After the fierce battle concluded, both Zero and Hajime collapsed to the ground, completely drained…
…Without another word, Rina dashed over and wrapped both of them in a flying bear hug, nearly squeezing the breath out of them.
"Rina… let go! I'm dying, seriously gonna die!!"
"Ahahaha, sorry sorry~"
After releasing them, she patted Zero and Hajime's heads. Meanwhile, several Baby-level Digimon bounced around Andromon, blowing out little green healing bubbles.
Though these bubbles didn't do much for Andromon, they at least provided some mild stimulation.
After a short while, like a stopped machine restarting, Andromon's tightly shut eyes opened. He shakily rose to his feet.
Instead of immediately saying anything, he first surveyed his surroundings, walked over to the immobilized Hagurumon, and reached out his hand toward them.
In the next instant, all the Black Gears inside the Hagurumon flew out, crushed into dust by Andromon's hand, immediately calming the Hagurumon down.
Only after finishing this did Andromon finally turn towards Rina and her companions, giving them a deep bow…
...
At the same moment, atop the castle at the center of File Island, the black demon slightly frowned.
"…Andromon's Black Gears were removed. Did he break free on his own?"
Devimon was very clear about Andromon's strength. In a one-on-one fight, Devimon wouldn't lose, but defeating and killing Andromon outright would exact a significant toll.
Even for Devimon, Andromon was not an opponent to be taken lightly.
Although he had managed to control Andromon using Black Gears, it was entirely plausible that someone as strong as Andromon would regain his senses and forcefully break free.
Logically speaking, killing Andromon immediately after gaining control would have been the best choice. With Andromon under the influence of Black Gears, he certainly wouldn't have posed any threat—this would have been the perfect opportunity.
But Devimon couldn't bear losing Andromon's combat strength, as strong subordinates like him were truly rare.
Thus, Devimon hesitated over how exactly to handle Andromon. He hadn't expected that, before long, the Gears controlling Andromon would already be removed.
Did Andromon break free on his own, or was someone interfering?
Devimon recalled reports from his subordinate Digimon. Over the past half-month, an odd trio had been making their way through the Digital Forest.
On their journey, this trio had defeated quite a number of Digimon.
Their makeup was intriguing: a variant of Greymon, a Gabumon, and a creature supposedly claiming to be a "human."
Devimon naturally hadn't considered the Greymon and Gabumon worth his attention—a Champion and a Rookie were barely a match even for his underlings under normal circumstances.
However, judging from recent events, this trio's strength seemed unexpectedly unusual.
More importantly, they seemed capable of dispelling the Black Gears.
Initially, he hadn't given the trio much thought, deeming their strength not worth personally taking action against—after all, Devimon's current priority was conquering File Island.
In the original Adventure storyline, this same carelessness was exactly what allowed the Chosen Children to safely survive their earliest period.
Of course, if Devimon had recognized the seriousness of the threat earlier and acted decisively, the Chosen Children might never have made it past their starting point.
Then again, Gennai had likely interfered secretly behind the scenes. Indeed, once Devimon realized the gravity of the situation and set a trap in his castle, the original seven Chosen Children had come dangerously close to annihilation.
"It seems it's time to deal with these annoying pests…"
Devimon called softly, and two figures immediately emerged from the darkness.
"…Come with me. Let's greet these uninvited guests together."
...
"I merely wanted to help Hagurumon remove the Black Gears embedded within them. I never imagined I'd be affected too and end up causing so much trouble."
After removing the Black Gears, Andromon regained his senses and explained the full story to Rina's group, expressing sincere gratitude to Zero and Hajime for helping him regain his sanity.
"Haha, no need to thank us. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes~ Anyway, what's important is that you're okay now."
Rina waved cheerfully, clearly not minding at all that Andromon had nearly packed them all off to the afterlife earlier. Since the fault ultimately lay with the Black Gears, the blame naturally went straight to Devimon.
With Andromon fully recovered, the Unmanned Mechanical Factory was also back under his control. At this point, Zero stated their original reason for coming.
"We're hoping… that we can ask you to protect these Baby-level Digimon and shelter them from danger during this crisis."
Zero gestured towards the little group of Baby Digimon. Andromon readily agreed without hesitation.
"Of course. That was originally my intention too, though unfortunately, an accident occurred. But rest assured, any weak Digimon needing protection can come here, and I'll do everything in my power to ensure their safety."
As Zero had known from the start, Andromon's core nature was lawful-good. Although created as a weapon, he was not an "offensive weapon," but rather a "defensive weapon," similar to his devolved form, Guardromon, the core defensive system of an empire…
…"Protection" was his fundamental programming. Even if Zero hadn't explicitly asked, Andromon would have proactively protected these weaker Digimon anyway.
Given Andromon's strength, surely he wouldn't stumble twice over the same stone. After this experience, he should be cautious enough not to be parasitized again (though admittedly, in Adventure 02 he was caught again, but at least managed to free himself from the Dark Ring).
With this powerful Ultimate-level guardian present, unless Devimon personally attacked, there would be little need to worry about safety here.
Having solved the Baby-level Digimons' problem, it was naturally time to address the next crucial matter.
"We wish to gain the power to defeat that devil. That's why we specifically came to seek your advice… about Digivolution and ways to become stronger."
Currently, both Zero and Hajime had reached the Champion level. It was precisely the moment for them to aim higher. The timing and conditions were ripe—they just needed a bit of guidance.
During his time with Rina, Zero had already gained some insights into Digivoltuion, but having confirmation from an Ultimate-level Digimon would definitely be best. At least it would confirm he was on the right track.
After all, having a clear direction was much better than fumbling blindly. Wouldn't it be embarrassing if he accidentally went astray?
Regarding this, Andromon was also very straightforward. He immediately nodded and spoke up…