Hello, Sorry for the wait. Here is Chapter 3 of my fanfiction. Enjoy!

For everyone who has liked and reviewed my story, thank you for supporting my fanfiction.

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or the characters.

A few days after returning to Japan...

Ryo

In an apartment somewhere in North Kyushu, Japan, Ryo was in the living room watching the TV. It's been a few days since the tamers returned to the real world at Chuo Park. When he came out of the Ark, his dad was there waiting for him. The middle-aged man was not all that happy to see him.

Who could blame the man? His son left him hanging and traveled to an unknown place without even talking to him. All he had of his son's location was a discarded tied-up piece of cloth that contains Ryo's ID and a message that said 'he was in someplace called the digital world'. Since it came from an area of massive destruction, the police at the scene thought of the worse, but they only filed a missing person due to not finding a body. They didn't even consider the digital world because it was such a make-believe place, but it spread some rumors around the kids about what happened to the legendary tamer.

After about 10 months after his disappearance, Mr. Akiyama started to lose hope of finding his son until the man got a call from Hypnos letting him know Ryo was alive and will be in Shinjuku soon from the digital world. When he saw his son come out of the Ark, the father was happy at first then mad. Did Ryo not consider how he would feel after leaving him for 10 months with no communication?

Now, Mr. Akiyama had to deal with his son's partner Digimon: Monodramon. It was not easy for the poor little guy. He was kind of the reason his son left and kept playing with things he could get his hands on. Monodramon was constantly berated and alienated for the first few days upon returning home. Ryo's dad finally started warming up to him after the Digimon gave him a lot of doe eyes, and freaked out their apartment neighbor witless who Mr. Akiyama absolutely hated. The man was starting to see Monodramon as a loyal pet who could talk.

It has been 2 days since Ryo stayed at home. Mr. Akiyama was away on the job dealing with the current catastrophe in Japan. The D-reaper had come to the real world and already occupied parts of Shinjuku with the headquarters of Hypnos at the dead center of it. The boy was currently watching the news on his enemy's progress. It was not looking good.

Currently, the Japan Self-Defense Forces were fighting one of the D-reaper agents. The thing looked like a wraith with a brown, orange stripe cloth and had a pumpkin-like face and cord-like limbs with sickles at the ends for legs. A cord attached to it connected with the rest of its expanding body. The agent was dodging the ammunition and artillery the Defense Forces were throwing at it. To be honest, the whole scene looks like they were trying to hit a moving piñata and doing very badly at it too.

Ryo was looking at them like they were idiots. What were they thinking? Using those means wouldn't even do actual harm to the agent let alone the D-Reaper himself. The only thing that could actually pose a threat to it would be Digimon. If anyone could defeat the heartless blob, it would be them.

Just then, three figures appeared and started to engage it. The first looked like a big red dinosaur that was a part cyborg. The second looked like a green long-eared robotic rabbit with a revolver on its back. The last one had the appearance of a shaman but had a foxlike face and body. They were Digimon.

Wargrowlmon: A virus type, ultimate whose special attacks are Radiation Blade and Atomic Blaster. With the weaponry on it, the guy was like a one-army tank.

Rapidmon: A android vaccine ultimate Digimon whose special attacks are Rapid Fire and Tri-Beam. He can apparently move attack at the speed of light. His ears act like a sensor that can detect distant enemies.

Taomon: A wizard, data ultimate Digimon whose special attacks are Talisman of Light and Talisman Spell. Her specialty with magic based attacks using spells and talismans.

Judging from their looks and appearance, Ryo could tell they were Takato, Jian, and Ruki Digimon in their ultimate forms. They were fighting the D-reaper and doing a better job at it too. Their attacks were able to push the agent against a corner and were about to destroy it. Things were looking pretty good until the thing protected itself with a barrier. A barrier that was exactly the same as Taomon's Talisman Spell. The little piñata completely copied a Digimon move. Then, the agent started retaliating and used attacks similar to Wargrowlmon and Rapidmon.

Seeing his friends' Digimon fighting and being beaten, Ryo clenched his hands. They were fighting a strong enemy, and he was sitting and watching. Beside him, Monadramon growled at the battle on the screen. It felt like the little guy wanted to fight with them.

"C'mon let's go," Ryo told Monodramon getting up. The boy couldn't just stand here and do nothing. He was going to Shinjuku and helping his friends. Quickly, he got up and gathered the essentials: his D-ark, a deck of Digimon cards, and a backpack full of snacks and water for the trip. Once finished, Ryo and Monodramon walked outside the apartment's patio and were ready to fly off when the boy heard a voice near the door.

"Ryo?" It was his father: Kogen Akiyama. He stared at his son as the door opened. The man was back from work early.

"Dad!" Ryo stood there stunned. He didn't know how to respond. The last time he left, it was 10 months.

Mr. Akiyama looked at his son's backpack and D-ark in his hands then looked at the TV still showing the battle. Everything clicked into place. It wasn't hard to figure out what was going on. "So you're going, aren't you?"

"Yeah Dad, I'm sorry," Ryo said looking guilty. He didn't want to leave his dad after what the boy put him through recently, but the D-reaper needed to be stopped. "My friends are fighting that thing, and need help. I have to go."

The man looked at Ryo and sighed. He knew his son well and the reckless streak he had. There was no stopping the boy when he made a decision. Mr. Akiyama walked to his son until he was at arm's length to him.

"Then you are going to need help," Mr. Akiyama replied as he pulled out a glass orb from his pocket and gave it to his son. Ryo took the orb with curiosity.

"What is it?" Ryo asked observing the item. The orb looked like it was made from crystal clear glass except something was going on inside it. Red and blue energy revolved around inside like Yin and yang. "Where did you get it?"

"I don't know," Mr. Akiyama shook his head. "Last night, a blond twin-tailed girl came with a huge Doberman dog telling me to give this to you. They told me it would help with your evolution when you want to get stronger. I wanted to get more details, but they had to go telling me they had to help the others before it was too late."

"The others?" Ryo thought it must have meant the other tamers meaning they were allies. The boy pocketed the orb. It could be useful after all, Ryo remembered the underlying meaning of his dad's words. "You're letting me go?"

Mr. Akiyama stared at his son. "As much as I want you here at home under constant supervision, that thing on TV is causing mayhem in Shinjuku. Although it's far from where we are, it's expanding. It's only a matter of time before it comes here as well. If you and the purple dinosaur can stop it, what reason can I have against letting you go?

"Thank you, Dad," Ryo was glad that his father could see the bigger picture.

"Don't get me wrong. We will still have to talk about your past actions," Mr. Akiyama giving a strict look. "Monodramon, please keep my son safe."

"I will," Monodramon saluted. Ryo was happy too. It was the first time his father called his Digimon by his name. The boy and his partner then headed to the patio to get ready to go.

"Ryo, one more thing," His dad's strict look softens. "Promise me when this is all over. You'll come back."

"I promise Dad." Ryo had to pause a moment, but the words came out before walking outside the patio. "We will come back."

Ryo and Monodramon then jumped out off the patio. The boy's D-ark and card in hand. [Card Slash: Matrix Evolution]

[Monadramon - Cyberdramon] Ryo quickly got on Cyberdramon's back in mid-air before taking off to the skies.

"You know, you could've just left through the front door right?!" Mr. Akiyama yelled. Ryo laughed. It wouldn't have been fun otherwise. While flying, the boy turned his head and gave one last look to his father who was on the patio, his figure slowly shrinking away.

As the pair flew through skies still only halfway to Shinjuku, Ryo was deep in thought of what his father told him before leaving: 'Promise me that you will come back.'

When Ryo came out of the airport with his dad and Monodramon in Kyushu, there was anger in Mr. Akiyama's tone when berating him and his partner, but he knew it was also hurt. Hurt when his dad found that his son had gone missing and then found out it was his choice. Ryo never did consider his father's feelings before leaving. His dad really cared about him.

"Cyberdramon?" Ryo getting his partner's attention. "I need to talk about something."

"You want to stay here. Don't you?" Cyberdramon replied shocking his tamer. Ryo didn't expect the Digimon to know his thoughts. He did want to stay here in Japan. It wasn't just because his father wanted him to. The boy finally found friends here who understood him. He wanted to stay and get to know them more even if they were in another prefecture and city.

"Don't be so surprised. We are partners after all." Cyberdramon continued. "I do care about and understand you."

"You're okay with us staying here?" Ryo looked down at his riding Digimon. The boy knew Cyberdramon's lust for battle all too well. Would he be ok with little to no fighting? Japan wasn't really a place where brawls happen.

Cyberdramon was silent for a moment before he spoke again.

"Ryo, when you came with me to the digital world, you left your world, your home just so you could help me. A random, violent Digimon who you encountered on the street. You went to an unknown place for months with no guarantee of a way back. We fought battles together and traveled looking for my ultimate enemy even though there was no trace of him. Your actions made me... grateful. If you want to stay here, I will too. Even if there is no battling, we will figure something out. I... I want to stay with you."

The boy looked fondly at his partner patting his back. "Thank you, Cyberdramon."

Ryo was touched, to say the least. This was actually the first time Cyberdramon spoke with so many sentences. This was probably due to his partner seeing how the other Digimon interacted with their tamers. It made him happy that Cyberdramon was willing to forgo fighting and finding his ultimate enemy just to be with him, but Ryo wouldn't let his partner just stop fighting cold turkey.

"Listen Cyberdramon. Just because we are staying here doesn't mean our battle has to stop. After all, during our travels in the digital world, we were never able to find our true enemy. Maybe it's the D-reaper or maybe it's somewhere here, but what I am saying is, this isn't the end. I promise you, Cyberdramon. We will find your ultimate enemy. We will defeat it and set you free. I didn't just go to the digital world for adventure. I came thinking about you. You're my partner and friend. No matter what happens. Please never forget that."

Cyberdramon didn't say anything after, but Ryo could tell his partner was extremely affected by his words. Despite the Digimon's violent nature and a slight tendency to ignore Ryo's orders sometimes, he did care about the boy and would protect him.

Then and there, the bond between tamer and Digimon was strengthened. For Digimon, it is through battles and loading their opponent's data that they can get stronger. Digimon with tamers though, grow stronger through the bonds and emotions of their human partners. This doesn't mean through battles, but also through interactions. Raw emotions from humans can bring out the true strength in Digimon. What Ryo and Cyberdramon just did was one of the emotional moments which led to this.

Suddenly, Ryo's D-ark shone a bright, strong light. The boy didn't even have to know what this light was for. He could feel it with his bond with Cyberdramon. They became closer and achieved power beyond the ultimate level.

The orb shot out from Ryo's pocket and flew into the air. The glass shattered as the blue and red energy escaped and surrounded Ryo and Cyberdramon. The boy could feel a pull coming from his partner.

"Cyberdramon, our next enemy will be our toughest yet. We need to get stronger, but I don't want you to fight alone." Ryo said as light from the D-ark grew. "I want to fight with you and share your pain and burden like the others. Let's take down this enemy together!"

The Digimon roared in response. Ryo couldn't help but let out a smile. The light from his D-ark started to engulf both of them until they looked like a bright light in the sky.

[Biomerge Activate: Cyberdramon Biomerge to Justimon] The light slowly faded. In the place of the duo was a single figure. His outfit consisted of blue and black clothing with partial white armor covered complimenting his muscles. The right arm was completely metallic. He wore something like a helmet/mask on his head with a red muffler around his neck. It was the Digimon: Justimon.

Justimon: A mega-level Digimon whose special attacks are Trinity Arm and Justice Kick. He is a Hero of Justice-like type who likes to save the day. According to rookie Digimon, he has a sense of justice that burns hot, and never overlooks acts of evil fighting them if necessary.

This was the mega-level form of Cyberdramon. Opening his eyes, Ryo was surrounded by a ball of dark blue energy in his spirit form, but he could still see through his surroundings outside. It was Justimon and it was amazing! Digimon and tamer were one. The boy could now understand what his friends meant when they biomerged. He could feel Cyberdramon's strength and thoughts running through him. The feeling and power were amazing. It felt like he could fight an army.

"Cyberdramon, we did it! We biomerged!" Cyberdramon grunted positively as a reply. Ryo closed his eyes taking in the full effects. They were close before, but this was a whole new level. The boy wanted to explore the full extent of their new power. Cyberdramon's thoughts and feelings were coursing through his body while the same could be said for his partner. He also felt Justimon and could feel the wind blowing through him in the sky. It was a feeling the boy would never forget.

While searching, Ryo felt something else. Somewhere deep inside Justimon was an energy of some sort. It wasn't coming from him or Cyberdramon, but it was giving off power strengthening them. His partner once told him that something was always keeping the Digimon in the ultimate form. Was this energy it?

Ryo delved deeper into that energy. It was definitely giving them power, but it felt different. Unlike the power of good and justice that came with Justimon, this power felt mean and vengeful. The boy had a feeling that whatever made Cyberdramon crazy for battle. This energy was the main cause of it, what was it and where did it come from?

The boy wanted to go further and communicate with this energy, but unfortunately, he wouldn't get the chance. Gravity started to catch up to him. While Cyberdramon had wings that could fly, Justimon didn't. He was quickly falling to the ground snapping Ryo out of his concentration.

Quickly thinking, Justimon located the nearest tall building and changed trajectory in that direction. He then positioned his body so that the speed of falling would be slower. With some extra maneuvers, Justimon was able to land on the roof of the building without causing any damage. Ryo sighed in relief. A big commotion would've happen if he landed in the middle of the streets and roads.

Since Justimon couldn't fly, the Digimon jumped from roof to roof of the buildings to get to Shinjuku. Good thing Justimon had an amazing jumping ability. People who would see him pass would just think of a weird blur. Some children, who were able to see Justimon clearly, thought he was a Super Sentai hero from TV and cheered looking at this amazing hero.

Ryo put the foreign energy in the back of his mind. Whatever it was could wait. Right now, the D-reaper was the main concern and his friends were in trouble. So as fast as his legs could take him, he dashed and jumped towards Shinjuku to help his friends and save the world!

That is the end of Chapter 3. Please comment and review.

A few things about uploading my chapters. As you can probably tell, I am a very corny writer. I also have a full-time job and am very slow at writing as well, so I can only post 1 chapter a month. But I can promise you, I will not drop this fanfiction until I finish this part of the story.

Also, please expect another Time-Skip in the next chapter.