Digimon Adventure S01E29

Now back in the Real World, the DigiDestined hop on a bus back home with their Digimon stowing away as precious cargo. Their blatant disregard for general safety procedures leads them to being dropped off in Highton View Terrace, where the terraces and wild elephants roam free. One such wild elephant, Mammon, blows up an overpass in front of them, and it reminds them of their shared terrible past, so Garuda has to step in to stop it. After murdering the wild and endangered animal, the children flee before the police show up, evading the law once again.

In his recap of the previous episode, it seems Tai has forgotten a few important details:

Tai: “Jennai appeared and led us to his house inside the lake, where he gave us these awesome Digimon key cards! Only he didn’t tell us how to use the things.”

… He told you to put them in the holes… in the correct order… don’t put the fake one in the hole… he has a fake one because he lives in a lake and he was bored…

Tai: “Now we’re back home again, only this time we’ve got a serious mission: find the eighth child and save him from Gatomon, or else!”

Gatomon AND… the other guy..? Kinda tall, pale, wears a cape..? SUPER into the idea of killing you all..?

Hikarigaoka, the actual name of where they’re going to search for the eighth child (a real district in Nerima!), is changed to Highton View Terrace.

Is there some significance to the name “Highton View Terrace”? I don’t know. Hikarigaoka is not a terrace. What even is a terrace? It’s like a paved or garden area adjacent to a building, which is fortunate, because that will be a relatively small area to search for the eighth child.

[Koushirou explains that not even one minute has passed between Vamdemon’s arrival and theirs, because time flows at a different rate in each world]
Yamato: “The problem is how we get to Hikarigaoka? It’s pretty far from here.”
Matt: “I’ll say, we’ve been gone for months in the Digiworld, and yet here in the real world, it’s the same day we left!”

Matt, what do you think a minute is..?

Jou: “But is today really that same day at camp? We were in the other world for months…”
Mimi: “That’s true… Even if the flow of time is different, we don’t know for sure.”
Joe: “But that’s impossible! You mean all those adventures took less time than it does to say, ‘Get a hair cut’?”
Mimi: “Please, Joe, don’t exaggerate! Imagine getting your hair done in such a short amount of time.”

Joe, don’t be passive-aggressive to Matt. You know nobody wants to try to cut that thing.

[Taichi runs off to check out the camp]
Taichi: “I’ll go take a look at the camp! We shouldn’t have taken up that much time!” *he stops and looks behind him to find Koromon following him* *Koromon trips, and Taichi catches him* “Koromon!” *everyone is joining him* “You don’t all have to come!”
Mimi: “Even so…”
Jou: “I’m the group leader!”
Tai: “I’m going to go take a look at the camp. I want to see for myself how much time has really passed. One of you come with me, the rest of you stay there.” *he stops* “Who volunteers? Hmm?”
*Koromon is following, and he trips*
Koromon: “Oh! Whoa!”
Tai: *catches Koromon* “One volunteer, not thirteen!”
Mimi: “I thought I’d keep you company.”
Joe: “And we’re going to keep Mimi company.”

Yeah! It’s called ‘teamwork’, Tai!

Mr. Fujiyama retains his name for the dub, continuing the semi-transition of admitting the Children are from Japan.

[Taichi has been knocked over after being scolded by Mr. Fujiyama, who wants to know why they aren’t cleaning up the campsite (implied that they should have been doing so with the other kids)]
Koromon: “‘Cleaning up?'” *is stifled by Taichi*
Koromon: “Well, I’m Tai’s Digimon!” *stifled*

Smooth, Koromon. Real smooth.

---

In the dub, Mr. Fujiyama correctly informs them that they’re closing camp early because of the summer-contradicting snow, but he claims that “everyone else” is ready to go home.

In the original, everyone else was still getting ready to go home, as only a few minutes have passed since the Chosen Children were sucked into the Digital World.

---

[They claim they found authentic, stuffed Digimon™ toys in the mountains]
Jou: “Right, right! They were deep in the mountain on frontier land where people never go! We went through a lot of trouble to finally get them!”
Mr. Fujiyama: “If they were in a place where people don’t go, then how did you find them?”
Taichi: “Th-That’s just what a difficult place they were in!”
Joe: “Yeah, that’s right! You see, we were hiking up an uncharted trail when we came across these stuffed toys that someone had thrown away. It makes perfect sense if you ask me!”
Mr. Fujiyama: “Who in their right mind would hike up an uncharted trail just to throw away seven stuffed animals unless the stuffed animals are CURSED?!? Also, why were you hiking up an uncharted trail without adult supervision and without telling anyone?”
Tai: “Exactly our point, and that’s why we think that littering is crazy!”

He’s got you there, Fujiyama!

---

When explaining that the toys are souvenirs for his sister, Taichi was not foolish enough to say that he “went home and made [Hikari] an omelette”, only that he made her an omelette, which makes his recovery that he did so before leaving for camp reasonable.

Tai had no such discretion, and he just blurts out that he went home, so his recovery that he did so before leaving for camp makes no sense. Luckily, Mr. Fujiyama has no desire to debate with him and lets it go.

---

Mr. Fujiyama: “A souvenir for your sister, huh? Well, after you’ve finished gathering your belongings, all of you meet up at the parking lot.”
Mr. Fujiyama: “It’s nice that you’re thinking of your sister, Tai, but don’t overdo it. Those toys are filthy and belong in the garbage. They smell like none of you have bathed in a month. Right, kids? Meet you at the bus!”

Those toys are infested.

[Mr. Fujiyama departs]
Koromon: “But how do we get to Hikarigaoka?”
Taichi: “I’ve got a great plan!”
Koromon: “I’d like to get his gear together and throw him in the garbage can!”
Tai: “Well, you won’t be littering at least!”

… true…

---

[In Hikarigaoka, Vamdemon and his team have arrived]
Tailmon: “So the eighth child is near here?”
Gatomon: “The human world is so cluttered. All these creatures crammed on top of each other…”

We’re stacked on top of each other, thank you.

---

When Vamdemon realizes he forgot to bring sunblock and leaves for someplace dark, PicoDevimon weirdly cutely tries to follow him. In the dub, Myotismon has the added line, “I need to be alone,” which just makes everything worse.

Mimi’s friends Taako and Mii are named Terry and Michelle in the dub. Taco & Me is a sitcom in which I sit around and eat tacos alone in the dark. Tuesdays on DBCHD.

Mii: “Wait, Mimi…”
Michelle: “She’s wigging out!”
Terry: “Too much caffeine!”

Whose idea was it to serve coffee at this summer camp??

[Taichi is worried that Mimi will blow their cover with her normal reaction to seeing her friends again]
Koushirou: “I understand how you feel, but we need to focus on how to get to Hikarigaoka quickly.”
Izzy: “Forget Mimi! We have to find some form of transportation to Highton View Terrace.”

Pictured: some form of transportation directly in front of them.

[Taichi begs that the Children to be dropped off in Hikarigaoka, and the bus driver cares not for the accountability and safety of children]
Driver: “Hikarigaoka is actually pretty close on our route. When we go on the Kan-etsu Expressway and interchange to the Tokyo Gaikan, we’ll be passing through Ooizumi. That place is within walking distance to Hikarigaoka.”
Driver: “You know, I think we drive pretty close to Highton View Terrace. Let’s see, first we take the freeway to the parkway to the thruway and– oh, that’s the wrong way. Oh, yeah! Here at the roadway. Highton View Terrace is within walking distance.”

I trust this man to deliver these children safely.

Matt: “Please, Mr. Fujiyama? You’ll break TK’s heart if you don’t let us go. It was the last place we all lived together as a family before my parents got divorced.”

Matt finally tires of living a lie, and he comes clean that he and T.K. are not half-brothers with half-parents, but full brothers with fully divorced parents who live separately!

[Takeru’s tears have been weaponized in the name of the mission, and Jou has offered to be responsible for getting everyone home after their pit-stop]
Jou: “So it was all an act? I was desperate to get the teacher’s approval because I thought it was true!”
Taichi: “Now, now. Things worked out, so it’s okay!”
Joe: “You mean that sad story was just an act? I was crying my eyes out so much for you guys that my glasses started to fog up.”
Tai: “Joe, calm down before you have an asthma attack!”

We do not expect Tai to know any of the triggers or signs of asthma in adolescents, but we do expect Joe to know that tears are not supposed to form as steam coming off one’s eyes. Maybe mention that to the doctor at your next eye appointment, Joe.

---

[Aboard the bus, Mr. Fujiyama sees Sora’s Digivice and asks if it’s a popular toy]
Mr. Fujiyama: “What’s that, kids? Is that what’s trendy now?”
Jou: “No, it’s not especially…!”
Mr. Fujiyama: “What’s that? Is that the latest toy all you kids are into?”
Joe: “No, it’s just one of the old ones that we all hate!”

Fucking Dubagotchi.

Mr. Fujiyama: “Let me see it for a moment!”
Taichi: “You can’t!”
Mr. Fujiyama: “Don’t be stingy. I am letting you guys get off at Hikarigaoka!”
Mr. Fujiyama: “Let me take a look at it.”
Tai: “Uh, it’s broken.”
Mr. Fujiyama: “Maybe I can fix it. Here, give it to me. I’m pretty good with electronics.”

Listed for the loss of emotional blackmail, and for the gain of Mr. Fujiyama’s new skill.

Koushirou: “It’s fine to just let him look at it, isn’t it?”
Taichi: “I felt like we were being attacked by an evil Digimon or something.”
Koushirou: “Mr. Fujiyama is an evil Digimon?”
Taichi: “Evil, evil! I mean, when you forget your homework, he uses his Tickle Attack!”
Mr. Fujiyama: “I heard that last part.” *unleashes his special attack on Taichi and everyone laughs at him*
Izzy: “There’s no harm in just letting him take a look at it, Tai.”
Mr. Fujiyama: “I broke it.”
Tai: “For about a second there, I thought Mr. Fujiyama was an evil Digimon.”
Izzy: “I think you’ve spent way too much time in the Digiworld.”
Tai: “Think about it! If he were an evil Digimon, every time you failed a test, he’d scream out his attack, ‘Homework Blaster!’ Huh?”
Mr. Fujiyama: “Actually, it’s more like ‘Tickle Blaster!'” *tickles Tai and a few people laugh at him*

“Tickle Blaster” makes no sense in the contex of the dub conversation.

Also listed because AGUMON: therapy-evolve to MentalHealthGreymon!

---

[Tailmon is checking out some human children and wondering why the Tag/Crest she’s wearing isn’t reacting to them]
Tailmon: “It’s not reacting at all. What does this mean? Isn’t the eighth child supposed to be around here?”
Gatomon: “You can’t turn over a rock without finding a kid under it in this world, and yet I still haven’t found the eighth Digidestined.”

Stop turning over the rocks! You’re letting them all loose! Aw, damnit, now they’re everywhere…

---

[Now she reports in to Vamdemon]
Vamdemon: “You can’t find the child?”
Tailmon: “Yes, sir. At the very least, the child isn’t the vicinity of Hikarigaoka.”
Myotismon: “What do you mean you couldn’t find the eighth DigiDestined? You have failed me!”
Gatomon: “Please don’t hurt me, your evilship! I swear he’s not here!”

Nobody’s failed anybody! They just started looking!

Vamdemon: “I’ve made copies of the eighth child’s Tag and Crest. The one you have is one of them.”
Tailmon: “Then where’s the real one?”
Vamdemon: “Here in my hand. Even though it is a copy, it’s certain to react when the Chosen Child is nearby. Do whatever you can to find the eighth child!”
Myotismon: “Silence, Gatomon! … I have made several copies of the eighth DigiDestined’s Tag and Crest. The one that you have is a copy, too.”
Gatomon: “So, I’m a copycat?”
Myotismon: “I SAID ‘SILENCE.’ The original’s with me. Even though they’re only copies, they will still become activated when the eighth Child is nearby. This time, make no mistakes. You must find that Child.”

There were no mistakes last time! It’s been like 20 minutes, and it’s an unusually large terrace!

Vamdemon: “Children… I’ll do whatever it takes to eliminate you!”
Myotismon: “And when you do find him, then he must die!”

Die, indeed! Weirdly, the copy of the episode I have fades out for ads while Myotismon is saying “die”. Who knows if it’s like that in all recordings?

Koromon: “Is that the Hikarigaoka housing complex?”
Taichi: “Yeah.”
Piyomon: “Wow! Sora, you used to live in that big castle?”
Sora: “It’s not a castle! The inside is divided into smaller parts, and a lot of people live there.”
Koromon: “They were nice to drop us off here.”
Tai: “Yeah!”
Mimi: “There’s the Highton View Terrace tower.”

The terrace has a tower?

Izzy: “The tallest apartment building in Japan!”

… What?

Joe: “Terrific. I’m afraid of heights!”

… WHAT?!

Tai: “That place isn’t so hot.”
Sora: “That’s true, the heat never worked. I used to live there.”

… WHAT?!?! You lived in this bourgeois-ass tallest apartment building in Japan, USA, and the fucking heat didn’t work?! Is this a Tr🍑🍑mp property?!

Taichi: “Sora and I were in the same class.”
Sora: “Yeah. Dai-san Elementary School, Class 1-2.”
Yamato: “I was in Dai-yon Elementary School.”
Tai: “I lived near here, too – a block away in another building. Sora and I went to Westside Elementary together.”
Matt: “Hey, I went to Westside Elementary!”

Matt decides he’s tired of not living a lie and claims to have gone to the same school as Taichi and Sora, probably to avoid admitting that he went to Northeastside Elementary, the soccer team of which kicked Sora’s soccer team’s asses all those years ago.*

^{*probably not true}

[Jou attempts to confirm shenanigans regarding Yamato’s previous deception of their teacher]
Yamato: “It’s true that we lived in Hikarigaoka.”
Takeru: “Yeah. I remember a little of it.”
Matt: “Yeah, we really did live here before my parents broke up.”
TK: “That was a long time ago, when I was a little kid.”

You see, it’s funny because T.K….

Jou: “I went to Dai-go Elementary School here.”
Mimi: “I lived here during kindergarten.”
Koushirou: “So did I! It was only for a little while.”
Joe: “Strange coincidence: because I used to live here, too.”
Mimi: “I lived here too, before we moved.”
Joe: “Huh?”
Izzy: “Me too.”
Mimi and Joe: “Huh?”
Izzy: “Just for a little while. It’s a long story.”

It’s not a long story; you lived there and then you didn’t. Story over.

Original: Vamdemon’s adorable bats fly overhead, and then we see some shadows running in the streets.

In the dub, Tai sees the bats and calls out, “Myotismon’s army! Run for it!” and then we see the shadows run. Gatomon soars over them and says, “They can run, but they can’t hide from Mammothmon!” and it kind of implies that the running shadows are the Digidestined, which they are not. Those are some of Myotismon’s minions scurrying around.

---

Mammon is named Mammothmon in the dub. They haven’t had a Digimon Analyzer screen yet… but they will…

[Mammon out of nowhere to destroy public and private property!]
Some dude: “My [motor]bike! Who did that? Was it you?! You broke my bike!!”
Some dude: “My new motorcycle! Hey! Respect other people’s property, you big, walking shag carpet!”

Respect other people’s shag carpets, you big, walking property! >:(

Some other dude: “Why is there an elephant in Hikarigaoka?”
Some lady: “It must be for a movie or something!”
The same some other dude: “They did it well! It looks like a real monster!”
Some lady: “Oh, look, honey, how cute! A wild elephant on the rampage!”
Some other dude: “It’s just like the day we got married! They must be filming a movie or something.”

So sweet! ♡

---

Despite Gatomon’s enthusiasm a moment ago, she now laments bringing a huge, destructive Digimon along, which is accurate to the original.

---

Some additional dude: “What the hell is an elephant doing here?”
Some additional dude: “If that’s a car, it’s got an awful lot of trunk space!”

HA! No lie: that was a good one.

The same some additional dude: “The police…” *clicky static* “It won’t connect!”
The same some additional dude: “I’m gonna call the cops…” *nothing* “My phone’s dead!”

You have to turn it on first.

---

[The Children come across a shop and discuss their mutual recollection thereof]
Yamato: “Takeru, you may not remember, but we used to play around here a lot.”
Takeru: “But it is nostalgic…”
Matt: “You probably don’t remember this place, TK, because you were too little, but mom and dad used to take us here all the time.”
T.K.: “Maybe some candy will help me to remember!”

They haven’t eaten for a while…

Sora: “Koushirou, how long did you live in Hikarigaoka?”
Koushirou: “I don’t think I even lived here for a year… A couple of months?”
Taichi: “That’s pretty short. Why is that?”
Sora: “You’re awfully quiet, Izzy. Didn’t you like living in Highton View Terrace?”
Izzy: “I don’t remember.”
Sora: “How long did you live there?”
Izzy: “Just for a little while. About six months.”
Tai: “Wow. Why did your parents move away?”

I feel like there’s an important distinction between, “why did you move away?” and “why did your parents move away?”, especially where Izzy is concerned…

[Jou knows why Koushirou’s family moved!]
Taichi: “But you didn’t know Koushirou back then.”
Tai: “Yeah, Joe. How could you know why Izzy’s parents moved away from here? Did you know them or something?”

Okay, are we just canonizing the idea that Izzy’s parents moved away without him? Tai keeps referring to them not as a collective with Izzy.

(a solid 30 secs!) So what did happen, Joe?

Jou: “Even if I didn’t know him, I have an idea of what happened. In short, the reason why Koushirou’s family moved was because of a terrorist bombing!”
Joe: “No. I didn’t know Izzy back then, but I did see what happened.”

… so he saw what happened, eh, and he happens to know it was the exact reason Izzy’s family moved…?

ANYWAY, in the original, Jou elaborates that there was a terrorist bombing in Hikarigaoka four years prior, but the criminal was never caught. His own family decided they didn’t want to live in such a dangerous place, and they moved to Odaiba. Sora and Taichi confirm the familiarity of his report, then the police vehicles very slowly drive by.

The dub cuts the entire scene from Joe realizing he was about to self-incriminate, having claimed to have seen the attack first-hand, to the arrival of the police cars.

I don’t know if the dub episode ever aired with this scene in place. The Oklahoma City Bombing had occurred in the US about four years prior to its airing, so it’s reasonable to guess that both the topic and coincidental time lapse were behind the decision. The background also features a lot of Japanese signage, so cutting the footage was probably more convenient than writing over it.

It’s also possible that the episode originally aired with the explanation in place, and the cut was made after the attack on the World Trade Center in September 2001. The US was on high alert for years after the attack, and several TV shows were censored afterward to remove similar subject matter.

Regardless, the dub canon is now that Izzy’s parents moved away without him, and no one will tell him why (but we know).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_entertainment_affected_by_the_September_11_attacks

The dub canon is ruined, and you can watch the full, uncut episode on Hulu if you have a subscription or free trial! Joe does provide a complete explanation that “one of the worst terrorist attacks of all time” occurred four years prior, which, uh… his description might have contributed to why it was cut.

As far as all the background kana, it was painted over and translated (correctly) to advertise delicious “new mellow plum”, which is green. Green plums tend to be sour or bitter, but these have apparently mellowed out a bit!

… Except for one moment when Tai declares, “Where there’s trouble, there’s Myotismon”, in which they temporarily rise up and scrub the paint off the sign. Oops!

Extra-special thanks to our commenting compatriot, uncle samwich, for the intel!

After all that, they cover up the kanji on the police cars.

警視庁 (keishichou) – Metropolitan Police Department

Narrator: “Mammon: a Perfect Level Digimon whose body holds ancient power.”
Izzy: “He’s called Mammothmon. He’s a fully digivolved Digimon, with the strength of a woolly mammoth.”

And they’re all dead, so he’s pretty much harmless!

Their special attacks, Tusk Strike and Tundra Breath, become Tusk Crusher and Freezing Breath for the dub.

A police officer pulls up to the kids in his car and orders them to get to safety (they do not), then he tries to call for help on his radio. In the original, there’s more clicky static, but in the dub, once again, his communication device is “dead”.

Being that he’s driving around in an unmarked vehicle, however, the more likely explanation is that he’s just some asshole pretending to be a cop, and he’s trying to keep up the appearance in front of some random children.

[Birdramon is now fighting Mammon, and the mass destruction triggers some memories and a flashback to even tinier and more adorable Takeru!]
Takeru: “I really saw monsters!”
Mum Takaishi/Ishida: “Monsters don’t exist. You were just dreaming.” (muttering in frustration) “Really, whose fault is it that you can’t even tell the difference between a dream and reality?”
Takeru: “But…”
*end flashback*
Yamato: “… So I didn’t say anything…”
T.K.: “But I really did see monsters, mommy.”
Mum Takaishi/Ishida: “T.K., there’s no such thing as monsters. You were just imagining it, or maybe it was a dream.”
T.K.: “But mommy, I saw them!”
Mum Takaishi/Ishida: “Now that’s enough! I don’t want to hear anymore of these crazy stories.”
*end flashback*
Matt: “I just assumed he had imagined the entire thing.”

Way to assume your brother is a stupid putz, jerkwad.
Also it’s so sad how Yamato recalls his mum blaming his dad. 🙁

The dub scene also implies that Matt didn’t see the “monsters” himself, but all of the Chosen Children did.

---

As it does during scenes concerning the event that unifies the Chosen Children in the original, Boléro plays in the background from the start of Yamato’s flashback.

---

In Japan, a married couple can take either spouse’s surname, but everyone in that family, as a legal unit, must have the same surname. While most couples in Japan take the husband’s surname, I don’t believe it is ever specified which surname Yamato and Takeru’s parents, Natsuko TAKAISHI and Hiroaki ISHIDA, used while they were married.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage_in_Japan

[Yamato has recalled the thing]
Koushirou: “When did that happen?“
Yamato: “At the time of the terrorist bombing.”
Izzy: “So when did all this take place?”
Sora: “This is where it happened!”
Joe: “Right on this footbridge!”

That’s a sidewalk.

This is where what happened on that footbridge sidewalk? The dub’s background music stops abruptly when Sora says her line, implying that there may be a cut in which Matt said it was at the time of the supposed bombing. I can’t hear a distinct clip in the audio, but the fact that Sora’s line doesn’t make sense otherwise supports the idea that a cut was made later in production, or even after the initial airing.

---

To be fair to the dub: they are on the overpass in the next shot. There wasn’t a cut or anything; they just climb stairs really fast.

Indeed, the Hulu episode leaves in Matt’s answer that T.K.’s report happened right after the “terrorist attack”.

[Taichi ponders the overpass]
Taichi: “This overpass…”
Tai: “We gotta get off this bridge!”

“Why and how did we even come up here?!”

[The Children run away from the overpass]
Mimi: “This feels like what happened back then!”
Mimi: “I’m having déjà vu all over again!”

Oh, Mimi…

Again, because it’s so terrible, “Hey, Digimon” starts playing after Tai remembers that Greymon was there four years ago, and he shouts, “Sora! It was Greymon!”, and Sora’s like, “The fu– Why are you telling me that?!” but then everyone’s like, “oh, right, it was Greymon!”

In the original, Brave Heart plays when Birdramon evolves, as usual.

[Garudamon has defeated Mammon, and the Children regroup]

Taichi: “After the fight, the two of them disappeared somewhere…”
Koushirou: “That’s right.”
Jou: “So then it was labeled a terrorist bombing…”
Tai: “After the fight that day, Greymon and the other Digimon disappeared!”
*LONG, awkward pause*
Izzy: “Exactly! Somehow, the Digimon were involved all along!”

More evidence for post-airing removal of material, but I’m going to pretend that long pause was when they all silently looked at each other, wondering if anyone was going to take this opportunity to tell Izzy why his parents moved away without him.

As above, my pretense has been ruined by Hulu and its offering of the original dub. Joe did indeed explain that the police reported the epic Digimon battle as a terrorist bombing, and it was cut after the original airing.

[IT’S THE FUZZ]
Jou: “This is bad! If they catch us, they’ll ask us a ton of questions!”
Joe: “Listen, it’s the cops! They’ll ask a ton of questions! They’ll blame us for all this! I’m too young to go to the big house!”

CHEESE IT!

---

[In plain sight in a nearby park area]
Koushirou: “I’ve been wondering for a while… Out of all the children at camp, why were we the only ones who were chosen? But today, I’ve finally found a clue to solving the mystery.”
Mimi: “The incident from four years ago…”
Koushirou: “Yes! All of us are linked by the fact that we have already met the Digimon four years ago!”
Izzy: “You know, I always thought it was kind of strange that out of all the kids at camp, we were the only ones chosen to go to the Digiworld. I knew it couldn’t just be coincidence. Somehow, we were all connected by some common event. Today, I discovered what that event was!”
Mimi: “We all took French in school?”

Mon dieu!

Izzy: “No.”

Oh.

Izzy: “Four years ago, we were all living at Highton View Terrace at the same time, and all of us saw the two Digimon fight.”

I would think a lot of people in that neighborhood saw two giant monsters fighting – unless it’s like an episode 21 thing and only Chosen Children could see it, but that would mean they were Chosen BEFORE that event, so as usual, Izzy’s conjecture is worthless.

[Maybe the eighth Chosen Child also saw the battle four years ago, and Vamdemon must still be searching!]
Taichi: “We’ll find them faster than those guys! The eighth Chosen Child – our teammate!”
Tai: “We’ll find him – before Myotismon! The eighth DigiDestined… he might be someone we know!”

I got ten Digidollars on the eighth DigiDestined being that little girl Tai made cry by asking her if she was real in episode 21!