Jeri was taken by the D-Reaper almost a week ago and the team of Tamers was still seething. But in a surprise to Henry and Rika, but not to Renamon: Takato was becoming very angry at the situation, more than they were. In fact he violently attacked Yamaki when he tried to speak to him

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT. IF YOU HADN'T OF ACTIVATED THE JUGGERNAUT, THE D- REAPER WOULDN'T BE HERE," he was screaming while attempting to pummel Yamaki's head in.

Henry and Rika tried to move him, but rage seemed to give Takato an amazing strength and he was able to just throw them off so Guilmon and Renamon were those tasked with removing him from the agent's person

[Where did this strength come from?] Renamon wondered as the boy continued to struggle with an almost inhuman power.

Mr. Matsuda came along and his eyes widened

[Oh hell, it's starting to emerge. I must get him to his Grandpa's house and quickly before hell breaks loose] he thought

Yutaki jogged over to the Digimon and helped by holding Takato in place

"Calm down son" he soothed and hugged the boy

"I tried to stop it dad, I didn't want it to take her," he sobbed

His momentary power seemed lost now.

His dad smiled [Not for long] he thought "Its okay son, you tried and she'll always love you for it" he said the words no expected to hear.

Takato was too tired and upset to refute the connotation of the words. Takato soon fell asleep and his father carried him out to the car

"Yutaki, where are you going?" his wife asked as Yutaki put his son in the seat and buckled him up

"He needs to go to Grandpa; it's begun. If he can't control himself he'll just blow up and injure or even kill his friends," he explained.

His wife Aki knew that one day this day would come and Takato would need to be told of his abilities and his Grandfather's past

"Okay. Be careful" she said and kissed her son's forehead.

**********

Henry and Rika watched the whole thing and were quite puzzled

"We need Takato, why are they taking him?" he wondered

Henry was dumbfounded, while Rika as usual kept her opinion to herself. The Digimon were even more confused

"Where is Takato going?" Guilmon asked impatiently as Aki came back to them

"He needs to go and see his Grandpa" she said evasively and went somewhere that she could be alone.

Terriermon and Renamon were also puzzling over the sudden departure of Takato under somewhat mysterious circumstances and the dubious explanations handed out by his mother when anyone asked where he was going

"Guilmon; I think we should follow him, well you at least" Renamon said

"Why?" the red dinosaur asked with a great deal of confusion in his voice, the yellow fox Digimon shook her head in exasperation

"To find out where he's gone and more importantly, why he went" she explained the point of following Takato further to the simple minded Digimon that was Guilmon

"Oh okay. But I'd need to have wings. I can't run very fast," he pointed out.

Renamon hadn't considered that and she looked defeated as he plan was shot down. Yamaki was in a makeshift infirmary nursing his broken cheekbone and fractured jaw and many bruises and cuts

"Jesus that kid has some power in those small fists of his" he muttered as Samantha tended the injuries

"Well, that thing took someone very important to Takato. And you are partially responsible for its existence so it should be expected that he's pissed off" she said in an I-told-you-so voice which only made Yamaki grumble.

Takato woke up from being bumped and thrown around in the car

"What the?" he muttered and rubbed his eyes as he looked around

"You're awake, good" Takato heard his dad speak to him "Dad. Where are we? Why aren't we in the city?" he demanded.

Yutaki gulped "Well to answer your 1st question; we're on our way to my father's house. It'll be about half an hour before we arrive. Your second answer is that you my dear son are special. Now I know I say that all the time, but; you have the heritage of shall we say, someone of great power" he explained.

Takato knew when his father was dodging the real issue and he was doing it now but that wasn't the most pressing matter at hand

"Jeri. Dad; turn around and take me back. I have to save Jeri," he said, grabbing his dad's arm in a tight almost bone breaking grip.

Yutaki smiled [His strength is impressive for someone with no training. But he's thinking of saving Jeri of course] his father observed as the frantic boy sat back down and looked really angry

"The others and I are the only ones with the power to save Jeri, dad. Our chances have just been cut in half and flushed down the toilet," Takato snarled

[When you learn to channel that anger and energy kid, there won't be a being on the planet, Digital or human that can take you down] Yutaki had great plans for Takato.

As he said, half an hour later they pulled up at an old style martial arts school in the woods. Yutaki and Takato got out and Yutaki called out

"Ho father. It's me: I brought Takato, its time" the cryptic words made Takato nervous

[Is this some weird initiation ritual or something for some apocalyptic cult?] He wondered as his grandfather came out.

***********

Takato's grandfather was a tall man with spiky black hair that reached his shoulders in a ponytail; he had a lithe and very muscular frame and a well- toned and tanned figure for a man his age

"Yutaki, so the boy is allowed to train then?" he asked

"It is not only that, but I think he has begun bonding to his sweetheart. But in a more pressing matter, the thing called the D-Reaper has taken the girl. Takato and his friends have the power to stop the beast: this is just to even the odds" Yutaki explained.

Turles nodded "I see. So this alien thing has taken Takato's mate. This is going to be one hell of a showdown. But we must start training him quickly. In three years I think we can have him up to the elite level" he paused

"The training will be intensive and under increased gravity to aid and speed up the process. And our time chamber will also be used, we can train for three days and get most of it done" Turles said and went to say hello

"Hey kid" he said

"Grandpa" Takato responded with a far away voice as he looked back to the city [Jeri] was his only thought.

Turles was speechless [He has got it bad] he observed and said something to Takato

"How would you like to have the power to save your friend" Turles said. That statement caught Takato's attention

"How?" the boy asked, fires smouldering in his eyes

[The boy has the spirit of a true Saiyen. He will make a powerful warrior] Turles assessed the boy's ability to fight

"Come with me. I have something to show you, Takato" he said and led the boy into his fighting arena.

Turles took up a ready position of a martial art that Takato didn't recognize, but his attention was soon drawn to the red field appearing around his grandfather's body. Turles used the special power-up he learnt when he was a boy from his father

"This is your past Takato. A long time ago, Earth was paid a visit by an alien race called the Saiyens. A race of powerful warriors with the ability to channel the energy in the body to such high level outputs that it became a weapon" he said and shot a beam of blue energy towards a large rock, destroying it.

Takato was stunned to say the least

"You my boy are a descendant of those aliens, your father is Saiyen, and your mother is a human. And you my lad have in you I believe the potential to become one of the few, and the powerful. A Super Saiyen, being half human makes you more powerful" Turles explained the whole thing in a few short sentences.

Takato didn't feel as shocked as he would have if he'd not encountered Digimon before now and the whole thing seemed to make a lot of sense in a bizarre and twisted way

"So, what do I have to do learn to be powerful?" Takato asked

Seeing his grandfather do that seemed to awaken something in Takato that was deeply buried for most of his life and his boyish nature seemed to melt away and his Saiyen fighting instincts just took over. Turles powered down and showed Takato to a very secluded and very secret place deep under his house

"What is that?" Takato asked

Turles grinned "This is a special chamber, it can distort time: if we go inside it, then each day is equivalent to a year in the outside world. And if we wear the displacer, we won't age while we train" he explained and grabbed a gi and displacer for Takato

"Put these on, for we start now" Turles said.

Even though this new side of him was there, Takato was still uneasy about the whole deal and the idea of doing that but his new side held a wisdom he didn't expect

[Those who are powerful are often alone because their power creates a barrier around you; no one understands you, and they can't relate to the problems these powers give you. But because you are a Digimon Tamer, your friends understand the burden of power and responsibility. And besides, I hear chicks go for a man who can lift cars with his pinkie] it said

Takato had to laugh because the absurdity of the statement was truer than he would have thought. Turles came back in his own training garb and was pleased to see Takato ready to go

"Okay Takato, once we step into this chamber, there is no turning back until our time is up: we have food, clothing and all other amenities in there to see us through. Are you ready to become a Saiyen warrior?" he asked

Takato stood tall and nodded "Show me how" he answered.

Turles nodded and beckoned the boy to enter the chamber: it closed with a thud.

************

Back in Tokyo the Tamers were inside Hacker HQ; Yamaki was still nursing his injuries from Takato's thrashing

"How's the jaw?" Rika asked smugly,

Yamaki only responded by giving her the finger. Henry and Terriermon were at a window with Shibumi and Guilmon watching the D-Reaper as it progressed in the city

"Can you guys destroy it?" Shibumi asked

"I don't know; with Takato gone; Guilmon isn't much use in the battle and our strength has been severely weakened by his absence" Henry stopped

"Is that a yes or a no?" Shibumi asked

"I don't know Shibumi. As a 12 year old, combat tactics have been something I have invested very little time in," Henry said in a dry fashion.

Aki was having some coffee with Rika's grandmother in the cafeteria

"Okay Aki, level with me: where are Takato and his father?" the older woman asked and drank

"Well, as far as I know: Yutaki has taken Takato to see his grandfather Turles in the mountains, he's there to be trained. I can't say much more than that because I don't know more than that," she answered

Rika's grandmother took the information to heart and kept any opinions to herself. Guilmon was standing on the roof holding a Polaroid of himself, Jeri and Takato; it had been taken before Leomon came, so apart from the average problems of a kid her age, Jeri's smile was genuine and not one put on for the benefit of others

"Takato said he liked Jeri. But I don't get it. He likes Rika and Henry too, so if either of them were taken, would he be acting the same way?" Guilmon asked.

Renamon was the first to answer that:

"I doubt it: Henry and Rika are his friends and comrades this is true; but I have a feeling that Takato holds Jeri very dear to his heart, even more dear than you Guilmon" she said

"Did I do something wrong to make Takato like Jeri more than me?" he asked in worried tone.

Renamon shook her head

"No, it doesn't work that way. The way he likes Jeri is, different: it is deeper than friendship but I don't know what word humans have for the feeling" she admitted.

Jeri's stepmother was listening to this and she nearly cried when she realized what Renamon meant:

[Takato: loves Jeri. Oh my word] she thought and ran to speak with her husband.

Yutaki was wondering if he should leave: Takato may insist on more than one day in the chamber, indeed in less than two weeks they could have achieved the equivalent of Takato training his whole life. Yutaki decided he should leave and left a note for Takato when he emerged from the chamber. Yutaki mediated on a single burning question as he drove: would being half human make Takato stronger than himself and Turles; and if so, would it be enough at all?

[The D-Reaper is unlike any enemy I have ever seen, and if kids are the only ones who can fight it, then I know I'm doing the right thing] he decided as he approached the outskirts of the city.

Mrs. Katou and her husband were trying to find Takato

"It has come to my attention, Mrs. Matsuda that your son has developed feelings for my daughter. Where is Takato?"

Mr. Katou wasn't angry, but he wanted to meet Takato

"He is with his grandfather, training. If you want to know more, then you'll have to ask my husband when he returns" she said, wondering exactly how long she would have to keep people at bay

Most of them seemed to think Takato abandoned them in the thick of the fight and only the Digimon seemed to think that Takato would come back, even Rika and Henry were starting to lose faith that the youth would return. Henry threw a plate in the kitchen

"God damned coward. He would run, to him this is a game. But the instant it looks like he can't win easily, he runs off to his grandfather" he griped.

Rika was too tired to even complain about Takato

"Come on Takato, you promised Jeri you'd save her. Don't back out now" was all she could say.

It was during this time of anti-Takato sentiment that his father arrived back. When he parked the car, Yutaki went to see Shibumi and Wong

"How long can Rika and Henry hold the D-Reaper without Takato?" he asked

Shibumi was unsure

"I don't know. They may last a week they may last an hour, in fact there is no way that we can be sure if the outcome will even change because Takato is gone: it may be that they would all die anyway, with or without him" Wong said.

Yutaki looked to Shibumi for any kind of affirmation or denial but there was only silence.

***********

Almost a week passed: there had been several assaults on the D-Reaper by military forces and the Digimon Tamers, but all was in vain, so Rika and Henry decided to try one last desperate assault, with the help of Justimon as well: if this failed, they were all doomed

"Okay: we channel all our power into Justimon's Lightning Sword attack and go for the core of the D-Reaper. While this is happening, Beelzamon" Henry paused and looked to their ally

"I need you to save Jeri, and this time just grab and take her here, we don't have time for any of her self-doubt and weakness in this, because if this goes south, we are all gone" he said

All the Digimon and the Tamers placed their hands in the middle, sealing the agreement: it was now do or die. Back in the countryside, a chamber door opened and its occupants, a man who technically should be over a hundred and a 12 year old who should be 17 stepped out: Turles and Takato had changed very little since going into that chamber, physically anyway

"That was the most amazing 12 days of my life. Thanks grandpa" Takato said

Turles smiled [I pushed him and beat him down all the time but he got up and beat me after it every time. This kid is as pure as they come] he thought

"Remember Takato, don't transform unless you really need to. But my heart tells me that like your dad, you won't listen to me" Turles said

Takato blushed "Anyway, get going kid. And say hello to your mate for me" he joked as Takato flew away, making his blush intensify almost ten fold.

The Tamers stood ready, now bio-merged with their Digimon, and with Beelzamon as well, the hope returned a little

"Are we ready?" Henry asked

"Yes!" came the reply of his teammates, so with the resolve to do or die set in stone they attacked.

Yutaki was in the HQ waiting and sensing to see if Takato was coming

[Don't subdue your power level son, I need to know where you are] he beseeched as if Takato could hear him.

In response to his silent plea: Yutaki sensed the biggest power level he had even seen

"Is that, Takato?" he wondered aloud and ran to a window: he saw a red streak go by.

Henry and Rika were transferring their energy into Justimon's sword while Beelzamon tried to rescue Jeri

"C'mon, open you bastard" he swore while trying to open the bubble the D- Reaper kept Jeri in

But she was too afraid of Beelzamon to try and help him in an attempt to save herself. Jeri was on the verge of giving up, but she could sense something, and she wasn't sure what it was. THUD, the ground shook as Takato landed in his fighting Gi

"Better late than never Takato. Guilmon is at the HQ, go and bio-merge" Henry barked

"No" Takato said quietly

He locked Henry with a glare that scared both the Digimon and the Tamer

"You have barked orders at me for the last time Henry: I wasn't as strong as you were before. But now I outclass you in every way" he said

His attention was turned to the mutual enemy

"And you, eater of my home. Give up or else" he stated

The D-Reaper sent out its emissary, the puppet of Jeri

"And if I don't earthling?" it mocked

Takato raised his hand to an empty multi-story building a few feet from him. A red glow began to emanate from the boy's hand, before, BOOM, a beam or a bolt hit the building and destroyed it

"Then you will share that building's fate. Now hand over Jeri," he demanded.

The D-Reaper was impressed but not scared

"You want the flesh creature, then come and get her," it challenged

Takato only smirked and shot up at a speed no one could follow and belted the D-Reaper hard in the side

"You'll need better than that to defeat me" it taunted.

Rika and Ryo couldn't contain their amazement as Takato delivered a physical blow to the giant blob, but the totalled building was still the most spectacular thing he'd done. Henry suggested a retreat to give the newly empowered Takato his space

[His father has some explaining to do] Renamon thought.

************

The D-Reaper watched the boy with growing curiosity and puzzlement

[Where does a mere human gain this kind of power] it mused

It searched its memory banks for any clue as to unravelling Takato's powers that were at the moment matching it moves for moves and blast for blast, it even registered as emotion on the boy's face: joy. The Tamers went back to the HQ and saw Yutaki watching the battle from the roof; Henry was the one to grab the man's attention first

"Okay, spill. What did Takato learn from his Grandfather?" he demanded.

Yutaki only smiled

"He learnt to be himself, without restraint and without limits imposed by the frail human and Digimon forms. Pay close attention kids; your about to watch Takato's transition from child to young man" he said and continued to watch his son.

"THUNDER GRENADE" Takato screamed and threw a charged ball at the D-Reaper

"Now I will say this for the last time, D-Reaper. Give me Jeri!" he demanded.

D-Reaper was in a mode of puzzlement

[If I fight like this anymore, the boy will eventually defeat me. But if I kill the girl by taking all I need from her, then logic dictates that he will mentally crumble and become weak] the demented computer program deduced and accelerated the removal of the waves from Jeri's body that energized it.

Jeri and Culumon were tired: Jeri from being drained and Culumon from trying to help her

"Oh, I'm tired Jeri; and hungry" the little Digimon said and floated over and tried to comfort the girl

"Culumon" she croaked.

Culumon perked his ears up at her voice "In my pocket is a present for Takato. I want you to give it to him" she said before passing out

"Oh no, it's draining her. Takato, we need you" Culumon whimpered.

Outside, Takato could feel Jeri's life force getting weaker and weaker so he used a burst of speed to go up to the bubble, even the D-Reaper couldn't follow him and with a fist charged with energy, punched through the bubble. Culumon was sure the boy was Takato but he seemed different

"Culumon, help me get this stuff off her" he asked and quickly began to rip the tendrils off the stricken girl.

Beelzamon was watching

"Guys, he's got Jeri" the large devil like Digimon shouted, causing everyone to snap their heads in his direction and see if he was right.

Takato had succeeded in freeing Jeri

[She's exhausted. I need to get her out of here now] he deduced

Takato grabbed Culumon, and using as much of his power for speed as he could; took her to the others. A circle formed around Takato as he landed and gently put Jeri on the ground

"She needs a doctor" he said.

Yamaki whipped out his phone and called for a medical helicopter to come and get here

"There'll be one here in five minutes" he said.

While most of the adults were attending to Jeri, Guilmon and the other Digimon were very curiously eyeing Takato

"What?" he asked, "Wow Takato, I didn't know humans could attack like Digimon could" Guilmon said and jumped on his friend, licking him like a puppy after speaking.

Soon the whir of choppers brought them out of the reverie and the medics began to load Jeri onto the gurney

"Come on boys, this kid won't last much longer. She needs some serious help" the doctor said to hurry the bearers

"What's going on?" Mr. Katou asked

"Sir, from the look of it your daughter has been poisoned with something; it looks like a simple poison that we can make go away in only a few hours, but that coupled with her being weak-" the doctor was cut off

"Jeri is not weak! You move as fast as that thing will fly and you do it now" Takato yelled

There were tears streaming down his eyes as he spoke

[The bond is getting stronger; if this keeps up he'll have bonded totally, and without making love either. Very interesting] his father observed

Normal Saiyens needed to make love with their partner to solidify the bond, but Takato was showing an interesting improvement in the process. The doctor got Jeri's father and stepmother onto the helicopter for the journey to hospital in the nearest city, both wearing forlorn looks. Henry decided it was time for Takato to spill, so he confronted him.

***********

"Alright Takato, spill it. What the hell are you?" he demanded, grabbing him by the neck of his Gi

"You know Henry, if you weren't my friend; I'd knock you down" he said and made his friend remove his hands

"I'm Takato, Henry. I am still me, just a bit different," he said

"Whoa; friend? I never said I was your friend Takato. And I'm sure Jeri will see it the same way, you abandoned her" Henry began

"You promised to save her and you ran: you may have come back but without our efforts, you would be dead" he stated loudly.

Takato took great offence to that and began to power up a large field around his body that made the roof begin to break and fissure and the ground itself seemed to shake, making Henry fall over. Takato walked to and looked down at the other boy

"Don't flatter yourself Henry: I have powers and abilities you can't even begin to touch or understand" he said.

Takato calmed down and lowered the field "But in all honesty, maybe you're right. So I'll tell you what: I'll leave the city: you and Rika can take all the credit for this, I don't care. Guilmon" he called his old friend over

"Yes?" he asked

"I want you to look after Jeri. Here's my Digivice, all my modify cards are in my bag at home. Give them to Jeri" he explained, crying as he spoke

"But Takato, you're my Tamer. Jeri is a friend but I'm your partner" the red dinosaur said

Guilmon's loyalty was heart-warming

"I know, but I need you to protect her for me. Seeing as everyone seems to think I'm incapable, they need a tried and true source," he continued.

Guilmon couldn't believe this [Takato wants me to protect Jeri, but what about him?] he thought

Guilmon did as Takato asked him and held the blue Digivice in his claw as his ex-Tamer walked towards the roof ledge and stared at the D-Reaper

"Takato, I almost forgot" Culumon said and bounded over to the saddened boy and gave him the small box in his hand

Takato opened it and nearly cried: it was Jeri, and the caption on the photo read: 'Your special friend, Jeri'. Takato put it in a breast pocket inside his Gi and took one more look around before speaking.

"I'll be going, but first I'm going to destroy that thing out there, and if you think you've seen all my strength, you're very much mistaken" he said and began charging up

Yutaki was getting intrigued when he saw flickers of gold in the aura. The ground was cracking and breaking so badly it seemed as thought the roof was about to cave in

[Jeri] Takato thought.

That was the catalyst, all he needed to say was her name and it happened: his hair stuck up, his eyes turned green and his hair golden: a Super Saiyen had awoken, and on the wrong side of the bed at that. Yutaki gasped and smiled when he saw it

[He did it; he did it. Takato has become a Super Saiyen. His power dwarfs us all easily] he took a mental reading of the level of Takato.

Guilmon and the other Digimon looked at Takato with reverence

"Takato Digivolved!" Guilmon cried

He jumped up and down on the spot as he saw his Tamer.

Renamon wasn't as enthused as her friend was

"I didn't know humans could do that," she gasped as the boy turned around and flew away until he was about fifty feet from the D-Reaper

"Beast; you face extinction" he said

Takato held his arms out to the side: blue energy balls began to gather in his hands, getting bigger and more powerful with every second. After almost a minute, Takato slowly brought his arms together at the wrist

"QUANTUM BLAZE" he screamed.

The humans and Digimon both had to cover their eyes for the brightness of the beam that ensued after Takato's scream. It was deemed safe to look after about 10 seconds and what greeted them was nothing short of a miracle: the D-Reaper was gone, not a trace of it was left in the city, but on the downside: most of the city behind it was also gone but as nothing other than the HQ was inhabited, so it was simply a loss of buildings. Takato flew back to the roof where his friends were. The operative word being 'was'; aside from his father, everyone had left: Yutaki's heart nearly broke when a tear streaked down Takato's face

[I knew it; they abandoned me. They hate me] he thought and took off to go back to his grandfather's house.

**********

Takato's new strength made a ten minute flight almost a last merely a minute because it seemed to him that he just left the city when he saw Turles's house and set down. Turles spent a few seconds reflecting on what had obviously happened

[Those bastards. He bore all for them, nearly exhausted his power for them, showed them sacred Saiyen fighting styles and attacks and even, allowed them to gaze at the grandeur that is the Super Saiyen form. And did he get thanked? Was he even congratulated and still called a friend?]

A break in his rant was used to look at the boy

[No, they threw him away like a used Gi. He deserves better. And what of his mate-to-be, he should be allowed to speak with her privately, to explain his side]

Turles was infuriated by the treatment of Takato by his once friends as he allowed the now back to normal boy into his home and sat him down to rest

"Tari!"

Turles called his wife who had been asleep for most of Takato's stay. She was a slender woman with long red hair (A rarity among Saiyens), black eyes and a beautiful face. And age had not faded her beauty, but made her look elegant and wise rather. She entered the room and immediately began to tend to her grandson

"They ran from him, despite all he did for them, they left him. I am going to speak with my son and then his friends, but I'll try and refrain from murder," he said dryly as he left for Tokyo.

Yutaki made a dash for hospital: he needed to see Jeri before Henry went mad with his slander. Turles had much the same idea as he arrived at the hospital just after his son did and they went in

"We want to see Jeri Katou" Yutaki said.

The nurse was all to glad to show them to the room.

Turles barged into the room quietly but noticeably

"Who are you?" Henry hissed, making Terriermon and Renamon take on a defensive stance

"I wish to speak to the girl," Turles said

"NO!" Renamon said and was about to attack

"KAI O KEN 100" Turles said and a red field appeared around him

"Sure you want to chance it foxy?" he snarled and glared threateningly at Renamon, making her back off

"And you: you're supposed to be his friends" Turles said and made a gesture with his arm, indicating Rika and Henry; Jeri was still asleep surprisingly.

Guilmon was still confused "Oh, did you teach Takato to do that cool thing with his hair?" he asked, jumping up

"Yes I did and I resent how you treated my grandson for helping you". Turles paused and looked at Jeri

[He chose well; I sense a strong spirit in her] he thought and turned to go

"I wonder if it was worth even saving you two, her on the bed certainly but you two: you're pathetic excuses for life forms and friends. One day, expect to see Takato again, but don't think he'll be the stringy lad you saw today: he's going to be the most powerful fighter in all the galaxies and the universes with no equal. Question is, will I raise him to be a noble and pure warrior, or do I allow him to revert to the most base of his instincts?" Turles said as he left, wishing that Jeri would wake up.