Top o' the morning, everyone. It's been such a long time. Hope you all are doing well. This chapter took a while to write because my co-author and I wanted to do it right. It went through several iterations before we settled on this one. I think you guys are really going to enjoy it and find it worth the wait.
Enjoy.
"Mr. Izumi's on the phone right now, Mr. Hida. I'll call you when he's ready to see you."
"Thank you."
Cody turned and sat down in a chair opposite the secretary's desk.
Izumi Corp's office now occupied two floors at the Daiba Frontier building. Twenty years ago, it only had one. The entire office buzzed with activity. Men in white collared, buttoned down shirts with ties and women wearing pantsuits passed by him talking about a recent meeting, their plans for the upcoming weekend, or other miscellaneous office topics. None of them seemed to notice him as he sat in the chair and he was more than okay with that. He didn't have anything to say to them anyway.
Izzy had asked him to meet at his office about the image he captured of the writing on the Buddha statue at Todaiji temple in Nara. Hopefully that meant he figured it out. Good old Izzy.
Even so, the second hand on the large wall clock made every tick boom as the minutes flew by. His right leg bounced impatiently, betraying his calm facial expression as he stared out the window to the Toyota Arena. No matter how many times he discreetly wiped his sweaty palms on his pants it didn't seem to make a difference. What was taking Izzy so long? Cody may have not been connected to the Force anymore, but that didn't mean his gut feeling wasn't as intuitive. That gut intuition served him well as a prosecutor and it continued to serve him well in everyday life.
Except this time was different. This time that gut feeling made him feel alert and alive - something he hadn't felt since being in the courtroom or holding his wife.
His ex-wife.
His precious, beautiful Naruko.
He shook his head. Now wasn't the time. He needed to focus.
Cody gritted his teeth, the bouncing of his right leg increasing by the second. There had to be something he overlooked. That tick of the secondhand boomed again.
Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock
Now both legs shook. Palms were wiped again. What was it? What was that small detail that he overlooked?
Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock
Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock
"Mr. Kamiya? Are you with us?"
Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock
Mr. Okubo's voice snapped the orange-haired boy back to reality. Yuki found himself staring at his textbook, but had no idea what he was reading. All the words, numbers and diagrams were a blur as his visual acuity returned to normal. A profound feeling of dread weighed heavily on his chest just a second ago. It was so bad that even his forehead broke out in a cold sweat and his fingers rapidly tapped on his thighs.
Something was seriously wrong with the Digital World.
What was he doing in school? He had to get out of here now and round everyone up.
Sadly, that wasn't going to happen any time soon.
"Mr. Kamiya? Hello?"
He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he met his teacher's gaze after quickly wiping the sweat away. "I'm sorry, Mr. Okubo. I spaced out for a second. What were you saying?" he asked.
Some kids in the class laughed. Mr. Okubo's frown grew deeper.
"If something else is more interesting than my math lesson, maybe you'd be better off thinking about it in detention, Mr. Kamiya," he said.
Yuki sank further into his chair. His eyes darted to the side. "No, that's okay. I'll pay attention."
"Thank you." Mr. Okubo straightened his tie and looked at the desk next to him. "Mr. Ishida, would you care to give the answer for our space cadet here?"
Kazuma swiped some of his blonde hair to the side and responded, "The 'x' would be greater than or equal to nine and 'y' would be less than or equal to five."
"Correct. I'm glad to see someone was paying attention."
Yuki gave Kazuma a thankful look as Mr. Okubo walked back to the front of the class, continuing his lecture. With the teacher's back still turned, he leaned over and whispered to him.
"Something's wrong in the Digital World."
"You felt it too?" Kazuma replied with his eyebrows furrowed.
"Of course I did. What do you think it could be?"
He heard a sharp "shhhh" come from in front of him. Out of the corner of his eye, Naomi had turned around and leaned toward the two of them.
"Can this wait until later? You're going to get in trouble again," she hissed.
"Don't pretend you didn't feel the same thing we did," Yuki returned the hiss.
Yuki watched Naomi about to retort. It was only when she quickly glanced at Kazuma that her eyes averted the opposite way and reluctantly gave in with a curt, low sigh. He glanced at Kazuma to see him frowning to himself with a hurt look in his eyes.
Whatever that fight was between Naomi and Kazuma, it was getting on his last nerve.
"It's important, Nomi," Yuki said, trying to get those two on the same page. "After school, we get everyone together so we can go check things out in the Digital World. We've been gone too long. King Drasil's forces could have found Master Gennai by now. You guys with me?"
Kazuma nodded without hesitation. Naomi glanced again at Kazu, this time reluctantly giving in, then nodded too.
Unfortunately, a new figure decided to join the conversation.
"Mr. Kamiya, Mr. Ishida, Ms. Izumi. In the hallway. Now." Mr. Okubo barked. "Maybe some time there will get you focused back on your lessons."
Yuki's ears burned with embarrassment as the three of them stood up from their desks and walked down the aisles. He did not dare look up as he passed Mr. Okubo and turned the corner to the door.
"I'll come out and get you three once I feel you have learned your lesson," the teacher said.
The class giggled and spoke in hushed voices as the three walked out. He didn't mean to get his girlfriend and best friend in trouble too. Standing in the hallway was the ultimate mark of shame. It was better than detention, but he always felt like an animal on display out there.
"Sorry, guys," Yuki apologized as he leaned up against the wall. "I didn't mean to get you in trouble."
"For once, I'm okay with it," Kazu replied as he leaned against the wall too. His hands went into his pockets. "Whatever is going on in the Digital World, we must investigate it. I have a bad feeling about it."
Yuki looked over at Naomi. His girlfriend had her arms folded over her chest as she lifted her foot to prop herself against the wall. One look at her face said she was not happy about this turn of events.
"We'll tell Mr. Ichijouji once school lets out," she said. "We can't go there without him, remember?"
Yuki groaned and rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. You just agreed with me in the classroom. Now you're in the mood to argue because we were embarrassed? Nomi, Miya said that he's been putting in some overtime lately because a case has taken up most of his time," he explained. "We can't rely on him. This is something we have to do ourselves."
"I wasn't embarrassed!" she exclaimed. There was a brief pause before she clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. Yuki didn't need to look at his best male friend to know Kazu was just as agitated by her behavior. "Fine. I was embarrassed, but, Yuki—"
"His connection to the Force is gone, Nomi. We're the Destined Jedi now. It's our turn. We're the ones who can end this conflict and restore–"
The door slid open with a loud sound. Yuki flinched and bit down on the inside of his lip as he saw Mr. Okubo poke his head out.
"Maybe detention would be better suited for you three," he hissed.
"N-No, sir. We're sorry, sir," Yuki said meekly. He hung his head and folded his arms behind his back. "We'll be quiet."
The door then slid shut.
Naomi slapped Yuki on his arm and quietly hissed. "It's wrong, Yuki, and you know it. Did that night when Mr. Ichijouji declared he was our group's true leader get wiped from your memory?"
He hesitated. A sheepish grin appeared. "Of course not, but -"
"What about yours?" Naomi glared at Kazuma. "I don't hear you objecting to anything. I know you're just dying to get back."
"Just like you're dying to skirt your responsibility?" Kazuma bit back.
Yuki raised an eyebrow as he watched the two have a staring contest. Before he could step in, both looked away in shame.
"Hey," Yuki made sure to keep his firm voice low so as to not get caught by Mr. Okubo again. "I'm not trying to make this weird between us. I get the three of us are getting used to this new…dynamic of our friendship. At the end of the day, she picked me, Kazu, but that doesn't mean that we can't both work on keeping our bond together. Whatever that argument was about back in the Digital World, consider it over and done with. We're talking about the fate of another world here."
Naomi's arms dropped to her sides. There were tears in her eyes when she turned to look at Kazuma again. Yuki couldn't stand it when she was upset. Right as he said her name to comfort her, she placed a hand on his chest to silence him. She then completely ignored Yuki and spoke directly to Kazuma.
"I'm sorry," she softly said.
Silence.
Two simple words that rang so powerful. Yuki could tell it was sincere, but boy did it sting. He was no dummy. There was more to that apology. Even if he did demand to know what caused that argument, he knew neither one would say.
Kazuma sneezed. That one telltale sign of Kazuma Ishida that would confirm whenever he was embarrassed. He definitely inherited that from his mom because he's seen Mrs. Ishida do it plenty of times.
Naomi lowered her head with a soft chuckle.
Yuki shook his head. Jealousy could be an ugly monster.
"Focus," Yuki quietly demanded. He wasn't going to give those two any chance to let Naomi change her mind and dump him. Any distraction was welcomed. "I'm the leader when Mr. Ichijouji is busy. We can't ignore this feeling. We have to get to the Digital World. It's our duty as Destined Jedi." He looked at Kazuma. "Right?"
Yuki watched Kazuma swallow before answering with a nod.
"Right."
Yuki then took his girlfriend's hand from his chest and held it. "Right?"
She broke from her stare at Kazuma and shook her head as if coming back to reality. "Right. But you know I'm right too."
"Yeah, but…All right. How about a compromise? We're going to gather everyone together at Ichigo's secret base. If we felt that sensation, everyone else did too. Are you both with me?"
Yuki looked at Kazuma to his left and Naomi to his right, wordlessly affirming that the plan he came up with was the plan they'd be doing. Kazuma and Naomi nodded.
"We'll talk about it there," said Yuki, "but after that we have to take action."
The classroom door slid open in a fury. Yuki simply hung his head while listening to Mr. Okubo lecture them. Hopefully they didn't have to stay after school too long because of it.
Cody opened the office door in a fury once he was given permission to enter.
His friend sat at his desk with an exhausted smile. Izzy's old lightsaber sat perched on a prop stand at the front of his desk. Even after all these years, Cody still couldn't tell whether Izzy meant for it to be a trophy or perhaps as a subtle threat to whoever had the balls to try and mess with him.
"Cody," Izzy greeted as the green-eyed man closed the door.
"Hi, Izzy," Cody returned. His anxiety lessened with every step he took toward Izzy's desk. The two shook hands. "Thank you for taking some time out of your busy schedule to meet with me. I know you're a very busy man so your time is extremely valuable."
Izzy adjusted his arm's placement on the chair. "I should be thanking you," he said. "You saved me from a very dull business call with a vendor who just would not shut up. I was trying to think of a nice way to get off the phone with him until you arrived."
Cody chuckled. "That's why I'm here."
His eyes drifted away to see the framed photos of Izzy and his family on the man's desk. There were also little keepsakes and things that Shiro and Naomi had made for him over the years. It made him smile, which hid the sadness he also felt. He wished that he had the chance to be a father too, but Naruko didn't want to have children.
He chided himself. This was no time to lament about the past.
"Should we get started?" Cody asked.
Izzy nodded. "Yes." He gestured to the couch on the right. "Go ahead and have a seat. I'll join you in a moment. Would you like a Perrier?"
Cody nodded as he sat down on the couch. "Yes please. Thank you."
Izzy called his secretary and told her that he would not be accepting any calls for the next little while. With that taken care of, he came over with said Perrier and his usual bottle of black tea and put them on the coffee table between them. Cody could not help but chuckle. Izzy and tea were up there with the most inseparable duos throughout history. A bottle was never too far away from him whenever he was working.
Cody unscrewed the top and took a sip of the carbonated water. The latest events, however, wouldn't allow him to drift away to happy childhood memories. His green eyes narrowed in concentration.
"If you don't mind, let's get down to business right away. As nice as it would be to exchange pleasantries a little longer, this isn't the time."
The former Destined Jedi of Knowledge nodded. "I have to agree. I have a meeting in thirty minutes so I don't have much time for merrymaking."
Izzy leaned forward and placed his bottle on the table, his dark eyes reflecting Cody's expression.
"What did you find out, Izzy?" Cody asked.
"First off, thank you for capturing that image and sending it to me. That was a tremendous help." Izzy took a deep breath. "It took me a while to figure this out. I spent all of last night in my home office looking at it and I was able to determine that…it was Digi-Code."
Cody nodded. His suspicions were correct after all.
"Did you decipher the message that was written?"
Izzy shook his head. "That was inconclusive. The angle wasn't good enough for me to see the whole thing. It's not your fault. The TV cameras just picked a terrible angle to shoot it from."
"At least some of it then?"
Izzy frowned and shook his head. He got up from the opposite couch and went over to his desk. Cody watched curiously as the ruby haired man picked up some papers and brought them back over. He spilled them across the coffee table unceremoniously. Cody leaned forward and picked one up to look at.
On the page was an image of the photo that Cody had sent him just the other day covered in red pen. Based on the amount of scribbles, it was clear that Izzy had taken a long time to work on this. All that it said was "What goes…" and nothing else. What could that mean?
"As you know, this is not the only incident of a significant monument being vandalized with red paint," Izzy began. "All across the world, there have been similar incidents. Christ the Redeemer in Brazil; the Tian Tan Buddha in Hong Kong; the Reclining Buddha in Fukuoka; the Statue of Liberty in New York; the Sphinx at Giza; and now the Buddha statue at Todaiji Temple. All with the same symbols in red paint. Authorities are having a hard time tracking down any leads on the culprits. I watched the news report from the other day for any clues. Tell me, did you see anything in particular that stood out to you?"
Cody put the paper down and thought hard for a few moments. The phone video that showed the dog-like creature on the statue stood out to him. His eyes brightened.
"Yes. Somebody captured a video of a dog-like creature with a cloak around it," he said. "I didn't see what it was, but that could be a clue." It slowly dawned on him. "You think a Digimon might be the cause of this?"
Izzy nodded. "It's the only explanation. The message is written in Digi-Code and we see this unknown small creature just before the message is there." He cupped his chin in the webbing between his thumb and forefinger. His voice was low enough now that he was probably pondering out loud. "Why though? What could King Drasil have to gain by doing this? It doesn't make sense."
A chill went down Cody's arm. An awful feeling slowly pooled in his chest. He took a sip of his Perrier to try and calm down. The anxious feeling didn't go away. All of his years as a prosecutor gave him the ability to sense when a piece of information was significant enough to win him a case. This had the makings of something that could be crucial to figuring out the mystery of the monuments being vandalized.
"What do you think this means for us, Izzy?" he asked.
"Do you know what that means, Yuki? Because I'll tell you what that means," Masato chastised. "Disobeying Mr. Ichijouji, and I for one didn't want to see what he looks like when he's upset. Not about this."
"Do you know that also means allowing other Digimon to suffer and die because we're sitting here waiting for permission?" Yuki bit back. "It's not like I want to go against him, or my dad, or anyone, but we have to do something."
It was just after four o'clock when everybody gathered together in Ichigo's secret base. It was the only place everyone could agree on going to that would provide privacy for all of them. Luckily for them, Ichigo's dad never really came around after he created it for his son to have privacy for his thoughts, so they wouldn't have to worry about someone walking in on them. Not that he would anyway because he was preparing for dinner service that night.
Even after Yuki explained what he felt during the day, not everyone was seemingly convinced that they should be going alone.
Masato shook his head frustrated. "Yuki, you know this is against the rules," he chided softly this time. He was still wearing his school uniform. "We can't go without at least Mr. Ichijouji joining us."
The orange-haired boy frowned. "He's a busy man, Masato. If we have to rely on him every time, we are not going to get anything done," he said. "What good is he really going to be for us when his connection to the Force is gone? This is our time to do something. Our parents' time is done."
"Wait a minute, Yuki," Miya protested. "I believe in you, but my dad is still in charge. I know I said he's been busy, but Daddy would come no matter what."
Ryuji firmly nodded in agreement.
"That's not what was agreed to, Yuki," Masato chimed in. "Not to mention your story just changed. We promised our parents that we wouldn't go without Mr. Ichijouji coming along. Just because you're the group leader does not mean you can make those decisions by yourself."
"Oh, so we're going to have to wait until late at night for him to join us?" Yuki sighed sharply, folding his arms over his chest. "Is that what you're saying?"
Masato gave no reply. The oldest Destined Jedi frowned and folded his arms over his chest.
"We have to go to the Digital World now. All I'm asking is that we investigate this disturbance. If we don't find anything or if it's perceived to be too dangerous, we'll leave. Simple as that."
Ichigo nervously spoke while texting on his phone. "But, Yuki, Wormmon confirmed he's still the Chosen One –"
"I don't care what his Digimon says, Ichigo!" Yuki snapped. "It's time for action and we're the Digital World's only hope. It's irresponsible if we wait. Let's go."
Masato grunted in frustration and closed his hands into fists at his side. There Yuki went again, deciding what they were doing without listening to what anyone else had to say first. The eldest Destined Jedi was the second-in-command – he should deserve at least some say over what would be done. He was already getting frustrated with Yuki and they had not even started to really be the Destined Jedi yet.
He watched with narrowed eyes as a purple vortex opened in the wall. Yuki looked back with a wry smile on his face. Kenya, Miya and Ryuji – Masato felt that Ryuji was torn about leaving and just didn't want to be separated from his sister – all stepped forward to him. After a moment of hesitation, Naomi then stepped forward as well. Ichigo looked back and forth between Yuki and his cousin torn. When he stepped towards Masato, Yuki sharply cleared his throat. Ichigo rushed over to the carrothead's side with a whimper, his head hanging low. Masato glared at Yuki. He then watched Kazu open his mouth slightly before closing it and looking down at his shoes. He stepped next to Masato. Only Shun, Kazuma, and Keiko all stayed back with him. Masato saw that they shared the same concerned look on their faces as him.
"Kazu, it's not cool that you changed your mind," Yuki chided the blonde before speaking to the others. "Are the rest of you guys coming with us?" he asked impatiently. "If not, we're going on ahead."
"Uh, Yuki?" Naomi nervously said as she stepped back towards Masato. He could see that her eyesight was locked on Kazuma. "I know I agreed earlier, but Mr. Ichijouji did have a strong point -"
Yuki didn't bother to listen. All he did was grab his girlfriend's hand and bring her back to his side.
Masato squeezed his tightly clenched fists. He was done holding his tongue. "Yuki, listen for once in your life!" he shouted. "Stop making them feel like they don't have a choice! Look at them! They don't want to go!"
The entire room fell silent for a moment. Masato saw Ryuji's hands instantly go up to his ears from the sudden loudness of the shout. He gave the boy an apologetic glance before his eyes rested on Yuki.
"If you don't want to listen to me, that's fine, but I'm not going to be ignored here and neither will the others that have made valid points. How do you know we're not possibly walking into a trap? It's better if we wait for Mr. Ichijouji to go with us. He'll be helpful to us. Hell, even if it's at least one of our parents. Why would anyone think at least one of them wouldn't stop what they're doing and jump in to come right away? Uncle Davis is footsteps away, not to mention he was leader of his group."
Yuki frowned and shook his head. "Like I said, our parents had their time. It's up to us now." He turned his back to Masato and addressed the group around him. "Let's go, team."
"Yuki, wait!"
Masato's cry went unanswered as those that sided with Yuki went into the portal one by one. As they entered, each one glanced at Masato with trepidation. He huffed in frustration. If he wasn't bound by his sense of duty to this mission, he would quit right then and there. Yuki was impossible to reason with once his mind was set on something. It sure wasn't Yuto he learned that from. There was only so much of this a person could take.
"What do we do, Masa?" Keiko asked urgently as the remaining Jedi watched the portal slowly close like it was mocking them. "We can't just leave them there all by themselves. What if there is a trap? We don't even know what area of the Digital World he opened it to."
"Should we text one of the adults?" Kazuma asked, raising his voice as nerves rose watching the portal slowly get smaller.
"Uncle Davis is going to be upset if he finds out this happened under his nose," said Shun. "Yuki is practically making us come no matter what."
"I know, I know," Masato huffed. He strained his brain for a solution, but was quickly running out of ideas. It would not be long before the portal closed on them.
"Shoot. Ichigo left his phone," Shun said, picking the small device up from the floor.
"Put it over on the beanbag," Masato said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "That's not important right now."
"This is stupid. I know I wasn't the only one that saw none of the kids that went with Yuki really wanted to go. One text to Uncle Davis and he'd drop everything and come with us," Shun insisted. Even so, he tossed the phone onto the purple beanbag.
"Masa," Keiko began until Kazuma interrupted her.
"Hurry up! We're running out of time!"
"I know! Let me think!" she bit back at her cousin. She then held Masato's closest arm and spoke faster with panic. "Masa, listen to me. Yun-chan may be my cousin, but I'm following your lead no matter what. All three of us are because you've always looked out for us since we were little. Tell me something now - is this a rescue mission to bring the team back by ourselves, or are we going to the shop to get Mr. Motomiya?"
He had to make a decision now. He let out another sharp huff.
"Fuck it. Let's go," he said. "Go in! Now!"
Kazu and Keiko wasted no time rushing forward into the portal, leaving him and his brother behind. The portal was now almost the size of a doorway and getting smaller by the second. He and Shun locked eyes before rushing forward together. The two of them went into the vortex just as it finally closed up.
Buzz buzz buzz
Masato could've sworn he heard Ichigo's phone buzz, but there wasn't time to go back and get it.
Not with what he saw.
Buzz buzz
Izzy glanced at his cell phone only to dismiss the text. Cody assumed it wasn't important as he watched him place it back in his pants pocket. Still, he had to ask.
"Is it important? I understand if you need to-"
"No, not really. Mimi just asked if I'd heard from the kids since they didn't tell her about going anywhere today. They're not answering their phones. I'll check their locations in a moment." Izzy leaned back against the couch. "I'm sure they're fine after our little talk. I'll put her mind at ease soon. You know how Mimi is when it comes to our kids."
As much as Cody wanted to disagree, he instead made a mental note to check on Miya and Ryuji's location later.
"I'm not sure what it means, and that's what scares me," Izzy took a sip of his tea, continuing their previous conversation. One look into Izzy's eyes revealed he was beating himself up over this. "I feel so inadequate. What kind of father am I if this was a clue that Naomi and Shiro were potentially in danger and I couldn't move fast enough to protect them?"
Cody nodded and patted his friend's arm. "All of us share that fear," he said. "Like I always say, Ryuji and Miya may not be my kids in the traditional sense, but they are as much mine as they are Ken and Yolei's. At least no one has dropped unconscious this time."
A nervous chuckle escaped his lips as he scratched his cheek. It was the kind that was born from having something potentially awkward to say that you weren't sure whether it was the right thing to say or not. One look at Izzy's face told him that it was okay, but the feeling he spoke out of turn remained.
"Sorry," he apologized. "I shouldn't have said that."
"No, you're right. This isn't like the last time we had this big of a mystery, but the consequences could be much more deadly if we don't act fast. We may not be the Destined Jedi anymore, but that does not mean we can't do our best to help our children."
The air in the office became heavy. Both men picked up a different photo and analyzed the images along with any notes scribbled aside. The answer had to be obvious. The answer was mocking them in front of the whole world.
A lightbulb in his mind turned on causing Cody to give a small gasp. "That's it. It's a challenge."
Izzy's eyes snapped to Cody's, challenging his statement. "Obviously, as it's spread across the globe. But to whom and for what? We've learned we're not the only Destined Jedi group Homeostasis has created."
"Yes, but not only are we the only group still alive, we're the only one that King Drasil has threatened," Cody shot back, meeting Izzy's challenge head on.
"That we know of."
"Perhaps, but we've been sent a clear message after Airi was frightened by whatever invaded the Kamiya home that night."
"Then why would it announce a message to the world instead of us personally?" Izzy asked, crossing his arms at his chest.
"Our first message was when whatever entity invaded our homes while we were sleeping. Then, based on what the kids told us, there was a parlay. Now sacred monuments have been vandalized. Either this is a riddle, or it's a challenge."
Izzy sighed with a nod. "And how Homeostasis enjoys an unsolvable riddle."
Both men frowned, lost in thought for what felt like a long time. Cody could see they were getting nowhere pretty fast. Maybe if there was something about the– His eyes widened. That's it!
"Izzy?"
"What?"
"Would you still happen to have that copy of our last conversation with Homeostasis? The one where it took its powers back from us?"
Cody saw a light be switched on behind Izzy's eyes. The ruby haired man scurried to his desk and furiously clicked through files until the video was found. Cody ran to his side in time to watch Izzy pull one up and click play.
It was the first time Cody had watched the video, though he was sure it was the opposite experience for Izzy. Cody was sure the answer was in this video. Just as it was about to end, there it was. Part of the answer. The part where Homeostasis made a promise to Ken. The blood in his body turned cold as he paused the video. He faced Izzy furious about being duped. Twenty years of frustration came running out of him like a train going off the tracks. There was no way for him to stop it.
"We're pawns," he growled.
Izzy leaned back in his office chair with a frustrated grunt. "Do you think I haven't analyzed this conversation ad nauseam? Picked apart every bit of body language, gone over multiple possible meanings? Yes, we were pawns. We, as kids, had no business trying to resolve another world's politics. Yet, we were invested and now our kids are involved. If you're trying to use that promise that Homeostasis said to Ken, I'm not sure what that has to do with the Digi-Code."
"It doesn't. Not fully at least. Just listen," Cody responded with the same frustrated grunt. "Here's the thing. We all know this prophecy. We can recite it in our sleep. We forgot that the prophecy has been added to."
Cody leaned in and pressed play and motioned for Izzy to listen.
Homeostasis' multicolored eyes shined its brightest as a smirk rose. "Add this to the riddle if you dare: If I lose against King Drasil, I will reserve enough power to return the Chosen One to its role."
"There," Cody insisted as he pointed to the monitor with determination. "Ken doesn't have his powers back because Homeostasis supposedly hasn't lost. However, the kids told us that Master Gennai informed them that Homeostasis has gone missing and the kids are using a mock version of Homeostasis' powers."
Izzy immediately stood from his desk and walked back to the coffee table. Hands rested on his hips as he stared at the multitude of papers. Cody stood next to him and mimicked his stance.
"It's a challenge," Izzy declared about the Digi-Code. "There would be no reason for our kids to have mock powers - more so that would drain their life source. Nor would Homeostasis want to create a new group after that declaration to Ken. I suspect something happened to Homeostasis, something that would prevent Ken from regaining his powers, causing King Drasil to become more daring in our world."
Cody nodded. "Exactly right. So what should we do next?"
"Now what?" Masato muttered to himself as he surveyed the land with cautious eyes.
The Digital World had changed far more than he had ever imagined.
Even though the skies were still black and gloomy the last time they were there like a summer thunderstorm about to roll in, this was the darkest he ever saw it become. It seemed like it was night already. The air felt heavy, like it carried all the fear and dread across the landscape with just one breeze and washed over everyone and everything around it. What happened since they were gone?
At least it was not so dark that he could not see anyone or anything around him. Shun was right next to him, clear as day. He could also see everyone else in front of him. All of the Destined Jedi wore sand-colored short sleeve tunics, brown pants and brown boots. Their lightsabers were clipped to their sides. Masato picked at the seat of his pants. The fundoshi was now there too and was as uncomfortable as he remembered. He was not sure he'd ever get used to wearing it.
From his peripheral vision, Masato saw Keiko concentrating to see if she could see the future. He turned and looked at her curiously. She met his gaze and shook her head. Nothing new was being shown yet.
"Where are we?" Shun asked.
"I pictured Master Gennai's house in my mind before opening the portal," said Yuki. "That means this has to be the lake it's under. Let's go."
Masato grabbed his shoulder. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. No way," he said sternly. "We already know the house was destroyed, Yuki. There's no point in going down there to see for ourselves."
Yuki smacked his hand away. "I think we should. Maybe Master Gennai left us something before he fled. It's worth at least checking out. We're not going to accomplish anything by sitting around and letting our parents hold our hands through this, Masato."
Masato opened his mouth to argue. It then shut as a chill ran down his spine. His head snapped around toward the cluster of trees near them. He thought he felt something, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He bit his lip.
"We need to go," he breathed. "Right now."
"What are you talking about?" Yuki snapped. "We just got here."
"Something doesn't feel right." Masato's eyes scanned the trees one more time. He scrutinized every branch, every limb, every leaf. It felt like something was…watching them. "It doesn't feel safe."
"What's got you so spooked?"
"I don't know, but I really, really think we should go home now. Trust me on this, Yuki."
Yuki frowned. "You can go back if you want. The rest of us will go down and investigate this. Right, everyone?"
A few voices responded affirmatively. Even so, Masato could sense that they were unsure of whether they really should go down and check things out.
"Then let's go. Digi-Digi, Mon-Mon," Yuki declared.
With those last words, the lake water parted to reveal a stairway leading down beneath the surface. That was the password Master Gennai had set up for whoever he trusted with the location of his house to reach him. Masato watched as the group turned to him unsure, but ultimately each kid followed Yuki down the staircase. He wanted to stop them, but the chill running down his spine got worse. Maybe going down there was better than staying up here.
"Hurry up, guys!" he cried, ushering everyone inside. He was the last person to enter before the water joined back together to hide the stairs.
If whatever was out there didn't get to them first, Mr. Ichijouji would surely be the one to finish the job.
"We should've talked to Mr. Ichijouji," Masato muttered to himself after eyeing a wall clock laying crushed on a pile of broken wood, ticking louder than usual in a broken, wobbly way. "He needed to know about this."
Izzy picked up his tea and sipped it once more. "Ken needs to know about this. I'll let him know what's going on," he replied. "For now, keep this just between the three of us. We don't want to cause a full-scale panic with everyone just yet." He sat on the couch and leaned back. "I think I may have to take a trip to Nara to get a full look at the Buddha statue myself. That way I can take pictures of the message in its entirety and decipher it."
"I suppose taking one of the kids to use a portal shouldn't take too much of their lifeforce…" Cody gritted his teeth, instantly upset with himself. He spoke out of line again. "I don't know why I said that. We're trying to conserve their life and I'm sacrificing -"
Izzy waved a dismissive hand while the other placed his tea on the table. "I understand the intention. It's not like I didn't think about it as well. Based on the messages we have received from Calumon and Wormmon, time is not on our side. As long as the children don't use their powers unless instructed to by Ken, I can't see how opening a portal would use much energy."
Cody nodded. "All right. Who would be the best choice to take?"
Izzy rested his arms on his thighs and clasped his hands together in thought. "I'm not sure."
"Not Ichigo," Cody firmly stated. "From what the kids said, he faints after each time he uses his gift."
"Agreed. We can keep it easy by using - Oh, come on!" Izzy harshly whispered, taking his phone out of his pocket once more.
Cody recognized the ringtone. It was the same one Davis placed on everyone's phone to serve as the ringtone for his calls. Despite their enthusiastic protests, he adamantly declared how his favorite, upbeat song could cheer anyone up when they heard it. However, Izzy's reaction after answering the phone gave Cody pause.
After answering, and a long pause, Cody watched the color drain from Izzy's face. Something happened. That had to be the case since whatever Davis was saying caused Izzy to rush to his computer again.
"You're on speaker," Izzy said as he slammed the phone on his desk. His fingers flew on the keyboard keys as he typed manically.
Cody zipped over in an instant and stood beside Izzy watching as he opened a program to what looked like a map of the Tokyo area and typed code away. Each time he tried a line of code, the result would give a buzz sound and display negative results.
"Davis, it's me," Cody said while watching Izzy work. His concern grew more by the second. "What's going on?"
BUZZ-BUZZ…BUZZ-BUZZ
If there was ever a sound more haunting than the ticking of a clock, it was this buzzing sound. That same dreadful gut feeling Cody had prior to entering the office returned after quickly figuring out the problem. Davis confirming only made that feeling burn white hot.
BUZZ-BUZZ…BUZZ-BUZZ
"I'll tell you what's going on," Davis replied with a slight panic in his voice. "Those darn kids left again."
BUZZ-BUZZ…BUZZ-BUZZ
The air became stifling once again. Cody felt as though he would suffocate on it before long if they didn't figure this out soon.
"What makes you say that?"
"Because my son never leaves his phone behind. He knows better than that."
BUZZ-BUZZ…BUZZ-BUZZ
Cody's stomach flipped. First Mimi about Naomi and Shiro. Now Davis.
BUZZ-BUZZ…BUZZ-BUZZ
"Izzy -"
"I know, Cody!" Izzy snapped, typing code as fast as he could. "They had to have left again."
"Come on, Izzy!" Davis urged. "Anything? Anyone?"
The last code was entered.
BUZZ-BUZZ
Zero results.
"Damn it!"
Izzy looked at Cody with unrivaled panic on his face. He could tell it was a mixture of guilt for not listening to Mimi at first and the fear of what could befall not just his children, but the others as well.
"The only location I could ping that is current was Ichigo's. For everyone else, their last locations were a spread out mess thirty minutes ago."
"Then they all left together," Davis answered with fury. "I know my son. He wouldn't leave willingly. He sent me a text thirty minutes ago saying they all met up at his secret base. But you know what? Something tells me no one else knew he did that."
Izzy rubbed his chin with his thumb and first two fingers, his eyes razor focused. "So he left his phone at the secret base to let us know that was the last place they were," he concluded.
Cody picked up the nearest object, a pencil cup, and flung it across the room with a scream full of rage. Darn those kids! They knew better! They knew it was their lives on the line and it wasn't their war, yet they still went without orders. Miya, Ryuji. He felt sick to his stomach. If something happened to them…
"Davis!" Cody said, picking up Izzy's smartphone. Izzy was using the phone at his desk to speak to his secretary, telling her to cancel the rest of his meetings for the day. "Get a hold of Ken. Tell him to come to you. Izzy and I are coming over. We're going to wait for them."
"Way ahead of you, buddy," Davis said, sounding upset. "They're about to learn this isn't a game."
"Yuki, this isn't a game," Masato threw his hands in the air, motioning to what was left of the destroyed house surrounding them in frustration.
The Destined Jedi had no idea what to expect to find when they went underneath the lake, but seeing a barren plot of land where the house they spent a month in Digital World time at had been was not something they had considered.
A barren plot of land that was littered with broken wood, splintered bamboo, and dark roof tiles spilled all over what had been the foundation. There wasn't a house to speak of anymore. It looked like a typhoon had blown through. Even the dojo had not been spared. It was nothing more than a pile of wood, tatami mats and roof tiles now. King Drasil's forces clearly made sure there was nothing left for when the kids did inevitably come back. Or maybe they were just angry that Master Gennai gave them the slip in anticipation of their arrival and destroyed the house so he had nowhere to go and make him easier to find. That could have been the case, but Masato was more inclined to think the former.
"Didn't I say we weren't going to find anything?" Masato exclaimed. He then set his eyes on the source of his anger. "We're wasting our time being here."
"Would you shut up already?" Yuki shot back. "All you've done since we've met up is nag me about this and that! It's our duty to -"
Masato marched over and grabbed Yuki's tunic at the chest. He growled. "Shut the fuck up and listen for once! If we die here, we die here. We're not Digimon that will respawn in Primary Village." He pointed toward the stairs that would guide them towards the surface. "There was something out there watching us and now we won't know if it's waiting for us. I love you, Yuki." He looked at the rest of the group. "I love all of you. Got that? I'm not stopping us from our responsibility. I'm trying to stop us from doing something dumb. Our parents didn't have anyone to guide them the way that we do. We don't need to do this blind!" He addressed Yuki once more. "Get off that high horse of yours and listen for once!"
Masato let go of Yuki's tunic with a firm push. The two stared each other down. Masato wasn't going to let Yuki win. Not this time.
"Yuki," Ryuji timidly said. The boy's hands were covering his ears, most likely due to the argument. "Masato is right. Someone is up there."
Everyone turned to Ryuji surprised, but from what Masato gathered, they were more frightened that Ryuji would confirm their worst fears. Masato looked up at the surface above. This was getting scarier by the minute.
"His desire says he's been waiting for us." When Masato looked back at Ryuji, the boy reached out and held his sister's hand. Fear radiated from his eyes. "He's not like Master Gennai. He wants to hurt us."
"Fuck! Damn you, Yuki!" Masato roared, causing Yuki's cool facade to fracture. Fuck trying to fight. He opened a portal back to the secret base. "Everyone, back to the secret base. Now. We're not ready for this."
Yuki turned to the group and stumbled over his words in panic. "I-I-I wasn't…I n-ne-never meant to get anyone hurt!"
"Get going!" Masato yelled at the group, pointing at the portal. "We're getting Uncle Davis. That way we're not abandoning our mission."
No one moved a muscle. Why wasn't anyone moving even though Shun, Keiko and Kazuma were urging the group to leave? That's when it hit Masato: By the way the remaining team members looked back and forth between himself and Yuki, they were all frightened by the possibility of angering whoever they didn't side with.
"Guys, it's going to be okay," Masato tried to reassure everyone.
"He wants something," Ryuji softly said after a moment of silence. "If we come out, he won't harm us."
Masato felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. That usually meant that whoever it was did actually intend to harm them.
He turned to Naomi. "Use your power. Is it true?"
Naomi closed her eyes and tried. She frowned. "I can't tell. I think the person has to actually speak for my power to work."
Masato turned to her brother. "Shiro! What do you hear?"
"Only the wind," Shiro replied instantly.
Masato sighed in disappointment. His anxiety reached dangerous levels as the seconds passed. He couldn't just do nothing. It was better than standing there as if he was a fish out of water like Yuki was right now. There was only one other option to turn to.
"Kenya! What's he thinking?"
He watched as Kenya concentrated with all his might. The second hand of a wall clock on top of a broken wood pile boomed with each tick nearby.
TICK…TOCK…TICK…TOCK...TICK -
"KENYA!"
"Hey! Don't yell at my brother!" Yuki shot with a shove. "You can yell at me all you want, but don't you dare yell at him! You hear me?"
Masato's eyes shot flames out of their sockets as he stared Yuki down. He forcibly shoved his face against Yuki's, their foreheads pressing against each other painfully.
"When you can contribute something other than putting everyone in danger, then you'll have a say!" he snarled.
"Screw you, jackass!"
"Um, excuse me?" Kenya interrupted amid everyone else's screams for the two leaders to calm down. Masato stopped just as he was about to punch Yuki in the face. "He's not letting me read him."
Masato finally moved away from Yuki and threw his arms up in the air. This just kept getting better and better.
"Oh, that's fucking great - Hey! Hey! Ryuji! Miya! Where the hell are you going?"
The Ichijouji siblings were now just a few feet from the stairs that would lead back up to the surface…and whatever it was that was waiting for them.
"We're wasting time," Ryuji said. "It's either now or he'll follow us home."
"And I can't leave my brother," Miya added despite the waving nerves in her shaky voice.
Masato turned back to glare at Yuki as the portal back to safety closed. "I told you something was out there! Don't think when we get home our parents will go easy on us. If something happens to anyone, this is all on you."
"No such thing as a no-risk mission," Yuki shot back. "It wasn't my fault!"
"First rule of leadership: Everything is your fault. Got it?"
He didn't wait for an answer. In fact, Masato could care less about whatever smartalec answer Yuki could've thrown back. The only priorities were making sure no one was hurt and getting home. Some rescue mission this was.
He could hear the remaining footsteps following as he walked behind Keiko, who was behind Miya. Why did Keiko stop short? Crap. She had another vision.
"Ryuji! Stop!" Keiko whipped around and faced everyone. "I saw something! It's true. There's a person waiting for us as soon as we emerge from the lake. After that, everything at the end is a blur and there's so much smoke. We all have to stick together."
That did nothing to quell the ever-growing pit in Masato's stomach. He was about to open another portal so that they could leave now without ever going back to the surface. It was the only way they could avoid what Keiko saw happening. The future was not static. They could change it.
"HELP! Destined Jedi! Help! Heeeeeeeelp!"
Masato froze as chills went down his spine. That sobbing voice sounded so desperate and afraid. That was the sound of someone who was cornered and had no other option but to scream bloody murder. He recognized the voice.
"Calumon?" he breathed.
The creature's voice came again.
"Please! Help me! He's gonna get me!"
Something about this didn't seem right. Masato felt his heart crack hearing the creature's desperate cries, but something about the situation was off. He turned back to voice his concern.
"Wait!" he said. "What about the man waiting for us?"
"Maybe he found Calumon and went after him instead," replied Yuki. "We've gotta move. Now!"
Masato opened his mouth to argue, but stopped. This was not the time to do that. Not when an innocent life was being tormented. He nodded to Yuki and ushered everyone else to follow them up the stairs. Still, he could not shake the feeling that this was the trap Keiko had feared it to be. Nonetheless, Calumon was in trouble. They had no choice but to follow through.
When they finally got to the surface, it was like everything became a darker shade of black compared to a few minutes ago when they went under the water. Masato scanned the area for any signs of Calumon, but didn't see anything.
"Do you see anything, Yuki?" asked Miya.
The orange-haired boy shook his head. "No. That's strange. I could have sworn that sounded just like –"
"HELP! HELP!"
The cries came again, sounding more and more desperate. They were close, but to Masato's fear, they would have to run into the forest to search because they were coming from there.
"Something feels off about Calumon," Naomi said unsure.
That was all Masato needed to hear.
"Let's be cautious. We don't know if–"
"Come on, gang," Yuki interjected. "Let's go save Calumon, then get home safe."
The boy drew his lightsaber and activated it with a sweeping motion. The bright blue blade tore through the rich blackness like a torch in the middle of a thick, dark jungle. Slowly, the others followed, bringing theirs to life for the first time as the Destined Jedi. Masato came last, bringing out his green lightsaber. He felt a bit safer having it out.
The array of blue and green colors allowed Masato to see everything around them as the group ran through the forest single file. Every so often, they would hear Calumon's voice cry out again and it would push them to keep going through the endless rows of trees. All the worries and doubts Masato had dulled as he concentrated on the mission. Calumon needed their help and he was going to do everything possible to save the little guy. Whoever was preying on innocent creatures like Calumon would pay dearly.
Calumon's voice stopped as soon as the group came to a part where the trees were more spread out, but not enough to consider it a clearing. The trees still towered over them like the skyscrapers they grew up surrounded by. What looked like fog eerily drifted along the forest floor, brushing past their feet like a river current. The air fell deathly still, as if waiting with bated breath for something to happen. Not even cicadas could be heard. Only the soft humming of the group's lightsabers offered any sound. The entire forest, it seemed, was holding its collective breath.
Masato scanned the trees, trying to ignore the rapid pounding of his heart. There was no sign at all of Calumon. Now that his adrenaline wasn't pumping as hard and clouding his judgment, he didn't sense the creature anywhere nearby.
"Calumon?" Ryuji called out. "Where are you?"
Masato opened his mouth to hiss at him to be quiet.
Too late.
A blood-curdling cackle erupted throughout the clearing with the force of a cannon blast. It sounded so horrid, so evil, so…inhuman.
The sound shook Masato to his very core and elicited a powerful sense of terror that he had never felt in his entire life. It was like being blasted with the coldest stream of water in the shower multiplied by a thousand times. Sweat dripped off his forehead as his head moved around like it was on a swivel, desperately searching for the source of the laughter.
Keiko had been right. They wandered right into a trap and Ryuji sprang the trap with those words.
Masato must have mentally blacked out because he could not remember a single visual thing that happened over the next few moments, but he heard it all. The fog that drifted across the forest floor thickened into a much denser fog around them, then a red lightsaber appeared from somewhere, followed by complete chaos. A blurry array of colors danced across Masato's eyes. He couldn't distinguish whose saber each color belonged to. Ichigo cried. Naomi screamed. Smoke then billowed out and surrounded Yuki, Kazuma and Shiro. It was all over before he could digest any of it.
There was one visual thing that Masato remembered.
That face.
It was like something out of his worst nightmare. It was red with long, white fangs jutting out from the corners of its mouth both on the top and on the bottom. Two horns jutted out from its forehead. He could barely see into its eyes, but he saw a glimpse of yellow with a red border. It made him shiver. There was no possible way that it could have been human, let alone a Digimon. Was it…a demon? He couldn't know for sure. There was one thing he was certain of –It was evil.
Once the smoke cleared, whatever it was that attacked them was gone. Masato still looked around. His shaky, white knuckled grip on the hilt of his lightsaber matched his rapid, haggard breathing to make absolutely sure whatever that had been was gone. Indeed, it had vanished. Now his attention turned to the group who all appeared to be standing similarly like him. Luckily, no one seemed to be harmed, but one look in some of their eyes told him the damage was more psychological than physical.
The rich, vibrant green of his lightsaber was suddenly a lot less bright. Everything around him took on muted tones. He could hardly hear anything going on around him other than that sinister laughter as it echoed in his ears. He was frozen stiff.
Suddenly, the earth beneath carried him off like he was on an automated walkway. His senses returned to full capacity long enough to see Shun pulling him towards a purple vortex in front of them. The retreat was completely disorganized as everyone rushed through the portal together at the same time.
When they emerged on the other side, he recognized their surroundings. It was Ichigo's secret base. But they were not alone. His uncle, his twin brother, Mr. Izumi, Mr. Hida…and Mr. Ichijouji all stood in the room. They were all talking at once. There was crying, shouting and other noises, but nothing registered. That bone-chilling laughter still echoed in his ears.
And the face…he couldn't stop seeing the face.
Masato couldn't react. He couldn't speak. Every noise traveled through muddled and unclear.
Even after Shiro, Kazuma and Yuki collapsed to the floor next to him like dead weight, Masato's brain continued to drift further away from sanity. Someone crouched next to the bodies, shaking and yelling at them to wake up, but Masato still couldn't snap out of it.
He was the leader. He was the true leader of this new generation and everything that happened today - Yuki, Shiro and Kazuma collapsing on the floor most importantly - was his fault. Because when you're a leader, everything that happens is your fault.
He didn't deserve to be the leader after today. He couldn't convince Yuki to turn back. He couldn't gain the trust of others, despite seeing and sensing that they were frightened.
Most importantly, he froze in battle.
Masato dropped to his knees and curled up into a fetal position. Someone, probably Makoto, laid a hand on his shoulder, but he was too despondent to look at them. He was a fraud. He had no business being a leader when he couldn't activate his own unique power to save his team's lives.
Yuki, Kazuma and Shiro weren't moving. They were probably dead.
Damn!
Everyone else was as good as dead if he couldn't figure out how to heal them in the future. The bone-chilling laughter kept ringing in his ears. It was only a matter of time.
TICK…TOCK…TICK…TOCK…TICK…TOCK
What. Just. Happened? How will this all turn out? Find out next time on Destined Jedi: Next Generations.
Hope you guys enjoyed the long-awaited chapter. So many moving parts and now we finally get a taste of what this mysterious entity is capable of. For now, we turn our attention to making sure the three boys are okay next time. You won't want to miss that.
As always, I appreciate your comments and you subscribing to alerts on updates. I look forward to reading them.
See you guys next time.
Tootles.