The Brain and the Brawn

Shitashi sat at the second floor window of a gym and was looking out the window while simply lifting dead weights. His partner Armadillomon was laying down on his stomach asleep on the closest windowsill. Another day, another dull digimon free day. he thought to himself. So far, no fog had showed up for the past two days.

"Ugh, Connor, what are we doing here? I thought you said there weren't any Wild Ones around today." Gazimon groaned, wanting nothing more than to relax after the past few excursions that the two had gone through. Connor paid no mind to this, however, and pulled out his digivice.

"Just tell me how you feel...D-Slots, activate!" Connor called, pulling a D-Lotto from his pocket and jamming it into the slit on top of his digivice before using the palm of his hand and bringing down the lever on the right side of the digivice. The whirling slots displayed on the digivice stopped, showing a trio of hearts on the screen.

"W-whoa! What do you think you're...Oh, that feels really good...put in another one!" Gazimon suggested, a soothing light bathing him, as if trying to heal any wounds that might be hindering the rude, loudmouthed digimon. Connor nodded, smiling slightly to himself, now that he knew more about the digivice.

Connor shook his head, "No Gaz, we need to save these coins for our next battle, we can't experiment with anymore of these things, not until we collect more of them. Now, it's time to get back to training."

With that said, Connor grabbed a basketball from a small bin over in the corner of the outdoor court, and then turned and whipped it at his fuzzy partner, who swiftly dived out of the way. Gazimon didn't take this well, and yelled, "Hey! What's the big idea?!"

"I need you to be able to think on your feet, and dodge whatever might be thrown at you. You should count yourself lucky that I can't use the baseball equipment yet, otherwise you'd have baseballs being hurled at you at near lethal speeds." Connor explained, throwing two basketballs at the Gazimon, who ducked under the first ball and swiftly side stepped the second, only to end up tripping on the third, forgotten ball that he had first evaded a minute ago.

"Hm, looks like another tamer is here..." Shitashi muttered to himself, "You rest here, Armadillomon. I am going to see what he is doing." Shitashi put down his dead weights, and started to head out towards the basketball court.

Armadillomon didn't budge and responded to Shitashi leaving with a simple snore.

Shitashi walked out towards the basketball court and stopped at the door, he watched Connor throw basketballs at Gazimon. He may not have been smart enough to think of doing something like that himself but was smart enough to figure out what Connor was doing.

One of the basketballs rolled over to Shitashi's feet and he picked it up and tossed it in between his hands a few times. He then tossed the ball with perfect form straigt at Connor, if his free throw was as good as it was in games he was sure it would hit him right on the mark.

Gazimon took his gaze off of Connor's oncoming basketball to see Shitashi enter the court, but couldn't say anything as he was swiftly beaned in the head by the oncoming projectile. Gazimon watched as Shitashi picked up one of the basketballs, and giggled in delight as the rather muscular teen chucked it at Connor.

Connor noticed the change in Gazimon's attention, and with the smile on the mon's face, there certainly wasn't anything good coming his way. Naturally, Connor ducked, the basketball whizzing right over his head and hitting the chain link fence surrounding the court. Once the tamer heard the shaking of the fence from the impact of the ball, he stood once more and looked over to Shitashi, an annoyed look in his eyes.

"In any other circumstance, I would assume that you had tried to enact a surprise attack on me, but considering your Digimon isn't anywhere around, I'm going to say that you were just being obnoxious. So, what do you want?" Connor retorted, disregarding the rather disappointed look on Gazimon's face. After all, the little rapscallion wanted to see his rather harsh trainer become the butt of some form of slapstick humor.

"Just seeing if you actually know what you are teaching Gazimon," Shitashi said. "You definetly got lucky with Gazimon noticing me." Shitashi then started walking over towards Connor. "Your name was Connor right?" he asked.

Connor glared at Shitashi, obviously not brushing off the near miss as playful antics, and retorted, "Of course I know what I'm teaching him. I'm not an idiot."

He rolled his eyes when he heard Shitashi state his name, and nodded, "Yes, and you're Shitashi, the lad who kicked his digimon at a Wendigomon. We did introduce ourselves after that fight, of course, that was after we had to run from the fire department because someone had to pull the fire alarm."

Connor immediately noticed Shitashi walking closer to him, and, as if to keep his distance, Connor walked around the teen, heading over towards Gazimon, whom was obligated to protect his Tamer, and thus would keep Shitashi from trying anything funny. After that little stunt he just pulled, it was going to be hard for Connor to trust the muscular teen.

"Yea sorry about the fire alarm, we needed some way to get everyone out of the building." Shitashi said, scratching the back of his head. "But anyway, even if you know what you are teaching Gazimon, are you able to do what you are teaching him?" he asked. Picking up another basketball off of the ground and spinning it on the tops of his fingers.

Connor scoffed, "Yes, because I'm expected to be able to do everything Gazimon can do. Besides, I don't see you doing anything to improve Armadillomon's combative capabilities. Now, get to the point already, why are you here?"

Gazimon rested his paws on the back of his head as he watched the two argue, feeling like he was stuck in some sort of unfunny sitcom, or a really bad drama show. If that Armadillomon had been around, then Gazimon could've maybe played soccer with it, or maybe even chat with it for a little while. He was in a good mood at the moment, though it was quickly fading, unlike his boredom. Gazimon yawned quietly before leaning on the fence behind Connor.

"Well of course you can't do what Gazimon can do, but you need to be able to do what he can't do." Shitashi said, "And I am here to train you," he said tossing the ball in his hands at Connor, "In physical fitness so that Gazimon isn't the only one doing the fighting," he said. "Oh, and as for training Armadillomon, he does that himself. All of that being a soccer ball, it builds his endurance and resistance to high spinning speeds." he finished.

Connor didn't even flinch as he saw Shitashi rear his arm back to throw the ball, and replied, "Gaz, go."

Like a well oiled machine, Gazimon sprung from his resting position and stabbed the ball just before it struck Connor with his claws, the ball deflating as the furry digimon scrapped the rubber ball off his claws. Gazimon let a sly grin creep across his muzzle as he honed his claws, ready for another ball to be launched their way.

Connor chuckled, sticking his hands in his pockets as he smirked at Shitashi, "What makes you think I'm going to play your game? Just because you think you're so bulky and athletic doesn't mean a thing to me. You can't always muscle your way through your problems. You need a strategy, and pre-emptive measures so that you can effectively counter-attack. And if you think that I'm all brain and no brawn, then I'll be glad to prove you wrong, but I'm not going to jump through any hoops you put up for me, you got that. I don't have to do anything you tell me to unless I want to do it, got that!"

Something seemed to be disturbing Connor than just the simple attempt at training, and while the young lad understood that it was just an attempt at improving his abilities as a tamer, being bossed around in such a way drove him over the edge. It took a minute or so for Connor to cool down, and after this period, Connor shook his head, "Look, if we both want to improve, why don't we have a sparring match? That way we can learn from each other, learn how each handles combat, and better synchronize ourselves when a Wild One appears? Does that sound good to you?"

"You see what I mean? You just let Gazimon block a simple basketball for you. What would you do if a digimon's attack came at you, and he counldnt block it in time?" Shitashi said, "And anyways, a sparring match should be good. Its been so long since I had a match. Hey Gazimon why don't you go get Armadillomon, he should be sitting on the windowsill of the second floor window.

Connor shook his head, "You keep throwing up all these hypothetical situations, and each time the answer is obvious. If a digimon's attack were to come at me, I'd dodge it. However, that deflated piece of rubber wasn't a digimon attack, so I had Gazimon intervene. It's simple when you think about it."

When Shitashi started talking about the sparring match, and how Gazimon and Armadillomon would both be out of the fight, Connor couldn't help but give Shitashi a quizzical look. Then, both tamer and partner looked to one another for a moment, and only a brief moment before both let out a loud chuckle. It was Connor who spoke first, a smile on his face as he replied, "I'm sorry, how would the two of us fighting benefit anything? No, I mean a sparring match between the four of us. A human can't harm a digimon with conventional weapons, so a sparring match between me and you would be pointless. However, if we have our Digimon fight, then we can see how each of us would battle a Wild One, and thus gain a better understanding of one another."

"Yeah, so go get your partner. I'm getting bored of having balls thrown at me." Gazimon added, honing his claws in preparation for the upcoming battle. And heck, maybe if he won, Connor would end today's training session. Heck, maybe he'd be happy enough to grab a bite to eat at that one café Gazimon loved so much?

"No need," Armadillomon said no standing at the gym doors, "I woke up and saw you guys outside. So what are we doing?" he asked walking over to the group.

"The two of us are going to have a sparring match with Connor and Gazimon," Shitashi said looking at his partner, "You okay with that?" he asked. Shitashi really wanted to have a sparring match, he wanted to see what Connor was really about.

"Yea that sounds like fun," Armadillomon said.

"Well alright then," Shitashi said, he then looked over to Connor, "You think we should go somewhere more private?" he asked.

Connor shrugged, not really caring about where they fought. After all, he could just tell the "audience" that their battle was simply an elaborate act, using state of the art animatronics and special effects. Honestly, it was strange how many people fell for such a simple excuse. After all, what else could these strange creatures be?

But, it was most likely that Shitashi wanted to keep his digimon a secret. With this in mind, Connor thought of the perfect place for them to duke it out, in a manner of sorts. Connor walked over to the chain-link door keeping the group inside the court and opened it before turning to Shitashi, "Alright then, follow me. I know the perfect place."

However, just as Gazimon left the court, Connor had to stop. A perplexing question popped up in Connor's mind as he returned his gaze to Shitashi. With a puzzled look on his face, Connor asked, "So, if you don't mind me asking, why did you decide to fight against the Wild Ones?"

"Well I was in the park with my parents and little sister one time and some fog appeared." Shitashi said following Connor, with Armadillomon following behind. "And their were two digimon inside, Armadillomon and a Gomamon. The Gomamon started to attack my family, since I couldn't do anything to him I teamed up with Armadillomon and we defeated the Gomamon." he then looked back at Armadillomon, "After that, we decided to work together to battle Wild Ones and keep my family safe." he said. "And what about you? Why did you decide to fight Wild Ones?"

Connor smiled, glad to know that Shitashi was fighting for something more heartwarming than Connor was. Still, Connor couldn't help but speak his own criticism, as he replied, "Well, it's good that you got the hang of it quickly. Though, to be honest, the best way to keep your family safe would be to run away from this place. That way, you wouldn't have to risk your life, and they would still be safe. Then again, this town might not be the only place experiencing such a calamity..."

Gazimon stuck a claw into his open mouth, simulating the act of forcing himself to vomit. He had heard the same story from a number of sources, all of them fuzzy and unmemorable. Then again, Gazimon was always rude and somewhat mean-spirited, so he took whatever ammo he got and unloaded it.

"But that isn't want to hear, is it? My motive in all this...well, it's simple. I want to take control of my life. This whole event has given me strength, strength that I can use to shape my future. I know it sounds selfish, but I assure you, I try to save as many people as I possibly can. That girl with the headphones that you met in the theater could've been seriously injured if I hadn't stepped in and took the blow for her. So don't think of me as malevolent. I just want to be in charge of my life, with no one to hold me down or tell me what to do." Connor stated, patting Gazimon on the head and gently stroking one of the furball's ears, a minor apology for forcing the digimon to fight when he really didn't need to.

"Thats fine," Shitashi said, his mind flashed back to that day at the theater, and how he pulled the fire alarm. "Hey speaking of that girl with the head phones, what did you think of those girls we fought with? Cause I thought they were pretty cute." he said. "And hey, where exactly is this place where we are going to spar?"

"Neither were my type, so I couldn't have cared less about what they looked like," Connor replied bluntly, continuing along even as his partner scoffed at such an answer. Gazimon slowed his pace so that he was now walking with Shitashi, if only so that they could speak to one another properly.

"To be entirely honest, that Renamon, whoo! She was a babe! Did you see her doing all those jumps and dives, it was like poetry. As for the human girls, I'd have to say the one without headphones was the best lookin'." Gazimon replied, despite his impartial view on human women, as he didn't really go for those kinds of girls. Still, he knew most humans were attracted to them, and if asked, he would certainly give his opinion on the matter, regardless of his preferences.

Connor sighed, shaking his head slightly at how brutally honest Gazimon could be sometimes, and turned his head to look back at Shitashi, stating, "Do you know about that broken bridge called Cadeyrn? The workers have the day off, and no one goes near the place, so we can have our sparing match there. That is, if you don't mind breaking a rule or two to get some privacy."

"Ah come on, your as old as me. You must of thought at least one of them was cute." he said, "And Gazimon, thats just wierd man, even for a wierdo like you."

"I thought that Leormon was pretty cool," Armadillomon said, "He had some pretty sharp claws like mine, probably even sharper."

"Well I guess thats cool Armadillomon," Shitashi said, "and I am okay with breaking some rules. I do that plenty of times at school."

Gazimon rolled his eyes, a frown on his muzzle as he looked up at Shitashi. He obviously didn't take being called a weirdo too kindly, as he quickly replied, "Fine, see if I ever share my opinion with you again, you ungrateful putz."

With that, Gazimon picked up his pace and was once again at Connor's side, but, upon hearing Armadillomon's response, called back, "As for that Leormon, that guy is a grade A jerkwad. I wouldn't put my trust in him, not at all."

Gazimon felt warm whenever he thought of Leormon, a warmth that was surely his burning hatred of the blue eyed, golden furred, crimson maned stick in the mud. Gazimon regretted having ran into him a second time, and ever since Connor and Harper formed a truce, Gazimon knew he would be seeing a lot more of that stupid cat.

Connor nodded, continuing along the side of the road, undeterred by the conversation Gazimon was having with the pair behind him. After a few minutes, he turned his head and said, "Alright then, it shouldn't be too far now. But before we make it there, let me just ask, did you use any of those coins we found after we defeated that Wendigomon? If you did, what happened when you used them?"

"Yea I used one," Shitashi said, "All it seemed to do was make Armadillomon jumpy. And I don't mean hyper jumpy, I mean bouncy jumpy." he said, "When he rolled into a ball he would just bounce a lot. It was rally wierd..."

Armadillomon smiled, "I enjoyed it." he said.

Gazimon chuckled, "And you call me a weirdo,"

Connor shook his head, chuckling a little at Gazimon's child-like humor, not to mention getting a kick out of Shitashi's experience with the D-Lotto. Connor decided that it would be best to share his experience with the strange coins, and replied, "As for me, Gazimon just recovered from all of his wounds. A very useful effect, but from what I can gather from your experience, the coins produce a different effect each time they're used. Some good, some bad, and some...bouncy."

Connor couldn't help but chuckle once again as the group finally reached their destination. Their little battleground was the edge of a broken stone bridge that spanned over...a very anti-climatic distance. Really, the bridge was only supposed to go over a small stream that had gotten in the way of the road, but the grassy field, along with the various bits of construction equipment seemed to set a more industrial vs. nature theme to the battlefield.

"Here we are, Cadeyrn Bridge. It's really such a tiny thing, but it's private, so that works, doesn't it? Now, we can be begin once you're ready." Connor stated, turning to face Shitashi at the same time that Gazimon turned to face Armadillomon. It was a foreshadowing to how in sync the duo were, and was a declaration of how much they had trained to become so in tune with one another. That, or they did it just to look cool, whichever works.

Shitashi got a quick glimpse of the area where they would be battling, "Yup," he said turning to face Connor, "You ready Armadillomon?" he asked quickly turning to his partner.

"You bet," Armadillomon said, "Lets make sure we do our best."

"Alright then, lets do this." Shitashi said. Just as he was about to command Armadillomon to attack, a thick fog surrounded both the tamers and their partners. To go along with the fog, Shitashi's yellow digivice started beeping, indicating that a Wild One was near. "Seriously!?" he said, "Well I guess this was perfect timing. What to do think?" he asked Connor, while still looking around for the Wild One.

Connor sighed in frustration as a familiar fog settled in. He looked down at Gazimon, who just smiled and started to do a few stretches. All the while, the little furball was scanning the surroundings, using his sensitive hearing and smell to try and find the Wild One, only to come up with nothing.

"That's odd, I'm not getting anything. You think this one's a ghost, or maybe it's just flying?" Gazimon asked, doing his best to locate their opponent once more. It was a futile effort, as Gazimon shook his head and added, "Well, whatever it is, it's not showing it's ugly mug."

"Don't jump to conclusions. It could be a ghost-like digimon, but I'm willing to assume that it spawned beneath us. Regardless, all we can do is wait for it to reveal itself, as fighting it underground would practically be suicide." Connor explained, standing completely still as he tried to feel any sort of vibrations in the ground, anything that could determine how near or how far the digimon was.

"Armadillomon, roll into a ball to limit the amount of damage you may take," Shitshi said, remaining calm and trying to figure out where the digimon was. He started to feel a slight trembling in the ground, "Do you feel that too?" he asked Connor. Just then a large drill started coming up from the ground in between them.

Shitashi instictively jumped back away from the digimon, "There it is!" he said.