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

[Sakura]

[COLOR=Navy]After the day of school, Aria headed to the park and she sat on a swing. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her navy blue MC and in a flash, Larka appeared out of it and lay in the sand next to her.

"Aria." Larka said, lifting his head and looking at her.

Aria looked up from the sand and into his crystal blue eyes.

"What is it Larka?" she asked.

"I want to battle." he said.

"I know, I know. I want to too. There just haven't been many challenges." Aria sighed.

Larka looked sad and put his head down again.

"I'll find someone to battle you. I promise." Aria told him, swinging back and forth.

Aria and Larka spent quite a while there, just resting and talking. After a while there was a shadow of someone else and they looked up.

"Are you a MN player?" he asked.

"Yes, who wants to know?" Aria replied.

"You can call me Ryu_01, or just Ryu." he answered.

Aria looked at blonde guy. He looked about the same age as herself.

"A...Squall." she said, catching herself before giving her real name.

"How about a battle?" Aria asked, looking at Larka.

"Sure."[/COLOR]

[B]OOC:[/B] Let me know if you want anything changed Kayin.

[Kayin Cloud]

Takahiro looked down to Kayin. "You ready to get stronger Kayin?" He said smiling.

"Always ready for a good battle." Kayin replied.

"You ready Squall?" Takahiro said cracking his knuckles as Kayin did the same simultaneously.

"Sure am..." The girl replied. "Let's go Larka."

"Right..." Larka replied.

Their MCs glowed and a projection came out of them, in front of their faces. A screen showed up with all of their monster's statistics on it. It also listed what attacks their monster had. Takahiro had noticed that Kayin only had his first special attack still. "Alright, Kayin...let's show 'em what we got!"

"Right!" Kayin ran at Larka shinobi-style and readied a kunai like a dagger. "Let's have a good fight Larka!"

[Sakura]

[COLOR=Navy]Larka agreed with Kayin and waited until the last possible moment before flying into the air to get away from his attack. Kayin threw the kunai at Larka but she dodged it.

Aria looked at her projection. She saw Larka's special attack, Wind Strike.

"Dive!" Aria called to her dragon.

Larka lined herself so she was streamlined and tilted downwards, she turned to her side slightly and she started to spiral. She was headed straight for Kayin from above. At the last minute he dodged, and she was expecting it so she tilted straight and flew along the ground.

Aria gripped her MC tightly in anticipation. It was so exciting, it was their first battle.

Larka landed and the two opponents looked at each other and started to circle, watching each other carefully. They feinted several times, trying to draw a reaction from each other.

"Larka fly!" she called.

"Kayin jump!" he called.

The two creatures simultaeneously obeyed and met each other in the air where they started to attack each other. Larka grabbed onto Kayin, digging his claws in and flew upward. He started to fly in circles before plummeting down toward earth. As they reached the ground, Larka slammed Kayin into the ground, letting go of him and landing.

"Kayin!" Ryu cried.

Kayin stood and prepared for more of a battle. Larka just looked at him.[/COLOR]

[Kayin Cloud]

Kayin wiped the blood from his chin. "You okay Kayin?" Takahiro asked concerned for his partner.

Kayin smiled, "I'm just gettin warmed up..." Kayin drew out another Kunai and armed himself with two now. "Here we go!" Kayin charged at Larka again and Larka pulled the same stunt as before. "Not this time you don't!" Kayin threw one of the kunai right in Larka's path and hit one of its wings enough to slow its flight.

"Okay Kayin....Disappear!" Takahiro yelled and Kayin disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared above Larka and kicked it down but Larka grabbed Kayin's leg on its fall and they both crashed into the ground.

"Kayin!" "Larka!" The two players shouted worrying about their partners. Kayin and Larka slowly stood barely keeping up. "Let's end this match Squall...I don't want Kayin to get hurt anymore than this..." Takahiro said helping Kayin up.

[Sakura]

[COLOR=Navy]Aria ran forward to Larka and lifted his head.

"Let's end this match Squall...I don't want Kayin to get hurt anymore than this..." Takahiro said helping Kayin up.

"Yeah... Hey wait a minute, you look familiar." Aria said looking at him. She thought for a minute before it hit her.

"I got it!" she exclaimed. "You're Takahiro, brother of Sakura. We go to the same school." Aria said.

"Wait, you're that silent girl in most of my classes. Aria was it?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's me." Aria nodded.

"I never would have expected you to be a MN player." Takahiro said.

Aria picked the dragon up, she could tell he was too tired to walk. Aria held out her MC at him and with a groan, he was sucked into the device and was back to lying on the digital field, resting.

"I mainly just wanted to see what it was about, but then I made Larka and we're good friends, even though we haven't known each other for very long." Aria answered, slipping her MC back into her pocket.

Aria looked at her watch and cursed. "Crap, I gotta get home, my foster parents will get worried. I'm sorry. Thanks for the battle, we have to have a rematch sometime. Talk to you at school tomorrow?" Aria asked.

"Sure." he smiled.

"Thanks!" she called and ran for her home, she had spent longer than she expected.

Aria reached home and slipped off her shoes inside.

"Mum, I'm home." she called as usual.

"Oh Aria, you're home late." her foster mother said coming into the hall.

"I know, I'm sorry. I lost count of the time while I was battling against this boy." Aria said.

"Battling?" her mother exclaimed.

"With that computer game I bought. I wouldn't get into a fight Mum." Aria said.

"Yes, of course you wouldn't. Would you like a small snack before dinner?"

"No thankyou. I'll be in my room." Aria answered, running upstairs and into her room. She let Larka out of the MC and put him on her bed as usual.

"Are you alright Larka?"

"Just a little worn out."

"That was a great first battle. You did well. Now rest, I'll wake you up later." and he did exactly that, falling into a healing sleep.

Aria decided to do some homework before she heard the door close, signalling that her foster father was home from work. Then about 10 minutes later, she was called for dinner.[/COLOR]

[Zephyr]

Paul walked up to the younger player who was standing alone. "You are the player called Kage-kiri, [i]ja[/i]?" He asked, slipping back to his german accent.

The kid, not older then 12, replied to Paul's question with a scowl. "What's it to you?"

"Just wanted to see if you would care to battle." Despite the irritation he felt, Paul remained polite. [i]It's no wonder he was standing alone. Arrogant kid.[/i]

"Fine!" the kid said, not bothering to hide his attitude. "I could use some easy experience points anyway."

Both Paul and the one known only as Kage-kiri took up posistions on the opposite end of a small arena. The area was little more then a rectangle painted on the hardwood floor in white, but was good enough for a basic match. Ryusei appeared from the MC and hovered next to Paul, waiting to see what she would face in her first fight. With a flash of light, and burst of thunder, the kid's own monster appeared, to the amusment of the crowd. The monster was little more then a bobbing, grey thundercloud that flashed occasionaly. A referee employed by the game shop counted down the start of the fight.

"Okay, Ryusei. Do your best, and remember, no matter the outcome we will accept it an learn from it." Paul spoke quietly, not caring what people thought about him speaking to a "hologram" outside of issuing commands. "Of course," Ryusei replied, "but I'm going to try to win anyway." Paul smiled as the fight countdown reached zero and the fight started.

"Dervish," the boy spoke to his monster, "finish this quickly with a Sonic Burst." The cloud bounced once before letting out a blast of energy. Despite Ryusei's size, her thin body made it easy to dogde. "Ryusei, hit back with your Fireball," Paul commanded after reading the olny attack listed. Dervish proved agile as it "sidestepped" the flames, but let out a shreiking sound from the proximity damage. This seemed to anger the kid, who returned the favor. "Dervish, hit it head on." Another bounce from the cloud and it lept forward to slam into Ryusei. "Now, while that repitle is stunned, another Sonic Burst!" This time Ryusei didn't manage to evade the shot, and was slammed back. The MC's displayed the End Battle screen before the monsters returned to their creators.

"Next time try using a real monster, and some skill," the kid blurted out as he left, his ego nearly exploding from his head. Most of the other players that had watched the fight scowled at the kid's behavior, and a few walked over to Paul. They told him not to worry, as only a few players like him were around, and they never lasted long.

The return trip home was longer then Paul remembered it, as he spent the time thinking of what went worng. Once back in his apartment he sat down and told Ryusei it was safe to come out. Appearing from the MC, Ryusei rested across Paul's shoulders, and coiled down his right arm. "That was a disaster." Ryusei's voice more then hinted at exhaustion. "True," Paul said, "but we said we would accept it. Anyway, the others at the shop said that we did good for a first battle, and all we need to do it train a little."

[Rhym]

[FONT=Times New Roman]Max watched Kitty's and Uindo's argument over the kuri-manja with growing amusement.

"Oh, please, you two," he laughed. "Just settle on something! The single peices of kuri-manja aren't [I]that[/I] expensive!"

Kitten glared at him, but when Uindo looked at her, she grudgingly bought some single peices of kuri-manja.

Max whispered to Frost. "What did Uindo say?"
[COLOR=SlateGray][I]He said, "See? He knows how to treat me right!"[/I][/COLOR]
Max chuckled.

They left the store, in search of somewhere to battle.

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

Later, in an abandoned lot, they began the fight. A screen popped up on Max's MC, listing the available attacks. The only one on the list was "Icicle."

"We're ready when you are, Nietzsche," Kitty called from across the lot.
"Please, call me Max! Ready on this end! Shall we start?"
"Go!"

Uindo charged across the lot towards Frost.

"Quick, Frost! Make the air around you really cold!"

Uindo pounced, but the air surrounding Frost was so frigid he was physically repelled. Uindo recovered almost immediately, and from across the lot, Kitty called out, "Uindo! Shock!" Electricity began circling Uindo's ankles and arced towards Frost in a blinding flash.

"Look out, Frost!" Max called.

Frost tried to dodge, but to no avail. Electricity surrounded him and stunned him. When he came to, Uindo had already leapt.

"ICICLE!" roared Max.

Just in time, Frost shot an icicle point-blank into Uindo, who was flung backwards once more. Max noticed that both creatures were breathing heavily and noticably hurt.

"Kitty!" He called to her across the lot. "Perhaps we should stop. We don't want our creatures to die, do we?"
"Good idea, Max," she called back. "And please, call me Rin!"
Max smiled as he called Frost back into the MC. "Will do. Nice fighting. You handled yourself well." He walked across the lot and shook her hand.
She returned the smile. "Thanks, Max. So did you. Good luck in the future."
"You too."

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

By the time Max returned home, Frost was fully recovered from the fight and circling Max's head as he lay on his bed.

[COLOR=SlateGray][I]I battled terribly, Max. How shall I ever live with myself?[/I][/COLOR]
"Don't beat yourself up about it, Frost. You fought amazingly, considering it was your first fight."
[COLOR=SlateGray][I]Do you honestly think so?[/I][/COLOR]
"Yeah. Yeah, I do. You were awesome, man."
Frost's eyes gleamed. [COLOR=SlateGray][I]Thank you, Max. My gratitude is deeper than you know.[/I][/COLOR]
"Don't mention it, man."
They were both silent for a while. Frost voiced both of their thoughts.
[COLOR=SlateGray][I]When shall we next engage in combat?[/I][/COLOR]

OOC: I'm going to be away for a while, what with winter vacation and all that, so I won't be able to post for maybe two weeks.[/FONT]

[Kitty]

[COLOR=Blue][SIZE=1]Rin smiled as she walked through downtown, Uindo at her heels. After a long silence, Uindo finally sighed, [i]I'm sorry.[/i] "For what?" she asked, looking down at him. [i]I've failed you. I was too weak to finish my first battle...[/i] he moaned. At this, she stopped and kneeled down to face him.

She held his head up to hers and said, "You did great. I'm very proud of you."

She smiled, and stood up, walking off. Uindo paused, startled by her happy attitude. He smiled, then sprinted after her, startling and tripping a few others on the sidewalk as he went.

----

"Oh, hello dear!" "Hey, mom," Rin sighed, walking into the kitchen. "How was your afternoon?" she asked, standing at the counter, cutting some fruit. "Good. We had a battle. We didn't win, though. But that's oka-" "You had a WHAT!?" "A battle? You know. My game? Monster Network? Uindo?" Rin listed, holding up her MC and then Uindo, trying to jog her mother's memory.

"Oh! Oh, you had me worried," she sighed. "Nah. I'm over that," Rin added, waving her hand and grabbing a soda out of the fridge. She then walked out and up the stairs to go to her room. Uindo tugged on her mother's pant leg, and pointed at some of the cut food. "Oh.. You want some, dear? Here you go!" she smiled, handing him a piece of apple. He smiled, took the food in his mouth, and followed after her.

"That girl.." her mother smiled, pausing for a moment before resuming what she had been doing.

---

[i]Mm... What is this again?[/i] Uindo asked, sticking his head back in the box. "Those are little valentine chocolates I got a while back," Rin said, turning back to her computer. [i]Val-en-ti-nee? What's that? Is it some food-giving game?[/i] "No, it's a holiday. People give eachother things." [i]Why?[/i] She paused. "To show someone that they love them." [i]So someone loved you?[/i] "My brother sent me those. I guess you could say that," she smiled, looking at a picture on her desk.

[i]Aww.. No more,[/i] Uindo whined after finishing them off. "You're gonna get fat with all the stuff we give you," Rin laughed. Uindo crawled over and hopped into her lap. She stroked his scales gently. "You sleepy?" she asked him. [i]A little..[/i] "Then rest. You've earned it."

[i]Thank you..[/i] "For what?" [i]Not being disappointed...[/i] They were quiet. Uindo soon fell asleep, and she sat on her computer chair, stroking him gently.

"You're welcome."[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Redemption]

[COLOR=Blue][FONT=Arial]After the school, Sakura was walking with Zephyr in the park near their house. The sun was getting low in the sky and darkness started to creep in. Sakura yawned, shifting her heavy satchel to the other shoulder.

Suddenly a black figure emerged from behind a tree. In their hand was a gold MC. Sakura and Zephyr stopped.
" Storm, I challenge you to a battle!"
" Huh? Sorry, but I've already battled today. My monster needs a rest," Sakura replied to the tenacious girl. She could tell by the voice.
" I said I want a CHALLENGE!" the girl yelled at Sakura as she passed her.
" Well, I said I'm not accepting your challenge," Sakura replied forcefully.

A bright light burst from the girl's MC. A giant golden eagle emerged from the MC.
" HEY, I SAID I WASN'T FIGHTING!" Sakura yelled at her.
" I have orders from my commander that I must defeat you. For you are one of the selected players that has a Platinum Monster. These monster and their players must be defeated before they reach their potential."
Sakura looked at Zephyr. " Do you have any idea what is a Platinum monster?"
Zephyr shook his head. " Not the faintest!"

Sakura looked at this girl. She had short blonde hair with dull grey eyes. She was taller than Sakura and what she could tell from her monster, it was a really high level. Sakura backed away, but for every step she took back, the girl took one forward. Gathering up Zephyr in her arms, Sakura started to run towards her house. The huge golden eagle flew in front of Sakura.

" Ther's no way you can escape Storm. Fight me!" the girl said.
" No! I will not risk Zephyr to become hurt when he's already tired from his last! Plus, I can see yours is much more powerful then mine!" Sakura replied forcefully, holding Zephyr tightly.
With that she backflipped over the golden eagle and sprinted for home.

A sudden gust of wind from behind Sakura knocked her over. Zephyr tumbled over the ground as Sakura hit the ground. As Sakura looked up, she saw Zephyr being picked up by the eagle.
" ZEPHYR!"

When the eagle was at a great height, it released Zephyr and he plummeted to the ground.
Sakura scrambled onto her knees. " ZEPHYR! TRY TO FLY!"
But it was no use. Zephyr plummeted to the ground and crashed into a thorny bush near the road.
" ZEPHYR!" Sakura ran over to him. The thorns scratched and teared at her skin but she didn't care - she just wanted to get to him. Then she saw the white ball of fluff. Picking him up slowly, Sakura pulled out of the bush and sat on the grounds. Cuts and scratches were all over his small body. His golden eyes were closed and his wings were missing a lot of feathers.

Sakura looked up at the girl who now confronted her. Tears leaked out of Sakura's eyes.
" You bitch! Look at what you've done!"
" I have been ordered to destroy all Platinum monsters and imprison their players."
" YOU BITCH!"

A storm suddenly clouded the sky. Lightning flashed and thunder echoed. Sakura stood up, furious. She clutched Zephyr closely. The storm reminded her of herself and Takahiro as sister and brother. This strengthened her.
" Whoever you are, you are going to wish that you never encountered us!"

A bright silver light eminated from Sakura's MC and covered Zephyr. A monstrous roar echoed through the city buildings. Both Sakura and the girl covered their ears. The silver light now formed a ball. It exploded. There stood Zephyr, fully grown. He was massive - bigger than an African elephant. Zephyr spread out his wings and charged at the golden eagle. They clashed, the sound of fur against feather rolled through the park.

" ZEPHYR!" Sakura yelled. Zephyr swiped the eagle onto the ground and pinned it to it.
" Leave us, otherwise you will be the monster that will be destroyed," Zephyr growled to the eagle. It disppeared into the girl's MC with a golden flash.

THe girl faced Sakura.
" You were lucky this time, but next time, you won't summon it!" she said before disappearing into the night. Sakura ignored her - she was more worried about Zephyr. Zephyr was now down-sizing to his normal size. His wounds started reappearing. Sakura caught him before he hit the ground.
" I'm sorry...." the little sphinx said before passing out. Sakura hugged him tightly.
" My little Zephyr...."
_____________________________________________________

OOC: Ok everyone. More complicating stuff.

As for the bad guys, everyone has a rival. You can create the rival and the rival monster. They can be whatever you want.

As for the Platinum monsters - these are rare monsters and the most powerful. Everyone who signed up has a Platinum monster.

Now, your next post should be confronting your rival and either losing or defeating them, whichever you choose. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Kitty]

[color=blue][size=1]OOC: I just noticed that I called myself "Yuki" in most of my posts... >.>;; Fixed it, but woah...
--
IC:

There was a knock at the door. "Rin? There's someone here for you," she heard her mom call through the door. "Coming!" she called back, gently placing the doozing Uindo on her bed. She left the room and continued down the stairs.

"Hello?" she asked, walking into the hallway. She walked to the front door. It was wide open, and outside there was a storm. "What the hell?" she muttered to herself, walking forward. "Where is your monster?" Rin spun around. She said nothing, but her eyes searched frantically for the source of the voice. It repeated, "Where is your monster?" "In my MC," she lied, holding it up.

"Summon it." "No." "Summon it," it repeated. "No," she insisted, returning the empty MC to her pocket. "I order you. Summon it." This time, Rin shook her head and stood up tall from her defensive position. "No. Now come out of hiding you freak," she growled. Out from the shadows emerged a boy, no older than her. "Who are you?" she asked, standing her ground. "You needn't know my name. All you need to know is that I am here to destroy your Platinum monster. And rid the Network of you, Kitty," he smiled at her.

"Don't touch me," she recoiled as he reached towards her. "Fine," he said rather sullenly. He pulled out a dark red MC and its screen flashed before a tiger emerged. She once again held up her metallic blue MC and waved it at him. "Now, I'll repeat myself one last time. Summon it. It must be destroyed."

"What are you? Some fucking retard? Like I'd [i]purposely[/i] summon him after you've told me you're going to destroy him," she spat, tightening her grip. "Fine. Rex?" he nodded his head. The tiger lunged at her. She barely managed to avoid it by jumping to the right, but it grabbed her MC from her hand. "No!" she cried.

"Let's go," he instructed, running out into the rain. Just then, Uindo lept into the hallway, running up to Rin. [i]I heard most of that.[/i] "Good. Now I won't have to explain it." [i]Will we follow?[/i] "No. They'll come back," Rin reassured him.

They heard a shout from outside. "Stay here," Rin instructed, rushing outside to see what it was. "You filthy slut!" "Ex-[i]cuse[/i] me?!" she screamed. "You filthy liar! Hand over the monster! Now! We must retain the balance!" he cried. "You've fucking snapped, you asshole!" she shouted back. "Well... I'll just have to use force, then!" he cheered in glee, motioning for his tiger to attack. It bounded and leaped and charged at Rin.

"Shit," she whispered. [i]RIN![/i] She turned to see Uindo running at her. "Uindo! Stay inside!" [i]No![/i] He rammed her in the leg, sending her crashing into the hedges. She wasn't hurt. Just a little startled. But because of this, Uindo was hit head on by the incoming force of the tiger. "Uindo!" Rin screamed, trying hard to hold back tears.

"Haha!" the boy laughed. Uindo, hurt and unconcious, was trapped inside the tiger's jaws. "Uindo!" she repeated, lunging at it, punching and scratching its face. "LET GO OF HIM!" The tiger, surprised by the attack, dropped the small lizard and leaped away, growling furiously. "U-.. Uindo.." she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks.

[i]I've never se-.. seen you cry before. It.. doesn't suit you,[/i] Uindo smiled, trying to cheer her up. But she dug her face in his shoulder, holding him close. "You idiot.." she muttered, tightening her hold on him. [i]You might break me.. in half, at this... rate,[/i] he warned her. "Sorry." She released him from her arms and watched him rear up on his hind legs.

[I]"I won't let you harm her!"[/I] he cried for the boy to hear. "You.. talked to him?" Rin stuttered. It was the first time he had talked to anyone other than her.

"Rex!" the boy began, wary of Uindo. When he began to change, he screamed out attacks. "Uindo!" Rin cried, backing away.

Uindo grew to four times his usual size. Large wings sprouted from his back, and the wings around his ankles grew as well. His tail lengthened to almost as long as his entire body twice over, then spliting into three seperate tails. And his pearly white fangs popped over his bottom lip and large horns sprouted around his head. But his eyes stayed the same. Those slim green eyes of his didn't change.

"Uindo.." Rin whispered. [I]"I won't let you hurt her [b]ever[/b] again!"[/I] Uindo yelled, lifting up a paw and slamming it on the tiger. "Rex!" the boy cried. But it was in vein. His monster wasn't capable of anything under Uindo's claws. "Grr... I'll return. I swear it," he cried, returning the tiger to his MC and running off. Uindo fell, the exhaustion and strain taking effect. Rin ran to the once-again small Uindo, and held him in her arms.

[i]Hey... I won...[/i] he laughed. "You.." she paused. "You idiot." She then began laughing and crying, Uindo joining in. After a few minutes of this, they quieted. And after a few more moments of silence, Rin muttered, "I want you to promise me something.." [i]And.. what would that be?[/i] "Don't [i]ever[/i]. [i]Ever[/i], [i]ever[/i] lose to Rex. And I won't lose to that boy either. Can you promise me that?"

[i]I promise.[/i]

And with that, she stood up and carried him up to her room to rest and heal for the coming days.[/size][/color]

[Sakura]

[COLOR=Navy]Aria was sitting on her bed, casually talking to Larka. He had woken after an hours sleep, and was still very weak. Suddenly they heard a knock at the door and Aria quickly moved in front of Larka.

"Aria, would you mind running down to the store to get some dessert?" her foster mother asked, sticking her head through the door.

"Ok, what kind?" Aria asked.

"You can choose, we don't mind." she answered.

"Alright, I'll go in a second."

Aria's mother nodded and left. Aria breathed a sigh of relief and turned to face her dragon friend.

"Do you want to come?" she asked.

"Of course." he yawned.

"Alright, come on, get in." Aria said, holding out her navy blue MC.

Larka sighed and disappeared in a flash. Aria tucked it into her pocket and ran downstairs. She put on her sneakers and went to open the door. Her mother came out and gave her money, which she put into another pocket.

"Watch out, it looks like it'll start raining soon." she said.

"I'll be fine. Seeya in a while." Aria reassured before jogging out of the house.

Aria had just barely made it around the corner of her street when she saw a figure standing in the street. She paid no notice of him and tried to run past when he held out his arm and blocked her path.

"Hey! What's the deal?" Aria asked, stepping back.

"Where is your monster?" he asked gruffly.

Aria narrowed her eyes, not trusting him in the least. "Why should I tell you?"

"Where is it?!" he asked, raising his voice.

"If you really want to know, he's at home." Aria lied.

The boy looked over her then spoke, "Liar."

"Get lost, I don't have time!" Aria said, trying to push past him. The boy smirked and shoved her forcefully. She landed on the ground and her MC fell out of her pocket and onto the street.

"Should I still believe that 'he's at home'?"

Aria didn't say a word, just looked over the boy. He was well built, with messy chocolate brown hair and smoldering amber eyes.

"Summon him." he ordered.

"No! He's still tired from our battle earlier. I won't jeapordise his safety just for you." Aria spat.

He let out a fake laugh and lunged forward, grasping her by the collar and lifting her off the ground.

"SUMMON HIM!" he roared, throwing her, hard.

Aria cried out as she hit the ground, she glared up at the boy, and the rain started to fall as her mother had predicted.

"You bastard! What's your problem?!" she shouted, getting to her feet, swaying slightly.

"I must destroy your Platinum Monster, I have been ordered to. Now I will ask one last time. Summon Him!"

"Never..." she said.

"Fine." he said, and brought out his own, steel grey MC. It lit up and his monster emerged, a silver wolf. The boy pointed at her and the wolf growled, showing his [I]very[/I] sharp teeth, and it started to approach her. As it was almost upon her, her MC lit up brightly and Larka emerged.

"No! Go back in!" she cried, calling to her friend whom paid no attention to her.

"So it's revealed." the boy chuckled. "Fell go!" he called.

The two creatures bounded at each other. Fell dodged Larka's claws and bit into the back of his neck, picking Larka up and tossing him with force into a lamppost.

"NO!" Aria cried, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. "LARKA!!!!!"

Larka immediately lifted his head and saw Aria crying. "Aria, crying? No. NO!" he roared.

Her MC that was sitting next to her glowed and shot out a silver light, engulfing Larka. A minute later, the light disappeared, and a giant dragon stood in his place, it was even larger than an asian elephant, and his scales were a dark blue, instead of their usual mellow.

"Larka....?" Aria whispered, pushing away some of her soaked bangs.

"You will pay for hurting her." he growled in a deep voice.

Larka charged forward and the two clashed. Larka put down a claw and pressed fell to the ground.

"This isn't over!" the boy cried, putting Fell back into his MC and running away.

Larka changed back to his small form and flopped onto the ground. Aria weakly got up and picked up her MC, then she ran over to Larka.

"Larka...are you alright?" Aria asked, falling to the ground beside him.

"I'll be fine, I'm more worried about you." he said, nudging her with his snout, his crystal blue eyes full of worry.

"I'm ok....Come on, get in the MC and we'll go home and rest."

".....What about the dessert?" Larka asked.

"I guess we'll just have to tell mother the truth, and about you." Aria sighed.

Larka was absorbed into the MC. "Don't worry, I'll protect you." he said, before falling asleep.

Aria smiled and she slowly made her way home, the rain slowing to a drizzle.[/COLOR]

[Ayokano]

Austin and Vita walked down the side-walk, going to the train station. It had started to rain, water pouring from the dark blue sky. They rushed now, Vita following Austin by the hand. They soon passed a allyway, and a dark figure rushed towards Vita, knocking her to the ground.

"What was that?!?" Austin said in shock, he rushed towards Vita, and was kicked to the ground. He saw the attacker slunched over infront of him, a black leather claded boy with bright red hair. Belts with golden buckles covered the leather, and he seemed to be Vita's hieght. He made a jolt-like movement, and he lefted his head. Blood red eyes strucked Austin's soul, and he knew this wasn't a human child. It was a monster.

"You did a fine job of getting thir attention Flamma." A young woman's voice said. Austin turned his head to her, and their she stood infront of the alley way. She looked like she wasn't from her, just like Austin. She spoke with a sassy tone, and her face matched it. She wore blood-red with a white fur collar, and she had dark-blue eyes that looked like they held many secerts. Her blonde hair was the feature stood out the most. It was long and silk-like, and had blood red hightlights at the tips.

"Can you stop starring, yes, I am not from here" She said with a rool of her eyes, "And by the way, you can call me Fastidium." Ausitn looked at dumb founded, and got up, helping Vita up with him. The looked at them, and Fastidium gave a snare.

"Flamma, finish these fools like my boss said. You know the orders." She said as she walked off into the allyway. She looked back at Austin, and gave a wave of goodbye. Austin looked at Flamma, and looked at Vita. Both where ready to battle with each other.

"Okay Vita, it's your first time. Do your best, and remember I'm with you." He said. She looked back, and gave a weak smile. Flamma rushed towards her, kicking her to the side. Austin looked as she flew sideways, and got a footing. She raised her hands, and a green glow came from them. The sidewalk started to crack, and vines crawled up Flamma's legs. He looked at them, and flicked his fingers.

They bursted into orange flames. Vita looked sadden, and a angry look came suddenly. She ran towards Flamma, with her palm open, ready to strike. When she got close to him, she did, but was stopped when he had her weak arm clenched in his hand. Vita looked at it and pain, and shot a look at Flamma. Their eyes meet, and both of them stopped their struggeling. A long pause came, and Flamma let go of his grip. Vita stood there, and Flamma strucked a glance at Austin.

"....."
"Why?"
"....." Flamma strucked the ground infront of him with his foot, and he flew backwards, and out of sight.

Vita fell to her knees, and silent tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked at Austin, and he took out his MC from his pocket. He pressed a button, and she came back to the small machine. He put the machine in his pocket, and look where Flamma has disappeared.

"It's going to take alot of training to win a battle with him. I thought I could just play with Vita, but now I know I have to play the whole game." Austin said, and walked towards the train station.

[Rhym]

[FONT=Times New Roman]"It's a nice night out, Frost. Care to take a walk?"
[COLOR=SlateGray][I]A moonlit stroll doth please the soul.[/I][/COLOR]
"I never knew you were a poet."

Max put on a jacket, slipping his dark green MC into the pocket, and went downstairs, Frost hovering behind. His dad called from the bedroom.

"Where are you going, Max?"
"Just out and about. It's a nice night out."
"When will you be back?"
"I shouldn't be too long. I'll be back before..." Max glanced at the hall clock. It read 10:15. "11:30. Is that okay?"
"Well, I suppose. Just don't go down any dark alleys, understand?"
"Yes, dad. I understand." It was the same conversation that occured any time Max felt like taking a walk.

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

[COLOR=SlateGray][I]Your father appears quite concerned for you safety, Max.[/I][/COLOR]
"I suppose. You kind of have to be when you're a dad. And I do this a lot, so that conversation's sort of become a routine."
[COLOR=SlateGray][I]On that subject, Max, what exactly compels you to take such lengthy promenades?[/I][/COLOR]
"That's a good question. The world seems like a different place at night. Like all of the problems of the daytime just fade away under the moon. It also seems quiter at night. You have more time for introspection." Max's eyes strayed to the road ahead, and noticed a dark figure in a trenchcoat. "Frost," he said quietly, "hide somewhere. Now."

He kept walking forward, as breaking stride would be conspicuous. As he neared the figure, it stepped out to block his path.

"Is there a problem, sir?" Max asked, trying to be as polite as possible.
"Nietzche?" the figure queried.
Max relaxed. "You had me worried for a second. I thought you were some kind of murderer or something. Sorry, but if you're looking for a fight, I'm not interested. I've had one today already."
"Ah," the figure exclaimed. "That is where you are mistaken. While I may not be 'some kind of murderer', I am not here for a fight, either. I am here," at this point, he pulled out a gun from his coat, "to detain you and delete your Platinum monster."
Max's eyes widened, his throat constricted, and his pulse quickened. "Woah, woah, WOAH! What's all this about a 'Platinum monster?' I just bought the game, I didn't know anything about this!"
"Ignorance, as they say, is no excuse. Now, will you come with me, or will I have to make use of this nasty little device in my hand?"
Max gulped. The seconds stretched out interminably long. There was a crackling sound, and the man yelped and dropped the gun, clutching his fingers. The gun shattered when it hit the ground.
The man grinned, still cradling his frostbitten fingers, and looked up at Max. "So, it's an ice creature? We shall see," he reached into his coat again, this time removing a jet-black MC, "how your pathetic Frost handles my associate." He pressed the summoning button on the MC, and shouted, "GO, ONI!"

A vortex of blackness erupted from the MC, coalescing into a sinister, horned shape, completely devoid of detail save for two hideous, glowing red eyes. Its arms ended in wicked claws, as well as its legs, which bent backwards. Oni spotted Frost hovering several meters above them. It snarled, and leapt to seize Frost. Frost deftly floated above the vertex of Oni's jump. After several more failed attempts, it finally stopped. It looked at the man, and spoke to him. Its voice was all of the evil in all of human history given voice and condensed into syllables.[/FONT]

[FONT=Impact][COLOR=DarkRed]What now, Shoryu?[/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]"Well, if we are unable to capture the creature," Shoryu, as his username was, eyed Max, "then we must settle for... the master!"
Oni turned his gaze upon Max, who turned and started to run. Too late, though, as Oni catapulted into him, knocking him to the ground, and stood on his chest, keeping him down. Max's MC was knocked from his pocket and skittered along the ground.
[COLOR=SlateGray][I]Max![/I][/COLOR] Frost cried.
Oni increased the pressure on Max's back. [I]I can't breathe,[/I] thought Max. [I]This thing is crushing my ribcage...[/I]
He managed to choke out, "Frost, run!" before Oni's foot dug down harder.[/FONT]
[FONT=Impact][COLOR=DarkRed]You do not talk, human![/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Shoryu walked over slowly and picked up Max's MC.
"Dark green? Hmmm... Aesthetically pleasing."
It suddenly began to glow and hum. Shoryu let out another cry and dropped the MC, blowing on his burnt fingers. The same bright glow emanating from the MC was enveloping Frost.
[COLOR=SlateGray][I]Oni! Desist at once, or face my wrath![/I][/COLOR]
Oni seemed to smirk, and ground into Max's back harder.[/FONT] [FONT=Impact][COLOR=DarkRed]And what can you do, Frost? Shoot an icicle at me?[/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]He laughed.
The glow had subsided, but instead of a wisp, a warrior emerged, encased in an armor of ice and wielding a blade of ice. Crashing into the ground, Frost rose and pointed the sword at Oni.
[COLOR=SlateGray][I]Your time of reckoning has come, Oni![/I][/COLOR] His blade wove an intricate path in the air, and he roared, [COLOR=SlateGray][I]Ice Age![/I][/COLOR]

Oni's eyes widened in shock as the maelstrom of ice fast approached him. He was frozen completely as shards of ice ripped through him. The torrent continued for quite some time until, at last, the storm dissipated and Oni slumped to the ground. Shoryu called him back into the MC and nervously eyed Max.

"You may have one this time, Max, but next time I shall destroy you utterly! My orders are clear! You will see me again!" He fled down the street.

Frost had lapsed into wisp form by the time he hit the street, unconscious. Max slowly got to his feet, retrieved the MC, and returned Frost into it. [I]You deserve the rest, friend.[/I] He yawned, then winced as his ribcage protested. [I]Come to think of it, so do I. Let's go home.[/I]

OOC: To clarify this vacation deal: I'm leaving this next Wednesday and coming back the Sunday after Christmas. So I probably won't be able to post from then until later then.[/FONT]

[Redemption]

[COLOR=Blue][FONT=Arial]Bright light entered Sakura?s room through her window. The warmth of the sun?s light woke Sakura gently. She sat up in her bed. At the end of the bed, Zephyr was curled up like a cat. He looked much better than last night.

When Sakura had brought him last night, he was bleeding a little. She?d tended his wounds with some medical stuff from the bathroom. After that, she looked for her brother Takahiro and found he hadn?t returned home, which was very strange. And, somehow overnight, Zephyr?s slightly plucked wings had re-feathered and his wounds had healed entirely.

Sakura stroked Zephyr along his back. He opened his big golden eyes.
? Sakura??
? Morning Zephyr, do you feel any better??
? Much better!?
? That?s good. What happened last night??
? I don?t know.?
? Yeah, I don?t understand either. But, I think there are other players that have Platinum monsters and have been attacked. That I?m sure of. We have to send messages to all that have been attacked. Something?s not right. We have to figure out what Zephyr.?
Zephyr nodded as he stood up and stretched his back. Sakura got out of bed and dressed herself for another school-day.

After she had breakfast, Sakura sent messages to every player in Tokyo, asking them if they had been attacked and had heard of Platinum Monsters. She had also written to meet at 4:00pm at the entrance stairs at Central Tokyo High-School.
___________________________________________________

Sakura lent against the guide rail of the stairs. Her backpack was at her feet. She had summoned Zephyr out of her sky-blue MC as they waited for the other players. Sakura shuffled her feet around nervously.
? I hope they come. I want to tell them what we?ve found out Zephyr.?
? Don?t worry Sakura, be patient. I?m sure they?ll come.? He nuzzled her shoulder as he stood on the rail.
? I hope so. I don?t want another run-in with that girl with that gigantic eagle.?

The pair of them waited anxiously for the arrival of the other players.
______________________________________________________________________________

OOC: Ok guys. As the post suggests, we need to meet and join up as a team to defeat the bad guys which are not entirely revealed yet.

Just arrive and I?ll explain everything! ;) [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Sakura]

[COLOR=Navy]Aria woke to the loud ringing of her alarm clock, she smacked the switch and sat up. She looked to the end of her bed and saw Larka curled up there.
Last night she had stumbled home and when she entered the door, her mother was horrified and sent her up to bed immediately, saying they'd talk later. She trundled upstairs and flopped onto her bed, sighing. Then she quickly remembered to release Larka and they fell asleep together, starting their healing process. Her mother had seen Larka and Aria had to explain to her parents, talking about the game and how her monster was real. Then about what had happened which got them hurt. Her parents were worried, but she assured that they'd be fine.

Aria looked at her dragon friend, whatever had happened last night was amazing. She analysed him and decided that he was fully healed, but would probably still be weak. Larka lifted his head and looked at her.

[B]"How are you?"[/B] Aria questioned, running a hand over his scales.

[B]"I feel weak, that's all. I'm fine. What about you?"[/B] Larka asked, nudging her hand with his head, his crystal blue eyes full of worry.

[B]"My body aches but I'll be fine. Now, Mum and Dad know about you, so let me get ready, then we'll go down for breakfast before I leave for school."[/B] Aria said, changing into their horrendous school uniform before getting her books in her bag, putting that on her shoulder, and then gathered Larka in her arms and went downstairs.

When she reached the dining area, her mother shrieked, then apologised because she forgot about Larka. They ate breakfast together, getting to know her dragon. After that it was time to go to school, she put Larka into her MC and jogged off to school. As she was jogging, she heard a beeping and started to search for the source. She pulled out her MC and saw that she'd gotten a message. It was asking if they had been attacked and had heard of Platinum Monsters. It said to meet at 4:00pm at the entrance stairs at Central Tokyo High-School. Good thing it was her high school.

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

Aria left from her final class and exited the school building, seeing a girl at the rail of the stairs with a white creature with wings that was standing on the rail. She hurried down the stairs and looked closer at the girl, smiling.

[B]"You're Sakura! Sorry, I just know your brother."[/B] Aria grinned.

Sakura didn't say anything so Aria continued.

[B]"I had a battle with him two days ago, and he's in some of my classes. anyway, are you the one that sent the message?"[/B] she asked.

[B]"Uh, yeah."[/B] Sakura said, looking at her strangely.

[B]"I'm not strange ok, just a little high on sugar today. I like your monster."[/B] Aria stated, whipping out her MC and in a flash of silver, Larka appeared in her arms in his usual curled up. He lifted his head and looked at the other girl and the monster. He yawned and put his head down again, dropping quickly into a light nap.

[B]"Excuse him, he's tired. Especially after that damn encounter yesterday."[/B] Aria said, clenching her fists in anger at the memory.

[B]"This is Zephyr, he's a sphinx that controls the element of Lightning."[/B] Sakura said, pointing to the white creature.

[B]"Hi."[/B] Zephyr grinned.

[B]"Hi."[/B] Aria replied smiling. [B]"This here's Larka. He's a blue dragon that controls Wind."[/B]

[B]"We're just waiting for others to turn up."[/B] Sakura said, leaning back against the rail. Aria nodded and leaned beside her, and they started talking.[/COLOR]

[B]OOC:[/B] Not my favourite post but I'm kinda tired at the moment.

[Lilt]

[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Chiyo smiled and nodded at the man.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"Sure, that sounds nice. If you don't mind waiting for just a second, I'll meet you there."[/b][/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]The man smiled and said sure. He walked away to the coffee shop, and Chiyo walked the opposite way. She had promised Kabuki that she would let her out, and she wasn't about to break that promise. She walked along, looking behind her to make sure no one was following, when she bumped into someone else. This time, Chiyo didn't only drop her MC, but she fell to the ground as well. Chiyo sat up, and looked at the person in front of her. It was a boy with short, dark black hair, and olive colored eyes. He must have only been a couple of years older than she was. Chiyo apologized, and moved to grab her MC, but the boy put his hands in the pockets of his jacket, and put a black boot on it before she could pick it up.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"You must be Obi. I haven't known about you for very long, but I've been a fan ever since..."[/b] The boy smiled.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Chiyo was about to ask him who he was, when her MC started beeping. He picked it up, and looked at it.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"Looks like you have a message..."[/b] The boy said, as he pressed a button.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Chiyo charged at the boy. But he was prepared for this, and grabbed her by the wrists.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"Settle down, Obi. I'm not after you, I'm after Lady Kabuki. Like I said, I'm a fan."[/b] He said as he pulled her into a kiss.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]She struggled as hard as she could, and finally managed to break the kiss. He let go of her, and she backed away.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"The only name I'm going to give you, is Mifune..."[/b] he grabbed his own MC, and pressed a button. A small ninja kid came out.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"...And this is Jitsu."[/b][/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Mifune threw Chiyo her MC.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"Now, let's fight."[/b][/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Chiyo shook her head and ran to the coffee shop. She looked behind her, and the boy was gone. She kept running, and found the guy she had met earlier. He got up when he saw her, and told her that he needed to leave.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]"Is it because of a message you got?" Chiyo asked.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]The guy nodded.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"How did you know?"[/b] He asked.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Chiyo held up her MC.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"I got one too. mind if I come with you?"[/b] Chiyo asked, as she looked around.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"I would feel alot...safer."[/b][/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]The guy nodded and held out his hand.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"I'm Imric by the way."[/b][/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]Chiyo shook his hand.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]"Chiyo."[/b] She answered.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum]She ordered a coffee, Imric payed his bill, and then they both left to find out who sent them the message.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=plum][b]OOC: I'll probably be controlling Imric, while Methy is gone.[/b][/color][/size][/font]

[Kitty]

[COLOR=Blue][SIZE=1]"You're going to be late again!" "Mom! Get away from my door, already!" "Not until you get out of bed!" "Fine, fine..."

Rin cursed her under her breath and sat up in bed. She changed quickly and quietly, not wanting to wake up her tired friend. But he was already awake from her yelling with her mother. When she finished putting on her left shoe and was about to put on the right, Uindo asked, [i]Rin?[/i]

"Ahh!" she yelped, jumping back into her door. [i]Did I frighten you?[/i] "Yeah, damn it! What the hell!?" [i]Sorry. I didn't know you had forgotten me.[/i]

"I just didn't know you were awake, you pain in the ass," she snapped. He stuck his tongue out in retaliation, then crawled towards the door. [i]Well? Grab your bag. It's about time we got some food. I'm starving,[/i] Uindo smiled. "You and your stomach.." Rin chuckled, pulling on her other shoe and grabbing her bag. [i]Guess what?[/i] "What?" she asked, pulling open the door. He ran between her legs and too the stairs, looking back and letting out a little laugh.

[i]Nice pink underwear.[/i] "Why you!!" she cried, running after him as he fled down the stairs.

At breakfast, Rin threw some of her toast at him, but he caught and ate in. "Damn." "Rin! Language," her mother added. "Sorry. Damn's not that bad a word, though, you know," she told her. "Quiet or you can make your own dinner tonight." "Fine," Rin sighed. She hated cooking.

When she had finished, she grabbed her MC and placed it in her bag, then ran outside, followed by Uindo. "Shouldn't he go in your... controller, dear?" her mom called from the front door. "Nah. I don't really mind people seeing him," she called back, running down the street to the bus stop.
-------

[i]When will the bell ring?[/i] Uindo moaned. "A few minutes. And if you keep whining, I won't share my lunch with you," Rin threatened. She then heard a few beeps and immediatly recognized them as her customized ring for her MC. Her teacher turned around, looking for the source of the sound. He looked at Rin for a while, then turned to a girl who was, up until that point, using her cellphone behind his back.

"Mary? Please give me that," he ordered. The girl moaned, then reluctantly walked down to the front and handed it over. [i]Why was that man staring at me?[/i] "He disapproves of pets at school," Rin explained. [i]I'm not a--[/i] he started. "I know. That's what I tell them," she laughed quietly.

When the bell finally did ring, she pulled out her MC when she was out of sight of the teacher and examined her "Inbox". "A message?" she muttered. [i]Ooh! Is it a challenge?[/i] Uindo cried excitedly. "No. I would have said, 'A challenge?' instead of a message you dolt," she muttered, still reading the message.

[i]What does it say?[/i] Uindo asked impatiently, strolling behind her. "Someone who knows about that 'Platinum Monster' stuff the guy was talking about last night," Rin told him, her tone growing serious. "Hey Rin!" she heard a familiar voice call. She turned to see Max. "Max?" "Hey! I got this message... Did you?" "Yeah," she said, holding up her MC. "Hey, Uindo," he smiled. "You keep him out of the MC at school?" he asked her. She nodded. "I don't see why not." "You could get in trouble."

"Eh. Screw 'em," she laughed, walking on. "Hey!" Max called again. "Huh?" "You wanna have lunch with me and Frost?" "Sure," she smiled. "I'm sure Uindo would like that. Wouldn't you?" she asked him. [i]I guess so.[/i] "Shut up," she laughed, nudging him with her foot. "What he say?" "He wasn't sure he'd accept your invitation," Rin laughed. The three of them headed over to where Max was going to have lunch.
-------

When the final bell rang, Uindo and Rin headed over to the entrance stairs. "Hey. You think one of them sent the message?" Rin asked Uindo, pointing to two girls with monsters in their arms. [i]Probably. It wouldn't hurt to check,[/i] Uindo suggested. The two walked over and introduced themselves.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Redemption]

[COLOR=DarkSlateBlue][FONT=Arial]Sakura and Aria were talking when they saw two of their classmates approach them, Max and Rin.
" Hey you guys!" Sakura said.
" Sakura?" Rin asked, " I didn't know you had a Monster! Was it you that sent the message?"
" Yeah, it was me. I thought some other players might have some of the same problems as me."
" Yeah. Did you have a run-in with players that have much more powerful Monsters than us?" Max asked.
" Yeah. Larka got really injured," Aria said.
" I know. Zephyr took quite a beating too!" Sakura said, " But that's the least of our problems. Lets just wait to see if any others turn up. I'm sure there are other players with Platinum Monsters."

While the players talked, their monsters played around on the grass beside the stairs. Passerbyers stared at the four tumbling, playing monsters. They were indeed a strange sight. A small white sphinx, a ball of frost, a small wind dragon and a small wind-lightning dragon tumbling around on the grass.

Two other teens appeared. They approached the group. Apparently, they had seen the playing Monsters and knew straight away that this was the meeting.
" Hi, I'm Sakura. I'm the one that sent the message. And you guys are?"
" I'm Chiyo. My Monster is Lady Kabuki. She's a samurai," said the girl.
"I'm Imric. My Monster is Raaptah. He's a fire lizard," said the boy.
" Nice to meet you. As you already know, I'm Sakura and my Monster is Zephyr, a lightning sphinx."
" I'm Aria and my Monster is Larka, a wind dragon."
" My name is Max and Frost is my Monster."
" Rin and my lightning-wind dragon, Uindo."

" Ok, now we've introduced everyone, I'll get into it," Sakura started, " You've all heard of Platinum Monsters - we all have them. And these people that attacked us, it couldn't be all concindence."

" Firstly, Platinum Monsters are the most powerful Monsters in all of Monster Network. They are the rarest and have special powers that no other Monster in the games have."

" Now, these poeple that attacked us. They are from an organisation of players that call themselves LIVE. In reality, if you turn the word back-to-front, it spells EVIL. Quite ingenious. But that's not the point. The leader is the one that disrupted the coding of Monster Network. I'm heard rumours that he was the one who had the original idea of the game and is out for revenge. I've also heard that the Platinum Monsters are the only ones keeping the game's coding together. That's why they're after us, the minions of LIVE."

" So, I propose we join up as a team and get to the bottom of this mess. What do you all say?" [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Zephyr]

OOC: Working retail during the Christmas season sucks some times. I've had no free time this week.



Paul jolted straight up into a sitting posistion, the echos of the nightmare still flying through his head. The fear he had felt left him covered in a cold sweat, and breathing heavily enough to look like he had just finished a three-minute mile. Hoping the find proof that it was just a nightmare he reached up to his left shoulder. He nearly jumped out of his skin as his hand touched the gauze taped to his collarbone, now pink from the blood.

As he moved out of bed the memories of last night's attack slowly returned. He had been training Ryusei in target practice at an old empty lot. It was nothing more then cans and a few cheap frisbees, but had helped to make Ryusei's attacks more accurate. Nothing was odd until his second encounter with the kid from the game shop, the child know only as Kage-kiri. The kid mentioned something about a Platinum Monster, and attacked Ryusei with a creature completely different from last time. This one resembled a human with wolf's'fur clothing, pointed ears, and sharp claws.

Paul remembered that the gauzes were covering three cuts from the monter's claws, which pounced on him as he tried to defend Ryusei. Past that all Paul could remember was a bright flash, and the sight of a large, red dragon. Everything from there on was a blank until he awoke, covered in blood, and alone save for a concerned Ryusei. He had stumbled home and patched up his shoulder before passing out from exhaustion.


[center]---***---[/center]


Later in the day Paul found himself approaching the entrance to Central Tokyo High School. Due to attending another school a few blocks away he has never really been to this one. Looking through the front fence he noticed there were several people about his age gathered there, talking, and numerous Monster Network creatures tumblinging around on the ground. At that moment Ryusei popped out of the MC and wound herself around Paul's torso, with her head next to his.

"We should talk to them," she said. "See if they really know about the Platinum Monsters."

Paul hesitated for a moment. Trusting others had always been hard for him. "But what if they are the ones that sent Kage-kiri after us?"

"They will be hunting us anyway. Either they find us now, or they find us later." Ryusei had a point, though Paul was still worried. "Besides, they don't seem to be anything like that kid who attacked us."

Paul let out a sigh and nodded. "You're right. Either now or later, [i]ja[/i]?" With that he proceeded forward, and approched the group standing at the entrance to the school.

[Ayokano]

Austin got off the train stop nearest to Central Tokyo High School, and got off. His head pounded, but Vita must had felt worst. He had recieve a message fowarded to alot of users, and it told him to meet outside of the building. Vita followed Austin as he walked through the streets with his bookbag over his shoulder. He looked at Vita, and she looked at him.

"It's to bad we can't talked to one another." He told her, "I would really like to hear what was on your mind. Like that little run in with Flamma." Vita looked down, and a sad look came apone her face. He looked forward, and gave a sigh.

"Look, we're here." He told her. Her face brigthen, and she ran towards the other monsters. Austing looked as she played with them, though he wasn't paying much attention to what Sakura was saying. Vita seemed to enjoy the company of other monsters to him. Maybe they understood her.

"So, I propose we join up as a team and get to the bottom of this mess. What do you all say?" Sakura asked them.

"I am." Austin said, speaking out.

[Kayin Cloud]

OOC: Sorry guys...my internet is weird sometimes...

~The day before~
IC: Takahiro had just finished his battle with Aria and started home. Kayin had already received enough time in his MC to recover quite a bit. Takahiro smiled, as he couldn't wait to tell Aria who he had just battled with. Kayin had decided to come out of his MC. "Hey Kayin. All rested up now?"

"Yup I'm feelin much better." Kayin replied smiling. "I did really good back there didn't I?"

Takahiro smiled. "You did great Kayin." They continued to walk down the street but something wasn't right. Takahiro glanced back. "Kayin....get back in your MC..." he whispered.

"But why?" Kayin asked. Takahiro was still looking back as if something was wrong. "Okay, I'll go..." He said and returned reluctantly.

Takahiro began to pick up his pace, for the thing that bothered him so much was that he was being followed by someone...and their monster. Takahiro grew sick of running and stopped to see what this character wanted. "Why are you following me?"

"I'm here to destroy your Platinum monster...now summon him back out..." The shady character replied.

"No...I won't...tell me your name first..." Takahiro replied, guarding his MC.

"I am Syphia....and if you don't summon him Ryu 01...I'll have Dryoga draw him out." Syphia replied, looking at her blue Dragon.

"I'm not gonna summon him!!" Takahiro shouted. Kayin heard this and forced himself not to come back out.

"Fine then....Dryoga...Take Ryu 01 down...then we'll summon the Monster and destroy it ourselves..." Syphis ordered.

"Yes ma'am..." Dryoga replied, his pearl teeth gleaming.

"Ice Burst, Dryoga..."

Dryoga responded to the command by firing a condensed mist of freezing air at Takahiro's leg. Takahiro fell to one knee screaming. "Agh....My leg...is frozen..."

"Listen...we don't want to kill you....but we will if we can kill your monster..." Syphis said.

"Kayin do not come out!" Takahiro shouted. Kayin stayed quiet and followed Takahiro's directions. Takahiro punched the ice around his knee until it broke clean off. "You won't get Kayin...."

"Dryoga...." Syphis started. Dryoga already knew and fired another Ice Burst at Takahiro, freezing his arm now. Then he fired one after the other, freezing both of Takahiro's legs and arms. "Now summon your monster!!"

"N...N....n...NEVER!" Takahiro replied, shivering. "I...W.w...won't summon him!"

"That's too bad...now you'll both die...Dryoga!" Dryoga went to fire another shot but instead screamed as it felt a hole made in its wing. "Dryoga!! What's wrong?!"

Kayin had left his MC and was chipping the ice off of Takahiro after making a hole in Dryoga's wing with a kunai. "I'm sorry...but I couldn't stand to see you get hurt..." Kayin said with an angered look on his face.

"Thanks....Kayin..." Takahiro said smiling. He stood up, "Syphis! You want a fight?! Well you got into the one fight you'll wish you hadn't!! Let's do this Kayin!!" He yelled.

Kayin had made a charge at the already hurt Dryoga. "Dryoga, fly!" Syphis yelled. Dryoga tried but he was completely off-balanced by the hole made in his wing.

"You're all ours....Kayin! Give it everything you got!!" Takahiro yelled.

"Kyaah!!!" Kayin shouted as he jumped and unloaded a barrage of Kunai at Dryoga, leaving him a bloody mess, but still leaving him alive. He landed and pointed a Kunai at Dryoga.

"We suggest you give up..." Takahiro and Kayin said in unison.

"Dryoga!....Damn you two...we'll meet again..." Syphis said. She returned Dryoga to hims MC, and seeming then disappeared.

"Thank you Kayin..." Takahiro said smiling.

~The Present day~

Takahiro saw Sakura speaking with a group of kids from their school and started over. On his way, he heard about some of their run-ins with people like Syphis. He had walked behind Sakura, "What's going on sis?" He said trying to hide his injuries from last night.

"Oh, hey Taka...What happened to you last night?" Sakura asked. "You didn't come home until real late..."

"Kayin and I were attacked by one of those...'LIVE' members..." Takahiro replied.

"Oh no! Is Kayin hurt?!" Sakura asked.

"No...not at all...and he beat his opponent too..." Takahiro said smiling. "Look sis...if you're going after LIVE with everyone here...count me in too...I'm not gonna let you fight without me..."

"I wouldn't think of excluding you...besides....How am I going to have my storm if the thunder isn't there by the lightning?" She said smiling. "Oh, everyone, this is my brother Takahiro. And his partner is Kayin, of the thunder element. If we all band together, we and our partners should be able to take down LIVE."

"Right." Takahiro nodded. He felt his legs starting to hurt again but he chose to show no sign of pain, especially not with Sakura around.

OOC2: Hope that's okay sis.

[Kitty]

[COLOR=Blue][SIZE=1]"This still sounds kinda stupid," Rin thought aloud. [i]Rin! Don't be so dismissive. Besides, this would be a lot of fun for me,[/i] Uindo scolded, curling up in a ball around her feet. "Knock it off," she ordered, nudging him away. [i]Aww! I'll just go with Max, then. He treats me better, anyway.[/i] "Hey!" she called after him as he wrapped around Max's feet. He stared at her, oblivious to why she was yelling at him.

"What'd I do?" he asked timidly. "Not you," she said, glancing at him. "Com'mon. Stop acting like a baby," Rin muttered, moving his tail with her foot. He stuck his tongue out, but returned to her feet. [i]But please! Everyone else is going![/i] Uindo cried. Rin paused, giving it some thought. "Com'mon, Rin. We all need your help. Yours and Uindo's," Sakura pleaded.

Rin looked at her feet, Uindo, and back to Sakura. "Alright." Sakura smiled happily, while Uindo started jumping and frolicking about. "He's embarrassing.." she sighed, most of the group laughing at her comment and Uindo's silly behavior.

"Hello." Rin and the others turned to see a boy with a monster wrapped around his waist. "Uindo?" [i]Hmm?[/i] he asked, stopping his odd movement and stopping at her heels. "Who's that? Ask its name." Rin noticed the monster's eyes move to Uindo, then returned to stare at the person the boy was speaking to. [i]Her name is Ryusei. His name is Paul.[/i] "Okay. That's good to know," she spoke out, making the others look at her. "I was talking to him," she added, pointing to Uindo.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Redemption]

[FONT=Arial][COLOR=DarkSlateBlue]" Excellent!"" Sakura said, " Now we've all agreed to fight these bad guys, we have to designate a meeting area."
" How about the park near the school down the road?" Rin suggested.
" I have no problem with that," Max added.
" Is that all right with everyone?" Sakura asked. They all nodded. " Good. Then lets head over there. I don't want to be near school for any more than 6 hours a day."
The group rounded up their Monsters and headed over to the park.

When they arrived, they found themselves in the middle of a Monster Network Tournament. There were players of all ages and sorts battling with a vast array of Monsters.
" Wow! I didn't know MN has tournaments!" Chiyo said.
" Neither did I," Imric added.
" Well, I'm going to enter. Anything to get my Zephyr stronger so we can stop these LIVE members," Sakura said and ran off to sign-up.
Takahiro shook his head. " Always too enthusiastic..."
________________________________________________________

Sakura joined up in the queue and Zephyr transported back into her MC. Monster Network seemed to be more popular than she thought. Once everyone before her had signed up, she came to the table. A women sat behind it.
" Welcome to MN's first Japanese Tournament! Please plug your MC into the computer on your left," she said with a smooth female voice. She was dressed in a royal blue female suit. Sakura did as she was instructed. Zephyr came up on the screen, sleeping.
" Storm....Zephyr...." the woman said quietly. Sakura whirled around to her. It seemed she knew something about them but she couldn't quite pick it. The woman looked up at Sakura.
" Well Storm, thank-you for entering. Your first battle will be against SandSlider. Find him you and can begin the battle straight away."
Sakura unplugged her MC from the computer and placed it in her pocket. " Thanks."
With that, Sakura wandered off to find the player SandSlider.

OOC: Ok guys. Everyone has to enter and have a battle against a person of your choice. Stop your post mid-way through your battle. Then something will happen. Happy battling.
[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Sakura]

[COLOR=Navy]Aria looked at all of the other contestants with their monsters and looked at Larka.
[B]
"Hey Larka, are you feeling up to it?"[/B] she asked, worried about her partner.

[B]"A tournament! Count me in!"[/B] Larka said excitedly, looking around at the other monsters.

Aria grinned at the enthusiastic dragon and got Larka to enter the MC before she approached the table that Sakura had just left.

[B]"Welcome to MN's first Japanese Tournament! Please plug your MC into the computer on your left,"[/B] the woman behind the table said.

Aria did so and Larka was shown in the digital field, actually active instead of lying around.

[B]"Squall....and....Larka."[/B] the lady murmered quietly. Aria eyed her carefully, thinking she knew something that she didn't.

[B]"Sorry....did you say something?"[/B] Aria asked.

[B]"No no. Thankyou for entering the tournament, your first opponent is Aidan, you can immediately begin the battle once you find him."[/B] she said.

[B]"Thanks."[/B] she mumbled, unplugging her MC and wandering off to look for Aidan.[/COLOR]

[B]OOC:[/B] Sorry it's short, didn't want to start the battle yet.

[Kayin Cloud]

Takahiro got in line right beside Sakura and Kayin had returned to his MC. After a bit, they came up to a desk with a woman behind it. Sakura had registered and Takahiro was up. "Good luck, Sis. Be careful." Takahiro said as Sakura went off to find her opponent.

"Welcome to MN's first Japanese Tournament! Please plug your MC into the computer on your left," the woman at the desk greeted him. Takahiro followed her directions. "Ryu 01....Kayin...." the woman said quietly. Takahiro glanced over to her. It seemed she knew something about them but he wasn't going to jump to conclusions just yet. The woman looked up at Takahiro from the screen. "Well Ryu 01, thank-you for entering. Your first battle will be against Rakuhouha. Find him you and can begin the battle straight away."

Takahiro unplugged his MC from the computer. "Thank you miss." He said bowing and started off to find his opponent. "Hm....Rakuhouha....'Fallen Phoenix'....I wonder if...We'll have to see..." Takahiro began his search, being sure to stay close enough to Sakura that he could at least see her.

OOC: Sorry so short, just wakin the RP back up.