"Pyrosphere!"
"Bunny Blast!"
"Ice Claw!"
Guilmon and Terriermon flew through the air and landed with a thud against the wall. Henry and Takato gasped.
"No!"
"Diamond Storm!"
Icedevimon staggered as he was pummeled with hundreds of glowing fragments, then regained his balance and attacked Renamon.
"Digimodify! Speed activate!"
"Rika?"
The two boys stared at the girl who, moments ago, was lying prone on the floor. Wow, did she have great recovery time!
"Get up you guys!"
Renamon zipped past, a blur. She struck at Icedevimon from behind, then changed her location. She wasn't fast enough, though. Icedevimon lashed out and knocked Renamon to the floor. He turned and relentlessly advanced on Rika. Her attention was caught by a slight movement out of the corner of her eye. It was Henry. He took a step forward. Their eyes met, and they both nodded. Simultaneously, they whipped out their digivices.
"Digimodify!" They both shouted. "Digivolution activate!"
Suddenly, Icedevimon was confronted by two champion level Digimon, who placed themselves between Rika and the monster. Fuming with anger and frustration, Icedevimon turned on the closest available victim. His hands closed around Henry's neck.
"You! You ruined it! My plan was working perfectly until you showed up! Why did you come here, foolish child? Rika Nonaka has no friends. She knows it. She opens her heart to no one. Her heart is ice!"
"That's not true," Henry gasped, struggling for breath as his feet were lifted from the floor. "Don't listen to him, Rika. You have a good heart, and your friends know that! You do have friends. Takato's your friend, so is Jeri, and Kenta and Kazu. And me," he croaked, "I'm your friend. I'll always be there for you. We all will."
Rika, who had begun to look as though Icedevimon was convincing her, now had an expression of determination firmly etched upon her face.
"What a touching speech."
Icedevimon's poisonous whisper echoed in Henry's ear.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you had feelings for her."
Henry tensed ever so slightly, and his captor's lips broke into an evil smile.
"So it's true, you care for her, just as she cares for you…"
"Huh?"
"Don't' tell me you didn't know," he hissed. "The only reason she was out tonight was that she thought she had lost some little trinket you had given her."
Henry paled ever so slightly. That was news to him. He tried to struggle out of the death grip the Digimon had on his collar, but was held fast. Icedevimon's evil grin grew even bigger, and then he turned his head to look at Rika. She was watching, looking frustrated because she couldn't hear what they were saying.
"If I had known that you had such a stubborn little boyfriend, I would've thought twice about messing with you," he taunted sarcastically, gliding toward Rika. "Tell you pets that if they move an inch, this one's dead."
He picked up Rika in one hand and Henry in the other.
"Now, which one do I kill first?"
He noticed them moving, reaching out for each others hands, and he laughed as he moved them a few inches closer, so that they could clasp hands.
"Ah, loves last moments. Hahahahaha!"
"You laugh too much, windbag! Kyubimon, attack!"
"What?"
Henry moved then.
"Digimodify!"
He slashed the card that Rika had palmed him when they had held hands.
"Speed activate!"
Kyubimon attacked, as Gargomon snatched both from Icedevimon's grip. The winged monster was smashed against the tunnel wall
In his last moments, he hissed, "I should have destroyed you both when I had the chance."
He disintegrated then, his data flying away.
"Rika."
Lifting her head, Rika reached for Henry's proffered hand and pulled herself up off the floor. She stood, leaning on him for support. The digital field dissolved, revealing the darkened tunnel. Takato rose as well, helping Guilmon up. The red Digimon had only just regained consciousness.
"Are you guys alright?" he asked, adjusting the goggles on his head while his eyes scanned the others for injuries.
"We're fine. How about you?"
"Other than a headache, we're fine."
Guilmon rubbed the bump on his head.
"Let's go home, guys."
Henry offered his arm to Rika and helped her back down the tunnel, her adrenaline draining and reminding her just how long she'd been tied up. Takato and the Digimon followed.
"I'm gonna put Guilmon to bed. I'll see you back at your place Henry."
"See ya, Takato. Renamon, would you go too, to help him get back up to the apartment. I'll take Rika home."
"Of course."
"You too, Terriermon."
"Aww, you always make me go with Takato!"
Henry glared at his partner, and the little Digimon followed Takato, grumbling. Henry rolled his eyes at Rika, and the corners of her mouth actually twitched up.