Author: I'm not really all that good with emotional scenes, however that won't stop me from trying!
After protecting the Tamer's world, Sora and Kari have revealed themselves enslaved by the dark powers. Only TK, Matt and Tai are there to set them free, or be annihilated.
26
The Strongest Friendship
"Sora! Kari!" Tai screamed at them.
"Grizzly Wing!" Kari unleashes a dark energy wave all around her, knocking down all the digimon, Matt and TK. Angewomon and Garudamon both reverted back to Gatomon and Biyomon.
Tai's arm is tugged through the darkness and then upwards. Sora swings him around and tosses him into the sky.
Tai!
Tai stops himself and looks in front of him. Both Kari and Sora are floating in front of him, a dark aura can be seen possessing them.
"What are you going to do now, brother?" Kari cackled.
Tai clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
Tai calm down, take a look at who you're facing!
"I know..."
"Oh," Sora taunted. "What's with that look in your eyes, tiger?" She slowly slid a finger in front of her mouth, with a dangerous smirk on her face.
"Our oh-so-great leader," Kari started. "My brother, scared to fight a couple girls. Ahahaha!" She laughed haughtily, the back of one of her hands on her opposite cheek.
Sora and Kari charged Tai.
"Shields!" Tai quickly created a pair of crests to protect himself from their attack. He flies around, dodging, parrying, doing his best to keep his distance from them.
"Ahh..." TK shakes his head as he slowly gets up. "What happened?" A dark energy beam flies in front of his face and blows up a small area of ground near him. TK stands dumbfounded for a second before turning to the source of the attack. He sees Tai, Sora and Kari flying around, but Sora and Kari are attacking Tai! He then remembers... "Matt!" He finds his brother's body and rushes over to it, shaking him awake.
"TK? What's-" an explosion nearby interrupts him. Matt gets up quickly and sees Tai, Kari and Sora above him, fighting. "What's going on?"
"I don't know either," TK replied. "I remember Kari and Sora having dark energy surrounding them, then I was knocked out."
"Not good," Matt looks up at the battle. "If it's them, then Tai can't fight back."
"Isn't there something we can do?"
"I don't know TK," Matt clenches his fist. "I don't know."
"Oooh..."
TK turns to his partner, "Patamon!" He rushes to his side as Matt calls for MetalGarurumon. "Are you alright buddy?"
"TK?"
"MetalGarurumon, can you get up?"
"Y-yeah," the steel wolf gets on all four of his legs.
TK scans the ground, "Gatomon! Biyomon!"
"Ugh..."
"Looks like they're out," Matt observed. "So is WarGreymon. It's up to us."
"Patamon?" TK looks at his partner.
"You got it TK," Patamon happily answers. "Patamon armor digivolved to, Pegasusmon"
"Got you now, tiger," Sora cackled from one of Tai's sides.
"You can't win, brother," Kari laughed from the other end.
"Grizzly Wing!"
Tai braces for impact from both sides.
"Star Shower!"
"Metal Wolf Bite!"
Tai covered his face from the explosions and smoke. When the sky cleared he saw both Matt on top of MetalGarurumon and TK riding Pegususmon facing Sora and Kari.
"You guys-"
"Can't let you have all the girls Tai," Matt turns back and smiles before re-facing Sora.
"Any idea what's going on?" TK asks.
"It's NightmareMyotismon," Tai started. "He bit them."
"What?" Matt turns around in shock.
"Look at their necks," Tai pointed to both girls. "They both have bandages. NightmareMyotismon probably did something to them while they were captured before you guys were taken. It's also the only explanation I can think of right now."
"My," Sora started. "You're so sharp, tiger."
"But now," Kari continued. "What are you going to do about it, brother?"
Both girls charged again.
"Come on TK!" Matt cried.
"Right!"
Matt and TK charged to meet their opponents, splitting at the last moment as the girls give chase.
"Matt! TK!" Tai was about to join the fray.
"We'll keep them busy!" Matt spoke to him through the digivice. "Try and figure out a way to get them back to normal!"
"It's useless," Sora interrupted him. "NightmareMyotismon not only granted us the powers of darkness, our powers feed on our own dark hearts. There's nothing you can do, tiger."
"She's right, what can we do?"
Don't give up Tai, there must be a way!
"..."
Didn't something like this happen before?
"Yeah, but I wasn't the one that saved her from it..." Tai clenches his fists tighter. "It was Matt. He was also the one that protected Sora that one Christmas, while all I could think about was defeating the enemies. Matt's been there longer, better for her while I... I..."
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Tai's power exploded outwards from him. All 6 combatants stopped to see his power erupt and grow.
What are you doing Tai? I can't-
Tai charges forward at full speed. His hands glow red as he moves in.
"Grizzly Wing!" Kari sends a dark energy blast, but it was useless. Tai just plowed right through it towards his sister. Kari flinches at the sight. Tai stops just inches away from her, his glowing white palm in front of her face.
"I'm sorry, Kari" Tai unleashes a great bright light, blinding the younger girl and everyone else in the area.
The light disappears, and Kari looks ahead. Tai had vanished. Suddenly she is grabbed from behind, it's Tai!
"What do you think you're doing brother?" Kari struggled, but Tai kept his grip on his sister. "Grizzly Wing!" Kari unleashes a wave of dark energy, hurting Tai in the process.
"I don't know what you're up to tiger," Sora flies in to break them up. "But I won't let you get away with it. Crimson Lightning!" Sora lashes out an energy whip.
Matt gets in the way and has the whip wrap around his arm, "Sorry Sora, I'm your opponent."
"Move it, wolf cub," Sora lets the whip disappear. "You're worthless to me."
Matt smirked, "Heh, that hurt Sora. Whether it's just the darkness, or a part of you that is amplified by your dark powers, I'll still save you." Matt places a hand on his chest. "It's what friends are for."
"Go ahead and try, wolf cub."
Sora and Matt on MetalGarurumon charge towards each other.
"AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!" Tai yelled in pain.
Kari's attack finally stopped. "Had enough, brother?"
"Haaa, haaa... TK! The whistle! Blow it!"
"Grizzly Wing!"
"Whistle?" TK remembers he still had it and was keeping it for luck. He quickly searches his pockets for it.
"Kari, here, I almost forgot about this" TK holds out her whistle to her.
"My whistle!" Kari was about to take it back, but stops short.
"Kari?"
Kari closes TK's hand, she rubs her neck, "You should keep it, for good luck!"
"Whatever you say Kari," TK puts the whistle back into his pocket.
TK finds the whistle and stares at it, "Did she know what was going to happen?"
"BLOW IT!"
TK lost his grip from the scream, Pegasusmon dived right after it and TK grabbed the whistle again. He and his digimon started rising to where Kari and Tai are, taking a huge breath.
"Not even you can withstand my attacks for long, brother," Kari mocked.
A familiar whistling sound reaches her ears. "That's..." Kari struggles to find out where the noise is coming from, she looks down to see TK coming up, he blows into the whistle again.
"AAAAARRRRGGGHH!" Kari screams in agony.
"Kari! Remember who you really are, who WE are!" an explosion of dark power blows Tai away. After recovering, "TK! Grab her and don't let go!"
As soon as he was close enough, TK jumps up at Kari and give her a tight embrace. TK's crest starts to glow and Kari's darkness is weakening. Pegasusmon swoops the both of them up.
"Kari! It's me, TK!" TK looks into her distressed eyes.
"T... K...?" Kari's faced showed weakening, she was fighting the dark powers.
"That's right, Kari," TK let go of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You were always fighting the darkness, and you never gave up! You can fight this Kari, I know you can! And I'll be here... always..." TK flashed a smile to Kari.
As if she can see it, a faint glow in her chest starts to brighten, "All... ways...?"
TK flashes another smile, then he slowly moves in for a gentle hug, "Now and forever... I-" A blinding flash covers them both.
As Tai watches, he hears 3 special words come out from TK. Both a shining pink glow and a glorious yellow light on top of Pegasusmon. Tai had to shield his eyes from them but he could still see, from Kari's body, the darkness that had taken over his little sister. It had taken a colorless form in the sky. TK takes Kari's unconscious body down to the ground.
"Take care of her TK," Tai whispered to himself before facing the faceless apparition. "NightmareMyotismon. You've crossed the line far too many times, but this time it's much more personal!" Tai launches a great energy beam, vaporizing the darkness.
Tai...
Matt and MetalGarurumon just barely avoided a dark energy blast, "Ugh!"
"She's too fast for me Matt!" MetalGarurumon pointed out.
"Just hang on for as long as you can!"
"'Just hang on?' HA!" Sora cackled. "I'm not even taking you seriously, wolf cub."
"Ice Wolf Bite!" MetalGarurumon unleashes a barrage of missiles into the sky.
"Oh?" Sora stopped flying to watch. "Are you really going to hurt me?"
MetalGarurumon's missiles surrounded and exploded all around Sora, encasing her in a sphere of ice.
Sora licked the tip of her middle finger, "So, this little cub still doesn't know how to bite."
Matt and MetalGarurumon watch from the outside as the sphere quickly fills up with a black substance. The ice cracks, then shatters, releasing a giant wave of darkness all around. Matt held on to his partner tight as they try to regain their balance.
"Grizzly Wing!"
Matt braces himself for impact, but none came. He looks up to see Tai blocking the attack.
Sora stopped, "Oh? So you were able to save your sister, tiger?"
"No, I didn't." Tai answered. "I didn't save her at all."
"What?" Matt looks around to find TK on the ground holding Kari.
"It's your turn Matt," Tai turns back to face him. "You've saved Sora from her darkness before, you can do it again." Tai charges in.
"Tai! Wait!" Matt and MetalGarurumon followed suit.
"Crimson Lightning!" Sora swung a whip at Tai, he takes the hit as Matt flies past.
"I'm coming Sora!"
"Nice try, wolf cub," Sora pointed her palm at him. "Grizzly Wing!"
Matt quickly stood on top of MetalGarurumon, he jumps over the attack as his partner dives under it. Startled, Sora couldn't react in time as Matt gets to her and holds her tight.
"I've got you."
"But who's got you?" Sora unleashes a dark energy blast that easily blows Matt away. She whips one of Matt's legs and lets him dangle underneath her. "I knew you didn't have it in you, now say goodbye, wolf cub!" Sora raises her free hand, gathering her dark powers into it. "Grizzl-"
"Got you!" Tai embraces Sora from behind, causing her to release Matt. "MetalGarurumon!"
"On it!" MetalGarurumon flies after Matt.
"What do you think you're doing, tiger?" Sora asked seductively.
"What I should've done a long time ago," Tai told her. "Not letting go."
"Oh?" Sora sounded amused. "It's too late for that, tiger. I'm much more powerful the Kari, don't you know why?"
Tai stayed silent.
"Tiger, let me show you my darkness. Grizzly Wing!" Sora unleashes a great wave of darkness, hurting not only Tai, but Alice too. But Tai never released his grip, he only tightened it.
It can't be! Some of the dark power got inside somehow. Tai!
"Just do your best Alice, please..."
Tai...
"Well, well," Sora again sounded amused. "It looks like you're more determined then that wolf cub. However-" She lets out another blast. "You have yet to taste my true darkness. Haaaaaaaaaa..."
Sora began channeling her powers, Tai knows this won't be pretty.
"Alice! No matter what happens, please..."
I know Tai, I'll do my best to help you, even at the risk of my own existence...
"HAAAAAAA!" Sora erupts in dark power.
Matt watches from below as the sky his friends are in turns pitch black. "Sora! Tai!"
Tai tries his best to keep his grip on Sora, "I'm not... letting you go... I'll never... let... you go...!" Tai's body is continuously getting hammered by the dark energies that are erupting from Sora.
Tai! Inside, Alice fights off all of the darkness that has invaded Tai. But it's futile, as the dark energy began to grow faster inside of him. There's no way I can... A bright light through the darkness blinds Alice, she shielded her eyes from it before looking again. Through all the darkness, a small light shines. What is that? Just as she was reaching for it, she notices her arm turning dark. All around her, Tai's body was losing to the darkness. I have no other choice! Alice quickly dives through the darkness, the rest of her body was succumbing to the dark power. Just a little more...! Alice grabs the faint light, and everywhere around her shined so brightly that everything went white.
Author: This is it for Tai and Alice. As Tai's body is engulf by Sora's darkness, it becomes clear that Sora's dark powers are too much for even Tai to handle. This one light that Alice finds, may just be the key to saving both Tai and Sora.
