Digimon Devil's Advocate

Ryuugi · Sep 4, 2010

This Idea sort of began as a Xanatos Gambit on the part of GranDracmon, but then, in a conversation about something completely different (Astamon, to be precise), GranDracmon was cut out of the picture entirely, and was replaced swiftly by Lucemon. Of course, that had several problems, mainly because the idea (GranDracmon hypnotizing some hapless Chosen/Tamer and making him do his dirty, probably taking the role of conquering the Digital World) no longer really worked without Dracmonï¿½s ability to, well, hypnotize. Of course, in the long run, that was probably a good thing, since I decided pretty early on that I wasnï¿½t really going to enjoy writing an entire story about some brainwashed minion.

That left me with several problems, though; namely, how was I going to make the idea work.

This lead to a drawn-out conversation between Seiya and I that lasted several hours, but eventually resulted in this. The first thing that was covered was the first major plot hole left in the wake of GranDracmonï¿½s disappearance. Who could possibly pose a credible threat to the entire Digital World? This hole was swiftly filled by Lucemon, since the fact that we saw him destroy an entire Digital World lent credence to his ability to threaten it. Also, heï¿½s kind of a dick. So yeah, perfect. The second hole, ï¿½who is the guy heï¿½s making do thisï¿½, was complicated by the fact that I dislike writing stories about OCï¿½s. That meant we pretty much had to choose a canon character, and was further complicated by the fact that most of the obvious choices were both people I didnï¿½t want to write a fic about and also people whoï¿½ve tried this thing before, and failed.

Somehow, during all of this, the fact that in crossovers between either of the Adventures and Tamers, the former was always shown to be fictional, which lead to the thought that there were probably games about the Adventures in such a case, which lead to the realization that the Digimon Kaiser also thought it was all a game, which lead to this. It became quite easy when I remembered that we had someone who, while obviously very interested in Digimon, thought it was all a game (until that person realized it actually wasnï¿½t), and didnï¿½t think of Digimon as being real, and that person would likely jump at a chance to play a new Digimon ï¿½game.ï¿½ Of course, at that point we remembered that if we did the things we did in videogames (especially role-playing games) in real life, theyï¿½d probably be considered sociopathic mass-murderers.

And that just sealed the deal.

Devilï¿½s Advocate
You Were, Perhaps, Expecting Someone Else?

ï¿½Letï¿½s play a game, Takato.ï¿½ The voice said. It came from the strange thing his card reader had become when heï¿½d slashed the blue card through it.

Takato, who had stumbled away from the strange machine in shock, merely became more confused.

ï¿½Aï¿½game?ï¿½ He asked hesitantly.

ï¿½Yes. After allï¿½you are our winner.ï¿½

He blinked.

ï¿½W-winner? Of what?ï¿½

ï¿½Of the contest, of course!ï¿½

There was a pause.

ï¿½You do know about the contest, donï¿½t you?ï¿½

ï¿½Not reallyï¿½no.ï¿½

ï¿½ï¿½I see. Then allow me to explain. You found a strange Blue Card with the Digimon Logo on it, right?ï¿½

ï¿½Yeahï¿½ï¿½

ï¿½And since youï¿½re listening to me right now, I assume you slashed it?ï¿½

ï¿½Um, yes?ï¿½

ï¿½Then congratulations! Youï¿½ve just won the Tamer King Contest!ï¿½

ï¿½Iï¿½did? But-ï¿½

ï¿½Never mind that. As the winner, you get a very special prize. Donï¿½t you want to see it?ï¿½

As a ten year old boy, Takato was naturally interested in what was quite possibly something very cool, and set aside, for the moment, the fact that he didnï¿½t enter any contest.

ï¿½Prize?ï¿½

ï¿½I said it before, didnï¿½t I? Letï¿½s play a game, Takato.ï¿½

ï¿½What kind of game?ï¿½

ï¿½The Digital World has been taken over by the corrupt Sovereigns, and theyï¿½ve locked the true ruler away in its heart. The Chosen Children are pawns in their schemes. You're job is to defeat them. Can you destroy the infected Digimon to free Lucemon?ï¿½

ï¿½Uhï¿½yes?ï¿½ Takato was a bit hesitant, unsure of whether he should tell his parents or not.

But it sounded cool.

Though, heï¿½d never heard of any ï¿½Lucemon.ï¿½

ï¿½In that case, please bring your Digivice to a computer with internet access.ï¿½

The sudden normalcy of that comment nearly threw Takato for a loop.

ï¿½Um, okay. Thereï¿½s plenty at school. Iï¿½ll ask if I can use on after class.ï¿½

ï¿½Take your time.ï¿½ The voice said.
-
ï¿½Okay.ï¿½ Takato said, getting on the computer. ï¿½Are you still there, uhï¿½what do I call you?ï¿½

ï¿½Iï¿½m an advanced computer program; and AI. Iï¿½ll serve as your guide to the game. So, I suppose you can call me Lucemon.ï¿½

Takato thought it a bit weird that what was probably a really expensive computer was being used for a game, but he was honestly more interested in the game itself.

ï¿½Okay, Lucemon; what do I do now?ï¿½

ï¿½Are you in front of a computer with Internet access?ï¿½ ï¿½Lucemonï¿½ asked dutifully.

ï¿½Yeah.ï¿½

ï¿½Is the computer on?ï¿½

Even Takato had to roll his eyes at that question.

ï¿½Yeah.ï¿½

ï¿½Please raise your Digivice to the screen. It may take a few seconds for the wireless connection to begin; I ask you to please be patient.ï¿½

Takato didnï¿½t say anything to that, he just lifted the Digivice.

It took a few seconds, but suddenly a strange screen appeared. It had a weird, irregular shape, a number of scattered buttons, a number of things that would have been knobs and buttons if it wasnï¿½t on a computer screen, and a green light.

But the most interesting feature of the screen was a small window.

He looked at it closer.

It was weird. It was like it really was a window, with something on the other side. It looked too realistic to be just a recorded image.

ï¿½By now, a screen should have appeared. Do you see it, Takato?ï¿½

ï¿½Yeahï¿½ï¿½ He said distractedly.

ï¿½Its voice activated, so to proceed, I need you to repeat after me. Digiport, open.ï¿½

ï¿½Digiport, open!ï¿½ Takato said, now eager to proceed.

And suddenly he was blinded by a torrent of light.
-

Aarik · Sep 4, 2010

My face hurts from the smiling.

Cut Lucemon a check, he's a fucking genius.

I wonder if he'll pick up on Takato's seeming ability to create and design Digimon?

I can barely imagine how Ken would react to that... Especially since Takato actually seems to be better then him at it.

Though, Takato better get some Tutorials, or he's fucked.

Good job, you two.

Deleted member 5249 · Sep 4, 2010

I didn't think you'd be posting it so soon. :lol:

Poor, poor Chosen children.

@Aarik, this was all Ryuugi. He just bounced ideas of me.

You meant tell.

biigoh · Sep 4, 2010

Awwww... hell. This could get downright nasty and evil.

Just the way I like it. :lol:

Aarik · Sep 4, 2010

Actually, I'm sorta wondering how he's gonna go about it.

It helps that we (as in the readers) don't even know the 'genre' of game Lucemon is gonna try to pass it off as, there are a few possibilities and questions depending.

If RPG, then Takato is, most likely, gonna make Guilmon again, so long as he has the Quo Vadis, Dukemon Crimson Mode can pretty much take anyone who isn't fast enough to get away from the red wave of light, it sends the target straight to the same place HolyAngemons Heavens Gate does, killing them instantly, only it's AOE and differentiates individual targets, and thus better, though it can't fire lasers like Heavens Gate can.

If RTS, Then he might not make Guilmon, unlikely since he made the original drawing before swiping the card... I think, my memory may be wrong, he can make Dark Towers, Evil Rings and Spirals just by slashing the cards, though they might not be relevant if they ever even come up, though if he does, he'll be much faster then the Kaiser was, the Kaiser took about a day at least to make the Dark Towers until he had his flying base/factory pumping them out, Takato would only take as much time as it took to swipe the card.

Though, the Dark Towers seal the Sovereign, so I might be completely off on that...

If Sandbox... Takato would go straight for the RPG scenario, until he started having some trouble, then he could do any number of things, I'm not gonna try and think of them, don't want to add unimportant thoughts to this.

Or maybe some Hybrid concepts, like Dungeon Keeper or Black And White, or some combo of the two?

There's also the factor of what, if any, resources Lucemon can bring to bear for this, is he just a Voice With An Internet Connection who act's as Mr Esposition? Does he actually have useful information in how to achieve his goals? Does he actually have some minions to supply Takato with? Allies? An actual base of operations?

My brains asking a hundred questions per second.

And any idea or concept that can make a readers head explode like that is pretty much pure gold.

EDIT: Hmm...

Ya know, in the RTS Scenario, I would find it hilarious if Takato's approval rating was STILL higher then the Kaiser's was.

In the beginning, when Takato thought all the Digimon showing up was still just a game, he still treated Guilmon well, though he didn't start really connecting with him till the 'Digimon are actually real and alive' thing finally hit home, so Takato being decent to his own dudes is pretty much a canon trait, so unless Lucemon makes up a cruelty mechanic, Takato is going to be at the least decent to his side.

Video Game Caring Potential is what I'm saying here.

Ryuugi · Sep 4, 2010

Thanks, everyone.

Aarik (post one):

Yeah, Lucemon's gonna notice that. Hell, he's gonna have a whole lot to do with creating Guilmon later in this chapter.

As for the Tutorials, haha, yeah. In just a bit, Lucemon's gonna tell Takato that he's going to be testing the game on it's hardest setting ('Impossible'). The lowest setting is 'Hard,' by the way. He's going to have to fight the Chosen Children, all eight of them, but suddenly, without warning, that numbers gonna jump up to eleven. He also has to, at the same time, fight off Dagomon and the other Dark Area guys, deal with the Kaiser, deal with the threat Myotismon will eventually represent, and more.

Oh, and since the settings 'Impossible' he gets no extra lives, there are no save points, there are no cheat codes, there are no hp boosters, no mp boosters, no nothing. All Takato gets are 'log out' points, places where he can return to the real world.

This is because this isn't a game, of course, but Takato doesn't know that and willbe understandably nervous.

Seiya: Don't listen to him; he had a whole lot to do with both the thought and writing phases of this story.

Also, fixed.

biigoh: Me, too.

Also, remember when you were playing a game and you did all those things that were fun and hilarious cause it was just a game? Yeah, this is gonna be a lot like that. Only it's not a game.

Aarik (post two): I'm going to answer this stuff, so do me a favor and don't let me forget. But also wait just a bit; I'm going to try and post a large segment later, and it's going to be packed full of information that you're really gonna like, and a lot of it's about the stuff in this post. So just let me work on that segment for awhile and I'll post it, and a lot of your questions will be answered and then let me get back to this post.

But I think you're gonna like what's coming.

Aarik · Sep 4, 2010

Okay, now that I know when this takes place, roughly, I can bring up one fun little fact.

The Dark Towers (And Ken's Digivice) don't block Armor and Jogress evolution, it's on the cards.

Evolution Plug-in E counts as Jogress, and it's the card Takato always uses to evolve Guilmon, Kaiser's gonna be pulling his hair out, and then there's the Digimental of Darkness card, which can be used for Evolution and always counts as Armor if I remember right.

EDIT: Nope, a quick check says that counts as Armor thing is wrong, though it can be used to get to Adult.

Ryuugi · Sep 5, 2010

Aarik said:

Doesn't really matter either way, 1) since Guilmon can't get to Adult yet, 2) he doesn't really need to, either, and 3) when he does need to, Defense Plug-in F would let him ignore Dark Towers anyway.

Anyway, the next part is done, I just want to go over it a few times to see if I can make it a bit better.

Aarik · Sep 5, 2010

Why slash two cards when you only need one? They do apparently use up energy you know.

Ryuugi · Sep 5, 2010

Aarik said:

Good point.

And Evolution Plug-in E does indeed count as a Jogress.

the_light_wanderer · Sep 5, 2010

I love this concept so much.

Will Guilmon still have the data loading ability, or will he lose it because he is created in the 02's digiworld. I mean if Takato can load data he'll be considered a complete monster by the 02 cast for permanently killing the digimon he fights. I can see Lucemon encouraging this by saying something along the lines of 'it's how you gain experience'

I'm also curious about the log out points that you mentioned. I'm wondering which real world they lead to 02's or tamers. I mean logging out into the 02 verse would save Lucemon a lot of energy in crossing between dimensions. Logging out into the 02 verse would also add extra dimensions to Takato's interactions with the 02 world. But if that happened I think Takato would eventually get suspicious that he couldn't stop playing the game and return home.

I suppose that Lucemon would benefit from having Takato return occasionally to the tamers universe. I mean if he doesn't Takato is limited card wise to whatever had on him when Lucemon made his call.

I'll be following this for sure.

Aarik · Sep 5, 2010

Digital World.

Digiworld is a VERY bad dubbing error.

Ryuugi · Sep 5, 2010

t_l_w: Yes, Guilmon will still load data. And yes, they will; indeed, that's the entire point. And you're right, that's exactly what Lucemon's doing.

As for logging out; generally the Tamer dimension, because otherwise, the ruse that it's a game will fall apart really quickly. But sometimes, Takato will intentionally 'log out' into the 01/02 world, thinking it just another area of the game.

As for cards...yes. But there's another way of getting cards that Lucemon's thought of. But Takato will use cards from his world, too.

Now, on to the fic.

--------------------------

Takato groaned.

ôWhat just happenedà?ö He trailed off as his eyes widened in alarm. ôWhat the hell!? Where am I?ö

He was not in the computer lab, that was for sure. It was pretty easy to come to that conclusion, because he sincerely doubted that anyone had leveled the city, created a beach, and added an entire ocean in the last five seconds.

And even if, by some turn of events, they had, that still wouldnÆt explain everything. Because he was not on a normal beach and that was not a normal ocean.

Hell, that wasnÆt even the normal sky.

Everything, everything, looked like someone had painted it in shades of grey and black.

Even he was like thatà

TakatoÆs eyes widened as he looked at himself. And not just because of the change in coloration.

His cloths were different.

ôW-what theà?ö He wondered, looking at what he was now wearing.

His clothes had changed. In place of his Blue Hoodie and shorts, he was wearing long pants, a T-shirt, a jacket, andàfingerless gloves? And based off that familiar feelingà

Takato reached up to touch his head with one hand.

Yup, he was wearing his goggles. Which wasnÆt, by itself, weird, since he did wear goggles. However, he hadnÆt been wearing them in the computer lab.

ôWhat is this?ö

ôClothes more becoming of a hero, donÆt you think?ö A voice startled him. Partially because he hadnÆt expected anyone, and partially because it was familiar.

But that couldnÆt be.

But he looked anyway, just to be sure.

There was a boy standing a bit further down the beach, and he was the only thing in sight that had color besides grey and black. Takato would have thought him a human boy, if not for the obvious inhuman additions. He had blond hair and blue eyes, and he was wearing somethingàa toga? Was that what it was called?

Takato wasnÆt sure.

Though, to be honest, he also didnÆt really care, because the boy had something else, and Takato found it much more interesting.

He had wings. Twelve flawless white angel wings.

The boy was an angel?

ôWho areà?ö Takato trailed off, because suddenly the boy was right in his face.

And Takato hadnÆt seen him cross any of the space between them.

Takato would have liked to be proud of the fact that he didnÆt suddenly scream, but he was acutely aware that the only reason he wasnÆt was because his heart was stuck in his throat.

That also might have been why he couldnÆt breathe.

ôDonÆt you remember me, Takato? WeÆve never met face to face, butàsurely you remember my voice? ItÆs only been a few minutes since last we spoke, after all.ö

Indeed, Takato did recognize the voice. That didnÆt keep him from reminding himself it was impossible, but he did recognize it.

But why deny what was right before his face?

Takato swallowed.

ôLucemon?ö

Lucemon smiled and nodded.

ôW-whatÆs going on?ö

ôWelcome to the game, Takato.ö Lucemon said.

ôThe gameà?ö His eyes widened. ôThis is all a part of the game? But how? Everything looks so realàö

Lucemon lifted a hand and a torrent of bright light struck a boulder some ways away. Takato flinched at the light, but he saw what happened.

The boulder exploded, butànot the way it should have. Instead of shrapnel and debris, it exploded intoàparticles?

ôData.ö Lucemon corrected, as if he could read TakatoÆs mind. ôEverything in this place is made of Data. The beachàthe oceanàthe skyàeven you and I are data in this place. Though we are slightly different; weÆre both real, outside this game. IÆm a highly advanced AI, and youÆre a human. But otherwise, everything else is entirely data.ö

ôThis isàö Takato said, stunned but not stupid. ôThis isàreally advanced.ö

He bent down to the beach and touched it. It felt real. He lifted a slightly sandy finger to his mouth and licked it. He cringed at the taste. It tasted real, too. He smelt the sea, and besides the color, it looked real, too. And he could hear things; things heÆd associate with a beach.

ôThis isàprobably more advanced than anything IÆve ever seen.ö He turned to Lucemon with a frown, since things didnÆt quite match up. ôSo whyÆs it being used for a game?ö

ôOriginally, it was for testing purposes. As you said, this technology is very advanced, but itÆs also very new. It needed to be tested in a controlled environment, and it has been; extensively. And itÆs proven safe to use. The organization responsible for this game also assisted in the creation and testing of this technology, and that testing took the form you see today. In truth, this technology is so advanced that it wonÆt be ready for the public for some time, but before that happened, before we even started, we wanted to make sure everything would be safe when it eventually, which, as I said, it was shown to be. But we also wanted to make sure everything was fun, and thatÆs where we need your help. If youÆre still willing, of course?ö

ôOh, IÆm willing. IÆm curious, now.ö Takato said.

ôGood, good. Then allow me to explain. We will be continually creating and modifying this world, and we want you to test it. This world is based off the popular franchise æDigimon;Æ as you can see, for the purposes of this game, I have taken the form of æLucemonÆ the rightful ruler of this world. You, on the other hand, have taken to form of yourself, but also as a Digimon Tamer.ö

ôAàTamer?ö

ôYouÆre probably familiar with the term æChosen Child,Æ but weÆre going to try to distance ourselves from that term; IÆll explain why in a minute. A Tamer, like the Chosen, is a human partnered to a Digimon. In this game, Tamers will use their Digimon to fight and defeat enemies, gain experience, something we call gathering data, overcome challenges, and, of course, save the world. As you gather data, your Digimon will grow and evolve through the levels you are already familiar with.ö

Takato nodded to show that he understood.

ôThe premise of this game is quite simple. I, æLucemon,Æ am the rightful ruler of the Digital World. I have been overthrown and casted down by the traitors that now call themselves the Sovereigns. IÆm sure you already understand the basics from just that.ö

ôI need to defeat the Sovereigns and release you?ö

ôYes. However, since we realized how predictable that would be, we decided to mix things up a bit. Your main enemies will be the Chosen Children.ö

ôWait, arenÆt they the good guys?ö

ôYes, exactly. Well, at least, they think themselves to be. But in reality, they are being manipulated by the Sovereigns. And honestly, in the process of serving the Sovereigns, they have accomplished a lot of good; you did see the series, right?ö

ôOf course!ö

ôJust checking. However, now, they are a threat to the entire world. Or they will become such if you let things continue. You must stop them by any means necessary. And thatÆs just the thing; youÆre going to be outnumbered and outgunned, so youÆre only hope is that youÆre not outclassed. To achieve victory, youÆre going to have to do a number of morally questionable things, which will hopefully make you wonder about things like right and wrong, and things like subjective morality. In addition, thereÆs another variable in this game. He calls himself the Digimon Kaiser. HeÆs going to be conquering the Digital World, taking it from the Sovereigns and the Chosen.ö

ôLike me? So heÆs an ally?ö

ôItÆs designed to look like that, but no. HeÆs enslaving and hurting innocent Digimon. HeÆs there to make you question yourself; to make you wonder if what youÆre doing is right. To make you wonder how you are any different from him.ö

ôBut isnÆt that obvious? IÆm doing the right thing. IÆm not taking over for myself; IÆm freeing you and overthrowing the traitors.ö

ôWellàyes. But the things you see will make you wonder; we built them to wear you down emotionally. Will you be able to endure anyway? That is the question.ö

ôThe answer's yes.ö Takato told him firmly.

ôWeÆll see. But you should know something. The game weÆre having you test? YouÆre testing it on the highest difficulty level.ö

ôHard?ö

ôNo; æImpossible.Æ æHardÆ is the lowest difficulty setting. On Hard, you fight the eight Chosen, their Digimon, the four Sovereigns, the Digimon Kaiser, and a number of other opponents, all with only your one Digimon and your wits. You will fight enemies with levels ranging from Child to Ultimate, backed by the rulers of the world, and their levels are independent of yours, so you could easily stumble into a fight with Perfect or even Ultimate Digimon as a child, while on æHard.Æö

Takato licked his lips, partially in fear, partially in excitement.

ôWhatÆs Impossible like, then?ö

ôItÆs basically the same, only you have no extra lives, no hp boosters, no mp boosters, the enemies are stronger, and, oh yeah, there are no save points. If you die, thatÆs it.ö

ôHolyàö Takato whispered. ôAnd you want me to win against those odds? Why not just on Hard?ö

ôBecause the tears of broken gamers taste like candy. Still up for it?ö

Takato took a deep breath and nodded.

ôThen let it never be said you donÆt have guts. Congratulations, Takato; you are officially the first player of the game.ö

ôCool.ö

ôLetÆs get started then, shall we?ö Lucemon said. ôIÆll explain several rules youÆre probably unfamiliar with, as well as theàfringe benefits you get for doing this for us, later during the tutorial level. But IÆll cover the basics right now, just in case. The first thing you need to know about is that Digivice; it does much more then let you evolve your partner. IÆll explain the features during the tutorial level. But for now, hand your Digivice to me.ö

Takato did, feeling a bit confused. Lucemon took it in his hands, and it glowed more a minute, before he handed it back.

ôI just added the first of your fringe benefits; it will also be explained during the tutorial.ö

ôLucemon, youÆve mentioned my partner several timesàwho is he?ö

ôGood question; I was thinking it was about time we moved on to that anyway. Normally, a Tamer would be bonded to a chosen Digimon from a selection, but in your case, as thanks for your help, weÆre going to give you a special opportunity. You will get a chance to design your own Digimon.ö

ôI will!?ö Takato nearly shouted.

ôMy, quite eager.ö

ôIÆm sorry, itÆs justàthis is like a dream come true for me.ö

ôThen I suppose you have several ideas in mind? A warning, I cannot make a Digimon thatÆs too powerful; I canÆt just partner you with a Perfect or a Mega, as much as that would simplify things.ö

ôNot a problem; I already know exactly what I want. I had it in a notebook that I got in trouble for drawing in earlier today. I got it back after class, though.ö

ôDid you have the notebook on you?ö

ôYeah, but that was back in the Real World.ö

ôCheck.ö Lucemon ordered.

Takato blinked, but did as he was told.

ôHey! ItÆs here! Howà?ö

Lucemon just smiled and extended a hand. Takato forked over the notebook.

ôHmàGuilmon? Yesàthis will work nicely. Very well then, prepare yourself Takato. You are about to become the Tamer of a unique Digimon.ö Lucemon said, giving back the Notebook. ôDo you see the part of your Digivice that looks like a card reader? Slash this drawing through it.ö

Takato took a deep breath and gave it a shot. He brought the edge of the notepad down into the card scanner andàit got stuck. And nothing happened.

Takato frowned and opened his mouth to ask whatÆs going on, but he was cut off before he could even begin by a strange noisy. A noise like something whirling. And thenàa noisy like something tearing.

His Digivice was tearing the pages out of the notepad and scanning them like they were cards.

ôThat is so cool-AH!ö He suddenly screamed as his Digivice erupted with a bright light. He made a note to himself; get used to sudden bright lights, æcause they show up a lot in this game.

All around him, things started breaking down. The water, the sand on the beach, even the air; they suddenly exploded into data particles as the Digivice finished scanning the pages of the notepad. They began to swirl into a vortex with the Digivice at its center, and, in seconds, all of it was sucked into it.

After a moment of silence, Takato thought it was safe.

ôWhat the hell was that-AH!ö This time, the sudden light was accompanied by an explosion of force that picked Takato up and threw him away. ôI canÆt believe I didnÆt see that coming!ö

Lucemon, for his part, was unaffected by the lights, the data typhoon, and even the explosion. He just stood patiently until it all subsided.

ôItÆs safe now, Takato; you can open your eyes.ö

ôYou know, thatÆs the type of advice I could have used earlier.ö Takato said, lifting himself up and opening his eyes.

Lucemon ignored his comment, and Takato turned his head to see what he was looking at.

Suddenly, all of his irritation was forgotten.

There, beside his Digivice, was a large spotted egg.

ôFor unto us a child is born.ö Lucemon said.
-

Takato sat silently on the beach, staring at the spotted egg.

ôHow long do you think itÆll take to hatch?ö He asked, not even looking away from the egg.

ôI donÆt know. But given that weÆre in the Dark Area, and that itÆs a Virus typeàprobably not too long. You should go home for now, Takato.ö

That was enough to snap Takato away from the egg.

ôBut-ö

HeÆs reply was cut short before it could go any further.

ôYouÆve been here quite awhile. Your parents are probably worried about you.ö

TakatoÆs eyes widened.

ôI completely forgot! IÆm late by now! How long has it been?ö

ôOh, a little over two hours.ö

His words just made Takato wince harder.

ôYouÆre right; I have to go. When can I come back?ö

ôAny time you have both your Digivice and a computer with internet access, you can return to this place.ö

ôMy parents have one; I should be able to get on later.ö

ôVery well. IÆll see you then.ö

Lucemon gestured and Takato was gone. He nonetheless waited patiently for a few seconds, just to be sure.

The moment he was, he walked over to the egg and picked it up with one hand.

ôAnd so it begins.ö He muttered.

A mark on his hand began to glow. It looked like a triangle within a circle, with each of its vertices touching a spot on the edge. Where it did, another triangle was connected on the other side of the circle. All the triangles were equilateral.

Wherever LucemonÆs fingers touched the egg, black veins, like liquid shadows, began to swim over the egg. They slithered over its surface until the entire shell was black.

And then it cracked. Cracks appeared in the darkness, as though it was a shell, and those cracks quickly expanded. Piece by piece, the Darkness fell, until all of it was gone. And it wake wasàGuilmonÆs completely unchanged egg.

Lucemon put the egg down, exactly where it had been, and nodded to himself in satisfaction.
-------

And something to look forward, too:

Next time: Takato and Guilmon massacres an entire village of innocent Digimon as a Tutorial. Then, Guilmon has an Adult Digimon for dessert. Good times?

Deleted member 5249 · Sep 5, 2010

Lucemon, again and again you prove to me why you're my favorite demon lord.

Demon ain't got shit on you. ^_^

Aarik · Sep 5, 2010

Hmm...

A curiosity...

I wonder if Lucemon was surprised to see the Digital Hazard sign on the drawing?

I could see him thinking it fitting since it's the same as the one on his hand...

His left hand.

Oh damn the symbolism just hit me.

Lucemon fancies himself a God.

God's left hand is the hand that bears his rage and brings destruction.

Guilmon bears the symbol that Lucemon bears on his left hand.

Guilmon is symbolically Lucemon's left hand.

Really fitting.

Deleted member 5249 · Sep 5, 2010

I thought the hazard sign wasn't on the original drawing.

Aarik · Sep 5, 2010

<s>I am investigating this and will edit this momentarily.</s>

I have discovered two things.

1. Takato drew Guilmon after frying his card reader, but had completed it before getting his D-Arc, apparently the transformation took awhile.

2. Takato seemingly didn't draw the hazard sign on Guilmon, I haven't gotten to the part where he actually scans it and he's still doodling, though he did draw it on Growmon and MegaloGrowmon.

Ryuugi · Sep 5, 2010

Aarik said:

It wasn't.

Hence why Lucemon's screwing with the egg.

I'll comment on the other posts later. I haven't ignored you, Aarik, I'm just in a bit of a rush, right now.

RJL333 · Sep 5, 2010

Great start hope to see more. Your other story is good too.

Aarik · Sep 5, 2010

Eh don't worry about it, I've been moved downstairs for the night at this point.

My mom is paranoid as hell.

We have a huge Rottweiler, a Pit Bull that naw's on the walls and shreds wood like paper, a loud ass Yorkie and a Motion activated camera system down here.

And she still makes me come down here every freaking night, as if a teenager with some knives and a metal pole is gonna change much.

I'm stuck here till my uncle wakes up about 9 or 10 hours from now.

And I can never sleep with those damn cameras watching me.

So I'm gonna be up all night.

Again.

It's a good thing I only really need two hours of sleep or this would be complete hell.

Ryuugi · Sep 5, 2010

Aarik said:

So yeah, I'm finally getting around to this.

Honestly, the exact type of game it's supposed to be is never really going to be stated, since it's not actually a game. As such, it's not quite limited by any set parameters, so Lucemon tries his best to keep from having to pick one specific type of game. If someone managed to corner him, he'd probably say that it wasn't any one genre of game, and that it instead drew influences from them all. He'd also say players are encouraged to figure out their own way of solving problems, such as while fighting an army. He'd say you could starve the enemy army, poison it, take it over, fight it with another army, or what have, but there was no specific answer.

Which, honestly, is the closet thing to the truth.

As such, if Takato was ever confronted by a Sphinx, expect him to probably just shoot her in the face instead of playing along. In the same way, he might just blow up a dungeon instead of crawling through it, or shoot someone in the back of the head rather then fight fair.

Lucemon's role in this is very wide ranging. He serves as all those roles, really.

And yes, Takato will generally act very nicely to the people on his side. However, keep in mind that he can also be extremely cruel to his enemies (or even non-allies). For example, the Tutorial level involves Takato butchering every Pyocomon the the Pyocomon village. Every. Single. One. Why? Cause to him, this is a game. And in many games, you have to grind your way up on giant spiders and orcs and shit.

All he knows right now is that he's on the hardest setting, that he's gonna have to fight eight Chosen (more actually, but he doesn't know that yet) all of whom can go Adult (as long as there are no Dark Towers), four Sovereigns, one Kaiser, his legions of slaves, and who knows what else.

He sees a large number of mobile targets, and nothing. And so what if the orcs in this game are big walking heads with flowers sticking out?

They're more than that, but he doesn't know that. He just knows that he's gotta level Guilmon up, cause his first fight's against Brock, his seconds against Misty, and he chose fire as his starter.

So while there will be a lot of Superman in how his troops see him, since they know what he does to help and protect them, there's also gonna be a lot of Darkseid, cause they know this guy could brutally massacre legions with no remorse for xp (data in this game), and may or may not destroy every object in the area in hopes that coins will pop out.

Aarik · Sep 5, 2010

So it's Sandbox.

Got it.

Sandbox means that they give you a whole world to fuck with and do whatever you want, with a loosely connected series of goals you can achieve, in this case, beating the various different teams of enemies.

The Grand Theft Auto Series is a sandbox style game.

You can go anywhere and do anything you can think of, so long as you have the means.

Also Spore, though not as loose as GTA.

EDIT: Also, I really want to have Takato catch the Kaiser during one of his flip outs and say "Dude! Calm down! It's just a game, no need to go all crazy over it!"

the_light_wanderer · Sep 5, 2010

Lucemon, you magnificent bastard

Since you've shown that Takato returns to the tamers real world when he logs out, I'm wondering what effect this is going to have on the tamers storyline. Is Lucemon going to be exerting some influence on the tamers real world beyond calling Takato? Mainly in making sure Takato avoids the battles that will be taking place in the real world.

Ryuugi · Sep 5, 2010

Aarik said:

Good catch on the left hand thing. That's exactly right.

Takato, on the other hand, is Lucemon's right hand. This is because a person of high rank who put someone on his right hand gave him equal honor with himself and recognized him as possessing equal dignity and authority.

Lucemon's both averting this and playing it straight with Takato. With Takato, it's true that he's very important to Lucemon, and Lucemon views their relationship as one between a vassal and a Lord, rather then as one of a servant and Master (which is how he views most relationships he has). However, since Lucemon's kind of a dick, and is shamelessly using Takato, it's also a really subtle form of mockery (something at may or may not change as Takato begins to prove himself to be more then just Lucemon's only choice).

t_l_w: Yeah, Lucemon's gonna end up screwing with...pretty much everyone, often via Takato.

Aarik · Sep 5, 2010

Oh, something I forgot to point out, when Lucemon is given his data explanation, at one point when describing himself he uses advance instead of advanced.

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