After hearing Leomon out, the kids still couldn't go home right away—but at least there was a chance. They sat under a tree to rest for a bit. Sora broke the silence. "So what do we do now? Go after Devimon, or…?"
"Of course we hurry up and defeat Devimon! Then we can go home." Joe jumped up, pumping his fist, excitement bubbling over.
His words tugged at everyone's hearts. Home. After all this time in the Digital World, they were already homesick. The pull of going back was strong.
"But can we even beat Devimon?" Izzy asked, worried.
Mimi lifted her head, face tight with anxiety. "Do we really have to go? Why did I even come here, only to fight for no reason? I… I want to go home…" She hugged her knees, spirits sinking. "Dad… Mom…"
"Don't be sad, Mimi. We'll get home," Sora said, putting an arm around her shoulders.
Tai had his own calculations. Leomon and Ogremon had shown up, but Devimon hadn't. That meant one of two things: either Devimon just wanted to gauge their strength instead of committing to an attack, or his power wasn't at its peak yet, so he stayed out of sight. Either way, the more time he had, the stronger he'd get.
The underground city's production couldn't bounce back in the short term; time had wrecked too much. Repairs wouldn't catch up fast enough for a showdown with Devimon. Right now, only non-combatants—gear-type Digimon and mechanical maintenance Digimon—were back to work fixing equipment. Tai had wanted outside help, but once he'd seen how much stronger the Black Gears had become, he gave up on that. If allies got controlled mid-battle, they'd be liabilities, not help.
Tai stood. "Let's go. Infinity Mountain. We're going to have to face him anyway—better to take the initiative than sit around waiting for Devimon to ambush us. Our strength is growing. Let's head for Infinity Mountain… You all want to go home, right? Slim chance is still better than no chance. Even if we do nothing, Digimon with Black Gears will come after us."
His words made everyone think.
"But can we win? What if something happens?" Joe tried to stop them, flustered.
"I'm in," Matt said. "Anyone else opposed?" He looked around. No one spoke.
"Then it's decided, DigiDestined," Leomon said, rising. "We set out tomorrow. It's late." He added, "There's a cave nearby where we can spend the night."
They followed Leomon to the cave to pass what was bound to be a restless night.
When they arrived, Tai called after him. "Leomon—can you contact other Digimon to stand against Devimon?"
"I can. But they're a long way from here. They probably won't make it by morning."
"That's fine. Just do what you can."
"All right. I'll go now." Leomon turned and sped off.
Watching him disappear into the dark, Agumon glanced at Tai. "Why'd you send Leomon away?"
"I'm worried about the Black Gears. In a fight, every Digimon on this island except you seven partners can be controlled. That would be bad. If Leomon goes now to rally others, then by the time they arrive—even if the battle's still going—Devimon won't have as much power left. That's when we land the final blow," Tai explained.
They went into the cave, and Tai told the others where Leomon had gone. Night fell. A campfire crackled at the mouth of the cave, and everyone ate dinner around it.
T.K. stared glumly at the flames; Patamon drooped, wings sagging. Matt knew what was on his brother's mind. "It's okay, T.K. I'll protect you."
"Yeah, don't worry," Izzy added. "We've got six Champion-level partners. That should be enough to beat Devimon."
T.K. looked up. "Thanks, everyone."
Tai came over. "T.K., you have to believe in your partner. Patamon will digivolve—you have to trust that." And in Tai's mind: into an unbelievably strong Angemon.
A smile finally broke across T.K.'s face. "Yeah. Patamon will definitely digivolve. Right, Patamon?"
Patamon raised his head. "Mm. I will. And I'm going to protect T.K."
Everyone let out a breath.
"Okay, let's all get some sleep. We've got a fight tomorrow."
"Good night."
"Night."
They lay down hugging their partners and closed their eyes.
Not long after, Joe opened his eyes. Once he was sure everyone was asleep, he left a note, slipped to his feet, and crept out of the cave without a sound. Behind him, a pair of eyes opened.
Joe walked alone along the path when a voice came from behind. "Joe. Joe."
"Gomamon?" Joe stopped, turning to see Gomamon bounding up.
"Don't push yourself, Joe. It's late. I know you're trying to climb the mountain alone."
"Gomamon, don't try to stop me."
"Why would I? I'm going with you."
"Gomamon…"
"We're partners."
"…Yeah."
After they went on a while, a cluster of dark shapes began following at a distance.
Infinity Mountain looked like it pierced the clouds, but it wasn't as hard to climb as it seemed. There was a road you could find at the foot that wound up toward the peak like a mountain pass, though the switchbacks were steep and tough.
"I'm sorry, Joe," Gomamon said after the umpteenth time Joe dragged him up a slope he couldn't manage alone. "You've always stayed by my side. I'd never have the courage to sneak out in the middle of the night to climb this dangerous mountain if you weren't with me."
Gomamon glanced back at his partner. "Joe, why did you leave everyone to climb this mountain by yourself?"
Joe was quiet for a moment before answering. "I've always done what my parents expected of me. Even when I didn't want to, because I didn't know what else to do. After coming here, I realized I'm the oldest, so I've wanted to take care of everyone. If something happened to any of them, I couldn't forgive myself… But everyone's more mature than me. Tai always acts like a real big brother and looks after us. Matt too. Izzy's smart, and even the youngest—T.K.—he tries so hard. I feel useless, so I wanted to do something that would help everyone. But I always worry about extra things. Like today—when we were deciding, I was the only one who didn't want to climb. I don't want anyone taking risks. Even after everyone explained why we had to, I'm still worried."
"Joe, you should talk to everyone. Really talk."
"How could I ever say that out loud!" Joe snapped.
"If you don't, no one can understand you."
"That's enough. Right now, just climb with me quietly. We're already halfway up. Let's try to get back to the cave by dawn."
"It's okay. We've got plenty of time. No need to rush."
"How can I not rush? I have to get back before they wake up or they'll definitely chase—chase, chase, chase…"
Halfway through the sentence, Joe stalled out. The moment hit him: that voice hadn't sounded like his partner at all.
He froze like someone had hit a pressure point. Stiffly, he turned his head to look down the path behind him.
All six kids stood there—every one of them—with their Digimon partners crouched at their feet, smiling up at him.
Truth was, Tai had woken the moment Joe left and roused the others; they'd tailed him in silence.
Joe opened his mouth, stunned speechless as the night wind blew.