When the kids arrived at the place someone's mom had guessed was Ken Ichijouji's home, they could hear police sirens echoing across the entire area from far away.
"Is it here?" Davis asked.
Cody, meanwhile, carefully checked the map in his hands. "According to Izzy's map, it should be this building."
"Looks like something happened here," Yolei said, listening to the nonstop wail of police cars all around them.
The chatter of two women nearby caught the kids' attention.
"I heard Ken from the Ichijouji family is missing…"
When they walked closer, they saw a couple anxiously explaining something to the police.
"Officer, I don't know why he ran away from home. I don't know where he went!"
Ken Ichijouji was known as a genius prodigy—pride of the whole neighborhood. His disappearance was a major case. The police took it extremely seriously, and the number of patrol cars on scene had multiplied several times over.
"Missing???" The kids all froze, question marks practically popping over their heads.
"Where would he even go?" Davis asked.
"I think he went to the Digital World," Tai answered.
Tai was right. At that very moment, Ken was in a dim control room, fully focused as he operated the console—pouring all his attention into the work of modifying the Dark Ring.
"Hurry up! Hurry up! Move it, you useless trash!" Ken roared, whipping the Digimon hustling back and forth in front of him as they worked. His expression stayed dark and grim the whole time.
The same scene was playing out all across the Digital World. Ken had completely fallen into madness, constantly forcing the Digimon to build Control Spires for him. The Control Spires were rising at a terrifying speed, spreading rapidly throughout the Digital World. Ken watched his territory expand and expand, grinning with satisfaction—already forgetting about everything in the human world.
When he was in a good mood, he never looked at—nor wanted to look at—the image of his father and mother worrying themselves sick, crying their eyes out.
Back in the computer lab, the kids stared at the Digital World map displayed on the monitor. The blackened region was spreading at an alarming rate.
"It looks like Ken's been staying in the Digital World this whole time," Izzy said, analyzing the abnormal growth of the dark area. "And since he hasn't gone home at all since he 'went missing,' it's possible he intends to stay in the Digital World indefinitely—expanding his influence in one push until he reaches his goal."
"But why would he do that?" Yolei couldn't understand his behavior at all.
"I think he might be planning to stay in the Digital World forever and never go back to the real world," T.K. said.
Cody looked at the magazine photo of Ken smiling brightly in the sunlight. He really couldn't connect that wholesome face to the cruel Digimon Emperor.
"We're going too," Davis said, clenching his fist with determination.
"But it's already really late," Cody said worriedly.
After a chaotic round of discussion, the kids decided to go to the Digital World to take a look—then do their best to return before dinner, so the adults wouldn't worry.
The moment they arrived, heat slammed into them like a wave. Everywhere was magma and volcanic craters. The ground itself was scorching hot, and even the air shimmered with heat. Flames kept bursting up from the ground, only to snuff out moments later.
Through the rolling heat haze, they could see a twisted Control Spire in the distance. The kids decided to head there first and destroy it. Davis kept shouting Ken's name as they ran, trying to lure him out—
—but the ones who responded were a group of Meramon, who suddenly leapt out of the magma and scared the kids half to death.
Meramon is a Champion-level Ghost-type Digimon shrouded from head to toe in crimson flames that never stop burning. It is said to be a Digimon generated by the defensive wall known as a "Firewall," created to prevent illegal intrusion into networks such as the Internet. With a fierce temperament like the flames around its body, it incinerates anything it touches. Because it wields stronger firepower than others of its kind on File Island, it's extremely difficult to tame—and even if it is tamed, it may rebel again at any time. In battle, everything it touches ignites; it's fast, excels in close combat, and possesses a special ability that makes it unafraid of fire-type attacks. It can also use flame power to enlarge its body and increase its strength. Its finishing move is Burning Fist, setting both arms ablaze and pummeling the opponent.
"Alright—let's go!"
"Armor Digivolve!"
"Veemon, Armor Digivolve—Flamedramon, the Burning Courage!"
"Armadillomon, Armor Digivolve—Digmon, the Steel-Like Wisdom!"
"Hawkmon, Armor Digivolve—Halsemon, the Heart's Beating Wings of Love!"
"Patamon, Armor Digivolve—Pegasusmon, the Soaring Hope!"
"Gatomon, Armor Digivolve—Darcmon, the Radiant Smile of Light!"
The kids' Digimon unleashed a coordinated barrage of attacks, blasting the Meramon and knocking them straight into the lava. Just as the kids thought they'd succeeded, even larger Meramon jumped back out.
At that moment, Ken arrived—Wormmon riding on an Airdramon—flying toward the kids. From far away, he could already see them facing off against their Digimon and a group of Meramon.
Airdramon is a Mythical Beast Digimon with gigantic wings. Because it is an extremely rare monster, it is considered a being close to a god. It excels at aerial combat; its roar can summon storms, and the beating of its wings can raise massive tornadoes. Though its temperament is extremely brutal, it is also highly intelligent. It should be impossible for an ordinary Tamer to command it. Its finishing move is Spinning Needle, generating a sharp vacuum blade from the thrashing of its enormous wings.
Airdramon gathered a sharp vacuum blade in midair and fired it at the kids. Before it could even reach them, Darcmon—flying above—slashed it apart with a single sword strike.
The kids immediately looked up, wary, as they stared at Ken in the sky.
"What are you trying to do?!" Davis shouted at him. "You just vanish like this—your mom and dad are really worried! Do you even know that?!"
"Heh. Heh," Ken sneered. "What I'm trying to do? You'll find out soon enough. As for them—useless people like that, how could they ever compare to a genius like me? And you—being DigiDestined like you—is my disgrace. This time, I'll make sure to give you all a proper welcome."
"What? How can you say that?!" Cody yelled, unable to understand.
"You bastard—do you even hear what you're saying?!" T.K. shouted.
"Why do you control and abuse these Digimon?" Kari asked, genuinely confused. "Why can't everyone just live in peace?"
"Hmph. This is my world. I'll do whatever I want," Ken said. "Now, take a look at my newest masterpiece."
As he spoke, he shifted to the side. A blue wolf stepped forward with a Dark Ring around its neck. Its eyes glowed red. It lifted its head and howled at the sky.
"AROOO!"
"This is…" T.K.'s eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.
"Even though I still can't control a Perfect-level Digimon like Andromon, if I force a Champion-level Digimon to undergo Dark Digivolution into a Perfect-level, I can control it," Ken said coldly. "Accept the power of darkness. Digivolve into Perfect and become my subordinate. Obey my orders."
Ken raised his black D-3 Digivice high and shouted, "Garurumon—Dark Digivolve!"
"AROOO!"
Black energy poured out of the D-3 Digivice and flooded into Garurumon. Black mist swallowed its entire body.
When it emerged, it had completely changed.
It was BlackWereGarurumon.
BlackWereGarurumon is a bipedal Beast Man Digimon with fur dyed entirely black. Because it walks on two legs, it loses some of its original speed—but gains far greater attack and defense, becoming a tactical assault-type Digimon. Inheriting Garurumon's leg strength makes its kicks especially deadly, and its jumping ability is among the best of all Digimon. After being infected by a virus, its attacks gained corrosive properties, capable of contaminating and eroding an enemy's body and weapons—breaking their will to fight. Its finishing move is Kaiser Nail, ripping the opponent apart with sharp, virus-laced claws. It also has techniques such as Garuru Kick, a fierce kick delivered with powerful legs; Baldy Blow, a skill that uses continuous body movement to disrupt the enemy's line of sight and break their tempo; and Engetsugeri, a technique that uses a backward flip while kicking in an arc like a full moon.
"Hahaha!" Ken laughed loudly. "Go, BlackWereGarurumon! Wipe out these useless fools!"
"Kaiser Nail!"
But BlackWereGarurumon didn't do what Ken expected at all.
Instead, it turned—swinging its claw straight at Ken.
"Ken, watch out!" Wormmon slammed into Ken, knocking him off balance and forcing him down onto Airdramon's head. He barely avoided the blow.
The razor-sharp claws tore through the air, the wind of the strike grazing Ken's scalp. In Ken's shocked, unbelieving stare, the attack slammed into Airdramon's head—ripping open a massive hole.
Airdramon screamed in agony and plunged from the sky.
Wormmon hurriedly controlled another Airdramon to fly over and catch both Ken and himself, then rocketed upward—getting them far away from the rampaging BlackWereGarurumon.
BlackWereGarurumon kicked off the air several times in rapid succession. It was so fast only afterimages could be seen. Its body rose upward, defying gravity—until it landed atop the next Airdramon and killed it.
Before it could fall, it pushed off again with powerful hind legs, leaping to yet another Airdramon—
—and proceeded to slaughter them one after another, killing every Airdramon in sight.
The kids watched, stunned, as Airdramon after Airdramon dropped from the sky, smashing into the ground—some plunging straight into the lava.
"T-This…" They couldn't believe it. In just a few seconds, Ken's own "subordinate" had killed seven Airdramon.
With a heavy thud, BlackWereGarurumon landed on the ground. It rose again, baring razor-sharp teeth, its eyes vicious as it stared at the kids.
BlackWereGarurumon took step after step toward them.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Each heavy footstep hit the ground like it was stamping directly onto the kids' hearts. BlackWereGarurumon's brutality left them completely paralyzed with fear.
"Burning Fist!"
The Meramon didn't care about any of that. All of them rushed in, surrounding BlackWereGarurumon and firing off their finishing moves.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The attacks struck BlackWereGarurumon—more accurately, BlackWereGarurumon didn't even bother dodging. Flames swallowed its body, yet the sound of footsteps never stopped.
Then BlackWereGarurumon walked straight out of the burning area.
Not a single scratch.
The combined finishing moves of five Meramon couldn't even singe a single hair on its body.
BlackWereGarurumon opened its jaws, its fangs gleaming, and let out a savage howl.
"AROOO!"
In an instant, its body became a blur, weaving through the Meramon like a shadow.
When it stopped, all five Meramon had already collapsed. With a soft pop, their bodies dissolved into data and vanished into the Digital World.
"How can it be like this?!" Cody shouted, tears in his eyes.
BlackWereGarurumon turned its head slightly, focusing on the kids and the Digimon still standing.
Flamedramon charged first.
"Flaming Fist!"
Flames burst from its hands as it struck at BlackWereGarurumon. BlackWereGarurumon dropped low, effortlessly slipping under the attack—then kicked upward with brutal force.
"Ah!"
Flamedramon let out a short cry of pain as its body bent and shot into the sky. By the time it fell back down, it had already lost consciousness. Just before it hit the ground, it devolved into Veemon, collapsing in a heap.
"Veemon!"
Digmon's drill began to spin.
"Big Quake!"
The ground cracked open under the force. But when Digmon lifted its head, BlackWereGarurumon was already gone.
"Watch out above you!" Pegasusmon warned anxiously, firing Star Shower in an attempt to stop it.
But BlackWereGarurumon was far too fast. Star Shower missed completely.
A heavy kick slammed down onto Digmon's head, sending it flying.
Digmon immediately fell unconscious and devolved into Armadillomon.
"Armadillomon!"
The moment BlackWereGarurumon's foot touched down, it stomped the ground again—launching itself upward at high speed. Its razor claws slashed into Halsemon before it could evade, knocking it out of the air.
Halsemon crashed hard onto the ground.
"Hawkmon!"
In less than ten seconds, Flamedramon, Digmon, and Halsemon had all lost the ability to fight.
Only Pegasusmon and Darcmon remained in the air.
"Damn it!" Darcmon beat its wings and dove toward BlackWereGarurumon at full speed, twin rapiers flashing.
Clang!
BlackWereGarurumon crossed its arms, blocking the blades with the claws on its hands.
"What?!" Darcmon's eyes widened in shock.
BlackWereGarurumon grinned, its expression turning vicious.
Darcmon felt a chill of terror as black mist began to seep from BlackWereGarurumon's claws—creeping onto the surface of Darcmon's blade like an infection.
BlackWereGarurumon flipped, its left leg carving out a blood-red crescent slash that tore toward Darcmon.
Bang!
Darcmon couldn't dodge in time. The crimson arc struck its waist, smashing it to the ground with overwhelming force. Its swords flew out of its hands.
"Star Shower! Star Shower!" Pegasusmon rushed forward, desperately firing its move to push BlackWereGarurumon back.
"Kaiser Nail!"
BlackWereGarurumon lunged forward and unleashed its finishing move. The blood-red claws slammed into Pegasusmon's chest.
The impact flipped Pegasusmon from forward motion into violent backward flight. Its chest armor shattered into pieces, and it devolved into Patamon, slamming into the ground and rolling several times.
"Patamon!"
Darcmon forced itself back to its feet. It extended its left hand, and the Holy Ring on it shone—transforming into a sacred staff inlaid with the Crest of Light.
The staff spun once in Darcmon's hand, tracing a circle of white radiance. A holy shield appeared and began to rotate around Darcmon, orbiting like a shining halo.
"Behind you!" Kari shouted urgently.
Darcmon turned—
—and saw a blood-red claw mark slicing toward it.
At that exact moment, the holy shield that had rotated behind Darcmon suddenly vanished—reappearing in front of it.
The crimson slash crashed into the holy shield, sending ripples across it—then dissipated.
For the first time, BlackWereGarurumon's ferocious face showed a flicker of surprise.
Darcmon swung the sacred staff again. A beam of white light fired from the tip and slammed into BlackWereGarurumon's chest, blasting it backward and throwing it onto the ground.
Before it could rise, Darcmon lifted its right hand. The Holy Ring on that hand shone, forming a glowing lasso of light that wrapped around BlackWereGarurumon, binding it tight.
"So strong…" The kids gasped in awe. From watching BlackWereGarurumon crush four Digimon with ruthless efficiency, to seeing Darcmon turn the tables and defeat it—the emotional whiplash was enormous.
"ARH! ARH!" BlackWereGarurumon struggled and roared, thrashing and rolling—until it suddenly tumbled into the lava beside it.
It didn't move again.
Seeing BlackWereGarurumon disappear, Darcmon finally let out a breath, picked up the sword that had fallen nearby, and raised the sacred staff in its left hand.
Light shone down onto the blade, and the black mist clinging to it immediately dispersed.
Darcmon then looked at the Digimon lying unconscious—each one cradled by their partners—and swung the staff again, releasing a healing light. Bright motes fell over them; their wounds slowly faded. Then, one by one, they opened their eyes.
But before anyone could truly relax, a massive explosion suddenly erupted from the lava.
A black Digimon wreathed in flames leapt out—it was BlackWereGarurumon.
It landed on the shore and roared.
Then black light surged over its body.
In the next instant, it devolved into Garurumon and collapsed on the ground.
"This is… Garurumon?" T.K. said in shock.
"What? Garurumon… is that the one Matt has?" Davis asked.
A sudden gust roared down from above.
An Airdramon swooped in, snatched Garurumon in its claws, and shot back into the sky.
"Haha—this time I failed," Ken's voice rang out from Airdramon's back. The moment he saw BlackWereGarurumon devolve, he hurried over to retrieve it. "Next time, I won't let you go!"
"Don't think you're getting away!" Darcmon beat its wings and started to give chase.
"Hahaha—then you'd better look behind you first," Ken said smugly.
Darcmon turned—
—and saw five DarkTyrannomon advancing on the kids.
"Damn it…" Darcmon gritted its teeth and turned back to save them. The other Digimon had already lost the ability to fight again—there was no choice but to let Ken go for now.
DarkTyrannomon are Champion-level Dinosaur-type Digimon whose entire bodies have been eroded by malicious computer viruses. They resemble Tyrannomon, but their bodies have been corrupted by vicious viral data. They are Digimon steeped in dark power, and among Champion-level Digimon, they are considered especially formidable. Their move is Fire Blast, spewing an enormous pillar of flame from their mouths—capable of burning enemies to ash in an instant.
The five DarkTyrannomon's massive weight made the ground tremble. Standing before their towering frames, the kids looked insignificant.
"Fire Blast!"
All five opened their jaws and spewed enormous pillars of flame at the kids.
"Ah!" The kids screamed as the fire surged toward them.
But when the expected heat never came, they slowly opened their eyes—
—and saw a white wall of light blocking all five flame pillars.
The source of the barrier was the radiance pouring from Darcmon's sacred staff.
"Baptême d'Amour!"
Darcmon's twin swords traced beautiful arcs as it moved like a flash—slashing through the Dark Rings at the necks of all five DarkTyrannomon and shattering them.
Then Darcmon turned its gaze to the nearby Control Spire.
With a single swing, a blade of sword energy cut through it. The Control Spire split cleanly down the middle, the cut surface smooth as glass.
At last, the chaos was over.
The kids finally exhaled in relief. Both they and their Digimon were exhausted. It was late, and no one had the energy to do anything else.
They returned to the computer lab, drained and listless. There were too many things about today that didn't make sense.
Ken's strange behavior. The sudden appearance of BlackWereGarurumon. Whether that Garurumon was actually connected to Matt's partner.
And most importantly—
They glanced at the screen.
The blackened region had expanded again.
The speed at which they destroyed Control Spires couldn't keep up with the speed at which Ken built them. Day by day, the dark area continued to grow.
Ken's face was grim as he replayed failure after failure in his mind. Back in Tai City, even though he'd controlled that Andromon with a Dark Ring, it still hadn't obeyed his precise commands—it only followed preset routines, and no matter how hard he tried, he could only alter it a little. And just now, BlackWereGarurumon had outright ignored every order and attacked him instead.
Worst of all—
He had humiliated himself in front of the kids he hated most. The "strongest subordinate" he'd been so proud of had turned on him.
"Tch… useless trash," Ken muttered through clenched teeth.
"Why… why can't I control a Perfect-level Digimon?" Ken whispered to himself as his fingers flew across the console. He pulled up the Dark Ring's image and detailed data on the screen. "Is it because the Dark Ring's power is limited?"
His face filled with doubt as his gaze shifted to the Garurumon locked inside a sealed cage.
"If that's the case… then where exactly is the problem?" Ken murmured, sinking into thought.
Ken picked up his D-3 Digivice again.
"Garurumon—Dark Digivolve!"
Black energy surged once more into the Garurumon lying on the ground. The calm Garurumon instantly became violent.
After Dark Digivolving into BlackWereGarurumon, it went on a rampage, smashing and clawing at the surrounding walls. Fortunately, Ken had prepared in advance—the walls around the area were all made of Chrome Digizoid. Otherwise, BlackWereGarurumon would've torn the place apart long ago.
Ken stared at the changing numbers on the screen with total concentration, refusing to miss even the smallest detail.
"Kaiser Nail! Kaiser Nail!"
Inside the cage, BlackWereGarurumon swung its claws in a frenzy, tearing at the walls. Even Chrome Digizoid walls began to crack under the relentless assault.
Finally, with one Kaiser Nail, it ripped open a huge hole.
At the same time, the energy within BlackWereGarurumon ran out. It could only devolve into Garurumon again, collapsing on the ground, completely spent.
"Hahaha!" Ken burst into delighted laughter as he stared at the data. "I finally found the reason. It's this—this right here."
"Ken, you figured something out?" Wormmon got excited too, seeing Ken so happy.
"That's right. Now's the time to test it," Ken said, eyes blazing. He raised the D-3 Digivice. "Come on, Garurumon—Dark Digivolve again."
Once more, BlackWereGarurumon resumed its destructive frenzy.
But Ken looked at it with a feverish excitement, like he was staring at a lover he hadn't seen in ages.
He hammered the keyboard, desperate to turn every thought in his head into something real. Endless streams of data scrolled across the screen, and the shape of the Dark Ring slowly began to change.
"If the ring's current shape can only handle Champion-level data and can't process Perfect-level data," Ken muttered, his voice growing more and more excited, "then I just need to add more. If that's the case… then changing the shape solves it."
"Expand the functions, change the form—hahaha! The words 'impossible' don't exist in my dictionary!"
As Ken's laughter echoed, the final design displayed on the screen was a spiral-shaped Dark Ring—
No. It should be called a Dark Spiral Ring.
"Hahaha! Processing capacity increased. Signal sending and receiving increased too. This way, even without Control Spires transmitting energy, the Dark Spiral Ring can directly receive the signals from my Digivice! My territory won't be limited by Control Spires anymore. The whole Digital World is going to be mine! Hahaha! Come on, Garurumon—let's try this."
Once the Dark Spiral Ring was placed around Garurumon's neck, it Dark Digivolved into BlackWereGarurumon again—
—but this time, it didn't rage.
It stood there quietly, waiting for the Digimon Emperor's orders.
"It worked… it worked!" Ken's excitement shook with triumph. "The Digital World is mine! This time, I'll make those brats taste my power. I'll kill you. Every last one of you."
"You're saying you saw Garurumon—and it was controlled by the Digimon Emperor? That's impossible!" Matt stared at T.K., agitation flashing in his eyes.
"Matt, calm down," T.K. said quickly, grabbing Matt's hand. "We can't be sure that Garurumon was actually Gabumon. That's why I came to tell you—we should go to the Digital World and confirm whether Gabumon is still there."
"Then what are we waiting for?!" Matt snapped, yanking T.K. along and sprinting.
"Gabumon! Gabumon!"
Matt shouted his partner's name across the area where Gabumon usually stayed. The other kids and their Digimon also helped, calling out.
"Matt!"
A familiar voice came from afar.
Matt immediately ran toward the sound. He climbed over a small hill and saw a familiar blue wolf rushing toward him.
"Garurumon!"
"Matt!"
Man and wolf threw themselves into a tight embrace.
…Well, Matt hugged Garurumon's massive wolf head.
After they hurriedly exchanged updates about what had happened since they last saw each other, they finally got to the real point.
"What? There was a Garurumon controlled by the Digimon Emperor—and it even Dark Digivolved into BlackWereGarurumon?" Gabumon stared at Matt in shock.
"Yes. We saw it with our own eyes," T.K. said, still shaken. "And that BlackWereGarurumon was unbelievably strong. Even all of us together weren't a match for it. If it hadn't run out of energy, then…"
"We should call Tai and Izzy and everyone over and talk this through," Matt said, forcing himself to stay calm. "If the Digimon Emperor can control Perfect-level Digimon now, it could be dangerous for you guys to face him alone. Let's figure out a plan together."
"Yeah. I'll notify everyone right now," Kari said, pulling out her D-Terminal and sending the message.
After receiving Kari's message, Tai arrived in the Digital World with Sora, only to find that Izzy had already gotten there.
"Kari already told me what happened," Tai said, worry written across his face. "This time, our enemies aren't just Champion-level Digimon anymore—they're powerful Perfect-level Digimon. With our current strength, we can't handle this. WarGreymon can't appear and fight nonstop."
"But Tai… aside from Kari's Gatomon, our Digimon can't beat that BlackWereGarurumon after Armor Digivolving," Davis said, looking dejected—though his tone quickly turned shamelessly hopeful. "So… how about you give all of us the materials for Kari's Light Digi-Egg armor? Then we'd all have that kind of power, and we could beat BlackWereGarurumon."
Tai looked at Davis with complete deadpan. "Sure. As long as you find the source of those materials—Fanglongmon—then defeat it, and strip all the Huanglong Ore off its body. At that point, however much Digi-Egg armor you want, I'll give you that much."
"T-Tai… is Fanglongmon strong?" Davis's smile grew even more ingratiating, and the other kids immediately got those "seriously?" sweat drops. "Is it stronger than WarGreymon?"
"It's not that strong," Tai said in the same casual tone. "It's only about as strong as Omegamon's Transcendent Form."
"Omegamon's Transcendent Form?" Davis stared blankly, question marks popping up again.
"Just… a few dozen times stronger than WarGreymon," Tai added, still sounding like he was talking about the weather.
Davis froze on the spot like a statue.
Sora laughed and smacked Tai on the shoulder. "Alright, stop messing with Davis. You're his senior."
Tai finally got serious. "Fanglongmon disappeared from the Digital World tens of thousands of years ago. All that remains are legends. I only know that Fanglongmon was sealed away in ancient times by an Angel Digimon—but no one knows where the seal is."
That completely crushed what little hope Davis had left.
Tai patted Davis's shoulder to encourage him. "But don't get too discouraged. Your Digi-Egg armor isn't much worse than Kari's. Right now, your Digimon simply aren't fully bringing out the Digi-Egg armor's true power. Once the real power is unleashed, every one of your Digimon can reach strength not inferior to a Perfect-level—at the very peak of Perfect-level, only slightly below a Mega. And as for Kari's Light Digi-Egg armor—when its full strength is revealed, it can match a Mega."
"No way!"
Every kid—and every Digimon—who heard that went slack-jawed.
Even though Tai had mentioned it before, this time he explained it in far more detail, and none of them had realized the Digi-Egg armor contained that much power.
"But when we fought, we already went all out," Veemon said, trying hard to recall the battle. In the end, it still shook its head. The others nodded in agreement.
"An Armor form's combat power depends on the Digi-Egg used and the Digimon's own ability," Tai continued. "And whether the Digi-Egg's power is fully expressed depends on the Digimon's compatibility with that Digi-Egg."
"Compatibility?" Everyone still looked completely lost, waiting for him to explain.
"Each Digi-Egg armor has its own attribute," Tai said. "The Fire of Courage, the Wind of Love, the Thunder of Friendship, the Water of Sincerity, the Wood of Purity, the Earth of Knowledge, and the Light of Hope."
"These seven attributes correspond to the most fundamental rules of the Digital World."
"Then what about mine?" Kari asked, realizing Tai hadn't mentioned her. "What is mine?"
Tai's expression turned solemn. "Kari's Crest is Light—the most fundamental cornerstone of the Digital World: the Light of Evolution. The Light of Evolution that fills the entire Digital World with life and vitality. The reason Digimon can digivolve… is because of the Light of Evolution within Kari."
"The Light of Evolution?!" Every kid froze.
"That's right," Tai said. "Before the Hikarigaoka incident—before Koromon came to our home—every Digimon's evolution relied on either the World Tree or Millenniumon. But after that, Kari's light began to spread through the Digital World. It was like a great gate of evolution opened, and Digimon began walking the path of digivolution."
"So amazing…" Yolei said, staring in awe.
"As for how to improve compatibility," Tai finished quietly, "that depends on your hearts."
"Hearts?" The kids all echoed, still confused.
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