The children have left the castle and filled Gennai in what happened. He says that too bad, and everyone is irritated by his seeming lack of emotion. Taichi asks if they can open the gate again, and Gennai says it’s possible. He says he can’t just tell them how, because they need tools to help them. He tells them to come to his house and disappears. The children go towards a spotlight in the distance.
After walking for a little, they arrive at a lake. The light is coming from the water, and Koshiro says that this is why he couldn’t find Gennai’s house while searching the mountains. Gomamon jumps into the water. It starts to bubble and turns pink before parting and revealing a staircase. The children walk down the stairs and find a house in a large bubble under the water. They look around and see Gennai standing in his garden. They ask him several questions, and learn that being a Chosen Child means they were chosen to save both the Digital World and their own. Gennai says he doesn’t know who chose them, and then says they need to focus on saving the eighth child.
Outside the window of Gennai’s house, many fish are swimming. Jo notes that they’re saltwater fish, despite the lake being freshwater. Gennai says that they are robots he constructed. He pulls down a map of the world and points out a circle on it. He says Vamdemon is there, and everyone gasps to realize he’s so close to their district. In the real world, electronics are having problems that have no discernible source. Gennai shows the children a set of ten cards, and says that they need to be placed in the nine slots on the pedestal in front of the gate. Koshiro points out that there’s one card too many, and Gennai says that one extra is mixed in. Taichi says they can just try all the cards and see what works, and Gennai grabs him and says they cannot do that. He explains that there are many different worlds and that they might not be restored properly after going through. Mimi asks for clarification, and he explains that if Mimi went with Palmon, they might switch features and be scrambled versions of themselves. Mimi is quite horrified by this. Gennai says that Vamdemon used a spell to place the cards, but they will need to do it alone, and gives them the cards. He tells them to rest tonight, and that the enemy can’t get them in his house.
As everyone else sleeps, Koshiro stays up to ask Gennai questions. He asks why the Digital World is similar to the real world but strange, and Gennai explains that the Digital World is data, so if any of that is corrupted or gone, something abnormal forms instead. Koshiro asks if Gennai is data as well, and he replies affirmatively. Koshiro asks if he has a real body, and Gennai says he doesn't. Koshiro is surprised, and Gennai explains he is different from Digimon because he has no attribute, and is not Data, Virus, or Vaccine. He then asks if the Digimon Analyzer was useful to Koshiro, and Koshiro says it was, but he can only find data on Digimon he’s met, and not the ones his friends have seen. Gennai says he will fix that, then tells Koshiro he should sleep.
The next morning after breakfast, Gennai returns Koshiro’s computer with a slot for a Digivice, saying that if one is inserted, the analyzer will bring up the data for the Digimon it’s owner has seen. He also says that he added several new programs. The children set off to the castle.
Inside the castle, several Devidramon are walking around, waiting. Tentomon evolves into Atlur Kabuterimon and attacks them while the rest of the group runs ahead. He uses his Horn Buster attack and smashes a wall. This makes the gravity shift abruptly and the children fall off the ceiling to the floor. Mochimon tumbles down the stairs, and Koshiro tells him he fixed the warped space in the castle.
Taichi lays out the cards on the floor. Everyone looks at them, suggesting various ways to sort them. No one has any luck, and Koshiro looks at the stand. He sees a monkey, a centar, and a lion carved in the stone, as well as the stars in each square. He says the lion and centar are zodiac signs, but the monkey doesn’t fit. As they’re looking, the castle starts to rumble. Patamon flies off to look, and comes back in a moment saying that the castle is crumbling, and all the passages are blocked. Everyone is frightened when they realize that they can’t go back, and know they need to go through the gate.
Jo says that Taichi should decide. Yamato agrees, saying the leader should make these decisions. Taichi is flustered, and asks when he became the leader. Yamato reminds him that after he left, the group fell apart. Mimi wails that she just wants to go home, then checks herself, smiling and saying she won’t speak selfishly anymore. Everyone smiles and agrees that Taichi should do it. Taichi asks if they’ll really do what he says, and they all agree. Taichi says he wants Koshiro to do it. Everyone thinks it’s a good idea, but Koshiro is worried. Everyone else reassures him that they won’t blame him for choosing wrong, and he agrees to do it.
Koshiro opens his computer and pulls up the Digimon on the cards in Gennai’s analyzer. He sees that Leomon, Kentarumon, and Etemon could represent the lion, centaur, and monkey on the stand. He thinks about what Gennai said about all Digimon having attributes, and arranges the cards by their attributes. Koshiro explains that the stars probably represent the Child, Adult, and Perfect levels. Using this information, he arranges the cards and they fit, except for the Gomamon and Agumon cards, which could each occupy the same space. Everyone claps for Koshiro’s brilliance.
Suddenly, Dokugumon drops down from the ceiling, and summons legions of tiny Kodokugumon. Gomamon, Palmon, and Garurumon evolve to their adult forms and fight while Taichi looks at the cards. He agonizes over which ones to choose. Dokugumon catches the three Adult levels in webs and attacks them with Stinger Poration. Garurmon super evolves into Were Garurumon and releases the others from their webs. Everyone shouts at Taichi to choose, and he flips both cards over, then randomly grabs the Gomamon one. The gate opens, and everyone runs through.
The children wake up lying in the snow in their campsite. Everyone is delighted, and Mimi starts crying. They realize their Digimon aren't there, and Koshiro asks if it was a dream somehow. Sora worries they picked the wrong card, and then the Digimon bounce over happily. They say left to gather food for everyone, and reveal large piles of (presumably edible) leaves. Mimi laughs and says that now that they’re in Japan they can eat better things. Koromon asks Taichi why he picked the Gomamon card instead of the Agumon one, and Taichi stammers that he wanted to keep it as a souvenir, making Koromon look skeptical. Taichi says they should start to look for the eighth child now, and everyone agrees.
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