Najicablitz
patreon
Digimon Ch 28
🕑 Added 2025-09-08 14:50:38 +0000 UTCA month goes by, and surprisingly, things mellow out. No world-ending threats, no rogue Digimon causing chaos, no new missions popping up on the Digivice. Just regular school, awkward flirting with Gwen, and dodging Flash's glares. It is kind of boring, not gonna lie.
Cutemon is totally at home, too, which is adorable. She loves watching cartoons with Agumon and Gabumon, and she's always up for a snack. She has even started to pick up some slang, which is both hilarious and slightly concerning.
The biggest win? I finally mastered riding Behemoth. The first few weeks were rough. I kept getting possessed, crashing into everything, and needing to be rescued by Gatomon and the others. There was one time I nearly wrecked the Digi-Home.
But I kept at it, learning to resist the voices, to channel the dark energy instead of letting it control me. It was like learning to ride a bucking bronco from hell, but eventually, I got the hang of it.
Now, Behemoth is my ride, and it's insane. The thing moves on its own, answers to my commands, and I can even use it to attack. The other day, some punk tried to mug me, and Behemoth just roared, sending him running for the hills.
It's nice having Behemoth around. It looks sick, and is cool to drive. It does not hurt to have a sweet ride like Behemoth.
So, yeah, life is getting chill, maybe too chill. I am starting to miss the action. I grab my Digivice and start scrolling through the news app, hoping for something, anything, to spice things up.
Then, boom, a headline catches my eye: "Tony Stark Returns Home After Captivity!"
"Alright, break time, kiddos."
I wave my hand at Agumon, Gabumon, and Cutemon, who are glued to some cartoon about a talking sponge.
"Hey! We were watching that, Ethan!" Agumon says.
"Yeah, it was getting to the good part, chu~!" Cutemon chimes in.
"Sorry, guys, but this is way more important," I say as I switch the channel on the Digi-Home's TV.
The screen flickers, and there he is: Tony Stark, standing at a podium, looking surprisingly not hungover. Then he drops the bomb.
"It is my great pleasure to announce that I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries."
The crowd goes wild. Some cheer, others look like they just swallowed lemons.
I grin. Holy crap, it is happening. This is the start of Iron Man. The plot is kicking off. The world is about to get a whole lot more interesting.
But that is his story, not mine. I'm more interested in something else entirely.
I pull up the Stark Industries stock ticker on my Digivice. Bingo. The price is tanking faster than Flash's reputation. This is my chance. If I can buy some of those shares, I am set for life.
There's just one problem. I don't have a clue about investing. All I know is to buy low and sell high, but how does one even do that?
Wait a minute. Olivia. She mentioned checking stocks all the time. She totally knows how this works. I can just ask her to teach me.
It's a long shot, but it's worth a try.
I hustle out of the Digi-Home, back into my dusty apartment. I resist the urge to Connect Jump to Olivia's door. I have no idea what that would do to her, and I'd rather not find out.
Instead, I take the old-fashioned route and walk down the hall. I steel myself, hoping she's in a good mood. I mean, I paid the rent, so that should count for something, right?
I raise my fist and knock on her door. A few seconds later, the door swings open, and Olivia stands there, a mug of that awful coffee in her hand.
"Ethan? Everything okay?"
"Uh, yeah, totally," I stammer. "I was wondering if you were free for a bit?"
Olivia raises an eyebrow. "Depends. What's up?"
"Well," I start, "I know you're into the stock market, and I was hoping you could teach me the basics of how to buy and sell stocks?"
My mind races. I need to play this carefully. I can't tell her I know Stark Industries is about to skyrocket because of a superhero origin story. That’d be nuts. Instead, I explain I'm looking for a way to make some extra cash. I've got some money saved, and stocks seem like a decent option.
Olivia leans back, studying me like I'm some kind of puzzle. "And where do you expect to get this money, Ethan?"
Crap. I knew this part would be tricky. Explaining my recent… extracurricular activities to my landlord is not something I am excited to do. Plus, the whole truth is way too weird. Not to mention, I am running out of money fast, feeding my Digimon. They eat like a pack of wolves, or in Cutemon's case, like a really cute, fluffy garbage disposal.
"Uh, about that," I say, rubbing the back of my neck. "I was kind of hoping… could I get a loan from you?"
Olivia almost spits out her coffee. "A loan? Ethan, you're, like, sixteen. No bank's just gonna hand you money."
"Exactly!" I exclaim, maybe a little too eagerly. "Which is why I'm asking you. I promise I'll pay you back."
She takes another sip of her coffee, her gaze never leaving mine. I can almost see the gears turning in her head. After a long pause, she speaks.
"How much are we talking?"
I take a deep breath. This is it. "Fifty thousand dollars."
Olivia's eyes widen. "Fifty… That's a bold number, Ethan." She pauses again, considering. "Alright," she says, surprising me, "I'll do it."
My jaw drops. "Really? Just like that?"
"Not just like that," she says, holding up a finger. "I have conditions. You have six months to pay me back, with interest. And if you fail…" She trails off, letting the threat hang in the air.
"...I'm going to be your indentured servant," I finish for her. The thought of working for Olivia sends a shiver down my spine. She'd work me to the bone, making me clean her apartment, fix her leaky faucets, and probably force-feed me that horrible coffee. But, whatever. I think of Tony Stark announcing he's Iron Man, the stock prices going through the roof, and the cash flowing into my account. I can pay her back in a month, tops.
"Deal," I say, shaking her hand. "You won't regret this."
Olivia smiles, a hint of something unreadable in her eyes. "I certainly hope not. Now," she says, turning to her laptop, "let's get you started with the basics of the stock market."
