Less than a day had passed and the mobile fortress had returned to the Fire Realm's capital, being a vast and massive city based around an equally large volcano, with skyscraping red towers that held golden flame designs around them, accompanied by a series of hangers for the airships around the mountain.

A massive palace, which expelled a pillar of Fire Mana that shot up and into the skies above towered directly within the centre of the city, the sight furthering the awe of those who saw the capital for the first time.

It was in this structure that not only did the Fire Emperor reside, but it too was the location to where the Council of Fire Lords would meet, each a representative of the various kingdoms, city-states and tribes that made up the Fire Emperor's domain, each acting as a voice of authority for those under the Emperor's rule.

Looking down upon the blazing city that held a unique sense of beauty through its infernal atmosphere, Davis kept a calm expression upon his face, having been to the capital so many times in his twenty thousand years in Nexus that it was practically his second home.

Davis knew the city like the back of his hand, namely the best restaurants town due to having been a part of their founding and working as a chef for a handful of the restaurants in the past.

Continuing to look over the city, Davis took in the sights of the other buildings.

He knew where the best entertainment was, where to stay for those who visit the capital and where some of the most sensitive areas, such are the Temple of Voldrakon, the College of the Conclave, the fire mages of Nexus, and the Chamber of Fire were located, the chamber being an inclusive area where new Champions were trained.

However, Davis never quite saw the city from his current view.

As the fire champion looked out from the window of the DDF airship his friends brought through the Veil, which floated a few miles away from the capital, the maroon haired hero remained deep in thought as he took in his surroundings.

Resembling a massive aircraft carrier made of silver and black metal, with a yellow energy that surged from the engines on its sides, the airship proved to be one of the best in aerial assault and support the DDF had in their arsenal.

Dozens of turrets were lined along the airship's hull, while inside of the hangers, Commandramon and Sealsdramon employed by the DDF were performing military drills alongside human soldiers, while a new kind of Digimon, a cross between a transport gunship and a dragon called Cargodramon, waited for troop deployment when needed.

As well as having this force of armed humans and Digimon, several elite forces, all of which consisted of Mega Level Digimon, stood by in the event trouble were to occur.

Looking at the gathered forces below him, then back out the window and toward the capital, Davis expelled a small sigh, one mostly directed at his old friends.

Twenty thousand years did not leave the maroon haired champion a fool, and Davis was more than aware that TK and the others were keeping something from him, something that most likely had to deal with Kari, and while it frustrated him to not know what it was.

Trusting his friends however, Davis decided to drop the issue for now in the hopes that his friends would open up and eventually tell him when the time was right, the Digidestined of Miracles allowed himself to mentally digest what he had learnt about the Dark Imperium and the war raging on back within the Digital World.

The maroon haired Digidestined was then brought out of his thoughts as he sensed someone approaching him.

Turning his head and somewhat surprised to see Rika Nonaka approaching him, Davis raised an eye as he took in the appearance of the red haired Digimon Tamer.

Instead of the attire he was used to seeing the red haired Digimon Tamer wear, Davis saw Rika now wearing a red and white kimono robe, tied together and held in place with a red sash around her waist.

Although the outfit showed off her slender figure, the distance and modesty within Rika's personality remained evident as she kept a hood over her face to cover her head, but allowed her amethyst eyes to be seen.

This, however, wasn't what Davis noticed the most as Rika looked upon him and with an endearing smile.

Sliding closer to Davis and wrapping her arms around him happily, Rika began to say joyfully. "Davis, it's so good to see you…"

"Ok, what happened here?" The maroon haired Champion cut in and questioned in reply as he gently moved Rika off of and away from him, his remark and actions startling Rika slightly as she started to inquire with her own confusion. "Davis, what are you talking…?"

"Rika, I can see the tail moving." Davis said in a deadpanned tone, this causing Rika to stop for a moment and to sigh solemnly.

Backing from Davis and allowing a little room between them, Rika then pulled her hood down to reveal that her hair was not only styled out of its usual spiked ponytail, but a pair of red fox ears now protruded from her head, both twitching slightly from the air around her.

Acting shyer than Davis had ever seen her act before, Rika didn't look into his eyes as she told the confused Digidestined. "When the Dark Empress first appeared, Renamon and I fought her as Sakuyamon, but despite our strength she overpowered us with ease."

"However, instead of killing us, she held both of us captive for her dark and twisted experiments. The time spent captive and managing to keep us under her control, that witch used her dark power to lock us in our Biomerged form, eventually fusing Renamon's Data and merging the two of us into one. I still have all of Renamon's memories and her abilities... but she is gone, all because of her." Rika went on to say and with a growl as she remembered the horrors she and Renamon were forced to go through.

Clenching her fists as she thought further about what the Dark Empress had done to her and Renamon, Rika's anger vanished when she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Turning to see Davis resting his hand upon her body and looking at her with a soft and trusting smile, Rika could barely stop herself from holding back a faint blush upon her face, especially as Davis only seemed to move closer to her.

"I am sorry about Renamon and what you both went through, but I can see that you have taken the situation and are using it to your fullest capabilities." The Fire Champion said softly and acted on his gut, sliding his arms softly around Rika and holding her gently.

"I am guessing you also have Renamon and Kyuubimon's agility and her fighting style, along with Taomon and Sakuyamon's spiritual abilities?" Davis then inquired curiously as he slowly broke away from the embrace shared between him and the Digimon Queen, his words causing Rika to snap out of her thoughts, though Davis did notice that Rika's tail was swaying slightly underneath her robes as she regained her composure.

"Yes, when I am able to use my full power, I am able to go head to head with the Dark Empress, even if it's only for a short time." The red haired Tamer replied with a returning confidence, before gaining a solemn expression as she then told the maroon haired boy. "It's been a long five years, Davis... we've lost so much... I don't know how much TK and the others explained to you, but the DDF is barely on its last legs in this war... If the Empress isn't stopped... I don't know what will happen..."

"I don't know how I can contribute to all of this, but I don't want to give up on Takato and the others so quickly, and not without a fight." Davis said in reply, his words and the trust within his tone causing Rika to look at him.

Seeing his attention turned back toward the hanger below, Davis then added. "I don't know how this Dark Empress has managed to manipulate Matt, Izzy and the others, but the Infected... if there is even a small amount of Takato and the others still within them, I can't just ignore that. After twenty thousand years, I am not giving up on anything so quickly."

To his words, Davis didn't notice the way Rika blushed as she watched Davis express himself and his confidence.

There was part of Rika which not only felt a glimmer of hope return to her heart for the first time in years, but she too was beyond happy to have the maroon haired Digidestined back in her life once again.

Though she never said it out loud, mostly due to his feelings for Kari, Rika held a deep crush toward Davis, emotions she felt only growing over the years she had fought alongside him back when the Digital Worlds were merged together, and felt a great loss when he was presumed dead.

Gaining a frown however, Rika mentally cursed TK at knowing his orders forbade her and the others from telling Davis what he needed to know, and feared what would happen if he didn't learn the truth soon.

For now though, the red haired Tamer decided it would be best to just help Davis get to know the changes within the DDF, especially when she noticed him looking towards a particular group down in the hanger below.

"I'll take it that they are the new guys?" The maroon haired Champion questioned as he looked to Rika, who simply nodded in reply.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to them." Rika then offered with a smile as she led Davis down to the two groups, one being the Appli Drivers and their Appmon partners, the other being those who came to aid the DDF against the dark and terrible force that was the GRB.

Approaching the groups, Davis watched as a boy with green hair and goggles much like his own looked to see him coming closer.

Alerting his friends as the two groups looked to see Rika and the Digidestined they had heard so much about now approaching them, the Appli Drivers moved first to meet Davis, who saw that the group consisted of six humans and their Appmon partners.

"Davis Motomiya?" The green haired boy questioned, his inquiry causing Davis to nod, before the boy held his hand out and greeted with a warm and friendly smile. "I'm Haru Shinkai."

Taking his hand, Davis gave a friendly handshake, before looking as Haru's Appmon partner raised his hand and said with equal kindness within his greeting. "And I'm Gatchmon, the search Appmon!"

"A pleasure to meet both of you." Davis replied and with a continued friendly smile on his face, before the maroon haired hero turned to greet the only female in the group and was quick to sweatdrop to see her now standing atop a crate that was behind the group with a determined and confident look within her eyes.

"And I am Eri Karan, the top idol of our world! I'll big bang punch my way into your heart." The pink haired girl declared.

To Eri's surprisingly overconfident performance, a sense of silence remained between Davis and the others, that was until a sudden and approving applause was heard.

"Way to go, Eri! You can do anything!" The blue Appmon standing beside her bellowed out happily, this causing Davis to chuckle slightly, before noticing something as he looked at Eri and thought. 'At least she removed her shoes before standing on the crate.'

Acting slightly embarrassed by Eri's outburst, Haru then gestured to the blue Appmon and told Davis as he made further introductions. "And this is Dokamon, the fighting Appmon and Eri's partner."

"A pleasure to meet you two as well." Davis said in reply as he watched as Dokamon then assisted Eri off of the crate but kept her standing above his head with his metallic arms, before turning his attention to the blond haired Appli Driver and his Appmon partner.

"Oh man, we've been hearing so many cool stories about you, it's awesome to finally meet you!" The blond said with a tremendous enthusiasm within his voice, before the Appli Driver and his Appmon partner brought their hands up into a familiar pose to his friends and their Apptube fans and Rika.

"To meet a hero like Davis Motomiya, so groovy? So not groovy...?" The yellow Appmon started to say, before he and the Apptuber raised their hands and announced with celebration. "So groovy!"

Sweatdropping to the antics of the duo, Davis then watched as Eri let out a sigh, before she made introductions for the pair to the fire champion. "This is Torajiro Asuka, or Astora as he likes to be called, and his Appmon partner, Musimon. They can be a handful, but they can also be pretty fun when you get used to them."

"I'll be honest, I've seen worse." Davis replied with a small chuckle.

Showing some kindness toward Astora and Musimon, Davis then noticed a young man with red hair approach him, who was accompanied by his Appmon partner, who seemed incredibly shy and hid behind the red haired individual.

"I'm Yujin Ozora, and this little guy is Offmon." Yujin said as he gestured to his partner and softly rubbed his head.

After sensing his partner was more relaxed, Yujin extended his hand, an act of kindness and friendship which Davis reflected and accepted.

But shaking Yujin's hand, however, Davis raised an eyebrow as he sensed something was off about the boy.

"An android?" The maroon haired hero then questioned, his words causing Haru and the rest of the group to express a shared surprise that Davis was able to figure that little secret out so easily.

"Yes... I was originally made by an AI called Leviathan to watch over Haru and the others, but... I eventually won my independence from it." Yujin said in reply, expressing a shared sense of gratitude and shame within his voice.

Nodding his head in understanding and respect, Davis then looked to the last four Appli Drivers, the two humans obviously brothers from what the maroon haired boy could tell, where the older of the two bowed slightly and introduced himself and his sibling. "I am Rei Katsura, and this is my brother, Hajime."

"And these two are our Appmon, Hackmon and Onmon." Hajime added warmly, gesturing to the Appmon which concealed his identity with a dark cloak and the Appmon that appeared to be more active then Offmon as he gave a joyous cheer.

Smiling and nodding respectfully to the remaining the Appli Drivers and Appmon, Davis then turned his attention as the second group approached, this consisting of three humans and four Digimon, where the brown haired boy and two of the Digimon stepped forward to make their introductions.

"I am Hiro Amanokawa, and it is a pleasure to meet you, Davis." The brown haired boy said as he extended his hand, which Davis took in response, before looking to see the small white triceratops-like Digimon jump at him.

Surprised by the actions and excitement of the small Digimon, Davis remained surprised and intrigued as Hiro's Digimon partner then allowed a pair of black wings to extend from his back, granting him the ability of flight, which he used to rush over Davis and hug him.

"And I'm Gammamon! I'm Hiro's little brother!" The Digimon, known as Gammamon, called with a pure joy and innocence in his voice.

"And I'm Espimon." The blue bear-like Digimon equipped with shoulder mounted rockets greeted kindly as he hovered next to Gammamon and Davis, bringing a further smile to Davis' face toward Gammamon and Espimon's kindness and enthusiasm.

"Nice to meet all three of you." The maroon haired hero said in reply, before turning to face the brown haired girl and her very large rabbit-like Digimon partner, who both bowed in a show of respect, before the girl introduced herself and her Digimon partner.

"I'm Ruli Tsukiyono, it's a pleasure to meet you." The girl said with a bright smile, before gesturing to her partner and adding. "And this is Angoramon."

"It's an honour to meet you." Angoramon said with a polite bow, reminding Davis in some way of Renamon and Gaomon.

Nodding in reply as he still held Gammamon within his arms, Davis then looked aside and toward the silver haired boy among the group, who held a confident smile upon his face.

"I am Kiyoshiro Higashimitarai and I..." The boy started to introduce himself with pride in his tone, only to be suddenly cut short in his words as what looked to be a small and floating jellyfish-like Digimon wrapped its tentacles around Kiyoshiro's neck.

"Introduce me first, Darling!" The Digimon ordered, her tone expressing a hinted of rage, while she revealed that her jellyfish form was merely a disguise and revealed a more humanoid based Digimon in the process, her appearance including several tentacles now cascading down her head and acting like hair, her appearance accompanied by a black shirt and long purple leggings, while she now held a slender build within her more human based body.

"I... I'm sorry, Jellymon-sama!" Kiyoshiro called out in panic as he tried to get himself out of his unnecessary predicament, while everyone else present sweatdropped at the sight.

"They... they have a special relationship." Ruli then whispered to Davis with a sigh, partly embarrassed by the antics between Kiyoshiro and Jellymon, and to how it would affect their own reputation within Davis' eyes.

"I've seen worse." The maroon haired hero remarked in reply, his comment causing Rika to look at him with a raised eyebrow, this caused Davis to reply to the unasked question as he said. "Don't ask, just don't ask."

Looking back down and at Gammamon, however, Davis tilted his head in confusion, an action Gammamon mirrored, before the maroon haired Fire Champion then questioned. "And who's the other guy?"

Hearing this, everyone present raised their eyes in shock, knowing exactly who Davis was referring to, where Gammamon raised himself from Davis' hold and flew a few feet back, closing his eyes for a moment, before opening them to show them pitch black.

"I'm impressed you were able to sense me." The being talking through Gammamon remarked with a small chuckle, sounding nothing like the innocent Digimon Davis was just holding and speaking to, before the dark entity introduced himself with a further deviousness. "I'm GulusGammamon, and it seems you're not all talk after all."

Remembering what he was told about the GRB, Davis nodded his head and commented in reply. "Ah, so you're the original carrier of the GRB."

"That's right! I wanted to make an army of powerful Digimon to battle the being that destroyed my world, but that Dark Empress stole my power for her own uses. She even had the nerve to make a pathetic clone of me so she could fulfil her own agenda." GulusGammamon replied with a spiteful growl as he hated the idea of a fake GulusGammamon, now Arcturusmon, running around with his power and fulfilling the plan he originally set out to do.

"Well, as long as you don't cause trouble here, I'm sure we can get along well." Davis said in reply, before watching Gammamon blink his eyes, returning to normal as Gammamon smiled back at Davis.

"Glad to see you're getting along with our new allies." A familiar voice then said kindly, the familiarity of the voice causing Davis to turn and see TK and Patamon approaching, with the blond ignoring the glare Rika sent him or the worried looks from Haru, Hiro and their respective friends.

Sensing the hostilities and mentally wondering what TK had done to inspire this resentment his way, Davis remained quiet and kept a friendly smile as the Digidestined of Hope offered. "Come on, I want to show you the armoury, and our head of research, Wong, is waiting to see you."

Raising an eyebrow to what TK had said, and wondering why TK referred to Henry by his last name, Davis looked to Rika, who nodded in reply, before Davis bowed respectfully to Haru, Hiro and the group as he then followed Rika, TK and Patamon down the hanger and to the hallway.

"Man, he looks so much cooler than they told us he'd look." Astora commented with a remaining smile, which Musimon reflected with his own enthusiasm.

"Yeah." Ruli said in reply, before gaining a bright blush as she added dreamily. "Not to mention he's kind of cute!"

"He's totally cute!" Eri simply declared with her own dreamy sigh, the remarks from the two girls causing Hiro to look confused and for Astora to express a shared exclamation of shock amongst them.

"Still, how will he react when he learns... you know...?" Haru found himself questioning out loud, knowing the penalty TK imposed on anyone who told Davis the truth before him.

"We'll have to wait and see, especially given their history." Hiro said back and in reply as he and the heroes and heroines of their worlds watched Davis from afar, all hoping that TK's plan wouldn't backfire on all of them.

.

.

.

Following TK, Rika and Patamon, Davis was eventually led to a large pair of doors at the end of one of the hallways, which opened up to reveal a massive arsenal of hi-tech weapons and other essential gear supplied to the DDF, as well as several workbenches to repair and modify said gear when needed.

All around, the maroon haired hero saw a swarm of Digi-Gnomes flying about, each seemingly focused on maintaining, upgrading and fixing the gear, the sight of the small and industrious creatures using their abilities for combat a surprise to the maroon haired boy, but not so much as when Davis' eyes landed on a trio of familiar faces, one with their back to him, who was in the midst of repairing a rifle on the table before them.

Easily recognizing the Digimon accompanying the young individual as Terriermon and Lopmon, Davis then saw the pair of rabbit-like Digimon turn to him with looks of shock and surprise upon seeing him.

Knowing how serious this was to see Davis' return, Terriermon and Lopmon then nudged the girl, who stopped what she was doing, removed the protective goggles she wore and turned to face the newcomers.

Looking upon the individual, Davis saw that she was a girl around Cody's age, who was wearing an old pink DATS uniform, white gloves and matching thigh high boots.

Looking her over and taking in her appearance further, Davis saw that the unknown girl had purple coloured hair, shoulder length and a pair of matching purple eyes.

From her position, the girl looked upon the maroon haired hero and expressed a great surprise, while Davis found himself in his own bewilderment as he recalled a much younger girl with her hair in twin ponytails and a similar appearance.

"Suzie?" Davis questioned as he moved into the armoury, with TK, Patamon and Rika right behind him.

Stunned, the purple haired girl questioned with her own surprise. "Davis?! Is it really you?"

"Yep." The maroon haired champion simply said in reply.

Looking around a little and taking in the scenery, Davis then said with an apologetic tone. "Sorry for sounding so surprised, but when TK said Wong I kind of expected..."

"You thought he meant Henry?" Suzie questioned in reply.

Her expression then turned solemn and her gaze fell to the ground as the young Digimon Tamer went on to say with a hint of sadness within her voice. "Henry... Henry's gone..."

"I see." Davis just said in reply as if it was old news to him, before noticing the glare Suzie, Terriermon and Lopmon sent his way.

Confused to begin with, but thinking about his words, Davis realized how his words and his tone might have sounded and quickly apologized.

"Sorry, that might have sounded wrong, but please understand, I have been here for over twenty thousand years, until a little while ago, I believed you were all dead, that you all had lived your lives and were all at peace, a thought I had to make peace with a long time ago." The maroon haired hero told Suzie, Terriermon and Lopmon in the hopes they would understand his viewpoint.

Taking in and listening to Davis' words, Suzie and the rest present gained shared solemn expressions, the humans and Digimon still wrapping their minds around the fact that Davis was as old as he and others claimed to be and how he must've felt to see them after so long.

"I am sorry about Henry. he was one of the best and a good friend... and a caring brother." The maroon haired hero then said as he looked over Suzie softly, who seemed to be fighting back tears at the memory of her brother.

Hating to ask as he knew it would distress Suzie, but needing to know, Davis then had to ask. "What happened?"

"SHE happened!" The young Tamer then said with a great hatred within her tone, the anger within Suzie's voice causing Terriermon and Lopmon to look upon the purple haired genius with concern and empathy.

"The Dark Empress killed him in cold blood, and I won't rest until she is brought down!"

Frowning slightly at hearing the level of hatred coming from the young girl, Davis looked to Rika, TK and Patamon, who all remained silent on the issue and didn't look back at Davis.

"Momentai!" Terriermon then said with a familiar enthusiasm, distracting everyone from the sadder subject as he looked at Suzie and happily suggested. "Why don't you show Davis some of the Digi-gear you've made for the DDF?"

"Right..." Suzie merely said back and in reply as she allowed her anger to subside for the moment and to focus on the task at hand.

Gesturing to Davis to come over and join her as she presented the weapon racks to the maroon haired hero, Suzie expressed a sense of professionalism within her words.

"Even with the D-Brigade coming to our aid, Digimon such as Commandramon are still Rookie Level when compared to Champion Level Digimon like the Troopmon the Imperium employs, so, using Data from the Digital World, I was able to create a series of weapons, armour and gear to not only allow the Digimon fighting alongside us to stand head to head with the enemy, but also for the soldiers that are a part of the DDF." The purple haired girl told Davis with further pride as she handed one of the hi-tech rifles to Davis, who took the weapon and began examining the superior quality of the weapon as Suzie continued. "Even if our forces have been smaller than the Dark Imperium's, we still have been able to hold our own thanks to my creations."

"I'm glad to see that the smarts run in the family." Davis commented in reply as he continued to look over the weapon of Suzie's own design, thinking of both Henry and his father and their shared computer skills.

Looking over, Davis then saw that the Digi-Gnomes had set up a series of targets for him to test the rifle upon, where the maroon haired hero took aim, just as Suzie then told him. "I am hoping to soon have the best weapons available to bring that witch down once and for all."

Remaining focused as he aimed the rifle toward the targets, Davis inquired with a calm but somewhat serious tone. "Tell me honestly, Suzie, is it justice you want, or is it vengeance?"

To the question, TK was about to speak up and to express his own thoughts and concerns, but stopped when he saw Rika hold her hand out and glare at him, this causing the blond to sigh and to remain silent, just as Davis scored several bull's eyes with the rifle.

"Does it really matter anymore?" Suzie questioned in response, having let herself be consumed by her desire for revenge for so long she could barely see the difference.

"Again, twenty thousand year old man here." Davis remarked as he handed the rifle back to Suzie, who then added with a serious tone. "I've been through it more times than you can imagine, and I can tell you from experience, revenge... It'll make you feel good for a moment, but that is it. It will never bring back what you've lost, let alone closure."

"It may have been a long time since I last saw all of you, but the Henry I remember, he despised violence as an answer to any problem, even if it was the last resort. And more than anything, he loved you, and I know he would not want you to waste your potential on avenging him, not when he knew you had so much ahead of you." The Fire Champion then said, adding as a soft smile remained upon his face and directed toward Suzie. "I am not telling you to forgive or forget, but I am asking that you ask yourself, what would Henry want of you?"

Placing a comforting hand upon Suzie's shoulder, Davis then moved past the purple haired girl and toward Rika, TK and Patamon, each having stunned expressions on their faces for the way Davis handled himself, before leaving the armoury, where Terriermon and Lopmon looked to Suzie and to see a small tear run down her left cheek as she truly took in Davis' words and wondered if vengeance was really what Henry would want.

.

.

.

"That was... interesting." Rika remarked simply and with a soft smile as she, TK and Patamon walked down the hallway alongside Davis.

Impressed by his words of wisdom to Suzie as she hoped it would calm the younger Tamer down and turn her away from her path of vengeance, the red haired Tamer remained in awe of the maturity and familiar kindness the maroon haired hero expressed.

"It's the truth, and I do hope my words help her." Davis just said back as he kept walking, seeing TK and Patamon taking the lead as they moved down the hallway, the maroon haired hero then inquired. "So, where are we going now?"

"To a small surprise." TK just said in reply and with a small smile as he stopped outside one of the rooms and turned to Davis, with Rika moving next to the blond Digidestined and Patamon landing on his shoulder, before the Digidestined of Hope then told Davis. "We might not be able to bring you home yet, but we can still bring some home to you."

Confused slightly by TK's remark, Davis then followed the trio into the room, where the maroon haired hero saw other occupants within, including Veemon, Jun... and his parents.

Letting out a cry of joy, tears running down her eyes, Mrs. Motomiya rushed to Davis, who was in shock at the sight of his mother, which only grew as she wrapped her arms around him, sobbing into his chest as she repeated over and over. "My baby boy... my baby boy is alive...!"

For Davis, the moment was surreal, having long ago accepted the idea that his parents were long gone and that he would never see them again, and yet, here he was with his family, who were all alive and well, this causing Davis' eyes to grow misty as he wrapped his arms around his mother and said softly. "Mom..."

A moment later and after allowing Mrs. Motomiya to compose herself, Mr. Motomiya and Jun joined in the family hug, while Veemon smiled happily to see the happiness expressed within his partner.

Remaining with a joyous smile, Veemon then looked to see TK, Patamon and Rika also smiling upon seeing the emotional reunion, before the trio stepped out, allowing the door to close behind them and allowing the Motomiya family the time they needed.

Turning as they began to make their way down the hallway and without looking upon the blond, Rika found she had to question with some curiosity. "When are you going to tell him?"

"Soon." TK merely replied with some annoyance within his voice as he added. "Now stop bringing it up or..."

The DDF commander then stopped in his threat as a golden energy claw appeared before him, coating Rika's arm as she glared upon TK with a feral growl, one that caused him to sweat nervously.

"Don't you dare make threats to me, TK. I said I'll keep quiet, but you better tell him soon, otherwise it won't just be you that ends up dealing with his wrath!" The red haired Tamer said with a fair and growing anger in her tone, before deactivating her power and continuing onward, which left TK and Patamon panting and sweating with further concern.

"TK?" The Digimon of Hope asked as he looked upon his partner, seeing the expression upon TK's face and knowing that this was affecting him more than he let on.

"Let's go, Patamon." TK merely replied after regaining his composure, the Digidestined of Hope walking down the hallway as he mentally tried to figure out if and when he should tell Davis the important information or leave him in the dark a little longer, less he suffers the rage of the Fire Champion.

.

.

.

An hour later and after his parents had returned back to their reality, Davis stood before all of the DDF personnel as they stood in one of the open hangers of the airship, a smile upon his face after having seen his entire family again and sharing some important information with them.

Likewise, and seemingly on edge, Jun and Veemon remained silent as they processed the information but would keep their promise to keep the information a secret for Davis until said otherwise.

"So, what are we waiting for?" Kazu then questioned with some confusion as to why Davis had asked everyone to come here.

"You're here to meet my Fire Team." Davis said in reply, before adding as he saw their confusion and wished to clarify. "A Fire Team is when a group of Champions work together, kind of like how the Digidestined and such work as a team. There are no more than three members, and these two and their partners have been at my side for a long, long time, and they are eager to meet you all."

Nodding in understanding, and eager to meet those close to Davis, the DDF then watched as what looked like a large bird made of flame flew up from the city and landed upon the hangar bay, where it dissolved to reveal a young woman in its place.

Taking in the appearance of the girl, those present saw that this girl had ivory skin and silver hair, which was tied in a ponytail and cascaded down her back, reaching her shoulders, while her amethyst eyes scanned the group and met all with a growing smirk.

Her attire consisted of red robes with golden flame designs, giving her a mage-like appearance as a golden staff with a dragon's head at the top rested on her back, while a red gem rested on her right hand, similar to the one Davis too adorned.

Seeing this girl's beauty, however, as well as the way her attire showed off her amazing figure, most of the males present found themselves blushing to her appearance, while more than a few of the girls felt slightly jealous and inferior in body development when compared to this individual.

"Guys, this is Julie." Davis said as he introduced the woman, before he then said with a growing pride within his tone. "Julie's a powerful fire mage and one of the most knowledgeable champions in all of the Fire Realm."

"A pleasure to finally meet you all." Julie said with a polite bow after her introduction was made, before a voice that reminded Sora and Biyomon of Garudamon spoke from within Julie's gem. "And I am Phirox, Julie's partner and friend of Davis and Blaze. It is indeed an honour to meet all of you."

Watching as she stood straight, Davis and the DDF then watched as Julie made a beeline to Veemon, kneeling before the blushing Digimon of Miracles as she questioned with a friendliness in her voice. "And from what I have heard from Davis, you must be Veemon?"

"That's me alright..." Veemon replied with a small modesty in his voice, before he found himself pulled into a tight embrace of the silver haired girl as she gave a great squeal and rubbed her cheek against the V-marked Digimon's. "You're even more adorable than I imagined!"

Sweatdropping to the display of unusual affection, with some of the men in the room feeling jealous of Veemon and his position, the atmosphere then changed as another blast of fire landed within the hanger, this one causing the group to look and see the newcomer.

"Damn it, I was hoping to beat Julie here." A voice commented sarcastically as the individual walked out of the smoke and approached the group to reveal a young man with trimmed black hair and blue eyes.

Clad in a red armour similar to Davis' own, only with a black cloak and hood upon him and what looked like a fiery sniper rifle strapped to his back and a red gem of his own upon his right hand, the newcomer held a sense of great power much like Davis' own.

"And this jokester is Caleb, who you all heard briefly yesterday on the battlefield." Davis said with a grin, his words causing Joe to widen his eyes as he realized this was the one who was about to shoot him.

"No hard feelings, it was just a good shot." Caleb said as he nudged Joe's shoulder and moved to join Davis and Julie, who had released Veemon from her hold and stood proudly alongside her Fire Team.

"Like the big man said, name's Caleb and it's nice to meet you all." Caleb said with a small bow, before a draconic voice then emanated from his gem. "And I'm Ferox, nice to meet all of you as well."

Smiling as the DDF began introducing themselves to Julie, Caleb and their partners, Davis enjoyed the moment and was unaware that in less than a few hours, his world would be turned upside down for another time.

.

.

.

Less than an hour later, Davis found himself walking down the hallways of the airship to reunite with Julie and Caleb, wishing to discuss things with them in private.

Davis was then distracted again when a familiar voice then called out to him from behind. "Monsieur Motomiya?!"

Turning around, Davis saw a blonde haired girl with blue eyes and dressed in a DDF uniform approach him.

Accompanied alongside a Floramon partner, this allowed Davis to realize who this was and to smile in reply.

"Catherine!" The maroon haired hero called with kindness, the warmth between the Digidestined evident when the French Digidestined ran up and gave him a hug as he added, wrapped her arms around Davis and told her with a further warmth in his tone. "It's good to see you again."

"Likewise." Catherine said back with a growing kindness in her voice as she then moved herself away from Davis and to express her own warm smile, the blonde haired Digidestined feeling a great hope within her upon seeing the Digidestined of Miracles alive and well, a feeling her Digimon partner shared from the sidelines.

"Are you part of the DDF forces sent to Nexus?" The maroon haired Champion then inquired, having not been told by TK or the others about Catherine's arrival.

"I mostly came to check upon TK, he's been so stressed as of late." The French Digidestined replied with a small empathy toward the Digidestined of Hope, gaining a dreamy smile as she added. "And I can't have my fiance working himself to death."

To the latter of Catherine's words, Davis' smile turned into a frown as the gears in his mind began to move.

"You and TK are engaged?" He asked.

Snapping out of her daydream as she and Floramon saw the confusion on Davis' face, Catherine was taken aback and asked in reply. "Oh, didn't TK tell you?"

"Like you said, he seems very stressed." Davis replied with a fake smile as he then excused himself and said. "Excuse me, I need to go meet with some friends, but it was good seeing you again Catherine."

Turning and leaving Davis' smile turned back into a frown, his eyes narrowing at the same time.

When he left and got on his flight so long ago, TK and Kari were practically dating as far as Davis was concerned, the love of his life forever in the arms of another man.

But now, not only has he not seen Kari, but the maroon haired hero learnt that TK and Catherine had gotten together and were about to be one through matrimony.

Something was wrong here, and Davis was going to get his answers.

Watching Davis walk away, Catherine and Floramon looked to one another with a growing concern, before the French Digidestined thought to herself with a fair worry and concern. 'TK, what have you done?'

Quickly moving down the hallways, Catherine and Floramon eventually found TK and Patamon walking toward them, the Digidestined and Digimon of Hope looking surprised to see the pair.

Happy to see his fiance, TK started to question. "Catherine, why are you here...?"

"TK, you haven't told him?!" Catherine questioned, her tone of shock, which left TK's eye to widen in shock and for his skin to pale toward the questioning.

"What did you tell him?" The Digidestined of Hope asked back and in a frantic tone, concerning Catherine slightly as she informed. "Only that we were getting married."

Letting out a small sigh, TK started to mutter to himself. "Ok, ok, I can work with that, I..."

"TK..." Catherine started to say as her concerns only grew, before she was forced to stop in her thoughts as the alarms within the airship began to go off.

"Commander, a Dark Imperium airship has just appeared next to us, and some of their commanders are in the Digi-port room!" A panicked voice over the intercoms suddenly informed, the warning causing TK to pale once again.

Quickly turning and rushing to said room, alongside Patamon, Catherine and Floramon who chased after him, the Digidestined of Hope felt his worst nightmares coming to life before him.

.

.

.

"So, they haven't told you anything about Kari?" Julie asked as she and Caleb sat with Davis in one of the spare rooms of the airship, the two champions and their partners all knowing what Kari meant to their maroon haired friend.

"Other than that she is 'fine', there's nothing concrete." Davis said in reply with a sigh.

Leaning against the wall, Davis sighed and expressed his confusion and frustration further. "They seem to be avoiding the topic all together and it's getting on my nerves."

"Do you want us to talk to them?" Caleb offered, before he added with a sly smirk. "You know between me, Julie, Blaze, Ferox and Phirox, we can make them sing."

"Like a bunch of petrified canaries." Ferox commented with a small chuckle, the dragon partner of Caleb imagining the kind of torture he and his partner could inflict upon those standing between Davis and what he wanted to know.

"We should exert some patience. I am sure there is a reason for their hesitance." Phirox cut in through a calm and reasonable voice as she wanted to see things done peacefully for Davis.

However, before the conversation could continue, the airship alarms went off, where Davis and his fellow champions heard cries of panic on the intercom, this causing the trio to head toward the Digi-port room.

Reaching the room after a quick rush through the airship, Davis and his allies heard TK yell. "We told you we have everything under control, now leave!"

"You are stalling and we won't have it anymore!" A familiar voice then yelled in reply, this causing Davis to move forward as he and the champions entered the room.

Upon their entrance, Davis looked to see his friends in the DDF on one side, with Haru and Hiro's groups with them, who each looked in shock to see that he was there, before looking to the other side and seeing Yolei, Hawkmon, Izzy, Tentomon, Matt and Gabumon present, who each looked and gained expressions of surprise and shock to see the maroon haired champion and his new allies.

"Davis...!" The purple haired Digidestined called with a great surprise, the brief pause allowing Davis to examine his former friend and to see Yolei was now dressed in a black Kunoichi-like style uniform, which consisted of a dark purple vest over her outfit, two rede sashes moved down her back like a pair of two capes, this, along with the pair of katanas on her back, gave the Digidestined of Love and Sincerity the appearance of an assassin.

Meanwhile and next to Yolei, Davis saw Hawkmon, who too had changes within his appearance that included black feathers now coating his body in place of the deep red feathers that used to cover his body, a sign of the dark energies now coursing through him.

Behind the Digidestined and Digimon of Love and Sincerity, Davis looked to see that Izzy and Matt were present and were now wearing black suits and trench coats, accompanied alongside a set of black metal gloves and boots, with silver coloured spikes coming out of their shoulders, and what looked like ominous swords, the blade sheaths attached to their hips.

Next to their partners, Tentomon and Gabumon held shocked expressions upon seeing Davis, while the maroon haired hero saw that Tentomon's shell was now a shade of pure black and Gabumon's fur was black with white stripes.

"You are alive!" The Digidestined of Friendship called with a tone of shock, his bewilderment shared alongside Izzy, who added with his own surprise. "Prodigious...!"

"Damn it!" Caleb then let out with frustration at having lost another bet with Davis, who just ignored the antics of his teammate as TK then quickly spoke up. "See, he's alive, now leave! We'll bring him back as soon as we can!"

Narrowing her eyes, Yolei then found she had to inquire with a small growl. "You haven't told him, have you?"

"That is none of your...!" TK started to yell back, only for Yolei to snap in response. "Tell him or else I will!"

"Tell me what?" Davis then cut in and asked in a calm tone, his words causing the tension to rise as TK looked like he was about to have a panic attack.

Looking around, the blond haired Digidestined of Hope looked for support from his allies, but found them looking away, where TK realized he had no choice anymore.

Letting out a small but nerve racking chuckle in response as he glared at Yolei, before turning his attention to Davis, TK told the maroon haired hero what he needed to know.

"Davis... I told you Kari was fine... that the Dark Empress hadn't done anything to her..." TK started to say with a hint of concern in his tone, gulping lightly, before looking his old friend in the eyes and telling the maroon haired boy solemnly. "And that is because she IS the Dark Empress..."

.

.

.

Author's Note: Well I know most of you saw this coming, especially those of you who know my stories. But now, how will Davis react to this news? And what else will come? Stay tuned as the adventure continues.

PS: So happy to finally be able to add Hiro, Gammamon and company to my stories, looking forward to more with them. Likewise, Destiny's Salvation, while not abandoned, will be on hold for a little bit while I dish out more for this story, especially towards a twist I know NONE of you are going to see coming.