Seth stands back and lets Asuka do her thing, the edges of her colorful Japanese kimono brushing against the sand as she ruminates over... something. Finally she looks up and grasps her Digivice and walks resolutely back over to the digiport. Barks a command in Japanese before holding her device out to it. Seth doesn't know what to expect but the soul-rending black force that sudden bleeds from it is the last thing he thinks any of them could have ever imagined, as he looks around at the other Digidestined clustered around watching her with a startled look on their faces as well.

Shock turns into resolution, however, as she motions them on. "Shinsuke is here," she says in stilted English, that alone enough to get them all to take action.

The Smackdown team wants their leader back, and Seth wants things to return to normal- the best way for both things to happen, apparently, is following Asuka's lead as she holds her digivice out and actives the portal, the rest of the digidestined assisting with their own digivices at the ready.

"Hang on, Nakamura," Seth mumbles as he sees the others through safely before following. "We're coming for you."

-x

The Dark Ocean is cold. Foreboding. Nakamura has been here so many times, but it never entirely changes. Remains as smothering and terrifying as it always is. Part of him is glad Coronamon is unconscious, part of him is relieved to be here alone. But still. He's tired of feeling tired, his energy all sapped out of him, no strength remaining enough to move, to do anything to try to save himself. He closes his eyes and presses his face against the sand, shivering. "Sami," he mumbles, thinking even his associate would be fine company right now. At least a good distraction from how muddled his thoughts are becoming, how very little he can lift his head now.

When she appears before him, he thinks he's hallucinating. He smiles weakly and touches her kimono, feeling the soft fabric under his fingers, warm and steady, and so, so real. "Asuka?"

"We're here, Nakamura," she says, reaching out to touch him, brush his hair back. Frowns when she feels just how cold he truly is. "You are going to be fine, just give us a moment."

"Us," he says in awe, but he already knows what she means- the Digidestined are here now, this is not a hallucination, and they will all either kill themselves trying to save him, or somehow, someway, come out the victor against the Dark Ocean. He struggles to find the strength to help them, despite Coronamon's lack of response at even all of this excitement, and he groans, pressing his face into his arm and trying not to think too much about everything that could go wrong." "...Thank you," he finally says and Asuka smiles quickly at him before moving into position for when the battle begins soon.