prepared fish, her tail idly twirling behind her.

"O-of course," Ken said, trying to keep his voice as even as possible. "Please… look forward to it."

"Yeah!" Daisuke shouted as he punched at the air above his head. "When we beat the Digimon Kaiser, we can all have picnics in the Digital World like this all the time!"

Ken reached for his cup and took a sip, taking it nice and slow so that he didn't choke. Inwardly, he cringed. The Chosen really had no idea how uncomfortable they were making him, which made it all the more infuriating.

Thankfully, the conversation moved onward to other topics, allowing the Digimon Kaiser to relax and begin to enjoy his meal like anyone else. He took some spiteful enjoyment from the knowledge that the other Chosen were enjoying the food of someone they spoke so derisively about, allowing him a small amount of retaliation - even if they never knew it.

Ken glanced around the table, noticing everyone eating rather heartily, and felt a large sense of relief. He had worried that he hadn't prepared enough for twelve growing children and seven insatiable Digimon, but it seemed that there was plenty for everyone to eat their fill. He had spent several hours making it, and his efforts had paid off. Even more, the Chosen appeared quite satisfied with the results of his labors. It had been quite some time since he had cooked for anyone, but his skills hadn't gone rusty.

"Not that it matters," Ken thought as he looked down at his plate, his cheeks still slightly red. "It's not like I care if they enjoy my food or not." He just didn't want his reputation as a genius to be tarnished, that was all.

The Digimon Kaiser wasn't about to lose to them. Just like the way they were eating his food so ravenously, Ken was going to make them eat their words.


It was very late in the day before the Chosen finally put an end to their outting. As the sun drifted lower in the sky, the assembled children cleared up the mess they had made before cleaning themselves up before boarding the bus for their return journey. By the time the sun sank below the horizon, the party bus was on its way, carrying the exhausted children back home.

The nighttime sky provided the perfect camouflage for Witchmon, allowing her to openly follow the bus atop her broom, flying just above it and to the side. She flew along in silence, watching the Chosen inside. After several long moments, a flicker of light coming from within her dress caught her attention. Reaching inside, she pulled out a small crystal ball in time to see FlaWizarmon's face appear on it.

"So, how's it goin'? K-chan doin' okay? No big catastrophes this time?" he asked, though his tone was jovial.

"The dearies had a wonderful day together," Witchmon said with a fond smile. "Now they're falling asleep together on the bus. It was all absolutely precious!"

True to Witchmon's words, the Chosen Children were completely winding down from their adventure at the beach, with some already gone into slumberland. Koshiro at least had his laptop to keep him awake, and was focused on it with droopy eyes. Jou was practically passed out in the back, Gomamon using his lap as a pillow from the seat beside him. Taichi and Yamato both relaxed in their seats, the music having been turned down low so that they had to use the provided headphones to listen without waking anyone. Mimi had just finished using the shower and was toweling her hair off in her chair as Sora disappeared to take her turn, closing the door behind her. Most of the younger Chosen had already fallen asleep, sitting two by two in the passenger chairs. Iori was struggling to stay awake, even as Miyako had long since fallen asleep beside him, her head resting against the window. Hikari and Takeru were asleep, with Takeru's head leaning back against his seat while Hikari's tipped over to rest against his shoulder. Behind them, both Daisuke and Ken were fast asleep, their breathing even as the two boys propped each other up with their heads pressed against each other.

"Even K-chan," Witchmon said softly.

FlaWizarmon leaned back in the Digimon Kaiser's throne, tilting his head as he regarded the floating orb in front of him. "Huh. Will miracles never cease… I wonder if they'll be able to do it."

"They certainly seem to be doing better than we are," Witchmon murmured as she watched the bus drive further and further ahead of her. "Maybe they really will end the Digimon Kaiser's reign."

"At the very least, they might be able to patch things up a bit," FlaWizarmon said as he laced his fingers together.

"Either way…" Witchmon's smile broadened to show off her sharp teeth, her ghostly cat showing off a cheshire smile of its own. "...This is a very promising development, don't you think?"

FlaWizarmon returned the smile, his stitched mouth going impossibly wide. "Very promising."