Chapter Forty-Four: The Key to Evolution

“This feels wonderful!”
Suna exclaimed as she stood atop the giant whale beast’s back.
“Yes, it’s much faster than a wooden raft,” Koushirou agreed, savoring the sea breeze that rushed by.
“At least I won’t get seasick this way,” Mimi added, clearly the happiest among them about this fact.
“All that’s left is to find the Evolution Keys and Crests sealed by Devimon,” Taichi said, gazing at the endless sea before them, his confidence renewed.
“Are you talking about Devimon?”
The giant whale beast, who had apparently been quietly eavesdropping on the conversation of these chosen children, finally found the chance to interject.
“Do you know something?” Taichi’s face lit up with excitement at the hint of news from the giant whale beast.
“I’m not familiar with the Evolution Keys or Crests, but Devimon did once leave something at the bottom of the sea.”
Qin Fei stifled a laugh, quietly listening to the whale’s tale-spinning.
Devimon just happened to leave something under the sea, and you saw it? The loopholes were enormous—perhaps only these innocent ten-year-olds wouldn’t question it.
Neither Devimon’s cautious, formidable nature nor the whale’s massive size could reasonably explain how the whale could spy on Devimon’s actions without being noticed.
“That place is…”
Yet Taichi and the others clearly looked forward to what the whale had to say.
“It’s on the way to Server Continent. I’ll take you there. You’ll have to stay inside me for a little while longer.”
And so, naturally, the giant whale beast’s duty as their guide was fulfilled.
But Qin Fei was content to let things play out. Since this being was meant to lead the chosen children, he decided to play along for once.
After all, the Principle of Consistency existed to maintain balance in the Digital World. In the first series, due to the imbalance of darkness, it always sided with the chosen children; even the Holy Plan and the Crests were prepared for them by this force.
Later, when they defeated the Puppet Master and Apocalymon, the Principle of Consistency intervened to help.
So as long as he followed the storyline of the first series and didn’t stray too far, he, like the chosen children, should have a good ending.
“Ha! Qin Fei, what are you thinking about?”
Inside the whale, Taichi suddenly leaned over, grinning as he slapped Qin Fei’s shoulder, noticing he seemed distracted.
“I was thinking, after all this is over, should we all go out for a meal together?”
“That’s a great idea! I’m all for it,” Mimi immediately agreed, having been watching Qin Fei and not hesitating to respond.
“I’m in,” Suna and Taichi both agreed as well, eager for a bit of relaxation.
“I hope there’s barbecue!” Yamato said, still hung up on his dream of grilled meat.
With Taichi’s approval, Koushirou nodded too, and Takeru simply followed his brother Yamato’s lead.
“Are we really going to have a party? We’ve been here so long, we must have missed a lot of homework. I was planning to catch up on my studies,” Joe said, scratching his head, clearly conflicted.
“Don’t be such a killjoy, Joe. We’ve been here so long, what’s another day or two?”
“All right,” he agreed after hesitating for a moment—after all, it was worth celebrating.
Still, none of them realized that time didn’t flow the same way in the real world as it did in the Digital World.
“We’re here, children.”
Suddenly, the descending whale beast came to a stop.
As they stepped out of its mouth, they found themselves in a deep, shadowy underground cavern—strange and a little nerve-wracking.
“This is as far as I can take you, but I’ll wait here for your return.”
Qin Fei was quite satisfied with this all-inclusive guide’s service.
“Thank you,” Taichi said with gratitude, leading everyone deeper into the cavern, completely unconcerned about any possible traps.
...
“Is that…a convenience store?”
After stumbling along for a while, the group suddenly found themselves before a brightly lit convenience store—a surreal sight in such a gloomy place.
Screech! Bang!
Just as the children gawked in surprise, a sharp black drill burst from the ground. In an instant, a Digimon resembling a cross between a unicorned seal and a mole leapt out.
“Look at its head—it has a black gear!”
Sure enough, a black gear was embedded in its forehead.
“Just as I thought,” Joe muttered with a grimace, “there’s always another one.”
“By order of Lord Devimon, no one is allowed near this place! Leave at once!”
The normally shy and timid Drimolemon was now aggressive, its drill spinning rapidly.
“Taichi, we’ll handle this—go find the Evolution Keys!”
Agumon and the others jumped into action, standing guard to clear a path for the children.
“Leave it to me! That drill’s nothing to be scared of!”
Gomamon cried out confidently, instantly evolving into Ikkakumon and letting out a defiant roar.
“Now’s your chance—run!”
As the two drill-equipped Digimon clashed, Taichi hurriedly led everyone past them.
But even after ducking into the convenience store, the battle raged so fiercely its shockwaves nearly reached the children.
“I’ll help too!”
To protect them, Tentomon evolved into Kabuterimon and moved to support Ikkakumon.
Two against one left no suspense, especially since Drimolemon was not a powerful Digimon.
In the end, just as in the story, after removing the black gear from Drimolemon, Bukamon found the box containing the Evolution Keys.
...
“They look just like the ones Gennai showed us,” Koushirou said happily, watching Yamato open the box.
“Yes! They’re beautiful! …Wait, why are there only seven?”
Mimi’s joy turned to confusion as she counted them again.
“There really are only seven.”
Looking at the eight of them, everyone exchanged puzzled glances.
“So, how do we divide them?”
A new problem arose.
“You all take one—there isn’t one for me.”
Qin Fei glanced at the keys with a trace of envy but remained composed.
His Lorretta Beast couldn’t use them, and Black Demidevimon now recognized only Lorretta Beast as its partner.
Besides, whether they could evolve had little to do with the Evolution Keys; later on, even after losing them, Taichi’s group could still help Agumon and the others evolve.
“But what about you?”
Mimi looked worriedly at Qin Fei, about to offer hers to him.
Qin Fei simply showed them his Digivice and said, “My Holy Plan is different from yours, and so is my evolution method. So you all keep yours.”
With his explanation, the others felt reassured and each took a key.
“But don’t you have another one like ours?”
Takeru, Yamato, and Taichi remembered that after Qin Fei received that DigiEgg, he’d also gotten a Holy Plan like theirs.
“I have Lorretta Beast, and that’s enough.”
Qin Fei shook his head and walked outside, a little downcast.
The others exchanged uncertain looks, not sure what to do.
Except for Qin Fei, the other children had all gained something.
They returned to the whale beast’s back.
A crimson sunset painted them in shades of fire, the once-blue sea now glowing with the colors of flame.
With Evolution Keys in hand, everyone seemed more confident about the future.
“Gennai said the Crests are scattered all over Server Continent.”
“Yes, once the Evolution Keys and Crests are combined…”
Gabumon’s eyes sparkled with hope.
“We can reach the next level of evolution,” Agumon added.
“Qin Fei, it’s all right—even without an Evolution Key, you still have us as your friends,” Mimi said, sitting beside him ever since they’d left the cavern, as though afraid he’d lose heart.
Ever since Qin Fei had pushed her on the raft, the barrier between them seemed to have vanished.
“I’m not that fragile, don’t worry.”
Qin Fei lay back on the whale beast’s back, arms behind his head, meeting Mimi’s anxious gaze.
“Lorretta Beast and I have our own way to evolve. We’ll never fall behind.”
“I believe you,” Mimi replied, finally relaxing as she stretched out beside him, mimicking his posture.
“We all believe in you.”