[Diavolo imagines himself in their position. A human held captive by a monster. Helpless, his life left in the hands of Atem and the humans beside him.
It isn't greed that drives them, not from the moment the three are strapped in place in front of stakes aimed to kill. At that instant, the reward at the end is meaningless. Power is wonderful, but power at risk of one's own life... What other option did they have? To sit there idly and trust that the other two wouldn't sell you out in an instant? Wait the allotted time and pray that they wouldn't kill you before you had chance to draw another breath? No, everyone stepped in to their bindings with the same goal — to live to reap their rewards.
He wouldn't have played. That's the difference between him and these humans. He'd have walked away with his life. But, if, against all logic, he did decide to play Atem's game ... he'd have pressed the button before the countdown began as well. It's the only way to ensure survival.]
...I can't imagine a scenario where they would have done otherwise. [He finally says.] That smile on Atem's face when they agreed ... the way this entire scene was arranged ... he must have known what they'd do from the very start.
[And perhaps that is why he feels so uneasy, lapsing into silence as the shade tears into them. Greed made them take the first step and play — and that was all it did. But it wasn't greed, it wasn't soullessness or rottenness that drove them to break the rules and "kill". It was the most basic instinct of all: the need to survive.]
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It isn't greed that drives them, not from the moment the three are strapped in place in front of stakes aimed to kill. At that instant, the reward at the end is meaningless. Power is wonderful, but power at risk of one's own life... What other option did they have? To sit there idly and trust that the other two wouldn't sell you out in an instant? Wait the allotted time and pray that they wouldn't kill you before you had chance to draw another breath? No, everyone stepped in to their bindings with the same goal — to live to reap their rewards.
He wouldn't have played. That's the difference between him and these humans. He'd have walked away with his life. But, if, against all logic, he did decide to play Atem's game ... he'd have pressed the button before the countdown began as well. It's the only way to ensure survival.]
...I can't imagine a scenario where they would have done otherwise. [He finally says.] That smile on Atem's face when they agreed ... the way this entire scene was arranged ... he must have known what they'd do from the very start.
[And perhaps that is why he feels so uneasy, lapsing into silence as the shade tears into them. Greed made them take the first step and play — and that was all it did. But it wasn't greed, it wasn't soullessness or rottenness that drove them to break the rules and "kill". It was the most basic instinct of all: the need to survive.]