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Day 1
9:00 AM
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It was only about an hour until the TV screen flickered to life once again. The screen was filled with static, though the audio from it was crystal clear. The voice of the old man known as Gennai got the attention of the six digidestined. Digidestined, it's time to begin.
"Finally!" said Davis angrily. "What took you so long?"
It's no secret that my connections aren't very consistent. Right Kari? The girl didn't answer. ...Right. Anyway, let's get started. First and foremost, Davis.
Davis punched a fist into his other hand. "Right! What do I have to do?! I can do anything you give me!"
...We'll see. Place your digivice to this TV screen and open the digiport.
Davis looked confused. "...Why?"
You will be sent to a new location for your "testing". Only when you complete your task will you return to this room.
The young man nodded. "Gotcha."
"Be careful Davis," said Kari.
Davis smiled. "Don't worry. This guy doesn't worry me."
The TV screen started to glow as the digiport program activated. You should be worried young man.
"Digiport open!" The typical white light surrounded Davis, transporting him to someplace else, leaving the rest of the digidestined by themselves.
"This is crazy," said Yolei as she sat at the couch with Cody.
Trust me, I don't like this any more than you do. I'm just doing my job. I have to earn a living to pay for all my Internet hours you know.
Cody silently watched the continuing drama unfold. Yolei's right. This is crazy. If this is really the Gennai that Izzy and the other older kids talk about, then why is he being so...secretive about this whole thing? There must be someone else involved...but who?
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Elsewhere...
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Davis slowly opened his eyes. He felt the back of his head, where a nice-sized lump was already forming. That ride through the digital gate was a little rougher than he was used to. It reminded him of the team's first few trips that ended with them falling out of the gate in piles.
"Ohh...where am I?"
Davis looked at his surroundings for the first time, and noticed just how dark it was. Everything was pitch black, except for a patch of light surrounding him. He looked around for the source of the voice, but in truth it sounded like it was coming from everywhere.
"...Like a ton of bricks fell on my head." Davis stood up on wobbly feet, and found that he still had enough balance to succeed at the task. Unfortunately, he looked like he was drunk at the same time.
Davis almost fell over again after hearing that. "Limbo? Does that mean that I'm..."
"What?"
"Who are you?"
"Uh...you still didn't tell me who you are."
Davis regained his determined look. "What do I have to do?"
****
(Back at "The Room"...)
All right...time for the next test.
"Next test?" asked Ken. "What about Davis?"
Davis...isn't going to be joining us anytime soon. His test is much different than the ones you will undertake.
Kari started to look worried. "Where did you send Davis?"
...It's probably better if I not say. Trust me Kari, he's fine.
"...I don't think we can trust you, 'Gennai'," said Yolei bluntly.
You don't like me very much, do you Yolei?
"Well, I try to be open with my feelings," she answered with a sarcastic smile.
So I noticed. Let's hope you can use that to your advantage in this test.
Yolei looked at each of the other digidestined. "You mean I'm going next?"
Indeed you are. Take a flashlight, step up to the gate and use the digiport.
"A flashlight? Isn't it light outside?"
Not where you're going.
Yolei stood up and took a flashlight from the table as well. She headed over to the gate, but halfway there she crossed paths with Kari. The two hugged, sort of as an afterthought, but also because after Davis'..."disappearance"...they weren't sure what would happen next.
"Good luck Yolei," said Ken as she stopped in front of the gate.
Yolei smiled. "Thanks Ken." Ken's eyes locked with hers for a brief moment, though he diverted his gaze just as quickly. Yolei's smile was replaced with a sad frown as she turned her attention to the digiport.
Once you enter the gate, you won't be able to contact your friends.
Yolei nodded. "O-kay. Digiport open!"
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Moments later...
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Yolei blinked a few times as the light from the digiport disappeared, revealing a dark and foggy landscape. Just as Gennai said, there was little to no light, thanks to the sky being completely covered in gray, billowy clouds in addition to the pea soup fog around her. As if in response to her presence, a crack of thunder filled the sky, signaling the start of a heavy rain shower that instantly soaked Yolei to the bone.
"Just my luck," she muttered as she clicked on the flashlight she had. Seeing a path ahead of her, she started down it in hopes of finding a place to wait out the rain. After a ten-minute stroll through the fog, Yolei made out what looked like a cave along side the path. Immediately she ran inside and immediately started squeezing the water out of the edge of her clothes.
"Hello," said a sweet, masculine voice in the cave with her.
Yolei jumped and shot the beam of her flashlight straight into the cave. To her surprise, she saw the back of a young man. He was sitting on a rock, looking deeper into the cave despite the almost complete lack of light. Upon closer inspection, his hair was short, purple and neatly combed, and he was clothed in a light gray uniform of some kind. Though his back was turned to her, Yolei recognized him immediately...though she didn't know why he was here.
"Ken? How did you get here? Did Gennai send you here too?"
The young man didn't answer. Yolei looked at him quizzically as she wrung out her pilot cap that was a part of her digital wardrobe. She approached the young man and tapped him on the shoulder. "Ken?" Again, no answer. This angered Yolei a little, though it also made her a little frightened. "...Ken?" The young man turned around, revealing the final piece of his wardrobe- a pair of stylized yellow glasses with strange purple designs on them. The youth smiled evilly as she looked with horror at the face before her.
"I'm sorry...were you expecting someone else?" the youth asked in the same sweet voice, followed by a maniacal laugh that chilled Yolei to the bone. "There's no Ken here...only me, the Digimon Emperor! Haaaa ha ha ha ha!" Other than the trademark shades of the evil villain and the equally recognized personality, it looked as if Ken Ichijouji stood before Yolei. It was strange...yet scary at the same time.
Yolei backed away. "No...that's impossible! You can't be here!"
The Digimon Emperor stood up, and in one fluid shimmer his clothes changed into his standard garb- the purple cape and suit, complete with a black whip. Even his hair resumed it's normal appearance. "Why not? I never went away digi-dimwit!"
"That's a lie!" she retorted, still backing away a little. "Wormmon brought Ken back, and got rid of you!"
The Digimon Emperor laughed yet again, seemingly genuinely amused at the comment. "That worthless little bug can't get rid of me that easy! It was a trick! The Ken you claim to know is just a ruse! A disguise! A ploy to catch you off guard so that I can destroy you all!!"
Yolei stopped her retreat at the edge of the cave. "You're the fake! You're Arukenimon's slave! A wicked monster hiding behind his whips and dark spirals!"
He smiled his evil grin once again. "So that's what you think? Heh heh heh...you think you understand me so well don't you? You think that just because Ken's given up the cape means he's Mister Goody Two-shoes?! He hasn't changed at all! He's still me!" The Digimon Emperor pulled out his whip and cracked it at Yolei. She yelped in pain, and a thin line of blood appeared on her cheek. She brought her hand up to it, and looked down to see her own crimson blood on her palm.
"What are you going to do little girl?" the Emperor asked teasingly. "Your pitiful bird isn't here to protect you."
"This can't be happening..." Yolei said softly. "Ken isn't like this..."
The Digimon Emperor laughed. "You still don't get it do you?! Ken is like this! Ken is ME! Ken may seem to have turned over a new leaf, but he'll always have that one dark spot in his soul that I am! It will never leave! Any day now, I'll come back in full strength and resume my reign as the ruler of the digital world!"
Yolei shook her head. "NO! You're a liar!"
"Ha ha ha ha...you know so little about what I am. I'm not some monster that Arukenimon threw together with control spires. Arukenimon and her masters are not the ones who made me go to the digital world and use Sam's digivice! They simply showed me the path. It was me that walked it! Me! Arukenimon didn't make the Digimon Emperor. Ken did!!"
Yolei didn't want to believe it...but it was true. She had never tried to think about it, because she didn't want to believe that the Ken she saw looking at her every now and then...the Ken who she couldn't stop dreaming of...was the same as this monster before her. But it was true- Yolei knew that, but she didn't want to believe it. She had constantly lied to her own heart about Ken's past...she didn't want to think of him as anything less than perfect.
"So the truth comes out," the Digimon Emperor said with a laugh as he cracked the whip again, this time making a nice gash across her right arm. She reflexively clutched it and cringed in pain. "You can't be honest with yourself, and you claim to be the Child of Sincerity!" He kicked her out into the rain, knocking the wind out of her at the same time. "You claim to love someone you don't even understand! You cannot love Ken unless you accept the truth!"
Yolei looked up at him. "...The truth?"
Her adversary smiled. "The truth is that Ken and I are the same. We always have been, and we always will be. Someday, when another tragedy comes in his life, you may see these yellow shades once again." With those last words, the Digimon Emperor disappeared from sight, like a ghost that melted into the foggy background. The young man disappeared, leaving only the yellow shades and the purple clothes that the Digimon Emperor wore. They fell harmlessly to the ground, landing with a light splash of mud.
Yolei stayed on the ground for a long time. She eventually sighed and reluctantly stood up again. Her clothes were once again soaking wet, but now she was at least washing away some of the blood from her cuts.
Do you understand child?
Yolei nodded softly. "I don't know…"
You said it before when you found the digiegg of Sincerity. You promised to not judge a person by their face and that you would try to be open with everyone.
"That's right. I did say that, and I've been trying to do that ever since!"
Have you?
"…Yes, I have."
What else have you done?
"…What do you mean 'what else'? What else do I have to do?"
It's not what you 'have' to do…it's what you 'want' to do that counts. You possess the power of Love and Sincerity. These traits are what bring the team closer together in mind, body, and spirit. That is what Love and Sincerity are all about. It is your duty to be an example of this for the other members of the team. All you 'have' to do is show them what love really means…what sincerity really means.
"But what does this have to do with the Digimon Emperor and Ken?"
The Digimon Emperor's costume and glasses floated into the air before Yolei. That is for you to figure out. Ken is just the hint, created by your own mind.
"My own mind?"
Yes. These tests aren't of my creation. They are your own thoughts and fears, brought to life. It is up to you to interpret them and learn from them. My job is to decide if your interpretation is correct and good for the team or not.
"…"
Do you understand now?
Yolei slowly took the articles of clothing as understanding dawned on her. "...I think so."
We shall see if you do. Now go and do what you 'want' to do.
Yolei nodded. She proceeded down the path once again, using her flashlight to navigate the fog as quickly as possible.
****
The TV screen flashed a bright white, and from the gate appeared Yolei once again, only this time she was much worse for wear. The girl slumped to her knees as the light disappeared.
"Yolei!" cried Kari as she ran over to help her friend, along with the three boys. "Yolei, are you all right?! You're bleeding!"
Yolei looked up shivering. "I'm cold..."
"Where's Flamedramon when you need him," Ken muttered. "Get her to the couch, and I'll go look for some blankets in the closet."
"...Closet?" Yolei asked as she was helped to the nearby couch.
Cody nodded. "There's food and water in the next room, along with a closet of excess articles. I think we're inside someone's house in the digital world...possibly a replica of Gennai's."
TK nodded. "If that's true, then that TV might be how he communicated with us all those times."
Ken came running back out with a handful of blankets. He wrapped Yolei with them, and she gladly accepted the warmth they provided. "Here you go. We have to get you dry Yolei, or else you'll catch hypothermia."
Yolei shook her head. "No, wait. I have to finish Gennai's task."
"What do you have to do?" asked Cody.
Yolei looked up at Ken. "...Ken, please sit here with me...alone."
"What?" said TK confusedly.
"Please guys?" she asked.
"...All right," TK answered. He looked at Cody and Kari, and the three nodded and walked into the other room, while Ken sat on the couch next to her nervously.
"So what is it that Gennai wants you to do?" he asked eventually.
Yolei tried to look him in the eyes, but Ken seemed unwilling to do the same. Yolei sighed sadly and just looked at the table before them instead. "Ken...we have to be honest with ourselves."
"Be honest with each other?" he repeated. "Well...sure, I guess. What do you want to know?"
"That's not what I meant," she answered softly.
Ken didn't like where this was going. "...What do you mean?" Yolei pulled out the glasses she had retrieved from the other place, along with the bundled up costume of the Digimon Emperor. The instant Ken saw them, he almost screamed and ran. Yolei put a firm yet reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Ken..."
"Where'd you get those?!" he cried. "Get 'em away from me! Please!"
Yolei clutched them in her free hand, while using the other to lightly restrain Ken. "Ken...don't be afraid."
Ken's eyes were locked fearfully on the objects. Slowly, he seemed to regain some measure of composure, though he was obviously not comfortable with those things in the same room with him. "Yolei...why did you bring these here? What are you trying to do to me?"
Yolei slowly moved the hand that was restraining Ken up to his cheek. The touch of her hand was warm, despite the fact that the rest of her was still shivering even with the blankets. "I just want you to know that I'm here with you...and I want to help you forget your pain."
"'Forget my pain'?"
Yolei held up the glasses. Again, Ken was visibly uncomfortable, but he didn't try to move away. "The Digimon Emperor is the part of you that tries to deal with all the pain that you feel...such as when Sam died." Ken's eyes clamped shut as he felt a pang of grief inside him at the mention of Sam's name. Yolei closed her hands around his. "I know that you still can't let go of what you did. I want you to know that you don't have to bear the pain all by yourself. I'm here for you too."
"...I can't ask you to do that. Besides Yolei...you don't understand what this pain feels like."
Yolei moved a little closer to Ken. "Then help me to understand. If you don't tell me what you're feeling, I can't help you." Yolei removed her hands from his. "You have to let me inside."
"...I...don't know how."
Yolei put the costume and glasses in Ken's lap, and put her hands on his again. "You know what to do Ken..."
Ken shook his head. "No, I can't-"
"Please Ken..." Yolei caressed the back of his hand softly, which definitely got the young man's attention. "...It's all right. I'm here for you."
Ken looked deeply into her eyes. He could see that she was afraid...just as afraid as he was. He didn't want to do this...but it was the way he expressed his innermost feelings for such a long time. Old habits die hard...or so the saying goes.
"All right Yolei...but I still don't like this..."
"I know Ken...I know...But it's the only way I can think of to see what's going on inside your mind right now. You have to show me how you feel."
Ken Ichijouji stood up and walked to the side of the room behind the couch. Yolei remained fixated on the table in front of her, trying not to dwell on the fact that a really cute guy was undressing behind her. Yolei heard the sound of his clothes being tossed away, and the sound of a new set of clothing being donned, button after button.
Yolei turned around slowly, and saw that Ken's back was turned towards her. The base piece of his costume was fully buttoned by now, and the young man reached down for his cape. He slowly swung it around his shoulders and snapped it in place. At this point, he paused in his dressing, and let his gloved hands fall to his sides.
"...Ken?" said Yolei tentatively.
"...I'm all right," he answered eventually. Slowly he reached up and ruffled his neatly-combed hair until it fit the appearance of his dark alter-ego...at least as best as he could manage. Yolei wasn't sure how he did it, but the hair actually seemed to shift into the required style...almost as if the same force that gave the digidestined their special wardrobe was giving Ken his special hairdo. Needless to say, this made Yolei a little nervous, but Ken seemed to be surprisingly calm about it. For the final touch, Ken reached for the yellow glasses and slowly put them on his face. Finally, he turned around and looked at Yolei sadly through the eyes of the Digimon Emperor. She gasped at the sight, though much of the fear she felt remained inside her. Plus, it was hard to be afraid when she looked into Ken's sorrowful eyes...even if they were behind those tinted shades.
"How do you feel?" Yolei asked softly. Ken didn't answer. Instead he looked down at his hands, as if he had forgotten what it felt like to wear that costume. Yolei stood up and slowly walked over to the other digidestined, though it took a bit of effort to get close to him while he was in that costume. She slowly wrapped her arms around him and held him, letting her head rest on his shoulder. He tensed up uncomfortably as she did this, but he was eventually able to build up the courage to hug her as well. As they stood there, he relaxed enough to notice that she too was a little tense... though not for the same reasons. She repeated her question. "How do you feel Ken?"
"...Scared."
"...Of what?"
No answer was forth coming. Whatever it was that Ken was feeling, he still wasn't willing to share it with Yolei. All he could do was stand there numbly, feeling old and buried emotions rise to the surface.
He's not ready yet, Yolei. You've done all that you can for now.
Yolei continued to hold Ken as he trembled in her arms. She didn't want to let him go...especially in his current, vulnerable state. However, Ken was starting to realize what was going on, and his nervousness took over once again. The young man dressed as the Digimon Emperor let go of Yolei and slowly backed away.
"...You should get the others," he said timidly. "I'd better change out of this, before-"
No Ken. I'm afraid that until your test is completed, you must keep that costume on.
Yolei turned angrily towards Gennai's TV. "Can't you see how much this is hurting him?!"
I'm sorry, but it is part of his test Yolei. Ken must remain in the garb of the Digimon Emperor until I say he can remove it.
"Don't worry Yolei," Ken said as she turned around. "I think I'll be all right."
"...Okay. Even if you aren't, I'll be here for you Ken. I'll help you get through this any way I can."
Ken smiled lightly. "...Thank you Yolei. You don't know how much that means to me." Yolei blushed a little bit. A flash of light from the TV interrupted the emotional situation. A brown egg formed on the ground as the light disappeared. Yolei ran over and scooped it up, hugging it happily.
"Oh Hawkmon...I'm so glad he's going to be okay," she said happily.
Congratulations, Yolei. You've shown me that you were the right choice for Love and Sincerity. Even if you don't fully comprehend it yet, you will someday soon.
"When will Hawkmon's egg hatch?"
Soon. You may have passed your test Yolei...but we shall see if the others can succeed in proving themselves worthy like you did. Next…we shall see if Ken's heart is as strong as yours is.
****
Davis watched as Yolei and Ken parted from each other. As she dove to the floor to take hold of Hawkmon's egg, the mystical projection of the events disappeared. The space around him once again became totally dark except for the glow surrounding him like a spotlight.
"Wow...Yolei actually did it."
"...She satisfied Gennai somehow."
"I think so," Davis said without too much confidence. "You have to be sincere and helpful if you want to truly love someone."
Davis caught the subtle hint...at least it seemed like a hint to him. "Are you talking about me and Kari?"
Davis was about to say "yes"...but something about what Yolei was saying stopped him. "...I...I don't understand her."
"...Everything," he answered sadly. "I can't figure her out sometimes."
"What are you talking about?"
Davis didn't answer immediately. "Uh...let me find a dictionary..."
Davis shrugged. "They've been friends ever since they were digidestined three years ago."
"TK and her may have been digidestined for a little longer than I have, but that doesn't mean TK should be closer to Kari than I am."
Davis thought back to the stories he heard from Tai and the others. "They fought some guys called the Dark Masters."
"Even worse than Blackwargreymon?"
"I know that," said Davis indignantly.
"I wouldn't be scared of anything! Camping out in the digital world isn't as tough as you make it out to be."
Davis frowned. "So?"
"'Professional relationship'?! We're good friends!"
Davis was hit by that comment like it was a ton of bricks. He was paralyzed and unable to argue back with the voice...because he knew that he was probably right.
Davis slumped to his knees. The youth's eyes were glittering with potential tears, but none of them fell. He had to be strong. He didn't want this guy to see him be weak...especially since he seemed to be in on the test that Gennai is giving them. Though his face was grim and free of tears, his heart was crushed under the weight of the voice's comment.