The digidestined are searching for Matt. Joe tells them that he saw him walk off after they found TK. They all talk about how Matt has been acting strange lately. Kari hears the voices again. Izzy convinces the others to look for Matt with Tai saying, "yeah, I suppose". Kari tells Gatomon that the voices she heard weren’t Matt’s. Matt and Gabumon are at a lake. Puppetmon sees them and talks to Cherrymon about them. Cherrymon has an idea and while he deals with Matt tells Puppetmon to take care of the other digidestined. Matt is telling Gabumon that he always thought his purpose was to look after TK, now he knows that TK can look after himself. He has noticed that all the others have gotten stronger but he hasn’t changed. If Matt wants to change he thinks he has to do it on his own. Cherrymon comes to them saying that he doesn’t want to fight with them. Puppetmon appears before the digidestined along with three Garbagemon. They fire at the digidestined and all but Mimi runs away. She is tired of running and grabs the trash attack out of the air and throws it back at the Garbagemon. Palmon convinces for Mimi to run and she runs after the rest of the kids. 

Matt and Cherrymon are talking about what he should do. Cherrymon tells Matt to look deep inside of himself where the answers truly lie. Matt says he is more than ready for a change. Cherrymon says that he must defeat his rival for that is what is keeping him for reaching his true potential. The face of Matt’s true rival will appear in the water before him. Matt looks and sees Tai’s face. The digimon digivolve to their champion states and battle the Garbagemon. The Garbagemon go after Mimi causing Togemon to digivolve to Lilymon. Her flower cannon attack destroys one of the Garbagemon. Greymon digivolves to Metalgreymon and manages to destroy another of the villains. Matt laughs at having to fight Tai. Cherrymon tells him that he looked into the Lake of Truth, which only reflects what is in a person’s heart. Gabumon tries to convince Matt that Tai is their friend and that Cherrymon is lying. Cherrymon says that Matt doesn’t believe friends exist to which Matt agrees, laughing that his crest is that of friendship. 

Gabumon tells him that he has faith in him regardless of what path he takes. Gabumon warp digivolves when Matt is fully convinced to fight Tai. Cherrymon watches them leave, surprised at how hard it was to convince them. Cherrymon finds Puppetmon and tells him that the plan went perfectly. But he warns Puppetmon that the digidestined are stronger than they look. Puppetmon is not happy with that and uses Puppet Pummel to delete him. The last of the Garbagemon are sucking the digidestined into his garbage can. Matt arrives and Metalgarurumon destroys the last Garbagemon. Agumon runs to Metalgarurumon to congratulate him but is attacked instead. Metalgarurumon is challenging Agumon while Matt faces off with Tai.