Drake has witnessed a lot in his time as a Digidestined already. Bad Digimon losing, good digimon winning, villages destroyed, creatures resurrected, has even mourned quite a few of the creatures himself. It's exhausting, weighs on him sometimes when he's back on earth, trying to sleep or eat or do anything. Being a Digidestined is the hardest thing he's ever had to do, but also the most rewarding when he thinks about all of the lives they have changed, saved. But then digimon like Examon comes around, and everything falls apart before his very eyes.
Admittedly, Dream is far from his favorite person usually- he's too egotistical, smug, overvalues hs own self-importance. But he's now curled in on himself, eyes wide and desperate as he pleads for his digimon partner to return, and Drake aches for him. So he turns his focus onto Examon and weighs their options. There aren't many. A lot of their digimon are already battered, beaten. The guy is tough, it's not going to be easy to beat him. But Drake knows they have to try, so he does.
Lifts his digivice, the way he'd seen Dream do before, and focuses on Examon, determined to do something, weaken him, perhaps drain some of the energy that visibly ripples the air around him. He's too strong, there's absolutely no bloody way this is going to work, Drake thinks, but he squares his shoulders and steps forward anyway. Immediately, all eyes are on him, some of the others hissing at him to stay down, stay back, don't do this, Drake, but he's a leader, at least of the NXT group, and it's the NXT group who is the most vulnerable right now. They're all so new to this, and he's been a Digidestined longest out of his small group, and... he just needs to do something. Something to try to make this all right. To take the pain out of Dream's eyes, to make himself feel less like a failure.
But he's not alone, only stands by his lonesome for a few moments before Examon before he hears movement behind him. Rhea joins him, then Priest, Ciampa, Dakota. He casts a glance left, then right, and nods at his team, apprehensive but accepting of their need to help, before turning back towards Examon. "Your destructive ways end here, Examon," Drake tells him calmly. "We will not let you ruin any more of this world. We will not let you kill any others."
Examon stares at them, lined up before him with their digivices extended. Then he throws his head back and laughs wildly.
This only angers Drake more, sets the others on edge, and they shift, gripping their digivices tighter. "We will," he mumbles. "We will defeat you. Somehow, someway. If not now, then eventually. We'll never give up." He casts a quick glance over his shoulder, catches Dream's haunted gaze. "We can't."
Dream visibly shudders at the words, swallowing hard as he leans his head back and tries to breathe. Hands trembling, he reaches out and grips his digivice, lifting it up before his face and examining it with a dazed look in his eye. It's a struggle for him to focus, to scrabble for purchase, to stand, but he manages it. Sways a little, and Drake wants nothing more than to run back and support him, but he knows he can't, so he stands and watches as Dream collects himself, little by little, and steps forward to join them, face pale as he looks up at Examon. "We will end you," he whispers, voice barely registering for any of them, but his stance is sure, steady, as he joins the others in holding his digivice up against Etamon.
Drake exhales slowly and thinks he's never felt more proud of this group than now.
