Me: I don't own Digimon, or Creed's song "Weathered..."(chuckles evilly)
Takato: Uh...I don't like the way he's laughing right now.
Henry: Maybe it's because he saw the previews for next week, huh?
Rika: Maybe-but why's that a reason to get all hyped up? So our author has a touch of the Dark Side in him-every guy does, even our resident Gogglehead over here.
Me: Ignore them for now, but Rika has a point. These next few chapters are similar to this Saturday's newest-and deadliest-Digimon Tamers episodes! Yet, this should not only have a happy ending, but it'll have some definite Rukato in here, too.
Rika: Now I don't get it-how can you put that in when you've broken us up?
Me: Let me guess-the Digimon Queen doesn't believe in miracles?
Takato: If she ever wished on a falling star, I'd have conniptions!
Digimon Tamers: Takato V.S. Takato
Chapter IV-Death of a Valiant Warrior
"You're such a little thing, but you have the heart of a lion..." -Leomon
"I wonder...could I ever be a Tamer?" -Jeri
"Man, I thought these kind of stories were supposed to have happy endings! While trying to
track down Rika and the rest, Takato, Henry, Calumon and Terriermon were nearly ambushed
for the second time by Takato and Guilmon's clones, but luckily for them, Guilmon showed up
when he did. The problems only increased when Takato's darker half revealed an even more
powerful set of Modify cards called Darkness Modify cards! These cards can only be used by a
Tamer if he-or she-has absolute darkness in his or her heart. Then, when they finally caught up
to the rest of the group, they'd been attacked by Beelzemon, and to make matters worse, Rika
chose this time to dump Takato and break his heart! Whatever you do Takato, don't let any of
that darkness take over your heart...
Back in the Real World, Susie was still playing around with her newfound friend-who she learned was called Antyramon. They'd already played hide and seek-which never seemed to work for the Ultimate Digimon because Susie kept finding her-and tag-which didn't work for Susie because whenever she was it, Antyramon kept racing off into the distance! Eventually, even a day of fun had to come to an end. Just as Susie was sneaking up on Antyramon, a portal opened right above their heads. Antyramon looked up, quickly turned around and dived!
"Look out, Susie!" Just as Antyramon saved Susie, Makuramon entered in, looking very unhappy.
"What are you doing here in this world? You're supposed to be guarding your post at the South Gate!"
"I was sent here by a portal, and it's a good thing I was. What are you doing here?" Antyramon responded, placing herself in between Susie and the Monkey-type Deva.
"I was sent here to try to find an AWOL Deva, and now that I've found her, you're both coming with me!" Makuramon hissed.
"Leave her out of this! This is between you and me."
"Antyramon, stay back!" Susie cried out.
"Relax. I won't let him hurt you."
"Perhaps, but who'll protect you? Primal Orb!!"
Antyramon grunted in pain as the attack hit hard, toppling her over and causing her to fall. That did alert Mr. Wong and Yamaki from their conversation concerning Takato's clone.
"Bunny Blades!!" The two attacks lashed out at the same time as Makuramon's Primal Orbs. The instant they hit, another portal was opened, and the three of them were all pulled in!
"Susie, COME BACK!" Mr. Wong yelled, but by the time he got there, the portal had closed.
"It's okay. Susie was probably transported to wherever your son's at right now, and apparently she has that Rabbit-like Digimon to protect her." Yamaki explained.
"What do you mean?"
"This entire time, that Digimon must have been here with your daughter, and never laid a hand
on her. Susie must be a special child if she were to be pulled into that other world."
"Double Impact!!"
The skies changed from a seemingly normal day to a dark and tainted night. On instinct alone, Takato dived forward, tackling Rika and sending the both of them to the ground. The attacks hit harmlessly in the dirt behind them.
"Takato, are you okay?" Growlmon asked.
"Rika?"
"We're fine." Takato and Rika chorused to their partners. Struggling to hide his despair and his desire from her, Takato turned from Rika and eyed his clone.
"What's wrong? Did your girl just break that heart of yours or what? I knew you had a softie's heart if you can't handle one breakup from a selfish tomboy like her."
Growling with undeniable anger, Takato dived forward again, tackling his clone and trading punch for punch once more!
"Don't you-ever call-Rika-that AGAIN!"
"What's wrong with you? Practically all you talk about ever since Takato was separated is 'where could he be? How are we gonna find him?' Then, when we do find him, you dump him like he's the everyday mailman who stops by your front door every afternoon!" Kazu spoke up, pulling out his own handmade Blue Modify card.
"I mentioned it to him earlier-I need to figure out why we have that link in the first place!"
"You mean had that link. Look." Kenta suggested.
Turning around, Rika saw that the tables had been turned! Takato was being thrashed, yet Rika didn't feel an ounce of Takato's pain!
"What's going on? I should be holding my sides right now, and instead I'm perfectly fine!" Rika gasped.
"I assume it has to do with your rash decision, Rika. When you ended your 'relationship' with
Takato, you broke all connections with him instantly, which includes your link. That is why
whenever Takato gets hurt, now you won't. I suggest you try to figure out why the two of you
were bonded, and soon." Renamon warned.
"I lie awake on a long, dark night-I can't seem to tame my mind
Slings and arrows are killing me inside; maybe I can't accept the life that's mine
No, I can't accept the life that's mine!"
"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!" Susie was having fun flying around throughout the Digital threshold between the Digital World and the Real World; Antyramon was protecting Susie as best she could while Makuramon was trying to attack them. A second later, they all ended up on solid ground.
"Susie? Hey, Henry, Susie's here!"
"Huh? Terriermon!" The tiny Rookie Digimon barely cried out as Susie jumped up and hugged him tightly. "I've missed you sooooooo much!"
"Yeah...same here."
"And now that we're all back, it's time for me to play. MAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWW!!!!!!" The Tamers and their Digimon all cried out as they were forced to cover their ears as best they could. Only the clones and Beelzemon were unaffected.
"Leave them...especially Susie...alone! Bunny Blades!!" Antyramon focused on Makuramon, then fired one last shot before she was hit by a blinding beam of red light.
Beelzemon chuckled as he jumped in front of the attacks and absorbed them before turning to Makuramon and started deleting him.
"What are you doing?! I don't want to be deleted..." Moments later, Beelzemon absorbed Makuramon's data entirely.
"Wow. How many Devas have been deleted so far?" Henry asked, taking his hands off his ears.
"Don't know. There was Mihiramon, Santiramon, Sinduramon, Pajiramon, Vajramon, Indramon, Kunbiramon, Vikararamon, Majiramon, Chatsuramon and now, Makuramon!" Terriermon explained, marking off each one of the Devas with an ear or two in the air.
"That just leaves-the rabbit!" Henry quickly turned toward Susie who was holding onto Antyramon, who was still trapped in the blinding beam of light. A few seconds later, she deDigivolved into a tiny Rookie Digimon who resembled Terriermon!
"Whoa! You're a chocolate version of me, but with two more horns. Cool, but decidedly freaky." Terriermon remarked.
"Terriermon!"
"What? I was just being honest."
"Let's see about this Digimon, then. Ha! Lopmon, Rookie level. She may be another version of Terriermon, but don't underestimate her attack-Blazing Ice!"
"Henwy, look what I just got!" Susie held up a Digivice with a pink strap on the top, which stunned Henry and Terriermon.
"Susie's a Tamer?!"
"Guess it runs in the family, huh Henry?"
"Get off him NOW!!" Rika yelled angrily, punching Takato's clone hard and sending him flying. Hiding her worry, Rika then turned to help Takato up, but Jeri ran over, a hurt expression on her face.
"What are you doing now? You just hurt Takato's feelings and now you're saving him? I can't believe I thought you two were the ideal couple! I can't believe I tried to be tough, like you would be! Just leave him alone!" Jeri cried harshly.
"It's okay, Jeri...I can still have Rika as a friend if nothing else..." Takato turned away from his two closest friends, not allowing them to see what his clone had done to him. He had multiple bruises covering his face, he was bleeding from a cut on his lip and Takato was now positive he had three broken ribs to follow the first, which hadn't fully healed yet.
"Growlmon, take it to the next level." Takato whispered, grasping a Blue Modify card in his bloodied hand.
As for Rika and Jeri, they were close to getting into a fight over Takato, and it's not that kind of regular catfight!
"What do you mean 'leave him alone?' Takato's my friend now, and if I want to see him, I can! He looks like he'll need it now that his clone just mopped the Digital World with him."
"That's what I mean-almost every time you would bring Takato up, you'd make some kind of cynical joke, like you don't really care about him!"
"Of course I do! If I didn't, why would I have gotten together with him before?"
"Then why can't you figure out why you and Takato had that link? I already know why, and I'm not even linked with him. You once wanted Takato and Henry to leave you alone. You just got your wish-with the exception of Renamon, you're alone." That said, Jeri and Leomon turned and ran back to the battle, leaving Rika to contemplate her words.
"Hey-she forgot about me! Jeri usually never forgets about me." Calumon piped up, while tugging onto Rika's pant leg.
"I just broke his heart, and he's still holding himself together...he still has that caring nature, no matter what he says to anybody..." Rika choked back a sob, but seeing that the others had in fact, left her alone, she allowed only Calumon and Renamon to hear it.
"What's wrong with me? Just because I feel a little pain, I decide to break up with the one boy who's proven his worth as a Tamer? I never deserved him at all!"
The sun finally broke through at that second, striking Rika like a beam.
"I completely gave up on him without even trying to figure it out."
"Simple living is my desperate cry, been trading love with indifference; yeah, it suits me just fine I try to hold on but I'm calloused to the bone-maybe that's why I feel so alone, maybe that's why I feel so alone...
Chorus: Me...I'm rusted and weathered, barely holding together
I'm covered with skin that peels and it just won't heal"
"The sun shines and I can't avoid the light
I think I'm holding on to life too tight
Ashes to ashes and dust to dust, sometimes I feel like giving up, sometimes I feel like giving up
Chorus: Me...I'm rusted and weathered, barely holding together
I'm covered with skin that peels and it just won't heal"
Takato caught the rays of the sun shining through the darkened sky and noticed that the rays hit Rika. He felt tears come to his eyes but shook them off, looking back toward "Guilmon," Beelzemon and "Takato," hiding in the darkness.
"Let's go, Tamers!"
"Digimodify!"
"Digimodify! Matrix Digivolution, activate!"
"Matrix Digivolution!"
"Growlmon Matrix Digivolve to...WARGROWLMON!!!"
Grunting, WarGrowlmon raced toward his clone, who'd Digivolved straight to "WarGrowlmon" as well. The two collided, then traded punches back and forth. Takato grunted as he felt every hit his partner took.
"Let's help Chumly out, Guardromon!" Kazu yelled excitedly.
"Finally-some action!"
"Digimodify!"
"Digimodify! Matrix Digivolution, activate!"
"Matrix Digivolution!"
"Guardromon Matrix Digivolve to...ANDROMON!!!"
Andromon raced onto the battlefield with Gargomon and Leomon behind him, ready to help Takato out.
"We'll handle Beelzemon-you take on that clone of yours!" Henry advised while keeping an eye on his sister and her new partner.
"Mmm-hmm!"
"The day reminds me of you, the night hides your truth
The earth is a voice, speaking to you
Take all this pride and leave it behind, because one day it ends..."
"Fist of the Beast King!!"
"Gargo Lasers!!"
"Gatling Attack!!" The three attacks all made contact, but Beelzemon laughed out loud and shrugged them off.
"You fools. I'm a Mega Digimon-you're mundane attacks can't harm me one bit! Try this on for size-Double Impact!!" The three of them were sent flying backward, Leomon flipping up and landing safely near Jeri.
"Look out, everyone-Ahh!" Takato groaned as his clone tackled him back to the ground again. This time, Takato was too weak to resist.
"Huh? Leave Takatomon alone! Radiation Blade!!"
"Takato" held in his breath as the two attacks hit the ground near them.
"I won't miss next time. Step away from Takato!" WarGrowlmon warned, his eyes narrowing into slits.
"You're lucky your pet came to save you, or you'd be dead."
"Run that by me again-I missed the first half of this play, 'cause it got too boring watching you pummel my best friend into pancake. HA!" Rika lashed out once more and sent Takato's clone back to the ground, a confident smile on her face.
"Rika...why?" Takato asked weakly.
"I couldn't stand by and let him do that to you, even if we're not linked anymore. No matter what, we'll be friends, and maybe something more-when we get out of the Digital World, anyway. I think I've figured out why we were linked in the first place."
"Yeah, whatever. Just got one question for you: What's a team without their leader? Nothing but stains in the floorboard! Darkness Claw!!" Beelzemon leaped forward and revealed his claws, aiming directly for Takato!
"Impmon, don't do it!" WarGrowlmon and Renamon yelled.
"That weakling Digimon's gone forever! The name's Beelzemon!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" Leomon knew that both Renamon and WarGrowlmon were too far away to protect their partners, so he dived in front of the two Tamers, taking the attack straight through the chest!
"LEOMON!!!!" Jeri cried out.
"Humph-served him right for getting in my way." As Leomon hit the sandy ground, he slowly started to delete. Jeri ran over to her partner, with Henry, Lopmon, Susie and the others coming over to see if they could help.
"Jeri...I had to do it...I know my first mission is to protect you and only you, but...you were already safe. You were very brave when we first met, even though I was a bit hardheaded...Your courage shined through back up there on the mountain...I'm glad to have been your partner, and...glad to have you for a Tamer..."
During Leomon's speech, Jeri felt hot tears come to her eyes, and she didn't try to stop them. Henry reached over and comfortingly hugged her tightly as she started to cry. A few seconds later, Leomon was completely deleted, and his data was absorbed into Beelzemon.
"You...you...YOU MONSTER! How could you just stand there and absorb his data like that?! We gave you EVERY chance to be our friend-every single chance! Impmon would never think about taking a life. Sure, he'd cause some chaos once in a while, but he just wanted to have fun. And you're right-Impmon's gone. All that's left is a heartless Mega." Takato growled, his depression over his breakup with Rika finally taking its toll.
"Yeah, this coming from the weakling crybaby who falls over and cries at the sight of a dead butterfly." "Takato" and Beelzemon muttered.
"Why? First me and Rika, now Jeri and Leomon? HOW MANY OF US HAVE TO SUFFER IN THIS UNFORGIVING WORLD?!! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"
Takato finally let his rage, anger, despair and pain completely take over. A Modify card, even darker than his clone's appeared in his hand. Without thinking, Takato quickly swiped it through his D-Power.
"DARKNESS MODIFY! DARK DIGIVOLUTION, ACTIVATE!!!" At that instant, his Digivice
shrieked with an overload of power, then exploded into bits of data! WarGrowlmon screamed in
silent agony, then vanished entirely. In the Cyborg Digimon's place was...
"One day, we die-believe what you will
That is your right, but I choose to win!
So, I choose to fight, to fight!
Chorus: Me...I'm rusted and weathered, barely holding together
I'm covered with skin that peels and it just won't heal..."
Me...I'm rusted and weathered, barely holding together
I'm covered with skin that peels and it just won't heal..."
With a mighty roar, a powerful Dragon Digimon appeared in the sky in place of WarGrowlmon-a dark Dragon Digimon, one who was filled with intense rage and hatred.
"I'm not sure who's in more trouble-Beelzemon or us! That's Megidramon, an extremely powerful Dragon-type Digimon! Trust me-you don't want this Digimon on your bad side!" Henry declared.
Takato gritted his teeth in pure spite, not even noticing that he was glowing with a dark essence around his body.
"How many more of us have to suffer before we can be allowed to safely go home?" Takato thought before Rika jolted him out of his momentary lapse into darkness. At that instant, he took notice that WarGrowlmon had vanished, and only Megidramon remained, ready to fight and able to destroy anyone who got in his way.
"What have I done?" Takato asked wearily while looking at the Darkness Modify card in his hand, now caked with dried blood.
"Exactly what I hoped you would do..." "Takato" whispered to Takato with a devilish smile on his face. "...you've unleashed the power of darkness inside of you at last! Now, you are truly worthy to be called a Tamer..."
"Aw, man! First Rika breaks up with Takato, then Leomon gets taken out of the game. Now, we've got Guilmon's clone, Beelzemon and now Megidramon to take care of? What's gonna happen now? The answers next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!"