Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or any of its characters. Please support the official release.
"Favorite Episode"
It had almost seemed too convenient. A data stream leading directly to Takato and Henry. In any other scenario, Rika probably would have questioned it more, but her group had been wandering the desert for what felt like days and Growlmon was positive it wasn't a trick.
So they had held their ground in the path of the oncoming data stream, let it grab them up and transport them across the Digital World. Sure enough, waiting for them upon their arrival, were Takato and Henry. Unfortunately, any relief that came from seeing their lost friends didn't last.
Rapidmon was already down, having tried to fight the Mega-leveled Beelzemon on his own. The rest of them immediately charged into the fight, but the ensuing chaos made it plainly clear how out of their depth they all were, even when fighting together.
Kyubimon had dashed forward, meeting Beelzemon head-on and knocking him off his motorcycle. Now they were both on the ground, though Beelzemon seemed barely fazed and was easily getting to his feet. Rika tried to come up with a plan or any kind of response but was having trouble concentrating due to the constant crying of Henry's sister, who had somehow magically appeared in the Digital World.
"Kyubimon, you have to get up!" Rika hesitated, trying to focus on her DigiVice and modify cards in the hopes of calling up the Blue Card needed to help her partner reach the Ultimate level. "To digivolve!"
"I'm... trying..." Kyubimon grunted, barely managing to to stand.
Blue flames suddenly surrounded Kyubimon, an indicator of her signature "Dragon Wheel" attack. She charged again, wrapping her attack around Beelzemon's arms and setting his gauntlets on fire. Kyubimon collapsed as soon as the attack subsided, almost as though it had hurt her more than her opponent.
"Kyubimon!" Rika called out, powerless to do anything else.
"Nice try there, Fox Face," Beelzemon taunted as he dropped his ruined gauntlets and positioned himself for another attack.
"Don't you touch her!" Growlmon rushed forward, protective instincts and desperation overriding everything else.
"Alright, that's it! Get him, Growlmon!" Takato ordered as he stepped forward, with a tone and demeanor that Rika didn't recognize. "I don't care who he used to be, he's nothing but a monster now. Take him down!"
The effort was ultimately in vain, with Beelzemon leaping upward and laying Growlmon out with a single punch. Again, Rika tried to think of a backup plan, but it felt like fear was blocking her brain from forming any other thoughts.
"So much for friendship, huh Pineapplehead?" Beelzemon asked softly and casually, as he moved away from Growlmon and returned his focus to Kyubimon. "Don't worry, I'll deal with you later, right after I wipe out your uppity friend. Alright, Chatty, any last words?"
"Impmon, please..." Kyubimon pleaded, still unable to fight back.
"Be quiet!" Beelzemon's anger spiked, as though the very mention of his former self had done more damage than any attack they had managed to land.
"Oh no, Kyubimon, please get up, you have to get away!" Rika looked through her best modify card, but they might as well have been blank pieces of paper. "Stupid cards are useless, I can't do anything!"
She had failed. Earlier, Kyubimon had said she had chosen Rika as her Tamer because she wanted the best. Except that Rika wasn't the best. The best Tamer would have been able to save their partner, to fight back and win. The Tamer that Kyubimon truly deserved wouldn't be watching her get deleted and loaded. All Rika could do was watch as Beelzemon reeled his claw back and brought it back down to deliver the killing blow.
Leomon knew that he was no stronger than any of his comrades. Faced with an enemy like Beelzemon, he might as well have been a small bird trying to chip away at a mountain. He would fall, having hardly made a difference in this fight.
Leomon marched forward regardless, knowing full well what his duties were. He couldn't win, no, but he would fight to his last breath, because his partner and her friends needed his protection and he would die a thousand deaths before letting anything harm them.
As Beelzemon forced his claw downwards towards Kyubimon, Leomon caught his arm and held it in place, preventing his attack from making contact.
"I don't know who you are, but I do know you are being used." Leomon spoke with all his conviction, in the chance that reason and honor would prevail where strength could not. "This power you have been given, is it worth hurting these children to keep it?"
"You don't know anything!" Beelzemon snapped, only to be interrupted by Leomon smashing a fist into the side of his head.
"To have power is not to be strong. I know that better than anyone."
Leomon instinctively looked to Jeri, who stared back at him with wide, unblinking eyes. On the day they had met, he had hurt her, made her cry because he had refused to be her partner. He had promised he would never hurt her in that way again.
"Leomon..." Jeri said, so softly that it was unlikely that anyone but him heard her.
Unfortunately, Leomon knew that the only way to keep Jeri safe was to break his promise.
Leomon turned forward again. "Do what you must, Beelzemon, but I will not let you hurt these children!"
Beelzemon's only response was a scream as drove his claw forward. Leomon cried out in pain as the claw ran through his stomach, before collapsing onto his back.
Is it my fault?
Jeri repeated the question to herself over and over again, drowning out the voices of everyone around her. She felt hollow on the inside, like something indescribable had been ripped away from her.
First it had been her mother, taken away by illness while Jeri was barely old enough to comprehend concepts like life and death. She had been in so much pain then, and her father had simply distanced himself from her and left her alone with her sadness. So Jeri buried these feelings, understanding that everyone else simply wanted her to be okay again and it was best to just put on a smile every day and give them exactly what they wanted.
Of course, that meant her pain and sadness were never really gone, and watching Leomon dissolve into data in front of her gave them renewed strength. In a way, they were worse than ever. Before, Jeri had been able to look back at her mother's death as an outlier. It still hurt, but losing a loved one was a pain experienced by many. Now, with Leomon, it felt like more poignant. Jeri couldn't help but question if she invited this death, if her presence somehow caused it.
"Be brave, Jeri," Leomon's voice echoed in her head. Whether this was through her DigiVice or simply her imagination, Jeri couldn't be certain. "Part of me will always be with you. Remember, you have a lion's heart."
Then, Leomon was gone, his body nothing but flakes of data and his voice replaced by white noise.
Unable to hold in her tears any longer, Jeri screamed, letting her dormant pain and sadness be seen and heard.
Growlmon couldn't move, his legs feeling like sausages as he watched Beelzemon absorb Leomon's data.
"To have power is to be strong," Beelzemon declared. "I'll keep loading data til no one can stop me. No one!"
Impmon had been Growlmon's friend. Sure, not his nicest friend, but they had eaten and played together, like friends did. Friends didn't try to hurt each other.
But Leomon had also been Growlmon's friend. He had been brave and strong, and while he didn't play with the rest of them, he was calm and patient and answered Growlmon's questions about partnerships and destiny. Now he was gone, killed by someone who was supposed to be their friend, and Growlmon couldn't describe how he felt in that moment.
Growlmon's head was a mess of thoughts. "He was just trying to help us and you..."
Growlmon's eyes locked on Beelzemon, and he saw nothing but red.
"How could you?" Takato asked, not expecting an answer from Beelzemon. Even if he had one, Takato was past listening to him. "How could you do this horrible thing? I'll make you hurt. I'll make you pay!"
Without needing to be told, WarGrowlmon marched forward. Takato hadn't swiped a card or even so much as made a conscious effort to help his partner digivolve to Ultimate, but those details felt unimportant. The pair of them had a new mission, one they were both set on completing.
"Don't touch me!" Jeri shouted suddenly, momentarily breaking Takato's focus. Apparently, Kazu was trying to lead her off the battlefield. "Everyone just leave me alone!"
Jeri was hurting, and it was Beelzemon's fault. For Jeri's sake, he needed to be destroyed, and Takato refused to stop until he fulfilled that promise.
"Nice outfit, but you're still no match for me you big lug," Beelzemon said as he readied himself to fight WarGrowlmon. "Just so you know, Metalmouth, when I'm done with you, I'm gonna finish your friends off one by one."
"You're wrong," Takato countered, anger only increasing as his friends were threatened. "You're the one who's finished."
Takato let out a battle cry, and WarGrowlmon responded in kind. They wouldn't let this fight go beyond them. The turbines on WarGrowlmon's back ignited, propelling him forward, prompting Beelzemon to jump upwards to dodge.
"Take this, you big dump truck!" Beelzemon unholstered his shotguns and fired downwards.
The shots ripped into WarGrowlmon's armor, but didn't slow him down. WarGrowlmon flew upwards, catching Beelzemon in his jaws and biting down hard.
"Finish him, do it, tear him apart!" Takato commanded. They needed to end this. None of his friends would be safe as long as Beelzemon was still alive.
Beelzemon slashed his claws across WarGrowlmon's face, freeing himself and forcing the Ultimate backwards. Even now, the power gap between them was evident.
Takato knew they only had one chance. WarGrowlmon had to reach the Mega level. It was a long shot, and Takato wasn't entirely sure how to accomplish it, but they had been backed into corners before and found reserves of strength to win. This fight would be no different.
"You cannot lose, I won't allow it. I..." Takato hesitated briefly, clutching his DigiVice and digging deep within himself for the power they needed. "...order you to digivolve. Digivolve now!"
There was a quick lull as WarGrowlmon set himself back on the ground, followed by the symbol on his chest to repeatedly blink in a bright red.
"The mark on his chest is glowing," Henry pointed out, concern front and center in his voice. "What's happening to him?"
Lightning crackled in the sky above, followed by flames pouring downward, engulfing WarGrowlmon.
"Do it, that's it," Takato yelled upwards, so certain this was the power they needed to win. "Digivolve... I order you to digivolve to Mega!"
The flames dispersed, revealing a massive, serpentine dragon with jagged claws and a sizable wingspan. The dragon drooled and snarled, roaring as it set it sights on Beelzemon.
Looking at this dragon, Takato saw power. He saw the rage and killer instinct needed to finally destroy Beelzemon. He didn't see his partner at all.
"Guilmon, what have I done to you, boy?" Takato felt his anger dissipate, replaced by cold realization. "I'm sorry..."
He hadn't meant for any of this to happen, but between Leomon and Jeri, Takato had just wanted to protect everyone. Instead, he had made things worse, betraying his best friend for the sake of more power, and putting them all in more danger in the process.
Takato released his DigiVice from his grasp, letting it fall to the ground and shatter to pieces. He couldn't bring himself to mourn the object's loss. After all, he was the real monster in this battle, one who had never deserved the device in the first place.