Me: I don't own Digimon, or Lonestar's "Smile." You already know what would happen if I did. (Own Digimon, I mean.) Plus, any quotes I use from here on out-with the exception of the fourth chapter-are from the site known as "Tamers Unite!" Basically, they're not mine, nor are they from the show.

Takato: Okay, last we left off, you had me laid out on a stretcher-sorta-and Rika in a life-or-death situation-what the heck's wrong with you?!

Me: I'm trying to go for action, and having your clone create a knife out of a comlink seemed to fit, okay?

Terriermon: If I were you, I'd stick to being tactful and not going for action all the time-teenagers aren't always like that.

Henry: Terriermon-he could write that you get deleted in this chapter, and we don't want that! Let him write it the way he wants to.

Terriermon: He wouldn't do that to me, Henry-I'm a famous Digimon in the States, and if something like that were to happen to me, all the girls would send him flames demanding that he bring me back.

Me: I'm gonna start this chapter before I actually start understanding any of this stuff Terriermon's saying!

Terriermon: Momentai, DC.







Digimon: Takato V.S. Takato

Chapter III-Ultimate Turmoil and Heartbreak







"Saving the world is more important than doing homework. If the bad guys end up taking over your world, just be glad that you didn't waste your time doing your homework!" -Takato Matsuki

"The leader/goggle boy is never the smart one. Keep giving him advice." -Henry Wong







From the frying pan into the fire! Takato, Henry and Terriermon ended up being ambushed by Chatsuramon while trying to find Rika and the group, but were saved by Guilmon and Takato's clones. Only problem is, Takato's clone wanted to battle Takato! So, as the two of them kept trading blows, Rika kept taking the damage for every hit Takato took. Then, things took a turn for the worst-Takato's clone had created a knife from Yamaki's comlink and stabbed Takato in the stomach with it! That one act caused Takato endless pain and Rika instant agony. After Matrix Digivolving to Rapidmon, Terriermon almost finished off Takato and Guilmon's clones, but Takato explained that he had to beat him, with Guilmon by his side. So, reluctantly, Rapidmon let the clones go As for Rika, when she woke up, she came to a troubling decision. I hope it isn't what I think it is!









"One foot in front of the other, Takatomon. Just take it easy, and we'll be with Rika and Guilmon soon." Henry eyed his partner with a perplexing look.

"Terriermon, what are you doing?"

"Giving Takato confidence-plus it's been a while since he's heard Guilmon call him 'Takatomon,' so I thought I'd be a fill-in Guilmon until we find the real one!" Terriermon explained.

Takato groaned. It had been another two days since he'd led his friends toward the south to find Rika, Kazu, Kenta, Jeri, Ryo and the other Digimon, and within those other two days, something happened-Takato, Henry and Terriermon had been attacked by Chatsuramon, a Dog-like Deva. If it hadn't been for Takato and Guilmon's clones, they would've been in trouble, even if Calumon hadn't been able to find them. To make matters worse, Takato had not only taken multiple hits, but had also gotten stabbed through the stomach with a knife! That same knife hung loosely next to Takato's D-Power at that moment.

"Is that wound of yours getting any better, Takato? Want me to get you anything?" Calumon piped up. Takato actually smiled. The last time he'd smiled was when he'd been with Rika in the Digital Field. Not that being with Henry and Terriermon wasn't great, just that being separated from almost everyone, not just Rika and Guilmon, could get even the unofficial leader of the Tamers lonely.

"I'm fine, Calumon. Why don't you go and play with Terriermon?" A few minutes after that, Henry came over to have another talk with his closest friend.

"Something's bothering you-I can sense it. The Digimon may not see it, but I can. What is it?"

Takato looked up and saw concern in Henry's eyes. He had to talk to someone about this-and since Guilmon nor Rika were here, Henry would have to keep one ear open.

"I think Rika and I are drifting. I don't mean like with the distance, but...what is that word? Psychedelic? No, Psyche? That's not it-"

"I think the word you're searching for is 'psychically,' Takato."

"Yeah, that's it. She hasn't tried to contact me in the Digital Plane since that day, and I'm getting worried. I don't know why, but I think something's going to happen real soon." Takato admitted.

"Just give it time. She'll work out whatever's troubling her and you two will share a big wet one under the setting sun." Henry said calmly. Takato chuckled at his comment.

"I always wondered where Terriermon got his wisecracks."

"Actually, in this case, the Digimon's teaching the Tamer."







Searching for the Tamers on his motorcycle, Beelzemon had finally come to a decision-he had to break all ties from the past by defeating the leader of the Tamers' Digimon in battle.

"As far as I can tell, he can Digivolve past the Ultimate level by use of a certain Digivolving card that shows up when that boy needs it. Question shouldn't be 'how can I beat the Digimon?,' but rather, 'how do I lure the Tamer and his Digimon to the same spot?'"

To Beelzemon's surprise, "Takato" and "Growlmon" came up to him, recognizing him instantly.

"I was just wondering about you, and the two of you show up right in front of me! Well, let's get this over with." As Beelzemon pulled out his guns, "Takato" stopped him.

"Hold on, there. We're not the ones you're seeking, alright, Beelzemon?" A second later, the Mega Digimon retracted his guns, convinced.

"Point taken-if you were, he'd have called me by my Rookie form. I thought you were beaten and deleted."

"What was done-" Whipping out the Recharge Modify card from his pack of "special" cards, "Takato" shoved it back. "-can be undone. Now, I think you and I can make a perfect team in this: you want to beat Guilmon; I want to humiliate and kill Takato. Our goals seem to merge, and together, you and I can achieve them. While my partner plays a little 'cat-and-mouse,' I'm gonna need you to do something for me..."







Rika sighed while she looked at her Digivice at the base of the mountain. After heeding Jeri's advice, they'd stopped searching for their friends so they could rest for a while. Leomon was helping Jeri with battle techniques and picking the right cards at the right time, despite the fact that Rika was the better choice to go to concerning cards. Jeri had settled the matter like this: "If you can't trust your own Digimon with your Modify cards, who can you trust?" Kazu and Kenta were discussing with Guardromon what the Digital World had been like beforehand, before the Devas had arrived. For some reason, Guilmon had went off on his own the day before to track Takato's scent.

"Something's upsetting you isn't it, Rika?"

"You could say that. I don't know what I'm supposed to do about this. Should I talk to Takato privately inside that Digital Plane, or should I just say it to him when we run into him again?" Rika asked, clutching her Digivice tightly.

"Unfortunately, this isn't a decision I can make for you. Rika, you'll have to decide for yourself what you want to do."

"Double Impact!!" Rika and Renamon both jerked their heads up and dived to avoid the powerful attacks headed their way!

"What's going on?" Kazu asked, racing over with Kenta, Guardromon, Jeri and Leomon.

"We've got trouble-big trouble." Rika said calmly.







Takato, Calumon, Henry and Terriermon had made it at last! They'd finally reached the mountains surrounding most of the Digital World.

"Those mountains look big, but they're pretty cool, aren't they, Takato?" Henry asked in awe.

"Yeah, they are. And Rika and Guilmon are at one of them. We'll rest for a while, then we'll keep moving forward, okay?" Takato responded.

They were about to reply back, but something caught Takato's eye, so he turned and looked ahead.

"G-Guilmon?"

The Virus-type Digimon nodded as he came up to the tiny group. "The others are in trouble, Takato. They got attacked by Beelzemon again, and we've got to stop them!"

Takato gulped. After facing Beelzemon once, he wasn't thrilled with having to run into him again, but Rika, Jeri and the others obviously needed him.

"Wait a minute-you've only recognized him as Impmon, so what's with the change of heart, huh?" Terriermon asked suspiciously.

"PyroSphere!!" WHAM! The real Guilmon's fire attack struck his clone, and "Guilmon" was sent sprawling to the ground.

"Guilmon! Is-is that you?" Takato stammered.

"It's gotta be. There aren't any other dinosaur-type Digimon around here, unless you can add Cyberdramon to that list." Terriermon remarked.

"Takatomon! We're together again."

"Yay! Guilmon's back." Calumon hopped out of Takato's arms and landed on top of Guilmon's head.

"Guilmon, what are you doing over here?" Henry spoke up.

"I found Takato's scent back near the base of the mountain. You guys probably hadn't been by there, so I decided to investigate. When I got over here, I saw someone who looked like me, but wasn't me. I knew I had to protect Takato, so I just acted." Guilmon explained.

"Darkness Modify! Hyper Wings, activate!"

Takato, Henry and the Digimon turned to see Takato's clone holding a darker Modify card in his hand!

"What's that?"

"Just something cooked up by Chatsuramon before I had my partner take him out. They're called 'Darkness Modify' cards. They can only be activated when the Tamer has absolute hatred, disgust or pure darkness inside their heart. Only thing is, it only happens once for certain Tamers, but with some they can last for quite a while."

"Yeah, thanks for the history lesson. Now, if you'll excuse us, we've got to go!" Takato retorted heatedly, making sure to hide the knife so his clone wouldn't see it.

"What-to save your girl? What if that was a trick, and they're all fine? Or, it could be the truth and they could be in real peril right now. I'll leave you to figure it out for now." That said, "Takato" and "Guilmon" flew off in the direction Guilmon came from.

"In my experience, it's better not to listen to any evil villians who are cloned from my good friends, but I think they might be right!" Terriermon exclaimed.

"It could be a trap meant for you, Takato, or for any of us, and they're just using Rika, Jeri and the rest as bait." Henry cautioned.

"True, but I've got to talk to Rika, and if that means walking into a trap with my eyes open, then so be it!" Takato declared as he grabbed one of his Modify cards.

"It's been too long since we've done this, boy, but let's see if we still got it!"

Digimodify!

"Digimodify! Digivolution, activate!!"

Digivolution!

"Guilmon Digivolve to...GROWLMON!!!"

Digimon!

"You know what they say-'once bitten, twice shy,' right?" Takato asked calmly while pulling out another card. Calumon slid down Growlmon's back and landed next to Terriermon with ease.

"Oooookay. Just swipe the card, Takato."

Digimodify!

"Digimodify! Hyper Wings, activate!"

Immediately, Growlmon sprouted a familiar pair of wings onto his back, and Takato, Henry, Terriermon and Calumon all piled on.

"Toward the others, Growlmon!"







Rika and Kyubimon both yelled out as Beelzemon's Double Impact struck hard, sending the two of them flying to the ground beside Kazu, Kenta and Guardromon, who were fighting to stay conscious.

"Guess it's up to us, Leomon..." Jeri timidly stepped forward, then remembered what both Rika and Kazu had said to her-that she was an official Tamer, and that she had to get tough. Forcing a smirk on her face, Jeri casually pulled out a card.

"Guess it's time for me to play with the kitty? This should be over quickly!"

Digimodify!

"Digimodify! Imperialdramon, activate!"

With a mighty roar, Leomon rose up into the sky and a holographic image of the famous Mega Digimon appeared, then vanished.

"See how you like this-Positron Laser!!"

Leomon didn't even give Beelzemon time to pull out his guns-he took careful aim and fired a powerful bright beam of light straight at him!

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Beelzemon grunted in pain as he was forced to the ground, but he wasn't defeated yet. Rika, Kazu and Kenta all eyed Jeri with a look of surprise.

"What? You guys thought I only had Modify cards with Virus Digimon on the front?"

At that moment, trouble flew into town. "Takato" and "Guilmon" had arrived, and they were ready to cause some mayhem!

"PyroSphere!!"

"Stop right there!" Takato yelled as he, Henry, Terriermon and Calumon all jumped off Growlmon's back as the Champion Digimon absorbed the attack.

"You hurt my friends and especially Rika, you'll pay!" Takato quickly grabbed a card, looking at his clone with malice in his eyes and holding the side where he felt Rika get hurt at.

Digimodify!

"Digimodify! Power, activate!"

Growlmon roared defiantly as he charged up and aimed directly at the clones.

"PyroBlaster!!" Growlmon's intense attack was meant for the clones, but Beelzemon had gotten up and fully absorbed the attack!

Takato forced his attention from the Digimon to gaze at Rika, who looked...troubled, and it wasn't because of the fact that Kyubimon had deDigivolved back into Renamon.

"Are you okay, Rika? Why haven't you tried to contact me with the Digital Plane? Now that we're finally back together, you seem distant. Even more so than you used to be."

"That's because I've got something to tell you, and I don't know how to say it. I didn't come to this decision lightly, and I want you to know that you're not the one to blame for this, okay, Gogglehead?"

Confused and slightly worried, Takato nodded in agreement.

"I'm probably gonna regret saying this, but what are you trying to tell me?"

"Oh boy. I never knew this could be so hard...What I'm trying to say is that I-"

"Double Impact!!"

Quickly, Growlmon raced forward and shoved Takato and Rika out of the way, taking the hits for himself, which meant that Takato felt the attack full force. That also meant Rika felt the impact of the attack.

"Ahh! Okay, now I know how it feels to be hit by a Mega Digimon's attacks-I don't like it one bit. Now, what is it you were trying to-?"

"I don't want to be with you anymore!" At that precise second, Takato felt like his heart had shattered entirely, that the world he had come to know and trust was gone, and the one girl he could count on for any reason-Tamers, or not-had killed their relationship, their link and the goodness inside Takato's entire being.

"I just can't handle the link any longer, alright? You get hurt, I get hurt. I get hurt, you get hurt-what does that mean, anyway? If I understood it, I probably wouldn't do this, but I don't understand it, and if you can't explain to me why us having this link-other than the Digital Plane-is any good, then I see no point in us being together."

Takato was so heartbroken, he hadn't even noticed that Jeri, Henry, Kazu, Kenta, Calumon and Terriermon were all looking at them-Growlmon and Renamon were keeping one eye on their partners and the other on their adversaries.

"Say something. I'm supposed to be the silent one, not you." Rika insisted quietly.

Takato bowed his head briefly while struggling to stay strong, and trying to hide his tears.

Jeri saw it and moved over to comfort him.

"It's okay to cry sometimes, Takato. You know that, right?"

Gently pushing Jeri back, Takato got down on his knees and started shaking, eventually crying quietly into his hands, so that no one could see.







"I still remember the night we met-you said you loved my smile

But your love for me was like a summer breeze; oh, it lasted for a while

I could hold on a little tighter, I know, but when you love someone, you gotta let 'em go

Chorus: So, I'm gonna smile...(smile) 'cause I wanna make you happy

Laugh...(laugh) so you can't see me cry

I'm gonna let you go in style...and even if it kills me, I'm gonna smile

Kiss me once for the good times, baby; kiss me twice for goodbye

You can't help how you don't feel, and it doesn't matter why

Give me a chance to bow out gracefully, 'cause that's how I want you to remember me

Chorus: I'm gonna smile...(smile) 'cause I wanna make you happy

Laugh...(laugh) so you can't see me cry

I'm gonna let you go in style...and even if it kills me, I'm gonna smile

(Instrumental break for 13 seconds)

Chorus: I'm gonna smile...so you can find the courage

Laugh...so you won't see me hurtin'

I'm gonna let you go in style...and even if it kills me, I'm gonna smile..."









At that time, Takato felt like doing anything except smiling. He wiped his tears away and stood up once again, looking at the broken heart symbol on Rika's shirt.

"Say something, Takato. It's not like you to not say anything." Rika said.

Narrowing his eyes and glaring hard into Rika's, Takato whispered in a cold, hardened voice six words he had never said to anyone before now:

"I wish I'd never met you..."

"Real nice. Too bad we can't turn back time and have it happen that way, now can we? Double Impact!!"

The team of Tamers all turned to see Beelzemon fire his main attack directly at Takato and Rika!

Oh, no! Now that Takato and Rika have officially broken up, what's gonna happen to the Tamer team? Will Rika come to realize the error of her mistake and figure out why the link between herself and Takato existed, and will Takato find his heart again? Find out on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters!