"I'm so sorry," Rika sobbed as Renamon continued to phase.  "This is all my fault."

"Don't be sorry," Renamon smiled weakly.  "If I had to, I'd do it all over again."

"Renamon, I…  I'm…" Rika began, tears falling from her face.  As they mixed in with the dusty ground, a bright light suddenly shone in the air.  The light coalesced, falling into Rika's hand and solidifying.  "Is this a-"

"Digivice!" Myotismon finished for her.  With a wild yell, he ran towards the duo, hoping to finish Renamon off before…  He recoiled as the light from Rika's new digivice spread, enveloping Renamon in its glare.  The vixen's eyes sprang open, and Rika gasped as a word slowly scrolled across the screen of the device.  "Digivolution."

Jumping to her feet, Renamon thrust her hands down by her sides.  "Renamon digivolve to…" An egg of energy surrounded her, while inside it her body transformed.  The external layer of data around her core peeled away before the core itself shifted.  As she hunched over onto four legs, her head became more beastly, her mane of fur larger, and red-and-white striped ropes formed around her shoulders.  As she spread her now nine tails wide into a fan, the egg burst in a flash of digital flame.  "Kyubimon!"

Rika stared in surprise, glancing from Renamon's new form to the blue ringed digivice in her hand.  "I can't believe it…"

"This is too perfect!" Myotismon gloated.  "Not only do I get my revenge on you two, but I get to download the data of a Tamer's Digimon!"

"We'll see about that," Kyubimon growled deep in her throat.  She circled around, trying to find an opening to attack.

"So that was his plan…" Ryo said, extending a hand to help Rika stand up.  Rika took it, and he pulled her to her feet.

"Mind letting me in on it?" Rika asked, brushing the dirt off.

Ryo explained.  "Well, it's said that if you load the data of a Tamer's Digimon, you gain the power to go to the Real World."

Rika's eyes widened.  "If he manages to get to the Real World…"

"He'd have a nearly endless supply of victims,' Ryo finished.

"So, now you know my plan," Myotismon conceded.  "Too bad it won't do you a bit of good!"

"You'll find it hard to go to the Real World when your data is scattered to the four winds!" Kyubimon shouted, pouncing towards Myotismon.  She slammed a shoulder into the vampiric Ultimate, teeth reaching for his throat.  Myotismon brought his hands up to block, grabbing Kyubimon's jaws and pushing her head to the side.  The beastly fox leaped to the side as Crimson Lightning slapped the ground where she had been.

Myotismon readied twin red streams of energy, but Kyubimon bounded away from his strikes.  From a distance, she spread her tails in a fan behind her as a fireball formed on the tip of each tail, nine in all.  "Fox Tail Inferno!"  The fireballs shot forward seemingly with a mind of their own, three spiraling up each lash.  With a howl of pain, Myotismon released the whips even as the three remaining fireballs struck him directly in the head.

The vampire stumbled backwards, smoke rising from his scorched face.  Cape billowing behind him, he spread his arms open wide.  "Grisly Wing!"

A wave of bats swarmed towards Kyubimon, but the Champion fox was prepared.  Leaping into the air, she rolled into a ball, her body surrounded by blue flame.  "Dragon Wheel!"

A blue flame dragonhead shot out from the ball of fire, enveloping the oncoming attack.  As quickly as Myotismon could summon the bats, they were vaporized.  The dragon's maw opened wide to swallow the vampire, but he only brought his cape tight about his body.  He propelled himself forward, twisting as he cut through the air, his body a spinning torpedo.

One hand shot out of his cape and, with a cry of "Crimson Lighting," a stream of energy intercepted the ball of the dragon's tail.  The mystic flame vanished, Kyubimon falling to the ground.  She rose to her feet as Myotismon touched down, and she was forced to use all her agility to dodge lashes.

"Of course!" Rika yelled, reaching to the cardholder on her belt.  She had taken it with her just in case she should have an opportunity to use them.  Rika pulled a card out and held it in front of her.  "Digimodify!  Hyper Speed Activate!"

"What?" Myotismon cried as Kyubimon sped around to his back.  Rearing onto her hind legs, Kyubimon brought her claws down Myotismon's back, causing the vampire Digimon to howl in pain and spin around, Crimson Lightning at the ready.  Kyubimon had already bounded away with the last of the card's power, and was seemingly out of reach.

Growling, Myotismon thrust out his hand, flinging Crimson Lighting at Kyubimon.  She leapt to one side, but Myotismon had prepared for it and swept his attack to the side, catching Kyubimon across the side.  With a howl, Kyubimon landed hard on the ground, scraping a small mound of dirt as she slid.

"Kyubimon!" Rika called, trying to figure out what card to use next.

Cyberdramon hunched down further, a loud growl rising in his mouth.  Ryo looked first at his partner, and then over at Kyubimon.  "Now."

With a triumphant howl, Cyberdramon leapt into the air, slashing the air with his claws.  Green streaks of energy gathered in his palm, increasing in intensity to a bright white.  "Desolation Claw!"

Myotismon whirled as the energy blast streaked towards him, rolling to one side.  He sprang back to his feet as Kyubimon launched another barrage of Fox Tail Inferno.  Reeling slightly from the attacks, Myotismon hissed, "We'll finish this later."

Gathering his cape about his body, Myotismon shot through the air and away from the battle.  As Cyberdramon landed, still growling, Kyubimon struggled to her feet.

 "Kyubimon…" Rika said as her new Partner slowly walked over to her.  She reached up, stroking the side of Kyubimon's face.  "I don't know what to say."

"I do," Kyubimon answered, nuzzling Rika's cheek with her own.  "Thank you, Rika.  You saved my life."

"And you saved mine," Rika replied, kissing the side of Kyubimon's muzzle.  "I should be the one thanking you."

Ryo politely coughed into his fist and Rika pulled away, trying to hide the hint of a blush.

"Right," Ryo said.  "We may have won this round, but Myotismon is still a threat.  We may have another Ultimate, but…"

"My friends don't," Rika finished for him.  "Which means we need to get to them as fast as he can."

Kyubimon nodded her head, and bent her front legs, allowing Rika to vault onto her back.

"Speed is of the essence," Ryo said, pulling out a card.  "Let's get there as fast as we can."

Rika nodded pulling out her own card.  "Digimodify!  Hyper Speed Activate!" they called out at the same time.

Kyubimon crouched for a second before bounding forward, nearly flying across the ground, Rika hanging on for dear life.  Cyberdramon shot off after them, the pair racing to find the rest of the group.

******

Myotismon returned to his castle in a rage, tearing through the halls and past cowering servants.  His pet had turned on him and once again his power of seduction had failed.  What was it about the girl and the Renamon that allowed them to resist?

Then there was that accursed Ryo brat.  Myotismon sneered at the thought of the boy and his pet dragon.  They had been thorns in his side for some time now, one that he had been unable to pluck.  And now, there was no doubt that he would join up with the rest of the group.  With the strength of an Ultimate like Cyberdramon, even such a pathetic group could be a serious threat.  All he needed was a plan…

******

"It's a good thing those Jagamon had seen where Makuramon went," Kenta told the rest of the group as they trudged onwards in their pursuit of Calumon.

"But it's too bad none of them had seen Rika," Jeri sighed.  She looked up at the digital streams moving around in the distance.  "I wonder if she's alright."

"Knowing her," Kazu said, "I suspect she's fine.  I actually kinda pity anybody who tries to mess with her."

"If I know that Renamon like I think I do," Guardromon added, "Rika could be in trouble."

"I'm not so sure," Henry disagreed.  "She did save Rika from Myotismon."

"And Myotismon left soon after.  But he didn't look too pleased," Leomon rumbled, still trying to sort out everything.

Guardromon was the first to spot the incomings.  "Something's headed our way, and fast.  Two somethings."

Leomon's hand strayed to his sword and Guardromon stepped up to the front.  Guilmon, however, stayed put, his nose working overtime.  "I smell Rika!" he said happily.

"Hmmm?" came the collective gasp from the group.

Kyubimon landed from an especially long jump, raising a large cloud of dust.  Cyberdramon touched down not far from her.

"That doesn't look like Rika," Terriermon said, eyes glowing.

Henry held up his digivice, a display popping up.  "The large one's Cyberdramon.  He's an Ultimate level Cyborg digimon.  His Desolation Claw attack is devastating."

"And the other one's-" Kazu started to read from his device.

Rika finished the sentence for him as she hopped to the ground.  "Kyubimon."

"Rika!" Takato exclaimed.  "You're back!  What happened?  Who are these digimon?"

Ryo hopped down from Cyberdramon, coughing slightly as he waved away the dust.  "Well," he said, "Cyberdramon's my partner."

Kazu's jaw dropped as he recognized one of his idols.  "Ryo Akiyama?  Is that you?"

"Umm, yeah.  You know me?" Ryo responded.

"Of course we know you!  I can't believe it!" Kenta exclaimed.  "It's The Ryo Akiyama!"

"Who's Ryo Akiyama?" Takato asked, turning towards Henry.

"A rather famous Digimon Card player," Henry replied, chin in hand.  "He disappeared shortly after winning a card tournament about a year ago.  I guess this is where he disappeared to."

"I can't believe it!  I'm a Tamer just like Ryo!  How cool is that?" Kazu cheered.  He couldn't believe that he was actually getting a chance to meet The Ryo Akiyama.  Ryo, who was undefeated in all of the Digimon Card tournaments he had been in.

"Is he always like this?" Ryo asked Rika, a little embarrassed at all the attention he was getting

"Usually," Rika replied with her arms crossed, well aware of Kazu's fanboy tendencies.

Jeri glanced over at Leomon who, along with Guardromon, was looking at Kyubimon suspiciously.  Kyubimon was looking right back, maintaining a level face.

"So what's the story with Kyubimon?" Takato asked, noticing the looks too.

As Rika opened her mouth to speak, Kyubimon was surrounded by a white glow.  When the glow faded, she was back to Renamon, but her level face remained.  Leomon lowered his brow and growled deep in his throat.

"It's that Renamon that attacked us!" Kazu exclaimed as Guardromon strengthened his stance.  Leomon gripped the hilt of the sword at his back; ready to use it should the need arise.

"Come to attack us again?" he asked.  Renamon looked down at Rika and their eyes met.  Rika slowly nodded, laying a comforting hand on the vixen's shoulder.

Rika stepped forward, holding up her digivice for everybody to see.  "Actually," she smiled faintly, "We're partners."