Reboot

Chapter 3 - Birth

Location: Shinjuku

Time: 08:52

"Come on chumley, we'll be late again!"

"Coming Kazu!"

Kazu Shiota, a fifteen year old student at Shinjuku High, tapped his foot impatiently. He was an average looker, brown trimmed hair hung from above his mature face. Brown eyes completed his dark look, dark clothing hanging from his thin frame. He wasn't unhealthy thin, but he made most males seem larger than himself.

Beside him stood Kenta Kitagawa, a boy of similar age to Kazu. His dark eyes looked almost black, setting a strange image with his dark green hair. Most wondered if it was his natural colour, no one had ever seen it any different. His earthen colour clothes made him look neutral compared to the darker boy beside him, his slightly wider build also setting him apart.

They both stood waiting for their third as he came round the corner. His name was Takato Matsuki. Also of brown hair and brown eyes but wearing a bright blue shirt with his green shorts. Together all three were a mismatch bunch, three different looks and three different tastes. Takato though had one year more than Kazu or Kenta, being sixteen as of three weeks ago.

Kazu huffed in annoyance. "Why is it you can never be on time? We have less than a month left of school, at least try to be on time once before then."

"It's not like we're ever late Kazu. Come on then, just today then it's the weekend again. You still owe me one anyway." Takato winked, earning a groan from Kazu.

Kenta stifled a laugh at the jab. "We should get going. Wouldn't want to keep your rematch waiting, would we?"

All three headed into the school they had met up outside, heading for class. Takato separated to divert to his locker, wanting to store away the things he didn't need yet. He wasn't overly popular, but at the same time he didn't get dealt a rough hand either. He, Kazu and Kenta were basically just faces in a crowd, something he liked a lot. Standing out for better or worse didn't suit him.

However, his slightly muscular build had earned him two admirers. He paid them no special attention, just enough to be civil, each time they tried to converse with him. Both females were secretly trying to lay claim to Takato before the other one, but he really wasn't interested. He had other hobbies that he valued higher than the two needy girls hugging his ankles, so to speak.

He opened his locker and sighed. Another note laid upon his books, slotted in through the top vents. He was getting bored of those. He retrieved the things he would need for the day, putting away the ones he didn't, and picked up the note as well. As annoying as they were he still read every single one, he wasn't sure why. Curiosity possibly? No one was around him as he read the note.

Takato,

There's a get together happening this Saturday night at my place. Loads of us are going to throw a party. You're invited of course, I wouldn't dare forget about you. It will be a blast if you could come over, you're more than welcome to stay as well. There's plenty of room with my parents being away.

See you soon,

Ash.

Takato sighed again before sending the note where he put the countless others. The bin. Ash, or Ashley, was a girl of his age. She shared two classes with him as well, although he was lucky enough to be across the room from her in both. If she had her way though he knew she would sit right beside him. He had to admit that she had a striking figure, no doubt she would grow into a very beautiful woman in years to come, but it was her personality that put him off.

She had a slight superiority complex going on, looking down on everyone. Well, except him of course. She gave him special treatment, puppy dog eyes and mushy words that she obviously thought were what he wanted. Frankly it made him sick. He had turned her down directly a couple of times, yet she still felt she could change his mind.

Takato already knew he wasn't going to that party. He never went to any at all, let alone ones held by her or the other girl, Suki.

She was of a slight Asian decent, her American father had married a Japanese woman, her mother. She too had a pleasing figure that most males would kill to call their own, yet like Ash her personality stunk. Same reasons again, just with a more bitchy attitude to everyone when she couldn't get her own way. She was spoilt beyond belief, expecting everything she wanted from anyone. Takato distanced himself from people like her. Just his luck for the two of them to be after him.

He closed his locker door and went to first class. He didn't have any lessons with either Ash or Suki that morning, so he should be in for an easy last day before the weekend.

The morning was thankfully uneventful for Takato. Well, except for Kenta being growled at by the chemistry teacher for sleeping during class. That was amusing to watch. That and Kazu trying to earn himself the admiration of any girl he could look at without being smacked around. Oh how he failed.

Takato sat with Kazu and Kenta for lunch. Being a son to a pair of bakers meant he always had fresh bread for his sandwiches, something he appreciated a lot. Kazu and Kenta were arguing as usual about things that really held no importance. Takato let them be while he ate, their debates could be quite funny at times. However any pleasantries were dulled when he saw someone approach them, or rather him in particular. He sighed inwardly, he would rather be anywhere than there at that moment.

"Hi there Takato. Did you get my note?"

Ash. Just what he wanted the least. Kazu and Kenta paused their discussion to observe Takato's dilemma, they both knew and agreed with his decisions regarding both Ash and Suki.

"Yes Ash, I did."

"Aaaaaand?" He refused to look at her properly, he just knew she was doing the puppy eyes.

"I have other plans, ones that involve being nowhere near your house at any time during this weekend." Partly true, Takato's plans involved staying away from both girls.

"Oh. That's too bad." He also refused to be affected by her dejected tone, one that quickly vanished. "Well maybe you'll be around for the next one, eh?"

He sighed again, still inwardly. "Maybe, maybe not." There was simply no way he was going to agree to anything with her, or Suki.

"Well, got to go. See ya Takato!" She left quickly, Kazu and Kenta sending him an apologetic glance as soon as she was out of sight.

"I'm so glad I ain't you chumley. That just has to suck."

Kazu's sympathy was lost on Takato. "Gee thanks for reminding me Kazu."

Kenta gave Takato a look. "Maybe you should find yourself a proper girl to shut those two up."

Takato sighed deeply. "It's not that. The thing is they're both so obsessive, it makes me cringe. I don't have any desire to find a girl at the moment, I'm happy as I am."

"But every day you remain single those two are going to keep trying. Kenta is right chumley, for once, until you find someone you won't get any peace from them."

"Ash or Suki?"

Kenta's question took both Kazu and Takato by surprise. "What do you mean?"

"If you had to pick one, Ash or Suki?"

"What's that going to prove?" Takato was becoming agitated.

Kenta sighed. "Just answer the question."

"I don't know... Ash possibly, but only because she isn't as bitchy as Suki. And she's the one doing all the inviting like earlier, Suki just demands. That's not a nice choice though."

Kenta winked knowingly. "Then maybe you should talk to Ash, try to make her understand what it is you don't like about her. Maybe she will leave you alone then, or maybe she'll change into someone more bearable. You have to admit that both of them have nice figures."

"He's right chumley, they do have nice shapes. But I'm a little unsure of changing Ash and her behaviour, somethings are set in stone these days."

Takato couldn't resist his own jab at Kazu. "You fantasize about them, don't you?"

"No I don't!"

Takato and Kenta laughed at his expense. "Your denial says it all Kazu. Just like we thought, if it's female then it's in your head!"

Kazu fumed at his words, partly because they were actually true. "So what? I'm sure they both fantasize about you Takato."

Said boy stopped laughing and shivered. "Man, that's just taken disturbing thoughts to a whole new level."

All three broke into laughter as the lunch bell rang, signalling the start of the afternoon sessions.

School ended with Takato doing the usual 'evade Ash and Suki' routine by getting out as soon as possible. He hadn't seen Suki all day, which was a relief in itself, but Ash was a different story. Both his last classes were with her. He had to avoid the glances she gave him every thirty seconds.

Kenta's words echoed in his head though. As much as he hated to admit it, he did like Ash in some small way. Possibly why he always read her notes. Suki was just a bitch that he wanted nothing to do with, but Ash actually seemed to care a little. Maybe he should speak with her as Kenta suggested.

Not at the moment though, he had a rematch with Kazu to deal with. His friend was such a sore loser.

He entered the park and waited for Kazu and Kenta to catch up, he had slipped out without them to get away cleanly. They caught up as usual as the trio headed to their normal spot.

"Right then Kazu, since you wanted that rematch after yesterday's defeat, I'll let you go first." Takato sat as he spoke, bringing his deck of trading cards out.

Kazu scowled in his game face, also retrieving his cards. "You won't get so lucky this time chumley. Bring it!"

The cards they used were of the Digimon franchise, digital monsters seen on the similarly named television show. It was a big craze in Japan, many people dealt with some from of the Digimon range. Cards, television, even conventions where fans wore suits of their favourite characters from the two seasons on air. There was also a massive card tournament where players fought to be the Digimon king or queen, master of the trading cards. The former champion, a boy named Ryo Akiyama, had dropped off the radar since his victory and a new challenger, Rika Nonaka, was close to acquiring that title for herself. All three males had to admit she had skill, sweeping through the opposition without breaking a sweat. But, just like Suki, she was a bitch.

Takato chose his cards as Kazu opened with his first move. The fight was a stalemate until Takato smirked, playing his move he had planned from turn one.

"...And Tyrannomon digivolves into Metal Tyrannomon! Set and match people, I win again."

"Argh! What is it with you and getting so good suddenly?" Kazu whined again. He really didn't like losing.

"Skill and practice my friend, skill and practice. You should try it someday." Takato checked his watch. "Well, time to go. Parents will be wondering where I am again. Later guys!"

He gathered his cards and left before Kazu could wine again. His trip home through the park was fairly uneventful, except a freak storm had begun. The winds were getting strong as he raced back, a few rolls of thunder sounding overhead. He stumbled from the increasing gusts a few times before he made it home, his mother giving him an ear full.

"Takato! What have I said about staying out without letting us know? You have a phone, use it!"

"Sorry mum, I didn't think I would be that late this time." He kicked off his shoes and dropped his bag out of the way. "Am I needed down here or shall I sort out my school work?"

She sighed, seeing him offering to help with the business always defused her slight anger. "No, you go do your homework. Me and your father have things covered here. Just don't forget to let us know in future, especially when the weather gets this bad."

"I won't."

He went up to his room, bringing his school bag with him. Just over a month left and he could do away with the studying and the bag. Then it would all begin again in the next term.

Entering his room he dropped his bag by his desk. The room wasn't very special, a bed on the right as he entered and a desk beside it opposite the door. A large window that doubled up as a door to his balcony was set in the other wall, covered by the long featureless curtains. His wardrobe sat on the left side of the door.

Pulling out his books and setting them on the desk Takato sat down and prepared to study. Before he began though he pulled out a sketch pad, flipped through a few pages and stopped on a picture of a red dinosaur. The name 'Guilmon' was written underneath.

"Guilmon. Yeah, that's a good name." He spoke to himself mostly, no one was around to hear him. He added a few more notes, as well as some more red to the drawing, before setting it aside and starting his work.

He plowed through it easily enough and returned to his sketches. Takato had a very vivid imagination. His current fantasy was being a real digimon tamer with Guilmon as his partner. They would fight other digimon and protect the city as lone heros. But all dreams have ends. He shook his musings off and retrieved his cards.

Scanning through them as he always did he saw one that didn't seem right. Pulling it from the deck Takato saw a strange holographic blue card. Curious he flipped it over a few times, seeing it featureless except for the yellow dinosaur head that faded in and out on the front, and the silver reader strip down one side. All cards had that so he tried to swipe it through his card reader.

As soon as the strip touched the reader the entire device glowed and sparked. Panicking he dropped both objects, watching his reader screen go berserk.

"Oh great! Now I need a new one." He made to pick up the card, but it was gone. "Huh?" He gently picked up the reader, checking if the card was underneath it which it wasn't, and watched as the device glowed a soft white. "This is new."

Then just like that, the reader morphed. Going from a simple rectangle into a rounded egg shape with buttons and a neck strap. A small screen was set in the middle, a red circle framing it. He gasped in shock. He had seen enough of the television series to know that what he now held was a digivice.

He turned the device over in his hands a few times like he did with the blue card. The only other feature he could see was a narrow slot, possibly suitable for a card to slide through. Given his track record with swiping things he didn't know about, he decided not to test the slot on the digivice.

"Okay... This is a digivice. That makes me a… a Digidestined, right? But it's just a game! Cards, television... Not real! But this is real... A real digivice... But who's my partner? Where's my digimon?" He looked around, seeing no one and nothing else with him. "It must be a fake, or I'm dreaming. Things don't just change shape in reality. I must be dreaming then. Yeah, that's it. Dreaming."

He went on for a few more minutes until he realised that it wasn't a dream. The fact that he was still holding the digivice told him that.

"So it's real. But where is my partner, and who is it? Why am I a Digidestined anyway? I'm just a son to a pair of bakers."

No answers came to him as he stood up. He placed the device beside his sketch pad as his mother called him for dinner. As he got to the door he turned back, a strange noise sounding behind him. What he saw baffled him further.

The digivice, his digivice, was scanning his sketch pad. Page after page was pulled through the reader and spat out on the floor, a pile of images and stats for his Guilmon creation staring up at him.

He went back to the device as it finished, seeing what he took to be an egg on the screen. "A Digiegg! A real Digiegg! Guilmon... He's real! He's real because of me! I'm going to be a real Digidestined!"

"Takato, I won't call you again!"

He turned around frantically and left the room. "Coming mum!"