Zack Ryder feels good. Thinks 2019 shows some promise- he's had a decent enough year of matches, and there's still a fair chance he'll be on Raw before 2018 is over! He grins and nudges Dolph, who quirks an eyebrow at him. "What are you so happy for?" he grumbles, but Zack continues being this weirdly cheerful ball of energy.

"C'mon, Bros! It's almost a new year, new opportunities! Everyone should be happy-"

"Ah, sod off," Drake Maverick tells him, but even this doesn't disrupt him as he continues to walk backwards, beaming at them all.

"Seriously, bros-" But whatever he's serious about gets interrupted for real as something flashes behind him and he falters, pain crossing his face before he stumbles forward, hitting his knees hard.

"Kid!" Dolph yells out, running forward in time to see a small green turtle like Digimon lunging towards Zack again, slamming right between his shoulderblades and sending him down to the ground on his hands and knees. It's Kamemon, and Dolph can tell as soon as he sees him that he's possessed by something, eyes red and face warped into an evil mask. "Shit..." But there's no time to think, Kamemon is gearing up for another attack and Dolph turns sharply. "Impmon!"

Both Impmon and Patamon move, Impmon sending out fireballs from his fingertips, while Patamon throws his intense bubble attack, the two moves mixing together into this deep, firey pocket of air that catches Kamemon before he gets too close to Zack, exploding against his body and sending him flying off course. He lands hard, singed and whimpering, and Dolph feels awful but even now, he's struggling to get up, strangely colored eyes fixed on Zack still. "Impmon," he says uncomfortably, all too aware of what this means- more data on his hands, more congestion in the sea where all of this data is going. But if he has to choose between his best friend and sparing the digital sea even a little more of this, the choice is fairly simple.

Impmon blasts Kamemon with a close range set of fireballs and watches grimly as he fades away into data that disappears after a few moments, turning to find Dolph holding Zack up as he tries to shake off what Kamemon just did to him, Patamon fluttering nearby. "Ow," he finally groans and Dolph lets out a coarse chuckle, gripping his shoulders.

"You're gonna be ok now, kid. I've gotcha." He would always choose his best friend, no matter what it cost.