Chapter 7. - Tomorrow.
"...And when I looked back, he wasn't there."
"Wow," Menoa whispered. It was the first time she'd spoken since Tai began his tale. They sat facing each other on crossed legs, she on her cot and he on the floor.
"I...think I lost myself for a while," Tai continued. "I don't even remember when Kari and Izzy found me and took me home, though they tell me that's what happened."
Menoa nodded sympathetically. "Yeah. It happened to me too, when Morphomon vanished."
Tai stared at a spot on the floor, eyes unfocused. "I've gotta admit...I can kind of see why you tried to do what you did, especially after so long without your partner." Tai caught himself, realizing how that sounded, and added, "Don't get me wrong. I don't regret what I did; I know it was the right choice. But sometimes I wonder what would happen if...if I was faced with it again. Would I make a different choice? I want to believe I could do it again if I had to. But now that I really know what it's like without him...I don't know."
"Tai!"
He was snapped out of his reverie by the anguish in the way she called his name, and he looked up to find Menoa struggling against the tears that pooled in her eyes until they—despite her best efforts—finally began to fall.
"I never wanted any of this to happen," she whimpered. "I never intended to steal all of those people's consciousnesses, I just wanted to find a way to prevent anyone else from feeling the same pain that I feel every day! When Eosmon's egg hatched after so many years of trying, I told myself I finally had the chance to save them all! Even if that meant…" She shook her head and exhaled heavily. "I guess I lost myself too. And I don't know if I can ever come back. Oh Tai, I'm so sorry!"
Menoa was sobbing openly now; Tai got to his feet in alarm, and before he quite knew what he was doing, he was holding the distraught young woman in his arms as she clutched the lapels of his suit jacket and cried into his shirt.
"Hey, hey! Shh, it's all right," he whispered, trying to calm her down.
"Why did you come here?" she moaned.
"I was worried about you," he answered. "I want to make sure you're okay."
"What do you care? It's my fault Agumon is gone! You could be with him right now if it weren't for me!"
"That wasn't your fault. It would have happened anyway, eventually. You said so yourself."
"But I forced you to fight! I made your bond break sooner! If you could stay with him for a little longer, even if it was for just an hour, wouldn't that be worth anything?"
Tai took a moment before answering. "Yes," he admitted reluctantly.
"Then why are you here, if not to take your revenge? Why should you care? You should hate me…"
Tai's reply was as simple as it was devastating: "Because you're one of us."
At that, Menoa broke down completely. Her legs buckled, and Tai followed her to the floor. He tried to console her and rubbed her back as she wept. Even in that moment he couldn't help noticing how soft her body was against his.
A loud bang startled Tai as a fist pounded on the steel door; Menoa's cries had reached the prison guards.
"Hey! What's going on in there?!" Groeneveld's muffled voice yelled from outside. "Don't make us come in there!"
Menoa pulled her head up from Tai's shoulder. "We're fine! Everything's all right!" she called, her voice shaking slightly.
"Uh, yeah, we're cool. Don't worry about us!" Tai added, hoping that sounded more convincing than it felt. He turned back to Menoa and whispered, "You've gotta get control of yourself before they throw me out of here!"
Menoa pulled away and nodded, covering her mouth with her hands to stifle her whimpering. "Okay. I'm sorry," she whispered.
Tai sat silent and still while Menoa gradually regained her composure. Once her breathing had slowed to a normal rhythm he said, "I don't hate you, Menoa. You're not the first human to give us trouble, or even the first Digidestined. Remind me to tell you the story of Ken Ichijouji sometime. He did a lot of really terrible things in the Digital World, and fought the younger members of our team for a long time. But they eventually defeated him and turned him back to the light, and in the end he became one of the most dependable members of our group. He taught me to never give up on anyone; and if he can come back, I know you can too. You can come back, Menoa."
Menoa sat quietly for a while, absorbing Tai's words. He waited with her patiently. At length, she said, "You really are amazing, Tai Kamiya. I thought I had you figured out, but your whole team managed to surprise me. I can see why you were chosen to be Digidestined."
"So were you."
She waved her hand dismissively, then leaned back against her cot and looked at him with her head tilted to one side. "So. What did you do next, after Agumon left?"
Tai straightened his back, and a firm determination exuded from his posture as much as the strength in his voice. "We did what we've always done," he replied. "We did what we had to."
Odaiba, Japan; August 23, 2010 – 9:16am
"...Tai, what will you do tomorrow?"
Tai exploded into consciousness, gasping as he flung off the blanket that covered him. While he waited for his erratic breathing to slow, he tried to take in his surroundings. He was lying on a bed in a dark room, the only illumination coming from what little light spilled past the thick curtains that were drawn over the window, but as his eyes adjusted he began to make out familiar features. I'm in my old room, he realized. The one in mom and dad's apartment that I used to share with Kari when we were kids. How did I get here? He recalled the events of the previous day, including Agumon's disappearance, but all of that seemed far away right now, as if what he'd experienced wasn't real but just another dream he had yet to wake up from. Tai heard a voice faint and indistinct emanating from the next room. He rolled slowly out of the lower bunk onto his bare feet and waddled groggily out the door.
He blinked against the sudden onslaught of light when he stepped through, and Kari's head snapped up from the couch where she had been quietly talking on the phone. Gatomon was curled up on the floor sleeping where the sunlight beamed through the glass balcony door.
"Hang on—he just got up. I gotta go, T.K., I love you." she murmured, then hung up and rose from the living room sofa, hurrying to his side. "Hey, you're finally up," Kari said, placing an arm around Tai's back as she guided him toward the kitchen. "How are you feeling? Would you like something to eat?" Her touch was light, and her voice soothing, like he was something precious and fragile that might shatter with a harsh word or careless movement.
Tai seemed slightly dazed. "Wait, Kari, why are you still here? What day is it?"
"It's Monday, Tai."
"Don't you have class on Mondays?"
"Shh, don't worry about that. I took the day off. And I already emailed your professors and let them know you won't be in class today either."
"Oh. Thanks."
She flashed him a quick smile—bright, yet tinged with sadness. "Of course. It's the least I can do. I was just about to make some eggs with rice, would you like some?"
"Sounds great. I think I'm going to take a shower first if that's okay."
Kari nodded. "Yeah. Mom still has a change of clothes for you in the bedroom closet for when you come visit. Breakfast will be ready when you get out."
Tai nodded his thanks and went to the bathroom.
The hot water was refreshing on Tai's skin and soothed the muscles in his back that, until now, he hadn't realized how sore they were. He still felt the bruises from the fight with Eosmon two nights ago. It was then that Tai fought the first wave of sorrow that welled up within himself since he'd woken. He hadn't forgotten, but now he felt the knowledge of Agumon's absence once again, just as fresh and raw as it had been last night. He gripped the shower knobs for support as he reeled from the force of the emotion and tried to resist the urge to break down again. He couldn't tell whether the water running down his face was from the shower or not. Agumon's voice still echoed in the recesses of his mind, asking that fateful question which presently plagued him: What will you do tomorrow? Tai knew that was something he had to figure out now. He was at a crossroads: how he spent this first day without him was infinitely important, for it would shape how he would spend the rest of them from now on. He had to find a way to move forward now, or he might never do so. What do I do now?, he thought, fighting the ache in his heart. What do I need to do?
Tai's mind began to work with an urgency that he had rarely felt before; he knew there was something for which he was needed, something only he could do. But what was it? As he stood there letting the water rush over him, Tai processed for the first time all the events of the past few days and what their implications were—not just for himself, but the other Digidestined around the world—and all of a sudden everything began to fall into place. He knew now what he had to do. What he was destined to do.
Tai emerged from the bathroom a different person. He was still the same carefree optimistic risk-taker, the same devoted brother and goofball friend that he had always been, but there was a resoluteness, a seriousness of purpose, that hadn't been there before. This Tai wasn't someone that merely floated through life and rolled with the punches anymore; this was someone that would actively meet the challenges that lay ahead straight-on, fearless, with a plan of attack firmly in place and a determination to not be caught off-guard.
Kari paused when he came to the kitchen still drying his hair, and regarded him strangely, as if she could sense the change in him. His gait and posture had been different before, shuffling and slouched, but now steady and confident and erect. Unshakable. He grabbed the bowl and chopsticks she had just placed on the counter for him and attacked the tamago gohan with vigorous enthusiasm. Kari slowly edged into a barstool across from him and observed her brother with caution.
"Tai…?" she asked timidly.
Tai lowered the empty bowl to the counter and turned his attention to her, swallowing the last of the food in one mighty gulp.
"W-what will you do now?"
His eyes flashed with vibrant steel. "I need to see Izzy."
Izzy was sitting at his desk, the collar of his light blue dress shirt free from his customary necktie and his sleeves rolled to the elbows, when his receptionist buzzed for him on the intercom. "Sir, Tai and Kari Kamiya are here to see you."
Izzy gave a small satisfied smile, relief flooding through him. He had been expecting this. "Excellent. Send them up, Himeko, and...cancel all my appointments today."
"Yes, sir."
Izzy sat back in his chair and relaxed his muscles. Last night he had helped Kari haul Tai's limp form into their old apartment and put him to bed. Tai had barely stirred during the whole process. An anxious, whispered conversation followed as they stood in the kitchen with Gatomon and Tentomon, Kari nursing a cup of green tea to calm her nerves:
"What are we going to do, Izzy? I've never seen him like that before. It was so awful." Kari's thin frame was trembling, and there was a quiver in her voice that wasn't normal.
"He just needs to get some rest," Izzy told her, not sure if he really believed it himself. "He'll likely be better in the morning." He didn't sound too convincing. The truth of it was that nothing like this had ever happened to them before, and there was no telling how Tai would respond to such an unprecedented tragedy long term.
"But what about Agumon…?"
"I...don't know, Kari. It's quite possible that…" Izzy looked around at Tentomon and Gatomon, who were watching him intently, and wished he didn't have to say it. "...that we may never seen him again."
Gatomon's ears drooped, Tentomon's wings fluttered in agitation though he said nothing, and Kari seemed to wither in front of him.
"I was afraid you would say that," she murmured quietly, staring into the mug she cradled in her hands. "He'll never be able to recover if that's true. It'll destroy him."
Izzy tried to sound optimistic. "He's undergone a traumatic experience to be sure, but he'll bounce back eventually. He's Tai." He has to, Izzy thought.
Kari's head snapped back up. "And what about the rest of us? From the sound of it, Matt has already lost Gabumon. What happens when we've all lost our digimon too?" Kari sounded desperate, her eyes wide and frantic with barely-restrained terror, pleading for some kind of solution to hope for. She's looking to me for guidance, Izzy realized. With Tai and Matt in their current state, he was the unofficial acting leader in their little chain of command, and the nearest person Kari could turn to for reassurance.
"I don't know yet, Kari," he admitted. "I won't lie to you, this changes everything. And I'm sorry I wasn't able to stop it from happening to Agumon and Gabumon, but I promise I will do everything in my power to find a way to stop it from happening to anyone else…and to bring them back if I can." He patted Kari's shoulder somewhat awkwardly. Gestures of physical affection weren't his expertise, but he felt that he should do something to try to comfort her and he hoped that this was an appropriate course of action. "We'll get through this together, Kari. We always do."
Kari placed her opposite hand over his and held it in place. "I know. Thanks for being here, Izzy."
Izzy dipped his head. "Of course."
Kari's digiphone buzzed. It was T.K. Kari put it on speaker so Izzy and the digimon could hear. "Hey, T.K. I'm here with Izzy. How's Matt?"
"Not good," T.K. answered gravely. "He was practically catatonic when I brought him back to his place. He's asleep now. He—he was crying when I found him, Kari. Crying. I don't think I've seen him cry since the day our parents split up." He paused for a moment to take in a shuddering breath, released it, and asked with a twinge of hesitation, "How's Tai?"
"No better than Matt," Kari replied. "Izzy had to help me get him home."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Thanks for taking care of Tai and Kari for me, Izzy."
"Anytime, T.K. I was glad I could be of assistance."
"So...now what do we do?"
"We have to tell the others." Kari said it like the thought had dawned on her for the first time.
"Agreed," Izzy said, "but that can wait until tomorrow. I have some things I need to take care of tonight, but at some point tomorrow we should inform the others of the situation. They should hear it from us before it goes out all over INDICON."
The sound of T.K.'s long sigh crackled through the phone. "Man. I hadn't even thought of that. That's bound to cause a panic."
Izzy frowned. "That's certainly possible. This needs to be handled delicately in order to minimize the chances of that happening. I need to think on how to do it."
"Good luck with that, Izzy. Listen, I'm going to stay with Matt tonight so I can keep an eye on him; Kari, I'll call you in the morning to see how you and Tai are holding up, okay?"
"All right, T.K."
"And if either of you need me, don't hesitate to call, no matter the time," said Izzy. T.K. and Kari promised that they would, and they said their goodbyes. Kari ended the call and escorted Izzy and Tentomon to the front door. She hugged him, and he responded in kind, though more stiffly than she, and they bid each other farewell.
Izzy had not gone home, however, but returned to his office. He had spent all night thinking and planning, trying to iron out all the specifics of their next move. Truthfully, he had been doing that for most of the previous day as well, ever since he had woken up from the artificial coma that Eosmon had put him through. He knew they had to get a strategy together on how to handle this new reality that the bond with their digimon would one day be severed. The others needed to be told as well, but he had held off on calling a meeting to debrief everyone for two reasons: first, because until Agumon and Gabumon actually vanished, he'd had no proof that this was real, and the second was for Tai and Matt's sake. They deserved to spend their last hours with their digimon alone together. Izzy doubted he'd be able to contact them anyway; their digiphones were already shut off and he suspected they had silenced their burner-phones as well, so that their last moments together wouldn't be intruded upon. And so Izzy waited, and while he waited, he thought.
Tai was never one to take things like this lying down. If losing Agumon didn't break him completely—as Izzy fervently hoped it wouldn't—he would be looking for the next move, and for help in deciding that move, he would look to Izzy. Izzy knew this, just as he knew he needed to have something ready for when Tai came to him. Izzy drained the last of his bottle of oolong tea (his third since leaving Kari last night) and placed it on his desk. He cracked his knuckles and stretched his back before standing from his chair.
A pleasant beep sounded and Izzy watched through the glass doors of his office as Tai and Kari departed the elevator across the hall. He wore dark jeans and a charcoal t-shirt, she a denim jacket over a pink tank top and yellow pants. Izzy noticed Tai had his trademark goggles resting on his great mass of hair. These weren't his old pair from their first adventure—for he had given those to Davis—but a near-identical pair he had acquired years ago as a replacement. He'd ceased to wear them sometime during their high school days though, and only rarely brought them out on digimon missions anymore.
"Hey, Iz," Tai called as they entered, shutting the door behind them. "It's good to see you." The greeting was warm, cheerful even, but there was a somber note to it that acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and that this was no idle visit.
Kari touched Tai's arm. "Are you sure you'll be okay here without me?" she asked. She had flatly refused to let him go to Izzy without her, despite his protesting, and even now was reluctant to release him.
"I told you, I'll be fine," he reassured her. "Get outta here already, before T.K. starts to wonder if something's happened to you."
Turning to Izzy, she explained, "I was going to see how Matt's doing, and then T.K. and I have to check on something in the Digital World."
Izzy nodded, thinking he might know what that something might be. "Of course. We'll be fine here, Kari. Don't worry about us."
"All right. Thank you." She gave him a grateful but worried look only Izzy could see that said, "please watch over him," before she turned and hugged her brother farewell. "Bye, Tai. I love you."
"Love you too, sis. Remember, don't worry when the alarm sounds."
Kari nodded. He had told her some of his plan on the way over. "I know. I'll be ready for it." Then Kari left.
They waited until she was gone into the elevator before Izzy let his cheerful facade fall. His shoulders sagged and lines creased his forehead. "Tai, I'm so sorry about Agumon," he began. "If there was anything I could've done to prevent it…"
"Thanks, Izzy. I know. But we can mope about it later, we've got work to do. Besides...it helps me to have something else to focus on right now, to be honest."
"Right. Well, I've been working on some…"
Izzy turned to pull up something on his computer monitor, but was stalled in mid-sentence by Tai's hand on his shoulder. "Hey. Nobody blames you. I know you did everything you could. But there was no stopping this."
Izzy nodded silently, trying to quash a sudden lump of emotion in his throat. He coughed once, then: "What do you need, Tai?"
"We have to make a plan for how to break this to the world, and how to prepare for when it happens to the rest of us. I have some ideas, but I want to see what you have in mind first. Then once we have a solid course of action in place, I want you to call an AHOD."
Izzy stared at Tai in open amazement. Over the years the Digidestined had devised a code system with which to communicate various digimon-related situations to each other quickly and secretly through their group chat. As their lives became more and more hectic and spread out from each other, they realized such a system would likely be necessary on any number of occasions. The list had grown with time until it contained over two dozen codes for things that ranged from relatively common events detailing basic information ("DS-Shibuya" meant "Digimon sighting in Shibuya", for example) to highly-improbable ones for specific situations ("MR-SHI" meant "Myotismon resurrected—send help immediately!"), just in case they ever occurred. Codes were also ranked in degrees of importance, and the more urgent they were, the more important it was to respond. AHOD stood for "All Hands On Deck!" (this particular code was named by Davis—to much groaning from the others—shortly after he'd watched the film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea), and was a generic code that called for a meeting with all the Digidestined as soon as humanly possible. It was a level 5 code of importance, meaning that it was programmed to sound a special alarm to everyone's digiphones regardless of whether or not the silent or "do not disturb" settings were turned on. Everyone had agreed that if an AHOD was sent, then they all had to drop whatever they were doing—no matter what time of day or night it was where they were at—and meet together at a specified location with their digimon ready to fight. This would theoretically be used only in a potentially cataclysmic scenario, such as their final battles with Apocalymon or MaloMyotismon. Until today it had never been used.
Izzy took a moment to get over his surprise, then nodded his affirmative. "You got it!"
Tai smiled his signature mischievous smile. "Now...what have you got for me, Izzy?"
Izzy's smile mirrored Tai's. "Follow me," he said.
Izzy led Tai back into the elevator and they went down one floor to an executive suite just below Izzy's office. Thick orange carpet covered the floor for easy treading, and the fabric panels decorating the walls helped to dampen the acoustics for a quiet and cozy atmosphere. There was a cocktail bar in the back corner, and an open area where a couple of small round tables were placed on either side, as well as a large flatscreen television that hung from the rightward wall; then the room descended three steps to a square sunken living room containing several couches and lounge chairs surrounding a large mahogany coffee table. Against the far wall stood an electric fireplace that contributed to the soft amber lighting.
It was here that what would become the IDC's new protocol began to take shape: everything from how to handle isolated digimon appearances anywhere in the world up to potential world-ending threats, from how newcomers would be trained by veteran Digidestined in order to one day take their place, to dealing with the fallout of a team member's loss of their digimon partner—all of these issues and more were explored in detail. As Izzy and Tai worked, bouncing ideas and concerns off of each other, and finding that they had many of the same of both, it became increasingly clear just how comprehensive this transformation was going to be. What had started as a simple community of people with a common duty had grown into a massive force of many thousands that spanned the globe, and would now have to evolve further into an organized society capable of unifying its members for one purpose. It was an exhilarating and terrifying concept.
They talked, drew diagrams, and made wild gestures well into the afternoon, with Izzy calling for a pause only long enough to send for food.
"There's just one thing that still worries me," Tai said eventually, hunched over in his chair with elbows on knees, two slices of lukewarm pizza lying untouched on the coffee table between them. "It seems to me from the way you're talking, that we're going to be making the IDC into some kind of army." They had danced around this topic and approached it from many different angles for the last two hours.
"Yes, that's exactly it," Izzy agreed energetically, then amended, "except different."
Tai sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Izzy, I like where you're going with this in theory, but it also makes me nervous. I don't mean to insult your genius, but I'm about to graduate with a political science degree, and if there's anything I've learned, it's that the political leaders of the world don't like it when a powerful new fighting force shows up."
"I'm well aware of the dangers involved, Tai, I know we need to be cautious just as much as you. That's why I've been saying it won't be like a straightforward military, and we need to emphasize that as much as possible. For one thing, we don't have a specific national interest or loyalty; the Digidestined are made up of people all over the world. This makes coming after us as a group tricky, politically speaking. If a political power were to target us as a whole, they would be going up against citizens of dozens of sovereign nations, which would be a political nightmare that frankly wouldn't be worth the trouble. As long as we stand together and the entire world doesn't decide to turn on us all at once, we should be okay. It's a risky position to be in, I grant you, but it's one I believe is necessary—inevitable, even—and I believe there is a safe path to take as long as we are careful."
Izzy lowered his voice and leaned forward conspiratorially as he delivered his next point in what was almost a whisper. "Besides, that 'powerful new fighting force' you're talking about is already here; we've demonstrated that time and time again, most notably in the battle against MaloMyotismon. That day, Digidestined all over the world came together to fight evil. That day, the entire planet saw what we were capable of, and the countries of the world have taken notice. And our numbers have only grown larger since then! Whether we like it or not, as a group we have become very powerful, and therefore pose a potentially serious threat to governments worldwide. I think part of the reason they haven't taken steps against us already is because we've never given them an excuse to do so, which is why we need to proceed as non-threateningly as possible.
"And the other part?" Tai asked.
"That they're afraid of us. I think the world has realized their opportunity to destroy or control us safely has passed. Back then, they could have attacked us out of fear of what we might do, but they didn't; I think the reason they don't do so now is because they fear what we can definitely do in return. Just think: WarGreymon alone possessed power approaching that of a nuclear bomb with his "Terra Force" attack. Imagine what a million Digidestined with digimon of similar power could achieve?"
"But WarGreymon is a Mega-level digimon," Tai protested. "As far as I know, we are the only Digidestined with crests, so technically none of the Digidestined outside of our team should even be able to make it past the Champion level."
Izzy waved him off dismissively. "I wouldn't count on that, Tai. Look at what Davis's team could do with D.N.A. digivolving: Paildramon, Silphymon, and Shakkoumon are roughly equivalent to Ultimates, and Imperialdramon is arguably comparable even to Omnimon. They demonstrated it is possible to attain forms higher than Champion even without crests, and I believe every Digidestined's digimon is capable of such digivolution in the right circumstances, especially if presented with a great enough threat. But even if you're right, the rest of the world doesn't know that. No one who isn't already a Digidestined really knows how digivolution works—and I intend to keep it that way. For all they know, every Digidestined's partner could potentially become a WarGreymon or Imperialdramon. Regardless of all that, even one million Champion-level digimon would be capable of incredible destruction."
Izzy paused for a drink of water before continuing on. "The truth we must now face is this: we have already grown too powerful, Tai. They realized it long before we did. All we can hope for now is a kind of mutually-assured destruction to deter aggression. There are thousands of Digidestined out there right now, most with little to no leadership, training, or guidance—this is a powder-keg waiting to explode. And thanks to Menoa's recent actions, the world has seen what can happen when a Digidestined loses control. We must do what we can to make sure that never happens again. Mobilizing ourselves into a disciplined fighting force will not only help discourage global intervention, but also keep us all safe in numerous other ways as well. We've been given enormous power; we need to show that we're capable of handling it properly."
Izzy's words were solemn and pointedly candid, and Tai was impressed with the level of trust Izzy was placing in him. He painted a picture so grave and serious that it almost felt comparable to any digital threat they had faced in the past. Except this situation was more nuanced and subtle, far less straightforward than "defeat this evil digimon and save the world", and Tai thought it may be all the more dangerous for that reason. This issue had clearly been weighing on Izzy for some time, and he had wrestled with its challenges alone, for he had shared his concerns with no one except Tentomon until now. And yet the inherent optimism of his plan came inescapably through, where, though caution was needed, Izzy was confident in the route they needed to take going forward.
Tai bobbed his head up and down in reluctant agreement. "All right Iz, I trust you. I've gotta admit, I don't see how we can avoid it for much longer anyway."
"Is there anything else on your mind that you'd like to go over?"
"No, that's everything I can think of," Tai sighed. He was mentally exhausted. "Do you want to go over anything else before we bring in the others?"
"No. Now that we have a solid foundation we need to have everyone's input before proceeding any further."
Izzy and Tai stood at the same moment. "Well then, I guess it's time."
"Are you asking me to go ahead and send the AHOD?" Izzy asked, wanting to confirm.
"Do it, Izzy."
Izzy pulled out his digiphone and pressed a few buttons. Tai's phone erupted into a startling klaxon alarm and the message flashed in large red letters. He hurriedly swiped it away. Izzy grabbed a remote and powered up the wall tv.
"I sent the coordinates to this screen in the message, so those of us with D3's will be able to come through a digital gate straight here."
"So now we just wait," said Tai. Well, no going back now.
They started getting replies almost immediately:
"Seriously? Hold on, I'm on my way!" -Joe.
"Dude, is this for real? Me and Veemon are there!" -Davis.
"Oh, my gosh! Guys, I'm coming! But...could someone with a D3 come and get me? That would be way faster than flying." -Mimi.
"I'll come get you, Mimi." -Kari.
Tai watched as the flurry of texts poured in. But shortly after Ken sent his response something on the wall television caught his attention. It was a news report, and the headline said, "More digimon trouble on the way?"
Tai grabbed the remote and unmuted the TV.
"...breaking story. Just one day after the mysterious coma epidemic among people commonly known as 'Digidestined' came to an end, a new disturbing development has come to light that may signal more trouble is ahead," a female reporter announced. "This video was captured by a tourist on Odaiba beach yesterday evening, which—a word of caution to our viewers—is unnerving, to say the least." They then rolled shaky low-resolution footage from a cell phone of, to Tai's shock, himself hunched over the sand, surrounded by an anxious crowd of people and screaming wildly at a small stone he held in his palm. Tai cringed, and his skin crawled both at the memory and the disturbing sounds coming from the figure in the video; anyone would think him completely unhinged and in need of psychiatric help.
"We have confirmed the identity of this man as twenty-two year old Tai Kamiya," the reporter continued, an old picture of Tai as a kid superimposed on a corner of the screen,"the so-called leader of the original group of Digidestined that appeared during the Odaiba Fog Incident of 1999. Soon afterward he was picked up by this woman—who we believe to be Kari Kamiya, his sister and also a Digidestined—accompanied by an aggressive feline digimon." The footage cut to Kari helping Tai up and Gatomon scattering the crowd of onlookers before the video abruptly cut out. "It is unclear what caused this outburst as we have been unable to reach either of them for comment at this time, but many suspect that more trouble from these digital monsters is on the horizon. Stay tuned for updates as we follow this developing st—"
Izzy had grabbed the remote from Tai's hand and changed the channel. Instead of the news, a nature documentary of iguanas in the jungle filled the screen. "You don't need to see any more of that garbage," Izzy said in disgust.
Tai shook himself. "Yeah. Thanks, Izzy." Tai checked his phone. The barrage of "on my way!" texts had ceased as the Digidestined confirmed their participation. Everyone was accounted for, and all of them were coming—all, that is, except for Matt and Sora. Tai watched his phone for perhaps five more minutes, but no reply ever came from them.
A/N: Fun fact, this chapter and the next one were initially supposed to be one chapter, but it ended up being so long that I decided to split them up (the next chapter is proving to be even longer than this one!) This chapter is all about moving forward—now that Agumon is gone, where does Tai go now? What does this mean for the rest of the Digidestined? And now we're starting to introduce one of the major themes I wanted to explore with this fic: ultimately we know that Tai becomes a diplomat between the Real and Digital Worlds, and I wanted to flesh out his journey to that. This is his first real step down that road outside of college, and also provides me with the opportunity to delve into some of the real-world repercussions of having a global network of Digidestined. I will try to not get overly political with this fic, but I do want to explore the political implications that a worldwide force of Digidestined would realistically have, especially with how it relates to Tai's journey. ZT's revelation of Digidestined around the world was a game-changer in my opinion, one that never really got the attention it deserved. And now that we know all Digidestined will part ways with their digimon one day, that will also have huge implications for the IDC as a whole.
I'm not quite sure when the next update will be, as we've almost caught up to what I've written so far (I began this fic way back in March, I just waited till last week to publish any of it) and I consider myself a fairly slow and methodical writer, plus I usually only get the opportunity to work on it one day a week. I'm probably ¾ of the way through chapter 8, but I want to upload 8 and 9 together if I can. Next chapter has proved extremely difficult to write (it's the "Council of Elrond" segment of this story), but I should be through the worst of it and hopefully it'll be up soon. But anyway, as always please, please send me a review and let you know what you think so far! Any and all feedback is appreciated as long as it's constructive!
Digimon episodes referenced: Just the whole Digimon Emperor arc in general, but I guess most specifically s2, episode 21 "The Crest of Kindness", as well as s2, episode 50 "A Million Points of Light".
Next time on Digimon Adventure: Continuing Evolution—Chapter 8. AHOD.