Disclaimer: Nothing to do with this series in any way, other than loving it in my youth and even now.

It hurt. That was all he knew for sure, laying the grass on a hill that stretched through an open meadow nearby the village where all Digimon are born as eggs. It was funny, really. He was happy, but hurt at the exact same time. These two conflicting emotions were enough to cause the turmoil and confusion that wracked his mind, yet they also gave him a sort of serene calm that let his mind simultaneously tear itself up over them while relaxing at the same time.

"Tai?" He heard the voice of his pal, the Digimon who had been with him through thick and thin for years now. Agumon was clearly worried, but had given his tamer a certain amount of time to sort through his emotions. He wasn't used to seeing him like this.

"It's alright, Agumon. I'm fine... Really." He answered unconvincingly. Hell, even he knew that it sounded fake. But it had just happened hours ago, so could anyone really expect him to be as he claimed?

"No, Tai, you're not. Even I can understand why." That was a part of Agumon that made him who he was. When he was sure of himself, confident, that was when he shined in the eyes of everyone else. But it was his humble humility that Tai thought was amazing.

Agumon could admit when he was unsure or out of his element. It was like he was more in tune with himself, especially when compared to his best friend who lay stewing in his own thoughts and feelings. It was enough to make Tai laugh, which improved his mood even if just slightly.

"It's just... I never imagined it. Heh, I'm always slow when it comes to things outside of danger or an adventure."

"That's not true, Tai..." Agumon answered him gently. Tai was the greatest guy that he knew. He was a natural born leader, a fighter who never gave in, someone who believed in others even when he didn't know them, even when they didn't believe in themselves, and most of all he never thought of himself before anybody else.

That was partially what had him so distraught.

Agumon's memory stole back a few hours where, back in the Human World, Tai had been crushed. Even he had thought that Tai handled the situation well at the time. He really seemed like an adult, but upon consideration, Agumon supposed that anyone child or adult would be torn up in the face of something like this.

But what if Tai had persisted and made sure his feelings got across? Would that have helped? Would it have worked? Agumon wasn't sure, but he somewhat doubted it. Besides, it was just like Tai to sacrifice his own wants or needs in favor of another's. He really had grown up.

"Come on, Tai. Let's... Let's go get something to eat!" Agumon attempted, trying to revive the spirit of his partner.

Tai's eyes turned, their gaze no longer on the clouds above but instead on the Digimon to his right. They cared for each other like brothers, and went as far as possible to take care of one another. Agumon was always hungry, but Tai knew that his stomach was not what spurred forth his suggestion. He desperately wanted him to cheer up.

'I have to put on a smile... for Agumon.' Tai told himself.

"Sure, buddy... Let's go."

As he leaned forward, Tai took the claw of his companion and rose to his feet. There was a restaurant nearby, one that they had known fairly well due to void that served as the little guy's stomach. Tai didn't really tell anyone but his sister, but when he needed time to unwind or think, he often came to the Digital World alone. Especially now that it was much more safe with the dethroning of the Digimon Emperor and the defeat of MaloMyotismon.

It was like Agumon and his special hideaway.

But even as they made the journey, he couldn't turn his mind off of what had thrown it into such disarray. Sora, his best human friend for as long as he could remember, had for the longest time meant something more to him than he was willing to admit to anyone, even Agumon. It was naturally during her time as prisoner to Datamon that he began to understand what it meant to lose her.

Tai hated that feeling, and it was that which helped give him a little extra strength to spur him on to rescue her. From then on, he'd noticed her more and more. She was no longer just another one of the guys who he had history with, who played with him on the team, who was his partner and his friend. At least, not to him. He didn't dare find out how she saw him.

Even over the years, he hesitated. As Sora began to fall out of love with soccer and set her sights on tennis, he felt like he had begun to lose her. Sure, she couldn't play on the same team as him any longer and would, instead, be on the girl's team. But still, losing that one connection stung. What other connections would they lose as time went on?

But every time he thought about trying to expand their relationship beyond the realm of merely friends, he lost his nerve or talked himself out of it.

"Tai? Tai!" He heard his name, snapping out of his reverie in an instant. They had arrived much faster than he had imagined. Or had he been so lost in thought that the concept of time seemed to get warped beyond what he had believed? Anything was possible within the Digital World.

"I hear ya, buddy. But now that we've come all of this way, I guess I could use a bit of a pick me up snack too, huh?" Tai answered his calls with a laugh. It was true, actually. He had been so caught up within himself that he hadn't noticed a feeling of emptiness welling up inside of him. Well... a different emptiness than the one he had been focusing on.

"I'll get the food, you get the seats. Deal?" Agumon responded to his smile, a rumble calling from his own orange abdomen. Okay, maybe hunger had played a role in Agumon's idea to snap Tai out of it. But whatever worked, right? Right.

"Hurry it up, then. And make sure some of it actually gets to the table, particularly my order." Tai winked at him before turning and walking hastily towards an empty table that they had come to identify as their spot. They did sit there every time.

"No promises." He heard, prompting another chuckle. His Digi-pal always did have a way about him that could bring some laughter out of the poorest of situations. It was as if he had the same Light as Tai's sister Kari, who shared that ability to shoo away his problems and bring him back into the world of the living.

Taking a seat, he watched as the Rookie argued with the owner as they did on every occasion over portion sizes and costs. It was Agumon's staunch position that more food should come for less, considering that money was a rarity for the little guy. Whereas the owner had the exact opposite stance. It was always good for a laugh or two before, but now... Tai's idleness only degenerated back into his over-thinking.

Only this time, it was about Matt. Matt and he were rivals of the highest caliber. They didn't always get along, they fought as often as they could over the pettiest of things, and they had at times brawled over who had the rights to be leader. On some occasions it had been split down the middle, with some of their friends siding with each. Each, however, had had their times where they had been the undisputed leader.

Of late, however, Matt seemed to settle in and allow Tai to become the overall leader of the Digi-Destined old and new.

But because they had fought so much, they had understood each other that much more as well.

Tai had a magnetic personality, where people just naturally learned to be around him and to follow him. For as long as he could remember, Tai had never been a follower, with everyone deferring to him instead. Nobody could really bring themselves to hate him. He was honest, straightforward, and kind. Not only that, he had a strength within him that others couldn't help but acknowledge.

Matt, on the other hand, was a lone wolf. It was appropriate that his digital partner be a wolf, too. Several times during their adventures, Matt had seceded from the group and elected to go off on his own and find his own path. This had caused their group to divide on more than one occasion, but in the end Matt also played a hand in mending it.

Tai used to think that Matt was selfish, but had long since learned that the fellow Digi-Destined was simply different from most. He had his own ways of doing things, and they didn't always coincide with a group. Still, if it was not for Matt, Tai wouldn't be who he was today and the Digital World may have been left in ruin.

They were foils of each other, and this that made them rivals also made them partners. It was the two of them who gained the ability to achieve the highest form of evolution with their Digimon. It took strength of will to evolve a Digimon into the Champion stage. It took that will and the aspect that they identified with the most activating that brought forth the next step of Ultimate. But it was eventually the Arrows of Light that allowed them to take that final step.

Gabumon had become Garurumon who had grown into WereGarurumon, which bore the fruit that became MetalGarurumon, one of the two strongest Digimon in their group and Matt's lifelong partner. Agumon, however, had become Greymon. Eventually he evolved into MetalGreymon, who in the end became WarGreymon. But the possibilities of Digimon were endless. This was proven when Tai accidentally forced Greymon to Dark Digivolve into SkullGreymon.

Apart, they were the two strongest. It was their bond as friends, as rivals, as opposites, and as the strongest that gave them the ability to take one more step and create a Digimon that was unrivaled. They had only done it when it needed to be so. Through the mystery of DNA Digivolution, WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon became a being known as Omnimon.

It was safe to say that Tai and Matt had a complex, but very strong relationship.

That was why, even when Sora declined his offer to hang out, revealing that she was instead going to wait for Matt, he immediately relented and fled into the Digital World where he now waited. He couldn't be mad at Sora, or even Matt. They were two of his closest friends, and he was deeply happy for them.

But that happiness had been mixed with the bitterness of his own feelings for Sora going unanswered. Hell, they were unstated. Nobody but Agumon and Kari would possibly know.

"That owner is a real piece of work, huh Tai?" Agumon's annoyed tone once again stole him from his thoughts. Maybe saved was the more appropriate word.

"Yeah, well, can you really blame him? You'd clean him out if he didn't put up a fight every time." The tamer answered with a poke to the orange belly in question before rescuing his own plate from the danger that was his Digimon.

"He knew the risks when he opened the place." Agumon had a point there. There were an uncountable amount of Digimon and variations thereof that lived in this world, and if one half-pint dinosaur could take such a chomp out of the food supply in the restaurant, what else could be out there that was even more dangerous?

Tai wasn't expecting an answer so soon.

The sound of a crash erupted through the place, and it wasn't hard to find the source. An entire wall collapsed, falling to pieces as a sharp red flipper stopped where it previously stood. It was somewhat familiar, as Tai could swear he saw it before, albeit a much smaller size.

As a matching pair of webbed hands gripped at the ceiling, Tai turned to Agumon, both locking eyes and nodding. They were already in perfect sync and prepared to do what they needed to. As the Digimon that inhabited the restaurant scattered, Tai and Agumon together jumped through a window and landed on the outside.

"Son of a..." Tai began, his sentence cutting off as he caught glimpse of what it was exactly that was single handedly destroying the restaurant. It also became apparent why. Massive red limbs, a bulging stomach, and a pair of horns (of the musical variety) jutting out of its back.

"ShogunGekomon!" Agumon cried, a little bit of anger beginning to rise in him as well. He didn't get to finish his meal.

That's right, Tai remembered seeing several ShogunGekomon before, although none were nearly the size of this particular behemoth. How much food did he have to eat to get that big?! This was no time to be distracted by his personal problems.

"Agumon, let's go!" Tai requested, his Digivice beginning to glow as his strength of will mingled with his Digimon's own.

A light began to emit from the dinosaur's tiny orange body before blinding those who would look at him. The data began to change, 0's and 1's surrounding the Rookie as he modified into something a little bit more appropriate for the situation.

As the light subsided, what stood in the place of the short-stack Digi-Dino was a much larger, blue striped Digi-Dino beneath a helmet of horns. That's right, Agumon had evolved into the Champion that Tai knew only as-

"Greymon!"

"NOVA BLAST!" Greymon shouted out, rearing his head back as a sizable orb of fire gathered in his mouth. Throwing forward his head, Greymon's mighty jaws opened and released the explosive attack, sailing across the air with a sizzle as it crashed into the red skin of ShogunGekomon.

Knocked to his back, the Ultimate in question seemed to bounce back forward, landing halfway through the restaurant and damaging it even more. As his belly rumbled, his gaze filled with malice, turning towards the mere Champion that dared to separate him and his meal. Meals?

Tai scowled, realizing that the Nova Blast did seemingly nothing. That wasn't good at all. Greymon and he were alone in the Digital World this time with no help to turn to, and unfortunately he had long since lost his crest and no longer had the ability to push Greymon to evolve further.

"Greymon, watch out!" Tai called out in warning, although too late.

"MUSICAL FIST!"

ShogunGekomon called out his attack before a torrent of heavy sound blasted forward from the horns perched atop his back and slammed into Greymon, not only knocking him off balance but seemingly doing more as the dinosaur clutched at his head.

But the Ultimate wasn't done yet.

"Greymon!" Tai called, feeling helpless, something he had begun to identify himself with.

"FROG KICK!" Howled the enemy, launching itself forward and planting its own webbed foot harshly into Greymon's abdomen.

It was happening again! Tai felt useless, able to do no more than cry out his partner's name as he was struck once, twice, three times by the monster frog. He couldn't do anything to help, and was forced to watch. Was their team always that weak?! It was an Ultimate, of course, but in the past they'd have still put up a fight!

Greymon caught the strike of another Frog Kick and leaned forward, ramming its helmet forward to skewer the red menace. ShogunGekomon was already a step ahead, unfortunately, and caught the head, single-handedly lifting the dino from the ground by it and slamming it back down.

Losing strength fast, Greymon shot its leg out in a kick, only to be caught and slung around some more. There was something different about this Ultimate than the others of its species. It was much more violent, much angrier, and nearly twice as dangerous. Every attack was met with a stronger counter that left Greymon that much worse for wear.

"Is... is it me?" Tai asked himself, wondering if somehow his own feelings of inadequacy were depriving Greymon of some sort of power. He had begun to torment himself. This wasn't his fault... It couldn't be. Greymon was a Champion and ShogunGekomon was an Ultimate! It was natural that one be stronger than the other, but...

"No... No! Please, stop! Please, no more!" Tai called out, beginning to beg. He couldn't lose Greymon. Not now. Now ever. It would break him beyond repair. But ShogunGekomon wasn't listening. Instead, he seemed to have begun wailing on the rapidly failing Greymon even harder.

Courage

Tai's eyes snapped open as he stared up into the sky. Where had that come from? It was the word he was most familiar with, as Courage was the aspect that had chosen him. He was the Digi-Destined of Courage. But no more, he relinquished that tag and crest already...

Courage

He heard again.

Courage? Courage?! How could he have courage?! Courage was useless in a situation like this! He could do nothing, he could help nothing! What would courage do? Give him the strength to face losing his very best friend in the same exact day that he lost the woman he had grown to love?!

Courage

It called a third time...

"T... Ta... i..." Greymon called out as ShogunGekomon finished his assault, leaving the Champion in an unmoving heap.

"G... Greymon..." Tai responded weakly.

His eyes stared shakily at his pummeled partner, who hadn't the strength to do more than call out his name. Greymon still wanted to fight... Tai knew it. But how could he? It made no sense... ShogunGekomon was too strong; there was no way that he could win. What was it that was driving Greymon that Tai had failed to notice?

Courage

Courage... As if by magic, the word began to swirl around in his thoughts, slinging out recent memories that had caused Tai to wince. Most of them had to do with Sora. He watched inwardly, reliving every time over the past few years that he had caused himself to fail. A pattern had begun to emerge. There was... something he was missing. Something that Tai seemed to guess that he had abandoned at some point.

Courage.

As the river of memories began to complete, the last one and most recent particularly stinging at his heart, a tear began to roll down his cheek. He understood. Greymon hadn't changed. It was indeed he who had, losing the most important part of himself that made Tai who he was.

"I understand..." He answered, Greymon beginning to glow even brighter than before. An insignia appeared over Tai's chest, one that shown as bright as the sun that it represented. Tai was the Digi-Destined of Courage. He had forgotten.

"Greymon... digivolve." Tai requested, confident that his partner would respond. How could Tai have forgotten? Apocalymon showed them all that even if they didn't have their crests and tags, it wasn't the objects themselves that gave them the power to grow. They didn't give them strength.

"I've always had it. And I always will." Tai answered himself resolutely.

As the bright light that surrounded Greymon grew, more 0's and 1's appeared. They surrounded his large form and overwhelmed it, hiding it within their sea. Within seconds, though, they began to vanish and the light began to end.

What stood in the place of Greymon was not MetalGreymon. No, he had skipped the Ultimate class entirely. Although similar, it wasn't even WarGreymon. It was something else entirely, something that Tai had most certainly never seen before. With the same physical shape as WarGreymon, it was held the same powerful, dinosaur jaw. Covering it was a shining, almost sparkling helmet of steel that, unlike his usual Mega form, did not project three horns. There were no mechanical wings on its back, yet it hovered in the air just the same, a cape akin to Omnimon's flowing behind it. An armor covered this Digimon's torso, extending out over its fists tightly clenched fists. It almost looked like a less armed WarGreymon, but Tai could tell it was significantly more powerful.

Holding up his digivice, it revealed the name of his partner before him.

UlforceGreymon.

It told him that Ulforce was a special type of ability that only those with a strong heart that is filled with the desire to protect can achieve, but even then it was such a rarity that it was legendary in a way that many hadn't believed it to exist. The digivice couldn't cite a single Digimon before him to have achieved such a form. It was... awe inspiring.

UlforceGreymon looked down at him, to which Tai answered with a smile. His buddy was okay... With a wink, Tai understood that this form was brought about by his own courage. The courage that he had forgotten existed for so long.

"I leave it to you."

"Are you sure, Tai? It... might be too late." Agumon warned him as they stood inches away from the port that would return them back to the Human World. Tai raised an eyebrow as he inspected the little guy beside him. Not only had he returned to normal, the glutton wasn't even hungry anymore. His energy seemed normal too. Ulforce was something amazing, but Tai had the feeling that he'd never see it again.

"I'm sure. All I need is a little Courage, right?" His answer was a laugh. That's right. It was all he ever needed. With a resolute nod, they both prepared as a bright shine overtook them, drawing them forth from that world and sending them along the trip back home.

As reality appeared to piece itself together around them, Tai stared forth into Sora's face. She was in the exact same room he had last seen her, awaiting Matt. But that wasn't the only thing that was strange. The port they used wasn't connected to this room at all, but instead far across town. But how?

"Tai? Didn't you just-"

"Sora, there's something I need you to know." Tai cut her off, realizing that he may be too late but taking that step he was never able to take before.

"A-ah... um, okay..." She answered hesitantly, taken aback by how forward he was.

"It's been a long time coming, but for years I've looked at you and wished to myself that we weren't just friends. I'd hate to throw a word as heavy as love at you in my confession, but I'm 200% confident that love is what this is."

The expression on her face filled with a combination of so many emotions, Tai was unable to decipher what she was feeling at the moment, something that frightened him to death, but would not stop him from finally saying the three words that have been on the tip of his tongue forever.

"I love you."

Sora sat, stunned, unsure what to do or what to say. It was almost as if she had been overloaded and shut down as a natural response. Even if she didn't reciprocate his feelings, he'd finally laid them out there. It was a load off of his chest, and he could truly be happy for her and Matt. And for the first time for what felt like ages, a pure and joyous smile rose to his face and beamed back at her.

"I... I don't know what... what to say..." She answered him.

"It's okay, Sora... I understand that you and-"

"Other than I'm so happy..." She finished, cutting him off this time, her own eyes beginning to stream with tears that rolled down her cheeks and fell to the floor.

Did... Did she say she was happy? Tai could have sworn he felt his heart stop, only for it to immediately burst back to life as she leapt up from her chair, throwing her arms around him in embrace. As it turned out, she had felt the same way, but was sure that he didn't. She was going to, instead, try to find love elsewhere.

But even as they embraced, their partners watched from the side as from their chests came the glow of the crests they had once bore. Tai's Courge was met with Sora's Love, and together it illuminated their own hearts and the hearts of everyone nearby. It was magical.

Agumon smiled, happy for his partner, as the end of Matt's last song flowed through the room. But if Matt was still singing, then that means that the concert hadn't ended yet even though it had been several hours since Tai and he entered the Digital World. It was almost as if time had stopped and waited on them. As if this was a gift from that mystical world.

Seeing their embrace, their mingling lights, Agumon nodded to himself understanding. The Digital World followed its own rules, and it ruled that Tai deserved his chance.

It just had to remind him of something first.

There we go. For those who haven't read the manga Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01, Ulforce is a concept that originated there. It's sort of like a legendary overwrite that allowed Digimon who held certain ideas close to their heart to take that final step and evolve past their limits. I had originally planned on this story doubling as a way for me to give Agumon the ability to become MetalGreymon again, but as I wrote I recalled Ulforce.

I hope you enjoyed. Look forward to what might be some more digital stories of love and romance. Taiora forever.

'Til next time.