Alicia has a cowboy hat on. Palmon stares at her, thinking that it looks good on her, like it just fits. She smiles and shakes her head, contently following after the Digidestined while they search for a Digimon who had quickly become notorious for deleting any passerby that approached this area. Not much is known because not many has survived traveling this area and those who had made it out with scars as souvenirs, pain a constant companion.
AJ and Renamon are nearby, saying very little to each other, and the others are wandering around in staggered lines. There are only nine of them today, Wade still recovering from his recent surgery, and Alicia finds she doesn't like that they're uneven numbers this go around. Can't stop thinking that it feels unlucky even as she plays with her cowboy hat, tries to pretend that things are normal, that this newest mission will go fine.
They all walk in near silence for what feels like a lifetime, goes by in a blink of an eye, when there's a whisper of wind- a rustle of wings- a loud squeech, and then they see it. A flash of purple, orange feathers, frighteningly large orange talons. A yellow scarf drifting from behind the large bird's neck as it races towards them, squawking and tearing at anything that moves with rapid neck movements, horrible shredding sounds as its beak pulls and snaps on fabric, flesh, nothing safe from its rampage. Alicia can do nothing but stare numbly as Digidestined and their partners fall victim, gripping bleeding wounds, trying to keep data and blood within, as the horrible Digimon turns towards her.
It all happens so fast, she barely has a minute to register it rushing towards her so quickly that she can't keep an eye on it, though the flash of green that breaks up her vision distracts her, saves her life as the beak just misses her neck, tears into Palmon's midsection, leaving the plant creature standing there wavering, the only thing holding her upright being her roots implanted in the ground to keep the bird from approaching Alicia. Disgusted, the bird frees its beak with an ugly snapping sound and rushes away, neck writhing this way and back. Palmon collapses then, her entire body trembling, wavering like flame in a heavy wind.
Alicia finally comes back to herself and runs forward, catching her partners before she can hit the ground. Palmon shifts in her hands, eyes fluttering weakly and Alicia leans over her, tears filling her dark eyes. "No," she cries at the Digimon. "Not you, you're not allowed to do it, Palmon! I'll never forgive you!" She shakes her, too frantic to care that this will probably make the process move faster, leave Palmon in worse shape than she already was. "You're my only friend, please no-" Even the thought of her leaving for only a moment, to return like Veemon had, small and dependent, leaves her gasping for air. She's not good with children, had never been- too unstable, too crazy to be a stabilizing force for the small beings.
"I am not," she whispers. "You're so popular-"
"No I'm not!" Alicia sobs, screams, wishes that the others were in any condition to help, do something, anything to stop this from happening. "They all are scared of me, no one cared for me until you came around. You make me stronger, feel like I could actually be a better person." She buries her face in the weakening form, crying brokenly, unable to think of making it hour by hour, day to day, without Palmon's strength, her intelligence. "Please stay..." It takes a minute for her to notice that something's different, the vibe in the air shifting. She inches her eyes open and looks around, gasping in amazement. Like Patamon and Lunamon before them, Palmon is shining, reflecting the light of Digivolution. Alicia had watched on in awe as Patamon and Lunamon had done the same, become faster, stronger, beautiful creatures capable of amazing things. "Palmon," she murmurs, lips trembling. The important thing is this means that her partner will not be leaving her for any amount of time, the tears pouring down her face keeping her from being able to see the Digimon's changes. She angrily wraps them away, trying to focus on the growing shape of her partner as it stabilizes.
"Palmon digivolve to..." Green, prickly flesh disappearing now, Palmon becomes a creature with tall legs, large talons that look like they could give the opposing Digimon a run for its money, a bony mask over its face and a rough brown body. "Kiwimon," she says smoothly, voice more mature, eyes sharper and more intense now as she looks over at Alicia. "I'm not leaving you, Alicia. Not now, not ever." Her movements are quick, fluid as she moves to meet the other Digimon halfway. "Peckmon, you will pay for making Alicia cry," she says simply, seemingly undisturbed when he laughs at her.
"You know my name," he comments, voice dark and dangerous.
"Who doesn't?" Kiwimon says simply, as if it's of no consequence to her. "You are not nearly as special as you seem to think you are." He snarls at her, his beak clicking warningly, but she doesn't back down, her very stance hinting towards amusement. Tension filling the air, she shifts her position, unsurprised when he takes that brief second of distraction to attack, his talons only just scraping against the vulnerable flesh of her flank as she moves quickly, volleys back with an attack of bombs shaped roughly like a smaller version of her, exploding against Peckmon's body and causing him to roar, taking to the air and lunging forward to kick Kiwimon, sending her skidding back a few feet. She stabilizes herself, however, and lunges forward, responding to this with wild pecks up his leg to his body, tearing holes in his scarf and the purple armor until his body becomes visible.
"Burning spiral!" he suddenly yells, using her momentum against her as he twists around midair and slices his talon along her body, the friction behind the blow sending flames up her brown feathers. She screams as he laughs, smug and expecting that it's his victory when-
"Pummel peck!" she gasps, spitting more bombs towards him at close range, compacting with the flames before flying into him where they do blow with enough force to send Kiwimon flying back from the aftershock, a mess of legs and feathers, into a nearby cliff, all of the Digidestined slowly regrouping forced to do nothing but watch as she hits and sinks down the side of it, collapsing at the foot of it.
"KIWIMON!" Alicia cries, rushing over to her and barely noticing as Peckmon slowly starts to disintegrate behind them, partially hoisted by his own petard. By the time Alicia arrives, Kiwimon is glowing, once more shrinking back into Palmon but not leaving, not deleting, and she sobs, scooping the bruised and battered creature back up, holding her close. Her clothes are stained, her borrowed cowboy hat is askew, but she doesn't mind, nuzzling closer to the Digimon, absorbing that she's still alive. "You're ok, you're ok," she repeats again and again.
"Yes, I am," Palmon whispers. "I'm sorry I scared you, Alicia."
"It's fine, it's ok," she gasps. "Just don't you dare do it again." When Palmon smiles, despite barely being able to keep her eyes open, Alicia finds it to be a victory, hugging her partner closer.
