Okay after months of waiting I've finally provided you loyal readers with the next chapter, and if you've waited this long and are still reading, I must say you are VERY loyal readers. I'm beginning to get back into this story after kind of falling out of it. Fortunately I've been able incorporate some of my University Education into and I think my writing has improved a lot since my last story.

This is the chapter where you'll get a small glimpse into what happened to Kris and Jenn, as well as a few of the other Digidestined (mainly the Japanese ones). I had a bit of trouble with the story as to what happened, so if there's any confusion let me know and I'll try to clear it up either through edit, or in future chapters of this story. But for now I'll just let you read it.

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Chapter Four: Debriefing

I was trying to do my best to avoid gaping. Few Digidestined had chosen to publicly reveal who they were. Izzy was one of the three. Those that did were some of the most famous people in the world. It's difficult the world on several occasions and not be famous.

"You can take that mask off," he said. "I know who you are, and I'm sure it's uncomfortable."

I dropped the tough girl act. I acted crabby as a defensive measure. I was nothing like the receptionist. It was a method of survival needed in order to survive in my neibourhood. Yeah, that was definitely it. I had acted that way around the big guy because he could have been threatening my life, but now that I knew it was simply Izzy the personality was no longer needed. Izzy was anything but threatening.

My eyes darted around the room. No cameras. No way of seeing into the glass in front of me. No one, aside from Izzy and Tentomon, would see if I took off my mask, and I had no reason to distrust them.

With great relief I pulled the mask from my face. Izzy was right it was uncomfortable. I could feel the heat and itchiness disappear immediately. Izzy and Tentomon gazed at my face in shock.

"Well if the DNA didn't confirm it this sure does," Izzy said. "You look almost exactly like your mother. Except with longer hair."

I couldn't help but smile. I'd seen pictures of my mother, and she was a pretty girl. I'd never thought to compare our faces before.

Don't get caught off by compliments Crystal. I reminded myself. I still needed to figure out what this was all about. This guy may not look threatening, but he was still in charge of the entire tournament. Do something stupid and he I'd be out of the tournament in a second. After all what else could this be about?

"So," I said friendly yet firmly. "You called me up here...why?"

Izzy grinned. "Assertive. Like your father when he needed to be."

I ignored the anger. I was getting tired of being compared to my parents. I was a different person than they were. However, that was irrelevant. No need to lash out when I needed to.

"You going to answer?" I said.

He smiled again. "Promising. You're a lot like your parents."

Once again, I ignored it. Luckily, this time he took the hint.

"I asked you up here because for some time we've been looking for you."

I cocked my eyebrow and repeated what he said. "You've been looking for me?"

"Well not you in particular," he said. "Children of the elite Digidestined actually. You're just one of them. Unfortunately we haven't been having a lot of luck. Out of - well who knows how many - we've found one; two now we know who you are. Your uncle has been doing as good a job as everyone else at staying hidden."

I took a guess at which that one was, Adam. Of course everyone knew anything about Digital Combat knew who Adam was.

I feared asking the next question. I knew the answer. But I had to confirm it.

"And why are you looking for us?"

As I said I knew the answer. The DC tournament was just like any other business. They needed sponsorship, and who better to draw in sponsors than celebrities in the field of Digimon? Which of course would include the children of the elite Digidestined. I just didn't expect Izzy to act like that. From what I heard of him from the history books and Cam's stories he wasn't the type to care only about money. I guess that's why I didn't get the answer I was expecting.

He leaned over the desk and sighed. "To put it simply. You're in danger."

"Excuse me?" I said with a cockeye.

He motioned towards a chair in front of the desk. "Take a seat. I'll explain."

I sighed. I was hoping I wasn't going to be up here for long, but at least it didn't look like he was hiding something from me. I got enough of that from my uncle. Cam told me a lot about my parents and their past, but I always got the feeling that he was hiding something from me. Especially when it came to what happened after they left me and went to the Digital World. I knew very little about that. Whenever I asked him about it, he usually found some sneaky way around it. I stopped pushing for information a long time.

I took a seat in the chair in front of the desk. He began to speak.

"So, what has your uncle told you about Digimon?"

That wasn't really an explanation. Whatever. I'd waited long enough for answers. I could wait awhile longer. He could beat around the bush all he wanted. It was better than having to go down to the battle floor I guess.

"A lot," I answered. "I know about the history of the Digital war. I know basic evolution trends. All the basics, and much of the advanced stuff."

He gave a nod of understanding. "So historical and technical facts?"

I nodded back. "More or less yeah."

He leaned over the desk. "And has he told you what happened to your parents? I mean after they left you with him?"

I had to fight the urge to shout "Finally!" Instead I only shook my head.

I tried to keep a level head, but it was slipping. I gripped the chairs armrests anxiously. I'd waited to find out this information since the day I realized I didn't have parents like every normal kid.

"And do you know why?"

"I assumed he didn't know," I said. "I mean they just went into the Digital World and disappeared right?"

He looked me deep into the eye, merely shook his head.

I could feel time stop right there. I knew it. There was more to the story. I hadn't realized it until just now, but I liked not knowing for sure what happened to my parents. At least when they had simply disappeared there was a chance I'd see them again.

I'd put together so many scenarios where they'd come back to me.

They'd suddenly show up at my door. Greet me, hug me, and make everything bad just go away. I'd run into them on the street.

Something! Anything! As long as they were alive, I didn't care how it happened. But now that hope would die today. Izzy knew what had happened, and he was about to say, and I doubted that the news was good. It wasn't pessimism it was realism.

It took all the strength I had to say the words. "What? What happened to them?"

He suddenly stood up and turned away from me, looking out the glass window and at the crowds below.

"Hard to believe it was that long ago. Fourteen years. Matt...." He sighed deeply before continuing, but he still didn't turn around to face me. He stared out the window while he told his story.

"Fourteen years ago as I was just starting to get Digital Combat off the ground. I had just started up the first trial fight. It was an odd coincidence that your father called us on that day. The twelve of us were all gathered with our Digimon to witness the test.

"Tai waited until the trial was over to tell us. He had just received a call from your father. Tai described your father's words as ecstatic. For the first five minutes of the conversation he could barely understand him. Then when he did he didn't want to. It seems your father had received a distress signal from the Digital World. He went in to investigate. While he was inside he ran into an unbelievable power - a very evil one at that. He barely escaped with his life."

I could feel my heart tighten in my chest.

"Evamon?" I asked.

He turned his head slightly to make I contact. "Maybe. If it was it was a transformed, or possibly Digivolved, version of him. Even after I saw it myself I couldn't be sure. It didn't really seem to have a physical form - yet it did. I have a few theories to what it may have been. Several include Evamon but I don't dare to try and prove any of them."

I didn't bother to ask why. Proving it would mean having to get close to it. I could tell by the fear in his voice he had no intention of doing that.

He went on. "We all agreed that this wasn't something that the whole team would be doing. It was way too risky. At that point most of our Digimon could still only evolve to the Ultimate level, and they would only get in the way of a power that enormous.

In the end we decided that a group of six would go. Your parents were two of those six. Your father went because of he and Elecmon's bio Digivoltion capabilities, and your mother simply refused to let your father go without her. Matt and Tai, both because they allowed for the fusion into Omnimon. Davis and Ken went because of Imperialdramon, and lastly myself because of my knowledge of all things Digital. We thought that I might be able to figure out what it might be. Unfortunately I wasn't." He stopped for a second. I couldn't see his eyes but I could tell he was desperately fighting back tears, and at the same time anger. He had his fists angrily clenched.

"We went in. We found what we were looking for almost immediately. I don't know how to describe what we saw. It was just.... a monster...destruction. Worse yet it saw us right away Agumon and Gabumon didn't even have time to Warp Digivolve before it attacked them. Tai and Agumon survived.... barely. Your mother and Crossmon were able to get them away before they were killed, but Matt...he...he was immediately incinerated. None of us even knew what it was that had done it. We didn't see any attack fired. We just saw a flash, and...."

If he wasn't crying before, he definitely was now. I heard hear his voice cracking and his hands wiping away the tears.

"We - we just - we just saw his body incinerated. He didn't even have time to scream. We immediately knew then we were in over our heads. Even Humaleomon couldn't handle whatever it was we were up against. We ran, or at least tried to. Davis and Ken made it to the Digiport, so did Tai."

He stopped there. The rest could be assumed, but I asked anyway.

"And my parents?"

He was silent.

I repeated it in a firmer voice. "And my parents!"

He sighed before he spoke. It would be hard for anyone to say what he had to. I didn't envy him.

"Your mother was killed. Incinerated, like Matt. I wasn't sure what happened to your father. I went through the Digiport before I saw it. The last thing I saw was he and Elecmon Bio Digivolving. I think he was trying to fight the monster, but-"

I finished for him. "But you don't think he could have stood a chance against it?" He turned and approached the desk, and placed his hand on it. "No. I know he couldn't have. Humaleomon is a powerful Digimon, but that thing's power was unstoppable. We went back looking for him. We didn't find him, or a body. I'm sorry."

I grunted. "It's fine. Not like I didn't suspect all this already. I - I mean I'm a realistic girl." I turned my head away from him. I had just realized I was crying. I must have been for some time. My face and neck were soaked with tears. I wiped what I could away. Pointless. Whatever I wiped away came back ten fold.

"We did however, find these."

I looked up as Izzy removed his hand from the desk and uncovered an object. I couldn't recognize it at first. It was very badly damaged. At first it only looked like a charred piece of white metal with orange highlights on the side. Two seconds of staring at it and I knew what it was. I picked it up and examined it - just to be sure.

No doubt about it, it was my father's Digivice. Half of it was missing. The narrower bottom portion of it was completely gone. The lower right corner of the screen was missing. What was left of the top was blackened by char marks.

The tears wouldn't stop now. This was it, the confirmation I had feared. My father would never abandon his D3, not alive anyway. Any hope I had of seeing him again was gone. It was closure. Wasn't I supposed to feel better? I didn't really get how closure was supposed to make anyone feel better. It didn't change things. The ones I loved were gone, and I knew that - however unlikely it was - they wouldn't be coming back. At least that thought kept me semi-happy when I thought about my parents. At least I had.........hope. But was that really any better? It wasn't exactly proving to be a good thing right now. All it had done was as the cliché says: Build me up to knock me down. I always told myself I was realistic about my parents return. I wasn't. Closure and hope. They just worked together to cause nothing but misery.

"I'm sorry. Your parents, they were -" He stopped when he saw my face. "Well I'm sure you've heard enough times already."

That made me smile. He was right. I had heard it a million times. It was, in a way, refreshing. At the very least he was preventing the annoyances I normally had to deal with.

He took a seat in his chair and waited. I continued to feel refreshed by his attitude. He didn't say, "Are you okay?" Or the things I normally heard when people tried to comfort me with my parents' disappearance.

It was nice. He wasn't comforting me, and by not doing so, I felt comforted. I looked up, feeling oddly renewed. The tears were gone. The pain was still there, I think it always would be, but it had diminished. I was ready to deal with what else he had to say.

"That's not all of what you came to tell me of course?" I said. My signal: I could deal now.

Izzy shook his head. "Of course not. That was just a prelude. I haven't even gotten to your role in all of this."

My role? I fists tightened on the charred Digivice. I didn't want a role. Fighting big evil Digimon was my father's business, not mine. I didn't want anything to do with Digimon. Still, I'd let him go on. I'd be reasonable. I'd hear him out and then deny whatever "role" he had to give me.

"From that point we weren't really sure what our next step was. Three of our strongest soldiers had just been destroyed in an instant. It really was hopeless. We decided simply to send on of us in to do some reconnaissance. Go back in the Digital World and check out the situation, find something out about whatever attacked us, and because of my knowledge I was chosen."

"So you obviously survived," I said. "What did you find out?"

He shook his head and laughed. "I only survived because I wasn't able to go. The Digiport had been closed. Not even the D3s could open it. No one has been able to get to, or from, the Digital World since."

I cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "I thought the Digital World was closed off by its defences to keep corrupt Digidestined out?"

Izzy shook his head. "That was just a fake theory to fool the media. I wanted to keep the knowledge of this contained. So we could deal with it ourselves. The defences were the ones that closed it off all right, but not to protect itself." He paused for a moment, as if he was recovering from something. "It was closed of as a quarantine measure, to protect the real world."

I could feel a sudden sinking feeling in my stomach. Suddenly losing my parents seemed trivial.

"Oh my God," I said. "It's been fourteen years since then. The -the damage that could have been done to the Digital World by now would be devastating. Its hard to imagine how horrible it would be in there."

"If its even there at all."

The sinking feeling got worse.

"Excuse me?"

"We haven't been able to contact the Digital World at all in the last fourteen years," he explained. "As far as we know the Digital World could have been completely destroyed by whatever destroyed y - well whatever that thing was."

I felt too sick to even acknowledge what he had almost said about my parents. The entire Digital World destroyed? I didn't like Digimon, but that didn't mean I wanted them all dead.

Something suddenly snapped in my head. What he was saying about the Digital World's construction couldn't be true. Digimon were linked to the Digital World, even if they didn't live in it. If the Digital World vanished then the Digimon in the real world would vanish as well.

"It can't be," I said. I stood up and pointed out the glass window. "Look. There are Digimon out there. If the Digital World is destroyed than what are they doing here?" Izzy hung his head. "I was it were that simple. And twenty-seven years ago when I was just a kid and this whole thing started that would have been true, but things have changed. Things have gotten more chaotic, Digimon and the Digital World are becoming more like humans and the real world."

"W-what?"

He went on. "I assume you know the story about the Digidestined's first trip to the Digital World?"

I nodded. "Yeah, you Tai and the others."

"Then I'm also sure you know that while we spent months in the Digital World not even a day passed here."

I nodded again. Of course I knew that. That was kids stuff. One minute in the real world equalled a day in the Digital World.

"Yet three years later time in the Digital World was in sync with time in the real world. We even had to cover for the new Japanese Digidestined when they went into the Digital World for an extended period of time."

I nodded again. Kids stuff. "Evamon's power had grown causing the normal out of sync timelines to align. He was preparing to enter both worlds."

He sighed. "Yeah, that's what we thought at the time. It turns out this goes way beyond Evamon, beyond the timeline. The time lines became aligned because so was everything else. Digimon were - and possibly still are - changing."

I nodded, choosing not to ask the question he was obviously just about to answer. "We've done some research on some of the Digimon hatched recently. We're noticing some irregularities. Not negative mind you, but things you usually just don't see in Digimon. They had DNA."

"And that's strange.............how?"

"Digimon don't have DNA," he said simply. "DNA is a characteristic of biological beings like us, other animals and plants. Digimon's physical characteristics are determined by data; computer code given physical form through false proteins. It is what makes them such unique creatures. It is what differs the Digital World from the real world, but now-"

"They're becoming biological?" I interrupted. It was both a statement and a question. He nodded in confirmation.

"So what does this mean exactly? Is this a natural part of their evolution, or an effect from chaos? Chaos, which came from the thing that took my parents. Is it causing this to happen?"

His head dropped and sighed. "I wish I could say it was their natural evolution," he said. "But there are too many signs that point towards chaos being the answer. From what we know of Digimon evolution it couldn't possibly be natural. We know from journals from Evan Chenk that the Digital world has evolved from pure data."

He held his two of his hands out. "Imagine my left hand is the data side of the spectrum, and my right hand is the organic, the biological. When Digimon first evolved they were like this." He lowered his left hand and raised his right. "Weighted on the scale of the data, with only small traces on the organic. Then as time went by they changed, and began incorporating a bit of biology into their systems. Mainly in terms of physical appearance." He levelled his hands. "This is what they were like when we met them, more or less balanced. They were slightly more data than biological components, but that was so small an imbalance it wasn't really an imbalance at all. But now, some of the trends we've noticed are making them more like this." He lowered his right hand and raised his left. "They're now weighted on the biological side of the scale, with only small traces of digital code. So it does make sense that this would be part of their natural evolution, but - it's happening a bit too fast.

"If things have not been disrupted by the chaos that has been caused then the timeline in the Digital World should be aligned with ours, because that's how it was when we last left it. However, if the timeline hasn't been disrupted then Digimon shouldn't be evolving this fast. It should be a slow paced sort of evolution. Digimon are different from us but they evolve in the same manner we do. It happens through a slow process of natural selection. So if this is a part of their natural evolution, why is it happening so quickly?"

He didn't need to go on. There was only one answer. The natural order had been disrupted.

I was less than amazed. In fact I didn't care a whole lot. Maybe I should have, but all I was thinking about was why exactly he was wasting my time with all this.

I wasn't exactly happy about it, of course. The disruption of natural order of the Digital world was definitely a bad thing. It was a very bad thing actually. I knew enough about the balance of the two worlds to know that if the Digital World's balance were thrown off, ours would be too.

I understood the seriousness of the situation, but what was I supposed to do with it? Why drag me up here to tell me all of this? He and the other Elite Digidestined were obviously the best for this job. Why was he bothering to tell me any of it? Did he just need to get his amazing discovery out? Or did I actually have something to do with it all?

It had to be the former. I could never be powerful enough to deal with something this serious, regardless who my parents were. Izzy was an intelligent man, I'm sure he could see that.

He went on answering his own question. An answer I had already figured out. "Its because the natural order of the Digital World has been disrupted. Its timeline has slowed, and the speed of time that once was is now reversed. Our time is moving at a faster rate than the Digital World. However, the Digimon living in our world are still being affected. They're evolving at the same rate they would if they were in the Digital World."

I tapped my fingernails on the desk impatiently. Yeah. I had already assumed that. What I didn't know was why the hell was I here, listening to all this? He should talk to someone who could actually do something about it, or at least someone who was mildly interested. He grinned. "You look impatient? You seemed interested before? Asking all those questions?"

Now I was annoyed! I wasn't interested at all! I was just trying to make him go on with this explanation faster! It was time to end this so I could get this day over with!

"And what does this have to do with me? What's the point of telling me all this?" I said bluntly, repeating everything I had just gone said in my mind about a million times. "I mentioned before that you were in danger," he said. "That's why we were looking for you."

That's right! After his tangent about what happened to his parents, and the changing of Digimon I had forgotten.

He continued. "See after the incident in the Digital World fourteen years ago, virtually nothing happened. That is until we started to notice the change in Digimon. We think it's a sign of things to come. I believe the attack on the Digital World was only the first stage in a number of the events that are to come."

I felt another tangent coming on. Still I nodded, urging him to go on. "And those events are..."

"I'm afraid there's more to my story than I said. About a week after my first failed attempt to enter the Digital World, we tried again. I was still unsuccessful, but I did however come across something."

He paused for a moment.

"It was a message. It displayed on the monitor where the Digital Port window normally appears. It was in an encrypted Digital code the likes of which I have never seen before. It was extremely sophisticated. So much so even now we've only translated half of it. It seemed to be some sort of prophecy."

I laughed. "You're kidding? Just a dumb prophesy? And you, a rational person believed it?" This was why I had been called up here? Because of some pathetic prophecy. I never believed in that stuff. Those things were only ever correct in fiction.

"As a matter of fact I did. Had you asked me that same question before I met a Digimon I would have said no, but ever since that day at camp I find it hard that anything is unbelievable. Besides, us Digidestined have been steered in the right path by prophecies before. I'm sure you are aware of how Wargreymon and Metalgarurumon came about." I grunted. That was a good point, but after what I had just said I wasn't about to outright admit it.

"Also, from what we've translated it has been right about everything so far. It tells about every event that has occurred since the day Parrotmon and Greymon first entered the Digital World. Extremely accurately I might add."

I grunted again. "So, anyone with a history book could tell you that."

He nodded in understanding. "Yes, but it also tells of things that haven't happened yet." I didn't bother letting him tell me what those events were. "Again that's just a matter of believing, whether its true or not. Any hacker with a computer could have made up a highly encrypted language, and make you think it was some divine message from the Digital World."

"No hacker could think up a computer code this sophisticated. I know computer code. I could decode even the most advanced computer code any human could think of in seconds. But this thing baffles even me. Why do you think it's taken me so long?"

At this point I would have liked to point out his arrogance, except I couldn't. Izzy wasn't being arrogant; he was one of the most skilled tech minds in the world. If he couldn't figure this message out quickly, no way it could be human. But still...I couldn't admit that.

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, let's just say for argument purposes this thing is for real. What does it have to do with my safety?"

"First of all I assure you its for real. Second of all, it tells of an eventual invasion of the real world by a great evil. I can only assume it was that same evil that destroyed your parents."

I cringed at the mention of my parent's death. I hoped it didn't show, and listened to the rest of his explanation.

"The attack of the Digital World was probably only the first stage of its attack. Next it's coming to the real world, and that is when things begin to get really serious."

"Really serious?" I said.

I mentally slapped myself for saying that. I was doing what he had mentioned before. I was asking a lot of questions, making me look like this actually interested me. I'd have to watch that.

"From what it says, that thing might be just a puppet of something stronger."

With a sudden snap of anger, I jumped up and slammed by hands against the desk. "Stronger?! How could anything be more powerful than that thing? You said it destroyed my parents almost immediately, and they had unimaginable power! How can anything be stronger?"

Izzy's expression changed. He looked almost shocked. Actually, I was too. Something about the fact that a mere puppet had destroyed my parents had really bothered me, regardless of how powerful it was. If someone were going to destroy them, I would expect it to be the best of the best.

Was surprising was that I had never felt this way about my parents before. I felt a sense of pride about what they were. I had always hated their heroism before. It was because they were great heroes that they were no longer with me. It had only lasted a second, but there had definitely been a change in that view. I didn't like it.

I began to calm down, and once again took a seat.

"Yes, I agree," he continued. "It seems unbelievable that anything could be stronger than whatever killed your parents, but if this prophecy is true, and I'm quite sure it is, than it is very possible. We haven't been able to decipher much else, but we know that the creature will eventually pass into our world. At that time it will be able to bring forth its master. Whatever that is."

I nodded. "Uh huh."

I attempted to filter my annoyance. I wish he would just get to my part in it. He could do whatever he wanted, but I wished he wouldn't waste my time if it had nothing to do with me, and so far he had been.

Sensing, my tension he finally got to the point.

"We can't be sure but we think that you and the other children of the Digidestined may be the key to reviving that master."

"Us?" I said, suddenly enthralled. I didn't care how pathetically inquisitive it made me seem.

"Yes there are gaps in some of the translation," he continued. "It speaks of the coming of a great evil, after that there is a large gap of code we have been unable to translate. The words 'Next Generation' appear after the gap. We can only assume that the newest generation of Digidestined is somehow needed to pull it all off. Why exactly you're so important is a mystery to us."

"So...what?" I said. "Is this a warning or something?"

"That and..." he hesitated.

Great! Just great! Hesitation was never good.

"More of a recruitment really," he began. "This thing is strong, really strong. We're going to need all we have to beat it if it shows up. I want to train you and the others. You have crests you have the potential to evolve to the Ultimate level. Possibly even Mega. With that added to what we already have, we might have a decent chance."

That did it! I'd had enough of this crap!

"No!" I yelled outright. "No no no no!"

"Excuse me?"

He seemed surprised. Of course he was. It was such a typical situation. I was the daughter of the great Kris and Jenn, two of the bravest and most powerful Digidestined. They would never turn down the chance to be great heroes. They would never turn down the chance to save the world, so of course I wouldn't. I was fucking sick of all of it. I'd think someone as intelligent as Izzy could realize that.

"I said no!" I yelled. "I'm no hero. I'm just an ordinary teenage girl, I don't fight."

He chuckled to himself and shook his head. "I'm not asking you to fight because of your parents."

I anxiously clutched the wood of the desk. I don't recall ever telling him that. Maybe he was smarter than I had just given him credit for.

"This is about what I know you're capable of. You have a crest. You have a D3. You wouldn't have been given those items if there weren't something special about you. The fact that your parents have those items too is incidental."

"Its about more than that!" I screamed, and again found myself jumping up from my seat.

"It's about -"

I stopped myself before I said another word. He didn't need to hear about my problem with Digimon. I didn't know why I had snapped like that. I had acted like he should automatically know why I had refused. I guess I thought at the time that I could just refuse his proposition, and he'd accept my refusal and instantly know the reason.

"It's about...?" he asked, urging me to go on.

I didn't want to explain. I wanted so badly just to say, "I don't want to talk about it." I didn't. Instead, the words seem to fly involuntarily from my mouth.

"I don't like Digimon."

It was a plain and simple statement. It was all I had said, but it was enough for a smart guy like Izzy to figure out. I could almost see the light bulb appear over his head. He was figuring it all out. My cold attitude, my annoyance towards the subject of our conversation, it was all starting to make sense to him.

"You resent them because your parents sacrificed their lives for them?" I nodded, confirming his suspicions. That's all I intended to do, but once again I found words fly involuntarily from my mouth.

"They never did anything for my parents, yet somehow my parents had this supposed duty to help them, and because of that duty, because of Digimon, they're not here with me now. Because of those stupid digital freaks, I'm a fucking orphan. So yeah, you could say that I resent them."

Izzy sighed and shook his head. "Your parents had a duty yes, but it was more about Digimon, it was about both worlds. Save the digital world you save the real world. Save Digimon you save human."

"Don't you think I know that!" I screamed. "I don't give a damn! They were still part of it! They - they give me something to blame. They gave me something to be angry at. Do me a favour and don't take that away from me, its how I deal with it all."

He nodded casually. "Be that as it may, your parents did what they did because they were Digidestined. They had a duty to fight and protect for the sake of both words. Just as you do."

"No!" I screamed again. "I don't care if I have a crest, I don't care if I have a D3, I don't care if I'm some special child chosen by some divine force! I don't want anything to do with Digimon!"

A heavy sigh escaped his lips. My face, which was once distorted in anger almost smiled. Almost. He was defeated. Izzy was intelligent, but he wasn't cruel. He wasn't about to force me to do something I didn't want to do. No Digidestined had ever been forced to fight when they didn't want to. Of course no Digidestined had ever chosen not to fight and stuck with that decision before.

"Now if you excuse me," I said, pushing the chair away from the desk. I turned and began to walk towards the door. "I've got a stupid tournament to participate in." The second those words left my mouth his face changed yet again. He was suddenly sly and full of answers again.

"Let me ask you something," he said coyly. "If you hate Digimon so much why are you even in this tournament? I'd think it was the last thing you would want to have anything to do with."

I froze. "I-I-"

"Don't worry. I do believe that you don't like Digimon. I can tell by how you said it you were telling the truth. I'm just curious as to why you would voluntarily surround yourself with them when you despise them so much."

I gave the door in front of a cold stare. I refused to turn around and face him. The words were difficult to bring to my mouth, but somehow I managed to choke them out.

"It's kind of personal."

"I won't tell anyone."

I sighed. I might as well tell him. Maybe I would get out of here faster. As much I hated the thought of having to return to the floor with all the happy combatalists, it was better than going through this little chat turned interrogation.

The words came out coldly. I tried to hide all emotion I could. "I need the money. My uncle might be losing his job at the mill he works at soon, and we were never exactly rich. If he's laid off, I'm sure we'll end up living on the street. He hasn't exactly gone out and said that, but I know he's avoiding it because he knows it'll scare me. So I'm doing this as a failsafe I guess. So if worse comes to worse my uncle won't have to worry about money for awhile."

He laughed. "You really are like your parents."

My head snapped towards him in anger. "Will you stop comparing me to them! I'm not capable of the things they are! So just leave me alone. I'm not the only kid with elite Digidestined blood in me. I'll send my friend Alex up if you'd like."

"Or we could train both of you," he said confidently. He seemed pretty convinced I would changed my mind.

"I already told you!" I screamed. "I'm not inter-"

"You know!" he interrupted in a loud tone. As I quieted his tone returned to normal. "I own a lot of electronic companies. One of them is located only a few blocks from here." Normally I probably would have figured out what he was getting at right away, but I was too upset to really notice at the moment.

"And your point!"

"I have numerous job openings, and even the lowest paying ones pay at least twice as much any mill worker's salary."

I turned around completely with renewed interest. "Are you offering my uncle a job?"

"If..."

Great. I should have known there was a catch. "If?" I repeated.

"If you allow me us train you. You'll still have to put up with Digimon, of course. That's kind of what the training entails. However, it will be with your own."

I couldn't help but smile. Was he kidding me? I wasn't exactly looking forward to the training. I hated having to take on the role of Digidestined, but what I would get out of it would be totally worth it. First of all I wouldn't have to enter this stupid tournament. I could pick up Labramon and just go home. I doubted I'd have to do any training recently. This tournament would probably be keeping Izzy pretty busy. I'd ad least have a few days grace.

But what was most important would be what this would mean for Cam! He'd be set. Not only would he have a job, he'd have a good job. I don't know what Izzy had in mind, but it had to be better than what he was doing at the mill! Plus the money would be good! We could move out of that crappy apartment, out of that crappy neighbourhood. I'd be normal! Well - as normal as I could be anyway. I didn't care about the training, if all that came out of it. I'd probably never have to use the training anyway. There was no way the prophecy could be true.

I nodded, maybe a little too atheistically. I hurt my neck my head bobbed up and down so fast.

"Yes definitely!"

He laughed again, and muttered something under his breath. I think it was something about me being like my parents. I would have said something about it, but I was too happy to care.

"I'm glad we could reach a compromise," Izzy said. "We'll get in contact with you when we're ready to begin the training - and if you know any other Digidestined with crests and D3s, feel free to bring them along."

"And my uncle's job?" I asked.

Izzy turned his head to Tentomon. The little Digimon atop of the desk saluted. "I'll get right on it Izzy."

Izzy and I exchanged smiles. "I should probably get going. My friends are waiting for me."

He nodded. "Of course."

I practically flew down the stairs. Labramon and Izzy's "goon" has no longer there. I assumed Labramon was back with Alex and Lopmon. I was too happy to be think what would happen if she wasn't. Fortunately I was right. I floated up to them with a goofy smile on my face.

Labramon noticed me immediately, and practically jumped on top of me.

"You're okay!" She declared. "I was so worried. Especially after that big guy forced me come back here."

"I'm more than okay!" I said cheerfully. "I don't think I've ever been this happy."

"I don't think she's ever been happy period." Lopmon muttered.

Alex gave him a subtle kick. I didn't care, let him say whatever the hell he wanted. He wouldn't be seeing me other way quite some time.

"Krystal what's wrong with you?" Alex said suddenly. "You mask! People are going to see you."

It took a moment for me to figure out what he was talking about. I quickly realized I was still clutching my orange balaclava in my hand.

"Oh that?" I said. "I won't be needed that anymore."

That remark granted me three confused looks.

Labramon was the one who spoke. "But people will be able to recognize you if you don't wear it?"

"Not if I don't enter the tournament at all," I said. I still had a goofy and stupid smile on my face.

"Excuse me?!" Labramon yelled.

It surprised me that she reacted so strongly. It was almost like the news disappointed her.

"You're leaving?" Alex asked. I could tell he was disappointed, but that was to be expected. "What about the money you need to help you uncle."

"I don't need the money anymore," I explained. "I was called up there to talk to Izzy -"

"Whoa what?" Alex interrupted. "Izzy? As in the Izzy? Izzy Izumi Izzy?"

I gave my friend a superior stare for a moment. Fortunately I didn't keep it for very long. I quickly shook it off. Of course he was going to act that way. To big Digimon buffs like Alex Izzy was an enormous celebrity.

"Yeah, he got news of the fact that I had a crest," I said, as if it was your simple everyday occurrence. "He wanted to talk to me about prophecies and evil Digimon, and a bunch of unimportant crap."

"What?" Alex said. He was now completely confused. "Prophecies, evil Digimon? Is something serious going on? Is there another evil out there?"

"I don't know," I said quickly. "That's not important! What matters is that Izzy offered my uncle a job! A good job! He'll be making even more than he was at the mill!"

The entire s all came out in a single breath. It seemed as if each of them were about to say something, but I was too excited to let any of them speak.

"Best of all we won't have to compete in this stupid tournament anymore."

My explanation was finally over, and I finally zoned in enough to gauge their reaction. To my surprise, out of my three friends, none of them seemed happy about it. I expected as much from Alex, and maybe even Lopmon, but it was Labramon's reaction that surprised me.

"We're not competing anymore?" she practically shouted.

"We don't need to," I said happily and gave her a pat on the head. "Cam is going to get a great job. I don't need to earn any of this money."

"So - what?" Labramon said, with a bit of bitterness. "We're just leaving?"

"Yeah," I said. "Of course we are. Why would we want to stay?"

I was confused by the look she was giving me. She looked angry, but why would she be? It was odd.

"I want to stay!" she yelled.

"You what?! Labramon we're not staying. We don't need to, and you know I hate this stuff."

Her anger was unmistakable now. Her eyes reflected were almost seething with hatred. She was even baring her teeth. I'd never seen her do that before. Well, not to me anyway. She suddenly, and quickly stood up on her hind legs. Her face was level with mine.

"I know!" she screamed, finally exploding. "I know you hate it! Don't you think I know that?! I've been hearing you whine about how much you hate Digimon for over a decade now!"

I froze. The happiness I had felt only a few moments before, had completely melted away. It was now replaced with fear; fear with a dash of guilt. Alex took a step back. Meanwhile, Lopmon was practically cowering behind his partner's leg.

How could Labramon say that? She was supposed to be my Digimon; my partner, my friend. She was the one person who I could actually confide these things to without fear of being judged and sounding a whiney bitch. Yet this was happening. What I had always feared my dislike of Digimon had made me was being confirmed.

I only managed to choke out the words. "Wh-what, what are you saying?"

She ignored the question . "Did you ever think to consider that I am one of those 'stupid little creatures', as you often refer to them, that you hate so much. Did it ever occur to you that whenever you insulted them all these years that you might be referring to me as well."

"Labramon no!" I yelled. "You're different. You're not like them, you're my friend."

"Yeah, I'm not like them," she grunted. The volume of her voice had diminished, but her anger obviously had not. "Except that I'm exactly like them. I love you, I'd die for you, and I'll do anything for you. Even if that means listen to you whine and bitch about my kind for fourteen years. The only thing that makes me different, the only reason you like me over everyone else, is that I'm you're partner, so you were forced to get to know me."

Now it was my turn to yell. "Do you think I like feeling this way? Do you think I like hating a people that did nothing did deserve it? They took my parents away from me! I can't help it."

"Oh boo hoo!" she yelled. "Poor Krystal the martyr! My parents are dead, everyone feel sorry for me. Boo hoo hoo."

I could barely move. I could almost physically feel the pain her of her sarcasm. "You even whine about the how horrible it is to hate them. You don't even do anything about it. I don't suppose you ever thought that maybe if you actually tried to like other Digimon, you might not hate them so much."

"It - it's hard," I stuttered.

"It's hard?!" she yelled. "It's hard?! Is that all you can have to say about it. How hard do you think this has been for me? All my life I've been secluded other Digimon. Secluded from my people, secluded from my family! All because you didn't like them, and because I'm your partner, because I'm your friend and I care about you I put up with it, hoping against hope that maybe you'd come to your senses and realize how much it was hurting me."

I began to open my mouth. I wanted so desperately to say something, but Labramon stopped me. She had opened a gate, and she wasn't going to stop until it all came out. God! How long had she kept this all inside?

"Then, through some loophole, you wind up forced to spend time with Digimon by entering this tournament. I'm finally for one brief moment able to spend time with my own kind. I get to fight, just like the Elecmon and Penguinmon did! I get to be a real Digidestined Digimon! Do you have any idea how happy that made me? For once I thought I'd get to have some fun with my own kind, and not just wind up cooped up in the house with you whining all day. Now you want to take that all away?

"No! I'm not going to let it happen. I've been looking forward to this all week. I'm competing, with or without you."

She let her upper body drop, and she was now on all four feet again. With a rude snort she turned away from me.

I struggled to think of something to say. Something, anything, that could earn me some credibility here. I had nothing.

"You can't enter the tournament without a Digidestined partner," was all I managed to choke out.

"I don't care," she said, refusing to face me. "I'll find a way. I'm tired of you always getting what you want, while I stay silent and get nothing."

I closed my eyes tightly, and clenched my fists. No! No no no! I was out. I had my way out. I was going to go home, and be rid of Digimon forever. All Digimon except for Labramon - and occasionally I'd see Lopmon when I hung out with Alex, but I knew them. There weren't like the others - the other Digimon, who had taken my parents away. I never wanted to have anything to do with those Digimon again. Yet here I was, free from my responsibilities to help Cam, but now suddenly trapped with a new set of responsibilities with Labramon.

It would be so easy. I could just walk away. It wasn't like it was with Cam. We needed the money, without it we wouldn't survive. This was just something that Labramon wanted to do for the sake of enjoyment. I could just walk away.........walk away.

"Fine!" I said.

I was trying to mask the fact I was giving in. I was too upset with for to actually apologize. Stupid pride. "We'll stay and compete in the goddamn DC tournament."

"About time," she grunted rudely.

There was no happy making up, no apologies for any of the things she had said, or for what I had done. Not that I expected as much. We only exchanged angry grunts. She turned, and walked towards the concession stand. "Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to get another hot dog."

"Yeah, you better," I said bitterly. "You'll need the energy to turn to Shisamon." Then I added under my breath. "Even though to me you already have."

----------------------------

This chapter wound up being a lot longer than I thought it would be. Hence I've decided to wait until next chapter before I began the preliminaries. Sorry, I know I kind of promised that for this time, but it didn't happen. I'd like to apologize right away for the abundance of dialogue in the story I would have liked to tell Izzy's story another way, but it was the only way I could think of to tell it, and I've never been a big fan of Flashback's, especially in first person narrative stories. Even if I were this wouldn't have been a good time to use that technique. I also hope that the argument between Labramon and Krystal at the end made up for the boring explanation Izzy gave you in the rest of the story. I really liked writing that part. That's one spot were I tried to incorporate some of my own emotions into this story, and I think it worked out all right. But I believe I should end these author's notes soon because they're getting rather long and I've got a class to get to.

Stay tuned for Chapter Five: Tournament: Preliminaries (this time I promise!)