Chapter Sixty-One: The Emblem of Innocence

"Knock, knock!"

"Meimei, are you there?"

After the knock, Qin Fei's voice sounded, startling Meimei, who had been playfully wrestling with Suna on the comfortable bed. She hurriedly searched for her clothes. Having just finished her bath, she was wrapped only in a thin towel, never expecting Qin Fei to pay a sudden visit.

"W-wait a minute!"

Suna blushed as well, for her state was not much better than Meimei's. In fact, their carefree roughhousing had left her a bit exposed.

After a flurry of clattering and scrambling, two bashful girls with flushed faces finally opened the door.

"Is something the matter?" Meimei quickly ran her fingers through her still-damp hair, trying her best not to appear too disheveled in front of Qin Fei.

But Qin Fei didn't seem to notice their awkwardness at all. He straightforwardly explained his purpose, "I found something interesting. I think it has something to do with your crest."

"Something to do with my crest?" Meimei asked, but her expression was not as bright or eager as Qin Fei had expected. In fact, a trace of hesitation appeared on her face.

"Come and take a look," Qin Fei encouraged. "Whether or not you seek it, it belongs to you."

He seemed to understand her reluctance, perhaps sensing her worries—Agumon's and Tai's 'mis-evolution', and the Elder Gennai's words had left Meimei lost in doubt.

The Elder had apparently told the children that even if they obtained the evolution keys and crests, their Digimon could not evolve properly if not raised the right way.

That was the knot in every child’s heart.

"You... ah—"

While Meimei still hesitated, two strong hands suddenly pushed her from behind and she stumbled out the door. Turning back, she saw Suna smiling at her before closing the door.

"Well? Now you have one less thing to worry about, don't you?" Suna teased with a smile. Of course, she stood outside as well, curious about the interesting thing Qin Fei had mentioned and how it was connected to Meimei's crest.

Meimei understood Suna's good intentions. Since there was no turning back, she could only press forward.

"Hey, come on, aren't you one of the chosen children? Don't you have any confidence at all?" Qin Fei laughed, then suddenly grabbed Meimei's hand, gently leading her down the corridor and out onto the deck.

Qin Fei's bold gesture made Meimei a little nervous, but she let herself be led along.

By now, quite a few people were waiting for them.

"Meimei, you finally came out! Qin Fei said he has a surprise for you," someone called out.

"What kind of surprise, Tai?"

"It's a gift you'll want."

"A present! A present! I want one too!" Agumon and Tai chimed in as Qin Fei led Meimei to the front of the deck.

"Look, over there," Qin Fei pointed ahead, and everyone lifted their heads to peer into the distance.

Slowly, a gigantic cactus came into view.

"What, it's just that mirage we saw earlier," Joe said, rubbing his tired eyes, which felt gritty under the blazing sun.

"No, look! That cactus casts a shadow!" Izzy suddenly exclaimed, making everyone's heart skip a beat as they looked again.

Sure enough, a giant cactus with a massive shadow appeared plainly before them.

As the green silhouette grew clearer and larger, their mouths fell open in awe. Compared to this monumental cactus, the luxury cruise liner beneath their feet seemed almost insignificant.

"It's enormous!"

Amidst the gasps of wonder, Meimei suddenly realized her evolution key had flown out from around her neck, radiating a gentle light.

The cruise ship gradually docked beside the cactus, while everyone stared unblinkingly at its peak. At that very moment, a pale white glow shimmered from the top.

When the white light faded, a colossal flower bud came into view, seemingly on the verge of blooming.

"Wow..."

With a sigh of amazement, a stone tablet marked with a teardrop slowly rose from the heart of the flower, drawing every eye. As if finally recognizing Meimei, the tablet glowed and floated toward her, shrinking rapidly until it became a pale blue crest, which slid into Meimei's evolution key.

"Is this my crest? But... I don't know if I've raised Palmon the right way," Meimei murmured, gazing at the evolution key in her palm, now set with her crest.

"Don't worry," Qin Fei said, stepping up beside the hesitant Meimei, his voice gentle and earnest. "The Crest of Sincerity represents a heart that is unfeigned and true. Isn't that just like you? Yes, sometimes you don't consider others' feelings and tend to speak your mind, but that honesty is what makes you genuine. You say what you like, you say what you dislike, and even your refusals are straightforward. It's this sincerity that made you one of the chosen children."

"So..." Qin Fei gave her an encouraging look. "As long as you keep being sincere, and don't rush things, Palmon will surely evolve successfully."

"Thank you, I..." Meimei looked at Qin Fei, her eyes curling into gentle crescents as she expressed her gratitude.

She parted her lips, as if wanting to say something more, but when she noticed the others' gazes, she hesitated and tucked her words away in her heart. Suddenly, she realized that revealing one's true feelings wasn’t so simple after all.

In truth, every child besides Meimei seemed to have a shadow in their hearts; none believed their way of raising their Digimon was perfectly right.

Qin Fei knew he couldn't untie these knots for them; they would have to find the answers themselves. No one else could do it for them.

"Come on," he said, clapping his hands to lift everyone's mood, "let's throw a feast to celebrate Meimei's new crest. There are still plenty of supplies on this ship."

"Great idea! How about a pool party right here?" Tai ran over to the deckside pool, calling everyone to join.

Seeing the sparkling water, the comfortable lounge chairs, and sun umbrellas, everyone's spirits gradually revived.

"Yes! Is there barbecue? It's only fun if we set up a grill by the pool," Matt exclaimed, his excitement as bright as ever; he'd been craving a barbecue for ages.

"I want a drink," someone piped up.

"Hahaha, everyone just relax and have fun. After all, this ship now belongs to Qin Fei, doesn't it?"

"Exactly!"

Qin Fei waved to the Leomon and others nearby, inviting them to join the party as well, though the poor Numemon, who were serving tea and water, seemed a bit put upon.

"Oh, right, what is this? Does anyone know?" Suddenly remembering, Qin Fei fished a strange fruit from his pocket.

"That's a Brili Taro!"

Before any other Digimon could answer, the Numemon crowded over in excitement.

"Brili Taro and Brulu Melons are our favorites, but they're really rare!" Kabuterimon explained, giving Qin Fei a curious look, wondering where he’d found such a thing.

Qin Fei casually tossed the Brili Taro to one of the Numemon, who was so overjoyed that their service to the children became even more enthusiastic.

Satisfied, Qin Fei nodded—clearly, the treasures from that captain's cabin chest were proving useful after all.