Chapter 15. Assembly

Tai hurtled down the pavement as fast as his body was capable of moving, feet barely touching the ground as he rapidly closed the distance between himself and the small yellow dinosaur. "Agumon!" he gasped. "Agumon, you're here!"

Agumon turned his head toward the sound and saw Tai speeding toward him from the alley. "Hah?" he asked quizzically in the last moment before their collision.

Suddenly Tai was there swinging Agumon around and around joyfully. "Agumon," Tai said laughing, "what are you doing here? Where the heck have you been?" Then he pulled Agumon close and squeezed him into a bear-hug. "Oh, nevermind, I don't care. I thought I'd never see you again!"

But a panicked look appeared on Agumon's face, and he began to squirm in Tai's arms. "R-Ryoko!" he called. "Help me!"

Tai stopped spinning. Agumon's voice was rough and gravelly, and sounded radically different from before. "What?" Tai asked, the beginning of a horrible suspicion growing in his mind.

"Hey!" cried a voice from behind him, and then Tai felt hands on the back of his shirt collar before being swung painfully into a brick wall, causing him to let go of Agumon.

He was spun roughly around and suddenly he was face-to-face with a teenage boy about sixteen years of age with his hands raised in a fighting stance. He wore a black sleeveless shirt and baggy jeans; his black hair was swept to the side in a style that most people would have considered 'edgy', complete with a white streak in the front. "Keep your hands off my sister's digimon!" he growled.

"What? But I…" Tai stammered.

"Ryokooo!" Agumon cried, running to a girl a few feet away. She was a little younger than the boy, perhaps thirteen or fourteen, and was clearly upset. Something about her reminded Tai of Kari in her younger days. "Agumon!" she called, and threw her arms around the digimon protectively. "Are you okay?"

Tai slowly realized his mistake as the awful truth washed over him like ice-water: this was someone else's partner. "No, you don't understand…" Tai pleaded, holding up his hands in surrender. "You see, I'm—"

The boy cut him off. "I know exactly who you are, sir," he replied aggressively. "But just because you lost your Agumon doesn't give you the right to try to take my sister's. Don't touch him again. Got it?"

"I-I didn't mean...I just thought..."

"Go easy on him, Ryuuchi," said a silky feminine voice. "He made an honest mistake." A two-foot tall draconic digimon that Tai was unfamiliar with approached the teenage boy's side. It had a large red jewel in the midst of its forehead and was covered in purple fur. "Maybe you're right, Dorumon," he said reluctantly. "But he better stay away from Ryoko and Agumon."

Tai slid down the side of the wall and sat on the ground. "I'm sorry…" he whimpered, "I thought he was my partner."

Ryoko stepped cautiously forward and put her hand on Ryuuchi's shoulder, all the while never taking her eyes off of Tai. "Come on, brother," she said sadly. "Leave him alone."

Ryuuchi turned to his sister and hesitated. "Are you and Agumon all right?"

She nodded. "We're fine. Please, can we go home now? He won't bother us anymore."

Ryuuchi frowned and glanced back at Tai, who was still slumped on the ground. Pity welled up inside him as he observed the pathetic figure before them. This was the man who saved the world all those years ago, who Digidestined the world over idolized and looked up to? This Tai seemed a shell of his former self. "All right," Ryuuchi answered. "Let's go."

They turned to leave, but Ryuuchi paused, and then knelt down before the man crumpled up against the wall. "Hey, listen man...sorry for being so rough. But it's my sister, you know? Maybe next time just take a second to make sure you know what you're doing first, yeah?"

Tai gave no indication that he had heard. Ryuuchi reluctantly rejoined his sister and the two siblings and their digimon went on their way. Tai remained where he was, sitting with his knees to his chest and his head buried in his forearms, crying softly.


Odaiba, Japan; April 6, 2011 – 2:30pm.

A bell on the door chimed as Tai exited the shop, the owner waving goodbye and thanking him for his business. Tai responded in kind before going on his way, resisting the urge to run his fingers through his hair at least until he was a block or two down the street. His head felt strangely light, and he wondered briefly if his goggles would still fit. This is going to take some getting used to, he thought.

He walked briskly down the sidewalk past the apartment complex where he grew up on his way to Izumi Industries. Earlier in the day Izzy had asked to meet with him and some of the others to give an update on how things were going. Turning Southeast, Tai went another block, then crossed the street and under the railway line before continuing right. As he approached the Izumi building, Tai spotted a familiar white motorcycle parked near the entrance. He grinned when he spied Matt leaning with one foot propped up against one of the columns of the building's exterior. "Hey, Matt!" Tai called.

Matt looked up as he came near and began to return the greeting. "Hey, T—whoa!" Matt recoiled his extended hand as if Tai were a venomous snake. "What happened to you?"

Tai chuckled sheepishly. "I uh...got a haircut."

Matt raised an eyebrow. "A haircut."

"Yeah. I went to the barber shop just down the street." Tai jerked his thumb behind him in the general direction he had come from.

"A barber shop?" Matt repeated, both eyebrows standing at full attention now. "When's the last time you've even seen the inside of a barber shop?"

Tai paused to consider the question. "I don't know. This could actually be the first time. I always let mom cut my hair growing up."

Matt seemed to be in a mild state of shock. "I always thought you got some blind homeless guy to cut your hair once a year or so. But your mom actually makes sense, if she's as lousy at cutting hair as she is cooking…?"

A wide grin crawled up Matt's face as Tai rose to Matt's ribbing and gave him a couple of light punches to his chest. "Hey, cut it out!" Tai said, laughing in spite of himself.

"So what made you decide to do it all of a sudden?" Matt asked seriously after they tussled a bit.

"I just thought that since I'm most likely going to testify in one of the most prestigious courts in the world next week, I should probably do something about my hair to look more 'professional'," Tai answered. "Plus," he added grudgingly, "it can't hurt my job prospects.

"I should say not. Well, let's have a look at you!" Matt said, clapping Tai's shoulders. Tai's hair was much shorter than it used to be, especially around the sides. It was no longer big enough to house a robin's nest comfortably inside without notice, and it was much better kempt than Matt could ever remember seeing it. But it was still a far-cry from straight and tidy locks combed neatly in place; instead rather, it rose up in small gelled spikes that flirted on the rebellious side of professional, while still holding a remnant of the wildness of Tai's personality.

"Man, that is different," Matt said at last. "But...it suits you, somehow. That barber did a good job." Matt stepped back, shaking his head. "Wow. I guess you really are grown up now, eh?"

Tai only shrugged in response, and there was an awkward lull in the conversation. Finally, Tai said, "Come on, we should go see what Izzy wants."

"Hang on," Matt called, grabbing Tai's arm before he could enter the building. "There's a reason I waited out here for you. I want to talk to you for a second."

Tai stopped and nodded. "Okay. What's up?"

"Izzy told me about your little incident yesterday," Matt prodded carefully. "You okay?" There was a hint of concern in his voice.

Tai sighed, and leaned up against the adjacent column. "Yeah. Maybe. I don't know. It was so surreal, and all of a sudden he was just there! What was I supposed to think?"

Matt nodded sympathetically. "If I saw a Gabumon wandering the streets, I would have done the exact same thing. That punk kid had no right to treat you that way."

"He was just protecting his sister," Tai shrugged. "I can't fault him for that."

"Mmm," conceded Matt.

"But what are the odds? I mean, I remember Izzy once telling me that something like less than two percent of Digidestined have Agumon for partners. In fact, all of our digimon are pretty rare compared to other Digidestined. I had no idea there even was another Agumon in Japan!"

"Yeah, it's pretty strange," Matt admitted. "You couldn't have been expected to know that was someone else's digimon." Matt let the conversation breathe for a moment before he asked his next question in a much quieter voice. "So, what was it like? Seeing him."

"You know it looked just like him? I mean exactly! Down to the last detail. But when he spoke...the difference in the voice was night and day."

"Spooky."

Tai lowered his gaze to the ground with unfocused eyes. "You know what the worst part was?" The tone of his voice was changed, layered now with pain and guilt. Matt shook his head silently. "When I realized what was going on, you know what I felt? Not anger, or sadness. At least not primarily. More than anything, I felt...relief."

Tai turned to his friend with a tortured expression. "I felt relief, Matt. Because all at once I realized how much of a burden was lifted off my shoulders when Agumon left—I didn't have to worry about bringing him with me everywhere or getting someone else to take him, or keeping up with his insatiable appetite, running into danger with digimon battles—I could focus on what I needed to do for myself without distraction." Tai covered the side of his face with his hand. "How messed up is that? How could I feel that way about my own partner? What does that say about me?"

Matt's mouth was agape in shock and pity, but his eyes were also haunted with the horror of knowing exactly what it was that Tai was feeling, as though Tai had confessed aloud things hidden deep in his own soul, things that he had not dared admit even to himself. "Aw, come here, man," he said, pulling Tai into a rough embrace. "You gotta stay strong. You're not a bad partner; you're just human. I don't want to admit it either, but maybe in some ways it's…"

He faltered, then took a breath to gather the courage to finish the thought: "...it's for the best that they left."

Matt released Tai and turned away almost shamefully. "It's certainly a lot easier with all that we have to do, and it wasn't fair to them living like that. It wasn't for a long time, I think."

Behind him, Tai bobbed his head in agreement. "I know."

Matt turned and faced his friend once more. "They never would have left us, and we never would have let them go, but...maybe that's why they had to. What if this was supposed to happen for a reason? This may be our fate, but just because it's fate doesn't mean it's all bad. I still don't like it...but I think I'm beginning to understand it a little. All right?"

Tai nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Matt. I needed to tell somebody."

"Anytime."

Tai got very quiet suddenly, and his body stiffened. "You know," he began haltingly, "according to Izzy's records they're relatively new Digidestined. That brother and sister duo only received their partners about a month after everything went down with Menoa and Eosmon. You, ah...you don't think…?"

Matt gave a nervous, scoffing chuckle. "What? You mean like reincarnation or something?"

"I dunno. Yeah. Something like that. Sounds crazy, right? Forget it."

"Definitely crazy," Matt agreed. Then: "You haven't heard of any new Digidestined with a Gabumon around here, have you?"

Tai shook his head. "Not that I know of."

"Good." Matt reached for the door, signaling the end of the conversation.

Tai followed behind him, and after being greeted by Izzy's receptionist, they took the elevator up to the top floor where Izzy's office was located. T.K., Kari, Cody, and their digimon were already inside with Izzy and Tentomon.

The others turned when they stepped into the room. "Hi, T—" Kari started to say, but then promptly screamed and covered her mouth with her hands. Gatomon hissed in alarm. Matt just laughed.

"Wow! Tai, is that really you?" asked T.K. jocularly.

"I think so," Tai answered with a chuckle.

Patamon was filled with awestruck wonder. "Your head got way smaller!"

Cody betrayed no response other than a slight widening of his eyes.

Kari approached her brother timidly and reached out a hand to touch his hair as if to confirm it was indeed real. "You—you cut your hair," she whispered in amazement.

Izzy nodded in approval. "It's about time. I was hoping you would do something about your hair before the hearing next week—which by the way, is what I've called you here to talk about."

The others gave Izzy their full attention, now all business.

"It seems there's been a last-minute change of plans to Menoa's trial. Ordinarily, crimes against humanity and the like have always been tried at the International Criminal Court in the Hague, not far from where Menoa is currently incarcerated. Until this morning, I had assumed that her case would be no different."

Matt folded his arms across his chest. "What's changed?"

"Prior to the criminal proceedings, the United Nations has called for a special session of the General Assembly in New York, to hear testimony and discuss the events surrounding this latest digital phenomenon. They are very curious about what exactly happened and what role the Digidestined have played in it. After the session is finished, Menoa's trial will take place there instead, where it will be witnessed by the Assembly."

"Why is the General Assembly so interested in this case?" asked Cody. "Have they ever interfered like this before?"

Izzy shook his head. "No. I believe it is because this is about more than just the trial of a single individual. This will inform U.N. policy on how to deal with Digidestined and their digimon going forward."

Tai creased his eyebrows. "What do you mean, Izzy?"

"Menoa's actions have caused them to take closer notice of us, certainly, but it's more than just that—they will not admit it, but I suspect the video announcement that we made last year has concerned the international community greatly. They have seen us organize the IDC into a unified fighting force, and the power we have amassed as its leaders worries them. We are effectively a new player on the world stage, and the question of what to do is now before them. This is no longer just about Menoa's fate, but the fate of all Digidestined hangs in the balance. Everything depends on the conclusions the General Assembly will make in this session regarding us."

"What do you want us to do?" asked Kari.

"The U.N. wants to hear testimony from many Digidestined about these events, and will soon issue an open invitation to anyone partnered with a digimon to come speak at the assembly. But they are particularly interested in us, who had the closest involvement; the presence of our team has been requested specifically. And I want to reiterate that this is merely a request—no one will be outright compelled to attend."

"But you want us to go," T.K. guessed.

"It is in our best interest," replied Izzy. "It will show that we are willing to cooperate with the U.N. within reason, and this gives us the opportunity to do what we can to convince them that we are not a threat to global security. We need to use this to mitigate any damage Menoa may have caused to our reputation, regardless of the outcome of her personal court case."

"Sounds like this could take a while," Matt mused. "Do you know how long we need to be there?"

"No specific period of time has been decided. Normally, the General Assembly's regular session lasts from September to December each year, but I have no cause to believe this will last anywhere near that long. However, I think it is reasonable to expect anywhere from two or three days to over a week."

"I'd have to find a place to stay in the area if it's that long…" Matt muttered.

"About that," Izzy said as he shuffled his feet on the floor uncomfortably. "I've already informed Mimi about this, and she has generously offered to let whoever among us that decides to attend to stay in her apartment for the duration of the session, and Menoa's trial to follow."

"That sounds like it could get cramped really quickly," T.K. observed. "How big is her apartment, exactly?"

"I don't have the exact dimensions," Izzy answered. "From what I hear, it's modestly spacious by Manhattan standards, but you're right, T.K., living conditions would be severely 'cramped.' Mimi seemed positively excited about the idea, however, likening it to 'camping out in the Digital World like we used to', only this time, naturally, we would segregate ourselves by sex. Mimi stated that the ladies could join her in her bedroom, while the men would all sleep on mats on the living room floor."

"How many bathrooms?" Kari asked skeptically.

"Err...one, I believe."

"I think I'll just take a Digi-port each day."

"Suit yourself. The invitation is there if you want it, and you may accept or reject it as you please. I am simply relaying the information. In any event, I have decided to secure my own accommodations in Brooklyn. The real issue for those commuting, so to speak, from home will be the time difference. New York is thirteen hours behind our time here, so you will want to be appropriately prepared."

T.K. slapped his forehead. "Oh, man. Who knew you could have jet-lag without the jet?" he groaned.

"I...think I'll take Mimi up on her offer," Tai said. "It'd be easier for me than to keep juggling different time-zones, and I won't have to rely on someone with a D3 to get me there every day."

"Me too," added Matt. Then he looked at Tai. "You don't still snore, do you?"

"What are you talking about? I don't snore."

Gatomon's ears twitched. "He never stopped. I could hear him all the way from Kari's room up until he moved out."

"I don't snore!" Tai protested.

"Better bring some earplugs," Kari advised.


The United Nations building, New York City; April 11, 2011 – 9:00am.

Tai shivered against the chill morning wind that swept from the East River as he walked down First Avenue. So this is New York city, he thought. He looked around at the dense forest of tall buildings, each one a monument of human ingenuity. Even though he had grown up in the largest metropolitan area in the world, it was still an impressive sight. In many ways it felt entirely different from Tokyo, a strange and alien landscape where everything looked just a little bit off somehow. And yet there was a certain familiarity about it that was comforting. The similarities were enough that it was easy to see how Mimi could feel at home here.

He stood wearing a simple black suit jacket and trousers over a plain white dress shirt and thin black tie; he looked reasonably nice, but it was nothing special in terms of business attire and certainly wouldn't stand out over the company he would soon be in, but at least he wouldn't be thrown out on account of his wardrobe. Tai looked down at the shiny black loafers on his feet. He'd finally broken down and bought a pair of dress shoes for the occasion, considering it necessary. However, they were uncomfortable and as yet still not broken in. Beside him were Kari, Matt, and Cody. Kari wore a dress of a deep red color that went below the knees and left her arms bare. Cody's suit was brown with a beige grid-pattern shirt and sky-blue tie, whereas Matt wore grey trousers and a matching vest but no suit jacket or tie, just a shirt of mint-green with the top button undone and the sleeves rolled casually to the elbow. Together they walked along the sidewalk next to an iron fence, behind which were a long line of tall flagpoles representing the different countries that made up the United Nations. Mimi had hailed them a cab from her apartment to a spot a couple blocks from their destination, where they found Izzy already waiting for them. He was in a custom-tailored suit of better quality than any of their outfits, complete with a bright red bow-tie at his throat.

"Follow me," beckoned Izzy with a wave, "we need to pick up our passes." Their little band came up to the entrance blocked by a heavy iron gate that swung on a hinge for diplomats' cars to come through. To the left of the gate was a concrete booth where security monitored the traffic in and out of the complex. Izzy stepped up to the booth and spoke in clear English to the man behind the plexiglass window. "Excuse me, sir. I and my friends need visitor's passes. We're here for the General Assembly meeting on digimon today."

"You're here for the General Assembly?" the guard repeated incredulously.

"Yes. An open invitation has been extended to all Digidestined and, well, we're Digidestined, you see." Izzy held up his digivice for the guard.

The guard peered at it curiously. After a long moment of wide-eyed inspection, he nodded to his associate, who exited the booth holding a collapsible stand with a small blue background curtain and a camera slung around his neck. The guards proceeded to take their picture and record their names and other pertinent bits of information. At the end of it they were each given a personalized visitor's pass suspended from a lanyard. The shiny plastic was smooth in Tai's hand and felt quality-made. A shiver passed through him at the sight of his name and picture on the official credentials emblazoned with the United Nations globe and olive branches, and the title 'Digidestined' over the delegate line. This is really happening, he thought. He looked up at the towering building before him and wondered whether Agumon would have ever believed him if he told him what he was about to do.

The guard gestured them toward a metal detector, saying, "This way please, any metal or electronic devices must be placed in these bins as you go through the scanner." They complied, laying their phones and digivices in bins on an aluminum table that reached around either end of the scanner. But when the security guard went to proffer Izzy—who was first in line—his items back, he hesitated.

"Is there a problem?" Izzy asked.

"My apologies, sir," replied the guard, "but I'm afraid your digi-device things will have to stay behind. I will keep them here and you can retrieve them once the assembly is over for the day."

A dark scowl formed over Izzy's face like a thunderhead. "Sir, I must protest. There is no reason why I must leave my digivice behind. I assure it you it poses no security risk; without my digimon partner present, it is functionally useless. We would not have even brought them if we didn't need them to prove that we are in fact Digidestined."

The air around them gained an atmosphere of mild tension as the guard considered Izzy's answer. "If it is so harmless," he replied, "then I'm sure you won't mind leaving it here for safekeeping. As I said, it will be returned to you when the assembly concludes."

Izzy shot the guard a withering glance. "My digivice stays with me. I will not consent to be parted from it for even a moment." Tai noticed that Izzy decided to leave out the fact that their phones had all the same capabilities as their digivices.

"That goes for all of us," Kari said crossly. The others nodded in agreement.

"Then you will not be permitted to enter," said the guard with an air of finality.

There was a pregnant pause as the two groups appeared to be at an impasse. Then Matt gave a cunning smile. "Surely you're not that stupid," he said.

The guard stood straighter, like a prairie dog searching for predators. "Excuse me?"

Matt went on. "Look, I get it. It's your job to keep the perimeter secure, and you want to make sure no weapons get in—after all, it'd be bad if an international incident happened on your watch. It's a big responsibility, and you're worried about looking bad in front of your superiors. Perhaps it's even been suggested that you confiscate our digivices. Am I right?"

The guard's eyes widened slightly, as if trying not to let on how much Matt had guessed correctly. "I am not at liberty to divulge that information," he replied stiffly.

Matt nodded sympathetically. "I know. I'm in my home country's armed forces, I know what it's like. So believe me when I say I can appreciate the position you're in. But you can't possibly enforce this in reality. No Digidestined would willingly leave their digivice with a stranger, and I guarantee they'll all give you the same answer we did. What are you going to do then? Are you going to let the assembly be a complete failure to launch because none of the Digidestined that the United Nations called this meeting to hear were allowed in? This is the whole purpose of the assembly, if you don't let us pass I'd hate to think what would happen—"

"You shut up!" ordered the guard a bit shrilly. Then after a moment's hesitation he shoved the bin into Izzy's arms. "You may pass," he grumbled.

Unlike the guard, Izzy maintained his composure. "Thank you very much," he said with deliberate courtesy.

As they completed the line through the checkpoint and began to walk away, Cody tapped Matt on the arm. "Nice going," he whispered, impressed.

They passed by a large patch of pavement where black cars with little flags entered through the main gate and swung around a traffic circle to let the dignitaries out by the entrance, after which the drivers would pull around into what was presumably a parking garage underground. Following the flow of traffic, they went around the tall and skinny office building in front of them and came to a covered awning which lead into a shorter but much longer structure. They settled in line behind a beautiful lady whose badge said "Cuba", and an older gentleman from France. Snatches of conversation from several languages flowed around them as they came inside to the outer lobby and down a short hallway to a set of double doors held open for them.

"Wow," Kari breathed.

Suddenly they were inside a massive auditorium with green carpeted floors and scores of tables and chairs filling the space, each seat with its own microphone stand and nameplate indicating the nation being represented. The walls loomed upward until they stretched into a domed ceiling roughly sixty feet above them. A balcony ringed the edge of the rotunda, only fading into the wall as it reached to either side of the stage directly ahead, where a large central podium stood. Behind the podium was a great golden wall with the symbol of the United Nations hanging ostentatiously in the center.

They were guided by a pair of ushers to two rows of tables midway to the stage with signs on the end clearly marked 'DIGIDESTINED' in several languages. They sat down at the first table and waited for the rest of the delegates to do the same. More and more people filed in over the next ten minutes until most of the seats in the auditorium were filled. Then a familiar figure abruptly slipped into the chair beside Kari, which was nearest the aisle.

"Oh good, I made it in time after all. Phew!"

"Michael?" asked a startled Kari.

"Yup, that's me!" Michael answered, grinning amiably. His appearance had been so unexpected, Kari could scarcely do more than blink in confusion. His thick curly blonde hair had been combed back with gel, and he wore a bright yellow dress shirt with khaki slacks; in fact, he looked so different from how she was used to seeing him that it was a wonder she recognized him at all.

"What are you doing here?"

"Same reason as you, I expect," he chuckled. "Mimi couldn't make it today, so she sent me in her place to represent our team here in Manhattan. Didn't she tell you I was coming?"

The corner of Matt's lip twitched in amusement. "She must have forgotten to mention it."

Michael nodded. "That does sound like Mimi."

"Remember, everyone," Izzy instructed in a low voice, "try not to say anything that might make us look bad or that could be construed as threatening, but answer their questions truthfully."

The others would have responded, but just then a large dark-skinned man stepped up to the podium and tapped his microphone.

"Attention! Attention, everyone," said the man in a pronounced South African accent. "I will now call this special meeting of the General Assembly to order." There was a great sound of shuffling as people quickly took their seats and the myriad conversations hushed. When silence reigned, he continued, "Esteemed ladies and gentlemen, we have here today as our honored guests representatives from the self-proclaimed International Digidestined Coalition, who have graciously agreed to meet with us and shed light on some recent happenings around the world, and to answer questions about them and their organization. It is my hope that you will receive their words with attentive ears, and open minds and hearts, so that we may strive together for greater unity and peace across our planet."

The speaker's words were met with a polite smattering of applause. "I would now like to invite the Digidestined to come forward so that they may introduce themselves. Please welcome them."

Before he exited the stage, he gestured to Tai and the others and then to a long table situated on a lower stage below the high podium at the front of the room. The Digidestined got up to the sound of more applause and made their way down to the indicated table. Tai claimed the seat at the left end of the table facing the audience; Matt sat beside him, followed by Izzy, Cody, Kari, and Michael. Tai was dazzled by the sea of faces whose gaze was fixed upon him and his friends, to say nothing of the dozen or so cameras sprinkled throughout the arena that he knew would be sending a live feed all over the earth. It struck him how much easier it had been to address the IDC during their broadcast about the breaking of bonds simply because he could not see the thousands of people that were watching him. This was entirely different; the level of scrutiny was nerve-wracking. Here goes nothing, he thought, steeling himself.

Tai glanced down the table to his comrades, then leaned forward into the mic and said, "Well, I guess I'll start. My name is Tai Kamiya, and I am the Master-General of the International Digidestined Organization—I suppose that just means I'm the leader."

Tai gestured to his left for Matt to pick up from there. He did. "I'm Matt Ishida, the Lieutenant Master-General, or second-in-command, of the IDC."

"And I am Izzy Izumi," Izzy chimed in. "Though some might know me as the President of Izumi Industries, I am also the third-in-command of the IDC."

Kari gave a shy little wave to the room at large. "Hi, I'm Kari Kamiya, Tai's little sister. I'm a General-Commander. The four of us are part of the original group of Digidestined. We were the first to discover the Digital World."

Cody cleared his throat before saying, "I'm Cody Hida, one of the second-generation Digidestined that were guided through our own adventures in the Digital World by Tai and the others three years after they were there. I am also a General-Commander."

"And I'm Michael Walker, General of the Digidestined of New York, here on behalf of my team leader, General-Commander Mimi Tachikawa, who is also an original Digidestined."

Tai took back over from there. "So um, yeah. We're Digidestined, which, in case anyone doesn't already know, means we are people who are privileged to have—or have had—a partnership with a digimon, powerful digital creatures from another world or dimension or whatever. Anyway, we could talk about this subject for days and there are countless directions we could go with this dialogue, so I think maybe we should open up the floor to questions and go from there. What does the world want to know?"

A tall man in a military uniform stood and took a microphone in hand. There were three silver stars on his epaulets. "This question is for Mr. Kamiya. I am Lieutenant General Lawrence McCullough, U.S. Army. As I'm sure everyone here knows, the word 'General' means something in the American military, and it does not get bestowed on someone lightly. I earned this rank over many years of hard work, sacrifice, and service in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf. I've heard this same word casually bandied about several times just now by you and your companions, and my question to you is this: what makes you worthy of such a title? What have any of you accomplished that could possibly qualify you to be a General?"

So complete was the silence that fell over the room that even the shallowest of breaths could have shattered it. Feeling suddenly warm, Izzy picked nervously at his collar and silently pleaded for Tai to please not overreact and cause an international incident. But contrary to expectations, a slight curling of his fists was the only outward sign of Tai's indignation. He took a moment to calm himself and gather his thoughts before answering coolly: "General, regarding the others, I gave them their titles, and it too was not done lightly—after all, I have fought side-by-side with them countless times and consider them just as worthy of it as myself—though I confess it was done partly out of necessity. We are a small but growing organization newly formed compared to others, and we need leaders to guide our newer members. So perhaps it could be said that a Digidestined General does not carry the same pedigree as a U.S. Army General. Not yet. But as for myself…"

Tai exhaled softly and leaned forward onto his elbows. "Sir, with all do respect, I had my first encounter with a digimon when I was seven years old, during the Highton View Terrace incident, which some of you may be familiar with. I became a Digidestined in 1999 when I, along with six others, were transported to the Digital World. Since then, I have been blasted, burned, frozen, digitized, half-drowned, electrocuted, turned into a keychain—" Several dozen pairs of eyebrows around the chamber rose at that statement. "—and disintegrated. I've fought in two worlds and on the internet, and have helped save them all no less than four times—five if you count the most recent incident with Miss Bellucci."

His voice grew in strength as he spoke, but what had become almost a swaggering, boastful pride now dimmed and got more somber. "I've watched dear friends fall in battle. I've led my team against what seemed like impossible odds and still triumphed. I may not have medals on my chest, but I bear the Crest of Courage in my heart. And during the last eight years, I have participated in over 400 successful operations returning wild digimon to the Digital World, with zero casualties and minimal property damage. How many of your Generals could say the same?"

General McCullough was left red-faced and speechless. After all, what response could he give to that? Though outlandish, the boy's claims weren't easily disprovable. But what struck the General most was the weight of conviction blazing behind his eyes. The boy really believes what he's saying, he realized. True, he could be crazy, but he doubted it. Kamiya had spoken like a battle-hardened warrior, and had reacted in just the same manner as he himself would if someone were to question the authenticity of his rank, or of his soldiers. He would have to investigate this boy further to find out the truth. Cowed and uncertain, McCullough returned to his seat without a word.

Cody looked at Tai with newfound wonder and respect. When had he become such an orator? He wondered if it was just his natural leadership taking over or if it really was all those political classes he took in college.

The next questioner, a woman in traditional Indian clothing, stepped forward. "How did you become a Digidestined, and what are the conditions that dictate who gets a digimon and who doesn't?"

To Tai's surprise, Kari responded. "All the Digidestined we know of were chosen as young children or in the early teenage years, so it seems to be something that is decided during a particular stage in a person's development—and this is consistent with what we've recently discovered about the nature of a Digidestined's bond with their digimon and their potential as a child. So it may comfort or perhaps disappoint some of you to know that those who are already adults most likely will never become Digidestined. We've also found that before becoming a Digidestined, people typically have some sort of prior encounter with a digimon. For the four of us, we all met our partners while at summer camp, but we found out later that we had all witnessed the Highton View Terrace incident Tai mentioned earlier; that was the catalyst for us, just as later events brought new people into our group. Cody's initiation, for example, was during the fight with Myotismon in the Odaiba Fog incident, and many other people around the world witnessed the battle on the internet. Our group was chosen because the Digital World was in serious danger at the time and needed us to save it; I think that opened the door for other people to experience the wonderful bond we can share with digimon as well."

"You mentioned being chosen to be Digidestined," the Indian woman continued. "Chosen how? And by whom?"

"That's...a difficult question to answer," Kari replied apologetically. "We were chosen by mysterious beings that monitor the positive and negative forces in the Digital World in order to preserve harmony, one of whom we've gotten to know and befriend through our adventures. His name is Gennai. Each Digidestined appears to be chosen because of a particular quality or trait they possess that allows their partner digimon to digivolve, and each trait is unique to that individual."

"These beings," another person asked, "are they digimon?"

"Kari shook her head. "No, they're...something else. I'm not quite sure what."

The next question came from a man with a comically large silver mustache that appeared to cover half his face."This Digital World," he asked, "where is it? How does one access it?"

Izzy answered this one. "The Digital World is, as the name implies, a world composed of digital data entirely separate from our physical dimension. With man's advancement in electronic technology, our world and the Digital one have become more and more intertwined, with events in one sometimes affecting the other. However, the Digital World can only be reached through the use of a digivice, which all Digidestined have, usually by opening a gate to it from a computer or digital television."

Izzy pulled a flash drive from his pocket and held it up for everyone to see. "I also brought along a visual aid. May I?" He gestured to the USB port integrated into the table in front of him that he knew connected to a projector mounted from the balcony. When no objection was forthcoming, he inserted the flash drive into the slot, triggering a large screen to unroll from the ceiling that began to display high-definition images of the Digital World. Involuntary gasps and awed murmurs were heard around the auditorium.

"Miss Kamiya is an amateur photographer, and graciously lent me some of the many pictures she's taken of the Digital World over the years." Izzy flipped through slide after slide: a pack of Tyrannomon at sunset, a view of Infinity Mountain, a shot of T.K. and Yolei—several years younger than they were now—flying on Pegasusmon and Halsemon laughing about something, the field of Digi-eggs in Primary Village, and much more. "The Digital World is a beautiful and dangerous place. Many friendly digimon live there, as well as some that are not so friendly. That is why we always go in groups if we can, and always with our partners to help out in case we run into trouble…"


The morning passed into afternoon, and afternoon into evening. The members of the General Assembly were extremely curious and intrigued by everything they had to say. And they never seemed to run out of questions! Each answer led to three new things to explain or to clarify, or a rumor or misunderstanding to be set right. They only took one break at noon for an hour, and then it was right back to it. At last the Assembly dismissed for the day at four o'clock to pick back up in the morning. Tai was surprised at how exhausted he felt at the end of the day from what was essentially just a lot of sitting and talking. But there was so much pressure underneath it all to represent his fellow Digidestined well and to present a favorable impression on the world stage. He was thankful it wasn't a burden that he had to bear alone; Kari, Matt, and Izzy were very helpful with pointing out things that he hadn't thought to say, or just taking over the dialogue entirely for brief periods. Even Cody and Michael provided plenty of their own commentary, occasionally bringing a fresh perspective as a younger-generation of Digidestined.

The next day, the format was changed somewhat, moving from a panel-style discussion to one-on-one interviews, starting with Tai. Sora, T.K., and Joe were with them this time, though Cody had other obligations that day. As they sat down to their table, Sora looked nervously around the chamber. "This place is huge," she whispered to herself. Turning to Matt beside her, she pointed to the small podium down at the front, "So we're supposed to take turns going over there and talking about being a Digidestined in front of all these people?"

Matt shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much. It was a little different yesterday, though; we had a whole table where we all could jump in at any point."

"That sounds easier," Sora commented.

Matt nodded in agreement. "It was more of a conversation than…"

"An interrogation?" she finished.

Matt frowned. "Well, yeah. When you put it like that…are you scared?"

Sora shivered and leaned into him for comfort. "Very," she admitted.

"Come on, Sora," Tai said encouragingly. "This is a cakewalk compared to a lot of other things we've had to do. At least here no one's trying to kill us."

"That you know of," Sora argued back, looking warily around. "Just because they don't have devil horns doesn't mean we don't have any enemies here. How are you so upbeat at the idea of going out there totally exposed like that? Especially being the leader. You'd be the prime target if there was an assassin…"

"Sora," Joe groaned, "I can't speak for Tai, but you're really not helping me feel any better about this circus!"

Sora clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide with the realization of what she'd just said. "I'm sorry. Don't listen to me. I'm just psyching myself out, I didn't mean to put scary thoughts into your head."

Tai put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's all right," he said, chuckling lightly. "It is scary. Public speaking is one of the most common fears in the world; I'm going to have to do this sort of thing for a living in my profession, and I'm still not very good at it. But I've had some practice with it, and yesterday helped me adjust somewhat. As for the danger…" he tapped his nose conspiratorially and whispered, "I wouldn't be that worried. I have a feeling I have angels watching over me."

Sora's eyebrows rose in understanding and quickly scanned the room as if she could spot what he was talking about. "Here? How?" she hissed. But Izzy shushed her, as the meeting was starting.

The Speaker called for order and formally greeted the Assembly, then invited Tai to move to the podium down in front. "Wish me luck," said Tai to his friends, and did so.

The first to come forward this time was a delegate from Germany. Before asking his question, he played a clip of the now-infamous video of the broadcast they'd made to INDICON where they organized the IDC into a hierarchy with Tai as its head. "Mr. Kamiya," he said in slightly accented English, "you recorded this video on August 23, 2010, correct?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"And this was the point at which you unified the global community of Digidestined into an army?"

"Well, we don't like to think of ourselves as an army," Tai corrected, "though there may be times when we will have to mobilize and fight sort of like one. We call ourselves the International Digidestined Coalition because we are a collection of largely independent teams scattered over the earth, but which are capable of coming together when the need arises."

The German nodded his head. "In what conditions would you see fit to'mobilize' your forces? Who do you intend to fight?"

"I hope I never have to," Tai replied, "but if a great enough digital threat to the Real World—or a human threat to the Digital World—presents itself, we would respond accordingly."

"Why would you and your friends decide to consolidate so much power for yourselves, and why now?"

"The day we made that video was the day after I lost my digimon partner; that event put certain things into a new perspective for me. I knew then that there would come a point in every Digidestined's life where they would lose their partner as well, including all of my friends. We have protected the balance of both worlds for years now, but a day is coming when we will no longer be able to do so. I realized that we had to teach the coming generation of Digidestined to carry the torch, so to speak, and this was the best way I could see to do so. But you can't teach or mentor without some sort of authority, which is why I and my friends set ourselves up as leaders of the IDC. It's not like we wanted this responsibility, we didn't suddenly wake up one day with the desire to command thousands of people and digimon. We just want to do what we can to make sure both worlds are safe when we can't fight anymore."

"What are your intentions with the IDC?" asked another delegate. "How do you plan on using this, ehh...not-an-army?"

Tai tried not to show his irritation. Hadn't he just explained this? The answer should be obvious. For the first of many times to come, he wondered if they were really listening to him. "All Digidestined have been chosen to protect the balance of the Digital World from internal and external threats, and the Real World from invasions of the same. Our Coalition aims to create a network of Digidestined united toward these ends, and to create a system of training and mentorship to the younger members to enable them to do this safely and effectively. My fighting days are behind me; I want to spend the coming days trying to create peace between both worlds and to equip others to preserve that peace."

Tai's questioner paused, seemingly taken aback. Then he blurted, "How old are you, son?"

"Twenty-two. I turn twenty-three this summer."

"If I may say so," replied the delegate, "your speech is surprisingly mature and precise for one so young. Are you perhaps a lawyer?"

Tai chuckled. "No. Nothing like that."

"Please, then, what is your profession?"

Tai's laughed again deprecatingly. "I work at a pachinko parlor. It's like a small casino in my country." The man's eyebrows rose in confusion, but Tai continued. "But I have just completed a degree in Political Science and Economics, and I intend to use it to be a voice for the Digital World in the public square."

Tai's interviewer appeared intrigued. "Do you mean to involve yourself in the realm of geopolitics?"

"I'm not sure what you mean. I've no desire to meddle in other countries' affairs except where it concerns Digidestined and the Digital World. I want to help build a bridge between the two worlds and represent the concerns of digimon and their partners in places where they are not yet considered."

"In that case, Mr. Kamiya," the man said kindly, "What would you ask of the United Nations in this regard?"

"Only that you leave us be to do our duty and not interfere in Digidestined business, just as we will not interfere with yours. Perhaps...you could provide a platform for dialogue between the nations and the Digidestined when there is a conflict so that we may understand each other and attempt to live peaceably together."

"Inspiring words, and an interesting proposal, Mr. Kamiya. You have given us much to consider. Thank you for your time." The German bowed respectfully and returned to his seat. A quick glance to his friends' table showed a pleased Izzy sending Tai a discreet thumbs up. This was a good start, Tai thought. I hope the rest of the interviews go as well as this one.

The next person to approach was a petite woman in her mid-thirties with heavily tanned skin. The pin on her lapel was of the Brazilian flag. She had a troubled look on her face, and her body shook as if she suffered from a neurological disorder. She spoke then, and in speaking her voice also quivered, and it became clear that her trembling was not born from disease, but some kind of intensely felt emotion. "Mr. Kamiya, what I want to know is, how do you sleep at night?"

Warning bells sounded in his head. "Pardon?"

"How can you sleep at night with the blood of children on your hands?"

Tai's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong here. "I'm afraid I don't understand—"

"Don't play coy!" the woman screamed suddenly. Above them, the Speaker of the Assembly made eye contact with some men standing at the exits of the auditorium, and on that signal over a dozen guards began to stealthily make their way down the aisles toward them.

"You sit here and spew your filthy lies of peace, yet you lead an army of child-soldiers!" the Brazilian woman continued. "How dare you take our precious children to fight your battles?"

Tai fought to retain an air of calm and tried to diffuse the situation. "I don't choose who becomes a Digidestined and who doesn't," he protested, "I have no control over it and would never pressure a child to fi—"

"Silence!" Her voice had risen to a hysterical screech, and angry tears spilled over her cheeks. "I won't let you prey upon our children anymore! Especially my son!"

And then the very thing Sora had so fearfully spoken of occurred. The woman produced from her jacket pocket a handgun that she had somehow smuggled into the chamber and aimed it at Tai.

"No!" screamed Kari.

From then on things happened very quickly. There was a pair of bright flashes of light and a noise that sounded like a sonic boom in the enclosed space and suddenly Angemon and Angewomon were there, but the crazed delegate from Brazil was already pulling back the trigger. Angewomon dove to put herself in between Tai and the path of the bullet, but Angemon, who was closer, moved swiftly toward the woman. He whipped his arm in a savage upward strike that knocked the pistol from her hand with his staff just as it fired, causing the bullet to lodge harmlessly in the ceiling. The woman howled with pain and clutched her likely broken wrist to her chest. Half a heartbeat later she was lifted by the throat off the ground by Angemon's enormous hand, and Angewomon readied a Celestial Arrow poised taut on the string of her bow. The guards raised their rifles and took aim at the digimon.

The rest of the chamber was plunged into near pandemonium. A multitude of screams rang out when the weapon fired and people scrambled out of their seats to take cover.

"Madre de Dios!" shrieked the Spanish delegate as she crossed her heart frantically.

"É l'angelo Michele," muttered the Italian representative before he fainted.

Out of all the people in the auditorium, Tai recovered his wits the fastest. In fact, he hadn't so much as blinked when the woman pointed her gun at him, and he knew it was not due to a poor reaction time. His complete calm could only have been born from one of two things, and he was never afterward sure which was responsible: either he had such intrinsic faith in T.K. and Kari's partners to protect him that he wasn't concerned in the least...or he simply no longer had any fear of death. He'd survived many such close calls in the course of his life as a Digidestined, so much so that near-death experiences had become an almost mundane thing. Tai's reaction (or rather, his lack of one), he knew, was far from that of a normal person, and it struck him once again just how different he had become from everyone else. The thought filled him with a strange mixture of pride and sadness. I've become too desensitized to danger, Tai realized. The thing nobody ever tells you about being a hero is that even when you win, there is still a cost to saving the world. Even if Agumon hadn't left, I think I still should have stopped fighting.

In the midst of the chaos, Tai spread out his hands and cried, "Wait, wait, everyone STOP! Angemon, stand down! Angewomon, lower your bow! Don't let this escalate any further!"

The digimon obeyed the order, with Angemon lowering the Brazilian diplomat to the floor and Angewomon reluctantly easing the tension from her bowstring. But she remained hovering between the woman and Tai to shield him from further violence, and Angemon still held the deranged delegate gently but firmly in his grasp.

"Mr. Speaker," Tai said, addressing the South African man in the raised platform behind him, "I ask that you instruct your men to please lower their rifles."

The Speaker nodded in agreement and gave the order with a hand gesture, saying, "Everyone, will you please calm down. The excitement is over, the situation is under control now. Please return to your seats."

A ring of guards carefully shrank around the representative from Brazil and Angemon released her into their custody. "No, you can't do this!" she continued howling as they led her away. "You can't take my son from me! Give him back!"

The Speaker scowled darkly at Tai and said "I apologize deeply for the actions of Miss Correa. She has disgraced this Assembly and transgressed the hospitality of our organization. However, you also have violated our security protocols by bringing digimon into this chamber."

"And I'm very glad that I did violate them," Tai retorted hotly. "As should you. Otherwise, I would be dead, and you would have a global crisis on your hands! Your security has failed, Mr. Speaker. It is fortunate that I had my own in reserve." Now that the danger was past, Tai was finding his temper again as it started to sink in just how close he had come to dying.

Angemon and Angewomon reverted to their smaller forms and flew or scurried to their partners. "Do I have to get back in that stuffy backpack now?" Patamon asked, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"I don't think there would be much point, I'm afraid," Kari answered shakily for the both of them. "Everybody knows you're here now. Just stay close to us and don't do anything to scare them." Her face had turned exceptionally pale even for her fair complexion when Tai's life was threatened, but the first traces of color were starting to return to her cheeks. She was extremely thankful Tai had come up with the plan for her and T.K. to smuggle in their digimon through a digital gate in one of the conference rooms before the day's session started. If they hadn't...well, she would rather not think about it.

"I won't make any promises," Gatomon murmured warily, her large blue eyes scanning the room for other dangers.

The Speaker continued. "I won't ask how you got them in here, but I must request that the digimon leave the compound immediately."

"Not on your life, bud. Not after what just happened. Gatomon and Patamon are staying, or else we're leaving. And this whole assembly will end in failure."

The Speaker fidgeted with indecision, visibly uncomfortable.

"I give you my word that they will not cause trouble to anyone that does not intend to harm us," promised Tai.

"I...do not have the authority to grant this concession. We must have a vote."

A vote was taken. In the end, one hundred and nineteen members out of one hundred ninety-three voted for the digimon to remain there. Since this was not a vote on a major global issue, it passed with a simple majority. The digimon could stay!

When the Assembly finally began to go back to normal, Tai returned to his original seat and Izzy took his place at the podium. "So far you've all heard a great deal from us, but listening to what I and my fellow Digidestined have to say is really only half the picture. You should hear from our digimon as well. But since digimon—at least up until a few minutes ago—were not permitted on the grounds, I have prepared this video conference with a section of cyberspace where my personal digimon partner is waiting to interact with you all. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Tentomon."

With that, Izzy tapped a few keys on his laptop, and an image of a large ladybug-like digimon appeared on the projector screen. "Greetings, humans!" Tentomon cried cheerfully. "It's nice to meet you, and I come in peace!"

Izzy resisted the impulse to smack his face. I come in peace? How cliché. Tentomon's been watching too many sci-fi films. Facing his partner, he said, "Are you ready, Tentomon?"

"Sure thing, Izzy!"

Izzy turned back to his audience. "You may direct your questions to my partner. He can hear you just fine."

A large portly man from Greece was first. "Mr.—er, Tentomon, is it? How did you come to meet Mr. Izumi?"

"Just Tentomon is fine, thank you. We digimon don't have titles or honorifics attached to our names. I first met Izzy about eleven years ago, your planet's time. I was just a Motimon back then. I was with the other In-Training digimon that would get partnered with the rest of Izzy's team—except for Gatomon, of course, she came later. I waited for Izzy for what felt like years, and I suppose it really must have been years in my world, though I had no way of keeping track of time. I waited and waited, and then one day he just fell out of the sky with Tai and the other Digidestined! Bang!"

A few of the more skittish delegates flinched at Tentomon's enthusiastic outburst. A slim dark-skinned woman in a vibrant green dress and elaborately braided hair came forward, and said in a Jamaican accent, "How would you describe your relationship to Mr. Izumi? Is it subordinate, or more symbiotic?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure I follow," Tentomon replied uncertainly. "Izzy is my partner, and I am his. We share a special bond that no one else has. I help him protect his world and he provides me with food, friendship, and fun. And we get to learn so much from each other! I get to show him all about the Digital World, and through Izzy I get to learn about humans. If you were to ask, I'm sure both of us would say that we have the better end of this partnership."

Izzy nodded in agreement. "I couldn't have said it better. Thanks, Tentomon."

Next, General McCullough returned to the platform. "Tentomon," he said, as though trying out the word. "I think I recognize you. You participated in the events of March 4th, 2000 involving a battle on the internet against a…" The General checked his notes. "Diaboromon?"

Tentomon nodded enthusiastically. "Oh boy, that sure brings me back! Now there was a fight that went down to the wire! This crazy virus-ridden digimon was running amok on the internet, and once again it was up to us to save the world!"

The General nodded gravely. "That was a stressful time for me. I was stationed at the Pentagon at the time and it was a real crisis over there. We never could figure out how one of our nuclear missiles was launched toward Japan. Luckily, it was safely disarmed during its flight and landed harmlessly in the ocean, but the incident has been an embarrassment to my country ever since. Would you be able to shed any light on that subject?"

"Yes, well if I recall, Diaboromon hacked into your system and launched it as an attempt to stop Tai and Izzy from thwarting his plans. Fortunately, Omnimon destroyed him just in the nick of time!"

"Are all digimon capable of such feats of cyber-warfare?"

"I find it highly unlikely," Tentomon answered. "While I'm sure most if not all digimon possess all the basic components necessary to perform high-level hacking feats—us being primarily digital beings and all—very few would have the problem-solving skills needed to do so, let alone the motivation. Most digimon are pretty simple-minded, actually. A lot of them can't even speak very well."

"So there's little chance of another attack like that coming from a digimon?" the General pressed.

"Barring some unforeseen special circumstances, like the conditions that caused Diaboromon to be created, I doubt it."

"What about the Digidestined, like your partner, for example? Mr. Izumi seems to know his way around a computer pretty well."

"Oh, Izzy's a simply wonderful computer hacker! Do you need someone to break into your country's system? Izzy could probably help! When I first met him he was a whiz with anything technological even back then. In fact, during the fight with Diaboromon we never would have been able to stay logged onto the web if he hadn't tapped into your military's satellite intern—"

"My partner is obviously mistaken," Izzy interrupted, laughing nervously. Tentomon had missed his looks of alarm and frantic but discreet hand signals urging him to stop. "I do have some modest talent when it comes to computers, but I have no experience or knowledge in slipping past government-grade firewalls, and I would certainly never attempt to breach the cyber-security of a sovereign nation. I have no desire to commit a felony, eh heh heh!"

The interviews went on. After Izzy and Tentomon, Matt gave testimony about his life as a Digidestined and a few of his experiences. But when discussing their inaugural trip to the Digital World someone asked how they managed to return to Earth, he simply said, "That is a story too long to tell in the time we have. But if you want to know every detail of our adventures, one of our group is currently writing a book about them." He gave a pointed look to his brother in the audience, smiling slightly. "Be on the lookout for it in the next couple of years." This sent a wave of excited tittering through the Assembly.

As the members of the U.N. continued to question them, hearing from T.K., Sora, and Joe, they seemed to genuinely want to know what being a Digidestined was like and to understand their viewpoint. Yesterday had seemed mostly concerned with the Digidestined politically and how they could affect governments around the globe and vice-versa. Today felt more focused on the Digidestined and their partners themselves, their experiences and aspirations.

The session ended for the day around 4:00 again, and Tai was definitely feeling the draining effects of both the day's excitement and the jet-lag of being in a time-zone completely inverted from his own. He could tell it was getting to the others too; Izzy had an ever-present thermos of oolong tea in his hand, Kari was beginning to get bags under her eyes, and Matt grew noticeably more irritable as the day wore on. Because everyone was so tired, they ate an early dinner and all passed out even before the sun went down.

The third day was dedicated almost entirely to hearing from other Digidestined around the world, and Tai's team were largely just spectating. Because of this, Matt, T.K., and Kari all went home since they weren't needed (Sora and Joe having left the prior evening), though Yolei, Mimi, and Davis made appearances for the first time at the Assembly. Several of those that spoke had met one or more of Tai's team before: there was Mina from India, Anna and Yuri from Russia, and Rosa from Mexico. Yolei had a warm reunion with the Russian kids, though their conversation was pretty much limited to hello hugs and smiles since Yolei still only knew a few words of Russian, almost all of them being food items. Rosa, who was now sixteen, was nearly unrecognizable from the girl in the Mayan Pyramid. She was disappointed that Matt and Ken weren't present, but she took a picture with Tai and Izzy and made them promise to tell them '¡Hola!' from her and Gotsumon. All the international Digidestined spoke briefly about how they first encountered their partners and how they have worked to preserve the balance between worlds since then. It was humbling to hear how reverentially they spoke about the original Digidestined, though at times their gushing bordered on hero-worship, which made Tai uncomfortable.

The Odaiba Digidestined were making their way back to their seats, having just returned from the lunch recess, when Tai was approached by the American General who had challenged him two days ago. He had a kind of embarrassed look on his face.

"General McCullough!" Tai said with some surprise. "What can I do for you?"

"Mister—ahh, General Kamiya," began McCullough, "I believe I owe you an apology. Yesterday I reviewed the tapes of the 2000 internet debacle—the top-secret unredacted ones on file at the Pentagon, mind you—and what I saw positively astounded me. I saw you and your friends out there, fighting that—that monster. Fighting with everything you had, and with so much on the line. You were just kids." He shook his head in amazement. "To think that the fate of the world would be placed on people so young…"

The General got a faraway look in his eye, and Tai could tell that he was somewhere else entirely, reliving old memories that perhaps he'd rather forget. "They were so young…" he muttered regretfully. His eyes clouded over for a second, and then he was himself again. "Ah, what was I saying? Oh yes. Anyway, that coupled with how you handled yourself during that Brazilian woman's shameful display, I feel compelled to take back everything I said. You are clearly no stranger to war. An old soldier like me knows how to spot other old soldiers, and I can see the steel in your eye."

"Speaking of that woman," Tai said, "do you know anything about her?"

General McCullough scowled seriously, and answered in a low voice, "From what I hear, she has a ten-year-old boy. And when he found out that his mom was in the same room as the great Tai Kamiya and listening to him speak, he was so excited that he confessed he had recently become a Digidestined himself. He introduced his mother to his partner with pride, but as you can imagine, she didn't react to the news as favorably as he hoped; instead, she flew into a rage, and I don't know that I would have done any differently. I have a son myself, you see, though he's older than you are now. But if I had discovered my boy at that age was a Digidestined, and seeing the kinds of things you get involved in...I don't know what I'd do. I'd be terrified of losing him. It's every parent's worst nightmare."

Tai thought of his own parents with immense gratitude for their acceptance and support over the years and gained a new appreciation for how amazing it was. Many kids were not so lucky. Tai knew that was why so many Digidestined kept that part of themselves a secret from their family. Not every Digidestined's parents had to live through something like Myotismon's invasion of Odaiba and got to see firsthand just how important their job was.

"It is a great burden to bear," Tai acknowledged gravely. "Do you know what happened then?"

"She drove the creature from her home. She made him send it back to where it came from."

"Oh no," Tai sighed. It was just what he'd feared. "What will happen to the boy now?"

"Well, his mother will go to prison—for how long, I couldn't guess—and I suppose the boy will be taken in by family, or perhaps child services, for the time being."

"Or he might flee to the Digital World," Tai muttered to himself under his breath. Then: "I think I'd like to reach out to the boy's family and see if there's anything I can do for them. I'll speak to Izzy about getting his contact information."

"That's mighty big of you," the General remarked approvingly, "I'm sure they'd appreciate it. Anyway, I want you to have this." McCullough thrust a business card with his name and phone number on it into Tai's hand. "If you ever need some help from the U.S. Army, give me a call. As long as it wouldn't involve committing open treason to my country, I'll do everything in my considerable power to help."

Tai's eyes grew wide. "Th-thank you, sir!"

McCullough flashed him a dangerous smile, then snapped to attention and saluted him.

Tai returned it awkwardly, feeling a little silly.

"General," McCullough nodded as a farewell before swiveling on his heel and marching away.

The conference resumed with interviews of a handful of other Digidestined from various teams in different countries, several of whom Tai only understood through the team of translators. When the end of the third day of talks finally arrived, the Speaker stood up to draw the Assembly to a close. "I would like to thank everyone here for participating in this dialogue," he began, "and especially to our guests the Digidestined for coming here and sharing with us their culture, their mission, and their way of life. I think we all have learned a lot from them and have gained a new respect for what they do and the challenges they face. As this General Assembly comes to an end, we shall now move into a time of transition and turn to the pressing matter of the events that occurred around the world last August centered around a certain individual. Tomorrow, we shall commence with the hearing of one Menoa Bellucci and her part in those events, and the International Criminal Court shall pass judgment on her actions in this very room. The members of the General Assembly are invited to attend and observe, as this may also be informative with regard to how policy concerning digimon and the Digidestined may be shaped going forward. I hope to see you all then. Good night."

There was a great sound of shuffling chairs as everyone in the auditorium rose from their seats in preparation to leave, and Izzy released a breath of pent-up tension as he looked at Tai with artificial cheerfulness. "Well," he said, "we made it through the first stage without any major incidents—apart from your encounter with the lady from Brazil, that is. Let us hope that our streak of good fortune may continue throughout Menoa's trial as well."

The lines of strain and worry that Izzy had worn on his face lately were somewhat eased with relief, but they were not yet gone altogether. Tai felt his own knot of dreadful apprehension settle in his gut as he thought of the court case that now loomed over them and wondered what would come of it. Menoa's fate, and perhaps the fate of the IDC as a whole, would soon be decided.

A/N: So this is another chapter that I split up into two parts. For a long time this and the next chapter were envisioned as one, though I knew I would either have to split it or it would be absurdly long. But I had no idea how to break it up until I came to actually write it; fortunately, as it took shape things fell quite neatly into two sections: the General Assembly (this chapter) and Menoa's upcoming trial (the next). Initially all of it was one event but I came to realize this needed to be separate things, so that ultimately took care of itself. But this is the section I referred to as the most difficult part to write so far, probably for obvious reasons. This chapter, and especially the next one, were extremely challenging for me, and I'm afraid it shows. For one, this is so far-removed from Digimon's normal genre, it's more of a political thriller/courtroom drama, and I feel very underequipped to handle it well. This demands the skills of a better writer than I possess, and I apologize for any perceived decline in quality here. But I've done the best I can, so please bear with me as we get through this and the next chapter, and it should get more interesting from there. I promise all this is essential for what's up ahead. :)

And I tried very hard to make it at least a little interesting with things like the assassination attempt on Tai and exploring themes like the similarities between Tai as a veteran Digidestined and an experienced war General. Also, I figured now was as good a place as any to have a progression in Tai's hairstyle as we move further in time towards the epilogue. It's still not what we see in 2027, but it's something of a middle ground, an in-between stage.

Digimon episodes referenced: Several references to the first episode, "And So It Begins…", the Highton View Terrance Incident covered in s1 ep. 29, "Return to Highton View Terrace"/part 1 of Digimon: the movie and s1 ep. 45, "The Ultimate Clash"; Our War Game, a reference or two to the Myotismon arc in s1, and the "Digimon World Tour" arc in 02.

Next time on Digimon Adventure: Continuing Evolution—Chapter 16. The Trial of Menoa Bellucci.