Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, nor do I own Kibomon, Aiwemon, Velinemon, or Gessmon, who were created by RoyalKnightX, Shire Folk, Silver Kitsune Lunara, and Miss Anonymous hp respectively. Once again thank you to all of you who participated in the thread challenge on my forum Digital Connections a long time ago to have your own OC digimon placed in both Following the Footsteps of Destiny and Digimon Chronicles: The Demon Years. These four were the winners and their digimon are amazing!
A/N: And now we get to some pretty interesting stuff! Just to let you know, if you have not read Moonlight Demons, Digimon Chronicles: The Demon Years, or you skipped over the chapter in FTFOD entitled The Importance of Mimi, then you may get a bit confused by this chapter. So, if you haven't read even at least one of those things, you may want to for the sake of this chapter. That's all I'm going to say. You'll have to read the chapter to find out more. Also, if you want to do a bit of background reading to familiarize yourself with all the info that's going to be thrown at you over these next three chapters, I would suggest reading chapters of FTFOD like Digimon Lore and The Importance of Mimi again, just to remember some key points in the story, since it's been a long time since we've had a chapter full of info like Digimon Lore. And that's it from me for this chapter. I'm looking forward to the next one especially, and I hope all of you will be too after this one!
Following the Footsteps of Destiny
Chapter 213: Beneath the Lake
Sam Ichijouji
Server, Eastern Hemisphere, Digital World
"We're here!" Izzy announced about two hours later, waving his hand at the small lake stretching out ahead of them beneath the gray sky with a flourish, a brilliant smile on his face.
Sam stared at the ripples of water lapping gently at his feet from where he stood with the others on the bank, and scratching the back of his head in confusion, he said, "Um...Izzy, there's nothing here."
At least...nothing I can see. What in the Digiworld is Izzy going on about?
The lake had a slightly purplish hue to it, and with the clouds threatening to burst, it created a surprisingly picturesque scene. Despite the state of the sky, though, the water was calm and there were no other digimon in sight.
It was quiet, but not a threatening kind of quiet. It was more a peaceful kind of quiet and it helped to calm Sam's nerves somewhat.
"Oh, well..." Izzy looked a little disappointed at the lack of excitement his words had generated from the party, but not one to be dissuaded so easily he immediately perked up again, a smile on his face. "It might not look like there's anything here, but trust me, this is definitely the exact location of Gennai's house. I remember it perfectly. I even double-checked the coordinates. There's no way I'm mistaken."
"If you say so," Daichi replied, looking a little as though he were trying not to laugh. "So, uh...where exactly is Gennai's house, and more importantly, how do we get inside it?"
"Uh, well..." Izzy hesitated for a moment, the smile on his face becoming a bit sheepish. "Actually, I'm not quite sure. The last time we were here there was this beacon of light shooting out of the lake, and it was that light that had guided us to Gennai's house in the first place. I suspect it was Gennai himself who opened the path for us so..."
"So, in other words we're going to be stuck standing here unless that light appears again?" Mimi demanded, her hands on her hips.
"Great," Matt drawled, shaking his head at Izzy. "At this rate, we could be standing here all evening. You, of all people, should think of these things ahead of time. I have to say, I'm kind of disappointed."
"W-what do you mean you're disappointed? Just...you know...give me a minute to think here. I'm sure I can come up with something. And besides, Gennai knows we're coming, just like he did the last time. He wouldn't leave us standing out here all night."
"And there he goes," Mimi sighed, watching as Izzy wandered off slightly from the group to mutter to himself.
"You can do it, Izzy!" Tentomon encouraged, following after his partner.
Since it looked as if it might take Izzy a while to figure out what to do next, Sam slowly sat down near the edge of the bank, happy to have a chance to rest while they waited. It had been a long walk and he was tired from the exercise.
Or maybe I'm just exhausted from the effort it's taken to pretend my dad isn't here with me.
Sam glanced hesitantly at his parents, who were standing a little to one side of where Izzy sat on the bank with his laptop, and frowning Sam studied his father's pale face and his mother's serious expression, uncertain of where he stood with them. They were talking quietly to one another, or more accurately his mother was doing all the talking and his father only seemed to be half listening in resigned silence, and judging by the insistent tone in his mother's voice, Sam suspected she was trying unsuccessfully to cheer up his father, with disappointing results.
And it's all because of me...
A few feet away from him, Mickey, Matty, Takara, and Ryoko were sitting in a huddle with their digimon partners, and for some reason Halomon and Celestimon kept glancing at the valley of tall grass in the distance, as if searching for something they knew with certainty was there but were unable to see amongst the grass and weeds.
I wonder if something's over there. DarkAngelicmon maybe? Can't be. If he was hiding in the grass, Halomon and Celestimon would warn us, but...if it's not DarkAngelicmon then what could they be looking at?
He was concerned, there was no doubt about that, but seeing as how both Mickey and Matty didn't appear to look as if they thought there was anything out of the ordinary going on, he chose not to comment on the two celestial digimon and their behaviour. Besides, he had other things on his mind.
Like my father...
"Anything, Izzy?" Palmon asked from where she sat huddled in a group with Mimi, Matt, Cody, Rosa, and their digimon.
"Nothing yet."
Dai, who stood at the very edge of the water with Embermon, rolled his eyes, not even bothering to hide his impatience. "We're going to be here all night."
Izzy was about to make a retort when a huge beam of light suddenly shot out of the water, making Sam gasp in surprise. It startled Dai so badly, the goggle-headed leader promptly fell over backwards onto the ground, nearly crushing Embermon in the process.
"What's going on?" Takara cried, leaping to her feet.
Sam also jumped to his feet, Glowmon in his arms, and he stared at the beam of light weaving back and fourth in astonishment, convinced he was seeing things.
"I think that's our cue," Izzy replied, scrambling to his feet and quickly making his way over to the edge of the water. "Everyone, follow me."
Sam exchanged a look with his partner, and reluctantly he followed Izzy to the water's edge, the others crowding in close behind him.
"I'd say good job, but seeing as how you didn't do anything, I won't bother," Matt smirked, elbowing the computer expert in the ribs.
"Hey! This is Gennai we're talking about here. It's not exactly a walk in the park trying to get through his security system, you know."
"Look! Check it out!" Matty cried excitedly, pointing at the lake.
Sam quickly turned his attention back to the beam of light shooting out of the lake and he watched in fascination as the water parted in a style reminiscent to that of the Red Sea in the story of Moses, and a staircase appeared, leading down to the bottom of the lake.
"You've got to be kidding me! He lives at the bottom of a lake?" Ryoko gasped, gazing at the newly revealed staircase in disbelief. "You don't seriously expect me to go down there, do you?"
In response to the skeptical look on her son's face, Mimi put an arm around his shoulders and said cheerfully, "I felt the same way when I first came here years ago, but once you get used to the purple fog and the fish swimming around on either side of you, it's not so bad. It gets better once you actually get to Gennai's house."
"Come on, Ryoko, it'll be fun," Alopemon said innocently, beaming at his partner.
"Now you're starting to sound like Embermon."
"The sooner we get down there the sooner we can find out what it is Gennai wants to tell us," Mickey said quietly, moving past Izzy towards the gray stairs. "Let's go, everyone."
"Onward!" Celestimon cried, fluttering off ahead of Mickey with Halomon.
Sam quickly followed after Dai, and glancing at the exotic fish swimming within the violet water on either side of him, his sapphire eyes squinting through the purple mist down below, he had to admit it was a rather beautiful passage to Gennai's house.
"You know, this is my first time being here, too," Cody commented, giving him a warm smile. "And the same is true for Rosa, Ken, and Yolei."
"I like it. It's so mysterious," Rosa said cheerfully, beaming at the fish swimming by. "What do you think, Sam?"
"It's nice, I guess."
"It's pretty!" Glowmon cried enthusiastically.
"Makes me kind of hungry for sea food," Rosa joked.
Sam chanced a quick peek at his parents and though his mother was gazing at the fish with interest, his father appeared to be lost in thought, as if his mind was somewhere else.
"I bet Gomamon really liked it here," Gotsumon remarked, exchanging a smile with Armadillomon.
"It certainly appears to be his kind of place," Hawkmon agreed. " I quite like it myself."
"We're almost there. Take a look, guys!" Izzy called out, pointing up ahead.
Sam hasitly made his way down the last few steps, and gazing at the scene before him, he couldn't help but smile. The sky was a pink, purplish hue and in the centre of a small patch of grass stood two gray buildings that made up Gennai's residence. A sandy path led to the main house, and next to the buildings stood a small pink, purplish pond surrounded by a border of stones. There were several small trees of unknown origin occupying the property and a stone pathway that led to a small bridge, which connected to a small island located in the centre of the pond. Now that they were below the lake, the pale violet fog wasn't nearly as thick, but the same sort of mysterious atmosphere remained, creating a landscape that was so beautiful, Sam was sure Matty was regretting the fact that his digital camera probably wouldn't work very well in the Digital World. At least, compared to how it worked in the human world.
"Gennai!" Izzy called out to one of the three figures lounging on the small island in the centre of the pond.
Recognizing the other two, Sam raced across the bridge and skidded to a stop before the one resembling a pink powder puff could collide with his nose. "Piximon! Leomon! It's good to see you guys again."
"Greetings, Digidestined," Leomon said with a smile, bowing at the waist. "It's good to see you again, as well."
"It's been a long time," Izzy replied, beaming at the lion digimon. "It's good to see you again, Leomon."
"And you've all neglected your training, no doubt, since last I saw you on File Island," Piximon scolded, frowning at Izzy. "I think fifty laps around the pond should suffice, yup yup."
"My wife is not doing fifty laps around the pond!" Matt shouted in outrage, glaring at the little pixie digimon. "You know very well she's going to have a baby."
"Relax, my friend, it's not going to hurt the child, as you very well know, but if you insist then you can do fifty laps in her place. A hundred laps altogether. Fifty for you and fifty for your wife. A fair exchange for having neglected your training."
Matt gaped at the small pixie digimon, his eyebrows disappearing into his hairline. "How is that fair?"
"You haven't changed a bit, Piximon," Mimi laughed, shaking her head in amusement.
"Welcome to my humble home," Gennai announced, motioning for all of them to take a seat on the grass. "Sorry about the delay with the light. There were a few things I needed to discuss with Piximon and Leomon before your arrival, but now that you're all here there is much we need to talk about, the first and most important topic of conversation being the Spirit Chip of Compassion. I did say I would explain its location in more detail once you arrived here, and it's time I kept that promise."
"It's somewhere here on Server, right?" Gabumon asked curiously, studying Gennai with interest. "That's what you said yesterday."
Gennai, who had remained standing, turned his back on the party, his gaze focusing on something unseen in the distance. "Yes, the Spirit Chip of Compassion is here on Server, but it will not be easy for you to reach it. Leomon and Piximon here can attest to that, which is why I am sending Leomon along with you to be your guide."
"Really? You're coming along with us, Leomon?" Embermon said enthusiastically, turning to the lion digimon for confirmation. "That's great! We could definitely use the help."
Leomon bowed his head in acknowledgement and smiled at the little rookie sitting next to him. "Indeed I am. As Gennai stated, the path is not an easy one. We had our fair share of problems just trying to get close enough to even see which Spirit Chip it was."
"Also, we suspect we might have been spied upon while sharing information with Gennai upon returning here from where the Spirit Chip is hidden, so stay on your guard," Piximon warned.
"By DarkAngelicmon and his allies?" Cody asked, frowning in confusion. "That can't be. They were on Infinity Mountain yesterday trying to steal Dai's Spirit Chip."
"Not them, no," Leomon said slowly, as if hesitant to share his opinion, "but by someone. Who, we cannot say for sure, but more than likely they have some kind of connection to the Ruler of Darkness."
"Really? You think so?" Matty asked quietly, a slight frown on his face. "But...who else would the Ruler of Darkness get to spy on you guys?"
"The Ruler of Darkness has many servants," Gennai interrupted, his hands folding themselves neatly behind his back. "You have been inside his castle on Cyber. You've seen that for yourselves. Any one of them could have acted as a spy, therefore I must repeat myself. You need to be careful and you need to stay on your guard. Anything can happen during your quest to find the Spirit Chip of Compassion, and therefore you must take special care to remain aware of your surroundings at all times."
"We'll be careful," Izzy promised. "So, where exactly is the Spirit Chip?"
"It's located within a vast area of swampland to the north. Leomon will be able to lead you directly to the Spirit Chip."
"Well, that's good," Rosa sighed in relief, smiling slightly. "Can you imagine if we had to find it for ourselves? That might have taken us a few days, which would have used up our entire weekend."
"What a waste that would be," Dai snorted, making a face. "So...we have to make our way through a swamp, do we? Well then, what are we sitting around here for? Let's get this over with and find that Spirit Chip!"
"Before we go, I have a question for you, Gennai," Ken suddenly interrupted, causing Sam to glance at his father in surprise. "It concerns the crests."
"What is it you would like to know?"
"According to you, each of the Spirit Chips will eventually merge with one of the nine crests, correct? As you know, with regards to the Spirit Chip of Bravery, that has already happened. Tai no longer carries the Crest of Courage because it has now become a part of Dai's Spirit Chip. In time, five more crests will follow."
"Yes, if all of you can manage to recover the remaining five Spirit Chips then they, too, will eventually merge with a crest."
What exactly is my dad trying to say? I don't get it...
"You're probably wondering why I'm asking, but I have no doubt that you of all people know the answer," the former Emperor said slowly, his sapphire gaze studying Gennai's young face. "For those Digidestined who own one of the crests that was chosen to merge with one of the Spirit Chips, will their digimon still be able to digivolve to ultimate now that they will no longer have a crest?"
Oh! I hadn't thought about that...
Sam, who was sitting next to Mickey, about as far away from his father as he could get, glanced curiously at Gennai, wondering the answer to that question himself, and smiling at the hazy purple sky, his back still towards them, Gennai said, "Of course their digimon will still be able to digivolve to ultimate. Have you forgotten so quickly? The crests, and even Azulongmon's Digicores, merely act as tools to help in the digivolving process. Tai and his fellow Digidestined have already proved that as long as your hearts remain strong and free from the darkness then it is possible for digimon with human partners to digivolve without the help of a crest, Data Core, or even a Spirit Chip, but that's not an easy thing to do, and often it only happens when all of the hearts of the Digidestined are resonating as one. That is why we created the crests and the Spirit Chips, to help make the digivolving process easier on both you, the Digidestined, and your partner digimon."
"Makes sense," Izzy agreed, nodding his head in approval and clutching his laptop tightly to his chest.
"That's good to know," Ken murmured, looking a little relieved. "We need all the help we can get."
"You're also forgetting one thing," Gennai added, turning his head slightly to look at the former Emperor. "The Crest of Courage may have merged with the Spirit Chip of Bravery, but that doesn't mean it's gone. Its power still exists and that power is fueling the power of the Spirit Chip. I suppose it's best to say that the crest is merely being held for safekeeping by the Spirit Chip of Bravery and when that power is no longer needed, it will be returned to its original owner. That will be true for the other five crests that will eventually merge with the Spirit Chips, as well."
"That's great," Palmon shouted enthusiastically, beaming at her partner. "That means even if the Crest of Sincerity merges with a Spirit Chip, I can still become Lillymon, without the extra effort of not having a crest!"
"Amazing, isn't it?" Mimi laughed, smiling at the rookie digimon in amusement.
"I only just got the chance to become JewelBeemon. I would like the chance to do so again," Wormmon added, looking a little relieved himself. "It would be nice if the Crest of Kindness became one of the crests chosen to merge with a Spirit Chip. Don't you think so, Ken?"
In response to his partner's words, the former Emperor hung his head and refused to answer.
And once again it's all because of me. If the Spirit Chip of Compassion really is mine, I wonder which crest will merge with it. I bet my dad hopes it's not his crest, all because of what I've done to him.
That thought brought tears to Sam's eyes, but before he could dwell on it too much, Gennai clapped his hands together and said, "Speaking of digivolving to ultimate, I have a request to make."
"W-what is it?" Ryoko managed to stutter, startled by the sudden change in subject.
"If you wouldn't mind passing on a message to Kari and Gatomon for me, the next time you all return to the Digital World, their presence is required. I would like to request the use of Gatomon's tail ring again. With regards to DNA digivolution, it will be a great help and it will make the digivolving process much easier."
"What exactly are you saying?" Dai demanded, frowning in confusion.
"There is no denying you have powerful enemies, and any advantage we can manage to aquire will be a great asset to us."
"So, in other words we need more ultimates and Imperialdramon," Matt said bluntly, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
"Another mega will be a great help to you. And with the power of one of Azulongmon's Digicores and the ring, I'm sure Gatomon will agree with me."
"That means I'll be able to digivolve with Veemon again?" Wormmon asked hopefully, his large eyes lighting up with sudden excitement.
"That's exactly what it means. Be sure to pass on my message. We shall work out the details later, but you can be sure I'll meet up with all of you again once Kari and Gatomon are among you."
"Sounds good. Shall we get going then?" Izzy asked, expecting to be dismissed.
Apparently, Gennai had other plans, though, because instead of wishing them good luck on their journey, he said slowly, "There is one other thing before you go. Come with me into the house for a moment. There's...something I would like to show you."
"Is this the thing you mentioned the other day?" Matty asked eagerly, his amber eyes growing wide with curiosity.
"Indeed, it is."
"What is it?" Takara squealed, bouncing on the grass with excitement.
"Come with us and you will see, yup yup," Piximon said mysteriously, interrupting before Gennai could answer. "Leomon, if you could lead the way."
Sam quickly jumped to his feet, and sticking close to Mickey as they made their way back over the small bridge towards the house, he whispered in the golden-haired Digidestined's ear, "What do you think it is Gennai wants to show us?"
"I can't say for sure, but...I think it might have something to do with everything that's been happening to the Digital World lately. He wouldn't bother showing us if it wasn't relevant to what we're facing now, would he?"
"I guess not. Hey, Mickey...do you think it might have something to do with DarkAngelicmon?"
Mickey hesitated before saying, "I don't know. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
"I can't wait to see Imperialdramon," Dai said happily, coming up suddenly behind them with Ryoko. "That'll be so cool!"
"Same here," Ryoko agreed, glancing quickly at Dai before ducking his head in embarrassment. "I bet he's a really awesome digimon."
Imperialdramon...
His father's digimon.
Sam, glancing once again in the direction of his parents, was beginning to think his father could read his mind because when his gaze fell upon the former Emperor, he could see his father watching him from up ahead, the look of scrutiny on the man's face making his cheeks turn red. He couldn't deny his feelings, though. He felt every bit the same way as Dai and Ryoko, and the thought of seeing his father's digimon in the mega form with Veemon made his heart flutter with excitement.
I bet they look amazing together...
"This way," Leomon called out, motioning them through the front door.
Sam quickly followed the others into one of the back rooms, where he found himself gazing at what looked like a large, flat screen television hanging on the wall. "What's that?"
"It's the monitor for the surveillance system that records all activity in, or around, my house," Gennai explained, waving his hand at the screen with a flourish. "It also has other functions. For example, when gates to the Digital World started opening all over Earth after Tai's group became Digidestined, I knew we needed to devise a way to keep track of the gates leading to and from the Digital World. This surveillance system acts also as a computer would in your world, and it allows me to have easy access to the human world when trying to make contact, which was how I talked to you via the Motomiya's home computer last night. It's also connected to all the television screens acting as gateways here in the Digital World, which were set up not too long before the arrival of Davis and his team of Digidestined."
"And it works?" Izzy asked in astonishment. "Because anything electronic we bring from the human world always goes on the fritz here. My laptop does generally work fairly well here, but even it goes haywire occasionally and it's limited to what it can do."
"Yes. Electronic devices from the human world aren't very compatible with the Digital World, but like the televisions acting as gates, my surveillance system was not made in the human world. Both the televisions and my surveillance system came from this world, and therefore they are able to function in a satisfactory manner. With this new ability to connect to the televisions scattered throughout the Digital World, I now also have the ability to not only monitor the human world, but any activity close to the gates here in the Digital World all at once, from the very comfort of my own home, I might add."
"Very convenient," Izzy agreed, nodding his head to show he understood, even if no one else did. "But...why exactly did you want to show us your surveillance system?"
Gennai quickly stepped up to the monitor and standing off to one side of the screen, he said in a tone that was rather serious compared to his usually light-hearted personality, "Though this ability to connect with the television monitors here in the Digital World is more recent-"
"If you call over twenty-five years recent," Matt smirked.
"-I've had this surveillance system for much longer than all of you have been around," Gennai continued, acting for all the Digiworld as if he'd never been interrupted. "Maybe longer than you can comprehend due to the fact that time between the human world and the Digital World was not synchronized until after the appearance of Apocalymon. During that time before Tai's group came to the Digital World, my surveillance system recorded an interesting scene that I would like all of you to see."
"Really?" Takara gasped, staring at the screen as if it held some intriguing secret. "What is it?"
"I think it's best if you just watch it first and then I will explain it in more detail. Everyone gather around now."
Sam quickly took a seat between Mickey and Matty, Glowmon in his arms, and eyes glued to the screen, he spoke up for the sake of everyone in the room. "We're ready."
"I will not attempt to explain to you how many years ago this took place in the Digital World, but if we go by the same amount of time in the human world...it was thirty-three years ago that a group of young humans and their partner digimon came to visit me here at my residence. My surveillance system recorded that visit. This is a piece of it, which I think you will all find very interesting."
"You don't mean..." Dai gasped, staring at the screen in shock.
"Watch and listen," Gennai replied, going quiet as the screen flickered to life.
And there, sitting at a low table with an orange dinosaur digimon seated next to him, his blond hair and sparkling gray eyes shining under the bright lights overhead, was a boy Sam knew from Gennai's earlier description could only be the elusive leader of the first Digidestined.
Takahiro Kuroki.
"N-no way!" Ryoko faltered, shaking his head in disbelief.
"That orange dinosaur digimon of the dragon type with the red scales all over his body is Tal Kuroki's digimon partner, Kibomon."
"Look!" Halomon cried, fluttering right up to the screen and placing his small hands upon its surface. "It's him! Halomon! He's just like me!"
Halomon was right. There on the screen was another Halomon, who sat curled up against a boy with glossy black hair and intense, forest green eyes. The boy was sitting next to Tal, and once again Sam knew from Gennai's earlier description that he could only put one name to that boy.
Kenji Iwamoto.
"I wonder where that Halomon is now," Celestimon said thoughtfully, fluttering up next to Mickey's Halomon and placing his own hands on the screen. "He could be our friend!"
"Yeah, I'd like that," Halomon agreed, blushing shyly and quickly fluttering back into Mickey's arms.
"Who wouldn't want to be friends with you," Mickey murmured, cuddling his partner close.
At the head of the table, on the screen across from a young Gennai, who was at the other head, Tal on her right, sat a pretty girl with brown hair done up in bobby pins and deep brown eyes, a rookie bird digimon who resembled a hawk by her side. Judging by her appearance, she could only be Inca Sasaki.
"The bird digimon is her digimon partner, Aiwemon," Gennai explained.
That left only two people on either side of the table. The one across from Tal was a female with blond hair in pigtails and bright blue eyes. A feline digimon with a dark coat of fur sat beside her, though the tips of her ears, tail, and feet were white, and so was her face. Sam was surprised to see that the rookie digimon had magenta claws. The girl had to be Mai Nakinawa, and next to her, across from Kenji, was a small boy with brown eyes and brown hair who could only be Seta Sugiyama. Seta's digimon partner was a small rodent digimon with tiny ears and beady black eyes, and he appeared to be a little on the timid side.
"Velinemon there is Mai's partner and the rodent digimon is Seta's partner, Gessmon," Gennai informed them in response to the curious looks he was receiving.
"Unbelievable," Izzy muttered to himself, for once at a loss for words.
"Now watch and listen," Gennai repeated, waving his hand at the screen.
Immediately the figures on the screen came to life, and Kenji promptly turned to Tal, his green eyes flashing. "You can't be serious, Tal! You expect us to just walk right into enemy territory, regardless of what kind of danger awaits us, all just for the sake of our Data Cores? That's crazy! Especially since we don't even know where they've hidden them! That's, that's-"
"Calm down before you have a heart attack, Kenji," Mai snorted on the screen, rolling her deep blue eyes. "You really need to learn to lighten up a little, you know."
"Are you kidding me? You expect me to 'lighten up', as you put it, after that Parrotmon and Greymon ended up causing so much destruction on Earth earlier, on the same day we got sucked into the Digital World, no less? I don't care what anyone says, that still doesn't make any sense!"
"Well, I did warn you," the young Gennai on the screen said pleasantly, sounding amused. "And as hard as that may be for you to accept, we have more important things to worry about. You have seen it for yourselves. The barrier between the human world and the Digital World is weakening. Something must be done before it shatters completely, causing even more chaos and destruction than what you've witnessed already."
"But-"
"One of those Data Cores is yours, Kenji," Tal said quietly, gazing directly into the raven-haired Digidestined's eyes. "Do you really want it to remain in enemy hands?"
"Our Data Cores wouldn't be in enemy hands in the first place if Gennai had warned us earlier about those evil megas and their master! If he had, we would have been more careful with them and we might have been able to prevent them from getting stolen! He could have told us as soon as we got back to the Digital World, but no, he waits until after they're stolen to tell us the truth! All this time, Gennai suspected there was more to what was going on with this whole business about digimon hating humans, but he never bothered to warn us until it was too late!"
"Kenji, calm down please," Inca interrupted on the screen, a sigh escaping her lips. "Even Gennai didn't know exactly what was going on. He had his suspicions yes, but like us he couldn't be sure of anything. Even now, he doesn't know much more than we do at this point. There's no sense in blaming Gennai. We're at fault just as much as he is. It isn't going to change things, and it definitely isn't going to get us anywhere. He did the best he could, and now we have to do the same."
"Inca's right," Aiwemon agreed, ruffling his brown feathers, the white tips of his wings and his bright yellow claws shining faintly from the lights overhead. "There's no sense in blaming anyone. Sometimes these things just happen."
Kenji ignored both Inca and her digimon partner, and once again turning to Tal, he said bitterly, "My Data Core, huh? Don't try to pull that garbage on me. The only Data Core you care about is your own, so quit trying to tell me how to act and what to do!"
"Hey! You take that back!" Kibomon shouted, glaring at Kenji.
"Oh no, this isn't going well at all," the Halomon on the screen moaned, covering his small face with his hands.
"That's not true and you know it," Tal said quietly, looking both stunned and hurt by Kenji's accusation. "And I'm not trying to tell you what to do. For your information, I'm just as worried as you are that someone might end up getting hurt. I know how you feel, even if you don't think I do."
For a moment, Kenji just stared at the goggle-headed leader in disbelief, and then his pale cheeks turned a deep shade of red. "What? I...that's not..."
"You can't fool me, Kenji," Tal shot back, refusing to back down. "Not anymore."
"Oh, really? Judging from your current record, you seem like the type who can be fooled fairly easily."
"Huh? What are you talking about? What are you trying to say?"
"You'd have to be a fool to hang out with Yosuke!" Kenji shot back, and then he clapped a hand over his mouth in horror when he realized what he had said.
For a moment, everyone on the screen remained silent, and then staring at Kenji in shock, Tal managed to find his voice. "Wait...what? You...you know Yosuke?"
"Don't be stupid," Kenji managed to respond, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. "You and I are in the same class with him at school. Of course I know who he is. That doesn't mean I know him, though."
"But then why did you mention his-"
"It's nothing. Forget it," Kenji muttered on the screen, avoiding the golden-haired Digidestined's eyes.
Watching events play out on Gennai's monitor, Sam could tell Kenji was lying, and he couldn't help wondering if, at the time, Tal had noticed as well. Clearly, Kenji had known this Yosuke a lot better than he'd been letting on to Tal.
Who is Yosuke? And why does Kenji seem to hate him so much?
"Guys, please don't fight." Seta pleaded, tears in his eyes. "I'm scared enough as it is already."
"Seta's right. We have enough enemies as it is. We shouldn't be fighting each other, too," Gessmon said sadly, his small ears twitching nervously above his head. Though it looked as if the small digimon normally perched on all four legs, at the moment he was standing on his hind legs, a better position for being able to see over the table.
"But...that digimon," Kenji whispered, hanging his head. "That one who came to us, who warned us about what would happen if we interfered..."
"Belphemon," Tal murmured, shaking his head in denial. "The Demon of Sloth, he called himself."
"And you heard what he said, Tal. There are more of them and they want to use our Data Cores for...how did he put it? To gather the rest of his comrades, which makes it sound like they want to increase their numbers. At the moment, we don't know know many there are, but does it really even matter? We can't fight them and win, not against megas like Belphemon, even with the Data Cores..."
Tal was quiet for a moment, and just when Sam thought the golden-haired Digidestined wouldn't answer, he suddenly reached out and placed his hands on Kenji's shoulders, his sparkling gray eyes willing for the raven-haired Digidestined to understand. "Maybe you're right. Maybe we can't win, but...we still have to try. If we give up and let Belphemon's master win, it won't just be the Digital World that ends up suffering. It'll be our world too and everybody we care about, including your mom, step-dad, and stepbrother."
"I don't-"
"You care," Tal said softly, refusing to lower his gaze. "I saw you with your stepbrother that night when we returned to Earth during the fight between Parrotmon and Greymon. Kensuke. I know, and you know it, too. Do you really want both humans and digimon to suffer?"
"Of course I don't!" Kenji snapped, unable to look at the goggle-headed leader. He seemed flustered at the mention of his stepbrother, and there was a faint blush on his cheeks.
"Well, if that's how you feel then you know we can't give up, Kenji. I know you don't trust me, despite everything I've done to make you see that you can count on me, but please, at least trust me on this. I don't know how, but we'll find a way. Somehow we'll find our Data Cores. We will get them back, but we have to fight for them. And once we've found them we'll save everyone. Humans and digimon alike. We'll save both worlds, and all of us will do it together."
The boys sat there in silence on the screen with their eyes locked, and the way they acted towards each other, the way they looked at each other, it was so reminiscent of the way Dai and Ryoko acted towards each other that Sam found himself looking at his two friends rather than at the two boys on the screen, and he wasn't the only one. The entire room seemed to be watching Dai and Ryoko, and in turn they were staring at each other, their eyes locked in some kind of silent communication.
Daichi's gaze was intense, and Ryoko's defences looked on the verge of crumbling right before Sam's very eyes.
Before either one of them could speak, though, the moment was shattered by Kenji's voice on the screen, the raven-haired Digidestined having finally found the courage to respond to Tal. "Don't you dare go back on your word. If you're lying to me..."
"I'm not lying," Tal said gently, giving Kenji's shoulders a reassuring squeeze. "I'll find a way, no matter what it takes."
Kenji looked like he wanted to respond, but he couldn't seem to find the right words, so instead of answering he merely leaned into Tal for a moment before pulling away, his face a mask of emotion.
"I'm never going to give up!" Velinemon announced, her green eyes flashing. "I'll take Belphemon and his master down no matter what it takes."
"I, too, will fight with everything I have," Aiwemon said mildly, rubbing his head gently against Inca's cheek, as if to reassure her of his words.
"Belphemon's scary and I bet his master's even more scary, but I'll help too!" Gessmon squeaked, looking frightened of his own words. "I-I mean, I'll try..."
"I won't let anyone get hurt," the Halomon on the screen said firmly, his small hands clenching into tight fists. "I'll protect everyone."
"No one's going to hurt anyone I care about!" Kibomon shouted, leaping onto the table and crossing his arms over the red scales decorating his chest, his tail twitching in excitement. "I'd like to see Belphemon and his master try! They're not going to get past me. We're going to get those Data Cores back, and when we do, we'll all be able to digivolve to ultimate again, and someday I bet we'll even go all the way to mega!"
"That's the spirit!" Mai cheered, pumping her fist into the air. "Those bad guys don't stand a chance against us."
"Speaking of Belphemon's master, I wonder who he is," Inca said thoughtfully, propping her chin in her hands, her elbows resting on the table.
"Who indeed," the young Gennai on the screen murmured, bowing his head. "A digimon calling himself the Ruler of Darkness. Who indeed..."
And with that, the screen went blank, leaving Sam sitting there in stunned silence, his mouth hanging open.
Thirty-three years ago, the Digital World and the human world alike had been at the mercy of an evil force threatening to presumably plunge both worlds into darkness. All because of one digimon.
A digimon calling himself the Ruler of Darkness.