Rika woke up the next morning to the sound of loud talking.  She levered herself onto one elbow, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.  The rest of the group was up and talking.

"We need to start trying to find Calumon," Takato was saying.

"Well, yeah," Kazu retorted.  "But we don't have the slightest clue where to start looking for the little dude."

"And it's not like we can just stop and ask someone for directions," Kenta added.

"No," a strange voice added, "Something like that could get you killed."

Everybody's eyes turned to twin mysterious figures on a nearby cliff, the source of the new voice.

"And we certainly don't want that," it continued.  "It would be a shame to watch you die before I get the chance to kill you!"  With those words, he jumped off the cliff, a cape fluttering behind him, and landed in a crouch.

"Who is that?" Jeri gasped.  Leomon growled and stepped in front of her.

Kazu answered her, analyzing the newcomer.  "Hey, it's a Myotismon, like from the show.  Ultimate level, Virus type.  Watch out for his Nightmare Claw, Grisly Wing, and Crimson Lightning attacks."

"A vile creature!" Guardromon announced.  "And one I'm familiar with.  It was her that attacked us, wasn't it?"

"Her?" Henry asked.

"That Renamon last night," Guardromon explained.  "She's his little pet."

A collective gasp sounded from everybody gathered, the loudest one coming from Rika.  Renamon stepped up to the front, kneeling next to Myotismon.

"I'm sorry, Rika," she said.  "I had so hoped I could get to know you better."

"Silence," Myotismon snarled, and Renamon bowed her head.

"Yes, Master," she replied, causing Rika to wince. It hurt her to see such an obviously proud warrior reduced to a servant.

"Better," Myotismon gloated.  "And now, I will destroy you all."  It wasn't so much brag as a simple statement of fact.  Kazu wasn't unnerved in the slightest.

"Big talk," he said.  "Can you back it up?"

"You dare?" the vampire digimon raged as one by one each digimon fell back into a fighting stance.  "Do you honestly think two Champions and two Rookies can beat me?"

"Honestly, no," Henry answered.  "Lucky for us that's not what you're facing.  Shall we show him, Terriermon?"

"Any time, Henry."

"Well, boy?" Takato said to his partner.  Guilmon drew back a claw, pupils dilated, a low growl in his throat.

In unison, Henry and Takato pulled out cards, and, as one, slashed them through their digivices.  "Digimodify!  Digivolution Activate!"

"Terriermon!" "Guilmon!" "Digivolve to…" "Gargomon!" "Growlmon!"

Renamon and Myotismon both stared at the sight before them.  Rika crossed her arms with a smug smile.  She always enjoyed watching the reactions of people new to the true power of the Tamers.

Myotismon recovered quickly, throwing his head back and laughing.  "Bah!  Four Champions now?  I hate to break this to you, but you still have no chance!"

Myotismon sprang forward, thrusting an arm out to his side.  "Crimson Lightning!"  A massive red energy whip emerged from his hand, and he lashed it out at Growlmon.

Growlmon roared as the whip caught him right under the chin.  His head flew backwards, the rest of his body going with it.

"Growlmon!" Takato winced as his partner crashed to the ground.

Myotismon cackled, his foot touching down on the ground, springing into a second leap.  A second red burst shot out from his hand, striking Leomon in the chest and sending the great lion crashing into the ground.

The element of surprise quickly disappeared, and Gargomon was the first to launch a counterattack.   "Gargo Laser!"  The twin guns on the ends of his arms blazed, barrels spinning, as he starting spraying Myotismon with shots.

Myotismon brought his hands up in front of him, energy lashes fading.  He threw them forward once again.  "Grisly Wing!"

A wave of Gargomon's blasts met one of Myotismon's bats.  For every shot of Gargomon's, one bat fell but two sprung up in its place.  As the battle continued in the air, Guardromon launched an attack from the side, sending several grenades at the vampire.  A great cloud of smoke obscured vision, and the bats stopped.  Slowly, Gargomon's guns spun to a halt, ends smoking.

"Did we get him?" Kazu asked, anxiously trying to peer through the smoke.  The answer came in the form of another attack call from inside.  "Nightmare Claw!"

An enormous shockwave erupted from the cloud of dust, hurtling towards Guardromon.  The bronze robot put up his arm in an attempt to block, but the wave was too powerful, and he was sent skidding backwards to slide to a stop, unmoving.

"Guardromon!"

"Guess it's my turn!  Bunny Pummel!" Gargomon yelled, charging energy on the barrels of his guns and launching himself at Myotismon.  The vampiric Ultimate ducked under the swings, retaliating by bringing his foot up under Gargomon's chin.  He turned his foot, launching a sidekick into the gun bunny's gut.  Gargomon joined the others, becoming one more groaning heap of Digimon.

"Pathetic," Myotismon sneered, gazing around the battlefield, looking for a fresh victim.  His eyes settled on Jeri, who was kneeling to check on Leomon.  "You," he said, his voice suddenly dripping with honeyed venom.  Jeri looked up to find that she was staring directly into Myotismon's eyes.  Slowly she stood up, and the vampire beckoned to her.

"Come to me, my darling."  Jeri slowly nodded, stepping towards Myotismon.  Leomon weakly reached out a hand trying to hold the girl back, but it slumped back to the ground.  Myotismon bared his fangs with a sinister chuckle as Jeri mechanically moved over to him.

"Snap out of it!" Henry called, clapping his hands a few inches away from Jeri's face.  Jeri quickly stopped, shaking her head to clear the cobwebs.

Myotismon growled and backhanded Henry across the face, sending him sprawling to the ground.  "Idiot boy," the vampiric Ultimate said, reaching for Jeri's chin.

"Don't look into his eyes!" Rika screamed.  In response, Jeri managed to squeeze her eyes tightly shut.

"Bah," Myotismon hissed, shoving Jeri to the ground and turning to face Rika.  "She's not even worth the effort.  I greatly prefer females with spunk."

Rika looked away, but Myotismon was by her side in a second, grabbing the sides of her face, forcing her to look at him.  She struggled to keep her eyes closed, avoiding Myotismon's seductive gaze.

"G-get away from her!" Growlmon said, attempting to get up.  Almost disdainfully, Myotismon flung another Crimson Lightning at the demonic dragon.  He crashed into the ground, dedigivolving to Guilmon.  Everybody watched in horror as the chance of winning slipping away.

Myotismon returned his attention to Rika.  "Now my dear," he said, "It's time to feed."  With his fingers, he levered Rika's eyelids open, making the girl stare him in the eyes.  From her perch on the cliff, Renamon looked away, closing her eyes sadly.  She knew what was coming next.

Staring deeply into Rika's eyes, Myotismon once again bared his fangs.  "You are mine."  Renamon winced.

"Like hell I am!" Rika screamed, bringing her knee up into Myotismon's chest.  Renamon gaped as the vampire digimon staggered backwards, face contorted in rage.

"You're gonna pay for that!  Crimson Lightning!"  Myotismon extended a hand, lashing out at Rika with his attack.  It wrapped around the girl's waist, lifting her screaming into the air, and flinging her to the ground.  "I'll make you suffer!  Grisly Wing!"

A wave of bats flew from Myotismon's outstretched hands, washing over Rika.  The girl shrieked as the bats flooded over, ripping at her coat and nipping at flesh.

"Rika!" Renamon called, staring down at the girl.  She wanted to help Rika; it felt like she needed to help her.  The girl had resisted Myotismon, just as she had.  There had to be some meaning to that, and she was determined to find out what.  Taking a deep breath, Renamon jumped down from the cliff, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Diamond Storm!" she called, spreading her arms and summoning a spray of glowing projectiles.  She launched them all in a massive salvo at the small crater Rika was lying in, each one impaling one of Myotismon's bats.

Myotismon turned around with a hiss, staring down his pet.  "How dare you…"

"I can't let you hurt Rika," Renamon announced, her voice shaking slightly with fear.  She was determined to stand up to her Master, even if it was the last thing she did.

"You presume to disobey me?" Myotismon raged.  "I will show you the price for your impertinence!"  In a flash, Myotismon was behind Renamon, slamming the flat of his palm into the fox digimon's neck.  With a grunt, Renamon fell forwards, slumping to the ground.  With a flick of his wrist, Myotismon lashed out at Renamon with Crimson Lightning.  The energy whip wrapped around Renamon's glove, and the fox digimon let out a loud shriek before the attack sent her spinning into the air.  Renamon crashed to the ground, and struggled to get to her feet, clutching her arm.

"Nightmare Claw!"  Myotismon sent out another shockwave towards the fox.  Running full speed, Rika ducked her shoulder into a bash and slammed into Myotismon's side, causing the attack to narrowly overshoot Renamon.  Angrily, Myotismon turned, bringing his arm around for a slap, catching Rika full on the face.

Renamon gathered her strength for one more leap, snagging Rika's limp form out of midair.  She landed lightly on the ground, cradling Rika protectively, seeking out her target.  "I'm going to get you to safety," she told her unconscious passenger.

"Get back here!" Myotismon howled, lashing out with Crimson Lightning after Crimson Lightning.  Renamon's speed was too great, and she reached her mark, landing in the path of a massive Data Stream.

Myotismon growled with rage as the Stream sucked up his pet and the human, sent to who knows where.  Twin explosions drowned his anger out as Guardromon and Leomon got back to their feet, and nailed the vampiric digimon with their attacks.  Myotismon gathered his cape around him and vanished into the distance, saying not a word.

The Tamers watched him go, attempting to regroup and recover.

"Man!" Kazu gaped.  "He certainly schooled us!"

"Is it safe to come out yet?" Kenta asked from his hiding place behind a large rock.

"Myotismon left," Takato informed his friend as he checked on Guilmon.  "We're as safe as we're going to be."

"Good riddance," Jeri said, shuddering as she remembered Myotismon's foul spell.  "That guy gives me the creeps."  Leomon laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, and the girl smiled up at him.

"We will meet him again," Guardromon told everybody.  "That I am sure of."

"Anybody get the number of that bus that hit me?" Terriermon said, back to Rookie.  His body still ached from Myotismon's kicks.

"Yeah, 666," Henry muttered, trying to readjust his jawbone.  That backhand had hurt something awful.

"It's official," Leomon announced, rubbing his chest where Crimson Lightning had struck.  "I hate vampires."

Takato nodded.  "That's why we have to get Rika away from him as soon as we can.  There's no telling what that Renamon will do with her."

******

"Curse you, Renamon," Myotismon hissed as he tore through the digital world, hunting down his pet.  She would pay dearly, her and that accursed human child both.  Nobody resisted the charms of Myotismon.  Nobody!