Chapter 10: Truths
The Tamers remained in their respective shocked states, awe, horror and anger filling the group as Kuja and BlackGabumon remained standing against them, their handguns at them.
"Kuja!? BlackGabumon!?" Rika let out, before questioning further. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Why'd you attack Jasmine and Biyomon?" Alice then asked, expressing her own anger and concerns.
"It's because... Kuja's the traitor we've been seeking." Cyberdramon said in reply, this shocking Rika, Alice and Renamon.
Nodding to Cyberdramon's shocking reveal, BlackGatomon added as she stared at BlackGabumon. "I noticed something was off about the two of you the very first moment we met. They had the smell of evil on them both, but I originally believed it was because of BlackGabumon's Virus nature. I thought they might've shared a past such as Takato and Guilmon, but I guess I was wrong."
"Guilmon and I are Virus Types too." Impmon pointed out, which BlackGatomon smiled to and said in reply. "Yes, but you two aren't pure evil like BlackGabumon."
'And Guilmon's much more handsome.' BlackGatomon found her more longing animal side secretly think.
"So what? We don't care about that. We only care for our own goals. Tamers means nothing to Kuja or to me." BlackGabumon said, expressing the darkness BlackGatomon sensed within him.
"What are you're saying?!" Jeri questioned, shock filling the brunette. "You're the ones who almost killed Takato and Guilmon, but why? What is your reason?!"
"Our reason? You really want to know?" Kuja asked back as he then explained with a sinister tone. "It's simple. There's two people in this group we wanted... a specific girl and a her Digimon partner. We knew they were close to you and I had to be certain."
"Certain?" Lopmon asked.
"We made a deal with the man and the fallen Sovereign behind all of this. Only two of you will live to be under our command while all the males will die. And the other females who interfere will die too." BlackGabumon replied.
"In other words..." Kuja said as he and BlackGabumon then pointed at the two he chosen. "Be honoured Rika Nonaka and Renamon. You shall have the privilege of seeing your friends die by our hands!"
"Why us?" Rika asked, the emotion shared by Renamon and the others, with Impmon snarled and saying. "I see. You plan to keep them alive for something twisted aren't you?!"
Kuja nodded in reply.
"Ever since I heard that Rika is the Digimon Queen I always admired her and adored her, but she hangs out with losers like you! So I joined the Tamers on behalf of our new lord and plan to kill you all one by one, leaving Rika as my loyal an devoted slave." Kuja said, stunning the Tamers and causing Lopmon to declare. "A slave?! You're crazy!"
"I feel the same way as Kuja. I know Renamon is perfect for me as my loving submissive slave, which is why we came up with this perfect plan." BlackGabumon added, the words sending a chill through Renamon at being eyed like a piece of meat.
"Without you all knowing, I had planned to send you all to your graves one at a time, starting with Matsuki! We then plan to kill Wong next, then Terada, Akiyama and all of you expect Rika." Kuja said.
"Your plan has failed! Takato and Guilmon survived your ambush, and they are more powerful than they were before!" Ryo declared, waiting the chance to strike down Kuja and BlackGabumon.
"We hadn't expected that Matsuki brat to survive. It put the gears in our plans but that dosen't matter anymore. Now we reveal to you all, we plan to kill you all at once and then we finish Matsuki once and for all." Kuja said back.
"Then Rika and Renamon will be our slutty and submissive slaves forever!" BlackGabumon added, infuriating Rika and Renamon.
"You... sick... BASTARDS!" Renamon shouted, her outburst shocking Kuja and BlackGabumon as she rose and glared at the duo. "Make me your slave?! Never! I'll never follow you even if you were pure! You kill my friends to get what you want?! I'll never forgive you for that! My heart belongs to someone else! You can NEVER replace that!"
"Renamon's right. My heart belong to someone else too! You failed, Kuja! I'll never be yours!" Rika shouted as she too rose in anger, sharing the emotion of her partner. "In fact, we'll save Takato and Guilmon the trouble and kill you ourselves!"
"And you're not the only ones. We'll join you!" Alice said as she and BlackGatomon stood by their sides.
"As of we all!" Cyberdramon said as he, Ryo, Impmon, Henry, Terriermon, Suzie, Lopmon, Kazu, Guardromon, Kenta and MarineAngemon all got ready as to confront Kuja and BlackGabumon, willing to risk their lives for their friends.
"Ai, Mako, protect Jasmine and Biyomon! We've got these freaks!" Lopmon said, taking a defensive stance before Suzie, who drew her D-Power and a handful of Digimon Cards.
"You've got it!" Mako said in reply, before the twins, alongside Calumon, helped the wounded Jasmine and Biyomon back to their feet and away to safety.
"Kuja… BlackGabumon… we're gonna make you pay for what've done! Come quietly or we'll use force!" Henry let out, known for his more rational side, but against Kuja, the genius Tamer felt his fury grow.
"I don't care how many of you gang up against us, I've been saving this surprise for a rainy day." Kuja merely said, drawing out his D-Power, which shone with a pitch black light, before commanding madly. Now, BlackGabumon, I order you to monstrous Digivolve!"
Obeying his Tamer, BlackGabumon glowed with the same dark fiendish energies Kuja's D-Power now reflected, undergoing a Dark Digivolution unseen amongst the Tamers, before astonishing Rika, Renamon and the others at the changes BlackGabumon underwent.
Not only horrified to the creature BlackGabumon had become, but seeing Kuja allowing this darkness warp and alter him in such a way also terrified the Tamers.
No longer stood Kuja or BlackGabumon, but a whole new creature, a gigantic black furred Garurmon, which had countless mass of tentacles spewing from his back, arms and legs.
And glaring down on them, the terrible creature set its menacing red eyes upon its prey, announcing through Kuja's warped and maddened voice. "Behold! I infused BlackGabumon with the monstrous powers! DarkMonsterGarurumon!"
"You used the monsters' power to force BlackGabumon into this sick Biomerge?!" Jeri let out, her tone of shock and of disgust.
"And apart from the beloved Renamon and Rika, this place shall be your own grave!" DarkMonsterGarurumon cackled.
"We'll see about that, punk!" Impmon said back, aiming his guns at the abomination, an action copied amongst the Tamers, who wield their respective weapons and magics as to confront their opponent.
However, even with the numbers on their side, Rika and the others knew this fight would prove to be an ordeal, a match of life or death.
-Meanwhile-
Remaining in the misty field MageWizardmon set off inside the temple of truth, as to converse with their pasts, to come to an arrangement of sorts, Takato and Guilmon sat in the middle of the misty area, alongside their transparent past selves.
"Whatever you have to say to me now won't make me forgive the others" Takato said bitterly. "One betrayal is more than enough to know I cannot trust them anymore."
"You shouldn't say that. Have you forgotten all the good things they've done to help us? If it weren't for the others we would have failed years ago. The Devas, Beelzemon, the D-Reaper. We would have failed many times if it weren't for our friends." Past Takato stated, trying to help Takato see the light again.
"Guilmon wants to make friends with everyone, so why is new Guilmon struggling to do the same now?" Past Guilmon asked, expressing his confusion in his own child-like way.
"Friendship will only get us killed." Guilmon said in reply, finding his Past side more annoying than puzzling. "Besides, no one cares for a monster like me."
"But Terriermon and Renamon accept Guilmon for who Guilmon is. And Impmon's a Virus Digimon, too. Guilmon forgot the time Terriermon and Renamon stood by Guilmon's side, for all the time Guilmon was in trouble? They care about Guilmon. Even Renamon fond of new Guilmon now." Past Guilmon said, his tone turning surprisingly serious as he asked. "You really want to throw that away?"
"Yeah, well... Renamon and I started off as opposing Digimon." Guilmon tried to say, trying to find a reason to oppose the past.
"Not anymore. Now Guilmon and Renamon closer now. And while Guilmon don't know much about BlackGatomon, Guilmon know she's a good kitty Digimon. BlackGatomon friendly like Alice. And didn't Renamon and BlackGatomon confess their hearts to new Guilmon? Guilmon feels tingle in heart, so doesn't that mean other Guilmon also has that feeling?" Past Guilmon asked, which left Guilmon silent and his eyes to widen, namely at the logic his past side brought up.
"Henry has always been by your side ever since we first became Tamers, he's always been a great friend to us. We started off on a bumpy road with Rika, but she's a changed person, she's more open to you now, and she opened her heart to you." Past Takato declared.
"You saved Jeri from the D-Reaper, and she trusts you with all her heart. Alice helped us before, and she's more willing to help us now. Can't you see just how much everyone all care for you?" Past Takato added, sounding fairly assertive.
"That's... No... I can count out Henry, Rika, Alice and Jeri as traitors. The others could have..." Takato began to say, but found himself unable to finish his spitefulness, finding his past cut in.
"Believe me. Kazu and Kenta may not be the smartest guys around, but they are good friends. They'd never betray us. Ryo's one of the heroic Tamers, and I'm confident he'd never betray that honor. Suzie, Ai and Mako were just reaching their teens, and they are good kids. And I know she's new, but we can tell that Jasmine is a good person." Past Takato said, trying to stay on the positive, but he too felt a little negativity, thinking aloud. "But think back... who do we know that would have any desires to turn against us, I mean besides Impmon?"
"Impmon just competitive, not mean Digimon anymore." Past Guilmon added, making sure to defend their friends and not set the wrong ideas. "So you two should know who did."
Takato and Guilmon froze at those words as memories of their betrayal and them falling off the bridge came back to them.
Then, they saw a glimpse of their traitors' faces as Takato gripped his metal arm and grit his teeth, leaving Guilmon to clenched his fists tightly.
And to their surprise, past Takato held up the green crystal to him as Takato looked up and asked. "Why?"
"Do you need a reason to trust someone, or is our help not good enough for you? Besides, I think it's time you relearn how to trust and make friends again." Past Takato then said, his words bringing a smile to Past Guilmon, who added. "Guilmon loves making friends, so new Guilmon should make up with friends and rejoin them. Besides, no one can really win on their own."
Curious, Takato asked. "And What'd you have us do?"
"You said we will defeat this human and Sovereign, stop the monsters and go home and that is what we'll do, but don't just let it be only you, Rika and Alice. Do it for all our friends. We can still kill the monsters and the sovereign and the man responsible as long as we don't take our friends or innocent lives." Past Takato said as he set the crystal into Takato's hand with a trusting smile, certain Takato would do the right thing in the end.
"Guilmon trusts new Guilmon." Past Guilmon added with a big smile, which left Guilmon to look down at this.
Suddenly, past Guilmon's ears shot up, he rose and alerted. "Takatomon! Guilmon sense our friends are in peril! Someone's attacking them!"
From the warning, Guilmon rose up himself, he too sensing the sudden darkness.
"Our traitor has finally revealed his face. Hey, permission to kill those bastards, afterwards I swear we never threaten our friends again!" He snarled.
"They tried to hurt Guilmon's friends, so just this once. Please save Renamon and the others." Past Guilmon let out.
"I beg of you. Don't let Rika, Alice, Henry and the others die. Just kill all those who are evil. Please!" Past Takato pleaded, stunning Takato and Guilmon, before the duo closed their eyes, and for the first time since the duo returned to the Digital World, the pair give a shared, small and reassuring smile.
"Don't worry. We promise." Takato said as all scenery turned to white, before Takato and Guilmon remerged in the room where MageWizardmon awaited the duo.
"I am glad to see you settled things now. Now hurry. Your friends are in peril." MageWizardmon said.
Takato and Guilmon glared and nod at each other.
"Finally... the traitors who tried to kill us... they will pay. Let's go, Guilmon!" Takato said with a renewed determination, which Guilmon shared and added. "Let's do it before it's too late!"
-Back outside-
Kuja laughed cruelly as DarkMonsterGarurumon made short work of most of the Tamers as Suzie, Ai, Mako and Jeri tries to wake up Henry who was shot in the chest, Lopmon trying to keep Terriermon alive.
All who remained left standing was Rika, Renamon, Alice, BlackGatomon and Impmon.
"Do you all see now? You are powerless to stop me! Nothing can rival our power!" DarkMonsterGarurumon declared.
"Shut your mouth!" Impmon snapped back, standing before Rika and Renamon, keeping his friends protected.
"Tentacle shot!" DarkMonsterGarurumon merely bellowed, firing a blast from one of the tentacles, which shot through Impmon's chest and left him collapsing.
"Impmon, no!" Ai cried out as she and Mako rushed to Impmon, preying their partner would survive.
"Don't you see, Rika? I've won! Now make yourself and Renamon useful and serve under me as my loyal slaves!" Kuja announced towards Rika.
"If you know me, you should know I never surrender!" Rika snapped back.
"I'll never be a slave to a dirty minded bastard like you!" Renamon added, her tone matching the rebelliousness her partner shared.
"Tch. Stubborn to the end. But let's see how you think when another dies before you!" Kuja bellowed as he rose his handgun toward Alice, while DarkMonsterGaurumon directed his tentacles at BlackGatomon.
'Oh no!' Rika and Renamon thought in alarm and concern.
"Die, McCoy!" Kuja called furiously and fired.
"Join Dobermon in death! Tentacle shot!" DarkMonsterGarurumon yelled.
Alice and BlackGatomon turned around to see the shots aimed at them, only to see Rika and Renamon leap before them and take the shots, clean through their chests, shocking Alice and BlackGatomon at the sacrifices acted before them.
"No! Rika!" Alice cried out as she rushed to Rika's side, to see the red haired Tamer was bleeding heavily.
"Stay with me, Renamon! Don't die!" BlackGatomon cried out as Renamon remain motionless in her arms, her chest also bleeding.
Hurrying to their aid, and doing all they could, Kenta knelt beside Rika, checking for her pulse, while MarineAngemon was pouring his Kahuna Waves into the foxy Digimon.
"They are alive, but barely. But if we don't save them quickly, then they're bound to die!" Kenta called in clear worry, which MarineAngemon shared.
"Curse them! They were not suppose to jump to protect you weaklings!" Kuja bellowed.
"They'd rather choose death then serve you two!" Suzie cried out as she stood before them "You two are nothing but mean old bullies! You almost killed my brother! I'll never forgive you for this!"
"A weak girl calling me a bully? Then you shall die with your brother!" Kuja yelled, aiming his gun at Suzie.
BANG!
Kuja was in shock as his handgun shattered into pieces, stunning Suzie, Alice, BlackGatomon, Kenta, MarineAngemon, Ai, Mako, Calumon and Jeri, who all turned around to see Takato and Guilmon behind them, revolvers drawn and risen, with the pair glaring at Kuja and the monstrous form of BlackGabumon.
"Takato!" Alice and Jeri cried out in hope.
"Guilmon!" BlackGatomon and Calumon let out, sharing a similar emotion in their tones.
"Grr! Matsuki!" Kuja snarled, which DarkMonsterGarurumon copied in his angered tone. "So you two still have the guts to show your faces again!?"
Takato and Guilmon ignored the dark duo for the time being and silently walked up to the fallen forms of Rika and Renamon.
Kneeling down, Takato and Guilmon each rested a hand to their faces, showing a deep concern.
"Rika..." Takato said silently.
"Renamon..." Guilmon let out, softly stroking Renamon's cheek.
"They're still alive, but they're badly hurt... They protected us..." BlackGatomon nearly teared up, just before Takato and Guilmon rose and glared, taking sight of the other fallen heroes.
"Jasmine... Henry... Ryo... Kazu..." Takato let out.
"Biyomon... Terriermon... Impmon... Cyberdramon..." Guilmon added silently.
"Kuja and that monster did this. They're still alive, but they're hardly moving!" Kenta said with concern, before informing. "MarineAngemon should be able to heal them until we get them back to Hypnos, but he'll need time."
"Do it. Guilmon and I will take care of these two by ourselves." Takato said quietly as he and Guilmon returned to their feet and began to approach their enemies.
"Wait, Takato!" Mako called out, but felt BlackGatomon place a paw/her paw to his shoulder as to stop him, give him a reassuring smile and add. "They've got this."
Approaching Kuja and DarkMonsterGarurumon, Takato and Guilmon stared upon their foes with anger and determination.
"What's with the looks on your faces?" DarkMonsterGarurumon questioned.
"Oh, well. I guess we'll just have to kill you both for sure this time around." He then declared.
"I don't know how you managed to survive the first time, Matsuki, but it dosen't matter. DarkMonsterGarurumon is unstoppable. Once you and your friends are dead, Rika and Renamon will belong to us!" Kuja let out, before stating. "Even if we have to erase their minds, we'll turn them into our devoted and brainwashed slaves!"
That being said, Takato and Guilmon's glares intensified.
'That's the whole reason? They doing all this to enslave Rika and Renamon?!' Takato thought with a furthered disgust, a feeling Guilmon shared.
"Tentacle shot!" DarkMonsterGarurumon then bellowed, firing off another shot from his tentacle and expecting an easy win, but found Guilmon just move his head to one side and easily avoid the shot, the sight shocking DarkMonsterGarurumon.
"You dodged it?" He questioned, feeling his anger increasing and him to then state. "Grr. Just luck!"
As DarkMonsterGarurumon was about to fire again, one of his tentacles was suddenly sliced from off his back, the sight revealing to be Guilmon, with the Digital Hazard Digimon to have sliced off the tentacle with his sword.
Shocked himself, Kuja let out."What? Impossible!"
"He just sliced off that tentacle without them noticing!" Calumon said, amazed, a feeling the other Tamers shared.
Guilmon then looked at DarkMonsterGarurumon and said in a angered tone. "You are going to pay for what you've done. I'll make sure of that."
Snarling again, DarkMonsterGarurumon snapped back. "Curse you! If only you aren't here, if only you just died back then, then my plan would have succeeded!"
"It wouldn't have mattered if I was here or not, Hell would have freeze over before you'd manage to do anything worthwhile with your miserable existence!" Guilmon said as he sliced through another tentacle, bringing further pain to DarkMonsterGarurumon.
"What are you're doing, DarkMonsterGarurumon?! Why are you letting that weakling best you?!" Kuja questioned, but found a pain fill him as he was struck in the face by Takato's metal fist, leaving him crash to the ground with a broken nose.
"You're the one who is the weakling here!" Takato stated as he hovered over Kuja's broken form.
"What did you say?! You and you losers are always..." Kuja began to say, trying to get to his feet, but stopped as he was kicked in the chest by Takato.
"Don't pin the blame on other people. You're the one who decided to stoop to this level. Both here and in Japan, you've always been the loser. You didn't lose to other people. You've lost to yourself. You never once tried to take responsibility for anything. All you ever did was sit on the sidelines and insult everyone else, when the real loser was always you!" Takato said in dark tone, before he struck Kuja with another heavy blow.
The Tamers remained in awe as Guilmon sliced through DarkMonsterGarurumon's tentacles with ease, while Takato beat the crap out of Kuja.
"I can't believe after all the trouble we had against DarkMonsterGarurumon, Guilmon's making him look like an amature." Guardomon remarked.
"Take him down, Guilmon! Kill that bastard!" BlackGatomon cheered as she pumped her fists in the air, an action Alice copied as she supported Takato. "Nice! Strike him again, Takato!"
Through his show of power, Guilmon cut through the last tentacle, this leaving DarkMonsterGarurumon crying in great pain, before he reverted back to BlackGabumon, who was left lying upon the ground, too wounded to fight his foe.
"I lost my Digivolution... how could I lose? This is... impossible!" BlackGabumon cried out through clear shock and disbelief, before receiving a cut along the cheek via Guilmon's sword, continuing his pain.
"Hurts, dosen't it?" Guilmon said bitterly, keeping his blade drawn and stating. "It's nothing compared to the pain you made Renamon and the others feel. Not even close!"
BlackGabumon looked up in horror as he found himself impaled by Guilmon's sword, the blade piercing clean through his stomach.
"Just as you would know, that is for Terriermon!" Guilmon declared, pushing his weapon further through BlackGabumon, furthering his agony, but not yet destroying him.
Kuja is now black and blue in the face as Takato then held up his gun and aimed at his hand and before firing he said. "This is for Henry!" before he fired and shot his hand making Kuja yell in pain.
"And this is for Impmon!" Guilmon said as he slammed his tail on the Dark Digimon's head knocking him to the ground.
"This is for Kazu!" Takato said as he kicked Kuja in the head.
Guilmon then use his sword again and slashed BlackGabumon's right arm off making him say "That one is for Biyomon!"
"And also... this is for Jasmine!" Takato said as he lifted Kuja off by his shirt and throwing him into the wall, which fell and crumbled upon him.
BlackGabumon tried to stand only to be cut in half by Guilmon who yelled out. "For Cyberdramon!"
Takato goes over to the ruins and dug his metal hand into the rubble and pulls out a battered and bruised Kuja by the hair before he raise his fist, yells "And this is for Ryo!" before striking him over and over in the face.
"You got them! Now finish them!" BlackGatomon cried out.
The scared look of BlackGabumon was seen as Guilmon then threw his half body up in the air and then lift up his sword and yelled. "And this... is for my dear friend, Renamon!"
The Dark Digimon's face was impaled by the sword before he was destroyed completely.
Takato then lifted up Kuja's battered body over the cliff, where many monsters were waiting, as Kuja was in fear as he looked at Takato's gaze.
"And this... is for my dear friend, Rika!" Takato bellowed, before he dropped him, leaving Kuja screaming as he fell to the horde of monsters, who began to tear him apart.
"May god forgive your wicked soul but I doubt that..." Takato said silently, before he walked away and rejoined Guilmon, leading to the pair to approach Alice, BlackGatomon, Rika and Renamon's sides.
Concerned for the red haired Tamer and the foxy Digimon, Takato asked. "Are they still alive?"
"Yes, but they need some serious medical attention, otherwise they will die." Alice replied with a furthered concern, part of her blaming herself for allowing their friends to wind up in such a position.
"Alright. We'll handle this." Takato assured as he and Guilmon took some holy water and fill their mouths with them before they bend down and place their lips on Rika's and Renamon's and drop the water in their mouths.
All were in awe at what they saw, to see Takato and Guilmon basically kissing Rika and Renamon, but Alice and BlackGatomon both smiled softly, feeling a little jealous, but happy to know something had changed within the duo.
With the water in them and feeling life returning, Takato and Guilmon separated from Rika and Renamon's lips, allowing the Tamer and her partner to see stir and slowly open their eyes.
"Takato... you made it back..." Rika let out weakly as she looked upon Takato, who gave a reassuring smile and said in reply. "Sorry it took me so long."
Rika smiled softly as she put her hand on Takato's face and replied with a further warmth. "Now there's the Gogglehead I remember... Try not to lose yourself again or else I'll make you sorry..."
Chuckling a little to Rika's tomboyishness, Takato nodded in reply as he assured her. "I'll make sure of that, Rika. A lot has happened, but you'll be safe now."
Rika smiled, before passing out completely, the sight worrying Alice, that was until Takato told her with a caring smile. "It's ok, Rika just needs to rest. Once we get her back to the base, and get her further treatment, she'll be ok."
Renamon slowly open her eyes yet and the first thing she saw was Guilmon.
"Guilmon... you came back. Thank you for defeating BlackGabumon..." Renamon let out with a soft smile of her own, before noticing something familiar, the warmth Guilmon reflected back at her.
Smiling further, at sensing the darkness Guilmon held fading, his golden eyes no longer hostile, Renamon relaxed herself as Guilmon rubbed her cheek and told her. "You'll be fine. I promise."
"There it is... those innocent golden eyes... You came back to us, didn't you, Guilmon? I was so worried..." Renamon let out happily, earning a small nod from Guilmon, who then said. "Sorry to make you wait. It's been hell and back, but I never leave my sight again."
A similar smile and warmth to Rika's graced Renamon's face as she looked upon Guilmon, only to find exhaustion overtake her as she too fell asleep, the sight concerning BlackGatomon a little, before Guilmon looked to the black furred feline and assured her. "She'll be fine. Just a good rest and she be back to her usual self. And you... you've done a fine job today, BlackGatomon. Thank you for looking out for Renamon."
BlackGatomon blushed at the praise, while she too took in and noticed the innocence within Guilmon's eyes, leaving ger grinning a little and saying. "No problem."
"I think the true Takato and Guilmon have finally returned to us." Kenta commented with a smile, this was shared with Suzie and Jeri.
"Let's head back to base. Come on, help carry the others." Guilmon said softly as he knelt down and hoisted Renamon up in a bridal style hold, an action Takato copied as he picked up Rika.
Taking the wounded into the truck, the Tamers drove back to the base, unaware that two figures, watching them leave and spewing dark auras.