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A hail of bullets tear into the creature, throwing it off course mere inches from its vulnerable target. You scream in surprise as the creature coils through the air, badly wounded but not giving up yet. Before it can reach you, something grabs you from behind and turns you around roughly, shielding you from the beast. You look up at the purple pinstripe fabric of Astamon's burnt shirt as he carries you mid-air.
He thrusts his gun into the damaged creature's mouth as it charges him, then fires another volley, ripping it into shreds immediately. You feel a crawling malignance rising from below, like he's considering attacking its remains and doing the same thing he did to Sealsdramon. But he restrains himself in the end and lets it die in relative peace.
<span class="mu-s">"Marnie! Hey! Did it get you?!"</span>
You blink twice and look down at the street far below you.
"I'm... I'm fine. How'd you get here...?"
You glance past his broad shoulders and see the set of wings on his back. They flap lazily in the blue light, keeping the both of you aloft. You're hovering about fifteen floors above the ground.
"Woah. I thought those were just for show." You mumble, still feeling the strain from your close call. "You could do that all along?"
He descends towards the ground steadily, heading for the massive volume of raw data that's congealing where Okuwamon was deleted.
<span class="mu-s">"I don't think so. It wasn't something I felt like I could do. Not until now."</span>
Whether it was the slaying of an immensely powerful Ultimate, or the desire to respond to you in your time of need, he's unlocked a new ability. Astamon glides through the air, nowhere near as fast or agile as an Airdramon, but still giving you two a whole new avenue of attack. He sets you down next to the data and steps forward to gather it.
"Thanks, Astamon." You exhale gratefully.
<span class="mu-s">"You did the same for me just a minute ago. We're square. As always."</span> He grins.
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