136

Change

"I…talked long and earnestly with government officials… With the main result of these colloquies the public is now familiar." – H. P. Lovecraft, "The Shadow Over Innsmouth"

The cloud-strewn sky was a limpid blue. Odaiba, and Tokyo in general, was enjoying a peaceful, normal afternoon. Over a week had passed since the defeat of Dagomon, and the global confusion had subsided – to an extent.

All told, the assault on the world had not been as devastating as the Chosen Children had initially feared, but deaths and collateral damage had certainly occurred. Most of this had been the result of the world's electronics failing as the powers of darkness overran them. Conflict with the Deep Ones and other creatures of the Dark Ocean had done some harm as well, but the invaders' focus on the world's Chosen Children had limited the number of casualties.

From the Digital World, the Holy Beasts reported that the immediate threat the dark powers posed to the universe seemed to be past. Their fight to prevent the World of Darkness from overflowing into the Digital World had been hard-fought, but ultimately a success. The pressing darkness had faded away at what must have been the moment the Chosen Children had finally eradicated their enemy.

A strange thing had happened at about the same time. Throughout the Digital World, the many Dark Towers remaining from the time of the younger Chosen Children's capture had suddenly shattered into fine rubble – crumbled into black dust to be dispersed by the wind. The group of Cyclomon that had kept the Village of Beginnings isolated for two days had dispersed soon after, as if the collapse of the sinister monoliths had signaled to them that their masters' authority had come to an end. Leaderless, the enemy's remaining forces appeared to be in total disarray.

Unfortunately, the future stability of the Digital World remained a concern. It would take time for its defenses to recover from the destruction of the Holy Stones and the erasure of the great seals. But there was reason to remain cautiously hopeful. The Seeds of Light continued to mature, and with the destruction of Dagomon, the apparent destruction of Demon, and the death of Sato Katsu – with its resulting dispersal of his Dark familiar – all known enemies capable of mounting a large-scale campaign had been dealt with.

For the twelve Chosen Children who had participated in the final battle of Odaiba, life had more or less returned to normal. Looking back on the events leading immediately up to it, they could hardly believe that only a single hellish week had passed since the night on which the Dark Man first revealed himself to Ken. For those six Chosen Children in particular whose week of daily battles and nightly horrors had culminated in imprisonment and torture, full recovery would take time.

But in spite of all the pain, there were things to be thankful for. They had been reunited with families that they had once despaired of ever seeing again. Life's simple pleasures shone all the brighter for the shadows that had for a while engulfed them. Physically, they began to regain their strength, and enjoyed the first restful nights they'd experienced in what seemed an eternity. At times they still had dreams, vague echoes of things undergone – but they were only dreams, and in the light of morning they faded quickly.

On that afternoon, Koshiro returned to his Odaiba Mansion apartment to find Gennai online and waiting to talk.

Was there something you had to tell me, Gennai-san? Koshiro asked after the usual pleasantries had been exchanged.

Gennai: Yes, there is. First of all, have any of you noticed anything suspicious in the Real World since the battle?

Koshiro felt a twinge of apprehension at the question. Did Gennai have reason to expect further trouble? But Koshiro's answer came readily enough.

Koshiro: We've seen no sign of the enemy. The police are still looking for those responsible for the bombing, but they haven't found anything yet. According to friends who have hacked into government communications, it appears that there are several leads being followed, but the investigation is progressing slowly.

He went ahead and sent that as a message, then immediately began another one.

Koshiro: We personally haven't noticed anything that might point to the activity of Sato Katsu-san's human allies. With the destruction of their base, we can't be sure that there are any left. Mimi-san is safely back in America, and she doesn't have anything to report either.

Gennai: Thank you. Is there anything else I should know about?

Koshiro smiled.

Koshiro: Yes, actually. Thank you for reminding me. The others and I have finished telling Ichijouji-kun what we know about Ryo-kun and the Millenniumon incidents. Daisuke-kun, Miyako-kun, and Iori-kun know now as well.

Shortly after Ken's return to the human world, Koshiro had worked up the resolve to share with him what the older Chosen Children knew to have happened to Ken before his time as the Kaiser and the resulting amnesia. First, though, he had felt the need to apologize for neglecting his duty for so long. His recent nightmare and his subsequent talk with Gennai had decided him.

To Koshiro's surprise, when he approached Ken he found that Ken was not entirely uninformed. It seemed that while trapped in the Dark World Ken had been reminded of Ryo and Millenniumon through the Dark Man. Upon returning to his own world, reunited with his partner, he had acted on the Dark One's suggestion of asking Wormmon about his forgotten past.

Gennai: I see. Has he begun to regain his memories at all?

The remnants of Koshiro's smile faded, replaced by a thoughtful look as he typed out his response.

Koshiro: He believes some of it has started to come back to him, but at the moment it's not looking hopeful that he'll regain them all naturally.

Koshiro had soon hit on the idea of using the psychic abilities of Shadramon, which he thought would be an intriguing subject for research, to aid in Ken's recovering his memories, if possible – a sort of therapy. He had shared the idea, but for the moment Ken's response was noncommittal.

Gennai: I'm sorry to hear that.

There came a brief pause.

Gennai: Now, there was something else I wanted to talk about as well.

For a moment that was all he said. Koshiro waited, refraining from prompting his correspondent.

Gennai: Things will most likely be changing from here on. You'll remember that after the events of August 1999, when the Digital World was seen in the sky of your world, and Digimon were seen in various countries, the other Agents and I spent some time manipulating and erasing data gathered at the time by human governments and scientists.

Koshiro: Yes, I remember.

Gennai: Since the events that affected the Real World last December, we've been considering a change in tactic. As you know, the recent attacks caught us off guard. We can't afford to have that happen again. Meanwhile the number of Chosen Children continues to grow. We've made some decisions based on these facts. First of all, we must work to prepare these Chosen Children for the next crisis, so that you and your friends are no longer alone. Secondly, we believe the time has come to begin reaching out to humanity as a whole.

Koshiro reread the last line or two of the message. Quickly his mind flashed over what such a policy could mean, and what the possible ramifications might be. In that moment, he almost felt as if once more a new world had dawned upon his understanding. He suddenly felt the same excitement and trepidation that had come over him four years ago when he had discovered what the Digital World was.

Since Gennai sent nothing more for the moment, Koshiro collected his thoughts and managed to frame a reply.

Koshiro: I see… Could you explain further?

Gennai: A plan is still being put together. Our main concern will be contacting certain government organizations, both in Japan and other countries, and helping them to understand the situation. If all goes well, we can begin to put strategies into place for dealing with any future crises.

Koshiro didn't reply for a minute. He thought about what his place and the place of his friends would be in this new world. And the more he thought about it, the more he got the sense that the current situation, instead of representing the end of the Chosen Children's labors, might be only the calm before a storm.

Koshiro: Theoretically, it sounds like a good plan, Gennai-san. However, there may be negative consequences for doing this. If an organization you contact were to try and make use of its new knowledge of the Digital World for selfish ends, disaster could strike.

Gennai: Yes. That is why we have hesitated in the past. At this point, however, it is only a matter of time before human researchers begin to uncover the Digital World, and the growing number of Chosen Children may eventually cause problems. Due to recent events, people all over the world have begun looking into the Digimon – not only governments and scientists, but other groups and all sorts of individuals as well. We cannot completely stop the flow of information, but it may just be possible to control it and direct it for the greater good.

Koshiro: What are your current plans?

Gennai: Nothing is definite yet, but we hope to act soon. The government of Japan is likely to be contacted first. This could mean great changes for you and the others, but I'm afraid it must be done. I should tell you that certain government agencies have already taken an interest in you and your friends.

Though he couldn't deny that it made him uncomfortable, Koshiro didn't consider the disclosure all that surprising. It was almost bound to happen given what the Chosen Children had recently gotten into. For that matter, Sora's father and Yamato and Takeru's parents were already well known to the media as the "Digimon critics." It wouldn't take a genius to guess where their insider information came from.

Koshiro: I will let the others know about all this. Please keep us informed. Given that this could greatly affect us, I'm sure we would all appreciate being able to voice our opinions on the subject.

Gennai: Of course. I'll contact you again as soon as anything is known.

After their conversation had ended, Koshiro sat back in his chair for some time, gazing out the window behind his computer screen. Everything seemed so still. There was nothing to indicate that he and his friends might be about to set out on a new adventure, probably very different from those that had come before.

In his house in the Digital World, Gennai likewise remained silent and thought for a moment. He had much to think about. For the moment the battle was over – the information provided by Hikari and the other Chosen Children who had been held captive in the Dark World had cleared up nearly all remaining questions. The Holy Beasts had finally learned the fate of their forgotten partners, and, though gods, had expressed their regret at the news, and the regret that the names and faces of their partners remained lost to them. They could not even remember whose partner the terrible, unfortunate Sato Katsu had been – but perhaps that was for the best.

Yes, the battle was over. But the work was just beginning. Gennai and the others could only guess at what the new policy's ramifications might be. There were interesting times ahead.