Prologue

It had been ten years since the defeat of MaloMyotismon, and the planet Earth had changed drastically. The real world and the Digital World were now connected. Digimon were appearing more frequently in the real world, and many people were finding themselves with Digimon companions, just like the DigiDestined had.

However, there were still those who didn't trust the Digimon. They were the type of people who didn't understand them nor wanted to understand them. They remembered the chaos and destruction the creatures had once brought to the real world, and they didn't want them on their planet any longer.

"They're vicious monsters!" Some would argue.

"They only know how to destroy and kill!" Others had said.

"Don't you see that this is an invasion?" The conspiracy theorists loved to spout.

These were all things that Tai Kamiya had to hear on a daily basis. As a diplomat and the liaison between their world and the Digital World, he knew of the hate and vitriol that many people - especially the adults - had towards Digimon. It was up to him to bridge the gap between their two species so they may continue to work together peacefully.

Tai had just gotten out of an important meeting in Washington DC and was flying back home to Tokyo, Japan. He and his Digimon partner, Agumon, were at the airport in the boarding area, waiting to get on their plane, but they found out upon arriving that their flight was going to be delayed by thirty minutes.

Tai leaned back in his chair and looked around the boarding area, really taking in the site of both people and Digimon sitting together, chatting and waiting for their flights. It was almost surreal to see people and digital monsters living together in harmony, but it was a peace that Tai was working diligently to maintain.

"What should we do now, Tai?" Agumon asked.

"We could grab a bite to eat at one of those restaurants over there, but I don't know if we really have enough time to eat before they start boarding." Tai replied. The couple of restaurants that were in the terminal area looked to be fairly crowded. It was better to play it safe in case they began boarding early. They were first class, so they would be boarding first anyway.

"I could grab us something out of that vending machines over there." Agumon pointed further down the hall. One of the vending machines served both sandwiches and snacks, while the other was for sodas and bottled water.

"Sure. Mind getting me a ham sandwich and some chips, Agumon?" Tai reached into his wallet and pulled out some American dollars that he always kept on hand for these types of trips. He handed the bills to Agumon. "And don't forget to get yourself something, too."

"Like I could forget. I'm always hungry." Agumon said as he started heading over to the vending machines.

Tai smirked at his little remark, then reached down into his carry-on bag and retrieved his laptop. He opened it up and turned it on. Once it was booted up, he went onto the internet and checked out his social media feed. He scrolled through it for a while, seeing how all his friends were doing.

His DigiDestined team was all grown up and they each had their own lives and careers. His little sister, Kari, was a school teacher, and she absolutely loved it. This was no surprise to Tai, as he always assumed his little sister would go into that field. She was great with kids and had a knack for teaching.

He kept scrolling. T.K.'s newest book, an autobiography about his adventures in the Digital World, had just gotten released and was already on the best sellers list. He also saw that Davis's noodle shop had recently gotten a stellar review from a well-known food critic, which meant his business was booming. Then there was Yolei and Ken. They were both doing well with a few children under their belt. Yolei preferred to be a stay-at-home mother while Ken had become a detective.

He saw that Mimi's cooking show was still a hit. He had tuned in a few times and was very impressed by her culinary skills. Then there was Cody, who was still in college and studying law to become a defense attorney. He was usually busy studying but still updated his status every once in a while. The same went for his good friend, Izzy, who was now a Digital World researcher. Tai learned through Sora that he was working with her father and Joe's older brother, Jim.

Speaking of Sora, she was doing great as well. A few years back, she and Matt had gotten married. Sora had accomplished her dream of becoming a world-renowned fashion designer, and she had just had a fashion show the week prior that went over spectacularly. While she was busy designing the latest trends, Matt had gone on to become an astronaut. He hadn't been on social media for a while, as he was on a mission to the moon, though Tai hoped he wouldn't let his head get lost in the stars and end up on Mars. It was Matt though, so who knew…?

'Oh, look at that.' Tai thought as he scrolled a little further. 'Joe just opened up a clinic in the Digital World!'

Joe had gotten his master's degree in medicine and wanted nothing more than to help the Digimon, so he set up a hospital on File Island. With that update, Tai reached the end of his timeline. He was happy to see that all his friends were living their best lives.

By that time, Agumon had returned and handed Tai his food. Tai had just opened his sandwich wrapper and began eating when his phone pinged. He saw that he had a text from his wife, Bianca.

"Do you have time for a video call?" She had asked.

During his college years, Tai studied abroad and went to the US for a few years. There, he met Bianca. She was studying to become a veterinarian, while he was focusing on political sciences. The two became fast friends and quickly fell in love. When it was time for Tai to return to Japan, Bianca went with him, and they were soon married and even had children. For Tai, his life couldn't be better.

He got onto messenger app and made a call to Bianca. She answered right away, and both she and her Digimon, Tapirmon, appeared on the screen. Bianca's long and flowing sandy blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she was wearing her favorite sky-blue sundress. Her bright smile made Tai's heart melt.

"Hey there, Bianca." Tai said. "Hello to you too, Tapirmon. So, what's up?"

"I just wanted to check up on the two of you." Bianca replied warmly. "We've missed you while you've been on your business trip."

"I've missed all of you too." He replied. "This trip's been weirdly quiet with just me and Agumon."

"Mommy, Mommy!" A small voice said excitedly from out of view of the camera. "Let me see, too! I wanna see Daddy too!"

"Me too, me too!" Another voice added.

"Hey! Don't forget me!" A little girl shouted over the other two voices.

Tai and Bianca both chuckled, and Bianca moved her laptop over so the three children could see Tai as well.

"It's great to see you rascals as well." Tai said. He had three children, twin sons, Takato and Takaru, and a daughter, Sorato. The twins were only three and his daughter was four, and they were bright kids if not a little too hyper.

"When are you coming home, Daddy?" Sorato asked.

"I'll be home in the morning." He explained. "It's a long trip home from where I'm at." There was a fourteen-hour time difference between Washington state and Tokyo, and as much as he hated the distance between him and his family, he knew that these trips were a necessity for his job.

"Did you get us something cool?" Takaru asked, his eyes lighting up.

Tai grinned and glanced down at his open luggage. There were a few toys that he had picked up for his kids. He bought Takato and Takaru action figures from their favorite anime, and a plush doll of a little animal character from the latest Disney movie for Sorato. "I might have gotten you three a little something…"

"Really?" The trio exclaimed. "What is it? What is it?"

"You'll see, but you need to be good while I'm away. You haven't caused any trouble for your mother, have you?"

"Nope, we've been good." Sorato said proudly.

"Um, Daddy." Takato said, who had been fairly quiet up till that moment. "Could you bring me something special?"

"What is it, kiddo?" Tai asked.

"I really want a Digimon."

Tai smiled. "The time will come. You just have to be patient."

"But I want a Digimon! I wanna go on adventures like you and Agumon."

"You're a chip off the old block, Takato. Don't worry, you'll meet your Digimon partner one day, and who knows? Maybe it will be sooner than you think."

Takato pouted but didn't argue anymore. The other two kids immediately jumped in as well.

"I want a Digimon too." Sorato said. "Will I get a Digimon, Daddy?"

"You and Mommy both have Digimon!" Takaru said. "When will we get Digimon?"

"It's just like your father said, it will happen sooner than you think." Bianca replied, and placed a hand on Takaru's and Takato's shoulders.

"We're beginning boarding for flight 4209 for Tokyo." A voice over the intercom said.

"I'm going to have to go." He said to his family. "I'll see you all in the morning."

The family said their goodbyes and Tai closed his laptop, stowing it away back into his luggage. He and Agumon stood up and walked over to the line.

"The kids sure are excited to meet their Digimon partners," Agumon said as they moved slowly through the line. Tai had their tickets out and was ready to have them scanned as they steadily made their way to the terminal.

Tai leaned onto one foot as they came to another stop. Just a few more people ahead of them and they could board their plane. "Who wouldn't be excited to meet their Digimon? I know they'll eventually find their partners. Until then, they're just going to have to be patient."

"If all three of them get Digimon, then we'll probably need a bigger apartment."

"Yolei makes it work, and her family is twice our size."

They reached the front of the line. Tai held out his ticket, and the employee scanned it and allowed Tai and Agumon to pass. While they were boarding the plane and looking for a seat, Tai couldn't help but notice that some of the other passengers were glaring at him.

Not just him though. He couldn't help but notice most of their sights were set at Agumon.

"Horrible monsters." He heard one lady who was holding a baby sneer. When Agumon turned to look at her, she grimaced and held her baby closer to her, as if trying to shield them from the Digimon.

Tai glared back but didn't say anything to her. "Come on, Agumon. I see a spot further down."

They walked to the back of the plane and spotted another passenger - a tall, lanky man with trimmed blond hair, but he was sitting between two Digimon, a Terriermon and a Lopmon. The row in front of the man was empty, so Tai and Agumon took their seats there. As Tai slid into the seat by the window, the man behind him tapped his shoulder and asked. "Excuse me, but are you Tai Kamiya, by any chance?"

Turning around, Tai realized that the man looked a little familiar to him, but he couldn't place where he might have seen him before. "Yes, that's me."

"I doubt you remember me, but I'm Willis. I was the one who accidentally created Diaboromon."

Tai remembered immediately. "Willis, wow. Yeah, we haven't talked to you since the battle with Diaboromon. How have you been?"

"We're great." He said, motioning to his two Digimon partners. "I'm a travel agent now, and I'm taking another visit to Japan for business."

"I'm a diplomat. Human/Digimon relations, that sort of thing."

"Sounds like a hefty job. I know people have been having a hard time adjusting to the Digimon."

"You've got that right. Humans just don't understand Digimon yet, but that's my job, to help warm people up to them and accept them as part of our daily lives. Digimon are going to keep coming into this world to find their destined partners. That isn't going to change."

"Well, good luck to you." Terriermon said. "Cause right now, people don't seem to like us that much."

"I'm not a scary monster anymore." Lopmon said, "But it feels like I'm never going to be redeemed in these people's eyes."

"It's going to be okay." Tai reassured them. "One day, we'll all be living in peace and harmony. I promise you that."

"Thanks, buddy." Willis said sincerely. "We appreciate what you're doing."

The plane's engines flared to life and the seat belt sign came on. Tai turned around and got himself buckled in. The plane began to move, and once it was in position, it took off down the runway, building speed. Soon, they were lifting up into the air, and Tai watched the world below them become smaller and smaller until they were high into the cloud banks. It was a beautiful, sunny day, the perfect weather for flying.

Tai sighed as he stared out the window and watched the passing clouds. He wasn't worried about the promise he made. He knew he could keep it, but it was hard to bite his tongue around people who treated the Digimon like some kind of alien invaders. Digimon weren't blood thirsty monsters. Tai knew that deep down, most Digimon simply wanted to be companions to the humans. All he could really do was keep working to make sure that the day of peace and tranquility would surely come.

"Get comfy, Agumon." Tai said with a yawn. He could feel his eyelids growing heavy from his exhausting day of meetings and travel. At least he would have plenty of time to rest on their flight. "It's going to be a long trip back to Tokyo."