RPG ::Monster Network::\hacked into reality/ [PG-VL]

[Redemption]

[FONT=Arial][COLOR=Blue][FONT=Book Antiqua][CENTER][SIZE=3][U]::MONSTER NETWORK:: \hacked into reality/[/SIZE][/U][/CENTER][/FONT]

[COLOR=Red]!! It's the newest craze! Monster Network - a computer game that allows the player to create their own monster and battle alongside them against your friends! Watch your monster grow and become the most powerful creature of all! !![/COLOR]

Sakura read the sign outside the computer game shop at the Central Tokyo shopping centre.
" Hmmm.....sounds interesting." Sakura checked her purse. " I have enough money. Ah...why not? I haven't played a computer game in such a long time. It'll be fun." Sakura walked into the shop with her money in hand.

Meanwhile...

A man wearing glasses sat at his computer, typing furiously.
" I'll get them....those fools...took my idea....they'll pay....." he mumbled to himself and slurped down a can of Coke.

Paragraphs of coding started to appear on his computer screen before him.
" Finally, I will make them pay..."
For three hours he sat there and changed the internet coding for the newly released game, Monster Network. He sniggered gleefully as he hit the last key.
" They will regret ever coming into contact with the Master!!!" The man started laughing evilly.
______________________________________________

? Mother, Father, Takahiro, I?m home?.? Sakura said as she entered her family?s apartment. No answer. She turned around.
? Not home. Must be at work still?..?
With her new game she was eager to try out, Sakura shut herself in her room and sat at her computer. Sakura?s room was that of a typical teenage girl. Posters of bands and cute anime guys were plastered all over the walls of her room. Clothes spread all over the floor. Her bed was covered in school books and sketching pads. A computer stood idle on a desk in front of her. She sat down on her swivel chair, switched the computer on and waited for it to load. Taking the new computer game out of the bag, she read the back.
? Sounds interesting. I hope I get to meet lots of new people!?

Just then, the door to the apartment slammed shut.
? Hello? Anyone home?? came Takahiro?s voice.
? Takahiro! I?m in my bedroom!?
Sakura?s bedroom door opened.
? Hey sis! What are you doing??
? I got this new game today. Monster Network?? Sakura started.
? WHAT! I got the same game too! Cool!?
? Wow! We can make a party then??
? Sure!?
Takahiro sat down beside her.

Sakura logged onto the computer in her name. She then opened the box.
? Huh? What?s this??
She took out a CD-ROM and then a small sky-blue hand-held computer.
? That?s the MC,? Takahiro explained, ? It?s so you can take your monster with you all the time. You can battle with each other using the MC too.?
? Cool!?
Sakura put the CD into the drive and loaded the game. A screen appeared with the Monster Network logo on it. A box then appeared.

[B]MN Username:
[U]Connect[/U][/B]

? Hmmm?? Sakura typed her username in.

[B]MN Username: Storm
[U]Connect[/U][/B]

Takahiro looked at his sister?s username. Sakura clicked connect.
? Storm huh??
? You know how I like lightning storms.?
? Yeah?.freak.? He nudged her in the shoulder.
? I love you too??

Another box appeared on the screen.

[B]What is your monster?s name:
What gender will it be:
What element do you want it to control:

[U]Make My Monster[/U][/B]

Sakura looked at the screen thoughtfully and then typed her monster?s details in.

[B]What is your monster?s name: Zephyr
What gender will it be: Male
What element do you want it to control: Lightning (Sakura chose it from the drop list)[/B]

She then clicked [B][U]Make My Monster[/U][/B]. They sat back and waited for it to load. Then a huge white egg with silver speckles appeared on the screen.
? Huh?? Sakura said.
? Click on the egg Sakura,? Takahiro said. Sakura moved the cursor and clicked on the egg. A message appeared.

[B] Connect the MC to your computer. [/B]

Sakura took out the cable from the box and connected the MC to her computer. The message disappeared and the MC suddenly activated. The egg on the screen now appeared in front of Sakura. The holographic devices had activated and now the egg appeared in front of her. Sakura?s eyes were wide with shock while Takahiro?s were wide with excitement.

In front of them, the egg started to move. A crack appeared in the shell. Suddenly, the egg split in half and a small creature flopped out of it. It was white, furry and looked like a cat. Wings sprouted from the creature?s shoulders. Big golden eyes looked up and into Sakura?s.
? Awww! It?s so cute! I want to hug it!? Sakura said and went to touch it.
? You can?t Sakura. It?s an image!? Takahiro said but Sakura?s hand was already stroking it.
? Wow! It even feels real!? Sakura picked the white furball up and cuddled it in her arms. She stroked the wings with her left hand. The furball started purring.
? That?s not right. How the hell is it real? It?s only supposed to be an image,? Takahiro said quietly to himself.
? Zephyr the white lightning sphinx, that?s who you are!? Sakura said, holding the cat up in the air, its wings a little outstretched.
? Yup, that?s me!? a small male cat-like voice came from the sphinx?s mouth. Now both Sakura?s and Takahiro?s jaws dropped.
? You can talk??!?? Takahiro blurted out.
The little sphinx flapped its white feathery wings. ? Yup! How else are we supposed to communicate with our partners??
? Zephyr has a point Takahiro,? Sakura said as she cuddled Zephyr tightly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the computer screen. Statistics of Zephyr was loaded onto the screen and her MC. Another message appeared on the screen.

[B]Your monster?s data has now downloaded onto your MC. Care for your monster well and happy battling![/B]

Sakura looked at Zephyr again and then at Takahiro.
? Ok bro, your turn.?

OOC: Sorry its so long but a lot of details to cover.
First, human monsters don?t hatch from eggs. They appear, standing on the Monster Network logo. And as you have seen, creature monsters hatch from eggs.
Secondly, the MCs can be any colour you like, so we won?t get confused with each other?s when we?re at school.
Lastly, the hacker mentioned before is responsible for making the monsters real. Just thought I?d let you know.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Sakura]

[COLOR=Navy]Aria walked past a store and read the large poster ad stuck on its window advertising a new game called Monster Network, or MN for short. She thought about it and entered the store, searching around until she found the product and picked it up. She read the information on the back of the box and decided to buy, just because she wanted to see what it was like, since she'd never played a computer game before.

Aria purchased the item and left, continuing her walk home. When she arrived she entered the wooden door.

"Mum, I'm home." she called to her adopted mother.

"Hello Aria, did you have a good day at school?" she asked, walking into the hall.

"Yes thanks, I bought a new computer game to see what it's like, I hope you and Dad don't mind." she said respectfully.

"Not at all. Do you want a snack?" her mother asked.

"Yes please."

"Alright then, I'll bring it up for you soon."

"Thankyou." Aria finished, then ran up the stairs and arrived on the landing that her bedroom was on. She walked across the polished floorboards and into her room, putting her bag next to the table that had her computer on it.

She sat and turned on the computer, taking out the game box while it started up. She opened the box and tipped the contents out, a small navy blue handheld device, a CD-ROM and a small instruction book. Aria put the disk into the drive and loaded it up, flipping through the book. She learnt that the device was called a MC so she could take her monster around with her and battle with other people using it.

Her mother entered and put her snack on the table, Aria thanked her and took a bite out of the sandwich. While she had been reading, a screen appeared with the Monster Network logo on it. Then a small box appeared.

[CENTER][B]MN Username:[/B]
[U][B]Connect[/B][/U][/CENTER]

Aria thought for a few seconds before typing in her decided username.

[CENTER][B]MN Username:[/B] Squall
[U][B]Connect[/B][/U][/CENTER]

Then she clicked on connect. She chose Squall because her name was Italian for Wind, and she loved the wind, so decided on Squall, a type of wind hazard.
Another box appeared after she clicked.

[CENTER][B]What is your monster?s name:
What gender will it be:
What element do you want it to control:[/B]

[B][U]Make My Monster[/B][/U][/CENTER]

Aria had to think longer for this one, but eventually filled in the information.

[CENTER][B]What is your monster?s name:[/B] Larka
[b]What gender will it be:[/B] Male
[b]What element do you want it to control:[/B] Wind

[B][U]Make My Monster[/B][/U][/CENTER]

Aria answered the top two and chose from a drop down menu for the element. Then she clicked [B][U]Make My Monster[/B][/U]. It said it was loading so she finished her snack and saw a large egg appear on screen. It was navy blue with silver speckles through it. She just looked at the egg, then flipped through the book to see what to do next. It said to click on it, so she did. A new message appeared.

[CENTER][B]Connect the MC to your computer.[/B][/CENTER]

Aria looked around and saw the cable, she connected the cable to her MC, then put the other end in the computer. The message disappeared and the MC activated, the egg had disappeared off screen and was now in front of her as the holographic devices started to work.
The egg started to wiggle and soon cracks appeared, a piece of shell on top fell off and a snout appeared, soon the rest of the egg was disposed of and there lay a medium sized, dark blue dragon with horns sticking out from above its eyes. She looked at its wings and reached out to touch them. To her surprise she could actually feel the dragon's wings, they were leathery. She ran her hand along its scales and felt the texture. Its eyes opened and looked up at her, she looked back into the creature's crystal blue eyes. Aria looked at it strangely and realised.

"You're Larka, aren't you? Larka the Wind Dragon." Aria said.

"Indeed I am." he replied in a medium voice, one of a young male dragon. Aria almost dropped the MC in shock.

"You can talk?" she asked.

"Of course, how else do you think we can communicate with our partners?"

"Good point." Aria replied, she noticed something appear on the screen and saw Larka's statistics, they were being downloaded into the MC. When it was done, another message appeared.

[CENTER][B]Your monster?s data has now downloaded onto your MC. Care for your monster well and happy battling![/B][/CENTER][/COLOR]

[Kayin Cloud]

"Okay. Let's see..." He went to [b][u]New MC[/u][/b] and clicked on it, bringing up the starting window again.

[B]MN Username:
[U]Connect[/U][/B]

"What should my username be?" Takahiro asked himself.
"Why don't you use one of your characters from your drawings?" Sakura said hugging Zephyr.
"Hm...Got it." He said and began typing.

[B]MN Username: Ryu_01
[U]Connect[/U][/B]

Sakura looked at his username and smiled. "That's that one you made yourself into..."
"Yeah...so?" He said smiling back. Another box appeared on the screen.

[B]What is your monster?s name:
What gender will it be:
What element do you want it to control:

[U]Make My Monster[/U][/B]

Takahiro had taken a second to think. "Hm...I'll use my other favorite character here." He began typing in his monster's details.

[B]What is your monster?s name: Kayin
What gender will it be: Male
What element do you want it to control: Thunder (Takahiro selected it from the drop list)[/B]

After typing in the details he clicked [B][U]Make My Monster[/U][/B]. They sat back and waited for it to load again. "I hope that the human characters don't come out of eggs too..." He said laughing to himself. A human child shaped figure appeared behind an MC logo and a message came up.

[B] Connect the MC to your computer. [/B]

"Sakura could you hand me my MC?" Takahiro asked.
Sakura nodded and took out another cable from the box and connected the MC to the computer. The message window closed and the MC suddenly activated. The child on the screen had appeared in front of Takahiro on the screen. The holographic devices had activated and now the child appeared right in front of him. Takahiro watched to see what would happen next.

The child raised his head and looked up to Takahiro with dark eyes. The child's mouth opened and a quiet voice emerged saying, "Are you my partner?"
"Uh...yeah...I'm your partner...Takahiro...It's nice to meet you Kayin."
Kayin smiled and his eyes brightened. "I'm glad I have a friend now..." He said. He looked over to Sakura and Zephyr and greeted them. Takahiro glanced over to the screen. Statistics of Kayin were loaded onto the screen and her MC. Another message appeared on the screen.

[B]Your monster?s data has now downloaded onto your MC. Care for your monster well and happy battling![/B]

"Well, what do we do now?" Takahiro asked, smiling at Sakura and their new partners.

[Seibzeihn]

[color=navy][font=garamond]Miraki Issacher had no sooner polished off a muffin, two bagels and three cups of coffee, when he inserted the Monster Network CD-ROM into his laptop's ROM drive and pulled out the Monster Computer (which was black with silver trim). He had been waiting for the game's release since it was first announced, and had stayed up late just to buy a copy when the stores opened that day. Now, sitting comfortably in a padded sofa at the local Internet Cafe, Miraki prepared to install the program. The installation process went smoothly and quickly, for Miraki always made a point to have the best technology available in order to better design graphics and websites. When it had finished, a screen appeared with the MN logo on it.

A pop-up window appeared.

[CENTER][b]MN Username:[/b]
[b][u]Connect[/u][/b][/CENTER]

Miraki quirked a smile.

[CENTER][b]MN Username: Crucify[/b]
[b][u]Connect[/u][/b][/CENTER]

Moving the mouse over "Connect," he clicked. Another pop-up window promptly appeared.

[CENTER][b]What is your monster?s name:
What gender will it be:
What element do you want it to control:

[u]Make My Monster[/u][/b][/CENTER]

Miraki filled in the fields with the information he had written down in his notebook.

[CENTER][b]What is your monster?s name: Adam
What gender will it be: Androgynous
What element do you want it to control: Light[/b][/CENTER]

After clicking "Make My Monster," Miraki watched intently as a large egg, silver with black specks, appeared on the screen. Knowing what to do, thanks to his research of the game, he clicked on it and attatched the MC to his laptop as prompted. To his surprise, the screen faded and the egg appeared in his lap. Instead of cracking like a normal egg, it seemed to glow with golden light for a moment before fading. Where the egg had once been, now there seemed to be a simple circle of light, with a radius around the length of his arm. Flipping open the instruction booklet, Miraki thumbed to the appropriate section. Had something gone wrong? No, he had done everything that the book had said. Reaching out tentatively, he poked the circle with one finger.

[i]Ouch![/i]

Miraki gave a start. "What was that?"

[i]Stop poking me![/i]

Miraki looked at the circle more closely. "Are you...talking to me?"

[i]Is there someone else I should be speaking to?[/i] The monster's voice was whispery and low, like a stormwind from far away. More amazingly, it seemed to be speaking psychically, since it had no visible mouth. "Are you...Adam?" asked Miraki, still in shock.

[i]Yes.[/i] The circle seemed to glow brighter for a moment. [i]You created me.[/i]

Glancing to his left, Miraki noticed that Adam's data had downloaded itself onto his MN. Another message appeared.

[CENTER][b]Your monster?s data has now downloaded onto your MC. Care for your monster well and happy battling![/b][/CENTER]

Miraki looked back at Adam, and the spark of ambition shone in his eyes. "Well, my name is Miraki. It is an honor to meet you, Adam."

[i]Likewise, Master Miraki. I will do my best to serve you well.[/i]

'Master' Miraki nodded. "Then let's get started."[/color][/font]

[Ezekiel]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=Green][I][CENTER]Will I ever get to see the ending to my story?
Show me what it's for
Make me understand it
I've been crawling in the dark looking for the answer
Is there something more than what I've been handed?
I've been crawling in the dark looking for the answer
So when and how will I know?[/CENTER][/I]

The lyrics to Hoobastank's 'Crawling in the Dark' blared out of two silver earpieces, attracting stares from the people sitting in the college study room. A blue haired boy nodded his head slowly to the song, his eyes half closed as if he was thinking. He had been working on his trigonometry for the last half hour and frankly it was becoming tiresome. The boy, Imric Kagushi, blew a few strands of hair from his face, sighing deeply. He looked down at his book bag and rummaged through it before producing a disc sized box with 'Monster Network' written on the front. He chuckled slightly and opened the box, pushing the CD into his laptop. He gained stares from other students in the room who knew that he never played video games, especially ones involving little 'monsters'.

The truth was, Imric's aunt had recently visited and had given her favourite nephew the latest video game that 'all children loved'. Of course, Imric considered himself far above being a child, but never the less he found playing a game for a few minutes more entertaining than a trig. paper. After clicking the set-up program and downloading the information onto his hard drive, Imric noticed a pop up window.

[CENTER][B]MN Username:[/B]
[U][B]Connect[/B][/U][/CENTER]

Imric thought for a few seconds before deciding on a name he remembered from last years Religious Studies lessons.

[CENTER][B]MN Username:[/B] Methuselah
[B][U]Connect[/U][/B][/CENTER]

Imric poised the cursor over 'connect' and after making sure he had the name he wanted, clicked it.

[CENTER][B]What is your monster?s name:
What gender will it be:
What element do you want it to control:[/B]

[B][U]Make My Monster[/U][/B][/CENTER]

The boy leant back in his chair and turned down the volume on his MP3 player, thinking about what would be more original.

[CENTER][B]What is your monster?s name: [/B] [I]Raptaah[/I]
[B]What gender will it be:[/B] [I]Male[/I]
[B]What element do you want it to control:[/B] [I]Fire[/I]

[B][U]Make my Monster[/U][/B][/CENTER]

Imric checked through what he had entered, nodded and clicked 'Make my Monster' after finding himself satisfied with his choices. He noticed an egg pop up on the screen and quickly dug in his bag for the instruction manual and MC. He pulled out a thick booklet and flipped through the pages until he found what he needed. Then he checked his MS, azure blue with flecks of silver and black on its sides and lower front. Imric knew his aunt had good taste so he couldn't complain. After connecting the MC, Imric clicked on the egg. He almost fell from his seat when a holographic image of the egg popped up out of his MC. This, of course, attracted more stares from the people around who had by now grown interested in what monster their fellow classmate had landed up with. Imric poked at the egg and yelped when it cracked and of all thing a small.... fireball...fell from the shell fragments. The people who had gathered 'oohed? and 'aahed' when the fireball seemed to shake itself, looking up at Imric. (He assumed it was looking up as it actually had no eyes, ears, mouth or a nose to speak of). Then, it spoke and Imric near had a heart attack.

[I]It's rude to stare, you know?[/I] the fireball spoke up, sounding slightly angry. It's voice was slightly muffled but high pitched, sounding like it was speaking through a voice distorter. Imric blinked repeatedly and switched his MP3 off, pushing his glasses up his nose.

[B]"I'm sorry.... I...had no idea...um..."[/B] the fireball cut him off with a small cough, bobbing itself in the direction of the laptop screen.

[CENTER][U][B]Your monster?s data has now downloaded onto your MC. Care for your monster well and happy battling![/B][/U][/CENTER]

[B]"Oh, my..."[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Lilt]

[b][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]OOC: Well, it appears that this rp is more complicated than I thought. ^_^ Kudos, amgoddess![/color][/size][/font][/b]

[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Picking up her backpack and putting it over her shoulder, Chiyo got off the bus and walked along the brick walkway to the front door. She hoped that the twins hadn't messed up her room again. They could be so annoying sometimes. She was wondering what it would be like to have a twin, whe she noticed that there was mail in the mailbox by the door, she got it out to take a look. There was nothing really that interesting, until she found a package that had fallen to the bottom. She set the bills and her backpack down on the ground, and took a look at the package. It was addressed to her, and was from some sort of company. She didn't recognize the name. Chiyo tore open the package and the stuff inside went flying everywhere. A coloful video game box caught her eye. She picked it up and took a look at it. She almost ran in to play the game, but then she remembered the rest of the stuff on her porch. She picked up one of the letters that were on the ground and skimmed through it. She knew who it was just by recognizing the handwriting. It was from her dad. He told her that he hoped she liked the new game he had helped design, and that he loved her and he would see her soon.[/color][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Chiyo folded up the letter with the other ones, and brought all of the mail inside. She gave the mail to her mom, and quickly ran upstairs and locked her bedroom door as the twins chased after her, wondering what she was holding in her hands. Chiyo threw her backpack on the bed, and took off her shoes. Impatiently, she followed the directions and installed her new game...[/color][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Not caring very much about her user name, Chiyo looked around her room for an idea. She decided on Obi, and then moved onto creating her monster.[/color][/size][/font]


[center][color=plum][b][font=Verdana][size=2]What is your monster?s name:[/size][/font][/b][/center]
[center][b][font=Verdana][size=2]What gender will it be:[/size][/font][/b][/center]
[center][b][font=Verdana][size=2]What element do you want it to control:[/size][/font][/b][/center]

[center][b][u][font=Verdana][size=2]Make My Monster[/size][/font][/u][/b][/center]
[center][/color][/center]

[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Chiyo put a hand to her head. More decisions? She was hoping she could play right away. About as quickly as she filled out her username, Chiyo put in her monster's information.[/color][/size][/font][/left]

[center][color=plum][b][font=Verdana][size=2]What is your monster?s name: [i]Lady Kabuki[/i][/size][/font][/b][/center]
[center][b][font=Verdana][size=2]What gender will it be: [i]Female[/i][/size][/font][/b][/center]
[center][b][font=Verdana][size=2]What element do you want it to control: [i]Wind[/i][/size][/font][/b][/center]

[center][b][u][font=Verdana][size=2]Make My Monster[/size][/font][/u][/b][/center]
[center][/color][/center]

[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Before clicking the Make My Monster button, Chiyo looked for the instructions to make sure she was doing it right. Inside the box, though, she found a small black and purple device that she didn't recognize. After reading the instructions, she learned that it was called an MC and it had to be plugged into her computer.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"Cool! I love black and purple!"[/b] She said, hugging the MC to her chest.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]After she connected the MC, and clicked the Make My Monster button. However, she dropped her MC on the table, when a hologram of a small girl wearing a dark blue kimono and a straw samurai hat appeared from it. She must have been Lady Kabuki, Chiyo's monster. She looked at Chiyo and said hello. Chiyo's eyes were wide with amazement.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"You can talk?"[/b] She said in surprise.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Lady Kabuki hit Chiyo over the head.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"Of course! I have lips don't I?"[/b] Lady Kabuki yelled.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Chiyo rubbed her head. This was even more surprising than finding out that her monster was able to talk.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"You...you can touch me?"[/b] Chiyo asked rhetorically.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]The samurai girl walked off of the MC. She flexed her hand and looked at it.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"I guess so..."[/b][/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]A beep came from Chiyo's MC. She took a look at it.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"What does it say?"[/b] Lady Kabuki asked her.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Chiyo raised an eyebrow in confusion as she read the message on her MC.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"Happy...bathing?"[/b][/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Lady Kabuki grabbed the MC out of Chiyo's hands, and read the message.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"It says 'happy battling' you idiot!"[/b] Lady Kabuki yelled, as she hit Chiyo again.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"Ouch...you sure are violent..."[/b] Chiyo said as she rubbed her sore head.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Lady Kabuki smiled and cracked her knuckles.[/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"Why thank you."[/b][/color][/size][/font][/left]
[left][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Then, a knock from Chiyo's bedroom door caught their attention.[/color][/size][/font][/left]


[left][b][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]OOC: As you can tell, For a little while, I'm going to provide the comedy in this rpg. ^_^[/color][/size][/font][/b][/left]

[Zephyr]

Dusk had already come by the time Paul made it back to his apartment complex. Finding his mail slot empty, he decided that Ms. Tsukimura must have taken it up already. Ms. Tsukimura was Paul's landlord, and legal guardian. She treated him like family, but still respected his space. So long as Paul was able to work for her brother he was given free room and board, and enough extra money for food and other neccesities, while still taking classes.

Paul flipped the lights on in his room and saw a small package on his computer desk. It was a video game labeled Monster Network. Next to the box was a note explaining that it was a gift from his landlord's brother, in hopes that it would help Paul make a few new friends. Sitting down, he opened the box and reviewed the contents before booting up his laptop. The machine was an older model and took time to load, enough for him to read the loading instructions. Paul set the CD in the reader and the drive began to spin.

[b]MN Username:
[u]Connect[/u][/b]

Paul stopped for a moment and thought. A picture from a mythology book caught his eye. [i]Yeah. That will work[/i]

[b]MN Username:[/b] Dragon Tamer
[b][u]Connect[/u][/b]

The screen changed for a moment and the CD-ROM let out a whine as it scanned. Another window appeared with a second message.

[b]What is your monster?s name:[/b] Ryusei
[b]What gender will it be:[/b] Female
[b]What element do you want it to control:[/b] Fire

[u][b]Make My Monster[/b][/u]

Paul unconcioussly scratched at a scar hidden by his jacket's left arm as he chose the element type, but forged ahead anyway and hit the "Make My Monster" button.

[b]Connect the MC to your computer. [/b]

Searching his desk Paul found the MC. His was a black color with a smoke-like blue pattern on it. Using the provided cable he connected the two systems. The drive began to whine again as the info was transfered to the handheld device. A short time later the holographic system kicked in and displayed a red egg with a black thorn bush pattern on it. The egg began to crack and was slowly replaced by a green dragon. A very large green dragon. [i]Whoa! I didn't know the system could project an image [/i]that[i] big.[/i]

A quiet voice filled the room. "Are you the one that gave me life."

"I--I--uh, suppose so." Paul managed to sputter out.

"Then I thank you," the voice said. The dragon flew over and rested across Paul's shoulders.

[i]What the..? How can this creature be real. I thought it was only an image.[/i] Looking to his computer for an answer Paul found only the stats for Ryusei, and a simple message.

[b][u]Your monster?s data has now downloaded onto your MC. Care for your monster well and happy battling![/u][/b]

[Rhym]

[FONT=Times New Roman]Maxwell's eyes were lit up with excitement as he opened the box containing Monster Network. The moment Max had heard of Monster Network on the web, he knew he must have it. And now, that day had finally arrived. Gingerly, he inserted the disk into his home PC's disc drive. He noticed a strange device in the box as well, and recognized it as the MC. A dark, rich green, the color of forest moss.

[I]Aesthetically pleasing,[/I] he thought to himself.

He set the MC on the desk beside the moniter. Meanwhile, a screen appeared with the Monster Network logo emblazoned upon it. It read:

[B]MN Username:
[U]Connect[/U][/B]

Max thought for a bit. He remembered a name from his class on philosophic history.

[B]MN Username: Nietzsche
[U]Connect[/U][/B]

The next screen was cause for more thought.

[B]Monster's Name:
Monster's Gender:
Monster's Elemental Control:

[U]Make My Monster[/U][/B]

He quickly read through the available elements on the list. "Ice" caught his eye, an element he had always liked. After that, the other choices were fairly straight-forward.

[B]Monster's Name: Frost
Monster's Gender: Male
Monster's Elemental Control: Ice

[U]Make My Monster[/U][/B]

He clicked the "Make My Monster" button. A egg appeared onscreen. It was a delicate pale blue, swirled intricately with a darker blue. When he clicked on it, a notice popped up on screen.

[B]Please connect your Monster Computer[/B]

Max was prepared for this, and connected it soon enough. The egg disappeared from the screen and reappeared on the MC's holographic display, now festooned with a small network of cracks. From there, it was merely a matter of waiting for it to hatch.

Max did not have long to wait, as bits of eggshell were flaking off at a steady rate, seemingly frozen off. Soon, all that remained was a blueish wisp amidst its shell. The wisp opened its eyes, to see Max looking on with interest. The wisp held out its detached hands towards Max in an imploring manner. Then, it seemed to speak directly into his mind.

[COLOR=SlateGray][I]Are you the one known as Nietzsche?[/I][/COLOR]

Max was stopped by his own sheer amazement. Then, he laughed.

"That's only my username, Frost. Please, call me Max." He held out his cupped hands, and Frost floated into them.

[COLOR=SlateGray][I]As you will... Max. I thank you for creating me.[/I][/COLOR]

Max's hands were becoming colder. [I]This is amazing! None of the web forums mentioned this! The monsters can talk, can feel! What are the implications of this?[/I]
[ALIGN=Center]--------[/ALIGN]
Later, on all of the gaming forums Max was subsrcibed to, he wrote.

[I]I, like many today, have purchased Monster Network. But it seems far more advanced than any of the previews give it credit for. The monsters not only talk to you, but can feel, and you can feel them in return. What are the implications of this? Or the consequences?

What is [B]happening?[/B][/I][/FONT]

[Ayokano]

Austin typed like he was playing the piano while he was writing a chapter for a story he had thought of. As the buttons clicked and chattered, he checked the final draft, written on paper with black ink, that was next to his slick computer. Austin cared for his stories, like they where his own children, so he made sure he took good care for them. If his computer would ever crash, he would have multiple floppies and the ink on paper final draft. There would be no way he could lose his works. His art. His children. His life.

He soon finished and he moved his white, arrow, cusor to save. He then typed in the title of the story, the chapter's number, and the name of the chapter. He finally pressed "Save". He smiled, and pressed his hands together. A [i]crack[/i] came from his knuckles.

"Now to that game." He said as he walked to the box laying next to his bed. He opened it, and took out what he needed for the set up. Austin knew what to do and what he needed, he had read the insturctions last night when he had brought the game home. So, he got out the cable, his dark purple MC, and the CD disk. Austin pressed the button on his CPU that opened the CD drive, and placed the CD which had 'Monster Network" written in bluky, child-like letters in it. He hooked the cable which conntected the MC to the CPU, and started it up. A box poped up titled "Monster Network" and he read what it said inside.

[center][b]MC User Connect
....
Connect
....
MC Username:_[/b][/center]

Austin was going to used the username he used on fourms. He typed in "Amor", and pressed enter.

[center][b]....
What is your monster?s name:_
What gender will it be:_
What element do you want it to control:_

[u]Make My Monster[/u][/center][/b]

Vita
Female
Plant

->Enter

[center][b]Monster Now Loading to MC
....
Load[/center][/b]

He pulled the cable from the plug, and loaded at his MC. A little girl was forming from the MC, particle to particle melted upward to make her. Austin stood starring in awe as it happened. Soon, he was face to face to a little girl, who looked about 9-years-old. It was strange, being alone with her, only you and her in the room. Her soild grey eyes starred into his hazel ones. She came closer, and closer.

"....." Complete silence came from her. Though, Austin could see she wanted to say something.

"Hello, Vita, I'm your owner." Austin said, trying to form a smile. It was her eyes though that stopped him from twisting his mouth and showing felling. They seem full of life, though he knew they weren't. Though, they seemed like it, and they left him in awe.

"....." She wasn't speaking. She looked down, a sadness showing on her face. A sorry and he doesn't understand at the same time. Something must be wrong.

"You can't speak can you?" He asked her. She slowly nodded, and he came closer to her. He reached out his hand, and his palm sofly touched her rosey cheek. She put her hand over Austin's, and closed her eyes. She.... felt real.

"It's okay, I understand you."

[Kitty]

[color=blue][size=1]"Damn I'm bored," Rin muttered, laying on the couch and flipping through channels. "Then go outside," her mother shouted from the kitchen. "We're in the middle of a lightning storm, mom!" she shouted back. Almost as if on cue, when she said, "mom", the lights went out, and the TV flickered off. "Damn it! Now the powers' out.."

"Go on your labtop, then. I know that thing has a battery. I bought it and checked myself!" "Fine," Rin sighed, getting up for what seemed like the first time in days. She went upstairs and closed the door to her room, making it pitchblack. She walked blindly into her chair, and sat down, rubbing her stomach. She pulled up the labtop, the screen instantly blinking on, blinding her for a moment.

[i]No power means no internet. And I don't want to type anything. So I guess I can play a computer game.. But I only have this old Monster Network game. I haven't played that for months.[/i]

She reached over and put the disk into her computer, and searched her desk for the old MC. When she finally found it, she put it on her lap and looked up at the screen.

[b]MC Username:
[u]Connect[/u][/b]

"I forgot my old username. I guess I'll make a new one," Rin explained to herself.

[b]MC Username: Kitty
[u]Connect[/u][/b]

Rin clicked on "Connect" and waited for it to load. Her computer was new, so the loading time was a lot faster.

[b]What is your monster's name:
What gender it will be:
What element do you want it to control:

[u]Make My Monster[/u][/b]

"Last time.. I think I did Zinta, female, and darkness. This time I'll do.." she said as she typed in the data.

[b]What is your monster's name: Uindo
What gender it will be: Male
What element do you want it to control: Wind/Lightning

[u]Make My Monster[/u][/b]

Rin scrolled the mouse over the "Make My Monster" option and clicked, once again waiting for a very short load time to pass.

[b]Connect the MC to your computer[/b]

Doing as she was told, Rin grabbed the cable and linked her MC to her labtop, having a bit of trouble in the dark. But in a few short moments, she managed to find the cable port and hooked it up.

A small, sky blue, and gray dotted egg flashed in front of her. "I forgot how fun this was," Rin muttered to herself, glowing with excitement. As the egg began shaking and cracking, a small lizard head popped out. Glinting yellow eyes stared up at her as the rest of her creature emerged from the egg shell. "Hello Uindo," she practically giggled.

[i]Hello Rin.[/i] She suddenly remembered the creatures' ability to talk.

"I wish I could pet you. Too bad you're a holigram." The lizard merely stared back, his eyes examining every inch of the girl that sat before it. She reached her hand out and tried to place her hand inside its chest, like she had done her first time with Monster Network. But this time, her hand felt scales. She recoiled it in shock, her eyes piercing the creature that floated infront of her.

"You.... You [b]are[/b] real," she whispered, reaching her hand to him once again. [i]I do not feel unreal.[/i] "I wouldn't expect you to," she chuckled, her hand stroking his head. "May I hold you?" [i]I would be honored,[/i] the lizard bowed.

"Damn, you're polite," she laughed. [i]Am I not supposed to be?[/i] Uindo asked, oblivious to her joke. "I don't know. But don't think too much about it," she told him, picking him up and holding him in her arms.

[i]What is that I hear?[/i] Uindo asked her. "The rain," Rin replied, gently rocking him in her arms. She had never had a pet. And even though they had known eachother for a few minutes, Rin already felt as if they were best friends. She had never had one of those, either. And as their knowing silence continued, Uindo looked out the Rin's room window.

[i]It sounds beautiful.[/i][/color][/size]

[Redemption]

[FONT=Arial][COLOR=Blue]" Well, its almost night-time. " Why don't we wait until school tomorrow. I'm sure some of our friends will have some monsters. This gme is huge remember? Maybe we could battle!"
" But if our monsters are real, then the damage they receive will be real!" Takahiro realised.
" But, if they don't battle, they won't get bigger and become their real selves," Sakura replied.
" True. We'll just have to take really good care of them."

" We are still here you know!" Kayin interrupted firmly. The samurai boy looked at Takahiro and Sakura sternly.
" Yeah, we're not images any more!!" Zephyr said happily, sitting in Sakura's arms happily.
" Well lets wait til tomorrow. I'm sure that they'll be some more action!" Sakura said excitedly.
____________________________________________

The next morning....

Sakura awoke to Zephyr's face in hers. She yelped, forgetting what had happened the previous night. Zephyr jumped back shocked.
" Sakura!"
Takahiro ran into the Sakura's bedroom. " What's wrong?"
" Nothing, Zephyr just shocked me, that's all. He had his face in mine when I woke up!"
Takahiro sighed relieved. Sakura got up, hugged Zephyr, pushed Takahiro out of the door and got dressed in her school uniform - a plain white blouse, black pleated skirt and black leather shoes. She turned to Zephyr.
" Ok Zephyr, now you have to go back in the MC so I can take you to school ok?"
Zephyr looked depressed.
" I'm sorry but I can't take you to school in my bag! Its too small for you! What will happen when you get bigger?"
" Ok, I'll go," the sphinx mumbled. In a flash of white light, Zephyr transported back into the MC. Sakura could see him wandering around the digital field.
" You stay there Zephyr. I'll let you out when we get back home or outside of school."
" Ok," Zephyr replied.
Sakura slipped the MC into her pocket and walked out of her room to meet Takahiro.
" Ready to go to school?"

Hours later.....

The lunch bell rang. Sakura and the rest of her class rose to their feet and exited the classroom. She headed straight for her locker to place her books in it. When she opened it, she found a note in it.

Come to the oval at lunch. I want a battle.
Takahiro.

" Wow, he's really getting into the spirit!" Sakura exclaimed.
Quickly, she stuffed her books in her locker and locked it. She took out her sky-blue MC and called out Zephyr. He appeared in front of her.
" Its your first battle Zephyr. Against Takahiro and Kayin!"
" YAY!"

They both ran out to the oval to confront Takahiro and Kayin. They were already standing out there, waiting for Sakura and Zephyr. Sakura and Zephyr faced them.
" Ok Sakura, lets see what you and Zephyr have got!"
" Yeah! Lets do this!"
Their loud voices started to attract attention from fellow students.
" Lets fight!"

Their MCs glowed and a projection came out of them, in front of their faces. It was like a screen with all of their monster's statistics on it. It also listed what attacks their monster had. At the moment, only one of the four spaces was filled. Zephyr's first attack was Spark. Sakura's eyes narrowed. Kayin and Zephyr stood, glaring at each other, neither having the command to attack. Sakura looked at Zephyr's stats.
" Lets go Zephyr! Tackle that samurai kid head on!" Sakura commanded, unsure of what to do.

Zephyr ran at his opponent and was about to tackle when Kayin leapt up into the air and evaded the attack. Zephyr hit the grass nuzzle-first.
" Good work Kayin! Now DISAPPEAR!" Takahiro commanded. Kayin nodded and disappeared into thin air.
" Huh?" Zephyr said, looking around.
" Zephyr! Concentrate! Have electricity run over your body so Kayin can't touch you without being shocked!" Sakura commanded, thinking of a strategy.

Smalls sparks of electricity started jumping all over his small body. Between his wings was a barrier of electricity. He kept a close watch out for Kayin's kunai coming at him.
" Nice work Sakura! Good strategy, but now, its time to attack! Kayin! Appear and hit Zephyr's wings!"

Kayin appeared above Zephyr and plummeted down towards him.
" ZEPHYR! LOOK UP!" It was too late.
Kayin had connected with Zephyr's wings. Kayin got zapped with electricity and Zephyr's wings were damaged in the attack. Both monsters were blown towards their respective partners with Zephyr's electrical force. Sakura ran to Zephyr.
" Zephyr, are you ok?"
She picked him up in her arms.
" I think so. My wings hurt though."
" We'll get you back into the MC so you can heal my friend. You did well for your first battle. Imagine what others are going to be like!"
" Yeah." Zephyr vanished into the MC to rest. The screen projection disappeared not before it gave the message to Sakura that Zephyr had gained some experience and some of his stats rose. Sakura stood up and looked at Takahiro. Kayin had just vanished back into his MC.
" Good battle Sakura."
" You too Takahiro."
They looked around them. They had gathered quite a large crowd with their battle. Sakura blushed. Takahiro shooed them all away before returning to Sakura.
" That was interesting. Short but interesting," Takahiro said.
" Yeah, maybe when we get home, we can have a longer one. And maybe train them a bit in the park behind us. In that secret place we used hide in when we were kids."
" Yeah, that'd be good. See you at home!"

OOC: Ok Kayin, you take it from there.

As for everyone else. Battle rules.
When you use an attack that is mentioned in your sign-up, please use capital letters so we know the attack is from ur sign-up.

Secondly, the screen projections are for ur stats and attack lists. It also has a list of the opponents you have encountered, lost to and defeated and what their monster is like. It only updates when you battle that person again.

Third, when you want a battle between you and another person. PM them and organise who is going to win and who's going to lose. I'm not having a 15 reply battle because both refuse to lose.

I think that's everything. If you want to ask any questions, PM me.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Onix]

[COLOR=SlateGray][SIZE=1]Kaida held the MC in her hand. Another birthday present, apparently the newest video game. The kind of thing Kana used to buy for her. It was a sleek, black piece of technology.

[B]MC Username: [/B]
[U][B]Connect[/B][/U]

It was an easy decision.

[B]MC Username: Unborn Lord Xion
[U]Connect[/U][/B]

The screen flickered and another window popped up.

[B]What is your monster's name:
What gender it will be:
What element do you want it to control:
[U]Make Your Monster[/U][/B]

This one was harder, but Kaida quickly filled in the fields, selecting the third from a drop-down menu.

[B]What is your monster's name: Kuroichi
What gender it will be: Male
What element do you want it to control: Darkness
[U]Make Your Monster[/U][/B]

The screen changed again, the MC Logo popping up in place of the windows. A human-like sillhouette was visible behind the logo.

[B]Connect the MC to your computer[/B]

Kaida plugged the hand-held device in, and there was a small "data-transfer screen". The MC hummed to life, and a figure slowly sprouted out of it. It was just a head, with little arms and legs, and what looked like a long knife clasped in one fingerless hand.

"The hell?"

[I]Watch your tongue. You may be my master, but I am still revered as lord to some, Madame Xion.[/I]

"It talks...?"

[I]I believe the word is 'duh.'[/I]

"That's a quick wit you've got. I think I like you, Kuro."

[I]The name is Kuroichi, mistress.[/I]

"Smartass."[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Sakura]

[COLOR=Navy]After creating Larka, Aria spent the time talking to him and getting to know his strengths and weaknesses. She had to leave for dinner during their talk but returned soon after. Aria slowly bonded with the blue dragon and she already knew that they'd be best friends, since she didn't have many normal friends at school. Before she knew it, it was time for her to sleep and Aria put the MC on the table next to the computer and got into bed where Larka had been lying the whole time. She smiled at his figure as he reminded her of a dog, lying curled up on her blanket near her feet.

"Goodnight Larka." Aria said putting her head on her pillow.

"Goodnight Aria." Larka sighed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning she woke up to the ringing of her alarm clock and movement on her bed. Aria sat up and switched off the alarm, looking for the source of the movement and found Larka on his feet and alert.

"Larka, what's wrong?" Aria asked, getting out of bed.

"Strange ringing sound...now it's gone." he said, continuing to look around the room.

"That? That's just my alarm clock, it helps me to wake up." Aria told him, showing the dragon the device.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he watched her walking around the room and collecting things.

"I'm getting ready for school." she explained, changing into her school uniform, detesting the skirt as usual.

Aria collected her things and put them in her bag and slung it over her shoulder. Then she picked up her MC from the table and held it out to Larka.

"Larka, you need to get into the MC so I can take you to school."

"But I don't like it in there." Larka answered, glaring at the device.

"Please, you won't fit in my bag, and I'll let you out whenever I can." Aria pleaded.

"Fine..." Larka gave in, disappearing into the MC. Aria looked down and saw him lying in the digital field.

"Stay in there alright? I'll try to let you out when we get back home or out of school." Aria said, slipping it into her pocket and running outside and downstairs.

"Morning mum, morning dad." she said as she entered the kitchen for breakfast. They talked idley through the meal and then it was time for her to leave for school.

"Have a good day at school." her mother said.

"I'll try." Aria grinned, putting on her sneakers. Then she left the house, walking toward the school.

When she arrived, she went to her locker and changed her shoes before heading to class.[/COLOR]

[B]OOC:[/B] If anyone wants to battle me, PM me.

[Kayin Cloud]

Takahiro returned to his class which was the last class of the day. It was nice being in the same grade as Sakura since their lockers would be right beside each other and it would be easy to catch her after school. But unfortunately, Takahiro had to stay after to finish an art project. He sent a message to Sakura since he had forgot to tell her. Kayin showed up from the MC and stood beside Takahiro. "Kayin you're supposed to be resting in your MC..." He whispered.

Kayin smiled. "I know, but I'm really good at stealth so it's not too big a deal, right? Plus I'm fully recovered now." he replied quietly. He quickly disappeared as the teacher approached and Takahiro handed in his artwork.

"Hm...Well done Minamoto...This is definately 'A' work. You can head on home now." Mrs. Kisaragi said smiling and putting Takahiro's art into her folder.

"Thank you Mrs. Kisaragi. See you tommorow." Takahiro grabbed his bookbag and headed outside. He saw Kayin appear beside him. "I guess you are a true master of stealth." Takahiro smiled.

Kayin smiled back arrogantly, "Sure am." He walked closely beside Takahiro with his hands held against his head.

Takahiro got to the porch, "Hm...guess mom and dad are still at work..." He said after he had noticed the car was absent. He opened the door and he and Kayin walked inside. "Hey Sakura. Kayin and I are home now."

[Ezekiel]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=Green]Imric sat in his drama hall, looking over his script not even realising the time. His teacher was staying back and allowed him to rehearse his lines but still, 4 o'clock was a stretch even for him. It seemed that Raptaah was tired of being in his MC and literally exploded from Imric's pocket in a burns of orange flames. Needless to say, Imric was not pleased,
[B]"Holy shit!"[/B] he fell off his chair, landing rather un-ceremoniously on his backside, script pages scattered around the room. Raptaah merely chuckled and bobbed up and down in mid-air, floating over Imric's papers.

[I]Shakespeare, eh?[/I]

Imric stared,[B] "How, in the mother of hell, so you know about Shakespeare? You're fireball for frick sake."[/B]

[I]No need for that language now, master.[/I]

Imric felt a vein twitch just above his eye. Raptaah laughed again and spun in the air, making trails of embers fly around the room. Imric was still trying to figure out how this monster could possibly be so real. He was supposed to be a virtual pet! Not a living, breathing....erm...fireball. Imric shook his head; coming to the conclusion that this was, in actual fact, a glitch in the Matrix.

He picked up his book bag and gave Raptaah a meaningful glare.
[B]"Floating fireballs aren't the norm in a college, I suggest you get back in my MC."[/B]

Raptaah sighed and 'nodded', getting sucked into the MC in another swirl of hot embers. The one thing that Imric couldn't figure out was why he never got burned when everything else around him did. He merely shrugged it off and walked outside, switching on his MP3 player.[/COLOR]

[B]OOC Would lurve to meet up with someone, if that is at all possible for you lovely people ^_~[/B][/SIZE]

[Ayokano]

Austin jolted up when the teacher slapped her teaching stick on his desk. He had been sleeping peacefully, now his eardrums were ringing.

"Just because you believe you know the materiall Austin doesn't mean you can slumber off in class." She said, her face looking soar. He sat up without being told to.

"Sorry." He repiled. He wasn't liking it in here. He wished he could just talk to Vita, but she was stuffed up in the MC. He soon lost attention and wondered if she felt cramped in there. Austin felt her, and it felt so real. How could she go back into the MC?

He soon drew his attention back to the lesson, and even though the question still wondered in his mind. Though, he was going to try Vita's power when he got out of school. He looked at the clock, eager to get out.

[Rhym]

[FONT=Times New Roman]Max woke up, teeth chattering, to find that Frost had "slept" on the pillow next to him, which now was unable to bend.

[I]This is going to be an issue,[/I] he thought. [I]I don't want to thaw my pillow every morning.[/I]

[COLOR=SlateGray][I]May this morning find you well, Max,[/I][/COLOR] said Frost.
"Good morning to you too, Frost. Ready to come to school with me?"
[COLOR=SlateGray][I]Indeed I am, Max.[/I][/COLOR]
"Hmmmmm," Max was thinking. "You can fit in my bag, but everything in there would freeze. You'd best go in the MC."
[COLOR=SlateGray][I]Understood.[/I][/COLOR]

[ALIGN=Center]--------[/ALIGN]

Later, in his English class, Max sat back and listened to his mp3 player. Frost drifted aimlessly across his desk, noticable to others as only a vague bluish glow.

[I]Let them wonder,[/I] thought Max. [I]It's only those that know what Frost is that I'm interested in.[/I]

As he looked around, he noticed several students with MCs on their desks. He took note of who they were and what color their MCs were.

He took out a new sheet of paper and prepared to write. Frost had discovered his ability to read earlier that day, and only Max could hear Frost, so they were able to communicate undetected. Max wrote something.

[B]How do you feel about battling, Frost?[/B]
[COLOR=SlateGray][I]I am quite excited about it, Max. Have you any notion as to when our first confrontation shall be?[/I][/COLOR]
There was something funny about how Frost talked. There was no slang in his speech, and the vocabulary was very proper.
[B]That's all up to whoever contacts us first. By the way, why is it that only I can hear you talk?[/B]
[COLOR=SlateGray][I]While the Monster Computer is equipped with speakers, I choose to utilize the "quiet mode," which is designed for exactly this sort of scenario, when it would be in our best interests to converse undetected. I do so hope that another user contacts us quite soon. I wish to test my mettle in combat.[/I][/COLOR]
Like that word, mettle. No one used that word anymore.
[B]Agreed, Frost. I'd like to test my "mettle" as a handler, too...[/B]

OOC: So, who's going to fight second?[/FONT]

[Kitty]

[color=blue][size=1]"You're late!" Rin's mother cried as she pounded on the door. "Aww..!" Rin moaned in response, holding her pillow closer to her head. "Get out of bed! I'll let it slide [i]today[/i], but today only! I'll drive you. Now get out of bed and you can eat in the car!"

As she heard her mother walk downstairs, she slowly emerged from her blankets, running her hand through her hair. "Uindo.." she muttered unintentionally. "Uindo!" she cried, remembering the little creature.

[i]Yes, Rin?[/i]

Rin watched his head rise from behind the window curtains, illuminated by the afternoon sun. "There you are," she laughed, walking over and pulling the curtains up. "Com'mon. I'm taking you to school." [i]Finally,[/i] he said, quiet loudly. "Phht. What happened to being polite?" She blew her bangs out of her face and got dressed in her uniform.

[i]You look strange. I didn't know you had a fetish for ugly skirts,[/i] Uindo commented. "Shut it. This is a uniform. When we go to school, you'll see all of the other girls wearing them," Rin retorted. "And I [i]don't[/i] have a fetish for ugly skirts."

[i]Pardon me, then.[/i]

[center]~~~[/center]

[i]What is that man droaning on about?[/i] Uindo asked during Rin's math class. "Some bullshit I don't care about. I can't believe I missed four out of six classes, and [i]math[/i] wasn't one of them. That's such bullshit.." Rin explained to him.

He was under her desk, curled up and looking quite royal. That is, for a blue lizard on a rug.

[i]When will I get to battle?[/i] "Stop asking me things or you're going back into the MC." [i]I hate being confined in that electronic device. How I can be summoned into that thing amazes me, still,[/i] Uindo grumbled. "Me, too, pal. Me, too."

The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Rushing to her locker, Rin didn't bother to return Uindo to the MC. Rather, he followed her (on foot) to her locker, getting the constant stop and stare. At her locker, switching out some books with folders and binders, a few students came up to her, asking about Uindo.

"What is he?" "Don't know. It followed me on my way here." "Oh.."

Later, Uindo paused. [i]"It?"[/i] "Yes. I called you "it". Get over it." [i]Well, Rin. I'd really like a battle. And you're out of your.. 'school'. I believe you have some free time?[/i] "Yeah, yeah," Rin sighed, throwing her backpack down against a tree. [i]Where are we now?[/i] "The park. Like it?"

[i]I'd like to come more often.[/i] "We'll come everyday."

Rin leaned against the tree and pulled out her MC. She poked around for a moment before finding the "Challenge" option.

"Hey. There are a lot of 'em. Damn... Most are new at this game, too," Rin laughed. [i]Did you find a suitable opponent, yet?[/i] "Quiet. And it depends. What do [i]you[/i] find suitable?" Rin asked him, placing the MC in front of him. He used his right claw to scroll through the options.

[i]Here's one,[/i] Uindo proclaimed, holding up the MC. "Hmm... Frost? That's kind of.. basic. Oh well. If you want to, might as well."

--
OOC: I'll take you on. >.>;;[/color][/size]

[Zephyr]

Voices woke Paul from his sleep earlier then he had planned. One downside of the building was the paper-thin walls that let everyone overhear the conversations that floated about. Light had already begun to filter in through the shades, which meant it wasn't too early, but checking the clock showed that he had another half-hour before his alarm went off.

Paul set his head back down and looked to the side. A strange sight caused him to bolt upright and awaken immediately. It was a second before the fog cleared and he remembered the reason there was a scaly tail on his chair. Ryusei had chosen to sleep on Paul's chair at the computer desk. Probably a good thing, since the shock of a dragon next to him in bed would have landed him on the floor.

Now completely awake there was little reason to not get ready. Even if he had an extra half hour there was no way to get any more rest after that shock. Strangely enough, Ryusei never stirred until the alarm went off. "Good morning, Master Paul."

"Morning, Ryusei," Paul said while scrambling to find something. "Oh, and please don't call me master. It's kind of wierd."

"If that is what you wish, mas.. Paul." Ryusei began to lean over the back of the chair as she spoke. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"With all of the excitement last night I forgot to finish something for my classes." Finding what he needed, Paul sat down on the bed and began writing.

Drifting through the air Ryusei landed next to Paul, and watched him write. "Would I be allowed to follow you to your classes?" The question was phrased with curiousity, but had a hint to worry over being left behind.

"If you do, you will have to remain in the MC." This brought a look of dislike to the dragon's face, or at least what Paul figured was dislike. "I'm sorry, but a six-foot dragon is definately against the no pets rule at the school."

Ryusei chose not to argue the point, and remained within the MC for the time that the classes were in session. The day passed quicker then normal, and before long Paul was walking down the street to a popular game shop. The shop was well known to the students of the local school as having the largest rooms for Monster Network tournements, despite the only recent popularity of the game. Looking around the room where a battle was in progress, Paul found a gamer standing alone. Looking at the limited data provided to him, due to having never fought this player, Paul decided that they were both new to the game, and at the same fighting level stats-wise.

[Lilt]

[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Chiyo knew who was knocking on the door, even before they said anything. It was the twins. They never left her alone.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"Chiyo, who's in there? We heard someone talking to you!"[/b] She heard their muffled voices yell, through the door.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"No one! And mind your own business!"[/b] Chiyo yelled back.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Lady Kabuki held up her red rubber ball.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"Do you want me to take care of them for you?"[/b] She asked, seeing Chiyo's frustration.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Chiyo shook her head.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"As much as I would like to say yes, they're still my sisters and my mom would ground me for a year if I let anything happen to them. Besides, I doubt you could do much with that ball."[/b] Chiyo laughed.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Lady Kabuki held the ball up threateningly, and Chiyo stopped laughing. There was another knock on her door. This time it was her mom, telling her it was time for dinner. Chiyo put Lady Kabuki back in the MC and went downstairs to eat.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum] [/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]The next day, after school. Chiyo pulled out her MC to bring out Lady Kabuki. She wasn't watching where she was going, and she bumped into a guy wearing headphones. They both dropped their MC's, and as they bent down to pick them back up. The guy took off his headphones to ask Chiyo about her MC and if she wanted to battle.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][/color][/size][/font]
[b][font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]OOC: I know it's short, but I want to make sure Methy wants to battle, first.[/color][/size][/font][/b]

[Ezekiel]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=Green]Imi grunted an apology and placed a hand down on Chiyo's MC before she got a chance to pick it up. Chiyo looked as if she was going to panic,
[B]"Please don't steal it!"[/B] she yelped, attracting glances from those passing by, some slowing to see if she needed help. Imric chuckled and brought up the data menu on Chiyo's MC, looking at her monster, who was currently pulling obscene gestures at him. The boy laughed again and gave a slight smile to Chiyo,
[B]"I'm not stealing it, I just like learning about these things, you see." [/B] he gently pushed the MC into Chiyo's hands and she breathed a sigh of relief, now switching her worried expression to a happy one.

[B]"I'm sorry, I jumped to conclusions...."[/B] Imric held up his hands after placing his MC back in his pocket, shaking his head.
[B]"I understand, it was very rude of me not to ask.... first...."[/B] he glared at his pocket, embers already flying from his denim jeans. Chiyo stared as Imric's pocket exploded yet again with a large fireball three times the size of a basketball erupted out of the boy?s trousers. Chiyo was in shock, as were most of the people passing in the street. Imric, however, now used to this regular occurrence, just stood calmly, putting his hands in his pockets.

[B]"Next time you should ask, Raptaah..."[/B] he stated coolly, shaking his head as if he were trying not to laugh. Raptaah merely puffed himself up, his flames flickering brighter,
[I]You should be proud to have a monster who can double up as a firework, Methuselah-sama.[/I]

[B]"More like a firecracker..."[/B] Chiyo laughed at that remark and Imric smirked at her.
[B]"Would you like a drink, I feel I could get talking to you.... that is, if you aren't busy..."[/B] he bowed to Chiyo and looked up at her, a mischievous look on his face, gesturing to the coffee shop at the end of the road.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][B]OOC Sorry to anyone who wants to battle, I'm playing the learning game for now ^_~[/B][/SIZE]

[Ayokano]

The train came to a hssing stop, and Austin got out with several people. He was at the Shibuya Train Station, and people came from all directions, trying to get to or out of a train. It was very chaotic, and he rusted out. He soon found himself going out of the entrance. Austin walked out, ano found himself near the Hachiko dog statue, and very popular site for teens.

Austin pulled his book bag of his shoulder, and reached in for his MC. Several kids gave stares, he didn't know if they had one or not, but he wasn't going to ask. He pressed the power button, and it gave a little song in beeps. The MC gave another beep, and took him to the menu. He pressed another button, the MC gave a beep, and Vita was being summoned.

When Vita was done, several girls had gave awes. He could hear them talk about how they knew about that game, how she was cute, and how they were going to buy one and have a monster like his. Vita looked absent minded at the bronze statue of the dog, and read what it said. He wondered if she could read it. He wondered if she could hear.

"Vita, do you know the story?" He asked. She nodded her head with a smile. Maybe she enjoyed the story. The story about a dog brought his master to the train station, and stayed there for him. Though one day, his master died at his job, a professer at the Imperial College. And Hachiko stayed there for his master to return.

A silence between them came, and then Vita took Austin by the hand and pulled his arm. She smiled, and he let her lead the way. She probably wanted to see the city. Austin gave a smile, and walked with her in hand. Vita looked in awe as she saw the flashing neon signs, the colors and light. The people gave Vita looks as she stared at them. Austin and her were both new to the city, strangers. Austin had only come here when his father took a job opportunity four months ago, and Vita had only been on Earth for one and a half days.

They wandered around, taking in the city life.

[Kitty]

[color=blue][size=1]"Damn. He isn't answering," Rin muttered, scrolling through her message box, which was, in fact, empty, looking for any sign of a response. She gave up quickly, not really caring as much as she should have. [i]Anything?[/i] Uindo asked impatiently. "No. I just said he wasn't answering. Pay attention, you idiot," she scolded. [i]I apologize for not listening, but that does not give you any grounds to insult me,[/i] he replied coolly.

"Shut it."

They strolled through the park, not really caring about the people walking by and staring, then whispering to whoever it was they were with. [i]I am growing impatient,[/i] Uindo stated. "I noticed," Rin sighed. "Look, I bet he's downtown. We'll just go there. And, if he's [i]not[/i] there, there are surely others with the game," she offered. [i]... Alright. How do we get there? Will your mother drive us? I liked her.[/i]

"Only 'cause she gave you more breakfast than me.." Rin scowled, "And no. She won't give me a ride, anyway." [i]That's okay. She can take me and you can walk.[/i] "I don't think so, smart ass," Rin snapped, holding up the MC. Uindo recoiled, not wanting to be taken back inside of it. "I've been nice to you ALL day by not making you go in the stupid thing. Be thankful for once. And we're taking the train."

[i]What's a train?[/i]

[center]~~~[/center]

"Here we are," Rin cheered, standing up from her hard earned seat. [i]Thank goodness. Your lap was [b]very[/b] uncomfortable,[/i] Uindo sighed, leaping off. "Watch it!" she shouted, shoving a man across the small cabin. "Who do you think you are, shoving me like that, you little brat! I ought to--" He was cut off by a sudden jerk of the train as it quickly came to a stop, sending him into a group of school boys also taking the train.

"Hey, asshole! Watch it," one of them warned. The man turned to them to scold them, just as the doors opened. "That's it," Rin heard one mutter, walking out, dragging the struggling man behind him.

"What an ass," she grumbled. [i]Why [b]did[/b] you shove him?[/i] Uindo asked her, a bit confused himself. "He was going to step on you. You may be quite long," she said, holding his tail up, ".. but you're actually, really short." [i]I don't make fun of your height, now do I?[/i] "I'm not making fun of you. I'm just stating a fact," Rin smiled, walking off. Uindo, reluctantly, crawled after her.

[i]So where do you think he is?[/i] "I dunno. Maybe the manga shop?" she suggested, walking into the shop, holding the door open for Uindo to follow.

Inside, it was quite dark. Uindo nearly ran into the sales desk, which Rin joked about quite a bit. She explored some of the action manga racks, while Uindo stared at a large plyboard Monster Network ad. "Hey!" Rin cried, grabbing Uindo as he charged at it. "What do you think you're doing?!" she whispered, hoping no one had seen them. She ran behind the action book rack and leaned against it, holding Uindo up to her face. "What were you trying to pull?!" [i]That monster... It's insulting me,[/i] he replied.

"Insulting you!? It can't even talk, dumbass." [i]Things don't have to talk to be insulting,[/i] he insisted. [i]Go ahead. Take a look. Don't you see it?[/i] Even though she didn't believe him, she took a look at the Monster Network stand.

"It's... holding up a box. Okay?" [i]Well.. Yes. But look at its right hand. Look at what the right hand is doing,[/i] Uindo continued. "Look, it's [i]not[/i]--" [i]Look![/i] "Nn..." she muttered, glaring at him. She turned her head again and looked at the right hand of the creature.

"It looks like it's pointing.. But I can't see. It's too dark from here." [i]Then go closer.[/i] She mumbled a bit, then got up and looked at it. "It's.. pointing. At my stomach," she said, turning to the practically steaming creature sitting at her heels. [i]From my point of view, it's pointing at my face.[/i] "Yeah? And?" [i]Don't you realize how insulting that is!? The stupid thing is signaling that I'm not worthy enough for it to challenge me!![/i]

"Um.. It's a piece of cardboard," Rin shrugged. Uindo didn't reply, but merely continued to glare at it. "Ugh.. Fine. Com'mon," she sighed angrily, shoving him out the door and coming out soon after with the ad. The sales clerk ran out a few moments later. "Hey! Don't steal that!" "Uindo.. Run." [i]Run? Why? We can easily escape him by walking,[/i] he retorted, noticing the man's "large" body type.

"True," Rin laughed. [i]When do I get to rip that thing up?[/i] Uindo asked, still paying no attention to the man yelling after them. "When we stop for a bite," Rin smiled, knowing of a popular food stop ahead.

"I'll race you." [i]You're on.[/i]

The two of them ran ahead of the clerk, who gave up soon after and returned to the shop. When they reached the shop, cutely named "TokiDoki", Rin stood up the ad (making those around them stare, wondering what she was about to do), and backed away.

[i]Say the word.[/i]

"GO!" Rin cried in glee. Those around them began staring and laughing as they watched Uindo rip apart the cardboard ad to shreads in no time. Rin, who had placed her bag down, noticed a bunch of people dropping some small change in its open pocket, thinking it was an act. "Hey.." she began, at first seeing it as an insult, but soon enjoying the large amount of bills and coins floating into her bag.

When he was "done", he crawled over and wondered why Rin was counting things. "It's called money, Uindo, and your little exercise just got me 10,000 yen richer. We can buy some treats for you now," she smiled, petting him happily. [i]Ooh.. Will it be as good as the.. "bacon" your mother fed me this morning?[/i]

"Better."[/size][/color]

[Rhym]

[FONT=Times New Roman]School had just concluded when Max's MC beeped.

"Hey, look, Frost. We have a message."
[COLOR=SlateGray][I]Is it, perchance, a challenge, Max?[/I][/COLOR]
"Let's find out, shall we?" He brought up the message on the MC's screen. Max scanned it.
"It is indeed. Seems a user named Kitty, monster name of Uindo, a wind and lightning creature, wants to fight. What do you think?"
[COLOR=SlateGray][I]I am truly honored that Kitty would consider me a worthy adversary. I accept said user's invitation![/I][/COLOR]
Max rolled his eyes and spoke in a thick british accent. "Truly, sirrah, you epitomize the very concept of humbleness."
Frost glared at him. [COLOR=SlateGray][I]I am quite familiar with sarcasm, Max.[/I][/COLOR]
Max chuckled. "All right, let's reply. We accept your chall-" Max's MC beeped again and two words filled the screen.
[ALIGN=Center][B][U]CONNECTION LOST[/U][/B][/ALIGN]
"What the- stupid thing!"
[COLOR=SlateGray][I]What has transpired, Max?[/I][/COLOR]
"This stupid MC just lost its connection to the Internet. Now we can't tell Kitty and Uindo we accept their challenge!"
[COLOR=SlateGray][I]How lamentable![/I][/COLOR]
Max sighed. "Oh well. Maybe they're downtown."

[ALIGN=Center]--------[/ALIGN]

Now downtown, Max and Frost passed in front of a manga store. There was an ad for Monster Network in front of it. Max payed it no mind, but Frost seemed annoyed by it.

[COLOR=SlateGray][I]Max, that advertisement invokes a great displeasure in me.[/I][/COLOR]
Max stopped and studied it. "Why's that? It's just an ad. What's so offending about it?"
[COLOR=SlateGray][I]That creature emblazoned upon it. It seems to mock me.[/I][/COLOR]
"What? Why? It's just pointing. Uncle Sam pointed, but people didn't think [I]he[/I] mocked them. In fact, Uncle Sam probably inspired a few people."
[COLOR=SlateGray][I]That creature points not as the benefactor of any country, Max. It points as if to imply that I am worse than it. It seems to say that I cannot defeat it, even if I do the best I can.[/I][/COLOR]
"Whatever, man. It's just cardboard. That monster probably doesn't even exist in real life. Let's just go."

Later, they passed a store named TokiDoki, where a girl set up an ad quite similar to the one they had just left behind. [I]Wait a minute,[/I] thought Max, [I]I think that [B]is[/B] the same ad...[/I] She shouted "GO!" and a small, dog-sized, blue lizard ripped the flimsy cardboard to shreds. She set down a bag she was holding, and many people on the sidewalk stopped to drop in some coins. Frost was overjoyed.

[COLOR=SlateGray][I]Bravissimo! Max, what is that group of people doing?[/I][/COLOR]
"They think it's some kind of show. They're giving it yen because they were entertained by that monster destroying that ad."
[COLOR=SlateGray][I]Would you donate some "yen" to that creature, Max? Perhaps it felt mocked by that offending advertisement, just as I was! Pleaes, Max, were I allowed to, I would have done the same![/I][/COLOR]
Max got an idea. He grinned. "Sure, Frost. I'll give that creature some money. Then we can have a chat with the owner."

He waited for the crowd to subside, then hung back while the girl counted out yen. The creature watched her for a while, when she said, "It's called money, Uindo, and your little exercise just got me 10,000 yen richer. We can buy some treats for you now."
She continued counting yen, then, just as suddenly, said, "Better." Max approached her.

"Uindo, eh? That's a lovely name for a pet. Oh, but how rude of me. You can call me Nietzsche. Have you met Frost?"[/FONT]

[Kitty]

[COLOR=Blue][SIZE=1][i]Pet?! Did you hear that boy! He called me a pet. Correct him, Rin![/i] Uindo cried, rearing up on his hind legs. "Calm down you idiot," Rin whispered, waving a hand at him, "First off, he's not my pet. Nor is Frost yours, but I'm sure you knew [i]that[/i]. Anyway, I'm Kitty. And you must be the guy I challenged. I thought you'd be in downtown."

"Yes, I am. Sorry for not responding. My MC lost its internet connection. It was--" He stopped mid-sentence, looking at Frost. "He saying something?" Rin asked, pointing at the floating wisp of blue. The boy nodded. [i]You can't hear Frost, just as he can't hear me,[/i] Uindo explained. "But he can hear you?" she asked. [i]Of course. All monsters can communicate with eachother,[/i] he replied, glancing at Frost.

"Huh? Oh. Okay," Nietzsche muttered to his floating friend. "Since you have challenged us, and we accept," he smiled, ".. Care to battle?" "After I buy him some snacks. He deserves them, after all," she laughed, looking behind her at the scraps of cardboard scattered across the sidewalk.

"All right. May we join you?" "Sure. But I ain't payin' for you," she added. [i]Don't be so rude, Rin. He's accepted our challenge, after all.[/i] "Oh, [i]you[/i] should talk," she spat, glaring at him. Nietzsche, not wanting to get involved- nor knowing what the arguement was about, [i]anyway[/i]- quietly followed, talking with Frost.

Inside the small shop, Yuki and Uindo totally forgot about their little fight, and began drooling over the many delicious-looking snacks. [i]What is that one called?[/i] "That? That's kuri-manja. But those are the boxes. I'm not going to buy you a [i]box[/i]," Rin added. [i]Aww... Why not?![/i] "Because. You don't deserve a box," she stuck her tongue out. He also stuck out his long, forked tongue, making a few people stare.

"Lets see..." Rin started, returning to the cases, "I'll buy you.." [i]I want the kuri-manja![/i] Uindo persisted. "No!" [i]Yes![/i] "No!" [i]Yes![/i] This back-and-forth arguing, which everyone else could only hear half of, recieved stares and whispers. Rin turned and glared at them all, Uindo doing the same.

"They're perfect for eachother," Nietzsche laughed to Frost, watching them continue to argue over what she would buy for Uindo.[/SIZE][/COLOR]