Hi, dear readers. FarXs here. This is my first story so, I apologize if there are grammatical and syntactic errors. As you may notice english is not my native language, so I decided to write stories in English for three reasons: Firstly, I consider myself to have a good imagination, and I enjoy writing. Secondly, I love Dr. Stone, so I thought to myself, why not. And finally this allows me to practice and improve my English.

As you've probably already noticed, this an OC Story, but don't worry, I hate Gary Stus as much as any the next man, so I will do my best to prevent Joe from being all-powerful, and i will try to develop his character.

With nothing more to say, I hope you enjoy this story.

Text in italic = Thougths

July 10, 5739.

Senku Ishigami was dealing with what was undoubtedly the worst week of his life. Just a few days ago, he had been brutally murdered by Tsukasa and he couldn't help but relive that moment every time he closed his eyes. Every day without fail, he couldn't help but wonder how things had gone so wrong, after all, his plan was to rebuild civilization and restore humanity's dominant status.

His job wasn't and wouldn't be to review the past of every petrified human to decide if they had a place in the new world. That idea seemed abhorrent to him, such behavior was worthy of someone with a God complex, someone so opposed to his vision of the world that he couldn't even imagine himself in that role. Who was him to judge who should be restored and who should be destroyed?

For that very reason, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't understand his executioner's point of view. Condemning some for the sins of others didn't make him the very same kind of person he had sworn to destroy?

Perhaps Tsukasa was aware of the hypocrisy of his actions, which is why he tried so hard to impose his vision, seeking some kind of solace in the fact that once his mission on Earth was fulfilled, there would only be one person standing in the way of true peace. If only he, guilty of all sorts of sins to create a world free from the greed and decadence of the old one, remained, it would be much easier to eliminate those undesirable traits.

He stopped that line of thought; he could spend hours debating his now-enemy's reasons and still not find a satisfactory answer. So, he cleared his mind to continue his path and quickly recalled why he was in that forest.

Chrome had gone on an exploration to a nearby cave after his late-night conversation with Senku. It was the conversation in which he decided to entrust knowledge of the ancient world to his friend and apprentice. If he wanted to call himself a scientist, he had to have contingency plans in case things didn't go as expected. The world had changed, and any mistake could set back civilization for millennia, he wouldn't allow that.

Kohaku, on the other hand, was out on her daily journey to tend to her ailing sister in Ishigami Village. That left Senku in a situation he had experienced only a few times; any invention he tried to make required resources and labor, both of which he currently lacked. So, with plenty of time on his hands and no other option, he decided to take a walk in the forest in the hope of clearing his mind and gaining a new perspective.

His thoughts began to drift again, this time focusing on Taiju and Yuzuriha. He felt a great concern for their fate and well-being. While he knew that Tsukasa wouldn't harm them due to considering them harmless, perhaps his henchmen might. He wondered if it had been the best decision to separate from them. He was so lost in his thoughts, so isolated from the real world, that he stumbled over a large, strangely hard mound of leaves and plants.

"Is that a damn foot?" he wondered to himself, noticing the peculiarity of the obstacle as he cleared the soil and leaves from his clothing. He quickly began to remove the plant matter from what he identified as a petrified body, another human from his time, one more victim of the catastrophe that had struck the Earth on that fateful day.

It took him a few minutes that felt like hours while he wondered to himself how that poor bastard had ended up there in that forest, hidden perfectly beneath layers of leaves and roots. He realized that if he had been more attentive, he might not have noticed and would have left that man forgotten forever. When he finished his task, he noticed the position in which the man had ended; his left arm covering his eyes, and his face slightly arched to the right, undoubtedly in the last moments of consciousness, trying to shield himself from the strange green light that had struck the planet.

His throat began to dry, his hands started to get sweaty, and his breathing became erratic as he cursed himself for reacting this way. It was inevitable, given that the last stranger he had revived had mercilessly killed him. Doubts began to assail his mind.

Would it be like the last time? Would reviving this person lead to his death once again?

His irrational side screamed at him to run and forget about the stranger; he had to survive at all costs, as death this time would be permanent. His rational side, more thoughtful, advised him to think things through, as he would need all the help he could get in his war against Tsukasa. After what seemed like an eternity, Senku sat down on the ground, clenching his fists.

"Relax, there's no human on this rock who can compare to Tsukasa in strength," he told himself feeling a bit calmer. "There's no way your life is in danger." He laughed nervously, "You have this guy's life in your hands, and unlike him, you have all the time in the world to think it over."

He stood up and decided to return to Chrome's hut, this was something that needed careful consideration and thought, after all, he had left the last vial of liquid back in the hut. He would come back for it at some point.

Several hours had passed since that incident, he, Chrome, and Kohaku were gathered around a campfire having dinner and discussing their day. "I found a bunch of cool rocks in that cave, Senku, you have to see them, you'll love them." Chrome said while holding a piece of meat. Kohaku simply shook her head, never understanding her friend's fascination with rocks; to her, they were just meaningless stones.

"Today, I found something in the forest, something very interesting." Upon hearing that, the girl raised an eyebrow in interest. Senku rarely talked about anything other than science, so she quickly paid attention, the sciencer stopped eating and his expression changed to one of excitement.

"I found another person from our time, or at least his petrified body under a pile of leaves and plants. What do you think about that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Chrome responded, startling both with a determined expression on his face. "I don't know how, but we have to help him. You said Tsukasa would come, and if that's true, any help is needed, right?"

"He's right. Besides, if he turns out to be dangerous, I can take care of him," Senku raised his gaze to look directly into her eyes. "Have you ever killed another person?" he asked, sighing, and gently tapping her forehead. "If everything goes well, we won't have to go to that extreme."

Senku held up a bottle from one of the pouches on his clothes to show it to his companions. "Chrome, you said you don't know how we can help him." Chrome nodded as he examined the small container with curiosity.

"This bottle is the answer to the petrification problem; with this, humanity can be revived." He explained, looking at them with seriousness. "The only problem, a big one actually, is that I only have this small bottle left, and I can't make more."

Kohaku understood the reason for Senku's hesitation. That container held what might be the last hope for the hundreds of petrified humans. Was it worth sacrificing hundreds or even thousands of people for just one?

"And so, what?!" Chrome exclaimed, breaking the silence, and jolting his friends out of their stupor. "Between saving one person and saving none, I'd prefer the first option! Besides, I'm sure we can do more of whatever is in that bottle."

He chuckled, grateful for his friend's reminder of their goal. How could he revive all of humanity if he wasn't willing to do it for this person? Kohaku smiled, noticing the change in Senku's demeanor. She raised her thumb in Chrome's direction, and he responded with a small smile. "Alright, let's do it. After all, science is exciting."

After a couple of hours of walking, the three members of the scientific kingdom arrived at the clearing where Senku had stumbled upon the petrified human. "We're almost there," he explained to his companions. "Just make sure to cover him well. I've had enough of naked idiots."

Kohaku rolled her eyes playfully, imagining Senku in such a situation. After a while and having dressed the stranger in the village's clothing, the two young ones stepped back to give the scientist space. They were excited and immensely curious to see how the miraculous liquid worked.

A cacophony of cracking stone echoed through the forest, indicating that the petrification was being reversed.

"Welcome back to the world of the living." The stranger didn't respond but instead took a deep breath, the first in millennia to fill his lungs.

"What?" For the trio, those words sounded strange and unintelligible. Chrome and Kohaku hadn't heard anyone speak in that way before. It was both fascinating and terrifying. Senku quickly determined that the man was speaking in a different language than their own. It was a significant problem.

"He's a sorcerer! A wizard! Get away from him! I'll kill him!" The only female member of the quartet exclaimed hysterically as she charged at the stranger at full speed. Senku quickly placed his foot in her path, and the ground shook with a resounding noise.

"What are you doing, lioness? Calm down He's not a wizard, haven't I made clear that magic doesn't exist? He's just a fool who doesn't speak our language. Nothing to worry about," He replied as he scratched his ear.

"Not a wizard? That sounded completely like a spell."

The small argument between the two was interrupted by a cough from the stranger. "It's rude to call someone an idiot when you don't know them, grass head. And no, I'm not a wizard." He scratched his head while muttering to himself in a defeated tone, "My Hogwarts letter never arrived."

The man walked over to Chrome and positioned himself beside him to observe the duo's expressions of disbelief. "It seems like I'm the only one with common sense here," he said with a slight snort. "A wizard. Can you believe it?"

"I know. It's stupid, magic doesn't exist," The sciencer replied, shaking his head, only to realize almost immediately that the stranger was standing beside her, laughing. "Wait, what?"

Senku moved away from the still bewildered Kohaku, intrigued to find out what the heck was going on. "Make up your mind. Do you speak Japanese or not? And another question, who the hell are you, and how did you end up in this forest?"

The stranger stopped laughing and scratched his head with indifference. "A tough crowd, huh?" he said, pointing at Senku. "I speak Japanese, and that's pretty obvious, right?"

Leaving the surprised Chrome behind, he approached the other two. "As for answering the other question, I have no clue at all. I was on vacation when that stupid green light appeared."

Senku nodded. Everything had been very sudden, so it was not surprising that some people were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"That answers a lot of my questions. What about what you said when you woke up? It sounds like one of the Western languages, but I'm not sure which one. Is it English? Maybe German."

The stranger tilted his head, looking confused yet oddly calm, as if being in a completely strange place was not a new experience for him. "That?" he said. "I just blurted the first thing that came to mind when I woke up. But apparently, I said it in English. I guess it sounded strange to you," he added, scratching the back of his neck.

The scientist began to evaluate his options in his head. The newly revived individual had a strange personality, sometimes immature and carefree. Nonetheless, he quickly decided that he was harmless; after all, in the worst-case scenario, it would be a three-on-one confrontation. Perhaps this stranger could be an interesting addition to his kingdom.

Senku approached confidently and extended his hand for a handshake with the stranger, while slightly tilting his head to look him in the eye due to the height difference. "I'm Senku, that one over there is Chrome, and the lioness is Kohaku," he said while pointing to his companions.

"Lioness, huh? he wriggled his eyebrows suggestively. "That's kinky, I've had my adventures with plenty of crazy girls, but I've never given them a nickname like that."

He intentionally ignored the look of astonishment and the slight blush that appeared on the girl's cheeks, as well as Senku's expression of disbelief, approaching and putting an arm around his shoulder. "You must have some big balls to go around calling your girl that in front of her little brother," the stranger smiled broadly. "I like you. I'm Joe and by the way, where are we, and what happened?"

Senku sighed internally, Kohaku was going to kill that idiot, and him too for reviving him. It was truly remarkable how not even 5 minutes had passed, and he was already starting to regret his decision. Nevertheless, he signaled the stranger to follow the group. They had already completed their task, and staying in the forest was inefficient. It was time to return to the cabin, and on the way, the group answered all their new companion's questions.

"Are you telling me you were killed? And then you came back to life? That's awesome. Except for that part where your neck ended up broken, I guess."

Senku clenched his fist slightly to avoid alarming anyone. That situation still bothered him, but getting angry about the past was futile. However, Kohaku noticed his subtle gesture with some concern. "Shit happens. So, what do you say? Will you join my kingdom and fight for science?"

Joe responded with a sardonic smile. "You ask as if I had other options. Accept your offer or refuse and go it alone. You tempt me, you really do. But first tell me something, are there cookies?"

Senku returned the smile; he had found another Taiju, just what he needed. "We'll reinvent them," he said.

Joe nodded and chuckled, but his laughter didn't last long when he noticed the expression on Senku's face, one that promised hard work without pay or vacations. He found himself wondering if it was too late to run and become a hermit in the mountains. Swallowing nervously, he approached Kohaku asking if Senku was always like this.

The blonde shrugged and then gave the new addition to the scientific kingdom a supportive and empathetic pat on the back. "You'll get used to it," added Chrome as he picked up the empty flask.

"Am I going to die, right?" he muttered to himself, defeated. A sinister, malevolent laugh echoed through the night, startling both animals and humans alike as three distinct groans went unnoticed.