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"Favorite Crest"

Davis set the soccer ball down on the empty field, just a few meters away from the equally empty net. With the sun setting and the school grounds mostly empty, save for DemiVeemon watching him from the bleachers, Davis felt like this was as good a place as any to deal with all the thoughts and doubts whirling around in his head. He imagined all said thoughts and doubts transferring into the ball in front of him before kicking it forward as hard as he could.

Unfortunately, the shot went wide, bouncing off the net's frame. The only thing keeping it from flying out of bounds was a figure in a green blazer catching it just before it went over his head.

"Power's good to have," Tai said as he lowered the ball and spun it between his fingers. "Aiming helps some, though."

"Hey..." was the only reply Davis could come up with, not really having it in him to get excited about Tai's presence.

Tai tucked the soccer ball under his right arm and raised an eyebrow. "Uh-oh."

"What?" Davis spat back nervously.

"Something's obviously wrong."

"How could you know that?"

Tai finally approached him. "Well, you're not shouting, bouncing off the walls, telling me to check out this 'sick' trickshot you came up with, or asking what my sister's favorite type of flower is, so yeah, something's wrong."

Davis was about to protest, but felt his whole body deflate instead. He figured there really wasn't any point in pretending to hide it any longer.

"Yeah, I just kinda got some stuff on my mind."

"Is it about all that Ken stuff?" Tai asked calmly.

Tai, of course, was referring to the very recent revelation that the Digimon Emperor they had spent the last few weeks fighting was actually child prodigy Ken Ichijoji. A lot of mixed emotions on the matter had been affecting the group as whole. Davis worried as to whether or not he was strong or smart enough to defeat Ken, though that wasn't the whole truth to what was weighing him down.

"Not really..." Davis scratched his head trying to figure out the right words. "I mean, yeah, that's what got me thinking, but it's not what's bothering me."

Tai tilted his head. "So what is it then?"

"It's..." Davis began, stopping when a voice in his head told him that he shouldn't need to bother the older Digidestined with this stuff. "...not that big a deal."

"Obviously it is."

"Don't worry about it."

Tai dropped the soccer ball and frowned. "Too late for that."

"No, I just- ah!"

Davis' line of thought was completely blindsided by Tai grabbing hold of him and pulling him into a headlock.

"You wanna rephrase that?" Tai began to scrape his knuckles on the top of Davis' head.

"Tai, stop!" Davis cried out as tried in wriggle free.

"You gonna start talking?"

"Fine, just let go!"

Tai did just that, with Davis almost toppling over as he pulled away. After taking a second to balance himself, he took a deep breath.

"Did you..." Again, Davis tried to figure out the right words. "Back in the day, did you ever think you weren't cut out for the whole 'saving the world' thing?"

"Absolutely never," Tai answered aloofly.

Davis crossed his arms and looked away. "You're being really helpful already."

Tai grinned. "Okay, why don't you think you're cut out for this?"

Davis' shoulders sank as he turned back to Tai. "I'm scared I'm gonna screw something up."

"Davis, all of us feel that way." Tai placed a hand on Davis' shoulder. "If anything, that's what makes you right for the job. It means you care and you're taking this seriously."

"Yeah, I know, but like..." Davis paused again, trying to come up with the plainest way of saying what he was thinking. "I'm scared."

Tai retracted his hand and crossed his arms. "You're losing me."

"When this all started, I picked up the Digi-Egg of Courage."

"Yep, I was there."

"So if I get scared, doesn't that mean I can't use the egg and Veemon can't digivolve?"

They both went quiet for a few seconds as Tai looked Davis up and down. Then his eyes got a bit wider, realization or something similar finally hitting him.

"Okay, I see..." Tai said, a lighter tone returning to his voice. "Sometimes I forget you guys didn't have to do the same soul searching we did to figure out what each Crest means."

"What does our Crest mean?" Davis asked slowly.

"It means you'll be alright."

"Really?"

"I got scared plenty of times when I first got my Crest." Tai stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked upwards. "Listen, the Crest of Courage isn't about being brave all the time, or at least I don't think it is. It's more about having the willpower to face the thing you're afraid of."

Davis looked down at the ground. "But what if I can't do that?"

"I have a feeling that won't be an issue." Tai paused for half a second. "Just as long as you don't forget you've got people around to support you when you do have doubts. Remember, courage also means not being afraid to ask for help."

Silence fell between them one more time, just long enough for Davis to lift his head up again. For whatever reason, he felt a bit more confident than he had a few minutes ago.

"Thanks, Tai."

"No sweat." Tai used his foot to nudge the soccer ball into position. "Now let's see if we can't improve that aim of yours."

Davis moved over to line up his next shot, feeling a bit lighter as he did. He couldn't say he was less afraid, but he knew he wasn't going to let that fear stop him.