Danger on the Dance Floor

Iona looked to the creature (person?) in the wizard robes whom she was fairly sure was another digimon as he spoke to her. That "lunatic" the wizard was referring to looked like an angel, but he'd already blasted another digimon away...and...maybe...

Iona grasped at the crucifix pendant at the end of her necklace. She'd never been religious. Her family took her to church, but that was more of a formality where she was from. The wizard was trying to warn her away, she knew, but something inside her cracked at the sight of Piddomon's six wings and regal form. Was he here to punish her for her sins?

She dropped to her knees.

"I-I'm sorry!" she cried out, "I'll never do it again, I-I swear!"

Play that Funky Music!

Thunder Ball!

A shockwave ripped through the air, blasting away speakers, shattering glass tables at the edges of the dance floor. Iona screamed and covered her head as the world exploded around her.

---

Ocellimon could not believe what she was witnessing. That human was on her knees! No, listen to that Wizardmon, you stupid girl! What was going through her empty little head? Then again, Ocellimon also wanted to leave, but could not find the muscles necessary to do so. Her eyes remained locked on the scene. 

That was when she saw it: Wizardmon's Thunderball had made contact with Piddomon's shockwave, but the resulting blast back spread far and wide. With Ocellimon's Heightened Senses, she was able to see the shockwaves and their path--which lead right to Iona.

Though all this happened in the span of less than a second, Ocellimon could see it happening slow enough to react, but not slow enough to think it through. Her body took over, she had no control over the outcome anymore.

She leaped out from the shadows, between Iona and the shockwave...

---

Crack! A bone-crunching sound filled Iona's ears. She looked up to see Ocellimon barreling towards her, propelled by the impact from the shockwave. Instinctively, she held out her arms to catch her. Ocellimon slammed into her chest, knocking the wind out of her and sending them both flying back.

Iona coughed, now flat on her back with a motionless Ocelimon pressed against her chest. She could hear something buzzing. Likely her ears after that shockwave.

"I-I'm sorry," she said, softly, "I-I'll never do it again. I was...I was the one who convinced them to do it...I'm the one who should be punished..."

Even as her vision swam back to her, the buzzing persisted. When she could finally see more than just bright glares of lights she sat up, Ocellimon still cradled against her chest. 

"Ocellimon?" she said, "Wha...how..why? And what the eff is that buzzing!? Ugh...my head..."

Were the digimon still fighting? There were flashes and movement around her, but she couldn't tell what was what just yet. Still, she moved towards the sound of the buzzing, all the while holding the motionless Ocellimon to her protectively.

She reached for the sound of the buzzing and felt a familiar rectangular object beneath her fingers. Her phone! She grasped the vibrating device and lifted it close enough for her to see that the screen had been cracked by the impact. 

Still, she was able to make out the image of an envelope on her screen. She swiped the notification, entered her four-digit passcode and the message displayed.

The message:

From: RozeBl00d:
i SaID U nEed tHis!

Iona saw that there was an attachment. She'd have known not to click it under normal circumstances, but now...what did she really know  other than the world that was spinning around her and wizards and lion-men fighting angels and the feral cat creature that had just saved her life and her splitting headache--? 

She tapped the message again to download the attachment.

A bright light engulfed her phone. Iona screwed up her eyes against the light. She could it grow hot in her hand, then suddenly the weight of the phone shifted, its size grew smaller in her hand. She opened her eyes to see something new in her palm. It was still glowing with that light. She grasped the new object.

She felt Ocelimon stir against her chest. She looked down to see the cat digimon angling her head towards the light.

"This...power..." she said. 

Iona gasped.

"Ocelimon, you're alive!" Iona exclaimed, "Why did you?"

The glow from Iona's palm was intensifying. It was warm and peculiar, but also strangely comforting. It tugged at something deep inside her.

It seemed to stir something in Ocellimon, too, for though she did not answer Iona, the feline digimon pulled away from her, standing up.

"This. Power!" exclaimed Ocellimon.

The white light engulfed Ocellimon. It completely covered her form but molded to fit her shape. It pulsed once, then turned a pale yellow color.

"Ocellimon digivolve to..."

The light then expanded while retaining its feline shape, the head growing larger, claws lengthening. A fierce mane grew out from the back of this larger, cat-like being. Its tail began to split apart, forming nine long tendrils. It was growing so large, Iona had to scoot away from it to avoid contact with whatever it was now.

"O-Ocellimon?" she said.

As if to answer, the light suddenly dispersed, revealing a large yellow cat-like monster with black streaks, a fierce, horse-like mane that flared out like spikes, and massive claws and teeth.

"Dumamon!" cried the new creature, fiercely.

Iona gasped and scrambled away. This thing was frightening: the claws and teeth were bad enough, as was the body they were attached to: long legs, a wide, barrel-like chest tapering down to a thin midsection connecting to its muscular back legs. The spiky mane only added to its intimidation factor, but its tails--nine of them!--were the most uncanny thing about it. Those tails were like whips, each cracking against the floor, causing electric sparks to erupt on impact in a frightening display.  To Iona, it resembled a cheetah, only with elements of other large cats and being the size of a compact car and several times more monstrous than anything she'd ever witnessed in the animal kingdom.

Then, it spoke to her, turning its large head around to look at her with uncanny green eyes. Its voice was low and gravelly, but nonetheless just as collected and possessed of as much calm, forceful femininity as Ocellimon's had been.

"Stand back, Iona," it said.

The cheetah-monster walked forward, confidently as Iona sat there with her jaw hanging open. Was this really still Ocellimon?

Dumamon growled at the three digimon in front of her, muscles tightening, as if ready to pounce.

"Piddomon," she said, eyes fixating on the angel, "Like to dance, do you?"

Dumamon smiled, revealing a row of teeth that shone like polished steel.

"Do you think you can keep up with me?" she boasted, then looked to the Wizardmon and Leomon, "With all of us?"

Her whiplike tails once again cracked against the floor, producing more sparks.

---

OOC SUMMARY: 
Iona seems to break down in midst of what she's witnessing, forcing Ocellimon to us her Heightened Senses to give her the ability to see the shockwaves and react in time to take the blow for the human. This prompts a change in them both, and Iona receives her digivice and Ocellimon uses that power to digivolve into Dumamon for the first time!

As Lothar's attack hit Piddomon, the disco angel seemed to be slowly fading leaving Mandrake standing stock still and staring in horror. Lothar then said "That makes no sense. I didn't channel that much power into my attack. It should have only incapacitated him not resulted in this."

For a moment, Mandrake said nothing until he finally said "I don't think it's your fault, Lothar. Look at him. It's as if his own power is causing him to fall apart. Though I doubt it would of happened if this senseless fight had stopped before this point." Despite the quietness of his voice it was easy to hear the undertone of sadness in the Wizardmon's voice.

As the Piddomon dropped to his knees and requested to be finished off, Mandrake shook his head and said "I'm sorry but that is a request I refuse to fulfill. I would never destroy another digimon even to obtain their power because I believe there is more to life than obtaining power."

Mandrake knew Lothar would stand by him on this decision but what about the unknown digimon and human with her? What would they do?

Iona smiled at him, something was pricking at the sides of her eyes. Tears?

"I know something about loving a genre of music that few people appreciate," she said, "The world can be cruel. Of course I'll dance with you."

Tears were welling up. This was a broken person. Like her. She hadn't been very nice, either. Now he was going away, but...it seemed he expected to be reborn. Iona titled her heard to the side. It was hard to know if she was making eye contact, but she felt connected to Piddomon in that moment.

Before she could answer, though, two more angels descended, tall and mysteriously masked as Piddomon was (but with different coloration--where Piddomon had purple cloth, these new digimon had blue). They lifted Piddomon towards the light in the sky. This was it. Iona stared, wide-eyed, into the light as they rose into it. They were becoming hard to see.

Iona wiped her tears and got up to her feet. It was her last chance. She took this as confirmation that Piddomon was going to be reborn, and waved to him goodbye.

"Of course I'll dance with you!" she said, "But promise you'll teach me? One weird music-loving outcast to another! Goodbye!"

As the light faded, she lowered her arm.

"..for now, I hope."


She turned to the three champion digimon that had kept her from being a victim of Piddomon's rage, and allowed her the chance to reach him. She meant to ask if Digimon really did get reborn again, but before she could, the police sirens started up.

"Shite," she swore, in English--well, her homeland's version of English. The situation called for it. Japanese police, she'd heard, don't play around.

Iona nodded to Mandrake's suggestion, disappointed that she didn't get to ask him about what she just saw. She turned to look back at Dumamon just in time to see her begin to glow and shrink down to normal size. When the light faded, she was once again Ocellimon.

"Huh," said Ocellimon, her voice carrying a mixture of surprise, indignation, and disappointment. She didn't seem to have expected to change back. "I suppose this is better for staying hidden."

"Ocellimon?" Iona said, more questions pricking the tip of her tongue.

But Ocellimon didn't give her any time (or even much of any consideration) as she darted towards the back door.

"This way," she did finally say.

"But--"

"Do you wish to be caught by human authorities? I know that I do not."

With that, the cat disappeared behind the entryway. Iona followed. Before she left the room, she spared the ceiling of the club one final glance.

Had that disco ball always been there?

Iona dashed to keep up with the nimble Ocellimon.

"I have questions!" she said.

"They can wait," said Ocelimon, "We go to the back."

Outside, people were still congregated in the small backyard area of the club. It occurred to Iona then that this building had probably been a restaurant before being converted to a club. She didn't know why she thought of that, but her mind did tend to wander as a defense mechanism against anxiety. She supposed, too, that she's be safe and inconspicuous here.

Ocellimon seemed to disagree, for even as she began to slow her walk and attempt to blend-in with the crowd, Ocellimon snarled at her.

"Come here," said the cat digimon, standing amongst the crowd near the back fencing that separated the little patio area from the alley. She was in full view of everyone, but no one paid her any mind.

Iona obeyed Ocellimon, following her as she snaked her way through the crowd. She, of course, having more difficulty pushing through them. As she glanced at the sleek, agile form of the cat, she saw that eyes on the back of its head were wide-open, glaring this way and that.

"Why don't they see you?" she asked, struggling past a gaggle of chatting women.

Ocellimon halted at the fence and turned back to Iona.


"They can, but my Stigma Glare keeps me from being remembered when I am seen," she said, and with a single bound she cleared the fence, "So it is as if they cannot see me. They simply never remember it."

Iona didn't need to be told that Ocellimon intended for her to climb up. This was not the first fence she'd scaled, so it was fairly easy. Thank the digimon god she was wearing big, stompy boots without heels. Some might say they were terrible dance-wear, but like any post-punk and gothic rock devotee, she'd long since mastered the art of moving in them. Piddomon hadn't been the only one at that club who didn't belong there and, like Piddomon, was probably only there because there was little trace of her own subculture here. The Japanese scene was nothing like the U.K. scene.

"Then why can I see you?" she asked as she made it nearly to the top of the fence.

"Possibly because you are my Tamer," said Ocellimon.


"Tamer? Wait, does that mean," said Iona, cresting the top of the fence and throwing her leg over the other side, "Everyone here thinks I'm taking to myself?"

"Most likely," said Ocellimon.

Though it seemed impossible for the cat digimon's physiology, Iona could have sworn that she saw a smirk on Ocellimon's face.

She turned her head back towards the crowd. Indeed, she was being stared at--and pointed at--and others were looking at her while moving to whisper in their companion's ears.

Shite.

Lacking anything to say for herself, Iona threw her other leg over and bailed out to the other side of the fence, landing on her feet with a small grunt.

She and Ocellimon were now in an alleyway. Ocellimon was already moving down the small street. Iona followed.

"Okay," Iona said, "What was that back there?"

"Which part?"

"I don't know. All of it? You turned into a giant cat, and you were sparking with electricity. Somebody just died, I think. I almost died?"

"I digivolved," said Ocellimon.

"Dig-wha?"

"Unfortunately, unlike partnerless digimon, it does not seem permanent. I must continue to rely on you for that power."

"Why me?"

Ocellimon stopped. They'd reached the end of the alley. Vehicles sped by, the sound of tires on pavement growing loud, then petering off. Again, and again. Somehow, they had a steady rhythm. Ktrrroo. Nothing. Ktrroo. Beyond that, Iona could still hear the sirens and the edge of the halo of red and blue flashing lights. The cat digimon sat, as real cats do. She looked like she might be about to start licking herself but instead looked Iona in the eyes. Again, Iona didn't know how, but the cat seemed much more serious all of a sudden.


"Because you are my tamer," she said, "Fate has bound us together."

Ocellimon stood up and turned around, but instead of moving on, she looked back at Iona.

"Unfortunately for me," she said.

Iona felt a peculiar pang of dejection at those three words. She barely understood what any of that meant, but she could tell when she was being snubbed.

"Well f*ck you too, then." Iona put her hands on her hips, stalwart against the sting of rejection.

Ocellimon sighed and turned back around to face Iona.

"Look, human," she said, "Fate has decided that we are bonded. That is against my will. I now know that I am in need of the power of that digivice in your pocket."

Iona instinctively felt for the small object her mobile had somehow transformed into. So that's what it's called? Iona was bouncing back and forth between indignation and curiosity at this point.

"But make no mistake, human," Ocellimon continued, "We are not friends. We are not partners in any meaningful sense. Something in me will not allow me to abandon you to your own well-deserved fate, so expect me to remain close."

Ocellimon drifted forward, never breaking eye-contact with her "tamer". Iona was still just trying to process everything. A low growl was emitting from the cat digimon's throat, and that sound made Iona feel more hurt than intimidated. Too hurt for words, even.

"But do not think that this means you can control me," she said, "You will not 'tame' me. You're little more than a source of power for me. Like a battery."

Iona must have been hurt. If this had been anyone else saying such things, she'd have already laid into them in retaliation with colorful, creative insults. All she could manage in that moment was a small, faltering sigh.


"And on a related note," Ocellimon went on. Her ears lowered, seemingly pinned back in a frightening display as she glared at Iona with contempt. "Do not stand between me and a conquest ever again."

Ocellimon lowered her head, her ears relaxed, slightly. Iona was taken back, but still managed to ask, indignantly: "What?"

"Piddomon's data could have helped me reach an even greater digivolution. You should have allowed me to pounce on him and load his data."

Iona didn't fully understand, but somehow her indignation turned to disgust.

"What would have happened to him? Would he still get reborn?"


"No," said Ocellimon, "His data would have become part of me. That is how digimon become more powerful, especially those without tamers, as I was."


"That's horrible," she said, "How could you even think that? He should get a second chance."

"And if he comes back just as homicidal as before?" asked Ocellimon, "In any case, digimon only rarely remember their old lives. If I had any, I certainly do not. The grace you'd shown him was likely for naught, I'm afraid. What a pathetic display."

Iona glared at the digimon.

"You're disgusting! she spat, "You're the pathetic one, taking lives just for more power."

Ocellimon's ears lowered again, her claws scraped the pavement. She was nearly spitting, fangs bared. Was she going to attack? Iona took a step back before Ocellimon spoke again.

"You would not understand, human," she said, "You have lived a life of comfort and privilege, never having to fight for your life or kill for your next meal. I'd bet you don't even know where your food comes from, and you criticize me, human? You do not know what it's like in the jungles of the digital world. All my life I have killed and avoided being killed, loading the data of countless weaker digimon just to achieve the minuscule form before you. I could have been the one to die and have my data loaded. I could have disappeared forever, but instead, I survived and got this far on my own. And then you come along, and fate presses me into your servitude? I refuse. I should have been able to digivolve on my own."

The cat digimon turned around and began walking out of the alleway on to the brightly-lit sidewalk.

"Perhaps I still can," she mused.

"Fine," said Iona, "I didn't ask for this either, you know."

"Good," said Ocellimon, "Then it is settled."

"I guess it is," Iona replied.

"Good evening Iona," said Ocellimon, who began to walk off, then stopped. "And before I forget: being bound to you means that I am unable to resist the compulsion to protect you from harm. Do us both a favor and, from now on, please stay out of places you are not supposed to be in. It will make both of our lives so much easier."

With that, the cat leaped forward and disappeared into the shadow of another alleyway.

Iona huffed.

"Geeze, why don't you just tell me to stay in school and don't do drugs while you're at it?" she told the shadows, "Oh, and before I forget: Your accent is waaaaay to posh for someone who eats rats in dingy alleys, ya wide-o!"

“Excuse me.”

Iona jumped at the sound of a male voice behind her and turned around.

“I GOT PEPPER SPRAY!” she yelled before realizing who had just addressed her: A man in a blue uniform. A police officer.

“Oh…”

The police officer stared at her, incredulously.

“Good evening,” he said, with a slight bow, “We’re responding to a report of suspicious persons at a nearby club, and several people reported seeing a young woman matching your description fleeing the scene. Would you mind answering a few questions for us? We just want to find out what happened tonight.”

Iona’s mouth hung open. She was trying to think of what she was going to say.

“Uh...sure?” was all she could muster.

“Alright,” he said, “We just need to see your identification if you don’t mind.”

“My what?”


“Your ID card.”

“Oh…”

Oh shite.

[Exit]