Sora, Yoshi and Palmon all looked at one another as they stood outside Mimi's door.
"Are you sure about this?" Palmon asked, wanting to help her partner, but also not wanting to upset her as well.
"I am. I know Mimi is hurt, but we need her more than ever." Sora replied, feeling empathy for her friend, but also knowing that Mimi couldn't stay locked up in her room forever.
Nodding in agreement, Yoshi typed her override code into the terminal next to the door, which slid open a second later, allowing the two girls and Palmon to see the state of the room.
The room was a mess, to say the least, with the bed sheets all over the place, and furniture looking like it had been thrown around.
The girls then saw Mimi, leaning against the side of her bed, her hair disheveled and a broke look in her eyes as she held onto a picture frame in her hands, not even noticing the girls as Sora and Yoshi moved closer to her.
Sitting on the bed and beside her friend, Sora then looked at the photo in Mimi's hand, seeing an image of her and Izzy, with Izzy having a nervous smile on his face as Mimi's arm was wrapped around him as she posed for the photo.
Understanding her pain, Sora set her hand on Mimi's hand and said soothingly. "Mimi, you have to listen to me. I know you are worried about Izzy, but you have to stop feeling so sorry for yourself. We need you, we need you to help us."
"I'll just get in the way..." Mimi replied solemnly, before adding as her voice cracked a bit. "Kari's right, all I do is cause him pain... I... I never wanted to hurt him..."
"Mimi, I know you, and I know you would never hurt Izzy. Kari is the one hurting him. Even as we speak, she is using him, messing with his head for her selfish purposes, and you can be the one to save him." Yoshi said, remaining standing, but she could understand Mimi's pain, understanding how hard it could be to have one you cared so deeply for being used against them.
Yet despite their words, Mimi remained silent, still looking at the photo, causing both Sora and Yoshi to sigh, while Palmon felt depressed, before they all heard a knock on the door, looking over to see Tai standing at the doorway.
"Tai?" Sora asked, a little surprised to see the brunette. "What are you doing here?"
"What I should've done when we first fought Izzy." Tai said in reply, where the girls watched on as he took to the bed, sitting on Mimi's left and softly pet her back.
"Mimi, I know what Kari said hurt you, but what she didn't tell you was how crazy Izzy is about you, in the good way, I mean. Remember a while back when he was wearing all those different outfits?" Tai asked Mimi, who smiled a bit as she remembered.
"Yeah... he looked cute in some, and just weird in others." She replied.
"He was wearing them to impress you. He knows how much you like fashion, so, with no clue what he was getting himself into, he tried on those outfits to see if you'd like them. Heck, I think he even made some computer program to look through outfits and see what'd look like wearing them." Tai said, rolling his eyes as he remembered seeing the program on Izzy's computer once, before the redhead quickly closed the laptop.
"He... he did that for me...?" Mimi asked, turning her head to Tai with a little hope in her eyes.
"Of course. Izzy loves you, he'd do anything for you, just to see you smile." The Digidestined of Courage replied, his tone full of honesty and care as he looked back at the strawberry haired Digidestined with a smile.
Picking up where Tai left off, Sora then said. "You both have been dancing around each other for too long now. Once we get him back, you should just tell him how you feel, don't be afraid to say Tai Kami... I mean Izzy, I love you."
Tai, meanwhile, smiled at Sora's slip of tongue, who blushed as she saw that he had caught onto her, while Mimi felt her hope return to her as she quickly stood up, her eyes alight with determination as she said. "You're right, we're going to save Izzy and Kari, and I will tell him how I feel, no more hiding my feelings!"
"And after Izzy is back, maybe we'll waste no time and get married. Can you image me as Mrs. Mimi Izumi?" Mimi then added with a dreamy sigh and stars in her eyes, picturing herself in a beautiful wedding dress as Izzy carried her in his arms, causing the four other occupants of the room to sweatdrop at how quickly she went from just telling Izzy she loves him to marrying him.
"I think you should dial it back a bit." Yoshi commented, before pointing out. "We still need to get Izzy back before he agrees to be your husband."
"Also, Mimi, you need to wash up, so Tai, get out of here. Palmon!" Yoshi then called out with a smirk, causing Palmon to nod in reply.
"Poison Ivy!" Palmon then announced, wrapping her vines around Tai, who looked on with confusion as he tried to say. "Wait, What...!?"
The next thing Tai knew, he was thrown out the room as the door slide shut behind him, while the brunette groaned in pain, having just hit the wall when he was thrown out.
He then looked up to see Cody standing there with a neutral look as he then asked. "Is Mimi alright?"
"Yeah... I think so..." Tai replied through his groans, feeling pain from being thrown out, before adding. "Though I think she might be borderline crazy at the moment..."
"Good to know." Cody merely replied as he continued to walk, leaving Tai slumped against the ground as he yelled out. "Seriously? Help me up here!"
-The Dark Fortress-
While Kari sat on her throne, seething with anger that the DATS team and Fusion Fighters foiling her plans, the Dark Queen took a deep breath, letting her breathe out slowly as she calmed down, knowing that in the end, their little victories here and there would not matter, while also feeling Davis' hands on her shoulder, gently massaging her and helping her relax, making her smile to have her devoted Champion by her side.
The Dark Storm nearly covered the entire Digital World. Soon, it would spread to the moons, and then she would open the gates to the Real Worlds, which would then fall to her power, bringing a new order to all the worlds, one under her rule.
"We have returned, my Queen." Kari then heard Lilithmon say as she, along with the Gazimon, entered the throne room, walking past the Dark Queen's puppets as they stood at attention along the hallway, before Kari then looked at the Gazimon.
"Did you complete your tasks?" The Dark Queen asked the three, who nodded in reply.
"You bet we did, Boss." The Gazimon with the sunglasses replied, before one of them then asked. "It was a pretty light show when we dug them up, what were they?"
"Nevermind it, as long as it is done." Kari replied with a dismissive wave of her hand, before she began to say. "Now that the Digital World is almost fully under my power, we must..."
However, before Kari could finish, the brunette gripped her head, letting out a cry of pain.
Noticing her discomfort, Lilithmon asked. "My Queen, are you alright?"
"Damn you... Homeostasis...!" Kari yelled through gritted teeth, just as the Crest of Light began to glow brightly on her chest.
-DATS-
Back in the briefing room, the Digi-heroes all gathered, happy to see Mimi up and about.
"Sorry I made you all worry." The Digidestined of Sincerity apologized, but said it with a small smile on her face, causing the others to smile back at Mimi.
"We're just glad to have you back, Mimi." Jeri said as she hugged the older girl, causing Mimi to keep her smile as she hugged Jeri back.
However, before anyone else express their own happiness to see Mimi again, each and every of the various Digivices began to beep loudly, causing them all to withdraw them, only to look shocked and surprised to see the Crest of Light on the screens as each device began to glow brightly.
There was then a loud beeping sound on the monitors, causing them to look to see a message written on it, one sent by Homeostasis.
"I have done all I can, use the power of Light to save Kari. Stop the Virus, undo what I could not." The message read, which confused many as they read it.
"Why is it writing this like it won't be around anymore?" JP asked, where the rest of the group only remained silent, some already fearing the worst.
-Dark Fortress-
Kari closed her eyes as she fought back the pain, before opening them once more, showing them now glowing red, before a sphere of dark energy began to form around her, while Gatomon quickly jumped off the throne and moved next to Lilithmon, worried for her partner, the enslaved Digi-heroes and Digimon each remained in place.
-Inside Kari's mind-
The Dark Queen stood in a dark room, her eyes glaring at a large crystal that floated right before her, a manifestation of Homeostasis.
"You seem to get a kick out of using me for your own gains, don't you?" Kari asked as she glared at the Digital Deity, a part of her always blaming her for many of her life's problems, like giving her the Crest of Light, allowing others to think that she and TK were somehow destined for one another because of it.
"This is not your Destiny, Kari. You were chosen to fight the darkness that threatened both worlds, not be the cause of such evil." Homeostasis said, using Kari's own voice as her own.
"Well I have changed, I realized that I can make my own destiny, one where I am the powerful one and not the helpless damsel in distress. I have had enough listening to you, Tai and everyone trying to order me around." Kari said back with a great bitterness in her voice.
"The Virus has clouded you, bent you to its will. It will use you, before destroying you and everything else with you, you must fight it." Homeostasis then said, but Kari just shook her head as she laughed bitterly.
"It has set me free! You were a fool to just lock it away, and now, now it will have its vengeance!" Kari said with a wicked smile as behind her, a large, glowing purple sphere formed, the same as how the Virus looked the day it entered Kari's body.
Raising her right hand, Kari smiled wickedly as dark energy gathered into her hand as she said. "Goodbye, Homeostasis, I promise to do better for the Digital World than you ever did!"
The Dark Queen then fired the blast at the Digital Deity, a barrier forming around it as the blast hit, straining against the energy, before energy flowed out of the Virus and into Kari's hand, adding to the power as the blast broke through the it, consuming Homeostasis as it shattered and dissolved, while it's energy flowed into Kari, who laughed wickedly.
-DATS-
A moment later, the Digivices all stopped glowing, while Gennai gripped his side in pain, as a few of the Digimon felt off, where Guilmon said. "Something doesn't feel right."
"Homeostasis... is gone." Gennai said through his pain, causing everyone to look at him in shock.
Had Kari just destroyed one of the Digital Deities?!
"There is a massive energy spike in the Storm!" Miki suddenly cried out, causing everyone to look and see the storm moving faster than they had seen it, fully engulfing the Digital World, while shadow tendrils moved about the corrupted world.
"Kari... absorbed Homeostasis' power." Megumi then added, seeing the energy spike originating from the Dark Fortress, adding to everyone else's fears as to how powerful the corrupt Digidestined of Light had now become.
-Dark Fortress-
At that moment, the dark sphere surrounding Kari bursted, causing Gatomon, Lilithmon and the Gazimon to shield their eyes, only to look at the Dark Queen in awe once they looked upon her once more.
Kari's appearance had changed slightly, with what looked like black armour now under her robes, a chestplate covering her upper body, while her shoulder pads looks spikier, with the eyes on the dragon heads glowing bright red as dark mist floated out of them.
Out of her back were what appeared to be two, dark spectral wings, while a hood now covered the Dark Queen's head, her crown poking out from the front, while a face mask similar to Yolei's covered her mouth and nose.
Finally, and most noticeably, was the fact that Kari's eyes remained their bright, red glow, as she stood up, saying in a voice that sounded deep and distorted. "Prepare my armies, they will be here soon."
While remaining loyal to her, Gatomon was still worried as to what had just happened and had to ask. "My Queen, are you alright?"
"Better than I have ever been, Gatomon. The Digital World is mine, and now, all will either bow before me, or be washed aside." Kari replied as she made her way down the hallway, with her enslaved puppets right behind her, ready for the battle that is to come.
-DATS-
Each and everyone of the remaining Digi-heroes gathered in the Digi-port room, with Sampson, Yamaki and Gennai all standing on the side.
"We'll get you as close to the Dark Fortress as we can, from there, you're on your own, we will have to lock the Digi-ports in the event everything goes wrong." Sampson said to them, wishing that they had more time.
"Understood." Tai said in reply, knowing the dangers he and the others were all placing themselves in, but knew they had to stop Kari, no matter what.
"Hypnos is close to an antivirus, but we're not sure when it'll be ready, do whatever you need to do, one way or another, this has to end now." Yamaki then added, getting nods from the rest of the group.
Tai then turned to everyone and said with confidence. "Alright guys, this is it, one way or another. Kari will throw everything she has at us, and we don't even know the full extent of her power anymore, so be careful. As for the others, talking to them or trying to subdue them won't work, we need to hit them hard. Be careful, all of you, we won't get another chance like this."
Everyone nodded in reply as they all took out their Digivices and pointed them at the Digi-port, knowing that this would be the toughest fight of their lives, and that they could not lose, or the Digital World, as well as their friends, would be lost forever.