Garurumon and the others plunged into the ranks of the mechanical soldiers. Their firepower was fierce, but their bodies weren't sturdy—mass-produced units built with cheap materials. Even so, there were just too many of them. As time dragged on, Garurumon's side began to tire. Then a squad of mechanized, armored Digimon—clearly different from the mass-production models—advanced from the rear and joined the fight. The tide turned against them.
Boom. An armored mecha fired a Flash Cannon that struck Garurumon. The blast flung him back, and he hit the ground with a pained cry.
"Garurumon!" Matt stared at his partner, stricken. At Matt's call, Garurumon opened his eyes and glanced at him. "Matt…" The Digivice shone, light streaming through the Crest onto Garurumon. Bathed in radiance, he rose—and shifted into the humanoid form of WereGarurumon. With a roar, WereGarurumon leapt back into the fray. Tentomon evolved as well, and a giant beetle—MegaKabuterimon—joined the battle.
On a distant mountain, Myotismon watched the clash in silence, his army at his back. DemiDevimon sidled up to whisper, "Lord Myotismon, those Chosen Children are being surrounded—why don't we go and—"
Myotismon cut him a glance. "That's the Metal Empire's army. We of the Nightmare Soldiers are not on the same side as they are—at least, not now."
With the arrival of MetalPhantomon behind the lines, Joe's group began to falter. Ikkakumon and Birdramon were still only Champions; with a Mega like MetalPhantomon pressing them, they were forced wholly onto the defensive. Joe and Sora watched their partners get hammered, anxiety twisting in their chests—yet there was nothing they could do to help.
WereGarurumon barely held off two MetalPhantomon at once. He wanted to break free and aid his friends, but he couldn't. Angemon, too, was tangled up by several MetalPhantomon. Lilymon, an Ultimate, struggled badly against these machine-types. Ikkakumon's Harpoon Torpedo did nothing to MetalPhantomon; the reaper of steel rushed him instead, scythe raised—the "Soul Predator" carved a gash across Ikkakumon's body, drawing a cry of pain.
"Ikkakumon!" Seeing his partner wounded, Joe sprinted forward without thinking and threw himself over Ikkakumon, hands shaking as he felt for the wound. MetalPhantomon swept at them again. Joe planted his feet in front of Ikkakumon, arms thrown wide to block the blow—brave as anything… and it would've been braver if he'd kept his eyes open.
"Joe, no!" Matt and the others shouted as MetalPhantomon lunged for him.
"Joe, move!" Ikkakumon forced his eyes open and tried to stand to shield his tamer—but he was too hurt to rise. At the final instant, Joe's Digivice flared, gentle light streaming through the Crest of Reliability and onto Ikkakumon. The wound sealed at once, and as the light grew brighter, Ikkakumon's form began to change.
"Ikkakumon digivolve to… Zudomon!"
When the light faded, the sea lion was gone; Zudomon stood in his place.
Bipedal now, Zudomon's body was protected by armor pieced from hides and shells stripped from past foes; his muscles were honed to the limit. The horn on his head would no longer regrow, so he'd reshaped it into serrations. His greatest weapon was Thor's Hammer—wrought of Chrome Digizoid, excavated from ancient ice. His special moves were Hammer Spark—the shockwave and sparks that erupted when he slammed the hammer down—and the deadly throwing attack, "Deadly Flying Hammer."
Joe screwed his eyes tighter, waiting for the end… but nothing came. He pried one eye open—and gaped. Zudomon's hammer had caught the metal reaper's scythe. With a wrenching twist, Zudomon shattered the weapon, then bellowed, "Hammer Spark!" Shock and sparks ripped through MetalPhantomon's frame, and the Mega wailed as its body burst into data.
"Zudomon!" Joe whooped, elated. "Ikkakumon evolved—go, Zudomon!" Buoyed by his partner's voice, Zudomon hefted his mighty hammer and charged back into the melee.
Joe's crisis had passed, but Birdramon was in trouble in the sky. Several Raptordramon circled her; with Chrome Digizoid over their arms, hands, back, and wings, they could unleash frightening bursts of speed. Birdramon could only jink and stall, too wary to press in. There were too many of them—she evaded one strike only to be clipped by the next. A hit staggered her, and a volley of follow-ups slammed home. Birdramon cried out as her body pitched downward.
"Birdramon!" Sora gripped the parapet, eyes fixed on her partner. "Come on—fly—fly, Birdramon!"
Hearing Sora's voice, Birdramon beat her wings, straining to regain altitude—but she was too badly hurt. With a forlorn cry, she kept falling.
Far off atop a once-empty peak, a ripple broke—and a hooded figure appeared. Watching the children's Digimon locked with the mechanical army, he chuckled. Seeing Birdramon plummet, he lifted a hand and flung a streak of crimson light.
Sora's Digivice flared, light lancing through her Crest and onto Birdramon. Boundless flame engulfed her.
"Birdramon digivolve to… Garudamon!"
With vast wings for flight and talons that could rend any foe, Garudamon was a form only Digimon who met strict conditions—and who were truly chosen—could attain. Revered as a guardian of earth and wind, legends said she appeared when peace was disturbed, to lead it back. Her signature move, Shadow Wing, cleaved enemies with supersonic vacuum blades; at such terrifying speed, the true form could not be seen—only the silhouette of a great bird.
Garudamon beat her wings and soared, then burst forward—too fast to track—straight into the Raptordramon. A blurred avian shadow passed through them: Shadow Wing. When her form resolved from the blur, the sky was empty—Raptordramon had already unraveled into data.
But then Megadramon, Gigadramon, and Tyrannomon swept in from the rear. Just as the field began to turn, it plunged back into crisis. The partners started to give way again. The children could only watch, helpless and heartsick. And just as the Digimon were about to collapse, the endless mechanical host began to withdraw. In moments, they were gone.
WereGarurumon and the others let out a long breath and sagged back down to In-Training forms—their stamina was spent. The kids rushed to scoop up their partners.
Izzy frowned. "Those machine Digimon clearly had the upper hand. Why did they just leave?"
"Isn't it better that they did?" Mimi pouted, hugging Palmon. Her favorite Lilymon had devolved from energy loss; Palmon was cute, but not Lilymon.
Silence fell; no one could explain it—no one except Tai, who'd given the order.
From afar, Myotismon watched the army retreat. He didn't like it, but the Metal Empire's forces were not far away; if he attacked the children now, he'd have to watch his back as well. He could only pull back—for now. Naturally, he tossed a parting threat over his shoulder: "Next time, you won't be so lucky."
As the kids discussed the battle, the ground began to tremble. They scrambled to their feet. With a resonant hum, a glowing pedestal pushed up through the falling rocks. Izzy was the first to dredge up the memory. "Gennai!" The others caught on and stared wide-eyed at the luminous dais, hope blooming that the old man would bring news—maybe even a way home.
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