Hi! Because I forgot to note this last time: wow, we just hit over 100 reviews! :D Dang, and we're just starting! This is the first of my stories to reach such a landmark (though Forever Branded by Fire is damn close at 98 XD)

This time we have more Ryo! The first bit will make more sense if you know Wonderswan.

This also applies to Challenge 8 of the Monthly Restrict: write a fic using paragraphs no more than three sentences long.

Data Fragment 21: Feint

Ryo loved videogames even now, because they showed how reality should be.

Every problem could be solved. There were no loose ends, as long as you played the game right. You didn't get warped away before you knew what happened to the world you were defending, or how your sick best friend was doing, or even when mom and dad would finally miss you.

The path to victory was clear. Even if you were lost, there were always hints laying about. You didn't hopelessly wander, fearing that the world would end before you even found your real opponent.

You always had loyal friends by your side. Sure, sometimes someone would die or betray you, but you kept most of your allies. You didn't get tricked or abandoned by all of them, exposing you to the machinations of the true enemy.

The battles were fun. Challenging, yes, but they left you feeling eager for more. They didn't leave you shuddering at every snap and rustle, dreading that the next attacker may make a meal out of you and your exhausted Digimon recruits.

Good and evil were easily defined. The ones who stood by your side were the good guys, while the ones that stood against you were the bad guys. The final boss was not your savior, period.

Most of all, you were the hero, the chosen one. Even if everyone fought against you, even if the world didn't want you to win, you would, even if it took several tries. You weren't a random selection bonded to the deadliest power, tainted even before you laid your eyes on a glorious new world.

You weren't an anomaly, an impossible force, a disruption in perfect calculations, and therefore the target of that world's orderly God from the start. Your destiny wasn't a fine-looking feint that distracted you from the secret siege on your soul.

You were only you, the player kind enough to lend help to a world that needed it. That was all. Save a world, perfect it, and then move on to the next.

"Why are you playing Pokemon?' asked Monodramon, peering over Ryo's shoulder. The bulky lime-green Game Boy's screen was the only source of light on the lonely rooftop. In fact, it was the only light source for miles.

Ryo chuckled as his Charizard took out the enemy Blastoise. "Because sometimes simple is better. Call me nostalgic."

"I would think that you wouldn't want to dwell on the past," said Monodramon.

"Not all of my past is bad," answered Ryo, eyes not leaving the Game Boy as he surfed up and down Cinnabar's coastline. "The bad parts have been mostly avenged anyway."

The screen flashed, stayed black for unusually long, and then a scramble of blocks called MissingNo. slid onto the screen. Ryo smirked.

"So what about that girl you helped to Sainthood?" asked Monodramon, plopping down next to Ryo in boredom. "What did you think of her?"

"Her evolution was impressive," admitted Ryo. "I see why the Saints have been going nuts over these Legendary Warriors."

"Yeah," agreed Monodramon, lying down on his belly. "Her Soul Release went off like a bomb."

"No kidding," said Ryo, now battling against a Level 148 Mewtwo. "At least the hospital should have a decent amount of power for awhile."

On the street below a bright white streak shot by. It was a boy cocooned in light…and the viscous mist of the Saint virus. A few tendrils blew up to Ryo's location, brushing against him and his Game Boy.

"…Just my luck," Ryo muttered, as his Game Boy froze and buzzed loudly.

IIIIII

This one turned out a little strange XD. Well, I hoped you liked it anyway! Any theories about Ryo so far?