Three days after the meeting. Takumi went to school same as always. His classmates and friends were happy to see his spirits back up. But a whole new seriousness emanated from him. Right now, he was on his way to the cafeteria for lunch. "Hey, Takumi!" Keisuke ran over to him.

Takumi turned around. "Oh, Hi Keisuke."

"About half the week is up. Won't be much longer now."

"Yeah. And according to the principal we're getting pardoned from school like Mr. Kamishiro said."

"Yeah. Yuuko told Ryuji that I was hired to join you guys on field-testing something new in EDEN so that's all going over easy as pie there too."

Takumi glanced to the side. "I think the hardest part's going to be our families."

Keisuke sighed. "Yeah… I think right before we leave to the Digital World, I'm going to send my parents a message telling them the truth. I'll at least have that off my chest, so it doesn't distract me while we're on our mission. What about you? What did you tell your mom?"

Takumi sighed. "…Last night I told her that I'm going away with you guys for taking part of an EDEN Demo event."

"I can only imagine how against the idea she had to have been given what became of Ami."

"Actually, she took it better then I thought. I mean a lot better. She was perfectly okay with me going."

Keisuke raised an eyebrow. "You…you serious?"

"Yeah. She didn't even ask me how long I was going to be gone." Takumi faintly chuckled. "Not that I'm complaining, I don't even know what I would have said."

"Well…are you sure about this?"

"About what?"

Keisuke made sure nobody was around then leaned closer and whispered. "Going off without her knowing the truth, I mean let's face it, we don't know how long we'll be gone or how dangerous this is. Don't get me wrong, I want to believe we'll all make it out of this alive but we're pretty much up against 70% of the Digital World. And I'll be honest when I fought Crusadermon she nearly rag dolled me, and Craniamon would have made a pancake out of me if it weren't for your boss." Keisuke nervously chuckled. "When I think about going up against multiple Digimon like that-

"You won against Rina and Veevee and Kentaurosmon at the same time. Not only are they both Royal Knights, but Rina is an exceptional Tamer." Takumi glanced to the side. "Though a little hyperactive." He then grinned at Keisuke. "Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I could have sworn I heard you clobbered Craniamon by yourself in round 2 a few days ago." He then looked at him seriously. "We're going to pull through this. Trust me. Until then I don't want my mom to worry any more then she already is."

Keisuke smiled. "You're sure confident." He thought for a moment. "Hey by the way, I need a small favor from you. You got plans after school?"

"No, why?"

"Meet me at Under Kawloon Level 5."

"I don't know how to get to Under Kawloon, I only learned about it recently."

"I'll send you the URL. Meet me at the lowest point."

Takumi eyed him strangely. "What's this about all the sudden?"

"I'll tell you then. In the meantime, we better go eat before next class starts."

"Oh, right." He and Keisuke hurried their way to the cafeteria.

In the cafeteria Takumi and Keisuke were sitting at a table eating lunch. Keisuke spotted Yu and waved him over. When he took a seat next to Keisuke, he looked at Takumi. "Hey Takumi. You uh… You feeling any better?"

"Yeah." Takumi smiled. "Sorry for giving you guys the cold shoulder."

"It's okay, I get it. Good to see you're not wearing a fake smile anymore."

"Hey, Takumi!" Ryota sat down next to him. Sakura joined. "Oh, and Keisuke too. Never thought I'd see you two eating at the same table."

"It's probably because they both got selected to field-test that new EDEN event." Sakura said.

"Yeah, lucky you! I didn't even hear about that contest they held." Ryota replied.

"Yeah, me neither." Yu said. "How'd you two get in on it?"

"Oh well, we're friends with Yuuko and Yuugo Kamishiro." Takumi replied.

"Wait, Yuuko and Yuugo Kamishiro?" Ryota asked. "As in Satoru Kamishiro's kids?! That's nuts dude! How long have you known each other?"

"For a while now, I guess."

"I didn't know about this." Yu said. He looked to Keisuke. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"No reason really, it just never came up."

"Huh. You know the more I think about it, it's probably for the best, I mean given all the work Hudie does for Kamishiro, Ryuji and Chitose would probably have you roped into some crazy scheme to earn us their favor."

Keisuke grinned. "Ryuji I doubt would do anything like that, but if he knew that I knew Yuuko, god only knows what Chitose would try to pull."

"I know, right?"

As the two of them laughed Ryota looked at Takumi. "It's gonna be pretty boring around here without the Aiba twins."

Takumi looked up from his food. "Hey, Ryota? Sakura? Can you two do me a favor?"

"Name it."

"Would you two be alright with looking after my mother for me? You know maybe just…drop in every now and then to keep her company? I feel pretty bad about leaving her all alone, especially right after Ami getting EDEN Syndrome."

"Yeah, sure thing man, leave it to us."

"How long do you think you'll be gone for?" Sakura asked.

Takumi and Keisuke looked at each other. "I… I'm not entirely sure." Takumi replied.

"Oh…"

"Well, uh…if you two are going to be leaving for a while soon…how about we all hang out after school?" Yu suggested.

"Yeah, sounds like a good idea!" Ryota said.

"Can we make it tomorrow?" Keisuke asked. "I uh…I got something I need to take care of today."

"Same." Takumi added.

"Yeah, that's cool." Yu said. "We'll think about what we want to do in the meantime."

Keisuke looked at Yu. "Don't worry, Takumi and I will make it back."

"Huh? Well yeah, why wouldn't you?"

"Uh, nothing." Keisuke quietly went back to eating. "Forget I said anything."

As soon as the bell rang, Takumi and Keisuke went home real quick, changed out of their school clothes, then logged into EDEN. On their way Keisuke gave Takumi access to Under Kawloon as promised. As Takumi entered the area he looked around. "So, this is Under Kawloon."

Rapidmon Armor, BlackWarGreymon and Dorugoramon appeared behind him. "Looks just like Kawloon." Dorugoramon said. "Only a darker shade of blue."

"Keisuke said he'd be on the lowest level." Takumi said. He then started walking. "Come on. We shouldn't keep him waiting." His Digimon followed.

"What do you think he wants to talk about here of all places?" BlackWarGreymon asked. "And why just you? He didn't know you were involved with the Paradise Lost Plan incident until recently."

Keisuke had his hands in his coat pockets looking up as he stood in Under Kawloon Level 5. TyrantKabuterimon, MetalSeadramon and PileVolcamon stood nearby. "Erika…"

Takumi ran over. "Hey! Sorry to keep you waiting."

Keisuke turned around. "Thanks for coming."

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

Keisuke turned to the side and looked up. "That day…while you guys fought the Mother Eater, Ryuji, Chitose and I were in EDEN fighting to save Erika."

"And that's when she and Wormmon became Hudiemon."

"Yeah. Right after the battle Hudiemon told us that six "chosen ones" had made their decision that brough the two worlds apart again. Made it so they never interacted in the first place."

Takumi sighed. "I'm sorry Keisuke."

"What? No, don't be. I get why you did that. It was the only way to fix things. Besides it was for the best. Erika was suffering that bizarre illness in this world, we don't know how long she was going to last."

"But you miss her, don't you?"

"I do. More then words can describe. But that's not what this is about. I've been thinking ever since our world went back to normal. After our fight with Arcadiamon, I got messages around the same time from Nokia, Arata, and Yuuko saying they were taking off. Nokia mentioned the Digital World. I figured they were three of these "chosen ones". But I never suspected you and Ami to be among the other three."

Takumi sheepishly scratched his head. "Yeah…I was pretty shocked when I found out you not only had a big part in the events that happened here but remembered it all like us. I didn't think there would be any others."

"Same here." Keisuke smiled. "But I'm glad I met you guys after the incident. Glad I had someone to talk about it with. For the longest time I had to keep it all bottled up inside myself. I started questioning whether or not it all really happened or if I was just crazy."

"But wait, if you suspected Nokia Arata and Yuuko were among us "chosen ones" why didn't you say anything to them?"

"After what happened everyone forgot about Digimon and Eaters like the incident never happened. I thought maybe they forgot too. But anyway, after hearing your story, I came to realise just what Hudiemon was getting at by calling you chosen ones. You guys are real heroes, you know that? And out of the six of you…I say the greatest heroes of this story are you and your sister."

"Me and Ami? What makes you say that?"

"You two face any danger without hesitation or fear. You do whatever it takes to help people. You even made a major risk to help Suedou. Like, you two could have just…disappeared forever, yet knowing that you'd try to help him. Even though he was your enemy and he used you guys."

Takumi was silent for a brief moment before replying. "Honestly…I'm still not sure if Suedou was ever my enemy. I mean when push comes to shove, he just wanted to make the world a better place. I just don't think his way was the right way to go about it, but it's not like I had any ill will towards him. And yeah, I guess he used us but when you think about it…we kinda used him too."

"That open mindedness is what saved us all. That's what makes you and Ami heroes. You put faith in yourself and those you trust even at their worst. Arata, Yuuko, Nokia and I would have struggled in the situations you two were put in. You and Ami posses a great ability. That's why…" Keisuke took a deep breath then looked at Takumi with a determined look. "That's why before we go to the Digital World, I wanted to call you here. To challenge you." TyrantKabuterimon, MetalSeadramon and PileVolcamon approached from behind.

"You want to…fight me?"

"I want to see your true strength. The strength of a hero who saved our world."

Takumi gazed into the serious expression on Keisuke's face. Then he looked at his Digimon. "What do you guys think?"

"I guess we'll just humor him." BlackWarGreymon replied.

"Yeah, judging by the look on their faces neither he nor his Digimon are going to take no for an answer." Dorugoramon said. "We'll think of this as training before we go to the Digital World."

Rapidmon Armor nodded. "Agreed. Besides, I'm rather curious about his abilities myself."

Takumi grinned. "Same here. Alright Keisuke, you're on!"

Keisuke smiled. "Thank you." The two got into a fighting stance as their Digimon moved in front of them. "Don't hold anything back!"

"Right back at you! Here we go!" The six Digimon roared as they charged. Rapidmon Armor and TyrantKabuterimon bounced off each other repeatedly. BlackWarGreymon dodged a laser from MetalSeadramon and flew past him before turning around. MetalSeadramon moved out of the way as BlackWarGreymon u turned and attacked. Dorugoramon and PileVolcamon grappled for a bit before pushing each other back. As the Digimon returned to their tamers, the boys put on their Digivices and eyed their opponents carefully.

Takumi looked at the Digimon he was up against. "Two Data Types. I'll need to be careful not to let Rapidmon take too many hits. Especially since I'll need him to take down that Virus Type, who looks like he's Keisuke's big gun. As for the Data Types…Keisuke's probably thinking…"

Keisuke looked at Takumi's Digimon. "A Vaccine, A Virus, and a Data Type. Takumi's team is more balanced than mine. This could be tricky." He looked at Rapidmon Armor. "That Rapidmon is a threat to TyrantKabuterimon, but I have two Data Types, so taking him down shouldn't be a problem." He then looked at BlackWarGreymon. "That BlackWarGreymon on the other hand is a threat to both of said Data Types and is probably the biggest threat right now. Especially since I don't have a Vaccine Type to deal with it. I better take him down first or this could go south fast." Keisuke gave the first order. "TyrantKabuterimon, attack!" He pointed at BlackWarGreymon.

"Meteor Fall!" TyrantKabuterimon sent a burning rock at BlackWarGreymon.

"Brave Shield, now!" Takumi's Virus Type took out the shield on his back and blocked it. Takumi pointed a finger up. "BlackWarGreymon!"

"Guard Charge Field!" BlackWarGreyon glowed red then so did Dorugoramon and Rapidmon Armor.

"Rapidmon, hit em hard!"

"Shining Laser!" Rapidmon unleashed a waver of energy blasts from his cannons at all of Keisuke's Digimon.

"BlackWarGreymon!"

"Meteor Fall!" Takumi's Virus Type threw a burning bolder that exploded on the three.

"Takumi's trying to attack all of them at once? I better make sure he can't hit too hard!" "MetalSeadramon, Attack Break Field!" Keisuke ordered. MetalSeadramon screeched at Takumi's Digimon and they glowed blue. "And one more for good measure! TyrantKabuterimon!"

"Speed Break Field!" TyrantKabuterimon added another debuff to Takumi's Digimon.

"There we go! I imagine it'll be hard to fight aggressively with less speed and power!"

Takumi grinned. "You're right. Good think I won't have to worry about that."

"What?"

Takumi snapped his fingers. "Speed Charge Field!" Rapidmon Armor roared as he BlackWarGreymon and Dorugoramon glowed red.

"Attack Charge Field!" Dorugoramon roared and glowed red along with his fellow Digimon.

"Sorry." Takumi smirked. "But that trick won't work."

"Alright then." Keisuke pointed at the first target that came to mind. "TyrantKabuterimon, focus on BlackWarGreymon!" As his Digimon charged he thought to himself. "If I can just get rid of BlackWarGreymon, I should be in the clear. MetalSeadramon and PileVolcamon should be able to take Rapidmon Armor down before he can take out TyrantKabuterimon. Even if he does take him down before I can beat him, my remaining Digimon can overwhelm Dorugoramon."

TyrantKabuterimon flew at BlackWarGreymon and swiped his claws at him, but Takumi's Digimon avoided the swiped then foot dived him in the gut. "Wolkenapalm!" He clawed into TyrantKabuterimon to push him back.

PileVolcamon threw punches at Rapidmon Armor who dodged them then jumped away before shooting him with his cannons. MetalSeadramon tried to ram him from behind but was stopped when Dorugoramon grabbed him by the tail and slammed him onto PileVolcamon. "You're Digimon may be tough, but it looks like my team has the speed advantage." Takumi said.

"We'll see about that." Keisuke replied. "You're not the only one with buffs! TyrantKabuterimon!"

"Speed Charge Field!" TyrantKabuterimon roared as his team glowed red. TyrantKabuterimon charged at BlackWarGreymon and punched him back. "Thunder Fall!" He summoned a bolt that struck all three of Takumi's Digimon before he rammed his skull into BlackWarGreymon. BlackWarGreymon spun away from a punch and kicked him in the face.

"Hydro Water!" MetalSeadramon fired a blast ow water at Rapidmon. He dodged it but was blind sighted by PileVolcamon. He tackled him to the ground and started punching him in the face repeatedly. Eventually Rapidmon Armor started blocking with his arms. Dorugoramon then swept into PileVolcamon and dragged him across the ground until PileVolcamon kicked him of and flipped back onto his feet. Dorugoramon charged at him and the two traded punches and kicks before Dorugoramon jumped back and PileVolcamon backflipped away. Dorugoramon spewed fire from his mouth. PileVolcamon rolled away then ran up and drop kicked him.

"Dorugoramon, back off a bit." Takumi said.

Dorugoramon backed away as Rapidmon came at PileVolcamon from behind. "PileVolcamon, behind you!" Keisuke shouted.

"Saint Knuckle!"

PileVolcamon turned around and caught the attack. "Cross Counter!" He tanked the hit and struck Rapidmon back. "Volcanic Driver!" He prepared to drop a meteor on him while he was down. Rapidmon moved away from the impact but was caught in the explosion. BlackWarGreymon slammed into PileVolcamon's back from behind with TyrantKabuterimon and MetalSeadramon giving chase.

As Dorugoramon backed away he looked at Takumi who nodded to him. He nodded back. "Acceleration Boost." A fiery aura burned around him.

"River of Power!" MetalSeadramon fired at Rapidmon knocking him away.

"Now! Fire straight ahead!" Takumi shouted. Rapidmon recovered and shot a Golden Triangle back at MetalSeadramon, but he dodged only for it to hit TyrantKabuterimon.

"Gah! Clever." Keisuke thought. "He made it seem like he was trying to hit MetalSeadramon back, but he was aiming for TyrantKabuterimon. How can Takumi keep track of everything so easily?" "Keep on the offensive guys!"

"Meteor Fall!" TyrantKabuterimon dropped a burning bolder at Rapidmon Armor and BlackWarGreymon. Tyrant Kabuterimon then headbutted BlackWarGreymon and uppercutted him. MetalSeadramon swung his tail at Rapidmon Armor who jumped over the attack then was hit from the side by PileVolcamon's Mach Rush.

"That's it!" Keisuke said. "We got this in the bag guys!"

Takumi grinned. "You think so? Now Dorugoramon!"

"Brave Metal!" Dorugoramon roared and charged into PileVolcamon and kept going crashing him into MetalSeadramon and kept it up slamming them both into TyrantKabuterimon. Dorugoramon then backed away.

"Rapidmon, remove BlackWarGreymon's debuffs!"

"Got it!" Rapidmon turned to BlackWarGreymon. "Dispell!" His ally glowed white as the effects of Attack and Speed Break Field vanished allowing the Attack and Speed Charge Field skills to take full effect.

PileVolcamon was the first to recover and jumped at Dorugoramon and grabbed his tail. He spun him around then threw him towards TyrantKabuterimon. "Crescent Leaf!" He rammed his claws into Dorugoramon knocking him upward.

"River of Power!" MetalSeadramon then unleashed a azure blast. Dorugoramon came crashing to the ground and collapsed on his back.

"Nice! One down!" Keisuke grinned. "First KO is ours!"

"Good work Dorugoramon." Takumi said. "Now BlackWarGreymon! Hit them with everything you got!"

Keisuke turned to the other Digimon. "Eh?"

BlackWarGreymon gathered energy in his hands and held it over his head as it became a giant ball of red. "Dark Terra Force!" He threw the orb at Keisuke's Digimon and they were engulfed with a red blast. PileVolcamon collapsed.

"PileVolcamon!" Keisuke gasped.

"Good!" Takumi pointed at the next target. "Now take out the remaining Data Type!"

BlackWarGreymon then held his gauntlets together and spun like a top. "Black Tornado!" He turned into a cyclone that slammed into MetalSeadramon so fast he had no time to react before he was knocked out as well.

"MetalSeadramon!" Keisuke cringed. "Just like that Takumi turned the tide! I got no choice but to try to finish this now or it's game over!" "TyrantKabuterimon, all or nothing!"

TyrantKabuterimon's eyes flashed red. "Shine of Bee!" He roared and a fiery explosion was let lose.

"Rapidmon, defend!" Takumi shouted. "BlackWarGreymon!" Rapidmon Armor braced himself as BlackWarGreymon reached for his Brave Shield. The Shine of Bee engulfed them both and blinded Takumi. Once the blast died down Keisuke kept his eyes trailed where Takumi's Digimon were. The first thing he saw was BlackWarGreymon holding up his Brave Shield. He grunted in pain before collapsing to the ground. "BlackWarGreymon…"

"Did we win?" Keisuke asked. But more smoke faded and Rapidmon Armor was still in the air in a defensive stance just behind where BlackWarGreymon was. "What?! BlackWarGreymon shielded him?!"

"GO!" Takumi shouted.

"Saint Knuckle!" Rapidmon Armor charged towards TyrantKabuterimon who was too tiered to block or evade the punch that sent him flying. "Golden Triangle!" Rapidmon Armor then shot a golden beam that blasted him out of the sky. He landed front first on the ground. He pressed his arms against the ground and struggled to push himself up, but collapsed on the floor. Rapidmon descended to the floor panting heavily.

"And that's game." Takumi grinned. "Nicely done everyone."

MetalSeadramon grunted from the ground. "Sorry…Keisuke…"

Keisuke sighed but gave his Digimon a smile. "You all did your best. Good work."

All six exhausted Digimon sat against a wall. Takumi and Keisuke sat down with them. "That was incredible Takumi." Keisuke said. "When we brought down the first Digimon I thought we had a sturdy advantage. But just like that you turned the tables on us."

"You didn't make it easy for us." Takumi smiled. "No wounder you beat Craniamon."

"You and your Digimon are indeed powerful." Rapidmon Armor said. "It was Takumi's strategy that won this fight."

Takumi looked at Keisuke. "I knew you were going to target BlackWarGreymon because he was the biggest threat to your team. Rapidmon Armor while weak to your Data Types could do serious damage to TyrantKabuterimon. But I knew you wouldn't pay much mind to Dorugoramon because he didn't have an advantage against anything in your party. So, I knew I could have him catch you by surprise the moment you let your guard down. And when he got your attention, BlackWarGreymon could hit your team hard."

Keisuke blinked. "Wow. Read me like a book. I guess that's the difference. One of us is a hacker, the other is a detective."

"Hey now, its was a close call, not an easy victory. You made us work for that. If we did this again and you learned from that one mistake who knows how it would go."

Keisuke chuckled. "Thanks, but…I think I got to see a true hero's power today. The power that saved our world. With you backing us I know now without a doubt that we can pull this off." Keisuke stood up and offered a hand. "Thanks for this Takumi."

Takumi smiled and took it. Keisuke pulled him up. "Glad I can help. And hey, just so we're clear I'm counting on you too. Heck after seeing you in action, I'd say I'm ready to raise the bar even higher for you."

"Really? Seems kind of odd for the hero to be relying on a side character."

Takumi raised an eyebrow. "A side character? What are you talking about?"

"Let's face it man, between the two of us it was you who did the things that mattered."

Takumi gave him a sceptical look. "What? That's ridiculous!"

"Is it? You guys were the ones who saved our world and stopped the Eaters, meanwhile Ryuji, Chitose and I failed to get Erika back, worse yet they don't even remember her. Nobody does."

"But it's not like you didn't do anything that mattered! Think Keisuke, if it wasn't for you, she'd be gone with the Eaters! Now she lives on as Hudiemon!"

"I guess but-

"And that's not all. Think back on the other things you've done. If it weren't for you, Arata wouldn't have been able to close that gate Crusadermon opened. And if you didn't rescue Agumon and Gabumon from that hacker they wouldn't have found Nokia."

"Well yeah..."

Takumi put his hands on Keisuke's shoulders. "Keisuke, look at me. While I didn't notice it you were deeply involved in the Digimon incident and fought against enemies that would have sent many people running away screaming. And while we were both on separate paths…we were both fighting for the same thing. To help humans and Digimon."

"Not that any of them remember what I did." Keisuke said.

"Not true. Arata, Yuuko, and Nokia remember. Our Digimon remember. And don't forget more Digimon are regaining their memories every day. I'm sure plenty of those you helped remember what you did for them. You're as much a hero as I am."

"You…you think so?"

"I know so. Ask the others if you don't believe me."

"How about we just save some time and tell him you're right there Takumi." The two looked over to see Nokia approaching with Arata and Yuuko. "Hi!"

"Guys! When did you get here?"

"Not too long ago." Yuuko asked. "Ever since the attack we've been keeping an eye on EDEN for Digimon activity. Omegamon noticed the presence of Digimon down here and we thought there might have been another attack so the three of us hurried here only to find you two. We saw a good amount of your battle. Both of you fought well."

"I'll say." Arata nodded.

"So, you heard what we were talking about?" Keisuke asked.

"That we did."

Nokia strode over. "Keisuke you dummy, if you didn't protect Agumon and Gabumon I wouldn't have met up with them and what would I do without Omegamon?! How are you not a hero for that alone?!"

"You and the rest of Hudie did so much for me as well." Yuuko said. "Most may have forgotten that, but I never will."

"And let's not forget how you helped me finally get through to Ryuji back when Arcadiamon had him." Arata added.

Takumi smiled. "Don't you see it Keisuke? Being a hero is not about what other people think. It's about doing what you believe truly helps others."

Keisuke put his hands in his pockets. "What helps others huh…"

"And I say you've done a lot." Takumi smiled. "And you'll continue to do more alongside us when we go to the Digital World." He held up his hand. "That's why I'm glad you're coming with us. With all of us combined, I know we can do this."

Keisuke looked at him in surprise then smiled. "Thanks Takumi." He gave him a high five. "This was just the confidence boost I needed. Now I can go to the Digital World with no concerns holding me back."

"That's the spirit!"

Nokia and the others smiled before she got an idea. "Hey, since we're here anyway, let's all have some mock battles!"

"Not a bad idea." Yuuko said. "There are many tough battles ahead. It would be a good idea to get some training in."

"I'm on board." Arata smirked.

"Okay, let's do this!" Nokia grinned before pointing at Takumi. "You and me first Golden Maniac!"

Takumi sighed. "I'd thank you not to call me that "wild one"."

"Hey! Okay, just for that I'm not going easy on you!" Nokia brought out Omegamon.

"Good." Takumi replied. "Because you'll never beat us if you don't take this seriously! Right team?!"

Rapidmon Armor, Dorugoramon and BlackWarGreymon joined his side. "Right!"

Arata grinned as they started before looking at Keisuke. Diaboromon appeared next to him. "Alright Keisuke, your Digimon got enough rest to go a round? You did promise you'd surprise me."

Keisuke looked at his Digimon and they got up and joined him. "You bet. Let's do this!"

Samudramon appeared next to Yuuko. "Everyone is in good spirits."

Yuuko nodded. "It's like Takumi's depression never happened. And I don't think I've ever seen Keisuke so confident." She smiled. "Whatever lies ahead I know we can face it. Together."

Two days later Keisuke finished up school with Yu and walked into the Hudie café. When they came into the room with all the computers Ryuji and Chitose were waiting for them. "There you are." Ryuji said.

"Hey." Keisuke waved. "So, we got any new jobs?"

"Actually, we decided to close early today."

"Why, did something happen?"

Chitose grinned. "Hell yeah, something happened! Tomorrow's the big day you head off to that event!"

"We have no idea when you'll be back." Ryuji smiled. "So, I figured today we should all hang out together before you go."

"I like that idea!" Yu grinned.

Keisuke smiled. "Thanks guys."

"Still, I gotta say, I'm kind of jealous." Chitose smirked. "Sounds like this event is a hot shot deal! It's going to be a bit lonely around here without you though."

"True." Ryuji nodded. "Not to mention you're a valued part of this team."

"Hey, don't worry." Keisuke smiled. "I don't know how long it will be, but I will be back."

Ryuji chuckled. "What's with that reaction? You seem in high spirits."

Keisuke grinned before he looked at the door to the storage room. "Yeah. I'm looking forward to seeing you again Erika."

Takumi walked into his apartment as he finished school. "I'm home mom."

Yukiko was at the stove. "Ah, Takumi. I'm almost done here, so you might as well get changed. I'm making your favorite for dinner."

Takumi smiled. "Thanks!"

Yukino looked solemnly at her work. "You're going to be leaving soon…It sounds like I won't see you for a while…"

"Mom…" Takumi took a deep breath. "I'll be back. I promise."

Yukino smiled. "I know you will."

Takumi clenched his fist. "Ami and I will both be back. I swear it."

In a place know as the Digital World a group of teenagers gathered in a hut. "You found them?!" the boy with blue hair gasped.

"We have." A Taomon replied. "A parallel Digital World."

"Parallel Digital World?" a girl with purple hair asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

A hologram of a woman in black and white turned to her. "I suppose I didn't explain this to all of you, but the real world you all live in is only one of many realities that exist."

"Are you saying there are other universes or something out there?" a blond in a blue top asked.

A young man with a beanie hat nodded. "I see. Some scientists in our world have a theory of an infinite number of universes with infinite possibilities. Truth be told there are other Digital Worlds out there. I've been to one long before coming here."

"This is very different from that." the hologram replied. "The Digital World you're going to is part of another reality. I've been to that reality once before, but after a…certain incident regarding its tamers, I lost access to it. But Taomon here should be able to open a gate to it if she, Kazuhamon and Mastemon combine their efforts."

"How long is this going to take?" a blond teen in black asked.

A Kazuhamon folded her arms while leaning against a wall. "We should be ready tomorrow."

"I should warn you though." the hologram said. "Traveling from the real to the Digital Worlds is nothing like hopping between parallel worlds. I cannot guarantee what will happen there. And I cannot promise you'll be able to come back here if you do. Do you still want to do this?"

Everyone felt silent until the blue-haired teen spoke up. "I have to do this. To save my sister."

I just wanted to write a little hero vs hero sparing match with Takumi and Keisuke. Anyway, next chapter we finally return to the Digital World! Look forward to it everyone!