Found this one difficult to write. It's a struggle having both sides explain all the necessary information to each other and keep the story moving forward. Plus it took a while since I've been bogged down entertaining my mum and also my brother and his girlfriend, since they decided to visit on successive weeks. Living in Edinburgh is a bitch during the summer, everyone uses you as accomodation to see all the festivals and stuff.

Anyway, here's the next part. After this it may be a while until the next part. I may have to write a couple of one shots in the meantime to keep myself from getting bored.

'Akiyama? Ryo Akiyama?' asked a stunned Ken.

'Erm, yeah,' he answered sheepishly, 'How you doing err... Ken is it?'

'Wait,' interrupted Yolei, 'You two know each other?'

'Yeah,' replied Ken, 'It was years ago, back when I came to the DigiWorld for the first time.'

'I don't know how long ago it was,' said Ryo, 'I've been through so many different worlds, even time periods. I've not got many memories of travelling either.'

'Wow,' said Takato, 'And I thought you were just a Digimon cards player.'

'Hehe, that's just what I happen to do in that world. I've done a hell of lot more, and a lot more important things as well.'

'If you're finished blowing your own trumpet,' said Rika through clenched teeth, 'Can someone PLEASE, tell us why we're here?'

The DigiDestined looked between each other trying to decide who should explain. Eventually, Tai started talking, 'The DigiWorld's in danger. A lot of danger. Thousands of human soldiers encroaching and killing Digimon. We need your help to fight them.'

The Tamers took in this information. 'Thousands of humans?' questioned Henry, 'How on earth... err, how in the DigiWorld are we supposed to fight them?'

'We don't know,' answered TK, 'Gennai hasn't told us that much yet. Only that we need you guys too.'

As the Tamers continued to think, Terriermon interrupted their thoughts with the bold truth, 'C'mon guys. What's there to think about?'

'Yeah, come on,' said Takato definatively, 'If Digimon are dying we need to protect them. We've saved the world before, our world anyway.'

The other Tamers smiled and nodded at Takato's determination. 'Okay then,' he said before turning to the DigiDestined, 'Where to guys?'

'I didn't expect such enthusiasm,' said Tai.

'We're DigiDestined same as you guys,' said Henry, 'Defending worlds seems to be an obligation of sorts.'

'We have a mansion to go back to but it's a fair distance away. Can any of your Digimon fly?' asked Joe.

'Err, not really,' said Kenta, 'I suppose Guadromon can, and some of the others can if they Digivolve.'

'Who needs to fly?' said Rika impatiently, 'Kyubimon could run faster than any flying Digimon.'

Davis snorted in derision, 'Yeah right. Wouldn't be any match for Raidramon though.'

'Oh really? Kyubimon would kick Raidramon's ass,' replied Rika

'Oh yeah! Okay then, Raidramon versus Kyubimon back to the mansion!' challanged Davis.

'The stakes?' asked Rika.

'Pride,' said Davis.

'You're on.' [AN1]

As Veemon and Renamon Digivolved, Kari turned to the others, 'Does someone want to tell them we're meant to be working together?'

'Believe me,' said Takato, 'Don't try telling Rika anything when she's worked up like this.'

Davis and Rika climbed onto their mounts. 'Someone say "On your marks, get set, go" for us,' said Rika.

'Woah hold on,' interjected Izzy, 'We all still need to get back to the mansion, you're gonna have to take someone with you.'

'Fine,' snorted Rika, 'Jeri, get on.'

As Jeri and Calumon got on Kyubimon, Davis looked at her and said, 'Oh come on, that's not fair, she looks light. Especially her Digimon.'

'I suppose to make it about equal,' said Henry rolling his eyes, 'You can take Kenta and Marineangemon.'

'You think I'm that light Henry?' questioned Kenta.

'Just get on Raidramon so we can start this charade,' he sighed.

Kenta climbed on as Davis grumbled under his breath about the weight difference not been fair. But even Davis wasn't stupid enough to say someone he'd just met was fatter than someone else.

'Okay,' said Izzy, 'On your marks, get set, go!'

Izzy barely paused when speaking and Davis and Raidramon were caught unaware as Rika and Kyubimon shot off into the forest.

'What the? Son of a... Raidramon!'

Raidramon dashed off as well, leaving the others in his wake.

'They know how to get to the mansion right?' asked Matt.

The others exchanged worried looks before Ken said, 'They're heading in the right direction, we can pick them out from the air.'

As the Gatomon, Patamon, Biyomon and Hawkmon Digivolved into the forms they'd used to travel here, Ryo finally noticed Kazu on the floor.

'Err, is he okay?'

'Huh,' said Takato not really paying attention, 'Oh Kazu. Yeah... Guadromon, you mind carrying him?'

'Wouldn't be the first time,' muttered Guadromon, remembering a time he found Kazu passed out in the park after his first experience with alcohol.

The remaining DigiDestined and Tamers climbed onto the Digimon. Henry and Susie and their Digimon took Davis' place on Nerfertimon, whilst Ryo had Monodramon digivolve into Cyberdramon to carry him, Takato and Guilmon. As they were flying along, they saw occasional flashes of speeding Digimon through gaps in trees.

'Come on Kyubimon,' encouraged Rika, 'They're gaining on us.'

Davis and Raidramon were only a couple of lengths behind them after about an hours running. As they exited the trees into another small clearing, Raidramon leaped round them and into the lead.

'Haha, too slow guys!' Kenta shouted back at them.

'Dammit!' shouted Rika.

'Yay! Faster, faster, faster!' yelled Calumon.

'I'm going as fast as I can!' panted Kyubimon.

'I'm not losing to a gogglehead!' shouted Rika, 'How much further to this mansion?'

'Look up ahead,' said Jeri pointing.

The trees were thinning and through them could be seen a large house surrounded by a large very well kept lawn. As Raidramon cleared the tree line, Kyubimon was right behind him. But Rika had something else up her sleeve.

'Digimodify! Speed activate!'

Davis and Raidramon were shocked as Kyubimon suddenly bounded past them at double their original speed and pulled up just in time avoiding hitting the others who had landed in front of the mansion five minutes ago.

'You happy now you've emasculated someone Rika?' asked Kazu, who had woken up on the journey back.

'Pfft,' Rika snorted, 'It was far too easy.'

'What the hell!' said Davis riding up on Raidramon, 'What happened at the end there with all that "Digimodify" stuff?'

'Yeah what did you do with your Digivice?' asked Izzy having seen it from a distance.

'It's just in our world, the Digimon card game provides us with these modification cards that we can use with our Digivices,' explained Henry.

'Cool, can we get some of those?' asked Gomamon, 'I want to Digimodify!'

'I don't think your Digivices are compatible with them,' said Takato holding his out. For the first time, the DigiDestined got a good look at the Tamers Digivices and saw they were indeed different to both of the DigiDestined's styles.

'So this is your mansion?' asked Kenta looking up at it.

'Yeah,' answered Tai, 'Well, Gennai's.'

'We get to meet Gennai as well?' said Kazu excitedly.

'Does he ever calm down?' Sora asked Jeri quietly.

'Not really,' she replied.

'Yeah, Gennai should be inside waiting for us,' Matt told Kazu.

'No, I'm over here waiting for you since you were taking so damn long!' came a voice from the front door. Gennai was standing there tapping his foot impatiently.

'Come on, come on, no time for talking,' he said, 'Get inside and I'll explain as much as I can.'

The group followed Gennai inside into the entrance hall and then into the dining room. They all took a seat as Gennai walked onto the stage and waited for him to speak.

'Well, well,' he began, 'I never thought we'd have to use more than one set of DigiDestined at once but it seems we have no choice. The enemy is strong and numerous and so we can't do much more than launch a guerrilla campaign against them.'

'What have monkeys got to do with it?' [AN2] Davis whispered to TK.

'Guerrilla not gorilla!' said Gennai having overheard him, 'From the Spanish meaning "little war" [AN3]. I intend you to hit the enemy at strategic points, fast and hard. Wear them down as much as possible.'

'As much as it's a good sane strategy, it's not going to win us an entire war,' pointed out Izzy.

'No it won't,' replied Gennai bluntly, 'But none of you are going to win this war anyway.'

'Then what the hell are we doing here?' asked Rika impatiently.

'There's... a prophecy.'

Several of the assembled DigiDestined and most of the Digimon groaned at Gennai's statement.

'There's always a prophecy,' complained Gatomon.

'Such a cliche,' said Sora rolling her eyes.

'I can't help it if there is one, there just is!' grumbled Gennai.

'Go on let's hear it then,' said Tai.

'One world will fall into eternal darkness and all others may follow. The fine balance between them will be theatened by an old and new evil. Unity will be needed in the coming fight or all will be destroyed. The remaining Chosen Ones will unite but it is none of them that shall lead the forces of good to victory. Many will die, so that others may live in freedom. And both Their deaths shall come at he very end, at the place of many names.' [AN4]

'Woah, that doesn't sound good,' said Kazu.

'It isn't,' responded Gennai, 'As far as I know, one world has already fallen into darkness, a human world similar to your two. We do not know what happened, but the DigiDestined of that world are gone.'

'And we're the ones that remain,' stated Kari.

'Yes. As for the two evils, I believe the new evil to be this army of men, although their leadership still remains a mystery. The old evil though, I do not know of.'

'If it's Myotismon again, I'm gonna scream,' said Mimi.

'I don't think so,' said Gennai, 'But we must be prepared for anything.'

'So, who's gonna "lead the forces of good to victory"?' asked Takato.

'Again, we are not yet sure. I personally believe it could be someone as the same world as these new humans.'

'Just how many worlds are there?' questioned Ken.

'Six in total,' answered Gennai bluntly, 'Your two worlds, the corresponding two DigiWorlds, the world already in darkness and the world I've just mentioned. Along with proxy worlds like the Dark Ocean but they don't really count.'

'So it's up to us to wear down this army as much as possible until someone turns up to lead us?' asked Tai.

'Pretty much, yes. It'll be a different fight to what you've done before and I apologise in advance that you will have to kill other human beings.'

'Oh, I was trying not to think about that,' said Jeri.

'This is not going to be like fighting the Digimon Emperor or BlackWargreymon or the D-Reaper...'

'You know about that?'

'I know about your world as much as I know about this one Kazu,' continued Gennai, 'This fight is going to be an all out war and I'm afraid the prophecy is probably right in saying many may die. Maybe not you guys, but definately a lot of Digimon.'

The DigiDestined and Tamers all sat in silence contemplating the coming war, but not one of them had any doubts about whether they'd be willing to fight.

'I must leave you for now,' said Gennai, 'I need to organise my intelligence and pick targets to attack. Bedrooms are upstairs, I will see you in the morning.'

Gennai left the team in the Dining Room, still all silent but now wondering more about sleeping arangements.

Not got anything left to say. See you next time.

AN1 - I imagine Rika and Davis would rub each other up the wrong way quite a lot.

AN2 - Of course, gorillas aren't really monkeys, but Davis gets confused.

AN3 - Thank you Wikipedia.

AN4 - Ah the prophecy. A story cliche if ever there was one.