Knights of the Digital World

However, in the original work, there is a scene where Takato calls out to Guilmon, and their bond kicks in, instantly freeing Guilmon from its wild nature. It doesn't even deplete its stamina in the slightest.

In other words, to control its wildness, the next step should be to utilize the bond between the Digimon and its Tamer. Takato should help Guilmon establish the belief in controlling its wildness, thereby achieving complete control over it, so that it can cooperate normally with Takato in battle, just like in the original story, instead of Guilmon rushing in on its own impulsive impulses.

Training lion cubs isn't entirely impossible to completely control their wild instincts. However, it undoubtedly requires a significant investment of time and effort, and even then, success isn't guaranteed.

Compared to controlling wildness through bonds, the effort and reward are disproportionate, so there's no need to continue.

Of course, once Guilmon can control its wild instincts, it can train with Impmon and the others. At that time, Guilmon will surely be excited to receive instruction from Lionmon again!

Guilmon, who was digging a hole in a secluded house in the park, suddenly shuddered, sensing a strange malice...

Having determined Guilmon's future training direction, Emu relaxed. Everything else would have to wait until Takato finished school.

After confirming that Guilmon wouldn't run off and be spotted by passersby, Emu sat down next to where Lionmon and the others were training, watching them train and occasionally offering pointers.

He has experienced various battles, and even now that his main account is sealed, he still has the combat power of an ultimate level, and his eyesight is still there.

It's quite easy to point out the problems with Rookie Digimon like Lionmon and Impmon.

Even as a cub, he relied solely on his exceptional fighting talent. In this life, having lost his memories, his insight and experience were nowhere near as shrewd as Emu's.

Time slipped away little by little during training.

To Emu's surprise, before he could see Takato, he was greeted by a cool and aloof girl—Makino Ruki.

She was dressed the same as when they last met, followed by a fox-mon. She looked on with some surprise as the lion cub and the little demon beast ravaged a large tree. After hesitating for a moment, she asked Emu, who was sitting beside her:

What are you doing?

"Training, huh? You think Digimon's power just falls from the sky?"

"I'm going to sleep," Yongmeng replied lazily. He'd been sitting there for half the afternoon, and the warm sunlight was making him a little drowsy.

"This can increase a Digimon's strength? Shouldn't a Digimon's strength be increased in battle—defeating enemies, absorbing their data, and evolving step by step—that's the way to increase strength, right?"

"Ryuhime retorted. Behind her, the fox spirit nodded approvingly; this had always been her method of becoming stronger."

"What you're describing is just one aspect. Do you know how Digimon evolve? Digimon are actually a special kind of life form made up of data. What you just said, defeating enemies and plundering data, allows you to accumulate data within your body. When the data accumulates to a critical point, a qualitative change occurs, which is evolution."

However, this is how wild Digimon, that is, Digimon without partners, become stronger. For Digimon with partners, this isn't necessary. The bond between them and the mutual care they share can be transformed into power, bridging the data gap and allowing the Digimon to evolve.

Besides, training allows you to accumulate data for final evolution. It also hones your combat skills. If your combat skills are strong enough, you can defeat an adult during your growth stage, making evolution less important.

As Emu explained to Ruki and the others, he stood up and stretched.

If he sits down any longer, he's really going to fall asleep!

Chapter Seventeen, Inquiring

Ruki's mouth gaped slightly as she listened, surprised that there were so many ways for Digimon to evolve.

She had always thought that absorbing data through combat was the only method.

In her view, Digimon must fight to become stronger and evolve. And the pursuit of power and evolution is the nature of any living being. That's why she says that fighting is the destiny of Digimon.

Even the fox spirit itself thinks so.

She initially defeated countless opponents and chose Ruki as her tamer, simply because Ruki had a unique way of using cards, which could help her achieve victory and evolve faster.

But Digimon are truly amazing. They are born from data, form bonds with humans, and possess infinite possibilities.

Absorbing data is the most common way of evolution, but it is by no means the only way.

"What? You don't believe me?"

Seeing the incredulous expressions on Ruki and the fox spirit's faces, Emu couldn't help but ask with a smile.

"No...you've described it in such detail, I believe you're not making it up. But why are you telling me all this?"

Ruki shook her head and asked with a complicated expression.

She was a strong-willed but also proud person, and wouldn't easily slander others. Besides, she genuinely felt that Emu's words made sense. However, she didn't understand why Emu had told her all this. They had no real relationship.

She didn't even know his name.

"Well, I'm telling you this for a reason. First, to prevent you from causing trouble for Guilmon again. Takashi has only been a Tamer for a few days, he's no match for you. Now you know that Digimon evolution isn't just about fighting. If you want to evolve, you might as well find your inner emotions and evolve using the bond between you and Renamon. Of course, if you want to fight those Digimon that have run into the human world, that's fine with you. Letting them roam around will only make them more likely to hurt ordinary people."

Emu stretched his body and answered.

"Also, I wanted to communicate with you more and get to know you better, I..."

"What?! I don't even know your name. Even if you like me, I won't agree to be your girlfriend!"

Ruki looked wary, took a few steps back, and refused righteously.

Behind her, the fox demon casually extended its right hand, its sharp claws flashing, a cold glint in its eyes.

If Emu dares to harm her tamer, she'll capture him!

Yongmeng was somewhat taken aback and quickly clarified, "No, what are you thinking? I just wanted to ask you about something. It's just that I didn't know you well before, so I wanted to get to know you better before asking. Don't think of me as something so despicable."

Upon hearing this, Ruki blushed instantly. Girls mature early, and at her age, she was just beginning to become interested in these kinds of things. In addition, Emu's words were somewhat ambiguous, which led Ruki to misunderstand.

Liu Ji blushed for a while before regaining her composure and saying, feigning calmness:

What do you want to ask me?

"Do you know Asuna Kane? I want to know about her."

Emu didn't dwell on the matter and directly stated his goal.

Ruki thought for a moment before remembering who Kana Asuna was. She was a classmate of hers, but their relationship was just so-so. They weren't close, nor did they have any grudges; they were just ordinary classmates who knew each other's names.

She and Asuna Kana didn't have much interaction: academically, Ruki was among the top students in her class, while Asuna Kana was a notorious idiot who often got the class time wrong; in terms of friends, Ruki was aloof and kind-hearted but had few friends, while Asuna Kana was lively and outgoing with a lot of friends; in terms of family background, Ruki came from a single-parent family with only her grandmother and mother, and while they weren't poor, they weren't wealthy either, while Asuna Kana, according to her own account, came from a very rich family.

It can be said that Ruki and Asahi are like two parallel lines, and it's basically impossible for them to have any connection.

But now, Ruki inexplicably felt a little annoyed.

This annoyance might stem from Emu's behavior. Emu wanted to build a good relationship with her, but her only goal was to find out about Asuna Kano. Yet, she avoided the misunderstanding and immediately clarified it. Doesn't this make her seem inferior to Asuna Kano?

However, Ruki wasn't the type of girl who liked to throw tantrums. In fact, having grown up in a single-parent family, she was used to protecting herself with a cold exterior; acting cute or throwing tantrums wasn't her style.

After her initial displeasure subsided, out of consideration for the information Emu had previously provided, Ruki still replied:

"I don't know much about Asuna Kane. I'm not close to her. She's quite pretty, has a good personality, and is generous and outgoing. It's just that her grades are average, and sometimes she forgets the class time and doesn't come to school."

Emu listened and nodded. These things matched up with Asuna's, so it seemed Asuna wasn't lying. However, she still needed to confirm.

Emu then asked, "So, when you were fighting the Digimon, did she go in with you?"

Ruki paused for a moment, then turned to look at the fox demon.

When Digimon descend into the real world, they bring with them a layer of white mist. This mist is a buffer between the rules of the two worlds, allowing the Digimon to gradually adapt to the real world. It also serves as a warning, telling people in the real world that something is amiss and preventing the Digimon from running around.

This white fog greatly obstructs human senses. In the original work, Keito, Kenryo, and Ruki all wore glasses to avoid the effects of the white fog.

Therefore, Ruki herself wasn't sure whether Asuna Kino had followed them into the white mist. As long as she stayed far away, Ruki wouldn't be able to detect it. It depended on whether the fox spirit sensed it.

But the fox spirit was also puzzled. Facing Ruki's questioning gaze, it shook its head and said:

“I don’t know. Normally, no one would follow. I checked before entering the white fog. After entering the white fog, I focused my attention on the battle and couldn’t accurately sense the situation inside the white fog.”

Yongmeng frowned upon hearing this. Even the fox spirit couldn't be sure? Then what about tomorrow? Was it true or false?

If it's true, why was she able to evade the fox demon's detection? If it's false, why would she lie?

However, if I had to say something, the fox spirit also mentioned that she couldn't scout her surroundings during the battle. Perhaps that's when Akatsuki entered the white mist.

Emu had a good impression of Asuna Kino, partly because of their shared name, and partly because Asuna's personality was quite likable and she didn't have the spoiled nature of a rich kid.

As for Emu's own wishes, he hoped that there would be no problem tomorrow.

However, his position as an observer led him to make a note of it.

Let's observe further in the future.

Chapter 18, Lionmon vs. Renamon

Emu fell into deep thought, while Ruki's curiosity was piqued.

She hesitated for a moment and asked, "What's your purpose in asking about Jia Ye? Hey? I'm talking to you."

Since she didn't know Emu's name yet, Ruki could only use a somewhat impolite way of addressing him.

Emu snapped out of his daze at Ruki's call, realizing he hadn't introduced himself to Ruki yet, and quickly smiled and said:

"Ah, sorry, I was just thinking about something. Let me introduce myself first. I am Hojo Emu. You can call me Emu. My partner is Lionmon. Also, there is a little demon beast training with me right now."

Ruki nodded. Although she knew that Emu already knew her name, she still introduced herself seriously: "I am Makino Ruki. This is my partner, Rei-Nukemon."

"I'm so sorry for the delay in introducing myself. Please take care of me in the future, Makino-kun."

Emu knew that his relationship with Ruki wasn't close enough for them to call each other by their first names, so he was careful to address her by her surname.

"Please give me your guidance, Baosheng."

Ruki returned the gesture.

Now, they can finally be considered to have officially met.

After exchanging pleasantries, Emu steered the conversation back on track and introduced himself to Ruki. He was vague about the fragments, only saying that Asuna Kino had obtained power from the same source as him, and that he needed to assess whether Asuna was suitable.

As for his identity as someone from another world, Emu didn't shy away from it. It wasn't anything shameful. In fact, he even briefly told Ruki about his past adventures.

Ruki is actually quite curious, and she kept asking questions while Emu was telling his story, inquiring about details and expressing her admiration for Emu's past experiences.

A good supporting listener is one who naturally engages in question-and-answer sessions, and can really inspire others' enthusiasm for speaking. For example, when I talked to Keito about my experiences, all he said was "wow" and "yeah," he had absolutely no motivation to continue.

Now, Emu's enthusiasm for speaking was ignited by Ruki, and he recounted almost his entire adventure. Not only Ruki, but also Renamon, Lionmon, and Little Demonmon listened with great interest.

Especially the little demon beast. He initially had some doubts about what Emu said, but after hearing Emu's story, those doubts were completely dispelled, and he developed a deep admiration for Parad, seeing him as his role model. After listening, he went back to training diligently, his heart filled with hope for the future.

"I didn't expect that you, who look about the same age as me, have been through so much."

Ruki looked at Emu with admiration and sighed.

"Haha, it's actually not bad. Haven't you been through a lot yourself? Meeting Renamon and battling Digimon are quite exciting experiences!"

Emu laughed heartily and said.

He could sense that after their conversation, he and Ruki had become much closer.

"Hosho-kun, can I ask you for a favor? Could you let the fox demon beast train with you?" Ryuki seemed to have the same idea, and after hesitating for a while, she asked.

Given her personality, it must have taken a lot of determination for her to ask someone for help.

This also reflects Makino Ruki's personality: outwardly cold, but inwardly warm and kind, and very considerate of her family and friends.