It had seemed average enough. Ciampa travels with the other digidestined to a point on the map that had been issuing an emergency signal, he stands around and waits for the others to figure out what they're doing while Guilmon wanders around, exploring the area, interested in the grass, the sky, everything around them that's just a little bit different from what he's used to.
Tommaso wonders if there's a chance for Gargano to become a digidestined and join him for moments like these, when he realizes that Guilmon isn't even in his line of sight anymore. "Guilmon!" he calls out, sighing when his partner doesn't respond. "Dammit," he mumbles, not liking the thought of the overly exciteable digimon going who knows where without supervision or anything else. He's trudging around, looking for the dinosaur- how hard could it be to find a bright red beast? seriously?- when the world... shifts. He suddenly feels sicker than h did after his neck surgery, blinking up at the clouds drifting past overhead. He wants to speak, ask what exactly has happened, but it all fades away as something is pressed against his skull, digs him down deeper into the dirt.
"One of you digidestined trash deleted one of my fellows," he says, voice strange and robotic. "Unfortunately for you, you were the first I saw on his own. So I suppose my revenge will have to come from you."
Ciampa breathes heavily as the hard butt of the gun gets dug into his temple even harder and he closes his eyes, certain that this will be it. He grimaces, already hating himself enough for his and Johnny losing their opportunity against the Street Profits last Friday. Now... well... He groans. "Sorry, Johnny," he mumbles, fingers twitching against the sand. He's pretty sure it's over when there's a loud roar not far away and Guilmon appears, a flash of red over Ciampa's gaze as the gun suddenly disappears from where it's pressed into his skull. "Tommao!" Guilmon cries. "Get up, I have to digivolve!"
He tries, he really does, but god everything hurts. He groans and slowly rolls over, forcing himself up on his hands and knees, looking up with his digivice gripped tightly. "Do it," he gasps. "Guilmon, do it!"
The digivice goes wild, vibrating and sending energy out and over Guilmon's twitching body. "Guilmon digivolve to...!" Shoutmon X3SD is tall, a powerful looking digimon with a large spear pointing right at the digimon that Ciampa can finally see.
"EBEmon," Shoutmon X3SD introduces him with a grim frown. "Created from a Vademon." Ciampa squints up at him and exhales shakily. "Right, sure," he says. "That makes sense." Shoutmon X3SD spins away as EBEmon aims his gun at him, attempting to shoot him out of the sky.
"It feels like it's been a long time since I've held this form," Shoutmon X3SD says, spinning his spear around a few times before diving down at a speed that is hard for even Ciampa to track. "I will not allow you to hurt my partner the first time that I return to it."
He thinks probably EBEmon tries to avoid this attack, aim all over again with his gun, but Shoutmon X3SD has always been fast, always can sense a digimon's battle plan so he shifts in time iwth EBEmon, he tilts the spear just right, and he stabs it straight through EBEmon's body, shattering him into little pieces of data immediately. Shoutmon X3SD waits until it clears away, until he can clearly see Ciampa again, before he dedigivolves back to Guilmon. "Are you alright?" he asks, rushing over to Ciampa, who has finally stood. "Yeah," he breathes roughly. "Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks to you." He shakes his head. "I wish Johnny were here." "Me too," Guilmon says honestly, large paw resting against Ciampa's shoulder. "C'mon, let's get out of here." They walk side by side back to the digidestined, who seem shocked and concerned that their target is already neutralized, especially when they see the faint scrape marks along Ciampa's forehead, where he had hit the ground. Where the barrel of EBEmon's gun had pressed.
All Ciampa cares about is that he's ok. That Guilmon made it out of everything ok. That they can now go home. Give him time to think of a way to ask Luke if Gargano can join, so he feels a little less alone in this group.