Port Digital had once been a thriving settlement. That much had been obvious, from the size of the town and the well-maintained architecture of its docks and houses. But now the town was left almost completely empty, save for the Digi-Destined, their companions, and the unexpected foes that they had now found themselves facing.
Petermon’s giggled with childlike glee, the sound of his amusement ringing in the ears of his horrified audience. “Aw, what’s the matter? You all look positively glum. Why don’t you all turn those frowns upside-down?” Tinkermon’s body flitted and bobbed about Petermon, sharing in his perverse enthusiasm.
“Excuse me?!” Twilight Sparkle cried out. “You killed CaptainHookmon!”
“Um, duh!” Petermon taunted. “You think I didn’t know what I did? Geez, what kind of fool do you take me for?”
“Don’t let him get to you, Twilight!” said Davis. “He’s under the control of a dark spiral, I’m sure of it!”
Petermon raised an eyebrow. “Dark spiral? Oh, I get it. You think I’m working for that so-called Digimon Queen, don’t you? Well, you can forget about that right now, because she’s got nothing to do with me. You won’t find a single dark spiral, gear, or any other whatsit anywhere on my body! I’ve been spreading chaos for far longer than any knucklehead that’s tried to conquer the Digital World!”
“W-what?” Twilight stammered. “No dark spiral? But... why?” Tears had already begun to pool in the corners of her eyes. “Why would you ever do something like this?”
“So you want to know why, huh?” Petermon’s eye’s narrowed. “Why I kill? Why I’ve spent countless years snuffing out the lives of the weak? I’ll tell you why. To prove a point to them, and to anyone else who thinks that they can live a safe, happy life in this world.
“You see,” said Petermon, idly twirling his knife, “we digimon are creatures born of strife and discord. It’s in our nature. We exist to fight, to kill, and to grow more powerful from fighting. Only the strongest survive, and the weak are left to die like the useless garbage data they are. That’s the law of the jungle, and you’d better get used to it while you’re here!”
“Horseapples!” Applejack interjected. “Ah’m willing to bet this here town was perfectly peaceful before you and your oversized bug came along!”
Petermon shook his head. “Tsk, tsk. You poor, naive creature. You really have no idea how it works, do you? What’s the first thing you’ve noticed about these supposedly civilized places in the Digital World? Pay attention, and you’ll find there’s a pretty clear pattern.”
“What, that they’re all better without jerks like you coming in and ruining everything?” Rainbow Dash said.
“Bzzzt! Wrong!” said Petermon. “If you weren’t so stupid, you’d realize that all digimon settlements are one of two things. Either they’re too small and insignificant for the bigger and meaner monsters to care, or they’re protected by an extraordinarily powerful guardian. That’s the only way civilization can ever survive here. Because in this world, it’s delete or be deleted. Do you understand, or do I have to dumb it down even further?”
“B-but... every digimon we’ve met that wasn’t brainwashed was nice,” said Pinkie. Her mane had begun to visibly sag, its volume almost literally deflating. “There’s no way digimon could be all that bad, right?”
“There, there, Pinkie,” Rarity reassured. “I’m sure this dastardly fiend isn’t being honest with us.” She turned her eyes towards Petermon, sending an icy glare in his direction. “You don’t even care if what you’re saying is true. You’re just saying whatever you think will torment us, aren’t you?”
“Oh come on, would I ever lie to you? ...Oh wait, yeah I would. But this is the truth, I can assure you. And if you don’t believe me...” Petermon’s eyes narrowed, his gaze weighing down on the Digi-Destined from above. “...then I’ll simply have to prove it to you. You humans and your colorful horse friends think you’re above it all? I’ll show you what happens when a creature of flesh and bone dies in a world of data! And since your partners wasted their energy fighting that filthy sea dog, they’ll all get front-row seats as I tear you all to shreds!”
Then, the others heard something that they never expected. Laughter. Ken gave a low chuckle, a laugh that was almost dripping with smugness.
Petermon’s eye twitched. “Oh, is something about this funny to you?”
“Oh no, not at all,” said Ken. “I’ll admit, your plan was ingenious. Winning our trust, getting us to fight CaptainHookmon for you and wear him down, leaving us tired so you can kill him uninterrupted. And it almost worked, too. But you forgot one thing.”
“Oh yeah?” said Petermon, “and what would that be?”
“My partner can’t armor digivolve,” said Ken. “While the others were busy dealing with CaptainHookmon, we’d sat the battle out. But now that the control spire’s gone, we can show you what we’re really made of. Wormmon!”
“Right!” Wormmon called back.
Ken held out his digivice in front of him. A bright light poured out from the screen, enveloping Wormmon in its radiant power.
“Wormmon, Digivolve to: Stingmon!”
Emerging from the light, Stingmon’s imposing form rocketed into the air, filling the environment with the sound of buzzing wings. Brandishing a spiked gauntlet, he charged straight towards Petermon.
“Spiking Strike!”
Stingmon thrust the spike at the end of his gauntlet outwards, intent on skewering Petermon. Thinking quickly, Petermon drew his knife and parried the blow, the tip of the spike rebounding off of the blade with a loud clang.
Petermon hovered backwards, Tinkermon following him closely. He let out a growl, clutching his knife tensely.
“You think you’re so tough, huh? I’ll show you! Tinkermon, take care of the others! I’ll swat this oversized housefly myself!”
With a giggle, Tinkermon flew downwards towards the edge of the docks, where the Digi-Destined were stationed. The light enveloping her body intensified, and in a matter of seconds, her body had become the size of a human child, wielding a large, serrated spear and clawed gloves.
“What?” said Yolei. “She can grow?”
Tinkermon’s lips curled upward, revealing a row of teeth that seemed all too eager to taste flesh. “I can do so much more than that, luv,” she spoke with a distinctive accent. “Tell me, how would you like to die today?”
“I-I think I’ll pass on dying, thanks!” Yolei stuttered.
“Don’t worry Yolei! I’ll protect you! Feather Strike!”
Hawkmon deftly tossed the feather on his headband, which sailed through the air like a flying buzzsaw. In a swift response, Tinkermon raised her spear, deflecting the projectile easily. It rebounded off the metal weapon, flying back in the direction it came. The feather collided with Hawkmon’s head, and he was knocked backwards, sent sprawling onto the ground.
“Boom Bubble!”
With an “mmm-pah!”, Patamon expelled a burst of compressed air from his body. Tinkermon flinched from the impact of the blow, but within moments she had regained her composure, looking no worse for wear.
“Lightning Paw!”
“Diamond Shell!”
Gatomon and Armadillomon both charged forward with their attacks, Gatomon pouncing with an outstretched claw, and Armadillomon curling into a ball and rocketing forth. Tinkermon responded in kind, swiping her spear in a horizontal motion, sending Gatomon flying backward. Without hesitation, she twisted her body further, delivering a powerful roundhouse kick into the air.
The bottom of her foot collided with Armadillomon’s spherical body the moment it reached her, and Armadillomon was sent flying. His body collided with Patamon’s, and the two were sent crashing to the ground, collapsed on top of one another.
“Well, that was a load of rubbish,” said Tinkermon. She turned towards Veemon, grinning wildly. “And ‘ere I was hoping your friends would put more of a fight.”
“You want a fight? Come and get it!” shouted Veemon. Curling his hands into fists, he sprinted forward at top speed.
“Vee...”
With a mighty shout, Veemon raised his right arm, aiming a punch at Tinkermon’s stomach. Tinkermon motioned to block the blow, holding her spear in front of her abdomen. But Veemon responded even faster, drawing back his right arm in a feint, avoiding the spear entirely.
“...Punch!”At the last moment, Veemon twisted his body around, leaping to into the air with a powerful left uppercut. The blow struck Tinkermon square in the lower jaw, sending her staggering backwards, her stumbling motion carrying her back several steps.
“Weren’t expecting that, were you?” Veemon boasted. “You’re dealing with a combat species now! When it comes to fighting, I’m a cut above the rest!”
Tinkermon wiped off her mouth, as though she were expecting blood despite her digital form. “‘Ello, what’s this? A challenge?” Her grin widened further, gazing at Veemon with maddened eyes. “Oh, I think I’m going to enjoy this.”
———————
The sound of buzzing wings filled the air above the sea as Stingmon gave chase to the airborne Petermon. Stingmon swiped at Petermon with his claws, and the elfin digimon nimbly dodged the blow, the sharp appendages just barely missing him. Stingmon followed up his attack with a series of additional swipes, each coming just inches away from making contact.
Finally, Petermon drew his knife, and in a single motion, slashed Stingmon across the chest. Though it left no wound on his chitinous exoskeleton, Stingmon recoiled from the blow, his altitude briefly dipping before he regained his balance.
“Not bad!” said Petermon, “But let’s see how you deal with this! Twinkle Shoot!”
Giving a powerful toss, Petermon launched his knife forward with the force of a rocket, aimed straight for Stingmon’s head. Stingmon raised his armored hand and parried the blow, causing the knife to bounce backward, spinning rapidly towards the surface of the water below.
To Stingmon’s surprise, the knife then slowed its descent, correcting its aim so that the tip of the blade was pointed straight at him. The knife shot forth once again, and Stingmon parried for a second time, only for the knife to once again turn back and shoot towards him once more. Stingmon repeatedly deflected each of the knife’s attempted strikes, but the flying weapon kept returning, showing no signs of relenting.
“That’s right, keep trying to block! See what good it does you!” Petermon taunted.
“Then it’s time for a change of plan!” said Stingmon.
The knife rocketed towards Stingmon once again, aiming once again straight for his head. This time, Stingmon swatted the weapon from the air with far greater force than necessary to block it, sending it flying back a great distance. As the weapon reoriented itself, Stingmon dove sharply, straight towards the surface of the water.
“Running away won’t save you,” said Petermon. “My knife will follow you to the end of the world!”
Petermon’s taunt went ignore as Stingmon penetrated the water’s surface, forcefully plunging straight into the briny seas. He swam through the depths with ease, determined to escape his pursuer. The knife followed soon afterwards, undeterred by the water’s resistance. Though seeing through the water was difficult, Stingmon could tell that the weapon was gaining on him.
Finally, he pulled upwards, breaking through the surface with a deafening splash. Just as he’d planned, Stingmon was now directly behind Petermon. He quickly grabbed the startled elfin digimon, wrapping his massive hands underneath Petermon’s arms.
“What are you doing!? Let go of me!” Petermon protested.
Before Petermon even had the chance to struggle, however, the knife suddenly broke through the water’s surface. It sped straight for Stingmon, with Petermon placed directly in its path. At the very last second, Stingmon released his grip and pulled away, and the knife embedded itself in Petermon’s chest.
Petermon let out a scream, his last utterance before his body exploded into intangible data.
———————
Giving a mighty shout, Tinkermon thrust her spear forward. Veemon swerved to the side, the weapon’s serrated edge narrowly missing his body. Reacting quickly, he followed it up with a swift thrust of his arm.
“Vee Punch!”
Veemon’s fist struck Tinkermon’s lower abdomen with bone-shattering force. Tinkermon let out a painful cry, stumbling backwards from the impact. Wasting no time, Veemon lowered his head and quickly charged forward.
“Vee Headbutt!”
Leaping into the air, Veemon rocketed towards Tinkermon, the dome of his head aimed straight for the center of Tinkermon’s body. Tinkermon responded in kind, shifting her weight onto her right leg, and delivering a powerful left roundhouse kick.
Veemon was sent flying through the air from the force of impact, careening backwards in a low arc. As he flew, he flipped himself backwards in the air, facing himself upright. He landed on the docks in a crouching position, feet spread wide apart, and a single hand supporting his weight. Standing himself upright, he raised his fists in a fighting stance. Despite the multiple splinters and bruises his body, Veemon remained resolute, his eyes burning with unyielding determination.
Tinkermon threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, how delightful! I haven’t had this much fun in ages!”
Veemon scowled. “Is this all just a game to you!?”
“Oh, don’t be so dull,” Tinkermon chided. “You think it really matters whether your friends survive? All part of the fun, I say!”
“Y-you... you!” Veemon sputtered.
“Now then,” said Tinkermon, “what say we finish this? First one to die loses!”
Tinkermon raised her spear, bloodlust flashing across her eye. Her wings buzzed, and she flew forward in a blur of acceleration.
“Speed Nightmare!”
With little time left to react, Veemon flinched, anticipating the weapon’s serrated edge. After a moment’s pass, he realized that the weapon had not struck him at all.
Veemon opened his eyes, and saw Stingmon’s imposing stature standing just in front of him. Tinkermon was lying on her knees front of the insectoid, still clutching her spear in her hand.
Tinkermon slowly picked herself off the ground, crawling back to her feet. “Ugh... what just hit me?” As soon as she’d spoken, she took notice of Stingmon. “Hold on a second, aren’t you supposed to be fighting-” Tinkermon’s words cut off mid-sentence, her eyes suddenly widening. “Petermon! What did you do to him? What in the bloody Dark Area did you do to him!?”
“Petermon has been defeated,” Stingmon replied. “Surrender now or you will suffer the same fate.”
“You... You...” Tinkermon’s grip on her weapon tightened. “You bastard! I’ll kill you!”
Tinkermon charged into the air and brandished her weapon, her eyes locked onto Stingmon with pure rage. She descended downwards at an angle, intent on impaling Stingmon with her serrated spear.
Stingmon reacted quickly, delivering a high kick that knocked Tinkermon straight out of the air. Her spear was sent flying out of her hands from the impact, landing on the ground before disintegrating. Tinkermon herself was forcefully knocked to the ground, lying prone on her back. She looked up at Stingmon, her body visibly shaking.
“W-wait! Can’t we talk about this?” she pleaded.
Stingmon said nothing. He stared down at Tinkermon with unblinking, pupilless eyes.
“I-I promise I’ll be good!” said Tinkermon. “I won’t bother anyone again, honest!”
“Don’t fall for her crocodile tears, Stingmon!” Ken cried out, “She’s just trying to deceive you!”
“Deceive me?” Stingmon replied. “Ken, are you sure?”
“What? No, that’s not true at all!” said Tinkermon.
“I wasn’t asking you!” Ken shouted back. “Stingmon, she’s a creature of darkness! If you don’t deal with her, she’ll only go on to hurt more innocent people! Finish her, now!”
“Alright, Ken,” said Stingmon. “If that’s what you believe is right, then I trust you.”
“W-wait, no!” cried Tinkermon. “Don’t!”
“Spiking Strike!”
Stingmon rose into the air, and the spike on his right wrist extended forward into a long stinger. He charged downwards, thrusting the spike forward with deadly intent.
The stinger impaled Tinkermon straight through the abdomen. She let out an ear-splitting shriek, her painful cry piercing through the harbor’s briny air. The very next moment, her body disintegrated into nothingness.
Stingmon withdrew his spike, landing back on his feet. His body glowed, shrinking in size as he reverted to Wormmon. Ken approached his partner, giving him a concerned look.
“You alright there, buddy?”
“I think so,” said Wormmon. “Just a bit tired out, that’s all.”
“Good to hear,” replied Ken. He turned his head to face the others, and saw on them a wide variety of expressions, from shocked, to disturbed, to outright horrified. Disregarding them, he made his way to the path leading away from the Harbor and into Port Digital, Wormmon following closely behind.
“Come on, let’s get going,” he said.