Author: I've had a real tough time figuring out how to make Tai return home. A long time had passed since Tai first arrived and it really shouldn't be anything easy. Also, since the digidestined couldn't defeat NightmareMyotismon even with Tai, you know they can't win without him. So something's happening in Tai's world, and it isn't good.
And even with Tai's new powers along with the Tamer's help, are they really strong enough to take on their worst nightmare?
07
"Apocalypse"
"Yamaki! Sir!" Riley called her boss.
"What is it Riley?" The blond man requested an immediate answer.
"Something's happening in the sky!"
"A gate?"
"No," the woman answered. "Something similar, and it's huge!"
"Talk to me Riley," Yamaki spoke out. "What's going on?"
"I can't really tell sir," the woman replied nervously. "That is a gate but it's not connected to the digital world. And that digimon, there's something about it that's different from all the rest."
"What?"
"It's like it's from another world altogether."
Yamaki looked at a monitor at the portal with the digimon coming through. "Another world?"
"Tai," Alice spoke to the tall boy. "In the sky, another portal is opening up."
Tai looks up to see a huge rift. Bigger then before. But what interested him wasn't the rift, but the digimon that was coming through it. A digimon he thought he would never have to see again, it began to cover the entire sky. Also, through the huge rift, he could see a place he knows very well. His home.
"Alice," Tai tossed his digivice towards her. "Let's go."
Tai and Alice flashed for a split second and Tai ran off towards the digimon.
"Thanks mom!" Takato waved bye as he raced for school. Guilmon quickly followed after him. "Guilmon! How many times do I have to tell you? I can't bring you to school with me."
"But it's boring here," the red digimon replied. "And-" Guilmon stopped mid sentence and sniffed the air. His eyes turned fierce and the digimon started to growl.
"What is it boy?"
"Takato, look!" Guilmon's head was pointing at the sky.
Takato followed his glance, he saw a strange 3-d shape in the sky just under the rip through the clouds. "What is that?"
"Rika!" Renamon chased after he partner.
"Be ready for anything Renamon," Rika went right down to business. "What can you tell me about that thing?"
"Nothing for now," the fox digimon answered. "All I know is that it's strong."
Rika passed by a TV display with all the TV's showing full static. She stopped and returned to look at them again to make sure she wasn't seeing things. A digimon's face started flashing on the screen, then it was a solid view.
"I am Apocalymon!"
"Oh Henry!" Terriermon called out to his partner.
Henry ran into the room and saw the TV with Apocalymon on it, with the digimon speaking his doom and gloom speech on how he was going to conquer the world.
"What's going on Terriermon?" the boy asked his digimon.
"How am I supposed to know?" Terriermon yelled at him. "He hijacked all the channels! I can't watch anything!"
"Come on Terriermon!" Henry started to run out the door with his partner behind him. "Suzie, you stay here with Lopmon okay?"
Tai, what's going on? Alice asked the frantically running boy.
"That Apocalymon," he began. "It's from my world."
Are you sure?
"I'm positive," Tai stopped for a second to find the best way to turn. "But if he stays here, he'll destroy this world."
Why aren't you flying?
"I want to have the element of surprise," Tai kept on running closer to the giant digimon. "I need to get as close as possible before I show myself."
Seeing an explosion on one side of the great digimon caused Tai to stop. He turned to see where the attack came from. Beelzemon Blast Mode flew towards Apocalymon while firing off his Corona Blaster. Tai continued to run, picking up his pace.
"Hey!" the gunner digimon called out to the giant digimon. "Oversized cubicle! I don't know who you are but I'm kicking you out!"
"So there are digimon in this world too," Apocalymon muttered to himself. "It doesn't matter, it will all belong to Nightmare Myotismon shortly."
"That's what you think!" Beelzemon fired off more shots from his Corona Blaster.
"Foolish," Apocalymon waved his hand. "Giga Crusher!" One of his claws transformed into Machinedramon and attacked, Beelzemon saw the attack coming and dodged it. "River of Power!" Another one of his claws turned into MetalSeadramon and attacks the speedy black winged digimon.
"Mega Barrage!"
"Hmm?" Apocalymon turned to see several missiles headed towards him. "Grisly Wing!" The flood of bats completely stop the barrage of missiles in a mass of explosions. "Another one? Fools! Nothing can stop the Apocalypse!"
"We'll see about that!"
Apocalymon turns around and sees 3 digimon flying towards him, a winged red knight, a hero and a woman.
"Come at me all you want," the evil digimon taunted. "You can't win! Crimson Lightning! Trump Sword! Puppet Pummel!"
While three of his claws keep the new arrivals busy, he could see that his first two opponents were closing in fast.
"Virus Grenade!" Several small bombs fly out from all over Apocalymon's body. The Tamers try to dodge and defend themselves but there were too many. All of them are hit multiple times and fall to the ground.
"Okay," Guilmon groaned. "That hurt."
"He's just too strong to fight like that," Ryo spoke out. "We need to get in, get close and do it fast."
"Tamers!" A voice rang in all their heads, except Beelzemon. "Can you hear me?"
"Yamaki?" Takato can almost see the man's head inside Gallantmon, he communicating with them through their digivices. "What's happening?"
"This digimon isn't from out digital world," Yamaki began explaining. "It's most likely from Tai's world."
"Tai's?" Rika burst out in shock.
"Does that mean that our worlds are starting to connect too?" Henry asked.
"All it means for now is that there is a way for Tai to get home," Yamaki quickly explained. "But we will need to deal with this problem first."
"Speaking of Tai," Ryo broke everyone's train of thought. "Where is he?"
A flash of red light suddenly flies up towards Apocalymon from right under it.
"What is he doing?"
"Tamers," Tai's voice rang in their heads, he was using his digivice's new function, a radio. "Stay back for now, I'll handle this. Attack when you see my signal."
"Signal?" Terriermon asked. "What signal?"
"I don't know," Tai answered. "But you will. Yamaki, I'm keeping my communications signal on so you'll be able to hear our conversation, can you record it?"
"Riley, get ready to record the signal."
"Thanks," Tai thanked him before flying up behind Apocalymon and landed on the strange shape the digimon was a part of. "Apocalymon!"
The evil digimon turns around to see Tai walking closer towards him. His eyes widened. "The bearer of Courage? That's impossible! Nightmare Myotismon killed you!"
Tai only gave him a determined look. "Tell me, how did you get here?"
Apocalymon became quiet for a second, then he started laughing. "I get now, you were sent here somehow to escape your death! But now you don't know how to get back! Hahahahaha!" The evil digimon gets himself ready. "Since you're going to die here anyway, I may as well tell you. I returned to the place of your 'death' and found a rift. I tore open the rift and here I am."
"You tore open a rift from where I 'died' and that's it?" Tai clenched his fists.
"I'm sorry," the digimon taunted. "Were you expecting something more useful? I'm sure that the others will find the rift too and will soon join me conquer this world for Nightmare Myotismon. Time to die!" A claw appeared behind Apocalymon and turned into Machinedramon. "Giga Cannon!"
Tai quickly jumped up to avoid the giant lasers. "Solar Nova!" He creates and tosses a huge ball of red energy at the attacking claw, destroying it in an explosion.
"Hey guys!" Terriermon talked excitedly. "I think that's the signal!"
"Well what are we waiting for?" Justimon jumps up to join the digidestined in battle. The others quickly followed.
As the Tamers and Tai do battle in the sky, Yamaki meets with the monster makers. "It wasn't much, but I don't think it's useful either."
"On the contrary," Janyu Wong, Henry's father, told him. "Now we know he's from Tai's world. We just need to get some of his data and may be we can open a gate ourselves."
"Aren't the Tamers digimon capable of absorbing data from other digimon?" one of the other scientists asked.
"They are," Yamaki answered. "But I don't think they've ever done it while they're fused with their digimon. And judging by the size of it, it's a lot of data to hold." Yamaki puts a hand on his ear. "Takato, Henry, Rika, Ryo, can you all hear me?"
"We're a little busy at the moment," Takato answered while dodging an attack.
"Listen, once you defeat the big digimon I want you guys to try absorbing its data."
"Absorb that?" Terriermon butted in. "Are you crazy?"
"What's going on Yamaki?" Henry asked urgently while firing off multiple missiles.
"Henry," it was Henry's father. "We think that with that digimon's data, we will be able to find a way to open a gate to Tai's world. As well as close it from any more evil digimon like this one."
"And you're just letting us do the hard part," Rika commented. "Sounds like fun."
"Beelzemon!" Tai yelled at the black winged digimon. "When you see an opening, take the shot! Justimon, let's go!"
Beelzemon creates an upside down star in front of him and aims his gun in the direction Tai and Justimon were going, to Apocalymon's main body.
"Justice Burst!" Justimon fires off blue energy bursts to intercept projectile attacks and destroys a claw.
"Bravery Blades!" Tai uses his power to materialize twin swords and slashes off a couple claw's chains as he flies by them.
Both Tai and Justimon are now level with Apocalymon's main body, charging at full speed. Justimon turns his arm into a saber and Tai ignites his swords on fire.
"Voltage Blade!" Justimon slashes Apocalymon straight down the middle.
"Crimson Cross!" Tai slashes Apocalymon with both blades at once, creating a yellow X on his body that later ignites into flame. Tai and Justimon quickly fly away as the evil digimon burns.
"Corona Destroyer!" Beelzemon fires an immense purple laser that covers Apocalymon's main body in light. A great scream of agony fills the sky until Apocalymon's main body was vaporized. The tear in the sky also vanished with Apocalymon.
"Something's wrong!" Sakuyamon cried out.
"The rest of his body, it's dissolving too slowly!" Henry added. "At this rate it'll crash into the city!"
"Come on everyone!" Gallantmon Crimson Mode called out. "Focus all your attacks on that body!"
The Tamers unleashed all their strongest attacks on the slowly falling shape. While it sped up the dissolving of data, it still isn't enough to save the city because of its huge size.
Tai quickly flew down to the ground underneath it and launched a huge beam of energy in hopes of slowing it down. The others continued to attack the giant mass of data as Tai struggled to keep it in the air.
Tai! Alice became worried. You can't hold it up for much longer!
"Yes… I… can!" Tai was clearly struggling. He can see the big body of Apocalymon slowly get closer, dangerously close. But he can also see the Tamers, doing everything they can, giving it everything they have to protect their city.
Tai! You're pushing yourself too far!
"I'm not giving up!" a light in Tai's chest began to glow.
"Come guys we can do this!" Gallantmon shouted out to his comrades. "Final Justice!"
"There's no way I'm letting my home be crushed by a giant cube!" Beelzemon fiercely fires off more energy beams. "Corona Destroyer!"
"I won't let this thing beat us!" Sakuyamon glowed with energy. "Amethyst Wind!"
"Let's give it everything we've got!" MegaGargomon fires off its two shoulder missiles. "Gargo Missiles!"
"I'm not about to lose here!" Justimon raises his blade arm. "Voltage Blade!"
The light within Tai began to grow stronger.
This is just like that time… Alice started.
"What time?" Tai asked as he continued to struggle.
During our last fight with the D-Reaper, she started to explain. The battle looked hopeless, yet everyone still fought as hard as they could. No matter how long they fought, they just kept getting stronger. I think, it's not just your courage that fuels your power, but everybody's courage, and that power also strengthens everyone.
Tai smiles as he watches his friends destroy more and more of Apocalymon's second body.
"That's right," Tai told himself. "As long as we have the courage, we have the power!"
A giant crest of courage suddenly materializes in front of Tai. The crest shines a bright orange color and fires a tremendous force of energy. The light hits the body and quickly eats right through it.
The Tamers fall back and watch as the light expands and eats away at the falling body. The force of the attack was strong enough to knock Tai down until a few feet off the ground where he regained control. It wasn't long before the evil digimon's body began to erupt light in all directions, the digimon can still feel the strong energy flowing through the sky. In only a moment, the body is completely shattered, turning into floating bits of data.
"What… was that?" Takato asked while recovering from seeing a powerful attack.
"What are you guys waiting for?" Yamaki yelled at them. "Get the data quickly!"
"Right!"
Gallantmon Crimson Mode, Sakuyamon, MegaGargomon and Justimon all head for the cloud of data in the sky.
"That's a lot of data," Terriermon pointed out. "Can we really load it all?"
"There's only one way to find out," Ryo answered confidently.
The four Tamers begin to absorb the flying data bits all around them.
Tai floats down to the ground slowly, struggling to stand up. He looks at his hands, both of them were releasing steam.
That was a lot of power Tai…
"I know," Tai spoke back slowly, nervously. "I could feel all that energy still flowing through me, it was enough to burn me."
I could feel it too, Alice spoke calmly. It was… warm, comforting. But at the same time, it was trying to break free. I had to keep it from coming out all at once.
"Thank you for helping me Alice," Tai retained his composure. "If it wasn't for you, I don't think I could still be talking like this. I'm sorry for causing you trouble."
No, Alice sounded relieved. You don't need to apologize. I should be thanking you for giving me a new purpose to exist. Now I have friends, even if they don't know it.
"Hehehe…" Tai giggled a little. "Yeah, you're right."
"HEY!" a voice called to Tai.
Tai turned to see Kazu and Guardromon coming towards him, "Kazu! What brings you here?"
"What brings me here?" Kazu sounded very excited. "It was that big beam of light I saw! You're the one that used it right?"
"Oh," Tai spoke sheepishly. "You saw that?"
"Are you kidding?" Kazu is still as hyper as ever. "I bet the entire city saw that! That was a new attack right? What do you call it?"
"I haven't made a name for it yet," Tai answered. "That was the first time I ever used it. I'll think up one though."
"Hey," Kazu started to look around. "Where's Takato and the others?"
"Up there!" Guardromon pointed at the four digimon in the sky absorbing the bits of data floating about.
"What are they doing?" Kazu asked the sky.
"They're helping me get home."
"It's too much!" Guilmon cried out.
"Just hold on boy!" Takato encouraged him. "We can do this!"
"There's just too much data to load, we can't load it all!" Terriermon screamed.
"Then let me help," Beelzemon flew in to join the group.
"Beelzemon!" Gallantmon sounded happy.
"AAHHH!" Beelzemon started to gather the remaining bits of data that remained.
"Ugh!"
"Rika!"
"I'm at my limit…" Rika weakly told them. Sakuyamon began to fall and split up into Rika and Renamon. They both fell onto a big crest of courage not that far down.
"Are you two okay?" Tai floated up towards them.
"I'm fine, just tired," Rika answered.
Tai brought up the crest higher under the other digimon. Justimon was the next to fall, followed by MegaGargomon. Gallantmon and Beelzemon were still staying strong in taking in all the data. All the others could do was wait. Both of the remaining digimon was able to take all of the remaining data before collapsing themselves.
"Are you guys alright?" Tai asked them as he slowly lowered himself and the Tamers.
"I'm hungry!" Guilmon howled.
"Hehe, Guilmon," Takato and everyone laughed for a bit.
"Well," Ryo broke the laughter as they landed on the ground. "What are we going to do now?"
Tai smiled at all of them, "I'd like to think taking it easy after such a hard battle would be the best course of action but, something's wrong."
"Like what?" Terriermon asked.
"Apocalymon said there were others," Tai started. "And he was also working for NightmareMyotismon. What worries me the most is what happened to the other Digidestined if NightmareMyotismon is still around and Apocalymon is breaking through dimensions. I can only hope that they're all okay."
Author: Now here's where things got a little tricky for me. It won't be long before they can get Tai home, but what kind of world should it look like?
Here are some ideas I've rejected:
My first idea was to have the Digidestined become enemies, they had given up the fight and joined the darkness. It would take getting beat down by Tai and the Tamers to knock them back to their senses and then all of them will face Myotismon.
My second idea was to have them find a small resistance, led by Matt, against the dark forces. The other digidestined were captured and Tai and the Tamers go and save them all before taking on Myotismon.
My third one involved a large time difference, years having passed in Tai's world compared to his stay of a few weeks. But... that would've been too hard to do. Especially with Kari being possibly older then Tai...
