A shadow flickered in and out of existence.
It slipped past Wakanda's palace alarm network with unsettling ease, bypassed layered vibranium-based detection fields, and even evaded Uchiha Izuna, who had taken it upon himself to stand guard nearby.
After lingering briefly, the shadow confirmed its target.
Garfield was asleep.
In a single blur, it slipped into the room.
The next instant, an orange figure materialized behind it.
Pandora astride Shōkyū hooked a finger casually through the air.
"Come."
The shadow reacted instinctively, leaping away, only to be dragged along as Pandora vanished in a streak of light. Both figures disappeared without leaving a trace.
On the bed, Garfield twitched. Something felt itchy.
He scratched absentmindedly at the fur near his lower back, rolled over, and continued sleeping without a care.
In the haze of sleep, fragments surfaced.
A dark-haired girl, human-shaped, yet not entirely human flashed before his eyes.
Then the ground shook.
Pandora emerged, radiating overwhelming pressure, clashing violently with a living shadow.
Explosions blossomed like mushrooms, only to be swallowed whole, mere snacks to the King of Monsters.
In the end, Pandora stood victorious.
Garfield, utterly uninterested in interpreting dreams, did not even bother opening his eyes.
He slept on.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
Above a Wakandan Vibranium Vein, Moonlight barely pierced the clouded sky.
Pandora stood atop Shōkyū's head, her posture sharp with irritation.
Opposite her, crouched atop a jagged vibranium outcrop, was a creature no larger than a house cat, its form barely distinct from the surrounding shadows.
A black cat.
Pandora pointed accusingly. "Have you no shame?"
"What do you mean?" The shadow hissed.
Pandora snapped back, "That stinky cat belongs to me."
The shadow now clearly visible, tilted its head. "Lies. That is clearly a Devouring Beast."
"In my eyes." Pandora said coldly, "It's a stinky cat."
The black cat's eyes gleamed. "It doesn't smell bad. In fact, it feels quite nice. If you don't like it, give it to me."
"No." Pandora's teeth clenched. "The stinky cat is still my cat."
"You keep calling it stinky." The shadow purred. "Why not let me take it? I think it's excellent."
Pandora trembled with rage.
Shōkyū, sensing the tension, whispered, "Sister… maybe just let it go?"
Pandora nodded sharply and pointed. "Shōkyū. Kill it."
Shōkyū's massive chakra surged. Though her form was compact, the power of a fully mature Nine-Tails erupted outward.
With a powerful kick, Shōkyū launched herself forward.
The shadow vanished.
Shōkyū struck three times in rapid succession, each attack slicing through empty air.
Curious now, Shōkyū's chakra ignited, her body wreathed in a compact blaze of orange flame.
"Let me show you." Shōkyū growled, "That Shōkyū is no empty name. Sage Mode, activate."
Her speed multiplied instantly.
The black cat watched calmly, eyes rotating with interest, then vanished again. When it reappeared, it was already above Shōkyū.
A paw slammed down.
Boom
Shōkyū dissolved into a puff of white smoke.
"Fooled you! That was my shadow clone!" Laughter rang out.
"Floating Fist!" Shōkyū reappeared above the black cat, fist crashing downward.
The shadow dispersed into mist. Shōkyū felt danger surge from her flank and leapt away instantly.
A split second later, claws tore through the space she had just occupied.
What followed was a brutal, high-speed exchange.
Teleportation.
Close-quarters combat.
In three minutes, neither gained ground.
No fewer than fifteen instantaneous displacements and over fifty direct attacks were exchanged
Both were breathing heavily now.
Midair, they separated.
Shōkyū hovered under the pale moonlight, she finally saw the shadow's true form clearly.
Shōkyū bared her fangs, chakra surging along her frame. "You have extraordinary skills."
"On this land, there are few who surpass me." The black cat regarded her calmly.
"Then count me among them. I will fight seriously." Shōkyū's presence deepened.
Her nine tails rose like a peacock's fan, chakra roaring outward. Shōkyū opened her jaws, and a dense sphere of dark-purple energy rapidly condensed.
"Tailed Beast Bomb."
The moment the energy stabilized, the black cat's demeanor changed. Razor-edged foreclaws extended, and a silver-gray sphere of condensed power formed between them.
The Tailed Beast Bomb erupted from Shōkyū's mouth.
The black cat hurled its own energy sphere forward.
They collided.
And vanished.
"…What?" Shōkyū froze.
She immediately formed another Tailed Beast Bomb. Once again, the black cat responded, silver-gray energy meeting purple destruction.
Again, both disappeared.
Shōkyū narrowed her eyes. "What happened to my Tailed Beast Bomb?"
"It was absorbed and neutralized." Pandora raised a hand, halting Shōkyū. "As expected of the guardian of this land, your authority is real."
"That level of power is too destructive." The black cat spoke evenly.
"Do not continue. If you persist, I will descend in my true body and act without restraint."
"How unpleasant." Pandora clicked her tongue, clearly annoyed.
"You start a fight, then complain when it gets serious. You want to hold hands and make peace afterward, how boring."
"If someone threw such a weapon into your home, would you welcome it?" The black cat countered coolly.
Pandora lifted her chin arrogantly. "I, Pandora Godzilla, would erase them with a single atomic breath."
"Sister… it called yourself Godzilla again." Shōkyū leaned over, muttering,
Pandora pretended not to hear her and pointed sharply at the black cat. "Do you dare fight properly?"
"If I win, the Great Devourer is mine." The black cat's gaze shifted.
Pandora paused. "I cannot decide that."
The black cat shook its head. "That is not what I mean."
"Fine. You may follow us." Pandora exhaled and waved her hand. "You can work off the rest elsewhere."
The black cat considered briefly, then nodded. "Acceptable. Come. I will take you somewhere suitable for battle."
Shōkyū grinned. "Lead the way."
In an instant, the black cat, Shōkyū, and Pandora vanished above the great panther statue of Wakanda.
Moments later, Wakandan royal guards arrived at the site. "The abnormal energy spike was detected here."
"But there's nothing."
"Check surveillance."
"…System failure." The absence of evidence unsettled them.
The old Black Panther was awakened and briefed. His expression darkened as he listened.
Soon after, reports came in from the central control chamber, massive energy detonations had been detected in a desolate valley near Wakanda's border.
The disturbances lasted nearly ten minutes.
When Wakandan aircraft reached the area, they found only scorched earth and lingering energy scars.
After confirming that no further threats remained, the old Black Panther dismissed the guards and returned to his chambers.
Exhaustion claimed him swiftly.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
In sleep, the old king found himself standing beneath an endless twilight sky.
Before him gathered the spirits of past Black Panthers.
"Ancestors…" He murmured, unsettled. "Why have you summoned me?"
One panther stepped forward, its form shifting into that of a man.
"My son." The ancestor said softly. "The Goddess has a message for you."
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
PhantomDream