Out with the old; in with the new
The dining hall was filled with platters of meat, vegetables, loaves of bread, soups, salads, cakes, pies, and cups of tea and milk. "Help yourselves," Noah insisted. "I'm sure you're all hungry."
"Is it really okay," Serenity asked politely. "I wouldn't want to eat you out of house and home."
"Nonsense," Noah assured her. "I've got plenty. Highlight Haven is a very abundant place in all the Digital World. Plus, I knew I would have a party of guests, so I made sure I would have a lot to go around."
Knowing it would be impolite to refuse a generous offer like this, everyone helped themselves to plates of lunch and sat down at the dining table.
"Did I do good, Noah?" the little Digimon asked.
He smiled at his little friend. "You certainly did, Calumon," he said rubbing his head and rewarding him with a slice of pie.
"Calumon," Max recalled. "That's it, that's his name. I knew I remembered it before."
"Is Calumon your Digimon, Noah?" Mokuba asked.
"No, he's just a friend," he answered. "He makes a good companion, though. When I started living here in Digiworld, Calumon was asked to look after me."
"Why are you here in Digiworld?" Kaiba wondered.
"Well, that's why I wanted all of you to come here." He clears his throat and begins by saying, "After the destruction of the virtual world, I thought my mind was deleted with it. But what really happened was that my information was slowly being reconfigured and when I opened my eyes, I found myself in the Primary Village. Swanmon found me and nursed me back to health. She told me while she was making her rounds, she found me unconscious near the field of Digi-Eggs. Of course, she was surprised to see a human like me, but I think she was also able to sense that I wasn't entirely human."
After Noah recovered, he was given an escort by another Digimon to a palace on a continent far away from the island. "I entered the great hall and I stood before the four Digimon sovereigns."
"Digimon sovereigns?" Max asked.
"I've heard of them," Emily was saying. "They represent the four divine beasts who govern a certain point in their domain. There's a blue dragon, a blazing phoenix, a white tiger, and a gargantuan turtle."
"I know that story too," Téa joined in.
"That's right," Noah was saying. "Azulongmon, the dragon who rules the eastern hemisphere of the Digital World, Baihumon, the tiger who governs the west, Ebonwumon, the two-headed turtle who guards the north, and Zhuqiaomon, the phoenix who dominates the south. They are the four Digimon sovereigns who watch over and protect the Digital World."
"Just like Arceus in the Pokémon world," Joey murmured.
"I won't deny that the Digimon sovereigns didn't take kindly to my arrival in the Digital World, but it wasn't because I was human. Actually, they knew right away that I wasn't entirely human. They somehow knew about my history before I came to the Digital World, how I lost my body and my mind was digitized. Zhuqiaomon didn't trust me, but Azulongmon didn't think I was of any threat to the Digital World."
What really concerned Noah was hearing the Digimon sovereigns mention that Noah wasn't the only one. Not too long before he came into the Digital World, he heard them mention that there were others like him. This next detail was going to be a big shock and Noah told everyone to brace themselves. "I believe my father and the Big Five are here in Digiworld too."
This did come as a shock to Yugi and the others. "Have you seen them since you came to Digiworld?"
"No, but if they're here, I need your help."
"Why us?" Kaiba asked. "Surely these Digimon sovereigns can handle them."
The boy shook his head. "They say they've never dealt with a situation like this. I remember Azulongmon saying that he felt a presence that was not of the Digital World merging with pieces of information into something new. I can only think of one possibility: my father and the Big Five have been reborn as Digimon.
"When I shared my opinion with the Digimon sovereigns, I also told them my story of how you guys stopped them once before. I never would have imagined that the destruction of the virtual world would also cause our information to be reconfigured and be reborn as Digimon. Yet, for some reason, I wasn't reborn as a Digimon and I'm still trying to understand why."
"Noah, I still don't see what this has to do with any of us," said Emily.
"I'm getting there," he told her. "I thought that since you defeated my father and the Big Five before, you could do it again. But to do that, you would need your own Digimon partners. The Digimon sovereigns allowed me to stay here in Digiworld and gave me a home here in Highlight Haven. They also charged Calumon with the task of looking after me like a friend and guardian."
Noah continued on, saying he dedicated his time gathering information on his stepbrothers and their friends. "Please don't think of it as invading your privacy, but I've also been using the computers and phone lines to gather as much of your personal information as I could. I'll admit I've made some astonishing discoveries about you guys."
"I bet you did," said Bakura.
"Was it really necessary, though?" Max asked.
"It was," Noah answered. "I had to gather as much information on you guys as I could to decide which Digimon you would be most compatible with."
"What do you mean, 'compatible?'" Bakura asked.
"A Digimon and human can't be paired by random," Noah was explaining. "They have to share the same strengths and weaknesses in body and spirit. They must also have similar personalities. When a human and Digimon understand each other, the human partner is able to help the Digimon partner understand its true power."
When Noah finished gathering information on his friends, he consulted with Swanmon about taking the Digi-Eggs he would need for the future Digidestined. The Digimon sovereigns also agreed that it was for a good cause, that it was for the good of the Digital World. After some consideration, Swanmon chose the Digi-Eggs carefully and brought them to Noah's mansion. Noah also had everyone's digivices connected to the Digi-Eggs to monitor their health and transfer the information to the Digimon, preparing them for their future partners.
By the time the Digi-Eggs hatched, Noah began making preparations to summon the Digidestined to the Digital World. To his convenience, everyone was all together in one place. That was when Noah began tapping into the signals of everyone's electronic devices and transferring the digivices to their owners.
"Now you know why I called you here," Noah told his guests.
Max was still confused. "Noah, I still don't understand something. Why did you need me and Bakura to come along when we weren't part of the virtual adventure with the others?"
"Remember when I said I made many discoveries about you guys as I was gathering as much information on you as I could," he asked. "Well, I discovered many things you had in common with Yugi, Emily, Joey, and Seto, such as your connections to the age of the Shadow Games. I gave it some thought and figured you and Bakura could be just as helpful."
"I guess that makes sense," said Bakura.
"But, Noah, if Gozaburo and the Big Five are here in Digiworld as you say," Yugi was saying, "how will we know them when we see them?"
"Despite my efforts of trying to work as discreetly as possible, word still gets around fast in Digiworld," he replied. "I think somehow, they may already know you're here. Presently, your Digimon don't stand a chance. That's another reason why I asked you here. I can modify your digivices. With a little upgrade, your Digimon will be able to digivolve as far as the ultimate level."
"You can do that?" Joey asked.
"I can, but remember, only as far as the ultimate level," Noah reminded him. "But I think if you go see the Digimon sovereigns at their palace on the continent, maybe they can help your Digimon digivolve all the way to mega level."
"Will we be able to return to our world once we stop your father and the Big Five?" Bakura asked.
"I don't know," Noah answered honestly. "But I hope you'll be able to return home to your world," he said sincerely. He asked everyone to hand over their digivices. "I'll need a whole day to modify your digivices. Once I'm doing that, I can figure out how to get you to the continent from here. For now, you guys should all rest and relax while you're here. And if you need anything, Calumon will be happy to help you out." Noah left the dining room with the digivices.
"Maybe he has changed," Serenity said gently.
"And it seems he really does want to help us," Emily added. It gave the rest of the group peace of mind Noah was a completely different person now than he was three years ago.