Alright, let's solve this problem step by step. We have 48898 and 12509, and we're subtracting the second number from the first.

Step 1: We'll start by subtracting the digit 9 and the borrow 0 from 8 in column 1 and get -1.
We add -1 to 10 and get 9 as the first digit of the result.

Step 2: We'll start by subtracting the digit 0 and the borrow 1 from 9 in column 2 and get 8.
8 is the next digit of our result.

Step 3: We'll start by subtracting the digit 5 and the borrow 0 from 8 in column 3 and get 3.
3 is the next digit of our result.

Step 4: We'll start by subtracting the digit 2 and the borrow 0 from 8 in column 4 and get 6.
6 is the next digit of our result.

Step 5: We'll start by subtracting the digit 1 and the borrow 0 from 4 in column 5 and get 3.
3 is the next digit of our result.

So, 48898 - 12509 = 36389.