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Chapter 2: Besought

The digidestined gathered at Izzy's apartment for a meeting.

"What's up?" Davis asked.

"You said you had something we should see," said T.K.

"Opalmon sent a communication to Tora, and he forwarded it to me." Izzy sat at his computer. He played the message.

The shimmering image of Tora's partner Opalmon appeared on the screen. "Hello, Digidestined," she began. "I may have a lead...a weapon we could use against Daemon. But it's...um...complicated. I don't want to say too much right now. Meet me at the gate between the digitalworld and the underworld tonight. I've been told Ken knows the place. Prepare to be gone for a few days. Don't bring your digimon. I'll explain when you arrive. And Ken, a mutual friend told me to tell you hi for her." With that the transmission ended.

Though confused, they called their schools, employers, and families to make arrangements to be gone on digiworld-related business. Cody and T.K. couldn't make it, and neither could the older digidestined except for Izzy. Izzy's girlfriend Tsukiyo insisted on coming with him. He didn't exactly agree, but Tsukiyo had a way of doing what she wanted without anyone's permission.

They met Opalmon as arranged. Tora was already there. So were two creatures most of the digidestined had never met before. They had the shape of human women, but were vastly different in color: one was fiery, with a red dress, golden skin, and orange hair that was blue at the roots; the other was pale blue, like snow and ice, with a white dress and glacier-blue hair. They were alike in their stark-white eyes and identical turquoise jewels on their belts.

"Pyromon, Cryomon, what are you doing here?" Ken asked.

"You know these digimon?" Izzy asked.

"They're friends of mine...from the underworld."

"Why are they here?" Davis wondered aloud in Opalmon's general direction.

"They say they can help us against Daemon."

"Is this the weapon you mentioned?" Yolei asked.

Cryomon stepped forward. "Let us explain..."

"Daemon has many allies in the underworld," Pyromon interrupted. "We're afraid he may be planning to take over, and we want to stop him."

"Obviously," Cryomon cut in. "And the longer we wait, the more powerful he becomes."

"How can you help? The last time we fought Daemon, all of our DNA-digivolved digimon together couldn't destroy him. I thought you underworld digimon couldn't even digivolve," Yolei stated.

Cryomon looked at her sharply. "Individually, we're not as powerful as digimon, but when we combine our attacks, we can be quite powerful."

"Fortunately, underworlders aren't likely to cooperate," Opalmon muttered.

"When Cryomon and I were born," Pyromon interjected, "we were two in a set of four sisters."

"A very rare occurrence," Cryomon added. "The only time it has happened in living memory."

"When the four of us combine our powers, we are very, very powerful," said Pyromon.

Cryomon again spoke. "Some of the leaders of the underworld decided we were too much a threat together, so they separated us."

"They didn't worry so much about Cryomon and me, since we can barely stand to be in the same house..."

"But our other sisters, Phytomon and Xylomon, were taken to a part of the underworld where we are forbidden to go. We haven't seen them in years, but now I believe it is time to reunite to fight Daemon."

"So you want us to find them," Izzy surmised.

Cryomon and Pyromon nodded in unison.

"I've negotiated passage through part of the underworld controlled by Balaammon," Opalmon told them. "He's allowing us safe passage on the condition that I'm the only digimon that accompanies you. I'm sorry."

The digidestined glanced at each other.

"We have to try," Davis said. "We need all the help against Daemon we can get."

"I agree. Daemon is after us; we need to do everything we can to stop him."

"It will be very dangerous," Ken said. "I could go alone; I've been to the underworld twice before; I know what to expect."

"I'm going with you," Yolei insisted. "I've been to the underworld, too. And you're not going alone."

"You're still recovering from Xtoyilmon's bite," Ken argued.

"I'm fine," she repeated for what felt like the hundredth time.

"I'm not letting you go."

"You can't stop me," she challenged.

Izzy and Tsukiyo were having a similar argument, with Tsukiyo insisting that it didn't matter that she wasn't a digidestined; someone had to look out for him.

Minutes later, they were all in the underworld. Cryomon and Pyromon led the way.