AN: Hey guys, hope you're all having a good time! I'm pretty good. Getting a new puppy next month, starting my Master's soon, and going home at the end of next week. It's a lot of changes, but I'm excited for each and every one of them! Just took a year of limbo and anxiety to get there.

Anyways, I had fun writing this chapter. While the healing in the main trio begins here, there's still room to progress. Not to mention Tasuke and Henry, but we'll deal with that a little in the next chapter. For now, enjoy Davis, Taj, and May slamming their egos together to find a way to move forward – as well as a fun, short little show of Rika and Renamon demonstrating how far the Tamers have come in twenty years! Especially Takato and Rika, what with being stuck in the Digital World. And Ryo, but he's... Well, he's Ryo. More on that, eventually I guess.

Responses!

To grabdog: I'm glad I was able to keep the Gethen reveal a secret without it coming off as completely out of left field. There were times I worried naming him after Lucifer and Gehenna was a bit of a giveaway, then others that I hadn't planted nearly enough seeds about Digimon hiding as humans being untraceable for it to come off organically. As for if it's that Lucemon... Yes. The post-chapter read by Lucemon was a bit of a confirmation of that. I plan on addressing some of the nature of the Digital World from the view of Quantum Computing combined with Quantum Physics – hopefully understanding it as well as I think I do, which is enough to bullshit my way through a realish explanation - and reconciling that Omnimon in the Okinawa movie was hinted at possibly being the one from Adventure. Maybe. Possibly. And Ryo's a whole mess on his own.
Takato's lucky that becoming Gallantmon makes his physical state so much better. A few years of peace made him a little too easygoing, but he's still one of the Tamers who stopped the D-Reaper. He'll never be an easy target. The next ten years fighting for his life mean he's at least out of the Dad Bod physicality.
I love Taj and BG, too. It's been a fun relationship to write.
And thanks! I'm excited for this next chapter of my life to begin.

To jacquelinemueller53: No, unfortunately, I haven't seen any of the rebooted Digimon Adventure, yet. I am a Dub guy myself, so I've been waiting for that to start airing first. From what I understand, that's the reintroduction of Mega Level for the Digidestined, right?

To Guest: Yes, Lucemon's really full of himself. Really, really full of himself. Luckily, most Digimon stronger than him tend to have pretty significant checks on their power. Meicoomon's either insane or at the same level of Ophanimon, and GranDracmon is just stuck. All the time. Still, you're right he's not the strongest, and he probably knows it deep down. What else would he want with BlackGuilmon and a Hazard-Type Digimon?

To OldStyle: Takato, Rika, and Tasuke's whole situation is difficult. I've put some thought into what might have been, mostly in an attempt to see how confident I am that what has happened in this story makes organic sense. I'll leave it at that.
As for the communication with Takato and Rika, I'm mostly just saving that for Henry and Tasuke's conversation. It's important and personal enough that I think Henry would want it to be private, even from May, Jeri, and Davis.
Auld Lang Syne is a New Year's song, with the title and song itself translating to 'Old Long Since.' Or more loosely, Times Long Gone. The song is about how those times should never be forgotten, and the people you had those times with shouldn't be either. Putting it on a pair of chapters taking place on New Year's, detailing flashbacks and revealed history was just too good to pass up.
Reapmon's Leak Information was described in an earlier chapter as the attack he uses to brainwash enemies. It's how he got Tasuke, for instance, and now the President. It's a bit looser; they want the President to act like himself, after all.
Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if D-Reaper Doomsday Cults began popping up way back when. But once the world was forcefed the line that Digimon were a hoax – well, it would have the benefit of invalidating those groups significantly.

To Smartalec121: Oh, there are some quiet hints about Lucemon. The most glaring is his name – Lucas Gethen. Lucas has the same root as Lucifer – Lux, or Light. Gethen is a slight alteration of 'Gehenna,' which has connections to the concept of Hell in Christian Doctrine. I'm glad I was able to balance it between being a surprise and making sense. Honestly, that was one of the things about this story that worried me the most.
As for Beelzemon, he will show up again. I also wanted his goodbye to Ai to really... punch in how much it hurts him to leave. It's a good contrast to when we met him in Tamers and he was running away, after all.
What HYPNOS is using against Jeri was mentioned a long time ago, back in her introduction I believe and a little about the convention she was at. She's an experimental psychiatrist, dealing mainly with young children who are dealing with loss. The children she is working with in her research are some of the worst cases, and she needs to be there for them. HYPNOS is essentially threatening to remove those children from her care and end her research completely. She just cares more about those kids than she cared about Tasuke, Takato, Rika, and Henry at this point.

Now, I hope you enjoy, and I'll see you again soon!

Episode 30: Talk to the Fist: Is the Team Broken Forever?

I glanced over at BG as I parked at school, giving him a scratch behind the ears to wake him up. "So, what do you think you and Dorimon are going to get up to during school?" I asked him after he let out a big yawn to wake up.

He groaned and stretched like a cat for a moment before making his way to his feet. "If I have my choice, stealing Kinnaebons."

"Cinna – Maybe, yeah maybe. How about we run by one on the way home?" I suggested. "It's been a while since I got you one, hasn't it?"

"Promise?" he wondered.

"Yeah. Promise." I glanced at my Digivice to check the time. "Hey, let's get going. I'm going to be on time for the first day, no matter what."

"First time for everything?"

I rolled my eyes and pulled the door open. "Ha ha. Laugh it up, Tiny." I hopped out and glanced around, making sure no one was around to see him leap out after me and run towards May's car. I watched him run off for a second before locking my car behind me and staring over at the school. A place full of people I'd never really known. Some of whom probably lost family or friends in the fight I'd been part of in Denver. It hit me then. I'd thought I was, I don't know, an okay person. But I hadn't ever thought of these people. I'd never cared if they got hurt or were happy or anything. And now I was responsible for that.

I shouldered my backpack and walked in.

I placed my things down on my desk and glanced over at May in the next desk. Our World History teacher wasn't around yet, so we had a little time. "Hey," I offered, putting on a fake grin.

"Hey, Taj," she replied with an anxious smile. She turned in her seat. "So, how'd you do on the Comp Sci final?"

"Ended up with a B+," I admitted proudly. I frowned after that, though. "Let me guess, you took over 100% with the extra credit questions used for college courses?"

"It wasn't that hard," she admitted, and my pride shriveled up in my soul.

"Th-that... Well, at least I took an A in Physics and Calc. B in History, though," I grumbled.

"I knew I was smarter than you," she shot, and it felt like a nail driven through my gut.

"Hey..." I grumbled.

"So, are you taking another Comp Sci class?"

"Ha! No. I need a break from you," I said jokingly. I almost frowned as I saw Reapmon strangling her partner and, therefore, her. I threw my grin back on. "Watching you finish the entire class before I've started the first assignment kills me a little, you know?"

She laughed. "Fine," she agreed. I let my smile actually fall. Fine.

"May -"

Her gaze flicked over my head and the smile came back. "Davis!" She held her hand up and motioned at the desk in front of her. "Over here."

He took a half step towards us, then his gaze locked on mine. The air dropped thirty degrees from his glare alone. Staring daggers at me the entire time, he deliberately stepped away and positioned himself in a back corner by one of the room's doors. "Why didn't he sit over here?" May asked. It sounded a bit fake we both knew why.

"Who knows?" I turned and hunched over my desk. "Who knows..."

Our teacher came in an a few minutes later the morning announcements came on, droning on about events, sports, an upcoming school trip to Washington, DC, and... a vigil for those who died in Denver. I clenched my pencil tighter and fought off the urge to vomit.

Three days later, things weren't going any better. "He's just... glaring at me," I whispered at May from one side of our lunch table. A few tables away, using sheer force of his glare to convince people to not get in his way of watching me, was Davis. As angry as he had been for days. It was starting to get more annoying than anything.

May glanced over. "Oh, it's not that bad."

till staring at me, he picked up a chicken bone and snapped it in half. Dropping it, he pointed at me. I gulped nervously. "Sure..." I muttered. She gave me a dry look and I sighed. "May, I... You know, I think you should go sit with Davis."

May shot an annoyed glare at her boyfriend, which cowed him for a moment, then she turned back to me. "Why don't we both go sit with Davis?" she suggested. She cringed upon saying it, realizing it would probably end with the trained government agent snapping my neck.

I grimaced. "No, that's a bad idea. But, May... He just cares about you. I don't hold that against him," I admitted. I toyed with my food for a couple minutes. "Just head over and sit with him. Really, I don't mind!"

"Taj, come on," she grumbled.

"Look, I just – Don't tell me you don't want your Boyfriiieeend to be lonely. Come on," I said, turning to a falsetto, sing song to embarrass her. "That's not nice, May."

She chuckled, turning beet red. "T-Taj – Come on, I -"

"I can't believe I didn't even notice you guys were dating. Looking back, you idiots were tip toeing around for months! He basically freaked out every time I joked he wanted to date you, and you weren't much better!"

She covered her face with her hands. "Stop..."

I laughed at her expense for a second more, then pushed her arm. "Go on, really. I'll be fine!"

She peaked out between her fingers. "Really?"

"Really," I assured her.

She sighed and pushed up, glancing over at Davis. "... I... Fine."

I cocked my head to the side and watched her leave, frown growing. Fine. She said fine again. "Crud..." I grumbled, letting my forehead fall to the table and letting out a groan. "I just want to go home."

Instead of doing that, I sat back up and watched Davis and May for a second. Focused on her, the anger melted away for a few moments as they laughed together. I stood up and tossed the rest of my food, my appetite gone, and went off to my next class. Alone.

X X X

"BG!" I hissed, looking around my car. "Dammit, Dorimon, you can't get him here early one time?" I froze and shook my head. "Okay, maybe I shouldn't talk..."

"Definitely not."

I yelped and spun, drawing a few confused stares from some of the students passing to their cars. Davis glared at me from behind my car, eyes narrowed. I took a breath to steady myself, feeling my own anger with him rising in my gut. "Why'd you do that?" I snapped after a moment of him just glaring at me.

"Get in your car. We're having our talk today."

I felt fire spark in my gut. Now? Finally? He'd been holding this... threat and meeting over my head for more than a week, and now he wanted to talk after I'd already let him glare, and scowl, and hate me and pushed May away so he might hate me less!? I clenched my fists and readied to yell at him, but he'd already started to walk away. "..."

"Taj!" I turned on a dime and saw BG staring up at me, worried and anxious. "What's wrong?"

I looked back at Davis and felt a flash of anger that I tried to shove down. He had a right to be angry.

But I quickly cut that guilt off, because so did I.

"Davis and I are finally having that face to face," I told BG. I picked him up and put him in the car.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" BG asked, even though it sounded like he was grinding the words through his teeth. "I don't now if I'm used to BlackWarGrowlmon, and Huckmon's been used to Ultimate for a while."

I grimaced. "I... don't think it'll come to that," I explained cautiously. Honestly, now that he'd brought it up I wasn't sure if it wouldn't. The easiest way to murder someone when you have one of the strongest Digimon in the world... is using that Digimon.

"Then let's go. I'm bored," he grumbled.

"You got a way with words. But you're right," I agreed. I kicked the truck in reverse and off we went.

The ride was mostly silent, the both of us wondering what was going to happen next. I knew I had my own issues with them, Davis especially. I'd been trying to bury it all, to forgive because I was the one who had almost killed them, but – I apparently couldn't just forget everything that had led to that moment. If he wanted to come after me, I'd give as good as I got.

"Do you think May will be there?"

I frowned. "No. Shes gone along with a lot, but he won't want an audience for this," I explained after a moment. "She goes along with whatever means less of a fight. This'll be a fight."

"I don't know if that's true, Taj." I cocked an eyebrow up. "Look, I don't really like her. She's a pacifist, her voice is annoying, she's bad at fighting, and her hair is dumb." He let out an annoyed sigh, as if he was cutting the list short when all he wanted to do was keep going forever. "But she helped Gethen for you. She didn't even want the furball to reach Rookie, but she did it for you. She won't just let Davis fight you."

I stared for a moment, then shook my head. "You see how smart you can sound when you aren't fixated on fighting like an idiot?"

"I'm only doing what you used to do. So can you start doing it instead? I'm the teeth, you're the... I think Huckmon called it 'nerd?'"

"Remind me to torture Huckmon," I grumbled, managing to snag a chuckle from my partner.

It wasn't much longer before we arrived at BG's old park, with Davis' old truck parked right there by itself. I sidled up beside it. "Empty," I muttered. Which meant he was waiting for me out there with his Digimon Ninja partner who could turn invisible. If that didn't scream ambush... I glared at his truck for a little while longer, then slammed my car into park. "Let's go."

I jumped out of the car, BG not far behind. An egg exploded around him, returning him to his larger form of BlackGuilmon as he touched down beside me. I double checked my deck to make sure we could run or fight if we needed to. I even had a plain card I'd etched over with the Hazard Symbol as I'd remembered it. Henry had said that imagining a card as a Blue Card – or Hazard Card, in my case - could make it into one and reach Ultimate. I didn't know if it was true, but if Henry said it was then I'd believe him. Even if that whole 'Biomerge' thing sounded insane.

We moved in silence down the park, knowing exactly where he'd be waiting for us – the place where he had fought Agent Smith and... and let her go. She'd tried to kill me and he'd let her go. I clenched my fists and we continued towards Davis.

Huckmon showed up first, standing alone in our path. "Davis wants to talk." He gestured his head at my partner. "Alone."

BG glared at him, smoke already rising, but I raised my hand. "I'll be okay. Stay here and watch Huckmon for me?"

BG glared at Huckmon for a while longer, then nodded. The smoke kept rising, but I knew I'd gotten the best I could. He stayed behind even as I continued on without him. Davis was waiting at the edge of the trees, at the bottom of a hill. Smart – it'd be hard for me to run from him like that. I glared down for another moment, then huffed and marched down.

"I'm glad you left your Digimon behind. No need for this to get bigger than it needs to." He turned around to me, and his flaming gaze met mine. "Tasuke."

"Davis." I pulled my hands from my pockets and clenched them into tight fists, then ambled around a bit to hide that I was placing my feet in a balanced combat stance. "What do you want?"

He moved into the same stance, not even bothering to hide it. But he didn't lash out. Not yet. "You almost killed May."

If I hadn't been snarling that at myself every day in the mirror, that might have hurt. But coming from him... "And you're the only reason she's in this mess at all!" I snapped back. "If you'd only come after me, she'd be a nobody with an ugly dog instead of wrapped up in all this! You were Gethen's lapdog – whatever the hell he's planning, it's your fault he got so far."

"My fault!?" he growled, and it was clear I'd drawn first blood. He stomped over to me and got close, fists shaking. "My fault! Your Digimon? He massacred a dozen in-training Digimon before he Bio-Emerged. I should have known his partner would be a bloodthirsty idiot, too. But I wasn't sure until you helped a Demon destroy downtown Denver and kill a dozen people! You almost started a war with Japan, you – you absolute pile of -"

My fist came up and crashed into his face before he could finish, sending him tumbling back. "Shut up!" I snapped impotently, already charging again.

His arm came up and deflected my wild punch, and his other fist came up right into my gut. The air rushed from my lungs and I stumbled backwards, gasping for even a little air. "You got angry when we didn't want to risk killing everybody just for your parents!" he shouted, grabbing my hair and yanking me up. His fist buried in my gut again. "Parents who abandoned you! Why!?"

His fist reared back again, but I was able to force myself to recover. I moved with the force of the hand yanking me and my forehead collided with his nose. Blood streamed everwhere and he snapped in rage, tumbling onto his back. "I hope it's broken, Asshole!" I shouted. I took a step towards him and kicked his gut. "You betrayed me, and you thought it wouldn't cause problems!? My parents abandoned me? Yeah, and I hate them for it! I don't care how much they were trying to help everyone, they left me! So you think, maybe, I have abandonment issues!?" I kicked his gut again. "And then you got May to betray me, too? To lie to me? To keep your secret about the crazy shit who tried to murder me and my partner!" I lashed out and he managed to catch my ankle, twisting it and causing me to crash to the ground beside him.

"Why are we letting them do this?"

Huckmon turned to BlackGuilmon, who was watching the entire fight with a deeply confused look. "You have all been saying violence is not the best first choice, so was that a lie?" BlackGuilmon continued.

"Humans are really bad at listening to their own advice," Huckmon pointed out sagely. "Wait till you learn of all the wars they've had!"

"Then... shouldn't we stop them?"

Huckmon shrugged. "No, I don't think so," he explained. He leaned down and rested his chin on his front paws. "Another thing about humans is that they need some kind of outlet for aggression. A lot like you, BG!" BlackGuilmon growled, sending smoke spiraling from his nostrils. "Usually they do useless stuff like video games, or good stuff like help us fight other Digimon. That way they can get it out without focusing on the humans that actually made them mad. Otherwise, I bet me and Davis would've killed G-Man a long time ago! But sometimes, humans are a little too close to the problem. Then they need to punch each other like these dummies."

"I feel like things would be much simpler if they just punched each other from the start."

Huckmon gave a dry glare to his friend. "I said simpler, not better," BlackGuilmon huffed.

Meanwhile, we were still going at it. I was currently holding him on the ground with my knees and slamming my fists into his face. "You lured me out here to hurt me!" I lifted his head and hit his cheek. His nose wasn't broken yet despite the bleeding, but I was thinking about making that my next target. "Everyone keeps betraying me! You!" Fist into face. "May!" Fist into gut. "Even my dad lied to me!"

He caught my fist this time and spun us around, slamming my head into the ground. "Of course Henry lied to you! You obviously can't handle the truth!" he growled before assaulting me. I raised my arms to my head and began to block the incoming blows as best I could. "You hurt everyone you touch! You hurt May! You've hurt me! You wanted to go to the Digital World, damn the world, all to say 'Screw you' to Mommy and Daddy because they don't love you!"

"Screw you!" I shoved out and he tumbled off of me. Instead of charging him, I pushed up and stumbled back before spitting blood out and wiping dirt from my eyes. He scrabbled up himself, glaring at me through a bruised eye. "I know I did something wrong, but you won't even admit it? You're a hypocrite!"

"I did what I had to do! You've been erratic and stupid!" He charged me, letting out a fast jab. I barely managed to block it before lashing out myself. My elbow slammed into his own guard and he ducked beneath my arm while slamming his knee into my gut. Blood and spit flew onto the ground. "You couldn't be trusted to listen without going ballistic."

"What the hell is this!?"

We ignored the shout, and I reached down to grab his face and angle it up at me. I spat in his eyes and he shrieked in pain, throwing his hands up to wipe them off and giving me time to recover and attack. "Taj, what the hell is going on? Davis! Both of you!" I grabbed his arm and threw him over my shoulder, where he landed right on his back.

"Stop it!"

I stopped for a moment, turning to see May glaring at the both of us in horror. "May -"

I was cut off by a shoulder slamming into my gut, and Davis picked me up and ran like he was tackling me. He turned and slammed me on the ground, placing his foot on my throat. "Davis!" May shrieked. His head snapped around and he faltered, stumbling off of me and quickly covering his face. She walked up, eyes wide. "Y-You... What the hell are you two idiots doing!?"

Davis and I looked at each other, then over at May. "Talking," we said at the same time.

May's purple gaze narrowed dangerously. "What the hell is wrong with you two?" she growled, marching up to us. She shoved Davis back and grabbed his ear, then reached down and grabbed mine. We both yelped in pain over and over as she moved us into position next to each other, then let go of us and took a few steps backwards to glare down at us from a little up the hill. "What is going on here?"

Predictably, the two of us began to shout and protest and point fingers at the exact same time. And, predictably, she snarled and shut us down immediately. "Never mind, it's obvious," she snapped. "What the hell, you guys are friends! Why are you acting like idiots?"

Davis cut in before I could say anything: "I can't just let everything go, May. He betrayed us to a Demon, he's responsible for more than a dozen people dying. We can't trust him. He – He tried to kill you!"

"I didn't try to kill her!" I snapped back. I opened my mouth, then shut it. "I didn't try."

"You didn't try not to," he sniped.

"And you two? Henry? I thought you were my friends, but you lied to me. You helped this Smith lady, and she – she tried to kill me, and you helped her. You hid things from me. You betrayed me first." I looked at the ground. "Both of you."

I felt a little bad when May looked like that had hurt her, but it was too true for that guilt to last. "What did both of you expect?" I asked. "I know I made a mistake, I said that. I said I was sorry. I didn't even ask for you to apologize, I just let it go! And May, you still tip toe around me like I'll explode! And Davis – you hate me. I screwed up, yeah. I know that. But where is my apology? Why hasn't Henry said he was wrong!? Why haven't you?"

May looked up at me, then sighed. "Is that it? Then I'm sorry. Happy?"

I clenched my jaw. "No."

"Neither are we," May admitted. She walked back over to us and placed her hands on our outside shoulders. "We're kids. Yeah, I know no one our age wants to say it, but we are. Stupid kids, and now we're responsible for the world? We're scared. All three of us."

I frowned and glanced over at Davis. "I... I guess," I agreed. "Davis, you've been at this way longer than us, so..."

"And Davis, I forgave Taj, KayKay? I'm the one he fought, but there's no hard feelings," she said once I trailed off. May shook her head when Davis looked away in a huff. She reached out carefully and let her fingers trail into his. "Davis, we hurt him first. It doesn't excuse it, but you could at least look at it like... I don't know. Like it matters?"

"I didn't try to kill him!" Davis hissed.

"Well he's my family, Davis," May finally sighed out, exasperated. "And my best friend. We're a package deal."

Davis turned on her with bright red cheeks. "Fighting dirty," I muttered to him.

He shook his head. "She's a monster," he agreed.

We chuckled for a moment, but it quickly died. "Okay, fine. I don't – Ugh... Mama always says God wants us to forgive. He doesn't want us to forget," Davis finally said. "So I'll forgive you, but don't make me regret it. And we're not friends, not anymore, Tasuke. Not yet."

"Fair," I agreed. "I guess... I guess I can try and do the same thing. Maybe once your Smith lady checks out I'll even forget."

"Which reminds me," Davis groaned. He began to wipe the blood off his face, looking even more exhausted than our fight would have made him. "We have bigger fish to fry."

"What do you mean?" May wondered.

"The DC school trip," he explained. He took on a deeply worried look. "If I'm right, that's for us. The Director wants to see us, and I doubt he'll take no for an answer."

"... At least we'll be safe from HYPNOS in DC," I pointed out lamely.

X X X

"It's dangerous to meet in person like this," Jennifer Smith pointed out as she and Cadetmon sat, hidden and far from any kind of surveillance tech in a patch of winding forest in Virginia.

"Which is why we're meeting our contact here, late on a Friday. It's unlikely anyone will find us out here, and we can scramble if any of Gethen's agents do. And our contact visits here often, so it is unlikely he will be observed here," Cadetmon explained. He had climbed into some of the lower branches in a nearby tree to keep a lookout. "This place is rather calming. I can see why humans would visit it so often."

Smith looked around and shrugged. "I'm just glad it's winter. As long as there are no bugs, I'll go anywhere," she explained before kicking at the cold dirt. "Both kinds of bugs."

Cadetmon looked over and chuckled. "Agreed. Knowing there are no listening devices out here makes me feel calmer than I have in a long time. But we should still be vigilant."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Jen muttered. She leaned back and played absently with a stick, scratching it on the ground. "Hey, how do you think the kids are doing? I mean, who's stupid enough to attack a city like that?"

Cadetmon frowned and plopped down to sit on his branch. "I'm... unsure. I would bet it was Gethen's Digimon. Reapmon. Or at the very least he was present."

Jen grunted and scratched the ground some more, returning the pair to silence. It remained for a while longer, until finally the noise of cracking wood echoed towards them. "He's late," Jen grumbled before pushing up to her feet.

"He still has to work for Gethen, you know," Cadetmon responded. He jumped from the branch and landed on her shoulder, barely even throwing the soldier off balance.

"He's right. It's a long drive," her contact said as he came around a tree, revealing a tall, dark skinned man in winter clothing. He pulled off his pack with practiced ease before placing it nearby and pulling out a pair of sandwiches. He tossed them over to Jen, who caught them after a moment of surprise. The new man grabbed his water bottle and sat down on a rock. "Thanks for meeting me here, Jen. Cadetmon, you, too." He stretched one long arm up until it popped and he lowered it.

"Andre," she nodded back. She opened the sandwiches, passing one to Cadetmon, then plopped down and began to eat her own. "Did you hear something about Reapmon?"

Andre shook his head. "No, but we do have a big problem. There were big rumors the Director was looking at getting fired after the Denver attack," he explained. "One day he's in ops, ten feet from me, and gets a call about a meeting with the President. A couple days later, he's got approval for increased budget and a new, direct line to him."

"A direct line to the President?" Jen echoed hollowly. She bit her lip and looked over to Cadetmon. "I got a bad feeling about this, Boss."

He put one of his stubby hands on his chin before taking another bite of his sandwich. "It's not good," he finally agreed. "Even if we don't know what it means."

"Is that all you've got, Andre? It's bad news, but without some more manpower and evidence there's not a lot we can do about it," Jen said after a moment of thought. "If Gethen has the President in his pocket, we need more."

"I'm working as hard as I can," Andre explained. "I agreed to help you, Jen, and I'm not going to back out now. Give me some time; things will be busy enough now that he's got everyone preparing for a big visit."

Cadetmon's ears perked up. "A... big visit?"

Andre nodded. "Yeah. Apparently three people and their Digimon are visiting and Gethen wants all hands on deck for the interviews and debriefs," he explained. He pulled out his own sandwich. "Rumor goes it's the big three – his current Digidestined project pets."

Jen and Cadetmon traded a worried glance. "You met them, didn't you?" Andre wondered aloud.

"... It's a complicated relationship," Jen muttered sheepishly. "We tried to get rid of them to stop whatever the Director is planning."

"Get rid of... Oh," Andre palled a little. "Yeah, that definitely makes things difficult. Do they know about the Director?"

"Estevez does, and he's the one who can reach Ultimate. For now -"

"Right you wouldn't have heard," Andre interrupted Cadetmon. "At least one of the others has made it up to Ultimate already."

"Only one?" Jen wondered.

Andre froze as he realized what she meant. "Maybe all three, then..."

"If that's the case, he's not having them come to DC just to show them around," Jen whispered, horrified at their realization.

"He's going to have them bring down the Firewall," Cadetmon finished quietly. They fell silent for a while, then: "We need to get back to Colorado now."

"What? Why not meet them here and tell them to say they can't?" Jen wondered.

Cadetmon shook his head and replied, "We know that Estevez will refuse. But the moment he does, they'll threaten all of the kids' families. We need to get back and keep them as safe as we can." He paused and looked up. "Andre, if we give you a list, can you tell a couple agents we need their help? And tell the kids when they arrive that we have their families covered?"

"Yeah. But whoever they are, will they really abandon D-CARD for you?" Andre wondered cautiously.

Jen sighed. "I... really hope so."

X X X

"Takato!"

Takato, Rika, and Renamon stopped and turned around to see Guilmon bristling at the air. "What's wrong, Boy?" Takato wondered, already pulling out his Digivice in preparation.

He sniffed the air again. "There's a big Digimon on its way to the city, and it smells mean, Takato."

"How big?" Rika asked Renamon as the Digimon shut her eyes and spread her awareness further.

Renamon's yellow fur bristled. "Mega," she replied curtly.

"I'll -" Takato began, only to freeze at the sight of his wife's grin. "O-Or... You can handle this?"

"Smart man," Rika said. She walked up to Renamon, Digivice at the ready.

"Takato's smart? Wowee! No one's said that before!" Calumon exclaimed, and Takato felt quite humbled.

"Aw, I think you're smart Takatomon!" Guilmon exclaimed. Unhelpfully, as he added, "You may not know how to do a lot good, but you know how to make bread, and that makes you the most smart!"

"I can do other things, too," Takato grumbled.

Rika chuckled and turned to her partner again. "On that note... Ready, Renamon?"

"Of course, Rika," Renamon responded, a slight smirk coming to her face.

"Then let's go!" Rika shouted. She shoved her Digivice into the air. "Biomerge, Activate!"

"Renamon, Biomerge to..!" There was a bright flash of light, and the two vanished to be replaced with the ten foot tall figure of a human woman dressed in yellow and purple armor over a black bodysuit and a fox mask, twin white tails of hair extending from her head. Her lips were twisted into a purple smirk before she threw her right arm out and summoned a staff from thin air, displaying the yin-yang symbols on her hands, shoulders, knees, and feet as she spun and twirled the weapon. The eight rings on the large, circular head of the staff jangled before she placed the other end, with its spear like tip, in the ground. "Sakuyamon!" She shouted. Where once their voices had overlapped, after a Decade in the Digital World their connection had grown to the point their voices perfectly blended into a single one.

"Go get 'em, Honey," Takato cheered dryly just before she bolted into the sky, flying back towards Primary City.

"It's another one of those weird Digimon," Sakuyamon noted as she closed in, catching sight of the large, knight like Digimon with glowing, red lines over its body and a double sided laser lance. Golden armor accented the many demonic skulls on its body, as well as the massive blade hung over its back. "It looks like some kind of AxeKnightmon, but... worse."

The monstrosity turned its gaze on Sakuyamon, breaking away from the Champion Digimon it was menacing with its intense power. "A Priestess? Finally, a worthy meal!" the monster shouted excitedly. It kicked away the Gatomon close behind it, then charged Sakuyamon.

It was on top of her in seconds, stabbing at her chest with one end of its spear the moment it was in front of her. Sakuyamon smirked and spun her own weapon, managing to deflect the attack before angling the base of her weapon at a gap in the enemy's armor. She jabbed forward and the AxeKnightmon thing shrieked in pain, swiping with one golden claw. Sakuyamon raised one arm and managed to shove the blow over her body, then grabbed four cylinders on her belt. "Spirit Strike!" Four foxes, each representing a different conceptual element, flew out and began to bolt around the AxeKnightmon. Fire and Thunder bit at the creature, heating his armor on his digital flesh and sending bolts of energy through his body. Wind and Water swirled around to create a small hurricane on his head, drowning out his screams of rage and pain to keep him distracted. Sakuyamon tore her staff from its shoulder and leaped backwards. "This thing is sending out waves of evil energy. I don't think I have enough firepower to deal with it like this..."

She sighed and twirled her staff in front of her. "Fine, I guess if I have to," she grumbled, sounding distinctly more Rika in that moment than Renamon. She stabbed the staff in front of her and began to channel swirling Mandalas around her in the dirt and grass, interlocking lines chaining around her to form an image symbolic of holy strength and protection."Sakuyamon, Mode Change to...!"

Sakuyamon's armor melted away, replaced with simple, shinto robes. Long, flowing white sleeves balooned out around her unarmored palms. The top tucked into red hakama pants, fited tight with a pair of black and silver belts around her waist. The fox mask remained, though her violet makeup became more subdued. Her staff lit ablaze, burning away the brass form. The smoke congealed into long, braided strands of incense used to wash away evil and the body into a simple stick. Finally, maroon beads appeared on her wrists, each glowing with Holy energy. "Sakuyamon, Maid Mode!"

The Spirit Strike foxes on AxeKnightmon immediately doubled in size, their assault redoubled just as they were nearly destroyed by AxeKnightmon's strength. "If I get hit like this just once, it's over," she muttered cautiously. Her caution turned into a smirk. "Not that this loser could hit me anyways." She raised her ceremonial staff and began to channel energy, moving in an elaborate and artistic dance. The tip of her new staff smoothly brushed about around her, trailing smoke and and flame in ribbons about her. She traced the image of mandalas in the air with the flames and the ground with her dance. Energy began to build and glow all around her.

AxeKnightmon roared in rage and his spear glowed. "Deadly Break Lost!" The blade on its shoulder was torn off and stabbed onto its spear, and the energy began to burn through the blade, creating a blazing scythe of plasma. "RAAAGH!" The scythe slashed forward, vaporizing the four spirit foxes and sending a blaze of deadly energy outward. Sakuyamon ignored the attack, dancing just inches away from the blazing attack as it passed her, scorching air and ground but failing to disrupt the Mandalas her own energy was maintaining. AxeKnightmon roared in rage again and began to run towards her, heavy feet pounding against the dirt as he got closer and closer. He raised his scythe over his shoulder and readied to attack again. "I will devour your Data and then I will devour the Knight's Data, Priestess! I will devour it all!"

"Screw off," Sakuyamon growled, finishing her dance when he was barely a few feet away. The flaming tip of her baton twisted towards him, brushing AxeKnightmon's face and completing the image. "Amethyst Mandala!" The twin mandalas on the ground and in the air exploded with Holy Light, all their considerable energy focused solely on the corrupted creature in front of Sakuyamon. It screamed in pain as the exorcism began, flaying away layer after layer of evil down to its core. The energy that had turned the Ultimate Digimon into a Mega burned away first, leaving a smaller, much weaker AxeKnightmon in its place. That quickly gave way to its Champion form of Knightmon, then its Rookie of Kotemon, then further and further. The energy blazed across the small, quivering form of a MetalKoromon for a moment before, finally, that creature was burned away as well. A small, metallic egg was all that was left, the energy no longer burning its surface and instead simply washing over it like a cleaning force.

Sakuyamon regarded the egg calmly for a moment before, finally, ending the channeling of her energy. The glowing mandalas faded immediately, and the egg drifted from the air and down to Sakuyamon's outstretched hand. "Well, we're already right beside the Primary Village," she told the inactive egg. She sighed and pulled it into the crook of her arm to cradle it. "You're lucky those idiots are willing to take any Digimon in. They're going to have their hands full because of you. Jeez, taking out so many Digimon here?"

She dismissed her baton and slowly made her way over to the city. "You weren't too bright, were you? But... then how did you know Takato and I were here?"

Little did she know that the two Ultimate Digimon who were the reason for that were watching the whole fight. "The Master will want to know they can reach the Slide Form," one of them said. "That kind of Holy Exorcism might even be able to hurt him if he's unprepared. We should find Beelzemon soon. After that display, he'll want as many of the Tamers' allies out of the way as possible!"

"Don't be such a Sukamon, you idiot. If a half dozen Digidestined couldn't kill him, what's a washed up Tamer going to do?"

X X X

Washed up? Washed up!? What kind of person is dumb enough to say Rika's washed up after watching that? I mean, jeez. Me and Guilmon know how strong Rika is, and she can't even Mode Change like that! It was pretty cool, but... a Shrine Maiden? I... Uh... Well, I won't mention that to Rika. It's not really her style, I think. I mean she'd look good in it, but – Uh... D-Don't tell Rika I said that. She gets weird when I compliment her ever since she found out about this stuff and it's bad enough she knows you and Terriermon know about the Dreamgirl thing and– Ach! She's coming this way now! Remember don't tell her!

I hope that the Digidestined's families – especially Henry! - will be okay on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters!

Oh, Rika! I – No, wait, let me erase -!