Prologue: The Meeting
Farasimon tapped one painted fingernail against the table. "Where /is/ Senauramon?" she asked, glancing around at the rich furnishings of the room as if expecting the pale digimon to come out of a tapestry.
"I'm sure Senny just had some work to do," Kemaimon said cheerfully. Farasimon regarded him darkly.
"Disgusting."
"Let him have his fun," the red and gold dragon perched outside the window rumbled, ducking his elongated neck to peer inside.
"Ryukumon, no respectable Element Master would be so darn happy!"
A white snout poked in through the other window. "With the wind blowing as it is, who can be unhappy, Fara?"
"I can!"
"And you're very good at it," Senauramon said, appearing in the throne at the head of the table. "Are we all present?"
Ryukumon turned one faceted eye to the table. "Where is Myzzeramon?"
"Dead." Her cold voice rang in the suddenly silent room.
"Then who's the Lightning Master?" Farasimon demanded, pushing her chair away from the table and standing, green eyes glittering dangerously.
Kemaimon sniffled. "Myzzy died? Aw, Senny, why can't you ever bring /good/ news?"
"Fool," Senauramon muttered. "She was murdered by those Motimon she rules over. They apparently didn't like her condescending attitude. We meet today to choose a new Lightning Master."
"Do we need one?" Skydramon asked, drawing away from the window so that he could put his large blue eye against it. "There aren't that many of them, after all, and five Masters can play the Game better than six."
"That's right!" Kemaimon said, brightening instantly. "You promised I could go first this time!"
"Only because you lost last time," Farasimon muttered.
"It wasn't his fault," Ryukumon objected. "He played that brilliant Attack card, and he would've won but Senauramon managed to choose the World of Data."
The dark digimon shrugged, leaning back on the throne. "My deck has only the best cards, you know."
"Let's start playing right now!" Kemaimon squealed, drawing out a plain deck of cards and choosing five.
"All right," Skydramon muttered. "Make your move."
Kemaimon debated between his cards, then chose one and laid it on the table. "I play the Digidestined card," he announced. "I'm bringing them into it early this time. And I strengthen it with my Double or Nothing card."
"What does that do?" Farasimon demanded.
"It means I get to double my number of chosen Destined, or else I don't get any."
"What does it depend on, you idiot?"
Kemaimon shrugged. "I never quite figured that out..."
Farasimon smacked her head. "Okay, if it's already time to choose Destined brats, I go first, by tradition. Teromon. That's my Destined Digimon this time. And I want a female, but not a ditz, one who's intelligent - but not very. I give her the Crest of Faith and...hmm. That's it."
Ryukumon peered at the cards held gently in his claws for a moment. "I also choose a female and pair her with Arcamon. She will play a card game similar to ours, and I give her Joy. But I play this." He stretched his muscular, scaled arm in through the window and laid down a card. "Angst. She had a very bad past, my dear Destined child. How will Joy glow in the face of that?"
Kemaimon thought about that. "I want a girl, too, and I'm giving her Peace, and Celamon. She's the daughter of Farasimon's last champion. That's it."
Skydramon examined his cards. "Darmon," he said finally. "Partnered with Yamato's son, child of Respect. He likes sports, I believe. Darmon isn't in my Element, but I don't mind. Few Air-types are good enough for the Digidestined."
Senauramon smirked. "I do so enjoy this game," she said, laying a card face- down. "I give my chosen this. He is the child of last time's genius, with the Crest of Power and a good partner in Varismon. Did you figure out that Double or Nothing card yet, Kemaimon?"
"Yes!" he said, grinning brilliantly. "I get to use the Double power if I pass my strongest card to another player. I get Nothing if I choose not to. I want to give it to Senny, on account of she'll use it better than me." He riffled through the deck, chose a card, and handed it to Senauramon. "For my second, I choose Ryukumon's Destined's little brother. I give him Ranumon and the Crest of Truth."
Ryukumon glared at Kemaimon. "You're using her little brother?" he objected. "What about the Angst card I played?"
"Well, obviously he wasn't affected by it."
"I had plans for that card!"
"Double or Nothing is powerful."
"You're driving me crazy!"
"Let's just play the game," Senauramon suggested. "I'll use the card Kemaimon so kindly gave to me...the Enemies card. That means I choose the enemies. And I pick us."
"Us?" Skydramon said, his muzzle reappearing in the window. "You want /us/to fight /them/?"
"It's a potent card. Yes, we are their enemies...this should be an interesting game indeed!"
Farasimon tapped one painted fingernail against the table. "Where /is/ Senauramon?" she asked, glancing around at the rich furnishings of the room as if expecting the pale digimon to come out of a tapestry.
"I'm sure Senny just had some work to do," Kemaimon said cheerfully. Farasimon regarded him darkly.
"Disgusting."
"Let him have his fun," the red and gold dragon perched outside the window rumbled, ducking his elongated neck to peer inside.
"Ryukumon, no respectable Element Master would be so darn happy!"
A white snout poked in through the other window. "With the wind blowing as it is, who can be unhappy, Fara?"
"I can!"
"And you're very good at it," Senauramon said, appearing in the throne at the head of the table. "Are we all present?"
Ryukumon turned one faceted eye to the table. "Where is Myzzeramon?"
"Dead." Her cold voice rang in the suddenly silent room.
"Then who's the Lightning Master?" Farasimon demanded, pushing her chair away from the table and standing, green eyes glittering dangerously.
Kemaimon sniffled. "Myzzy died? Aw, Senny, why can't you ever bring /good/ news?"
"Fool," Senauramon muttered. "She was murdered by those Motimon she rules over. They apparently didn't like her condescending attitude. We meet today to choose a new Lightning Master."
"Do we need one?" Skydramon asked, drawing away from the window so that he could put his large blue eye against it. "There aren't that many of them, after all, and five Masters can play the Game better than six."
"That's right!" Kemaimon said, brightening instantly. "You promised I could go first this time!"
"Only because you lost last time," Farasimon muttered.
"It wasn't his fault," Ryukumon objected. "He played that brilliant Attack card, and he would've won but Senauramon managed to choose the World of Data."
The dark digimon shrugged, leaning back on the throne. "My deck has only the best cards, you know."
"Let's start playing right now!" Kemaimon squealed, drawing out a plain deck of cards and choosing five.
"All right," Skydramon muttered. "Make your move."
Kemaimon debated between his cards, then chose one and laid it on the table. "I play the Digidestined card," he announced. "I'm bringing them into it early this time. And I strengthen it with my Double or Nothing card."
"What does that do?" Farasimon demanded.
"It means I get to double my number of chosen Destined, or else I don't get any."
"What does it depend on, you idiot?"
Kemaimon shrugged. "I never quite figured that out..."
Farasimon smacked her head. "Okay, if it's already time to choose Destined brats, I go first, by tradition. Teromon. That's my Destined Digimon this time. And I want a female, but not a ditz, one who's intelligent - but not very. I give her the Crest of Faith and...hmm. That's it."
Ryukumon peered at the cards held gently in his claws for a moment. "I also choose a female and pair her with Arcamon. She will play a card game similar to ours, and I give her Joy. But I play this." He stretched his muscular, scaled arm in through the window and laid down a card. "Angst. She had a very bad past, my dear Destined child. How will Joy glow in the face of that?"
Kemaimon thought about that. "I want a girl, too, and I'm giving her Peace, and Celamon. She's the daughter of Farasimon's last champion. That's it."
Skydramon examined his cards. "Darmon," he said finally. "Partnered with Yamato's son, child of Respect. He likes sports, I believe. Darmon isn't in my Element, but I don't mind. Few Air-types are good enough for the Digidestined."
Senauramon smirked. "I do so enjoy this game," she said, laying a card face- down. "I give my chosen this. He is the child of last time's genius, with the Crest of Power and a good partner in Varismon. Did you figure out that Double or Nothing card yet, Kemaimon?"
"Yes!" he said, grinning brilliantly. "I get to use the Double power if I pass my strongest card to another player. I get Nothing if I choose not to. I want to give it to Senny, on account of she'll use it better than me." He riffled through the deck, chose a card, and handed it to Senauramon. "For my second, I choose Ryukumon's Destined's little brother. I give him Ranumon and the Crest of Truth."
Ryukumon glared at Kemaimon. "You're using her little brother?" he objected. "What about the Angst card I played?"
"Well, obviously he wasn't affected by it."
"I had plans for that card!"
"Double or Nothing is powerful."
"You're driving me crazy!"
"Let's just play the game," Senauramon suggested. "I'll use the card Kemaimon so kindly gave to me...the Enemies card. That means I choose the enemies. And I pick us."
"Us?" Skydramon said, his muzzle reappearing in the window. "You want /us/to fight /them/?"
"It's a potent card. Yes, we are their enemies...this should be an interesting game indeed!"