Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
A/N: Another chapter! Well, in case you didn't know, the voting has now begun for the FTFOD challenge. You can place your vote on my forum 'Digital Connections' under the thread entitled 'Following the Footsteps of Destiny Challenge: Your Votes Here!'. Now, please make sure you do vote. It'll take you less than two seconds to click on your favorite FTFOD oneshot and then click on the vote button, so I don't want any excuses! And if you don't vote, (And I'll know if you don't. I do have access to how many people are voting) I'll do something drastic like...not update this story! And trust me, you don't want that because something you've all been waiting for for the last 136 chapters is going to happen very soon in chapter 143. And if you don't believe me about updating, as Roxas said in my Kingdom Hearts story: "I can be evil when I want to be!" On that note, forget about reading this chapter, just go vote!
Following the Footsteps of Destiny
Chapter 136: Chasing Shadows
Sam Ichijouji
File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World
Sam Ichijouji glanced anxiously between Daichi and Ryoko, but neither boy appeared to be aware of anything but each other. They both clutched their D-Coder Digivices tightly in their hands and the two little gadgets shone brightly in the afternoon sunshine, casting a luminescent circle of red and blue light around both boys, but it was the crests that had captured everyone's attention. According to Gennai, the crests were the key to the identity of each Spirit Chip, and since both the Crest of Friendship and the Crest of Courage were glowing, there was no doubt that the Spirit Chip waiting for them at the top of Infinity Mountain was indeed the Spirit Chip of Bravery.
It has to be. The powers of Tai's crest don't work together with the powers of Matt's crest to maintain any of the other seals protecting the rest of the Spirit Chips. They only work together to protect the Spirit Chip of Bravery. Now all we need to figure out is who the Spirit Chip actually belongs to. Bravery...
Sam studied both of his friends' faces, but more often than not his gaze would settle on Daichi. In his opinion, both Dai and Ryoko were very brave, but like Takara, if he had to pick between the two of them, he would probably choose Dai over Ryoko as the proud owner of the Spirit Chip of Bravery. He hadn't expected to find out exactly which Spirit Chip they were looking for so quickly, but that was the least of his concerns. What surprised him the most was the expression on Ryoko's face. The golden-haired Digidestined should have been happy his D-Coder was glowing, but instead he looked disappointed.
That's strange. I wonder if it's because Ryoko was hoping one of the other Spirit Chips would belong to him...
"Finally, now we're getting somewhere!" Embermon cheered, beaming at his partner.
Izzy nodded happily in agreement and motioned for Tai to hand over the Crest of Courage. "Well, this proves Gennai was right about one thing. There's definitely a Spirit Chip on Infinity Mountain and Mina's theory is the most logical one. If what Gennai said is true, the Spirit Chip of Bravery is the only Spirit Chip that could cause both Tai's crest and Matt's crest to react at the same time."
"Great, so now that we know what we're looking for, where do we go from here?" Sora asked curiously, crossing her arms and resting her cheek comfortably against Tai's shoulder.
Izzy gazed thoughtfully at the Crest of Courage for a moment and gently ran his fingers over its glowing, orange surface. "Give me a minute. I haven't thought quite that far ahead yet."
"You can do it, Izzy! I have faith in you!" Tentomon interrupted, hovering encouragingly next to his partner's shoulder and nodding his head for emphasis.
Sam rested his cheek against Glowmon's small body and turned his face away from the shadowy form of Infinity Mountain looming in the distance. Instead, his gaze shifted in the direction of the ocean, and although the shore was still too far away from him to see the water, he could almost hear the waves calling out to him.
"Wait a minute, if the Spirit Chip we're looking for really is the Spirit Chip of Bravery then there's no point in us climbing to the top of Infinity Mountain," Ryoko suddenly snapped, shaking his head and frowning irritably at his D-Coder.
"Why not?" Celestimon demanded.
Halomon fluttered over to Ryoko and poked the golden-haired Digidestined in the nose. There was a smile on the little rookie's small face, and the wind stirred up by his feathery wings ruffled the blond hair falling into Ryoko's sapphire eyes. "You're so silly, Ryoko."
"No, he's right," Dai said quietly, avoiding the golden-haired Digidestined's eyes. "One of the two seals protecting each Spirit Chip was created using the power of three crests. In order for us to get our hands on the Spirit Chip of Bravery, we need Joe. The Crest of Reliability is the third crest connected to the Spirit Chip of Bravery. At least, that's what Gennai said."
"Are you saying we should give up and go home?" Takara asked hesitantly.
"It's either that or we go back to the human world and convince Joe to come along with us," Ryoko snorted.
Sam bit his lip and gave Dai a hopeful look. "Can't we at least go take a look at the Spirit Chip?"
"Do you know how dangerous that would be?" Ryoko shouted. The golden-haired Digidestined impatiently batted Halomon out of his face, and Sam suddenly found himself gazing into his friend's angry, sapphire eyes. For some odd reason Ryoko looked extremely annoyed all of a sudden, but it was the uneasy look on the golden-haired Digidestined's face that made Sam flinch and lower his eyes to the ground. "What if Vampiramon caught up to us and demanded we give her the Spirit Chip? There's no way we could even pretend to hand it over to her while we tried to come up with an escape plan. How much do you want to bet she would try to capture both Daichi and myself and keep us prisoner until the rest of you could find a way to allow her access to the Spirit Chip? The only way to do that would be to bring Joe to the Digital World, so in other words, climbing Infinity Mountain now would not only be dangerous, it would also be a complete waste of time. Besides, weren't you the one who didn't want to climb Infinity Mountain earlier?"
Sam blushed and gazed meekly at his feet. "It...it was just a suggestion."
"Well, it wasn't a very good one! I want to see the Spirit Chip just as much as everyone else, but that doesn't mean I'm going to put myself or my friends in danger just to have a look at it. It'll be safer for all of us if we stay away from the Spirit Chip until we can physically get our hands on it."
Dai nodded in agreement and let out a deep sigh. "I hate to say it, but Ishida's right. Vampiramon and her lame buddies can't touch the Spirit Chips until we break the seals that were put in place to protect them. That means Vampiramon can't steal the Spirit Chips until we get them first. You guys know what that means, don't you? If Vampiramon can't physically get her hands on the Spirit Chips, she's going to go after the next best thing. Us, the Digidestined. Since even we can't get the Spirit Chip of Bravery at the moment, why should we walk right into a trap and possibly get ourselves captured for nothing?"
"Dai and Ryoko have the right idea," Alopemon said firmly. "Before we do anything, we need Joe."
Sam frowned at Ryoko and shook his head. "You're the one who said climbing Infinity Mountain was the only way to find out which original Digidestined needed to come with us."
"Well, we know now, so what's the point of looking for the Spirit Chip if we can't even get our hands on it?" Ryoko shot back. "We have the information we need now without climbing Infinity Mountain, which means we should use it to our advantage."
"There's no point in putting ourselves in danger if we don't have to," Dai agreed.
"What do you think, Izzy?" Tai asked, turning to face the computer expert.
"Well, Dai does have a good-"
"Of course he does!" Ryoko interrupted, rounding on Izzy and glaring at the computer expert. "Don't tell me you think we should climb Infinity Mountain!"
"Dai and Ryoko are actually agreeing on something? What a surprise," Dovemon muttered.
Biyomon laughed and the two little bird digimon smiled at each other. "Well, you know what they say, Dovemon, there's always a first time for everything!"
"According to Kara, this wouldn't be the first time. Ask her about the time Jestermon almost dropped Mickey off a building!"
"Oh, right. She told us about that."
Sam slowly took a step closer to Ryoko and chewed anxiously on his lower lip. "Listen, Ryoko, you know I would never want to put any of our friends in danger, but-"
"Well, if you really mean that then why do you keep trying to argue with me?"
"Ryoko! Is that any way to treat your friends?" Matt scolded, frowning at his son. "You've been acting really strange lately. Is something wrong?"
Ryoko blushed and held his D-Coder protectively against his chest. "No, I'm fine. Why does everyone keep asking me that all the time?"
"You don't usually yell at people for no reason," Mickey said quietly, his face a mask of sorrow. "Well, unless you're yelling at Dai."
"Don't be dumb, Mickey! I'm not yelling at anyone!"
"Hey! Don't call my brother dumb!" Matty snapped, glaring at his cousin.
Unable to look at Ryoko, Sam squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face against Glowmon's small body. He knew why Ryoko was acting like a jerk, and it was all because of him.
Maybe Ryoko's behaviour isn't because he's disappointed about the Spirit Chip of Bravery possibly belonging to him. I bet it's because he hates me...
"Oh, Sam, don't be sad," Glowmon whispered quietly in his ear. "Ryoko still wants to be your friend. He's just a little bit upset right now, but once we find the Spirit Chip of Bravery, I'm sure he'll start acting like his usual self."
How...how did he know I was thinking about Ryoko?
Sam slowly lifted his head and raised a hand to his cheek. It felt wet, and he realized with some surprise that there were tears in his eyes. Somehow they had managed to slide down his cheeks without him noticing, and Glowmon must have felt the salty drops soaking into his leathery skin. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."
"No, I'm not! Ryoko really likes you. Come on, Sam, you know he's one of your best friends. There's no way he would ever turn his back on you."
He will if he thinks I'm a lousy friend. Glowmon must have guessed what I was thinking about Ryoko, but he doesn't understand. The Crest of Bravery has nothing to do with his feelings for me. He was treating me like an enemy long before we ever met up with Gennai. It has to be because of what I said about Matt, but...what if it's not? He was acting weird around me even before he mentioned Matt...
Sam quickly wiped the tears off his cheeks before anyone else could notice them and turned back towards where he knew the ocean was waiting for him in the distance. A cool breeze stirred the raven hair on his forehead, and a shiver raced down his spine. Even though the sun was shining brightly in the sky, he felt strangely cold, and the horizon looked oddly dark and distorted.
The ocean. It's calling to me. Maybe that's where I'll find my answers...
"Sam? Sam, where are you going?"
Sam jumped at the sound of Glowmon's voice and blinked in surprise when he realized he was no longer standing with the rest of the Digidestined. Instead, his feet were moving him steadily towards the ocean, and even though his common sense was telling him to turn back, his body did not seen to want to cooperate with his brain.
"Sam, what are you doing? We're supposed to stay with the others!" Glowmon whispered, his voice taking on a frantic tone.
Sam ignored his partner and began to run towards the ocean, the sound of his heart pounding frantically in his ears. Glowmon squirmed out of his arms and made an attempt to stop him from getting too far away from the others, but instead of coming to a stop, he merely ducked under his partner's small body and continued to race towards the shadowy horizon. He could hear Glowmon fluttering madly behind him, but he pushed the sound of his digimon's small wings out of his ears, determined to reach his destination. The darkness was coming. He could feel it in his heart. It was going to take Ryoko away from him, and if he didn't do something to stop it, all of his friends were going to leave him...
The Emperor. It's because of the Emperor...
He was sure of it. The Emperor was haunting him, and he had to reach the ocean before it was too late...
Vampiramon
File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World
Vampiramon stood on Airdramon's back and gazed suspiciously at the dark outline of Infinity Mountain looming above the trees in the distance. As ridiculous as it might seem, she could not help feeling as if the mountain was watching her, and the closer they got to their destination, the more she felt like turning around and heading back to the Western Hemisphere. Something didn't feel right. The Digidestined were supposedly on their way to Infinity Mountain, but she had a feeling they were going to do something that would end up ruining her plans before she could even put them into motion.
"Will you sit down before you fall off?" BlackWidowmon smirked, leaning back on her hands and letting the cool wind blow strongly through her long, black hair. "You do realize you've been staring at Infinity Mountain for twenty minutes now, don't you? No offence, but glaring at it isn't going to get us there any faster."
Vampiramon clenched her hands into fists and turned to glare at her female companion. "Not that it's any of your business, but I was thinking about the Spirit Chips and the Digidestined."
"Aren't we all?"
"Indeed, but...BlackWidowmon, do you think we're heading in the right direction?"
"Excuse me?"
The Digidestined are up to something, and what about DarkAngelicmon? Where is that fool angel? I just can't see him standing by while I take all the glory for successfully handing the Spirit Chips over to our master. What if he tries to get the Spirit Chips for himself and ends up ruining my plans? I'm sure the Ruler of Darkness has ordered him to capture Lucemon, but that doesn't mean he won't put it off long enough to get his hands on the Spirit Chips. It wouldn't be the first time he's disobeyed our master's orders and I wouldn't be at all surprised if he somehow managed to get away with it. He has before. In fact, he could be tailing the Digidestined right now for all I know...
"Vampiramon, what is wrong with you?" BlackWidowmon snapped, angrily brushing her dark hair out of her deep red eyes. "You're getting as bad as Spritemon."
Vampiramon frowned and shook her head. "I know the Digidestined said they were going to climb Infinity Mountain, but...I have this strange feeling something big is going to happen, and if I'm right, whatever it is could end up ruining our plans."
"Why would the Digidestined suddenly decide not to climb Infinity Mountain? That doesn't make any sense."
"I'm aware of that, thank you. Listen, I won't pretend to know what's going on, but there's one thing I'm sure of."
"And what would that be?" BlackWidowmon asked slowly, glancing warily in the direction of the ocean.
Vampiramon glanced at the ocean, as well, and wrapped her arms around her body to ward off a sudden chill. "The Digidestined aren't going to make it to Infinity Mountain tonight."
BlackWidowmon stared at her and let out a loud snort. "Don't be ridiculous. Of course they will, and knowing them, they'll reach the top without any difficulty. In case you didn't notice, the Digidestined have a rather annoying habit of getting their greedy hands on everything we want to steal."
"No. Something is wrong. I can feel it."
"Great. It's bad enough you start acting like Spritemon, but now you have to act like DarkAngelicmon, too? Hey! Are you even listening to me? Vampiramon! Where do you think you're going?"
Vampiramon had just been about to leap off Airdramon's back, but BlackWidowmon's shrieks made her pause, and she turned to look over her shoulder at the angry spider digimon. "You're right, of course. There's always a chance the Digidestined will make it to the top of Infinity Mountain, but we can't be sure. That's why I want you and Airdramon to continue on towards Infinity Mountain while I head back and check on Soulmon. I don't trust that fool to keep an eye on our prey, and besides, I won't feel satisfied until I see the Digidestined reach the Spirit Chip with my own eyes."
"Why are you the one who gets to go back and follow the Digidestined?" BlackWidowmon complained.
"Because, you idiot, I'm the one who can fly, remember? Make sure you reach the top of Infinity Mountain before the Digidestined do, and since I'll be following Daichi and his friends, I'll know if you don't. As much as I would like to do it myself, I'm going to have to put you in charge of greeting the Digidestined, and for goodness' sake, don't screw it up, or else! You know I'll have no problem reporting you to our master!"
"Get out of my sight!" BlackWidowmon snapped, her red eyes narrowing into angry slits.
"As you wish. Lamia Transformation!"
Vampiramon felt her body reform into the shape of a bat, and spreading her wings, she quickly flew back towards the trees in the distance. Somewhere along the line, DarkAngelicmon was bound to make an appearance, and when he did, she would be ready for him.
The Spirit Chips are mine! You'd better stay out of my way, DarkAngelicmon, or you're going to regret it!
One day she would destroy him, and when she finally got her chance, she was going to make the most of it.
Ryoko Ishida
File Island, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World
"Ryoko, are you sure there's nothing wrong?" Takara asked quietly, watching him closely.
Ryoko blushed and lowered his sapphire eyes to the ground. "No, I told you, I'm fine."
"Well, in that case you owe Mickey an apology!" Celestimon said furiously, hovering next to Matty's shoulder and crossing his arms over his snow-white chest. The little rookie looked just as angry as his partner, and Ryoko flinched when he realized they were both scowling at him, the expressions on their faces showing just how plainly they didn't approve of what he had said. Mickey stood on Celestimon's other side, and there was a faint blush on the older twin's cheeks. Despite the fact that Matty was watching him, Mickey kept his amber gaze focused firmly on the ground, but he did look up long enough to beam at Celestimon and give the little rookie's small wings a fond tug.
Dai's right, I really should learn how to keep my big mouth shut.
Letting out a deep sigh, Ryoko took a step closer to his cousins and gave Mickey an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Mickey. Celestimon's right, I do owe you an apology. I shouldn't have called you dumb. You act a lot smarter than I do most of the time, that's for sure."
Mickey slowly looked up and gave him a warm smile. "Don't worry about it."
I'm such a jerk. Why do I always have to take out all of my frustrations on my friends? It's not their fault I know about the Emperor.
"That's better," Matty said approvingly, nodding his head in satisfaction.
Ryoko turned to look at Halomon, who was still hovering beside him, and blinked in surprise when the little rookie suddenly let out a small gasp and fluttered a few paces away from him. "Hey, what's with you?"
Halomon peeked at him from between his little fingers and gave him an anxious look. "You're not going to dangle me in the air by my wings, are you?"
Ryoko stared at the little rookie and burst into a fit of laughter. "No way! Unlike Piximon, you're a really cool digimon. You never tried to get us killed! Besides, I like you too much."
Halomon slowly fluttered closer to him, and before he could so much as blink, his vision was obscured by a pair of large, fluffy ears. He felt Halomon's little nose rub happily against his cheek, and turning slightly, he watched the little rookie zoom back into Mickey's arms. The older twin whispered something softly to his partner that made Halomon blush and hide his face against Mickey's shoulder.
Now if only I could fix things just as easily with Sam. Gennai knows the truth, and obviously he knows how it will affect Sam. Throughout our entire conversation with him, he never once told us the true identity of the Emperor, even though he had had plenty of opportunities to do so. He said Ken never needed to Armor Digivolve, and he also said the Crest of Kindness was unavailable for use at the time when the Emperor was trying to take over the Digital World. Agumon didn't really explain how, but the Crest of Kindness had something to do with the Emperor's base, which would explain why the crest was unavailable for use, and then there's the fact that Ken was late joining the Digidestined during their fight to save the Digital World. It all fits. Everything Gennai said about the Emperor was somehow connected to Ken. It really is true. Sam's father was the Digimon Emperor...
"Dovemon's right, you know. I'm usually the last person you tend to get along with," Dai suddenly whispered in his ear, making him jump.
"Huh?"
"I never thought I'd see the day when you would be the one backing me up."
Ryoko felt his face turn red and he gazed self-consciously at his feet. "Even you have to be right once in a while."
The Spirit Chip of Bravery...it can't be mine. I'm...I'm not like Dai. It doesn't fit me like it does him. Besides, if what Gennai said is true, then it has to belong to Dai. All the hints were there. Bravery pretty much means the same thing as courage, and the Crest of Courage is the only thing I can think of that would qualify as being the 'mark of a leader'. I mean, come on, Gennai pretty much told us the Spirit Chip of Bravery belongs to Dai, even if he didn't say it in those exact words, but...what if I'm wrong? What if the Digital World can see something in me that no one else has been able to see? No! It has to belong to Dai! He deserves it, and we're going to need a brave leader if we want to stop the Ruler of Darkness. What I need has nothing to do with Bravery. Well, it does, but not in the same way. I want to be a good friend, just like my dad, but...which Spirit Chip would I need for that? They all have really nice meanings, but...none of them seem to fit me at all. What if there's been a mistake? What if I'm not supposed to get a Spirit Chip? What if I wasn't really supposed to be a Digidestined in the first place? What if Ami or one of the others was supposed to be on the team instead of me?
"What do you think?" Dai asked, holding out his D-Coder.
Then again, if Uncle Tai was right and Gennai isn't lying to us, then that would mean either the Spirit Chip of Bravery, the Spirit Chip of Loyalty, or the Spirit Chip of Compassion would belong to me, but that doesn't sound right either...
"Well?"
Ryoko gazed directly into the goggle-headed leader's dark eyes and placed his hand on the Digivice's glowing, red surface. "It belongs to you, Daichi."
"Really? You think so?"
"Of course I do. Don't let us down, not when we need you so much."
Dai's face suddenly crumpled, and he stared miserably at the dark form of Infinity Mountain. "But...what if I can't? What if I can't be a good leader?"
Ryoko let out a soft sigh and gave his friend's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You can, and even if you can't, I'll still follow you anyways, no matter what."
Dai stared at him in shock, but before he had a chance to study the emotion in the goggle-headed leader's eyes, the expression on Daichi's face turned into a look of awe and wonder. I didn't just say what I think I said, did I? I did! Uh oh...
Ryoko stared at Dai in horror and quickly snatched his hand away from the goggle-headed leader's D-Coder. "We should get-"
"You know what, Ishida? I think you're right."
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
Dai stared at him in a way that suggested the goggle-headed leader was seeing something he had never noticed before, and Ryoko quickly looked at the ground. "I'm talking about the Spirit Chip of Bravery. You don't believe it belongs to you, and I think you're right. I'm not completely sure, but...I think I might know which Spirit Chip really does belong to you."
Ryoko froze and clutched his D-Coder tightly against his chest. "You...do? Um...which one?"
Dai raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest. "You figure it out. After what you just said, it can't be that difficult to do."
"Wow, Dai, you've gotten along with Ryoko for almost fifteen minutes now. That must be a new record!" Tai laughed. "Come on, Izzy, you've had enough time to think things over. What should we do?"
Determined to avoid looking at Dai, Ryoko glanced in Izzy's direction and spotted the computer expert sitting on the grass with his laptop in his hands. At Tai's words, Izzy suddenly looked up and made a face. "It's too bad my laptop only works as a gate in the human world."
"What do you mean?" Candlemon asked, leaning over Izzy's shoulder and glancing curiously at the map his partner's husband had pulled up on the computer screen.
"Unless the barriers to the Digital World have been greatly weakened, or special circumstances require what I call emergency gates, nowadays, the only way to travel to the human world from the Digital World is through one of the television monitors that are scattered all over the place on all four continents. When I'm in the human world, Digidestined who are in the Digital World can use my laptop to travel back to the human world and they will appear out of my computer screen, but when I'm in the Digital World, I can't send people through my computer back to the human world and have them appear say out of one of the school computers for example. That's because human technology is unreliable in the Digital World, and although I'm still able to use my laptop here, it doesn't always do what I want it to do. In fact, most human technology won't even work here, and yet, oddly enough, technology created in the Digital World, like the Digivices for example, work perfectly fine in the human world. I've never been able to figure that one out."
"And what does all of this have to do with anything?" Tai snorted.
"Well, it would come in pretty handy right about now if I could send people back to the human world. In answer to your question, Tai, I've come to the conclusion that Dai and Ryoko are right. There's no point in climbing Infinity Mountain until we have Joe with us."
"Avoid danger when you can and fight when you have to," Gabumon said quietly.
"Exactly. I know we're all anxious to get our hands on the Spirit Chip of Bravery, but we have to think things through carefully before we go rushing into a situation that could put us all in danger. I'm worried about the Spirit Chip, too, but it's not going to go anywhere. Ironically enough, it's perfectly safe as long as we don't go anywhere near it. Joe should be done work in about an hour or so, and if we're lucky, the moon might be out tonight in the Digital World, and that way we won't have to climb Infinity Mountain in total darkness. Like Embermon said, even if we didn't go back to get Joe, I doubt we would be able to make it to the top of the mountain before the sun sets. And if we can't reach our destination before it gets really late, we can always come back tomorrow. After all, you kids have school tomorrow and you need your rest."
"Are you telling me we're going to have to walk all the way back to the gate?" Dai shouted in disbelief. "If that's the case then we came all this way for nothing!"
"Actually, since we're heading towards Infinity Mountain, we might as well use the gate that lies relatively close to its base. It'll be faster than walking all the way back."
Ryoko exchanged a look with his partner and rolled his eyes. "Uh, Izzy, why didn't we just use that gate to begin with? If we had, we could have made it to the top of Infinity Mountain long before the sun set, and it would have saved us a lot of walking."
"I'd forgotten there was a gate that close to Infinity Mountain until just now when I checked my map of the Digital World. Besides, I don't think Gennai wanted us to be seen talking to him that close to Infinity Mountain. Even if an evil digimon couldn't hear what we were saying, they might start getting ideas if they saw us that close to a mountain most digimon tend to avoid. After all, there's always a chance some digimon spotted us at the edge of the forest, but since we weren't that close to Infinity Mountain, I doubt they would have suspected what we were trying to do."
"If, like you said, they weren't close enough to hear us plainly say we're going to try and climb Infinity Mountain," Alopemon muttered.
"If we can get Joe to come with us, or if we do have to wait until tomorrow to get the Spirit Chip, we'll use the gate closer to Infinity Mountain," Izzy promised, "although it does look more suspicious and it'll definitely be more dangerous. Now let's hurry. We need to get back to the human world and talk to Joe as soon as possible."
Gennai thought of everything. I think I understand now. He wanted to protect Sam. That's why he didn't tell us the Emperor's true identity. He knew it wasn't up to him to give away Ken's secret...
"Where's Sam?" Mickey suddenly cried, his words shattering the uneasy silence Izzy's words had cast upon the group.
Ryoko whirled around and stared at the spot where Sam had been standing at the edge of the group not that long ago and felt his heart leap into his throat. He glanced frantically around at the rest of the Digidestined to make sure he hadn't missed anything, but it was no use. The raven-haired Digidestined was gone.