Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
A/N: Wow, I can't believe I wrote this up so fast! I love this chapter. Lots of talk, but it's still good. (I think anyway) Don't worry, I'll explain how the crests have suddenly magically appeared into existence again. Please review! (The last couple of paragraphs are my favorites!)
Following the Footsteps of Destiny
Chapter 61: Spirit Chips
T.K. Takaishi
Odaiba, Japan, Earth
T.K. slowly sat down on the couch and covered his face with his hands.
What kind of secrets are my children keeping from me? I thought I knew them so well, but I guess I was wrong. I feel so...lost.
"T.K., are you alright?" Cody asked, sitting down on the couch beside him and placing a hand on his shoulder.
No, Cody. I won't be okay until I know what's going on with my children.
He managed to give the younger man a weak smile and turned to stare uneasily at his daughter.
What is she hiding?
Rina suddenly scrambled into his lap and she wrapped her small arms around his neck. "It's okay, Daddy," she said softly, snuggling against his chest. "Mickey and Matty aren't doing anything bad. In fact, I'd say they're doing something really good."
"What do you mean?" he asked, feeling confused.
Rina smiled nervously at him and kissed his cheek. "You'll see."
I knew it! Mickey and Matty must have told her their secret. Either that or she found out by accident. I guess I was right, after all.
T.K. hugged his daughter tightly and glanced anxiously in his wife's direction. "Kari-"
"I know," Kari said quietly, her amber eyes sparkling with fear and confusion. She sat down on the edge of the couch and gave Rina a helpless look. "Sweetie, What have Mickey and Matty been up to lately?"
Rina smiled innocently at her mother and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mommy, but I can't tell you. I promised them I wouldn't say anything."
"Rina, we need to know," Kari said seriously. "We're not going to get them into trouble. We just want to make sure they're okay. What if they're in danger and need some help? We can't protect them if you don't tell us what's going on."
T.K. let out a sigh and gently stroked his daughter's dark hair. "Please, Rina?" he murmured.
"Daddy, I promised Mickey and Matty I wouldn't tell anyone their secret, and I know they're counting on me to keep my word," Rina said stubbornly. "If you want to know what it is they're hiding, you're going to have to ask them yourself."
Kari gave Rina an exasperated look, and T.K. smiled slightly. "Alright, Rina, I'll ask them," he said softly, holding her close and gently resting his cheek against her forehead.
"Yurina Takaishi, you're going to drive me crazy one day, you know that?" Kari sighed, kissing Rina's cheek.
"That's the best part about being a kid!" Rosa laughed. She sat down next to Cody and grinned at her husband. Cody just shook his head and sent Kari an apologetic look.
"I guess that's true. We were constantly driving our parents nuts!" T.K. replied.
He glanced down at his daughter and raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had expected her to laugh at Rosa's joke, but she had not even cracked a smile.
"Daddy, you don't have to worry about protecting Mickey and Matty. They have all the protection they need," his daughter said quietly. "I know those little guys will never let them down."
T.K. slowly turned to look at Kari, and they stared at each other in confusion.
Why do I feel like I should know what Rina's talking about?
Apparently Kari felt the same way because she made a face and leaned over to kiss his lips. "T.K., I have a bad feeling about this," she whispered in his ear.
So do I. I guess there's only one thing left for me to do. It looks like I'm going to have to have a long chat with Mickey and Matty as soon as they get home from Ryoko's house.
Hopefully they would finally tell him the truth and he would not have to worry about them drifting away from him anymore.
Sam Ichijouji
Text, Southern Hemisphere, Digital World
Sam stared at Centaurumon with his mouth hanging open, and his heart began to pound rapidly in his chest. "You know who the Emperor is?" he whispered, almost choking on the words.
Centaurumon slowly shook his head and placed a hand on Glowmon's pedestal. "The Emperor no longer exists. I did not know him personally, but I knew of him. He brought chaos and destruction to the Digital World, and yet, at the same time, he also brought salvation. Don't worry, Sam. He will be remembered for all of the good things he did, not the bad things."
Sam held his breath and gave the centaur digimon a hopeful look. "You mean...he wasn't evil?"
"That's something you'll have to decide for yourself," Centaurumon replied.
"Who was the Digimon Emperor anyway?" Dai asked, looking confused.
Centaurumon crossed his arms and gave Dai a long look. "I think you'd better ask Wormmon that question. He'll be able to explain everything a lot better than I can."
"Who's Wormmon?" Takara promptly asked.
"All of the answers you seek can be found on File Island," Centaurumon replied. "That is where the Legend of the Digidestined first came into existence, and that is where it will continue to thrive."
"You're certainly a lot more helpful than Leomon and the others were," Dragermon said quietly.
"Apparently Gennai did not give all of us the same information," Centaurumon said dryly. "If he had, the six of you would have known about Wormmon already. Or perhaps not, seeing as how it appears Gennai must have guessed that you would not be informed of the Digital World's existence until you got here. Obviously you do not know about the original Digidestined, and I can understand why they would have wanted to keep their adventures a secret from you. The Digital World is a dangerous place, and you probably wouldn't have believed them anyway."
"Have you forgotten the fact that we have digimon of our own?" Dai shot back. "Of course we would have believed them!"
"Yes, but you didn't always have digimon, did you," Centaurumon replied, looking amused. "Gennai may have told Whamon and the others to keep quiet, as well. Either that or they chose to remain silent because they wanted to respect the wishes of the original Digidestined. It's hard to say. Listen, I know you're anxious to stop Vampiramon and the others, but first you must return home to your parents. I'm sure they're very worried about you."
"They think we're at Ryoko's house," Matty said, blushing furiously.
Sam felt equally guilty. Technically they had been at Ryoko's house, but that did not change the fact that he had still lied to his parents about his whereabouts.
"Even so, you should head home now. When you do return to the Digital World, I strongly suggest you visit File Island again. As I said before, that is where you will find your answers."
"Are you crazy?" Dai shouted. "We can't go running off to File Island without at least making an attempt to free Gennai from Vampiramon's clutches!"
"Don't tell me you've come up with another crazy plan to get us all killed!" Ryoko snapped, glancing suspiciously at the goggle headed leader.
"Ishida, I was worried about you, too," Dai said innocently, his dark eyes sparkling with amusement.
Ryoko's cheeks turned bright red, and he sent the goggle headed leader another look that was even more suspicious than the first one.
Sam could not say for sure, but he had a feeling Dai was being entirely serious.
"What's wrong?" Centaurumon asked, gazing curiously at the goggle headed leader.
Dai crossed his arms and gave the centaur digimon a dirty look. "You're going to go find Leomon and the others, right? Well, we want to come with you! It makes sense. Think about it. What else are we going to do? All of our digimon partners have been found, and almost all of them have digivolved. We might as well make ourselves useful by helping Leomon and the others find Gennai. We're going to need him in order to save the Digital World."
"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to come with me," Centaurumon said seriously.
"Why not?" Matty demanded, glancing anxiously at his twin.
Centaurumon sighed and made a fist with his right hand. "You must return to File Island. If you don't, you'll never be able to reach your full strength."
"You're not making any sense, you know that?" Dai snorted.
"I think Gennai knew right from the start that you six would end up coming to the Digital World," Centaurumon murmured. "He said something along those lines to me on the day when I was chosen to protect Glowmon, and I know he wanted to meet all of you when you did finally arrive. Unfortunately, according to you guys, he has been captured, and as a result, he has been unable to help you on your quest to save the Digital World. There were a few things he wanted to explain to you before you started searching for your partners, but there are also some things he wanted you to discover on your own."
"What kind of things?" Takara asked curiously.
"Things like Wormmon, obviously, though he can thank the original Digidestined for that," Centaurumon replied. "Gennai wanted you to discover the past without his help. There is a time and a place for everything, and now is the time for all of you to understand your destiny. That is why I want you to return to File Island."
Sam stared at Centaurumon in surprise and frowned. "How did Gennai know we would end up coming to the Digital World? You make it sound as if he knew we would be needed long before Vampiramon and her buddies decided to cause trouble."
"Gennai understands the Powers of Darkness better than anyone," Centaurumon replied. "He knew evil would return to the Digital World one day, and he wanted to make sure we were ready to fight against it. He and his counterparts were able to find new Digidestined and had new digimon partners stored away until the day they would be needed. You six are those Digidestined who were chosen to stand against the darkness. Gennai and the others knew evil was returning to the Digital World because they could feel it. Although Gennai did not know exactly what kind of evil the Digital World was facing, he knew it would be strong, and that brings me to the topic of digivolution. In order for the Digital World to remain peaceful, the Powers of Light and the Powers of Darkness must work together in perfect harmony. One cannot exist without the other, and that is why darkness can never really be defeated."
"Great, we're doomed!" Mickey moaned.
Centaurumon laughed and shook his head. "Not at all. The legacy of the Digidestined exists for a reason. You're not here to destroy the Powers of Darkness. You're here to make sure the balance of power does not shift in favour of the darkness. You six will always be Digidestined, but that does not mean you won't see another group of Digidestined rise up and follow in your footsteps. The forces of evil will continue to try and conquer the Digital World, but that doesn't matter. There will always be a team of Digidestined waiting in the wings, and they will do whatever they can to keep the darkness at bay. That is how we defeat evil in the Digital World. Gennai was the one who explained all of this to me, and I believe some of it is stuff he wanted to tell you when you arrived here. Since he has been captured, I will have to do the explaining for him. Anyway, now you can see why Gennai knew you would be called to the Digital World eventually."
"I feel sorry for the next group of Digidestined already!" Ryoko mumbled.
"Centaurumon, can you tell us the names of the Digidestined who came before us?" Sam asked, his heart pounding with anticipation. "You make it sound as if we know them already. Do we?"
"Since they have not told you themselves, neither can I. Gennai is most likely grateful for that as I believe that's one of the things Gennai wanted you to discover on your own, and it looks like Leomon and the others had enough sense to keep quiet," Centaurumon murmured. "Don't worry, Sam. You're not going to have to wait much longer to find out the answer to your question. This is the moment Gennai was waiting for. The things I'm about to tell you now are things Gennai wanted me to reveal to you, and obviously he chose this moment for a reason because apparently Leomon and the others did not receive the same message. It's almost as if he knew somehow that you would be coming to me last. You were able to find all of your partners without any help, and in doing so, you have proved yourselves worthy of being called Digidestined. Gennai wanted you to learn to work together as a team because he knew you would be facing difficult opponents. You have passed another one of Gennai's tests with flying colours, and I know he'll be very proud of you when he finds out. Unfortunately the six of you are not strong enough to take on Vampiramon's master without some help, and that is why Gennai and his allies came up with the Spirit Chips."
"What's a Spirit Chip?" Ryoko asked, frowning in confusion.
Centaurumon folded his hands together and bowed his head. "According to Gennai, they will help you reach the next stage of digivolution, but the only way to get them is by using the power of the Digivices and the powers of the crests. Gennai knew you would need to reach a higher stage of digivolution in order to defeat evil in the Digital World, but unfortunately the crests have gone missing, and that's going to cause a huge problem."
"Leomon mentioned something about crests earlier. What exactly are they?" Mickey asked, looking extremely uneasy.
"They are the hope and salvation of the Digital World," Centaurumon said softly. "The powers of the crests can still be found in the hearts of the humans who once held them because that is where they originated from in the first place. The only reason we need the objects themselves is because the Spirit Chips won't work very well unless they are fused together with the crests. Although you could digivolve to ultimate on your own, it'll be easier to do so with the help a Spirit Chip. They have the ability to control the powers of the Digidestined, new and old."
"They sound a lot like the D-Coders," Ryoko commented.
"D-Coders?" Centaurumon asked, looking confused.
"Our Digivices," Sam quickly explained.
"Oh, yes. They're a lot like the Digivices," Centaurumon agreed. "The Spirit Chips transfer the power from your hearts to your Digivices, and then that power is transferred to your digimon. I know a lot of this sounds very confusing, but don't let that get to you. Gennai will be able to explain the Spirit Chips in detail and their relationship with the crests. I only know the basics, and that's why I'll let him explain everything."
"Excuse me, but have you forgotten the fact that Gennai has been captured?" Dai grumbled, sounding very impatient. "He can't help us unless we help him first."
"Dai's right. Maybe we should come with you," Takara said softly.
"Gennai's information will be useless to you without the crests," Centaurumon said bluntly.
"And where exactly do you expect us to find these crests?" Matty demanded.
"First you must go to File Island and find a digimon named Veemon. He'll have a bunch of friends with him, and I know they'll be willing to help you out, including Wormmon. They will give you the information you need about a group of humans who can help you find the crests. I believe all of the crests have been stolen by the same person, so it won't be too difficult to find them."
"How much do you want to bet Vampiramon has them?" Dai muttered.
"You could be right," Centaurumon agreed. "Once you've found the crests, myself and the others will allow you to assist us in the quest to find Gennai, if we do not free him before you meet up with us. That way Gennai will be able to tell you about the Spirit Chips, and you can go search for them before Vampiramon finds out about their existence. I believe that is the only way to save the Digital World, and a lot of the responsibility lies in your hands. I've told you all I know, and now it is time for you to return home and get some rest."
"I have one more question. Who are Gennai's counterparts?" Sam asked.
"You'll meet Benjamin and the others soon enough," Centaurumon said quietly. "You're a good Digidestined, Sam, and you passed the test as soon as you arrived in the forest. There might be some hard times ahead for you, but you are strong, and I know the darkness will never defeat you. Good luck, Digidestined. The fate of the Digital World is in your hands, and when we meet again, I suspect the balance of power will have shifted slightly in our direction. Let's hope that is the case."
"There's always hope," Matty said softly.
"Come on, guys," Dai said quietly, motioning them all towards Dragermon. "Let's get back to the gate."
Sam climbed onto Dragermon with the others and hugged Glowmon tightly against his chest. He watched the forest grow smaller behind them and smiled softly. The darkness over the forest was lifting, and all of their digimon who could fly started doing victory loops in the air. Matty was right. No matter how bad things got, there was always hope, and in that moment, he realized the darkness did not seem so bad after all.