Everyone on the ship was bored out of their minds after drifting at sea for so long.
Quiz was still flitting about and squawking loudly. Daichi was thoroughly fed up with it.
It was easily the noisiest thing on the whole ship, and everything it said was utterly useless. He was already at his limit.
The TV version didn't have many scenes of Quiz, so it hadn't seemed so annoying. But spending real time with it? Enough to drive a person mad.
Dekisugi, as always, showed no signs of impatience, simply standing at the rail and watching the sea.
Gian and Suneo were fishing. Nobita sat off to the side, lost in thought.
Seeing the heavy atmosphere, Doraemon tried to lighten the mood. "Hey Flok, why don't I play a riddle game with Quiz?"
Flok, realizing they had no better form of entertainment, agreed. "Quiz, play with Doraemon. Show him what you've got!"
Finally, the gloomy mood began to lift, and even Daichi wandered over to join them.
May as well. At least the parrot might say something useful for once. Everyone gathered to watch the battle of bots.
"Riddle me this," Quiz squawked. "What walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening?"
Doraemon thought for a second and answered, "A human!"
Daichi frowned. "So I'm just… a thing to them? Wait, saying they're not things isn't much better…"
While Daichi was mulling over that, the match had already moved into the second round.
Doraemon, a state-of-the-art 22nd-century robot, was on fire—he answered every riddle Quiz threw at him.
Flok's pride was taking a hit. This wasn't just a game anymore—it was a duel between his time and the future. "Come on, Quiz! Show them what you're made of!"
Quiz threw out its final riddle: "What do you call a robot without a cat?"
Doraemon pondered for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "A robot without a cat? 'Without cat' sounds like 'raccoon'… It's a pun on 'raccoon robot'!"
Proudly giving the answer, Doraemon suddenly realized what he'd just said and shouted, "Wait! No! I keep telling you—I'm not a raccoon! I'm a cat-type robot!"
He lunged at Quiz again, and once more got trounced.
Everyone burst into laughter at the scene.
Just as the mood reached its peak, the Mini-Doras suddenly sounded an alarm.
After a burst of rapid-fire "Dora-dora" language, Doraemon turned serious. "This is bad. The storm is approaching faster than I predicted—we're on a collision course!"
Daichi instantly got ready.
Even though Dekisugi had assembled the ship and it was sturdier than usual, there was still a real risk of capsizing. Storms at sea weren't a joke.
Everyone quickly got into emergency positions. Doraemon returned to the helm, fully alert.
Within a minute, the sky had darkened. Dense clouds and flashes of lightning loomed overhead.
Oddly, Daichi didn't feel dread. Instead, he had the strange urge to soar up and race alongside the storm clouds.
He checked his spiritual sea—and saw that the "Sky" sigil was glowing brilliantly. It was calling him upward, urging him to embrace the storm.
But now wasn't the time to indulge in that. First, they had to survive.
Winds whipped into a frenzy. On the lookout tower, Dekisugi spotted something flying through the sky—two small gray birds.
He scanned the horizon—and sure enough, an island was visible not far away.
Just as he was about to shout, the ship suddenly jolted. Dekisugi was thrown to the floor and couldn't get the words out.
The tremors kept coming. When they finally stopped, Doraemon received the alert—they'd hit a reef.
"Everyone stay calm!" he barked. "Gian, Daichi, and Flok—you three are the strongest, adjust the sails for the incoming storm! Dekisugi, keep watch and report wind direction. Mini-Doras will handle ship repairs. The rest of you, get below deck and start bailing water!"
Under Doraemon's command, everyone sprang into action.
Daichi worked with the others to haul the sails and adjust the direction. Nobita and Suneo grabbed water gloves and special buckets.
Dekisugi climbed to his feet and shouted, "Doraemon! There's an island at 8 o'clock—we can take shelter there!"
Doraemon looked through his spyglass and confirmed the island. "Everyone hang in there! We're heading to that island!"
He ran to the wheel, planning to activate autopilot so he could help—but the impact had disabled it. Manual steering was their only option now.
The storm descended in full force. Daichi, Gian, and Flok were put to the test.
"Pull left! Adjust the sails to catch the wind toward the island—we need more speed!"
Flok, having grown up on the sea, took the lead with his experience.
Under his direction, the trio adjusted the sails while Doraemon steered. Nobita and Suneo bailed water nonstop.
Dekisugi added, "Don't throw all the water out—keep some to lower the center of gravity. It'll help prevent capsizing!"
Suneo replied, "Got it," but kept scooping. There was too much water to slow down now.
Thankfully, unlike the original timeline, there were more people this time, and no one was arguing. Back then, Flok had clashed with Gian and Suneo for ignoring orders, and the mast had snapped.
Now, everyone had a role. Dekisugi had taught them ship basics in advance, so there were no fights.
The ship held steady. The Mini-Doras patched the hull, and the water slowed to a trickle.
Suneo, now freed up, went to help the others. After half an hour, they reached the island.
The storm intensified—but it no longer posed a threat.
Everyone collapsed onto the sand, dripping and shirtless. Daichi, however, was full of energy.
Thanks to the strength-enhancing spell, he hadn't exerted himself much. He still had energy to spare.
Ignoring the others, Daichi walked up to Doraemon and asked for a Take-copter.
Doraemon, curious, handed it over.
Without a word, Daichi strapped it on and flew straight toward the center of the storm.
Doraemon panicked. "What are you doing?! You'll die out there!" He quickly grabbed a copter to give chase.
Sensing this, Daichi used a floating spell to pluck the copter right off Doraemon's head.
The blue robot flailed midair as Daichi vanished into the storm clouds.
Flying was much faster than sailing—within ten minutes, Daichi reached the eye of the storm.
Lightning danced around him—but oddly, it didn't strike him. Instead, it circled him, as if welcoming him.
The clouds swirled, forming a massive vortex.
Daichi activated his sensing spell, and the "Sky" sigil glowed brighter.
The storm rejoiced.
He focused deeply, feeling every swirl of cloud, every gust of wind.
He felt… in control. Like he was the storm's master.
Strange energies flowed into the sigil, solidifying it—just as his "Past" and "Future" sigils had after absorbing time energy.
An ancient voice echoed in his mind—an old artifact spirit within his consciousness.
"This little one is quite fortunate… To begin this early… Let's see how far he can go. This storm isn't big enough… If it were, he might evolve this sigil to match 'Past' and 'Future'... Still, not worth wasting energy. Back to sleep…"
Meanwhile, Daichi calmly absorbed it all.
Finally, he withdrew from the trance, a smile tugging at his lips. He reached up and removed the Take-copter.
"I don't think I'll be needing this anymore."
Even without it, Daichi didn't fall. He floated in midair.
After awakening the Sky sigil, he could now fly freely—faster than the Take-copter ever could.
He called upon the sky's power, and the wind howled in response, forming a cyclone around him. Lightning crackled violently.
A world-ending storm raged around him, and Daichi only smiled wider.
He drew his wooden staff.
With its resonance, the storm grew wilder.
He had attuned himself to the Rhythm of the Sky.
(End of Chapter)