The tension eased considerably as Rika made the announcement. Leomon loosened his grip on his weapon, but he didn't let go. Jeri stepped out from behind Leomon's protective bulk, a wide smile splitting her face. "Hey, that's great!" she said happily. Rika gave a slight smile back, and Leomon finally relaxed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He never stopped glaring at Renamon though.
"So, what happened with Myotismon?" Henry asked. "Last we knew, you were still on his side."
"I don't blame you," Renamon grimaced. "I had the severe displeasure of being forced to serve him. That is, until I turned against him and he sought revenge for my betrayal. I owe Rika my life," she said, taking Rika's hands in her own.
"And I owe Renamon mine," Rika replied. "But now," she said, turning back to the group, "he's angrier than ever."
"I say bring him on," Kazu said, cracking his knuckles. "Guardromon and I can't wait for a rematch with fang-face."
Renamon shook her head in disbelief. "I watched your last battle with him and how well it went. On top of that, he's had a chance to fully recover."
"That's where I come in," Ryo spoke up. "Cyberdramon and I should be able to turn the tide of battle in our favor. And we'll all be free of Myotismon forever."
"Sounds like a plan. Too bad it will avail you nothing."
Renamon whipped her head to the side to look up at Myotismon, who was the one who had spoken. He was standing on top of one of the many ridges around the group. A slight smile was on his face, made only the more wicked by his fangs. The Tamers all turned to face him, looks of anger on their faces. No reaction was more severe than Renamon's.
"You…" she growled, her hackles rising. Rika's scowl deepened and she placed a comforting hand on Renamon's shoulder. It was as much to reassure herself as it was her partner.
"Down, girl," Myotismon sneered. It was just the reaction he was looking for. He wanted her good and angry, and therefore easy to manipulate.
"You have no right," Rika growled back. "None!"
"And what exactly is it you intend to do about it, eh?" Myotismon asked.
"Rika..." Henry said warningly. Something about the whole scenario just didn't feel right.
Unfortunately, Rika didn't heed his warning tone. Instead she pulled a card from her hip and responded "This!" She slid the card through her digivice with a cry of "Digimodify! Digivolution Activate!" "Renamon digivolve to... Kyubimon!"
"Is that all?" Myotismon said cooly after the digivolving process was over. "Really, you'll have to do better than that."
"We'll show you just how much better we can do," Rika said, vaulting onto Kyubimon's back. "Won't we?"
Laughing mockingly, Myotismon launched himself backwards off of the outcropping. Crouching, Kyubimon sprang away after him.
"Rika, wait!" Ryo shouted, but it was too late. Rika was out of voice range and she probably wouldn't have listened anyway. He grumbled loudly. "C'mon, maybe we can catch up before they get in too deep."
"Incoming!" Guardromon called. "Twelve o'clock high!"
Everybody's eyes immediately faced skyward to see what Guardromon had spotted. The sky was filled with a multitude of red, glowing arrows that were rapidly falling to earth. The party scattered and dove as the projectiles rained down on them, and soon the source of the attack came into view. What looked to be an enormously long dragon landed in a clearing close to the Tamers.
"What is that?' Kazu asked, crouching next to Guardromon.
"I think it's another Deva!" Henry called back. "Either way, it's trying to destroy us."
"Damn," Ryo cursed. "Was this Myotismon's plan all along?"
******
"No more running!" Rika yelled from Kyubimon's back. Myotismon was still leaping backwards, a smug grin on his face. Rika ached to remove it permanently, but she couldn't as long as Myotismon was getting away.
"Too true," Myotismon replied, skidding to a halt. Looking around he added, "Yes, I think this is an excellent spot."
Kyubimon landed from one final leap and Rika dropped down from her back. "Decided to stop running and face us?" Kyubimon growled.
"Don't you get it?" Myotismon laughed loudly. "I wasn't running, I was leading you away from your little friends. Right about now they should be Deva chow."
"I should have known it was a trick," Rika cursed. "Damn you..."
"Exactly," Myotismon crowed. "And now, you will both pay. Crimson Lightning!"
Twin streams of crackling red energy lanced out towards Rika and Kyubimon. Rika tucked her shoulder and rolled, narrowly avoiding the strike. Kyubimon propelled herself backwards and both attacks hit empty ground. Myotismon pressed the advantage and charged forward, one clawed hand brought back to strike.
Kyubimon rushed forward to meet his charge, jaws reaching for the vampiric Ultimate's throat. Myotismon was the one to land a blow, claws raking across Kyubimon's front hip. The Champion fox landed awkwardly, limping slightly on her injured leg.
Rika breathed deeply to try to calm herself and pulled out a card. "It's time we got seriously into this fight!" she called to Kyubimon. "Digimodify! Hy…"
"Stay out of this," Myotismon snapped, whipping around with a bolt of Crimson Lightning. The attack caught Rika across the cheek, and she went flying, cards scattering all over the ground.
"Rika!" Kyubimon cried, crouching to leap over and check on the girl. Myotismon was faster than she, and lashed out again, the energy whip wrapping around Kyubimon's back leg.
"And where do you think you're going?" Tugging hard, Myotismon pulled Kyubimon back, causing the champion fox to cry out in pain before being slammed into the ground. "I'm not through punishing you!"
Groaning, Rika struggled up to one arm, her other hand feeling the side of her face. She winced as it came back, blood smearing her fingers. "Damn it to hell," she grunted before looking up towards Kyubimon. She let out a gasp as she saw Myotismon wrap his attack around Kyubimon's scarred front leg. It looked to her like Kyubimon was struggling to remain conscious, despite the pain.
"Now do you know the price of betrayal?" Myotismon sneered.
"Damn it," Rika cursed again, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "There's gotta be something I can do." She looked around for a card, but they were all scattered across the ground, flung away as she was brought down. "I wish I could find some way to save her…"
The sudden glint of something blue caught at the corner of Rika's eye, and she turned to look at it. As she did, her eyes widened, and she let out, "It can't be…" But it was, and Rika reached over to pick up the newly formed blue card. Her other hand reached out for her digivice, and she levered herself into a sitting position. Placing the blue card at the beginning of the slot, she called out, "Hey, Myotismon!"
His energy whip still wrapped around Kyubimon's leg, Myotismon turned to face the girl. "So, you still have some fight in you? I'll just have to remove it more forcefully."
"I don't think so," Rika replied. "What you're going to do is witness the true power of the Tamers! Digimodify! Matrix Digivolution activate!"
"Digivolution? What?" Myotismon yelled, taken aback. "What is that card?"
"Kyubimon, Matrix Digivolve to…"
Myotismon whipped around to witness Kyubimon's body being surrounded by a bright glow. Inside the glow, Kyubimon's data began to reform, her body once again becoming humanoid. Long priestess's robes formed on her new figure, a large yin-yang symbol emblazoned on the chest.
"Taomon!"
"Taomon…" Rika repeated breathlessly. "Renamon digivolved to Ultimate…"
"You're still no match for me! Crimson Lightning!" Myotismon raged, lashing out at Taomon with twin whips. Almost disdainfully, Taomon caught them through the long sleeves of her robes. "No…"
"I no longer fear you, Myotismon," Taomon told him. "I am free from your control." Giving a sharp yank, Taomon pulled Myotismon off of his feet and towards her. After that, she flipped both feet up and slammed them into Myotismon's face, releasing the whips to send him crashing backwards. "Your reign of terror ends now!"
"Never!" Myotismon screamed. "You will die! Nightmare Claw!" A shockwave tore across the ground, ripping up chunks of earth and heading straight for Taomon. Effortlessly, she leapt into the air, allowing the attack to pass harmlessly below her.
"No," Taomon replied calmly. "It is you who will die!" A large calligraphy brush emerged from one long sleeve and Taomon gripped it both both hands. "Talisman of Light!" After a series of strokes with the brush, a glowing blue symbol appeared in mid air, light slanting down to fall onto Myotismon.
"This cannot be!" Myotismon howled, clawing at the symbol that had descended onto his chest. "NO!" Myotismon's attempts to resist the power of Taomon's attack failed, and his body burst into data, his final scream still lingering in the air.
None of that mattered to Rika just then, however. She was only concerned with the fact that Myotismon had been destroyed once and for all. "You did it!" she cried happily, running towards Taomon.
Taomon opened her arms, catching Rika in a warm embrace, arms wrapping around the girl's body. "No," she said softly. "We did it. Together."
"Together," Rika repeated, sighing happily. She placed her head on Taomon's chest, and closed her eyes. "And that's the way it will stay."
******
With one final sickening crunch, Cyberdramon's claw pierced the skull of Majiramon, and the dragon's body evaporated into random data. With the threat eliminated, Cyberdramon shrunk back down to normal size, the effects of Ryo's card wearing off. Unfortunately, he was still growling and looking around as if searching for the next opponent.
"Cyberdramon, down!" Ryo commanded, wrapping a blue beam around the Ultimate dragon's wrist and tugging. Cyberdramon tugged back, and Ryo had to fight to stay on his feet. "I said down! Damn…"
"Ehh? What's wrong, Ryo?" Kazu asked.
Ryo grumbled under his breath before explaining. "Once Cyberdramon kills, he goes into a sort of blood lust and wants to continue fighting. If he doesn't find another opponent, he might start fighting any Digimon that's nearby, including all of your partners."
"I don't think that would be a good thing," Takato said in an understatement. "Is there anything that can be done?"
"Only one thing," Ryo replied, vaulting onto Cyberdramon's back. "Hey, maybe we'll meet again some day. Don't forget to say goodbye to that firebrand Rika for me!"
With that, he was gone, Cyberdramon racing headlong across the plane of the digital world. Almost immediately after, Henry let out a loud gasp.
"Damn! We almost forgot about Rika! We've gotta…"
"You've gotta do what?" Rika asked as Renamon set her feet down onto the ground.
"Rika," Henry sighed. "You're all right. But… what happened to Myotismon?"
"Well," Rika began, looking up at Renamon. "Right when I began to think it might be hopeless, I got some help in the form of a blue card. Renamon digivolved into Taomon, and destroyed Myotismon once and for all."
"Hey, that's great!" Takato grinned. "I guess this means you're officially one of us now!"
"Perfect," Kazu griped, but Rika shot him a death gaze and he fell silent.
"I'm really glad to hear that," Jeri smiled.
"Say," Rika said offhand. "Whatever happened to Ryo?"
"Well," Henry explained. "We had a run-in with another Deva. Cyberdramon defeated it, but then went feral and Ryo had to leave with him. He did ask us to say goodbye to you for him." He coughed into his hand. "I believe his exact words were 'Don't forget to say goodbye to that firebrand Rika for me.'"
"Firebrand," Rika said, rolling her eyes. "The nerve of that guy…"
"Are you denying that it's true?" Renamon asked with a smile.
"Now, I never said that…" Rika responded, returning a coy smile. "Oh well," she sighed. "I can't shake this feeling that we will definitely meet again, though."
"Not another feeling," Kazu grumbled. "I tell ya, nothing good ever comes from that."
******
With Rika back in the group, the search for Calumon continued, but not before they set up camp for the night. Rika and Henry were working to set up the blankets, when another question popped into Henry's mind.
"Say, Rika," Henry asked.
"Hmm?"
"One thing that's been bothering me. How come Myotismon's attempt at seduction failed on you when it worked so easily on Jeri?"
"I'd like to say willpower," Rika said at first, "but that's unfair to Jeri and not true either. When he looked into my eyes, it was as if I could hear him promising to be everything I wanted him to be." She paused, looking over to where Renamon was working to build a fire. "Let's just say his offer didn't interest me in the slightest."
