The Wait Is Over

Guilmon did make it home safely after playing with his friends in the Secret Garden. He took off his backpack and set it down near Mokuba's bed and took off his disguise and folded it. "That was so much fun," he laughed.

At that moment, Kaiba opened the door to his brother's room and stepped inside, surprising the red dragon. Guilmon gasped and turned around, having completely forgotten that the brunette was expecting him. "Guilmon, where is he?" Guilmon opens his mouth to speak, but before he can answer, Kaiba asks, "Do you know where he is now?"

Guilmon was silent for a moment. How was he supposed to answer without breaking the oath? Finally, he said, "I know where he's going."

"Tell me," Kaiba ordered.

"There's a door to another world behind Celestic Falls," Guilmon revealed. "That's where he's been going."

The brunette was baffled. There was a door to another world that neither he nor his friends knew about. But if it was a door to a new world, how was his brother able to come and go at will? Kaiba had been told by the Great Goddess herself that he and his friends couldn't return to the Secret Garden after claiming the Cobalt Star shard that was hidden there. Did this mean that this world didn't have a shard? But then why would a door to such a world suddenly appear?

Kaiba took out his cell phone and began calling his friends, asking them to meet him at the Secret Garden again. He knew they all just got back from there less than a few minutes ago, but this was important. Unfortunately, his friends weren't going to be able to meet him right away. Emily was getting her bicycle repaired, Joey was grocery shopping, and Yugi was helping his grandfather at the game shop. Kaiba wasn't always patient, but he decided to bear with it and wait until after dinner. He told his friends that once they were finished, he wanted them to pack up and get ready for an adventure in another world.

After Joey came home from the store and put his groceries away, he started going through his belongings for the things he figured he would need. He got an extra pair of clothes, hygiene products, and he made sure his wallet was still full. He didn't have a lot of money left after he finished shopping, so he remembered to stop by the bank to get some cash on his way to meet his friends.

Biyomon saw him packing and asked, "Are you really going to another world?"

"Kaiba says it's urgent," Joey answered. "I bet it has to do with Mokuba. I gotta admit, even I'm a little curious about what that kid's been up to." Once he finished packing, he went to the kitchen. He decided to make something fast for him and Biyomon like instant noodles. Then once he was finished, he would hurry to meet his friends.

After getting her bicycle from the repair shop, Emily hurried home and began packing the things she thought she would need for her adventure. Like Joey, she filled her backpack with the important essentials along with her binoculars, tambourine, and camera and photo album.

Gatomon wanted to come along, but Emily wouldn't let her. She set her down on the bed and said, "I can't take you with me this time."

"Why not?" the cat Digimon asked.

"I don't know anything about this new world I'm going to and I don't want to put you in danger," the blonde told her. She scratched her ears and said, "Just stay home for now." Before leaving, Emily made sure her pet cat had enough food and water in her dishes and a clean litter tray. Then she stepped outside and locked her front door.

But Gatomon was determined to come along. She felt she had to be there to protect Emily. So she climbed out of the bedroom window and began following her partner.

That was when Yugi came out of the entrance to the game shop with a backpack full of supplies. He hurried to catch up with Emily. He also saw Gatomon and asked, "Gatomon, what are you doing?"

Emily stopped in her tracks. "Gatomon?" And she saw her partner in the trees.

"Hi, guys," she called out.

"I told you to stay home," the blonde scolded.

"I know, but I really want to help," the cat Digimon replied. "You said it yourself that you don't know anything about this new world you're going to, and I think that's all the more reason for me to come along and protect you."

Yugi and Emily looked at each other, figuring that it probably couldn't hurt for the cat Digimon to come along. "Okay," Emily told her, "but you've got to stay with me at all times. And remember, you can't attack anybody or digivolve." Emily didn't have her digivice on hand anyway, so Gatomon wouldn't be able to digivolve anyway.

Gatomon understood and came down from the trees and positioned herself on Emily's shoulders. With that setback being taken care of, the three of them could hurry to meet their friends in the Secret Garden.

They met at Celestic Falls where Kaiba was waiting. It was this spot he chose to share what he found out from Guilmon. "Thanks for coming, guys. I wouldn't ask you to be here if it weren't important, but I may need your help."

"Anything, Kaiba," Yugi replied. "What's going on?"

"I finally got fed up with my brother being so secretive, so I sent Guilmon to spy on him," he was saying. "He says there's a door that leads to another world just behind this waterfall and apparently, it's where Mokuba and his girlfriend have been going."

Joey was baffled. "Wait, there's a door back there?" He walked towards the back of the waterfall and came to the entrance of the cave. Emily followed and lit up the area with her magic. Kaiba and Yugi followed as well. They looked ahead and much to their amazement, there was a door.

"There is a door," Yugi observed. "But how did we not notice it before?"

"It must lead to a new world," Emily was saying, "one we haven't been to yet." The only way to learn more about this world that they were going to was to consult with the Great Goddess herself. So Emily released the Millennium Star from her heart.

The Great Goddess took on her true form and surveyed her surroundings. "Ah, my heroes. So you have discovered this hidden door." Not that she was surprised. She knew Kaiba was determined to find his brother and therefore knew he would eventually discover this door.

Kaiba spoke up. "Yeah, I got tired of waiting and was beginning to lose my patience with my brother. But this is the door that leads to the world he's been going to, isn't it?"

"You guess correctly," said Millennia.

"But how is it he and that cheeky little girlfriend of his are able to come and go from here and that world at will? You said we couldn't return to your haven until we found and claimed the Cobalt Star shard that was hidden in the world we would be sent to."

"Yes, I did say that," Millennia remembered. "The answer is in the question. The world your brother has been visiting does not hide a shard of the Cobalt Star."

"What?" Yugi asked in disbelief. "But then why would a door to such a world appear?"

"My powers have slowly been restoring, Yugi, with every new powers and abilities you all have been gaining during your adventures. I now have the power to open doors to free worlds. A few nights ago, Mokuba made a wish for a friend who understood his troubles and knew what he was feeling. In another world, someone who did know and understand made that same wish. I opened the door to that world so that the two would be able to meet and learn from one another."

"Who was it?" Emily asked. "What kind of world does this person live in?"

The Great Goddess smiled. "He is an extraordinary human being. What his name is, I cannot tell you at the moment. But you will meet him when you are ready."

"Well, I don't care," Kaiba barked. "I'm going to find my brother."

Millennia stopped him. "Hold it. Even though this world is free and you are able to return to this place if necessary, you will still face danger. You will even meet a new enemy who will prove to be more treacherous than any foe you have faced previously."

"Why would we have any enemies in this world if they're not even servants to the Dark Lord?" Emily asked.

"Even in this free world, there are still some people who know of my first battle with the Dark Lord as well as the stories of the age of the Shadow Games," Millennia explained. "And just like in the other worlds, you will face even more challenging tests of character. In the end, what you choose to act on, what you choose to be, it will all decide who you are. It is up to you how you choose to be better people." She uses her magic to create weapons for the boys. Kaiba is given a scepter with a red orb inside a dragon statue's mouth, Yugi is given a sword, and Joey is given a golden bow with golden arrows.

"You will still be able to use your magic, Emily, and you and your friends will also have your wings. But be careful when using your powers. The people of this world are not accustomed to the supernatural."

"We understand," said Emily.

"I wish you all the best in finding what you are looking for," Millennia told her heroes, and she returned to her form as a star and returned to Emily's heart.

"Wow," Gatomon sighed. "You don't see that every day."

Kaiba approached the door. "Okay, let's go." He opened it and passed through with his friends following him.