Chapter Text
It was difficult to define a feeling.
Being petrified was both terrifying and fascinating. And for Chrome, who was experiencing it for the second time, he was completely thrilled.
It was dark, silent, and even suffocating. All he had for company were his own thoughts. The first time, after several hours, Chrome succumbed to unconsciousness. This time, he would wait until Senku won and freed him.
And it was because of this hope that he was calm, even more so than the first time. He tried to count the seconds that passed, but lost count after 3,000 seconds; in those moments he realized Senku's incredible ability to count and think at the same time for thousands of years.
Then he thought about Senku's constructions, the history behind that island, what they would need after everyone was unpetrified. Anything to keep his mind occupied.
Chrome didn't know how much time had passed, probably hours.
And then his vision began to clear, the breeze caressed his face, and familiar air filled his lungs. He felt his limbs again, his body ceasing to be stone. The sensation of being a statue was fascinating, but being alive was a thousand times better.
And seeing his friend's face was a relief.
"Senku... if you're here alone, that means...?" Chrome looked at his friend with euphoria. Senku just gave him a tired smile.
"We won!!"
Chrome celebrated. Finally, it was all over; they had defeated the Kingdom of Petrification, they had defeated Ibara.
They conquered Medusa.
"Yes. And I only managed it because of you." Senku praises him, looking very relieved.
Chrome can only feel happiness; the Kingdom of Science has won!
He raises his arm, ready to give the classic high-five they share when they achieve something. And Senku automatically raises his arm to reciprocate the gesture. In the next instant, their hands collide and a palm resounds, like a bell ringing to end the fight. This always filled Chrome's heart with pride.
But this time, it wasn't quite the same as the other times.
As soon as their hands collide, Senku's eyes widen and an expression of pain spreads across his face, followed by a strangled groan. He clutches his left arm and his knees buckle.
“What?! Senku, what happened?!” Chrome finally notices: the large red mark on Senku’s arm, a trail running down to his forearm, and the leather of his torn sleeve. The pieces quickly fall into place; his friend would hardly emerge completely unscathed from that battle.
"Did Ibara hurt you?" Chrome crouched down, carefully placing his hand on Senku's shoulder. He looked rather pale.
The scientist takes a few deep breaths, closing his eyes until the pain subsides. He lets out an awkward laugh as soon as he manages to compose himself.
“That damned old man. It hit only the arm, I already administered first aid.” Senku gets up, trying to hide that he needed more effort than usual. “Come on, I need your help in the lab.”
Senku began to walk slowly across the island; now that it was just the two of them, they didn't need to worry about enemies. Chrome followed him without hesitation, but that large crimson stain was bothering him. A small line ran down from the wound.
“Okay, understood. But at least let me do a better job with the bandage. It must be difficult to do with one hand.” Chrome offers, and he prays that Senku won’t be stubborn.
Senku looks at him, but doesn't refuse, nodding in agreement.
As the sun sets, they bring the laboratory car closer to Perseus. Senku is ready to assemble the process to make more resurrection fluid, but Chrome holds him back for a moment.
"Your injury first. Then we can save the others."
Senku simply sighs. "Alright, let's just get this over with."
Senku sits on a bench and very carefully pulls up the sleeve of his shirt. Underneath, there is a simple bandage soaked in blood.
“Grab some clean clothes and warm water. I really hope I don’t need stitches, Yuzuriha would kill me.” Chrome does as he’s told, returning not long after.
With great care and a silent apology, he removes the soaked bandage from Senku's arm. This earns him a gritted gruff motion.
The process is slow and continuous, with Chrome cleaning the wound with warm water as much as possible without causing further pain to the injured person.
"Isn't there... any medicine to heal faster?" Chrome found it strange that Senku hadn't asked for anything else from the lab. Senku looked at his wound before answering.
"The bleeding is decreasing, but it hasn't stopped completely. Once we've completely stopped the bleeding, I can prepare an ointment made from some medicinal plants to prevent infection and help it heal. But the important thing now is to keep it clean and closed."
Chrome trusted Senku's words and finished the bandage, pressing down firmly enough to stop the bleeding but without cutting off circulation. Despite not having much experience, Chrome was satisfied with his work.
"I think it's good."
Senku looked at his colleague's work and seemed to relax.
“Great job! Ten billion points. Now…” Senku stands up and scratches his ear with his good arm. “Let’s get to work, the others are waiting for us.”
“Okay!”
With much help from Chrome, since his arm was almost incapacitated, they assembled the 'Ostwald Process'. Tubes, glass, liquids, flames, various things to prepare more resurrection fluid to unpetrify their other companions.
It was already the middle of the night when everything was ready, but they needed time to gather enough liquid.
"So, we can only start reviving the team tomorrow, right?" Chrome asks.
“That’s right. But we need planning; if we get the order of who we revive first wrong, we’ll end up starving to death.” Senku says indifferently, as if a simple decision wouldn’t cost them their lives.
"Hmm, okay, that makes sense. Well, at least we have our lab, we'll be able to do this."
“Hehe, you’re right.” A yawn escapes his lips, and Senku rubs his face. All the chaos of the day was taking its toll.
"Now the best we can do is rest. The car has enough space for us to sleep comfortably."
"You're right." A yawn also escapes Chrome's lips.
They then prepared the sleeping bags inside the laboratory van. It would be difficult to operate the Perseus with only two people, and they needed to be attentive to ensure the manufacturing process went smoothly.
Exhaustion took over both of them, and they quickly fell asleep. A well-deserved rest.
.
.
.
.
.
Chrome is the first to wake up.
The morning light illuminated the surroundings, waking the young man from his rest. It was early morning, and the sounds of birds and ocean waves filled the air.
Chrome stretched as he stood, warming his numb muscles. He looked to the back of the lab and saw Senku still asleep, his back to him and lying on his good arm. It was the first time he had woken up before Senku.
But Chrome knew the other desperately needed rest. So he quietly went out to check the liquid production and find something for them to eat.
Checking the production, everything was as it had been the previous night, and it seemed that they would soon have enough to revive someone else.
At that moment, Chrome's stomach alerted him to his basic needs. He clutched his belly dejectedly.
“I’m starving…” Chrome looked around. He had the entire island forest to search for food, but he didn’t know the terrain and it would take time. He would have to make do with what he found nearby.
Which wasn't much.
Even after walking quite a bit, all the explorer managed to find was a few pieces of fruit. It wasn't nearly enough for them to sustain themselves, but Chrome had already taken too long.
Returning to his makeshift base, the explorer arrived just as Senku stepped out of the laboratory car, rubbing his newly awakened face.
"Good morning, Senku! I brought our breakfast." Chrome greeted him, showing the fruit he had picked with a shy smile.
“Good morning, Chrome.” Senku approached, examining what Chrome had brought. “It’s a start.”
After washing the fruit, they sat in silence while they ate, conserving energy for the long day ahead. Chrome then decided to strike up a conversation.
"So, how's your arm?"
Holding a mango-like fruit in his hand, Senku looks at his bandaged arm.
"It's still quite painful, but at least the bleeding has stopped completely. I'll prepare an ointment to help it heal and prevent infection, and if possible, some pain medication."
Despite the long night's sleep, Senku looked tired, but his face was more relaxed compared to the previous day.
"Okay. You need help changing the bandages, right?" Chrome asked.
"Sure."
After they finished eating, which was quick because of the small amount, Senku prepared a green paste and grabbed a white powder that looked like medicine. Along with that, he also grabbed new bandages and more warm water.
Sitting back down on a bench, he removed the bandages from his arm. His wound was covered in dried blood, but it was no longer bleeding.
"Now it's your turn, Chrome. Just like yesterday, clean around the area, removing the dried blood, but without touching the cut. And before putting on the bandages, apply a very thin layer of this ointment."
"Understood."
With concentration, Chrome did as he was asked. While cleaning the wound, he saw Senku holding his breath as he wiped the sensitive skin, but it seemed less so than yesterday. Or perhaps he had just gotten used to it.
Next, he applied the ointment to the cut, eliciting the expected groan, and skillfully applied clean bandages.
"Job done."
“Thanks,” Senku said, taking a small vial of medicine and swallowing it. Judging by his grimace, it didn't taste good.
"Okay, now..."
At that moment, both of their stomachs rumbled loudly. The simple meal from before hadn't even come close to satisfying them.
"We need food."
"I agree." They both clutched their bellies sadly.
The two then set off into the forest with baskets on their backs, searching for fruit trees. But the result was the same as when it was just Chrome searching. A few stray fruits and nothing more. At this rate, they would soon suffer from starvation.
They stopped searching and looked at each other, exhausted.
“Amarilys…”
She was the answer to their problem. They needed someone who knew the island and knew how to get food.
So they went to her statue. They already had resurrection fluid to revive one or two people. Then, upon finding the statue, they poured the fluid without hesitation to unpetrify it.
A light shone, and all of Amarilys's skin ceased to be stone, bringing the woman back to life.
Breathless, she looked at the other two and then at herself, the pieces falling into place in her mind.
“Thank you, everyone.” Sincere tears streamed down her face. Finally, her people were free from Ibara’s clutches, and her friends and allies were safe. That hell was over.
Senku chuckled softly, relaxed. "You're welcome. Now we need your help, where do your people store food?"
Amarilys wipes away her tears and stands up. Although she had achieved her goal, things would now change. There would be a lot of work ahead.
"I'll show you. Follow me."
In the nearest village, they go to the warehouses and find a wide variety of meats, fish, fruits, and vegetables. More than enough to sustain them for quite some time.
Loading a cart and several baskets, it was time to take them to their base-laboratory near Perseus.
But they encountered another problem. The path was difficult and their supplies were heavy.
"We're not going to be able to handle this..."
"Taiju!"
They immediately went to the middle of the island, finding the statue of Senku's best friend. The familiar light of the statue, returning to life, filled Taiju's body, and in seconds he was back.
"Ooohhh!! You did it, Senku!" Taiju exclaims happily, heading towards Senku to hug him.
“Wait a minute, big guy-!!!” His plea is cut short when Taiju’s arms wrap around the scientist. Senku was usually used to his friend’s bear hugs, but this time one of his arms would suffer from it.
Senku's wound stings, sending a wave of pain that steals what little breath he has left.
"Argh!!" Senku grinds his teeth, and his friend immediately notices that something is wrong.
"I'm sorry, Senku! Did I hurt you?!" Taiju releases his friend, his hands waving anxiously.
“Damn it… first Chrome and then you. My luck is truly terrible.” Senku grumbled, a pained smile on his face.
"Well... Ibara stabbed Senku in the arm. I also accidentally hit him when I woke up," Chrome explains, scratching his head apologetically.
“Oh…” Taiju looks at Senku, worried. “But are you alright?”
"I'll be fine. But now we need your brute force, big guy."
Taiju took a deep breath. He couldn't do much about health issues, but if his friend said he would be fine and needed help with other things, then it was time to get to work.
“Okay!”
The four then manage to get enough food back to the base, thanks to Taiju's strength. But then they encounter another problem.
How would they prepare the food?
“François!”
With the remaining resurrection potion they had prepared that day, they brought the famous butler back to life. Without much delay, François began preparing numerous delicious dishes.
The five of them then had a hearty meal, with Senku and Chrome being the hungriest, as they hadn't had a decent meal in over 24 hours. They ate, talked, and planned; a very welcome calm.
They needed to use the Perseus' technology to return Ruri's call. This would take a considerable amount of time, given that the ship was badly damaged.
Night fell again.
François was busy renovating the kitchen, with Amarylis helping. Taiju was bringing all the statues of his friends closer, something he would soon have to postpone until tomorrow because of the darkness.
Senku and Chrome were doing what they could with the Perseus, throwing away broken parts and fixing what they could.
"We're going to need Kaseki and the force team to fix everything," Chrome said, still angry about what the natives had done to his ship.
“Yes, but our production only yields enough for three people a day. It’s a good number considering our circumstances.” Senku replied, throwing some pieces of broken wood into the corner of the control room. His little stamina was waning, and he let out a tired sigh.
“I think we should call it a day. François should have dinner ready soon,” Senku suggested, absentmindedly rubbing his arm just below the bandage.
“I agree! I’m already hungry.” Chrome happily followed Senku off the ship.
The kitchen was not yet restored, but the butler had more utensils for new recipes. The dishes were once again plentiful and delicious, and the five ate around the campfire.
After dinner, they made arrangements for sleeping. Since they were still outnumbered, they could sleep inside the laboratory vehicle, but as they brought more people along, they needed tents or the Perseus itself when it was being repaired.
The night passed and everyone rested well. Well, almost everyone.
Chrome woke up early in the morning, still feeling the cool breeze of dawn. Looking around, he saw that he was the third one up, since he hadn't found either François or Senku.
It was common for the butler to wake up very early to prepare everyone's meals, and Senku always went straight to the laboratory. Since the rookie scientist didn't want to miss anything, he got up quickly and followed his friend.
Chrome, as expected, found him outside, near the site where the resurrection fluid was being produced.
“Good morning, Senk—” Chrome greeted him cheerfully, but stopped when he got closer and noticed something strange.
Senku was leaning against the table, eyes closed and brow furrowed. It might seem as if he were simply absorbed in his thoughts, but the way he gripped his injured arm tightly and the signs of insomnia on his face indicated that something was wrong.
“Senku?”