So Much to Learn
Not long after the heroes met up with Basil, Hiram returned to the toyshop with Olivia, relieving his helpers of duty. The little mouse girl couldn't wait for the summer holiday to start soon, then she'd be able to spend more time with her friends. Olivia went to her room to change out of her school uniform and got dressed into her usual attire. Rebecca offered to help Olivia with her homework while Leon and Mokuba were helping clean up the shop.
Rebecca was glad that Olivia was being given the opportunity to learn materials that weren't yet offered to females, such as mathematics and literacy and science. It was still a male-dominated society in these times and many females were expected to only be good for childbearing and being housewives. Young women and girls still dreamed of the chance at proving women's intelligence, but the lot of them didn't have the courage. But Rebecca knew that someday it would change and Olivia's future would have many endless possibilities.
Olivia didn't mind Rebecca's help. She was also very amazed with her level of intelligence. Of course, she had to remember that Rebecca was already taking college courses. Olivia already understood most of the material, but Rebecca still helped out in case any corrections needed to be made.
Once Olivia was finished, she and Rebecca rejoined the others in the parlor. With Hiram's permission, the friends were able to head out and join the others at the clubhouse. They donned their hats and coats and stepped out of the shop and climbed on Labramon and headed to the Secret Garden. Just like before, the children stopped at the door to their world so they could turn back into humans. They also went to get Palmon and Guilmon. Once done, they reunited with Olivia and Labramon and headed to Half Moon Pass.
Olivia was now getting used to seeing her friends as humans. Still, no matter what they looked like on the outside, they were still her friends on the inside and she loved them all the same.
They all passed through the vines and opened up the trapdoor on the moss-covered ground, allowing entry to the entrance to the clubhouse. Mokuba then voiced the password and the elevator doors opened. They stepped inside and the elevator went down and the friends were back in the clubhouse. Rini was in the kitchen teaching Rin to bake cookies and Shippo was eating instant noodles. Kohaku was in the meeting room looking at the information on the Dark Masters. He figured if he wanted to help his friends, he should learn what he can.
It seemed everyone was occupied with doing their own things. Mokuba decided to join Kohaku, so he took a seat at the table. Guilmon was hungry and went to the kitchen to get a snack. He decided to have some of the bread he brought with him. He took a knife and began spreading peanut butter on his bread. Palmon and Rebecca went to the lab section of the clubhouse and Leon and Labramon went to the library to store some of them books they brought with them.
It seemed Olivia would never get over the amazement of this place or any of her friends. They all came from different places and they all had their own talents and abilities. She had so much to learn from all that they had to offer. Then she wondered, what did she have to offer as a mouse?
The mouse girl then followed Rebecca and Palmon into the lab. She watched as the blonde organized the chemicals and took notes on which was which and what they were used for. Palmon took out a microscope she brought with her and placed it on the table.
The blonde finally noticed Olivia's presence. "Hi, Olivia," she greeted. "Just looking around?"
"I guess you could say that," she replied. "I never took the time to see this part of the clubhouse."
"Well, there's no problem with that," said Rebecca. "You just have to be careful with this equipment. Some of the chemicals can be hazardous, but they're also important for other things like cleaning bacteria, finding hidden pathogens, and other things."
Olivia was amazed. "Wow, Rebecca, you're really smart."
She smiled and giggled. "Thanks, Livy. And you know, you're pretty smart too for being open to learning new things and proving yourself helpful in certain situations," she returned. "I had noticed that about you whenever you help your father at the toyshop and how you've been open to the rest of us."
The mouse girl smiled. "Well, meeting you and everyone else has really opened my eyes to so many wonderful places and friends from beyond my home," she said honestly.
Rebecca gently patted Olivia. If only they were the same size, then she could hug her.
Mokuba stepped into the lab. "Rini finished baking her cookies. Do you guys want to try them?"
"Sure," the girls replied. Rebecca took Olivia into her hand and stepped out with Palmon and followed Mokuba to the kitchen. The cookies Rini made were chocolate chip and they were all shaped like hearts and stars. Rebecca shared her cookie with Olivia and the mouse girl happily bit into it. Everyone else complimented Rini, saying the cookies were delicious. Rini confessed that Rin actually made them and that she was just guiding her.
Mokuba called for everyone's attention. "Hey, guys, I want to let you know my brother and his friends are also in London."
Kohaku swallowed his cookie. "They are? What are they doing there?"
"My brother says it's for confidential hero business," he replied.
This surprised Olivia. "I didn't know your brother was a hero, Mokuba."
"Well, then, Olivia, I think it's time we told you the story," he said, setting her on the table. He began by saying that Kaiba and the others were descendants of a group of heroes called the Children of Millennia, warriors chosen by the Great Goddess herself to protect mankind. Together, he and Rebecca told her the story of how the Children of Millennia came to be the rulers and protectors of the Egyptian kingdom and how they saved mankind from the Dark Lord's evil forces.
It was a long story, making it an awful lot for Olivia to take in. But she listened carefully and asked questions to make sure she had all of the details. As she listened, she remembered hearing this story before as a little girl. It was a story of how a group of friends would always patrol their home, protecting their people and stopping criminals. The kingdom was also a place of monsters and magic. Then as the Children of Millennia got older, they continued to serve as the rulers and protectors of Egypt, but then their real destiny began to unfold as the Dark Lord's warriors began to attack. The Children of Millennia were able to save their home as well as the world from destruction, but because the world was on the brink of ruin, everyone had to begin anew, so the queen made a wish on the Millennium Star to be sent away to begin new lives.
"The world was never the same after that," Rebecca concluded. "So much was lost and slowly beginning to be forgotten. But amazingly, the stories have lived on only to be passed on by many as whimsy and children's fantasy."
"Wow," Olivia breathed. "I never thought any of that really did happen." She looked back at Mokuba. "And, Moki, you're older brother and his friends are descendants of the Children of Millennia?"
He nodded in response. "Now they're on a mission to find and gather the shards of the Cobalt Star. That's why they've been going to different worlds." He paused, then said, "I doubt there's a shard of the Cobalt Star in your world, Olivia, so I'm assuming Seto and the others are in London because of the Dark Masters."
Rebecca agreed. "Those villains apparently have an employee living somewhere in your world," she said to the mouse girl. "I'm guessing that our friends want to help apprehend them."
All of the others looked at each other. "Maybe we can help too," Shippo said. "We could help find and capture this villain."
"No, that's too risky right now," said Rebecca. "We don't want to raise suspicion."
Mokuba agreed. "We're better of working in secrecy and having only a limited number of helpers."
Rini got an idea. "Some of us could stay at the toyshop and protect Olivia and her daddy and everyone else could be scouting for any villainous activity."
"I wouldn't mind staying at the toyshop," said Rin.
Olivia wasn't too sure. "Oh, but I wouldn't want you to put yourselves in danger for us."
Kohaku gave her a reassuring smile. "You don't have to worry about us, Livy. We can protect ourselves."
Mokuba had a different suggestion. "Why don't we leave it to my brother and his friends for now? And if any of them do need any help, we'll take action."
The club members agreed. They would only do their part as a last resort. They decided to take their time concocting traps to capture any criminals who would hurt their friends. In addition, they would also need a little more time getting familiar with the city of London. Thankfully, Rebecca had her own map of the city. She went to the lab to have copies produced for her friends. Once everyone was given their own copies of maps, they began discussing what to do.
