Angel: I'm separating this special into 2 parts because doing it all in one would just make it way too long for me personally. Plus if I write all of the special in one chapter I feel like it's too much for other people to digest all on one screen. And I was gonna upload on Christmas, but I figured not to so that the suspense could be held longer.
Season 4 was announced, I believe I had several people mentioning the third season might be the last on PM. But apparently season 4 is, and as of posting this, I don't know if that's official or not. If it is, I will be extremely sad because I love this anime, and I hope that we at least get 100 episodes since there are only four or five arcs left of the manga I think. I also hope it is not rushed with certain characters that have yet to appear.
Anyway, enjoy part one!
Sumi was frozen in place as Senku was actually kissing her, her brain stopping. She felt the warmth of his lips, twitching a little. After a few more seconds, she finally reacted and gave in, fluttering her eyes shut while blushing. Her fingers curled in delight while reaching out and gripping his sleeves, pressing her lips harder against his. He curled one arm around her waist to pull her against him, the two feeling like they were in their own world during this moment. Senku moved his head to deepen the kiss, the woman letting out a small whimper. He then licked at the bottom of her lip for entrance and she allowed it. Sumi let out a pleased sigh from the slight roughness yet warmth of his tongue against hers. Eventually, they needed to breathe and they both moved away, a string of saliva between their lips. They both breathed heavily while staring at each other, their chests heaving up and down.
Neither of them said anything at first as he looked into her eyes, still going through the aftermath of what just happened. Her cheeks were pink while the moon shined into her eyes, her breath returning to her. Senku let out a small breath while pressing his forehead against her, wanting to say so many things.
"Senku..." She finally whispered, her eyes half closed while her heart was thumping.
"Sumire..." He slowly looked up at her with his own cheeks red. "I-"
"Yoo-hoo!" Gen called out and they froze. He had his eyes closed with a smile as he approached from behind. "There you two are. Kokuyo wanted to ask..." He opened his eyes, confused to see the two sitting away from each other. Both of them were whistling innocently as they definitely didn't want him to know what had just happened. "Um...why do you two look so awkward right now?"
"It's nothing!" Sumi denied in a high-pitched voice, standing up and walking away with a small laugh. "Kokuyo, you said? I'll go find him right now!" Her face was still red as her eyes were wide and she was sweating. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god... She was freaking out internally so much right now. Gen raised a brow, turning to Senku who had his back turned to him.
"Did I interrupt something?" Gen gave a sly smile.
"No," Senku denied with his hands folded together, letting out a sigh. Well that was gonna be ten billion percent awkward to bring up next time...was this how it always went with romance? He didn't even get a response from her regarding the fact that she knew that he knew.
The next morning, a few sounds were heard as a spotlight was on a single sign. The people from both the Kingdom of Science and the Tsukasa Empire were looking up ahead at a stage. "Okay, what's the deal? Why did he want us to gather here?" One of the men looked around in confusion.
"Performance?" Mirai wondered while reading the sign. "Mysterious light?"
"One day," Kohaku then spoke up, getting their attention. However, they couldn't tell where it was coming from. "Thousands of years ago..." The spotlight turned off from the sign and then focused on Kohaku, who was standing on the right side of the stage. "A strange light appeared, and it engulfed the entire planet." The spotlight went away from her and a green light appeared from on top of the stage. It shined down on Chrome, Yuzuriha, Taiju, and Ruri. Ginro and Kinro were standing nearby, acting as a tree. Chrome had on a shirt with 'E=mc2' over it, even wearing a wig similar to Senku's. Likewise, Ruri had on Sumi's shirt as well, over her dress. She had on a wig that was the exact same as Sumi's hair, made out of fur. The four looked up at the light, pretending to be surprised. Taiju then stood in front of Yuzuriha.
"Oh no!" Ruri called out in feign shock.
"This is bad! Really bad!" Chrome exclaimed and then pushed Ruri behind him gently, like Senku did with Sumire. As Ruri was falling, the others went stiff and Ruri froze in place. The green light went away.
"Thus, the whole of humanity was turned to stone." Ruri fell over, followed by Chrome. A bunch of rocks that looked like dominoes fell over. "All of civilization, built up over the course of history..." The rocks fell into one big pile as Suika was the one who had tipped them over. "Collapsed..."
Mirai gave a fearful look, as she didn't know the entire story up until this point. "But fear not!" Kohaku spoke up again. "For one man and one woman refused to give in!" She gestured to herself with a spotlight on her. "And prepared themselves for their own hypothetical awakening!" She closed her eyes. "That man and that woman..." Another spotlight fell on both Chrome and Ruri, with the woman still in her frozen position, barely above the ground. "Were a boy and a girl of science, science partners Ishigami Senku and Sumire Weinberg!" She had asked Sumi beforehand if she wanted to use Weinberg still for this performance, and she agreed without hesitation. Her name was still known as Maeda back when they were petrified, but she wanted to wipe her old last name clean for good.
"One, two, three, four," Chrome mimicked Senku's voice a bit.
"Five, six, seven, eight," Ruri started counting as well, but then pretended to fall asleep.
"Senku held onto his consciousness through willpower and dedication, counting for thousands of years! Sumi held on for as long as she could, having the same mindset as Senku! As much as she tried, she alas kept losing consciousness and lost count."
Ruri and Chrome then stood up, rocks flying around them. "Crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle!" They both exclaimed in unison. The two then looked around as the set behind them reflected the stone world.
"Could it be? The whole world really did turn to stone!"
"We must find each other again to rebuild civilization!" Ruri smiled while holding up a finger. A flame appeared and Mirai gasped. It was coming from a torch that Chrome was holding onto. Taiju was standing between Chrome and Ruri.
"Alright, Sumi and I are gonna have to sprint through 2 million years of humanity's technological advancements. And we're gonna use science to figure out how to undo the petrification! The two of us will rebuild civilization through scratch!" Chrome declared to the crowd.
"Working together, I know we can do it," Ruri smiled next to him. "We'll use what we know to find our answers! And we'll bring humanity back to life!" Everyone then cheered as the spotlight fell off the two. It then reappeared over Kohaku.
She closed her eyes in determination. "Senku, Sumi, and Taiju continued their research." Another spotlight fell on the three as Suika released a swallow into the sky.
Taiju let out a small scream, turning to the crowd with a big smile. "The revival fluid works! We can un-petrify people!"
"And after a fierce battle with the Tsukasa Empire...the time has finally come to tackle the mystery!" She announced to the crowd.
"Okay," Chrome and Ruri were standing up in front. Yuzuriha, Suika, Ginro, Kinro, and Taiju were behind the duo. "To solve the mystery, we're headed to the other side of the planet. Because that's where the petrification beam came from!"
"Our destination calls to us!" Ruri held out a hand with a smile. "We'll get our answers from the source itself!"
"We're what?" Kinro held his head in shock. "T-The other side of the planet, you say?"
"But however will we be able to accomplish that?" Ginro held his cheeks.
Chrome gave one of Senku's chuckles, looking up. Ruri gave a wink in response. "We're all gonna work ourselves to the bone...to build a ship!" He revealed, earning shocked gasps from the crowd. "This is exhilarating. Now get excited!"
"With our ship, we'll find out the secret to the petrification!" Ruri told them with a smile. "It's time to test our limits!" The curtain was then thrown off as the group stood there.
"Do you think...these Senku and Sumi guys can do it?" A guy murmured in a bit of unease.
"Maybe they will solve the mystery behind the light."
"Eetings-gray!" Gen's voice announced and they looked to see him approaching the stage. He was holding a microphone. "If anybody here was confused by that, then welcome to the club! You're one of us now. Just think of it as your initiation. But you got the gist," He stood in the middle of the stage. "So, can we count on you to help rebuild civilization?"
He received cheers in response and Gen waved his hands. "The world will be just like before! We've got this!" Someone shouted as the 'actors' walked off the stage. Behind everyone else, Ukyo and Nikki were standing behind them, having watched the whole thing as well.
"He's raising their morale by sharing our knowledge," Ukyo had a small smile on his face, Nikki looking proud. "Gen's smart, huh?"
"And through a stage play! That was a good idea. It was powerful!" She smiled happily while clenching a fist.
"Well, ready to get to work? Since we're all building our ship together, it's time to start making design proposals!" Gen turned his microphone to the crowd as confetti fell from on top of the stage. Everyone cheered again just as two pairs of feet stepped onto the wooden stage. It was revealed to be Senku and Sumi. He had his pinky in his ear while Sumi had her hands clasped in front of her skirt.
"Ah, Gen, give me a break," He spoke up in boredom. "All this confetti's ten billion percent unnecessary."
"I have to agree," Sumi gave a small sheepish smile. "It feels like we're suddenly famous..." Even when the two were named the chiefs of Ishigami Village, they never really had this much attention. All they had was the gathering to celebrate, and they weren't even there for most of it.
The two felt awkward standing next to each other, but dealt with it—they hadn't talked about the...events from last night. But Sumi was sure that it'd come up again eventually, though she had no idea how she was going to even bring up the whole thing. On one hand, he had kissed her, not the other way around, which could mean something. On the other hand...it could've just been a one-time thing. There was nothing from stopping Senku in saying that he wanted to be just friends again. And if that was his answer...well, she was expecting that response for over 3,700 years. So it wasn't like she'd stop being his science partner. Once it was brought up again, she'd accept his rejection and then move on with her life like everything was back to normal.
Gen chuckled at the two. "Oh, don't be such a party pooper, you two! We're trying to set a mood here, nothing's too much," He gave them a small smile as the two faced the front, though both were eerily silent. Gen blinked at their odd behavior. "Is everything okay, you two? Did something happen?"
"No," Sumi answered with her eyes closed. "Nothing's wrong."
"What she said. We're not fighting and there's no drama," Senku crossed his arms with an unreadable expression. Gen tilted his head at their hasty responses, as he wasn't believing it for a second. Obviously something did happen given how they were acting around each other. Before he could dwell on it more, Magma and Yo stepped up from the other side of the stage.
Suika, Ruri, and Kohaku were surprised at this, to say the least. "Wait, Magma and Yo?"
"I didn't expect them to step up," Ruri turned to her sister in shock.
"They usually look like total idiots!" Suika exclaimed while looking at the two men. "But today, they actually seem kinda smart!"
Magma had a giant grin on his face. The people of Ishigami Village are people of the sea. Ships are right in our wheelhouse. I'll win, take charge, then take the throne!
Yo also had his own selfish intentions as he gave a small smirk. Finally, my chance to strike! Once I win this design contest, I'll shoot right to the top!
Sumi gave an annoyed grunt towards Yo, trying to keep calm. Like Yuzuriha said, she was not happy to learn that Yo weaseled his way into the group. And he was easily the person she trusted the least. But Nikki did say she'd keep an eye on him so that Sumi wouldn't have to worry. Which she was grateful for, because she already had enough things going on.
The four volunteers all faced the crowd as Gen smiled. "Alright! Let's have our four volunteers present their ideas to the audience, shall we?" He gestured to three different stones in which they'd place their designs on. The four then stepped off the stage, heading over to the area.
Chrome and Ukyo looked up ahead in confusion. "Not gonna lie, I don't know why we're even having this contest," Chrome spoke up to the archer. "Senku and Sumi are obviously gonna win, don't you think?"
"Yeah..." Ukyo turned back to everyone. "It's curious. Especially since we should set sail ASAP. Although...have you noticed that Sumi and Senku seem a bit off?" Chrome blinked as he saw Sumi walking behind Senku, and she was sweating a lot. Senku was rubbing the back of his neck, keeping his eyes forward. "I've never seen either of them like this before. Think something's up?"
"Mm...you might be right," Chrome blinked with his arms crossed. "Come to think of it, this all started since this morning. I wonder what's on their minds?"
Gen was walking around when he noticed something. "What are you doing, Yo?" He turned to the man sitting in a chair.
"Kicking back. You wanna see my presentation last," He then had a confident look on his face. "My ship's already finished. I wouldn't want anyone to have to follow that up. Seeing is believing, right?" He imagined himself being the captain while the others rowed. "Whoever can build the thing and show it off first is totally gonna win!"
Magma put up his design, the others looking from behind. Yo then stepped up from behind. "I can't imagine you primitives are gonna come up with much," He then imagined Magma's was a dinky canoe and then let out a small laugh. "Oh, no need to be mean. I shouldn't laugh at the underdeveloped."
They all stared at him in confusion and he looked up. His eyes bulged, causing his eyepatch to break as he saw that Magma's design was made out of two canoes, and a little hut in the middle, with two flags. The others were shocked at his design.
"That's so cool!" Ginro commented in excitement. Magma laughed from the praise while turning around to the crowd.
"Our village is full of boats. I wasn't about to propose some dinky canoe or something." Yo then went pale from hearing this, walking away and trying to get out of it.
"Ho ho! I didn't expect this!" Kaseki exclaimed from up front. "Now I'm pumped to see Yo's too!"
"He said he was gonna show the finished product already," Nikki spoke up with her arms crossed. Yo flinched at being called out. "Seemed pretty smug about it too," She glanced over to him, followed by Magma.
"Yeah. Hurry up and pitch yours!"
Yo laughed nervously while turning around. "Wha...? I never said that. Or wait, did I?" He then glanced up innocently. "Oh, that's right! I actually forgot it at home! So-" Suika pulled off a tarp, revealing...a raft made out of five logs, a small flag with Yo's name on it, and a single sail.
"Hey, look!" She pointed at it. "It's a tiny little raft thingy, but it's falling apart!"
Yo gave a horrified shout at this. Senku and Sumi focused on Magma's design in front of them, examining it closely. Gen noticed this and turned to the paper. "What's up, Senku, Mire-chan? Something on your minds?"
"These sails, they burlap?" Senku didn't respond to his question as Magma glanced down at the two.
"Huh? The hell's that?" He asked in utter confusion.
"He wouldn't know the name of it, remember?" Sumi murmured to Senku quietly.
"Uh, are they sewn from plant fiber?" Senku corrected himself once he realized this.
"I'm not an expert, but yeah, something like that," Magma raised a brow at the duo, wondering why they asked.
Senku gave a chuckle, his back still to the crowd. "This is insanely useful, Magma. You're right." He then turned around with a big smile. "You guys really are people of the sea. Experience is worth its weight in gold. And now that Sumi and I know burlap sails work in practice and not just theory..." He and Sumi both rolled out a paper onto the rock together. "We can start building the ship Sumi and I came up with."
"What do you guys think?" Sumi smiled towards the crowd, hands on her hips. Magma and Yo looked in shock, as it was bigger than theirs, and also very impressive.
"That one, please!" The whole crowd shouted in unison and then talked in excitement.
Yo looked on with a groan. "How can we compete with that?! Who wouldn't want that ship? The problem is, can we build it?" He asked in dismay.
Magma looked very disheartened looking at it. Ukyo was standing next to him looking fascinated.
"That's a legit sailboat, alright," He stated with his arms crossed.
"It looks badass, so I get the excitement," Chrome then commented, though he was skeptical. "But how many years are we gonna spend putting it together?"
"What he said!" Kaseki gave a panicked look. "I'll die of old age before it's done! And I wanna see the thing! We'd need like 100 people to get it done soon!"
"You guys...don't you realize our growing group?" Sumi gave them a small smile as Senku chuckled.
"Just open your eyes, you idiots," He spoke up, confusing Chrome and Kaseki. "You didn't think we put on that stupid stage play for fun, did ya?" He glanced over to them and Chrome took a good look around. He gasped as he looked up ahead to see all of the comrades they gained from Tsukasa's side. "Tsukasa woke up an army of strapping young men for us. And we've just won them over."
"Not to mention, we have our hard-working friends from Ishigami Village," Sumi smiled while gesturing to them. "And I know that Tsukasa's men will do their best too."
They all gasped and then looked at her with hearts in their eyes. "So sweet...!"
"We'll do anything for you any day, Sumi!"
Senku and Sumi recoiled back a bit in alarm, the latter giving a nervous laugh while sweat dropping. "Maybe take it back a few notches, guys?" She suggested while pinching two fingers together. Senku looked annoyed, but quickly snapped out of it. This was the last thing either of them needed right now...
"We've got the power of science and might on our side. So get excited!" Senku finished off, and they all cheered in unison.
Later, they started building the keel of the ship with the amount of wood they gathered. Thanks to the extra manpower, things were looking off to a great start. "So, once we build this puppy, we're set, right?" Ginro walked up in excitement. "Getting to the other side of the world should be a cinch with it!" He looked towards Kaseki, Senku, and Sumi sitting on the cliff to watch the construction. They had a stack of papers nearby and the blueprint of the ship.
"Not exactly," Sumi glanced over her shoulder, confusing him. "We're actually gonna need a key component if we're gonna make it there."
"Yeah, she's right. We need one more thing," Senku peered over his shoulder. "Without a particular talent, a safe trip will be ten billion percent impossible for us." Ginro blinked, but only earned a smirk in response.
Sumi was leading the way while sniffing around, Senku following her. She hummed to herself as he closed his eyes. He really needed to talk to her, he wasn't sure if he could handle whatever was going on between them now any longer. He cleared his throat as she looked up, but not for the reason he thought. "Sumi...about that night-"
"Oh! I got it!" She ran forward and he flinched in disbelief.
"Damn it," Senku cursed while running a hand through his hair. He had a small scowl on his face while watching her leave and ran after her. He had no idea what to do about...what happened. Love obviously wasn't something he knew everything about...
Crying could be heard as Minami was lying on a rock covered with grass. "Oh, Tsukasa..." She cried out as she had been like that for a few days now.
Nikki walked by while holding a woven basket behind her back full of wood for the ship. "When are you gonna stop moping around?" She asked in annoyance, since Minami wasn't helping with building the ship.
"Found her!" Sumi called out as she popped out of a bush, alarming Nikki. Sumi had some leaves in her hair as Senku stepped behind her with a smile.
"Tsukasa told the two of us about you. Said you're the one to talk to when picking someone to revive," He spoke as Sumi stepped out of the bush, dusting off the leaves from the top of her head.
"How'd you know where she was?" Nikki asked the black-haired scientist in disbelief.
"My sense of smell," Sumi pointed to it. "I just walked around with Senku until I got the scent of soap and the mixture of salt and water from the tears."
"We've got a job for you, reporter," Senku gave her a small grin and her eyes gleamed.
"Reporter...?" She then remembered what her life was like before petrification. "In the old world, I had countless connections and tons of intel. I wielded them like weapons. It was my life's work," She then stood up confidently, as she made a complete 180 change after hearing that she'd get to use her skills. She placed her hands on her hips as she faced them. "Give me a description and I'll find your man."
"Thanks, Minami!" Sumi replied cheerfully with a closed-eyed smile. Senku gave a small chuckle, holding a sailor's hat.
"We need ourselves a captain," He tossed the hat away. "We're starting the new age of discovery, and we require a captain with godly sailing and navigation skills. The key to reviving all of humanity...is someone who can take us across the planet. That's who we need on our team!"
"We'll need you to research or remember anyone that comes to mind. And we can't have mediocre skills either. If we pick someone who barely knows how to sail, this trip will be a disaster," Sumi placed a hand on her hip. "So we're counting on you, Minami!"
After she came up with where to find someone, they built a small boat and headed on their way. The birds flew above them while Senku and Sumi used their sextants. "We made it," He was in the middle seat with Kohaku. Minami, Nikki, and Sumi were up front, while Magma and Taiju were in the back. The latter had the duty of rowing the boat. "That's the island."
"We're coming for ya, Captain!" He shouted as he paddled as fast as he could.
"Hold on," Nikki glanced down at Minami skeptically. "We aren't making a sailboat, are we? Are we sure we can find someone from our time who has experience working on such a retro ship?"
"For trading purposes or a hobby, yeah," Minami answered her, looking back. "Beyond that though, I think our chances will be slim. There's probably no one on Earth who's a literal expert-" She gasped as her eyes widened, remembering an interview she did along with the press. There was one particular man she knew, but who she didn't like.
Minami didn't look happy to be at the press conference while looking at the man they were interviewing.
"Ryusu-" She covered her mouth before finishing the name. However, that didn't stop Kohaku, Senku, or Sumi from noticing it.
"Uh, Ryusu?" Kohaku repeated in confusion.
"Nothing! Forget about it," Minami waved her hands frantically. "Anyway, look, we're here!" The boat reached the island and she stood up. She jumped off first and led the way through the woods. "Nanami Academy. It was a nautical school located around here that included sailing as part of its curriculum. If we revive one of the teachers, they should at least know how to steer your sailboat."
By the time they reached an open area, the sun had already begun to set. There were statues almost everywhere, buried deep into the ground.
"Time to mine some statues!" Senku announced to Taiju, Nikki, Magma, and Kohaku, as three of them looked at him enthusiastically. "Dig until you can't dig no more, Gorilla Team!"
"You can do it!" Sumi smiled while clapping her hands.
"Leave it to us!" Taiju shouted happily while holding a mallet.
"Okay, but I'm not a gorilla, got it?" Kohaku corrected, though Senku would still call her that regardless sometimes.
"I won't call my friend a gorilla...never even once uttered it to you," Sumi scratched her cheek sheepishly.
"Thanks, Sumi," Kohaku gave her a small smirk.
The four immediately then started digging at a rapid speed.
Later that night, they laid down a bunch of statues that got dug up. Minami held a paper as she had stats about every single one. Sumi and Senku examined them together on opposite sides. The next morning, Magma was cooking some fish while the other members of the Gorilla Team were lining up the statues so they could stand up.
"Are we waking up all of them?" Kohaku wondered as she placed one down.
"I wish, but we're running low on revival fluid. Thanks to our pal Homura destroying the miracle cave," Senku informed the blond.
"It'd be great if we could wake them all up," Sumi sighed a little, hands on her hips. "But we're gonna have to only go with one. We have to save it for the absolute best out of these guys," She eyed the other statues.
"We might as well pick a silver fox who knows their way around a boat then, huh?" Minami smiled while eyeing them, hands behind her back. "I actually recognize some of these teachers from when I did a report on the school," She looked to the side as one particular statue got her attention. She gasped in horror and then looked uneasy while sweating. "There he is...Ryusui."
Senku, Sumi, and Kohaku stared at her in confusion. "You said that name before too," Kohaku pointed out, and the reporter immediately tried to cover up the statue.
"Not him! I promise, you don't want this guy!" She pleaded to the two scientists.
"Quit freaking out," Senku commented with his hands on his hips. "Tell us his deal, already," He then gave a knowing smirk. "He's talented...isn't he? That's why you thought of him first."
"If he's exactly what we need, we'll be able to get to where we need to," Sumi spoke up next with a small smile. "It's all about compromise, Minami, please? What's even so wrong about him, anyway?"
Minami's lips quivered and then looked back at Ryusui reluctantly. "Nanami Academy was owned by the king of maritime trade, the Nanami Conglomerate. They were worth 200 trillion yen back in the day. And this is the Nanami family's self-indulgent son, Nanami Ryusui. Ever since he was a kid, he always spent his hundreds of millions of yen in allowance to collect model ships and ships in a bottle."
"Hundreds of millions in allowance?!" Taiju cried out in disbelief.
"But he got tired of toys and had a real sailboat built for him. As early as middle school, he started captaining that ship himself. He sailed around the world and had all sorts of fun," Minami explained in disdain.
"He was a captain in middle school?" Taiju was even more amazed than before. "He must be the real deal!"
"Perfect! Nothing beats practical experience," Kohaku agreed with him.
Senku was rummaging through his pocket, Sumi giving an innocent smile. "Remember when I said self-indulgent?" Minami reminded while gesturing to the statue. "That wasn't a joke. Plus, Tsukasa would've hated his rich guts. I would really prefer if we picked someone else. I'm sure we won't find anyone more skilled at sailing than Ryusui, but we also won't find anyone with a worse personality."
Senku removed the cork from the bottle of revival fluid, and still no one noticed.
"Oh, man, that's a tough choice to make," Nikki sweated a little in thought. "Do we want a normal guy with normal skills, or a troublemaker who's the best of the best?"
"Oopsie..." Senku said innocently while pouring it, and finally they noticed it. They all screamed at the two for their hasty decision, with white eyes.
"Are you kidding me?! They're already using the revival fluid on him!" Minami shrieked while the others besides Magma were panicking. Senku just gave a chuckle in return, as he couldn't care less about personality. After all, he chose Sumi for a science partner, and he didn't even like her at first.
"Of course we're prioritizing skill over personality," He told them simply.
"I've known Senku long enough to be used to guys with bad personalities," Sumi gave a small shrug, Senku giving an annoyed grunt. She gave him a playful smile, holding up her hands. "Kidding~! But I can put up with people who seem hard to get along with...usually," She made her hand into a fist, glancing away as Magma, Yo, and Hyoga pushed her buttons in one way or another. And sometimes Senku himself was up there. Plus, the two were focusing on their task at hand rather than the previous awkward tension.
They watched as the statue began to crack little by little before spreading. Minami looked on with unease as they continued looking. The right arm trembled and then pieces of the stone from the hand shattered, revealing blue petrification scars covering most of his right hand. He snapped his fingers, and the rest of the stone broke off, revealing the awakened man.
Once he landed, he looked up with a big smile. "Ha ha ha! I'm finally back in action!" He exclaimed triumphantly to them. "And once more, all of the world will be mine!"
It was dark in front of the Earth.
(Good morning, world!)
The moon moved slightly to reveal the sun, while the words 'Dr. Stone: Ryusui' faded into view. The words turned orange and then blue.
(No matter how many mistakes are made)
Sumi and Senku stood side by side, both of them wearing capes as they viewed the incoming sunset in front of them. Sumi's hair flew to the right side as she had her fists clenched, standing to Senku's right. Over her left shoulder was her cape holder, a long red cape that was black in front with golden fringe lining the bottom.
(This pulsating heart will always laud this life)
Then the two were front-facing, particles flying away from their clothing. Sumi's eyes were closed as their bangs flew around.
(Hundreds of millions)
They seemed to be standing in front of a water wheel. Gen and Chrome stood in front of the sunset next, both of them wearing capes as well.
(Trillions of crossroads bring about)
The duo faced the front, Chrome with an intense look while the mentalist gave a small smirk.
(The one and only present)
Senku and Chrome were on the left, looking towards Sumi and Gen on the right as all four stared each other down in front of space.
(Why am I?)
Senku was on the left, his eyes closed as his hair flew around. Sumi was on the opposite side, but this time, her hair was being formed behind her thanks to some black ink behind the both of them. The two were standing in front of a red background with a bunch of whys forming into it.
(I race off in doubt)
The black ink then turned into a pair of eyes behind them, as a dark force was now between the two.
(Even though I'm pelted by anxious rain)
Ryusui had his eyes closed in front of a blue background, science items flying around him. He then opened his eyes, a smirk on his face.
(A saving hero)
Tsukasa had a wistful look on his face as his hair was flying in front of him. He was then frozen.
(A philanthropic wise one)
Kohaku's eyes were covered in front of her bangs, Suika nearby as they looked towards a green background.
(Succeeding tradition)
Kinro and Ginro were facing the front, both of them with intense looks in their eyes. Taiju was facing the front as well, his face bruised. Yuzuriha's back was facing him as she clasped her hands together.
(The bearer of revolution)
Magma laughed while Kaseki tore off his clothes.
(You can be anything)
Ukyo and Homura looked up ahead. Yo laughed while Minami was admiring him.
(There is no standard form)
Nikki then gave a small smile in front of the sunset. Senku, Sumi, Gen, Suika, Kinro, Chrome, Yuzuriha, Magma, Kohaku, Nikki, and Taiju all opened an eye.
(Half of the human body is made of water)
Chrome and Gen clapped their hands. Mirai held out her hands while being de-petrified. Senku and Sumi held out their own hands to the sun. He then shared a high-five with Sumi and Chrome. Senku, Tsukasa, and Sumi all bumped fists together. Ryusui held out his arm, only to be replaced by Senku and Sumi. The two then snapped their fingers in unison.
(Good morning, world!)
As the sun continued rising, Gen and Chrome walked next to Senku and Sumi, all of them wearing their capes.
(Crossing the sea of despair to a new world)
Ryusui smirked while his arms were crossed, looking towards the sea. Senku and Sumi turned around with smirks. Kohaku, Gen, and Chrome looked up at the two.
(Shining upon the water course)
In a field, Kohaku, Chrome, Senku, Gen, Sumi, and Ryusui all ran together.
(Is the Southern Cross)
(To the direction of a blazing will)
The sun shined on a machine and onto the world, the Kingdom of Science flag flowing.
(We'll expand our world)
Gen, Chrome, Senku, and Sumi all smirked as they embraced this new world, a hot air balloon flying away into the clouds.
"Ha ha!" Ryusui laughed boisterously at the group. "After all this time, I'm here and I want everything in the world! And since I returned, it seems the world wants me as well!"
All of them were bewildered, their mouths agape while sweat dripped down their faces. "Minami, I think I'm starting to understand what you meant about this guy!" Nikki muttered to her. Sumi was so bewildered that she wasn't even registering the fact that Ryusui was naked.
"Too little, too late I'm afraid..." Minami said back nervously.
Ryusui moved his gaze over to the people standing in front of him. Kohaku had white eyes, her jaw dropped. The others just looked at him with wide eyes. "Safe to assume you guys are the ones who saved me? I'll have to thank you as best I can. My butler Francois will cut you a check. You can write any number you'd like it on, be it 10 billion or 20 billion! Francois!" He then snapped his fingers, but nothing happened. He didn't drop his smile once while looking around and taking in the environment. He noticed the water, the green forest, and a stone cliff. "Looks like I'm not in a position to make that happen," He then snapped his fingers again. "I can tell! It's my sailor's instincts. Civilization's collapsed, which means the Nanami Conglomerate and I have lost all of our assets. Am I wrong?"
"Nope," Senku grinned at him while Sumi blinked rapidly. "You're right. I'm glad you catch on quick. Saves the two of us a lot of time," He gestured to the woman next to him, who was still processing Ryusui. She then flinched as she finally realized he was naked and covered her eyes with her wrist, smoke coming from her ears.
Ryusui's eyes widened before he clenched a fist and laughed. "Ha ha ha! What an opportunity! I can't thank you enough for waking me up! With the whole world up for grabs, there's nothing stopping me from taking everything for myself!" He then sniffed the air, smelling the smoke coming from Sumi. "Do you smell something burning?"
They glanced over to Sumi, Senku letting out a small sigh. Minami had enough and held up some clothes along with the sailor's hat. "Great, why don't you start with acquiring some clothing?" She was very embarrassed by his behavior right now, plus she didn't wanna look at him any longer than she had to.
"Good call, sorry about that," He took the clothes before she rushed off. He placed the hat on his head. "My, how embarrassing. And in front of four beauties, too."
"What four beauties?" Magma asked in disbelief, pointing to Kohaku, Sumi, and Minami. "Are you so out of it you can't even count straight? I think you mean three."
Nikki then kneed him in the groin and he yelped in pain, his eyes bulging out. She had a smile on her face. "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!"
The black-haired scientist had a hand over her face at this, raising a brow. She then let out a sigh. "See...this is why commenting on beauty never works out for you, Magma," Sumi deadpanned with her hands on her hips.
Ryusui blinked in confusion at Magma. "I don't quite understand what you mean," He started off as Magma was kneeling on the ground, his face purple. "There are many types of ladies, but they're all beautiful in their own right. Am I wrong? Take this one right here," Ryusui gestured to Sumi, who blinked rapidly at being addressed. "Even with that scar, she's still considered a beauty. A diamond in the rough, if you will."
"Mmm," Sumi looked away with her lips pressed into a thin line. "Thanks, I suppose..." Men commenting on her beauty almost never really had an effect on her anymore. Plus while the whole...scar thing was a bit less of a touchy subject, it didn't make it any less hard to hear Ryusui comment on it.
"Seems that hit a nerve. Sorry about that. Can I make it up to you?" He offered with a smile.
"It's...complicated," Sumi blinked while flinching, remembering the kiss with Senku. And that Ryusui was still naked. "But no thank you! And please put on the clothes now! I can't take much more of the...nakedness going on over here," She gestured to his body wildly, her eyes covered with her arm.
"Huh?" Ryusui blinked in confusion.
"Don't take it personally," Senku replied with his arms crossed. "Sumi's sensitive to this kinda stuff. When are you gonna grow up?" He glanced at her in disbelief.
"I understand," Ryusui started putting on his clothes. "Didn't mean to make her em-"
"Excuse me?!" She whipped around to Senku with defensive white eyes. "Just because you're a year older than me doesn't mean I'm not grown up!" She then gave him one of her usual pouts, huffing at him.
"You want me to list off all the stuff you can't stand and see how you'll react?" He raised a brow at her. "We're in the stone world, why do you still care?"
"Mmm," She gritted her teeth in annoyance, a red mark at the back of her head. "You're such a jerk sometimes!"
"I'm just being realistic, it's not my fault you don't like it!" He glared a bit down at her, pointing down at the woman.
As the two argued, the others just looked on and wondered just how they got along when sometimes they fought like cats and dogs. The only one who wasn't put off by this was Taiju as he laughed at them, hands on his hips. "Heh. Just like back in high school, huh guys!" He commented with a grin; he and Yuzuriha were more used to this than anyone else. Ryusui blinked at the two scientists, wondering if they had a dicey friendship.
They took Ryusui back to where they were building the ship. "This is impressive!" Ryusui commented while looking at the blueprint. He then rolled up the paper. "I can't wait to have it!"
"Woohoo!" Kaseki was bounding up and down in excitement. "I can't wait to see the darn thing finished!"
Sumi giggled while glancing down at the craftsman. "You and everyone else, Kaseki. We've gotta have patience, though," She turned to look back at the construction.
"What do you think, Goldilocks?" Senku glanced over at Ryusui. "Can you take us across the world?"
"I hate to be the one to say it," Gen spoke up with a closed-eyed smile, waving a finger. "But this is not gonna appen-hay. Our captains used our fancy yachts and modern navigation tech," As he was speaking, the captain had a vacant expression. "How can he apply his vast experience to this primitive vessel?"
"Before I answer that question...we should protect the ship and take shelter," He closed his eyes while looking towards the ground. Gen gave a sound of surprise as it wasn't a joke either. "A sailor's instinct is always right. The temperature's risen quickly. It's 14 degrees."
Senku chuckled as he looked at a thermometer in his hand. Sumi had one as well as she looked at it in shock. "When you're right, you're right. It's 14 exactly." Gen let out a gasp as he slid over to the scientists, Sumi glancing over to Ryusui with a small impressed smile.
Wow, impressive. Although I'd rather keep my compliments to myself, given what he said to me when he was revived.
"Humidity's up 90 percent, and the wind's coming from the south south-west," He informed the group, and then walked towards the edge. "Probably a system from Serbia being driven upwards, and by the Yangtze River air mass. Capillatus clouds approaching at roughly 60 kilometers per hour means...some rough weather incoming! A regular May storm!" He then snapped his fingers.
And just like he said, a storm hit, with the others having set up their tents. Rain flew in down hard as Suika looked outside. "He knew exactly what was about to happen!" Suika exclaimed in amazement.
"I'm glad we listened to him!" Ruri gave a small smile from the hut next to the little girl.
"This Ryusui guy is something else entirely," Kohaku commented in a bit of awe. "Did he use science to do this?"
Senku and Ryusui covered up the wood. The two along with Sumi, Chrome, and Gen, were covering the tap over it with rocks. Heavy ones too, since lighter ones would blow everything away. "We'd be screwed if this storm hit us on the open seas," He told the four, and then examined the logs. "First off, this lumber's weak. It's nothing like the timber we spent decades carefully culling in our time. Traveling the world with masts like this wouldn't be wise."
"Yeah, I figured," Senku replied nonchalantly while picking his ear. "Sumi and I planned for it. We're making a motor-sail hybrid."
"Wait, we are?!" Chrome asked in excitement as Sumi giggled a bit.
"Yup," She confirmed while turning to him, a hand on her hip. "Sails alone won't get us to where we are. If they get damaged overseas, we wouldn't get far. We'll need the motor so we won't have that issue. Not to mention if the winds aren't strong, it would be a slow trip."
"I see," Ryusui stood up with a knowing smile towards the duo. "You were testing me, weren't you, Senku and Sumi? Wanted to know if I'd leap before looking. You're both really cheeky! Could've used you two in the family business."
"Thanks," Sumi gave him a small grin, her hair flying all around. She then held her head to keep it still even for just a little while.
"But what'll be powering the motors? Not the low-grade coal you use in those furnaces, I hope. That garbage is so heavy, the ship will sink from its weight alone. You two wanna make it to the other side of the planet in one piece, then we're gonna need some proper fuel," Ryusui pointed out to the duo.
"I got no idea what you're talking about," Senku replied ignorantly, pointing to the top of his head. "Sorry, we kinda suck at science, so we're lost over here."
"Oh, I'm such a spaz!" Sumi gestured to herself with an innocent look. "Proper fuel, you say? Like what?" Gen and Chrome gave them deadpan looks, giving small grunts in response.
"Ha!" Ryusui wasn't falling for either of their tricks, though. He laughed at them. "Don't play dumb," He then looked up with a smirk. "You do know what I'm after, don't you, guys? You're smart. You figured it out."
The two chuckled in unison. "Yeah, you got us," Sumi revealed while crossing her arms.
"Yeah, we did. It's what the Kingdom of Science wants too," He then opened his eyes with a big smile. "We're finally gonna get some of the good stuff...it's the ultimate natural resource. We're drilling for oil!"
"WE'RE WHAT?!" Gen shouted as he was now just as surprised as he used to be in the past. "Where in Japan are we gonna find oil?! And how?! This plan is crazy!"
"Gen, that's honestly a little insulting at this point," Sumi smiled at him. "Science has no limits, therefore this plan isn't as insane as it looks."
"You'd be surprised," Senku chuckled at him again.
"Huh?" Gen blinked in confusion at the green-haired scientist as Sumi's nose started to twitch.
"Hang on," Ryusui reached out and placed a finger underneath Sumi's nose before she could sneeze. "Common colds overseas start when you're out in a storm for too long. Given the strength of this wind, I suggest you get to your tent, Sumi."
"I'll take her to the lab, we've got some stuff to help with that. Follow us for the plan, would ya?" Senku immediately offered, placing a blanket over her to guide her away. Sumi blinked up at him in confusion at his actions. She wondered if this was because he wanted to or just because he didn't want Ryusui to compliment her further. Tsukasa did that and it ended horribly. Not that he thought Ryusui would go that far, but he couldn't take his chances either.
Ryusui stared at the two for a bit, noting Senku holding her shoulders as the two walked together. And the way they were arguing when they revived him made him curious too. "Hey...those two. They screwing each other or what? I wouldn't be surprised if they were," He commented with his hands on his hips.
"We wish. Although they have been acting very ange-stray," Gen stated with his hands in his sleeves as the three started to follow.
"Yeah, it's like they're total strangers to each other sometimes. But they've known each other for a really long time, so it has to be something new to them," Chrome murmured while crossing his arms. He then flinched, looking towards Gen. "You don't think...?"
"Hm?" Gen blinked and then gasped, grinning widely. "Oh, could it be? Is Sumiku finally taking off? It's about time if it is."
Sumi sat on the table, the blanket still around her as she sipped some tea with a clay cup. Gen stared at the hand-drawn map on the table near the woman. "Shizuoka?!" The mentalist exclaimed while knowing the location. "Eriously-say?!"
"Yeah, eriously-say," Senku replied while rubbing his chin. "It's the Sagara Oil Field. They stopped drilling there once profits dipped, but it's not like they sucked the land dry. We can dig up some of the highest quality oil in the world there. The place is like a treasure trove."
Sumi moved down her clay cup, feeling a bit more refreshed as she smiled. "It was the only oil field in the Pacific coast, and was the first in Japan to utilize oil pump. The oil itself used to be really light, and was used in cars without refinement. Got turned into a public park before it got abandoned."
"Japan's certainly got a wide variety of different resources," Gen commented a bit sheepishly. "Just not a lot of any of 'em..."
"Alright!" Chrome pumped a fist. "I may not understand every little bit of this, but you can count on me!"
"Aw, thanks Chrome," Sumi gave a small grin to him. "We can always rely on you when needed."
"That's our resource king," Senku remarked with a small smile. "You're up."
Chrome chuckled while tightening the rope headband.
The next day, the storm had cleared, and the sun was shining. They wasted no time preparing for the search. "We're new and improved," Chrome stepped up with a woven basket over his shoulders. "Let's go, expedition team!" Kohaku was a member for her eyesight, and Ukyo was the other member for his hearing. The trio looked back while waving to the others. "We're probably the three best people who could be looking for this oil stuff! We'll get our hands on it, no sweat. Back in a flash!" Mirai, Suika, Kinro, Kinro, Kaseki, and Sumi all waved back to them. Gen looked at them with a smile, as he had faith in them. Ryusui was nearby leaning against a tree with his arms crossed.
"So there's one thing I should mention," He stated, getting Gen's attention. "Once we have found oil, I'll take you where you need to go. The other side of the planet's no problem for me...but on one condition." Gen turned around while Sumi and Senku stepped up to him. "I'm putting my life on the line to protect all of ours. As the captain...I demand the rights to the oil field that we discover!"
Gen couldn't believe this as his eyes widened in disbelief. "You're orrible-hay! So eedy-gray!"
"We're haggling over the cost of your very lives, you know," Ryusui retorted back with a shrug. "If my price is too high, find another captain."
"Nah, you're the only one who has the skills we need," Senku dug his pinky into his ear, not bothered at all. Looking at Sumi, Gen saw that she didn't really care either. "Heh heh, so yeah, go ahead and rip us off."
"We'll still get the oil for the ship either way," Sumi shrugged it off.
"Hold on," Gen leaned in a bit towards them. "So even if we find the oil field, Ryusui immediately gets ownership of it? He could just hoard it all himself!"
"Not so much could as will, so..." He gave a wide grin, looking towards Sumi and she flinched in alarm. "Also...I wanna take out Sumire on a-"
"Absolutely not!" Sumi exclaimed immediately, knowing what he wanted. "Go ahead, rip us off, I don't care. NO," She made very clear while clenching her fists and glaring at him.
"Relax, I'll drop that part of the deal," Ryusui gave a small shrug, Senku looking very annoyed. "Didn't think it'd set you off."
"It's not that I don't like you in that way, I like you as...an ally. But I've already had my fair share of bad luck with romance, so I'm not necessarily willing to go all into dating right now..." She waved a nervous hand as Senku blinked at her. He couldn't help but wonder if she was saying that just to throw Ryusui off her trail or if she actually meant it. Because if it was the latter...that might pose a problem for the whole kiss situation.
"Are you sure? Almost of the men are dying around here to be with you," Gen remarked and Senku flinched with white eyes. He bit his lip as he knew that Gen was trying to get a reaction out of him. "Wouldn't wanna disappoint them."
"Yeah, that won't work on me," She reminded him while raising a brow. "My sympathy can only go so far when people try to exploit it, Gen," She glanced at him knowingly and he looked away, sweating.
"Nuts," He muttered at this.
"Alright, I respect that," Ryusui tipped his hat to her. "But don't think I'll immediately stop asking every once in a while. I'll get what I want from you."
"Ugh," She scoffed while looking away in disbelief.
Ryusui gave another big grin. "If you people want my oil, you're gonna have to buy it from me."
Soon, Ryusui laughed while holding up symbols to the manga artist, Tetsuya. The man then got to work, and Ryusui stamped the logo onto the pieces of paper. He laughed heartily while being surrounded by cash, snapping his fingers.
Drago acquired!
A golden pagoda was then built on the cliff of what used to be the Tsukasa Empire. Ryusui was then laying on a recliner chair, drinking a goblet of wine. He was being fanned and served by two people. He took an apple and ate it. Kinro, Ginro, and Yo looked on in disbelief.
"What the hell is this?!" Ginro cried out with white eyes. "I'm so jealous of him! Man!"
"Dude just woke up, and he's already rich," Yo commented with unease. "How in the hell did he manage that? Okay..." He then approached Ryusui, seeing this as an opportunity for him. "Yo, sup!" Ryusui opened his eyes, his arms behind his back. "Your name's Ryusui, right? Man, I'm jealous of...uhh, I think you're pretty cool! Can I like join you? I mean-" He let out a few sounds while flailing his arms, correcting himself. "As a former cop, I should probably show you how things are done around here!"
Ryusui gave him 100 drago, holding it out with two fingers. Yo recoiled back in surprise. "This is the Ryusui Conglomerate's new currency, the drago. You can buy a milliliter of oil with 100. Not a bad deal, eh Think of it as a pre-order."
"Huh?" Yo blinked at the money in confusion. He then picked at his nose. "Look around you. In what world would I need oil, my guy? Plus, what good is money if you could only spend it at one place?" He then tossed it away.
"One place, huh?" Ryusui pointed to his right side without even looking. Yo looked in his direction to see Suika, Mirai, Tetsuya, and Sumi selling things for drago. Sumi was making ramen behind Suika, wearing a rope headband. Mirai was selling cotton candy, and Tetsuya was selling drawings. Yo let out a yelp while his stone eyepiece broke. "Senku, Sumi, and their buddies need to raise enough drago to buy a huge stock of oil. So it seems they're using science to whip up stuff worth buying. Am I wrong?"
The crowd of people were happy from the drawings being given out. Sumi put down some more bowls of ramen next to Suika as she and Mirai sold some more food.
"Didn't take long for it to be a legitimate currency, huh?" Gen muttered in disbelief, blue lines over his forehead.
Ryusui then held out the money again to Yo. "You sure you don't need it? Last chance."
"Know what, I changed my mind!" Yo took it back, dancing around. "Thank you, money!"
Minami watched this with her arms crossed. Senku was nearby drawing something on an easel. "I hate to say I told you, but I believe I told you so. Look at the guy! You sure we're gonna be okay?" She turned to the scientist with her hands on her hips. Senku let out a chuckle as he wasn't fazed by this at all.
"I'm not sweating it," He told the blond. "At least not yet. Currency's as much a fruit of science as anything. It's a way to measure the value of hard work," He then looked over his shoulder with a sinister grin on his face. "And since he went through the trouble of making it, we might as well exploit this monetary system for all its worth, right? We gotta strike while the iron's hot, and they've got lots to spend."
Nikki placed down a log, standing up and letting out a small breath. "Quite impressive, Nikki," She flinched in surprise, turning around to see Ryusui standing right behind her. He held up a stack of drago to her. "I want that strength of yours."
She silently stared at the money for a few seconds. "Ryusui...I don't mind giving you a hand since you're new here," She started off, and he was shocked to see her slightly annoyed look. "But stop. I'm not looking to take your play money, okay? We don't have oil, and who knows if we'll find it? What value do these scraps of paper really have?"
"Heh," He gave a small smile while putting the money down. "An excellent question," He then snapped his fingers. "The value of currency has little to do with what's backing it or what's behind it...it's all trust. Take Senku and Sumire. The two brought science to a world that hadn't seen it in thousands of years." Senku looked down to Kaseki, giving him instructions. Sumi was on her way over holding a toolbox of heavy stone tools. "We trust that they can find that oil field. And that very expectation is what turns this paper into real treasure!"
He heard footsteps, looking up at Sumi coming their way. Before she got any closer, she heard yelps coming from several feet away. She looked down to see that three men had bumped into each other, and their logs had flown into the air. Sumi reacted by throwing the toolbox into the air, rolling onto the ground in front of her. Everyone stopped to look at her in shock as she leapt into the construction area. She flew over the sun as she then landed on one of the logs, kicking it safely onto the pile. She then grabbed one with still in the air, throwing it onto the pile as well. She turned around to the last log and spun her body around in a circle slowly. She then picked up speed with a yell to swing her leg with a lot of force. The last log fell into place into a part of the ship.
Sumi landed between the three men in a crouch, standing up and smiling at all three. "Is everyone okay? Be careful next time!" She warned sweetly and they all gasped, blushing at her concern for them.
"W-we will!"
"Oh!" She blinked in realization while turning back around. "Excuse me. Keep up the good work, everyone." She leapt away from the area, jumping past people while apologizing. She made it back to the others and did a front flip, landing back where she was. The toolbox fell perfectly into her hands, leaving everyone stunned.
"W-whoa…I didn't know she was like Homura," Nikki murmured in disbelief.
"That's because she spent a lot of time training but doesn't use it unless necessary," Senku grinned at Sumi as she was adjusting her hair. The captain blinked at her and then smirked.
"…Impressive! Hey, Mimi!" Ryusui called out and she twitched in alarm, her eyes white as she stopped in place. "Can I take you out sometime? Last offer of showing you a good time!" He gave her a small grin and she raised a brow at him slowly, and then it twitched a bit.
"Ah...oh, uh, well," She glanced away once she stopped right next to Gen. "First off, it's Sumi, not Mimi. Not sure if I like that. But second, I've got a lot of work to do, so I don't think I'd have the time, you know?" She gave a small shrug. "But good luck with your riches!" She walked over to Senku with the toolbox.
"Hey, Sumi. Let me help you out. You did just do all of those awesome stunts after all," He offered as she blushed, looking at him in shock from the compliment. He took it and immediately Senku fell over. Sumi blinked down at him as she removed it from him.
"Nope. You're still not a gorilla like the power team..." She sweated a little sheepishly. Thankfully Kohaku wasn't around to hear it, it was the best comparison that she had. Senku groaned from the ground. He just wanted to ease a bit of the tension between them by helping out, but not at this expense...
"That's because I'm not as nimble as you are. I don't know how you do it…" He mumbled into the ground and she helped him up.
"I don't think she likes you very much," Nikki commented while glancing at Ryusui, but he laughed in response.
"Just testing the waters," He gave a small shrug, looking up ahead at Sumi and Senku. Nikki looked at him in confusion of what he meant. The two were talking eagerly to each other as she pointed out something on the blueprint. Senku turned to her and she gave him a bright smile. "Sumire is beautiful and smart as her science partner. I don't think I could work with people who aren't on the same page. But those two? I can tell that nothing can stop their connection. And that they've known each other far too well to let anything get in their way. Which is perfect for me!"
Chrome, Kohaku, and Ukyo were walking around when the latter heard something. He came to a stop immediately. Kohaku and Chrome turned around to him. "Hear something?" The blond asked him.
"A waterfall," He pointed up ahead.
"Really?" She then jumped, landing and jumping off of several tree branches. She reached the top in seconds, looking up ahead. She then noticed steam from the distance. "I see it!"
Once they found it, though...things weren't looking good. "This is bad," Chrome kneeled, placing his hands on the rock as they all looked up ahead nervously.
"There's nothing like this on Senku and Sumi's map," Kohaku murmured as they looked. "Could they have drawn it wrong?"
"I don't know...I may not be an authority on geography, but I'm pretty sure this wasn't here 3,000 years ago!" Ukyo spoke up as they looked at the huge body of water. "It's like...a Japanese Nigara Falls!"
"See that mountain in the distance, taller than all the rest?" Kohaku pointed forward to something. "The Western side looks treacherous." Ukyo gasped as he saw it as well, letting a gasp of disbelief. He stared at it for a few seconds.
"I think we may have underestimated...how long 3,700 years really is," He murmured wistfully, as this would cause a problem looking for oil...
They went to Ishigami Village to contact Sumi and Senku to update them. "Oh," Senku stated once they heard the news. "Guess that means the coastline's a mess too, huh?" They were surrounded by Gen, Nikki, Mirai, and Suika.
"Ahh," Sumi pinched her nose while biting her lip. "Even if it wasn't for that, it's not like we'll find it by searching every forest either..."
"So's the inland," Ukyo answered them both.
"What are they talking about, you guys?" Gen asked the duo in confusion.
Senku chuckled while sweating a bit. "Just something we should've thought about way sooner. Feels like every time we screw up, a real scientist would be disappointed in us. The cycle's only a few centuries." In the distance, smoke came from a mountain, and then a volcano erupted. "All it takes is a single eruption of Mount Fuji, and the surrounding landscape changes significantly. In the 3,700 years we were asleep, it must've gone off at least four or five times. Could've been even more than 10."
"If we take into account of the fact that Mount Fuji erupts about 500 years since 781 AD, we're looking at about 16 times," Sumi reported with her arms crossed. "And when Mount Fuji erupts, it can bury any structures or dwellings that were nearby. Considering that no buildings exist, that's why the two maps massively conflict with each other...all those eruptions caused the environment to change drastically."
"Our modern maps are way off. They aren't worth shit in the stone world," Senku finished and she elbowed him a bit for the language.
Nikki, Mirai, and Suika all gasped. "Are you serious? Then what do we do?' Mirai wondered in a bit of panic.
"We'll need a new map," Ukyo said from the other line. "And we'll have to start working on it right away."
"What do you mean? We can find the place without a stupid map!" Chrome replied to them stubbornly.
"Can we?" Ukyo pointed out and they blinked. "Digging for oil half-hazardly not knowing where we are is a fool's errand. Not to mention dangerous."
"He's right," Sumi sighed a bit, a hand on her hip as she looked up. "Not to mention even with Kohaku and Ukyo, if you guys get lost, and you're low on supplies, what then, Chrome?" He blinked as he didn't even consider that.
"A map..." Mirai murmured while looking at the two.
"But how do we make one?" Nikki asked them nervously. Some birds flew overhead and Suika looked up. They flew by the group.
"Lucky...if only we could ride a big bird to get a better look around," Everyone turned to her attentively. "I bet they all know what the ground looks like, with how high they fly, the land probably looks like a map to them already..."
Senku and Sumi flinched in realization. "That's brilliant, Suika!" Senku shouted and the little girl screamed in alarm.
"Suika, thank you so much!" Sumi bent down to her with a big smile, picking her up happily. "That's exactly what we'll need to make a new map!"
She was still confused but gave a big grin back to Sumi for being useful.
Once they were back in front of the lab, they had a big pile of plants in front of them. "Hemp," Senku picked up a piece. "And lots of it! We need a stupid amount of it, so everyone will chip in."
"And we need it quick. If we don't find the oil by the time winter comes around, it'll cover the oil and we might lose it forever," Sumi placed a hand on her hip, smiling.
"Um, that's all well and good but...everyone's got their hands full building the ship," Gen pointed out to the duo.
"Yeah, but our currency and oil search are linked. Let's take advantage of that," Senku explained, confusing the mentalist. The green-haired scientist then chuckled, looking like the devil. "This is where we make use of all that precious drago they've been saving up..."
"Of course..." Sumi deadpanned a little from behind.
Yo, Mantle, and another member hugged their piles of money. Yo laughed happily from his riches. "It's about time I got rich. I'm rolling in it!"
"You said it!" Mantle agreed with him, tears in his eyes. "But I've got twice as much as you, so I'm mega rich!"
"Sure, but..." Gen started off, getting their attention. He was standing at the entrance, in shadow. "Haven't you guys heard? Your drago is in grave danger."
"What?" Yo wondered in utter confusion.
Gen then looked up with a devious smirk. "We just can't seem to find that oil field. It's possible we never will at this rate. The drago's value was based on oil sales, so what's it worth without any? That said..." He then gave a scheming smile. "I know a way to ensure your beloved drago doesn't end up as worthless stacks of paper! Would you like to hear it?"
Once he told them, all of them ran over, carrying piles of hemp in their hands. They placed it onto a giant pile of it. Mirai, Minami, and Nikki were all flabbergasted. "This really puts into perspective how much our old lives revolved around money..."
"One rumor can bring about a dire financial crash!" Gen replied while shrugging nonchalantly. Senku and Sumi looked on with smiles, while Ryusui was both fascinated yet terrified. "It's been that way for thousands of years!"
"After all the effort they've put into saving money, you've gone and crashed the market like it's no big deal. You and your pack of friends are surprisingly ruthless, you know that?" He told the two scientists with wide eyes.
"Thanks," Sumi replied casually while Senku chuckled.
"Check out how much hemp we've got, you guys!" Taiju announced as there was a mountain's worth of hemp.
"Suika was right on the money," Senku stated while holding up a rolled up blueprint. He then smirked while looking up towards the sky. "It'll be a lot more efficient to scope out our surroundings from above. We're making hot air balloons! We'll find our treasure...and we'll do it from the sky!" He pointed up to the clouds, imagining himself as Icarus.
"Should've thought of this way sooner," Sumi smirked, hands on her hips. "But now with our hot air balloon, finding that oil will be easier to do instead of going in blind. So get ready, everyone! Soon we'll take to the sky."