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This wasn’t supposed to happen. It wasn’t supposed to go like this! But now, Al was lying unconscious on the floor, Hagurumon barely alive beside him. Ed was trying to drag himself on his one remaining leg to them while Tokomon looking smaller than Ed has ever remembered him being tries his best to fend off the strange barely formed claws that still reach for the brothers. Tokomon is only distracting it. Whatever it is. Ed has to hurry to get Al away from here, if he can’t they’re both goners. Ed grabs Al’s wrist and tries with all his might to haul his brother away, but on one leg it’s nearly impossible. But he won’t leave his brother. He won’t let go. He can’t--
“Ed!” Tokomon’s warning comes a second too late and searing pain rips through Ed’s body again as the claws rip through his arm. More like a mouth devouring it, breaking down his skin and bone into data and absorbing it into itself. Ed screams in pain, but he can’t move. If he tries to get away this thing will take Al away. Ed can’t let that happen he can’t.
The claws are reaching for his face now. Despite Tokomon’s yelling Ed couldn’t move away if he wanted to. This is it.
There’s a brilliant flash of white as Ed closes his eyes. Funny, that seems familiar. Doesn’t matter though he’s--
“No!” A voice yells and Ed opens his eyes to a white dragon digimon slashing at the claws and driving them back. “I’m not going to let you take anymore!”
“T-Tokomon?” Ed manages to say through the pain. He’s waited for so long for Tokomon to digivolve. Why like this?
The gateway the claws are reaching through trembles, the arm retreats past the threshold and the gate slams closed. Tokomon’s digivolved form stands on all fours still facing the former opening.
Ed stares in shock for a moment before he shakes himself and grabs Al’s shoulder with his remaining hand. “Al! Al! Wake up!”
“He can’t.” Hagurumon says, with difficulty. “He can’t. Edward…”
He turns to Hagurumon and sees pieces of data breaking off it. No no no, it can’t be. He can’t lose his brother too. His mind desperately searches for anyway he can stop this from happening. But the only option is.
“Do it!” Hagurumon orders.
Ed flinches. “B-but--”
“Do it, Edward! There’s no time!” Hagurumon insists. “I’m a digimon! I won’t die. Al needs this form more than me.”
Squeezing his eyes shut Ed complies, ripping the code of the world apart with his hand one more time and fusing his brother’s consciousness to Hagurumon’s form. Then the world goes dark.