Me: Okay, people-I don't own Digimon, nor do I own...drumroll, please.
(Terriermon literally rolls a drum over my foot!)
Me: Ouch! I didn't mean it like that!!
Terriermon: Oh-sorry. Momentai, I've been out of a job for at least 5 days, and relaxing is never my strong point. (starts the drumroll correctly)
Me: Much better. Now, I don't own Digimon, nor do I own...Moon Fighter, which is not only sang by our own Rika Nonaka, but the lyrics can be found on Megchan's site as well! The translated ones are, once again, on www.animelyrics.com. The mp song is found on Tamers Unite.
Rika: (taps foot impatiently; unsuccessfully hides a blush from Takato) Am I gonna be singing this to Gogglehead, or what?
Takato: Wha?
Me: No, no, no! Of course not. (whispers in Terriermon's ear) At least, not in this chapter.
Terriermon: You are truly devious, you know that?
Me: (hoists Terriermon onto my shoulder) I learned from the best.
Terriermon: (laughs) Stop it-you're making me blush! (silence is heard momentarily) Seriously, go on.
Me: I was referring to you, matter-of-fact. By the way, a certain familiar scene that was in the Season Finale will be in this chapter, but only one character will be replaced.
Terriermon: Gee, I wonder who that could be?
Rika: You two better not be planning anything that involves Takato and pain-got it?
Me, Terriermon: Of course not!
Me: (whispers in Terriermon's ear) Yeah, right. Don't tell Rika-got it?
Terriermon: I've said it before; I'll say it again-Momentai.
Digimon Tamers: Tamers V.S. Dracula
Chapter XXI-Rika Nonaka: The Moon Fighter; Takato Matsuki: The Digital Knight
"This...is where it ends." -Gallantmon, "The Battle Within"
"There's nothing can keep us apart!" -Takato Matsuki
"You're doing this to impress me, aren't you?" -Rika Nonaka, "Such Sweet Sorrow"
While the Digimon were being relentlessly attacked by Dracula inside the Digital Plane,
Calumon tried to get the Tamers out of their depression when he brought up a good point-if the
others were truly gone, wouldn't their Digivices have static scrolling across the screens? When
Takato looked at his Digivice and saw it looked exactly the same as before, he reminded himself
of how much it had meant to him when Guilmon had first come to life! Then, Takato convinced
Rika of how much she had changed since being partners with Renamon, and the two of them
reminded Henry of what Terriermon meant to him. Eventually, the entire team had been
reminded of how happier they had been beforehand and after they found their partners! Problem
was, when Takato, Rika and Henry had reconnected first, their partners had felt powered up, so
Dracula went to rectify that. While using their Hybrid-Modify cards, Henry felt completely
helpless and wanted to help out his friends-instantly, he received the Staff of Reliability and
combined with the Sword of Courage and the Daggers of Love, created a portal that took them
straight to their partners! Now, with the Digimon and their Tamers reunited, can they truly
destroy Dracula once and for all? Let's hope so!
Biomerge Digivolution!
"Biomerge, activate!" Takato, Rika and Henry chorused as the three of them transformed into data and merged with their respective partners.
"Guilmon Biomerge to...GALLANTMON!!!"
"Renamon Biomerge to...SAKUYAMON!!!"
"Terriermon Biomerge to...MEGAGARGOMON!!!"
As the three Mega Digimon stepped forward, Gallantmon declared, "Okay, Dracula-it's just you and us!"
"And so, the final battle begins...as does the destruction of your fair city!" Dracula hissed as he revealed his fangs for the world to see!
Roaring, Gallantmon, Sakuyamon and MegaGargomon flew forward, prepared to engage the enemy in battle...then found themselves staring at nothing but dead air!
"Stay focused! He's got to be around here somewhere." Sakuyamon advised.
"Yeah-the question is, where?" Terriermon spoke out.
Narrowing his eyes, Gallantmon concentrated. Unlike any Mega Digimon Takato had heard of from the card game or watched on the TV show, Gallantmon wasn't only a Holy Knight Digimon, but he was also a Virus-type, and most Virus-types tended to use their abilities to destroy things. With Guilmon, that wasn't so. Through some miracle of some sorts, Takato's partner was able to contain his viral side. Takato had never been one to ask his partner about that since he probably wouldn't understand it in the first place. Gallantmon suddenly opened his eyes and, as they dilated, the Exalted Knight turned to his left and charged for Sakuyamon!
"Hey-Takato, what are you doing?" Rika yelled out.
"Sakuyamon, duck! Lightning Joust!!"
Confused, the Shaman Digimon dived and avoided Gallantmon's attack-a good thing too, because when she did, the lance seemed to strike nothing but air; however, the air shimmered, and Dracula howled in agony as he was caused significant pain by the attack!
"The next time you want to take out my Tamer's mate and her partner, just remember this!" Gallantmon growled in Guilmon's voice. On the inside of the sphere, Takato felt himself blush.
"Guilmon, could you call Rika anything else other than 'mate?' It sounds...primitive."
"What else would you want me to call her, Takato?"
"I don't know! Uh...just Rika, or-"
"Gogglehead, quit debating names and start attacking!" Sakuyamon demanded in Rika's voice as she rose her staff and miniature flower petals went soaring through the air until they found their mark. "Amethyst Wind!!"
"Ha! Not looking so hot, are you?"
Glaring at MegaGargomon and the other Digimon, Dracula smiled as he disappeared once again. "This battleground has become too mundane for someone of my caliber. Follow the sound of my voice, children, and I will lead you to a true battlefield."
"Takato! Yo, Chumly-where's that creepy guy go?" Kazu screamed from a distance below the three Mega Digimon.
"I don't know!" Takato repeated a second later. "He wants us to-follow his voice, or something like that."
"We should be on our guard. For all we know, it could be a trap." Sakuyamon advised grimly.
"Naturally! Aren't things like this always traps? And the hero never listens in the first place-"
"Terriermon!"
"The point is-" The three Mega Digimon turned to see Justimon enter in. "-we should be cautious when trying to find out where Dracula went to."
"Who invited you up here?" Takato and Rika chorused impatiently. Smirking from inside his sphere, Ryo stared at Gallantmon and Sakuyamon before responding. "This guy is too dangerous for you 3 to handle on your own, and you might need backup since he can use all of your attacks against you."
"Your point is...?" Rika asked sarcastically, an eyebrow raised into the air a second later.
"Four Mega Digimon are better than three-that's my point."
"Make that five Digimon!" Beelzemon corrected as he flew in, waving at Ai and Mako down next to Susie, Lopmon, Jeri, Calumon and the rest. "You ain't gonna leave me outta this fight, not for all the eats in the world."
"You mean 'cream puffs!'" Calumon shouted out. Beelzemon's eyes widened in amazement.
"Whoa! His ears are that good, especially from down there?"
"All right, then. Let's find Dracula!" Gallantmon spoke up as the five Digimon soared into the night sky, the day having already changed into night a few hours ago.
"Just great. They get to go and save the world, and what do we get to do?" Kazu grumbled while propped onto Guardromon's side.
"You could all freeze! Don't move a muscle!"
The remaining Tamers gasped as a police officer exited the tunnel entrance, his gun loaded and aimed at Leomon.
"Hey, hold on a minute!" Calumon suddenly pleaded while running up to the officer, still holding Rika's tape recorder. "It wasn't us who destroyed Rika's mother's building-it was that vampire-whoa!" The In-Training Digimon cried out as he tripped over a rock and landed hard onto his belly, the tape accidentally rewinding a few parsecs, then stopped when it hit the policeman's feet.
"Uh, whatever you are, I think you just dropped this-"
"Why'd you set Impmon up to destroy my mother's agency?" Rika's voice played back loud and clear for everyone to hear. A second afterward, Dracula's voice was heard.
"For 3 simple reasons: One, he was a patsy. Two, who would believe that a vampire, such as myself, would exist? Three, I wanted you out of my way."
"Framing us for your misdeed was an unforgivable wrong!" Takato's voice rang out loud and true a second later. "You wanna battle someone, 'Dracula?' Then, as my fiancee would say, 'bring it on!'"
The policeman stopped the tape recorder and politely handed it back to Calumon. "In light of this new evidence, however farfetched it may sound, I'm going to recommend that the charges against you and the Digimon be dropped to the chief right away."
"Yeah!" Calumon cheered excitedly as Jeri, Kazu, Kenta, Susie, Ai and Mako all smiled broadly.
Once the police officer left, Kenta turned his gaze back to the skies, a look of concern across his face.
"That's one problem that bit the dust, but what about Takato and the others?"
By the light of a blue moon, I try to keep my cool in this scenario
I just keep on fighting things-this is just my way of handling things!
As the five Mega Digimon-Gallantmon, Sakuyamon, MegaGargomon, Justimon and Beelzemon-approached the Shinjuku Park, something really strange was happening up in the skies above.
"Takato, do you see what I see?"
While raising an eyebrow, Takato observed what was happening to the moon. "Yeah, but...why's it doing that?"
"He did say 'follow the sound of my voice,' but one would naturally assume he literally meant his voice." Sakuyamon noted.
"The question is, why is it doing that?" Rika spat out, not meaning to sound harsh, but these days, she could compare herself to the moon in lots of ways, or at least, Takato said he could compare her to the moon in lots of ways.
"It's a safe bet Dracula's somewhere around here and casting some sort of spell on the moon." Henry warned.
"No doubt, but turning it blue? I would've preferred green, or at least a color of some other significance-"
"Quiet!" Justimon's warning tone halted any further conversation.
"Cyberdramon? What is it?" Ryo asked cautiously, looking around for anything that seemed out of place.
"There's a presence here that seems unfamiliar, but that means it can only be one being. He's here, Ryo, and I can't see him!"
Gallantmon instantly narrowed his eyes; catching the drift the Mega Digimon had sent his way earlier, Beelzemon narrowed his eyes, and the two of them concentrated.
"MegaGargomon, quick! Turn-"
"-to your right, kid! Hurry!"
"Power Pummel!!" The Vaccine Digimon's attack rang true, and Dracula grunted in surprise as he shimmered into view once again.
"Excellent. So, now it appears that Vaccine and Data-type Digimon have to depend on Virus-types to lead them to victory? That's what makes us so similar-I also depend on different beings to help me."
"Stop right there!" Sakuyamon demanded while raising her staff at the same time as Dracula started floating away. "Spirit Strike!!"
The spiritual dragons unharmed the vampire as he started chanting, but this time, it wasn't in Latin, nor was it in any other language.
"Dark creatures of the night, I summon you. During this night, and this night alone can we be victorious against the forces of light. Come to my aid and reign glorious chaos upon the inhabitants of this city and eventually, the world!"
The Tamers gasped in shock and fear as, at that particular second, demons appeared in the streets of Shinjuku! Some had wings and could fly, which would possibly give them a problem if they asked for it; others seemed to rely on brute strength, but one thing was clear-they all wanted to fight!
Worried for the first time in a long time, Rika chanted under her breath, "I am not afraid, I am not afraid, I am not afraid...I am scared out of my mind!"
"Those things look hideous and freaky!" Terriermon's voice rang out from MegaGargomon.
"No kidding!" Henry retorted.
"These things don't look that scary! Let's take 'em out, Takatomon!"
"Got it, Guilmon!" Bravely leaping in front of the others, Gallantmon rose his shield in front of him as the flying demons started to come his way.
"Prepare to meet your Maker! SHIELD OF THE JUST!!!"
The attack soared gracefully in the air before striking the demons where they stood. The Exalted Knight Digimon crossed his arms and waited for the smoke to clear. While inside her sphere, Rika was truly amazed at Takato's bravery. For someone who hadn't wanted to fight at all, he had changed from the novice Tamer he'd been so long ago.
"Aw, nuts!"
"Impossible!"
"No fair! That was a direct hit-I saw it, and I didn't even launch it!"
"Terriermon!"
The smoke had cleared to reveal the demons, completely unscathed by Gallantmon's attack!
Rika choked down her fear and Sakuyamon rose her staff upward in the air.
"Gallantmon, you'd better move out of the way."
Noticing that Sakuyamon was getting ready for an attack, Gallantmon quickly moved out of the
way, only far enough so that he would be behind her, as had the others.
I meet assistance, and now is it time to find my beliefs?
Truth? Hah! I'm grasping at straws!
"On this night, I summon your aid, sister moon. Help us to locate our enemy and to safely stop him from destroying innocent lives!" Sakuyamon spoke out as a beam of light was launched from her staff and promptly hit the vampire in the back despite the distance between them!
"Wow! With those few words, they took down Dracula? Henry, we've got to learn some lessons from these two."
"Funny, Terriermon."
"Now what about these guys?" Justimon asked, preparing himself for an ambush.
"Guardian Barrage!!"
"Kahuna Waves!!"
"Fist of the Beast King!!"
"Bunny Blades!!"
Astonished, the team of Mega Digimon looked down and saw Guardromon fly in with Kazu and Kenta on his back, being trailed by MarineAngemon; Leomon landed safely on the ground while holding onto Jeri; Antylamon was making sure Susie, Ai and Mako would be safe as she gently put them down.
"Hey! When'd you guys get here?" Takato laughed.
"Oh, only a few minutes after we got stopped by the cops. By the way, our Digimon are in the clear! That means we can go home!" Kazu explained excitedly.
"What a relief!" A part of Takato was slightly disappointed that it was over with, but once he and Rika were married, they would have the rest of their lives with each other.
"Wait a minute-where's Calumon?" Rika asked. At that moment, a tiny In-Training Digimon was struggling to stay in the air and hold onto a familiar backpack.
"Rika! Hey, Rika...ohh...I've got your bag right heeeeeeeeere-whooooooooa!" Calumon cried out as he, along with the backpack, plummeted helplessly down to the ground until Antylamon caught him with one hand.
"Thanks, Antylamon! Rika would've been really upset if her bag had been broken."
"If anything had happened to you, I would be upset at myself for forgetting it in the first place." Rika admitted, a smile on her face. "Thanks, Calumon."
"No problem, Rika!"
"Hey-less lip, more zip! We got company!" Kazu warned as the demons got back up again!
Chorus: Light up moon! Tear the shadows apart!
I don't need to put on any fake smiles
Come on-light up, moon! Replace clear shadows with a new form, flying high
Excel and win, Moon Fighter!
Takato gritted his teeth while inside Gallantmon. "Guys, while Sakuyamon, MegaGargomon and I go and take on Dracula, the rest of you handle these demons!"
"Are you crazy? Didn't you hear anything I said earlier?!" Ryo griped heatedly. "Four Digimon-actually, five-are better than three!"
"And I said I wasn't gonna miss this fight for all the eats in the world!" Beelzemon added.
This time, Gallantmon wasn't going to back down. "Maybe so, but for some reason, my attacks can't harm those demons, so it's safe to assume that Sakuyamon and MegaGargomon's attacks can't harm them either. The rest of you undoubtedly can, so catch up to us when you've beaten these things!"
As Rika smirked inside her sphere, Sakuyamon prepared to activate a protective shield that would encompass the three Mega Digimon.
"Crystal Sphere!!"
That deed done, the three of them took off, heading in the same direction the vampire had gone.
"Okay, then. Just leave some of that freak vampire for me to annihilate!" Beelzemon roared as
the three vanished from view.
From the distant side of the sky, someday, my heart will dream of smiling faces
To be not defeated by small things, to be something that will not divide!
The three Tamers found some time to themselves as they tried to hunt down Dracula, the undead being who had caused them so much agony and pain throughout this month alone.
"Gogglehead, any reason why you wanted Justimon and Beelzemon out of the upcoming fight?"
Takato gulped as he felt his cheeks grow hot. That had been a question he'd hoped Rika wouldn't ask-not now, not ever! And now, he had to answer it.
"Well, uh...no reason! Beelzemon, I figured he would do good over there-he could watch out for his Tamers and do a little target practice."
"And Justimon?" Henry couldn't help but add his two cents in-a side effect of having Terriermon for a partner, but he wouldn't have it any other way.
While the others waited for him to answer, Takato grunted lightly while trying to control his feelings and emotions. Finally, he snapped.
"Okay, I'm still jealous of the guy! I'm sorry, Rika, but I just can't stand him and his whole 'mightier than thou' attitude! I mean, come on-he acted like he was meant to become the Digimon King."
"Maybe he was, but to me, you'll always be my Digital Knight." Rika grinned while blushing at the same time. The statement she had just made couldn't have been said in any other form.
"Really? I'm your Digital Knight? T-thanks, Rika..."
"Rika, have you always assumed Takato would become your Digital Knight?" Renamon asked calmly.
The Tamer grimaced in amazement as the pink flush on her cheeks grew redder at that instant. "Well, not always...Not before he first Biomerged with Guilmon, anyway. Now, I only call him Goggle-something because it's natural to me, and it's..."
"It's your supposed pet name for him, isn't it?"
"Well...yeah. Hey-you were spying on us that day, weren't you?!" Rika whispered irritably, unable to keep a grin from appearing on her face.
"As Terriermon would say, 'Momentai.'"
While Rika and Renamon had started their own conversation, that left the guys of the group to bond some more as they'd done so many times in the past.
"Henry, why isn't Jeri with us? Oh, you don't have to worry-I don't like her or anything! It's just that usually, she would probably be talking to Rika and Renamon right now, and Leomon would be scouring the skies, trying to get a bead on Dracula's location."
"Do you remember when we first reunited Jeri and the others with their partners?"
"Yeah."
"Well, when Jeri went up to Leomon, it looked like he was trying to hide something, so I asked him what was wrong. Before he told me, he mentioned this: 'if you were anybody except Takato, Rika, Kazu or her intended husband, Henry, I wouldn't even consider saying this. The four of you are the only humans Jeri can trust on this side, with the exception of her father.' That's when he told me that Dracula had focused his attacks-this is when they were in the Digital Plane-solely on Guilmon, Renamon, Terriermon and Leomon. Because the three of us have worked so long together as a team-just you, me and Rika-our Digimon regained the energy taken from them. But, as for Leomon, it'll be some time before he can Biomerge with Jeri again, and it's all because of Dracula."
Takato felt his anger start to rise, and MegaGargomon slightly sweatdropped as the Holy Knight Digimon started to glow an angry red.
"Henry, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to tell Takato about that!"
"I can see that, Terriermon! Sakuyamon, Gallantmon's about to go off the deep end!"
Just as Sakuyamon was about to approach him, the shield protecting them was shattered by a powerful Final Justice attack! The three Mega Digimon hurtled downward before stopping themselves in midflight.
"Well, well, well. The heroes who always save the day...You should've stayed and destroyed my demon minions. True, the Holy Knight alone wouldn't have been able to do it, but maybe, with the three of you combined, like you were when your partners used that Trinity Burst attack, it could've been enough. Alas, you run away in order to find your better in everything you do. I know the precise weaknesses when it comes to you Digimon. For example: Gargo Lasers!!"
"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Gallantmon doubled over in pain as he was struck in the chest! Rika grunted in shock as she felt that attack as if it had struck her!
"That was what happens when a Vaccine-type takes on a Virus. Now, if it were Virus against Data..."
"Don't you dare...!" Gallantmon began angrily in Takato's voice, struggling to put himself in between Sakuyamon and the attack, but it was too late.
"Shield of the Just!!"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!" Sakuyamon gasped in agony as she was hurtled to the ground! Not only had Takato felt that, but he'd also felt the ground-numbing pain as the Data-type Digimon had hit the ground!
"And that just leaves the eternal question: Data against a Vaccine...Spirit Strike!!"
"NOOOOOO!!!!" Gallantmon roared as MegaGargomon was hit on all sides before striking the
ground with just as much force as it would take to start an earthquake!
A fleeting wish, the palms of my hands come together...
A lie? Hah! I'll cast aside this veil!
"Come on, you freaks of nature! Bring it on! Corona Blaster!!" Beelzemon smirked as the attack disintegrated about one/third of the demons that had invaded.
"Justice Burst!!" Justimon's attack sent the horde of flying demons to the ground. The Mega Digimon then flew down to the ground and unleashed another attack.
"Thunder Clap!!" This time, it had more of an effect than against Dracula a day or so ago as the demons were permanently taken out.
Leomon had explained to Jeri what had happened, and that he'd told Henry about it; about this time, he would have told Takato, however. Jeri hadn't minded, and said that there were other ways in which he could use the power of a Mega Digimon.
"This card can help out a lot, ruff!" Jeri's puppet held out the Modify card for Jeri to pluck.
"Wow! This card can help us! Thanks."
"No problem, ruff!"
"Can we help?" Ai asked as she and Mako came up, the latter holding a box of Modify cards; the former holding the Purple Digivice.
"Hmm..." Jeri flipped through her own pack of cards until she found one that was sure to work.
"Here you go! Try to be careful with it."
"Thanks!"
"Don't worry, Kazu-I'll protect you from these ruffians! Guardian Barrage!!"
Guardromon's signature attack struck the oncoming demons, but they were barely scratched.
"Duh! I don't know why I didn't think of this before. Guardromon, you're about to get an upgrade on power levels!"
"Did he say 'upgrade?'" Kenta stammered.
"He sure did." MarineAngemon agreed as Kazu smirked while pulling out a card and swiping it.
Digimodify!
"Digimodify! MetalGarurumon, activate!"
Instantly, Guardromon's missile launchers opened, but instead of his trademark attack flying out, MetalGarurumon's main attack soared through the air.
"Metal Wolf Claw!!"
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! For each missile that was launched, a demon was toasted.
"Way to go, buddy! Who's da man, who's da man, who's da man!" Kazu started dancing around in victory until two dangerous demons came in and kicked Guardromon to the ground!
"Oh, no! Guardromon!"
"Don't worry, Kazu. That's just a minor setback. I'll be back on my feet again in no time."
"But I thought you had wheels."
"Don't wowwy, Kazu! Antylamon's got it all undew contwol!" Susie yelled out as the Ultimate Digimon powered up before firing her main attack at the two demons.
"Bunny Blades!!"
Naturally, the attacks caused some damage, but didn't do enough damage to defeat them!
"Leomon, it's time!" Jeri announced bravely while holding up her card in the air.
"Impmon-can we help out?" Mako yelled as he held up the card long enough for Beelzemon to see it.
"Wow-how'd the kid get his hands on a card like that? No matter-Okay, guys! Let's shake these demons up!"
Digimodify!
"Digimodify!" Jeri and Ai yelled as the two cards were swiped through.
"WarGreymon, activate!" Jeri shouted.
"Black WarGreymon, activate!" Mako added.
"'WarGreymon? Black WarGreymon?' Where'd Jeri and those two get those kind of cards?!" Kazu sputtered.
Leomon roared as a 3-D hologram of WarGreymon appeared behind him; Beelzemon roared as a 3-D hologram of Black WarGreymon appeared behind him. Almost as one, they rose their arms to the sky and concentrated. A ball of orange energy appeared in Leomon's hands; a ball of red energy appeared in Beelzemon's hands.
"TERRA FORCE!!!"
"Eat this, you sawed-off freaks! TERRA DESTROYER!!!"
WHAM!!!! WHAM!!!! The two attacks made contact and not only destroyed the two demons that were there, but also destroyed a part of the city block!
"Typical. Someone always wants a piece of my spotlight. Who better than Jeri and the newbies?" Kazu muttered.
Justimon grinned somewhat at that statement before Cyberdramon's instinct for battle kicked in. (A/N: The reason I say "somewhat" is simple-do you see any mouth on Justimon's face? As least with Gallantmon's face mask, you can imagine a mouth behind that!)
"Cyberdramon, what is it?"
"The others...they need our help, and they need it now, Ryo!"
"Naturally. Time to go!"
Chorus: Light up moon! Come down from the heavens!
Answer only to one person, and be restricted
Come on-light up moon! Pierce through the sky! Show your radiance, and keep on going
Excel and win, Moon Fighter!
Sakuyamon growled as she leaped up from her position on the ground and rose her staff to counter any more surprise attacks.
"Spirit Strike!!"
The vampire grinned, as he was prepared for this move from the beginning. "Crystal Sphere!!"
Rika grunted inside her sphere as her attack was deflected.
"Let's see if Dracy can resist this!" MegaGargomon spoke out as he got up and fired his main attack. "Gargo Missiles!!"
Just like with Sakuyamon's attack, Henry groaned as his own attack was deflected.
Takato cried out in pain as he sadly held up his right arm to the sky, Gallantmon imitating his moves.
"Pleeeeeeeeeeeease! I've got to have the power needed to save my friends and my beloved from this vampire! GIVE ME AND GUILMON THE STRENGTH WE NEED TO WIN THIS FIGHT!" Takato wailed as Gallantmon was suddenly surrounded in a red haze of energy.
"Gallantmon...it's me..."
Rika, Takato, Henry and the Digimon were amazed when they heard the voice of an old friend.
"Grani...?" Takato whispered in shock.
"Is...is that really you?" Guilmon asked.
"Yes, my friend. The power has always resided in you both, ever since that day, but you need to understand how to unlock it without being in a life-or-death situation."
Takato knew what day Grani meant-the day he'd sacrificed himself to save Takato and Rika from the D-Reaper's idea of twisted revenge! At that instant, he remembered what he had to do, and how to do it.
"Grani..." Gallantmon reported in Takato and Guilmon's voices. "You'll always be with us-mind, body, and spirit...!"
Mode Change Digivolution!
"Gallantmon Mode Change to...CRIMSON MODE!!!"
Gallantmon flew freely in the air once more, holding onto a double-bladed sword in his right hand, a regular sword in his left.
"That's my Gogglehead-he just can't resist being in the spotlight!"
"Talk about an encore, huh, Henry?"
"You said it, Terriermon!"
Dracula grinned with ease as he faced the transformed Exalted Knight Digimon.
"You may have the advantage, my friend, but the one thing you lack is the items to defeat me."
"Maybe so, but after what we do here, it won't be that long before we get that item! FINAL JUSTICE!!!"
Holding out his double-bladed sword, Gallantmon fired a blast of blue energy that struck Dracula and, surprisingly enough, stripped him of the stolen power he'd taken from the Digimon!
"You...AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" The vampire roared in anger as Justimon, Beelzemon and the others came in.
"What happened to him?" Beelzemon asked.
"To sum it up: Gallantmon just changed into his Crimson Mode and blasted Dracy, apparently taking away any use of our attacks." Terriermon noted.
"Neat!"
"I'M NOT OUT YET!" The vampire chanted in Latin one last time while holding out a gigantic energy ball, one that was so big, not even WarGreymon or Black WarGreymon could handle!
"Everybody...GET OUT OF THE WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!" Takato screamed as the ball struck the entire team, injuring everyone and forcing the ones who were at Mega, or at Ultimate, to deDigivolve to their Rookie forms, with the exception of MarineAngemon!
The Tamers groaned as they struggled to their feet, almost the entire team bloodied or badly beaten. Susie, Ai and Mako were okay, as was Jeri, Kazu and Kenta. Takato, Rika, Henry and Ryo, being in the front of the line, had taken the worst possible hits!
"The Tamers never give up, and after this last encounter, we won't have to! Modify cards, guys!" Takato gasped, pulling out his Hybrid-Modify card. After seeing which one it was, Rika, Henry and Ryo all pulled out their own. Dracula grinned evilly, despite the wounds on his own body, as he slowly stepped forward.
Digimodify!
"DIGIMODIFY!" Takato, Rika, Henry and Ryo chorused defiantly.
"Sword of Courage, activate!"
"Daggers of Love, activate!"
"Staff of Reliability, activate!"
"Whip of Friendship, activate!"
As the weapons appeared in the Tamers' hands, Takato clipped his scabbard to his side and got in front of the team, facing them instead of Dracula.
"Takato, what are you doing? Come on-this isn't funny!" Rika griped.
"I'm not laughing! Everyone, I want you to give me all your power and send it into my sword!"
That wasn't a response anyone was prepared to hear, least of all, Rika!
"Hold on a minute, Chumly-do you even know how much power that is, with all of us combined?" Kazu asked in shock.
"Mm-hmm, and that's why it's gotta work."
"The ramifications it would have on you would be..." Renamon couldn't even finish her explanation, so Rika finished it in her blunt way.
"...that you would die! Did you think about that, Gogglebrain?"
Takato looked deeply into Rika's violet eyes with his own brown, chocolate orbs.
"I know, but if you were given the chance, you would take it, too, and I would be trying to convince you not to go."
Rika fought to keep her tears from showing, but try as she might, this reminded her of the time when Renamon had been forced to leave her side and return to the Digital World.
"Just don't forget your promise..."
"I won't." Takato wiped Rika's tears away before pulling her into a quick kiss that lasted only a few seconds. That's when he pulled away, tears of his own streaming down his cheeks as he held out the Sword of Courage, hands grasped around the hilt. The Tamers held up their Digivices at that second-Rika and Henry using their weapons-and beams of light flew out and struck the Sword, forcing Takato down to his knees! Rika grunted with pain as she felt like collapsing right then and there, but she told herself, mentally, to stay up. Takato roared in torment as his weapon glowed brightly before he was barely able to absorb it all through the blade of his sword.
Dracula grunted in amazement as Takato flew up into the air, holding onto his sword tightly. A
second later, the Tamer screamed while tackling Dracula in a gigantic bear hug and lifting him
far up into the stratosphere!
"You ignorant fool! What do you think you are doing?!" The Dark Prince ranted angrily as he started wrestling with Takato in midair.
"I'm doing what we should've done the day we met you in Transylvania-I'm taking you out, Dracula, for good!"
Takato waited until he figured he was far enough from his friends so that they wouldn't get hurt, then he screamed loudly while calling upon the power needed to change Gallantmon into his Crimson Mode and, with the Sword of Courage, stabbed Dracula directly in his undead heart!
The vampire started laughing as he felt two things-one, that the sword's energy seemed to be powered up by the sun itself; two, that his feet were dissolving into dust.
"You poor, deluded boy. In your haste to defeat me, you neglected to see how high up you've gone. The human body won't last long without oxygen, and once I go, I'll give you at least five minutes before I see you in hell." Dracula, the Prince of Darkness, laughed evilly, and insanely, as his entire body burst into dust that sprinkled over Takato's clothes. The Tamer suddenly gasped for breath as his windpipe was constricted! Dracula had been right-he had gone too high up! And now, he hardly had any oxygen to breathe. Takato gasped as quickly as he could to preserve air, but as his body hurtled toward the ground, and as he began to black out, only one thought came to mind...
"Rika...I failed you. Because of my selfish pride, I wasn't able to keep my promise...I'm so
sorry..."
Chorus: Light up moon! Tear the shadows apart!
I don't need to put on any fake smiles
Come on-light up moon! Replace clear shadows with a new form, flying high
Excel and win, Moon Fighter! (song continues on; ends with a beat!)
"Takato...TAKATO! Hang on-I'm coming!"
Rika knew Takato had succeeded in what he had to do, but in that one act of bravery, would it cost him his life? Not if she had anything to say about it! Ignoring everyone else, Rika grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder while using her Daggers of Love to fly gracefully in the air!
"Come on, Digital Knight-pull yourself back up! Breathe-you can do it!"
Rika felt her own throat constrict, even as she said those words, it had been difficult to do so.
"Hi, Rika! Ooh-is that Takato? Is he playing a game with us? Can I play-?"
"Calumon, what are you doing in here?!" Rika yelled impatiently, keeping her eyes focused on Takato's falling body.
"When Leomon and Beelzemon fired their Terra something or others, I was hit by the resounding shockwave and fell into your bag. Hey-look! Takato just dropped a card! Don't worry, Rika-I'll get it!" The In-Training Digimon laughed as he bounced off Rika's head, extended his ears and soared down to where Takato's Modify card, formerly his Sword of Courage, was at.
"Yay! Oh, Rika...I got it!" That last part, Calumon had said in a sing-song tone, but Rika wasn't perturbed. Calumon had come through for her, and for Takato.
"Takato, don't you dare die on me..." Rika pleaded silently as she changed direction and
skyrocketed down as fast as she could...
"Takato...? Takato? Hey, Gogglehead-it's time to wake up!"
"Takato? Wakey, wakey..."
Takato gasped loudly as he gulped in a huge amount of air and promptly coughed it out. A second later, he opened his eyes and saw what he considered the most beautiful sight ever-Rika, with a pair of daggers by her side, her hair draped over her shoulders, a tinge of pink on her cheeks and Calumon on top of Rika's head.
"It's about time you woke up! Are you okay?"
Takato looked around and saw the others in the distance coming their way, then looked at Calumon and saw that in his mouth, he held his Hybrid-Modify card.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Rika, before all this happened, I used to just think you were the Digimon Queen, but with what happened today, I think I'll have to give you a new rank--to me, you'll always be my special Moon Fighter."
Rika smiled as she leaned down and kissed Takato with extreme passion, not even releasing him when Ryo, Kazu and Terriermon began making cat calls.
"So, it's finally over." Renamon concluded calmly, a tiny smile on her face.
"Maybe, or it could only be just the beginning." Guilmon added cryptically.
Guilmon, don't say that! After everything you guys have gone through, there's one happy moment of glory, and it's gone in a second. Let's see what develops next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!
