Chapter Forty-Three: The Leviathan

Qin Fei was filled with joy, but also found the situation somewhat strange. It was as if the Whalemon had been waiting here specifically for the children. Even though they had set off well in advance, fate seemed to have led them to cross paths with the Whalemon at this very place. It was only natural, then, that the children would soon obtain the Evolution Key. Such coincidences hinted at the shadow of some extraordinary existence at work.

As Qin Fei mulled over these thoughts, a massive figure leapt from the ocean's surface like a small island, exuding a monumental sense of pressure.

"It's an island!" Taiyi cried out in shock at the sudden appearance of the gigantic creature.

But the island-like silhouette before them let out a deafening roar, sending a chill through the children. Their faces changed instantly.

"Wait! That's not an island!" Suna stared at the approaching leviathan, her mouth agape, so startled she forgot to close it.

Suddenly, the colossal beast dived, swimming swiftly beneath the children's raft. As the shadow, many times larger than their raft, passed below, everyone except Qin Fei felt their knees tremble.

With a tremendous splash, the creature’s tail whipped up a monstrous wave, easily flipping the raft into the air.

"Ahhhhhh!" Mimi, timid as ever, couldn’t suppress a piercing scream.

"It really is Whalemon," Qin Fei remarked, gripping the central mast and observing the digital monster before them with interest.

"But why?" someone exclaimed. "Whalemon isn’t a fierce Digimon—doesn’t it usually stay deep in the sea?"

Once the children and their Digimon had steadied themselves, Kabuterimon voiced the oddity they all sensed.

No sooner had he spoken than Whalemon surfaced again, not far from them, mouth wide open.

"Ah! No, I don’t want to be eaten!" Staring into Whalemon's gaping maw and the dark, bottomless throat, all the children, not just Mimi, screamed in terror.

Before anyone could react, a powerful current swept raft and children alike into Whalemon’s mouth.

"Hold on tight!" Taiyi shouted, and even found the composure to study the internal structure of Whalemon as they slid downward.

The rushing waters made everyone’s hearts race with anxiety.

"We’re definitely in Whalemon’s esophagus," Taiyi commented. "And I don’t mean the kind that delivers food in a cafeteria."

"I know that much!" Everyone wanted to give Taiyi a kick for his poor joke.

"We really have been eaten!" wailed Mimi, but when she realized Qin Fei was beside her, the thought became somewhat easier to bear.

"Is there an exit in here?" someone asked.

"Probably at the back end," Koshiro replied calmly, offering an answer nobody wanted to accept.

"I’m not going out that way!" At his words, Mimi, who had just calmed down, began to sob again.

"Like... you know, poop," someone muttered.

"Stop it!" Palmon tried to explain further, but Mimi scolded her sharply.

"But why did Whalemon attack us?" someone wondered aloud.

"Maybe it mistook us for harmful bacteria," came the guess.

"Yikes!"

Amidst the commotion, a sudden brightness filled their vision and the space around them widened. But the sensation of weightlessness that followed made everyone tense up once more.

With a thud, the raft landed safely, absorbing the shock and leaving the children unharmed.

"Phew, we finally reached an open space," someone sighed in relief. "But where are we?"

Having regained his footing, Joe looked around, puzzled.

"If we’re past the esophagus, this must be the stomach," Koshiro observed, moving to the front of the raft and studying their surroundings intently.

"The stomach? That’s where food gets digested, right?" Takeru asked innocently, making everyone uneasy.

At that moment, a faint click sounded, as if something had been activated, and strange liquids began to seep from the walls.

"Card swap! Holy Shot... Sacred Bullet!" Qin Fei wasn’t interested in lingering inside Whalemon’s stomach. Without waiting for the others to finish investigating, he pointed out a black gear embedded in the stomach lining to Lorita.

A gunshot rang out, and the black gear disintegrated into data dust.

"No wonder Whalemon went berserk," Agumon commented, realization dawning as the black gear vanished.

But before anyone could react further, the stomach suddenly erupted with a blinding white light, and a mysterious force sent the raft and everyone swiftly upward.

"Where are we being taken now?" someone cried.

Before an answer could come, a jet of water propelled them all out into the sea once more.

This time, however, the raft was not so lucky—it shattered into pieces, leaving them clinging to floating debris.

"At last, we’re out," Taiyi said, holding onto a piece of wood with Agumon. They gazed up at the blue sky in relief.

"Sorry for what happened just now," came a deep, resonant voice from the enormous Whalemon before them.

"It’s all right. It was the black gear’s doing," someone replied.

"This should be the last black gear," Taiyi said cheerfully.

"Is it really the last one?" Joe remained doubtful.

The children, understanding as always, bore no grudge against Whalemon.

Qin Fei, however, glanced meaningfully at Whalemon, then at the broken pieces of their raft. Now, it could conveniently offer the children a ride, and just as conveniently reveal the location of the Evolution Key—a flawless arrangement.

Qin Fei shook his head, but did not intend to question Whalemon. If this was all part of a grand design, at least for now, it was on their side. Not only did it make it easier for Taiyi and the others to acquire the Evolution Key, but it also greatly shortened their journey to Server Continent.

No matter how one looked at it, there was nothing to lose.

"Say, Whalemon, do you know how far it is to Server Continent?" Taiyi suddenly asked.

"It would take me five days to get there," Whalemon replied, the hint in its words all too clear.

"That’s really far," someone sighed.

"What a headache. Our raft is gone," complained another.

At that moment, Whalemon spoke, just as it had been waiting: "You wish to reach Server Continent? To thank you for freeing me from the black gear’s control, I’ll give you a ride."

See? It was that simple. Both sides agreed at once—the children received help, and Whalemon completed its performance.

"Fantastic!" the children cheered.

Whalemon slowly lowered itself, allowing the children to board easily after gathering their supplies.