With the plan clear, the kids started preparing the food and fresh water they'd need. Leomon, Monzaemon, Meramon, and the other Digimon who'd been helped by the children heard the news and hurried over to lend a hand. Tai, meanwhile, headed to Andromon's Factory to begin producing a small boat—something like a speedboat.
After several busy days, the results were excellent: enough food and water to last a month. With Andromon's help, a boat far larger than the one in the original appeared before their eyes—nothing like that pitiful little raft that could make you cry. With sails to catch a fair wind, they could move quickly; with no wind, Ikkakumon could tow them, or they could use an engine modeled after Centarumon's jet unit. The Factory's central computer stored all kinds of high-tech data, so the boat's design was sound, built to avoid capsizing even in strong winds at sea. The database did include larger ships, but none could be built quickly— even the simplest would take over a year. So they settled on a small, low-waterline catamaran. We'll skip the details of construction. Outwardly it still fell short of a real ship, but at least it didn't feel as unsafe as a raft.
Tai boarded with the others and waved goodbye to the Digimon who'd come to help. Seven kids and seven partners set off as the wind filled the sails and the boat slipped away from File Island.
They unfurled the sail and stepped into a new journey.
At last, Tai and the others began their voyage. The blue sky and sea were beautiful—but if only they'd been from an inland country to enjoy it more. Unfortunately, they all came from a nation ringed by ocean; they'd seen plenty of sea already, and now they faced the same view all day, every day.
"I wonder how long till we get there," Joe sighed, stepping out of the cabin to gaze over the endless water. The dullness of life at sea left everyone listless. "We've got enough food and water, but being stuck like this is so boring."
Even with supplies and stability, being confined to such a tiny space would make anyone stir-crazy.
Suddenly the boat lurched hard, nearly tossing everyone overboard. An island was moving toward them. Just as it was about to collide, it stopped.
"So you're the DigiDestined," the island said.
"What is that? A sea monster?" Mimi yelped.
"It's Whamon! A gigantic Digimon that usually stays in the deep sea. How odd—why would a deep-sea Digimon be on the surface?" Tentomon cried.
"How do you know us?" Tai asked.
Whamon didn't answer. "I'll carry you part of the way. It's still far from here to the Server Continent."
"Thanks. By the way, do you know if Devimon stashed anything nearby?" Tai asked, remembering how it went in the original.
"Devimon did leave some things on the seabed. Stay inside me for a while—I'll take you there."
Whamon swallowed everyone and dove, carrying them to a cache Devimon had hidden in a cave deep beneath the sea.
After enjoying an underwater ride, they jumped out through Whamon's mouth into a limestone cavern.
"This is as far as I go. I'll wait here." They thanked Whamon and headed deeper in.
Before long, the ground ahead rumbled. With the sound of rock splitting and a drill turning, a Digimon appeared—its head crowned with a gigantic drill.
"It's Drimogemon—and look, there's a Black Gear on its head," Gomamon reported quickly.
"By order of Lord Devimon, none of you are going any farther," Drimogemon said, confirming their guess.
"If Devimon guarded this place so carefully, the Tags or Crests might really be here," Izzy said.
But nobody took this opponent too seriously—after all, they'd already beaten Devimon. His underlings didn't warrant much concern.
They ended the fight easily. After apologizing, Drimogemon told them Devimon had hidden the Tags in a storeroom deeper in, then hurried off.
When they reached Devimon's storeroom, the kids were dazzled by a shining "24 HOURS" sign. A convenience store in a seafloor cave—truly the thinking of a god.
There was still no sign of humans in the shop, but the shelves were stuffed with food, drinks, and daily necessities. Who was managing it—Digimon?
They traded glances, then opened their packs and cleaned the place out, solving their food and water needs for the next few days. Spirits high, they stuffed their backpacks with all kinds of supplies.
Once those pint-sized bandits had stripped the convenience store bare, they began searching for the legendary Tags.
After some hunting, the one most sensitive to holy power among the seven partners, Patamon, found a small box. "Found it." T.K., first to notice his partner acting oddly, ran over to see Patamon straining to fly with a little box dangling from him. "Over here!" T.K. shouted.
Hearing him, everyone gathered around. T.K. held a wooden box; inside were seven pendants.
They looked exactly like the Tags Gennai had shown them. The material was hard to distinguish, and each one looked identical. Everyone took one and hung it around their neck.
"The Crests are on the Server Continent. Let's head out—Whamon's been waiting a long time."
Riding Whamon for two full days and into the morning of the third, the long coastline of the Server Continent finally came into the telescope's view. The continent revealed her beautiful silhouette. Like the others, Tai was eager for new adventures: once they set foot on the Server Continent, they'd soon face Etemon and Myotismon. But he had no intention of losing.
They picked a barely workable landfall and slid from Whamon's back to the shore. Solid ground under their feet felt especially reassuring after days of rocking at sea.
"Come on, Mimi! Be brave!" Sora urged the girl still stranded on Whamon's back.
"Why this kind of landing spot? Why not find an easier place?" Mimi clung there, refusing to slide down and complaining nonstop.
Apparently done with the massive wave of complaints, Whamon shook himself and dumped Mimi toward shore.
"Ahhh!" Mimi screamed. Izzy, unlucky soul, got flattened.
"Take care, everyone," Whamon said. He found a cliff to lift the last of them up to flat ground, then turned and slowly slipped beneath the horizon.
Setting foot on a new continent, the kids felt a muddle of excitement and bewilderment. Even Agumon and the others, natives of the Digital World, had never left File Island, let alone imagined coming to another continent. They'd waited for Tai's group for a long time, but never knew the reason why.
Gennai's message had shocked the Digimon—none had expected their mission would be to topple the lords of darkness.
"I wonder where the dark power Gennai talked about is," Matt said, standing behind Izzy and peering at the east-side map of the Server Continent on his laptop. "The Server Continent is countless times bigger than File Island. If we comb it piece by piece, who knows how long it'll take to find them?"
"I don't think we'll have to look. The dark forces will come to us. What we need now is to find the Crests so Agumon and the others can digivolve again," Tai said—though he didn't finish the thought: we'll be found soon enough.
"Which way do we go?" After days of rolling at sea, Mimi still felt the ground bob under her feet like waves. She turned in place a few times before she got used to it.
"Whamon said there's a forest half a day from here. Koromon have a village there," Palmon said.
"Koromon… that sounds familiar," Mimi said, tapping her lip as if thinking.
"I used to be a Koromon," Agumon said, a little deflated. Was he invisible?
"Oh right—I remember now!" Mimi cheered. Agumon promptly toppled over.
"The Koromon should help us," Tentomon buzzed overhead.
"Okay, let's move," Tai said, raising his left fist in the direction of the forest. Everyone nodded and followed.
The sun beat down; heat shimmered from the ground.
"Are we really on the continent?" Joe asked weakly.
"Of course. Why ask what you already know?" Gomamon replied.
"The scenery hasn't changed at all," Joe complained.
It wasn't just him—everyone was worn out.
"Honestly, I thought once we hit land I could finally take a proper bath," Mimi said, wiping sweat from her brow.
"Once we reach the village, you can," Palmon encouraged her.
"When? What time—down to the second?" Mimi said.
"Um…" Palmon had no answer.
Agumon suddenly trotted ahead, looking left and right.
"What is it, Agumon?" Tai asked.
"I can smell Koromon," Agumon said, excited. With the telescope, they spotted a forest in the distance. Everyone picked up the pace, rushed into the trees, and the thin thread of smoke they'd seen thickened.
They emerged to find a cluster of small tents.
Mimi ran out ahead of everyone toward the village.
"Mimi, wait for me!" Palmon hurried after her.
"Let's catch up."
But there wasn't a single Koromon in sight—only Pagumon, a Baby-level Digimon fond of bullying the weak.
"What? Isn't this Koromon's village?" Only Tai knew it really was—just that everyone was up on the back mountain right now. Still, free food is free food; better see what these Pagumon were up to first.
"Where's Mimi?"
Suddenly they noticed Mimi was gone and rushed to search. They found her bathing—Tai, forewarned by knowing the story, of course didn't barge in. Lucky Izzy did—and promptly got brained by a flying object for his trouble.
After enjoying a feast "generously" provided by Pagumon and a performance that you could charitably call a dance, and after being told that this so-called "Koromon village" was nothing but a rumor, the kids relaxed—everyone except Tai.
This would not be a peaceful night.