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Chapter Text

Ryo

Somewhere between the fabric of time and space stood a boy with a Digi-egg and a bright ball of light with rings around it. That boy was Ryo and the Digi-egg he was holding was his partner Digimon.

A few moments ago, Ryo and his partner Monodramon had a fierce battle with the apocalyptic ZeedMillenniummon which had the ability to distort and destroy time and space. With the help of tamers and Digi-destined Digimon alike, they were able to defeat the all powerful being but something unexpected happened. Finding out that Milenniummon was Ryo's true tamer, a dispute broke out, and Monodramon forced DNA fused with Milenniummon. The fusion was successful, but the clash was so powerful that the fused Digimon reverted back to its egg form. The side effects are unknown.

With ZeedMillenniummon finally defeated, all the Digimon started to return to their partner's Digimon side, and time and space finally started to stabilize. Now, Ryo was talking to the ENIAC and was given a choice to choose between going back to his world or staying in the Tamers' world. Within moments, a choice was made. He wanted to stay in the tamer world.

"So this is your choice? Just remember that time and space will bend and change to fit this variable. If you choose this path, your life will probabl y completely change. You won't be living the same life in your old world and your memory of these events and your past will completely disappear. A new life will be rewritten. Your closest relatives will also be affected by this. There is also a chance you won't see your companion Digimon until you are ready. I asked once again. Are you sure this is the decision you would like to make?"

Ryo gave a long look at ENIAC. "I'm sure."

"If that is your choice, then so be it. Thank you again for saving the multiverse. May fate shine upon you." ENIAC said as the blinding light shone. Soon space around Ryo started to crumble and even he started to disappear until there was nothing but empty space.

But unbeknownst to anyone in the deep darkness of space, an object escaped the disintegration and slowly fell through to the tamer world's time-space continuum.

…

Somewhere in Fukuoka, Kyushu...

In an empty apartment, space started to warp and necessities that weren't there before started to appear around the house. An empty sink appears with clean dry dishes. A barren living room was filled with bookshelves, chairs, a sofa, and a big TV. Within the two rooms, two people appeared out of nowhere in their beds sleeping peacefully.

One was a man in his 30s. His room had papers and clothes like brown coats and hats. From the looks of his papers, he looked like he worked at an electricity plant managing the power of different cities. The other was a boy around the age of 12 with brown hair. His room was organized with his closet mostly filled with red sweatshirts and khakis except for his desk. It was filled with Digimon cards. Most of them were facedown except for one.

It was a Digimon card that depicted a purple baby dinosaur: Monodramon. These two people were Ryo Akiyama and his father that was just teleported to the tamer's world. This was going to be the start of Ryo Akiyama's new life. Who knows what kind of adventures are in store for him?

Chapter Text

Ryo

1 Year Later...

Ueno, Japan

The traditional city of Ueno is known for ornate Shinto and Zen Landmarks like the 17th-century Benzaiten temple along with a variety of Museums around the area that displays Japanese Antiquities to western artwork like Van Gogh. It is a very popular area for tourists. Somewhere inside one of the big room buildings, there were a bunch of kids sitting down at a bunch of tables with Digimon cards either trading, battling, or looking at the store stands displays of rare Digimon cards. Some were sad, while others were excited. On one side of the area stood a cluster of kids and some adults, looking at the screen of a tanned boy with brown hair wearing a gray long-sleeved shirt, green khakis, and a black jacket. It was Ryo Akiyama.

As of now, this building in Ueno was hosting the major Digimon World Card Exhibition Championship tournament. The best of the best Digimon players were all gathered due to the grueling card battles from around the area in Japan. With their efforts, they made it here to the championships to battle it out to see who would get the title of the best Digimon card battler in Japan. It could have been all around the world, but apparently, they didn't sell Wonderswan consoles in the US and other countries. It kind of hurt the card game spread around the world. Anyway, after rounds and rounds of card battling, it was now time for the finals to see who was going to be crowned champion.

Ryo, unsurprisingly, was one of the finalists. He started the Digimon Hyper Colosseum card game around a year ago and picked up on it quickly. He had monstrous skills and ever-changing tactics that even left seasonal players helpless. It wasn't just that he won due to being lucky. His wins were due to his overpowering attacks and flawless victories. In most of the matches, the opponents couldn't even take down his points. Ryo's card skills were insane. Kids and some adults alike were starting to talk about calling him some sort of Legendary Tamer. If he won this year's world card tournament, the title would forever be on him for years to come.

Right now, he was sitting at the finalist table waiting for his final opponent to arrive and start the match. Sitting at the table, Ryo wasn't very excited at the moment. Don't get me wrong, he liked the card game and the thrill of battling others. It was just that the opponents he battled were somewhat underwhelming. He thought the people here would be more of a challenge, but even the challenger he battled in the quarterfinals didn't give him much of a sweat. Thinking of all of his previous opponents, Ryo didn't have any high hopes that his final opponent was much stronger.

Attention Finalists, this is the last call. Please report to the main stage to start the match. Please be on the main stage in the next five minutes.

Since Ryo was already on the stage, the announcement was probably for the guy he was supposed to play against. "Not that it really mattered," he thought, shuffling his deck. It was probably going to be another easy victory, but a battle was a battle. Ryo was determined to win. After double-checking his cards again, he heard a chair pull up across. It must be the other finalist. He finally arrived.

"Hey, it's great to meet you. Let's have a good match, d-'' Ryo about to finish his sentence looked up and became tongue-tied. The person in front of him was a girl. She looked about 9-10 years old and had red hair that was tied up in a spiky ponytail. She wore a plain white shirt and jeans and a belt that carried her deck box. The redhead sat down, set down her Digimon playmat, and started to shuffle her deck to get ready for the game. From the way, she was shuffling her Digimon cards so fluently definitely described this girl as a seasonal card player.

Ryo was shocked. He never expected a girl to be in front of him. Sure, he saw girls play in Digimon cards tournaments before and even battled some, but they never made it past the first few rounds. Most of them just come to support their friends or brothers to pass the time, and never really took the game seriously. Ryo may not have known every player in this tournament, but not everyone could play here. If she made it here, she must have some skill. To be honest, seeing this girl shuffle her deck with a such focus in her amethyst eyes, Ryo thought she looked adorable.

Ryo must have been staring at her too long because the girl looked up and raised her eyebrow. "What is it? Is there something on my face?" She asked.

"Uh no, well. I just didn't expect to be in the finals battling a-," Ryo didn't even finish his sentence because the girl gave him a deathly glare. If this tournament was a stare-down flinching contest, she would have won hands down.

"Because I am what? A girl! Last time I checked, this game isn't just a boys' game." The girl said, seeming offended by his comment.

"Sorry, sorry," Ryo said lightly, laughing and scratching the back of his head. "It's just I have been playing this game for a long time, and it's really rare to see girls playing here, especially ones that have made it this far."

"Well, I am glad to be the first to broaden your horizons," the redhead replied sarcastically. "Is there anything else you would like to comment about girls? Maybe I should pop out a frilly dress with a tea set, and we can have a tea party instead of a card game. Would you like to do that instead?"

"Um," Ryo was too shocked to think of a reply at the moment. This girl had fire, but then the words just came to him. "Listen, I know we just met, but I should be older than you by a couple of years. Shouldn't you be more courteous and respectful to your senpai?"

It was like adding fuel to the fire. The girl just stared at Ryo and then gave him a glare that would scare dogs to run all the way to Shibuya. She was about to bite back, but luckily the announcer/judge finally arrived.

"Alright! It looks like both our finalists have arrived. Let's finish off the greetings and let the finals begin!" He said through the microphone. The whole crowd clapped and waited in anticipation of how this card battle would turn out.

"Let's have a good game," Ryo said, giving the girl a thumbs up and winking. She just scoffed and gave her deck for him to cut or tap it.

'Well that could've gone better,' Ryo thought as he gave the girl his deck to cut or tap. 'Hopefully, she will give me a good game. She did make all the way to the finals after all.'

Ryo could not have been more wrong. The girl didn't just give him a good game. She gave him an insane freakin' amazing game. The evolution payments were on point every time, and she knew which grade A, B C Digimon to attack Ryo with. Her usage of option and program cards was flawless. It was taking Ryo using almost all his card skills and brain power just to keep up with her. Points gauges were slowly decreasing for both players, but there was still no clear advantage for either side. It was still anyone's game.

Ryo had to admit that he was impressed. This girl has some serious skills. Her card skills weren't even the best attribute he was impressed by. It was her strength to take a risk. During some of the plays, she was taking risks like discarding her whole hand to get the cards needed to push the game to her favor, and they worked. The only reason why she wasn't ahead was due to Ryo taking his own Digimon risk as well. Now, this was his kind of game. Ryo was getting fired up. The match was a best of three with Ryo winning round 1 while the girl won round 2.

Right now, they were in the last preparatory and evolving stage of round 3. Ryo only had 10 points left on his point gauge, while the girl had 20. The girl was also in the middle of paying the cost to evolve her champion to ultimate while Ryo was only going from rookie to champion. Things were not looking good for him. If she defeated his Digimon in this battle, it would be game over for him. Ryo needed to take a big risk. If he could take down his opponent's ultimate-level Digimon with his champion, he could still win the game.

Looking at the game state, he needed three card components to win. Since Ryo battled her previous two times and with her deck being only 3 cards left, he was highly confident that the Digimon she would be evolving would be C specialty grade attacking Digimon. This means that the first component Ryo needed was a champion Digimon whose grade was A-type Digimon. One that had the C attack that would render A attacks to 0. If her C-type attack forces her A-type attack, his Digimon C would render her Digimon attack to zero, defeating the Digimon.

The second component was getting the option card "No items allowed". This will stop any items card effects the girl would play to get around Ryo's Digimon. She could play 'Offense plug-in to change her Digimon attack to B or C regardless of the Digimon incoming attack, or "Let's stop fighting" which stops the battle giving her another breather to turn things around. This was needed for any counterattack the girl might have.

The final component and the most important one would be getting his wild card: King's Device or Goliath in English terms. The girl already had 3 option cards face down probably with a strategy to counter his first two moves. If that happens, Ryo would need to play this. It would turn the tables but the conditions had to be met. The first would the Digimon battling would have to be more powerful than it and the second would both sides using a total 3 more options cards in this battle then could the card be used. It was a powerful card that could triple the Digimon attack power turning the whole game around, but there was a catch. Using the king's device, he would have to draw the first three cards. If any of them were Digimon, their attack power would be added to the Digimon but it can't exceed triple its base grades attacks. If it did, the Digimon would be defeated making the redhead win the game. It was a risky card.

Even if Ryo could pull this off, none of those cards are in his hand at the moment. He decked out the last turn so he had to retire his Digimon back to rookie and reshuffle his discard into his deck making him have a full deck. Even if he discarded his whole hand, the probability of getting what he needed was slim. Ryo had "Let's stop fighting" in hand and could stall for the next turn. This was a big dilemma. What could Ryo do? He closed his eyes for a minute, opened them, and knew what had to be done. He discarded his whole hand!

Ryo had a feeling the girl had a way to get around his stall card and if he was going to win, a huge risk was necessary. It all came down to this. Drawing his new hand, Ryo hoped for the best. His gamble paid off.

He got the three cards needed to win the game and also was right. When he played his first two option cards during battle, the girl was able to counter him. His King device was his last hope and final dangerous gamble. He managed to get all three Digimon on the top deck, but luckily it didn't go over his Digimon triple base level. If one of the Digimon he drew was just a little higher in attack, he would've lost the game. It was an incredibly risky and lucky game, but it worked. Ryo defeated his opponent and won the game. The crowd roared at this last play.

Ryo sighed in relief and looked at his opponent. The girl was surprised, to say the least. She wasn't expecting that kind of move from Ryo, but a loss was a loss. She shut her eyes and clenched her fist taking in the defeat.

"Hey, that was a really good game. You battled really well," Ryo said, sticking his hand out to shake.

The redhead opens her eyes staring at Ryo's hand then looks at his face. She gave him a long hard look. After what seemed like a while to him, she gently closed her eyes, gathered her cards, got up, and said one word to him.

"Congratulations," After that, she walked off the stage heading toward the exit. The girl never looked back.

"Hey wha-" Ryo tried to say but was interrupted when the announcer grabbed his hand lifting it into the air.

"And there we have it, folks. After multiple battles and matches, I give you the winner of the Digimon world championships! Let's give this man a round of applause everyone!" He said over the mic.

The crowd roared and clapped. Ryo had no choice but to smile and wave his other hand to the crowd. It was deafening. Kids everywhere were screaming his name. There were two of them, especially screaming it loud. Both of them were boys. One of them had brown hair wearing a visor while the other one was black-haired with glasses. Those two were probably his biggest fans with all the screaming and jumping they were doing. His title as a legendary tamer was definitely cemented. Out of the corner of his eye though, he saw the girl leave through the doors exiting the building.

The award ceremony was finally over, and Ryo was walking back to his hotel in Ueno. It was already nighttime, and he needed to get back soon to contact his dad before he started getting worried. While walking, Ryo grabbed the medal around his neck and gave it a deep look. He thought about all of the Digimon card matches he had to get to this point. The exhilaration he got when he played the card game.

Unconsciously, he started thinking about the red-headed girl in the finals. He never did get a name out of her during the competition. She was really good and played with a strength that Ryo never saw before. But it wasn't her plays that had the most impact on him. It was the way that she looked at him after she lost. It left the deepest impression.

It wasn't a look of defeat or sadness. It was a look of absolute determination to win and to get stronger. Ryo had a feeling the next time they met, the girl would be even tougher to beat. Thinking about this, Ryo's blood started to boil. This was the reason why he played. Finding strong opponents to battle and the thrill of trumping them with different play strategies. Ryo couldn't wait to battle her again and subconsciously get to know more about her.

Soon, his surroundings started to get foggy until he couldn't even see the buildings around him anymore.

'That's weird,' Ryo thought. The weather forecast never mentioned fog coming around Ueno.

This fog was really strange too. Ryo could usually see some parts of his surroundings walking in fog, but in this one, he couldn't see past 3 feet of it. There were also these small electrical sparks that occasionally appeared. The deeper he walked, the weirder it got. Ryo couldn't explain it, but there was something artificial about it. After a while, he saw 2 dark silhouettes moving quickly about.

"Finally, people again," Ryo walked faster toward them hoping to get out of this weird fog but when he finally saw the two silhouettes clearly, shock appeared on his face.

They weren't people at all but two dinosaur-like creatures fighting each other. One was a small purple pterodactyl-like dinosaur standing on two legs. It had drill-like claws, yellow eyes, and a small yellow horn on its head. The other one was a dinosaur that looked like a cyborg tyrannosaurus rex. It was white with parts of its body implanted with metallic coating and large iron cables.

Ryo recognized them instantly. These were Digimon. Creatures that are illustrated from the Digimon card game. They weren't supposed to be real, but here they are living and fighting right in front of him. It was unbelievable.

The purple Digimon was Monodramon. A rookie-level Digimon whose special attacks were Cracking Bite and Beat Knuckle. Ryo even had his rookie card on him right now.

The big, metal-looking Digimon was MetalTyrannomon. An ultimate level Digimon whose special attacks were Fire Blast II and Nuclear Laser. Even though both Digimon noticed Ryo coming into their sights, they were too focused on fighting each other claw for the claw to worry about it.

[Cracking Bite] Monodramon said attacking one of MetalTyrannomon's claws.

The battle was pretty fierce looking from the cracks and fissures around them. Monadramon was putting up a decent fight using his claws and teeth to attack different parts of MetalTyrannomon. Although Ryo wasn't sure if this was real or not, he was really impressed with Monodramon's fighting style. It may have looked like he was just attacking random parts of MetalTyrannomon's body, he was actually aiming at the parts where his explosives come out, preventing him from using his signature attacks. It was a smart strategy, but what really stood out to him was the Digimon's tenacity and courage for fighting a Digimon two levels higher.

MetalTyrannomon, finally tired of the little purple fly, rammed his claws into the ground and flung it towards Monodramon causing rocks of all sizes to come at him. Monodramon was able to expertly dodge all of them. Unfortunately, one big boulder was flying toward Ryo. It was coming at him too fast. Ryo wouldn't be able to dodge it. If it hit him, half of his bones would be broken and that was the best-case scenario. Even if this wasn't real, Ryo didn't want to chance it and used his arms to cover his face waiting for the big rock to come at him.

[Breaking Claw] Monodramon attacked the boulder before it could even reach Ryo, breaking it into much smaller pieces of rocks. Although now some rocks still rain down on him, it wouldn't be anything life-threatening. One particular rock grazed his left arm, ripping his sleeve. Ryo grabbed his arm.

"This is real," He thought looking at his arm. It hurt but it wouldn't leave a scar. Ryo looked at the small purple dinosaur right in front of him. The creature also looked at him as well, eyes softening a little. Digimon were real! And this one just saved his life.

"Thank-," Ryo didn't even get to finish his sentence before a giant metal claw came crashing down pinning Monodramon to the ground.

MetalTyrannomon had used the opportunity at the distraction to trap Monodramon with his left arm. Without his interference, the Digimon was finally able to use its destructive attacks. Slowly, his arm started charging up ready to blast the small Digimon under his claws.

Sensing the danger, Ryo had to do something. Although this was probably his first time meeting a real-life Digimon and probably should have been running away from their destruction, Monodramon just saved his life. He wasn't going to abandon him now. Ryo looked around trying to find anything to draw MetalTyrannomon's attention and found some baseball size rocks from the earlier attack. A plan started to form. Picking two of them up, he aimed and threw one of them near the Digimon's metal nose.

MetalTyrannomon was not amused. First, he was being belittled by battling a rookie-level Digimon for so long and now a puny little insect weaker than his opponent was challenging it. His patience had all but run out. Using his right arm, he aimed at Ryo ready to fire a missile at him.

Ryo hoped his plan worked and threw the other rock as hard as he could. This one shot directly into MetalTyrannomon's left eye. The metal Digimon blinked and recoiled a bit. His right arm was still aimed at Ryo about to attack, but his left arm lifted up a bit just enough for a small purple Digimon to escape from its hold.

[Cracking Bite] Monodramon then attacked the Android Digimon's right arm hard putting a large dent inside. The missile that was about to attack got stuck in MetalTyrannomon's arm causing it to detonate there. Soon, an explosion rang that slightly shook the ground. Debris flew everywhere.

Ryo flew back a little due to the blast but was otherwise unharmed. What power! If that was just the misfire, he was afraid of what would happen with a full-force attack. His ears were still ringing a little. He needed to find Monodramon fast and regroup.

"Monodramon! Monodramon! Where are you?!" Ryo yelled through the debris and also thought how strange this was. He was calling out to someone he barely knew anything about, especially a Digimon. They weren't supposed to be real! But for some reason, Ryo felt a connection to it. Like when he threw the rock to free Monodramon, he knew the little guy would strike MetalTyrannomon halting its attack.

"Hmmm mmm mmm," someone groaned in the distance. Ryo ran to the sound and found Monodramon in front of a broken wall. He was not looking good. His body kept on fritzing in and out like pixels. Monodramon was in point-blank range during that explosion. It was already a miracle he was still in one piece.

"Hey, it's going to be okay. I don't know how but we are going to get through this. I'm Ryo by the way," Ryo said gently, patting him. The Digimon was remarkably warm. Monodramon looked at him and nodded in response.

Ryo, not knowing how to treat an injured Digimon, started pulling out his cards and Digi-calculator hoping to see if the card description on Monodramon could help the poor little guy heal faster.

Thump Thump. While reading, Ryo started hearing footsteps. Looking toward the sound, his face turned white. MetalTyrannomon was still alive and slowly approaching them.

His right arm was badly mangled from the explosion, but he looked like he could still fight. Rage could clearly be seen in his eyes. Angrily, MetalTyrannomon lifted his other arm and aimed it at the duo powering up for another attack. He was not going to misfire this time.

"Is this really all I could do?" Ryo thought frustratingly. He and Monodramon both made it far into the battle together, and it was going to end like this. Ryo could have probably given up and run away with some hope of surviving, but that would mean abandoning Monodramon. He turned to look at him.

Monodramon growled at the Metal Digimon and tried to get up with difficulty. He still wanted to fight.

'No.' Ryo wasn't going to abandon him! He definitely wasn't going to give up either. Like playing the card game, Ryo's eye sharpened and his fighting spirits released matching Monodramon. This Digimon battle is not over yet!

Just then, his Digi-calculator's screen started to glow, and one of the cards in his hand slowly turned holographic blue. He looked at them in surprise.

"What did this mean?" Ryo thought. Was this thing telling him to swipe the card to his Digi-calculator? What would even happen?

A grayish-white ball of light was forming on MetalTyrannomon's arm. He was about to launch his attack.

Well, it was now or never. Out of options, Ryo put the blue card next to his calculator and swiped down hoping for a miracle to happen.

[Card Slash: Blue Card] A bright light broke out of the device. Slowly the Digi-calculator started to change shape turning into something else. It was a D-Ark. A device that helped assist their Digimon partner and help them digivolve. Did Ryo just become a tamer to Monodramon? Quickly, he started to look at Monodramon beside him.

[Matrix Digivolution: Monodramon Matrix Digivolve... ] Monodramon started glowing as well. His injuries all but disappear. He got up and stood in front of Ryo ready for battle once again.

[Nuclear Laser] A thick laser beam of gray, white light fired out of MetalTyrannomon's arm heading towards Ryo and Monodramon. Ryo covered his head to protect himself from the attack even though it would do no good.

Another explosion rang out. Debris flew everywhere around him, but Ryo didn't feel the blowback from it and took a look. In front of him was a large dragon-like Digimon covered in black-like armor with red wings sticking out.

[to Cyberdramon] This Digimon was Cyberdramon. An ultimate level Vaccine-type Digimon whose special attacks were desolation claws and cyber nails. With his defensive/offensive armor coupled with his unrelenting attacks, he was not a Digimon to mess with.

MetalTyrannomon looked surprised facing this enemy's new form but undeterred. He readied another attack at the duo again. Unfortunately for the Digimon, Cyberdramon wasn't going to give it the chance.

[Desolation Claw] Cyberdramon claws formed and attacked MetalTyrannomon with blue bursts of energy effectively stunning the creature. The black-armored Digimon let out a ferocious roar and flew at the Metal Digimon tackling him to the ground. MetalTyrannomon was pinned. He tried to attack Cyberdramon with his left arm, but the Digimon just swatted it away. The arm swung down to the ground hard causing a big dent. Now, both arms couldn't be used. Cyberdramon spread out his arms. Claws glistened in the dark night.

[Cyber Nail] Cyberdramon rammed its claws down on MetalTyrannomon repeating the motion again and again. The metal cyborg Digimon roared in pain from the continuous attacks. Soon after, data was starting to disperse from MetalTyrannomon's abdomen. It soon started to spread more outwardly to his legs, arms, and finally head until there was nothing left but dispersing data.

"It's over. We did it!" Ryo thought triumphantly. The battle was over. He came to Cyberdramon to congratulate him but stopped in his tracks. The Digimon was still fighting. His claws were still attacking the ground. Fissures and cracks started to spread around him. Lamp poles started falling. "Cyberdramon, What are you doing? The battle is over!"

The Digimon didn't even stop to listen and kept going. He was getting out of control. If Ryo didn't do something, Cyberdramon would even cause even more destruction to the streets. He clenched his hands thinking about what he could do to stop the rampant Digimon. But how though? If he got within three feet of Cyberdramon, he would probably be sliced by those claws.

Just then, Ryo's D-ark started glowing, and gave it a look. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling this device was telling him it could stop Cyberdramon. Well, the boy had nothing to lose and whipped his D-ark at the Digimon.

A blue energy whip suddenly came out of the device and extended toward Cyberdramon wrapping around his wrist. The Digimon, feeling some resistance, tried to break free. Ryo, although surprised, made use of the opportunity by pulling his D-ark to temporarily stop Cyberdramon's destruction.

"Cyberdramon, you have to stop and calm down!" Ryo pulled his D-ark even harder, getting the Digimon's attention. "You've already defeated your enemy. There's nothing for you to fight anymore."

Cyberdramon, hearing his words, paused. He turned his head to look at the ground and his surroundings. Seeing as there really was no enemy left in the area, he stopped his attacks. The blue whip dissipated going back into the D-ark probably noticing the Digimon had no intention of fighting anymore. He then slowly walked toward Ryo.

Now seeing this Digimon up close, Ryo could see how menacing he was. Although he was only a few feet taller than Ryo, his bulging muscles and rubber-like armor made him intimidating. Even pro wrestlers would shake in fear by the sight of him. The Digimon card illustration failed to capture this part of him.

"You're wrong," Cyberdramon said. "I did not defeat my enemy."

"Huh," Ryo replied, confused.

"My Enemy. My true enemy is still out there," The Digimon looks deeper into the fog. The boy follows Cyberdramon's line of sight. In the distance, Ryo could multiple pixels and 1s and 0s conversing at a single point in the center. It kind of looked like a portal of some sort.

Cyberdramon then explained that he was looking to fight his true ultimate enemy and wouldn't stop until his true enemy is destroyed. He believed that he was somewhere in the digital world and was fighting Metaltyrannomon to get stronger and for information. That was when the digital portal appeared out of nowhere dragging both Digimon into the human world. Now, Cyberdramon wanted to go back, but not alone, he wanted Ryo to come with him. The Digimon gave the boy a deep look.

Ryo was shocked. Him, go to the digital world with Cyberdramon. He would be lying to say he wasn't tempted. It was a whole new world to explore, and to be honest, he kind of felt connected to Cyberdramon even though the guy was extremely intimidating.

Soon Ryo could hear sirens in the distance and see the portal slowly closing. He had to make a decision fast. The boy gave Cyberdramon a look and remembered the battle they had moments ago. Entering that portal could mean even tougher battles. He let out a sigh and knew what he had to do.

"Okay I'm going," He said. Cyberdramon may be an ultimate Digimon and strong, but that didn't mean he was invincible. Ryo could still sense the Digimon's lust for battle. If pushed too far, Cyberdramon might perish after multiple battles. He needed Ryo as a tamer. The boy could help control his battle lust and provide support through extremely difficult battles.

Unfortunately, he couldn't just leave without letting anyone know where he went. His phone, ironically, didn't work, so Ryo needed a more creative approach. He had to be quick. The portal was getting smaller.

The boy quickly took a business card and pen from his pocket. He scribbled out the front of the card and then wrote on the back. 'In the digital world -Ryo' He then pulled the tear on his left sleeve until the whole sleeve came off. Working quickly, Ryo tied one end of the sleeve into a knot while putting his written note and an ID of him in the hole of his other sleeve. Once they were secured, he tied the other end of the sleeve in a knot and tossed it to the ground hoping for the police to find and notify his dad.

"Alright, ready to go Cyberdramon," The Digimon lowered his body telling Ryo to get on. The boy complied and jumped on his back finding hand holds to secure during flight. Cyberdramon, feeling Ryo properly fastened, took off and flew toward the shrinking portal. They were going to make it.

Ryo, although nervous, was excited as flew on Cyberdramon. He was going to the digital world! What kind of adventures and battles would be waiting for him?

Chapter Text

Ryo

Life in the digital world was definitely different from the human world. When Cyberdramon and Ryo came out of the digital portal, there was nothing but wind, sand, and rocks for miles around. The whole area looked like a deserted, rocky wasteland like the ones on earth. There were differences though.

In the sky above, there was no sun but a giant, bluish globe of the human world that was spitting out pink beams to the ground or from afar. This world still had day and night, but Ryo could only tell when the sky started to darken or brighten in a split second. Instead of tumbleweeds blowing through like in the cowboy movies, they were pinkish, purple orbs. Ryo tried touching one of them and the little thing shocked him like static electricity. Cyberdramon briefly explained that they were old packets of data and pretty much harmless. Lastly, there were these pillars of light that fell and moved around the area.

Turns out, they were data streams that transported everything it touched into different areas of the digital world. And there were a lot of different areas. Ryo and Cyberdramon even got transported due to the data streams for their first days here. It was not recommended to use this method of transport to travel around. The data streams were completely random. Who knows where someone could end up? There were so many different areas and environments.

One area was similar to the area Ryo first entered into the digital world, but it had crazy sandstorms and winds that could send a human adult flying into the air. Some other areas looked like beautiful forests with luscious trees, strong vegetation, and freshwater sources that sparkled under the digital light. There were even some areas that absolutely made no sense at all with the laws of science.

One area had clouds floating on it with some rocky areas and gears moving about that felt like the inside of an antique clock. Weirdly enough, they also had actual clocks as well, but they were broken since the ticker kept getting stuck in the same place. Ryo tried to fix one of them, and it did not go well. Let's just say there was a destructive battle, and Cyberdramon was calm for a whole week. The boy had to break the clock again.

Another area had buildings that were way out of proportion. The structures, windows, and doors were positioned at different angles. The whole scenery looked like it belonged in an art museum. There were also these scarecrow-like Digimon called Nohemon that stood in the middle of the road. They were probably just there to scare people. At least there were beds here.

The first few weeks of traveling the digital world were a little rough for Ryo, but he learned the environment here. The boy just had to avoid data streams as much as possible unless it was an emergency. Turns out, other passages lead to other areas that were more manageable and less random. It was just a matter of finding them or in other cases not accidentally stepping on them like a pitfall.

Finally, after about 7 months of being stuck here, Ryo managed to learn most of the ins and outs of the digital world. Unfortunately thanks to some of the harsh environments and battles here, some of his clothes were getting worn out. Ryo couldn't wear his black jacket anymore, so he retrofitted it into leggings and a partial shirt accessory. In one of the areas with a lot of scrap metal and spare parts, the boy made a metal shoulder guard for his right shoulder and chrome and red gauntlet to place on his right forearm. He also found a Digimon who was kind enough to give him a pair of gloves for the rest of his journey. Lastly, he took out a long, red handkerchief and tied it around his neck like a short scarf. Decked out with his new attire, he looked ready to take on any challenges that came his way.

In retrospect, most of his challenges involved his partner: Cyberdramon. The Digimon almost always gets into fights. Whenever the black-armored Digimon saw or even sensed a battle going down, he would rush right in there Desolation Claws ready. It was fine against Digimon who wanted to destroy him and Ryo, but some fights were completely unnecessary. One time, Cyberdramon wanted to join in a fight due to two in-training level Digimon fighting it out. The tiny squirts were so scared when he showed up that they ran like scared children calling him a tyrant and bully. The tamer never felt so embarrassed before.

Ryo even lost count of how many times he had to use his D-ark's whip function to calm his partner down. They were supposed to be finding his true enemy, not making new ones! After about months of being together, he managed to convince Cyberdramon to not go into low-level battles and only fight if it was challenging for him. Although there were still some cases of uncontrolled fighting, it was at least to the point where Cyberdramon would only battle ultimate or higher-stage Digimon.

Despite his partner's extreme craving for battle, Ryo was glad to have the battle maniac by his side. Although he wasn't much of a talker, his presence gave Ryo a reassuring feeling. The boy knew that Cyberdramon would keep him safe.

When they were in actual battle, there was always this understanding between them like when they battled MetalTyrannomon. Once Ryo gave a one-word command or card slash, Cyberdramon would know what to do and execute without further inquiry. If it came to battle senses, they were one of the strongest duos out there. Despite their savage nature and appearance, Cyberdramon always battled flawlessly.

Ryo did wonder about something. He had a hunch that when a Digimon usually digivolved to their later stages thanks to their tamer, they would usually de-digivolve after their energy was used up or after a while. Cyberdramon was the exception. During the months of traveling, the ultimate seldom de-digivolved back to Monodramon. The only time his partner did revert to his rookie form was under special circumstances like going to places that were too big.

Another instance is when Cyberdramon used so much of its energy after an extremely fierce battle, it reverted to its rookie form. Luckily the battle is over before reverting or the enemy would annihilate them. Ryo asked his partner about it one time, and he replied that this form was more convenient for them in the digital world in case of any ambushes.

The Digimon also said that he had boundless energy inside of his body. He didn't know how or where this energy was coming from. Cyberdramon only knew that he had it, and the almost limitless amount of energy assisted him in Digimon battles, especially against strong opponents.

Ryo could attest to that. There was one battle where Cyberdramon decided to take on three ultimates at once. It was intense. They managed to destroy them due to Ryo's battle tactics and his proper timing using his goliath card. Even after that, Cyberdramon still wanted to battle and was already looking for his next opponent. Ryo was surprised. Where did his partner get all of this energy from?

Now knowing Cyberdramon better, he just went with the flow and got used to his partner's endless rage of fighting. Ryo did have a feeling. Wherever or whatever this energy and fighting is coming from, the boy had a feeling that it had something to do with the ultimate enemy. This enemy of Cyberdramon was always shrouded in mystery. Even after all this traveling and battling, his partner showed no indication of his location. All they could do was explore more areas and find any clues.

It's been around 10 months since Ryo has been traveling in the digital world with Cyberdramon. They were currently walking through the clock area and were looking for another entrance to a different area. The boy couldn't help but sigh. They have been traveling here for so long, but still haven't explored every part of the digital world. Just how vast was this place!

Then, his partner Digimon started growling.

"Cyberdramon, What's wrong?" Ryo asked. If his partner was like this, it meant fighting.

"I sense a battle coming," The Digimon replied and growled. Suddenly, all of the gears around the area stopped moving.

"Oh no," Ryo thought. If the gears stopped moving in the area, it meant only one thing. Someone messed with one of the small clocks. The gears around the area were the only thing that was preventing strong Digimon from appearing through the clouds. It was dangerous to mess with the gears of this place, but who could have done it? He knew the local Digimon in the area wouldn't have messed with the clocks.

Soon, the sounds of battle could be heard in the distance. The boy immediately ran toward the battle with his partner. When arriving, he saw a purple-winged dragon-like Digimon with metal gauntlets and hands battling what looked like a nine-tailed yellow fox. It was Megadramon and a new Digimon Kyubimon that Ryo saw on a card for the last Digimon set card release.

Megadramon: An ultimate-level dragon virus Digimon. Its main attacks are Dark Side Attack and Parry Force. The dragon was like a living airborne multi-missile striker and could decimate a small town to rubble.

Kyubimon: A mystical animal champion-level Digimon. Its special attacks were Dragon Wheel and Fox Tail Inferno. The way this Digimon attack was graceful and elegant, but powerful all the same.

The battle was pretty fierce, but it looked like Megadramon had a clear advantage in terrain and level in this fight. In the distance, Ryo could see other bystanders watching the battle. The first two were Digimon: Clockmon and Hagurumon. He was acquainted with them somewhat last time he was here. It was the others that surprised him. They were kids around his age. Humans children, other than him, were here in the digital world.

There were three of them. The first was a light brown-haired boy who wore a visor. The second was a black-haired boy with glasses. Last, was a girl with red hair worn in a spiky ponytail. She had a D-ark in her hand meaning Kyubimon was her partner. It wasn't Megadramon due to the massive environmental damage he was causing around him. The dragon was probably attacking due to the rumor that loading a tamer's Digimon will allow one to go to the digital world. Some Digimon tried to do the same thing to Cyberdramon. It did not end well for them.

Looking at the three kids, Ryo couldn't help but feel like he knew them from somewhere, especially the girl. He just couldn't put his finger on it and continued to stare at them.

[Dark Side Attack] Megadramon's metal gauntlets opened up after evading Kyubimon's dragon wheel attack. Multiple organic missiles shot out from them. All of them were aiming and attacking Kyubimon at point-blank range. Explosions rang out causing the sky to be filled with smoke. The foxlike Digimon fell from the smoke.

"Kyubimon!" The girl yelled running to her Digimon. Ryo snapped out of his thoughts. Right now, those people were in trouble, and they needed his help!

"Cyberdramon, go just don't-," Ryo didn't even finish before his partner flew off claws ready to attack Megadramon. The boy couldn't help but let out a sigh. He bet that his partner didn't even listen and ran closer to the battlefield to run interference.

[Time Skip- After the battle with Megadramon]

"Alright, we should stay here for the night and set up camp;" Ryo said. It's been about an hour since the battle with Megadramon. Judging from how long it has been daytime, the boy knew the night was about to fall in a few minutes. He turned to his new companions. "We need to gather firewood."

"Um, Mr. Ryo sir," The black-haired kid with glasses spoke up respectfully. "We're in the clouds."

"Again, please call me Ryo and it'll still work. The digital world's rules run differently than the real world," The tamer then explained the rules here don't follow the human world sometimes like in this cloud area. Clouds here aren't made of evaporated water and gas, but data. They could still make a fire here with the appropriate materials. The boys' eyes shined like they just heard the coolest thing in the world.

"We will still need to gather the material for the fire. There are some old, discarded wooden clock parts and gears in the area. We just need to find them, so we need to spread out and find them. Ummm..," Ryo stared at his companions. He didn't know their names.

The two boys noticed this and started to speak up.

"I'm Hirokazu Shiota!" The brown-haired boy with a tennis visor on his head said. He wore a black T-shirt with a stylized cross, yellow-cream shorts, reddish brown wristbands, olive green socks, and blue and gray shoes.

"I'm Kenta Kitagawa!" The black-haired boy with the glasses spoke next. He wore an orange T-shirt under an open short-sleeved button-up shirt, light brown shorts, white socks, and light gray shoes with light blue laces and soles.

Ryo nodded his head acknowledging their names. From their last conversation, the boy knew these two guys were big fans of his from the previous card tournaments before entering the digital world. Looking at them right now, he could clearly tell they were still excited to see him in person. Ryo then turned to look at the third person: the girl.

She had red hair and styled it into a spiky ponytail. The girl wore a white T-shirt with short sky blue sleeves, came with a yellow turtleneck, and a dark blue broken heart on the front, with short button-fly blue jeans, red wrist bands, white socks, red steel-toed sneakers, and buckles around her waist and left leg.

Out of the three people, this girl was the person Ryo was most interested in. Seeing as she still hasn't introduced herself, the boy decided to say something. "And your name?"

The girl just turned her head to the right staring into the distance of clouds and gears. She replied rudely. "And why should I tell you?"

Her companions looked at her in shock and started to call her name, but the girl gave them both dagger eyes effectively shutting them up. Her partner Digimon looked at her curious about the situation.

"I guess it's okay. It doesn't matter if I don't know your name. I will call you something else like 'Omae (You)!' or 'Hey Girl!" Ryo couldn't help but let out a smile. "Would you like me to call you that?"

The girl snapped her head right back to Ryo, glaring at him. It was a look that he knew full well she did not want to be called that. Ryo just shrugged while still smiling. He didn't know what else to call her if he didn't know her name. The girl, knowing she lost this verbal confrontation, spoke quietly. "Ruki... Ruki Makino."

"Ruki huh so that is her name" Ryo subconsciously thought while feeling a little happy about this small victory in teasing.

"Alright, now that pleasantries are out of the way. We still need to gather things for the fire and split up in different directions. Ruki, why don't you go-" Ryo didn't even get to finish before the girl just walked in a random direction with her Digimon ignoring the rest of what he had to say. The boy was temporarily at a loss for words.

"Don't mind her too much," Hirokazu said. "She acts like this most of the time."

"Oh, okay..." Ryo then pointed Hirokazu's and Kenta's directions to go look for firewood, before Ryo went on his own. While looking and gathering the wood, the boy had his first impression of Ruki: A stubborn girl.

Soon, everyone came back with wood piled in the center, and not a moment too soon since it was already dark. "Everything's ready. Now to start the fire. It will just take me a few minutes"

"Kyubimon," Ruki looked at her partner Digimon.

[Fox Tail Inferno] The fox Digimon pointed one of her nine tails at the pile of wood and shot out a blue ball of flame. Red flames instantly roared to life, warming the surrounding area.

"Or you could do that,'' Ryo thought, looking at Ruki already sitting near the fire and putting her back on the fur of her partner. He took the spot across the fire from her with Cyberdramon right beside him. Hirokazu and Kenta sat in between them. Once everyone was comfortable, Ryo decided to ask the question.

"So how did you guys get here?"

[Time skip - Night Conversation and Ruki leaving]

It was daylight again in the digital world. The fire was put out, and the gang was ready to leave the clock area but without Ruki. Ryo couldn't help but stare off into the distance in the direction of where she walked away last night. It finally clicked why she looked so familiar.

Ruki was his opponent during the finals at the Digimon Worlds Card Exhibition. Although hearing about her getting a second place was a huge clue, what made him finally remember was her back silhouette as she walked away. It was the same walk when she left the tournament.

Ryo couldn't believe he forgot about her. Actually, he could believe it. The boy spent most of his months trying to survive the digital world and that was after going through his first Digimon battle and finding out that Digital Monsters were real. It made a card tournament kind of insignificant.

To be honest, Ryo wasn't surprised that Ruki became a tamer and had the title: the Digimon queen when he left. Her Digimon card skills were incredible and had a certain beauty to them. If the competition was the same as last year then no one would be her match. It took everything Ryo had just to beat the girl then. If she was the Digimon queen though, would that make him the king? The legendary tamer inwardly chuckled at that.

Still, Ryo couldn't help but worry about Ruki even if she had a powerful Digimon-like Kyubimon by her side. The digital world was still a dangerous place. It was survival to the fittest here.

"If you're worried about her, don't be," Hirokazu said, snapping Ryo out of his thoughts. "Ruki may be obnoxious sometimes, but she's tough. If anyone can survive in the digital world by themselves, it would be her. Even I have to admit that about her."

Hirokazu was right. Even though this place was dangerous, Ryo had a feeling that she was going to be alright. After all, the boy already had his second impression of her: An extremely stubborn girl. He probably couldn't stop her even if he tried.

"Let's head out then," Ryo said, looking at the two younger boys. They responded with a salute. Their eyes shined like they were looking at a hero. The tamer could only just smile and lead the way.

While walking out of the area, Hirokazu and Kenta started talking about their other companions and their Digimon. There was their goofy friend Takato, pacifist but intelligent Jian, and optimistic Juri along with their respective partners Guilmon, Terriermon, and Leomon. Ryo listened attentively as the trio and Cyberdramon walked to their next destination.

[Last Time skip - Children and their partner Digimon are about to return to the Real World]

"Ruki! Ruki!" yelled Ryo. He was mid-air on Cyberdramon trying to find Ruki in the middle of a sandstorm. The children finally found a way back to the real world, but the girl left an hour before the appointed time. Renamon, her Digimon partner, said she needed to find someone before leaving, so she took off with her tamer.

The transport called the Ark arrived on time, but no signs of Ruki and Renamon. It also brought a sandstorm. When the Ark was about to take off, Ryo decided to find her before then. The storm would probably mess with their sense of direction, and they would need a proper guide to lead them back in the right direction.

Wind and sand blew everywhere blocking anyone's sight. Ryo was beginning to lose hope until he saw a shadow coming toward him. Bursting through the wind was a yellow fox with a girl on her back.

"Thank goodness," Ryo felt relieved upon seeing Ruki and her Digimon partner. The pair landed right in front of them.

"Ryo, what are you doing here?" Ruki asked. "Please tell me there is still time for us to go home."

"Yes, but we have to hurry. The Ark is about to take off." Ryo notices a purple imp-like Digimon in her arms. Is that the reason why she left? "Who's that?"

Ruki looked down at the Digimon, and her eyes softened. "He's a friend who needs help. I want to take him with us."

Ryo gave Ruki a deep look, suddenly remembering what happened in their last battle. In a deep cavern pit where Calumon was imprisoned, a new enemy, the D-reaper, was about to erupt and erase him and his friends until the girl and Renamon dove straight into the middle of it. She evolved into the mega-level Digimon and temporarily stopped the big blob's advances.

She saved her friends and now she's helping another one at the cost of her only chance of going home. Ryo could tell that the little guy might not have a good relationship with the others, since she and Renamon didn't say why they left. But she still went anyway. For someone who was so sarcastic and stubborn, Ruki had a kind heart. This was Ryo's fourth impression of her. His third was the girl's extreme sarcasm.

"Ryo! This is not the time to be blanking out!" shouted Ruki pulling the boy out of his thoughts. "We need to hurry and go before our ride leaves and frankly, the idea of being stuck here in a raging storm because of you isn't very appealing at the moment."

"Good to see that you still have such great people skills, Ruki," Ryo chuckled, earning him a glare from the girl. "Hey, don't give me that look. I just came out into this storm to look for you and help."

"I didn't ask you to do that!" Ruki answered back fiercely.

"Well okay. I guess we can just stay here and let the Ark leave. We will be stuck here for who knows how many more months, Maybe years." Ryo started smirking and then added. "Alone. With me."

The stare Ruki gave got angrier and was about to tell him they will find their way until she felt Kyubimon's prodding. "Ruki please, we don't have time for this."

Kyubimon was right. Every second there was the possibility of the Ark leaving them. For now, Ruki swallowed her pride, looked up at Ryo, and said reluctantly. "Lead the way."

"Come on, let's go." The legendary tamer said earning himself another winning point in teasing the girl.

Cyberdramon then flew back in the direction they came from with Ruki and Kyubimon trailing behind. Ryo hoped that it wasn't too late. He also missed his family and wanted to return to the real world. Soon, the boy could see a clearing and some shadows through the wind. Ryo started yelling as Cyberdramon and Kyubimon broke through the final wind barrier.

Finally, with no sand blocking his vision, he could see his google headed friend Takato on the ground looking at them while the Ark was in mid-air with its other passengers like it was waiting for them. There was still time.

Ruki grabbed Takato's hand as Kyubimon jumped through the entrance of the Ark. Ryo followed suit with Cyberdramon. Although the landing could use work, everyone was accounted for. The Ark resumed its course. They were going home.

Chapter Text

A few days after returning to Japan...

Ryo

In an apartment somewhere in North Kyushu, Japan, Ryo was in the living room watching the TV. It's been a few days since the tamers returned to the real world at Chuo Park. When he came out of the Ark, his dad was there waiting for him. The middle-aged man was not all that happy to see him.

Who could blame the man? His son left him hanging and traveled to an unknown place without even talking to him. All he had of his son's location was a discarded tied-up piece of cloth that contains Ryo's ID and a message that said 'he was in someplace called the digital world'. Since it came from an area of massive destruction, the police at the scene thought of the worse, but they only filed a missing person due to not finding a body. They didn't even consider the digital world because it was such a make-believe place, but it spread some rumors around the kids about what happened to the legendary tamer.

After about 10 months after his disappearance, Mr. Akiyama started to lose hope of finding his son until the man got a call from Hypnos letting him know Ryo was alive and will be in Shinjuku soon from the digital world. When he saw his son come out of the Ark, the father was happy at first then mad. Did Ryo not consider how he would feel after leaving him for 10 months with no communication?

Now, Mr. Akiyama had to deal with his son's partner Digimon: Monodramon. It was not easy for the poor little guy. He was kind of the reason his son left and kept playing with things he could get his hands on. Monodramon was constantly berated and alienated for the first few days upon returning home. Ryo's dad finally started warming up to him after the Digimon gave him a lot of doe eyes, and freaked out their apartment neighbor witless who Mr. Akiyama absolutely hated. The man was starting to see Monodramon as a loyal pet who could talk.

It has been 2 days since Ryo stayed at home. Mr. Akiyama was away on the job dealing with the current catastrophe in Japan. The D-reaper had come to the real world and already occupied parts of Shinjuku with the headquarters of Hypnos at the dead center of it. The boy was currently watching the news on his enemy's progress. It was not looking good.

Currently, the Japan Self-Defense Forces were fighting one of the D-reaper agents. The thing looked like a wraith with a brown, orange stripe cloth and had a pumpkin-like face and cord-like limbs with sickles at the ends for legs. A cord attached to it connected with the rest of its expanding body. The agent was dodging the ammunition and artillery the Defense Forces were throwing at it. To be honest, the whole scene looks like they were trying to hit a moving piñata and doing very badly at it too.

Ryo was looking at them like they were idiots. What were they thinking? Using those means wouldn't even do actual harm to the agent let alone the D-Reaper himself. The only thing that could actually pose a threat to it would be Digimon. If anyone could defeat the heartless blob, it would be them.

Just then, three figures appeared and started to engage it. The first looked like a big red dinosaur that was a part cyborg. The second looked like a green long-eared robotic rabbit with a revolver on its back. The last one had the appearance of a shaman but had a foxlike face and body. They were Digimon.

Wargrowlmon: A virus type, ultimate whose special attacks are Radiation Blade and Atomic Blaster. With the weaponry on it, the guy was like a one-army tank.

Rapidmon: A android vaccine ultimate Digimon whose special attacks are Rapid Fire and Tri-Beam. He can apparently move attack at the speed of light. His ears act like a sensor that can detect distant enemies.

Taomon: A wizard, data ultimate Digimon whose special attacks are Talisman of Light and Talisman Spell. Her specialty with magic based attacks using spells and talismans.

Judging from their looks and appearance, Ryo could tell they were Takato, Jian, and Ruki Digimon in their ultimate forms. They were fighting the D-reaper and doing a better job at it too. Their attacks were able to push the agent against a corner and were about to destroy it. Things were looking pretty good until the thing protected itself with a barrier. A barrier that was exactly the same as Taomon's Talisman Spell. The little piñata completely copied a Digimon move. Then, the agent started retaliating and used attacks similar to Wargrowlmon and Rapidmon.

Seeing his friends' Digimon fighting and being beaten, Ryo clenched his hands. They were fighting a strong enemy, and he was sitting and watching. Beside him, Monadramon growled at the battle on the screen. It felt like the little guy wanted to fight with them.

"C'mon let's go," Ryo told Monodramon getting up. The boy couldn't just stand here and do nothing. He was going to Shinjuku and helping his friends. Quickly, he got up and gathered the essentials: his D-ark, a deck of Digimon cards, and a backpack full of snacks and water for the trip. Once finished, Ryo and Monodramon walked outside the apartment's patio and were ready to fly off when the boy heard a voice near the door.

"Ryo?" It was his father: Kogen Akiyama. He stared at his son as the door opened. The man was back from work early.

"Dad!" Ryo stood there stunned. He didn't know how to respond. The last time he left, it was 10 months.

Mr. Akiyama looked at his son's backpack and D-ark in his hands then looked at the TV still showing the battle. Everything clicked into place. It wasn't hard to figure out what was going on. "So you're going, aren't you?"

"Yeah Dad, I'm sorry," Ryo said looking guilty. He didn't want to leave his dad after what the boy put him through recently, but the D-reaper needed to be stopped. "My friends are fighting that thing, and need help. I have to go."

The man looked at Ryo and sighed. He knew his son well and the reckless streak he had. There was no stopping the boy when he made a decision. Mr. Akiyama walked to his son until he was at arm's length to him.

"Then you are going to need help," Mr. Akiyama replied as he pulled out a glass orb from his pocket and gave it to his son. Ryo took the orb with curiosity.

"What is it?" Ryo asked observing the item. The orb looked like it was made from crystal clear glass except something was going on inside it. Red and blue energy revolved around inside like Yin and yang. "Where did you get it?"

"I don't know," Mr. Akiyama shook his head. "Last night, a blond twin-tailed girl came with a huge Doberman dog telling me to give this to you. They told me it would help with your evolution when you want to get stronger. I wanted to get more details, but they had to go telling me they had to help the others before it was too late."

"The others?" Ryo thought it must have meant the other tamers meaning they were allies. The boy pocketed the orb. It could be useful after all, Ryo remembered the underlying meaning of his dad's words. "You're letting me go?"

Mr. Akiyama stared at his son. "As much as I want you here at home under constant supervision, that thing on TV is causing mayhem in Shinjuku. Although it's far from where we are, it's expanding. It's only a matter of time before it comes here as well. If you and the purple dinosaur can stop it, what reason can I have against letting you go?

"Thank you, Dad," Ryo was glad that his father could see the bigger picture.

"Don't get me wrong. We will still have to talk about your past actions," Mr. Akiyama giving a strict look. "Monodramon, please keep my son safe."

"I will," Monodramon saluted. Ryo was happy too. It was the first time his father called his Digimon by his name. The boy and his partner then headed to the patio to get ready to go.

"Ryo, one more thing," His dad's strict look softens. "Promise me when this is all over. You'll come back."

"I promise Dad." Ryo had to pause a moment, but the words came out before walking outside the patio. "We will come back."

Ryo and Monodramon then jumped out off the patio. The boy's D-ark and card in hand. [Card Slash: Matrix Evolution]

[Monadramon -> Cyberdramon] Ryo quickly got on Cyberdramon's back in mid-air before taking off to the skies.

"You know, you could've just left through the front door right?!" Mr. Akiyama yelled. Ryo laughed. It wouldn't have been fun otherwise. While flying, the boy turned his head and gave one last look to his father who was on the patio, his figure slowly shrinking away.

As the pair flew through skies still only halfway to Shinjuku, Ryo was deep in thought of what his father told him before leaving: 'Promise me that you will come back.'

When Ryo came out of the airport with his dad and Monodramon in Kyushu, there was anger in Mr. Akiyama's tone when berating him and his partner, but he knew it was also hurt. Hurt when his dad found that his son had gone missing and then found out it was his choice. Ryo never did consider his father's feelings before leaving. His dad really cared about him.

"Cyberdramon?" Ryo getting his partner's attention. "I need to talk about something."

"You want to stay here. Don't you?" Cyberdramon replied shocking his tamer. Ryo didn't expect the Digimon to know his thoughts. He did want to stay here in Japan. It wasn't just because his father wanted him to. The boy finally found friends here who understood him. He wanted to stay and get to know them more even if they were in another prefecture and city.

"Don't be so surprised. We are partners after all." Cyberdramon continued. "I do care about and understand you."

"You're okay with us staying here?" Ryo looked down at his riding Digimon. The boy knew Cyberdramon's lust for battle all too well. Would he be ok with little to no fighting? Japan wasn't really a place where brawls happen.

Cyberdramon was silent for a moment before he spoke again.

"Ryo, when you came with me to the digital world, you left your world, your home just so you could help me. A random, violent Digimon who you encountered on the street. You went to an unknown place for months with no guarantee of a way back. We fought battles together and traveled looking for my ultimate enemy even though there was no trace of him. Your actions made me... grateful. If you want to stay here, I will too. Even if there is no battling, we will figure something out. I... I want to stay with you."

The boy looked fondly at his partner patting his back. "Thank you, Cyberdramon."

Ryo was touched, to say the least. This was actually the first time Cyberdramon spoke with so many sentences. This was probably due to his partner seeing how the other Digimon interacted with their tamers. It made him happy that Cyberdramon was willing to forgo fighting and finding his ultimate enemy just to be with him, but Ryo wouldn't let his partner just stop fighting cold turkey.

"Listen Cyberdramon. Just because we are staying here doesn't mean our battle has to stop. After all, during our travels in the digital world, we were never able to find our true enemy. Maybe it's the D-reaper or maybe it's somewhere here, but what I am saying is, this isn't the end. I promise you, Cyberdramon. We will find your ultimate enemy. We will defeat it and set you free. I didn't just go to the digital world for adventure. I came thinking about you. You're my partner and friend. No matter what happens. Please never forget that."

Cyberdramon didn't say anything after, but Ryo could tell his partner was extremely affected by his words. Despite the Digimon's violent nature and a slight tendency to ignore Ryo's orders sometimes, he did care about the boy and would protect him.

Then and there, the bond between tamer and Digimon was strengthened. For Digimon, it is through battles and loading their opponent's data that they can get stronger. Digimon with tamers though, grow stronger through the bonds and emotions of their human partners. This doesn't mean through battles, but also through interactions. Raw emotions from humans can bring out the true strength in Digimon. What Ryo and Cyberdramon just did was one of the emotional moments which led to this.

Suddenly, Ryo's D-ark shone a bright, strong light. The boy didn't even have to know what this light was for. He could feel it with his bond with Cyberdramon. They became closer and achieved power beyond the ultimate level.

The orb shot out from Ryo's pocket and flew into the air. The glass shattered as the blue and red energy escaped and surrounded Ryo and Cyberdramon. The boy could feel a pull coming from his partner.

"Cyberdramon, our next enemy will be our toughest yet. We need to get stronger, but I don't want you to fight alone." Ryo said as light from the D-ark grew. "I want to fight with you and share your pain and burden like the others. Let's take down this enemy together!"

The Digimon roared in response. Ryo couldn't help but let out a smile. The light from his D-ark started to engulf both of them until they looked like a bright light in the sky.

[Biomerge Activate: Cyberdramon Biomerge to Justimon] The light slowly faded. In the place of the duo was a single figure. His outfit consisted of blue and black clothing with partial white armor covered complimenting his muscles. The right arm was completely metallic. He wore something like a helmet/mask on his head with a red muffler around his neck. It was the Digimon: Justimon.

Justimon: A mega-level Digimon whose special attacks are Trinity Arm and Justice Kick. He is a Hero of Justice-like type who likes to save the day. According to rookie Digimon, he has a sense of justice that burns hot, and never overlooks acts of evil fighting them if necessary.

This was the mega-level form of Cyberdramon. Opening his eyes, Ryo was surrounded by a ball of dark blue energy in his spirit form, but he could still see through his surroundings outside. It was Justimon and it was amazing! Digimon and tamer were one. The boy could now understand what his friends meant when they biomerged. He could feel Cyberdramon's strength and thoughts running through him. The feeling and power were amazing. It felt like he could fight an army.

"Cyberdramon, we did it! We biomerged!" Cyberdramon grunted positively as a reply. Ryo closed his eyes taking in the full effects. They were close before, but this was a whole new level. The boy wanted to explore the full extent of their new power. Cyberdramon's thoughts and feelings were coursing through his body while the same could be said for his partner. He also felt Justimon and could feel the wind blowing through him in the sky. It was a feeling the boy would never forget.

While searching, Ryo felt something else. Somewhere deep inside Justimon was an energy of some sort. It wasn't coming from him or Cyberdramon, but it was giving off power strengthening them. His partner once told him that something was always keeping the Digimon in the ultimate form. Was this energy it?

Ryo delved deeper into that energy. It was definitely giving them power, but it felt different. Unlike the power of good and justice that came with Justimon, this power felt mean and vengeful. The boy had a feeling that whatever made Cyberdramon crazy for battle. This energy was the main cause of it, what was it and where did it come from?

The boy wanted to go further and communicate with this energy, but unfortunately, he wouldn't get the chance. Gravity started to catch up to him. While Cyberdramon had wings that could fly, Justimon didn't. He was quickly falling to the ground snapping Ryo out of his concentration.

Quickly thinking, Justimon located the nearest tall building and changed trajectory in that direction. He then positioned his body so that the speed of falling would be slower. With some extra maneuvers, Justimon was able to land on the roof of the building without causing any damage. Ryo sighed in relief. A big commotion would've happen if he landed in the middle of the streets and roads.

Since Justimon couldn't fly, the Digimon jumped from roof to roof of the buildings to get to Shinjuku. Good thing Justimon had an amazing jumping ability. People who would see him pass would just think of a weird blur. Some children, who were able to see Justimon clearly, thought he was a Super Sentai hero from TV and cheered looking at this amazing hero.

Ryo put the foreign energy in the back of his mind. Whatever it was could wait. Right now, the D-reaper was the main concern and his friends were in trouble. So as fast as his legs could take him, he dashed and jumped towards Shinjuku to help his friends and save the world!

Chapter Text

Ryo

A year later...

West Shinjuku

Ryo walked on the streets in Shinjuku recalling the events of last year to now. Their biggest enemy, the D-Reaper, was finally defeated with help of the Digimon tamers and the Monster Makers. Unfortunately, it came at a high cost. The Digimon couldn't stay in the real world and had to go back or risk disappearing forever. There wasn't even enough time to say goodbye. It was one of the most heartbreaking things the tamers had to go through.

The first few weeks were pretty hard, but after a while, things slowly started to return to normal. Ryo went back to playing the Digimon card tournaments which was the reason he was in the area. It was great to play the game again, but the boy couldn't help but feel a little empty inside. Cyberdramon wasn't by his side after all but got the news that made him ecstatic.

He received a call from Jian letting him know about sending audio messages to their Digimon and wanted to know if he would like to send one. The timing was perfect since the card exhibition tournament was around there. After Ryo recorded his audio message, he felt a little better and hoped his partner would get his message. While walking through the streets, he saw someone familiar. Ryo couldn't help but let out a smile.

In his sight was a redhead, spiky ponytail girl. She was leaning her back against the metal pole near the sidewalk and had headphones on listening to music. It was Ruki Makino. Ryo hadn't seen her in about a year. He was hoping she would appear in card tournaments but never showed. It kind of made him disappointed. She was a great card battler and a strong opponent. Although there were still a lot of strong people entering, they were nowhere near the level and impact Ruki had.

Ryo also heard from Jian and Takato that she was highly against sending the message packet. He wondered why. It was an excellent opportunity to let their Digimon know how they were doing and their feelings even if they never received it. Slowly, he started walking toward her until the boy was in front of her and tried to get her attention. No dice, Ruki was too busy listening to her music to even notice him. Ryo let out a mischievous grin, reached out to grab her headphones, and pulled them right off her head.

[Time skip: Ruki and Ryo's conversation on the CD Drama]

"Ruki..." Ryo said, watching her run off into the distance. He stood there silently taking in the conversation they had a few moments ago about the audio messages.

Flashback

"I can't agree with this! I had to separate from Renamon, and not being able to see her again—" Ruki said angrily when Ryo brought up the topic.

"You don't know that," Ryo replied.

"Then when can I see her? Tomorrow? A week later? The day after tomorrow? In ten years? When?!"

"T—That's why... Everyone's researching on Digimon and the Digital World... even Jian..."

"This is stupid!" She then ran away from the boy.

"Ruki! Wait!"

End of Flashback

Ryo touched on a sore subject in Ruki, but she was kind of right. When were they going to see their Digimon again? Although Jian's dream of becoming a researcher would be a huge help in bringing back their partners, was it enough? It wasn't just Ryo. Every tamer felt like they had something taken away when their Digimon left. A part of their life felt missing, incomplete. Wasn't there something that he, the legendary tamer, could do?

Ryo was about to take out his phone when he noticed something in his right hand: Ruki's headphones. They must have unplugged when she ran off. Well since he was already here, he might as well go to Ruki's house and return them. The boy could look for her, but there was no telling where she ran off to. Her home was the next best option. While walking, Ryo took out his cell phone with his other hand to call Jian telling him about his meeting with Ruki and asking him for a favor.

Halfway on his way to the house, he saw a little crowd gathered around in a park. Judging from the props on the ground and people with makeup and cameras around, it looks to be an outdoor photoshoot. It was no wonder. The park had extremely gorgeous flowers, trees, and vibrant scenery. It was a popular area for photography. Ryo was about to move on when he noticed someone familiar.

She had blond hair and wore an outfit that completely complimented the area in the park. She was definitely a model and looked to be around her late 20s. It was Rumiko Makino. Although Ryo barely knew the woman, he knew that she was Ruki's mother from their brief time reuniting with their families. This was perfect. Ryo could just return the headphones to her and be on his way.

"Mrs. Makino!" Ryo yelled as he walked toward the photo shoot but was stopped by security. Rumiko turned toward the sound of her name and saw the boy. She tilted her head trying to remember who he was and why he was calling her. The boy was way too young to be her fan.

"Let him through," Rumiko said to security and motioned him to come here. She didn't know who he was, but the boy did look familiar to her. Besides, the photo shoot was on pause due to a tardy model, so she had some time on her hands. "Do I know you?"

"Probably not. I'm Ryo Akiyama. We meet briefly in Chuo park when reuniting with our families, but I am acquainted with your daughter, Ruki," Ryo introduced himself while holding out the headphones. "We talked earlier, but she forgot her headphones. I was heading to her house to return them, but since I saw you. I was wondering if I could give them to you and be on my way."

"Oh, so that's why you looked so familiar," Rumiko suddenly remembered Ryo as she took the headphones from him. She looked more closely at him and smiled. "I didn't know my daughter had such a handsome young friend."

Ryo had to lightly laugh at that. He wasn't phased by being called handsome since he was used to the flattery. "I wouldn't exactly call me her-"

"Rumiko, bad news!" Before the boy finished his sentence, a middle-aged man with glasses came running toward them. His face looked grave. "The young male who was supposed to show up had food poisoning at the last minute. He won't be able to make it.

"What!?" Rumiko replied in shock. "But this is the only time we have in this area! It'll take us weeks to book this place again!"

"I know, but unless we can find another young male model at the last minute, we don't have another option," The man hung his head low at the current dilemma.

Rumiko was conflicted too until an idea popped into her head. The woman quickly turns toward Ryo, staring intensely. The boy took a step back. He did not like where this situation was going.

"Ryo..." Rumiko said smiling. "How do you feel about modeling?"

"Never tried it before," He said knowing where this conversation was going "It doesn't seem interesting to me though."

The woman let out a sigh. This boy was probably like her daughter. Even though both had the looks, they had zero interest in being famous. What a waste. "Let me get to the point then. Ryo, can you please be in this shoot for one or two hours? I would really appreciate it."

"I don't know," Ryo replied skeptically. Although the boy had taken pictures of winning card tournaments, they didn't come close to this. "Thanks for considering me, but I don't know the first thing about being a model."

"Please Ryo!" Rumiko grabbed both of his hands and stared at him pleadingly with doe eyes. "All you have to do is do some casual movements and smile. I can help with the other stuff."

Rumiko started to blink rapidly and pout at him. Ryo was getting very conflicted. Of course, he would like to help, but being a model. Although other people would jump at this opportunity, it just felt weird and awkward to him.

Rumiko, noticing Ryo still hasn't said yes, decided to pull out her final trump card. "There is no telling when we will get this area again taking up my free time, and I was hoping to spend that time with my daughter."

When she put it that way, Ryo couldn't say no. Family was important. His time in the digital world and the events of the D-reaper taught him that. His dad was even here trying to spend time with him even though the man thought card tournaments were boring. Finally, the boy caved. "Alright, what do I have to do?"

The first 30 minutes were putting on makeup and clothes which wasn't that bad. The bad part came when he had to pose in front of the camera. It always felt forced and awkward whenever the boy heard the click from the camera. Luckily the cameraman knew Ryo was a novice, so he kept shots and poses simple like smiling naturally or looking in a direction to admire the scenery. With Rumiko's advice and his small experience with picture poses from winning card tournaments, the boy managed to get by. He also did some group family photos with Rumiko and another male model her age who happened to be tanned.

Finally what felt like days, which lasted only an hour, the photoshoot was finally over, and Ryo was back in his regular clothes. That was an interesting experience. In the distance, Rumiko and the guy with glasses came walking over to him. The guy grabbed his shoulders and said. "Kid, you're a natural! Have you ever thought of trying modeling?"

Ryo looked at the man weirdly. Him, start modeling. He didn't think so. The boy already felt drained from this one and would rather fight a rampaging dragon than go through that again.

"Now, Sugai, give the boy some space. He has no interest in modeling." Rumiko noticed Ryo's discomfort now and during the shoot. She saved the boy from any more pestering from her agent. "It was only a one-time thing, and he only did it because I asked."

"Oh.." Sugai said and saw the boy nod his head agreeing with Rumiko's words. "Well, if you ever change your mind, kid. Let Rumiko know, and we'll set you up in no time."

With that, Sugai left to help clean up the rest of the photoshoot. Rumiko turned back toward the boy.

"Thank you Ryo, we wouldn't know what to do if it wasn't for you." She said expressing her gratitude.

"It was nothing. I was glad I could help." Ryo replied. Although modeling wasn't his thing, he was still glad to be of assistance.

"At least let me repay you somehow." Rumiko was thinking hard about how to compensate the boy. "How about this? Why don't we head back to my house? I might have just the thing there. You must be hungry too, and my mother is a great cook."

"You really don't have to Mrs. Maki-" Ryo started to say. The boy didn't think the idea of being at Ruki's house would sit well with her. He could already imagine the glares and attitude from the girl already.

"It's Miss Makino and I insist." Rumiko grabbed his wrist pulling him toward the direction of her home. "My shift is over anyway, and Ruki would be so happy to see you at the house."

'You don't know your daughter that well then.' Ryo thought. The boy tried to explain that Ruki wouldn't like that, but Rumiko was extremely insistent. The next thing he knew, they were at the front doors of Ruki's home. The house looked like a traditional Japanese house and was located on the edge of Shinjuku.

'"Mother, I'm home!" Rumiko said, still pulling Ryo through the doors.

"Welcome back sweetheart. You're home early. Dinner won't be ready until a few more hours." A kindly old woman came out from the kitchen as Ryo and Rumiko took off their footwear and entered the living room. She had short light brown hair with some white streaks, looked to be in her late 50s, and wore a long, green-sleeve shirt and black pants with a turquoise apron covering them. It was Seiko Hata, Ruki's grandmother. Seiko had a warm smile when she greeted her daughter and then noticed Ryo. "And who do we have here?"

"Oh right mother, this is Ryo Akiyama. He's a friend of Ruki." Rumiko made the introductions. "He helped me out at my job, and I want to repay him for it. Can you watch him for a bit? I need to call Ruki to let her know he's here."

With that, Rumiko left the living room.

"Well then Ryo, why don't you make yourself comfortable in the living room? I will be back with some snacks." Seiko said kindly while she went back into the kitchen.

Taking the advice, Ryo grabbed a floor cushion, placed it near the short-legged table, and sat down. While waiting, the boy took a look around the interior of the house. It was definitely a traditional Japanese home. The house had tatami mat flooring, sliding doors, and wooden engawa verandas. Outside the verandas was a vibrant yard filled with trees, plants, and a koi pond that gave the feeling of calmness. This place was the perfect area for people who like quiet.

While Ryo was checking and replying to texts on his phone, Seiko returned with a tray filled with senbei crackers and three cups of warm green tea. "Here you go, sweetheart. I hope you like these. It's all we have at the moment, but supper will be ready shortly if you're staying."

"These will be perfect. Thank you, Mrs. Seiko," Ryo said, expressing gratitude as he picked up a cracker and took a bite.

"So, how did you get to our house?" Seiko inquired. "Did my daughter drag you against your will?"

"Huh? How did you-?" Ryo was shocked. Although it technically wasn't against his will, it was somewhat close. Rumiko didn't listen to a word of what the boy said and just kept dragging him. After a while, he just gave up and went to the house hoping to leave quickly there. His dad was probably waiting for him somewhere after all.

Seiko couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Although things have gotten better between my daughter and granddaughter, Ruki still doesn't like to talk a lot about herself in front of us. So my daughter likes to find every chance she can get to find out how the girl is doing. As you just experienced, she can be quite determined and drag about anyone to find out about Ruki."

Ryo could attest to that. "And you don't stop her?"

"Even I am curious about my granddaughter," Seiko said as she took a sip of the tip. "Be ready for an interrogation. In the meantime, do you have any questions for me?"

Ryo did have questions for Seiko. Although he doesn't see Ruki much due to living in different prefectures, the boy was always curious about her. She always keeps things interesting. His first question was simple. "Is Miss Makino Ruki's mom?"

Don't get Ryo wrong. Rumiko could be Ruki's mom in terms of looks, but the lady had such a positive energy and cute uptake on things. It was hard to picture Rumiko and Ruki being related.

"Yes, they are. It is surprising, isn't it? Although it's probably why Ruki doesn't like cute things compared to other girls"

Ryo thought so too seeing as the girl always wore a shirt and jeans. She did look good in them though.

"I just got off the phone with Ruki." Rumiko picked now to burst through the living room and sat next to Seiko. "She said she was heading home right now to see us. I never heard the girl so determined to go home before. You must really be a great friend!"

Ryo could think of another reason the girl was rushing to get home but didn't say it aloud. The boy was now seated with Ruki's closest parental figures. He didn't know what to say and stared at them with a smile.

"So Ryo..." Rumiko decided to break the silence. "Can you tell me about Ruki and what she likes now?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you much about her," Ryo replied, making Rumiko confused.

"Aren't you friends with her?"

"Barely, I am only acquainted with her. I don't even know if she considers me that."

"Why didn't you say something earlier then?"

"I did, but you kept dragging me and wouldn't even listen to a word I said."

"Rumiko, I have always told you to listen before you do anything. Haven't I?" Seiko rebutted from the side. "It does have me wondering though. If you are not her friend, how did you two first meet besides the event from last year of course?"

"Well, I guess when I first met Ruki, I was at the Digimon card tournament exhibition in Ueno around two years ago. We were the finalists together."

"I remember that day. She came home awfully upset and disappointed. I am guessing she lost, and you beat her."

"Yes, but she was really good though. Amazing even," Ryo thought back to his game with Ruki in Ueno. The way the girl played was amazing. She was the only person who made him feel like he would actually lose. Unconsciously, the boy smiled throughout his whole thought process of the game.

Rumiko and Seiko saw this and turned toward each other. They were using their eyes to silently communicate something. Seiko decided to break Ryo's current thoughts with a deeper question. "Ryo, what do you think of Ruki?"

The boy snapped his attention back to the question. His face scrunched up deep in thought. What did he think of Ruki? His first impressions of her were stubborn, rude, sarcastic, and never honest even to herself, but there was more than that. Ryo learns of the girl's bravery, perseverance, and fearlessness thanks to their battles together. She was the type of person to have as an ally in battle.

There was also something even deeper. Underneath all those layers, Ryo could see Ruki's kindness, especially to her friends. She may never admit it, but the girl values her friendship with the other tamers, even with Kenta and Hirokazu. She would risk her neck just to save theirs. Ruki was just that kind of stubborn but amazing girl.

While all these opinions ran through Ryo's head, his eyes softened, his smile became wider, and his face turned gentle. If anyone saw his face right now, it looked as though the boy was full of serene happiness. Going from his facials, whatever thoughts Ryo had at the moment was extremely sincere. This did not go unnoticed by the two ladies across the table.

Rumiko covered her hands to her mouth trying to suppress fangirl screaming. Seiko's smile turned even gentler. It was like they could read Ryo's mind about Ruki. It was great to know that their little girl could bring out such expressions in a boy, especially a handsome one at that.

"Ryo, would like to know more about Ruki?" Seiko said. "Rumiko and I would be happy to tell you some stories."

The boy had to think about that. There were probably going to be some embarrassing things Ruki wouldn't want anyone to find out. As much as Ryo wanted to know, the girl would probably kill him. Then again, she would already be mad just by being in her house talking with her relatives. He was already knee-deep in this. He might as well keep going and take the full dive.

"I'd like to know more. What was she like when she was younger?" Ryo replied. Rumiko left to get something, while Seiko stayed and started telling him baby stories about Ruki.

Ryo listened to everything with rasp attention. He wanted to know more. What more could he find out about Ruki Makino?

Chapter Text

Ruki

In the streets of Shinjuku, Ruki was power walking to her house looking extremely annoyed. She just finished her audio message to Renamon feeling pretty good about it until she got a call from her mother at Jian's home. Ryo was at her house. What the heck was the boy doing there?! She remembered exactly the phone call she had with her mother just a few moments ago.

Flashback

"Mom! What do you mean Ryo is at the house?!" Ruki just finished her audio message when Jian said her mother called and wanted to talk to her. Rumiko just told her daughter that Ryo was at the house. As expected, the redhead did not take it well.

"Ryo just came over to return your headphones," Rumiko replied on the other end of the line. "Isn't that nice and sweet of him?"

"That's great then, now he can go." Ruki was wondering where those headphones were. Of course, Ryo would have them.

"Ruki, don't be rude. He is a guest. We need to be courteous. Besides, the boy was a huge help during my photoshoot as a model. I need to repay him."

"What do you mean by that? He was modeling?!" Ruki couldn't believe her ears. This conversation just keeps on getting better and better.

"It's a long story. The point is that Ryo was a big help, so I took him to the house to get him a gift of gratitude and get to know him better. Honestly, you never told me you had such a handsome friend." Ruki couldn't confirm it but she thought she heard her mother squealing in delight.

"He is not my-. You know what. It doesn't matter. Stay right there. I am heading home right now. Do not say anything about me." Ruki didn't know how Ryo got into her house talking with both her mother and grandmother, but it didn't matter. Right now, she needed to get home fast before her mother started to spill Ruki's embarrassing secrets.

"OK! Please hurry Ruki. Seiko and I would love to have you home soon. Before I go, I thought it would be too soon, but I think it's time. When you come back, we need to have the talk."

"Not happening, Mom! See you at home!" With that, Ruki hung up. She quickly said goodbye to Jian, his family, and Takato as she power plowed right out of the Lee's residence heading straight in the direction of her house.

Flashback End

Even now, Ruki still couldn't believe Ryo was at her house talking to her mother. Of all the time she had to have free time from her job, it had to be the one where it involved Ryo. Who knew what kind of secrets he could find out? The girl had to get home and fast. She wished she had super speed right now.

Thinking about Ryo, Ruki didn't know what to think about the boy now. After retiring from card tournaments, she really couldn't call him a rival now. There was also the final event with the D-reaper where she transferred all her power to him. There was a type of trust that developed between them. Ruki didn't exactly want to call him a friend, but she didn't hate him as much anymore. If he could just fix his refreshing ray of personality, she would find him even less annoying.

Ruki was still on the way but stopped when she noticed a familiar figure. Near the sidewalk was a rental car with a man beside it. He wore a brown shirt, khaki jacket, gray pants, and a green newsboy hat. It was Kogen Akiyama, Ryo's father. What was he doing here?

Judging from the look on his face, he appeared very annoyed and impatient. The man was constantly looking at his phone like he was waiting for something or someone. It probably had something to do with Ryo. Ruki should have probably just ignored him and kept going but then remembered that his son was with her mother and grandma.

Since Ryo was communicating with them, she might as well go up and talk with his father. Slowly, the girl walked up until she was near the man.

"Mr. Akiyama, it's been a long time. How are you?" Ruki said. The man jumped, startled that someone around here knew him. He turned to where Ruki was.

"I am well. Thank you" Kogen said, giving the young girl a scrutinized look."I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

It was a reasonable question. Mr. Akiyama only met Ruki briefly during the return of the ark and never saw her again. In that time, he spent most of it shunning his son. It was normal for him not to remember a girl from a bunch of other kids during that event.

"I'm Ruki Makino. I am- I know your son Ryo." Ruki replied. "We met indirectly at Chuo Park, remember?"

"Ah, you were one of the two girls who came out of that weird flying transport," Kogen remembered the event, and a light clicked in his head. The man did recall there was a girl with a spiky ponytail. He was just too focused on his son to inquire about the other children. "Actually, it's good that you ran into me. Do you happen to know where my son is? He was supposed to meet me here an hour ago."

'Typical' Ruki thought. Why was Ryo talking to her parents when his father was waiting for him? How irresponsible of him, although she wasn't any better. "Yes, I do know where your son is. He's at my house apparently."

Ruki then quickly explained to Mr. Akiyama how his son got to her house even though she still barely knew the details. The redhead told him how he helped her mother with a modeling gig and brought him to the house to give gratitude and repayment.

The last part didn't make sense to Ruki. She had a feeling her mother just dragged him there to dig dirt on her. Well too bad, that boy didn't know much about her daily life besides Digimon.

"That boy... What on earth am I going to do with him?" Mr. Akiyama let out a frustrated sigh as he jumped into the driver's seat of his rental car. He then looked at Ruki. "Do you want a ride?

Ruki was about to say no but thought better of it and nodded. She was headed to the house anyway. Going by car was definitely faster than just walking with her two feet. It would also be very helpful to Mr. Akiyama for her to guide him to the house rather than just tell him directions. Ruki got into the passenger seat. Once she was buckled in, they drove off.

Besides telling directions, the first 10 minutes of the drive was an awkward silence. It was completely understandable. These two barely knew each other, and one of them doesn't like communicating much even with her friends. Neither knew what to say, causing this tense, reserved atmosphere.

"So, Ruki..." Mr. Akiyama said wanting to break this weird silence. "How did you meet my son?"

"Digimon card tournament. We were finalists a few years ago." Ruki replied.

"Ah Cool. You guys must have met pretty recently in tournaments this year?"

"Not really. I graduated from the game after the... event last year."

"I see,then you guys must have talked and hung out in other places, right?"

"What do you mean?" Ruki eyed Mr. Akiyama suspiciously. Where was he going with this?

"You know, watch movies, go to the aquarium. Those kinds of things."

"Why would I want to do those things with your son?" The suspicion deepened. Mr. Akiyama wasn't implying that Ruki was spending time with Ryo, was he?

"Wait, aren't you two going out?" The man said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "My son is at your house after all. I thought he was introducing himself there."

A lightning strike went off in Ruki's head. Those words were much worse than she initially thought. She and Ryo going out? It was the craziest thing Ruki had ever heard. Why would she date that pompous boy? He aggravated her to no end. The politeness and reserved image Ruki initially showed broke.

"Mr. Akiyama, let's get one thing straight. I am not dating anyone and will never ever go on a date with that annoying Sawayaka Kousen!*" Ruki lashed out. As soon as those words were said, she covered her mouth instantly regretting her decision. Insulting a son to his father who's driving you home probably wasn't the best idea.

"Sorry, I was making an assumption." Mr. Akiyama said, surprised by Ruki's outburst. "You think my son has an annoying, refreshing personality?"

It was already out of the bag. She might as well just keep speaking the truth. "No offense. You have a strong son, but his personality seems so perfect and refreshing that it's annoying. It's like he can do no wrong even when he does."

"Hmm, I see." Mr. Akiyama finally said after a moment of silence, refocusing on the road. Ruki couldn't help but let out a sigh. There goes another adult who has a bad opinion of me. She closed her eyes and decided to stay silent until the end of the ride.

"I thought it was just me!"

'Huh?' Ruki quickly turned her head at Mr. Akiyama's outburst. Did he actually agree with her?

"Don't get me wrong, I love my son." Mr. Akiyama said, noticing Ruki's look of surprise. "But you're right. He does have an annoying, refreshing personality. When my son went missing for 10 months, my friends and everyone around me blamed me for letting my son be alone unsupervised."

"But that wasn't your fault," Ruki replied. "Besides, that Sparkling Teeth made his choice to go to the digital world. He's a teenager now and old enough to make his own choices."

"That's what I said, but they were still adamant about my choice! You know what was really stupid? When we came back and met those same people, Ryo just smiled at them apologizing for his actions, and they all forgave him like it was nothing!"

"What a load of bull!" Ruki couldn't help but get angry about that. It kinda reminded her of how her mother does it. All she had to do was smile and wave. People then would just listen and flock to her. "Is that really all it takes to convince people? They just have to smile and everyone will listen and be content with it. That's so stupid!"

"Apparently, my son has that effect on people." Mr. Akiyama completely agreed. He turned his head to look at Ruki. The man felt like he was talking to a kindred spirit. "The worst part is my son's ignorance. When he finally came home with Monodramon, he was happy and normal. The boy acted like being missing for 10 months wasn't a big deal and brought home a pet!"

"Do not get me started on that!" Ruki rubbed her temples trying to suppress the thought of Ryo's happy-go-lucky personality. "When we saw each other again in the digital world, he completely forgot about me. I was a finalist with him in the biggest Digimon tournament of the year, and he completely forgot about me. Then he wanted me to thank him for saving my life when I didn't need any help in the first place! The nerve of that boy!"

The more Mr. Akiyama and Ruki talked about Ryo, the angrier she got. The boy was a menace to her. His perfect hair, teeth, smile, and personality seemed to charm everyone around him but her for some reason. What the heck did people see in him? The frustrations Ruki was holding in at these thoughts were about to explode. Ugh, why was Ryo Akiyama so-.

"And now my son is somewhere else when I told him to meet me here after I specially told him what time to show up. I never understood why everyone likes him. To me, he's just so-"

"Annoying!" Ruki and Mr. Akiyama both said, simultaneously. Both jumped and looked at the other surprised when saying the same thing.

For the first few moments, there was just silence, then Mr. Akiyama burst out laughing. Ruki couldn't help but giggle too. The laughing was contagious and got even louder. Here they were talking about how horrible Ryo was. Who would've thought this would be the outcome?

"Sorry about that." Mr. Akiyama said, calming down but still chuckling a bit. "It's just rare for someone to complain about my son like this."

"Likewise," Ruki replied agreeing with him. Most people she met all thought the boy was some kind of hero or eye candy. It was kind of nice to find someone who actually agreed with her.

"He probably can't help it though. It's his personality." Mr. Akiyama's expression then got sadder. "He actually gets it from his mother."

"His mother?" Ruki asked cautiously. She could tell this part was going to be a delicate conversation. "Is she okay? Did she leave you?"

"No, she passed away when Ryo was 11 years old."

"I'm sorry to hear that. She must've been an amazing woman."

"She definitely was. Most of Ryo's looks and personality came from her. All he inherited from me was my stubborn and reckless personality." Mr. Akiyama let out a hollow laugh. "But now that she's gone, I don't know what-"

The man stopped himself from finishing his sentence, probably not wanting to let a total stranger know about his problems, but Ruki wanted to know more. During the events of the D-reaper, she learned that her friend Juri was suffering from depression due to her mother dying at an early age. It got worse when her partner Leomon got deleted right in front of her eyes. Juri had such a positive personality that Ruki never knew about her internal struggles.

This gave Ruki a new insight. If she knew that Juri was suffering beforehand, would she have been able to help her friend? Would she have been able to prevent it? It was then that the girl learned there was always more to a person than meets the eye. Was Ryo the same?

As much as Ruki disliked the boy, she didn't want him or anyone related to him to suffer. They had fought together after all. Despite her cold exterior and stubborn personality, Ruki was very protective of the people she cared about. If there was a way that she could help, she would. If there was a problem, the first step was to ask and listen.

"Mr. Akiyama." Ruki started to say. She wanted to help the man. After all, he gave a great first impression. "I know I am a complete stranger to you, but if there is a problem you want to talk about, I am willing to listen.

Mr. Akiyama looked at Ruki and wanted to politely decline the girl's offer, but stopped when he saw her eyes. They showed compassion and concern, but more importantly, they showed determination. The man had a feeling this girl had been through some pretty rough things herself. Telling her wouldn't hurt. Soon, the words just came out of his mouth.

"Ever since my wife passed away, I've worked even harder. It helped with the grief, but in doing so, I neglected my son. He was, of course, okay with it and understood, but then he went missing. I thought the worst. It was a pretty rough few months." Mr. Akiyama said, remembering those tough times.

"When he returned, I was happy and then angry after finding out he chose to go to the digital world. After that big battle a year ago, things have been good and bad. Ryo was glad to be back home again, but I knew he was a little depressed since losing his Digimon partner."

Ruki could relate. When she lost Renamon, her heart felt like it was torn into pieces. Not just her but other tamers as well. The children didn't even have time to say a proper goodbye. It was probably why they wanted to send audio messages to them. It came with the hope of the words each tamer wanted to say to their Digimon which they never had the chance to.

After that, I decided to spend more time with my son." Mr. Akiyama continued. "To make up for the time I wasn't there for him. Hanging out was great at first, but after a while, it got awkward. His hobbies were completely different from mine. I tried doing them, but failed every time or got frustrated. He tried some of mine as well, but stopped after noticing the look of strained politeness on his face."

"Everyone has different things they like, Mr. Akiyama. It's normal for you two to do different things." Ruki replied.

"I know, but it got me thinking. I barely know anything about my son. What were his hobbies, likes, and dislikes? Talking to my son was like meeting a new person." Mr. Akiyama started to sound more depressed. "This all happened because I lost myself to my grief and neglected my son. It makes me question being a parent. Was I a bad father to Ryo?"

Mr. Akiyama showed a look of sadness Ruki knew all too well. It was the same look her mother showed sometimes when interacting with her. Is that what her mother thought too? Did she think she was a bad mother?

Thoughts like these went through Ruki's mind. Sure, she and Rumiko never saw things eye to eye, but the girl never thought of her mother as a bad parent.

Rumiko worked all by herself to support the household. Although she doesn't spend time with Ruki, she does the best she can, and Ruki understands that. Mr. Akiyama was the same.

"Mr. Akiyama, my parents divorced when I was around 6 years old." Ruki started to say. "On that day, he just left without a word."

"I am sorry to hear that." Mr. Akiyama replied, giving a look of confusion. Where was this conversation going?

"The thing is, my dad had many opportunities to come to see how I was doing, but never did. He didn't see me when I disappeared into the digital world. He didn't see me during the global catastrophe of the D-reaper. I didn't even get a phone call. I could always go see him, but never did he once take the initiative to see me." Ruki turned to look at Mr. Akiyama.

"But you, Mr. Akiyama, came to see Ryo after he went missing for 10 months. If you didn't care about your son, you would have left him by himself, but you didn't. You went all the way to Shinjuku to take him home. I may not know you that well, but to me, that small action makes you a great father. There are going to be some things that you can't control. All you can really do is just be there for your son. Don't ever think you are a bad father to that Sparkling Teeth."

Mr. Akiyama was still focused on the road, but the look in his eyes softened. What the girl said meant a lot to him. The atmosphere around them was much better. "Thank you, Ruki."

"Don't mention it," Ruku replied. She was glad that she was able to make the man feel better. "Also, could you not mention this to anyone? I kinda have a tough girl image to keep here."

"Sure, my lips are sealed." Mr. Akiyama said laughing. "So if my son is not at your house to see you, then why is he there?"

"He took my headphones and tried to return them. I still don't understand how that led to modeling, staying at my house, and conversing with my mom and grandma." Ruki put her hands to her face. "My mother's probably there telling him all my embarrassing secrets when I was younger."

"You know. It's kind of a parent's job to embarrass their kid." Mr. Akiyama said grinning. "But if you want, I could tell you some embarrassing stories about Ryo. Just in case he knows your stories. Would you like to hear some?"

At that, Ruki let out a smile. Knowing some of the legendary tamer's secrets was definitely a plus. "I'm all ears."

After telling some stories about Ryo, the subject got shifted to topics like hobbies, life, and work. The conversation lasted for the rest of the ride. Ruki enjoyed talking to Mr. Akiyama. It made her think this was what a father was like. She couldn't help but feel a little envious. Ryo was lucky to have a father like Kogen Akiyama.

Through talking, she also learned more about Ryo besides his embarrassing stories. Through Mr. Akiyama, she found out he was popular in school with boys and girls before going missing, but never had real friends. The boy hung out with them, but his father could tell there was always a distance. It wasn't until Ryo met the other tamers that he finally found really good friends.

Although he had a refreshing personality and fame, Ruki didn't know the boy was such a loner. Maybe Ryo wasn't as bad as she initially thought. In some ways, he was like her: lonely and raised by a single parent.

Thanks to Mr. Akiyama, she decided to give Ryo the benefit of the doubt and give him a chance. The chance to be her friend. Maybe going home to see Ryo wouldn't be so bad. She decided she wouldn't be too hard on him.

They finally arrived at the house. After finding a good parking space, Ruki led Mr. Akiyama through the front door. Laughter was heard in the distance. It was probably Ryo, her mom, and grandma in the living room.

"Mom, grandma. I'm home!" She said as she opened the door to the room. Her face turned pale. Looking in front of her was Ryo, her mom, and her grandma. They looked like they were talking and having a good time. That wasn't the problem though. The problem was the two books on the table they were all looking at.

One was a book that contained all of Ruki's childhood memories. Some of them showed her as a baby in her toddler years. Even though it was embarrassing, the girl was prepared for her mother to show Ryo those photos. It was the other book that turned her over the edge.

The other was the fashion book her mom kept. It had all kinds of pictures of Ruki in dresses from the age of 5-8 until she grew out of it! Why would her mother show him those?! It even showed the recent failed attempt at the photo shoot she went to a year ago. The girl did not want Ryo to see her in frilly dresses and looking girly!

"Ryo!" Ruki said practically stomping toward the trio until she was in front of him. Every good impression she had of the boy before just went out the window. "What the heck are you looking at?!"

"Ruki, Hey!" Ryo replied not phased by the angry expression on her face although he knew why the girl was so furious with him. "Your mother wanted me to see these books about you. I told her that wasn't necessary, but she was incredibly insistent. You look cute."

Ruki was too angry and red-faced to say anything. The boy was right about her mother's insistence, but she still directed her anger at Ryo. Her first actions were to grab the book and tell him to get out, but she didn't want to be reprimanded by her mother and grandma. He was still a guest. Ruki didn't know how to deal with this situation. Luckily, Mr. Akiyama came to the rescue.

"Ryo, there you are!" Mr. Akiyama said, appearing right next to Ruki. "You were supposed to meet me in the park hours ago to head to the hotel."

"Dad!?" Ryo noticed his dad. He was shocked that his father knew his location. "How did you know I was here?"

"I ran into Ruki, and she was happy to tell me where you were." Mr. Akiyama replied. "I also gave her a lift."

"Oh, you must be Ryo's father." Her mother decided to come into the conversation. "It's so nice to meet you. I'm Ruki's mother, Rumiko Makino, and my mother, Seiko Hana."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Seiko said.

"The pleasure is mine. Thank you for looking after my son. I hope he wasn't being intrusive or trouble to you.

"It wasn't trouble at all. He was actually really fun to be around." Rumiko said and smiled at Ryo. " My mom and I had such a great time talking with him. You have such a great son."

'Of course, mom would like him.' Ruki thought grumpily. Both were very similar in personality: all happy and smiling. Adding that with his oh-so-perfect appearance and charm, it would make anyone's heart melt, or so she heard. It was actually part of the reason why Ruki disliked Ryo.

"That's strange though." Mr. Akiyama had heard these compliments before, so he was already used to it. He put his hand on Ruki's shoulder. "I was actually going to say the same thing about your daughter. In the first hour of meeting her, I never met anyone as amazing as your daughter."

Mr. Akiyama and Ruki both looked at each other and shared a smile. Ryo and Rumiko were shocked. Rumiko's thoughts were on her daughter. It was very rare for Ruki to leave a good impression on someone.

Ryo was surprised by his dad. He rarely had a good opinion of the friends he brought over, much less compliment them. His eyes turned to Ruki and looked as if asking: 'How did you get my dad to like you?'

Ruki responded with a look of her own: 'Wouldn't you like to know?'

"Hearing that makes me very happy, Mr. Akiyama," Rumiko said ecstatically. It looked like her daughter was finally getting better with people skills. "Since you're here, why don't you and Ryo stay for dinner?"

"Thank you for your kind offer, but my son and I need to get back to the hotel." Mr. Akiyama. "Some things came up at the last minute, and I need to talk to him about it."

"Dad, is it okay if I stay for five more minutes?" Ryo said, looking at his dad. "I just need to talk with Ruki for a moment."

Mr. Akiyama was about to reject him but thought better of it. His son did have a record for taking long times to show or call, but with Ruki, the man was pretty confident the girl would drag him out of her house. "Five minutes! If more, I will start honking."

With that, Mr. Akiyama said his goodbyes and left to start the car.

"Mom... Grandma..." Ruki's gaze was directed at her mother and grandmother. Her tone was quite clear. She didn't want them to listen to the conversation.

"Dinner should be finished cooking in the oven now. I should go and put the finishing touches." Seika said, getting up. "Rumiko, can you help me with that?"

Ruki cast grateful eyes on her grandmother. Rumiko, on the other hand, looked slightly upset that she couldn't listen in on her daughter's conversation, but perked up quickly after. "Ryo before I forget, my agent dropped these off earlier. This is a thank you for covering for us at the photo shoot."

Rumiko pulled out a shopping bag near the table. "They're limited edition clothes from a popular designer. Don't worry, it's not the uncomfortable clothes you wore earlier. I chose these myself personally. It should be to your style and liking."

Ryo tried to decline, but Rumiko used her good ole persistence to get her way saying she would find another way to repay him if he didn't take the gift. The boy had no choice but to accept it. With that, Rumiko and Seiko left for the kitchen.

"Didn't know you were into modeling," Ruki said when they were finally alone.

"I'm not," Ryo replied. "I ran into your mother on the way here, and she needed someone to cover. That was me, but I really didn't enjoy it."

'Yeah, right," Ruki didn't believe him at all. He was a guy who had many adoring fans, males and females alike. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"I heard from Jian that you decided to do the audio message."

"Yeah, so?" Ruki wondered how word spread so quickly. These boys texted more than girls sometimes.

"What changed your mind?"

That was the question Ruki wondered herself. Why did she change her mind? She still didn't know when she was going to see Renamon again, and the thought still hurts her. But maybe Renamon felt the same way. Maybe her Digimon partner also wanted to see her. Even if Renamon couldn't be with her, Ruki's voice and feelings would still be heard. The girl wanted to let Renamon know those feelings and that she will be waiting for her no matter what.

She didn't want to tell Ryo this, so she replied. "I just felt like it."

"Even if they don't reach out to our partner Digimon?"

"They will." Ryo raised an eyebrow at Ruki's reply. "After saying everything during the audio message. those feelings will definitely reach our Digimon."

"Look at you being optimistic. You should show this side of you more often. It's cute."

Ruki glared at him. "Is this all you wanted to ask about? Because the faster we finish this, the faster you can get out of my house."

"Still as pleasant as ever I see," Ryo said, smirking at Ruki. "What happened to 'Thanks for the compliment' or 'you are too'? My feelings are hurt now. I might need a hug just to feel better."

"Get out!" Ruki growled pointing to the door. She was not playing this game with him.

"Okay, Okay," Ryo said, putting up his hands in surrender. The girl really couldn't take a joke. "The world card exhibition tournament ends tomorrow, and I will be leaving in the late morning after. I was wondering if you were available to meet up before I go?"

Hanging out with this walking perfection alone. She didn't think so. Ruki was about to reject him when Ryo continued. "Before you say anything, it won't just be us. The whole gang will be there. I have already confirmed with everyone else, and they will be there. Can you come?"

Ruki had to think about that. It's been a while since the whole group was together. It would be nice to see all of them again. She hasn't seen Juri in a while, and it would be great to talk to her again. "Where and what time?"

"It will be at Chuo Park two days from now at 9:00 AM." Ryo couldn't help but let out a smile. Ruki was interested in being there. "That's all I wanted to say. I will see you then."

"I didn't say I would be there."

"You didn't have to." Her asking was enough for him. Ryo started to get up. It was about time for him to go. Before leaving, Seiko came out holding containers of home-cooked food for the boy, so he could save on eating out.

Ryo wanted to decline, but Ruki just casually took the food from her grandmother and then pushed it onto Ryo's other free hand. She didn't have time to deal with another polite conversation.

Grabbing Ryo's wrist, Ruki started pulling him to the front door. The boy smiled. "Ruki, are you personally seeing me off?"

"If it means getting you out, then yes." She opened the door and gestured to Ryo that he could go.

The boy proceeded to walk out to his dad's car. Midway, he stopped and turned around to look at Ruki. "You know, I should probably come to visit here more often. Your mom and grandmother are great people to talk to. The stories they tell about you are amazing. I didn't know you had a unique potty training until you were five."

'Mother!' Ruki screamed internally. How could her mom tell him that?! She knew Ryo was just teasing her for knowing such a story. He must have made a really good impression on her mother and grandma for them to share that. What other stories did he know?

Ruki was red in the face with embarrassment, but then she smiled. "Unfortunately for me, I didn't have someone like Mr. Snugglebottoms to help me through my tough times. I'm so jealous you had a friend like that during most of your life."

Mr. Snugglebottoms was Ryo's cute, black fluffy dragon stuffed animal he had since he was a child. The little guy had been there for the first 10 years of Ryo's life giving comfort and love. He grew out of it, but still had the little guy safely hidden in his room.

Ryo had a shocked look on his face. He didn't want anyone to know about Mr. Snugglebottoms. It was kind of embarrassing after all for a grown boy to have a stuffed animal. How did Ruki find out? Before Ryo could even reply, Ruki gently closed the door, ending the conversation.

"Daaaaaadddd!" The girl could hear Ryo screaming through the door. Ruki couldn't help but let out a small laugh. Looks like she won this round of teasing.

Walking to her room, Ruki found her mother standing in the hallway. It looked like she was waiting for her. "Ruki, about that talk we had over the phone..."

"Still not happening, Mom!" She replied. With that, Ruki walked to her room but stopped midway. She remembered the conversation she had with Mr. Akiyama about his parenting and the looks he gave.

Slowly, Ruki turned back to face her mother. "Mom, I know modeling has made you busy causing us not to spend much time together. We also have different opinions on a lot of things, but I want to let you know that I understand. I wouldn't change anything about us, so thank you. Thank you for everything and for being my mom."

"Ruki..." Rumiko was on the verge of tears. It was really rare for her daughter to say those things and made her touched.

"We should talk later and even go shopping," Ruki uttered those last words with difficulty. She wanted to do some mother-and-daughter things even though she hated clothes shopping. "But only a little."

"Definitely! We should schedule it as soon as possible!" Rumiko squealed. "I bet your new behavior has something to do with that boy, Ryo. We will find some amazing outfits. Ones that make him not take his eyes off you!"

"It's definitely not for him!" Ruki said, suppressing her disgust. Just like that, the moment was over. Quickly, the girl made her way to her room and shut the door. Why should she dress differently for that Sparkling Teeth? She didn't like Ryo that way!

Chapter Text

Ryo

"Dad, I can't believe you told her about Mr. Snugglebottoms," Ryo complained. Currently, Ryo was with his father in the rental car driving back to the hotel near Shinjuku. Right now, the boy couldn't believe his father would tell Ruki about his stuffed animal.

"Ruki was interested to know." Mr. Akiyama said smiling. The man was enjoying his son's embarrassment. "Besides, she promised me she wouldn't say anything unless you said something embarrassing about her. I'm guessing you did."

Ryo stayed silent. Of course, he said something. It was way too good of an opportunity to tease the stubborn girl. He just didn't expect it to backfire. He also didn't expect his father would be so sharing of his life. Ruki must have made a good impression on him.

So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Ryo asked remembering the conversation at the house earlier. He also wanted to change the subject.

Mr. Akiyama's face turned serious. "I got a call from the electric plant saying there was an emergency. I need to head back to Fukuoka immediately to handle the situation."

"Dad, we can't!" Ryo replied, shocked. He knew what that meant. They had to cut their trip short due to this and head back home.

After the battle against the D-reaper, Mr. Akiyama decided to spend more time with his son. Translation, he wanted to keep an eye on him in case he disappeared again. It was okay at first, but then it got harder. His job was the main issue. It wasn't a simple 9-5 job. The man was an executive director overseeing multiple plants and businesses around the Kyushu area. Some of the work wouldn't be finished until late into the night.

Ryo couldn't make it to many tournaments, because of his father and his work. He barely qualified for the Worlds here. Now, they probably had to leave early again. He didn't want to leave early, especially during the tournament tomorrow. It meant a lot to him.

The tournament wasn't the only reason either. His tamer friends were here as well. Ryo lived so far away from them, so he barely got to meet them. He also scheduled a meeting with all of them and didn't want to bail on them at the last minute.

"I have given it a lot of thought son and I-." Mr. Akiyama wanted to continue, but Ryo interrupted.

"Dad, I want to stay here." Ryo made a lot of concessions for his father, but this was the final straw. "The Digimon World Exhibition is here, but more importantly, my friends are here. I want to see them again before leaving. I know I left with barely even a note, and I'm sorry for that, but they are important to me. I don't want to leave!"

"I understand that why-"

"Do you understand? Do you really? I know you are being a protective father, but I lost my partner. He meant a lot to me, and my friends here were the only people who could understand my pain. I want to talk and be with them. You can't-"

"Would you let me finish boy!" Mr. Akiyama interrupted this time. "I understand that which is why I am leaving for the airport and you're staying here to finish your tournament and be with your friends. You can return home when you're finished."

Ryo was surprised. The boy did bring up that he could take care of himself like before he left for the digital world, many times actually. Unfortunately, his dad was adamant about accompanying him. His father still didn't trust him to be on his own again which was understandable, so what changed?

"You're wondering why I changed my mind, aren't you?" Mr. Akiyama said as if reading Ryo's thoughts. "You can thank the girl, Ruki, for that."

"What did you two talk about?!" Ryo replied, surprised. He spent weeks trying to convince his dad to give him more freedom with no results, and Ruki just did it in one car ride.

"I can't give you all the details. I promised her not to tell." Mr. Akiyama was getting amused looking at his son. He had never seen so many facials from him before. This girl must have some kind of effect on him. "I can tell you that she said some convincing things to me. You're a teenager and grown enough to make your own decisions. All I can really do as a father is support and be there for you."

"Dad... Thank you" Ryo was relieved. He could do more things without his dad's work getting in the way.

"I still expect you to call and text me about your whereabouts." Mr. Akiyama reminded. "And you shouldn't just be thanking me, you should be thanking her."

'Ruki again huh?' Even when Ruki wanted nothing to do with him, she always found a way to affect his life. Ryo had the feeling the girl said something crucial to change his father's mind.

"Although I only met her for such a short time, I have to say she is a pretty stubborn and rude girl." Mr. Akiyama continued. "But she keeps things interesting. I can see why you're so attracted to her."

"What?" Ryo looked at his dad aghast. His face blushed a little. "I'm not attracted to her! She's not even my friend."

"Really?" Mr. Akiyama raised his right eyebrow. "Son, I've seen you around plenty of girls and this is the first time I've seen you go out of your way, and just to return headphones and blush. What, is someone shy about their little crush?" Mr. Akiyama said teasingly.

"She's 11. I'm 15!" Ryo countered back. "That's a big age difference!"

"Eh, just give it a few more years." Mr. Akiyama waved his hand like that detail didn't matter. "It won't matter then. Besides, did you see the mother, she's gorgeous, that girl is probably going to grow up looking like that. I think you should strike while the iron is hot."

"Dad!" The boy covered his face with his hands. He did not want to have this conversation with his father. Ruki must have made a really good impression on his father for him to do this. "Can we change the subject please?"

Mr. Akiyama couldn't help but laugh. He tried to tease him with other girls before but never worked. It was pretty hard to break his son's perfect persona and make him embarrassed. The man was starting like Ruki more and more but relented to his son's wishes. "Alright Alright, so what did the Makinos give you?" Mr. Akiyama said eyeing the shopping bag and food containers by Ryo's feet.

"Oh these." Ryo almost forgot about them. "It's food Miss Hana gave me for the road, and clothes from Miss Makino for helping with a photoshoot."

"You going to try on the clothes?" Mr. Akiyama replied.

"I don't think so," Ryo remembered the clothes he tried on earlier during the shoot. They didn't fit his style, and these probably wouldn't either. "I am not really into clothes that much and will donate them."

"Have you taken a look at them yet?"

That was a good point. Ryo should at least take a look and took the clothes out of the bag. His eye went wide with shock. He kept looking up and down at the outfit. These were some pretty cool clothes.

Two days later...

Ryo met with the other tamers at Chou Park to say goodbye before leaving for North Kyushu. Turns out though, they all decided at the last minute to go to the amusement park for fun thanks to Shaochung. It was a great suggestion. They were all together after a long while. Who knew when they would be again? Doing one last thing together was a great idea!

And so after a 15-minute drive, they arrived at the Tokyo Dome Attractions to have fun. It was formerly named Korakuen Amusement Park located in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Their signature ride was the Thunder Dolphin.

It was a roller coaster that could go at a top speed of 130 km/h. The railroad tracks extended all around the area. Some of them went through between buildings and other rides. Its name came from the sight of moving freely through the course like a dolphin.

For the first few hours, the kids had fun with different rides there. They tried the Thunder Dolphin, the Sky Flower, the Haunted House "Onryou Zashiki, and many other attractions. After a while, they decided to take a break and get something to eat.

The boys decided to get the food and drinks while the girls stayed and chatted at the table since it was a gentlemanly thing to do. Ruki immediately rejected saying she could do it herself, but Juri stopped her.

Juri wanted to talk to Ruki since they haven't talked in a long time. The girl suggested spending some girl time together making Shaochung ecstatic. Combined with Juri's and Shaochung's doe eyes, Ruki relented and let the boys bring the food and drinks.

Currently, Jian, Takato, and Ryo were walking back to the girls with an assortment of foods like hamburgers, fries, tacos, and chicken sandwiches. Hirokazu and Kenta, on the other hand, spilled the drinks they were carrying and had to go back to refill them. The two boys said to go on without them and they would catch up later.

Just as the three boys rounded the corner to where the girls were, they heard Juri's voice. "Hey, Ruki. Do you like anyone?"

That question made them stop. Jian, Takato, and Ryo looked at each other using their eyes to communicate. Quickly agreeing, they decided to quietly hang back in the bushes to hear more of the conversation. After all, this could some juicy information.

"Huh, why would want to ask me something like that?" Ruki replied. They just talking about their new hobbies when this question came out of nowhere.

"I was chatting with the girls in my class the other day when the topic came up about boys. We had such a fun conversation about who we liked." Juri let out a grin. "It was especially fun teasing each other about it. So I wondered if you liked anyone that we could talk about?"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I don't like anyone. Thank you."

"Really? No one?"

"Really, No one."

"I like Jian!" Shaochung wanted to contribute to the conversation as well. "He is a great big brother! He always cares about everyone."

Shaochung answer was expected. Even Ruki couldn't help but smile at that. Jian, who was in the bushes, smiled happily at the compliment. His little sister was really adorable.

"Yes Shaochung, Jian is a very caring person," Juri answered with a smile before turning to her friend. "See Ruki. Even Shaochung has someone she likes. You must have someone you like."

"No one comes to mind," Ruki said keeping her stoic expression.

"You sure? Because I've been noticing how much you've been staring at Ryo since our whole time here." Ryo perked his ears up when he heard that. The boy noticed it too, but he didn't bring it up to not incur the Digimon Queen's wrath.

"Of course, I've been staring at him!" Ruki admitted angrily. "His presence has caused no end of trouble! We could have gone on more rides, but couldn't because girls kept flirting with him! His new clothes don't help either!"

That was true. Wherever Ryo went, there would always be girls trying to flirt with him. His new clothes made him even more attractive. It was a simple outfit but enhanced Ryo's features well. He wore a gray t-shirt, an expensive black button-up short-sleeve shirt with an intricate dragon design, plain khakis, and his usual shoes. To finish the look, a red handkerchief was tied to his left arm.

The boy looked like a cool bad boy but without the attitude and gave a million-watt smile. Girls kept looking at him and trying to strike up a conversation. Ryo had to talk with all of them while rejecting their advances. It wasted a lot of time traveling around the amusement park. None of the others tried to stop them either. Hirokazu and Kenta even encouraged it, so they could try to be the rebound guys. It wasn't until Ruki threatened to leave early that everyone tried to think of a way to solve this problem.

The solution was simple. Ryo just had to walk side by side with Ruki for the remainder of the day, and it worked. Girls stopped walking to him once they saw he was with a girl.

Why couldn't someone else do it? The reason was simple. Boys wouldn't deter girls. Shaochung was too young and adorable causing more harm than good, while Juri didn't like confrontation unless necessary. No one wanted her to be put in that situation. By elimination, Ruki was the final candidate.

The girl didn't like it, but at least they got to go on more rides. So Ruki decided to put up with being near Sparkling Teeth.

Ryo, on the other hand, honestly didn't like talking to those girls. He would rather be talking to Ruki. Sure, the girl was stubborn and sarcastic, but at least she wouldn't be giggling at every word he said. The boy was actually glad Ruki decided to butt in when she did.

"So you're saying you're jealous," Juri said giggling. "Some of those girls were very pretty after all."

"Why would I get jealous?" Ruki replied in aggravation. "Besides, why are we just talking about me? What about you? Don't think I didn't see you've been eyeing a certain goggle head for a while."

"What? What are you talking about?" Juri's face was blushing. She wasn't the only one. Takato turned beet red at the words.

"You know what I'm talking about." Ruki had put her hand to her chin taking in Juri's flustered expression. She was right. Teasing was fun. "You should go for it."

"Huh?"

"Takato is really shy. It would take him forever to even start a conversation." Ruki explained. "If you want something to happen, you need to take the initiative."

"But what if I do something wrong?" Juri said. She wasn't feeling very confident in herself when it came to Takato. "I kind of just wish he came to me."

"That's the thing, Juri. Nothing will happen if you wait for him. For it to happen, you need to put yourself out there." Ruki encouraged.

"But..." Juri was overwhelmed. Her friend was right, but she didn't have a clue where to start. She just didn't have Ruki's confidence and fearlessness.

"Juri, I'm not asking you to marry him. You can take it slow." Ruki, seeing the girl conflicted expression, grabbed her hands. "I'm just saying don't wait for him. You can do simple things like walking home together or hanging out but you have to take the first step. Promise me that. I know you can do it. You have a lion's heart after all."

"You can do it!" Shaochung said encouragingly. "I believe in you too!"

Juri smiled at that. Although the loss of Leomon was still painful, the experience made her bond with her friends stronger and gave her more courage than ever before. Maybe it was time to put it to the test now. "Thank you Ruki and I promise, but you need to answer a question before I do."

"What's the question?" Ruki asked.

"Why don't you like Ryo?" Juri asked. Ruki stiffened at the question. "You seem to get along with everyone else in some way, but with him, you get agitated. What going on? Don't you like him? Other girls think he's handsome."

Ruki could lie, but with Juri, she felt like she could her the truth. "It's not that he's not handsome, and I don't hate him. To be honest, he is probably the most handsome guy I ever met. Even I was stunned when I took a good look at him for the first time in the digital world."

Ryo had to smirk at that. So even the Digimon Queen thought he was cute. His charm does work on her. He was about to come out and tease her until Juri continued. "But if you don't hate Ryo and find him cute, why don't you like him and ask him out? Like you said us girls should take the initiative."

"Why should I like a person and want to go on a date with him just because he's cute?" Ruki said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'm gonna need more context."

"What do you think of my mother?" Ruki asked.

Juri didn't know why her friend would ask that but answered anyway. "She's nice, energetic, and really pretty."

"Exactly, she's pretty," Ruki replied when Juri gave the right answer. "When my mom and dad divorced, she was still just as pretty, but my dad still left her."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but how does this relate to you and Ryo?" Juri said still confused.

"Because it taught me that being pretty and cute isn't enough," Ruki explained. "My mother is a famous supermodel, but he still left her. I don't want that to happen to me."

"Does that mean that you won't like or love anyone?"

"I didn't mean it like that. I want to fall in love." Ruki looked up to the sky watching the clouds pass by. "But not because someone looks hot. I want it to be more, deeper, and special. To be honest, I don't know what to be looking for, but I know Ryo isn't it. The boy is too refreshing and annoying for me, but when I find it, it'll probably be the best feeling I ever felt."

"What happens if you never find it?"

"Then I'll be single for the rest of my life," Ruki said strongly. "I don't need a boy in my life to define me. There are plenty of cases of strong, independent women out there in the world. I can just be one of them."

"Ruki..." Juri was touched by what her friend said and thought this girl was courageous and independent. She wasn't the only one. The guys thought so too. In some ways, Ruki was the bravest out of all of them.

The guys decided they heard enough and made themselves known. Unfortunately, Hirokazu and Kenta had horrible timing.

"We got the drinks!" Hirokazu yelled then stopped when he noticed the trio. "Why are you guys hiding in the bushes?"

Everyone heard it. Quickly, Ruki scanned the bushes until she noticed three shadows through one of them. The girl turned on the glare. "Come out of there! Now!"

Caught red-handed, Takato, Jian, and Ryo came out and faced the girls. Remembering what they just talked about earlier, Juri blushed.

"Hey, Ruki..." Ryo said facing the glaring girl. He was probably the only one fearless enough to face the girl right now.

"How much did you hear?" Ruki asked. Her glare trained on Ryo.

"Umm, not much." Ryo lied hoping it could mitigate the situation. Ruki didn't believe him at all and turned to stare at Takato. The google-head's face was as red as a tomato. She immediately got the geist on how much they heard.

"You..." Ruki said gritting her teeth. Her anger was extremely apparent on her face.

Right now, only amusement park sounds and chatter could be heard. Kenta and Hirokazu came with the drinks looking confused as to why their friends weren't saying anything. Ruki kept glaring at Ryo, while Ryo gave one of his refreshing smiles at her. Takato and Juri's faces were red blushing like crazy. Jian, who understood the situation the most, was thinking about how clear the tense atmosphere. So far, everything was at a standstill. Fortunately, Shaochung was the one who broke the tension.

"Yay, Food!" The little girl cheered running toward Jian and hugging him. "Thank you so much, Big Brother! Come on everyone. Let's eat together!" Shaochung looked at everyone with her innocent eyes.

Leave it to a Shaochung to break the tense atmosphere. Ruki got up heading to Ryo with a glare still on her face until she was in front of him. The boy closed his eyes ready to be hit. Although he had never seen the girl hit anyone, Ryo wouldn't put it past her to do it. They were eavesdropping on a somewhat private conversation.

Ryo waited for the beatdown which never came. He did feel his arms getting lighter. Opening his eyes, he saw Ruki taking some of the food he was holding and headed back to the table.

"Come on, let's eat I'm starving," Ruki said as she put the food on the table. She looked at the guys still frozen in place. "Well, you guys coming or what?"

"You're not angry?" Jian asked testing the water. He was surprised Ruki didn't hit or even lash out at them.

"Oh, I am, but it's not going to stop me from having a good time," Ruki replied. "Besides, it saves me the trouble of telling a certain someone my opinion of him." She looked at Ryo letting him know she was talking about him.

The guys let out a sigh of relief and smiled. They couldn't help but remember the first time they meet Ruki. The girl couldn't wait to get into battles and delete Digimon. She really has changed from the girl back then.

"You guys just gonna stand there with grins on your faces or are you coming to join us to eat." Ruki continued. "The food starting to get cold."

With that, everyone sat at the table and started eating. Once they were done, the sun was starting to go down. It was time to go. Before departing though, the tamers wanted to go on one more ride. After a brief discussion, they decided to go on the Big O.

The Big O was a centerless non-rotating Ferris Wheel. It has a diameter of 200 ft, and each compartment was equipped with a Karaoke machine. The most fun fact is that the Thunder Dolphin has to go through the center of the Ferris Wheel as part of its course.

The tamers decided to go in pairs for the ride. Shaochung went with Jian, so the boy could watch over his little sister. Taking Ruki's advice, Juri took the initiative to ask Takato to be her partner. Both were blushing red, but Takato didn't reject her. All that was left were Ryo, Ruki, Hirokazu, and Kenta.

Hirokazu and Kenta were both arguing about who would be partnered up with their idol. It lasted throughout the whole wait time for the Ferris Wheel. Neither still hadn't reached a consensus. When it was finally their turn, Ruki couldn't take it anymore and walked into the cabin. She would rather do the ride by herself than listen to those two idiots bickering.

She sat down and closed her eyes waiting for the ride to start. She then heard someone enter the cabin and sit right beside her. Opening her eyes, Ruki let out a groan. "What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be waiting on your fanboys to see who you'll be riding with?"

Sitting across from Ruki was Ryo. The boy laughed a little at the girl's slight displeasure. "I would, but you looked so lonely that I thought I would keep you company," Ryo said.

"Well, I wasn't. "My friend 'Space' was right over there until you took her spot." Ruki retorted.

"Well, I guess 'Space' is going to have to share, because now I'm here." Ryo let out his signature refreshing smile. "Besides, I wanted to talk to you."

The girl let out another groan and decided to deal with it. She could already feel the cabin moving. Out the window, she could see Hirokazu and Kenta in tears, because they couldn't ride along with Ryo. "Your fanboys are crying out there."

"They will understand and get over it." Ryo gave them a wave of apology.

'This is going to be a long ride.' Ruki thought. She couldn't just ignore the boy until the ride was over. There was only so much rudeness she could dish out. She might as well start a conversation to pass the time. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to say thank you," Ryo replied.

"For what?" Ruki inquired. She never recalled helping the boy in anything.

"For talking to my dad. I don't know what you said to him, but he decided to give back my freedom again." Ryo's smile turned even gentler, and his eyes became softer. "Thank you..."

Ruki had to turn her head away from him. She didn't like the way the boy was looking at her right now. "It wasn't a big deal. Your dad was sad, so I just said some things to help. Helping you was just an unintended result."

"I still want to thank you."

"Do what you want." With that, she closed her eyes ending their brief conversation.

For each cabin, everyone was doing their own activity. Shaochung was singing a princess song, while Jian was listening giving out a strained smile. Takato and Juri were silent through the first five minutes. They will still get used to the fact that they were alone together, but once the first words started to leave their mouths, the pleasant, happy conversation began. Hirokazu and Kenta, who got over their fight over the legendary tamer, sang karaoke together like the best buds they were. Finally, there were Ruki and Ryo.

Ruki didn't want to spend the whole ride staring at Sparkling Teeth, so she looked out the window to watch the passing cars on the highway. Ryo, on the other hand, didn't mind looking at Ruki. It gave the boy a lot to think about. He couldn't help but recall the conversation she had with Juri and Shaochung.

"I want to fall in love, but not because someone looks hot. I want it to be more deep and special." Those words kept resounding in Ryo's head. The boy had many girls swooning over him, but they only cared for his looks, smile, and stuff. Ruki, though, didn't care about any of that. It probably had something to do with her family.

Ryo heard from Rumiko that her father left her at an early age. Her aversion to love was understandable. The girl had many layers, and breaking them would be a challenge. But if someone with enough persistence were to break through all those layers, Ruki would love that person with all of her heart and cherish everything about him. That boy would probably be the luckiest person alive. The legendary tamer couldn't help but be jealous at the thought.

Ryo snapped his head out from a realization. What was he thinking? Why was he jealous if Ruki fell in love with a boy? A thought just came to him. Was his father right? Was he attracted to Ruki Makino?

"Is everything okay over there?" Ruki asked looking at Ryo now. Although she preferred silence, the dazed look Ryo gave was unnerving to her. "You've been quiet and staring at me for a while."

"Ye- Yeah., I am." Ryo replied focusing his attention in front of Ruki. "I was thinking about the conversation earlier." The boy then smiled teasingly. "You really think I'm handsome?"

Ruki stiffened at the question and then glared. "Yes, I do, but I also recall saying that I don't like you and your personality. Especially with those clothes you have on now."

"I think they look great," Ryo said inspecting his clothes. "What's wrong with them?"

"It looks like you tried to enhance your sex appeal but failed miserably." Ruki did not sugarcoat it for him.

"You know. Your mom picked these clothes for me." Ryo replied.

"I rest my case." Ruki snorted ending that argument although the girl made a mental check to talk with her mother. The clothes Rumiko picked out for Ryo were way better than the clothes she gets for Ruki. She would rather wear that than the frilly dresses and colorful outfits her mother usually buys.

"Let's just end this that we both have different opinions in styles, alright." Ryo conceded offering a middle ground. "There's something else more important to ask you."

"What's that?"

"Why aren't we friends?" Ryo asked seriously. "We've known each other for around two years and fought together, but you've never accepted me as a friend. Why?"

Ruki thought about it for a moment before answering. "Most of that time you went missing for a year, but I guess I thought of you as more of a rival that I had to beat. I didn't like being friends with my competition when we first meet and never brought it up again."

"What about now?" Ryo inquired. Regardless of what the boy felt about Ruki, they weren't even friends. He at least wanted to establish that now. "As you said, you don't hate me anymore and graduated from the card game. What's stopping us from being friends?"

"True, but I didn't say I liked you either," Ruki replied. She wanted to say more but stopped when she saw Ryo's eyes. They were a little sad after she said those words. The girl didn't know why, but she didn't want to see those sad eyes. The words just blurted out from her mouth. "But with everything over, I guess nothing is stopping us from being friends."

"Great, then let's start now." Ryo smiled and held out his hand to Ruki. His eyes lit up. "What do you say? Friends?"

Ruki looked at his hand and then resumed looking outside the window again.

Ryo sighed in defeat with his head down. It looks like being friends with Ruki still wasn't going to happen. Just as the boy was about the pull his hand back, something grabbed it. Looking back up, it was another hand: Ruki's hand. The girl was still looking out the window, but her hand was grabbing his.

"Friends," Ruki said. Her head never left the window.

Ryo was ecstatic. He was finally friends with Ruki. "Now that we're friends, I'm going to need your phone number and email address," Ryo said as he pulled out his cell phone and gave it to the girl.

That pulled Ruki's attention back to Ryo eyeing him suspiciously. "I don't have a cell phone and why do you need it anyway?

"Your home number is just fine until you get your own cellphone." Ryo didn't that tidbit of information get him down? "Friends are supposed to have friends' numbers and call them."

Ruki grabbed his phone and entered her home number into it. She was starting to regret accepting the boy's friendship. "Here, don't start calling me every day," Ruki said handing the phone back to Ryo.

"Yeah, Yeah I got it," Ryo replied. He couldn't stop staring at the numbers on his phone screen and was feeling pretty happy. Ruki raised an eyebrow. Was getting someone's contact that exciting?

The Ferris Wheel ride finally ended. Overall, it was a pretty fun experience. The tamers all had a great time here and hope they could all meet again to have fun. After saying their heartfelt goodbyes, they all went their separate ways.

Ruki took a train in the direction of her house looking a little dejected. Despite her stubborn, loner attitude, she liked spending time with her friends today and was sad to see them go. Who knows when they could all meet again?

"Wait up!" Someone said coming toward Ruki until he was beside her.

"What do you want!?" Ruki groaned in frustration. The person was obviously Ryo. "Don't you have to go the airport back to Kyushu!?"

"I still have time to get there before take-off, so I wanted to walk you home," Ryo replied.

"Do I look like a girl that wants to walk home with a boy?" Ruki glared at him.

"C'mon, Ruki. We're friends now." Ryo said ignoring the girl's stare. "Friends walk together and sometimes help each other home."

Ruki was starting to second guess if it was a good idea to be friends with this boy. "I think you're taking our shortly-established friendship a little too far."

"I just want to spend a little more time with you before leaving. Who knows when we are going to see each other again? I want to cherish these moments." Ryo gave her the eyes. "Pleeease?"

"Fine." Ruki relented. God, the boy was more persistent than her mother in some ways. "Just don't complain if you miss your flight."

"I won't." Ryo proceeded to walk beside Ruki with his arms behind his back humming happily.

Ruki just ignored him as they took the train and then walked to her house. Despite her initial dislike, the girl didn't mind walking with Ryo. She would never admit it, but the boy was growing on her. Thanks to the previous battles and talk with his father, Ruki wanted to know more about Ryo. Her interest peaked. What was the boy really? What was underneath all of that refreshing personality and sparkling teeth?

After about 15-20 minutes, they finally reached Ruki's house. It was quiet travel but an enjoyable one. Ruki liked the quiet, and Ryo didn't mind either. They just became friends after all. It was going to take time for the friendship to grow.

"This is it," Ruki said. They were at the front door. "Even though I didn't need it, thanks for taking me home. I guess"

"It was my pleasure," Ryo replied. "I will call you later when I get back home."

Ruki wanted to get back in her house but stopped looking at Ryo. The boy showed no signs of leaving. "Is there anything else?" She asked.

"Yeah, I wanted to say sorry for eavesdropping earlier." Ryo started. "And for something else."

"Ryo, I'm not angry anymore about that, and I already told you. It saved me some time about telling my opinions on you." Ruki said. It also worked out in the end with Juri and Takato, so the girl was happy about it. She didn't know why the boy would bring it up now. Did he also say he was sorry for something else?

"What else are you sorry for?" Ruki inquired. "Talking to me about the audio messages or meeting my mom?"

"No, not those," Ryo said slowly. "It's about something else. Something that going to happen down the road right now."

The boy pointed to the girl's right, and Ruki turned her head to look in that direction. There was nothing there but an empty street. "I don't see anythi-"

The girl couldn't finish her sentence before she felt something press against her cheek. It felt like someone's lips. Her eyes went wide. She turned her head to see what happened and was face to face with Ryo. The boy had a big smile on his face.

"I'll hopefully talk to you again soon," Ryo said. His deep, blue eyes never left Ruki. "Good Night Ruki,"

With those parting words, the boy ran as fast as he could in the direction of the airport. He had a flight to catch, but mostly he did not want to stick around to feel the fury of his new friend.

Ruki stood there for a good 3 minutes in shock until it was replaced with white, hot anger. The boy just kissed her on the cheek. How dare he!

"THAT'S RIGHT! YOU BETTER RUN, AKIYAMA!" Ruki screamed at the top of her lungs. She thought about chasing him down, but the boy had a big headstart. There was no way she was going to catch up to him now. "NOW TIME I SEE YOU, YOU'RE DEAD MEAT! YOU HEAR ME! DEAD MEAT!"

Ruki panted heavily after saying that. Just when she finally found Ryo tolerable, he pulls this stunt on her. She instinctively touched her cheek and still felt the pressure of where the boy kissed her. 'The nerve of that boy!'

She'll figure out a way to get him back next time as she entered her house.

Ryo, on the other hand, made it to his flight on time and was in the airplane. He couldn't stop grinning. During their walk to Ruki's house, the boy wanted to know if he was attracted to the girl. After thinking, he decided to just kiss her.

Not on the lips of course. If he did that, it would be the point of no return for him. In conclusion, Ryo decided to go for the cheek, and boy did he like it. For someone so stubborn and hardheaded, Ruki's skin felt surprisingly soft and sweet. The legendary tamer couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

Ryo now knew how he felt about Ruki, but also knew that it was too soon for anything to happen. Besides her stubborn personality, she was also too young. His dad was right. He would have to wait a few more years for anything more to happen if anything happened.

Until then, Ryo didn't mind being friends with Ruki after she gets over that kiss. The boy had a feeling the girl would take a while to let that go. He wondered what kind of suffering he was going to go through.

Even so, he couldn't wait to talk to Ruki and the others again and what the future would bring for them. Those were his thoughts as the airplane soon took off leaving Tokyo.