He woke up to find his head lying on something soft. Before he could open his eyes he could feel someone gently moving their hand through his hair. As he finally opened his eyes he saw the concerned face of his childhood friend hovering above him.

They were in a small cave, just big enough to fit about four people without much room to shuffle around.

"Sora?" his whisper was barely noticeable but she seemed to have heard him anyway.

She was about to say something as she was interrupted by his next question.

"Since when are you dead?"

The redhead wore a surprised expression before a soft smile managed to settle on her face.

"Birdramon managed to save you just before you were hit." she tried to answer his question.

A few moments of silence followed.

"Where are the others?" Tai asked.

"They managed to escape." Sora answered before she shifted her gaze for a few moments.

"Only Gatomon was seriously hurt. Biyomon is taking care of her though."

Tai tried to sit up but Sora kept him down with a gentle push. He had a confused look on his face and looked at her trying to get an answer.

"What's with that look on your face?" Tai asked, trying to flash one of his trademark smiles.

He was about to push further to try and get her to respond, but the response he got was not anything he would have expected from his childhood friend.

After the first tear had hit his cheek many more followed.

"I… I saw you … d-die." Sora said between sobs.

Tai didn't know what to say, usually she was just angry with him or laughed about something he said or did. Never had he seen her cry because of him. He got up to a sitting position, this time Sora did not hold him down, and moved an arm around her shoulder pulling her into a hug.

"I'm safe now." he whispered to the girl crying into his shoulder in a soft voice.

"But Metalgreymon is still out there…" the redhead said looking him in the eyes again.

"And we will get Agumon back. Together." Tai said as wiped the tears from her face.

He got up and held his hand out to help her up, even though his left knee hurt like hell. Sora just shook her head and got up on her own.

"We should really get going, Metalgreymon will probably catch up to the others soon." Biyomon said looking up at the two Digidestined from where the pink digimon was taking care of the wounded Gatomon.

Sora was holding the still unconscious Gatomon in her arms as Birdramon carried both of them in the direction she thought the others went.

It didn't take them too long to notice the explosions in the distance and the giant grey and black, metal-armed dinosaur as they got closer. As they sat down behind a rock, not that far from the battle at hand, Sora turned towards Tai.

"I know it's going to be difficult for you… but please, try to stay out of harms way." the redhead spoke softly as she hugged her childhood friend.

Gatomon, whom Sora had put down before, woke up just in time to hear, and see, what the girl was doing.

The white cat climbed up to Tai's shoulder just as both of them broke their embrace.

"I'll keep him out of danger… for Kari's sake." the cat said with a mischievous smile and a wink.

Sora blushed a little bit and turned around to her partner to hide her blush as best as she could. Kari, and Gatomon to as of lately, were always teasing her about her affections for a certain bushy haired soccer player attending the same school.

"I can stay out of trouble well enough on my own." she heard him object, apparently oblivious to what his sister's partner had conveyed without words.

"Go help the others, Birdramon." Sora said to her partner. "We're trying to go around and meet up with the others and avoid getting to close to Metalgreymon."

Nodding in agreement, the giant orange bird took off and went to join the others in their fight against a mind-controlled Metalgreymon.

"Take care you three!" Birdramon yelled before it was flying too high.

"Dammit!" Davis yelled as he ducked to dodge a few chunks of ground flying his way after Metalgreymon hit the ground with his metal claw.

"Nothing we do is having any effect!" Cody exclaimed.

"We have to focus on the spiral!" Yolei called while flying around on Halsemon's back and dodging the missiles fired at them.

"Don't you think I know that?" Davis replied frustrated.

"We can't hold back any longer." T.K. stated, standing protectively in front of Kari.

"Agreed!" all the Digimon replied.

"But we'll hurt Agumon!" Davis objected.

"How can you still hold back after what happened to…?" T.K. started, ready to punch the spiky haired boy.

The digimon engaging Metalgreymon in close combat were pushed back by a swing of its metal claw and his chest opened up to release another pair of missiles, aimed to destroy them. If they were to dodge the explosive projectiles would hit their partners, who could not survive an explosion of that size.

"Meteor Wing!"

Just as Metalgreymon was about to fire a rain of fire poured down on the ultra level and effectively prevented the attack from happening.

"Birdramon?"Angemon asked relieved. "I thought you were patrolling another area."

"Sora needed my help to save Agumon." the flaming bird answered as it made a turn to fly another attack.

"She's here?" T.K. asked looking around, his argument with Davis forgotten for the moment.

Yolei started looking around and soon noticed and soon saw Sora walking towards them, supporting a boy they all thought dead not even two hours ago.

"She's over there and she brought Tai with her!" the pruple haired girl exclaimed, pointing in the direction she had seen the two.

Hearing that, Kari's head shot up and she looked around frantically. Yolei was flying around on the back of Halsemon after all. After a moment she finally spotted her brothers unmistakable mass of hair and started a sprint at a speed even the fastest of her friends would have trouble following.

As she was close enough she basically threw herself at her brother, only through the timely reaction of Sora were they still standing. After the initial surprise Tai returned the hug, gently patting his sisters back.

"Don't do that to me ever again." Kari muttered into his chest.

"I promise I'll be more careful from now on." he answered with a smile.

Gatomon climbed from Tai's shoulder onto Kari's head before the girl released the hug.

"I'll make sure he keeps it." the white cat said with a grin.

Faster than she could react she was snatched from her partners head and brought into a hug by the same.

"The same goes for you." Kari said, not letting the digimon go again.

The fight did not go well, even with the help from Birdramon. Another explosion blew a hole into the ground and forced Digmon and Flamedramon to turn back into their rookie forms.

Only Halsemon, Angemon and Birdramon were still in the air. They managed to avoid any direct hits but had still taking quite a beating and wouldn't be able to fight back much longer.

"Now do you understand the power of the ultra level?!" the digimon emperor exclaimed with a joyous tone, standing on Metalgreymon's shoulder.

As much as they tried to deny the fact, they had to admit that they couldn't win if they couldn't get an ultra to even the odds.

Birdramon and Angemon flew a simultaneous attack from both sides but both were just swatted away by metal claw and tail respectively.

Angemon was already hurt badly, so it turned back into Patamon shortly after it hit the ground. Birdramon was getting up again but the flaming bird was in no condition to keep on fighting much longer.

"Why are we so powerless against one single digimon?" Davis asked as he fell to his knees next to his badly bruised partner.

"You have to stop holding back." Tai simply answered his question.

"How can you say that?!" the younger boy yelled angrily. "Don't you care what happens to Agumon?!"

"I do, but it's because Agumon is my friend that I tell you to stop holding back." Tai answered calmly, Sora nodding right next to him.

"Agumon wouldn't want you to hold back either." she added.

"But…" Davis began uncertain but was interrupted by T.K.

"Get your act together and start acting like you used to!" the blonde yelled as he grabbed Davis by his collar and dragged him to his feet.

"Let go of me!"

"Not until you start doing what's right, otherwise none of us will get out of this!"

That last sentence seemed to make something click in Davis' head as his expression changed and he slowly pried the other boy's hands from the collar of his shirt.

"Thanks." Davis said with a smile, right before punching the other boy's cheek. "Veemon, you ready for round two?"

"Like you have to ask!" the blue digimon responded while getting up.

As the two of them stood together a blue streak of light headed for the goggle wearing boy. He caught it out of instinct and looked at the object in his hands in disbelief.

Davis just looked at Veemon and they both nodded.

"Digi-egg of friendship, energize!"

A bright light engulfed the blue digimon and after the light had faded a blue four legged digimon with black armor and spikes shaped like lightning extending from its shoulders stood in the place where Veemon once stood.

"I am Raidramon the storm of friendship."

"No fair, he has two of those?!" Yolei exclaimed from Halsemon's back.

"Get on Davis." Raidramon prompted its partner.

The boy in question followed suit and with a thumps up towards his friends charged into battle with his newly digivolved partner.

"He's got it after all." T.K. said rubbing his cheek.