Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter! Actually, the chapter coming up after this one is one of my favorites so far, so I hope to get it up as soon as I can!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 113: A Long Forgotten Past

Ryoko Ishida

Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World

"Hey, watch it with that thing!" BlackGatomon shouted, ducking under Ogremon's club and raking her claws against the larger digimon's left leg. Ogremon winced and quickly backed away from the feline digimon, but before he could get very far, Ivymon hit him in the face with the roots attached to the end of her right arm and sent him stumbling into Leomon.

The lion digimon managed to grab Ogremon's arm, and his dark eyes narrowed into a frown. "Ogremon, when are you ever going to learn to look before you leap?"

"Hey, at least I'm not standing around doing nothing! Admit it, Leomon, you and the others never would have made it this far without me!"

"And we'll likely not make it out of here because of you, too!"

Ryoko Ishida ignored the two digimon and tugged anxiously on his uncle's arm. T.K. turned to look at him, and he glanced nervously over his shoulder at Ivymon and BlackGatomon. He did not want the two evil digimon to overhear what he was saying, but thankfully the chances of that happening were almost non-existent. Leomon and Ogremon were providing enough of a distraction to keep the two female digimon occupied, at least for the time being, and that gave him a perfect opportunity to speak with his uncle.

"What's wrong, Ryoko?"

"Listen, Uncle T.K., I think you'd better e-mail Izzy and tell him what's going on. There's no point in trying to escape from the dungeons if we don't even know where the next weak point is."

"You're right. I hadn't thought of that, but it makes sense. We're probably only going to get one chance to escape, and we don't want to waste it trying to find out where the next weak point is. I'll e-mail Izzy right now, and hopefully he'll have an answer for us before we have our opportunity to make a run for it."

"If only Matt were here. I'd be able to help out a lot more if I could digivolve," Gabumon said quietly, looking a little bit lost and unsure of what to do. "Veemon, Patamon, and Wormmon are really lucky, especially Wormmon. I never thought he would digivolve to ultimate without ExVeemon!"

"I know exactly how you feel, Gabumon. I'd give anything to have Mimi by my side right about now," Palmon sighed.

They miss my parents just as much as I do. I bet my mom's really worried about me, and my dad's probably throwing a huge fit. Either that or he's snapping at everyone within five feet of him and trying to act like nothing's wrong. He never gives away his emotions unless he's around people he trusts or he's been pushed too far over the edge to prevent them from erupting like a huge volcano. And what about the others? The rest of my family and friends must be worried too, and then there's Ami... Ryoko blushed at the mere thought of Dai's sister, and kneeling next to Gabumon, he quickly buried his face in the rookie's soft fur to hide his expression. Why am I being such an idiot? It's not like Dai can read my mind or anything, but still, I shouldn't think about his sister like that. He already hates me enough as it is. I don't need to give him any more reasons to despise me. Only a fool falls for his best friend's sister. Then again, I don't really have a best friend, do I. Mickey and Matty don't count because they're my cousins, and I know Sam cares about me, but he'll always get along with Mickey the best out of everyone in our group, and Takara's a girl. She's like a sister to me, and as much as I don't understand girls, I don't think they really understand guys either, though you'd never get them to admit it. She's my best female friend, but a guy really needs a best male friend, too, in order to keep his sanity. How did my dad do it? How did he finally manage to summon enough courage to tell Tai the truth?

"Ryoko, is something wrong?" Palmon asked, watching him closely.

Ryoko managed a weak smile and gently stroked the large petals sticking out of the plant digimon's head. "No, it's just...I wish my parents were here, too. I think Tirimon and I could learn a lot from watching you and Gabumon fight as champions."

Ami's probably watching our signals on the computer right now. I wonder if she's worried about me...

"I've finished it," T.K. said, closing his D-Terminal and letting out a deep sigh. "Now, hopefully, Izzy will be able to respond in time."

"He will, Uncle T.K. Izzy hasn't failed us yet, and I doubt he's going to start now."

"Izzy? Of course! I should have known," a voice coming from behind them suddenly interrupted.

Ryoko jumped and turned around to glare at Gennai. "I'm not finished with you yet, you know! I haven't exactly forgotten how much trouble you've caused us, and if you think I'm just going to forgive you for that, forget it!"

"Your father would have been annoyed, as well. In fact, as I recall, he wasn't exactly too thrilled with me either when he first came to the Digital World. You don't understand, as of now, but you will after I explain everything to you."

"Good luck with that, Gennai. If anything, you'll only confuse us even more!"

"Ryoko!"

Ryoko glanced at his uncle and blushed when he realized T.K.'s bright blue eyes were filled with disapproval. "Well, it's true, Uncle. He's part of the reason why we've been in so much danger lately."

"That doesn't mean you have to show such disrespect!"

"But..."

T.K. gently ruffled his golden hair and let out a soft laugh. "Don't ever change, Ryoko. The world wouldn't be half so interesting without paople like you in it."

What's that supposed to mean? Now I'm really confused...

"You guys are a joke!" Ogremon suddenly shouted, and Ryoko turned to see Tirimon and the other digimon standing in a semicircle around BlackGatomon and Ivymon. The two groups had been doing nothing but sizing each other up for the last five minutes, and the looks on the two evil digimons' faces had become uneasy all of a sudden.

It's like they've just realized they're surrounded, and now they're not sure what to do anymore.

"Ogremon's right. You can't possibly hope to defeat us," Dracomon said quietly, his violet eyes flickering from one evil digimon to the other. It was hard to tell what the newly evolved champion was thinking because of the dark green mask covering his face and the top of his head, but judging from the way his colourful wings kept fluttering impatiently in the air, it was obvious he had run out of patience. "There are only two of you and fourteen of us. Five rookies, seven champions, and two ultimates should be able to defeat one champion and one ultimate without too much difficulty, I think. You're outnumbered, and fighting us will accomplish absolutely nothing."

"Are you afraid of what DarkAngelicmon and Spritemon will do to you if you fail?" Gabrielmon asked softly. Mickey's partner looked surprisingly sympathetic, and the look he exchanged with Dracomon was one filled with mutual understanding.

Ivymon's pale green face turned bright red, and her dark blue eyes narrowed into a frown. "Don't be ridiculous! Our job is to listen and obey. Even if we fail here today, which we won't, DarkAngelicmon will find another use for us. No digimon can truly become great without servants to carry out his or her plans."

"I suppose death is more inviting than facing DarkAngelicmon's wrath," JewelBeemon said dryly.

"Enough talk!" BlackGatomon snapped, tugging angrily on her dark tail. "We don't have to actually defeat you fools. We only have to delay you long enough to give the other guards enough time to come and help us out. DarkAngelicmon and Spritemon have the entire castle surrounded by servants sworn to the Ruler of Darkness, and the longer you take to make a run for the forest, the more suspicious they're going to get. They're going to come straight to the dungeons with a bunch of guards as soon as they realize you haven't tried to escape yet, and when they do, DarkAngelicmon's going to turn you all into a pile of kitty litter!"

"I doubt it," Matty snorted, stepping up next to his partner and stroking one of Angelicmon's gold and white wings. "As I recall, DarkAngelicmon wants us alive and unharmed, so I doubt he's going to try and destroy us!"

"Maybe not you humans, but your partners are a different story!"

"We have no problem holding our own against your fallen angel master," Angelicmon said stiffly.

MagnaAngemon nodded in agreement and pointed his sword at BlackGatomon. "Step aside, follower of darkness, or we will be forced to purify your soul."

"Why, so you can turn me into some golden nitwit like Angewomon? No thanks, MagnaAngemon. I have better things to do with my time than hang out with Digidestined like you!"

T.K. laid a hand on his partner's arm and stared at the feline digimon with a rather strange expression on his face. "Are...are you the same LadyDevimon who came after Kari?"

BlackGatomon studied T.K.'s face for a moment and smiled slightly. "Kari Kamiya? She's a Digidestined, isn't she? I've heard her name before. LadyDevimon, you say? Maybe, but...maybe not. If I ever did live a previous life, I certainly don't remember very much of it. The Powers of Darkness have this way of making you forget who you are, and most of the time that's probably a good thing. Did I die and become a vaccine digimon through the process of reconfiguration, only to become corrupted again, or did the Digidestined fail in their attempt to save me and I came back just as I am? Or maybe I came back as a good virus digimon and ended up being corrupted again. Tell me, Child of Hope, am I the same digimon? My past is a mystery, even to me, and I do not wish to remember it. DarkAngelicmon took me under his wing and gave me everything I need in life, and I won't let you take it away from me!"

"Your story sounds so much like Gatomon's," Mickey said sadly. "LadyDevimon. She's a fallen angel digimon, as well. I understand now. Will you not let us help you? My mother and her friends managed to save Gatomon. We could do the same for you, if you'll let us."

"Unlike Myotismon, my master treats me well. Oh yes, Makiya Takaishi, I know the story. Gatomon's a very noble digimon. I despise noble digimon! It's time for your partner to die, little human!"

"Who are you calling little?" Dai muttered.

"Wait! I..."

Gabrielmon pulled Mickey close and rested his cheek against the older twin's golden hair. The look on the angel digimon's face was filled with affection, but the smile turning up the corners of his mouth was sad. "We can't always save everyone, Mickey, especially those who don't want to be saved."

"But...it's not fair!"

"No, it's not," T.K. said quietly, reaching out and giving his son a quick hug. "What Gabrielmon said is true, but that doesn't mean you stop trying. In the end, sometimes you get lucky."

"We sure did!" Davis laughed.

"Whatever you do, Mickey, don't ever give up," Ken said firmly. "If Davis and the others had done that, then..."

"What is it, Dad?" Sam asked curiously.

"I...if only I wasn't so afraid to tell you..."

"What?"

Ryoko frowned at the two raven-haired Digidestined and turned to gaze at BlackGatomon again. "My uncle and the others may be right, but as far as I'm concerned, we're going to save you whether you like it or not! Tirimon, I don't care who BlackGatomon is! Let's stop her and Ivymon so we can get out of here!"

"As you wish, Ryoko. Arctic Blast!"

"Dragon Stingers!" Dracomon shouted, shooting a barrage of sharp purple needles out of the tiny holes running along the side of his right, dark green gauntlet. BlackGatomon leaped behind Ivymon to avoid the blast and let out a sharp cry. The poison plant digimon caught most of the needles in her stomach, and she fell back through the door, almost flattening her feline companion.

"I think it's time I put this Digicore to work again," Benjamin muttered, opening his hands and directing the light towards the smaller entrance to the dungeons. BlackGatomon and Ivymon had not managed to get to their feet again yet, but as soon as they did, they were going to get a face full of bright yellow light, which was almost white in its intensity.

"We don't have time for another fight!" Dai complained, stamping his right foot impatiently against the stone floor. "Hey, T.K., what's taking Izzy so long?"

T.K. frowned at his D-Terminal and jumped when it gave off a sudden beep. "Well, you have to admit, he does have great timing. Let's see what he has to say."

Ryoko shoved the goggle-headed leader aside and squinted at the message on his uncle's D-Terminal. It said:

T.K.,

I was hoping you would send us some good news, and you didn't disappoint me! I'm glad you guys were able to escape with the crests, but the fact that Leomon and the others were able to find Gennai is even better. Now maybe we'll start to get some answers for all the questions we have about the Spirit Chips and D-Coders. I wasn't sure if Leomon and the rest of our friends would make it in time to rescue Gennai, but they did, and you guys arrived just at the right moment to help them out! Now, I guess I should give you the final set of instructions, which will lead you out of the castle. You guys entered the dungeons through the smaller entrance, and I'm assuming Leomon and the others entered through the larger one on the opposite side of the room. What I'm going to say next is actually kind of funny, but it doesn't really matter which entrance BlackGatomon and Ivymon are blocking because you guys aren't going to be leaving through either one of them! As far as I can tell, there are ten cells on both sides of the dungeon, and Gennai was held in the sixth one on the left, counting from the smaller entrance, right? At least, that's what you said in your e-mail. Well, the weak point you guys are going to use is located in the fifth cell on the left, which is right next to Gennai's cell if you're again counting from the smaller entrance. It's located on the back wall, and it leads into a hallway that curves around the dungeons. As soon as you leave through the weak point, I want you to head right, and eventually it will lead you to a staircase on the southeast side of the castle. The stairs lead to a dead end, and your only option is to turn left. Do that quickly and your new hallway will take you to another dead end. This time you have the option of turning left or right. Turn left again and the hallway will lead you directly into the East Tower. Make sure Embermon digivolves as soon as you leave through the East Tower door, and get out of there as soon as possible. And, of course, do whatever you have to do to help Jackie and our digimon back in the forest. I have to admit, I'm worried about Tentomon and the others, especially with Vampiramon's master watching their every move. I hope Jackie knows what he's doing. Well, that's all the help Taniko and I can give you at this point. The rest is up to you guys now. Stay safe, and we'll see you when you get back!

Izzy

P.S. Ryoko, your dad finally showed up and he's forcing me to ask you if you're okay. Please say yes otherwise I'm in serious trouble. Yolei's driving me crazy and...uh-oh! I better send this before Yolei reads it! Make sure you tell us everything, and don't leave out any details. Also, tell Gennai I said hi!

Ryoko glanced at his uncle and smiled slightly. "I hope my dad's not being too hard on Izzy."

"Knowing Matt, he probably is. I wouldn't worry about it, though, if I were you. If anyone's going to drive Izzy crazy, it'll be Yolei, not your dad. I'll e-mail Izzy and let him know we got his message, and while I'm at it, I'll let your parents know you're fine, as well. How does that sound?"

"Perfect! Thanks, Uncle T.K. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Now let's get out of here while we still have a chance! Did everyone get an opportunity to read Izzy's message?"

"Don't worry, Dad, we know what to do," Mickey said softly. "Gabrielmon, I know you want to help BlackGatomon, too, but we have to go now."

"MagnaAngemon, follow us!" T.K. called out.

All of their digimon seemed to get the message because instead of attacking BlackGatomon and Ivymon, they quickly retreated and joined their human partners again. Only Benjamin, Ogremon, Leomon, JewelBeemon, and ExVeemon remained to keep the two evil digimon from trying to follow them, despite Ogremon's complaints.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" BlackGatomon snapped, her eyes narrowing into angry slits. She, along with Ivymon, had spent most of the last few minutes hiding behind the door to avoid getting hit by multiple attacks, and the look on her face clearly stated she was not at all pleased by the way things had turned out.

"Get back here right now!" Ivymon snarled.

"Since when have I ever listened to evil digimon? Vee-Laser!"

"Fist of the Beast King!"

"Spike Buster!"

"You mean we have to leave now? But, I was just getting warmed up!" Ogremon grumbled.

The three blasts exploded into Ivymon and BlackGatomon, and both digimon fell back through the door again. Benjamin directed the light of the Digicore into the corridor, and even though Ryoko could not see the two virus digimon, that did not stop him from hearing their screams.

"Now!" Benjamin shouted.

"Follow me!" Gennai called out, yanking open the door of the fifth cell and leaping through the weak point.

MagnaAngemon gently pushed T.K. into the cell, and glancing over his shoulder, the angel digimon let out a soft sigh. "We will save you yet, BlackGatomon."

Ryoko frowned and studied MagnaAngemon's face, but the angel never said another word. Instead, he followed T.K. through the weak point and did not look back.

I guess we'll never know, but maybe it's better that way.

"Ryoko, hurry up," Tirimon growled, nudging him in the shoulder and pushing him towards the weak point. In the end, he had to grab onto one of Dracomon's wings to stop himself from getting left behind, but even so, he was the last one to leave with only Tirimon, Sam's partner, and Benjamin for company. Thankfully, because of Benjamin's efforts in particular, BlackGatomon and Ivymon would not have a clue what had happened when they finally recovered because the Digicore continued to shine right up until Benjamin stepped through the weak point, and Ryoko's last look at the dungeons proved what he had already come to expect. There were no evil digimon in sight, but despite that, he could not help feeling as if the worst was yet to come...