Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
A/N: Well, I'm finally back with a new chapter! I'm sorry it's taking me a little longer to put this one up, but I blame it on the Easter weekend and Kingdom Hearts II. (Forget Sora. You're my hero Roxas!) Er...yes...moving on...
Following the Footsteps of Destiny
Chapter 118: The Next Step
Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya
Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World
Daichi Motomiya paced restlessly over the forest floor and glanced impatiently in the direction of the ocean. He, along with his friends, were hiding just behind the first line of trees at the edge of the forest, and although he was starting to feel a little bit annoyed at having to wait so long for the others to arrive, a part of him could not help wondering why it was taking them so long to reach the gate. He, along with the rest of the Digidestined, had been waiting since before the sun had fully set for Benjamin and the rest of their friends to arrive, but so far Whamon had not bothered to make an appearance, and Benjamin's continued absence was making him extremely nervous. The light of the moon shone brightly over the water, and there were millions of tiny stars twinkling in the sky above them, but despite the pale blue glow, the forest still hid them pretty well from whatever might be lurking in the darkness. Unfortunately that didn't stop him from worrying about his friends.
Does the darkness hide them as well as it hides us?
Daichi frowned and made a face. At the moment, he not only had a great view of the ocean, but of the gate as well, and thankfully DarkAngelicmon and Spritemon were nowhere to be seen. His group had been lucky so far, but could the same thing be said for Benjamin and the others?
I wonder what's taking them so long. Benjamin wasn't sure whether or not Vampiramon would come after them if they tried to leave the forest, but if she did decide to follow them then maybe that's why they haven't shown up yet. I hope no one accidentally got left behind. What if Vampiramon has captured every single one of them? If she has, then there's no way she's going to let them survive long enough to try and make another escape...
"I wonder why Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon haven't tried to come after us themselves. They must be aware of our successful attempt to stop their guards from following us by now," Embermon muttered, breaking the silence. "They know where the gate is, so why haven't they come here to search for us? Something doesn't add up, and I'm beginning to wonder if we might have stepped right into a trap. What do you think, Dai?"
Dai gazed thoughtfully at his digimon partner for a moment and shook his head in confusion. Embermon had reverted back to his rookie form in order to make himself a little bit harder to spot in the forest, and the little digimon kept glancing uneasily at the small television glimmering faintly in the moonlight about fifty feet away from them. The beach looked peaceful enough, but Dai could not help wondering if it was all just an illusion.
Hurry, Benjamin! Let's get out of here before something else goes wrong!
"I bet Spritemon didn't come after us because of what happened to DarkAngelicmon," Mickey whispered, almost to himself. The older twin was sitting against the base of a large tree trunk, and he had his arms wrapped tightly around his legs. His golden head was resting gently on his knees, and the light of the moon made his skin look almost pure white in the darkness. Gabrielmon stood beside the golden-haired Digidestined with his back pressed against the tree, and the stormy look on his face was a clear indication that he had not quite forgiven Mickey for what had happened earlier. Despite how close they were to one another, Gabrielmon refused to look in Mickey's direction, and instead of paying attention to his partner, he kept his gaze focused on the ocean.
Great, the last thing we need is a rift between humans and their digimon partners. I wish either T.K. or Matty would knock some sense into those two!
"What do you mean, Mickey?" Matty asked, flopping down on the ground next to his twin and scratching his golden hair in confusion.
Mickey slowly lifted his head and frowned at his brother. "Matty, do you think DarkAngelicmon's still unconscious?"
"I have no idea. Why do you ask?"
"No reason. I just...I hope we didn't end up hurting him too badly."
"He's fine, Mickey. I'm sure he's awake by now, but there's something else you should know. Digimon and humans who have been corrupted by darkness don't always think along the same lines as we do," Gennai said quietly. The robed figure lowered himself to the ground and gently placed his hand on Mickey's shoulder. He smiled at the older twin and glanced curiously at Gabrielmon before continuing. "I do not know exactly why Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon have decided not to come after us, but I suspect it's because they don't believe they'll catch up to us in time before you humans leave through the gate and I find myself a way to get back to File Island. They probably think Jackie and the others left the forest a long time ago, and if that's the case, then I have no doubt they believe we've all left the Western Hemisphere behind us by now."
"You're right. DarkAngelicmon and Spritemon can't watch us on their screen anymore so they have no idea we're still stuck here on Cyber," T.K. murmured.
"Exactly."
Mickey tugged anxiously on Gennai's robe and bit his lip. "But...how do you know for sure DarkAngelicmon isn't really hurt?"
"Well, as far as I'm concerned, DarkAngelicmon can remain unconscious until we get our hands on the Spirit Chips!" Gabrielmon snapped.
Mickey turned slowly towards his partner and shook his head in denial. "You don't mean that."
"Yes I do, Makiya Takaishi! Do you realize how much trouble he's caused us?"
"Gabrielmon, you don't have to be so harsh," Angelicmon scolded. Matty's partner had been standing a little apart from the other angel in respectful silence, but at Gabrielmon's sudden outburst, he slowly moved forward and whispered something in the flustered champion's ear. Whatever he had said did not seem to sit well with Gabrielmon, though, because Mickey's partner lifted his chin and promptly turned his back on Angelicmon. The angel's wings nearly knocked Matty's partner off his feet, but instead of complaining about it, Angelicmon merely rolled his eyes and proceeded to converse quietly with MagnaAngemon.
Mickey stared at his partner as if he'd been slapped, and the older twin's lip began to tremble. "You don't hate me now, do you?"
"What?" Gabrielmon looked so startled, it was all Dai could do to stop himself from laughing. Normally the angel digimon was very calm, dignified, patient, and understanding, but at the moment he looked more flustered than anything else. "Mickey, of course I don't hate you! Why would you think something like that?"
Mickey shrugged his shoulders and gazed miserably at his feet. "I'm sorry, Gabrielmon. I didn't mean to make you angry."
"Mickey..."
Mickey doesn't really believe Gabrielmon hates him, does he?
Gabrielmon slowly knelt next to his partner, and without a word, he wrapped his arms around Mickey's smaller body. Mickey hid his face against Gabrielmon's chest, and the angel digimon let out a soft sigh. "Mickey, I would never want any human other than you for a partner, and you know it. We were meant to be together, and I think you feel the same way, even if you've never said it in those exact words. You've always treated me with respect, and I, in turn, have done the same for you. Don't you understand, Mickey? I care about you a lot, but I wish you wouldn't make me worry so much all the time."
"I really am sorry. I'll try not to be so reckless next time. I promise."
"You've said that before, but it didn't stop you from facing an entire army of evil digimon all by yourself!" Matty grumbled.
"That's not what I was trying to do!"
Gabrielmon laughed and gently ruffled his partner's hair. "I think I have to agree with Matty. You're probably going to ignore everything I've just said, but I guess that's what I'm here for. I will always protect you, Mickey, no matter how many crazy things you do."
Mickey lifted his head and beamed at his partner. "And I'll do the same for you because that's the way it's supposed to be between a digimon and his human partner."
"I definitely have to agree with you there, Mickey," T.K. interrupted, smiling fondly at the older twin. "Patamon and I haven't always been in agreement either, but we've always managed to work things out. Right, MagnaAngemon?"
MagnaAngemon bowed his head in acknowledgement of T.K.'s words and placed his right hand over his heart. "We might not always see eye to eye, but you're my partner, and I will never stray from your side no matter how much we argue."
"I know. Thanks, MagnaAngemon."
Daichi raised his eyebrows and gazed suspiciously at both T.K. and MagnaAngemon, but neither one of them cared to elaborate on the obvious significance behind their words. Mickey must have had similar thoughts because the older twin frowned thoughtfully at his father before closing his eyes and snuggling happily against his partner's chest.
"Well, I'm glad that's over. I was a bit worried there for a moment, but it looks like Mickey and Gabrielmon are finally getting along again. What do you think has happened to Benjamin and the others? You don't think they've been captured...or...or killed, do you?"
Dai jumped at the sound of Takara's voice and turned to see the female Digidestined standing behind him with Dovemon in her arms. Ryoko stood next to her, his face covered in shadow, and both Alopemon and Palmon stood just in front of the golden-haired Digidestined. Dai frowned when he realized all five of them were staring silently at him, as if waiting for an answer.
"I have no idea. I was hoping maybe one of you guys had come up with an explanation, but I guess not. Do you think we should look for them?"
"That might not be a very good idea, Daichi," Ryoko said quietly. "What if they show up just after we leave? If that happens, we could end up being stuck in the Digital World all night."
"You're right. I hadn't thought of that, but still, I doubt we could miss them very easily. All we would have to do is follow the shore and sooner or later we'd eventually run into them. Whamon can't leave the water, remember? The ocean is his only option when it comes to travelling, and Benjamin did say they'd arrive on his back."
"Yes, but what if something's gone wrong? What if they never had a chance to meet up with Whamon, and even if they did, how do we know which direction they'll be coming from? We could end up walking one way along the shore while they're going the other way. Can you imagine how long it would take our groups to find each other again if we starting heading in opposite directions?"
"Don't be stupid, Ishida! Whamon's obviously going to come from the same direction he left in earlier, or are you too dumb to realize that?"
"Guys, please don't fight!" Takara pleaded.
Ryoko smiled slightly and tugged gently on the female Digidestined's long, chestnut ponytail. Dai frowned at the blond, but Ryoko didn't seem to notice. At first he could not help feeling a little bit suspicious, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized Ryoko's playful gesture looked more like something along the lines of brotherly affection instead of romance. In fact, it reminded him a lot of Noah and Ema, and the obvious similarities between Kara's and Ryoko's relationship and that of the Kido siblings cheered him up considerably.
Does that mean Ryoko doesn't like Kara after all? I've never been sure about his feelings for her either way, and he's never once tried to stop me from getting close to her. I hope I'm right because if I'm not, it'll give him another excuse to hate me. Wait a minute, why would I even care if he did like Kara as more than a friend? It's not like I have a crush on her or anything, and besides, I'm too young to be thinking about stuff like that, even if she is really pretty, and smart, and nice, and friendly, and such an amazing soccer player...
"Kara, we aren't fighting. We're just trying to make sense of everything, but obviously we're not doing a very good job of it," Ryoko snorted, rolling his eyes.
Dai stared at the golden-haired Digidestined in surprise, but before he could say anything, Ryoko reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. The sudden unexpected touch made him jump, and he raised his eyebrows. "What's with you, Ishida?"
"I'm worried, too, Daichi, but...Benjamin and the others are really strong. We have to believe in them because if we don't, they might never make it out of the forest."
"Hey, how did you..."
"I'm not as blind as you think I am," Ryoko smirked, leaning close and whispering softly in his ear. "You always think you know everything, but it's amazing how much you miss when it's right in front of your face."
"What's that supposed to mean, Ishida?" Dai knew he sounded a bit irritated, but at the moment, he did not really care. As usual, Ryoko was starting to annoy him, but this time he chose to ignore the golden-haired Digidestined instead of stepping right into another fight. Ryoko had a really bad habit of speaking in riddles all the time, and it constantly drove him to the brink of insanity. "Well, Ishida? I'm waiting."
Ryoko raised his eyebrows and slowly stepped backwards. "If you're so smart, you figure it out."
Dai frowned at the golden-haired Digidestined, but before he could say anything, Takara started to giggle, and he glanced suspiciously in her direction. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing. I think I figured it out already quite a while ago, but obviously you haven't. Don't worry, Dai, you'll get it eventually."
Great, now they're both laughing at me. Some friends!
"You guys are going to drive me crazy one of these days, you know that?"
"No we won't," Takara giggled.
"You're kidding, right?"
"No, we're your rocks, Dai. We hold you up and keep you standing tall even when it looks like you might fail. You know what that means don't you, oh great Digidestined leader?"
Dai scratched his head and made a face. "Actually, no. Would you mind cluing me in a little bit?"
"It means you'll never fall while we're around to help you," Ryoko mumbled, turning his face away.
Even in the darkness, Dai could see the faint blush on the golden-haired Digidestined's cheeks, and it made him smile. All of a sudden he didn't feel so worried anymore, and it was all because of his friends. He hesitated a moment, and reaching out, he held Takara's hand in a tight grip and placed his other hand on Ryoko's shoulder. "Thanks, guys."
"Hey, Dai? They mean me, too, you know. I'll always be here to help you!" Embermon said enthusiastically.
The little rookie beamed up at him, and Dai returned the smile. "I know."
I really do have the best friends in the whole world, and it's all thanks to my parents. If they had never met T.K. and the others, I never would have met Mickey, Matty, and everyone else in our circle, including Miya and the others who aren't Digidestined. In fact, now that I think about it, my parents never would have met their friends either if it hadn't been for the Digital World. This place gave them their friends, and it gave me my friends too, and I'm not going to let Vampiramon's master cover this world in darkness, no matter what! That's the least we can do after everything this world has done for us.
Dai squeezed Takara's hand and glanced at Ryoko to study the other boy's reaction, and to his complete surprise, the golden-haired Digidestined didn't even twitch. The blond had definitely seen what he'd done because he had watched his friend's sapphire eyes shift in the direction of Takara's hand, but instead of getting upset, Ryoko merely smiled at the female Digidestined and turned to gaze quietly at the shore.
Does that mean he doesn't mind if I hold Takara's hand? He's always been pretty protective of her, but if that's the case then why isn't he saying something? There are a lot of guys at school who think Kara's really pretty, and Ryoko's always frowning at them. Could it be because he actually trusts me, unlike those other guys?
Hold onto your friends, Daichi. Hold on...
Huh? Did someone just say something? No way! It must have been my imagination...
It was almost as if Ryoko could read his mind because the blond's gaze suddenly shifted away from the ocean, and Dai found himself gazing into the golden-haired Digidestined's clear blue eyes. They stared at each other for a moment, and Dai blinked in surprise when Ryoko suddenly smiled at him. It was a shy and slightly nervous smile, but at the same time there was something about it that made him feel suddenly more hopeful inside.
Maybe it won't be so hard to get through to him after all.
"I wish Benjamin and the others would hurry up. I'm starting to feel as if I'll never have a chance to see Mimi again!" Palmon moaned.
"Well, it doesn't look like you're going to have to wait much longer because Whamon has just arrived. Look!" Alopemon smirked, pointing towards the ocean.
Dai glanced at the shore just in time to spot the last half of Whamon's head emerging out of the water, and a moment later, Benjamin and the others stepped out of the whale digimon's mouth.
"Finally!" Takara muttered, motioning for everyone to reveal themselves. "Come on, guys, let's go!"
Dai hesitated for just a moment, but on closer inspection he realized Whamon and the others weren't being followed, and unable to hide his surprise, he quickly rushed out of the forest. Takara and the others followed him without the slightest bit of hesitation, and even though he had been the first one to start moving, Sam, surprisingly enough, was the one who reached Whamon and the others first.
"Sam, you're safe! Yolei would not have been pleased if I'd let something bad happen to you. I'm sure she would insist it was partly my fault for allowing you to go to the castle without me," Hawkmon sniffed, looking a little bit relieved. "Benjamin told us you and your friends managed to rescue Gennai and get the crests back. I knew we could count on you guys. Oh, I see Glowmon has digivolved. Yolei will be very proud of you, my boy."
Sam blushed, and reaching out, he pulled Hawkmon into his arms and rested his cheek against the bird digimon's head. "Thanks, Hawkmon. I'm glad you're safe. I was really worried about you, you know."
"The feeling's mutual, Sam."
"Gatomon!" Matty cried, bending down and scooping the feline digimon into his arms. "I can't believe you're really here. I was afraid something bad might have happened to you."
"Not likely! What about you, Matty? You look a little pale. Is something wrong?"
Matty glanced at his twin, and turning back to Gatomon, he managed a weak smile. "If you want to know the truth, I'm not the one you should be worrying about."
"What do you mean?"
"Ignore him, Gatomon. He doesn't mean anything," Mickey mumbled, his face turning bright red. The older twin gave Gatomon a quick hug and frowned at his twin, but instead of making a comment, Matty merely smiled in amusement and pretended not to notice his brother's obvious discomfort.
"Kara, you didn't get hurt, did you?" Biyomon asked anxiously. The little bird digimon gently stroked Takara's right cheek with one of her small, pink wings and sent Agumon an accusing look, as if he were to blame for any injuries the female Digidestined might have suffered.
Takara laughed at the guilty look on Agumon's face and gave her mother's partner a quick squeeze. "I'm fine, Biyomon. Agumon helped me out a lot and so did all of the others. Dovemon's the one who needs to rest a little bit, not me."
"Dovemon, what happened? Are you okay?"
Takara's partner slowly lifted her head and beamed at Biyomon. "I am now, thanks to you guys. We were starting to think you might not make it."
"I know exactly how you feel. We're really sorry about the wait."
"Don't worry about it. You're here now. That's what matters."
"What about you, Dai? I hope you didn't get yourself into too much trouble while you were gone. Noriko would kill me if you did," Penguinmon said anxiously.
Dai crouched next to his mother's partner and gave the little rookie a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "In that case, I'd better not tell you or my mother what happened back at the castle."
"Why not?"
"Because, if she finds out, she'll likely kill me, too!"
"Hey, Whamon, thanks for bringing everyone back here. We really appreciate it," T.K. said softly.
Whamon bowed his large head in acknowledgement and let out a rather sheepish laugh. "You're welcome. Actually, if you want to know the truth, when I talked to you humans earlier, I'd almost forgotten I couldn't go on land with Agumon and the others, so when we reached the area where I thought Leomon and the others might be, I was forced to wait back at the shore for their return. It was a very dull day in my opinion, but I suppose that wasn't the case for you guys. I didn't really like having to send Agumon and the other rookies to look for Leomon by themselves, but I didn't exactly have a choice. Agumon and his friends promised me they would come back to the shore with Leomon and the others in tow so I could help them escape if that was necessary, and it looks like they've kept their promise. Well...sort of. I noticed a few of you were missing." Whamon sent Leomon, Agumon, and Gabumon a disapproving look, but for Benjamin he was full of praise. "Luckily Benjamin is well aware of my talents, and he put my ability to swim in the ocean to good use, even before Agumon had a chance to say anything about the promise he'd made to me..."
"I guess meeting up with Agumon's group in the forest wasn't exactly a stroke of good luck after all," Leomon laughed.
"Um...Whamon? I didn't bother telling Benjamin about the promise I made to you. I think, in a way, he already knew," Agumon said, looking a little embarrassed over the fact that, in a sense, he had broken part of the promise he'd made to the whale digimon.
Benjamin smiled and nodded in agreement. "I figured Whamon wanted us to meet up with him again. Besides, I knew he was the only chance we had of escaping from Vampiramon's army if she decided to attack us and, of course, I knew he was the only way we could safely transport Gennai back to the Eastern Hemisphere."
"Speaking of Vampiramon, how come she didn't follow you guys out of the forest? She must be aware of your successful attempt to escape by now," Ken said slowly.
A robed figure who looked exactly like Gennai and Benjamin frowned thoughtfully at the sky and shook his head. "I'm not sure, but I think when they realized we were trying to escape from the forest instead of making a run for the castle, they decided not to bother. They must have realized something wasn't right because none of them tried to follow us. Personally, I think it's because they realized something must have gone wrong at the castle and they were under the conclusion we had gone to meet up with the Digidestined again. I'm not sure why they would think that since I know for a fact none of them are aware of Benjamin's successful attempt to get inside the castle, but obviously they believe we must have found out somehow. I bet Vampiramon's master is very confused and very angry at the moment. Hello, Daichi. My name is Jackie, by the way, and these three are Jose, Ilya, and Hogan. We are the remainder of Gennai's counterparts. There are six of us in total, as I'm sure you're well aware of by now."
Dai nodded and smiled at Jackie. "That's for sure. It's nice to meet you, Jackie."
"You too, my friend."
"Wait a minute, how come Spritemon and DarkAngelicmon didn't follow you guys?" Tentomon asked, clearly confused.
Ryoko snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, that could have something to do with the fact that DarkAngelicmon was unconscious the last time we saw him, and Spritemon was trying to hide from Azulongmon's Digicore. We took out several of their flunkies who tried to follow us, but they weren't very much of a challenge."
"I'm not even going to ask," Candlemon muttered.
Whamon flipped his tail impatiently in the water and a fountain of water shot out of his blowhole. "Well, I am. I have no idea what's been going on with any of you guys! Would someone mind filling me in a little bit?"
Dai quickly told Jackie and the others what had happened in the castle, and Jackie, in turn, told him and the rest of his friends about what had happened in the forest. Gennai remained silent throughout the entire story, but at certain points of interest, a strange expression would cross his face, and a couple times he even smiled. His eyebrows rose on several occasions during both tales, but despite his many facial expressions, he did not offer an opinion on anything that was said.
Jackie finished his story with a deep sigh, and after a moment of silence, everyone started talking at once. Dai rolled his eyes at everyone's sudden desire to be heard, but his father was the one who could shout the loudest, and the others were forced to wait their turn. "Benjamin, why were you so concerned about Vampiramon's master getting his hands on your Digicore when Jackie and the others all have one as well? You gave yours to Gennai because you didn't want to bring it with you in case Vampiramon's master managed to find a way to steal it, but if he really wanted one, couldn't he have just taken Jackie's, or better yet, all four of the ones your counterparts are holding?"
Benjamin smiled slightly and shrugged his shoulders. "You're right, Davis. That would be the most logical thing to do, but there's one little problem with your theory. Jackie and the others don't have their Digicores with them at the moment. They left them back on Server before coming to the Western Hemisphere, and that is where they remain. I am the only one who brought one with, and the only reason I did is because we thought we might need at least one to help you guys out."
"It certainly came in handy, I would say," Centarumon agreed.
"Well, Gennai, what do you have to say about all of this?" Andromon asked.
"I need some time to think before I can give you a decent explanation."
Gotsumon blinked at the robed figure, and plopping on the ground, he rested his chin in his hands. "Well, then what do we do now?"
"We get Gennai back to File Island. What do you think we're going to do?" Ogremon snorted.
Leomon frowned at the virus digimon and held up his hand for silence. "This is what we're going to do. Daichi, you and the humans had better leave through the gate, and the rest of us are going to head back to File Island on Whamon. That's what we agreed to earlier, and we're not going to start changing our plan now."
Daichi knelt next to Penguinmon and placed his hands on the little rookie's shoulders. "Listen, Penguinmon. Veemon, Patamon, Wormmon, and Palmon are going to come back with us to the human world, but if you don't mind, I'd like the rest of you to go with Leomon and the others. If you want to know the truth, right now Gennai needs your protection more than we do. You might run into some trouble along the way, and I don't want to take any chances. Would you do that for me?"
"But, Dai, I want to see Joe!" Gomamon complained.
"And I want to see Kari!" Gatomon added.
"What about Mina?" Candlemon asked.
"Yolei must be very anxious to see me," Hawkmon concluded.
"Izzy's lost without me, you know. He thinks better when I'm around," Tentomon insisted.
"Don't forget about Rosa!" Gotsumon piped up.
Dai groaned and glanced at Penguinmon, but instead of complaining, his mother's partner merely nodded and bowed his head. "I will see Noriko soon. Don't worry, Dai, we'll do as you ask."
"Cody will come as soon as he has a chance. Until then I'm quite content to have a nice, long nap," Armadillomon said mildly.
"So, it's settled then?" Leomon asked.
Agumon nodded and moved over to stand next to Gennai. "It's settled. We should get going."
"I agree," Gabumon added.
Neither Gabumon nor Agumon had insisted they be brought to the human world, and Dai could tell it was because the two of them knew they were needed in the Digital World at the moment. Both digimon were obviously anxious to see their partners again, but clearly they were willing to wait if it meant they had a chance to throw a wrench into DarkAngelicmon's carefully crafted plans.
"Oh, Sora, I'll see you soon. I promise," Biyomon whispered.
"Before you all go, there's something I need to tell you," Gennai said quietly, his sapphire eyes pausing on each of their faces before moving onto the next target. "You do want to know about the Spirit Chips, don't you? When you come back to the Digital World tomorrow, meet me at the gate by the edge of the forest on File Island. Izzy will know which one I mean. All of us will be there, Agumon and the others included, and like I promised earlier, I will explain what I know about the Spirit Chips to you and anything else you wish to hear about. The fate of the Digital World depends on it, I'm afraid."
Dai lifted Embermon into his arms, and smiling at Gennai, he nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, Gennai. We'll be there. Come on, guys, let's go home."
"See you, Andromon, and thank you for looking out for my sons and their partners. I'm glad we could see each other again," T.K. said softly.
Andromon placed a hand on T.K.'s shoulder and bowed his head. "It was an honour to be chosen to guard Celestimon and Halomon. I will protect your sons whenever I can. Please tell Kari I'm anxious to see her again."
"I will."
"We all will," Gabrielmon confirmed.
Dai turned to look at his father, and his dad smiled at him before turning to Leomon. "Thanks for looking after Embermon and my son. I really appreciate it."
"You're welcome."
"Dad!" Dai felt his face heat up, and grumbling to himself, he quickly turned his back on his father. I think he secretly enjoys embarrassing me all the time!
"Same to you, Centarumon, and you as well, Whamon. Dovemon, Kara, Sam, and Glowmon are safe because of you two," Ken added.
All of them exchanged farewells, and as soon as Whamon had swum back out into the ocean again, Dai held out his Digivice and pointed it at the gate. "I hope Mom doesn't freak out on me this time, but I doubt I'm going to get that lucky. Let's go, guys. Digiport open!"
Dai held Embermon tightly in his arms, and he smiled at the dark sky twinkling with millions of tiny stars above him. With one last look at Whamon's retreating form, he closed his eyes and let the light from the portal suck him in and take him home again. It had been a long day, but despite the fact that he and his friends had managed to get the crests back, for some reason he still felt as if the battle was really only just beginning, and that made him feel even more determined to find the Spirit Chips...