"Nobita, run! I… it hurts so much!!"
Doraemon clutched his head, writhing in unbearable pain.
"How could I just leave?! I came here to save you! I'm not abandoning you!"
Nobita immediately rejected the idea.
"You're just malfunctioning from staying here too long! Once we get back, Dorami can fix you!"
He said it with firm resolve and stepped forward, ignoring Doraemon's warnings.
But just as he moved, a bone-chilling cold swept through his entire body.
The air around him dropped several degrees in an instant.
This sudden change made him instinctively turn his stiff neck to look around.
Before he realized it, Sadakos had filled the hallway.
Each one of them had a single eye peeking through their long black hair, staring at Nobita with a bone-piercing gaze.
It felt as if countless ice picks were stabbing directly into his heart.
"Ah… ahhh…"
Nobita's teeth chattered as he made faint sounds, trying to raise his Solidification Lamp to defend himself.
But his arms had gone limp.
He had to use his left hand to prop up his right, barely managing to raise it.
"G-Get away from me!!"
With all his willpower, he slammed the button—
But nothing came out.
"Huh?! No power?!"
Frantic, he pressed the button over and over again, but it was useless.
The lamp was out of juice.
Despair hit him hard.
In the next moment, the scene around them shifted—the hospital disappeared entirely, and they were suddenly in a wide open field.
Or rather… the hospital had vanished on its own.
The only thing that remained was the swarm of Sadakos—
And the colossal Sadako looming right in front of Nobita.
She hovered inches from him, her enormous face lined up directly above his.
Messy hair draped over a single, giant bloodshot eye locked onto him.
An overwhelming sense of terror crushed him.
He should have pulled out a new gadget. He should have tried to run.
But his body was frozen. All he could do was stand and stare into her massive eye.
"Kill him."
The giant Sadako's voice echoed like a deep, dark bell.
Doraemon, trembling, began slowly stepping toward Nobita.
"D- Doraemon…"
The sight finally stirred Nobita's body, allowing him to take a single step back.
"Doraemon, don't give in! Don't let that disgusting monster control you!"
Nobita pleaded desperately, trying to reach what was left of Doraemon's mind.
"Wuuuhhh…"
A look of agony twisted Doraemon's face.
But… he stopped.
Nobita lit up with hope and quickly checked the Meme Resistance Device on Doraemon's head.
As long as that was working, Sadako's influence couldn't fully take over!
There was still a chance!
"Doraemon, hang in there! You're the one who taught me to never give up, no matter what! I know you can do it!"
"Everyone's waiting for us outside!"
Nobita kept talking, despite the icy chill gnawing at his bones with every word.
Even with the Four Seasons Badge, this cold couldn't be resisted.
But he pressed on—for Doraemon.
"Wuuuhhh!!"
His voice seemed to get through. Doraemon clutched his head, squatting in pain as electricity surged from his body, steam rising from the heat.
"Kill him! Kill him!!"
The giant Sadako's furious order boomed again.
"You wish…"
Doraemon, eyes glowing red, looked up and glared defiantly at her.
"I will NEVER hurt Nobita!!!"
With all his remaining strength, he roared back, his voice thunderous with conviction.
"Doraemon!!"
Nobita burst into tears, overwhelmed with emotion.
Zzzzzt!
But in the next instant, Doraemon's body exploded with electricity.
It sparked wildly, arcs crackling across his frame.
And then—
He collapsed.
His body smoking, motionless on the grass.
"Doraemon!! What happened?!"
Nobita rushed to his side, ignoring the scalding heat coming off his friend's body.
"I short-circuited... Run…"
Doraemon whispered weakly—
Then fell silent.
His eyes lost all light.
"Huh? Doraemon? Are you… broken?"
Nobita froze.
But he immediately understood.
He quickly stuffed Doraemon into his pocket.
"Don't worry, Doraemon! Once we get out of here, we can fix you!"
He pulled out a bamboo-copter and placed it on his head, soaring upward.
But just as he rose, the giant Sadako swatted him down with her hand.
WHAM!
Nobita crashed hard onto the grass, pain wracking his body.
It felt like his bones were shattered.
Sadako, enraged that Doraemon had resisted her, was furious now that he had been taken away.
She had ruled this haunted domain for years, yet never encountered prey like this.
Her anger turned into madness.
The black-and-white space around them began to quake violently, echoing with ghastly screams full of despair.
Just hearing them made it feel as if he could see how each soul had died.
"Wuuuhhh…"
Nobita groaned. Even with the Meme Resistance Device, the pain was unbearable.
And then—
A tidal wave of Sadakos surged toward him from every direction.
Their intent was clear—
They were going to tear Nobita to pieces!
They moved fast, while Nobita's body had gone sluggish from the psychic pressure.
He couldn't even reach into his pocket.
He could only stare as the Sadakos drew nearer.
"Damn it… Is this the end?"
"All that effort to save Doraemon, and I'm still going to die here?"
Nobita clenched his teeth, tears welling up as he watched the horde close in.
"Dad… Mom… Shizuka… Gian… Suneo… Dorami… I'm sorry. I couldn't make it back…"
They say your life flashes before your eyes before you die.
And right now, Nobita's mind was racing through memory after memory.
Not all of them were good—but most were filled with joy.
Because he had met Doraemon.
Thanks to Doraemon, his life had been wonderful.
And then—
One specific memory surged forward:
A moment when he had been curiously reading a sixth-grade book on Dark Arts Defense.
"Doraemon, this book says there's a spell called Expecto Patronum, used to ward off something called Dementors. Do you think we could use it to fight ghosts too?"
"How should I know?! You haven't even mastered first-grade spells yet! Don't go skipping ahead!"
"It says the spell only works when you remember a really happy memory…"
As Nobita muttered that, the Sadakos were right on top of him.
In that moment, Nobita shot up his wand with all his might.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!!"
(End of Chapter)
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