Reviews:

GuardianAngel1234567: It'll get there. Just be patient.

Ackbarfan5556: Yes he is. Things are only going to get worse I'm afraid.

Lord Jaric: Yup.

Music Chick: Probably a lot. Ken did some pretty awful things to all of them, and especially him. We will have to see about that.

Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint: Thank you for the kind words, Greymon. I am doing alright. Hope you are doing fine yourself. You are gonna love what is coming. I promise you.

Thanks to Elgv for the follow.


Hey, gang. Hope you are all doing well with social distancing and being on lock down. Sorry for getting this out a little later than normal today, but I was distracted by writing more stuff for my version of Kizuna as a way to deal with not getting to go to the movie on Wednesday. I'm really excited to get to it, but ATOE and ROTI come first before I can post it.

Well, guys, we have reached the point I'm sure many of you have been waiting for. Let's get right to it. I was late enough today.


"You tell him."

"You tell him."

"You're the one who left our hostage behind!" Arukenimon growled inches from Mummymon's face. "You tell him why the mission was a failure."

If the mummy's face could pale, it would right there. His master was ruthless in his punishments whenever the two of them messed up. He shuddered from the memories of Force lightning and other punishments too horrible to talk about.

"Alright, I will." Mummymon said with a huff.

He opened the door to their master's chambers and walked inside. As usual, the room was dark and lit only by candles at the far end of the room. The familiar dark figure sat silently in front of the candles.

Mummymon swallowed his fear. "M-Master?"

"Did you bring me what I asked for, Mummymon?" his master said in a soft, optimistic voice.

A nervous sweat dotted the Digimon's brow. This was so terrifying. He could feel the Force lightning surging through him already.

"Um…" he pulled at his collar. "We had him for a moment, but there were some–gulp–complications."

The man got up from his meditative position on the floor. From behind the veil of black hair, his eyes glared knives into his charge. Mummymon shook with uncontrollable fear.

His master gave a warm smile.

"It's alright," he said in a surprising comforting tone. "Complications do tend to happen. I can understand that." His face twitched. "What I can't understand is why you LET HIM GO WHEN YOU HAD HIM, YOU IDIOT!"

Mummymon whimpered at the outburst, cringing as he looked away. "I'm sorry, Master. The Jedi caught up with us."

The man looked ready to strangle him. "You're telling me that you aborted the mission because you were scared of a few brats?" he growled.

"There were too many of them."

"Honestly, why do I even bother trying with the two of you if you cannot do a simple errand?"

"We're sorry, Master. It won't happen again. Just give us another chance. We'll get them this time. Arukenimon said –"

"ARUKENIMON!"

The lady in red went through the door in a second at the sound of her master's call.

"Yes, Master," she replied.

"What was it that you said?" the master hissed, eyeing her dangerously. "Tell me. I'm dying to hear it."

Arukenimon gulped, taking a breath to calm herself. Opening her mouth, she began.


Ken walked off the school grounds by himself. It had become so normal at this point that he was used to not having someone walk home with him. Not that he minded, of course. Everyone was still very wary and didn't want to be within ten feet of him. Everyone except for Matt and –

"Yo! Ken!"

'Davis.' Ken finished, looking to his right. The voice calling his name was coming from that direction. Davis was doing his best to navigate the crowd going the opposite way he was coming. Ken chuckled to himself and walked toward him to make it easier.

"What are you doing here, Davis?" he asked. "Don't you have Saturday school too?"

"Nah," Davis shrugged. "We were off today."

"Lucky."

Davis' hands balled into nervous fists, then unclenched. An awkward silence fell over them. He had spent his whole journey to Tamachi hyping himself up for what he was going to do. Now that he was in the moment, his tongue twisted itself in a knot.

He willed his next words out, coming out a bit dry.

"Mind if I walk with you for a bit?" he asked.

Ken nodded with a nervous smile. "Sure."

The two walked the streets in just the way unsteady acquaintances would when seeing each other. Ken hardly glanced at the boy next to him, while Davis would smile at him. It was a nervous smile trying to appear warm and comforting. Davis was unsure of what to say.

While waiting for the pedestrian light to change, Ken broke the ice.

"Why are you here, if you don't mind me asking, Davis?"

Davis wiped away the nervous sweat starting to gather on his brow. Thank goodness Ken decided to speak first. It made him feel a bit better talking now.

"I was just checking to see how that bump on your head was," he said. "You were out for quite a while."

Ken's hand went directly to his head. His fingers touched the small protrusion at the back of his skull where Mummymon had wacked him unconscious.

"It's doing better, I guess," he replied with a shrug. "You came out here just to ask me that?"

Davis shook his head. "Not exactly. I had a feeling that you might have needed me right now." He ran his tongue over his lips. "Ken, I have had a strong feeling towards you these last few days. It's like I see you now, and it reminds me of Spirited Away almost. You're Sen struggling to adapt to her new surroundings, and need someone to look after you, to show you kindness. To want to be your friend."

Ken looked at him blankly. He was not really sure where this was going.

"What are you saying?" he asked.

"What I'm trying to say is that I want to try and be friends with you. I see all the looks everyone still gives you, especially Cody, and I can't stand it any longer. I can feel it in your heart that all you want is for someone to try and be your friend. I know you're not evil anymore." Davis snorted. "And besides, anyone who can kick my butt in soccer is someone valuable to keep around."

Ken couldn't help but laugh at that comment either. This was a strange feeling. Having someone to laugh with was something he had never experienced before. It was odd, but at the same time it felt nice. Then Davis' words officially sunk in. His eyes widened.

"Wait, friends?" he asked, making sure he heard right. "Why do you want to be friends with me, Davis? I've tried to kill you."

"That is true," Davis said with a nod. His eyes narrowed with seriousness. "It's because everyone should have a friend. Like Bob Ross once said, 'even trees need friends.'"

A warm feeling grew in Ken's heart. Someone actually wanted to be friends with him?

"But what about everyone else?" he replied, remembering the hostility towards him. "They hate me. Cody seems like he hates me the most."

"Eh, don't worry about the little squirt," Davis shrugged. "He has a hard time trusting people at first because of him losing his father when he was young." His eyes gleamed in realization. "Hey, it's kinda like when you lost your brother. You guys both lost someone dear in your family."

Ken's face fell. Davis instantly wished he could take what he said back. Once again, he shoved his foot right into his mouth in spite of his good intentions.

"Except for the part where Cody didn't murder his father," Ken murmured, his voice ridden with guilt. "I killed my brother, and I have to live with that guilt until the day I die." His eyes started to cloud with mist.

Davis nodded and put a hand on his shoulder. His face beamed with a warm smile when Ken looked up to make eye contact.

"But you don't have to bear that burden alone," he said in a soft voice. "I can't imagine what you've gone through, but you don't have to go through it alone."

"The others will never accept me," Ken insisted. "I've come to realize that now. You, Matt, and Tai are the only ones who have shown me any kindness."

Davis scratched the back of his head, knowing that this was true.

"The rest of the group just doesn't know who you are yet. Would you go to pet a dog you just met before letting it sniff your hand? Some dogs are friendlier than others. Some need more time to adjust.

"It's okay though. We have the Force on our side. And," he flashed Ken his famous beaming smile, followed by a thumb's up. "I'm sensing we're going to be really good friends. That's enough proof for me."

Ken thought about it. In the short time they were at least on friendly terms, Davis could read him like a book. It was freaky how, despite everything he had done to them before, someone was willing to take a chance on him because they wanted to see past the mask he wore and look at the real Ken. He almost wanted to cry, but kept himself together.

The light turned green and the two crossed the street with a small crowd. They walked a couple blocks.

A smile played on the corners of Ken's mouth as he shamefully said, "I've never had a friend before."

Davis halted his stride.

"Wait, never?" he asked with genuine surprise. It was too shocking to believe.

Ken shook his head. "No. Never."

A kind smile shot up Davis' face. He wrapped an arm around Ken's shoulders. The raven-haired boy was slightly taller than him, so he had to reach a little.

"Well, you have one now," he said.

Ken felt new warmth spread through his body. So this was what it felt like to have a friend. A few happy tears welled up in his eyes. He would have broken down crying if they weren't in public. He was so happy right now. The happiest he had ever felt.

As they walked with Davis' arm around Ken, the two soon walked in front of an Ichiran Ramen restaurant. Davis beamed.

"Ken, my friend, today is the start of a new day," he said. "Let's get some noodles to celebrate. It's on me," he smirked and added, "and Jun's cash that I found."

Ken laughed and nodded. "Sounds good, Davis."


TK tore his locker open and started taking off his school slippers. His eyes were narrowed in a dark glare. Since he woke up this morning, he had been in a foul mood for some reason. None of the other Jedi quite knew why, but he knew why. Ever since the battle with Arukenimon and Mummymon a few days ago, he had been unable to shake what the mysterious woman had said to him.

"I know how much it hurt you that she didn't return your feelings."

The blonde felt his airway tighten. He took his shoes out of his locker and put them on the floor. How did she know about what happened back in May? He never recalled sensing anyone around them when it happened. TK shook his head out. It was probably just a tactic to get to him.

"I'll show her," he grumbled under his breath. His school slippers came off. "I'll show both of them!"

SLAM!

The kids closest to him jumped at the loud noise.

"What the heck, dude?" a boy cried.

TK blushed. "Sorry," he said with a nervous smile. "Guess I don't know my own strength sometimes."

The three children rolled their eyes and closed their lockers before leaving. TK took a deep breath to get himself back under control. He had to find Kari and Davis. They needed to get going to the warehouse.

A familiar laugh came up ahead.

"I can't believe you said that to Ayumi!" Kari laughed, bumping her shoulder into Davis' arm. Her voice sunk into a deep tough-guy imitation. "Wow! Your stomach must be huge! Want some of my sandwich too?"

"I didn't think she'd get so upset over it," Davis shot back as Kari continued laughing.

"Of course she'd be upset. She thought you were offending her, not concerned about her appetite."

The burgundy-haired boy blushed. "It was an accident. I didn't mean it that way."

Kari ruffled his hair and sighed with a teasing smile.

"I know you didn't, ya big goof," she giggled. "Sometimes you have to watch what you say or the next girl's going to have the wrong idea."

Davis' blush darkened considerably when she winked at him. Dozens of times, he imagined himself in this position, but now that he was here, it was awkward. Everyone around them took notice of what was going on. Some kids whispered, followed by giggling.

"Kari, you better be careful with that or someone will get the wrong idea," he said.

Kari blinked in confusion. "Wrong idea? What do you mean?" she asked.

Davis looked away to cover the blush on his face. A few boys nearby pointed and snickered at him, only compounding his situation. Behind him, he felt knives being glared into the back of his skull.

"Teasing me like that," he said. "People will think we're dating."

TK glared at them with contemptuous hatred. The sight of them flirting awakened something in him he had been struggling to contain.

"Like me," he growled.

The blonde's appearance startled Kari. The angry look on his face worried her.

"Why would you think Davis and I are dating?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Beats me," he said. "Unless my lying eyes are deceiving me again."

The Jedi of Light walked up to him and rested a hand on his shoulder. "I've been concerned about you lately," she softly said. "What's going on?"

"Yeah, TK. What's the matter?" Davis asked, stepping up to join her.

TK's eyes never let up from their contemptuous glare. He was beyond getting himself back in control at this point. His suspicions proved correct all along. Ever since they started training under Tai, something was going on between Kari and Davis.

"It's none of your guys' concern," he growled and stormed past them. Before he completely left, he turned back and added, "Just be at the warehouse later."

Kari refused to admit defeat and chased after him out on the school grounds. Davis ran after them a second later.

"Wait!" she cried, grabbing his arm. Tears started to well up in her eyes. "TK, talk to me. I'm your best friend, aren't I?"

"It's nothing! Okay?" TK snapped. He realized what he did and fell quiet, instantly regretting it. He took a deep breath, shrugging his shoulder to roll Kari's hand off him. "I'll see you later."

TK walked away without another word after that. Kari held back her tears. What was with him lately? She tried peering into his mind to see. The mental barriers in his mind stopped her from making any progress. She sighed and admitted defeat, feeling deeply hurt by his words.

Davis caught up and stood beside Kari.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Kari sniffled, looking at him with hurt eyes, and replied, "I…I don't know. He's blocking me from reading his thoughts."

After a deep breath, she continued. "I've never seen him this upset before. What I can feel, it's like –" she used the Force to amplify her thoughts and read the situation "–like he sees me like everyone else. Like I'm just another person to him."

Davis watched TK get further and further away until he disappeared behind the hedge outside the gates. TK's behavior lately also concerned him. He was not sure what caused the behavior, but it was not good for the team.

"Then it's his loss," he said. "I don't know what it is with him. As long as he doesn't carry all that to the Digital World, we'll be okay."

"That's what I'm afraid of," said Kari with a heavy sigh.

After a short breath through his nose, Davis adjusted his backpack before starting to walk towards the gate. "Come on, Kari. Let's go."

Kari nodded and followed him.

"I won't let anything happen to you when we're there," Davis proclaimed. "Since Tai and the older kids can't come today, that leaves me to protect you. We're friends, and training partners. Tai would kill me if something happened to you."

The Jedi of Light smiled a little, but she was still upset about TK. Without thinking, she hooked an arm around Davis' left arm and gave it a tight squeeze as they walked.

"Thank you," she said. "Let's stop to get some ice cream before we get to the warehouse, 'kay? We need some fuel before we go."

Davis blushed for what felt like the tenth time that day, this time with excitement. Kari was holding his arm! He had been waiting for this moment to happen for a long time. Maybe she would start falling for him if he kept this up long enough.

"Sure, whatever you want," he replied.

"Thanks. And by the way," Kari's half-smile erupted into a smirk, "I appreciate your protection, but I'm a better fighter than you."

"Hey!"

Kari laughed.

"Who was it that destroyed Kimeramon?" Davis shot back. "Me!"

"I let you get the action," Kari teased. "Someone else had to take care of the rest."

"Didn't seem that way to me! You guys were getting tossed around left and right until Tai and I saved the day."

Davis' words fell on deaf ears as the two Jedi walked under the school gate and left campus. Somewhere, deep within herself, Kari had a bad feeling about today.

Something bad was going to happen. She just knew it.

Davis, on the other hand, felt like what was coming would change his life forever. The Force whispered in his ear that his time would come soon when he would be given the chance to lead. Then again, the last time it said that, TK ended up getting the goggles.

'Guess we will wait and see what happens.'


TK felt his body return to its normal temperature the longer he walked back to Odaiba. The salty air of the bay and the wind blowing across the pavement put him at ease after his outburst at school. He didn't mean to, but he just lost control. He'd have to apologize about it later.

Right now, he had the strong urge to go visit his father while he was at work. It had been almost a month since he last saw him during the camping trip. From talking with Matt, things seemed to be getting pretty serious between him and Rumiko. Even though she was nice, she was still competition that needed to be removed.

TK soon arrived back on the island, heading straight towards Fuji TV station rather than home.

He entered the belly of the gigantic beast to find an elevator. One stood open, waiting for him to enter. The lobby was not real busy at this time, allowing the young blonde to easily make his way to the elevator.

The doors opened on the eighth floor and he walked out into the office. Cigarette smoke and coffee overpowered the air, but he didn't pay it any attention. Phones rang; loud conversations were being carried on between cubicles. In short, a typical day at the television station.

TK found his father's office after being directed by one of the employees. He stood in the doorway as his father talked on the phone.

"–No, Charlie. This is bullshit! I promised you we would have that on the air as soon as the editing was finished," Hiroaki said impatiently. He glanced up at his youngest son and signaled for him to come into the office as Chioka complained. "Look, can I call you back in a few minutes? My son just walked in. No, my other one. You have my word. Okay. Bye."

An exasperated growl erupted from his throat as he put the phone down. Seeing TK was a sight for sore eyes after a long day.

"Everything okay there, Dad?"

"Yeah," the man sighed. "How about you? How was school?"

"School was fine, I guess," TK said with a shrug. "I figured I'd just come by and see how you were doing."

His father smiled. "I appreciate that, son." The man's face became serious. "There's something I actually need to talk to you about. You remember Rumiko?"

TK's body froze. His skin crawled at the mention of her name these days. He kept himself composed for his father though. He nodded affirmatively.

"Well," Hiroaki began, a happy smile shooting up his face, "you know we've been seeing each other for the past couple of months. I'm crazy in love with her. She's the right person at the right time for me. She's really changed my view on life, and made me see the happier side of things for a change."

TK forced a smile on his face. "That's great, Dad. Why are you bringing this up?"

He suddenly wished he never asked. Somewhere, deep in his heart, he knew exactly why his father was bringing this up.

"I want to ask Rumiko to marry me," Hiroaki said. "Matt's already told me he approves, but I want to hear from you too. I want both of my sons to be on the same page."

TK hurt all over from anguish and shock. It felt like someone had reached inside of him and ripped all his guts out. Then that someone took a knife and carved his heart out before ripping it to shreds. His mind completely snapped.

"W-What?" he breathed, his voice coming out in a hoarse gasp.

"I understand this will be a bit of a change, but that doesn't change the fact I love you and your brother, TK." Hiroaki said, sensing the devastation in his youngest son's face. He got up from his desk to stand in front of the boy. "There's a part of me that will always love your mom."

Once his father touched his shoulder, TK completely lost it.

"NO!" he shouted. "NO! I WILL NOT SAY YES!"

Tears blinded his vision as he started to suffer a panic attack. This was just too much for him to handle.

"TK –"

"NO! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!" TK screamed as he ran out of the office in tears. "I WILL NOT ALLOW IT! I HATE YOU!"

"TK, come on," his father said calmly, trying to reason with him. "Come back."

"SHUT UP! NO, NO, NO, NO!"

Hiroaki sighed sadly and sat back down at his desk. That could have gone better. He eyed the pack of cigarettes on his desk for a minute. Rumiko hated it when he smoked, so he got back on the cat-and-mouse game of quitting and relapsing. So far, he had not smoked in a month and a half.

His eyes glanced at the little whiteboard he had near his desk.

Days without smoking: 47

The number was erased and replaced with a different one.

Days without smoking: 0.


"Hey, TK," Yolei greeted as the blonde leader came through. The scowl on his face frightened her. "How's it…going?"

"No time to talk now, Yolei," TK growled. "Let's go. Is everyone here?"

Yolei wilted under his gaze. This was a side she had never seen before from him. "Y-Yeah, they're all here and ready to go."

"Good. Come on."

"E-Everything okay?"

"EVERYTHING'S FINE!" TK lashed out in anger. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm down. "But we need to go. There was a disturbance in the mountains. We need to go check it out. It could be Arukenimon and Mummymon, from what Izzy told me."

"O-Okay."

Yolei was silent as she followed him into the computer room. Something must have really happened to set TK off today. She would have to ask about it later when they finished investigating in the mountains.

Davis, Kari, Cody, and Ken all stood, ready for instruction. Cody and Ken cringed at TK's face, while Kari and Davis sighed in sadness. He still had not calmed down, and was going to be carrying whatever was bothering him to the Digital World.

"Alright, team," TK growled. "I'm only going to say this once, so pay attention. We go there, we find what this disturbance is, and we stop it. If Arukenimon and Mummymon are behind this, we destroy them. Then we come home. So easy even a baby can do it. Are we clear?"

Everyone eyed each other with concern. What was going on?

TK grew more irritated as every second passed without a response. "I said, are we CLEAR?!"

"Yes, TK." Everyone replied in chorus.

"Good," the leader said, turning to the computer and opening the gate. "Now, let's move out!"


Mummymon adjusted his position behind the rock so that his hat did not give his position away. The mountain air gusted all over the path, blowing rocks and dust in every direction.

He and Arukenimon were now moving on to the second phase of their plan. Their task was to go into the Akagi mountain range and wait for the Jedi as intelligence from their master told them they would be there. Once they were, they would quickly capture TK and Ken and make a quick getaway before the other Jedi knew what hit them. It was bound to work this time.

"Look alive, Mummymon," Arukenimon whispered, eyes fixed down the path. "They're coming."

The mummy glared. "Is that supposed to be a joke?"

His companion groaned. "Now is not the time. We can argue about jokes later. Right now, we've got a job to do."

"As you wish."

The two ducked behind the column of boulders and waited for their prey to come walking into the trap.

The Destined Jedi kept a good distance away from TK as he led them into the mountain pass. So far, there was no trace of neither Arukenimon nor Mummymon. Even so, their presence ranked like a bad odor. They had to be around somewhere.

"Where are they?" TK growled under his breath. His hand held his saber in a death grip, anxious for some action already. He shouted, "We know you're here! Come out and fight us, you cowards!"

"I don't think it's a good idea to provoke them, TK," Cody warned. He suddenly wished he didn't say that because the blonde glared at him with hatred. The boy's face paled. "Um, forget I said anything."

Ken closed his eyes and focused harder. In the back of his mind, a little red flag went up. This seemed way too easy. Suspicion and concerned washed over his face as he felt something off to the side.

"What is it, Ken?" Davis asked. "You find something?"

The Jedi of Kindness pointed ahead. "Right there," he whispered.

Davis' hand went straight to his lightsaber. He signaled for Kari and Cody to follow him. They nodded and took their sabers out. The wind blew through the pass, the gusts masking their steps.

Rocks slid down from above. The six Jedi turned sharply at the sound, expecting their adversaries to jump out. Nothing happened. It was just a small rockslide from the wind. Sighs of relief escaped their mouths with a shaky tremor. This was nerve-wracking.

"NOW!"

Arukenimon and Mummymon jumped out from their hiding place, lightsabers instantly drawn as they swarmed the Jedi. The children were caught off guard by the surprise assault that they hardly had time to raise their defenses.

Ken jumped back to cut off any escape route for them. Without his saber, he was useless in combat. Lucky for him, there was at least one way he could help out that didn't involve saber fighting.

The action was swift and brutal. Mummymon threw Cody into a collection of jagged rocks. Davis took his place and launched a whirlwind of attacks that tried to throw the mummy off guard. His adversary was quick, however, and matched every single attack he threw.

TK put all of his strength into every strike against Arukenimon. He and Kari decided to take the woman together. She was not going to get away this time.

His form was sloppy and erratic with all the emotions he felt. Kari had to pick up more of the slack for them as Arukenimon kept them off balance.

"Come with us, young Jedi," the woman sneered. "Who needs this group of losers when you can be greater?"

TK tied up their sabers and smacked her with the back of his hand.

"No thanks," he growled. "Your master is not going to get his grimy little hands on me or any of my friends."

Arukenimon smirked, rubbing her cheek where he hit her. "We'll see about that. First, you have to deal with the friends we've brought for this special occasion," she said.

She started chanting what sounded like a spell. Ken's blood went cold. It sounded just like the language he had learned when creating Kimeramon.

The ground rumbled under their feet, shaking the entire pass like the mountain would erupt. From out of the ground, rock creatures emerged with hulking boulders for bodies and red eyes aimed right at the Jedi.

"You want us, you'll have to get through our friends here," Arukenimon snickered. She pointed right at the Jedi. "Get them!"

The hulking behemoths charged right for them. Davis' feet acted on instinct and started backing away.

"Fall back!" he cried. "Fall back!"

The other four Jedi nodded in agreement and fell back with him, but TK stood his ground.

"TK, let's go! We've got to run!" Davis urged.

TK shook his head in stubborn refusal. "No! We fight!" he shot back. "You cowards want to run, then go ahead, but I'm staying right there."

The burgundy-haired boy's eyes went wide with shock. TK was refusing to listen to a suggestion? Okay, this was going too far. Ever since they started, he had grown comfortable in his role as being a member of the team. TK's stubborn refusal to run changed that.

"Don't be stupid!" Davis shouted at him. "We need to regroup and think of a plan! Don't try to be a hero!"

"Listen to Davis, TK!" Kari implored the blonde. "We have to go!"

The blonde turned to glare at them with annoyance and betrayal. So this is what it had come to? They all of a sudden refused to accept his authority as their leader? TK was not going to stand for this.

"No. You scrubs listen to me!" he growled. He pointed to the brim of his hat. "I have the goggles. I'm in charge! And right now, as your leader, I order you all to stand and fight."

He didn't wait for a response back before charging at the creatures. He cut two off at the legs and sent them tumbling to the ground. His eyes were focused on Arukenimon and Mummymon the whole time as he made quick work of the pawns. He went right for the king and queen.

Davis couldn't take this any longer. Despite his better judgment, he turned back around to go help their leader. TK was going to get himself killed if he pursued this suicide mission further.

"Davis, come back!" Ken shouted.

"Not without TK!" Davis cried.

Up ahead, the blonde leader was tangoing sabers with Mummymon. The two were fairly even, despite TK's emotions clouding every decision he made. The mummy was toying with him, and TK hated every second of it. He wanted to end this quickly.

"TK!"

The blonde turned and saw Davis running towards him, his saber drawn. His initial excitement turned to shock when Mummymon took advantage of the distraction by punching him in the face. TK fell right on his back, stunned from the attack.

Mummymon stood over TK's prone form, ready to deliver a fatal blow.

"My master may want you alive, but I think you'd look better on his wall," the mummy snickered with a deviant smirk.

TK recovered quickly enough to plunge his saber into the Digimon's leg. Mummymon screamed in pain, falling to the ground with his hand going right on his leg after TK withdrew his saber.

"Come on! We've gotta go!" Davis said, dragging TK away from the injured Digimon.

Mummymon grimaced in agony, breathing in sharp gasps to cope with the pain shooting up through his leg. He eyed the Jedi with rage, TK in particular.

Davis saw a large shadow cast itself over him on the ground. One of the large rock creatures towered above the two Jedi.

Before Davis could make a move, it punted him into the side of the pass like a football. Davis' head hit the rock with a sickening smack! He slid down the rocks and finally landed face first on the ground. Blood mixed in with his burgundy hair as it flowed from the open wound.

"DAVIS!" Ken screamed as the rest of the Jedi caught up to TK. He and Yolei went to check on the boy while Cody and Kari went to the blonde.

"Die, Mummymon!" TK roared, taking a step towards the mummy to finish the job.

Arukenimon landed in front of him to cut off his path.

"Out of my way, Arukenimon! Or you die too!"

"Not this time, little boy," she smirked. In a quick flash, she kneed TK in his groin, punched his stomach, and slugged him across the face. A light glimmered off her sunglasses. "Until we meet again, kiddies. This is not over. Not by a long shot."

She picked up Mummymon and leapt up onto the ledge above them.

"Can't let them get away!" TK groaned in pain, struggling to get up.

"No. Stay down, TK," Kari urged. "We'll get them next time. Fight another day."

Arukenimon jumped higher and higher until the Jedi lost sight of her. TK pounded the ground in anger, but did not say anything else. He looked over at Davis, who was still unconscious a few feet away.

'Tai is going to be so pissed at me.'


"Are you OUT OF YOUR MIND?" Tai roared, circling around TK like a shark did to its prey. "What happened out there, TK?"

TK stood silent, fuming under his façade of silence. He looked to the side of the room. Matt stood against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. His eyes glared at TK in disappointment.

"We were ambushed by Arukenimon and Mummymon. They brought these rock creatures with them. The others wanted to retreat, but I took it upon myself to finish the mission," TK explained. He then grumbled, "And we would have too if they had just backed me up like I asked."

Tai eyed him with a dangerous glare. "That was reckless of you, TK," he growled. "You have to learn sometimes that it is better to run and fight another day than to make something out of an impossible situation. Because of your recklessness, Davis might have a concussion now."

TK scoffed bitterly. "That's his own fault. He didn't have to come after me. I was doing just fine on my own. I can't help it that his own stupidity got him hurt. As the leader, it's my job to make sure the mission is a success."

"Wrong. It's the leader's job to put the safety of everyone else above their own selfish interest," Tai shot back. "What's going on with you, TK? Ever since you defeated Ken, you've been a lot more hotheaded and stubborn. In fact, you're worse than me. What's going on?"

"Someone needs to lead this ragtag group of misfits, so it may as well be the one who has defeated Devimon, Piedmon, and Ken," said TK. "I'm just as capable of leadership as you are, Tai. I'm the reason we are this far along. We'll find Arukenimon and Mummymon and destroy them soon. "

Tai had just about heard enough. All of his suspicions about TK lately had been correct. His ego had swelled to the size of Hokkaido and thought himself above reproach. The little quiet eight-year-old boy he once knew was gone. This egomaniac took his place. He didn't like it one bit. There was only one way to cure this disease before it got worse.

"Give me the goggles, TK," he said, stretching out his hand. "You're not fit to be leader with an attitude like that. I can't risk future missions if you're going to be reckless. You're no longer the leader."

TK's face fell with hurt and betrayal. He took the goggles off his hat and held them close to his chest. "What?" he breathed. "No way! Just give me another chance, Tai. I'm sorry I messed up. It won't happen again."

"This was the last straw, TK," Tai remained firm. "Give them to me."

"No!" TK kept the goggles clutched tightly in his hand. Tai was growing impatient.

"Give. Me. The goggles. Now."

The younger blonde's fist trembled, his fury rising with every second that passed. He knew Tai was not going to budge on this. In one last act of defiance, TK finally slapped the eyewear into Tai's outstretched hand.

"Fine," he growled. "Take your stupid goggles. I didn't want them anyway."

He brushed right on past Tai, the storm cloud growing over his head. The two older Jedi could almost hear his teeth rubbing together from the other side of the room. Matt did not say a word. He knew it was only a matter of time before it got this bad.

"You're making a big mistake, Tai," TK added with bitterness. "No one can lead this group better than I can. Good luck replacing me."

"Watch me," Tai shot back. "Go home, TK, and cool off. Until you decide whether or not you can be part of this team again, you are suspended from group activities until further notice."

That bit of news only made TK angrier. With a huff, he threw open the door to the warehouse and turned back to glare knives into the two Jedi.

"Forget that!" he yelled. "Who needs this stupid team anyway? I'm going solo."

SLAM! And just like that, he was gone. The tense atmosphere faded away like it never even happened.

Matt and Tai looked at the door with quiet, neutral faces. They weren't anticipating it going that poorly.

"Do you think I made the right choice, Matt?" Tai asked the older blonde next to him.

Matt nodded. "Yes, you did. TK was growing too comfortable in that position and let it go to his head. He has to learn that the choices he makes can have a negative impact on others."

The Jedi of Courage sighed with exasperation. "With this new enemy, we are now down a squad leader. Where am I going to find somebody worthy to lead under me?"

A thought crossed Matt's mind. Maybe they didn't have to look too far at all. When the others told him what happened, he was struck by how Davis charged in without any regard for himself to save TK and make sure the others were safe.

"I've got an idea," he smiled.


Davis could hardly breathe. Was this really happening? He had to run over what Tai just told him again in his head. It still throbbed with the concussion, but Yolei healed the wound on his head when they got back to the warehouse.

"A-Are you sure?" he choked. "Are you sure you want me to be leader, Tai?"

Tai nodded. "I'm sure," he said with a smile.

"Really sure?"

"Yes."

"Really, really sure?"

The Jedi of Courage laughed. "Yes, I am absolutely sure, Davis. The courage you showed today proved to me that you're ready to take over. One thing I'm wondering though is why you didn't show all of this before. What happened?"

Davis bit his lip and took a quick breath before answering. "I guess I just got comfortable with my spot on the team. Through all of our adventures, having you as my teacher, training with Kari, and being with you guys, I learned to love just being a Destined Jedi. I didn't care if I was the leader or not," he said. "I just did what I thought was the right thing."

The smile on Tai's face widened. This would work after all.

"I'm proud of you, Davis," he said. "You've really grown up since you became a Destined Jedi. You still have a lot to learn, but I'm sure you'll do just fine. For now, you'll be my squad leader until you're dead or I find someone better." His hand reached out with the goggles. "Take them."

Davis stared at them like he would at a golden idol. Again, was this really happening, or was it just a dream? His hand shook, reaching out to touch the goggles. The lens of the left one met his fingers. This was real!

He finally wrapped his hand around the goggles and pulled them into his body. After taking a moment to stare, he stretched the band at the back and put them on his head.

"How do I look?" he asked.

Tai patted him on the shoulder. "Like a real leader," he replied. "I'm not doing this because you're my student, Davis. I asked the others, and their decision was unanimous. They wanted you to be their leader."

Davis smiled a determined grin. "Then I won't let them down."

"I know you won't."


There has been a change in leadership. What will happen next? Will TK accept Davis as leader, or is there a long way to go before this saga is finished? Find out next time on Attack of the Emperor.

This is part one of two, guys. Next week, we will see the conclusion of this. Sorry if the ending was a little rushed, but I wanted to get this done as quickly as I could. To help me out, I decided to divide this into two chapters.

Davis is now the leader! And he did a lot to earn it, if you guys have been paying close attention the whole story. We'll see where this goes next.

As always, be sure to leave a review and subscribe because we are close to the homestretch.

See you guys next week bright, early, and on time. I promise. Have a good and safe week. Love you all.