Tamer Name: Rayner Steele
Digimon Species: Ryuudamon
Battle Type: Hologram
Field Area: "Random"

3,750-50=3,700

When Rayner stepped into this arena the first time, it was with an air of nervousness at the thought of his new friend getting beaten to a pulp. Now, thought, he strode into the place with confidence that not only would Ryu's skills, and his new cards, be able to beat any opponent here, but that he would beat them in style.

Ryu was likewise pumped up, but he was cautions to the fact that he didin't know what kind ofo opponent he might be facing.

"Just keep on your guard and you will do fine, just like last time." Rayner said to his partner, entering the battle specifics for the fight and stepping ot the center of the arena.

"Sure thing!" Ryu said enthusiastically, awaiting to see just who he would be fighting.

The ground turned moist and grassy as a labyrinth of trees rose around Rayner and Ryu. The occasional ray of sun danced down from above through the thick canopy, as the two stood in a rather narrow, roughly circular clearing.

There was a rustle in the grass. "Worm Venom!" in a blink of an eye there was a dark green larva-like insect at Ryu's ankle, scraggly feelers trailing from the back of its head, its belly a dark gold, the beak, legs, and stinger vivid purple. And it was that stinger that lanced toward the samurai-armored beast's leg, delivering its nasty sting with a dose of venom.

Rayner stared around at the new area, surprised by the amount of trees. HE had only expected the same arena as before, not a whole new environment. HE didn't worry too much though, as he trusted Ryu would be able to adapt quickly.

Ryu was so enraptured by the forest himself that he failed to notice any form of insect crawling near him.

"Worm Venom!"

The moment Ryu heard this he looked down, "What the... GAH!!" Ryu yelled out as a sharp stinger pierced his leg.

Rayner was snapped out of his facination of the area by his partner's yell, looking over to try and see the source of Ryu's pain, "Ryu, are you okay? Get it away from you quick!" Rayner addressed the worm-like creature that had stung his partner. He hadn't even thought of scanning the creature yet, too worried about his friend.

"Okay! Iaijin!" Ryu cried , a long blade of iron shooting from his throat. He closed his mouth around the end of the blade before it could be fully shot then sliced it downwards at the worm like a katana.

The Dokunemon shifted to the side, causing the blunt edge of Ryu's blade to slam into his exoskeleton. The might swing then had an effect like a golf club, sending the insect tumbling away into the underbrush.

The thick green exoskeleton had blunted the twin impacts, meaning it wasn't long before Dokunemon recovered. With the quiet murmur "Mimic" the already-green exoskeleton suddenly shifted, blending perfectly with the surrounding foliage even as the insect scuttled back into the clearing.

"Insect board!" the call rang through the forest, followed shortly by a swarm of digital bees emerging from nowhere to swarm over Ryu, stinging him at every chance they got.

Ryu kept the blade of iron in his mouth as he swatted the bug away, turning to find that it was nowhere to be seen. Darn...

Whe nhe saw a hoard of insects flying at him, he crouched low and tried to keep himself protected by the armored part of his body, but the stinging bees still hurt. On top of that, Ryu could have sworn that the stinger of that little worm left it's mark in more ways then one.

Rayner had to think quickly, searchign through his new stack of cards for something.. anythign that could help, "Got it!" he cried happily and took a card from the stack.

As soon as it was slashed through the slot on Rayner's D-ban, the card's effect caused a ring of fire to burst around Ryu, causing the bees in the vicinity to either be burnt to a crisp or to bakc away from the fire. Ryu sweatdropped for a second before looking towards Rayner in thanks, taking a breath through his nostrils as he kept the blade in his mouth.

Name: Firewall
Number: U11
Type: Single Target
Duration: 2 turns
Effect: A protective barrier appears around whatever the user chooses and takes that object's shape, completely protecting it from the attacks of Virus-type Digimon, and disabling Virus-types from approaching it

Stalemate. One combatant could not be seen, the other could not be touched. But the Dokunemon's holographic processor knew that although it could not directly harm Ryuudamon, perhaps it could exploit some part of the terrain and saw, drop a mundane ol' tree on the dragon? Not elegant, but not really an attack from a virus digimon in the usual sense either. But how to effect that strategy? Scuttling as silently as possible through the underbrush, Dokunemon decided it best to remain on the move, camouflaged or not, and await the boy's next move. If all else failed, it could devolve to a waiting game.

Rayner sorted through all of his cards while he had the chance. Come on Rayner, think. What can I use against this bug?

Ryu meanwhile was sitting tight inside the circle of fire, trying ot think of his own meathods for revealing their opponent.

"Got it!" Rayner said, pulling out two cards, "Okay Ryu, I'm gonna power up your attacks and reveal our opponent all at once, but i'm going to wait till the fire barrier is down."

"Okay Rayner.." Ryu replied, trying to keep calm as the flames died down a little.

Dokunemon silently scuttled up a tree, keeping his wary eyes on Rayner and Ryu. The tamer's words would have prompted a frown had a beak been made for such expressions, but cards or not the hologram had a job to do.

But the insect silently acknowledged he'd have little chances of really attacking. He'd need to find a suitably placed tree and collapse it before Ryuudamon could spot him or move, which seemed unlikely given the limited strength and ability of a Dokunemon.

The waiting game continued.

When the ring of fire went away, Rayner looked around quickly. IF he used the first card i nhis hand, then they might be able ot find their opponent. With the second card, they could stop it from moving.

"Okay Ryu, get ready to follow the arrow!" Rayner said, "Card Slash! Rapid Arrow!" he cried as he slashed the first card, "Card Slash! Shadowsnap!" he said as the second went through his D-ban. A loud beeping preceded the creation of an arrow in midair next to Rayner, which zoomed off apparently in the direction of their opponent.

Ryu watched the arrow before being oversome with the urge to spit the blade in his mouth in the direction the arrow was travelling. Sendign the blade flying, he then took off in the direction of the arrow as he cried, "Iaijin!" and fired two more blades in that direction.

Name: Rapid Arrow
Number: C28
Type: Single Target
Duration: N/A
Effect: An arrow that never misses shoots the target opponent Digimon for 20 guaranteed points of damage.

Name: Shadowsnap (X2) ((Using one, the first blade was for pinning the Digimon))
Number: C31
Type: Single Target
Duration: 1 Turn
Effect: The affected Digimon throws a sharp object into one opponent's shadow, stopping him/her in place.

((Well-played!))

Dokunemon found himself pinned in place against the tree by the card-spawned shadow blade. A split second later the arrow cleaved through a nearby branch, striking the insect but unable to dislodge the stuck target.

Ryu's marksmanship wasn't ideal, the first shot sliced with slightly more than a graze through the insect's back, and the second merely cleaved through the foliage and continued into the forest without leaving a scratch.

The Dokunemon and its position were revealed for now, but there would be very little time before either a counterattack could be effected, or until mimic could be used again.

((Thanks))

Rayner watched the projectiles fly, aware now of the general position of their foe.

Ryu was charging towards his opponent at a furious rate, though he was rather slow compared to the arrow he had just seen flying towards the Dokunemon

Rayner slid a card from his belt and slashed it, as of yet unaware of the limits to the amount of cards he could use before Ryu would feel the inevitable drain to be too much. He estimated that one more card would begin to show the true drain of such powerful items.

Ryu instantly felt all the muscles in his body gain a boost, and he was suddenly zipping forward at a tremendous speed. It was almost like skating along the ground, as his feet seemed to never touch the forest floor.

"Kabuto Kaneshi!!" Ryu cried out as he came close to the spot where he saw the arrow land. Springing forward with a speed quite unlike himself, he lowered his head in an attempt to deal a heavy smash with his armored head to his foe.

Name: Fox Power
Number: C15
Type: Single Target
Duration: 5 Turns
Effect: The affected Digimon gains the speed and agility of a Renamon for 5 posts, making it easier for it to dodge attacks.

Ryu's blow fell a little bit short, the dragon crashing headlong into the tree slightly below where Dokunemon clung halfway up the tree. As splinters shot in all directions, the insect released from his perch and dropped.

"Worm Venom!" He lashed out with his tail, aiming to again sting his foe with the venom-coated spines. The moment he dropped past the samurai-armored dragon, the Dokunemon wavered and vanish, again employing Mimic.

The helmeted part of Ryu's head bounced off the tree, but no extra damage was taken due to his missed attack. He came to his senses just as he saw the bug zoom past, feeling that stinger hit him in the arm this time with a cry of pain. When he had regained his balance and turned around, however, his opponent had vanished.

"Darn.. sneaky bug" said Ryu and Rayner at the exact same time, though Rayner's was whispered.

Rayner dug through his cards for some support for Ryu, but he had no cards that could directly bring that thing out of hiding. It didn't stop him from trying though.

Ryu stayed where he was for the time being, unsure where to look for his opponent. He closed his eyes and calmed his mind, relying on his intuition and hearing to see him safely until a plan of action arose.

Dokunemon scuttled away through the underbrush, but even the near-perfect blending of his ever-shifting exoskeleton did nothing to hide a cue of his passage: rustling against the leaves and plants along the forest floor.

Scuttling a good 20 feet from the tree Ryu had demolished, the insect crawled up on a rock and swiveled its head to track the enemy dragon. "Capture Net!" His violet beak popped open, spraying forth an expanding glob of a glutinous yellow goo that rapidly resolved into a net aimed toward Ryu.

The disappearance of his opponent once again irritated Ryu, who had planned ot continue his relentless assault. It didn't stop him from planning his next attack, but his leg still hurt from the poison. Shaking this thought from his head, he looked around, trying to spot his foe.

There was a rustle of leaves followed by a large sticky glob being fired at him, one that formed into a net. Looking quickly to either side, he decided that he could stand a reasonable chance of dodging if he ran quick enough, but with his leg throbbing more and more he doubted he would make it.

The was when he was nearly blinded by light that was coming from his claws, which revealed themselves, not as claws, but as large metal drills, "What the?" Ryu exclaimed when the light faded in a split second. He didn't ask questions, using his new drills to burrow under the ground under himself, just dodging the net as it soared over him. he quickly dug a tunnel to the right and poked a hole to the surface, sticking his head up and looking over at Rayner.

Rayner was in the midst of replacing a card he had just slashed into his deck box, but the questioning eye from Ryu made him look up, smile, and nod to confirm that it was he who had assisted his escape fro mthe net.

Ryu sighed. 'Looks like my hide was saved again..' he thought, retreating underground and digging his way closer to the worm that was his opponent. He tried to stay as quiet as possible, but he didn't pop up out of the ground just yet.

Name: Iron Drill
Number: C55
Type: Weapon
Duration: 3 turns
Effect: The user's Digimon receives iron drills, much like those of a Digmon, on its hands. The drills allow the Digimon to drill through any physical objects except those created by the effects of other cards (Golden Shield, for example).

Unfortunately, Ryu's approach was anything but surreptitious. The fact that the ground was soft dirt and clay made it far stealthier than it would have been to drill through rock, but the fact was that like most insects, Dokunemon could simply sense the vibrations.

While not able to pin down the approaching dragon's location, the insect wasted no time in quickly scrabbling away from his present position. Dismounting the rock, he scuttled eight feet up another tree nearby and swiveled his head to the spot he'd vacated. If Ryu popped up near that spot to effect an ambush, he would find himself caught in someone else's crosshairs instead.

Although it would have been easiest to just pop his head up out of the ground and look at where his target was, Ryu was at a disadvantage when it came to whom seeing whom first. Although this may have provided an escape, it post certainly didn't give him the element of surprise to an enemy who knows where to look, though whether the Dokunemon would be looking in the right place was a mystery to Ryu.

Deciding on a little defense and rest, he burrowed up closer to the surface and dug a hole just large enough to pop his head out of, take a few good breaths of fresh air, then go back down before his enemy could catch him with any of its projectile moves. It looked to be yet another waiting game for them, but Ryu doubted that the worm would stay on the ground long enough to be surprised by Ryu's drills. Giving himself some time, he stayed still and didn't move, waiting just a bit longer to plan his next move.

Rayner couldn't do anything to help if he couldn't see his partner and know what type of situation he was in. A few times of popping his head out of the ground wasn't enough to warrant any other cards yet, so he waited as well.

Dokunemon could have easily used the same Insect Board attack he'd used earlier in the battle and sent his tiny minions down into Ryu's own tunnel. In the confined space, the dragon would have been hard-pressed to fend it off. But Dokunemon took no such action.

Turning his spherical head, the larva fixed Rayner is his lightning-bolts-for-eyes gaze. The waiting game bored it. Perhaps the tamer would be of some interest. "Tell me, Rayner. Why is it you're here? Why is it you seek to train yourself? What do you expect this world to offer you?"

((Sorry for taking so long to post. I just started my last semester of High School...))

"Me?" Rayner replied to the Dokunemon, "Well... I dunno. I just got here I mean... I haven't given it much thought. I saw thistrainign facility and, well, I suggested to Ryu that it might be cool to see what he could do. He hasn't disappointed me yet."

Ryu popped his head up when he heard noise, then heard Dokunemon's voice in nearby tree. Burrowing back down he made his way underground towards it, where he proceeded to dig up the tree through its roots, hopefully surprising the bug at least a little.

"As for why i'm here... I really don't know that either..." Rayner let a hand reach up to scratch the back of his head as if he was embarrassed that he didn't know anything, "I haven't had the time to think about this.. world. HEck, I hardly know anything of this world except for its name."

The vibrations from Ryu's underground antics were again detected by Dokunemon, the proverbial equivalent of trying to sneak by a human while waving a strobe light and a pink neon flag. But for the moment, the insect did not deem the pseudo-tactical dragon to be threat enough to divert from his conversation with Rayner.

"So you're simply here, are you, human?" the insect said harshly. "I hope it doesn't lull you into a false sense of security, facing holograms... I'm not supposed to win. But real Digimon aren't limited, and won't take kindly to a human who tries to kill them for his sport or amusement." Dokunemon let his words hang, glaring at Rayner as though he suspected the young man was turning into just such a person.

Rayner looked surprised at first about the Dokunemon's questions, but he shaked his surprise away and answered, "kill for sport? I would never do such a thing!" Rayner looked offended, but realized at once that he had just told a dragon to kill a worm as big as his leg, "I... you are just a hologram though and I was just looking to train. I wouldn't kill Digimon or anything just for the fon of... HEY! why am I talking to a computer program about this?" It seemed rude, but Rayner was sort of confused at the moment. HE was good at heart, and meant no harm ot a livign creature, but the Dokunemon and the Tentomon before it were just computer programs.

Then again, all Digimon were just data, so was defeating a holographic Digimon the same as defeating a real one? it was all data after all, but the holograms were programmed for training, and weren't "real" data. That was the confusing part. How does a real human distinguish from a real program and a fake one when the data was all the same? Was it all just the same, killing bits of data? Was he truly just a killer, even though data was...just data?

While Rayner thought over this, Ryu had burrowed back to the surface and searched for the Dokunemon. With a cry of "Iaijin!" he shot two blades of iron at the worm once he had located the direction the worm's voice had come from.

The first blade grazed Dokunemon's tail, digging a slice through the greenish exoskeleton. The second cut deeper into the insect's upper body, knocking it out of the tree.

Landing with a bounce, he barrel-rolled until he was right-side up again before turning to the location Ryu had emerged from. This computer analyzed that his damage was building. Not enough to be defeated, but the rookie Tamer and his partner were getting there.

"Now you're thinking," Dokunemon said, addressing Rayner but watching the Ryuudamon. "Can you tell the difference between a digimon and a hologram of one?" The question poised, back to the battle.

"Capture Net!" His beak opened wide, a rapidly-expanding net-like web of sticky, viscous silk directed at Ryu.

"Ah, crap!" Ryu yelled, quickly trying to pry the rest of himself out of the ground as the net approached. He managed to scurry a short distance, but the net caught his legs and entangled them, forcing him to trip.

"Sure I can.. uhh..." Rayner kept talking, looking towards his partner as he struggled to pul the nets off of his legs, "You okay, Ryu? Do you need any help?"

"I'm fine, Rayner. No thanks..." Ryu responded, tugging at the sticky web with his drills.

"I suppose that out there, there are no holograms. I would deal with nothing but real Digimon right? I would just have to treat everyone I meet the same and I wont mess up." Rayner's comment seemed naive, but the underlaying tone behind it meant that if Rayner went out to venture into the Digital World, he would be more cautious.

"Iaijin!" Ryu yelled again, firing another blade of iron at the Dokunemon. His claws attempting to cut through the thick net.

Dokunemon snorted. "We'll see. Things aren't always what they seem in the Digital World. In the best of times it's a strange place, and with the fall of the three kings, the rise of Insomnia, tamers running amuck ... these aren't the best of times."

With a little effort the insect barrel-rolled away from the inbound blade, narrowly avoiding a hit. There was no damage, but the mounting stamina drain on top of the damage already sustained was pushing the hologram to its artificially imposed limits. The hologram counterattacked, hopefully why Ryu was still pinned. "Insect Board!" Tiny wasplike insects materialized out of thin air, swarming toward Ryu, driving their stingers into any section of his unarmored flesh they could get at.

"Gah!!" Ryu cried out, the insects biting and stinging him all over. As before, his armor protected him in various places, but the insects were very good at finding ways around his armor. It hurt so bad, the damage to his skin, but he endured somehow. There was damage everywhere.

He burst through the bugs, heading straight for the Dokunemon, "IAIJIN!!" Ryu said loudly, a blade of iron flying from his mouth at the worm. Another blade had been created too, sliding almost all the way out of his mouth before he clamped down on it with his teeth, using it as a sword like the first. He tried ot move in quickly and slice the worm.

"Insomni-who? Three kings? I don't know who you're talking about..." Rayner kept talking, his mind on trying to decipher all the things he was being told, "IT doesn't matter how random this world is. I will not kill innocent lives, digital or not!. IF I make mistakes, I will learn from them."

Dokunemon chuckled. "You'll learn?" he muttered under his breath. "Try telling that to people your mistakes hurt or kill." The projectile blade missed his back by a whisper, but he turned head-on as Ryu approached with the second blade.

With a furious hiss, he met the attack head-on. "Electric Thread!" opening his beak, he spat forth a stream of electrified spider silk at the approaching dragon. But almost as soon as the attack was launched, Ryu's blade cleaved the Dokunemon in half.

The hologram's death, not that Rayner or Ryu would know, a perfect mimic of a real Digimon's death, with the body disintegrating into minute data particles drifting away with the wind.

But the holographic battlefield did not fade...

Green shifted against green, plant moving among plant, but one of those plants was decidedly more lively than the rest of the foliage. With a rustle, Palmon emerged from the underbrush near Rayner.

She was short, only a few feet tall, the claws on her arms nearly dragging the ground. Obsidian, almond-shaped eyes seemed to carry vibrant energy, an underlayer of wisdom present as well. Her skin was skin was mottled and green, giving her a resemblance to a plant, a resemblance further reinforced by the pink and yellow flower blooming from her head.

"Well, hi there, tamer and partner," she said, with a grin and wave to both of them.

Seeing the worm disappear, Ryu kneeled down to the ground and panted. IT had been a pretty long and draining battle. He seemed ot have an affinity with drawing out insect opponents from this place, though he couldn't say they weren't a challenge.

Rayner breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Dokunemon vanish, but the words it spoke to him hit him hard. He started thinking to this concept of fighting, of Ryu fighting to beat opponents real or not. He didn't like the idea, being a businessman by trade(until he was brought to the Digital World, of course).

He didn't want to have ot resort to fighting, but if this world required it he would try. His conscious was telling him to talk out conflicts instead of fight them out, but Ryu was here to protect him as a friend and ally. He would have to think hard on all of this before acting upon it.

Rayner suddenly became aware that Ryu had jumped to his feet and backed up to Rayner's side. A small plant creature emerged from the battlefield and spoke to them, and after Rayner identified her as a Palmon on his D-ban, he placed a hand on Ryu's shoulder to calm him down before saying, "Uhh, hi there. My name's Rayner, and this is Ryu, my partner. Who might you be?"

Ryu kept up a cautious guard, but he relaxed outwardly. He didn't want any surprise attacks.

"Oh," the Palmon said lightly, cradling her head in her arms as she looked up at Rayner. "I don't really have a name. Just call me Palmon for now." Reaching upward, her claws extended into vines, wrapping around a branch above her head.

"That's better," she remarked casually, now sitting on a branch about four or five feet off the ground.

"I'm guessing you're not too familiar with the Digital World, then Rayner? What would you say if I told you it's on the brink of collapse? A human hacker calling herself Insomnia destroyed the kingdom that once ruled peacefully. Bandits, criminals, and just plain violent wild Digimon are a constant hazard to unwary travelers. Humans enter the world in ever-increasing numbers, some trying to restore order, others happy to destroy it."

Rayner listened intently as Palmon spoke about the Digital World's past, nodding as he heard something he had been told before. "The hologram we just fought mentioned someone named Insomnia." Rayner replied, considering all the information he had just heard. He didn't know much about this world, but what he did know was that it was full of new sights and creatures that he could see and talk to. He then thought back to how he got here and how he saw a person that looked oddly like his brother disappear years back.

"More humans?" Rayner said, thinking that maybe, just maybe, his brother might be here. He would be a fool to automatically assume that his brother was here in this world, but it was always a possibility.

Ryu eased up a bit, seeing that they were not under attack at the moment, though he was in no shape to fight another battle so soon. "So, is there like a war or something going on?" he asked. Although he was only hours old really, he was smart enough to deduct that there would be many sides to this destruction. He even came to the conclusion that eventually, if they met enough people, they would be brought to one of these sides to fight. Ryu could only hope that, Shan and if the time came, they would choose the right side.

((Errr... I hope the references to Zander dialog are mistakes.))

"Sorta," The Palmon said to Ryu, her tone though clearly youthful seemed to betray more experience than one would typically expect from a child-level Digimon.

"I think it's what humans call a frozen war," the plant scratched her head, oblivious to the misuse of vocabulary. "Where two sides oppose one another in ideas but there's really not much fighting going on at the moment. Insomnia herself is in hiding, but some of her minions, including the tamers she's drawn to her side, roam the Digital World. What they're really up to, I don't know."

Her obsidian eyes flickered to the young man beside the dragon. "Something troubling you, young one?" she asked politely.

As Ryu continued to talk about the world they were in, Rayner looked up when he was addressed. He must have appeared spaced out, so he temporarily went blank before gathering himself and saying, "It's just... My younger brother went missing years ago, and since I was pulled into this world and I saw something similar happen to a boy that looked like him, I was just wondering if Zander is somewhere in this world too..." Rayner paused to rethink what he said, "I know it is a close impossibility, but I have to keep thinking that I will find him someday and bring him home." Rayner then chuckled and zoned out for no more then a second before chuckling again, "It's not like I could get him home anyways. I'm lost in this world. I can't even understand Digimon, let alone figure out a way to get home with my brother, if I happened to find him."

Ryu nodded in understanding, but it was more for Rayner's situation then the Digital World's. He waited till it was his turn to talk before saying, "What happens when this "talking war" turns into a full out bloodbath? Is one side bigger then the other?"

"It's entirely possible," Palmon said soberly, knowing that the disappearance of his brother must have been hard for Rayner. "The Digital World works in mysterious ways. He may well be out there somewhere."

Turning her eyes to Ryu, she listened as the small reptile spoke. "I keep asking Kuzuhamon that, but she won't give a straight answer. But with Digimon, numbers don't mean much. One of Insomnia's strongest warriors took down a force of enemies dozens strong singlehandedly. Numbers are no match for power or prodigious skill. But for now, Insomnia's hiding in another dimension. But when she comes back, it'll be a time of much pain and loss."

The diminutive plant was silent for several seconds as she looked to Rayner again. "I'm sure your path will become clear in time, young Rayner and partner Ryu." Her voice sudden adopted a much more sage tone. "Of all the humans in their world, only a tiny handful of special, destined humans enter this world." Her eyes flickered to Ryu again. "And of Digimon, many live the entirety of multiple lives without ever meeting a human. Others not only meet them, but become bound with one. It's a special bond. Nurture it, never let it go, and never take it for granted." She ended with a laugh, and it was then clear she'd been reciting the words from someone with the wisdom she'd sought to imitate.

Rayner nodded at the plant Digimon's words, his hopes renewed slightly. He didn't know what she meant about the right path though.

"Kuzuhamon? I just learned about this "Insomnia" person and now there is another?" Rayner asked in disbelief, then Ryu chimed in with , "Is this person you speak of the good one?" he said it kind of awkwardly, but his true meaning was clear. Ryu suspected that there was also a leader of the good forces since Insomnia seemed to be head of the bad ones.

"Also," Rayner continued, trying to ask this next question as non-rudely as possible, "I'm sorry, but ugh... Is there a particular reason you're here? I mean, it seems like a coincedence that we would meet in a training arena meant for one person at a time, but it could just be me."

"Kuzuhamon is a Digimon. Insomnia is - or was, a human. And yes, you're right. If this is a story, Kuzuhamon's the leader of the heroes, and Insomnia's the chief antagonist."

Palmon slid from her branch, but she never reached the ground. A soft pink aura enveloped her as she dropped, body shining with brilliant light as she began to transform.

Now hovering just above the forest floor was what appeared at first glance to be an oddly-dressed, fair-skinned girl. Her almond-shaped eyes were pure black, wings like leaves sprouting from her back, fingernails long and crimson, and earthly clothes of pink and green that reminded strongly of a plant. Lilymon's wings fluttered slowly as the pink glow faded, fixing Rayner with her gaze.

"It's no coincidence, I don't come here to train." Lilymon's voice was slightly less nasally and a bit more mature in her new form, but she still sounded quite youthful. She suddenly tilted her head to the side as though listening carefully to something. "Crap," she muttered, suddenly disgruntled. "Sorry, Rayner, Ryu, gotta run!" The fairy did an about-face, fluttering straight through a holographic tree and vanishing from sight as she exited the training field.

As though it had been waiting for the Lilymon to conclude her business with the two remaining in the field, the hologram forest wavered and vanished.

((You receive .1 DEP, $50, and a Dokunemon plushie that snores loudly at random intervals.))

While Rayner sat in his thoughts, Ryu listened to Lilymon intently. He liked the story so far, and it was sounding more and more like they were gonna have to pick a side.

"Not a coincidence?" Ryu questioned, but his last question went unanswered as Lympn left rather quickly.

Rayner saw this as well and looked at his partner, "So... I guess we are done with this place for now." he stated as he placed a hand on Ryu's shoulder.

Ryu was slightly unnerved by Rayner's sudden change, "Wait, what about your brother, and what about the cute plant girl?" he asked his tamer as they turned to leave.

"We couldn't follow her even if we tried," Rayber replied, "and I am not even sure if Zander's here, so no use getting my hopes up yet." Rayner saw the look of exaustion plastered on the Ryuudamon's face and smiled, "We can discuss this more at the apartment, where we can also rest, eat, and make some cool combos with these cards."

Ryu nodded, and with a clank, the training door shut behind them and they were gone.