I am near the end of this story. I've had fun and I am thankful for the wonderful readers who have supported me through all of it. All the fun feedback has kept me motivated and working hard. A special thanks to Fergus Flamacron for being my three hundredth reviewer. I never expected to reach that number. So thanks!
We still have at least one enemy to defeat, however, before things come to an end. And I hope that you enjoy it. I've been waiting for this particular defeat for some time. I have had it planned for years. It will be fun to see how you react to it. So, sit back and enjoy.
As had been the case far too many times to count, he was next to useless. It was a sensation that was both familiar and one he hated. He would always feel aggravated when he was left on the sidelines with no possible way to help. With Hypnos, Yamaki could organize and gather experts, combining useful elements to solve a problem. As a tamer, he was left holding a petrified Calumon while children, regardless of how qualified, handled the threat. It was like the battle against Devimon again, only he didn't think his one ability as a tamer, to help Calumon cause digivolution, would be beneficial this time.
"It's hard, isn't it?" remarked Destiny, startling the adult as she appeared. "Not being able to fight alongside them. Not being able to defend them. Does it make you feel helpless, Mitsuo Yamaki? Useless? Like you are dead weight?"
The man stared at the cloaked girl, wondering what she was trying to do. Was she trying to anger him? To dig up any doubts he might have? Or, like the last time he was in this situation, was she testing his conviction? She made him accept his position as a tamer when they faced Devimon. What was she up to this time?
Continuing, she asked, "Do you wish things were different? That you were more like the other tamers? Do you wish that you could fulfill a higher position in the group? You are older and far more knowledgeable about the world than the others. If things were different, you could have been in charge of the tamers just as you are with Hypnos. You could have made them into a superior force with proper direction."
"I might be older than any of them, but even Suzie Wong out there has more experience as a tamer than I do," Yamaki pointed out, refusing to let a child suggest he might so little confidence that he would be uneasy if he was not in charge for once.
"Of course she does. Her partner is helpful in a fight." The prophetess gestured at the battlefield where Cherubimon avoided another Apocalymon's attacks. The giant being was determined to destroy the rabbit digimon. "Even Kenta's partner, who specializes in defense, has combative potential. The only one who can't fight against a threat is you."
"Get to the point," ordered the adult tamer, tired of these games.
"Do any of these facts, any of these questions, make you want something more? To be something greater than moral support?" she asked, her tone urging him to consider her words carefully. "Does your pride demand that you deserve better? Do you feel that you should have a real partner, one worthy of a man of your experience, and not the low-level digimon without a single attack that you have?"
At her final question, his eyebrows furrowed dangerously. He adjusted his grip of the in-training digimon quivering in his arms, holding the small being more protectively. Yamaki would be the first to admit that he'd been initially uneasy with the idea of having a partner, let alone the hyper and cheerful one he'd ended up with. But as illogical as it seemed for the two of them to be paired together, he had grown rather fond of Calumon. Though all of his naivety and excited behavior tended to make the man's life more chaotic and difficult, there was no denying that the small digimon meant the best. Riley absolutely adored having Calumon around, citing the fact that the creampuff-loving creature was having a good effect on the man, and Yamaki knew he was becoming quite attached himself. The idea that he would wish for a more powerful and perhaps less sporadic partner because he felt he deserved better was simply too foolish to conceive. Whether or not he liked admitting it aloud, he'd grown accustomed to Calumon's specific kind of chaos and didn't want to lose it for something as inane as a better role within the tamers.
He may enjoy having a great influence at Hypnos, having climbed the ladder during his career to reach his present role there. But running the government agency and being a tamer were extremely different things, even if he'd not been in the second role for very long yet and did not have as complete an understanding of what taming implied as the children did at times. In many ways, he was still an outsider to the tamers. All of them were children, some very young still, and they were not his usual social peers. And, even if he did tend to get along with them and respect them far more than many people his own age, it was still odd to consider himself as "one of them." But he was growing more comfortable in that role and the blond man viewed his job and taming in different ways.
Running Hypnos was what he did, but being a tamer was what he was. In taming, there was no ladder-climbing or promotions. That was why there was no "true leader" of the group and the hierarchy was so flexible; they didn't need or want that type of structure. Those with experience and a level-head might lead in most situations, but no one truly strove for a position of power among the tamers. Anyone had an equal chance at any role within the group and they all supported each other without question. That support and trust seemed to be a large portion of what they needed in order to pull off those miracles.
And since he was one of them, he didn't have to worry about his place among them. Even if he was someone with such low self-esteem instead of the confident and in-control man he was. All of he needed to do was support the tamers by any means he could. Whether with Hypnos' resources or by standing on the sidelines. If he was not meant to be a heavy-hitter and use direct force alongside them, then so be it. He would be moral support if that was what they needed. He did not need a different partner or a position of power among the group to prove his worth. He did not need to prove anything to anyone. He ran Hypnos, but here he was just another tamer. And that was enough.
"No," he stated finally, vaguely noticing that Calumon was looking up at him. "I have exactly what I deserve and need. What more could I want?"
"So you are content with what you have and have nothing to prove?"
"Yes," he nodded.
"Good," Destiny nodded back.
As she spoke, light erupted from the card-like object Suzie insisted he wear around his neck. Startled by the sudden glow, Calumon let out a small squeak and wiggled free of the man's grip. The in-training digimon swiftly took up his usual location on top of Yamaki's head and peered down curiously at the crest.
White lines began to form on the surface. The white lines on the white background were difficult to make out, but they were slightly visible at an angle. A small shape, vaguely like a child's drawing of the sun or a flower, formed inside of a circle. With the lines formed, a high pitched ringing began to sound in his ears. And that ringing swiftly became voices.
Humility. The quality of true modesty. Promoting your capability for meekness. Being able to shed off pride and arrogance. Realizing the real worth of yourself and seeking nothing more.
Pride has its time and place, but it should not rule your thoughts. Strive to do your best and fulfill your potential, but do not fear to accept your limits and your true role. Accept your place in the hierarchy and position within the group without regret. It is not weakness to treasure your role without hungering for more.
Modesty does not mean accepting no praise or to completely ignore the worth of your actions. It means to not seek out attention and power beyond what is granted. The meek have greater potential than most realize and that will be the downfall of the proud and arrogant. Accept what you have without wishing for something greater and you will be rewarded with what you need.
Humility.
"That was fun," commented Calumon slowly, his terror finally ebbed. "Can we do it again?"
"Congratulations, Mitsuo Yamaki," the cloaked child commented. "You will never be the most physically-threatening pair, but by accepting this fact without question and not allowing pride to rule your decisions, you have discovered your greatest gift."
"Humility?" asked the man, raising an eyebrow. "I thought my experiences with the Juggernaut program and the D-reaper taught me that lesson already. I already accepted that I'm not perfect."
"You accepted the bitter half of humility, but not the good. You had moments of peace that it could bring you, but now you can truly embrace the power it gives you. You understand your limitations without regrets and feel no need to seek what you do not need," she explained. "So you can teach others to be humble and mild in return."
"Huh?" Calumon remarked in confusion.
"Listen carefully," stated Destiny. "'The End shall end if he ignores the harmless. The small and meek is not the weak. The youngest of mind and form hold the power to stop the threat. Defeat comes from the least expected quarters.'" She gave the white in-training being a gentle pat on the head. "Do you understand what you must do now?"
"Nope," answered the digimon, sounding oddly cheerful for someone without a clue.
The adult tamer, however, nodded slowly, "I believe I do. But will it work?"
"Have faith in yourself, your young partner, and your crest. None of them will let you down," she assured. "But act swiftly. The tamers need your support."
Without another word, she vanished through another portal.
"Lightning Lash!" shouted Cherubimon, her electrically-charged ribbon striking another of Apocalymon's giant grasping limbs.
The giant digimon was after her. He wanted to get rid of her, but Suzie knew he wouldn't win. Not only were she and Lopmon fighting against his attempts, but so were Plesiomon, HiAndromon, and Justimon. The aquatic mega was especially talented at blocking Apocalymon's strikes and the metal pair of digimon kept blasting and slashing away. They kept fighting back against the being, but he was proving to be fairly tough.
She didn't understand why he was so determined to get her. He would attack the others, but he wanted her. Apocalymon wanted her gone more than anyone else, claimed she was a threat to him, and would not stop. But she didn't know how she could stop him any better than the boys. They were just as strong as her and yet he thought she would be the one to stop him.
Well, if that was how it was going to work, she'd beat him so badly that Henry would be completely impressed by her maturity.
"Crimson Lightning!" snarled Apocalymon.
She shouted back, "Pure of Heart!"
Her beam of light struck his red electricity, negating both attacks. The angelic rabbit moved instantly, using one of her ribbons to grab the twisted limb closest to her and yanked it to the ground. Justimon zeroed in on the ground-level target.
"Razor's Edge!" he announced, slashing with his green-glowing blades before Apocalymon yanked free of her.
HiAndromon, racing around on the motorcycle still, opened fire again in the hopes of doing some damage this time, "Ion Cannon!"
"Evil Wing!" the planetoid-sized digimon retaliated, sending a swarm of bats racing towards her.
"Neptune's Blessing!" cried Plesiomon, a wave swirling around her protectively. Shifting to the offensive, he fired a blast of water at a limb while shouting, "Typhoon Geyser!"
"Enough," snapped Apocalymon, grabbing a semi-solid remaining fragment of the previously destroyed village. He hurled it at the aquatic mega, hitting his face. Then, two of his huge limbs shot out and slammed into Cherubimon, sending her to the ground painfully. He pinned her arms and kept her tightly in place. "It is time to end this exercise."
"Leave her alone," shouted Justimon, racing towards her. "Razor's…"
The cyborg's efforts were abruptly halted as another of the giant creature's oversized limbs smacked him solidly. The metallic mega flew through the air to crash out of sight beyond the tree line. Apocalymon turned his attention back to her struggles to get free.
"Henwy…" Suzie muttered softly in fear.
They were rather surprised when they reappeared. She was half-way expecting to appear back at the same spot they left, that one street corner near the crash site. Another possibility that Rika entertained was the park near Guilmon's building. That location had plenty of tradition behind it as an arrival and leaving point for trips to other worlds. What she never expected was for them to arrive in the digital world. And she especially didn't expect to appear at a battlefield.
The group of tamers and digimon were at the edge of a vaguely-familiar clearing. The clearing itself was a wreck, suggesting that the fight had been going on for some time already. Huge craters and torn-up chunks of earth were scattered across the ground. But more distracting was the presence of a giant digimon, Apocalymon, taking up a large portion of the sky. They just finished fighting one impossible enemy and now they were looking at another one.
Below the floating planetoid-sized being, she could spot a vaguely sea monster-looking digimon shaking his head as if to clear it, a coppery robot on a bike, and a giant rabbit being held down by Apocalymon. It did not take much effort to identify them, even in these new forms. Especially if Destiny brought them here to witness the battle.
"Suzie?" gasped Henry, spotting the angelic bunny that must be connected to his sister. He fumbled for his D-arc. "No."
"Wait," the prophetess commanded gently.
"Apocalymon," a firm voice shouted from across the clearing. "Let Cherubimon go now."
"Or else I'll have to turn into SuperAwesomeCoolnessmon and make you sorry," a more excited and childish voice added.
"Yamaki and Calumon? What are they doing?" asked a stunned Takato.
Rika, now that she knew to look for them, could spot the man. He was marching the field with his small partner balanced on his head. The government agent looked rather calm for someone walking so close to a dangerous mega without any real protection.
"And who are you to order me?" Apocalymon asked, sounding mildly amused.
Even at this distance, she could make out a smile, "I'm just another tamer. Nothing truly that special."
"How humble," the planetoid-sized digimon remarked dryly.
"Humility is good for a person. Keeps them from making too many mistakes," Yamaki stated, taking his D-arc in one hand and grabbing something around his neck. "Perhaps you should learn some."
"Is that a crest?" Rika asked, realizing what the man was doing.
Yamaki had never used a card before or likely even studied the game before. The girl didn't know of any reason why he would. Calumon was not a combative digimon in any sense of the word. He had, however, observed other tamers and seemed to understand the mechanics. She didn't even see him pause as he acted.
"Digi-Modify! Crest of Humility Activate!"
She didn't know what she expected to happen. How do you predict the effect of a crest on a digimon who couldn't digivolve? It was just a little out of her experience.
The ex-Catalyst sitting on the man's head began to glow. Not just the red triangle like how he used to, but all of him. From his purple-tipped ears to his white body to his bright green eyes, he was glowing. The white, purple, red, and green light radiated out from the in-training digimon. Then, the multi-colored glow shot out and enveloped Apocalymon.
Everyone looked startled by the event, though she didn't know how the recipient of Calumon's action was responding. The planetoid-sized being was completely hidden by the technicolored light. The glow remained for several seconds, concealing the giant digimon, before fading away and leaving a small blue shape to tumble out of the sky.
"Wow," whispered Kazu within his mental bubble. "Go Calumon."
As soon as the light vanished, the small white digimon collapsed limply and Yamaki was forced to catch his exhausted partner before he fell off the man's head. And, tumbling out of the air from where Apocalymon once hovered, DemiDevimon crashed face first into the dirt.
"He dedigivolved him," the tamer half of HiAndromon muttered before grinning in his brown orb. "Which is good for us."
"Wha…What happened?" sputtered the bat before catching sight of the bike-riding android charging towards him. "Now take it easy. We can work this out."
"Say good-bye," the Biomerged being commented. "Ion Cannon!"
A quick blast and the manipulative virus was gone. Before he could take pleasure in his victory, Kazu's ride suddenly took off again.
"Behemoth, wait a minute," the boy's voice begged. "I thought we worked this out. No insane driving right now, please."
The demonic motorcycle seemed to have no intention of halting and, when he looked ahead to their apparent destination, Kazu realized why. The other tamers, digimon, and some girl he sort of recognized were standing there watching them.
Raising one hand to wave, HiAndromon greeted, "Hey, guys. We have tons to tell you."
Unfortunately, Behemoth chose that moment to turn sharply and come to a halt, dislodging the android from the seat. The metallic digimon was sent tumbling across the ground in a series of clangs. And the bike's engine rumbled in a manner that Kazu felt was meant to be laughter.
"What in the world were you doing on my motorcycle?" asked Impmon, glaring at the Biomerged mega.
Guardromon's voice answered, "It was a brilliant strategy devised by Kazu. Behemoth's speed and maneuverability was quite an asset this day."
"And it didn't take over your brain? Or what little brain you two have?" asked Rika.
Dedigivolving back into separate entities, the tamer declared proudly, "Nope, it worked perfectly. Even with you yelling at me for all my ideas and threatening me when I climbed on the bike, I managed to stun you with my genius anyway." At her very confused expression, Kazu abruptly remembered that was his imaginary Rika and not the real one. "Wait, never mind. That wasn't you you. It was the common sense you. I mean, you have common sense, but I meant the you that lives in my head and yells at me. Not that you're always on my mind or anything. Because that would be weird."
"Henwy," shouted Suzie, possibly saving him from making things worse. The little girl had separated from her partner sometime between the moment Apocalymon was defeated and now. Following the running child, rabbit in her arms, were Kenta, Bukamon (also divided), Yamaki, and a sleeping Calumon. When Suzie drew near her brother, she set down Lopmon and pounced into Henry's arms. "I missed you."
"I missed you too, Suzie," the tamer assured. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Wait, you guys have crests too?" asked a stunned Kenta, pointing at the white rectangle around Takato's neck.
Kazu glanced at the gathered group and noticed that everyone had crests on. Including the girl that he finally realized was Destiny without her cloak on. And, except for the prophetess, they all had a symbol on them to indicate they had activated them already.
"Yeah," the goggle-headed boy nodded. "From Gennai himself."
"Did you say 'Gennai'? What do you mean 'Gennai'?" gasped Kazu, his eyes widening at the implications. "As in… television show 'Gennai'?"
Takato gained a mildly mischievious grin, "Yes, and he wasn't the only one. Four words: I. Met. Tai. Kamiya."
Kazu and Kenta stared at him silently for a few moments before grabbing Takato by the shoulders and shaking him violently.
"What do you mean you met Tai?" they shouted in unison.
"I met him. And Davis. And all the other Digidestined," the boy explained, his head swing back and forth from the pair's shaking. "And I even fought alongside Tai and Agumon."
"And you couldn't take us, Chumley?" Kazu screamed frantically, his voice climbing an octave. "I could have met Tai Kamiya and you didn't take us?"
"Sorry, I would have if I could've," Takato answered, prying his friends' arms off.
Before Kazu could continue his questioning of his friend or possibly start begging Destiny to take him to Tai too, Justimon leapt into view from wherever Apocalymon had knocked him. The Biomerged mega looked around the now-deserted battlefield before noticing the gathering of tamers. The group was now oddly quiet, staring at the cyborg intently. Activating his small propulsive wings, he glided over to them. He set down directly in front of a rather stunned-looking Rika before separating back into two individuals.
Ryo smiled at the wide-eyed, mouth-open, slightly shaking, red-haired girl before casually remarking, "Hey there, Wildcat. Miss me?"
No one immediately reacted; the new arrivals looking like they were seeing a ghost. Kazu abruptly realized that they didn't know Ryo was alive again. For them, it was as if the Digimon King had simply risen from the grave in front of them. No wonder they were shocked.
Rika's hand slowly began to rise from her side. Kazu didn't know if it was going to cover her mouth or reach out to touch the tamer to reassure herself Ryo was real. Either action would fit the situation and her stunned expression.
Then, her eyebrows furrowed together suddenly. Her hand tightened into a fist and slammed into the jaw of the Digimon King. Unprepared for the blow, Ryo went down hard. The tamer rubbed his face gingerly and stared up at her in confusion.
"How dare you? How dare you even… You die and all you can say is 'hey there'? Do you have the slightest idea of how… You were dead. You died, Ryo. Do you know what that means? I went to your funeral. What were you thinking? Didn't you consider what would happen after you got yourself killed?" she ranted, her eyes blazing dangerously. Most of the humans and digimon took an uneasy step backwards. Ryo seemed to realize that silence might be the best strategy and remained exactly where he landed as Rika continued to yell at him. "Anything that happens affects all of us. That means that when someone goes and pulls off a stupid heroic sacrifice, we all have to deal with the consequences. Do you know how your death affected us? How it affected m… I mean, you allowed yourself to be killed because of your crazy decisions. And you just waltz right back like it never happened? How are you even here? Don't answer that," she snapped as he opened his mouth. "I don't care. Whatever you did, whatever happened, I don't care. What I do care about is that you had better understand one important fact: you will not be repeating this. You will never do something so stupid again that it kills you. No insane heroic sacrifices ever or else I'll hunt you down to whatever afterlife you end up in and make you suffer. Do you understand me, Ryo Akiyama?"
The Digimon King nodded quickly in response to the intense expression on her face. She glared at him for another moment before turning and smacking Takato on the side of his head.
"Ow… What was that for?" he asked, rubbing the spot she'd hit.
"That was for almost letting Ragnamon kill you and taking so long to let the rest of us know you survived," she answered sharply, her temper not yet spent. "You don't use your crest and fly to safety until the last possible moment and you don't expect me to be ticked off? You didn't die, but you sure pressed your luck this time. Goggle-head, you are the next most likely of us to do something incredibly stupid that would get you killed. You are not allowed to die either. So, I repeat: no heroic sacrifices ever. Or else. Got it?"
"Perfectly clear," he answered weakly. "No dying ever."
The girl stared at Takato for a moment more before taking a deep breath and nodding to herself. She turned and looked back at the rest of the now-nervous tamers.
"So, what now?" she asked.
Hehehe. Rika's fury is just a sign that she cares. Really. But what do you expect? She's been a little stressed and she's been handed some shocking news. And the reappearance of the Digimon King was the breaking point. Ryo has returned from the dead and after Takato's near death earlier too, she wants to make sure that she doesn't have to deal with any more losses in the future.
And I've had this plan for Calumon for years. Ever since my father, who watched the show with me and my siblings (what an awesome parent… willing to watch Saturday morning cartoons with his kids and actually pay attention to the storyline), wondered if Calumon could provide the power to digivolve, could he reverse the process? By the end of the series, the in-training never did dedigivolve anyone. But, it still made a little sense. So, that is what Yamaki's crest will enable him to do. Calumon simply serves as a channel between "the big spinning triangle" and a digimon, allowing the power to go through him in reverse this time. It is, however, very hard on the little guy since he was never intended to fulfill this role. He is left even more exhausted than when he helps digivolve a digimon, so it is not something they'll do often.
By my calculations, I have about one or two more chapters left. At most, there will be three. I hope you like the ending for this story and that you'll stick around for the next one.