Digimon Adventure Tamers

by DigimonAT0318

A retelling of 02 and a sequel to Tamers, set in the year 2003. The Digidestined and the Digimon Tamers, heroes of two worlds, join forces to face their greatest challenges yet. What's more, Davis has been to the Digital World before with Ryo and Ken to fight Millenniummon. Under the leadership of Tai, Davis and Takato, along with Ryo, can they prevail? Elements of tri. later on.

8. Chapter 8: Reliable Friends

Digimon Adventure Tamers

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon

Another change I'd like to point out that I didn't mention the last chapter. As you may have read in Chapter 3, Gatomon still has her tail ring and did not lose it when she fought Unimon. Veemon's rescue prevented that from happening. The whole explanation in the show about Gatomon not having her ring to allow DNA Digivolution was stupid, as after Gatomon got her ring back, the Armageddemon movie took place, and Veemon and Wormmon were able to become Imperialdramon while Gatomon had her tail ring. Veemon, Hawkmon, Armadillomon and Wormmon will be able to Digivolve to Ultimate and Mega level without DNA Digivolution. The Digivolution line for all the Digidestined's partners will be posted below. The lines for the Tamers' partners will be up in a future chapter.

Agumon-Greymon-MetalGreymon-WarGreymon

Gabumon-Garurumon-WereGarurumon-MetalGarurumon

Biyomon-Birdramon-Garudamon-Hououmon

Tentomon-Kabuterimon-MegaKabuterimon-HerculesKabuterimon

Palmon-Togemon-Lillymon-Rosemon

Gomamon-Ikkakumon-Zudomon-Vikemon

Patamon-Angemon-MagnaAngemon-Seraphimon

Salamon-Gatomon-Angewomon-Ophanimon

Veemon-ExVeemon-Paildramon-Imperialdramon

Wormmon-Stingmon-Dinobeemon-GranKuwagamon

Hawkmon-Aquilamon-Silphymon-Valkyrimon

Armadillomon-Ankylomon-Shakkoumon-SlashAngemon

Ophanimon is Gatomon's Mega form in this story because I felt it's a more natural form for Gatomon instead of Magnadramon. Plus they had Ophanimon Falldown Mode in tri, yet not Ophanimon herself. And the Digimon Adventure PSP game had Gatomon Digivolve to Ophanimon.

As for SlashAngemon as Armadillomon's Mega level, I decided to go online and see which Mega level would work for Shakkoumon, since Gomamon's Mega level in this story is Vikemon, and Vikemon also Digivolves from Shakkoumon, and I didn't want confusion over whose Vikemon was whose. I went on Wikimon and looked up Shakkoumon's profile, and one of the Mega levels listed that Shakkoumon could Digivolve to was SlashAngemon. SlashAngemon's profile on Wikimon depicts him as being persistent in justice, and I figured it would fit for Armadillomon, considering Cody's talk of honor and justice.

Now for the music cues in the chapters. If you're having difficulty finding a specific piece of music, here's how you can find the music on Youtube with simple steps.

Step 1: Put in Anime OST in the Youtube search engine.

Step 2: Once you hit Search, go to the filter and click on Channel. The logo for the channel you're looking for has Anime written in blue and OST in pink.

Step 3: Once you're on the channel, go to Playlists. The Digimon albums will be near the bottom if you scroll down. The albums you want to look for are:

Uta no Ongaku shuu version 1

Uta no Ongaku shuu version 2

Uta no Ongaku shuu version 1 Digimon 2

Uta no Ongaku shuu version 2 Digimon 2

Digimon Tamers Uta no Ongaku shuu version 1

Digimon Tamers Uta no Ongaku shuu version 2

Boukensha Tachi no Tatakai Original Soundtrack

They contain the music parts, such as Tomodachi Tatakai no Theme and Akogare. As for the songs, like Brave Heart and The Biggest Dreamer, just type the song name in the search engine, and you'll find it easily.

With that being said, thank you for reviewing my last chapter and don't forget to review this one.

(Play The Biggest Dreamer TV Size)

(Play Digimon Tamers: Aban)

Matt received a distress signal from Gabumon in the Digital World and the Digidestined went to the village of Santa Geria, where a number of Vegiemon led by a RedVegiemon captured them all. But thanks to Davis's Crest of Miracles, the Control Spire was damaged, allowing Veemon and Gabumon to become ExVeemon and Garurumon, destroying the tower and freeing Santa Geria. But the Digimon Emperor is not deterred, and may attack the Human World next…

(Play Digimon Tamers: Subtitle 2)

Reliable Friends

Dark gray clouds rolled over the skies in one area of the Digital World, blocking all sunlight and warmth that could have gotten through; Most of the terrain was calm, pure interrupted white snow…except in one part of the area.

A Control Spire stood tall in the area, an incomplete building several feet away from it. This building was to be a new prison for the Digimon Emperor, who stood at the foot of the Spire with Stingmon and watched the construction of the Spire. A number of Gizamon, orange-furred Digimon with black spikes on their backs and webbed feet, hopped towards the prison carrying giant beams on iron on their backs. Once the beams reached the prison, a group of Frigimon, snowy-white Digimon that looked like a cross between a snowman and a polar bear, froze the beams together.

While the Frigimon wore Dark Rings on their legs and obeyed the Emperor's commands without question and losing no energy, the Gizamon had no Dark Rings, but were given no choice but to obey the Emperor, who wanted the new prison completed on schedule. But the Gizamon were growing more exhausted by the minute. Their status as amphibian Digimon meant they could only work well in the water, and the frozen ground they were on was not suitable for them. But they did not argue, lest they incur the Emperor's anger. However, one Gizamon couldn't take much more and collapsed with an exhausted moan. The other Gizamon paused and looked at their friend, too tired and too scared to help him up.

(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Ankoku no Hohoemi)

"Get up, you worthless fur ball!" the Emperor yelled at the fallen Gizamon, striking it several times with his whip. "Do you honestly think this is nap time?!"

"Ken, I don't think this is a good idea to be out here for so long," said Stingmon. "It's extremely cold, and we shouldn't exert ourselves."

"Why are you complaining?!" Ken barked at his partner. "You have an exoskeleton that keeps you warm! And in case you forgot, my suit has climate control!" The purple-haired boy then turned back to the Gizamon. "Keep working! This new prison must be completed in time!" At a nearby snowbank, a small seal-like Digimon with white fur, purple spots, red hair and sharp claws watched the activities close by with frustration and anger. He wanted to help the Gizamon, but he was powerless against that many Gizamon, and the Frigimon were too powerful for him. He needed help…and he knew where to find it.

"I've got to get a message to Joe," said Gomamon, who was the white seal. Gomamon quietly crawled from his hiding spot and slowly made his way to where he saw a TV set, several miles from here. All he had to do was stay quiet, and…

"MOON SHOOTER!" A sharp needle landed in Gomamon's path, causing the white seal to yell in surprise and move back several steps. Turning his head, Gomamon paled when he saw Stingmon standing before him, the Digimon Emperor by his side.

"Well, well," Ken said with a smirk. "You made a mistake coming here Gomamon. I would have expected you to continue hiding and waiting for your partner…"

"Oh, he's coming, and he'll bring the other Digidestined here!" Gomamon said in a confident tone. "I know they won't stand for what you're doing, because I sure don't! MARCHING FISHES!" Because the snow around them was frozen water, Gomamon was able to summon his fish followers and attack Stingmon and the Digimon Emperor, the former swatting some of the fish away while the latter was slapped in the face by another one. Angered at the attack, Ken swung his whip out and struck Gomamon, knocking him off his feet.

"I'll teach you a lesson for attacking me like that!" Ken then turned his attention to the Gizamon, who had stopped working to see what was going on. "Gizamon! Attack Gomamon! Beat him up until he starts bleeding! If you do what I say, then you will be given a grand reward!" The Gizamon seemed reluctant to attack someone who wanted to help them, but the reward sounded too good to pass up.

"SPIRAL SAW!" Leaping in the air, the Gizamon curled up into balls and began charging for the white seal Digimon. Gomamon managed to dodge the first three, but as he noticed before, the numbers were too great for him to deal with alone. Gomamon could only yell in pain as the Gizamon's sharp back blades tore into him. Moments later, the white seal lay motionless, patches of his fur covered in blood.

"We have done as you requested, Digimon Emperor," said one Gizamon, who looked remorseful about doing what he just did to Gomamon. "Now where is our reward?"

"Ah, yes…your reward," Ken smirked, snapping his fingers. Dark Rings flew down from the sky and attached themselves to the Gizamon's bodies. The amphibians' eyes turned blood red as they fell under Ken's control.

"Why didn't you do that before?" Stingmon asked curiously, looking down at Ken.

"Oh, shut up!" Ken said with a glare before he looked down at Gomamon, who was stirring a little.

"I really do hope the Digidestined come here," he said coldly before kicking Gomamon away from him. The white seal, already battered, grunted several times as he rolled on the snow and hardened ice. Gomamon groaned and continued crawling, refusing to allow himself to fall so easily. Some of the controlled Gizamon noticed the escaping Digimon and made to attack, but a snap of Ken's whip in the air made them stop.

"Let him go," said Ken. "We have more important work to do." Stingmon watched as Gomamon crawled away, hoping as well that the Digidestined come as well, but for reasons different than Ken's.

"I guess…that saying is true," Gomamon groaned as he continued pulling himself through the snowy field. "No good deed goes unpunished…" Gomamon soon found the TV and pulled himself to it. He lost consciousness right when he was near it, but managed to utter one name.

"Joe…"

---

In the Human World, said boy was leaning on a wall outside his school, drinking a bottle of energy drink. At 16 years old, Joe Kido was the oldest of all the Digidestined. As he was pursuing a career in medicine like his father, Joe went to a different school that often had classes at different times of the day. As he took a break from his drink, Joe looked down at his recent test and sighed at the result, which was a C. It had been a long time since he had received a C. Normally, he was an A-straight student, but as of late, his grades had dropped down to B's. He couldn't help it much, as his mind was on something else for the last few weeks, and that was the Digital World.

Ever since he had learned the Digital Gate was open again, Joe had been meaning to return to the Digital World so he could find Gomamon, but it was hard. Gomamon had not been found yet, and Joe figured he would only be a target if he went without his partner. He also had medical school to deal with, which was harder than regular school. The thought of his partner and wanting to help his friends out again drove everything else out of his mind, but seeing the low grade meant Joe had to focus again on his schoolwork. It was hard, but he knew it would only be a matter of time before he could help out again.

As he finished off his drink and went over to two other students talking in his class, Joe suddenly heard a familiar beeping noise. Lifting up his jacket and looking at the Digivice clipped to his belt, Joe noticed the Digivice's screen was flashing red. His eyes widened when he remembered Matt telling him about his own Digivice going off like that two days ago.

"Gomamon…" Joe whispered.

"Can you believe we have a quiz today?" Joe heard one of his classmates say.

"Yeah, I can't believe it," the other boy sighed as he looked over to Joe. "Joe, what do you think about this quiz?"

"Yeah…about the quiz…" Joe pulled his Digivice out of his pocket and looked down at it before looking over to his classmates. "…I'm not going to make it."

"How come?" asked both boys, looking confused.

"Something…personal came up," Joe said before breaking into a run for the school the other Digidestined went to. He knew better than to skip a quiz, but the Digital World, his friends, and his partner were more important right now, and he was not going to let them down when it counted. There was a reason he had the Crest of Reliability in the first place.

---

(Play Digimon Tamers: Yukikau Hitobito 2)

Over at the middle school, class had just ended and Davis was heading for the computer lab, wondering what Ken had in store for him and the others today. As he walked, he looked over to the side and saw Cody going downstairs, away from the computer lab.

"Hey Cody!" Davis yelled to get the younger boy's attention. "Where are you going?"

"Oh, Davis!" Cody said, turning around and realizing who was calling to him. "I have to go to the police precinct. Today's my weekly kendo practice with my grandfather."

"You're not bringing Upamon?" Davis asked, noticing the absence of Cody's partner.

"No…he would cause too much of a ruckus," said Cody, "and I haven't told my family yet about him or the Digimon."

"I see…" Davis said with a nod. "All right, we'll wait for you."

"What?" Cody looked up with surprise. "Davis, my kendo practice lasts two hours. I can't have you waiting that long for me. The Digital World's in crisis…"

"I know the Digital World is important, but we can't do it if the whole team's not together," said Davis. "But I know how important your kendo practice is Cody, since your grandfather is your sensei…we're a team Cody, and we're all important in this matter, even you." Davis walked down and placed a hand on Cody's shoulder. "Besides, I think Upamon would be upset if we left him alone. We could bring him along, but I know he wouldn't feel the same without you." Cody remained silent as he let Davis speak. Both the Digital World and his kendo lessons were important to him…but how could he do both at once? He had been able to still do kendo lessons ever since he got his D-3, but today seemed…different, somehow. And could he help out his friends in the Digital World?

"I see…listen, Davis, I really need to go now."

"Okay! We'll wait for you!" Davis called back to Cody's retreating form.

"Who were you talking to, Davis?" Kari asked, coming up behind her best friend.

"Cody. He has kendo practice today with his grandfather, so we'll have to wait until he gets back to go to the Digital World."

"Ah," Kari said with a nod. "Anyway, we should still get to the computer lab and decide where we should go once Cody gets back. Yolei and TK are probably there already."

"Right…right…" Davis said, following Kari as he thought about his new team and how well he could work with them. Kari he knew very well and could work well with, and Cody seemed like a good kid that he could work well with as well, even if he thought the young boy as too serious.

Yolei and TK were another story. Even though Yolei had accepted that the Digital World was not to be taken lightly, the last few times they had been in the Digital World, Yolei seemed slightly fearful of the situation and Davis worried that she wasn't taking it well. And as for TK, Davis still felt a friction whenever they were near each other. They still hadn't talked much since the day Ken kidnapped Kari and Davis was injured. He sighed, realizing his new team was definitely not like his team with Ken and Ryo.

'I hope I can get through this,' he thought as he entered the computer room with Kari, where he saw Yolei, TK, and the Digimon. Izzy and Tentomon were also there as well, the former looking at the Digital World's grid map.

(Play Digimon Adventure: Digital Scratch ~Koshiro no Theme~)

"So have you found a suitable area yet, Izzy?" asked TK.

"Yes, I think so," Izzy said, pointing to a black square on the map. "This area doesn't seem to have many brainwashed Digimon around here."

"What's going on here?" asked Davis, bending down to look at the map.

"Izzy's been searching the grid map for an area we can go to, and he thinks this one would be good," said DemiVeemon, pointing to the black square Izzy pointed out. Looking at it, Davis noticed it was surrounded by many other white squares, indicating Ken had no control over the surrounding areas.

"That does seem like a good place to go to," Davis agreed.

"I'll be coming with you today," said Izzy. "Ever since Santa Geria, I've been working on a program for our Digivices and D-3s that will allow our Digimon to Digivolve normally even in the presence of Control Spires. If I get a good analysis of the Control Spire and the energy it emits, maybe I can find a way to beat around it."

"That would definitely be beneficial for us," said Kari, Davis nodding in agreement. Yolei then looked around the room and noticed an absence among them.

"Hey, where's Cody?"

"Cody?" Davis repeated. "Oh, he's…" The computer suddenly started beeping, diverting everybody's attention.

"What is it, Izzy?" Tentomon asked as he munched on some snacks Yolei brought from her family's convenience store with the other Digimon, looking up at Izzy's surprised face. "Did that Nigerian prince finally write you back?"

"No, this is more serious," Izzy said, typing on the keyboard and moving the map around until it focused on a black square surrounded by other black squares, blinking red. "This is an SOS signal from the Digital World!"

"An SOS signal?!" said Patamon. "Then that means a Digidestined Digimon is in trouble in the Digital World!"

"And the only ones left in the Digital World are Palmon and Gomamon!" said Tentomon, finally realizing the seriousness. "Where's the signal coming from?"

"It's coming from a northern region in the Digital World," said Izzy.

"That's far from any region we've been to yet," Yolei said, frowning at the screen.

"If it's a northern region, then that means Gomamon sent the message," said Gatomon. "Palmon wouldn't be able to last long in those conditions, she's a Plant-type Digimon."

"And look at those black squares," Davis said grimly, looking at the surrounding squares. "He's been expanding his territory."

"Damn it…" TK muttered angrily. "He's spreading darkness everywhere! We have to stop this before it gets out of hand…"

"…and before all the Digimon are slaves…" Kari said sadly. Davis frowned upon looking at Kari's face and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"All right, forget the area Izzy chose. When Cody gets back from his kendo practice, we'll head to that area and help Gomamon," the goggled boy said, getting nods from everyone.

"And Joe as well," said Izzy. "Since it's Gomamon, Joe will probably be here as well. He'd never leave Gomamon in danger."

"No Digidestined would," said Davis, looking over to see DemiVeemon stuffing his face full.

"Hey, one question," asked Upamon, who looked upset about Cody not being here, "what's this kendo?"

"It's a Japanese sport where people fight with wooden swords," explained Izzy.

"Oh," said Upamon. "Wait, doesn't that hurt them?"

"Not exactly," Izzy said as he began explaining kendo to Upamon and the other confused Digimon to pass the time as the other Digidestined waited for Cody and Joe to arrive.

---

In the police precinct several blocks away from the school, two armored figures clashed their wooden shinai together, locked in a duel. The two combatants backed away and stared at each other through their men (face protectors), and contemplated their next move against each other.

Cody, the smaller and younger of the two combatants, panted and gasped from the long fight. He was slower than usual today, and his kendo outfit also made him hot all over, making him as slow as a turtle.

He knew he should have his mind set on this lesson he was in, and finding a way to strike his grandfather, his opponent, and win the match they were in, but he just couldn't focus. His thoughts were on what Davis said before he left, and how everyone was waiting for him. Did this mean he was someone the others relied on? He did not know much about being reliable.

And then he thought of Upamon, who he left behind in the school's computer lab, and how sad he must have been feeling right now. A vision of a saddened Upamon suddenly appeared in his vision, and Cody gasped, backing up slightly.

This move proved costly as his grandfather Chikara moved in suddenly with a cry of "MEN!", and smacked the top of Cody's helmet with his shinai, claiming victory in the match. Cody silently cursed himself for being distracted.

"Let us take a break," Chikara said, removing his helmet to reveal his bald head and gray mustache. Cody nodded and removed his helmet, sitting across from his grandfather. Cody knew that if his grandfather suggested a break, he had something to say. And Cody had an idea what he was going to say.

"Is something the matter, Cody? You seem to have been lacking focus today," Chikara said, looking at Cody with soft eyes.

"I…I'm sorry, Grandpa," said Cody. "I…I've been having a lot on my mind today."

"I see," said Chikara, moving towards his rucksack and rummaging through it. "Perhaps if you told me your problem, I could help you in some way. I can tell something is troubling you. Your father was like that when he was your age. He acted rigid when I trained him, which meant something was troubling him."

Cody thought about his deceased father. In the short time he knew him, Hiroki Hida was a friendly man who was always in a cheery mood whenever he was off duty as a police officer. Cody was the exact opposite, and he wondered often how he could be like his father.

"Cody," Chikara walked over to Cody and sat down next to him with two juice packets, "would you like some Chu-Chu Juice?"

Cody sighed, knowing this would happen. If there was one quirk his grandfather had, it was his obsession with Chu-Chu Jelly.

"No thank you," said the young boy. "I…I do have a problem. You see, I'm part of a group at school with some kids…and we have…activities that we do on a daily basis."

"I see…" Chikara said, sipping from his juice pouch. "Let me ask you Cody: Do these…activities, as you say…involve your new toy?"

Cody went rigid slightly thinking about Upamon. When he came home with the little Digimon several weeks ago, his mother asked him about it, and he said it was a gift of friendship from Yolei. It pained him to lie about it, but he knew his mother would fret and worry over what Cody was doing in the Digital World.

"Well…sort of…" Cody said, unsure how he should tell his grandfather. "Why do you ask?"

(Play Digimon Adventure: Wonderland)

"Well, it's a funny story," Chikara said, a thoughtful expression on his face as he remembered something. "The other night, I had woken up to use the bathroom. When I noticed the light was on, I figured that either you or your mother were in there, and I would wait. When the door opened, I was surprised to see your new toy bouncing on its own to your room." If Cody didn't know what to say before, he certainly didn't now. His grandfather saw Upamon himself use the bathroom.

"Upamon…" Cody muttered angrily under his breath. He had told the In-Training Digimon before that if he needed to use the bathroom in the apartment to wake him up so his mother and grandfather wouldn't notice him.

"Ah, so his name is Upamon," Chikara said with a nod. "He seems like an energetic fellow…although I believe you should have a talk with him about using the bathroom properly."

"He didn't flush, did he?" Cody asked with a frown. Chikara nodded, and Cody could only sigh, realizing he needed to have a very long discussion with Upamon later. Knowing there wasn't much choice left, Cody told his grandfather about being chosen as a Digidestined, his Digimon partner, the other Digidestined, and the current crisis the Digital World as facing.

"My friends are waiting for me right now," he finished, "and it sounds like they're counting on me right now to be there…"

(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Power of Earth ~Iori no Theme~#2)

"I see," Chikara said, listening carefully to his grandson as he sipped his juice. "I think I see your problem Cody. You wish to be seen as someone who can be reliable in times of great need."

"I…I guess that's my problem," Cody said nervously.

"You know, your father had this same problem as well," said Chikara. "When he started in the police force, he wondered if he could be counted on and relied upon on his fellow officers. The advice I give to you, Cody, is the same advice I gave your father: People will only rely on you to the extent that you rely on yourself. If you try your hardest and do not fail when it counts, you will be seen as reliable."

"I see," Cody said, processing the information. "Thank you, grandpa. And I'm sorry I never told you or Mom about this..."

"I can understand your reasons," said Chikara. "Your mother would be worried, but you do not need to hide it from me. I can help you should you ever need it. But Cody, you must tell your mother someday about the Digital World, lest you wish for her to become truly concerned."

"I promise, I will tell her someday," Cody stood up and began putting his gear back on. "Shall we continue?"

"No…let us call it a lesson for today," said Chikara. "If your friends need you Cody, then that is where you must be now."

"Thank you." Gathering his gear, Cody ran out the dojo, Chikara watching him as he left before turning to the wall, where his son's picture hung.

"He's definitely becoming like you, Hiroki," Chikara said before happily finishing his juice.

---

It took Izzy several minutes to explain kendo to the Digimon. When he was done, the Digidestined waited as patiently as they could for their expected arrivals. But it was difficult was they were worried about Gomamon. Upamon was the most impatient, wondering when Cody would finally show up.

Before long, loud footsteps sounded outside, getting everybody's attention.

"Oh boy! Cody's finally here!" Upamon said excitedly, jumping on Yolei's head.

"Wait…those don't sound like Cody's footsteps…" Davis said as a shadow appeared in the window of the door. The faces of Izzy, Kari, TK and their partners lit up, recognizing the figure immediately.

"It's Joe!" TK said happily as Joe slid the door open and walked in the room.

(Play Digimon Adventure: Saikai)

"Hey, guys!" Joe said happily, walking into the room with a bag slung over his shoulder. "Am I late?"

"No, we're still waiting for Cody," said Izzy.

"It's good to see you again Joe," said Kari. "How's medical school?"

"It's busy," Joe wiped some sweat off his brow. "But it's not surprising, since I'm studying to be a doctor."

"You're studying medicine?" Yolei asked intrigued as she held Poromon in her arms. Joe looked over at Yolei with mild surprise.

"Oh! You're one of the new Digidestined, right?"

"Oh! Yes, my name is Yolei Inoue, and this is my partner Poromon!" Yolei said, realizing she hadn't introduced herself yet.

"And this is Upamon," Patamon motioned to the small Digimon. "He's Cody's partner."

"Cody…" Joe nodded, remembering the name before looking over at Davis. "Good to see you again, Davis. How's the arm?"

"It's doing better." Davis pulled his sleeve up to reveal a long, thin mark on his arm, caused by Kuwagamon's surprise attack weeks before. "It doesn't hurt so much, and I don't have to wear the bandages anymore."

"Good," Joe smiled lightly before looking at Izzy seriously. "Izzy, I got a distress signal from Gomamon when I was at school."

"So did we," Izzy said, showing Joe the black square flashing red. "We're just waiting for Cody to come here so we can go…"

"I'm here!" Everyone looked up to see Cody standing in the doorway, panting slightly from running. Though the distance from the precinct to school wasn't far, it was still an exhausting run for the young boy.

(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Saa, Digital World e Ikou!)

"You're back already?" Davis asked in surprise, looking up at the clock.

"Well, it's about time!" said an upset Upamon, who bounced over to Cody. "I was about to go in without you!"

"I'm sorry Upamon," Cody said remorsefully, picking up his Digimon.

"So you're Cody, huh?" Joe asked, looking down at the small boy with a light smile. "I'm Joe Kido. I'm a Digidestined like you."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you Joe," Cody greeted Joe with a small bow. "My name is Cody Hida." Joe smiled again, liking Cody's polite personality.

"Hey Joe, what's in this bag?" Poromon asked as he fluttered up to the bag on Joe's shoulders. "It's like Yolei's convenience store bags. Is there candy in it?"

"No, it's medical supplies in case someone gets hurt or sick in the Digital World," Joe answered with a light laugh. "It never hurts to be prepared."

"As usual, you've thought of everything Joe," TK said with a chuckle.

"Well, I don't have the Crest of Reliability for nothing, you know!" Joe said with a laugh. Cody perked up when he heard what Joe said.

'Reliability…' the young boy thought, looking up at the teenager. 'I wonder if Joe could give me some lessons as well on being reliable…'

"Well, now that we're all here, let's go to the Digital World!" Yolei held up her D-3 in front of the screen and spoke the word to open it. "Digital Gate, open!"

---

A flash of light later, and the group of thirteen found themselves in the middle of a snowy white field. Yolei and Cody immediately threw their arms around themselves when they were hit by the cold atmosphere around them.

"Aw man!" said Yolei. "I know the signal was up north, but I didn't think it would be North Pole north! It's freezing!"

"I don't like it anymore than you do Yolei," Cody said with a shiver. "But it's not like we can control the weather and make the sun come out." The two new Digidestined looked over to see the other Digidestined walking through the snow without looking cold at all, despite the lack of thick clothing.

"How come you're not freezing?!" asked Yolei.

"Well, it's not the first time we've ended up in frozen wastelands in the Digital World," TK said in a matter-of-fact tone. "We've learned to go with the flow by now."

"Lucky," Yolei grumbled.

"Here," Joe pulled out packets of orange liquid from his medical bag and handed them to Yolei and Cody. "Squeeze them, and you'll warm up in an instant."

"Thank you Joe," Cody said as he squeezed the pack, instantly feeling the soothing heat. "This does feel good."

"Yeah, it does," Joe said before looking off in the distance with a worried expression. "Still, I wonder where Gomamon could be…"

"I'm still freezing!" Yolei said as she rubbed her heat packet, which suddenly fell on the snow.

"Oops." Bending down, Yolei picked up the heat packet, and gasped when she saw a closed eye where the packet melted the snow.

"Guys, there's a Digimon buried in the snow here!" The others immediately gathered around Yolei, and Joe gasped when he recognized the fur around the eye.

(Play Digimon Adventure: Toki no Sugiyuku Mama ni…)

"Gomamon! Quick, help me dig him out!" The Digidestined obliged, and shoveled the snow off of Gomamon with their hands, revealing Gomamon's battered and bleeding form in a matter of moments.

"Gomamon! Wake up, pal!" Joe said, taking the wounded seal in his arms and shaking him lightly. Gomamon moaned and stirred, eventually opening his eyes, which fell on a familiar face. Even if the hair had grown out, there was no mistaken him.

"Joe…you came…"

"Well, of course I did," Joe said, standing up and holding Gomamon tenderly in his arms. "Even when we were apart, I worried about you. You didn't think I'd leave you alone, did you?"

"Of course not…" Gomamon nuzzled in Joe's arms. "I was wondering…when you would show up…I'm glad you got my message…"

"At least someone cares about their partner," Armadillomon grumbled, getting a shocked look from Cody, which became sad in a moment. He quickly knew why his partner was like this. But he didn't know how to fix things between them. Turning away, the boy's eyes widened when he saw a familiar black shape in the distance.

"Guys, I think I see the Control Spire!" The other Digidestined turned around and noticed the tower as well.

(Play Digimon Tamers: Blue Card)

"Good eye, Cody," Davis praised the young boy.

"So that's a Control Spire," Joe said, seeing the tall black obelisk for the first time.

"Yes, and they serve three purposes," said Izzy. "The first purpose is showing the Digimon Emperor's dominance over an area."

"That map you saw back in the computer room was a grid map of the Digital World," said Tentomon. "The black squares are Emperor territory, and the white squares are free areas."

"The second purpose is to fuel energy to the Dark Rings that the Emperor uses to enslave Digimon," said Yolei.

"Yeah…that Digimon Emperor told a bunch of Gizamon that he would reward them if they beat me up," Gomamon said, wincing from his injuries. "And the reward was slavery for life."

"So that's why you're all beat up…" Joe said sadly, looking at his partner.

"And the third purpose is to prevent our Digimon from Digivolving normally," said TK. "That's what Armor Digivolution is for."

"I see…" Joe said, looking at the tower again. "So if we destroy that Control Spire, we'll free this area and any enslaved Digimon from the Digimon Emperor, and our Digimon will Digivolve normally again."

"That's pretty much the sum of it, yes," said Davis.

"It's not just the Spire we have to destroy," said Gomamon. "The Digimon Emperor's making a prison near the Spire!"

"Another prison?!" Yolei asked in anger. "Oh, we are so tearing that down as well!"

"From the looks of it, I'd say that Spire is twenty miles from where we currently are," said Gatomon, squinting her eyes to look in the distance.

"And if I may make a suggestion, let's not walk all the way there," asked Tentomon, flitting above the Digidestined. "The wind out there is below zero, and none of us are polar bears!"

"Joe, did you bring any skates or skis in that bag of yours?" Yolei asked, looking down at the medical bag.

"Hey, I usually come prepared, but not that prepared," Joe said with a laugh. Davis looked over at the nearby trees, and an idea came to him.

"Did you at least bring some rope?" asked the burgundy-haired boy.

"That I did bring, why?" Joe asked, slightly confused.

"Because I have an idea to get across the field fast," Davis said with a grin. "If we cut down some trees and tie them together, we can make a sled and have the Digimon pull us there."

"That's actually a good idea," said Kari, "but how are we going to cut down the trees?"

"Hello, do you not see six capable hands?" Tentomon asked, getting the Digidestined to look at him, Veemon, Hawkmon, Armadillomon, Patamon and Gatomon.

"Oh…right!" Kari said, embarrassed that she forgot the Digimon were here.

"You guys don't mind cutting down these trees?" TK asked the Digimon.

"Of course not!" said Patamon. "We won't be using up too much energy!"

"You don't mind helping, do you Armadillomon?" Cody asked his partner. Armadillomon simply huffed and turned away to help the other Digimon.

"Sure…whatever." Cody sighed at his partner's grumble, realizing how badly his partner must have been feeling to be without him during his kendo practice. In a matter of minutes, a number of trees were brought down by the six Digimon, and with Joe's rope, they tied the logs together to make a sled, as well as harnesses for the Digimon to pull.

(Play Digimon Adventure: Saa, Hashiridasou)

"All right guys, it's up to you!" Davis said to the Digimon. "You sure you can do this?"

"Hey, if it means knocking down a tower, then I'm in!" said Tentomon.

"I'm counting on you, Armadillomon," Cody said to his partner, who said nothing as he looked the other way.

"Here we go, guys! Mush!" At Davis's command, Veemon, Armadillomon and Patamon ran on all fours while Patamon, Tentomon and Hawkmon flew overhead, their destination the Control Spire and the prison.

---

"Hurry it up!" Ken yelled as he continued overseeing the prison's construction. The iron structure had finally been built, and the Gizamon and Frigimon were now working on the concrete walls. Stingmon stood next to Ken, his eyes sweeping across the area for any incoming threats, which he found on his right and speeding fast towards the Spire.

"Ken…they're here." Turning around, Ken's eyes narrowed when he saw the approaching sled. He realized that he would have to have some of his workers move away from the prison and focus on attacking the Digidestined.

"Frigimon, form a line and defend the Spire! Gizamon, continue building the prison! Stingmon, come with me! We'll need some reinforcements." Stingmon nodded and walked away with Ken, wondering how the Digidestined would get out of this one.

"This sled is the fastest I've ever been on!" Yolei said with a laugh. In less than three minutes, the Digidestined had twelve miles of the plain and were getting closer to the Control Spire and the prison.

"It looks like we'll reach the spire in two minutes," Izzy said, looking into the distance, "given we don't run into any problems!"

"Wait a minute…" Davis said, his goggles covering his eyes for wind protection. Squinting his eyes, Davis saw several white shapes standing in front of the Spires, and he recognized the shapes.

"Hey, you guys see that, right?" the goggled boy called to the Digimon.

"Yeah, we do!" Veemon said, breathing heavily from his running. "It's a group of Frigimon, and they've all got Dark Rings!"

"You just had to say something, Izzy…" Joe groaned.

---

(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Gekitotsu)

"Frigimon, attack!" the Digimon Emperor yelled from his place on a cliff once the sled was several feet away from the Spire.

"SUBZERO ICE PUNCH!" The Frigimon raised their right arms and thrust them forward, releasing waves of cold air that hit the snowy ground around the Digidestined, creating explosions of dirt and snow. The Digimon expertly swerved around to avoid the attacks, but snow still ended up on the Digidestined.

"Sometimes, I hate the cold," Davis muttered, shaking snow off his face.

"Guys, we've got to speed past them!" called Izzy. "We can reach the Spire that way!"

"Izzy's right!" agreed Joe. "If our goal here is to destroy the tower, then we have to keep going for it and not waste energy fighting the Frigimon!"

"Good point!" yelled TK. "Guys, keep going!"

"Okay!" the Digimon said, picking up speed and heading right past the Frigimon for the Control Spire.

"I don't think so," Ken said with a smirk. "Frigimon! Attack the cliff! Create an avalanche and bury the Digidestined alive in an ice cold grave!"

Obeying the order, the Frigimon turned around and fired their Subzero Ice Punch on the hill, causing a massive slide of snow and ice to come down and head for the Digidestined.

"Oh, come on!" Davis said as he saw the avalanche. "Forget the Spire! Turn so we don't get crushed!" The Digimon quickly obliged and turned to avoid the avalanche, managing to get out of the path in time.

"All right, we made it past that!" Kari said happily.

But the good feeling didn't last long. Turning around again, the Digidestined screamed when they saw the path they were on ended on a cliff leading into an ice-cold river.

"STOP!" Armadillomon yelled loudly, realizing the situation. The other Digimon immediately dug their claws in the ground to stop the sled, which managed to stop right at the edge of the cliff. The sled flipped over on its side and Joe, Izzy, Kari, Davis, Yolei and Gomamon fell off, receiving a face full of snow. Cody had it worst however, being the lightest of the Digidestined, flew off the sled and over the edge of the cliff, landing in the water below.

"CODY!" Davis yelled, looking down at the water below. "We've got to get him out before he freezes!"

"Leave that to me!" Ignoring his still hurting injuries, Gomamon leapt out of Joe's arms and landed in the river, emerging moments later with Cody on his back.

"Good work Gomamon, but are you sure it was a good idea to move with those injuries?" Joe asked as he pulled Cody and Gomamon out of the water, wrapping the former up in a blanket he pulled out from his medical bag.

"I don't care how hurt I am, I'll still help my friends," said Gomamon. Cody gasped and coughed as his whole body shook and shuddered from the unexpected swim he just had. "Besides, I'm the only one that can take cold waters like this?"

"Cody? What's wrong with him?!" Armadillomon asked, starting to panic.

"He's freezing like mad," Joe said grimly. "We need to get him somewhere warm!"

"There's a cave nearby," said Gomamon. "If we get there and light up a fire, we can warm him up."

"Show us the way, quickly!" Gomamon followed Joe's instruction and led everyone to the cave. As they went, Armadillomon suddenly felt worry for his partner. He had just nearly frozen to death while the yellow Digimon was still upset at him for leaving him behind.

---

In a matter of minutes, a fire had been started and Cody was sat close to it, wrapped up in a blanket.

"Cody…" Armadillomon said sadly, his previous negative feelings for his partner gone.

"Here, take this cold medicine," Joe handed a bottle over to Cody.

"Thank…thank you…Joe…" Cody said, sneezing before he took the medicine. As the Digidestined watched Joe take care of Cody, Davis's mind flashed back to a moment similar to the one he was in right now back in the day with Ken and Cody.

---

FLASHBACK

(Play Digimon Tamers: Kawari Nante Inai)

"Ryo, his fever is absolutely spiking," Ken said with worry, feeling the heat on his hand, which rested on Davis's forehead. "I don't think we can move him."

"Great…" Ryo said angrily, looking out from the hut they were staying in. "And those Goblimon will be back soon…"

"I…I'm sorry…" Davis said, coughing and hacking from his bed. "I…I don't mean to drag you down…"

Davis, Ken and Ryo had come upon a village with their partners. They learned that the villagers were being terrorized by a gang of Goblimon that came to the village on a daily basis to steal their food and water supply. Refusing to let this happen, the three boys had volunteered to scare off the Goblimon. But the situation became bad when Davis was struck with a dangerous fever he had attracted during the journey, prompting his friends to care after him. The burgundy-haired boy could only curse his luck at getting sick and being unable to help out.

"Davis, don't blame yourself," Ryo said softly, sitting next to Davis's side and placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault you got sick. Ken could have come down with it as well as I."

"I know…but we're supposed to be a team…" Davis said weakly, coughing again as Veemon came over and sat next to Davis.

"And the health of our teammates is important," said Ryo. "That's why we'll need you to stay here."

"Stay?" Davis attempted to sit up, but was forced back down by Ken and Wormmon.

"Don't," Ken said gently. "Please Davis, we don't need you to get your fever worse."

"But…where are you going?" Davis asked Ryo.

"I'm taking Ken with me and we're going to find the Goblimon's base," said Ryo.

"If we take out their base, then those little green freaks will have to run away from here," Monodramon said, cracking his knuckles, ready for a fight.

"But…what about me…?"

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of you," said Veemon.

"Besides, if you do get better, then the villagers will need you and Veemon here in case any of the Goblimon come here while we're gone," said Wormmon.

"You sure I can do it…?" Davis asked, looking up at his friends.

"We know you can do it," Ryo placed both hands on his shoulders.

"We believe in you Davis," Ken said softly.

"You just have to believe in yourself," Monodramon finished. With that, Ken and Ryo left with their partners, leaving Veemon to care for the sickly Davis.

END FLASHBACK

---

Davis had gotten better shortly after Ken and Ryo had left, and like Wormmon predicted, a group of Goblimon had come to the village. With Davis feeling better, Veemon was able to Digivolve to ExVeemon and fight off the Goblimon. After their base was destroyed by Strikedramon and Stingmon, the Goblimon gang was forced to run away.

"Now what do we do?" Kari asked, prompting Davis to look at her worried face. "We can't move Cody at all from here…"

"We'll have to leave him here with Joe," Davis said, standing up and getting everyone to look at him. "Joe, I'm counting on you to take care of Cody while we're gone. The rest of us will go and take care of the Control Spire and the prison."

"What?" Cody asked, attempting to stand up, but didn't feel the strength coming. "But…but Davis…"

(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Sorosoro Yuuhan da ne…)

"No buts," Davis said in a stern tone that reminded him of Ryo when the older boy needed to get a point across to someone. "You're sick and you shouldn't be moving much at all."

"But…but I left my kendo practice early to come here," said the young boy. "And my grandfather told me that a person is only reliable to other people as he is to himself! I can't let you down…otherwise I wouldn't be able to face my grandfather…"

"You're not letting us down at all," Davis said softly. "Besides, chances are the Digimon Emperor may have seen us enter this cave. If he attacks it, then we'll need someone to distract him while we take care of the Spire!"

"That's a good idea Davis," said Joe. "Besides, Cody's health is more important."

"He's right!" agreed Armadillomon. Realizing there was no room for argument, Cody sighed and nodded to let the other Digidestined go.

"Don't worry," Izzy reassured the young boy. "Everything will be okay." And with that, Joe, Cody, Gomamon and Armadillomon watched the others leave the cave and board the sled again, heading for the Control Spire.

---

"All right, here we are." Davis peeped from behind a snowbank near the Control Spire. The Digimon stood ready in their Armor levels while Izzy sat on the sled with his computer open.

"All right, I'm analyzing the Control Spire," the red-haired boy looked over the schematics. "Keep the Frigimon occupied while I work."

"We're on it, Izzy!" said Flamedramon, charging from around the snowbank and towards the Frigimon.

(Play Digimon Tamers: Tamer Action)

"FIRE ROCKET!" Setting his body on fire, Flamedramon knocked down three Frigimon in his path as Halsemon, Pegasusmon and Nefertimon took flight to attack.

"ROSETTA STONE!" Nefertimon's stone tablet flew out at a Frigimon, who froze the tablet solid with his Subzero Ice Punch.

"STAR SHOWER!" Pegasusmon's attack rained down on two more Frigimon, forcing them back.

"All right!" yelled Davis. "Halsemon, now's your chance!"

"I'm on it!" Halsemon flew up, his eyes set on the Control Spire. "MACH…"

But before Halsemon could finish yelling out his attack, a green blur fell from out of the sky and collided with Halsemon, knocking him out of the sky and crashing into the ground below.

"Halsemon!" Yolei cried with worry as her partner stood back up and glared at his attacker, revealed to be Stingmon.

"I shall not allow you to interfere in my partner's plans!" Stingmon stated, taking flight again as he engaged Halsemon in an aerial fight.

"Blast…the Emperor must have left him here for us," Davis muttered.

"Which means he may have found Cody and Joe by now," TK said fretfully.

"Don't worry," said Izzy, continuing his analysis. "If I know Joe well, he's got everything handled."

"That's why he's called Good Old Reliable Joe!" Tentomon said with a chuckle. The ground suddenly started to shake before the Digidestined, shocking everyone.

"Hey, what's going on?!" Yolei's question was answered moments later when the ground behind the Digidestined broke open and a giant white squid Digimon with a Dark Ring on his left tentacle crawled out, growling at the Digidestined.

"It's Gesomon!" gasped Izzy, recognizing the Digimon instantly.

"DEADLY SHADE!" Gesomon's mouth opened up and spewed out thick black ink that nearly hit Izzy had TK and Tentomon not pulled him off in time. The ink splattered all over the sled and caused the wood and ropes to dissolve from the acid in the ink.

"Guys, we've got a problem!" Davis called to the Digimon. Pegasusmon noticed the problem and quickly turned his attention to Gesomon.

"EQUIS BEAM!" The green beam hit Gesomon in the face, and the squid Digimon snarled, swiping his tentacles at the winged horse and yelling, "CORAL CRUSHER!"

"SUBZERO ICE PUNCH!" The six Frigimon threw their attacks at Flamedramon, but the dragon man shielded himself with flames that melted the attacks instantly. He knew he could do this all day, but he didn't have the time or energy to fight all the Frigimon one by one.

"Can this get any worse?!" Yolei yelled out.

"How about that?" Davis asked, pointing in the distance where several Gizamon had paused from building the prison to aid Gesomon and the Frigimon. Noticing the new attackers, Nefertimon swooped down and began pelting them with her Nile Jewelry.

"Let's hope Joe and Cody are doing better than us!" Tentomon said as he looked around at the fight.

---

Back in the cave, Cody continued sitting in front of the fire with his blanket on, the warmth slowly coming back to his body.

(Play Digimon Tamers: Akogare 2)

"Cody, I…I want to apologize for earlier," Armadillomon said, walking over to Cody and placing his head on his partner's leg. "I didn't know you left your kendo lesson early. I thought you liked it more than me…I guess that's why I was crabby for most of the day."

"No, I'm sorry," Cody said, softly stroking Armadillomon's head. "I wanted to come here to help you…but I let everyone down…I really screwed up…"

"I know how that feels," said Joe. "I ditched a quiz I had at school today to come here, but I knew this was more important."

"Joe…you have the Crest of Reliability, right?" asked Cody, remembering their introduction from earlier. "How…how do you be reliable?"

"Ah…I see," Joe said with a sad smile. "You want to be reliable as well, don't you?"

"I feel…I feel inferior to the others, because of my age," Cody said sadly. "I just want to prove that I can hold my own as well, and I can't do it if I get sick."

"But you're doing your best, right?" Cody nodded to answer Joe's question. "Then that's fine."

"What do you mean?" Cody asked confused.

"Cody…let me tell you a little bit about being reliable," Joe scooted over and wrapped an arm around Cody. "When I first came here to the Digital World, I wasn't this confident, prepared teenager I am now. I was absolutely scared out of my wits being in a new world."

"Yeah, the first words you said to me was calling me a 'thing,'" Gomamon muttered.

"I wasn't just terrified, but I was also very clumsy and awkward. But I tried my best to help my friends since I was the oldest Digidestined. Sometimes, I'm still clumsy and awkward, and there are some things here in this world that still give me a scare…but back then, I was afraid of screwing up…but in the end, I earned my place on the team, and new friends that knew I could be counted on."

"So they never criticized you, or made fun of you for being clumsy and afraid?" asked Cody, who listened attentively to the older boy.

"No, I had my fair share of flak," Joe said with a laugh. "But like I said, in the end I earned my place and my friends' trust. I just tried my hardest, and I didn't give up when it counted the most. You do that Cody, and you'll prove yourself."

"I see. Thank you Joe," Cody said, realizing that Joe's words were similar to his own grandfather's words. Hearing them from an experienced Digidestined put his mind at ease. The next time an opportunity presented itself, he would prove his worth.

Just then, a loud explosion shook the cave, causing rocks to fall off the ceiling.

"It's a cave in!" yelled Joe. "We need to get out of here!" The two boys ran out, Joe carrying Gomamon and Armadillomon supporting Cody. Upon exiting the cave, they were met with the sight of the Digimon Emperor, and by his left was a Shellmon, massive pink Digimon with green hair and a giant gray shell.

(Play Digimon Adventure: Arata no Teki)

"You actually thought you could destroy the Control Spire while I kept your friends at bay, did you?" the Emperor asked with a confident smirk. "Get them, Shellmon!"

"HYDRO BLASTER!" Bending his head down, Shellmon released a blast of pressurized water from his hair, Cody and Joe just barely dodging the attack.

"Cody, we have to buy the others some time," Joe whispered to the young boy. "This is your moment!" Cody nodded, understanding what Joe meant.

"Armadillomon, it's up to us," he said to his partner, who nodded in to acknowledge his partner. Cody quickly moved away from Armadillomon, feeling much better now, and pulled out his D-3.

(Play Digimon: Break Up!)

"DIGI-ARMOR, ENERGIZE!"

"ARMADILLOMON ARMOR DIGIVOLVE TOOO…STEEL KNOWLEDGE, DIGMON!"

"Woah!" Joe gasped as he looked at the yellow insect Digimon. "So this is Armor Digivolution!"

"Come on, pinky!" Digmon said, running forward and stopping Shellmon from advancing by grabbing his right foot and holding it with his strength.

"Grr!" Shellmon growled as he pushed his foot down to crush Digmon, but the drill-bit insect refused to back down.

"Shellmon, stop playing around!" yelled the Emperor. "Put all of your strength in crushing him!" Shellmon growled again as he began applying more pressure to his leg that was on top of Digmon, who gasped from feeling the extra weight being applied. Digmon was resilient, but even he had limits…and Cody was realizing the limits his partner had.

"Digmon!" the young boy cried as he ran over to the fight.

"Cody, get back here!" Joe yelled to the young Digidestined, but it was too late as Shellmon noticed the boy and instantly changed targets.

"HYDRO BLASTER!" Cody gasped when he saw the water approach him at a fast rate. He simply closed his eyes and raised his arms up, preparing for the impact.

"CODY!" Seeing that his partner was about to become wet again, Digmon found a new burst of strength, forcing Shellmon's foot off of him.

"Hang on, Cody!" Digmon quickly grabbed the young boy in his arms and dropped down to his knees, sliding forward several feet when Shellmon's attack hit him in the back.

"Digmon…" Cody said with a gasp, not knowing what to make of it.

"I'm going to protect you no matter what, Cody!" said Digmon. "Hold tight!" Holding Cody in his lower arms, Digmon quickly turned around and aimed his drills at the approaching Shellmon.

"GOLD RUSH!" The drills shot forward and collided with the Dark Ring, shattering it to pieces and releasing Shellmon.

"You did it, Digmon!" Cody said happily, watching Shellmon escape into the ocean. Both Cody and Joe then turned their attention to the Digimon Emperor.

"All right kid, how's it going to be?" asked Joe. "Are you going to come quietly?"

"As if!" Ken said with a laugh. "I'm never out of ideas…or slaves!" Ken gestured to the water behind him, which burst up when a Digimon that looked like a giant crawfish with big claws appeared out of the water.

"Who's that Digimon? I don't think I've ever seen him before!" Joe said with a gasp.

"That's Ebidramon!" yelled Gomamon.

"Ebidramon, crush the Digmon!" Ken ordered, gesturing to the Armor level Digimon.

"TWIN SCISSORS!" Ebidramon leapt forward and clamped his pincers around Digmon, dragging him into the ocean. Fortunately, Digmon was able to throw Cody back over to Joe before he went under.

"Oh, no!" Cody gasped as he ran over to the cliff's edge and watched Ebidramon thrash Digmon around in the water. "Digmon's had a huge disadvantage!"

"And that Control Spire's still standing," Gomamon muttered angrily, looking at the still standing obelisk.

"Don't think your friends will be able to break down a Spire this time," the Emperor said with a smirk. "My partner Digimon Stingmon is there, as well as the Frigimon and the Gizamon. And I even deployed a Gesomon there just in case."

"A Gesomon?!" yelped Gomamon. "Let's hope they're having better luck!"

---

"SUPER SHOCKER!" Tentomon fired his electric attack at the Gesomon's face, getting the giant squid to look at him. The little red insect flew upwards to avoid being swatted by Gesomon's giant tentacles. Tentomon was busy distracting Gesomon so Nefertimon could help Pegasusmon deal with the Gizamon.

"GOLDEN NOOSE!" Both holy type Digimon created their golden rope and wove it around several times, creating a golden net that trapped all the Gizamon.

"Sorry about this," Pegasusmon said to the Gizamon, "but you'll be okay once we take down the Spire!"

"Leave the Spire to me!" Flamedramon said, throwing the Frigimon around like rag dolls. "I can handle the Frigimon better than you! Take care of Gesomon! FLAMING FIST!" Flamedramon's fireballs lobbed forward and struck the Frigimon down one by one. They had been able to resist the fireballs before, but Flamedramon was well-rested, compared to the snowmen who had been busy building the prison site, and the Frigimon collapsed.

In the skies above, Halsemon continued his aerial battle with Stingmon, releasing his Tempest Wing attack to disorient the green insect Digimon, but Stingmon's speed was greater than Halsemon's, and he quickly dodged the tornado.

"MOON SHOOTER!" Stingmon fired the needles from his arm, but Halsemon dodged every one. Stingmon then flew right up to Halsemon and riddled the griffin Digimon with kicks from his Hell Squeeze attack.

"You are definitely a strong fighter," Stingmon said, praising his opponent. "But you have a long way to go if you want to be in my league."

"I do not understand this," said Halsemon. "You are clearly the Digimon partner to the Digimon Emperor, and you have no Dark Ring on you."

"You are correct," said Stingmon. "I follow him of my own free will."

"Why, then?" questioned Halsemon. "Why do you fight for him if you know what he is doing is not right?"

"I already gave my reasons before," Stingmon said forlornly. "He is still my partner and I shall fight for him, and protect him…" Stingmon then looked down at the ground below and added, "…just like how I'm sure you'll do the same for your partner."

"What?" Confused at hearing Stingmon's statement, Halsemon followed Stingmon's gaze, and gasped at what he saw: Yolei, being cornered by Gesomon, who looked ready to crush the girl.

"Well?" Stingmon asked, looking back at Halsemon. "What are you waiting for?" Halsemon hesitated slightly, but he knew Stingmon was right. Yolei was in danger, and he had to protect her. Giving one last glare to Stingmon, Halsemon flew down like he was shot out of a cannon, intending to protect Yolei. Stingmon then looked down, and saw Flamedramon ready to destroy the Control Spire.

"FIRE ROCKET!" Flamedramon charged for the Spire, but was suddenly knocked out of the way by Stingmon, who extended his arm spikes.

"Not today, Flamedramon," said Stingmon. "SPIKING FINISH!" Flamedramon cursed as he rolled out of the way of the attack. This is not what he was hoping to do.

"Yolei, get out of the way!" Izzy and the other Digidestined yelled as Gesomon advanced for Yolei. The lavender-haired girl could only scoot away in fear from the giant squid, who had managed to blind Pegasusmon with his Deadly Shade attack before knocking him into Nefertimon, taking the holy type Digimon out of the equation. Gesomon had then turned his attention to the humans, and unfortunately for Yolei, she was his first choice.

"Stay away from me!" Yolei screamed, throwing snow into Gesomon's face. However, this only served to anger Gesomon, and he opened his mouth up to perform one of his special attacks.

"DEADLY SHADE!" Yolei could only close her eyes and wait for the worst of it, as she knew there wasn't enough time to dodge. She heard the ink being discharged, she heard it sail through the air to land on her, and then she heard her own voice yelling deep in pain.

The glasses-wearing girl suddenly opened her eyes when she heard the scream. She didn't scream, and she knew her voice wasn't deep. And when she looked over herself, she realized not a drop of Gesomon's ink had landed on her. Confused about this, Yolei noticed there was another shadow in front of her. Looking up, Yolei gasped when she saw it was Halsemon, his entire back covered in acidic ink. Halsemon groaned as he felt the ink burn his body, but he refused to back down while his partner was in danger.

"EAGLE EYE!" Halsemon's red eye beams hit Gesomon in the face, but it only served to anger the white squid Digimon, who roared out, "CORAL CRUSHER!" and swatted Halsemon away with his massive tentacles. Halsemon roared as he was sent flying into the Spire and crashed into it, leaving a crater in it as he slid down and collapsed, reverting to Hawkmon, patches of his feathers burned away by the ink. Yolei could only watch in horror as her partner was hurt in front of her.

"Hawk…Hawkmon…" Yolei trembled and felt tears in her eyes as she yelled her partner's name at the top of her lungs.

"HAWKMON!"

"Oh, no!" Kari said, looking from Hawkmon to Pegasusmon and Nefertimon. All three Digimon were down, and the only one they had left was fighting Stingmon, unable to get to the Control Spire. "Flamedramon is the only one left!"

"Not for long!" Tentomon said, pointing to the Control Spire. The Digidestined turned and gasped when they noticed the Control Spire was crackling electricity; the crater made by Halsemon's impact with it managed to damage it severely. Izzy looked down and noticed his Digivice's screen glowing.

"Izzy, I think it's time I got in on the action!" Tentomon said, wings fluttering like mad. "And I think we should go up a bit if we want to destroy that prison!"

"You read my mind, Tentomon!" Izzy said with a grin, his Digivice turning purple with orange buttons as Tentomon began feeling the energy flow to him.

---

"Digmon, hang in there!" Cody called down to his partner, who was managing to fare well against Digimon, but the freezing water, and the fact that Digimon was underwater kept him from doing much against Ebidramon.

"It's useless," said the Emperor. "My Control Spire is still standing and fully…operational?" the Emperor's voice became confused and Cody and Joe both wondered what caused his demeanor to change from smug to shocked. Looking into the distance, they noticed the Control Spire was releasing electricity.

"Uh…is that supposed to do that?" Joe asked in a worried tone.

"No!" Cody said, recognizing the effects from Santa Geria. "That means the Control Spire is damaged! Joe, check your Digivice!" Joe nodded and pulled out his Digivice, noticing the glowing screen.

"Gomamon," Joe looked down at his partner, knowing what this meant. Gomamon nodded, getting the idea as well.

"I'll have to go up quite a bit," said Gomamon. "Ebidramon's not your average Champion level Digimon, and I'm still a little sore."

"Got it," Joe said. "Go for it!" Gomamon leaped out of Joe's arms and into the water, glowing in tandem with Joe's Digivice, which turned gray with black buttons as Gomamon changed form.

(Play Digimon: Brave Heart ~tri. Version~)

"GOMAMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…IKKAKUMON!" Gomamon emerged from the water as a giant white-furred walrus with a horn on his head. Ikkakumon took aim at Ebidramon, who emerged from the water again with Digmon in his grasp.

"HARPOON TORPEDO!" Ikkakumon's horn shot off his head and split open to reveal a red and green missile. The missile soared through the sky and hit Ebidramon, who was forced to release Digmon. The shrimp Digimon turned around and leapt for Ikkakumon, but the walrus Digimon glowed again as he Digivolved again.

"IKKAKUMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…ZUDOMON!" Ikkakumon changed into a giant gray-skinned Digimon with orange fur, a green turtle shell with spikes, and a giant hammer in his right hand.

"VULCAN'S HAMMER!" Swinging his hammer up, Zudomon brought it down on Ebidramon, creating an explosion of water. When the tower of water settled down, Ebidramon reemerged, his eyes now yellow as the Dark Ring has been broken, freeing him from the Emperor's control.

"All right, Zudomon!" Joe said as Cody looked over at the Emperor with a glare. The Emperor could only glare back, knowing that if his Spire was damaged, it would only be a matter of time before it was destroyed completely, along with his prison. He had to escape now.

"You have nowhere to go now!" said the young boy.

"That's what you think," the Emperor said, pressing a button on his D-3. The Emperor vanished in a dark mist to everybody's shock.

"Darn it!" Cody yelled in anger. "We almost had him!"

"It's all right Cody," Joe said as he put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You showed him that you could be strong by yourself."

"But…I couldn't help Digmon…" Cody said, looking over as his partner and Zudomon emerged from the water.

"But you tried," said Joe, "and that's what's most important. You proved yourself to be dependable. And I'm sure your friends will be able to depend on you in the future."

"Thank you, Joe," Cody said with a light blush.

"Joe, we should get over to the Spire," said Zudomon. "Just in case the others need help."

"I think they'll be fine," said Joe. "If the Control Spire is damaged, then Tentomon should be able to Digivolve as well to help."

---

Joe's suspicions were correct as back at the Spire and prison, Tentomon glowed bright purple and Digivolved to help fight.

"TENTOMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…KABUTERIMON!"

Tentomon first changed into a giant blue rhinoceros beetle with a silver horned helmet that took flight to help Flamedramon.

"CORAL CRUSHER!" Gesomon attempted to strike Flamedramon, who was still fighting Stingmon, but Kabuterimon grabbed both of Gesomon's giant tentacles and swung around, throwing Gesomon into the Control Spire. Crossing his four arms together, Kabuterimon gathered up a mass of electricity into a blue and purple ball before releasing it with a yell of "ELECTRO SHOCKER!" The ball of electricity hit Gesomon and the Control Spire, the giant tower falling like a mighty oak tree.

"All right, the Spire's down!" cheered Davis.

"Kabuterimon, Digivolve again and destroy the prison!" Izzy said, his Digivice vibrating to enable Kabuterimon's second Digivolution.

"KABUTERIMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO…MEGAKABUTERIMON!" MegaKabuterimon was twice Kabuterimon's size, and had a red body with hard shell, and equally giant horn bigger than Kabuterimon's.

"HORN BUSTER!" MegaKabuterimon rammed into Stingmon first, knocking the green insect Digimon off his feet and away from Flamedramon. Stingmon immediately took flight and flew away from the snow land, knowing he was now outmatched against an Ultimate level Digimon.

"HORN BUSTER!" This time, MegaKabuterimon's Horn Buster was a blast of electrical energy that flew forward and destroyed the prison, leaving it a smoking wreck of iron and rubble.

"That's that," TK said.

"Hey guys!" The Digidestined turned at the sound of Joe's voice to see Zudomon and Digmon hurrying towards them, the former carrying Joe and Cody on his back. Once Joe and Cody slid off Zudomon, the Digimon all reverted to their previous forms.

"Is everybody all right?" Joe asked as he looked around at the Digimon.

"Not quite everybody," Kari said, gesturing to her left. Joe looked over and saw what Kari was talking about. Yolei was down on her knees in the snow, cradling a still Hawkmon in her arms.

"Hawkmon…Hawkmon, please wake up…say something!" Yolei cried, her eyes filling with tears.

"What happened?" Joe questioned, walking over to inspect the injured Digimon.

"Gesomon tried to attack Yolei and Hawkmon took his Deadly Shade for her," explained Davis. "It was made worse when he slammed Hawkmon into the Control Spire and damaged it."

"I see…so that's how it happened," Joe muttered before bending down next to the sobbing girl.

"Yolei…hand Hawkmon off to me. I'll help him as best I can."

"Yes…please do, Joe," Yolei said, handing Hawkmon off to the older boy. The lavender-haired girl was still shivering, but it wasn't from the cold this time. It was seeing her Digimon partner be hurt badly in front of her.

---

(Play Digimon Tamers: Kyodai Kuukan)

"So you're telling me Gesomon damaged the Control Spire when he was battling Halsemon," Ken said. Once he had returned to the base with Wormmon, the caterpillar Digimon told him what happened.

"Yes, and I was too busy fighting Flamedramon to prevent it from happening," continued Wormmon. "I knew it was a bad idea to bring Gesomon along. Even when he has a Dark Ring, he can still be tough to handle."

"I agree," Ken said, looking at the newly turned white square on the map with clenched teeth. "And that was the area I had just acquired…we'll have to think of a new strategy Wormmon. What do you think?"

"I'm not sure…" said Wormmon. "Every Digimon we have is Rookie to Champion level, and Davis and the others can handle those easily with Armor Digivolution." Ken took a moment to ponder on Wormmon's words as he pulled up a list of all the Digimon he had so far in his army: Airdramon, Meramon, Guardromon, Mekanorimon, Cyclonemon, Centarumon, and many others. He realized that Wormmon was right. He had no Digimon higher than Champion level…perhaps it was time to change that.

"Well, then…I suppose it's time to find us some Ultimate level Digimon."

---

(Play Digimon Tamers: Itsumo no Seikatsu)

The Digidestined had returned to the computer lab in the school, and like the other Digimon partners, Gomamon had come along with them as well. Yolei had left immediately once the portal brought everybody back with Poromon in her arms. Joe had managed to bandage up Hawkmon's injuries, but the bird Digimon still wouldn't stir, even after reverting to Poromon.

"Do you think Yolei and Poromon will be okay?" asked Kari.

"I'm sure they will be," said Davis. "Poromon's still breathing…so he's still alive…" something in Davis's voice indicated he was grateful Hawkmon didn't die today. Though Kari didn't pick it up, TK did, and he realized even more now about Davis than he did before.

"Man, it's really good to be back here with you, Joe!" Gomamon said from his place on Joe's head. "Tell me, has life been boring without me?"

"Oh yeah…it's been boring without your bad jokes!" Joe laughed.

"I see your sarcasm's still there," Gomamon said, his face split into a big smile. "You missed me, didn't you?"

"I sure did buddy…" Joe picked Gomamon off his head and moved him in his arms. "I haven't been able to focus much on my schoolwork without you there!"

"Well, maybe you can focus now," said Gomamon, getting a nod from Joe.

"Joe…will you be able to help us again in the future?" Cody asked, looking up at the older boy.

"Yeah, I should be able to help out when I don't have schoolwork," said Joe, "but if it's a real emergency, don't hesitate to call me."

"We won't," said Cody. "Also…I was wondering if you were interested in coming to my home sometime. I'm sure my grandfather would like to meet you, and my mother makes very good ohagi."

"If Joe's coming, then I'm coming as well!" said Izzy. "The ohagi Cody's mother makes is the best ohagi yet!"

"Better than your own mother's?" asked Tentomon, causing Izzy to blush.

"Um…well…" Izzy stammered, getting everybody to laugh, even Cody, realizing he could be himself among this group, among people who could rely on him. Standing off to the side, Davis looked at Cody with a knowing glance, realizing he could work well with him in the future.

'Cody seems like a good kid,' Davis thought as he looked up in the sky. 'If only you were here, Ryo…'

Little did Davis know, he would be seeing his lost friend again very soon.

---

(Play Digimon Tamers no Theme)

The Digimon Tamers stood on top of the Hypnos building with their families and the Hypnos staff, their partners by their side and their bags packed. They had received the message moments ago that all four Digimon Sovereigns had finally come together, and they would be arriving soon to open the portal to bring the Tamers to the Digidestined's home dimension. The children were making their final goodbyes to their families. Ryo stood off to the side as his father hadn't come. The brown-haired boy looked up in the sky for any signs of the Digimon Sovereigns, stealing glances to see his friends say goodbye to their families.

"Takato, promise me you'll be okay in this other dimension," Mei Matsuki said, hugging her son close to her. It would be a long while before they would be able to hug again. "Promise me you'll look after Guilmon and the others while you're there as well."

"I promise I will," Takato said, breaking from the hug to look at both his parents. "And I promise…we'll be back."

"And I promise to look after Takato!" Guilmon said happily. "Do you promise to bake Guilmon Bread when we come home?"

"No problem, Guilmon!" Takehiro Matsuki said with a laugh, stroking Guilmon's head. "I'll make a big batch for you and your friends!"

"Yay! Guilmon Bread, Guilmon Bread!" Guilmon chanted, getting chuckles from the Matsuki family.

"Do you have everything you need, Henry?" Janyuu asked as Henry went through his bags.

"Yeah, this should be everything," said the blue-haired boy. "Supplies, clothes, food, scanning devices…this should be everything I need for dimensional travel."

"How do you know you have everything?" asked Terriermon. "You've never traveled to another dimension…and no, the Digital World does not count."

"Ha, ha, very funny Terriermon," Henry said flatly before looking back up to his father.

"Henry, I want you to promise me that you'll look after your sister," Janyuu's gaze turned to his youngest child, wrapped in one final embrace in her mother's arms. "And that you'll look after yourself as well."

"Don't worry Dad, we'll be safe," said Henry.

"Now Suzie," Mayumi Wong said as she pulled Suzie back to look at her in the eyes, "I want you to listen to your brother and Lopmon while you're gone. They're in charge of you."

"I promise Mom, I'll listen to them," Suzie said with a sigh. It bugged her that even though he saw nine, her friends and family still felt she needed protection.

"Suzie, don't be rude," Lopmon said sternly. "Your mother has every right to be worried about you, and I have every right to watch over you as your Digimon partner." Suzie merely nodded, hoping she could finally prove herself in the other dimension as a strong Tamer.

"Rika, please come back in one piece," Rumiko Nonaka said, holding her daughter in her arms. "I don't want to lose you in some other dimension."

"You know me, Mom," Rika said with a small smile. "I'm too tough to die, and the same for Renamon as well."

"I promise I will protect Rika in the other dimension, even if it costs me my life," Renamon said with a small nod.

"Let's hope you both come back alive," said Seiko Hata, Rika's grandmother. "The house wouldn't be the same without either one of you."

"Now Kazu, stay out of trouble in this other dimension," Takako Shioda said as she looked over her son one last time before the Tamers departed. "I do not want to have to hear of another incident…"

"Yes Mom," Kazu said guiltily, knowing what his mother was talking about.

"And don't lose Kokuwamon," said Takako. "Heaven forbid you lose the one thing that makes you a productive member of society…"

"Takako!" Hirofumi Shoida lightly scolded his wife for her comment while Kazu sighed. His mother often joked about Kazu's future job being a Digimon Tamer, due to being obsessed with Digimon all his life.

"Do not worry, madam!" said Kokuwamon. "I shall keep Kazu out of trouble in the world of the Digidestined!"

"Besides, I think Kazu will be too starstruck by the Digidestined to actually do anything!" Kenta said with a chuckle. "God knows I will be…"

"Hey!" Kazu said indignantly.

"Keep an eye on Kazu, Kenta," said Akemi Kitagawa, "and take care of yourself as well!"

"What do you think he does every day?" joked Shiyunsuke Kitagawa.

"Ha, that's a good question!" Betamon said, knowing what Kenta's father was talking about. Kenta did like that his partner could now De-Digivolve to his Rookie form to talk with people. It was hard for him to translate whatever he said when he was MarineAngemon to other people.

"Jeri, I don't understand why you have to go with them," Shizue Katou said to her stepdaughter. "You don't have a partner, don't you?"

"I don't," Jeri said, her heart aching as she thought of her dead partner, "but Impmon is in that other dimension, and Ai and Mako are going there to find him. Impmon is just as important to me as Leomon is, and I want to go and find him. Besides, Ai and Mako's parents agreed to let them go as long I went with them to watch over them. This is my choice, Mom."

"But…"

"Shizue, this is Jeri's choice," Tadashi Katou said, looking down at his daughter. "And we should support her choice."

"Thank you, Dad," Jeri said, hugging both her parents before hugging her younger brother, who looked upset about Jeri and Calumon, who he liked to play with a lot, leaving him.

"Does Calumon really have to go with you?" asked the little boy.

"Yes, but we won't be gone long," Jeri said, ruffling her brother's hair. "You can wait for us, can't you Masahiko?"

"I guess so," Masahiko sighed as Ai and Mako came over with their parents.

"Thank you for agreeing to watch them for us Jeri," said the twins' mother. "They seem quite excited to see their friend Impmon again."

"Well, of course they are," Jeri said, taking the twins' hands and pulling them towards her. "Our Digimon partners are important and very dear to all of us."

"I hope we find Impmon soon," said Ai.

"Yeah, do you think he's looking for us?" asked Mako.

"I'm sure he is," said Jeri, smiling sweetly at the twins. A loud alarm blaring from the roof caused everybody to jump in shock.

"What was that?!" yelled Calumon, hiding in Takato's bag.

"The detectors," Yamaki said calmly, looking over to Riley and Talley. "Are there Digimon realizing?"

"Yes…and they're realizing right on top of us!" gasped Riley.

"There are four signals," said Talley, "and the power levels are off the charts!"

"That can only mean the Sovereigns have arrived," said Gouru "Shibumi" Mizuno, one of the Monster Makers.

---

(Play Digimon Adventure 02: Kiseki)

Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed as a Digital Field emerged in the sky. Moments later, four massive shapes appeared in the clouds. The field dispersed, revealing the four Digimon Sovereigns: the azure dragon Azulongmon, the crimson phoenix Zhuqiaomon, the green and beige two-headed turtle Ebonwumon, and the silver and blue tiger Baihumon.

"Hmm…so this is the human world," Zhuqiaomon said, getting his first look of the city of Shinjuku. "How can the humans live in such a cramped place?"

"Just as I thought," sighed Baihumon. "Our first minute here in the human world, and Zhuqiaomon criticizes it."

"Did you expect anything else from feather-brain?" asked Ebwonwumon through his left head.

"Tamers," Azulongmon boomed, looking down at the humans, "it is good to see you all again. I take it you are ready to travel?"

"We are Azulongmon," said Ryo.

"Um…a question," said Takato. "How exactly are you all going to open a portal to another dimension?"

"It is a very complicated process," Baihumon answered for Azulongmon. "To travel to the world of the Digidestined, we will need more than just the power of the Sovereigns. We will also need the power that comes from you."

"What does he mean?" asked Kenta.

"I think he's talking about your D-Arcs," Shibumi said, typing on a computer and bringing up the schematics for a D-Arc. "If the Digivices in the TV show are capable of opening up a gate to the Digital World, then that means your D-Arcs could do the very same as well."

"Wait, so you're saying we could just hold our D-Arcs up to a computer screen, say 'Digital Gate, Open', and boom, we'd be in the Digital World?" asked Kazu.

"Yes, but it would be too risky in this dimension," said Shibumi. "You could end up in a place where you would be unable to return from. The portal in Guilmon's old shed would be a better and safer option for travel to the Digital World and back."

"So how are our D-Arcs going to open a dimensional portal?" asked Rika.

"By combining the power of your D-Arcs together with our power, a dimensional portal shall be opened," Ebonwumon said through his right head.

"We just need one more thing to make this work," Azulongmon lifted his head up, motioning for everybody to look up. Coming down from the skies were small white creatures glowing white and chirping and trilling in cute noises.

"The DigiGnomes!" gasped Takato, recognizing the wish-granters from the Digital World.

"Of course," said Shibumi. "If all of you concentrate your power together and wish for the portal to take you to the Digidestined, then they'll be able to grant it!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Ryo. "Everybody, hold up your D-Arcs!" The Tamers nodded and nine D-Arcs were held up to the sky, Ai and Mako holding their D-Arc together. The screens glowed brightly as the Tamers all closed their eyes with their Digimon, wishing to go to the Digidestined's dimension. As this happened, the Sovereigns glowed brightly as well, focusing their power as well.

(Play Kaze ~re-fly version~)

"DigiGnomes, grant us our wish!" Azulongmon boomed mightily. The DigiGnomes circled around the top of the Hypnos building, glowing brightly like the sun. In a matter of moments, streams of light flew from the D-Arcs and the Sovereigns, colliding together and swirling around until a giant circle appeared, glowing bright white.

"Amazing," breathed Renamon. "So this is the portal."

"It is indeed," said Azulongmon. "Now go, Tamers."

"We're already going, Azulongmon," said Takato, beginning to walk to the portal.

"One more thing," Yamaki said, getting the Tamers' attention. Pulling a black device out of his pocket, Yamaki tossed it to Takato. The goggled Tamer recognized the device from two years ago.

"Hey…is this the communication device you gave me two years ago?"

"It is," said Yamaki, taking his sunglasses off. "I had Shibumi and the other Monster Makers make some modifications to it. We'll be able to stay in touch now even if you're in another dimension."

"All right!" Taktato said happily, putting the device in his backpack. Ryo looked up at the portal with anticipation. After three years, he was finally returning home to see his old friends and finish what he started in the Digital World. And he would be bringing his new friends along for the ride. A number of emotions ran through him as he looked over to the other Tamers: Anticipation, nervousness, happiness and sadness as well.

"Well guys," Ryo said with a smile, "anybody want to back out now?"

"What, and miss the chance to have a new adventure?" Takato asked with a smile.

"Fight new battles?" Rika smirked.

"Make new discoveries?" asked Henry.

"And meet new friends and play new games?" Calumon asked excitedly.

"No way!" said Kazu and Kenta together.

"We're Digimon Tamers," said Jeri. "We all stay together!"

"Exactly!" said Ai and Mako.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Ryo, his smile bigger than before. "Let's go!"

"All right!" Takato said, raising his fist into the air. "DIGIMON TAMERS!"

"YEAH!" everyone cheered, raising their fist into the air.

"Good luck, all of you," Yamaki said, watching the Tamers step into the light and fly up into the portal, which closed once the last Tamer was through.

The Digimon Tamers have set off on a new adventure to a new world, where they will meet new friends and new enemies, and rediscover old friends and old enemies. They do not know what is in store for them, but one thing is for certain: Nothing will ever be the same again for the Digimon Tamers…or the Digidestined…

(Play Days ~Aijou to Nichijou TV Size)

END CHAPTER 8

The Tamers are finally going to the world of the Digidestined, but they won't be meeting up just yet. Just wait and see what happens in the next few chapters.