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Digimon Tamers Crimson Episode 21: One, and the Same...

Inside Simon's subconscious...

Simon finally felt himself regaining consciousness after his corruption. However he noticed a couple certain things. For starters, his dark side is currently looking at what appears to be a television screen. The second thing he noticed just by looking down. After looking down he sighed knowing that he is now in the deepest part of his mind. Since he was bound by the same memory threads that corrupted him, he could not move within the area. This time, he felt practically bested by himself for some odd reason. His dark side noticed that he was already awake and said "I guess you're finally awake old friend." His dark side approached him and looked Simon directly in the eyes. "So tell me, you here for the movie... Or to pointlessly struggle out of those threads?"

Simon responded "First of all, neither. I don't exactly have a plan in mind. And second, what do you mean by the movie?" Simon's evil self laughed in his face and said "It's pretty obvious isn't it? It's the film where you kill all of your so-called "Friends"." Simon's evil self then looked at Nia on the television screen and said "Tell me, do you actually have feelings for this little bitch?" Simon balled up his fingers into fists the moment he said that word. His evil self then said "Well in that case then... I'll just simply kill all of your friends." His evil self then teleported close to Simon's face and whispered in his ear "And then, I'm gonna rape your girlfriend just to spite you!" Simon then responded "DON'T YOU LAY A FINGER ON NIA! I don't care about these memories that I just got. But if you lay a hand on her, I swear you better pray your god be merciful. Otherwise, get ready for a world of hurt!"

His evil self jumped off of Simon and said "That's lovely, this coming from the naked guy tied down by a bunch of sewing threads. Besides, the show's about to start. Careful though, I hear the 3-D in this movie is very... Realistic." His evil self then continued to laugh at Simon's expense. However, it seemed that Simon had a plan up his hypothetical sleeve. He began to rub his fingers against the threads. "I may not be able to do anything in here, but by putting some of my blood on this thread I should be able to transmit some thought into my body. Megidramon, this is far from over! My friends will prevail against you!" Simon thought to himself somehow. He didn't question how he was able to keep a thought to himself without shouting it to his other half.

Outside Simon's subconscious...

The Digimon that once tried attacking Simon earlier were now bearing witness to something they thought was crazy. Emir, a person they all didn't know except for Simon was about to fight him. Daisuke looked at Simon's form and said "I think I recognize this form." Henry and Rika turned towards Daisuke and asked "You do?" Daisuke nodded and said "That was the form that saved me from the accident my parents were in." Rika then asked "Okay, now I'd like to know if you can actually reason with Simon in this state considering what happened?" Daisuke then said "To be honest, this is much darker than what he looked like before." Kari held Gatomon to restrain her from attacking Simon in his state. "Let me go Kari! I want to help out!" Kari responded "You can't, he'll kill you if you go!" Gatomon then said "I am not a spectator! You didn't want to be spectator when you became a Tamer right?"

Kari nodded in response and said "At the current state we're in... I don't think we have a choice in this case." Takeru went to check up on Angemon who then said "No need to worry T.K., I'm fine. Besides, I think right now we might need to think of another strategy." Takeru nodded in response and then consulted Ken "Hey Ken! What do you think we should do!?" Ken turned to face Takeru and said "We should wait until Emir has a disadvantage, and then see if we should jump in." Takeru nodded and then said "Haven't really liked spectating much, but it looks we haven't got a choice in this matter."

Emir and Simon both looked each other in the eye. One filled with determination. The other... filled with madness. "Simon, before we start. Let's get one thing straight here... I'm not gonna kill you. All I want to do, is bring you back to us. To get back the real you." Simon smiled and started laughing. "HehehehehehehehehehehHEHEHEHEHEEHHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA! You've got it all wrong Emir, this is who I truly am!" Emir a bit shocked responded "Do you really believe that?" Simon responds "DAMN STRAIGHT! I honestly can't believe I grew up to be such a chicken shit! Honestly, in my opinion I have no friends! All I have, are people who'll one day simply betray me! Just like all the rest! And if you've got a problem with that, bite me!" Emir sighed and said "Fine, but just so you know, I won't be holding back against you." Simon responded "Then shut the hell up, and let's get this over with already!"

Emir sighs and then removes the first restraint on his left arm. Suddenly, talons appeared where his finger tips were. Simon sees this and then says "Interesting bird motif you got going there, however, It's not gonna be enough!" Takes swings at Emir only for him to keep dodging his attacks. Henry noticed this speed difference and then said "I feel a little outclassed here." Rapidmon looked towards him and said "Moreso than usual?" Henry sighed and said "Never mind Rapidmon." Taomon was watching the fight and said "I'm not even sure Emir can even defeat Simon in that state." Rika then responded "Why's that?" Taomon thought about it for a bit and said "That power... It feels much stronger than just an ultimate. It's more like a... Mega."

Emir in all of dodging only tries taking minor shots at Simon to try chipping away at his armor. "If I can just get through the armor... I might be able to knock him out!" Emir thought in his head. Simon notices that Emir is probably going too fast for him to block. So he improvises with tendrils from the hazard. Before Emir could strike him again, his left arm is caught in quite a few sharp tendrils. Simon tries to get in a good punch. However, Emir just simply slips out of the attack while taking on quite a bit of damage. Simon notices that it seems his left arm started healing itself. He then said "So, you can heal wounds on your arm correct?" Emir nodded in response and took off the second restraint on his left arm. This time his whole hand seemed to become like a bird's foot in a way. Simon then said "Well, Emir... Wanna see something pretty cool?" Emir confused responded "Fine I'll humor you."

Simon took his sword and cut off his left arm with it. Emir at first was quite concerned until shadow tendrils appeared out of his wound and simply gave him a new left arm. "See Emir, this is proof that you don't need to hold back on little old me. So take off that last restraint and fight me already!" Emir then took off his last restraint and suddenly his whole arm had feathers surrounding it. "That's more like it Peterson!" Emir looks at Simon's posture and asks "Are you right handed?" Simon responds "Of course... But then again I'm a tad bit ambidextrous." Emir then says "Awful lot of favoritism on your prosthetic arm isn't it?" Simon responds "You can say that yes. I know you could probably crush my right arm with just a thought." He then at high speed got in front of Emir and grabbed his hair.

"Last time I checked, militaries have standards with hair. But, I seem to notice that yours is particularly longer than most haircuts." Emir then uses this opportunity to try crushing Simon's right arm. Simon notices this and says "Well, looks like you're taking an opening. Tell you what Emir, you can have my arm. But, in exchange... I'LL TAKE YOUR LEG!" Simon then pulled out the sword to cut off Emir's leg. However, Emir then threw a punch at Simon's face with his free hand. They both then stood staring at one another. "Looks like I figured you out. You tend to fight more with your arms than your legs. You worry over them breaking or worse, being sliced off. And judging by your physique, you seem like you can't last long in a fight. Also, your style of fighting is more geared towards crowd control rather than fighting against singular targets."

Emir responded "So, what about it? Besides, how did you even figure that out anyway just from a few blows?" Simon chuckles and answers "Simple, because you haven't thrown more powerful techniques. Like the ones you're known for! So even when you're going all out, you still hold back! You insult me with every punch you throw! Every hit you make! And every single taunt you would ever try!" Emir then responds "I'm trying to save you! I've been through hell before! So right now, you should listen to me and come to your senses!" Simon after a brief silence responds "I can see that in your eyes Emir. Don't think I don't get it. And let me ask you this: Were you born with a burden, that you never wanted to bear? Have you ever been constantly ridiculed by others, just because of what this burden does?" Emir responds "Simon, you and I are very similar in a lot of ways. Just because of what happened to me, doesn't mean I should give myself over to any monster or whatnot. And trust me, I can tell by that Hazard symbol on your chest that Megidramon is probably calling the shots."

Simon responds "You're right about that. But, it's too late for me. Whenever I look over there where the penut gallery is... I can think of nothing but shame. Daisuke, sure I saved him, but I ended up causing the accident that got his parents killed! Rika probably still hates me for failing her and now that I became this monster she'll never be able to forgive me! Nia, the day I first met her, I wanted her to stay away from me. And now all of this had to happen to her! And worst of all, Guilmon. The only reason he has this power is because my right arm's shadow molded his digi-egg. He grew up alone without any knowledge of peace or anything! Just fighting for his life day in and day out all because I created him! My life may have been bad, but it's nothing compared to how I made them suffer. So stop holding back and hit me Dammit! HIT ME FOR ALL I'VE DONE!"

Emir hears this and then says "Alright, but I warned you." He then seemingly disappears until Simon sees him for a split second and notices a glow on his forehead. Simon then feels a large impact on his head and suddenly memories were taken and some memories were given in exchange. After the impact Simon backed away from Emir and it seemed that he saw some... Vivid imagery. He saw what appeared to be experiments happening to an individual and it often faded in and out. He then saw what seemed to be a woman who seemed to be telling quite a few jokes but then it seemed to end in tradgedy. Simon seemed to feel some similarity in what seemed to be her last words to this child. Meanwhile Emir saw what appeared to be Guilmon, Nia, Henry, Terriermon, Rika, Renamon and Suzie all having ice cream together. And then another memory of all of them working together with Simon against various foes.

Simon clutched his head feeling like he has a severe concussion. He then says "Those, were your memories?" Emir clutching his head nodded in response. Simon then said "Tell me something, what happened to those depraved scientists?" Emir then answers "Some of them are dead. The others I'm not sure on." Simon responds "Honestly, that's the difference between us Peterson. I killed the people who killed my loved one, and you let most of those people live. You're weak. Nothing but a mindless flesh given this power. And I am thoroughly done with you, EMIR PETERSON!" Simon goes in for an attack... Only for him to be stopped by a gunshot to his head. It turns out, that Nia was the one who shot him. Simon just clutches his head from the wound and says "I thought you would stay away from me after what I just said."

Suddenly, Wargrowlmon appeared behind Simon and restrained him. "Get off me! Don't you get it! Didn't you hear what I said! I CREATED YOU!" Simon yelled trying escape Wargrowlmon's grasp who responded "Simon, I don't care what destiny says... I want you back! The old you! The one who would never give in to destiny! You've helped me through my troubles... Now it's my turn!" Wargrowlmon tightened his grip on Simon who was still having a surprisingly hard time getting out. Nia put her gun away and approached Simon. Simon then noticed that brand on her chest from earlier is glowing nearby him. "Is that... The brand of the-" Simon never got to finish because Nia and Wargrowlmon then entered Simon's head. Simon then screamed in pain over the situation. Emir looks at the now immobile Simon and then says "I wonder if Nia will enjoy the view inside his head."

Inside Simon's subconscious...

Evil Simon looks at the TV and says "Wait, what the hell!? Movie characters aren't supposed to break the TV! Unless... YOU!" Evil Simon goes up to the good counterpart and says "YOU RUINED EVERYTHING! NOW THEY'RE GONNA GET INSIDE OUR HEAD AND EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE BACK TO NORMAL!" Simon responded to his evil side by saying "Guilty as charged." Evil Simon was about to strike him, but then Nia and Wargrowlmon rammed into the evil part of Simon and knocked him unconscious. Nia and Wargrowlmon approach Simon and Nia then says "Simon, let's go home. You're coming with us no matter what!" Wargrowlmon looks at Simon and says "Simon, we're here to rescue you. Just let us get you out of there." Simon looks at the two and responds "It's too late for me. Besides, you heard what I said out there. Wargrowlmon, you don't have to follow me just because I created you. You have no obligation to even bother with me." Wargrowlmon then responds "Then you must be just as deaf as I am. I choose to follow you not out of obligation, but because... I want to."

(Cue Id Sorrow)

Simon was a bit shocked to hear Wargrowlmon say this, considering how Simon feels about what happened. "Nia, I apologize that you have to see me like this." Nia continues to approach Simon and climb up the threads that bind him. "Nia, just leave me and promise... Promise me that you'll find somebody who cares about you! You shouldn't do this for my sake. Besides... I'm just a monster serving as a vessel to something much bigger." Nia comes into eye contact with Simon still silent and then. to Simon's shock, kisses him. This time however, Simon returns the passion Nia gives him. Wargrowlmon was so distracted by the moment he didn't notice Evil Simon waking up.

Nia let go of Simon and landed on the ground nearby him. However Simon ended up being released from the threads. He seemed very happy about this moment due to his realization... "I guess there are people out there, who are willing to go out of their way just to help you." The moment was then ruined by Evil Simon who got behind Nia and back handed her out of the way. Simon's eyes widened and Evil Simon then said "Tch, all this lovey dovey crap is really pissing me off!" He then pulled out his dark sword and said "Guess I'll just have to kill everyone myself!"

(End Id Sorrow)

Evil Simon was then pierced by a sword that not only went straight into him, but the force also threw him outside of Simon's subconscious.

Outside Simon's subconscious...

Evil Simon was pinned to a building with a sword sticking out of him. He then turned around and saw his good counterpart carrying an unconscious Nia with Wargrowlmon behind him. Reapmon approaches Simon and says "Are you back to normal?" Emir then goes up to Simon and says "I'm gonna need those memories back later okay?" Simon just hands Nia to Reapmon and says "Get her to safety. I'm pissed off right now and I don't need anyone getting in the way." Reapmon nods and takes Nia away from the fight area. Evil Simon pulls out the sword behind him and says "You made a huge mistake there buddy. Because now, I have your sword and my sword." He then notices that Simon's face is of absolute rage. "HOW DARE YOU HIT NIA!" Evil Simon merely backed away a little bit intimidated by Simon. Emir notices this and says "Looks like some things are back to normal."

Emir calls a person on his phone and says "Vincent, how are things going on your end?" On the other side the person named Vincent says "Emir, I'm pretty much streaming this whole fight to quite a lot of people on the web. What's your bet?" Emir casually responds "Yeah, I'm betting 50 on Simon to win this fight." Vincent on the other side says "Figured you would. Looks like I got some editing work before posting this to the internet." Emir responds "You better make sure that, Simon's face is nowhere to be seen on that video." The voice on the other side says "Can, and will do."

Evil Simon then says "Aw damn, I was enjoying the time we spent together. Oh well, guess I'll have to end you then!" He then makes an air slash with both blades... Only for Simon to raise his left hand and no sell the attack. Evil Simon then goes "What?" Simon responds "Don't even bother, besides I'd rather spend time with my friends than you any day of the week. Thanks to Nia and Wargrowlmon, I'm back on my feet and ready to kick any kind of ass. It's a hell of a lot better than being your slave!" Wargrowlmon hears Simon's appreciation of his friends and then notices their reaction to Simon's words. "Looks like our fearless leader is back on his feet!" Ken proclaimed to the others and Takeru responded "It's about time that happened." Rika saw Simon and said "It's great to have you back Simon." Henry put his hand on Rika's shoulder and said "Yeah, let's just hope he won't go off on his own after this."

Evil Simon then tried cutting Simon with the blades only for Simon to block using the armor. "You don't get a damn thing about my friends! I consider them greater than friends, or rather... they're like family." Emir then makes a sigh of relief thinking Simon was going to say something a little bit gay. "Nia, who's kindness almost knows no bounds, she's willing to take me as I am and bring me back from despair! And Guilmon, you were my first ever friend! You don't care if I created you or not! You just kept on finding ways to follow me and help me through my troubles! I don't honestly think I deserve any of that after today, But I'm sure not gonna let anyone down!"

Simon then continued talking after forcing Evil Simon back. "You just want to kill everything you see that either doesn't entertain you or straight up pisses you off! Well guess what, you're days of killing are done!" Daisuke in the background then says "You tell em' Simon!" Paildramon then said "V for Victory!" Simon smiled a bit after that and Evil Simon then said "Honestly, this is why I hate humans in general, now then!" Simon prepared himself for the attack and he dodged while countering by grabbing both his evil counterpart's arms and beating him back in four blows, two to the head, two to the abdomen. "Guess what, I got both blades now. So you're finished now!" Evil Simon then gets back up and prepares tendrils of the Hazard to attack Simon's friends "Oh well, I guess I still have the hazard's power so... Might as well use it!" Simon then chopped up the tendrils saying "Like hell you are!"

Evil Simon however got behind Simon and said "Oops, that was just a trap set for you." He then stabbed Simon through the neck with two fingers and said "You fell for that hook, line, and-" He never got finish because Simon just got behind him and said "Hook line and what? You didn't finish." Simon then swiftly chopped off his evil counterpart's arms and head. Evil Simon then said "Not much point to that, considering I'll just regenerate at any time now... Any time now..." Simon responded "Yeah, when I cut my arm off, It healed nearly instantaneously. I guess healing only applies to the owner of the body." Evil Simon's eyes then widened but then he and his entire became nothing but shadow tendrils that went into Simon's left arm.

Simon turned to face the others who all came running towards him. Kari said "We were so worried about you Simon!" Suzie added "Yeah! I thought that you would have became evil and stuff!" Simon responded to them by saying "I'm sorry that all of this has happened and right now I need to apologize." They all backed away from Simon and he said "I'm sorry about everything I said today. I understand if you are all scared of me at this point. I won't think differently of you if that's the case." Rika then walked up to Simon and said "Simon, to be honest I was scared. But not of you. I was scared for you. I was worried that I'd lose someone very close to me in life again. And for the record, I'm not mad at you for what happened back then. I'm just glad that you're alright. And if any of you mention this on any part of the internet, I'll personally torture you..." Rika then looks over to Emir and says "Especially you Emir!"

Emir then says on the phone "Vincent, please tell me you finished recording before she said that..." Vincent responds on the other side "Yep, I finished recording the moment the battle ended." Emir then sighs and says "Thank god." Daisuke then adds to the conversation "Simon, it wasn't your fault that the accident happened. And I'm glad that I can thank you for saving my life that day. I know my parents are probably in a better place now." Takeru goes up to Simon and says "When I first joined this group, I honestly thought that I was the only one that needed to apologize. But seeing you apologize made me see more of your inner depths. And honestly I don't think anyone else is more capable than you as leader." Henry goes up to Simon and says "I guess we both have a lot to learn from each other huh?" Simon nods in response to Henry's question. Nia then walks up Simon and gives him a hug out of affection. Simon returns the hug and he says "I couldn't have done it without you or Guilmon... Thank you." Nia responds "You know I gave my heart to you right Simon?" Simon nods in response and says "The feelings mutual Nia."

Emir then walks up to Simon and says "Well, I gotta headbutt you again just to give back those memories." Simon responds "Afterwards, you and I have to have a talk." Emir then says "Deal, now brace yourself." Simon braces himself for impact and takes another charged up headbutt. Simon then says "I'm gonna be feeling that in the morning." Wargrowlmon goes up to Simon and says "How long are you going to be wearing that armor?" Simon responds "I think I can remove, hold on a second." Simon then concentrates and the armor is removed off of him. He is now left in his sleevless shirt, black jeans, and steel toed boots. "Now then, we'll return home for now... But we need to prepare for the next Deva." They then walked off towards the sunset.

Now that Simon is back to normal from the hazard's power, can the Tamers defeat the remaining Devas? What does Kittan and the other adults have to do with the incident? Find out next time on Digimon Tamers Crimson!