Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: This chapter's a little shorter, but it's got some funny moments! Just to let you all know, I'm going to be writing a Season Four one-shot fic soon which will focus on the twins. I just have to get it worked out in my head first. Also, next month I hope to post another chapter for Trinity, which I hope to start writing soon. For now there'll be more FTFOD chapters! Happy Valentine's Day! Hugs for everyone!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 111: The Battle Continues

Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya

Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World

"You call this a welcome?" Ryoko snorted, shaking his head in disgust. "No offence, Gennai, but sometimes this world totally stinks, and it's not just because of digimon like Zombiemon, if you get my meaning."

Daichi Motomiya slowly stepped forward, and ignoring the golden-haired Digidestined, he wrapped his hands around the bars of Gennai's cell. He gazed at the young man with a slight smile on his face and shook his head in disbelief. "I don't believe it, Gomamon was right. You do look a lot like a human, but you seem different somehow."

Gennai's sapphire eyes narrowed into a frown and he gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling. "I am many things, Daichi, but most of all, I am your friend and your guide to saving the Digital World. If you would be so kind as to let me out of this cell, I will do my best to explain further."

Does that mean he's going to tell us about the Spirit Chips?

"Dai? Hey, Dai, aren't we going to let him out?" Embermon muttered, nodding his head towards Gennai.

Dai felt his face heat up, and he quickly nodded. "Right. Embermon, would you-"

"Allow me," Angelicmon interrupted, stepping up next to Gennai's cell and holding out his hand. "You might want to stand back, Gennai. I would hate for you to get hit by flying debris or something."

"Of course."

Gennai dutifully stepped backwards, and Angelicmon let his attack fly. The golden blast slammed into the door of the cell, and the lock holding Gennai captive clattered to the stone floor.

"We're sorry it took us so long to get here, but better late than never, I guess!" Palmon said cheerfully, beaming at the robed figure. "It's good to see you again, Gennai."

"And you, as well. I did not mind the waiting too much. After all, I knew Daichi and the others would come."

He knew? But...how?

Dai frowned and glanced at his father, but before he could say anything, Gennai stepped from the cell and motioned for the other robed man to join him. "Benji, I'm glad to see you've been making good use of that Digicore. Azulongmon would be proud. I hope you and the others have been hard at work since my unfortunate disappearance. Vampiramon certainly caught us off guard, didn't she. She's come to visit me a few times, and I've found her to be rather unpleasant, you might say."

"What about DarkAngelicmon?" Mickey asked curiously.

A little too curiously, in my opinion. I don't know what Mickey's up to, but he's definitely up to something!

Gennai studied Mickey's face for a moment and bowed his head. "A fallen angel digimon with no apparent true purpose in life, and yet I believe he may be the key to saving the Digital World from utter darkness. He is a puzzle, that one. When we have time, you must tell me everything that has gone on here in the castle today. It may be of some use later on. What is it, Benjamin? You look like you're suffering from a bad stomach ache or something."

The man called Benjamin suddenly stomped over to Gennai's side and hit the former prisoner on the side of the head with Azulongmon's Digicore. Gennai stumbled backwards into the wall and managed a sheepish grin. "I guess I should have expected that."

"I hope you've learned your lesson!" Benjamin snapped, his sapphire eyes flashing angrily in the light from the torches. "We had to learn about the fact that the new Digivices were called D-Coders from Agumon and the others, and don't even get me started on the Spirit Chips!"

"I'm sorry, Benji, but sometimes it's better not to give away too much information until you're able to use it otherwise it could end up being used against you."

"Right. You'll tell the Digidestined anything, but when it comes to your counterparts you don't mind leaving things up in the air, do you."

"I tell them what they need to know. If I didn't, they probably wouldn't have made it this far."

"Hey! If I recall, it was Leomon and the others who helped us, not you!" Ryoko snapped, looking extremely indignant.

Leomon sheathed his sword and placed a comforting hand on the golden-haired Digidestined's shoulder. "Not at all, Ryoko. We were merely passing on Gennai's words of wisdom. You and the others have done well to make it as far as you have, especially with so little guidance. We may have given you several hints, but you were the ones who figured out the riddles. I'm sure your parents will be very impressed."

"We are," T.K. said firmly.

"I think maybe Sam and the others could teach us a few things," Ken said softly.

Leomon nodded and bowed to the raven-haired Digidestined. "Ken Ichijouji. I am honoured to meet you. I understand now why you were chosen to be a Digidestined. There isn't a digimon alive who doesn't know about what happened twenty-five years ago, but now I see the truth hidden within all the stories I've heard. It's funny how sometimes the ones who try to hurt us are the ones who end up giving us the gift of salvation. I am not so different from you, Ken. The Powers of Darkness are strong, but the strength of the Digidestined far surpasses the temptation of evil. The Digital World has made you a better person, and your son, too, I think."

Sam wrinkled his nose and tugged anxiously on his father's arm. "Dad, what's he talking about? I'm confused."

Ken smiled softly at his son and held out his hand to Leomon. "My family and my friends have made me whole again. Thank you, Leomon. I will remember your words. T.K. and the others have told me so much about you, and as strange as it might seem, I feel as if I know you already. It's nice to be able to talk to someone who understands what it's like to...well...you understand."

"I do."

"Hey, he's not the only one who understands!" Ogremon grumbled. "Don't worry, Ken, we've got your back. I kind of like you, you know. You had some nerve, I'll give you that much."

"Why did I have a feeling you were going to say that?" T.K. said dryly.

"Dad, what are they-"

"Not now, Sam. We'll talk later," Ken murmured, hushing his son.

Is it just me or does Ken look a little bit nervous all of a sudden? I wonder why. I have a feeling whatever Leomon and Ogremon are talking about could be important, but I'm just as confused as Sam is. If only everyone would quit talking in riddles all the time. Wait! Does this have something to do with Devimon? Agumon did say both Leomon and Ogremon were under Devimon's control because of the Black Gears...

"Davis, it's good to see you again. How's Mimi doing?" Benjamin asked, smiling at the former leader.

Dai turned to look at his father, and his dad started to laugh. "Considering the fact that she's pregnant again, I'd say she and Matt have been pretty busy lately! She's happy right now, but wait until her mood swings start to kick in. I remember when she was pregnant with Ryoko. She had all of us running for cover, even Matt. Especially Matt!"

Dai glanced at Ryoko and elbowed the golden-haired Digidestined in the ribs. "I guess that explains a few things. Her attitude must have rubbed off on you, Ishida!"

"Yeah, well I could say the same thing about you, Daichi!"

"Davis, not in front of the kids!" T.K. scolded.

"What? It's not like they haven't all had 'the talk' before. They know what goes where and when. Right, Dai?"

Dai rolled his eyes and let out a loud snort. "Yeah, Dad. You even used props. I'll never look at tomato slices and bananas the same way again!"

Ken sighed at that comment, and T.K. promptly burst into a fit of laughter. Takara muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like 'boys', and Ryoko's whole face turned bright pink.

"I'm sorry I asked," Benjamin muttered, shaking his head. "It's nice to meet you, Daichi, and your friends, as well. My name is Benjamin, as you've probably already figured out, and I also happen to be one of Gennai's five counterparts. We are the Watchers of the Digital World, and it is our job to preserve and maintain the balance of light and darkness within the four hemispheres of this world. Peace and harmony is what we strive for, and it's what you all hope to achieve, as well."

"Benjamin, you...you look exactly like Gennai!" Mickey gasped, his amber eyes nearly popping out of his head in astonishment.

Matty grinned and poked his brother in the ribs. "They look like twins, Mickey, just like us."

"Actually, like I said before, there are six of us, and we all look exactly the same," Benjamin laughed. "Didn't Agumon and the others tell you about us?"

"Well, yes. They mentioned something about you guys looking a lot alike and being the Watchers of the Digital World, but we didn't realize you all looked exactly like the same person..."

"No kidding! By the way, Agumon, it's great to see you guys again," Takara said, leaning down and giving Agumon a big hug.

"Even me?" Ogremon asked hopefully.

Takara giggled and gently patted the virus digimon's arm. "Yes, even you, Ogremon. How did you guys manage to get inside the castle, and where are the others?"

"Andromon, Biyomon, and the rest of our friends are still back in the forest trying to keep Vampiramon and her gang of evil digimon occupied at the moment," Leomon explained. "We didn't want anyone following us to the castle because that would have put not only us, but you guys, as well, in even more danger, so the larger portion of our group stayed behind to keep our enemies distracted. It's a lot harder to spot a small group of digimon entering the castle than it is to detect a rather large group, which could be considered the size of a small army. Well, not that big, but you know what I mean. The digimon here on Cyber were kind enough to help us out, and that's how we found our way to the castle."

"You actually met some of the digimon native to Cyber?" Embermon asked, looking surprised.

"Yes, most of them are hiding in the forest. Actually, that's where we met up with Agumon and the rest of the older Digidestineds' partners. It happened purely by chance, but I'm not complaining. I have to say it ended up turning out to be a stroke of good luck."

"You guys must have arrived in the dungeons around the same time Luciamon was killed," Mickey said sadly.

"Who?"

Dai impatiently shook his head and motioned for Leomon to continue. "We'll explain everything later. What were you saying earlier about Vampiramon and the others?"

"Well, news travels like wildfire in the Digital World. Vampiramon, Jestermon, and BlackWidowmon must have discovered we were heading to the castle because they made camp in the forest to try and stop us from reaching Gennai, and you guys, as well. I think it's safe to say they knew you guys were going to try to steal the crests back from them and help us rescue Gennai."

"Oh, they knew all right. I can tell you that much," ExVeemon confirmed. "What, with Luciamon and that screen of theirs..."

"Luciamon? Screen? It seems you have quite a tale to tell. I look forward to hearing it, but there's something else you need to know, as well. Vampiramon's master was in the forest, too, and he has a whole army of evil digimon with him."

Dai's mouth dropped open, and he choked back a sudden lump of fear in his throat. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. Obviously he wanted to stop us from helping you, and clearly he thought DarkAngelicmon and Spritemon would be more than enough of a challenge for you guys. He must think very highly of them. No doubt he believes you're all safely in the dungeons by now."

"Fat chance!" Ryoko snorted. "Um...what did he look like? Vampiramon's master, I mean."

"We don't know," Gabumon said quietly. "We never got a chance to see him. The black tent he's staying in is always surrounded by guards, and he's never once left it as far as we know."

"He sounds really evil," Dovemon mumbled, shivering slightly in Takara's arms.

Dai glanced anxiously at his father, and his dad's arm slipped around him in a comforting hug. "We'll beat him, Dai. You'll see."

But...what if we don't? No wait! I can't start thinking like that. Sam and the others are counting on me. I have to be strong for their sakes. If I can't believe in myself, then how will I be able to stop the others from completely giving in to despair?

"None of this explains how you got inside the castle," Ryoko said stubbornly, his sapphire eyes fixed on Leomon's face.

"That was the easy part. There were hardly any guards outside to stop us from entering because most of them were trying to stop you guys from escaping! One of the Vilemon let slip that you were inside the castle so we chose that opportunity to make our move. In fact, we were going to come find you guys after we rescued Gennai."

"You were right, Dai," Takara said softly. "You were the one who pointed out the fact that Spritemon had left most of the castle unguarded, and Leomon and the others came to rescue Gennai, just like you were hoping they would."

She's right. I don't understand why, but for some reason, despite everything that's happened so far, she still believes in me. If only there was some way I could repay her...

Dai wrapped his arm around Takara's waist and smiled softly at the female Digidestined. She smiled back at him, and he turned to look at Leomon. "You vowed you would rescue Gennai, and that's exactly what you did. I knew we could count on you, and Ogremon and the others, as well."

"I could say the same about you and your friends, Daichi Motomiya. You have the crests, do you not?"

Dai held out the Crest of Courage and motioned for Takara to hold out the Crest of Love. "We kept our end of the bargain, just like you did."

"Indeed, you have."

"Excellent, you're just like your father, Dai," Gennai said, clearly delighted at the way things had turned out.

"Of course he is!"

Leomon laughed and bowed to the former Digidestined leader. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Davis. I've heard so much about you."

"All of it good, I hope!"

"Er...um...well..."

Dai suppressed a smile and turned to look at the Digicore in Benjamin's hand. "Gennai said that was one of Azulongmon's Digicores, right? Veemon mentioned something about Azulongmon having twelve of them, when he told us about the Destiny Stones, and Agumon told us they helped Paildramon and some of the others digivolve to higher levels, but that's about all we know. Piximon also mentioned something about getting the one he had from a friend, and he said it belonged to a friend of a friend of his. Is the Digicore Benjamin's holding the same Digicore that gave us our Digivices?"

"No," Gennai said before Leomon could answer. "I am the friend who gave Piximon that Digicore to help you. Azulongmon lent it to me a long time ago, and I suspected what it might be for, but I did not know for sure until the Guardian of the Eastern Hemisphere later confirmed what I had come to believe. Benjamin and the rest of my counterparts all have one, as well, but their purpose is yet unknown; to everyone but Azulongmon, that is."

"It sounds like the Guardians of the Digital World like to speak in riddles," Sam said thoughtfully.

"Kind of like someone else I know," Agumon muttered, glancing at Gennai and nudging Gabumon in the ribs.

Benjamin merely shook his head and glared at Gennai. "So that's what your conversation with Azulongmon was about!"

Gennai ignored Benjamin and the two rookies, and his eyebrows narrowed into a frown. "I expect the Digicore I was given was sent back to Azulongmon after its purpose had been fulfilled. I doubt Piximon still has it."

"No, he doesn't, and speaking of Piximon, where is he?" Ryoko demanded. "That little runt left us all alone on File Island to face Crystalmon by ourselves! If Leomon hadn't been there-"

"I had another job for Piximon, Ryoko. He was only doing what I had asked him to do, and once he has fulfilled my request, I'm sure we'll see him again. I doubt he knows I was captured. I expect it'll be a rather nasty shock when he finds out!"

"Let me know when you plan to tell him. I want a front row seat!" Ogremon smirked.

"In that case, I'll join you," Ryoko snorted. "Serves him right for leaving us to the mercy of evil digimon!"

Gabumon smiled slightly and nudged Ryoko's knee with his head. "I'm glad you're okay, Ryoko. I'm sure Matt's really worried about you."

"Don't worry, Gabumon, Tirimon and I took real good care of him," Palmon said cheerfully.

"I know."

"My dad's going to have a fit when he finds out what happened here today," Ryoko sighed. "He probably is worried, but getting him to admit it is not exactly an easy thing to do."

"He knows you're safe with us," Tirimon said quietly. "Kara, as well. Right, Agumon?"

"I'm not going to let Tai down!"

"Thanks, Agumon," Takara murmured, looking extremely touched by the rookie's concern.

"That reminds me, how did you guys get here so quickly?" Gabumon asked.

Matty grinned at the little rookie and shrugged his shoulders. "We got lucky for once. There were hardly any guards to stop us from reaching the dungeons. We took out a few Bakemon, but that was it. I guess DarkAngelicmon and the others are still regrouping. It'll take them a while to inform all the guards we've gone missing."

Leomon pulled out his sword again and motioned for everyone to gather around him. "We're all safe at the moment, but we won't be for long if DarkAngelicmon catches up to us. Come. We must leave before any of the guards spot us."

"Too late, Leomon!" a voice sang out from the smaller entrance to the dungeons. "You guys talk too much, you know that? By the time DarkAngelicmon gets here, Gennai will be safely locked away in his cell again, along with the rest of you. Did you really think you could escape so easily?"

Dai let out a loud groan and turned to face BlackGatomon. The feline digimon stood just inside the door, with Ivymon behind her, and the look on her face suggested she was more than ready to pick up from where they had left off in the crest room. Don't they ever give up?

"Well, Dracomon, are you ready for round two?" Gabrielmon asked.

"More than ready. What about you, JewelBeemon?"

"Lead the way, my friend."

"Now you're talking!" Ogremon growled, leaping forward and swinging his club at the two digimon.

Dai exchanged a look with his father and made a face at the two evil digimon. They were so close to escaping, and although he was anxious to get out of the castle, he still could not help wondering if that would just end up putting them in even more danger. Vampiramon's master was out there somewhere, and if they ran into him before they could get back to the human world, there was no telling what might happen...