Ranamon stopped crying after a while, having calmed down she seated along the human and his partners, who were eating their fish.
Awkwardly, Haruto spoke to her, "Uh, sorry. Didn't expect you to break down like that."
Shaking her head, Ranamon looked at the pond, "No, it's okay... I'm... glad." She had a small smile, "It had been so long since anyone cared enough to put me in my place like that... I knew I needed that, but with all the attention and gifts I got, I couldn't stop myself."
"Don't expect me to take back what I said, though." He replied, "I may be sorry, but I meant every word. Walking over others like that without thinking what they feel or treating them like they're alive. It hurts more than any knife ever could."
"Oof..." she felt physically tired hearing that, her eyes unfocused yet pinned on her feet which rested in the water.
"Listen, I'm not that smart, but if you go around without trying hard for something, do you really deserve it?" that made her look at him, and BlackGatomon was surprised at how mature the twelve-year-old looked. "I decided a long time ago I'd make my own path as a shinobi, to be the best. But I can't take the easy way, because I suck that badly..." he chuckled weakly, "However, that's what makes it worth it, you know?"
"What... is your name?" Ranamon asked softly, a still somewhat sad expression on her face.
"Haruto Uzumaki, why?" he saw her stand up.
"I..." she started, "I'd like to try that... Try hard to earn something." She smiled brightly at him, and somehow BlackGatomon felt something flare up inside her, "So I want to treat you as an equal, Haruto... san."
"Huh!? For real!?" he asked, getting excited, blushing even and thus getting that flame inside his feline partner to burn hotter, "Never thought a cute girl would say that! Thanks, Ranamon-chan!"
She blushed, holding her cheeks, "Don't say that! But thanks! I'll cheer you on!"
The Bukamon had their jaws on the floor while Kitmon ate his fish with a blank look, "This kid has the kind of luck even demons wouldn't bet against." He said between bites.
However...
Far off, atop File Island's tallest mountain, Infinity Mountain, a gap opened to reveal several floating black gears. One of which flew out.
As Ranamon enjoyed just being beside Haruto, merrily kicking the water, everyone failed to see the gear until it was too late.
It flew down and sunk into her back, "Ranamon!" Haruto and the Bukamon exclaimed.
"Curse that dastard, he found us!" BlackGatomon cursed.
As the gear fused into her back, giving her eyes a blank, glassy stare, she could hear a voice in her head, "Ranamon, kill the Digimon and bring me that human child, as long as you bring him alive along his Digivice. Use whatever means necessary, but make sure to destroy his partners."
Getting up with a dark smirk, she turned to the Digimon and the boy, "Destroy." She extended her palm, the water from the river erupted, jetting towards them in powerful streams.
Used to getting things thrown at him by girls he found cute, Haruto was quick to grab the Bukamon and roll out of the possessed streams' way. The sound of a tree falling behind him didn't do any good to his nerves. As he turned to Ranamon, he noted the gear sticking on her back, the lifeless look in her eyes despite the smirk on her face. As well as his feline partner jumping at her from behind.
"Dastard, why are you so intent on these cheap tactics!?" shouted BlackGatomon while slashing at the frog-like Digimon's back.
"Draining Ray!" she exclaimed, a rain cloud looming over BlackGatomon and shooting streams of water.
Haruto would've called it the most useless attack ever, had he not seen his partner shake on her feet, "N-No, my strength!" the feline Digimon groaned, falling down to one knee.
Ranamon approached her, a dark smirk on her face, "Destroy. Destroy. Destroy." She repeated mechanically and waved her hand.
But diving head first into the worst situation possible was something only Haruto would do, which he did by tanking the water streams to shield his partner. Flying in the air wasn't so bad, what was bad was the new set of bruised ribs he had before his back slammed into a tree. Gasping for breath, he slid down until falling on his rump, yet he still forced himself up.
"Don't do it!" BlackGatomon growled at him, "She's possessed by Devimon's black gear. It's turned her into a stronger monster who'll do anything to do his bidding."
Biting back a growl of pain, Haruto had to put a hand on his knee to keep it from wobbling for him to stand up, "Devimon...? So he's the one doing this to her?" he glared at the gear on her back, "He's a big dastard. Using a girl to do his dirty work, turning her into some mindless doll..." as he started to get angrier, his Digivice flared up with a purple light, "Black-chan, I've made my mind! I'll find that guy and kick his ass!"
ALPHA EVOLUTION!
KITMON DIGIVOLVE TO... KURAMAMON
"Well said!" Kitmon cheered inside him, boiling with rage.
Kuramamon gripped his sword with both hands, Haruto speaking, "If it's that gear, we just have to... Huh?"
"What's wrong?" the exhausted BlackGatomon asked.
Everyone finally noted something was wrong with Ranamon, even Devimon, "What're you doing!? "
Bukamon gaped, "Ah, Ranamon-sama's blushing!"
Indeed, she was, and had a far off look on her face, "Pretty..." she whispered while staring at Kuramamon.
"Eh?" everyone let out, even a confused Devimon.
"Ranamon-sama's tastes for pretty things are odd..." Bukamon 1 started, "But that's what makes her the best!" Bukamon 2 continued, "She always finds odd things pretty!" Bukamon 3 ended.
"Whipping Waves!" she exclaimed, summoning streams of water from his fingers and using them as whips to lash at the fusion.
Jumping over it, Kuramamon was ready to attack with, "Spirit Fi—ah!?" he was shocked when the frog girl was immediately before him, poking his nose.
"Pretty..." she whispered, "Mine, make you mine. Destroy, then mine."
Her enemy was frozen from her actions, but finally reacted and tried to swat her aside with his bokken. Gracefully, she jumped over it, put a hand on the wooden sword, and flipped over the fusion. With an elegant kick using her shapely but strong legs, she kicked the lower-level Digimon ass over the kettle. Such a sight made her let out a girly giggle which she failed to stifle with a hand over her mouth.
Kuramamon was too stunned to move, "What did we do to have this happen?" Haruto asked, and Kitmon answered. "Nothing. She's just weird."
Clawing at the floor, BlackGatomon had a blank look on her face, a shadow over her eyes, "I really hate female Digimon that are airheaded... Especially if they're actually strong."
Soon, Ranamon attacked once again, "Dark Vapor!" She sent a dark orb of mist Kuramamon's way.
Being two in one body, both parts of the fusion reacted quickly with a jump as Kitmon's idea and an attack as Haruto's, "Spirit Fire!" The fire blade crashed against the mist, making it burst. The Bukamon yelped and swam away, BlackGatomon rolled out of the pieces of mist's way, and Kuramamon landed safely beside a tree. Everyone saw the dark mist melt the floor and the trees, showing it was acid.
Smirking, Ranamon waved her hands again, "Draining Rain!"
Kuramamon grit his teeth when he was shrouded by rain clouds and ran forward, hunching his body. However, the raindrops hit his back, and just as he got out of the cloud his legs gave up. Sliding on his knees to a stop, he found Ranamon grinning before him with her hands up, admiring his features. Clutching his wooden sword, he tried to hit her, but the frog Digimon kicked and stomped it, pinning it to the floor.
With another kick, she sent the lower-level Digimon rolling on the floor, "D-Did she just kick our butts?" Haruto panted. "She did so literally, not figuratively!" Kitmon roared, furious.
Giggling again, Ranamon readied her next attack, "Pretty, so pretty... Destroy, must destroy..."
As she walked to them, Haruto caught sight of something, the fire they used and some of the fish. Catching on quickly to what his partner plotted, Kitmon forced himself to move along Haruto. Working as one, they forced their body to jump at Ranamon and throw a punch. She flipped over it and with another cry of "Whipping Waves!" hit them on the back.
Kuramamon rolled forward, crashing on the floor hard near the fire, "That stings..." Haruto grunted, "But she fell for it."
Ranamon was confused until feeling something fuzzy wrap around her leg, "Huh?"
Kitmon grinned, "I never thought I'd be thankful for having a tail." He swept the frog girl off her feet, causing her to fall face first on the floor before Haruto grabbed one of the fish and ate it quickly.
Kuramamon had his energy back quickly, while the green-skinned Digimon grunted, rubbing her head, "What hit me?" she groggily asked. Then she looked at Kuramamon and attacked again, "Draining Rain!"
"Not today!" the fusion exclaimed as he pulled out one of Haruto's kunais which he left near the fire after catching the fish.
Throwing it with the handle flying forward, he angled the blade to hit Ranamon's gauntlet, getting her to yelp without hurting her. She yelped from the hit, but even if he had hit her it'd only have left a bruise. What he had planned by distracting her was to stop her from using her rain and get his sword. Ranamon's eyes widened as Kuramamon raced at her, gripping the bokken strongly with both hands.
"Dark Vapor!" she shouted, throwing another dark orb of mist which the fusion avoided by jumping over it.
"Take this!" he threw another kunai, making such a dramatic motion he basically telegraphed it. Ranamon rolled out of the way, exposing her back... and the gear on it, "Spirit Fire!"
When the blade-shaped jet of azure flames hit her back, the frog girl yelped as the black gear burned. It immediately flew out of her body and into the sky, where it disappeared like dust. So, with the job complete, Kuramamon returned to being Haruto and Kitmon. And when seeing the frog Digimon stumble and lean dangerously to one side, the blond rushed to her, catching her in his arms.
"Whoa, are you alright!?" he asked, half-relieved and half-worried while keeping her close.
"Tired... So tired, sleepy..." she mumbled, and then held on to him, getting him to blush, "Warm, comfy... I like..."
Kitmon sighed in relief, "Guess that's a lesson not to underestimate anyone, especially Devimon." He saw BlackGatomon at his side with a dark look on her face, "What's the matter?"
"She's faking it." The black cat growled, wanting to scratch something like mad when seeing Haruto worry over Ranamon while the frog girl kept an eye slightly opened and failed to contain her smile.
Meanwhile miles away at the top of Infinity Mountain, Devimon was unhappy, "Curses! That blasted child's power is enough to beat an Adult-level Digimon even at such a state. I must make that Digivice mine soon."