Nemo's friends - Pearl (an Octopus), Sheldon (a Sea Horse) and Tad (a Butterfly fish) - wanted their own adventure. The'd heard about Nemo's (a lot) and frankly they were jealous.
It was time for them to go beyond the drop zone.
When the friends saw the looming mass of a whale they weren't afraid, the knew about whales - Dory had taught them the basics, and the basics again - well she did forget.
The knew the drill -ask politely to be swallowed and the whale would take them anywhere. The price - a story, but they knew Nemo - they could give the whale the inside story.
The whale was enjoying the story but he felt peckish. They all knew what to do - the whale was as impressed by Marlin and Dory's ingenuity as the friends had been when they'd first heard about it. The friends climbed to back of the whale's throat as he took an enourmous gulp of sea water. It was a ride of lifetime - one second they were inside a whale the next they were flying through the air in a glorious arc. A flying adventure indeed, but it was best not to dwell on what else might have flown out of the whale's nose at the same time.
The whale swallowed them again and they continued the story. The trouble was the whale enjoyed the story so much he wanted it to be told again and again. Well he was on his migration swim and one gets lonely. This was fine but after three days of being swallowed, expelled, and swallowed again the novelty was wearing off for the friends - would not everyone be missing them ? they'd miss the start of the school term, help !
Indeed the reef inhabitants were missing them. They even asked their friends the pelicans to assist them in finding the three friends.
And it was one such pelican, the now famous Nigel in fact, who saw the strange sight of three small sea creatures flying, three famous small sea creatures, three very missed sea creatures. There they blow !
Nigel rushed back to the reef where a rescue plan was created. All offered to help, including the seagulls.
The pelicans and seagulls took off with two large octpusses, Pearl's parents, hanging on by their tentacles to the feet of four seagulls each . The sea creatures swam as fast as they could. All followed Nigel.
As the whale loomed into view - all waited patiently for the next blow. Nigel had been tracking the whale and it was like geyser watching. Every few hours, there it was, the amazing sight of three small friends flying in a haze of spray.
And then right on time the next blow. At Nigel's signal when he saw the three friends splashdown, the seagulls swooped like Stuka dive bombers allowing the octupusses to expel their ink jets into the whale's eyes. Blinded the whale blundered about - what had happened ? what were those pesky flying things ? hey what about the rest of the story ? The smaller sea creatures grabbed the three friends away from the whale, the pelicans then scooping them up into their mouths, climbing rapidily into the clear sky. The remaining sea creatures scattered. By the time the whale's eyes cleared the whole gang had made their getaway.
And as for the the whale : well when his friends, the other whales, found out what he'd done they gave him the silent treatment. The whole ocean was silent for him, no long-distance replies to his booms for company. The whale realised his selfish mistake and went sheepishly (not easy for a whale !) to the reef to ask for forgiveness. All was indeed forgiven when he promised to give free rides to anybody who wanted them - no small prize for creatures that do not see the open ocean.
And the three friends, well they'd had more than their fifteen minutes of fame and now the reef seemed suddenly less boring. But their other friends however....