DAISUKE (Age 12): So it looks like those others had some fun on stage.

IORI (10): It depends on what you mean by fun.

MIYAKO (13): Of course, it was fun! I mean, we're up on a stage and in the limelight!

KEN (12): I'd rather not be the center of attention, but being up here with everyone is relieving.

HIKARI (12): Everone seems to be having a good time, huh, Takeru-kun?

TAKERU (12): Yup, Hikari-chan! But I agree with Ichijouji-kun. It's a big relief to have everyone by our side.

IXEN (?): And that's why I'm asking that at least two of you are up here with me for the disclaimers...

~TAICHI~

"Wow. It's really been a long time since we've returned here," I said as sat down on the small island. "Time passes by very quickly, doesn't it, Agumon?"

My partner nodded and picked up a small rock and began skipping the stones across the lake. "This was the place Gabumon first evolved." He watched as the first stone sank before turning towards the direction of Coela Beach. "And I first evolved into Greymon over there! That really came as a surprise especially after you all tried to call home from there."

I laughed as I went over those memories. They seemed so far away but I could remember them so clearly. "Well, we had no idea where we were and we wanted to make sure our classmates and families knew we were okay. That first adventure was the best." I continued laughing but stopped to stare at the water seriously.

"Taichi?" Agumon sat beside me with a worried expression on his face. "Is something the matter?"

"Not really. It's just that we learned so much on our first adventure together. Everybody matured after that but is that all? We grew up but that can't be all, can it? We still have years to go before we're adults but are we done growing?" I lied on my back to stare at the clouds. "I would actually like another adventure, you know? I want to be able to experience something new and different. Maybe I could meet some new friends and partners along the way."

"Hey!" Agumon leaned over my face. "You're not thinking about replacing me, are you?"

I smirked at him. "You're my one and only partner, Agumon. We're the only team in the world. Both of us are irreplaceable. But…" I looked away with a sly smile, "if I were to get another partner, I think he'd be red and would fight with a microphone! We'd both loudly shout out our feelings and—" Agumon lightly punched me and both of us laughed.

I had to stop when my D-Terminal notified me of a new message. I sat up and Agumon looked over my shoulder to see what it was about. "The Fighter accepts Courage," he read aloud. Agumon and I blankly stared at it for a while before he spoke again. "Taichi? What does that mean?"

~YAMATO~

"Let's start running, not for anyone else, but because it's better than stopping. Cutting through the clear air, turning towards the bright ocean, keep on running. Keep on running. Find out your reality. There's no time to hesitate in front of the new door. Just run up, jump out there, and kick the door open. It it's you, you can definitely do it," I slowed down and smiled, "because you'll surely find a way." I looked up from my guitar and stared blankly into space.

Gabumon sensed my depression and looked at me worriedly. "Yamato? Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…"

"Do you want me to do something for you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…"

"Huh?" Gabumon waved his hand in front of my face.

"What?" I looked at him oddly and he stared back with a worried expression. "Oh, no, I'm fine. I was just thinking." I stood up from my seat and stretched. "I don't know why but I can feel a darkness hanging in the atmosphere lately." A shiver ran down my spine but I shook it off. "Let's go out for some fresh air."

The both of us left my room and skirted around the messy living room. One of these days, I would get to cleaning it up but for now, I wanted to clear my mind. Before we could get to the front door though, something jumped out of the shadows and attacked us. Gabumon was ready and tackled his body into the figure to protect me. "Petit Fire!" He shot the blue flames at his opponent and angrily glared at it. "I won't allow you to hurt Yamato!" Gabumon was careful but the figure quickly charged towards him and knocked my partner to the ground.

"Gabumon!" I wanted to get to his side but the shadow suddenly got in my way. I tensed up as it stared into me. Intense pressure built up within me and I felt suffocated by it. After what seemed like an eternity, the shadow disappeared and I was left gasping for air. I shook uncontrollably as I felt a need to train myself to be stronger than before.

~KOUSHIRO~

"Koushiro, you should really take a break. You look tired." Tentomon stared up at me from the ground as I continued to read through the notes Jou's older brother sent me.

"I will in a little bit. I'm almost done," I replied. My voice sounded a bit hollow, like I was a robot. It didn't help that I really was tired but I ignored it and continued to read through the file. Things became more interesting and I sat up in my chair. "Hmm… That's a plausible theory."

Seeing as I was not about to stop anytime soon, Tentomon sighed and turned to look at my monitor. "What are you reading, Koushiro?"

"It's the research Sora's father and Jou's brother gathered. Gennai sent me a file to go over too but it was a little too complicated. This new file though helps simplifies things." I paused as I finished reading a paragraph. "It has to do with the Digital World and other worlds."

"Other worlds? Why are you looking into that?"

"If there are other worlds, then there are bound to be even more interesting things to discover. There could be other people or even other Digimon that exist in those worlds. Wouldn't it be great to learn about it all, Tentomon?" It was getting more difficult for me to keep track of my spot since my eyes were very fatigued. I rubbed them and kept them closed for a long time.

"Koushiro, you always want to learn about the unknown, but you can't if you wear yourself out. Maybe you should take a break now."

I thought about it for a little while and decided my partner was right. I looked at him guiltily. "Sorry, Tentomon. I lost track of time again. It was very interesting though."

"It's not your fault," my partner reassured. "You still have some trouble seeing past your computer screen, but that's why I'm here to make sure you don't go too far when you chase after Knowledge. You've gotten better at being less formal though."

I smiled thankfully. "That was mainly because you're here." I glanced at the time and stood up to stretch. "Let's go do something outside for a change. There are still other things I want us to experience together."

~JOU~

I sank into my desk as I stared at the test grade I just received in my math class. I studied each problem thoroughly and reworked them but found nothing wrong. I went over it twice and still came up with the same result. I would have to speak with the instructor about this.

The thought made me froze because my teacher was very kind but strict. I didn't want him to think badly of me by pointing out his errors. What if I really was wrong? That would make me look foolish but I checked my answers and went over the textbook's practice problems. The likelihood of me being wrong was low.

I stood from my seat as the bell rang to dismiss us. This was the last class of the day so this was the perfect opportunity to ask about my grade. "Sensei? I have a question about my test grade."

"I'm sorry, Jou. I have a meeting with the other teachers of the math department right now. Can you talk to me about this after on Monday?" He quickly took some papers off of his desk and looked at me for an answer.

"O-of course," I meekly replied. I left the classroom and stared at my test numbly. I didn't know what to do right now and felt as if I had failed.

A voice shook me out of my thoughts though. "Hey, Jou!" I looked down and noticed Gomamon was here.

"What are you doing here!?" I picked him up and looked around to see if anyone was still in the hall.

"Relax, Jou!" He noticed the paper I held in my hand. "Huh? What's this for?"

I hastily stuffed it into my bag and walked down the hall. "It's nothing."

"You were talking with that man about it, weren't you?" Gomamon looked up at me suspiciously.

"Yeah, but it's nothing." I let him down so he could walk on his own.

He was unconvinced and proudly stuck his head up. "You know if you have a problem with something, you should say so with conviction. You should have more willpower, Jou!" I looked down at him sternly causing him to chuckle. "Okay, I know you have it but you've got to show it too, you know?"

~MIMI~

I looked around the Digital World and smiled. "Palmon, let's find a place to eat!" I eagerly started for the restaurant Digitamamon owned.

Palmon caught up with me as I waited for her at the door. We were about to enter when we heard some yelling from inside. "You two troublemakers! Come back here!" Digitamamon crashed into the door, causing the two of us to jump as a pair of small yellow creatures in the restaurant to laugh.

"What kind of Digimon is that?" I wondered aloud to Palmon.

Both were mouse-like and very similar to each other but there were very distinct differences to them. One was male and had red ears, paws, and a plus-shaped tail. He also had two red circular markings on his cheek that was marked with plus signs while the other had blue circles marked with minus signs. The second mouse-like creature was female and was colored blue instead of red. The two were very comfortable with each other as they jumped around, causing sparks to appear from their cheeks.

"Those two snuck into the restaurant from the back and caused a mess in my kitchen!" Digitamamon rolled onto his feet and angrily chased after them. "Come back here!"

"I'll help!" Palmon went after the egg Digimon as I stayed by the doorway. "Poison Ivy!" She tried to catch the two troublemakers but missed the blue one. The red one she held began crying and Palmon became affected by its cuteness. "I'm sorry, but you're causing trouble."

"Palmon, look out!" I noticed the blue mouse charge up electricity and released it, hurting my partner. I ran inside to check on her. "Are you okay?"

Digitamamon had locked himself inside his shell for protection and came out again. "I should have warned you about that. The red one lowers your guard while the blue one fights. I can't go after them because if I corner one, the other attacks. Going after them both at once is just asking for trouble."

"Maybe you should stop fighting," I suggested. "Despite their laughing, I think they're scared." I pointed at the two as they began running to the back of the restaurant. I helped Palmon up before making my way cautiously over to the two creatures. They didn't run from me so I guess they were used to being around humans. I gave them a reassuring smile and offered out my hand.

~SORA~

Piyomon and I walked by the Uji River as we visited my father in Kyoto. My dad was pointing out the different sights and I noticed the hydroelectricity plant. The workers were all pointing at the water and arguing about something.

"What's going on?" Piyomon asked as we tried to get a better look.

From where we stood, I noticed that the water around the plant was dirtier. It seemed as if there was some type of pollution but the thick liquid layering the water was able to move on its own. I looked up at my dad, thinking it had to do with a rogue Digimon coming into the real world. "Can we go check it out?"

He nodded and led us over. "Is it a Digimon?"

"I'm not sure, but it could be a Raremon."

As we got closer, a horrible stench hit us and I had to cover my mouth and nose to keep from gagging. Eventually, I could go no further. From where I stood I could see some moving purple sludge. They resembled Raremon but their bodies were too small and liquid-like to be that type of Digimon. They weren't exactly mechanical or robot-like either so I had no idea how to fight them. They had taken over the plant and as they moved, they left behind a trail of toxic sludge which grew into more of the disgusting creatures.

The water was even worse as there was a larger, more violent mass of sludge that began attacking us. It threw a glob of itself at us and I jumped out of the way. Piyomon saw and quickly fought back. "Sora! Magical Fire!" This angered the slime and it threw another glob at her. Piymon tried to shake it off but when she tried to fight she became very ill. Before I knew it, she began to fall from the air and into the water.

"Piyomon!" I wanted to run and catch her but more of the smaller masses got in between us.

"Sora, get back from there!" I heard my dad call for me as one of the grimy beings reached an arm out for me.

I flinched and fell backwards. The stench went into my nose and I felt incredibly sick. Before I passed out, I noticed a light blue four-legged creature jump over me. A refreshing breeze blew as it moved and I remembered seeing the water glow as the toxic chemicals became purified.

~DAISUKE~

"And the battle ends with Daisuke the Ace defeating his opponent without even breaking a sweat. This rookie is going to the championship match!" The announcer yelled loudly into the microphone and I jumped up with excitement.

"All right! That's what I'm talking about. Let's go, V-mon!" I psyched myself up for the last fight. I looked at my entire team of V-mon's evolutions. "Okay, let's do this. V-mon will take a breather for this match so we'll open up with Fladramon. If we have to, switch to Lighdramon. For a finale, we'll close with our signature X-Laser! That'll show everyone who the two-top team in the world is!"

The announcer took up the microphone again and pointed over to the person entering the arena. "Now we bring out our reigning Champion in bringing about Miracles!"

I looked up at the stage. Bright lights shone behind him so I could only make out the silhouette of a sixteen-year-old boy with explosive hair. He was riding on top of a skateboard and in his right hand was a long billiard cue. He carried it over his shoulder like a delinquent and laughed when he saw me. "So this is the kid who came to claim the grand prize?" He looked to the team behind him. The team consisted of a slim bearlike creature with fire erupting around its neck, a tiger with a thundering cloud following it, and an egg-shaped kite. The boy proudly displayed them and shrugged. "I guess we'll just see how this goes, eh!?" He held up something in his left hand and I quickly recognized it as the Digimental of Miracles. He noticed me staring and pointed his cue at me. "I hope you're ready to go against the Grand Hatcher Go—"

"Daisuke! Phone call for you!" My sister's piercing voice woke me from my dream.

I sat up in my bed groggily and stumbled into the living room. "Hello? This is Daisuke. Who is this?"

"No time for that right now!" I managed to recognize Miyako's urgent voice. "Sora was visiting Kyoto and something happened! Also Mimi found something strange while in the Digital World. Get to the school computer lab pronto! Call Ken and tell him too!" She quickly hung up and I was left rather confused and disoriented.

"V-mon!" I called out. "We're going out!"

~MIYAKO~

"Chosen Children, let's roll!" I activated the gate and all of us were teleported to the Digital World. I smiled brightly as I looked down at my usual adventuring outfit. "It's been a long time since I was able to say those words!" I cried after my Jogress partner arrived.

"Yeah," Hikari nodded. "I can't believe it will be the fourth year anniversary for Big Brother, Takeru, and the others."

"Speaking of Takeru, did he look a bit tired in the computer lab?" I looked down at Hawkmon and he shrugged.

Tailmon crossed her arms. "Patamon says he's been having trouble sleeping at night."

Hikari sighed at the thought of her best friend having trouble. "I spoke to him about it but he says it's just some old memories. He's still trying to figure out a way to write about his first adventure, mainly the part about Patamon's first evolution."

"Well, if it's Takeru, he'll be fine," I stated matter-of-factly. "What's more important is looking around for more of those strange creatures Mimi and Sora were talking about."

"Let's Jogress right now."

I nodded and held up my digivice. "Let's go, Hawkmon!"

"Of course, Miyako!" My partner jumped into the air. "Hawkmon, evolve!" I waited for the light of evolution to appear but nothing happened. "Huh?" Hawkmon looked at his body. "That's odd. Hawkmon, evolve!" His form remained unchanged. "I can't evolve."

Tailmon looked up at Hikari worriedly. "Hikari…"

Her D-Terminal received a message and she checked it out. "It's from Iori and Takeru. It seems as though Patamon and Armadimon have lost the ability to evolve too."

I took a look at my e-mails and found a similar message from Ken about V-mon and Wormmon. "That's weird. Why would our evolutions be blocked?" I asked aloud. I shook my head. "I guess it can't be helped for now. Hawkmon! Digimental Up!"

~IORI~

Submarimon surfaced from the depths of the ocean. Takeru spotted me and I returned his smile with a shake of my head. "Nothing weird here," I said.

He smirked and looked down at Pegasmon. "I guess that's it then. Let's return home, Iori." He turned in the air and waited for me to get a head start.

My partner took his cue to go ahead but I found that we weren't moving forward. "What's going on, Submarimon?"

"Something is pulling me backwards."

I glanced back as best as I could from where I lay and my eyes widened. "A whirlpool?" I didn't know such a phenomenon could occur in the Digital World but that didn't matter. If we didn't do anything, Submarimon and I would get sucked in.

"Iori, don't worry!" Takeru dove down. "Submarimon, revert back into Child form! Pegasmon and I will bring you back."

Nervous about the idea, my partner was reluctant at first until I reassured him. "Don't worry. We'll be alright!"

"Okay, Iori. I'll trust in you." My partner shrank in size and I fell into the water. I saw Armadimon reach the surface and I tried to do the same. It was useless though because I wasn't strong enough to counter the force of the whirlpool. Takeru already picked up my partner but as he reached over for me, he fell into the water too.

"Iori! Takeru!" Our partners' muffled voices managed to reach me as I was sucked into the vortex and their faces disappeared from my sight.

I don't know how much time passed but when I first sat up, I found myself on an island. I was safe and unharmed but I was also alone. I checked my person for my Digivice and D-Terminal and was relieved they were still functional. I looked at them and began to compile a message and signal for Takeru but I spotted a red-haired girl wearing a cute school dress looking over my shoulder.

I panicked and accidentally dropped both machines. I became embarrassed at my actions and could feel my face heat up as the girl curiously eyed my D-Terminal. She smiled brightly at me and giggled. "This looks like a Pokédex, doesn't it, Latios?"

~TAKERU~

I looked up at the peaceful boy. He had calm blue eyes and slightly spiky black hair coming out from his red beret. A long red muffler was tied around his neck and trailed in front of him. He wore a black vest over a white shirt and a pair of jeans. On his left wrist, there was a blue watch that matched another blue machine that stuck out from his pocket. Overall, he didn't seem to be someone to be wary of so the two of us just talked.

"I see… This world is a combination of both the Distortion World and Dark World." Dia looked around in wonder. "That's why it feels different." He frowned and placed a hand over his heart. "This uneasiness still remains though. Understanding where we are hasn't changed a thing."

I looked at him oddly. "You said the uneasiness was scary and comforting. I can see how it's scary but why comforting?"

His eyes stared off into space as he tried to explain. "I felt a pressure close in around me before. Back then, I had faced off against two powerful beings that controlled time and space. The uneasiness back then pushed me to keep going because I wanted to protect the time and space I had come to know with everyone I cared about. Those Emotions I felt were what led me to the Distortion World in the first place." I closed my eyes and smiled gently as I felt his emotions wash over me. I knew the exact same feeling he meant with those words. "Takeru?" I looked up. "What brought you here?"

I opened my eyes and thought about it. "Hope," I answered. "It was a hope I had of protecting everything that was precious to me."

"We're very much alike, huh?" Dia said with a smirk. "We both have something we want to defend with all of our heart."

"Surely, we'll be able to succeed," I remarked with a smile.

Both of us shared a laugh before I heard someone calling my name. It was distant but I couldn't make out where it came from. I looked up at Dia to see if he noticed anything but he turned his head away to look at a distant source of light. "Is it time to leave already?" he asked. He looked at me with sad eyes. "Will we see each other again?"

I also wanted to stay a bit longer and talk some more but I had to go too. I reassured my new friend though. "Of course. As long as you believe that we will meet again, we will. It is a promise that I always uphold, no matter what."

~HIKARI~

Taichi looked at me worriedly when I arrived back home. "I was about to leave for the Digital World to look for you and the others, Hikari. Did you guys find Takeru and Iori?"

Tailmon answered for the both of us. "Iori was stuck on an island by himself while Takeru had washed into an underwater cave. It only took so long because Takeru was unconscious the entire time so it was harder to find his D-3's signal."

"He'll be fine though, right?"

I didn't really hear him as I stared out the window. There was no moon out tonight so it was darker than usual but I didn't let it bother me. Suddenly, I saw a shadow with cold blue eyes move across the sky, causing me to flinch.

"Hikari?" Taichi stood by my side and stared out the window. He didn't see anything strange so asked me again. "Will Takeru be okay?"

"Huh? Oh." I turned to look back at my brother. "I hope so. Takeru didn't say anything much about what happened. He only kept staring at Ken and me before we all left." I tried to stifle a yawn but failed, resulting in Taichi looking at me with even more worry.

"Okay, it's late. Get to bed, Hikari. You too, Tailmon."

I obediently returned to my room and tried my best to get some sleep. I wanted to fall asleep but the image of the wispy shadow creature's eyes appeared in my mind. I rolled onto my side and noticed that Tailmon hadn't fallen asleep yet. "Tailmon, you need sleep."

She kept her eyes on me and shook her head. "I usually don't sleep until I know you're asleep. Is something wrong, Hikari?"

I shook my head and gratefully smiled that my partner would watch over me. I closed my eyes, ready to enter the world of dreams but I quickly opened them when I heard Taichi yell from his room. "Hikari! No!"

Tailmon stood on her guard and stared at the window intently. "I know you're there so don't even think about hiding!"

Hearing her words, a shadowy figure floated into the room. A ghostly fog billowed from his head as he stared at me with its bright blue eyes.

~KEN~

The first thing I noticed when I arrived to the Odaiba Elementary computer lab was that everybody was consumed by their thoughts of what happened yesterday. Iori was staring out the window and looking at any student that seemed to pass by. Miyako was on the computer murmuring about why our partners couldn't evolve. Takeru stared at his D-3 for a long time before glancing up towards Hikari, who was rubbing her tired eyes. As for Daisuke, he was late.

He burst into the room behind me and loudly laughed. "Sorry I'm late, everyone!" When he noticed everyone's serious expression he crossed his arms. "What's with everyone today?" Nobody answered him for a long while.

"Ken?" Wormmon looked up at me to break the silence. "Are we going to the Digital World again today?"

"Yeah, Wormmon."

"Do you think I'll be able to evolve today?"

The thoughts of yesterday had put my partner and I in a rather tight spot since both of us didn't have a Digimental. "Sorry, but maybe not," I sighed.

"This will be a big problem if there is something wrong with the Digital World!" Miyako cried as she pulled on Hawkmon's face.

"Yeah!" Daisuke agreed. "How are we supposed to fight if Ken and I can't Jogress V-mon and Wormmon into Imperialdramon!"

"I don't actually think there's anything wrong with the Digital World," Takeru said. He continued to inspect his D-3 as all of us stared at him incredulously. He finally looked up at us, confused by our reactions.

"What do you mean by that?" Daisuke exclaimed. "With all of the weird things happening, don't you think something is wrong?"

"That's not it. Something is wrong but I just meant that it's not just the Digital World that is going through problems." The blonde became uncomfortable speaking and did his best to levelly look at Hikari and me. "Hikari, Ken, have you two sensed anything strange from that other world?" His question came from nowhere but the uncharacteristic seriousness in his eyes told me how important it was for me to respond.

~?~

I sat up in a daze and held onto my head. I had a slight headache and wanted to recover a bit before taking a look at my surroundings. When I moved my right arm, I noticed I was wearing a metal brace. Looking at my clothes, I realized they had changed on their own accord. Instead of my brown, vertically striped, long-sleeved sweater and tan jeans, I was wearing a grey shirt, greenish pants, a black belt, and a dark crimson bandana around my neck. My Digital World clothes… Does this mean I'm back?

I stood up and steadied myself. It took me a while, but I managed to locate my partner. "Hey, get up. We're in the Digital World. Huh? You've reverted into Child level."

The small purple dragon Digimon sat up and gave me a smile showing me he didn't mind. "Which Digital World are we in?" He immediately got up and started poking around the forest.

I slowly let the scenery sink in and frowned. "File Island…"

"Oh, so we're not home?" My partner found the thought interesting and tried to climb up a tree to get a better look. "Is this the world you came from?" His question brought a chill into my heart and I looked down. The Digimon noticed and came down. "Huh? Is something the matter? You're not going to treat me coldly again, are you?"

"No, sorry. I get bad memories here. Let's find a way back to our world." I smiled at him before we started down Infinity Mountain.

Before we could get far, four large Digimon surrounded us. My partner looked up towards them curiously. "The Holy Beasts! They're in this world, too?" He was about to greet them but I held him back.

Qinglongmon noticed my wariness and frowned at me. "It is good to see you well in your new world, but your return—"

"I've got it." I looked towards the ground bitterly before giving my partner a concerned look. "Is it Milleniumon?" The Holy Beasts shook their heads and I became slightly relieved. "Okay. What do I need to do to then?"

The four Digimon cleared a path and I noticed a blonde boy with a straw hat and fishing pole come up towards us. He smiled brightly at me before introducing himself. "So you're the Legendary Tamer! I'm Yellow."

TAICHI (15): Courage points to those who know what Digimon I was referencing as a replacement partner and the Easter Egg as to why!

YAMATO (15): Friendship points to those who know what my part referenced to with the song and dialogue with Gabumon.

SORA (15): I might as well join in. Love points to those who know what Pokemon I ran into.

JOU (16): Honestly, that's very childish of you three.

MIMI (14): Ah, let them have there fun, Jou. I'm glad I got to meet such cute Pokemon.

KOUSHIRO (14): Actually, I'm intrigued by all of this. I wonder what's going to happen next.

IXEN (?): Shouldn't you already know, Koushiro-san? Eh, bonus points to those who can figure out which Chosen Child will be paired with which Dex Holder. Extra bonus points to those who know who that last character is. Am I forgetting anything else?

? (15): Besides me? The reviews and final notes, Ixen.

IXEN (?): Oh, right. Thanks, Person-I-Will-Not-Name-Here. Author is very bad at scheduling times to write right now, so it would help if you review. That might speed things up as to when this story will be updated. Otherwise, Author will just surf around the Internet, play Dragon Nest, or play Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. Author already abandoned me so I don't want that happening to this story. Please review, but no flaming or trolling! Otherwise, I'm just going to publicly laugh and poke fun at your comments.