Chapter 3: What Ever Happened To Ryo Akiyama?
After the incident at the park, Ken and Yolie convinced Rika to come back with them to Ken's apartment so that they could figure out what was going on. Once they got to the apartment though, Ken, Yolie, Rika, and Davis, who was already at the apartment, did not make much progress in figuring out the situation. The three DigiDestined and their new friend sat in Ken's living room for what seemed like twenty minutes in an awkward silence. Rika had something about her that made her seem unapproachable. She was beautiful, but also intimidating. Rika's calm expression bore an icy cold stare that made the others a little afraid to ask her anything. The Digimon seemed to be having a similar problem communicating. Rika's Digimon partner, Renamon, leaned against the apartment wall with her arms crossed. The other three Digimon were just as intimidated by Renamon, as their human partners were intimidated by Rika. Veemon tried saying something to Renamon, but the yellow fox Digimon glared at him with her icy blue eyes and Veemon closed his mouth. Ken thought to himself that Rika and Renamon were a good match for each other.
"So..." Yolie began, finally breaking the awkward silence, "We're characters from a TV show where you come from?"
Rika looked at Yolie with her cold purple eyes.
"Yeah," Rika responded, "It was on on when I was a kid."
"Was I your favorite character?" Davis asked with an ignorant grin. His question was met with a cold stare from Rika and an angry stare from Yolie, to which Davis replied, "I guess not."
"If we really are characters from a TV show as you say," Ken began, "than why don't you tell us about what happened in this show?"
Rika turned to Ken, her calm expression showing a note of irritation.
"Well for one thing," Rika answered coldly, "You were the evil Digimon Emperor during the first half of season two."
There was another awkward pause in the conversation after that statement. Ken did not like being reminded of his time as the tyrant of the digital world known as the Digimon Emperor. His decent into the dark side was caused by the dark spore imbedded in the back of his neck and the sorrow he felt over the death of his older brother Sam. During his time as the emperor, Ken committed terrible deeds against innocent Digimon, controlling them as his slaves. Ken hated what he did during those times, but it was many years ago, and he was no longer the emperor. Yolie was about to tear into Rika for bringing up Ken's time as the emperor, but Ken stopped her at the last minute. It was more important that they found out who Rika was.
"Why don't you tell us what happened in this TV show from the begining," Ken said, "At least the episodes that involved us."
Over a course of what seemed like an hour, Rika recounted to the three DigiDestined the events of what she called the second season of the Digimon TV show as best as she remembered them. The events of every episode that Rika described were exactly like the adventures of the DigiDestined. There were a few missing details in some places, but each episode perfectly described their adventures up until after they defeated MaloMyotismon, an evil and powerful vampire Digimon that tried to conquer both the digital and human worlds. Rika also told the three DigiDestined about an epilogue at the end of the final episode that told what happened to each of the DigiDestined. Both Ken and Yolie blushed when Rika told them that they would be married with three kids in the future.
Rika also told the three DigiDestined that the Digimon TV show had evolved into a franchise, producing several video games and a discontinued trading card game, which Rika mentioned she was quite good at. Rika also pointed out that the cards for this game could also be used to give Renamon additional powers by swiping the cards through her Digivice, which she called a D-Power. Ken remembered seeing Rika doing that when Renamon defeated the DarkTyrannomon.
When Ken asked how Rika could have a real Digimon partner if it was nothing more than something from a TV show, Rika explained that there were real Digimon where she came from. They were apparently created by a bunch of collage students back in the 1980s, and started emerging in the human world over a decade later. As to how there was also an entire franchise based on the Digimon, Rika didn't know. Ken didn't know what to make of Rika's story. There was nothing to confirm that Rika's story was true, but there was nothing to confirm that the story was false either.
"So if I and my friends are nothing but characters in a TV show," Ken began, "than how did you and Renamon end up in our world?"
"Renamon and I were on our way to visit a friend of ours," Rika began, "This friend of mine is a fellow Tamer. Renamon and I got to his house when we saw him and his partner being attacked by an evil Digimon. Before Renamon and I could do anything, both my friend and his partner were sucked into this weird portal that the evil Digimon created. Renamon and I went into the portal expecting to end up in the world, but it looks like we wound up here in TV land instead."
"Do you think your friend is here?" Ken asked. Rika looked at Ken and replied, "I hope so."
"We can help you find him," Yolie told Rika, "What's your friend's name?"
"His name is Ryo," Rika answered, "and his Digimon partner is called Cyberdramon."
Ken was startled by the name Rika told them.
"Your friend's name is Ryo?" Ken asked with a shocked expression, "As in Ryo Akiyama?"
"Yeah," Rika answered, looking just as shocked as Ken was, "Wait, how do you know Ryo's last name?"
Ken didn't know what to think at that moment. His mind was brimming with questions. Was that figure he saw down on the street outside his apartment building the previous night really Ryo? Even more perplexing was how Ryo could be in a world where the world he came from was a TV show.
"Yolie, Davis, Rika," Ken began, "I think we should go talk to Izzy."
The four humans and their Digimon all got into Davis's old van to go see Izzy Izumi, the brainiac of the eight original DigiDestined children. The ride over to Izzy's was silent and uneventful, filled with the same awkward tension that was in the apartment. For the entire trip, Ken could do nothing but wonder what really happened to Ryo after the incident of the D-1 Tournament. Did Ryo really end up in some kind of alternate reality where his old life was nothing more than a TV show? Ken hoped that Izzy would be able to answer that question.
After a thirty minute drive, the party arrived at Izzy's apartment, where they were greeted by Izzy's Digimon partner, the beetle like Tentomon. Tentomon showed the humans and their Digimon inside, where they found Izzy working on his computer. It was not a neat apartment. There were stacks of books and papers strewn around in a disorganized fashion, as well as several old candy wrappers and soda cans around the area of the computer desk. Tentomon tapped Izzy on the shoulder and told him about his new guests. After finishing a line of code, Izzy turned in his office chair to greet the visitors.
"Ken, Yolei, Davis, nice to see you," Izzy said, greeting his guests, "Who are your new friends?"
Izzy was of course referring to Rika and Renamon.
"That's kind of why we're here," Ken began, "I'd like to introduce you to Rika Nonaka and her partner, Renamon."
"Rika, why don't you tell Izzy what you told us, but this time tell us about 'season one'," Ken asked Rika.
Rika stepped forward and told the DigiDestined present about the first season of the Digimon TV show, as best she could remember it. Ken thought that it sounded just about like the stories that the original DigiDestined told him and the other second generation children a few times in the past. When Rika was done, Izzy sat in his chair with a raised eyebrow.
"Fascinating," Izzy said,"The story you told us about this TV show of yours sound almost exactly like the adventures I and the other seven original DigiDestined had several years ago. Yet you say that there are real Digimon where you come from. Hmm..."
"You sound like you don't believe me," Rika said with a note of irritation in her voice.
"It's not that I don't believe you," Izzy responded, "It's just that your story sounds a little farfetched. Although there are things that do suggest that your story is true, like your Digivice. It looks completely different from the ones that I and all the other DigiDestined I know have."
"Why don't you tell Izzy how you got here and why?" Ken asked Rika.
Rika told Izzy about the portal that brought Renamon and her to the world of the DigiDestined, and of the name of the friend she was trying to help at the time. When Rika mentioned her friend's full name, Ryo Akiyama, Izzy looked shocked. Tentomon seemed shocked as well.
"What's the big deal?" Davis asked, "Just who is this Ryo guy anyway?"
"It's not something that's easy to talk about," Izzy said with a serious expression on his face.
"Well I'd like to know how it is you guys know Ryo," Rika demanded.
Davis and Yolei also wanted to know just who this Ryo person was.
"Ryo Akiyama," Izzy began a bit hesitanly, "was a DigiDestined, but not a normal one. He didn't have a Digimon partner like the rest of us. Instead Ryo would temporarily team up with several different Digimon. Even Digimon who already had human partners. Ryo was called to the digital world because of a powerful evil Digimon called Millenniummon. Millenniummon had the power to alter time and space, and for some reason Ryo was the only one who could beat him."
"I meet Ryo the first time I went to the digital world," Ken said, surprising Izzy and the others, "Both Wormmon and I helped him fight Millenniummon. That's how I ended up with the dark spore in the back of my neck."
"So what happened to Ryo?" Yolei asked.
"One day the eight of us were called back to the digital world," Izzy began, "Gennai, who was still in his old man form, told us that we were participating in a tournament of some kind to decide which DigiDestined would help to fight three of the four holy beasts, who had supposedly become corrupted somehow. Ryo was also participating in the tournament."
"I was watching from the sidelines in the human world," Ken said, "Gennai had set up a link for me to watch the tournament from the digital world. I was even able to contact Ryo to give him some advice."
"So did Ryo win this tournament?" Davis asked.
"It wasn't actually a tournament," Izzy answered, "It was a training exercise for Ryo to prepare him to fight Millenniummon, who had survived his previous battle with Ryo and evolved to a more powerful form. None of us DigiDestined knew the truth until about the end, but we had no choice but to play along. When Ryo learned the truth, he became cold and distant. He probably felt betrayed."
"Did Ryo beat Millenniummon?" Yolei asked.
"We assume so," Izzy answered after a short pause,"but Millenniummon's castle blew up, and we were unable to find any trace of Ryo. We all had to assume that Ryo perished in the explosion."
The room went silent after Izzy finished his tale. Yolei, Davis, and their two Digimon could not believe what they had just heard.
"You jerks!" Rika shouted, "You lied to Ryo, made him face this Millenniummon alone, and then just gave him up for dead? How could you?!"
"I never gave up hope that Ryo was still alive," Ken said, "I couldn't, because he was one of my closest friends. Now it looks like Ryo might still be alive."
There was a tear in Ken's eye when he said that. Yolei put her hand on Ken's shoulder to comfort him.
"Ken, are you suggesting that Ryo was somehow sent to this alternate reality by Millenniummon?" Izzy asked.
"Millenniummon did have the power to manipulate time and space," Ken answered, "Why couldn't he send people to other realities? Besides, I think I saw Ryo outside my apartment last night."
Everyone looked at Ken in surprise. Suddenly, Renamon began acting strange, like she had heard something.
"What is it Renamon?" Rika asked.
"There's someone outside," Renamon answered, "Someone familier, yet strange and dangerous."
The five humans and their Digimon went outside to see what it was that Renamon was sensing. They saw nothing.
"Well, well," came a voice from above, "It seems that I've not only found a few of the DigiDestined, but a couple of old friends who seemed to have followed me. Rika, Renamon, how's it going?"
The humans and their Digimon looked up, and on top of one of the buildings, they saw what looked like a Japanese super-hero. It even had a long red flowing scarf, like a Kamen Rider. The creature had a silver eyeless mask and a mechanical right arm. The majority of the creatures costume was a deep black.
"Justimon, is that you?" Renamon asked.
"Who did you think it was my dear fox?" the super-hero like Digimon replied, "Ken, how nice it is to see you again after so many years."
"How do you know me?" Ken asked.
"Ken, I'm hurt," Justimon replied, "Don't you recognize me? It's your old pal, Ryo"
