As soon as Henry stepped out from the tree, Rika knew that they had been found out. She cursed softly, and Jeri sighed.
"Suppose we oughtta tell him?" Jeri asked. There didn't seem to be any choice.
"I guess," Rika reluctantly agreed. "Well, it all started when..."
She proceeded to tell Henry the bare basics, about the Raidramon, the lightning, and waking up switched. There wasn't any need to tell him any more than that.
"And that's basically where we are now," Rika wrapped up. "We've been pretty good at keeping this a secret, and I for one would like to keep it that way." Jeri nodded ascension.
"Secret, right. You got that, Terriermon?" Henry asked, poking his noisy partner.
"Oh all right," Terriermon said. "I just have one question. How did you two go to the bathroom?"
"That's it," Rika growled. "The bunny dies."
"Aack!" Terriermon yelped as he tried to move to a safer spot behind Henry's head.
"Terriermon! I'm ashamed of you!' Henry said, trying not to laugh. "Wow, I don't think I'd be able to get used to hearing something like that coming from Jeri's mouth."
"Exactly," Jeri said. "That's why we could really use your help."
"Rika asking for help," Henry said, shaking his head. "Man, if I didn't know you two were switched, I'd be worried."
"Let's just get a couple things straight. First, we neither need nor want your help. But, as long as you know about all this, we might as well get some use out of it," Rika said sternly. Next to her Jeri was having trouble controlling a fit of laughter. Rika shot her a death look.
"Second, one more inappropriate comment from Terriermon, and I sic Leomon on him," Rika continued.
"Rika!" Jeri admonished. "Don't think for a second she wouldn't either."
"Now that that's all settled," Henry said, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "I have an idea. Why don't we head for my house?"
Jeri shrugged and followed behind Henry as he headed for his house. Rika sighed and brought up the rear.
******
"So," Henry asked. "Let me ask you this. What were you both thinking at the moment when the lightning struck you?"
"Well," Rika admitted, "I was kinda wishing I could be a bit more caring like Jeri." Jeri's eyes widened.
"And I was wishing I had Rika's confidence," Jeri put in. Rika smirked. "Does it matter?"
"Well, you see," Henry said, "I've been trying to figure out why all of us were chosen to become Tamers for a while now, and I came to a conclusion. Unlike the children on the show, we weren't chosen by any sort of higher power."
"Oookay, that's interesting and all," Rika said, arms crossed in front of her. "But what does that have to do with our current situation?"
"I'm getting to that," Henry said, as Terriermon mockingly stifled a yawn. "It wasn't some higher power that chose us. We chose ourselves."
"Huh?"
"Just like during our battle with Vikaralamon when I told Rika that it didn't matter which card we chose. Our digivices, they merely focus our own willpower, and use it to alter reality. They did it to link us to our partners, to power our cards, to create the blue cards, and allow digivolving."
"So, basically what you're saying is," Rika summarized, "Our wishes and desires are granted by our digivices? So, why don't more of our wishes become real? How come, say, when I wish goggle-head's brain would explode, nothing happens?"
"All selfishness and violence aside, it seems to only grant our wishes when they're strong enough."
"I didn't wish to be caring like Jeri that strongly," Rika countered.
"Yes, but that time there was a tremendous external power boosting the effects."
"The lightning," Jeri realized.
"Exactly. The energy in the attack supercharged your digivices, allowing them to grant your strongest wish at the time."
"But that means," Rika started.
"That in order to reverse the effect, we're going to have to be zapped once again," Jeri finished.
"Well, yes, but it will be a much more focused blast, directed straight at your digivices."
"If that's the only option," Rika sighed. "I guess we don't have a choice."
Jeri nodded. "Let's do this."
"Terriermon, you're up."
"Right Henry," the little dog-rabbit said, hopping to his feet.
"Wait," Rika said, "We're using him? Renamon's a much better shot."
"Would you like to explain why exactly she'd be trying to zap you?"
"Good point."
Henry pulled out a pair of cards and readied his digivice. "Now, touch your digivices together and wish really hard to go back to your normal bodies." Rika and Jeri did so, eyes closed in concentration.
"Digimodify! Targeting activate!" Henry slashed the first card, and Terriermon's aim got better.
"Digimodify! Raidramon's Blue Thunder!"
"Blue Thunder!" Terriermon called out, firing a blast of electricity from his mouth. His aim was true, and the blast struck the joined digivices. Lightning arced from digivice to digivice, and Rika and Jeri were both knocked back by the force.
"Did that work?" Henry asked, concerned.
Jeri opened her eyes. "What do you think?" she said imperiously.
"I'm sure he tried his best," Rika added, softly.
"Guess not," Henry sighed as the two girls started to laugh. "What's so funny?"
Rika and Jeri looked at each other and smiled. "Gotcha."
******
"Ahh, it feels so good to be back in my own body," Jeri said happily. As fun as it had been being Rika for a day, she was glad to be back in her usual green dress.
"Yeah, no kidding," Rika agreed. "The first thing I'm gonna do is take nice long bath."
"That sounds like an excellent idea to me," Jeri smiled.
"At each of our own houses," Rika added with a glare at Terriermon. "Renamon?"
The fox digimon appeared out of thin air as usual. "Yes?"
"Just checking," Rika laughed. Henry, Terriermon and Jeri joined her.
"Did I miss something?" Renamon asked, confused.
"Only everything. Forget it, let's just go home," Rika told her partner.
"By the way," Renamon told Rika with a grin, "I gave Jeri that dress like you asked."
Rika glared back at Jeri, who nervously chuckled.
As all three ladies walked away, Terriermon called after them. "Hey! You never answered my question!"
As Henry lightly cuffed Terriermon, a pair of responses called back in unison. "With my eyes closed!"
"Suppose we oughtta tell him?" Jeri asked. There didn't seem to be any choice.
"I guess," Rika reluctantly agreed. "Well, it all started when..."
She proceeded to tell Henry the bare basics, about the Raidramon, the lightning, and waking up switched. There wasn't any need to tell him any more than that.
"And that's basically where we are now," Rika wrapped up. "We've been pretty good at keeping this a secret, and I for one would like to keep it that way." Jeri nodded ascension.
"Secret, right. You got that, Terriermon?" Henry asked, poking his noisy partner.
"Oh all right," Terriermon said. "I just have one question. How did you two go to the bathroom?"
"That's it," Rika growled. "The bunny dies."
"Aack!" Terriermon yelped as he tried to move to a safer spot behind Henry's head.
"Terriermon! I'm ashamed of you!' Henry said, trying not to laugh. "Wow, I don't think I'd be able to get used to hearing something like that coming from Jeri's mouth."
"Exactly," Jeri said. "That's why we could really use your help."
"Rika asking for help," Henry said, shaking his head. "Man, if I didn't know you two were switched, I'd be worried."
"Let's just get a couple things straight. First, we neither need nor want your help. But, as long as you know about all this, we might as well get some use out of it," Rika said sternly. Next to her Jeri was having trouble controlling a fit of laughter. Rika shot her a death look.
"Second, one more inappropriate comment from Terriermon, and I sic Leomon on him," Rika continued.
"Rika!" Jeri admonished. "Don't think for a second she wouldn't either."
"Now that that's all settled," Henry said, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "I have an idea. Why don't we head for my house?"
Jeri shrugged and followed behind Henry as he headed for his house. Rika sighed and brought up the rear.
******
"So," Henry asked. "Let me ask you this. What were you both thinking at the moment when the lightning struck you?"
"Well," Rika admitted, "I was kinda wishing I could be a bit more caring like Jeri." Jeri's eyes widened.
"And I was wishing I had Rika's confidence," Jeri put in. Rika smirked. "Does it matter?"
"Well, you see," Henry said, "I've been trying to figure out why all of us were chosen to become Tamers for a while now, and I came to a conclusion. Unlike the children on the show, we weren't chosen by any sort of higher power."
"Oookay, that's interesting and all," Rika said, arms crossed in front of her. "But what does that have to do with our current situation?"
"I'm getting to that," Henry said, as Terriermon mockingly stifled a yawn. "It wasn't some higher power that chose us. We chose ourselves."
"Huh?"
"Just like during our battle with Vikaralamon when I told Rika that it didn't matter which card we chose. Our digivices, they merely focus our own willpower, and use it to alter reality. They did it to link us to our partners, to power our cards, to create the blue cards, and allow digivolving."
"So, basically what you're saying is," Rika summarized, "Our wishes and desires are granted by our digivices? So, why don't more of our wishes become real? How come, say, when I wish goggle-head's brain would explode, nothing happens?"
"All selfishness and violence aside, it seems to only grant our wishes when they're strong enough."
"I didn't wish to be caring like Jeri that strongly," Rika countered.
"Yes, but that time there was a tremendous external power boosting the effects."
"The lightning," Jeri realized.
"Exactly. The energy in the attack supercharged your digivices, allowing them to grant your strongest wish at the time."
"But that means," Rika started.
"That in order to reverse the effect, we're going to have to be zapped once again," Jeri finished.
"Well, yes, but it will be a much more focused blast, directed straight at your digivices."
"If that's the only option," Rika sighed. "I guess we don't have a choice."
Jeri nodded. "Let's do this."
"Terriermon, you're up."
"Right Henry," the little dog-rabbit said, hopping to his feet.
"Wait," Rika said, "We're using him? Renamon's a much better shot."
"Would you like to explain why exactly she'd be trying to zap you?"
"Good point."
Henry pulled out a pair of cards and readied his digivice. "Now, touch your digivices together and wish really hard to go back to your normal bodies." Rika and Jeri did so, eyes closed in concentration.
"Digimodify! Targeting activate!" Henry slashed the first card, and Terriermon's aim got better.
"Digimodify! Raidramon's Blue Thunder!"
"Blue Thunder!" Terriermon called out, firing a blast of electricity from his mouth. His aim was true, and the blast struck the joined digivices. Lightning arced from digivice to digivice, and Rika and Jeri were both knocked back by the force.
"Did that work?" Henry asked, concerned.
Jeri opened her eyes. "What do you think?" she said imperiously.
"I'm sure he tried his best," Rika added, softly.
"Guess not," Henry sighed as the two girls started to laugh. "What's so funny?"
Rika and Jeri looked at each other and smiled. "Gotcha."
******
"Ahh, it feels so good to be back in my own body," Jeri said happily. As fun as it had been being Rika for a day, she was glad to be back in her usual green dress.
"Yeah, no kidding," Rika agreed. "The first thing I'm gonna do is take nice long bath."
"That sounds like an excellent idea to me," Jeri smiled.
"At each of our own houses," Rika added with a glare at Terriermon. "Renamon?"
The fox digimon appeared out of thin air as usual. "Yes?"
"Just checking," Rika laughed. Henry, Terriermon and Jeri joined her.
"Did I miss something?" Renamon asked, confused.
"Only everything. Forget it, let's just go home," Rika told her partner.
"By the way," Renamon told Rika with a grin, "I gave Jeri that dress like you asked."
Rika glared back at Jeri, who nervously chuckled.
As all three ladies walked away, Terriermon called after them. "Hey! You never answered my question!"
As Henry lightly cuffed Terriermon, a pair of responses called back in unison. "With my eyes closed!"