Previously
Kaii, Chloe, Amanda and Eric were chosen to become the protectors of the digital world. Soon after the four met up, they encountered a group of three evil digimon focused on destroying them. The battles following the encounter made the children reach inside themselves and find the strength for their digimon to digivolve into their champion forms.
With this newfound power, the children were able to defeat all their attackers but they were unable to destroy Wizardmon, the most cunning member of 'The Trio'. Only with the aid of a fifth digidestined named Jake were the children able to defeat Wizardmon and leave Dark Angemon as the only obstacle in their way to ridding the digital world of evil.
--And now back to our story
The sun seemed to shine a little brighter in Sukoza city as the five digidestined strolled through the streets. Word of Wizardmon's defeat was spreading like wildfire and this news was a great relief to the residents. Apparently the evil digimon had a stranglehold over the city and with him gone, the digimon were able to live in freedom once more.
"Thank you! Thank you!" cried out three Candlemon as they hovered towards them. The digimon's name pretty much describes its appearance as they looked like floating white candles with arms.
"Thank you for ridding this town of that vile Wizardmon!" the first announced happily.
"We are forever in your debt!" continued the second.
"Please allow us to repay you by offering you a free meal at our restaurant." chirped the third with joy.
The five children looked at each other and then to their digimon.
"They really could use a good meal." Chloe said, breaking the silence.
"Well, they definitely deserve one." Kaii smiled. He had seemed to warm up to everybody since the defeat of Wizardmon.
"And no offence Amanda..." Eric said slowly. "But I really could do with some food not cooked by you."
Amanda was taken back by this information.
"What?!" she said astonished. "I'm a fantastic cook... aren't I?"
Amanda looked around, looking for some support.
"Well, I'm sure you're a wonderful cook back in your world." Solarimon said cheerfully. "But our world has different plants and you don't have all those utensils you're used to having."
"Like that time you made us shred all those mushrooms and they turned out the be poisonous." Chloe added shyly.
Amanda looked at Chloe angrily.
"Well they looked good at least... anybody could've made that mistake" Chloe said, trying to dig herself out of the hole she just fell into.
"I know I might not be the best person to ask about this..." said Jake carefully. Hopefully he wasn't stepping on anybody's toes by intruding into the conversation. "But Ravenmon is pretty hungry and by the looks of the other digimon, they are too. I think we should just take the offer."
"And the price is right!" Tigrimon added cheerfully.
With that all but Amanda followed the three Candlemon, who had apparently been listening in on the conversation with utter confusion, towards the restaurant.
"Oh yeah..." Amanda said half joking as she watched the Candlemon. "First chance at a professional meal and they ditch the local cook." She then looked up and Kaii was standing there smiling.
"You're a fine cook. Now come on, do you think the meal will be candlelit?" he said with a smile.
The ten of them were all seated by the time the food was delivered to their table. The look on all of their faces when the food was laid on their table was clear evidence that they had made the right decision in coming.
"Eat up, there's plenty more." The Candlemon said as they disappeared back into the kitchen.
Ribbitomon, Lupemon, Eric, Kaii and Ravenmon began shoveling food into their mouths as if they only had a minute to live but this did not shake the girls. They had seen them eat before. They were more surprised by Jake, who had not touched his food yet.
"What's the matter?" Chloe asked him. "I thought all guys ate their food like that, isn't that right Amanda... AMANDA!"
Chloe looked over and Amanda was eating her food with the same intensity as the guys. Amanda looked up, swallowed and spoke.
"This food is fantastic! I really am a bad cook!" and then she returned to her food.
Chloe and Jake exchanged looks as they began to eat in a more civilized method. Solarimon and Tigrimon had also begun to eat their food.
By the time they were finished eating, everybody was in a better mood. Lupemon, Eric and Ravenmon had finished before the others and were already asleep on the table.
"So what do we do now?" Kaii asked the group.
"Well, I think we should go after Dark Angemon." Chloe suggested. "He is the big-bad around here. These digimon might be happy now but until Dark Angemon is stopped, they can never be truly free."
"I agree." Added Tigrimon.
"Me too." Jake continued.
"I think we all do, and we will stop him..." Solarimon said as she trailed off. "but I think we have more important things to do."
"Like what?" Ribbitomon asked.
"Like going back to that star engraving we saw when you all first got here." Kaii replied.
"In that temple right, the really old one by the Elecmon village?" Jake asked.
"You're been there?!" Amanda said startled. Eric and the digimon woke up.
"Yeah, I actually saw you guys the first time you were there." Jake said quietly. "But you guys might've been here to find me so I didn't come over."
"Why would there be people looking for you?" Lupemon asked.
"Because Jake and I have been in the digital world for the last 18 months." Stated Ravenmon.
Jake and Ravenmon looked around, expecting to see shocked looks on their faces but saw none.
"Isn't that at all surprising?" Jake asked the group. "Didn't you all just arrive here?"
"Actually, Kaii's been here for nearly 4 years." Amanda said.
Everybody looked towards Kaii and Ribbitomon as if they were going to say something. This created an awkward moment, which was thankfully broken by the three Candlemon.
"You wish to return to the ancient temple by the Elecmon village?" said the first.
"It will take well over two days for you to reach the temple on foot." The second added.
"Maybe you can let us help you find a faster way?" suggested the third.
"A faster way?" asked the five children and their digimon partners all at once.
Within twenty minutes the three Candlemon had led the group to a large grassy field surrounded by trees.
"Flame Bomber!"
The three Candlemon shot balls of fire into the sky in an odd pattern, then they stopped.
"What was that for?" Chloe asked.
Her question did not need to be answered. Less than a minute later, five strange shapes emerged out of the treetops. They looked like large red snakes with wings but were wearing something that resembled a skull.
"Airdramon!" Eric cried out happily.
"Airdramon?" Chloe asked.
"They used to live near the city and deliver mail but then they tried to defeat 'The Trio'. They were not strong enough so they had to flee into the forest to avoid destruction." The first Candlemon told her.
The five beasts landed and they each let out a large roar.
"These are the children that defeated Wizardmon." One of the Candlemon told the Airdramon.
They stopped roaring and looked at the children and their five tiny digimon. One of them even appeared to chuckle. Eric picked up on this.
"We're tougher than we look!" he said defensively.
"They need a lift to the ancient temple by the Elecmon village." Another of the Candlemon told them.
The Airdramon nodded and each of the children, along with their digimon climbed on. They gave a loud thank you to the Candlemon and then the Airdramon flapped their wings and rose off the ground. The large winged digimon then began flying over the mountain and towards the desert where they fought the Raptormon.
"There's the waterfall where we fought Harpymon!" Lupemon said as he pointed towards the river.
"And there's where I first became Siberimon!" Tigrimon pointed towards the demolished orchard.
The Airdramon then landed in the same field that Chloe, Amanda and Eric had first met each other. It had been around a week since they had arrived in the digital world and nothing had changed. The five digidestined and their digimon dismounted the Airdramon and walked towards the temple. The Airdramon then took off and flew away.
"They didn't even offer to give us a ride back..." Ribbitomon stated.
"Maybe we should've given them a tip." Eric said jokingly.
They had reached the door that led into the main chamber. It was still ajar form their last entry. They walked into the main chamber and saw the massive whole in the wall that 'The Trio' created. The group walked over to the star engraving and they all took out their digivices. Kaii placed his digivice into the hole at one point of the star next to the water droplet engraving. Chloe did the same with her digivice on the point sporting a flame. Eric and Amanda then placed their digivices. Finally Jake placed his digivice in the final hole. The entire star began to glow a brilliant white light and then began too shrink. Slowly but surely the glowing star became smaller and smaller, revealing what looked like a small sword in a scabbard. It was all silver and on the scabbard there was the symbol of the crest of hope inscribed on it.
Kaii reached out to grasp it but as soon as he touched it, the sword fell. Chloe quickly bent down and managed to catch the falling item before it hit the ground. The sword began to glow just as the shinning star had. Chloe stood up and held the sword out so all could see. Then her eyes began to glow white, just as the sword did. She then levitated a foot off the ground.
"This is Hope's Dagger." She said in a detached voice.
"The what?" Tigrimon asked.
"The Hope's Dagger." Chloe repeated. The tone of her voice was unchanging. "A weapon forged by the old ones to act as a light when all others go out."
"Who are the old ones?" Amanda asked.
Chloe did not respond. "Only a true leader can wield the power of this great weapon. A child born from protectors of the past will use the Hope's Dagger to light the future."
"Protectors of the past..." Jake said slowly.
"Light the future..." Ravenmon added
"Darkness is coming." Chloe continued. "Shadows are enveloping the light and those chosen to protect it must push back enemies old and new or both worlds will descend into chaos and light will shine no more."
With that the Hope's Dagger stopped glowing and Chloe reverted back to normal.
"What was that?!" Amanda cried out. Although nobody else said anything... that was what they were all thinking.
"What was what?" Chloe asked. She was confused at the looks she was receiving from the others. "Oh, did anybody feel a strange sensation just now... like they were a little light-headed?"
"I can understand why you'd feel that way." Solarimon said. "You were FLOATING a foot above the ground."
"I was?" Chloe said with curiosity.
"You said something about that." Jake said pointing at the Hope's Dagger.
"You said that it was a weapon against the growing darkness, a weapon that only a leader could use." Added Lupemon.
"A leader descended from protectors." Jake continued.
"And if we don't find this leader and the darkness takes over, then both worlds are doomed." Kaii said.
The ten of them became silent. All of them were staring at the dagger, then at each other and then back at the dagger. They were all thinking the same thing.
"So..." Chloe said slowly. "Who's this leader?"