Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
A/N: Another long chapter. Again, I had to make up a lot of stuff using the little bit of information they gave us in the show so hopefully it makes sense. I sort of refer to the Digimon movie, as well, and although it might not fit as well as I'd like, it's still pretty good. Besides, the English version of the movie didn't quite fit with the show, so I'm not too worried about it. A lot more information, but they'll be on the move again in the next chapter. Have fun reading!
Following the Footsteps of Destiny
Chapter 133: The Importance of Mimi
Makiya 'Mickey' Takaishi
File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World
Makiya Takaishi turned slowly to gaze at his Uncle Matt and felt his heart skip a beat. As much as his aunt wanted to come to the Digital World, Mickey knew the rosy-haired Digidestined had decided to stay behind for the sake of her new baby. The decision had been a hard one, but she had made it clear her unborn child was her number one priority, and Mickey was positive that was why she hadn't put up a fight when Matt, Tai, and the rest of the adult Digidestined had agreed it was better for her and the baby if she stayed behind. Although her final decision had meant she would be unable to perform more of an active role in saving the Digital World, she had been willing to accept her fate. At least, that had been the case before the Spirit Chips. Unfortunately, after what Gennai had just told them, it now looked as if Mimi's choice was going to be made for her.
But...but Aunt Mimi can't come to the Digital World! She could end up getting hurt and so could her new baby. If anything were to happen to either one of them, Uncle Matt and Ryoko would never be the same again, and neither would the rest of us, for that matter...
Ryoko must have been having similar thoughts because the golden-haired Digidestined's face turned pure white and he stared at Gennai in horror. "That's impossible! She can't come! I mean..."
Gennai bowed his head and gazed solemnly at his hands. "I'm sorry, Ryoko, but I'm afraid your mother will have to come to the Digital World."
"But-"
"Are you crazy? I'm not letting my wife set foot in the Digital World if she's just going to be attacked by evil digimon like Vampiramon!" Matt snapped, interrupting his son and glaring at the robed figure sitting across from him. "It's bad enough you've put my first child in danger! If you think for one minute I'm going to let you hurt either my wife or my second child-"
"As much as I hate to admit it, I don't think Mimi really has a choice," Gennai said slowly, frowning slightly. "At least, not if you want to get your hands on the Spirit Chips."
"You can't be serious!" Ryoko gasped, glaring furiously at Gennai and shaking his head in denial.
"We did not know Mimi would be pregnant when we created the barriers protecting the Spirit Chips," Gennai said quietly.
"Don't drag the rest of us into this!" Jackie scolded. "You helped the Entity create those barriers with Azulongmon. The rest of us had nothing to do with the Spirit Chips."
"Now that I think about it, that's probably a good thing," Jose muttered, gazing apprehensively at the angry look on Matt's face.
Takara sighed and smiled sympathetically at both Ryoko and Matt. "Listen, guys, I know you're upset, but you can't blame Gennai for any of this. How could he have possibly known Mimi was going to get pregnant right when the gates to the Digital World were about to open again? He was only doing what the Digital World wanted him to do. No one, not even evil digimon, have complete control over the Powers of Darkness, even if they like to think they do. Evil will show its face whenever it wants to, and it doesn't care who gets in the way."
"Even mothers and little babies," Sam whispered, hugging Glowmon tightly.
Mickey glanced anxiously at his twin, but Matty just shook his head and buried his face against Celestimon's long, fluffy ears. After a moment of silence, Gennai slowly lifted his head and gazed directly into Matt's eyes. "I know you're upset, and you have every right to be, but I don't think the situation is as terrible as it might seem. Although Mimi will be in danger, I do not believe her unborn child will come to any harm in the Digital World. Like I said before, this world is made up of living data, and when humans travel through the gates and enter the Digital World, they take on a data-like quality themselves. So, in other words, they too become living data, just like digimon take on a more human-like quality when they travel to the human world."
"Are you saying we've been turned into data?" Matty gasped, glancing down at himself and running his hands over his arms.
"In a sense. It's a little hard to explain, but I will say it has its advantages. For one thing, you can endure the Digital World's sometimes harsh environment much more easily when your data becomes the shield that protects you. It even helps against physical abuse caused by digimon attacks and other injuries you might acquire. What happened to Daichi is a perfect example. The injuries he received from BlackWidowmon could have and rightfully should have been a lot worse, but the subtle change his body, mind, and soul underwent while in the Digital World protected him from a blast that more than likely would have killed him if he had been in the human world."
Takara let out a gasp and stared at Dai in horror, but the rest of the Digidestined, other than Mickey, were too busy staring at Gennai in shock or relief to notice.I knew Dai was lucky to escape with only bruises, but I didn't realize he was that lucky!
"Obviously, humans are created differently from digimon, but when it's all said and done, the two species really aren't that different from each other. When you think about it, humans are also created by data, just in a different way. Scientists call it DNA, the human genome, or to put it simply, the genetic code that all humans are created from. It's all really just a bunch of data mixed into many different strands of DNA to create different people, making each of them unique from everyone else in the human world. That data becomes a source of protection here in the Digital World, and it takes on a digital-like quality. For example, the Digivices respond to the compatibility between you and your partner and that is what allows the Digivice to help your digimon to digivolve."
"Crazy," Ryoko muttered, shaking his head.
"Fascinating," Izzy murmured, typing furiously on his laptop. "I've had many theories about the Digiworld; some of them right, and some, especially from my younger days, about as far from being right as you can get, but this puts a lot of things in perspective. And to think I used to believe we were just data here and our real selves were still back in the human world. I was way off on that theory!"
"You understand what all this means, though, don't you? Ultimately it is your heart that allows your digimon to digivolve, and the Digivice is just a tool to help with the process. That's because everything about you, including your heart, and everything that comes with having a heart, although still unique, takes on some of the same properties as the Digital World. Data can be many things, but ultimately it is knowledge or a group of facts that, when combined together, make up the composition of something larger and bring it into existence. This world does not recoginize you by your flesh. You are recognized by all the data and components that make you who you are. Why do you think digimon can be reconfigured after they die?"
"But we're still capable of losing our lives," Izzy countered.
"Yes, but that's because you're not originally from the Digital World, and you aren't created the same way as digimon. That still makes you vulnerable because your genetic makeup, although taking on properties of the Digital World, is still recognizable as being human. It works the same way for digimon when they're in the human world. Take Wizardmon, for example. Because he was in the human world, he took on the qualities of a human. After he died, he became sort of a ghost. Why? Well, it's because he died in the human world, and since Earth isn't made of data, he was unable to reconfigure himself. That's not to say he won't come back. He will, just as soon as his data finds its way back to the Digital World, most likely through the internet. So you see, even though he was in the human world, he didn't actually die because, although he had taken on human properties, he was still recognizable as being from the Digital World. Instead of dying like a human would have, his data took on a ghostly appearance, and as I said before, once he returns to the Digital World, he'll come back."
"So the only way a digimon can travel between worlds without a gate or a breach in the Digital World's barriers, which is technically the same thing, is if they're pure data," Izzy said slowly.
"Exactly. Now do you see why it's important for all of you to be even more careful when you're battling digimon in the human world instead of the Digital World? You're more vulnerable and you're more at risk of getting hurt. And incidentally, you may have already figured this out, but the only time a digimon can truly die is if their human partner dies. We're not sure why, but we think it has something to do with the connection between a human and their digimon partner."
"That's all very interesting, but what does all of this have to do with Mimi?" Matt snapped.
Gennai tucked his hands inside his robe and smiled at the golden-haired Digidestined. "When Mimi comes to the Digital World, her baby will also take on more data-like qualities and become less vulnerable to all the dangers in the Digital World; more so even than you, Mimi, or any of the other Digidestined because he or she is protected not only by his or her ability to take on a more digital form, but by Mimi, as well, who has also become better able to endure the forces of the Digital World. The fact of the matter is, Mimi should be worrying more about herself than the baby."
"Will being in the Digital World hurt the baby?" Ryoko asked anxiously. "I mean, with becoming data and everything..."
Gennai raised his eyebrows and smiled in amusement. "It hasn't hurt you, has it?"
"Well, no, but only if you ignore the fact that I've almost been killed several times by evil digimon. Taking on a more digital form might not hurt me, but that's not going to help me if some digimon ends up blowing me to pieces!"
"Gennai, will Mimi even be able to come to the Digital World?" Sora asked curiously, glancing uncertainly at her husband before turning to face the robed figure. "I mean, technically she'll be attempting to take another human into the Digital World who isn't a Digidestined."
Gennai smiled at Sora and reached out to stroke Halomon's ears. "Infants are the most innocent humans of all. I do not think the Digital World will object to the presence of a human baby. Besides, Mimi is a Digidestined, and as long as the gates are opened, the Digital World cannot prevent her from coming. That fact alone would be considered above all others."
"I agree with Ryoko. This is crazy," Tai muttered, shaking his head. The former leader turned to look at Matt and managed a weak smile. "Well, what do you think? As much as I still don't like it, we need Mimi or the Digital World might not make it."
"It's never easy being a Digidestined, is it," Mina sighed, her dark eyes troubled.
Matt squeezed his own eyes shut and put his face in his hands. After a moment of tense silence, the golden-haired Digidestined slowly looked up and scowled at Gennai. "I guess we really don't have a choice, but if anything happens to Mimi or my unborn child, I will never forgive you."
Gennai nodded solemnly and smiled warmly at the golden-haired Digidestined. "Fair enough, but just so you know, I never would have even made the suggestion for Mimi to come along if I thought she was in real danger. Your friends, your son, Palmon, and the new Digidestined will keep her safe. You know that as well as I do."
"If DarkAngelicmon and his creepy friends come anywhere near my mom, I'll have Alopemon turn them into little piles of data!" Ryoko said fiercely.
"I will protect Mimi with my life," Gabumon vowed, gazing solemnly at his partner.
Matt buried his face in the little rookie's soft fur and reached out to wrap an arm around his son. "Thank you, both of you."
"We've got Mimi's back," Dai said enthusiastically. "So, one of our Spirit Chips is on Infinity Mountain?"
"That's right," Piximon replied.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go find it!" Embermon said loudly, impatient to get moving.
Gennai quickly got to his feet and motioned for the rest of them to stand. "Dai, while you and your friends are searching for the Spirit Chips on Infinity Mountain, myself, my counterparts, and Piximon are going to join up with the Four Guardians to see if we can find out the locations of the other five Spirit Chips. Leomon and the others have already met up with Azulongmon. Gatomon and the rest of the digimon whose partners haven't arrived in the Digital World yet will wait here on File Island until they're needed."
"What a waste of time," Gatomon muttered, sticking her nose in the air and giving Gennai a haughty look.
"Sounds good. Let us know if you find anything," Agumon said cheerfully.
Gennai nodded and smiled at the little dinosaur digimon. "I will. Listen, before you leave, there's something else you need to know. As I stated earlier, a D-Coder will only glow if it comes in contact with its rightful Spirit Chip. That means a D-Coder will not glow if it comes within range of any other Spirit Chip, but you have to remember, the Spirit Chips are protected by the crests. We created the seals and placed them around the Spirit Chips before we actually sent them out to the various continents here in the Digital World. The first seal we created uses a small amount of power from the crests and that's why they will only respond to the three crests that were used to create the seals for each. The amount of power we used wasn't enough to diminish the power of the crests, but it was enough to create six protective barriers around the Spirit Chips. It certainly didn't take as much power as the Digi-Eggs did, and even then the crests, though not at full strength, could still make an effective barrier protecting the Digital World. Since the barriers are connected to the crests, and the crests are connected to the D-Coders, the Digivices will start to glow if they detect the power of a crest they're connected to. As a result of the barriers being connected to the crests, several D-Coders will glow for one Spirit Chip."
"In other words, we won't know which Spirit Chip belongs to who until the seal created by the powers of the crests are broken," Izzy finished, excitement sparkling in his dark eyes. "Brilliant idea. Because of the crests, Vampiramon and her allies won't be able to keep their attention focused on just one Digidestined. After all, they won't know who the Spirit Chips belong to until we actually have them in our grasp. I was worried they would know exactly which Spirit Chip belonged to each Digidestined. If they did, they could ambush each of the new Digidestined as soon as they find out where the Spirit Chips are and force the members of Dai's group to hand over their best chances of reaching a new stage of digivolution. Since they don't know which Digidestined will be attempting to get their hands on each Spirit Chip, it'll cause confusion and give us a better chance of escaping with our prizes."
"I hate to burst your bubble, Izzy, but that will only work for the first few Spirit Chips," Tai snorted. "There are only six, and once we've found a few of them that will narrow down Vampiramon's choices concerning who will receive the next one. The process of elimination sort of makes that kind of thing hard to avoid. Also, each crest barrier is only going to glow for maybe three or four new Digidestined at the most. Take the Spirit Chip of Loyalty, for example. It's protected by the crests of Friendship, Sincerity, and Reliability, right? Well, if that's true then only Ryoko's, Dai's, and Sam's D-Coders will glow. Ryoko's will respond because of his parents' crests, Dai's because of his father's connection to the Crest of Friendship, and Sam's because of the Crest of Sincerity. Yolei was able to use the power of Mimi's crest, remember? We know the Spirit Chip of Loyalty has to belong to one of those three because one of the three crests I mentioned earlier will end up merging with the Spirit Chip. Also, those three are the only new Digidestined who have a connection to those crests."
"Unless you're missing something. Didn't Gennai say all three crests protecting each Spirit Chip are qualities that person possesses?" Ryoko countered.
"Well yes, but so far it's your family tree that seems to be guiding the crests. And what I said seems to be the most logical thing that will happen. Look at you, Ryoko. You're a reliable person, but Joe's crest doesn't glow for you. Why? It's because the Digital World doesn't recognize reliability as one of the traits that defines who you are and stands out more prominently than the rest."
"Like friendship," Takara said softly.
Ryoko blushed and quickly ducked his head.
"See what I mean?" Tai smirked.
"Yeah, but...uh...what's your point?" Dai asked, glancing curiously at Ryoko.
"Isn't it obvious? The confusion will only take place with three Digidestined instead of all six, as far as the Spirit Chip of Loyalty is concerned, and in some cases, it might be even less than three, or more if we're lucky. And, as I said before, our choices will narrow down even further than that once we have our hands on a couple of the Spirit Chips."
"You're right, Tai, but even though everything you said is true, the barriers that were created using the powers of the crests will at least buy you some time for a little while," Gennai said reasonably.
I wonder which Spirit Chip belongs to me?
Mickey smiled at the thought and ran his fingers over Halomon's fluffy ears. "Are you ready to go?"
"Of course I am! Don't worry, Mickey, we'll have your Spirit Chip really soon, and I promise I'll help Palmon, Alopemon, and Gabumon protect Mimi."
"Thanks, Halomon. I really appreciate it."
Halomon fluttered out of his arms and gave him an adorable smile. "Anything for you, Mickey."
"I'm ready to go," Matty said enthusiastically, Celestimon spiralling lazily around the younger twin's head.
Mickey glanced shyly at his brother and chewed anxiously on his lower lip. At the moment it looked as if Matty had decided to drop the subject of DarkAngelicmon, but Mickey knew it was only a matter of time before his twin started demanding answers.
I saw the way he was looking at me after the talk I had with Mom about DarkAngelicmon. What am I going to tell him when he finally decides he won't take no for an answer? I wish we could find Lucemon. He'd be able to answer all of my questions about DarkAngelicmon, and then maybe Matty would finally see why I want to help the fallen angel so badly...
Mickey watched his partner tug gently on Celestimon's wings, and hovering several feet above the ground, the two little rookies bent their heads together and began to whisper softly to one another in what appeared to be a surprisingly serious conversation.
Celestimon understands. I know he does, so why is Matty refusing to see what's right in front of his face?
"Good luck, Digidestined. We'll meet again," Hogan said, giving them a quick bow.
"And stay out of trouble!" Piximon scolded.
"We'll contact you as soon as we find out anything new about the rest of the Spirit Chips," Benjamin added.
"Dai, do you remember how I said there was a chance you and your friends might not even have been chosen to become Digidestined?" Gennai asked.
Dai exchanged a look with Takara and slowly nodded. "I remember."
"Well, technically that's true, but I believe the six of you were always meant to be Digidestined. Before any of you were born, a prophecy sprung up on File Island about humans possessing the ability to merge the powers of the crests with a new kind of power. Six humans, one destiny, and a gift that will continue to be passed on through many generations still to come. So you see, it's almost as if the Digital World knew you would be chosen, had in fact already chosen you before you ever came into existence. Where do you think the Entity got the idea for the Spirit Chips from? Of course, she didn't know about the prophecy until just after scanning your data and she didn't tell me about it until several weeks ago. Yes, Benji, I know that's another thing I conveniently forgot to tell you and the others. You don't need to give me that look."
"I most certainly will, Gennai! You-"
"Well, there you have it, Dai. Now you can see why the Voice of the Digital World that speaks through the entities is our guide. It knows things the rest of us don't know and has never been wrong, but again, that's not to say others won't be chosen sometime down the road to help you. It's happened before and could very well happen again."
"What is meant to be will happen," Mina said softly.
Mickey gazed quietly at his twin, and the two of them turned slowly to look at their partners. Even though Matty hadn't said anything, Mickey knew his brother was thinking the exact same thing he was. From the very first moment he had laid eyes on Halomon, he had known the two of them were meant to be partners. They were made for each other, and it felt like it had been decided long before they had ever met each other. Halomon must have been thinking the exact same thing, as well, because the little digimon looked up and beamed at him.
"The part of the prophecy that mentions being able to merge the crests with a new kind of power...well, that could have referred to Ami, Noah, and Miya as well. If they had turned out to be Digidestined, the crests would respond to them too," Ryoko said slowly.
Gennai smiled and nodded in agreement. "True, but if they ever do become Digidestined, I don't think the Spirit Chips will play a role in their destinies. Maybe something different perhaps, or maybe nothing at all. There are some things even I don't know, but I'm sure the prophecy was referring to the six of you. It fits perfectly."
"Yeah, I noticed."
"That's for sure," Dai snorted.
"Yet still, you could have been overlooked. Prophecies don't come true unless we make them come true," Gennai added.
It's like the Digital World knew it wouldn't need other Digidestined to fill our places until we were old enough.
"I can't believe we're stuck waiting on File Island!" Gotsumon groaned.
"Tell Joe and the others to hurry up and get here!" Gomamon ordered.
Dovemon laughed and gave Joe's partner a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, we will."
"Wait, don't we need the right combination of original Digidestined to break one of the seals surrounding the Spirit Chips?" Sam asked hesitantly. "There's no point in climbing to the top of Infinity Mountain until we know for sure which original Digidestined need to come with us."
"The only way we're going to find that out is if we get close enough to the Spirit Chip for the crests and D-Coders to start reacting, and the only way that's going to happen is if we get close to Infinity Mountain," Ryoko said shortly.
Sam blushed and gazed meekly at his feet. "I...I guess that's true..."
"In that case, we should get moving. We only have so much time before the sun sets and I don't want to be climbing Infinity Mountain in the dark," Sora said firmly.
"Wait!" Tai suddenly shouted, turning to look at Gennai. "Twenty-nine years ago, you told us about a group of kids who once came to the Digital World and defeated something that, like Apocalymon, had come out from behind the Wall of Fire. That happened before the members of my group came to the Digital World. You mentioned those same kids again today, and I was just wondering...uh...who...who were they?"
Gennai gazed silently at the former leader for a moment and a hint of a smile appeared on his otherwise solemn face. "Do you remember the fight between a Parrotmon and a Greymon that took place four years before you came to the Digital World?"
"Of course. How could I forget?"
"Everyone thought it was a terrorist attack, but you and I know better and so do the first Digidestined. Like your team, the first Digidestined were part of a small group of children who had had their data scanned at Highton View Terrace, only they were scanned four years before the supposed terrorist bombing. Out of that group of children, five of them were chosen to become the first Digidestined. They, like you, Tai, lived at the Highton View Terrace complex, along with the children who weren't chosen, and that is where their story begins. Although not all of your team lived at Highton View Terrace at the time, you were all living there when your data was scanned four years later. That, of course, was when Parrotmon and Greymon appeared in the human world. The year of the 'terrorist bombing' was when the first Digidestined received their Digivices; four years after their data had been scanned. In fact, just as your team had your data scanned, the first Digidestined were attempting to restore the Digital World's barriers from right here in the human world. They were attempting to stop any more digimon like Parrotmon from entering the human world, and to send Parrotmon and Greymon back. You probably don't know this, since I believe I forgot to mention it twenty-nine years ago, but as I said the first Digidestined appeared briefly back in the human world during the supposed terrorist bombing, and they too saw the fight between Parrotmon and Greymon, doing what they could to send the two digimon back and to temporarily restore the barrier between the human world and the Digital World. It was due to their efforts that Parrotmon and Greymon disappeared before any real damage could be done, and once the first Digidestined returned to the Digital World that's when the real test began. When the first Digidestined had their data scanned, there was only one official existing gate between the Digital World and the human world. Four years later, a new gate appeared over the campgrounds where you and your friends were staying, and soon there were gates popping up all over the world. Davis and his team know that better than anyone, since they used those gates to help other Digidestined from all over the world bring down Control Spires, and of course, those same children were the ones who had received Digivices when Myotismon found a way to enter the human world through the gate in his castle. Since the barriers of the Digital World were weakened, it was possible for him to do so. With the first two teams, it's almost like the Digital World knew we would not need to look for more Digidestined. At least, not to begin with. I believe that's why the Entity only scanned children who lived at Highton View Terrace. The Digital World seemed to know back then that we wouldn't need as many Digidestined as we do now. To me, that's a clear sign that the Powers of Darkness are growing stronger and will continue to do so for years to come, but so are the Powers of Light. It could also have something to do with the fact that, before Myotismon attacked the human world, there weren't many gates around for Digidestined from all over Earth to have easy access to the Digital World. More gates open when the barrier protecting the Digital World becomes weaker, and that only happens when darkness upsets the balance of the Digital World. Do you now see why I believe the Powers of Darkness are growing stronger? Gates are opening more frequently than they did when the first Digidestined came to the Digital World. You may not know this, but the computers are connected to the gates. If a gate opens within range of your computer, you can always use it to travel to the Digital World. By range, I mean whichever country you live in. That's why Mimi could travel to the Digital World when one of the gates above the United States of America opened. Many smaller countries, though, are close together so if a gate opens above one of them, the other small countries around it would also be affected. The gates to the Digital World have evolved a lot since the first one appeared over Highton View Terrace and they're much more accessible with the computers, since you don't have to actually be right under a gate for it to let you in."
Tai crossed his arms and frowned at Gennai. "You didn't answer my question."
"The first Digidestined were kids, just like you and your friends. They lived at Highton View Terrace, and so did you. You probably walked right by them many times without ever knowing who they were and what they became. You may have even spoken to them, but even if you don't know who they are, they know about you. They were there when MaloMyotismon attempted to cover both worlds in darkness. The light of their Digivices shone in harmony with the Digivices belonging to millions of Digidestined from all over the world. They were fighting with you, even if they weren't at full strength."
"If only we had known..." Sora whispered, shaking her head. "I would have loved to have a chance to talk to them."
"Who says we still can't?" Izzy said cheerfully.
Matt nodded in agreement and gazed uncertainly at Gennai. "They sound like a pretty modest bunch. Not once did they ever try to take credit for being the 'first Digidestined.' Who...I mean what..."
"Their leader was a blond-haired boy by the name of Takahiro Kuroki. Everybody called him Tal."
"Tal Kuroki," Tai murmured, gazing thoughtfully at his crest.
Gennai beamed at the former leader and nodded. "He used to wear a pair of goggles on his head, just like you do. The other members of his team were Kenji Iwamoto, Inca Sasaki, Mai Nakaniwa, and Seta Sugiyama. I believe Tal and Inca are married now, and the same goes for Kenji and Mai."
"What did they look like?" Matt asked curiously.
"Kenji had black hair and dark green eyes, while Tal was blond with grey eyes. Mai had blond hair, as well, but her eyes were blue. Both Inca and Seta had brown hair and brown eyes. Ring any bells?"
Most of the adults exchanged looks and shook their heads, but Tai suddenly smiled and started to laugh. "When I lived at Highton View Terrace, I saw a blond boy wearing goggles and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. I'd never seen anyone wearing them before as part of their everyday attire, and it was after I saw that boy that I started wearing goggles, too. In fact, now that I think about it, I saw him the same year I saw the fight between Parrotmon and Greymon. You don't think..."
"At one point during the fight between Parrotmon and Greymon, T.K. and I had gotten separated. I was pretty young at the time and I remember I was scared. I thought something bad must have happened to my little brother," Matt said slowly. "I'd also lost track of my parents, and just when I was about to give up, a blond boy wearing goggles found me and asked me where my parents were. I told him I had lost my brother, and you know what he did?"
"What?" Ryoko whispered, gazing wide-eyed at his father.
Matt smiled and wrapped an arm around his son's shoulders. "He took my hand and promised me he would help me find my brother. We ended up running into a black-haired boy who was holding T.K. in his arms. They didn't stay for very long, and we never found out what their names were, but I remember them telling us to go find our parents. I'd forgotten any of that had happened, until now."
"I also got separated from my parents that night," Sora said quietly, "and a dark-haired girl with brown eyes helped me find them."
"Now that you mention it, I do remember a bossy blond-haired girl who kept trying to order everyone around," Tai said thoughtfully. "She ran past Kari and I, and she kept yelling at all the kids hanging around to stick close to their parents."
"A brown-haired boy not much older than I was at the time helped me find my parents," Izzy said quietly. "Everyone was panicking that night and a lot of families had gotten separated."
Mickey stared at the adult Digidestined in shocked silence and hugged Halomon tightly against his chest. Somehow, without even realizing what was going on, his parents had met the first Digidestined and had even received some help from them when it looked as if MaloMyotismon would win. It was like it had always been meant to happen.
There's no other way to explain it. It was destiny, and now destiny has decided to follow a new team of Digidestined.
"After we defeated MaloMyotismon, why didn't they come and find us?" Tai asked slowly. "It would have been nice if they had bothered to take the time to introduce themselves."
"There were millions of Digidestined there that day," Gennai said gently. "It would have been very difficult for you to talk to everyone. I'm sure they would have loved to spend some time with you, but since they didn't get much of a chance, I think they were willing to settle for knowing they had done everything they could to help you."
"Maybe, but it still would have been nice if we had gotten a chance to thank them."
Gennai smiled slightly and shrugged his shoulders. "I remember them well, especially Kenji. He was a troubled soul, but I should have known things would work out in the end. After all, his digimon partner is a Halomon, just like yours, Mickey."
Mickey stared at Gennai and felt his mouth drop open. "Oh. Oh...he...an angel digimon..."
"In that case, he must have turned out to be a pretty good guy," Matty said happily, his lips twitching into a smile.
Mickey felt his face turn red, and ducking his head, he glanced shyly at his digimon partner. Halomon was snuggled in his arms, and the little rookie had a huge smile on his face. The two of them stared at each other and after a moment of silence, Mickey felt Halomon's small hand come to rest gently against his cheek. "What do you think, Halomon?"
Halomon smiled fondly at him and cuddled against his chest. "A digimon, just like me?"
"Yes, only Kenji's partner was a lot more aggressive and not nearly as shy!" Gennai laughed.
Halomon's cheeks turned pink, and he hid his little face in his hands. "I can't help it!"
Mickey laughed and gently stroked his digimon's fluffy ears. "Don't worry about it. Neither can I."
"That's for sure," Matty snorted.
Mickey poked his twin gently in the ribs and turned to look at Gennai. "I was wondering...Uncle Tai said the first Digidestined fought something that came out from behind the Wall of Fire. Um...what were they fighting and why did they end up losing their powers?"
"After the fight between Parrotmon and Greymon, Tal and his friends went back to the Digital World, and it was then when they fought a dark, and incredibly evil digimon who had come out from behind the Wall of Fire. That digimon's mere existence caused a warp in space that threatened to swallow both worlds and plunge them into darkness. Of course, the time between worlds wasn't synchronized at the time. That only happened after Apocalymon appeared. You understand what that means, don't you? On Earth, Tal's team came to the Digital World four years before Tai's team and fought an evil digimon that came from behind the Wall of Fire, but in the Digital World, Tai's group didn't show up until many, many years after Tal's group had already saved the Digital World. Needless to say, the Digital World has a long history. The history of Tal's team is also recorded on the walls of the old stone fortress where Embermon was hidden. After battling several dangerous digimon, and even the darkness itself, Tal and his friends managed to discover what had been causing the balance of power to shift in favour of the darkness. It was because of the digimon who had come out from behind the Wall of Fire."
Mickey shivered and tightened his hold on Halomon's small wings. "You know his name, don't you. You know the name of the digimon who came out from behind the Wall of Fire before Apocalymon."
Whoever he was, he must have been really evil...
Gennai hesitated and slowly nodded. "I wonder...but no. It can't be the same digimon. If that were the case, the barrier would be broken and I know it's still intact. It has to be! The Data Cores are still in place, but the name...the Ruler of Darkness..."
"What was his name?" Ryoko snapped, glaring suspiciously at the robed figure. "How did Tal's team lose their power, and why do you keep trying to avoid answering our questions?"
Gennai let out a deep sigh and shook his head. "I told you, they didn't lose their power. Not exactly. I'm sorry, Ryoko, but I'm going to have to leave your questions for another time. The same is true for Tal's story."
"But-"
"There are a few things I must think about before I can continue my story. I have a couple of theories, but I won't tell you what they are yet because I believe I'm only now beginning to put the pieces of the puzzle together. You have the information you need to find the Spirit Chips, and for now that is enough."
"But-"
"Enough, Ryoko. Gennai will tell us when he's ready. Right now we've got some work to do," Matt said quietly.
The robed figure looked thoughtful all of a sudden, and his mind appeared to have travelled back in time to a place where no one else could follow. It was like he had gotten himself lost in some memory, and judging from the look on his face, it wasn't exactly a pleasant one.
Why does he look so uneasy? He's definitely hiding something, and why do I get the feeling it could be the key to all the answers we've been searching for ever since we got our D-Coders? Tal, Kenji, Inca, Mai, Seta...wherever you are, thank you...
Ryoko scowled at his father, but Mickey ignored the golden-haired Digidestined and glanced anxiously at Gennai. "Well, when you do find some answers, let us know."
"Goodbye, Gennai. Keep us informed and we'll do the same," Izzy said happily, shaking the robed figure's hand.
Mickey said goodbye to Gennai, as well, and took a few moments to say farewell to the other members of their little group. The visit had been relatively short, and before he could fully grasp what was happening, he found himself walking along the edge of the forest towards a large mountain looming in the distance. Gatomon and the other digimon they'd left behind had promised to stay near a gate for the sake of making it easier to contact them, and Gennai's last words had been a warning not to underestimate Vampiramon, but despite the hopeful atmosphere, Mickey could not help feeling a little bit uneasy. It didn't help that once again Sam and Ryoko were avoiding each other's eyes and trying unsuccessfully to act as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
"Something is wrong," Matty murmured, nodding his head towards Ryoko and Sam. "They usually get along really well. Do you get the feeling Ryoko's hiding something?"
Mickey let out a soft sigh and slowly nodded. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so. I bet Kara and Dai have noticed too, but neither one of them seems all that eager to mention it. I wish Ryoko wouldn't act so secretive all the time. He knows he can trust us, so why won't he tell us what's going on?"
"Your guess is a good as mine. Mickey, I have a feeling something really big is about to happen, and I don't mean something good."
"I know. I feel the same way."
Poor Sam. He looks so miserable and Ryoko doesn't exactly look very cheerful at the moment either. I wish there was something I could do to help them, but how can I when they won't tell me what's wrong? And then there's Mimi. That whole situation has probably only made things even worse, especially for Ryoko. It's not fair. Sam and Ryoko are supposed to be friends. This isn't supposed to be happening.
Mickey blinked at the sudden tears stinging his eyes and blushed when he realized his Uncle Matt was watching him. As much as he cared about Ryoko's father, the golden-haired Digidestined always had a way of looking at him that made him feel extremely shy, but at the moment he had other things to think about. Matty was right. Something big was about to happen, and Mickey had a feeling it was going to turn their whole world completely upside down...