5:00 AM.
The deep black of night faded, replaced by the first pale light of dawn on the horizon.
A new day, just like life itself, was beginning.
Thanks to Koshiro's heroic efforts, the Mount Fuji crisis had been temporarily resolved.
With his near-godlike abilities, solving the frequent natural disasters across the Japanese islands was now only a matter of time.
Across the ocean, Joe stared at his phone screen. A strange, twisted smile stretched across his usually plain face.
"The hero who saved the world..." He murmured. "Koshiro... even you, the seemingly most honest one, have learned such tricks."
Behind Joe, a thick, dark aura swirled, forming an invisible hand that seemed to puppeteer his movements. He was wrapped in countless threads of 'Desire', pulling him inexorably toward depravity and madness.
"Perfect," Joe whispered, his head tilting at an unnatural angle, "A demon king who terrifies the world... doesn't he need a hero worshipped by the world to be his perfect foil?"
Mmph! Mmph!
The desperate, muffled cries came from about ten meters behind him.
Gomamon was bound tightly, struggling uselessly, 'This person before him was not the Joe I knew! The kind, steady Joe who treated everyone like a big brother would never be like this.'
"Wake up, Joe! Don't let the darkness consume your heart!" Gomamon's pleas were silent, trapped behind the gag.
"Oh? I almost forgot about you." The desperate cries did not awaken any kindness in Joe's heart. Instead, they reminded him of the Digimon he had cast aside.
Joe approached Gomamon with a terrifying smile, step by step. In his right hand, he held a sharp knife.
Tap.
The cold blade pressed against Gomamon's neck. Gomamon's eyes widened in horror, his whole body trembling. He couldn't believe what was happening.
"You know," Joe said, his voice icy, devoid of any warmth one would have for a decade-long partner, "From the very first day I met you ten years ago, I hated you."
"Why did everyone else get powerful or majestic Digimon, and I got the most useless one?" Joe's face contorted with rage as he finally voiced the secret he had buried for years.
It was true. They were all Chosen Children. Why did he get the worst one?
Taichi had Agumon. Yamato had Gabumon. Sora had Biyomon. Mimi had Palmon. Koshiro had Tentomon. And the most special of all... Hikari and Takeru had the two angel-type Digimon.
Every single one was more powerful than Gomamon.
This plain white creature, only good for being cute, was useless at everything except naval battles.
And even in its own specialized field, it was still weak. One of the Dark Masters, MetalSeadramon, could have obliterated it with a casual strike.
In the end, it was always Taichi and Yamato standing at the center of the world, saving everything. The most Gomamon was good for was being a transport ship.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
Gomamon looked at Joe's face in despair, crying out in agony, 'This isn't you, Joe! You've been tricked by the dark power! Wake up!'
"But now, it's fine. I have new power." A sinister smile spread across Joe's lips as he looked at the mark on his hand… a mark left by Apocalymon, radiating an intensely evil dark aura that warped everything around it.
"Apocalymon told me that even a weakling like Gomamon has an evolutionary path... a path to rule over the entire Digital World as the strongest!"
A normal Gomamon's evolutionary line was: Gomamon - Ikkakumon - Zudomon - Vikemon. Even at its peak, it was just an oaf with a hammer.
Compared to the cool WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon, it was weaker in both power and presence.
"But!" Joe roared distortedly, "If we choose the Virus-type, the wrong evolutionary path, your ultimate potential will be the greatest in the entire Digital World!"
Black smoke formed an evolutionary chart in the air, displaying the power of that path.
Gomamon's eyes widened, and he shook his head desperately. He didn't want to evolve that way. That path would make him lose himself.
The so-called 'Wrong Evolution' path for Gomamon was:
Champion: Gesomon. A ferocious deep-sea creature with powerful control and destructive abilities.
Ultimate: Dagomon. A branch of Devimon, possessing immense evil power. If it had appeared on File Island ten years ago, Dagomon alone could have challenged all the Chosen Children's Digimon.
"And of course," Joe laughed maniacally, "Beyond the Ultimate level, there is the final form!"
The black smoke chart gradually outlined a being that blotted out the sky, an indescribable entity with terrifying, abyssal jaws.
"The nightmare of the Digital World! One of the Seven Great Demon Lords! The embodiment of primal evil! In its rage, it can even swallow the entire world…"
"Leviamon!"
This was his ambition. His ultimate expectation for Gomamon. The weak and clumsy Gomamon, driven by evil power, could become a being that terrified the entire world. That way, he would never be overlooked again.
When people spoke of Joe, they wouldn't say, "Ah, that bespectacled nerd."
Instead, it would be:
"The World-Ender. The Master of the Demon King. The Black Mist before Apocalymon's arrival. The Dread Specter shrouding the world."
Driven by near-insane emotion, Joe slammed the black mark on his hand into Gomamon's body.
"Arrooo!"
Gomamon let out a cry of agony, looking at Joe with deep sadness.
This was it. He was probably really leaving.
Just before his consciousness faded, Gomamon managed a final, heartbreaking smile.
'Joe... if being feared by the whole world is your wish... then no matter what I become... don't regret it.'
This was the Digimon's final promise to its master.
Whoosh...
Thick black mist enveloped Gomamon's body. His vision was gradually replaced by darkness and nothingness.
Joe watched the shrouded form calmly, his heart filled with fanatical excitement.
'Once Gomamon's transformation was complete, once it reached its Mega form...'
"I, Kido Joe, will make the world tremble."