A Life Beyond His Control

The castle bathroom...

"Aren't you done yet? I'm so sleepy~"

Tai urged Agumon on in exasperation. Agumon had been in the bathroom forever without coming out.

"How strange. I ate so much just now, I thought a lot more would come out." Inside the stall, Agumon was baffled by his condition too. Judging by past experience, this wasn't how it should have gone.

Meanwhile, in the stall right next to Agumon's, Ogremon was hiding with his club in hand!

"If you still can't go, I'm heading back!" Already exhausted, Tai was left speechless by Agumon's words.

"Hey, hey, Tai, wait! I'll be done soon."

Hearing that Tai was about to leave, Agumon, afraid of being alone, hurriedly strained with all his might.

Pfffft~~~

A sound rang out, followed by a foul stench...

"..."

Bang!

"You little brat! That reeks!" Unable to endure Agumon's magical attack, Ogremon was forced to burst through the door. He raised his club and glared furiously at the pair.

"Huh?"

"Ogremon!!!"

At their most vulnerable, Tai and Agumon obviously couldn't fight Ogremon. Instead, they fled toward the second floor in a panic.

But in the hallway, Leomon's towering figure blocked their path.

"I must defeat the DigiDestined!"

Watching the panicked pair, Leomon muttered in a numb, low voice.

"Huh?"

"Leomon?"

Tai's mood couldn't have been worse. These shameless bastards had actually chosen to attack while someone was using the bathroom. They were absolute animals!

"Wouldn't everything have been fine if you'd just gone to sleep?"

Just then, Devimon's slightly effeminate voice came from behind them.

"Ah! Who are you?"

Tai looked at the black figure in the opposite hallway, not quite understanding what was going on.

"You're Devimon!"

Agumon the interpreter was back on duty~

"Devimon?"

An ominous feeling immediately rose in Tai's heart at the appearance of this new Digimon.

Devimon. That name alone doesn't sound like anything good. We already have Ogremon and Leomon to deal with, and now there's Devimon, whose strength we don't even know...

"He's the most vicious, most brutal Digimon!" Agumon's face was troubled as he spoke.

"Because I no longer have any dreams!"

Devimon didn't dispute Agumon's introduction. Instead, he dispelled the illusion, restoring the false castle to its original ruined appearance.

"Huh???"

The sleeping children were also startled awake by the sudden commotion.

"How did this happen?"

Even after sitting up, they still looked utterly bewildered.

Meanwhile, Zhou Zhu wasted no time directing Candlemon to support Tai.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~

Devimon casually waved a hand at the unprepared children sitting on their beds, sending them flying into the air, beds and all.

That, of course, didn't include Zhou Zhu, who had prepared in advance and ducked behind cover.

"Candlemon? What are you doing here?"

Seeing Candlemon arrive alone, Tai felt somewhat relieved.

At least they hadn't all been wiped out.

"Zhou Zhu sent me to help you. Although I can't digivolve, I can at least hold them off a little. We can't just leave you to face them alone, Tai." Hearing Tai's question, the Candlemon clone spoke with apparent concern.

"Thank you, Candlemon!" Tai hadn't expected the normally quiet Candlemon to be such a dependable companion when it really mattered.

Watching Candlemon solemnly take a fighting stance, Tai was deeply moved.

"Why can't I muster any strength when I ate so much?" Agumon also intended to fight, but his weakened body left him without any strength for battle.

"Of course you can't. Everything you ate was nothing more than an illusion."

Watching Agumon's condition, Devimon launched into the sort of monologue that got villains killed.

As for the Candlemon beside Tai...

He was just some random Rookie Digimon. Someone like that wasn't even qualified to serve as his subordinate.

"What? Why would you do this to us?"

Tai's bewildered question betrayed a touch of naive foolishness.

But that was understandable. He was only a fifth grader, after all.

"Because you are the chosen children!" Feeling that victory was assured, Devimon showed no intention of attacking immediately. Instead, he eagerly played the teacher and answered Tai's question.

"The chosen children?"

What the heck? What does that mean?

Even after hearing Devimon's answer, Tai remained visibly confused.

"To me, you are obstacles. The Black Gears are about to rule the entire world, and you... are standing in the way!" Seeing Tai's confusion, Devimon continued indulging his passion for teaching.

"Huh?"

What is this guy even talking about?

"Do you understand now? File Island is already completely under the control of the Black Gears. My next target is the world across the sea."

"As long as I eliminate you, I can rule the entire world!"

As he spoke, Devimon waved his hands. All of File Island began to split apart, revealing vast numbers of Black Gears within the mountains!

Devimon truly had no self-awareness whatsoever. He was merely a Champion Digimon. Even if the Black Gears could barely push him to Perfect, setting his sights on the world across the sea...

That was simply asking to die...

"Across the sea? You mean the world beyond this little island?"

Watching fragments of the shattered island drift in every direction, Tai was more interested in the world across the sea that Devimon had mentioned.

"You'll never see it, because this is where you'll die! Hahahahaha!" Devimon offered no further explanation of the world across the sea in response to Tai's question!

Have we been confined here? Looks like only Tai and I are staying in place. Good thing I hid beforehand.

Watching the children and their beds fly wildly through the sky, Zhou Zhu's heart rose into his throat.

As things stood, Devimon held an overwhelming advantage. A weakened Agumon and Candlemon couldn't possibly contend with Devimon and his two allies.

Zhou Zhu wasn't about to assume that someone as powerful as Devimon hadn't noticed him hiding beneath the ruined walls. Tai was simply his main target for the moment.

Compared to Tai, Devimon hadn't even bothered with the other six DigiDestined, much less a weak nobody like Zhou Zhu whom he could casually dispose of afterward...

Devimon wouldn't even need to act himself. A single blow from Ogremon's club would smash Zhou Zhu to pieces on the spot...

Having no control over his own life felt awful~