Dedications: Thank you to the following: Coolcatuui, Hannahjosepha, Awesomeness3013, BlasterDragonoid, Saturn Lover, Itanayael Goldberg, Kamenriderfan98, Occlts and Shiovaun for adding this story to their favourites/alerts. Appreciate it.
I don't own Digimon. But I do own any original characters that are of my own design.
Title: Expect the Unexpected
Summary: Kimiko is the estranged daughter of Mitsuo Yamaki. For her fifteenth birthday, she acquires the Digimon: Labramon and becomes the fourth Digimon Tamer.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: No way… Ryo?
When the cube stopped moving and reopened, Kimiko and the others noticed that they had gone from one dimension to another, at least, that's what it felt like.
"What happened? Where are we?" Jeri asked.
"I don't know," Kimiko said looking around. "I think we're still in the digital world, but just another part."
"Like, what happens when those data streams pick you up?"
Kimiko shrugged. "Maybe. But I can't be entirely sure," she said. "I will say this though, we're long ways away from where we started. I mean, I don't see any sand or desert around here."
Takato sighed and looked further ahead. "Hey, it looks like a village," he said, pointing at a small pathway leading into the distance. "Maybe there's someone there that can help us."
"Remember what happened last time we thought there was a village?" Kimiko asked.
"It's worth a try," Takato defended. "Unless you want to walk around without a clue."
Kimiko sighed and shook her head. "No," she said, grudgingly.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Jeri asked. "Lets go."
Takato nodded and led them away from the cube that had brought them to this strange place.
As they walked, Henry fell into step beside Kimiko and took her hand in his. The blonde looked up at him and smiled. Ever since their little heart-to-heart a few hours ago, they'd been closer than ever.
"What's going on inside that head of yours?" Henry asked, leaning in closer.
Kimiko sighed and looked away. "I can't stop thinking about Calumon," she admitted. "Yeah, we've been split up and need to find each other before we can find him, but at least we've been split into two groups. Calumon, on the other hand, is out there all alone. What if we never find him? Or what if we're too late? What if whatever this Sovereign wants with him is life threatening? What if we don't get to him in time and him -" she broke off as her throat closed up.
Henry squeezed her hand tightly. "We'll find him," he promised.
"Before anything bad happens?" Kimiko asked. She shook her head. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Henry."
It was Henry's turn to sigh. He hadn't realised just how close Kimiko and Calumon had become in the few months they had been friends.
"What is this place?" Takato asked, his voice reaching back from the front of the group. He, Jeri, Leomon, and Guilmon had reached the village ahead of their friends and were checking out the strange architecture while they waited for Henry and Kimiko to catch up.
"Yeah, everything's so warped," Jeri agreed.
"It's making me dizzy," Takato added.
"Everything makes you dizzy, Takato," Henry teased as he rejoined his friends. "I wonder if it's because the data in this area is unstable?"
"Momentai," Terriermon smiled, riding on Kimiko's shoulders. "This is just another part of your friendly digital dimension. You're not in Kansas anymore, you know?"
"Whatever you say, Toto," Kimiko teased.
Guilmon suddenly stopped, his nose picking up the slight smell of something he could only assume was food. He sniffed and turned to a small box of what appeared to be chocolate donuts. "Look, food!" he gasped. He grabbed a cake from the box and stuffed it into his mouth. He chewed, and then spat the food out.
It tasted revolting.
"Guilmon, what's wrong?" Takato asked.
"Not food," Guilmon choked.
"Let me see," Terrimon said, jumping down from Kimiko and onto the stone table. He took picked up a cake and took a bite. The instant it touched his tongue, he spat it back out.
"You shouldn't eat everything you see, especially around here," Leomon informed them. "Not everything is what it seems to be."
"I could try," Guilmon said, lowering his gaze. "But when I see food my brain shuts off."
Terrimon exhaled loudly. "I don't believe it," he said. "I've finally become Guilmon."
Kimiko laughed and lifted Terriermon up, hugging him too her tightly. "We'll find something to eat soon, guys, just, try not to think about it, OK?" she asked.
"Where are all the Digimon?" a voice in the distance asked.
"I think they're all in hiding," another voice answered.
"Someone's coming," Takato said, looking around.
"Well, whoever it is, they sure are chatty," Henry pointed out.
"Maybe it's Rika and the boys," Jeri said, sounding hopeful.
"It definitely sounds like the boys," Kimiko said. "I'd recognise Kazu's dulcet tones anywhere."
The others chuckled and, sure enough, appearing at the end of the path leading to a set of stairs, Kazu and Kenta appeared but, although they weren't alone, Rika was not with them.
"Hey, hey, hey, we have returned!" Kazu called, spotting his friends.
"It's about time!" Takato called, running ahead. The others followed him. "You had us worried."
"Yeah, we ran into some trouble," Kazu admitted.
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Kimiko asked.
"Hey!" Kazu whined.
Kimiko rolled her eyes. "Where's Rika?" she asked.
"We had a little... disagreement," Kazu said.
"Define 'disagreement'?" Kimiko asked.
Kazu opened his mouth to reply when Jeri caught sight of the third person over his shoulder. "Who's that?" she asked.
"That, my friends, is the legendary tamer -"
"Ryo -?" Kimiko interrupted.
Kazu blinked and turned to face the blonde. "Yeah, how did you know?" he asked.
"Kimi-bear...?" Ryo gasped.
A smile spread across Kimiko's face and she rushed towards Ryo, throwing her arms around him as she reached him. Ryo responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her tightly.
"I thought I'd never see you again," Kimiko said into Ryo's shoulder.
Ryo held her tighter. "I'm sorry I left without saying anything," he said. "It all happened so fast."
The others stood in a stunned silence as the two tamers reunited. It was then ruined by Kazu.
"Wait, you two know each other?" Kazu asked.
Kimiko and Ryo pulled away and turned to the others. "Yeah," Ryo said. "Kimi's my little cousin. Emphasis on the little."
Kimiko slapped Ryo's chest as he chuckled. "I'm not that much younger than you," she defended.
"I was referring to how little you are compared to me," Ryo teased. He had always teased her about her height.
Kimiko stuck her tongue out and then looked back at her friends. "I take my father's last name," she explained. "But my mother's name is Akiyama. She's Ryo's father's sister."
"Wow, I can't believe you're related," Kazu said. "Why didn't you tell us before? I mean, if tamers were cars, your cousin would be the monster truck!"
Ryo blushed and scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Aw, I wish you guys wouldn't say that," he said.
"Hey, don't say that's your partner," Takato said, spotting the Digimon behind Ryo.
"Yeah," Ryo grinned, turning around. "That is Cyberdramon."
"Awesome!" Takato grinned. "Nice to meet you, fella." He greeted.
Cyberdramon growled, his whole body shaking as he viewed the other children.
Takato's grin fell and he stepped back in alarm. "I don't think he likes me very much," he said, returning to his friends.
"Don't take it personally," Ryo assured Takato. "He's not the socializing kind. He's really just a puppy on the inside, once you get to know him." Cyberdramon growled again and then knelt beside Ryo.
Terriermon stared, wide-eyed at the larger Digimon. "Puppy, huh?" he asked. "I'll believe it when I see it. Who's Ryo?" he added to Henry.
"He's the famous tamer who disappeared after winning a major Digimon tournament," Henry explained. "Some think he's the greatest tamer of all time."
"And he's Kimiko's cousin?" Terriermon asked watching as the blonde stared up at Cyberdramon. If she really was as good with Digimon as everyone perceived her to be, maybe she could reach the puppy inside Cyberdramon.
Henry nodded. "Apparently so," he murmured.
"Doesn't that bother you?"
"Why should it?" Henry asked. "She's his cousin, not his girlfriend."
Kimiko paused and turned back to Kazu and Kenta. "Hey, wait a minute, you never answered my question, Kazu," she said, addressing the boy firmly.
"What question was that?" Kazu asked, racking his brain. The conversation had changed so many times, he was finding it hard to remember.
"Your little disagreement with Rika," Kimiko said. "What happened, and where is she?"
"Oh, that question," Kazu said, looking sheepish. "Well, um, you see... she got all mad and just took off."
"She went off on her own?" Jeri asked.
"She wouldn't have done that unless one of you said something to make her real mad," Takato said.
"My money's on Kazu since he doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut," Kimiko said.
Kazu whined.
"She's got a point," Takato said. "What did you say to her, Kazu?"
"Nothing that wasn't true," Kazu defended.
Kimiko narrowed her eyes and then set them on Kenta. "What happened?" she asked.
"Actually, I think this is my fault," Ryo said.
"Hey, it's not your fault," Kazu jumped in quickly. "It's her, Rika, she's nuts."
"Kenta," Kimiko said, ignoring Kazu.
Kenta sighed. "Kazu kept saying that Ryo was a better tamer than she is, and the only reason she's the Digimon Queen is because Ryo wasn't around to kick her butt anymore."
Takato groaned. "Aw, way to go, Kazu, now she's going to be mad until the next millennium," he said.
"This is real bad," Henry said. "It's dangerous out there, something could happen to her."
"But Rika is so strong," Jeri said, "and she has Renamon with her. I'm sure she'll be fine."
"Jeri's right," Takato agreed. "I hope."
~*Expect the Unexpected*~
As Takato, Henry, and Kimiko worried about Rika. Kazu and Kenta bombarded Ryo with questions on how to be a tamer, where he had received Cyberdramon, and whether Cyberdramon had any brothers that they could attempt to become partners with.
"Maybe we should as Ryo about our mission?" Jeri interrupted.
"Finally, a reasonable suggestion," Henry agreed, coming into the conversation.
"Yeah, I meant to ask," Ryo said, looking to Kimiko. "What are you all doing here?"
"We're searching for our friend, Calumon," Kimiko explained. "He was kidnapped from our world by a Digimon Deva. We're here to rescue him - Takato, give me the pictures you drew, maybe Ryo can recognise them."
Takato rummaged around inside his backpack and drew out two sheets of paper. He handed them to Kimiko, who opened them and showed Ryo.
"This one is Calumon," Kimiko said, holding up the image of her furry little friend.
"Who's his tamer?" Ryo asked.
Kimiko shook her head. "Calumon doesn't really have one," she said. "He's a little guy that doesn't like to fight."
"A Digimon that doesn't like to fight?" Ryo asked. "Well, there's a first time for everything."
"He'd rather eat his weight in cream puffs," Takato chuckled. "But there's something about him that helps other Digimon digivolve."
"In other words, he's rather special," Kimiko said with a smile.
"So, who do you think would want to kidnap him?" Ryo asked, curiously.
"That'd be Makuramon," Kimiko said, holding up the second picture. "He's the Deva Digimon, I mentioned. He works for another Digimon known as the Digimon Sovereign."
"Devas?" Ryo repeated.
"They're badass Digimon that wrecked everything back home," Kazu said.
"If they could digivolve they'd be unstoppable," Takato said. "Not that they aren't difficult to beat now. I mean, that pig deva destroyed everything in sight, and all it did was walk down the highway towards the city."
Kimiko nodded. "Calumon's so small and innocent," she told her cousin. "I dread to think what the Devas and their Sovereign will do to him in order get the powers he possesses."
"You really care about him, don't you?" Ryo asked.
"I care about all Digimon, sometimes even the bad ones," Kimiko said. "But Calumon and I have a bond, similar to the one I have with Labramon. I don't want him to get hurt."
Ryo looked thoughtful and then nodded. "Then, I think it's best that we find him," he said. "Sooner rather than later."
Kimiko grinned and threw herself into her cousin's arms. "Thank you, Ryo," she said.
"Sure thing, Kimi-bear," Ryo smiled.
~*Expect the Unexpected*~
"It's not much farther, guys," Ryo assured the team as he led them to the place he liked to spend the night. It had been Labramon who had suggested they find a place to sleep, that and she needed Kimiko to tend to her wound. The burn had started to heal, but she wasn't completely out of the woods yet.
Kimiko brushed her fingertips against Labramon's head and smiled. "How you doing, Labramon?" she asked.
"Tired," Labramon admitted.
"Not far now," Kimiko promised. "Then we'll rest, OK?"
Labramon nodded and continued to pad alongside her partner.
Ryo, who had been watching the exchange from the corner of hs eye, sighed. This had been the last place he ever thought he would find his little cousin. Yes, he had tried to teach her about the Digimon game, but not once did he ever consider her to become a Tamer. From what he could remember, she hadn't even liked the TV show.
"Is this it?" Jeri asked looking up at the castle before them.
Ryo stopped and turned his gaze skyward. "Yep," he said. "I know it looks funny," Ryo said. "Staring at it gives me a headache, but it's safe. No one will find us here."
"That's a good thing," Henry said, leading the way inside.
The main hall was deserted, and the colour was just as black and gray as the outside village.
"This place is as huge as Kazu's ego," Terriermon said.
"Yeah, or you're the mouth," Henry added.
Looking up, Takato noticed several windows embedded in the wall at an odd angle. One even showed Earth, including the many data streams rebounding off of it.
"I'm sleepy, Takato, when is bed time?" Guilmon asked.
The sky outside the window instantly turned dark.
"I'm guessing now," Takato said in amazement.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'll never get used to that," said Jeri.
Kimiko nodded in agreement. She then turned to Ryo. "I don't know about you, but sleeping on the floor isn't exactly comfortable," she said. "Aren't there any bedrooms or sofas?"
"There's one big master bedroom upstairs," Ryo said. He held his hand out to his cousin and led her up the wonky staircase the minute she took it. The others followed behind.
At the top of the stairs, Ryo turned right and pushed open a weird shaped door. "Here we are," he announced, revealing a room with several beds inside.
"Wow," Jeri gasped.
"I know what you mean," Takato agreed. "I've forgotten what beds look like."
"It's like camp!" Kazu laughed, running into the room.
"Just without the counselors," Kenta said, following his best friend.
Jeri sat on the nearest bed, feeling the quality and texture. She smiled as the bed reached her expectations. "It's comfy," she said.
"Yeah, and bouncy!" Terriermon laughed, jumping from Henry's shoulders and landing on another bed.
"I wish Rika were here," Jeri said. "I wonder where she is sleeping tonight."
Ryo lowered his head at the mention of Rika. He still felt guilty that she had gone off alone.
"Hey, Ryo," said Henry, walking over to the newcomer. "Doesn't anyone live in this place?"
"No. This castle has been empty since I first found it," Ryo explained. "So you guys can stay here for as long as you want."
"Alright!" Kazu yelled, his voice ringing around the room.
Kimiko shook her head. "That's great, and everything, but we can't spend hours or even days here. We have to find Rika and Calumon, before the Deva's get what they want, and destroy this world and ours."
"You're such a party-pooper, Kimiko," Kazu whined.
"Sorry for thinking realistically, Kazu!" Kimiko snapped. "But we're not here on vacation, or at summer camp. We're here to save a friend!"
"You're always raining our parade," Kenta groaned.
"She's also always right," Henry defended.
"Don't remind us," Kazu muttered. "Resident genius in both our world and the digital."
Kimiko shook her head. "It's got nothing to do with that!" she argued.
"Hey, hate to interrupt, but am I the only one to notice that we haven't eaten in a while?" Takato asked, interrupting any further arguments.
Guilmon groaned. "I hate something that I thought was chocolate, but it turned out it wasn't," he mumbled.
"Don't remind me," Terriermon murmured.
"It's strange, but I don't feel hungry," Kenta admitted.
"And you're always hungry," Takato pointed out.
"Haven't you figured it out yet?" Ryo asked. "In the digital world, you only eat when you feel like it."
"Seriously?" Kimiko asked.
Ryo nodded. "Yep. The last time I had dinner, or any other meal for that matter, was more than two weeks ago," he explained.
"Wow, that's one heck of a diet, Ryo," Takato admitted.
"Hey, you get used to it," Ryo laughed.
"How do you get dinner around here?" Kimiko asked. "Last I checked it wasn't as easy as opening the fridge."
Ryo laughed, "Everything here is data, even the food," he said.
"You can't eat data," Kimiko said.
"No, you can't, but do you remember that story grandpa used to tell us?" Ryo asked. "How, in some places, you can just imagine what you want, and it appears right before you?"
Kimiko rolled her eyes. "If you're going to start quoting Albert Einstein's 'Imagination is more important than knowledge' then don't. It may be true, but you can't eat what's not real," she said.
"Try it," Ryo said. "I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised."
"I think I'll stick with my knowledge," Kimiko said. "It's never led me astray before."
Ryo shrugged and stripped off his armour, placing them on the floor next to the bed Kimiko had claimed. "You mind?" he asked her.
Kimiko shook her head and shuffled over. She used to share a bed with Ryo all the time growing up, why should here have been any different?
"Labramon, come here," Kimiko called, patting the bottom of her bed. "I'll check your wound for you."
Labramon padded over and hopped up, curling into a ball and allowing Kimiko to remove the band-aid on her hind legs. The wound was healing nicely, and no longer hurt, but Kimiko still wanted to keep it clean and covered to make sure it healed completely.
"There," Kimiko said once she was finished. "You get some rest." She petted Labramon's fur and watched as her eyes started to close. She'd sat at the bottom of the bed for tonight, at least there Kimiko could keep a close eye on her.
"We should get some sleep," Henry suggested. "We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
Takato nodded in agreement and climbed into one of the beds. He noticed Jeri had chosen the one opposite him and felt a pang of guilt and gratitude towards her. He didn't want to think about how he'd have survived without her here.
The room fell silent as, one by one, its occupants drifted off to sleep. Kimiko clutched the little blanket she had close to her chest and closed her eyes. The softness of the pillows easing her into a deep sleep, whilst the warmth coming from both the blanket and Ryo made her feel super safe.
~*Expect the Unexpected*~
No one knew how long they had been asleep, but they were soon disturbed by Kenta's screams of terror.
"What's going on now?" Henry asked, sitting up.
"Oh, that's just Knightmon," Ryo assured the tamers. "You don't have to worry about him. He roams the halls at night looking for more enemies to decapitate."
"Did you say decapitate?" Kenta asked, now scared. "What if Knightmon decides to come looking in here, and thinks we're his enemies?"
Ryo looked thoughtful. "Oh, well, I never thought of that," he said.
"Of course you didn't," Kimiko yawned.
"Look, just don't pick a fight with him," Ryo said.
"If he hasn't come in here before, I'm going to assume that he won't come in here tonight," Kimiko said. "Besides, if he were looking for enemies then he would know we are here by now, your screaming could've woken the whole digital world up."
Kenta pouted.
Ryo chuckled and lay back down. "Just stay out of his way, you'll be fine," he said, turning on his side.
"Yeah, OK, but what if he has a bad night?" Kenta asked. "Ryo? Is he sleeping already?"
Kimiko shook her head as she glanced at her cousin. "It's a gift. The ability to sleep anywhere," she said.
"He's either really brave or he's lost his marbles," Kazu said.
"I dunno. Maybe you need nerves of steel to survive this long in the digital world?" Henry suggested.
Kimiko shrugged. "I don't care, all I know is that I trust Ryo, and if he says it's safe to stay here then I'm inclined to believe him," she shimmied back under her blankets and lay down.
The others followed suit, each one drifting off back to sleep.
"Hey,"
Kimiko opened her eyes and glanced to her right. She smiled and found Henry staring at her. "Why are you still awake?" she whispered.
"Can't sleep," Henry murmured, careful not to wake the others. "Your cousin's got me thinking."
"Uh-oh, that's never good," Kimiko teased.
Henry made a face, and Kimiko smiled. She lifted herself up careful not to disturb Ryo or Labramon, and shuffled out of bed, slipping into Henry's as he made room for her.
"What are you thinking about?" Kimiko asked, settling down beside him.
"How long has it been since you last saw Ryo in our world?" Henry asked.
Kimiko shrugged. "A couple of months, why?" she asked.
"And you had no idea he'd come here?"
Kimiko shook her head. "I didn't know about this place back then, remember? I only started to learn about it when I met you, Rika, and Takato. Speaking of Rika, I hope she's OK," she said.
"She is," Henry assured her. "She's probably out there right now causing trouble with any Digimon she comes across."
Kimiko giggled. "I don't know who I feel sorry for the most," she admitted.
Henry smiled. He loved hearing her laugh. "Are you OK?" he asked, changing tack.
"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" Kimiko asked.
"Just making sure. I know this world isn't for everybody, and I don't want it to change you, you know?"
"You mean, you don't want me to go through the stress that this world inflicts?"
Henry nodded. "Something like that," he said.
"Kinda late for that, don't you think?" she asked. "The stress this world had to offer took hold the day I became a tamer. Already things have happened to me that I wish didn't, but I'm also glad that they did because I wouldn't have faced them otherwise. If there is one thing I know about this world, it's that it forces you to face the things that you're normally too afraid to face."
"Like your dad?"
Kimiko lowered her gaze and heaved a heavy sigh.
Suddenly, Henry felt bad and quickly reached out a hand to brush a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean -" he started.
"It's OK," Kimiko said. "My dad was, possibly, the biggest thing that I was afraid to face. Without this world, I probably never would've done it. I'd still be trying to force myself to be someone I'm not just to make him proud." She paused. "But if his attitude the day we left is anything to go by, then things are certainly looking up."
"So, you think he's changed?"
"I think he's trying," Kimiko said.
"Me too," Henry agreed. He lowered his hand, resting it on the space between them.
Kimiko placed her hand ontop of his and smiled as he met her gaze. Carefully she pushed herself up and forward, before kissing him lightly on the lips. Seconds passed and suddenly she pulled away. "Sorry, sorry," she apologised, realising what she had done. "I shouldn't have done that. I don't know why I did that. I -" she broke off as Henry grasped the back of her head and pulled her face to his, pressing his lips to her own.
The kiss was short but sweet. When the two parted they maintained a small distance, each one smiling bashfully. Kimiko broke the awkward silence by giggling, and Henry felt a huge weight leave his chest. He had wanted to kiss her for such a long time now that it felt great to do so.
"Goodnight, Kimiko," Henry whispered, winding his arm around her as she lay her head against his shoulder.
"Goodnight, Henry," Kimiko replied, curling up beside him.
As Henry and Kimiko drifted off to sleep, Takato started to rise in the bed at the end of their row.
~*Expect the Unexpected*~
The next morning, Kimiko and Henry were the first to awaken. The remains of the previous night still fresh in their minds as they each sat up and looked at the other.
"Kimiko, I -"
Kimiko shook her head. "Don't," she interrupted. "This place forces us to face the things we're afraid of, right? And, if I'm honest Henry, I've been waiting to do that for a while."
"You have?"
Kimiko nodded. "I really like you, Henry," she explained. "There was once a time that I thought being alone was the best thing, but I am really glad I was wrong. It's not often that I am."
"I'm glad you were wrong too," Henry said.
Kimiko smiled and looked around the room as the others started to awaken. Quickly and quietly, Kimiko jumped from Henry's bed and back into the one she was supposed to have shared with Ryo, the shifting of the mattress caused her cousin to stir and sit up.
"You always were a restless sleeper," Ryo whined, rubbing his eyes.
"I was not," Kimiko defended. "Besides, it's morning now. Time to wake up. We have to find Calumon."
"Can't we stay here one more night?" Kenta asked.
"Fine, then you stay here," Kimiko said. "I'm going to find Calumon."
"Me too," Jeri said. "And hopefully Rika too."
Kimiko nodded and looked to Henry and Takato.
"I'm ready when you are," Henry said.
"Same here," Takato agreed.
"Great," said Kimiko. "Then all we need is to find a way out of this dimension, and into another. Ryo, do you know a way?"
Ryo looked thoughtful. "Actually, I do," he said. He quickly got out of bed and dressed. "Come on, follow me!"
He led the team out of the castle and through the streets of the village. Soon they happened upon a spiral staircase leading both up and down.
"This will lead us to another digital plain," Ryo confirmed.
"It's almost like layers," Kimiko theorised. "We can either go up a layer or down."
"Yep," Ryo nodded. "This time we're going down."
"Why don't we go up?" Takato asked.
"I've never gone up," Ryo said. "I don't know what's up there, and I don't want to find out."
Kimiko frowned. "Why not?" she asked.
Ryo shrugged. "Never occurred to me to do it, that's all," he said.
"Then why not do it now?"
"Because we don't know what's up there, and I don't want anyone to get hurt."
Kimiko stepped down at his words. It didn't take a genius to realise his true meaning. Yes, maybe he didn't want anyone to get hurt but more to the point he didn't want her to get hurt.
"Okay, down we go," said Takato.
"Why should we bother?" Kenta asked. "I bet there isn't any cool Digimon down there?"
"Yeah, all the Digimon we've met so far have either been freaky or creepy," Kazu said.
"Sounds like the two of you," Terriermon teased.
"Hey!"
Jeri and Kimiko exchanged amused looks and giggled.
"Alright, you can stay here if you want," Ryo said, stepping out onto the uneven staircase. He turned and held out a hand to Kimiko, as she followed him, careful not to look down and lose her balance. "Say hi to Knightmon for me, would you?"
Kimiko grinned as she glanced over her shoulder at the others. Kazu and Kenta were exchanging horrified looks and suddenly both of them were rushing for the stairs.
"Since you put it that way," Kazu called, rushing to keep up.
"You sure have a way with words, Ryo," Henry said.
Finally, after a few winding minutes, the team reached the bottom of the stairs and realised they had made it back to where they had originally started.
"Great, square one all over again!" Kazu whined.
"At this rate, we'll never find -" Takato started.
"There!" Jeri called, pointing at something in the distance. "It looks like the light of digivolution."
"That means Calumon," Kimiko said, breaking into a run.
"Kimiko, wait! Stop!" Ryo called, running after her. He reached her just as she broke the surface of a large sand dune, exposing her to the vast plains of the digital world. "Is that-?"
"A thirty-foot flying dragon!" Henry said, spotting the giant serpent in the air. Astride his head was the monkey deva that had taken Calumon.
"It's Makuramon," Jeri said.
"If he gets to Calumon first then we're done for!" Takato said. "Come on, we don't have a lot of time!" He started down the sand dune, Kimiko and the others hot on his tail.
"Last one there has to wrestle the dragon!" Kenta panted as he ran to keep up.
Stopping short, Ryo looked up at Cyberdramon as he growled. The sound rumbled deep from inside the beast and he charged at the dragon deva as it hovered closer and closer towards the ground.
"Cyberdramon, come back!" Ryo called as his partner rushed at the two devas.
"What's going on?" Jeri asked.
"When Cyberdramon smells a fight he's totally out of control," Ryo explained. "It's like I'm not even here."
"But that dragon's too powerful," Takato said.
"Desolation claw!" Cyberdramon growled, slashing his claws through the air and blasting the dragon with a blue ball of energy.
"Ryo, that dragon is the Deva Majiramon," Kimiko said, rushing to her cousin's side and squeezing his arm. "The only chance we've ever had against a Deva is by digivolving to Mega. Cyberdramon may not be powerful enough to beat him at this level."
"She's right," Henry said. "You're either going to have to digivolve him, or you better have a good card up your sleeve."
"What's he doing?" Jeri asked, watching as the dragon shot into the sky and disappeared above the clouds.
"I don't think we want to find out!" Kazu cried.
The sky broke as over a hundred flaming arrowheads rained down on Cyberdramon, causing him to collapse to his knees.
"Hang on, we're coming!" Leomon called, racing to help. Guilmon and Terriermon followed.
Kimiko gasped as she Labramon brushed past her. "No..." she whimpered.
"I have to help, Kimiko," Labramon said. "Digivolving may help. It's a data transfer, remember? The data may help me."
Kimiko hesitated and then nodded. "OK. I hope you're right," she said, reaching for her deck and digi-vice from her back pocket. She looked to Henry and Takato, both of who were waiting for her. "Ready when you are."
"Digimodify! Digivolution activate!"
Digivolution!
"Guilmon digivolve to... Growlmon!"
"Terriermon digivolve to... Gargomon!"
"Labramon digivolve to... Seasarmon!"
The four champion level Digimon jumped at Majiramon and attacked. But the four attacks did nothing to slow the dragon down.
"What happens now?" Kenta asked, terrified.
The ground rocked as the dragon landed before the tamers, sneering down at them and preparing for another attack.
"I think this is the part where our lives flash before our eyes," Kazu said, shaking in fear.
The dragon reared up and opened its jaws, read to fire an energy blast at the children beneath him.
"We're officially toast!" Kazu called.
"Tee Dia!" Seasarmon shouted, swooping in and unleashing a thousand glittering arrows onto the dragon. It didn't even faze Majiramon as he batted his tail and knocked the arrows askew.
Kimiko gasped.
Suddenly, Ryo's voice cut through the ruckus. He drew a card from his deck and run it through his digi-vice. "Digimodify! Goliath activate!" he yelled.
A blue aura surrounded Cyberdramon and suddenly he started to grow, and grow, and grow. He stopped growing once he was bigger than every Digimon present, including Majiramon.
Cyberdramon grasped Majiramon's arm, crunching the bones and causing the dragon to yell out in pain. He then grasped the dragon's head, lifted him into the air and squeezed down on his skull, causing the deva to disappear into several tiny red particles of data.
The tamers stood in awe.
Cyberdramon glowed blue before returning to normal.
"Awful!"
"Awesome!"
"Oh man..."
"Unbelievable!"
"No Digimon can go through such a drastic change and still fight so flawlessly," Henry said, staring up at Cyberdramon. "Those two really are the ultimate fighting combination."
"What card did you use?" Takato asked Ryo.
Ryo closed his deck and placed them back in his pocket, along with his Digi-vice. "It's a Goliath card," he said.
"Dude! I would trade you anything for that puppy," Kazu said, sounding hopeful.
"Sorry," said Ryo, shaking his head. "But only the most experienced tamers can master this card."
Turning away, Cyberdramon reared up and roared to the skies.
Kimiko jumped and looked to Ryo. "Is he OK?" she asked.
"He wants to continue fighting," Ryo answered. "So he has no choice but to find another opponent."
"What, now?" Henry asked.
"Fighting is in his blood. It's the only thing he really hungers for," Ryo explained. "To him, battling that dragon was just a small appetiser. He won't stop until he's completely satisfied, and I have to go with him."
"No!" Kimiko cried, stepping towards her cousin. "You can't leave!"
"I wish I could stay and held you find Calumon," said Ryo, "but I can't control Cyberdramon when he gets like this. Good luck in finding your friends and saving the world, and who knows, maybe we'll find each other again someday."
Kimiko shook her head, tears blurring her vision. "We shouldn't have to try so hard to find each other, Ryo," she cried.
"I know, and I really am sorry," Ryo said. "Be careful, Kimi-bear." He kissed her forehead and then took off after Cyberdramon, as he rushed ahead.
"Cyberdramon won't find peace or satisfaction until he's found his ultimate enemy," Leomon said, watching as Ryo and Cyberdramon disappeared, "and if he never finds that enemy, he may be doomed to keep fighting until the end of time."
"How terrible," Jeri murmured.
Kimiko sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She wanted so desperately to chase after Ryo, after being parted from him for many months she didn't want to lose him again. But she also had her own reason for being in this world. She had to find Calumon, and Cyberdramon's quest for the ultimate fight didn't come close to finding the little furball.
"Hey," Henry said, placing a hand on Kimiko's shoulder as he, and the others, gathered around her. "We'll see him again."
Kimiko forced a small smile as she turned to Henry. "I hope you're right," she said.
Henry nodded and wound his arm around her shoulders as she leaned into him. He hoped, for her sake at least, this wasn't the last time they would see either Ryo or Cyberdramon.
Copyrighted ©
Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx
Chapter updated Tuesday, 11 April 2017 at 3:26am