Building on the meta I wrote about Hurricane Touchdown & The Golden Digimentals, I wanted to look at the abstract decisions that hold the story together.
Wendimon had two clear chances to capture Wallace but didn't, using the kidnappings to feed Wallace's guilt and lead him to the flower field instead. He wanted Wallace to wish he could return to the past, so that if he gave in to that desire, Wendimon could revert him to his childhood, convinced that they could be happy that way.
I don't think the movie ever mentions it, but if the D-3s are supposed to grant access to the Digital World, why did Daisuke and the others have to travel by plane? I assume Wendimon blocked the access points, though the logic is a bit shaky.
Regarding Wallace, he wasn't part of the Japanese chosen children or any other group, so he had no direct link to those portals. He was alone, running between trains and hitchhiking.
The point is, perhaps Hikari and Takeru traveled to New York to see Mimi through a digital portal, Wendimon noticed it and made sure Wallace was cut off from the kids who could have helped him.
There's a moment when Iori asks Wallace if he knows anything about that other Digimon. Wallace admits he always knew it was taking children who had a Digimon, which shows he's living in denial. Having already known his former partner had become dangerous, he perhaps clings to the most innocent stage of his Digimon, insisting on calling them Gummymon and Chocomon instead of their current forms.
I don't think he does it only out of affection or ignorance because by naming them as they were, he's freezing them in the last happy memory he has.
That denial also explains why he doesn't react with joy to Terriermon evolving into Galgomon and instead just responds with sadness.
His resistance to facing reality keeps him stuck in a loop that makes him vulnerable to Wendimon's manipulation.
Hikari and Takeru were traveling by train toward Summer Memory when Hikari's D-3 emitted a pink light. The train entered a kind of distortion and suddenly all the other passengers vanished, leaving only Hikari, Takeru and their Digimon partners trapped in a space created by Wendimon.
The other Digivices flashed red at Wendimon's appearance, but this time, a rainbow light emerged from Hikari and Takeru's D-3s, bridging the gap between the real world and what was happening inside Wendimon's corrupted heart.
The rainbow symbolizes the calm after the storm, and a bridge between two planes.
Hikari and Takeru always notice things the others don't. They aren't the ones leading the battles but they act as sensors who perceive what others miss, holding the thread that links rational and emotional.
I think the pink light from Hikari's D-3 protected them from Wendimon's first attack, preventing them from disappearing like the others. I also think Wendimon couldn't take them because they were with Tailmon and Patamon. Just like Terriermon helps to anchor Wallace emotionally, Hikari and Takeru's Digimon keep them grounded.
Not everyone absorbed by Wendimon ends up manifesting like the six original chosen children in that dark space. Most of the missing people were likely casualties of his search. They might not even have a form inside him, existing only as distorted data.
Wendimon absorbs out of resonance. As I said, those six are living proof that time moved on without him. They've grown, drifted from the Digital World and reclaimed their lives. Their existence represents a maturity that is painful to him.
Maybe Wendimon did something similar to what Homeostasis did with the original eight chosen children.
<<< DIGIMON ADVENTURE FLASHBACK >>>
<<< END OF THE ADVENTURE FLASHBACK >>>
Wendimon scanned every person, searching for frequencies that echoed his wound, trapping them once he found them.
I assume that when Wendimon is finally stopped, everyone, just like the original six chosen children, returns safely to the real world.
To close, I just want to praise Daisuke for being such a fun, charismatic, tender and brave character in this movie.
I saw a friend, a naive and sympathetic boy whose admiration for someone else moves him to do the impossible. He's loyal and honest.
He may not always understand what's happening but he never backs down from trying to help, his heart leads the way.
After watching Hurricane Touchdown and The Golden Digimentals, I have a clearer understanding of where Tri, Kizuna, and 02 The Beginning come from.
Yes, there are also other stories focused on action like Our War Game and Diaboromon Strikes Back, which are epic and super fun, giving us iconic moments like the first appearance of Omegamon and Imperialdramon Paladin Mode, but I'm more interested in exploring the stories where Adventure takes the time to walk with its characters through that hero's journey trope.