Time ticked onward, audibly clicking by on the analog clock in the hallway. It served as a constant, rhythmic annoyance that punctuated each passing minute on Koshiro's laptop. The sight of the clock face and the numbers on the screen mocked him by making him painfully aware that it was currently 2:03 am and way past his bedtime.
It was a fact not lost on Tentomon, as well.
"Koshiro, you should go to bed," the insect Digimon said as he sat on Koshiro's bed.
Koshiro's posture was slouched in his chair with the backing of his chair digging uncomfortably into the back of his head as his legs hung off the seat at awkward angles. He said nothing at first, staring balefully at his laptop as his tired mind sluggishly processed what his partner was telling him.
"Summer break has been over for several weeks now," Tentomon continued, "so you can't afford to have an irregular schedule. You are going to be exhausted."
Koshiro let out a weary sigh and stretched the stiffness from his legs, groaning at the mild ache that ran through him. "I know," he said around a yawn.. "I just… I need to know."
Tentomon would have blinked if he had possessed eyelids, so he simply stared at Koshiro instead. "Know what?"
The seconds ticked by, almost mocking Koshiro and the thoughts running through his head. With a grunt and another sigh, he straightened up in his chair and rubbed the kink out of his neck. "My program… Ever since that day, it hasn't worked. The Digimon Kaiser hasn't shown up at all."
Tentomon tilted his head. "I know. We have not seen him, though he is obviously still active in the Digital World."
Koshiro nodded, his eyes focusing on the laptop screen that displayed the very program in question. Two vibrant splashes of color actively flowed through the Digital World, shifting against one another ever so slightly like pools of paint swirling in a cup of water. Though the filter had been set to show only Miracle and Kindness, the only gold and pink he saw were the natural 'currents' for both crests, plus two small beacons - one at the DigiGod temple and another at an as of yet unvisited temple.
It was the exact same scene Koshiro had been watching since he got home from school, much to his frustration. "He keeps taking back the land we're freeing, so he's obviously still going to the Digital World… but he's not showing up anywhere."
"Perhaps he learned how to block it?" Tentomon asked.
"Maybe, but…" Koshiro trailed off before he bit back a groan and ruffled his fingers through his wild hair before giving the strands a hard yank in frustration. "I can't figure out how! You'd think there would be some sort of clue… something that would tell me how he's blocking it! But I can't find anything… even Ken couldn't. Everything looks like it's functioning just fine, and yet…!"
Tentomon stared at Koshiro for several moments before he finally spoke. "Koshiro, this is bothering you, isn't it?
The question, so direct with such an obvious answer, gave Koshiro reason to pause. As his hands slipped back down to his lap, a rueful chuckle escaped him. "Yeah, it is. I mean, I'm supposed to be the Chosen of Knowledge, but…" Words failed him for a moment, and he shook his head slowly before lowering his gaze to the desk. "The Digimon Kaiser… he's always so far ahead. It makes me feel so… stupid."
"Please do not be discouraged, Koshiro," Tentomon said. "There is a reason you are the Chosen of Knowledge. Don't forget that."
"I know," Koshiro muttered. "But I was so excited when I first came up with this program. Even when we discovered it wouldn't help us find Ryo, we still found a use for it. But now…" His tired gaze shifted to the little Digimon beside him. "Even now, it's just not working and I can't figure out why. I've looked and looked, and everything looks right. It's just driving me crazy."
"Is that why you're watching the Digital World tonight?" Tentomon asked.
Koshiro nodded before he sighed heavily. "I know it's stupid, and hopeful thinking… but this is really the only other possibility I can think of, besides my own incompetence… that maybe it isn't flawed and he's just-"
A loud beep cut Koshiro's words off, and he turned just in time to see the golden and pink streams and small icons disappear from the screen. Instead, they were replaced by two large beacons points, side by side, in a large forest area.
The Chosen of Knowledge stared at the screen for several moments as realization dawned, and relief flooded his features as he leaned to flop back in to his chair. He chuckled awkwardly as he tilted his head and slapped the palm of his right hand over his eyes. "Oh, thank God."
"Koshiro, it's Miracles and Kindness!" Tentomon said as he flew over to the desk and landed before the laptop. "What does this mean?"
"It means my program still works," Koshiro said, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hands, removing the moisture that had built up there unbidden. "The Digimon Kaiser hasn't figured out a way to block it… he's just avoiding us entirely, and going into the Digital World only after he's certain we've gone home for the day."
Tentomon stared at his partner before turning to look at the screen. "Should we email the others?"
"No, it's fine," Koshiro said, smiling in spite of his weariness. The relief was a soothing balm for the soul, but it made him far too aware of how much his body cried out for rest. "It's late, and everyone else is asleep. Besides, he's just going to kick us out again. We'll leave it alone for now." He paused to stretch his arms above his head as his mouth opened wide in a great yawn. "Besides, this just means that we'll both be falling asleep in class tomorrow." He flashed his partner a wry grin as his arms dropped to his sides. "That's a small consolation, right?"
"Yes," Tentomon agreed. "Besides, this means that your program is preventing the Digimon Kaiser from doing whatever he likes. It is still very useful."
"Right," Koshiro said, still smiling as he stood up to shut off his laptop. "It's still useful…" Even though the words referenced the program, deep down he knew it was more referring to himself than the program - he was still useful. He had not failed.
The Chosen of Knowledge was not inferior to another, especially someone many years his junior.
"Now you can go to bed," Tentomon said before he spread his wings, flying over to the bed in question before landing by the pillow. "Get some rest, Koshiro."
Koshiro nodded as he sat down on the bed, feeling it creak beneath him. "Yeah, I-"
A loud beep cut Koshiro off for a second time, though it came from his D-Terminal rather than his laptop. He only paused to share a glance with his partner before he snatched the device up from his desk and flipped it open.
Koshiro was greeted by the sight of an email. A quick glance quelled his fears that one of his friends was having some sort of emergency, as the sender was none other than Mystimon. His brow furrowed as he accessed the message, wondering if he what sort of news he would find.
The words he saw sent a jolt through his body, waking him up immediately and ensuring that he would get absolutely no sleep that night.
Baihumon has agreed to meet with you.
Nothing could prepare the Chosen Children for the monstrous stone fortress that awaited them upon arrival. As soon as the light of the gate faded, there was little but stone as far as the eye could see. It was nothing like Qinglongmon's temple, whose charred remains at least hinted at something peaceful and full of grace. Baihumon's temple was the complete opposite, with stone walls towering high in the sky, battlements and bartizans on each corner and curve, and towers strategically placed to allow patrolling Digimon the best vantage point.
It was from those vantage points that the Chosen noticed countless Digimon peering over, a myriad of eyes watching them as the human children stood in front of a massive drawbridge - pulled upward, preventing any entry beyond a deep chasm that acted as a moat around the fortress.
It was truly a facility of war, not peace.
"Ho boy," Taichi muttered as he took in the hostile glares of the battle-weary Digimon scrutinizing him and his friends. "I guess we won't be getting a warm welcome here."
"This is the most Digimon we've seen in a single place," Yamato said, frowning.
"That is due to the Holy Beasts providing a safe haven to all Digimon," Mystimon said, approaching the children from behind. With him, bobbing around his feet like a klutzy kitten, was Neemon.
"Hi, hi, hi~!" Neemon said as he waved his arms vigorously.
Mimi smiled as she returned the wave. "Are you here to see Baihumon, too?"
"No, here are you!" Neemon said before he pointed at the gate. "Baihumon is there, not here. Neemon is here too!"
An awkward little laugh escaped Mimi. "Um…"
"There is no safer place in the Digital World than under the protective eye of the Holy Beasts." Mystimon said before Neemon could further derail the conversation.
"So this is where most of the refugees from the Digimon Kaiser have been hiding?" Koshiro asked.
"That is correct," Mystimon said as he came to a stop by the Chosen and looked up at the massive gate. "Though you will find only the most battle-ready and willing at Baihumon's fortress, as he expects them to fight if the need ever arises."
"What if they don't want to fight?" Sora asked, furrowing her brow.
Mystimon didn't look at the Chosen of Love. "Baihumon has no interest in them."
"Man," Daisuke muttered as he looked over the looming structure before them. "Ken would've loved to have seen this, I'll bet. It sucks he couldn't come with us."
Miyako let out a sigh as she shook her head. "Just because he's been able to make a lot of time for you and our missions doesn't mean he hasn't got a ton of work to do. Some people have responsibilities to the real world, you know, and there's only so much of his schedule his manager can juggle for him."
Daisuke gave Miyako an odd look. "What do you know about that?"
Miyako's expression deadpanned as she put her hands on her hips. "You mean besides personal experience with juggling a lot of responsibilities? I talk with Ken a lot over email to help him schedule things and keep him up to date with what we've found out that he misses out on."
Daisuke felt a flush of heat rush to his face. "Since when were you all chummy with him?"
"You know, green isn't your color, Daisuke," Miyako said dryly. "We're all friends of Ken, not just you, you know."
The red in Daisuke's cheeks turned darker. "I'm not jealous! And I know we're all friends. I just don't see you hanging out with Ken."
Miyako poked Daisuke's nose, causing him to jerk back with a yelp. "Relax. I'm not going to steal him away from you. If you want to date Ken, just confess your feelings and ask him out already."
Daisuke let out an incoherent series of vowels and consonants that crashed into each other in an inharmonious cacophony of noise as his blush extended to his entire body. It took him almost half a minute before he could finally force out something close to coherent. "I'm not in love with Ken!"
Miyako tried to maintain her poker face, but it crumbled with laughter. "You're a riot, Daisuke."
The reaction made Daisuke bristle a bit, but his confusion was stronger than his irritation. "Wh-what's so funny?"
Miyako placed her hand on Daisuke's shoulder and grinned. "I'm just teasing."
An indignant huff escaped Daisuke; he felt as though his cheeks would never cool down again. "Not funny, Inoe."
Mystimon fixed his gaze on Daisuke and Miyako during their entire exchange. His expression was neutral, giving away none of his thoughts, but his eyes shone with a fierce intensity.
At that moment, a loud boom pierced the air, ending all conversation. The Chosen whirled to stare as the massive gate suddenly began to open, revealing itself to be a drawbridge as it slowly lowered itself downward as the chains that held it rattled noisily. Slowly but surely, the heavy wood and metal impacted with the road in front of the Chosen, sliding into place to generate a bridge into the fortress.
And standing in the center of the opened gate was a white tiger the size of a house with purple stripes. A veritable behemoth of muscle and claw stood before the Chosen with gauntlet-like arm guards on his forepaws and spiked metal bands about his hind legs and tail. Twelve golden orbs circled around his waist like a levitating belt and his face was obstructed by an enormous purple mask, with four slots to allow the tiger's red eyes to focus on the children before him. Purple spiked edges veered off his cheeks and enunciated his chin, and three black spines rested on his back.
Appearing on the arch above the door were four large Digimon. The other, smaller Digimon scurried out of the way to give the newcomers room, heading instead further along the wall.
One of the Digimon was a human-sized brown monkey with a peach face. He wore metal gauntlets and a breastplate, with puffy white pants and black shoes. He wore a purple sash tied around his neck and a matching little hat, with a red train that trailed back behind his head. His blank, unreadable stare was focused down on the Chosen, giving away none of his thoughts.
Beside the monkey Digimon was a massive copper rooster Digimon, with an enormous red comb on the top of its head. It had a red sash about its neck and its entire body was covered in metal, like a ball. It had a strange cylinder attached to its back, which had a pronged trident on either side. Unlike the monkey, contempt was obvious on the chicken Digimon's face as he clucked to himself from his roost.
The third Digimon was a dog-like Digimon, reminiscent of a white Shisa with lavender hints that matched the sash tied about its neck and its long flowing tail. Similarly covered from head to toe in armor with purple and gold highlights with a massive lavender beaded necklace about its neck, its red eyes focused down on the group with fierce intensity.
Standing off to the side, the fourth Digimon appeared far more friendly than her counterparts. It was a tan rabbit easily triple the height of an average human with three small horns on her brow, floppy pink-tipped ears, and a white face and matching markings. She watched, her red eyes devoid of any hostility - only curiosity. Like her comrades, she also wore a purple sash about her neck, along with full body purple pants that covered even her large feet, white gold-trimmed breastplate over a red waist guard.
Still looming in the gateway, the massive tiger Digimon stood stoically before the Chosen before he began to move forward, the wooden bridge beneath him groaning but holding firm. The Chosen Children held their breath as the tiger drew closer before finally coming to a stop directly in front of them, peering downward at them as even Mystimon was dwarfed by the behemoth.
"I am Baihumon." the Digimon said, his voice rumbling like thunder.
For a moment, the Chosen could only stare at the Digimon that radiated power that could be felt even by the humans. Mystimon bowed his head dutifully, similarly in reverence for the tiger before them.
Neemon, however, merely bobbed from side to side and waved a noodly arm with a huge smile on his scarred face. "Hiya! How you doin', big kitty Digi'?"
Baihumon lowered his head to stare at Neemon in silence for several moments before he lifted his gaze back to the Chosen Children. "Come." Without waiting for a response, the Digimon turned and lead the way into the fortress, his footsteps loud against the ground.
The Chosen Children glanced at each other with varying degrees of confusion and unease before they followed the large Digimon into the fortress, with their Digimon, Mystimon, and Neemon in tow. Neemon practically danced after the tiger, swinging his arms from side to side as he kicked up his feet before giving a twirl while the human children followed in a more somber procession.
Baihumon lead the Chosen into the courtyard of the fortress before he finally came to a stop and turned to face the humans. "I will get to the point. You may ask me what you will, and you may enter my inner temple to visit the altars there, but I will not form an alliance with you."
"What!?" Yamato gave a jerk, his eyes widening. "But why!?"
"Unlike the coward," Baihumon said, his eyes drifting over to Mystimon, who did his best to keep his expression neutral despite the scowl that struggled to form. "I have no interest in hiding behind you, nor anyone else. The Digimon Kaiser is after my head, and I accept his challenge."
"What about all the other Digimon?" Takeru asked as he gestured about them at the multitude of Digimon gathered about, watching both human and Holy Beast. His eyes trailed up to the four still perched on the walkway over the open gate, who in turn stared right back at him."What about them?"
"They fight for themselves," Baihumon said. "And for those they wish to protect. All I offer them is the opportunity to fight, nothing more."
"So it's basically an army of individuals," Takeru murmured.
"That is correct," Baihumon said. "If any should lose the will to fight, they must leave. No one will stop them." His expression turned as stony as his fortress. "We have no use for the weak - be it heart, mind, or body."
"But… but!" Mimi protested as she held her hands to her chest. "When everyone works together, we can achieve so much more! If we all-"
"The only strength you can truly count on is your own," Iori said, his expression intense as he stared down at the stone beneath his feet. He didn't look up, even when Mimi turned to stare at him. "It's the only thing you have any control over. Your victories - and your failures - are yours and no one else's."
"Precisely," Baihumon agreed, with a sage nod.
"How… how can you say that?" Mimi asked, aghast as her eyes began to water.
Iori didn't respond, his eyes firmly on the ground in front of him. He stood silent, like an unyielding statue before Mimi's tears.
"Okay then!" Miyako said with a raised voice before Mimi or Iori could speak further. "We've got questions to ask, like how we're going to save Ryo from Millenniumon and stop Millenniumon from coming back."
"Without the Crest of Miracles, we have no hope of accomplishing either task," Baihumon said.
"But if you had the crest, you'd be able to?" Takeru asked.
Baihumon nodded his massive head. "Yes."
Takeru frowned before he turned to Hikari. "It still all comes back to the Digimon Kaiser. One way or another, he's the one we have to deal with first."
Hikari nodded, her expression somber. "And we haven't been able to find any sign of him at all lately." She couldn't help but regret not doing more to prevent their last meeting from falling apart so badly. There had been a real opportunity to reach K-chan, she was certain of it, but that chance had been utterly ruined.
"I am sure he regrets attacking the Holy Beasts," Mystimon said, with a sniff. "He has only just realized the wrath he has brought down upon-"
"He is consolidating his power," Baihumon said, with a shake of his head. "The land you have taken back is of little strategic importance. He has already taken whatever resources he needed, so there is little point in protecting it further. Instead, it has kept you busy while he prepares to launch his next attack."
Mystimon paused before he scowled, but didn't say anything.
"It's just like Narakumon said," Hikari sighed. "We need to keep looking for the Digimon Kaiser and heal him."
"Narakumon?" Mystimon repeated, his eyebrows shooting straight up. "You have spoken to him!?"
"Interesting. I did not think he was willing to communicate with us anymore," Baihumon said, slowly. He then turned his head to look pointedly at Yamato, then Sora, before turning his gaze to Miyako. "But then, perhaps the presence of three Chosen aligned to Darkness played some part in it."
Yamato paused as he stared at the tiger, his eyes widening. "What?"
"I imagine Narakumon would naturally favor those that draw their power from him," Baihumon said. "It is an understandable bias."
Sora frowned as she thought back to the mural at the temple. She had been rather alarmed to see Love next to Darkness, and she knew that Yamato had felt the same about Friendship. The fact that Baihumon seemed to be referencing it was a little bewildering, especially since he was including Miyako in their company. "I'm… sorry. I still don't understand why Love is connected to Darkness."
"Or Friendship," Yamato agreed. "How do you even know-"
"I can see it within you," Baihumon said. "The power of Darkness." He turned his head to look at the other Chosen. "As well as Light and Miracles, in each of you… with the Chosen of Light's power glowing brightest of all." He paused once his eyes settled on Hikari. "Despite how muted it is, which I suspect is due in no small part to Tenraimon's current state."
Hikari inwardly twitched at the reminder coupled with the intense gaze from Baihumon that pierced straight through to the core of her.
"I still dunno how I feel about Darkness bein' a good thing," Daisuke said as he frowned. "Especially when one of its crests is Pride."
"There is no more wrong with Pride than there is in Passion, Love, or Friendship," Baihumon said. "All four involve intense, power feelings for something other than oneself. It is those feelings that give the most strength, and allow the greatest opportunity for sacrifice."
"Yeah, well," Daisuke muttered, fumbling over his words. "Isn't pride supposed to be like a deadly sin or something? Like in that one manga. It goes with six others, like greed, wrath, and, uh… slug…?"
"Sloth," Koshiro said helpfully. "The rest are vanity, gluttony, and lust."
Baihumon looked at Daisuke and Koshiro before he snorted. "You humans praise skill and accomplishments, and yet condemn those responsible for acknowledging their own worth. I have no interest in such nonsense. Anything that is out of balance can be harmful, but pride in and of itself is no sin."
Sora frowned. "I don't see how Love-"
"Loving someone who does not love you, who either takes advantage of you or abuses you. Loving someone who means you no ill will but simply does not reciprocate, resulting in a shared misery," Baihumon said, his multiple eyes focusing on Sora as she flinched before they moved over to Yamato. "Befriending someone who is a poor influence, who does not value your friendship nearly as much as you do. Someone who sees you as a means to an end, and you continue to support them due a belief that it is what a friend should do." He then straightened up. "Being passionate about something to the point of the deterioration of your own health. Obsession."
Takeru frowned. "...I guess that's true, but-"
"What is the difference between courage and recklessness?" Baihumon asked as his eyes strayed on Taichi before focusing on Takeru. "Hope or denial, honor or zealotry, kindness or weakness? What of tenacity or stubbornness, purity or selfishness, honesty or delusions? What is the difference between valuing knowledge for enlightenment or valuing knowledge over all else, including life and morality?"
Sora immediately thought back to the pyramid during their original adventure, when Taichi had gotten the mistaken belief that they couldn't die and instead behaved in a completely thoughtless and reckless manner. Even more, she thought back to her own behavior when she had discovered her crest, and her twisted relationship with the concept of love - something that nearly destroyed her. Her most current experiences with Rie similarly served as an anecdote for the Holy Beast's words, as she had tolerated the other girl's bile simply due to a perceived obligation.
And for all of Sora's efforts, Rie had still gone so far as to wish death on her.
Sora grimaced before she reached up to place her hand over her heart. "...So all crests..."
Koshiro thought back to his time in Vademon's dimension, where he lost himself in a bizarre search for knowledge that made him forget what was truly important. "They all have strengths and weaknesses…"
Mimi couldn't help but wince in memory of the time she exploited the Gekomon and Otamamon in order to spend a month pretending to be a princess. Palmon seemed to sense her thoughts and reached up to take her Chosen's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"So you understand," Baihumon said, his voice rumbling. "That is good."
"...As always, your wisdom is boundless," Mystimon said, slowly. "Though it cannot be denied that Darkness falls out of balance far more easily than the others."
"That is correct. Strength can easily lead astray," Baihumon said. "And Darkness has strength in abundance. It is, after all, the primary driving force behind it."
"So Darkness means… strength?" Yamato asked, frowning.
"Yes," Baihumon. "Strength from whatever source that may drive you to do your best."
"Strength from your friends," Takeru murmured as he crossed his arms, thoughtful. "Strength from your loved ones. Strength from yourself. Strength from everything you care about."
"So all the crests have a common theme," Koshiro said as he rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. "So Light would be…"
"Ideals," Baihumon said. "How you guide yourself through life."
"Guided by courage, honor, kindness, or hope," Sora murmured as she glanced at Taichi.
Jou reached up to adjust his glasses. "That makes sense. They affect your decisions and how you carry yourself."
"Then what about our Crests?" Mimi asked as she looked from Jou to Koshiro.
"Growth," Baihumon said.
"Growth?" Hikari repeated before her eyes widened. "Like evolution!"
"Knowledge is gained from growth," Baihumon said. "Purity is being true to yourself as you grow. Tenacity is continuing onward in spite of adversity, allowing you to grow. Honesty is the sincerity in your actions as you grow and faith that you will succeed - both in yourself and others in you."
Jou stared at Baihumon. He felt more than a little uncomfortable with regards to his own crest, especially given what happened before Gomamon's return. He felt like a failure, even if his partner disagreed. "Jijimon said that we defined our crests, but it sounds like they're kind of… already defined. In a pattern, at that."
"Each of you resonated with a certain God Crest, and your individual crests are a reflection of that resonance," Baihumon said. "You defined your crests, which then created the 'pattern' you are referring to."
"So we 'resonated' with a God Crest first," Yamato said. "And then we created our crests. And it's just coincidence that there are four sets each?"
"What would've happened if we hadn't resonated with a certain God Crest?" Mimi asked.
"Then you would not be Chosen Children," Baihumon said.
"So if I hadn't resonated with Darkness, I wouldn't even be a Chosen Child in the first place," Sora muttered. "After that, everything else… was our own doing."
"While it is theoretically possible for you to change your crest and even your affinity to a god crest, it would mean changing absolutely everything about yourself," Baihumon said. "It would have to be a total dismantling of your very identity."
"It's hard enough to change a bad habit," Takeru said, with a shake of his head. "I can't imagine changing everything about yourself."
"Humans are creatures of habit, if nothing else," Iori said, thoughtfully. "And change is generally seen as unwelcome."
"It is far more likely that you would suffer a corruption of your crest rather than a true change," Baihumon said. "A corruption that would cause great damage to your sense of self."
Hikari couldn't help but think of her conversation with Keiko and the earnest plea to save the Digimon Kaiser. "So if someone with Kindness as their crest was corrupted, they would probably think they were being kind by doing something cruel, right?"
"Yes," Baihumon replied. "That is one way Kindness could be corrupted."
Daisuke's expression skewed with distaste. "You think Tiny Tower is doing all this crap to be kind, Hikari-chan?"
Hikari nodded, her expression somber. "Keiko said that the Digimon Kaiser is trying to stop Millenniumon. There are people who will do cruel things in order to help someone in the end out of kindness, even if they become hated for it."
Mimi placed her hand on Palmon's head. "How can what he did to Palmon be kind at all? He hurt her twice really badly, and he's still got Piyomon, Gabumon, and Agumon captive along with Miyako's egg!"
Taichi folded his arms over his chest. "That just says to me how far gone the guy is, since nothing the Digimon Kaiser is doing can be justified."
Mystimon stared at the Chosen Children in silence before he turned to look at Baihumon.
"You cannot evolve to Ultimate," Baihumon said as he focused his attention on Mimi. "What good would you be in the fight against Zeed Millenniumon, as weak as you are?"
"Wh-what?" Mimi stammered, her voice small.
"The same goes for the rest of you," Baihumon said. "Only the Chosen of Courage and Friendship have even remotely begun to approach their true potential. If you fought in the war, you would die.".
Koshiro furrowed his brow as he looked between Taichi and Yamato. "That's true that Taichi and Yamato are the strongest of all of us, but it's only because Angemon and Angewomon shot them with arrows made of light."
"Indeed," Baihumon agreed. "In essence, you cheated."
"Cheated?" Taichi repeated as he jerked upright, bordering on outraged.
"Rather than gain the power naturally, you used alternate methods to become stronger more quickly," Baihumon said. "It is understandable, as you didn't have the time to do it properly… but that does not change the fact that you gained strength through external sources rather than internal."
"But they could do it again after that," Koshiro said. "It wasn't just a one-time thing."
"That is correct," Baihumon said. "The energy became yours, and you learned very quickly to make good use of it. In that regard, I have no complaints." He then straightened up to eye the other Chosen. "But the rest of you let your potential squander. You relied more and more on Courage and Friendship, forcing them to bear the burden of your fight against each opponent. As it stands now, only Agumon and Gabumon possess the potential to be of any use against Zeed Millenniumon."
Takeru frowned as he met the tiger Digimon's gaze. "Hikari and I already knew that we weren't as strong as our brothers. That's why we trained."
Hikari nodded. "We took every chance we could to find someplace where Tailmon and Patamon could try to make each other stronger."
"Which is very admirable of you," Baihumon said, with a nod. "With Tenraimon weakened and the Dark Ocean so active, you are at a disadvantage. You will have to work harder to obtain your Ultimate evolutions, but I feel the two of you are much closer to achieving it than the others."
Hikari and Takeru shared a look that was equal parts concern for the difficulties that lay before them and relief that all their efforts weren't for nothing.
"So we all need to train," Miyako said, tilting her head slightly. "Or at least those of us who've got their partners back. Is that it?"
"That is correct," Baihumon said.
"Wait, what does any of this have to do with anything, anyway!?" Yamato asked as he made a broad swipe in the air with his hand. "Why are you bringing this up so suddenly?"
"Answer me this," Baihumon said. "What was the Digimon Kaiser doing to your partners?"
Mimi pulled Palmon to her chest as moisture welled up in her eyes. "He whipped Palmon! And smashed her into the ground and forced her to attack Digimon and… and.."
"He forced her to attack Digimon?" Baihumon repeated as he tilted his head. "Why would he not attack them himself?"
"He did to Tailmon," Taichi said, his voice cold. "I can't see how what he did to her was kind at all."
"No kidding," Yamato agreed, with a scowl.
"And why do you suppose he did that?" Baihumon asked.
Hikari knelt down beside Tailmon and wrapped her arms around her partner. "I won't ever say that what the Digimon Kaiser did to you is right, but I believe Keiko. The way he reacted… it's like when you tried to run away from me when I tried to help you, Takeru. The Digimon Kaiser isn't really in control of himself and what he's doing to everyone."
"I think that much is obvious, considering how he freaks out when things don't go his-" Takeru began before he paused, his eyes widening. "-Oh."
Understanding lit up Hikari's eyes as she turned to Takeru before looking back at Tailmon. "He couldn't control you, Tailmon, so he…"
"So he flipped out like Takeru kept doing before?" Taichi asked, his face scrunched up in a dubious expression.
"He did it when he attacked Palmon, too!" Jou said, reaching up to adjust his glasses. "She tried to stop him, so he attacked her!"
"And when he attacked Hikari," Sora said as she clenched her hands together. "He didn't like what she was saying, so he… to her face…!"
"After seeing Keiko…," Hikari trailed off for a moment as she remembered the last glimpse she had of Keiko and quickly shook away the image. What had been done to the Chosen of Darkness' body was something out of a nightmare, one that she couldn't forget. "If he knew what happened to her… it's no wonder he couldn't look at me while wearing that dress."
Daisuke scowled and punched his palm before cracking his knuckles. "Then V-mon and the rest of our Digimon need to evolve to Ultimate and kick Tiny Tower's butt so we can tie him down and make him stop acting crazy, right? When do we start training?"
"I suppose you could start where the Digimon Kaiser left off," Baihumon said. "And have your partners attack Digimon."
"So we track down bad guys and kick their butts?" Daisuke asked. "Might be kinda hard to find any real baddies since Tiny Tower has most of the Digimon under mind control."
Koshiro stared at Baihumon, aghast as little pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. "Wait, so all that torture, all those arenas… You're saying him kidnapping our partners and doing all that was training?"
"There are only two answers - he either enjoyed watching your Digimon attacking whatever opponent he threw at them, all for a love of random violence... or he had a purpose," Baihumon replied. "You may believe whichever you like, as the answer does not change what he did or in any way justify it. But consider what sounds logical - even in a twisted sense."
"But how did he know they were our partners before we even met him?" Taichi asked.
Koshiro lightly touched his chin. "He probably saw us exploring the Digital World with them before we let them stay behind. He can watch pretty much anywhere in the Digital World just like we can after all, and he has a knack of knowing when we gate in places."
"There's also Ryo," Hikari said softly. "Ryo met all of us before the last battle with Millenniumon, remember? Ryo and the Digimon Kaiser are friends too."
"Of course!" Takeru gasped as he slammed his right fist into his left palm. "Ryo could easily have told the Digimon Kaiser about us!"
"Or Gennai, since he did arrange the meeting," Koshiro added. "Either way, there's ways he could've known about us long before we ever knew about him."
"He didn't know anything about Miyako, Daisuke, or Iori," Jou said as he crossed his arms, with a frown. "...But he did steal Miyako's egg as soon as it appeared!"
"It's a good thing you never got caught by him, V-mon, or we would've been screwed!" Daisuke said before turning to V-mon.
"Don't worry, Daisuke! I would've fought and fought against him, even as an egg!" V-mon said as he clenched his fists.
Miyako shot Daisuke a venomous stare for a moment before she took a deep breath to calm herself. "So basically, the Digimon Kaiser will probably try to kidnap all our Digimon again, including Iori's, should it ever manifest."
"It would stand to reason," Baihumon said. "As it is, I now understand how he was able to kill Qinglongmon. He must have used the partners of Courage and Friendship - Agumon and Gabumon."
"I'm sure it must have taken far more than two Digimon to defeat Lord Qinglongmon," Mystimon said, stiffly. "As powerful as the Chosen Children may be, Lord Qinglongmon was a god-"
"Omegamon," Baihumon said, simply.
Mystimon paused before he went silent, his jaw clenching.
"It's more reason to reach him," Hikari said in a soft voice that carried an undercurrent of steel as she rose to her feet. "We need to cure the Digimon Kaiser and band together to stop Millenniumon and save Keiko, Ryo, Tenraimon, and all the rest of the Digital World!"
"Right," Yamato said with a nod. "After we're done here, we can see about visiting the other Holy Beasts-"
"Ah, about that," Mystimon said, cutting in. Yamato paused and turned to stare at the Digimon, who refused to look at the Chosen of Friendship, instead finding the far wall fascinating. "Lord Xuanwumon has… declined to meet with you."
"Huh?" Daisuke blinked as he stared blankly at Mystimon. "You mean, like… for now?"
"Indefinitely," Mystimon said.
"Wait, what!?" Taichi blurted out. "What does that mean!?"
"It means he's a coward," Baihumon said, with a snort. "And has never stopped being a coward."
Mystimon bristled, his jaw clenching. "Lord Xuanwumon is simply being… cautious. He bears no ill will towards the Chosen Children, and greatly appreciates everything they have done for our world. He simply feels that it'd be best that his gates remain closed."
"But what about the altars of Purity?" Sora asked, glancing towards Mimi. "And Kindness, too!"
"Both altars are empty, so it would not be an inconvenience for you to not visit them," Mystimon said.
"But that means Mimi can't upgrade her Digivice!" Jou protested. "That's a huge inconvenience!"
"Can't you do anything?" Mimi asked, her eyes pleading as she clasped her hands together.
"...I will see what I can do." Mystimon relented, his voice soft.
"Which is nothing," Baihumon said, with a snort. "A turtle cannot change their shell."
"Nor a tiger change their stripes," Mystimon retorted, his expression challenging.
Baihumon stared down at Mystimon, who had the good grace to look away, even as he kept the defiant spark in his eyes. The tiger Digimon was silent for several moments before he snorted. "Indeed."
A high pitched wailing sigh drew the attention of the group to Neemon who wobbled back and forth. "So much talking! Neemon can't keep up. Can we eat now? My tummy is empty and needs filling!" As if to punctuate his words, a loud rumble emitted from his belly.
"...I suppose we've talked enough," Baihumon said before he turned, proceeding to a large doorway leading in to the fortress. "Come, the altars of Honor and Tenacity await you."
"Alright, time to level up!" Daisuke said, pumping his fists at his sides. He turned to Iori with a grin. "Ready to find out if we really are Tenacity and Honor, Iori?"
Iori's expression was completely neutral, all emotion hidden from his features. "I suppose there's no avoiding it. We have come this far, so we can only go forward."
Daisuke blinked, startled by the utter lack of enthusiasm. "What's up? You look like we're going to a funeral."
"Ahem!" Miyako said loudly as she stepped between Daisuke and Iori. "Do you really think that was an appropriate choice of words, Motomiya?"
Daisuke blinked before he huffed and looked away with a faint note of pink on his cheeks. He grumbled as he folded his arms behind his head and walked towards the fortress. "Excuse me for worrying about a friend."
"I am fine," Iori said, keeping his voice even. "Please do not worry about me."
Miyako glared at Daisuke for a moment longer before she nudged Iori's side as softly as her whisper. "Too bad. You're stuck with me worrying about you forever, so get used to it."
Iori paused before he turned to Miyako, and a weak smile appeared on his face. "I suppose so."
The inner temple that greeted the Chosen was rather stoic in design, made of simple gray stone with very few carved flourishes into its edges. The only color came from the two crests etched upon the altars - a cyan crest of Tenacity and a deep green crest of Honor.
The altar to Tenacity was empty, but a small ovaloid shaped object rested atop the altar of Honor. Iori's muscles seized up at the sight of what looked to be a green egg adorned in black and red armor rested before him. He was reminded of the imperial armor of the samurai, complete with a golden kuwagata on the very top that curved upwards.
"Sure enough, Tenacity isn't here," Takeru said as he approached the two altars, before glancing over to the Digimental in proud display. "But Honor is."
Daisuke pulled out his Digivice and strode forward without hesitation. "I'll try it out first."
"Right, Daisuke!" V-mon said as he followed his partner, clenching his fists before pumping them skyward. "You can do it!"
No sooner had Daisuke finished putting his Digivice on the altar when it was suddenly engulfed in a bright glow. Before the boy's very eyes, the Digivice transformed into its updated form and color - white with cyan.
As the light died down, Daisuke stood frozen for a long moment, gazing at his transformed Digivice. Finally, his body began to quake until he snatched up his Digivice and thrust it into the air with a triumphant cry. "I'm the Chosen Child of Tenacity! Alright!"
"Congrats, Daisuke!" Takeru said with a smile as he crossed his arms.
Hikari couldn't help but feel her spirits lift at the sight of Daisuke so ecstatic. "I'm happy for you, Daisuke."
Tailmon grinned as she placed her paws on her hips. "It's a perfect fit."
"So that's one 'mystery' solved," Yamato said before he glanced over to Iori. "So now-" The Chosen of Friendship paused as he stared at the other boy. "-Iori?"
Iori stood at the back of the room, silent. His fists were clenched to the point that his knuckles turned white, his eyes focused intently on the altar of Honor. Even his jaw was painfully tight, his teeth gritting together.
Sora frowned as she turned to face the stoic young man, concern obvious on her face. "Iori, what's wrong?"
Iori didn't respond, nor did he so much as look at Sora to acknowledge her question.
Miyako placed her hand on Iori's shoulder, who flinched but otherwise didn't acknowledge her. "Hey, don't worry; it's just a hardware upgrade."
Iori turned his head slightly to look at Miyako out of the corner of his eyes. After a moment longer, he nodded slightly before turning to face the altar once more. Iori proceeded to approach the altar with stiff, slow steps.
Once directly in front of the altar, Iori stared down at the Digimental resting atop it. Tentatively, he reached over to pick up the strange egg before replacing it with his own Digivice. He barely set it down before it began to glow, changing before his very eyes to one similar to Daisuke's - though with deep green on white instead of cyan.
A crooked smile tugged at Miyako's lips. "See? What'd I tell you. Someone else can borrow your Digimental now, and you've got an upgrade."
Iori stared down at his Digivice in silence for several moments before he carefully picked it back up. "I-"
The newly identified Chosen of Honor could barely begin to speak before a loud rumble caught him off guard, along with the other Chosen. The floor shook, causing the Chosen to tense while Neemon squealed hysterically as he flailed his arms around before flopping to the ground in a crumbled heap. Suddenly, the far wall behind the altars disappeared, a red wooden archway reminiscent of a shinto temple appearing in its place.
Iori froze, his eyes wide as he stared in horror at the sudden doorway, his hand still clutching his Digivice. The most terrifying thing of all was the tiny whisper resonating inside his head.
I - o - ri… I've been waiting for you~!
Iori's face went completely pale, his irises becoming mere pinpricks in his eyes.
"It would seem that the Chosen of Honor's power has finally increased to the point that it overpowered whatever hindered the appearance of his egg, finally summoning its resting place to this world," Baihumon said, before he snorted. "...And attaching it to my fortress."
Mimi clapped her hands together. "That's great, Iori! You're finally going to meet your partner!"
I - o - ri~!
Iori didn't look at Mimi, his eyes focused on the gateway. Slowly, he licked his lips to moisten them before he finally spoke, his voice rough. "...Shut up."
"Eh?" Mimi gasped.
"Y-you… you can't speak to Mimi that way!" Jou protested, despite similarly being shocked. He frowned. "That's very uncalled for!"
"That's right, that's right!" Palmon said. "That's so mean-"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Iori screamed as he whirled to face the Chosen, his expression wild. "I told you no! I - told - you - no! No partner!"
Takeru was taken aback by the sheer unbridled rage on the normally stoic boy's face. He had never seen such powerful emotion from Iori. "That's… that's not how it works."
"I don't give a damn how it works!" Iori shrieked as he pointed at Takeru, as if he were directly responsible for what was happening. "I said no!"
"Iori, I thought you understood already," Koshiro said. "Our Digimon were created to be our partners years before we even knew the Digital World existed. It's not like we can go back in time and stop your partner from being created."
"I understand, far better than you do!" Iori snapped as he whirled to Koshiro. "The person who told you that, that was Gennai, wasn't it?! The same person that betrayed you all and is more than likely responsible for Keiko's death, and Ryo's disappearance! How do you know he wasn't lying to you!?"
"What?" Koshiro asked, blinking as he stepped back from Iori.
"What're you trying to say?" Taichi asked. "Are you saying that Gennai helped make our Digimon because he was working for Millenniumon? Are you trying to say that all our partners are spies for Millenniumon too?"
"I'm saying that you don't know anything!" Iori snapped as he swept his arm. "All you know is what you've been told! Everything you know, it's because someone has told you - one of whom was found to be a spy! How many other lies has he told you? How do you know he wasn't a spy this entire time!?"
A heavy silence weighed down on the room, sending an ominous chill through each of the children.
"It's true that we have no knowledge of when Gennai became a traitor," Baihumon said, his voice without emotion. "All of his actions - and words - are now suspect."
"That's just it, you act like you have all the answers when you don't!" Iori said as he gripped both his Digivice and his Digimental tightly, shaking. "How do you know anything you 'know' is even true!? You don't even know why you're a Chosen in the first place!" He made another sweeping gesture with his arm. "Chosen by who!?"
"It doesn't matter why!" Taichi shouted back, his blood starting to boil. "Look, whatever is going on with Gennai doesn't have anything to do with our partners. Agumon and the others and your partner who's waiting for you," he punctuated with a pointing finger, "are our friends and would die for us, so stop acting like a brat and-"
Taichi couldn't finish speaking before he was suddenly nailed in the face by the Digimental of Honor, which Iori threw with extreme energy. The elder Yamagi howled in pain as he covered his face, unable to see how Iori stood rigid in front of him with eyes that were more piercing than a blade as he glared at the Chosen.
"I refuse," Iori said in a voice made of sharpened steel. "Choose someone else." Without waiting for a response, he raised his newly transformed Digivice. "Digital Gate open!"
"W-wait!" Takeru cried out. "Iori-"
The Chosen of Honor disappeared in an instant, leaving the other stupefied Chosen behind.
"...That could have gone better," Baihumon said before he focused his four eyes on Miyako and her grim expression. "Though I see that his reaction was not entirely unexpected."
Taichi cursed in a nasal voice as he pinched his sore nose shut to cut off the nosebleed he got from the impact of the Digimental. "What the hell was that about?"
Sora pulled out a handkerchief and reached up to cover Taichi's nose, then furrowed her brow. "I don't know… I've never seen him act that way."
Miyako sighed as she picked up the Digimental of Honor while she made her way to the mysterious new archway. "I'll take care of it."
Mimi looked from the empty space where Iori had been to Miyako. "Do you know what's wrong with Iori, Miyako? I've never seen him so upset."
"It was my fault," Miyako said with a dismissive wave over her shoulder without looking back. "I should've worked more on getting Iori warmed up to the idea of a partner. He's got issues with losing people trying to protect him. Go ahead and tell them about his dad, Koshiro, that'll explain everything."
"Huh!? I, uh-" Koshiro began, but Miyako didn't wait as she disappeared through the ornate archway. He hesitated before he reached up to rub the back of his head. "Ah."
Takeru blinked before he turned to stare at the Chosen of Knowledge. "What's she talking about, Koshiro?"
Yamato quirked an eyebrow as he stood beside Taichi, watching over the Chosen of Courage as he recovered with Sora cleaning up the blood. "What's his dad got to do with this?"
Koshiro rubbed his forehead as his eyes skewed shut. "Okay, um… there's no easy way to say this, but Iori's dad kinda, well… died saving Iori's life."
Daisuke gawked at Koshiro. "Seriously?"
Koshiro nodded as he tried to ignore the stunned stares of the other Chosen. "Yeah… Miyako actually told me and our other online friends right after it happened years ago. It was someone with a gun who was going to shoot Iori, but his dad took the bullet instead."
Mimi covered her mouth as she choked back a gasp.
Takeru stared at Koshiro for several moments before he grimaced. "That's…"
"Horrible…," Hikari finished, her voice barely above a whisper.
Miyako tuned out the rest of the conversation as she wandered ever deeper into the temple that housed Iori's partner. True to the architect of the archway, the interior shared the same features of a shinto temple. At the center of the room, on a shrine-like altar, was a dark green egg covered in red and black triangles. It sat, a silent sentinel as it waited for Iori, one way or another.
A quiet sigh escaped Miyako as she lamented the fact that Iori wouldn't be there to take his egg, as well as the emptiness she felt for her own unhatched partner. She wondered if he was even now being used to battle other Digimon, forced to get stronger without her under the merciless grasp of the Digimon Kaiser. The fear that the same fate might befall Iori's egg was what prompted her to take matters into her own hands and led her up the steps to the altar where the egg was waiting.
Unlike in her temple, there was no electricity, nothing to suspend the egg in midair. It rested firmly on the altar without any visible means of defending it from capture. The lack of protection made Miyako suspicious, but she still didn't hesitate to reach for the egg.
It wouldn't budge. The egg might as well have been welded to the altar, refusing to move even a centimeter no matter how much effort she put into lifting or even nudging it. After a fruitless minute of trying, Miyako was left exhausted, panting for breath with a face reddened from effort.
"O… okay," Miyako muttered breathlessly. "That's a good way… of keeping yourself from getting kidnapped." She wondered why her partner hadn't done the same when the Digimon Kaiser had taken the egg, but as her gaze drifted to the impressive shrine, she had to consider that such defensive measures were only present in this one spot.
She had removed her egg from its altar, its only defense, and in turn exposed it to the Digimon Kaiser.
Miyako shook away the dark thought before it could go any further, and instead focused on the egg in front of her. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm not Iori… but I can take you to him. I promise, I'll talk to him. So just work with me, alright?"
The egg gave an inch, but still felt too heavy for Miyako to lift. She guessed the Digimon inside was considering her words.
"He needs you, you know," Miyako said softly. "I know it doesn't seem like it with the way he freaked out, but that's why he needs you. Iori needs someone who's going to stick with him even when he's being too stubborn to let anyone into his heart."
Miyako rested her hand lightly atop the egg, feeling the warmth of the Digimon inside through its glistening shell. "He's been hurt before, and he needs someone like you who can protect him and keep coming back as long as he lives. So, how about we go get through to him together?"
Miyako waited for a moment for some sort of response or reaction that never came before she tried to lift the egg again. To her relief, it weighed just the same as her own partner - heavy with only the weight of responsibility. She let out a sigh before she gave a small smile. "Thanks for trusting me."
As Miyako cradled the egg against her chest, her arm wrapped protectively around it, she pulled out her Digivice. "Digital Gate, open."
A loud shout echoed through the training room, followed promptly by a loud thwack as Iori's bokken struck the wooden target soundly. He stood in front of the humanoid-shaped wooden bust, striking it over and over with all his might. The attacks were harsh and relentless as they rained down on his lifeless opponent. Not even the sweat drenching his skin slowed him down solely focused on the target as if it were the source of all his ire.
In the repetition of movements, Iori could lose all sense of time and empty his mind of everything but the familiar rhythm of practice that he had honed for years. He tuned out the entire world, but one particular voice always brought him back to reality - whether he wanted to or not.
"You know, you should have a computer always on in this house," Miyako said as she stood in the doorway to the training hall. "It'd make popping back here from the Digital World a lot easier."
Iori paused in mid-strike. After a moment, he slowly stood up, lowering his boken. "I suppose it would."
"On the plus side, the walk gave me a chance to email the others and let them know I left," Miyako said as she walked onto the wooden floor in a borrowed pair of slippers, shifting the weight of her very full backpack carefully off her shoulder. "So, you feel like talking yet, or should I just take a seat and wait?"
Iori was silent for several moments before he turned to look at Miyako out of the corner of his eye. "There's nothing to talk about."
Miyako's expression deadpanned. "Iori, this is me you're talking to, remember?"
Iori shifted his eyes back to the training target, before lowering them to the floor. "...I'm sure you already understand what's on my mind. I don't need to say it."
"Considering you had a meltdown back there, I think you have a lot more you need to say," Miyako said. "Especially considering the fact that yelling isn't going to make all of this go away, and you're smart enough to know that."
Iori grimaced as he tightened his grip on his bokken. "...I know."
"So talk to me," Miyako said, her voice soft.
There was silence in the dojo, save for Iori's heavy breath that eventually slowed into something close to normal. "I don't need someone in my life designed specifically to die for me." he said, his voice going hard.
"Maybe," Miyako said with a small shrug. "But that doesn't change the fact that they exist, and they're going to keep on existing as long as you do."
"I didn't ask for that," Iori said, his voice still like stone. "I don't want it."
Miyako was silent as she walked up to Iori and placed her hand on his shoulder. She watched as he flinched, tensing up under her touch, but didn't comment on it. "Yeah, I know, but no one could ever replace you anymore than anyone could replace him."
Iori grunted. "That does not change the fact that my wishes are being disregarded." He paused before his face twisted into a scowl. "None of them seem to have any grasp… they don't understand the sheer…" He trailed off before he turned to face Miyako. "They are far too casual about their partners willingly facing death for their sakes! They act as if it were nothing more than… than a minor inconvenience!"
"Do they?" Miyako asked as she cocked her head slightly. "Last I checked, finding out that our Digimon can't die unless we do was something we found out not too long ago. And Hikari hasn't been the same since the night she met Narakumon, so I think she's pretty shaken by this death thing, don't you?"
Iori paused at that before his features softened somewhat. "I… suppose. But no one else seems to give it any consideration."
"Who wants to think about death?" Miyako asked.
"It's not about what you want," Iori said. "It's about understanding the consequences! If you go to war, you need to understand that casualties can and will happen!"
Miyako shifted the weight of her backpack from one arm to the next. "You mean like finding out a group of us lost a major battle where one kid got captured for years, one got killed, and one went insane from the first two's fates because of two forms of mind control?"
Iori paused, faltering. After a moment's hesitation, he lowered his gaze to the floor, going silent.
Miyako let out a quiet sigh. "I think it's kind of on everyone's minds now if it wasn't before, which it was if you want to see the logs."
It took a little while before Iori could speak again in a soft murmur. "Even so, that's all the more reason."
"All the more reason to what?" Miyako asked. "You know, you don't have to make your partner do any of the fighting. You can just tell them to stay home, like it's an order or something. You've proven to everyone you can kick Digimon butt with your sword alone, so it's not like you're defenseless without them."
The uneasy tension between them didn't falter in the slightest. "'Willing to die for you'," Iori muttered.
"Which also means willing to listen to you when you tell them to stay out of danger," Miyako said. "In case you didn't notice, even genius boy Ken Ichijouji hasn't made Wormmon evolve or fight a single battle even once in all the time he's been with us. I think Ken might feel the same way you do about putting his partner in danger, too."
Iori nodded slowly before his face hardened. "Not that it prevented my father from…"
Miyako readjusted her hold on her backpack to rub her forehead. "No. No, it did not."
Iori glanced up at Miyako before he reached up to touch his forehead. "This… everything I've worked for, everything I've done… and now I'm just supposed to…?"
"Tell that to those of us running into danger without a partner," Miyako said. "That includes you, you know, or those like Ken who don't let their partner fight, ever. Mimi is still a bit paranoid about Palmon getting injured. Remember when Shutumon got conked on the head by a falling bit of rebar? She just shook it off, but Mimi wailed so loud it even made the controlled Digimon have to cover their ears, and Shutumon just used it as a distraction to break their collars."
Iori let out a wry chuckle in spite of himself, before his expression went somber.
Miyako placed her hand on Iori's shoulder. "And remember how Mimi fussed for days even after Palmon kept saying she was okay? And how she only really calmed down after they had a good long talk about it? You can do that too you know - talk it out with your partner, I mean."
Iori closed his eyes and stood stoic and still for almost a minute. "You're asking me to put my life in the hands of an infant," he said, his voice low. "And for me to let them fight for me."
Miyako sighed as she held her hand up. "Okay, you got me. If I had a choice between you getting killed by an evil Digimon or an immortal Digimon partner taking the hit instead, I'm going to go with the one who is going to come back to life instead of the guy who'd stay dead for good."
"You don't know how far their 'immortality' goes," Iori said, his voice gruff. All the same, the hardness around his eyes began to soften. "If I can't even protect myself… then I…"
"You've protected me more times than I can count," Miyako said, her voice gentle. "You've protected the others too. Let someone else have a turn."
Iori stared at Miyako in silence for several moments before he let out a soft chuckle. The sound was without humor, a fact reinforced by the way his eyes began to water. "You always have… asked the impossible of me. Now's not any different."
Miyako looped her arm around Iori's shoulder and leaned in to hug him tight. "I only ask because you always manage it better than I ever expect, you know. I pretty much have to take into account that you'll blow me away into my plans now."
Iori glanced at Miyako as he reached up to wipe at his eyes as discreetly as he could. "I-is that so..."
Miyako lightly bonked her forehead against Iori's. "Of course. You'll rise to this challenge just like every other one that gets thrown at you."
Iori closed his eyes as he chuckled before letting out a soft sigh. "I'll do my best… not to disappoint you."
A snort of laughter escaped from Miyako. "As if that could ever happen."
"Your faith in me is unwavering," Iori muttered, his voice going soft. "As always."
Miyako ruffled Iori's hair as she straightened up. "Naturally~! So how about we meet your partner?" She lifted her backpack, drawing Iori's attention to it for the first time.
Iori paused at that, his eyes widening as they shifted to her backpack. "My… partner?"
"It took some convincing," Miyako said as she carefully rummaged past the towels she borrowed and stuffed into her backpack, "but I got them to agree to come with me if it meant seeing you." With the utmost care, she drew the Digimon egg from its impromptu fabric nest.
Iori froze as he stared at the egg, his heart lurching in his chest as his body locked up. Conflicting emotions swirled about inside him, each one flashing across his face for a moment before Iori's expression settled on a grimace. "It's… my egg." It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact.
Miyako smiled as she noticed the possessive pronoun. "Yes, it is."
Iori stared at the egg, not reaching out for it but instead keeping his arms tensely at his sides. "Why…?"
"Because they're a part of your family now," Miyako said gently. "I know you didn't ask for it, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. It just means you have someone else who loves you and will be there for you."
Iori didn't respond, his eyes firmly locked on the egg in Miyako's hands. He didn't move an inch, scarcely even breathing.
Miyako only allowed the awkward tension to hang between them for a minute before she reached down to grab Iori's hand. He offered no resistance as she brought his hand up to the egg, before promptly placing the egg in his grip. Instinctively, he dropped his bokken as he brought up his other hand to stabilize his hold on the precious object.
Iori felt his heart lurch in his chest as he stared at the egg. Before he could even find the words to say anything, a crack suddenly appeared on the egg's curved surface. His eyes flew open wide as the web-like cracks shattered the egg, exposing the tiny creature inside.
The Digimon resembled a golden magatama with big green eyes and a pointed orange unicorn horn on its forehead. Shaking away the bits of shell, the Digimon then focused on Iori and fixed him with a big smile. "I'm Fufumon! Nice~to~meet~you I~o~ri~!"
Iori stared at Fufumon in silence for a moment before the harsh lines around his eyes melted away. A mixture of expressions flashed across his face, hinting at the torrent of emotions swirling about inside of him. His hands trembled slightly as he held the remnants of the egg before drawing his tiny partner closer. "Pleased to meet you… Fufumon."