Chapter Forty: The Chosen Children

“Hm, so you are the chosen children?”
The old man glanced around at the children, a look of relief on his face.
“To be able to defeat the Devimon is truly impressive.”
But the children eyed the elderly figure in the light with suspicion and caution, demanding, “Who are you? Are you an accomplice of Devimon?!”
“There’s no need to worry, children. I am on your side.”
Qin Fei gazed at the phantom of Gennai, uncertain whether this Gennai was the same person who, after Taichi and the others grew up, turned dark, or whether that Gennai was merely an avatar.
After all, in the second season of Digimon, Gennai had several incarnations, guiding the chosen children around the world.
Those known included Benjamin in New York, Jackie in Hong Kong, Gerrard in Australia, José in Mexico City, and Ilya in Moscow. Their appearances were identical to Gennai’s in the second season, supposedly all stemming from one being.
“So there are other humans in this world besides us…”
Sora looked in astonishment at Gennai, who appeared just like a human elder, and exclaimed in surprise.
Yet, hearing Sora’s exclamation, Gennai shook his head and said, “Although I look human, I am not.”
“A ghost?!”
Mimi interjected curiously.
Gennai shot her a glare from within the pillar of light.
Then Gennai began explaining his origins: “I am Gennai. For a long time, Devimon’s interference prevented me from contacting you, but I have finally managed to see you now.”
“Contact? From where?”
Koushiro seized on the key point.
“I am far across the sea from File Island, on the continent of Server…”
Gennai explained.
“Then, Gennai, when did you start living here?”
Sora continued, still keenly curious about Gennai, whose appearance was almost indistinguishable from a human’s.
“Well, I’ve lived in this world from the very beginning.”
Gennai replied patiently as ever.
“Was it you who brought us here, Grandpa?”
This was the question that had been on Mimi’s mind the entire time.
“It wasn’t me.”
“Then who was it?”
“Well… I don’t know.”

Qin Fei showed a look as if everything was unfolding as expected.
If it really had been Gennai who summoned Taichi and the others into this world, then his own presence here as an unchosen child would surely have caused a reaction.
Although Gennai had taken part in the creation of the Holy Plan, that was a matter of routine. He had rescued Agumon and the others’ Digi-Eggs from the hands of the Dark Masters, but he certainly did not have the power to bring the chosen children into the Digital World.
So, he was merely a guide for these children.
But he ought to have known that one of the chosen children was still missing, shouldn’t he?
Why did Gennai not react at all to Qin Fei’s extra presence? Did he perhaps assume that Qin Fei was the child meant to be chosen for the Digimon whose egg had gone missing?
Exactly!
Qin Fei’s mind whirled as realization dawned.
Whether Gatomon’s egg had been lost or not, Kari was always meant to attend the summer camp with her brother Taichi.
If she hadn’t fallen ill with a sudden fever and stayed home to recover, the original summoning would have brought eight children, including her.
But at this moment, Gennai still believed that all eight chosen children had come together, not realizing that Qin Fei was just a variable, not one of the children specifically selected by fate.
It was likely that the Holy Plan Digivice in Qin Fei’s hand was merely one of many prototypes.
Just as in the second season, countless chosen children appeared all over the world.
As for the extra Digimon and the Digi-Egg in his arms, this world was, after all, the Digital World, and this was the Village of Beginnings, a place where Digimon and eggs were everywhere—nothing unusual about it.
“So do you know how we can return to our world?”
Takeru asked again, looking hopefully at Gennai’s image.
“Well… I don’t know either.”
Gennai turned his head slightly as he answered.
“He’s lying…”
Qin Fei glanced at Gennai, quietly remarking in his heart. Gennai actually knew there was a gate to the real world in Myotismon's castle; after all, it was he who gave Taichi and the others the card key to open it.
But Qin Fei understood that this was a well-intentioned lie.
At this time, Myotismon was far too powerful. If the children rushed there blindly, it would be a death sentence. But if Gennai told them there was a way back, some of the children, like Joe or Mimi, would definitely be unable to sit still.
To prevent them from being hunted down by Myotismon one by one, Gennai would never reveal the truth until the children had grown stronger.
Later, when Piximon helped train the children, it was certainly with Gennai’s support behind the scenes.
“So he’s just an old man who knows nothing,”
Hearing Gennai’s vague responses, Taichi’s tone grew sour.

“That’s why I have a favor to ask of you,”
“Please go to the continent of Server and defeat the enemy. If you are the chosen children, you can surely achieve this.”
Despite Taichi’s words, Gennai replied without the slightest concern.
Hearing such a noncommittal request, Qin Fei frowned, his expression darkening.
“What does he mean, ‘If you’re the chosen children, you can definitely do it’? The previous generation of chosen children, after evolving four Holy Beasts, still lost to the Dark Masters.”
Qin Fei knew the history behind all this.
Unless Gennai and destiny had already prepared to summon a new group if Taichi and the others failed.
At this thought, Qin Fei felt no joy at all.
“Even if you say that, we don’t know how to get there,”
Koushiro raised the question.
And so, he received from Gennai a map.
“But to defeat an enemy even more powerful than Devimon, that seems impossible to me,”
The children’s fear of Devimon’s power still lingered, making them hesitant.
“No, as long as you evolve to the next stage, you will be able to do it.”
“Evolve further?”
Agumon was surprised too; it was something he’d never dared to imagine.
“Yes. As long as you insert the Crest into your Digivice, you can evolve to the next level.”
Gennai explained.
In the original story, “raising” referred to the limited time a Digimon had to grow, during which environmental factors, rest, toilet habits, battles, and training determined the number of care mistakes, feedings, training sessions, battles, victories, and so on—differences in care and nurturing by the trainer, all influencing the Digimon’s evolution and growth.
“Evolution” was a symbol of growth for Digimon, proof that they had survived countless life-and-death battles. For trainers, it was a badge of honor for their nurturing skills.
Among all its purposes, one was universal: “battle.”
Trainers raised Digimon and battled others, not only to display the results of their care, but also to show off their own skills, and for some, to claim the prestige attached to being a trainer.
For Digimon, battle was an instinct left over from the age of computer viruses, and also a key trigger for evolution.
In a world without trainers to enforce rules, the Digital World was a savage realm of the survival of the fittest. Every Digimon had to fight others to survive, consuming enemies as energy, evolving to higher stages to increase their chances of living on.
Because time in the Digital World flowed much faster than in the human world, Digimon’s lives were much shorter. Coupled with frequent battles, it was not at all rare in the original story for a Digimon to die young, revert to an egg, and start anew.