Angel: Hi everyone! If you're a recurring fan of mine, then you know that I was basically gone for two months because of school and work, and that I'm changing things up because I was doing a bunch of Sonic stuff and it was losing my attention. I was gonna save this story for next year, but I figured to not do that anymore. So I got into Dr. Stone very late, as of this year was the first time I ever watched it because for some reason, I just wasn't interested. But now that I know the characters, I fell in love with this show. So hopefully you guys will like it. To those who are underage, this probably isn't for you because there are swears and other mature stuff.
Also, I am not a science person, so if I get something wrong, feel free to call me out lol. Almost every single episode involves some amount of research but if I write something that's not accurate, correct me please in a respectful way.
A world was seemingly abandoned as there was no activity on it. Instead of being lively...it had people made out of stone. No one could be seen, or heard, trees and stones were growing everywhere. It was just...nothing anymore.
On that day, every man, woman, and child on Earth...instantly turned to stone.
A girl at 5 feet, 5 inches tall in a school uniform walked down the halls. One thing from her uniform that other people didn't have was that underneath her blouse she was wearing a golden chain necklace, with an emerald gem at the center of it. Her hair was straight and black, but faded into bright red tips at the ends as the hair reached her shoulders. Her bangs were parted to the sides, touching her cheeks as they stopped at her chin. The ends of her bangs were in one small curl, and her bangs were faded into red as well. A large pink bow with thin ends was tied to the right side of her hair, just above her ear. The ends were just as long as her hair. She had green eyes and fair skin. She slipped past people in the way, smiling to herself. People glanced at her as she walked by. She was a bit popular, as her energy drew students in, not that she paid much attention. And yet with her personality, it was a wonder who her friends were, especially one in particular.
The girl grabbed her bag from her locker and went towards the science classroom. Once she arrived, she grabbed a lab coat with her name on the tag, putting it on. She then walked up to the science club president, Senku. She was holding a few papers in her hand as she approached him. He glanced up at her from the corner of his eye while he was messing with a machine.
"Got the data?" He asked her calmly and she handed them over. He looked the results over as she checked out his machine briefly. He looked back at her as she grabbed a chemistry kit. "Ten billion points, Sumi. Exactly what I needed," He gave a small chuckle.
"Much appreciated, Sen," She sent him an amused smile. Sumire Maeda was the vice science club president, and had always been Senku's science partner ever since they met in school as children. "Eh, could've warned me that it'd take me past curfew, though," She let out a small yawn.
"Heh," Senku put the papers down. "Since when did you care about stuff like that? Besides, if I had, these wouldn't have been the way I needed them."
"I knew you did it on purpose!" She gasped, pouting as he laughed at her expression. Sumire, or Sumi as she liked to be called, was sometimes very childish and distracting with him. Hence why people couldn't believe they were good friends, because they were total opposites in practically every single way. But one thing they always succeeded in was science. She herself was no genius like Senku, but he, in some ways, considered her his right-hand woman.
Sumi let out a small huff and then gathered her materials. She placed a box full of chemicals and powders in front of her, cracking her hands. She then slipped a pair of goggles over her eyes. "Alright, no distractions," She murmured while holding up two beakers and examined them. She swirled the beaker around a little in front of her. "Carefully and slowly...we should have a reaction..." She gently tipped one over.
"Don't make me do it myself, Sumi," Senku suddenly spoke and she flinched, catching herself before a drop could fall in.
"I'm getting to it!" She glanced at him as he was hard at work, as usual. "You just want me to mess it up on purpose," She bit her cheek in amusement and his red eyes glanced away.
"Eh, no. I just don't wanna watch you debate something that's gonna end in trial and error," He shrugged and she scoffed a little.
"Alright, slow and steady..." Sumi whispered as she tipped the liquid over. She was so focused that nothing couldn't break her concentration...then the door burst open to reveal their friend, Taiju, and he looked very serious.
"This is it, Senku and Sumi!" He shouted, causing Sumi to jump and pour too much. The beaker bubbled up and then exploded into her face, causing her to yelp. Senku winced a little and stopped what he was doing. Once it was over, her hair was an absolute mess. There was soot in some areas, and it was in every single direction. Her head was spinning around as she felt like it was splitting.
"Why...?" She lamented as her eyes were white.
"Oops!" Taiju smiled sheepishly at her, rushing over. Both he and Senku helped her onto her seat to get her situated. "Sorry, Sumi," The brown-haired boy said apologetically. Senku looked a bit concerned, but what he said didn't convey it.
"Jeez, I told you. You could've gotten hurt. I know slow and steady can win the race, but come on."
"Ah...Sorry..." She whined like a puppy dog and he sighed from the tone of her voice. The boy reached down and rummaged through her bag that was between both stools. He took out a hairbrush and handed it to her. Then he plucked the ribbon in her hair and placed it in her hand.
"Here, fix yourself up. You look like you got caught by a stampede," He remarked and she took it silently, sticking out her tongue at him. He just let out a small chuckle. Senku started cleaning up her mess as she took a piece of her hair, pulling at it with her hairbrush.
"Anyway, what do you need, Taiju?" She looked up while tugging to make it straighter.
"My mind's made up! I'm finally gonna do it!" He shouted in determination while staring at them. "After five long years, I'm telling her how I feel!" Everyone in the room stared at him, bewildered. Sumi clasped her hands happily.
"That's great, Taiju!" She encouraged her friend. By her, he meant their friend Yuzuriha Ogawa.
"Wow...yeah, fascinating. We can't leave the lab right now. But we promise to cheer you on so vociferously, my vocal cords will snap," Senku stated sarcastically while looking over his shoulder, pressing in a beaker to his machine.
"Awesome! You mean it?!" Taiju asked them in excitement. "You guys rock!"
"No, you big oaf!" Senku plugged in his ear with his finger as Taiju was being too loud. Sumi tugged on her hair more while holding the ends. "I won't project my voice even one millimeter for your cause."
"What?! Come on, man!" Taiju exclaimed in disbelief.
"Look, you've felt this way for five years, but never said anything?" Senku replied while bending down to his machine. He waved a hand and Sumi handed him a wrench. Once her hair was back to normal, she tied it up in a high ponytail using her hair ribbon. "I can't praise such illogical behavior, but I can give you something logical as hell," He held up a beaker with a gray-ish fluid inside. "I've developed this drug as a kind of love potion," He specifically held it away from Sumi, who raised a brow in confusion. "It maxes out your pheromone levels, granting you a ten billion percent chance over winning her heart," He grinned widely, and when he did that sometimes, it scared her. Mainly because he could sometimes be a bit of a mad scientist, and the possibilities with that were usually out there.
"Um, does he really need to drink that?" Sumi sweated a little while putting her goggles back on. Taiju looked at the flask in his hands. He then dumped it out into the sink, surprising another science club member.
"Thanks, but no thanks, Senku. I gotta do this my way."
"Well, I gotta admire your tenacity," Sumi smiled as he turned around and went towards the door. He paused and then turned back to the black-haired scientist.
"Hey, maybe you oughta make some for yourself one day," He suggested and she flinched in fear, her hair standing up. She never really believed in them, and not only that, the one person she wanted to use it on...
Was Senku himself.
Obviously, he made his stance very clear on the subject already. And that was why she never considered it, because she knew he'd never return her feelings. Because to him, love was illogical, and unnecessary. But...for her, being his friend was enough because she at least got to be near him, and she did enjoy being his lab partner. He could be crass sometimes, yes, but usually with her, he was always patient and never chided her for making a mistake. And sure, it was pointless, but she couldn't really let go of her feelings either. She had liked him ever since they met, which was almost a decade ago. Even if he found out and rejected her...she would always be drawn to him.
"Ah ha ha, no thanks," She finally spoke up while sweating a little. "Even if I use it, it could never happen. He's...not really into the whole romance thing."
Senku raised a brow up at her, turning back to his machine after a few seconds. She silently sighed in relief that it didn't tip him off. Taiju stared at her and shrugged. "Alright, then, if you say so. See you guys later."
"Wishing you luck, Taiju!" She waved and he turned around with a smile of his own. He nodded and gave her a thumbs up before he closed the door. She then looked to Senku, who was silent, but kept his eyes towards the entrance.
"Whoa, are you serious? You made a love potion?" A student asked while another looked at the sink in awe.
"Come on, use your brain," Senku stated and Sumi finally got a chance to sniff it. She twitched and covered her nose; she always had a great sense of smell, which helped a lot when looking at chemicals or gathering materials. He tossed a match and the liquid caught on fire. "It's gasoline. I simply refined it from plastic bottle caps. Consider the molecular structure of polyethylene. It's just like a long gasoline molecule minus a few hydrocarbons," He then narrowed his eyes with a small smile. "You can tell just by looking."
"Well, I can't."
"Me neither."
"Not everyone is like Senku..." Sumi sweated a little sheepishly, her hand still covering her nose. Thankfully she knew better than to take everything Senku said at face value.
"Yeah, but...if Taiju drank it, wouldn't that've killed him?" Someone spoke up behind her. "Or the person Sumire likes?"
Senku just let out a chuckle, turning around to him. "No, the odds of him drinking that were ten billion to one. He's dumb, but too strait-laced. And why would she need it? Who's this guy anyway?" He let out a tch while turning back to her. She removed her hand from her face. He crossed his arms as she waved it off.
"Ah, no one special. Like I said, it's never gonna happen love potion or not," She slid her goggles off her head. She felt like he was analyzing her brain as he was staring at her for what felt like hours, like she was at the principal's office or something. "I'm gonna grab us some drinks," She walked off and he continued to stare at her. He decided to let it slide, and wasn't going to push it for her sake. Usually when she was like this, he did sometimes interrogate her, but this time...he felt like it wasn't something she'd confide in anyone about. So drilling it out of her wouldn't benefit anything.
Yuzuriha was outside in front of a tree, staring at one of the branches close to breaking off. She removed her own scarf, reaching up to tie it. "Yurzuriha!" Taiju called out from the distance, getting her attention. "Sorry I'm late!"
She turned around with a smile, hands behind her back. "It's fine. So what's going on, Taiju?" She stepped out of the shadows. "You wanted to talk to me?"
He flinched from her smile, while the others were watching from the windows. Sumi let out a smile, feeling happy for her friends. Even though Taiju was doing what she couldn't, and...it could've bothered her. It could've turned into jealousy or spite, but...she wasn't really feeling like she could do that. Especially not towards two people she cared about, no matter the result.
"100 yen on heartbreak," A young male with glasses said.
"300 on her making him cry."
"500 on her calling him a creep," Another one with glasses spoke up.
"Guys, are we really betting on Taiju's love life?" Sumi raised a brow at them. "Isn't that kind of mean?"
"I bet ten thousand that she's into him, too," Senku smiled while holding the drink the black-haired girl got for him.
"Seriously?!" The three exclaimed and Sumi looked at him with her eyes bulging out.
"Sen, what the hell?! Not that I don't want that to happen, but come on!" She shouted in disbelief, and he just opened up the can in response.
All this time, I've been so scared that if I tell her how I really feel about her...she could not want to be my friend anymore. Taiju hadn't even spoken to her again yet, and it felt like he was a brick wall. He looked towards the ground as he attempted to muster up the courage. But I can't keep it a secret forever!
He finally looked up at her. "It's like this, Yuzuriha!" She gasped and she blushed from his tone. Sumi had her fingers crossed as she watched in anticipation. Alright. No turning back now! Her blush deepened as her heart was racing. "I've kept this inside me for five years, and..."
From the corner of their eyes, Senku and Sumi looked up at the same time towards the skies. Taiju was about to speak when a flash of green light appeared. Hold up, what's that weird light? It engulfed the entire area, everyone stopping to look at it. All they could do was just stare, including everyone at school. Sumi gasped as something seemed to be approaching. As it got brighter, Senku dropped his drink onto the ground, running towards his friend. He panted with a worried look on his face as he ran as fast as he could.
"SUMIRE! GET BEHIND ME, NOW!" He shouted as he grabbed her from behind and pushed her behind him. She gasped as he stood in front of her, falling towards the ground. She looked up and stared as the light left her confused. And then suddenly the whole Earth was engulfed into gray. Yuzuriha gasped, taking cover next to the tree.
"Quick! Grab onto the tree!" Taiju stood in front of her protectively. What the hell? He then slowly turned to stone in front of her. As Sumi continued falling, Senku looked back to her, just as the two turned into stone as well. Everyone walking in the halls were turned into stone.
Why'd it get so dark?
I can't move!
I can't talk!
What's happening?
Please! Help!
It's the end of the world.
My children!
Everyone everywhere was experiencing the same thing, and they couldn't move anymore. Once it was over, all the cars on the street were damaged since people weren't driving anymore. People from some accidents were helpless, smoke everywhere. Then a plane swooped down, and because no one could pilot or give a warning, the plane crashed into an explosion. A stone head fell from the flames.
A dog barked up at his owner, only for her to not respond.
Mom! Dad!
She shed tears for them as she wanted to see them, afraid like everyone else was. Please, help me! No. I'm scared. Am I dying?
Rain fell from the sky as nothing could be heard anymore...
Taiju let out a scream, but no one could hear. His arms were reached out while he was screaming. I'm still alive! I gotta stay focused or else I'll fade out! Wake up, Taiju! Yuzuriha's smart. I'm sure she probably got away. But I can't die a coward! He thought of her standing by the tree again. I have to find her and tell her exactly how I feel!
When the rain stopped, wolves started howling. Monkeys started roaming around, while smoke was coming from an alleyway. All the buildings started to become overgrown. I've got the willpower to survive! A waterfall went over Taiju, a storm brewing in the city. I know I do! This could go on for weeks, or even months, but still, no matter what, I gotta let her know! Landmarks started flooding, and then the dam broke out thanks to all the water.
The flora took over everything, as almost nothing was even recognizable now. Years passed on, and buildings were gaining grass all over them. Taiju laid there surrounded by grass. How many decades has it been? Centuries? Millennia? Well, I'm not giving up! A bridge then broke off due to it being worn by now. I'm gonna tell Yuzuriha what my true feelings are. I'm gonna survive this, even if it kills me! A tall skyscraper lost the roof, and it fell towards the ground. A few deer walked away as by now...
Everything from the modern world was officially gone. No buildings, no bridges, no machinery, just mountains and trees.
Something dripped into a pool from above, coming from a cave. There were stone people hiding in the bushes right outside. The liquid kept dripping as a bat was overhead. The liquid fell onto a statue...and a crack was heard. Then more occurred, up until it withered away to reveal an eye. It widened while looking around in a panic. As more and more fell, a loud scream was heard. The man finally mustered up enough strength to break free, revealing Taiju himself, but with no clothes.
"I'm finally free!" He shouted while shedding tears. "I can move my body again!" He looked down at his hand to reveal a stone piece that fell from him. He examined it closely. Pieces of stone? He then looked up ahead, stepping out into a forest. And that was when he saw all the people...they were still in stone, whether they were in whole or in pieces. "Oh no..." He murmured sadly while taking it in. "So like...everyone went through all that too?" He looked at all of the cliffs around him. "It's horrible. How long have we been like this?" He then pressed his hands together, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry," He stated to a statue that was broken up, as he tried to find all he could. "I really wish I could do more to help you."
He turned to the side, as he should find something to hydrate himself. He leaned over and had some water from a river. As long as the landscape hasn't changed too much, I should be able to follow the river. He reached out to grab some vines from a tree. That'll lead me to the tree...and to her.
A bird flew past as he was walking around. He had used the leaves and vines to make a cover-up for his...parts.
"Whoa, something just fell over there."
"Is that...a bird statue?"
Some students were looking over their phones. They were aiming their cameras at a bird made out of stone hidden in the bushes. "There's so much detail. I mean, check out those wings."
"It looks so real!"
Taiju was looking over the phone with the two students as well. "I think maybe it is real." The two gasped in alarm as he wasn't standing there before hand. "Two friends of mine just found one of these," He reached out to the bush. "I saw the picture they posted of it." He picked up the bird gently. "You poor little thing. What happened? Is it like some kinda disease that made your skin harden up?"
He continued walking through the forest; he didn't think the same thing would happen to everyone when he saw that bird...
He panted while standing in front of the vet, but they weren't open. He had just got here after taking the bird with him, and out of breath. "Well, of course the vet's office wouldn't be open before school hours," Yuzuriha's voice got his attention and he looked to see her standing nearby. "Didn't really think this one though, huh?"
'Crap, it's her!' He looked at her in bewilderment, silently wondering when she got there. "Not to mention that's obviously a statue or something and not a real bird, but you still brought it to the vet. You're so silly. It's embarrassing," She then opened her eyes as he could only stand there in utter silence. He then looked away in embarrassment.
'Of course, the moment I do something stupid like this, my crush shows up outta nowhere! Just my luck!' He then realized that she couldn't have followed him. Meaning that she was in the area for something else. "Why are you here?" He couldn't help but wonder.
"Well..." She held up a statued bird of her own. "Because I'm a big ol' dummy too," She smiled at him sweetly. "I found this little guy and I wanted to see if I could help him. Great minds, huh?"
He slowly beamed that they had the same mindset. Plus, not only that, she was just as kind as he was. He laughed, but she took it the wrong way. "Hey! Don't laugh at me! You did the exact same thing!" She complained at him. "Now we're both gonna be late for school!
"Yeah, whoops!"
Their laughter that day echoed in his mind. He walked up to a bush, pushing away a branch. He looked up at the tree, his eyes widening. He stared in awe from the sight. "Yu...zuriha?" He whispered while he approached. I could never forget that face. Not even after thousands of years. I knew you were still alive. I never lost hope. In front of him was that same tree he met her at, but it was now much larger. What was also there...was Yuzuriha, nestled between the leaves and roots. And now...
He stared at how big the tree was, practically five times bigger. He laughed while clenching a fist. "I'm really proud of you!" He shouted up at her. "And you're incredible too, tree! You kept her safe for this entire time! Like you held onto her. Thank you!" He then frowned up at her. "Sorry, but I just couldn't protect you. In fact, when you really think about it, you were actually the one protecting me," He kneeled in front of the tree, closing his eyes. All that time, and he finally found her...but he had no idea if she would wake up like he did. Judging by having not seen anyone alive like him, he must've been the only one to break free.
"I was able to stay alive because of you. It's the truth. You were my light shining in the darkness for hundreds, even thousands of years." He could recall nights of just looking up at the moon, thinking of her. "And now, I can finally say it," Taiju looked up at her bravely. "I started back then, but I never got to finish. So...what I was gonna tell you that day..." His smile faltered as the sad truth hit him...she couldn't hear a thing. "Is that...that I..." Tears streamed down his face as he yearned for a response like he did that day...but now he couldn't get one. He sniffed as he continued bawling. He already missed her, even though she was right in front of him. He could say anything...but she could not speak. And once again, he thought of the last time he saw her. The smile on her face, how the sun had hit her hair.
"I've loved you. For hundreds...and thousands of years..." He murmured with his head down. He finally said those fateful words, but...now he'd never know what she would've said about it. And it hurt him. It hurt him so much because he had already waited five long years. But now, uttering those words after who knows how many years...it kinda felt like a stab to the back, even though he didn't get a rejection...but her reciprocating was something he might never get.
Taiju continued kneeling in front of the tree as the wind blew. He sat there for what felt like a while until he got onto his feet. He narrowed his eyes and then pressed his palm hard against the tree next to her head.
"I swear on my life, I'll save you!" He declared in conviction while staring at her. "Don't know how, but I'll find a way! Okay? So just wait-" He froze as he saw something behind her head. It was a message carved into the wood. "Follow the river downstream, big oaf?" He murmured in confusion, but he recognized that nickname anywhere.
He ran to follow the stream, panting as he looked up towards a branch. A small chuckle came from up ahead. There they were, Senku and Sumi, looking down at him. Senku was holding some wood and an axe. Sumi was holding a basket full of herbs as she smiled down at Taiju. Her hair had grown since the last time Taiju saw her. It was still straight, but now it reached her hips instead of her shoulders. The ends themselves had changed as the section where it faded into red was now done in short coiled curls. Her bangs were much longer to end at her stomach. Her pink bow's ends were also longer to end at her hips. She was wearing animal skin clothing in the same color as Senku, but with an off-the-shoulder blouse, with a black strap that went around the back of her neck, the back tied into a bow. Her sleeves were in the shape of a tulip and were only about ¼ inches long. To compensate, she had black bandages up to her elbows. A knot was tied with the bottom of her shirt, and it rested on her right side. She also had a skirt that flowed down to her ankles, tied together with a rope belt for carving and cutting, but mostly had the same items as Senku. And she also had boots that were the same as him, but just fitted more for her own feet. Both of them had e=mc2 written on the front of their clothing, just below their necks. Unlike her school uniform, her emerald necklace was on full display. And just like Senku and Taiju, she had a scar, but it was a line going down her neck in a small zigzag.
"Well, look who's finally awake," He spoke with a small smirk. "Good morning, ya big oaf."
"Nice to finally see you again, Taiju," Sumi greeted him and he let out a scream. He reached out with floods of tears from his eyes and arms open.
"Senku! Sumi! You're alive too?!"
"No!" Sumi cried out while backing away.
Senku pushed Taiju back with his foot, having an arm in front of Sumi as she had her hair standing up since...he had almost no clothes. And hugging him while he was in the state would just be uncomfortable in her opinion. "Don't you dare hug us while you're buck naked! Hands off, I'm not joking!" The green-haired man yelled down at him.
Sumi just stared at the two, giggling to herself at the duo. It was almost like they were back in school, instead of a stone world. She knew that for Taiju, they would have to find a way to bring back Yuzuriha, and then they would have to determine the next steps.
Senku let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. Sumi glanced at him and took a deep breath. "Taiju, we need to make it clear to you how much time has passed."
"It's October 5th, in the year 5738," Senku explained next, smirking towards Taiju. "You really slept in for a hell of a long time. I've been up and diligently working my tail off for the last six months. Sumi here has been helping me for only 3."
"Hold on," Taiju looked at his fingers in confusion, but there was no way he could count that high. "So it's been like..."
"It has been 3,700 years," Senku answered and Taiju gasped in shock, looking up at the duo. Sumi nodded in confirmation to him.
"How do you guys know what day it is?" He asked them in surprise. "You got some kinda calendar or what?"
"Huh?" Senku raised a brow at him. "I figured it out by counting. It was the logical thing to do."
"I counted as well, but sometimes I'd lose consciousness for a bit, therefore I'd lose count. When I tried to guess it when we found each other, I was off by a few hundred years. Sen then told me the real amount of time," Sumi gestured to her friend. Taiju looked at them in disbelief from their answers, and it reminded Sumi of when she found out the same.
"Four, five, six, seven, eight..." It was dark, and he couldn't see or hear anything. He opened up his eye as it was closed before. "Damn, almost lost consciousness again. Seems to happen about every 800 thousand seconds." He chuckled to himself while closing his eye for a second. "It's about as regular as my bowel movements used to be. I'll need to think and count at the same time. I hope Sumi thought of the same." He was laying down surrounded by mushrooms and trees on his back. "Run parallel processes. One hundred-sixteen billion, four hundred twenty-seven million, sixty-five thousand, five hundred-thirty seconds. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven..."
All Sumire could feel was nothing, and everything around her was darkness. She wanted to just fall asleep, but she had to figure out what to do. She had to think and think. What would Senku do? She had to be in his shoes, something she thought she could never do. She then realized that she needed to count so that she could determine what day it would be. She wouldn't let herself fade into sleep, she couldn't. "Come on, damn it, you can't fall asleep. Gotta keep counting so I can know what day it is." But she couldn't stay awake, and she closed her eyes, drifting off for a little. Once she opened them, she groaned to herself. "Ah, lost count again. One...two..."
Taiju trailed behind the two, following them at their request. Sumi and Senku walked next to each other as they led him further in the forest. "So that whole time you guys were frozen, you just...counted?"
"Even if I had willed myself awake before then, being out here stark-naked with no supplies in winter would've have meant game over pretty damn quickly," Senku explained while looking up to the sky. Sumi just smiled as she always liked hearing him talk like this. "I realized I would have to start things up in the springtime. So keeping an extremely precise account of the time was an absolute must."
Sumi glanced back at him while holding the basket over her head. "I tried my best, but counting for so long would tire me out and then I'd have to restart. Sometimes I'd rest for minutes, or even hours. Put me behind, but I knew if I woke up during winter, I wouldn't be standing here right now." She laughed sheepishly of not being able to keep herself up sometimes. Sumi then flinched as she realized he was still naked, turning back around quickly. People being naked was just something that made her uncomfortable. "That reminds me, Taiju, I have some leftover animal skin. I'm not as good as Yuzuriha at sewing, but I'll make you some clothes once we're there!"
"Thanks, Sumi," Taiju smiled at her gratefully. "Wait, then did you make those clothes?" He blinked in realization and she nodded with a smile of her own.
"When I woke up, first priority was covering myself up with leaves, then shelter and food. Then I had to scour around for any dead animal skin, making sure that it was safe to wear!" She told him while holding up a finger. "So when Sen and I found each other, I made his too!"
"Finding Sumi was harder than I thought. Even though we were both in the same area when the petrification occurred, she ended up getting separated when the rocks we're walking on shifted a few hundred years ago. I needed her help with the cooking and hunting, but eventually, I realized I had to wait for her to awaken," Senku stated, smirking at her. "But I managed just fine without her."
"Liar!" She huffed at him while punching the scientist in the arm a bit. "You were wearing leaves when we met up!" Senku just laughed and she looked away with a pout. Taiju stared at the duo, wondering just how exactly they found each other again.
The two then finally came to a stop, glancing at Taiju. "Alright, we're here. We need to put a pin in the small talk and get to work." Taiju looked up at their shelter in awe.
"Senku...Sumi...you're tellin' me... you did this on your own?" He wondered as up ahead was a treehouse on top of some branches. There was also a ladder leading up to it made out of a branch, and underneath were their supplies such as food storage and the skins Sumi mentioned.
"Until now, we've been lacking manpower," Senku stated while Sumi put down the basket of herbs. "And coming up with the bare minimum to survive takes all our time. If we're gonna rebuild civilization, we'll need a muscle-y meathead to do the grunt work." Nearby were some spears that Senku had Sumi craft; he wasn't much of a fighter, but Sumi had at least some fighting experience with them. "Sumi does the cooking, herb collecting, and food hunting. And she trains as much as she can to keep herself strong."
Sumi smiled while climbing after him. "But now we have an extra hand so that we can work on more essentials."
"In other words, we've been waiting for you, Taiju," Senku looked down at him from the treehouse. Sumi joined his side, hands on her hips. "We were ten billion percent sure you were still alive. You were so hell bent on confessing your love. And for a guy as stubborn as you, even a few thousand years wouldn't stop you from making that happen. You aren't that weak!"
"Yeah," Taiju had his eyes closed, opening them up and looking at his friends. "Of course I'm not!"
"The world has changed drastically around us. Nothing from our time exists anymore," Sumi clenched a fist with a look of conviction. "Your awakening just to confess to Yuzuriha gives you confidence, a drive that we need to our advantage. And we both know you don't let anything get in your way!" And yet it was ironic, given how she was not confident with anything that had to do with romance. It was something from Taiju that she wished she had. "So are you ready, Taiju?"
He looked at her and nodded without hesitation.
Senku stayed up at night while crafting a bow. Sumi was sitting next to him, sewing up clothes for Taiju. She pricked her finger with the tiny blade Senku had carved for her to sew. She wiggled her hand in pain, looking at the various pricks in her fingers. Like she said before, sewing was not her strong suit.
"Alright, Senku, if you and Sumi can handle all the brainy stuff..."
Senku glanced at her and examined her hands the next morning. He gave her a blank look, but she just smiled proudly while holding up the finished clothes for Taiju, to their surprise. The green-haired scientist then took off his own bandages to wrap around Sumi's fingers.
After that, they had Taiju cutting up firewood.
"You can leave the heavy lifting to me, no problem!"
Sparks flew from a fire and into the starry night skies as they sat around a fire. "It took humanity two million years to crawl out of the stone age to the modern age. We need to do that in a sprint. I swear, Sumi and I are going to take back the world," Senku stated with purpose in his eyes. "Through science, I'll figure out what happened to us, and how we broke free."
"I swear, I'm gonna save Yuzuriha!" Taiju exclaimed in declaration. Sumi stared at him, feeling inspired by both his undying loyalty to her and his goals. She clenched her fists while keeping a small glare of fueling passion.
"And I'm going to dedicate my very best helping Senku restore this stone world!" And she was going to tell Senku her feelings. It would be scary, and she already knew how he'd react. But she believed that their bond would be as strong as it was now, regardless of his answer. Even if he said no, or that he couldn't like her back...she knew that it wouldn't be in vain because of how well they worked as a team.
"We may be a couple of high school kids, but we're gonna rebuild civilization from the ground up. You and the two of us will be Adams and Eve. Together, we'll bring life back to this stone world!" Sumi glanced at him, smiling as his red eyes blazed. It was things like this...that made her like him even more. His unwavering goal of restoring humanity, to progress using science and to save everyone...that was who he was. That was the Senku she fell in love with. "This is exhilarating. Get excited!"
"Let's all test our limits!" Sumi added in with a smile.
Sumi was standing in front of a weathered tree near their shelter, punching and kicking it. A fire was nearby to help her see. She spun around and kicked again. Usually most nights, she'd train since most of the day was usually spent doing her daily routine. With fighting, she wasn't as physically strong as Taiju or had his endless energy, but not as weak as Senku. Well, calling him weak would be mean, but he just didn't have as much muscle as Taiju to get heavy stuff done. And neither did she. Training for 2 and a half months didn't make her buff that quickly.
"You know one of these days, you're gonna cause that tree to snap, right?" A voice asked from behind and she turned around to him, panting. Senku chuckled a little while sitting in front of the fire. "Although, I give you ten billion points for managing to keep it stable for so long."
"Pfft," She scoffed while looking back at him. "You and I both know that this is a common quercus rubra tree or to put it simply red oak," She gestured to it behind her. "A hardness of one thousand, two hundred and twenty pounds of force. Which could only be broken if I used something made out of steel heavier than I could carry. If I was practicing with soft balsa wood, it has a hardness..."
"Of over 5,000," They both finished at the same time and he gave her a smirk.
"Five thousand and sixty pounds of force to be exact," He rubbed the back of his neck. "Another ten billion points for passing my little test. What are you doing up, Sumi? You need sleep for tomorrow if we're gonna get started."
"Just wanted to strengthen myself up. I've gotta collect a lot of herbs I can cook with to enrich the taste of mushrooms a bit more in the morning," She heaved a little while stretching her arms. She looked back at him as the flame from the fire separated them a bit. Even then, they could still see each other, and just how different they are. She trained at night most days, while he was usually asleep depending on his experiments. Meaning that in the day, she'd be asleep to keep up her body stamina whenever she was really tired. School was different as she could just make coffee in the morning or grab some from the school store. But she wasn't a day person, it had always been like this for her since she was little.
"If you keep throwing off your stamina like this, it'll eventually catch up with you until you can't even stand," He spoke up and she turned her back to him, frowning. She had no reason to sleep usually, and she had a reason to stay up before petrification. But now that the reason behind it technically wasn't around, she could've slept normally. At this point, it was more of a habit than a necessity. She reached out to touch the tree in front of her.
"...You and I both know where this came from, Senku," She spoke up with a sad edge to her voice. He stared at her for a few minutes, and both of them were completely silent. There was a tense feeling in the air between the both of them until Senku finally spoke up.
"Yeah...I do. But that doesn't mean that now, you have to keep doing it. Whatever happened then, you don't need to keep it over your head anymore." He stared at her, and she knew that his eyes were narrowed.
"Look who's all worried about me," She teased while looking back at him.
"More like if you're sleep-deprived, you can't do any manual labor in the morning or continue being my science partner."
She rolled her eyes playfully, walking up and sitting next to him. "If I don't train, I can't hunt. And if I can't hunt, we'll starve! Unless you and Taiju really wanna eat mushrooms for the rest of your life."
"You already know I'm fine with whatever you cook, and so is he. Quit being a baby and get some rest," He gave her a small glare.
She sighed while closing her eyes, hugging her knees. "How are we even going to revive people, Senku? We don't even know why only the three of us woke up and no one else. There's so many out there..." They hadn't run into anyone else during their time both together and separately, so clearly something was at work if all three could just suddenly wake up one day after thousands of years.
He sighed himself, closing his eyes. "While changing the subject isn't going to help your stubbornness, we've been trying any possible solution."
"Maybe we could use a corrosive? But I don't have anything from my collection to make one."
"You've done what you could, Sumi. There's nothing more you can do than that," He opened his eyes while looking up at the stars. "And thinking too much about what you can't do isn't going to help matters either. We'll find the answer, even if it takes forever."
She looked up at him with a soft smile. He would always tell her this whenever she would doubt herself. "Yeah...we will," She agreed with him almost quietly as they looked up towards the stars. "I promise I'll stay by your side, Senku," She reached out to touch his fingers with her own, trying so very hard to keep in her emotions. It was a bold move, but hopefully it was the right one.
His eyes widened from her action and then he let out a chuckle as he didn't look at her. "Alright, I'll hold you to that. Just don't tell the big oaf about this, alright?" He placed his hand over hers. She hummed in agreement, enjoying the warmth and the quiet moment they were sharing. "Now come on, it'll get cold if we stay out here. And you need to get some sleep!"
"Nooooo...!" She lamented as he dragged her off towards the treehouse.
"Enough being a child! I'm not kidding around," He scolded at her and she pouted in defeat. Once they were inside, they both put on their sleeping bags, Senku turning around to face her. She looked at him and groaned in defeat. She was used to sleeping like this with him, they had sleepovers as kids—whenever he got her to sleep, that is. But this time it was different because up until now, they had given each other space regardless if she was training or not. And now he was just mere inches away from her, making it really hard to hide her blush and racing heart.
"You're gonna keep staring until I fall asleep, aren't you?" She whispered knowingly, Taiju snoring loudly. Senku just smirked, letting out a small chuckle.
"You know me by now, Sumi. What do you think?"
"Goodnight," She simply responded sarcastically and closed her eyes. And like he said, he stayed awake until she was fully asleep. He let out a tsk and patted her on the head gently.
"Idiot," He replied playfully at her stubbornness before falling asleep as well.
The next morning, Taiju was running in the forest, holding a boar in his backpack that was sewn by Sumi. He placed it down in front of Sumi and Senku, to their shock. Because Senku insisted she needed more sleep, he had Taiju do the food hunting in her place today.
"That's definitely a plus-sized haul, Taiju," He looked up at his friend in disbelief since he could never do that. "You have a real-life cheat code for stamina?" Taiju then heard something, looking up to see the two shifting through his hauls like it was nothing.
"Amanita virosa, toxic. Buna shimeji, safe, amanita muscaria, toxic. If something looks like it's out of a Mario game, pass it up," Senku explained while Sumi held up a basket for him to toss the toxic ones in. "Next, mugwort, that's edible. Wolf's bane. Are you trying to poison us?"
"Doesn't Sumi have a crazy sense of smell for this stuff?" Taiju wondered and she nodded at his question.
"Yeah, makes it really easy when I can tell if something's poisonous," She then gave a sheepish smile as Senku gave her the basket full of safer ingredients. "But then again, I don't really need to use it if I know what's edible just by watching Sen..."
"Oh yeah, that's right," Taiju murmured as she started pushing sticks through them. She then put them in front of a fire to steam them, pinching something over all of the food.
"Dig in, boys!" She smiled at them and they all started eating mushrooms but also the meat Taiju got them. Taiju looked at a vegetable with wide eyes.
"Oh, man! What the heck did you season this with?"
"Just some salt that we pulled out of the seawater," Senku answered for Sumi as she was eating. "A little pinch of it will make almost anything palatable. We can utilize it for pickling food as well. One of primitive man's greatest discoveries, I'd say."
"Makes eating stuff I hate much easier to stomach," Sumi smiled up at Taiju as she actually didn't like mushrooms, but with the right seasoning she could tolerate them.
"Thank you, Sumi and Senku. This is perfect!" Taiju smiled at his friends. "I may not know all the stuff that you guys do, but I'm gonna bust my back workin' for us!" He put a leg of meat into his mouth, standing up. He then ran off to go find more, Senku waving a hand. "Time to check out the other direction!"
Sumi stood up and Senku immediately knew what she was trying to do. "Sit back down," He spoke up with a knowing look. "I told you, you needed to catch up on a lot of sleep."
"Mmm!" She whined like a child, turning around and sitting back in front of him. "Booooo, you need to stop treating me like a baby."
"Then don't act like one," He remarked while eating and she gave him another pout. "You're only proving my point, you know..."
Taiju looked at some fruit that were growing in bushes. "Whoa, these look like grapes. Can we eat these too?" He plucked off a bundle of them. "There's one way to find out. Get in my belly!" He munched on one but then his lips puckered as it was incredibly sour. As he tried to get the taste down, he saw a statue in the distance in front of a tree. "I've seen that guy on TV. He's called the strongest primate high-schooler. Shishio Tsukasa. Guess he couldn't fight it, either."
He then came across the same cave he woke up in to see if he could find more herbs. According to Sumi, certain herbs could be found in dark areas. Something was dripping while bats were inside. He gasped as he saw a jar being filled with the liquid dripping from a rock. "What's that?! Whoa! The three of us haven't been here yet, so that means someone else survived! I gotta know who they are!"
"It was me, idiot," Senku spoke up while picking at his ear. Taiju yelped in alarm, turning around to see both him and Sumi standing at the entrance.
"Hi Taiju," She smiled while waving at her friend.
"Oh, no way!" Senku sighed at him for his simple-mindedness. "Are we the only ones left, for real? Like the last humans still alive?" The two walked up to him as he turned back to the liquid being collected. There was really no way to be sure, they hadn't been to every single part of the area.
"We don't know," Sumi spoke up softly, her smile falling.
"We'll get more. That's a top priority. I mean, the three of us alone, just a couple of dudes and a girl? Can't restart humanity if you catch my drift," Senku gave him a blank look, since eventually, they'd need to start bearing children to grow, and that wouldn't be possible if there was only three people. Sumi's face turned red while holding her cheeks.
"Yeah. That's true," Taiju looked at him nervously. "But you know how Sumi is with this stuff, Senku."
"Yeah, so? It's not my fault she insists on being a prude."
"Who are you calling a prude?!" She whipped around to him. "I just respect other people by not looking at them naked!"
"Well, if we're gonna bring back humanity, how do you think people would do it?! Asexually is not an option!" He shouted back at her with white eyes, clenching his fists and teeth. He then scoffed and walked towards the jar. "Besides...why, after thirty-seven hundred years, did we break free from our petrified condition?"
"The stone rotted away?" Taiju guessed as the pieces from his body were still on the ground.
"It's not that simple," Sumi remarked, a hand on her cheek.
"Well, something like that," He picked up a rock. "Say this strange mineral had been corroded," He chuckled while waving it around. "Can you chalk up the timing to mere random coincidence? A total of nine months apart is a relative blip on the radar. There's a reason why we all reanimated so close together," He looked up at the ceiling. "We drifted up near here. It would make sense that this cave factored in somehow. See that? The stuff trickling from overhead?"
Taiju looked up to see the yellow liquid. "That's our miracle fluid, made from bat guano. Good ol' nitric acid."
"No way!" Taiju exclaimed up at it. "That's crazy!"
"Yup," Sumi crossed her arms while looking up. "The downside is that the nitric acid takes forever to get even a full jar. I usually periodically check on it every few days."
"But what is it?" Taiju asked since he wasn't a scientist. The three left the cave.
"We did anticipate that question. But I'm not going to waste my breath explaining it to you," Senku remarked and then waved a hand in front of Sumi. "But if you really need to hear it, that's why I have my science partner."
"Nitric acid is an inorganic compound," She held up a finger. "It's highly corrosive and usually has no color. But because everything decomposed over time, that's why it has this yellowish hue. Usually, it can be used for making fertilizers, dyes, or explosives. When used against a mineral, it creates a reaction that causes that mineral to break down. Or at least, that's what we hypothesize, we don't know what exact mineral the petrification process implements."
"...You still lost me, but I'll get it eventually!" Taiju exclaimed and she fell over in disbelief from his answer.
Taiju watched as Sumi lightly spun it around from the bottle. She then handed it off to Senku. A petrified bird sat on a stump in front of them. Senku poured it over the bird. "Let me guess. You pour some of the miracle stuff on it, the stone breaks, and the bird wakes up."
"Well..." Sumi glanced away with a small wince. "Yes...and no."
"How we wish it were so straightforward," Senku sighed as he ran out of miracle fluid. They stared at the bird in anticipation, but nothing happened. The three of them all sighed in defeat. "I've been working like a madman on this project, and when Sumi came along, we doubled up time on it," He and Sumi led Taiju to their lab. There were a bunch of hand-made pots everywhere. "Using every last method we could think of."
Taiju gasped as he saw a shelf that only held petrified birds, and there were lots of them. "Over and over, again and again. It's like something from a fantasy world. Is it all mineral? Are there living cells underneath? We don't have the laboratory for in-depth analysis."
"There are hundreds of possibilities with the nitric acid from that cave, so we're not entirely out of options," Sumi spoke up while crossing her arms. "Almost every single bird here I've found from my daily food searches, and yet not a single one has come close," She sighed a bit.
"So basically what you guys are telling me is, there are things even science can't explain."
Both of them let out a laugh, baffling him. "There we go," Senku smiled while glancing over his shoulder.
"Taiju, it's like I say. Science doesn't have limits, because we have to make progress, not shortcomings," Sumi smiled, hands on her hips.
"That tired old cliché. Truth is, it never quite stands up to the scientific method. Science is often a slow process. Some liquor might speed things up," He rubbed his chin.
"If we could get our hands on some, it could enhance the nitric acid so that it has more of an effect to this type of mineral. That might be why the petrification doesn't react to that alone," Sumi explained for Taiju. He then realized that he had found those grapes earlier.
"Combined with the nitric acid, we could make something nice and potent. What's commonly known as nital, which is an industrial-strength etching agent," Senku explained and Taiju's hand wavered.
"What did you say we needed?"
"Huh?" Senku looked up in confusion, wondering if he was even paying attention. "I said we could make nital. It gets into the ferrite grain boundary an-"
"No! Don't confuse me with some kinda science talk. I mean the part about liquor." Senku blinked, he and Sumi glancing at each other. He then held out the grapes. "Wine comes from grapes, yeah?" The green-haired scientist flinched in surprise and Sumi gasped, her eyes shining. "And that is a type of alcohol, isn't it?"
"YES!" Sumi jumped up happily at their sheer luck.
Senku looked up and let out a chuckle. "Not bad, you big oaf."
They got to work on crushing the grapes for the liquor. Taiju carried a basket, seeing the two scientists crushing them, but they got the excess on their hands. Senku groaned as it wasn't much liquid coming out of them, and it would take forever to get it all out. Sumi frowned while looking at her hand. They looked up as Taiju put down a big basket of grapes and then squished them by stomping excessively.
"Hm. Yeah, we'll have you handle all the neck-down work from here on out. It's just the logical choice."
"I definitely don't have enough stamina for that," Sumi sweated a little while watching him. Her sleeping had gotten a bit better, but according to Senku, she still needed to improve on it. Once the grapes were crushed, Taiju held the basket over his head.
"Making wine is an extremely simple process. Crush your grapes or fruit, put it in a container, and stir it up every day until it's ready to go."
"But make sure that you get as much juice as you can from your fruit, otherwise you'll be stuck with fruit skins in your liquor. The fermentation of wine needs several weeks before being stored and tasted!"
The duo of scientists stared at Taiju as he mixed the grape juice feverishly. "Heh. But if we tried this back in our time, we'd get arrested for not having a license."
"In a world where the FDA doesn't exist yet, at least we don't have to go through the hassle of getting registered. Plus the fee is super expensive!"
After stirring it for several weeks, it was time for the wine to be used. "It's been three weeks," Senku stated while Taiju poured in the wine. "That should do the trick."
"Thought of something. Underage drinking's a crime too," Taiju pointed out while the other two were already tasting it. Senku just let out a chuckle, Sumi glancing up at him.
"Not a problem! After all, we're all a little over 3,700 years old."
"Oh yeah, that's right," Taiju commented and then let out a laugh that he was so concerned about that.
"Yeah, try pulling that one off when the Food and Drug Administration is rebuilt and get back to me on that," Sumi deadpanned at the two, she could just imagine Senku bragging that technically he wasn't really a high-schooler anymore. Which, she didn't doubt that wouldn't happen for a second.
Taiju had a sip and then spit it out, coughing. "Not bad. Way better than expected," Senku said while looking at his gauntlet. "Bet it's ten billion times worse than what was on the market, though."
"That was so easy," Taiju looked at the urn he was holding. "Just stomping grapes and waiting around?"
"One step at a time, my friend. Though I hate to say it...our pace'll slow down," He placed a hand on his head, cracking his neck. He then looked at Taiju with a smirk. "This'll be a course in distilling wine for dummies. Our goal is to acquire some brandy."
"Distilling, huh?" Taiju wondered as they started climbing towards the ground. "No idea what that means." He then jumped his way off the treehouse.
"I knew you'd say that," Senku landed on the ground while Sumi jumped on the planks. She jumped to land safely in front of the spears. "It's heating, cooling, and dripping. That'll concentrate the alcohol."
"And once we do that, the alcohol combined with the nitric acid should have better results," Sumi smiled, crossing her arms.
"Don't worry. People back in ancient Mesopotamia were doing this with clay pots in 3000 B.C," Senku said while Taiju looked at a giant clay pot above a fire. "And if they can do it, then so can we! Now get excited, you tw-" The clay pot then broken apart, causing the wine to spill all over their clothes.
"...Sumi?" Taiju twitched a little and she walked off.
"I'll go get the water..." She sighed knowingly as she didn't have time or much more material to make new clothes.
That night, Senku dried off his shirt by hanging it over a fire. While Sumi roasted the mushrooms, she had her back turned to the mostly-naked Senku. She was not looking, and that was final. Even if it was Senku, she had always been sensitive to nudity and sexual activities. Taiju grinned while Senku dried off his pants in annoyance, meanwhile starting to make a new pot for the distilling.
The next morning, Senku and Sumi propped up the door to their lab. They moved pots while Taiju waved at them. They gave him a task and he ran off to go find food, while the two scientists worked on making the clay pot more sturdy. They were about halfway done when Taiju came back with his findings. Later, they had lunch, being mushrooms and meat. Taiju ran off again while the two continued the clay pot making. Then when Taiju came back, the sun was setting, but the two were almost finished. They tiredly watched the heat touching the clay pot while Taiju was cutting down wood.
The next day, Sumi was carving numbers into cups, standing next to Senku in the lab.
Then winter arrived, and snow was everywhere. Icicles even formed around their treehouse and lab. The two were wearing winter coats that Sumi had prepared in advance, way back before they had seen each other again. Senku let out a puff of air, both of them watching the wine drip as the snow fell. Taiju walked away from an ice lake, now having a beard. He met up with Yuzuriha, dusting the snow off her head and body to keep it off her. He then rubbed his chin, realizing the beard.
He looked down at Senku, Sumi keeping her hands tucked in her long sleeves while watching him. He dug through the snow, holding up a shell. He demonstrated how to use it, holding one out to Taiku. He then used it rapidly all over his face, but that just left it all puffed up. Both Sumi and Senku laughed at his face.
While looking at the flames that night, Sumi's eyes started to waver just staring at the clay pot. Her head then swayed around tiredly. "Mm..." She eventually fell onto Senku's arm, and he looked down at her in a bit of surprise. Her eyes were closed as she had actually fallen asleep. He then sighed as pushing her off would probably wake her up. And he was already hounding her for her lack of sleeping, so that wasn't an option. He grabbed a blanket nearby and wrapped it around them, Sumi faintly snoring.
"Lack of stamina finally got you, huh? I knew it," He murmured while looking down at her. He reached up to gently wipe away the snow that had formed in her hair. His cheek slightly touched the top of her head to keep it warm.
The next morning, Taiju found them together asleep and smiled, deciding to not say anything.
Eventually, spring arrived, with all the snow melting away. Once it was gone, it revealed the bright yellow leaves and green grass.
The three worked in the lab, as they had produced more miracle fluid. They all poured it over some birds, only for nothing to happen. Taiju looked disappointed while Senku kicked away an empty jar. Sumi frowned at the two, as they had been working really hard. There was only so much they could do in a year, but she knew Senku wouldn't give up. She sniffed something and looked up, gasping happily. Senku looked in her direction, seeing that the stone had decayed to reveal a feather. He could only stare as they couldn't believe they had finally gotten it correctly.
They all stepped out of the lab, and Senku put a petrified bird on the ground. "Listen up, you two," He started off while pouring the fluid. "Lesson one. It's not that there are things science can't explain. Not in the least." A small crack was heard, and then it happened again. "There are rules behind everything that happens. Science is just in the name for the steady, pain-in-the-ass effort that goes into finding out what they are." Sumi's breath escaped her as an eye was revealed and Senku smiled. The rest of the stone broke off into pieces until finally, the swallow broke free to fly away. They looked up in awe as it chirped, flying around their heads. Taiju let out a shout of amazement, and then started screaming. The bird flew away to go live its own life.
"You did it, Sen...!" Sumi smiled happily, shedding a tear. "Finally, we have a way to free people from the petrification!"
"Nah..." Senku sighed as he sat down. "We did it. We've been experimenting for a year now. It actually didn't take as long as I'd imagined," He chuckled while looking up. "Slow and steady wins the race. Sumi, you and I are gonna beat fantasy with science as our only weapon," He then smiled, looking back at her. She slowly beamed that she felt she contributed as much as he did. "Oh, hell yeah. Get excited."
The fate of humanity was now in their hands...
The sun shined as it rose above the Earth.
(Good morning, world!)
In front of the forest, and in front of the sunrise, particles formed and then withered away to reveal Dr. Stone.
Two pairs of feet stepped forward through the woods in unison, but the two weren't side by side. Instead they were in opposite directions.
(How far have I walked?)
Senku was the first person, his fists clenched as he walked in his stone world clothing.
(Only the pain in my feet)
Sumi was the other person, walking in the opposite direction, also in her stone world clothing. Both of them were looking up ahead as Sumi's hair flew to the right side, her pink ribbon tails flowing behind her. There was a hook on her right side holding something, but it wasn't very clear. The wind blew in their hair, Senku's forelocks moving with each step. Sumi was now walking behind Senku, but headed past him. A split screen was between them as her bangs flew around. Both of them had determination in their eyes.
(Gives me a sense of the distance)
As they passed by a tree, it faded both of them away. Senku was now younger as he and a younger Sumi paced around in his bedroom/lab.
(The hope for a beautiful view)
Both of them looked out towards the window.
(At the end of a long night)
Yuzuriha passed by a window in her school uniform. She then stopped and looked up towards the trees outside.
(Is what keeps me going today)
Senku was between Sumi and Taiju on the school's roof. He had his hand on his cheek with a smile as Taiju pumped his fists. Sumi smiled as she jumped up into the air, her fists pumped as well. Then they looked up towards the skies.
(The mountain of the gods, the palaces of green)
Senku was on the left side, Sumi on the right. Their eyes were closed as their hair flew around, Sumi's bow included. Between them were science tools, withering away from both their bodies from behind. They were almost completely in shadow.
(The depths of the caves)
The two were now front facing, split apart again. Their eyes were still closed as all the science tools floated around them. Their hair flew around, Sumi's lifting above her head.
(The ends of the deep blue sky)
Tsukasa was walking through a red forest, a light behind him as he walked.
(I'll go the full distance)
He opened his eyes, full of pride as he walked.
(There are no limits)
Gen was standing in front of a starry sky, a mysterious look on his face as his hair flew to his right.
(To the ends of the world)
A pulley appeared, and then a bag of air. An explosion occurred, and from that was a drop of revival fluid from above. It landed in a puddle of and then a flag was raised to the sky.
(Good morning, world)
Kohaku flipped in front of the sun, spinning around as she descended down. Ginro and Kinro spun around past her, taking battle stances with their staffs. Then there was a zoom to the lab past them.
(Rid away the impossibility of the dark)
Senku and Sumi were on opposite sides of Chrome, who fiddled around with beakers. Senku had a smirk on his face as their backs were turned to him. Sumi had a confident smile on her face, both their hands on their hips, and they both looked over their shoulders to Chrome. Once again, the object at Sumi's right hip was hidden.
Fizz came out of a bottle.
A powder in glass sat at a table.
(An odyssey turning mythology into the everyday)
Kaseki stood in the forest, blowing fire forward. Kohaku was in front of a red background before it faded into her sister Ruri. Her eyes were closed while she clasped her hands together, her hair flowing behind her. Suika looked around while in a field of sunflowers on a summer day.
(In this painstaking journey)
Taiju placed his hand next to the tree, standing in front of Yuzuriha's stoned body. A light shined on both of them.
(Turning over every stone)
In front of a lit background, Senku smirked in front of the screen, Chrome and Sumi by his side with smiles as well. A lightbulb turned on and then stone broke away to reveal white feathers.
(We'll expand our world)
Senku and Sumi stood side by side on a cliff in front of the moon. Their hair was flowing while looking up ahead. Then the both of them turned around, bathed in the moonlight.
Angel: I'm gonna write out the themes as they come along so that I don't have to make a complication of them later on. So next chapter will end with the ending theme, and then when the second one comes around later, I'll put it in the chapter when it first appears. And I know the language is Japanese but I'm writing it in English to make it easier to write out. Also some of these won't make sense in context to those who haven't seen the show, like names or inventions.