Knights of the Digital World

Faced with the little monster's threat, Yongmeng smiled slightly, imitating a reclusive master from a TV drama, with his hands behind his back, chest out, and calmly said:

"Little monster, do you want to become stronger?"

"You know me?!"

The little monster first narrowed its eyes and became wary, but quickly relaxed and resumed its listless appearance.

"Oh, you play with digital cards too, right? You followed me here hoping to become my tamer? Forget about it. I do want to become stronger, but not this way. I will never rely on human power."

"Don't worry, I'm already a beast tamer and I have my own partner. The way I'm talking about getting stronger is a different kind of process. I'll teach you combat techniques and show you how to evolve. In other words, I'll be your teacher and guide you. But if you want to get stronger, you still have to rely on your own efforts. That way, it won't be considered relying on human power, right?"

Emu revealed the method he had previously devised.

The little monster was somewhat tempted; it certainly sounded different from relying on a beast tamer to swipe cards and grant them power. However, he still shook his head and refused:

"No. I told you, I won't rely on human power. You've guided me, and I've relied on your knowledge. In the end, I've still relied on human power."

Yongmeng frowned, not expecting the little demon beast to be so stubborn about this. However, he had already made preparations and confidently said:

"You don't need to worry about that. My knowledge also comes from Digimon. His name is BanchoMamemon, he's my mentor, and a powerful Ultimate-level Digimon. Surely you won't refuse, right?"

"Ultimate level? What level is that? Is it even above Perfect level?"

The little demon beast muttered a few words to itself, but it also understood the truth in Yongmeng's words. He really did have such a master, and he really did learn knowledge from him. If that was the case, the little demon beast could accept it.

He yearns to become strong. No matter how bitter or difficult the path to becoming strong may be, he is fearless.

However, the little demon beast still had some reservations, and he hesitated before saying:

"If that's the case, of course I won't refuse. But why are you so persistent with me? We're not related, yet you want to teach me. What exactly are you after?"

"That's because you have extraordinary talent, a martial arts genius one in a million... No, I'm just kidding. Actually, I also have a little demon beast partner, though she's not in this world right now. But seeing you still reminds me of her, so I'm willing to lend you a hand."

Furthermore, I also hope to restrain your behavior. I witnessed what you did to humans today. Although you didn't physically harm them, your actions still caused them harm. This is wrong.

However, as an outsider, I don't seem to have the right to interfere. And out of selfishness, I don't want to hurt you. So, I've finally decided to become your teacher. And I only have one condition for teaching you: you mustn't misbehave and you must obey my orders.

Of course, you can refuse orders that are obviously wrong or that could harm you.

"Well, I've made myself perfectly clear. Now it's your decision whether to accept it or not."

Emu explained his reasons, which were essentially his true thoughts, and therefore his words carried a convincing power.

The little monster pondered silently for a moment, then bowed to Yongmeng:

"Teacher, please continue to guide me in the future!"

A smile appeared on Emu's lips; he had successfully persuaded her!

Chapter Fifteen, It's You, Seven!

Emu successfully persuaded the little monster, and the clock struck twelve.

After thinking it over, Emu decided not to go back. He had prepared to visit all six elementary schools before he set off, so he got some bread and drinks from Takato's parents for lunch.

Now it's a good time to share the food with the little monster.

The little demon beast is now nominally his apprentice. Before, after escaping his beast tamer's house, the little demon beast relied on stealing for food. As its master, Yongmeng had previously stated he would restrain the little demon beast's behavior, and he certainly couldn't let it continue doing so. Therefore, he also needed to solve the little demon beast's food and lodging problem.

In the end, it still comes down to troubling Takato's family. But eating and drinking for free every day isn't a long-term solution. Even though Emu tutors Takato, it doesn't feel like enough to repay the debt.

"Hmm, maybe we could have the little monsters hand out flyers, saying it's an S-rank Digimon... or make some Digimon bread, like the Guilmon bread from the original series, that should be popular with kids... I'll go back and discuss it with my aunt and uncle, and try making it to see how it goes..."

As Emu ate, he pondered how to help Kiji's bakery become better. Unfortunately, he wasn't a business genius, and after racking his brains, he could only come up with one or two ideas, the feasibility of which was uncertain.

After lunch, the little monster asked impatiently:

"Master, what should I do to become stronger? Please guide me!"

Emu saw the longing in the little demon's eyes—a yearning for power. Regardless of the many wrongdoings the little demon committed in the original story, his unwavering pursuit of power was the most steadfast. It was this mindset that qualified him to reach the top.

"No rush. Let's go to Shinjuku Central Park first. My current partner, Lionmon, and my friend Matsuda Takato's partner, Guilmon, are training there. You'll be training there too. I'll take you to meet them first."

Emu reached out and patted the little monster's head, smiling as he spoke.

This is a habit formed from spending time with Parad. Back when Parad was still a little monster, Emu would often pat her head when interacting with her, and Parad took it as a way of showing affection.

However, the little monster wasn't used to Yongmeng's touch, so it shook its head and ran away from Yongmeng's grasp.

Emu didn't mind and took the little monster to Shinjuku Central Park.

In Shinjuku Central Park, Emu easily found Lionmon and Guilmon.

The young Lionmon now exuded an aura of oppression, exactly the same as the Darkmon that had taught Emu. He roared at Guilmon:

"Control your wildness! Subdue it with your will! You are in control! Do you understand?!"

"Ugh, I know, I know. The lion cub is so scary... (?o﹏o?)"

Guilmon huddled up, looking smaller than Lionmon despite being larger, and tears welled in his eyes from fright.

"What's with that expression on your face! What's with those tears! Can your tears help you control your wildness?! Tell me, Guilmon!" Lionmon roared.

Yongmeng watched from the side, his expression somewhat strange. He had also considered giving the cub a name; he had once had a backup name, Leo, which represented both a lion and a tribute to one of his favorite Ultramen.

But now it seems that the name Seven might be more suitable for Leo Cub? Or perhaps Dan Moroboshi?

This dialogue is so déjà vu!

Emu didn't let Lionmon continue. He saw a clear resemblance to Darkmon in Lionmon, and the oppressive teaching methods he used on his students were still fresh in his memory.

However, this is not suitable for Guilmon.

Guilmon is still just a baby, to be honest. What he needs is encouragement and praise to motivate him to learn.

Right now, Guilmon is almost crawling on the ground from being trained by Lionmon. If it doesn't develop any abilities but instead causes psychological trauma, then it will be hard to explain to Takato.

The little demon beast, on the other hand, seems quite suited to this teaching method. As long as it improves his strength, he doesn't care how loudly or harshly the lion cub scolds him.

"Ahem, Lionmon, Guilmon, hold on a minute. I'd like to introduce you to a new partner, this is Little Demonmon, who will be training with you from now on."

The red one is Guilmon; he's only recently been born, so please take good care of him. The other one is Lionmon; he's very strong, and you can ask him for help if you have any questions.

Emu stopped the training of Lionmon and Guilmon and introduced Impmon to them.

"Oh, hello. I'm Lion Cub. Nice to meet you." Lion Cub nodded to the little monster with a friendly expression.

He is actually a very gentle Digimon, but perhaps influenced by his predecessor, he is more fierce and strict when fighting and teaching, which is quite different from his usual personality.

Guilmon, as if seeing a savior, reluctantly got up from the ground, hid behind Emu, and then said to the little demon, "Hello, I'm Guilmon~"

The little monster didn't have much experience with this situation either. It imitated the other two, nodded to them, and introduced itself: "I am the little monster, nice to meet you."

After Yongmeng saw that they had gotten to know each other, he said, "Lionmon, you can train with Pygmon for now. I'll take care of Guilmon's training to control its wild nature. Your method isn't very suitable for Guilmon."

Upon hearing this, Guilmon breathed a sigh of relief, but its claws tightened their grip on Emu's pants, and it became even closer to Emu.

The lion cub was somewhat unconvinced, but didn't object, only offering a few words of explanation: "My method is definitely correct. Isn't it said that strict teachers produce outstanding students?"

"Yes, yes. You'll also need to guide the little monsters later; you can be a bit stricter then."

Emu gave a few perfunctory replies and found a large tree. He knew from Parad how Bancho-chan trained her, and now he was just copying it.

He explained the training method to the lion cub and the imp. He then had the lion cub and the imp try it a few more times.

With the talent boost left by its predecessor, the young lion beast easily met the training requirements. The little demon beast, on the other hand, was far behind; its attacks were always off-target and it couldn't control them properly.

"Alright, you'll practice this next. The lion cubs can increase their range, while the little demons should first meet the training requirements. If you don't understand anything, feel free to ask the lion cubs, okay?"

"Emu asked."

The little monster nodded, indicating that he had no problem. He was still striving for power, and he was willing to disregard his pride as long as it could improve him.

Lionmon doesn't mind. He actually quite enjoys being a teacher. If Guilmon isn't available to teach, teaching Impmon is fine too.

I heard that Big Sister Parad used to be a little monster. If we round it up, isn't that basically teaching Big Sister Parad?

Sure, this is a good deal!

Chapter Sixteen, Cultivation

Emu left the little demon and lion cub to practice diligently, then took Guilmon to the other side.

Guilmon still has a good impression of Emu, who rescued him from Lionmon's clutches. Although he has some resistance to controlling his wild nature because of Lionmon, he still stands in front of Emu, waiting for Emu's guidance.

"Hmm... Putting everything else aside, could you demonstrate your progress to me? It shouldn't hurt me, right?"

Emu patted Guilmon on the head and made a joke.

Guilmon, seeing Emu's gentle smile, felt much less resistant. He nuzzled Emu's hand with his head and patted his chest, saying:

"Emu, don't worry, I will never hurt you!"

After speaking, Guilmon took a few steps back, closed his eyes to gather his emotions, and when he opened them again, his eyes had turned into vertical pupils similar to those of a lizard, and he exuded a wild and brutal aura.

After entering this state, Guilmon became somewhat restless and wanted to attack something. However, after glancing at Emu, it calmed down and remained standing in place, maintaining its wild nature.

The training given by the cub was effective; at least now Guilmon can bring out its wild instincts and begin to control them.

Emu clapped his hands and encouraged, "Very good, Guilmon, well done. Do you understand me now? Change back."

After initially regaining control of his wild instincts, Guilmon was able to respond to Emu's words. He closed his eyes, struggled for a while, and finally shook off his wildness, sitting down heavily on the ground with a touch of shame, saying:

“Emu, I still haven’t been able to completely control my wild side.”

“You’ve done very well. In just a few days, you’ve already managed to control your wildness instead of being controlled by it. If you want complete control, just keep working on it. Well, you’ve worked hard today too. Go and have some fun. We’ll continue when Qi Ren and the others arrive.”

Emu stepped forward and patted Guilmon's head to comfort him.

Is it really playable?

Guilmon's eyes lit up at the mention of playing. He was completely childlike now, showing great enthusiasm for playing.

"Well, let's go."

Emu nodded, indicating that Guilmon hadn't misheard.

Guilmon immediately scrambled to his feet and went off to play. For him, even digging holes was a source of great entertainment.

As Emu watched Guilmon's departing figure, he habitually began to ponder.

Guilmon's ability to initially control its wild instincts was somewhat unexpected, considering it had only been a few days. It seemed that Leomon's strict upbringing was truly effective.

However, completely controlling wildness cannot be achieved through rigorous training alone. It requires the cooperation of Guilmon's tamer, Takato.

Guilmon's problem is that he lacks a strong belief to support his resistance against his wild nature. He only does what Lionmon tells him to do. This makes it very difficult for him to resist and control his wildness.

It took a long time to shake off its wildness, and it eventually collapsed to the ground, clearly having expended a lot of energy.