Welcome back. It has been a while, but as you will see, it was time well spent. Now we are beginning to start the training arc. Hopefully you guys like it. But first, there was one part of the outfits I forgot to mention in the previous three stories that the boys are about to find out ;-)

Enjoy.

Yuki and his big mouth.

Shiro grumbled curses under his breath as he got used to the new attire all the boys now wore.

The top was a sand-colored tunic with sleeves that went to the middle of the outer bicep. It was already form fitted to each of the eight boys' sizes, so it fit relatively comfortably. The pants and boots were brown. They had suddenly appeared as the boys got settled into their room at Master Gennai's house, glitching in and out as they replaced the clothes they came with.

The girls were given their own room somewhere else in the house keeping the two sexes separate, as Master Gennai claimed it would help them all get settled into their new living situation before beginning their training right away. Master Gennai was adamant about that rule for whatever unfathomed reason Shiro couldn't understand.

The separate rooms and outer clothes were not the problem for the boys, however. The real problem was what was underneath.

"A fundoshi?" Kazu whined, picking at his bottom uncomfortably. "Seriously?"

Shiro picked at the narrow material running up his backside in hopes of finding some comfort while wearing it. A fundoshi was the underwear of choice in Japan for hundreds of years until around the end of World War II, when Western-style underclothes became more prevalent and accepted. Even though they had moved on from it, fundoshis were still used in ceremonies and festivals across Japan.

"How the heck do you wear these things?" Masato groaned as he adjusted the crotch of his pants. "It's humiliating enough that we have to wear these things at certain festivals during the year."

"I swear, Master Gennai is getting so much pleasure out of torturing us," Shun agreed. He had to adjust himself every two seconds as he helped Ryuji be more comfortable. His brown eyes glared at Yuki. "Did you really have to say we'd do whatever he told us, Yuki?"

The orange-haired preteen looked up in annoyance after fixing himself. "How was I supposed to know this was in the contract?" he shot. "Anyways, I guess if we're going to be Destined Jedi, we need to look the part. This is how our parents dressed in the Digital World after all."

"Dad never mentioned a fundoshi," Shiro said.

"Gee, Professor, I wonder why," Ichigo griped, also looking uncomfortable.

"But that doesn't mean we have to like it," the Izumi boy continued, giving Ichigo a glare. "You and your big mouth always get us into trouble, Carrot Top."

"Say that again, brat! I dare you!"

Shiro did not back down from the redhead's attempt at intimidation. "You. And. Your. Big. Mouth. Carrot. Top." he repeated slowly to emphasize each word.

The staredown between the two made the air so heavy that someone could cut it with a lightsaber.

"Come on, big shot," Shiro said through gritted teeth, adding to the tension. "Nomi isn't here, so you can drop the high and mighty act."

"What did I do to you, brat?" Yuki lashed back.

"Everything!"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Before Shiro could continue, Shun yanked him back.

"Hey! What's gotten into you?" Shun scolded.

Shiro smirked, watching Masato block Yuki's view as he stopped him from storming over. Shiro didn't have much time to have a small victory celebration as Shun tapped his shoulder to gain his attention again.

An aggravated sigh escaped him. "What now?"

"Tell Yuki what you told Nomi and me last time and be done with it," Shun demanded while picking at his fundoshi again. "We've got bigger fish to fry and the last thing we need happening are these petty arguments."

"Oh, the part where he thinks Yuki is actually cool?" Masato looked at Yuki with an angelic smirk.

Shiro could feel the color drain from his face. Shun betrayed him?

"Et tu, Shun? Masa?" Shiro glared at the Kido brothers.

Masato laughed. "Hey, man. Someone had to help here."

Shun sighed and rubbed his temples. "Sorry. He was home and I was still in shock."

Yuki walked past Masato to face Shiro with a confused expression. "How am I cool, but you're always up my butt?"

Shiro opened his mouth to lash out again, but turned away blushing from embarrassment. He crossed his arms at his chest only to find Kazu sitting between Ryuji and Ichigo, all emulating the same expression - one raised eyebrow.

"What?" Shiro asked impatiently.

Kazu nodded in Ryuji's direction. "I'm pretty sure he's wondering why you're causing this drama." He looked at the boy. "Am I right?"

Ryuji nodded.

Kazu smirked. "Thought so. I'm thinking all of this pent up anger finally makes sense."

"I don't know what Kazu means, but are you hangry, Shiro?" Ichigo asked. "Sometimes you get hangry and this is the end result."

Shiro's eyebrows furrowed. Everyone was getting on his nerves. He marched over to Yuki and pointed a finger in his face.

"So what if I think you're cool? You can kick a ball better than me. You can walk in a room and somehow get everyone to be happy. Me? I can't do any of that. I'll write you a simple software program in 30 minutes flat - a more complicated one in a week. But sports? Forget it. People see me," Shiro motioned to Kazu, Ichigo, and Ryuji, "and they see drama and roll their eyes like that.

"What's not cool is that you're with my sister. She doesn't like you," Shiro finished with an exhausted sigh. "She thinks she does, but this isn't going to end well. You're better off saving yourself some heartache."

Shiro watched a smirk grow on Yuki as he turned to Masato and Shun.

"Ain't that prodigious?" Yuki declared.

All the boys in the room, minus Shiro, laughed at the double meaning. As much as he hated to admit it, that was pretty funny. Joining in with the laughter wasn't too bad after all.

"Hey, man," Yuki grinned. "You're cool too. I don't get computer stuff, but I do know if I need a hacker you're my guy."

"Maybe," said Shiro, intrigued by where Yuki was headed.

"Shiro, I really like your sister. I would never do anything to hurt her."

Shiro pouted looking away. "Yeah, but she said - "

Yuki waved at Shiro while motioning over Kazu with eyes attempting to be discreet. "She already told me everything."

"No, but Ka–"

"Yes," Yuki interrupted again with a nervous chuckle. Most likely because he didn't want Kazuma's name mentioned. "She told me everything. I know how she really feels. She told me because of that pep talk you and Shun had with her a few days ago. Sometimes she's too honest for her own good. She wants to give me a chance."

Shiro was stumped. "Then…why bother if she doesn't–"

"Because," Yuki stopped him again, glanced over to Kazu with that same nervous chuckle, then back to Shiro. A sincere smile grew, "I think she needs time to see that sometimes the person you love has been in front of you this whole time."

Shiro looked over to Kazu, who appeared to be hurt judging by his far-off look. He knew Kazu was taking it personally. Shiro shrugged, shaking his head. He couldn't fight Kazuma's and Naomi's battles and he did promise Nomi he would try to stop being so overprotective.

"I never knew you were a romantic," Shiro pouted with a blush.

Masato dramatically gasped with a teasing grin and spoke to Yuki. "Did he just apologize?"

Yuki mirrored Masato's actions. "By George, I think he did."

"Hey!" Shiro pointed an accusatory finger at them both while all the boys in the room snickered. "I have every right to watch out for her. Besides, the minute she tells me she's done with you, I'll…" he trailed off trying to find a way to finish his threat. "I'll…beat you with my vicious rhetoric!"

It took a few seconds for Yuki to react. When he did, Shiro was surprised to see him smile.

"You have my word." Yuki then swung an arm around Shiro's shoulders and said with a smug grin. "Besides, we're Destined Jedi now. You can't kick a ball to save your life, but you're sure as all heck going to learn mad fighting skills and save the Digital World."

Shiro couldn't help it. He smirked at Yuki and quipped, "Yeah. I'll be a badass like Mom said Mrs. Ishida once was and kick your ass."

"Bring it," Yuki responded with his famous Kamiya grin. "Does this mean it's now okay that I'm dating Nomi?"

Shiro's face was a deadpan mask. "Don't push your luck. I'm thinking about it."

Yuki paused, then nodded with a grin. "I'll take that for now."

"The first thing you all should know: I am a god! You all are trash."

Masato cocked an eyebrow in confusion. He looked around and saw the rest of the group shared his confusion. That was the first thing Master Gennai was teaching them? Even though the previous Gennais told them to be patient with their new iteration, something about him just didn't sit right with the Kido boy. Still, he listened to what else he had to say.

"That is the first thing you all must pound into your heads," Master Gennai said, giving flashy gestures like he was a martial artist. "So drive it in! I know everything about the Force, and you all know nothing. Because of that, you all defer to me on everything. You'd turn into dogs if I say so, turn into monkeys if I tell you, and above all, you always do what I tell you to and worship me endlessly. Is that clear?"

Masato watched Ryuji timidly raise his hand.

"Yes, quiet boy?" Master Gennai said, pointing to him.

"Um, we can't turn into dogs or monkeys, sir," Ryuji replied in a small voice. "It's impossible."

"And yet, a Digimon wouldn't have a problem with that. Try to keep up, quiet boy."

Ryuji looked confused by that statement. Miya instantly reached out for him and held his hand, giving it a gentle pat. He smiled at her.

"Now!" Master Gennai declared. "Here's the deal. Long story short, you all are the new guardians of peace and justice in the Digital World. The first thing you should understand is you are keepers of the peace, not soldiers. It is your only job to restore peace."

Master Gennai's face fell slightly. "These are very dark times, times that have never been seen in the Digital World since the days of the Dark Masters' occupation. It's my job to not sugarcoat anything and make it seem like it's going to be easy. It won't be."

"What exactly does that mean?" Kazu asked.

Master Gennai raised an eyebrow in an admonishing way. Masato cracked his knuckles while watching the scene play out. He saw what Master Gennai was leading into. Kazu seemed to as well, which made him sigh in an aggravated way.

"Fine. What exactly does that mean, Master Gennai?" the blonde repeated through gritted teeth.

Master Gennai grinned brightly. "I'm very glad you asked, pupil," he said. "One name: King Drasil."

The group of kids stared at their master, unsure on what to think of his statement. Master Gennai huffed.

"Hello? King Drasil? Haven't your parents ever told you about King Drasil?"

Still, he was met with silence. Master Gennai then threw his hands in the air.

"Oh, come on! Don't tell me you don't know of–"

"We know who he is," Masato spoke for the group in a calm voice. "It's just that we're not sure exactly what it is you're trying to say."

"Then you know he's been stalking your parents all along. Watching from the shadows. Waiting for when it's best to strike. Does anyone know the prophecy that Homeostasis gave the Destined Jedi?"

Miya raised her hand. "I can quote it in my sleep because my dad can't let it go."

"We all can," Masato affirmed. "That's why I still think you and your counterparts made a mistake."

"Someone say it already!" Master Gennai cried impatiently.

Masato, along with the rest of the kids, said the prophecy word for word in unison. They all had heard it so many times throughout their lives – Miya and Ryuji especially – that it rolled off the tongue like the Lord's Prayer for Christians throughout the world:

Only The Chosen One can destroy the snake in the garden and end a war without swords. The Darkness will try to destroy the Light, but only by purifying both ends can peace be restored.

Even though plenty of snakes had been vanquished, the last part never came to pass despite Homeostasis taking their parents' powers away nineteen years ago.

"Looks like you all actually do have some semblance of intelligence," Master Gennai said in a dry voice.

"If I may," said Masato, cutting off Yuki and Kazu before they could lash out at the insult, "how do we play into this whole thing? We all know that Mr. Ichijouji is the Chosen One. He should be here."

"Wait a minute," Yuki chimed in. His eyebrows were scrunched as he spoke to Masato. "You're right. Isn't he the Chosen One? I don't see any of us being called the new Chosen One."

"Exactly," Masato agreed.

"That's why there is only one that is destined to bring balance to the Digital World. Otherwise there'd be a new person every time, thereby making the meaning of 'The Chosen One' worth nothing," Master Gennai said. He pointed at Masato. "You clearly have the most brains in the group. I knew I liked you from the first minute I saw you, kid."

Masato cocked an eyebrow. He was unsure of whether to accept that as a compliment or not. "Good to know," he said sharply.

"Believe me when I say I wanted your parents and the true Chosen One here, kid," Master Gennai shared his frustration, "but as my previous lives said, it's up to you all this time. We're stuck with each other, so we might as well make the most of it."

"But that's a contradiction," Kazuma argued. "There's only one Chosen One. Using only us is pointless."

Master Gennai nodded with his eyes closed. "Yep."

Masato couldn't believe his ears. What was the point? Before he could back up Kazuma, Miya spoke.

"You obviously have the power to get us here, so just open a portal and bring my dad too. He's been wanting to complete the prophecy since I can remember."

Master Gennai, with his eyes still closed, crossed his arms at his chest and shook his head. "Nope."

The kids argued their displeasure in unison while Master Gennai stayed in his stance. Masato let out a sharp, ear piercing whistle causing everyone to wince and cover their ears. Their concerns were valid, but verbally attacking their new master was getting them nowhere.

Masato took a second to gain his composure - as well as apologize to Ryuji for the sudden loud noise - before asking his question. Just the sight of Master Gennai not seeming the least bit concerned about this contradiction was upsetting.

"I'm taking a wild guess here that you're going to use Mr. Ichijouji as a wild card, or you're trusting the Force to bring him in when it's time. Am I close?"

A sly grin formed on Master Gennai's lips. "I choose to trust the Force - all of you will eventually learn to do the same. You know what? Give a round of applause!" He sarcastically said clapping with several "woops" in between, regardless of whether the kids followed or not. None of them did. "This kid needs to be the leader of the group."

"If anyone's going to be the leader, it'll be me," Yuki chuckled and joked towards Masato. "I get that your dad wanted to be leader, but I have to follow tradition with my dad."

"If anyone is going to be leader," Shun cut his brother off from replying, "it should be Mr. Ichijouji."

Master Gennai gave an annoyed sigh. "And yet he's not here. Let it go already."

It took everything in Masato to not stand up and tell him off - especially after he yanked Shiro down and shushed him before the fiery ten-year-old could spout his mind. He had to admit - the humanoid Digimon could at least learn to be respectful.

Master Gennai rubbed a nostril before continuing. "Choosing a leader will come after training anyway. Look, you all will be trained, but knowing we are on the same page of what's at stake, you need to know what awaits you here."

He held a dramatic pause for what felt like several minutes. Masato then saw the man's face change from an aloof, blank look, to a dark and serious expression while his body once more rapidly glitched in and out of existence, shouting profanities and odd quotes from influential people from the real world. How many personalities did this man have due to the corruption? It was pretty scary watching it.

When the glitching ended, Master Gennai shook his head with a 'phew!' and continued his message. The sentence was spoken in a hush, eerie tone.

"The figure that all Digimon call 'He Who Shall Not Be Named'."

Masato watched Naomi answer with a deadpan expression. "Harry Potter? Really?"

Master Gennai answered, matching her expression. The sarcastic edge almost sent Masato on a rampage.

"When you can think of a better name, hit me up." That sly grin reappeared as he looked Naomi up and down. "Not like I'm gonna get any with those Ranamon that I was supposed to meet up with. I'll-"

Yuki's voice filled the entire room. "Finish that sentence and you're dead, creep! I dare you!" he snarled.

"I'll tear you to pieces and then give Yuki the rest!" Shiro matched Yuki's tone, adding to the threat to their master.

A sharp 'tsk' escaped Master Gennai's lips, followed by an exaggerated huff while he rolled his eyes. "Kids these days. They're so sensitive about every single thing."

"You're the mean one. Not us," Ichigo said indignantly.

"I don't have time for this," Master Gennai replied with a dismissive flick of his wrist. "I'm just saying this and then I'm off to see if Ranamon still wants to have a good time."

His voice then became uncharacteristically serious.

"He Who Shall Not Be Named lurks in the shadows. They say this creature moves swiftly in the night like a silent wind of death. Digimon everywhere fear to speak of it, but have never come across any sight of the creature. Even so, it will stop at nothing to find and kill me so that any flicker of resistance against King Drasil will finally be crushed. That's why I stay here in the house and fear going out there unless I really have to. I don't believe it knows about you yet, but I think it'll be a matter of time. Then he'll want to kill you before you can bring peace to the Digital World."

Miya hugged Ryuji as he trembled with fear. Master Gennai opened a portal and finished his point.

"So be good little boys and girls and do not leave this house if you wish to live. I have your meals in the kitchen cooked. Serve yourselves and have a good night's rest because come dawn, we train."

"At least give us real underwear before you leave!" Shiro said, tugging on his fundoshi again.

Master Gennai snickered. "Why should I? Didn't I just say I'm a god and you're all trash?"

He then stepped into the portal as it closed.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Shiro called after him to no avail. "That idiot! I knew it! He did that on purpose!"

"You guys are wearing fundoshis?" Keiko asked, confused.

Ichigo nodded, adjusting himself again. "Yeah. It sucks."

The group of kids aired their complaints all at once to each other. Masato rested his elbows on his lap, lowered his head, and pulled at his hair. Maybe he could accept himself as a Destined Jedi, possibly his brother too, but not the rest of them. They were just kids. Ryuji, because of how he was programmed, was definitely not supposed to be in a situation like this either.

He should've done a better job protecting them from the initial Digimon attack. He should've listened to Keiko when she said not to open the janitor's door. He should've -

"I had a vision that showed you're going to be the leader," Keiko whispered into Masato's ear.

Masato snapped his attention to Keiko. He learned his lesson on not trusting her visions.

"Go on," he whispered in urgency.

"You take over from someone else. We were all exhausted and frustrated before that. When you lead after that, the team becomes a team again."

"That's not much to go on, Keiko," Masato said.

"It is," said Keiko. "You'll eventually be the real leader. Besides," she grinned, "you've always had that big brother aura. It's what will keep us unified."

Masato thought her words over. There was no denying accepting being the leader would help make sure they all stayed safe under his care.

"There's no way to change the future to try to make sure I'm the leader from the beginning?" He asked. "I can't see why I need to wait if I'm the real leader."

Keiko looked over to her cousin, who was trying to lighten the mood with jokes of when he becomes leader of the group he'd make Master Gennai give the boys modern underwear, then back to Masato.

"I don't know, but Yun-chan is playing out exactly how my vision showed."

"So then it's Yuki at first?"

Keiko nodded.

Masato frowned. "Yuki has charisma, but he can't concentrate under pressure."

Masato felt his brother scoot next to him.

"Then try to be his second in command," Shun suggested.

"I agree," Kazu joined in. "You'd keep him level-headed."

"How much did you both hear?" Masato gave a nervous chuckle.

Shun shrugged. "Enough to figure it out."

Kazuma nodded in agreement with Shun.

Masato looked out to the rest of the group who were still upset. If he didn't intervene soon, he'd have a group of hangry kids - something he never wanted to deal with. He stood and pointed to the kitchen behind him with a thumb before flashing his big smile and addressed the group.

"How about we go eat like he suggested? Come on. I'll lead the way."

Most of the group groaned, but they all followed. His brother patted his back.

"You've got this," Shun winked.

"I managed to whip you into shape," Masato laughed while locking his brother into a head lock and gave a noogie. "The rest of them are a piece of cake."

He laughed as Shun tried to escape. His brother laughed as well. Before Masato knew it, the rest of the group jumped on top of him with playful screams and shouts. It felt like a no-brainer. No matter what happened, he'd make sure everyone was safe and felt safe. And if that took giving noogies out to every one of them, so be it.

"A Force parley," King Drasil slowly stated as he looked Master Gennai over from head to toe with curiosity. The mysterious man had appeared as a transmission out of the blue, asking him for a deal. "I accept."

"Good, because you don't really have a choice," Master Gennai haughtily said.

"Don't mistake my kindness as a weakness, mysterious creature," King Drasil snapped. "War is won by strategy, not emotions. My instincts are saying to listen to what you need to say, but it's not saying I can't snap your toes off one by one before you do."

"Ouch. Why must you be so graphic? I thought you had more class than that, good sir."

Impudent fool. Something was definitely off about this being. He was definitely strange.

"Very well," King Drasil said. "What is it you ask of me?"

Master Gennai cleared his throat before speaking. He briefly glitched before stopping after a few seconds. It seemed that happened a lot to him based on the few times King Drasil had interacted with him. Something was wrong with his data makeup.

"I ask that we agree to a temporary peace," said Master Gennai. "I have a few new arrivals here that have to be trained a little bit to become the Destined Jedi after I messed up trying to get the ones I actually wanted."

King Drasil froze. That impudent coward had the new Destined Jedi with him? There were more besides just that one boy his apprentice had told him about? This was a problem. A thousand thoughts rushed through his mind as he struggled to comprehend how they could have been given any power after he corrupted Homeostasis. It just was not possible. He did not say a word as Master Gennai continued his offer.

"You are a being of great character and honor, oh noble King Drasil, so I know you want the final battle between our sides to be a fair one. All I ask is you give me a month or two to train them up properly before you attack. That would mean allowing me to come out of hiding without the fear of being attacked."

King Drasil raised his hand to his metal chin and scratched it. The offer did seem fair. He had been looking forward to this final confrontation for a long time and wanted to end it his way. But at the same time, if his apprentice was correct, these children could easily become strong enough to overthrow him. This put him in a bind.

"Very well," he finally said. "But let's make that only a month."

The humanoid smiled. "Done. You will have a confident, strong team of Destined Jedi to battle in one month."

"Master Gennai, it's time for the second half," a female voice said in a sultry way. Nothing was visible but the voice came from the side. Master Gennai's face lit up.

"Duty calls," he told King Drasil. "A pleasure doing business with you as always, King Drasil. Goodbye now."

The transmission ended.

King Drasil turned to the hooded figure on his left.

"Did you hear everything?"

The hooded figure bowed in response. "Yes, Master."

"What are the chances of this next generation of Destined Jedi belonging to the last set of Destined Jedi," King Drasil thought out loud.

The hooded figure stayed in the bow. "One of them was Tai Kamiya's son. Forgive me, Master. Every time I set out to investigate, I'm attacked by more rebels."

"Go," King Drasil commanded with curiosity. "Visit the last set of Destined Jedi, but stay in the shadows. Find out how many new Jedi there are. Study the children's likes, dislikes, and hobbies. Examine every corner of their bedrooms. Most importantly, tell me if the Chosen One is still powerless. We must use every piece of information to determine their strengths and weaknesses - regardless if it appears insignificant. Is that clear?"

The Digimon sensed his follower's silent frustration as they didn't respond.

With a nod, King Drasil said, "I sense your urgency to complete your own mission. I, too, share the same feelings. However, we must strategize or we'll have lost the war before it truly began."

King Drasil sensed in the Force the hooded figure slightly calm as they bowed once more.

"As you wish, my master."

His follower opened a portal and left to collect data. This was the right thing to do. Besides, once he became the rightful ruler of the Digital World, a new era will begin - one that will correct everything to its rightful places.

How will this affect the new Destined Jedi as they begin their training? Find out next time on Destined Jedi: Next Generations.

Hope you guys liked the chapter. It was a lot of fun to write for Music Chick and I. Things are going to get even more fun in the story as we now finally begin training. There is a lot to look forward to and some things will be different from the last training arc we did in the first story. Because what's the point of it being the same?

Look forward to seeing you all next time. Be sure to leave a review and subscribe while you can.

Tootles.