Me: Wow. I didn't know the prologue would turn out the way it did! I don't own Digimon.
Tai: And if you did...?
Me: Simple-Taiora, not Sorato, would be official. Here we go!
Tai: Wait! What about a quote, huh? You've started almost every chapter in these stories with a quote. And the songs? The songs you pick are awesome, so where's the song?
Me: Oh...I had no idea you felt like that. I don't own "Run Around" from the Digimon soundtrack. Anyway, here we go!
Tai: (sighs) Just as thickheaded as I am.
Digimon: The Final Battle
Chap. I-The Search for Tai
"Tai, come back!" -Sora Takenouchi, The Earthquake of Metal Greymon
Tai breathed in a breath of fresh air as he and Agumon observed the twinkling lights of Paris, France.
"I can't believe you brought us here, Tai! Why are we in Paris in the first place?" Agumon griped impatiently.
"This is the only other place in the world I could come to-other than New York-where I wouldn't feel like an outsider, Agumon. Besides, if we went to the States, we'd end up running into Mimi, and she'd call Sora and tell her we were there."
"Who do we know that's a DigiDestined and lives in France?" Agumon asked.
"Tai? Is that you?"
Confused, Tai turned to see a young girl with blond hair that stopped at shoulder length, and who was still wearing that overcoat she'd worn when Tai and T.K. had first met her in France.
"Catherine! I'm amazed you remember me."
"It's hard to forget that mop of hair." Catherine responded in that same French accent Tai had grown accustomed to hearing.
"Uh-huh. Agumon and I are gonna be staying in France for a while to train and grow stronger." Tai explained quickly.
"But I thought we'd come here to get away from-" Tai laughed loudly as he grabbed Agumon and pulled him close, covering his mouth a second later.
"Ignore him-it's jet lag. Know of any good hotels we could stay at?"
"Yes, but forget about checking in at a hotel-you can both stay with me." Tai was impressed-he hadn't expected Catherine to do this for them.
"Thanks. Could you get the bags, Agumon?"
"Are you kidding me? Those things could weigh more than a dumbbell-you get 'em!"
Tai sighed to himself, ignoring Catherine's quiet laughter.
"I wonder what you're doing right now, Sora. Are you with Matt, trying to forget the pain I
caused you, or crying because of my e-mail?" Tai whispered calmly, wincing slightly due to the
pain in his heart.
"Are you serious? Why would Tai just up and leave like this? We haven't even finished high school, and he plays hooky-not just on the school, but the whole country?"
Matt and Sora nodded in agreement, since the remaining DigiDestined had formed an emergency meeting as fast as possible, original and new there, with the exception of Tai and Mimi, who was online and talking through e-mail.
"Tai was having these nightmares about an evil Digimon, one who's just as powerful as MaloMyotismon, maybe even more powerful! He didn't want to tell us, because he didn't want us to worry about him." Sora explained, trying to keep herself from crying again.
"Do we know where he's gone to?" Davis piped up, in between Yolei and Kari, who were next to Ken and T.K.
"Nope. Tai didn't say anything about where he was going, or when he was coming back."
"Think we could track him by his Digivice, Izzy?" Cody asked.
"If he was within range, or still in the country, that would be a possibility. However, we have to assume he's left Japan entirely, so that theory's out." Izzy replied.
"We could go by the airport and ask which flight he took." Kari said.
"There are a number of flights going and leaving from Japan at multiple times, Kari. Who knows which one Tai took, and how are we going to find him?"
"Could you guys slow down over there-I'm having a hard time typing this down for Mimi!" Joe insisted.
"Let me-I'm a bit faster at that, Joe." Matt noted. Sora humphed with irritation before turning to face the others.
"It doesn't matter which flight Tai took-we have to bring him back, and soon before the weekend's over with! Have your parents filed a missing person's report, Kari?"
"They've decided to wait until after the weekend to do that-they're still holding out that he'll come back on his own."
"Don't worry, Kari-I'm sure Tai will come home soon and tell us about his dreams." T.K. said. Sora hid her worry from the others, but couldn't hide it from Biyomon, who could read her just as good as Tai.
"Please come home soon, Tai. I can already see the team starting to fall apart. We're trying to
have hope, but that'll soon fade away. I'm not mad at you anymore, just worried something will
happen to you."
"It's time to defeat the DigiDestined once and for all. I may not be able to return to the Real World at the moment, but I could open a portal to a specific spot and send a Digimon in!"
With a wicked grin, a portal appeared with a flick of the Digimon's hand.
"Mammothmon-time for you to destroy Paris, France, as well as the leader of the DigiDestined."
Things are starting to accelerate into something, never stopping, always trouble following
Now, I think I'm getting dizzy, too much spinning, page by page the plot is thickening, quickening
It's getting too insane, I'm trying to maintain
Whoa, whoa, whoa whoa, whoa, whoa whoa!
Tai, Agumon and Catherine hadn't taken more than a few steps out of the airport when a portal appeared out of nowhere and Mammothmon stepped out, trumpeting quite loudly.
"What the-how'd he get here?" Tai stammered in surprise.
"Who cares how he got here, Tai-we've gotta stop him!" Agumon replied, stepping in front of the Ultimate Digimon.
"But if there are any news guys around, they'll try to record this, and the others might find out we're here!"
"Come on, Tai-what's worse, Paris being destroyed 'cause we didn't do anything, or you giving an explanation to Sora and everyone else sooner than you planned?"
"You're right-Digivolve, Agumon!" Tai pulled out his Digivice and it started glowing.
"Agumon Digivolve to...GREYMON!!!"
"Digivolve again, Greymon!" Tai yelled, holding his Digivice in a firm grip as it started shaking in his hand.
"Greymon Digivolve to...METALGREYMON!!!"
Chorus: You run around, I run around, we're all gonna run, run, run around!
You run around, I run around, we all do a run, run, run around!
"Okay, you poor excuse for a Digimon-bring it on!" MetalGreymon declared confidently as Mammothmon stomped toward him. "If Garudamon can beat you, then I can take you down with one hand behind my back!"
"MetalGreymon, don't provoke him! Just stop him!" Tai demanded while Catherine stayed behind him, unaware that news crews had finally arrived and started shooting.
"Got it. Mega Claw!!" The metallic claw jutted out, but Mammothmon stopped it with one swipe of his tusks.
"I'm not that big of a pushover! Freezing Breath!!"
The Android Digimon yelled in pain as the temperature started dropping below average!
"MetalGreymon, hold on! Catherine, what are you doing?" Tai turned and noticed that Catherine was rummaging through her bag for something.
"This won't help much, but she's your best chance for surviving your trip. Floramon, get out there and Digivolve!"
Catherine's Digimon raced out onto the battlefield and glowed almost instantly.
"Floramon Digivolve to...KIWIMON!!!"
MetalGreymon roared as he finally broke free from his temporary icy prison and advanced on Mammothmon again.
"This guy's stronger than I thought he would be-he seems to have the power of a Mega
Digimon!"
It is getting closer, more intense, ever spinning, twisting turning roller coaster!
Inch by inch the gap is closing, pressure building, temperature rising, higher and higher!
It's getting too crazy, I wish I could maybe
Whoa, whoa, whoa whoa, whoa, whoa whoa!
"Huh? Guys-Mimi says we should turn on the TV and look at the news!" Matt advised just as Izzy was about to do just that.
"This just in-a mysterious monster has just appeared out of thin air in the western part of Paris, France, and another monster has also appeared to stop the other. The first one resembles an elephant with some sort of ice ray, whereas the second one is a combination of a tyrannosaurus rex and a robotic arm."
"THAT'S TAI!" the DigiDestined all chorused in shock.
"What's he doing in France?" Yolei asked.
"Maybe that's where he went to during his flight yesterday." Joe said.
"Then we're going after him!" Sora was seconds from heading to the door, but Izzy stopped her.
"Hold on, Sora-have we even thought up a plan of action? There's a reason why Tai left, and until we figure that out-"
"HE LEFT BECAUSE OF ME! I'M THE REASON TAI LEFT!" Sora screamed heatedly, no longer able to hold it in any longer.
"But, why?" Davis said, not understanding at all.
Sighing, Sora sat back down in her seat, not even looking to Matt for comfort. "It all started
three years ago before the Digimon invaded the Real World, during the Christmas season..."
Tai grunted as he, Catherine and an unconscious Floramon dodged flying debris. Kiwimon had been beaten by a swing and a hit from Mammothmon's trunk.
"We've gotta stay out of range! MetalGreymon, think you can take him down without hurting him?"
"We don't have a Digiport to send him through, Tai. We'll have to stop him the hard way."
"The hard way's our speciality." Tai muttered to himself. "Give him all you've got, buddy!"
"Right!" The Ultimate Digimon started slamming into Mammothmon with his metallic arm, forcing Mammothmon out of the city limits.
"How far are they gonna go?" Tai asked, concerned about his partner. "MetalGreymon's tough, but he won't last much longer."
"Only until they reach the city limit sign, which is about 150 miles from here."
Tai groaned to himself, still unaware of the cameracrew who had finally gotten a good lock on
his face.
Run, run, baby! (Repeat 5 more times)
Like a rocket, never stopping! You'll never stop it!
"...And that's why Tai felt he had to leave Japan." Sora concluded, gripping the hair clip tightly in her gloved hand and noticing Tai's face on the TV screen, his eyes seemingly void of life.
"Whoa. I knew I had no chance with Kari, but I hoped at least Tai wouldn't be rejected like that!" Davis responded; Yolei and Kari whacked Davis on either side of his ribs.
"It looks like MetalGreymon's taking the fight outside the city limits." Ken reported calmly.
"Tai doesn't have a D-3. Does that mean he's going to-?" Cody began.
"He'll have no other choice. Remember-we had to resort to defeating these sorts of Digimon all
the time back in the old days." Izzy said.
Chorus: You run around, I run around, we're all gonna run, run, run around!
You run around, I run around, we all do a run, run, run around!
(You run around!) You run around, I run around, we're all gonna run, run, run around!
(You run around!) You run around, I run around, we all do a run, run, run around!
"Giga Blaster!!" MetalGreymon fired a twin set of missiles from his chest that hit Mammothmon on impact! The Digimon wailed in pain as he was deleted seconds later.
"What a battle, MetalGreymon!" Tai exclaimed as the Ultimate deDigivolved back into Agumon.
"Thanks, Tai! I couldn't have done it without you."
"Yeah. Now Sora and my parents have probably called in the National Guard by now. That means we can't stay with you, Catherine."
"Why not?"
Tai wondered if he should tell Catherine about his nightmares, then decided against it. Already, Sora had probably left home to look for him. But, it was steadily getting dark, so it was probably dark back in Japan.
"My sister and friends are worried about me, and my best friend-my first love-is sure to be coming after me, and I can't face her now, if ever. I may have to return to the Digital World just to avoid them, but I don't have a D-3 on me."
"Tai, just talk to Sora. Hasn't that worked out in the past?" Agumon questioned. Tai almost screamed in agony, but forced himself to just growl under his breath.
"You don't get it, do you Agumon? Sora's CHANGED! She 's not the same girl I knew when we were kids, she's not the tomboy who wouldn't take crap from anybody, and...she's still the same girl I fell in love with that day we met." Tai choked back a sob of pain before grabbing his Digivice.
"Now what are you doing?" Floramon asked, who had woken up a few minutes during Tai's rapid definition of Sora.
"I'm going home, for the time being. Only one Digimon's powerful enough to get me to Japan by nightfall. Thanks for everything, Catherine." Tai replied, a tiny smile on his face. A second later, his Digivice glowed once again.
"Agumon Warp-Digivolve to...WARGREYMON!!!" (A/N: You knew he'd be popping up sooner
or later, didn't you?)
"You don't understand-I've got to go after Tai!" Sora yelled angrily to Matt in front of the other DigiDestined, who-with the exception of Mimi-were all witness to a heated argument between the two of them.
"Why-so Tai can just badmouth you some more?"
"Tai apologized to me. He didn't mean what he said before; he just didn't want me involved in this, but I wanted to help him!"
"Then why did he leave, huh? Why would he apologize to you, then just leave the country?"
"Uh..." Sora didn't want Matt to know about Tai's feelings for her, nor did she want him to know her feelings for Tai were slowly returning. "He didn't want to fight with you again. He told me he was sick of the two of you fighting all the time."
"Well, once he gets back, he's gonna have to fight."
Now Sora was mad! She stepped right in Matt's path, her eyes narrowed.
"Don't even think of trying to start anything with Tai! He's trying to let bygones be bygones-why can't you?"
"'Cause I didn't insult my best friend in the nurse's office! Don't you remember what he did to you?"
"Don't you remember what I did to him? It's like that old proverb-'An eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth.' I was upset at Tai at first, but I realized I deserved it, and more. I'm going to bring Tai back, and we'll have a long talk about this when we come home." That said, Sora pecked Matt on the cheek before turning and leaving, Biyomon by her side.
"Well. You sure showed her, Matt." Davis cracked.
"Not now, Davis!"
"Curses! That DigiDestined bested Mammothmon!" The Mega Digimon revealed himself amidst the darkness surrounding the Dark Ocean, dark energy circling his body, his horns atop his head a dead giveaway to his identity. (A/N: That, and he's in the Dark Ocean.)
"The Child of Love is going after her significant other, and the Hero of Courage is returning home for a while. A pity if an accident should happen overseas." With one gesture, the Digimon summoned LadyDevimon, and gave the Ultimate Digimon even more power than usual.
"Thanks to this energy of darkness I've collected from the Hero of Friendship, your power levels are that of a Mega Digimon. Go, and destroy the Child of Love!"
"Your wish is my command, Lord Daemon."
Despite Garudamon's swift flying, Sora was barely able to fly past Mongolia and continued over Russia's borders.
"Let's hope their government doesn't see this as an act of war." Sora admitted, tenderly touching the hair clip she'd placed back in her hair.
"I'm sure they won't. Sora, I'd like to ask you something, and I'd appreciate it if I got a straightforward answer." A gentle nod told Garudamon that Sora was ready for any question she would ask.
"Sora, did you ever stop loving Tai, even after you had gotten with Matt?"
That question completely stumped Sora to no end.
"Uh...honestly, Garudamon, I think I've always loved Tai. That's why I was amazed he didn't try to stop me that day with the cookies."
"It was obvious that his love for you was truly unconditional, right?"
Sora agreed with Garudamon's assessment, unshed tears clouding her eyes. She consciously blinked them away and tried to stay focused on the mission at hand. "Right. We'd better keep moving. The farther down Asia we fly, the darker it'll get."
"You won't have to worry about any airlines, DigiDestined! Darkness Wave!!" Sora gasped as Garudamon dodged a powerful beam of dark energy headed their way!
"Where'd you come from?" Sora yelled, her shock replaced with anger.
"That is something you'll have to find out on your own."
Sora growled deep in her throat, prepared for a battle.
"Wing Blade!!" Garudamon's main attack hit, but it barely had any effect on LadyDevimon!
"She's an Ultimate, but she wasn't even fazed!" Garudamon was perplexed, but didn't let the enemy see that.
"Let's give it another whirl. Darkness Wave!!" WHAM! The powerful attack hit, sending Garudamon and Sora spiraling to the ground, Garudamon deDigivolving back to Biyomon on the way!
"Biyomon, what happened?" Biyomon groaned while struggling to get back onto her feet and protect Sora.
"Her attack didn't feel like an Ultimate's usually does, but it felt like a Mega Digimon!"
"If we don't do something, we're gonna end up as statistics, Biyomon!"
What are Sora and Biyomon going to do against LadyDevimon, and what is Daemon's plan to return to the Real World? Find out next on Digimon: Digital Monsters!