Tai truly didn't know what to do. True, Kari's whistle by itself didn't prove anything—but there were still ways to reach the human world. The gate in Myotismon's castle could open a path. He'd wanted to seize that gate for a long time; with his current power, defeating Myotismon wouldn't be a problem—there would be losses, but nothing irreparable. Yet Myotismon was a senior officer among the Nightmare Soldiers, and behind him stood Piedmon. Tai had been avoiding a war with the Dark Masters—was it really unavoidable now?
And besides that gate, there were other methods. The kids' Digivices could open a door to the Digital World; in the second series, the D-3 Digivice could open a gate through a computer; Yukio Oikawa had even used data cards to open one. Some Dark Digimon could open portals anywhere, anytime. Tai couldn't afford to gamble on whether any of those would work right now. Kari was far too special—her Crest was Light, and Light grants strength to those who uphold justice: the very power darkness despises. What Kari represented was simply too important.
Was he really going to use dark power? No—he couldn't risk Agumon. But if not this, how could they reach Mega in a short time? Was this truly the only path? No. Absolutely not. But…
Calm down. There has to be a way. Tai stopped pacing and forced himself to think.
The Digivice and Crest were the Chosen Children's tools for evolution—their fast-track. With a Digivice, a partner could reach Champion; add a Crest, and they could reach Ultimate. The secret of Mega lay with the Digivice; the Crest was more of an authentication system. Holy power could spur further evolution—dark power could too, but with unknown results. In the original, SkullGreymon had evolved via dark power channeled through the Digivice. Agumon couldn't control it, lost consciousness, and fought on pure instinct—treating everything in sight as an enemy. Tai glanced at Agumon. Could he handle it now? This wasn't just Ultimate anymore—this was Mega, a whole different order of dark energy. Agumon was far stronger than in the original timeline, but whether he could master a Mega-grade surge of darkness was still unknown. Holy power was gentle, unfolding gradually so a Digimon could grow into it. Dark power was a single violent burst—granting overwhelming strength at once, but leaving little room to adapt. That's why it was so hard to control.
"Tai, don't hesitate. Let's do it. I can handle it." Agumon stepped in front of him, eyes steady.
Tai didn't answer. The dark mass beneath their feet was far too potent; he strongly suspected it was the same source as the Digimon Emperor's base from the second series—the Dark Ocean. This wasn't baseless: the underground dark aggregate wasn't only supporting a transport channel. It was powering the entire Metal Empire; every other energy source had been stockpiled. For this much darkness, he couldn't think of any place but the Dark Ocean.
In the original, Angewomon's holy power had opened the way to Mega—but because the holy power had no follow-through, WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon could only stay Mega briefly. Tai's gaze dropped to the dark reservoir below. If he used that darkness and it worked, Agumon might reach Mega permanently. But if it failed…
"Tai."
Holy power was the safest route. But wait—what if Agumon didn't touch it directly? What if Tai absorbed the darkness himself and then sent it through the Digivice and Crest into Agumon? That would raise the odds of success, wouldn't it? Besides, he wasn't entirely a Digimon. He'd become data, yes, but he didn't have a Digicore; there was no fear of viral corruption. Non-Virus Digimon shunned darkness because darkness was viral—it could erode a Digicore. A Digicore was like a computer's hard drive. As long as it was intact, a Digimon could be reborn by reabsorbing data and rebuilding a body. With enough data, that rebirth could be rapid. Gokuwmon had done just that—absorbing enough data in a dark zone to become "Metal Gokuwmon" and reach Mega. So this plan was feasible.
"Datamon, open the dark data conduit," Tai said, his mind made up.
"Lord Tai, is that your decision?"
"Mhm. But Agumon won't make contact. I'll convert it and transmit it to him."
"Tai, no—if something goes wrong, let me do it," Agumon protested.
"Lord Tai, I must warn you," Datamon said as a panel in the floor slid open. "Even without a Digicore, dark power will still affect you. We haven't analyzed this yet; the consequences are unknown."
"It's fine. The Digivice will keep me safe. I don't believe darkness can destroy a Digivice. This is much safer than letting Agumon touch it directly."
"But, Tai—"
"That's enough, Agumon. We're doing it." Tai drew a long breath and reached toward the abyssal mass of darkness.
The Dark Ocean.
Black waves heaved. A vast ebon silhouette rose. "Hah! You dare touch the dark? Then accept a gift." A black surge blasted from its maw toward the Digital World. Far away, on a barren mountaintop, a black-robed man appeared where nothing had stood before. A beam flared from his eyes and slammed into the onrushing wave. The two forces erased each other, and were gone. The Dark Ocean stilled. The mountain was silent again, as if nothing had happened.
"Swell." That was all Tai could feel—as if he were already full, yet more water kept pouring in. And silence. No light, no sound. Only banded strands coiling around him, brimming energy streaming from them into his body. Suddenly, a flash of light—and he felt that swollen power pour outward through the Digivice at his waist.
The brightness powdered away, grain by grain. When it faded enough to see, Tai found himself standing in front of his apartment building. Dim streetlight filtered through the leaves, and points of starlight pricked the night sky.
What… is this? Tai stared, puzzled.
From far off came children's laughter. He followed the sound: two kids chatting happily and pointing at the stars.
One was a young him. The other, a girl a bit smaller, a whistle at her chest—Kari, his little sister, the child with an angel's smile.
A dog's bark rang out, drawing closer and closer. Familiar—but he couldn't place the memory.
A small dog trotted out of the dark. It halted when it saw little Tai and Kari, bared its teeth, and growled.
The children sensed it and fell silent, turning to face the dog.
Tai hurried a few steps and tried to shoo it with his foot—his shoe passed right through. "So… this is…" He looked at his hands. "My memory?"
The dog's ears pricked forward, its fur stood on end, tail rising from a droop to a stiff line—the signs before a strike. Little Tai stepped in front of Kari, eyes darting for anything he could use as a shield. The pavement was bare. He gave up searching, hunched his shoulders, and spread his arms, bracing for the dog's lunge.
"I'm scared," Kari whispered.
"It's okay, Kari. I'll protect you." He forced a smile despite his nerves.
"Come on! Come on, then!" Little Tai kept taunting, trying to draw the danger to himself. The dog narrowed its eyes, shoulders bunched to spring—
"Tai! Kari! Tai! Kari!" A voice called from far away.
"Mom," Kari brightened. "We're here!"
The sound seemed to check the dog. It spun and bolted down the street.
Their mother ran up, relief flooding her face when she saw they were unhurt. Then a scolding: "Why did you sneak out at night? What if something happened?"
Kari bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Mom. I asked my brother to bring me out to see the stars. We won't do it again."
"It's okay. I'll protect Kari. I won't let her get hurt. Don't worry," little Tai added.
The three walked off, their chatter trailing away. Tai stood where he was and watched them go, quietly. "So this is me—the memory I'd forgotten? Yeah. I'll protect Kari. I won't let her be hurt. Ever."
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