Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ The Ressurection War ❯ DARK OCEAN: Return to Darkness ( Chapter 20 )

Kari here. We were traveling to the towers of Ebonwumon and Zhuqioamon when we were separated. Takato and I ended up together. We began to talk, and I think I might be starting to get a crush on him! Oh boy! Arukennimon attacked us, and it was up to Salamon and me to stop her. Salamon was able to evolve all the way to her mega form, Holydramon, and blasted the evil spider away! I just hope the others are still safe.

We can leave home anytime, The courage is in our hearts.

I struck the mirror, Now, I'm the one who's hurt.

New shoes have come, the door opens...

Steppin' out Steppin' out Steppin' out Faster!

To another place, to a high wall, We'll go over it!

Always moving, to where should we go now? Courage is our passport.

Nothing stays the same past eight, Nothing stays the same

I'm dreaming of strength, because...

I take off my ripped shirt, when I'm bound for...

Oh, Yeah! Steppin' out Steppin' out

Steppin' out Steppin' out Steppin' out Faster!

To a lighted tomorrow, to the distant sky, we'll travel across it!

Steppin' out Steppin' out Steppin' out Stronger!

To another place, to a high wall, we'll go over it!

Oh, Yeah! Steppin' out Steppin' out

Oh, Yeah! Steppin' out Steppin' out

Steppin' out Steppin' out Steppin' out Faster!

To a lighted tomorrow, to the distant sky, we'll travel across it!

Steppin' out Steppin' out Steppin' out Stronger!

To another place, to a high wall, we'll go over it!

Oh, Yeah! Steppin' out Steppin' out

“Steppin’ Out” Tk and Patamon’s Theme

DARK OCEAN: Return to Darkness

Oikawa frowned as he stared at the brick wall of his laboratory. Behind him, Mummymon, and Dragomon stood nervously. “Did you hear me, Boss?” Mummymon asked, “Arukennimon’s dead.”

“Yes, I heard you,” Oikawa answered, slowly turning to face them, “Defeated by Kamiya, correct?”

“That’s right, m’lord,” Dragomon said.

“Personally, I think we can do without her,” Mummymon scoffed, “I’m glad that I don’t have to listen to her whining anymore.”

“That may be so,” Oikwa said, staring at him and speaking slowly, “but she was supposed to destroy Kamiya, and now that insufferable little brat has the ability to make her digimon digivolve to the final level. The others must be stopped before they are able to do the same, as well as before they get to the other two towers.”

“I may have an idea,” Dragomon said, “Remember Takashi’s past? He was once the Digimon Emperor. I bet if we could harness that power…”

“I like we’re this is going,” Oikawa grinned, “Do it.” He reached for a miniature Control Spire on the table, but Dragomon shook his head.

“I won’t need that.” “”””””””” ;””””””””””R 21;””””””””””&# 8221;”””””””

Yolei wringed her long hair, squeezing as tight as she could before the last drops of water fell to the black dirt. “I don’t think I’m gonna need to take a bath for a long time.”

“I certainly agree,” Hakwmon said, shaking his feathers as best he could, “I’m afraid I might start to molt soon.”

“Molt?” Patamon asked, “That smells, right?”

“Kinda,” Tk said, dropping some logs into a fire, “But come on over, Hawkmon, maybe we can get you dried off.”

The bird flew over and landed next to the flames. Patamon joined him, and soon the two digimon were fast asleep. Tk sighed. “They must be tired.”

“And you aren’t” the purple haired girl asked.

“The truth?” Tk asked, “I’ve been tired for a long time now.”

She nodded and started to blush slightly. “Hey Tk, do you…um…do you remember when you fought me when I was under the control of the Crest of Hate?”

“Uh, yeah?” he asked, raising his eyebrow at her.

“I…um…jeeze, this is even harder then I thought. Um, I um, just wanted to…to thank you.”

“Thank me?” he asked, “Why?”

“Because, if it wasn’t for you, I probably would have been that nasty bitchy person forever. You saved me, thank you.”

He shrugged slightly. “Well, I know what it’s like being forced to fight on the side of evil.”

She nodded and continued to stare into the fire. “Um, can I ask you something?”

“What?”

“I…um…jeeze, this is really hard, um, what do you think of me? I mean, really.”

He looked at her strangely. “What?” he gasped.

“No, really,” she said, “I really want to know. Please?”

He stared at her for a few more minuets before realizing that she was completely serious. She wanted to know what he really thought of her, but why? He accessed some of the memories of his previous life as Matt to see if he could find a reason for this. He remembered some girls asking him that, but these were the same girls that, rumors said, had a crush on him. Did this mean Yolei had a crush on him too?

He stared at her face, trying to think of what to say. He never really realized how cute she actually looked. He knew that some people did not particularly find glasses attractive, but the way Yolei’s glasses sat on her perfect nose seemed to make her all the more beautiful. Her hair flowed around her face and shoulders perfectly. He was almost in a trance as he finally answered.

“I think that…you have to be…one of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever seen.”

The purple-haired girl started to blush fiercely. She turned away from his gaze. “I…I…I k…kinda meant a…about my personality…”

“Oh...” he said, “Um…” He paused for another moment, trying to think of the perfect way to say it. “You’re a very loyal, energetic, smart person, who holds onto her friends with all her might and keeps them close to her.”

She did not know what to do now. She did not think that he would have answered so truthfully and sincerely. She finally managed to turn her face him. He was staring at her, she had to say something.

“Um, Tk, I guess I should say…”

The blond boy glanced at her, waiting for her to continue speaking. He looked at her with a strange expression on his face, which quickly changed when he noticed a large shadow suddenly appeared on the ground. Tk grabbed the sleeping Hawkmon and Patamon and tackled Yolei outside of the perimeter of the their campsite seconds before a massive figure slammed into the ground.

“What is happening here?” Hawkmon asked.

“Dragomon!” Patamon gasped.

“What are you doing here?” Tk demanded.

Dragomon chuckled. “I want your Key Cards! And believe me, I will have them. Prepare for battle!”

Tk grabbed his digivice. “Patamon!”

Yolei pointed her digivice at her partner as well. “Hawkmon!”

“Patamon digivolve to Angemon! Angemon digivolve to Magna Angemon!”

“Hawkmon digivolve to Aquillamon! Aquillamon digivolve to Silphymon!”

Hidden in the trees above them, a young man dressed in an orange hooded trench coat. “Hmm, my hypothesis was correct, even in this Dark Ocean, their crests are powerful enough to initiated digivolution to the Ultimate level.” This Scientist, rub his chin, “I will have to gather more information.”

Dragomon grinned in his unusual way. “I’ll start things off if you don’t mind. Forbidden Trident!” Each one of the three points on his trident fired a bolt of black lightning that struck the two digimon and sent them flying backwards.

Silphymon was back on his feet before Magna Angemon, and shot towards Dragomon. The evil digimon held up his trident, ready to block his rocket-like attack, but instead, Magna Angemon shot over his head. Being much more agile, he was able to spin around and quickly engage in an impressive twisting and twirling of his hands, forming a large ball of energy in his palms. “Static Force!”

He fired the ball of energy into Dragomon’s back, which sent him reeling over in pain. He managed to straighten himself, but Magna Angemon appeared and attacked his face with a powerful kick. Dragomon staggered backwards, but quickly regained himself. “That was just beginner’s luck,” he sneered, “You’ll soon realize just how powerful I am!”

With surprising speed, he swung his Trident around and slammed into Magna Angemon’s head, but before he could crash into the ground, Dragomon grabbed a hold of him with his other hand.

“Hold on!” Silphymon cried, using his entire body to tackle into Dragmon’s side. He released his hold on Magna Angemon’s head, but brought his Trident around to smack into the top of Silphymon.

“Don’t give up!” Yolei cheered, “Keep at it!”

Silphymon jumped back into the sky and the small belt around his waist began to spin. His body was soon covered by a white light and he then dove at Dragomon with all of his might. “Astral Laser!”

Dragomon grinned and pointed his Trident at the glowing Silphymon. “Forbidden Trident!”

Silphymon could not move in time and his body was struck by all three blasts of black lightning. Magna Angemon leapt to his aid, but Dragomon pointed his other palm at him and began to fire a series of water rings. “Thousand Waves!”

Each circular wave struck him hard and fast. He attempted to leap out of the way, but the waves were moving with such force and frequency, he was trapped. Eventually, the waves stopped, but not before they had done their damage. Magna Angemon fell to the ground.

“No!” Tk shouted, “Magna Angemon, get up!”

Dragomon grinned as he stared at Silphymon, then at Magna Angemon. “So, it appears that I’ve beaten you. Hand over your…”

“I…have not been defeated yet,” Magna Angemon said, slowly climbing to his feet. Dragomon stared at him with a mixture of amusement and shock.

“You can barely stand!” he gasped, “How can you think that you will be able to defeat me?”

“Because,” he said, “I will not abandon Tk when he needs me. I will not allow your cruel master to release the D-reaper. I will not allow your evil to infect the rest of the Digital World, like you have done here.”

Above them, hidden in the trees, the Scientist watched without any expression. “I thought that they would not yield so easily, but if Magna Angemon knows of a secret power, I would like to see it.”

Tk held tightly onto his digivice. “Don’t worry, Magna Angemon, I know you can beat him! I believe in your strength, in your determination! You can win, I know you can!”

Suddenly, his digivice exploded with bright light. He stared at the screen in awe. “It’s, activated?”

“Tk,” Magna Angemon gasped, “Your belief in me is filling me with power! I am able to digivolve!”

Tk’s digivice vibrated fiercely then changed to a bluish hue. It fired a beam of light from its screen up to his Crest of Friendship. The symbol of the crest was pushed up by the beam of light, continuing its ascent. The symbol twisted and turned, shattering through a smoke filled sky as it gathered bits of energy and exploded, sending a twisting spiral down, merging with a twisting Manga Angemon.

“Manga Angemon digivolve to…”

Manga Angemon clenched together into the fetal position, then shot apart, his first layer of skin blasting off into particles and circling around his glowing body. The muscles on his upper body shot out, growing to incredible size, as his legs shot together and merged into a long tail. His nose grew out into a large snout, as his wings fixed themselves into ninety-degree angles on his back. The circling particles of skin glowed a bright gold color, then shot back onto his body. His long tail curled up over his head, then snapped down to the ground.

“Goldramon!”

“Quite interesting,” the Scientist said, “His force of will alone caused his digimon partner to digivolve.”

Below, Dragomon was staring with another emotion. “I see,” he grinned, “I see that you are even stronger then I first realized. You will do well.”

“What are you talking about?” the massive dragon sneered, “Of course I’m going to do well slamming your head in!”

He shot forward and started to execute a flurrying array of punches, that, surprisingly, Dragomon was able to block almost successfully at every jab. “As you can see,” the squid man sneered, “I am not totally powerless, even against a mega.” He smacked the dragon on the tip of his long snout with his Trident. Goldramon roared with anger.

“Take this!” he shouted. He opened his mouth and bright bronze flames erupted from his mouth. “Gold Flame!”

“Ahh!” Dragomon gasped, quickly throwing up his Trident in an attempt to block the flame. The force of the eruption sent him skidding backwards until he slammed into the ground inches in front of Yolei, who was clutching the hurt Hawkmon. The evil squid man jumped onto his feet and wrapped his slimy tentacles around the purple-haired girl and her injured partner.

“Goldramon, stop!” Tk ordered. The massive dragon quickly pulled back his flame attack. The blond-haired boy glared at Dragomon.

“One move and they’re both dead, got it?” he asked.

“You filthy, sneaky…”

Dragomon brought Yolei closer to his mouth. “Remember..”

Tk sighed. “All right, what do you want?”

“You’re Key Cards, both of yours.”

“Fine.”

“And that’s not all,” Dragomon grinned, “Takashi, I want you!”

“What?” he gasped.

“You heard me,” he said, glaring at him, “Surrender yourself, and the girl will live.”

“Don’t do it!” Yolei shouted, “I’m not worth it!”

Tk hesitated before sighing deeply. “Yes you are. Give him the Key Card you have.”

The purple-haired girl stared at them, then slowly glanced up to the giant squid-man. “But…”

“Do it.”

She reached into the pocket of her outfit and held it up. One of Dragomon’s tentacle’s shot around and grabbed a hold of the card. He turned to look at the blond haired boy. “Now, are you ready?”

Tk glanced over at Goldramon, who instantly understood. He hovered over Tk before regressing to Tokomon and dropping into Tk’s arms. “I’m ready.”

Dragomon dropped Hawkmon and Yolei. He quickly shot the tentacles of his one hand across the battlefield and wrapped them around Tk and Patamon. He pointed his trident towards his feet and a platform of water appeared beneath his feet. This water platform lifted Dragomon and his passengers into the air, sending them across the sky.

“No!” Yolei shouted, “No, No!” She fell onto her knees as Dragomon and Tk began to disappear in the sky. “No, don’t leave me alone again! Matt, please, don’t leave me along again!” “”””””””̶ 1;”””””””””” 221;””””””””””& #8221;”””””””””” ;”

Kari suddenly stopped through her journey through the forests. “What’s wrong?” Nyaromon asked.

The brown haired girl shook her head. “I thought that I heard…It was nothing.” “””””””” 221;””””””””””& #8221;”””””””””” ;”””””””

Oikawa nodded in delight. “Well done, Dragomon, very well done.”

“Thank you, m’lord,” Dragomon nodded, “I live to serve you.”

The evil human turned to stare at the blond boy, who was currently lying on a metal table, held in place firmly with large metal braces. “What exactly are you planning to do with me?” Tk demanded.

Oikawa chuckled. “I could easily give you a long explanation, but I’ll spare you. I’m simply going to force you to return to being the Digimon Emperor.”

“What?” Tk gasped, “No, I won’t let you.”

“I don’t think you really have a choice,” he chuckled, “You see, I believe that the Digimon Emperor is just another one of your personalities. If I can force that personality out of you…”

“And how are you going to do that?” he snapped.

“That machine above you.”

Tk glanced upward and saw what appeared to be the inside of an upside down silver bowl, attached to a grouping of wires which were connected to a large machine on the side. “And what the heck is that?”

“A powerful mental device,” he explained, “It will free that repressed side of your personality.”

“It’ll never work,” Tk snapped.

Oikawa started chuckling. “We shall see.” He reached up and grabbed a hold of the metal helmet and fastened it securely to Tk’s head, despite his protests. Oikawa mentioned to Dragomon, who used his tentacle to press a button on the machine connected to the helmet. Instantly, a strong current flowed through the circuitry. Tk had seconds before his body started to spasm in extreme pain.

“Let it out,” Oikawa said, “I know you want to. Just do it.”

“No!” Tk shouted, “I…will…not…let…you….”

Oikawa turned to Dragomon, “Increase the voltage.”

Tk’s body started to shake even more. “No. I…refuse…I..refuse…” He gritted his teeth, he could feel his heart start to rip apart. “I…can’t take this anymore!” He tried to fight it, but the pain was too great.

“K..Kari…Yolei,” he muttered, “I..I’m sorry.” He screamed in intense pain before Oikawa nodded to Dragomon, who turned the machine off.

The room was silent for the next few moments. Oikawa stared at Tk. “Are you still alive?”

Tk slowly raised his head and grinned a sinister smile. Oikawa nodded approvingly. “Welcome back, Digimon Emperor.” “””””””” 221;””””””””””& #8221;”””””””””” ;””””””””””R 21;”

On Earth, Miss Takashi, was sitting in her apartment, sitting on her son’s bed. She glanced around at her son’s room. “Tk, where are you? I just hope that you’re safe.”

She suddenly felt a strange sensation. She had to clutch her chest and breathed heavily for a few seconds before calming herself down.

“That…was…really weird,” she gasped, “I thought I felt Tk..no…Matt?” She gently placed her hand on her forehead, “No, it was both of them, together? Oh Tk, I hope where ever you are, you come home soon.” “”””””””” ;””””””””””R 21;””””””””””&# 8221;”””””””””” ””””””””””̶ 1;

On a section of the Dark Ocean, closer to the black water itself, there traveled a small group of beings: one Digidestined, one Tamer and their digimon partners. They were part of a mission to find the Tower of Zhuqioamon, but the group was split apart in a volcanic eruption. There was a slight silence as they traveled, until the human in the rear said. “Anything yet?”

“Maybe,” Henry said, “I can see some kind of building over the tree tops, it could be the Tower of Zhuqioamon..”

“I hope so,” Betamon answered, “This walking is making me tired.” He turned to his partner, “Can you carry me?”

“No way,” Tatum grinned slightly.

“What are you complaining for?” Terriermon asked, “You don’t hear me complaining.”

“You’re riding on my shoulders,” Henry said with a smile.

The group descended into silence and continued to travel through the forest towards the tower. They should have been able to talk to one another, but each was not ready yet to truly open up to one another.

Eventually, they emerged from the forest and arrived at the shore line of the black water; there was a large tower rising into the air resting on a small island connected to the mainland by a rickety, wooden bridge. “That’s a Sovereign Tower,” Henry said, “I recognize the markings, but I don’t think it’s Zhuqioamon’s.”

“Maybe it’s Ebonwumon’s?” Tatum suggested, “I mean, it is sitting in an island of water?”

“But how did we get down here, huh?” Terriermon asked.

“Who cares?” Tatum asked, “We’re here now. Kari’s supposed to be coming here. Let’s hang out inside, and wait for her.”

“I guess that’s a good idea,” Henry replied, “Just in case Oikawa gets here first, but I still wonder if Takato’s okay.”

On an small island farther down the Dark Ocean, hidden behind tall, sharp rocks, but still close enough to see the Tower of Ebonwumon, a girl dressed in a black dress and hooded trench coat watched the group as they approached the bridge. She turned slightly as the Scientist dropped down from the sky and landed next to her. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Watching my query, as per our orders,” he replied.

“But what are you doing here?” she asked, “It was my job to watch her. You were supposed to be watching Takashi, remember? But I guess if you wanted to compare notes…”

“Forget it,” the Scientist replied, “You just want my notes for yourself, well, forget it! I’m not giving you my superb observations.”

The Girl in Black growled. “You never answered my question.”

The Scientist sighed. “If you absolutely need to know, it’s because Takashi’s here too.”

Henry and Tatum quickly ran across the wooden bridge to reach the small island. The Tower of Ebonwumon was very similar to Baihumon’s Tower: a tall obelisk reaching towards the black clouds of the Dark Ocean, with only one door directly in front. Tatum was about to run inside, but Terriermon called to her. “Wait!”

Tatum did not hear and continued to walk into the Tower.

“What’s wrong?” Henry asked.

“I sense a digimon inside, an evil and powerful one.”

Henry did not answer his partner, but ran after Tatum. When they stepped through the door, they arrived in an circular area encompassing the base of the tower. Near the back was a single throne, where a mysterious human figure was seated. Tatum approached cautiously. “Tk?”

The teenage boy on the throne remained silent, but moved his face closer so that light could shine across it. Tatum instantly recognized the face, but the expressionless gaze in his eyes sent a chill down her spine. Henry and Terriermon silently stepped behind them.

“Well, well, well, Miss Patricia Tatum,” Tk said, a sinister tone dripping from his words, “I was expecting Kamiya, but I guess you’ll do.”

The braided-haired girl stepped backwards. “Tk?”

The blond teenaged boy smiled a wicked grin. “Not quite. Oh, I am the person you remember, but not in the same way. “

“W..What do you mean?”

Tk’s body was still covered in the shadows, but Tatum could just barely make out his hands reaching up to his face. His hands covered his eyes for a moment, before removing them to reveal a familiar mask covering his eyes. Tatum’s blood instantly turned to ice. “T…Tk?”

He frowned. “Do not call me that! My name is, The Digimon Emperor!”

“No,” Tatum gasped, “It can’t be!”

“Tatum, what’s going on?” Henry demanded.

“It’s a long story,” Tatum said. She hardened her will and stared Tk straight in the face. “What do you want?”

“The Key Cards,” Patamon said, hovering into view.

“Working for Oikawa now, huh?” she snapped.

“That’s correct,” Tk nodded, “Why the attitude, Tatum, or should I say, Alice?”

“Don’t…” Tatum started, but trailed off.

“What’s that?” he asked, “Because you can’t stand to see the Digimon Emperor, or because hearing that name reminds you of your past life, when you knew me, when Alice McCoy and Yamato Ishida…were in love?”

“We were 11 years old!” she protested, “How could we even know what love was?”

“Yeah, keep thinking that, and maybe you’ll believe it,” she thought, “My head knows it’s true, but my heart is harder to convince.”

“Ah, but Tai and Sora were in love,” Tk protested.

“That’s because they are…” she caught herself, “were meant to be.”

“Don’t pretend like you really care about that,” he said.

“What are you talking about?”

“Face it,” Tk sighed, “You were always jealous of Kari, weren’t you?”

She gasped. “J..jealous?”

“That’s right,”he answered, “Jealous because in your past life, as Alice McCoy, you were in love with Yamato Ishida, and Yamato Ishida, reborn as Tk Takashi, has feelings for Kari.”

“Tatum?” Betamon asked.

The braided-haired girl gasped for her voice, but finally gave up. “All right, maybe part of me was jealous, but…I’m not anymore.”

“You’re lying,” Tk snapped.

Tatum sighed deeply. She reached for her digivice. “What are you doing?” Henry asked.

“When Tk was the Digimon Emperor the last time, Kari was able to save him by defeating him. Maybe I can do the same.” She looked over her shoulder at him, “This is kind of a matter of honor, please, let me deal with it.”

“No way!”

“Henry, please?” she asked. Henry did not want to, but reluctantly agreed.

Tatum pointed her digivice at her partner. “Do it!”

Her partner hopped out of the Tower and his body began to glow. “Betamon digivolve to Sand Yanmamon! Sand Yanmamon digivolve to Brachimon!”

The massive dinosaur bent his head down so he could stare into the doorway. “Come on, Patamon! I’m calling you to a challenge! Let’s go!”

Tk and Patamon glanced at each other and laughed. “What’s so funny?” Brachimon demanded.

“Only this,” Patamon said. He shot through the opening and floated into the sky. “Patamon digivolve to Angemon! Angemon digivolve to Magna Angemon! Magna Angemon digivolve to Goldramon!”

“His Mega form!” Terriermon gasped.

“That’s one of the dragons!” Henry shouted, “The dragons in that church we were staying in! The ones from the legend.”

“Are you sure?” his partner asked.

Brachimon gasped upward at the massive Goldramon. “How can you even evolve into a holy digimon with the evil that’s coming from your partner?”

The mega responded by slamming his massive fist into Brachimon head. The dinosaur stumbled backwards on his four feet, stopping before he fell into the black water. He opened his mouth and shouted, “Brachio Bubbles!” A geyser of large, glowing bubbles exploded from his open mouth, and began to impact the side of Goldramon’s chest. If the mega was injured, he did not show it.

Brachimon pulled his long neck back. He twisted around so that his face was directly beside Tatum’s. “I’m not going to be able to defeat a mega as powerful as him. I need to evolve again.”

The braided-haired girl grasped her digivice and Crest of Reliability. She was not sure if she would be able to give Brachimon the power he needed, but she thought about Tk, about the things he said to her: the way he made her remember about the feelings Alice felt for Matt, and the way her repressed jealously towards Kari. She would stop him from making her feel that way. She closed her fists tightly around her digivice and crest as she felt the power within her be released.

Tatum’s digivice vibrated fiercely then changed to a black hue. It fired a beam of light from its screen up to her Crest of Reliability. The symbol of the crest was pushed up by the beam of light, continuing its ascent. The symbol twisted and turned, shattering through a smoke filled sky as it gathered bits of energy and exploded, sending a twisting spiral down, merging with a twisting Brachimon.

“Brachimon digivolve to…”

Brachimon’s long neck was pulled into his chest as his tail grew even longer. His two front legs moved to the side of his torso, growing longer into two muscular arms, his two hind legs twisted around and merged with the top of his tail. His body became covered in flames before resending to reveal red armor now covered his body. Two flaming wings appeared on his back, flapping fiercely as he roared.

“Megidramon!”

Henry and Terriermon both shouted out in surprise. “Megidramon?”

Tatum spun around. “What’s the matter?”

Henry stared with wide eyes. “Tatum, you have to stop right now. Megidramon’s a very difficult digimon to control. He’s…he’s…he’s standing right beside you, completely calm?”

The braided-haired girl glanced up at her partner, then back at Henry. “What are you talking about?”

Henry shook his head. “I..um…”

“Let me deal with it!” Tatum shouted. She spun back around and face Tk, who was standing beside Goldramon.

“So, you have a mega dragon now too,” Tk smiled, “Well, I wonder whose is stronger?”

“Mine is!” Tatum shouted, “Megidramon, attack!”

The large red dragon snarled and leapt forward. Goldramon did the same and the two mega dragons were soon exchanging blows to their long snouts. Megidramon pounded the side of Goldramon’s face, but the bronze dragon jumped into the air, placed both of his fists together and cracked them on top of Megidramon’s nose. The red dragon was slightly disoriented, but managed to throw his hands up seconds before Goldramon brought his fists down. He was able to stop his opponent before he was able to slam his fists into his body. Unfortunately, that left Megidramon with his back pressed against the ground, using his hands alone to hold back Goldramon’s hands, who was pressing down as hard as he could. Tk watched with amusement, but Tatum’s expression truly scared Henry and Terriermon.

“Jeeze, she’s startin’ ta look like Takato did,” Terriermon commented.

“I know,” Henry whispered, “If this gets too out of hand, we might need to step in.”

Megidramon was still struggling against Goldramon, trying desperately to keep the bronze dragon from getting his hands lose and using the red dragon’s face as a punching bag. Unfortunately, the bronze dragon had gravity and leverage to augment his strength. The red dragon would not last much longer unless he could free himself. He gently moved his tail around Goldramon’s back before quickly smashing it down on the back of the bronze dragon’s head. Tk’s partner released his grip, and Megidramon head-butted him and jumped to safety.

“That’s it, Megidramon!” Tatum shouted, “Don’t let him beat you! Keep attacking! Finish him!”

Henry and Terriermon stared with horror. The normally calm, compassionate, almost, sage-like girl was now screaming and yelling. She was letting her anger take control, just like Takato had when he force Wargrowlmon to digivolve to Megidramon.

While Goldramon was recovering from Megidramon’s attack, the red dragon tackled the bronze mega, throwing both of them into the black water. Seconds dragged into minuets as Tk and Tatum watched the water. Suddenly, both humans could distinctly hear their partners scream out: “Gold Flame!” and “Megido Flame!” Instantly, the water exploded in a mixture of red and gold fire and light. Both dragons emerged and hovered in the sky.

“Don’t let him win, Megidramon!” Tatum shouted, “Finish him off! Now!”

Megidramon and Goldramon were about to resume their battle, when a massive metallic figure dropped between them.

“Megagargomon?” Tk gasped.

“What are you doing?” Tatum demanded.

The large bio-merged digimon turned his attention at the braided-haired girl. “This has gone on long enough. I don’t know how it happened, but Tk is obviously not acting under his own mind, and you seem more interested in destroying him instead of helping him.”

“But…!” Tatum protested, but was cut off.

“Give him your Key Card,” Megagargomon said, “We need to stop this now before it gets worse. I don’t want to hurt him, and you shouldn’t either.”

Tatum was reluctantly, but reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out the Key Card that Kari gave him. Megagargomon had his Key Card already in his hand and threw it towards Tk. The Digimon Emperor caught it, and calmly walked over to grab the one from Tatum’s hand. She did not even speak when he took it. His partner dropped down and lifted Tk onto his shoulders.

“All right Goldramon,” Tk said, “Now, complete the second part of our mission! Destroy that tower!”

The gold dragon opened his mouth and fired a stream of bronze fire into the small doorway on the bottom of the Tower. The bricks and mortar around the base blew out and the entire Tower collapse to the ground.

“The Tower of Ebonwumon has fallen!” Tk shouted, “Only two more Towers remain!” He laughed as he and Goldramon flew off into the sky.

Megidramon and Megagargomon both landed near Tatum before glowing brightly, and returning to their previous forms. The braided-haired girl glared at Henry. “Why did you do that!”

“You were not acting like yourself,” he replied, “Out of anger, Tk forced Guilmon to evolve to Megidramon, and he almost destroyed the Digital World from our dimension. The same thing was happening to you.”

“So?” Tatum snapped, lightly petting Betamon’s back.

“Isn’t Tk your friend?” Henry gasped, “Don’t you want to help him?”

“Yes! You should have trusted me that I had everything under control!”

“I don’t know you well enough to trust you. And from what I saw, you don’t know how to handle it.”

Tatum struggled to think of a response, but could not. She simple reached down and lifted her tired Betamon in her arms. “Fine. Then I guess you can’t even trust me to be with you, huh?” She walked past Henry, “I’ll just find the others on my own.”

“Wait!” Terriermon called, trying to run after her, “Wait!”

Henry watched Tatum leave with guilt building in his heart. He did not want her to feel rejected, but he knew that to control a digimon like Megidramon, one that could bring out the fiercest anger in his partner, Tatum would need to hear the honest truth, no matter how hurtful it might sound.

Henry sighed. “Yeah,” he said to himself, “But it’s not going to make you feel any better.”

On the small island, the Girl in Black and the Scientist turned towards one another. “Well, quite interesting, isn’t is?” the Girl asked, “Tell me, what do you think?”

“Do your own work!” the Scientist shouted, “You gluttonous pig! Take everything for yourself, huh?”

“Your arrogant jerk!” she shouted, “I bet the others would share.”

He just responded by jumping back into the sky. The Girl in Black soon followed.

Next: He has long stood as one of the most powerful and noble heroes in the Digital World. He helped save countless lives and defeat numerous evil. Now, his evil mirror image is freed, Black Wargreymon! Who will face this evil?

Next: “DarkOcean: Forgotten Memories.” What does our mind force us to forget?

Author’s note: I hope you guys are enjoying the story. Please don’t forget to review. I was very depressed when I only received one review for the last chapter. Please, it would help me to feel that my work is validated.