Note: So Sorry for the amount of time between the update but things have been hectic at best and on top of that I lost my notes on the early chapters. Forcing me to come up with a way to skip the finale test part with out it being cheap, and still move the plot along, not easy. But here it is, and thanks to anyone who actually waited this long.

Chapter Three

The Gods Make Their Plans!

Again the door slammed closed, this time locking Matt in the grasp of Nabta's power.

"So when does this test start?" Matt step froward into the light his hands thrust in his pockets.

"Now." Matt jumped as Nabta step beside him without warning. "So tell me, how important is friendship?"

"What kind of question is that?" Matt raised his eyes questioningly at Nabta

"The type for which I expect answer." Nabta gave Matt a bemused smile and shook his head at him.

"It's priceless."

"Perhaps," Nabta responded still smiling "but that's not what I asked."

"What are you talking about?" Matt throwing his arms up "You asked me how important is friendship!"

"Yes and you told me it's priceless, that's a value not it's importance." Nabta wiggled a finger at a fuming Matt.

"What's the difference!"

"Oh there's quite a difference, a piece of art may well be priceless but isn't something you need and that's what am asking. Do you need friendship?"

"I… Yes, yes you do!" Matt quickly snapped.

"A bit quick on the uptake lad?" Nabta chirped at Matt. "Don't care to think about it a little longer?"

"Tss, why would I?" Matt rolled his eyes and gave Nabta a grin.

"Things are not always what they seem to be, you should know this by now." Nabta Simile faded and eyes narrowed slightly. "Are saying that friendship is like food?'

"Now you're just pulling things out of your ass."

"No, think about it." Nabta his upper leaned closer to Matt well keeping his feet and cane in the same spot, and lowered his voice. "EVERYONE needs food or they die, but is not having friends a death warrant?"

"Well, no." Matt said as he looked to the side. "But it has gotten me and MY friends out of more than one scarp."

"Oh quit true, I never said it didn't help, but as the child of friendship along with Davies, don't you think you should truly grasp what it is? What its strengths and limitations are?"

"I, guess I never thought of it that way…" Matt started rubbing the back of his head and gained a sheepish grin on his face.

"And that's why am here, if you and your friends are to survive what's coming your going to need to able to think in new ways."

Lighting flashed and thunder roared, before the world around Mystery subsided into a pitch blackness, quickly chased away by the purest of whites.

"Mystery." A voice boomed, seemingly changing in pitch and frequency throughout the sentence. "How do our agents progress?"

"Well enough, I believe they should be finished soon." Mystery took out a cigarette lit it and took a puff. "What of the Earths under the influence of the darkness?"

"You mean Earth." A song like, voice moving like the breeze wafted through Mystery's mind." "One has already died."

"Damn," Mystery took another long puff from his cigarette. "Then we have less time than we thought."

"Indeed" the first voice rumbled, and then paused for a second. "I can not understand your fascinations with that body Mystery, why not simply discard the chard in the presence of your peers?"

"What can say?" Mystery gave a slight shrug and small simile "I like it."

"It is no wonder you choose to call yourself Mystery when in the presence of finites." The second voice rustled. "Even to us your actions can be unclear!"

"One of the advantages to being an unknowable." Mystery beamed a smile

"Indeed!" A new voice range out it seemed to be all things and from all places and times.

"Ahh, President I was wondering if you were going to show up." Mystery quipped.

"I am here know, are sure the partners and chosen are strong enough to do what must be done?"

Mystery sighed deeply. "I know that the temporary digivolution they possess gives a weaker power boost than natural digivolution, but it's all we had the time and energy to give them." Mystery took one less puff on his cigarette and flicked it into the every changing abyss surrounding him.

"What of the god?" The second voice asked. "Does not one of them have access to its power?"

"In a limited fashion, yes." Mystery rubbed his bridge "Its power had to be watered down, and its mind all but destroyed for its power to be controllable."

"Speaking of the god." The final voice blared "I believe that Ryo should be finishing his lesson, you should give the chosen there finale briefing before they depart."

"Of course." With that Mystery faded out.

Ryo sighed as he existed the room, he had been the last to receive his lesson, but that wasn't what was on his mind, it was the Digi-Destined that had him worried. He had been avoiding them, especially Ken, trying his best to stay out of sight, and had seemed to be succeeding, but he knew that couldn't last forever.

"Ryo!" Ryo's head snapped up, he knew that voice, but for a second his mind refused to believe it, even as he saw a small purple dragon running towards him.

"Monodramon?" Ryo breathed as his eyes widen in shock. His question was soon answered as the small dragon Digimon toppled him over and sat on his chest smiling before liking him on the face.

"Monodramon!" Ryo shouted in mock anger as he pushed Monodramon off himself. "What was that for?" Ryo wiped the dragon spit from his face while grinning.

"I'm just happy to see you!" The Dragon laughed.

"And I'm glad to see you!" Should have known, Ryo thought, there was no way these guys could just send us into such a perilous situation without our partners, Jeri! This must be so hard for her, having to see every reunited with their partners well Leomon is…. Suddenly Ryo's head snapped around as he heard a squeal emitting from his right. "Alive!"

"Leomon! Your ok!" Jeri embraced the large Champion as tears rolled down her eyes. "How?"

"I have been in this, place ever since I was killed by Beelzemon. The how or why, and even the where I can't say."

"It's easy enough to explain, you never died." The group of children and Digimon turn as Mystery appears before them.

"What do you mean?" Jeri shouted. "And who are you?"

"Simple," Mystery shrugged "After Leomon's "death" we simply pulled him out of the illusion." As he said this he propped his battered hat up and gave a small smile. "We need you to succumb to depression so the D-Reaper could use you to get to earth, the whole thing was planned."

Impmon looked limply at his hands "All this time, I blamed myself, but it was you? Using me in a sick game?"

"What!" Takato's eyes flashed with rage. "How could you!"

"We did what we knew was necessary to prepare you for what lies ahead." Mystery braked his nostrils flaring. "Would you question one who existed before reality itself?"

"Yes, yes I would! You can't just use people like that!" Takato glared at the god-like entity with a power emanating from hatred at those who hurt others. "What you did was wrong! No matter how you try to justify it!"

"What is a small amount of depression on one individual when all that exists is at stake!"

"Small!" Takato roared. "How dare you trivialize what she want through!"

"Trivialize? What she felt was small to what lies out there, even on your own world mach greater saddens and despair has existed, the Holocaust anyone? And I can not name one world whose history is not littered with saddens, depression, and atrocities for and in the name of greater causes and empire. It is a universal why of life."

"Which I do not accept."

"Then you deny what is real."

"Humph!" Takato gave one last glare at Mystery, than crossed his arms and turned his back to him.

"Anyway," Mystery rolled his eyes. "Despite what you may think of our methods it is time for you all to depart, your world is counting on it. Time grows short so you must leave now!" Mystery stretched out his arm and a vast distortion engulfed the children and Digimon.

"Wait!" Tai shouted as he and the others faded out. "I thought you said that our groups came from separate worlds! Why did you say only world?" Mystery said nothing.

End notes: Well that's it for this chapter! Now some of you out there probably already know who the god is and how his power was diluted, and possibly what I mean about the same happing to his mind. That group also would know why Ryo doesn't want to be seen by the Digi-Destined, but if you don't know don't worry I'll be reviling it as I go along. Also there are two references to other TV shows one a well know one the other not so much, see if you can find them. So if you enjoyed this then I hope you'll wait for the next installment and in the mean time review. And if you don't enjoy or see something you think could be better than also review!