The Journey Begins

The Journey Begins is the twenty-fourth episode of Digimon Tamers. It was preceded by A World Apart and followed by Brave New Digital World.

Plot
Takato knows he'll have to tell his parents where he's going before they leave for the digital world. Guilmon and Renamon search for a portal to the digital world. Jeri gives Leomon some juice, and asks him to do something for her.

Renamon tells Rika that the digital world is extremely dangerous. Rika's grandmother enters, and Renamon tries to back away out of sight but Grandma doesn't want her to, saying she's Rika's guardian angel and has nothing against her at all. Rika tells her she's going away for a while.

Guilmon finds a portal to the digital world in the tunnel he dug in his cave, and shows Takato.

Makuramon travels through a digital area to the digital world, with Calumon imprisoned in a cave, and intends him to help the Devas become the masters of Earth. While Impmon falls through another portal to the digital world.

When Takato doesn't pay any attention in class, Miss Asaji gives him detention. Jeri, Kazu, and Kenta say they weren't paying attention either, and also get detention, and must write essays on the importance of paying attention.

Yamaki, who has been reprimanded for Vikaralamon's rampage, watches a report on TV. Riley tells him there must be something he can do. Yamaki says maybe there is, and looks at profiles of the tamers and their Digimon.

When Miss Asaji marks the tests after school, she reads Takato, Kazu, Kenta, and Jeri's essays, which say they're going to the digital world. Miss Asaji runs after them and tries to convince them not to go, meeting Terriermon for the first time. She says they can't even go through PE class without getting hurt, but they walk away, as they must go to the digital world.

After Takato and Guilmon tell everyone about the portal, Rika asks Kazu and Kenta why they are coming, because they don't have partner Digimon. They want to go to the digital world so they can find their partners.

Takato introduces his parents to Guilmon. His mother doesn't want him to go anywhere with Guilmon, perceiving Digimon as monsters after Vikaralamon's attack, but his father tells her to let him go, as he's taken care of himself so far and is not a baby. Now he knows what Kazu and Kenta meant when they asked him to make Guilmon bread, and says he'll have some ready when they return.

Henry reveals Terriermon's true identity to Suzie, who acts as though she knew he was real all along, while Rika stands before her mother with a dress she picked out for her earlier.

The tamers, and Kazu and Kenta, meet up at Guilmon's cave. Kazu told his parents he's leaving for a school trip, while Kenta left a note, and Jeri had Leomon talk to her father. Takato brings in a new tamers flag, which is expanded to include Kazu, Kenta, Jeri, and Leomon. Yamaki appears, but instead of trying to stop the tamers, he gives them a com device so they can keep in touch. Takato, Guilmon, Henry, Terriermon, Rika, Renamon, Jeri, Leomon, Kazu, and Kenta enter the portal to the digital world.