Chapter 17: Expectations

Chapter Text

It was already evening when Matt's train arrived. T.K was already waiting for him on the platform, with Patamon resting in his bag. He wondered how his brother would transport Gabumon. He would receive his answer soon enough. Matt arrived without his partner.

They hugged briefly and T.K asked about the Digimon.

"I sent Gabumon to the sphere where Gennai was. It was Izzy's idea, we don't know if this place could be a target for this mysterious Nishi or not," Matt explained.

T.K understood, the idea sounded reasonable to him. However, they could only guess at Nishi's plans. Takutoumon had intended to get to Rurimon and his book, but had previously detached himself from his partner and was pursuing his own goals. So they couldn't say if Nishi was also after the dragon.

Takeshi and the others had reported that Nishi planned to sacrifice both the real and Digital World for his own goals. They had to do everything necessary to prevent this. However, they mentioned something interesting. Namely, that Nishi still needed something to carry out his plans. Did he mean Rurimon? Or something else? Nishi was already quite powerful. Hard to believe he would need Azulongmon's balls on top of that. But what was he after?

"At any rate, I'm looking forward to staying with you while I'm here," Matt interrupted his thoughts.

His little brother was taken aback.

"Uh... I thought you wanted to stay with Dad?" he asked.

Matt furrowed his brow.

"Oh, he has enough to do. I've always wanted to share an apartment with you," he patted T.K on the back.

T.K tried to keep his smile. This could be interesting.

Shun had slept little that night. However, it was not because he had been watching TV late or because the previous events were on his mind. He had been studying. He had gone through all the material for the school year and had really worked hard.

He was amazed at how well he could remember things now. And inwardly he hated himself for it. He owed this upgrade to Nishi, a man who had long lost his faith in humanity and was now intent on bringing about its downfall.

Shun fought against every spark of gratitude he felt towards him. He was their enemy, he had made that clear himself. But... what if there was a way to resolve the matter peacefully? If they could convince Nishi not to act so radically? He hadn't hurt anyone yet, as far as they knew. A fight might be avoided and Shun wouldn't have to feel guilty about being grateful to him.

Was that illusory? No, he hadn't even tried it yet. In an hour he was supposed to meet his friends. He would suggest it then.

As he was going down the stairs, he was stopped by his parents.

"I'm just meeting Takeshi to study," he said quickly.

That usually worked to get them to let him go. But they didn't seem to be aiming for that.

"That's great, but would you have time in the afternoon? Kazuki is coming home, you could pick him up," his mother suggested.

Shun could have bitten his butt. Of all things, he had forgotten that now that his brain was working again.

"Sure, that's on the way between here and Takeshi's house. I'll bring him along," he promised.

His mother thanked him and wanted to turn back to the housework. But before Shun left, he turned to his parents again.

"Oh, by the way... I feel like the new pills that Kido-sensei recommended to me are really working. Studying was really easy for me last night."

His father looked up from his newspaper and seemed surprised. But also pleased.

"Really? It would be nice if we could actually get rid of this problem. But let's wait and see how your grades develop?" he didn't want to read too much into it.

Shun nodded and left the house. He would have to achieve something first before his parents really believed in him.

Takeshi had the house to himself today because his parents were celebrating their wedding anniversary. Prismamon, Rurimon and Hebimon were already romping around in the living room and ruining the cushions. Koemon joined them, but played the sensible one.

They had told Davis and the others that they had met Nishi and that he had told them about his true intentions. Of course, they were lectured that it had been much too dangerous. Especially Tsubasa had been clear that Nishi could have simply snapped them away. Instead, he had simply created a Digimon to keep them busy for a while. Shun used this circumstance for an objection.

"Are we sure... that Nishi-san is really evil?"

His friends looked at him.

"Hello? He wants to destroy two worlds!" Takeshi reminded him.

Shun kept nodding.

"Yes, but not because he is explicitly out for destruction. What if we can convince him to use his powers in a different way? To make the world a better place? That it is not necessary to destroy old ones."

His friends considered this idea. That would of course be the ideal scenario. But was it promising?

"Why should this guy listen to a few kids like us?" Takeshi saw the matter rather pessimistically.

Shun couldn't believe it.

"But why? We haven't even tried it yet? He could help many more people, just as he has helped us!"

Tsubasa growled unhappily.

"I may be grateful to this Nishi, but... he has done something unforgivable!"

The boys looked at her questioningly.

"What do you mean? He hasn't destroyed either of the worlds yet," Shun objected.

Tsubasa shook her head.

"That's not what I mean! If he's already changed my body... he could have given me bigger breasts!" she complained.

The boys fell out of all their shoes. Hebimon let his head sink.

"Tsubasa! We have bigger problems than your complexes!" it objected.

The girl held up his partner by the tail.

"Oh really? Who has giant breasts when he digivolves to his Mega level, hm?"

Shun put his hand to his forehead. He couldn't believe his friends weren't taking the situation seriously.

"Can we discuss now how we should proceed with Nishi?" he wanted to know.

Takeshi crossed his arms.

"I'm afraid not. At least not until we know more about him. We actually don't know him at all. His past, his motives. Only that he no longer considers both worlds worth existing."

Tsubasa jumped up.

"Then we have to prove to him the opposite!" she seemed determined.

When asked if she had an idea how to do that, she denied it.

"Say... T.K mentioned that this friend of Nishi-san was Cody's father, right?" Takeshi remembered.

Shun nodded.

"Yes, Hida-san. But he is deceased, we cannot question him further about Nishi."

Tsubasa remembered the other man the older DigiDestined had mentioned.

"And this Ori... Orisawa..."

"Orikawa," Shun corrected. "He is also deceased and cannot help us."

Takeshi let himself fall back discouraged on the couch.

"Great! So we have no clue at all. No one who could tell us anything about Nishi."

However, Shun denied this.

"Not necessarily. I chatted again with the guy who gave us the hint about Nishi-san's regular hangout," he revealed.

Immediately he had Takeshi's attention.

"And? Do you know Nishi better?"

Shun shrugged his shoulders.

"It didn't sound like they were friends. But he agreed to meet us."

Takeshi grumbled thoughtfully.

"Sounds like a straw. It's hard to say if Nishi told him anything about his past. But it's probably worth a try. We should go there, when is the meeting supposed to take place?"

Shun answered him without hesitation.

"This afternoon, he usually spends it in the mentioned pub. But I can't accompany you, I promised my parents to pick up my brother, he arrives by bus at 4 pm," he revealed.

Takeshi looked at Tsubasa, but she shook her head.

"I'm afraid I can't either, I promised my friends to go shopping with them," she confessed.

Takeshi narrowed his eyes.

"You're kidding! That's not so important!" he objected.

However, his friend seemed to see it differently.

"Your opinion! I didn't really have girlfriends in my old school. That's why I don't want to scare them away. Besides, I'd like to see if they notice that something has changed," she said and patted her upper body. "Nothing has changed at all," Hebimon added, and his partner began pulling him apart at both ends again.

While the Digimon was still calling for help, Takeshi had already stood up.

"All right, it's enough if one of us questions the guy. Prismamon and I will take care of it."

Shun nodded.

"Good, then we'll discuss tomorrow whether that has accomplished anything. And who knows, maybe our senpais have been able to gather information in the meantime."

They ate a few more sandwiches that Takeshi had prepared and were soon strengthened enough. They said goodbye and Shun left the house with Koemon in tow.

Tai made smacking noises as he stuffed the fried rice into his mouth. Both Kari and his mother sighed.

"Oh dear, he has lost all his manners in America," the cook complained.

Kari was able to reassure her.

"Oh come on, he was always like that. The bad thing is that Agumon is copying his behavior."

Indeed, the orange dino did not even recognize the existence of cutlery, but munched all the rice on his plate into his mouth.

After the next bite, Tai felt the need to justify himself.

"That's just the best home cooking! In America, I had to reheat everything. Don't get me wrong, constant pizza and burgers are ultra delicious, but monotonous in the long run."

The two Yagami women looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"You could learn to cook yourself, have you ever thought of that?" his mother suggested.

Tai tried to smile.

"I'm much too busy for that."

"I tried it, but it didn't work out so well," Agumon said now.

Tai sighed.

"I explained to you that you can't use your own flames for that. We had to call the fire department and the kitchen was ruined."

Agumon let his head sink guiltily.

When they were finished, he thanked his mother again for the food and returned to his room with Agumon. There he checked his messages. He had contacted both Izzy and Matt, but neither of them seemed to have thought it necessary to write back to him yet.

While Agumon was still digesting the food, Tai decided to take a bath. Maybe the others had written back to him by then. On the other hand, he knew how busy Izzy was with his company. And Matt hadn't seen his little brother in a long time and wanted to spend time with him. He couldn't hold that against him. In the bathroom, he let the water run and shaved in the meantime. His appearance was also something he had to pay attention to now in his job. The water was still a bit hot, but he dared to get in anyway. This was also something he hadn't enjoyed in a long time. In his apartment there was only an old shower that took forever to produce hot water. A real Japanese bath was something else entirely. He let the water work on him and stretched out his legs. Yes, he was glad to have finally treated himself to a stay in Japan again.

Finally, there was a knock on the wooden door and his sister announced herself.

"Oh Onii-chan, are you taking a bath already?" she wanted to know.

Tai confirmed it to her.

"Yes, it's really relaxing, I've really missed it. This peace and quiet."

However, he had to do without peace and quiet, because Kari entered and gave him a smile.

"Very nice, then I don't have to draw one myself. Is the water already pleasant?" she wanted to know.

Tai looked at her in astonishment.

"Yes, but you can use the tub after me," he offered.

However, Kari dismissed the matter and got ready to bathe.

"Oh come on, then the water will be cold by then. Besides, there's plenty of room."

Tai seemed grumpy. Actually, he had been looking forward to enjoying the bath alone.

But Kari had already put one leg in the water and asked her brother to make room.

Unwillingly, he drew back his legs while Kari sat down.

"Yes, the bath feels really good. We haven't bathed together in ages, have we?"

Tai only grumbled.

"Yes, but you were smaller then. Now you take up quite a bit of space."

Kari pricked up her ears.

"What? Are you trying to say I've gained weight?"

Tai shook his head.

Technically, she had, but he would be careful not to make a remark that implied she had gained weight. Kari made herself comfortable and stretched out further and further, which caused Tai to withdraw even more to his side.

"Oh, that reminds me... about the thing at Izzy's. What was it again that you couldn't tell us?" Kari said now.

Tai cleared his throat.

"Oh that? I explained to you that I'm not allowed to tell you that," he reminded her.

Kari then made a disgruntled face. She moved her legs up and down and splashed more and more water on Tai.

"Hey, I'd still like to enjoy my bath!" he asked.

But Kari acted completely innocent.

"Hm... maybe I should leave you alone then?" she suggested.

Tai nodded.

"Yes, that would really be nice of you."

His sister thought about it for a moment, but then decided against it.

"Oh, you're not coming towards me either, so why should I?" she decided.

Tai growled inwardly. Fighting a bad Digimon? He could handle that. But if someone ruined his well-deserved bath? Kari now turned to the door.

"You can come in now!" she called.

Tai didn't quite understand, then Agumon and Gabumon pushed their way through the connecting door.

"Yay! Finally a real bath!" Agumon cheered.

Before his partner could say anything, the dino and the cat had already jumped into the bath and a wave of water poured over Tai's face.

He coughed and looked sharply at Agumon.

"May I ask what you're doing here?"

However, Agumon did not seem to believe he had done anything wrong.

"Huh, why? Kari said we could all bathe together."

Tai looked at his sister, but she only grinned as she gently washed Gatomon's fur.

"We'll leave immediately and let you enjoy the rest of your bath. Provided you tell us what the Americans have entrusted to you."

Tai let his head fall back. His sister had clearly learned too many torture methods from him. Nevertheless, he took his job seriously and could not simply pass on confidential information, not even to his sister or his friends. In the end, however, he gave himself a jerk.

"All right. If anyone asks, you got the info from Gennai, okay?"

Kari seemed quite satisfied with this solution. After all, her brother was confiding in her and her expression changed abruptly. Finally, she got out of the tub and pulled Gatomon with her.

"You too, Agumon. We'll let Tai enjoy his bath in peace."

The little dino resisted at first. Only when she promised that she would let the two of them take a bath again afterwards did he crawl out of the tub and let Tai enjoy his bath.

When Kari and the Digimon had left the bathroom, Tai wondered if that had really been a good idea. No, basically he knew that they had to know. How else were they supposed to stop what was slowly brewing?

Shun could take his time until he arrived at the bus station. He knew the route well and as a Japanese he knew only too well that the driver would stick exactly to the plan. His brother would arrive at exactly 4 p.m.

"Hey, Shun. What exactly is your brother like?" Koemon asked in the backpack.

"Hmm..." the DigiDestine thought for a moment.

"Basically, he is a very serious person. But still he seems as if everything comes easy to him. Maybe that's just a subjective opinion. He was always writing A's, while I... well, you know."

Koemon patted him on the shoulder.

"But now you're writing only A's too, right?"

Shun forced a smile.

"Maybe, yes. Thanks to Nishi-san I can..."

He stopped. Actually, he hadn't wanted to mention him. So he decided to simply change the subject until they arrived at their destination. There he sat down on a bench and waited for the buses.

At exactly 4 p.m., the bus arrived as expected and Shun stood up. The first passengers left the vehicle and the boy reacted when he saw the familiar face.

Kazuki fought his way through the passengers and greeted his younger brother.

"Hey! If it isn't the first grader! How's middle school going?" Shun had no complaints so far. They left the bus station and walked along the sidewalk. Finally, Kazuki suggested that they visit a café.

"Are you sure? Mother and Father are surely waiting for us," Shun objected.

But Kazuki dismissed the matter.

"Oh come on, I'll write them quickly that we're going for a drink," he replied.

Finally, they entered a small café and put down their things. Kazuki looked surprised at his backpack when a sound came from it.

"Uh... that was a cell phone. Surely just an SMS," the DigiDestine reacted immediately.

Kazuki accepted this and Shun hoped fervently that Koemon would keep his feet still. On the other hand, he wondered if he could tell his brother about his Digimon. It would definitely be easier than telling his parents. Kazuki was not someone who simply blabbed about things.

Nevertheless, he decided to wait with that for the time being. He changed the subject and told him about Kido-sensei. Of course, he spared him the events at the hospital.

"Those new medications sound really great. Are they showing progress?" his brother wanted to know.

Shun was glad to be able to confirm this to him. Actually, the real reason why he was feeling better was another one. But that was impossible to explain. Besides, he would still have to clarify with Joe whether he should continue taking these medications at all. The doctor was fortunately familiar with events of a digital nature. Or was Izzy perhaps the better contact for something like this?

Finally, Kazuki told him about the university and that he had joined a new club. Shun couldn't help but smile.

"Just don't tell Father about it. He'll lecture you again that you're wasting your time," he warned.

Kazuki raised his hands in defense.

"I'm not suicidal. But seriously. You shouldn't let our parents forbid everything, either. Learning disability or not. Enjoy your youth, you know? Are you still friends with Takeshi?"

Shun confirmed this to him. And he also mentioned Tsubasa, with whom he had become friends in the meantime. Kazuki seemed relieved.

"I'm really glad to hear that. I was afraid you would focus completely on school and neglect everything else."

In this respect, his younger brother was able to reassure him. There were several side activities that were keeping him busy at the moment. Then he felt something brush against him. He looked to the left and recognized that a guest of the café had just passed him. Slowly, his eyes widened as he recognized this person.

It was a bearded man with a partly dirty coat. Immediately, Shun stood up and grabbed him by the shoulder.

Nishi turned around and needed a moment to recognize the boy.

"Ah, it's you," he said finally.

Shun's expression darkened.

"Yes, it's me! And what are you doing here?" he demanded to know.

Nishi twisted his lips.

"I... wanted to try the pineapple cake here. I really love pineapple, you must know."

Shun understood. So it had been a coincidence that they met here. Or was Nishi playing a game with him and had it in for him?

But no, why would he? He had insisted that the DigiDestined leave him alone. That contradicted his theory. Nishi now broke free and strode towards the entrance.

"Wait! Wait!" Shun called after him, but the man ignored him.

Kazuki had also stood up by now.

"What's going on? Who is that man? I've never seen you like this before," he said.

Shun thought feverishly about what he could tell his brother.

"Listen... it's a really long story. But that guy is dangerous, I have to follow him."

Kazuki understood the seriousness of the situation and nodded to him.

"Okay, then we'll call the police now. You can explain the details to me later."

Shun struggled with himself, but he saw no alternative.

"No, the police couldn't help. Koemon! Come out!" he called to his backpack.

Kazuki was amazed when the greenish monkey crawled out of his hiding place.

At first he recoiled, then he looked at him with interest.

"Is that a... Digimon?"

Shun was aware that his brother was a little older than he was and remembered the Digimon attacks on the city better than he did.

"I am Koemon! I am Shun's Digimon partner," it introduced itself.

Kazuki sighed.

"You really have a lot to explain to me, huh? But okay, you said we have to follow that guy? Then let's go!" he set himself in motion.

Shun tried to explain to him that actually only HE had to go. Kazuki would be in danger if he tried anything without his own Digimon. However, he did not want to listen.

They had just reached the exit, but found that the door handle had disappeared.

"That guy... has special powers," Shun explained.

He could not go into further detail. The other guests had also stood up now and wanted an explanation of what was going on. Shun could not waste any more time. He instructed Koemon to break down the door, which he did immediately. While he was doing this, Shun took the opportunity to inform Takeshi and Tsubasa. If he was lucky, they were not too far away.

With a strike of his slingshot, a exit was quickly created and they were able to resume the pursuit. It was Kazuki who spotted the target first.

"There! On that intersection!" he pointed ahead.

Shun nodded and moved towards him with his raised DigiVice.

Kazuki recoiled when Koemon changed his form.

"Koemon digivolves tooooo... Lianpumon!"

The now larger monkey with the masks floated in the air and was soon hovering over Nishi.

The latter was anything but pleased with the persistent pursuer.

"I'll say it only once. Go home and don't bother me any further," he threatened.

But neither Shun nor Lianpumon let themselves be told anything.

"That won't do! You have terrible plans, that's why we can't let you go!" the boy insisted.

Nishi let out a deep sigh.

"Oh man. You're really only causing me trouble," he said and stretched his finger towards a supermarket.

Shun and Kazuki watched in disbelief as the masonry dissolved and flew into the air. The people inside suddenly found themselves outside and did not know what was happening around them. The mass that had formed above them began to deform, and first fur-covered legs were recognizable, then a torso with hairy arms, and finally a furry head.

No one could understand what was happening when suddenly a huge purple bear appeared in the middle of an intersection.

"What happens now, you have to blame yourselves for. If Callismon hurts anyone here, it's not my fault," Nishi made clear and set off.

Lianpumon made an attempt to stop him, but Callismon caught him with his huge paw.

"Caution! The enemy is strong!" Shun warned and held his DigiVice out to him.

Immediately, his partner gained new strength.

"Lianpumon Super-Digivolution tooooo... Xingtianmon!"

In view of the two monstrous monsters, panic understandably broke out.

People tried to get to safety, which of course led to some chaos.

"Kazuki! I'm asking a lot of you, but can you help the people here?" his brother asked.

He nodded.

"Yes, but... can I just leave you alone?" he asked skeptically.

Shun just gave him a thumbs up.

"Sure! My partner is super strong, you know. We'll manage!"

Kazuki patted him on the shoulder once more, then began helping to evacuate the people from the danger zone.

Xingtianmon had meanwhile begun to attack the enemy with his ax. However, he was able to fend it off with a cannon that was attached to his arm.

He now also used it to fire a salvo at the Oni.

Fortunately, the latter did not have his own shield, with which he deflected the projectiles. However, Shun had to watch as the shield still sustained considerable damage. More and more doubts came to him that they could defeat the enemy alone. Would Takeshi and Tsubasa arrive in time? Unlikely, they would first have to find this place. And even then, they would have to fight their way through the fleeing passers-by. If the area was not already cordoned off by then. No, it was up to him and his partner.

Callismon fired further projectiles, but Xingtianmon was just able to get to safety. Instead, these hit a high-rise building opposite the intersection.

Debris fell down, which was catastrophic because not all passers-by had been able to save themselves yet. Shun looked back and froze.

One of the people hit by the debris was Kazuki. He called to his partner that he would be fine for a moment and rushed to his brother.

He lay in a cloud of dust and was bleeding from the head.

"Aniki! Is everything okay?" he asked panically.

Kazuki touched his head.

"Ow. Did you get the guy's number? My skull is humming."

Shun was relieved. His brother was responsive, that was a good sign. Judging by his injury, he had only been hit by a smaller piece of debris. Nevertheless, a doctor should take a look at it.

"Hey, is everything okay?" a man asked behind them. Shun realized that the man was wearing a uniform. He didn't look like a police officer, more like a security guard.

"Yes! But my brother is injured. Can you carry him out of the danger zone? Someone must have already informed the emergency services," he asked the man.

Of course, he immediately agreed and together they lifted Kazuki up.

Although he first insisted on staying here and supporting his brother, he was overruled. He needed help himself now. After Shun had made sure that his brother was out of danger, he returned to Xingtianmon.

As he found out, his situation had not really improved. His shield was almost broken. There also seemed to be a part missing from his ax. Callismon, on the other hand, had suffered hardly any damage.

"Hey, buddy! Can you still do it? We can't let this Digimon run wild here! If it escapes from here, many people will be harmed!"

This one was well aware of the circumstances, but Callismon's raw power was hard to overcome. Shun felt anger rising inside him. However, not directly at Nishi. He was the one who had put his brother in danger. He could have simply let Nishi go, then no one would have been hurt. The latter had even warned him, but the boy had blindly ignored him.

He had been wrong. He hadn't become any smarter. Nishi had only fixed his learning disability, but that was all. He didn't have the foresight or experience of the older DigiDestined. So how did he even come up with the idea of confronting someone like Nishi? And all by himself?

Callismon now hurled his partner through the air, who lost his weapon.

Shun swallowed and ran towards him.

"Buddy, let's get out of here!" he advised him.

But Xingtianmon didn't want to hear anything about it.

"What are you talking about, Shun? You said yourself that we can't let this monster run free. We have no choice but to fight!"

The DigiDestine swallowed.

"But... you're too weak! You can't beat him!" he objected.

But his partner didn't seem to want to know anything about that.

"Yes, Shun! I can! Because I still have a trump card," he revealed.

The boy furrowed his brow.

"What trump card are you talking about?"

Xingtianmon grinned.

"You! As long as you're here, I'll get stronger and stronger. And that's... because I want to protect you," he revealed and attacked Callismon again.

Shun closed his eyes for a moment. Once again, he had only thought of himself and his feelings. His Digimon wanted to evolve just as much as he did. And as his partner... it was his duty to support him in this.

The boy noticed how his Digivice began to glow and held it towards the fighter. The latter was just about to be injured by Callismon's paw. But just in time, he began to glow and transform.

"Xingtianmon Mega-Digivolution toooo...Dijiangmon!"

Shun's partner had now completely changed. He no longer resembled a monkey, but more a devil covered with leather straps all over. Sharp claws adorned his hands and magnificent wings sprouted from his back. Immediately, he rose into the air, which allowed him to easily dodge Callismon's attacks. He landed on the shoulders of the opponent and thrust his claws into them.

Callismon screamed and tried to shake off the attacker. The latter rose into the air again and took distance. Then he formed his hands into a circle and prepared his next attack. A black circle formed, which kept getting bigger.

"Evil Spiral!" Dijiangmon shot a black spiral at the enemy.

This pierced the chest of the monster, which immediately began to dissolve into data. When it had completely disappeared, Dijiangmon digivolved back and Shun hugged Koemon tightly.

"You did it! You're the best!"

Koemon admitted that he liked to be praised.

The next moment, the first police cars arrived. Shun stood in front of his partner, afraid that the officers would see him as a threat. However, they did not address the boy first, but seemed to be consulting. At the same moment, a black SUV came to a stop and people in suits got out. One turned to the police officers, the other came towards Shun.

He showed an ID and introduced himself.

"Office for Public Safety. We will take you and your Digimon away from here. But you will have to report to us."

The boy nodded and was ready to follow the officers.

"Good, but first I have to see about my brother. He was injured," he explained.

The officers looked at each other briefly and then nodded. Shun and Koemon got into the SUV, which was supposed to take them to the hospital.

Koemon put a hand on his partner's upper arm.

"Kazuki will surely recover quickly," he tried to cheer him up.

Shun nodded and thanked his friend.

He hoped so.