Moving Past? [MPC 30 - New World Order]

Isaac still remembered the day that the news had first broken out. Elliot had woken him up, the boy's legendarily light sleeping being disrupted by an emergency broadcast on the television. Together they watched on the television as the first DATS-approved ambassadors came out of the Shibuya train station, a large, peaceful looking ShogunGekkomon being heralded by his bug-eyed band of brass. Kids seemed to love the strange creatures, while many adults backed away in revulsion. The mayor of Shibuya found himself surprised to see the bulbous frog bowing in greeting to him and hastily returned the gesture. Matters were discussed not of war, but of peace, DATS officials explaining the terms and treaties that each party would be abiding by.

Surprisingly little changed after the fact. Digimon and humans could pass with proper approvals, but in many cases why would they? Most human world buildings were horribly ill-fit for Digimon, and most humans preferred not to be neighbors with arsenals of living weaponry. Occasionally Elliot and Isaac bumped into outliers. There was that one Digitamamon that left them utterly perplexed when he left the grocery store balancing a carton of eggs on his head. There was an excitable Growlmon who didn't quite realize he couldn't comfortably fit in a bus until he was halfway inside of it. And that poor, unfortunate Trailmon who was too busy flirting with the subway to realize he was blocking traffic for an hour? That wasn't fun. Overall, though, Digimon became occasional chaotic punctuation that interrupted otherwise everyday life.

The real problem was when registration started. Now that Digimon were common knowledge, so was their danger. Kids couldn't be left unsupervised with walking flamethrowers, towering dragons, and knights with their own sense of justice. With the amount of concerned parents and lawmakers writing in, the government made it so tamers everywhere had to be licensed to keep track of their Digimon. Failure to comply generally meant a very unfun visit from DATS. It was a fairly simple procedure, but also one that didn't sit well with a lot of people. Kids freaked out at the risk of losing their beloved pets, just as their parents freaked out about them being left alone with weapons. How could you define a creature that was legally both? Spirit users felt the burn just as bad. This was a part of who they were, and now it was being regulated. How could something as natural to them as their own two feet be taken away?

Naturally, when their mom found out, it was a grounding for life. She had finally put two and two together about their constant sneaking out, and she was not happy with what she learned. The battle scars that the brothers were already accumulating didn't help matters, leaving their mother petrified about their health getting even worse. Elliot's leg was enough of a scare for her in one lifetime, and now it was a risk they were provoking every time they went on their adventures. Elliot surrendered his Digivice without a fight, forever losing his spirits of order to DATS. Isaac wasn't about to do that. He begged, he fought, he damn near had to blink back tears, but he no matter what he wasn't letting go. What could he do, though? He was 15, a minor, and that meant if his mother wanted his Digivice confiscated there was nothing he could say about the matter.

He didn't come out of his room for at least three days. The phones of the friends he met along the way would likely end up lighting on fire from how many incensed texts he sent about this injustice. How could he feel anything but helpless? The power that he had accumulated in the Digital World, over months of hard fighting and adventure, had been lost in the single stroke of a pen. It didn't help at all that so many of his friends were met through Digital World business. No longer would he be able to journey around with people like Alicia and Shi. They'd have to just leave him behind now, because he was just a helpless human. Even Maia. Would she have nearly as much time for him now that she would be split between two worlds, while he was barred behind one? At this point, his promise to protect her would be worth less than dirt.

As the months flew by, Elliot thrived while Isaac withered. As much as he wanted to help people, Elliot was so relieved by having this unwanted burden cast off of his shoulders. The carefree days he enjoyed best, like cooking with Alicia and gaming with Maia, became practically all of his days. Digimon went from a reality of his life to occasional sights in crowds and breaking news stories. Even when he felt nostalgic over the old days, his friends were able to entertain him by showing off their new forms and Digivolutions. It was Digimon as Elliot enjoyed it; cool sights experienced at a safe distance, not a living world he constantly had to fight for his life in. Now he could focus on his grades, getting a stronger mastery of the Japanese language, and meeting new people around the neighborhood. With peace came happiness.

That wasn't much help for Isaac. He wasn't great in school and lacked ambitions beyond drifting from getting through each day. For him, finding his spirits managed to finally fill the hole that had formed in his aimless life. He could finally leave an impact on the world, and try his hand at making it a better place. He could finally make a difference in people's lives. Now he was back to impotently watching it all go by, 5 feet of rage and confusion about why things couldn't be better. For the first few days he fought his mom over her decision constantly. His eyes practically burned with tears as he explained that he had finally found his purpose in life, and that he needed it more than anything before. His safety just was not a sufficient price to pay in her books, though.

He was shot down day after a day, and after a while he just gave up. He floated through school like he was in a daze, and spent most of his weekends lethargic and tired. Texts from Maia helped get him through it all. Even when he could barely muster up enjoyment to get through the day, she always managed to eke a smile out of him. It was a small bit of happiness to cling onto, both memories of good times long since past and a promise that maybe things would get better in the near future.

The first year went by, and things got a little easier. Without the Digital World to escape from school with, Isaac found himself actually having to pay more attention. It didn't help that the omnipresent threat of grounding had hung over Isaac's head. The whole Digimon fight ended up leaving his relationship with his mother somewhat strained, so a combination of fear and desire to regain her respect helped motivate him to try harder. It didn't do a ton for his grades, but it did lead to him spending a bit more time with friends. Slowly but surely Isaac forced himself to climb out of the shell he had crammed himself into, and he even started to find his smile again. Parties started to replace Digital World excursions in his daily itinerary, becoming his primary outlets for meeting new friends.

At one point, one got a little out of hand. By now he had started to get acclimated to partying, and didn't even question it when some of his friends brought out the special punch. It was way too strong for the boy, and judging by the eggs and toilet paper being grabbed it was going to be time for some good old fashioned debauchery. While he was too drunk to say no, he was too uncomfortable to say yes. He was left awkwardly hanging at the group's back, no means to run away but desperately wanting to go unseen for them. He tried to text Maia an escape route, but one of his friends snatched his phone right out of his hands. "Get away from the girlfriend, man," he taunted. "The night's still young. Cut loose a little!" At this point he had to stick around, if only so he didn't end up losing his phone.

It seemed that their exploration took them down a wrong turn, though. The telltale sound of clubs smashing hands immediately got Isaac on edge, and he tried to get everybody to turn back. "Guys, I mean it, this isn't gonna be safe," he protested, but they simply laughed at him yet again. In a unanimous vote of "ditch the square" they went back to exploring, confidently strutting down the corner without a care in the world. At this point Isaac had given up on following them, somewhat miffed. Ever since the booze, the group did nothing but laugh at his concerns. Why was he even wasting his time with them? The only reason he hadn't walked off at this point was because they had his damn phone.

It only took a few minutes for them to be sent running, blasts of fire and ice lighting up the previously dark alleyway and leaving Isaac clutching his head. A pack of triumphant Goblimon and SnowGoblimon were left standing tall, waving their clubs eagerly and standing over the booty that the teens had dropped. A bunch of wallets, the eggs and toilet paper, some kid's pants, and Isaac's phone. In a bit of liquid courage Isaac mustered up the bravado he previously possessed, shouting "Dragon of darkness, breathe in the night's air of chaos! Arise, Devidramon!" and holding up his empty hand. In the darkness, all they knew was that there was a practiced spirit user, and they promptly turned tail and ran. That little moment sent memories flooding through Isaac, of an old life that was far superior to the new, and he couldn't help but cry as he clutched his phone tight to his chest. Why did he ever think those low-lifes he was wasting time with were a proper substitute?

He lost some social capital over that little incident, but he didn't care. Those friends took things too far, and left him soured on the idea of rushing to parties night after night. From there he found his life stabilizing a bit. Days weren't as fun as they were when he was constantly out having a good time, but they weren't as miserable as they were when the loss of the Digital World was still a fresh scar. He didn't have too many friends, but Elliot entering high school the next year helped. He tended to hang along with Elliot's group, making a few tight friendships of his own along the way. His grades never got much past mediocre, but at this point he didn't care. He didn't see himself having much of a horse in the academic race anyway. Slowly, things settled into a more typical normalcy like the days before Japan.

It was a year later that Isaac found himself with quite the surprise. Like any given morning, Elliot was awake far before he was. Unlike any given moment, Elliot was shaking him awake as soon as the clock struck midnight. Considering that Isaac had only gotten to sleep at 11, he wasn't exactly happy with the interruption. "Ugh, Elliot? Seriously? At this hour?" Unfortunately, no amount of protesting got the shaking to stop.

"Isaac! Isaac! Come on, you can't miss this!" The boy was every bit as excitable as he was when he was 13, even if now he had gained an entire seven inches on Isaac. Still, Isaac knew there was no making Elliot quit, so he sighed and rolled out of bed.

"Alright, alright. The heck's so important to get you like this?"

"I'm always like this."

"Come on, bro, you know what I mean. Spill the beans!"

"It's your birthday!"

"So?" Isaac hadn't really cared much about his birthday since it stopped involving tons of presents and cake.

"It's your eighteenth birthday." Isaac stared, uncomprehending.
"As in, you're now a legal adult-"

"If it's about drinking, trust me, I'm done with that crap-"

"As in, you're now a legal, contract-signing, decision-making adult who mom no longer has any control over." At first, Isaac wondered why the heck he was being so weird and overly-suspicious. Then he put two and two together, thinking back to that fateful day three years ago. God, had it really been so long? At this point, he wasn't even sure if he'd remember how to Digivolve! He wouldn't let that stop him, though. For the first time in three years Isaac excitedly sprung out of bed, getting dressed and washed so that he'd be able to leave in the dead of the morning. For the first time in three years, they tiptoed out of the house so quietly that mom didn't even catch on. They even almost veered over to the Shibuya Station, before Elliot gently pulled on his wrist and reminded him that they weren't going that way.

The DATS headquarters, once a secret facility and now a massive public building, loomed overhead. Isaac turned to Elliot, smiling somewhat sadly as the two hovered before the entranceway. "You sad you won't be able to follow?" Isaac asked, realizing that this time when he went back to the Digital World he'd be flying solo.

"Nah. I made peace with that years ago. But I knew you never really did, so I just had to tell you as soon as possible," Elliot said. Isaac could tell from his voice that Elliot didn't entirely mean it, the slightest roots of nostalgia tangling around his thoughts. "Maybe I'll catch up with you all when I'm 18, eh?"

"You're the best, you know that bro?" After a quick hug, Elliot remained at the doors of the building as Isaac confidently walked in. It was finally time to recapture the spark that he had lost all of those years ago. Would it take aptitude tests? Morality tests? Maybe some psychological and bodily health evaluations? Or was it going to be as simple as seeing if his Digivice still resonated with him and him alone? Isaac wasn't sure, but he knew that now was as good of a time as any to try.

"Excuse me?" he asked as he approached the front desk. The smile he flashed to the clerk was his most genuine in years. "I would like to re-apply for my Digivice, please!"