Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Digimon or anything affiliated with it
This is my first attempt at a fanfic. It starts with my retelling of the oneshot manga from 1997 and focuses on Kentarou Kamon, but I may bring in other characters from the anime/other manga depending on whether or not the first few chapters get a good response. When I'm not writing essays I'll try to write this, but it'll take some time to get some ideas to get the story off and rolling.
"Hey, Kentarou! We're going to battle Digimon after soccer practice! Wanna see if you're any good against my Greymon?"
Kentarou looked up at the clear blue sky. The sun was burning down hot and bright. He winced at the idea of sitting in an air-conditioned room with the shades drawn, in the middle of a bunch of kids playing with fake animals. "Not really," he replied.
Another boy shouted from the goal, "He hates animals, Makoto." "Are you sure?" asked Makoto again. "I've got a spare dock. This guy died not too long ago, so you can raise him from an egg if you want."
When Kentarou heard that, a smug look appeared on his face. "So now that it's dead, you really couldn't care less about it, huh?"
Makoto observed him with sudden bewilderment. "I raised this monster, cared for it, cherished it, and then it died. That's just the way things are." After a moment he added, "And when you can't accept that, you become…detached."
Kentarou glared at Makoto for a moment, and then stalked off the field. "Hey! Get back here!" the coach screamed. "You can't just quit on the first day of practice! We haven't even started yet!"
"Looks like Makoto can be the team captain this year." "He's a lot better than Kentarou, at least. He acts like a sociable person."
"But why doesn't Kentarou like animals?" asked Makoto. "No one really knows," said one of the boys. "But what I heard is that he got bit by a dog before, and underneath that arm supporter on his left arm he has the scar to prove it."
"Still," said another boy, "that's a lame excuse not to play Digimon. It's not like they're gonna come outta the screen and attack you! Now quit the chitchat and let's get ready for that scrimmage next week. "
Makoto walked home alone after practice was over. I wonder…Kentarou must have a better reason for not wanting to have a Digimon than that… He turned a corner and saw a familiar figure walking at the end of the street. He stepped silently along, but Kentarou insisted promptly, "Leave me alone, Makoto. I can hear your stupid v-pet from here."
Makoto turned red. I guess I'm so used to it I don't even notice the sound. Makoto reached for his dock that was hooked to his belt loop. He listened for the noise, but it was faint. Maybe it needs new batteries… wait a minute! "Hey, I toggled the sound off! That's not my Digimon!"
He watched as Kentarou ran to the alley on the left. "It's coming from in here." Makoto followed him, and the sound seemed to originate from a dumpster. "Well, it just goes to show how much people really care about artificial life," mumbled Kentarou.
Kentarou climbed onto the dumpster and found the dock inside of a discarded jewelry box. "Here." He tossed it to Makoto. "Take better care of it than this chump did." He jumped off and started to walk away when Makoto stopped him.
"I can't take care of this." He tossed it back at Kentarou, who nearly dropped it. "No way." The look on his face revealed his scorn. "I believe this Digimon was sent to you by God, Kentarou, to help get rid of your hatred or fear or whatever problem it is you have with animals." This sent Kentarou into a rage, and he began to chase Makoto, yelling for him to take the Digimon back.
They ran through the streets, jumping over fences and crossing rush-hour traffic in a blur. Makoto dashed up a set of stairs that led to an arcade. "Maybe if you hadn't skipped practice you'd be in better shape!" he yelled from the top as Kentarou wheezed below. "You're not gonna get away with this, you little rat!" He sprinted up three stairs at a time, and Makoto madly burst through the door.
"Hey! Did a scrawny runt with glasses come in here just now?" The arcade owner looked at him from behind the counter through squinted eyes. "Are you that Jousaki kid?" Kentarou squinted back and asked "Who are you talking about?" The owner said, "Jousaki, you know, the head of Jousaki Electronics, has a son who bullies other kids around with this digimen game."
"I'm not bullying anyone, I'm just trying to give this Digimon back to my- uh, an acquaintance of mine." The man nodded and went back to reading his magazine. "Thanks for answering my question…" He searched carefully, lurking among the machines and fixated children, trying to stay in the shadows so Makoto wouldn't see him.
Then he saw something at the back. It stole his attention, and he ran over to it. At first it appeared to be a miniature arena, but there were no goals or anything of the sort. A disk drive was the main feature, because on it were the words "Digital Monster 3-D". He popped open the drive and saw there was a rectangular indent. He began to set the dock in the drive when someone startled him.
"So, you've found it." Makoto stepped up to his side and said, "My brother made this at the University. Try it out."
Kentarou was not only curious to find out what would happen, but felt like someone was encouraging him to do it from somewhere far away. He placed the dock firmly into the drive. Once it closed, a hologram began to appear in the ring, taking shape as he watched in amazement, and Makoto looked on with his arms folded across his chest.
When it finally finished loading, and at the end almost as a finale lit the room up like a lightning bolt, both boys were speechless. Kentarou looked at it, accepting it as his own. It was like a chibified dinosaur with swirled antennae sticking out of its head.
"This…is it real?" asked Kentarou. Makoto looked at it with skepticism and shock. "It can't be…I've never seen anything like this! It's a new Digimon!"