Impmon's Training

Time flowed like water, gone in the blink of an eye.

The days spent training Impmon passed quickly, though they were somewhat dull.

In any lifetime, the highlights worth cutting into a montage were always so few that they amounted to less than a tenth of it.

For Digimon born in the Digital World, whose very essence was data, they could be considered long-lived beings.

No, perhaps they were immortal.

After all, unless Digimon loaded data such as aging and lifespan into themselves, or were killed,

they could live forever.

Otherwise, why would the Digital World have irregular updates? And all those different disasters?

It was not just for evolution. There was also a need to clear out Digimon that had no potential to evolve and could not die and dissolve naturally.

Of course, these were not matters for Mo Yan to interfere in or lament over.

But as an immortal himself, he had already lost some of his awareness of time passing and life's pressures.

His greatest goals in life were simply to evolve and see sights he had never seen before.

That was why Mo Yan intervened in Impmon's and the children's affairs without regard for the original plot, freely saying things that might affect it.

In fact, Mo Yan did not believe in any force that would correct the plot.

Especially after Mo Yan had taken part in the Four Holy Beasts' discussions and arrangements.

That meeting had reshaped Mo Yan's understanding of the Digital World and Digimon.

Eating the rice ball in his hand, Mo Yan watched Impmon leaf through A Detailed Introduction to Wizardry nearby, thoughts churning through his mind.

Was it because of the real world? Or was it because of this body formed through quantum conversion?

Why had I suddenly become so reflective?!

I hadn't loaded any aging data or anything like that, had I?

Mo Yan swallowed the rest of his rice ball in one bite and instinctively began analyzing why he had fallen into this state of mind.

After thinking it over, Mo Yan felt both factors played a part, and that the children had something to do with it too.

After all, Digimon were easily influenced by children.

This was inherent in how Digimon were born, and also why they could so readily evolve through children's emotions.

"Well? Finished reading?"

Adding the real world's influence on Digimon to his future research topics, Mo Yan looked at Impmon, who had closed the book.

"Of course I finished! Who do you think you're looking down on?!"

Under Mo Yan's influence, Impmon set the book down with great care, then immediately roared at Mo Yan, putting his childish nature on full display.

"Oh?

Then what did you learn from it?"

With a beckoning gesture, Mo Yan drew the book Impmon had placed on the ground into his hand.

"Nothing much. It's just the interaction between data and magic power, and how to use it.

There's nothing hard about it."

Impmon curled his lip and planted his hands on his hips, making his shameless boast with utter disdain.

"You really do have some nerve.

Tsk, tsk. Your data's already unstable, yet you're still so arrogant. Not a shred of humility."

Mo Yan approached Impmon and poked his increasingly unstable body with a finger.

"Tch, this is nothing! I'm gonna become the strongest Digimon!"

Impmon swatted Mo Yan's finger away, still refusing to back down.

"I hope you can keep that enthusiasm.

Get ready. We're about to start properly studying magic."

With a soft chuckle, Mo Yan told Impmon that his magic lessons were about to begin.

Then Mo Yan snapped his fingers, calling forth a sacred light filled with healing power to stabilize Impmon's somewhat unstable data.

"Hmph! Let's see what you've got!"

Feeling the warmth within the light, Impmon folded his arms across his chest, looking eager to get started.

"Impmon, before this, we put you through a series of exercises to strengthen your body enough to withstand reading Magic Books.

But that alone isn't enough for you to immediately start learning the advanced programming language used in magic.

Now you need to fully master the power within you-both the magic power flowing through your body and the data that makes you up."

Sitting cross-legged opposite Impmon, Mo Yan began the formal lesson.

"The power inside me?

Haven't I already mastered it?"

A wisp of flame appeared at Impmon's fingertip, and he looked thoroughly puzzled.

"That only means you can use it. It doesn't mean you've mastered it."

Mo Yan shook his head and explained.

Then Mo Yan opened his palm and motioned for Impmon to watch.

A wisp of flame rose from Mo Yan's palm.

Under Mo Yan's control, the flame began changing shape.

At first, it formed various written characters and simple patterns.

Then came more complex images, such as mountains and rivers, and three-dimensional houses and buildings.

Finally, it became lifelike animals that moved.

"See? This is what mastery means.

I spent a long time practicing my control back then."

Mo Yan sent a bird of flame circling around himself and Impmon before speaking.

"!?

That's...

What's so hard about that?!"

His face flushed red, Impmon forced the words out.

But anyone could hear the bluster masking his uncertainty.

"As your teacher, I have to remind you again that staying humble is how Digimon improve.

Especially since we're Wizards and scholars."

Watching Impmon's reaction, Mo Yan found it rather amusing, but also perfectly normal.

Rookie Digimon had personalities much like human children.

Refusing to admit they were wrong was common.

Refusing to concede defeat was perfectly normal too.

"I never agreed to you being my teacher! You're the one who insisted!

And you keep going on and on. It's so annoying!"

Hearing Mo Yan's lecture, Impmon looked just like a rebellious human child.

"Since you're so confident, let me see your control."

Mo Yan gestured for Impmon to demonstrate his control.

Though somewhat reluctant at Mo Yan's words, Impmon still opened his palm.

A purple flame appeared in Impmon's palm, eerie and alluring.

Impmon tried with all his might to change the flame's shape, but he only managed to make the Dark Night Flame waver a little, with no other change.

"First, try making your Dark Night Flame bigger. Feed magic power into it."

Watching Impmon struggle, Mo Yan offered some guidance.

Though it bruised his pride a little, Impmon still followed Mo Yan's advice.

As Impmon poured in magic power, the Dark Night Flame began burning fiercely, growing steadily larger.

Finally, once it had swelled to the size of a human head, Mo Yan told Impmon to stop adding magic power.

Of course, Mo Yan did not have Impmon disperse the Dark Night Flame either, instead having him maintain it at that size.

Sweat began trickling down Impmon's forehead.

Impmon had never released his Dark Night Flame like this before.