"Tai, what's wrong?"
Izzy noticed Tai had gone blank, lost in a daze and not listening to a word he said. Puzzled, he called out to him.
Just as Tai was about to speak, his little sister Kari had already run up beside him.
"Big brother, I can help you now, too!"
Seeing the smile on Kari's face, Tai crouched down and gently patted her on the head.
"That's right. Kari's all grown up now, too!"
Tai spoke softly, a smile on his face.
But every child there sensed the sorrow and resolve beneath his words.
"Kari, if I'm not here anymore, make sure you take care of yourself, okay?"
"Big brother, what's wrong?" Kari had only just started to ask when Tai suddenly sprinted toward the battlefield.
All the children stared at him in shock. None of them knew what was happening.
Sensing Tai's thoughts, AeroVeedramon became a streak of blue light in the sky and raced toward him. It grabbed Tai from the ground and set him on its shoulder.
Human and beast rose into the sky, facing Vengeful Vampire Beast head-on.
"Bastard, are you really looking down on me that much?"
Tai hadn't even spoken when Vengeful Vampire Beast shouted at him from across the battlefield.
He had watched the entire process of MetalGarurumon's appearance.
After Angewomon appeared, he'd already prepared to face two Ultimate Stage Digital Beasts!
But this child named Tai Yagami had clearly refused that power, choosing instead to rely on AeroVeedramon, a Perfect Stage Digital Beast, to defeat him head-on.
To Vengeful Vampire Beast, who had struggled so hard to reach the Ultimate Stage, this was clearly an insult.
Standing on AeroVeedramon's shoulder, Tai gazed at Vengeful Vampire Beast with eyes as still as an ancient well.
"No, it's not that I look