Chapter 42: The Dark Evolution
The distant flames sputtered, casting long, dancing shadows before finally succumbing to the night. The world plunged into an unnerving darkness.
"What happened?!"
Roused from a fitful sleep by the commotion outside, the children stumbled out of their daze.
"I'll go check!" Sora announced, her voice tight with concern.
"Sora, wait for me!"
While Takeru was still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Sora and Piyomon were already out the door. Joe and Gomamon scrambled to follow.
"Gomamon, we have to go too! We can't just leave the girls out there alone."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Gomamon grumbled, "but my short legs can't run that fast, Joe! Wait for me—"
After a moment of clumsy shuffling, the pair emerged from the small hut. They found Sora and Piyomon standing frozen just a few feet away, their silhouettes stark against the hellish glow on the horizon. Joe was about to ask what was wrong, but the words died in his throat as his own eyes adjusted to the scene.
"What… what in the world happened?"
Where a peaceful village had stood just hours before, there was now nothing but a stretch of smoldering ruins. The distant sky burned a violent, furious orange, as if the very heavens had been set ablaze.
A cold dread washed over Sora. Something was terribly wrong. Without a second thought, she broke into a sprint, Piyomon flapping frantically to keep up as they charged toward the source of the firelight.
"Sora, where are you and Piyomon going?" Joe called after them.
"Joe! Taichi and Koushiro are missing!" Sora's voice was carried back by the wind, strained and urgent. "I'm worried they're fighting the enemy! I have to see what's going on!"
"Then I'll come too—"
"No! Joe, you need to check on the injured Digimon first!"
"I… alright…"
Watching Sora and Piyomon disappear into the gloom, Joe clenched his jaw. He spun on his heel and ran toward the heart of the ruined village. "Gomamon, let's go!"
"I told you, my legs are short! I can't run that fast!"
"Huh? What's going on?" Just then, a sleepy Mimi and Yamato, who had stayed behind to watch over Takeru, finally emerged from the hut.
Mimi spotted Joe rushing away and called out to him, but he didn't turn back, only waving a hand over his shoulder.
"There might have been an enemy attack! Taichi and Koushiro engaged them first, and Sora went for backup!" he shouted. "I'm going to check on the wounded! You guys stay here and don't wander off!"
"What! We can fight too, you know!" Mimi pouted, annoyed by Joe's patronizing tone. She glanced down at Palmon, who stood ready by her side. "Right, Palmon?"
"Mm-hmm! I'll definitely protect you, Mimi!"
With a determined nod to each other, the pair took off, following in Joe's footsteps.
Seeing everyone else leave, Takeru clutched Patamon and made to follow, but a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Takeru, it's too dangerous," Yamato said, his voice low. "You stay here."
"But, Brother—"
"No buts!" Yamato's tone sharpened, cutting him off.
Seeing the stern look on his brother's face, Gabumon shifted nervously, wanting to intervene but not knowing what to say. Takeru, meanwhile, hugged Patamon tighter. Normally, he was terrified of Yamato's anger.
But as he looked out at the violated Village of Beginnings, remembering the kindness and warmth the Digimon had shown them, a strange new strength bloomed in his chest. It was a strength that pushed him, for the first time, to defy his older brother.
"The Digimon have always taken care of us, Brother," Takeru said, his voice trembling but firm. "We can't just abandon them!" He met Yamato's gaze directly. "Even if you say no, I have to go see what's happening!"
With that, Takeru shook off Yamato's hand and, clutching Patamon, ran in the direction Joe had gone.
Yamato stood frozen, stunned into silence. He had never expected his sweet, naive younger brother to contradict him with such conviction. A moment passed before he snapped out of it, his eyes locking onto Takeru's retreating form.
"Takeru!" he yelled, his voice a mix of frustration and worry. "Damn it…" He turned to his partner. "Gabumon! Evolve!"
"—Yes!"
Gabumon had been waiting for the command. A brilliant light enveloped his body.
"Gabumon evolves to… Garurumon!"
A piercing wolf's howl split the night. The transformation complete, the massive, blue-striped wolf knelt, allowing Yamato to leap onto his back. Together, they raced after Takeru.
---
Perhaps moved by the determination Takeru had shown, Yamato didn't try to send him back. Instead, he let his younger brother ride with him as Garurumon sped toward the sounds of activity.
By the time they arrived, Joe and Mimi were already there, standing amidst a field of wounded Digimon. At the center of it all, a small, petite figure moved tirelessly, tending to the injured. The sight was so overwhelming that Mimi took an involuntary step back, murmuring in disbelief.
"What happened here? Why is everyone—"
"It's… it's Devimon!" a weak voice rasped from nearby.
The group turned to see a small, fluffy Digimon struggling to keep his eyes open. It was Elecmon, the village's caretaker, who had bravely stood with the others to protect Kari.
"Devimon… he attacked us…" Elecmon breathed. "If it wasn't for Lady Kari… we wouldn't have made it."
"Elecmon, don't talk. You need to rest," a gentle voice said.
Kari, her face pale with exhaustion, had finished with another patient and now knelt beside Elecmon. Seeing her sway on her feet, Joe and Mimi rushed forward to support her.
"You look awful, Kari," Mimi said, her voice filled with worry. "You can't keep this up. You have to rest!"
"But… my brother and the others are still fighting Devimon…" Kari's gaze drifted over the field of wounded Digimon. "And everyone… everyone needs help…"
As if on cue, the injured Digimon stirred, their voices rising in a unified chorus.
"Lady Kari, we're alright now."
"Thank you for caring for us, but your friend is right. You need to rest."
"Please, Lady Kari! Get some rest!"
Joe gently squeezed her shoulder. "Leave the rest to me," he said with a newfound confidence. "After all, this is what I study back home!"
At the same time, a ghostly figure floated over. "Me too, me too! I can help!" It was one of the Phantomon who had helped Kari escape earlier.
The sight of the spectral Digimon was too much for Joe's frayed nerves. "A ghost!" he shrieked, his moment of coolness completely shattered.
"Joe, trying to act cool and then getting scared right after is really lame," Gomamon sighed, covering his face with a tiny paw.
"Speaking of which," Takeru said, his eyes scanning the area, "why haven't we seen Leomon and Ogremon?" He had been looking around since they arrived, and the absence of the two powerful allies filled him with a growing unease. "Could they have been…?"
"No, they didn't fight Devimon," Phantomon said, shaking his head. A flicker of confusion crossed his shadowy eyes. "Come to think of it, we haven't seen them at all tonight. Maybe they got hungry and went to find food?"
"Idiot!" another voice hissed from a pile of rubble. It was one of the other Phantomon, wounded but conscious. "Did you forget? They were on perimeter guard duty!"
"Oh, right," the first Phantomon chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Hehehe, I guess I forgot."
As Joe shakily picked himself up, leaning against a broken wall to catch his breath, Yamato gave Garurumon a light pat.
"Let's go check out where that firelight is coming from."
"Understood, Yamato."
"Brother—" Takeru started.
"Takeru, look around," Yamato said, his voice softening slightly. "There are too many injured here. Joe can't handle them all by himself."
Takeru hesitated. He suspected his brother was just trying to leave him behind again, but looking at the pained faces of the wounded Digimon, his kind heart won out. "Hmm… okay." He turned to Joe. "Joe, can you teach Patamon and me how to help?"
"N-No problem," Joe stammered, grateful for the assistance.
Mimi, who had been about to offer her help as well, watched Takeru and Patamon get to work under Joe's guidance. After a moment's thought, she changed her mind.
"Yamato," she called out, "could you and Garurumon take Palmon and me with you?"
Yamato turned, a questioning look on his face.
"They have enough people here," Mimi explained. "I want to go see what's happening over there, too."
Yamato was silent. He wasn't one for socializing, but in this situation, another fighter was another asset. He finally gave a curt nod.
"…Get on."
"Thank you, Yamato!" Mimi beamed. "Mimi, pull me up!" Palmon chirped from the ground.
"Hehe, your legs are too short, Palmon!"
"Hmph! Now I'm mad, Mimi!"
Hearing the lighthearted bickering behind him, Yamato let out a quiet, helpless sigh.
---
The distant blaze served as a grim beacon, allowing Garurumon to handle the darkened landscape without losing his way. But before they could get much closer, a shadow blotted out the fiery glow in the sky. It grew larger and larger, plummeting toward them—
It crashed into the earth with a deafening roar, carving a deep trench just ahead of Garurumon.
"What is that?!" Mimi cried out.
As the dust settled, they saw the battered, sparking form of Kabuterimon. Garurumon was startled for a second before rushing forward. "Kabuterimon! Where's Koushiro?" he asked urgently. "What happened to you two?!"
Kabuterimon didn't respond, his massive form still and silent. He seemed to be unconscious. Koushiro, however, stirred weakly from beneath his partner's protective shell. He gasped for breath, his hand rising feebly.
"Hurry… hurry and help Taichi and Sora…"
"!"
"Devimon… be careful of…" Koushiro's words came in broken gasps, but he couldn't finish the sentence before his eyes rolled back and he passed out.
"Kabuterimon shielded him from the worst of it," Garurumon noted, his voice grim. "It looks like he's just suffering from extreme mental exhaustion." He looked back at his partner. "Yamato, what do we do?"
Before Yamato could answer, Mimi hopped down from Garurumon's back. She and Palmon carefully approached Koushiro and the now de-digivolved Tentomon.
"Yamato, you go on," she said, her voice steady. "Leave them to me."
"…Okay."
Seeing that Koushiro and Tentomon were in good hands, Yamato wasted no more time. He urged Garurumon forward, and together they charged into the heart of the battlefield.
---
The flames roared, a physical manifestation of an unyielding will to fight. But for all their fury, they were slowly weakening, just like the figures silhouetted against them.
Taichi and Greymon were on their last legs. Their bodies were caked in dust and grime, their movements sluggish and heavy. They were a shadow of their former vigor.
Ever since Koushiro and Kabuterimon had been ambushed and swatted from the sky, they had lost complete control of the air. Sora and Birdramon had arrived to help, but without the element of surprise, they were struggling to gain any ground.
Taichi glanced up at Birdramon, who was locked in a desperate aerial duel with Devimon, before his gaze snapped back to the three figures in front of him.
"Damn it… how did it come to this!" Gatomon snarled, her voice laced with frustration as she dodged attacks from two sides.
"Leomon! Ogremon!" she cried out. "What is wrong with you two?! Snap out of it!"
Her pleas were met with silence. Leomon and Ogremon showed no flicker of recognition. It had been their sudden, shocking appearance that had shattered Koushiro's strategy, creating the opening Devimon needed to strike them down. And now, like mindless puppets, they continued to attack their former comrade with relentless ferocity.
"Fist of the Beast King!"
"Overlord's Fist!"
Faced with the signature attacks of her two friends, Gatomon hesitated, unable to bring herself to strike back. The moment of indecision cost her. Just as the twin blasts of energy were about to slam into her, an azure streak of lightning shot past, scooping her out of the path of destruction.
"It's you! Another DigiDestined!" Gatomon exclaimed, finding herself held gently in Garurumon's jaws.
"What happened to Leomon and Ogremon?" Yamato demanded, his eyes fixed on the two Digimon ahead. He saw the blank, vacant look in their eyes and his brow furrowed. "Are they being controlled?"
"That's right!" Gatomon said as Garurumon set her down. She was about to explain when a frantic shout came from behind them.
"Watch out!" Taichi screamed.
Before Yamato or Garurumon could react, they were struck by a massive, falling object. It was Birdramon and Sora. They had finally been overwhelmed by Devimon's power and cunning, suffering the same fate as Koushiro.
Though Garurumon and Gatomon were knocked aside by the impact, the controlled Leomon and Ogremon didn't miss the opportunity, charging in for the kill.
Seeing their friends in peril, Taichi and Greymon gritted their teeth. A surge of power, born from the resonance of their hearts, forced them back to their feet, dragging their wounded bodies forward.
"Wait… I'm coming—"
"Still worried about others?" a cold voice whispered directly into Taichi's ear.
The sound sent a jolt of pure ice through his veins. Acting on pure instinct, Taichi spun around, swinging his fist wildly at the source of the voice.
But his opponent was impossibly fast.
"Too weak," Devimon sneered, swatting Greymon away with a casual backhand. "Compared to that other one, your strength is truly pathetic."
With his free hand, Devimon's massive claw shot out, seizing Taichi by the chest and lifting him effortlessly into the air.
"Damn it… why…" Taichi choked, struggling in the iron grip. "We're all… Champion level…"
"Champion level?" Devimon let out a cold, mocking laugh. He raised his other hand to his face and tore something away.
In an instant, a metallic mask materialized over his features, six crimson eyes glowing with an eerie, rotating light. The aura of darkness around him exploded outwards, a suffocating pressure as deep and deep as a bottomless abyss.
"Whatever gave you the impression," the dark fallen angel said, his voice dripping with contempt for the children's foolishness, "that I was a mere Champion?"
Devimon evolves to… NeoDevimon! Level: Ultimate!
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