Chapter 13: To the Digital World (1)
Chapter Text
Ken felt like he had never been so nervous in his life. He had already walked to the coffee machine three times. Each time, he had pressed a random button and drank the result anyway. When he returned to the others, they seemed no less nervous. Cody was leaning against the wall, looking at the clock repeatedly. Davis was sitting next to T.K, tapping his feet. Kari was typing on her phone to keep the others updated.
"You don't have to be here. It's enough if I stay until we get answers. You can go home," Ken offered.
But none of his friends wanted to leave. They were determined to stay until Yolei was feeling better or they heard news from a doctor.
"Maybe her fall during the battle was worse than we thought," Davis wondered out loud.
"But... she seemed to be fine afterwards, didn't she?" T.K asked.
Kari agreed with him.
"Let's hope it's just exhaustion. Not only the battle, but also the preparation and the excitement have certainly taken a lot of energy from Yolei."
Cody now grumbled audibly and everyone turned to look at him.
"Or...," he murmured more to himself?
"Or what?" Ken asked urgently.
Cody thought briefly about how to answer.
"A classmate of mine had the same thing happen to her last year. She collapsed and had to go to the hospital. But it wasn't anything serious, she just hadn't noticed that she was pregnant. And the stress of college was not good for the baby."
Everyone considered the possibility.
Ken swallowed.
"Scha... schwanger? But... that can't be, can it? Yolei can't be pregnant?" he had Davis by the shoulders and was shaking him.
Davis denied it with his eyes.
"How are WE supposed to know that?"
Ken also had to sit down. If Cody was right, how should he deal with it? Was it good or bad? This idea seemed confused in his head.
Finally, a doctor with blue hair and glasses came out of a door and Ken was immediately on his feet again. He walked towards him, his friends close behind him.
But before he could say anything, Joe raised his hand.
"We have completed the examination, but we have not yet evaluated the results. We cannot answer what Yolei has exactly," he quickly clarified.
Davis' request for a suspicion was also rejected, as such a thing was pointless. Yolei was sleeping at the moment and he recommended coming back tomorrow morning. They couldn't do anything more at the moment. T.K thanked Joe for personally taking care of their treatment, but for him it seemed to be a matter of course. He promised once again to regularly check on her, then he had to take care of his next patient.
Davis patted his friend on the shoulder.
"If she's sleeping now and not unconscious anymore, that's good! She's in the best hands here."
Ken knew that his friend was right, but the uncertainty still plagued him. They left the hospital, their Digimon were probably already demolishing the whole car in impatience.
Hawkmon was the first to ask about Yolei. For now, they could give the all-clear, but tomorrow they would know more. Cody drove everyone home, for which they were very grateful.
"Izzy wrote to me. He says he has news that we should know. He's asking if we can come to his company tomorrow," Kari looked up from her phone.
Davis growled.
"Is that so important now? Doesn't he care how Yolei is doing?"
Kari sighed.
"Calm down. I'm keeping him updated all the time. But he wrote that it's important."
Ken turned to her.
"Alright. Tomorrow morning? Write him that I'll come."
Davis hesitated.
"But... what about Yolei?"
But Ken had made his decision.
"I'll drive to her afterwards. It's better if I let her sleep anyway. I want to know who is responsible for these attacks. Who did this... to my wife."
Everyone could understand him. Finally, Kari let Izzy know that they would be there tomorrow morning. Since he had also asked for the new DigiKnights to be there, she wrote to Tsubasa. She promised to talk to her friends and since they had a week off anyway, nothing should stand in the way of the meeting.
Then they were dropped off one after the other at their apartments. Ken was the last. He thanked Cody and promised to call immediately if he heard anything from the hospital. Hawkmon spent the night with him and Wormmon. Neither of them could sleep that night. Only Minomon, who had meanwhile digitized back to Wormmon, slept peacefully. Sometimes Ken envied his partner for this ability. Especially now.
He lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Would this be their future together? They were aware that Digimon would always be a part of their lives. But this conflict had to end. That was clear to him.
When Takeshi left his house this morning, a ghost was standing in front of him. Although the sun was already shining.
Tsubasa looked overtired and disheveled.
"Hey... you look great today," Takeshi tried, but his girlfriend only looked at him angrily.
"What are you talking about? I couldn't even put on makeup and fix my hair. I fell asleep late and barely got out of bed," she complained.
Shun cleared his throat.
"Be glad that they invited us to this meeting. It means that they take us seriously and don't just consider us to be some kids who happened to get a DigiVice."
Takeshi understood what he meant.
It was not planned that he would get lost in the subway station. Gennai could have just as easily handed the DigiVice to someone else. And while Shun and Tsubasa would not have been his friends, they would not have offered to be partners with Koemon and Hebimon. It was a huge responsibility that they had to take seriously.
They already knew the way to Izzy's company and were soon standing in front of the entrance. They only had to give their names and were let in. They took the elevator upstairs and were led to Izzy's office.
Inside, Davis, Kari, T.K and, surprisingly, Ken were already waiting for them.
"So... how is Yolei?" Tsubasa asked immediately.
Ken took a deep breath.
"No news, otherwise Joe would have called me. I'm going to the hospital right away."
The middle school students understood. The situation must be torture for him.
Izzy entered the room and asked them to follow him. He asked everyone to sit down and sat down at his computer himself. Tentomon greeted the other Digimon. Patamon was, as usual, in T.K's arms, while Veemon and Gatomon jumped onto a sofa. Wormmon was still at Ken's house, taking care of the finally slumbering Hawkmon.
"So, what's the news?" Ken wanted to know. Instead of answering immediately, Izzy typed on his keyboard and a video window opened. "Let him tell you," he announced and in the window a familiar face became visible. He now wore his hair shorter and the suit also seemed a bit strange on him.
"Onii-chan!" Kari said first. Tai raised his hand in greeting. First, he expressed his sympathy and wished Yolei all the best. Then he got to the point.
"I met with Yamada-san again. At first, it was difficult to get information out of him. But, in the end, it worked." Ken stepped forward and partially pushed Izzy aside. "Spit it out! Who exactly is our enemy?" Izzy asked him to calm down, but with little success. Fortunately, Tai answered him without hesitation.
"His name is Takutoumon. He has crowned himself king of the DigiWorld. And he has a large following behind him. He has convinced them that humans want to destroy their world and that they must get rid of them." T.K nodded. "So, something like a cult leader?" Tai found this term appropriate. "However, not all Digimon are on his side. Most of them, fortunately, do not believe his stories. But Takutoumon has begun to take action against them. This resistance, of course, costs him resources. We know this because Yamada-san's agency has transported spyware into the DigiWorld. That's how we now know where the castle is located, where Takutoumon is staying." "In other words, we know the position of the enemy," Izzy repeated.
"Great! Then we'll get this jerk and take him out!"Ken said determinedly. Davis put a hand on his shoulder.
"Easy does it. WE'll take care of him. You're needed here, with Yolei." Ken wanted to object, but then he realized that his friend was right. He would never have been able to leave Yolei's side. After all, she was now his wife. "Promise me that you'll defeat him," he wrung from his buddy. He winked at him.
"Child's play! We've already taken out harder guys." Kari doubted whether this was really the case. Takutoumon had united a not insignificant part of the Digital World under him. Nevertheless, they had to try. "Alright, I'm in. And don't try to stop me, brother dear!" she said determinedly. Tai sighed. "Yes, I would be wasting my breath." Davis and T.K also stepped forward. Of course, they were also part of it. Spurred on, Takeshi also volunteered voluntarily. "Of course, you can count on us too! We'll support you!" he called out. Tsubasa hesitated for a moment. "Does that mean... we're going to the world of Hebimon? Does it look the same as the place where we met Gennai?" she asked uncertainly. Davis objected, however. "No, of course, you're not coming with us. We have the responsibility for you! How should we justify it to your parents if something happens to you." Shun could understand the attitude. Especially his parents would protest. Nevertheless, he was not someone who could watch idly. "We've
supported you so far, as best we could, haven't we? And, so far, it hasn't been exactly safe. Please let us contribute something," he asked. Davis wanted to say something, but Kari beat him to it. "I think they have a good point. They are also DigiKnights and have partners. And, don't forget, we were no older back then," she pointed out. Izzy cleared his throat. "I can only agree with that. You had to make your own experiences. We didn't interfere back then and only helped when you needed it," he reminded them. Davis could follow the argument, but it took Tai to fully convince him. "Do you know why we mostly let you go alone? Because of your Digimon. You can trust them unconditionally, right? It's no different with the new DigiKnights. You're not just taking three middle school students with you, but ones with strong partners who will stand by their side," he explained. With that, Davis was fully outvoted and it was decided that Takeshi and the others would accompany them. Since it was still vacation, time was also not a problem.
"But... what about our parents? We'll probably be gone for several days," Tsubasa objected. Izzy had a solution for this, however.
"You'll be attending a summer camp. It's sponsored by my company and additional knowledge is taught there. Unfortunately, three applicants had to drop out, which is why you're now allowed to participate. The only catch is that it starts tomorrow," he explained. Tsubasa narrowed her eyes. "Is there really such a summer camp?" she asked suspiciously. Izzy shrugged his shoulders.
"Now there is. Your parents can call me at any time if there are problems. Especially, since smartphones are not allowed there and they can't contact you during that time," he added. The CEO seemed to have thought of everything. Especially the curriculum made it easy for Shun to sell the trip to his parents. They discussed what they would all need, then they made an appointment for tomorrow again here. Izzy would open a gate to the Digital World and they could finally tackle the problem. Ken said goodbye now and set off for the hospital. He promised to notify the others immediately. He wished his friends all the best and then he was gone. He couldn't wait to see his wife.
Takutoumon propped his head up with his hand and stared into space. Three of his generals had turned out to be a failure. His enemies were therefore stronger than he had expected. He had no other choice but to take care of the problem himself. Only one general was left to him, who was now tensely waiting for orders. It was a creature with several snake heads. "My king! Unlike the others, I will not disappoint you. Send me to destroy these humans." Takutoumon, however, did not think of it. He had already made his decision.
"No, that would be a waste of effort. I have another task for you. Take care of the resistance. You're just good enough for that. I'll also give you a ball, just in case." he ordered. The general, whose name was Orochimon, did not dare to contradict. He would carry out the order. This was easier than the fight against the humans anyway. He accepted the ball and then set off. After some time, the king rose and decided to prepare for the battle.
Ken had driven to the hospital without any detours, even skipping breakfast. He parked and went to the floor where Yolei was lying. He first asked the nurse, of course, if his wife was already awake. Fortunately, this seemed to be the case. So he knocked and was let in a little later. Yolei was sitting on the bed and leafing through a magazine. "Hospitals are so backward, you have to get the news from newspapers and stuff like that, instead of just using your phone." Ken felt relief rising inside him. "I'm sure they have good reasons why cell phones are banned here." He organized a chair and sat down with her. "Is there... already news about the examination?" he then asked. Yolei avoided his gaze. "Yes, but... I don't want to talk about it." she replied. Ken turned pale. Was it that bad? He grabbed his wife's hands and looked at her pleadingly. "Yolei, we are now husband and wife! You can tell me everything!" She swallowed and then nodded. "The doctors call it fructose intolerance. Apparently, the baker who made the cake put too much of that stuff in it." Ken was shocked. "Wait... it was only food poisoning?" Yolei got angry. "What do you mean by only? I will never be able to eat cake again. Just thinking about it makes me want to throw up now!" Ken leaned back and felt the relief. "Yes, sure. But it could have been something more serious." Yolei nodded. "Yes, but it isn't. I'm sorry... that I caused you worry." Ken shook his head. "Don't worry about me. Get back on your feet first. We already have other concerns about what might be wrong with you. You won't believe it, Cody even had the idea that you might be pregnant." he laughed. Yolei, however, did not join in. "Oh, so... that's what you thought. No, I'm not. I'm sorry." Ken fell silent. "So... no, there's really no reason to apologize. As I said, it was just a guess." he said quickly. His wife lowered her head.
"Would you have preferred it... if it hadn't been one?" Ken thought for a moment. "Honestly, I have no idea. And I haven't really thought about this possibility. It's too early to think about it anyway. We only got married yesterday." Yolei grumbled. "Yes, but... I don't want us to become a couple who only has cats instead of children. Or, in our case, falcons and caterpillars." Ken smiled.
"You're talking as if you were already an old grandmother. We have time to discuss everything in detail. The others will be happy that you're feeling better again." Yolei now asked about the state of things and Ken revealed that Davis and the others would set off for the DigiWorld tomorrow. "I understand, tomorrow already. You have to accompany them." This reaction surprised Ken noticeably. "No! Of course, I'll stay here with you!" But Yolei didn't want to hear about it. "I'm not seriously ill! I'll be discharged in a few days anyway and you couldn't do anything here but read magazines with me. Yes, it would be nice if you were here, but... Davis needs you more. You know, he's lost without you." Ken nodded. "Yes, that's true. I hadn't thought of that. He always needs someone to look after him." Both of them fell into laughter. Then Ken took Yolei's hand again. "I'll be back as soon as possible. I promise. And then we'll begin our life together." Yolei smiled. That was a nice thought.
Takeshi had been really glad that his parents hadn't asked too many questions. In fact, they had been happy that he wasn't just hanging around during the holidays. Since Shun and Tsubasa were there, whom they knew had a good influence on their son, everything had been settled.
When the boy met with them in front of Izzy's company this morning, he was relieved to find that it had gone similarly with them.
"Izumi-san's company seems to be quite well-known. My parents probably think it's some kind of scholarship and were happy that I want to learn during the holidays," Shun reported.
"And my mother had no problems, she just reminded me to take my hormones regularly," Tsubasa added.
They entered and went back up to Izzy's office. There they found Davis and T.K already. Their Digimon seemed to be doing some kind of exercises, probably to warm up. Prismamon and the others waited eagerly, it had been a while since they had left the Digital World. At least Koemon and Hebimon with the task of finding Rurimon and his book. This mission they had fulfilled. The little dragon had meanwhile greeted Tentomon, who was sharing candy with him.
The door swung open again and a young woman entered. Davis wanted to greet her, but was shocked. No, that would be an understatement. He was almost in shock when he looked at Kari.
"Kari! What happened to your hair?"
T.K was no less surprised.
"Yes, you wanted to have it long for a change."
Kari seemed to have made a stop at the hairdresser and had given herself a short hairstyle.
"Yes, but it would have been annoying in the Digital World. Maybe this hairstyle suits me better after all." she replied.
Davis stammered.
"But... did you really have to go that far? That seems a bit extreme to me." he made no secret of the fact that he had gotten used to Kari's longer hair in the meantime.
"I think it suits you, Kari-san. You look very pretty." Tsubasa complimented.
The young woman smiled and Izzy came to them.
"So, everything is prepared. I'll take you directly to the edge of the area that Tai told me about. From there, you'll have to approach the enemy on your own."
The DigiDestined nodded resolutely.
The door was opened again and another familiar face entered.
"I hope I'm not too late yet?" Ken asked a little hastily.
Apparently, no one had expected his appearance.
"What are you doing here? You should be with Yolei!" Davis accused him.
Ken, however, objected.
"She didn't want that. I'm more useful if I accompany you."
Davis seemed unsure.
"But..."
"Davis, we'll definitely need Imperialdramon. So let's not half-heartedly approach the matter." Ken remained firm.
Finally, his friend gave in and welcomed him to the team.
Then all the preparations had already been made and, as last time, they held their DigiVices in front of a large monitor. They were drawn inward and soon only Izzy, Tentomon, and Rurimon were left in the room. The first one rubbed his hands together.
"Alright, who's up for card games?"
Takeshi and the others were overcome by the same feeling as last time during their visit to Gennai's pocket dimension. They had therefore turned into data again, but did not really feel a difference.
They were on a forest path, it seemed a bit secluded.
"It's been a while since we were last here." T.K noted.
Tsubasa looked around excitedly. It didn't look any different than in their world, but still somehow different.
"That's true, for you, it's the first visit to the Digital World. That will certainly be an interesting experience." Patamon felt the need to say.
Shun hadn't formed an opinion yet.
"So far, everything seems quite normal. What was it like with you?"
The older DigiDestined thought for a moment.
"Well, I was actually in a summer camp when I landed here. Then I met Tokomon and we ran away from a huge stag beetle." he remembered.
"And I was attacked by the Masters of Darkness and we only just barely survived. Yes, those were still times." Kari tried to smile.
Davis looked at his partner.
"And I met Veemon and shortly afterward we came across the DigiArmor-Egg of Courage. That's where it all started for me."
Ken stroked Wormmon's head.
"And I came here directly after my brother's death. Together with another DigiDestined, we defeated Milleniumon. Unfortunately, Deamon took advantage of the situation at that time to plant the seed of darkness in me, which made me become the Digimon-Emperor and enslave many innocent Digimon. And Wormmon's death was also caused by me."
For this, he received pitying looks. Davis fell into his arms.
"Don't worry, now you have a family! You deserve all the luck in the world!" he said emotionally.
Ken cleared his throat.
"Thank you, I'm doing well. You really don't have to worry."
In the next moment, he would find out how wrong he was with this statement.
Dark figures were now pushing their way through the trees. They were quite small, but wore a kind of gas mask and firearms.
Faster than expected, they had encircled the DigiDestined and were preparing for the attack.
These moved closer together.
"We have to fight." Gatomon was certain.
But here, too, they were to be mistaken again.
A shadow fell from above and before they knew it, two of the enemies had already been destroyed. A blue creature held a sword in its hand and attacked the smaller enemies. Soon the last one was hit and dissolved into data. The newcomer now faced the DigiDestined. "Stop! Who are you? Friend or foe?" Veemon asked him the question. Takeshi recognized him first. He ran forward, between them and the fighter. "LeoHeartmon! It's us! Do you remember us?" he greeted the Digimon, against which he had fought a while ago. The blue lion put away his sword and nodded.
"Of course, I do. I recognized you immediately, humans. That's why I intervened. Do you not know that you are directly at the border to Takutoumon's realm? His Troopmon patrol here hourly." Davis clenched his fists. "Exactly what we're after! If his territory begins here, we're on the right track!" LeoHeartmon growled grimly. "You fools! You were lucky that the Troopmon couldn't report anymore! This is only the vanguard! If you cross the border, you'll be discovered immediately! In the air, there are Jazamon everywhere with their cameras, capturing every movement! One step and you'll betray your position. It's not that easy to enter the area!" Davis gave in. They had obviously acted quite foolishly. T.K now stepped forward. "Good, you've convinced us. The surprise effect would be more preferable to us anyway. You surely know a way to get us unnoticed to Takutoumon's castle, don't you?" The former enemy assessed the humans. "Possible that I know a way. But why should I reveal it to you? Do you want to make me believe that you are capable of defeating the false king?" Ken stepped up to him. "We can do that. We are stronger than you might think. Your great king has attacked us once too often. We can't tolerate that anymore." LeoHeartmon seemed to be convinced by the seriousness in his words. "Agreed. There is someone who owes me something. He can bring you close to the king's castle. The king trusts him and will not suspect anything." T.K thought about it. "But can we trust HIM?" LeoHeartmon understood his concerns.
"I think so. Not all Digimon approve of the king's actions. That's why I want to make you a proposal. I'm on my way to the resistance right now. Together with them, we should have an even greater chance of overthrowing the king."
The possibility sounded good to everyone. "Alright, then we'll follow your judgment. Where should we go first?" Takeshi wanted to know. But LeoHeartmon shook his head.
"No, we don't have time for that. We have to split up, otherwise, Takutoumon will catch on to our plan. One half has to make the preparations for the infiltration, while the other meets the members of the resistance."
The DigiDestined could see that they were not exactly thrilled with this plan.
"What do you think?" Kari wanted to know. It was Takeshi who advocated for the plan.
"We can trust LeoHeartmon!" He couldn't completely convince them with that, however. "Are you sure? He was our enemy at first." Shun objected. But his friend shook his head.
"He never had the intention of harming us. He's just in search of strong opponents. And the fact that he's helping us now means that he respects our strength. We should listen to ourselves if we want to move forward." Finally, they agreed to listen to LeoHeartmon and follow his plan. Kari, T.K, Tsubasa, Shun, as well as their Digimon, were told where they should meet the contact person. Davis, Ken, Takeshi, and their Digimon were to accompany LeoHeartmon to the hideout of the resistance to consult with them. They decided to meet again in 5 hours, then they separated. Ken hoped that this would not turn out to be a mistake.
The group moved in the opposite direction, which was actually not the plan. But it was probably smart not to run directly into the arms of the enemy. LeoHeartmon went ahead and Takeshi followed him at a distance. Ken and Davis formed the rear. "Hey, I'm still not convinced of that guy," Davis whispered to his friend. Ken shrugged his shoulders.
"Takeshi trusts him, that's enough for me." Davis sighed and increased his pace. Barely 10 minutes later, they had arrived at the entrance of a cave.
"The members of the resistance are hiding in there. Let's not waste any time," said their leader and stepped into the darkness. Once again, Prismamon's ability to illuminate the surroundings was more than useful. They had walked a few meters when Veemon stumbled and hit his head. Davis asked if his partner was okay, but he gave the all-clear. But when they looked ahead, the next problem was already looming. LeoHEartmon had disappeared. They called after him, but no reaction.
"Could he have gone so far ahead?" Davis asked skeptically. They didn't know, they had no choice but to walk quickly and catch up. They finally did and arrived in the larger cave. "Look! There are food scraps all over the place here. And pots. All totally scattered," Veemon pointed to the ground. The DigiKnights agreed. Something seemed to have happened here. Prismamon walked through the disorder and let her head sink. "Here... Digimon were destroyed. A large number even." The DigiDestined swallowed. It was clear that there had been a fight here. But how many Digimon had lost their lives here? The entire resistance? Did LeoHeartmon know about it? A hoarse laugh echoed from the back of the cave. The group turned around as a large Digimon rushed towards them. It looked like a bundle of fur that had several snake heads. Davis cursed.
"Damn it! It was a trap after all! LeoHeartmon tricked us!" Takeshi couldn't believe it. "No... that can't be true. There has to be an explanation." But Orochimon's first attack gave them no time to think. "Get ready!" Ken warned. The DigiVices were used and the fight began. "Veemon digivolves tooooo... ExVeemon!"
"Wormmon digivolves tooooo... Stingmon!"
"Prismamon digivolves tooooo... PrismKnightmon!"
All three Digimon now went into position, but Orochimon threatened to shoot an energy wave from his mouth. But then a shadow jumped from above and cut off that head. LeoHeartmon landed next to the DigiKnights, sword at the ready. "I'm sorry I went ahead, but I sensed the enemy. He has indeed wiped out the entire resistance." Takeshi understood. Their ally wanted to attack the enemy from a different position. "I knew you were on our side! Let's fight together!" LeoHeartmon nodded and made the first move. But Orochimon rushed forward and snapped at the lion. He was just able to use his sword and stick it between the monster's teeth to avoid being swallowed. ExVeemon used a Vee-Laser against another head and was able to push it back. PrismKnightmon blocked one of the heads with his shield, but was also pushed back a few centimeters. Stingmon tried a Last Sting, but Orochimon was faster. It snapped at the Digimon and caught it in a mouth.
"Stingmon! You have to free yourself!" Ken shouted in shock. But his partner couldn't do it. Orochimon bit down and the digitation dissolved. It became Wormmon again and it was a stroke of luck that it didn't land in the mouth, but on the ground. Ken picked it up while ExVeemon shielded it. Wormmon was clearly injured, but conscious. "I'm sorry Ken. I was too weak," it whimpered. His partner shook his head. "No, you were great as always." He couldn't believe that he had first put Yolei and now Wormmon in danger. Davis asked about its condition, but Ken shook his head. His Digimon wouldn't be able to fight for a while. "Damn it, we could have really used Paildramon," he complained. But there was nothing to be done. They were lucky that LeoHEartmon was tenacious and kept the enemy busy. But they couldn't leave him the whole fight alone. Takeshi grabbed his DigiVice to give his partner new strength.
"PrismKnightmon Super-Digivolution tooooo... PrismDukemon!"
Now the situation looked different and PrismDukemon hurried to help LeoHeartmon. With his lance, he stabbed the enemy's chest, causing visible damage. Next, they launched a joint attack with lance and sword. The result was that a hole gaped in Orochimon's upper body. Injured, it crawled back.
"Don't you dare think you're stronger! I had already exhausted myself when I devoured those annoying Digimon of the resistance! But, to your misfortune, the gracious king has given me a trump card." Ken was the first to recognize that Orochimon now brought out one of Azulongmon's balls and one of the heads simply swallowed it. "Caution! It will become much stronger now!" he warned. And he was right. Orochimon began to glow and its heads merged with each other. It became a huge, black monster with multiple eyes. Its king had given it the power to digivolve to Nidhoggmon, its strongest level. And it would use it to give the DigiKnights to him as a gift. "We... we should withdraw first!" Ken suggested. Davis was inclined to agree with him. But Nidhoggmon had other plans. Dark snakes escaped from its body and crawled across the ground. However, their target was not the Digimon, but the exits of the cave. They were trapped. A fight was now inevitable. The next snakes crawled towards PrismDukemon. He attacked with his lance, but couldn't get a hold of them. They now reached his body and threatened to take it over. Behind him, ExVeemon unexpectedly appeared and used his Vee-Laser against the attack. It hit, but the explosion threw Takeshi's partner back. When he first rejoiced that his Digimon was safe, he quickly realized that it now had no cover. Nidhoggmon launched a new attack, this time from its mouth. A huge black ball headed towards PrismDukemon, who was lying on the ground and couldn't dodge anymore. He would be hit any moment now if a miracle didn't happen.
This miracle then happened. But the Digimon would have wished later that it had turned out differently. LeoHeartmon threw himself into the attack to protect his comrade. As soon as he was hit, he let out a scream of pain.
"LeoHeartmon!" Takeshi shouted in shock.
"Wh... why?" PrismDukemon wanted to know from him.
The Digimon threw its head back and smiled.
"You defeated me and spared me, already forgotten? This here is the least I can do."
The DigiDestined had to watch in disbelief as the attack was indeed stopped, but LeoHeartmon completely dissolved into data for it.
Takeshi was stunned.
He had already had to watch as Digimon were destroyed. But these had been their enemies. LeoHeartmon, on the other hand, had done everything to support them. And now they were responsible for his death.
PrismDukemon was also beside himself and completely enraged. It attacked again with its lance and even landed a hit. But only briefly, Nidhoggmon attacked with its snakes and hit. Takeshi's partner lost his focus and digitized back to Prismamon. ExVeemon was quick to prevent another hit. But it was also hit and became Veemon again.
"Veemon! Don't give up! We need you!" Davis encouraged him.
But at the same time, he was aware that their Digimon had hardly any strength left. If a miracle didn't happen... they would meet their end here.
