Across the city everything quieted down after the devastation caused by Vikaralamon.
Having split up, Takato was in his bedroom and deep in thought.
'It's so quiet now, wonder how long that'll last? It's so wild how everything's gone back to normal so quickly. Well, maybe not so normal. But not bad considering the city was this close to being wiped off the planet. That last Deva was the most powerful yet. If we have to face another like it without being able to digivolve we'll be toast. And we have to find a way into the Digital World and rescue Calumon.' The brunette thought, but was still unsure exactly how he could achieve that goal, before his thoughts drifted to his parents.
'It'll be dangerous and I can't go without telling my parents. I'd tell 'em about Guilmon and fighting lethal Digimon, but mom freaks when I get a bloody nose. This'll send her off the deep end.' He thought, further puzzled and conflicted as to what to do, wanting to help Calumon, but he also wanted to be able to leave without causing his family any distress.
While Takato remained concerned for his parents, similar occurrences were playing within the Nonaka residence, where Seiko and Renamon looked on, seeing Rumiko hugging Rika tightly, crying as she held her daughter.
"Oh, Rika... if anything happened to you..." Rumiko cried, her show of emotion a distress to Rika as she thought. 'I've never seen her so worried.'
'I can't leave her, can I?' Rika then thought, before going deeper in her emotions. 'Not without letting her know how I feel.'
-Meanwhile-
At the Wong's apartment, within his room, Henry's was at his computer and typing, trying to get a lock on any signals that matched the same frequency that the Devas used to enter their world, hoping to use any as an access point into the Digital World, but so far no luck.
'I've scanned the network, still nothing. I hope the others are having better luck.' Henry thought, continuing to type and analyze the data he was gathering, only to stop as he heard his father's voice.
"Henry, you troublemaker, get in here." Janyu called with a calmness, where Henry got up from his chair, allowing Terriermon upon his shoulder, where the pair exited the bedroom and entered Jany's office, seeing that like Henry, his father was also typing away at his computer, in the midst of his own research.
Curious as he approached his father, after shutting the door as to give them privacy, Henry then asked. "What's up, dad?"
"Henry, give me your portable Digi thing." He just said, not taking his eyes off of the computer, confusing Henry a little, but he complied with his father's request.
"You mean my Digivice?" He asked, drawing out the device, which made Janyu look at his son and nod.
"Yeah. Come on, I'll arm wrestle you for it." He offered, causing Henry to immediately hand the device to him, knowing his father was stronger than he looked and said. "No need."
Taking the D-Power into his hand, activating the scanning feature, Henry watched as his father checked the programming of the device.
"When we designed the prototype, we wanted to give kids a way to communicate with and control Digimon on the network." He told his son, causing Henry to comment as he looked at Terriermon. "Maybe mine is broken because I can't control Terriermon at all."
"It'll take more than a piece of plastic to control me." Terriermon replied, which made Janyu laugh a little and say. "You know what I mean."
"But the plan was never designed for Digimon to arrive in the Real World." He then said, which caused Terriermon to ask. "Why not?"
"Well think of all the havoc Terriermon caused while he was here, then multiply that result by one thousand, not a fun thought now is it?" Janyu asked in reply, partly joking, but he and Henry knew that there were some seriously troublesome Digimon out there, ones who either acted out for their own misdeeds or because they didn't know better.
"There aren't enough SWAT teams to take care of something like that, but someone disagrees. And that someone is responsible for Digimon showing up." Janyu then informed, before saying. "Something my friends and I are trying to stop."
"In the meantime, stay out of trouble. I don't want to tell Suzie something has happened to her big brother." Janyu finished, knowing just how much Suzie respected and loved Henry and Terriermon, causing both to nod, giving their word that they wouldn't put themselves in anymore hazardous situations.
However, with the location of the Digital World still on their minds, it made Henry and Terriermon wonder what to do next.
-Back at the Nonaka's-
After Rika gone to bed and had fallen asleep, cuddling a stuffed Viximon doll Takato had won for her at the fairgrounds a few years back, where Renamon looked upon her Tamer with a caring smile, keeping as silent as she could as she slid the door shut and began to head off, only to stop as she saw Rika's grandmother standing nearby.
"Miss. Hata." Renamon said with respect, kneeling before the older woman, who smiled at Renamon's polite attitude, slowly approached Renamon and said in reply. "Rika is a lucky girl to have a guardian angel like you. I may not understand all this Digimon stuff, but I can tell that you care for Rika as much as I and her mother do."
"Of course, and if it would come to it, I would relinquish my life to keep Rika safe." Renamon replied with a continued devotion toward her Tamer, her tone turning serious as she went on and told Seiko. "Which could very well happen."
Confused, Seiko asked. "What do you mean?"
"Rika wishes to go with me to the Digital World, and while I know Rika is strong, the Digital World will be a dangerous place." Renamon told Seiko, who nodded and did express some concerns, before she gave off an assuring smile.
"My grandaughter has been through a lot in her life, but she has always had someone to look after her. I know that she is in safe hands with you, and she'll be protected with her boyfriend." She then said with a continued smile, thinking of the boy who had always been there for Rika.
"Thank you for understanding, Miss. Hata." Renamon replied, bowing in respect, glad Seiko trusted her with her granddaughter, before rising her head and requesting. "But if it's alright with you, Rika requested that her mother not know of this, so can we keep this between us?"
"While I do hate to lie to my daughter, I can understand the worry Rumiko would feel for Rika. So you can trust me." Seiko said in reply, understanding the bond between a mother and her daughter, but continued to trust Renamon, who remained grateful toward Seiko.
"Alright, Renamon. Have a good night." The older woman then said, walking past Renamon and heading off to bed herself, while Renamon used her speed and grace to jump to the roof and quickly scan the area, looking to see nobody in sight, where she then jumped along the rooftops and landed out at the front of the Nonaka residence, smiling as she picked up on the familiar presence of Guilmon, who poked his head out of the shrubs on the opposite side of the road.
"Hey there, Renamon." Guilmon said, emerging from his hiding place, approached the foxy Digimon and commented. "You look really pretty tonight."
"Thank you." Renamon replied, knowing that while they were about to start looking for a portal to the Digital World, it didn't all have to be work, where she was glad to spend more time with the Digimon she loved.
But curious, Renamon looked at Guilmon and asked. "So have you had any luck with finding any ways back to the Digital World?"
At Renamon's question, Guilmon gave a big smile and nodded.
"I have, and Renamon will be very happy with me." He said, sounding quite excited as he suddenly picked her up into a bridal style position as he began to carry her, which caused Renamon to blush at the position she was place in, but she was also interested in what Guilmon wanted to show her.
-Meanwhile-
Around the time the rest of the Tamers began to head for bed, still unsure what they would say to those they loved, Jeri was sitting on the rooftop of her home with Leomon, showing her continued kindness as she had brought him a glass of orange juice.
At Jeri's gesture, Leomon took the orange juice and told her. "You are too kind."
"I know." Jeri replied with a sweet smile, happy to just be alone and spend time with just her partner
"Thank you." Leomon then said as he continued to drink the orange juice, while looking at the night sky alongside Jeri, glad he had met her and become not only her friend, but also her partner.
However, as much as Jeri was happy just sitting with Leomon under the night sky, there was a question on her mind.
"Leomon, what's the Digital World really like?" She asked, her question causing Leomon to set his now empty glass down and ask back. "Are you sure you really want to know?"
"Of course I do. I hardly ever get the chance to travel." Jeri replied, continuing to look at Leomon with a smile.
"Well, it's beautiful, but it's dangerous." Leomon said, not wanting to sugarcoat the truth of the Digital World, knowing that even a Digimon as strong as him had to be cautious in some areas.
"I don't care about danger. So long as you, Henry and everyone I love is with me, I know things will work out in the end." Jeri spoke up, continuing to express her happiness and her confidence, only to go a little downcast as she confessed. "I only hope I can live out to be your partner. Sometimes I feel I'm not good enough."
With Jeri's honesty, Leomon was silent for a moment, before assuring his Tamer as he looked at her and spoke from his heart. "You're such a little thing, but you have a lion's heart."
"And that's why we're perfect for each other." Jeri replied, feeling better about herself and more confident.
-Back with Guilmon and Renamon-
Carrying Renamon through Shinjuku, the foxy Digimon was a little surprised as to where Guilmon had brought them, finding the red dino Digimon had carried her back to the outside of his shed.
"So why are we here?" Renamon asked, which made Guilmon smile and enter his home.
"Just come inside, I have something to show you." He called causing Renamon to do as Guilmon had said, where she entered the shed, noticing the massive hole Guilmon had dug in the side of the wall.
"Looks like Someone's been busy." Renamon commented, watching as Guilmon jumped down another hole within the wall and causing her to follow.
But once Renamon landed, she was amazed at what she saw beyond Guilmon, where she could see a flickering light.
Greatly surprised, Renamon asked. "Guilmon, do you know what that is?"
"From the tone in your voice, it's a good thing, right?" Guilmon asked back, which made Renamon smile and nod.
"That is what we have been looking for, the portal to the Digital World." The foxy Digimon informed, very proud of her Digimon love.
Approaching the portal, Renamon set his right paw close to it, finding the portal dragging her in slightly, causing her paw to faze.
"It seems we have our way into the Digital World, but we'll need to clear a little more dirt before we can actually fit inside." Renamon said.
"Then let Guilmon dig." Guilmon offered, (wrapping his arms around Renamon/ walking up to Renamon, where he ran a claw along her body) and said. "You have such a beautiful body, I don't want to get you all dirty."
Feeling her heart warming by Guilmon's caring words and his loving touch, Renamon cupped Guilmon's cheek, looking into his (beautiful/shining/loving) yellow eyes.
"That's sweet of you to offer, but I don't mind." The vixen told Guilmon, smiling slyly as she reached down, picking up a handful of dirt, rubbed it against Guilmon's cheek and said. "Besides, I wouldn't worry about me when you're covered in dirt yourself."
"Only because you put it there." Guilmon said back, giving a grin as he reached down and scooped up some dirt himself.
"Just like Guilmon do to you." The red dino Digimon then said playfully, rubbing the dirt he had gathered and rubbed it on Renamon's (chest/belly/face), making Guilmon giggle.
"Oh, you are going to pay for that." Renamon said with her own playfulness, before pouncing forward and tackling Guilmon down, causing both Digimon to laugh as they rolled around in the tunnel, trying to dirty the other one up.
Their playful actions lasted a little longer, until Guilmon wound up on top of Renamon, looking down at her with a big grin.
"Now Guilmon has you." He declared and was about to scoop up more dirt and really give it to Renamon, but found himself freezing up as Renamon moved her head up to his and kissed him, instantly changing the mood between the duo as Guilmon was unable to help but close his eyes and kiss Renamon back.
"And I am lucky that I have you." Renamon said after breaking the kiss, her cheeks flushing as she looked up at Guilmon with nothing but love in her eyes, giving Guilmon another kiss on his cheek, where the red dino Digimon got off of Renamon and helped her to her feet.
"But what do you say we call a truce for now and play later?" She offered, causing Guilmon to smile and nod, before moving to his knees and began to scoop away at the dirt, actions of which Renamon copied as the pair dug their way closer and closer to the gateway to the Digital World.
-Meanwhile-
Making his way through the Digital World himself, Makuramon chuckled as he kept a firm hold on his captive.
"Cheep up, shorty, you'll be back in the Real World soon." He told Calumon, who was just as scared as ever, missing his friends and greatly distrusting the monkey Deva that kidnapped him.
"But when?" Calumon then asked solemnly from within the cage Makuramon trapped him in.
"After you've helped us become its masters!" Makuramon replied, continuing to laugh as he carried Calumon off, while in another section of the Digital World was Impmon, who was slowly falling through the area, the atmosphere acting as if it were water, while Impmon just remained calm as he spoke to himself.
"Have I died and gone to heaven?" He asked.
"Wait a minute, in heaven I'm supposed to feel like a million bucks, but I feel like a turkey with the stuffin' beat out of it. Oh well, least I know I'm alive." Impmon then said, floating further into the digital mist, not caring where he was anymore and unaware of what was to happen to him.
-The next day-
Within Yodobashi Elementary, in his class while Miss. Asaji was in the middle of teaching her students, Takato had bigger things on his mind, which Rika noticed.
Leaning over, she whispered. "Everything ok, Takatto?"
"I'm not too sure." Takato replied, before telling his girlfriend. "We are going to the Digital World, but I don't know what to expect from it. I mean I know there will be Digimon, but we have no idea what kind are waiting for us, if they'll be friendly or try and attack us."
"I know you are worried, and I am as well." Rika confessed as she set her hand on Takato's, where she smiled and assured him. "But remember, we will all be there. We are a team, and together there is nothing we cannot do, or at least that is what you taught me."
From what Rika had said, Takato felt much better, causing him to smile at Rika, which made the redhead smile back, before she acted on her feelings, not caring if any of their classmates were watching as she kissed Takato's cheek, an action of which did surprise Takato at first, before he felt Rika's love and felt soothed.
After Rika kissed him, Takato smiled and looked down at his book, which was scribbled with drawings, including quickly drawn images of Guilmon, Impmon and Calumon, where the leader of the Tamers thought. 'Hang in there Calumon, we're coming for ya.'
However, his thoughts were cut off when he heard Ms. Asaji calling out to him.
"Takato!" She ley out, causing the brunette to snap from his thoughts and saw the frustrated expression on his teacher's face.
"Can you repeat anything I've just said? She then questioned, which made Takato rise up from his seat, trying to come up with something, but found his mind a blank.
"I... uh... uh... didn't got nothing..." Takato confessed, which made the brunette sigh at her student.
"It's detention for you, and I want an essay on the importance of paying attention." She said with a sternness in her voice, causing Takato to nod and reply. "Yes, Miss. Asaji."
Looking at Takato, Miss. Asaji sighed as she looked at Takato.
"Takato, I don't understand you. Don't you care about your grades at all?" She asked, causing Takato to reply softly. "I guess I do."
"Well you seem to care about your funny little drawings more. I hate doing this, but if you're not punished, you'll never amount to anything." The brunette then said, which continued to downcast Takato.
Looking at the expression of her boyfriend, knowing that Takato had a lot on his mind, Rika smiled as an idea came to her mind.
Raising her hand, Rika prepared to support Takato as she said. "Miss. asaji, I wasn't paying attention either."
"And Takato's little drawings are more important than you realize." The red haired Tamer continued, looking at Takato and at the paper, where she saw a few drawings of her and Renamon fighting, where she set her hand around Takato's and stated. "Takato is very talented, in many ways."
From Rika's words and the smile she gave to the brunette, it caused the other members of the Digimon Tamers to smile, where Jeri brought her hand up, got up and said with a cheerfulness. "I wasn't paying attention in class either."
Now realizing what they were up to, Kazu stood up, smiling as he said. "I wanna amount to something too."
"Me too." Kenta added, joining his friends, which made Miss. Asaji say. "It's an all out mutiny."
"Go on! Stand outside! You will all stay after school and write essays! Understood!?" She questioned, believing she was punishing her students, but was confused as to what caused their sudden rebellion.
Leaving the classroom, Takato, Rika, Jeri, Kazu and Kenta stood as one.
Breaking the silence, Kazu said. "This is the noblest thing I have ever done."
"Dude, you just wanted to cut class." Kenta pointed out, which made Kazu shrug and say. "Whatever, I'm just psyched we're goin' to the Digital World."
"This could be the last class we attend all year." Jeri then said, where she confessed. "I admit I am going to miss it."
"At least we are going with those we care about." Rika replied as she wrapped her arms around Takato's, resting her head on his shoulder.
And though he blushed at Rika's affection, Takato smiled, returning it as he moved his arms around Rika and claimed her lips in a loving kiss.
"Get a room, you two." Kazu said, teasing the pair and trying to embarrass them, but found Takato and Rika just ignoring him, too caught in their love to focus on him.
"Don't be rude." Jeri whispered, happy that Takato and Rika showed such signs that they were in love, part of her wishing Henry was there with them so she could be with her boyfriend, but she knew that in time, they all would be reunited for what would be the biggest adventure in their lives.
Remaining against the wall, the Tamers began to think of all they would miss, all they would leave behind, but knew it was for the greater good.
'No more soccer...' Kenta thought with a whining.
'No more soccer!' Kazu thought, sounding more relieved, namely because whenever they played, if Takato and/or Rika were on the opposite team, they would always thrash the competition.
While Jeri had her own thoughts, she then expressed one of her top questions and asked. "Since we'll be going away, should we ask for extra homework?'
From her question, all gave it some thought, before simultaneously disagreeing with a 'Nah'.
"It was just a suggestion." Jeri said, not minding homework, for she was one of the top students and wanted to keep near the top, unlike a fair percentage of the boys.
"You're crazier than a fruit bat, Jeri." Kazu then said with a laugh, but stopped when he saw Rika glaring at him, before she said. "And soon I'll have to deal with that in another reality."
While Rika wasn't overly keen on Kazu or Kenta coming with them, Takato had convinced her that they should be with them, not only because of their skills at the Digimon Card game, as well as them being able to share their Cards and ideas if they got into any tight situations, but when it came to Takato, there were very few times she could disagree with him.
-Meanwhile-
Within Riley's apartment sat the broken figure that was Yamaki.
Sitting on the couch, the blond looked at a laptop, displaying the recording during Vikaralamon's image as he rampaged through the city, while around the laptop were half eaten containers of food.
"Years of work, research, my brilliant plan to wipe out the digital plain, all flushed down the toilet. Failure does mot become me." Yamaki said, still sore from all he had lost, not moving when the door to the apartment opened and Riley stepped in.
"So are you just going to sit here and mope?" She asked with a stern expression, hating to see her boss
and her lover on the verge of despair.
"Well now, that sounds like a brilliant idea." Yamaki just replied stoically.
"You can't just shut yourself off because Hypnos is gone." Riley then said, knowing Yamaki had been working hard for many year, knowing he was many things, but she refused to accept he was a quitter.
Remaining in his mood, Yamaki replied. "Hypnos has nothing to do with it."
Unsure what was the cause of Yamaki's depression/slump, Riley approached the blond.
"There must be something you can do." She said, only to get no response from yamaki, not even a look at her, which made her mad and ask with some impatience. "Are you listening to me?"
'Actually...' Yamaki began to think, pulling himself forward and typing on the computer. 'Maybe there is something I can do.'
Changing the file from Vikaralamon and bringing up the images of Takato and of Guilmon, along with detailed information about the two, hope began to return to Yamaki as he thought. 'Those children, those Digimon, I may still have a chance.'
He calls up a profile of Takato and Guilmon on his laptop Yamaki started to thinking ' umm Those children and their digimon may still have a chance.'
-Back with the Tamers-
After finishing their detention, having spent most of the time preparing themselves for the Digital World, trading Digimon Cards and discussing strategies, Takato and the others smiled as Renamon appeared.
"Rika, we have found a way to the Digital World." Renamon informed, causing the group to smile and for Rika to say. "Way to go, Renamon."
"Actually, you have Guilmon to thank for it." Renamon replied, before she explained. "He found the entrance while digging around in his shed."
"Then please give this to Guilmon." Jeri said with a cheerful smile as she hugged Renamon.
"And tell him, we'll be there tomorrow. Arf!" Jeri added through her puppet, causing Renamon to giggle and nod.
"I'll be sure to pass on both of your messages." The vixen replied, using her speed to teleport out of the area and head on back to the park, where she and Guilmon waited for Takato and the others to show up.
And with Renamon heading off, the Tamers headed outside, meeting up with Henry and Terriermon.
Glad to see her boyfriend, Jeri walked up to the blue haired boy and asked. "So have you said your goodbyes?"
"I have. And while I know my parents will miss me, they took the news better than expected." Henry replied, before adding. "And Suzie was a little upset that I had to go, but we promised we would get her a souvenir. So if we find anything kid friendly in the Digital World, try and keep hold of it."
"Unless it's another Digimon." Terriermon said, not caring what they had done, but believed no Digimon deserved to be treated as he had been during his charade as Suzie's doll, Princess Fluffypants, where the image of a Cerbermon dressed up in a skirt and fed like a baby came to mind.
"We'll meet at Guilmon at his hideout tomorrow morning, then we'll embark on a perilous journey into a dimension fraught with danger here's to for unknown to man, so remember to pack a toothbrush. To adventure!" Henry said, which caused the others to agree with the blue haired boy.
However, in the corner of her eyes, Rika noticed Takato's expression, which held some nervousness, causing Rika to ask. "Takato, what's wrong?"
Turning to face Rika, Takato expressed his worry as he said. "I was thinking before we leave I want my parents to meet Guilmon, but I am nervous as to how they will they react to seeing him."
"I understand." Rika said, smiling as she went on and told the brunette. "While I had a little trouble introducing Renamon to my mother, I can understand the worry about showing a digital dinosaur to your folks, so what if I come along for support, to show Guilmon might look a little fearsome but inside, he is as sweet as his Tamer?"
Takato smiled at Rika's offer, where he said with gratitude. "Thank you, Rika. I know that my folks might not listen to me, but they will listen to you."
"If I might make a suggestion?" Renamon spoke up as she approached Takato and Rika, having an idea of her own, where she moved to Rika and began to whisper in her ear, causing Rika to nod, smile and laugh a little.
"What? What are you talking about?" Takato asked, wondering what Renamon was saying.
"Just head on home and I'll tell you." Rika replied with a smile as she set her arm around Takato, before nodding ot Renamon, who nodded back and leapt off, the sight of Renamon leaving causing Guilmon to quickly follow her, not too sure himself, but he trusted Rika and the Digimon he loved.
-Sometime later-
Arriving through the front of the Matsuki bakery, just as a young female customer was coming out, where Yoshie Matsuki smiled from behind the counter, not only at seeing Takato and Rika, but at the attitude of her son.
"Allow me." He offered, holding the door open for the woman and for Rika, which made both smile.
"Thank you. You are quite the gentleman." The woman said with a smile, leaving the bakery and allowing Takato and Rika inside.
At seeing Takato's girlfriend enter the bakery, Yoshie remained in her cheerful mood as she said. "Rika, it is good to see you again."
"It's good to see you as well, Mrs. Matsuki." Rika replied, bowing in respect.
However, as happy as Yoshie was to see Rika, Takato had to break the moment as he walked behind the counter and asked. "Listen. I need to talk to you and dad about something really important, so would you mind if we closed the bakery early?"
"What could be so important that you want us to close?" Yoshie asked, before questioning and ranting. "Did you get into serious troble at school? If I get a call from Miss. Asaji, you'll be grounded until your thirtieth birthday."
"Mrs. Matsuki." Rika spoke up, getting the brunette's attention, where she informed. "This has nothing to do with Takato's grades, but it is of great importance to our futures."
Not completely sure what Rika meant by their futures, but knowing that the redhead was nothing but a positive role model for her son, Yoshie agreed, where she approached the bakery entrance, locked the door and swung the sign attached to the glass from 'Come in. We are open' to 'Sorry. We are closed'.
"So, what do you want to talk about?"
-Several minutes later-
After getting Takato's father and meeting up in the dining room, the parents of Takato sat at one end of their dining table, while Takato and Rika sat at the opposite, facing his parents as they prepared to tell them everything.
Guilmon, Digimon, the Digital World, nothing was going to be a secret anymore.
Takato took a deep breath and let it out, trying to calm his nerves as he looked at his parents.
"Mom, dad, do you remember the drawings I did of Guilmon?" He asked, taking out the notepad from his pocket and slid it across the table, displaying the image of the red dino Digimon.
Looking through the pad, Takato's parents saw their son's drawings of Guilmon, Growlmon and some pages of Rika dressed in a strange fox costume, where Takato then said. "Well you will find this hard, but Guilmon is real. After I drew this, he eventually appeared to me. I admit he was a handle to start off with, but thanks to Rika, Henry, Renamon and Terriermon, we were able to help him, making him act more mature so he wouldn't cause trouble."
"Digimon? As in creatures like that the same horrible pig monster that attacked Shinjuku?" Yoshie asked with some worry in her voice.
"In a manner of speaking, yes, but I can assure you not all Digimon are bad." Rika replied, before looking at Takato and saying with pride. "If anything, Takato is a hero. He and Guilmon work as a team to stop other Digimon that enter the Real World and cause trouble."
"Thank you." Takato said back to Rika, before he added. "And you and Rika make an awesome team."
From Takato's words, his parents were a little confused, with Takehiro asking. "Wait. What do you mean by you and Rika?"
"Exactly what he says." Both of Takato's parents heard Rika say, but saw she didn't move her mouth, nor did her voice come from her direction, which caused the pair to turn, looking to the left of the room to see a secondary Rika and what looked like a more detailed and living version of Takato's dinosaur drawings enter the room.
Confused to see a second Rika, but more stunned at seeing Guilmon, Yoshie screamed.
"What is this? What is that thing? And how are there two Rikas?" She then asked through her continued state of astonishment.
"Takato gave me his spare key to let me in." The Rika with Guilmon said, holding up the keys to the bakery doors.
"And we had hoped that by talking to me, you would see that there are Digimon that can be trusted." The Rika seated beside Takato said, before closing her eyes and concentrating as she enveloped her being in a cloud of smoke, dispelling her Rika appearance and revealing her true form, revealing herself as Renamon.
"My name is Renamon. I apologize for our deception, but I feel as though our talk has shown that Digimon bonded with a Tamer such as your son are of no threat to your or to him. It is nice to officially meet you." Renamon said as she got to her feet, not only allowing Rika to sit in her place, but to bow and show her respect to Takato's parents, feeling that while Takehiro was more understanding, Yoshie was still in a fairly uncomfortable mood.
"And it's nice to meet you." Guilmon added with a cheerfulness as he walked over to Takato's parents, causing Yoshie to scream again and cower behind her husband.
"I guess we should've given it a few more minutes before we made the introductions." Rika commented at seeing how terrified Yoshie remained, causing Guilmon to back away, not wanting to accidentally scare Takato's mother any further.
After a few minutes, Takehiro managed to calm his wife down, allowing Takato and Rika, the real Rika, to speak, where Takato then said. "As Renamon told you, there are bad Digimon out there that we have been fighting, and it was just after we defeated Vikaralamon that our friend Calumon was kidnapped. That is why we need to go to the Digital World and save him."
"You can't, especially with those creatures!" Yoshie said back, still afraid of the Digimon that now occupied her home.
While understanding his mother's concern, Takato remained determined to change her mind as he told his parents with a great seriousness in his voice. "But we have to. Calumon has these powers that the bad guys could use to destroy the city. And more important, Calumon is my friend, and I'd never turn my back on someone who needs me."
Concerned for her son, Yoshie questioned. "Why do you have to do this? Can't an adult handle this problem?"
"There have been a few that have tried, but their actions have only aggravated the situation if anything." Renamon spoke up, thinking how the Devas used the Juggernaut program as an access point as opposed to its primary function to return Digimon back to the Digital World.
"And that is why we are going. We are leaving tomorrow morning, so I'll need to pack plenty of provisions and plenty of bread. We have no idea what is inside the Digital World, but I need you to trust us." Takato said, where he, Guilmon Rika and Renamon looked at Takato's parents with serious expressions.
laterHowever, Yoshie remained reluctant.
"Out of the question. You aren't going anywhere with these monsters!" She stated, causing solemn expressions to appear on Takato, Guilmon and Rika's faces, while Renamon remained stoic, but inside she was offended and upset that Takato's mother still distrusted her and Guilmon.
"Honey, let him go." Takehiro then said, where he faced his wife with a small smile and told her. "From what Rika and Renamon have said, Takato has been able to handle himself so far."
"But he's still a baby." Yoshie said back, wrapping her arms around her husband as she cried into his chest, expressing all of her love and concern for her son.
"No he's not." Takehiro replied, gently pulling his wife out of his chest, wiped her eyes with his hand and smiled as he told her. "And if anything should happen to him, he has Guilmon, Rika, Renamon and I am guessing a bunch of other friends to look out for him. Our son is a lot tougher than you believe, so we have to learn to trust him."
"O... ok..." Yoshie managed to say in reply, breaking her embrace with her husband and hugging Takato.
"Whatever you do, please come back. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." Yoshie said, tearing up as she hugged Takato, where he felt her tears dripping onto his shoulder.
Knowing their adventure would be dangerous, but not wanting to see his mother crying, Takato nodded as he hugged Yoshie back, where he then told her with nothing but trust in his voice. "I won't let you down, I promise."
"Don't you mean WE promise?" The Matsukis heard Rika ask, where they looked to see Rika, Renamon and Guilmon standing side by side and smiling, which caused Takato to smile back, slowly break his hug with his mother and set out his hand, causing Rika, Guilmon and Renamon to place theirs' on top of the brunette's.
"Tomorrow we set for the Digital World." Takato said, feeling excitement and some worry, but with the Digimon, his friends and his girlfriend with him, Takato believed they could top the Devas and their plans once and for all.
"But for tonight, how about we prepare some provisions?" Takato's father asked with a friendliness in his voice, worried about the well being of Takato, but he knew he could trust his son.
"Sounds great." Takato replied with a smile, before looking toward Guilmon, Rika and Renamon, where he asked. "What do you say guys, want to help?"
"You can count on us." Rika said, which caused Renamon to nod, while Guilmon smiled joyfully and cheered. "Yay! We make bread now!"
Continuing to smile, Takehiro was glad to see Guilmon's enthusiasm, as well as the friends Takato had made, before speaking up.
"Alright, if you all will follow me, we can start baking." He said, leading the Tamers and their Digimon into the back of the bakery, where Takehiro removed a handful of hairnets and aprons from the wall rack, distributing them amongst the four, with Renamon slipping her apron on and assisted Guilmon with his, causing all to laugh and smile as the red dino Digimon managed to get himself tangled in the garment.
But after helping Guilmon with his dilemma, the rest of the baking went along pretty smoothly.
As Rika, Renamon and Guilmon kneaded the dough, adding flour, water and shaping it, Takato and his father took the dough and set it in the oven, cooking it until it was nice and warm, continuing to bring smiles to everyone's faces, even Yoshie began to lighten up as she joined in, where she assisted Guilmon, who had asked for some help to make a certain shaped bread.
Removing the bread from the oven, everyone was quite pleased with the end results, finding that amongst some of the different shapes of bread was one that looked like Renamon's head, which had chocolate chips for the eyes and purple frosting that resembled the marks under her eyes.
"Guilmon make Renamon bread. It is made of two things I love, bread and you." Guilmon said as he handed the bread to Renamon, causing her to blush and smile.
"Thank you, Guilmon." She replied, giving his cheek a small kiss, showing Takato's parents that Digimon were more than just data, that they had feelings, which made Takehiro and Yoshie smile as well, more so at seeing Takato and Rika so happy together.
"And we made Guilmon bread for you." Takato then said, showing Guilmon the bread they had made, which looked like his face, which made guilmon smile and cheer, actions Renamon expressed a little more discretely, before Guilmon played around as he took the Guilmon bread and began to push it with the Renamon bread, making it look like they were kissing.
"Guilmon bread loves Renamon bread." Guilmon said, continuing to press the food around, which made Rika laugh and say. "Guilmon, don't you know you're not supposed to play with your food?"
Everyone continued to laugh at the antics, while inside, Takato and Rika were hiding their nervousness, still unsure of what lurked within the Digital World, but they knew they had to go, they knew they had to stop the Devas, they knew they had to save Calumon.
No matter what they would encounter, it was up to them to save their world.
-The next day-
Outside of Guilmon's shed, Kazu, Kenta, Jeri, Leomon, Henry and Terriermon had gathered, waiting for Takato, Rika, Guilmon and Renamon.
"What's taking them so long?" Kazu questioned, before saying with a little annoyance. "They said we leave tomorrow morning, not tomorrow night."
"Momentai." Terriemron said, not minding their friends to be a little late.
"Guys!" The group then all heard Takato call, causing their faces to light up as they saw Takato running up to them, alongside Guilmon, Rika and Renamon, with all four having bags set on their backs, while sticking from the side of Takato's was a massive flag.
"What the heck is that?" Kazu questioned as he looked at the flag, seeing it had the images of his face, Takato's, Calumon's and the faces of the other members of their group.
"It's the Tamers flag, the symbol of our group and of our bond." Takato explained with pride, which made most of the humans and Digimon smile.
"I think it's wonderful." Jeri commented as she looked upon the flag.
"Wonderful? I have no nose." Kazu pointed out, looking at his image and seeing how crudely drawn it was, while the images of Rika, Renamon and Guilmon were far more detailed.
"Well maybe if you spent as much time with Takato as Rika does, you would look better." Jeri suggested, which made Rika smile and say. "Nothing can make Kazu look better."
"Hey!" Kazu called, offended by Rika's joke, while the others laughed.
However, the laughter died down as the Tamers sensed they were not alone, where all turned and saw Yamaki walking up to them, only he was no longer in his suit, but a more casual attire, where Kenta said with some worry. "It's creepy dude."
As the Digimon stood before their friends, Henry questioned. "What do you want?"
Ignoring Henry's words, Yamaki asked in reply. "So are you kids taking off?"
"Yeah, and you can't stop us." Takato said back, not wanting to resort to violence, but found Yamaki didn't seem as hostile as they had seen him in past encounters.
"You can't go, not without this." The blond said, tossing Takato a black handheld computer, where Yamaki took off his shade, smiled and told the Tamers. "It's a comm device so you can stay in touch."
Now seeing that Yamaki was helping them, Takato and the others smiled.
They knew Yamaki had caused some mistakes, but from his expression, they could see he was trying to make things right, trying to break the fight against them and merge the Tamers and Hypnos as a single force for good.
And with Yamaki on their side, there was only one thing left for Takato to say. "Digimon Tamers, now it's on to the Digital World!"
"Yeah!" Everyone called as they rose their arms, cheering alongside Takato, before entering Guilmon's shed, seeing the tunnel and making their way inside, where all headed deeply within and came across the light, the portal to the Digital World.