When I came to I felt the sensation of falling. I was falling, but I couldn't see. It didn't take me long to realize my eyes were still closed. With a grunted effort I manage to get them open, and to my dismay I was indeed falling. I knew not how long I had been falling or from how far up, but at that point I was about half a mile above the water below. This didn't bother me much, I just needed some wings. Since nobody was around, I began aloud.
"Lobomon armor-digivolve to…. Giza — huh?" I was still in my Champion form as Lobomon. With a touch of worry I tried again. "Lobomon warp-digivolve to…." Nothing happened. Now I was starting to panic. Instead of bothering to try to Change again I tried using some of my other powers. I tried teleporting, nothing happened. I tried to levitate, nothing happened. I tried summoning the wind or the ocean below, still nothing happened. It was around this time that I was only a couple of hundred feet above the water, and I was no closer to surviving the fall. With no other options, I took a gamble. I took as big an inhale as I could, and then waited until I was at about 30 feet. I then exhaled as hard and fast as I could, and the resulting gust of wind slammed into the water with devastating force.
When I came to I was in the water and immediately darted towards the surface. The second my muzzle was out of the water, I gasped for air as if I hadn't breathed in months. My plan had worked, but at a price. Though my gust of wind softened my landing, it still took a toll on my body, specifically my torso thanks to the position I was in when I landed. And to make matters worse, that survival maneuver also required a lot of air to escape my body, so I was also fighting off fatigue and dizziness. In an attempt to focus on something other than my discomfort, I started to look around. I look to one horizon and noticed a large building in the shape of the letter "T". Where there were buildings, there must've been land, problem was that it was about a three-mile swim from my current position.
Oh, great. I started to doggy-paddle. I hadn't even made it past the first mile before I started to tire out. There had to be an easier way to get there. Eventually I came up with an idea via what I call a mimic moment. I shifted my body to where my back end and tail came up to the surface and my back legs were floating. Once that happened I used my front legs to paw at the water and propel myself forward. Essentially, what I was doing was imitating the way I once saw a polar bear swim at the Alaska Zoo. In an attempt to add some speed, I moved my tail in a serpent-like fashion in the hope of making this ordeal go by faster, for although this method of swimming was much less strenuous, it was more tedious and much slower. Oh well, seeing as how I don't know where I am, I guess I'm not in too much of a hurry. About an hour later I finally made it to the shore. Tired and sore, I collapse on my side and begin to pant excessively. I could use a nap. Just a quick one, at least until I get my energy back. I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.
As I slept I eventually started to dream that I was back in Anchorage battling Doctor Light. Images of our fight played over an over again in my brain. Where did this guy come from? Are there others like him? And what's happened to me? Why aren't my powers working? Is this the result of Doctor Light's suit? All these questions, but no answers. Then I noticed something. I sensed darkness, but not my own. I felt as if there was a dark soul nearby. Before I had time to think further about it, the rush of cold sea water ran over my body. The sudden shock of freezing water caused me to yelp as I shot awake on the sandy shore I swam to. After shaking water and sand out of my fur, I look up and notice the stars in the night sky. I had been asleep for the past several hours. Curious as to how I managed to sleep here for so long without anyone noticing, I look around. In the distance I notice another shore, the mainland. The island I swam to must've been privately owned. I look to my right and notice the "T"-shaped building from before. It stood in the center of the island, and the island itself acted as a giant hill, with the tower at the top. In my current form it was a quick jog away. Off further to the right, I notice the main road leading to the entrance of the tower. Wonder who lives here, I thought as I rose to my hind legs. I tried to Change back to my human form, but just as my previous attempts did, it failed.
Great, so not only can I not Change into my stronger forms, I cannot even return to my default form. Until I could regain all of my powers back, I was stuck as a wolf. Fortunately, despite this, I was still able to speak human English, which sounded good at the time, until I stopped to think about it. As I began to walk to the main road, I found myself pondering whether it'd be less shocking to see a talking wolf on two legs instead of its usual four. "Maybe I oughtta play it safe and pretend to be a stray dog." I chuckled to myself at the thought of anyone being dumb enough to mistake me for a common dog, when suddenly a chilling wave ran through my body.
The fur along my spine stood up and though I did not intend them to, I could feel my yellow eyes turning purple. I could sense that dark presence again, and it was close by. I look towards my left and realize that this presence I was sensing was coming from the top of the tower. Something or someone was up there, and for some reason it was calling out to me. I turn back to the road and increased walking speed, but then I heard something. At first it was muffled, and then it sounded like beating, and it was. It was a heartbeat I was listening to, however the scary part was, it wasn't my own. The beats from my heart staggered whoever's heart I was listening to, and both heartbeats were going faster and faster by the second. This feeling was too strong to ignore, so I turn back to my left again and look towards the tower. I knew not how tall it was, other than to say it was tall enough to pass as a skyscraper. I did know that even with my limited power, it'd only take a few minutes for me to scale it from the outside. Upon deciding that, I leap forward and begin running on all fours. Ignoring the main road I cut straight through the rocky hill until I reached the right side of the tower.
It was fortunate that my original plan was to scale the tower, because there were no other doors or entrances on that side of the building. This didn't bother me because what I'd gone there for wasn't inside, it was on the roof. I leap as high as I can and dig my claws into the side of the building. I shuddered as the sounds of concrete and metal scraped against my claws.
Let's get this over with. I began climbing, which to me felt more like running vertically. I leapt continuously higher and higher, sinking my claws into the side of the building locking myself in position each time until finally I reached underneath the right platform that forms the top of the letter "T". "Shit!" I hadn't thought this part of my plan through. With my dark powers on the fritz, I couldn't be sure that I could scale underneath the platform long enough to make my way to the edge and continue upward. I looked down and froze at the sight of how long of a drop was underneath me. Jumping was out of the question. Though it was possible for me to survive, I wouldn't be able to heal in my current condition, and the resulting crash into the ground would surely draw attention to me, most likely unwanted. My only choice was to slowly climb back down, but before I could I was ambushed.
A dark portal opened across from my chest and a large hand made up of dark energy shot out at me. I swung my right paw and clawed at it, only to have my claws slip right through it. I should've known that brute force would be useless against it, and without my magic or psychic powers I was a sitting duck. The hand took advantage of my miscalculation and wrapped its fingers around me. The hand itself was large enough to engulf nearly my entire body. All that was exposed were my head and left arm. I didn't bother to fight it at that point, nor did I try to howl or scream, seemed pointless. I accepted that I had been attacked by this dark force, and upon reflection, it serves me right. I had just trespassed on private property and scaled a skyscraper all in an attempt to locate the source of a dark presence while at the same time, having no dark powers of my own to protect myself. I let out a frustrated sigh as I'm pulled into the portal.
The darkness I saw inside was expected, a large empty void of eternal blackness. However it didn't last very long. I found myself moments later being hurled into the air. Another portal had opened and I was tossed through it. The hand threw me into a position that if I were an ordinary dog I would've landed on my back. However, since I wasn't, with a snarl and a flick of my tail I did half of a somersault and landed on my four paws. Once my landing was secured I looked around to check my bearings. The night sky was still black and decorated with stars, and I was still high above the ground as I was before the first portal had opened. In fact I was higher. I was standing on the roof of the tower, right at the edge that I had planned to scale. I look to my left and notice a concrete basketball/volleyball court in the center of the platforms. Also in the center of the platforms, towards the left of my view and facing towards the front entrance of the tower, was a doorway leading to what I assumed were the stairs and/or elevator. As I cautiously walked towards the door pondering whether or not to enter, I sensed a familiar darkness. They were there. Whatever or whoever I was sensing before, was there.
I instinctively started to growl as I knew not whether this presence was evil or just dark like me. As if on cue, the one I had been seeking appeared. A third portal opened on the ground in the center of the basketball court, and from it emerged what appeared to be a very large bird, which like the hand was made up of dark energy. What the bird was looked familiar, but for some reason I couldn't think of what it was. Before I had time to think about it further, the bird morphed in a manner similar to how Taiyo had morphed from the sand earlier that day. From the darkness emerged what appeared to be a dark blue cloak. Its head, or rather its hood was pulled up and facing down. It levitated above the ground and there was no sign or exposure of any kind of persona within the cloak so it took me by surprise when a large gust of wind passed over the tower and revealed the image of a young woman under the cloak.
As the bottom of the cloak danced in the wind, her legs were exposed. She wore no pants, but instead what appeared to be a black leotard. Her boots were as blue as her cloak, and her skin was a palish gray. Her legs themselves were beautifully toned and bore the looks of a fighter. She lifted her head and spread out her arms to her sides, which in turn revealed more of herself thanks to the wind. The leotard she wore had long black sleeves and was skintight. On her hips rested a belt that, based on how loosely it rested, I assumed tied in the back. It consisted of several black and red jewels, each set in circular gold plates. The cloak itself was held together by another of her black and red jewels, again set in a gold plate. And finally there was her face. Through the darkness provided by the hood, only the bottom half of her face was clearly visible, at least without the use of my extensive werewolf vision. Her face, neck, and lips were all a pale shade of gray, unblemished and smooth. And the only visible parts of the top half of her face were her eyes, painted with a violet color similar to that of my aura.
Having revealed herself and making her presence known she returns both of her feet on the ground. Once there she squints her eyes at me as if suspicious, so I return a similar stare. She then surrounds herself with her aura, which was as black as the night itself. Though I knew my powers were failing me up until then, I instinctively attempted to focus my energy as if I could make my aura visible. Much to my surprise when my body became encased in my purple aura, though I didn't need her to know that, so I just went with it.
After we had finished sizing each other up, I rose to my hind legs so that I could look at her from a different angle. In response to this, we both started to walk towards each other, slowly and cautiously. As we walked I began hearing that unknown heartbeat again, and it was then I realized that it was her heart I was hearing. Like before, our heartbeats staggered one another and were slowly beating faster and faster by the second, and if things weren't intense enough, our slow walk towards one another was turning into a game of chicken. We were walking straight at each other, my eyes locked on hers, but both of us refused to break. As if to say, "challenge accepted", I growl softly and pick up my speed slightly. Her eyes squinted further as she mirrored my action. I had to admit, for having just met her and having never even spoken to her, I was impressed. Though she was not the first person I've met with a dark heart like mine, never before have I met a soul who's darkness was so intriguing, to the point where I immediately sensed a rivalry between her darkness and mine. As I moved closer and closer to her, something strange came over me. Just as my ability to make my aura visible returned to me unpredictably, I could feel fragments of my damaged powers returning to me. I knew not whether she did this out of her own will, or that this was the result of me being exposed to her darkness, but either way, it was her doing. Feeling grateful to my new rival I adjust my walking path slightly and begin to walk to my left as if to circle her. As I do, I Change back to my human form, bowing as I did so. Her eyes widened slightly upon seeing this, and with a raised eyebrow, she began to circle as well.
We circled for what felt like hours, never once speaking or breaking eye contact. Her eyes acted as a window into her heart. In her eyes I saw more than simply darkness. I saw a small flame, as if to suggest that there was great power locked within her that separated that small flame from a raging inferno. I saw something else there as well. At the time, I had no idea what it was that I was seeing, but it was dangerous, yet still, I was intrigued. Eventually our little standoff was broken again, this time by her. As she continued to circle, she lifted her right hand loosely and surrounded it with aura. Sensing a pattern between us since we had met, I mirrored her action. Our hands never touched, but our auras couldn't be separated. They sparked and danced with each other from our hands. This catches us both off guard as we both stop in our places and turn towards each other, only just now breaking eye contact as we were now focused on our hands and the dark energies being radiated from them.
The auras from our bodies temporarily leave us and hover above our heads. From there they took forms of their own. Mine morphed into the image of a wolf, and as for hers, the bird from before reappeared. The wolf howled as the bird took its perch on its head. A white light appeared on the top of the wolf's head and under the bird's feet, causing both of us to simultaneously break eye contact yet again as the light began glowing brighter and brighter. Blinded by the light, our hands broke connection and the energy from both of our auras sparked across the rooftop, destroying a chunk of the concrete from the ground where I originally was standing, and one of the basketball hoops. As that happened, the jewel under the hood of her cloak began to blink and sound some form of an alarm. Though a naked human eye couldn't tell, the light underneath the jewel revealed to be a red letter "T". I then heard the doorway that was now behind me open and from that followed an angry voice.
"Get away from her", she shouted. Before I could even turn around I saw a green light and felt the sting of an energy blast. I shout in pain as I am flung towards the cloaked girl's direction expecting a teamed counterattack, but instead she simply teleported out of the way. I flip in midair and land on my back, but quickly use the force of my landing as an advantage as I "bounce" off my back and land on my feet. I quickly turn to face my opponent just in time to catch a glimpse of a girl with orange skin, and red hair before her second star bolt struck me. A Tamaranian. The second blast knocks me off the tower.
Blindimon armor-digivolve to….