Digimon World Tour Chapter 40: Turn On The Dark, a digimon fanfic

Digimon World Tour

Recap

[Rika] Commander Sampson had a rough day defending us in front of the United Nations. Heh, buncha bureaucrats. He ordered us not to cause any collateral damage when we fought. We arrived in Raleigh and took a tour around North Carolina State University. Seems to be a pretty happening place. Of course, the whole afternoon went to pot when I read some tabloids! They said I was bisexual! Are they kidding? I had to make out with Marcus in front of the cameras just to prove them wrong. On top of all that, Tactimon called Marcus on his phone and challenged him to a duel. I went along and tangoed with him. After ShineGreymon scorched some of the field, Marcus started losing it. So, I tried to cheer hum up by using Power Paw on Tactimon! It didn't work, but Marcus was able to summon the GeoGrey Sword, letting ShineGreymon match blow for blow! But now, I'm in the hospital for a week!

Chapter 40: Turn On The Dark

Greg

Commander Sampson brought up another point of business. "Rika... your presence on the team and in the band will be missed greatly for this week, and I wish you nothing but the speediest of recoveries." "Thanks, Commander," Rika said. "In the meantime, while you are making your recovery, you will have a temporary replacement."

"Huh? A temporary replacement?" we all asked. Izzy brought her in, and she looked stunning. She was a fairly tall girl with brown hair worn up with a yellow hairclip, purple eyes and fair skin. Her purple eyes stood out the most. It was either that, or her bust. She couldn't have been more than Rika's age, but she was stunning. She wore a pink sleeveless top underneath a pink and white jacket and a pink short frilly skirt.

"Hello," she calmly said. Rika reacted immediately. "You've got to be kidding, right? You're expecting that pink powderpuff over there to sub for me?" "You don't like my outfit?" the girl asked. I shook my head. "No, I think it's great! I think it's fantastic. Would you mind taking off your jacket?" Anya hit me upside the head and swore at me in Russian.

Izzy introduced her. "This is Nene Amano, from Team Xros Heart." "Team X-ros Heart?" we all asked. Nene explained. "It's actually pronounced 'cross'. I'm part of a strike team sent in to reclaim the Digital World from the Bagra Army. While they're busy attacking the Human World, they're leaving the Digital World's defenses low. So, we're going in and reclaiming it for the good Digimon." "So, essentially, you're Digimon freedom fighters?" Thomas asked. "You could say that."

Commander Sampson agreed. "Nene is an expert in reconnaissance." Marcus once again tried to show off his intelligence. "Oh yeah, yeah, wasn't that what the Italians had in the 1600s or something?" Or lack thereof. "You mean The Renaissance," Thomas corrected him. "Renaissance, reconnaissance, tomato, tomahto." Nearly everyone shook their heads, including me.

Thomas

Once again, my point is proven. Marcus is an idiot!

Greg

The commander went on. "In addition to her skills with her Digimon, she is also a prodigy on the keyboard." He pulled out a DVD from his pocket. "As much as we don't actively encourage musical talent in our organization, we have found it to be quite useful." He set up a TV, inserted the DVD, and pressed play.

["December"

Written by Ed Roland

Performed by Xros Heart [Christopher Aonuma (Vic Mignogna), Nene Amano (Melissa Fahn), Jeremy Tsurgi (Derek Stephen Prince), Yolei Inoue (Tifanie Christun), Joe Kido]]

The video is set in a warehouse, complete with a large, slowly-rotating fan. Nene is stationed at a keyboard, while Yolei this time has a bass guitar. Christopher Aonuma, a young man dressed in a biker outfit complete with a blue leather jacket and blue jeans to match, takes the microphone. Joe, the doctor, is sitting behind the drums. Jeremy, a new member, stands by with an electric guitar. Joe, Jeremy, and Yolei are in their usual outfits; while Nene has opted for white cowboy boots with pink trims, a purple dress with black trims, a lab coat and several gold chains around her neck. The presentation is simple, yet effective. Yolei plays the bass riff on her guitar.

Band:

Why drink the water from my hand?
Contagious as you think I am
Just tilt my sun towards your domain
Your cup runneth over again

Christopher:

Don't scream about, don't think aloud
Turn your head now baby just (Band: spit me out)
Don't worry about, don't speak of doubt
Turn your head now baby just (Band: spit me out)

Band:

Why follow me to higher ground?
Lost as you swear I am
Don't throw away your basic needs
Ambiance and vanity

We get more stylistic shots of the band. This is mixed with reaction shots of the Teenage Wolves watching. Rika is thinking, "This is supposed to be good?" Greg and Marcus can't stop staring at Nene. Kari pays particular attention to Christopher, perhaps fantasizing about T.K. T.K., Izzy, Thomas and Matt just watch. Kudamon and Commander Sampson show general apathy.

Christopher:

Don't scream about, don't think aloud
Turn your head now baby just (Band: spit me out)
Don't worry about, don't speak of doubt
Turn your head now baby just (Band: spit me out)

We get more shots of the band. This time, we get to see various camera tricks. The action is partly sped up, then changes to normal speed. The boom mic drops down for a second above Joe's drums, then goes back up. A close-up shot is taken from a low position upward toward Nene while she sings her counterpoint.

Nene:

December promise you gave unto me
December whispers of treachery
December clouds are now covering me
December songs no longer I sing

Now, half of Nene's face is juxtaposed with half of Christopher's face.

Christopher:

(Nene: December promise you gave unto me) Don't scream about, don't think aloud

(Nene: December whispers of treachery) Turn your head now baby just (Band: spit me out)
(Nene: December clouds are now covering me ) Don't worry about, don't speak of doubt
(Nene: December songs no longer I sing) Turn your head now baby just (Band: spit me out)

(Nene: December promise you gave unto me) Don't scream about, don't think aloud

The camera returns to a normal shot of the band, then the view pans up to the roof of the warehouse. Fade to black.

Matt

The commander turned off the TV after the DVD player went back to the main menu. "Of course, the commander and I have reason to believe that musical experience is not always a good thing to have in this organization," Kudamon said. "You're getting sick of it?" I asked. "Indeed."

We spent the next hour getting to know Nene. She had a little brother named Ewan who was about three years younger than she was. She enjoyed horseback riding, owned an huge Barbie collection and had an immense crush on Andrew Garfield. On top of all that, she was still a virgin. In other words, she and Rika were complete and polar opposites.

"All right, so you won the Rika Nonaka soundalike contest, but what gives you the idea that Renamon will even respond to you or your DigiSoul?" Rika inquired. "Why don't we just ask her herself?" Nene suggested. So, Rika realized her Digimon, and Renamon got a good look at Nene.

"I heard the entire conversation. Let me make this perfectly clear," she said, making sure her mouth was visible, "I am Rika's partner. I'm not planning on leaving her side until she gets well." "That's fine, I've got a partner of my own," Nene answered nonchalantly.

She held out her Digivice. "BlackGatomon, realize." Out of her Digivice came a black-colored version of Gatomon. Kari gasped, but Rika crossed her eyes and let out a sarcastic smile. "Well how do you like that? Now you're ripping off Kari, too! Commander, get this wannabe punk out of my sight." "I'll do nothing of the kind, young lady," Commander Sampson answered sternly.

Rika and Nene stared each other down. "You don't like me, do you?" Nene asked, getting straight to the point. Rika shook her head with a smile. "Nope. Not one bit." "You can at least be polite," Kari murmured. "Oh, believe me, Kari, I am. If I wasn't, I would've siced Marcus on her when she walked in!"

"Rika... you know I don't hit girls. Well... except you, but that's only when we're in bed and-" Marcus said. Kudamon just laughed in embarrassment. "I cannot believe what's coming out of your mouth, Marcus," he said.

Our patient just fumed. "Heh, fine. Go ahead. Take her with you to Dallas. But don't you come cryin' to me if something goes wrong! Now please, go ahead and beat it! I need my rest before my surgery." So, we said our goodbyes and left. "Matt, I was wondering if you'd do me a favor," Izzy said quietly as we left. "Go ahead, bro. Name it." "Remind me never to get on Rika's bad side." "Got it." "Good."

Rika

Renamon made herself at home in my hospital room. I was surrounded by doctors, nurses, and even a few physical therapists. I mean, I was glad I had Aura Mode on when I tried the attack because doing it by myself wouldn't have looked so good. I couldn't do anything else, so I brought my 3DS with me.

I got stuck with this one nurse. Her name was Gladys and she must've been about 62. She just talked on and on about her grandchildren in Wisconsin and never seemed to understand Renamon. So, my partner and I finally devised a way to get rid of her. I'd taught her a poem off the Internet, so we started reciting it together, rhythmically. We started out low. "Roses are red. Nuts are brown./Skirt goes up, pants go down./Body to body, skin to skin./When it's stiff, stick it in." Then, we got louder and louder and she started going insane. "It goes in dry, comes out wet./The longer it's in, the stronger it gets./Comes out dripping and it starts to sag." "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! You're disgustinnnnnnnnnnngggggggg!" Gladys screamed as she ran out. She never left to hear the conclusion. "Get your mind out the gutter! It's just a tea bag..." The two of us fistbumped.

"You know, Rika, we lose more nurses that way," Renamon noted. "Maybe they'll send a hunk this time," I said hopefully. "But what about Marcus?" "Eh... you've got a point, Renamon. I guess I should stay true to him. After all, if I hadn't confessed my love for him, you would've never have become Taomon." "That's true." "But it is kinda nice to be out of the war zone for a little bit. I just wish the bedpans weren't so cold."

They scheduled my operation for the day before the rest of the team left for Dallas. Marcus came by to visit, but we couldn't get very far because the nurse wouldn't let him get in bed with me. I thought about asking him to ask T.K. to use his Crest of Hope or whatever on me, but I didn't want to bother the kid with the bucket hat. When Marcus left, T.K. came in and offered to help anyway he could. I turned down his offer, but that didn't stop him from coming up with some sort of a theory. Apparently, Kari had sprained her ankle while out shopping in Paris, but Sora taught her how to use her DigiSoul to speed up healing. Kari taught it to T.K, who taught it to me.

The pre-op went as well as I'd expect. All I had to do now was wait to go under. And, I did. Had some dream, though.

["Blank Space"

Written by Taylor Swift, Max Martin, and Karl J. Schuster

Sequence Directed by Joseph Kahn

Performed by Rika Nonaka (Melissa Fahn)]

In Rika's dream, we see an alternate reality version of her: the version that hadn't gotten in a relationship with Marcus. She's a "serial-dater", and here comes her next love interest now on his bicycle. It's Koichi Kimura, Koji's twin brother from Digimon Frontier. He's dressed very nicely as he approaches the Japanese mansion.

Rika:

Nice to meet you, where you been?
I could show you incredible things
Magic, madness, heaven, sin
Saw you there and I thought

Rika greets her love interest and the two dine together before engaging in various recreational activities such as video games, painting, and the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game. Rika paints Koichi's portrait.

Rika:

"Oh my gosh, look at that face.
You look like my next mistake
Love's a game, wanna play?"

New money, suit and tie
I can read you like a magazine
Ain't it funny, rumors fly
And I know you heard about me
So hey, let's be friends
I'm dying to see how this one ends
Grab your passport and my hand

While painting Koichi's portrait, she turns to the camera and says, "I can make the bad guys good for a weekend." The two walk though the streets of Shinjuku hand in hand. They later ride bicycles along the estate. Inside, Rika hangs up the portrait of her new lover in a hallway filled with defaced portraits of ex-lovers, admiring its beauty.

Rika:
So it's gonna be forever
Or it's gonna go down in flames
You can tell me when it's over
If the high was worth the pain
Got a long list of ex-lovers
They'll tell you I'm insane
'Cause you know I love the players
And you love the game

'Cause we're young and we're reckless
We'll take this way too far
It'll leave you breathless
Or with a nasty scar
Got a long list of ex-lovers
They'll tell you I'm insane
But I've got a blank space, baby
And I'll write your name

Koichi spends the night at the mansion. It looks like the two of them had a "good time" together. The next morning, Rika's in her pajamas combing her hair and rearranging her Yu-Gi-Oh! deck (she runs a 60 Card Control Deck for anyone interested). The two go on a picnic, where Rika is decked out in her usual outfit with sunglasses. She rests her head on Koichi's thigh and playfully pops a candy in her mouth. Everything seems to be going fine until it becomes apparent to her that her lover is texting another woman, enraging her. She even gets a close look at the phone and notices that other woman's name: Zoe.

Rika:
Cherry lips, crystal skies
I could show you incredible things
Stolen kisses, pretty lies
You're the king, baby, I'm your queen
Find out what you want
Be that girl for a month
Wait, the worst is yet to come, oh no

Rika grabs the phone out of Koichi's hands and proceeds to melt down. First, she types a hateful message to Zoe, then sends it. After that, she throws the phone directly onto the rock garden and uses the rocks to smash the phone. The couple fights, with Rika accusing her lover of cheating before throwing objects at him in a fit of jealous rage. She grabs Koichi's head and pulls it in towards her before throwing him away from her.

Rika:
Screaming, crying, perfect storms
I can make all the tables turn
Rose garden filled with thorns
Keep you second guessing like
"Oh my gosh, who is she?"
I get drunk on jealousy
But you'll come back each time you leave
(Spoken: 'Cause, darling, I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream)

Rika is then shown singing alone by a fireplace her face streaked with mascara. She continues to smash the phone until it's obliterated. She defaces the original portrait of her now ex-lover Koichi by stabbing into it with a knife and tearing the canvas apart. She proceeds to set fire to Koichi's nice clothes, burning them to ashes.

'Cause we're young and we're reckless
We'll take this way too far
It'll leave you breathless
Or with a nasty scar
Got a long list of ex-lovers
They'll tell you I'm insane
But I've got a blank space, baby
And I'll write your name

If you look carefully, you can see other male DigiDestined and anime characters she's dated: Izzy, J.P., Sven (from Voltron), Sasuke (from Naruto), Kenta, Takato, Henry, Ed (from Digimon Tamers International), Ash Ketchum, and of course, Ryo. As Koichi surveys the hallway of portraits of defaced ex-lovers, he discovers that he is not the first that Rika has treated in such a way.

Rika:
Boys only want love if it's torture
Don't say I didn't say, "I didn't warn ya"
Boys only want love if it's torture
Don't say I didn't say, "I didn't warn ya"

However, he is too late to stop her from vandalizing his bicycle. Rika continues attacking the bike and Koichi, who flees from the mansion. As soon as he is gone, another bicycle arrives at the mansion, with another potential victim getting off it (this time, Conway from the Sinnoh region and Pokemon series). He and Rika give each other a look, and as Rika smiles in a sinister way, she pulls out a sheet of paper and crosses Koichi off, writing in Conway's name.

Rika:
So it's gonna be forever
Or it's gonna go down in flames
You can tell me when it's over (over)
If the high was worth the pain
Got a long list of ex-lovers
They'll tell you I'm insane (insane)
'Cause you know I love the players
And you love the game

'Cause we're young and we're reckless
We'll take this way too far
It'll leave you breathless
Or with a nasty scar
Got a long list of ex-lovers
They'll tell you I'm insane
But I've got a blank space, baby
And I'll write your name

We cut to black.

Greg

We landed at DFW International Airport and took two rentals to The Westin Galleria Dallas, which was a Westin Hotel directly connected to a shopping mall. And since Nene was the almost complete opposite of Rika, she happily went with Kari and Anya on a shopping trip. The rest of us guys hung out in the mall food court by the ice rink, wearing sunglasses of course. The hot topic of discussion was the new girl Nene.

"So, Nene's doing a tour of duty in the Digital World. I still can't believe the Bagra Army was able to wipe out all the progress we'd made," T.K. said. Matt took a large sip of his soda. "Better believe it, bro."

"Rrrgh, makes me wonder why the devil we're in Dallas when we should be fighting over there!" Marcus loudly grumbled. I looked at him disapprovingly. "Marcus..." "It had to be said!" "No, it didn't." "Easy for you to say, your girlfriend didn't get hurt in the line of battle!" "Rika Nonaka is my ex, and my friend, I'll have you know. I would die for her." Marcus looked at me incredulously. "You would? Then why'd you break up with her, buddy?" "Because you were able to give her what she wanted, and at the time, I considered her a replacement for Kari!" "That's right, you didn't have a chance in the world with Kari, did you?"

"Don't drag Kari into this!" T.K. reprimanded him. "Guys, keep it down. People are watching us," Matt quickly said. "Why should I care? Screw all of you!" Marcus shouted. Then, he walked away.

Nene

While changing my outfit for dinner, my Digivice went off. I answered it. "Hello?" "Nene!" Oh no. It was him. "What do you want now?" I moaned. "Everything is going according to plan. I will send out a minion. You will guide the group to the location, and then..." "No! Not that!" "Miss Amano, how quickly we forget who is holding all the cards here. I have something of yours, and unless you do exactly as I say, that something... or should I say someone?" "No!" "Aha... I see I've struck a nerve. Then you'll do as I say, correct?" I was trapped. There was no way to go. "...Yes." "Yes, what?" I gulped. "Yes, AxeKnightmon." "Good girl. Now, here's the plan..."

Greg

The rest of the day was relatively quiet until about 10:30 that night. We received an alert from Dr. Damon about a Digimon causing terror at Southfork Ranch. It was located about 25 miles north of Dallas, but was a very famous ranch. Something was off with Marcus, I could really tell. He was quiet, refusing to speak to me.

Kari

I rode with Nene, Matt, and T.K. in Matt's rental car. "You seemed pretty shaken up at dinner, Nene. Is there anything wrong?" I asked our newest teammate. "I... I can't talk about it," she finally said as she turned away. I looked out the window, thinking about what Izzy had said about this Burst Mode. I thought about how everyone else had advanced ahead of me. I was always the last in everything. When I was a kid, I was the last to get my partner Digimon. I was one of the last people to get a DigiEgg, too. I wished that for once, just once, Gatomon could be the first or second to get to Burst Mode.

Greg

The Dallas police were already there, along with some camera crews. An officer pulled up to my window, and I rolled it down. "Documentation, please." "Officer, we're from the Digital Accidental Tactics Squad, or DATS. We heard there was a Digimon attack here." I showed him my DATS identification, then he gave it back. "Oh... well then..." Just then, he took off his sunglasses and got a better look at me. "Say, you look familiar. Where have I seen you before?" Thomas lowered his window. "Do you believe in déjà vu?" he asked. "Uh, no." "Never mind, then. Please let us pass. It's important." The officer let us pass, and we rode through.

We parked the cars and investigated the area. Soon, we were able to spot something by the swimming pool. The Digimon had an appearance of a man with a panther's head and fire going up his arms. He was busy intimidating two fully-clothed figures who were in the pool. I recognized one of them, a silver-haired man named Patrick Duffy. "Frank Lambert?" I asked. We looked around some more, and sure enough, there were cameras everywhere. Thomas and Anya moved the crew to safety.

"Patrick, what's he talking about?" a woman with dirty blonde hair asked. "He must not have seen the new 'Dallas'. He's confusing me with my character from that sitcom I did in the 90s!" Mr. Duffy said, rather annoyed. "Who's the woman beside you? What happened to Suzanne Somers?" I asked. "Oh, good. At least you didn't call her Carol!" Patrick ranted. What was eating him? "Ugh, remind me never to get your autograph," I said to myself.

Just then, the enemy Digimon spoke. "You can't stay in that pool forever, brother! As soon as I fry you alive, I'm gonna take over this place!" I looked up the Digimon on my Analyzer. "'Marsmon, Mega-level God Man Digimon. Marsmon is familiar with all the ways in the world to fight dirty without weapons, and has absolute confidence in battles with others in the same weight class.'"

The others quickly arrived, and Marsmon took notice. "So, the eight of you humans wanna experience Marsamania head on? You wanna take on the fabulous Marsmon?" "Yeah!" Marcus shouted. We realized our Digimon, then got in position where there was plenty of room. Well, everyone did except Nene.

"DigiSoul, Charge! OVERDRIVE!"

"Gabumon Double Warp Digivolve to... AncientGarurumon!"

"Patamon Double Warp Digivolve to... Seraphimon!"

"Veemon Double Warp Digivolve to... UlforceVeedramon!"

"Gaomon Double Warp Digivolve to... MirageGaogamon!"

"Agumon Double Warp Digivolve to... ShineGreymon!"

"Lalamon Double Warp Digivolve to... Rosemon!"

"Gatomon Double Warp Digivolve to... Ophanimon!"

Then, we all looked to Nene. She looked like her heart was about to break. "I... I have no choice..." After a gulp, a sly, evil grin came to her face. "But to join you, Marsmon." With that, she walked over to join Marsmon's side. He welcomed her with open arms, raising suspicions. The rest of us looked in shock. I heard a splash come from the pool. As I rushed over, it seemed even Mr. Duffy was in disbelief. The woman picked his head up from the water.

Nobody said anything for about two minutes, so T.K. was the first to ask the obvious question. "Why are you betraying us, Nene?!" Our newest ally was visibly torn. "You wouldn't understand. If I don't, they'll hurt him." "Hurt who?"

"Who cares? It isn't important right now," Marsmon butted in. With that, the battle got underway as Marcus rushed in to fight head on. Marsmon put our drummer in a headlock and was just about to put him in an inverted facelock, when ShineGreymon snatched him away.

Nene finally brought out her Digivice, but it had changed color from lavender to black. "BlackGatomon, realize," she said with firm resolve and little emotion. BlackGatomon came out, scratched Marcus on the back ("GAAAAH!") and then got into position. She easily became covered in a dark purple aura, then posed with her Digivice. "Dark DigiSoul Charge. Overdrive," she deadpanned. BlackGatomon gained a black glow, then transformed herself into a form we knew very well. "Mervamon!"

The fight continued as everyone tried to make a move. We learned that Marsmon was not only the closest thing the Digital World could ever have to Hulk Hogan, but also that he was a dirty fighter! "Gale Claw!" MirageGaogamon tried to run through him like a hurricane, but Mervamon beat him to it as the two clashed. Matt escorted Mr. Duffy and his co-star out of the pool and towards the police so AncientGarurumon could try to freeze everything with his Absolute Zero attack. Marsmon was just too hot and could not be frozen. He pointed his pointer finger at us. "You thought you could freeze me, huh? Well, lemme tell you something, jack! You can't put these 24 inch pythons in the freezer! Corona Sanctions!" He attacked ShineGreymon with a magnificent aerial assault while clad in flames. ShineGreymon, being a fire-type, was unscathed.

Marcus pulled out his Digivice, entered in a code, then threw his hand over the Signal Port. "GeoGrey Sword!" ShineGreymon gained a sword and tried taking Mervamon to town. Mervamon distracted him with her breasts. She distracted Marcus, too. It took a firm "Ahem" from Thomas to keep him straight.

Ophanimon radiated a beam of purifying light from her javelin, but it got deflected by Mervamon's sword. Then, she did a forward rolling slash with her greatsword drawn and filled with power. It connected and broke the javelin. Kari gasped. "Ophanimon!" Then, Mervamon returned to ShineGreymon and did the same thing to the GeoGrey Sword.

After three seconds of taking it all in, Marcus' brain finally snapped like a twig, and he turned off Aura Mode. "THAT DOES IT!" He pointed his pointer finger to Nene. "You! You got some nerve, feeding us all that bull line about you being a freedom fighter in the Digital World and then siding with the enemy! You'll never replace Rika! NEVER!" "Like I'd ever want to replace her. She doesn't even like me. And come to think of it, I don't like you at all, you musclebound twit!"

With that, Marcus rushed Nene and threw her into the newly-defrosted pool. The two fought for a while until Matt, who had also turned off his Aura Mode, dove in and forcefully stopped the fight. The three of them got out of the water. Nene's teeth chattered, and so did Marcus', but the latter was too angry to care. Matt had to separate the two. This did not look good. The rest of us turned our Aura Modes off as well.

Nene tried to make herself look more worthy of sympathy. "You really don't understand, do you? The Bagra Army-" "Bagra Army?!" Marcus roared."They forced me to join them, they have my little brother-" "More lies!" He tried to rush her again, but Matt held him back. "Marcus, knock it off before I make you!" Marcus sharply hit him in the gut with his elbow, forcing them to lose contact.

Our Digimon had their own problems to face as Mervamon and Marsmon kept attacking them. "Come on, UlforceVeedramon!" I cheered. UlforceVeedramon led a brave charge against Mervamon, keeping a laser focus on the battle ahead. The two blades clashed for the longest time, but then they went at it again, and again, and again! Three times they went at it, with my partner always seeming to have the edge.

However, nothing could prepare us for what happened next. From where I could see it, Marcus' fist began to ignite with a dark-purple glow. His voice was chock-full of hate, malice, and pain. "I believed you once, Nene Amano, but I won't again! No MORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEE!" The purple glow consumed him as he let out his wrathful roar. As Marcus kept doing his best impression of an angry Tyrannosaurus Rex, suddenly, I saw ShineGreymon come up and make the same roar. A grey sphere covered him, and out of it came a differently colored version of Marcus' partner.

Kari

"Oh no..." Something was incredibly wrong here. Marcus had given in to the darkness in his heart. I could just feel it. Just then, I thought of something. This was it! If Ophanimon could reach Burst Mode, then maybe everything could be right again. I clenched my fist in determination. "Come on, Kari, it's time to make it happen!" I thought to myself.

Then, I called up to my partner. "Ophanimon! You've got to go into Burst Mode!" "But how do I do that?" she asked. "I don't know! But I'll think of something!" I closed my eyes and concentrated deeply, looking for any light to draw from. It was no good, there was too much darkness in the area. "Hmm, maybe- I can force the light!" So, drawing from everything I had, I forced the light into my heart. I felt a sting go all over my body. I felt my heart pounding in my chest, my breathing got heavier, and my blood pressure went up. This was harder than I thought it was. "Push, Kari, push!" I firmly thought to myself. "Hmmmmmmmm... hmm!" It worked! I opened my eyes, and the Crest was on my hand. I grabbed my Digivice and held it up to the sky. "Ophanimon! By the power of the Crest of Light, I command you to enter Burst Mode!" I felt a slight spark come from my Digivice, but I went on. I raised it up as high as it could go. "Activate Burst Mode NOW!"

Now I was feeling it. Something like electricity sparked through my body. I dropped my Digivice to the ground and grabbed my hand. The Crest was fading in and out, faster and faster until it disappeared completely. I dropped to my knees and grabbed my head, screaming. Everything blacked out. I could hear T.K. screaming my name, but it was too late. The darkness was taking over my body. "The darkness! The darkness! The... darkness... yes, the darkness... it feels... good. Really good."

T.K.

"KARI!" I tried to shake her out of it, but she slapped me aside as she desperately threw her head back and screamed. "AhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HA HA HA HA!" Her outfit became completely jet black, but her eyes became the sickest shade of yellow I'd ever seen. She also gained a dark aura. When she was finished screaming, she stood back up. An evil, cruel smile came over her lips. She bent over and picked up her Digivice from the ground. She spun it around in her hand, then decisively thrust her other hand over the Signal Port. "Ha!" The black aura seeped into the Digivice, going straight to Ophanimon.

She let out a scream of her own, which quickly became an evil laugh. Her wings became more batlike, and her color scheme changed. A large scythe grew on her back and dark flames shot out of it everywhere.

As for Marcus, his outfit, and body in general, became more monochrome. He kept pounding his fist into his palm, again and again, with an angry look on his face.

The now-corrupted Ophanimon flew over the mansion. "This house has seen nothing but sin and corruption. 'I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.' Let thy sins be purged!" She grabbed her scythe and put it over the mansion, setting it on fire.

Greg

Even Marsmon was amazed. "Incredible. What kind of power is this that you've put before the incredible Marsmon, brother?" "Shut up!" Marcus yelled, and he gave Marsmon the thrashing of his life. I timed it, and it took him 90 seconds to floor him. His legs were held very high against the opponent's upper back. Then, Marcus slipped one foot in front of Marsmon's head and under his chin, locked his hands behind his opponent's head, and choked the opponent by pressing his shin against Marsmon's trachea. Marsmon became a DigiEgg, which Marcus smashed into a wall. All of our collective jaws dropped. A number of people were running out of the mansion and heading for the hills.

In the meantime, Kari stared T.K. down. T.K.'s heart was sinking fast. "Kari... what's happened to you?" Kari's voice had changed, too. It was darker, more sinister, and slightly warped. "I've seen the light, or rather, the darkness! You should accept it as well, T.K.. The darkness will take everyone, sooner or later." T.K.'s eyes welled up with tears. "Kari, you don't know what you're saying! I can't stand to see you like this!" "Then you can fall and die!" she proclaimed. Then, she tackled her friend and threw him into the swimming pool, nearly drowning him. Marcus intercepted her and dragged her out of the water, leaving T.K. gasping for air.

ShineGreymon was on a rampage of his own, burning up several parts of the ranch to a crisp. He even tore up some of the fire engines that had arrived. Some of the others were out doing rescue duty. Matt even dived back into the swimming pool, then ran out of the pool and into the fiery house to save someone. Nene just stood there, frozen in fear.

Ophanimon later found Mervamon, who was on the run. It was no use, and in no time at all, the corrupted angel plunged the hunted soul with hellfire into hell.

Soon, all eyes were on either Kari and Marcus or Ophanimon and ShineGreymon. Marcus cracked his knuckles, while Kari did a quick ballet warmup using the gate.

Thomas

It looks like they and the Digimon might kill each other!

Matt

I never thought Kari could ever be capable of sinking to this low. "What am I gonna tell Tai?" I wondered.

Nene

Please. Don't look at me like that, Ewan. I'm doing everything I can to save you.

Author's Notes:

Yes, I based Marsmon after Hulk Hogan.

The title of this chapter references the Spider-Man musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.

Ophanimon Falldown Mode's quote is actually Ecclesiastes 1:13, King James Edition. I thought it was a nice touch for a fallen angel.

Marcus' finishing move came from The Undertaker. May Marsmon rest... in... peace!

You're probably wondering where Mikey and Angie were in the Xros Heart music video. Well, I'm not putting them in there. Jeremy was a last-minute swap for Ken, and I like Christopher a little more than Mikey. I never could get into Fusion that much.

Rika's going to make a quick recovery so we can ship Nene back to the Digital World in search of her little brother.

The woman that's with Mr. Duffy in the pool is Brenda Strong, who portrays Bobby's wife, Ann, in the now-canceled revival of Dallas. Actually, Step by Step is the result of a contract negotiation with Lorimar Television when the original Dallas ended in 1991. The show was created off of the idea of combining two of the most popular television stars from the 1970s known for their good looks (Duffy and Suzanne Somers) to star as parents to attract adult viewers, with current teen celebrities (Staci Keanan from My Two Dads and Going Places, Brandon Call from Baywatch and Sasha Mitchell from Dallas) to star as their children to attract children and teen viewers. Well, actually, Cody (Mitchell's character) was Frank's nephew, but that's beside the point. (Trivia: Mitchell and Duffy had previous experience as TV nephew and uncle on Dallas, with Mitchell as James Beaumont, the illegitimate son of J.R. Ewing.)

We're really ending the year 2014 with a bang, aren't we? Merry Christmas (or whatever holiday in December applies to you).

In the next chapter, T.K. gets to do some intervention therapy, 80s music style!