Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
A/N: Good news for FTFOD fans! I've kept my promise, so you won't be seeing any new stories from me for a while. I'm going to be focusing on FTFOD, which means hopefully the updates will be faster than they have been for the past couple months. Also, there will be the occasional Trinity chapter stuck in every so often, as well, since I want to get back to that story. The next FTFOD chapter will be my long chapter, so it may take me two weeks to write it, but it's coming!
Following the Footsteps of Destiny
Chapter 131: Ryoko's Inner Battle
Ryoko Ishida
Odaiba, Japan, Earth
"Come on, guys, hurry up!" Takara shouted, tugging on Dai's arm and glancing anxiously in the direction of the Motomiya residence. "We want to have as much time in the Digital World as possible, don't we?"
"And I thought Dai was bad," Matty muttered, earning himself a series of dirty looks from both Dai and Takara.
Ryoko Ishida walked silently next to Ami, and although he was trying his best to keep his sapphire eyes focused firmly on the sidewalk beneath his feet, he could not stop himself from occasionally glancing at Sam when he felt sure the raven-haired Digidestined wasn't looking. At the moment, Sam was trailing along behind the twins at the back of the group, and he appeared to be lost in thought. There was a slightly vacant look on his face, and he was gazing up at the clouds in a way that suggested he was seeing something no one else could see.
All during class, Ryoko had only had one thought in mind, and the more he dwelled on it, the more he felt as if some vile creature was eating away at his heart. The question, of course, was whether or not he should tell Sam his suspicions about the Digimon Emperor. Never before had he ever been faced with such a difficult task, and whatever he decided could very well affect his friendship with Sam. Even though he hadn't had a chance to tell Dai what was on his mind, he still wanted to say something to the goggle-headed leader with the attitude that it had to be kept secret, especially from Sam. Unfortunately, after spending hours mulling the situation over in his head during class, he was starting to wonder if maybe it wouldn't be better just to tell Sam and get it over with. The raven-haired Digidestined was bound to find out sooner or later, and it was probably better if he found out from a friend instead of from someone who wanted to hurt him.
If I don't tell him, he'll probably accuse me of keeping secrets from him, but if I do tell him, he might accuse me of lying, or he might take his anger out on me just because I was the one who told him the truth. Either way, our friendship is still at risk. I already have enough problems with Dai. I don't want Sam to hate me too...
"Ryoko, is something wrong?" Ami asked quietly, her lips coming dangerously close to his ear. "You look a little upset. Does this have something to do with your dad?"
Ryoko bit his lip and quickly shook his head. "No way. My dad and I are closer than we've ever been. It has nothing to do with him."
"Well, what is it then?"
Ryoko glanced anxiously at Dai and felt his face heat up. Ami was standing so close to him now he could literally feel the heat of her skin soaking into his arm, and although he would die before he would ever admit it, the intense look on her face was starting to make him feel extremely nervous. "Nothing. There's nothing wrong. Forget I said anything."
Ami raised her eyebrows and shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. "You're lying to me."
"What?"
"Don't worry, I'm not upset. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but just so you know, I am here if you need someone to talk to. Oh, and in case you've forgotten, I am Dai's sister, so if you want to know something, or you just want to complain about him, you can always come to me. I might be of some help. In fact, I think you'd be surprised by how much I know about him."
Ryoko froze and stared at her with his mouth hanging open. "What...what are you trying to say?"
"Do you hate my brother?" Ami asked, gazing calmly into his eyes.
She knows the truth! Either that or she's making a pretty good guess...
Ryoko blushed and quickly looked away from her. "I...uh..."
"That's what I thought. At first I wasn't sure, but now I am."
Ryoko felt a small stab of panic somewhere within the vicinity of his heart, and before he could stop himself, he pulled the pretty brunette close and glanced over her shoulder to see if Dai was watching them. Luckily, the goggle-headed leader was too busy arguing with Kara to notice what was going on around him. "You won't tell him, will you?"
"Not if you don't want me to. Besides, he'll never believe me."
"Everyone always says that. Ami, you wouldn't happen to know...I mean...has Dai ever..."
Ami smiled mysteriously at him, and to his complete astonishment, she leaned close and gave him a quick hug. "Even if whatever is bothering you isn't about Dai, if you can't tell anyone else, you can always tell me."
For the first time that day, Ryoko finally felt like smiling. "Thanks, Ami, I'll remember that."
The two of them started off again in silence, and once more Ryoko was left alone with his thoughts. Dai was the leader of the Digidestined, and after Sam, he was probably the one who needed to know the truth about the Emperor the most, but unfortunately Ryoko was starting to wonder if telling the goggle-headed leader was the right thing to do.
I hate this. I should have just told Dai when I had the chance, and what about Sam? I don't think I'll ever be able to work up enough nerve to tell either one of them. Sam deserves to know the truth more than anyone, but what if he doesn't believe me? What if I tell him and he doesn't want to be friends with me anymore? What if I don't tell him and he doesn't want to be friends with me anymore?
Ryoko felt his eyes sting with sudden tears and he gazed miserably at his feet. At that moment, he would have given anything for a chance to tell Dai because at least then they would have something to build their friendship on, and it would give him a reason to believe his friendship with Sam was strong enough to survive the secrets of the Emperor.
I can't tell Sam or Dai. I can't tell anyone! I just...can't. What if I'm wrong? What if there's a chance I might have missed some small important detail that could change everything I've come to believe? Sam would never forgive me if I accused his father of being the Emperor for nothing...
Several minutes later, they came to a stop in front of the Motomiya residence, and because everyone wanted to be the first one through the door, they ended up getting stuck in the doorway with arms and legs poking out in every direction. Taysuke and Taniko managed to wriggle their way through first, and untangling himself from Noah, Ryoko quickly followed the two younger children up the stairs.
"We're here!" Taniko sang out, waltzing into the Motomiyas' small office and giving her dad a brilliant smile. Ryoko spotted his mother, Palmon, and his father sitting on chairs by the computer, and without a word he made his way over to them with what he hoped was a cheerful expression on his face. As usual, Izzy's eyes were glued to the computer screen, but he did look up long enough to return his daughter's smile. Mina sat on the computer expert's right-hand side, and she, too, was staring at the monitor. Since there weren't enough chairs, Davis and his sister Jun were sprawled next to each other on the floor, and T.K. was sitting by Mina's feet, with Rina in his arms and Patamon snoozing on his head. Tai and Sora were sitting on the floor next to Mina's chair, and Dai's dog, Shadow, was chasing DemiVeemon all around the room. The little in-training digimon didn't appear to mind, though, because he was giggling loudly and appeared to be having quite a bit of fun. Nao was curled up on the floor next to Davis, and he was watching Shadow chase DemiVeemon with a smile on his face.
"It looks like everyone is here now," Davis said loudly over the noise, glancing at Izzy for further instructions. "Noriko, Cody, and Rosa are coming later."
"Yes, well, in that case we'd-"
"Uncle Matt!" Matty shouted, crossing the room and flinging his arms around his uncle in a tight hug. "Ryoko told us everything this morning. We think it was really brave the way you were able to overcome the darkness in your heart."
"No wonder you're such good friends with my dad," Taysuke added, beaming at the golden-haired Digidestined.
Tai laughed and reached out to ruffle Taysuke's hair. "I knew you would say that!"
"Matt was just telling us he'd finally told Ryoko the whole story about Cherrymon and the dark cave," Jun explained, slipping her arm around Ema's shoulders and giving Matt a warm smile. "Isn't that right?"
Matt nodded and hugged Matty close to his heart. "Yeah, I did. Rina and Nao loved it. And thanks, Matty. What you said really means a lot to me."
"You're welcome."
"If that's what it took for you and Uncle Tai to become such good friends, then it was worth it," Mickey said shyly. Seeing as Matty still had his arms around Matt, Mickey hugged his uncle around the neck from behind, his cheek resting against the back of Matt's head. Somehow Matt managed to shift around enough to slip an arm around each twin, and the look he sent them was filled with gratitude. "You have no idea how good it feels to hear you two say those kinds of things. I'm going to let Cody, Rosa, and all the others know I told Ryoko, and I'll let them know Ryoko told the rest of you kids as soon as I see them."
"It was unanimous," Dai said importantly, beaming at all those assembled around him and turning to look at Matt. "We all agreed you made some pretty big mistakes, but you made up for them with all the good things you did. Isn't that right, guys?"
"Definitely," Kenzo said firmly.
"Obviously," Ema snorted.
Even Sam nodded vigorously in agreement, and Ryoko could not help feeling immensely relieved.
I hope he can be just as understanding when he finds out about the Emperor.
"Daichi, I hope you've learned something today," Davis scolded, crossing his arms and frowning at his son.
Dai blinked and scratched his head in confusion. "Uh...like what?"
Davis groaned and shook his head. "You're as hopeless as I am sometimes!"
"Isn't it obvious?" Tai interrupted, rolling his eyes.
Ryoko stared at the two former leaders and raised his eyebrows when he realized both of them were looking directly at him. Dai noticed, as well, and turned to see what his father was looking at, and Ryoko felt his face turn bright red. Now all three of them were staring at him.
"Well?" Davis asked, grinning at his son.
Dai blushed, and looking around for something to do, he quickly pulled DemiEmbermon out of his backpack. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Can we come out now?" Goldmon shouted from somewhere inside Matty's backpack, taking advantage of the sudden silence.
Ryoko quickly pulled Iramon out of his own backpack, and soon the little digimon was joined by the rest of his in-training friends. Despite Ryoko's efforts to avoid looking at Dai, he could not help feeling as if he were being watched.
Were Tai and Davis talking about me?
"Let's go, let's go!" Fluttermon said eagerly, hopping up and down on the carpet.
"You two be good!" Taniko giggled, grinning at her parents and kissing them both on the cheek.
Ryoko turned to his mother and gave her a quick hug. "I'll see you later."
"Stay safe."
"We'll be back before you guys know it!" Dai said confidently.
Ami glared at the goggle-headed leader, and without warning, she suddenly scrambled to her feet and threw her arms around her brother in a tight hug. "Don't you dare do anything dumb, or else!"
"Ami! What in the Digiworld has gotten into you? Will you get off? You're embarrassing me! Besides, when have I ever done anything dumb?"
"Didn't we have this conversation once before?" Matty smirked.
"Oh, come on, Dai, you do something dumb at least once a day!" Ami snorted.
Instead of getting angry, Dai just rolled his eyes and patted his sister gently on the back. "I'll be careful, I promise."
"Do the exact opposite of what I would do and you'll be fine!" Davis laughed, ruffling his son's hair. "Go on, get going."
"You two look out for each other," T.K. added, frowning at his sons.
Mickey nodded and smiled shyly at his twin. "We always do."
"So, who wants to do the honours this time?" Taniko asked, waving her hand at the computer screen.
"I will!" Takara squealed, picking up Fluttermon and making her way towards the computer. She held up her green D-Coder and pointed it excitedly at the screen. "Everyone ready?"
Ryoko watched his father give his mother one last kiss on the cheek before coming over to him, and the two of them quickly gathered around Takara.
"We're ready, Kara," Sora replied, smiling at her daughter.
"Next stop, File Island! Digiport open!"
Ryoko felt the familiar sensation of being pulled into the computer screen and he quickly grabbed onto his dad's arm. "This is the part I hate."
"Same here," his dad said softly in his ear. "By the way, Ryoko, thanks for telling the others. I appreciate it."
Ryoko didn't say anything. Instead, he wrapped an arm around his dad's waist and let himself be swept through the gate.
Masato 'Matty' Takaishi
File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World
Matty landed in the grass on his stomach and felt Celestimon bounce off his back. Muttering to himself, he quickly got to his feet and glared accusingly at the television on his left. Taniko was peering at him through the screen, and there was a small smile of amusement on her face. "Have a nice trip?"
"It's not funny, Taniko! This place is trying to kill us!"
Taniko shrugged her shoulders and started to giggle. "It looked funny!"
"Hey, Taniko, you'd better keep your eyes on our signals in case we're attacked and I have to send someone from Dai's group back for reinforcements," Izzy instructed, crouching in front of the screen.
"No problem, Daddy. I'll take care of things on this end. You just make sure Gennai tells you everything we need to know about the Spirit Chips."
"I will."
"See you soon, honey," Mina called out, leaning over Izzy's shoulder and blowing her daughter a kiss.
The computer screen went blank, and Matty once again turned his attention to the landscape. "I don't see anyone."
"Maybe they're in the forest," Celestimon suggested, fluttering into the air and pointing at the thick line of trees stretching off into the distance and curving slightly to block the base of a large mountain from view. "I think I feel Gatomon around here somewhere."
"Gennai did say our digimon were going to meet us here, too, right?" Mina asked, glancing curiously at her husband.
"Definitely," Dai interrupted before Izzy could answer. "I wonder where they are."
"Look, I think that's them now!" Dovemon piped up, hovering leisurely next to Takara's shoulder and nodding her head towards the forest. Several of the bushes were rustling at the edge of the trees, and a moment later Agumon came bursting out of the forest. Gabumon and the other digimon were right on his heels, and before anyone could move, several of the rookies threw themselves at their various partners and began to chatter in loud, happy voices.
"Tai! I knew you'd come back! I knew it!" Agumon cheered, hugging his partner around the legs.
Tai knelt next to Agumon and wrapped his arms around the rookie's large head. "It's great to see you again, buddy. I was a bit worried there for a few years when the gates didn't open again. How are you doing?"
"Great! We've been helping your daughter and her friends in every way possible."
Tai gave Agumon a brilliant smile and pulled the rookie into a tight hug. "I know. Thanks for all your help. It made it easier on me to know you've been watching out for Kara. You're the best digimon partner I could have asked for."
"Thanks, Tai. Does this mean you're going to help us find the Spirit Chips?" Agumon asked, gazing hopefully at his partner.
Tai nodded and grinned at the little rookie. "You bet I am."
"Oh, Sora, I feel like I've been waiting forever to see you again," Biyomon cried, hiding her face against her partner's shoulder. "You have no idea how much I've missed you."
Sora gently stroked Biyomon's feathers and smiled to herself. There were tears in the Child of Love's eyes, as well, but her face was glowing, and for the first time since finding out the gates to the Digital World had opened again, she looked truly happy instead of anxious. "Trust me, Biyomon, I know exactly how you feel. I've felt the same way for the last fifteen years. I can't thank you enough for keeping an eye on Kara. I would never have forgiven myself if anything had happened to her."
"She's a great human," Biyomon said softly, "just like you are."
"Mina, I'm so glad you're here! We've never really had much time to spend together," Candlemon said sadly, gazing mournfully at his partner.
Taking extra care not to let her skin come in contact with any of Candlemon's flames, Mina quickly slid her arms around her partner in a tight hug and gave him a warm smile. "I know what you mean, but we're with each other now, and that means we'd better make the most of our time together."
Candlemon's face lit up, and the sad look in his eyes immediately disappeared and was replaced with a brilliant smile. "I was hoping you would say something like that. Can I meet your daughter sometime?"
"Of course you can. Taniko's going to love you."
"She thinks digimon are extremely fascinating creatures," Izzy added, grinning at his wife.
Mina laughed and gave her husband a quick kiss on the cheek. Straightening her short, purple dress, she reached out to stroke Tentomon's head and gave the insect digimon a small smile. "I bet you're glad to see Izzy again."
Tentomon nodded vigorously and fluttered into Izzy's arms. "I've missed your theories, Izzy! The Digital World just isn't the same without you here."
"Really, you think so?" Izzy asked, clearly flattered by his partner's unusual compliment.
"Yes, you're the best partner ever and I love your theories, even if I don't understand them half the time! By the way, I want to meet Taniko, too."
Izzy smiled fondly at Tentomon and hid his face against the top of his partner's head. "You're the best, Tentomon."
It's too bad Mom couldn't come along. I know she's anxious to see Gatomon again.
Matty smiled to himself and turned to look at his uncle, who was kneeling a couple feet away from him. Matt had his face buried in Gabumon's fir, and his arms were wrapped around the little rookie in a tight hug.
"It's good to see you again, Matt," Gabumon said quietly, beaming at his partner.
Matt slowly lifted his head and managed a weak smile. "I told him, Gabumon. I told him everything."
Gabumon nodded and buried his head against Matt's shoulder. "I knew you could do it."
"It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be."
"Did you really think Ryoko wouldn't understand? I was sure he would and I was right," Gabumon said firmly, nodding his head again for emphasis. "I'm glad you're back. We need to make up for lost time."
Matt let out a shaky laugh and gently let go of his partner. "I've always been able to talk to you. That's one of the things that makes you such a great partner."
"It helps to have such a great human to talk to. Tell me everything. I want to know exactly what happened."
"I will as soon as I have a chance."
Ryoko was standing just behind his father, and although the golden-haired Digidestined hadn't said anything, Matty could tell the conversation between Matt and Gabumon had deeply affected his cousin. Ryoko looked fiercely proud of his father, and he was beaming at Gabumon in a way that suggested he was just as fond of his dad's partner as he was of his own digimon. Alopemon stood in front of Ryoko, his bushy tail flicking gently against the golden-haired Digidestined's legs, and he was gazing approvingly at Matt, his sharp blue eyes taking in every detail of the scene before him. Obviously the little rookie had heard Matt's story from Ryoko before anyone else had, and clearly he thought Matt had done the right thing by telling Ryoko the truth about Cherrymon and the dark cave.
"Where are Veemon, Patamon, Wormmon, and Palmon?" Penguinmon asked curiously.
"They're back in the human world with their partners," Takara explained. The female Digidestined had been beaming at her parents, but Penguinmon's sudden question appeared to have snapped her out of her thoughts and brought her back to the situation at hand.
Gatomon's whiskers twitched and she let out a disgruntled sigh. "Izzy told us some of our partners wouldn't be able to make it today. I was hoping Kari would come, but obviously she wasn't able to."
"It's not fair," Gomamon grumbled.
"They'll come as soon as they have a chance," Gotsumon said firmly, crossing his arms. "I know Rosa will come eventually."
"Same with Cody. Until then I'm quite content to take a nap," Armadillomon said mildly.
Mickey cuddled Halomon gently against his chest and sent Gatomon an apologetic smile. "Mom really wanted to come, but she has a lot of work to finish."
"All of your partners wanted to come, and trust me, they'll be here before you know it," Sam added.
"Let me guess, Yolei wasn't exactly thrilled about being left behind, was she," Hawkmon said dryly.
Glowmon laughed and fluttered onto Hawkmon's head. "You could say that!"
"Where's Gennai?" Embermon asked, glancing suspiciously at the forest. "He said he would meet us here."
"I'm right here."
Matty turned just in time to see Gennai step out of the trees, and he watched silently as the robed figure started across the grass towards him. Benjamin, Hogan, Jackie, Iyla, and Jose were hurrying along behind Gennai, and all of them came to a stop directly in front of Izzy. The one standing on Gennai's left held out his hand to Izzy and beamed at the computer expert. "It's been a while, hasn't it. I'm glad we have a chance to work together again."
"Thanks, Jackie, I feel the same way. Why were you guys hiding in the forest?" Izzy asked, shaking the robed figure's hand.
"We wanted to keep ourselves hidden in case Vampiramon and her followers showed up," Gennai explained. "They're bound to make an appearance on File Island eventually, and we want to be ready for them when they do. I'm sure they're going to try and figure out what we're up to, and they may try to capture me again. For all we know, they could try to steal the crests back, but more importantly, I think they're going to try and find out as much as they can about the Spirit Chips. We took cover in the forest in case they arrived before you guys did. That way they would think no one was here and move on to some other area of File Island."
"Gennai even made all of us digimon hide!" Gomamon complained.
"But what about Gatomon?" Mickey asked, gesturing towards the little champion.
"Rookies are harder to sense than champions," Gennai explained, "and although Gatomon is a champion, she doesn't have a celestial form, which makes it harder for celestial digimon to recognize her for what she is. That isn't the case when she's Angewomon. Also, since DarkAngelicmon hasn't had any contact with Gatomon before, I doubt he would have noticed her presence. This is quite unrelated to what I'm talking about, but celestial digimon who have never digivolved past rookie cannot sense their own kind. How can they when they first have to discover exactly what they will become? Anyways, I felt it was best to take precautions."
"It makes sense," Hawkmon said reasonably. "If we had stayed out in the open, and they had spotted us, we would have been leading them right to the Digidestined; to you, our human friends."
"It would have complicated things," Gennai agreed. "They may have tried to use us to lure all of you right into a trap."
"Well, Vampiramon's going to have a hard time getting the crests back since only four of them are currently in the Digital World," Alopemon snorted.
"And we'll know if DarkAngelicmon tries to sneak up on us," Halomon added.
"Even so, we should still keep our eyes open," Benjamin warned, glancing suspiciously over his shoulder. "Vampiramon and her followers have proven themselves to be-"
"You!" Ryoko shouted, pointing at what appeared to be Hogan's right shoulder. At first Matty was confused, but then he realized his cousin wasn't pointing at Hogan at all. The golden-haired Digidestined was actually pointing at a small digimon hovering next to Hogan's shoulder who resembled a pink ball of cotton candy.
Piximon!
"Hey, Piximon, I was wondering when you were going to show your face again. What's up?" Dai asked cheerfully, beaming at the little ultimate.
Piximon slowly fluttered fowards and gave the goggle-headed leader a shrewd look. Apparently satisfied with what he saw, he turned instead to gaze at the group as a whole. "Greetings, Digidestined. You have done well to come this far in such a short amount of time. I'm impressed."
"Yes, well I'm not!" Ryoko snapped, his sapphire eyes sparkling dangerously in the sunshine. The golden-haired Digidestined looked furious, and before anyone could stop him, he grabbed one of Piximon's wings and dangled the little ultimate in front of his face. "Where have you been all this time?"
"Hey, careful!" Piximon yelped.
Ryoko lifted his chin and glared at the little digimon. "It was real nice the way you just up and disappeared without even bothering to tell us what was going on! Do you realize how close we came to being killed? If Crystalmon had managed to destroy every single last one of us, it would have been all your fault!"
"Put me down this instant, young man, or I'll have you doing laps around File Island!"
"Oh, yeah? Well, I'd watch your mouth if-"
"Put him down, Ryoko," Matt interrupted, trying desperately not to smile and failing miserably. "Look, I know you're upset, and trust me, I don't blame you, but right now we have to focus on the Spirit Chips."
"But-"
"Now, Ryoko."
Ryoko scowled, and smiling innocently at his father, he promptly dropped the little ultimate onto the grass.
Piximon bounced across the ground several feet before rolling to a stop, and before he could prevent it, Matty started to laugh. The little ultimate's pink fur was sticking up all over the place and he looked like a piece of clothing that had just come out of the dryer.
"You must excuse my partner," Alopemon said apologetically, helping the little ultimate into a standing position. "He has a short fuse."
"The reason Piximon wasn't able to help you search for Embermon is because I had another job for him to do," Gennai explained. "If you recall the e-mail I sent you, I was supposed to meet you in the Digital World, but things did not go according to plan. I'll get to all of that in a minute, but first-"
"Tai Kamiya! You owe me thirteen years worth of training, and the same goes for the rest of you!" Piximon shouted, fluttering into the air again and glaring at all of the adults. "You had thirteen years to tell Daichi and his friends about the Digital World and you've wasted every single one of them! Gennai suspected you might not have said anything, and he seemed to feel it was probably better that way, but I certainly don't think so! I thought for sure you would have told them about the Digital World! I think a year of training for every year you kept the truth from the new Digidestined will suffice."
Tai winced and managed a sheepish grin. "Yeah, about that..."
"No excuses!" Piximon interrupted, glaring at the former leader. "You could have at least told them about me! Mark my words, Tai, we'll be having a talk later, and trust me, you're not going to enjoy it very much!"
"Yes, Piximon," Tai said gloomily, a sigh escaping his lips.
"You should have told them," Agumon said thoughtfully, patting his partner's leg.
"Agumon, you're not helping."
Matty choked back a laugh, and moving towards the thick line of trees, he seated himself comfortably on the ground. By mutual consent, everybody else followed his example and soon they were all sitting in a large circle just inside the forest. "Well, Gennai? You have quite a lot of explaining to do."
"Tell us about the Spirit Chips!" Dai said eagerly.
Gennai nodded and rested his chin in his hands. "First of all, I want it understood that even I don't know everything about the Spirit Chips, but I will tell you what I do know."
"Great, I feel so much better now," Ryoko said sarcastically. "I thought you were the one who came up with them in the first place. How can you not know?"
"Is that what Centarumon told you? Well, technically that's not exactly true. I had some help. Almost everything I've done for the Digidestined has been at the request of the Digital World itself, and I've always had other allies working with me. This world of data is very much alive, and it speaks through the internet's living entities, which were created by kilobytes from the internet. Even so, they, too, are very much alive. I suppose Leomon and the others have made my involvement out to be more than it is. They seem to think very highly of me."
Matty held Celestimon close in his arms and gave Gennai a quick smile. "Tell us what you do know and maybe we can help fill in some of the blanks. At least, I hope we can..."