"You need help." Takato said, putting his glass down. "You?"

"It's good to see you've been listening."

"Why?" Rika asked. "You're ridiculous with all of your abilities. Why do you need help?"

"I need help, Rika, because there is a finite amount of places I can be at once." I answered. "The task I am pursuing is very much a long term prospect, with a great deal many things that needs to be done. If I had to do it alone, it would take billions of years." I paused for a moment. "And that's being generous. It could very easily extend into trillions."

"Why us, then?" Henry asked.

"You three have a rather specific combination of traits that I'm looking for. You're all quite mature, with excellent personalities and emotional stability. Furthermore, you're immortal." There is a distinct lack of surprise on them. Momentary at best. "Oh? So you did know about that."

"Takato guessed it, so we went to Gorou to ask." Rika supplied, looking down. "Gorou told us what we could expect. He said something like that was entirely possible, but he didn't know for sure."

"Indeed..." Gorou... there were few who knew the Digital World and its creatures better than him. "I won't ask why you didn't tell your parents. I'm fairly certain I know the reason, honestly." I shrugged. "But either way, that simply highlights why I want to recruit you. The task ahead is a long one... And if I had a million of you, it would still take many thousands of years. Your agelessness means you will be here long after everybody else has passed away. In some ways, that's a curse, in others, a blessing. Regardless of what one thinks of it, however, it does mark you as different. You three won't fit into the typical flow of society, not forever."

I paused for a moment, looking over all three of them. Takato, simply looking back, with Guilmon's head in his lap. Rika, with her arms crossed, Renamon behind her. Henry, frowning, with Terriermon atop his head.

"Please understand, you three don't have to accept this now." I noted. "You may take as long or as little as you wish. This offer will remain open, even if you should say no now. If you want to take a few decades to enjoy the future that currently lays in front of you, then I will not blame you for it."

"Is it really such a good future, though?" Rika asked.

I tilted my head, and she sighed.

"I know you're aware of it." Rika said, staring at me. "People all around the world are getting partners, and almost every single one gets caught up in some agency or another."

"So, you know about that, too?"

"Hard not to." Takato noted. "We have Hypnos agents following us around a lot. I can smell them. They don't mean us any harm, but they do a lot to keep other government agents from us."

"Dad's been tired." Henry shared. "The Monster Makers have a lot of scrutiny put on them. Yamaki does his best, but even so, some of the details got out."

"The world is still in its transitory stage, you three. Digimon went from being a matter of fiction to a matter of reality, and now people know that there are powerful beings that can cross into their world at almost any time. It will take a long while for people to settle down." I noted. "Even if most Digimon mean no harm, there are still a few that cause trouble. When Digimon-Human partnerships have become more common, then things will go back to how they mostly were before."

The three nodded.

I looked at them. "You know what's coming, and you don't want it."

The three tensed, before sighing in sync.

"How can you always tell?" Takato asked.

"You can't blame us." Rika glared.

I held my hands up. "I'm not judging you for it, please be aware of that. Trust me when I say that I understand."

"We just... want to live in peace." Henry shook his head. "No agents, no random emails, no strange letters, no phone calls... Why can't we have that?"

"You three literally saved the world, so of course everybody wants a piece of you." I noted. "Even if most of the world doesn't know it was you, specifically, your partners do rather give the game away. As you are also among the first known partnered children around, it's no real surprise."

"Yamaki does a lot for us." Henry noted. "Our friends, too."

Takato frowned. "Actually, now that you mention that, what about our friends? Why is it just us, and not also Jeri?"

"Jeri, though she has all the other qualities I am seeking, is not currently ageless." I noted. "She has a life to live, and a place in society that she still mostly fits in. To remove her from it just for the sake of my own goal would be..." I waved my hand. "Irresponsible. Putting it politely."

"You do remember that Jeri was watching when we became like this, right?" Takato asked.

"That would be Jeri's choice, Takato." I noted. "Making people ageless is not a particularly difficult task. You three did it with seven words. The point I'm making is that such a choice will change her future forever, and that is not a choice I'm going to make for her at my convenience."

Again, all three of them nodded.

And then looked between each other.

"We don't split up with our partners?" Takato asked, though it wasn't really a question.

"I would never even dream of splitting you up." I said. It'd be a two-for-one deal, really. Biomerging would teach all sides. And after all that effort to make sure they didn't have to split up?

No way.

Wouldn't be that difficult to attach something like an SEP field to their Digimon anyway. You know, for Worlds where a dinosaur, a bipedal fox, and bunny-terrier thing with Dumbo ears wouldn't go unquestioned.

"And we'd go on adventures, helping the multiverse?" Henry spoke next.

"You'll go to places that people in this world have never imagined." I answered. "Good and bad."

"And you'll teach us?" Rika finished.

"By the time I'm done teaching you, the multiverse won't know what hit it. You three will be able stare gods in the eye and have them blink."

And if they had any talent at all, they'd be able to stare down more than just gods.

I was certain they had that talent.

"When do we start?" The three asked, together.

I smiled.

They flinched back, and my smile widened into a sharp grin.

"Lucky for you three, it's Saturday tomorrow." I sat up. "And so, with no other obligations, we'll start tomorrow. Be ready to go bright and early, kiddos. I'll pick you up at seven."

And with that, I vanished.