And the game continues.
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GARDENS OF BABYLON
Chapter 02
Ambushed by Cacti
In a world outside of our world, a world outside of perception, two opponents clashed before a chessboard.
It was the setting for a game of madness; a pointless struggle fed by TakatoÆs sorrow and tears.
The game obeyed no obvious rules. It did not even have a fixed number of pieces. Lucemon could pull out minion after minion after minion, every single inhabitant of the Dark Area, with the exception of GranDracmon; to the greatest of Demon Lords, every piece is a pawn.
Takato studied his far more limited set of pieces.
If there was a king in his size of the board, it would be himself, if only because the game would end should he fall. Most fortunately, his mobility was nowhere near as limited. In fact, he was probably his most powerful piece, and the one he relied on the most, by far.
In the same way, if his board had a queen, it would be Ruki. She was his best friend, his confidant and a powerful Tamer; their closeness allowed Takato to wield her more easily and comfortably than any other of his pieces.
It was a bitter feeling, the awareness that he was using her feelings, their friendship, as a mere tool.
Then there were his bishops, Lee Jenrya and Katou Juri. Their uses were fairly straightforwardàKatou-sanÆs usefulness was fairly limited, though. So far, at least, she had not caused him any trouble. He doubted it would stay like that for much longer; it was a matter of time before Lucemon decided to exploit that weakness.
His knights: Akiyama Ryo and Lee Shaochung. They were knights because they were meant to be used unconventionally. Ryo was the most powerful of the Tamers, but he lived in a different part of the country, so his uses were rather limited. Now that the Demon Lords were sending their armies to world of humans, Takato expected to be able to rely on his powerful knight more often.
The legendary Tamer would probably kill him if he ever found out he had become but a piece under his command, though.
As for JenryaÆs little sister, she was a wild card, bursting with potential. Even if the girl failed, Takato could count on Lopmon, who was absolutely loyal to him. It had been a while since he had to deploy Shaochung as a piece. The last time was, of course, when he had her transported to the Digital World to meet Antiramon and become a Tamer. Then, like all the other Tamers, she fought against D-ReaperÆs agents.
Finally, his rooks, Hirokazu and Kenta. He would be the first to admit they were not very reliable, thus he did not use them very often. The abilities of KentaÆs partner shone the brightest against D-Reaper, though.
Then there was the row of pawns: the Digimon partners. Of course, two of them shone with their absence. LeomonÆs death hurt, painfully, as it dropped the worth of JuriÆs piece to near uselessness. Furthermore, her fall into despair only made the battle against D-Reaper all the more complicated. However, on the bright side, he got both Megidramon and Dukemon out of it.
Guilmonà
Guilmon was terminated in a move born out of spite. Spite and fear.
It was the first and only time Takato saw Lucemon displaying that amount of emotion.
The angel was terrified, and with good reason. Releasing D-Reaper had been a big, risky maneuver from his part, and he had truly believed it would be the game-ender. Never did he expect the Tamers to actually push back the rampaging program to the deepest recesses of the Digital World. Furthermore, a new, powerful, and dangerous Digimon was born.
Dukemon Crimson Mode.
Lucemon eliminated Guilmon because it possessed the power to destroy him.
Looking back on that day, he really should have seen it coming.
ôVery well,ö Lucemon finally declared. ôI guess I should make a move now.ö
Takato sighed. ôI guess you wonÆt wait until IÆm out of the hospital, will you? That would be too nice.ö
ôNow, now, the game allows no interruptions,ö Lucemon chided. ôLilithmon, come here, will you?ö
ôYes, milord.ö
The demon lady winked at LucemonÆs opponent before sauntering her way to her liegeÆs side.
ôHow can I be of service, milord?ö
ôWellàö Lucemon began, never taking his eyes off the game board. ôYou are the closest of my pieces to Takato, both figuratively and literally, so I thought of letting you make the move this time.ö
The female Digimon blinked. ôMilord? Areàwith all due respect, are you serious?ö
Takato was admittedly surprised himself. This was not LucemonÆs style. Thisàgenerosity.
ôWhy not?ö the angel dismissed the other twoÆs reaction with a mild shrug. ôUnlike the other five, you actually know how to play. So, now, come on.ö He smirked devilishly. ôImpress me.ö
LilithmonÆs expression quickly hardened. Of course, there was a catch.
If she made a move, and it backfired, Lucemon obviously would not be happy. This was as much a gift as it was a test.
Glancing at Takato, she was met by a subtle smile, full of compassion. Obviously the boy was aware of this as well.
Damn it, she wanted him so badlyà
The proverbial light bulb went alight in her head.
ôWellàif Lord Lucemon wishes for me to play directly on the chessboard, then that is exactly what this humble lady will do.ö
ôThereÆs absolutely nothing humble about you, Lilithmon,ö Takato deadpanned. The demon lady childishly poked her tongue out at him.
ôBooh, now for that I wonÆt be nice to you, onii-sama~ö
Takato raised an eyebrow. ôYou actually expected me to believe you intended to be nice in the first place?ö
Lilithmon giggled at such bluntness. She did not deny anything, though.
ôWellàö she began as she stepped closer to the game board. ôSince you asked for her, I might as well use that piece.ö
On cue, a black figure about the size of TakatoÆs pinky finger appeared in LilithmonÆs right hand.
ôLadyDevimonàö he muttered, easily recognizing the piece.
ôHooàö Lucemon mused, smirking all the time. ôThatÆs surprisingly straightforward.ö
ôIÆm horny and not in the mood for strategizing.ö
ôFair enough.ö
ôHow exactly?ö Takato muttered.
TakatoÆs pieces were neatly aligned near the center of the board, with the exception of the piece representing him, which was placed on the left corner, indicating his current, unmovable status. Lilithmon rudely slammed her piece in the square diagonal to TakatoÆs piece.
ôAnd thatÆs my move. You see it, right? Onii-sama?ö
ôItÆs a very obvious moveàö Lucemon stated. ôBut, in the current circumstances, it might actually workàö Chuckling one more time, he focused his gaze on Takato. ôSo? Your response? The clock starts tickingàö
ôBe quiet, IÆm trying to think here.ö
Takato frowned. This was, indeed, an extremely simple move. He had several ways to counter it, but the easier one would involve revealing a card he did not want to show just yet. But, even without that trump card, he could deal with this very easily.
That meant, of course, that Lucemon was hiding something.
It would not do to prepare a single counter-move. In case his response was somehow countered itself, Takato would need multiple alternatives. Lucemon would somehow nullify his moves, closing all avenues of escape until he had him cornered.
Takato sighed and tried to make himself comfortable in his seat.
ôVery well, letÆs see what my pieces are doing right now. Then IÆll make my move.ö
Lucemon only noddedàand smiled.
He found the anticipation thrilling.
