Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Legacy ❯ Guardians: Chapter 4 ( Chapter 6 )

Takato turned around and saw the red headed kid was roaring with laughter. He pulled his foot. It was his fault that he was no covered in mud. Takato felt his anger swarm up inside of him. He broke out of Kenta and Kazu's grip and launched at the red head boy, throwing him to the ground. He raised his fist, ready to crush the other boy's nose, but by that time Henry had run up from the other side of the field. He was able to grab Takato's fist, stopping the punch.

"Takato!" Henry shouted, pulling him away from the red-headed boy,"Takato! Easy..it's just a game! Calm down!"

Miss Isage watched the incident from the window of Tai's classroom. She turned to look at the teacher, who was watching a few windows down. "Did you see that?"

Tai nodded, sadly. "Yes," he sighed,"I've been watching for a while now. Takato has a problem controlling his anger. I don't know what to do for him, when I see him like that it...it reminds me of myself."

Miss Isage walked over and placed her hands around Tai's shoulder,"What do you mean?"

"I was like him, angry all the time, until..." he shook his head,"It's in the past."

Orion watched the Tamer and his partner charge after Musyamon. "The Master Digidestined, huh?" he asked himself,"Musyamon seems to know where he is. That would make a much better prize for Yamaki." Orion laughed as he ran after Musyamon, "Tonight, Master Digidestined, you are my prey!"

Henry just nodded, then turned back to the battle. Angewomon was on the ground with Yuggoth standing over her. Terriermon executed his Terrier Tornado, but it had no effect against the metal skin of the robot. The small dog tried to head-butt Yuggoth, but it backhanded him into the floor.

"Terriermon!" Henry shouted.

Watching the battle from the air vent, Calamon gasped. "Oh no! Terriermon!" The small triangle on his head started glow.

Back inside the laboratory, a bright light blasted from Henry's belt. "My D-Arc!" he gasped,"What's going on?"

Tai gasped as well. "Your digimon's digivolving."

"Terriermon digivolve to...Gargomon!"

"We're not going to let you find the Master Digidestined!" Takato shouted,"And we'll fight you to the very end."

There was a long silence before Orion chuckled. "Of course you would, that's the way you heroes are....a way I might have been, a way I could have been." He slid the hunting knife back into its holder,"The hunt has ended. Good battle, Tamer." He launched himself into the trees.

Takato chuckled. "I'll leave the fighting to you from now on." He sighed,"Plus, I......"

"You what?" Guilmon asked, glancing up at his partner. Takato was frozen, staring straight forward. The dinosaur turned to look in the same direction and saw a man staring at the pair with his mouth wide open.

"Mr. Kamiya!" Takato shouted,"I...I..." He suddenly grabbed Guilmon's arm and ran into thick trees of the park.

"Takato?" Tai asked.

December 11, 2015

The Book of Guardians

Chapter 4

Musyamon cleared his throat as he addressed the other digimon seated around the table. "Thank you for coming this morning: Vilemon, Harpymon, Dark Lizardmon. I have called you all here because we have a problem."

"What?" Harpymon asked.

Musyamon tossed a photo into the center of the table. "Her."

"Her?" Vilemon asked,"You're scared of a little girl?"

Musyamon slammed his fist onto the table,"That is not a little girl, that is the Digimon Queen!"

The three others gasped. "T..the Digimon Q..Queen?"

"Yes," the demon said,"She has already killed Devidramon, Dokugumon...and I..." he stared down,"Even I have been humiliated by her. We must do something, before it is too late for all of us!"

"I agree." Dark Lizardmon said. The two other nodded as well. "What is your plan?"

Takato nervously sat behind his desk in school. He was having a very hard time paying attention to the lesson that was being taught. He stared at his teacher. "Look at him. Mr. Kamiya's acting so calm and cool. There's no way he didn't see Guilmon this morning. I was right there! Did he already call the police, or is he waiting until I crack? That's it. He wants to wait until I crack first. Well, I'm not going to..yeah, I'm calm and cool. There's even a chill up my spine...."

He continued to stare forward. Tai was writing a math problem on the board. Jeri reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. He almost jumped through the ceiling. The brown haired girl whispered to him,"Takato, are you okay?"

He took a few deep breaths to get his breathing under control. "I..Mr. Kamiya saw Guilmon this morning!"

"What?"

Takato nodded, glancing to make sure that their teacher had not notice them talking, "Yeah, I..I've got to move him somewhere right after school."

"Why did you come to school, then?"

"They would have called my parents! They wouldn't know where I was, I could just imagine my mother."

Jeri smiled slightly. She looked up at the clock on the wall,"The bell's going to ring in a few minutes. You'll be able to hide Guillmon."

Takato nodded,"Yeah. I know. I, crud, Kamiya's turning back around." The two young teenagers spun back around seconds before Tai turned to face the class.

"Okay," Tai said,"That is the problem I want you to do for homework tonight." He waited until the class finished coping the problem before he continued. "Make sure that you finish reading the chapter in the text book also." He watched as the second hand on the clock moved over the correct time and the bell rang. "And we're out of here. I will see you all tomorrow. Mr. Matsuki, I'd like to talk to you for a few minutes."

Takato was already half-way to the door. "Damn," he swore to himself,"I almost made it."

"Tough brake man," Kazu said,"It's never good when a teacher wants to talk to you."

"You have no idea," Takato muttered under his breath. He started to walk back to the front of the class room. Tai closed the door then walked back over to his desk.

"Have a seat."

Takato nodded and sat down. Tai did the same behind his desk. "So, you've shown a lot of improvement lately. I'm very impressed."

"T..thank you," Takato nodded, forming a puddle of sweat beneath him.

"How have you been lately?"

Takato screamed. "Alright! I can't take it anymore! Mr. Kamiya, please you can't tell anyone about Gullmon! He..he's my friend! Please, Mr. Kamiya. He's not evil, we protect this city! Please!..." He looked up and saw that Tai was staring at him.

"Can I speak?"

Takato nodded."Y..yeah. go..go ahead."

Tai smiled slightly as he looked towards the closet. "Alright guys, you can come out now."

Takato watched as the door open and two creatures walked into the room. His eyes opened wide as he grabbed his deck of cards. He quickly flipped through them until he found the ones he was looking for. "Agumon, and Gatomon? Two digimon!" He glanced at his teacher,"Y...y...you're the Master Digidestined, aren't you?"

Tai nodded. "That's right."

Yamaki glanced around the crime scene: a corner office with a smashed desk an chair inside. The shelf was slashed in half, and the books were scattered around the floor. In the center of the carpet was the familiar police outline. The deceased had been removed, but the evidence of its' remains were still there . "Another murder. What's going on here" He turned to face one of the Hypnos agents. "Who was it this time?"

The agent read from the file in his hands. "Satsuto, Megumi. She was an electrical engineer before being promoted to an executive position. She was not married, but was living with a group of friends at a nearby apartment."

The Hypnos executive nodded. "We'll have to inform one of them about what happened here. Any idea of the killer?"

The agent flipped to the back of the folder and pulled out a photograph. "This was captured over surveillance. I think it's the same one as before."

Yamaki looked at the picture and nodded. "It's the Skull Satanmon again. Cross reference the situation of this case with any other unexplained deaths." The agent nodded and walked away. Yamaki turned around and walked over to the large bay window. A group of his forensic officers were examining the panes of glass to check for signs of entry. They reported to Yamaki that they had not found any.

He lightly started to rub his chin. "If the murderer didn't get in through the window, and the building's security didn't detect him going through the front door or the roof. That can only mean....that can only mean that's he's still in the building!"

The other agents stopped their field work and stared at their commander. He split the assembled agents into two groups: one would stay in the office, while the others went with Yamaki. They began a systematic search of the building, but they were not able to find any trace of the assassin. The Hypnos leader was beginning to doubt his own judgment, but as they walked along the top floor, Yamaki thought he saw something out of the corner of his eyes, like someone quickly closed one of the doors.

He turned back around and walked back down the hall. There should not have been anyone in the building, it had been evacuated. He ordered his team to guard the two ends and he cautiously approached the door. He grabbed his Electromagnetic Pulse gun and held it up. He waited a few seconds, then kicked open the door. He pointed his gun inside. "Freeze! Government Agent!"

The door suddenly flung open the other way and slammed into Yamaki and he was thrown to the ground. A skeleton of a devil appeared over top of the Hypnos commander. "Ha!" he laughed,"So you're Yamaki, huh? Ha!" He pointed the orb end of his staff at Yamaki's head.

"Freeze!"

The devil skeleton looked to the left and right: the two groups of Hypnos agents were all standing their ground, their own EMP guns pointing at him. One of the agents who was wearing a red cap as opposed to the normal blue ones. "Freeze, Skull Satanmon! We have your surrounded."

He glanced around, then back at Yamaki. "Don't be foolish," Yamaki hissed under Skull Satanmon's weight,"These men are government agents, if you kill me, they will not have any problem with destroying you."

Skull Satanmon glanced around, then back at Yamaki. "All right, but before I go..." He raised his staff,"Here's something so you'll remember me!" He slammed down on the side of Yamaki's face, no doubt crushing at the least his cheek bone.

The agent with the red cap threw his arm down. "Fire!" The Hypnos army began firing their weapons, but Skull Satanmon shot through the ceiling.

The agent with the red cap charged over to the fallen commander. "Commander Yamaki! Commander!" He knelt down and gasped.All of his training, and it still took everything he had not to lose his lunch. He grabbed his communicator. "This is Agent in Charge Adams, we need a medivac stat! Yamaki is down! I repeat, Yamaki is down!"

Rika was in her usual mood as she walked home from school. She had her arm over her shoulder carrying her bag, her face had her usual puss on it as she was staring at the ground. People walked past her, but she ignored them. Up above, Renamon danced across the building roofs, watching over her human partner. These two were a perfect match, both desired to be the best, and they both shunned even the slightest bit of human interaction. They would become the best, and no one would stand in their way.

As Rika kept her gaze focused on the sidewalk in front of her, she suddenly became aware that the sidewalks were free of all people. It was not that she did not mind it, but the traffic and pedestrians did not just vanish in the middle of rush hour. "Where did everyone go?"

She suddenly felt Renamon appear behind her. "Careful Rika, something's not right."

The two girls looked around. "I don't see anything," Rika said.

Renamon turned around, then gasped. She pointed at a roof top behind them. "There!"

Rika spun around and gasped as well. Standing on top of the roof top where a group of dark figures were standing. They recognized each and every one of them. "Musyamon, Vilemon, Harpymon, Dark Lizardmon!" Rika gasped,"What are you all doing here together?"

Musyamon grinned as he grabbed his sword. "We are your executioners!"

Tai and Takato walked through the park with their digimon trailing behind. "So you were the Digidestined leader?" Takato gasped.

Tai nodded. "Yeah, it was some rough times but, I wouldn't have traded it for anything."

Takato nodded. "So, um, why did you guys break apart? I mean, why isn't there a Digiddestined team right now?"

Tai half smiled. "Well, after we fought our arch-enemy...it was about fifteen years ago, so probably around the time you were born. Anyway, we fought Malomyotismon and defeated him, but there wasn't that much more for us to do, so were decided it was time to get on with our lives. We all had things we wanted to be in the future. Our advisor, Geni, appeared to us and told us that a new group of Digidestineds would be arriving, the Tamers. It was our duty to train them, so we had to prepare. However, there would be epicenters of Tamers appearing, so a Digidestined was assigned to each city: some had two. Because I was the leader, I was allowed to remain here, where I grew up.

Takato raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Tai sighed. "Well, a few digimon were able to DNA digivolve, so Takeru Takashi and Cody Hida went together, they're in...um...Moscow, I think. Daisuke Motomiya and Ken Ichijoji were partners, they were in Mexico City last time I checked. Miyako Inoe and my sister...." he trailed off.

"What?" Takato asked again.

"Miyako Inoe, or Yolei, as we called her, is in Montreal."

"You have a sister?" the young Tamer asked, interestingly.

"Kari," Tai said.

"Wow, I never knew that!" Takato smiled, for the first time, it was like his teacher was a real person, not just someone that stood in front of the classroom and talked. "Is she a Digidestined like you, what city is she in?"

Tai was about to answer him, when they heard a loud crashing sound from behind them. The group spun around and saw a red headed girl in a school uniform riding atop a giant fox run past them. A samurai, a winged imp, a flame in the shape of a lizard, and a woman with wings for arms charged after her. The Master Digidestined, the Tamer, and the digimon looked at each other. "That was the Digimon Queen, wasn't it?" Agumon asked.

Takato nodded. "I think Rika's in trouble."

"Rika?" Tai gasped,"You know her?"

The Tamer shrugged. "Probably not as much as you."

Tai turned away from him. "I didn't even know her name." He took a deep breath, then looked Takato straight in the eyes. "Okay, I know you want to help her, but stay here. I'll go after her."

Takato was shocked. "What?! Are you serious?"

"Yes, I don't want you getting hurt. Stay here."

Takato crossed his arms. "Guillmon and I can take care of ourselves, and I'm going, whether you like it or not!"

Tai was about to protest, but when he looked at Takato, he caught a glimpse of himself. "Alright, let's go."

Takato smiled at Guillmon, and quickly followed after Tai, Agumon and Gatomon.

As the group ran after Rika, Tai glanced over at Takato. "S'funny," he thought,"When I first heard the rumors of a 'goggle wearing Tamer,' I knew it was him. Deep down, subconsciously, I just knew it. That somehow that computer beam he was hit with on that field trip somehow made him a Tamer. Gave him a digimon, made him a hero. At least he thinks he's a hero. He has no idea how much it hurts to fight, to put yourself on the line. He's just an idealistic kid, but...he does have the skills and potential. What am I thinking?! He can't be a fighter, whether he's a Tamer or not, whether or not there is a dark force descending on the city. He's just a kid, not a warrior!"

The group ran after their prey, but the evil digimon were incredibly fast, much faster then two humans, two rookies and one small champion, and with the group of evil digimon behind her, Kyuubimon moved even faster. "We'll never catch up at this rate," Tai sighed. He grabbed the pink digivice that was around his waist, then grabbed a square device. "Gatomon!"

The white cat nodded, then jumped into the air. "Gatomon armor digivolve to Nefertimon! The Angel of Light!"

Takato and Guillmon gasped as a giant sphinx with wings appeared in front of them. Tai and Agumon jumped on. The Master Digidestined lifted Takato onto Nefertimon's back and Guillmon soon followed. "We're all on!" Tai shouted,"Hurry!"

"How fast are you?" Takato gulped.

"Just hang on," Nefertimon chuckled,"You haven't seen anything yet!" Takato and Guillmon grabbed onto her white fur, then the sphinx shot forward. The young Tamer and his digimon were almost thrown off as Nefertimon charged the evil digimon group that was chasing the Digimon Queen.

When they approached closer, they were slightly relived to see that Kyuubimon had a lead on her pursuers, not much, but enough to buy them some time. Nefertimon swung around to attack, only to hear Rika call out. Nefertimon's passengers looked over their shoulders and saw that Kyuubimon was lying on the ground. She had most likely lost her footing.

The sphinx spun back around to face the group of evil digimon. "Rosetta Stone!" A set of tablets flew from the gauntlets on her front legs and into the ground in front of the evil digimon. They were momentarily stunned.

and landed on the ground. Tai grabbed Takato and jumped off of Nefertimon. "Evolve your partner!" he shouted.

Takato gasped, then grabbed his D-Arc. "R..right."

"Guillmon digivolve to Growlmon!"

"Pyro Blaster!" He shouted, firing a ball of fire from his mouth. The team of evil digimon jumped apart, but the blast disintegrated Vilemon.

As Growlmon and Nefertimon faced the group of evil digimon, Tai grabbed Takato and brought him over to the fallen Rika and Kyuubimon, who had now changed back to Renamon. "Are you all right?" Tai asked.

"I'm fine!" the Digimon Queen snapped. Tai bent down and examined Rika's ankle.

"I think you may have twisted it."

Rika glared at him. "I told you, I'm fine!"

Tai ignored her and turned to Takato. "We'll have to hide somewhere until we can bring her to a hospital. Get the digimon." The Master Digidestined reached down and lifted Rika up in his arms.

"I don't recall asking for your help!" she snapped. She started squirming to break out of his grip.

"And I don't recall asking for your approval!" Tai shouted back, tightening his arms.

Rika glared at his face, then gasped. "Y..you're the Master Digidestined!"

"That's right."

Rika instantly stopped struggling. She not only remembered that technically he was her Master, but also the Mega digimon that was his to command. She went limp in his arms.

"That's better," Tai said. He glanced to Takato. "Tell the Digimon we're leaving, right now!"

Takato charged over to the digimon. "Growlmon! Nefertimon! We're leaving!"

Musyamon laughed. "You're not going anywhere!" He held his sword out in front. Growlmon fired his Pyro Blaster and Nefertimon attacked with her Rosetta Stones. The two attacks crashed into the sidewalk, tearing it apart in a blast of smoke and concrete. When it cleared, the Tamers and the Master Digidestined were gone.

"Damn it!" Musyamon growled,"Find them, now!"

Henry was resting in his bed, his left hand on his chest and his right hand on top of his forehead. Terriermon was laughing as he played a computer game on the screen. "Ha! No one can beat Terriermon! I am the best!"

"Terriermon!" Henry shouted,"I'm trying to sleep here!"

"It's the middle of the afternoon! Why are you sleeping now?"

Henry was about to argue, when his cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Henry! It's Takato!"

Henry sat up in his bed,"Why do I have the feeling that this isn't a pleasure call."

"The Digimon Queen has been hurt! A group of powerful evil digimon are casing her. We're all waiting for the attack, we're gonna need your help."

Henry was confused. "Who's there with you?"

"The Master Digidestined."

"What?!" Henry gasped,"We'll be right there!"

Dark Lizardmon slightly moved aside a branch that was on the ground. She examined the print that was in the mud. "Hmm, it's a sneaker print all right, but I don't know from whom. It could have been made by the Goggle Tamer since the Master Digidestined was carrying her, or this print could have been here for weeks."

Musyamon growled. "Keep searching. I will not be stripped of my revenge. The Digimon Queen will pay for the humiliation she has caused me!"

Harpymon hovered to the ground,"Sir!" she squaked,"I've found them."

Musyamon grinned widly. "Excellent."

Terriermon placed his hand over his eyes and examined the forest. "Hmm, I don't see them anywhere."

Henry ran up the small hill, and dodged between trees and bushes. "Takato said they were in Guiilmon's hide out. We're almost there." They ran through the path until they reached a familiar hill. Henry peeked inside and breathed a sigh of relief. "Guys, it's me."

"Henry, thank goodness," Takato sighed as he ran over to open the metal gate. The black haired teenager walked in and gasped. The fearsome Digimon Queen was lying on the ground, her ankle wrapped in a red cloth. Even that was not enough to cause him to gasp out, it was the man who was standing over her. "T..the Master Digidestined, I presume?" he asked.

Tai nodded. "Yes, and you're the one that broke into Hypnos with me the other night."

Henry placed his hands together and bowed. "Y..Yes sir!"

Tai smiled slightly. Henry mentioned to Rika. "What happened to her?"

"Hey!" Rika snapped,"I'm right here!"

Tai crossed his arms. "I think she might have agitated her ankle."

Rika growled. "Hey! Don't talk like I'm not here!" She stared at Tai,"And I told you, my ankle is fine! And I am leaving!"

Tai glared at her. "Listen to me, you're staying here, understand?!"

Rika flinched back, and was silent. Henry and Takato gasped. "What's gotten her so scared?" Tai whispered.

"Rumor is that the Digimon Queen was in battle with the Master Digidestined," Henry whispered back,"Would you like to be on the receiving end of his power?"

Terriermon grinned. "Still, I never thought I'd see the Digimon Queen cowering like a little girl, ha!" Renamon suddenly appeared in front of him. He stopped laughing and stumbled back.

"Do not make fun of Rika," she said,"Or you will be sorry."

"Quiet!" Agumon shouted. Terriermon and Renamon flinched."They're going to hear us!"

Tai knelt down next to Rika. "Alright, your majesty, did you mind telling me why those digimon are after you?"

"What's there to tell?" Renamon asked,"They were weak, and now they want revenge for proving it to them."

Gatomon crossed her arms. "Knowing you two, you probably humiliated them as well."

Renamon glared at her. Gatomon shot her a glance. Renamon shot her head back to the ground.

Guillmon suddenly growled, his eyes dilating. Terriermon's ears stood straight up. "What's happening?" Tai asked.

"Digimon!" Terriermon said,"A large group of them."

"Wait," Gatomon said,"So you two can sense when digimon are approaching?"

The two nodded. Gatomon and Agumon stared at Tai. "It took us a while before we could do that."

"It doesn't mean anything!" Tai snapped,"Takato, Henry, I want you to take Rika somewhere to recover."

"What about you?" Takato asked.

"Agumon and Gatomon and coming with me. We'll stop stop Musyamon's gang."

"Hold it!" Takato said,"You're going to need help. Let Guillmon and I come!"

"No!" Tai snapped,"You're just kids! It's dangerous out there! Do you want to get killed? Huh?! Take Rika back to her house, then I don't want to see any of you on the streets again! If I do, you'll be sorry! Let's go!"

He ran out of the door. Agumon and Gatomon turned to the others. They bowed. "Please forgive him," Agumon said.

"He's been..touchy lately," Gatomon smiled slightly.

Tai's voice shouted back,"NOW!" The two digimon flinched, then ran after Tai.

The Tamers just stared at the door. Takato stood up, "Well, I'm not going to let him face them alone, whether he wants me to or not!" He turned to where the others were watching him. "What about you guys? Are you coming?"

Rika stared at him. "I'd love to, but seeing as how my ankle is twisted!"

Takato turned to Henry. "Well, why don't you do the honors?"

"Me?" He looked at Takato, then at Rika. "Oh, all right, just help her onto my back."

"Do you think I'm some sort of backpack?" she snapped.

"Do you want to go or not?" Terriermon asked, balancing on his ears.

Rika grumbled as Takato lifted her onto Henry's back. She wrapped her hands around the black haired boy's neck and he grabbed her bent knees. "I'm warning you right now," she said,"If your hands move any further up my legs, I'm sending you to the hospital, and if your hands move up underneath my uniform skirt, I'm killing you, understand?"

He blushed and smiled slightly. "Yeah, I get it."

She slapped the back of his head."Well, what are you waiting for?" she snapped, "Goggle head's getting too far ahead of us."

Henry ran out of Guillmon's hideout. "If you hit me like that again, I'm dropping you into the fountain, okay?"

She just growl,"Just keep going!"

Hakkado stared at the general as they stood in the dome shaped Hypnos control room. "Yamaki was injured..no, almost killed, by one of those Digimon freaks! This is a war, they started it, but we need to finish it!"

He held his hands up and twirled around the room, mentioning to the latest in computer technology, not even the military had access to such sophisticated equipment. "We have all this technology, and we still can't win this war! We have an ultimate weapon, let's us it!"

The general stared the newest member of the Hypnos Board of Directors straight in the eyes. "You'd better not be suggesting what I think you're suggesting..."

Hakkado slammed his fist into his open palm,"In order to avenge Yamaki, we need to show those Digimon what we're capable of. Unleash Juggernaut!"

The general eyed him hesitantly,"That has not been tested."

"We must!" Hakkado shouted,"Unleash Juggernaut on the city, show those...those infestations, what we humans are capable of! Look at what they did to Yamaki, they knew who he was, what he was in charge of. They're afraid of us, and look what happen! Activate Juggernaut, and we'll win!"

The general took a deep breath, then nodded. He looked up at the two technicians in their elevated chairs. "Commander Riley!"

"Sir?"

"Activate Juggernaut."

Harpymon lead the small group through the park, over the hills and through the path that Henry took only moments before. The flying bird was leading them straight towards Guillmon's hideout. They would be there in moments, and probably would have caught up the fleeing Tamers, if Tai and his two digimon did not appear before them.

Musyamon pointed his sword at them. "I do not know who you are stranger, or why you are here, but we are not interested in killing you, our prey is the Digimon Queen. You have two digimon with you." He smiled slightly," Either tell us where she is, or step aside."

Tai chuckled and grabbed the pink D3 that was on his belt. Musyamon grinned. "Ahh, you are a Digidestined, aren't you? I recognize that digivice, it belonged to the second generation of Digidestineds, do you mean to tell me that you are a second generation Digidestined?"

Tai shook his head,"No, I am the Master Digidestined of Tokyo."

Harpymon and Dark Lizardmon started to back up, but Musyamon held his ground. "You're not scaring me!"

Tai grinned and held the pink D3 in front of him. "I will."

"Gatomon digivolve to Angewomon!"

Musyamon chuckled. "A Fully Evolved angel? Wow, that's really a cause for alarm. Between Harpymon, Dark Lizardmon and myself, we should be able to take care of her."

"Oh yeah?" Angewomon snapped,"Let's see what you've got!"

Musyamon's group stepped forward, but the attack never came. Instead, all combatants shot their heads to the sky. The sky dramatically changed from an evening black to an apocalyptic red. "What's going on?" Dark Lizardmon asked.

Suddenly, the lizard, the harpy and the demon samurai were all thrown into the air. "Hey!" Angewomon shouted,"Where are you going?"

They screamed a response and they were catapulted through the air towards the city. The sky was suddenly full of other figures that were being pulled from the ground and propelled through the air, all heading towards the city.

"What is going on here?" Agumon asked.

"I don't know," Tai said,"Come on, we've got to see where they're being pulled to!" Angewomon swept down and lifted the human and the small dinosaur, then flew after the other digimon.

The Tamers had also become aware of the wailing digimon floating in the sky above them. They decided that since the Master Digidestined told them not to interfere with his fight, they should be able to examine the source of the vacuum without fear of punishment.

They followed the vacuum pull to a massive building in the center of the city, one with two large towers, and a glowing red disc over it. The group watched as digimon were shot towards the glowing disc, where they disappeared. "What's going on here?" Takato shouted.

"I..I recognize that building..." Henry gasped,"W..what's going on here?"

"It looks like a vacuum cleaner!" Terriermon gasped,"They're cleaning the city!"

"Terriermon!" Henry snapped.

Takato faced the others. "We've got to do something!"

"Like what?" Rika shouted, still on Henry's back.

"I don't know!" Takato shouted back,"We'll think of something, and..." Guillmon started sniffing the air, then his pupils dilated again.

"Takato!" he hissed,"Something's coming!"

"What? What's coming?"

"Something powerful!"

Inside the Hypnos control room, the moaning sound of the digimon were intensified in the done ceiling. Taily could not stand it any longer. She ripped the goggles off her head and placed her hands over her ears.

"Make it stop!" she shouted,"I can't take it any longer!"

"It's almost over," Riley said,"Just a few more minutes!" The dome shaped ceiling suddenly turned a bright red.

Down below, the general and Hakkado.shot their heads up at the ceiling. "What's going on?"

Riley started to type at her keyboard. "I...I don't believe it."

"Report!" Hakkado demanded.

"S..Somehow the polarity has been reversed!" she gasped,"Something's coming through!"

Outside, the Tamers twisted their heads to the top of the building and watched as a fog of smoke flowed from the glowing circle and encompassed the entire building. "What's going on up there?" Takato asked.

As if to answer, a loud voice boomed from the top of the building. "Greetings, humans!" the voice crashed like thunder,"I am an emissary from the Sovereign. I have arrived here through the rip in reality that you caused. Ha, you humans have opened the gate for all of us! My request is a humble one, hand over the journal made by Rob McCoy. Hand over Dolphin's journal. If you do not, prepare yourselves for the destruction of your city!"

Angewomon held onto Tai and Agumon as they floated in the sky near the Hypnos building. "What is that?" Agumon asked.

"A digimon," Angewomon answered,"Very powerful."

""McCoy?" Tai gasped,"Like Alice McCoy? Was Ice Devimon after that journal? What is so important about it?"

"Tai," Agumon said,"Look, on the ground, its the Tamers!"

"What?" he shouted,"I told them to head home! What are they doing there?"

Angewomon squinted her eyes. "It looks like they're about to head into battle. Should we stop them?"

"No!" Tai snapped,"Bring us over to that building roof. We'll wait until they're on the brink of death, then jump in to save them. Then they'll understand."

Agumon stared at him. "Tai, are you sure?"

"What, are you doubting your own speed and strength, Wargreymon?"

Agumon just mumbled something as Angewomon landed on the roof across from the Hypnos building.

The Tamers kept their attention to the top of the Hypnos roof. "Should we try to fight what ever's up there?" Henry asked.

"Yes!" Rika shouted into the black haired boy's ear,"Renamon'll go first!"

The fox digimon nodded. "Yes, Rika." She started jumping on the fire escape of the adjacent building until she reached the roof of the Hypnos building.

Rika thought of something. "She'll probably need to digivolve." She reached into her skirt pocket to pull out her modify cards. She grabbed her D-Arc with the other. All the movement caused Henry to lean forward. Rika gave a small yelp and wrapped her arms back around his neck.

"What do you think you're doing?" Rika shouted,"I almost fell off!"

"You're the one that's moving!"

Rika just growled and leaned against Henry's back. He slashed her card through her D-Arc. "Digi-modify! Digivolution Activate!"

"Renamon digivolve to Kyuubimon!"

The others watched through Rika's D-Arc as Kyuubimon landed on the Hypnos roof. She turned from left to right, but could not find anything."Is there anyone up there?" Rika asked.

Something suddenly flashed across the screen. "There!" she shouted. Kyuubimon turned and the others were able to see their enemy: a massive tiger with two wings and shields on his front shoulders. "How come I'm not getting any data?" Rika gasped.

Up on the roof, Kyuubimon faced the tiger. "Have you come to hand over the journal?" he asked.

"I am here to defeat you and load your data," Kyuubimon replied. She charged at the massive tiger,"Dragon Wheel!"

The tiger dodged out of the way and charged at the fox. He passed her, the spun around before she could. He flicked his tail forward. "Samurai Tiger Tail!"

The Tamers watched as Kyuubimon was flung from the roof. "Kyuubimon!" Rika shouted.

"Terriermon!" Henry called, grabbing his D-Arc and modify cards. To do so, he had to release his grip on Rika's leg, which caused her bad ankle to hit the ground. The pain brought tears to her eyes, but she did not let the others see her.

"Digi-modify! Digivolution Activate!"

"Terriermon digivolve to Gargomon!"

The Champion ran over to the building and fired into the ground. He was propelled into the air, where he passed the falling Kyuubimon, who slammed into the ground.

"Kyuubimon!" Rika shouted. She let go of her grip around Henry's neck with one hand to punch him in the back. "What are you doing! Bring me over to her!"

Henry growled, but did as he was told. They found Renamon, badly bruised, lying in a smoking crater. "R..Renamon..?" Rika asked, her voice quivering,"A..are you..."

"So...strong..." the fox moaned,"U..Ultimate, p..possibly even Mega."

"Oh no," Rika gasped. There was suddenly a loud explosion from the roof. "What's happening up there?"

Up on the roof, Gargomon was in one corner, firing all of his bullets at the tiger, but to no avail. His projectiles bounced harmlessly to the ground. "Take this, kitty-kitty!" He soon ran out of bullets.

"Awe nuts," he panted, switching to another bullet chamber. He tried to fire, but still nothing. "Awe nuts."

He looked up just in time to watch as the tiger's tail slammed into his face. Down below, the Tamer's watched as, once again, one of their digimon was flung from the roof. As Henry called out his digimon's name, Takato turned to Guillmon. "It's our turn, ready?"

The dinosaur nodded. "You bet I am."

"Digi-modify! Digivolution activate!"

"Guillmon digivolve to Growlmon!"

"Digi-modify! Hyper Wings Activate!"

A set of wings appeared on Growlmon's back, and he soared into the sky. He passed Terriermon on the way. Henry ran over to where his digimon was going to fall, and he let go of Rika's legs. Once again, her injured ankle hit the sidewalk. "That hurt!" she shouted.

"Why am I still carrying you?" Henry asked, "Hobble on one foot or something!"

Rika growled and let go of Henry's neck. She used her good foot and bounced over to where Renamon was lying and knelt down beside her. She watched as Terriermon landed in Henry's arms, then turned her attention back to the roof just in time as Growlmon landed.

Takato watched through his D-Arc screen as Growlmon launched himself at the tiger. The stripped attacker quickly dodge and jumped forward, missing Growlmon in mid-air. The large dinosaur caught this out of the corner or his eye. He spun around, producing a blade from his forearm. "Dragon Slash!" he shouted, slicing the blade across the tiger's stomach. The invader screamed in pain, then spun around, attack Growlmon with his tail. Both combatants fell to the roof.

"You're pretty powerful," the tiger panted,"But not enough to defeat me."

Growlmon took a big breath, then spit a blast of fire forward,"Pyro Blaster!" The tiger chuckled. He quickly moved his body so the fire attack hit his shield instead. He jumped forward and brought his tail around.

"Samurai Tiger Tail!"

Growlmon was hit in the face, and he stumbled onto his rear. The tiger launched forward and used his Samurai Tiger Tail again, hitting the side of Growlmon's face. He attacked again and again and again.

Down on the ground, Takato watched through his D-Arc. "No..Growlmon's losing! W..what happens if I lose him? I..I..."

The tiger invader did not waste any time, he jumped forward and bit his jaw on Growlmon's shoulder, digging his teeth deeply into the dragon's skin.

Down on the ground, Takato felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He cried out in pain, and dropped his D-Arc, an image of the tiger appeared on its screen, the word MIHIRAMON appeared below it. "Growlmon's in trouble," Takato said, still clutching his shoulder. He fell onto his knees, then slammed into the ground.

"Takato?" Henry asked.

"What's wrong with him?" Rika exclaimed.

Takato found himself floating inside of a massive darkness. "W..where am I?" he asked.

"Takato..."

He spun around and saw Growlmon hovering in front of him. "Takato, it's not over yet."

"Growlmon?" he asked,"W..where are we?"

"Inside of the connection we share with each other," he said,"We are connected, just like we've almost been. The fight isn't over yet, but I need your help."

"But...but what if Mr. Kamiya was right? I..I don't know how dangerous it is. I..I thought I lost you up there, I can't do this! I'm not worthy to be your partner!"

"Didn't Mr. Kamiya also tell you that there has to be something you would be willing to fight for? Aren't there people that you fight for?"

Takato gasped. Images came into his mind,"Mom...Dad...Jeri...You guys...I need to protect you!"

He faced his digimon partner again,"You're right Growlmon. I'm sorry, if you're still willing to give it another chance, I'm ready." He reached out to grab Growlmon's hand, but found that he had something small and furry instead. He shot his eyes open and saw that he was holding the hand of a small white creature. "C...Calamon?"

The small digimon smiled. His ears grew out of his head,"Did anyone ever tell you that you talk in your sleep?"

Henry ran over to him. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Rika hobbled over and grin. "What a wimp!" she laughed,"I can't believe you fainted!"

Takato got to his feet, then suddenly remembered something. "Growlmon!" he gasped,"He needs my help!"

"W..what are you going to do?" Henry asked.

Takato grabbed a card out of his modify deck."We have the power to make our digimon stronger, we just have to believe in ourselves, and the power that brought us all here to begin with!" The Tamers watched as the card he held up slowly changed to a blue one.

"It's the blue card!" Henry gasped.

"Alright," Rika nodded,"I'm with you."

Takato was slightly surprised that he was able to make a blue card appear, but he wanted to pretend that he knew what he was doing, especially in front of the Digimon Queen. He slashed the card through his D-Arc. "Digi-modify!"

On the ground, the small triangle in Calamon's head glowed a bright red."Crystal Matrix Activate!"

Up on the roof, Mihiramon watched with wide eyes as Growlmon's data was quickly pulled back into the dinosaur's body. A bolt of energy sent the tiger flying backwards as Growlmon's entire body began to glow. "W...what is happening?"

MATRIX DIGIVOLUTION

"Growlmon matrix digivolve to...Wargrowlmon!"

Mihiramon was in shock and awe. "No, how can this be? How were you able to digivolve?"

On the roof across from the battle, Tai and his two partners were wondering the same thing. "Growlmon digivolved!" Tai gasped,"B..but how did he do it without a crest or DNA digivoling?"

Agumon looked to the ground,"I think Takato used a blue card."

"A blue card?" Tai asked,"Hmm, there's more to these Tamers than I originally thought."

Mihiramon was impressed, but he was not going to let that scare him. He jumped forward, his tail in the air. "Armored Tiger Tail!" Growlmon reached up with one hand and caught it. "What? This can't be! No one beats Mihiramon!"

Wargrowlmon chuckled." Well, it looks like I'm the first! Atomic Blaster!" A red beam fired out of the two gun barrels on Wargrowlmon's chest plate. It slammed into Mihiramon, causing the tiger to cry out in extreme pain.

"I am defeated," he wailed,"But know this, I am only one of the fearsome Devas! The Sovereign wants that journal! Beware, ha!" Wargrowlmon's red beam tore through the Mihiramon, and his data exploded across the city.

"They did it!" Tai gasped,"He beat him! These..these Tamers are more powerful than I thought." He looked to the sidewalk where the three of them were standing. "And Takato...he was willing to risk it all to defeat him." He smiled slightly,"Just like I once was."

He turned to Angewomon,"Take us down there."

Takato was cheering as Wargrowlmon descended to the sidewalk. "You did it!" Takato shouted,"You defeated him!"

Wargrowlmon smiled and he regressed back to Guillmon. "No, you did it. Thank you for believing in me and fighting by my side."

"Yes, I'm impressed as well."

The group spun around and saw Angewomon descend to the ground with Tai and Agumon. The Master Digidestined approached them. "I was watching your battle."

Takato growled and showed Mr. Kamiya his fist. "Listen, don't try to talk us out of not fighting anymore, got it? We have the power to protect this city, and we're gonna do it. You're the one that told us we have to believe in something that we're willing to fight for, remember?"

Tai grinned,"Yes, I do now. You made me remember why we were chosen to have digimon partners. I had forgotten what it truly meant to fight for something you believe in." His smile faded,"Tamers, I, the Master Digidestined of Tokyo, must now ask you this, Are you willing to go all the way? Are you willing to fight to your fullest to protect this city, and this world?"

Takato stepped forward. "I think I speak for all of us when I say, yes."

Tai nodded. "Good, training starts tomorrow!"

NEXT: Quest!