Chapter Forty-Five: The Shaba Continent (Please Recommend and Add to Favorites)

Five days adrift on the ocean was hardly a pleasant experience. Even with a fairly comfortable ride atop the giant whale beast, the relentless wind and sun left the children exhausted in both body and spirit.

Dawn seemed near, but the sky remained shrouded in gray. At that moment, aside from Taiyi who kept watch, all the other children were huddled together with their Digimon partners, seeking comfort in sleep to ease the discomfort of their journey.

“We’ve been at sea for five days now,” Taiyi sighed as he gazed at the endless stretch of water before him, his fatigue evident.

“We’re almost there.” The giant whale beast’s deep voice jolted Taiyi from his weariness. He quickly grabbed his monocular and scanned the horizon.

“Ah! Is that the Shaba Continent?” he exclaimed.

“Yes,” replied the whale beast.

With the whale beast's guidance, Taiyi finally caught sight of the continent through his scope.

“Hey, everyone, wake up! It’s land! We’ve arrived at the Shaba Continent!” Taiyi waved his arms excitedly and shouted to the others still lost in sleep.

“What’s going on? Why so loud…” Yamato grumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Is it an enemy?” someone asked.

“No, it’s not an enemy, it’s land! Look, we’ve reached the Shaba Continent!” Taiyi kept pointing ahead, urging his companions to see.

“Land?”

“Fantastic, we’re finally here.”

“Wow, what a huge island!”

“Agumon, that’s not an island—it’s a continent.”

“It’s so vast, I’ve never seen anything like it before,” even the “learned” Kabuterimon voiced his astonishment at the sight of the distant land.

“Hurry, Mimi, wake up! Look, it’s the Shaba Continent! It’s land, real land!” Palmon shouted, but Mimi only rolled over and continued sleeping, oblivious to the excitement.

“Never mind. Let’s figure out where we should land,” Qin Fei said, stopping Palmon from trying to wake Mimi, and stepping forward to propose a plan.

“Yes, we need to choose a good spot—somewhere safe, with enough resources,” Koushiro nodded, unfolding the hand-drawn map he’d made during their downtime.

“I think, since the dark forces on this continent are even stronger, we must prepare to face enemies everywhere. After all, Devimon already knows about us, the chosen children; surely the dark Digimon here know as well,” Qin Fei explained.

Hearing this, the children’s excitement at making landfall faded instantly.

“We have eight people. Aside from Qin Fei, the seven of us can all evolve normally. Qin Fei’s Loretta Beast is formidable too. If we stick together, we can still fight,” Koushiro analyzed, recalling how, back in the factory district, even Kabuterimon’s evolved form Betamon couldn’t defeat Loretta Beast—a memory that lingered.

“But if we encounter a fully evolved Digimon, it could be dangerous. I hear there are many Digimon here who have undergone multiple evolutions,” someone added, and everyone began discussing their options.

“Let’s find a secluded spot to land, maybe somewhere surrounded by mountains. If we’re careful, we shouldn’t have much trouble,” Yamato suggested, glancing at the gradually clearing continent.

“Then let’s pick a landing point close by. What do you think about this spot?” Koushiro pointed to the map and asked the group.

Qin Fei looked closer and saw that Koushiro had chosen the same landing spot as in the original story, with little change.

He didn’t object, since according to the plot, Taiyi’s crest was found in the nearby village of Koromon, although it should now be occupied by Bakumon.

With his advantage as a foreseer, Qin Fei doubted those Bakumon could cause much trouble.

“Let’s settle on this spot then!” Everyone quickly agreed, except for Mimi, who was still sleeping soundly.

...

At last, as daylight broke, the giant whale beast arrived at the landing point Koushiro had chosen.

The terrain was rugged, with steep cliffs on either side, tall enough to conceal the whale beast’s huge form. The surging waves crashing against the rocks made the place feel dangerous.

Faced with the daunting drop from the whale beast’s back to the landing site, Mimi stood trembling, too frightened to jump down.

“Come on, Mimi! Be brave!” Sora kept cheering from below, seeing Mimi as the last one left atop the whale beast.

“Why pick a place like this for landing! Why not choose somewhere easier?” Mimi complained as she stared at the steep rocks beneath her, panic written across her face, reluctant to jump.

“Because it’s safe here—mountains all around, we won’t be spotted by other Digimon. And you were asleep during the discussion,” Qin Fei explained, reaching out his hands toward her.

“Jump, I’ll catch you.”

“Are you sure?” Mimi asked, her eyes searching his face for sincerity.

“I’m sure!” Qin Fei looked her in the eye and nodded firmly.

“Ah—” Just as the whale beast was about to lose its patience and shake Mimi off, she closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and leapt toward Qin Fei.

With a thud, Qin Fei caught her, but the force knocked him down onto the ground as well. Fortunately, Mimi wasn’t heavy.

“Ow—Mimi, I didn’t realize you had some weight to you,” Qin Fei joked, shaking his numb arms after helping her up.

It was only natural, given the height of the drop. The “burden” originally meant for Koushiro in the story now fell squarely on Qin Fei.

“Hmph, I’ll crush you,” Mimi retorted, glaring at Qin Fei, clearly annoyed at his comment about her weight, as if he’d accused her of being fat.

“Well then, everyone, take care!”

Once all the children had disembarked, the giant whale beast turned in the waves and departed.

“Thank you, whale beast!” the children called out to its massive silhouette as it vanished.

“So, what now?” Mimi looked around, as if questioning what plans had been made while she was asleep.

“The whale beast said if we walk half a day from here, we’ll reach a forest, and there’s a village of Koromon,” Palmon quickly informed her.

“Koromon? That sounds familiar.”

“That’s what Agumon looked like before evolving.”

“Oh, right.” Taiyi glanced at Agumon, then said, “Since it’s a village of Koromon, with Agumon here, they should help us.”

It was a reasonable assumption, and for now, it was their only option.

“Let’s go!”

...

“...”

“It’s so far!”

“Yes, the scenery hasn’t changed much since we started walking.”

“No wonder it’s a continent—it’s huge. Who knows how much farther we have to go.”

“They said it’s half a day’s walk, so we should be there soon.”

Across a barren landscape, the group and their Digimon trudged tiredly onward.

“I thought once we reached land, I could finally have a good bath,” Mimi complained, wiping sweat from her forehead.

“We’ll get to bathe once we reach the village.”

“When will that be? How many hours, minutes, seconds?” Overtaken by fatigue, Mimi’s petulance surfaced again.

For some reason, whenever Qin Fei saw Mimi acting spoiled, he’d think of his mischievous little sister from his previous life, who loved to fuss just the same.

He could only reminisce, though, for ever since he’d crossed into this world, he knew he’d never see her again.

Whenever those thoughts came, Qin Fei grew somewhat sentimental; it was this feeling that made him want to lend Mimi a hand from time to time.

There was absolutely nothing strange about it.

For a ten-year-old girl still in fourth grade, Qin Fei considered himself resolute—he harbored no other intentions.

“Hey, Agumon! Did you notice something?” Suddenly, Taiyi’s question snapped Qin Fei from his reverie.

Qin Fei looked up at the distant, blurry forest—Agumon had clearly caught the scent of Koromon.